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In Rome and Milan, Mandarin-speaking officers work alongside Italian counterparts to help tourists

Police officers from China have started joint patrols in Rome and Milan with their Italian counterparts to provide assistance to Chinese tourists, who increasingly are choosing Italy as a vacation destination.

Two uniformed Chinese police officers will patrol for two weeks beginning on May 9 at the city's popular tourist spots, including the Colosseum in Rome and Milan's Gothic cathedral.

Chinese police officers Shu Jian (right) and Sa Yiming patrol with their Italian counterparts near the Colosseum in Rome on May 2 under a Sino-Italian agreement launched on May 2. Jin Yu / Xinhua

The initiative stems from an agreement between the two countries reached in 2014 and confirmed last year. Italian police have carried out similar collaboration with such countries as the United States, Spain and Poland.

"Today is an important day because we are strengthening collaboration with China in a very special field," Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano told a news conference in Rome that was attended by officials from the two countries.

The interior minister said he hopes the bilateral collaboration will be deepened with further agreements and extended to other Italian cities.

Gennaro Capoluongo, head of the international police cooperation service in Italy, says: "We feel proud to be the first one in Europe to undergo such an important collaboration program with China."

Luca Sarais, owner of Cantine Isola wine bar in Milan's Chinatown, calls it "a positive initiative". The initiative is an intercultural response to local criminal gangs, he adds.

Huang Feng, a professor of international criminal law at Peking University, says the Chinese police officers will perform their duties according to Italian laws.

The four officers, who speak Italian and English along with Mandarin, received training from Italian officers in Beijing before they were sent to Italy.

"The command of the Chinese language is their strength in assisting law enforcement, and they know the customs of Chinese tourists and therefore are better able to explain legal regulations and procedures to Chinese when they are in trouble or in disputes," Huang says.

Wang Gang, head of the European division of the Ministry of Public Security's international bureau, says that under a memorandum signed by the two countries, China will send officers to Italy during the peak tourist season every year, and Italy can also send police officers to patrol in China if necessary.

This new mode of law enforcement cooperation is based on strengthened mutual trust and demonstrates the closer collaboration of police departments of the two countries after years of efforts, says Zhao Yu, vice-dean of the International Law Enforcement Institute at the People's Public Security University of China.

"This exemplary move is likely to have a positive effect on cooperation between China and other European countries," he says.

The patrols have symbolic significance as China increasingly works with foreign countries on law enforcement, Zhao adds.

Contact the writer at zhang_yi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 05/06/2016 page2)
The southeastern Minnesota Senate district I have the honor of representing includes three higher education institutions: Minnesota State College  Southeast Technical, St. Mary's University and Winona State University. As a result, I often get feedback from students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members regarding ways to improve our higher education system.

By far, the most frequent complaint I hear from students is about the inconsistent credit transfer policy within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Many times credits will not transfer from one MnSCU institution to another, or if they do transfer, the credits will transfer as electives but won't always count toward a degree.

The reason for this was that each individual campus created its own degree requirements. While this independence was healthy, it also leads to students wasting time and money on courses they ended up needing to take again.

It just didn't make sense that some credits weren't transferring from one MnSCU institution to another, especially when the coursework was the same or very similar, often with the exact same textbook.

Students have been understandably frustrated, so we set out to fix it.

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In an effort to find a resolution, I brought together students, faculty and MnSCU representatives to have a conversation about concerns, barriers and potential solutions. After a series of meetings over the course of two legislative sessions, we came up with a long-term solution, MnSCU Transfer Pathways, which became law in 2015.

It's a fancy name, but the goal was clear: Experts and stakeholders within each discipline from various campuses would get together and write a curriculum that would apply consistently throughout the MnSCU system. Our goal was to have credits from specific programs easily transfer from one MnSCU institution to another, leading to fewer lost credits, less attrition and more affordable higher education. In addition, we wanted students to know before enrolling in a class if the credits would transfer.

The Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee recently heard an update on the progress of the Transfer Pathways program. The news was terrific. By spring of 2016, four degree disciplines will be part of the program. By fall, there will be another 12. By early 2017, there will be 12 more. And soon after that, every credit in every area will transfer seamlessly within the MnSCU system.

During the update, a business professor from Bemidji State University mentioned they are already exceeding their goals in his field and that Transfer Pathways could lead to two to four times as many associate degrees in business administration. He also testified that Transfer Pathways may eliminate the equivalent of four duplicate courses for each student  that's a semester's worth of time, money and energy students can save.

A more transparent credit transfer policy within MnSCU is one of the most important policy changes the Legislature has made to help students save time and money. The problem of soaring student debt seems to get worse every year. Fixing the inconsistent credit transfer policy within MnSCU gives students a clear idea of the credits they need to complete, helps them graduate faster and helps them avoid duplication.

Many bills get introduced each session, but few actually pass and get signed into law. It often takes multiple sessions for an idea to make any progress. One thing I have learned is that it doesn't just happen; you have to work hard and bring people together to get things done.

In the case of Transfer Pathways, the key to success was to earn buy-in from faculty, from students, and from MnSCU by bringing everyone together early in the process. And that was only the beginning.

These stakeholders have put in a tremendous amount of time over the past couple years to get us to this point and I applaud them for their efforts.

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I often write about how much more effective we are when we work together. MnSCU Transfer Pathways is an example of why. While each of the stakeholders shared a similar objective, each had different ideas of how to achieve it. By working together early in the process toward a common goal, we were able to come up with a suitable solution and as a result, students are already experiencing the benefits.

Jeremy Miller, a Republican from Winona, represents District 28 in the Minnesota Senate. He can be reached by phone at 651-296-5649 or by email at sen.jeremy.miller@senate.mn.
Minnesota businesses have some of the highest business property tax burdens in the United States. One reason: an extra property tax, paid just by businesses (and cabins) that goes to the state general fund. This tax accounts for nearly one-third of a business property tax bill  now more than $860 million a year in total for businesses across the state. And it goes up each and every year without any action by our elected officials.

Our business owners face more than their share of challenges  workforce shortages, mandates, burdensome regulations, and on top of it, they must pay this extra property tax. That's money that could be invested in their business, their employees  our community.

Let's use some of the budget surplus to reduce the extra business property tax paid by businesses. Strengthening Minnesota's business climate is essential to making Minnesota ready for the future  ready for change and ready to grow. Urge the Legislature to act this year.

Doug Loon

Minnesota Chamber of Commerce president

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Rob Miller

Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce president
They're armed wherever they go; they prioritize the safety of strangers above their own physical and emotional health, and their judgement sits at the precipice between freedom and imprisonment. If anyone in the city deserves guaranteed days off, it's police officers.

According to Rochester Police Chief Roger Peterson, though, they aren't getting any. Making matters worse, taxpayers pay far too much for the privilege of stealing their time.

The whole situation is unacceptable.

Officers are required to appear in court as a witnesses, even if hearings occur on their days off. Basically, any not-guilty plea, from traffic tickets to murder, requires an officer's presence in court.

If off-duty officers are not told by 2 p.m. the previous day that court is canceled, the department is on the hook for at least four hours of overtime. Officers usually don't know whether they are actually needed until the last minute, though; most scheduled court trials end with settlements, plea agreements, continuations and the like.

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In years past, Peterson said, officers received specific court dates. Increased demand changed that. "Instead of knowing that you're going to go to court on Tuesday morning at 9, officers are issued notices that court's going to happen some time in the next week or some time in the next two weeks," he said.

The most proactive officers are scheduled straight through the year. Every single week of their calendar has at least one court notice.

"That means that, literally, they would never get that day off or get that vacation in there at all," said Peterson.

Coordination efforts that once ensured officers had at least one week free for vacation have become difficult to manage. "You can imagine, I mean, you got your trip to Disney World planned  then somebody tells you, yeah, sorry, you've got to show up for court," Peterson said.

It's inefficient and frustrating. It wastes tax money and harms those who protect our community. Officers are paid but robbed of one of the only things money cannot buy  time. The result is burnout, a toxic ingredient to a successful police force.

Currently, a sergeant acts as a full-time court coordinator. Peterson says he "dearly hates" dedicating that person's time to scheduling and coordinating court appearances, but if he didn't, costs would be absolutely overwhelming.

In 2015, the department spent $66,433 on court overtime. In the first quarter of 2016, it spent $30,833, which puts it on track to spend more than $120,000 this year.

It's tough not to note that $120,000, especially if combined with other potential court savings, could almost provide for an additional judge and supporting staff.

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Incredibly, though, the Olmsted County Board-approved courthouse expansion did not include an extra courtroom, which removes the best solution from the table.

The problem's multiple layers make temporary fixes hardly worth pursuing.

Judges themselves face immense pressure to settle cases in a burdened court system, and a change in one judge's schedule can upend tentative coordination by others.

Though judicial autonomy is a crucial a feature of our legal system, the rippling influence of one person's decisions underscores the problem's complexity.

Court staff are aware of the problem; court administrator Chuck Kjos says they have worked to narrow calendars to one week and encourage earlier settlements. However, "there are some people that are not going to plead until they see the whites of the jurors eyes," he said.

One glimmer of hope: The Olmsted County Justice Council is studying court scheduling.

Until a solution arrives, though, the people we entrust with the underpinnings of our society: police, sheriffs, prosecutors, public defenders, judges and others will continue sinking into this inexcusable morass of squandered time and money.
Its Monday, so its time for our Academic Absurdity of the Week, drawn as always from the service of Real Peer Review on Twitter. A few days ago Donald Trump got into his usual mischief over a taco bowl. Hes underachieving. Hes totally missing out on the trolling possibilities of . . . salsa dancing! Becausewait for it nowsalsa dancing is . . . racist, sexist, and imperialistic. Also heteronormative.

Heres the abstract of a Ph.D dissertation accepted by the University of Leeds just last week:

Dancing salsa in post-thinking Europe: Gender and sexuality discourses among salsa dancers in Switzerland and England Stefanie Claudine Boulila Abstract In a discursive context where Europe is associated with modernity and progress, salsa dancing is often claimed to offer difference in terms of the gender roles it propagates. The multi-million salsa industry sells the dance practice as sexy, hot and as the epitome of heterosexuality. This thesis explores gender and sexuality discourses among salsa dancers in Switzerland and England. Drawing on unstructured in-depth interviews with heterosexual and lesbian/gay salsa dancers, it traces culturalist understandings of salsa genders that defer heteronormativity and strict gender roles to Latin American culture. Based on queer-feminist, postcolonial and race critical theory, this thesis offers an analysis of how gendered and sexualised formations come into being on the salsa scene. It will do so by deconstructing Latin American gender stereotypes, narratives of passion and heterosexual romance as well as heteronormalising processes that inform the salsa dance studio. Overall, it will argue that claims to gender and sexuality on the salsa scene are racialised in the way that they reflect broader discourses of race in contemporary Europe. This thesis presents the first analysis of salsa dance practices in Europe that is led by postcolonial and queer-feminist theory. Beyond an analysis of salsa from this perspective, it aims to contribute to the study of postcolonial racisms in Switzerland and England. Additionally, it makes a case for the study of Latinidad in Europe and the gendered and sexualised stereotypes associated with it.

Now, dont bother getting out your checkbook to get a complete copy of this masterpiece. Theres a note attached at the top: Restricted until 1 May 2036.  I cant imagine why.

Follow up question: Why is the Left so obsessed with sex?
Dennis Ross is a respected, if thoroughly conventional, expert on the Middle East. A Democrat, he has served in both Republican and Democratic administrations as an adviser and envoy. Ross served in the State Department as Hillary Clintons Special Advisor for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia. Subsequently, he joined President Obamas National Security Council staff as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Central Region, which includes the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South Asia. So when Ross writes, in Politico, that Obamas foreign policy weakness is hurting American interests, we should take notice.

Here are some excerpts:

The United States has significantly more military capability in the Middle East today than RussiaAmerica has 35,000 troops and hundreds of aircraft; the Russians roughly 2,000 troops and, perhaps, 50 aircraftand yet Middle Eastern leaders are making pilgrimages to Moscow to see Vladimir Putin these days, not rushing to Washington. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to see the Russian president, his second trip to Russia since last fall, and King Salman of Saudi Arabia is planning a trip soon. Egypts president and other Middle Eastern leaders have also made the trek to see Putin.

Why is this happening, and why on my trips to the region am I hearing that Arabs and Israelis have pretty much given up on President Barack Obama? Because perceptions matter more than mere power: The Russians are seen as willing to use power to affect the balance of power in the region, and we are not. 

in the Middle East it is Putins views on the uses of coercion, including force to achieve political objectives, that appears to be the norm, not the exceptionand that is true for our friends as well as adversaries. The Saudis acted in Yemen in no small part because they feared the United States would impose no limits on Iranian expansion in the area, and they felt the need to draw their own lines. In the aftermath of the nuclear deal, Irans behavior in the region has been more aggressive, not less so, with regular Iranian forces joining the Revolutionary Guard now deployed to Syria, wider use of Shiite militias, arms smuggling into Bahrain and the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, and ballistic missile tests. 

The Russian military intervention turned the tide in Syria and, contrary to Obamas view, has put the Russians in a stronger position without imposing any meaningful costs on them. Not only are they not being penalized for their Syrian intervention, but the president himself is now calling Vladimir Putin and seeking his help to pressure Assadeffectively recognizing who has leverage. Middle Eastern leaders recognize it as well and realize they need to be talking to the Russians if they are to safeguard their interests. No doubt, it would be better if the rest of the world defined the nature of power the way Obama does. It would be better if, internationally, Putin were seen to be losing. But he is not. 

As I hear on my visits to the region, Arabs and Israelis alike are looking to the next administration.
Over the past year the government has charged ten Minnesota men (i.e., Somali Minnesotans) with seeking to join ISIS. One of the ten is believed to have made it to Syria and is unavailable for trial. Six of the ten have pleaded guilty. This past October a grand jury added a charge of conspiracy to commit murder overseas to the original charge of lending material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Today the remaining three defendants  Hamza Ahmed, Mohamed Abdhamid Farah and Guled Ali Omar  are set for trial in federal court before Judge Michael Davis. Ill be covering the trial for Power Line and the Weekly Standard.

I have written about the cases in the Weekly Standard articles The threat from Minnesota men' and Judging the Minnesota men. The second of the two articles reports on Judge Daviss use of German social scientist Daniel Koehler to inform his sentencing of those who have pleaded guilty. Todays Wall Street Journal attends to that aspect of the cases in Judge tries new approach with terror defendants: Deradicalization (the article should be accessible via Google here).

These are important cases of national interest. They present case studies in the evolving terror threat we face at home. They open a window onto the local Somali community that is otherwise closed. They bring evidence of the local threat to the surface that is otherwise submerged in highly confidential law enforcement investigations. Courtesy of these cases, for example, we have already learned that theres something about community leader Hassan Jaamici Mohamud, imam of the Minnesota Dawah Institute in St. Paul (doing his thing in the photo at right).

Working as a legal assistant for one of the attorneys representing one of the defendants, Mohamud improperly meddled in the plea deal another of the defendants had worked out. He urged the defendants to stick together.

He is also discussed on one of the recordings of certain of the defendants discussions; his teaching of the battlefield prayer for jihad is cited. The prosecutions intent to use this recording at trial prompted the withdrawal of the attorney and legal assistant/imam from the defense team. Were going to want to keep an eye on this particular community leader.

Judge Davis anticipates a large turnout for the trial. In an order filed late last week, Judge Davis indicated that he has sought to arrange the use of an overflow courtroom each day to accommodate the crowd. Seating is first come, first serve. Official press credentials are required to take advantage of the space reserved for journalists covering the trial.

The proceedings in these cases attract a large number of Somali and other local supporters of the defendants. The proceedings also elicit the services of visibly well armed officers and bomb sniffing dogs of federal law enforcement agencies adding to the security that otherwise protects the court. You have to see it to believe. Ill be seeing and believing it again early this morning.
Russian Healing Blanket  (Item Evaluations).

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The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) on Monday debuted with a Policy Brief, a special publication focusing on beneficial ownership disclosures by owners of assets in the countrys extractive industries.

Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio, said the publication was part of the new policy and advocacy instruments by the new management to deepen its transparency and accountability engagement with policy makers and Nigerians.

In the maiden edition of the brief, NEITI identified four key areas government must act on, including the establishment of a public registry of beneficial owners of extractive companies and the initiation of a policy and legal frameworks on ownership disclosure in Nigeria.

NEITI also asked government to ensure that beneficial ownership reporting in extractive sector was built on its yearly audit reports, while ownership disclosure should be incorporated in the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill, PIGB currently before the National Assembly for approval.

The 2016 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standards expect Nigeria and other implementing countries to maintain a public register of the beneficial owners of all corporate entities that bid for, operate or invest in extractive assets, including the identities of their beneficial owners, the level of ownership and details of how ownership or control is exerted.

All EITI-implementing countries are expected to publish a beneficial ownership road map by January 2017 and start full implementation by January 2020, NEITI said in the brief. Disclosing the real owners of companies operating in the extractive sector in Nigeria will expand the frontiers of transparency and accountability and yield other benefits to the country.

The recent Panama Papers leak revelation attracted global attention on the potential and real dangers of anonymous companies often used to deprive countries of valuable revenues through tax avoidance, and sometimes outright tax evasion.

Anonymous companies, NEITI pointed out, were used not only to mask possible corrupt relationships with government officials, but also to cover probable links to money laundering, drug trafficking, and terrorism financing.

Urging the Nigerian government to lift the veil of secrecy on ownership of companies in the extractive sector, NEITI said full ownership disclosure would facilitate the present effort to trace, recover and repatriate stolen assets in foreign jurisdictions.

In most resource-rich countries, NEITI noted that anonymous ownership often served as a vehicle to conceal illicit wealth and conflict of interests by politically exposed persons (PEPs).

NEITI criticized the practice of granting pioneer status to prospective investors, saying between 2009 and 2014 the country lost over $1.17 billion (about N230.5 billion) to some upstream companies influenced by behind the scene beneficial owners.

The agency observed that local and international oil companies operating in most developing countries have a complex ownership structure that makes it difficult to identify their real owners or their connection to companies with whom they transact business.

NEITI said Nigeria, alongside 11 other EITI-implementing countries, in 2013 volunteered to pilot the reporting of beneficial ownership in the oil, gas and mining sector by releasing the beneficial ownership information in the 2012 NEITI Oil and Gas Audit Report.

The information captured through templates filled out by companies and validated with records at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), NEITI pointed out, covered legal owners and not beneficial owners.

Of the 40 companies covered by the report, NEITI said only 21 listed at least one natural person as part of their registered beneficial owners, while others identified legal directors, rather than the true beneficiaries who really control the companies.

NEITI expressed optimism that beneficial ownership transparency would help in curbing corruption and lower the risk of financial misconduct in the extractive sector in Nigeria.

Beyond a public register by 2020 as demanded by the EITI, NEITI said government could generate information about the real owners of companies in the extractive sector by creating a beneficial ownership database of operating companies accessible only to law-enforcement agencies and other government entities.

Other ways include mandatory public disclosure of the beneficial owners of companies doing significant contracts with government; and legislations that make it mandatory for companies to disclose their beneficial owners at the point of incorporation.

In terms of legislation, NEITI said beneficial ownership provisions should be included in the PIGB as well as amendments to the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and the Petroleum Act 1969, while the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act could be amended to make it mandatory for public officials declare their assets publicly.
The South African government has opened public registers to help tackle the issue of hidden ownership of companies and to promote accountability and transparency in its financial system.

At the Open Government Partnership Africa Regional meeting, the South African government unfolded a National Action Plan (NAP) that included a commitment to collect information on beneficial owners of companies incorporated in the country.

The government said the decision was necessary to restore faith in the system following the revelation of a huge volume of documents belonging to citizens tucked away in several secret offshore havens, but uncovered by the recent #PanamaPapers investigations.

The #PanamaPapers leak revealed how politicians and businessmen around the world employed anonymity to shield their business ownership and their wealth in tax havens.

The revelation had sparked agitation by international organisations and civil society groups for countries to tackle anonymous ownership in business by establishing beneficial ownership registers.

Public registers give investigators, journalists, civil society, and the general public the tools necessary to peel back the layers of secrecy that anonymous companies create, Denise Mubaiwa of the Economic Justice Network (EJN) of Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa (FOCCISA), said.

Ms. Mubaiwa said the next step would be for draft legislation to be revised promptly to reflect the South African governments current commitment to a public register, which she said would enhance accountability in the country as regards company ownership.

With the register, South Africa has joined United Kingdom and Ukraine in launching public registers of beneficial ownership as a demonstration of their commitment to improve their financial transparency and curb vulnerability to money laundering and terrorist financing.

Many jurisdictions around the world do not ask for this information, which encourages shell companies becoming the order of the day in such places.

A 2011 World Bank study research on corruption identified anonymous companies as the main channel used in over 70 per cent of the money laundry cases examined.

The inauguration of public registers would act as check for corrupt politicians, tax evaders and terrorists who intentionally conceal their identities while owning companies worth a lot of money.

South Africas commitment is coming just over a year after African leaders adopted a high level Panel report on illicit financial flows (IFFs) from Africa and called on governments to create publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership to help combat illicit financial flows.

The panel, chaired by former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, estimated that Africa was losing about $50 billion through IFFs annually, representing about 5.5 per cent of the continents gross domestic product, GDP.

It is good to see South Africa commit to beneficial ownership registers, as suggested by the High Level Panel, Alvin Mosioma of Tax Justice Network-Africa said. But, its vital that they quickly turn this commitment into a binding reality.

Illicit financial flows leaving the continent are only growing, and African governments need to take proactive steps to combat them as quickly as possible. South Africa leading the way will provide important cover for other African governments to take the same step, he said.

Equally, Porter McConnell of the Financial Transparency Coalition, said more governments were waking up to their citizens demands for more transparency and accountability in the global financial system.

Mr. McConnell said it was important that South Africa implemented the commitment quickly, by ensuring that the registers were available to the public, so that journalists, researchers, and civil society could use the data.

The Panama Papers demonstrated that citizens around the world are craving the accountability and transparency necessary to restore faith in how the financial system operates, he concluded.
The African Innovation Foundation (AIF) on Monday announced the top 10 nominees for its landmark programme, the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA).

Now celebrating its fifth year under the theme Made in Africa, IPA is the premier innovation initiative on the African continent, offering a grand share prize of US$150 000 and incentives to spur growth and prosperity in Africa through home-grown solutions.

In the past five years, Ive seen innovation grow from a mere buzzword to a sturdy path for African growth in multi-disciplinary industries across the continent. As Africans, we have the talent, potential and clout to solve our own problems with ingenuity too, and IPA is testimony of this, said Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl, IPA Director at the helm of this initiative since its launch in 2011.

The IPA has seen tremendous growth in applications and increasing interest from both innovators and innovation enablers over the years. To date, IPA has attracted more than 6 000 innovators from 50 African countries, making it a truly Pan African initiative. IPA 2016 attracted a record 3 600 plus innovators and received 985 successful submissions from 46 African countries. African ingenuity this year showcases new breakthroughs in malaria and other public health burdens, smart solutions for farmers and dynamic energy initiatives.

AIF will host the IPA 2016: Made in Africa awards ceremony and its first ever Innovation Ecosystems Connector on 22 and 23 June 2016 in Gaborone, Botswana. This premier innovation event has been endorsed by H.E. Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama, the President of Botswana, who will preside at the Awards Ceremony. Collaborating partners include the Ministry of Infrastructure, Science and Technology (MIST), and the Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH). Visit our event website to learn more about planned activities and partnership opportunities.

Listed below are the top 10 IPA 2016 nominees. Prior to the final announcement at a special gala ceremony on 23 June 2016 at the Gaborone International Conference Centre (GICC), the expert panel of IPA judges will once again deliberate through live pitching sessions and one-on-ones with each nominee to select the top three winners. For fuller details of the 10 nominees, their innovations and related images, please see

Tackling malaria and other public health burdens

Dr. Eddy Agbo, Nigeria: Urine Test for Malaria (UMT)

Urine Test for Malaria (UMT) is a rapid non-blood diagnostic medical device that can diagnose malaria in less than 25 minutes. Africa has the highest number of malaria cases worldwide; more often than not, when fever is detected, anti-malaria medication is administered. However, the inability to quickly diagnose and commence malaria treatment can lead to various complications including kidney failure, build-up of lung fluid, aplastic anaemia and even death. UMT uses a dip-stick with accurate results in just 25 minutes. The technology detects malaria parasite proteins in the patients urine with fever due to malaria. The UMT is simple and affordable, and a potential game changer in managing malaria across Africa.

Dr Eddy Agbo is a molecular bio-technologist from Nigeria, and Chairman/CEO of Fyodor Biotechnologies, promoters of UMT. Eddy has a PhD in Molecular Genetics from Utrecht University in Netherlands and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Prior to founding Fyodor, he held a senior research position at John Hopkins University, USA.



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Valentin Agon, Benin: Api-Palu

Api-Palu is an anti-malaria drug treatment developed out of natural plant extract. It is significantly cheaper than available anti-malarial drugs, and has great inhibitory effects on 3D7 strains of plasmodium falciparum the causative agent of malaria. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 88% of malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths reported globally (WHO: 2015) with some African governments spending up to 40% of their public health budgets on malaria treatment. Api-Palu manifests as a fast rate of malaria parasite clearance from the blood following short term treatment, with relatively lower doses. It is available in tablets, capsules or syrup. The drug has been approved in Benin, Burkina Faso, Tchad, and Central Africa Republic because of its therapeutic and non-toxic effects.

Dr Valentin Agon is from Benin and specialises in alternative medicine; he has received a doctorate for his research in this field. Valentin has been the recipient of several awards  both for his work on alternative medicine and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.

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Dr. Imogen Wright, South Africa: Exatype

Exatype is a software solution that enables healthcare workers to determine HIV positive patients responsiveness to ARV drug treatment. According to WHO, 71% of people living with HIV/AIDS reside in Africa. Until now, governments response has been to ensure access to treatment for all. However, a growing number of people on ARVs are resistant to drug regimens, leading to failure of the therapy, exacerbating the continents HIV/AIDS burden. Exatype processes the highly complex data produced by advanced next-generation DNA sequencing of the HIV DNA in a patients blood. Through a simple report, it detects drugs that are resistant to the patient, then highlights the need to avoid these to ensure successful treatment. Exatype has the potential to contribute towards effectively managing HIV/AIDS in Africa, and also holds promise in helping detect drug resistance for other disease burdens such as Tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

Dr. Imogen Wright is a South African scientist who holds a first-class degree in physics and computer science from Rhodes University, a Masters in Theoretical Physics from Canadas Perimeter Institute and a PhD from the University of the Western Cape.

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Dr. Kit Vaughan, South Africa: Aceso

Aceso is an imaging technology, capable of performing full-field digital mammography and automated breast ultrasound at the same time, dramatically improving breast cancer detection. Annually, there are more than half a million cancer deaths in Africa and these numbers are expected to double in the next three decades. If diagnosed early enough, the cancer can be treated successfully. However, because 40% of women have dense tissue, their cancers cannot be seen on X-ray. Furthermore, a false negative finding can have devastating consequences. Aceso is a single device that can acquire dual-modality images  full-field digital mammography and automated breast ultrasound  at the same time. This world first system is protected by international patents and has been successfully tested in two separate clinical trials with 120 women.

Kit Vaughan is the CEO of CapeRay Medical. He has a post-doctoral fellowship in orthopaedic engineering from Oxford University, was a professor at the University of Virginia, and was the Hyman Goldberg Chair in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Kit is a Fellow of the International Academy for Medical and Biological Engineering.

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Design architecture and learning platforms

Dr. Youssef Rashed, Egypt: The Plate Package (PLPAK)

The Plate Package (PLPAK) is a robust software solution that assesses the architecture of building plans or technical drawings, determining structural integrity of the end design. PLPAK applies the boundary element based method to analyse and view practical design on building foundations and slabs. This enables engineers to represent building slabs over sophisticated foundation models easily, building information modelling techniques and eliminating human error. With the rapid growth of African cities, there is increased demand for infrastructural developments to support the growing population. The infrastructure system in Africa, especially building architecture, tends to go untested due to huge associated costs in verifying structure integrity, and can lead to the collapse of buildings with many deaths. PLPAK addresses this through its low-cost, easy to use but world class tool.

Dr. Youssef Rashed graduated with an MSc degree from Cairo University, Egypt and received his PhD from the University of Wales, United Kingdom in 1997. He is currently a professor of structural engineering at Cairo University and the Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Universities in Egypt.

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Godwin Benson, Nigeria: Tuteria

Tuteria is an innovative peer-to-peer learning online platform that allows people who want to learn any skill, whether formal or informal, to connect with anyone else in proximity who is offering that skill. For instance, a student needing math skills can connect online with someone in their vicinity offering remedial classes in mathematics. The tutors and the learners form an online community that connects them, and once a fit is established, they meet offline for practical exchange. Both tutors and learners are thoroughly vetted to ensure safety, accountability and a quality learning experience. Globally, conventional methods of education and learning are transitioning from centralized to distributed, and from standardized to personalized. Such trends have resulted in better learning outcomes. Tuteria fits in well with this model, and has been highly recommended by the IPA judges for the African continent.

Godwin holds a first-class honours systems engineering degree from the University of Lagos in Nigeria and was best engineering Student and 3rd Best Overall Student in the entire graduating set. He worked briefly at ExxonMobil as an Onsite Support Engineer, and also at Deloitte Nigeria as an Information Security Associate before developing Tuteria.

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Smart farming solutions

Olufemi Odeleye, Nigeria: The Tryctor

The Tryctor is a mini tractor modelled on the motorcycle. By attaching various farming implements, it can carry out similar operations as a conventional tractor to a smaller scale. Farming for most small scale farmers in the continent is tough, laborious and characterized by low productivity. Small scale farmers are constrained by the costs involved in switching to mechanized agriculture and use of heavy equipment. However, through inspired alterations to a motorcycles engine, gearing system and chassis, this innovation has made it possible to mechanize agriculture in Africa for small scale farmers in a way that was previously inaccessible. Additionally, the Tryctor is easy to use and cheaper to maintain as 60% of its parts and components are locally sourced. The IPA judges were captivated by the clever adaptation of a motorized solution that is ubiquitous in Africa, largely for transportation to a solution for mechanized farming for small scale farmers.

Femi Odeleye is an automobile designer with more than 18 years of experience in design and engineering from both Africa and Europe. He obtained a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a BA in Automobile Design from Coventry University, UK. He worked for the automotive industry in the UK before returning to Nigeria to work on the Tryctor.

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Samuel Rigu, Kenya: Safi Sarvi Organics

Safi Sarvi Organics is a low-cost fertilizer made from purely organic products and waste from farm harvests, designed to improve yields for farmers by up to 30%. Rural farmers in sub-Saharan Africa pay huge costs for fertilizer, which is often produced abroad and imported. Owing to such high costs farmers can only afford the cheap, synthetic, and acidulated fertilizer varieties. In many areas where the soil is inherently acidic, use of acidulated fertilizers can lead to long-term soil degradation and yield loss, at about four percent per year. Safi Sarvi costs the same as traditional fertilizers, can reverse farmers soil degradation and lead to improved yield and income. The product uses biochar-based fertilizer which can counteract soil acidity, retaining nutrients and moisture in the soil. Additionally, the carbon-rich fertilizer removes carbon from the atmosphere by at least 2.2 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per acre of farm per year.

Samuel Rigu graduated with a degree in Agribusiness from the University of Nairobi in Kenya, and had previously founded two agribusiness companies. In 2013, inspired by visiting colleagues from MIT, Samuel co-founded Safi Organics.

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Dynamic energy initiatives

Andre Nel, South Africa: Green Tower

Green Tower is an off-grid water heating and air conditioning solution based on solar power that uses advanced thermos-dynamics to create up to 90% savings in electricity consumption. Water heating and air conditioning systems can account up to 60% of energy consumption in a home or building. There are a number of heating and cooling systems in the market, but few that have demonstrated consistency in efficiencies regardless of weather conditions. The Green Tower improves efficiency of a solar heat pump with solar thermal collectors, low pressure storage tanks and heat exchangers. With Africas middle class rapidly growing and demand for energy outstripping supply, this initiative has the potential for large scale roll out. Green Tower can conserve limited energy resources, diverting them from heating and cooling systems to more productive industries.

Andre Nel has an M.Eng degree (electronics and software) from the University of Pretoria in South Africa and has been registered as Professional Engineer since 1991. Andre is passionate about energy efficiency and renewable energy, and has been developing solutions for the Green Economy since 2007. He is a recipient of several awards.

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Johan Theron, South Africa: PowerGuard

PowerGuard enables consumers to determine the maximum amount of power supply required for daily operations. Consumers can thus reduce their power demand, especially during peak times, leading to a more efficient power supply, and helping to reduce power cuts. PowerGuard addresses electricity fluctuations, and power delivery and supply challenges by reducing the peaks, relieving pressure on the electricity network. Consumers can set their own maximum peak power usage needs. This technology substantially reduces load shedding and power rationing, diverting power to more productive industries. Africa faces a high demand for grid power, but with limited resources and an aging infrastructure, the existence of a smart grid can help reduce the pressure on existing infrastructure while moving the continent slowly towards renewable energy.

South African Johan Theron has a National Diploma for Technicians in Electronic Engineering. He has been involved in a number of ventures in the electronics industry dating back to the 70s and has seen a number of his inventions becoming industry standards. He has also been recipient of a number of innovation awards.

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Walter Fust, Chairman of the AIF Board was impressed by the level of submissions for IPA 2016: As we celebrate the five year IPA journey, our mission to engage, inspire and transform is evident in the IPA process  from the growing registrations, to the level of talent and ingenuity we see in the nominees, as well as the enthusiasm from our expert judges in seeing these innovations at work to solve some of Africas intractable challenges. Now while we await announcement of the winner, we call on all innovation enablers to join hands with us to unlock the potential of these nominees.

Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of African Innovation Foundation (AIF).
The Nigerian government has directed the countrys anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to launch full investigation into the alleged misappropriation of Global Fund Grants Nigeria received from 2010 to 2014.

The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR gave the directive as part of governments effort and commitment to fight corruption in the country. The President has also directed the Secretary to the Government of Federation to review earlier audit reports from the Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Consequently, the Secretary to the Federal Government has set-up two investigative panels to look into the affected programmes and the financial transactions.

The first panel, headed by Mr. Adewole, will conduct in-depth review of all programmes while the second panel, chaired by Auditor General of the Federation  Mr Samuel Ukura, will review all financial transactions during the period.

The two committees are expected to submit their reports within four weeks.

Mr President assured members of the international community that all funds received by Nigeria would be well utilised and accounted for under his watch to avoid national embarrassment, Mr. Adewole said.

He further said all indicted officials would be given fair hearing and those found guilty would be sanctioned to serve as deterrent to others

On May 3, Global Funds announced that its Inspector General (OIG) audit of grants in Nigeria identified significant problems in procurement, supply chain, financial and program management.

The announcement said, The auditors found discrepancies of over US$4 million between drugs ordered and delivered; US$20 million paid to suppliers without confirmation of delivery; stock-outs of eight months for critical medicines; and a total of US$7.65 million in unsupported expenditures. The Global Fund is reviewing corrective measures, particularly with regard to risk management, identified by the OIG as the root cause of many of the issues.

With more than US$1.4 billion invested since 2003, Nigeria represents the Global Funds largest portfolio. Programs to date have contributed to 750,000 people living with HIV/AIDS currently on antiretroviral therapy, 310,000 new smear-positive tuberculosis cases detected and treated and 93.4 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets distributed to prevent the spread of malaria.

Regarding procurement, the OIG found that Principal Recipients, the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the National Malaria Elimination Program do not monitor the deliveries to the central medical store in Lagos of drugs arriving through the Global Funds Pooled Procurement Mechanism (a system that allows the Global Fund to bulk order health commodities at favorable prices).

This resulted in discrepancies in antiretroviral drugs deliveries of US$3.7 million from 2013 to September 2015 and US$0.5 million in artemisinin-based combination therapy drugs. The OIG also identified payments amounting to US$20 million made to a procurement agent without confirmation of services rendered or goods delivered.

The auditors found major weaknesses in supply chain management including ineffective controls over inventory management and distribution directly affecting service delivery to patients in Nigeria. Stock-outs lasting 8 months of critical medicines such as antiretroviral drugs and artemisinin-based combination therapies were found in 42 health facilities visited by the OIG. In addition, HIV commodities worth US$5.4 million had expired in the last two years.

Although the OIG noted minor improvements since the introduction of a fiduciary agent in May 2015, financial management controls were found to be inadequate and ineffective. For example, the auditors identified a total of US$7.65 million of unsupported expenses linked to human resources, payment approval processes and advances management.

Significant weaknesses exist in the internal controls around data collection and reporting processes. This resulted in more than 10% of errors between the data recorded at the facility level and data reported to the state coordinator and the Global Fund. The issues identified were mainly for the HIV and malaria programs. Good practice, however, was observed on data recorded for the tuberculosis programs.

The OIG concluded that the Global Funds risk management framework in Nigeria is ineffective. The organization is unable to identify, mitigate and monitor the risks effectively. This explains many of the problems identified by the OIG audit. For example, although the Secretariat introduced the Pooled Procurement Mechanism to the Nigeria portfolio, limited preventative controls are in place to ensure that drugs procured through the mechanism are actually delivered and then distributed.

The Secretariat is currently reviewing a number of corrective actions including assessing potential recoverable funds, internal control deficiencies and the grant recipients ability to deliver key Global Fund objectives in Nigeria.
A former Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom State and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Idongesit Nkanga, has been arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mr. Nkanga, a retired air commodore, is accused of receiving N450,000,000(Four Hundred and Fifty Million Naira only) from the sleazy $115million deposited by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, with Fidelity Bank Plc.

EFCC insiders said the former governor was arrested in Port- Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Monday.

Sources said Mr. Nkanga was alleged to have collected the money in two tranches, from one Saint-Anthony Ejiowu, a staff of Fidelity Bank in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

The first tranche of the money  N350,000,000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Million Naira only) was paid to the politician on March 27, 2015, our sources said.

Mr. Nkanga allegedly received the second tranche of N100,000,000 (One Hundred Million Naira only) on March 31, 2015.

He is in the custody of the EFCC and would be charged to court soon, an official told PREMIUM TIMES.

The EFCC arrested the former governor just as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, assured Nigerians that the Commission would cooperate with the anti-graft agency in regarding its personnel named in the scandal.

According to a statement by the commissions Director, Voters Education and Publicity, Oluwole Ozaze-Uzzi on Monday, Mr. Yakubu gave the assurance during a meeting with editors in Lagos.

Whatever level of cooperation any of the agencies requires of the Commission, we will give that level of cooperation because it is also in a bid to sanitize the system, Mr. Yakubu was quoted as saying.

I hope also it (investigation) will extend to the givers not just the takers so that there will be collective sanity. Whoever violates the law of this land and there are questions to answer, the person should answer, the person should bear his own cross.

All the staff that are fingered are individuals. It is not a collective institutional thing. They should go and answer for what they have alleged to have done.

Some staff of the electoral body were alleged to have received a cumulative N23 billion in bribe from Mrs. Alison-Madueke, through Fidelity Bank.

Prominent among the accused INEC staff were Gesila Khan, the Resident Electoral Commissioner who had earlier been arrested by the State Security Service over allegations of inducement to rig elections in Rivers State; and Uluochi Obi Brown (INECs Administrative Secretary in Delta State), former Deputy Director of INEC in Cross River state, Edem Okon Effanga, and the Head of Voter Education in INEC in Akwa Ibom, Immaculata Asuquo.

Also under investigation is retired INEC official, Sani Isa, who allegedly collected bribe on behalf of the deceased Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano State, Mukaila Abdullahi.

Also two unnamed former INEC chiefs were said to have participated in aiding the flow of the bribe money.

The alleged bribery scandal involved bank chiefs, including Sterling Bank Chief Executive, Yemi Adeola, the removed Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo and Access Bank Managing Director, Hubert Wigwe, who allegedly assisted Mrs. Alison-Maduekwe in laundering part of the fund which was allegedly handed to INEC staff in a plot to influence outcomes of the 2015 presidential poll.

The integrity of the elections in the South-South region, particularly Rivers State, has been questioned by many organisations, including foreign observers and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) whose report claimed results in the oil-rich region were inflated.

A citizen group, Enough is Enough, last week filed a Freedom of Information request asking EFCC to disclose identities of the former INEC chiefs, all the electoral staff and civil society organizations involved in the alleged bribery.
The Nigerian troops on offensive against Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest continued to record more successes over the weekend, the army has said, a spokesperson for the army has said.

Troops from 21 Brigade, 7 Division, on Sunday, successfully cleared four more villages  Bala Karege, Goske, Harda, and Markas 3  which were previously under the control of Boko Haram, the acting Director Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, said in a statement on Monday.

Mr. Usman, a colonel, said there was no resistance from the terrorists, as they abandoned their huts and fled.

Mr. Usman said the troops however ran into an ambush at Harda village, while they were advancing, but that they were quick to overcome it without any casualty, and proceeded with the operations.

Suicide vests, a number of high calibre weapons, including one Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Bomb, 18 rounds of 23mm Shilka ammunition, and one Barrel of AK-47 rifle were recovered.

Other weapons recovered were one extra-barrel of General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), three AK-47 rifle magazines, metal link of 12.7mm ammunition and a heavy-duty solar panel battery.

The troops also recovered 10 vehicles and 50 motorcycles belonging to the fleeing terrorists.

Also, the army said eight Boko Haram fighters were killed, when the terrorist group took advantage of a heavy downpour, and attempted to sneak on the troops in Sambisa forest.

Two vehicles were recovered from the terrorists during the incident, it said.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Monday said it would begin to confiscate vehicles with expired or substandard tyres.

Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal of the agency, stated this at a stakeholders forum in Abuja, organised by the FRSC to enlighten motorists on the dangers of bad tyres.

Mr. Oyeyemi said the measure became necessary to curb incessant road accidents usually caused by poor tyre usage in vehicles.

What were going to commence immediately is that any vehicle that has expired tyres or substandard tyres, were going to impound the vehicles, Mr. Oyeyemi said. Enough is enough to this. All the crises were talking about from February this year to April, they were all tyre-related.

After impounding it (the vehicle), well ask the owner to go and replace it with a genuine one. The passengers well arrange for their continuous journey so as to reduce the pains. But I will not allow an expired tyre fitted on a vehicle to continue the journey, Mr. Oyeyemi said.

Mr. Oyeyemi also decried the lack of tyre manufacturing companies in the country and appealed to appropriate authorities to do their utmost best in ensuring that the situation is addressed.

Its not a problem that started today, weve been raising this alarm since Dunlop and Michelin shut down in Nigeria and relocated, the FRSC boss said. So its a result of this that led to over 250 different distorted substandard tyres in the country today and we appeal to Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture to do their very best in looking into this and see how tyre manufacturing plants can be brought into life.

Nigeria is too big not to have a tyre manufacturing plant. That is the bane of the problem we have on ground today.

Maximus Emeka, a participant at the forum, said the FRSC had used the event to add more value to public understanding of tyre hazards.

Mr. Emeka, a regional manager at Peace Mass Transit, urged participants to change their daily attitude towards tyres.

Its not just about hearing, its about doing and changing their behaviour towards their tyres, the transporter said. Its about implementation. There will be more value when people make good use of what they learnt from this forum.

Mr. Emeka called on road safety authorities to convene similar forums frequently, saying doing so would afford more Nigerians the opportunity to participate.
President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with elder statesman and former Head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan on his 80th birthday.

On this special occasion, President Buhari commends his immense contribution to national peace and development which he has exemplified as an accomplished administrator, astute businessman and patriot, Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the President on media & publicity, said in a statement Monday.

The President believes that the historic role played by the octogenarian in forging and maintaining the unity of Nigeria will continue to endear him to many.

He assured that his administration would continue look forward to his fatherly counsel and advice on how to move the nation forward.

President Buhari prays that God Almighty will grant Chief Shonekan more years of good health and happiness to see the Nigeria of our dreams.
The trial of a former Chief of Air Staff, Alex Badeh, took a different turn, Monday, when prosecution witness, Salisu Yushau, told the court that his property had also been marked for investigation.

Mr. Badeh is standing trial for allegations of fraud and abuse of office.

Mr. Yushau, a former Director of Finance at the Nigerian Air Force headquarters, had stated while giving evidence that Mr. Badeh owned various houses in Kaduna and Abuja.

He suddenly admitted to owning a list of property, also under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in the same states.

The former director who was being cross-examined by Samuel Zibiri, counsel to Mr. Badeh, however said he bought the property with housing loans.

He listed his property under investigation by the commission as No 8b Danube Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, a car park which he purchased in 2002 and another one at N0 5c Sultan close, Kaduna, and two uncompleted houses in Kaduna  one at Tafawa Balewa Way, the other one at Ibrahim Biu Road.

Mr. Yushau explained that the proceeds from the sale of his office at Wuye District of Abuja was used to buy the two plots of land that he started developing in Kaduna.

He added that at the time he bought the Wuye property in 2010, its value was N45m but that he sold the house for N320m in 2015.

When asked by Mr. Zibiri if those were the only property he declared before the EFCC, Mr. Yushau further disclosed that he had a property on Lamido Road, Kaduna and another one at Railway Quarters, Kano, all of which are under investigation.

He said the houses were marked by the EFCC.

Mr. Yushau, who explained that Mr. Badeh never bought the property by himself, stated that the former Chief of Air Staff did not also document the sums of money given him (Mr. Yushau) for the purchase of the property.

He has never bought a property himself; he inspects the property himself before giving me money to buy it, he said.

In his evidence-in-chief, Mr. Yushau claimed that Mr. Badeh ordered him (the witness) to buy some choice property for himself and his children in Abuja.
The South East Caucus of the All Progressives Congress has asked the Niger Delta Avengers to direct their grievances to former President Goodluck Jonathan rather than blaming President Muhammadu Buhari administration for the neglect of the region.

The caucus stated this in a statement by its spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu, on Monday.

The APC caucus said Mr. Jonathan, who is an indigene of the oil-rich Niger Delta, failed to develop the region while in power for five years, wondering if members of the NDA were sleeping then.

May we honestly ask the Niger Delta Avengers, where they were, when our dear former president, His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, from 6 May, 2010 to 29 May, 2015 presided over Nigeria? the caucus said.

Were the Niger Delta Avengers in deep slumber when Jonathan, for good five years failed to Clean-Up the Niger Delta, failed to complete East-West road, failed to review Oil Blocks, failed to Amend the Constitution to their taste, and failed to build the three Greenfield Refineries which he awarded?

In actual fact, if there is anything to avenge, or anybody to blame, the barb should be directed at ex-president Jonathan and cohorts who criminally neglected the Niger Delta and by extension Nigeria via unconscionable planlessness and squander-mania.

The caucus appealed to the NDA to sheathe its swords and give Mr. Buhari more time to look into their demands.

It said it was making the appeal taking into cognizance the laudable projects the president had charted and lined up for the Niger Delta region, including the Clean-Up of Ogoniland, completion of East-West road and Calabar-Lagos Railways.

The caucus argued that no sane Nigerian would pray for the reoccurrence of the ugly incident of Odi in 1999, Zaki Biam in 2000 and Gbaramatu in 2009, which it said the NDA was consciously simulating.

It said, It is our candid view that bombing of Forcados pipeline, Bonga Oil field, Chevron trunk lines and other Oil and Gas installations will neither facilitate the implementation of 2014 National Conference Report, funding of the Amnesty Program, nor the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta region.

The caucus also said the escalation of bombings in the Niger Delta region was an ill-wind which would blow no one any good, not the least the good people of Niger Delta whom the Avengers claim to avenge their age long ills.

Accordingly, we plead with our brothers, the Niger Delta Avengers for Gods sake, to do a deep re-think and graciously allow peace to reign, for our collective national interest and indeed to save the Niger Delta from ruins, the caucus said.
At least six persons were killed and many others wounded when some unidentified gunmen attacked Korum, Orawua and Gidan Bature villages in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State on Sunday.

Sources from the areas said the unknown attackers raided the villages at around 2am, killing six persons including a blind man and a woman.

According to them, the gunmen burnt eight cars and set several houses ablaze in Korum village.

Reports also indicated that hundreds of residents of the attacked villages fled for Mutum Biyu, Gassol Local Government headquarters for safety.

The wounded persons were taken to clinics at the local government headquarters.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Joseph Kwaji, confirmed the attacks to reporters but said only one person was killed in the attacks.
Troops of the 21 Brigade, 7 Division, have continued their offensive operations against Boko Haram terrorists still hiding in the Sambisa forest, the army headquarters said Monday.

The spokesperson for the army, Sani Usman, said in a statement that more camps were cleared as troops penetrated deeper into the dreaded forest.

Mr. Usman, a colonel, said, On Sunday 8th May 2016, the troops have cleared 4 villages in the terrorists enclave which include Bala Karege, Goske, Harda and the famous Markas 3. There was no encounter with the terrorists in all the villages as the Boko Haram terrorists have abandoned their huts and ran away.

Unfortunately, the troops ran into an ambush at Harda village, while advancing. The resilient troops successfully cleared the ambush without any casualty and proceeded with the operations.

The formation recovered suicide vests and quite a number of high calibre weapons which include; 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Bomb, 18 rounds of 23mm Shilka ammunition, 1 Barrel of AK-47 rifle, 1 Extra-barrel of General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), 3 AK-47 rifle magazines, metal link of 12.7mm ammunition and a heavy-duty solar panel battery.

The troops also recovered 10 vehicles and 50 motorcycles belonging to the fleeing terrorists.

In a related development, Boko Haram terrorists from another part of Sambisa forest, were reported to have taken advantage of the heavy downpour that occurred to move closer to the troops.

However, the troops were very vigilant as they decisively and successfully dealt with the intruders. So far, 2 vehicles were recovered from Boko Haram terrorists and over 8 Boko Haram terrorists bodies were counted before nightfall.

Meanwhile the troops were exploiting aftermath of the attack by Boko Haram terrorists on their location last night in Sambisa forest despite difficult climatic conditions.

Please be informed that 8 more Boko Haram terrorists dead bodies were found this morning in addition to other recoveries made. Therefore, attached here are more photographs of the recoveries that include vehicles, arms and ammunitions.

In a related development, yesterday Monday 8th May 2016, at about 10.30pm, 3 Boko Haram terrorists went to Puchi village to tax the community. On received of information, troops of 7 Division mobilized in conjunction with some Civilian JTF to the area.

On arrival, they found out that the residents have apprehended 2 of the terrorists and lynched them, while the third one narrowly escaped according to reports.

The troops recovered1 AK-47 rifle, 1 rifle magazine and 8 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and a dane gun.
The trial of the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, was adjourned Monday after the trial judge, Ishaq Bello, told the court that he was having problem with his eye.

Mr. Metuh is facing a two-count charge for allegedly destroying documents containing a statement he made to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission while being questioned by the operatives of the commission.

However, before resuming the trial, Mr. Bello, who had just concluded sitting on a case, said he could no longer see clearly because of a problem in his eyes, which were recently operated upon.

According to him, his vision was becoming shadowy.

I had a surgery on my eyes, and I am already seeing shadows so for this reason we will have to adjourn, he said.

He then adjourned till May 26.

Mr. Metuh, who had been in court for several hours before the case was mentioned, is also facing other charges in another Federal High Court, for alleged fraud.

He is being prosecuted by the EFCC for allegedly receiving N400 million from a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is also being tried for allegedly diverting $2.1 billion meant for arms purchase.
The police in Bayelsa State said it has arrested three suspected kidnappers in the state.

The suspects  Junior Prince, 29, David Okpara, 23, and Samuel Yellow  were said to have abducted one Immaculate Nwachukwu at her husbands home, in Otiotio, Yenagoa, on May 3, this year.

Police said the three, together with one other suspect simply known as Ndubisi who is now on the run, were armed with guns when they attacked Mrs. Nwachukwus home.

Investigations into the incident led to the arrest of Mr. Prince and Mr. Okpara, and the eventual rescue of Mr. Nwachukwu, on May 6, at Choba, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the police in Bayelsa said in a statement released on Monday by its Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat.

The two suspects, according to Mr. Butswat, confessed to the crime, and then led the police investigators to the house of the third suspect, Mr. Yellow, at Okutukutu, Yenagoa, where he was arrested on May 7.

Police said it recovered one Double Barrel gun, one Single Barrel gun, a Sledgehammer and two live cartridges from Yellows house, and that it was intensifying effort to arrest the fourth suspect.

Members of the public should continue to volunteer useful information as the Command has redoubled its efforts in fighting crime in the state, Mr. Butswat said.
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has condemned the nefarious activities of a new militant group in the Niger Delta, the Niger Delta Avengers.

The IYC spokesman, Eric Omare, said on Monday in Yenagoa that the group did not see the justification in the Niger Delta Avengers embarking on destruction of oil facilities and wreaking havoc on the regions environment.

Mr. Omare appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to go after the real culprits and not the innocent communities and people in the region in his governments efforts to unmask the characters behind the new militant group.

The Niger Delta Avengers had claimed responsibility for the recent attacks on the SPDC platform at Forcados, the Chevron Okan platform at Abiteye in Escravos, and the pipelines transporting crude oil to Warri and Kaduna refineries.

The Presidency said at the weekend that federal government had set in motion a mechanism to uncover those behind the recent bombings of oil installations in the region as well as an express directive to the military to halt the return of militancy in the region.

We do not see the justification in the Niger Delta Avengers embarking on destruction of oil facilities because Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, denounced the group, Mr. Omare said.

I think Tompolo did the proper thing by coming out to inform the entire world that he was not part of the NDA when there were insinuations to the effect that he was behind them.

As with other cases of attack on oil facilities, the Niger Delta environment and people are the ultimate victims and would suffer from these latest attacks.

The IYC believes that irrespective of their grievances, there are better ways of expressing them rather than contributing to the further destruction of the already massively degraded Niger Delta environment.

On the threat to crush the militants, he said while the IYC did not support the attacks on oil facilities, it should not be used as a justification to attack innocent Niger Delta communities.

The security agencies should go after the real culprits and not innocent communities and people in the region.

From our experience, the security personnel in a bid to impress their superiors and justify the huge amount of money budgeted for the purpose, always attack innocent communities and people.

This must not be allowed to happen this time around . We would also advise the Federal Government to be prompt in directing security agencies to deal with insurgent groups all over the country including the Fulani herdsmen who have been killing innocent Nigerians just like they have just directed in respect of the Niger Delta Avengers, he said.
The Lagos State Government generated a total revenue of N101.69 billion in the first quarter of 2016 out of which a surplus of N4.85bn was realized as against an expected N29.92bn deficit, the states Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Akinyemi Ashade, said on Monday.

Speaking at the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, to commemorate Governor Akinwunmi Ambodes first year in office, Mr. Ashade said the generated revenue was above that of 2015 which stood at N97.28bn in the first quarter, adding that in absolute terms, the revenue performance was N4.4bn more than that of the comparative period of 2015.

Mr. Ashade said the feat was achieved despite the diminishing statutory allocation from the federation account, adding that same was due to Governor Ambodes purposeful and visionary leadership.

He expressed optimism that with the implementation of multiple revenue collection channels and broadening of the revenue base, the State Government would achieve tremendous progress in its revenue drive.

Giving a detailed breakdown of the budget performance, the Commissioner said N76.06bn was the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State in the first quarter representing 72 percent of the estimate for the quarter and 75 percent of the total revenue, as against the N67.21bn generated in first quarter of 2015 representing 74 percent of the estimate and 69 percent of the total revenue in the corresponding period for last year.

He said the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) revenue for the first quarter of 2016 stood at N67.25bn representing 90 percent estimate for the quarter and 88 percent of the total IGR and 66.12 percent of the total revenue, compared to N60.58bn (87 percent of the estimate for Q1 Y2015), representing 90 percent of total IGR and 62 percent of total revenue in 2015.

This performance was N6.67bn more in absolute terms compared to corresponding period in Y2015 and due largely to more participatory structural and systemic re-engineering, Mr. Ashade said.

Over the course of the first quarter of Y2016, Federal transfers contributed N25.64bn (83 percent of the estimate for the quarter) and accounted for 25.21 percent of total revenue. Further breakdown showed that statutory allocations contributed N7.48bn while VAT contributed N18.16bn.

Speaking on the performance of capital expenditures for the period under review, the Commissioner said that in the regard, the government expended N48.88bn on capital projects which represented a 51 percent better performance of N15.08bn (24 percent) as at the first quarter of 2015.

He also said that as at the end of first quarter of 2016, the ratio of capital expenditures to recurrent expenditures closed at 50:50, better than a ratio of 21:79 recorded for the same period in 2015 but short of the ratio of 58:42 projected for 2016.

He, however, expressed optimism that capital expenditure performance would experience significant improvement in the second quarter of 2016 based on the projections and expectations of revenue inflows.

Mr. Ashade, whose Ministry is also responsible for managing the States existing relationships with development partners as well as identify new potential ones to drive further development, disclosed that the State Government has gone into partnership with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to invest in a possible monorail project that will link Marina to Oniru in Victoria Island and Ikoyi, and later connect to the Lekki Rail Line project which is also in the works.

According to him, the monorail project is an urban mass transportation project different from the ongoing Blue Line Rail project that will connect Mile 12 to CMS, and the Red Line Rail Project.

A detailed feasibility study has been commissioned on the monorail project to validate the initial survey, which will eventually lead to an investment of US$1billion (about N300billion) in the project if the results of the feasibility study are positive, amongst other conditions.

Mr. Ashade further disclosed that under the Eko Urban Project, the State Government, in partnership with the Agence Francaise De Development (AFD) would soon embark on the upgrade of slums in Amukoko in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State and Ilaje-Bariga in Bariga Local Council Development Area of the State, as well as the provision of modern waste disposal facility in Epe.

He said the projects would soon take off as the AFD has already committed a US$100m loan for the projects, while the State Executive Council has equally approved the upgrade of the slums.
President Andrzej Duda started a visit to Canada on Monday during which he will meet with PM Justin Trudeau and Governor General of Canada David Johnston to discuss the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank, economic relations and Ukraine.

At the start of the visit, President Duda said that he is counting on an increased presence of Allied Canadian forces in Poland.

He stressed that when meeting with Canadian politicians he plans to discuss the forthcoming NATO summit in Warsaw and economic relations. The president hoped that the visit will contribute to strengthening bilateral relations. "I am also counting on the intensification of military cooperation between Poland and Canada. I am counting that there will also be an increased allied presence of Canadian troops in Poland, greater than the present one," said the Polish president.

President Duda believes that his visit to Canada will bring wide benefits for strengthening security in this part of Europe and further economic development. "Recent years saw very dynamic growth of Polish investments in Canada. I am thinking about Orlen (fuel concern) and KGHM (copper concern)," said the president, adding that mutual trade has gone up 14 percent in 2015 against earlier data.

On Monday, the Polish president laid a wreath at the Katyn Monument and flowers at the Smolensk plaque in Toronto. He also visited the WWI Polish Military Cemetery in the town Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Bilateral talks are due to start in Ottawa on Tuesday when President Duda is to meet with members of the Canada-Poland Parliamentary Friendship Group and hold talks with Canada's PM Justin Trudeau.

On Wednesday, the Polish president will meet with David Johnston - the Governor General of Canada.

Presidential Minister Krzysztof Szczerski has said Duda's Canadian talks will also cover such issues as economic relations, including the EU-Canada free trade agreement, the climate policy, politics and eastern Ukraine.

In the course of the visit the president will also meet with representatives of Polish milieus in Canada. (PAP)
By PrintWeek Team

All eyes are on the Awards Night of the 12th edition of the PrintWeek Awards to be held at the Grand Hyatt (Santacruz East, Mumbai) on 2 Nov...
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.




NUREMBERG, Germany, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Most popular pet food flavors across eight countries

Despite being one of the biggest pet food markets in the world by value, America's pet owners appear unimaginative in their choice of pet food flavors.

GfK data on sales of dry food, wet food and treats for both dogs and cats reveals the most popular flavors across eight key countries, based on the value sold.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364614-INFO )



America's dogs and cats, for example, appear to be totally addicted to chicken - at least, that is the most popular flavor that their owners are buying for them across all three categories. In a country that spent $13 billion in the 'pet specialty' market in 2015, that accounts for a significant share of wallet.

DOG CAT Dry Wet Treats Dry Wet Treats ------------------------------------------------------------------ USA Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Bagged dry - Chicken Great no given Beef Britain Chicken Chicken flavor Chicken Fish Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Beef Beef Beef France Chicken Chicken Fish Chicken Fish Fish Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Beef Beef Beef Beef Spain Chicken Fish Fish Chicken Fish Fish Czech Republic Chicken Beef Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Bagged dry - Bagged dry - no given no given Greece Chicken Beef flavor flavor Chicken Chicken Chicken Beef Tinned wet, South Africa Chicken Chicken Fish Chicken mixed flavor Fish Chicken Beef China Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Fish Chicken

Spain's lucky four-legged friends, on the other hand, get far greater variety, with beef and fish flavors rivaling chicken for both wet food and treats. France's cats also do well, showing equal variety as Spain in the wet food and treats bought for them - although the ubiquitous chicken continues to dominate when it comes to selecting their cats' dry food and their dogs' wet and dry food.

The Czech Republic, Greece and China stand out in preferring beef flavor above all others for their dogs' wet food.

Pushan Tagore, vice president of global marketing for pet care at GfK, comments, "The US generally sets a trend on what is popular in pet food, but here we see clearly how different the individual markets are around the globe. Clearly the US has scope to innovate further within this area, to bring more variety to the palates of our four-legged friends."

For more detail on GfK's pet market data, please contact Pushan Tagore, Vice President, Pet Care, GfK - T +44-7824-664755 / Pushan.Tagore@gfk.com

SOURCE GfK
Company is one of a handful of presenters featured during the global conference

MENLO PARK, California, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BioPharmX Corporation (NYSE MKT: BPMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company developing products for the women's health and dermatology markets, will present research showing the link between molecular iodine and lifelong breast health in women.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150711/235327LOGO

The study, entitled "Molecular Iodine: the Missing Key to Healthy Aging of the Female Breast," is the only poster presentation on breast health at Vitafoods Europe Conference, an international meeting dedicated to ingredients and raw materials for the nutraceutical, functional food and drink and nutricosmetics industries.

"Our review of literature shows that adequate daily supplementation with molecular iodine yields protection against the development of fibrocystic tissue in breasts," said AnnaMarie Daniels, executive vice president of regulatory and clinical affairs, who will present the company's findings at Vitafoods Europe. "Studies have repeatedly shown that taking the right kind of molecular iodine supplements can significantly improve the quality of life for women."

The research, which reviews three studies involving more than 2,200 women, concludes that molecular iodine can help restore normal breast tissue and decrease the symptoms of an ailment known as fibrocystic breast condition (FBC), including breast swelling, pain and tenderness that can interfere with activities of daily life.

FBC affects at least 70 percent of premenopausal women. The condition occurs when repeated hormonal exposure accelerates cell division, often resulting in the formation of cysts, fibrous tissue and chronic inflammation.

BioPharmX has developed a novel and proprietary formulation of molecular iodine that delivers the optimal dose to alleviate FBC symptoms. The product, Violet iodine, is commercially available in the United States. It is also the subject of a multicenter clinical trial in women with moderate to severe FBC to confirm the safety and expand claims.

Vitafoods screens proposals to present posters at its annual meeting. Event organizers describes the poster presentations as a "showcase [of] excellence in nutritional science, innovation, business and education."

The event is expected to attract 800 exhibitors and more than 15,600 visitors.

About BioPharmX Corporation

BioPharmX Corporation (NYSE MKT: BPMX) is a Silicon Valley-based specialty pharmaceutical company that seeks to provide products through proprietary platform technologies for prescription, over-the-counter and supplement applications in dermatology and women's health. To learn more about BioPharmX, visit www.BioPharmX.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

The information in this press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the "safe harbor" created by those sections. This press release contains forward-looking statements about the company's expectations, plans, intentions and strategies, including, but not limited to, statements regarding, the success of the commercialization of VI2OLET iodine and the conclusion of its Phase 4 study of the company's Violet molecular iodine supplement for fibrocystic breast condition (FBC) and cyclic mastalgia, which has been approved by an institutional review board in the U.S. and by Health Canada. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "plan", "expect," "anticipate," "believe," or similar expressions that are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions, which, if they do not fully materialize or prove incorrect, could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include those described in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 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 news release are made only as of the date hereof and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

BioPharmX and Violet are registered trademarks of BioPharmX, Inc. All other products or name brands are trademarks of their respective holders.

Related Links

http://www.BioPharmX.com



SOURCE BioPharmX
HOOK, England, GHENT, Belgium and UTRECHT, The Netherlands, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

International Organisation Fulfils Local Demand for Integration & IoT Consultancy

Codit Group, a joint venture between Belgian Codit and Dutch Axon Olympus, is proud to announce the opening of Codit United Kingdom. This marks Codit Group's next step towards expanding its international presence outside its established markets of Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Portugal, and its recent opening of Codit Switzerland mid-April. The new local office in the United Kingdom will be led by Tim Lewis.

Codit and Axon Olympus are market leaders in on-premises and IoT cloud integration solutions on the Microsoft platform. They combined forces by forming the joint venture Codit Group, aiming to offer their products and services to international markets while operating under the familiar Codit flag. The joining of forces is motivated by an increasing demand for application integration and IoT integration solutions. The ambition of Codit Group is to become the pan-European centre of excellence in Microsoft integration solutions. With the opening of Codit United Kingdom, another step has been taken towards expanding its international presence.

In 2015, Codit and Axon Olympus achieved a combined turnover of 11.3m in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Portugal. The group employs about 100 people. Its customers include AG Insurance, Joules, Sally Beauty, G4S, BAM Groep, Boss Paints, DS Smith, DTEK, Italcementi, IVC Group, KLG Europe, Le Bon Marche, Limagrain, Marine Harvest, Media-Participations, Puratos, Redisport, Sabic, SCC, SMT Shipping, Stora Enso, Ugitech, Unilin (Mohawk), Valeo and Zespri.

Largest market for integration and Microsoft BizTalk in Europe is in the United Kingdom

Commercial Director and Country Manager Tim Lewis brings over 23 years of experience managing OEM and strategic client engagements for international software manufacturers, with a further 3 years running a UK integration business unit. He has been responsible for P&L in multiple businesses and has successfully established new products and opened new markets. 'I have developed solution based consulting opportunities around the Microsoft stack, including BizTalk Server and Azure (both on premises and hybrid solutions) and associated complimentary products as adopted by client base. I am very pleased to join the Codit Group and to offer our products and services to organisations in the UK. The country is known to be the largest market for integration and Microsoft BizTalk in Europe; here we will offer local presence and expertise, while enjoying the support and services of the larger international organisation,' says Tim.

Technical Director Iain Quick, a technology solution architect, joins Codit with over 20 years of commercial consulting experience, developing and delivering custom applications and infrastructures based on Microsoft Azure, BizTalk Server, SharePoint and SQL platforms. Iain says: 'I have led technical presales bids and commercial software development teams in both technical and project capacities. I am excited to leverage this experience in this new challenging environment and grow the Codit UK business together with Tim.'

Stijn Degrieck, Director at Codit Group, says: 'Our goal was to have organisations established in multiple countries by the end of 2016, all of which are actually working on projects in their respective markets. We will help the countries expand their local Codit organisation. In this way, Codit Group is set to meet the growing international demand for specialised knowledge and experience. With the establishment of Codit United Kingdom, the largest market for integration and Microsoft BizTalk in Europe, we have made another important step in reaching our goal, and this only a few weeks after opening Codit Switzerland.'

Codit at Integrate 2016, London

Codit will participate as a sponsor and speaker at the Integrate 2016 conference in London, which is taking place 11-13 May. Integrate 2016 is the premier integration conference for anyone working in the Microsoft Integration space, and provides the community with a unique chance to network with Microsoft Product group and industry leaders. The sessions are geared towards addressing the challenges of modern day integration and digital transformations.

Sam Vanhoutte, CTO at Codit, will speak about Azure Service Fabric and explain how to build and deploy scalable internet applications. He will use real world applications that have been developed and make the link with mobile apps, IoT scenarios and messaging patterns. His 30-minute session will take place on Thursday 12 May, at 1.45pm. For more information, please go to http://www.biztalk360.com/integrate-2016/.

About Codit:

Codit is a leading IT services company providing worldwide consultancy, technology and managed services in business integration. The integration of a central technology platform allows applications and organisations to work together more efficiently, resulting in reduced operating costs, increased efficiency and better control. Codit started 15 years ago as a highly competent Microsoft BizTalk Server specialist, and has since grown to become a leader in business integration using a wide range of Microsoft technologies. The company offers, for instance, 'integration as a service' via the Codit Integration Cloud, an innovative integration solution built on Microsoft Azure. Codit is a Microsoft Gold Application Integration and Gold Application Development Partner. For more information, please visit http://www.codit.eu/uk

About Axon Olympus:

Axon Olympus, the biggest Microsoft integration partner in the Netherlands, is dedicated to helping companies improve their competitiveness and achieve growth efficiently and cost-effectively. The focus lies on the application of Microsoft BizTalk Server and Cloud middleware integration solutions. As a full service organisation, Axon Olympus offers a complete portfolio of integration solutions comprising of Microsoft BizTalk consulting, co-sourcing, development, testing, administration, training and support. Axon Olympus is a Microsoft Gold Partner Application Integration and works exclusively with experienced Microsoft certified consultants. For more information, please visit http://www.axonolympus.nl

- The high resolution photos of Tim Lewis/Iain Quick, Stijn Degrieck and Sam Vanhoutte can be downloaded via this link.

SOURCE Codit
MANCHESTER, England, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The laboratory that hit the headlines for selling a DNA test on the high street has been honoured by the Queen.

AlphaBiolabs, whose DNA testing kits can be found on the shelves of Home Bargains, has won a Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation for developing a fast DNA testing method which provides accurate results the next working day.

Based in Warrington, Cheshire, AlphaBiolabs started selling paternity home testing kits though the popular discount retail chain Home Bargains just over 18 months ago. The DIY testing kit proved to be a big hit and more than 3,000 have been sold so far, boosting the company's profits by over 500,000.

We are pleased to confirm that the laboratory has more than just good sales figures to celebrate. The Queen's Awards scheme is regarded as the UK's most prestigious business awards and winners are invited to a prestigious reception at Buckingham Palace in July.

Company director Rachel Davenport said: "We are delighted to have won a Queen's Award for Enterprise and so pleased that our efforts to offer fast, accurate DNA testing have been recognised. We offer results the next working day as standard, which is the fastest in the world. We recognise that taking the decision to undertake a DNA test could be one of the most important decisions a person can take. We understand that it can be a stressful and anxious time for our customers and once the samples are collected they are keen to receive the result as quickly as possible.

With this in mind, over the past few years we have innovated to bring the cost of DNA testing down whilst improving on speed and quality. We are very proud to be leading the industry in this way."

People who buy an AlphaBiolabs home testing kit from Home Bargains collect their own samples before sending them in to the laboratory for analysis. For an additional laboratory fee, they can then receive accurate DNA results the day after the samples are received for testing.

Developing a DNA test which can be bought off the shelf was an industry first for AlphaBiolabs, who realised that many customers wanted a kit they could pick up and buy instead of having to order online. The AlphaBiolabs test is available at 290 Home Bargains stores nationwide and can be used to confirm paternity, maternity, sibling and other family relationships.

In addition to its partnership with Home Bargains, AlphaBiolabs is also the only laboratory trusted by the Jeremy Kyle Show to carry out paternity and DNA tests for the popular ITV chat show.

http://www.alphabiolabs.co.uk/public-services/paternity-testing/

SOURCE AlphaBiolabs
The show offered visitors interactive opportunities and information for engagement. Following the theme of "Making Every Dollar Count", it highlighted solutions for well drilling, fracturing, coiled tubing operations, but also customized low-temperature equipment application, as well as gas monetization to end-use gasoline, LNG/CNG and power generation. In addition, online parts procurement and simulation training systems are presented to help clients achieve maximum economics.

At OTC, the micro LNG and GTL solutions were an important part of the event. In March of this year, Jereh signed MOU with its US partner to jointly develop, deliver and operate a GTL plant which will convert low-cost Marcellus natural gas feedstock into methanol locally and is expected to produce 160 MT per day-with extreme attractive economics at the regional scale. The system offers an ideal solution for countries in South America and Africa which are facing a lot of gas flaring and a lack of gasoline.

According to the Norwegian Energy Minister, Mr. Tord Lien, "The industry has to continue its efforts to be more efficient, improve productivity and reduce costs. Standardization, new technologies, smarter solutions, new business models, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy are some of the keys to success." Jereh also shared its thoughts about going digital--its first online procurement platform (http://go.jereh.com), which can facilitate visitors find and get what they want in better, more efficient way.

Technology, innovative solutions and employing the best talents are crucial to the industry when it comes the eventual upturn in oil and gas price. Despite the downturn, Jereh is optimistic about the future and will work actively with global partners and clients to promote the sustainability of the industry.

About Jereh

Jereh Group is an international, integrated company specializing in oil and gas EPC services, oilfield technology services, equipment manufacturing as well as environmental management and EPC services. Leveraging its strong R&D, high-quality production facilities and global sales network, Jereh has served customers in over 60 countries.

For more information, welcome visit www.jereh.com.

Related Links

http://go.jereh.com



SOURCE Jereh Group
HATFIELD, England, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

FOR EU MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR SWISS/AUSTRIAN MEDIA

Licence variation provides an important new treatment option following global Phase III study which showed median 7.2 month overall survival benefit

Halaven (Eribulin) is now available in Sweden, Denmark and Finland for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic liposarcomas who have received prior anthracycline containing therapy (unless unsuitable) for advanced or metastatic disease. The news follows the decision by the European Commission to approve the licence variation to the terms of the Marketing Authorisation for Eribulin on 2 May. Eribulin is the first and only single agent therapy to show a significant survival advantage in this type of soft tissue sarcoma.[1]

Advanced liposarcoma, a soft tissue sarcoma subtype, is the second form of cancer for which Eribulin has a proven overall survival benefit. Eribulin is currently indicated for the treatment of women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have progressed after at least one chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced disease.

It is estimated that approximately 1,200 people in the Nordic region live with a soft tissue sarcoma, based on an incidence rate of 4.7 in every 100,000.[2] Sarcomas represent approximately 1% of all cancers diagnosed in Europe.[3] Liposarcomas and leiomyosarcomas make up around 30% of all cases of soft tissue sarcomas, which develop from cells in essential tissues within the body such as fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues and blood. [4],[5] Liposarcomas (adipocytic sarcomas) originate in fat cells and can occur anywhere in the body.[5]

Advanced liposarcoma is a rare and most often aggressive form of malignant tumour, and since it is difficult to treat, the patients often face a poor prognosis. Eribulin is the first and only single agent therapy to have a proven overall survival benefit in this soft tissue sarcoma subtype, which makes the news of its availability important. People with advanced liposarcoma and their physicians in the Nordic countries will be encouraged by this new treatment possibility," comments Dr Mikael Eriksson at the Department of Oncology, Skane University Hospital in Lund.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Eribulin in May 2016. This decision was based on pivotal Phase III data which showed a median 7.2 month increase in overall survival compared to dacarbazine (15.6 months versus 8.4 months, HR = 0.511; 95% CI 0.346-0.753; P=0.0006) for people with unresectable advanced or metastatic liposarcomas1 (HR=0.768, 95% CI 0.618-0.954; P=0.017). There were no unexpected or new safety findings; the toxicity profile is consistent with the known safety profile of Eribulin.

Eribulin is a microtubule-dynamics inhibitor, structurally modified analogue of halichondrin B, originally isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai. Its mode of action is distinct from other tubulin inhibitors and involves binding to specific sites on the growing positive ends of microtubules to inhibit their growth. Recent data for blood perfusion show that Eribulin may lead to remodelling of the tumour vasculature, resulting in an oxygenated environment.[6] Cancer cells thrive in a deoxygenated (hypoxic) environment and therefore improving tumour perfusion may lead to a decrease in tumour metastatic potency.[7]

"The availability of Eribulin in the Nordic region helps to fulfil our mission to provide treatments that improve the lives of people living with cancer across the globe. Eribulin has already demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit for women with advanced breast cancer, and now in advanced liposarcoma it has demonstrated a meaningful overall survival benefit where an unmet medical need persists," comments Gary Hendler, Chief Commercial Officer Oncology Business Group, Chairman and CEO EMEA.

Eisai is dedicated to discovering, developing and producing innovative oncology therapies that can make a difference and impact the lives of patients and their families. This passion for people is part of Eisai's human health care (hhc) mission, which strives for better understanding of the needs of patients and their families to increase the benefits health care provides.

Notes to Editors

Eribulin

Eribulin is also indicated for the treatment of women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have progressed after at least one chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced disease. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting, unless patients were not suitable for these treatments.[8]

About Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcoma is a collective term for a diverse group of malignant tumours. Only 50% of people with soft tissue sarcomas are expected to live five years.[9]

Unlike other cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), soft tissue sarcomas are mostly diagnosed with localised disease, and many are amenable to complete surgical removal, yet relapse rates can be as high as 50 percent.[10] Outcomes for patients with advanced disease are poor, with median survival around one year or less. Due to the rarity of these tumours, evidence for prognostic factors is weak and not well understood.[11]

Eisai in Oncology

Our commitment to meaningful progress in oncology research, built on scientific expertise, is supported by a global capability to conduct discovery and preclinical research, and develop small molecules, therapeutic vaccines, and biologic and supportive care agents for cancer across multiple indications.

About Eisai Co., Ltd.

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology.

As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com.

References

1. Schoffski P et al. Eribulin versus dacarbazine in previously treated patients with advanced liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma: a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial. The Lancet. 2016

2. C Stiller. Descriptive epidemiology of sarcomas in Europe: report from the RARECARE project. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23079473 Accessed April 2016

3. Cancer Research UK, Soft Tissue Sarcoma Incidence Statistics. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/incidence/ Accessed: April 2016

4. Macmillan. What are soft tissue sarcomas? Available at: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertypes/Softtissuesarcomas/Aboutsofttissuesarcomas/Softtissuesarcomas.aspx . Accessed: April 2016

5. ESMO Guidance. Available at: http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/suppl_3/iii102.full.pdf+html Accessed: April 2016

6. Kawano S, et al. Antimitotic and Non-mitotic Effects of Eribulin Mesilate in Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Anticancer Research 2016; 36; 1553-1562

7. Kevin L Bennewith and Shoukat Dedhar. Targeting hypoxic tumour cells to overcome metastasis. BMC Cancer 2011;11:504

8. SPC Halaven (updated June 2014). Available at: http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/24382/SPC/Halaven+0.44+mg+ml+solution+for+injection/ . Accessed: April 2016

9. National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.org/cancer/sarcoma-adultsofttissuecancer/detailedguide/sarcoma-adult-soft-tissue-cancer-survival-rates

10. R Pollock. Soft Tissue Sarcomas, A Volume in the American Cancer Society Atlas of Clinical Oncology Series. 2012

11. Fletcher, et al. World Health Organization Classification of Tumours of Soft Tissue and Bone (4th Edition). Lyon: IARC Press, 2013

SOURCE Eisai
DUBAI, UAE, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Elevay is currently known as the premier choice when it comes to expanding freedom for high net worth professionals seeking travel for work

Even in today's globally connected world, there is still no substitute for a face-to-face meeting. No online conferencing system could ever duplicate sealing your deal with a firm handshake. This is why wealthy individuals are obtaining second passports by taking advantage of citizenship via investment programs like those offered by the Dubai-based international organization, Elevay.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160316/345028LOGO )



It goes without saying that investors and professionals apply for second citizenship for the ease it will provide them in terms of travelling, and enjoying the world on their own terms; from this perspective, it only makes sense that Elevay has become the premier choice. With 17 years of experience and a globally connected network of legal, immigration, and real estate professionals positioned in countries all over the world, Elevay remains the top choice for those who want a smooth process from beginning to end.

Why is citizenship via investment gaining so much steam? A primary advantage is the luxury that comes with not having to apply for a travel visa for business trips in advance of each departure. This is a significant time-saver for those who frequently travel for work, as second passports can automatically provide one with access to more than a hundred destinations. For example, with the Grenada program offered by Elevay, one gains a second citizenship and with it comes the ability to travel visa-free to 138 countries, including the UK and all members of the European Union. With its highly refined system, Elevay streamlines the application process and applicants can receive a second passport in as little as four months.

Another primary benefit when it comes to obtaining a second passport is that, in many cases, applicants are not even required to visit the issuing country before obtaining the second citizenship. To continue using Grenada as an example, applicants are not required to set foot on the island, nor are there any physical residency requirements at all. Obviously, this makes things easier for a busy professional who requires a second passport for ease of business travel but simply does not have the time for an exploratory visit.

Perhaps busy professionals are drawn to Elevay because of the company's clearly defined mission. The company is based on four main principles-helping clients connect with the world on their own terms, securing their children's futures, diversifying their investments, and conserving their wealth.

Contact:

Elevay

United Arab Emirates Saleh Bin Lahej Building,

Office 210, Al Garhoud St, PO BOX 36566 Dubai

Phone: UAE: +971-4282-7221

Phone: US +1-902-298-2518

Email: info@elevay.com

Register for the Elevay monthly newsletter here. http://www.elevay.com/newsletters/

SOURCE Elevay
NESS ZIONA, Israel, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Israeli biotechnology company Kadimastem (TASE: KDST) announces a yearly budget approved by the OCS in the total amount of NIS 13.7 M, which is an increase of more than NIS 2M over the previous year. The funding is intended to accelerate the company's two primary fields of activity which are based on pluripotent stem cells, ALS and diabetes, including the advancement towards the company's clinical trial in ALS patients.

Yossi Ben-Yossef, the company's CEO, noted: "I am very happy that Kadimastem has received significant support from the OCS for several years. We believe that the budget approved by the OCS, together with the capital we have recently raised, will enable us to achieve the goals we have set, to advance towards clinical trials and to continue to show positive results in both of the company's programs. The budget approved for Kadimastem for 2016 is the largest budget the company has received yet, which indicates the Chief Scientist's vote of confidence in Kadimastem."

Professor Michel Revel, the company's Chief Scientist, noted: "Kadimastem is gaining momentum towards the clinical trial in ALS patients, and the significant support provided by the Office of Chief Scientist will enable the company to achieve this target as planned, and at the same time to advance the diabetes cell therapy project, which is in advanced development stages. We are happy for the confidence shown in pluripotent stem cell technology in general and the products developed by Kadimastem in particular."

About Kadimastem

Kadimastem is a biotechnology company, operating in the field of regenerative medicine - a groundbreaking field in which the malfunctioning of organs which leads to diseases is repaired by external cells, tissues or organs. The company specializes in the development of human stem cell-based medical solutions for the treatment of diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS and Multiple Sclerosis. The company was founded in August 2009 by Professor Michel Revel and Yossi Ben Yossef, and is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: KDST). Kadimastem employs 34 people, of which 12 are PhDs, and its 1,700m[2] offices and labs are located in the Ness Ziona Science Park.

Kadimastem was founded based on patent protected technology that was developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Prof. Michel Revel's laboratory. Prof. Revel, who serves as the company's Chief Scientist and director, developed Merck KGaA's blockbuster drug, Rebif for the treatment of MS (sales of around $2.4 billion sales in 2014).

Based on the company's unique platform, Kadimastem is developing two types of medical applications: A. Regenerative medicine, which repairs and replaces organs and tissue by using functioning cells differentiated from stem cells. The company focuses on transplanting healthy brain cells to support the survivability of nerve cells as cell therapy for ALS, and transplanting insulin-secreting pancreatic cells for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes; B. Drug screening platforms, which use functional human cells and tissues to discover new medicinal drugs. The company has two collaboration agreements with leading global pharmaceutical companies.

The company is headed by Yossi Ben-Yossef, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in life sciences companies. The company's chairman is Dr. Eli Opper, formerly the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Labor and Trade. The company's investors, in addition to the founders, include Altshuler Shaham Investment House, foreign investors (Julien Ruggieri and Avi Meizler), and additional institutional investors.

Kadimastem has an extensive scientific advisory board, featuring prominent scientists and pioneers: in the embryonic stem cells field, Professor Benjamin Reubinoff, Director of the Hadassah Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Center and Senior Physician at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Hadassah University Medical Center and Professor Joseph Itskovich, world renowned expert and pioneer in pluripotent stem cell research and former head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Rambam Medical Center; in the neurodegenerative disease field, Professor Tamir Ben-Hur, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hadassah University Medical Center; and in the diabetes field, Professor Shimon Efrat, professor of Human Molecular Genetics and Juvenile Diabetes at Tel Aviv University and a world renowned expert in cell replacement therapy for diabetes and Professor Eddy Karnieli, past Director of the Institute for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Rambam Medical Center, and a world renowned expert in these fields.

Contact:

Kadimastem

Yehuda Feinberg

+972-73-7971600

[email protected]



SOURCE Kadimastem
MIAMI, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), a BARBRI professional association, has added Global Witness policy advisor Eryn Schornick and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Bernstein to its speaker lineup for the 2016 Financial Crime Conference June 1-2 at the Yale Club of New York City.

Schornick, a policy advisor on the banks and corruption team of Global Witness, will speak on Exposing Illicit Financial Flows in Real Estate Wednesday, June 1 at 12:30 p.m. EDT. Global Witness is the organization behind a groundbreaking 60 Minutes expose on the use of attorneys and legal professionals to move dubious funds through U.S. shell companies and New York real estate. Global Witness is an international advocacy organization that seeks to expose and break the links between natural resources and corruption, conflict and human rights abuses. During her presentation, Schornick will show clips from the undercover report, describe its impact on the legal and financial sectors, and highlight how high-end real estate transactions represent a key vulnerability in the global anti-money laundering regime.

Bernstein, a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, will address the Panama Papers global financial scandal, speaking on how one of the biggest news stories of the year has affected financial institutions and governments worldwide, and providing insights on further revelations contained in the 11.5 million leaked documents. The session is scheduled for Thursday, June 2 at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Bernstein's address will complement the previous day's session, Breaking the Shells  Assessing the Fallout of the Panama Papers for Compliance, Investigations and Policy. That session will bring together current and former federal prosecutors, legal experts and policy advocates to go inside this historic leak and explore its far-reaching impacts.

The ACFCS Financial Crime Conference agenda includes 20 panels, workshops and round table sessions covering the present and future of financial crime trends, threats and issues. Experts from compliance, law enforcement and regulatory agencies will give insights on trade-based money laundering, trends in social engineering and cyber attacks, Chinese underground finance, combating ISIS funding, and much more.

The Financial Crime Conference will be held June 1-2 at the Yale Club of New York City, with a virtual conference offering a deeper dive into the content June 8-9. Conference attendees are invited to participate in a special post-conference seminar, Financial Crime 101 on June 3. This full-day session will examine the diverse forms of financial crime, and mirror the content covered on the Certified Financial Crime Specialist (CFCS) examination.

About ACFCS

The Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS), a BARBRI Professional Association, is a worldwide organization for private and public sector professionals who work in diverse financial crime prevention disciplines, including anti-money laundering, FATCA-tax evasion, FCPA-corruption, fraud, data analytics and security, compliance, regulation, enforcement and more. ACFCS awards the Certified Financial Crime Specialist (CFCS) certification to qualified candidates who pass a proctored examination offered at authorized testing centers around the world. Professionals in the financial crime field from more than 50 nations have already obtained the CFCS certification.

Media Contact:

Cindy Parks

913-526-6912

[email protected]

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SOURCE Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists

Related Links

http://www.acfcs.org


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) has announced the following: "RAI to webcast London presentation May 16."

Go to RAI's website, www.reynoldsamerican.com, to read the full release.

Web and Social Media Disclosure

RAI's website, www.reynoldsamerican.com, is the primary source of publicly disclosed news, including our quarterly earnings, about RAI and its operating companies. RAI also uses Twitter to publicly disseminate company news via @RAI News. It is possible that the information we post could be deemed to be material information. We encourage investors and others to register at www.reynoldsamerican.com to receive alerts when news about the company has been posted, and to follow RAI on Twitter at @RAI News.

ABOUT US

Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) is the parent company of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, Inc.; American Snuff Company, LLC; Niconovum USA, Inc.; Niconovum AB; and R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company.

Copies of RAI's news releases, annual reports, SEC filings and other financial materials, including risk factors containing forward-looking information, are available at www.reynoldsamerican.com. To learn more about how Reynolds American and its operating companies are transforming the tobacco industry, visit Transforming Tobacco.

SOURCE Reynolds American Inc.

Related Links

http://www.reynoldsamerican.com


SHERMAN, Texas, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys with the Dallas-based litigation firm Aldous \ Walker have secured a confidential settlement in a lawsuit against Texas Health Resources (THR) and LHP Hospital Group based on fraud allegations stemming from the companies' 2010 acquisition of Wilson N. Jones Memorial Hospital in Sherman.

The civil lawsuit, filed in January 2015 on behalf of the Wilson N. Jones Foundation, claimed that Arlington, Texas-based THR and Plano, Texas-based LHP induced the foundation's board of trustees to sell the hospital to them six years ago even though there were higher offers from other potential buyers. The sale was predicated on THR and LHP committing $25 million for capital improvements within five years, in addition to the companies promising not to sell the hospital to any outside group for 10 years.

However, the hospital foundation's attorneys say the capital improvements never reached the $25 million mark. THR and LHP also notified the foundation board that they intended to sell the hospital in September 2014 instead of honoring the previously agreed upon 10-year ownership pledge.

"I am happy that we were able to hold the defendants accountable and send a message that you cannot hurt communities like THR did and abandon them without consequences," says attorney Charla Aldous of Aldous \ Walker, lead attorney for the firm. "And I am especially proud that proceeds from this agreement will go to the Wilson N. Jones Community Foundation to help provide health care to the indigent in Grayson County."

The WNJ Foundation owned the hospital since 1914 until its sale to THR. The WNJ Foundation was also represented by the Sherman-based law firms Sanders, O'Hanlon, Motley & Young, PLLC, and Scott Pelley, P.C.

Aldous \ Walker has been involved in previous claims against THR and currently represents Ebola survivor Nina Pham in her allegations of negligence and invasion of privacy while she worked as a nurse for the hospital system.

To learn more about Ms. Aldous and her work, click here.

The Aldous \ Walker law firm represents clients in general civil litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, and wrongful death lawsuits. More information about the firm can be found at http://www.aldouslaw.com.

SOURCE Aldous \ Walker LLP

Related Links

http://www.aldouslaw.com


ENGLEWOOD, N.J., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alleon Healthcare Capital ("Alleon"), a specialty finance company focused on providing medical receivables financing, medical receivables factoring, and cash flow solutions to medical providers in the U.S., recently closed a medical accounts receivable financing facility with a NJ based specialty pharmacy, HomeCare Rx Inc. ("HomeCare Rx").

Headquartered in Little Falls, NJ, HomeCare Rx is focused on providing immunoglobulin therapy services to patients in the homecare setting. Today, many chronic conditions require high-tech infusion therapies to help patients lead healthy and productive lives. Providing infusion therapy for patients in their homes is not only more cost effective, but also allows patients the ability to resume normal lifestyles and work activities, as opposed to remaining in hospitals. HomeCare Rx tends to treat patients with multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammation, polymyositis and many others.

Alleon was approached to help HomeCare Rx facilitate its growth and secure a discount with its vendor for quicker payments. Ben Rutkevitz, Head of Business Development at Alleon said, "taking advantage of its supplier's discount offer was a very prudent move that created a win for all parties involved. The discount allowed HomeCare Rx to offset the cost of the line of credit while paying its supplier in a timely fashion. The quick payment to its vendor is critical for HomeCare Rx's growth plan."

The transaction was structured with a borrowing base made up of medical accounts receivable that are billed to third party insurance carriers.

HomeCare Rx's president Dhara Patel said, "Alleon provided an exemplary level of service to us and has a detailed understanding as to what is required within the short term funding arena to get transactions completed timely and effectively. Additionally, Alleon's background, knowledge, respect and promptness are excellent and made the entire process seamless."

About Alleon: Alleon Healthcare Capital, a division of Alleon Capital Partners LLC, is a specialty finance company focused on providing cash flow solutions for healthcare providers in the U.S. that are unable to secure financing through conventional sources. Alleon works with providers nationwide, as long as they receive payments from Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial Insurances, Private Insurances, HMO/PPOs, Managed Care, No-Fault/PIP carriers, Worker's Compensation carriers, and Letter of Protection (Personal Injury) cases.

http://alleonhealthcare.com

http://alleoncapital.com

SOURCE Alleon Healthcare Capital
DUBLIN and BUDAPEST, Hungary, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan Plc (NYSE: AGN) and Gedeon Richter Plc. today announced positive results from Venus I, one of two pivotal Phase III clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of ulipristal acetate in women with uterine fibroids.

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The study included 157 patients, with 101 patients randomized to ulipristal acetate 5 and 10 mg and 56 to placebo. The study met all the co-primary and secondary endpoints with both ulipristal treatment arms achieving statistically significant results over placebo (p<0.0001). The co-primary efficacy endpoints were percentage of patients with absence of uterine bleeding and time to absence of uterine bleeding. Significantly more patients in the 10 mg group (58.3%; p<0.0001) and the 5 mg group (47.2%; p<0.0001) achieved absence of bleeding compared to placebo (1.8%).

"We are pleased with the positive efficacy and safety results demonstrated in this clinical trial. Uterine fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the US. Ulipristal acetate has the potential to offer the first and only non-invasive long-term treatment option for women suffering from uterine fibroids in the US," said David Nicholson EVP and President of Global R&D, Allergan.

The secondary efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with absence of uterine bleeding from Day 11 to end of treatment and the change from baseline in the UFS-QOL revised Activities subscale at the end of treatment. Significantly more patients in the 10 mg group (58.3%; p<0.0001) and the 5 mg group (43.4%; p<0.0001) achieved absence of bleeding from Day 11 to the end of treatment compared to placebo (0%). The improvement from baseline in the UFS-QOL revised Activities subscale was significantly greater in the 10 mg group (59.0; p<0.0001) and the 5 mg group (52.1; p<0.0001) compared to placebo (21.2).

The UFS-QOL is a disease-specific symptom and health-related quality of life questionnaire. This questionnaire is an established instrument to assess disease impact on patient's well-being in women with uterine fibroids.

"We are delighted with this significant step forward for ulipristal acetate as it confirms and underlines that it could provide medical therapy to many women suffering from this condition," said Dr. Istvan Greiner, Research Director of Gedeon Richter Plc. "We remain committed to the development of women healthcare products which improve quality of life for the female population in all age groups."

There were no treatment-related serious adverse events. No patients discontinued ulipristal acetate treatment due to adverse events. The most common adverse events ( 5%) on ulipristal acetate treatment were hypertension (N=6), blood creatine phosphokinase increased (N=5), hot flush (N=5), and acne (N=3).

Venus I is the first clinical trial to report topline results. The second of two clinical trialsVenus IIis anticipated to be completed this year with topline results expected in the first half of 2017. A new drug application for the treatment of uterine fibroids is planned to be submitted in 2017.

About Venus I

This study was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in premenopausal women between 18 and 50 years old with cyclic (22 to 35 days) abnormal uterine bleeding in 4 of the last 6 menstrual cycles, menstrual blood loss 80 mL as measured by the alkaline hematin method over the first 8 days of menses, 1 discrete uterine fibroid of any size and location observable by transvaginal ultrasound, follicle-stimulating hormone 20 mIU/mL, and uterine volume 20 weeks by exam. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1:1 to ulipristal acetate 5 mg, 10 mg or placebo for one 12-week treatment course followed by a 12- week treatment-free follow-up period. African-American women represented 69% of patients enrolled. The average BMI was 31.7.

The Venus I trial, is the first completed pivotal study of ulipristal acetate for uterine fibroids in the US population. It is designed to meet FDA requirements for approval.

About Ulipristal Acetate

Ulipristal acetate, an investigational drug for the medical treatment of uterine fibroids, is a selective progesterone receptor modulator (SPRM), which acts directly on the progesterone receptors in 3 target tissues: the endometrium (uterine lining), uterine fibroids, and the pituitary gland. Ulipristal acetate exerts a direct effect on the endometrium (suppressing uterine bleeding) and direct action on fibroid size by decreasing the formation of new fibroid cells and promoting fibroid cell death. The safety and efficacy of ulipristal acetate is being evaluated in two phase 3 US studies of more than 550 adult women of reproductive age. Ulipristal acetate is protected by a patent that expires in 2029.

The Venus I trial builds upon data collected from prior efficacy and safety studies of ulipristal acetate for fibroids conducted in Europe, where ulipristal acetate is marketed under the trade name Esmya by Gedeon Richter, and is currently approved for the pre-operative and intermittent treatment of moderate to severe symptoms of uterine fibroids in adult women of reproductive age.

In Canada, ulipristal acetate, available under the trade name Fibristal, received Health Canada approval in June 2013 for the treatment of moderate to severe signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids in adult women of reproductive age, who are eligible for surgery. To date, more than 300,000 women have been treated with ulipristal acetate for fibroids in over 50 countries.

About Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids, also known as myomas, are the most common benign tumors that affect up to 80 percent of women in the United States by the age of 50. Studies show that the incidence of uterine fibroids is more prevalent among African-American women. Fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the US and cost the economy over $34 billion each year.

Fibroids are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus, or womb. Symptoms of uterine fibroids can range from mild to severe and have the potential to impact a woman's day-to-day functioning. Symptoms often include, but are not limited to, abnormal uterine bleeding including long, heavy, and/or irregular menstrual cycles, passing clots; bulk symptoms including pelvic pain, pelvic pressure, and abdominal distortion; infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. The cause of fibroids is unknown.

About Allergan

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a unique, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model  Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative branded pharmaceuticals, high-quality generic and over-the-counter medicines, and biologic products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of best-in-class products that provide valuable treatments for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics, gastroenterology, women's health, urology, cardiovascular and anti-infective therapeutic categories, and operates the world's third-largest global generics business, providing patients around the globe with increased access to affordable, high-quality medicines. Allergan is an industry leader in research and development, with one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry and a leading position in the submission of generic product applications globally.

About Gedeon Richter

Gedeon Richter Plc. (www.richter.hu), headquartered in Budapest/Hungary, is a major pharmaceutical company in Central Eastern Europe, with an expanding direct presence in Western Europe. Having reached a market capitalisation of EUR 3.3 billion (US$ 3.6 billion) by the end of 2015, Richter's consolidated sales were approximately EUR 1.2 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) during the same year. The product portfolio of Richter covers many important therapeutic areas, including gynaecology, central nervous system, and cardiovascular areas. Having the largest R&D unit in Central Eastern Europe, Richter's original research activity focuses on CNS disorders. With its widely acknowledged steroid chemistry expertise, Richter is a significant player in the female healthcare field worldwide. Richter is also active in biosimilar product development.

Forward-Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective of existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 (such periodic public filings having been filed under the "Actavis plc" name). Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS:

ALLERGAN

Investors:

Lisa DeFrancesco

(862) 261-7152

Media:

Mark Marmur

(862) 261-7558

GEDEON RICHTER CONTACTS:

Investors:

Katalin Ordog

+36 1 431 5680

Media:

Zsuzsa Beke

+36 1 431 4888

SOURCE Allergan plc

Related Links

http://www.allergan.com


CORAL GABLES, Fla., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Henry Moehring has been named President and CEO of the Alpha-1 Foundation. John Walsh, who co-founded the Foundation in 1995 and has been President and CEO ever since, will take the new title of Founder and Chief Visionary Officer. Walsh was injured in a fall on an icy street in Washington, DC in January and is on extended medical leave.

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"Henry was the personal choice of John Walsh to become the second President and CEO in the history of the Foundation  a choice enthusiastically approved by the Board," said Board Chair Gordon Cadwgan, PhD, who announced the appointments.

Ab Rees, who has been serving as Acting CEO and President since February, said that Walsh brought an executive transition plan to the Executive Committee of the Foundation Board in October of 2015. That proposal, for Moehring to take over as President and CEO and for Walsh to continue with the Foundation as Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, was accepted unanimously.

Moehring thanked Walsh and the Board for their confidence in him as the new CEO. "There is so much that is happening now in research and support. But there is much left to be done  push to find the cure, advocate for our community, support those affected, and educate providers and those impacted. We have a great Foundation team and an energized community. We will get the job done  we will find the cure!" he said.

Cadwgan read a message from the Walsh family, thanking the community for their outpouring of love and prayers. "John continues to receive excellent care and is progressing in his recovery," the message read. "It will take time, but we ask you to 'Keep the Faith,' as it is our hope that we will join you next year for the Celebration of Life."

"Keep the Faith" has been for many years one of John Walsh's favorite phrases at the close of a conversation or email.

Moehring has been involved with the Alpha-1 community since 1997, the year he was diagnosed with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, and served as Chair of the former Alpha-1 Association before the 2014 merger of the Association into the Foundation. He has a Master of Business Administration degree from Johns Hopkins University and has been a healthcare administrator for 30 years. He was Executive Director of Asbury Methodist Village, a not-for-profit retirement community with more than 1,300 residents and 840 employees, before resigning to take the Foundation post.

Following the Foundation bylaws, Moehring, who has been Vice Chair of the Foundation Board, will leave the Board as he becomes CEO.

Cadwgan also announced the promotions of two senior Foundation executives. Marcie Ritchie was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Office, and Robert Barrett was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, as well as President and CEO of AlphaNet. They will report directly to Moehring.

About the Alpha-1 Foundation: The Alpha-1 Foundation is committed to finding a cure for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and to improving the lives of people affected by Alpha-1 worldwide. For more information, visit www.alpha1.org.

For information contact:

Bob Campbell

Director of Communications

Email

305-567-9888 Ext. 230

SOURCE Alpha-1 Foundation

Related Links

http://www.alpha1.org


America's dogs and cat, for example, appear to be totally addicted to chicken  at least, that is the most popular flavor that their owners are buying for them across all three categories. In a country that spent $13 billion in the 'pet specialty' market in 2015, that accounts for a significant share of wallet.



DOG CAT

Dry Wet Treats Dry Wet Treats USA Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Great Britain Chicken Chicken Bagged dry  no given flavor Chicken Chicken Beef Fish Chicken France Chicken Chicken Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Beef Fish Spain Chicken Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Beef Fish Czech Republic Chicken Beef Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken Greece Chicken Beef Bagged dry  no given flavor Bagged dry  no given flavor Chicken Chicken South Africa Chicken Chicken Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Tinned wet, mixed flavor Fish China Chicken Beef Chicken Beef Fish Chicken Fish Chicken

Spain's lucky four-legged friends, on the other hand, get far greater variety, with beef and fish flavors rivaling chicken for both wet food and treats. France's cats also do well, showing equal variety as Spain in the wet food and treats bought for them  although the ubiquitous chicken continues to dominate when it comes to selecting their cats' dry food and their dogs' wet and dry food.

The Czech Republic, Greece and China stand out in preferring beef flavor above all others for their dogs' wet food.

Pushan Tagore, vice president of global marketing for pet care at GfK, comments, "The US generally sets a trend on what is popular in pet food, but here we see clearly how different the individual markets are around the globe. Clearly the US has scope to innovate further within this area, to bring more variety to the palates of our four-legged friends."

For more detail on GfK's pet market data, please contact Pushan Tagore, Vice President, Pet Care, GfK - T +44-7824-664755 / [email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364614-INFO

SOURCE GfK
BERWYN, Pa., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AMETEK, Inc. (NYSE: AME) today announced that the Board of Directors has elected Brian A. Hoffmann as Vice President and General Manager of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Division within AMETEK Aerospace & Defense.

"I am pleased to announce Brian's promotion to Vice President and General Manager. Brian brings extensive general management experience, as well as strong operational and engineering expertise to his new position. We expect him to play a key role in the continued growth and success of our aerospace MRO business," commented David A. Zapico, Chief Executive Officer.

Since joining AMETEK in 2005, Mr. Hoffmann has served as Divisional Vice President and Business Unit Manager for AMETEK Power Instruments within the Power Systems and Instruments Division. Prior to AMETEK, he held engineering, operations and general management roles with Danaher, as well as engineering positions with Cincinnati Milacron.

Mr. Hoffmann holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Business Administration from Bryant University.

Corporate Profile

AMETEK is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electro-mechanical devices with annual sales of $4.0 billion. AMETEK's Corporate Growth Plan is based on Four Key Strategies: Operational Excellence, Strategic Acquisitions, Global & Market Expansion and New Products. AMETEK's objective is double-digit percentage growth in earnings per share over the business cycle and a superior return on total capital. The common stock of AMETEK is a component of the S&P 500 Index.

Contact: Kevin Coleman +1 610-889-5247

SOURCE AMETEK, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ametek.com


PUNE, India, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report, "Application Security Market by Component (Solutions, Services), Solutions (Web Application Security, Mobile Application Security), Testing Type (SAST, DAST, IAST), Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Vertical, Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market size is estimated to grow from USD 2.24 Billion in 2016 to USD 6.77 Billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 24.8% from 2016 to 2021.

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Browse 78 market data Tables and 47 Figures spread through 156 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Application Security Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/application-security-market-110170194.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

Application security is to safeguard applications from vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting via security testing techniques, which scan the web and mobile applications for security flaws throughout the application development lifecycle. As the frequency of targeted attacks on applications is growing, the market is expected to gain traction in the next five years.

Rise in security breaches targeting business applications will drive the Application Security Market

The major forces driving the Application Security Market are the rise in security breaches targeting business applications and strong application security regulation and compliance requirements. In today's hyper-connected business environment, there is rapid emergence of digital solutions and devices, which is based on communication between various business-critical applications and data. As these business applications hold critical organizational data, safeguarding them from vulnerabilities is of the utmost importance for any organization.

Hybrid analysis (IAST) to play a key role in the Application Security Market

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), sometimes referred to as "hybrid analysis," is an emerging security testing type, which is a combination of both Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST). Various advantages offered by IAST include false positive reduction, comprehensive vulnerability coverage, entire code coverage that includes the libraries and frameworks, scalability to handle large applications, instant developer feedback to save time, and zero process disruption. The IAST segment is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period.

Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) vertical expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period

The BFSI vertical is one of the most omnipresent industries prone to targeted attacks in today's digital inter-connected world. The BFSI vertical is expected to grow at the highest rate from 2016 to 2021, in the Application Security Market. The market is also projected to witness growth in the healthcare, retail, and IT & telecom sectors during the forecast period.

Request for Sample @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=110170194

North America expected to contribute the largest market share, Asia-Pacific (APAC) to grow the fastest

North America is expected to hold the largest market share and dominate the Application Security Market from 2016 to 2021, due to the presence of a large number of application security vendors. APAC offers potential growth opportunities, as there is a rise in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption rate among organizations that in turn are deploying application security solutions to defend against potential threats to protect business-critical applications.

The major vendors in the Application Security Market include IBM Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, WhiteHat Security, Veracode, Checkmarx, Qualys, Rapid7, Trustwave, Acunetix, and Cigital, among others. The report covers detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the Application Security Market such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, products and services, key strategies, new product launches, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, and collaborations, associated with the Application Security Market.

Browse Related Reports:-

Cyber Security Market by Solution (IAM, Encryption, DLP, Risk and Compliance Management, IDS/IPS, UTM, Firewall, Antivirus/Antimalware, SIEM, Disaster Recovery, DDOS Mitigation, Web Filtering, and Security Services) - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cyber-security-market-505.html

Security Testing Market by Network Security Testing, Application Security Testing, SAST, DAST, Security Testing Tools, Penetration Testing Tools, Automated Testing Tools, Code Review Tools - Global Advancements, Forecasts & Analysis (2014 - 2019)

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/security-testing-market-150407261.html

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.

We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.

Contact:

Mr. Rohan

Markets and Markets

UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ

Magarpatta city, Hadapsar

Pune, Maharashtra -411013, India

1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]



Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/telecom-it

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
PUNE, India, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report "Asia and North Africa Hemodialysis & Peritoneal Dialysis Market Products (Machine, Dialyzer, Bloodlines, Concentrates, Catheters, & Transfer Sets) and Services (In-Center and Home) - Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, analyzes and studies the major market drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges in India, Asia (excluding India), and the MENA region.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 64 market data Tables and 44 Figures spread through 142 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Asia and North Africa Hemodialysis & Peritoneal Dialysis Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/asia-north-africa-hemodialysis-peritoneal-dialysis-market-127222013.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This report studies the dialysis products and services market in emerging nations over the forecast period of 2015 to 2020. The market is estimated at USD 23.1 Billion in 2015 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period, to reach USD 35.9 Billion by 2020.

The rising prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), diabetes, and hypertension is stimulating the demand for dialysis treatment in the emerging nations. Furthermore, low preference of patients for kidney transplantation, technological advancements, and substantial government healthcare expenditure on the treatment of ESRD are adding to the growth prospects of dialysis products and services market in the emerging nations. However, factors such as limited reimbursement for dialysis in developing countries, high cost of dialysis treatment, lack of awareness about kidney diseases & treatment procedures among patients, and reuse of hemodialysis supplies are restraining the growth of this market. The evolution of new dialysis modalities, growth opportunities in emerging markets, increasing number of dialysis centers, and growing adoption of home dialysis treatment offer significant growth opportunities for players in the dialysis market.

The dialysis market in emerging nations is categorized into two broad segments, namely, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. The hemodialysis market is segmented into products and services. Hemodialysis products include hemodialysis machines and hemodialysis consumables/supplies, whereas hemodialysis services are classified into in-center services and home services. The peritoneal dialysis market, segmented into products and services, includes peritoneal dialysis machines, concentrates/dialysates, catheters, transfer sets, and other consumables such as tubing sets, drain bags, disconnect caps, bag connections, catheter stabilizing devices, and ports.

On the basis of region, the dialysis market in emerging nations is segmented into India, Asia (excluding India), and the MENA region. The market in Asia is expected to grow at a higher rate during the forecast period (2015-2020). This high growth is predominantly driven by the growing number of dialysis centers, low preference for kidney transplantation, rising awareness about renal diseases, development of low-cost products, and increasing focus of dialysis firms on the Asian market. The Indian dialysis market is expected to witness a lucrative CAGR during the forecast period due to the growing patient base, government focus on providing low-cost dialysis treatment and promoting the indigenous manufacturing of dialysis products, and the growing adoption of home dialysis treatment in the country.

Talk to our Expert: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=127222013

The major players in Asia and North Africa Hemodialysis & Peritoneal Dialysis Market include Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Baxter International, Inc. (U.S.), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Nipro Corporation (Japan), and Nikkiso Co. Ltd. (Japan).

Browse Related Reports:

Hemodialysis & Peritoneal Dialysis Market Products (Machine, Dialyzer, Bloodlines, Concentrates, Catheters, Transfer Sets, Water Treatment Systems, & Services), Modality (Nocturnal, APD, & CAPD), End-users (In-center & Home) - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/dialysis-market-1279.html

Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) Market by Products (System, Disposables (Hemofilters & Bloodlines), & Dialysate/Replacement Fluids), Modality (SCUF, CVVH, CVVHD, CVVHDF) and Geography - Regional Adoption and Global Forecasts to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/continuous-renal-replacement-therapy-market-246917088.html

About MarketsandMarkets



MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors.

M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers.

We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository.

Contact:

Mr. Rohan

Markets and Markets

UNIT no 802, Tower no. 7, SEZ

Magarpatta city, Hadapsar

Pune, Maharashtra 411013, India

1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @ http://mnmblog.org/market-research/healthcare/medical-devices

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
SAN MATEO, Calif., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- South Dakota is the best state to grow old, according to a new Caring.com report which examined a variety of financial, healthcare and quality of life categories. Neighboring Iowa and Minnesota ranked second and third, respectively. Click here for more information:

https://www.caring.com/articles/best-states-to-grow-old

The study found there's generally an inverse relationship between the cost and quality of senior care. South Dakota and Iowa are perfect examples of a sweet spot: they offer excellent care at below-average prices. Among the 15 states with the cheapest senior care, just two rank in the top half for quality (South Carolina and Kansas).

The worst state to grow old is West Virginia, which was dragged down by a last-place showing in the healthcare and quality of life categories. New Jersey and New York join the Mountaineer State in the bottom three. These heavily populated neighbors are hampered by very high costs and below-average quality scores.

"The main takeaway from this research is that the traditional retirement destinations don't always offer the best mix of cost and quality," said Dayna Steele, Caring.com's Chief Caring Expert and the author of Surviving Alzheimer's with Friends, Facebook and a Really Big Glass of Wine. "This is why it's so important for people to do their homework while they're still relatively young and healthy in order to set themselves up for retirement years that are truly golden."

Florida came in 31st overall (mostly due to below-average healthcare quality) and Arizona tied for 17th.

Sources:

2015 Cost of Care Survey (Genworth)

2014 State Long-Term Services and Supports Scorecard (AARP, The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation)

2015 State of American Well-Being (Gallup-Healthways)

Over 100,000 consumer reviews of senior care facilities (Caring.com)

About Caring.com

With more than three million visitors per month, Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. A Bankrate company headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., Caring.com provides helpful caregiving content, online support groups, and a comprehensive Senior Care Directory for the United States, with nearly 105,000 consumer ratings and reviews and a toll-free senior living referral line at (800) 325-8591. Connect with Caring.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and/or YouTube.

For more information:

Ted Rossman

Public Relations Director

[email protected]

917-368-8635



Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151113/287218LOGO

SOURCE Caring.com

Related Links

https://www.caring.com


The redesigned package for each of Big House's seven California wines features the silhouette of a different notorious Prohibition bootlegger along with a historic quote from that person to pique further discovery. As with previous branding, varietals are tied to specific personalities, this time focusing on a distinct period in American history. Side panels tell their stories with an authentic photo for each character highlighting their role during these tumultuous years. From the first California brand with an all-screw cap line-up to the first with the Octavin box, the new Big House packaging embraces the brand's pioneering history of innovation and cutting edge design.

The overall look and feel of the packaging speaks with authority and authenticity about a storied time in American history, when stakes were high and rebellion was in the air. The rules made outlaws out of everyone who enjoyed a drink and celebrities out of those brave enough to supply them. These bootleggers were bad, yet on their way to the "big house" they became folk heroes as well  outsized personalities during a famously irreverent time in America.

"While the laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol turned men into mobsters and ladies into lawbreakers, these people actually did go to prison to supply Americans with drink," notes Collin Cooney, Big House Brand Manager. "We are excited to engage today's consumer with the new Big House package highlighting these historic Prohibition stories with our retro design." Big House is currently a top 10 premium 3L box wine brand in the United States. Recent Nielson data reports the premium 3L box wine category is growing +16.9% in volume versus the previous year, week ending 3/26/16.*

Established in Monterey County in 1990 by founder Randall Graham, Big House Wine Company was originally named for the winery's close proximity to Soledad State Prison. The evocative new look is available nationally and includes Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Prohibition Red and Bootlegger White in 3L boxes, SRP $17.99 and 750 ml bottles, SRP $7.99. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are available in a 3L box only. For more information please visit www.bighousewines.com.

*Source Nielsen Data: Premium 3L volume trends, Total USxAOC+LiqPlus+Conv, Latest 52 weeks w/e 3/26/16.

Editor's note: For information, photos or samples of Big House wines, please contact Katie Calhoun of Calhoun & Company Communications at [email protected].

MEDIA CONTACT:

Katie Calhoun

Calhoun & Company Communications

[email protected]

(415) 346-2929

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364845

SOURCE Big House Wine Company

Related Links

http://www.bighousewines.com


LONDON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Biopesticides are derived from natural sources which include animals, bacteria, plants, and certain minerals. Bt (Bacillus thruingiensis) containing products are the most common type of biopesticides but the plant-incorporated protectants (PIP) that come from adding genetic material to plants also fall in this category. The global biopesticides market has shown significant growth in the past few years. This trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period due to increasing consumer awareness about the consumption of organic food and growing usage of biopesticides in order to minimize the environment pollution worldwide.



Biopesticides are the key components of integrated pest management (IPM) programs and are receiving much attention as a means of reducing the load of synthetic chemical products that are used to control plant diseases. The objective of improving the commercial feasibility of production and usage of biopesticides is propelling market growth. Moreover, extensive and organized research has resulted in improved formulation techniques, enhanced application methods, and increased ability to produce biopesticides through mass production, and better storage and shelf life capabilities.



In this report, the global biopesticides market is categorized into five segments: (i) by product type; (ii) by active ingredients type, (iii) by crop type, (iv) by application and (v) by geography. Based on product type, the market has been categorized into bioinsecticides, biofungicides, bionematicides, and bioherbicides. Biopesticides are widely used for controlling various insects and disease-causing pathogens. Based on active ingredients, the biopesticides market is segregated into microbial pesticides, plant pesticides and biochemical pesticides. Furthermore, the market is segmented into permanent crops and arable crops. Others include forage & turf grasses and greenhouse crops by crop type. Based on application type, the biopesticides market is bifurcated into seed treatment application, on farm application and post harvest.



Bioinsecticides, biofungicides and bionematicides are rapidly growing market segments that are expected to fuel demand for biopesticides in the coming years. The usage of biopesticides can greatly decrease the usage of conventional pesticides without affecting crop yields in the Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Globally, the demand for nature-based biopesticides is on the rise due to increased environmental awareness and health hazards from many conventional pesticides.



Based on geography, the global biopesticides market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). In 2014, North America held the largest share in the biopesticides market followed by Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World (RoW). North America is expected to maintain its leading position during the forecast period.



Globally, the pesticide industry is highly regulated by environmental regulations. Pesticide regulation has shifted from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Food and Drugs Administration to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA, in turn, has been encouraging the development and use of biopesticides in the U.S. Increasing demand for chemical-free crops and more organic farming is anticipated to propel the usage of biopesticides in North America. In addition, biopesticides are quickly biodegradable, are less toxic, and are more targeted to the specific pest that helps to control pest population to a manageable level. Increasing focus on research and development and production of environment friendly and safe pesticides is expected to boost the growth of the market.



The report also covers the drivers, restraints, and opportunities (DROs) of the biopesticides market. The study highlights the current market trends and provides forecast for the period from 2015 to 2023. The current market scenario for global biopesticides and highlighted future trends that is likely to affect its demand is also covered under the scope of the study.



By geography, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). Under the scope of the report, each region is further segregated into major countries to highlight the respective market share of biopesticides in each country. The study covers major countries such as the U.S., and others in North America; Japan, China, and India in Asia Pacific; Spain, Italy, and France in Europe; and Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East in RoW. The size and forecast for these markets for the period from 2015 to 2023 has been provided in the report.



Under the scope of this report, different influencing and hindering factors of the biopesticides market have been analyzed. The market attractiveness analysis provided in the report highlights the key investing areas in this industry. The report also provides the company market share analysis of key players operating in the biopesticides domain. Some of the key players in this market include Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, AgBiTech Pty Ltd, Becker Underwood Inc., BASF SE, Arysta LifeSciences, Valent Biosciences Corp, Bayer CropScience AG, Dow AgroSciences and Novozymes A/S among others.



The scope of the study presents a comprehensive evaluation of the stakeholder strategies and winning imperatives for them by segmenting the global biopesticides market as below:

Global Biopesticides Market, by Product Type

Bioinsecticide

Biofungicide

Bionematicides

Bioherbicides



Global Biopesticides Market, by Active Ingredients Type

Microbial pesticides

Plant-pesticides

Biochemical pesticides



Global Biopesticides Market, by Crop Type

Permanent Crops

Arable Crops

Others ( forage & turf grasses and greenhouse crops )



Global Biopesticides Market, by Application Type

Seed Treatment Application

On Farm Application

Post Harvest Application



In addition the report provides cross-sectional analysis of all the above segments with respect to the following geographical markets:

Global biopesticides market, by geography

North America

U.S.

Rest of North America

Europe

Spain

France

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China

Japan

India

Rest of Asia-Pacific

Rest of the World (RoW)

Latin America

Middle East

Africa



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NASSAU, Bahamas, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BMD Holdings Ltd., the developer of Baha Mar, today reported it has sent the following letter to China Exim Bank and Deloitte, the bank's receiver for Baha Mar, asserting it would keep its offer for Baha Mar open for now but will not participate in Deloitte's sale process. The BMD offer would enable Baha Mar to be opened as soon as possible; payment to be made to unsecured creditors; and China Exim Bank to not have to incur a discount.

The full text of the letter follows:

May 9, 2016

BY E-MAIL

Messrs. Raymond Winder, Deloitte & Touche, Bahamas

Darach Haughey, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Hong Kong

Lai Kar Yan, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Hong Kong

Joint Receiver-Managers of Baha Mar Ltd. et al.

West Bay Street

P. O. Box CB-10988

Nassau, The Bahamas

Re:Baha Mar Ltd. (In receivership and In Provisional Liquidation)

Dear Sirs,

BMD Holdings Ltd. ("BMD") has determined that it makes no sense for it or its affiliates to enter the second party Deloitte sales process because there is no clarity how any bids made under that process would be evaluated. Furthermore, there is no certainty that, even if there are actual bids in that process, a buyer will be chosen which is in the best interests of The Bahamas and the future of Baha Mar.

BMD, however, will continue for now to keep open its offer made directly to China Exim Bank under which Baha Mar would be opened as soon as possible, payment would be made to unsecured creditors, and no discount would be incurred by the bank.

We have been quite clear to China Exim Bank, The Bahamian Government and the people of The Bahamas of our willingness and commitment to undertake a transaction that can be economically attractive to all parties and which can jumpstart Baha Mar to successful completion. Baha Mar is our vision, and every initiative and action we have undertaken has had the singular purpose of making Baha Mar a reality for the Bahamas. We understand that along the way, different parties have disagreed with how we have proceeded at points, but no party can question our desire to make Baha Mar a success and our priority for the wellbeing of The Bahamas. We do not know if the same can be said for the process the Receivers are undertaking or, for that matter, for the parties who may participate in it.

The process we are undertaking, which is our direct proposal to China Exim Bank, is completely transparent to the people of The Bahamas. This is in sharp contrast to the tight-lipped opaque process engineered by Deloitte at the behest of China Exim Bank. Our relationship and expertise with respect to Baha Mar, and our knowledge of The Bahamas are second to none. We have trained thousands of Bahamians to work at Baha Mar, and we are committed to returning to Baha Mar its engine - which is its Bahamian workforce. These skills, now learned, should not be put to waste. We have no interest in colonizing Baha Mar revenues for use in other foreign domains. We live here and are part of The Bahamian community.

China Exim Bank is able to work directly with us to make our attractive solution for Baha Mar an immediate reality and it is of great misfortune to the project and its people that the bank so far has chosen not to even respond to us about our proposal made four months ago. We have contacted the Receivers on several occasions affirming that we are ready, willing and able to sit down with it and China Exim Bank to work out the details of our offer so that Baha Mar can move forward. Instead the Receivers engage us in the proverbial "rope a dope", including saying it is willing to sit down, but not to discuss our offer, but only their process- a surreptitious process which Deloitte knows well could impair our legal rights and cause our offer to be denied proper consideration.

We are not willing to risk being used as a stalking horse. Indeed the Receivers have already been quoted in the media asserting that any party which can equal our offer will be in a favorable position. That may be their agenda but it is not ours. We have made our proposal to China Exim Bank. We are prepared to proceed with it if the bank is. China Exim Bank and we do not need to wait until the end of the year for our offer to be fulfilled. With that said, we want to make very clear to all parties that our willingness to proceed with our offer also has its limits. We will not be, as we have said on other occasions, "one hand clapping." Time is of the essence for both our offer and for Baha Mar.

Very truly yours,

Sarkis D. Izmirlian

cc: Alastair Beveridge, AlixPartners Services UK

Nicholas Cropper, AlixPartners Services UK

Edmund Rahming

Media Contacts

Robert Siegfried / Ross Lovern

212-521-4832 / 212-521-4876

[email protected]

SOURCE BMD Holdings Ltd.
TAMPA, Fla., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Burger 21, an award-winning, "beyond the better burger" fast casual franchise, announced today the signing of its first franchise agreement in New Mexico. The Tampa, Fla.-based company plans to open one location in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This latest agreement expands the brand's national footprint to 12 states. Burger 21 currently has 22 open restaurants and approximately 20 franchised locations in development nationwide.

"We are thrilled to bring Burger 21 to Albuquerque," said Mark Johnston, Burger 21 founder and president. "As one of the largest cities in New Mexico, Albuquerque is an ideal community for our brand. We look forward to our continued expansion across the U.S. with franchise partners that align with our brand's values and culture."

Local entrepreneur Chris Zalesiak is leading the expansion effort in Albuquerque with the first Burger 21 location slated to open in late 2017. Zalesiak, who also owns The Melting Pot of Albuquerque, has 13 years of foodservice experience and is an active member of the community. She currently sits on the Vistage International Peer Advisory Board and helps raise awareness and funds for several local public schools and organizations, including the March of Dimes. In addition to Burger 21's variety of chef-inspired menu items, it was the brand's unique culture and dedication to providing high quality and responsibly sourced ingredients that attracted Zalesiak to the Burger 21 concept.

"My decision to partner with Burger 21 was based on a number of factors, including the delicious product at an affordable price, the exponential growth of the brand over the past several years and Burger 21's commitment to the communities it serves by donating ten percent of sales on the 21st of each month to a local charity of choice," said Zalesiak. "This is an opportune time to join the Burger 21 family and introduce Albuquerque's to the brand's carveable menu offerings, which are unlike any other better burger concept in the area."

The location of the first Burger 21 in Albuquerque is yet to be announced as the site selection process is just launching with Anthony Johnson of Pegasus Retail Group.

Burger 21 is actively seeking qualified franchisees to expand its national footprint across the country. Those interested in development opportunities with the brand should visit burger21franchise.com/ApplyNow.aspx and register to receive access to an informational franchising webinar. For more information, please contact Ashley Sawyer, director of franchise development for Burger 21, at 813-327-7881 or [email protected] or visit burger21franchise.com.

Recognition for Burger 21 includes being named one of Entrepreneur magazine's Top New Franchises of 2016. Additionally, the company has been ranked on Fast Casual's Top 100 "Movers and Shakers" for the last three consecutive years, while Burger 21 Founder and President Mark Johnston was acknowledged as one of Fast Casual's "Top 25 People" of 2014 for his strategic leadership in the brand's growth and development. Burger 21 also was named one of QSR's "Best Franchise Deals" of 2014.

As the brand continues to expand across the U.S., Burger 21 is seeking single- and multi-unit operators with restaurant experience to join its upscale fast casual dining concept. Franchisee candidates should have a minimum net worth of $600,000 and liquid assets of at least $250,000 per unit. Burger 21 will be developed through both single-unit agreements and Area Development Agreements. Depending on the real estate site selected, franchisees can expect the total investment for one restaurant to be approximately $428,247  $1,085,164. The initial franchise fee is $40,000; however, reduced franchise fees apply for veterans, minorities and Area Development Agreements of four or more units.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Burger 21, contact Ashley Sawyer, director of franchise development for Burger 21, at 813-327-7881 or [email protected] or visit burger21franchise.com.

About Burger 21

With 22 locations now open in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Texas, and more than 20 in development in six states, Burger 21 is a "beyond the better burger" fast casual franchise concept founded in 2010. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Burger 21 is a chef-inspired brand with offerings including 21 unique burger creations ranging from hand-crafted, freshly ground Certified Angus Beef to chicken, turkey, vegetarian, shrimp and tuna burgers, fresh salads, all-beef hot dogs, chicken tenders and an extensive shake bar including hand-crafted shakes, floats and sundaes. Since its inception, the company has provided more than $127,000 in contributions as part of its "B Charitable" initiative, in which it donates 10 percent of its restaurants' sales to local schools and charities on the 21st of each month. For more information, visit http://www.burger21.com.

CONTACT: Ellie Mannix

Fish Consulting

(954) 893-9150

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130214/NY60474LOGO

SOURCE Burger 21

Related Links

http://www.burger21.com


FLOYD, Va. and INDEPENDENCE, Va., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardinal Bankshares Corporation (OTC: Markets: CDBK) parent Company of Bank of Floyd and Grayson Bankshares Inc. (OTC Markets: GSON) parent company of Grayson National Bank, announce today that the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency all have approved the applications filed for the combination of the companies into a single holding company and combination of their banks into a national bank charter.

Special shareholder meetings are set for May 24th and May 26th for Grayson and Cardinal, respectively, and management and boards of both organizations have been holding informational sessions in their communities to discuss the combination. Cardinal/Bank of Floyd Board Chair and local attorney James Shortt said, "we are very pleased to have these important regulatory approvals behind us, and we look forward to continuing our conversation with the community about the importance of a vibrant, local community bank." Grayson Board Chair and Hillsville lawyer Tom Jackson added, "shareholders from both communities have had very positive things to say about our plans to combine these century old local banking institutions. Our combination gives us an opportunity to remain both relevant and vibrant for years to come."

About Bank of Floyd

Cardinal Bankshares Corporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Floyd, Virginia, and is the parent company for Bank of Floyd. Bank of Floyd is a community bank that serves the Roanoke and New River Valleys, as well as Floyd and Carroll Counties operating seven locations in Floyd, Hillsville, Roanoke, Salem, Christiansburg, Fairlawn and Willis. Bank of Floyd had $259 million in assets as of December 31, 2015. For more information, call Al Dickerson, Interim President and CEO at 540-745-4191; visit us online at www.bankoffloyd.com. Bank of Floyd is a Member of the FDIC.

About Grayson National Bank

Grayson National Bank is a regional community bank committed to providing truly superior customer service. Founded in 1900, Grayson National Bank maintains local ownership, local leadership and long-standing dedication to offering a full range of business and personal financial services in Grayson, Carroll, Wythe, Montgomery, City of Galax, and Alleghany County, NC. For more information, call Blake Edwards, Senior Executive Vice President at 1-866-773-2811 or visit www.graysonnationalbank.com.

SOURCE Cardinal Bankshares Corporation; Grayson Bankshares Inc.

Related Links

http://www.bankoffloyd.com


GREENWICH, Conn., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Chief Executive magazine released its annual Best & Worst States for Business survey and CEOs again rated Texas as the No. 1 state in which to do business. No. 2-ranked Florida continued to steadily edge up in the qualitative measures. North Carolina, Tennessee and Indiana also made the top five. Ohio ranked as the biggest gainer, rising from No. 22 in 2015 to No. 10 in this year's survey.

The Best & Worst States for Business survey captures the sentiments of CEOs on a range of important issues. The rankings are crucial, as CEO sentiment drives investments in offices, factories and other facilities that bring jobs to a region.

In addition to the overall state rankings, Chief Executive's 2016 Best & Worst States for Business survey also presents individual category rankings, including quality of life, tax policy, workforce quality and best communication of business incentives, as well as rankings by region.



Top 5 States







State CEO Comments 1. Texas "...has their act together; government workers go out of their way to [help] businesses comply and follow the laws." 2. Florida "The state has aggressively moved ahead on key issues like rebuilding ports without waiting on federal support." 3. North Carolina "...strong technical and university support...also great quality of life aspects for work and home life." 4. Tennessee "...has stable leadership and a 'can do' attitude toward recruiting and retaining major business." 5. Indiana "...consistently ranked in the top 3 in offering ... competitive incentives for business [and] packages that improve the skill sets to hire a qualified, work-ready workforce."



Best of 



Best state for quality of life Idaho

Best state for workforce quality Utah

State with lowest taxation Wyoming

Best communication of business incentives Arkansas

State that advanced the most since 2015 Ohio (+12)

"This has been a particularly volatile year," said Marshall Cooper, CEO of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net. "Business leaders are challenged with everything from the growing talent shortage and skills gap to digital transformation to discerning how the presidential election will impact their business." This year's rankings, Cooper said, "show that CEOs support states that understand and offer solutions to those challenges."

"Business-friendly states work hard to maintain a competitive environment," added J.P. Donlon, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Chief Executive magazine and ChiefExecutive.net. "Many governors have gotten openly proactive about trying to steal business away from other states, and this new 'war' game has every economic development team on alert."

Review the entire 2016 Best & Worst States for Business survey,

including individual state rankings, CEO comments, methodology and more at http://chiefexecutive.net/2016-best-and-worst-states-for-business/

About Chief Executive

Chief Executive Group produces Chief Executive magazine (published since 1977), ChiefExecutive.net, and conferences and roundtables that enable top corporate officers to discuss key subjects and share their experiences within a community of peers. The Group also facilitates the annual "Chief Executive of the Year," a prestigious honor bestowed upon an outstanding corporate leader, nominated and selected by a group of peers.

Contact:

J.P. Donlon

Chief Executive magazine

203-930-2704

Email

SOURCE Chief Executive Group
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- During Military Appreciation Month, Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation (Fallen Patriots) honors the heroic sacrifices that soldiers, surviving spouses and their children have endured and overcome. This awareness month was created to ensure the nation was given the opportunity to publically demonstrate their appreciation for the sacrifices and successes made by our service members, past and present.

Fallen Patriots Day

Officially proclaimed by mayors and governors throughout the nation, May 13th is recognized as Fallen Patriots Day. This special day honors the bravery of surviving children while also creating awareness for Fallen Patriots' mission.

In 2014, mayors and governors across the country, including military-friendly Jacksonville, Washington DC, Charlotte, Columbus, Dallas, and Birmingham, as well as the state of Florida, officially proclaimed this holiday.

On Friday PepsiCo will help celebrate Fallen Patriots Day in Jacksonville through their Rolling Remembrance campaign, a 5000-mile relay across the country that will begin in Seattle and end in White Plains, NY on May 24th. Using normal business routes, U.S. Military Veteran PepsiCo drivers will pass off a flag to each other at 31 different relay points.

"PepsiCo's partnership with Children of Fallen Patriots directly benefits military children of servicemen and women who have sacrificed everything for our country. Rolling Remembrance generates tremendous support and the awareness its brings about across the country, helps us provide college scholarships and educational assistance to more of the estimated 20,000 children who have lost an active duty parent in the past 35 years," explained Kendra E. Davenport, President of Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. "We're very grateful to PepsiCo for their commitment to military families. They do more than just donate - they inspire people to get involved."

Honoring the Fallen



Memorial Day is a time when our nation reflects on the ultimate sacrifice that so many soldiers in uniform have made. Fallen Patriots honors those who died defending our country, every day, by providing college scholarships for children of the fallen.

Fallen Patriots works to find each and every child to ensure they receive all necessary college funding. By providing support for surviving children, Fallen Patriots is making an instrumental investment in the future of America.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/365410LOGO

SOURCE Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation

Related Links

http://fallenpatriots.org


SAN ANTONIO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years and three months after its founding, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation's largest pro-Israel organization, has crossed the three million member mark. The news comes on the heels of an exceptional year for the Christian Zionist group, including the creation of a permanent Washington DC office, as well as the establishment of a CUFI sponsored weekly newsmagazine program on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN), the world's largest Christian television outlet.

"CUFI continues to grow at an exceptional pace. Never did we think we would reach this number of supporters in such a short time, but our growth is a direct result of the American people's rock-solid commitment to Israel. I expect our elected officials to understand and reflect that support," said Pastor John Hagee, CUFI's founder and National Chairman.

"At three million members, CUFI is one of the largest grassroots organizations in America. But what's even more exciting than reaching this milestone is the accelerating pace at which we did so. With at least 50 million more pro-Israel Christians in America, we're excited about CUFI's future and confident in the future of the US-Israel relationship," noted David Brog, a member of CUFI's Board of Directors.

"Israel stands on the frontlines of the fight against radical Islam. The same forces that seek to wipe Israel off the map have placed a bullseye on the United States. At CUFI, we're helping millions of Christians across America identify, understand and answer these threats. I'm proud to be part of the CUFI team at this critical juncture and excited to see what the future has in store," added Erick Stakelbeck, Director of the CUFI Watchman Project and host of The Watchman on TBN.

With more than 3 million members, Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its message. Each year CUFI holds hundreds of pro-Israel events in cities around the country. And each July, thousands of pro-Israel Christians gather in Washington, D.C. to participate in the CUFI Washington Summit and make their voices heard in support of Israel and the Jewish people.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/365118LOGO

SOURCE Christians United for Israel

Related Links

http://cufi.org


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- It is now being widely reported that iconic rock star Prince, who died suddenly on April 21, had become addicted to prescription painkillers. Investigators now believe his death was caused by an opioid overdose. Prince was seeking help for his addiction just before his death. Many were surprised by the reports because Prince had a reputation for "clean living" and was known to be opposed to illegal drug use. Prince had been suffering from chronic hip pain and had prescriptions for the medication.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/364980

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/364981

According to chronic pain expert Cindy Perlin, author of The Truth About Chronic Pain Treatments: The Best and Worst Strategies for Becoming Pain Free , this is an all-too-common scenario that has killed more than 169,000 Americans. "Prescription painkiller deaths do not have to happen," says Perlin. "There are safer, more effective treatments for pain. One is medical marijuana." Perlin reports that studies have shown that marijuana is an extremely effective pain reliever that can help opioid users wean off their medications. Marijuana has fewer side effects, is not physically addictive and there is no lethal dose level.

Perlin points out that ironically, in Minnesota, where Prince lived, medical marijuana is scheduled to become legal for intractable pain in August. "That's too late for Prince and many others," insists Perlin. "Liberal medical marijuana laws that provide easy access for all pain patients need to be implemented immediately nationwide. Too many have already suffered from addiction to opioids and too many have died."

Perlin is a licensed clinical social worker, certified biofeedback practitioner and chronic pain survivor. She has been a guest on multiple TV and radio networks, among them PBS, SiriusXm, and RadioMD. Her op-ed pieces and letters have been published in the Albany Times Union, New York Times and Wall Street Journal and she has contributed columns to OpEdNews.com, PainNewsNetwork.org, PsychologyToday.com and NaturalNews.com. More information can be found at www.cindyperlin.com.

AVAILABILITY: Albany, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone

CONTACT: Cindy Perlin, 518-439-6431; Email

SOURCE Cindy Perlin

Related Links

http://www.cindyperlin.com


HOUSTON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - The founding shareholder, former chairman and Chief Executive Officer of InterOil Corporation ("InterOil" or the "Company") (NYSE:IOC), Phil Mulacek, and Petroleum Independent & Exploration, LLC (together, the "Concerned InterOil Shareholders"), demand that the board of directors of InterOil (the "Board") disclose important information about possible transactions the Company is considering in advance of the annual and special meeting of shareholders of InterOil to be held on June 14, 2016 (the "AGM"), and halt consideration and closing of any such transactions prior to the AGM, where shareholders will vote on a proposal (the "Transaction Approval Resolution") to request the Board to seek advance shareholder approval of such transactions. The Transaction Approval Resolution is one of a number of corporate governance proposals (the "Proposals") which were included in the requisition (the "Requisition") of the Concerned InterOil Shareholders dated March 21, 2016 for a special meeting of the shareholders of InterOil.

The Concerned InterOil Shareholders were disturbed recently to learn that the Board may be pursuing sales of assets of the Company in advance of the vote on the Transaction Approval Resolution at the AGM. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders understand that InterOil is considering several possible transactions, including possible sale to a Japanese investor group of an approximately 4% gross license interest in petroleum retention license 15 ("PRL 15"), which covers the Company's primary asset, the Elk and Antelope fields in Papua New Guinea; possible sale of InterOil's entire 36.5% gross license interest in PRL 15; possible sale of all of the Company's interests in licenses other than PRL 15, including petroleum retention license 39 covering the Triceratops field discovery and all petroleum prospecting licenses for exploration; or possible sale or merger of the Company as a whole. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders were also surprised that the Board would consider a possible sale of assets at the bottom of the market, especially since the Company's recent public disclosures have claimed that the Company's balance sheet is strong.

Important corporate governance matters are on the agenda to be settled at the AGM, including the Transaction Approval Resolution, which gives shareholders the right to vote to approve transactions that affect over 10% in value of the Company's assets, which would include any of the possible sales noted above. InterOil's Notice of Annual and Special Meeting and Management Information Circular dated April 25, 2016 (the "2016 InterOil Proxy Statement") solicits shareholders' proxies to vote against the Transaction Approval Resolution and all other Proposals, but does not mention that a potential transaction that would be affected by the Transaction Approval Resolution may currently be underway. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders believe that such information is highly relevant to permit the shareholders to fully evaluate the Transaction Approval Resolution and that without such information, the 2016 InterOil Proxy Statement fails to give shareholders adequate disclosure. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders also believe that closing any such sale before the shareholders have had an opportunity to voice their opinion at the AGM and vote on the Proposals would be a breach of the Board's responsibilities to shareholders and yet another example of the Board's disregard for the basic principles of good corporate governance. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders therefore demand that any such effort to dispose of assets be halted until after the AGM, and that the Company reissue the 2016 InterOil Proxy Statement with full disclosure that the Board is considering possible transactions that may be affected by the Transaction Approval Resolution.

The Concerned InterOil Shareholders are further disappointed that the Board continues to pursue transactions that will affect shareholder value without input from, and at the expense of, InterOil's shareholders. If the Board is truly interested in promoting shareholder value, it should seek out value-accretive transactions. For example, when Mr. Mulacek left the Board of InterOil in November 2013, the price of InterOil common stock was approximately US$85.00 per share, which implied a gas price for InterOil's interest in the Elk and Antelope fields of approximately $0.80 per mcfe based on an estimated field size of 10 tcfe. To be value-accretive, therefore, any resource sale from the Elk and Antelope fields should carry an effective gas price significantly in excess of approximately $0.80 per mcfe.

Advisors:

The Concerned InterOil Shareholders have retained Wildeboer Dellelce LLP and Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP as its legal advisors, and Bayfield Strategy as its strategic communications advisor in connection with this matter.

About Phil Mulacek:

Mr. Mulacek is the founding shareholder of InterOil and served as chairman, CEO and a director until his retirement from the company in November, 2013. During his tenure at the company, its market capitalization grew from approximately US$10 million (~ US$0.50/share) to over US$4.5 billion (~ US$92.00/share) at his departure. The company also constructed the first petroleum refinery in Papua New Guinea, a 36,000 bpd facility at Napa Napa, with a fully integrated downstream business that contributed to support of the company.

Mr. Mulacek led InterOil's discovery of the world-class Elk and Antelope gas fields in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea, with approximately 10 to 15 tcfe of certified hydrocarbon resource, and the nearby Triceratops gas field, with approximately 1 tcfe of certified hydrocarbon resource. These fields have been among the largest onshore discoveries in PNG and Asia recent years.

Since retiring from InterOil in 2013, Mr. Mulacek has remained actively involved in the upstream oil and gas industry in Papua New Guinea, the US and elsewhere globally through his affiliated companies with offices in Singapore and branch offices in the United States. He resides in Singapore.

Cautionary Statement Regarding ForwardLooking Statements:

This press release contains forwardlooking statements. All statements contained in this filing that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forwardlooking, and the words "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forwardlooking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of the Concerned InterOil Shareholders and currently available information. They are not guarantees of future performance, involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders do not assume any obligation to update any forwardlooking statements contained in this press release.

Information Contact:

For additional information on this press release and a copy of the Requisition (including the Proposals), please contact the Concerned InterOil Shareholders at +1 (832) 510-7028, or by email at [email protected]

Media Contact:

Bayfield Strategy, Inc.

Riyaz Lalani

+1 (416) 907-9365

[email protected]

Information in Support of Public Broadcast Solicitation:

The Concerned InterOil Shareholders are relying on the exemption under section 9.2(4) of National Instrument 52102  Continuous Disclosure Obligations to make this public broadcast solicitation. The following information is provided in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations.

This solicitation is being made by the Concerned InterOil Shareholders and not by or on behalf of the management of InterOil.

The address of InterOil is 163 Penang Road, Winsland House II, #06-02, Singapore, 238463.

The Concerned InterOil Shareholders have filed an information circular dated March 31, 2016 (the "Concerned InterOil Shareholders Circular") concerning the Requisition and the Proposals. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders Circular is available on InterOil's company profile on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com and on the Concerned InterOil Shareholders website at http://www.concernedinteroilshareholders.com. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders have also filed a statement of beneficial ownership on Form 13-D (the "Form 13-D"), as amended, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Form 13-D also includes the Requisition as an Exhibit and is available at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1221715/000114420416090986/v435587_sc13d.htm and on the Concerned InterOil Shareholders website at http://www.concernedinteroilshareholders.com .

The Concerned InterOil Shareholders intend to solicit proxies in support of the Proposals. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders may solicit proxies, by mail, telephone, facsimile, email or other electronic means as well as by newspaper or other media advertising and in person by directors, officers and employees of the Concerned InterOil Shareholders who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, the Concerned InterOil Shareholders may solicit proxies in reliance upon the public broadcast exemption to the solicitation requirements under applicable Canadian corporate and securities laws, conveyed by way of public broadcast, including press release, speech or publication, and by any other manner permitted under applicable Canadian laws. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist them in soliciting proxies on behalf of the Concerned InterOil Shareholders.

At this time, the Concerned InterOil Shareholders have not entered into any agreement pursuant to which an agent has agreed that it will act as proxy agent for the Concerned InterOil Shareholders with respect to a formal solicitation of proxies. All costs incurred for the solicitation will be borne by the Concerned InterOil Shareholders.

A registered holder of common shares of InterOil that gives a proxy may revoke it: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions contained in the form of proxy to be provided by the Concerned InterOil Shareholders, or as otherwise provided in the proxy circular, once made available to shareholders; (b) by depositing an instrument in writing executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder's attorney authorized in writing, as the case may be: (i) at the registered office of InterOil at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day of the AGM or the day of any adjournment or postponement of the AGM, or (ii) with the chairman of the AGM prior to its commencement on the day of the AGM or any adjournment or postponement of the AGM; or (c) in any other manner permitted by law.

A nonregistered holder of common shares of InterOil will be entitled to revoke a form of proxy or voting instruction form given to an intermediary at any time by written notice to the intermediary in accordance with the instructions given to the nonregistered holder by its intermediary. It should be noted that revocation of proxies or voting instructions by a nonregistered holder can take several days or even longer to complete and, accordingly, any such revocation should be completed well in advance of the deadline prescribed in the form of proxy or voting instruction form to ensure it is given effect in respect of the AGM.

Neither the Concerned InterOil Shareholders, nor any directors or officers, or any associates or affiliates of the foregoing, has: (i) any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of InterOil's most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or would materially affect InterOil or any of its subsidiaries; or (ii) any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter currently known to be acted on at the AGM, other than the Proposals set forth in the Requisition.

However, certain of the Concerned InterOil Shareholders are the beneficial holders of minority indirect participation interests in certain of InterOil's petroleum prospecting licenses and petroleum retention licenses in Papua New Guinea under indirect participation agreements with InterOil. The Concerned InterOil Shareholders believe that these indirect participation interests are not material to InterOil but are nevertheless fully aligned and not in conflict with the interests of InterOil's shareholders.

SOURCE Petroleum Independent & Exploration, LLC
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a first of its kind analysis, two leading Russia experts released their findings about the practice of corporate raiding in Russia, as reported by APCO Worldwide.

The report, released by Dr. Louise Shelley and Judy Deane of George Mason University's Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, outlines the systematic tactics, abuses, and corruption that have led to a rise in business raiding and asset grabbing in Russia. The report, "Reiderstvo: Implications for Russia and the West," is the first comprehensive overview of the practice, which Shelley and Deane outline as "contributing to Russia's current unfriendly business climate and to declining investor confidence in the country."

Reiderstvo (literally "raiding"), long-practiced within Russia, implies the acquisition of business assets through illegal tactics such as bribery, forgery, corruption, intimidation, and violence. In light of increased attacks against businesses of all sizes across Russia, the study shines a light on the "playbook" by which illegal corporate raiders have systemized asset grabbing. This study identifies specific administrative and legal abuses in Russia that allow reiderstvo to flourish, offering legislators and businesses concrete examples to identify potential asset grabs in the future.

The report clearly outlines a four-step process by which raiding takes place. This paper is part of a larger research effort to be published in a scholarly journal with additional details of individual cases of corporate raiding. Given that the research identified that the frequency of raiding is growing and significantly higher than earlier estimated, the researchers release this preliminary report prior to the release of their broader study.

The report was released at the National Press Club in Washington, DC in a session moderated by Jeffrey Mankoff, CSIS. The event was attended by a cross-section of media, think tanks, and other regional experts.

A copy of the report can be found at www.reiderstvo.org.

About the authors:

Dr. Louise Shelley, Founder and Director of TraCCC. Dr. Shelley is a leading expert on the relationship among terrorism, organized crime and corruption as well as human trafficking, transnational crime and terrorism with a particular focus on the former Soviet Union. She also specializes in illicit financial flows and money laundering.

Ms. Judy Deane, Deputy Director of TraCCC. Ms. Deane is a retired Foreign Service Officer specializing in Central Europe and Eurasia, having served in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia and Russia and at the World Bank.

Glyn Cozart

1-202-905-7616

[email protected]

SOURCE APCO Worldwide
Today, CUJO is competing against 20 other companies at Startup Battlefield. Startup Battlefield brings the world's top early stage startups together on one stage to compete for the coveted Disrupt Cup, a $50,000 prize, and the attention of media and investors. The judges include TechCrunch editors as well as top VCs and entrepreneurs, and past winners include names like Dropbox, Mint, Yammer, Zenefits, and more.

Additionally, CUJO is being featured on Product Hunt and is a contender to be today's most popular product on the site. Product Hunt "surfaces the best new products, every day. It's a place for product-loving enthusiasts to share and geek out about the latest mobile apps, websites, hardware projects, and tech creations."

The cybersecurity battle is currently shifting from businesses to our homes. With our homes full of connected devices we've become easy targets for criminal hackers. You read it in the news every day: baby monitors, smart TVs, tablets - all hacked. These newly connected devices are exposing our data and privacy to cybercriminals. CUJO is a simple yet powerful solution to keep homes safer by bringing business-level security to your guard your home network.

TechCrunch Disrupt NY 2016 is TechCrunch's sixth annual conference in New York City. The format combines top thought-leader discussions with new product and company launches. Morning executive discussions debate technology-driven disruptions in many industries, while the afternoons are reserved for the Startup Battlefield, where some 20 new companies will launch for the first time onstage, selected to present from numerous applications received from around the world. The winning company will receive a $50,000 grand prize and the Disrupt Cup at the conclusion of the conference. The conference is May 9-11, 2016 at The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, located at 72 Bowne Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 in Red Hook.

Contact:

Jamie Allen

CUJO

[email protected]

www.getcujo.com

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

SOURCE CUJO

Related Links

http://www.getcujo.com


"During the past six years, it's been truly gratifying to everyone at Cydcor to help Operation Smile and support the noble work they do," said Majeski. "Being on site in the Dominican Republic as kids' lives were being transformed through surgery was simply incredible. We are known as a people helping people business and we are proud this extends around the globe."

The mission to Bolivia took place in March with top fundraisers from Cydcor and the company's network of independently owned sales offices in attendance. In Bolivia, 134 patients were operated on and 180 procedures were performed.

The Dominican Republic medical mission in April was attended by Majeski and his 12-year-old son Gabe. There were 74 patients operated on in the Dominican and 83 procedures were performed. In 2015, Majeski, along with his wife, philanthropist and entrepreneur Barbara Majeski, received the Founders Circle Award from Operation Smile in recognition of their dedication and contribution to the work of healing smiles worldwide.

The two recent trips to Bolivia and the Dominican Republic marked the fourth and fifth Operation Smile medical missions supported by Cydcor's fundraising and volunteer efforts. Previously Cydcor helped fund missions in Guatemala (2014), Mexico (2014) and Brazil (2012).

"At Cydcor, we can't imagine a day without a smile  it is that immediate connection with people  and we are humbled to help make smiles possible through the work of Operation Smile," said Cydcor President Vera Quinn. "We offer sincere thanks to the team members who staffed the missions and are grateful for the continued role we can play in helping people through Operation Smile."

Cydcor's fundraising totals for Operation Smile have been primarily achieved through the annual Day of Smiles event which includes a variety of fundraising efforts across the US, Canada, and UK. Cydcor plans to hit the $1 Million fundraising milestone by the end of 2016.

This year's Day of Smiles events will take place June 25th and 28th. More than 4,000 sales representatives and Cydcor corporate staff will again go door-to-door, face-to-face to speak about Operation Smile's purpose and the opportunity to help fund additional medical missions.

To help support Cydcor's fundraising efforts for Operation Smile, visit www.operationsmile.org/cydcor. Learn more about Cydcor on Facebook and Twitter, or on the Cydcor blog.

About Cydcor

Cydcor is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail, energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of more than 400 independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) sales offices, providing clients access to more than 4,600 sales professionals. The privately held company is based in Agoura Hills, California. For more information about Cydcor, go to www.cydcor.com.

About Operation Smile

Operation Smile is an international medical charity that has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. It is one of the oldest and largest volunteer-based organizations dedicated to improving the health and lives of children worldwide through access to surgical care. Since 1982, Operation Smile has developed expertise in mobilizing volunteer medical teams to conduct surgical missions in resource-poor environments while adhering to the highest standards of care and safety, and has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries. Operation Smile helps to fill the gap in providing access to safe, well-timed surgeries by partnering with hospitals, governments and ministries of health, training local medical personnel, and donating much-needed supplies and equipment to surgical sites around the world. Founded and based in Virginia, U.S., Operation Smile has extended its global reach to more than 60 countries through its network of credentialed surgeons, pediatricians, doctors, nurses, and student volunteers.

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SOURCE Cydcor

Related Links

http://www.cydcor.com


"I'm extremely humbled and privileged to join Parkland Hospital Board of Managers. I look forward to working with the existing Board members, who are a very talented and extremely dedicated group of professionals. I look forward to aiding their continued efforts to maintain a standard of excellence in the care that Parkland provides its many patients," said attorney Jeff Tillotson.

Parkland Health & Hospital System first opened its doors in 1894 and averages more than 1 million patient visits annually. Parkland is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

A native Texan, Jeff Tillotson was born in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. It was this school's motto of "Men for Others" that helped inform his heightened sense of duty to the community and his particular interest in providing medical care to the needy. He attended Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, the London School of Economics and the University of Texas School of Law before opening a Dallas litigation firm in 1995.

Mr. Tillotson is a highly regarded trial lawyer known for his success in high profile and high stakes litigation, including the lawsuit in which he exposed cyclist Lance Armstrong. That lawsuit was the subject of several documentaries and a feature length movie.

Jeff Tillotson currently heads up Tillotson Law, a boutique trial firm that specializes in business litigation including securities, fraud and class actions. He is admitted to practice in California and Texas.

Jeff Tillotson

Tillotson Law Firm

tel: 214.382.3041

[email protected]



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SOURCE Tillotson Law Firm
"For many of our students, success at commencement is only the beginning," says Dr. Mary Rittling, president. "As they continue to pursue careers and educational goals the lessons they've learned in and out of the classroom while attending DCCC will help propel them into a bright future."

Two of those students, welding graduate Derrek Ballard of Thomasville and accounting graduate Melody Barrows of Mocksville, both will graduate on Saturday.

Ballard dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and started working at a fast food restaurant. Realizing he needed more to support his family, he eventually secured work in the furniture industry. He then determined that if he wanted to advance his future he would need to advance his education. That meant returning to the classroom.

He achieved his first educational goal when he earned his GED diploma.

"Along the way, I tried welding and loved it," says Ballard, who is graduating with honors. "From there I came straight to DCCC. At first I wanted to do it on my own but that was difficult. I realized the staff and everyone was here to help me."

Ballard's DCCC experience extended beyond academics. He served two terms in student government, holding the positions of senator and treasurer.

"I learned important leadership lessons such as listening to what others have to say in order to better understand how to help them," says Ballard.

When asked what he's most looking forward to, Ballard responds "happiness." He recently secured full-time employment in his field.

Barrows, a wife and mother of three, had an overwhelming desire to be able to tell her children she was a high school graduate when she came to the Davie Campus to earn her GED diploma. Her plan was always to earn a college degree, but what she didn't expect was to become financially responsible for herself at the beginning of her junior year of high school.

"Life throws you curve balls and bumps but you must overcome them or become stuck," Barrows says. "I want my children to see that no matter what life throws at them they can succeed at anything they have a desire to do."

Barrows still had something to prove to herself and her family, and continued her journey to an improved life by enrolling in the college's challenging accounting program. That meant balancing family schedules with a full course load that included 30-minute commutes to and from the Davidson Campus each day.

"Taking care of my kids and changing different schedules around was tough but doable as school is a priority of mine," Barrows notes. She credits the encouragement of her accounting instructors as an important factor in her success.

In addition to fulfilling family and school responsibilities, Barrows volunteered for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that provides free income tax preparation for low income and elderly citizens. She was inducted into the college's Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society and graduates with high honors. In the fall, she will begin pursuit of her bachelor's degree in accounting, with a concentration in forensic accounting.

Students from all walks of life succeed at DCCC and are supported from the moment they enter our community," says Susan Burleson, vice president of student success and communications. "Our focus on helping all students complete their programs of study is exemplified in all DCCC has to offer, including opportunities for academic excellence, leadership and service, and professional development."

U.S. Sen. Richard M. Burr, (R-NC) will deliver the commencement address during the commencement ceremony. The college's 2016 Academic Excellence Award winner will be introduced, and the first recipients of the newly endowed Robert Bruce Smith, Jr. Student Success Scholarship.

DCCC's commencement ceremony will be broadcast live at www.davidsonccc.edu/graduation-live. For additional commencement information, visit www.davidsonccc.edu/graduation.

Founded in 1963, Davidson County Community College is noted for its quality educational programs and services. As one of 58 institutions within the North Carolina Community College System, DCCC offers studies in more than 50 degree programs. A fully-accredited, multi-campus college, DCCC celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013 and is looking forward to serving students in Davidson and Davie counties for many years to come. The college is committed to developing minds, inspiring imaginations, and preparing students for enhanced career and educational opportunities within a changing global environment. Visit Davidson County Community College on the Web at davidsonccc.edu.

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SOURCE Davidson County Community College

Related Links

https://www.davidsonccc.edu


LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dealertrack, a Cox Automotive brand, today announced its Online Registration System solution has received the exclusive endorsement of the Automotive Dealers Association of Indiana (ADAI). Dealertrack's automated solution allows a dealer to process title and registration transactions at the dealership in real-time, boosting efficiency and increasing client satisfaction. The ADAI is recommending the Dealertrack product as the preferred digital registration solution for its more than 360 member dealers.

"We are very excited about this partnership because Dealertrack is a pioneer in registration and titling services, and our members can derive significant benefits from their solution," said Marty Murphy, executive vice president, ADAI. "By processing both title and registration transactions for their car buyers at the dealership, our member dealers save their customers a trip to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles."

Dealertrack has more than 20 years of registration and titling experience, and manages more than 45 million vehicle titles nationwide. Dealertrack is the only company that offers a comprehensive solution to meet the broad range of dealers' registration and titling needs, including in-state and out-of-state registration and titling tools, as well as expedited title release services.

"Our online solution helps Indiana dealers address an often overlooked part of the car buying process and an important contributor to a customer's overall satisfaction with the dealership experience," said William Rountree, vice president and general manager, Registration and Titling, Dealertrack. "This endorsement by the ADAI highlights our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that help transform every aspect of the car buying process, including registering vehicles and processing titles."

For more information on Dealertrack's Registration and Titling Solution, click here.

About ADAI (http://www.adai-inc.org)

The purpose of the Automobile Dealers Association of Indiana, Inc. is to maintain and enhance the franchise distribution system of motor vehicles in Indiana. The ADAI believes the franchise system of independently owned and operated licensed new vehicle dealers bests serves the interests of manufacturers and consumers by insuring the most competitive and efficient means of distributing and servicing high quality new and used motor vehicles.

About Dealertrack (www.dealertrack.com)

Dealertrack delivers integrated digital solutions designed to enhance the efficiency and profitability for all major segments of the automotive retail industry, including dealers, lenders, vehicle manufacturers, third-party retailers, agents and aftermarket providers. From bridging the gap between the online and in-store experience to developing industry leading innovations, Dealertrack is transforming automotive retailing through its comprehensive award-winning solution set, including Dealer Management System (DMS), F&I, and Registration and Titling solutions. Headquartered in Lake Success, New York, Dealertrack is a Cox Automotive brand.

About Cox Automotive (www.coxautoinc.com)

Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, vAuto, Xtime and a host of other brands. The global company has nearly 30,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 55,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group.

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SOURCE Dealertrack

Related Links

http://www.dealertrack.com


VANCOUVER, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - UrtheCast Corp. (TSX:UR) ("UrtheCast" or the "Company") today announces that, for the first time, newly-collected imagery from its Deimos-1 satellite is flowing to its online platform, known as the UrthePlatform, shortly after acquisition. UrtheCast anticipates that it will be able to provide this broad-area-coverage Deimos-1 data cloud-free for the entire contiguous United States, each and every month, throughout the 2016 agricultural growing season. This data will be available for extraction, on demand, from the UrthePlatform Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in GeoTIFF format at affordable price points. Deimos-1 is a clear market leader in offering such high coverage, at such scale, for application areas such as precision agriculture, forest resource management and large-scale environmental monitoring.

"This is a significant milestone for the company," explains Wade Larson, President and CEO of UrtheCast. "This represents a step function in terms of our ability to serve the rapidly growing market for geoanalytics services. Now, for the first time anywhere, analytics customers will be able to access this newly-collected, cost-effective dataset at scale via APIs from a powerful cloud computing platform. This tangibly demonstrates that our UrthePlatform is operational and ready for commercial service, and it shows yet again the strategic synergies of the company's acquisition last year of Deimos Imagingsynergies which are becoming increasingly evident to our customers."

UrtheCast is able to offer this powerful Deimos-1 U.S. dataset - cloud-free, every month for the contiguous U.S. - in part due to Deimos1's wide swath of 650 km (22m GSD) and its extremely high revisit rate. The newly-flowing Deimos-1 data complements an already-existing 5-year archive of Deimos-1 data in the contiguous U.S. and forms part of a growing and powerful suite of medium-resolution sensors and global, high-quality datasets, including Theia (5m GSD) and USGS's Landsat 8 data (30m GSD multispectral, 15m pansharpened), all of which are ideal for analytics.

"It's unheard of in our industry to have access to data of this qualityin GeoTIFF format and at affordable price points," explains Jeff Stein, VP Business Development at Orbital Insight, a leader in advanced geoanalytics and deep learning technologies. "UrtheCast is pushing the art of the possible in our industry with the speed with which they get high-value pixels from space to the cloud for computation by Orbital Insight's A.I. algorithms."

"Having dependable access to high quality, cloud-free imagery of the contiguous U.S. every month, and the ability to extract this data for further analysis in GeoTIFF format is enormously valuable for those working to sustainably manage and restore American forests," states Crystal Davis, Director of Global Forest Watch, a leading organization seeking to increase the ability of governments, businesses and civil society to protect, manage, and restore forests. "UrtheCast's technology and mission to democratize the Earth Observation industry is creating a step change for global forest monitoring and will make a real difference for our planet."

In the coming months, UrtheCast expects to add further UrtheCast data as well as data from third-party providers to the UrthePlatform, with the objective of providing an increasingly powerful capability for geoanalytics applications and markets.

About UrtheCast Corp.

UrtheCast Corp. is a Vancouver-based technology company that serves the rapidly evolving geospatial and geoanalytics markets with a wide range of information-rich products and services. The Company currently operates four Earth Observation sensors in space, including two cameras aboard the International Space Station and two satellites, Deimos-1 and Deimos-2. Imagery and video data captured by these sensors is downlinked to ground stations across the planet and displayed on the UrthePlatform, or distributed directly to partners and customers. UrtheCast is also developing and anticipates launching the world's first fully-integrated constellation of multispectral optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, called OptiSAR, in addition to its proposed UrtheDaily constellation concept, which the Company believes will together revolutionize monitoring of our planet with high-quality, medium and high-resolution, and high-coverage and high-revisit imagery in all weather conditions, any time of day. Common shares of UrtheCast trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange as ticker 'UR'.

Forward Looking Information

This release contains certain information which, as presented, constitutes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information involves statements that relate to future events and often addresses expected future business and financial performance, containing words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", and "expect", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could" or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions and includes, but is not limited to; its plans to continue adding Deimos-1 imagery to its UrthePlatform shortly after acquisition, its expectations regarding adding additional UrtheCast sensors and other third party data sources to the UrthePlatform, its plans for the OptiSAR Constellation or with respect to the proposed UrtheDaily concept, and its expectations regarding geoanalytics customers using the UrthePlatform. Such statements reflect UrtheCast's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by UrtheCast, are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors could cause UrtheCast's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others: any failures or interruptions in the UrthePlatform infrastructure or the Deimos-1 satellite; any delays or failures in the design, development, construction, launch and operational commissioning of the proposed OptiSAR Constellation or the failure of the UrtheDaily concept to develop beyond the conceptual phase; the Company being unable to convert the Memoranda of Understanding in respect of funding of the OptiSAR Constellation into binding, definitive agreements, as well as those factors and assumptions discussed in UrtheCast's annual information form dated March 29, 2016, (the "AIF"), which is available under UrtheCast's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information is developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, in the AIF, and as disclosed from time to time on UrtheCast's SEDAR profile. UrtheCast undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by Canadian securities laws. Readers are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

SOURCE UrtheCast Corp.

Related Links

www.urthecast.com


BONN, Germany and SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Deutsche Telekom International Carrier Sales & Solutions (ICSS), a leading global wholesale carrier, today announced a partnership with Nexmo, a leading cloud communications company, to further increase delivery quality for mission-critical, application-to-person (A2P) messaging to the Deutsche Telekom Group footprint in Europe and beyond.

The partnership enables a faster and more effective interaction between consumers and businesses through A2P messaging. People now expect to communicate with businesses anytime, anywhere and via their preferred method, making the quality of communications a business critical need with speed, reliability and ubiquity becoming the gold standard. Nexmo's business-grade cloud communication platform can easily and quickly scale mobile communications while reducing latency and increasing delivery rates. By working with Deutsche Telekom ICSS, Nexmo is improving the quality of customer communications, as expanding its network of direct carrier connections will decrease the number of "hops" for customer messages.

"We are happy to see that our SMS+ transit solution perfectly fits with Nexmo's requirements for offering best in class cloud communications solutions, helping propel their customers' business to the next level," said Mardia van der Walt, Senior Vice President at ICSS. "With our SMS+ transit solution we deliver a proven technology that meets the substantial demand of Nexmo's customers in a thriving A2P market. Nexmo is a partner that has both expertise in this space as well as proven technology that can meet the substantial demands of our customers."

"Through our new partnership with Deutsche Telekom ICSS we are expanding our cloud communication expertise to one of the fastest growing markets in Europe, opening a direct link to an effective business differentiator for enterprises locally and worldwide," said David Vigar, Nexmo's Director of Carrier Relations. "Our partnership with Deutsche Telekom ICSS helps us give our customers global reach with local expertise, all through the simplest communication APIs and SDKs."

Deutsche Telekom's "SMS+ transit" service allows Nexmo to reach the mobile networks of Deutsche Telekom and its affiliates in Europe and outside of Deutsche Telekom's footprint through partner networks. "SMS+ transit" is a complete secure and high availability solution from one provider. It ensures reliable, quick and high quality termination of messages.

Additionally, Deutsche Telekom ICSS provides operators worldwide with a protection mechanism against unpaid use of their network. "SMS+ protect" is an SS7-based dynamic protection solution that identifies unwanted SMS messages. It ensures the necessary transparency to proactively tackle the problem of lost revenue due to termination of fake messages without payment.

About Deutsche Telekom

Deutsche Telekom is one of the world's leading integrated telecommunications companies with more than 156 million mobile customers, 29 million fixed-network lines and around 18 million broadband lines (as of December 31, 2015). The Group provides fixed-network/broadband, mobile communications, Internet, and Internet-based TV products and services for consumers, and ICT solutions for business customers and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in more than 50 countries and has around 225,200 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenues of EUR 69.2 billion in the 2015 financial year  around 64 percent of it outside Germany.

About International Carrier Sales & Solutions (ICSS)

International Carrier Sales & Solutions (ICSS) is one of the world's leading carriers and an innovation driver for IP-based solutions. As an integral part of Deutsche Telekom's International Wholesale Business unit, ICSS serves the international wholesale requirements of the DT Group with its international affiliates and more than 860 external customers worldwide. One of the units' core competencies is to focus on building business partnerships around the globe. With years of experience in the international wholesale communication market, ICSS has the expertise to provide clients with tailor-made solutions. The innovative technologies are offered on a global basis with a special emphasis on Europe.

For further information, see www.telekom-icss.com.

About Nexmo

Nexmo is the global cloud communications platform leader providing innovative communication APIs and SDKs for voice, text, messaging and phone verification services. Nexmo enables applications and enterprises to communicate with their customers reliably and with ease, no matter where in the world they are located. High-volume communication companies such as Alibaba, and Viber send millions of messages per month using Nexmo APIs. Nexmo has been recognized by Roaming Consulting Company as a Tier 1 A2P SMS Messaging Vendor in 2015, a Top 20 Most Promising API Solution Providers in 2015 by CIO Review and was selected as an Aragon Research Hot Vendor in Real-Time Communication and Collaboration Platform as a Service in 2015. On May 5, 2016, Nexmo entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Vonage Holdings Corp., a leading provider of cloud communications for business. www.nexmo.com

SOURCE Nexmo

Related Links

http://www.nexmo.com


FLINT, Mich., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO), the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy, announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. All comparisons, unless otherwise noted, are to the quarter ended March 31, 2015.

First Quarter 2016 Highlights include:

Revenue of $996 million , an increase of 59% or $371 million 36% organic revenue growth

, an increase of 59% or Total prescriptions dispensed of 232,000, an increase of 20%

Gross margin of 8.0% versus 6.6% Gross profit per prescription dispensed of $332 , an increase of $127 or 62%

Adjusted EBITDA of $29.0 million , an increase of 160% or $17.9 million Adjusted EBITDA margin of 2.9% versus 1.8%

, an increase of 160% or Adjusted EPS of $0.23 versus $0.09

Phil Hagerman, Chairman and CEO of Diplomat, commented "I'm extremely pleased with our strong revenue and EBITDA growth in the first quarter. As we've outlined previously, Diplomat continues to benefit from new drug approvals and our unparalleled position relative to the ever increasing use of limited distribution panels. Additionally, our recently announced strategic acquisition of TNH Advanced Specialty Pharmacy aligns with our goals of expanding our opportunities geographically and deepening our therapeutic expertise. We anticipate this acquisition to be accretive to our adjusted EBITDA and are therefore raising our 2016 outlook."

First Quarter Financial Summary:

Revenue for the first quarter of 2016 was $996 million, compared to $625 million in the first quarter of 2015, an increase of $371 million or 59%. The increase was primarily the result of organic growth, including approximately $122 million from increased volume and a richer mix of those drugs that existed a year ago, approximately $62 million from the impact of manufacturer price increases, and approximately $42 million of revenue from drugs that were new in the past year. The remaining increase was the result of approximately $145 million from our acquisitions.

Gross profit in the first quarter of 2016 was $79.2 million, compared to $41.1 million in the first quarter of 2015, and generated gross margin of 8.0% compared to 6.6%. The gross margin improvement in the quarter was primarily due to drug mix changes, including the impact of recent acquisitions, as well as the greater impact of manufacturer price increases and increased pharma dollars.

Selling, general, and administrative expenses ("SG&A") for the first quarter of 2016 were $54.2 million, an increase of $17.9 million, compared to $36.3 million in the first quarter of 2015. Of this increase, $14.4 million relates to employee cost, including employee cost from our acquired entities. The increased employee expense was primarily attributable to the 19% increase in dispensed and serviced prescription volume, combined with the increased clinical and administrative complexity associated with our mix of both acquired and organic business. We also experienced a $7.0 million increase in amortization expense from definite-lived intangible assets associated with our acquisitions. The remaining increase was in all other SG&A to support our growth, including consulting fees, software licenses, travel, freight, and other miscellaneous expenses. These increases were partially offset by a $9.4 million decrease in the change in fair value of contingent consideration associated with our acquisitions. As a percentage of revenue, SG&A, excluding acquisition-related amortization and change in contingent consideration, accounted for 5.5% of total revenues for each of the three month periods ended March 31, 2016 and 2015. This is primarily attributable to the increased operating complexity associated with both our acquisitions and new drugs, partially offset by operating efficiencies.

Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2016 was $29.0 million versus $11.2 million in the first quarter of 2015, an increase of 160%.

Net income attributable to Diplomat for the first quarter of 2016 was $15.4 million, or $0.24 per common share, compared to $2.9 million, or $0.06 per common share for the first quarter of 2015. On a diluted basis, net income attributable to Diplomat was $0.23 per common share in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $0.05 per common share in the prior year period. Diluted non-GAAP adjusted earnings per share ("Adjusted EPS") was $0.23 in the first quarter of this year compared to $0.09 in the first quarter of 2015. Compared to the year ago period, our weighted average common shares outstanding in the first quarter of 2016 were significantly higher, impacted by our follow-on equity offering, the use of shares as partial consideration for our acquisitions, and stock option exercises.

2016 Financial Outlook

For the full-year 2016, we provide financial guidance as follows:

Revenue between $4.5 and $4.9 billion ; including $240 to $260 million from an assumed six month contribution from TNH Advanced Specialty Pharmacy ("TNH")

; including from an assumed six month contribution from TNH Advanced Specialty Pharmacy ("TNH") Adjusted EBITDA between $121 and $129 million ; including $5 to $6 million from an assumed six month contribution from TNH

; including from an assumed six month contribution from TNH Adjusted EPS between $0.88 and $0.95 ; including $0.04 to $0.06 from an assumed six month contribution from TNH

Our Adjusted EPS expectations assume approximately 68,000,000 weighted average common shares outstanding on a diluted basis for full year 2016, which could differ materially.

Earnings Conference Call Information

As previously announced, the Company will hold a conference call to discuss its first quarter 2016 performance this evening, May 9, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Shareholders and interested participants may listen to a live broadcast of the conference call by dialing 877-201-0168 or 647-788-4901 for international callers and referencing participant code 92076130 approximately 15 minutes prior to the call. A live webcast and transcript of the conference call will be available on the investor relations section of the Company's website for approximately 90 days.

About Diplomat

Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO) serves patients and physicians in all 50 states. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the Company focuses on medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, specialized infusion therapy and many other serious and/or long-term conditions. Diplomat opened its doors in 1975 as a neighborhood pharmacy with one essential tenet: "Take good care of patients, and the rest falls into place." Today, that tradition continues  always focused on improving patient care and clinical adherence. For more information, visit www.diplomat.is. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook.

Non-GAAP Information

Adjusted EPS adds back, net of income taxes, the impact of all merger and acquisition related expenses, including amortization of intangible assets, the change in fair value of contingent consideration related to our acquisitions, as well as transaction-related costs. We exclude merger and acquisition related expenses from Adjusted EPS because we believe the amount of such expenses in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business operations and such expenses can vary significantly between periods as a result of new acquisitions, full amortization of previously acquired intangible assets or ultimate realization of contingent consideration. Investors should note that acquisitions, once consummated, contribute to revenue in the periods presented as well as future periods and should also note that amortization and contingent consideration expenses will recur in future periods. A reconciliation of Adjusted EPS, a non-GAAP measure, to EPS as prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") can be found in the appendix.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, restructuring and impairment charges, equity loss and impairment of non-consolidated entities, and certain other items that we do not consider indicative of our ongoing operating performance (which are itemized below in the reconciliation to net income). Adjusted EBITDA is not in accordance with, or an alternative to, GAAP. In addition, this nonGAAP measure is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. You should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses that are the same as or similar to some of the adjustments in the presentation, and we do not infer that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

We consider Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS to be supplemental measures of our operating performance. We present Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS because they are used by our Board of Directors and management to evaluate our operating performance. They are also used as a factor in determining incentive compensation, for budgetary planning and forecasting overall financial and operational expectations, for identifying underlying trends and for evaluating the effectiveness of our business strategies. Further, we believe they assist us, as well as investors, in comparing performance from period to period on a consistent basis. Other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS differently than we do and these calculations may not be comparable to our Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS metrics. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, to net income can be found in the appendix.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give current expectations or forecasts of future events or our future financial or operating performance, and include Diplomat's expectations regarding revenues, Adjusted EBITDA, net income (loss), Adjusted EPS, market share, the performance of acquisitions and growth strategies. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on management's good-faith belief and reasonable judgment based on current information, and these statements are qualified by important risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those forecasted or indicated by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include: our ability to adapt to changes or trends within the specialty pharmacy industry; significant and increasing pricing pressure from third-party payors; our relationships with key pharmaceutical manufacturers; bad publicity about, or market withdrawal of, specialty drugs we dispense; a significant increase in competition from a variety of companies in the health care industry; our ability to expand the number of specialty drugs we dispense and related services; maintaining existing patients; revenue concentration of the top specialty drugs we dispense; our ability to maintain relationships with a specified wholesaler and pharmaceutical manufacturer; increasing consolidation in the healthcare industry; managing our growth effectively; limited experience with acquisitions and our ability to recognize the expected benefits therefrom on a timely basis or at all; and the additional factors set forth in "Risk Factors" in Diplomat's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as may be required by any applicable laws, Diplomat assumes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date hereof or the earlier date specified herein, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

INVESTOR CONTACT:

Bob East, Westwicke Partners

443-213-0500 | [email protected]

DIPLOMAT PHARMACY, INC. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (dollars in thousands)

















March 31,

December 31, ASSETS

2016

2015 Current assets:









Cash and equivalents $ 14,684 $ 27,600

Accounts receivable, net

268,419

254,682

Inventories

181,014

165,950

Deferred income taxes

18,007

5,311

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

10,153

7,427

Total current assets

492,277

460,970 Property and equipment, net

17,479

16,538 Capitalized software for internal use, net

39,770

37,250 Goodwill

256,318

256,318 Definite-lived intangible assets, net

216,810

224,644 Investment in non-consolidated entity

4,959

4,959 Other noncurrent assets

874

900

Total assets $ 1,028,487 $ 1,001,579











LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY







Current liabilities:









Accounts payable $ 291,706 $ 296,587

Short-term debt, including current portion of long-term debt

6,000

6,000

Accrued expenses:









Contingent consideration

42,594

52,665

Compensation and benefits

7,905

5,563

Other

14,337

11,087

Total current liabilities

362,542

371,902 Long-term debt, less current portion

105,449

106,706 Deferred income taxes

10,851

7,425

Total liabilities

478,842

486,033 Commitments and contingencies







Shareholders' equity:









Preferred stock (10,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding)

-

-

Common stock (no par value, 590,000,000 shares authorized; 64,594,025 and 64,523,864









shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively)

452,234

451,620

Additional paid-in capital

30,620

29,221

Retained earnings

63,462

31,130

Total Diplomat Pharmacy shareholders' equity

546,316

511,971 Noncontrolling interests

3,329

3,575

Total shareholders' equity

549,645

515,546

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 1,028,487 $ 1,001,579

DIPLOMAT PHARMACY, INC. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

















































































Three Months Ended















March 31,















2016

2015 Net sales





$ 995,870 $ 624,883 Cost of products sold

(916,632)

(583,741)

Gross profit

79,238

41,142 Selling, general and administrative expenses

(54,194)

(36,304)

Income from operations

25,044

4,838 Other (expense) income:









Interest expense

(1,434)

(321)

Other







107

105 Total other expense

(1,327)

(216)

Income before income taxes

23,717

4,622 Income tax expense

(8,534)

(1,950)

Net income

15,183

2,672 Less: net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest

(246)

(186) Net income attributable to Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. $ 15,429 $ 2,858





















Net income per common share:







Basic







$ 0.24 $ 0.06 Diluted







$ 0.23 $ 0.05





















Weighted average common shares outstanding:







Basic









64,539,161

51,813,464 Diluted









67,844,937

54,760,853

DIPLOMAT PHARMACY, INC. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (dollars in thousands)



























































Three Months Ended March 31,















2016

2015 Cash flows from operating activities:









Net income

$ 15,183 $ 2,672

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:











Depreciation and amortization

10,119

2,806



Changes in fair values of contingent consideration

(9,071)

328



Contingent consideration payment

(400)

(300)



Net provision for doubtful accounts

2,246

230



Share-based compensation expense

1,503

562



Deferred income tax expense

7,633

2,159



Excess tax benefits related to share-based awards

-

(1,799)



Amortization of debt issuance costs

285

75



Other



1

210



Changes in operating assets and liabilities:













Accounts receivable

(15,983)

(9,498)





Inventories

(14,912)

931





Accounts payable

(4,881)

(4,120)





Other assets and liabilities

2,698

1,647





Net cash used in operating activities

(5,579)

(4,097) Cash flows from investing activities:









Expenditures for capitalized software for internal use

(4,432)

(3,444)

Expenditures for property and equipment

(1,316)

(475)

Other







1

8





Net cash used in investing activities

(5,747)

(3,911) Cash flows from financing activities:









Payments on long-term debt

(1,500)

-

Contingent consideration payment

(600)

(700)

Proceeds from issuance of stock upon stock option exercises

510

-

Proceeds from follow-on public offering, net of transaction costs

-

187,281

Payments made to repurchase stock options

-

(36,298)

Excess tax benefits related to share-based awards

-

1,799

Payments of debt issuance costs

-

(13)





Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities

(1,590)

152,069





Net (decrease) increase in cash and equivalents

(12,916)

144,061 Cash and equivalents at beginning of period

27,600

17,957 Cash and equivalents at end of period $ 14,684 $ 162,018 Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:









Cash paid for interest $ 875 $ 212

Cash paid for income taxes

443

46

Adjusted EBITDA

The table below presents a reconciliation of net income attributable to Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. to Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated:



For the three months ended March 31,



2016

2015



(dollars in thousands) (Unaudited) Net income attributable to Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. $ 15,429

$ 2,858

Depreciation and amortization 10,119

2,806

Interest expense 1,434

321

Income tax expense 8,534

1,950

EBITDA $ 35,516

$ 7,935











Contingent consideration and other merger and acquisition expense $ (8,429)

$ 1,419

Share-based compensation expense 1,503

562

Employer payroll taxes - option repurchases and exercises 43

572

Other items 387

350

Severance and related fees -

169

Restructuring and impairment charges -

150

Adjusted EBITDA $ 29,020

$ 11,157



Adjusted EPS (diluted)

Below is a reconciliation of the Company's net income attributable to Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. per diluted common share to Adjusted EPS for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015.



For the three months ended March 31,



2016

2015



(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) (unaudited) Net income attributable to Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. $ 15,429

$ 2,858

Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets 8,684

1,722

Contingent consideration and other merger and acquisition expense (8,429)

1,419

Income tax impact of adjustments (92)

(1,325)

Adjusted non-GAAP net income $ 15,592

$ 4,674











Net income attributable to Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc $ 0.23

$ 0.05

Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets $ 0.13

$ 0.03

Contingent consideration and other merger and acquisition expense $ (0.12)

$ 0.03

Income tax impact of adjustments (0.01)

$ (0.02)

Adjusted EPS $ 0.23

$ 0.09











Weighted average common shares outstanding:







Diluted 67,844,937

54,760,853



Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140928/148820

SOURCE Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.diplomat.is


CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) and Duke University today announced a partnership that will lead to cleaner and more efficient power for the university and the surrounding community.

Under a proposed 35-year agreement and subject to approval by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), Duke Energy Carolinas proposes to own, build and operate a 21-megawatt (MW) natural gas combined heat and power (CHP) facility on the Duke University campus in Durham.

If approved, the plant would use the waste heat from generating electricity to produce thermal energy and steam needed for the university, making it one of the most efficient generating assets in the Duke Energy generation fleet. The electric power would be put back on the Duke Energy electric grid to serve the university and nearby customers.

"This project will provide a cleaner and more diverse energy mix for the community and provide the value of thermal energy for the university," said David Fountain, Duke Energy North Carolina president. "The innovative approach provides multiple benefits to a large customer like Duke University and is a cost-effective generation asset for Duke Energy and our customers in North Carolina."

In addition to 21 megawatts of power, the facility would be capable of producing roughly 75,000 pounds per hour of steam, which would be sold to Duke University for heating water among other things. The CHP facility would be connected to an existing Duke Energy substation located on the campus, which serves the university and its medical center as well as other customers.

"This partnership will provide value for Duke University and will accelerate our progress towards climate neutrality," said Duke University's executive vice president Tallman Trask III. "By combining steam and electricity generation systems, we can increase efficiency and reduce our overall consumption by millions of units of energy each year, and have a positive effect on the community at large."

By displacing the current electricity mix and boilers currently serving the university, the project would lower energy-related carbon dioxide emissions at Duke University by about 25 percent. In the future, the project could also be used to isolate the critical loads on the campus, providing a method to increase reliability to hospitals and clinics as additional grid back up.

Duke Energy Carolinas will file with the NCUC for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the project. If approved, the project  around $55 million  is expected to come online in 2018.

Duke Energy and Duke University are separate organizations  both with a connection to noted businessman James B. Duke (1856-1925).

About CHP

Sometimes referred to as cogeneration, CHP systems generate electricity and useful thermal energy in a single system. Heat that is normally wasted in conventional power generation is recovered -- avoiding the losses that would otherwise occur. CHP systems are more efficient than doing the same tasks with separate systems.

"Advancements in the technology make this type of system attractive to other large customers with similar power and related-energy needs," added Fountain. "We are excited to offer this service."

About Duke Energy

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online destination for stories about remarkable people, innovations, and community and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and insights into the future of energy.

Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About Duke University

Duke University consistently ranks among the leading institutions of higher education in the world. Duke educates 6,500 undergraduate and 8,500 graduate and professional students in ten schools and colleges, and has more than 160,000 alumni. While Duke's campus is situated on nearly 9,000 acres in Durham, the university's reach includes partner institutions in Singapore, China and many other countries. With more than 36,000 faculty and staff in the university and health system, Duke is the second-largest private employer in North Carolina.

Contact: Randy Wheeless, Duke Energy

Office: 704.382.8379

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

[email protected]

Twitter: @DE_RandyW

Contact: Alison Jones, Duke University

Office: 919.681.8052

[email protected]

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SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

http://www.duke-energy.com


OTHELLO, Wash., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In the competitive world of business recruitment, communities usually compete against each other to recruit new companies. Four economic development groups are taking a different approach by working together to collectively market a five-county region of Washington State.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/364983

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/364984LOGO

Eastern Washington Economic Development Alliance Team

Eastern Washington Economic Development Alliance members believe business and industry will find the region appealing. They also agree marketing the merits of the region provides companies with choices, a broader selection of land sites and cities that offer a variety of attributes.

The team formed in the fall of 2015 and consists of Adams County Development Council, Grant County Economic Development Council, Port of Pasco and Yakima County Development Association (New Vision).

Each agency is actively following economic development strategic plans in their respective counties. Much of their work is close to home, assisting existing businesses, lending critical support to startups and entrepreneurs or tackling workforce-training challenges.

Business and industry recruitment is just one facet of a comprehensive economic development effort. It's often the most expensive, long-term exercise.

"Our main goals are to increase jobs and tax base in our communities," said Gary Ballew, director of economic development and marketing for the Port of Pasco. "This means growing companies that are already here, but we also try to bring in new companies. These new companies not only bring in new investments, they provide different job opportunities."

Alliance members represent diverse counties with one major common denominator  the region is an agriculture mecca. Grant and Yakima Counties lead the state in the value of production for both crop and animal agriculture. The result? A wealth of food processing in multiple clusters throughout the five county region.

Manufacturing, technology, aerospace, distribution and logistics and research and development already have a strong and growing presence in the region.

"A cornerstone of our strategy is to improve the economic climate of the region to make it a top of mind location for food processing, manufacturing, and high tech production and employment," said Jonathan Smith, President of Yakima County Development Association.

Emily Braunwart, business recruitment manager for Grant County Economic Development Council, believes the Alliance better serves the companies considering the region.

"When a business wants to locate in an area, they don't look at a map and see boundary lines. These companies are going to be looking at a larger area that will fit all their needs," she said.

When company leaders meet with economic developers, they're looking for specific nuances that set a specific location or region apart from all the other sites the company is considering.

"By marketing together we can increase interest in our region by offering more opportunities for a company to land. I use a peanut butter analogy," Ballew explained. "How much would you like to shop at a store that sells only one brand of peanut butter? Maybe a lot if that's your brand but what if it isn't?"

To accomplish business recruitment, the Alliance has identified trade shows and industry specific expositions to attend.

"In terms of shear numbers, the Alliance has made direct contact with more than 70 companies since launching the collective effort," explained Stephen McFadden, Adams County Economic Development Director.

For Adams County, with a brand new business recruitment effort, the Alliance offers critical support.

"This focused, targeted business recruitment effort is a vital new venture for Adams County. As we implement the county's economic development efforts, we benefit greatly from the Alliance," McFadden said. "The collective experience of the members creates a dynamic sales team capable of promoting the Eastern Washington region."

Braunwart sees value in the Alliance effort, even when Grant County is unable to take part in a specific recruitment effort.

"This is such a huge perk of our Alliance," Braunwart said. "This year, the GCEDC, was short staffed. Because of this, we were not able to make it to all the shows we would have liked to. But since we have the Alliance, we have been able to sleep easy knowing that our partners are still getting our story out there."

The Alliance, via targeted outreach, effectively combats a common myth.

"While Seattle gets a lot of attention, you will find bright, hard-working people throughout the state and definitely here in Eastern Washington," Ballew said.

Gaining an audience with more companies, improves the odds. The Alliance members can triple the amount of outreach achieved in a given year. For each member, the ultimate goal is to land a brand new employer.

"These efforts make sure we communicate the benefits of the region and it allows us to have more conversations than any of us could individually," Smith concluded.

For additional information, contact Stephen McFadden through email or 509-331-2025.

SOURCE Adams County Development Council
BOCA RATON, Fla., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Edison Insurance Company is the first homeowner's insurance carrier in Florida to offer accurate and specific premium quotes. The company's technological breakthrough is showcased and available on their website at www.edisoninsurance.com.

"The complexity and intricacies of the Florida insurance market overwhelms many homeowners when looking to buy home insurance on their own," said Clint Strauch, Edison Insurance President and Co-Founder. "Because of this, Edison developed a system, which allows potential policyholders to obtain and customize their own insurance quote online and quickly transfer their information to a trusted and licensed agent to complete the transaction."

Edison surveyed their current policy holders and determined 85% prefer to purchase insurance from a licensed insurance agent. To maintain their high level of customer service, Edison only partners with agents who have committed to contacting the prospective policy holders within 24 hours to discuss their insurance needs.

"We've built the website to be completely user friendly, efficient and accurate. Our technology affords local insurance agencies an opportunity to connect with new customers and provides realtors with a unique tool to calculate more accurately the insurance premium portion of the mortgage," added Strauch.

Edison Insurance Company, originally headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, was purchased by Boca Raton-based Florida Peninsula Insurance Company (FPI) in January of 2010. The company shares the same seasoned management team and managing general agency (MGA) with Florida Peninsula Insurance Company. Edison currently has $20 million in surplus and has received a Financial Stability Rating of A-Exceptional from Demotech. To learn more about Edison Insurance Company please visit our website www.EdisonInsurance.com.

SOURCE Edison Insurance Company

Related Links

http://www.EdisonInsurance.com


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "The energy harvesting system market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.6% during the forecast period between 2016 and 2022."

The market is expected to grow from USD 268.6 million in 2015 to USD 974.4 million by 2022, at a CAGR of 19.6% between 2016 and 2022. The demand for safe & durable power source, increasing implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) for building automation, and increasing number of green environment initiatives by the government are the major contributors for the market growth.

"Building & home automation expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period"



The market is segmented on the basis of application into building & home automation, consumer electronics, industrial, transportation, and security. The energy harvesting market in the building & home automation application is expected to hold the leading position by 2022 owing to the increasing adoption of smart homes in countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, and Japan. Some of the uses of energy harvesting in building & home automation are in lighting systems, switches, thermal sensors, occupancy sensors, switch keys, safety & security systems, and climate control sensors. The industrial wireless sensor networking application of energy harvesting holds the second-largest market share. The growth of the industrial application is prominent in North America and Europe.

"The Americas expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period"



The geographic segmentation categorizes the main regions of the world into The Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and RoW. The Americas region is expected to hold the leading position by 2022 owing to the growing building automation and smart home market in countries such as the U.S. and Canada. North America is the major contributor to energy harvesting for the building & home automation and industrial applications. After North America, Europe has second-highest rate of installation of energy harvesting systems in new constructions and for industrial automation. In Europe, the U.K. and Germany have the largest number of manufacturing industries heavily installing the wireless sensor networking powered by energy harvesting system as a part of industrial automation and control system.

Breakdown of profile of primary participants:



- By Company Type - Tier 1: 45%, Tier 2: 25%, and Tier 3: 30%

- By Designation - C-level: 40%, Managers: 35%, Others: 25%

- By Region  The Americas: 50%, Europe: 30%, APAC: 20%



The report includes the competitive landscape of global energy harvesting system market as well as the company profiles of ABB Limited (Switzerland), Arveni (France), Convergence Wireless (U.S.), Cymbet Corporation (U.S.), EnOcean GmbH (Germany), Fujitsu Limited (Japan), GreenPeak Technologies B.V. (Netherlands), Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.), Microchip Technology Inc. (U.S.), STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland), and Texas Instrument Incorporated (U.S.).



Reasons to buy the report:



1. This report serves the needs of leading companies, end users, and other stakeholders in this market.

2. This report would be helpful for analyzing opportunities, revenue sources, and new business strategies.

3. The competitive trends for the market would give clients an opportunity to improve and scrutinize their strategies, which would help in the overall growth and expansion.



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03793818-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

Related Links

http://www.reportlinker.com


SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that the firm's Marketing, Communications and Design Team has received the "Gold Award of Excellence" and the "Silver Award of Distinction" from the 22nd Annual Communicator Awards, the leading international awards program honoring communication professionals for creative excellence.

From more than 6,000 entries, EPIC was selected for the distinctiveness and creative work in its "We Know Transportation" online video, which won the "Gold Award of Excellence." The video highlights EPIC's Vice President of Transportation and Logistics Risk Control Michael Nischan, discussing the safety risks and consequences of cargo theft in the transportation industry and how to protect against theft. The video was produced and directed by EPIC Senior Designer, Titus Barrios. To view the video, please visit: http://www.epicbrokers.com/product/transportation-and-logistics-risk-control/

EPIC's Employee Benefits 2.0 brochure, a set of content designed to effectively communicate EPIC's comprehensive employee benefits practice capabilities to its customers, won the "Silver Award of Distinction." The design was conceived and executed by EPIC Creative Services Manager Jody Siu and Designer Nancy Phun.

Winners were selected by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, a 600+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media.

"It is an honor to be recognized for our team's commitment to producing content that effectively and creatively communicates EPIC's capabilities to our customers and others," said Dave Hock, senior vice president of marketing and communications at EPIC. "This recognition validates the creativity, ability, professionalism and collaboration of our team, whose innovative ideas continue to drive interesting, successful communication."

The "Award of Excellence," the highest honor, is given to entrants whose ability to communicate positions them as the best in the field and "The Award of Distinction" is presented for projects that exceed industry standards in quality and achievement.

See the full list of winners of the 22nd Annual Communicator Awards here: https://www.communicatorawards.com/winners/

About EPIC

EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.

EPIC now has more than 850 team members operating from offices across the U.S., providing Property Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 13,000 clients.

With more than $200 million in revenues, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Backed by the Carlyle Group, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions across the country. For additional information, please visit www.epicbrokers.com.

*LOGO for media: Send2Press.com/mediaboom/16-0308-epic-insurance-300dpi.jpg

MEDIA CONTACTS:

David Hock, of EPIC

650.295.4608

[email protected]

Nicole Conley

650-422-3156

[email protected]

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants

Related Links

http://www.epicbrokers.com


As part of this volunteer day, Experian  provided a $35,000 grant to support Junior Achievement of Northern New England's JA in A Day and JA Skills to Achieve events. This grant makes it possible to organize student transportation and the curriculum for the day's events, at which Experian Data Quality employees will provide instruction. This support aligns with Experian's goal to spread financial literacy and prepare individuals for financial success. In fact, Experian received the Excellence in Financial Literacy Education award from the Institute for Financial Literacy  for its leadership in financial education.

"Both Junior Achievement and Experian are global organizations with a local footprint who hold similar values. The relationship with Junior Achievement made perfect sense," said Beatriz Santin, vice president of strategy at Experian Data Quality. "Our team has a great deal of business-related experience that can help young people connect to a workplace. We at Experian are excited to share our knowledge with the students and help them better prepare for future success."

Junior Achievement uses age-appropriate lessons to prepare students to succeed in a global economy. Experian employees will be volunteering with students for the full workday, walking the students through lessons focused on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.

"Junior Achievement of Northern New England is truly grateful to Experian for helping to make a difference in the lives of students  our future work force  by providing them with essential life skills," said Kerry Bedard, president of Junior Achievement of Northern New England.

If you would like to learn more about Experian Data Quality's work in the Boston community, please visit https://www.edq.com/about-us/community/.

About Junior Achievement of Northern New England

For the 20142015 school year, Junior Achievement of Northern New England (JANNE) implemented 1,560 programs throughout 254 schools and after-school sites, reaching over 38,000 youth through the efforts of 2,289 trained volunteers. Serving students in nine Massachusetts counties and the entire state of New Hampshire, JANNE focuses on impacting "at risk" youth, and reaching optimal students within its territory. All programs are provided at no cost to schools and organizations. JANNE is a non-profit 501(c) 3 charity and is supported by corporations, individuals, foundations and special events.

About Experian Data Quality

Experian Data Quality is a global leader in providing data quality software and services to organizations of all sizes. We help our clients to proactively manage the quality of their data through world-class validation, matching, enrichment and profiling capabilities. With flexible software-as-a-service and on-premise deployment models, Experian Data Quality software allows organizations around the world to truly connect with their customers by delivering intelligent interactions, every time.

Established in 1990, with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific, Experian Data Quality has more than 13,500 clients worldwide in retail, finance, education, insurance, government, healthcare and other sectors. For more information, visit https://www.edq.com.

About Experian

We are the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to our clients around the world. We help businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making.

We also help people to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft. In 2015, we were named by Forbes magazine as one of the "World's Most Innovative Companies."

We employ approximately 17,000 people in 37 countries and our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2015, was US$4.8 billion.

To find out more about our company, please visit http://www.experianplc.com or watch our documentary, "Inside Experian."

Experian and the Experian marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

Contact:



Erin Haselkorn

Experian Data Quality Public Relations

1 617 385 6700

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140915/146097

SOURCE Experian Data Quality

Related Links

https://www.edq.com


WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Family Research Council (FRC) commended Governor Pat McCrory (R-N.C.) for filing a lawsuit today against the Department of Justice (DOJ) in response to a DOJ letter threatening action because of a state law designating restrooms for men only and women only.

Since last week, more than 400,000 social media users have viewed a video ad produced by the Family Research Council calling out President Obama's hypocrisy on the bathroom issue.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement:

"After nearly eight years of federal overreach, we are seeing state leaders stand up to Barack Obama's effort to fundamentally transform America. I commend Governor McCrory for his political courage and moral clarity in resisting the Obama administration. If the White House can dictate the bathroom policies of America, what could possibly be beyond their reach?

"Governor McCrory has already stared down big business seeking to topple North Carolina law. Now, the governor is making clear he's not going to be intimidated by President Obama's big government either.

"The governor rightly asserts that the Obama team can't simply rewrite a 50-year-old law to suit their agenda. Any changes to the law would need to go through the legislative process.

"Five federal departments are now investigating North Carolina with the threat of pulling federal funding from the state. What does this say about the President's priorities? Obama's obsession with bathroom politics is hurting his credibility on the real issues facing America.

"It's time for Congress to stand up and call the DOJ and DOE on the carpet for their unilateral redefinition of federal law. It's time for Republicans in Congress, who have the constitutional authority as a coequal branch of government, to bring the imperial White House under control," concluded Perkins.

Click here to watch the ad:

https://www.facebook.com/familyresearchcouncil/videos/10154139695027442/?fref=nf

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/ed9MlOrieyY

Click here for Tony Perkins' radio interview on Thursday with North Carolina Lt. Governor Dan Forest: https://soundcloud.com/family-research-council/20160505-dan-forest

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150422/200566LOGO

SOURCE Family Research Council

Related Links

http://www.frc.org


RICHMOND, Va., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW) announced that Genworth Mortgage Insurance Corporation (GMICO), a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the company, has completed the sale of its European mortgage insurance business to AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. Net proceeds of approximately $50 million will provide additional capital to GMICO. This transaction represents another action toward simplifying Genworth's businesses.

About Genworth Financial

Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE: GNW) is a Fortune 500 insurance holding company committed to helping families achieve the dream of homeownership and address the financial challenges of aging through its leadership positions in mortgage insurance and long term care insurance. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Genworth traces its roots back to 1871 and became a public company in 2004. For more information, visit genworth.com.

From time to time, Genworth releases important information via postings on its corporate website. Accordingly, investors and other interested parties are encouraged to enroll to receive automatic email alerts and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds regarding new postings. Enrollment information is found under the "Investors" section of genworth.com. From time to time, Genworth's publicly traded subsidiaries, Genworth MI Canada Inc. and Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia Limited, separately release financial and other information about their operations. This information can be found at http://genworth.ca and http://www.genworth.com.au.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "will," or words of similar meaning and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the financial impact from the transaction to sell the Company's European mortgage insurance business and the planned use of transaction proceeds. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions, which are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially due to global political, economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors and risks, including the items identified under "Part IItem 1ARisk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 26, 2016.

We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

SOURCE Genworth Financial, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.genworth.com


LONDON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Graft polyols are a stable colloidal dispersion of styrene acrylonitrile polymer particles in polyether polyols. These are widely used in the manufacture of flexible polyurethane foams. Graft polyols improve the load-bearing properties of flexible foam by modifying the viscosity and density. They also impart high resilience in polyurethane foams. Polyurethane foams formulated from graft polyols are extensively used in carpets, cushions, mattresses, furniture, automotive seating, and protective packaging. Hence, graft polyols are employed in numerous end-user industries such as furniture, automotive, packaging, and others. Asia Pacific held the largest share of the graft polyols market in terms of demand, followed by Europe and North America in the past few years. Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global graft polyols market during the forecast period.



The report estimates and forecasts the graft polyols market on the global, regional, and country level. The study provides forecast from 2015 to 2023 based on volume (kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Mn). The report comprises an exhaustive analysis of the value chain, which provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the graft polyols market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The report analyzes opportunities in the graft polyols market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources.



The report includes Porter's Five Forces Model to analyze the degree of competition in the graft polyols market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report includes price trend analysis for raw materials and graft polyols from 2014 to 2023.



The study provides a comprehensive view of the graft polyols market by dividing it into regional segments such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Regional segments have been further analyzed on country level. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, Italy, the U.K., France, Spain, China, Brazil, and South Africa have been included in the study. The market has been estimated from 2015 to 2023 in terms of volume (kilo tons) and revenue (US$ Mn).



The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include BASF SE, Oltchim S.A., The Dow Chemical Company, and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec Limited). Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview.



Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.



In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players' product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis team's expertise and market understanding.



This report segments the global graft polyols market as follows:

Graft Polyols Market  Regional Analysis

North America

U.S.

Rest of North America

Europe

Germany

U.K.

France

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

ASEAN

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America

Brazil

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa

GCC

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3635646/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

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SAN JOSE, Calif., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Leo Li as the chairman of the GSA Board of Directors for 2016 and 2017. Dr. Li serves as chairman, chief executive officer of Spreadtrum Communications, leading the Company's mission to achieve industry leadership through continuous innovation and service.

The GSA Board chairman is a coveted position throughout the industry reserved for the most innovative leaders who represent the semiconductor industry's most active global regions. Dr. Li will be the first chairman to serve from mainland China. As a global Alliance, this is a key step for GSA to ensure the commitment to all important regions of the ecosystem. It is vital to GSA that Chinese companies are being serviced and global members have access to all of the opportunities in China.

Dr. Li has served as a regional member of the GSA Board of Directors, representing the Asia-Pacific region since 2012. He has also served as a member of GSA's Asia-Pacific Leadership Council since 2011. The Asia-Pacific Leadership Council serves as advisors to the GSA Board on global and regional issues.

"I am honored that the GSA Board of Directors has appointed me as their Chairman," commented Dr. Li. "The industry is constantly evolving and GSA has been instrumental in solving a variety of challenges and promoting collaboration between its member companies and partners. I am looking forward to serving as the Chairman to help advance GSA's commitment to support globalization and continue to be the most prominent advocate to expand cooperation and innovation in our dynamic global semiconductor industry."

Dr. Li has more than 30 years experience in wireless communications industry, joining Spreadtrum Communications in May 2008. From 2005 to 2007, he served as the chief executive officer of Magicomm Technology Inc., a cell phone product development company. From 2002 to 2005, he was senior business development director at Broadcom and was responsible for a line of GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA baseband business. From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Li was appointed as general manager of Mobile Phone Product and Vice President of Mobilink Telecom, a GSM baseband start-up company that was sold to Broadcom in 2002. Prior to 1998, he held various senior engineering and program management positions at Rockwell Semiconductors and Ericsson. Dr. Li holds 10 patents in wireless communication systems, RF IC system and circuit designs, and RFID applications.



Dr. Li received a BS degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, China; a MS degree from the Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China; a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, USA; and an MBA degree from the National University in La Jolla, California, USA.

"It is a great honor to have Dr. Li serve as the Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors," said Jodi Shelton, president of the GSA. "Dr. Li is one of the most influential leaders in the semiconductor industry in China and his involvement will be critical to our future success. GSA will greatly benefit from his global perspective and technical expertise, enabling GSA to expand its collaboration between China and the worldwide semiconductor industry."

Steve Mollenkopf, the Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors from 2014 to present, will continue to serve as a regional leadership director for the Board.

To learn more about the GSA Board of Directors, please visit:

http://www.gsaglobal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/

About GSA:



The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) mission is to support the global semiconductor industry and its partners by offering a comprehensive view of the industry. This enables members to better anticipate market opportunities and industry trends, preparing them for technology and business shifts. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration through efficient power networking for global semiconductor leaders and their partners, the GSA identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 30 countries across the globe. www.gsaglobal.org

About Spreadtrum Communications:

Spreadtrum is a fabless semiconductor company that develops mobile chipset platforms for smartphones, feature phones and other consumer electronics products, supporting 2G, 3G and 4G wireless communications standards. Spreadtrum's solutions combine its highly integrated, power-efficient chipsets with customizable software and reference designs in a complete turnkey platform, enabling customers to achieve faster design cycles with a lower development cost. Spreadtrum's customers include global and China-based manufacturers developing mobile products and emerging markets around the world.

http://www.spreadtrum.com/

SOURCE Spreadtrum Communications, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.spreadtrum.com


"The success of this spring's Share-A-Haircut campaign is a direct result of the passion our clients, stylists, and the entire Hair Cuttery family have for giving back," said Dennis Ratner, CEO and founder of Hair Cuttery. "It is truly humbling to see our communities recognize and respond to the injustices of domestic violence, and spread awareness about this important issue."

With the help of NNEDV, free haircut certificates will be distributed through the organization's partners, including domestic violence shelters as well as state and local programs, in communities local to Hair Cuttery's nearly 900 salons. The certificates will benefit women, children, and men.

"The success of the Share-A-Haircut campaign highlights the commitment that communities have to stand with survivors and against domestic violence. We are thrilled that Hair Cuttery and individuals around the nation are coming together to combat abuse and support survivorsstriving to create a world free from violence," says Kim Gandy, NNEDV President and CEO.

Since 1999, the Share-A-Haircut program has donated more than 1.89 million free haircut certificates valued at nearly $30.35 million. Hair Cuttery has an established history of charitable giving, supporting a range of local and national causes, including St. Baldrick's Foundation, American Red Cross, The National Network to End Domestic Violence, American Cancer Society, and Girls on the Run.

About Hair Cuttery

Hair Cuttery is the largest family-owned and operated chain of hair salons in the country, with nearly 900 company-owned locations on the East Coast, New England and the Midwest. A full-service, value-priced salon, Hair Cuttery offers a full complement of cuts and styling, coloring, waxing and texturizing services with no appointment necessary, as well as a full line of professional hair care products. Hair Cuttery is committed to delivering a delightful client experience through WOW Service including a Smile Back Guarantee. Hair Cuttery is a division of Ratner Companies, based in Vienna, VA. www.haircuttery.com

About NNEDV

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the leading national voice for domestic violence victims and their allies. NNEDV's membership is comprised of all 56 state and territorial coalitions against domestic violence, including over 2,000 local programs. NNEDV has been advancing the movement against domestic violence for 25 years, having led efforts among domestic violence advocates and survivors in urging Congress to pass the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994. To learn more about NNEDV, please visit NNEDV.org

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kelsey Miller / Emily Noto

TBC for Hair Cuttery

410-986-1253 / 1209

[email protected] / [email protected]

Amy Hudzik

Ratner Companies

703-269-5175

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364663

SOURCE Hair Cuttery

Related Links

http://www.haircuttery.com


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, May 11, The Municipal Art Society will present the 2016 Brendan Gill Prize to Hamilton: An American Musical and In Jackson Heights. Representatives from both teams will be presented with the prestigious award by MAS President Gina Pollara and Chairman Frederick Iseman during the organization's Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Ford Foundation office. Tickets are currently sold out.

"We are delighted to honor these twin works of art from 2015 that celebrated the role of immigrants in shaping the history and culture of New York City," said MAS President Gina Pollara. "The brashly revolutionary Hamilton: An American Musical and the quietly profound In Jackson Heights together reaffirm New York's identity as the birthplace of the American dream and a city that is made ever stronger by its diversity."

About Hamilton: An American Musical

A masterpiece that marries hip-hop and musical theater, Hamilton ignited newfound excitement about New York City's role in the American Revolution with the compelling story of our only immigrant founding father, Alexander Hamilton. By combining brilliant stage production, a sensational soundtrack, a diverse cast, innovative choreography, and free performances, the musical celebrates the important impact immigrants have had on the history of our city and country.

About In Jackson Heights

This thought-provoking and illuminating documentary depicts with great dignity the daily life of people living in New York City's most ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhood. America's story of immigration, assimilation, and integration is captured here in a new light through lively conversations and deeply personal recordings that give voice to the New Yorkers of all backgrounds who call Jackson Heights 'home.'

About the Gill Prize

The Brendan Gill prize was established in 1987 by MAS board members Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Helen Tucker, and Margot Wellington to honor the creator of the building, book, essay, musical composition, play, film, painting, sculpture, choreographic work, or landscape design in the previous year that best captures, "the energy, vigor and verve of our incomparable city." Past recipients include Kara Walker, Michael Kimmelman, and Louis Kahn. For a full list, visit http://mas.org/awards/brendan-gill/.

This annual cash award is administered by MAS and named for longtime New Yorker theater and architecture critic, champion preservationist, and civic booster, Brendan Gill.

SOURCE The Municipal Art Society
SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvest Capital Strategies LLC (together with its affiliates, "Harvest"), one of the largest shareholders of Green Dot Corporation ("Green Dot" or the "Company") (NYSE: GDOT), with beneficial ownership of approximately 9.3% of the outstanding common stock of the Company, announced today that it has delivered an open letter to its fellow Green Dot shareholders. In the letter, Harvest condemns Green Dot for launching an exceedingly unprofessional and desperate smear campaign against Harvest's highly qualified, independent nominees and urges its fellow shareholders to see through the Company's distasteful propaganda and focus on the real and critical operational issues and opportunities facing the Company when voting in this election contest.

The full text of Harvest's Letter to its Fellow Shareholders follows:

Dear Fellow Green Dot Shareholders:

It Is Time for Real Change at Green Dot

Ignore the Company's Desperate Smear Campaign and Focus on the Facts

Vote the GREEN Proxy Card Today

The 2016 Annual Meeting (the "Annual Meeting") of Green Dot Corporation (the "Company") is less than two weeks away. We appreciate the tremendous level of support we continue to receive from you in this election contest. As shareholders, collectively, we have an exciting opportunity to turn over a new leaf at Green Dot and elect a slate of extremely qualified director candidates who are deeply committed to putting Green Dot back on track for long-term value creation and holding long-tenured, entrenched Board members and the chronically-underperforming Chairman, President, and CEO, Steve Streit, accountable for years of value destruction.

Harvest delivered its first private letter to Green Dot's Board on March 23, 2015. For more than a year, through many private and public correspondences, we have conscientiously avoided personal attacks in order to squarely focus on the long-term facts supporting the need for leadership change: chronic shareholder value destruction, poor execution against major strategic initiatives, Steve Streit's misleading and untruthful shareholder communications, and a culpable, inexperienced Board that enables Mr. Streit's fiefdom-like autocratic leadership.

Unfortunately, since the current Board does not believe it can win on the merits, the Company has recently resorted to highly unprofessional and unethical personal attacks against our director nominees that are clearly based on misleading gimmicks and false information. Rather than focus on the facts, Green Dot has instead launched a smear campaign in an attempt to discredit our nominees and distract shareholder attention from the Board and Mr. Streit's own failures. We have a high level of confidence that shareholders will see through the Board's last ditch effort to combat widespread support for Harvest's campaign and further entrench the destructive status quo. Apparently it was not enough for the current Board to disenfranchise shareholders by unilaterally appointing three new directors during this election contest or attempting to grossly mislead shareholders about the Company's weak performance and execution. The current Board's reprehensible tactics make us all the more convinced that real leadership change is immediately required at Green Dot.

Make no mistake about it, we will not lower ourselves to these sort of unprincipled tactics that are wholly unbecoming of a public company board of directors, nor will we be deterred from our mission of providing shareholders with a democratic forum that will unequivocally serve as a referendum on Mr. Streit's unacceptable performance. We do, however, feel compelled to provide documented facts that demonstrate the breadth and degree of the Company's effort to disingenuously smear Harvest's highly qualified director nominees, whose only role in this campaign has been their selection by Harvest for their relevant expertise, experience, and willingness to stand for election as shareholder representatives.

If our nominees are elected, it will demonstrate an irrefutable vote of no confidence in Green Dot's current leadership, which would make it incumbent upon any Board working for, and listening to, its shareholders to address the toxic and unsuitable "tone at the top." Harvest is aware of several proven, world-class executives, who are excited about the opportunity to lead Green Dot and could be quickly installed by an independent Board to finally put Green Dot on a sustainable path of value creation and honest communication .

Ask Yourself, If the Facts in this Election Contest Were in Their Favor, Would Mr. Streit and the Board Really Have Engaged in Such a Hapless and Disingenuous Smear Campaign?

Throughout this campaign we have kept our communications with you focused on the facts, the Company's business and financial performance, and our proposals to best position Green Dot for the future so that you can objectively choose the best slate of director nominees. Unlike the current CEO and Board, we have no interest in engaging in personal attacks to gain votes in this election contest. We are confident that our fellow shareholders will see through the Company's tactless propaganda and instead focus on the real and critical operational issues and opportunities facing Green Dot. It is unfortunate that Mr. Streit and his Board have refused to take a fact-based approach to their campaign. Instead, the Company has pursued a strategy premised on attempting to re-write and alter historical facts, and now, recklessly impugning the character of Harvest's three highly qualified director nominees to distract your attention away from the core issues we have raised.

Green Dot has scrambled to create the illusion of positive governance changes, such as introducing "performance-based" compensation (Mr. Streit is still awarded millions of dollars if Green Dot's stock price underperforms 75% of the market), and adding three new directors to the Company's Board (who were unilaterally appointed just six weeks prior to a shareholder vote). The fact remains, however, that Mr. Streit and the current Board have taken these gratuitous actions to avoid any meaningful change at Green Dot. Ask yourself whether these so-called improvements have really changed anything at Green Dot or are Mr. Streit and the incumbent Board just perpetuating the status quo.

Green Dot's sensationalized mischaracterization of Harvest's nominees through false statements that can be easily fact-checked, and the unethical use of "quotations" around fabrications that were never written or stated is careless and unprofessional. That Green Dot purposefully included unflattering photos of our nominees in its presentation materials exemplifies the Board's childish conduct and undermines its own credibility. Additionally, we believe Green Dot's liberal use of out-of-context snippets from social media and anonymous quotations with endnote attributions that are also anonymous, only strengthens Harvest's argument that Green Dot's CEO and Board operate free of accountability and will say and do anything, regardless of its validity, to sway your vote and protect the status quo. The Board, who has a fiduciary duty to protect independent shareholders, has failed to rectify Green Dot's toxic "tone at the top" and repeatedly enabled Mr. Streit's unprofessional behavior. We urge you not to be misled and to review the facts and circumstances in making your voting decisions regarding the future leadership of Green Dot.

While we will not engage with Mr. Streit in juvenile and unproductive exchanges, we would be remiss if we failed to set the record straight regarding several of Green Dot's most deceitful, hypocritical and outlandish defamations of character, as well as Mr. Streit's newest salesman-like distortions. For a fact-based analysis on Green Dot's Class III Directors, Harvest's director nominees, and Mr. Streit's long history of execution mistakes, financial forecasting errors, and misleading and unethical investor communications, we would encourage all shareholders to review our most recent presentation from April 27, 2016, titled "The Path Towards Shareholder Value Begins with a New "Tone at the Top," (www.fixgdot.com).

GREEN DOT'S SHAMEFUL SMEAR CAMPAIGN:

Setting the Record Straight on Highly Qualified Harvest Nominee Nino Fanlo

Green Dot states that Mr. Fanlo was "sued in U.S. Federal Court" by shareholders. Green Dot fails to mention this was a generic shareholder complaint, filed in 2009 against a Mortgage REIT at the depths of the financial crisis, and it was subsequently dismissed. Green Dot also fails to disclose that Mr. Fanlo was one of sixteen named defendants, a list which included the former Chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo, the former Chairperson for the Council of Economic Advisors and current Dean of Columbia Business School , the current COO of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and the current head of KKR's Global Capital Markets and Asset Management Group. Further, we find it ironic that the Green Dot Board would assert that a shareholder complaint makes Mr. Fanlo unsuitable to serve as a director, considering Mr. Streit was sued not once, but TWICE, by shareholders in United States District Courts for claims that he violated Federal Securities Laws. Mr. Streit was unsurprisingly accused of making "false and/or misleading statements [that] had the cause and effect of creating in the market an unrealistically positive assessment of the Company and its financial well-being and prospects."[1]

Green Dot cites anonymous sources in an attempt to disparage Mr. Fanlo's character. Harvest chose to contact a real person, Tracy L. Collins , who served on KKR Financial's Board of Directors from 2006-2014 to comment on Mr. Fanlo. Ms. Collins wrote to Harvest, "Nino guided KKR Financial through historically difficult economic times. The higher quality portfolio and the depth of his team he built around him allowed the company to not just survive, but to recover, when so many others pursuing similar strategies failed."

Setting the Record Straight on Highly Qualified Harvest Nominee Phil Livingston

Green Dot alludes to "two lawsuits" involving Phil Livingston . Green Dot fails to disclose that these lawsuits are redundant, name six different defendants, and represent generic proxy contest litigation. We find it ironic that Green Dot's Board would attack Harvest's nominees for generic business litigation considering a third party investigation found Kenneth Aldrich , Green Dot's Lead Independent Director and Chair of both the Compensation and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees, has been associated with at least FOURTEEN lawsuits.

Green Dot asserts Mr. Livingston is not the COO of UASUSA, citing an anonymous "press spokesperson." Aside from attempting to undermine Mr. Livingston, it is unclear why Green Dot would make such a specious allegation. Mr. Livingston's signed and accepted employment letter with UASUSA unequivocally states, "UASUSA is pleased to offer you the position of Chief Operating Officer. You will be responsible for marketing, sales, finance, administration and operations." Harvest has posted the relevant section of Mr. Livingston's employment letter as well as his UASUSA business card to www.fixgdot.com.

Green Dot questions Mr. Livingston's status as a CPA. As Green Dot should be well aware, Mr. Livingston elected not to renew his CPA license in California and as a result it expired after 21 years. Harvest's proxy materials have never claimed Mr. Livingston is a currently licensed CPA. This silly attack on Mr. Livingston is again ironic, considering in Green Dot's proxy solicitation materials, the Company states that Audit Committee Chairman, Timothy Greenleaf , is a tax attorney while conveniently omitting that he has maintained an "inactive" license and has not been permitted to practice law in California for almost a decade. [2] Harvest has factually documented Mr. Greenleaf's Board-related shortcomings in our presentations, but had previously chosen not to focus on the deeply concerning fact that an appellate court found Mr. Greenleaf, while serving as a tax attorney, had engaged in "intentionally misleading conduct" and was accused of "altering [a document] in a deceptive manner" and burying the modifications. [3] Harvest believes this type of behavior from Mr. Greenleaf, which does not appear to be isolated, is inappropriate for an Audit Committee Chair, especially at a company as highly regulated and politically sensitive as Green Dot. Harvest will refrain from sharing any additional concerns about Mr. Greenleaf outside of his performance as a Green Dot director, which we believe speaks for itself.

Regarding Mr. Livingston's role as CEO of Ambassadors Group, Green Dot fails to highlight that he was tasked by dissident shareholders to either turn around a broken business, whose stock had declined by approximately 90% prior to his arrival, or pursue strategic alternatives. Mr. Livingston determined that dissolving the broken business and distributing excess cash was in the best interests of shareholders, which shareholders supported with 99.9% of votes "FOR" this proposal.[4] In addition to distorting the facts, Green Dot includes a fictitious stock chart in its presentation that overstates Ambassadors Group's stock price decline by using an end value of $1.75 , when $2.85 was distributed to shareholders at dissolution.[5]

In its unprofessional and desperate attack on Mr. Livingston, Green Dot creatively distorts and cites completely out of context social media posts in a manner that is nothing short of appalling. Mr. Livingston, like tens-of-millions of consumers, has used social media to shine a spotlight on poor customer service. He also highlighted the need for increased diversity in law enforcement and in the entertainment industry. His comments called for more media attention on topics such as police violence against African-Americans. For Green Dot to impugn Mr. Livingston's character based on manipulated, out of context social media snippets, is unconscionable considering his outstanding character and reputation as a high integrity, shareholder-focused operator. As Green Dot's largest shareholder, Harvest is disappointed that the Board would approve such distasteful and erroneous representations of Mr. Livingston.

Relating to Mr. Livingston's professional qualifications, we would simply point investors to his impressive track record in operations across a diverse set of industries, which includes significant finance and accounting credentials, as well as experience in executive transitions. Mr. Livingston served as Chief Financial Officer for Celestial Seasonings, Inc., Catalina Marketing Corporation and World Wrestling Entertainment, as well as the Chairman of multiple public company Audit Committees. He was the President of Financial Executives International, one of the leading professional associations of chief financial officers and controllers, and he also served on the Advisory Board of Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Advisory Board of International Accounting Standards Board. Mr. Livingston is a current member of the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). His credentials and integrity speak for themselves.

Setting the Record Straight on Highly Qualified Harvest Nominee George Gresham

Green Dot stated that it offered to appoint George Gresham directly to the Board "in an effort to help settle the proxy contest." First, George Gresham is an outstanding director nominee, which seems indisputable considering Green Dot recruited Mr. Gresham for its previously vacant CFO role and to join its Board. However, to be unmistakably clear, Green Dot never negotiated with Harvest for a settlement involving Mr. Gresham. To the contrary, Green Dot approached Mr. Gresham duplicitously, without Harvest's knowledge, in an effort to remove him from our slate. After Mr. Gresham respectfully declined Green Dot's direct overture intended to undermine Harvest's campaign, the Board unilaterally appointed three new directors without a shareholder vote.

Green Dot calls Mr. Gresham "an architect of NetSpend's overdraft fee plan that is now the subject of pending regulation." Setting aside the absurdity of Green Dot's characterizations about NetSpend and overdraft in general, their statement is factually incorrect. The NetSpend overdraft plan was in place and operating when Mr. Gresham joined NetSpend in May 2010 and he played no role in its design or implementation.

You Can't Afford to Believe What Mr. Streit Is Telling You

Do not be distracted by Green Dot's disgraceful rhetoric aimed squarely at misdirecting blame for Mr. Streit's track record of value destruction. Neither the Board nor Mr. Streit can conceal the plain truth regarding the Company's disastrous long-term financial performance. Mr. Streit is trying to protect himself and the positions of two fellow long-tenured, underperforming directors by distorting the truth and trying to confuse shareholders about the facts. Consider the following:

Mr. Streit's Distortion : Mr. Streit states throughout his presentation that Green Dot's recent stock price increase is due to investors applauding the Company's six-step plan and target of $1.75 in 2017 adjusted EPS, introduced during an investor presentation on December 2, 2015, stating "Green Dot's stock has appreciated 35% since management publicly disclosed its new growth initiatives on December 2, 2015, prior to the Harvest 13D filing [Harvest] has not put forward any coherent strategic planof the plans that Harvest does propose, they appear to be a copy of those plans announced and put into action by the Company prior to Harvest's 13D filing."

Fact: As a consummate salesman, Mr. Streit repeatedly attempts to re-write history, while twisting statements and facts into a new narrative to conveniently fit his agenda. In Green Dot's presentation from 12/2/15, there is not a single reference to a six-step plan or $1.75 EPS target. This six-step plan and $1.75 EPS target were first disclosed to investors on February 24, 2016, concomitant with Green Dot's Q4'15 earnings call, and one full month after Harvest released its public letter and presentation outlining a path to create long-term shareholder value. In fact, between 12/2/15 (the date Mr. Streit inaccurately claims he introduced his six-step plan) and 1/19/16 (the day Harvest crossed the 5% beneficial ownership threshold), Green Dot's stock price declined by 7% . Between 1/19/16 and 2/24/16, after Harvest released its plan but before Green Dot adopted many of our proposals in its six-step plan, the Company's stock price increased by 23% . The facts are straightforward: Green Dot's recent stock price increase has been due to Harvest's proposals and demand for a change in the toxic "tone at the top," despite Mr. Streit's thinly-veiled attempt to claim credit for Harvest's well-researched plan as his own.

Mr. Streit's Distortion : Green Dot's stock price decline since its IPO was due to several factors outside its control, namely:

1) A lofty IPO valuation

2) Increased competition, loss of exclusivity at major retail partners, and tightened risk

controls

3) Forced MoneyCard price reductions by Walmart, and

4) The carefully planned and executed removal of MoneyPak

Fact: In blaming multiple outside factors for Green Dot's poor stock performance, we believe Mr. Streit is carelessly attempting to re-write his poor strategic decisions and execution that Harvest has meticulously documented. Further, we believe such statements are insulting to Green Dot's IPO investors, and more importantly, we believe Mr. Streit's public criticism of Green Dot's largest customer is grossly negligent.

1) By blaming Green Dot's stock price decline on "a lofty IPO valuation," Mr. Streit is effectively stating that management and its investment bankers overpriced its IPO at $36.00 and then further overpriced its secondary offering at $61.00. Insiders sold approximately $425 million of stock across the two offerings.

2) Nearly every company in America faces competition. As we have previously argued, good management teams proactively anticipate and prepare for competition. NetSpend sure did. Implying that Green Dot warned investors about increased competition is an excuse that provided minimal comfort to long-term shareholders and sell-side analysts who endured a 61% single day stock price decline . Even more perverse, Mr. Streit is now attempting to re-write history portraying himself as a savior for notifying shareholders that Green Dot had lost all-important retail exclusivity, when in fact he had previously downplayed the importance of such exclusivity. Consider the Company's comments before and after Green Dot's Q2'12 earnings call:

ORIGINAL : 10/27/11  "I think what's probably most important to note is that not all of our retailers are exclusive, nor have they ever all been exclusive . And yet, even in the ones where we're not contractually exclusive, it's common and typical that they would still sell only our products anyhow."

:  "I think what's probably most important to note is that . And yet, even in the ones where we're not contractually exclusive, it's common and typical that they would still sell products anyhow." REVISION: 11/14/12  "If we looked back about 12 months, four of our top five retail distribution partners were exclusive , governed by long-term contracts, and now today, really only one of those top five are still exclusive."

Rather than proactively address potential competitive threats through new distribution channels and product innovation, Mr. Streit downplayed competition to investors and failed to anticipate the arrival and impact of new market entrants. While Mr. Streit can attempt to re-write the historical narrative, shareholders cannot re-write their losses.

3) We believe Mr. Streit's accusatory comments towards Walmart are symptomatic of his toxic management style, which Harvest has documented at length. Rather than accept responsibility for a poor strategic decision, Mr. Streit publicly denigrated his most important customer. Aside from Mr. Streit blaming Green Dot's largest customer for unsatisfactory changes to MoneyCard, it is fair to ask "If Mr. Streit did not believe lower MoneyCard prices would stimulate card usage and lead to greater overall revenue, why did he explicitly communicate this expectation to investors? "

10/31/13  "We believe that the breadth of these new [MoneyCard] offerings, together with the wider variety of value based pricing plans and the more substantial in-store placement designed to showcase these new products, presents the opportunity for increased revenue and expanded margins going forward."

4) In Harvest's presentations, we meticulously detail why we believe Mr. Streit's removal of MoneyPak, while a sound long-term strategy, was poorly executed, hastily implemented, and inaccurately communicated to both the retail distribution channel and shareholders. Mr. Streit's suggestion that he spent months carefully planning and analyzing the removal of MoneyPak is preposterous, and flies in the face of his original guidance to investors that MoneyPak was "not really a material driver of revenue and a less material driver of EBITDA," which of course preceded MoneyPak expectations being negatively revised in every quarter of 2015.[6]

Mr. Streit's Distortion : "[Green Dot] successfully diversified and grew its business by making several highly accretive acquisitions that diversified revenue and increased market share."

Fact : Since Green Dot's IPO, Mr. Streit has spent $507 million on multiple acquisitions.[7] We believe there have been material disappointments involving every transaction.

In 2012, Green Dot purchased eCommLink with the stated goal, which Harvest supported, of transitioning processing in-house. We believe Green Dot spent at least $10 million annually on this project. In 2015, Mr. Streit abandoned the Company's long-term in-house processing strategy.

annually on this project. In 2015, Mr. Streit abandoned the Company's long-term in-house processing strategy. In 2012, Green Dot spent $43 million to purchase Loopt. This was a dilutive related party transaction, as Sequoia Capital was the largest shareholder of both companies and held seats on both boards. The acquisition was originally portrayed as a revenue generator, "while we're still in the early stages of integration and our assumptions could change, we expect the Loopt acquisition to be accretive beginning in 2013."[8] Now, Mr. Streit is attempting to recast the deal as a cost saving transaction, "[Loopt] is driving millions of dollars of savings in 2016."

to purchase Loopt. This was a dilutive related party transaction, as Sequoia Capital was the largest shareholder of both companies and held seats on both boards. The acquisition was originally portrayed as a revenue generator, "while we're still in the early stages of integration and our assumptions could change, we expect the Loopt acquisition to be accretive beginning in 2013."[8] Now, Mr. Streit is attempting to recast the deal as a cost saving transaction, "[Loopt] is driving millions of dollars of savings in 2016." In 2014, Green Dot spent $320 million in cash and stock to purchase Santa Barbara Tax Products Group ("TPG").[9] The transaction was poorly structured, with Green Dot issuing 6.1 million undervalued shares when low cost debt was available. Since the transaction closed, TPG revenue has been consistently revised lower and Mr. Streit has not delivered on promised revenue synergies.

in cash and stock to purchase Santa Barbara Tax Products Group ("TPG").[9] The transaction was poorly structured, with Green Dot issuing 6.1 million undervalued shares when low cost debt was available. Since the transaction closed, TPG revenue has been consistently revised lower and Mr. Streit has not delivered on promised revenue synergies. In late 2014 and early 2015, Green Dot spent $87 million to acquire Achieve Card and AccountNow.[10] Mr. Streit initially withheld disclosing both acquisitions to investors, while claiming the revenue contributions were organic. Only after a 25% two-day stock price decline and significant confusion reconciling management's 2015 guidance did the Company disclose these two companies would account for more than 10% of projected revenue.

Mr. Streit's Distortion : "Green Dot has materially out-performed our Prepaid Industry Peer Group. The Harvest Peer group does not accurately portray the companies that Green Dot considers its prepaid industry."

Fact : We are genuinely surprised Mr. Streit would even attempt to defend Green Dot's stock price performance, let alone manipulate the data. Consider the following facts:

Contrary to Green Dot's statement, Harvest took no liberties in defining Green Dot's peer group. We utilized the Board's self-selected peer group as defined in the Company's 2014 Proxy Statement ("Original Peer Group") and 2015 Proxy Statement ("Revised Peer Group").

Green Dot is now stating the Board's self-selected peer group from 2014 and 2015, which Harvest used in our analysis, "does not accurately portray" its peers.

In its presentation, the Board is including the significant year-to-date Harvest-affected price increase when analyzing Green Dot's relative and overall performance.

Over the last one, two, and five year periods ending 12/31/15, Green Dot underperformed its original self-selected Peer Group by 31%, 53%, and 274%, respectively, while underperforming its revised peer group by 18%, 33%, and 184%, respectively.[11]

Green Dot's stock price declined 71% in the five years ending 12/31/15.

Harvest's Comments on Green Dot's First Quarter Earnings Results

Mr. Streit's statement that "Q1 was a fabulous quarter for Green Dot in every way with strong performance from all our diversified business lines," is inconsistent with fundamental analysis of the financial results. Despite the financial engineering and guidance gamesmanship in Q1'16, (i) Green Dot's revenue, EBITDA, per share earnings and active cards all declined year-over-year, (ii) Walmart revenue declines accelerated, (iii) the Company achieved none of the TPG synergies shareholders were promised, while we believe the CEO of TPG resigned, (iv) operating expenses continued to increase, and (v) the company guided Q2'16 revenue, EBITDA, and Adjusted EPS well below consensus estimates, marking the tenth consecutive quarter that Green Dot has missed or guided below consensus estimates. While Mr. Streit stated the weak guidance was a timing issue caused by revenue in Q1 that was pulled from Q2, we would point out that Green Dot's 1H'16 profitability guidance for EPS ($0.99) and EBITDA ($106.3 million) was below the prevailing 1H'16 consensus estimates ($1.07 & $109.4 million) prior to the Company's Q1 report.[12]

Tax Products Group Continues to Underperform: When Green Dot announced its acquisition of TPG, Mr. Streit emphasized revenue synergies could be realized in 2016 by cross-selling Green Dot prepaid cards to TPG tax refund customers. After TPG revenue declined by 20% in 2015,[13] Mr. Streit assured investors this type of performance was not a trend and he was confident the Company was in position to re-acquire lost revenue in 2016 as revenue synergies were realized. As recently as November 2015 , Mr. Streit stated, "We're pleased to let you know that our goal of generating revenue synergies from the TPG acquisition is expected to begin to play out in 2016." On the Q1'16 conference call, Mr. Streit admitted revenue from TPG, which had already declined materially in 2015, will remain flat in 2016.

When Green Dot announced its acquisition of TPG, Mr. Streit emphasized revenue synergies could be realized in 2016 by cross-selling Green Dot prepaid cards to TPG tax refund customers. After TPG revenue declined by 20% in 2015,[13] Mr. Streit assured investors this type of performance was not a trend and he was confident the Company was in position to re-acquire lost revenue in 2016 as revenue synergies were realized. As recently as , Mr. Streit stated, "We're pleased to let you know that our goal of generating revenue synergies from the TPG acquisition is expected to begin to play out in 2016." On the Q1'16 conference call, Mr. Streit admitted revenue from TPG, which had already declined materially in 2015, will remain flat in 2016. TPG CEO Resigned or was Terminated : We believe the CEO of TPG, Bill Maher , either resigned or was terminated. While Mr. Streit alludes to potential disruption if he is removed as CEO, Harvest would point out that Mr. Maher would mark at least the 10th senior executive to depart from Green Dot in the last few years.

: We believe the CEO of TPG, , either resigned or was terminated. While Mr. Streit alludes to potential disruption if he is removed as CEO, Harvest would point out that Mr. Maher would mark at least the 10th senior executive to depart from Green Dot in the last few years. Walmart Revenue Decline Re-Accelerated : After Green Dot's 2013 MoneyCard refresh failed to spur growth, which Mr. Streit is now blaming on Walmart, the Company rolled out a new suite of products in February, 2016. How have customers responded? Walmart revenue declined by 10% in Q1'16, which is a negative reacceleration from the 2% decline in Q4'15.

: After Green Dot's 2013 MoneyCard refresh failed to spur growth, which Mr. Streit is now blaming on Walmart, the Company rolled out a new suite of products in February, 2016. How have customers responded? Walmart revenue declined by 10% in Q1'16, which is a negative reacceleration from the 2% decline in Q4'15. Recent Uber "Win" May be a Loss for Shareholders: Mr. Streit promoted an expanded partnership with Uber whereby Green Dot will extend "Instant Pay" functionality to debit cards issued by any bank. Based on our research, we believe this new "win" was due to negative feedback and limited adoption in the original Uber GoBank pilot. Now, Uber drivers who already have a bank account have the option to receive "Instant Pay" into their current account, which eliminates the need for a GoBank account.

Mr. Streit promoted an expanded partnership with Uber whereby Green Dot will extend "Instant Pay" functionality to debit cards issued by any bank. Based on our research, we believe this new "win" was due to negative feedback and limited adoption in the original Uber GoBank pilot. Now, Uber drivers who already have a bank account have the option to receive "Instant Pay" into their current account, which eliminates the need for a GoBank account. Green Dot's Expense Structure Continues to Grow: In Green Dot's April 18, 2016 letter to shareholders, the Company stated that $13 million of cost savings were achieved in 2015 and management expects millions more in savings in 2016. We are unclear where these savings accrued considering compensation & benefits and general & administrative expenses grew $77 million , or 34% in 2015.[14] These expense lines grew another 5% year-over-year in Q1'16 despite revenue declining.

In Green Dot's letter to shareholders, the Company stated that of cost savings were achieved in 2015 and management expects millions more in savings in 2016. We are unclear where these savings accrued considering compensation & benefits and general & administrative expenses grew , or 34% in 2015.[14] These expense lines grew another 5% year-over-year in Q1'16 despite revenue declining. Revenue per Card Growth Due to Retroactive Monthly Fee Increase: While Mr. Streit stated Q1'16 results did not benefit from Green Dot's new products, he chose to withhold disclosing that Green Dot raised monthly fees on its existing portfolio, which we believe significantly aided Q1'16 results. Based on fee increases on our Green Dot cards and comments on Consumer Affairs' website, we believe Green Dot began selectively raising monthly fees on Green Dot branded products in December 2015 . While we believe Green Dot sent emails to customers notifying them of the price increase, consumer complaints suggest their strategy should have been better communicated. One complaint from March 2016 states, "I have been with GREENDOT for over 8 years now! I go to check on my balance on my card and notice that they had been charging me 7.95 a month to my card without any knowledge of anything, not even a letter in the mail to let me know that they will be charging me this now every month, instead of the 3.95 that I had knowledge of knowing when I got the card!"[15]

Do Not Be Misled -- Green Dot Has Not Attempted to Meaningfully Engage with Harvest in Good Faith

Green Dot's claims that it has tried to engage with us in good faith are simply false. For ten months, the Board repeatedly dismissed Harvest's private attempts at constructive engagement. Since the beginning of this contest, the Board first offered to have us participate in a search for additional directors and then made only one settlement offer  to add one of our nominees to the Board where not a single incumbent director responsible for the value-destruction would step down. We have repeatedly stated that the addition of new directors is not appropriate at Green Dot. The Company's supposed attempt to engage with us is not close to what the shareholders of Green Dot require in order to instill confidence that Green Dot will demonstrably change for the better. It is appalling to us that the Board insists on couching their obstinacy behind repeated references to one deeply inadequate and completely unreasonable offer. Make no mistake  this does not represent a constructive attempt to engage with us.

We Encourage You to Review our Investor Presentation Entitled "The Path Towards Shareholder Value Begins with a New 'Tone at the Top'"

We filed an extensive Investor Presentation with the SEC on April 27, 2016 laying out in detail our views regarding why leadership change is required at Green Dot, why our slate of nominees is far more qualified than the incumbent nominees to represent your best interests in the boardroom, and why our nominees have a superior path for restoring and enhancing shareholder value. We encourage you to review this presentation, which can be found on our website, www.fixgdot.com.

The powerful facts of our campaign, which unquestionably conclude that Green Dot requires an experienced, transformational, and trustworthy leader have never been clearer. As shareholders we deserve better and Harvest is aware of several proven, world-class executives, who are excited about the opportunity to lead Green Dot and who we believe would create substantial value over the long-term .

VOTE FOR THE MOST QUALIFIED SLATE OF DIRECTORS TO RESTORE AND ENHANCE THE VALUE OF YOUR GREEN DOT INVESTMENT

PLEASE SIGN, DATE, AND MAIL THE GREEN PROXY CARD TODAY

As Green Dot's largest shareholder, our interests are fully aligned with the interests of all Green Dot independent shareholders. We urge you to join us in voting for a new path on May 23, 2016.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey B. Osher

Harvest Small Cap Partners Master, Ltd.

About Harvest Capital Strategies LLC

Harvest Capital Strategies LLC is an investment firm founded in 1999 based in San Francisco.

Harvest Capital Strategies, LLC

Jeff Osher/Craig Baum, 415-869-4433

[email protected]

www.FIXGDOT.com

Investors with questions on how to vote, please contact:

Okapi Partners LLC

Patrick McHugh/Lisa Patel

[email protected]

(212) 297-0720 or Toll-Free (855) 208-8903

[1] Case 2:12-cv-06492, U.S. District Court Central Dist. Of California Los Angeles

[2] http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/100816

[3] Stocker Resources Inc. v. Assessment Appeals Board of Los Angeles County, case number B098199:

[4] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1162315/000114036115037557/form8k.htm

[5] https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1162315/000114036115038077/ex99_1.htm

[6] Green Dot Q3'14 Earnings Call (10/30/14)

[7] Includes cash and fair value of stock issued. Includes $43.4 million for Loopt acquisition disclosed in press release on 3/9/12

[8] Green Dot Q1'12 Earnings Call (4/26/12)

[9] Green Dot 8-K filed 9/18/14

[10] Based on $65.2 million of cash and $21.4 million fair value of stock issued

[11] CapitalIQ. Peer returns based on equal-weighted average. Green Dot's original, Company-selected peer group provided in its 2013 and 2014 Proxy Statements consisted of Alliance Data Systems, Capital One Financial, Discover Financial, Euronet Worldwide, Global Cash Access, Global Payments, Heartland Payment Systems, Mastercard, MoneyGram, NetSpend, Total System Services, Visa, Western Union, and Wright Express. The Company's revised peer group provided in Green Dot's 2015 Proxy Statement consisted of Blackhawk Network, Cardtronics, Cash America International, Cass Information Systems, Euronet Worldwide, EZCorp, Global Cash Access, Heartland Payment Systems, Jack Henry & Associates, MoneyGram, Regional Management, WEX, and World Acceptance

[12] Estimates from FactSet & Bloomberg

[13] Based on $87.3 million of TPG revenue for nine months ended 9/30/14 disclosed in 8-K filed 12/12/14 and $70 million of TPG revenue in 2015 disclosed on Q1'15 earnings call (5/7/15)

[14] Excludes $7.6 million non-cash benefit from a change in fair value of contingent consideration and $5 million non-cash impairment charge in 2015

[15] https://www.consumeraffairs.com/credit_cards/green_dot_prepaid.html?page=2

SOURCE Harvest Capital Strategies LLC
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --Heffernan Insurance Brokers, one of the largest full-service, independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States, announced today its 2015 HG Magazine was named the winner of a Silver Stevie Award in the Best Annual Report  print category in The 14th Annual American Business Awards.

The American Business Awards are the nation's premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations  public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Monday, June 20.

More than 3,400 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, and more than 250 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners.

"The judges were extremely impressed with the quality of entries we received this year. The competition was intense and every organization that has won should be proud," said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

"Heffernan's 2015 HG Magazine/annual report artistically creates awareness around innovative and creative thinking, while recognizing clients across a variety of industries," one judge stated.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2016 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About Heffernan Insurance Brokers

Heffernan Insurance Brokers, formed in 1988, is one of the largest independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Heffernan provides insurance and financial services products to a range of businesses and individuals. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., Heffernan has offices in San Francisco, Petaluma, Menlo Park, Los Angeles and Orange County, CA; Portland, OR; St. Louis, MO; and Long Island, NY.

For more information, visit www.heffins.com. License #0564249

About the Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150511/215225LOGO

SOURCE Heffernan Insurance Brokers

Related Links

www.heffins.com


SHANGHAI, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Holy Garze comes to Shanghai: China Garze Cultural Tourism & Investment Cooperation Promotion" event was held at Shanghai Exhibition Center. Garze Prefecture in western China's Sichuan Province, by choosing Shanghai as the staging ground for the event, hopes to stimulate tourism to and investment in the region among travellers and investors from the eastern part of the country and from around the world.

The event will last for eight days, including a three-day "preview" period from May 6 to 8. The official exhibition takes place from May 9 to 12, while the opening ceremony and special presentation will be held between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm on May 9.

Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the western part of China, along the south-eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in an area replete with many tourist attractions, according to chief event organizer Ge Ning. Among the many attractions, the beautiful Minya Konka is also known as the King of Sichuan Mountains, while Cattle Back Mountain is reputed by globetrotters as China's largest 360 degree viewing platform. In addition, Daocheng Yading is known among experienced travelers as "the Last Pure Land on the Blue Planet". Garze has taken a holistic approach to how the region is currently developing its tourism sector, in a move to transform the mountainous region into a world-class travel destination. This year, Garze will hold the 9th Khampa Art Festival, the 7th Kangding International Love Song Festival and the Garze Mountain Festival.

According to one of the organizers, chengduvip.com, an American traveler who lives in Shanghai, Robert, posted a photo of Minya Konka on his Facebook page today, inviting his friends to visit Garze Prefecture. Astonished by the beauty of region, Robert took the photo at the "Holy Garze comes to Shanghai" event.

Shanghai is the economic center of China. The recently opened Shanghai Disneyland has drawn many visitors from across the country. Like Robert, many visitors coming out of Disneyland were impressed and attracted by the natural beauty of Garze.

By selecting Shanghai as the center for its promotional activities, Garze hopes to attract tourism and investment to the region among the visitors to Shanghai, including both local travellers from the eastern part of China as well as those visiting from around the world.

SOURCE chengduvip.com
"The Patient and Provider Location System will make appointments easier, for both our patients and our clinical team," says Gayle Stidsen-Smith, Senior Director of Patient Access and Revenue Cycle, Health Information Management, and Data Integration in Information Services at CHOP. "So many departments came together to make the PPLS a reality, and it's an honor to have that hard work recognized by PACT."

The PPLS is being used in CHOP's Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, located on the Raymond G. Perelman Campus, with plans to expand throughout the CHOP network in the coming years. It works by following interactions between patients and staff, providing visibility within the clinical setting to ensure smooth and efficient flow during the appointment. The system can send a message to hospital personnel when a patient has not had interaction with a clinician or staff for several minutes, ensuring that patients will not go long periods of time without hospital staff checking on them. It will also promote streamlining wait times, resulting in efficiencies and satisfaction for both patients and clinical staff.

The PPLS also improves patient privacy. Nurses in the Buerger Center can use a map view or list view to monitor staff and patients. Patients are given a pager to track their location. The system works with a series of sensors over each exam room door. When someone enters, colored lights turn on above the door in accordance with their designation. For example, a room with a patient would light up yellow, while one with a patient and doctor would light up yellow and purple, signifying a patient is being seen. This way, staff can look down a hallway to see whether a room is occupied without having to go inside. When a patient leaves an exam room, the cleaning staff is automatically notified to disinfect the room, preparing it for the next patient.

The Digital Innovation Award will be presented at PACT's annual black-tie gala on Thursday, May 12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu

Contact: Camillia Travia

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

267-426-6251 (office)

425-492-5007 (cell)

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364661

SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Related Links

http://www.chop.edu


"Each day, emergency physicians are seeing patients who have significant co-pays, up to $400 or more, for emergency care," said Jay Kaplan, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "It might as well be $4,000 for some people. Patients should not be punished financially for having emergencies or discouraged from seeking medical attention when they are sick or injured. No plan is affordable if it abandons you when you need it most."

According to the poll, 8 in 10 emergency physicians are seeing patients with health insurance who have sacrificed or delayed medical care because of high out-of-pocket costs, co-insurance or high deductibles. This is more than a 10-percent increase over 6 months ago when emergency physicians were asked the same question.

In addition, Dr. Kaplan said that health insurance companies are creating narrow networks of medical providers to increase profits, making it more likely that patients will be out of network. They have created a situation whereby patients are receiving additional bills from medical providers.

"Insurance companies must provide fair coverage for their beneficiaries and be transparent about how they calculate payments," said Dr. Kaplan. "They need to pay reasonable charges, rather than setting arbitrary rates that don't even cover the costs of care. Insurance companies are exploiting federal law [EMTALA] to reduce coverage for emergency care knowing emergency departments have a federal mandate to care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay."

When plan reimbursements do not cover the cost of providing services, physicians must choose between billing patients for the difference or going unpaid for their services. The vast majority of emergency physicians and their groups prefer to be "in network."

According to the poll of 1,924 emergency physicians, conducted by ACEP in April 2016:

Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) say most health insurance companies provide less than adequate coverage for emergency care visits to their beneficiaries.

More than 60 percent of emergency physicians have had difficulty in the past year finding in-network specialists to care for patients with a quarter of them saying it happens daily.

91 percent of emergency physicians say a new rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) exempting health insurance companies from meeting minimum standards  to ensure adequate networks would make finding specialists and follow-up care for patients more difficult.

Of the 934 emergency physicians who were knowledgeable about reimbursement issues, more than 80 percent said that insurance companies have reduced the amount they reimburse for emergency care.

79 percent of the emergency physicians who were familiar with the Fair Health database said it is the best mechanism available to ensure transparency and to make sure insurance companies don't miscalculate payments.

Health insurance companies have a long history of not paying for emergency care and of actively discouraging their customers from seeking it. For example, United Healthcare was sued successfully by the State of New York for fraudulently calculating and significantly underpaying doctors for out-of-network medical services. They used the Ingenix database which forced patients to overpay up to 30 percent for out-of-network doctors. The company  which at the time was led by the current acting head of CMS, Andy Slavitt  paid the largest settlement to the state of New York and the American Medical Association. Part of that settlement created the Fair Health database.

"Just because you have health insurance doesn't mean you have coverage," said Dr. Kaplan. "State and federal policymakers need to ensure that health insurance plans provide adequate rosters of physicians and fair payment for emergency services. We encourage all patients to investigate what their health insurance policy covers and demand fair and reasonable coverage for emergency care."

This survey was conducted online in the United States by Marketing General Incorporated on behalf of the American College of Emergency Physicians between April 4-11, 2016, among 1,924 emergency physicians, providing a response rate of 7 percent and a margin of error of 2.2 percent.

ACEP is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

Media Contact and complete poll results:

Mike Baldyga

202-370-9288

[email protected]

www.FairCoverage.org

Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDAPTf7U600

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160505/364224-INFO

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160505/364240

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100616/DC22034LOGO-d

SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)

Related Links

http://www.acep.org


"If you are planning to build a CNG fueling station, J-W PowerFill Technology increases flow rates without increasing horsepower, significantly increases use of onsite storage, reduces starts and stops on equipment, and ultimately enhances the customer's fueling experience," stated James Barr, Vice President J-W Power Company. "We designed and built a CNG compressor package that can decrease fill times significantly by maximizing your on-site fuel storage by allowing the compressor to change the number of stages dynamically to utilize high pressure from storage to yield a higher flow rate."

This patent-pending technology allows the compressor to change the number of stages dynamically to utilize high pressure from storage to yield a higher flow rate. It is currently available in two models, J-W PowerFill and J-W PowerFill Lite. Both options are designed in a 4-stage/2-stage configuration. When in direct-fill mode or when filling storage, both package designs function in 4-stage mode. While a vehicle is fueling, the package automatically switches to 2-stages, increasing the flow rate up to 10x. Storage is typically 30% usable, with J-W PowerFill Technology, over 70% usage can be achieved!

Go to www.jwenergy.com/powerfill to watch the video on J-W PowerFill Technology. Learn about what the CNG experts call revolutionary by contacting us at [email protected].

J-W Power Company's experience having built over 4,000 natural gas compressor packages led to being an authority in the highly-engineered equipment design used in compressed natural gas (CNG) applications. J-W Power Company CNG Refueling Equipment packages are available for sale, with or without maintenance. In addition, the company provides our customers with start-up, commissioning, station equipment installation assistance and contract maintenance services. Customer satisfaction, safety and a culture of commitment come first for J-W Power Company.

J-W Power Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of J-W Energy Company that specializes in leasing, sales, parts and service of natural gas compression packages. J-W Power Company leases and operates its compression lease fleet in the United States with compressor packages ranging from 18 to 1,775 horsepower.

Additional information about the company can be found at www.jwenergy.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Shayla Martin

J-W Power Company

972-233-8191

[email protected]

Providing Natural Gas Compression Equipment Worldwide www.jwenergy.com

Copyright  2016 J-W Energy Company. All rights reserved

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/365084

SOURCE J-W Power Company

Related Links

http://www.jwenergy.com


SAN DIEGO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (NYSE: KKD) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to JAB Holding Company.

Additional Information:



On May 9, 2016, Krispy Kreme announced it had signed a definitive merger agreement with JAB. Under the terms of the agreement, Krispy Kreme shareholders will receive $21.00 in cash for each share held.

The investigation concerns whether the Krispy Kreme board failed to satisfy their duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for Krispy Kreme shares of common stock. Nationally recognized Johnson & Weaver is investigating whether the proposed deal price represents adequate consideration, especially given one Wall Street analyst has a $24.00 price target on the stock.

If you are a shareholder of Krispy Kreme and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ([email protected]) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number where you can be reached.

About Johnson & Weaver, LLP:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonandweaver.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Contact:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Jim Baker, 619-814-4471

[email protected]

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SOURCE Johnson & Weaver, LLP

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BURLINGTON, Ontario, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmark Cinemas Inc. a leading movie theatre chain that operates 46 theatres across 6 regions of Canada, has engaged Energy Advantage Inc. to implement a variety of strategies to drive tangible results in the areas of Energy and Sustainability (E&S).

Neil Campbell, President and CEO of Landmark Cinemas states, "Energy Advantage helped us to identify the magnitude of the cost savings available by focusing on Energy & Sustainability. EA provides us with a world class energy & sustainability department at an affordable price and will have a tremendous impact on helping Landmark increase our bottom line moving forward."

As an out-sourced energy and sustainability manager, Energy Advantage sits on the client's side of the table, ensuring best results are achieved by selecting the right actions, in the right order, with the right partners & suppliers. To achieve material results in year 1 Landmark will implement improved energy procurement practices, outsource certain routine services and complete rigorous testing and evaluation of promising energy savings technologies. A toolkit will be developed to ensure theatre operations staff run the sites as efficiently as possible. As new and innovative technologies become available Energy Advantage will be assisting Landmark to select the best options and to complete thorough, independent analysis to ensure that the promised results are achieved.

These initiatives are a direct result of Energy Advantage first completing an in-depth Total Energy and Environmental Management (or TEEM) Assessment for Landmark. The TEEM Assessment is a tool for senior management to evaluate the performance of all key systems and processes of the company as they relate to energy and sustainability. The assessment helped Landmark establish an overall E&S strategy and identified potential savings of approximately 20%, with many low cost opportunities for immediate action.

ABOUT LANDMARK CINEMAS CANADA

Landmark Cinemas is Canada's second largest motion picture theatre exhibition company. From a single screen in 1965, today Landmark Cinemas continues to provide the perfect setting for popcorn munching Movie Lovers to connect and share the perfect movie-going experience at 45 theatres on 309 screens throughout Western Canada, Ontario and the Yukon Territory including five IMAX, four 'Extra' and one 'Xtreme' screen. We are connected to the communities we serve and our Cast and Crew are proud to support Kids Help Phone programs and initiatives. The corporate headquarters for Landmark Cinemas Canada is located in Calgary, Alberta.

ABOUT ENERGY ADVANTAGE

Energy Advantage Inc. is a North American Leader in providing Total Energy and Sustainability Management Services to clients in the USA and Canada since 1996. EA is not affiliated with any Energy or Sustainability service provider or product vendor. This allows EA to be a completely independent and unbiased advisor when helping clients identify the best opportunities specific to their circumstances and needs, resulting in the greatest return.

For Further Information, Contact:

Landmark Cinemas

Neil Campbell- President & CEO Bill Walker- COO Phone: +1 (403) 254-3976 +1 (403) 254-3990 e-mail: [email protected] e- mail: [email protected]

Energy Advantage

Ian Wilms - Vice President Sales & Marketing

Phone: +1 (905) 319 1717 Ext. 226

Email: [email protected]

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

SOURCE Energy Advantage Inc.

Related Links

https://www.landmarkcinemas.com


SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Les Lunes announces the opening of its first directly-operated store.

The store is located at 3027 Fillmore Street in San Francisco. Bordering the Marina district, Les Lunes new store takes place in the heart of the Cow Hollow neighborhood, at the corner block of Fillmore and Union Street. Known for its restaurants, boutique shopping, health spas and wellness centers, the area is a destination for tourists as well as for locals. This opening asserts Les Lunes as a main fashion actor in the San Francisco retail picture.

They completely refurbished the space with an emphasis on eco-friendly practices, using reclaimed furniture and materials to create a warm, welcoming, natural loft atmosphere with clean lines and artsy flair. Les Lunes is positioned as a French, eco-friendly and ethical brand bridging the Paris - San Francisco Fashion scene. Veering away from fast fashion and the quick-fix cheap brands, Les Lunes is a leader of the slow fashion movement.

Repeat entrepreneur Anna Lecat and French designer Melanie Viallon founded Les Lunes in 2011. Les Lunes stands for stylish, feminine, and comfortable clothing. Maintaining full vertical integration of the company, design and fit is engineered in Paris, while the garments are ethically made in the company managed Atelier in Shanghai. The versatile collections are made from premium soft fabrics sourced from bamboo and include Foundations, Lingerie, Activewear, Casualwear, Ready-to-Wear, and a Men's Underwear and Loungewear lines.

With an international team of 50 in San Francisco, Paris and Shanghai, over 10000 repeat customers, a collection of 75 pieces, totaling 600 SKUs, vertically-integrated operations and proven conversion rates; Les Lunes begins its launch of branded lifestyle stores in the Bay area. Les Lunes aims at 4 stores serving the San Francisco, Palo Alto and Sonoma/Napa County markets to be opened by September 2016.

http://leslunes.com/

Media Contact:

[email protected]

Photos:

http://www.prlog.org/12556105

Press release distributed by PRLog

SOURCE Les Lunes

Related Links

http://www.leslunes.com


SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- LRS IT Solutions announced today that it has added Information Builders to its roster of partners for analytics solutions. A provider of software and services that transform data into business value, Information Builders is headquartered in New York City.

Joe Regan, Senior Manager for LRS IT Solutions, noted that products and services from Information Builders will expand the range of analytics solutions available to IT Solutions customers.

"Our customers have already begun to benefit from the information they can get from the analytics solutions we offer," noted Regan. "Our partnership with Information Builders will enable us to offer a greater range of solutions, including their award-winning WebFOCUS platform."

Information Builders' solutions for business intelligence and analytics, integration and data integrity are fast to deploy, easy to use, and affordable. The product line includes WebFOCUS, the industry's most comprehensive and flexible BI and analytics platform.

"LRS IT Solutions is a welcome addition to our partner ecosystem," said Gerald Cohen, president and CEO, Information Builders. "We look forward to the collaboration, and having the opportunity to extend the capabilities and advantages of our WebFOCUS software to LRS IT Solutions' customers. We have a rich history of helping organizations capitalize on their data and applications to make better, more informed decisions that maximize business performance."

The company has built a reputation as a trusted partner to customers and business partners alike, with a passion for personal and responsive customer service.

Regan emphasized the value partners provide for LRS IT Solutions customers. "We have some of the best technical talent in the industry working on solutions for our clients," he explained. "Our partners, like Information Builders, assist us by providing specialized knowledge of key technologies."

About Information Builders

Information Builders provides solutions for business intelligence (BI), analytics, data integration, and data quality that help drive performance improvements, innovation, and value. Through one set of powerful products, we enable organizations to serve everyone  analysts, non-technical users, even partners, customers, and citizens  with better data and analytics. Our dedication to customer success is unmatched with thousands of organizations relying on us as their trusted partner. Founded in 1975, Information Builders is headquartered in New York, NY, with global offices, and remains one of the largest independent, privately held companies in the industry. Visit us at informationbuilders.com, follow us on Twitter at @infobldrs, like us on Facebook, and visit our LinkedIn page.

About LRS

LRS is a privately-held U.S. company with corporate headquarters located in Springfield, Ill. Remote offices are located throughout the United States and in key geographic regions around the world. Since 1995, the LRS IT Solutions division of LRS has been dedicated to creating Information Technology solutions for customers. Our solutions incorporate the best IT products along with valuable services delivered by our outstanding staff of IT professionals. For more information, visit www.LRS.com.

 Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. All rights reserved. LRS is a registered trademark of Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Joe Regan

Senior Manager

LRS IT Solutions

217-793-3800, x1782

[email protected]

SOURCE LRS IT Solutions

Related Links

http://www.lrs.com


MIAMI, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The innovative Lynx Board, which has been winning accolades from people with joint and muscle conditions, Olympic athletes and even one of America's oldest NFL franchises, The Pittsburgh Steelers, will be featured in an upcoming segment of "Voices In America" hosted by legendary actor James Earl Jones.

The segment highlights the importance of building and maintaining core fitness with a focus on the relatively new phenomena of friction training and the Lynx Board.

"Lynx Fitness is honored to share our expertise from the apex of the friction training movement," explained Lynx Fitness CEO Sheldon Burnett. "Part of our mission is to educate the public about the benefits of core stability for improving posture and countering the effects of poor posture and back problems."

"Voices In America" specializes in 30-minute and short-form Public Television stories highlighting specific industries and topics.

There are a number of advantages to friction training, according to the segment that will air at different dates and times throughout the United States. First and foremost is that it only takes 20 minutes for a total body workout. It's also low impact and can be done in the privacy of one's own home as time permits.

This makes friction training well suited for people who wouldn't otherwise be able to go to a gym, people recovering from an injury and people with chronic joint problems such as osteoarthritis, the program concluded.

"Developed by European athletes, the Lynx Board is truly unique in that it offers full 360-degree range of motion and won't damage joints," added Lynx Fitness President Marc Yahr. "We are delighted to be part of a project that features one of the most recognizable actors in America discussing one of the most important fitness trends in recent memory."

With more than 800 specially designed training techniques that target all major muscle groups, the Lynx Board's patented friction surface uses body weight to provide counter resistance as the user glides in rhythmic precision along a specially engineered surface.

While most people think of abdominals when they discuss core fitness, the term actually refers to multiple sets of muscles that come together to stabilize the spine. They provide balance, stability and protection. They even help with breathing.

Team USA Olympic swimmer Mike Alexandrov recently incorporated the Lynx Board into his training regimen ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro while the Pittsburgh Steelers adopted the Lynx Board as a low-impact training solution that will strengthen players' all-important core and give them greater balance, mobility and stability on the field.

Lynx Fitness experts interviewed for the segment include elite fitness model David Morin and high-energy health and fitness trainer Carmel Rodriguez.

The Home/Gym model of the Lynx Board retails for $329 while the Lynx Travel Board retails for $229 and fits comfortably in the overhead bins of most airplanes. Both models are available with free shipping at LynxFitness.com.

About Lynx Fitness

Established in 2015 and founded by elite fitness expert David Morin, Lynx Fitness specializes in innovative, low-impact fitness solutions. The flagship product, the Lynx Board, features patented friction technology for a time-efficient and effective full body workout. For more information, please visit: www.lynxfitness.com

About 'Voices In America'

"Voices In America" boasts award-winning producers, writers, videographers and editors with more than 100 years of cumulative production experience. By capturing the true essence of each short-form documentary, the program is able to effectively educate and communicate the most crucial stories to a wide audience through Public Television distribution. "Voices In America" is hosted by acclaimed actor James Earl Jones. For more information, visit voicesinamericamedia.com.

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SOURCE Lynx Fitness

Related Links

http://www.lynxfitness.com


CRACOW, Poland, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Cracow - Poland will be headquartered at booths 1504-1505 at McCormick Place. Come and find out about the latest Polish titles, the Polish Book Institute's New Books from Poland catalogue with our guides: Modern Classics, Polish Poetry, Crime Fiction. We will show recent examples of Polish literature translated into English, as well as books in the humanities and history, with particular focus on works co-financed by the POLAND Translation Program, along with books from Polish publishers. Our exhibition, It's Strange World: 20 Illustrators From Poland, presents illustrations and books by twenty Polish children's book artists from the internationally acclaimed Iwona Chmielewska to the youngest figures on the scene - Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski. With Witcher creators, CD Projekt, readers and gamers can check out books and comics inspired by the fantasy fiction of Andrzej Sapkowski, and Witcher fans can play games in the Witcher corner. WWII buffs can watch films accompanying books on the war published by Aquila Polonica.

Twenty seven Polish exhibitors have declared their presence at the fair! Also English-speaking audiences can meet Polish authors at events outside the convention, featuring writers whose books have been published in the US: Artur Domosawski , Agata Tuszynska, Magdalena Tulli, Krystyna Dabrowska and Zygmunt Mioszewski, as well as authors of children's books: Aleksandra and Daniel Mizielinski, and Magorzata Gurowska with Joanna Ruszczyk.

The full program available at: booksfrompoland.org

The organizer of the literary program in Chicago is the Polish Book Institute, in cooperation with the Polish Cultural Institute New York. Media Partner: PAP PRESS CENTER

Szymon Kloska, [email protected] , +48-666-839-290

SOURCE The Polish Book Institute
CHICAGO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In the most competitive World Beer Cup to date, MillerCoors continued its long tradition of excellence at the industry's most prestigious competitions.

Regarded as the "Olympics of Beer Competition," the World Beer Cup saw an impressive field of 6,596 entries from 1,907 breweries in 55 countries.

Miller Brewing Company earned top honors as champion brewery and brewmaster in the large brewing company category, with Miller Lite winning a gold award in the Light Lager category and Miller High Life taking silver in the American-Style Lager category. In addition, Blue Moon Brewing Company's Blue Moon First Peach Ale won a gold award in the Fruit Wheat category.

"We are thrilled to receive this recognition from the most competitive World Beer Cup to date," said Warren Quilliam, MillerCoors senior director of brewing and malting. "Day in and day out we work hard to brew the highest quality beer possible. That commitment starts in the barley field and extends to each of our passionate and committed brewery workers. To win three awards plus champion brewery and brewmaster is a testament to their passion, commitment and dedication."

This is not the first time a MillerCoors brewery has earned the title of champion brewery and brewmaster at the World Beer Cup, with Blue Moon Brewing Co. accomplishing the feat in 2008, Coors Brewing Co. in 2014 and Miller Brewing Co. in 2006 and 2004.

Miller Lite also has a celebrated past in the American Style Light Lager category earning previous gold honors in 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2006. In addition, this is the third award for Miller High Life in the American Style Lager category, after winning gold in both 2002 and 2006. The impressive history continues with Blue Moon Brewing, which took home a gold medal in 1998 for Abbey Ale in the Belgian-Style Pale Ale category and a silver medal in 2012 for Blue Moon Vintage Blonde Ale in the Fruit Wheat category. This year's winning Blue Moon First Peach Ale is a recent addition to the Blue Moon family and is a Belgian-inspired Brown Ale with a slightly tart peach note balanced with caramel malts.

Since 1996, MillerCoors has won a combined 291 medals at the Great American Beer Festival and the bi-annual World Beer Cup, both hosted by the Brewers Association. Gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition's 96 beer-style categories were presented May 6 during the World Beer Cup award ceremony at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. This year, 287 medals were awarded to some of the best commercial breweries with winners from 253 breweries. This year's competition saw 6,596 beers from 1,907 breweries representing 55 countries  a 38.5 percent increase in the number of entries from the 2014 World Beer Cup.

About MillerCoors

Through its diverse collection of storied breweries, MillerCoors brings American beer drinkers an unmatched selection of the highest quality beers, flavored malt beverages and ciders, steeped in centuries of brewing heritage. Miller Brewing Company and Coors Brewing Company offer domestic favorites such as Coors Light, Coors Banquet, Miller Lite and Miller High Life. Tenth and Blake Beer Company, our craft and import division, offers beers such as Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy from sixth-generation Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, and Blue Moon Belgian White from modern craft pioneer Blue Moon Brewing Company, founded in 1995. Tenth and Blake also imports world-renowned beers such as Italy's Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the Czech Republic's Pilsner Urquell and the Netherlands' Grolsch. MillerCoors also operates Crispin Cider Company, an artisanal maker of pear and apple ciders using fresh-pressed American juice, and offers pioneering new brands such as the Redd's Apple and Redd's Wicked Apple franchises, Smith & Forge Hard Cider and Henry's Hard Sodas. MillerCoors seeks to become America's best beer company through an uncompromising promise of quality, a keen focus on innovation and a deep commitment to sustainability. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.

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SOURCE MillerCoors
"Johnny is a tremendous example of the positive results that can happen when children are provided a top-notch education, a nurturing environment, and the opportunity to find and hone their passions," said Pete Gurt '85, president of MHS. "He is applying the values he learned at Milton Hershey School  principles like hard work and service to others  to share his gift of music. He is an outstanding role model for our students of what they can achieve with perseverance, dedication, and an enthusiasm for serving others."

The MHS Alumnus of the Year Award began in 1954. Recipients of the award have demonstrated humanitarianism and exemplary service to others, achieved distinguished service in their careers, and exhibited high standards of achievements, both personally and professionally.

Mills enrolled at MHS when he was four, and discovered his gift for music while at the School. He was a member of the marching band, went on spring tour with the Glee Club, performed in Parent Weekend programs and served as the principal drummer in the Spartan Orchestra.

Several adults on campus helped nurture Mills' musical talent. His Senior Division housefather allowed Mills and members of his band to use a small outbuilding near their student home for practice. "We would spend hours and hours jamming and practicing songs in that old shed," Mills said.

After graduating from MHS, he traveled from city to city in an attempt to launch his musical career, but had little success. In 1979, he returned to central Pennsylvania where he met and married his wife, Anita, and they began to raise a family. It was then Mills took the advice of his MHS mentor, the late Warren Cromleigh '39, and began taking private lessons with legendary jazz drummer Joe Morrello.

In addition to studying with Morrello, he played in three local bands while working a full-time job to support his growing family. In the mid-1980s, a chance meeting with drummer John Dittrich of the country-rock band Restless Heart prompted Johnny to move his family to Nashville.

His big break came when he was invited to audition for legendary star of stage and screen Jerry Reed. Mills was Reed's exclusive drummer for 12 years. He recorded four CDs with Reed and can be heard on his #1 parody hit, "Tryin' Stuff On," and the video recordings "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "East Bound and Down," and "She Got the Gold Mine (I Got the Shaft)."

Mills has recorded with other well-known musicians, including guitarist Brent Mason and legendary saxophone player for the Beatles Jim Horn. Having toured both nationally and internationally, he has shared the stage with artists such as Chet Atkins, Shelby Lynne, Glen Campbell, Bill Monroe, Darryl Worley, Dierks Bentley, The Smothers Brothers, The New Jersey Symphony, Bobby Bare and other Grammy Award-winning artists.

Mills has made numerous radio and television appearances, including "The Grand Ole Opry," "Academy of Country Music Awards," "The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards," "Jerry Lewis Telethon," "Nashville Now" and "Primetime Country."

Beyond his career, he is an active member of his Fairview, Tennessee community. He also volunteers at his church, is a member of two local Nashville bands that play for charities and fundraisers, and donates time to Achilles International. He uses his music industry knowledge to mentor and advise students and those trying to break into the music business. He also volunteered with his local high school band and drum line. Mills credits the examples of Milton S. Hershey and his mentor, Warren Cromleigh '39, with teaching him the value of giving back.

"As a student I used to walk past the photos on the wall of the Alumni of the Year and think it would be amazing to see my name up there someday," Mills said. "The fact that it happened is humbling."

Milton Hershey School will honor Mills during a special recognition dinner on Saturday, June 11. He will address students and staff in a tribute to MHS founders Milton and Catherine Hershey during commencement on Sunday, June 12.

More information about Milton Hershey School can be found at mhskids.org.

ABOUT MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL

Milton Hershey School is one of the world's best private schools, offering a top-notch education and positive home life to children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade from families of lower income at no charge.

Contact: Keri Straub, Senior Media Relations Manager for Milton Hershey School, (717) 520-2212 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Milton Hershey School

Related Links

http://www.mhskids.org/


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- American Media, Inc. (AMI), the leading publisher of celebrity magazines and websites in the United States, has become the dominant force in the United Kingdom as well, recently capturing The ACE Press Award, the highest accolade in British publishing and circulation, for the Best International Publication delivered in the U.K.

In winning this prize, The National ENQUIRER bested The New York Review of Books and The New Yorker, published by Conde Nast USA.

The National ENQUIRER's U.K. edition has also bucked the international trend of circulation/newsstand declines, becoming the magazine consumers are turning to as its competitors continue to fade. While the celebrity news category in the U.K. is overall down 17 percent, The National ENQUIRER is the only growing product, posting an 11 percent gain in circulation. Several other magazines have seen losses from 20 to 30 percent. Following that remarkable growth, in 2016 The National ENQUIRER has already seen 13 percent circulation gains over comparable 2015 issues.

The National ENQUIRER offers a mix of breaking news, Hollywood scandals and investigative journalism that over six million American readers enjoy each week. Over the years, it has received international recognition for its reporting on Tiger Woods' cheating and O.J. Simpson's trial. In 2015, The National ENQUIRER broke the underage sex abuse claims involving Britain's Prince Andrew, Ben Affleck's divorce, Hulk Hogan's racist rants, Bruce Jenner's sex swap, world exclusive photos of Harrison Ford's near-fatal plane crash, Val Kilmer's cancer scare, and most stunningly, revealing Charlie Sheen's shocking HIV secret. The ENQUIRER also previously received Pulitzer Prize consideration for its story on John Edwards that caused the downfall of the former U.S. presidential hopeful.

"There is no other magazine on newsstands that covers today's major Hollywood celebrities and international figures with the energy found at The National ENQUIRER," said David J. Pecker, AMI Chairman, President and CEO. "We are honored by this prestigious award, and grateful to the many British fans who have become our loyal readers."

Dylan Howard, Editor-in-Chief of The National ENQUIRER and Chief Content Officer at AMI, added: "British readers are quickly learning The National ENQUIRER has the best reporting, the best sources, the best writing and most importantly, the best scoops on the planet. This award, and our continued success in this market, will fuel our enthusiasm and drive us to uncover the next big story for our British fans."

About American Media, Inc.

American Media, Inc. (AMI) owns and operates the leading print and digital celebrity and active lifestyle media brands in the United States. AMI's titles include National Enquirer, Star, OK!, Globe, National Examiner, Soap Opera Digest, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Flex and Muscle & Fitness Hers. AMI also manages 10 different digital sites including RadarOnline.com, OKmagazine.com, MensFitness.com and MuscleandFitness.com. AMI's magazines have a combined total circulation of 2.1+ million and reach more than 37 million men and women each month. AMI's digital properties reach an average of 50 million unique visitors and over 350 million page views monthly.

SOURCE American Media, Inc.
HOUSTON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DNV GL  Business Assurance USA, Inc. today issued to Noble Energy a certificate of compliance to the SEMS (Safety and Environmental Systems) standard, which represents the highest criteria for safe operations of offshore drilling platforms. This compliance certification is based on audits of Noble Energy's facilities and workflows supporting the Tamar natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel.

Remi Eriksen, President & CEO DNV GL; Binyamin Zomer, Noble Energy Israel Country Manager; and Scott Childres, Noble Energy Vice President, Eastern Mediterranean

"Achieving SEMS compliance is tangible proof of the company's commitment to safety and environmental leadership," says Remi Eriksen, President & CEO for DNV GL. "SEMS requirements are rigorous and exhaustive. These requirements cannot be met without total organizational commitment and transparency."

In assessing Noble Energy's Tamar operations, DNV GL  Business Assurance USA, Inc. utilized SEMS audit protocols developed by the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) for the Gulf of Mexico. BSEE requires SEMS auditors to be certified by the Center for Offshore Safety (COS), which promotes safety for offshore operations through effective leadership, communication, teamwork, utilization of disciplined management systems and independent third-party auditing and certification. DNV GL Business Assurance USA, Inc. is a COS-accredited audit service-provider.

"We are committed to operate to the highest standards across our global operational areas," said Scott Childres, Vice President of Operations for Eastern Mediterranean at Noble Energy. "We have been working with the Israel Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Resources to develop a world-class industry in Israel since we made the first offshore discovery in 1999. Natural gas from the Tamar Field currently fuels more than half of Israel's electricity generation needs and nearly all of the country's industrial fuel requirements. Receiving this certificate of compliance from a distinguished organization like DNV GL is a testament to our unrelenting commitment to safe and responsible operations that provide reliable energy resources to the people of Israel."

"Our work with Noble Energy's Israeli operations is our first SEMS audit outside of North America, and could set the standard for other areas of the world," adds Eriksen.

About DNV Business Assurance

DNV Business Assurance is a world-leading certification body with 1,600 employees worldwide helping customers build sustainable business performance and build stakeholder trust. DNV Business Assurance is part of the DNV GL Group, an independent foundation established in 1864 with the purpose to safeguard life, property and the environment. For more information, visit www.dnvglcert.com

About Noble Energy

Noble Energy is an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company with a diversified high-quality portfolio of both U.S. unconventional and global offshore conventional assets spanning three continents. Founded more than 80 years ago, the company is committed to safely and responsibly delivering our purpose: Energizing the World, Bettering People's Lives. For more information, visit www.nobleenergyinc.com.

Media Contact:

Faith Beaty

281-396-1757

Email

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160506/364798

SOURCE DNV GL

Related Links

http://www.dnvglcert.com


QUEBEC CITY, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Novik, a premier manufacturer of shakes, stones and accessory products that replicate the natural beauty and texture of wood and stone materials, has signed a distribution agreement with Falls City Lumber, Co., of Louisville, KY, with a supporting location in Sharonville, OH. Falls City Lumber will supply the full line of Novik products, including NovikShake and NovikStone to dealers in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and parts of West Virginia.

"We are very pleased to partner with Falls City Lumber, a company with the perfect mix of products that complement Novik product lines," said Ralph Bruno, President, Novik Sales Corp. "This is an exciting distribution milestone for Novik, as NovikShake and NovikStone extend to a strong region for the brand."

A full service lumber distributor since 1985, Falls City Lumber provides dealers with a wide range of building products, including fiber cement siding, wood and composite decking and Versatex trimall perfect complements to NovikShake and NovikStone, according to Bruno.

"Novik products provide great options for our dealers," said, Bill Kronauer, VP and General Manager, Falls City Lumber, Co. "With luxurious looks and lower maintenance Novik is right in line with the trend toward a mixed material look on homes, with siding, shake and stoneNovik presents a great opportunity to blend these different textures and colors."

NovikStone is a rich, natural looking stone product that replicates the elegance of stone but installs faster and easier than stone or stone veneers. NovikShake's line of StainNatural products, in six rich colors, are the first in the industry to offer a true wood stain on a polymer shake, that installs quickly and easily. To learn more, visit www.novik.com .

To learn more about Falls City Lumber, visit www.fallscitylumber.com



About Novik

Novik is a premier manufacturer of NovikShake, NovikStone and accents that replicate the natural beauty and texture of wood and stone materials. At the forefront of technology, Novik offers attainable luxury that is attractive and easy to install. For more information, visit www.novik.com.

About Falls City Lumber Co.

Falls City Lumber is a full service specialty wholesale lumber company providing quality products from quality suppliers since 1985. Falls City Lumber's corporate office and warehouse facility is located in Louisville, Kentucky. An additional sales office and supporting distribution yard is located Sharonville, Ohio. Visit www.fallscitylumber.com

SOURCE Novik

Related Links

http://www.novik.com


VANCOUVER, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Orex Minerals Inc.  (TSX-V: REX) ("Orex"), is pleased to announce that the Phase-II diamond drilling program continues to intercept silver mineralization on the Sandra Escobar Project in Durango, Mexico. Assays for five more drill holes are now available. These include holes SA-16-018 to SA-16-022 in the southeastern region of the project. The Sandra Escobar Project is being advanced by Orex under an option agreement with Canasil Resources Inc.  (TSX.V: CLZ) ("Canasil").

Highlight for this batch of holes is SA-16-019, which yielded 60 metres core length (49.2 m true thickness) grading 205 g/t silver, starting 16 metres vertically below surface. Within this is a sub-interval of 15 metres (12.3 m true thickness) grading 375 g/t silver.

Orex's President, Gary Cope says, "Drilling at Sandra Escobar continues to yield thick intercepts of disseminated silver mineralization. Discussions with consulting firms have started for metallurgical testing and resource estimation studies."

Sandra Escobar Project  2015-2016 Diamond Drilling Program  Holes 18 to 22 Hole From (m) To (m) Core Length (m) True Thick. (m) Ag (g/t) FA











SA-16-018 a 50.00 89.00 39.00 31.95 119 Includes 60.00 85.00 25.00 20.48 146 Includes 61.00 64.00 3.00 2.46 224 Includes 61.00 62.00 1.00 0.82 285 SA-16-018 b 120.50 137.00 16.50 13.52 46 Includes 131.00 137.00 6.00 4.91 72











SA-16-019 24.00 84.00 60.00 49.15 205 Includes 42.70 74.00 31.30 25.64 284 Includes 59.00 74.00 15.00 12.29 375 Includes 60.00 61.00 1.00 0.82 1,550











SA-16-020 46.00 113.00 67.00 63.50 88 Includes 46.00 77.00 31.00 29.38 114 Includes 50.00 68.00 18.00 17.06 139 Includes 53.00 55.00 2.00 1.90 228











SA-16-021 44.50 75.00 30.50 28.50 110 Includes 49.00 74.00 25.00 23.36 116 Includes 49.00 62.00 13.00 12.14 132 Includes 52.00 53.00 1.00 0.93 184











SA-16-022 69.00 94.00 25.00 24.00 70 Includes 71.00 85.00 14.00 13.44 86 Includes 76.00 79.00 3.00 2.88 142 Includes 76.00 77.00 1.00 0.96 189













Kluane Drilling Ltd. provides the drilling services utilizing an environmentally low-impact KD-1000 man-portable diamond drill rig.

Silver mineralization is hosted on the north side of a rhyolite volcanic dome. An altered and highly permeable volcaniclastic unit contains disseminations of silver bearing minerals and broadly spaced stockwork veinlets. The current working model has a porphyritic rhyolite unit as an impermeable cap, which may have focused mineralizing fluids into the host permeable volcaniclastic unit.

True thicknesses are estimated based on structural and stratigraphic interpretations. A map showing the locations of the drill holes and a sample cross section are available on the Orex website.

Orex maintains a QA/QC sampling protocol for the diamond drilling program, including the insertion of commercial analytical standards and blank samples. Analytical testing is performed by SGS Mineral Services. Silver values are determined by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Multi-element analyses are also determined using a 4-acid digestion and ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry).

Sandra Escobar Silver-Gold Project, Durango, Mexico

Sandra Escobar is situated north of the town of Tepehuanes, Durango, in the heart of the "Mexican Silver Trend", midway between the mining districts of Tovar and Guanacevi and is 75 km west of Silver Standard's La Pitarrilla. This prolific trend hosts some of the world's largest silver camps and deposits, including Fresnillo, Guanajuato, La Pitarrilla, La Preciosa, Real de Angeles and Zacatecas.

The project consists of 6,976 hectares of mineral concessions and covers multiple mineralized epithermal quartz veins and breccia structures. These veins form a high level silver-gold-base metals system, hosted in andesitic and rhyolitic rocks, centered on a large rhyolite dome complex in the north and silver systems in smaller rhyolite dome complexes to the southeast. Intense alteration zones and fluid flooding in permeable formations indicates the presence of bulk tonnage targets. Excellent infrastructure exists in the Sandra Escobar area, including paved road access, electrical power, water and manpower from nearby communities.

Ben Whiting, P.Geo., and Dale Brittliffe, P.Geo., are Qualified Persons, as defined in NI 43-101, and take responsibility for the technical disclosure contained within this news release.

ABOUT OREX MINERALS INC.

Orex is a Canadian-based junior exploration company comprised of highly qualified mining professionals. Orex has several current projects: the Coneto Gold-Silver Project in Durango, Mexico, a joint venture with Fresnillo PLC, the Jumping Josephine Gold-Silver Project in British Columbia, Canada, plus this newest Sandra Escobar Silver Project in Durango, Mexico, with Canasil Resources Inc.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Gary Cope

President

This News Release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements and Orex undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Orex Minerals Inc.

Related Links

www.orexminerals.com


OKLAHOMA CITY, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- PANHANDLE OIL AND GAS INC. (NYSE: PHX) today reported financial and operating results for the Company's fiscal second quarter and six months ended March 31, 2016.

SIGNIFICANT ITEMS FOR THE PERIODS ENDED MARCH 31, 2016

Recorded fiscal second quarter 2016 net loss of $7,438,161 , $0.44 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $704,207 , $0.04 per diluted share, for the 2015 quarter.

, per diluted share, as compared to net income of , per diluted share, for the 2015 quarter. Recorded six month 2016 net loss of $10,237,279 , $0.61 per diluted share, compared to net income of $10,937,968 , $0.65 per diluted share, for the 2015 six months.

, per diluted share, compared to net income of , per diluted share, for the 2015 six months. Incurred 2016 six-month non-cash impairment provision of $11,849,064 .

. Generated cash from operating activities of $10,566,650 for the 2016 six-month period, well in excess of $2,554,543 of capital expenditures for drilling and equipping wells.

for the 2016 six-month period, well in excess of of capital expenditures for drilling and equipping wells. Received lease bonus proceeds of $3.2 million in first six months of fiscal 2016 (as of May 9, 2016 , lease bonus received has totaled approximately $5.9 million ).

in first six months of fiscal 2016 (as of , lease bonus received has totaled approximately ). Reported 2016 second-quarter and six-month production of 2,786,303 Mcfe and 5,929,703 Mcfe, respectively.

Reduced debt $10.5 million from Sept. 30, 2015 , to $54.5 million through March 31, 2016 (as of May 9, 2016 , balance is $51 million ).

from , to through (as of , balance is ). Proved reserves totaled 144.9 Bcfe at March 31, 2016 .

FISCAL SECOND QUARTER 2016 RESULTS

For the 2016 second quarter, the Company recorded net loss of $7,438,161, or $0.44 per diluted share. This compared to net income of $704,207, or $0.04 per diluted share, for the 2015 second quarter. Net cash provided by operating activities decreased 77% to $2,916,432 for the 2016 second quarter, versus the 2015 second quarter. Capital expenditures for the 2016 fiscal quarter totaled $1,268,429 and continue to be principally directed toward oil and NGL rich plays in south central Oklahoma including the SCOOP and STACK plays. In addition, the Company recorded an $8.1 million non-cash provision for impairment in the 2016 quarter, as compared to a $1.2 million provision in the 2015 quarter.

Total revenues for the 2016 second quarter were $7,587,091, a 48% decrease from $14,679,034 for the 2015 quarter. Oil, NGL and natural gas sales decreased $6,301,363 or 51% in the 2016 quarter, compared to the 2015 quarter, as a result of a 19% decrease in Mcfe production and a 39% decrease in the average per Mcfe sales price. The average sales price per Mcfe of production during the 2016 second quarter was $2.20, compared to $3.60 for the 2015 second quarter. The 2016 quarter included a $1 million gain on derivative contracts, as compared to a $1.9 million gain for the 2015 quarter. The Company will typically hedge 40-60% of its expected production volumes of oil and gas for a duration of up to one year.

Oil production decreased 21% in the 2016 quarter to 90,760 barrels, versus 114,567 barrels in the 2015 quarter, while gas production decreased 19% to 2,014,139 Mcf for the 2016 quarter, compared to the 2015 quarter. In addition, 37,934 barrels of NGL were sold in the 2016 quarter, as compared to 48,681 barrels in the 2015 quarter.

SIX MONTHS 2016 RESULTS

For the 2016 six months, the Company recorded a net loss of $10,237,279, or $0.61 per diluted share. This compared to a net income of $10,937,968, or $0.65 per diluted share, for the 2015 six months. Net cash provided by operating activities decreased 62% year over year to $10,566,650 for the 2016 six months, versus the 2015 six months. Again, cash flow from operations fully funded costs to drill and equip wells for the six months. Capital expenditures for the 2016 six months totaled $2,554,543. The Company recorded an $11.8 million non-cash provision for impairment in the 2016 six months, as compared to a $3.4 million provision in the 2015 period.

Total revenues for the 2016 six months were $19,049,216, a 58% decrease from $45,678,204 for the 2015 six months. Oil, NGL and natural gas sales decreased $16,765,775 or 52% in the 2016 six months, compared to the 2015 six months, as a result of an 18% decrease in Mcfe production and a 42% decrease in the average per Mcfe sales price. The average sales price per Mcfe of production during the 2016 six months was $2.56, compared to $4.44 for the 2015 six months. The 2016 six months included a $.9 million gain on derivative contracts as compared to a $13.2 million gain for the 2015 period.

Oil production decreased 15% in the 2016 six months to 197,122 barrels from 231,150 barrels in the 2015 six months, while gas production decreased 845,877 Mcf, or 17%, compared to the 2015 six months. In addition, 85,985 barrels of NGL were sold in the 2016 six months, which was a 29% decrease compared to 2015 NGL volumes.

RESERVES UPDATE

March 31, 2016, mid-year proved reserves were 144.9 Bcfe, as calculated by the Company's consulting petroleum engineering firm, DeGolyer and MacNaughton. This was a decrease of 19.5%, compared to the 180.0 Bcfe of proved reserves at Sept. 30, 2015. SEC prices used for the March 31, 2016, report averaged $2.14 per Mcf for natural gas, $40.07 per barrel for oil and $13.24 per barrel for NGL, compared to $2.84 per Mcf for natural gas, $55.27 per barrel for oil and $19.10 per barrel for NGL at the Sept. 30, 2015, report. The above prices reflect net at the wellhead prices. Total proved developed reserves decreased 15.9% to 90.9 Bcfe, as compared to Sept. 30, 2015, reserve volumes.

Paul Blanchard, Senior Vice President and COO, said: "The Company's 2016 mid-year reserves were down approximately 35 Bcfe as a result of the dramatically lower product prices experienced in the last six months. This fall in product prices produced a decrease in proved developed reserves of 12.6 Bcfe due to wells reaching their projected economic limits much earlier than projected using Sept. 30, 2015, prices. PUD reserves declined 17.7 Bcfe as many future drilling locations became uneconomic at this quarter's SEC mandated product prices. In addition, due to extremely low commodity prices, the Company produced 4.5 Bcfe more than was added through new drilling and completion activity during the six-month period.

"The reserves associated with the product pricing revisions are still in place and will be brought back into the Company's reserve report when prices recover to a level seen in the 2015 year-end report. All of Panhandle's proved, probable and possible locations are either on Company owned perpetual minerals or held-by-production leasehold, and therefore, there is no potential for locations being lost through the expiration of leases at the end of their primary terms."

MANAGEMENT COMMENTS

Michael C. Coffman, President and CEO, said: "2016 continues to shape up as one of, if not the most difficult years the energy industry has ever seen. Panhandle is experiencing many of the issues other companies have faced.

"The low oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids prices have dramatically reduced our revenues and resulting cash flows. In addition, non-cash impairment charges resulting from the low commodity prices have resulted in large losses for the Company. These impairment charges reduce the carrying value of producing properties on the Company's books to a point-in-time (March 31, 2016) estimated market valuation."

Coffman continued: "Thus far in fiscal 2016, we have incurred $11.8 million, pre-tax, of impairment charges. These charges are excluded in financial covenant calculations of our loan agreement. The borrowing base under our loan agreement will be reset in June 2016, and we expect the borrowing base to be reduced from the current $100 million. We expect it to be set at a level that provides ample liquidity for the Company to continue to employ its normal operating strategies."

OPERATIONS UPDATE

Panhandle continues to actively lease out selected mineral holdings during this commodity price downturn. The strategy behind this activity is to lease out minerals in cases where we believe the present value of the lease bonus plus the royalty will ultimately exceed the risked present value of participating with a working interest in wells drilled on these mineral holdings.

Thus far in the current fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2015  May 9, 2016) leases have totaled 6,327 net mineral acres and included approximately $5.9 million of lease bonus receipts (ranging from $100 per acre to $4,300 per acre). The leased mineral acreage covers the following areas in Oklahoma and Texas:

4,057 acres in the Permian Basin in Cochran County, Texas . We maintain the right to buy back up to a 10% working interest on a unit-by-unit basis. This lease has a three-year primary term with the right to renew with an additional lease bonus. 685 acres in the STACK play in Canadian, Blaine , Custer and Dewey Counties, Oklahoma . The majority of these leases have a four-year primary term. No Cana Core acreage was leased; Panhandle therefore maintains all of its pre-existing rights to participate with a working interest in that play. 1,226 acres in northwest Dewey and southern Woodward Counties, Oklahoma . This is viewed by some as a potential STACK expansion area.

The primarily targeted formations in each of these areas are predominately either limestone or sandstone. By their nature, these reservoirs can be very complex and tend to produce much more variable results than consistent shale resource plays such as the Cana and SCOOP Woodford cores. Generally, there are significant variations over short distances in the reservoir properties in many limestone and sandstone reservoirs leading to potentially wide variations in well-to-well productivity. In fact, the primary target in the STACK and STACK expansion play is the Meramec formation, which is a sub-member of the Mississippian Limestone and has a several-decade long history of producing highly variable wells across northern, central and western Oklahoma. Any mineral acres not drilled within the primary term of the leases will once again become unleased minerals on Panhandle's books.

In all but the Cochran County lease, by leasing we relinquished the right to participate in these units as a working interest owner during the term of the lease; however, we will retain the royalty interest and the perpetual minerals. Royalty interests are considerably more valuable than an equivalent working interest because they do not bear capital investments or operating expenses.

In essence, these transactions eliminate the risk of investing capital in plays and extensions of plays that have materially more risk than drilling in the cores of shale resource plays, while at the same time preserving risked value through lease bonus payments and potential future royalty income streams.

We are also in late stage negotiations to lease out additional mineral rights, which if completed would result in additional meaningful lease bonuses to the Company.

Lease operating expenses were reduced by 10% when comparing the first six months of 2016 to 2015. This decrease was principally due to field optimization work on our Eagle Ford properties.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Statements of Operations

























Three Months Ended March 31,

Six Months Ended March 31,

2016

2015

2016

2015 Revenues: (unaudited)

(unaudited) Oil, NGL and natural gas sales $ 6,136,186

$ 12,437,549

$ 15,191,474

$ 31,957,249 Lease bonuses and rentals

481,553



253,050



2,907,057



282,341 Gains (losses) on derivative contracts

975,113



1,900,162



940,177



13,150,427 Income (loss) from partnerships

(5,761)



88,273



10,508



288,187



7,587,091



14,679,034



19,049,216



45,678,204 Costs and expenses:





















Lease operating expenses

3,187,353



4,376,996



6,753,889



9,162,346 Production taxes

229,140



399,157



550,981



1,021,669 Exploration costs

1,159



3,105



28,949



28,457 Depreciation, depletion and amortization

6,045,883



5,811,590



13,003,535



11,950,609 Provision for impairment

8,115,791



1,208,645



11,849,064



3,400,642 Loss (gain) on asset sales and other

27,134



(7,145)



(242,572)



(9,127) Interest expense

342,348



409,276



702,910



812,009 General and administrative

1,651,444



1,850,203



3,563,523



3,808,631 Bad debt expense (recovery)

-



-



19,216



-



19,600,252



14,051,827



36,229,495



30,175,236 Income (loss) before provision (benefit) for income taxes

(12,013,161)



627,207



(17,180,279)



15,502,968























Provision (benefit) for income taxes

(4,575,000)



(77,000)



(6,943,000)



4,565,000























Net income (loss) $ (7,438,161)

$ 704,207

$ (10,237,279)

$ 10,937,968







































































Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per common share $ (0.44)

$ 0.04

$ (0.61)

$ 0.65























Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding:





















Common shares

16,579,116



16,514,435



16,571,488



16,504,512 Unissued, directors' deferred compensation shares

259,381



266,066



258,206



265,503



16,838,497



16,780,501



16,829,694



16,770,015























Dividends declared per share of common stock and paid in period





















$ 0.04

$ 0.04

$ 0.08

$ 0.08

























Balance Sheets













March 31, 2016

Sept. 30, 2015 Assets (unaudited)





Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents $ 486,630

$ 603,915 Oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivables (net of allowance for uncollectable accounts)

4,231,534



7,895,591









Refundable income taxes

1,121,703



345,897 Refundable production taxes

454,018



476,001 Derivative contracts, net

330,751



4,210,764 Other

331,845



252,016 Total current assets

6,956,481



13,784,184











Properties and equipment, at cost, based on









successful efforts accounting:









Producing oil and natural gas properties

433,557,440



441,141,337 Non-producing oil and natural gas properties

7,643,408



8,293,997 Other

1,060,392



1,393,559



442,261,240



450,828,893 Less accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization

(240,429,941)



(228,036,803) Net properties and equipment

201,831,299



222,792,090











Investments

167,663



2,248,999 Total assets $ 208,955,443

$ 238,825,273











Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity









Current liabilities:









Accounts payable $ 1,447,314

$ 2,028,746 Deferred income taxes

312,100



1,517,100 Accrued liabilities and other

936,629



1,330,901 Total current liabilities

2,696,043



4,876,747











Long-term debt

54,500,000



65,000,000 Deferred income taxes

32,918,907



39,118,907 Asset retirement obligations

2,895,488



2,824,944











Stockholders' equity:









Class A voting common stock, $.0166 par value;









24,000,000 shares authorized, 16,863,004 issued at March 31, 2016, and Sept. 30, 2015











280,938



280,938 Capital in excess of par value

3,000,554



2,993,119 Deferred directors' compensation

3,242,150



3,084,289 Retained earnings

113,871,183



125,446,473



120,394,825



131,804,819 Less treasury stock, at cost; 280,624 shares at March 31, 2016, and 302,623 shares at Sept. 30, 2015











(4,449,820)



(4,800,144) Total stockholders' equity

115,945,005



127,004,675 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 208,955,443

$ 238,825,273

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows













Six months ended March 31,

2016

2015 Operating Activities (unaudited) Net income (loss) $ (10,237,279)

$ 10,937,968 Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:



















Depreciation, depletion and amortization

13,003,535



11,950,609 Impairment

11,849,064



3,400,642 Provision for deferred income taxes

(7,405,000)



2,698,000 Exploration costs

28,949



28,457 Gain from leasing of fee mineral acreage

(2,906,480)



(281,124) Net (gain) loss on sale of assets

(271,080)



- Income from partnerships

(10,508)



(288,187) Distributions received from partnerships

32,632



395,852 Directors' deferred compensation expense

168,402



169,464 Restricted stock awards

508,095



531,243 Bad debt expense (recovery)

19,216



- Cash provided (used) by changes in assets and liabilities:









Oil, NGL and natural gas sales receivables

3,644,841



6,588,410 Fair value of derivative contracts

3,880,013



(8,588,328) Refundable production taxes

21,983



26,625 Other current assets

(79,829)



26,579 Accounts payable

(510,114)



(41,635) Income taxes receivable

(775,806)



- Income taxes payable

-



503,394 Accrued liabilities

(393,984)



(404,053) Total adjustments

20,803,929



16,715,948 Net cash provided by operating activities

10,566,650



27,653,916











Investing Activities









Capital expenditures, including dry hole costs

(2,554,543)



(19,797,996) Acquisition of working interest properties

-



(308,180) Proceeds from leasing of fee mineral acreage

3,193,775



286,844 Investments in partnerships

48,462



(208,312) Proceeds from sales of assets

627,547



- Net cash provided (used) by investing activities

1,315,241



(20,027,644)











Financing Activities









Borrowings under debt agreement

6,078,919



18,894,612 Payments of loan principal

(16,578,919)



(24,971,023) Purchase of treasury stock

(117,165)



(120,611) Payments of dividends

(1,338,011)



(1,333,023) Excess tax benefit on stock-based compensation

(44,000)



(19,000) Net cash provided (used) by financing activities

(11,999,176)



(7,549,045)











Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

(117,285)



77,227 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

603,915



509,755 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 486,630

$ 586,982











Supplemental Schedule of Noncash Investing and Financing Activities









Additions to asset retirement obligations $ 7,160

$ 32,728











Gross additions to properties and equipment $ 2,483,225

$ 18,207,598 Net (increase) decrease in accounts payable for properties and equipment additions











71,318



1,898,578 Capital expenditures and acquisitions, including dry hole costs $ 2,554,543

$ 20,106,176

Proved Reserves













SEC Pricing

March 31, 2016

Sept. 30, 2015 Proved Developed Reserves:

(unaudited) Barrels of NGL

1,236,528



1,466,834 Barrels of Oil

2,284,144



2,725,077 Mcf of Gas

69,798,702



82,899,159 Mcfe (1)

90,922,734



108,050,625 Proved Undeveloped Reserves:









Barrels of NGL

1,179,666



1,453,766 Barrels of Oil

3,555,534



4,313,353 Mcf of Gas

25,587,282



37,314,885 Mcfe (1)

53,998,482



71,917,599 Total Proved Reserves:









Barrels of NGL

2,416,194



2,920,600 Barrels of Oil

5,839,678



7,038,430 Mcf of Gas

95,385,984



120,214,044 Mcfe (1)

144,921,216



179,968,224











10% Discounted Estimated Future









Net Cash Flows (before income taxes):









Proved Developed $ 71,263,666

$ 126,295,752 Proved Undeveloped

(5,746,678)



17,948,482 Total $ 65,516,988

$ 144,244,234 SEC Pricing









Oil/Barrel $ 40.07

$ 55.27 Gas/Mcf $ 2.14

$ 2.84 NGL/Barrel $ 13.24

$ 19.10











Proved Reserves - NYMEX Futures Pricing (2)











10% Discounted Estimated Future Proved Reserves Net Cash Flows (before income taxes): March 31, 2016

Sept. 30, 2015 Proved Developed $ 93,576,643

$ 123,465,294 Proved Undeveloped

10,141,258



20,797,565 Total $ 103,717,901

$ 144,262,859











(1) Crude oil and NGL converted to natural gas on a one barrel of crude oil or NGL equals six Mcf of natural gas basis

(2) NYMEX Futures Pricing as of March 31, 2016, and Sept. 30, 2015, basis adjusted to Company wellhead price

OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS

























Second Quarter Ended

Second Quarter Ended

Six Months Ended

Six Months Ended

March 31, 2016

March 31, 2015

March 31, 2016

March 31, 2015 Mcfe Sold

2,786,303



3,455,265



5,929,703



7,192,748 Average Sales Price per Mcfe $ 2.20

$ 3.60

$ 2.56

$ 4.44 Oil Barrels Sold

90,760



114,567



197,122



231,150 Average Sales Price per Barrel $ 27.19

$ 45.67

$ 33.75

$ 58.38 Mcf Sold

2,014,139



2,475,777



4,231,061



5,076,938 Average Sales Price per Mcf $ 1.64

$ 2.64

$ 1.78

$ 3.13 NGL Barrels Sold

37,934



48,681



85,985



121,485 Average Sales Price per Barrel $ 9.85

$ 13.82

$ 11.49

$ 21.23





































Quarter ended

Oil Bbls Sold

Mcf Sold

NGL Bbls Sold

Mcfe Sold 3/31/2016

90,760

2,014,139

37,934

2,786,303 12/31/2015

106,362

2,216,922

48,051

3,143,400 9/30/2015

112,237

2,261,236

47,738

3,221,086 6/30/2015

109,738

2,407,049

41,737

3,315,899 3/31/2015

114,567

2,475,777

48,681

3,455,265

The Company's derivative contracts in place for natural gas at March 31, 2016, are outlined in its Form 10-Q for the period ending March 31, 2016.

Panhandle Oil and Gas Inc. (NYSE: PHX) is engaged in the exploration for and production of natural gas and oil. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.panhandleoilandgas.com.

Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors  This report includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements include current expectations or forecasts of future events. They may include estimates of oil and gas reserves, expected oil and gas production and future expenses, projections of future oil and gas prices, planned capital expenditures for drilling, leasehold acquisitions and seismic data, statements concerning anticipated cash flow and liquidity and Panhandle's strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations. Although Panhandle believes the expectations reflected in these and other forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance they will prove to be correct. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results are described under "Risk Factors" in Part 1, Item 1 of Panhandle's 2015 Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These "Risk Factors" include the worldwide economic recession's continuing negative effects on the natural gas business; Panhandle's hedging activities may reduce the realized prices received for natural gas sales; the volatility of oil and gas prices; the Company's ability to compete effectively against strong independent oil and gas companies and majors; the availability of capital on an economic basis to fund reserve replacement costs; Panhandle's ability to replace reserves and sustain production; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil and gas reserves and projecting future rates of production and the amount and timing of development expenditures; uncertainties in evaluating oil and gas reserves; unsuccessful exploration and development drilling; decreases in the values of our oil and gas properties resulting in write-downs; the negative impact lower oil and gas prices could have on our ability to borrow; drilling and operating risks; and we cannot control activities on our properties as the Company is a non-operator.

Do not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release, as Panhandle undertakes no obligation to update this information. Panhandle urges you to carefully review and consider the disclosures made in this presentation and Panhandle's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect Panhandle's business.

SOURCE PANHANDLE OIL AND GAS INC.

Related Links

http://www.panhandleoilandgas.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Paul Gauguin Cruises (www.pgcruises.com), operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, announces a sale on select 2016 Tahiti, French Polynesia, and South Pacific voyages.

Paul Gauguin Cruises is offering savings of up to $4,750* per person off previously advertised rates on select cruises aboard The Gauguin when booked by May 21, 2016. Roundtrip airfare between Los Angeles and Papeete, Tahiti, is also included. On board, guests will enjoy the highest standards of luxury, quality, and all-inclusive value sailing to Polynesian destinations that are the cruise line's specialty.

Marquesas, Tuamotus & Society Islands (14 nights) :

June 25, 2016  now from only $7,245 $5,845 per person

Tahiti & the Society Islands (7 nights) :

July 9 , 16; August 27 ; September 3, 2016  now from only $5,545 $4,545 per person

, 16; ;  now from only per person October 8 , 15, 2016  now from only $5,395 $4,445 per person

Cook Islands & Society Islands (11 nights):

October 22, 2016  now from only $6,045 $4,945 per person

Society Islands & Tuamotus (10 nights):

November 2, 2016  now from only $5,595 $4,645 per person

Society Islands & Tuamotus  Special (11 nights):

December 3, 2016  now from only $5,845 $4,795 per person

On The Gauguin, nearly 70% of the ship's suites and staterooms offer balconies. Dining experiences include L'Etoile, which showcases an array of culinary creations expertly prepared each evening. Two of the ship's dining venues, La Veranda and Le Grill, serve breakfast and lunch. At night, signature dishes from celebrity chef Jean-Pierre Vigato, world-renowned Chef Proprietaire of the Michelin-rated Restaurant Apicius in Paris, are offered in La Veranda, and Polynesian specialties are served poolside at Le Grill.

Les Gauguines and Les Gauguinsa troupe of Tahitian entertainersprovide enriching experiences of the destinations throughout each voyage. On select voyages, The Gauguin features expert lecturers on topics ranging from the history of the South Pacific to conservation, culture, marine life, and the wonders of coral reefs. A luxurious spa, fitness center, watersports marina, and expansive outdoor decks with chaise lounges and a pool are also available aboard The Gauguin.

One of the highlights of each sailing is exclusive access to Motu Mahana, a private islet off the coast of Taha'a where guests can enjoy sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, Polynesian activities, a full-service bar, a floating lagoon bar, and a delicious barbecue. In Bora Bora, guests can enjoy complimentary access to a private, white-sand beach with beach volleyball, sunbathing, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and refreshments.

For more information or reservations, contact a professional travel agent, call 1-800-848-6172, or visit www.pgcruises.com.

About Paul Gauguin Cruises

Owned by Pacific Beachcomber S.C., French Polynesia's leading luxury hotel and cruise operator, Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the 5+-star cruise ship, the 332-guest m/s Paul Gauguin, providing a deluxe cruise experience tailored to the unparalleled wonders of Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific. Paul Gauguin Cruises accolades include being voted #2 in the category of "Top Small Cruise Lines" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2015 Readers' Choice Awards and recognition on the publication's 2016 "Gold List." In addition, the line was voted by Travel + Leisure readers "#1 Small-Ship Cruise Line" and "#1 Small-Ship Cruise Line for Families" in the Travel + Leisure 2014 World's Best Awards. Recently, readers voted Paul Gauguin Cruises "#2 Small-Ship Ocean Cruise Line" in the Travel + Leisure 2015 World's Best Awards.

Media Contact:

Paul Gauguin Cruises

Vanessa Bloy, Director of Public Relations

(425) 440-6255

[email protected]

All fares are per person, based on double occupancy in lowest stateroom category, and reflect promotional savings, are for new bookings only, are subject to availability, and must be booked by May 21, 2016. Offer may be combined with FREE 3rd guest in stateroom offer and applicable past guest savings but is not combinable with other offers. Port, security, and handling charges of $119-$245 per person are not included. Call for details. For full terms and conditions, visit www.pgcruises.com.

From Travel + Leisure Magazine, August 2015 2015 Time Inc. Affluent Media. Used under license. Travel + Leisureand Time Inc. Affluent Media are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of Paul Gauguin Cruises.

SOURCE Paul Gauguin Cruises

Related Links

http://www.pgcruises.com


AMSTERDAM, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips (NSYE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) today announced that it will showcase the company's latest developments in Magnetic Resonance (MR) solutions and open innovation toolsets at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine's (ISMRM) 24th Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Singapore.

Visitors to Philips' booth #115 will see the latest innovations designed to unlock the full potential of MRI and bring better care to more people at lower cost. To enable this, Philips will highlight how to make MR research more accessible to its research partners. MR-Paradise, the company's open innovation toolset, is designed to give Philips' researchers using MR technology the ability to expand the limits of research in MR and to help speed the translation from discovery to clinical practice.

"At Philips, we have a long history of converting research into meaningful innovation to improve lives," said Eric Jean, General Manager of MRI, Philips. "We look beyond the current technology to the experiences of the people at the heart of care  patients, clinicians and caregivers  to unlock insights across the patient journey. At this year's ISMRM, we are excited to share stories on how our MR open innovation tools and collaborations have helped our customers, partners and care teams across the health continuum."

Leveraging Philips' user community, the open research platform allows for ideas and knowledge to be shared among others who are pushing the boundaries of MR methods and applications. Philips' integrated solutions highlight the commitment to open and collaborative innovation in MR.

"As a user of Philips' MR systems, the University of Kumamoto has a high level of trust in Philips' technical and clinical understanding," said Dr. Tetsuya Yoneda, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Physics at Kumamoto University in Japan. "It was a logical next step to collaborate with Philips to advance techniques such as SWIp developed for susceptibility weighted imaging to detect indicators of neuro vascular diseases. The SWIp method is now routinely used in neuro examinations at hospitals around the world, and through our partnership with Philips and access to their open innovation tools, we are working to enhance these techniques and extend its scope."

This year, Philips' ISMRM exhibit will also feature the following new solutions and technologies:

ScanWise Implant  Recently 510(k) cleared, this MRI-guided user interface and automatic scan parameter selection helps simplify the scanning of patients with MR Conditional implants, streamlining exams and supporting diagnostic confidence of this growing patient population.

 Recently 510(k) cleared, this MRI-guided user interface and automatic scan parameter selection helps simplify the scanning of patients with MR Conditional implants, streamlining exams and supporting diagnostic confidence of this growing patient population. mDIXON XD  Delivers fast, improved sharpness*, fat-suppression MR imaging to help visualize abnormalities that otherwise could be obscured by fat, increasing clinical information by providing two contrasts in a single scan.

 Delivers fast, improved sharpness*, fat-suppression MR imaging to help visualize abnormalities that otherwise could be obscured by fat, increasing clinical information by providing two contrasts in a single scan. Ingenia MR-RT  Meets specific radiation therapy (RT) needs by providing high-quality MR images acquired in the RT treatment position. As part of its Ingenia MR-RT platform, Philips' MRCAT (Magnetic Resonance for Calculating ATtenuation) for prostate cancer treatment recently received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration.

*Fat-free TSE imaging with fat-shift correction for improved sharpness and increased SNR compared to a standard non-fat-shift corrected fat-free TSE approach.

For more information on Philips' integrated MR solutions, and to learn more about presence at ISMRM, www.philips.com/ismrm and follow the conversation on @PhilipsLiveFrom. In addition, Dr. Tetsuya Yoneda's video on the benefits of working with Philips, can be viewed here.

For further information, please contact:

Adrienne Smith

Philips Diagnostic Imaging

Tel: +1 781-277-1170

Email: [email protected]

Kathy O'Reilly

Philips Group Communications

Tel: +1 978-221-8919

Email: [email protected]

@kathyoreilly

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. The company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' wholly owned subsidiary Philips Lighting is the global leader in lighting products, systems and services. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2015 sales of EUR 24.2 billion and employs approximately 104,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140122/NE50581LOGO

SOURCE Royal Philips

Related Links

http://www.usa.philips.com


BEIJING, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG), a leading new media company in China ("Phoenix New Media", "ifeng" or the "Company"), today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016.

"As the Internet media landscape in China continues to evolve, ifeng remains focused on strengthening our core capabilities by bridging high-quality journalism with cutting-edge technology," stated Mr. Shuang Liu, CEO of Phoenix New Media. "We are focusing on further integrating our content and marketing resources across the PC and mobile ends to offer a more seamless and comprehensive experience to our users. Along with these resources integration efforts, we are strategically shifting our focus to the mobile end, with an emphasis on boosting consumption of our original content over our ifeng news app and attracting users to our platform through leveraging Yidian's personalized content offering. We are also rolling out marketing solutions for advertisers looking to benefit from the integration of mobile, video and big data technology, and will continue to hone our journalistic capabilities in order to create a more effective and efficient media ecosystem of creation, consumption and monetization."

Mr. Ya Li, president of Phoenix New Media, stated, "We continue to face headwinds associated with the market-wide pressure on PC ad revenues, and our first quarter results reflect this reality. However, our strong 115.3% year-over-year growth in mobile advertising revenues validates our strategy to integrate content and marketing resources with a focus on the mobile front. Yidian Zixun's total number of average daily active users reached 25 million in April. In addition, our ifeng News app's user base was assessed as the stickiest among its peers in the news app space, in terms of average time spent per user, according to iResearch in March 2016. The competitive edge of our mobile offering reflects our media DNA and will support us as we navigate the PC-media industry downturn and focus on capturing new growth opportunities in the mobile era."

First Quarter 2016 Financial Results

REVENUES

Total revenues for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB322.9 million (US$50.1 million), as compared to RMB365.1 million in the first quarter of 2015.

Net advertising revenues (net of advertising agency service fees) for the first quarter of 2016 increased by 1.1% to RMB271.4 million (US$42.1 million) from RMB268.4 million in the first quarter of 2015, primarily due to the 115.3% year-over-year growth in mobile advertising revenues, which was partially offset by the decrease in PC advertising revenues.

Paid service revenues for the first quarter of 2016 were RMB51.6 million (US$8.0 million), as compared to RMB96.7 million in the first quarter of 2015, primarily due to the 61.0% year-over-year decrease in mobile value-added services ("MVAS")[1] revenues to RMB29.1 million (US$4.5 million) from RMB74.7 million in the first quarter of 2015 resulting from the decrease in user demands. Revenues from games and others[2] for the first quarter of 2016 increased by 2.3% to RMB22.5 million (US$3.5 million) from RMB22.0 million in the first quarter of 2015, primarily due to the increase in revenues generated from online digital reading business.

COST OF REVENUES

Cost of revenues for the first quarter of 2016 decreased by 16.8% to RMB158.2 million (US$24.5 million) from RMB190.1 million in the first quarter of 2015. The decrease in cost of revenues was primarily due to the decrease in revenue sharing fees and bandwidth costs. Revenue sharing fees to telecom operators and channel partners for the first quarter of 2016 decreased to RMB18.9 million (US$2.9 million) from RMB51.5 million in the first quarter of 2015, mainly due to the decreased sales of MVAS products. Content and operational costs for the first quarter of 2016 increased to RMB95.5 million (US$14.8 million) from RMB90.8 million in the first quarter of 2015, due to the increase in content acquisition cost. Bandwidth costs for the first quarter of 2016 decreased to RMB17.3 million (US$2.7 million) from RMB21.5 million in the first quarter of 2015. Sales taxes and surcharges for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB26.5 million (US$4.1 million) which was flat as compared with the same period last year. Share-based compensation included in cost of revenues was RMB0.9 million (US$0.1 million) in the first quarter of 2016, as compared to RMB5.0 million in the first quarter of 2015. The decrease was primarily due to an increase of the estimated forfeiture rate of share-based awards.

GROSS PROFIT

Gross profit for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB164.8 million (US$25.6 million), as compared to RMB175.0 million in the first quarter of 2015. Gross margin for the first quarter of 2016 increased to 51.0% from 47.9% in the first quarter of 2015. The increase of gross profit margin was mainly attributable to the decrease of share-based compensation included in cost of revenues and decrease of sale of low gross profit margin products in paid services.

To supplement the financial measures presented in accordance with the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), the Company has presented below certain non-GAAP financial measures which excluded the impact of certain non-cash or non-operating items as stated in the section entitled "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below, and the related reconciliations to GAAP financial measures are presented in the accompanying "Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Results of Operation Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures".

Non-GAAP gross margin, which excludes share-based compensation, for the first quarter of 2016 increased to 51.3% from 49.3% in the first quarter of 2015.

OPERATING EXPENSES AND INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

Total operating expenses for the first quarter of 2016 decreased by 4.2% to RMB161.0 million (US$25.0 million) from RMB168.0 million in the first quarter of 2015. Share-based compensation included in operating expenses decreased to RMB3.2 million (US$0.5 million) in the first quarter of 2016 from RMB9.8 million in the first quarter of 2015, primarily due to an increase of the estimated forfeiture rate of share-based awards.

Income from operations for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB3.8 million (US$0.6 million), as compared to income from operations of RMB6.9 million in the first quarter of 2015. Operating margin for the first quarter of 2016 was 1.2% as compared to 1.9% in the first quarter of 2015. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in paid services revenue and the increase in mobile traffic acquisition expenses and bad debt provision, which were partially offset by the decrease in revenue sharing fees and share-based compensation.

Non-GAAP income from operations for the first quarter of 2016, which excludes share-based compensation, was RMB7.9 million (US$1.2 million), as compared to RMB21.7 million in the first quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP operating margin for the first quarter of 2016, which excludes share-based compensation, was 2.4%, as compared to 6.0% in the first quarter of 2015. The decrease was mainly due to the decrease in paid services revenue and the increase in mobile traffic acquisition expenses and bad debt provision, which were partially offset by the decrease in revenue sharing fees.

OTHER INCOME/(LOSS)

Other income/(loss) reflects interest income, net, foreign currency exchange gain or loss, loss/gain from equity investments, including impairments and others, net[3]. Total other income for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB10.7 million (US$1.7 million), as compared to total other loss of RMB13.4 million in the first quarter of 2015. Gain from equity investments, including impairments for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB1.0 million (US$0.2 million), as compared to loss from equity investments, including impairments of RMB20.0 million in the first quarter of 2015. Interest income, net, for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB7.4 million (US$1.1 million), as compared to RMB8.8 million in the first quarter of 2015. Foreign currency exchange loss for the first quarter of 2016 was RMB1.9 million (US$0.3 million), which was consistent with the first quarter of 2015.

NET (LOSS)/INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO PHOENIX NEW MEDIA LIMITED

Net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited for the first quarter of 2016 increased to RMB11.6 million (US$1.8 million) from a net loss attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited of RMB11.2 million in the first quarter of 2015. Net margin for the first quarter of 2016 was 3.6% as compared to negative 3.1% in the first quarter of 2015. Net income per diluted ADS[4] in the first quarter of 2016 increased to RMB0.16 (US$0.02) from a net loss of RMB0.16 in the first quarter of 2015.

Non-GAAP net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited for the first quarter of 2016, which excludes share-based compensation and loss/gain from equity investments, including impairments, was RMB14.7 million (US$2.3 million), as compared to RMB23.6 million in the first quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP net margin for the first quarter of 2016 was 4.5%, as compared to 6.5% in the first quarter of 2015. Non-GAAP net income per diluted ADS in the first quarter of 2016 was RMB0.20 (US$0.03), as compared to RMB0.32 in the first quarter of 2015.

As of March 31, 2016, the Company's cash and cash equivalents, term deposits and short term investments and restricted cash were RMB1.09 billion (US$169.3 million).

For the first quarter of 2016, the Company's weighted average number of ADSs used in the computation of diluted net income per ADS was 72,260,128. As of March 31, 2016, the Company had a total of 570,651,462 ordinary shares outstanding, or the equivalent of 71,331,433 ADSs.

Recent Updates

The Company announced today that Mr. Andy Jin Xu, Senior Vice President of the Company, has resigned due to personal reasons. Mr. Shuang Liu, CEO of the Company, will assume interim responsibility for handling all advertising sales, marketing and branding activities while the Company undertakes a search for Mr. Xu's replacement. Mr. Xu will leave the Company on July 1, 2016, but will continue to consult for the Company during the search for his replacement, in order to ensure a smooth transition. Mr. Shuang Liu stated, "On behalf of the ifeng team, I would like to sincerely thank Andy for his contribution to the Company over the past three years. Under his direction, we were able to integrate PC and mobile sales forces, establish a more complete advertising sales system, develop strong native marketing solutions, rapidly grow our mobile advertising revenues, and further strengthen the ifeng brand in China's advertising industry. We sincerely wish him the best in his future endeavors."

Business Outlook

For the second quarter of 2016, the Company expects its total revenues to be between RMB336.0 million and RMB351.0 million. Net advertising revenues are expected to be between RMB290.0 million and RMB300.0 million. Paid service revenues are expected to be between RMB46.0 million and RMB51.0 million. These forecasts reflect the Company's current and preliminary view on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change.

Conference Call Information

The Company will hold a conference call at 9:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on May 9, 2016 (May 10, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Beijing / Hong Kong time) to discuss its first quarter 2016 unaudited financial results and operating performance.

To participate in the call, please use the dial-in numbers and conference ID below:

International: +6567135440 Mainland China: 4001200654 Hong Kong: +85230186776 United States: +18456750438 Conference ID: 2410154

A replay of the call will be available through May 16, 2016 by using the dial-in numbers and conference ID below:

International: +61290034211 Mainland China: 4006322162 Hong Kong: +85230512780 United States: +16462543697 Conference ID: 2410154

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.ifeng.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), Phoenix New Media Limited uses non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP income from operations, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited, non-GAAP net margin and non-GAAP net income per diluted ADS, each of which is a non-GAAP financial measure. Non-GAAP gross profit is gross profit excluding share-based compensation. Non-GAAP gross margin is non-GAAP gross profit divided by total revenues. Non-GAAP income from operations is income from operations excluding share-based compensation. Non-GAAP operating margin is non-GAAP income from operations divided by total revenues. Non-GAAP net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited is net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited excluding share-based compensation and loss/gain from equity investments, including impairments. Non-GAAP net margin is non-GAAP net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited divided by total revenues. Non-GAAP net income per diluted ADS is non-GAAP net income attributable to Phoenix New Media Limited divided by weighted average number of diluted ADSs. The Company believes that separate analysis and exclusion of the non-cash impact of share-based compensation and loss/gain from equity investments, including impairments, add clarity to the constituent parts of its performance. The Company reviews non-GAAP net income together with net income to obtain a better understanding of its operating performance. It uses these non-GAAP financial measures for planning, forecasting and measuring results against the forecast. The Company believes that using multiple measures to evaluate its business allows both management and investors to assess the Company's performance against its competitors. The Company also believes that non-GAAP financial measures are useful supplemental information for investors and analysts to assess its operating performance without the effect of non-cash share-based compensation and loss/gain from equity investments, including impairments. Share-based compensation and loss/gain from equity investments, including impairments have been and will continue to be significant and recurring in its business. However, the use of non-GAAP financial measures has material limitations as an analytical tool. One of the limitations of using non-GAAP financial measures is that they do not include all items that impact the Company's net income for the period. In addition, because non-GAAP financial measures are not measured in the same manner by all companies, they may not be comparable to other similarly-titled measures used by other companies. In light of the foregoing limitations, you should not consider non-GAAP financial measure in isolation from, or as an alternative to, the financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Exchange Rate

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB6.4480 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on March 31, 2016 in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release.

About Phoenix New Media Limited

Phoenix New Media Limited (NYSE: FENG) is a leading new media company providing premium content on an integrated platform across Internet, mobile and TV channels in China. Having originated from a leading global Chinese language TV network based in Hong Kong, Phoenix TV, the Company enables consumers to access professional news and other quality information and share user-generated content on the Internet and through their mobile devices. Phoenix New Media's platform includes its ifeng.com channel, consisting of its ifeng.com website and web-based game platform, its video channel, comprised of its dedicated video vertical and mobile video services, and its mobile channel, including its mobile Internet website, mobile applications and mobile value-added services.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forwardlooking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forwardlooking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the business outlook and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Phoenix New Media's strategic and operational plans, contain forwardlooking statements. Phoenix New Media may also make written or oral forwardlooking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on Forms 20F and 6K, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Phoenix New Media's beliefs and expectations, are forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forwardlooking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of online and mobile advertising, online video and mobile paid services markets in China; the Company's reliance on online and mobile advertising and MVAS for a majority of its total revenues; the Company's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its services; the Company's expectations regarding maintaining and strengthening its relationships with advertisers, partners and customers; fluctuations in the Company's quarterly operating results; the Company's plans to enhance its user experience, infrastructure and services offerings; the Company's reliance on mobile operators in China to provide most of its MVAS; changes by mobile operators in China to their policies for MVAS; competition in its industry in China; and relevant government policies and regulations relating to the Company. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its registration statement on Form F1, as amended, and its annual reports on Form 20F. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Phoenix New Media does not undertake any obligation to update any forwardlooking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries please contact:

Phoenix New Media Limited

Matthew Zhao

Email: [email protected]

ICR, Inc.

Vera Tang

Tel: +1 (646) 277-1215

Email: [email protected]

[1] MVAS includes wireless value-added services, or WVAS, mobile video, mobile digital reading, mobile games and other paid services through China's three telecom operators' platforms. [2] Games and others include web-based games, content sales, and other online and mobile paid services through the Company's own platforms. [3] "Others, net" primarily consists of government subsidies. [4] "ADS" means American Depositary Share of the Company. Each ADS represents eight Class A ordinary shares of the Company.



Phoenix New Media Limited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Amounts in thousands)

December 31,

March 31,

March 31, 2015 2016

2016

RMB

RMB

US$

Audited*

Unaudited

Unaudited











ASSETS









Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents 310,669

225,788

35,017 Term deposits and short term investments 769,681

740,560

114,851 Restricted cash 125,000

125,000

19,386 Accounts receivable, net 506,351

500,308

77,591 Amounts due from related parties 124,677

200,161

31,042 Prepayment and other current assets 58,574

66,692

10,343 Deferred tax assets 35,963

38,829

6,022 Total current assets 1,930,915

1,897,338

294,252 Non-current assets:









Property and equipment, net 80,537

77,226

11,977 Intangible assets, net 12,404

11,088

1,720 Available-for-sale investments 513,994

516,743

80,140 Equity investments, net 11,610

11,585

1,797 Other non-current assets 17,746

17,718

2,747 Total non-current assets 636,291

634,360

98,381 Total assets 2,567,206

2,531,698

392,633 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY









Current liabilities:









Short-term loans 131,046

130,392

20,222 Accounts payable 289,148

288,817

44,792 Amounts due to related parties 19,368

18,504

2,870 Advances from customers 15,239

20,077

3,114 Taxes payable 93,120

65,279

10,124 Salary and welfare payable 114,028

89,924

13,946 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 80,891

73,157

11,346 Total current liabilities 742,840

686,150

106,414 Non-current liabilities:









Deferred tax liabilities 1,312

1,312

203 Long-term liabilities 18,368

19,294

2,992 Total non-current liabilities 19,680

20,606

3,195 Total liabilities 762,520

706,756

109,609 Shareholders' equity:









Phoenix New Media Limited shareholders' equity:









Class A ordinary shares 16,733

16,738

2,596 Class B ordinary shares 22,053

22,053

3,420 Additional paid-in capital 1,551,104

1,556,993

241,469 Statutory reserves 70,311

70,311

10,904 Retained earnings 122,093

133,711

20,737 Accumulated other comprehensive income 23,341

26,587

4,123 Total Phoenix New Media Limited shareholders' equity 1,805,635

1,826,393

283,249 Noncontrolling interests (949)

(1,451)

(225) Total shareholders' equity 1,804,686

1,824,942

283,024 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity 2,567,206

2,531,698

392,633











* Derived from audited financial statements included in the Company's Form 20-F dated April 28, 2016.













Phoenix New Media Limited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Amounts in thousands, except for number of shares and per share (or ADS) data)



















Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

March 31,



2015

2015

2016

2016



RMB

RMB

RMB

US$



Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited



















Revenues:















Net advertising revenues 268,396

346,190

271,383

42,088

Paid service revenues 96,705

84,579

51,557

7,996

Total revenues 365,101

430,769

322,940

50,084

Cost of revenues (190,134)

(207,028)

(158,168)

(24,530)

Gross profit 174,967

223,741

164,772

25,554

Operating expenses:















Sales and marketing expenses (87,590)

(82,756)

(75,558)

(11,718)

General and administrative expenses (39,059)

(60,020)

(45,043)

(6,986)

Technology and product development expenses (41,376)

(43,958)

(40,358)

(6,259)

Total operating expenses (168,025)

(186,734)

(160,959)

(24,963)

Income from operations 6,942

37,007

3,813

591

Other income/(loss):















Interest income, net 8,831

6,754

7,353

1,140

Foreign currency exchange (loss)/gain (1,917)

743

(1,864)

(289)

(Loss)/gain from equity investments,including

impairments (20,019)

(9,771)

1,007

156

Others, net (298)

13,066

4,206

653

(Loss)/income before tax (6,461)

47,799

14,515

2,251

Income tax expense (4,859)

(7,158)

(3,399)

(527)

Net (loss)/income (11,320)

40,641

11,116

1,724

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests 111

422

502

78

Net (loss)/income attributable to Phoenix New

Media Limited (11,209)

41,063

11,618

1,802

Net (loss)/income (11,320)

40,641

11,116

1,724

Other comprehensive (loss)/income, net of tax: fair

value remeasurement for available-for-sale

investments (3,302)

13,376

5,314

824

Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax:

foreign currency translation adjustment 1,238

27,220

(2,068)

(321)

Comprehensive (loss)/income (13,384)

81,237

14,362

2,227

Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling

interests 111

422

502

78

Comprehensive (loss)/income attributable to

Phoenix New Media Limited (13,273)

81,659

14,864

2,305

Net (loss)/income attributable to Phoenix New

Media Limited (11,209)

41,063

11,618

1,802

Net (loss)/income per Class A and Class B ordinary

share:















Basic (0.02)

0.07

0.02

0.003

Diluted (0.02)

0.07

0.02

0.003

Net (loss)/income per ADS (1 ADS represents 8

Class A ordinary shares):















Basic (0.16)

0.57

0.16

0.03

Diluted (0.16)

0.57

0.16

0.02

Weighted average number of Class A and Class B

ordinary shares used in computing net

(loss)/income per share:















Basic 571,848,522

572,175,288

572,996,971

572,996,971

Diluted 571,848,522

578,625,484

578,081,026

578,081,026





















Phoenix New Media Limited Condensed Segments Information (Amounts in thousands)

Three Months Ended



March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

March 31,



2015

2015

2016

2016



RMB

RMB

RMB

US$



Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited



















Revenues:















Net advertising service 268,396

346,190

271,383

42,088

Paid service 96,705

84,579

51,557

7,996

Total revenues 365,101

430,769

322,940

50,084

Cost of revenues















Net advertising service 127,822

143,144

126,032

19,546

Paid service 62,312

63,884

32,136

4,984

Total cost of revenues 190,134

207,028

158,168

24,530

Gross profit















Net advertising service 140,574

203,046

145,351

22,542

Paid service 34,393

20,695

19,421

3,012

Total gross profit 174,967

223,741

164,772

25,554





















Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Results of Operations Measures to the Nearest Comparable GAAP Measures (Amounts in thousands, except for number of ADSs and per ADS data)





































Three Months Ended March 31, 2015

Three Months Ended December 31, 2015

Three Months Ended March 31, 2016





Non-GAAP









Non-GAAP









Non-GAAP





GAAP

Adjustments

Non-GAAP

GAAP

Adjustments

Non-GAAP

GAAP

Adjustments

Non-GAAP

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

RMB

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited Gross profit 174,967

4,993 (1) 179,960

223,741

(7,289) (1) 216,452

164,772

851 (1) 165,623 Gross margin 47.9%





49.3%

51.9%





50.2%

51.0%





51.3% Income from operations 6,942

14,805 (1) 21,747

37,007

(5,957) (1) 31,050

3,813

4,081 (1) 7,894 Operating margin 1.9%





6.0%

8.6%





7.2%

1.2%





2.4%









































14,805 (1)







(5,957) (1)







4,081 (1)







20,019 (2)







9,771 (2)







(1,007) (2)





































Net (loss)/income attributable to

Phoenix New Media Limited (11,209)

34,824

23,615

41,063

3,814

44,877

11,618

3,074

14,692 Net margin (3.1%)





6.5%

9.5%





10.4%

3.6%





4.5% Net (loss)/income per ADSdiluted (0.16)





0.32

0.57





0.62

0.16





0.20 Weighted average number of ADSs

used in computing diluted net

(loss)/income per ADS 71,481,065





71,481,065

72,328,186





72,328,186

72,260,128





72,260,128







































































(1) Share-based compensation (2) Loss/(gain) from equity investments including impairments









































Details of cost of revenues are as follows:





















Three Months Ended













March 31,

December 31,

March 31,

March 31,





















2015

2015

2016

2016





















RMB

RMB

RMB

US$



















(Amounts in thousands) Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited

Unaudited



















Revenue sharing fees 51,467

46,603

18,854

2,924



















Content and operational costs 90,761

106,585

95,450

14,803



















Bandwidth costs 21,540

19,662

17,346

2,690



















Sales taxes and surcharges 26,366

34,178

26,518

4,113



















Total cost of revenues 190,134

207,028

158,168

24,530





























































































SOURCE Phoenix New Media Limited
NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- "Poultry processing equipment market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.7%"



The poultry processing equipment market is projected to reach USD 3.83 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2015 to 2020. The market is further driven by factors such as increased consumption of processed food, the government support for the use of equipment in developing countries, the demand for food safety, safety of workers, environment and sustainability, the presence of small and medium enterprises in developing countries, rising raw material costs, and international trade rules.



"Killing & de-feathering equipment accounted for the largest market share in 2014"

Killing & de-feathering dominated the poultry processing equipment market among other equipment. This market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2015 to 2020. Due to the high cost of equipment and rise in automation, this market captured the largest market share in 2014, in terms of value.



"Chicken led the market with the largest share in 2014"



Based on poultry type, the poultry processing equipment market is led by chicken, followed by duck. Chicken consumption is growing faster than other meat as it takes less consumption of feed to produce a kilo of chicken than the equal quantity of pork or beef. Several religious boundaries also play a major role towards the restriction of beef and pork consumption around the world, which is not applicable for poultry meat. The chicken segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2015 to 2020.

"Fresh processed food dominated the poultry processing equipment market"



On the basis of product type, fresh processed food captured the major market share in poultry processing equipment in 2014 and it is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2015 to 2020. Globalization, rise in demand for processed food, and change in life styles are the factors that lead to the growth of this market.



"China contributes the highest market share for the Asia-Pacific region"



The Asian-Pacific region, which includes countries such as China, Japan, India, Thailand, and Vietnam has shown an increment in the consumption rate of meat. Economic growth and the shift of preferences of consumers towards value added food led the market growth. As observed over the last decade, the demand for animal protein in these countries has increased.



Given below is breakdown of the primaries on the basis of company, designation, and region, conducted during the research study.



-By Company Type: Tier 1  35%, Tier 2  45% and Tier 3  20%

-By Designation: C level  35%, Director level  25%, Others  40%

-By Region: North America - 30%, Europe  20%, APAC  45%, RoW  5%

The poultry processing equipment market is dominated by leading players such as Marel HF (Iceland), Key Technology, Inc. (U.S.), John Bean Technologies Corporation (U.S.), CTB, Inc. (U.S.), Baader Food Processing Machinery, Inc. (Germany), Brower Equipment (U.S.), Bayle S.A. (France), CG Manufacturing and Distribution Limited (Canada), and Prime Equipment Group, Inc. (U.S.).



Reasons to buy this report:

- To get a comprehensive overview of the global poultry processing equipment market

- To gain wide ranging information about the top players in this industry, their product portfolios, and key strategies adopted by them

- To gain insights of the major countries/regions in which the poultry processing equipment market is flourishing



Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p03793817-summary/view-report.html



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



http://www.reportlinker.com





__________________________

Contact Clare: [email protected]

US: (339)-368-6001

Intl: +1 339-368-6001

SOURCE Reportlinker

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EXPERT ALERTS

Effective Ways to Raise Money for Your Business

Rule on Arbitration Would Restore Right to Sue Banks

Regardless of Size, Wills are Vital to Estate Succession

MEDIA JOBS

Investigations Editor  Seattle Times (WA)

(WA) Managing Editor  Colorado Statesman (CO)

Social Media Editor  Forbes (NJ)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

Smart Freelancing Strategies for 2016

7 Ways to Make Yourself a Better Editor

Media Law: Balancing the Right to Privacy With Freedom of the Press

-------------------------------------------------------------------

EXPERT ALERTS:

Effective Ways to Raise Money for Your Business

Robert Fiebig

President and CEO

"Although many resources provide information on starting a business with no or little money in the bank, remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Don't be misled by the popular literature -- having little or no capital is a primary reason why businesses fail."

Fiebig is available to discuss effective ways to raise money for a business. Tigre Capital is a global private equity investment firm, with deep and broad operational expertise. The firm invests in growth-stage companies and helps unlock their full potential while delivering significant and consistent above-market return to its investors and partners.

Website: http://www.tigrecapital.com

Contact: Mark Goldman, [email protected]



Rule on Arbitration Would Restore Right to Sue Banks

Warren Burns

Attorney

Burns Charest LLP, Dallas

A new federal rule proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would restore customers' rights to bring class-action lawsuits against financial firms by removing requirements to take any dispute to arbitration. Says Burns: "We've seen that class actions are the most important and effective tools in the consumer's toolbox. For decades, Americans have been duped by a highly coordinated campaign to malign class actions and the lawyers who routinely protect consumer rights. The American economic system has always been built on a compromise designed to permit businesses to conduct their activities without excessive regulation, but at the same time to permit consumers to protect their rights through litigation."

Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]



Regardless of Size, Wills are Vital to Estate Succession

Sam Long

Estate Planning Attorney

Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP, Dallas

Prince certainly isn't the first person to have died with a substantial estate but without a will -- by some estimates, more than 60 percent of Americans may not have a recognized will. However, arguably everyone does have a will. The question, says Long, is whether someone has their own or the state drafts it for them: "If you choose the latter route by default, then the resulting beneficiaries and fiduciaries under state laws are not always as one would intend or assume. Having no will also can cause additional expense and complexity, and sometimes a greater tax burden on heirs that could have been prevented with some planning. For many people, private wealth now is passed along by beneficiary designations but wills still play a vital role in the succession of property at death."

In addition to his legal practice, Long is an adjunct professor of wills, trusts and estates at the UNT-Dallas College of Law.

Website: http://shackelfordlaw.net

Contact: Rhonda Reddick, [email protected]

****************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Investigations Editor  Seattle Times (WA)

(WA) Managing Editor  Colorado Statesman (CO)

Social Media Editor  Forbes (NJ)

*****************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

SMART FREELANCING STRATEGIES FOR 2016. We recently hosted a Twitter Q&A with Lynn Freehill-Maye , an independent writer and co-chair for this year's ASJA conference. Freehill-Maye discussed how to manage your time, market yourself using social media, keep your career fun, and more: http://prn.to/1rvmuuM

, an independent writer and co-chair for this year's ASJA conference. Freehill-Maye discussed how to manage your time, market yourself using social media, keep your career fun, and more: http://prn.to/1rvmuuM 7 WAYS TO MAKE YOURSELF A BETTER EDITOR. Instead of relying on an editor to neaten up your writing, you can learn to be your own editor. If you have no experience editing, the best place to learn is with your own writing. Once you have an initial draft, use these simple tips and tricks to turn your writing into a great piece of content: http://prn.to/1WaoFRa

MEDIA LAW: BALANCING THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY WITH FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. The First Amendment's "freedom of the press" extends not only to publication or broadcast, but to newsgathering as well. That does not mean it's a license to invade someone's privacy. Balancing an individual's right to privacy with the public's interest in freedom of the press is a rather delicate dance. Laws vary state to state, but invasion of privacy is generally broken up into four categories: intrusion, publication of private facts, false light, and misappropriation. Test your knowledge and see what you learn with the pop quiz: http://prn.to/1rL6vJ0

****************

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150604/220954

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

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FREMONT, Calif., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Quark") today announced a keynote address on the company's history of oligonucleotide development will be presented at the 18TH Annual TIDES Oligonucleotide and Peptide Therapeutics Conference at 11 a.m. PDT on May 10 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA. Daniel Zurr, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quark will present the talk entitled Quark's Long History of Oligonucleotide Development.

"We have made significant progress with our siRNA platform and product candidates and we now have two product candidates in Phase III clinical trials," said Daniel Zurr, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quark Pharmaceuticals. "We look forward to presenting our significant evolution from a research-stage to a late clinical-stage siRNA company to our industry peers at this important conference."

Quark will also be presenting at one workshop and one presentation session. These presentations provide an overview of Quark's achievements in becoming a leading late clinical-stage company in RNAi therapeutics, the first company receiving regulatory approvals to initiate clinical trials with siRNA drugs in China and India and in generation of rich pre-clinical pipeline focused on extrahepatic indications.

Below is the schedule of the three presentations of Quark at the 18TH Annual TIDES Oligonucleotide and Peptide Therapeutics Conference:

Monday, May 9, 9:30 to 9:45 a.m. PDT: Title: Recent Regulatory Experience of an siRNA IND in India and China

Workshop #1: Current Topics on the Manufacturing and Quality Control of Oligonucleotides; Strategies for an Integrated Approach to Global Development

Presenter: Vidhya Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D, Senior Vice President, Quark Pharmaceuticals

Tuesday, May 10, 11:00 to 11:40 a.m. PDT. Title: Quark's long History of Oligonucleotide Development.

Keynote presentations

Presenter: Daniel Zurr, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Quark Pharmaceuticals

Thursday, May 12, 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. PDT: Title: siRNA Therapeutics for Extrahepatic Indications

Session: Preclinical and Clinical Development Strategies

Presenter: Elena Feinstein, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Quark Pharmaceuticals

IBC's 18th Annual TIDES 2016 conference and exhibition, on May 9 to 12, is an industry forum for CMC, clinical and discovery scientists to share strategies to accelerate oligonucleotide and peptide product development. The conference provides complete coverage of the oligonucleotide and peptide market from discovery to manufacturing. Attendees learn from multiple case studies designed to facilitate scientific exchange and networking to improve oligo and peptide drug development and manufacturing operations. More information on the conference can be found at http://www.ibclifesciences.com/TIDES/overview.xml.

About Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a late clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, discovering and developing novel RNAi-based therapeutics for unmet medical needs. Two products, QPI -1002 and QP -1007 are in global phase III pivotal clinical studies for Delayed Graft Function (DGF) and Non Arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION) for which each was granted Orphan designation, respectively. The Company is also conducting several Phase II clinical trials. Quark's broad pipeline of clinical and preclinical product candidates is generated by the company's internally developed technology, which includes Quark's RNAi platform technology and its delivery to a host of organs. Quark is headquartered in Fremont, California and operates research facilities in Ness-Ziona, Israel. For additional information please visit: www.quarkpharma.com.

Media Contacts

Russo Partners

David Schull

(212) 845-4271

(858) 717-2310 Mobile

[email protected]

Amiad Finkelthal

(646) 942-5626

(917) 217-1838 Mobile

[email protected]

SOURCE Quark Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.quarkpharma.com


WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) will host a retirement gala honoring Jan C. Scruggs on May 30, 2016 at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. The Jan C. Scruggs Retirement Gala  Celebrating a Legacy of Service  will honor the man who conceived the idea of building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has spent nearly 40 years working on behalf of Vietnam veterans. The master of ceremonies for the gala will be Gary Sinise, Actor and Humanitarian. The keynote speaker will be former Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel.

In 1979, Scruggs conceived the idea of building a Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., as a tribute to all who served during one of the longest wars in American history. Scruggs was a wounded and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, having served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Army. He felt a memorial would serve as a healing device for a different kind of wound  one which was inflicted on our national psyche by the long and controversial Asian war. Scruggs launched the effort with $2,800 of his own money and gradually gained the support of other Vietnam veterans in persuading Congress to provide a prominent location on federal government property somewhere in Washington, D.C. Today, The Wall is among the most visited memorials in the nation's capital.

At the gala, the West Point Alumni Glee Club will perform their Vietnam medley and Dr. Laura Kafka-Price will sing the National Anthem.

The Jan C. Scruggs Retirement Gala has been generously underwritten by Peter M. Holt and sponsored by TriWest Healthcare Alliance, USAA, and William F. Murdy.

All proceeds from the Jan C. Scruggs Retirement Gala will benefit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund as VVMF continues Jan's mission to honor veterans and educate future generations about America's legacy of service. For more information on the gala, please visit: www.vvmf.org/gala.

About Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) is the nonprofit organization that founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (The Wall) in Washington, D.C. in 1982. VVMF continues to lead the way in paying tribute to our nation's Vietnam veterans and their families. VVMF's mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of service in America and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War and era.

VVMF is in the fundraising stages to build the Education Center at The Wall. The Center will be an interactive learning facility on the National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. The Education Center will feature the faces and stories of the more than 58,000 men and women on The Wall and honor America's Legacy of Service, including those serving in our nation's armed forces today. Time Warner is the Lead Gift Benefactor in the campaign to build the Education Center at The Wall. To learn more about VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall, visit www.vvmf.org or call 866-990-WALL.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Heidi Zimmerman

[email protected] or 202-765-3773

SOURCE Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Related Links

http://www.vvmf.org


TROY, Mich., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Car Training Institute (CTi) is shifting into the next gear for its 10th annual Automotive Transmissions, HEV and EV Drives Symposium and Exhibition. As a lead sponsor for the sixth year, Schaeffler will discuss market-specific trends, the company's advanced transmission solutions, as well as exhibit its key transmission and e-mobility technologies during the event held at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich. from May 9 to 12.

During the event, Schaeffler's Jeff Hemphill, chief technical officer, and Markus Steinberger, manager torque converter clutch and damper design for the company's LuK brand, will discuss the latest mobility trends and Schaeffler's transmission optimization efforts. At its product exhibition, the company will showcase key technologies related to the two presentations, as well as a complete electric axle, transmission driven accessories, 48V P2 hybrid for automatic transmissions, all-wheel drive disconnect, CVT (Continuously Variable Transmissions) chains, and friction and mass reducing bearing solutions.

"Working as an engineering and development partner, Schaeffler is uniquely tuned into the distinct market needs of our global customers," said Hemphill. "Using this information as inspiration for our next-generation development work, we're able to provide the automotive community with products and technologies that help eliminate some of the foremost challenges facing our customers."

During the plenary presentation at 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, May 12, Hemphill will present "US mobility 2030  car sharing in BEV's or road trips in V8's?" Hemphill will discuss the global trends impacting the United States, unique regional trends, drivetrain concept for these specific needs and Schaeffler's innovations to help with these challenges.

During the "Transmission Components: Starting Devices" track on Wednesday, May 11, Steinberger will present "Third Generation Pendulum Absorber In Torque Converters." During his speech, he will highlight two torque converter developments that are connected to the advances of the centrifugal pendulum absorber.

Created and organized by CTi, the 10th International Automotive Transmissions, HEV and EV Drives Symposium and Exhibition offers an international exchange of experiences and opinions among key automotive representatives. Participants, including automakers, transmission manufacturers and suppliers from the United States, Europe and Asia, will discuss the latest in technical developments and applications for conventional and alternative drives. For more information, please visit the event website.

About Schaeffler

The Schaeffler Group is a leading global integrated automotive and industrial supplier. The company stands for the highest quality, outstanding technology, and strong innovative ability. The Schaeffler Group makes a key contribution to "mobility for tomorrow" with high-precision components and systems in engine, transmission, and chassis applications as well as rolling and plain bearing solutions for a large number of industrial applications. The technology company generated sales of approximately EUR 13.2 billion in 2015. With around 84,000 employees, Schaeffler is one of the world's largest family companies and, with approximately 170 locations in more than 50 countries, has a worldwide network of manufacturing locations, research and development facilities, and sales companies.

Schaeffler is a recognized development partner for global automakers and suppliers. To serve the North American automotive market, Schaeffler operates development centers in: Troy, Mich.; Fort Mill, S.C.; Wooster, Ohio; and Puebla, Mexico. The company's 600 North American engineers and technicians, who are supported by a team of more than 6,700 global R&D engineers, drive development in the region by utilizing state-of-the-art test and measurement equipment, computational tools and CAD systems. Schaeffler Automotive has headquarters in Fort Mill and manufacturing facilities in: South Carolina; Missouri; Ohio; Ontario, Canada; Puebla and Irapuato, Mexico. For more information, please visit www.schaeffler.us.

SOURCE Schaeffler

Related Links

http://www.schaeffler.us


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky announces it has commenced an investigation of IDI, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IDI) concerning possible breaches of fiduciary duty by its Board of Directors. To obtain additional information, GO TO:

http://zlk.9nl.com/idi

or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972.

Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington D.C. The firm's attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities and shareholder lawsuits. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

Joseph E. Levi, Esq.

30 Broad Street - 24th Floor

New York, NY 10004

Tel: (212) 363-7500

Toll Free: (877) 363-5972

Fax: (212) 363-7171

www.zlk.com

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120409/MM84375LOGO

SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP

Related Links

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NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Lending Club Corporation ("Lending Club" or the "Company") (NYSE: LC). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.

The investigation concerns whether Lending Club and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

On May 9, 2016, Lending Club announced in an Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filing that on May 6, 2016, the board of directors accepted the resignation of Renaud Laplanche as Chairman and CEO. His resignation followed an internal review of sales of $22 million in near-prime loans to a single investor, in contravention of the investor's express instructions as to a non-credit and non-pricing element, in March and April 2016.

On this news, Lending Club shares fell $1.89, or 26.66%, to close at $5.20 in Pre-Market trading on May 9, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

http://www.pomerantzlaw.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Silver Wheaton Corp. ("Silver Wheaton" or the "Company") (TSX: SLW) (NYSE: SLW) is pleased to announce its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016. All figures are presented in United States dollars unless otherwise noted.

Silver Wheaton realized the second best quarter ever in terms of production and sales volumes in the first quarter of 2016. Of note, Salobo once again reported record production, and, for the first time, Silver Wheaton sold over 65,000 ounces of gold in a quarter. Furthermore, operating cash flows increased 28% and revenues increased 44%, compared with Q1 2015.

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Attributable silver equivalent production in Q1 2016 of 12.7 million ounces (7.6 million ounces of silver and 64,900 ounces of gold), compared with 10.3 million ounces in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 24%.

Attributable silver equivalent sales volume in Q1 2016 of 12.8 million ounces (7.6 million ounces of silver and 65,300 ounces of gold), compared with 7.7 million ounces in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 65%.

During the three month period ended March 31, 2016 , payable silver equivalent ounces attributable to the Company produced but not yet delivered decreased by 0.9 million ounces to approximately 6.1 million ounces.

, payable silver equivalent ounces attributable to the Company produced but not yet delivered decreased by 0.9 million ounces to approximately 6.1 million ounces. Revenues of $188 million in Q1 2016 compared with $131 million in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 44%.

in Q1 2016 compared with in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 44%. Average realized sale price per silver equivalent ounce sold in Q1 2016 of $14.70 ( $14.68 per ounce of silver and $1,175 per ounce of gold), compared with $16.90 in Q1 2015, representing a decrease of 13%.

( per ounce of silver and per ounce of gold), compared with in Q1 2015, representing a decrease of 13%. Net earnings of $41 million ( $0.10 per share) in Q1 2016 compared with $49 million ( $0.13 per share) in Q1 2015, representing a decrease of 17%.

( per share) in Q1 2016 compared with ( per share) in Q1 2015, representing a decrease of 17%. Operating cash flows of $114 million ( $0.28 per share) in Q1 2016 compared with $89 million ( $0.24 per share) in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 28%.

( per share) in Q1 2016 compared with ( per share) in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 28%. Cash operating margin in Q1 2016 of $10.26 per silver equivalent ounce compared with $12.44 in Q1 2015, representing a decrease of 18%.

per silver equivalent ounce compared with in Q1 2015, representing a decrease of 18%. Average cash costs in Q1 2016 were $4.14 and $389 per ounce of silver and gold, respectively. On a silver equivalent basis, average cash costs decreased to $4.44 compared with $4.46 in Q1 2015.

and per ounce of silver and gold, respectively. On a silver equivalent basis, average cash costs decreased to compared with in Q1 2015. Declared quarterly dividend of $0.05 per common share.

per common share. On January 8, 2016 , Silver Wheaton commenced an appeal in the Tax Court of Canada in relation to the Notices of Reassessment (the "Reassessments") issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (the "CRA"). In order to commence the appeal, Silver Wheaton was required to make a deposit of 50% of the reassessed amounts of tax, interest and penalties. Upon approval from the CRA, Silver Wheaton posted security on March 15, 2016 , in the form of a letter of guarantee in the amount of Cdn$192 million rather than making a deposit in cash.

, Silver Wheaton commenced an appeal in the Tax Court of in relation to the Notices of Reassessment (the "Reassessments") issued by the Canada Revenue Agency (the "CRA"). In order to commence the appeal, Silver Wheaton was required to make a deposit of 50% of the reassessed amounts of tax, interest and penalties. Upon approval from the CRA, Silver Wheaton posted security on , in the form of a letter of guarantee in the amount of rather than making a deposit in cash. Asset Highlights On March 21, 2016 , the Company announced that it had entered into a definitive Early Deposit Precious Metals Purchase Agreement with Panoro Minerals Ltd. in respect to the Cotabambas project located in Peru .

Events Subsequent To The Quarter On April 14, 2016 , the Company completed a bought-deal common share financing, whereby a total of 38,105,250 common shares (inclusive of the underwriters' over-allotment option) of Silver Wheaton were sold at a price of $16.60 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds to Silver Wheaton of approximately $633 million . After deducting underwriter commissions, the Company raised total net proceeds of approximately $607 million , which was used to repay debt that was outstanding under the Company's $2 billion revolving credit facility.



"Silver Wheaton had a solid start to 2016, and the company is on track to realising its production guidance of 54 million silver equivalence ounces for the year," said Randy Smallwood, President and Chief Executive Officer of Silver Wheaton. "With strong performances from the Salobo and Antamina mines offsetting a shortfall from the San Dimas mine, Silver Wheaton achieved its second best quarter ever of production and sales volumes. Production at the San Dimas mine was below expectations; however, it was related to Primero's efforts to enhance safety at the mine, an initiative that we fully support. Beyond our existing assets, Silver Wheaton continues to focus on acquiring new accretive streams from high-quality, low-cost mines. Having recently completed an equity offering, we believe that we are well-positioned to benefit from an environment that is ripe with opportunities."

Financial Review

Revenues

Revenue was $188 million in the first quarter of 2016 on silver equivalent sales of 12.8 million ounces (7.6 million ounces of silver and 65,300 ounces of gold). This represents a 44% increase from the $131 million of revenue generated in the first quarter of 2015 due primarily to a 65% increase in the number of silver equivalent ounces sold, partially offset by a 13% decrease in the average realized silver equivalent price ($14.70 in Q1 2016 compared with $16.90 in Q1 2015).

Costs and Expenses

Average cash costs in the first quarter of 2016 were $4.44 per silver equivalent ounce as compared with $4.46 during the comparable period of 2015. This resulted in a cash operating margin of $10.26 per silver equivalent ounce, a reduction of 18% as compared with Q1 2015. The decrease in the cash operating margin was primarily due to a 13% decrease in the average realized silver equivalent price in Q1 2016 compared with Q1 2015.

Earnings and Operating Cash Flows

Net earnings and cash flow from operations in the first quarter of 2016 were $41 million ($0.10 per share) and $114 million ($0.28 per share), compared with $49 million ($0.13 per share) and $89 million ($0.24 per share) for the same period in 2015, a decrease of 17% and an increase of 28%, respectively.

Balance Sheet

At March 31, 2016, the Company had approximately $87 million of cash on hand and $1,371 million outstanding under the Company's $2 billion revolving term loan. On March 18, 2016, the Company's lenders extended the term of the revolving term loan by an additional year, with the facility now maturing on February 27, 2021.

On April 14, 2016, the Company completed a bought-deal common share financing, whereby a total of 38,105,250 common shares (inclusive of the underwriters' over-allotment option) of Silver Wheaton were sold at a price of $16.60 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds to Silver Wheaton of approximately $633 million. After deducting underwriter commissions, the Company raised total net proceeds of approximately $607 million, which was used to repay debt that was outstanding under the Company's $2 billion revolving credit facility.

The Company has repurchased 3,060,454 common shares under the NCIB at an average price of $13.81 per share, including 2,295,665 common shares repurchased during the three months ended March 31, 2016 at an average price of $14.43 per share.

Update on CRA Dispute and Audit of International Transactions

On September 24, 2015, the Company received Reassessments from the CRA totaling Cdn$353 million for federal and provincial tax, transfer pricing penalties, interest and other penalties for the 2005-2010 taxation years. The CRA's position in the Reassessments is that the transfer pricing provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Act") relating to income earned by the Company's foreign subsidiaries outside of Canada should apply such that the income of Silver Wheaton subject to tax in Canada should be increased by an amount equal to substantially all of the income earned outside of Canada by the Company's foreign subsidiaries for the 2005-2010 taxation years. Management believes that the Company has filed its tax returns and paid applicable taxes in compliance with Canadian tax law, and as a result no amounts have been recorded for any potential liability arising from this matter. Silver Wheaton intends to vigorously defend its tax filing positions.

On January 8, 2016, Silver Wheaton commenced an appeal in the Tax Court of Canada. In order to commence the appeal, Silver Wheaton was required to make a deposit of 50% of the reassessed amounts of tax, interest and penalties. Upon approval from the CRA, Silver Wheaton posted security on March 15, 2016 in the form of a letter of guarantee rather than making a deposit in cash. The letter of guarantee is in the amount of Cdn$192 million, which includes interest accrued to-date plus estimated interest for the following year. The timing for the court process is uncertain.

The CRA has also commenced an audit of the Company's international transactions covering the 2011-2013 taxation years, which is currently ongoing. The Company has not received any proposal or notices of reassessment for the 2011-2013 taxation years in connection with this audit.

First Quarter Asset Highlights

During the first quarter of 2016, attributable silver equivalent production was 12.7 million ounces (7.6 million ounces of silver and 64,900 ounces of gold), representing an increase of 24% compared with the first quarter of 2015.

Operational highlights for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, are as follows:

Salobo

In the first quarter of 2016, Salobo produced a record 37,871 ounces of attributable gold, an increase of approximately 39% relative to the first quarter of 2015. This growth was primarily due to increased throughput resulting from the expansion to 24 million tonnes per annum, which commenced production in mid-2014. According to the Vale S.A. ("Vale") first quarter 2016 production report, Salobo is expected to continue to improve production throughout 2016 as rainfall decreases. Vale further reports that Salobo achieved the monthly production record for copper concentrate in March 2016, and is expected to reach its full production capacity in the second half of 2016.

Penasquito

In the first quarter of 2016, Penasquito produced 1.4 million ounces of attributable silver, a decrease of approximately 7% relative to the first quarter of 2015 due to lower grades being mined as part of mine sequencing. As disclosed in Goldcorp Inc.'s ("Goldcorp") first quarter of 2016 MD&A, the lower grades will persist through the year and a 10-day maintenance shutdown is scheduled in the second quarter. Goldcorp further reports that construction of the Northern Well Field project continued to progress during the quarter and is on track to be completed in late-2016.

San Dimas

In the first quarter of 2016, San Dimas produced 0.9 million ounces of attributable silver, a decrease of approximately 52% relative to the first quarter of 2015. As per Primero Mining Corp.'s ("Primero") first quarter production results, production at San Dimas was impacted by changes to the mining sequence which now includes the implementation of Canadian standards for ground support, and the condition that all employees will never work under unsupported ground. As a result, mill throughput was restricted to an average of 1,639 tonnes per day ("tpd") during the quarter. In April, Primero was successful in re-establishing operations above the current 2,500 tpd nameplate capacity. Primero further reported that the addition of ground support has resulted in a modified mine plan for the remainder of 2016, with the Company targeting higher grade stopes at slightly lower tonnes. Primero indicated that the 2016 operating plan does not require completion of the mill expansion to 3,000 tpd and as a result the project has been deferred.

On February 3, 2016, Primero announced that its Mexican subsidiary had received a legal claim from the Mexican tax authorities, Servicio de Administracion Tributaria ("SAT"), seeking to nullify the Advance Pricing Agreement ("APA") issued by SAT in 2012. Primero has indicated in its MD&A for the first quarter of 2016 that it intends to vigorously defend the validity of the APA and that it has filed procedural and substantive responses to the claim.

Antamina

In the first quarter of 2016, Antamina produced 2.0 million ounces of attributable silver as higher grades and recoveries more than offset the impact of planned maintenance in the quarter. As a reminder, Silver Wheaton is guiding for 2016 production at Antamina to be approximately 5.5 million ounces.

Sudbury

In the first quarter of 2016, Vale's Sudbury mines produced 12,247 ounces of attributable gold, an increase of approximately 41% relative to the first quarter of 2015. This increase was attributable to higher grades (driven by increased production from the Totten mine), mill recoveries and throughput.

Other

Constancia: In the first quarter of 2016, Constancia produced approximately 3,435 ounces of attributable gold and 0.5 million ounces of attributable silver, an increase of 77% and 388%, respectively. These increases were due to the ramp up of the mine after commercial production was declared on April 30, 2015.

Minto: In the first quarter of 2016, Minto produced 3,114 ounces of attributable gold, a decrease of approximately 18% relative to the first quarter of 2015, primarily due to lower grades and recoveries more than offsetting higher throughput. According to Capstone Mining Corp.'s ("Capstone") first quarter production results, mining rates and access to Minto North ore remained on schedule.

777: In the first quarter of 2016, 777 produced 8,275 ounces of attributable gold, a decrease of approximately 32% relative to the first quarter of 2015 primarily due to lower grades.

Cotabambas: As per Silver Wheaton's news release dated March 21, 2016, the Company announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Silver Wheaton (Caymans) Ltd. ("SWC"), has entered into a definitive Early Deposit Precious Metals Purchase Agreement (the "Cotabambas Early Deposit Agreement") with Panoro Minerals Ltd. and its wholly owned subsidiary Panoro Trading (Cayman) Ltd. ("Panoro") in respect of the Cotabambas project located in Peru. SWC will be entitled to purchase 100% of the silver production and 25% of the gold production from the Cotabambas project until 90 million silver equivalent ounces attributable to SWC have been delivered, at which point the stream would drop to 66.67% of silver production and 16.67% of gold production for the life of mine. Under the Cotabambas Early Deposit Agreement, SWC will pay a total cash consideration of US$140 million plus an ongoing production payment. Once certain conditions have been met, SWC will advance US$14 million to Panoro, spread over up to nine years. Following the delivery of a bankable definitive feasibility study, environmental study and impact assessment, and other related documents (collectively, the "Feasibility Documentation"), and receipt of permits and construction commencing, SWC may then advance the remaining deposit or elect to terminate the Cotabambas Early Deposit Agreement.

Produced But Not Yet Delivered 2

As at March 31, 2016, payable silver equivalent ounces produced but not yet delivered to Silver Wheaton by its partners decreased by 0.9 million ounces to approximately 6.1 million silver equivalent payable ounces, as decreases at Constancia, Minto, San Dimas, Zinkgruvan, and Yauliyacu more than offset increases at Sudbury, Penasquito, and Salobo. Payable ounces produced but not yet delivered to Silver Wheaton companies are expected to average approximately two months of annualized production but may vary from quarter to quarter due to a number of mining operation factors including mine ramp-up and timing of shipments.

Detailed mine by mine production and sales figures can be found in the Appendix to this press release and in Silver Wheaton's consolidated MD&A in the 'Results of Operations and Operational Review' section.

Webcast and Conference Call Details

A conference call will be held Monday, May 9, 2016, starting at 11:00 am (Eastern Time) to discuss these results. To participate in the live call, please use one of the following methods:

Dial toll free from Canada or the US: 888-231-8191 Dial from outside Canada or the US: 647-427-7450 Pass code: 85631140 Live audio webcast: www.silverwheaton.com





Participants should dial in five to ten minutes before the call.

The conference call will be recorded and available until May 16, 2016. The webcast will be available for one year. You can listen to an archive of the call by one of the following methods:

Dial toll free from Canada or the US: 855-859-2056 Dial from outside Canada or the US: 416-849-0833 Pass code: 85631140 Archived audio webcast: www.silverwheaton.com





This earnings release should be read in conjunction with Silver Wheaton's MD&A and Financial Statements, which are available on the Company's website at www.silverwheaton.com and have been posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Mr. Neil Burns, Vice President, Technical Services for Silver Wheaton, is a "qualified person" as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information including information on mineral reserves and mineral resources disclosed in this news release.

Silver Wheaton believes that there are no significant differences between its corporate governance practices and those required to be followed by United States domestic issuers under the NYSE listing standards. This confirmation is located on the Silver Wheaton website at http://www.silverwheaton.com/company/corporate-governance/default.aspx.

About Silver Wheaton

Silver Wheaton is the largest pure precious metals streaming company in the world. The Company has streams on some of the largest and lowest cost mines in the world. Silver Wheaton's production and growth are founded on cornerstone assets including the Salobo mine in Brazil, the Penasquito and San Dimas mines in Mexico, and the Antamina mine in Peru. Based upon its current agreements, forecast 2016 estimated annual attributable production is approximately 54 million silver equivalent ounces3, including 265,000 ounces of gold. Silver Wheaton's estimated average annual attributable production over the next five years is anticipated to be approximately 52 million silver equivalent ounces3 per year, including 260,000 ounces of gold.

End Notes

-------------------------------------------------------------

1 Please refer to non-IFRS measures at the end of this press release. 2 Payable silver equivalent ounces produced but not yet delivered are based on management estimates, and may be updated in future periods as additional information is received. 3 Silver equivalent production forecast assumes a gold/silver ratio of 80:1. Please see "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" for material risks, assumptions and important disclosure associated with this information.









Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Earnings









Three Months Ended

March 31 (US dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts - unaudited)

2016 2015 Sales

$ 187,511 $ 130,504 Cost of sales











Cost of sales, excluding depletion

$ 56,636 $ 34,464

Depletion



71,344

32,045 Total cost of sales

$ 127,980 $ 66,509 Gross margin

$ 59,531 $ 63,995 Expenses and other income











General and administrative 1

$ 10,844 $ 8,170

Interest expense



6,932

1,500

Other expense



1,160

1,924



$ 18,936 $ 11,594 Earnings before income taxes

$ 40,595 $ 52,401 Income tax recovery (expense)



384

(2,982) Net earnings

$ 40,979 $ 49,419











Basic earnings per share

$ 0.10 $ 0.13 Diluted earnings per share

$ 0.10 $ 0.13











Weighted average number of shares outstanding











Basic



402,952

370,844

Diluted



403,125

371,115 1) Equity settled stock based compensation (a non-cash item) included in general and









administrative expenses.

$ 1,397 $ 1,922























Condensed Interim Consolidated Balance Sheets

















March 31 December 31 (US dollars in thousands - unaudited)

2016 2015 Assets









Current assets











Cash and cash equivalents

$ 86,776 $ 103,297

Accounts receivable



1,648

1,124

Other



1,878

1,455 Total current assets

$ 90,302 $ 105,876 Non-current assets











Silver and gold interests

$ 5,398,111 $ 5,469,412

Early deposit - silver and gold interest



15,725

15,725

Royalty interest



9,107

9,107

Long-term investments



36,648

19,776

Other



13,251

12,315 Total non-current assets

$ 5,472,842 $ 5,526,335 Total assets

$ 5,563,144 $ 5,632,211 Liabilities









Current liabilities











Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$ 8,248 $ 10,664

Dividends payable



20,088

-

Current portion of performance share units



5,924

1,904 Total current liabilities

$ 34,260 $ 12,568 Non-current liabilities











Bank debt

$ 1,371,000 $ 1,466,000

Deferred income taxes



187

176

Performance share units



1,310

2,732 Total non-current liabilities

$ 1,372,497 $ 1,468,908 Total liabilities

$ 1,406,757 $ 1,481,476 Shareholders' equity









Issued capital

$ 2,799,548 $ 2,815,569 Reserves



(5,306)

(23,197) Retained earnings



1,362,145

1,358,363 Total shareholders' equity

$ 4,156,387 $ 4,150,735 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity

$ 5,563,144 $ 5,632,211











Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows











Three Months Ended

March 31 (US dollars in thousands - unaudited)



2016

2015 Operating activities









Net earnings

$ 40,979 $ 49,419 Adjustments for











Depreciation and depletion



71,575

32,142

Amortization of credit facility origination fees:













Interest expense



257

113



Amortization of credit facility origination fees - undrawn facilities



107

248



Write off of credit facility origination fees upon repayment of NRT Loan



-

1,315

Interest expense



6,675

1,387

Equity settled stock based compensation



1,397

1,922

Performance share units



2,321

782

Deferred income tax (recovery) expense



(371)

2,936

Investment income recognized in net earnings



(31)

(132)

Other



30

(38) Change in non-cash working capital



(3,091)

150 Cash generated from operations

$ 119,848 $ 90,244 Interest paid - expensed



(6,119)

(1,188) Interest received



25

75 Cash generated from operating activities

$ 113,754 $ 89,131 Financing activities









Bank debt repaid

$ (95,000) $ (1,000,000) Bank debt drawn



-

800,000 Credit facility origination fees



(1,300)

(4,112) Shares issued



-

800,000 Share issue costs



-

(30,344) Redemption of share capital



(33,126)

- Share purchase options exercised



-

2,887 Cash generated from (applied to) financing activities

$ (129,426) $ 568,431 Investing activities









Silver and gold interests

$ (273) $ (900,003) Interest paid - capitalized to silver interests



(615)

(1,824) Silver and gold interests - early deposit



(1)

(13) Proceeds on disposal of silver interest



-

25,000 Dividend income received



6

57 Other



(47)

(612) Cash applied to investing activities

$ (930) $ (877,395) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

$ 81 $ (257) Decrease in cash and cash equivalents

$ (16,521) $ (220,090) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period



103,297

308,098 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$ 86,776 $ 88,008































Summary of Ounces Produced and Sold









2016 2015 2014

Q1 Q4 Q3 Q2 Q1 Q4 Q3 Q2 Silver ounces produced 2















San Dimas 3 923 2,317 1,418 1,786 1,928 1,744 1,290 1,118 Yauliyacu 657 749 696 696 576 687 875 658 Penasquito 1,352 1,766 2,092 1,932 1,447 1,582 1,630 2,054 Antamina 2,021 2,403 - - - - - - Other 4 2,617 3,049 2,684 2,787 2,391 2,391 2,300 2,481 Total silver ounces produced 7,570 10,284 6,890 7,201 6,342 6,404 6,095 6,311 Gold ounces produced 















Sudbury 5 12,247 13,678 7,300 8,195 8,666 9,924 12,196 7,473 Salobo 37,871 37,680 32,954 27,805 27,185 12,253 10,415 8,486 Other 6 14,824 19,293 15,592 14,082 17,809 13,925 19,064 16,796 Total gold ounces produced 64,942 70,651 55,846 50,082 53,660 36,102 41,675 32,755 Silver equivalent ounces of gold produced 7 5,163 5,289 4,203 3,672 3,926 2,675 2,786 2,144 Silver equivalent ounces produced 7 12,733 15,573 11,093 10,873 10,268 9,079 8,881 8,455 Silver equivalent ounces produced

- as originally reported 2, 7 n.a. 15,463 10,993 10,904 10,371 8,964 8,447 8,365 Increase (Decrease) 2 n.a. 110 100 (31) (103) 115 434 90 Silver ounces sold















San Dimas 3 1,345 2,097 2,014 1,265 1,901 1,555 1,295 1,194 Yauliyacu 603 987 428 809 320 761 1,373 111 Penasquito 949 2,086 2,053 1,420 1,573 1,640 1,662 1,958 Antamina 1,879 1,340 - - - - - - Other 4 2,776 2,241 2,080 2,081 1,871 1,777 1,969 1,964 Total silver ounces sold 7,552 8,751 6,575 5,575 5,665 5,733 6,299 5,227 Gold ounces sold















Sudbury 5 9,007 6,256 6,674 12,518 8,033 11,251 5,566 6,718 Salobo 35,366 44,491 21,957 32,156 9,794 14,270 7,180 11,902 Other 6 20,885 14,152 19,446 16,300 10,572 12,383 23,972 16,158 Total gold ounces sold 65,258 64,899 48,077 60,974 28,399 37,904 36,718 34,778 Silver equivalent ounces of gold sold 7 5,207 4,863 3,619 4,468 2,058 2,808 2,441 2,267 Silver equivalent ounces sold 7 12,759 13,614 10,194 10,043 7,723 8,541 8,740 7,494 Gold / silver ratio 7 79.8 74.9 75.3 73.3 72.5 74.1 66.5 65.2 Cumulative payable silver

















equivalent ounces produced

















but not yet delivered 8 6,085 6,995 6,380 6,398 6,445 4,952 5,147 5,996 1) All figures in thousands except gold ounces produced and sold. 2) Ounces produced represent the quantity of silver and gold contained in concentrate or dore prior to smelting or refining deductions. Production figures are based on information provided by the operators of the mining operations to which the silver or gold interests relate or management estimates in those situations where other information is not available. Certain production figures may be updated in future periods as additional information is received. 3) The ounces produced and sold include ounces received from Goldcorp in connection with Goldcorp's four year commitment commencing on August 6, 2010 to deliver to Silver Wheaton 1.5 million ounces of silver per annum resulting from their sale of San Dimas to Primero. 4) Comprised of the Los Filos, Zinkgruvan, Stratoni, Keno Hill, Cozamin, Neves-Corvo, Minto, Aljustrel, Lagunas Norte, Pierina, Veladero, 777 and Constancia silver interests in addition to the previously owned Mineral Park and Campo Morado silver interests. 5) Comprised of the Coleman, Copper Cliff, Garson, Stobie, Creighton and Totten gold interests. 6) Comprised of the Minto, 777 and Constancia gold interests. 7) Gold ounces produced and sold are converted to a silver equivalent basis based on either (i) the ratio of the average silver price received to the average gold price received during the period from the assets that produce both gold and silver; or (ii) the ratio of the price of silver to the price of gold on the date of sale as per the London Bullion Metal Exchange for the assets which produce only gold. 8) Payable silver equivalent ounces produced but not yet delivered are based on management estimates. These figures may be updated in future periods as additional information is received.



























Results of Operations

The Company currently has eight reportable operating segments: the silver produced by the San Dimas, Yauliyacu, Penasquito and Antamina mines, the gold produced by the Sudbury and Salobo mines, the silver and gold produced by the Other mines and corporate operations.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2016

Ounces Produced Ounces Sold Sales Average

Realized

Price

($'s Per Ounce) Average

Cash Cost

($'s Per

Ounce)3 Average

Depletion

($'s Per

Ounce) Net

Earnings Cash Flow

From

Operations Total Assets Silver

































San Dimas 923 1,345 $ 19,972 $ 14.85 $ 4.24 $ 1.11 $ 12,781 $ 14,269 $ 145,067

Yauliyacu 657 603

9,037

14.98

5.38

5.78

2,305

5,792

161,795

Penasquito 1,352 949

13,632

14.37

4.09

3.05

6,855

9,751

427,951

Antamina 2,021 1,879

27,194

14.47

2.98

9.94

2,927

21,603

868,348

Other 4 2,617 2,776

41,012

14.77

4.62

4.36

16,063

27,743

944,884

7,570 7,552 $ 110,847 $ 14.68 $ 4.14 $ 5.12 $ 40,931 $ 79,158 $ 2,548,045 Gold

































Sudbury 5 12,247 9,007 $ 10,573 $ 1,174 $ 400 $ 787 $ (119) $ 7,074 $ 499,161

Salobo 37,871 35,366

41,018

1,160

400

423

11,902

26,871

2,141,788

Other 6 14,824 20,885

25,073

1,201

366

509

6,817

18,060

209,117

64,942 65,258 $ 76,664 $ 1,175 $ 389 $ 501 $ 18,600 $ 52,005 $ 2,850,066 Silver

equivalent 7 12,733 12,759 $ 187,511 $ 14.70 $ 4.44 $ 5.59 $ 59,531 $ 131,163 $ 5,398,111 Corporate

































General and administrative

















$ (10,844)









Other





















(7,708)







Total corporate



















$ (18,552) $ (17,409) $ 165,033

12,733 12,759 $ 187,511 $ 14.70 $ 4.44 $ 5.59 $ 40,979 $ 113,754 $ 5,563,144 1) All figures in thousands except gold ounces produced and sold and per ounce amounts. 2) Ounces produced represent the quantity of silver and gold contained in concentrate or dore prior to smelting or refining deductions. Production figures are based on information provided by the operators of the mining operations to which the silver or gold interests relate or management estimates in those situations where other information is not available. Certain production figures may be updated in future periods as additional information is received. 3) Refer to discussion on non-IFRS measures at the end of this press release. 4) Comprised of the operating Los Filos, Zinkgruvan, Stratoni, Cozamin, Neves-Corvo, Minto, Lagunas Norte, Pierina, Veladero, 777 and Constancia silver interests in addition to the non-operating Keno Hill, Aljustrel, Loma de La Plata, Pascua-Lama and Rosemont silver interests. 5) Comprised of the operating Coleman, Copper Cliff, Garson, Stobie, Creighton and Totten gold interests in addition to the non-operating Victor gold interest. 6) Comprised of the operating Minto, 777 and Constancia gold interests in addition to the non-operating Rosemont gold interest. 7) Gold ounces produced and sold are converted to a silver equivalent basis based on either (i) the ratio of the average silver price received to the average gold price received during the period from the assets that produce both gold and silver; or (ii) the ratio of the price of silver to the price of gold on the date of sale as per the London Bullion Metal Exchange for the assets which produce only gold.















































Three Months Ended March 31, 2015

Ounces Produced Ounces Sold Sales Average

Realized

Price

($'s Per Ounce) Average

Cash Cost

($'s Per

Ounce)3 Average

Depletion

($'s Per

Ounce) Net

Earnings Cash Flow

From

Operations Total Assets Silver

































San Dimas 1,928 1,901 $ 32,054 $ 16.86 $ 4.20 $ 0.88 $ 22,398 $ 24,069 $ 151,280

Yauliyacu 576 320

5,289

16.53

4.16

6.43

1,899

3,958

185,419

Penasquito 1,447 1,573

27,010

17.17

4.07

2.85

16,128

20,607

446,667

Other 4 2,391 1,871

31,659

16.92

4.13

3.63

17,139

24,334

1,160,841

6,342 5,665 $ 96,012 $ 16.95 $ 4.14 $ 2.65 $ 57,564 $ 72,968 $ 1,944,207 Gold

































Sudbury 5 8,666 8,033 $ 9,682 $ 1,205 $ 400 $ 841 $ (291) $ 6,053 $ 577,103

Salobo 27,185 9,794

12,096

1,235

400

420

4,067

8,178

2,198,143

Other 6 17,809 10,572

12,714

1,203

367

585

2,655

9,093

399,373

53,660 28,399 $ 34,492 $ 1,214 $ 388 $ 600 $ 6,431 $ 23,324 $ 3,174,619 Silver

equivalent 7 10,268 7,723 $ 130,504 $ 16.90 $ 4.46 $ 4.15 $ 63,995 $ 96,292 $ 5,118,826 Corporate

































General and administrative

















$ (8,170)









Other





















(6,406)







Total corporate



















$ (14,576) $ (7,161) $ 149,248

10,268 7,723 $ 130,504 $ 16.90 $ 4.46 $ 4.15 $ 49,419 $ 89,131 $ 5,268,074 1) All figures in thousands except gold ounces produced and sold and per ounce amounts. 2) Ounces produced represent the quantity of silver and gold contained in concentrate or dore prior to smelting or refining deductions. Production figures are based on information provided by the operators of the mining operations to which the silver or gold interests relate or management estimates in those situations where other information is not available. Certain production figures may be updated in future periods as additional information is received. 3) Refer to discussion on non-IFRS measures at the end of this press release. 4) Comprised of the operating Los Filos, Zinkgruvan, Stratoni, Cozamin, Neves-Corvo, Minto, Aljustrel, Lagunas Norte, Pierina, Veladero, 777 and Constancia silver interests in addition to the non-operating Keno Hill, Loma de La Plata, Pascua-Lama and Rosemont silver interests. 5) Comprised of the operating Coleman, Copper Cliff, Garson, Stobie, Totten and Creighton gold interests in addition to the non-operating Victor gold interest. 6) Comprised of the operating Minto, 777 and Constancia gold interests in addition to the non-operating Rosemont gold interest. 7) Gold ounces produced and sold are converted to a silver equivalent basis based on either (i) the ratio of the average silver price received to the average gold price received during the period from the assets that produce both gold and silver; or (ii) the ratio of the price of silver to the price of gold on the date of sale as per the London Bullion Metal Exchange for the assets which produce only gold.











































Non-IFRS Measures

Silver Wheaton has included, throughout this document, certain non-IFRS performance measures, including (i) operating cash flow per share (basic and diluted); (ii) average cash costs of silver and gold on a per ounce basis; and (iii) cash operating margin.

i. Operating cash flow per share (basic and diluted) is calculated by dividing cash generated by operating activities by the weighted average number of shares outstanding (basic and diluted). The Company presents operating cash flow per share as management and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance in comparison to other companies in the precious metals mining industry who present results on a similar basis.



ii. Average cash cost of silver and gold on a per ounce basis is calculated by dividing the total cost of sales, less depletion, by the ounces sold. In the precious metals mining industry, this is a common performance measure but does not have any standardized meaning. In addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, management and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow.



iii. Cash operating margin is calculated by subtracting the average cash cost of silver and gold on a per ounce basis from the average realized selling price of silver and gold on a per ounce basis. The Company presents cash operating margin as management and certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance in comparison to other companies in the precious metals mining industry who present results on a similar basis.





These non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS, and other companies may calculate these measures differently. The presentation of these non-IFRS measures is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. For more detailed information, please refer to Silver Wheaton's Management Discussion and Analysis available on the Company's website at www.silverwheaton.com and posted on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING-STATEMENTS

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements, which are all statements other than statements of historical fact, include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to:

payments by Silver Wheaton's wholly owned subsidiary, Silver Wheaton (Caymans) Ltd. to Panoro and its wholly owned subsidiary Cordillera Copper Ltd. in accordance with an early deposit precious metal purchase agreement for the Cotabambas project, including any acceleration of payments, estimated throughput of the Cotabambas project and exploration potential associated with the Cotabambas project;

the normal course issuer bid ("NCIB") and the number of shares that may be purchased under the NCIB;

projected increases to Silver Wheaton's (as defined herein) production and cash flow profile;

the expansion and exploration potential at the Salobo mine;

projected changes to Silver Wheaton's production mix;

anticipated increases in total throughput at the Salobo mine;

the effect of the SAT legal claim on Primero's business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for 2010-2014 and 2015-2019;

the estimated future production;

the future price of commodities;

the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources;

the realization of mineral reserve estimates;

the timing and amount of estimated future production (including 2016 and average attributable annual production over the next five years);

the costs of future production;

reserve determination;

estimated reserve conversion rates;

any statements as to future dividends, the ability to fund outstanding commitments and the ability to continue to acquire accretive precious metal stream interests;

confidence in the Company's business structure;

the Company's position relating to any dispute with the CRA and the Company's intention to defend reassessments issued by the CRA; the impact of potential taxes, penalties and interest payable to the CRA; possible audits for taxation years subsequent to 2013; estimates as to amounts that may be reassessed by the CRA in respect of taxation years subsequent to 2010; amounts that may be payable in respect of penalties and interest; the Company's intention to file future tax returns in a manner consistent with previous filings; that the CRA will continue to accept the Company posting security for amounts sought by the CRA under notices of reassessment for the 2005-2010 taxation years or will accept posting security for any other amounts that may be sought by the CRA under other notices of reassessment; the length of time it would take to resolve any dispute with the CRA or an objection to a reassessment; and assessments of the impact and resolution of various tax matters, including outstanding audits, proceedings with the CRA and proceedings before the courts; and

assessments of the impact and resolution of various legal and tax matters.

Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "projects", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", "potential", or 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 are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Silver Wheaton to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to:

fluctuations in the price of commodities;

risks related to the Mining Operations (as defined in Silver Wheaton's Annual Information Form) from which Silver Wheaton purchases silver or gold and risks related to these Mining Operations including risks related to fluctuations in the price of the primary commodities mined at such operations, actual results of mining and exploration activities, environmental, economic and political risks of the jurisdictions in which the Mining Operations are located, and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined;

the absence of control over Mining Operations and having to rely on the accuracy of the public disclosure and other information Silver Wheaton receives from the owners and operators of the Mining Operations as the basis for its analyses, forecasts and assessments relating to its own business;

differences in the interpretation or application of tax laws and regulations or accounting policies and rules; and Silver Wheaton's interpretation of, or compliance with, tax laws and regulations or accounting policies and rules, is found to be incorrect or the tax impact to the Company's business operations is materially different than currently contemplated;

any challenge by the CRA of the Company's tax filings is successful and the potential negative impact to the Company's previous and future tax filings;

the Company's business or ability to enter into precious metal purchase agreements is materially impacted as a result of any CRA reassessment;

any reassessment of the Company's tax filings and the continuation or timing of any such process is outside the Company's control;

any requirement to pay reassessed tax;

the Company is not assessed taxes on its foreign subsidiary's income on the same basis that the Company pays taxes on its Canadian income, if taxable in Canada ;

; interest and penalties associated with a CRA reassessment having an adverse impact on the Company's financial position;

litigation risk associated with a challenge to the Company's tax filings;

credit and liquidity risks;

hedging risk;

competition in the mining industry;

risks related to the entering into and completion of the Cotabambas Early Deposit Agreement;

risks related to Silver Wheaton's acquisition strategy;

risks related to the market price of the common shares of Silver Wheaton (the "Common Shares"), including with respect to the market price of the Common Shares being too high to ensure that purchases under the NCIB benefit Silver Wheaton or its shareholders;

equity price risks related to Silver Wheaton's holding of longterm investments in other exploration and mining companies;

risks related to the declaration, timing and payment of dividends;

the ability of Silver Wheaton and the Mining Operations to retain key management employees or procure the services of skilled and experienced personnel;

litigation risk associated with outstanding legal matters;

risks related to claims and legal proceedings against Silver Wheaton or the Mining Operations;

risks relating to unknown defects and impairments;

risks relating to security over underlying assets;

risks related to ensuring the security and safety of information systems, including cyber security risks;

risks related to the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting;

risks related to governmental regulations;

risks related to international operations of Silver Wheaton and the Mining Operations;

risks relating to exploration, development and operations at the Mining Operations;

risks related to the ability of the companies with which the Company has precious metal purchase agreements to perform their obligations under those precious metal purchase agreements in the event of a material adverse effect on the results of operations, financial condition, cash flows or business of such companies;

risks related to environmental regulations and climate change;

the ability of Silver Wheaton and the Mining Operations to obtain and maintain necessary licenses, permits, approvals and rulings;

the ability of Silver Wheaton and the Mining Operations to comply with applicable laws, regulations and permitting requirements;

lack of suitable infrastructure and employees to support the Mining Operations;

uncertainty in the accuracy of mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates;

inability to replace and expand mineral reserves;

risks relating to production estimates from Mining Operations, including anticipated timing of the commencement of production by certain Mining Operations;

uncertainties related to title and indigenous rights with respect to the mineral properties of the Mining Operations;

fluctuation in the commodity prices other than silver or gold;

the ability of Silver Wheaton and the Mining Operations to obtain adequate financing;

the ability of Mining Operations to complete permitting, construction, development and expansion;

challenges related to global financial conditions;

risks relating to future sales or the issuance of equity securities; and

other risks discussed in the section entitled "Description of the Business  Risk Factors" in Silver Wheaton's Annual Information Form and the additional risks identified under "Risks and Uncertainties" in Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended December 31, 2015 , both available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and in Silver Wheaton's Form 40-F filed on March 30, 2016 and Form 6-K filed March 16, 2016 , both on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. (the "Disclosure").

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management currently believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to:

the Common Shares trading below their value from time to time;

no material adverse change in the market price of commodities;

that the Mining Operations will continue to operate and the mining projects will be completed in accordance with public statements and achieve their stated production estimates;

the continuing ability to fund or obtain funding for outstanding commitments;

Silver Wheaton's ability to source and obtain accretive precious metal stream interests;

expectations regarding the resolution of legal and tax matters, including the ongoing class action litigation and CRA audit involving the Company;

Silver Wheaton will be successful in challenging any reassessment by the CRA;

Silver Wheaton has properly considered the application of Canadian tax law to its structure and operations;

Silver Wheaton will continue to be permitted to post security for amounts sought by the CRA under notices of reassessment;

Silver Wheaton has filed its tax returns and paid applicable taxes in compliance with Canadian tax law;

Silver Wheaton will not change its business as a result of any CRA reassessment;

Silver Wheaton's ability to enter into new precious metal purchase agreements will not be impacted by any CRA reassessment;

expectations and assumptions concerning prevailing tax laws and the potential amount that could be reassessed as additional tax, penalties and interest by the CRA;

any foreign subsidiary income, if taxable in Canada , would be subject to the same or similar tax calculations as Silver Wheaton's Canadian income, including the Company's position, in respect of precious metal purchase agreements with upfront payments paid in the form of a deposit, that the estimates of income subject to tax is based on the cost of precious metal acquired under such precious metal purchase agreements being equal to the market value of such precious metal;

, would be subject to the same or similar tax calculations as Silver Wheaton's Canadian income, including the Company's position, in respect of precious metal purchase agreements with upfront payments paid in the form of a deposit, that the estimates of income subject to tax is based on the cost of precious metal acquired under such precious metal purchase agreements being equal to the market value of such precious metal; the estimate of the carrying value of Silver Wheaton's precious metal purchase agreements; and

other assumptions and factors as set out in the Disclosure.

Although Silver Wheaton has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results, level of activity, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and even if events or results described in the forward-looking statements are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Silver Wheaton. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and are cautioned that actual outcomes may vary. The forward-looking statements included herein for the purpose of providing investors with information to assist them in understanding Silver Wheaton's expected financial and operational performance and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Any forward looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Silver Wheaton does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are included or incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

CAUTIONARY NOTE TO UNITED STATES INVESTORS REGARDING PRESENTATION OF MINERAL RESERVE AND MINERAL RESOURCE ESTIMATES: The information contained herein has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of United States securities laws. The terms "mineral reserve", "proven mineral reserve" and "probable mineral reserve" are Canadian mining terms defined in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (the "CIM")  CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, adopted by the CIM Council, as amended (the "CIM Standards"). These definitions differ from the definitions in Industry Guide 7 ("SEC Industry Guide 7") under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"). Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. Also, under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves, the three-year historical average price is used in any reserve or cash flow analysis to designate reserves and the primary environmental analysis or report must be filed with the appropriate governmental authority. In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. "Inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies, except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists or is economically or legally mineable. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC standards as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, information contained herein that describes the Company's mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to reporting and disclosure requirements under the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. United States investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in the Annual Information Form, a copy of which is available at www.sec.gov.

In accordance with the Company's MD&A and financial statements, reference to the Company includes the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries.

Patrick Drouin, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Silver Wheaton Corp., Tel: 1-844-288-9878, Email: [email protected], Website: www.silverwheaton.com

SOURCE Silver Wheaton Corp.

Related Links

http://www.silverwheaton.com


LINCOLN  Nebraska's late-season presidential primary is facing new scrutiny after the state narrowly missed its chance to influence the Republican race before Donald Trump effectively won the party's nomination.

Even with Nebraska's spot near the end of the national primary process, it looked like the state might be contested this year, given the tumultuous Republican race that began with 17 candidates. However, a week before Nebraska's contest, Trump's landslide win in the Indiana primary effectively ended the race and Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich suspended their campaigns.

Cruz was set to visit Nebraska last week but canceled his plans. Trump held a campaign event Friday in Omaha.

Among Nebraska's neighbors, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Missouri all welcomed Republican candidates when the race was still contested, and candidates never really stop lavishing attention on Iowa, which begins the nominating process with its caucuses.

"This was one of the longest primaries in the history of our country, and Nebraska still didn't have a voice," said state Sen. John Murante, a Republican who has fought for an earlier presidential primary. "We had such excitement for the presidential race  and just when we had the opportunity to have our moment in the sun, the race ended."

Murante introduced a bill this year that would have scheduled future presidential primaries in early March, but the measure stalled in committee. He said he plans to introduce it again next year, now that people "have had a taste of what might have been."

Nebraska Republican Party Executive Director Bud Synhorst said the party's central committee may discuss moving the primary at a meeting later this year. He declined to comment further until the committee takes action.

Lawmakers have traditionally opposed an earlier primary because it would force them to campaign during their legislative session. Moving just the presidential contest hasn't gained traction either because it could cost the state up to $2 million, said Secretary of State John Gale.

Gale said he believes Iowa and New Hampshire will eventually lose their first-in-the-nation status and that the first contests will rotate among regional clusters of states. Until then, he said, Nebraska may remain near the back of the line. After the Nebraska and West Virginia primaries Tuesday, only a handful of states remain, including South Dakota.

The last time the Republican nomination wasn't settled by the time Nebraska voted was 1968, when Richard Nixon faced several candidates, including Ronald Reagan.

"I think it's disappointing for a lot of people," Gale said. "Many Republicans were anticipating that Nebraska was going to be a player for the first time since 1968. This would have been an extraordinary year."

Murante's bill would have moved just the presidential race to an earlier date, while leaving all other primary races in May. Setting an earlier primary for legislative races would have given an unfair advantage to challengers, who could spend more time campaigning while incumbents are working at the Capitol during the session, he said.

Despite important local races, the end of the GOP's one-of-a-kind nomination fight takes much of the excitement out of this year's contest, said University of Nebraska at Omaha political science professor Paul Landow.

"It's like steam was building up in a building, and then all of a sudden someone opened a valve and let it all out," Landow said. "Now it's like, 'Who cares? Ho-hum.'"

Gale, a Republican, said he still expects "solid turnout" roughly on par with the last three presidential primaries, when roughly 25 percent of registered voters participated.

"I think Nebraskans are used to not being the center of attention, and they turn out well anyway," Gale said, noting races for the Legislature, Board of Regents and Public Service Commission.

Nebraska's Democratic presidential contest was settled on March 5. The state Democratic Party established an earlier caucus in 2008 to try to attract presidential candidates and energize its members. It seemed to work, as Bernie Sanders campaigned in Nebraska, along with former President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

The campaigns also opened offices in Nebraska and ran television spots in the weeks before the event.

"Obviously the benefits were worth the time, money and effort for Nebraska, regardless of who wins the primary," said Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Vince Powers, who came up with the idea.

Powers said he would prefer a primary to a caucus because primary turnouts tend to be larger, but Nebraska Democrats have no plans to return to the old system.

"I'm hoping that at some point the Republican leadership wises up and agrees to move their primary," Powers said. "Nebraska voters  Democrats and Republicans  deserve the opportunity to have presidential candidates seek their votes."
STAMFORD, Conn., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water today announced the ten U.S. finalists in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 competition. The group of talented young chefs will compete in July in New York City and the winner will continue on to the global challenge, held in October in Milan.

S.Pellegrino also announced the panel of esteemed chef judges who will be responsible for determining which young chef will advance to the global competition in Milan. The panel includes: Dominique Crenn, of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, New York City-based chefs Emma Bengtsson of Aquavit, Bryce Shuman of Betony and Alex Stupak of Empellon, and the 2015 Young Chef U.S. finalist Vinson Petrillo of Zero George Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Dominique Crenn will also serve as the 2016 chef mentor and will accompany the U.S. winner to the global competition.

This year, more than 3,000 chefs from across the globe applied for the chance to compete. The S.Pellegrino Young Chef semifinalists were carefully chosen by a panel of culinary experts from ALMA, the world's leading international school of Italian cuisine. Each nominee submitted an original dish and was evaluated in accordance with the five "Golden Rules" - ingredients, skills, genius, beauty, and message.

The top 10 U.S. finalists are:

Andre Carde, Oak Avenue Catering, Saint Helena, CA

David Fisher , Kat and Theo, New York, NY

, Kat and Theo, Sivakumar Gopalakrishnan , Le Cirque, New York, NY

, Le Cirque, Bradley Kilgore , Alter, Miami, FL

, Alter, Nathanial Kuester , The Cecil, New York, NY

, The Cecil, Mitch Lienhard , Manresa, Los Gatos, CA

, Manresa, Jack Moore , The Black Pig, Cleveland, OH

, The Black Pig, Kwame Onwuachi , The Shaw Bijou, Washington, DC

, The Shaw Bijou, Victor Rosado , Mi Casa by Jose Andres , Dorado, PR

, by , Dorado, PR Joshua Walbolt , Morimoto Asia, Orlando, FL

"We are dedicated to supporting emerging young talent and we are proud to be able to partner with such a respected group of chef judges to help guide and support these young chefs," said Adaora Ugokwe, Senior Marketing Manager for S.Pellegrino. "The competitors in the 2015 Young Chef competition featured a high level of creativity and culinary expertise, so we are excited to see what this year's U.S. finalists will serve up."

The U.S. regional competition will take place on July 26, 2016 at Astor Center in New York City. Each chef contestant will produce his or her signature dish to be judged by the aforementioned panel of renowned culinary judges. One chef will be named the winner and move on to the final, global competition.

At the Young Chef Grand Finale, held in Milan October 13  15, 2016, young chef finalists from twenty regions across the globe will present their signature dishes to a jury of seven distinguished international chefs, also known as the "Seven Sages", comprised of Chefs Carlo Cracco, Mauro Colagreco, David Higgs, Gaggan Anand, Elena Arzak, Wylie Dufresne and Roberta Sudbrack. The winning chef contestant will be named S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016.

The "S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016" competition promotes creative expression and innovation within the culinary industry and showcases the brand's commitment to supporting emerging culinary talent all over the world.

To see the complete list of global chef finalists or for more information on the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2016 Competition, visit: https://www.finedininglovers.com/

Be sure to follow the #SPYoungChef for up to date news and announcements on the competition.

About S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water

The signature taste of S.Pellegrino Sparkling Natural Mineral Water is created during a 30-year journey through the Italian Alps, where the water is naturally filtered. S.Pellegrino cleanses the palate and amplifies subtle flavors, making it the perfect complement to fine food and wines. This clean, refreshing taste helped S.Pellegrino become a preferred sparkling water in fine-dining restaurants in the USA, and pairs well with any occasion.



S.Pellegrino is proud to support a number of top culinary events, such as The James Beard Foundation Rising Star Chef of the Year Award, S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition, The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, Aspen Food and Wine Classic, Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation, and Identita Golose. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/SanPellegrinoUS or www.finedininglovers.com

Contact:

Lindsay Hawley

Team N

[email protected]

617-520-7109

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151123/290138LOGO

SOURCE S.Pellegrino
"StarKist is a socially responsible company that provides healthy food for more people. One in five children goes to bed hungry in the U.S., and at StarKist we are committed to doing our part by getting our nutritious seafood products into the hands of children in need," said Andrew Choe, StarKist President and CEO. "It's an honor to work with the Feed the Children team. And we applaud this outstanding organization for its endless fight against hunger and its commitment to breaking the poverty cycle."

The partnership will kick off in StarKist's hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. on Wednesday, May 11. StarKist and Feed the Children are collaborating with FOCUS+ Pittsburgh charity to hold a community-fair style event where a truckload of food, essentials, StarKist product and more will be distributed to pre-registered attendees. In addition to Pittsburgh, Feed the Children and StarKist will co-sponsor events in New York City (June 23), Boston (July 7), and Los Angeles (July 14) over the next couple of months, assisting local families in the area.

"Feed the Children strives to provide hope and resources to those without life's essentials," said J.C. Watts, Jr., Feed the Children President and CEO. "We are honored to partner with StarKist in the fight to end child hunger in America. Together, we can be our neighbor's helper and truly help families in our nation's own backyard."

To learn more about Feed the Children, make a donation or volunteer please visit www.feedthechildren.org.

About Feed the Children

Feed the Children believes that it can create a world where no child goes to bed hungry. Since 1979, Feed the Children has grown into one of the largest U.S.-based charities. It is accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, maintains a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, and is also a member of InterAction. Through its network of agencies, Feed the Children distributed more than $344 million in food, essentials, educational supplies, and medicine, impacting close to 9 million individuals in the U.S. and more than 4.9 million individuals internationally, for a total of 13.9 million individuals globally in fiscal year 2014. Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.

About StarKist

StarKist Co. is a food company that is focused on healthy, shelf-stable seafood products in the United States. An industry innovator, StarKist was the first brand to introduce StarKist single-serve pouch products, which include Tuna Creations, Salmon Creations, Kid's Creations and Gourmet Selects. As America's favorite tuna, StarKist represents a tradition of quality, consumer trust and a commitment to sustainability. StarKist's charismatic brand icon, Charlie the Tuna, swam into the hearts of tuna fans in 1961 and is still a fan favorite today. StarKist Co. is a subsidiary of the Dongwon Group.

Follow Us:

Visit www.StarKist.com to learn more about single serve StarKist Tuna Creations, Salmon Creations and Kid's Creations products, be sure to become a StarKist fan at www.Facebook.com/StarKist, and follow us on Twitter @StarKistCharlie and Pinterest www.Pinterest.com/StarKist.

Media Contact:

Michelle Faist

412-323-7457

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160508/364909

SOURCE StarKist Co.

Related Links

http://starkist.com


SJC III's direct lending strategy focuses on providing privately negotiated, floating-rate, senior secured loans primarily to U.S. middle market companies that generate annual revenue of $75.0 to $500.0 million + and annual EBITDA of $7.5 to $50.0 million +. To date, SJC III has invested approximately $215.0 million. Czech's global investor base is comprised of public and private pension funds, endowments, foundations, Taft-Hartley plans, family offices and high-net worth individuals.

According to Steve Czech, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, "We are extremely grateful to our investors for their trust and confidence. Czech's third successful fundraise highlights what's possible when you provide investors with great product, people, process, performance and transparency."

About Czech Asset Management, L.P.: Czech, with approximately $4.3 billion of committed capital under management and significant co-investment capacity, is an Old Greenwich, Connecticut-based direct lending firm engaged in providing privately negotiated, asset-based and cash-flow, first and second lien floating-rate senior secured loans primarily to U.S. middle market companies that generate annual revenue of $75.0 million to $500.0 million + and annual EBITDA of $7.5 million to $50.0 million +.

About Stephen J. Czech: Steve Czech has over 27 years of credit and corporate finance experience as well as a long record of establishing and running direct lending credit funds. His experience includes sourcing, structuring, underwriting, monitoring and restructuring corporate loans. Prior to forming Czech, Steve was employed by several prominent firms, including, but not limited to, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse Group AG, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ("DLJ") and Banc of America Securities LLC. Steve is the Chairman of the Board of Alfred Angelo, Inc., founder and Co-Chairman of The Mikey Czech Foundation, a member of the Advisory Board of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Laureate member of the Dean's Society of The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a member of Villanova University's President's Club & Parents Executive Committee, a member of the Benacerraf Society of Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a member of the Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Visiting Committee for Pediatric Oncology. Steve received a B.S. from Marquette University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131125/NE22946

SOURCE Czech Asset Management, L.P.

Related Links

http://www.czechamlp.com


PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stradis Healthcare, an industry leader in custom surgical packs and medical kits, announced today the opening of their new manufacturing facility in Peachtree Corners, Georgia to better meet the needs of their customers, and ultimately, the end user, the patient. The new facility will significantly increase Stradis Healthcare's manufacturing capacity and play a central role in expanding its portfolio across all healthcare markets.

The cutting-edge facility totals 70,000 square feet, and encompasses a state-of-the-art 10,000 square foot clean room. This facility, combined with their Medikmark operation in Waukegan, Illinois, will bring their total manufacturing space to over 120,000 square feet.

"Once again we are growing with the needs of our customers", said Jeff Jacobs, CEO of Stradis Healthcare. The opening of this new facility marks an important milestone in our continued expansion. "Our investment highlights our commitment to supporting customers served from all across the United States as we keep in tandem with their increasing demand for our surgical solutions."

The world-class facility will greatly enhance the Stradis contract packaging product offering as well as its surgical pack capabilities to continue to provide customers with a solution for every procedure.

"Stradis prides itself on creating jobs; but more importantly doing our part to keep jobs in the United States," said Adam Sokol, President of Stradis Healthcare. "In this day and age of companies moving outside the U.S., we feel a responsibility to enhance the local economy in Georgia. Our surgical packs have always been assembled here in the U.S. and we will keep it that way."

For more information about the new Stradis Healthcare location, please visit www.stradishealthcare.com or call 1-800-886-7257.

About Stradis Healthcare

Stradis Healthcare is a custom procedure pack company and contract manufacturer. It is Stradis Healthcare's Mission to be a world leader in the design, production, and distribution of custom surgical packs, medical devices, consumer health products and services. Stradis serves over 1500 surgical centers, private practices, and purchasing networks to a multitude of healthcare markets that include but are not limited to orthopedic, vein, dental, ophthalmology plastics and GYN. Stradis Healthcare is headquartered in Peachtree Corners, GA. For additional information, please visit www.stradishealthcare.com.

About Medikmark Division

Medikmark, Inc., a disposable medical kit packing company, produces and supplies medical procedural kits and trays. The company offers small kits and trays, including IV start kits, dressing change trays, suture removal kits, tracheostomy care kits, urological and catheter/irrigation trays, instrument trays, sterile solutions, and other small kits. It also offers wound care, pandemic/staff protection, and custom/private label products, as well as admission kits and laceration trays. The company serves hospitals, nursing homes, and home health care providers. Medikmark, Inc. is based in Waukegan, IL.

SOURCE Stradis Healthcare

Related Links

http://www.stradishealthcare.com


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare (the Center) team up to encourage consistent, effective healthcare. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions will offer preferential underwriting treatment to hospitals and healthcare organizations that use high reliability tools, like the ones created by the Center. This is the first collaboration between the Center and a healthcare liability insurer.

"Performance improvement tools can help make healthcare a high reliability industry," states Mike Midgley, Vice President, Healthcare Risk Engineering, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions. "We applaud insureds who use applications like the Center's Targeted Solutions Tool (TST) and Oro 2.0 High Reliability Organizational Assessment and Resource Library. These tools, which enable healthcare providers to determine how near they are to zero patient harm, could help insureds receive a premium credit."

"For over 60 years, the Joint Commission has worked to improve the quality of healthcare," states Dr. Erin DuPree, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare. "By teaming up with the Center, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions is raising awareness about the ways our tools can help eliminate patient harm, first and foremost. This can result in decreased financial and reputational risk to providers. The support of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions encourages hospitals and healthcare organizations to deliver more effective care, bringing us closer to our goal of zero patient harm."

On May 9, 2016, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and the Joint Commission Center will hold a CE-accredited webinar. Topics include high reliability and strategies for reducing patient falls. The webinar is the first of several planned educational activities.

About Swiss Re Corporate Solutions

Swiss Re Corporate Solutions offers innovative, high-quality insurance capacity to mid-sized and large multinational corporations across the globe. Our offerings range from standard risk transfer covers and multi-line programmes, to highly customised solutions tailored to the needs of our clients. Swiss Re Corporate Solutions serves customers from over 50 offices worldwide and is backed by the financial strength of the Swiss Re Group. For more information about Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, please visit www.swissre.com/corporatesolutions or follow us on Twitter @SwissRe_CS.

SOURCE Swiss Re Corporate Solutions

Related Links

http://www.swissre.com/corporate_solutions


KNOXVILLE, Tenn., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

First Quarter 2016 Highlights:

Net Revenue increased 35.1% to $1.14 billion over first quarter of 2015 ( $192.7 million associated with IPC)

Net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. were $0.7 million ; $46.5 million after adjustments

Diluted net earnings per share of $0.01 ; Adjusted EPS of $0.62

Adjusted EBITDA increased 27.4% to $113.8 million ( $16.7 million associated with IPC)

2016 Outlook:

Consistent with prior guidance, projected 2016 net revenue growth of 31.0% to 33.0%; Adjusted EBITDA margin between 10.5% and 11.0%; Excludes any results from BPCI

Team Health Holdings, Inc. ("TeamHealth" or the "Company") (NYSE: TMH), one of the largest suppliers of outsourced healthcare professional staffing and administrative services to hospitals and other healthcare providers in the United States, today announced results for its first quarter of 2016.

"We are pleased with our financial results in the first quarter with double digit growth in both net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA and a significant improvement in operating cash flow. We benefited from solid performance in our core operations in addition to benefiting from the growth associated with the IPC transaction," said TeamHealth President and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Snow.

"First quarter consolidated revenue growth was driven by positive contributions from IPC, same contract performance, acquisitions from the core TeamHealth business, and net new contract sales. IPC provided the largest contribution to revenue growth during the quarter and its operational integration is progressing well. We continue to focus on integrating the business to provide for future growth and realizing the synergies as initially targeted. Same contract was the second largest contributor to revenue during the quarter as we experienced an increase in patient volumes late in the quarter from the emergence of a delayed flu season and also benefited from an increase in estimated collections per visit. In addition, the Company continued to benefit from legacy acquisitions, driven by both traditional acquisitions and hybrid acquisition opportunities while net new contracts provided a modest contribution to revenue growth during the quarter."

"As previously announced, we were pleased to reach an agreement with JANA Partners whereby we added two new Board members in the quarter and will add a third new Board member in January 2017. We believe this outcome best serves the interests of TeamHealth and all of its shareholders and we are confident that Mr. Crawford, Mr. Ostfeld and Ms. Schlichting, with their diversified expertise and relevant experience, will add valuable perspective to TeamHealth's Board. We remain committed to delivering the highest quality patient care, supporting our affiliated clinicians and hospital partners, achieving our operational and financial goals for 2016, and maximizing value for our shareholders," concluded Mr. Snow.

2016 First Quarter Results

Net revenue increased 35.1% to $1.14 billion from $840.5 million in the first quarter of 2015. IPC contributed 22.9%, same contract revenue contributed 5.9%, legacy (non-IPC) acquisitions contributed 5.2%, and net new growth contributed 1.1% of the increase in quarter-over-quarter growth in net revenue. Within the legacy acquisitions category, new hospital contracting opportunities that were initially developed by our sales and marketing process contributed 1.6% of overall net revenue growth between quarters.

Same contract revenue increased $50.0 million, or 6.6%, to $804.3 million from $754.3 million in the first quarter of 2015. A 4.0% increase in same contract volumes contributed 3.1% to same contract growth while an increase in estimated collections on fee for service visits provided a 2.8% increase in same contract revenue growth between quarters. An extra day in the first quarter of 2016 contributed approximately 1.0% of volume growth. Contract and other revenue contributed 0.7% to same contract revenue growth between quarters. IPC reported revenue of $192.7 million in the first quarter of 2016 while legacy acquisitions contributed $43.4 million of revenue growth and net new contract revenue increased by $9.0 million between quarters.

The components of net revenue include revenue from contracts that have been in effect for prior periods (same contract) and from net, new and acquired contracts during the periods, as set forth in the table below:



Three Months Ended March 31,

2015

2016

% Increase

Contribution to Overall Revenue Growth

(in thousands)







Same contract:













Fee for service revenue $ 583,100



$ 627,519



7.6 %

5.3 % Contract and other revenue 171,242



176,775



3.2 %

0.7 % Total same contract 754,342



804,294



6.6 %

5.9 % New contracts, net of terminations:













Fee for service revenue 52,191



60,339



15.6 %

1.0 % Contract and other revenue 19,018



19,914



4.7 %

0.1 % Total new contracts, net of terminations 71,209



80,253



12.7 %

1.1 % Acquired contracts:













Fee for service revenue 14,907



230,207



1,444.3 %

25.6 % Contract and other revenue 26



20,887



80,234.6 %

2.5 % Total acquired contracts 14,933



251,094



1,581.5 %

28.1 % Consolidated:













Fee for service revenue 650,198



918,065



41.2 %

31.9 % Contract and other revenue 190,286



217,576



14.3 %

3.2 % Total net revenue $ 840,484



$ 1,135,641



35.1 %

35.1 %

The following table reflects the visits and procedures included within fee for service revenues described in the table above:



Three Months Ended March 31,

2015

2016

% Increase

(in thousands)



Fee for service visits and procedures:









Same contract 3,528



3,670



4.0 % New and acquired contracts, net of terminations 460



2,926



536.1 % Total fee for service visits and procedures 3,988



6,596



65.4 %

Net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. for the quarter were $0.7 million, or $0.01 diluted net earnings per share, compared to net earnings of $28.1 million, or $0.38 diluted net earnings per share, in the first quarter of 2015. The financial results for the first quarter of 2016 included contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense of $9.1 million ($8.7 million after-tax) and non-cash amortization expense of $23.5 million ($16.9 million after-tax). In addition, during the quarter, the Company (along with other third party healthcare providers) was involved in two separate professional liability legal settlements originating in prior years that required payments that were in excess of existing limits of coverage on its insurance program in the aggregate amount of $14.3 million ($8.8 million after-tax). The Company also recognized certain transaction, integration, and reorganization costs in the first quarter in the amount of $21.1 million ($11.5 million after tax). These expenses include IPC severance and integration costs of $8.5 million, $7.9 million of professional, advisory, and legal costs associated with the activities of (i) the Board's special advisory committee (which is responsible for reviewing and evaluating possible strategic alternatives available to the Company) and (ii) the JANA agreement, and $4.7 million of severance and lease impairment costs associated with a reorganization of the Company's legacy operations during the quarter. Excluding these items, net earnings for the first quarter of 2016 would have been $46.5 million and Adjusted EPS would have been $0.62 per share. Financial results for the first quarter of 2015 included $7.9 million of contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense ($6.8 million after-tax) and non-cash amortization expense of $20.3 million ($14.5 million after-tax). Excluding these items, net earnings for the first quarter of 2015 would have been $49.4 million and Adjusted EPS would have been $0.68 per share.

See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliations" and "Adjusted Earnings Per Share" below for the definition of Adjusted EPS and its reconciliation to net earnings and diluted earnings per share attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of diluted earnings per share to Adjusted EPS (note that some totals may not add due to rounding).



Adjusted Earnings Per Share

Three Months Ended March 31,

2015

2016

(in thousands, except for share data) Diluted weighted average shares outstanding 72,885







74,897





Net earnings and diluted net earnings per share attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc., as reported $ 28,054



$ 0.38



$ 668



$ 0.01

Adjustments:













Contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense, net of tax of $(1,071) and $(438) for 2015 and 2016, respectively 6,833



0.09



8,651



0.12

Amortization expense, net of tax of $(5,756) and $(6,608) for 2015 and 2016, respectively 14,521



0.20



16,903



0.23

Professional liability loss reserve adjustments associated with prior years, net of tax of $(5,464) for 2016 







8,820



0.12

Transaction, integration, and reorganization costs, net of tax of $(9,656) for 2016(a) 







11,460



0.15

Net earnings and diluted earnings per share attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc., as adjusted $ 49,408



$ 0.68



$ 46,502



$ 0.62



a. Does not include $0.3 million of transaction costs associated with the Company's legacy acquisition activities.

Cash flow provided by operations for the quarter was $29.1 million compared to $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2015. There were $1.7 million of contingent purchase payments made in the first quarter of 2016 and $3.9 million contingent purchase payments in 2015 that were included in operating cash flow. Also impacting operating cash flow in 2016 were $8.1 million of cash transaction and integration costs associated with the IPC transaction. Excluding the impact of the contingent purchase payments and the IPC transaction and integration costs in 2016 and 2015, operating cash flows increased by $32.5 million to $38.9 million in 2016 compared to $6.4 million in 2015. The increase in operating cash flows between quarters reflects a reduced level of accounts receivable, accrued compensation and physician payable funding and a net income tax refund, which was offset by an increased level of interest payments. As of March 31, 2016, net accounts receivable were $755.7 million compared to $730.5 million as of December 31, 2015. On a consolidated basis (including the impact of the IPC transaction), net days in accounts receivable decreased to 61.4 days at March 31, 2016 compared to 69.6 days at December 31, 2015. Excluding the impact of the IPC transaction, net days in accounts receivable decreased to 61.4 days at March 31, 2016 from 62.7 at December 31, 2015.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter increased 27.4% to $113.8 million from $89.3 million in the first quarter of 2015. During the first quarter of 2016, the Company recognized $16.7 million of Adjusted EBITDA from IPC while the Company's legacy operations generated Adjusted EBITDA of $97.1 million, reflecting growth of 8.7% from first quarter of 2015. Adjusted EBITDA margin on a consolidated basis was 10.0% in 2016 compared to 10.6% in 2015. The Adjusted EBITDA margin for IPC was 8.7% while the Company's legacy operations Adjusted EBITDA margin was 10.3% in 2016. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliations" and "Adjusted EBITDA" below for the definitions of Adjusted EBITDA Margin and Adjusted EBITDA and its reconciliation to net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. to Adjusted EBITDA.



Adjusted EBITDA

Three Months Ended March 31,

2015

2016

(In thousands) Net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. $ 28,054



$ 668

Interest expense, net 3,989



31,292

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 21,155



(2,214)

Depreciation 5,573



8,037

Amortization 20,277



23,511

Other (income) expenses, net(a) (3,280)



(732)

Contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense(b) 7,904



9,089

Transaction, integration, and reorganization costs(c) 1,086



21,395

Equity based compensation expense(d) 3,543



7,583

Insurance subsidiaries interest income 504



579

Professional liability loss reserve adjustments associated with prior years 



14,284

Severance and other charges 518



346

Adjusted EBITDA $ 89,323



$ 113,838





a. Reflects gain or loss on sale of assets, realized gains on investments, and changes in fair value of investments associated with the Company's non-qualified retirement plan. b. Reflects expense recognized for historical and estimated future contingent payments and other compensation expense associated with acquisitions. c. Reflects transaction and integration costs, reorganization expenses, and advisory, legal and other professional service fees from the Board's special advisory committee process and JANA agreement. d. Reflects costs related to equity awards granted under the Company's equity based compensation plans.



As of March 31, 2016, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $23.5 million and total outstanding debt of $2.43 billion (excluding the impact of $51.4 million of deferred financing costs). The March 31, 2016 outstanding debt balance reflects a reduction of $32.8 million during the first quarter of 2016. The outstanding debt as of March 31, 2016 consists of borrowings under the Tranche A term loan facility of $570.0 million, Tranche B term loan facility of $1.31 billion, and 7.25% Senior Notes due 2023 of $545.0 million. As of March 31, 2016 there were no amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility and the Company had $650.0 million of available borrowings under its revolving credit facilities (without giving effect to $6.4 million of undrawn letters of credit).

Team Health Holdings, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets



December 31, 2015

March 31, 2016

(Unaudited) (In thousands) ASSETS





Current assets:





Cash and cash equivalents $ 28,563



$ 23,463

Short-term investments 1,985



1,886

Accounts receivable, less allowance for uncollectibles of $500,645 and $589,446 in 2015 and 2016, respectively 730,459



755,714

Prepaid expenses and other current assets 73,807



66,372

Receivables under insured programs 36,004



42,346

Income tax receivable 28,791



29,792

Total current assets 899,609



919,573

Insurance subsidiaries' and other investments 111,940



113,906

Property and equipment, net 87,907



87,458

Other intangibles, net 335,637



328,525

Goodwill 2,427,802



2,425,227

Deferred income taxes 50,250



37,804

Receivables under insured programs 90,747



91,427

Other 56,950



60,042



$ 4,060,842



$ 4,063,962

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY





Current liabilities:





Accounts payable $ 66,358



$ 66,345

Accrued compensation and physician payable 337,455



316,891

Other accrued liabilities 257,651



296,711

Current maturities of long-term debt 68,900



50,650

Total current liabilities 730,364



730,597

Long-term debt, less current maturities 2,337,363



2,324,646

Other non-current liabilities 346,427



344,486

Shareholders' equity:





Common stock, ($0.01 par value; 100,000 shares authorized, 73,092 and 73,796 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 and March 31, 2016, respectively) 731



738

Additional paid-in capital 836,458



852,727

Accumulated deficit (196,144)



(195,476)

Accumulated other comprehensive earnings 1,503



1,786

Team Health Holdings, Inc. shareholders' equity 642,548



659,775

Noncontrolling interests 4,140



4,458

Total shareholders' equity including noncontrolling interests 646,688



664,233



$ 4,060,842



$ 4,063,962



Team Health Holdings, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Earnings



Three Months Ended March 31,

2015

2016

(Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share data) Net revenues before provision for uncollectibles $ 1,398,289



$ 1,839,532

Provision for uncollectibles 557,805



703,891

Net revenues 840,484



1,135,641

Cost of services rendered (exclusive of depreciation and amortization shown separately below)





Professional service expenses 663,465



902,583

Professional liability costs 26,618



46,984

General and administrative expenses (includes contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense of $7,904 and $9,089 in 2015 and 2016, respectively) 73,562



104,054

Other (income) expenses, net (3,280)



(732)

Depreciation 5,573



8,037

Amortization 20,277



23,511

Interest expense, net 3,989



31,292

Transaction, integration, and reorganization costs 1,086



21,395

Earnings (loss) before income taxes 49,194



(1,483)

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes 21,155



(2,214)

Net earnings 28,039



731

Net (loss) earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests (15)



63

Net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. $ 28,054



$ 668









Net earnings per share of Team Health Holdings, Inc.





Basic $ 0.39



$ 0.01

Diluted $ 0.38



$ 0.01

Weighted average shares outstanding





Basic 71,372



73,342

Diluted 72,885



74,897









Other comprehensive (loss) earnings, net of tax:





Net change in fair value of investments, net of tax of $3 and $154 for 2015 and 2016, respectively (27)



283

Comprehensive earnings 28,012



1,014

Comprehensive (loss) earnings attributable to noncontrolling interests (15)



63

Comprehensive earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. $ 28,027



$ 951



Team Health Holdings, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow



Three Months Ended March 31,

2015

2016

(Unaudited) (In thousands) Operating Activities





Net earnings $ 28,039



$ 731

Adjustments to reconcile net earnings:





Depreciation 5,573



8,037

Amortization 20,277



23,511

Amortization of deferred financing costs 363



2,184

Equity based compensation expense 3,543



7,769

Provision for uncollectibles 557,805



703,891

Deferred income taxes (4,438)



8,928

(Gain) loss on sale of investments and other assets (400)



34

Equity in joint venture income (776)



(738)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions:





Accounts receivable (605,809)



(734,901)

Prepaids and other assets 4,692



4,279

Income tax accounts 15,061



(4,947)

Accounts payable 6,246



171

Accrued compensation and physician payable (39,920)



(17,994)

Contingent purchase liabilities 4,003



7,434

Other accrued liabilities 1,416



7,956

Professional liability reserves 6,862



12,800

Net cash provided by operating activities 2,537



29,145

Investing Activities





Purchases of property and equipment (9,832)



(7,243)

Net proceeds from disposition of assets held for sale and property and equipment 19



50

Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired (33,296)



(330)

Payments for the purchase of investments 



(453)

Proceeds from the sale of investments 6,191



427

Purchases of investments at insurance subsidiaries (19,081)



(29,897)

Proceeds from investments at insurance subsidiaries 18,267



28,492

Net cash used in investing activities (37,732)



(8,954)

Financing Activities





Payments on long-term debt (3,750)



(10,788)

Payments on revolving credit facility (286,000)



(270,200)

Proceeds from revolving credit facility 304,500



248,200

Payments related to contingent purchase obligations 



(5,192)

Contributions from noncontrolling interests 1,020



255

Proceeds from exercise of stock options 9,574



12,027

Tax benefit from exercise of stock options 7,126



713

Payments related to settlement of equity based awards 



(306)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities 32,470



(25,291)

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (2,725)



(5,100)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 20,094



28,563

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 17,369



$ 23,463

Supplemental cash flow information:





Interest paid $ 4,322



$ 20,660

Taxes paid, net of refunds $ 704



$ (6,452)



Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of the Company. Some of these statements can be identified by terms and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "continue," "could," "should," "may," "plan," "project," "predict" and similar expressions. The Company cautions that such "forward looking statements," including without limitation, those relating to the realization of the expected benefits of the IPC transaction, the Company's future business prospects, revenue, working capital, professional liability expense, liquidity, capital needs, interest costs and income, wherever they occur in this press release or in other statements attributable to the Company are necessarily estimates reflecting the judgment of the Company's senior management and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the "forward looking statements." Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such "forward-looking statements," include but are not limited to current or future government regulation of the healthcare industry, exposure to professional liability lawsuits and governmental agency investigations, the adequacy of insurance coverage and insurance reserves, as well as those factors detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Company's forward looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the date they are made. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update "forward looking statements" made in this press release to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or changes to future operating results over time.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures Reconciliations

In this release we refer to Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin and Adjusted Earnings per Share ("Adjusted EPS") which are financial measures that are calculated and presented on the basis of methodologies other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net earnings attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. before interest expense, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as further adjusted to exclude the non-cash items and the other adjustments shown in the table under "Adjusted EBITDA" in the release. Adjusted EBITDA margin represents Adjusted EBITDA divided by net revenue. Adjusted EPS is defined as diluted earnings per share attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. excluding non-cash and other adjustments, including the impact of contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense and amortization expense relating to purchase accounting for historical acquisitions and the other adjustments shown in the table under "Adjusted Earnings Per Share" in the release. For a reconciliation of each of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EPS to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, we refer you to the tables under "Adjusted EBITDA" and "Adjusted Earnings Per Share," respectively, contained in the release.

Adjusted EBITDA

We present Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure of our performance. We present Adjusted EBITDA because we believe it assists investors and analysts in comparing our performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. We believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA is appropriate to provide additional information to investors about the calculation of, and compliance with, our debt agreements. Adjusted EBITDA is a material component of these covenants.

Adjusted EBITDA is not a measurement of financial performance or liquidity under generally accepted accounting principles. In evaluating our performance as measured by Adjusted EBITDA, management recognizes and considers the limitations of this measure. Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect certain cash expenses that we are obligated to make, and although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements. In addition, other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do or may not calculate it at all, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net earnings, operating income, cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities, or any other measure calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Adjusted Earnings Per Share

We present Adjusted earnings per share attributable to Team Health Holdings, Inc. ("Adjusted EPS") as a supplemental measure of our performance. We present Adjusted EPS because we believe that it assists investors in understanding the impact of acquisition-related and other costs on our earnings per share and comparing our performance across operating periods on a consistent basis and provides additional insight into our core earnings performance. In presenting Adjusted EPS, we attempt to calculate the after-tax impact of such acquisition-related and other costs using our estimated effective tax rate applied to the deductible portion of such costs with no tax adjustment applied to any non-deductible cost elements. Adjusted EPS is not a measurement of financial performance or liquidity under generally accepted accounting principles. In evaluating our performance as measured by Adjusted EPS, management recognizes and considers the limitations of this measure. Adjusted EPS does not reflect certain cash expenses that we are obligated to make, and although contingent purchase and other acquisition compensation expense and amortization expense are non-cash charges in the period reported, such charges reflect historical or future cash payments in conjunction with our acquisition transactions. In addition, other companies in our industry may calculate Adjusted EPS differently than we do or may not calculate it at all, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EPS should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net earnings, operating income, basic and diluted earnings per share, cash flows from operating, investing or financing activities, or any other measure calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Financial Supplement and Conference Call Date & Time

The information in this press release should be read in conjunction with a financial supplement that is available on our website at www.teamhealth.com. TeamHealth will hold a conference call tomorrow, May 10, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time). The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-877-407-0784, or for international callers, 1-201-689-8560. A replay will be available two hours after the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-877-870-5176, or for international callers, 1-858-384-5517. The passcode for the live call and the replay is 13634465. The replay will be available until May 17, 2016.

Interested investors and other parties may also listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference call by logging onto the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.teamhealth.com . The on-line replay will remain available for a limited time beginning immediately following the call.

To learn more about TeamHealth, please visit the company's Web site at www.teamhealth.com . TeamHealth uses its Web site as a channel of distribution for material Company information. Financial and other material information regarding TeamHealth is routinely posted on the Company's Web site and is readily accessible.

About TeamHealth

At TeamHealth (NYSE: TMH), our purpose is to perfect our physicians' ability to practice medicine, every day, in everything we do. Through our more than 19,000 affiliated physicians and advanced practice clinicians, TeamHealth offers outsourced emergency medicine, hospital medicine, critical care, anesthesiology, orthopedic hospitalist, acute care surgery, obstetrics and gynecology hospitalist, ambulatory care, post-acute care and medical call center solutions to approximately 3,500 acute and post-acute facilities and physician groups nationwide. Our philosophy is as simple as our goal is singular: we believe better experiences for physicians lead to better outcomes-for patients, hospital partners and physicians alike. Join our team; we value and empower clinicians. Partner with us; we deliver on our promises. Learn more at http://www.teamhealth.com.

The term "TeamHealth" as used throughout this release includes Team Health Holdings, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates, affiliated medical groups and providers, all of which are part of the TeamHealth organization. "Providers" are physicians, advanced practice clinicians and other healthcare providers who are employed by or contract with subsidiaries or affiliated entities of Team Health Holdings, Inc. All such providers exercise independent clinical judgment when providing patient care. Team Health Holdings, Inc. does not have any employees, does not contract with providers and does not practice medicine.

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SOURCE Team Health Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.teamhealth.com


"Today we celebrate a breakthrough  a very special center that is designed to meet the specific needs of families in this community, now and long into the future," said Madeline Bell, president and CEO of CHOP. "The South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center will provide children and adults not only comprehensive health and wellness services, but also a full range of literacy and recreational programming  all under one roof. It is the country's first example of this unique type of public-private partnership. CHOP thanks our own innovative thinkers and those from the City of Philadelphia and the Free Library of Philadelphia for their vision and determination to make this project a reality."

The result of a four-year collaboration established just two years after the Affordable Care Act became law, the South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center represents a pioneering public-private partnership.

"I'm glad to officially welcome the South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center into our community," said Mayor Kenney. "This new state-of-the-art, eco-friendly facility represents the partnership of private and public collaborating to provide accessible community services. Residents can come to this state-of-the-art building for one-stop shopping  for healthcare, education and recreation. I would like to thank the countless City departments, South Philadelphia organizations and the many partners who had a crucial hand in creating this building, including The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia  a global leader in pediatric healthcare and truly a great corporate citizen committed to Philadelphia and the region."

Project Background

In 2012, CHOP's neighborhood clinic had outgrown its space and was looking to expand. Meanwhile, in the same neighborhood, the City of Philadelphia operated a health clinic that provided primary care services to adults and children, as well as a small recreation center, playground and a neighborhood library. All were in need of major renovations and lacked equipment necessary to meet the needs of the growing South Philadelphia community.

During discussions between City and CHOP leadership, a novel idea was born: CHOP would build a comprehensive medical clinic on the City's land to house the existing City and brand new CHOP medical practices, as well as construct a recreation center and playground that would double the size of the existing facility. Also included in the project would be the City's first "21st Century" library that would interconnect with both health and recreation facilities.

"The Free Library is so proud to be a partner in this transformative space that will bring robust health resources to the South Philadelphia community," said Library President and Director Siobhan A. Reardon. "We strive to advance literacy, guide learning and inspire curiosity for all Philadelphians, and this new space and unprecedented partnership will go a long way toward increasing health literacy and outcomes."

"DiSilvestro Playground and Recreation Center has always been a landmark for residents in this area of South Philadelphia," said Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell. "The renovated recreation spaces indoors and out will enhance the quality of life and well-being for children and adults  working hand-in-hand with the health center and library resources also located on this campus. The Department of Parks & Recreation is committed to helping all Philadelphians grow by connecting them to the natural world, to each other, and to fun, physical and social opportunities. The new DiSilvestro Recreation Center will accomplish all of that and more."

Project Features

CHOP Pediatric Primary Care Center 22,000-square-feet Expect 35,000 patient visits/year

Philadelphia Department of Public Health Community Health Center 29,500-square-feet 50,000+ patient visits annually Adult, pediatric, women's health, family planning and dental care specialties Health and nutrition classes Clinical recommendations for physical activity at the DiSilvesto Playground and Recreation Center

Free Library of Philadelphia South Philadelphia Library Nearly 12,000 square-feet 150,000+ customers annually Child and adult literacy classes Library -based Consumer Health Resource Center Free Wi-Fi, public computers and computer literacy classes ESL classes

of Philadelphia South Philadelphia Library DiSilvestro Playground and Recreation Center Indoor and outdoor recreation space, featuring playground, basketball court, green space and rain garden



Project Financing

The South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center will be focused on improving the health of an entire community, allowing both children and adults to access an integrated offering of services to promote care, wellness and literacy  all within one city block. To finance the project, the City of Philadelphia provided a lease on-site at minimal cost, plus $2.2 million towards construction. CHOP provided $30 million in operating revenue, and the Free Library of Philadelphia provided $1.3 million. A final $9.8 million in equity was provided by New Market Tax Credits.

About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

About the Free Library of Philadelphia

The Free Library of Philadelphia system, with 54 locations and The Rosenbach, advances literacy, guides learning, and inspires curiosity with millions of digital and physical materials; 25,000 yearly programs and workshops; free public computers and extensive Wi-Fi, including neighborhood Hotspots; and rich special collections, including those at Parkway Central Library and at The Rosenbach. With more than 6 million in-person visits and millions more online annually, the Free Library and the Rosenbach are among the most widely used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia and boast a worldwide impact. For more information, visit: http://www.freelibrary.org/.

About Philadelphia Parks and Recreation

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of her people through intentional and sustained stewardship of nearly 10,200 acres of public land and waterways as well as through hundreds of safe, stimulating recreation, environmental and cultural centers. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the city's residents by connecting them to the natural world around them, to each other and to fun, physical and social opportunities. PPR is responsible for the upkeep of historically significant Philadelphia events and specialty venues, and works collaboratively with communities and organizations in leading capital projects and the introduction of inventive programming. To learn more about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, visit us at www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr.

About The Department of Public Health

The Department of Public Health's mission is to protect and promote the health of all Philadelphians and provide a healthcare safety net for those most vulnerable. The department's Ambulatory Health Service program operates eight neighborhood health centers. These clinics provide a wide range of services, including: primary care medical services for adults and children, obstetric care, family planning services, dental services, social services, behavioral health services, x-rays, and pharmacy. Across the whole system there are about 300,000 patient visits a year. A Federally Qualified Health Center site for over 20 years and a primary care medical site for over 40 years, Health Center #2 is a key safety net provider in South Philadelphia, caring for over 10,000 patients annually, making nearly 50,000 visits. It serves a diverse section of the city with residents from many immigrant communities including Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, China, and India, to name a few. Regardless of one's income or insurance status, any Philadelphian is eligible to receive high quality, comprehensive ambulatory medical care from Health Center #2.

Contacts:

Emily DiTomo

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

267-426-6063 (office)

484-557-9318 (cell)

[email protected]

Sandy Horrocks

Free Library of Philadelphia

215-814-3527 (office)

267-688-9188 (cell)

[email protected]

Randy Giancaterino

Office of the City Representative

215-683-2070 (office)

267-207-5068 (cell)

[email protected]

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SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Related Links

http://www.chop.edu


CHICAGO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), a global leader in art and design education, announced the launch of its first-ever significant fundraising campaign, a milestone in the School's 150-year history. The comprehensive campaignBeautiful/Work: The Campaign for the School of the Art Institute of Chicagoaims to raise $50 million by 2018 to increase funding for student scholarships and faculty resources.

It began as a shared idea. The common intention of 35 visionary artists to create a place that could shape our culture. Founded in 1866, SAIC has become a nexus for the next generation of artists. Rooted in the fine arts, yet neither beholden to tradition nor bound by fashion, SAIC has grown into a place where opportunities are infinite. Beautiful/Work will ensure that SAIC remains at the forefront of art and design education and continues its history of creating whats next.

The official public fundraising phase was announced by President-Designate Elissa Tenny on Friday, May 6, during SAIC's 150th Anniversary Gala celebration at the Art Institute of Chicago. The gala raised $1.2 million in support of student scholarships.

"SAIC has educated the world's most transformative and influential artists, designers and scholars who have gone on to define and redefine our visual world, perceptual frontiers and creative enterprise," said Tenny. "Beautiful/Work: The Campaign for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is a groundbreaking investment in our talented and brilliant students and dedicated and boundary-pushing faculty. For it is our students and faculty that shape our cultural life now and for decades to come."

Since the campaign began its leadership phase in 2014 more than 15 individuals have donated at least $1 million and more than 60 individuals have donated $100,000 or more, totaling $40 million in funds raised.

Beautiful/Work for Students

With more than 75 percent of SAIC students receiving financial assistance each year, scholarship support is critical to maintaining academic excellence, competitiveness and diversity at SAIC.

"SAIC's Beautiful/Work campaign is a transformative investment in our students and faculty," said SAIC President Walter E. Massey. "By supporting scholarships, professorships and new and innovative courses and collaborations, the campaign reinforces our commitment to providing a rigorous and inspiring education in the arts and design, and to ensuring we continue to attract the most talented and diverse students in the country."

SAIC has been focused on increasing its endowment, and between 2010 and 2015, the School has increased the amount of funds available for scholarships by nearly 40 percent, from $27.5 million in 2010 to $38.3 million in 2015. The $40 million raised as part of SAIC's Beautiful/Work campaign has contributed to that increase and, for the fiscal year 201415, the School awarded a record number of scholarships totaling approximately $38 million, with approximately 97 percent of the incoming first-year students receiving aid.

One of the most significant scholarship opportunities that will be supported by SAIC's Beautiful/Work campaign is the Walter and Shirley Massey Chicago Scholarship Fund. Established in 2012 in honor of President Walter Massey and his wife, Shirley, the fund provides need-based scholarships to undergraduate students from the city of Chicago. Since its launch, the fund has provided 15 full-tuition scholarships for undergraduate students coming from Chicago Public Schools. The scholarship provides them with the funding they need to become visionary thinkers, innovators and scholars over the course of their undergraduate tenures at SAIC.

"The scholarship funding I received from SAIC completely changed my college experience," said Amanda Alexandria McLin (BFA 2018), recipient of the Walter and Shirley Massey Chicago Scholarship. "I am not constantly plagued with the fear of having to drop out of school because I can't pay my tuition, and with the scholarship, I will be able to gain a concrete foundation of knowledge in my field, ascending to the highest point of achievement within the field of fashion design and the art world."

Throughout the School's 150-year history, many of the students and alumni who have made significant contributions to the world of art, design and business, also received scholarships while attending SAIC, including:

Ivan Albright (SAIC 191923, HON 1977)

(SAIC 191923, HON 1977) Richard Hunt (BA 1957, HON 1979)

(BA 1957, HON 1979) Ed Paschke (BFA 1961, MFA 1970, HON 1990)

(BFA 1961, MFA 1970, HON 1990) Elizabeth Murray (BFA 1962, HON 1992)

(BFA 1962, HON 1992) Cynthia Rowley (BFA 1981)

(BFA 1981) Sanford Biggers (MFA 1999)

(MFA 1999) Rashid Johnson (MFA 2005)

Beautiful/Work for Faculty Excellence

Beautiful/Work: The Campaign for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago also supports faculty members who teach, mentor and inspire students to make visionary and groundbreaking work through named faculty professorship and awards.

"Through endowments and awards, not only are we able to attract the finest artists, designers and scholars, but we can provide more resources to our outstanding faculty," said Lisa Wainwright, SAIC's dean of faculty and vice president of academic affairs. "These resources directly correlate with retaining an exceptional team of faculty, which in turn, attracts the best students and furthers the School's influence."

Notable and current professorships made possible by endowments include:

Crown Family Professor in Painting and Drawing: Michelle Grabner

Mohn Family Professor of Contemporary Art History: David Raskin

John H. Bryan Chair of Historic Preservation: Anne Sullivan

Angela Gregory Paterakis Professorship: Olivia Gude

Alsdorf Professor in South Asian Art History: Nora Taylor

Goldabelle McComb Finn Distinguished Professor of Art History: David Getsy

Emily Crane Chadbourne Professor of Art History, Theory and Criticism: Jim Elkins

Frederick Latimer Wells Professor of Painting and Drawing: James Lutes

Sage Foundation Chair in Fashion Design: Anke Loh

Praise for SAIC

The campaign announcement comes on the heels of several recent achievements for SAIC including earning a coveted spot on the 2016 "U.S. News & World Report" Best Colleges Rankings annual list. SAIC was ranked the nation's fourth best graduate fine arts program, and together with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), SAIC is tied as the highest-ranked freestanding, specialized school of art and design in the country. "U.S. News" also ranks schools in 10 individual areas of concentration in the Fine Arts category, with SAIC earning a top-five ranking in six of them: Fiber Arts (No. 1), Painting and Drawing (No. 2), Photography (No. 2), Print (No. 4), Sculpture (No. 4), and New Media (No. 5).

Additionally, the "Chronicle of Higher Education" reported SAIC was among the top producers of U.S. Fulbright Scholars for specialized institutions. Sponsored by the United States Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the highly competitive, merit-based Fulbright Program aims to increase multicultural exchange and encourage international understanding by providing students individual grants to study and research outside of the U.S. Since 2002, 32 students have represented SAIC as U.S. Fulbright Fellows in 23 countries.

Give the Gift of an SAIC Education

"Alumni, faculty, parents, staff, friends, foundations, corporations and government partners have played a critical role in making SAIC a world-class art and design school," said Cheryl Jessogne, SAIC's Vice President of Institutional Advancement. "We look forward to building a future together, one where interdisciplinary opportunities for our students and faculty are fortified through philanthropy."

For the latest news on the campaign or to support Beautiful/Work: The Campaign for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, visit campaign.saic.edu. Watch this video to learn more about the impact of giving.

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago

For 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world's most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top three graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC's undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the worldas seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O'Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman. For more information, please visit saic.edu.

CONTACT:

Bree Witt

312.499.4211

[email protected]

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SOURCE School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Related Links

http://www.saic.edu


Through the Y's Safety Around Water program, parents and caregivers will help their children learn fundamental water safety and swimming skills. Armed with these skills, children will know how to reach the water's surface if they become submerged, safely reach a pool's edge, exit any body of water and respond to unexpected water situations.

While fatal drowning is a concern for all kids, children of color are disproportionately at-risk. The Y is dedicated to reversing the alarming statistics about youth drowning rates, especially in African American and Hispanic/Latino communities:

3 kids die every day from drowning 1

die every day from drowning Drowning is the second-leading cause of deaths for kids ages 5-14 2

cause of deaths for kids ages 5-14 African American children ages 5 to 14 are 3 times more likely to drown than their white peers 3

than their white peers 70 percent of African American and 60 percent of Hispanic children cannot swim, compared to just 40 percent of Caucasian children 3

of African American and of Hispanic children cannot swim, compared to just 40 percent of Caucasian children 88 percent of kids who drown do so under adult supervision 4

of kids who drown do so under adult supervision 60 percent of kids who drown are within 10 feet of safety 4

of kids who drown are within 10 feet of safety Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88 percent among children one to four years old 5

among children one to four years old More than 1 million kids take swim lessons at the Y every year 6

"Every year, the Y teaches more than 1 million children from all backgrounds invaluable water safety and swim skills. This year, we're committed to addressing the disturbing statistics around fatal youth drownings by making free swim lessons available to more than 18,000 children in underserved communities," said Kevin Washington, President and CEO of Y-USA. "It's our mission to help mitigate the socio-cultural factors that inhibit today's youthespecially those of color in urban communitiesfrom receiving the potentially lifesaving skills to keep them safe in and around water."

As one of the country's longest-standing nonprofits dedicated to the nation's most pressing social issues related to youth, health and community life, the Y is committed to working side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.

The Safety Around Water program assists in developing potentially lifesaving skills, by increasing knowledge, ability and stamina to build smart, strong swimmers and confident kids.

For more about the Y's Safety Around Water program, please visit ymca.net/watersafety.

Sources:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars

2. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (2012). Safety barrier guidelines for residential pools. Retrieved from www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pool.pdf

3. USA Swimming Foundation national research study by the USA Swimming Foundation and the University of Memphis. Retrieved from http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1796

4. Safe Kids Worldwide. (2007). Safe kids U.S. summer safety ranking report. Retrieved from www.safekids.org/research-report/safe-kids-us-summer-safety-ranking-report-april-2007

5. Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1796

6. Contact [email protected] for more detailed information

About the Y

The Y is one of the nation's leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 22 million men, women and children  regardless of age, income or background  to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation's health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. ymca.net

Contacts:

Stephanie Cavataro

WME|IMG

212-774-4459

[email protected]

Ryu Mizuno

YMCA of the USA

312-419-8337

[email protected]

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SOURCE YMCA of the USA

Related Links

http://www.ymca.net


NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To celebrate its 100th anniversary of rescuing animals from war, hurricanes, floods, wild fires and other disasters, American Humane Association, the country's first national humane organization, unveiled a gigantic gift  an investment, really, for America's animals  in front of the New York Stock Exchange, where they rang the opening bell.

A gift to America's Animals: American Humane Association celebrates 100 years of saving animals by unveiling giant new rescue vehicle with the generous support of the William H. Donner Foundation, the Kirkpatrick Foundation, and Zoetis.

A giant 50-foot-long animal rescue truck was dedicated to helping animals caught in natural disasters and manmade crises such as hoarding and cruelty cases. Funded by the Kirkpatrick Foundation, the William H. Donner Foundation (in memory of the late Belinda Donner), and others, the rescue vehicle will be stationed in Oklahoma's Tornado Alley, debuting on May 20th  the anniversary of the EF-5 tornado that devastated the city of Moore in 2013. Following that disaster, American Humane Association's Red Star Rescue team deployed for a full month, helping to rescue, shelter, and care for hundreds of animals.

The new vehicle, which can carry lifesaving supplies and sheltering equipment for 100 animals, will be staffed with a licensed veterinarian. When deployed, American Humane Association's disaster responders and members of its national corps of volunteers will travel to disaster zones and live in it as they rescue animals. When not deployed, the vehicle will be used for rescue in cruelty and hoarding cases, and as an important teaching tool to help first responders train and prepare for disaster situations.

"May marks 100 years since the creation of our legendary animal rescue program, which was born on the battlefield of World War I Europe when the U.S. Secretary of War asked us to save wounded war horses," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president of American Humane Association. "During that terrible time, we rescued and cared for 68,000 horses a month and since then we have been part of virtually every major disaster response from Pearl Harbor to 9/11; Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina; the Mount St. Helen's eruption; the Joplin, Missouri tornado; the Japanese and Haitian earthquakes; and Superstorm Sandy. Over just the past ten years American Humane Association has saved, helped and sheltered more than 80,000 animals."

"At Kirkpatrick Foundation, we are committed to improving the quality of life for all animals in our state," said Louisa McCune, executive director of the Kirkpatrick Foundation. "In fact, by the year 2032, we want Oklahoma to become the best place in the United Statesand the world overto be an animal. Our first grant to the American Humane Association helped defray costs of their rescue efforts in the aftermath of the 2013 tornadoes. We then began working with them on a larger, more visionary effort to help make Oklahoma City a pacesetter in animal rescue. With this vehicle and American Humane Association's new relationship with OSU-OKC, Oklahoma will become a regional leader for all disasters requiring immediate rescue care for animals. We are honored to partner with American Humane Association and OSU-OKC in this way. National and state experts in animal rescue working in unison with public safety officers will help advance animal and human welfare in the state."

"This new rescue vehicle is a major investment in America's animals and families," said Dr. Ganzert. "The newest American Humane Association animal rescue vehicle is specifically designed and outfitted to provide a wide array of animal emergency services and will be a beacon of hope for communities reeling from disasters. We already have giant rescue trucks stationed to protect the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Rocky Mountain area. This strengthening of our nation's emergency operations is a great gift and we thank the William H. Donner Foundation, Kirkpatrick Foundation, and the other major donors in this effort who care about the most vulnerable in times of greatest need."

The dedication event during the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange was made possible by leading animal health company Zoetis, which funded the American Humane Association rescue vehicle protecting the animals of the Northeast.

"Zoetis is proud to be a long-time supporter and partner of the American Humane Association," said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, DABVP, group director, Companion Animal Marketing at Zoetis. "It's our pleasure to sponsor today's bell ringing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Association's life-saving work during times of disaster and emergency. We commend Dr. Ganzert and her organization for their truly extraordinary efforts to go above and beyond to help protect the health and welfare of America's animals."

More than 30 VIPs attended the dedication during the ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, including American Humane Association President and CEO Dr. Robin Ganzert; American Humane Association board members Dawn Assenzio, and Dr. J. Michael McFarland (of Zoetis); William H. Donner Foundation trustees Alexander B. Donner, Joseph W. Donner, Jr., and Deborah Donner, with Annette DeLorenzo; Kirkpatrick Foundation executives Robert Clements, Louisa McCune, and George Records; Zoetis executives Linda Block, Laura Della Guardia, Jonathan Hirschmann, Kristen Seely, Dr. Shelley Stanford, and Colleen White; American Humane Association friends and VIPs Dr. Caren Caty, Sody Clements, Helene Kovens, Rebecca Anne Perl, Judi Miracle Richards, Raymond Richards, Robert Schnell, Abigail Trenk, Annie Watt, and Debbie Wells; and American Humane Association's National Director of Red Star Rescue and Emergency Services for Animals Randal Collins, National Director for Military Affairs Capt. Jason Haag, USMC (Ret.) and his service dog Axel, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Communications Jack Hubbard, Chief Operating Officer Audrey Lang, Chief Communications Officer Mark Stubis, and Presidential Aide Andrew Goff.

HISTORIC TIMELINE: To see a historic timeline with photos capturing 100 years of American Humane Association's animal rescue work, click here: http://kindness100.org/pdfs/100-years-of-animal-rescue.pdf.

To learn more or to support American Humane Association's rescue services, please visit www.americanhumane.org.

About American Humane Association

American Humane Association is the country's first national humane organization, and the only one dedicated to protecting both children and animals. With an unparalleled reach and scope, the organization positively touches more than 42,000 lives each minute through effective, life-affirming, life-saving services and public outreach  more than any other organization in its field. Since 1877, American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting our most vulnerable from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today it is leading the way in understanding the human-animal bond and its role in therapy, medicine and society. American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

About the Kirkpatrick Foundation

The Kirkpatrick Foundation, founded in 1955 by John and Eleanor Kirkpatrick, is a private foundation located in Oklahoma City. The philanthropy funds arts, culture, education, animal wellbeing, environmental conservation, and historic preservation organizations.

About Zoetis

Zoetis (zo-EH-tis) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products and genetic tests and supported by a range of services. In 2014, the company generated annual revenue of $4.8 billion. With approximately 10,000 employees worldwide at the beginning of 2015, Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in 120 countries. For more information, visit www.zoetis.com.

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SOURCE American Humane Association

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org


TECUMSEH  Operations are improving at the prison in southeast Nebraska where two inmates were killed in a riot last year, but officials say a number of concerns remain.

Repairs to the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution from the May 10, 2015, riot aren't complete, and the facility remains short on staff, which makes it hard to provide adequate programs for inmates.

Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes said the prison is nearly back to the way it was operating before the riot, and he complemented the hard work staff has done.

But Nebraska Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick questioned whether it's good enough to restore the prison to the way it was.

"Because a year ago, when it was the way it was, we had a riot. We still face the same challenges now as we did back then," Koebernick said.

Prison officials have previously said more than 400 inmates were involved in the riot, which left two men dead and several employees and inmates injured. Rioters broke windows, ripped down walls and set mattresses on fire.

After the riot, inmates said the incident was fueled in part by disrespectful treatment by prison staff and frustration over a lack of privileges.

The state has spent about $1.2 million this fiscal year on repairs to the prison, and another $2 million is planned next year for repairs and upgrades. That's on top of $1 million that insurance paid.

But State Sen. Dan Watermeier, who represents the area around the prison, said the work has been slowed because it was hard to find contractors for the jobs.

Staffing at the facility itself is another challenge.

Corrections officers have been working four or more 12-hour shifts every week over the past year because of staff shortages. Between Jan. 1 and March 23 alone, overtime paid was $347,000.

Omaha Sen. Bob Krist said he's still not clear exactly what is being done to change the culture of the prison and resolve longstanding issues.

For now, Krist said he is willing to give Frakes and other corrections officials time to do their jobs, but he said more oversight will be needed if there are additional problems.

"My own gut tells me that if the temperature goes up in the summertime and the prison population stays consistent, we're going to have some issues. But I hope I'm wrong," he said.

Tecumseh had 1,047 inmates as of March 24, 87 more than it was designed to hold. But it is generally less crowded than other Nebraska prisons, which are at 159 percent of design capacity with 5,210 inmates overall.
NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel Tripper, the industry's most innovative provider of hotel reservation and e-commerce solutions, today announced the opening of a new global delivery center in Hyderabad, India. This new office will capitalize on Hyderabad's rich pool of technology talent and serve as a development and client service center for Travel Tripper's expanding worldwide operations.

The Hyderabad office will be spearheaded by Sathish Nuggu, who will serve as Managing Director of the Global Delivery Centre. Prior to his new role, Nuggu was partner and managing director at Accenture's India Delivery Center, most notably in the hospitality and travel segment. Overseeing a team of nearly a thousand people, Nuggu has led global client delivery projects for companies such as Starwood, Marriott, and Hilton.

"I'm ecstatic to be spearheading Travel Tripper's new Hyderabad office and helping the company expand its global presence," said Nuggu. "I look forward to working with such a talented team to build innovative, dynamic products for the hotel industry."

Travel Tripper's client base is expanding rapidly throughout the world and India's rich pool of talent will help to propel the company further. The Hyderabad delivery center currently plans to hire up to 65 employees in the fields of engineering, web design and development, technical support, customer support, revenue analytics, sales and business development. The new office is located at Hyderabad's well-known Cyber Towers in HITEC City, home to companies such as Microsoft, Oracle Corporation, GE Capital, and more.

"Hyderabad, particularly HITEC City, has the ideal mix of talent and infrastructure that will help us accelerate the company's engineering efforts, push our platforms forward, scale our operations and expand globally," said Gautam Lulla, President of Travel Tripper. "With Sathish's expertise in the industry and well-recognized leadership, we are confident he will be a valuable asset to our operations in India."

This is Travel Tripper's second international office. Headquartered in New York City, Travel Tripper recently opened a sales and business development office in London to cater to its growing European clientele. The Hyderabad delivery center will be located at Quadrant 4, Level 5, Module A1 & A2, Cyber Towers, HITEC City, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.

For more information, visit, www.traveltripper.com.

About Travel Tripper

Travel Tripper is a full-service hospitality technology provider and strategic partner in helping hotels worldwide to generate demand, optimize conversions, and maximize revenue. Known in the industry for its constant innovation and exceptional expertise, Travel Tripper provides a comprehensive suite of solutions that empowers hotels from search to stay, including hotel distribution, website and booking, and digital marketing. For more information, visit www.traveltripper.com.

Media Contact: North 6th Agency (for Travel Tripper)

212-334-9753, [email protected]

SOURCE Travel Tripper

Related Links

http://www.traveltripper.com


FREEHOLD, N.J., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- UMH Properties, Inc. (NYSE: UMH) reported Core Funds from Operations ("Core FFO") of $4,620,000 or $0.17 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, as compared to $3,159,000 or $0.13 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, representing an increase in Core FFO per diluted share of 30.8%. Normalized Funds from Operations ("Normalized FFO"), was $4,388,000 or $0.16 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, as compared to $3,226,000 or $0.13 per diluted share for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, representing an increase in Normalized FFO per diluted share of 23.1%.

A summary of significant financial information for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 is as follows:





For the Three Months Ended



March 31,



2016



2015











Total Income $ 23,504,000

$ 18,344,000 Total Expenses $ 19,876,000

$ 16,370,000 Gain on Securities Transactions, net $ 232,000

$ 58,000 Net Loss Attributable to Common Shareholders $ (883,000)

$ (1,171,000) Net Loss Attributable to Common Shareholders per Diluted Common Share $ (0.03)

$ (0.05) Core FFO (1) $ 4,620,000

$ 3,159,000 Core FFO (1) per Diluted Common Share $ 0.17

$ 0.13 Normalized FFO (1) $ 4,388,000

$ 3,226,000 Normalized FFO (1) per Diluted Common Share $ 0.16

$ 0.13 Weighted Average Diluted Shares Outstanding

27,161,000



24,841,000

A summary of significant balance sheet information as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 is as follows:



March 31, 2016

December 31,

2015







Gross Real Estate Investments $ 587,356,000

$ 577,709,000 Total Assets $ 624,040,000

$ 600,317,000 Securities Available for Sale at Fair Value $ 91,396,000

$ 75,011,000 Mortgages Payable, net $ 288,643,000

$ 283,050,000 Loans Payable, net $ 71,953,000

$ 57,862,000 Total Shareholders' Equity $ 249,552,000

$ 246,238,000

Samuel A. Landy, President and CEO, commented on the results of the first quarter of 2016.

"We are pleased to announce a strong quarter of operating results. During the quarter, we:

Increased Core FFO per diluted share to $0.17 , representing a 30.8% increase over the prior year period and a 21.4% increase sequentially;

, representing a 30.8% increase over the prior year period and a 21.4% increase sequentially; Increased Normalized FFO per diluted share to $0.16 , representing a 23.1% increase over the prior year period and a 14.3% increase sequentially;

, representing a 23.1% increase over the prior year period and a 14.3% increase sequentially; Increased Rental and Related Income by 26.5% over the prior year period;

Increased Community Net Operating Income ("NOI") by 33.6% over the prior year period;

Increased Same Property Occupancy 140 basis points over the prior year period from 82.1% to 83.5%;

Increased Same Property NOI by 16.7% over the prior year period;

Decreased our Operating Expense Ratio 270 basis points over the prior year period from 51.2% to 48.5%;

Increased homes sales by 52.3% over the prior year period from $1.1 million (24 homes sold) to $1.7 million (41 homes sold);

(24 homes sold) to (41 homes sold); Increased our rental home portfolio by 182 homes, representing an increase of 4.9% from yearend 2015 to approximately 3,900 total rental homes;

Increased rental home occupancy from 92.9% at yearend 2015 to 94.8% at quarterend; and

Increased unrealized gain (loss) on REIT securities from an unrealized loss of $2.1 million at December 31, 2015 to an unrealized gain of $6.5 million at quarter end, in addition to recognizing realized gains of $232,000 and $1.5 million in dividend income for the quarter."

"We are making substantial progress on many fronts. We are successfully integrating and upgrading our acquisitions, which is resulting in increased occupancy and NOI. Same Property NOI continues to grow at a high rate and increased by 16.7% this recent quarter over the prior year. Home sales showed meaningful growth as well, increasing by 52.3%. Our expense ratio continues to come down decreasing by 270 basis points over the prior year period. These healthier margins should continue to improve and generate increased earnings in the ensuing quarters."

"Subsequent to quarterend, we closed on the sale of 2,000,000 shares of our 8.0% Series B Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock in a registered direct placement at a purchase price of $25.50 per share. We raised approximately $49.1 million in net proceeds and intend to use these proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include purchase of manufactured homes for sale or lease to customers, expansion of our existing communities, potential acquisitions of additional properties, and possible repayment of indebtedness on a short-term basis. We anticipate adding 700 to 800 rental homes this year, which will further improve our operating results. Our strong first quarter results represent an excellent start to 2016 that we intend to build upon going forward."

UMH Properties, Inc. will host its First Quarter 2016 Financial Results Webcast and Conference Call. Senior management will discuss the results, current market conditions and future outlook on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The Company's 2016 first quarter financial results being released herein will be available on the Company's website at www.umh.reit in the "Financial Information and Filings" section.

To participate in the webcast select the microphone icon found on the homepage www.umh.reit to access the call. Interested parties can also participate via conference call by calling toll free 877-513-1898 (domestically) or 412-902-4147 (internationally).

The replay of the conference call will be available at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, May 10, 2016. It will be available until August 1, 2016, and can be accessed by dialing toll free 877-344-7529 (domestically) and 412-317-0088 (internationally) and entering the passcode 10083025. A transcript of the call and the webcast replay will be available at the company's website, www.umh.reit.

UMH Properties, Inc., which was organized in 1968, is a public equity REIT that owns and operates ninety-eight manufactured home communities containing approximately 17,800 developed homesites. These communities are located in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana and Michigan. In addition, the Company owns a portfolio of REIT securities.

Certain statements included in this press release which are not historical facts may be deemed forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any such forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and involve various risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, the Company can provide no assurance those expectations will be achieved. The risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from expectations are contained in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and described from time to time in the Company's other filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Note: (1) Non-GAAP Information: We assess and measure our overall operating results based upon an industry performance measure referred to as Funds From Operations ("FFO"), which management believes is a useful indicator of our operating performance. FFO is used by industry analysts and investors as a supplemental operating performance measure of a REIT. FFO, as defined by The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts ("NAREIT"), represents Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Common Shareholders, as defined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"), excluding extraordinary items, as defined under U.S. GAAP, gains or losses from sales of previously depreciated real estate assets, impairment charges related to depreciable real estate assets, plus certain non-cash items such as real estate asset depreciation and amortization. NAREIT created FFO as a non-U.S. GAAP supplemental measure of REIT operating performance. We define Core Funds From Operations ("Core FFO") as FFO plus acquisition costs and costs of early extinguishment of debt. We define Normalized Funds From Operations ("Normalized FFO") as Core FFO excluding gains and losses realized on securities investments and certain non-recurring charges. We define Community NOI as rental and related income less community operating expenses such as real estate taxes, repairs and maintenance, community salaries, utilities, insurance and other expenses. Community NOI excludes realized gains (losses) on securities transactions. FFO, Core FFO and Normalized FFO, as well as Community NOI should be considered as supplemental measures of operating performance used by REITs. FFO, Core FFO and Normalized FFO exclude historical cost depreciation as an expense and may facilitate the comparison of REITs which have a different cost basis. The items excluded from FFO, Core FFO and Normalized FFO are significant components in understanding the Company's financial performance.





FFO, Core FFO and Normalized FFO (i) do not represent Cash Flow from Operations as defined by U.S. GAAP; (ii) should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) as a measure of operating performance or to cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities; and (iii) are not alternatives to cash flow as a measure of liquidity. FFO, Core FFO and Normalized FFO, as well as Community NOI, as calculated by the Company, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other REITs.





The reconciliation of the Company's U.S. GAAP net loss to the Company's FFO, Core FFO and Normalized FFO for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 are calculated as follows:





Three Months Ended



3/31/16

3/31/15







Net Loss Attributable to Common Shareholders

$(883,000) $(1,171,000) Depreciation Expense

5,525,000 4,229,000 Gain on Sales of Depreciable Assets

(22,000) (5,000) FFO Attributable to Common Shareholders

4,620,000

3,053,000 Acquisition Costs

-

106,000 Core FFO Attributable to Common Shareholders

4,620,000

3,159,000 Gain on Sale of Securities Transactions, net

(232,000)

(58,000) Settlement of Memphis Mobile City Litigation

- 125,000 Normalized FFO Attributable to Common Shareholders

$4,388,000

$3,226,000

The following are the cash flows provided (used) by operating, investing and financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015:





Three Months Ended



3/31/16

3/31/15







Operating Activities

$7,659,000 $7,245,000 Investing Activities

(18,538,000) (12,154,000) Financing Activities

12,258,000 7,902,000

SOURCE UMH Properties, Inc.
CHICAGO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the start of the summer painting and home improvement season, Valspar is partnering with Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity to help families in need of decent, affordable housing and to strengthen communities through Valspar's National Neighborhood Week, May 9-14.

Employees from Valspar's four Chicago-area facilities  Chicago, Wheeling, Marengo and Matteson  are volunteering with the eight Habitat for Humanity organizations across Chicagoland during the week. They will be working on a variety of painting, building and minor home repair projects to give families a hand up and to help other homeowners live independently and securely in their homes. Other employees will be volunteering in Habitat ReStores, doing a variety of tasks, from painting to stocking inventory to assisting customers with their purchase of gently used or new donated items.

"Valspar has been a critical partner to Habitat for Humanity  throughout the country and specifically here in Chicagoland," said Matt Johnson, President and CEO of Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity. "The company and its local executives have been instrumental leaders in our work to increase the affordable housing supply here in this region, and we're thrilled to showcase that partnership next week from Kane to Cook County and Lake to Will County."

More than 500 employees from Valspar's 30 U.S. locations are volunteering with Habitat organizations across the country during National Neighborhood Week. In addition to volunteers, Valspar is providing $2.5 million in cash and product donations to support 51 Habitat organizations, including more than $250,000 for Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity and its eight affiliates.

The affiliates are:

Habitat for Humanity Chicago ( Chicago )

) Habitat for Humanity Chicago South Suburbs ( Hazel Crest )

) DuPage Habitat for Humanity ( Wheaton )

) Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity (Aurora)

Habitat for Humanity Lake County ( Waukegan )

) Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County ( McHenry )

( ) Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley ( Elgin )

) Will County Habitat for Humanity ( Joliet )

"Valspar's National Neighborhood Week is about rolling up our sleeves and rolling on a fresh coat of paint to improve communities in which we operate," said Kimberly Welch, Valspar Vice President of Communications and Chair of The Valspar Foundation. "Our employee volunteers are excited to contribute to Habitat's mission  helping families in need of decent, affordable housing."

Valspar donates paint for every Habitat home built, repaired or refurbished in the United States. Since 2002, Valspar has donated more than 2.5 million gallons. Valspar is a founding partner of the A Brush with Kindness program, which helps low-income homeowners who struggle to maintain their homes. The program helps transform neighborhoods by providing painting, landscaping and minor home repairs for people in need, many of whom are elderly, veterans or disabled. Since co-founding the program in 1998, over 15,000 families have been helped through A Brush with Kindness.

About Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity:

Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity was created as a support organization for Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the Chicagoland area, with a goal of significantly increasing the number of families served in the Chicagoland region. Habitat is committed to creating opportunities for individuals and families to thrive; to revitalizing neighborhoods and building communities; and to helping transform generations through home ownership. We do this by making housing affordable to hardworking people without access to conventional financing and offer individuals a hand up, fueled by our belief in dignity, self-sufficiency, collaboration, and hope. For more information, visit www.chicagolandhabitat.org.

Valspar: If it matters, we're on it.

Valspar is a global leader in the coatings industry providing customers with innovative, high-quality products and value-added services. Our 11,000 employees worldwide deliver advanced coatings solutions with best-in-class appearance, performance, protection and sustainability to customers in more than 100 countries. Valspar offers a broad range of superior coatings products for the consumer market, and highly-engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets. Founded in 1806, Valspar is headquartered in Minneapolis. Valspar's reported net sales in fiscal 2015 were $4.4 billion and its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: VAL). For more information, visit www.valspar.com and follow @valspar on Twitter.

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SOURCE Valspar

Related Links

http://www.valspar.com


A total of four Vituro Health partner physicians participated in the in-depth training. Activities included observing HIFU cases performed by Medical Director Stephen Scionti , M.D., and a lectured seminar series focused on the patient experience, advanced techniques and the application of technology to HIFU procedures by Gerald Grubbs, M.D., interventional radiologist for Vituro Health.

"Our partner physicians get a superior level of support because of the unique situation we offer, having Dr. Scionti, who honestly is the best in the field, as our medical director," said Clete Walker, CEO of Vituro Health. "We have the resources to facilitate a comprehensive training of state-of-the-art HIFU technique and advanced diagnostics to help our partner physicians build their programs with excellent outcomes."

This course offering not only sets physicians on a pathway to success for each patient case, Scionti says, it also sets them apart from others performing HIFU treatments.

"We can ensure quality with Vituro Health partner physicians because of our strict training protocols and very close physician supervised proctoring programs," explained Scionti. "Our use of advanced diagnostics and our careful approach to patient selection coupled with a solid understanding of the highly complex procedure helps protect our patients."

Following the training, partner physicians treat patients alongside Dr. Scionti as the lead surgeon. Once the partner physicians have mastered the core concepts of HIFU, they are assisted in opening their local HIFU centers. Once open, Dr. Scionti and other proctors are on-site for the initial cases until the physician partner is issued a certificate proving they can conduct safe and effective HIFU therapy.

"Partner physicians will not treat patients independently until they demonstrate confidence of competency," said Scionti. "Our approach certainly is more time-consuming, but our comprehensive training provides every patient the opportunity to have their cancer treated with the much reduced side-effect profile HIFU offers. HIFU can preserve quality of life when performed with care."

Urology Centers of Alabama partner physician Bryant Poole, M.D., says participating in the training was crucial due to the complicated nature of performing HIFU.

"This training helped tremendously because you need someone with many years of experience, such as Dr. Scionti, showing you how to avoid the complications that can happen," Poole said. "The outcomes with HIFU can be very good, but if you do not know what you are doing it can lead to poor outcomes."

Kasraeian Urology surgeon and Vituro Health partner physician Ali Kasraeian, M.D., FACS, agrees.

"Patients choose HIFU because it can preserve as much normal tissues as possible to preserve function that impacts quality of life," Kasraeian said. "In doing peer-to-peer training, you can see firsthand what it takes to understand the technology, but also how to take that information and apply it to patient care, to achieve those desired outcomes."

The next Elite Center for HIFU Training is anticipated to take place in early summer 2016.

About Vituro Health

Vituro Health empowers men with comprehensive prostate care during all stages of their lives. We arm partner physicians with HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) technology and other patient-centric, concierge services to elevate the standard of care and patient experiences. Vituro Health serves patients nationwide and is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with partnering physicians in Birmingham, Sarasota, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., and Atlanta who are carefully selected based on their depth of experience, expertise and dedication to achieving the highest levels of patient outcomes. For more information visit www.viturohealth.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Wyatt

[email protected]

205.588.2327

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/365221

SOURCE Vituro Health

Related Links

http://www.viturohealth.com


HEIDENHEIM and STUTTGART, Germany, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The technology group Voith and funds ("Triton") advised by the private equity company Triton have signed a contract for the sale of the Group Division Voith Industrial Services. The two sides have agreed that Triton will acquire a majority interest in the entire Group Division and continue it under a new name with new branding. Voith will retain 20 percent in the form of a financial investment and will accompany the transition. The parties have agreed not to disclose any further details of the sales contract. The completion of the sales contract is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities.

Within the framework of its Group-wide success program Voith 150+, Voith had announced in 2015 that it would focus the company's portfolio on its technology and engineering competency for the digital age. For this reason, the company has been looking for a new owner of the business covered by Voith Industrial Services and its related activities that are mainly based on the process know-how of the customers, for example in the automotive industry.

"With today's agreement we have taken another big step within our restructuring towards making our company a shaper of digital change in the industry," said Dr Hubert Lienhard, President and CEO Voith GmbH. "Through this sale we have cleared the way for Voith to focus on its engineering competency for the digital age and open up new opportunities."

With some 18,000 employees worldwide and sales worth over EUR 1 billion, Voith Industrial Services is currently the world's largest service supplier for the automotive industry. The Group Division showed very good growth during the last fifteen years under the umbrella of the Voith Group. Since then its sales have more than tripled and its business has been clearly focused on key industries and services.

Triton finances and supports the positive development of medium-size companies in northern Europe based in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the four Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. In this core region Triton focuses on companies in the areas industry, services, consumer goods and healthcare. The current portfolio of Triton consists of 27 companies with accumulated sales of about EUR 12 billion and a workforce of about 55,000 people.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 20,000 people, generates  4.3 billion in sales, operates in about 60 countries around the world and is today one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe*.

* Excluding the discontinued Group Division Voith Industrial Services.

www.voith.com

SOURCE Voith

Related Links

http://www.voith.com/usa


NAMUR, Belgium, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- VolitionRx Limited (NYSE MKT: VNRX), a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests for a broad range of cancer types and other conditions, today announced that, in conjunction with the filing of its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter ended March 31, 2016, it will host a conference call on May 13, 2016, at 8:30 a.m. United States Eastern Time.

Cameron Reynolds, Chief Executive Officer, will host the call and provide an update on recent developments, including details of the ongoing clinical trials of the Company's NuQ blood-based diagnostic platform. To participate in the call, please dial 1-877-419-6590 (toll-free) in the U.S. and Canada, and 1-719-325-4752 (toll) internationally. The conference ID number for both is 3475419. A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available via link on the investor relations page of VolitionRx's corporate website at http://ir.volitionrx.com/.

After the live audio webcast, the event will remain archived on VolitionRx's website for one year. In addition, a telephone replay of the call will be available until May 27, 2016. The replay dial-in numbers are 1-877-870-5176 (toll-free) in the U.S. and Canada and 1-858-384-5517 (toll) internationally. Please use replay pin number 3475419.

About VolitionRx

VolitionRx is a life sciences company focused on developing blood-based diagnostic tests for different types of cancer. The NuQ tests are based on the science of Nucleosomics which is the practice of identifying and measuring nucleosomes in the bloodstream  an indication that cancer is present.

VolitionRx's goal is to make the tests as common and simple to use, for both patients and doctors, as existing diabetic and cholesterol blood tests. VolitionRx's research and development activities are currently centred in Belgium as the company focuses on bringing its diagnostic products to market first in Europe, then in the U.S. and ultimately, worldwide.

Visit VolitionRx's website (www.volitionrx.com) or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube.

An animation introducing VolitionRx's Nucleosomics technology can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38dodCpyXf0.

Nucleosomics, NuQ and HyperGenomics and their respective logos are trademarks and/or service marks of VolitionRx Limited and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this press release are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts

Anita Heward, VolitionRx

[email protected]

Telephone: +44 (0) 7756 034243

Kirsten Thomas, The Ruth Group

[email protected]

Telephone: +1 (508) 280-6592

Investor Contacts

Scott Powell, VolitionRx

[email protected]

Telephone: +1 (646) 650-1351

Lee Roth, The Ruth Group

[email protected]

Telephone: +1 (646) 536-7012

SOURCE VolitionRx Ltd

Related Links

http://www.volitionrx.com


PARK CITY, Utah, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Westgate Park City Resort & Spa won eight categories in the 2016 Best of State Awards for excellence in hospitality, travel and tourism.

The property earned recognition for both of its restaurants, on-site spa, and for the fourth year, was named the Best Ski Resort in Utah.

Edge Steakhouse claimed several victories, earning Best Steakhouse for the fourth consecutive year; Best Chef for Executive Chef Nick Lees for the second time; and Best Wine List. In 2015, Edge Steakhouse revamped its wine list, providing a wide range of options to appeal to everyone.

"We are so proud to be named the Best Ski Resort in Utah, and to be recognized for our restaurants and spa," said Brian Waltrip, General Manager of Westgate Park City Resort & Spa. "The Westgate Park City team will continue to maintain its commitment to provide an exceptional experience for guests."

Overall, Westgate Park City Resort & Spa was named the best in Utah in the following categories:

Best Ski Resort  Westgate Park City Resort & Spa

Best Steakhouse  Edge Steakhouse

Best Chef  Nick Lees , Edge Steakhouse

, Edge Steakhouse Best Wine List  Edge Steakhouse

Best American Pub  Drafts Sports Bar & Grill

Best Gourmet Burger  Drafts Sports Bar & Grill

Best Destination Spa  Serenity Spa by Westgate

Best Fitness Camp  One Fitness

Over the past four years, Westgate Park City Resort & Spa has invested millions of dollars in renovations, transforming the property into one of the most recognized resorts in Park City and earning numerous awards in the process.

In addition to their Best of State awards, the resort was awarded the AAA Four Diamond designation, Serenity Spa was named a Forbes Four-Star spa and Edge Steakhouse was named a Forbes Recommended restaurant in 2016. In 2015, Westgate Park City Resort & Spa earned the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence and the Interval International Elite rating. Edge Steakhouse was named among the top 12 steakhouses in the United States, as well as honored with the 2015 Wine Spectator Award for Excellence. Both Westgate Park City Resort & Spa and Edge Steakhouse were recognized in USA Today's 10Best lists for hotels and restaurants. For more information about Westgate Park City Resort & Spa, visit www.westgateparkcity.com.

SOURCE Westgate Resorts
XO recently won the 2015 InfoTech Spotlight Data Center Excellence award for its Bandwidth on Demand (BoD) solution and has PoPs in vXchnge data centers in the following cities: Austin, TX, Cleveland, OH, Jersey City, NJ, Minneapolis, MN, Nashville, TN, New York, NY, Portland, OR, St. Paul, MN, and St. Louis, MO.

"Bringing our customers closer to a major market like Philadelphia is advantageous from a data access perspective," said Davide Salustri, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions Sales at XO. "vXchnge provides the level of security, access and support we need to serve our customers in the most efficient manner possible. The extension into the vXchnge data center in the heart of Philadelphia is a strategic fit for our business."

vXchnge rethinks colocation by offering data center services that eliminate risks through transparency, and provides customers with their own Micro-Data Center, a flexible, reliable and scalable data center within vXchnge's state-of-the-art infrastructure. Adhering to the most stringent levels of security protocols to safeguard customer data. vXchnge Philadelphia provides next-generation security features with iris scanners, two-factor authentication and cylindrical portals providing true Data Center-as-a-Service.

"Through our expanded relationship with XO in Philadelphia, and their presence in nine other markets with vXchnge, we are delighted to extend a world-class level of brand protection to those who rely on XO to keep their communications," said Adam Siegel, Vice President of Networks and Service Providers at vXchnge. "At the same time, we can now offer even more enhanced network connectivity options to our own Philadelphia customers with the integration of XO's service offering."

To learn more about vXchnge, visit www.vxchnge.com. For more information on its Philadelphia data center, visit http://www.vxchnge.com/data-centers/locations/philadelphia-pa/

About vXchnge

vXchnge is a Designed for Performance carrier-neutral colocation service provider dedicated to improving the business performance of its customers. vXchnge's broad geographic footprint puts its customers at "the Edge"  in 15 key locations where they can serve customers locally, and reach more businesses and more consumers in more markets. For more information on gaining an edge with vXchnge, visit www.vxchnge.com or connect on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook.

About XO Communications

XO Communications provides the technology that helps business and wholesale customers compete in a hyper-connected economy. In the U.S., XO owns and operates one of the largest IP and Ethernet networks that customers rely on for private data networking, cloud connectivity, unified communications and voice, Internet access, and managed services. To learn more about XO Communications, visit www.xo.com or blog.xo.com. XO Communications is also on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

vXchnge

Lindsay Hull, Zer0 to 5ive

(508) 963.1356

[email protected]

XO Communications

Dave Farmer

(703) 547.2219

[email protected]

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140828/141116

SOURCE vXchnge

Related Links

http://www.vxchnge.com


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Bengaluru, May 7 : Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli smashed a masterful century to snatch a much needed seven-wicket victory against Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) in the 35th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) here on Saturday.

Requiring 192 runs in 20 overs, RCB spared three balls to score 195/3 as unbeaten Kohli scored a 58-ball-108, packed with seven sixes and eight fours. He was ably supported by Shane Watson (36) and opening partner Lokesh Rahul (38).

Man-of-the-match Kohli is the first batsman to hit two centuries in a single IPL edition until now. He reached his century in style with a six at the end of the 19th over in paceman R.P. Singh's bowling. His century came in 52 balls with seven fours and seven sixes at the Chinnaswami Stadium.

What looked like an unexciting chase in the beginning without boundaries until after three overs transformed into a entertaining innings, thanks to the consistent Kohli.

Initially, Pune bowlers Ashok Dinda and R.P. Singh frustrated openers Kohli and Rahul -- no boundaries were leaked in the first three overs.

RCB managed to hit only 10 runs in the first three overs. Later, Rahul (38) unshackled with two sixes in the fourth over to open the boundaries account for RCB.

Kohli and Rahul constructed a 94 run partnership. Later, Rahul fell to Adam Zampa while going for a huge shot, caught by George Bailey near the boundary.

Though Ab de Villiers (1) faltered, Watson rose to the occasion with a quick fire 13-ball 36-run knock.

The veteran Australian all-rounder blasted five fours and two sixes to emerge valuable with the bat as well after a fine bowling performance.

His show got over after he was declared leg before the wicket off Singh in the 16th over while attempting a big heave.

Meanwhile, Kohli saw to it that the asking rate fell down steadily and swiftly. From an asking rate of 142 runs in 78 balls after the beginning of the match, it fell down to 122 runs needed in 66 balls and 98 in 54 balls and later 77 in 38.

By the end of the 19th over, RCB needed 16 runs off eight ball and four runs off six balls in the final over, Travis Head (6) took a single giving the strike to Kohli.

Excited and entertained fans in the stadium stood up flashing their glowing cell phones to witness the victory coming from Kohli's bat. With one run needed in four balls, Kohli cracked a four to claim the victory.

Adam Zampa 2/35 performed the best with the ball for PSG while R. P. Singh 1/37 was the only other bowler to manage a wicket.

Earlier, excellent batting by Ajinkya Rahane and Saurabh Tiwary helped Pune post a challenging total of 191/6.

Rahane (74) and Tiwary (52) stabilised the visitors' innings after opener Usman Khawaja (16) departed early. Tiwary survived two catches and a stumping in the sixth over when Stuart Binny and Sachin Baby dropped him.

He went on to build a partnership of 105 runs with top scorer Rahane.

Attempting a big shot off Yuzvendra Chahal, Tiwary was short of the crease and was stumped by wicket-keeper Rahul in the 15th over.

Rahane hit a 48-ball-74 peppered with two sixes and eight fours.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (9), Thisara Perera (14) and George Bailey (0) fizzled out with the bat. Dhoni managed to hit a six off Watson in the 16th, only to throw his wicket away while attempting a big shot. He was caught by Parveez Rasool at third man.

Ravichandran Ashwin managed to steal 10 runs in five balls in the last over.

Watson (3/24) emerged the most successful bowler for RCB with an economy rate of six in his quota of four overs.

After taking a catch from Perera, Watson went on to castle Rahane with the first ball of the 19th over. Three balls later, he sent Bailey back to the dugout in a caught behind wicket scalp.

Continuing his good form, Chahal took one wicket, giving away 38 runs while Chris Jordan was the only other bowler to claim a wicket.

With the victory, RCB stand at the second last position in the points table with six points while Pune also have the same points but ahead at better net run rate.

Brief Scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 195/3 (Virat Kohli 108, Shane Watson 36; Adam Zampa 2/35, R. P. Singh 1/37) beat Rising Pune Supergiants: 191/6 (Ajinkya Rahane 74, Saurabh Tiwary 52; Shane Watson 3/24, Yuzvendra Chahal 1/38)

Latest updates on IPL 2020
Islamabad, May 8 : The authorities in the Pakistani port city of Karachi said on Saturday they have arrested an Indian "agent" who was living illegally and was involved in anti-state activities.

"Security officials and the police raided a house at Jamshed Quarters area and arrested the Indian intelligence agent, Arshad Hussain," an official told the media.

He said Hussain arrived in Pakistan in 2011 and traveled abroad six times. The authorities have recovered three mobile phones and 10 sim cards, laptop, sensitive documents and an internet device.

The accused has revealed the names of six people who were in contact with him, sources close to the investigators said. The security officials and the police conducted raids in some areas to arrest Hussain's accomplices.

Officials said it was the arrest of second Indian agent in Pakistan in less than two months.
Islamabad, May 8 : People in Pakistan's Sindh province on Saturday demanded an inquiry into the alleged rape and murder of an eleven-year old boy in Hyderabad city.

Son of a Hindu doctor Chetan Kumar was found dead in a swimming pool inside Hyderabad Club on April 13. Family members claim the boy was deliberately thrown into the pool to cover up sexual abuse and murder, Dawn reported.

Protesters gathered on the call of the Hindu Welfare Panchayat Pakistan demanded that the Sindh government order a probe into the alleged murder of the boy.

Speaking at the press, the members of the group contended that the young boy did not drown but was raped and then thrown into the pool. Hindu Panchayat activist Karmani alleged that boy was killed after being raped.

Chetan, the father of the victim, deplored that the boy went missing for more than an hour despite the tight security inside the club and said that his son's body was later found "bearing torture marks on his face" floating in the four-foot-deep swimming pool in the club.

Chetan claimed that despite repeated requests, the club's administration was not providing him access to the CCTV footage of April 13 and was not helping solve the case.
Village Podiatry Centers has been ranked among The Atlanta Business Chronicles Top 25 Atlanta Physician Group Practices. Ranked by the number of physicians in each group, this list of top 25 businesses in the Atlanta area ranked Village Podiatry Centers at number 22 out of 25.

Village Podiatry Centers offers treatment of all foot and ankle conditions, including podiatric surgery, laser treatment, and diabetic foot care.

"We've grown so much in 24 years of business, and we only anticipate further expansion into the next year and beyond."



Dr. David Hellman, CEO, DPM

For more information about this topic, please contact Laura Vaughn at (770) 384-0284 or email mediarelations(at)extremityhealthcare(dot)com.

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ABOUT EXTREMITY HEALTHCARE, INCORPORATED

Extremity Healthcare, Inc. (EHI) is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Created on January 1, 2011 by the founding shareholders of Village Podiatry Group, EHI serves as a holding and management services platform supporting multiple medical disciplines in the delivery of comprehensive treatment and diagnostics for anatomical extremities. The organization's primary goal is to provide world class medical care with the highest level of economic efficiency.

In EHI's function as a holding company, it provides long-range strategic planning for the aggregation of multiple medical disciplines while driving organic growth initiatives. As a management services company, EHI provides a full suite of shared service solutions. Services provided include: scheduling, billing and collections, insurance carrier negotiation, compliance, tax, legal, human resources, marketing, and operational planning.

EHI is currently self-funded with all entities operating within the state of Georgia. A multi-state growth strategy is in development.

To learn more about Extremity Healthcare, please visit our website: http://www.extremityhealthcare.com

ABOUT VILLAGE PODIATRY CENTERS

Village Podiatry Centers is the largest and most experienced foot and ankle doctor surgical practice in Georgia and the Southeast. Our podiatric surgeons are recognized as among the most knowledgeable in the profession.

A Thriving Practice of Podiatry

In 1992, Dr. David Helfman began his solo practice in Smyrna, Georgia as Village Podiatry Group. The practice has grown to encompass now over 30 locations with over 300 local support staff. Our guiding philosophy is to treat patients with the highest level of care in a compassionate and respectful manner.

Leaders in Podiatric Medicine and Foot and Ankle Surgery

Each of our doctors has ten or more years of training and is board certified or board eligible. In the podiatric profession, our staff is recognized for their leadership as surgical innovators and national lecturers. The Village Podiatry Centers doctors are the primary editors and contributors to the podiatric professions standard reference text, McGlamrys Comprehensive Textbook of Foot and Ankle Surgery, used in podiatric medical schools across the U.S. and Europe.

State-of-the-Art Technology

Every Village Podiatry Centers office has on-site, digital X-ray and vascular studies to speed diagnosis and enhance treatment capabilities. Surgery is performed at six, state-of-the-art foot and ankle surgery centers and numerous Georgia hospitals.

The Physicians Choice

With over 150,000 annual patient visits, we are proud of the fact that the majority of our new patients are from existing patients referrals and physician referrals. In order to provide prompt treatment, we accept all insurance plans and Medicare.

To learn more about Village Podiatry Centers, please visit our website: http://www.vpcenters.com
"Having previously worked as an attorney on behalf of the NCDOT for many years, we understand what might potentially persuade them to pay more," said NC Eminent Domain Attorney Jason Campbell.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), has been contacting residents and business owners whose property is needed to widen a seven-mile stretch along N.C. 211 in the towns of Southport and St. James, according to former NCDOT attorneys Stan Abrams and Jason Campbell.

When these two attorneys represented the NCDOT on behalf of the state, they saw that property owners often seemed unaware of their rights under NC eminent domain law. This, they felt, may have compelled many to accept offers far below their propertys potential highest and best use.

Thats one reason Abrams and Campbell joined the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. Now, in addition to representing property and business owners, they travel the state giving free educational seminars geared toward property owners rights.

The NCDOT has already contacted some of the more than 140 property and business owners whose land may be taken to widen this section of N.C. 211. The agency has earmarked more than $10 million for right of way purchases on this project.

Former NCDOT Lawyers Now Represent Property & Business Owners

Abrams said, The NCDOT functions just like any other buyer. Understandably, they want to get the best price they can for their dollar. What many folks dont realize is that they are not obligated to take that first offer from the NCDOT. It may be negotiable  just like any property sale. However, negotiating with the NCDOT is more involved than negotiating with a private buyer.

Campbell added, "Having previously worked as an attorney on behalf of the NCDOT for many years, we understand what might potentially persuade them to pay more. The purpose of this seminar is to share those ways with property owners to help them potentially get a better offer.

For that reason, Abrams and Campbell strongly encourage property and business owners impacted by the N.C. 211 road widening in Southport and St. James to attend their seminar.

Seminar Explains Property & Business Owners Rights

The seminars purpose is to help educate property and business owners about their rights under North Carolinas eminent domain process, and show them how they may be able to best protect these rights and their financial interests.

This seminar offers some really valuable information, such as an often-overlooked approach that allows property owners to potentially collect funds from the governments first offer so theyll have some money to use, while negotiating for more, Abrams said.

The Seminar Will Also Cover:



Unique ways the NCDOT calculates offers

Fair market value  what it means in your situation

How to determine if the governments appraisal is accurate

How to know if the offer for your property is fair

A question-and-answer session for individual situations/concerns

Property Areas the N.C. 211 Roadway Widening Will Impact

The project will affect a roughly seven-mile section of N.C. 211 from just west of Midway Road (SR 1500) in St. James to just east of N.C. 87 in Southport.

Seminar Date, Time, Location

Date: Thursday, May 12th

Time: 79 pm

Place: Wingate by Wyndham Southport

1511 North Howe Street, Southport, NC 28461

For more information about the seminar, contact the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm at 1-877-393-4990.

ABOUT THE NC EMINENT DOMAIN LAW FIRM:

A division of the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm is dedicated solely to representing property owners throughout North Carolina, who may be impacted by eminent domain law. The NC Eminent Domain Law Firm is led by attorneys Stan Abrams and Jason Campbell, both of whom previously worked as Assistant Attorneys General for the North Carolina Department of Justice in the Transportation Section, where they litigated condemnation cases for the NCDOT. They have over 20 years of combined experience working exclusively on eminent domain cases. The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin has the legal resources of 38 attorneys and is based in Durham, North Carolina, with offices throughout the state to serve its clients.

Contact Information:

Stan Abrams

1-877-393-4990

NC Eminent Domain Law Firm

280 South Mangum Street, Suite 400

Durham, North Carolina 27701
HSAs are an integral part of a comprehensive retirement planning strategy, said Pat Jarrett, President of HealthSavings. The TIAA-CREF target date funds perfectly complement our retirement-focused, investment HSA program.

HealthSavings Administrators, among the top 1% of the nations health savings account (HSA) investment companies in accounts and assets, proudly announces the launch of their HSA featuring TIAA-CREF funds.

This new HSA offers 11 TIAA-CREF funds, including 9 target date funds. Participants can invest immediately in these funds when they open an account due to HealthSavings first dollar investment program, which enables account holders to save efficiently for both current and future healthcare expenses without large minimum balance requirements.

HSAs are an integral part of a comprehensive retirement planning strategy, said Pat Jarrett, President of HealthSavings. The TIAA-CREF target date funds perfectly complement our retirement-focused, investment HSA program. Plus, our online platform, the Investment Provider Xchange (IPX), provides participants with one, single sign-on platform for opening their HSA, self-directing investments, ordering debit card(s), making contributions and withdrawals, viewing statements and other educational materials.

With IPX, were able to offer the single delivery of custodial services, including cash processing and debit cards, as well as necessary administrative and recordkeeping services, noted Scott Pearson, President of FPS Trust Company, the platforms custodial service provider.

HSAs are much like individual retirement accounts, but the funds are reserved for eligible healthcare expenses. The money is deposited tax free or tax deductible, and the funds remain tax free when used to pay or reimburse for eligible medical expenses. Learn more at HealthSavings.com.

About HealthSavings Administrators

HealthSavings helps clients prepare for lifes changing health and financial needs with investment health savings accounts (HSAs). The company got its start in 1996 as a medical savings account (MSA) administrator and shifted focus to HSAs after the legislation enacting HSAs passed in January 2004. The company manages nearly $500 million in investments with clients in all 50 states, including employer groups, brokers, financial advisors and individual investors. Known as the investors HSA, HealthSavings has been consistently recognized as one of the best values in HSAs with mentions in Forbes, Money magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Kiplingers and Reuters as well as various online publications. Learn more at HealthSavings.com.

About FPS Trust Company

FPS Trust Company is a non-depository trust company dedicated to serving financial intermediary clients. Its innovative, cost-efficient products and services are designed to ensure streamlined processing and electronic solutions. The company strives to consistently deliver industry-leading products with exceptional service. It provides a positive environment for impeccable standards, professional ethics and integrity for our clients and our employees. It specializes in offering agent custody and transactional processing services to mid-market financial services companies. FPS Trust Company prides itself in being loyal and ethical. And will work to meet your objectives with an uncompromising commitment to integrity. Learn more at fpsgroupllc.com.

About the Investment Provider Xchange (IPX)

The Investment Provider Xchange (IPX) is a custodial / trust / trading and administrative service driven by innovative cloud-based technology that addresses the needs of investment providers and their distribution channels. HealthSavings and FPS Trust are able to offer TIAA-CREF and other funds through IPX, which links to the NSCC via Matrix/Broadridge and completely automates account opening and transaction activity. Learn more at http://www.fpstrustco.com/Investment-Provider-Xchange.

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The goal of our complimentary consulting program is to empower our clients with proven techniques that will help them increase efficiency, improve retention and accelerate business growth.

Member Solutions recently launched a redesign of its electronic educational newsletter as part of its ongoing commitment to providing high-quality business-growing solutions and consulting services to the Martial Arts and Fitness business industries.

In addition to offering myVolo member management software, Event Manager online registration software, and a full suite of payment processing,billing and servicing options, Member Solutions provides a wide range of educational information to its clients. The company works alongside industry thought leaders to understand best practices and pass along tried-and-true tactics to clients through blog articles, webinars, consultations, newsletters and industry events.

At Member Solutions, we understand that our clients not only need software solutions and billing services, but a full suite of tools and resources in order to be successful, explained Kristie Matheson, President, Member Solutions. The goal of our complimentary consulting program is to empower our clients with proven techniques that will help them increase efficiency, improve retention and accelerate business growth.

The recent redesign of Member Solutions e-newsletter, Inside Solutions, was two-fold. Each issue now focuses on delivering the most current and effective business strategies for Martial Arts and Fitness professionals and its delivered in a new easy-to-read, mobile-friendly format.

Our clients are always on the go, which makes it important for us to give them the information they need in a format thats quick and easy to read on smartphones and tablets, said Orsolya Mate, Director of Marketing, Member Solutions, whose team designed the new Inside Solutions.

The newsletter features articles with management strategies, how-to videos, sales techniques, marketing tactics and more. Many of these tips come from Member Solutions clients and its Business Advisory Team  a group of highly-successful Martial Arts and Fitness business owners and professional consultants. In addition to sharing their strategies in blogs, newsletters and webinars, these industry experts also hold one-on-one business consultations with Member Solutions clients.

To learn more about Member Solutions software, billing services, consulting program and educational resources for Martial Arts and Fitness businesses, visit MemberSolutions.com.

About Member Solutions

Since 1991, Member Solutions has built its business on an unwavering commitment to serving clients in the Martial Arts and other Fitness market segments. The company operates a proprietary payment processing platform, and is the leading provider of billing, servicing and business support to more than 3,000 membership businesses in the United States, Canada and Australia. The company also offers myVolo web-based software for front-desk member management and Event Manager online registration software. Both software solutions are fully integrated with the companys Level One PCI-compliant payment processing platform. For more information, visit MemberSolutions.com.
We are pleased to have Dr. Hill and Dr. Silverberg join our board of directors

Dr. George Hill and Dr. Kaylen Silverberg have been elected to the board of directors of Ovation Fertility, a national network of physician practices, genetics labs and IVF labs that represents reproductive medicines most influential fertility doctors and specialists.

We are pleased to have Dr. Hill and Dr. Silverberg join our board of directors, where they will have the opportunity to positively impact the future of reproductive medicine and pregnancy outcomes worldwide, says Nate Snyder, Ovation Fertilitys chief executive officer. The breadth of experience that these physicians bring to the table will be a tremendous asset to the board and to the patients whom we serve.

Working to develop nationwide industry standards and advance fertility research around the world, Ovation Fertility commits to solving the complex causes of infertility and helping patients build families.

About Dr. George Hill

Dr. Hill is a leading fertility doctor based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1990 Dr. Hill founded Nashville Fertility Center, where today he serves as medical director and an Ovation Fertility Nashville partner physician. He has directed Nashville Fertility Centers assisted reproductive technology program since 1991.

Dr. Hill is known for his leadership contributions to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). He also serves as an advisor for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and to the American Medical Associations (AMA) Resource Based Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC).

Dr. Hill has published many articles on all aspects of infertility and given presentations at professional association meetings around the world. For more information about Dr. Hill and his research portfolio, please visit Ovation Fertility.

About Dr. Kaylen Silverberg

Dr. Kaylen Silverberg is a highly regarded reproductive endocrinologist who is recognized for co-founding Texas Fertility Center in Austin and San Antonio, Texas, and he currently serves as medical director and an Ovation Fertility Austin partner physician. Dr. Silverberg focuses his research on ovulation induction for IVF and preimplantation genetic testing as well as on minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery for adhesions, endometriosis and fibroids.

He consults with EMD Serono, Allergan, Illumina, and Good Start Genetics and is a healthcare venture partner at both Sante Ventures and Spindletop Capital. Dr. Silverberg was also the founder of Cost Doctor, a software company that developed proprietary activity-based costing solutions to allow physicians to determine the true costs of providing medical care by CPT code.

Dr. Silverberg is a clinical faculty member at the University of TexasDell Medical School and is a highly sought-after consultant and speaker at both national and international fertility meetings. For more information about Dr. Silverberg and his work, please visit Ovation Fertility.

Dr. Hill and Dr. Silverberg have been elected to the Ovation Fertility board of directors and will help develop the strategic direction of the company. Visit Ovation Fertility to learn about the mission of providing nationwide access to next-generation fertility care.

Ovation Fertility - Ovation Fertility, founded in 2015 by a consortium of thought-leading reproductive endocrinologists, is a national fertility service provider offering all aspects of fertility treatment for intended parents, including embryology, andrology and genetic testing as part of the in-vitro fertilization process. Ovation Fertility partners with prominent physician clinics that are committed to reducing the average cost of a live birth through IVF by advancing the industry standard in fertility treatments. For more information, visit http://www.ovationfertility.com.
Giving back is essential to the Voss Law Firm mission. For every dollar donated to American on Track, 97 cents goes directly to supporting the kids, its one of the most giving charities that helps at risk youth out there.

What began as the ambitious project for two Orange County woman more than a decade ago has now transformed the lives of over 2,000 individuals: both of at risk youth and their mentors. America On Track was founded by Terry Thompson and Claire Braeburn in 1995 to bring their vision of helping young people in their community overcome their disadvantaged lives and rise above their turbulent upbringings--ending their pattern of hard times. Their work is recognized throughout the philanthropic community, and has been the recipient of over 20 local, state and national awards since its founding.

Having invested their own personal funds and countless hours in conducting extensive research into designing a program, the founders have expanded On Tracks team to include people from all walks of life, ranging from law enforcement, government, non profit organizations, schools, and parents. Through a variety of methods, On Track fulfills its vision of creating healthier communities by providing evidence-based programs that focus on leadership development, mentoring, fitness & nutrition, drug use prevention and academic achievement.

The Voss Law Firm recognized the noble efforts of America On Track and was honored to have sponsored the second annual Pouring from the Heart Festa Italiana Wine Tasting event last Wednesday. As a Voss Law Firm representative, Marjorie Atwater had the pleasure of attending the event.

Seeing an 11-year old daughter of imprisoned parents stand up and address the crowded event was truly inspiring. She was eloquent, funny and confident as she recounted her success thanks to the program: giving her opportunities she previously thought were out of reach. Her speech really drove home the reasons why its so important to not discount at risk youth.

Marjorie Atwater

Voss Law Firm Representative

While raising awareness for On Tracks philanthropic cause, the event also helped raise needed funds that go to help the various programs they run. For every dollar donated to American on Track, 97 cents goes directly to supporting the kids, say Atwater, its one of the most giving charities that helps at risk youth out there. After receiving such a glowing review, The Voss Law Firm is proud to support such an amazing cause and hopes to continue the partnership with American On Track.

American On Track is a 501(c)3 non profit organization based in Orange Country, California whose aims to improve the lives of children, teens and adults in disadvantaged communities; ensuring their chances of success for the future. For more information visit http://www.americaontrack.org/.

The Voss Law Firm, P.C. is located in The Woodlands, Texas and serves clients in the Houston/Galveston and Dallas/Fort Worth areas, litigating many different types of cases both nationally and internationally. For more information, call (713) 861-0021 or visit http://www.vosslawfirm.com/
Quadrant Information Services introduced InsureWatch Looking Glass to accurately anticipate competitors future pricing strategies. While we strongly believe that competitive pricing based on current rates is important, a huge setback can occur when competitor rates are finalized and approved during the process.

In a highly competitive and fluid insurance market, experts say its not enough just to know other carriers current rates and compare them to internal rates  to build an effective long-term marketing and sales strategy, being able to predict what the market will look like six months or a year out is a necessity. To provide that capability, Quadrant Information Services has introduced InsureWatch Looking GlassTM, a predictive analytics tool built into its cloud-based InsureWatch pricing analytics system.

InsureWatch Looking Glass builds its predictions by analyzing data for major carriers going back more than 10 years on a month-by-month basis and comparing those actual rate changes to the way the algorithm would have predicted them. Once the tool has selected the pricing algorithm that gives the closest match to each companys historical behavior, it can accurately anticipate competitors future pricing strategies.

Based on those projections, a carrier, with consulting from Quadrants experts, can compare and review its own future positioning.

While we strongly believe that competitive pricing based on current rates is important, a huge setback can occur when competitor rates are finalized and approved during the process, making the current-rate study and analysis dated, says Michael Macauley, CEO, Quadrant. Not only that, even the best current-rate analysis provides no answers to what the competition will do in the future. Knowing your competitions current rates is certainly very important. But wouldnt you rather know their new rates before they happen? How long did your last rate change take? Were your rates already old when they were approved?

Quadrant, a pioneer in insurance industry data analytics, has worked with all the major insurance carriers in the United States. The data set on which InsureWatch Looking Glass bases its projections is the largest and most comprehensive in the property and casualty field. Due to the companys close ties to the industry, and the atmosphere of mutual trust that has been built during Quadrants nearly 25 years in business, 60% of its data comes directly from large national carriers.

A rigorous quality assurance process, combined with its partnerships with leading national carriers, allows Quadrant to deliver 99%+ accuracy in its current pricing comparisons. While projections are necessarily somewhat less precise, test results from InsureWatch Looking Glass, and the experience of its early adopters, show that the tool delivers stable, highly accurate forecasts. InsureWatch Looking Glass does exactly what it was designed to do. It provides an accurate look at the competitive field a carrier will be facing in the future, and enables both sales and management to develop strategies that will help them avoid losing the right customers and winning the wrong ones, says Macauley.

In addition to the powerful capabilities and user-friendliness of the tool itself, users of InsureWatch Looking Glass will be supported by Quadrants widely acclaimed customer support and training program. On request, the company will provide unlimited hours of customer assistance.

InsureWatch Looking Glass is the latest in a long line of new technologies Quadrant Information Services has provided for the property & casualty insurance industry. New tools are in the works and will be announced in the coming months. As innovators in the field, Quadrant is constantly looking at ways to improve, and to some degree reinvent, the industry with the objective of helping its partners make better, faster, more profitable decisions.

About Quadrant Information Services:

Quadrant Information Services, headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, provides pricing analytics solutions for property and casualty insurance companies. Quadrant gives actuary, product development, pricing, sales, and marketing personnel at its client companieswho include all the major insurance carriers in the United Stateswith the data they need to make accurate, data-driven decisions. An industry innovator since its founding in 1991, Quadrant has provided the P&C insurance field with a long series of technological advances, most recently InsureWatch, the industrys first cloud-based pricing tool, which allows the user to produce unlimited combinations of reports with the click of a mouse. For more information, and to learn why Quadrant is for insurance companies that are tired of losing the right customers and winning the wrong ones, please visit http://www.quadinfo.com.
Founding Sharholder Adrienne Dresevic (left) and Partner Clinton Mikel (right), 2016 recipients of the Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing.

Founding Shareholder Adrienne Dresevic, and Partner Clinton Mikel, have been announced as 2016 Burton Award winners for Distinguished Legal Writing. This award honors 35 authors from the nations top 1,000 largest law firms who demonstrate great achievements in law and emphasize a special passion for legal writing. The Burton Awards, an academic, nonprofit foundation for Legal Achievement, is held in Association with the Library of Congress and Co-Sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA).

The Academic Board that chose the winners carefully reviewed the submitted articles and unanimously decided on the winning authors. The Board committee included many prestigious professors from Harvard, Stanford and UC Berkeley Law Schools, as well as a Judge from the California Superior Court, a former Chair of the White House Plain Language Committee, and the Founding Chair of the event.

Dresevic and Mikel received the award for their article titled, Final CY 2016 Stark Law Changes  Welcomed Revisions to Stark, which provides guidance to health care providers on, and meticulously dissects, recent major revisions to the Physician Self-Referral Law, also known as the Stark Law. The final regulations were published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Federal Register on November 5, 2015, and are the first major changes to the Stark Law since 2009. The stated purpose of the revisions are to accommodate health care delivery and payment system reform, clarify certain applications of the Stark Law, and reduce burdens associated with and facilitate compliance with the Stark Law.

The award ceremony will be held on May 23, 2016, in Washington, D.C., at the Library of Congress. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will be the featured guest speaker as well as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who will memorialize Justice Scalia during the program.

Dresevic is a Founding Shareholder of The Health Law Partners, P.C., a national law firm focusing on healthcare legal issues. She practices out of her firms Michigan office, but is also licensed in New York. She practices in all areas of healthcare law, including providing clients with counsel regarding healthcare compliance, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and False Claims Act defense issues. Dresevic currently serves as a member of the Governing Council of the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA). In addition to her role on the Council, she is also the Co-Chair of the ABA Physician Legal Issues Conference, and the former Chair of the ABA Health Law Sections Publications Committee. Dresevic is a prolific speaker, writer and commentator in the healthcare industry, and is regularly sought out for her expertise. She is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Law.

Mikel is a Partner with The Health Law Partners, P.C. He practices out of his firms Michigan office, but is also licensed in California, New York, and Georgia. Mikel practices in all areas of healthcare law, including providing clients with counsel regarding healthcare compliance, telehealth/telemedicine, privacy/security, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and False Claims Act defense issues. He is the current Chair of the American Bar Association (ABA), Health Law Sections: (i) Stark and Anti-Kickback Fraud and Abuse Toolkit; and (ii) eHealth, Privacy & Security Interest Group. Mikel is a prolific speaker, writer and commentator in the healthcare industry, and is regularly sought out for his expertise. He is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Michigan Law School.

Southfield, Mich.- based The Health Law Partners, P.C. (HLP) is a law firm dedicated to the practice of health care law. The firm takes pride in delivering results for their clients and their exceedingly high standards for service. Established in 2009 by Adrienne Dresevic, Jessica Gustafson, Robert Iwrey, Carey Kalmowitz, and Abby Pendleton, the firm has built a national network. Clients include hospitals and health systems, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, group practices, physicians, hospice organizations, health information technology companies, and nearly every other type of provider/supplier in the health care industry.

The firm has extensive knowledge and experience in Stark and Anti-Kickback compliance, health care billing and reimbursement issues, health care transactional work, Medicare and Medicaid appeals, licensing issues (physician and staff privileging), participation with third-party payers, health information privacy, telemedicine and eHealth issues, and all other regulatory issues facing health care providers and suppliers. HLP attorneys are adept at providing post-audit defense and appeals, a specialty that also provides them with valuable insight and experience into the compliance side of the legal equationidentifying and addressing avoidable vulnerabilities and exposures. For more information, please visit http://www.thehealthlawpartners.com.
United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU), headquartered in Long Island City, N.Y., has partnered with GrooveCar to provide its members in the United States with an online, automotive research and buying program. UNFCU members seeking to purchase or lease cars at local dealerships in the United States now have access to a host of online products and services, including real-time data, reports and virtual images to enhance their car buying experience.

By adding the GrooveCar platform to our website, weve made the process of researching and purchasing a new or used car easier for members in the US. Its now a one stop shop, said Sarah Klinger, Vice President of Retail, Lending and Servicing at UNFCU.

Through the GrooveCar program, UNFCU provides its members in the US greater access to:



Search tools for new and used vehicles available at local US dealerships

A comparison tool to explore options side-by-side

Used car reported history via CarFax reports

We are pleased to provide UNFCU members in the US with the tools and information that can help them find the car thats right for them, said Robert OHara, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at GrooveCar.

According to Cap Gemini, industry consultants, 97% of car buyers in the US research their purchases online before shopping, and mobile devices are driving this statistic. Industry analysts are also reporting a banner year for car buying in 2016. The economy is strong and the US auto industry is projecting to break more records. US auto sales in 2015 reached 17.5 million, reported the Wall Street Journal at year-end, surpassing earlier estimates by J.D. Power and Associates that sales would only climb to 13.83 million.

It is no surprise car buying is being propelled by other factors including replacement demand of older vehicles and the surge of automotive buyers using their mobile devices regularly to shop, like never before, added OHara.

About GrooveCar:

Founded in 1999, GrooveCar provides automotive loan growth solutions to credit unions nationwide while providing their members, as well as the general public, with the most informative and user friendly auto search engine. With its expansive dealership network surpassing five million vehicles, GrooveCar facilitates the entire car buying process, including shopping, researching, buying, leasing, and financing. Through the national auto leasing program CU Xpress Lease, credit unions can take advantage of leasing opportunities in the new vehicle market. CU Xpress is the leading credit union lease program in the nation. Additional information on GrooveCar or CU Xpress Lease may be found at http://www.groovecarinc.com.

About United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU)

UNFCU offers a full suite of banking products and services designed for the mobile lifestyle of the global UN community. Headquartered in New York, UNFCU was founded in 1947 by 13 UN staff members. Today, UNFCU has more than 100,000 members worldwide and is one of the 30 largest credit unions in the US with representative offices in Austria, Italy, Kenya and Switzerland. In 2015, UNFCU launched the UNFCU Foundation with a mission to sustain the path out of poverty through healthcare and education for women and children. Visit http://www.unfcu.org for more information about UNFCUs products, services and commitment to social responsibility.

For more information:

Karen Johnson

GrooveCar

kjohnson(at)groovecar(dot)com

(631) 454-7500 X135

Elisabeth Philippe

UNFCU

ephilippe(at)unfcu(dot)com

347-686-6776
I knew that Intacct was the right product and AcctTwo was the right team to partner with again.

AcctTwo, a leading consulting firm and provider of cloud-based ERP solutions, announced that the firm has implemented Intacct for Zift Solutions. Zift Solutions was founded in 2006 by a dedicated group of like-minded professionals with one goal: To make channel marketers lives easier by making them the go-to source for increasing channel sales. Since Zift's inception, theyve worked with thousands of channel partners and industry-leading suppliers to help them reduce the costs and complexities of channel marketing and moving the sales needle up at the same time. After a rigorous software evaluation, Zift chose Intacct over other on-premises and cloud solutions as the best fit to meet the needs of the organization.

Previous Business Challenges Faced by Zift Solutions:



Zift's finance and accounting department was doing a good deal of work outside of their legacy accounting system to manage reporting, revenue recognition, and multi-currency management.

With the lack of automation and the additional work in Excel, it was taking the finance team too long to complete their month-end close.

Reporting lacked the accuracy Zift's management team wanted and took too long to produce.

The management team did not have access to real-time information, and tracking sales was labor intensive because of the disconnect between their CRM and accounting.

Reasons for Selecting Intacct:

With Intacct, Zift's finance team will benefit from streamlined processes, a reduction in the amount of manual entry, and a reduction in the time to close.

Management will have access to real-time information via tailored reports and dashboards.

Zift will be able to manage a more streamlined quote-to-cash process and take advantage of better communication and collaboration between sales and finance.

Highlighted Comments from Zift Solutions' Director of Finance:

"Our biggest benefits from moving to Intacct are flexibility, scalability, accessibility, and the level of detail that we can track," said Steven Levesque, Director of Finance at Zift Solutions. "I previously worked with both the Intacct product and the AcctTwo team at a another company and based upon that great experience, I knew that Intacct was the right product and AcctTwo was the right team to partner with again."

Additional resources:

Visit Zift Solutions on the web

Visit accttwo.com

Follow the AcctTwo Blog

About AcctTwo:

AcctTwo is a leading consulting firm and reseller of cloud-based accounting and ERP software. Our sophisticated systems solve the issues growing middle market companies face today. AcctTwo also provides Business-Process-as-a-Service solutions, allowing clients to focus on the core competencies of their business. We provide the people, processes, technology, and office facilities to perform these functions, while allowing clients to collaborate interactively through an on-line portal.

AcctTwo is headquartered in Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.accttwo.com or call 713-744-8400.

Contacts:

Peter Wagner

Director of Marketing

AcctTwo

Cell: 512.415.6846

Email: pwagner(at)accttwo(dot)com

Chris Wailes

VP, National Media Relations

Pierpont Communications

Direct: 713.627.2223

Email: cwailes(at)piercom(dot)com
Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Carrie H. Cohen, former Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has joined the firm as a partner in New York. Ms. Cohen joins the firms Securities Litigation, Enforcement and White-Collar Criminal Defense (SLEW) and Commercial Litigation and Trials Practice Groups. Ms. Cohen has been recognized as a top trial attorney and most recently was the lead prosecutor in United States v. Sheldon Silver, securing the conviction of the long-time Speaker of the New York State Assembly on corruption and money-laundering charges.

Carries sophisticated trial and investigatory experience will add notable bench strength to our robust East Coast litigation presence, Ben Fox, co-chair of Morrison & Foersters global Litigation Department, said. Her impressive credentials, experience, and reputation will provide significant value to our clients.

Jordan Eth, co-chair of Morrison & Foersters SLEW Group, added: Carrie is another key addition to our elite group of securities and white-collar litigators, following Chuck Durosss and James Koukioss arrivals from the Department of Justice over the last couple of years. Carrie has a distinguished record of success in the courtroom, including her prosecution of Sheldon Silver. We are delighted that she is joining us.

At Morrison & Foerster, Ms. Cohen will represent financial institutions, corporations, and individuals in white-collar criminal investigations, internal investigations, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and bribery and enterprise corruption matters, as well as consumer, health care, procurement, and tax fraud cases and complex civil litigation. Ms. Cohen brings to the firm extensive criminal and civil trial expertise and vast experience conducting large and complex criminal and civil investigations involving federal, state, and local agencies and regulators. In addition to the Sheldon Silver case and other public corruption cases, Ms. Cohen has investigated and prosecuted a wide range of financial and investment fraud cases, including a $30 million pump-and-dump securities fraud trial and $80 million Ponzi scheme trial.

Before becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, Ms. Cohen served in the New York State Attorney Generals Office, first as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau, where she received the Louis J. Lefkowitz Memorial Award for outstanding service, and then as Chief of the Public Integrity Unit in the Criminal Division. At the Attorney Generals Office, Ms. Cohen successfully prosecuted then State Comptroller Alan Hevesi for personal use of state employees time, among other notable cases. Before that, she spent six years in private practice, including as a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster.

In returning to private practice, I wanted to join a premier trial practice with a distinguished reputation for handling high-stakes litigation, including in securities and white-collar cases, Ms. Cohen said. I didnt need to look far; and I am thrilled to call MoFo home again.

Among her many public service roles, Ms. Cohen has held numerous leadership positions in bar associations. She currently serves on the Advisory Group to the New York State-Federal Judicial Council, as a representative to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates, and as a member of the Federal Bar Council, American Inns of Court. Ms. Cohen recently served as the Vice President of the New York City Bar and Chair of its Executive Committee, as well as Chair of the New York State Bar Associations Commercial & Federal Litigation Section. Ms. Cohen has also been a leader in advancing women in the legal profession both in New York and globally, and currently serves on the New York City Bars Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, where she spearheads a professional development program for women attorneys in Latin America. Ms. Cohen earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

ABOUT MOFO

We are Morrison & Foerster  a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its lists of most innovative law firms in North America and Asia every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in those regions. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFos Bankruptcy and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger.
Andy Preston, Jessie Jacobs and Ian Stark at the EU business breakfast meeting They all agree that, all things considered, Teesside and the whole of Britain is better off as part of the EU.

Business leaders heard why their counterparts and local politicians believe leaving the EU would be a blow for Teesside as the debate heats up ahead of the EU Referendum on June 23. Nearly 60 representatives of Teesside businesses and charities attended an early morning breakfast meeting to hear the views of businessmen Ian Stark and Andy Preston, together with Jessie Joe Jacobs, North East field director of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign.

Stark, chief executive officer of Middlesbrough-based Chemoxy International, said: I firmly believe Teesside businesses of all sizes are much stronger in Europe. My company exports 20 million of goods per year to the EU. Leaving the EU would put this at risk, with the uncertainty of trade agreements that could take years to agree? The North East benefits tremendously from foreign direct investment such as international car manufacturers. We provide a gateway to Europe for these companies. Would foreign companies still invest in the UK at the same rate as they do now if we left the EU? I doubt it. My feeling is that there are plenty of other EU countries that would attract this investment instead.

The meeting was hosted by businessman and charity leader Andy Preston, the campaigns business ambassador for the Tees region, who said: For once, business owners, trade unions and most politicians are united on this issue. They all agree that, all things considered, Teesside and the whole of Britain is better off as part of the EU. Andy Preston continued: I have friends on both sides of the argument and Im not falling out with anyone but, personally, I think that leaving the EU at this time would be bad news for Teesside  for the reasons of prosperity, security and certainty.

Jessie Joe Jacob said: The number of small businesses wanting to stay in the EU shows that this is not a big business debate, this is an everybody debate. The people campaigning to stay are community groups, charities, young people, students, teachers, nurses and small, medium and large size businesses. We all benefit from the investment, jobs and security that the EU provides and it's vital to our small businesses that we vote to Remain on June 23.
Robert Magee, standing, along with Fred Jones, and George Foerstner, established Akron Tool & Die Co. in 1941. Magee purchased the company from his partners in 1965.

Akron Tool & Die Co., a leader in the manufacture of custom components for a wide range of extrusion types, including plastics, food products, catalysts, and specialty items, is celebrating 75 years of providing engineering, customized tooling, and precision machining to its customers.

Robert Magee, Fred Jones, and George Foerstner established Akron Tool & Die Co. in 1941 to provide precision machinery components to the rubber industry. During the 1960s, the company expanded to serve the rapidly growing plastics industry, supplying original equipment manufacturers with extrusion dies, adapters, feed pipes, and related components for polymer processing machines. Robert Magee eventually purchased the company from his two partners in 1965. His son, Michael, became president of the company during the 1990s and is the current owner.

The company has conducted business from the same location on Miller Avenue in Akron, Ohio since its inception. The plant has been expanded a number of times and currently contains 15,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space. Capital improvements in the way of new equipment and technology have been consistent over the years and have allowed Akron Tool & Die Co. to consistently expand its capabilities and products.

During the 1990s, the company developed a line of proprietary extrusion dies in response to new opportunities in the thermo-plastics industry. That line of products has continued to expand over the past twenty years. We have continued to develop our extrusion die offerings and have introduced modified die geometries and concepts for other extruded products such as thermo-plastics, specialty food items, and rubber products, said owner Michael Magee.

Akron Tool & Die Co. selected Akron, Ohio as its headquarters based on its proximity to a growing manufacturing base in the Midwest, and because it was then known as the rubber capital of the world. It was a perfect fit for a trio of young entrepreneurs looking for an opportunity to establish a machine shop. During its long history, Akron Tool & Die Co. has given back to the community by supporting non-profit and charitable organizations both through volunteering and donations. In addition, Akron Tool & Die provides research assistance and insights to current manufacturing to local high schools, colleges and universities.

Akron Tool & Die Co. will celebrate its 75th year of business with a focus on value added services including engineering and design, while continuing to provide OEM components to the extrusion industry. Our precision machining offerings are focused on delivering custom solutions for uncommon extrusion challenges to a variety of industries including plastics, food products, catalysts, and more, said Michael Magee. We use the latest CNC Milling, Turning and Wire EDM technology to achieve tight tolerances and durable surfaces in the manufacture of extrusion dies, barrels, feedblocks, adapters and related products. And that will continue to be our focus, while adapting to the needs of our customers.

Looking back on its 75-year history, Michael Magee is humbled by how far Akron Tool & Die Co. has come. This was a little company that has grown into an efficient, state-of-the-art, leader in precision machining for the extrusion industry! It is an accomplishment that we owe to the hard work of the many employees who have worked here over the years, as well as our dedicated customers.

ABOUT AKRON TOOL & DIE CO.

Akron Tool & Die is a custom manufacturer of components used in a wide range of industries, including plastics, food products, and specialty items. The latest CNC Milling, Turning and Wire EDM technology is used to achieve tight tolerances and durable surfaces in the manufacture of extrusion dies, barrels, barrel liners, rolls, feedblocks, adapters, feedpipes, screws, castings, feed throats, quick clamps, and related products. Akron Tool & Die offers custom-designed dies per customer specification as well as a proprietary line of strip dies, pellet dies, and blown film dies developed by its own engineers for a variety of extruded products such as thermo-plastics, specialty food items, and rubber products.
Aria Health today announced the Pennsylvania Heart and Vascular Group (PHVG) medical practice as an affiliate partner effective May 1, 2016. The agreement will extend Aria Healths cardiovascular services throughout the Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County communities it serves.

Our collaboration with the PHVG team will greatly strengthen our ability to deliver the best possible cardiac care to our patients, said Kathleen Kinslow, president and CEO of Aria Health. PHVG has a stellar reputation in our region with a history of striving to improve the health of patients with the most comprehensive cardiovascular care, research and education possible. We are thrilled that PHVG will join us in our efforts to deliver the best possible medical services to the people in our communities.

The addition of PHVG to Aria Health will expand the healthcare providers cardiovascular services and offerings. Comprised of 20 Board-Certified cardiologists, the medical practice includes some of the top doctors in every specialty of cardiac care including rhythm disorders, coronary artery problems, pumping function and more. As a part of this new affiliation, PHVGs cardiologists, technicians and support staff will treat new and existing patients at Aria Health. PHVG physicians include:



Bradley Bacik, DO, FACC

Anthony Brandimarto, DO, FACC

Ronald Emmi, DO, FACC

Jeffery Fierstein, MD, FACC

John Finley, IV, MD, FACC

Peter Frechie, DO, FACC

William Haaz, MD, FACC

Steven Hess, MD, FACC

C. V. Kishan, MD, FACC

Bruno Manno, Jr., MD, FACC

Roger Marinchak, MD, FACC

Steven Mattleman, MD, FACC

Alec Musten, MD, FACC

Scott Pfeffer, DO, FACC

Joseph Richerts, MD, FACC

Alexander Rubin, MD

Robert Schlesinger, MD, FACC

Scott Spielman, MD, FACC

David Waldstein, MD, FACC

Roger Wint, MD, FACC

In addition to treating patients at Aria Health hospitals, PHVG physicians will serve patients at their existing offices located at 9501 Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia and The Pavilion (261 Old York Road, Suite 214) in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.

For more information about Aria Health and its cardiovascular offerings, visit http://www.ariahealth.org or call 1-877-808-ARIA (2742).

About Aria Health:

Aria Health is the largest healthcare provider in Northeast Philadelphia and Lower Bucks County. With three leading-edge community hospitals and a strong network of outpatient centers and primary care physicians, Aria upholds a longstanding tradition of bringing advanced medicine and personal care to the many communities it serves. For more information about Aria Health please visit http://www.ariahealth.org, Like Aria Health on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ariahealth and Follow Aria Health on Twitter at @AriaHealth.

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Gil Francisco, a decorated academic, and author of short stories such as: "Behind Success: A Memoir from the School of Hard Knocks, and "The Tales of the Kanterberry Kids", has completed his new book "Buford's Mailbox Sketches of 1968", a gripping and potent firsthand look at the outcries for racial and gender equality, desegregation, and the end of the Vietnam War as told through the voice of a family's mailbox.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Gil Francisco's exhilarating tale provides a fresh look into how the political and social events of 1968 impacted American families in the heartland. From the political assassination of the Martin Luther King Jr. to the fight for women's rights, Gil Francisco leaves no stone unturned as he flawlessly depicts the impacts of a tumultuous twelve months on the American family.

Year 1968, without question, was the year civil unrest and disobedience rose to the forefront of American life in a manner never seen since the South seceding from the Union. From the Vietnam War and the political assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy to the Democratic National Convention and the violent demonstrations demanding human rights, Americans were roused and demanded their voices be heard. During those tumultuous twelve months, not a single American family remained unscathed. The demands for national desegregation, racial equality, and womens rights continued to reverberate. Needless to say, the cry for ending the Vietnam War was paramount.

Bufords Mailbox: Sketches of 1968 depicts the life of a typical heartland family as told by the voice of the mailbox and how the events of 1968 insisting on social and political change impacted Molly Hatcher Bufords family ties, triumphs, and tribulations.

Readers who wish to experience this gripping work can purchase"Buford's Mailbox Sketches of 1968" at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP announces a settlement agreement subject to court approval between Air New Zealand Limited (Air New Zealand) and a plaintiff class in In re: Air Cargo Shipping Services Antitrust Litigation, 06-MD-1775 (JG) (VVP), a multi-district litigation pending in the Eastern District of New York. The terms of the agreement provide for a payment of $35 million by Air New Zealand.

To date, according to terms of settlement agreements and court filings, plaintiffs have entered into settlements with 27 defendant groups totaling more than $1.2 billion, of which settlements with 24 defendant groups for $1.04 billion have been granted final approval by the court, and settlements with two defendant groups, including Air China Ltd. and Air China Cargo Co. Ltd. (Air China) and Polar Air Cargo LLC, f/k/a Polar Air Cargo, Inc., Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc., and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (Polar Air Cargo) totaling $150 million have been granted preliminary approval by the court.

Per court documents, this litigation is still pending against defendant Air India Ltd. (Air India).

Kaplan Fox serves as one of four co-lead counsel representing a class of direct purchasers from defendants of air cargo shipping services for shipments to or from the United States between Jan. 1, 2000, and Sept. 30, 2006, seeking compensation for overcharges allegedly sustained as a result of price-fixing.

For more information about the firm, including pending cases and landmark settlements, please visit: http://www.kaplanfox.com.

You may contact the following Kaplan Fox attorneys about the case and the settlement at (212) 687-1980:

Robert N. Kaplan: rkaplan(at)kaplanfox(dot)com

Gregory K. Arenson: garenson(at)kaplanfox(dot)com
BlumShapiro Consulting is proud to partner with Microsoft CityNext to help cities transform government infrastructure, deliver new citizen services & address important challenges like sustainability & economic development. said Brian Renstrom, Partner

BlumShapiro Consulting, a division of Blum, Shapiro & Co, PC, the largest regional business advisory firm based in New England, today announced its participation in Microsoft CityNext, a global initiative empowering cities, businesses and citizens to re-imagine their futures and cultivate vibrant communities. Through the Microsoft CityNext initiative, BlumShapiro Consulting and Microsoft will help leaders to do new with less, by combining the power of technology with innovative ideas to connect governments, businesses and citizens with city services that increase efficiencies, reduce costs, foster a more sustainable environment and cultivate communities where people thrive.

BlumShapiro Consulting is proud to partner with Microsoft CityNext to further help cities transform government infrastructure, deliver new citizen services and address important challenges like sustainability and economic development, said Brian Renstrom, partner, BlumShapiro Consulting. Our companys thought leadership, expertise and experience will integrate perfectly with Microsoft CityNext to implement new processes and systems to support our clients. As a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, we will further enhance our laser sharp focus on customer service and their potential to succeed.

Cities have long been the center of industrial, economic and entrepreneurial activity fueling the rest of the worlds success. Today, as more of the worlds population urbanizes, they face mounting pressures and challenges to maintain that standard and quality of life for citizens. It is expected that by 2030, six out of every ten people will live in a city. Leveraging a broad portfolio of familiar and security-enhanced consumer-to-business software, partner solutions, devices and services and Microsofts history of successful education and social programs, BlumShapiro Consulting and Microsoft CityNext is a collective effort that helps cities anticipate and plan for these changes and challenges, enabling them to meet citizens needs, thrive economically and embrace modernity.

Were thrilled to partner with BlumShapiro Consulting on Microsoft CityNext. Microsoft prioritizes a people- and partner-first approach across all our initiatives, and Microsoft CityNext is no different, said Rob Bernard, chief environmental and cities strategist, Microsoft Worldwide Public Sector. While cities are feeling the strain from economic challenges, Microsoft CityNext ushers in innovative technology solutions to create opportunities for cities and their citizens, enabling them to accomplish what they never thought possible. Were inspired by our diverse partner ecosystem and know that working together we can help cities realize their full potential.

###

BlumShapiro is the largest regional business advisory firm based in New England, with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The firm, with over 400 professionals and staff, offers a diversity of services which includes auditing, accounting, tax and business advisory services. In addition, BlumShapiro provides a variety of specialized consulting services such as succession and estate planning, business technology services, employee benefit plan audits and litigation support and valuation. The firm serves a wide range of privately held companies, government and non-profit organizations and provides non-audit services for publicly traded companies.
Its humbling to be acknowledged by a group Ive long admired

Longtime Collin County Attorney Dale Rose of Gibbs Nolte Robison Rose, PLLC has been certified as a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

The Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum is recognized as one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who meet very strict qualifications. Members must have acted as principal counsel in cases involving their client receiving a verdict, award or settlement in the amount of two million dollars or more. Forum membership acknowledges excellence in advocacy, and provides members with a national network of experienced colleagues for professional referral and information exchange in major cases.

Its humbling to be acknowledged by a group Ive long admired, says Dale Rose. Im excited to be joining the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

The organization was founded in 1993 and there are approximately 3,000 members located throughout the country. Less than 1% of U.S. lawyers are selected for membership.

Dale Rose is a Personal Injury attorney with a long history of exemplary service in Collin County. He is the managing partner at Gibbs Nolte Robison Rose, PLLC and has been practicing law in Texas for nearly 25 years. Mr. Rose has experience as a prosecutor in the Dallas County District Attorneys Office and started his career as a law enforcement officer.
VueScan - easy to use and powerful We have added support for many imageFORMULA scanners that Canon doesnt support, including 57 imageFORMULA scanners on Linux, 44 imageFORMULA scanners on Mac OS X and 24 imageFORMULA scanners on Windows 7, 8 and 10

Hamrick Software, the developer of VueScan, the world's most widely used scanning software, has released its latest version 9.5.47  which includes support for 57 Canon imageFORMULA document scanners.

Ed Hamrick, the President of Hamrick Software, says Canon has always been a key manufacturer to us, and with document scanning becoming more and more popular, it is essential to us that we support as many scanners and printers as possible.

VueScan now supports over 2900 scanners from 35 manufacturers  in a combination of 3 operating systems, Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

As we have seen an increase in document scanning, we have had many requests from customers for us to add support for this range of scanners, so this is great news for them. says Ed Hamrick. We have added support for many imageFORMULA scanners that Canon doesnt support, including 57 imageFORMULA scanners on Linux, 44 imageFORMULA scanners on Mac OS X and 24 imageFORMULA scanners on Windows 7, 8 and 10. We are pleased to support all types of Canon scanners, including flatbed scanners, multifunction scanners, document scanners and film scanners, but these new scanners are fast, easy to use and produce high quality document scans. We are delighted to be able to support Canon as they introduce new products.

Tim Brosnihan, European Product Marketing & Planning Manager at Canon Europe, says VueScan is globally recognised as a simple, user-friendly capture software tool supporting a variety of output formats and also working on various operating systems. We are pleased VueScan has added support for our Canon imageFORMULA document scanners. The VueScan developers share Canons desire to work collaboratively to create the best possible solutions for our customers, and we look forward to continuing to work closely in the future.

VueScan is easy to use for both beginners and professional users. Beginners only need to run VueScan and press the 'Scan' button. Pro users can change to either the 'Standard' or 'Professional' options to unlock powerful features to have complete control over their scans.

VueScan also offers a full range of advanced features; including batch scanning and multi-page PDF output, options for scanning faded slides and prints (and automatically adjusting images to optimum color balance that reduces the need to manually do it in Photoshop.) VueScan also includes built-in IT8 color calibration of scanners, producing colors that look true to life, and other advanced and powerful scanning and productivity features.

VueScan is available in two editions, Standard Edition ($49.95 USD) and Professional Edition ($79.95). The Professional Edition supports film scanning, adds unlimited free upgrades, advanced IT8 color calibration and support for raw scan files. Multi-user licenses are available. Both versions offer an easy to use one-stop Scan button.

A fully functional, trial copy of VueScan can be downloaded from:

http://www.hamrick.com/.

Based in Miami, FL, Hamrick Software was founded in 1991. Its first product was VuePrint, an easy to use JPEG viewer for Windows that for many years was the recommended image viewer for AOL, with more than 100,000 users. In 1998, the company first released VueScan, a program for scanning with flatbed and film scanners, there are now more than 500,000 users all over the world with VueScan supporting over 2900 scanners.

For more information, contact:

Hamrick Software

16850 Collins Ave Suite 112-711

Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160

Web: http://www.hamrick.com

E-mail: support(at)hamrick(dot)com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VueScan
If an offer has been made, there may be a more complete and satisfactory offer to be gained through reappraisal and negotiations," said NC Eminent Domain Attorney Jason Campbell.

The U.S. 64 Bypass, a $220-million road project affecting more than 300 property owners, is finally slated to move forward after years of shifting plans and delays.

However, the offers that some property owners receive from state officials may amount to far less than what their property is worth, according to former NCDOT attorneys at the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. Rather than accept these offers, owners may want to exercise often-misunderstood rights, including the ability to negotiate for a second check.

A seminar on Thursday evening, May 19th, at 7PM at the Hampton Inn Asheboro will explore property owners rights at no cost to participants (more below).

Lengthy Limbo

As reported by the Asheboro Courier-Tribune (2/23/16), the U.S. 64 Bypass has led to much anxiety for homeowners left in a lengthy limbo for many years as the project took shape and the cost ballooned to $224 million.

"In the case of the U.S. 64 Bypass, weve seen home, property and business owners left wondering if they will lose part or all of their property to this project, said Jason Campbell, an attorney with the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm and former NCDOT attorney. With a final plan in place, it is time for these owners to get a fair price for their hard-earned homes and businesses.

In Winston-Salem, the NC Court of Appeals recently found that an indefinite reservation of property by the NCDOT to be essentially the same as seizing land without paying for it. The court restricted the NCDOTs power allowing property owners to have a better position in negotiating for the fair value of their land, according to the Raleigh News & Observer (2/17/15).

Asheboro property owners in the path of the U.S. 64 Bypass will soon receive purchase offers from state officials. According to Campbell, property owners should be careful  a project thats taken so long to get underway can spare a few moments to ensure citizens get a fair shake.

Homeowners receive a very official offer and think that is the law for what they are able to receive, Campbell said. If an offer has been made, there may be a more complete and satisfactory offer to be gained through reappraisal and negotiations.

Second Check

By North Carolina law, property owners whose land or businesses are targeted for acquisition ultimately receive an offer from the state. If the owner chooses not to accept the offer and takes no further steps, the state will still acquire the land and deposit the amount of the original offer with the County Clerk for the owner.

This is where the NC Eminent Domain Law Firms second check approach comes in. In most cases, the property owner is then free to pursue a better, fairer arrangement, without losing the first offer.

If continued negotiations do not change the offer, the owner still has the first offer. But if continued negotiations are successful, the property owner will receive a second check in addition to the first offer.

We hate it when we see property owners get less money than they should, simply because they didnt know the full extent of their rights, said Stan Abrams, also a former NCDOT attorney with the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm.

The NC Eminent Domain Law Firm will host a free informational session on Thursday, May 19th to answer property and business owners key questions. Those questions typically include:



How will the value of my property be calculated?

Can I assume the offer for my property is fair?

How is fair market value determined?

What if I lease space? Will there be allowances to move my business?

Should I get my own appraisal?

For more information about the meetings, please call the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm at 1-877-393-4990.

About:

A division of the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, the NC Eminent Domain Law Firm is dedicated solely to representing property owners throughout North Carolina, who may be impacted by eminent domain law. The NC Eminent Domain Law Firm is led by attorneys Stan Abrams and Jason Campbell, both of whom previously worked as Assistant Attorneys General for the North Carolina Department of Justice in the Transportation Section, where they litigated condemnation cases for the NCDOT. They have over 20 years of combined experience working exclusively on eminent domain cases. The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin has the legal resources of 38 attorneys and is based in Durham, North Carolina, with offices throughout the state to serve its clients.

Contact Information:

Stan Abrams

1-877-393-4990

NC Eminent Domain Law Firm

280 South Mangum Street, Suite 400

Durham, North Carolina 27701
Toyo Ink Co., Ltd PantoneLIVE revolutionizes the way color is communicated and ensures accurate color in printing across multiple geographic locations and printing partners.

X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, today announced Toyo Ink Co., Ltd has joined the PantoneLIVE Accredited Partner Program. Toyo Ink is part of a select group of international partners and becomes the first PantoneLIVE accredited ink manufacturer in Japan. This enables Japanese-based brand owners and packaging converters to more easily use the PantoneLIVE ecosystem for digital color communications to accurately define, develop and share precise spectral definitions for brand color palettes based on specific substrates, print processes, inks and application methods.

We are extremely proud to become an Accredited Ink Manufacturer partner for PantoneLIVE, said Takashi Yamauchi, General Manager, Planning Department, Corporate Planning Division, Toyo Ink Co., Ltd. PantoneLIVE revolutionizes the way color is communicated and ensures accurate color in printing across multiple geographic locations and printing partners. Using PantoneLIVE our customers worldwide will be able to speed print production times and improve overall workflow efficiencies.

Toyo Ink has supported its customer by offering a total color management solution and a range of printing inks for commercial printing and packaging for over 20 years. To support customer demand for a wide color gamut, Toyo Ink is an expert organization in spot color formulation and offers color services. Toyo Ink will use PantoneLIVE internally to help match PANTONE Colors, including options for a variety of substrates and printing processes.

We have enjoyed a longstanding business relationship with Toyo Ink and are excited to now have Toyo Ink as a accredited partner for PantoneLIVE, said Fumiteru Minami, General Manager for Japan and Korea, X-Rite Pantone. In addition, Toyo Ink will offer Japanese brand owners PantoneLIVE solutions to help communicate color across the entire packaging supply chain. This broadens PantoneLIVEs presence in the growing Asian marketplace and provides our customers the assurance needed that the inks they are using meet brand owner standards regardless of the substrate or printing technology used.

For more information about PantoneLIVE visit http://www.pantone.com/pantonelive or http://www.xrite.com/packaging.

About PantoneLIVE

The Accredited Program is part of PantoneLIVE. PantoneLIVE, part of X-Rite is Incorporated, is a cloud-based color management solution. It enables the universal PANTONE Color language to be accurately communicated across the entire packaging workflow  from design concept to retail store shelves. PantoneLIVE extends the PANTONE PLUS SERIES Color Library, mapping critical color information to packaging-specific substrates. The PantoneLIVE ecosystem is supported by licensed hardware and software that enables each area of a packaging supply chain to access the same PantoneLIVE Colors, in addition to brand specific palettes. This results in consistent and repeatable color across product families, regardless of media or print technology, providing a cohesive brand approach.

About Toyo Ink Co., Ltd.

Toyo Ink, a core operating companies of the Toyo Ink Group, oversees the Groups Printing and Information- and the Packaging Materials-related business segments. It is the driving force behind the Groups graphic arts companies in Japan and abroad. Delivering inks of high technical expertise since its establishment, the company brings color and function to virtually all aspects of life. In addition, as a world-class color specialist, Toyo Ink provides unique color design tools free-of-charge such as the TUBUCOLOR color communication app, and the UDing and UDing Dither series of universal color design software. For more information, see http://www.toyoink.jp/en/.

About X-Rite

Founded in 1958, X-Rite, Incorporated is a global leader in color science and technology. With its wholly owned subsidiary Pantone, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The companys corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Mich., with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite Pantone offers a full range of color management solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, photographers and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color throughout their processes. X-Rite Pantone products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles and medical industries. For further information, please visit http://www.xrite.com. For the latest news, information and conversations, connect with X-Rite on LinkedIn, Vimeo, Twitter, and Facebook.

About Pantone

Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the worlds color authority for nearly 50 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers paint and designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at http://www.pantone.com. For the latest news, trends, information and conversations, connect with Pantone on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

2016 X-Rite, Inc. All rights reserved. X-Rite is a registered trademark of X-Rite, Inc. PANTONE, PantoneLIVE and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Pantone is a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated. Licensed under US Patent Nos. 7,034,960; 7,268,918; 7,202,976; 7,417,764 and their foreign equivalents.  Pantone LLC, 2016. All rights reserved.
HRsoft to Host Global Compensation Webinar with Certified Compensation Professional, Chuck Csizmar

On May 18, HRsoft, an award winning talent management software company will host a webinar with the Founder & Principal of CMC Compensation Group, Chuck Csizmar. The webinar titled, Rules of the Road for the Expatriate Journey: Tips 'N Tricks for Getting it Right, will be hosted by HRsoft's Chief Marketing Officer, Brian Sharp.

"Csizmar's experience includes significant career achievements in the design and development of U.S and international compensation programs. This is a hot topic right now for our Talent Takeaways community and we're excited to collaborate with someone with such great expertise," said Sharp.

Topics covered will include: why the experience is so complex and costly, determining the business case for the assignment, the candidate selection process, creating a policy and following it, the devil is in the details and the assignee's perspective.

Don't miss this free, exclusive opportunity to learn from an experienced compensation planning expert as he shares guidelines and tips for sending an employee off on an international assignment!

Click here to register!

About HRsoft:

HRsoft is a cloud-based talent management software company that specializes in improving manager effectiveness and business results for North American employers. Our suite of HR solutions includes modules for compensation planning software, applicant tracking software, performance management software, total rewards communication software, stay interview software and content management software. Discover more about HRsoft at HRsoft.com or follow us on Twitter @HRsoft_inc.

For more information:

Brian Sharp

Chief Marketing Officer

Email: brian.sharp(at)hrsoft(dot)com

Direct: 407-475-5500 ext. 771

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CATMEDIA's founder and CEO, Catherine Downey This recognition emphasizes how CATMEDIAs core values drive business innovation, Downey said

In honor of National Small Business Week, CATMEDIAs founder and CEO, Catherine Downey, has been named the 2016 Georgia Small Business Person of the Year by the SBA. Downey was in D.C. on May 2, 2016 where she was formally recognized and accepted her award.

This recognition emphasizes how CATMEDIAs core values drive business innovation and we look forward to providing creative solutions to clients in communications strategy, media production, and training, Downey said.

Catherine Downey gave her acceptance speech on May 4, 2016 in Atlanta, GA.

CATMEDIA was founded in Atlanta in 1997 as a one-person operation and has since grown to 35 employees generating $17 million in revenue. As a true innovator, Downey is named on several patent-pending training and communications technologies. Under her leadership, CATMEDIA was named to the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in America in 2014 & 2015. Her commitment to excellent customer service is supported by a client list that includes some of the biggest names in federal agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Downey, a lifelong learner, was honored by the SBAs Georgia District as the 2014 Class Valedictorian in the Emerging Leaders Program and successfully graduated from the Tuck Executive Program under a full Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Dorothy B. Brothers scholarship, while serving on the state level advisory board for Georgias Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Downey is an active business member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, WBENC, US Womens Chamber of Commerce, Greater Womens Business Council, and Vistage International.

Each year, the SBA selects the Small Business Person of the Year from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The award recognizes small business owners and entrepreneurs for their success and achievements in business. The Small Business Person of the Year Award is a part of National Small Business Week, May 2-6, 2016, which highlights the outstanding efforts of small business owners.

ABOUT CATMEDIA:

CATMEDIA is an award-winning Inc. 500 company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in advertising, creative services, media production, program management, training, and human resource management. As a Women Owned Small Business (WOSB), CATMEDIA provides world-class customer service and innovative solutions to government and commercial clients. Current CATMEDIA clients include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Stay Connected with CATMEDIA:

For more information, please visit CATMEDIA.com

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

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AGT is excited to provide our customers with T1V interactive solutions and to support theirs with our A/V design, integration and managed services expertise.

Applied Global Technologies (AGT), a full-service audio visual (A/V) integrator that designs, installs and manages collaboration environments, today announces its partnership with T1V  a leading provider of interactive touchscreen technology. Together the companies will deliver interactive touchscreen display solutions, along with A/V design, integration and management services, to improve the way organizations communicate and collaborate. AGT will act as an official reseller and distributor of T1V interactive technology  including the companys suite of collaboration software offerings which are designed to help drive innovation and business success  in Georgia, Florida, Colorado and beyond.

T1V technology is powered by patented multitouch, multiuser software that transforms public spaces into more dynamic environments and delivers large-scale interactive experiences  its core products include interactive tables, digital signage, interactive walls and software applications. ThinkHub  T1Vs multiuser software which transforms traditional meetings into more proactive, effective sessions, is among its most popular applications. The companys suite of standard software applications, such as Interactive Timeline and Interactive Map, can be customized to align with a customers brand identity. In this capacity, the customer is able to design their interactive solution at an affordable price point. T1V has the flexibility to scale its solutions from single-panel to multipanel, and can work within standard or custom frameworks. The company supports its customers from its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.

As T1Vs integration partner, AGTs team of certified and experienced A/V experts can successfully design, integrate and manage collaboration environments  whether it is briefing centers, board rooms, small huddle spaces, intuitive classrooms or state-of-the-art training facilities  with T1V interactive technology, enabling customers to experience the immersive world of touchscreen collaboration.

AGT strives to bring our customers the most cutting-edge and trusted solutions on the market to help them collaborate in a way that works best for them, says Mark Cray, CEO of AGT. Although interactive touchscreen display technologies have evolved tremendously over the past few years, there has been a lack of quality software applications paired with these devices to drive truly effective collaboration experiences. That is where T1V comes in  we think the ThinkHub software really propels interactive touchscreen display technology forward. We are excited to provide our customers with T1V interactive solutions and to support theirs with our A/V design, integration and managed services expertise.

T1V is thrilled to partner with AGT, a company who shares our vision for how technology can improve the way organizations communicate and collaborate, and who can help us to drive our product forward with their expertise in the space, says Marco Ventura, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at T1V. ThinkHub, T1Vs interactive collaboration software, was developed to help teams to ideate, collaborate and innovate. We look forward to working with AGT in helping to address customer needs from the board room to the huddle room with our interactive collaboration solutions.

To learn more about AGTs services and solutions, please visit http://www.appliedglobal.com/services/. To learn more about T1Vs suite of interactive touchscreen technologies, please visit their website.

About AGT  Applied Global Technologies

AGT is a full-service audio visual integrator that designs, installs and manages collaboration environments. We help corporations, government entities and educational institutions with audio visual design and integration, video conferencing and managed services. AGT has improved the way organizations communicate and collaborate for over 20 years. For more information, visit http://www.appliedglobal.com or follow AGT at @agt_video.

About T1V

T1V creates interactive touchscreen experiences. Deliberately large in size and incredibly durable, our Interactive Platform includes tables and walls, digital signage, and mobile apps. Our products are powered by patented multitouch, multiuser software that transforms public spaces into more dynamic environments. The T1V team is made up of design, engineering, business and technology minds alike - resulting in unrivaled support to our customers from start to finish.

Based in Charlotte, NC, T1V works with retail, events and exhibits, enterprise, hospitality, and education markets around the globe. The company is recognized as one of Charlottes Fast 50 by the Charlotte Business Journal and was named to the 2014 and 2015 Inc. 500 | 5000 by Inc. magazine. Visit http://www.t1v.com to learn more about our products and how we can work with you and your industry.

AGT Contact:

Autumn Brannan

autumn.brannan(at)appliedglobal(dot)com

678.594.4419

T1V Contact:

Blair Rubio

brubio(at)t1v(dot)com

704.594.1610
At All Year Cooling we are always looking for new, fresh faces to join our family.

All Year Cooling, a local South Florida air conditioner installation and repair company is expanding their workforce. The family-owned business is rapidly growing and is looking for qualified candidates to fill essential positions on their team.

The Customer Service Representative and Dispatcher is a joint position ideal for candidates who are strong communicators and able to multitask well. Some of the job duties include dispatching outside service technicians and effectively communicating with team members and customers. This individual should be a team player with strong computer skills and one who is able to demonstrate leadership among a team.

Another open position is a Data Entry Clerk. This position should be filled by someone with strong computer skills and superior communication ability. Ad ideal candidate is capable of scanning, entering, and maintaining all data entries efficiently and accurately.

All Year Cooling is also seeking an AC Service Technician. The ideal candidate for this position is proficient in writing estimates on repairing or replacing air conditioner units and should possesses the necessary skills needed to sell onsite. This position will only involve minor repairs.

The Inside Sales Representative position ideal for individuals who are highly motivated, self-starting sales reps. The full-time position involves sales quotas that must be met. The company is searching for someone who is skilled in prospecting current customers, finding potential sales opportunities, and reaching out to new clients who are interested in the companys services.

To learn more about any of these job descriptions or job requirements, visit allyearcoolingcareers.com, and if interested in applying email your resume to julie(at)allyearac(dot)com for consideration.

All Year Cooling President, Tommy Smith is quoted as saying We know and understand how tough it is to not only find a job, but to find a job that you love. At All Year Cooling we are always looking for new, fresh faces to join our family. South Florida based All Year Cooling has been in business for the past 42 years. Specializing in air conditioning sales, repairs, maintenance, and installations, All Year Cooling knows what it takes to keep South Florida cool and out of the heat. President Thomas Smith is available 24/7 to answer his customers phone calls at 954-773-8619.
Courtney Knopf

Brookhill Properties, LLC, a premier New York based real estate investment company, has announced that Courtney Knopf has been named Executive Vice President of Operations for the company.

In this new role, Ms. Knopf will establish and optimize the day to day operations of the company including: strategic planning, staff oversight, and operational performance monitoring. She will also be responsible for maintaining strategic business relationships. Ms. Knopf will also continue to have and integral role in the development of the company, which currently has a portfolio of buildings with a current estimated value of over $500 million.

We are very pleased to have Ms. Knopf in this new executive management role, said Raphael Toledano, President and CEO Brookhill Properties. I am confident that she will play a key role in implementing our strategic business plans and will be an integral part in our future success as we implement our business strategies. Ms. Knopf is a dedicated real estate executive with an extensive knowledge and familiarity of the New York real estate market combined with a level of dedication to the profession that is unrivaled.

Ms. Knopf brings a wealth of experience previous to Brookhill. Previously she was General Counsel to Martier, a high-end womens fashion boutique chain, where she negotiated commercial real estate leases, sales contracts, renewal lease agreements, and corporate organizational documents.

I am thrilled to begin my new role at Brookhill and will continue to contribute my real estate and expertise to the firm as Brookhill enters a new phase of growth, said Ms. Knopf. Brookhill has a highly dedicated team of professionals and I am confident the company will continue to grow as a leader in the real estate investment industry.

Ms. Knopf holds a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a Bachelors Degree from The University of Tampa.

Brookhill Properties is extremely pleased that Ms. Knopf will be in this new position to assist in the growth of our company. Her professional contributions in the past have been of great benefit to us, and we look forward to a bright future for Brookhill with her in this new role, said David Reich, CFO, Brookhill Properties.

About Brookhill Properties

Brookhill Properties is a real estate investment firm that has firmly established itself in the New York City market. Brookhill Properties is focused on the acquisition and development of residential properties in neighborhoods in the East Village and Chelsea neighborhoods. Brookhill was founded by entrepreneur Raphael Toledano, who has a proven track record of real estate investment deals. The Brookhill team brings together a unique group of experienced team with broad experience in the global real estate markets, as well as property development, real estate finance, and law, all working together to maximize our investments.

# # #
Northern Californias Timberlane LLC, producer of Arkansas Black Straight Applejack, and the very limited Twenty-One Year Straight Applejack have expanded distribution beyond California to both Texas and Massachusetts, with eyes on additional markets in 2016. Both marks are currently available across Texas, distributed by AB Foods of Dallas. In Massachusetts, Burke Distributing Corp. will distribute the products throughout the State starting in late spring 2016. Arkansas Black Straight Applejack was honored with the distinctions of both "Best Apple Brandy" and "Double Gold" at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Since its introduction in 2000, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition has become the most respected and influential spirits competition in the world. Full results can be found here: https://sfspiritscomp.com

Straight Applejack was the first distilled spirit in the colonies and by law contains nothing but apples. Before we had Rye, Rum, or Moonshine we had Applejack. It is a key ingredient in several famous cocktails, and yet post-prohibition there remain very few producers of this unique product. Arkansas Black Straight Applejack, founded by the husband and wife team of John and Samantha Collins, started out with just two barrels of applejack in 2013, and were embraced quickly by the bartender crowd in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to Samantha, "Our recipe pays homage to my Great-Grandfather of Arthur Skipper Ford. Skipper had an apple orchard on Howell Mountain in Napa where he grew heirloom apples for cider and applejack. His favorite variety of apple was the Arkansas Black." Every bottle of Arkansas Black Straight Applejack contains approximately 25 lbs. of fresh apples and nothing else. The apples are carefully crushed and fermented before entering a pot still. There they are distilled before clarifying the cider, preserving the fresh apple flavor. The spirit is rested for 2 years in used French Oak barrels before spending an additional year in new American Bourbon Barrels to lend sweetness to the nose and finish. More info is available at http://www.arkansasblackapplejack.com.
Swenson is North American Title Group's new associate engagement director North American Titles goal is to have a workplace that is rewarding and enjoyable for our associates.

North American Title Group (NATG) has announced Lourdes Swenson as its new director of associate engagement. Swenson has 18 years of human resources experience, most recently working for Lennar Corporation as its director of human resources and previously as human resources director for Lennars East Coast region.

North American Titles goal is to have a workplace that is rewarding and enjoyable for our associates, which will continue to support our goal of being the employer of choice for the most talented and customer-oriented title professionals across the nation, said Tom Fischer, NATG president. Lourdes brings a wealth of HR experience from Lennar, including experience working with the companys field operations as well as with its current HR director over the past several months. She will focus on associate recruiting and retention, as well as onboarding and quality-of-life issues.

Swenson has been responsible for design, development, implementation and management of associate engagement initiatives, including associate socialization, rewards and recognition, onboarding, and learning and development. She has provided human resources management functions and also consulted with company leadership on staffing plans, training and development, performance management, employment law and employee relations.

The title industry is traditionally one that has been fueled with talent from existing connections, said Swenson. We want to cross-pollinate our talent pool with a wide range of skillsets. We will accomplish that by forming a training and development team and by looking to non-traditional channels to nurture and develop skills within our associates.

Swenson is located at the North American Title Group home office at 760 Northwest 107th Ave., suite 400, Miami, FL 33172, telephone number (305) 485-2784.

About North American Title

With well over 1,000 associates and a vast network of branches from coast to coast, North American Title (NAT) is among the largest real estate settlement service providers in the United States. Consisting of both agent and underwriter operations, NAT reported annual net revenues in fiscal 2015 of $229 million. The company also has the resources and stability of a wholly owned subsidiary of an S&P 500 company with over $14.4 billion in assets (fiscal year ending Nov. 30, 2015). North American Titles agency network operates nationally under the name North American Title Co. (NATC) in 19 of the fastest-growing states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Virginia, in addition to the District of Columbia. Through our relationship with our expanding affiliate network, NATC provides real estate settlement services in all 50 states. NAT is headquartered in Miami, Florida. To learn more, visit http://www.nat.com
Mary Hallidays new book, My Village Speaks - Parenting, Mentoring, Educating, and Sharing, ($21.99, paperback, 9781498466271; $32.99, hardcover, 9781498466288) uses her own upbringing to explain how historical, political, cultural, and social patterns are significant to the mentoring, educating and sharing within a community. Mary Halliday is a 74-year-old matriarch in her family. She is a retired social worker who speaks about faith and family. Her story includes the trials and tribulations of her grandparents and her parents. It shows the migration of her relatives from the South to the North in the 1930s, their entrepreneurial spirit, and the impact WWII had on her family. Mary includes the excitement of marriage and motherhood and the brokenness of separation, divorce, and being a single parent.

Mary traveled to many countries trying to develop a greater insight into the human spirit. She looks at the customs of parenting, mentoring, educating, and passing down the history and legacy of people from around the world. She stresses the importance for every nationality to understand the history and legacy of all nationalities, but especially African history. She believes that everything is relevant because people are all related as human beings.

I hope readers understand the importance of knowing their family history and culture and how world events have a personal impact on their lives, states the author.

Mary Halliday graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a Masters in Social Work. She has 30 years experience in the field of social work; specializing in medical, foster care, and homeless advocacy.

Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the worlds largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Retailers may order My Village Speaks - Parenting, Mentoring, Educating, and Sharing through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors. The book is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

Media Contact: Mary Halliday

Email: MaryHalliday821(at)gmail(dot)com
Nastel Technologies, a global provider of real-time IT Operational Analytics (ITOA) and other tools, announces the addition of real-user monitoring and analytics to its flagship AutoPilot Insight software platform.

According to Charley Rich, Nastels VP-Product Management, Slow Web apps are a terrific way to kill revenues, harm reputations and drive users to competitors. The problem is, even as traditional datacenter performance metrics say everything is fine, users are tapping their fingers with impatience because of sub-standard app responsiveness.

AutoPilots new capabilities handle exactly this kind of situation, and can automatically pinpoint the source of problems that hurt a companys reputation with its client base, he said. Basically, we capture and analyze two very different sets of data: the subjective user experience of fast or sluggish app responsiveness, and back-end server activities. Our secret sauce is being able to stitch together both data sets, analyze it, and deliver actionable insights to correct performance issues whenever and wherever they occur.

The key to making real-user monitoring easy to deploy, Rich continued, is the use of browser-injection technology. So in addition to the detailed web and server metrics one would expect, our software enables clients to track end-user activities across geo-locations, and it automatically understands and visually depicts the relationship between application topologies and end-user requests.

The ability to synthesize insights derived from topology mapping, server behaviors, and user requestsalong with presenting probable root causes of problems in an intuitive visual mannertranslates to reduced mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) of software issues and lower overall cost of support.

Whether a problems root cause is a JavaScript error on the client, network latency, or a slow Java method, AutoPilot Insights interface takes specialists to underlying problem issues with the press of a button. Detailed drill-down capabilities are provided in addition to single-click root-cause analysis.

AutoPilot Insight also stands apart from other solutions by offering natural language query capability that enables IT specialists to talk to data, enabling the detection of subtle, hidden patterns that enable solution of the toughest, most intractable performance problems.

Available key metrics include a full breakdown of page requests into all its components, browser-specific issues, geo-locations, top requests, worst response times, slowest loading pages, slowest server connections and much more.

AutoPilot Insight, Rich concludes, is a unified solution that analyzes user requests, logs, metrics and transactions spanning the browser, web apps, middleware, brokers and mainframes. With this end-to-end measurement of performance you will rest easy that your users are satisfied and your companys reputation is secure.

About Nastel Technologies

Nastel Technologies is an IT Operational Analytics company that provides APM software with real-time analytics for end-users, logs, middleware and transactions. Nastel is a privately held company headquartered in New York, with offices in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany and Mexico, and a network of partners throughout Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. For more information, visit us at http://www.nastel.com.
The AMAs sUAS program website is an important tool for keeping our fun and educational hobby safe for everyone."

The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is proud to announce a new resource available for all sUAS users. The website helps the new drone pilot understand WHAT to Know Before You Fly: suas.modelaircraft.org.

The AMAs sUAS program website is an important tool for keeping our fun and educational hobby safe for everyone, said Bill Pritchett, AMAs education director. We will share up-to-date information as the AMA, in agreement with the FAA, continues to establish appropriate safety guidelines for emergent technologies, like drones, and novel facets of aero-modeling activity. In order to promote safety, all this information is available to the general public for free on our website.

This new resource will help everyone:



Learn how and where to safely operate a drone

View a detailed map of the United States showing thousands of flying locations (including AMA clubs)

Make FAA registration easier, and

Share personal drone zone stories and experiences.

The user is now the Pilot in Command  take charge of being informed! Visit suas.modelaircraft.org to get started.

# # #

The Academy of Model Aeronautics, founded in 1936, continues to be devoted to national airspace safety. It serves as the nations collective voice for approximately 187,000 modelers in 2,400 clubs in the United States and Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Muncie, Indiana, AMA is a membership organization representing those who fly model aircraft for recreation and educational purposes. For more information, visit http://www.modelaircraft.org.
Hixny, which provides progressive population health solutions to the Capital Region, Northern New York and the Mohawk Valley, announces an expansion and relocation. The population health company has moved to 80 Wolf Road, into 6,500 square feet of remodeled office space, with room for future growth.

Hixny has grown in many ways, said Mark McKinney, Hixny CEO. We have grown in the number of organizations participating, we have grown in the number of healthcare professionals who rely on our services to improve population health, we have grown in the number of patients who are taking a more proactive role in their healthcare, and we have needed to grow our staff to accomplish all of these tasks, and more.

Hixny currently employs 25 individuals and serves more than 975 participating locations. Hixny is one of eight Qualified Entities in the state which supports healthcare professionals by safely and securely delivering medical records at the point of care. Hixny provides a wide-range of tools and services which support care coordination and reduces healthcare costs in our region. Hixny supports more than 1.6 million patients in a 19 county region which borders Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and Canada.

The industry of population heath continues to expand and evolve, said Paul Macielak, Chair of Hixnys Board of Directors and President and CEO of The New York Health Plan Association. Hixny has a proven record of providing value to its members in supporting their needs and goals of providing coordinated care and reducing healthcare costs.

As an expanding population health organization, Hixny needed an office and location to achieve its goals today and in the future, said Brett Baxt, Director of Real Estate at The Howard Group. Through the willingness of the Picotte Companies, a cutting edge environment was created by Pressman Design and Guerra Architects, that supports the collaborative workplace for Hixnys future success.

100% of all non-governmental hospitals, 75% of all Primary Care Physicians and 67% of Specialists in the region are connected to Hixny. 95% of all patients in the region agree to provide consent to their healthcare provider, which empowers healthcare professionals to safely and securely access their electronic medical records, to obtain a full community health record at the point of care, in real-time.
David Horvath, MS and Zach Smith, MS - Beckman Coulter Life Sciences

The ability to produce accurate and reliable next-generation sequencing (NGS) data depends on the quality of the library sample that is sequenced. While NGS sample prep has become less cumbersome, it remains a labor-intensive process where errors are all too common.

A timely, standardized solution is at hand: liquid-handling automation. This approach releases technicians from the task of performing repetitive, time-consuming pipetting; efficiently keeps track of the many steps; and helps assure sequence-ready libraries that provide dependable results.

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences is sponsoring a new, three-part webinar series, Intro to Automating NGS Workflows. The first webinar in the series, Easy Automation Solutions. Better Results, will discuss key challenges that have been conquered using automated sample preparation. The speakers will also demonstrate the ease-of-use and benefitssuch as quality dataof using Biomek-automated NGS sample prep.

The speakers, David Horvath, MS, and Zach Smith, MS, are both senior applications scientists with Beckman Coulter Life Sciences.

David automates propriety and third-party NGS chemistries. He holds a masters degree in medical and molecular genetics from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Davids career experiences prior to joining Beckman Coulter Life Sciences in 2014 span a broad range of life science fields, including forensic DNA analysis, medical diagnostics, and agricultural biotech. Zach automates propriety and third-party NGS kits. He holds a masters degree in environmental science from Indiana University. Zach also worked at the university's Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics as a project scientist before joining Beckman Coulter Life Sciences in 2014.

The free webinar (Part 1 of the three-part series), hosted by LabRoots, will be presented on May 19, 2016, at 8 am PT/11 am ET.

For full details about the event and free registration, click here.

Please save the following dates for upcoming presentations in this series:

Part 2: DNA & RNA Sequencing Sample Prep: Automating Simple to Complex Methods, on June 23, 2016, at 8 am PT/11 am ET.

Part 3: Mission Possible: Automating NGS sample prep for challenging samples and niche applications, on July 28, 2016, at 8 am PT/11 am ET.

About Beckman Coulter Life Sciences:

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. For more than 75 years, our products have been making a difference in peoples' lives by improving the productivity of medical professionals and scientists, supplying critical information for improving patient health and delivering trusted solutions for research and discovery. Scientists use our life science research instruments to study complex biological problems including causes of disease and potential new therapies or drugs. As part of Life Sciences, the Particle Characterization and Counting business serves biopharma production and QC environments, as well as research functions within large biopharma companies. For more information, visit beckman.com

About LabRoots:

LabRoots is the leading scientific social networking website and producer of educational virtual events and webinars. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, LabRoots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, LabRoots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning, and is a primary source for current scientific news, webinars, virtual conferences, and more. LabRoots has grown into the worlds largest series of virtual events within the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics community.
Erika Armani

DiabetesSisters is pleased to announce the addition of Erika Armani of Denver, Colorado to the Board of Directors as an ex officio nonvoting member.

Ms. Armani was nominated earlier this year and joined the Board of Directors on April 22, 2016. She was appointed by unanimous decision by current directors Donna Rice, David Warren, Matt Stella, Diana Karczmarczyk, Andrea Thomas, Wanda Nicholson, Vicki Norris, and Tricia Cedotal. Ms. Armani will bring the perspective of a Part of DiabetesSisters (PODS) peer support leader, and her experience as a woman who has lived with diabetes for 27 years, to the Board.

Ms. Armani has been involved with DiabetesSisters since 2013, serving as an active PODS leader first in Washington, DC and for the last year in the Denver Metro area. She also contributes time to DiabetesSisters as a website administrator. She stated, Im grateful for the support and community Ive found through DiabetesSisters. I enjoy meeting other women living with diabetes through various programs such as PODS Meetups and the Leadership Institute, and look forward to serving in this new role.

Growing our Board of Directors is a step in the continuing growth of DiabetesSisters, said Donna Rice, Board Chair. Her perspective as a leader in the diabetes community brings further insight to the development of our programs and services.

Ms. Armani currently serves as the Deputy Ethics Counselor for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, where she advises Federal employees on how to avoid conflict of interest. Previously, she worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, both as a Team Leader on the Ethics Staff and as a Biomedical Engineer where she reviewed medical devices for safety and effectiveness. Erika received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University, and a Master in Business Administration from the University of Marylands Robert H. Smith School of Business. She resides in the Denver Metro area with her husband and two rescue dogs.

Erikas passion for women living with diabetes is evident in the work she does for DiabetesSisters, both online and in-person, said Anna Norton, CEO. Her involvement with our Board of Directors will offer insight to our signature PODS Meetup Program and the development of new educational tools for women living with diabetes.

About DiabetesSisters:

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, DiabetesSisters is the only organization worldwide focusing exclusively on women with diabetes. Our mission is to improve the health and quality of life of women living with and at risk of developing diabetes, and to advocate on their behalf. DiabetesSisters has a 10,000-member peer network that unites women with diabetes for the purpose of support, education, and advocacy. Signature programs include monthly small group meetings (PODS Meetups); DiabetesSisters conferences throughout the U.S.; the Life Class Webinar Series, and online blogs, forums, and expert resources. For more information, visit diabetessisters.org.
The Testicular Cancer Foundation (TCF) has announced the hire of Kenny Kane as its new Executive Director. Kane will assume the new role on June 1, 2016.

TCF could not be more excited to welcome Kenny onboard. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge, creativity and incredible leadership that will propel TCF in a positive direction, and ultimately lead to saving more lives, says Matt Ferstler, Testicular Cancer Foundation founder and CEO.

Kanes background uniquely positions him to assume this role as TCFs Executive Director with significant experience in the non-profit realm and with years of experience working directly with young cancer groups. Through his time as a caregiver to his father who was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer at the age of 50, Kane understands the disease, can empathize with those enduring it, and has the appropriate skills to drive TCF forward to make a difference.

More than a decade ago, testicular cancer is what inspired me to get involved in cancer advocacy to begin with. My fathers diagnosis and ultimate recovery opened my eyes to the needs of this disease. I am thrilled and humbled to have the opportunity to take on the disease in a deeper more meaningful way, says Kane.

For the past six years Kane has served as the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder at Stupid Cancer, one of the worlds most dominant young cancer non-profits, where he oversaw national aspects of all daily operations, including ecommerce, IT, content curation, social media strategy, broadcast communications, mobile, fiscal oversight, CRM/CMS, internships, fundraising, human resources and corporate operations.

Kenny has been a valuable member of the young adult cancer advocacy world for more than six years, said Matthew Zachary, Stupid Cancer founder and CEO. We wish him all the best in his new role and know the young adult cancer community will benefit from his executive leadership at The Testicular Cancer Foundation.

Kane has a BA in Communications from Farmingdale State College. He also is chair of the board of Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of New York City. Kane and his fiance recently relocated to Austin, TX.

About Testicular Cancer Foundation

The Testicular Cancer Foundation is a national 501(c)3 with a mission to provide education, awareness, and support about Testicular Cancer  The most common cancer in males ages 15-34. For more information visit http://www.testicularcancer.org
Screenshot of New Website Having the site built with the user experience in mind was our goal.

Today, Jay Suites announced a new website and digital space for their luxury office suite properties in Manhattan. The new sites color theme aims to evoke the luxury aspect of its New York office spaces employing both gold and royal blue. The responsive design allows community members to access the user-friendly site from a mobile device or a tablet.

Over the past seven years Jay Suites has been constructing suites, rolling on coats of paint, bringing on new staff members and creating better spaces with amenities for small business owners in New York City. Today, we are proud to announce our new online presence for members which has been over a year in the making, said Jack Srour, Chief Operations Officer.

Fifty years ago a business could signal a new era by putting up a new sign, changing the window displays or adjusting the lighting. Jay Suites worked with designers to develop a new branding system that would allow online visitors to experience the same quality theyll find inside of a Jay Suites flexible office space. The new site allows members to easily book and modify meeting rooms online. It also give users the ability to reserve day offices and an outdoor rooftop terrace event space online.

Juda Srour, president of Jay Suites commented, Our conference rooms are fit with state-of-the-art technology. Our offices spaces have all been custom fit. And the new Jay Suites logo has a sleek, contemporary design to signal to first-time visitors that we are truly on the cutting edge of business. Having the site built with the user experience in mind was our goal.

Features of new website include:



Mobile-friendly so that users can access the site on their phone, tablet or computer.

Jay Suites regularly hosts meet-ups for new business owners within their community to foster better networking. These opportunities will all be posted on the new website.

A clear map of Manhattan with all the Jay Suites locations marked.

Easier online booking for state-of-the-art meeting and event spaces, one of their most popular and unique features.

A blog full of useful information and tips for entrepreneurs. The new website creates an easier platform to read and share on social media.

Jay Suites has seven locations encompassing over 240,000 square feet in New York City near Grand Central, Penn Station, Midtown East, Midtown West and the Financial District. View all their flexible office spaces at http://www.jaysuites.com.

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Jay Suites is a hub for New York City entrepreneurs looking to simply work better. We offer flexible, luxury office suites, virtual office plans and on-demand conference rooms, so you can focus on your business and leave the rest to us. All Jay Suites offices are furnished, elegantly designed and come equipped with state-of-the-art technology, resources and support. In addition, members join a growing community with perks such as exclusive access to our members-only meet ups. With locations throughout midtown and downtown New York City, we have crafted an all-inclusive office package so that you can project your companies expenses forward. Whether you're a lawyer, technology startup, or a fortune 500 company, you can bank with Jay Suites to thrive with our customized office space solutions.
As we started sending some of our Chromebooks home, one of the natural questions we had was how do we keep our kids safe. Securly came at the top of our list .. It took five minutes to install

Securly, Inc.  the world's leading cloud-based provider of Internet security for K-12 schools  today announced that it has signed up one in four schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. The growth is all the more impressive given that it has come in less than two short years of sales operations. Districts served include Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Campbell, Milpitas, Portola Valley, Dublin, Healdsburg, among many others. Besides public school districts who have contributed heavily to recent traction, customers also include the nation's leading Charter networks - Aspire Public Schools, Summit Public Schools, KIPP and Rocketship.

Securly's early success in the neighborhood can be attributed to the early adopter mindset and culture of innovation that prevails in Silicon Valley. Besides Securly, the Bay Area is also home to several other companies, including Barracuda, Palo Alto Networks and OpenDNS, that have pioneered web-filtering. So it was only natural that the next cycle of innovation in this space occur here. Whereas, earlier customers were brought on board with the appeal of cloud based web-filtering, more recent users have been attracted to Securly by newer offerings:



Ability to secure a heterogenous mix of devices including iPads, laptops and Chromebooks both in school and at home.

Bullying and self harm detection on social media using natural language processing.

Free e-mail reports and parent portal that offer the promise of boosting parental engagement.

Thanks to the pioneering parental integration feature from Securly, one in four Bay Area parents can now stay in touch with their child's activity on school issued devices.

Chin Song - Director of Technology at Milpitas Unified reflects on his decision to partner with Securly - "As we started sending some of our Chromebooks home, one of the natural questions we had was how do we keep our kids safe. Securly came at the top of our list .. It took five minutes to install."

Andrew Schwab, Chief Technology Officer for Union School District in San Jose, CA, uses Securly to manage district-wide filtering for over 5000 students. Schwab's decision to move to Securly was driven by the fact that his web-filtering appliance had failed suddenly. Bandwidth upgrades would have forced him to buy an expensive upgrade. Says Schwab - "With Securly, we were able to cut over from our appliance immediately because it was cloud based ... We just pointed our DNS servers at Securly, flipped the switch, and we were filtered again."
Cinia Group, Finland-based designer, builder and operator of intelligent connectivity and ICT solutions, will link the new C-Lion1 submarine cable system between Germany and Finland to Equinix International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers in Frankfurt and Helsinki.

The Cinia C-Lion1 submarine cable system ties Central and Northern Europe closely together by cutting the round trip delay into less than 20 milliseconds. This cyber secure connection with a record-breaking capacity of 144 Tbps seamlessly links data centers, enabling data center providers to benefit from Finlands cool climate, strict privacy laws and low energy pricing.

Efficient data centers and reliable network infrastructure are the backbone of the Digital Single Market in Europe, said Jukka-Pekka Joensuu, Executive Vice President, Cinia. We are delighted to connect to Equinix as their global footprint of reliable IBX data centers and established business ecosystems are ideally suited for the needs of our target customers across enterprise, carrier and financial markets.

Equinix data centers in Frankfurt are business hubs for 800+ companies and 400+ network providers and provide a direct access to DE-CIX, the largest internet exchange point in the world, along with Kleyrex and DataIX internet exchanges. Six Equinix data centers in Helsinki provide conveniently located colocation facilities and a wide range of value-added services with a latency level equivalent to a location in a Frankfurt suburb.

The C-Lion1 submarine cable system will provide greater interconnection capabilities for high-performance applications in Central and Northern Europe, said Eric Schwartz, President, EMEA, Equinix. The growth and rapid evolution of the digital economy demand ever-increasing levels of network performance and capacity. At Equinix, we are committed to connecting the worlds leading business organizations to their customers, employees and partners inside our highly interconnected International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers. We are delighted that Cinia chose Equinix IBXs to be prime connection points on the C-Lion1 system and welcome Cinia as the newest participant in the broader ecosystems that thrive in our IBXs.

The Cinia C-Lion1 submarine cable provides a low latency route from Central European network nodes via Finland to Russian and Asian markets. Existing interconnections at the Finnish-Russian border enable direct access to Asia via the so called northern Silk Road route. In the future, the planned Arctic Connect sea cable via the Northeast Passage is set to further position Finland as the key gateway between the East and the West.

Designed and commissioned by Cinia Group and built in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, the Cinia C-Lion1 cable system is planned to be commercially available during spring 2016. The cable totals 1,172 kilometers in length and consists of eight optical fiber pairs with a total capacity of 144 terabits per second (Tbps).

Note to editors: Cinia Group will exhibit at the International Telecoms Week (ITW), Hyatt Regency & Swissotel, Chicago, IL, USA, May 8-11. Please visit the Cinia booth #1302 on purple level or email eeva.liljanto(at)cinia(dot)fi to set an appointment at the event.

For further information, please contact:

Cinia Company Contact: Jukka-Pekka Joensuu, Executive Vice President, Cinia Group

Tel. +358 50 2179

Email jukka-pekka.joensuu(at)cinia(dot)fi

Cinia Agency Contact: Juha Frey, Netprofile for Cinia Group

Tel. +358 40 572 4674

Email juha(at)netprofile(dot)fi

Equinix Europe (EMEA) Press Contact: APCO Worldwide

Email equinix(at)apcoworldwide(dot)com

Equinix Press Contact: Liam Rose

Email lrose(at)equinix(dot)com

Cinia Group creates intelligent connectivity solutions that make the world smaller and your business smarter. We have over 10.000 km of own backbone and we are building international connectivity and sea cable connecting East and West. With over 200 own professionals we design, build and operate nationally critical systems in open system environment serving many major traffic and energy distribution operators. We have a strategic ambition to build and expand Cloud Backbone to fuel Single Digital Market in Europe and offer system solutions created for private and public sector customers. Please visit http://www.cinia.fi for more information.

http://www.twitter.com/ciniagroup

http://www.instagram.com/ciniagroup

http://www.linkedin.com/company/ciniagroup

http://www.facebook.com/ciniagroup
Scranton Products' President Don Wharton awards Dr. Dianna Lindsay of the WCA (both center) with the first prize check, with Scranton Products' David Casal (left) and Maria Knapp (right). I am thrilled that our Leadership Class created a national award winning video that braided together research, images, and a story that accurately addresses the mission of our school and that was well received by the judges.--Dr. Dianna Lindsay, WCA

Scranton Products awarded Williamsburg Christian Academy (WCA) with $50,000 in Duralife plastic lockers and $7,500 in scholarships as first prize in the Duralife Unlocker Challenge national video competition on May 5, 2016 from 260 submissions nationally. Created by Scranton Products, a leading manufacturer of plastic toilet partitions and lockers, the video competition challenged students to think about inclusivity and diversity in their schools and everyday lives to produce a video entry. Through online voting open to the public, Williamsburg Christian Academys video was part of the TOP 100 videos selected to be judged by a judging panel. The second place winner Canby High School, of Canby, Oregon, was given $10,000 worth of Duralife lockers and $5,000 in scholarships and St. Ann Catholic School, in West Palm Beach, Florida, was awarded $5,000 worth of Duralife lockers and $2,500 in scholarships for third place.

The competition's theme, "Through the Locker Door," asked students to explain why inclusivity is important to a more positive school environment and how it applies later in life. In producing their videos, students chose to expand the theme to include topics ranging from diversity and race relations to bullying and students with special needs.

Williamsburg Christian Academy, Williamsburg, VA, serves students in pre-K through grade 12. Students at WCA created a video that looked literally through the locker door to demonstrate many aspects of inclusivity in a students life. The students used traditional videography as well as green screen technology and a drone to produce the winning video. Dr. Dianna Lindsay, head of the high school at Williamsburg Christian Academy, served as the adviser on the project.

"I am thrilled that our Leadership Class was able to create a national award winning video that braided together research, images, and a story that not only accurately addresses the mission of our school but that was also well received by the judges!" commented Lindsay.

More information and the top 100 videos are available online: http://www.unlockerchallenge.com.

About Scranton Products

For more than 25 years Scranton Products' premium brands have led the plastic partition and locker market, setting new benchmarks for the industry in quality and innovation. The company's well-known brands, including Hiny Hiders, Resistall, Tufftec and Duralife, are engineered for strength and durability, offering superior performance. The only HDPE plastic locker that is fully fire-rated for school corridors, Duralife Lockers are GREENGUARD Gold Certified and meet strict criteria for products intended for use in schools and other environments where children spend significant periods of time. Visit http://www.scrantonproducts.com.
The SIA Government Summit will host several critically important discussions on national security topics ranging from drones to transportation security to identity management over the course of the conference, to be held June 15-17, 2016, at The Westin Washington, D.C. City Center. Registration is open at http://www.securityindustry.org/summit.

The SIA Government Summit is where private sector leaders and public sector officials come together to assess the most pressing security challenges facing the nation.

Confirmed keynotes to date include:



Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest

Rep. Dan Donovan, R-N.Y., Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications

Michael Butler, Principal Deputy Director at Defense Manpower Data Center for the U.S. Department of Defense (Enterprise Business Operations)

Summit conference sessions include:

Preconference: General Services Administration (GSA) Contracting and the Security Industry

The Future of Identity Verification Beyond Biometrics in National Security

What Does It Mean to Secure the Internet of Things?

Protecting Soft Targets Against the Emerging ISIS and Homegrown Terrorist Threat

Surface Transportation Security Trends: Bus, Rail and Mass Transit

How Drones and Video Technology Are Redefining Situational Awareness

Solving the Video Data Dilemma: Challenges and Opportunities for Local Government

The full agenda is now online at http://www.securityindustry.org/Pages/IndustryEvents/Government-Summit-Agenda.aspx. Register today to join us in this critical forum! To register, visit http://www.securityindustry.org/summit.

Are you a government employee (including military)? Registration is free for government employees.

Qualified members of the media also attend for free. To register as a reporter, contact Mickey McCarter, SIA communications manager, at 301-804-4704 or mmccarter(at)securityindustry(dot)org.

About the Security Industry Association

The Security Industry Association (SIA) (http://www.securityindustry.org) is the leading trade association for electronic and physical security solution providers, with roughly 650 innovative member companies representing more than 400,000 security leaders and experts who shape the future of the security industry. SIA protects and advances its members' interests by advocating pro-industry policies and legislation at the federal and state levels; creating open industry standards that enable integration; advancing industry professionalism through education and training; opening global market opportunities; and collaboration with other like-minded organizations. As a proud sponsor of ISC Events expos and conferences, and owner of the Securing New Ground conference, SIA ensures its members have access to top-level buyers and influencers, as well as unparalleled learning and network opportunities.
Lawline has introduced a redesigned website. The relaunch is the companys latest and most ambitious initiative in its mission to make continuing legal education (CLE) a seamless, stress-free experience for its users.

The new website will feature a user-friendly interface and easy-to-use navigation tools. A revamped course catalog makes it simple for users to find relevant content in their state and practice area. Attorneys can monitor their credits using the sites innovative credit tracker, then download or print all their certificates of completion from a single page in their account.

The relaunch also includes an upgrade for the mobile site, which will allow users to watch courses and earn credits on their smartphones and tablets.

We know that CLE can be a source of stress for attorneys because keeping track of credits and certificates can be confusing and time-consuming, said David Schnurman, CEO and founder of Lawline. Our goal with the new site is to take the anxiety and guesswork out of CLE, so that our customers spend less time worrying about compliance, and more time serving their clients.

About Lawline

Lawline is the leading provider of online continuing legal education offering legal intelligence to attorneys in all 50 states. With over 2,000,000 CLE courses completed to date, Lawline offers timely legal content that supports attorneys throughout their practice. The company is headquartered in downtown Manhattan and has received multiple awards recognizing its superior product and service. Its success has also been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, & Forbes.com.

For more information, please visit: https://www.lawline.com/

Media Contact:

Meredith D'Angelo

meredith.dangelo(at)lawline.com

(646) 448-3264
Felix Sogade, MD - Chariman of the Board of Directors, ABC I am honored today to serve as chairman of the board and shall continue to remain appreciative for this opportunity. This depth of gratitude makes commitment and determination to ensure success of this organization unfaltering.

The Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), an inclusive organization dedicated to eliminating disparities in cardiovascular diseases, has elected Felix Sogade, MD as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Barbara Hutchinson, MD, PhD as President.

We are very excited to welcome Dr. Sogade and Dr. Hutchinson to their new leadership roles, said Malcolm Taylor, MD, chairman of the Nominating Committee. Their outstanding contributions to ABC across many sectors and proven leadership and business experiences will serve our organization well as we embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead of us.

Dr. Sogade currently serves as the CEO/President of Georgia Arrhythmia Consultants and Research Institute(GACRI). He is ABIM board certified in clinical cardiac electrophysiology and cardiovascular diseases and has provided services to the mid-Georgia area for more than nineteen years. In addition, he serves as Associate Professor of Medicine at Mercer University.

ABC as an organization and its constituent members have played a tremendous role in my personal career development, comments Dr. Sogade. 21 years ago I was awarded the very first ABC fellowship to continue my training in Cardiac Electrophysiology at Duke University. I am honored today to serve as chairman of the board and shall continue to remain appreciative for this opportunity. This depth of gratitude makes commitment and determination to ensure success of this organization unfaltering.

Dr. Hutchinson is the managing partner of Chesapeake Cardiac Care, P.A., a cardiology practice in Annapolis, Maryland. She is board certified in both cardiovascular disease and sleep medicine as well as a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology (FACC). Dr. Hutchinson is an instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at University of Maryland Hospital and a noted international speaker.

I am thrilled to accept the Board and membership appointment as President, remarked Dr. Hutchinson. The organization is at an exciting place in its 42 year history and I look forward to advancing its mission through the collaborative efforts of our board, our membership and staff. We want to build on the successes we have achieved thus far in education, research and advocacy while cultivating expansive progress in eliminating disparities. As an organization, we are strongly positioned to deliver reliable solutions to achieving health equity and diversity strategies (workforce, clinical trials) through high quality partnerships.

ABC also elected new board members Aaron Horne, Jr., MD, MBA; Onyedika Ilonze, MD, MPH; Heather Kinder; Wilma McGee, RN; Cheryl Pegus, MD; and Chima Nwaukwa, MD. Returning members and new officers include Andre Artis, MD, Mahfouz El Shahawy, MD (Secretary), Mark Thompson (Treasurer); and Michael Weamer, CAE. New officers were inducted earlier last month at ABCs General Membership Dinner held during the American College of Cardiologys Scientific Sessions in Chicago. The ABC Board of Directors comprises a wide range of experience in various fields, including healthcare, organizational management and capacity building. To learn more, visit http://www.abcardio.org/boardmembers.php.

About the Association of Black Cardiologists

Founded in 1974, the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc., (ABC) is a nonprofit organization with an international membership of 1,500 health professionals, lay members of the community (Community Health Advocates), corporate members, and institutional members. The ABC is dedicated to eliminating the disparities related to cardiovascular disease in all people of color and achieving the highest level of health for all individuals and communities. The Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). For more information, please visit http://www.abcardio.org.
Skybridge co-managing partner & CIO Ray Nolte joins Asset TV in the studio I think hedge funds are coming off whats clearly been a difficult 6-9 months, but if you look back, they tend to go through these cycles every 4 to 5 years.

As the 2016 SkyBridge SALT Conference approaches, co-managing partner and CIO of SkyBridge Capital, Ray Nolte, joined Asset TV in their Manhattan studio to speak with correspondent Gillian Kemmerer about his outlook for the hedge fund industry at-large.

I think hedge funds are coming off whats clearly been a difficult 6-9 months, Nolte said. But if you look back, they tend to go through these cycles every 4 to 5 years.

While some may argue that the slump the hedge fund industry has been facing can be attributed to an over-crowded industry and a lack of differentiation, Nolte believes there is more to it than that.

Youre transitioning from a period where event equity and activism and M&A was driving the last couple of years of performance. Thats kind of moved to the wayside, and now youre getting a transition back into structured credit, some of the other fixed income arb strategies, and some of the volatility strategies are starting to come back into favor. So I think once we get through this transition period, the thing we like is youre now having traditional hedge fund strategies looking more favorable than closeted long equity strategies.

These and other topics will be delved into with more depth during the SALT Conference over the next few days, as Asset TV goes on location to cover the event. Nolte will of course be on hand as well, as he will present the first hedge fund-centric panel, titled Mapping the Course: An Investor's Guide to Capital Preservation in an Age of Uncertainty.

Dubbed the spring break for hedge funds, SALT has become a world renowned event, with famous guest speakers, celebrities, politicians, and musicians coming together to talk about important issues that face our world. But as Nolte explains, it didnt start out that way.

SALT was set up as an industry-wide event originally, and I think now it's moved to an even broader platform than just alternatives or just hedge fund managers. Were going to try to cover political issues, the economy, obviously hedge funds and the hedge fund industry, but also traditional investing, asset allocation, philanthropy, current eventsand kind of blend all of that together in a place where people can talk about those ideas.

The 2016 SALT Conference will take place May 10-13 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, and will feature many celebrity guest speakers such as Michael Bloomberg, John Boehner, Mark Cuban, Kobe Bryant, Will Smith, Ron Howard, Dennis Miller and many others, as well as a host of industry heavyweights from the world of business and finance.

To watch this full interview, please tune into Asset TV or see our LinkedIn article.
Social media has given our investigative team an invaluable resource tool to help us provide the most effective services for our clients. As social networking trends grow, our research capabilities will continue to expand, says Mike Hakimi of EPIS.

Social Media continues to be a trend of exponential growth across the country. In fact, Pew Research Center found that nearly two-thirds of American adults (65%) use social networking sites on a regular basis. While these users rely on social media to stay connected, promote their services or simply be entertained, Empire Pacific Investigative Services, Inc. has found a new way to capitalize on this popular trend. For EPIS, social media has become an integral investigative tool that supports a full menu of their offered services, including fraud investigations, missing person cases, background checks, infidelity cases and more.

EPIS is a well-established private investigation firm that is now using social media as one of their most influential and cost-effective research opportunities. Social Media has provided an easily accessible virtual platform that EPIS private investigators readily take advantage of for many types of cases. For example, in cases of injury fraud investigation, such as a workers compensation fraud or disability fraud, they are able to use social media to determine the activity level of the claimant or subject. Using social media for investigative purposes involves examining a subjects posts and activities on social medial platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, Bebo, Pinterest, Foursquare and others. EPIS also use social media investigations to perform identity research and locate missing persons or runway teenagers. In domestic cases, social media can provide a wealth of relevant evidence to support an infidelity case.

Social media has given our investigative team an invaluable resource tool to help us provide the most effective services for our clients. As social networking trends continue to grow, our research capabilities will continue to expand,  says Mike Hakimi of EPIS

More About EPIS:

Empire Pacific Investigative Services Inc. was established in 1993 by three retired U.S. Federal Special Agents. They offer a diverse range of investigative services and decades of skill to meet the specific needs of each client on the federal, state and local levels. EPIS provides a full menu of investigative and consulting services, including those involving Infidelity Investigation, Surveillance Investigation, Background Check Screening, Missing Persons Investigation, Asset Research, Insurance Fraud, Child Support and Forensics. EPIS also operates within an international framework, serving clients in the United States as well as Asia and Australia. The firm values the importance of providing superior customer service, consistency and results-driven outcomes for clients in the Beverly Hills area.

To learn more about EPIS or their latest service in social media investigations, please contact (310) 657-3747 or visit epis.us.com
Is Daisy feeling settled in her relationship with Daniel now or does she still struggle with the ghost of Sinead? I think she is feeling set...
Alpha Flight Guru Our new gateway page to Europe adds in clickable links to real-time discounted business or first class air tickets as well as editor's picks of the best in hotels, restaurants and attractions in major European cities.

With the summer travel season upon us, Alpha Flight Guru is proud to announce the launch of its travel deals to Europe page, featuring business class and first class discount airfares as well as picks for the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions. Travelers, today, want to travel to European destinations such as Milan or Amsterdam at discount business class rates as well as discounted rates on first class air fares. The new page makes it easy for European-bound travelers to monitor available deals, and seasoned editors at Alpha Flight Guru have identified the top picks in hotels, restaurants, and special attractions.

"European cities such as London or Paris are among the most popular destinations for both business class and first class air travelers," explained Alex Scoble, Chief Marketing Officer of Alpha Flight Guru. "Our innovative travel guru system has long brought best-in-class service to identifying business class deals as well as inexpensive first class flights to Europe. Building on this, our new gateway page to Europe adds in clickable links to real-time discounted business or first class air tickets as well as editor's picks of the best in hotels, restaurants and attractions in major European cities such as Rome, Milan, London, Paris and Amsterdam."

To view the new gateway page to European travel deals for business class, first class, and hotels / restaurants / attractions, visit http://alphaflightguru.com/flight-deals/europe. There, one can click down to business class or first class air deals to cities as diverse as Paris or Milan, Rome or Amsterdam as well as other European cities. The reality is that even tourists want to travel business class to Europe, and the new gateway page makes it easy for them to monitor the cheapest flight deals to Europe. Moreover, those in a hurry can call a flight guru right from the page to 800-359-5175 to speak with a live person to assist with finding discount airfare to Europe.

Beyond Cheap Business Class or First Class to Europe: Editor's Picks for Best-in-class Hotels, Restaurants, and Attractions

With air travel uncomfortable at best and expensive at worst, Alpha Flight Guru brings a discount price to a luxury experience: discounted business class and first class airfare tickets. Now, with a new robust staff of editors identifying best-in-class hotels, restaurants, and attractions, this new "gateway" page to Europe (as well as individual cities) allows for travelers to find a one-stop shop for everything related to travel. First, working with a travel guru, they can find the cheapest business class or first class fares to Europe, Second, they can use the gateway page to browse best-in-class hotels, restaurants, and attractions. And, finally, they can rest assured that these picks have not been computer generated; rather the savvy staff at Alpha Flight Guru has culled through each city to identify "insider" picks of where to stay, where to eat, and what to do in the continent's great cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, or Milan. After all, traveling to Europe in the style of business class or first class airfares should not only be inexpensive but also be greeted with tips and suggestions for a ground experience to match.

About Alpha Flight Guru

Alpha Flight Guru brings personalized guru service to the search for cheap business class tickets and cheap first class tickets to destinations from Europe to Asia to Australia and beyond at http://alphaflightguru.com on the Web. The company's expert gurus find unpublished discount fares, both business class and 1st class tickets, to cities like London or Paris, New York or Los Angeles, Melbourne or Sydney. Customers simply use the company's website to enter a destination, and then let a guru find discounted, cheap, unpublished business class or first class airfares to London, Paris, Sydney and beyond.

Tel. 800-359-5175
Were honored to kick things off by fundraising for Honor Flight Rio Grande Valley. We hope those of Americas Greatest Generation, our most senior veterans, will understand just how much we value and appreciate all they have given us.

The Doug Thompson Agency in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley has announced the commencement of a master charity program created to assist the people of their local community. The agency pledges to select a new beneficiary every 60 days, working closely with nonprofit organizations and community leaders. Their goal is to bring awareness to important local causes with fundraising and other support, by forming campaigns which aid worthwhile local programs, families or individuals.

To debut their new community enrichment program, Doug Thompson, the agencys owner, has chosen to introduce Honor Flight Rio Grande Valley, an organization which is committed to honoring the service and sacrifice of the over 63,000 Texas Veterans who served in the Second World War. Honor Flight transports every willing and able WWII veteran to Washington D.C. to visit the memorials dedicated to their heroism, in an effort to show that their service and sacrifice has not been forgotten. We owe a debt which can never be repaid  our freedom  to these heroes; therefore, Honor Flights are always free of charge.

Our desire is to pull together support for those who need it most with our new community involvement program, said Thompson. Were honored to kick things off by fundraising for Honor Flight Rio Grande Valley. We hope those of Americas Greatest Generation, our most senior veterans, will understand just how much we value and appreciate all they have given us.

The donations page for each featured campaign will be accompanied by a fully detailed story outlining the cause. The team at The Doug Thompson Agency will also spread the word through its own vast network of customers, business associates, neighbors and friends. To join the agency in support of Texas veterans and Honor Flight Rio Grande Valley, donors may visit https://www.crowdrise.com/a-dream-that-takes-flight and are asked to share the page with their own personal and professional networks. The Doug Thompson Agency also produces a monthly publication, Our Hometown magazine, which will reserve a full page highlighting each selected Community Cause. The electronic Flipbook version of the current issue may be accessed here: http://www.dougthompsonagency.com/Our-Hometown-Magazine_39.

To learn more about the agencys Community Program and various services and the Honor Texas Flight Network, please visit http://www.dougthompsonagency.com/ and http://texashonorflight.com/.

About The Doug Thompson Agency

A full-service insurance and financial services provider serving the families of the Rio Grande Valley from offices in Harlingen, agency owner Doug Thompson knows many local families. The knowledge and understanding of the people in his community help Doug to provide customers with an outstanding level of service, and he and his team of dedicated professionals look forward to helping families protect the things which are most important to them  their families, homes, cars and more. They can also help clients prepare strategies to achieve long-term financial goals. To contact a caring expert at The Doug Thompson Agency, please call 888-856-2020.
Last year, Husson University honored three retirees during their annual tree planting ceremony. These trees will become part of our retirees legacy and will help make Hussons campus a more beautiful learning environment for future generations of students.

Husson University announced today that it will be honoring recent retirees with a tree planting ceremony on Monday, May 9, 2016 at 10 a.m. on its Bangor campus. The tree will be planted in recognition of six individuals whose service helped make this remarkable institution of higher learning a success.

The individuals to be honored include (in alphabetical order):



Amy Averre, Head Librarian

Nancy Bubar, Executive Assistant to the President

Betty Jean Harris, Pharm.D., Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience Coordinator at the Husson University School of Pharmacy

Thomas Johnston, Esq., Dean of the New England School of Communications (NESCom)

Thomas Martz, Vice President for Advancement

William Bill Read, Associate Professor, Husson University College of Business

Planting trees is a great way to honor our retirees and call attention to the many contributions these hard-working individuals made over the years to Hussons growth, says Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Lynne Coy-Ogan. These trees will become part of our retirees legacy and will help make Hussons campus a more beautiful learning environment for future generations of students.

This is the third time a tree has been planted on the Bangor campus of Husson University in honor of retiring employees.

Celebrants are being asked to gather in Peabody Halls Campus Center at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 9, prior to moving outdoors for the tree planting. The tree to be planted this year is a weeping crabapple. Refreshments will be served in the Campus Center at the conclusion of the ceremony.

For more than 100 years, Husson University has prepared future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent superior value in higher education. Our Bangor campus and off-campus satellite education centers in Southern Maine, Wells, and Northern Maine provide advanced knowledge in business; health and education; pharmacy studies; science and humanities; as well as communication. In addition, Husson University has a robust adult learning program. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.
We need to be advocates to the pets. Turning a pet away for financial reasons is a really tough thing for our profession. With an option like iCare Financial now we can move forward and do what we know is the right thing to do.

Millhopper Veterinary Medical Center is a full-service wellness practice located in Gainesville, Florida. In addition to providing in-house diagnostics, the practice also offers state of the art laser surgery to pets. Services include everything from cardiology, dental services and x-ray studies to cancer therapy and geriatric life-stage management.

Navigating Payment Options at Millhopper

A sick or injured pet is something that most pet owners are not prepared for, and, as a result, they often lack the cash necessary to pay for services provided. Millhopper accepts cash, major credit cards, Care Credit and also iCare Financial.

When they chose to add iCare Financial as a payment option a few years ago, they were looking for a reliable payment option where they would know that clients would be accepted. They found that with other payment services, such as Care Credit, the acceptance rate is very small. Before taking payment through iCare Financial, the veterinarians at Millhopper were going as far as to arrange internal personal notes with clients to pay for medical care.

Dr. David Menard DVM is Chair of Staff at MVMC explained, The guaranteed acceptance that iCare offers is appreciated by clients. Our acceptance rate with Care Credit is low, only about 30% of applicants get approved. Now we can tell people as long as you have the instruments necessary, like a drivers license, this is going to happen.

Millhopper Veterinary Medical Center has also been pleased to discover that utilizing iCare Financial has dramatically cut back on the need for collections. In the past, they always had to spend time and money dealing with patient collections. Dr. Menard explains, iCare takes that off your plate. No veterinary clinic wants to deal with collections!

Improving Care and Slowing Financial Euthanasia Rates

Dr. Menard attests to the fact that their ability to accept payments through iCare Financial has definitely prevented financial euthanasia. In many cases at other practices, doctors and pet owners make the difficult decision to end an animals life due to the fact that money for treatment is not available. Additionally, owners have been able to afford to pay for more intensive work-ups and care.

Recommendations for Practices Considering iCare Financial

For fellow veterinary practices who are considering using iCare Financial, Dr. Menard points out that it is not necessary to use this form of patient payment as a sole source of financing. However, the team at Millhopper Veterinary Medical Center has found that the program runs seamlessly.

Promising Compassionate Care

One of the goals of the team at Millhopper Veterinary Medical Center is to always provide compassionate care. That means trying to never turn people away without care for their beloved furry or feathered friends.

Dr. Menard explains, We need to be advocates to the pets. Turning a pet away for financial reasons is a really tough thing for our profession. With an option like iCare Financial now we can move forward and do what we know is the right thing to do.

About iCare Financial

iCare Financial is a national financial organization in the dental patient financing, medical patient financing, plastic surgery patient financing, veterinary patient financing and automotive repair financing verticals. iCare Financial offers consumers and patients financial programs with no credit check for businesses and medical practices wanting to service more patients and consumers. Instead of offering patients and consumers another credit card, iCare offers businesses and medical practices a unique payment solution on one platform that accepts all patients and consumers. To learn more visit the website at http://www.icarefinancialcorp.com.
Leighton Rockafellow Jr. One of the primary reasons I became treasurer is because of the charitable aspect of the position, and to play a larger role in the wonderful services the group provides to the community. Past News Releases RSS Leighton Rockafellow Sr. Receives...

Attorney Leighton Rockafellow Sr....

Attorney/Writer Leighton...

Leighton Rockafellow Jr. is proud to announce he recently wrapped up his two-year tenure as the treasurer of the Young Lawyers Division of the Pima County Bar Association, but will stay on the board for another year. One of the primary reasons I became treasurer is because of the charitable aspect of the position, and to play a larger role in the wonderful services the group provides to the community, said Rockafellow Jr., who practices personal injury and medical malpractice law in Tucson with his father, Leighton Rockafellow Sr.

In fact, the Young Lawyers Division hosts an annual holiday party where they raise money for St. Nicholas of Myra Center, which provides an array of child welfare services to children and families in Pima, Pinal and Gila Counties. St. Nicholas Center also recruits and certifies adoptive families and finalizes adoptions.

We throw a big party for foster children throughout southern Arizona and give them gifts, as well as raise funds for St. Nicholas Center, said Rockafellow Jr. The most recent party included more than 200 kids.

Rockafellow Law is also proud to announce Leighton Rockafellow Sr. was recently featured in the May edition of Tucson Lifestyle magazine for Best Lawyers 2016 under the Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs section. It is an honor to be featured in Tucson Lifestyle for the third year in a row as one of the Best Lawyers of Tucson, said Leighton Sr. Leighton Jr. and myself love our community and are proud to represent those that were injured by someone elses negligence.

About Rockafellow Law Firm

Rockafellow Law Firm focuses on personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and associated insurance law, including bad faith and insurance breach of contract. The two injury lawyers at Rockafellow Law Firm have a combined 46 years of experience helping victims of negligence. For more information, please call (520) 750-1800, or visit http://www.rockafellowlaw.com. The law office is located at 2438 East Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719.

About the NALA

The NALA offers small and medium-sized businesses effective ways to reach customers through new media. As a single-agency source, the NALA helps businesses flourish in their local community. The NALAs mission is to promote a business relevant and newsworthy events and achievements, both online and through traditional media. For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
Affordable housing organization, The Caritas Corporation, recently adopted MRI Softwares multifamily solutions to handle the operation of 20 individual manufactured home communities.

Caritas decision to select MRI Software was based on their need for tailored software that would facilitate their specific business processes. MRI Softwares configurable solutions allow for significant enhancements to the companys day-to-day processes through flexible functionality and ease of use.

As a non-profit organization, to provide and maintain affordable housing, specific requirements in financial reporting need to be met. MRI Software will provide solutions to make that reporting more efficient, said Penny Serna, Chief Financial Officer of The Caritas Corporation. In addition, Caritas use of bond financing requires very specific compliance to regulatory agreements and MRI Software will bring simplicity to the compliance process.

MRI has made significant investments to be a leading provider of property management and accounting solutions for the Affordable Housing sector, said Patrick Ghilani, Chief Executive Officer of MRI Software. The unique, and often complex, business needs required of Caritas to excel in manufactured home communities are a perfect match for MRIs flexible software solutions.

For more information about MRIs solutions visit mrisoftware.com.

About MRI Software

MRI Software LLC is a leading provider of innovative software solutions for the global real estate industry. MRI delivers a comprehensive and truly configurable solution, from property-level management and accounting to the most complex, long-range financial modeling and analytics for both the commercial and multifamily real estate markets. As a leading provider of real estate enterprise software applications and hosted solutions, MRI leverages over 40 years of business experience to develop long-term successful relationships with its clients. Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., the company has offices in Toronto, London, Sydney, Singapore, and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit mrisoftware.com.

About Caritas

Caritas ("caring for others") was established in 1996 as a California non-profit, 501(c)(3) public-benefit corporation. Its mission and purpose is to provide and maintain quality, affordable housing for persons of low income and means, focusing on manufactured home parks. With the increasing number of households on fixed or limited incomes and with the scarcity of reliable, long-term, reasonably priced housing, Caritas endeavors to create vibrant communities where resident involvement and caring are priorities.

In addition to keeping costs down, Caritas works to provide experienced and responsive management of its properties. Residents and Caritas work together to meet ongoing needs, resolve problems and enhance the quality of life throughout our communities.
Slim Chickens, a leader in the better chicken segment of fast-casual restaurants, will be expanding its fresh chicken and unrivaled flavor in its home state of Arkansas on May 9th. The corporate-owned restaurant, located at 7501 Phoenix Ave in Fort Smith, will be the first in the city. And, to pay homage to Fort Smiths history, Slim Chickens will be painting a mural of the famous Garrison Avenue Bridge on one of the restaurants interior walls.

Were so excited to bring the first Slim Chickens to Fort Smith and root ourselves in the community. Slim Chickens was born in Arkansas, and weve seen a consistent demand for new locations as more people fall in love with our brand, said Sam Rothschild, COO of Slim Chickens. Slim Chickens currently operates 12 restaurants in Arkansas, but we continue to see so much opportunity here in our home state, specifically in Fort Smith. 

The corporate team, which now operates 18 locations, is building upon its success and using these locations as a jumping off point to a larger corporate growth strategy throughout the country.

Were looking to continue opening corporate restaurants, along with franchised locations, throughout the country to carry on our expansion, said Rothschild. This brands offerings appeal to so many consumers, and were excited to continue spreading our fresh, southern flavor to fans in Fort Smith, the state of Arkansas and across the country.

Slim Chickens has seen great growth in the last several years, expanding from its home state of Arkansas into Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee and Illinois and emerging as a national player to establish fast-casual dinings better chicken segment.

Our top-of-the-line product offerings have propelled us into a league of our own, with no competitors doing quite what we are doing, said Rothschild. Our freshly made southern dishes and homemade recipes make loyal customers feel good about the food they are eating, and were really proud to be able to share the brand experience with a new community.

Focusing on fresh chicken, the brand has developed a niche in its sector of the restaurant industry for product quality that cant be found anywhere else. With fresh ingredients and minimal freezer space in every restaurant, Slim Chickens honors a commitment to homemade recipes and strong supplier partnerships, ensuring guests can feel good about the food they eat. The down-home Southern brand offers diners hand-breaded or grilled chicken tenders and wings paired with a choice of eight handmade dipping sauces or seven wing sauces for exceptional flavor that has earned admiration from both customers and critics. If guests want to switch it up, Slim Chickens also offers fresh salads, wraps and chicken and waffles. To offset the savory side of the menu, rotating desserts served in Mason jars are also available.

ABOUT SLIM CHICKENS

Slim Chickens opened in 2003 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a focus on culinary excellence in a fast-casual setting. Guests can always expect fresh chicken tenders and wings cooked to order and served with handmade dipping sauces made from scratch. With more than 30 locations today and a fanatical following in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Nebraska, the eternally cool brand is an emerging national franchise leading the better chicken segment and intends to grow nationwide to a footprint of 600 restaurants over the next decade. Southern hospitality is not just for the South; everyone, everywhere can appreciate honest food and socializing with friends and neighbors. To learn more about the brand, visit slimchickens.com.
Since 2010, independent bookstores have been coming back. And 2016 is no exception. With BookExpo America set to open in Chicago this week, American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher reported to the AP a 63-store increase in membership from last year.

With the uptick, ABA now has 1,775 ABA members with 2,311 outlets. This year's jump in membership marks the seventh straight year that the ABA has swelled its ranks.

While the 2016 numbers represent a jump in membership, of nearly 4%, the ABA still has a way to go before it recovers from its previous heights. The organization had 2,300 members as recently as 2002, and 3,300 in 1998. For Teicher, though, there are bright spots. He has been particularly encouraged by the number of stores that have recently transitioned to new ownership, like Bennington Bookstore in Bennington, Vt., and Women & Children First in Chicago.

Nonetheless, Teicher has acknowledged--at both Winter Institute and at the Spring Regional Forums--that booksellers continue to face a challenging environment. Not only must indie booksellers contend with intense competition from Amazon, they must also deal with minimum wage laws calling for employees to be paid $15/an hour. The latter, Teicher noted, is causing difficulties for many businesses, like independent bookstores, that sell products with fixed prices and low margins. Other stores, particularly in urban locations, are facing real estate hikes that make their locations untenable.

Still, Teicher saw plenty of cause for optimism. In addition to the increase in ABA membership, indie sales from the roughly 580 stores reporting were up 5% year-over-year in the first four months of 2016.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University's Office of Engagement has named winners of four faculty and staff engagement awards for 2016.

The awards honor faculty and staff members who combine scholarship and community partnerships to have a positive impact beyond campus.

"The community has benefited greatly from the scholarly engagement of these talented individuals and teams," said Steve Abel, associate provost for engagement. "Their dedication has touched Indiana neighborhoods and communities around the world."

The honorees are:

* Darcy Bullock, professor of civil engineering, the Faculty Engagement Fellow Award. This award is given to a full professor whose work has led to a sustained record of engagement.

Bullock works closely with engineers at the local, state and national levels to identify critical research problems and produce solutions. His work demonstrates a successful history of real-world implementation. His community partner is the Indiana Department of Transportation.

* Tamara Moore, associate professor of engineering education, the Faculty Engagement Scholar Award. This award is given to an assistant or associate professor with an outstanding record of early achievement and a strong indication of future contributions to scholarly engagement.

Moore is an internationally recognized scholar in the area of STEM integration in the K-12 classroom. She has made a tremendous impact on schools, teachers and students around the world through her scholarship of engagement work. Her community partner is Saint Paul Public Schools.

* Natalie Carroll, professor in agriculture and biological engineering and extension education, the Christian J. Foster Award. This award is given to a faculty member who has contributed to K-12 STEM - science, technology, engineering and math - education in Indiana.

Carroll has been involved in PK-12 engagement activities since coming to Purdue in April 1995. She has reached 6,909 youth directly, through events and workshops on the Purdue campus. Her support of the Indiana 4-H natural resource projects has impacted 428,361 youth enrolled in 10 project areas during the nearly 22 years that she has been at Purdue. Her community partner is Zach Beasley, Tippecanoe County surveyor.

* Dorothy Reed, assistant dean for engagement college of education, the inaugural Staff Engagement Award.

Reed fosters a collaborative work environment to address issues of common concern and embraces the mission of engagement as an administrative professional staff member. Her community partner is Food Finders Food Bank.

* Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) programs in the School of Engineering, the Corps of Engagement Award. This award is given to a team of faculty, staff, students and/or community stakeholders for outstanding partnership and achievement in engagement.

EPICS is celebrating 20 years of success in engagement. Its community partner is Habitat for Humanity of Lafayette.

Also being recognized are Sherry Harbin, professor of biomedical engineering, the 2016 recipient of the Outstanding Commercialization Award for Purdue University Faculty, and Clark Gedney, director of the biomedia center for instructional design, for Service to Engagement.

The engagement awards were presented at a luncheon May 9.

News service contact: John Hughey, 765-494-2432, hugheyj@purdue.edu

Source: Steve Abel, 765-494-2744, abels@purdue.edu
Last October, a U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship shelled a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, for nearly 30 minutes. The military was looking for a Taliban command center, but instead destroyed a facility operated by Doctors Without Borders. The international aid organization says 42 people -- many of them women, children and medical personnel -- died. A hundred people were being treated at the hospital at the time of the attack.

International outrage was swift. The Pentagon quickly admitted the assault was the result of human error and promised a thorough internal report that would assign blame and punishment. President Barack Obama issued an apology.

The loss of life prompted the organization to leave the region because it couldnt guarantee the safety of its workers or patients. The organization, founded in France and known primarily as Medecins Sans Frontieres, was not satisfied with the Pentagons assurances that it could mount a comprehensive inquiry and called for an independent international investigation to guarantee transparency. Its leaders called the attack a war crime.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that 16 military personnel will be disciplined for their roles in the attack, but not court-martialed. It concluded that the airstrike was the result of human error and equipment malfunction. Accidents, incompetence and bad judgment are not war crimes, according to the commanders.

For failing to follow the militarys rules of engagement, punishment will include letters of reprimand, extensive retraining, suspensions and removal from command. This will effectively end a few careers and prevent promotion to higher ranks for all, but it is not the robust response that Doctors Without Borders called for.

The Pentagon apologized for the loss of innocent Afghan life and authorized condolence payments to 170 individuals and families as compensation. Nearly $6 million has also been allocated for the construction of a new hospital in Kunduz. Still, one has to ask whether the lack of court-martials in this case is a reasonable response to the facts. Is the idea of military justice an oxymoron when the military investigates itself?
Both canoes and kayaks are ideal for paddling area rivers, creeks and lakes, and the choices in manufactures styles, designs and features has never been greater. The hardest part about getting out on the water might be figuring out what to paddle when you get there.

Steve Klein, 20-year owner of River Basin Canoe and Kayak in Burlington, Iowa, and a 40-year paddler, has seen a continuing evolution in the the paddling sports.

The best advice I can give is come out and paddle one, Klein says. Think about what you are going to use it for, what kind of paddling you want to do, where you are going to do it and we can help you find a boat that fits you and what you want to do with it.

Klein was paddling into the backwaters when his peers were obsessed with cars and chasing girls.

Were in a pretty diverse area for paddling, Klein says. You get people interested in longer sea kayaks for paddling on the great lakes or extended trips on the Mississippi, to people who are looking for something to take to the whitewater parks in Iowa. We see people looking for real niche products and people who are looking for more general use, recreational kayaks and canoes.

Some of Kleins customers went out and bought a canoe or kayak from a big-box store, only to find it didnt fit them or the kind of paddling they wanted to do.

My own family started with a canoe because I thought thats what would work for my family. In hindsight, I was wrong, and ended up selling the canoe for a hybrid kayak.

One thing our shop excels in is the diverse knowledge of the products that are out there, Klein says. America has led the world and pushed the design of these boats in the last 10 years. Americans also are about 20 percent larger than they were in the past, (so) its important to find a boat that fits you and you feel comfortable in.

In my own experience, canoes will keep you drier, carry more gear, and are a little easier to get in and out of, but they take more effort to paddle, and get pushed around by the wind because of the higher profile.

Also, while most canoes can be paddled solo, for a novice, they do best when they are paddled in tandem.

Nearly everything that makes canoes feel stable and welcoming when you get into them as a beginner actually makes them slower to paddle or more difficult to turn. Kayaks sit lower in the water, and take a little more effort to get in and out of. They do not hold as much gear as a canoe does, and they may require specialized clothing in the fall and spring  but they are much easier to paddle, they are built for solo outings and they are easier to transport.

There is some gray area between the two, in hybrids. Known as sit-on-tops, crossovers or fishing kayaks, these boats offer great stability, can be paddled solo or tandem and are much easier to get into and out of. They also offer easier paddling than a canoe for the novice, but they are usually slower and not quite as nimble as a true kayak.

My family started with a 14-foot polyethylene canoe with built-in, comfortable seats. It held myself and my wife, but our two children were cramped on the third seat, and they soon outgrew even that. We enjoyed it, but it wasnt long before we were looking for something else.

At about 90 pounds, it was a surprising struggle to get on top of our mini-van in a parking lot. To paddle solo, you had to abandon the rear seat and sit in the middle on your knees, which was also the widest point of the canoe. Paddling solo was difficult, too, and it was hard to keep it on course.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, a longer canoe of 16 or 17 feet would probably have weighed about the same, paddled more comfortably solo, and would have kept its course better in wind and current.

We sold our 14-foot canoe and replaced it with a hybrid canoe-kayak concept that has a great amount of stability; can carry a lot of gear; can be paddled with either a canoe or kayak paddle; has a comfortable, fabric seat; and soft fabric top that keeps the water out.

The fishing kayak market has gown by leaps and bounds in recent years, Klein says.

Fishing kayaks are becoming more popular because of the stability, and they can get anglers into areas they couldnt with a larger boat or into areas where motors arent allowed, Klein says. Theyve become their own niche market.

My hybrid can be paddled solo or in tandem. Its easier to get in and out of than a full kayak, and at 82 pounds, is a pinch easier to get on and off of the van. It paddles more efficiently than a canoe, but still is not quite as efficient or fast as a kayak, which has me looking into kayaks (just dont tell my wife).

Klein also sells a couple lines of SUPs, the stand-up paddle boards that are becoming more popular.

People who are into fitness have realized you get a great core workout paddling one" without the stress the knees and lower body take in some other workouts, he says.

Whatever youre interested in, Klein says the best thing you can do is get out and paddle one.

Klein and River Basin Canoe and Kayak will host a demo day May 15, at Gladstone Lake, about 9 miles east of the Burlington bridge just off Highway 34. Gladstone Lake is a small, quiet recreation area with fishing, inexpensive camping, but no running water.

For more information, contact River Basin Canoe & Kayak at 1-800-RIVER-12 or email them at iowapaddler@yahoo.com.
The Quad-Cities is not lacking in yoga options. Looking for hot yoga? We have that. Aerial yoga? We have you covered. Prefer your feet on the ground with a more traditional vinyasa-style class? Our area abounds with options.

But what the Quad-Cities has never had is a yoga festival  until now.

The Radish Magazine Yoga Fest will be held July 15-17, at the Holiday Inn Rock Island, 226 17th St. It will be an event for all things yoga, for experienced yogis and beginners alike. It will include classes, a keynote presentation, wares and gear for sale, meditation, an opening celebration, a closing ceremony and a weekend-long opportunity to commune with fellow yoga lovers.

In addition to featuring instruction from a cast of Q-C area teachers and studio owners, the event will include sessions with highly sought-after Chicago-based instructors Jim Bennitt, Quinn Kearney and Sara Strother.

The event offers nearly 30 classes of varying difficulty throughout the weekend. Each class will span two hours, giving participants the chance to become immersed in each of the various topics. Many classes will include discussion as well as practice.

Friday will kick off with a keynote presentation by Strother; an all-level community yoga session led by Jeani Mackenzie, founder and owner of the Davenport School of Yoga; and a dance party with a cash bar and snacks.

Saturday will provide a full day of intense practice and study, with a wide range of classes beginning at 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., including vinyasa flow, arm balancing and inversion workshops, ashtanga, stand-up paddleboard yoga, kundalini and more. Lunch will be provided.

On Sunday, the pace will slow down a bit to Rest, Relax and Explore. The 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. classes will provide the opportunity to delve into therapeutic yoga; yoga for relaxation; yoga nidra (a physically passive, but mindfully intense practice); and prenatal yoga, as well as intention setting, mantra and philosophy, and more.

In addition to the yoga offerings, there will be a room for guided meditation led by the Lamrim Kadampa Buddhist Center, as well as time for personal meditation.

With decades of experience between them, Bennitt, Kearney and Strother have much to offer fest-goers, and they have positive things to say about this first-time endeavor.

'I love sharing what I've learned'

Jim Bennitt is a popular yoga presenter in the U.S. and abroad. The co-founder of Tejas Yoga Studio in Chicago, Bennitt began studying yoga in 1997, and met his teacher, Rod Stryker, in 2002.

Yoga, he says, "has always felt very natural to me  the postures, the breathing, the mediation. Im not sure if I believe in reincarnation, but if its true, then Ive definitely been a yogi in a past life.

"I love sharing what Ive learned with others as much as practicing. Its what makes me truly happy, and I believe that helping others to find a little mental clarity makes the world a better place. Thats what drives me to continue teaching.

He says he is looking forward to teaching at the upcoming fest.

I look forward to being introduced to a new group of practitioners and sharing what I have found to be helpful in my journey," he says. "I believe this festival will help strengthen the community and help to spread the teachings of yoga to a broader audience.

'As much as yoga can be challenging, I think it is inherently fun and enjoyable'

Quinn Kearney has taught yoga for more than 20 years, and is the co-founder of Yogaview in Chicago.

One of the most wonderful things about yoga is that you can do it for the rest of your life. Its very adaptable to each person, and its also adaptable to the changes that we all experience as individuals, so an opportunity to study with a range of teachers is a chance to pick up various approaches and perspectives," he says.

As much as yoga can be challenging, I think it is inherently fun and enjoyable  so above all, have fun and enjoy yourself.

Kearney says the Radish Magazine Yoga Fest will offer something to participants that other festivals dont.

"The Radish Magazine Yoga Festival feels different to me. Its not on the same scale as some similar events, and given this, I feel like its going to be warmer, more community-oriented, more Midwestern, if you will."

'Ive been teaching since I was 22'

Sara Strother is a teacher at Yogaview with ties to the Quad-Cities. She has studied yoga for 16 years, and has been teaching for more than 12.

Ive been teaching since I was 22. To be honest, its the only real job Ive had in my adult life," Strother says. My original aim was to help make an impact globally for peace by assisting individuals experience freedom in embodiment. ... The audiences needs and perspectives on yoga keep changing, so what evidently continues to drive me is the challenge of presenting a version of yoga with substance that can reach a diverse audience."

Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Strother says the Quad-Cities have been "an oasis" through the years; a spot where she would spend time at her familys "rugged summer home."

"Occasionally, wed drive down to Moline to eat out or walk in the air-conditioned mall. Eventually, I met my husband at SIU (Southern Illinois University), and it turns out he grew up in Moline. Now, we return here many times a year to visit family, she says.

Strother says she is looking forward to her Q-C visit, and the chance to meet a new group of practitioners and connect with more Midwesterners.

To learn more about the Radish Magazine Yoga Festival, visit radishmagazine.com/yogafest. To purchase tickets  $30-$225, for any one day, Saturday and Sunday only or the full weekend  visit radishmagazine.com/YogaTickets.
The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported Mahomet officer Jeremy Scharlow, 35, was shot in the arm Saturday night outside a home. Mahomet Police Chief Mike Metzler said that Scharlow was recovering after being released from a hospital Sunday morning.

Metzler told the newspaper that the officer, a nine-year veteran of his department, was shot after a traffic stop initiated by a different police officer. The suspect then got into a fight with the second officer, who reportedly attempted to use a stun gun on the driver.

A Champaign County judge on Sunday issued an arrest warrant for Dracy "Clint" Pendleton, 34, of Bellflower, accusing him of aggravated battery with a firearm. The Illinois State Police said later Sunday that Pendleton, who was also believed to be wounded, has additionally been charged with attempted murder of a police officer.

Master Sgt. Matthew Boerwinkle told the newspaper that a trooper responding to a call about the Mahomet officer's shooting struck a van at a Decatur intersection, killing a 26-year-old woman. The trooper had activated his flashing lights and siren.

Authorities hadn't yet released the names of the 53-year-old trooper or the crash victim by Sunday afternoon. Both were taken to a local hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead.

Authorities said Pendleton fled the area in a stolen pickup truck and is armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.

An extended family member said that Pendleton had recently moved out of his marital home after separating from his wife.

Jack Dollahon said that Pendleton  his grandson's half brother  works as a contractor and is a father of two sons, both under 2.
Bassil Abdelal says officer opened fire in 2012 after he picked up a gun for protection moments after he was the victim of an armed robbery at his beauty supply business. The trial started Monday in federal court. Abdelal alleged the officers were unjustified. But the three officers contend that they acted properly. They say they fired after Abdelal pointed a gun at them.

The trial has been delayed several times. That's because the city has argued that the furor over the release of a video showing a white officer shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald to death would make it impossible to seat an unbiased bury.
Pals since the first grade, James Barnett and Gary Francque are fresh from sharing a once-in-a-life experience.

Times 10.

Francque, an always-on-the job servant of the Moline Rotary Club, is a retired Moline police chief. Barnett is a dedicated and longtime Moline businessman who, like Francque, is one of life's good guys.

The pair played all that is Rome, Italy, recently. And played it bigger -- and better -- than anyone could imagine.

The duo were part of the Jubilee of Rotarians event at Vatican City. It came on the heels of Pope Francis declaring a Jubilee Year of Mercy to be held Dec. 8, 2015  Nov. 20, 2016. The Year of Mercy is an invitation to love, kindness, and generosity.

Following this theme, and in recognition of the values of Rotary International and its humanitarian work worldwide, the Holy Father invited Rotarians from across the globe to join him for the Jubilee of Rotarians on April 30. It was Barnett's third trip to Vatican City, Francque's first.

"Rotary, as big as it is in the United States, is even bigger in Europe,'' Francque said. "It's a way of life in Europe.''

The Jubilee of Rotarians was two days of celebration including an audience with Pope Francis at St. Peter's Square in recognition of Rotary Internationals worldwide programs. Approximately 9,000 Rotarians from 80 countries shared in the event, including Francque and Barnett, Catholic grade school buddies and 1970 graduates of Alleman High School.

"An audience with the Pope is inspiring,'' Barnett said. "His address was about an hour, but the parade of the Holy Father through St. Peter's Square in his car was amazing. Thousands cheered, waved banners and cried as Pope Francis stopped, offered blessing and shared with the sick. He would move and the crowd would shift, thousands of people wanting to see and be close to Pope Francis. We were 300 or so feet from him and thought that to be neat.''

One might think sharing an audience with Pope Francis was highlight enough for two Catholic school kids from Moline.

There was more.

"We were fortunate enough to make contact with Monsignor Richard Soseman, a 1981 Alleman graduate and a priest of the Peoria Diocese, '' Francque said. "He has been working at the Vatican for nine years with the Congregation of the Clergy, a Vatican regulatory organization. Jerome Patrick and Kevin Rafferty, two friends from Moline, made the contact for us. We had a chance to share time with Monsignor Soseman before our audience with Pope Francis. It was amazing.''

True-to-form, Monsignor Soseman took the unique experience to another level. Francque and Barnett attended Mass at St. Peters Basilica celebrated by the Moline native at one of the many St. Peters side altars. The two were then afforded a personal tour of St. Peters and the Vatican grounds with Monsignor Soseman serving as their guide.

"There we were, three Alleman guys, talking about how much Monsignor Soseman enjoys his role there and how lucky we were,'' Francque said. "He took us to some places you just don't get to see as a tourist. What a wonderful man he is. He was gracious, friendly and cared what we had to say.''

While touring with Monsignor Soseman, the two happened upon "Good Morning America" host Robin Roberts.

"There she was, just a few feet from us,'' Barnett said. "Talk about another neat experience. She was about to do a podcast. You couldn't script things any better.''
I just returned from two weeks in Cuba, and offer a few reflections from the land of Fidelismo.

Individual travel from the U.S. to Cuba is still technically prohibited, though American educational and professional groups may visit the island nation. Soon, I predict, American travel restrictions will be lifted, which will overwhelm the already strained hospitality resources of Cuba.

If you can withstand stressful long lines at entry and departure, its well worth the effort.

[The Cubans we met are pleasant, helpful and handsome, often a caramel blend of Spanish and former slave black. The indigenous population was killed off by the conquistadores upon their arrival.]

My lady friend is a medical scientist at the Mayo Clinics. She was asked to give a paper in Cuba at an international conference. My cover for tagging along was to serve as her research assistant.

After the conference, we traveled on our own all over big swaths of this verdant, tropical island nation of 11 million, which has roughly the land area of our state (with our 13 million people).

The Castros, Fidel and now younger, 86-year-old brother Raul, have been in power since 1959. To their credit, decent health care is free for all, and youngsters, all in neatly pressed public school uniforms, receive good educations, I am told.

And nobody starves; each person is allotted some rice, beans and basics each month.

There is little crime, and I felt safe everywhere I went, even at night on narrow dark side streets off the beaten path in Old Havana.

And Fidel achieved his goal of communist equality: Everybody has nothing!

Summary observation, which wont surprise you: Communism and central planning dont work. Cuban gross domestic product per person is about $5,300, or around one-tenth that in Illinois

.

-- Cuba is stuck in the 1950s, or earlier.

-- Rural life is even more primitive than I expected. Farmers typically use horse and cart to get around. In the mountains, a horse-drawn wagon might carry 10-12 children home from school, quite a quaint site.

-- The few tractors I saw looked like clunky, 1950s vintage Soviet rejects, with probably less horsepower that a big lawnmower here. Water buffalo pulled one-bottom plows in a number of fields.

-- Livestock often appeared emaciated, ribs showing prominently. Some cattle and horses grazed on thin roadside grass, each tethered to a stake.

-- The fruit was surprisingly bland and unappealing, the oranges full of seeds and lacking sweetness, for example.

-- Across Cuba, some 75,000 pre-1959 American autos, mostly GM models, are critical to transport.

Friend and I rode, for example, in 1952 and '53 Chevrolet taxis that no longer had inside door handles or any functioning dashboard indicators (we held on for dear life), yet sported more recent Mitsubishi engines.

We shared our cab rides along established routes with four or five others, and paid the equivalent of $1 each to ride many miles from our hotel into central Havana.

Old Havana, with its once magnificent 18th and 19th Century rococo Spanish architecture, has been crumbling since probably before the Castros, which almost brings tears to your eyes. Building balconies were sometimes propped up with timbers.

People have the legal right to live in their homes, but they dont own, nor can they sell, the structures. Thus there is no incentive to keep up outside appearances, which results in depressing streetscapes of unpainted house facades, plaster often falling away.

Thats the fundamental problem -- a lack of incentives in all facets of Cuban life.

All doctors, engineers and other professionals are paid $20-25 a month by the government, for whom all work. Our taxi drivers were often doctors who could make more in tips from tourists in a couple of days than in a month of salary.

But change is coming. In the past year, Raul Castro has allowed private restaurants to open, often in a converted family home.

We dined a number of times at these paladares, which already are putting the government-operated eateries to shame. The lobster tails were always fresh, succulent and huge, at maybe $10-15, and the cuisine often quite varied and sophisticated.

Households may now also offer tiny, but neat and clean, rooms for rent, which we tried a couple of nights. Ours had no window, but a shower and good breakfast of much fruit, eggs and toast.

The $35 we paid per night represented huge money to the households.

We could feel the entrepreneurial spirit straining to burst free.

Nearly half of all Cuban tourists are from Canada, which has one-tenth of our U.S. population. When the floodgates are drawn open for Americans, the country will be overwhelmed at first. And its charms will be gone soon thereafter.

Old Fidels passing, whenever, will trigger irresistible demands from young people, who yearn to breathe free, for opportunities to be rewarded for their enterprise, to earn real money, advance, travel and be part of the larger world.
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
The agreement increases commitments in funding from Caltrain's state and local partners, including the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which will invest a further $US 113m into the modernisation programme.

The Caltrain Electrification Project will electrify the system between San Francisco and the Tamien Station in San Jose and replace Caltrain's diesel-based system with high performance EMUs. The electrification project will reduce diesel emissions in the corridor by 96% by 2040 and will allow Caltrain to provide more services to more stations, increasing ridership and providing a faster service between San Francisco and San Jose.

The need for additional funding was identified in 2014 when the project's budget was updated from 2008 cost estimates, and funding partners agreed to increase the amount budgeted for project contingency.

Approval of the agreement helps prepare the board to consider the award of contracts to equip the rail corridor with electrification infrastructure and replace most of the system's diesel trains.

Indeed Caltrain plans to award contracts in July 2016 and introduce electrified service in 2020. In February, the Obama Administration allocated $US 72m in prior year funding to the project and asked Congress for an additional $US 125m in the 2017 Federal Budget through the FTA Core Capacity Grant Program. These funds are part of a larger $US 647m request for a Federal full funding grant agreement that is expected to be finalised in 2016. Contracts for the electrification project will be structured so that full authorization to proceed with construction is issued following the approval of Caltrain's federal grant agreement funding request.

"Our region, along with our federal and state partners, has demonstrated a deep commitment to this project," says Mr Jim Hartnett, Caltrain's executive director. "The Caltrain Modernisation Program is the most transformative project this corridor has ever undertaken. It offers unique economic, environmental and mobility benefits to the region and it is a key link in a high-speed rail network that will transform the way we think about transport in California."
All Eyes on Saudi Arabia

While Americans were dawdling over mimosas at Mother's Day brunches yesterday, the Saudis were doing business, all kinds of business: There was a spot of foreign worker torture (nothing to see here), a bit of sniping at Iran, but mostly big government reshufflings.

The weekend's Number One Big Saudi Event was the ease-out of 80-year-old oil minister Ali al-Naimi. After nearly 21-years at the post and, by his own description, seven decades around the oil industry, he could move the market with a single cryptic remark.

Al-Naimi's departure is further evidence that 30-year-old prince Mohammed bin-Salman, now Saudi Arabia's de facto CEO, is not wasting any time with his plans to diversify the Saudi economy. Naimi is being replaced by Khalid Al-Falih, born in 1960. who has been serving, and will continue to serve, as the chairman of Aramco, the state-owned oil company. So far he appears to be about "business as usual." but, of course, that's just coming into focus.

And there are big changes to the oil ministry as well. Al-Falih will head a a revamped "mega ministry," as Business Insider puts it, one with responsibility for oil and gas extraction, power generation and distribution, and mining and industrial development, while continuing to run Aramco and its long-rumored IPO.

That IPO brings us to Big Saudi Announcement Number Two: The Saudis said over the weekend that Aramco will be listed in New York, London and Hong Kong. Which country takes the bait will be fascinating not just because of the numbers involved (Aramco is said to be worth $2.5 trillion ) but also because of weighty political alliances down the road.

The Saudis are now feeling quite friendly to Britain whose capital city just elected its first Muslim mayor. About the USA, with a major presidential candidate who's called for mass Muslim deportations and a government which may investigate a Saudi/9-11 tie, not so much. Investing could be a way to heal rifts and/or solidify ties.

In short, there may be plenty of buzz about renewables but with $2.5 trillion IPOs floating around (even if the $2.5 trillion number is not quite accurate), oil still greases the world's engine.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-managing-saudis-new-energy-mega-ministry-may-bring-challenges-2016-5
Forecast

--Issues with regionalism, security and implementation will ensure that the eastern corridor of CPEC infrastructure project is prioritized over the western corridor.





--The nature of the obstacles the project must overcome means that progress will move forward in fits and starts.





--Whatever the status of the CPEC, the relationship between China and Pakistan will strengthen, enhancing China's presence in South Asia.

Analysis



The partnership between Pakistan and China is one of the strongest in Asia. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif once said that his country's ties with Beijing are "higher than mountains" and "deeper than oceans." In May 2015, those sentiments were given form when Chinese president Xi Jinping, on his first visit to Pakistan, signed $28 billion worth of agreements as part of the proposed $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The ambitious project, which when complete would link China with two Pakistani ports, faces an array of challenges. But if completed as planned, it will help stimulate Pakistani economic growth, particularly in its more impoverished western region. It would also further strengthen Chinese influence in the region and give it an export corridor to the Arabian Sea.

Foundations of the CPEC

The two branches of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) consist of a network of roads, railways, energy pipelines and other infrastructure projects that will run from the city of Kashgar in China's western Xinjiang province through each of Pakistan's major cities before terminating at the Arabian Sea ports of Gwadar, near Iran, and Karachi, to the east. The initiative demonstrates the expansion of the already-deep partnership between the two nations. The CPEC, which, broadly speaking, is divided into eastern and western corridors running the length of Pakistan, fits into the Chinese trade diversification strategy dubbed the Belt and Road Initiative.

The project is vital to Pakistan's economic ambitions and could provide the basis for an economic boom. Estimates suggest that the country's current 4.5 percent annual growth rate could climb three percentage points if the country can overcome the energy supply problems plaguing the nation. Available electricity, for instance, falls short of peak demand by some 7,000 megawatts, leading to daily blackouts. Energy infrastructure investments associated with the CPEC are meant to ameliorate a portion of that shortfall. The CPEC can also help Pakistan achieve its goals of becoming a major regional energy hub connecting the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia and China. The project would give China access to energy supply routes linking Central Asia with South Asia as well.

Notably, the United States has pursued this same objective for two decades, seeking to connect energy-abundant Central Asia to energy-deficient South Asia by promoting the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline. But its construction has languished under the enduring threat of militancy throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan. Beijing fears that the militancy could spill across its border gives it an incentive to stabilize the region, hence its investment in Pakistan.

CPEC constitutes the largest proposed investment package in Pakistan's history and is being branded as a solution for the country's economic problems, one that will create jobs, grow the economy and reform the energy sector. But unless Pakistan implements structural reforms - further democratizing the country, uprooting corruption, strengthening civilian institutions and bolstering the economy of its largest and poorest province, Balochistan - the effect of those benefits could be blunted.

Implementation Difficulties

While CPEC has been touted as a "game-changer" for Pakistan, Islamabad will need to overcome several problems standing in the way of its implementation. The first is regionalism. Rivalries among Pakistan's provinces of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Sindh and Balochistan - each with its own strong cultural identities - have long stood in the way of forging an overarching national identity. In particular, Balochistan, the country's least-populous province, has long accused Punjab, the wealthiest and most populous province, of marginalizing its people. One grievance Balochis hold is that Punjabis expropriated the operations of the Gwadar port, which is being expanded under the CPEC, and delegated the port authority's administration, cutting Balochis out of the equation. (In November 2015, a Chinese firm signed a 43-year lease for the rights to operate the port.)
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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.
After the recession in 2007, real estate market experienced a boom in the past years, with many high-rise luxury buildings erected in major cities in the United States. However, some say that there is a bubble forming in some parts of the country, which caused U.S. banks to be cautious about lending in the commercial property sector.

According to a report from Financial Times, executives of several banks have expressed their plans to introduce more stringent standards in commercial real estate lending, such as in issuing mortgage-backed securities for big apartments and office developments. Citing what Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said, banks are taking extra caution on CRE to protect what they have. Bank of America's portfolio in the commercial property sector amounts to $58 billion and the bank is the fifth-largest lender by asset in the country.

Financial Times noted that after experiencing a boost in the past years where the commercial real estate saw a 41 percent increase in banks' market shares in 2015 from the previous year's 34 percent, CRE is slowing down. Citing the data from Real Capital Analytics, the publication pointed out a 46 percent plunge in commercial real estate sales in February, such as offices, apartment blocks and hotels. Sales were down to $25.5 billion compared to a year earlier, which accounted for the biggest decline since 2008.

Meanwhile, some experts believe that the commercial real estate remains to be healthy despite signs of slowing down. While property values stopped appreciating and the number of deals declined, there are no signals that the market will collapse just like in 2007. The demand for new space hasn't outpaced the supply and so the market is pretty much balanced. Experts also expect that foreign investment in the sector will grow as big institutional investors including pension funds are increasing their portfolio, Charlotte Observer reported.
The students who graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law this morning were awarded degrees which Sally Yates, the deputy attorney general of the United States Department of Justice, said carry one of the most important responsibilities that could be charged to a graduate.
SHARE Hugh Dancy, from left, Claire Danes and Zac Posen arrive at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala, celebrating the opening of "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" on Monday, May 2, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

By LEANNE ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)  They came as robots and gladiators, light-up princesses and high-haired goddesses shimmering in green, copper and silver.

As predicted, the annual parade of fashion and star power at the Met Gala on Monday night included an array of interpretations on the evening's vibe: "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology."

That's the name of an exhibit opening Thursday that set the tone for the star-studded evening that raises millions for the Metropolitan Museum of Art each year. This time around, the idea was to explore the convergence of handmade and machine-made elements in fashion, past, present and future.

Some highlights from this year's Met Gala:

___

GLOWING GOWNS

Technology, thanks to Marchesa and IBM, wired up the buzz for a dainty gown with ombre-painted flowers worn by Karolina Kurkova. It was a dusty blue tulle and the flowers were outfitted with 150 LED lights that changed colors, based on a "cognitive" analysis of the brand's color palette. The geeks correlated data from hundreds of images of Marchesa gowns with and related social media sentiment in a show of how technology can enhance the human imagination.

Besides, Kurkova said, her battery pack kept her warm.

Claire Danes also lit up in a pale blue, thanks to a wired-up dress Zac Posen has been teasing for days on social media.

___

THE OUTRAGEOUS

Looking at you Lady Gaga, and your ribbed bodysuit from Versace. And, of course, your towering platform shoes and metallic silver jacket. And looking at you Katy Perry, and your black velvet Prada gown with the gold embellishment that looked like it could hurt someone. Oh, and your black helmet hair and little Tamagotchi digital pet you called your "tech element."

Other ragers: Madonna exposed her bum and Nicki Minaj looked all fierce and sexy in a strappy, sparkly black number with lots of buckles designed by her date, Jeremy Scott. He wore an exoskeleton suit of sparkles.

___

MEMORABLE MEN

Idris Elba, a gala co-host, takes the nobody-wears-a-tuxedo-and-tails better award. All he had to do was stand there and radiate. And by radiate we mean, on those levels he does best: suave, sexy, debonair.

Zayn Malik and the silver metal arms on his dark suit appeared to channel the Winter Soldier, as in the movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." Or a droid. Take your pick. He escorted Gigi Hadid.

Jared Leto wore a custom Gucci white tailcoat with a white evening shirt and white bowtie, completing his look with a hand-carved black lacquer cane with a silver and crystal embellished cat head detail. He also had Florence Welch, in Gucci, as his date.

Kanye West wore a Balmain silver-embellished denim jacket with ripped jeans to accompany wife Kim Kardashian, who was similarly silver. West turned his eyes blue somehow. His one-word explanation to E! for his look: "Vibes."

___

BABY BUMPS

Emily Blunt and Olivia Wilde  and their bumps  posed together on the carpet. Both wore their hair tight and back, Blunt in a custom sapphire sequin-embroidered lace gown from Michael Kors and Wilde also in Kors but a custom black stone-embroidered column look with a metallic collar halter.

Kerry Washington was one sexy mama as she cradled her smaller bump in a sleeveless black lace gown with a plunging V-neck and sexy slit. She wore long sheer gloves, all courtesy of Marc Jacobs. And she rocked purple hair!

___

GLADIATORS

Taylor Swift, also a co-host of the gala, went full-on gladiator to go with her fierce new tousled platinum locks. Her black sandals laced up to just below the knee, paired with a Louis Vuitton silver, sparkly mini that had ruffled tiers at the bottom and cutouts on the sides, all topped off with an ultra-dark lip shade.

Who else evoked Roman stadium fighters of old? Alicia Vikander, also in metallic Vuitton but hers with a bright red bustier to go with copper, black and white skirting and chunky heeled combat-like boots.

FKA Twigs was ready to call the winner in a goddess gown of peachy nude with a strappy neck and high slit. A jeweled headpiece linked to a nose ring. Robert Pattinson in white tuxedo jacket and black trousers wore a black bow tie and a smile.


Greg Barnette/Record Searchlight

Julia Stevenson, 6, of Redding, looks at a Monarch Butterfly Friday at Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The Butterfly House exhibit runs through July 10.

SHARE A Malachite butterfly is one of the many species at Turtle Bay Exploration Park.

By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

At Turtle Bay Exploration Park the fluttering wings of butterflies await guests, with the Wings of Summer exhibit now open through July 10.

The metaphor of summer's arrival is exemplified by butterflies emerging from their chrysalis. Over 32 species of the insects can be found at the Butterfly House, with a revolving cast of wings and colors

Chelsea Meyer and the rest of the staff who work at the exhibit caution guests to watch where they step, because a number of butterflies rest on the ground. This is Meyer's third season as an employee stationed in the Butterfly House, and she beams an enthusiasm to children and other guests.

The various butterflies flit about the display, including white peacocks and monarchs. Staff promises more butterflies will fill out the exhibit in the coming weeks.

On Sunday a gathering of monarch butterflies feasted on an orange slice, and all around they wafted through the air, casually crossing paths with parents and children as they strolled through the exhibit.

Parents Logan Center and Jennifer Saaveda pointed out butterflies to 14-month old Sophia, as a Monarch Butterfly brushed along her head.

The family was on their way back from Oregon to Yuba County and decided to stop in Redding to see the exhibit and the rest of the park.

"She likes to watch animals and other insects," Logan said of Sophia, who reached out to the sky as butterflies flew overhead.

Laila Rhee, from Sacramento, who has been visiting Redding for 20 years for work, but never stopped in to see Turtle Bay or any of the exhibits. On Sunday, she smiled as a breeze sent a number of butterflies floating above her head.

"It's Mother's Day and we were looking for something nice to do in Redding. We specifically came here for the exhibit," said Rhee, who was joined by her daughter Zoe.

The butterflies, like the guests, were from out of town. Meyer said they come from special breeders in southern California, Texas and Florida and arrive at Turtle Bay in their chrysalis stage.

"We never know which types we're going to get until we open the box. It's a surprise every time," said Meyer, who suggests that visitors wear bright fluorescent colors if they want any butterflies to pay them a visit. Butterflies see in ultraviolet and respond to bright colors.

Meanwhile, inside Turtle Bay Museum, staff also prepared the Homeless Rockstars exhibit, which features the work of photographer Nigel Skeet. The show opens Saturday, along with Rock U, a separate show featuring the history of rock and roll. Both exhibits will feature multimedia art and testimonials from the subjects of Skeet's gallery.
SHARE William Robert Borelli

A 23-year-old Redding man was sentenced today to more than 10 years in prison in connection with assaulting and threatening to kill two women in separate, but disturbingly similar attacks.

William Robert Borelli, who faced a maximum term of 12-years, four-months in prison, was sentenced by Judge Monica Marlow to a 10-year, 4-month prison term.

Although Marlow did not opt for the maximum aggravated term, she said Borelli has shown a pattern of violently abusing young women and has not shown any genuine remorse.

He is a danger to society due to his conduct, she said.

Borelli, who blames his behavior on alcohol and drug use, was credited with a total of 641 days in jail and good behavior time. He must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence before being eligible for parole.

Last month, a Shasta County jury convicted Borelli of two felonies: making criminal threats and false imprisonment by violence in connection with a Nov. 29, 2014, assault at his home.

It was unable to reach a verdict on a corporal injury to a spouse charge.

But as a part of todays sentencing, Borelli was also re-sentenced for a similar offense in Sacramento County that originally saw him receive a 2-year, 8-month suspended sentence and placed on probation.

Borelli, however, violated the terms of that probation following his arrest and conviction in the Redding case.

Shasta County Senior Deputy District Attorney Ben Hanna, who sought the maximum 12-year, 4-month prison sentence, told Marlow that Borelli terrorized and brutalized the Sacramento woman and essentially did the same thing to a Redding woman while on felony probation.

In the Redding case, he said, Borelli assaulted the woman, threatened to kill her and would not allow her to leave.

She was finally able to escape and called 911.

In the Sacramento case, Borelli assaulted another woman, threatened to kill her and kept her in her home against her will for several hours, Hanna said.

The women are not being identified by the Record Searchlight because they are domestic violence victims.

The 22-year-old Redding woman, who read a victim impact statement at todays sentencing, urged a maximum prison term for Borelli.

His list of victims needs to stop with me, she said.
Bob Madgic of Anderson lives on a bluff overlooking the Sacramento River. He has written a new book titled aThe Sacramento, A Transcendent River.a

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By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight

March 21: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Sisson Museum, 1 Old Stage Road, Mount Shasta. Multimedia presentation on the Sacramento River and Bob Madgic's new book.

March 28: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Sacramento River Preservation Trust, 631 Flume St., Chico.

March 30: 1 to 3 p.m., book signing, Enjoy the Store, 1475 Placer St., Redding.

Copies of the book can be purchased directly from Bob Madgic by calling 365-5852. It will also be available soon in book outlets around the north state.

Richard Douse has a reading assignment for north state residents.

The Sacramento River is central to the beauty, recreation and economy of Northern California. So to understand the river's place in the region, Douse wants people to read Bob Madgic's new book "The Sacramento, a Transcendent River."

"I think it should be mandatory reading in schools for everybody in the north state," said Douse, a longtime north state resident from Palo Cedro and a friend of Madgic's.

The 226-page 8A- by 11-inch book will be available to the public this month. While it looks like a coffee-table book, with dozens of large color photographs on glossy paper, Madgic said his intent was to make it more than a bunch of pretty pictures.

He also tried to make it inspiring and educational.

"My thesis in the book is there is nothing more important than a healthy river," he said.

Since the mid-1990s, the Sacramento River has been a large part of Madgic's life. His home sits on a bluff overlooking the river as it meanders through the eastern edge of Anderson.

Twenty-two photos in the book were taken from his riverfront property.

The 74-year-old retired to Anderson after a career as a teacher and high school principal in Los Altos schools. He ha written three previous books: "Shattered Air. A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite's Half Dome" in 2007, "A Guide to California's Freshwater Fishes" in 1999 and "Pursuing Wild Trout. A Journey in Wilderness Values" in 1997.

From his vantage point along the river he has gained an appreciation for the Sacramento River and devotes 11 chapters to its history, development and the environment around it.

The book breaks down the history of the river and what it meant to American Indian tribes, and later how dams were built on it and its banks were channeled to control how the river flows. He also chronicles the environmental degradation from such activities as dams, chemical spills and copper mining.

Madgic also devotes chapters on the work to restore the river and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The book's title reflects where the river is today, he said.

"'A Transcendent River' means it has transcended all the damage that has been done to it," Madgic said.

His argument is that a healthy environment is good for the economy and the well-being of people. As an example, he notes in the book the thousands of dollars spent annually by recreational anglers on the river, fishing guide businesses they support and they, in turn spend on boats, fuel and equipment.

Madgic notes in the book that the commercial and recreational fishing industry on the river is worth from $28.8 million to $50.6 million annually.

"There's a whole economy based on the river," he said. "Salmon and trout fishing bring a tremendous amount of money into the economy."

The value of the river as a place to hike, bike and relax is priceless, he said.

Kathleen Gilman, a longtime Redding resident and founder of the Shasta Land Trust, said the book captures the importance of the river and its relationship to the entire Sacramento Valley.

"The topic is important to this area. We're all a part of the river, and it's important for people to know that," Gilman said.
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By Sean Longoria of the Redding Record Searchlight

A group of north state pastors will hold a conference this weekend in response to what it says is a diversion from the Bible and its core teachings by some local and national organizations, including a prominent Redding-based revival church.

Organizers of the first Sufficiency of Christ Conference said the event will encourage adhering to more orthodox messages of Christianity, rather than sensationalism, personal experience and so-called "signs and wonders," promoted by, among others, Bethel Church.

"Within Christianity, within Christendom, within America, there's just a bunch of silliness going on," said Bart McCurdy, of Cottonwood, who helped organized the event.

He said large, popular churches have drawn followers using costumes, music and emotional connections rather than focusing on the life of Jesus and what's written in the Bible.

"There's just a constant sensationalism and emotionalism that they draw," McCurdy said. "It's just a mystical experience instead of God's word."

Established as a small Assemblies of God Church in Redding more than 50 years ago, Bethel Church has become a household name in Redding. The church draws thousands at its weekly sermons, and Bethel's reach extends internationally through various mission projects and online through iBethel.tv.

Bethel opened its School of Supernatural Ministry in 1998 and many followers have moved to Redding, drawn by the church and school.

McCurdy, a critic of Bethel's message, said he's attended services there and the church isn't teaching the Christian gospel.

Despite the schism between the churches, the conference won't be about bashing Bethel, he said.

"We love those guys; we don't hate them," McCurdy said.

Rather, organizers hope to promote more traditional Christian teachings, rather than criticizing Bethel and similar churches, said Pastor Nick Welch of the Redding Christian Fellowship, which is hosting the event.

"I don't have a problem with (Bethel) personally," Welch said. "When it comes to teaching the Bible, there are some of these issues we're starting to find that are drawing a dividing line, so we're trying to respond to that."

McCurdy and Welch acknowledge Bethel's drawing power, which McCurdy said is pulling people away from Orthodox Christian teachings.

"It feels good. It's emotionalism, it's sensationalism," McCurdy said.

The conference will feature Pastors Guy Ascherman of the Redding Christian Fellowship, Gene Crow of the Redding Reformed Fellowship, Jim Jarrett of the Calvary Chapel, Barry McGee of the Cow Creek Community Church and Jay Underwood of the First Baptist Church in Weaverville.

Welch said their goal will be to present traditional Christian messages that haven't changed in 2,000 years, not the unorthodox message promoted by Bethel and similar churches.

"Our concern is not that they're stealing people away from our church ? but that there are people being taught things about the Jesus and the Bible that aren't true," he said.

Bethel Pastor Bill Johnson didn't return a message seeking comment on the conference and the critiques of Bethel's methods.

McCurdy said Bethel officials and parishioners weren't explicitly invited to the conference but they and anyone else would be welcome to the free event.

"I hope that what this does is start the ball rolling for some open discussion about these issues," Welch said.

IF YOU GO

What: Sufficiency of Christ Conference

When: 5:30 p.m. to

9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Redding Christian Fellowship,

2157 Victor Ave.

Cost: Free

More information: reddingreformation.com
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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

A three-way land swap among Redding, Union Pacific and the McConnell Foundation to turn around the blighted, downtown railway yard is looking sunnier.

McConnell announced it has completed its purchase of a property with a rail spur on the city's south side.

With the acquisition of the 3.5-acre Schnitzer Steel Industries property at 8031 Eastside Road, officials for the philanthropy and city can renew negotiations with the rail carrier in the hopes of getting it to vacate its long-held yard and relocate to the industrial property.

"Now we have a starting point," said Shannon Phillips, McConnell vice president of operations.

The foundation closed on the property April 29. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Phillips said the property came to McConnell's attention because it had the rail spur.

The city and foundation  nudged by Gary Lewis, a community leader interested in seeing the yard cleaned up  had been talking about how they could facilitate a land exchange with Union Pacific.

"That is how we stumbled across the property. It was not in our master plan," Phillips said.

As part of any swap, the city would either offer property or cash or both to McConnell in an amount of equal value to what its expense is in the transaction.

The amount has yet to be identified, City Manager Kurt Starman said. It also will require an appraisal of the downtown yard.

Initially, city officials thought to offer McConnell the former police station on California Street. But that downtown property has an interested buyer. Contractor Jamie Lynn of Building Adventures is completing a 90-day due diligence process.

Lewis was upbeat about new developments in the matter.

"They've been working on it for years," he said, "You have to keep plugging away and trying."

The downtown rail yard is personal for Lewis. His grandfather's gas station was at the corner of California and Yuba streets across from the Lorenz Hotel.

"I grew up in that station," he said.

Starman talked about the city having different properties available for sale, including the property near the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant that two years ago was the subject of an offer the city made to Union Pacific.

But McConnell has not locked on a particular site, he said.

"We are one step closer to an exchange that would enable the community as a whole to step up and revitalize" the downtown rail yard, Starman said.
A new taco spot in the Loop, a rooftop party to benefit dog rescue organizations and more things to do in Chicago on Monday, May 9.

EAT



Swing for Kids Stampede

Catalyst Ranch

Advertisement

656 W. Randolph St. 708-320-9845

The Chicago-based nonprofit's annual benefit includes food from Honky Tonk BBQ, two drinks, live Western music, a raffle and an afterparty with swing dancing at Fizz Bar & Grill. 7 p.m. $60. Tickets: swingforkids.org

Advertisement

Now Open

Broken English Taco Pub

75 E. Lake St. 312-929-3601

The new restaurant from Phil Stefani and Adolfo Garcia (Pearl Tavern) serves nine varieties of tacos along with Mexican beers and a mezcal- and tequila-focused cocktail menu designed by Tippling Brothers' Paul Tanguay in a space with room for 90 and 40 more outside. 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

DRINK

Peace for Pits and Live Like Roo Party with Fifty

Citizen Bar

364 W. Erie St. 312-640-1156

A rooftop party benefiting three dog rescue organizations includes beer, wine, margaritas, appetizers, a silent auction and raffles. 6-8 p.m. $30-$40. RSVP: livelikeroo@gmail.com

Advertisement

The Great American Shake Sale at Shake Shack

The Great American Shake Sale

Shake Shack

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

66 E. Ohio St. 312-667-1701 and 12 S. Michigan Ave. 312-646-6005

Donate $2 or more to No Kid Hungry at the restaurant during May to receive a card for a free shake on a future visit as part of the fifth annual benefit. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. (both locations).

DO

'Once in a Lifetime' at Strawdog Theatre Company

'Once in a Lifetime'

Strawdog Theatre Company

Advertisement

3829 N. Broadway 866-811-4111

Catch George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's comedy set in 1930 about three New York vaudeville performers who head to Hollywood in search of fame. The show features 13 actors playing more than 40 roles. 8 p.m. $30. Tickets: strawdog.org

HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAY

Dove's Luncheonette (1545 N. Damen Ave. 773-645-4060) offers glasses of wine, small bites and shots of mezcal or tequila for $5 from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
The study claims that from its peak of 18 per cent of gross domestic product in 2008, the crony capitalists' wealth is now down to three per cent

With the government taking several measures to clean up the system, the wealth of crony capitalists in the country has dipped, according to a study by The Economist.

The study claims that from its peak of 18 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008, the crony capitalists wealth is now down to three per cent. Its index on crony capitalism across the world is based on work by Ruchir Sharma, the head of the emerging markets teams at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and Aditi Gandhi and Michael Walton of Delhis Centre for Policy Research, among others.

It uses data on billionaires fortunes from rankings by Forbes. Each billionaire is labelled as a crony or not, based on the industry in which they are most active. It also compared countries total crony wealth to their GDP.

The Economist said the crony index is the idea that some industries are prone to rent seeking - when the owners of an input of production, land, labour, machines, or capital, extract more profit than they would get in a competitive market.

Cartels, monopolies and lobbying are common ways to extract rents. Industries that are vulnerable often involve a lot of interaction with the state, or are licensed by it: for example, telecoms, natural resources, real estate, and defence.

India Inc has successfully managed to stop foreign direct investment in several sectors, including insurance and defence, and later made huge capital gains by selling their stake to foreign companies once the sector was opened up.

The good news is that the crony capitalism across the world is shrinking, but developing countries still account for 65 per cent of global crony capitalism.

Russia tops the list, followed by Malaysia and the Philippines.

In its latest edition, The Economist says a slump in commodity prices has wiped off the balance sheets of several mining tycoons across the world. At the same time, the Indian government has taken a tough stance on graft.

The central bank, too, has prodded state-owned lenders to stop ever-greening loans given to Indian promoters such as Kingfisher Airlines promoter Vijay Mallya, who left India after banks moved the Supreme Court to recover their debt worth Rs 9,100 crore (Rs 91 billion).

The vast majority of Indian billionaires wealth is now from open industries such as pharmaceuticals, cars and consumer goods.

The pin-ups of Indian capitalism are no longer the pampered scions of its business dynasties, but the hungry founders of Flipkart, an e-commerce firm, it said. India is ranked ninth in the listing of billionaires wealth to GDP index.

The National Democratic Alliance government came to power in 2014 on promises that it would take steps to curb crony capitalism in India. But soon the Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi termed Modis government as suit-boot ki sarkar, or the government of those who wear suits and boots, that is, rich industrialists.

Photograph: Reuters
An official request has been made to the CBI to get a notice issued through its Interpol wing

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought an Interpol notice against Vijay Mallya for his alleged role in siphoning off part of an IDBI Bank loan of Rs 950 crore, sanctioned to Kingfisher Airlines in 2010.

According to ED sources, the agency's Mumbai office has officially moved for a "red-corner notice" against the Kingfisher Airlines promoter on the basis of a non-bailable warrant issued by a special court on April 18.

A red-corner notice is issued to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action in a criminal case probe, an ED source told Business Standard.

The legal request has been forwarded to the head office of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to get a notice issued through its Interpol wing.

CBI sources confirmed the request. "It will be processed after due verification," a highly placed source at the investigative agency said.

CBI is the nodal agency for Interpol-related affairs in India.

Once the red-corner notice is issued, Interpol will seek to arrest the person concerned in any part of the world.

"In the RCN (red-corner notice) request, we have emphasised the fact that Mallya had been actively involved in criminal activity and the investigation could not be finalised without Mallya's statement on his role in the bank loan fraud case," said an ED source in the know.



"Mallya's personal information, a detailed account of the circumstances of cases in which he is wanted and charges has been submitted," said the source.

The modus operandi of allegedly siphoning off Rs 423 crore of the Rs 950-crore sanctioned and disbursed by IDBI Bank in 2010 has been also provided, the source added.

These apart, the agency has enclosed the list of properties abroad that Mallya created by allegedly siphoning off a part of the loan. In addition, the report includes the progress that the enforcement agency has made in determining how the loan was restructured in 2010 and converted into preferential shares and, eventually, into equity shares of Kingfisher Airlines.

A special court for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act had issued warrants against Mallya after he failed to appear before the agency even after three summons.

Subsequently, on the request of the probe agency, the ministry of external affairs has made a deportation request to the UK authorities against Mallya, who is living there now.

Now the agency has sought the global notice as they have exhausted all domestic legal options.

Photograph: Reuters
Its easy to say investors should focus on fundamentals but this risk can have a significant and lasting impact

Political risk is a factor that is hard to judge. There are countless examples of apparently solid investments which have gone bust because of unforeseen or mis-assessed political risks. Going forward, this could be a very serious factor for the global economy through 2016.

Political risk, region by region, is high at the moment. From an Indian perspective, domestic political risks are high and only some of these are being discounted. First, the long-awaited Goods & Services Tax (GST) is very unlikely to go through within this Lok Sabha term.

Parliament remains in logjam and GST must be passed in both Houses separately. It is a constitutional Bill, affecting Centre-state relations. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha.

GST implementation would be chaotic for about a year. It would also be an embarrassment for the government if it did pass the Bill late into this Lok Sabha term. The Centre would either have to find excuses to delay implementation or risk going into a general election with fiscal turmoil.

The practical deadline for GST passage would be September-October 2016. It is very hard to see how that can be met. So, we might as well write off GST as unlikely to happen until after 2019, if at all. Ditto for meaningful land reforms or labour law reforms. Those expectations are now being shelved. Whatever the official stance may be, sensible analysts would assume that the economy will have to chug along without those changes.

Beyond this, there are a string of assembly elections taking place in the next couple of years before the General Election of 2019. This could mean violence flaring up all over the place. That would be bad for business. There is also the chance, call it the certainty, that more scams will surface as the political temperature rises. That could vitiate the investment atmosphere.

Beyond India, there are potential political risks that could affect the global economy, brewing in Brazil, in the United Kingdom, in West Asia and North Africa, in Russia and in China. In Brazil, economic weakness is being compounded by impeachment of the President.

Though India has no direct concerns, Brazil is big enough to shake global markets and destroy the investment climate for all BRICS nations. The UK will have its referendum for Brexit and growth is also low there at the moment.

Wars in West Asia and North Africa have an obvious bearing on energy prices. Apart from that, the Syrian refugee crisis is causing turmoil across Europe. Russia is in economic crisis due to low energy prices. Aggressive actions in the Ukraine and in Syria have also put Russia at loggerheads with the European Union.

In China, the government has taken a string of confusing policy decisions to accelerate growth. Debt has exploded as public sector banks have been told to open the tap. There are huge risks of bubbles popping.

These are the known unknowns. They are acknowledged risks but probability and possible impacts are hard to assess. There are many other risks which the market has not yet acknowledged, let alone assessed.

One such risk is a terrorist attack on a large population centre in the First World that causes large-scale loss of life. When 9/11 happened, the global economy was in reasonable shape and even so, the assault and its aftermath knocked markets into a tailspin. A similar incident now would probably have much worse consequences.

A second risk is more mundane. But it is coming closer and closer to fruition. There is an American presidential election in the offing. The US President has the power to take executive decisions that could make or break the global economy, quite apart from causing damage to the US itself.

The two presidential likely candidates are both being treated with deep suspicion by big business. Donald Trump is a policy unknown and he has said many contradictory and outrightly bizarre things during his campaign. His likely policy stances are a big question mark. Hillary Clinton is better understood but her public record and some of her policy stances make people nervous.

It is all very well to say investors should focus on fundamentals and ignore political risks. Unfortunately, the risks outlined above could all have a significant and lasting impact on fundamentals.
Business Standard brings to you the many different numbers of crorepatis that are floating around.

In 2013, then finance minister P Chidambaram had said, "It is shocking only 42,800 people and firms admit to earning over Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 million). Many more earn but only so many admit," the finance minister said. Delhi alone might have that many people, he added.

New data released by the income-tax department last week confirmed the under reporting.



While only 18,358 individuals declared salary income of Rs 1 crore or more, the number does not cross 40,000 even after including incomes from other heads such as house property, business income and capital gains, among others.



If one attempts to cure the double-counting, the number could shrink further.

Data from other sources such as luxury market estimates, mutual fund folios and director salaries only add to the suspicion.



Crorepati taxpayers
Looking at some of Bollywood's coldest film locations.

IMAGE: Ajay Devgn in Shivaay

Ajay Devgn is leaving no stone unturned to ensure his action extravaganza Shivaay is a visual treat.

Produced, directed and starring the 47-year-old, the Diwali release models itself on Lord Shiva's personality and peculiarities in a contemporary tone.

Still some months before his ambitious project hits the screens but Devgn's frequent updates on filming in difficult conditions has piqued the curiosity of his fans even more. The action hero fought hypothermia to shoot on the top of Bulgaria's Balkan mountains at a temperature as low as minus 19 degrees.

Here are some other occasions when Bollywood shot in extreme cold.

Dilwale

IMAGE: Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in Dilwale.

Not too long ago, Devgn's better half Kajol shot in Iceland alongside Shah Rukh Khan for the Gerua number in Rohit Shetty's much-hyped film, Dilwale. Freezing temperatures are a given when you're in a country called Iceland.

Here's what the Fan star had to say about it to us, "Kajol is my friend and I don't need to praise her like this, but it takes guts to go there and shoot what she shot in that cold place. We've shot in a lot of cold places, Kajol and I. We're champions of the cold. But the cold there was too much."

Highway

IMAGE: Alia Bhatt in Highway.

In Imtiaz Ali's grim road trip, one sees ample glimpses of incredible, untouched Northern India.

Alia Bhatt recalls the hardships they faced while filming scenes in Kaza, Himachal Pradesh. "It snowing heavily, there was no electricity, no hot water and none of the hotels were open."

Haider

IMAGE: Shahid Kapoor in Haider.

Vishal Bhardwaj's critically acclaimed adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet is predominantly shot in Kashmir during snow season.

Shooting the striking Bismil song in such conditions was especially challenging for its titular hero Shahid Kapoor.

"The temperature was -15 and -17 degrees Celsius. While dancing, after every two steps, everybody had to sit down. The air is so thin and we were not used to dancing in that kind of weather. We were all wearing five layers of clothing and it was difficult to move with that weight," he remembers.

Pukar

IMAGE: Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit in Pukar

One of the biggest highlights of Rajkumar Santoshi's Pukar is a song sequence picturised on its leads against the majestic glaciers of Alaska -- the first Hindi film to do so.

While Anil Kapoor is sufficiently bundled up in woolen-wear, Madhuri Dixit braves the chills in an icy blue chiffon sari lip-syncing to Kismat Se Hum.

Lucky: No Time For Love

IMAGE: Salman Khan and Sneha Ullal in Lucky: No Time For Love.

Despite his dislike for winters, Salman Khan puts on his tough guy front to brace the infamous Russian cold in snow-covered St Petersburg for Lucky: No Time For Love.

The love story paired him opposite a 22-years younger Sneha Ullal who plays a schoolgirl in the movie.

The Hero: Love Story of a Spy

IMAGE: Sunny Deol in The Hero: Love Story of a Spy

Director Anil Sharma's fetish for snow-based action is well documented in the trippy Tahalka.

In The Hero, he tries to keep it classy for his stunts-filled climax in Switzerland's Jungfraujoch, at minus 16 degrees weather, some 3,454 metres above sea level with a snowmobile riding Sunny Deol to the rescue.

Off screen, the Ghayal star admits, "Every five minutes, we had to be transported to rooms with heaters. We just froze -- it was that cold."

Fanaa

IMAGE: Kajol and Aamir Khan in Fanaa.

Although the script of Fanaa is based in Kashmir, the political climate of the troubled region forced the makers to film in Poland owing to similar snow-packed scenery.

It wasn't a walk in the park shooting in such white sleet for two of Bollywood's most dedicated actors.

Jab We Met

IMAGE: Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in Jab We Met.

Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan had the time of their lives taking off to various locations from Ratlam to Bhatinda in the frothy Jab We Met.

The duo's enthusiasm stays intact while zooming through the subzero climate of the frosty and fatally dangerous Rohtang Pass.

Sanam Re

IMAGE: Pulkit Samrat and Yami Gautam in Sanam Re.

It snows non-stop in Divya Khosla Kumar's eminently forgettable mush, Sanam Re. While the image of Yami Gautam and Pulkit Samrat cozying up in white fluff may seem post-card perfect it left its heroine reeling under the weather.

Here's one amusing thing that happened on the sets, says Yami. "When I said 'hi' to Pulkit the first time, I was under four layers of blankets, only my hand came out."

Lakshya

IMAGE: Hrithik Roshan and the Lakshya team.

From aimless slacker to focused armyman, Hrithik Roshan comes of age in true cinematic style in Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya. Part of his wartime accomplishment is filmed at Ladakh's high altitudes and testing terrains, which was harder than it looks.

As it director reveals, "Everybody at some point must have felt ill. At one point, I was completely dehydrated and had to be hospitalised. I am sure the altitude affected everyone."

LoC-Kargil

IMAGE: A scene from LoC-Kargil

J P Dutta's epic multistarrer LoC-Kargil, based on the 1999 Kargil war, didn't quite repeat the magic of his National-Award winning Border but it wasn't an easy film to make.

In a pre-release interview to Rediff.com, Dutta told us how, "when we first went (to Ladakh) in March, it was snowbound when we landed at Leh airport. The locals said they had not seen such heavy snowfall in 15 years. Nights would drop down to -20 Celsius and the days were -15 Celsius to -10 Celsius. They said it was the worst winter.

"I panicked. I didn't know how we would shoot. Would my boys be able to take it? I sat them down and told them we would go back because we were not prepared for this.

"Everyone turned round and told me, 'No way, Sir. We have come here. We will finish our work and go.' They stuck it out. We stayed for 25 days in the first schedule."
Two years is when the honeymoon surely starts to sour, so what should Prime Minister Narendra Modi focus on ahead of 2019? Devanik Saha offers some ideas.

With two years of the Narendra Modi government over, the Bharatiya Janata Party hasnt had an easy time till now. The lowest job growth in six years, falling exports, severe drought in several states, reduced activity in the real estate sector all of which would cause disenchantment to creep in among the masses.

These policy and governance battles, however, are also linked to global economics and therefore, so it is best we leave it to the concerned ministers and departments to manage. There are several other issues, however, which the BJP needs to take care if it wants to achieve its vision of a Congress mukht Bharat and retain power in 2019.

Nurture and cultivate intellectual firepower: It is no secret there is an anti-BJP bias among the Lutyens media aided by the liberals and left-wing intellectuals. On the contrary, the BJP, or the right wing  although the BJP is the primary face of the right wing in India -- doesnt have too many intellectuals who can counter the Congresss ecosystem and focus on promoting the BJPs agenda.

A closer observation reveals that the unofficial supporters or, if I may dare say, propagandists of the BJP such as Vivek Agnihotri, Anupam Kher, Ashok Pandit, Mohandas Pai, among others have defended the BJP and their agenda much better than the BJP spokespersons, the JNU nationalism incident being a case in point. However, they are not academics, activists or journalists; rather, they are successful public figures with an inclination for the party.

Therefore, pro-Modi columnists and academics like Ashok Malik, Tavleen Singh, Minhaz Merchant, Madhu Kishwar and Surjit Bhalla, all of whom hold a strong pro-right wing view, should be nurtured and cultivated to advance the BJPs narrative across debates. Swapan Dasgupta was finally given a Rajya Sabha seat, which goes to show that having a well established right-wing ecosystem is imperative.

Stop the hegemony of Modi-Shah: It is a well known fact that the authority enjoyed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is primarily due to his vote-gathering ability, which was shattered in Bihar, Delhi and therefore, the party went with a local face in the Assam elections. Additionally, all major decisions are taken by the Modi-Shah duo, which has led to dissent within the party, with recent newspaper reports confirming the fact that the final call regarding Rajya Sabha seats allocation were also taken by them. Going forward, the party should focus on reducing their autocracy and adopt a democratic approach, where multiple leaders are given due importance and everyones opinion is taken into account. Modi must realise that India isnt Gujarat, and centralisation of power would prove detrimental in the long run.

Bring good leaders to the forefront: The BJP has several experienced ministers with good track records -- Manohar Parrikar, Sushma Swaraj, Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, Arun Jaitley, Chandan Mitra, Vasundhara Raje, etc -- who, unfortunately, are not given much limelight and attention and remain confined to conferences and media conclaves. Rather, controversial fringe leaders like Yogi Adityanath, Sakshi Maharaj and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti gain more attention due to their ludicrous statements, which hurts the partys image.

Going forward, the BJP should focus on giving more responsibilities to these leaders and keep them in the forefront. It is highly surprising that someone like Arun Shourie, who has extensive experience and calibre, has been kept out of the party. Despite his recent attacks on Modi, the BJP should consider calling him back.

Improve relations with allies: Post its 2014 massive mandate, the BJP has not worked on maintaining cordial relations with its allies, with Shiv Sena being a classic example. The Sena and BJP have been long ideological partners but in the past two years, their relationship has been under stress with the Sena taking several jibes at the BJP. Last year, there were some signs of strains even with the Telugu Desam Party led by N Chandrababu Naidu.

Instead of maintaining existing relationships, Modi has been toying around with Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalalithaa and Mulayam Singh, who are extremely unreliable and can change sides at the drop of a hat. Modi should take a cue from Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who successfully managed a coalition government during his tenure.

Given that the index of opposition unity has increased and the road to 2019 has unofficially started with Nitish Kumar already calling for an anti-BJP alliance, the BJP would do well to keep its allies closer.

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks to Parliament Library to chair a Cabinet meeting in New Delhi. Photograph: Kamal Kishore/PTI Photo.
'So long as he continues the BJP's march towards greater vote share, a bigger geographic spread and a crushing of the Congress, he is a success,' says Aakar Patel.

This month, Narendra Modi completes his first two years as prime minister of India.

Let's have a look at how he has performed. He won the general election impressively, on the strength of his personality and his record. So let us start there.



Political record:

Modi is and remains our most popular politician by far. The aura he had two years ago, he retains. Every opinion poll in the last years has shown his popularity at around 70 per cent.

This is what Americans call approval rating, and 70 per cent is an incredibly high number. Particularly because opinion polling in India has become accurate in the last decade so this number is believable.

Modi may be assisted by the fact that his rival Rahul Gandhi is not charismatic or competent, and that regional leaders like Nitish Kumar and Arvind Kejriwal do not have a large enough stage to project their talents.

But even with this admission, it must be accepted that Modi has a credibility with Indians as nobody else has.

The Bharatiya Janata Party lost state elections in Delhi and Bihar, but its march towards dominance and the Congress's march towards irrelevance continues under Modi.



Economy:

I was in conversation with P Chidambaram a few days ago, at an event to launch his book on his time in opposition.

I asked him whether his analysis on Modi's economic policies was not overly harsh. Even if the data on exports and manufacturing and companies' profitability was grim, as he has been writing it is, surely two years is too little a span of time to judge Modi on economic performance? That is what I asked. No, Chidambaram said, it is 40% of the term.

It is fair to say that here the government has promised more than it has delivered. The breakout phase into double digit growth, more jobs, an escape from 'socialist' schemes like NREGA and Aadhar that Modi promised has not come.

Indeed, he has embraced some of the policies he promised to end. I still believe that though the numbers indicate otherwise, Modi must be given time, at least another year if not 18 months, to show whether he has made a difference economically.

Corruption:

This was one of the items on which the 2014 election was fought. It is said that Modi has either ended big ticket corruption in the central government or news of it has not yet come out. As in Gujarat, he has been personally involved in this issue.

I have known businessmen in Gujarat who have had to face corruption demands from those lower down, because it is impossible for one individual, however well-meaning, to change centuries of a culture.

However, just as in Gujarat, I know Modi regularly calls people to ask if they are facing a problem from his ministers and bureaucrats, and he asks them to inform him if they are. He is active and well meaning.

Legislation and governance:

The role of a central govenrnment is primarily to make new laws. Governance, in the way we understand the word, meaning controlling the structure of the State, is secondary.

I say this because any Union government governs India through a few hundred IAS officers. Given the smallness of the apparatus, it is not possible for there to be much difference in the governance performance of one party over another.

On legislation, it is not easy to name successes because a theme is missing. If we look at the Manmohan Singh government's legislative focus, we can identity the following: Right to Information, Right to Food, Aadhar, Direct Benefits Transfer, Right to Education, Right to Work and so on. There is a clear narrative here: these laws are aimed at the poor.

Modi's record lacks such focus. Perhaps this will emerge in time, but for now it does not exist. Make in India and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan are not legislative initiatives but slogans.



Foreign policy:

It is strange that here there is a wide difference between the perception of amateurs and experts. Those who have been attracted to the spectacle of Modi's first year have been impressed.

The prime minister held many glittering events in foreign capitals where thousands of Indians gathered to cheer him. This was seen as a foreign policy success, though it was not.

The truth, and experts admit it, is that Modi's highly personalised diplomacy has been a failure. On Pakistan we have no policy that anyone can explain coherently. Modi's record has been to talk, not-talk, embrace, sulk, fire back, blame, invite over, set conditions, remove conditions randomly.

I hope he changes this because it shows India's foreign policy as not being serious.

On China also, Modi's hope that his charm would be the magic ingredient turned out to be naive.

Overall:

If we return to the first point, popularity, we should admit that Modi's term has so far been a success.

Electoral popularity is the only currency of success in democracies. It doesn't really matter ultimately what individual commentators say or write about Modi. So long as he continues the BJP's march towards greater vote share, a bigger geographic spread and a crushing of the Congress, he is a success.

IMAGE: Artists put the finishing touches on a new wax figure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it joins world leaders' figures at Madame Tussauds in London. Photograph: Eamonn M McCormack/Getty Images

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.
'We do not oppose any parent admitting his child to any English school.'

'We are opposed to the government grants that are to be given to such institutions.'

'If local languages are to be kept alive, at least they have to be taught at the primary level.'

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's Goa chief Subhash Velingkar is angry and his anger is directed at the state's Bharatiya Janata Party government.

Velingkar explained to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com why he opposes the Goa government's decision to give grants to English-medium schools in the state.

Why are you opposing grants in aid to English-medium schools in Goa?

Giving grants to English-medium schools is against the National Educational Policy. So, we are opposing it.

Except Nagaland and Mizoram, no other state in India is giving grants for such schools, particularly primary schools (Classes 1 to 4).

When was this rule implemented in Goa?

This was implemented in 2011 by the Congress. When Shashikala Kakodkar, who was education minister in 1990, the issue had come up for the first time, as to which primary medium schools should be given grants.

At that time she decided very firmly in conformity with the National Educational Policy that grants must be given only to vernacular, and not English-medium schools. It was decided in 1990. This rule was changed after 21 years by the Congress in 2011.

Why was this rule changed?

This was a political decision taken by the Congress to woo the minority because English-medium schools run by the archdiocese wanted to switch over to English from Konkani.

For the last 21 years they were getting grants to run Konkani schools, but when this decision came, they (the archdiocese) transformed their school from Konkani to English-medium overnight.

In order to make them benefit, the Congress introduced this change. So we protested under the Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Manch forum. This is an umbrella association for Konkani and Marathi lovers.

I am the coordinator for Goa state. We voted the Congress out of power in March 2012 as we conducted a campaign on this issue. The BJP government then came to power with Manohar Parrikar (now India's defence minister) as its leader.

When the BJP was in the Opposition it promised that it would cancel this grant and go back to the old rule.

Why did the BJP go back on that promise?

The BJP also wants to politicise this issue like the Congress. They kept telling us that they will keep giving grants to English-medium schools till a final decision is taken on the 'medium of instruction.'

We thought that the BJP would do it given time. However, to our dismay, after two years we were shocked to find that a cabinet decision was taken and the grants were confirmed.

But then three years of BJP rule were left and therefore, we could not agitate. So we were waiting for an opportunity.

What opportunity? Why has this issue come up now?

We had intended to agitate one year in advance of the (assembly) elections.

Then the Forum for Rights of Children to Education (FORCE) organisation started an agitation to pressurise the government to give grants to all Church-run schools teaching English at the primary level.

They forced the government to pass a bill in the assembly, which for the first time intended to give powers to minority institutions as far as Goa is concerned.

After Goa's liberation in 1961 (from Portugal) there was never such a move to discriminate on the basis of religion.

But to pressurise the government, the archbishop called all the Christian members of the assembly of all political parties. Five MLAs from the BJP, others from the Congress and the Goa People's Party got together and tried to pressurise the then new Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.

When that was done, we thought that there was going to be communal pressure on the government. We were afraid that the BJP government would fall prey to these tactics and so we started this agitation in July 2015.

Did this new bill get passed in the assembly?

This bill was tabled in the assembly, but was referred to a select committee. There was an indefinite strike called by FORCE leaders. The BJP sent 11 MLAs to assure them in writing. It is due to our pressure that the bill has not so far passed.

What is the problem if people want to choose and study in English?

We do not oppose any parent admitting his child to any English school. We are opposed to the government grants that are to be given to such institutions.

One can pay the fee and admit the child in any kind of school. But the parents must pay their own money.

What about parents who want to send their children to English-medium schools but cannot afford to pay the fees?

No country gives grants to a foreign language. According to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) principles, only the mother tongue is given grants. Accordingly, the same rule applies in our country too.

This has been our national educational policy since Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule. This line of action was never disturbed until the Congress changed it in 2011. The BJP is now toeing the same line.

Do you think if grants are given to English-medium schools, vernacular schools will die?

They will be drastically affected. Here, the medium of instruction from Class 5 till graduation is English. That has been accepted here in Goa.

Our point is only for primary education. If local languages are to be kept alive, at least they have to be taught at the primary level as per national norms.

In Mumbai, I have seen many Marathi schools shut down despite government grants. There is a trend to send children to English-medium schools.

That is a different issue. Quality of education has to be improved, and that has to be done separately.

As far as the functioning of the government is concerned, the government should not give grants to foreign languages.

The government should protect local languages and that is the mother tongue of this country. In every country, every government is doing that.

You think we can become like China or South Korea who did not adopt English and still became an economic power.

Yes. Their doctors, engineers learn in their own language. They study their national language in colleges too.

We are not against English being taught after Class 5. That has been established long back. Now that primary education is affected we will be de-culturalised. Our cultural roots will be cut off.

There is a complaint about people who oppose English-medium schools. Critics say these people send their own children to English-medium schools.

Those people are exceptions. The main thing is that one should not go against the national education policy.

What is the BJP central leadership telling you?

We do not know if someone has approached the BJP leadership at the Centre. The Goa government is not of the opinion that they should cut the grant.

How many English-medium schools get these grants?

Around 126 schools run by the church get government grants. Another 139 English-medium schools are not getting government grants. Only the church-run schools get grants.

You are in the RSS and you are opposing the BJP.

This is a matter of principle. We are acting here as free citizen of the country.

But you are the RSS chief in Goa...

I am the Sanghchalak of Goa. There are certain principles of life beyond party and individual considerations. This is what the Sangh has taught us.
Courting controversy, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad state secretary Subir Haldar on Monday threatened to "cut off" the legs of "anti-national" Left-aligned students of Jadavpur University if they stepped out of the campus.

IMAGE: Police stop ABVP activists who were taking out a rally outside Jadavpur University campus in Kolkata on Monday to protest against alleged attack on them by the students of the University last Friday during the screening of Vivek Agnihotris film Buddha in a Traffic Jam. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI

"The Jadavpur University is becoming a hub of anti-national elements. If these anti-national leftist students of JU try to step out of the campus we will cut off their legs," Haldar told a protest rally outside JU campus.

When asked, Haldar later told PTI, "What I meant to say is those students who raise slogans to divide our motherland, who raise slogans in favour of separatists cut up our country into separate parts. Then why can't we say that we will take steps to stop such activities."

Protesting against alleged anti-national activities inside JU campus, ABVP on Monday took out a protest march from Goalpark area to Jadavpur police station demanding action against it.

"We had earlier decided to take out a protest rally from Goalpark area to Jadavpur university campus. But since we will not be allowed to enter the campus, we decided to sit in front of Jadavpur police station. We raised slogans and protested in a peaceful way," Haldar said.

In a bid to avoid any untoward incident, police had put up three barricades outside the JU campus.

JU students came out of the campus and shouted slogans against ABVP but any untoward incident was averted by police.

"If ABVP tries to attack JU campus, then they will face stiff resistance," a student of the university said.

the ABVP and the Left wing student groups clashed on Friday in the university campus over the screening of Vivek Agnihotri-directed film 'Buddha in a Traffic Jam', triggering chaos during which some girls were allegedly molested.
Hijacking of an aircraft will now entail capital punishment in the event of death of "any person" as Parliament on Monday passed a bill to provide widen the ambit of the law in dealing with this crime.

The anti-hijacking bill, 2014, was approved by Lok Sabha by voice vote. It was passed by Rajya Sabha earlier.

In the earlier bill, hijackers could be tried for death penalty only in the event of death of hostages, such as flight crew, passengers and security personnel.

In the amended law, the definition has been expanded to include death of ground staff as well.

Following the amendments, the perpetrators of hijacking would now be punishable with death penalty where such an act result in the death of "any person".

Besides broadening the definition of hijacking, it also provides for an enhanced punishment to the perpetrators as well as the area of jurisdiction.

Piloting the bill, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that the government was trying to deal with the problem of security of airports through a mix of technology and manpower.

Dismissing suggestions that there should be no death penalty in case of hijacking, he noted that the country had witnessed 19 hijacking incidents and one has to be practical while prescribing penalties as the lives of innocent people are involved.

Admitting that there was undue delay in enactment of anti-hijacking legislation, Raju said it was a reflection on the functioning of members.

The government, the minister added, has developed a contingency plan to deal with hijacking.

Participating in the debate, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said the bill was first brought by the United Progressive Alliance regime in 2010.

Chowdhury said that as hijackers are highly motivated persons, they cannot be deterred by death penalty. "I suggest more legal teeth in this legislation," he added.

Citing examples like the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999, the Congress member said the then government was not able to stop the plane when it landed in Amritsar. The aircraft was finally guided by the hijackers to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

He said that in view of growing civil aviation industry, vulnerabilities too have grown and "that is why we need to be vigilant".

He raised question as to how much the country is prepared to deal with such exigencies emerging out of such situation because "we failed in dealing with the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814".

He said former Research and Analysis Wing chief A S Dulat has revealed how the Centre failed to stop the flight in Amritsar and after that a blame-game had started.

"We had already witnessed hijack scenario in our country and the response that our government has displayed during that crucial time. May I know what is the crisis management infrastructure to deal with any exigencies," Chowdhury asked.

Supporting the bill, he cautioned that the security at airports is not foolproof. "Permiter walls of airports are porous," he said and cited the terror attack at Pathankot airbase as an example.

Supporting the bill, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Rajesh Pandey said a proper system should be put in place for security of airports as there are huge numbers of ground handling staff and they keep moving.

Citing example of a hijack of a plane in 1978 by two Congress workers, Pandey said it was shameful that they were made members of Parliament. A very bad precedent was set up due to this, he said.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy while supporting the bill, said the hijack of IC814 was shameful case during the National Democratic Alliance regime when the then foreign minister escorted terrorist Masood Azhar to Kandahar for exchange with hostages.

"Why India took such a long time for such a law. Why this huge time between the international convention and the actual legislation in the country. We should take care of this," he said.

He said there is a need to deal with issues related with cyber crime and hijacking as somebody can mobilise aircraft by jamming it electronically.

Supporting the bill, Tathagata Satpathy of the Biju Janata Dal said there is a need for clarification on the compensation thing.

He also said that death penalty has been stressed upon in the bill but "I do not think it is a successful method and whether it will be a proper deterrent".

In rape cases, death penalty should be given, he said.

He said the Central Industrial Security Force is not trained adequately or equipped properly to deal with such exigencies.

During IC814 hijack, "our forces were incapable of stopping it at Amrtisar....the CISF is not the proper force. We need to develop a special force to secure airports," he said.

Emphasising the need for ending the "VIP culture", he said everybody, be it a judge or a minister or any other VIP, should pass the security check process.

"No VIP treatment for anybody. VIP culture must end in India," Satpathy said.

Murali Mohan of the Telugu Desam Party said the compensation should be Rs 4 crore.

Supporting the bill, B N Goud of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi said proper mechanism should in place for compensation of victims. He too mentioned about the IC814 hijack.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sankar Prasad Datta said the "death penalty should not be there" as it does not deter the crime.

Among others who participated in the debate include Gopal Chinayya Shetty of the BJP, Arun Kumar of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, YV Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress Party) and Dushyant Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday released copies of BA and MA degrees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in response to Aam Aadmi Partys allegations questioning his degree from Delhi, but AAP hit back saying the documents were forged and had glaring discrepancies in them.

IMAGE: BJP president Amit Shah and senior leader Arun Jaitley showing Modi's educational certificates. Photograph: Shahbaz Khan/PTI

In a bid to set at rest the row over Modis educational qualifications, BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressed a press conference where they released the graduation degree taken from Delhi University and the masters degree from Gujarat University.

The two leaders launched a blistering attack on AAP leader and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of lowering the public discourse by spreading lies and substituting governance with politics of adventurism. They demanded an apology from him.

Shah and Jaitley alleged that Kejriwal has tried to turn a lie into truth by running a campaign to mislead the people of the country.

Jaitley said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against Modi threatens federal polity in the country when a UnionTerritory indulges in irresponsible behaviour to attack the prime minister. They challenged the Delhi chief minister to verify his claims.

Arvind Kejriwal has been spreading lies about the PMs credentials. He has committed the sin of defaming the country. It is very unfortunate that we have to hold a press conference about the PMs educational qualification.

When you do not have any proof, how can you spread allegations. He should apologise to the entire nation, said Shah, adding he will also write a letter to Kejriwal to satisfy his queries.

When asked about the authenticity of Modis BA degree, Shah told a reporter to check it with the DelhiUniversity.

Jaitley said it was ironical that such a charge has come from a political party several of whose MLAs are being prosecuted for having fake degrees.

The politics of adventurism is being treated as a substitute for governance, he said.

Kejriwal has been alleging that the Modis BA degree is fake and that it was obtained by a namesake of him from Alwar.

IMAGE: PM Modi's educational degrees. Photographs: @BJP4India/Twitter

Shortly later, however, an unfazed AAP continued to persist with its claims on the issue.

AAP leader Ashutosh addressed a press conference in which he claimed Modis name does not match in the BA marksheet and that of the MA degree and even claimed that there were discrepancies in the year of passing as well.

Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki zaroorat hai (One needs brains even to copy). The BA marksheet is dated 1978 while the degree is of the year 1979. His name in the BA marksheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in Masters degree, it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi, said the AAP leader.

He said there were discrepancies in the PMs name even at the BA level with it being recorded as Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi in one of the marksheets while it was spelt as Narendra Damoderdas Modi in the degree certificate.

Even in BA marksheets, another AAP leader Dilip Pandey said, surname is spelt Modi in one case while it changes to Mody in another.

Refuting AAPs allegations that the degrees released by BJP were forged, partys national secretary Shrikant Sharma blamed clerical mistakes for discrepancies in the names and pointed out that they were the same in the final marksheet and the certificate of BA course.

He also lashed out at Kejriwal saying AAP was an infection that was poisoning the nations polity and said he had once gone to jail for levelling false charges and will be behind bars again.

Giving point-by-point rebuttal of AAPs charges levelled at a press conference, Sharma said there were two marksheets in 1977 as Modi had taken examinations twice.

Modi had failed in the first examination, according to the marksheet, and had to reappear.

Modis names in the BA marksheet and certificate of 1978 were same. As far as some differences in his names in other papers are concerned, these are nothing but clerical errors, Sharma said.

Hitting out at AAP, he said the party had earlier claimed that the DU degree belonged to a Alwar-based person, whose name resembled that of the PM, but that person has already clarified that he was in the commerce stream.

To AAPs question about Modis masters degrees in Political Science, he said the Gujarat University Vice Chancellor has also confirmed its authenticity.

AAP is a champion of lies. It is working at the behest of Congress and has become its B-team. Modi stands for probity and transparency in the public life. AAP had emerged with its claim of reforming politics but it has become an infection poisoning it, he said.
Anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte secured a huge win in the Philippine presidential elections, according to a poll monitor, after an incendiary campaign dominated by his profanity-laced vows to kill criminals.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nation's twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years.

And after a record turnout of voters in Monday's elections, Duterte scored a commanding victory, according to data released by the PPCRV, a Catholic Church-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally the votes.

With 88 per cent of the vote counted early on Tuesday morning, Duterte had an insurmountable lead of 5.84 million votes over his nearest rival, administration candidate Mar Roxas, according to the data.

"It's with humility, extreme humility, that I accept this, the mandate of the people," Duterte told AFP as the results came in.

"What I can promise you is that I will do my very best not just in my waking hours but even in my sleep."

Duterte had 38.6 per cent of the vote, with Roxas on 23.12 percent and Senator Grace Poe in third with 21.76 percent, according to PPCRV.

Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars, had already conceded just after midnight on Tuesday.

"As a staunch supporter of electoral reform, I have a firm belief in the voice and sentiment of our people. I honour the result of our elections," Poe told reporters in Manila.

"I congratulate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and pledge my support in working to heal our land and to unite our people toward the continued development of our country."

In the Philippines, a winner is decided simply by whomever gets the most votes.

Duterte, a pugnacious 71-year-old, surged from outsider to the top of surveys with cuss-filled vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals, threats to establish one-man rule if lawmakers disobeyed him and promises to embrace communist rebels.

He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex.

Duterte caused further disgust in international diplomatic circles with a joke that he wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot, and by calling the pope a "son of a whore".
Nepal has dismissed rumours that the government was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as baseless and aimed at damaging bilateral ties.

Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Raes expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandaris maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepals envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay by the Nepalese government.

Media reports had suggested that the government was preparing to declare Rae persona non grata, meaning his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

However, the Nepalese government rubbished such rumours with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa terming them as baseless.

Some media speculation regarding the Nepal government mulling expulsion of Indian ambassador Rae is baseless and aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations, Thapa tweeted.

Nepals ambassador to India Upadhyay has continued to stay put in his post in New Delhi, two days after his countrys government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the K P Oli dispensation back home.

Nepal had on Friday cancelled the visit of its President to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepal's unhappiness with India over the latters alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.

Image: Indian envoy to Nepal Ranjit Rae, Photograph: MEAIndia/Flickr
In an emotional response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibes at her Italian origins, Sonia Gandhi on Monday said India is her home and "it is here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones".

The Congress President used an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram to hit back at Modi after the prime minister raked up her Italian roots twice in the last three days while making a veiled attack on her over the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal.

Sonia's response came while concluding her speech when she said she wanted to share something personal, not politics, about the prime minister's statement "about the Congress and particularly about me".

"Yes, I was born in Italy. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I have spent 48 years of my life in India. This is my home. This is my country," Sonia said while referring to Modi's sarcastic queries to the gathering at his two poll rallies in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Friday and Sunday whether they had any relatives in Italy.

Sonia said that all her 48 years in India, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party and some other parties had always "taunted me to shame me for my birth".

"I was born to proud and honest parents. I will never be ashamed of them. Yes, I have relatives in Italy. I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters. But it is here, in my country, India, it is in this part that the blood of my loves is mingled.

"It is here that I will breathe my last. It is here that my ashes will mingle with yours and my loved ones," she said, pointing out that the sole objective of Prime Minister Modi was to "indulge in character assassination of his adversaries and spread lies."

The prime minister can "sink to whatever depths" to challenge my integrity, she said, but he cannot take away the truth from my commitment and love for India.

"I cannot expect Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to understand this feelings. But I know, I am sure you will," she told the gathering at her second rally on the first day of her campaigning in poll-bound Kerala.

Without naming Congress or any leader of the party which has launched a counter attack on his government for dragging Sonia's name, Modi had asked "if the court in Italy has said that people from the last government in India have eaten money, why then are you troubling us here?"

"Does anyone of your relatives live in Italy? Does any of my relatives live in Italy.... I have not seen Italy. I have not been to Italy. Nor have I met anyone in Italy. If Italians have accused them what should we do?" Modi said.

Continuing her tirade against Modi, Gandhi said the BJP-National Democratic Alliance was afraid because Ccongress stood for the rights of the minorities, poor, farmers, dalits, tribals and women.

On the PM's statement that Kerala had lagged behind in every sphere, she said, "I challenge him to show us at least one BJP-ruled state that has better health, educational achievements than Kerala".

Sonia also alleged that Modi had betrayed the mandate given by the people by not implementing any of the promises during the election campaign.

"Before the election, he took your votes by selling you hopes and promises. As soon as he became prime minister, he betrayed your mandate."

Pointing out that Modi had promised "lakhs and lakhs of jobs and money in your bank accounts and that he will decrease prices of essential commodities", she said not even one of these promises have been fulfilled.

"Prices of dal have doubled in two years, the BJP's government's biggest revenue generation is from taxing poor, price of petrol and diesel has come done drastically, but not the excise duty along with it."

Referring to beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya departure from the country, she said "rich businessmen who defaulted banks of thousands and thousands of crores of rupees were allowed to run away from the country under the very nose of prime minister Modi".

The BJP and RSS are afraid of the Congress as their "communal and divisive agenda" has been exposed by us.

"But we shall not bow down to their pressure and harassment and will continue our fight which we feel it is good for the country."

Gandhi said another achievement of the Modi government was that it is "weakening the roots of democracy."

"Democratically elected governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand have been toppled by unconstitutional and devious means. The prime minister and his government do not believe in constitutional and Parliamentary norms," she said.

Congratulating Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for his five year rule, she said he has succeeded in steering the state on the path of development despite the "non cooperative attitude of the Modi government."

Attacking the opposition in Kerala, Gandhi said the threat to the state is not only from the BJP, but also from the Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Democratic Front.

"LDF believes in violence and destruction. It has done everything to prevent the success of this government, but failed," she said.

The track record of UDF government speaks for itself, she said, adding, "we are serious about improving peoples lives. We are sincere in our intentions and humble in our approach."

In the two rallies she addressed in Kerala on Monday -- in Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram -- the Congress president went all out to attack BJP and Prime Minister Modi but mellowed her criticism against LDF.

Image: Congress President Sonia Gandhi addresses an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram. Photograph: ANI_News/Twiter
An Indian woman working in Saudi Arabia, who was allegedly tortured by her employer leading to her death, had died due to "natural reasons", External Affairs Ministry said on Monday.

Her family had claimed she lost her life because of torture by her Saudi employer.

Reacting to reports about the death of Asima Khatoon in Riyadh, reportedly due to torture by her sponsor last week, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said," On receipt of information, our embassy in Riyadh sent one of its officials to King Saud Chest Disease Hospital, Riyadh, one of the reputed Hospitals for TB, on Monday.

"He was told by the Mortuary In-charge that she was admitted in the Hospital on 27 of last month and later on shifted to the ICU. The death was due to natural reasons and he was informed that all the requisite documents have been handed over to the sponsor for submission to the Embassy."

However, Hyderabad police received a complaint from the deceased woman's mother Ghousia Khtoon alleging that her daughter, who left for Saudi Arabia last December, was tortured by her master, which subsequently led to her death.

"Khtoon alleged that she received a call on May 2 from Saudi Arabia saying her daughter had some chest complaint and was admitted to a hospital and died the same day," police inspector G Ramesh told PTI in Hyderabad.

Swarup also noted that the sponsor had visited the embassy on May 3 (by when the matter had not been reported in the media) and again today, for completing the documentation in order to transport her mortal remains to India.

"As per the death report, she died on May 2 due to 'disseminated TB and multi-organ failure'. Further, according to the report, she received anti-TB drugs in 2012 for 3 months," the Spokesperson said, adding the embassy was in touch with the family of the deceased in India to determine future course of action.

According to the sponsor, Asima Khatoon worked for him for 4 months and 16 days in return for which he has deposited five months salary with the Embassy, he added.
In the wake of acute water shortage in various parts of Maharashtra, the state government has informed the Bombay high court that it would declare drought in over 29,000 villages in the state and all relief prescribed in the Drought Manual, 2009 would be provided.

The government in its reply to a batch of public interest litigation on water shortage issue, has told the court that it would issue a corrigendum and clarify that wherever reference is made to a 'drought-like situation' and 'drought-affected areas', the same should be read as 'drought'.

The affidavit said last week the government was strictly implementing various schemes and taking various measures to mitigate the water scarcity in drought-hit areas and more particularly in Marathwada and Vidharbha regions.

The court also took note of the contention of Acting Advocate General Rohit Deoit that it would not be possible for the government to supply drinking water daily to all districts but it would be supplied on a regular basis.

Deo assured the court that potable water would be supplied to all districts affected by drought regularly till the onset of the monsoon.

The government had earlier told the high court, which is hearing the PILs, that it had declared 'drought-like situation' in over 29,000 villages in Maharashtra.

One of the petitioners, Sanjay Lakhe Patil had alleged last week that the government has failed to implement the Drought Manual of 2009 as well as the Drought Management Plan, 2005.

He had submitted that the state government has deliberately not declared drought in Maharashtra or in the actually affected areas. "This was done in order to ensure that additional relief which is normally given to villages which are declared as drought-hit villages is not given and these villages have been avoided," Patil had argued.

After perusing the affidavit, the court had noted, "Prima facie we are satisfied that the government has given a serious thought and has considered this issue in detail and is taking immediate steps for the purpose of ensuring that in the month of May and part of June this year all adequate measures as mentioned in the Drought Manual are being undertaken."

The court posted the petitions for hearing on May 24 to ensure that the government is implementing the provisions under the manual.
The Nepal government has made a fresh call to the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha to return to the negotiating table, as the latter announced the launch of an aggressive protest.

Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, who leads the dialogue committee, sent a formal invitation on Sunday to the Morcha for talks, reports the Kathmandu Post.

After consultation with the interlocutors of the participating parties, the date for a meeting would be decided.

Ever since the Thapa-led political mechanism was formed in February 18, there have been no talks between the government and the Madhesi-based parties.

The committee is yet to take shape as the Madhesi parties and the Nepali Congress, the largest party in parliament, refused to send their representatives to it.

Thapa in a letter informed that the government was committed in addressing the concerns of the agitating parties through dialogue.

Asserting that there was no alternative to resolving the outstanding differences through discussion, he urged the Madhesi parties to send their representatives to the panel tasked with working out the details for redrawing the boundaries of the provinces.

The Madhesi-based parties, however, are in no mood to readily accept the call for dialogue and instead charge that the government is not serious about resolving the crisis.

Madhesis demand prior assurance of at least two provinces in the plains and statutory status to the political mechanism. The request government declines as preconditions to dialogue.

IMAGE: Protesters affiliated with Madhesi groups demonstrate against the proposed constitution as they march towards the parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters
An anonymous letter threatening to kill Rahul Gandhi at an election meeting in Puducherry has been received by a senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy.

The Congress vice president is scheduled to address an election rally of the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance on Tuesday at Karaikal in Puducherry.

After the death threat letter surfaced, a delegation of top Congress leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Monday and urged him to beef up Rahul's security. Singh assured the delegation there will be prompt action and security enhancement.

Narayanasamy, an All India Congress Committee General Secretary and a former Union minister, told PTI from Karaikal over phone that he had received an 'unsigned letter' at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi.

He said the letter written in Tamil stated that "your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former prime minister's son and be blasted while attending a meeting."

Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command.

The Congress delegation including Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma met Singh and apprised him about the threat to Rahul's life.

"The home minister has assured prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of Centre and and states and Special Protection Group will be alerted to the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Rajnath.

The SPG guards the prime minister, the former prime ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children--Rahul and Priyanka--are SPG protectees.

Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.
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IMAGE: Naga sadhus take a dip in the Shipra river on the first Shahi Snan during the Simhastha Mahakumbh in Ujjain. Photograph: PTI

The VHP will focus on non-religious topics and give the Ram temple a miss at the three-day Vaicharik Kumbh, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Shashikant Trivedi reports.

With the Vishwa Hindu Parishad dropping the idea of a 'Dharma Sansad' (religious parliament) at the Kumbh in Ujjain, the state government is gearing up for a three-day 'Vaicharik Kumbh' (May 12-14), which will focus on non-religious topics and give the Ram temple issue a miss.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to participate in the concluding ceremony of this Vaicharik Kumbh on May 14.

Instead of focusing on the Ram temple, more than 6,000 delegates from around the world will share their views on 'value- based life.'

When asked about the Ram temple, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan evaded a direct reply and said the programme has 'value-based life' and the 'Krishi Kumbh' on its agenda.

A large number of those associated with the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have visited the venue of the Kumbh, at Ninaura village, which falls on Ujjain-Dewas road.

"This time we are not organising 'Dharma Sansad,' but we will invite sants, sadhus and visionaries from across the globe to spread the message of Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam (The world is a family). Ayodhya and the Ram temple would not be a part of the agenda," said a VHP source.

Another source in the VHP said: "Religious leaders are expected to meet and discuss issues of various other matters, including the Ram temple in Ayodhya. But since there would be no 'Dharma Sansad,' it is difficult to guess what will actually be discussed."

BJP President Amit Shah is also expected to visit Ujjain for the Shahi Snan as well as review preparations at Ninnora.

Kumbh fails to attract large crowds

Meanwhile, home-grown hi-tech applications, 6,000 close circuit cameras equipped with technologies of face detection, behaviour detection, go-pro cameras, ready-to-wear gadgets and drone security cameras have not been able to attract visitors to Kumbh Mela in Ujjain.

Before the event got under way, authorities, private hoteliers, research scholars and hi-tech developers were expecting a total of 50 million devotees to throng Ujjain. Scorching temperatures, however, have ensured that that number is well below expectation.

"Security and other services were the priorities of the government and we have gone hi-tech to ensure that everything is in order," said Ravindra Pastor, commissioner of the revenue division and one of the key personnel earmarked to run the event.

The state has also developed two key mobile applications, 'Simhastha 2016' and 'Sarthi,' along with a dedicated web site and ensured visibility on Facebook and Twitter. Simhastha has been downloaded by 10,000 to 50,000 people, yet actual numbers on the ground remain slim.

"Complaints and requests can be registered and addressed on a real-time basis. There are six layers of administrative officers ready to address any devotee complaints," Mela officer Sujan Singh Rawat said.

Authorities here have been equipped with hi-tech devices and applications to manage a crowd of 10 million people at a time, spread across a sprawling 3,500 hectares.

The Ujjain Simhastha is one of the four legs of the Kumbh, each held on a rotation basis every 12 years. The other three being at Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag) and Nashik.

Dips in the Shipra river during Simhastha are said to wash away all sins. April 22, May 9 and May 21 are three dates that have been marked for the holy dip or Shahi Snaan this year.

"We were more vigilant this time as women seers were also expected to take part. Our app even has an emergency button," said an official on condition of anonymity, "Traditionally, the Shaivas take the first dip, followed by Naga sadhus. They are followed by other hermits, monks, priests and devotees on foot. Thousands of devotees line both sides of the streets."

"The technology set-up has been put in force keeping all their needs in mind. Even the dustbins here have GPS," he added.

Asked how the authorities were planning to take care of people who come here minus mobile phones, Manish Vijayavargiya, an IT consultant to the Madhya Pradesh, said that the state police is always at hand to keep them safe.
Here's a glimpse of all that happened around the world last week, in 12 images

IMAGE: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at The Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts in Carmel. Photograph: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

IMAGE: US Carnival cruise ship Adonia arrives at the Havana bay, the first cruise liner to sail between the United States and Cuba since Cuba's 1959 revolution, Cuba. Photograph: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

IMAGE: Girls play guitars at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace in central Pyongyang, North Korea. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

IMAGE: Police officers detain a protester during anti-capitalist protests following May Day marches in Seattle, Washington. Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

IMAGE: One of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus' performing elephants enters the arena for its final show in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, US. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

IMAGE: Evacuees from the Fort McMurray wildfires use the sleeping room at the "Bold Center" in Lac la Biche, Alberta, Canada. Photograph: Mark Blinch/Reuters

IMAGE: The 170-metre (558-feet) tall Juche Tower is reflected in Taedong River as morning fog blankets Pyongyang, North Korea. Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

IMAGE: Yazidi female fighter Asema Dahir, 21, adjusts her cap inside a bedroom at a site near the frontline of the fight against Islamic State militants in Nawaran near Mosul, Iraq. When Islamic State swept into the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar in 2014, a few young Yazidi women took up arms against the militants attacking women and girls from their community. Photograph: Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters

IMAGE: A woman walks among debris after fire destroyed shelters at a camp for internally displaced Rohingya Muslims in the western Rakhine State near Sittwe, Myanmar. Photograph: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters

IMAGE: Milli Astill, age 7, attempts to persuade 3-year old Lissi-Lu to have her photograph taken with her in their Leicester City tu-tus in Leicester, Britain. Leicester City's Premier League title dream became reality as their only remaining challengers Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 at Chelsea to complete one of the greatest ever sporting achievements. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

IMAGE: Participants take part in the annual Jack In The Green parade involving hundreds of costumed revellers joining a four hour procession culminating in the traditional 'slaying' of a Jack character to 'unleash the spirit of summer' on the May Day week end, in Hastings, southern Britain. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

IMAGE: Wizz Air's Airbus A-321 flying along the Danube river during an air show in Budapest, Hungary. Photograph: Laszlo Balogh/Reuters
Sticking to its charges despite the Bharatiya Janata Party going public with Prime Minister Narendra Modis degrees and marksheets, the Aam Aadmi Party on Monday alleged that the documents produced by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley were forged, saying there were glaring discrepancies in them.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, AAP leader Ashutosh said Modis name does not match in the BA marksheet and that of the MA degree and even claimed that there were discrepancies in the year of passing as well.

Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki jarurat hai (One needs brain even to copy). The BA marksheet is dated 1978 while the degree is of the year 1979. His name in the BA marksheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in Masters degree, it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi, said the AAP leader.

He said there were discrepancies in the PMs name even at the BA level with it being recorded as Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi in one of the marksheets while it was spelt as Narendra Damoderdas Modi in the degree certificate.

Even in BA marksheets, another AAP leader Dilip Pandey said, surname is spelt Modi in one case while it changes to Mody in another.

Ashutosh said striking off the part of ones name was not possible without an affidavit and asked Jaitley and Shah to produce copy of the affidavit.

His MA degree says he had done his post-graduation in enture political science. Is that even possible? There are a lot of glaring discrepancies in his degrees and masters degree, said Ashutosh.

The AAP leader also said Modi had failed once while doing the BA degree.

We have proved that the degrees are forged. Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Modi should apologise for this forgery which is a crime, Ashutosh added.

He said he has filed Right to Information applications seeking copies of enrolment register and convocation register for PM's degree from DelhiUniversity.

He also asked the BJP leaders to come with the AAP leaders to DelhiUniversity and jointly check out the facts about Modis educational documents there.

Earlier in the day, BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley displayed Modis degrees during a press conference and demanded an apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of defaming the prime minister.

Last week, the Delhi chief minister had said that he can assert with full responsibility that Delhi Universitys records have no mention of Narendra Damodardas Modi and that one Narendra Kumar Mahavir Prasad Modi from Alwar had taken admission in 1975.

Kejriwal had said the issue was not whether the PM was 10th pass or 12th pass but that he has furnished fake certificates and cheated the people of the country.

Jaitley said there cannot be a bigger example of an aam aadmi than Modi as despite being in public life, he would travel from Gujarat to Delhi in the 70s to take BA examination as an external student.

I knew this because I was a student union leader in DelhiUniversity then as he would stay in ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parsihad) office in 33, Bungalow Road, he added.

Taking a jibe at the AAP, he said it should have rather praised Modi for his educational achievements as a common man for whom it is supposed to speak.

Without checking up any fact, AAP levelled such allegations. It is public discourse at its lowest level, he said.

Asked whether a case of defamation would be filed against Kejriwal, Shah ruled it out.

He also attacked Congress Manish Tewari and Janata Dal-United leader K C Tyagi for supporting Kejriwal on the issue.

The Congress should first clear the air on the AgustaWestland issue, he said.

Asked to comment on the chief information commissioner order over the issue, Shah refused to react saying it was a legal issue whether the order was wrong or right.
Scores of people across the country on Monday observed a rare astronomical phenomenon, Mercury's transit of the Sun, that occurs only 13 times in a century as planet Mercury was seen navigating as dot on the

solar disc.

This phenomenon took place when the planet was seen as a small black dot travelling from one limb of the solar disc to the other.

IMAGE: During the transition, the planet Mercury (small dot on left) passes in front of the Sun

This occurs only when the Sun, Mercury and the Earth are lined up in one plane. It appears as a dot on the disc because its angular size is very small compared to that of the Sun as seen from the Earth.

The next transit of Mercury will take place on November 11, 2019 but the event cannot be seen from India as the same will begin after the sunset time of all places in the country.

"The transit of Mercury on November 13, 2032 will be visible again from India," Deputy Director, Nehru Planetarium, Delhi, N Rathnasree said.

The phenomenon is a relatively rare one which occurs 13 or 14 times in a century. It occurs in May and November. The interval between one November transit and next November transit may be 7, 13 or 33 years whereas the interval between one May transit and the next May transit may be 13 or 33 years.

IMAGE: People stand in a queue to witness the transit of the planet Mercury in Guwahati.

There were also a warning issued not to view the phenomenon with a naked eye.

"In Delhi, we had also created a dark room in which the an enlarged Sun was viewed on a projector. More than a thousand people attended the session," Rathnasree said.

In all the four metropolitans, the event started at 4.41 pm.

In Kolkata, despite a partially overcast sky, enthusiasts viewed the passage of the mercury across the sun.

"The size of mercury being very small in comparison to the sun, it appeared just like a dot on the solar disc," Director of Positional Astronomy Centre Sanjib Sen said.

IMAGE: A man uses telescope to observe the Mercury transit in Guwahati.

The transit of Mercury was visible from most parts of of Asia (except south eastern parts and Japan), Europe, Africa, Greenland, South America, North America, Arctic, North Atlantic Ocean and much of the Pacific Ocean area.

The entire transit, from beginning to end, was visible from eastern North America, northern South America, the Arctic, Greenland, extreme northwestern Africa, western Europe, and the North Atlantic Ocean.

The last transit of Mercury had occurred on November 6, 2006 when just the end of the event was visible from the extreme north-eastern parts of India at sunrise.
The Madras high court has dismissed the bail petitions of the parents of a girl and another accused in a case relating to the alleged honour killing of a Dalit youth at Udumalpet in March.

Vacation Judge P Kalaiyarasan dismissed the criminal original petitions from the parents --- Chinnasamy, Annalakshmi -- and V Prasanna Kumar, observing that it was not conducive to free the petitioners on bail "under the present circumstances."

The matter relates to the March 14 attack on a couple by a gang using lethal weapons, in which Dalit youth Shankar (22) died and his wife Kausalya survived with grievous injuries.

Five persons, including the girl's parents, were arrested in connection with the case.

Declining to grant the bail, the judge in his order said "the fact remains that Kausalya belonging to Thevar community being a major married Sankar who belongs to SC community."

".... Considering all the aspects such as the release of the petitioners which will have its own impact on society where there are divisions and classes and the possibility of the petitioners tampering with evidence, it is not conducive to enlarge the petitioners on bail, not only in the interest of the petitioners and de facto complainant, but also in the interest of society," the judge said.
Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor M N Patel revealed Narendra Modi's MA results at an impromptu press briefing at his house.

Vinay Umarji reports.

The residence of Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor M N Patel, left, was unusually busy on May 1. The 64 year old held an impromptu press conference at his house that instantly catapulted him into the limelight.

To the handful of print and electronic media journalists who had turned up, Patel revealed the score card of Prime Minister Narendra Modi: The marks he had obtained in MA (political science) as an external student of the university.

Patel revealed that Modi had scored 62.3 per cent in MA in 1983. In all, the prime minister had got 499 out of 800 marks.

The timing and the manner of this revelation raised many questions. Only a few days ago, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had sought information on Modi's educational qualification from the Central Information Commission.

Until Kejriwal raked up the issue, Gujarat University had maintained that it would not reveal this information to anyone other than the student concerned.

Yet, no sooner did Kejriwal approach the CIC than the marks were made public by way of a press briefing -- a move that has been questioned by many, especially the Congress.

"The post of a vice-chancellor of Gujarat University, or for that matter of any university in Gujarat, is politically backed. So, questions will naturally be asked," says a senior Congress leader in Gujarat.

Patel could have simply passed on the information to CIC. He was not bound to make it public. But those who know Patel say he has always been proactive.

Before he was brought back from retirement and appointed vice-chancellor in 2014, Patel was the principal of L D Engineering College.

His peers remember him as a workaholic who would come in to office early and stay till late, expecting the same from his colleagues and juniors.

Patel is known to be close to Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel from the time she was the state's revenue minister under Modi.

Both Anandiben and he are from north Gujarat -- Patel from Tunda village in Unjha and Anandiben from Mehsana. One of his relatives is also said to hold an important position in the Bharatiya Janata Party.

His career in academics spans five decades, during which he was the longest serving member secretary of the admission committee of professional courses. The committee is responsible for the regulation of seats and admission of candidates to professional degree courses in the state.

A civil engineer with a doctorate in structural engineering, Patel is also on several state-government-appointed committees.

His detractors allege that Patel's decision to reveal Modi's marks was backed by the government to silence naysayers like Kejriwal.

"It is either done to please the government or he was asked to do it," says a Congress leader.

Patel denies these allegations. He says he "simply wanted to end the speculation" and "put the matter to rest."

The information had been shared with the Prime Minister's Office six months ago, he says.

Having stirred the pot, the vice-chancellor who is known to work long hours is now taking a break. He is off on a trip to Europe.
Bored at work? Tired of the same old life you live? The next 10 images you see will snap you of your boredom and transport you to a world like no other!

These breathtaking shots -- of volcanoes belching lava, to long winding roads -- are in the running for National Geographic Travelers coveted photographer of the year contest.

Photographers have until May 27 to enter the competition. The grand prize winner will receive a seven-day polar bear photo safari for two in Churchill, Manitoba, in Canadas --  the self-proclaimed polar bear capital of the world and a popular destination for nature photographers.

Which of these breathtaking shots do you think will scoop the top prize?

Please click on the photos to view hi-resolution images.

Impala at Sunrise

Impala silhouetted as the sun rises in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Photograph: Kellie Netherwood/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Winding roads

In the Gorges du Dades, there are some breathtaking bends between walls of rock. Photograph: Angiolo Manetti/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

La Fournaise volcano

The last eruption of LA Fournaise Volcano. ReunionIsland. Photograph: Gaby Barathieu/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Wherever you go, I will follow you!

Romance is in the air. It was the time of day immediately following sunset. I heard a voice. Wherever you go, I will follow youthe voice says. Photograph: Hiroki Inoue/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Timeless Lunch

I was invited into the home of my guide and I stayed for lunch. This picture for me captures the comfortable relationship between the husband and wife and a thoughtful moment. Photograph: Karen Morris-Lanz/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Lioness @ Sunset

Lioness (Panthera leo) at sunset, Vumbura Concession, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Africa. Photograph: Marja Schwartz/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Early morning on Skye

An hours walk on a cold winters morning was needed to get to this location in Scotland. Looking back over the Trotternish Ridge from the Quirrang on the Isle of Skye is one of my favourite locations. Photograph: Andy Dines/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Jonas Blizzard and the Flatiron Building

While walking through the Jonas Winter Storm that swept across the East Coast last week, I captured this shot of the FlatironBuilding against a backdrop of swirling snow. With the exception of a few minor details like logos and a food cart, the image looks like an impressionist right out of another century. The cloudy atmosphere and gusty winds creates patterns that appear uncannily like brush strokes. Photograph: Michele Palazzo/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

Bond Between Friends

Shot in Sakrebailu Elephant Camp, Shimoga, India. This camp works towards rehabilitating rescued elephants from circuses and human animal conflict zones. The elephants are trained here by experienced Mahouts and forms a lasting bond between the two. Every morning these Mahouts get their elephants for a bath in the nearby river. This is also when people are allowed to interact with the elephants. Photograph: Aditya D/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest

God is observing

Thomas, 6-years-old, helping his father cleaning his truck after a long day of work transporting horses from file to Cachi. Photograph: Giandomenico Cosentino/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest
Members of Legislative Assembly of Bihars ruling Grand Alliance of Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress and their sons are openly violating Chief Minister Nitish Kumars pet claim of rule of law in the state and giving him sleepless nights by their illegal activities. M I Khan reports from Patna





Nitish Kumar has been embarrassed by MLAs or their kin in the last six months. The latest is JD-U Member of Legislative Council Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, son of a businessman in Gaya for overtaking his car on the Bodh-Gaya road on Saturday night.



Rocky is absconding after the incident.

Here is a list of legislators who have brought shame to Nitish in the last 6 months:

Raj Ballabh Yadav

Raj Ballabh Yadav, an RJD MLA from Nawada, who has been accused of raping a schoolgirl, is currently in jail.

According to the police complaint, a woman, Sulekha Devi, took the girl to an undisclosed location in Nalanda on February 6, and forced her to have liquor, after which she was raped by a man, later identified as Raj Ballabh. After she was raped, the girl said the woman gave her Rs 30,000.



A civil court in Bihar Sharif rejected the plea on the grounds that he could influence the ongoing probe if he gets bail.

He had been absconding for many days after the victim filed a complaint accusing him of rape. While on the run, he was petitioning courts to try to get an anticipatory bail. Raj Ballabh finally surrendered in court on March 10.

Ranjeet Yadav

Another RJD MLA Kunti Devis son Ranjeet Yadav has been accused of allegedly thrashing a doctor at a government hospital in Gaya in January.

Ranjeet, along with his half a dozen supporters attacked and beat Dr Satyender Kumar Sinha at the Neemchak Bathani primary health centre.

He later surrendered in the court and was sent to jail. He has half a dozen criminal cases including the murder of a leader of rival party.

Siddharth Singh

Congress MLA from Bikram, Siddharth Singh allegedly abducted a girl from Masaurhi, earlier this month. The girls father filed a kidnapping complaint and a first information report was lodged against.



In the FIR, the girls father said that Siddharth, along with his friend Mukesh Kumar forcibly entered his house and kidnapped his daughter at gunpoint.



A probe has begun into the case.



Sidharth is a known criminal-turned-politician. He has served a life term in jail term for murder.

Sarfaraz Alam



In January, Sarfaraz Alam, a JD-U MLA from Jokihat in Araria district was arrested by the railway police in Patna on charges of travelling in a Rajdhani express without ticket and allegedly misbehaving with a woman in the train. He was later granted bail.



The JD-U subsequently suspended Alam, saying his conduct brought a bad name to the party.

Surendra Yadav

A RJD MLA from Belaganj, a former minister and bahubali Surendra Yadav was in news in December last year when he sustained burn injuries at a tilkut (a sweet savoury) shop in Gaya, in a brawl involving him, his bodyguard and driver and shopkeepers.

Bima Bharti

Earlier, former Bihar minister and JD-U MLA Bima Bharti was in the news for wrong reason. Allegedly, she had helped her gangster husband Awadesh Mandal to escaped from the police stations lock-up in the Purnea district.

Later Mandal was arrested from Bhagalpur.
Tribal rights activist Gladson Dungdung was offloaded from a London-bound Air India flight in New Delhi on Monday even as the national carrier sought to distance itself from the incident saying he was offloaded by

"government authority".

In a Facebook post, Dungdung said he was offloaded by Air India from Delhi-London flight AI 115.

"The reason told to me is that my passport had been impounded in 2013, therefore, they will send it back to RTO, Ranchi for verification. The fact is that my passport was impounded in 2013 and returned to me after proper verification in 2014," he said.

Thereafter, he said he had attended a couple of international conferences in Denmark and London in 2014 and 2015 subsequently but there was no issue at all.

In a statement, Air India said it dissociates itself from the issue as "Dungdung was offloaded by Immigration/Government Authority".

Last year too, a major controversy had erupted when Priya Pillai, a Greenpeace activist, was offloaded from a flight to the United Kingdom.

According to Dungdung's post, he was going to attend the Workshop on Environmental History and Politics of South Asia to be held in the University of Sussex, UK on May 10.

"I am sure that this is a clear impact of my book 'Mission Saranda: A War for Natural Resources in India'. Defaulters of millions of INR like Vijay Malaya can't be offloaded but activists like me are bound to be offloaded," Dungdung said in the post.

"My fight for the Adivasis' ownership rights over the natural resources, adivasi identity, human rights, ecology and against unjust development processes will continue till they take away my right to life forever," he wrote.
Last week, Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com and Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com reported how 12-year-old Yogita Desai died when fetching water.

Today, they report how a nine-year-old child drowned while trying to fill water from a well in drought-ravaged Marathwada.

Photographs: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

Every tragedy needs either a defining moment or a defining image to stir the collective conscience of a nation.

Images play a decisive role in shaping the responses of the public and people in power to such tragedies. Like that haunting image of a child killed by Union Carbide's poisonous methyl isocynate in Bhopal, December 1984. Or the heart-rending image of a Muslim tailor pleading with the army to save his life during the Gujarat riots, March 2002. Or the shocking photograph of a Jet Airways cabin crew member after the terrorist attack in Brussels a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, the drought currently ravaging large swathes of India is yet to throw up such an image: An image that startles a nation's collective conscience and generates public pressure on uncaring governments to make a difference and tackle the drought on a war footing.

For prime time news television-watching middle class India and the politicians who took credit for doing their bit for the 33 crore (330 million) Indians who now face the severity of deficient rainfall since 2011, the drought may have ended the day the Supreme Court ordered the shifting of IPL matches outside Maharashtra and trains brought water to Latur city.

On the ground, the situation sinks further into desperation and hopelessness as village after village, farmer after farmer, that Rediff.com visited and met during their journey across Beed district in Maharashtra, confirmed they have just two to four weeks of water left in their wells and water bodies.

This report is not about the farmers Rediff.com reporters met and listened (their stories will follow soon) but of Sachin Kengar, 9, who drowned while fetching water from an open well even as his elder brother watched helplessly.

On Friday, we reported the tragedy of Yogita Desai, a Class 5 child who collapsed near her home on her fourth trip to fetch drinking water and died that night.

***

IMAGE: Ashabai Kengar with her youngest son Mahesh and daughter Pushpa outside her brother's house in Vida village, Kej taluka, Beed district, Maharashtra.

Her son Sachin, 9, drowned while fetching water from a well located about a kilometre from their home.

Ashabai Mahadev Kengar is a feisty woman. Married to a man, who she says was not interested in the upbringing of their four children, this homeless lady collects plastic bottles when she is home, or works as a farm hand in sugarcane fields as far away as Baramati, Phaltan (both in Maharashtra) and in the neighbouring state of Karnataka. The strenuous work fetches her between Rs 150 and Rs 200 on the day she gets work.

When Mahadev, also a farm hand, did not give her money from his earnings to bring up their children, she migrated from Murshidpur (also in Maharashtra), her husband's village, to her mother's home in Vida village in Beed's Kej taluka four years ago.

Unlike her children, Ashabai never went to school and puts forth this fact as the reason why she can't remember the exact ages of her four children, including Sachin's, who drowned on the morning of April 21.

"Mahesh (her youngest son) must be about 7, 8 years; Pushpa (her daughter) is about 10, 12; Sachin must have been 9, 10 and the eldest Chandu (who was with Sachin when he drowned), must be around 15, 16," she says, seated in an open area on a cow-dung smeared floor outside her mother's home.

Her brother's wife sits on the other side of an open door, clearly demarcating the boundary between Ashabai's abode and her brother's house. Ashatai says she had been staying in the small verandah outside her mother's home because she didn't want to burden her brother and mother with the upbringing of her four children.

"I have no home of my own," she laments as Mahesh and Pushpa sit cross-legged around their mother. "This is where all six of us would spend our days and nights, cook food, eat, drink and sleep," she says, pointing towards the open space around us which is no more that 60-odd square feet.

"Now, this space belongs to only five of us," she weeps, reminding herself about Sachin's tragic death.

When we visited Ashabai's home on April 30, it was the tenth day after Sachin's death. "From tomorrow, I will begin going out in search of work; if not that I will at least collect water bottles and get some money home," she says.

She had borrowed money from a local moneylender for her son's last rites and to feed her family in the absence of any income since her son's death. "I have to get back to work soon," she adds.

Ashabai would often take her younger children -- except for Chandu who would stay at her mother's home -- with her whenever she moved away from Vida to neighbouring districts or states in search of work. Those days, Pushpa, Sachin and Mahesh would miss school.

***

Sachin's tragic death

IMAGE: The killer well that devoured Sachin. The two brothers had taken a bicycle to get water for their family.

On the morning of April 21, Sachin along with Chandu left home on a bicycle to fetch drinking water from a well located about a kilometre away from their home.

They took the tarred road that opens right in front of their home and then after walking about 700 metres took the right turn towards the well, another 300 metres away, passing through several farms.

This was the boys' daily routine whenever they were in Vida.

When Chandu and Sachin reached the well at 7.30 am, their mother was away from home collecting plastic bottles.

"Pani shendata, shendata tyacha tol gela ani toh panyat padla (Sachin fell into the well when he lost his balance while lifting water)," says Ashabai, recounting what Chandu told her had happened that morning.

The well in which Sachin drowned has no boundary wall. A long but thin cement slab, whose two ends rest along the well's circumference is laid across the well like a circle's chord to facilitate people to rest one of their feet on the ground and the other on this cement slab.

Like many wells that these correspondents visited in Beed, including the one where Sachin drowned, this one too is a dangerous trap, ready to trap any child who did not know swimming.

Sachin and Chandu, like many, many, children we met around such dangerously designed wells, did not know swimming.

When Sachin fell in the 10-feet deep well Chandu panicked and almost jumped in to save his younger brother. "'Don't jump after me. You too will drown,' Sachin yelled at his brother even as he desperately tried to keep afloat," Ashabai tells us recounting what Chandu told her.

"That was all he could say before he went under," she says.

Chandu ran home to get help. By the time Vikas Umaji Jadhav, Ashabai's younger brother, and Chandu went back to the well, Sachin had drowned.

"Sachin was found breathless, stuck in the silt that had deposited over the years," says Ashabai, who was unaware of her son's fate till someone from the family went searching for her that morning.

"It was all over for my son between 7.30 am and 8 am that day," she says.

***

A mother's plea

"I have never been a burden on my mother, brother or his wife," says Ashabai.

"I didn't think twice before going out to earn money and look after my family when my husband stopped giving me money for our children's upkeep."

"I have on my own educated my children and will continue doing so. But I will request the government or whoever wants to help us to help us build a house where I am staying right now."

"At least, three of my children will sleep under proper shelter if that happens," pleads Ashabai. Video: Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com

While Sachin's death has been accepted by his mother -- Pushpa and Mahesh are too young perhaps to understand the pain that their mother is going through -- she wants both of them to go to school and get an education.

"Bheek magun, mehnat karun tyanchi pota bharli ahe (I have raised them by begging and working hard). I don't want them to go the way my eldest son did," she says.

Chandu, her eldest child, she says, left school when he was in Class 4 to work as a farm hand.

"Sachin was very clever. He had lots of potential, but that was not to be," she says, remembering her lost child.

Ashabai had brought new clothes for all her children a few days before Sachin's death so that they could wear it for a festival that was scheduled on May 6.

"Veechar kela samdhi lekara nat-til aani majhi lekara tashich rahtil. Mhanun tyanchyasathi bhangar vikun naveen kapde aanle. Pan devane majhya lekarala naveen kapde ghalu dile nahi (I knew that for this festival all other children, but my own, would dress up smartly. So I thought, why should my children not dress up? For them I bought new clothes by selling plastic bottles. But God didn't let my son wear the new clothes)," she says.

"I buried those clothes with him," she adds.

"I go to fetch water from the well now. I have already lost one son. Ajun kiti karu? (how many more can I bury?)."

As per the traditions followed by the Huler caste to which Ashabai belongs, unmarried children are buried after death.

***

'What will we drink if we start fearing these wells?'

IMAGE: Nandu Jadhav is a good swimmer and a regular at the well. This well is her village's only source of water and she and her children regularly visited the well.

When these correspondents visit the well where Sachin drowned, Nandu Jadhav, a resident of a small village on the edge of the tarred road, has come to fill water.

Standing precariously, with one of her feet on the cement slab and the other on the border of the well, Nandu, a good swimmer, says, "Sachin's brother should not have panicked. Instead of going to get his uncle he should have shouted for help. People from our village would have rushed... something could have been done," she says.

It is common for families in the village to send their children to fetch water from the wells, she says. "What will we drink if we start fearing these wells?" Nandu says when asked if she or children in her family feared visiting the well after Sachin's death.

"Chandu panicked. He didn't know how to react," Sachin's uncle Vikas Umaji Jadhav, who recovered his nephew's body from the 10-feet deep well, told Rediff.com over the phone.

When asked if Sachin could have clung on to the rocks adjoining the well, as there were many along the periphery of the water, Vikas says, "he didn't know how to swim. He must have got scared and drowned."

***

Will this image haunt you?

IMAGE: Sachin's younger brother Mahesh was fiddling with my camera's strap as I was speaking with his mother.

After the conversation ended Mahesh kept staring at the camera. When asked if he would like to shoot a picture, Mahesh turned coy. He agreed only after his sister Pushpa and mother egged him on.

A couple of minutes of explanation about how to go about shooting a photograph and how to compose one was all that was needed for the seven year old to shoot this one image.

Enthused by his effort he shot a couple more photographs and was overjoyed by his effort. Photograph: Mahesh Kengar

IMAGE: Pushpa's innocent smile haunts us long after we met her. Despite her penury, Ashabai wants to educate her daughter as well.

When Mahesh was looking through the viewfinder Pushpa couldn't help but keep smiling.

Her smile shall forever haunt us about how innocently children respond to personal grief, but perhaps her smile also shows us the triumph of the human spirit over death.

As for Ashabai, her poverty and her desire to feed and give Mahesh and Pushpa a proper education are reasons strong enough to overcome her personal pain.

She will be out of her home, collecting plastic bottles to help ends meet, as you read this feature. But only after she has filled water for her family's needs from the well where her son Sachin died.

Two good Samaritans have helped the family with cash: Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, Ashabai informs us.

If you would like to help Ashabai Mahadev Kengar and her family, you can call Vikas Umaji Jadhav, her brother, on +91-8412868784.
Unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Europe 'falling between the cracks'  UNICEF

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Unaccompanied refugee and migrant children in Europe 'falling between the cracks'  UNICEF, 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573025e240c.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.

6 May 2016 - New data reveal that a record 96,500 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children applied for asylum across Europe in 2015, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said today, calling for urgent measures to protect these children from the serious risks of abuse, exploitation and trafficking.

"Unaccompanied children are falling between the cracks," said Marie Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant crisis in Europe, in a press release.

"Many simply run away from reception centres to join their extended families while they wait, or because they have not had a full hearing to determine their best interests or have not had their rights explained to them," she added.

UNICEF highlighted that, according to Interpol estimates, one in nine unaccompanied refugee and migrant children is unaccounted for or missing, and that the figures are believed to be far higher.

In Slovenia, for example, more than 80 per cent of unaccompanied children went missing from reception centres, while in Sweden up to 10 children are reported missing each week. Earlier this year, some 4,700 unaccompanied children were recorded as missing in Germany, the agency said.

UNICEF's call comes as European Union member States begin negotiations aimed at creating a fairer and more sustainable system for dealing with migrants and refugees. The agency stressed that any decision affecting children should be based on the best interests of the child, and called for this principle to be strengthened in the Dublin Regulation currently under discussion.

UNICEF also stressed the importance of speeding up decisions involving a child, pointing out that children currently have to wait up to 11 months between registration and transfer to a country that has agreed to accept them. The agency said the waiting period should be no longer than 90 days, and there should be immediate appointment of a guardian and accelerated family reunification. Such measures are key to protecting unaccompanied children and preventing them from going missing, UNICEF stressed.

The 96,500 unaccompanied children applied for asylum in Europe in 2015 represent about 20 per cent of the total number of children who sought asylum.

The majority were teenage boys from Afghanistan, while Syrians were the second-largest group. A significant number were under 14 years of age, and travelling alone without the protection of adult family members or guardians, the agency noted.

In addition, UNICEF said that in some countries, unaccompanied children made up more than half of all children who arrived in 2015. In Sweden, lone adolescents accounted for 50 per cent of all child refugees, while in Italy 12,300 unaccompanied children arrived and a further 4,000 were with their families.
UN chief 'following closely' political developments in Comoros

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN chief 'following closely' political developments in Comoros, 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730264e273.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.

6 May 2016 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he is following closely political developments in Comoros in the wake of the recent judgment of the Constitutional Court ordering a partial re-run of the elections for President and for Governor of Anjouan.

"The Secretary-General reiterates his commitment to supporting the efforts of the Comorian authorities to create a climate of confidence, conducive to peaceful, inclusive and credible elections," said a statement issued by his spokesperson.

According to the statement, the UN will work together with the African Union in this regard.

"The Secretary-General urges the Government and all the actors involved in the electoral process to respect the legislation and the established rules, in conformity with the protocole d'accord of 15 March 2016," the statement concluded.

The new polls are scheduled for 11 May.
Political impasse adds 'new layer of complications' to Iraq's complex challenges  UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Political impasse adds 'new layer of complications' to Iraq's complex challenges  UN envoy, 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573026bd40b.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.

6 May 2016 - A profound political crisis has engulfed Iraq, adding "a new layer of complications to the already complex set of military, security, humanitarian, economic and human rights challenges," the United Nations envoy for the country warned today, urging the Government, constitutional and political leaders, and civil society to work together to break the impasse and advance reforms.

"A business as usual approach simply will not be enough for the people," Jan Kubis, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, said in his periodic briefing to the Security Council. "They want genuine change that will improve their lives."

Failure of Iraq's Government and political cAt this stage, the situation remains unpredictable and could unfold in many different directionslass to agree on genuine reforms prompted demonstrators to request reform of the whole government and political process, abandoning of the ethnic and sectarian quota approach that is in the fundament of the Iraq political system since 2003, the envoy explained.

In April, demonstrators breached the entry checkpoints of the Green Zone and stormed Parliament building, bringing paralysis and deadlock in the work of the Government and the Council of Representatives.

Acts of vandalism and attacks on some members of Parliament sadly broke with the practice of many months of peaceful protests, he said.

"At this stage, the situation remains unpredictable and could unfold in many different directions," he warned, noting that protests are set to continue as solutions discussed among the political class may not be enough for the people of Iraq.

Failing to promote genuine reforms and resume the work of the Council of Representatives will only serve the interest of Iraq's real enemies - a terrorist group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh), he said.

Expressing concern about reports of ISIL's use of weaponized chemicals in its attacks on civilians and security force personnel in Bashir, he called on the international community to support the ongoing investigation into these incidents and to ensure accountability of anyone found to be involved in the use of weaponised chemicals.

Civilians in Fallujah, Iraq, are at extreme risk and need urgent help. Photo: OCHA Iraq

He also condemned the continued killings, kidnapping, rape and torture of Iraqis by ISIL, which may constitute crimes against humanity, war crimes and even genocide.

Iraq's political groups must find together a solution based on the Constitution, law and principles of democracy that will respond to the needs of the people, put an end to the split and paralysis in Parliament, and enable the rapid enactment of the necessary reforms and anti-corruption measures, and the smooth functioning of State institutions without threat or intimidation, Mr. Kubis said.

The recent resumption of contacts and dialogue between Baghdad and Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, should be turned into a genuine partnership of mutually-beneficial cooperation, he said. Reconciling differences and working together on the necessary reforms will create conditions for enhanced financial and technical support by the international community to Iraq, including the Kurdistan region.

It is imperative that both Baghdad and Erbil remain committed to reaching an understanding on oil exports and revenue-sharing, on Peshmerga salaries and on other outstanding issues, including those that concerns situation in the liberated and disputed areas.

Iraq's humanitarian crisis remains one of the world's worst

On the humanitarian situation, he said Iraq faces one of the world's worst crises. In the last year, the number of Iraqis in need has doubled to nearly a third of the population - over ten million people.

Military campaigns, depending on scope and intensity, will almost certainly lead to mass displacement in the months ahead. In a worst case scenario, more than 2 million more Iraqis may be newly displaced by the end of the year, he said.

The 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan requests $861 million to provide life-saving assistance to seven million Iraqis. Disappointingly, only a quarter of this amount has been secured thus far. Unless $300 million is received by June, key front-line life-saving programmes will be cut-back or closed.

Turning to the issue of missing Kuwaiti people and property, he said that the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will be reaching out to different stakeholders to seek their assistance in various aspects that will push the process forward.

However, the main responsibility in ensuring advancement lies with the Government of Iraq. "While we remain cognisant of the sheer volume of challenges that Iraq is currently facing, its international obligations have to be fulfilled and this issue cannot fall by the wayside," he said.
Despite small upturns, UN experts note deteriorating human rights in Occupied Palestinian Territories

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Despite small upturns, UN experts note deteriorating human rights in Occupied Palestinian Territories, 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573026de40b.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.

6 May 2016 - A United Nations human rights committee has completed its annual evaluation of the situation affecting millions of people living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, during which representations were made by civil society organizations, UN representatives and Palestinian officials on a wide range of issues affecting the Palestinian and Syrian people in territories occupied by Israel.

The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories said in a press release today that during its annual fact-finding visit to Amman, Jordan - which this year took place from 2 to 5 May 2016 - a large number of civil society organizations made representations about the escalation of violence that began in October 2015 in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in which several Palestinians were killed during or after attacks on Israeli civilians or members of the security forces.

"Testimonies presented before the Special Committee in the form of videos, and oral and written submissions showed that in many cases the Israeli security forces have used disproportionate force, in some instances leading to possible extra-judicial executions," the Special Committee said.

Lack of 'systematic investigation'

A related concern presented before the Committee is the lack of "systematic investigation into cases of apparent excessive use of force by Israeli security forces." The Committee said that the importance of fully investigating all incidents where security forces have allegedly caused death or injury, and of holding those responsible to account was underscored.

The Committee noted that against this backdrop, and the lack of progress made on accountability in relation to the 2014 Gaza escalation, fears were expressed about what was described as "the faulty justice system" in Israel, and the dilemma faced by some non-governmental organizations on whether to approach the existing Israeli justice system, civil or military, for redress.

"Fears were also expressed that the separation of power between the judiciary and the executive was increasingly narrowing, potentially affecting the independence of the judiciary and the decisions of the courts in Israel," the Committee said.

The Special Committee is composed of three Member States: Sri Lanka (Chair), Malaysia and Senegal. This year the Member States are represented by Amrith Rohan Perera, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York; Ramlan bin Ibrahim, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN in New York; and Mame Baba Cisse, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Senegal to the UN in Geneva.

In its statement, the Special Committee noted with particular concern video footage of Israeli security forces blocking ambulances from reaching injured Palestinians in the West Bank, and at times attacking Palestinian medical personnel arriving on the scene of an incident to provide first aid.

The Committee said it was further concerned to learn that about 70 dead bodies of Palestinians who were killed since October 2015, in the context of alleged attacks on Israeli civilians or security forces, were held by Israel for many weeks and months, denying the families a proper closure.

As of today, while many bodies have been returned to their families, it was further stated that the bodies of 18 Palestinians killed continue to be held by Israel, the Special Committee said.

"Representations were made that Israeli authorities have prohibited autopsies, and that the dead bodies are kept in poor and inhumane conditions, stacked on top of each other. It was brought to the attention of the Committee that the bodies returned to the families are often disfigured, sometimes beyond recognition, denying the families the right to accord, with dignity, final religious rites," the Committee said.

The Committee was also briefed on the threats and intimidation faced by human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in Israel. According to the representations, this has taken different forms, including restrictions/denial of freedom of movement, threatening phone calls and emails, and death threats in extreme cases.

A boy in the Bedouin refugee community of Um al Khayr in the South Hebron Hills where large scale home demolitions by Israeli authorities took place. Photo: UNRWA

"Steps should be adopted to provide protection necessary for human rights defenders in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory to carry out their work freely and without fear of attacks and harassment. In this regard, the need to fully investigate attacks and threats against human rights defenders, and to hold accountable those responsible, was stressed," the Committee said.

Testimonies on 'coercive environment' in the West Bank

According to testimonies received by the Special Committee, Israeli authorities maintain a "coercive environment" as part of efforts to consolidate control of Area C in the West Bank.

The Committee said representations expressed concerns over settler violence, and the demolition of Palestinian homes and structures. Cases of destruction of donor-funded structures in Area C were viewed as reprisal measures by Israel for steps adopted by the European Union to counter the sale of settlement products. The Committee members also heard testimony from a representative of a Bedouin community at risk of forcible transfer.

The Special Committee said it also heard about the negative impact of the occupation on children's education in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, among others, as a result of frequent raids by Israeli security forces inside school premises during classroom hours, the arrest and detention of teachers and students, and the intimidating presence of soldiers on roads in close vicinity to schools, and at multiple checkpoints along the way to school.

Further, the Special Committee was briefed about the exploitation of natural resources, including oil and gas, from the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan by Israeli and international companies.

The Special Committee said it noted "certain measures such as extension of access to sea in Gaza to 9 nautical miles, and a slight increase in movement of persons and goods, which could potentially have some positive impact on the daily lives of Palestinians living in Gaza."

Another development noted by civil society representations was the unsuccessful implementation of the controversial force feeding bill adopted by the Knesset this past year due to refusal to cooperate by Israeli doctors and the Israeli Medical Association.

"It was underscored that despite these small improvements, the overall human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan was deteriorating," the Special Committee said.

The UN General Assembly established the Special Committee in 1968 to examine the human rights situation in the occupied Syrian Golan, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.
Syria: UN condemns camp bombing, underlines political solution 'more urgent than ever'

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: UN condemns camp bombing, underlines political solution 'more urgent than ever', 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730270040d.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.

6 May 2016 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior United Nations officials today "unreservedly" condemned yesterday's bombing of two camps for displaced people in Sarmada, located in north-western Syria, which according to early reports by first responders, killed around 30 civilians including children.

In a statement, Mr. Ban reiterated his call on the Security Council to send a strong message to all warring parties that there will be "serious consequences" for grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

"Those responsible for yesterday's seemingly calculated attack against civilians in the camp in Idlib, which could constitute a war crime, must be held accountable," he said, urging the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Also calling the attacks "a flagrant violation of international humanitarian and human rights law," the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the strikes demonstrate once again the "extreme difficulty" confronting civilians fleeing violence in Syria as they try to find safety.

According to UNHCR, the informal settlement of Ghita Al-Rahmeh, near the village of Al-Kamoneh, was hosting around 2,500 people-approximately 450 families-who had already fled their homes in western and northern rural Aleppo since late last year. Reports indicate that many people have since fled to surrounding hills, fearing further attacks.

The victims of the strikes are among some 6.5 million internally displaced people in Syria, many of whom have been uprooted several times as the frontlines of conflict have shifted over the last five years.

"It is an unacceptable tragedy that civilians who had already fled for their lives have been targeted in this way; the strikes demonstrate shameful scorn for the sanctity of the civilian nature of camps for internally displaced people," the agency's statement stressed. "A political solution to the Syrian conflict is more urgent than ever."

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, stated that given these tent settlements have been in these locations for several weeks and can be clearly viewed from the air, "it is extremely unlikely that these murderous attacks were an accident."

"It is far more likely they were deliberate and amount to a war crime," Mr. Zeid underscored. "My staff, along with other organizations, will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to research and record evidence of what appears to be a particularly despicable and calculated crime against an extremely vulnerable group of people."

The UN human rights chief also indicated that initial reports suggest the attacks were carried out by Syrian Government aircraft, "but this remains to be verified."

"It is hard to find any more words to describe the horror facing civilians in Syria: bombed and slaughtered in their homes, shot in the streets and tortured in prisons; bombed in their hospital beds; bombed in the camps they flee to; facing immense difficulties crossing borders to escape the horror that has engulfed their country for five long years; and finally - if they somehow manage to get there - facing rejection and xenophobia in Europe," he stated.

In addition, the High Commissioner said he is alarmed about developments in Hama Central Prison where a riot took place on 1 May after the authorities reportedly tried to extract five detainees and take them to the notorious Sidnaya prison where they were allegedly going to be executed.

"Detainees took control of a section of the prison and are holding some guards hostage, and the authorities have cut off water and electricity supplies," Mr. Zeid reported. "Heavily armed security forces are surrounding the prison and we fear that a possibly lethal assault is imminent. Hundreds of lives are at stake, and I call on the authorities to resort to mediation, or other alternatives to force."
Syria: UN relief chief calls for probe into air strikes that left dozens dead in Idleb

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 5 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Syria: UN relief chief calls for probe into air strikes that left dozens dead in Idleb, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730271240c.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.

5 May 2016 - The top United Nations humanitarian official has called for an immediate, impartial and independent investigation into the air strikes that today left dozens of civilians dead and injured in the northern Syrian Governorate of Idleb, which, if found to be deliberate, could amount to a war crime.

Horrified and sickened by the news of civilians killed by airstrikes that hit two settlements where displaced people had sought sanctuary, Stephen O'Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said: All parties to this appalling conflict should understand that they will one day be held accountable for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

He said that initial reports indicate that at least 30 people were killed, and over 80 injured, among them many women and children, while dozens of tents were destroyed or badly damaged.

With modern technology, there is little room for error

Modern military technology means that there is little room for error, he said, noting that if this obscene attack is found to be a deliberate targeting of a civilian structure, it could amount to a war crime.

Continued fighting and airstrikes mean that vulnerable, frightened children, women and men have nowhere safe to go. Already this year, thousands of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes, seeking safety from bombs, shelling and other violence, while millions are still trapped without access to food or medical care, he added.

International humanitarian law clearly sets out the responsibilities of warring parties to protect civilians and to take every possible measure to avoid places where civilians are living and where they are being looked after by humanitarians, he said.

Mr. O'Brien's call for accountability and action to alleviate civilian suffering in war-torn Syria follows his briefing yesterday to the UN Security Council where he expressed similar outrage at air strikes on nearby Aleppo, saying there can be no explanation of excuse [] for waging war on civilians.

My question to you [] is again: how many more deaths, how much more suffering can we tolerate before there is a collective push towards an end to this senseless and shameful crisis affecting Syrians, their neighbours and many more people beyond? he asked the Council.
Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continuing amid 'worrying' breaches of the cessation of hostilities

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 5 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Yemen: UN-mediated peace talks continuing amid 'worrying' breaches of the cessation of hostilities, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730273140d.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.

5 May 2016 - In his latest update on the Yemeni peace talks currently under way in Kuwait, the UN envoy for the conflict-torn country confirmed they are continuing despite a number of breaches of the cessation of hostilities yesterday, which he described as "worrying."

"The peace talks are continuing, we are determined to reach an agreement and this commitment will not wane over time," the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, told reporters at a press conference in Kuwait, the host country for the talks.

"We agreed with the two delegations that the De-escalation and Coordination Committee (DCC) would investigate clashes on the ground and would provide us with detailed reports with the aim of protecting the ongoing peace talks from daily developments on the ground," he added.

Highlighting the strong link between the security situation in Yemen and the political process, Mr. Cheikh Ahmed underscored that the occasional tension on the ground should not obstruct the peace talks.

"We hope that the positive atmosphere in the talks will also be reflected in the security situation. As I have always said, the only way to resolve the conflict in Yemen is through the conclusion of a political settlement," he noted.

"There were a number of breaches of the cessation of hostilities yesterday and this is worrying. We are carefully following-up on the issue with the parties with the support of the international community," he said.

In order to move the talks forward, the delegates met today in three working groups. These groups began consultations on political and security issues, in addition to issues related to prisoners and detainees.

"The parties reiterated their support to the DCC and the Local De-escalation Committees which are playing an important role in halting hostilities in their respective governorates. The UN stressed the importance of strengthening the operational role of the Local De-escalation Committees in the country and especially in Taiz. The success of those Committees in Taiz would serve as model for the country and will help ensure constant and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid," the envoy explained.

UN reports indicate that the cessation of hostilities has increased the ability of humanitarian agencies to conduct their activities and to deliver aid effectively. In the governorate of Taiz for example, drinking water was distributed and a number of health working groups were established to follow-up on medical cases and to provide medical services.

In the governorates of Hajjah and Al-Jawf, a number of emergency child protection campaigns were launched. In addition, work has started on training volunteers and specialists to provide psychological support, and around nine million internally displaced persons have been provided with food aid.

"There is no doubt the level of humanitarian need far exceeds what has been provided, but it is important to recognize that more help is getting through. We hope that the humanitarian agencies will be able to make further progress in the coming days. We call on all parties to facilitate the operations of these agencies in all governorates," said Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

Underlining that the participation of Yemeni women is a vital part of advancing the peace talks, the UN official announced that seven women leaders arrived in Kuwait last night. They are expected to meet with a range of interlocutors to urge them to reach a comprehensive political settlement.

"The women aim to deliver measured and comprehensive messages to the two delegations and the international community," he noted. "There is no doubt that their role will remain vital and their arguments central to all of our efforts and in the upcoming reconstruction phase."
Challenges to peace accord 'cast shadow' on Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress, Security Council told

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 5 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Challenges to peace accord 'cast shadow' on Bosnia and Herzegovina's progress, Security Council told, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730275340b.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.

5 May 2016 - The readiness of some political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina to question and challenge the 1995 peace accord, including new attempts to undermine the sovereignty and authority of the State and its institutions, continues to cast a shadow over positive efforts to advance economic and social reforms, the United Nations Security Council was told today.

"Questioning and challenging the fundamentals of the peace agreement is not a formula for success," Valentin Inzko, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the Council, citing the continued policy by representatives of the ruling party in the Republika Srpska (RS), in particular, its President, to advocate for the secession of that entity from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I remain concerned that this party's official platform includes a threat to organize an independence referendum in 2018 if certain conditions are not met," he said, reiterating that the peace agreement does not grant the entities the right to secede, and any attempt to change the peace agreement requires the agreement of all the parties.

Sharply divergent reactions to the recent UN tribunal's guilty verdict against former Bosnian Serb leader over the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica highlighted the need for greater efforts towards reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said.

In our countries it would be unthinkable to glorify individuals convicted of committing mass atrocities

He said he was "deeply shocked" by the high-profile opening by the current Republika Srpska President of a dormitory named after Mr. Karadzic, only two days before his first instance conviction for genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

"In our countries it would be unthinkable to glorify individuals convicted of committing mass atrocities," he said. "With this act, the RS President sent an insidious message to those affected by the horror and trauma of wartime ethnic cleansing, and put himself outside the standards and morality of the civilized world."

Processions organized in March in Srebrenica and other municipalities to celebrate the acquittal of Serbian politician Vojislav Seselj on war crimes charges raised fear among Bosniak returnees who are still trying to come to terms with the crimes of the past, he added.

Other direct challenges to the peace agreement included the RS government concluding in December that the entity's institutions would cease cooperating with SIPA, a state-level police agency, over a legally authorized raid on a police station in the RS as part of a war crimes investigation.

While the RS authorities eventually resumed operational cooperation under a signed agreement, this apparent interference of politics into police work is unacceptable, he said.

On the positive side, the country submitted its membership application with the European Union. Associated with this, the authorities also took steps to implement reform, including the adoption of new labour legislation in both entities, RS and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Although the RS has still not officially withdrawn the referendum, it does appear to have been put aside.

Another positive factor has been the regional situation. The Serbian Prime Minister's high-profile commitment of notable donor funds to Srebrenica had done much to foster reconciliation; and the convening of the first joint session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of Serbia in November was a positive step forward. A similar joint session with the Croatian government has been announced.

With these mixed developments on the ground over the last six months, "it remains unclear at what point we can say Bosnia and Herzegovina is irreversibly on course for Euro-Atlantic integration," he said.

On the security front, he said that a terrorism-inspired act carried out by a single attacker in Sarajevo on 18 November killed two soldiers of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Another concern is the participation of some citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in foreign conflicts, some of whom have returned and could present a threat for the future stability of the country.

Given the complex environment, he said, the presence of the EUFOR, or European Union Force, in Bosnia and Herzegovina with an executive mandate remains of vital importance, enabling his office and others in the international community to fulfil respective mandates as well as reassuring citizens from all ethnic groups throughout the country of a safe and secure environment.

On the next local elections to be held on 2 October, it is not only essential that these local elections are held to the highest standards, but now critical that local elections be held in Mostar, he said. At the moment, that will not be the case because the parties continue to fail to implement the 2010 ruling of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Concluding his remarks on a positive note, he reported that a few days ago, several local associations agreed to create a single karate association for the whole country. This small step required 20 years of efforts. And the day after tomorrow, the Ferhadija Mosque in Banja Luka, demolished in the war, will be reopened - an event of wider significance for reconciliation and tolerance in the region, he said.
Humanitarian operations to support Palestinian refugees continue near Syrian capital  UN agency

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 5 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Humanitarian operations to support Palestinian refugees continue near Syrian capital  UN agency, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730276740b.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.

5 May 2016 - Following intense fighting between armed groups inside Yarmouk camp, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported that it has been able to continue its humanitarian operations in Yalda, near Damascus, since Monday.

"UNRWA has provided vital commodities and essential services to Palestine refugees and other vulnerable civilians from Yarmouk, Yalda, Babilla and Beit Saham," the agency's spokesperson, Chris Gunness, indicated.

"The conditions for safe, orderly distribution and services were maintained and civilians residing in Yarmouk were able to access Yalda, receive much needed assistance, and to return to their homes," he added.

From 7 April until 2 May, intense clashes between extremist armed groups inside Yarmouk had interrupted the agency's humanitarian operations. During this time, people were trapped in their homes, hunkered down to avoid being hit by bullets and shrapnel, with little or no food and water.

Thanks to renewed access, yesterday UNRWA was provided 1,200 civilian families with 35 kilos of food parcels including rice, sugar, pulses, pasta, oil, tomato paste, tea, salt, jam, powder milk and canned fish. The same families also received hygiene kits.

In addition, the UN agency made available to civilians the services of its mobile medical team composed of two medical officers, two nurses and one assistant pharmacist. The staff treated 259 civilians in need of primary health care including 61 children, 112 women and 86 men.

"UNRWA is encouraged by a third successful day of vital humanitarian operations and expects to continue aid distribution and humanitarian services in Yalda as long as conditions remain safe and the required authorizations are granted," said Mr. Gunness.

"It is vital that all concerned actors ensure the long-term continuation of the conditions which enabled the success of UNRWA's missions so far. UNRWA stands ready to sustain for the long term delivery of its humanitarian assistance and services for the benefit of Palestine refugees and other vulnerable civilians in the Yarmouk-Yalda area," he noted.

UNRWA has led humanitarian assistance efforts in the Yarmouk-Yalda area since January 2014. In spite of immense and complex obstacles, including frequent interruptions, the agency has established a record of persistent advocacy and effective humanitarian action in the area.
No corner of Aleppo is being spared, Security Council told, as UN officials urge end to 'carnage' in Syria

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, No corner of Aleppo is being spared, Security Council told, as UN officials urge end to 'carnage' in Syria, 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730277c40b.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.

4 May 2016 - The cessation of hostilities in Syria must be put back on track, the United Nations political chief today told the Security Council, as the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator said "there can be no explanation or excuse" for waging war on civilians, in Aleppo or anywhere else in the crisis-riven country.

"Unfortunately, the ever more shocking reports have been received from Aleppo city over the past two weeks," Jeffrey Feltman, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, recalled during a briefing on Syria and the situation in the country's largest city.

"You have all seen the horrifying images of attacks on hospitals in both government and opposition-held neighbourhoods of the city. Let me be absolutely clear once again: intentional and direct attacks on hospitals are war crimes," he declared.

Mr. Feltman took note of the recent arrangement concluded between the United States and Russia for a "day of silence" in Aleppo and its surroundings. It was scheduled to start at 00:01 Damascus time last night, but the implementation has reportedly proven challenging even as it has led to an overall decrease in violence.

"Consolidating and extending this agreement would be an important step in the right direction. We also hope that the earlier announced arrangements of 'days of silence' in parts of Damascus and Rural Latakia will also be consolidated and welcome the news that the 'silence' has been extended in the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus for the next 48 hours," the UN official said.

Turning to the political process, he told the 15-member Council that the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has clearly stated that in order to be credible, the next round of negotiations should be supported by "tangible" progress on the ground, including through increased humanitarian access.

Mr. de Mistura intends to re-convene intra-Syrian talks in May to arrive at an agreed way forward by August. Doing so without progress on the ground "runs the real risk of a failed political process," the UN political chief warned.

The Security Council also heard from Stephen O'Brien, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, who said he is "horrified" by the further death and destruction in Aleppo, and that life for people there "has lost all sense."

Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien briefs the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

"Access to basic and essential services, such as water and electricity, is sporadic, at best. People are living under daily threat and terror. Those who remain in eastern Aleppo, roughly 300,000 people, live in constant fear over the next attack from the air, including from barrel bombs," he explained, adding that "there can be no explanation or excuse, no reason or rationale, for waging war on civilians."

Mr. O'Brien's remarks also focused on the "inexcusable, deeply disturbing attacks" on medical facilities: "We have all seen the harrowing images of bombs and mortars raining down on medical facilities and medical personnel across Aleppo in recent days. These terrible attacks not only claim innocent lives, but also have a multiplier effect, leaving tens of thousands of civilians unable to obtain even the most basic levels of care, even as fighting intensifies around them."

In the last few days, many humanitarian actors have had to suspend their operations while tens of thousands of children could not be vaccinated last week. Mr. O'Brien said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which he heads up, is "dismayed" that the Syrian Government did not approve their request for a cross-line inter-agency convoy to eastern Aleppo city in May.

"My question to you today is again: how many more deaths, how much more suffering can we tolerate before there is a collective push towards an end to this senseless and shameful crisis affecting Syrians, their neighbours and many more people beyond?" the Emergency Relief Coordinator asked.

Meanwhile in Geneva, Jan Egeland, the Special Advisor to the Special Envoy for Syria, briefed the press on humanitarian efforts, saying that the fighting and bombardment in recent days is creating new areas with endless suffering and no access for human right workers.

Special Advisor to the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Jan Egeland. UN Photo/Pierre Albouy

On a positive note, he reported that during April, humanitarian workers reached more than 40 per cent of all of the people in the besieged areas, compared to about 5 per cent of people in such areas being reached during all of 2015.

Altogether, 778,000 people in hard-to-reach and besieged towns have been reached. In one of the key achievements, virtually all of the civilians in the city of Deir ez-Zor received aid from 22 air drops that have been conducted successfully in recent days.

In addition, the four towns of Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kefraya were reached, following weeks of obstacles. But going forward, Mr. Egeland added, requests to reach besieged areas have only been granted for about 25 per cent of the affected people, with another 25 per cent of beneficiaries being approved only with a significant number of conditions.

At the same time, in Berlin, following a meeting with the German and French Foreign Ministers, Mr. de Mistura said the top priority remained what was most important to the Syrian people: "They are telling us we are looking for peace, we are looking for the end of this conflict, we believe in discussion in Geneva but we need to see with our eyes that the cessation of hostilities is again [taking place]. And the test is Aleppo now."

Expressing the hope that his current diplomatic meetings, as well as the efforts of the Council, would revitalize the truce, he said: "The alternative is truly quite catastrophic because we could see 400,000 people moving through the Turkish border. We could see what, at the moment, looks like a possibility of a political transition to be actually handicapped by a cessation of hostilities, which is still there, [but] could be collapsing."
UNICEF calls for better protection of children under revised EU asylum rules

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UNICEF calls for better protection of children under revised EU asylum rules, 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573027a040b.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.

4 May 2016 - As the European Union (EU) prepares for critical talks on the rules governing applications from people seeking protection in Europe, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called for the interests and rights of children to be given greater priority.

In the coming days, 28 EU member States and the European Parliament will begin examining a draft proposal drawn up by the European Commission to reform the so-called Dublin Regulation, under which it can take 11 months between a child's arrival and his or her transfer to the State that will consider an application.

Such a lengthy process could hinder family reunification and expose children to various risks, prompting UNICEF to recommend a three-month deadline.

UNICEF is also calling for more resources and professionals to be made available to ensure that guardians are appointed immediately to adequately protect, guide and support an unaccompanied or separated child.

The agency is also calling for community alternatives to detention: no child should be detained pending his or her transfer to another State, the appointment of a guardian or provision of child-appropriate accommodation. UNICEF has stressed the use of non-custodial, community-based alternatives for children and their families claiming international protection.

The debate comes amid a refugee and migration crisis that has overwhelmed Europe's existing asylum process, and left in the balance the fate of more than 400,000 children who applied for asylum in Europe between January and November 2015.

The new rules will determine which State is responsible for considering an application for international protection that has been submitted anywhere in the EU.

"These discussions are an opportunity to strengthen vital safeguards to which children seeking asylum in Europe are entitled under international law," said Noala Skinner, Director of the UNICEF Brussels Office. "For Europe's common asylum system to be humane, fair and efficient, the protection of children must be a central priority."
South Sudan: Security Council calls on transitional government to implement peace accord

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 4 May 2016 Cite as UN News Service, South Sudan: Security Council calls on transitional government to implement peace accord, 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573027b640c.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.

4 May 2016 - The United Nations Security Council today called on the newly formed transitional unity Government of South Sudan to end the cycles of violence and suffering and fully implement the peace agreement signed by warring parties in August 2015.

In a statement to the media, the 15-nation body welcomed the formation on 29 April of the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGNU) as "an important milestone" in implementing the accord.

Recalling the thousands killed, the ongoing human suffering and the deteriorating economic situation, the Council called on the members of the transitional government to "work together to fully implement the agreement and bring an end to the cycles of violence and suffering, including by adhering to the permanent ceasefire, and by urgently creating the transitional institutions envisioned in the agreement, which are needed to maintain security and build trust between the parties."

The Council also called on the transitional unity Government to urgently remove impediments on the ground to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as there are 2.5 million people displaced from their homes and 6.1 million people in need of such aid.

In addition the new Government was called on to allow the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) free movement to exercise its mandate, including protection of civilians and investigation of human rights violations, while condemning, in the strongest terms, the attack against the UNMISS compound in Bentiu on 25 April.
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.
Togo: Authorities have failed to live up to their commitments and human rights situation has stagnated

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 4 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Togo: Authorities have failed to live up to their commitments and human rights situation has stagnated, 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730288e4.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.

Togo's human rights situation has stagnated and the authorities have failed to live up to the commitments made to the international community five years ago, Amnesty International said in a report published today, as President Faure Gnassingbe marks his 11 years in power.

The report "Togo: Human rights - A long way to go" shows that the authorities have ignored or only partially implemented several of the recommendations made to Togo in the previous Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2011. It includes Amnesty International's assessment and recommendations for the second cycle of the UPR process that will take place next October/November.

"During these last five years, security forces have killed and injured many people during peaceful demonstrations, journalists and human rights defenders have been arrested, prison conditions have failed to meet international standards and impunity for human rights violations persists", said Francois Patuel, Amnesty International West Africa researcher.

"While the international community has called on the country to make efforts, the human rights situation has not improved and this must change."

Peaceful assemblies organized by political parties or human rights defenders are often arbitrarily banned and dispersed by the police, gendarmerie or the armed forces, and their organizers often face reprisals and arbitrary arrests.

In November, seven people were killed and at least 117 others wounded, including pregnant women and children, during demonstrations in Mango in northern Togo. In March 2015, at least 30 people, including a woman and a child, were wounded at a student rally in the city of Glei. At least one person subsequently died of injuries sustained.

The authorities continue to curtail freedom of expression and to target journalists, human rights defenders and political activists who express dissent. In February 2012, Koffi Kounte, President of the National Human Rights Commission, received threats from the entourage of the Head of State after he refused to endorse a report provided by the government concerning several cases of torture. Fearing reprisals, Koffi Kounte took refuge in France.

Torture and other ill-treatment are regularly used by security forces at the time of arrest and during pre-trial detention to extract confessions or implicate defendants. In November 2015, several men arrested during protests in Mango were subjected to ill-treatments.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people suffer discrimination as the Criminal Code criminalizes same-sex relationships between consenting adults. In addition, they often face harassment and arbitrary detention by security forces.

In July 2013, the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ruled there had been acts of torture inflicted on Kpatcha Gnassingbe and his co-detainees. Seven men concerned by this case remain in arbitrary detention as of May 2016. No perpetrators of these acts of torture have been brought to court.

Amongst other recommendations, Amnesty International calls on the government of Togo to amend laws regulating the use of force and those that violate the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; and to promptly, thoroughly and impartially investigate all allegations of arbitrary arrest and detention, intimidation, threats, harassment and attacks against human rights defenders. The authorities should also protect, respect and fulfil human rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

"The international community needs to be more vigilant as regards the development of the human rights situation in Togo in the context of the closure of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Lome in 2015", said Francois Patuel.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Pakistan: Investigation crucial after Karachi political activist tortured and killed in custody

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 4 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Pakistan: Investigation crucial after Karachi political activist tortured and killed in custody , 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573028d4a.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.

Pakistani authorities must carry out an independent, thorough and transparent inquiry into the torture and death of political activist Aftab Ahmad while he was in the custody of the Rangers, a paramilitary force under the command of the Pakistan Army, Amnesty International said today.

The call comes after the Director-General of the Rangers, Maj. Gen. Bilal Akber, admitted that Aftab Ahmad was tortured in custody and ordered an internal investigation into the circumstances of his death.

"It will not suffice for the Rangers to investigate themselves. A series of contradictory statements by the paramilitary force in the hours since the news of Aftab Ahmad's death emerged point to attempts to mislead the public and resist accountability," said Jameen Kaur, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for South Asia.

"The chilling revelation that Aftab Ahmad was tortured and died in the Rangers' custody must result in an independent, efficient and transparent investigation."

"This is not an isolated incident: we have received numerous reports of a broader pattern of arbitrary detentions, other ill- treatment, torture and unlawful killings in Karachi and other parts of Sindh province. The investigation must comply with Pakistan's international legal obligations and make a break with the prevailing culture of impunity for human rights violations. It must leave no stone unturned, look into issues such as command responsibility, and its conclusions must be made public."

Amnesty International is also concerned about the arbitrary detention and alleged torture of Kehar Ansari, Vice-Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz political party. Taken by men in plain clothes from Naushahro Feroze, Sindh on 23 April, Ansari was released on the night of 3 May with bruises indicating apparent torture, a day after security forces shot at members of his party during a protest for his release, killing one and injuring seven others.

"Any members of the Rangers or other state security personnel found to be responsible for these violations must be brought to justice as part of a fair trial process without recourse to the death penalty, regardless of their rank or other status," said Jameen Kaur.

Background

Aftab Ahmad was a longstanding member of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and an aide to a senior leader of the party. Plain-clothes officials arrested him at his home in Karachi on 1 May 2016 and handed him over to the Rangers, a Pakistani paramilitary force.

On 3 May 2016, the news of his death emerged alongside disturbing photographs apparently showing wounds sustained during torture.

Maj. Gen. Bilal Akber's admission that Aftab Ahmad was tortured in custody directly contradicts earlier claims made by the Rangers, who claimed that he had died of heart failure.

A final autopsy report is still awaited. A medical board initially said that they could not conduct an autopsy because of the "state" of his corpse. Members of the MQM claim that the Rangers were present during the autopsy, which, if found to be true, would suggest an attempt to interfere with the medical board's work.

Amnesty International is aware of numerous allegations of human rights violation by the Rangers and other state security forces against political party workers and human rights activists in Karachi and other parts of Sindh province.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Iran: Overdue release of artist must be followed by freedom for other prisoners of conscience

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 4 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Iran: Overdue release of artist must be followed by freedom for other prisoners of conscience, 4 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573029264.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 release of Iranian artist and activist Atena Farghadani yesterday is a long-overdue step towards righting the injustice against her and must be followed by the immediate and unconditional release of other peaceful artists and activists who remain behind bars, Amnesty International said today.

"Atena Farghadani's release represents a legal and moral victory for her and encourages the efforts of activists worldwide to campaign for the release of other prisoners of conscience in Iran, as well as for reforms to the unjust laws used to put them behind bars in the first place," said Magdalena Mughrabi, interim Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International.

"While this is a time for celebration, it is vital that the world doesn't forget that Atena Farghadani should never have been imprisoned in the first place and that many others like her continue to languish in cells or have the threat of prison hanging over their head for peacefully exercising their rights."

Atena Farghadani's release came after an appeal court in Tehran dramatically reduced her original 12-years and nine months sentence to 18 months, most of which she had already served. The court, however, suspended a three-year prison sentence imposed for "insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader" for four years meaning that the threat of imprisonment will hang over Atena Farghadani during that period. The Iranian authorities often resort to suspended sentences to create a climate of fear, coercing activists, journalists and others into silence or self-censorship.

Atena Farghadani was sentenced on 1 June 2015 after a Revolutionary Court convicted her, following a grossly unfair trial, of charges including "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security", "spreading propaganda against the system", "insulting the Iranian Supreme Leader", and "insulting members of parliament through paintings".

All the charges stemmed from her peaceful activities including meeting with families of political prisoners, criticising the authorities on social media and through her artwork, which included a cartoon that satirized members of Iran's parliament for considering bills that restrict access to voluntary contraception and family planning services.

In August 2015, Atena Farghadani said in a note, smuggled out of prison, that the authorities had subjected her to a forced 'virginity test'. Earlier in 2016, the authorities confirmed her subjection to these tests. "Virginity testing" is highly discriminatory, compromises women's dignity and rights to physical and mental integrity, and has been recognised as a violation of the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment.

Earlier in December 2014, when she was out on bail, Atena Farghadani released a video message describing how female prison guards at Evin prison had beaten her, verbally abused her and forced her to strip naked for a body search.

"The Iranian authorities have 18 months of appalling injustice to make up for and they should start by investigating Atena Farghadani's torture and other ill-treatment including forced 'virginity testing'. They should also ensure that her conviction and suspended sentence are quashed," said Magdalena Mughrabi.

Atena Farghadani's release comes at a time when scores of others face harsh prison sentences imposed for their peaceful human rights activism. They include Atena Daemi, Omid Alishenas, Saeed Hosseinzadeh, and Asou Rostami, all of whom were arrested at around the same time and have been sentenced to harsh prison terms following grossly unfair trials on similar charges to Atena Farghadani.

"The conviction and sentences of all these young activists must be immediately quashed and the Iranian authorities must stop using the threat of incarceration to stifle Iran's young generation of activists," said Magdalena Mughrabi.

"Of course, a prisoner release is only a first step - the Iranian authorities must also reform the country's repressive laws, which for too long have been used to clamp down on dissent. As long as these laws remain on the books, human rights defenders and activists will remain at risk of being jailed simply for expressing their opinions."

Background

In its April 2016 ruling, the Appeal Court in Tehran upheld Atena Farghadani's 18 months prison term imposed for the charge of "spreading propaganda against the system" but acquitted her from the charge of "gathering and colluding against national security". It commuted the nine-month imprisonment sentence for "insulting members of parliament through paintings", "insulting the President" and "insulting prison officials" to a cash fine.

Iran's Islamic Penal Code, adopted in May 2013, maintains vaguely worded "crimes" such as "spreading propaganda against the system", "creating unease in the public mind", "insulting Islamic sanctities" and "membership of an illegal group". These "offences" are frequently used to curb the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Such laws and practices violate Iran's international obligations, including those under Articles 19, 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Iraq: Security challenges do not give carte blanche to commit human rights violations

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 5 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Iraq: Security challenges do not give carte blanche to commit human rights violations, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5730296e4.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 daily security threats that plague the lives of Iraqi civilians must not open the door to more human rights violations, Amnesty International warned today at the end of a six-day trip to Baghdad and Erbil headed by the organization's Secretary General, Salil Shetty.

Both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government promised to investigate a string of abuses by their respective militias and security forces.

"The atrocities committed by the Islamic State (IS) armed group do not give a free pass to Shi'a militias and Kurdish Peshmerga to go on the rampage in blatant violation of international humanitarian law," said Salil Shetty.

"The Iraqi authorities and their international backers should ensure human rights are not sacrificed in the fight against IS. Even during conflict there are rules that must be observed - the protection of civilians is paramount."

In Baghdad Amnesty International met with Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and urged him to rein in security forces and the multitude of militias that have committed egregious abuses with impunity for years, including extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings. The Prime Minister committed to investigate such abuses as well as promising to look into cases of hundreds of detainees being held without charge in horrendous conditions in makeshift detention centres in Anbar exposed by Amnesty International earlier this week.

The organization also met with senior Shi'a clerics in Najaf, known to command the respect of government-backed militias, and urged them to call on such groups to respect international humanitarian law.

In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, President Masoud Barzani, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and other senior government officials promised to investigate abuses by Peshmerga forces documented by Amnesty International including the destruction of thousands of homes in Arab villages and the forced displacement of residents. The organization urged the authorities to ensure the investigations into these abuses are impartial and independent.

"Neither militias backed by the Iraqi government nor Peshmerga forces are above the law. The promise of investigations is a positive sign, but the true test will be how robust and effective these prove to be. There can be no whitewash - perpetrators of such abuses must be held to account and mechanisms to ensure justice must be put in place," said Salil Shetty.

"Without justice and accountability, the cycle of violations is bound to continue."

Amnesty International also urged the Iraqi and Kurdish authorities to ensure that people displaced by the conflict are not subjected to arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on their movements.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Bangladesh: Halt imminent execution after Supreme Court upholds death sentence

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 5 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Bangladesh: Halt imminent execution after Supreme Court upholds death sentence, 5 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/573029b84.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 Bangladeshi authorities should halt the imminent execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami and impose a moratorium on the death penalty, Amnesty International said after the country's Supreme Court rejected his final appeal today.

Motiur Rahman Nizami, the current chief of Bangladeshi political party Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh in October 2014. He was convicted of murder, rape and the mass killing of intellectuals during Bangladesh's War of Independence in 1971.

"We are dismayed that the Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and death sentence against Motiur Rahman Nizami. The victims of the horrific events of the 1971 Liberation War deserve justice, but the death penalty is not the answer," said Jameen Kaur, Amnesty International's Campaigns Director for South Asia.

"Taking another life will just perpetuate the cycle of violence. We urge the Bangladeshi authorities to halt this execution immediately, and impose a moratorium on the implementation of the death penalty with a view to its eventual repeal."

The government has a duty to ensure accountability for war crimes, and it is positive that the Bangladeshi authorities are taking steps in this direction. But many credible organizations including Amnesty International and the UN have raised serious and important issues around the fairness of the ICT trials which have not been addressed.

"Victims of past atrocities deserve better than a flawed process. Today's decision has already triggered demonstrations across Bangladesh, and all sides must ensure that these do not turn violent. Security forces should ensure that the right to peaceful protest is respected, while political leaders on all sides should call on their supporters to refrain from human rights abuses," said Jameen Kaur.

Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature of the crime, the characteristics of the offender, or themethod used by the state to kill the prisoner.

Background

At least 197 people were sentenced to death in Bangladesh in 2015, including four people sentenced to death by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Bangladesh carried out four executions in 2015, three of whom were sentenced by the ICT.

The ICT is a Bangladeshi court set up by the Government in 2010 to investigate mass scale human rights violations committed during the Bangladeshi 1971 Independence War. Amnesty International welcomed the Government's move to bring those responsible to justice, but insisted that the accused should receive fair trials without recourse to the death penalty. The proceedings of the Tribunal in previous cases were marked with severe irregularities and violations of the right to a fair trial.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Kenya: Reckless closure of world's biggest refugee camp will put lives at risk

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Kenya: Reckless closure of world's biggest refugee camp will put lives at risk, 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57302e434.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.

Malawian authorities must take immediate action to stop the ritual killings of people with albinism following the discovery of two more mutilated bodies in the past week, Amnesty International said today.

Details were uncovered yesterday of the killing of a 30-year-old woman with albinism, Jenifer Namusyo, who was found dead on 30 April hours after she was stabbed in the back, abdomen and elbow, with her breasts and eyes removed.

The body of Malawian teenager David Fletcher, who went missing on 24 April, was discovered in Mozambique earlier this week with his arms and legs cut off.

"These gruesome killings are a reminder of the grave danger people with albinism in Malawi live in," said Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Southern Africa.

"Authorities must act now to end this killing spree and take immediate measures to protect these vulnerable people."

Thousands of people with albinism live in fear of being abducted or killed criminal gangs in Malawi, where their body parts are sold for use in rituals.

Namusyo was attacked as she made her way to another village on a bicycle to seek traditional medicine. She left home 2 a.m. and her mutilated body and bicycle were found at 10 a.m. on the same day.

At least 14 people with albinism are known to have been killed in Malawi since December 2014, while five others have been abducted during the same period. Their fate and whereabouts remain unknown.

"We call on Malawian authorities to ensure that suspected perpetrators of these horrific crimes are brought to justice, and to address the root causes of these killings, which have left people with albinism living in constant fear," said Muleya Mwananyanda.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Ethiopia: Release opposition politician held for Facebook posts

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 6 May 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Ethiopia: Release opposition politician held for Facebook posts, 6 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57302ee24.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 Ethiopian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release a prominent opposition politician facing a possible death sentence on trumped-up terrorism charges over comments he posted on Facebook, said Amnesty International.

Yonatan Tesfaye, the spokesman of the opposition Semayawi (Blue) party, was arbitrarily arrested in December 2015 and held in lengthy pre-trial detention for comments he posted on Facebook. The government says his posts against a government plan to extend the capital's administrative authority to the Oromia region were in pursuit of the objectives of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), which it considers a terrorist organisation.

"The Ethiopian authorities have increasingly labelled all opposition to them as terrorism. Yonatan Tesfaye spoke up against a possible land grab in Oromia, which is not a crime and is certainly not terrorism," said Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.

"He and many others held under similar circumstances should be immediately and unconditionally released."

Yonatan Tesfaye was arbitrarily arrested in December 2015 and held without charge for months on end. It was not until 4 May 2016 that he was charged with "incitement, planning, preparation, conspiracy and attempt" to commit a terrorist act. The state prosecutor charged that Yonatan Tesfaye's remarks were in pursuit of the OLF's objectives.

"Yonatan Tesfaye has no demonstrated links to the OLF. His arrest is just another example of government overreach in the application of its seriously flawed anti-terrorism law. This law is once again being used as a pretext to quash dissent," said Muthoni Wanyeki.

"The Ethiopian authorities should also promptly, impartially, thoroughly and transparently investigate claims that he may have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated in detention at the Maekelawi Prison, a jail notorious for its widespread use of torture."

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Smiles and laughter were plentiful at Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill last week as children zipped around the room in their brand new rides.

Roland Thomas, 2, looked up at his parents, Lowell and Renee, for direction, then punched the oversized button located on the steering wheel of his electric car and began circling around the space with about a dozen of his peers.

All the big kids ride the four-wheelers, so for him, this is pretty cool, Renee Thomas said.

The Mechanicsburg residents were part of the GoBabyGo! event sponsored by Central Penn College and hosted by Sovia Therapy of Mechanicsburg.

Earlier in the day, the couple joined other parents, along with therapists, volunteers, Sovia Therapy staff and Central Penn College occupational therapy assistant students at a workshop led by Sam Logan from Oregon State University. Logan led the group workshop on how to retrofit off-the-shelf Power Wheels-type vehicles for children with disabilities.

The concept was created by researchers at the University of Delaware and Oregon State University to help children with mobility issues explore their environment. It started in 2006 with Cole Galloway at the University of Delaware, Logan said. Thirty years of research proves that if you give children access to a powered wheelchair that they can learn to use it to experience developmental benefits.

Kelly Rice, who owns Sovia Therapy, said she learned about GoBabyGo! from one of her instructors who has a daughter who is physically handicapped. She cant walk or move on her own and we did a build for her at the Maryland School for the Blind, she said.

The workshop inspired Rice to bring the concept to Central Pennsylvania. We know from the research that putting children into power mobility causes them to want to move independently and faster on their own.

She said the project makes sense from an economic standpoint as well. At 9 or 10 months, you can put them into a power wheelchair, but getting insurance to pay is really difficult.

Inexpensive materials like pool noodles and PVC pipe are used to retrofit the toy cars. We estimate the cost to be about $100 for the cars and $100 for the modification, Logan said.

Rice said Oregon States mission is to promote the concept without benefiting financially. During this particular workshop, we did 12 builds. We pay the travel expense and an honorarium.

In return, the college asks those who benefit from the workshop to pay it forward. Logan asked me to share all the documents, which include a step-by-step manual, Rice said. We cover about 10 counties now and these will go out to all the therapists in all the surrounding counties; thats the beauty of it all.

In keeping with the pay it forward theme, those participating in this particular workshop were asked to give the cars to clinicians or another child who will benefit when their child grows out of it, according to organizers.

Sixteen-month-old Peyton Reinhard of Enola had no trouble ruling the road. She rounded a corner at a good clip in her bright yellow SpongeBob car as her mother, Heather, watched with amusement.

She has Down syndrome and is delayed in sitting and standing, Heather explained, remarking on how much fun her daughter appeared to be having. I think it will be good social interaction for her.

Rice, who teaches pediatrics at Central Penn College, was so inspired by the success of the event that her wheels are turning now too as she considers ways to keep the momentum going. I would love to set up a mobility lab so that the families can build the cars right there in the classroom.

To learn more about GoBabyGo!, visit the website at www.udel.edu/gobabygo.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Western Europe

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Western Europe, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cd324.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.

USCIRF continues to monitor religious freedom-related issues in Western Europe highlighted in previous Annual Reports. These include: government restrictions on, and efforts to restrict, certain forms of religious expression (such as dress and visible symbols, ritual slaughter, religious circumcision, and places of worship); government monitoring of disfavored groups pejoratively labeled as "cults" or "sects;" issues surrounding the accommodation of religious objections; and the impact of hate speech laws on peaceful expressions of belief. Governmental restrictions on religious freedom both arise from and encourage a societal atmosphere of intolerance against the targeted religious groups, and limit their social integration and educational and employment opportunities. Alongside these restrictions, there has been an alarming rise in recent years of societal hostility toward Jews and Muslims in Europe, including discrimination, harassment, and sometimes violence, which further isolates and marginalizes these populations. Organizations tracking anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim incidents in a number of Western European countries reported increases in 2015.

Religious Dress

Various European countries, at the national, state, and/or local level, restrict individuals from wearing visible religious symbols, such as Islamic headscarves, Sikh turbans, Jewish skullcaps, and Christian crosses, in certain contexts. For example, France and some parts of Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland prohibit wearing such symbols in public schools. A French government body, the High Council for Integration, has proposed extending the ban to public universities; in 2015, Nicholas Sarkozy, the former president of France and leader of the center-right party now called The Republicans, expressed support for this extension. The French government also does not permit government employees to wear visible religious symbols or religious dress at work. President Francois Hollande and other high-ranking government officials have publicly called for the extension of this rule to at least some private workplaces.

France and Belgium also ban the wearing of full-face Islamic veils anywhere in public. In May 2015, the Dutch cabinet approved a bill to prohibit full-face veils in education and healthcare institutions, government buildings, and on public transportation; the proposal remained pending at the end of the reporting period. Covering one's face in public presents legitimate issues not presented by other forms of religious dress, such as the necessity of facial identification, which may justify governmental restrictions in some circumstances. However, to satisfy international religious freedom standards, a restriction must be tailored narrowly to achieve a specified permitted ground (public safety, public order, public health, public morals, or the rights and freedoms of others) and it must be non-discriminatory. The European Court of Human Rights upheld the French full-face veil ban in 2014. The court rejected arguments that the ban protected public safety, gender equality, or human dignity, but found it justified to uphold "the minimum requirements of life in society." This justification was widely criticized, including by two dissenting judges, as vague, open-ended, and not grounded in European or international human rights law.

Ritual Slaughter and Dietary Requirements

A European Union (EU) directive generally requires stunning before slaughter but allows countries to exempt religious slaughter. Nevertheless, EU members Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden and non-EU members Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland continue to ban all slaughter without stunning, including kosher and halal slaughter.

In 2015, several French towns discontinued providing non-pork alternatives in school cafeterias for Jewish and Muslim students, arguing this was required under France's strict form of secularism. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right Front National (FN) political party, had called for FN members elected in 2014 local elections to take this action. Former president and opposition leader Sarkozy also publicly supported the effort.

Religious Circumcision

Disputes continue over the religious circumcision of male children, which is integral to both Judaism and Islam. Organizations such as the Swedish Medical Association, the Danish College of General Practitioners, and the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children have spoken out against the practice as abusive. In 2013, in what Jewish and Muslim groups viewed with alarm as a call to ban the practice, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on children's rights that deemed religious circumcision of young boys a violation of children's physical integrity and appeared to equate it with female genital mutilation. Two years later, a PACE resolution on freedom of religion and living together in a democratic society addressed the practice in a way religious groups found more acceptable. The September 2015 resolution recommended that religious circumcision should be performed only "by a person with the requisite medical training and skills, in appropriate medical and health conditions" and with the parents "duly informed of any potential medical risk or possible contraindication."

Places of Worship

In Switzerland, the federal constitution bans the construction of minarets. The ban was enacted through a 2009 popular referendum initiated by the far-right Swiss People's Party (SVP), which the Swiss government opposed as irreconcilable with human rights guarantees in European and international law and the Swiss constitution. No other European country has a constitutional provision or national law banning minarets, but in various countries generally-applicable zoning and other laws have been applied in a discriminatory manner to Muslim places of worship. According to the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, "[l]ocal authorities in many European cities regularly find reasons to delay building permits for mosques, but not for other houses of worship." In countries including France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, existing mosques are insufficient for the communities, particularly for Friday prayers, leading worshippers to pray in homes or outside. Farther east, there is still no official mosque in Athens, Greece, the only EU capital without one, despite the Greek parliament approving construction in 2011 and the country's highest administrative court, the Council of State, rejecting a legal challenge in 2014.

Governmental Monitoring of Disfavored Religious Groups

Since the 1990s, the governments of France, Austria, Belgium, and Germany have, to varying degrees, taken measures against religious groups they view as "cults" or "sects," including through monitoring and investigations. Targeted groups have included Jehovah's Witnesses, Scientologists, Hare Krishnas, Evangelical Protestants, and other small, non-traditional, and/or new religious communities. In 2012, the French government created a new entity (in addition to its "anti-cult" agency) to observe and promote secularism in the country, about which some religious groups have expressed concern.

Hate Speech Laws

The peaceful public sharing of one's religious beliefs is both an integral part of religious freedom and protected by freedom of expression. This includes the expression of beliefs that may be offensive to others or controversial in society, such as views on homosexuality, abortion, or other religions. Vague and overbroad laws against "incitement to hatred" that encompass speech that does not rise to the level of incitement of violence pose a risk of chilling protected expression. If used against the peaceful expression of beliefs, they can result in violations of the freedoms of speech and religion.

In January 2016, a court in Belfast, Northern Ireland acquitted Evangelical Christian pastor James McConnell of hate speech charges, for which he could have received six months in prison. The charges stemmed from a 2014 sermon, broadcast over the Internet, in which Pastor McConnell described Christianity as the only true faith and called Islam heathen and Satanic. The judge ruled that his comments were offensive but not criminal.

Accommodation of Religious Objections

There have been issues in many countries concerning how to address conflicts between religious beliefs and generally-applicable laws, government policies, or employer requirements. In 2013, the European Court of Human Rights recognized that wearing religious symbols at work or not being required to endorse same-sex relationships are protected manifestations of religious freedom that employers may only limit under certain circumstances. The decision did not establish a uniform approach for all cases, but rather gave great deference to national authorities to decide how to strike the balance in each particular case.

Another example of official policies limiting some individuals' ability to practice elements of their faith concerns homeschooling in Germany. In recent years, German parents who homeschooled their children for religious reasons were fined for violating school attendance laws, and at least one family sought asylum in the United States.

Anti-Semitism

France has the largest Jewish community in Europe and the third largest in the world, estimated at around 500,000 people (approximately 0.75 percent of France's population). There also are Jewish communities in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Anti-Semitic incidents, ranging from verbal harassment to vandalism of property to violent attacks, including terrorist attacks on Jews and Jewish sites, have occurred in multiple Western European countries in the past few years. According to many reports, these incidents increased in 2015.

Anti-Semitism in Western Europe has three primary sources: the political far-right, the political far-left, and Islamist extremists. Islamist extremists have been the main perpetrators of the anti-Semitic violence in the region; examples include terrorist attacks against a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012, a Jewish museum in Brussels in 2014, and a kosher supermarket in Paris and a synagogue in Copenhagen in 2015. Although they comprise only a small fraction of Europe's or the world's Muslims, violent Islamist extremists present the threat about which Western European Jewish leaders say that they and their communities are most concerned. Additionally, on the far-right, xenophobic nationalist political parties and groups, including neo-Nazis, continue to espouse anti-Semitism. Finally, on the far-left, anti-Israel sentiment often crosses the line from criticism of Israeli policies into anti-Semitism, especially at times of increased Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For example, in the summer of 2014, pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France devolved into calls of "Jews to the oven" and assaults against local Jews and Jewish sites.

Western European Jewish leaders emphasize that, unlike in the 1930s, anti-Semitism in the region today is not government-sponsored. To the contrary, leaders, including the French Prime Minister, the German Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have spoken out strongly against it, and governments have provided security for Jewish sites. In December 2015, the EU appointed for the first time a Coordinator on Combating Anti-Semitism. Nevertheless, reports indicate increasing Jewish emigration from Western Europe, particularly France, in the past several years. Around 7,900 French Jews immigrated to Israel in 2015 and approximately 7,200 did so in 2014. By contrast, the number was around 3,300 in 2013 and fewer than 1,900 in 2012.

Anti-Muslim Bias

Western Europe's largest Muslim population lives in France, comprising approximately eight percent of the country's total population or approximately 5.3 million people. A number of other European countries have Muslim populations in the four to six percent range, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Anti-Muslim incidents ranging from verbal harassment to property vandalism to violent assaults have occurred in multiple Western European countries in recent years. According to many reports, these incidents increased in 2015. Discrimination against Muslims, including in education, employment, and housing, also is a significant problem.

More than a million migrants and asylum seekers, mainly from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, arrived in Europe irregularly during 2015. At a time of high profile Islamist terrorist attacks around the globe, including in France, and with European governments' chaotic management of the influx, this situation exacerbated anti-Muslim sentiment. Despite the fact that many were fleeing conflict, the largely Muslim arrivals were viewed with suspicion and fear in many countries.

Far-right political parties and other nativist groups are a major source of the intolerant rhetoric and acts against Muslims in Western Europe, including against Muslim migrants and asylum seekers. European Muslim communities also face the dual challenges of Islamist extremist groups seeking recruits and sympathizers from within their communities and of members of the wider society blaming all Muslims collectively for Islamist terrorist attacks. The backlashes against Muslims following the January and November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris illustrate the latter point. Mosques were given police protection in several countries, and government and EU officials emphasized the importance of not stigmatizing all Muslims. In December 2015, the EU appointed for the first time a Coordinator on Combating Anti-Muslim Hatred.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Somalia

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Somalia, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cd5c.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.

Background

The Federal Government of Somalia, the current transitional government, was established in August 2012. In January 2016, Somali political leaders agreed that a permanent government would be voted into power during the August 2016 elections. In 2015, transitional authorities continued the contentious effort to form a federal state, and interim regional administrations still struggled to establish authority.

Provisional Constitution

The Somali government continues to review the provisional constitution, which includes a number of provisions inconsistent with religious freedom. The constitution explicitly prohibits apostasy and names the Qur'an and the Sunnah as the main source of the law within the country.

Societal and Governmental Intolerance

Somalis are almost all Sunni Muslims. Christians in Somalia are persecuted by their family and their community. Somali clerics and al-Shabaab have stated that Christianity, Christians, and churches are antithetical to Somalia. The Somali government also has shown an intolerance toward Christians. In 2013 and 2015, government officials announced, and later rescinded, a ban on Christmas celebrations in the country.

In a new development, Shi'a Muslims were harassed in Somalia during the reporting period. On December 23, government authorities arrested and deported two Iranian nationals, accusing them of proselytizing. In January 2016, the Somali government ended relations with Iran. On January 12, a Somaliland judge fined and imprisoned two Pakistani nationals for propagating Shi'a Islam.

Al-Shabaab

Al-Shabaab (also known as the Harakat Shabaab al-Mujahidin, Shabaab, Mujahidin al-Shabaab Movement, Mujahideen Youth Movement, or Mujahidin Youth Movement) came to prominence in Somalia as the military wing of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in 2006. Its stated goals are to turn Somalia into an Islamic state, build a greater Somalia including areas in neighboring countries with large ethnically-Somali populations, and spread its strict version of Islam. Since 2007, al-Shabaab has fought both Somali and regional forces in its campaign to control Somalia, at times holding large territories in the central and southern regions of the country.

In February 2012, it pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. In 2015, divisions emerged within al-Shabaab over its allegiance to al-Qaeda, with a splinter group seeking to join forces with the Islamic State and the Levant (ISIL). On October 22, senior al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Abdiqadir Mumin and some 20 of his followers pledged allegiance to ISIL. In response, al-Shabaab arrested and executed some of these ISIL sympathizers, maintaining its allegiance to al-Qaeda.

During the reporting period, the security situation in central and southern Somalia remained highly volatile. Al-Shabaab executed frequent attacks on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the Somali national army, and civilians in central and southern Somalia and also perpetrated sporadic attacks in the Puntland autonomous region. In Mogadishu, al-Shabaab bombings killed Somali government officials, international representatives, and Somali civilians. The group assassinated federal government officials and their allies whom it viewed as non-Muslims or apostates. In addition, al-Shabaab continued to brutally enforce its extremist interpretation of Islamic law, killing Christians and those accused of "sorcery." The militants also lashed individuals accused of rape and adultery.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Kyrgyzstan

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Kyrgyzstan, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cd615.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 Kyrgyz government restricts religious freedom through its 2008 religion law and other laws and policies. Pending religion law amendments would sharply increase these controls, and, if enacted, could negatively affect Kyrgyzstan's status in USCIRF's next annual report. USCIRF has monitored religious freedom conditions in Kyrgyzstan for several years.

Background

Over 80 percent of Kyrgyzstan's population of 5.7 million is Sunni Muslim; 15 percent is Christian, mostly Russian Orthodox; and the remaining five percent consists of very small Shi'a Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Baha'i communities or individuals who are unaffiliated with any religion. The country's large ethnic Uzbek community (up to 40 percent of the population of southern Kyrgyzstan) mostly adheres to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.

2008 Religion Law

The constitution purports to provide for religious freedom for all citizens, but Kyrgyzstan's 2008 religion law criminalizes unregistered religious activity and imposes burdensome registration requirements, including that a religious group must have 200 resident citizens as its founders and at least ten members, of whom one must be a 15-year local resident. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe's Venice Commission, and the UN Human Rights Committee have noted that the law violates international standards, including through its: registration requirements, criminal penalties for unregistered activity, restrictions on "fanaticism and extremism," and limits on missionary activity and the dissemination of religious materials. In 2015, some Kyrgyz officials reportedly ignored a 2014 ruling of the Supreme Court's Constitutional Chamber that a registered religious group's activities cannot be limited to its legal address and that it is unconstitutional to require local council approval of the list of 200 founders necessary for registration.

Proposed Religion Law Amendments

In 2014, the State Committee on Religious Affairs (SCRA) prepared draft amendments to the religion law that would sharply increase the SCRA's authority; privilege Islam and the Russian Orthodox Church over other "non-traditional" religions; require 500 founders for the required re-registration of all religious groups; require an annual SCRA license for any official or worker in a religious group or religious educational institution; and further limit the sites for distribution of religious materials. Draft administrative code amendments would increase the maximum fines for religious offenses to the equivalent of 14 months' average salary. In 2015, a Defense Council working group (to which the SCRA director belongs) and the Prime Minister's Office reportedly were reviewing and revising the proposals. As of the end of the reporting period, Kyrgyz authorities had not sent any proposed amendments to parliament.

Increased State Control of Muslims

Countries in Central Asia face security threats from groups using violence in the name of religion, and thousands of Central Asians, including official estimates of 250 Kyrgyz, allegedly have joined ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). However, the overly restrictive religion laws and repressive anti-extremism measures applied by the Kyrgyz and other Central Asian governments run the risk of radicalizing otherwise peaceful religious adherents.

In 2015, Kyrgyzstan reportedly implemented a 2014 Presidential Decree that increased state control over the semi-autonomous Muslim Board, including by requiring the Muslim Board to elect imams and the Chief Mufti; mandating that government officials participate in internal exams for imams; providing monetary rewards to Muslim clergy who excelled in meeting internal criteria; and requiring the Board to check with local and national law enforcement agencies whether clerical candidates belong to extremist organizations, Forum 18 reported. The Muslim Board also was instructed to select the Mufti, imams, regional imams, religious judges, and Council of Ulema members only from the Hanafi school of Islam officially deemed "traditional" for Kyrgyzstan's Muslims.

In November 2015, a provincial court in Osh doubled the five-year prison term for "inciting religious hatred" imposed on Rashot Kamalov, a popular ethnic Uzbek imam, despite his sermons against ISIL and extremism. Reportedly, Kamalov also accused local police of extracting numerous bribes by randomly accusing individuals of ISIL membership. As a result, some 200 ethnic Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan who could not afford to pay such bribes have been jailed.

Unlike other post-Soviet states, Kyrgyzstan has not banned Tabligh Jamaat, a Muslim missionary movement that reportedly is quite influential with some Kyrgyz officials. In 2014, the Kyrgyz government banned the Uzbek Islamic religious movement Akromiya as an extremist organization. Lists of prohibited religious organizations reportedly are coordinated with intergovernmental regional security organizations, in particular, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Registration Issues

Some 700 of the country's unregistered mosques have been identified as "illegal" for lack of registration. In recent years, some religious groups were denied registration, including the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and the Church of Scientology. In February 2016, the Kyrgyz Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Jehovah's Witnesses against registration denials in four cities. In October 2015, two Jehovah's Witnesses, Nadezhda Sergienko and Oksana Koriakina, were freed from 31 months of house arrest on charges of alleged witchcraft in apparent reprisal for their community's registration application. In February 2016, however, the Supreme Court returned their case to Osh for a new trial. Even registered religious minorities face obstacles; for example, in December 2015, a Chuy regional court rejected an appeal by the registered Embassy Protestant Church against a lower court's order to halt activity. The church reportedly also was threatened with mob violence.

Forced Conversion and Violence against Religious Minorities

In December 2015, Ahmadiyya Muslim Yunusjan Abdujalilov was murdered in the Jalalabad region; police arrested nine suspects and claimed they belonged to an ISIL-linked terrorist group. Local human rights activists report that Kyrgyz officials ignore hate speech, including comments by imams and the Muslim Board, in the media against religious and ethnic minorities. The Kyrgyz government also has not resolved the chronic problem of religious minorities being denied burials in municipal cemeteries controlled by the Muslim Board. For example, in August 2015, Osh city officials and a local imam did not allow a Protestant to bury her son in their local cemetery and the imam pressured her to renounce her faith. The same month, 10 police officers raided a Jehovah's Witness worship meeting in a rented cafe in Osh and brought an imam to convert those present. Police beat one man who was filming the raid; at the police station, officers strangled three Jehovah's Witnesses until they lost consciousness. According to Kyrgyz human rights activists, the government does not take legal action against police who commit violent acts during raids or against detainees.

Other Legal Issues

The Kyrgyz religion law limits conscientious objection to military service status to those who belong to registered religious groups. In addition, SCRA authority to censor religious materials  increased under 2012 amendments to the religion law  seems particularly to apply to non-traditional Muslim, Protestant, and other minority religions.

Recommendations

USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government urge Kyrgyzstan to seek expert advice from the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief as well as relevant OSCE entities on the still pending draft amendments to the religion law. The United States also should raise publicly Kyrgyzstan's religious freedom violations at appropriate international fora, such as the OSCE and the UN.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Kenya

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Kenya, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cd715.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.

Background

The Kenyan constitution and other laws protect religious freedom, including the freedom to manifest any religion or belief through worship, practice, teaching, or observance, and prohibit religious discrimination. However, government efforts to respond to al-Shabaab have resulted in large-scale targeting and collective punishment of Somali citizens, ethnic-Somalis, and other Muslims.

Al-Shabaab

In October 2011, Kenya deployed its military to Somalia to counter al-Shabaab gains in that country. Al-Shabaab responded by expanding its attacks into Kenya, including the September 2013 Westgate mall attack, June-July 2014 five-week campaign across Lamu and Tana River counties, and dozens of other terrorist assaults throughout the country. The group has killed both Muslims and non-Muslims, but al-Shabaab terrorists routinely seek to identify and isolate Christians during their strikes. The most notable al-Shabaab attack in Kenya during the reporting period occurred on April 2 at Garissa University College; 148 students were killed in the worst terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing. On June 8, the Kenyan government charged five persons with terrorism for their involvement.

Operation Usalama Watch

In April 2014, the Kenyan government initiated Operation Usalama Watch to identify and arrest al-Shabaab terrorists and sympathizers in Kenya. The operation started in Nairobi's largely Somali Eastleigh neighborhood, then expanded to the ethnically-Somali northeast and majority Muslim coastal regions. Kenyan and international human rights organizations have accused security officials involved in the operation of targeting entire ethnic and religious communities and committing gross human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, extortion, illegal detention, torture, killings, and disappearances. In September 2015, the independent, governmental Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) released a detailed report documenting at least 4,000 arrests since April 2014, mostly of ethnic Somalis, many of whom suffered severe abuses in detention; hundreds were later released and the charges against them dropped for lack of evidence. Kenya's Independent Oversight Policing Authority (IPOA) and international human rights groups reported that security officers deployed to Nairobi's Eastleigh neighborhood and elsewhere in the country beat scores of people; raided homes, buildings, and shops; and extorted massive sums of money. In Mombasa, three prominent radical Muslim clerics were assassinated, purportedly by Kenyan security officers. Also in Mombasa, mosques accused of radicalism were closed and subsequently re-opened a short time later.

Operation Usalama Watch also ordered all Somali refugees residing outside the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps to immediately return to the camps. After the Garissa University attack, the government announced plans to close Dadaab refugee camp and repatriate all Somali refugees in the country. Voluntary repatriations started in August 2015.

Targeting of Human Rights Organizations

On April 8, following the Garissa University attack, the government classified a number of individuals, businesses, and organizations as entities associated with terrorist groups and froze their bank accounts. Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI) and HAKI Africa were included in this list. These two Coast-based human rights organizations documented cases of extrajudicial killings and disappearances of alleged terrorism suspects and Muslim clerics, purportedly at the hands of government security forces, and advocated for accountability. The organizations challenged the government's actions, and on November 12 a judge cleared both groups of any terrorism links after the government failed to present evidence. However, the government has yet to unfreeze their bank accounts, preventing the organizations from resuming their work.

Regulating Religious Communities

In January 2016, the Kenyan government sought to implement registration requirements on religious communities and clerics. The proposed legislation would mandate that religious groups submit to the government a statement of faith and a list of their sources of income, and require clergy to pass a police clearance, prove accreditation from an approved theological institution, and in the case of foreign clergy, provide work permits and a recommendation from their home government. On January 28, the Kenyan government withdrew the proposal from Parliament following opposition from Catholic, Evangelical Christian, and Muslim groups.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Ethiopia

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Ethiopia, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cd815.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.

Background

Ethiopia has a long history of religious tolerance and inter-religious cooperation, and its constitution protects freedom of religion or belief and provides for separation of religion and state. In 2011-2012, however, in response to concerns about rising extremism, the government imposed the al-Ahbash interpretation of Islam on the country's Muslim community, including through required training for imams; interfered in the independence of the community's representative body, the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council (EIASC); and then arrested and prosecuted Muslims who opposed these actions and engaged in peaceful protests.

Convictions for Peaceful Protests

On July 6 and August 3, 2015 respectively, the Ethiopian government convicted and sentenced 18 leaders of the 2012 Muslim protest movement. They were convicted of plotting to institute an Islamic government and sentenced to seven to 22 years in prison under Ethiopia's controversial Anti-Terror Proclamation. U.S. government officials and human rights organizations have criticized the Ethiopian government's use of the Anti-Terror Proclamation to silence critics. On September 16, the Ethiopian government pardoned six of those convicted.

Increased EIASC Oversight of Mosques

The EIASC is the Ethiopian Muslim community's representative body, but due to the government's interference since 2011 many in the community no longer support it and view its members as government figureheads. During the reporting period, the EIASC increased its management of the Muslim community. It issued two directives giving it greater oversight, and even ownership, of Ethiopia's mosques. The directives include detailed rules regulating the administration of mosques; give the EIASC authority to issue internal mosque regulations and appoint mosque employees; and prohibit public meetings, speeches and preaching, and fundraising events without the EIASC's written approval.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Bangladesh

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Bangladesh, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cda13.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.

In 2015, violent extremists killed, threatened, assaulted, harassed, and intimidated religious minorities and self-described atheists or secularist bloggers. While the government, led by the ruling Awami League, has taken steps to investigate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators of violent attacks or threats, and has increased protection for likely targets, religious and civil society groups fear that increasing religious extremism will result in future threats and attacks. In addition, illegal land appropriations, commonly referred to as land-grabbing, and ownership disputes remain widespread, with religious minorities, especially Hindus and Christians, being particularly vulnerable. Other concerns include the implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord and the situation of Rohingya Muslims. In March 2015, a USCIRF staff member traveled to Bangladesh to assess the religious freedom situation.

Background

Bangladesh's political landscape is deeply divided between the ruling Awami League and the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The January 2014 parliamentary election was not free and fair, and was followed by violence in 16 out of 64 districts. The worst attacks occurred in minority-dominated villages. Dozens of Hindu properties were looted or set ablaze, and hundreds of Hindus fled their homes. Christian and Buddhist communities also were targeted. Most attacks were attributed to individuals and groups associated with the BNP and the main Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat).

Approximately 90 percent of Bangladesh's estimated 160 million population is Sunni Muslim. Hindus are 9.5 percent of the total population, and all other faiths, including Christians and Buddhists, are less than one percent.

Targeting of Religious Minorities

During the reporting period, religious minority leaders and laity from the Christian, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist communities were killed, injured, or threatened, and some houses of worship were attacked. These incidents were either attributed to or claimed by domestic and international extremist groups, including Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), although the government of Bangladesh denies that ISIL is present and operating in the country. On a positive note, religious minority communities reported that the government and police actively have investigated, arrested, and prosecuted individuals for threats and attacks, and have increased protection, especially during religious holidays and festivals. Religious leaders also noted that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and religious leaders, including from the Sunni majority, have made public statements condemning attacks against religious minorities. However, religious communities also report that political parties sometimes use religiously-divisive language and act in ways that exacerbate religious and communal tensions for political gain.

Murders of and Threats against Bloggers

In 2015, four Bangladeshis  Washiqur Rahman Babu, Ananta Bijoy Das, Niloy Chatterjee, and Faisal Arefin Dipan  and one Bangladeshi-American, Avijit Roy, were assassinated for their writings on secularism and freedom of thought, religious and communal tolerance, and political transparency and accountability. Groups such as Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Ansar al Islam, and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) claimed responsibility. According to the government, over 30 people have been arrested for the murders of Roy, Bijoy Das, Babu, and Chatterjee. Additionally, on December 31, 2015, two men were sentenced to death and six others to prison for the 2013 murder of blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.

Due to threats made against them, including in "Hit Lists" of individuals targeted for assassination widely available on the Internet, dozens of individuals have either fled the country or their areas of residence.

Land-Grabbing

Land-grabbing, including by police and political leaders, is a significant concern and is widespread throughout Bangladesh. Attacks on property holders and arson almost always accompanies incidents of land-grabbing. Religious minorities, particularly Hindus, believe that a lack of political representation makes them especially vulnerable targets. This problem affects all communities, which makes it difficult to determine if minorities are targeted due to their faith, their vulnerable status as minorities, or the value of the property.

In January 2016, hundreds of Christians protested against the government's attempted seizure of land claimed by the St. Peter's Church in Barisal district. At the end of the reporting period, the Bangladesh Christian Association's appeal to stop the seizure remains pending.

Property Returns

In 2011, the Vested Property Return Act established an application process for families or individuals to apply for the return of, or compensation for, property seized by the government prior to and immediately after Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. The Hindu community was especially affected by the government's property seizures. Reportedly, in May 2015, the Act was amended to add an additional six thousand acres of land eligible for return. Reportedly, in consultation with the Hindu community, the government is considering additional amendments to address concerns about the application process and the number of eligible properties for return.

Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord (CHT Accord)

The CHT Accord is a political agreement and peace treaty between the Bangladeshi government and the political organization representing the ethnic and indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts area in south-eastern Bangladesh, nearly 50 percent of whom follow Theravada Buddhism. Additionally, in recent years the Hindu population has increased from migration. According to the Bangladeshi government, out of 72 articles of the CHT Accord, 48 have been fully implemented, 15 partially implemented, and nine have not been implemented. However, in February 2016, the communities' political organization asserted that two-thirds of the CHT Accord articles are unimplemented. On a positive note, the representation of ethnic and religious groups in the CHT local police force reportedly has increased.

Rohingya Muslims

For decades, Bangladesh has hosted, in two government-run camps in Cox's Bazaar, near the Bangladesh-Burmese border, an estimated 30,000 officially-recognized Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled religious persecution in Burma. An estimated 200,000 to 500,000 Rohingya Muslims deemed illegal immigrants live outside the camps, in deplorable conditions. In late 2015, the Bangladesh government began conducting a census of the Rohingya population. Reportedly, participants in the census will receive an identification card from the International Organization for Migration, which will improve access to health care and education.

Recommendations

In its engagement with Bangladesh, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should: provide technical assistance and encourage the Bangladesh government to further develop its national counter terrorism strategy; urge Prime Minister Hasina and all government officials to frequently and publicly denounce religiously-divisive language and acts of religiously-motivated violence and harassment; assist the Bangladeshi government in providing local government officials, police officers and judges with training on international human rights standards, as well as how to investigate and adjudicate religiously-motivated violent acts; and urge the government of Bangladesh to investigate claims of land-grabbing and to repeal its blasphemy law. Additionally, the United States government should provide humanitarian parole for a limited number of Bangladeshi writers at imminent risk of assassination by extremist groups.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Bahrain

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Other countries/regions monitored - Bahrain, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cdb15.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.

During the past year, there was an increase in the number of interrogations, detentions, and arbitrary arrests of Shi'a Muslims, including clerics, for peaceful protests and criticizing the government's human rights and religious freedom record. While the Bahraini government has made significant progress in rebuilding 30 mosques and religious structures it destroyed during unrest in the spring of 2011, it did not meet its self-imposed deadline to complete the process by the end of 2014. In addition, the government has yet to fully implement recommendations from the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) to redress past abuses against Shi'a Muslims and further improve religious freedom conditions.

Background

With a population of approximately 1.3 million, about half are Bahraini citizens and half are expatriate workers, primarily from South Asian countries. Almost half of the expatriate workers are non-Muslim (approximately 250,000-300,000). Bahraini citizens are estimated to be 60-65 percent Shi'a and 30-35 percent Sunni, with approximately one to two percent non-Muslims, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, and Baha'is. Compared to other countries in the region, Bahrain is among the most tolerant of non-Muslim religious minority communities. The government officially recognizes at least 19 Christian denominations, a tiny Jewish community, Hindus, and Sikhs. A small Baha'i community is recognized as a social entity. Most Bahrainis acknowledge that their society has been historically tolerant of all faiths and religiously pluralistic to a degree that is notable in the region.

Progress and Concerns Related to Accountability for Past Abuses

Since the release of the 2011 BICI report, the Bahraini government has created entities to address accountability for abuses, including a Civilian Settlement Office to compensate for deaths and injuries from the 2011 unrest, as well as an Office of the Ombudsman in the Ministry of Interior to ensure compliance with policing standards and receive reports of misconduct. However, the government still has not adequately held high-level security officials accountable for serious abuses, which included targeting, imprisoning, torturing, and killing predominantly Shi'a demonstrators. Bahraini courts have tried, prosecuted, and convicted only a few lower-level police officers, with little or no transparency about the trials, convictions, and length of prison terms; several have been acquitted. The government has stated that there are ongoing investigations of commanding officers related to the 2011 abuses, but has not disclosed details.

Ongoing Abuses and Discrimination

In October 2015, UN experts found that patterns of cultural, economic, educational, and social discrimination against Shi'a Muslims in Bahrain persisted in 2015. They found that excessive use of force and abuses targeting Shi'a clerics continued, as did discrimination in the education system, media, public sector employment, and other government social policies, such as housing and welfare programs.

During the reporting period, Shi'a Muslims continued to be interrogated, detained, and arrested, and, in some cases, convicted and sentenced to prison terms. For example, in August and December 2015, Shi'a cleric and interfaith activist Maytham al-Salman was interrogated about his criticism of Bahraini government policies and his advocacy of human rights and religious freedom. He was charged with "expressing views regarding a case still in court" and "inciting hatred against the regime" and his travel was restricted. At the end of the reporting period, the charges were still pending. In June 2015, Shi'a cleric and prominent opposition leader Ali Salman was sentenced to four years in prison on a range of security-related charges, including inciting regime change and insulting the Ministry of Interior, which UN experts have criticized as violations of the freedoms of expression, association, and religion. Salman originally was arrested and imprisoned in December 2014. At the end of the reporting period, he continues to appeal the sentence and remains in detention.

Furthermore, while government officials often make public statements condemning sectarian hatred, pro-government media continued to use inflammatory, sectarian rhetoric. New media laws that would curb anti-Shi'a incitement, as recommended in the BICI report, have not been passed. According to interlocutors, members of the Shi'a community still cannot serve in the active military, only in administrative positions, and there are no Shi'a Muslims in the upper levels of the Bahrain government security apparatus, including the military and police.

Progress in Rebuilding Shi'a Mosques and Religious Structures

Despite a self-imposed end-of-2014 deadline, the Bahraini government has not completed rebuilding destroyed structures. In early 2014, the government increased to approximately US$8 million the amount to rebuild Shi'a mosques and religious structures, nearly twice what it pledged in 2012. It also moved the deadline from 2018 to the end of 2014 to complete rebuilding the 30 destroyed structures identified in the BICI report. In October 2015, the government stated publicly that 27 had been completed and were approved for use and that three still required legal and administrative approval. Nevertheless, as of February 2016, other credible sources found that the government had rebuilt 20 structures  15 fully in use and five nearly complete but not yet in use  and the Shi'a community itself had rebuilt seven structures. The government has stated that it helped secure legal permits for the structures built by the Shi'a community, but despite indicating willingness in the past, officials have not committed to reimbursing the community.

Of the 27 completed or nearly complete, one mosque  the Mohamad Al Barbaghi mosque, which is religiously and historically significant to the Shi'a community  was rebuilt some 200 meters from its original site. The government has stated this was for security reasons, since the original mosque site is next to a major highway, but some members of the Shi'a community continue to insist that the mosque can only be built on the original location. Bahraini officials have committed to an ongoing dialogue with the Shi'a community to resolve the remaining disputed cases, although some community representatives do not believe the government is fully committed to the negotiations.

Other Developments

In December 2015, Bahrain's Shura Council approved amendments to the law governing political societies that ban clerics from delivering sermons and carrying out religious duties while also being members of political societies. In August, the Shura Council debated criminalizing contempt of religion and insults to religious sanctities, as well as hate speech that promotes sectarian discord and undermines national unity. By the end of the reporting period, no further action had been taken. In October, there were numerous reports that authorities removed Ashura banners in some locations where commemorations were taking place; clashes followed, resulting in injuries to dozens of protestors.

Recommendations

USCIRF urges the United States government to continue to press the Bahraini government to implement fully the BICI recommendations, including those related to freedom of religion and belief and accountability for past abuses against the Shi'a community. In addition, USCIRF continues to encourage the Bahraini government to reimburse the Shi'a community for expending its own funds to rebuild seven mosques and religious structures that were demolished in 2011.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Turkey

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Turkey, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cdc15.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.

Key Findings

Turkey's constitution is based on the French model of laicite, strict secularism, which requires the absence of religion in public life and in government. No religious community, including the Sunni Muslim majority, has full legal status and all are subject to state controls that limit their rights to own and maintain places of worship, train clergy, and offer religious education. Other concerns relate to the compulsory religious education classes in public primary and secondary schools, the listing of religious affiliation on national identity cards, anti-Semitism, threats against Turkey's small Protestant community, and denials of access to religious sites in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus. There were, however, several positive developments during the reporting period, relating to minority property returns and public minority religious celebrations. Nevertheless, based on limitations on religious freedom that continue to exist in the country, USCIRF again places Turkey on Tier 2 in 2016.

Background

Turkey's constitution, adopted in 1982, provides for freedom of belief, worship, and the private dissemination of religious ideas, and prohibits discrimination on religious grounds. Under the Turkish interpretation of secularism, however, the state has pervasive control over religion and denies full legal status to all religious communities. This limits religious freedom for all religious groups and has been particularly detrimental to the smallest minority faiths. Official control of Islam is through the Presidency of Religious Affairs, and of all other faiths is through the General Directorate for Foundations. Additionally, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, a peace treaty between Turkish military forces and several European powers, affords specific guarantees and protections for the Greek and Armenian Orthodox and Jewish communities, but they are not provided to other minority groups.

The Turkish government does not maintain population statistics based on religious identity, but an estimated 75 to 85 percent of the country's population is Sunni Muslim. Alevis comprise an estimated 15 to 25 percent. The Turkish government and many Alevis view the community as heterodox Muslims, but many Sunni Muslims consider them non-Muslims. Some Alevis identify as Shi'a Muslim, while others reject Islam and view themselves as a unique culture. Turkey's non-Muslim religious minority communities are small, estimated at between .1 and .3 percent of the total population, but they are diverse and are historically and culturally significant. The fewer than 150,000 Christians in Turkey include Armenian and Greek Orthodox, Syriac Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Protestants, as well as small Georgian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, Maronite, Chaldean, Nestorian Assyrian, and Roman Catholic communities. The Jewish community comprises fewer than 20,000 persons. Other smaller communities exist in Turkey, including Baha'is.

In August 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was elected President of Turkey, after serving as the country's Prime Minister between 2003 and 2014. Turkey held two general parliamentary elections in 2015. After the June 2015 election, neither the Justice and Development Party (AKP) nor the Republican People's Party (CHP) secured a majority of seats, and efforts to build a coalition government failed. The AKP won a parliamentary majority in the November 2015 election, although the vote was marred by allegations of fraud and intimidation and incidents of election-related violence. Since 2011, the Turkish government has attempted to revise the constitution but these efforts have failed due to political disagreements unrelated to religious freedom. Nevertheless, despite the continuing constitutional impediments to full religious freedom protections, the Turkish government has shown that improvements for freedom of religion or belief are possible without a new constitution when sufficient political will is present. For example, over the past few years, the government has returned or paid compensation for expropriated religious minority properties and loosened restrictions on Islamic religious dress. That resolve, however, remains lacking on other issues, such as the long-promised reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary.

The overall landscape for democracy and human rights in Turkey has deteriorated over the last several years. The government has increased restrictions on social media and cracked down on journalists and individuals or groups that criticize the government, especially President Erdogan.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Interference in Internal Religious Affairs

The Turkish government continues to require that only Turkish citizens can be members of the Greek Orthodox Church's Holy Synod, which elects that community's Patriarch. Since 2010, 30 foreign Metropolitans have been approved for dual citizenship. The government also has interfered in the selection process of the Armenian Patriarchate's leadership. In addition, the government of Turkey denies religious minority communities the ability to train clergy in the country. The Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki remains closed, as it has been since 1971. The Armenian Orthodox community also lacks a seminary, although there are 16 Armenian Orthodox parish schools.

Religious Minority Properties

Historically, the Turkish government expropriated religious minority properties. Beginning in 2003, and especially since a 2011 governmental decree, many properties have been returned or financial compensation paid when return was not possible. According to the Turkish government, more than 1,000 properties  valued at more than 2.5 billion Turkish Lira (1 billion U.S. Dollars)  had been returned or compensated for between 2003 and 2014. For example, in 2013, the government returned the deed for 244,000 square meters (over 60 acres) of land to the Syriac Foundation that maintains the historic Mor Gabriel Monastery. However, several cases connected to Mor Gabriel remain pending before the European Court of Human Rights, including a case regarding an additional 320,000 square meters (nearly 80 acres) claimed by the Syriac community.

In 2015, the Turkish government reports that out of 1,560 applications, it returned an additional 333 properties and paid compensation for 21 properties. For example, in October 2015, the government returned 439 acres of land to the Syriac Christian Mor Hananyo Monastery in Mardin. The same month, following 175 days of protests by Armenians and various religious and ethnic communities, the government returned the deed of Camp Armen to the Armenian Protestant Church Foundation. Camp Armen, confiscated by the government in 1983, was once part of a boarding school and orphanage for Armenian children. The remaining applications are still under review.

Religious minority communities report that the government has rejected around 1,000 applications since 2011. The communities allege bias, delays, and insufficient compensation. The government states that denials are due to lack of proof of ownership, for example when different religious communities are claiming the same property.

Education

The constitution makes religious and moral instruction compulsory in public primary and secondary schools, with a curriculum established by the Ministry of National Education. Non-Muslim children can be exempted, but to do so parents and students must reveal their religious affiliation, which can lead to societal and teacher discrimination. Alevis, however, are not afforded the exemption option. In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey's compulsory religious education violated the right of Alevi parents and others to have their children educated consistent with their own convictions. The court ruled that Turkey should institute a system whereby pupils could be exempted from religion classes without parents having to disclose their religious or philosophical convictions. To date, the Turkish government has not done so, although Forum 18 reported that the government is reviewing the education system and plans to present an action plan to respond to the European Court decision.

Religious minority communities also have complained that the textbooks used in the compulsory class were written from a Muslim worldview and included generalized and derogatory language about other faiths. During USCIRF's 2014 visit to Turkey, the Ministry of Education reported to USCIRF that it was aware of the complaints by religious communities and that it had made an effort to revise the books. The ministry shared the revised textbooks with USCIRF. In late 2015, USCIRF released an analysis of the books, Compulsory Religious Education in Turkey: A Survey and Assessment of Textbooks. The report found that the textbooks included positive passages on religion and science, religion and rationality, good citizenship, religious freedom, and the origins of differences in Islamic thought. However, the study also found that the textbooks had superficial, limited, and misleading information about religions other than Islam, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and linked atheism with the concept of Satanism.

National Identity Cards

In January 2015, responding to a 2010 European Court of Human Rights' ruling that the mandatory listing of religious affiliation on national identity cards violated the European Convention, the parliament passed a law removing the requirement on the cards. However, the new ID cards, expected to be distributed in 2016, will include a microchip where religious affiliation may be included, although it will not be required. This has led to the concern that individuals who fail to list "Muslim" will automatically be deemed part of a minority community, which may lead to bias. Additionally, it is not known what affiliations will be permitted to be listed on the microchips. In the past, some groups, such as Baha'is and atheists, were unable to state their affiliations on their identity cards because their faiths or belief systems were not on the official list of options.

Alevis

Alevis worship in "gathering places" (cemevi), which the Turkish government does not consider legal houses of worship and thus cannot receive the legal and financial benefits associated with such status. In December 2014, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Turkey discriminates against the Alevi community by failing to recognize cemevis as official places of worship. In November 2015, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu presented to the Turkish parliament a new plan to grant legal status to Alevi houses of worship. Under this plan, the Presidency of Religious Affairs would pay for cemevis' water and electricity bills and provide a salary for Dedes (Alevi religious leaders), as it does for Sunni mosques and imams. At the end of the reporting period, it was not clear if the Parliament had agreed to the Prime Minister's proposal.

Anti-Semitism

Generally, the small Jewish community in Turkey is able to worship freely; their community foundations operate schools, hospitals, and other entities; and their synagogues receive government protection when needed. Nevertheless, anti-Semitism in Turkish society and media remains a serious concern. Additionally, there continue to be reports that government officials have made anti-Semitic comments. A 2015 report by the Hrant Dink Foundation found 130 examples of hate speech in the Turkish print media that targeted the Jewish community in Turkey or the Jewish community more broadly between May and August 2014. In addition, in January 2016, unknown vandals sprayed "Terrorist Israel, there is Allah" on the outside wall of Istipol Synagogue in Istanbul's Balat neighborhood. On a positive note, during the reporting period, the Turkish government took steps to publicly support the Jewish community, as described below.

Protestants

In August 2015, 15 Protestant churches and 20 church leaders received cyber-threats including through SMS text messaging, email, and social media. The community and the Turkish government believe that the threats came from religious extremists in Turkey affiliated with or sympathetic to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In one video released on Twitter, militants threatened to commit mass murder in churches affiliated with the Association of Protestant Churches. Reportedly, the Turkish government is investigating the cases.

Northern part of the Republic of Cyprus

Turkey has occupied nearly one-third of the northern part of Cyprus since 1974. In the past year, as in previous years, religious communities on occasion were denied access to houses of worship, cemeteries, and other historical and cultural sites.

Positive Developments Regarding Minority Religious Celebrations

In the last year, there were some notable developments concerning public minority religious celebrations. In March 2015, the third largest synagogue in Europe, the Great Synagogue of Edirne in Turkey's northwest region, was reopened and a service held for the first time in nearly 50 years. In December 2015, the first public celebration of Hanukah in the Republic's history was held in Istanbul's historic Ortakoy Square; the country's Chief Rabbi, Izak Haleva, lit a large menorah, the head of the Jewish Community's foundation delivered a speech, and government officials reportedly attended. In January 2015, the government also sponsored the first-ever Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, with the Parliamentary Speaker and Minister of Culture and Tourism participating. In May 2015, the Agios Konstantinos Greek Church, located in the western province of Izmir, reopened after extensive renovations; a mass was held for the first time in 93 years, with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch present. In July 2015, for the first time in 188 years, the Alevi community held a religious service in the Hac Bektas- Veli dervish convent, located in the province of Nevsehir. However, the community was required to get permission from the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry. In November 2015, for the first time in 60 years, a religious service was held in the Protestant Church in Artuklu, located in Mardin. It is unknown if these events were one-time occurrences or if they will be allowed in the future.

U.S. Policy

Turkey is an important strategic partner of the United States; it is a NATO ally and there is a U.S. airbase in Incirlik, Turkey. The U.S.-Turkey relationship includes many matters, most importantly regional stability and security due to Turkey's shared borders with Syria, Iraq, and Iran, and the emergence of ISIL. The United States continues to support Turkish accession to the European Union. In addition, in the past, the United States worked to criminalize the sources of material support for the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) by designating the PKK a Foreign Terrorist Organization and supported the Turkish military against the PKK in northern Iraq. However, since 2014, relations between Turkey and the United States have soured over a number of issues, including differences in their approaches to the war in Syria and the threat of ISIL and anti-democratic domestic actions by the government of Turkey.

Since President Jimmy Carter, every U.S. president has called consistently for Turkey to reopen the Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki under the auspices of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and to take specific steps to address concerns of the ethnic Kurdish population and other minority communities. The U.S. government also cooperates with Turkey to assist in the advancement of freedom of expression, respect for individual human rights, civil society, and promotion of ethnic diversity. Like every country except Turkey, the United States does not officially recognize the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus." However, the United States government does discuss religious freedom with Turkish Cypriot authorities and supports international efforts to reunify the island.

Recommendations

In its engagement with Turkey, the U.S. government, at the highest levels, should continue to raise religious freedom issues with the Turkish government. Specifically, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should urge the Turkish government to:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Russia

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Russia, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cdf9.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.

Key Findings

Along with other human rights abuses, violations of religious freedom in Russia escalated in the past year. There were numerous criminal convictions, fines, and detentions, particularly of Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses, under an extremism law that does not require proof of the use or advocacy of violence. The Constitutional Court ruled that material can be banned as "extremist" for proclaiming the truth or superiority of one religion or belief system. Other laws, including the recently-amended 1997 religion law and a growing number of harsh laws restricting civil society, limit the freedoms of religious groups and lead to abuses. An atheist was charged with blasphemy under a 2013 law, and was on trial at the end of the reporting period. Rising xenophobia and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, are linked to violent and lethal hate crimes that often occur with impunity. Russian officials and local paramilitary in Chechnya and Dagestan commit often violent religious freedom violations. Religious freedom violations also escalated in Russian-occupied Crimea and Russian-separatist regions of eastern Ukraine. Based on these concerns, in 2016 USCIRF again places Russia on Tier 2, where it has been since 2009. Given Russia's negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom, USCIRF will continue to monitor the situation closely during the year ahead to determine if Russia should be recommended to the U.S. State Department for designation as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.

Background

Russia is the world's largest country by land mass. Its estimated population of 142.5 million is 81 percent ethnic Russian plus some 160 other ethnicities. A 2013 poll reports that 68 percent of Russians view themselves as Orthodox Christian, while seven percent identify as Muslim. Other religious groups  each under five percent  include Buddhists, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Jews, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus, Baha'is, Hare Krishnas, pagans, Tengrists, Scientologists, and Falun Gong adherents. The 2010 census listed 150,000 Jews; the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia cites 750,000. Many Russian citizens who say they belong to a religious community are not observant.

Russia's 1997 religion law sets onerous registration procedures for religious groups and empowers state officials to impede registration or obstruct construction or rental of worship buildings. The three types of religious associations  groups, local organizations, and centralized organizations  have varying legal status and privileges. Some aspects of the public association law also apply to religious associations, including lengthy reporting requirements, annual compliance reviews, and detailed data on the group's history, doctrine, and evolution. Russia's arbitrary legal system means that government respect for freedom of religion or belief varies widely, often depending on a religious group's relations with local officials.

The religion law's preface, which is not legally binding, singles out Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Orthodox Christianity as the country's four "traditional" faiths. Although the Russian constitution guarantees a secular state and equal legal status for all religions, the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church (MPROC)  which claims as adherents 60 percent of Russians  is strongly favored, including in chaplaincies, the education system, and state subsidies. "Non-traditional" religious groups do not receive state subsidies. Officials often refer negatively to religious and other minorities, which fosters a climate of intolerance.

The major threat to religious freedom remains the much-amended Russian anti-extremism law, which defines extremism in a religious context and does not require the threat or use of violence. Among other provisions, the law qualifies as extremist "propaganda of the superiority of one's own religion." In February 2015, the Constitutional Court ruled that freedom of speech, conscience, and religion is not infringed if material is banned as "extremist" for proclaiming the truth or superiority of one religion or belief system. If any Russian court rules any print or Web-based text extremist, it is added to the Ministry of Justice's (MOJ) Federal List of Extremist Materials and banned throughout Russia. As of February 2016, that list reportedly totaled 3,291 items, including Jehovah's Witnesses' texts, the writings of Turkish theologian Said Nursi, a 1900 sermon by Greek Catholic Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky (who risked his life to save Jews during the Holocaust), and a video of police-confiscated relics of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church. Suspected extremist texts are reviewed by the MOJ's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), which is comprised of academics and representatives of the four "traditional" religions. In November 2015, President Putin amended the extremism law to prohibit the banning of the four sacred texts of the "traditional" religions: the Bible, the Qur'an, the Jewish Torah, and the Tibetan Buddhist Kanjur. However, some 4,000 Jehovah's Witness Bibles are among millions of that groups' publications confiscated by Russian customs for alleged "extremism."

A 2013 blasphemy law criminalized disrespecting or insulting religious beliefs; a 2012 public protest in Moscow's main Orthodox cathedral over the MPROC's close Kremlin ties served as the official impetus for the passage of this law. Increasing legal restrictions on civil society also impact religious groups. A 2012 law on "unauthorized" public meetings includes onerous fines and was used against a Protestant pastor for holding a religious service. Another 2012 law requires foreign-funded NGOs engaged in vaguely-defined political activity to register as "foreign agents" or face fines or two years' imprisonment. Russia's treason law was amended in 2012, threatening with 20-year prison terms those Russian citizens who provide financial, material, technical, consultative, or other assistance to a foreign state or an international or foreign organization. A 2014 "public order" law requires prior official approval to conduct prayer and public religious observance, even in places owned by religious groups. A July 2015 law banned "undesirable" foreign or international organizations that allegedly threaten state security, public order, or health; religious groups fear that it could also apply to religious bodies. A December 2015 law provided that Russian courts are not bound by European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings if they contradict the Russian constitution.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

New Legal Provisions on Religious Groups

Amendments to the religion law that took effect in July 2015 appear to require all religious communities without legal status to notify state officials of their existence and activity, including the names and addresses of all members and addresses of meeting places. Registered religious organizations only are required to give officials a list of their founders. Nevertheless, no penalties are known to have been imposed against those who meet for worship without official notification. According to Forum 18, the amendments also provide that, for the first 10 years after registration, religious groups not affiliated with centralized religious organizations cannot form religious educational organizations, hold ceremonies in hospitals, prisons, and old people's homes, or invite foreigners to visit the country.

Extremism Charges

Surveillance, investigations, and prosecutions of Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses for alleged extremism continued during 2015. For example, two Said Nursi readers, Imam Komil Odilov and Yevgeny Kim, were arrested in December 2015 and were in pre-trial detention at the end of the reporting period. Also in December, a Krasnoyarsk court sentenced two other Nursi readers; Andrei Dedkov was fined the equivalent of US$2,205 and Aleksei Kuzmenko was fined the equivalent of US$1,470. In December 2015, after a ten-month re-trial of Jehovah's Witnesses, 14 men and two women received heavy fines (which the judge waived) and suspended prison sentences at Taganrog City Court. From September to December 2015, at least 35 individuals and three religious groups were prosecuted on charges relating to alleged extremist texts, a sharp increase compared to a similar period in 2014. Courts imposed fines in 34 of these cases, and one Jehovah's Witness received a six-day prison term; two individuals and one Jehovah's Witness community member were acquitted. Of the 2015 prosecutions, 19 were for Islamic texts or videos, 17 for Jehovah's Witness texts, and two for items by the Falun Gong. Despite the 2015 overturning of the Orenburg court ruling that 50 of 68 Muslim texts were "extremist," it took several months for the texts to be removed from the banned list. Muslim leaders protested an August 2015 Sakhalin court ban on a Qur'anic commentary. After the reporting period, a Moscow regional court ruled that Scientology texts are banned as extremist.

Blasphemy Case

In October 2015, Victor Krasnov was charged in Stavropol under the 2013 blasphemy law for allegedly publicly insulting Orthodox believers in 2014 by supporting atheism in social media; his closed preliminary hearing began in January 2016. Krasnov told RFE/RL he received death threats from "Orthodox Christian fundamentalists;" he also underwent one month of psychiatric examinations in a local hospital.

Legal Status Issues

Despite a 2009 ECtHR finding that the 15-year existence rule for registration violated the European Convention on Human Rights, the Church of Scientology still is denied registration, as is an Armenian Catholic parish in Moscow. State officials obstruct construction or rental of worship buildings, particularly for allegedly "non-traditional" groups such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), non-Moscow Patriarchate Orthodox, the Hare Krishnas, and Old Believers. Muslim groups in many urban areas face official obstacles to opening mosques. Although Moscow has the largest Muslim population of any European city, it only has six public mosques; the sixth opened in September 2015 after a decade of construction.

Penalties for Public Religious Activities and Expression

In the last five months of 2015, at least 45 people and one religious group faced administrative charges for peaceful public religious activities. Most were Jehovah's Witnesses who offered religious texts in public, but Mormons, Hare Krishnas, Baptists, and a Muslim also were prosecuted; 31 received heavy fines. Additionally, human rights groups report that some peaceful ethnic Russian and other converts to Islam face possible persecution and criminal charges. For example, in 2015 Russian security police removed Vasily Tkachev from Belarus. In January 2016, reportedly he was tortured in a Chelyabinsk prison and denied access to his family and lawyer; the charges against Tkachev are not known. A Tibetan Buddhist lama who had been a legal resident in Russia since 2008 was deported from Tuva in 2015. Leading Russian Tatar imam Suleiman Zaripov from Kazan reportedly was disappeared under suspicious circumstances in early 2016, as were at least two other imams in recent years.

Violent Hate Crimes against Persons and Property

Chauvinist violence against defenders of religious minorities and migrants continues. In many parts of Russia, local officials often fail to investigate hate crimes against ethnic and religious minorities, mainly Muslim Central Asians and Jews. The Sova Center identified 38 xenophobic attacks in 2015, compared to 101 in 2014. An increased number of criminal sentences were levied for such violence in 2015, along with a sharp increase of criminal sentences for xenophobic statements or for inciting hatred, but an unprecedented number of jail terms were levied for allegedly offensive comments.

Violations in the North Caucasus

Human rights violations occur with almost total impunity in the North Caucasus. In Dagestan, the area's most violent region, Muslims alleged to be extremist or Salafist are registered, sentenced, and may be tortured or disappeared as suspected insurgents. Police continue to raid and close Salafi mosques. Human rights lawyers, independent journalists, and religious freedom activists also are targeted for violence in Dagestan. In Chechnya, the Kremlin-appointed president, Ramzan Kadyrov, oversees mass violations of human rights, including religious freedom. Kadyrov and his militia practice collective "justice," distort Chechen Sufi traditions, and run a repressive state. Under an official "female virtue campaign," women must wear Islamic headscarves and may be forced into illegal polygamous marriages. Reportedly, there is a drive to urge young Chechen men to fill out "spiritual-moral questionnaires" to document their views on Islam. At a February 2016 conference, Kadyrov equated Salafism with terrorism and conflated the peaceful preaching of a popular Ingush Salafi cleric, Sheikh Khamzat Chumakov, with the militant Salafism of the North Caucasus insurgency and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Kadyrov and his men also are accused of violence against political opponents, critics, and human rights activists, in Russia and abroad.

Russia's Illegal Annexation of Crimea

In March 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which has some two million people and a key Russian naval port. President Putin sought to justify this invasion due to the shared Orthodox "culture, civilization, and human values" of Russia and Ukraine. Almost all the 300,000 Muslim Crimean Tatars oppose Russian occupation and are persecuted. In January 2016, 12 Crimean Tatars were arrested after meeting the visiting Council of Europe Commission on Human Rights in Crimea. After the reporting period, the Russian-installed prosecutor of Crimea announced the suspension of the Crimean Tatar representative assembly allegedly because it had been declared "extremist" even though the court proceedings are ongoing.

Decline in Registration of Crimean Religious Groups

Russia required all religious groups in Crimea to re-register under Russia's more stringent requirements by January 1, 2016; of the over 1,100 religious communities that had legal status under Ukrainian law, only about 400 were re-registered. Re-registered groups include Moscow Patriarchate Russian Orthodox Churches (MPROC), Muslims including the Crimean Muftiate, various Protestant churches, Roman Catholics, various Jewish affiliations, Karaites, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Hare Krishnas. The Greek Catholic Church was not registered, nor were any Armenian Apostolic parishes. The Kiev Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church did not seek registration. Based on the Ministry of Justice Scientific Advisory Council recommendations, certain Crimean religious groups, such as the Crimean Muftiate, nine Catholic parishes, and Yalta's Augsburg Lutheran Church, had to change institutional affiliations or alter their charters so as to re-register. Some groups were denied re-registration, including St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Krasnoperekopsk, the Seventh-day Adventist Reformed Church in Yevpatoriya, and the Tavrida Muftiate, the smaller of the two Crimean Muftiates.

Restrictions on Religious Activity in Crimea

In January 2015, the Russian-installed Crimean government issued a counter-terrorism plan that authorizes police and security officials "to identify and influence" individuals "to reject illegal and destructive activity, to repent and to participate in preventive measures," particularly of undefined "non-traditional" sects. The plan also seeks to bring religious education under state control. According to Forum 18, Russian-installed officials have raided many libraries, schools, Muslim homes, and mosques and issued fines for owning allegedly extremist Islamic and Jehovah's Witness texts. Among those fined was the mufti of the Tavrida Muftiate, Ruslan Saitvaliyev. In October 2015, three Council of Churches Baptists who refused to pay fines for a public religious meeting were each sentenced to 20 hours' community service and another Baptist was fined three weeks' average local wages.

At least five of Crimea's madrassahs remain closed, as well as four of the five Crimean Muftiate madrassahs. Clergy without Russian citizenship were forced to leave Crimea, including Greek and Roman Catholics and almost all Turkish Muslim imams and religious teachers. The lack of legal status for the Greek Catholic Church creates major difficulties for their four priests, who are not Crimea natives; they can work for only three months before they must leave for a month and re-apply for permits. In 2014, five of 10 Kiev Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church priests were forced to leave Crimea; the churches of its Crimea diocese, with about 200,000 members, were targets of mob and arson attacks. The MPROC, that claims 35 million members in Ukraine, officially views the Kiev Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church as a "schismatic nationalist organization."

Russia's Separatist Enclaves in the Donbas

In those Donbas regions of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists espousing MPROC supremacy, Protestants and Kievan Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church parishes have been targets of arrests, violence, church damage, property confiscation, and discrimination. According to a March 2015 report by the civic movement "All Together," Donbas separatists in 2014 murdered seven clergymen, questioned and beat in detention more than 40 church ministers, and seized buildings and premises of 12 Christian communities, a church orphanage, a Christian university, and three medical rehabilitation centers. According to the All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, seven of their churches were seized and three more were destroyed. In February 2015, the Archbishop of the Donetsk Diocese of the Kievan Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church said that 30 out of its 40 parishes in the occupied territory had ceased activity due to separatists' pressure.

Separatist "police" in Slovyansk, Donetsk and Horlivka have arrested many civilians; Russian Cossacks also have wreaked havoc in various regions. In Slovyansk, separatists abducted and killed four Protestants in June 2014. In July 2014, a Greek Catholic priest endured three mock executions during 12 days of detention. Two Roman Catholic priests also were briefly detained in the summer of 2014. As of March 2015, reportedly 40 of Donetsk's 58 varied religious communities have to gather in homes or stop worshiping. Father Nikon, a MPROC priest, was held by Ukrainian authorities in Donbas from August until December 2015 on suspicion that he was working for the separatist forces. In January 2016, security officials of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic detained 50 people allegedly linked to an attempt to blow up a Lenin statue, including a Donetsk University Professor for History and Religious Studies; reportedly police were suspicious of his contacts with religious faiths, including Muslims.

The United Nations reported that, as of November 2015, more than 9,000 persons had died and some 18,000 had been wounded due to Russian aggression in the Donbas, including civilians, members of the Ukrainian armed forces, and Russian-backed separatists, since fighting began in 2014. More than two million persons have fled the region, including thousands of Jews, Muslims, Protestants and other religious minorities who faced pressure and discrimination.

U.S. Policy

In a key foreign policy initiative, President Obama sought to "reset" U.S.-Russia relations in 2010 to reverse what he called a "dangerous drift" in bilateral relations by engaging the Russian government on common foreign policy goals and by engaging directly with Russian civil society groups. The reset goals included promoting economic interests, enhancing mutual understanding, and advancing universal values. Arms control and foreign policy concerns took priority, but 16 working groups in a new U.S.-Russia Bilateral Commission also addressed civil society issues. U.S.-Russian relations began to worsen in September 2011, when then-Prime Minister Putin said he would again run for president in March 2012. In October 2012, the Kremlin expelled the U.S. Agency for International Development and banned its Russia programs.

In December 2012, the U.S. Congress normalized trade with Russia by repealing the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, but also passed the Magnitsky Act sanctioning Russian officials responsible for gross human rights violations, including the 2009 death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison; President Obama signed the Act later that month. In response, the Russian government denied Americans the opportunity to adopt Russian children, issued a list of U.S. officials prohibited from entering Russia, and posthumously convicted Magnitsky. By February 2016, the U.S. government had named 39 Russian officials subject to U.S. visa bans and asset freezes under the Magnitsky Act. There is also an unpublished list of sanctioned officials, reportedly including Ramzan Kadyrov, as USCIRF had recommended.

The Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014 marked a new low in Russia's international relations, including with the United States. The United States suspended its role in the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Commission. The United States has issued numerous sanctions against Russia, including banning various bilateral commercial transactions. It also has imposed sanctions against specific Russian officials and their proxies involved in the Crimean annexation and military support for separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

On religious freedom, the State Department reports that the U.S. Ambassador and embassy and consulate officers met with Russian government officials to discuss religious freedom issues, including the extremism law, registration issues and the federal list of extremist material, as well as meeting with religious leaders and civil society groups.

Recommendations

USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:

Urge the Russian government to amend its extremism law in line with international human rights standards, such as adding criteria on the advocacy or use of violence, and to ensure that the law is not used against members of peaceful religious groups or disfavored communities;

Press the Russian government to ensure that new laws, such as the expansion of the foreign agents law, do not limit the religious activities of peaceful religious groups; also encourage the Russian government to implement ECtHR decisions relating to religious freedom;

Under the Magnitsky Act, continue to identify Russian government officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom and human rights, freeze their assets, and bar their entry into the United States;

Raise religious freedom concerns in multilateral settings and meetings, such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and urge the Russian government to agree to visits by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief and the OSCE Representatives on Tolerance, set specific visit dates, and provide the full and necessary conditions for such visits;

Call for and work to secure the release of religious prisoners and press the Russian government to ensure that every prisoner has regular access to his or her family, human rights monitors, adequate medical care, and a lawyer;

Ensure that the U.S. Embassy, including at the ambassadorial level, maintains appropriate contacts with human rights activists;

Encourage the Board of Broadcasting Governors to increase U.S. funding for VOA Russian and Ukrainian Services and for RFE/RL's Russian and Ukrainian Services, and consider Russian translation of the RFE/RL Uzbek Web site, Muslims and Democracy;

Ensure that violations of freedom of religion or belief and related human rights are included in all relevant discussions with the Russian government due to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and its support of rebels in the Donbas, and work closely with European and other allies to apply pressure through advocacy, diplomacy, and targeted sanctions; and

Work to establish an OSCE monitoring presence in Crimea.

Dissenting Statement of Vice Chair M. Zuhdi Jasser:

Russia has been designated a Tier 2 offender of religious freedom by USCIRF since 2009, meaning that the Commission has felt that at least one of the elements of the "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" standard for designation as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, were being met. During these seven years, severe violations of religious freedom imposed upon the people of Russia, and now including Crimea and Ukraine, have only accumulated, with no sign of abatement nor any heed during this time by the Russian government of any of our concerns. The continued increase in the repression of religious freedom during this time in Russia beyond a doubt has come to include all of the elements of the definition of "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" violations of religious freedom. The Russian government has had far too long to address all of these areas of concern in Tier 2 status that we have annually raised and their indifference to them, along with a concomitant increase in the religious freedom violations, I believe now requires that the State Department designate Russia a CPC.

I also do not believe the case has been adequately made to explain why the violations described in this report do not now, after all this time and expansion rather than retraction, meet the criteria for CPC designation. This report very well delineates all the areas of concern. But specifically in order to reiterate those offenses which particularly merit CPC designation, I want to highlight the following eight areas:

1) In 2015, there was an increase in the number of criminal convictions, fines, and detentions, particularly of Muslims and Jehovah's Witnesses for alleged extremism. A prisoner list compiled by an NGO includes at least 105 religious prisoners in Russia. 2) As of February 2016, 3,291 items had been banned as extremist, including Jehovah's Witnesses' texts and the writings of Turkish theologian Said Nursi. Last year, the number was 2,634. 3) In just part of the past year, from September to December 2015, at least 35 individuals (Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Falun Gong) were prosecuted on charges relating to alleged extremist texts, a sharp increase over a similar period in 2014. 4) The Russian legal authorities have also continued to oppress religious minorities. Russia's Constitutional Court ruled in 2015 ruled that material can be banned as "extremist" for proclaiming the truth or superiority of one religion or belief system. In 2015, an atheist, Victor Krasnov, was charged with blasphemy under the 2013 blasphemy law for insulting Orthodox believers by supporting atheism on social media. He was on trial at the end of the reporting period, and could receive one year in prison. 5) In Chechnya and Dagestan, Russian officials and local paramilitary continued to commit often violent religious freedom violations, mostly against Muslims and with almost total impunity. 6) Russia has imposed its repressive religion law in Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014. By January 1, 2016, only 400 of the over 1,100 religious communities that had legal status under Ukrainian law were re-registered under the Russian rules. In the Donbas regions of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists, Protestants and Kievan Patriarchate Ukrainian Orthodox Church parishes have been targets of arrests, violence, church damage, property confiscation, and discrimination. More than 9,000 individuals have died during the conflict and two million have fled the region, including thousands of Jews, Muslims, Protestants and other religious minorities who faced pressure and discrimination. 7) Russian-installed officials in Crimea have raided libraries, schools, Muslim homes, and mosques; closed Islamic schools; and issued fines for owning allegedly extremist Islamic and Jehovah's Witness texts. Clergy without Russian citizenship were forced to leave Crimea, including Greek and Roman Catholics. Muslim Crimean Tatars, most of whom oppose the Russian occupation, were particularly targeted. 8) Rising xenophobia and intolerance, including anti-Semitism in Russia, are also linked to violent and lethal hate crimes that often occur with impunity.

The above clearly demonstrates a Russian government that has perpetrated "systematic, ongoing, and egregious" violations of religious freedom and thus merits the designation of Russia by the State Department as a CPC.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Malaysia

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Malaysia, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ce09.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.

Key Findings

In 2015, many in the Malaysian government, political parties, and religious leadership prioritized the Muslim faith and Malay identity in a manner that threatens religious freedom. Whether cracking down on religious activity, expression, or dissent, these individuals and groups sought to expand the scope of Islam through law and practice and punish anyone perceived to criticize their politically-driven agenda. This occurred through arrests under the Sedition Act, which was strengthened in 2015, efforts to expand Islamic punishments under Shari'ah law, legal ambiguity between civil and Shari'ah courts, and the political manipulation of Islam. Moreover, the government continues to ban several so-called "deviant" religious groups, such as the Shi'a Muslim, Ahmadiyya Muslim, Baha'i, and Al-Arqam communities. Collectively, these trends have resulted in diminished legal protections for ethnic and religious minorities, non-Muslims and non-Sunni Muslims alike. Based on these concerns, in 2016 USCIRF again places Malaysia on Tier 2, where it has been since 2014. USCIRF will continue to monitor the situation closely to determine if these troubling developments warrant a change in Malaysia's status during the year ahead.

Background

More than 61 percent of the country's 30.5 million population are Muslim, while nearly 20 percent are Buddhist, more than nine percent Christian, and more than six percent Hindu; approximately one percent or less apiece practice Confucianism, Taoism, or other faiths. Smaller segments of the population are Sikhs, Baha'is, and animists. Religious groups deemed "deviant," such as the Shi'a Muslim, Ahmadiyya Muslim, Baha'i, and Al-Arqam groups, are banned. The government or state-level Shari'ah courts can force individuals considered to have strayed from Sunni Islam, including those from "deviant" sects or converts from Islam, into detention-like camps known as "rehabilitation" centers and/or criminally prosecute them for apostasy, which is subject to prison terms or fines.

Ethnic and religious identity is central to Malaysian politics, contributing to an entrenched system of government that advantages the ruling party and the Sunni Muslim Malay majority at the expense of ethnic and religious minorities. Although Malaysia is officially secular, the state implements an increasingly exclusive brand of Islam that is based, in part, on the constitutional establishment of Islam as the official religion. To stave off perceived political threats and be seen as protecting Islam, Prime Minister Najib Razak and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition crack down on individuals who express dissent or criticism, accusing them of attacking Islam.

Over time, political opponents and members of civil society have criticized the government more openly, often through social media, calling for less corruption and more transparency. The most well-known expression of this growing discontent is the Bersih ("clean") movement, which called for the Prime Minister's resignation after nearly $700 million from Malaysia's wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), was found in his personal bank account. In another example, on March 16, 2015, police arrested Nurul Izzah Anwar after she publicly criticized the Federal Court for upholding an earlier sentence against her father, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. His February 2015 conviction resulted in a five-year prison term and a ban from elected office for an additional five years thereafter.

In August 2015, a USCIRF Commissioner-led delegation visited Malaysia, meeting in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and the administrative center, Putrajaya, with government officials, religious representatives, and civil society organizations.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

General Conditions

While Malaysians generally are free to worship, some within and outside government exploit politics and ethnicity to create divisions. Under the constitution, ethnic Malays  the predominant ethnic group  are defined as Muslim, and, in practice, the government only supports Sunni Islam. Through the federal Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), the government funds most Sunni mosques and imams and provides talking points for sermons, which regularly vilify religious minorities, such as Shi'a Muslims. Both the government and the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the country's largest Islamic party, send individuals to Saudi Arabia for religious training; the stricter mindsets and more austere interpretation of Sunni Islam with which they return have caused concern that Malaysian Islam is becoming more "Arabized."

Harassment of or attacks on non-Muslim houses of worship are infrequent, but they do occur, and non-Muslims also report difficulties in obtaining government permission to build houses of worship. For example, in April 2015, intense pressure from approximately 50 Muslim protestors prompted a Christian church in Taman Medan in the state of Selangor to remove its cross. In a positive sign, the central government called for a police investigation, local leaders swiftly organized a meeting with interested stakeholders, and, by the end of May, the church planned to reinstall the cross. The investigation officially closed in December 2015 with no further action against the protestors.

Increasingly, state and federal level religious councils issue fatwas (religious edicts) that, in effect, carry the force of law. In 2014, the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) issued a fatwa declaring the Malaysian civil society organization Sisters in Islam (SIS) to be "deviant;" the fatwa enabled MAIS to block SIS's website and confiscate its publications. SIS filed a judicial review application to challenge the fatwa's constitutionality, and although the hearing was originally set for November 2015, the High Court is now expected to hear the case in June 2016.

In response to the growing number of Malaysians known to be working or affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and to prevent home-grown or ISIL-related attacks, in April 2015 the parliament approved the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The bill notably re-establishes indefinite detention without trial, which had not been permitted since the controversial Internal Security Act was abolished in 2012. On December 22, Malaysia's Senate approved the National Security Council Act that grants broad powers to the prime minister to authorize searches and arrests without warrants.

Restrictions on Belief and Expression

In 2015, the government continued to suppress free speech and religious expression. Muslims are allowed to proselytize to non-Muslims, but not vice versa. Apostasy, considered a sin by Islamic authorities, has been criminalized in some states as a capital offense. Malaysia's vaguely-worded Sedition Act, which was amended in 2015 to increase jail times and other penalties, is used as a means to suppress political and religious dissent, and authorities increasingly target individuals for expression online. One provision of the 2015 amendments strengthens the Sedition Act to cover any insults to Islam.

In March 2015, police arrested five journalists associated with online news portal The Malaysian Insider to investigate them under the Sedition Act for a story about the position of Malaysia's nine sultans regarding a proposal to implement hudood punishments (commonly spelled hudud in Malaysia) in the state of Kelantan (discussed below). Authorities raided their offices and later released the five on bail. In July 2015, police questioned publisher Ho Kay Tat for publishing stories critical of the 1MDB controversy involving Prime Minister Najib. After The Malaysian Insider continued to publish critical coverage, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, a government regulatory body, blocked the news website in February 2016, prompting the publisher to shut down the site entirely just weeks later.

Mohd Ezra Mohd Zaid, a publisher at ZI Publications, faces prosecution for publishing books about Islam that the Selangor state government and religious authorities deemed "un-Islamic." In September 2015, the Federal Court dismissed his attempt to invalidate the section of Selangor Shari'ah law on which their objections were based. The ruling means Ezra will be prosecuted in Shari'ah court. In another case, in April 2015, authorities charged a popular Malaysian cartoonist known as Zunar with nine counts of sedition for a series of tweets critical of the government's prosecution of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Zunar, whose trial has been delayed several times, could face up to 43 years in prison. Also, the government continued to target Malaysian human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen, charging him with sedition in February 2015 for criticizing JAKIM and arresting him in March 2015 for tweets critical of hudood punishments. He was released on bail, but authorities continued to question and harass him throughout the reporting period.

Ban on the Use of the Word "Allah"

The years-long legal battle over the use of the word "Allah" by the Malay-language edition of a weekly Catholic newspaper came to an end in January 2015 when the Federal Court refused any further review of its 2014 decision upholding a ban on the newspaper's use of the word. In another case, in June 2015, the Court of Appeals ordered the Malaysian government to return to Jill Ireland, a Christian from Sarawak, eight Christian CDs with song titles with the word Allah confiscated in 2008. In July 2014, the Kuala Lumpur High Court first ordered the CDs returned, but the Ministry of Home Affairs refused. Then, the Federal Territories Islamic Council, the local-level body in charge of religious affairs, applied to weigh in on the case, claiming the right to regulate non-Muslims. The Court of Appeals decision dismissed this application, thereby upholding the High Court's order to return the CDs, but did not address Ms. Ireland's question on the constitutionality of using the word Allah. The CDs were returned in September 2015.

Hudood Punishments

In March 2015, the Kelantan State Assembly passed a bill that would amend the state's penal code to allow hudood, a set of Islamic criminal punishments outlined in the Qur'an and the Hadith (the Prophet Muhammed's sayings). Crimes punishable under hudood include apostasy, slander, adultery, and alcohol consumption; the punishments include amputation, stoning, and flogging. Kelantan politicians want to expand hudood nationwide and have garnered support among some in UMNO. Datuk Othman Mustapha, director general of JAKIM, said the punishments would apply only to Muslims. The Kelantan State government is controlled by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), whose push for hudood contributed to the party's split from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition coalition in 2015. Critics of the jockeying over hudood, including former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, argue that proponents are encouraging stricter interpretations of Islam for political gain.

Forced Conversions and the Dual Court System

Civil courts increasingly cede jurisdiction to Shari'ah courts, particularly with respect to family law. This has negative implications for non-Muslims, who have fewer rights in Shari'ah courts and cannot appear as witnesses. In one case, the Ipoh High Court ruled that unilateral conversions to Islam of children by one parent without the other's consent is unconstitutional. In December 2015, however, the Court of Appeals overturned that ruling and also determined that Shari'ah courts have sole jurisdiction in Islamic matters, thereby establishing a precedent to eliminate the role of civil courts in family cases in which at least one party is non-Muslim. The case revolves around M. Indira Gandhi, a Hindu whose ex-husband converted their three children to Islam without her knowledge. However, in another case, in February 2016, the Federal Court asserted the civil court's role in family law cases when at least one party is non-Muslim, granting each parent full custody of one of the couple's two children. The father in this case converted both children to Islam and abducted the son; the court allowed him to keep custody of the son, while the daughter was permitted to live with her mother.

In October 2015, reports surfaced from Sabah alleging Christians were converted forcibly to Islam. Prime Minister Najib publicly denied any government involvement in these claims and encouraged individuals forcibly converted to reach out to Sabah's chief minister.

Regional Refugee Crisis

In May 2015, Malaysian authorities discovered more than 100 graves believed to contain Rohingya Muslims. This discovery initially prompted Malaysia to turn away additional Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma, although later in May both Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to provide temporary shelter to thousands of refugees for up to one year to allow time for resettlement to third countries. As of April 2015, more than 46,000 Rohingya Muslims were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia; UNHCR reportedly has asked the Malaysian government to issue them work permits.

U.S. Policy

In 2015, Malaysia chaired the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). While visiting Malaysia for the November 2015 ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, President Barack Obama attended a civil society roundtable and visited refugees, including Rohingya Muslims from Burma. In addition, the President met bilaterally with Prime Minister Najib, and the two discussed the importance of combatting violent extremism, the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional free trade agreement, climate change, the South China Sea, and general development issues. In public remarks about their meeting, President Obama said, "Malaysia, like Indonesia, is a majority-Muslim country that represents tolerance and peace." Secretary of State John Kerry visited Malaysia in August 2015 in connection with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting and related events.

Throughout 2015, the United States and Malaysia worked on several components of the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership launched in 2014, including on issues such as counter-terrorism and counter proliferation. During the year, the State Department issued remarks both praising and criticizing Malaysia, including praise for Malaysia's efforts to assist Rohingya Muslim refugees and criticism of tighter restrictions on freedom of expression, including under the Sedition Act. At a January 2015 roundtable with Malaysian media, Assistant Secretary Daniel R. Russel noted the role of religious leaders in countering "false ideology that distorts religious teaching for bad political goals," as well as the importance of creating tolerant and inclusive political environments.

According to the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur regularly engages government representatives, religious groups of multiple faiths, and civil society on religious freedom issues, including religious tolerance, interfaith dialogue and roundtables, and inter-religious education. In July 2015, the State Department released its 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report, upgrading Malaysia from Tier 3  those countries least in compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act  to Tier 2. Critics argued the upgrade was not deserved given the discovery in Malaysia just months earlier of mass graves linked to smugglers and traffickers who had taken advantage of Rohingya Muslims from Burma and other asylum seekers.

Recommendations

Restrictions on freedom of religion or belief affecting non-Muslim and non-Sunni Muslim religious minorities are central to Malaysia's mounting human rights challenges and belie its own claims to be a moderate Muslim country. The manipulation of both the constitution and Islam for political gain increasingly threatens many rights and freedoms. The United States and the international community must engage the Malaysian government on these issues. In addition, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
After being given the reins of Carlisles Police Department on Jan. 1 thanks to the home rule charters enactment this year, Borough Manager Matt Candland said that to fill a position as important as chief of police, he wants a number of eyes out there looking.

Thats why the Carlisle Borough Council approved the hiring of The Novak Consulting Group, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 14 to spearhead a nationwide search to fill the vacant position Stephen Margeson left when he retired March 11 after almost 40 years in law enforcement and more than 25 years as chief of police.

The hiring process was detailed at the meeting to not exceed a cost of $30,000. And according to Assistant Borough Manager Debra Figueroa, the proposal the council approved was for $21,900 for Novaks consulting services.

Borough council also set aside up to $1,500 for advertising costs, she added. The remaining difference would be for background checks and travel costs for those being interviewed.

Gauging wants and needs

Throughout the past week, Executive Search Practice Leader for the Novak Consulting Group Catherine Tuck Parrish met with representatives from the Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce, Dickinson College, the Downtown Carlisle Association, Hope Station, various neighborhood and church groups and local businesses, all in an effort to get a feel for what residents want in a new chief.

She asked about what we would like to see from the new chief, expectations, said Brenda Landis of the Westside Neighbors. There were discussions about certain things with the previous chief; the way he approached things, if there was any change that would happen.

Landis said the Westside Neighbors, and another unnamed neighborhood group involved in the meeting, were stark contrasts of each other. Landis felt that was a beneficial dynamic, mostly because shared perspectives are good to hear, in her opinion.

She (Parrish) asked particular questions that allowed us to give very descriptive answers, Landis said.

The series of meetings was organized by the borough.

The final say

Its been 25 years since weve selected a new chief, and police work has changed a lot and so we really wanted to gauge from the public what theyre looking for and their suggestions moving forward, Candland said.

In the end, Candland said that hell be the one to hire the new chief.

For a high level department head, especially chief of police, our objective is to find the best candidate and this is something these firms do every day, Candland said in regard to the work Parrish is conducting for the borough. They have their own contacts, prepare recruiting material, help with the interview process. I dont do it for all of our hires, but for very important ones like this I think you need to take those extra steps.

Interim Police Chief Lt. Stephen Latshaw has not been involved in the hiring process thus far, according to Figueroa.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Laos

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Laos, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ce2e.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.

Key Findings

Although the Lao government, along with other bodies, widely disseminates religious policies, poor implementation and enforcement continue to result in ongoing abuses against religious minority groups, abuses that are most prominent in remote, rural areas. Lao government offices, largely at the village and district level, along with other official bodies, inconsistently interpret and apply religious regulations, contributing to violations of religious freedom, particularly against religious minority groups such as Christians. In many parts of the country, religious freedom conditions are generally free, especially for the majority Buddhist community. However, the restrictions that some groups face in some provinces reflect shortcomings in the current regulations governing religion, as well as some local officials' lack of understanding in implementing these policies. In some instances, local officials' actions are based on suspicion of Christians, whom many in government believe are too closely linked to foreigners, particularly the West and the United States. In fact, due to the government's targeting, some among the Christian community believe the government views them as "enemies of the state." Christians who also are ethnic minorities feel especially targeted and often experience greater incidences of discrimination and harassment. Based on these concerns, in 2016 USCIRF again places Laos on Tier 2, where it has been since 2009. Positive developments in religious freedom conditions stemming from the Lao government's efforts to revise religious regulations may influence how USCIRF will report on Laos in future annual reports.

Background

The government recognizes four religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baha'i faith. In addition to being the most widely practiced religion in Laos, Buddhism is interwoven into many aspects of Lao culture, providing the faith an extra degree of prominence within and protection from the government. Administration of religion falls under the purview of two bodies: the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC), a mass organization of political and social entities that disseminates and explains the government's religion policies, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, which has authority to grant permissions for activities or establish new houses of worship.

More than 66 percent of the country's nearly seven million population practice Buddhism. Another 1.5 percent practice Christianity (which includes Catholicism), while an estimated 31 percent follow some other religion or belief, such as animism or ancestor worship. Smaller segments of the population practice Islam and the Baha'i faith.

In February 2016, USCIRF staff conducted a joint visit to Laos with staff from the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom, traveling to the capital, Vientiane, and the provinces of Savannakhet, Khammouane, and Xiengkhuang. The delegation raised specific cases of religious freedom violations with the Lao government and the LFNC at both the central and provincial levels. Although government officials said that the constitution and the 2002 Prime Minister's Decree on the Administration and Protection of Religious Activities, also known as Decree 92, guarantee freedom of religion or belief in Laos, other interlocutors reported that the government does not protect religious freedom in practice.

In conversations with USCIRF, provincial officials accused Christians of being uncooperative for declining to participate in village activities, some of which are part of Buddhist cultural traditions, and of lying to lure new followers to the faith. And despite Decree 92's protections for the practice and sharing of Christianity, some local officials detain Christians in order to provide them "guidance" and "education" about how to follow religious regulations, and some still use forced renunciations of faith and forced evictions as a means to threaten and intimidate Christians.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

General Conditions

During its February 2016 trip, USCIRF learned from several religious groups that their relations with the government have improved over the years, allowing them more space in which to practice their faith.Many admitted that misunderstandings  on both the government's and religious groups' sides  sometimes lead to challenges at the local level, though generally any confusion is resolved without incident. Religious groups often invite those of other faiths to attend religious ceremonies and celebrations.

The government generally permits religious organizations to conduct charitable work, but usually requires coordination with officials to ensure that the activities align with local development plans and benefit all community members. Religious leaders sometimes willingly submit notice of religious activities, such as schedules of services, to government authorities for their information, but not to seek approval. This goodwill gesture often helps relations with local officials, but some local officials remain suspicious of religious activities.

The ambiguous relationship and roles of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the LFNC in administering and implementing religious policy creates confusion and misunderstanding, particularly at the local level. For example, while some religious groups in some areas are able to practice without registration, others face difficulties with local officials. One provincial Ministry official said that registration requirements may not apply to a temple or church if it was built long ago and congregants have longstanding practices, but the same would not hold true for a new temple or church. Some religious groups told USCIRF that they regularly communicate with both bodies, not out of necessity but out of an abundance of caution.

Central government officials have acknowledged that religious groups generally act in the interest of the people, promoting values such as harmony, unity, fairness, and justice. However, religious groups largely are required to operate within the government's parameters. In practice, local government officials have additional latitude to determine whether a particular group's or individual's practice is consistent with rules and regulations. For example, local authorities reportedly confiscated Bibles in two villages in Nakai District, Khammouane Province; the Bibles belonged to members of the government-recognized Laos Evangelical Church.

Legal Restrictions on Religious Practice and Activities

Decree 92 is the set of regulations currently in place to manage religious practice in the country. The Decree requires LFNC approval for religious organizations' registration. The provincial-level LFNC bodies, along with local and provincial government officials, must approve a number of religious activities, such as building houses of worship and appointing religious personnel. Critics note several underlying weaknesses in Decree 92, such as: 1) outright denials or non-responses to registration applications from certain groups, particularly Protestant groups not willing to join the government-recognized Laos Evangelical Church or Seventh-day Adventist Church; 2) cumbersome approval processes involving long waits and unanswered requests; and 3) confusion about the requirements to qualify for registration. Misinterpretation and poor implementation at the local, district, and provincial levels amplify these challenges.

Over the last several years, the Lao government initiated revisions to Decree 92. In a positive step, the government solicited input on revisions from a number of key interlocutors across the country, including some religious organizations. One religious group informed USCIRF that they urged the government to allow more people to openly practice from home. Lao government officials also indicated they have consulted with Vietnam on the Decree 92 revisions and have plans to consult other countries.

Those familiar with the proposed changes report that the revised Decree 92 will transfer more responsibilities from the LFNC to the Ministry of Home Affairs, though details are limited about how this shift may unfold in practice. Unless the division of labor is made clear to religious groups and local Ministry and LFNC branches, the current confusion hampering religious policy likely will continue. One religious leader noted that revisions to Decree 92 will be most effective if the central government implements the new policies at the local level, but that in practice much will depend on specific local officials.

Abuses against Minorities

Christians continue to experience the most government restrictions and discrimination. Depending on location, government officials monitor Christians and their activities, often ban them from government jobs or limit their ability to be promoted, question churches about their membership, and reportedly prevent some Christians from applying for passports. The government only recognizes three Christian groups  the Laos Evangelical Church, the Catholic Church, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Some Christians practice underground as families; typically the government does not restrict this practice but has been known to pressure these groups to join a recognized church. Some Christians believe that most arrests of Christians directly relate to their religion, whereas in their view Buddhists rarely get arrested in connection with their faith.

Christians of various denominations also experience pressure to renounce their faith, either from local officials or from members of the community, including threats of expulsion from villages. For refusing to renounce their faith, Christians also experience restricted access to hospitals and schools. The government at times discriminates against certain groups, including ethnic Hmong, particularly if they are Christian.

Christians in Savannakhet Province face particular challenges from local officials who either improperly interpret the central government's regulations or discriminate against Christians out of fear, prejudice, or ignorance. Three churches in Xayaburi District closed by local officials in 2011 and 2012 remained off-limits to parishioners, except for some Christmas services. The churches reportedly have tried to obtain registration approval to re-open, but local officials told USCIRF the closures instead had to do with land usage and other administrative issues unrelated to the practice of their faith, meaning that registration would not solve the dispute. In another example, in February 2015, a provincial court in Savannakhet convicted and sentenced to nine months in prison five Christians charged with practicing medicine without a license in connection with the 2014 death of a Christian woman. The five Christians denied the charges, stating that they prayed at the woman's side. They were released in March 2015, but still had to pay fines. One of the Christians, Mr. Tiang Kwentianthong, died in September 2015 from diabetes-related complications; his supporters claim that the denial of necessary medical care while he was in prison contributed to his death. The remaining four filed appeals with the court, which remained pending at the end of the reporting period.

In September 2015, local authorities in Khammouane Province "held" two Christians for spreading their faith during their visit to a Christian family. (Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs provincial office disputed media reports the two men had been arrested or even detained, arguing instead they had been held and then released.) Earlier in the year, police detained four Christians in Nakai District, also in Khammouane Province, and threatened them with jail time if they refused to renounce their faith; police reportedly banned Christian activities in the district. Other reports from Khammouane Province suggest local authorities regularly threaten Christians, pressuring them to renounce their faith and confiscating religious materials.

Also in September 2015, Pastor Singkeaw Wongkongpheng from Na-ang Village in Luang Prabang Province died of stab wounds after being attacked in his home. Over the years, local officials reportedly pressured Pastor Singkeaw to stop preaching and spreading Christianity. According to some reports, one of the attackers belonged to the Luang Prabang provincial police.

U.S. Policy

August 2015 marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Laos. Although the bilateral relationship continues to strengthen, the scars from the United States' heavy bombing campaign in Laos between 1964 and 1973 run deep. Another remnant from that period is the Lao government's mistreatment of ethnic Hmong, many of whom the United States trained and armed during the Vietnam War in an effort to prevent a communist takeover.

Despite this legacy, U.S.-Laos direct engagement is increasing. Moreover, Laos' 2016 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chairmanship means more frequent U.S. high-level visits to the country. In January 2016, Secretary Kerry visited Laos, meeting with Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong. Secretary Kerry will travel to Laos again in July 2016 for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, while President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit in September 2016 for the ASEAN Summit. A gathering of civil society organizations that usually meets on the sidelines of the annual summit, known as the ASEAN People's Forum, will not be held in Laos, but in Timor-Leste, which is not an ASEAN member. Both the Lao government and the involved civil society organizations prevented the gathering from being held in Laos.

The United States supports a number of initiatives in Laos: health, nutrition, the environment, education, wildlife and human trafficking, energy, disposal of unexploded ordnance, and several projects relating to the Mekong, including the Lower Mekong Initiative, among others. The year 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of Hmong refugee displacement and resettlement in the United States. In 1975, the United States began transporting Hmong out of Laos and Thailand where many Hmong had already fled. To date, the United States has resettled approximately 250,000 Hmong refugees and continues to encourage Laos to improve transparency about the conditions of those forcibly returned from Thailand.

In December 2015, on the third anniversary of civil society leader Sombath Somphone's disappearance, the Department of State issued a press statement expressing concern for his well-being and calling on the Lao government "to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation." Concern for his whereabouts contributed to civil society's decision to hold the ASEAN People's Forum outside of Laos.

Recommendations

From 2000 to 2003, USCIRF recommended Laos be designated as a "country of particular concern," or CPC based on its egregious, ongoing, and systematic violations of religious freedom. That the country improved conditions meriting progress to USCIRF's Tier 2 (Watch List) demonstrates that such progress on religious freedom can have significant impact. At this critical juncture in the bilateral relationship, the United States should engage Laos on religious freedom and related human rights and encourage additional improvements, particularly with respect to the proposed revisions to Decree 92 to ensure its policies align with international human rights standards. Accordingly, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Indonesia

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Indonesia, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ce411.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.

Key Findings

Incidents of discrimination against religious minorities and attacks on religious properties continue to occur in Indonesia, typically isolated incidents localized in certain provinces. Radical groups perpetrate many of these attacks and influence the responses of local government officials when violence occurs. These groups target non-Muslims, such as Christians, and non-Sunni Muslims whose practice of Islam falls outside what the groups deem acceptable. Encouragingly, in 2015, President Joko Widodo, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, and other government officials regularly spoke out against religious-based violence. While such statements are in stark contrast to the previous administration's open support for radical groups, the longstanding policies and practices that motivate and provide cover for radical groups' actions against religious communities remain in place and continue to mar Indonesia's prospects for genuine religious freedom. Based on these concerns, in 2016 USCIRF again places Indonesia on Tier 2, where it has been since 2003.

Background

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country: more than 87 percent of the nearly 256 million population identify as Muslim. While the vast majority of Indonesia's Muslims are Sunni, up to three million are Shi'a and up to 400,000 Ahmadi. Christians represent seven percent of the population, Catholics nearly three percent, and Hindus nearly two percent. However, in some areas of the country, Christians or Hindus comprise the majority. Indonesia recognizes six religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Smaller segments of the population practice unrecognized faiths, such as Sikhs, Jews, Baha'is, and Falun Gong.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his administration have demonstrated a more inclusive approach toward religious communities, which has helped mitigate some religious-based violence. The government is working on a religious protection bill that is expected to address issues such as houses of worship and the treatment of non-recognized religious groups. Those familiar with drafts of the bill, including Indonesia's independent National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM, have raised concerns it includes problematic language from existing policies and regulations. In the meantime, existing discriminatory policies are still in place.

Komnas HAM and local non-governmental organizations assessed significant increases in religious freedom violations and violence in 2015. For example, the Setara Institute calculated a 33 percent increase in incidents of violence over the previous year, many committed by police. Violations rarely are investigated and attackers, whether police or radical mob groups, continue their abuses with relative impunity.

In August 2015, a USCIRF Commissioner-led delegation visited Indonesia, meeting in the capital, Jakarta, and the city of Bogor in West Java with government officials, representatives from multiple religions and faiths, Muslim organizations, and civil society organizations. The delegation raised specific cases of religious-based violence and discussed policies to protect religious freedom. Government officials described their efforts to promote understanding across faiths, support religious education, and teach local officials about religious regulations. Government officials acknowledged to USCIRF that some groups and individuals, such as the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), target Muslims they perceive to be practicing Islam in unacceptable ways.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

General Conditions

During USCIRF's visit to Indonesia, several interlocutors noted that their religious communities experienced challenges in certain parts of the country but otherwise spoke of generally fair conditions for religious freedom. Individuals of many faiths  even beyond the six officially recognized religions  have the flexibility to practice, worship, and teach freely. Some religiously diverse neighborhoods have long traditions of interfaith interaction and cooperation. Komnas HAM has expanded its investigations into religious freedom violations, and has noted the difficulties in preventing local officials from discriminating against religious minorities and reminding them of their responsibility to follow national laws and policies.

Forced Closures of and Violence against Religious Properties

In some parts of the country, local governments commonly restrict or prevent religious practice pursuant to government policy, specifically the 2006 Joint Regulation on Houses of Worship, which requires permits for houses of worship. Under the 2006 Regulation, obtaining a permit requires: a list of 90 congregation members; signatures from 60 local households of a different faith; recommendations from the local religious affairs office and local Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB); and approval from the sub-district head. The Regulation provides local governments the latitude to deny permits to smaller congregations and the authority to close or tear down houses of worship built prior to 2006. Komnas HAM and local NGOs have raised concerns about the violence and conflict caused by the 2006 Regulation.

For example, in October 2015, protestors in Aceh Singkil District in the province of Aceh demanded the local government close 10 churches without permits. Perceiving the government to be acting too slowly, a reported mob of hundreds attacked and set fire to two of the churches; one man was killed. The next day on Twitter, President Jokowi urged an end to the violence, stating that violence harms diversity. Although the government deployed additional police and military troops in the area, thousands of mostly Christian residents fled the province. Due to the lack of permits, the authorities tore down several of the churches. In July, hardliner groups and local Muslim residents also protested several churches in Yogyakarta over alleged permit issues.

Similarly, local officials closed the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor, West Java after hardliners pressured the local government to suspend the church's permit in 2008. Despite a 2010 Supreme Court ruling ordering the church be reopened, it remains closed. In 2015, the city revealed plans to relocate the church, which the congregation rejected because they had not been consulted. At Christmas, the GKI Yasmin church joined with fellow West Java church, the Filadelfia Batak Church (HKBP) closed by the Bekasi city government in 2011, in holding outdoor services across from the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

Christian churches are not the only houses of worship targeted. In July 2015, a crowd of approximately 200 people threw rocks and set fire to a mosque in Tolikara, Papua when local Muslims gathered to perform Idul Fitri prayers. The fire spread to several nearby shops and forced the evacuation of approximately 200 local residents.

Ahmadis

The government's 2008 Joint Ministerial Decree bans Ahmadis from spreading their faith, and the MUI issued a fatwa (religious edict) declaring the Ahmadiyya faith to be deviant and heretical. Over the years, some religious leaders and entire provinces have expanded restrictions on Ahmadis, banning all Ahmadiyya activities; some Ahmadiyya mosques have been closed as a result. While meeting USCIRF, Ahmadis described facing challenges in some parts of the country in building new mosques and obtaining ID cards. They also reported being blocked by mobs during Friday prayers and poor responsiveness from local police, including inaction against harassment and attacks. However, Ahmadis expressed optimism in the Jokowi government, citing its openness to speak with members of their community.

Beginning in June 2015, protestors in South Jakarta, some belonging to FPI, prevented Ahmadis from performing Friday prayers at the An Nur Mosque on two non-successive Fridays, and on July 8 the mosque was sealed. Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Purnama ordered the mosque reopened, but it remained closed at the end of the reporting period. Basuki's support is a welcome development, including his decision to allow Ahmadis in the area to worship from home. Meanwhile, Ahmadis in other parts of the country also experience restrictions and abuses. A total of 118 Ahmadis remain internally displaced in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara after sectarian violence forced their eviction more than nine years ago.

Shi'a Muslims

Like Ahmadis, Shi'a Muslims are viewed as practicing a "deviant" or "heretical" form of Islam. Throughout 2015, conservatives and hardliners within the Sunni majority, including those affiliated with the Anti-Shi'a National Alliance, continued to harass and threaten Shi'a Muslims. Shi'a Muslims who spoke with the USCIRF delegation during its visit reported that members of their community face discrimination in civil service positions and accusations of blasphemy. However, they noted few restrictions establishing mosques, although Shi'a Muslims in Indonesia generally do not seek to build their own mosques. Approximately 300 Shi'a Muslims from East Java have been displaced since 2012 after a mob attacked their village and forced them from their homes. In October 2015, Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto banned the Shi'a Muslim commemoration of Ashura. Protestors in Bandung interrupted Ashura celebrations as well.

Baha'is

Indonesia's Baha'i community still experiences government discrimination because of their faith. Despite Religious Affairs Minister Lukman's 2014 statement that the Baha'i faith should be recognized as a religion protected by the constitution, the government has not changed official policy. Baha'i followers are not able to obtain state recognition of civil marriages, have limited educational opportunities, and must state a faith other than their own on their ID cards. Only recently have some Baha'is been allowed to leave blank the religion field on their ID cards. Although some schools now allow Baha'is to provide their own religious education, Baha'i instruction is not part of the official curriculum on religion set by the national standards board, and some Baha'i students instead are forced to study Protestantism or Catholicism.

Constitutional Court Fails to Protect Interfaith Marriage

In June 2015, the Constitutional Court ruled against a request for judicial review of the 1974 Marriage Act to fully legalize interfaith marriages. Some government officials and religious leaders interpret Article 2(1) of the Act in a way that prevents couples of different faiths from obtaining marriage licenses or having their marriages officially recognized unless one spouse changes religions. Government officials, including Religious Affairs Minister Lukman, lauded the Court's decision for protecting religion; Lukman said interfaith marriage is not possible.

Blasphemy Law

Government officials told USCIRF that the laws criminalizing blasphemy and other forms of perceived religious insults are in place to protect citizens from violence. One official admitted the government "limits speech in order to prevent societal chaos." Interlocutors told USCIRF that blasphemy cases are now typically tried under criminal defamation laws rather than the 1965 Blasphemy Law. Other interlocutors noted that the Blasphemy Law, whether directly in use or not, provides the majority the right to persecute the minority, particularly at the regional and local level where pressure from intolerant, hardline groups can be most severe.

Responses to Terrorism and Perceived Threats to Islam

Indonesia's experience with and fear of terrorism shape the government's position on certain freedoms, including religious freedom. The government has struggled to respond to a secretive religious sect known as the Fajar Nusantara Movement, or Gafatar. On January 19, 2016, a mob set fire to houses belonging to former Gafatar members in West Kalimantan; in total, several thousand residents fled or were evacuated. The government and Muslim leaders are suspicious of the group  believed to combine aspects of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism  although no link to terrorism has been proven. In February 2016, the MUI issued a fatwa pronouncing the group to be heretical, and the government announced plans to "re-educate" the members so they better understand "real Islam." On January 14, 2016, terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) detonated bombs and opened fire in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, killing eight people, including four of the terrorists. The police have since arrested or detained several dozen other suspected terrorists linked to the attack. In response, the government revised the 2003 Anti-Terrorism Law to expand police capabilities to prevent attacks and detain suspected terrorists, but human rights advocates criticized the draft for curtailing rights and opening the door to abuse of power; the revisions were still pending in parliament at the end of the reporting period.

U.S. Policy

In a region plagued by democratic backsliding, stalled reforms, and the lingering vestiges of military or authoritarian control, Indonesia has made more democratic progress than its neighbors, serving as a role model in the region. Thus, the bilateral U.S.-Indonesia relationship carries strategic significance.

In October 2015, President Jokowi made his first official visit to the United States and met with President Barack Obama. The two presidents released a joint statement agreeing to enhance the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership and further cooperate on key issues of bilateral interest, including: maritime affairs, defense, economic growth and development, energy development and energy security, and people-to-people contacts. A new Ministerial Strategic Dialogue was established, reflecting both countries' intent to deepen the bilateral relationship at all levels. In a speech during the visit, President Jokowi welcomed U.S. engagement in East Asia and announced Indonesia's intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional free trade agreement.

Although the Comprehensive Partnership facilitates multiple avenues for bilateral engagement, human rights have not been featured prominently despite cooperation between the two countries on broader issues, such as democracy and civil society. While in Malaysia, attending the November 2015 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, President Obama praised Indonesia for representing tolerance and peace.

Following the Southeast Asia refugee and migration crisis in 2015, in which thousands of Rohingya Muslims left Burma and Bangladesh by sea for other countries, Indonesia sheltered at least 1,800 Rohingya Muslims, most of whom were from Burma. The vast majority resided in makeshift camps in Aceh Province. In May 2015, both Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to provide temporary shelter to thousands of refugees for up to one year to allow time for resettlement to third countries.

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard visited Aceh in June 2015. By early 2016, countries in the region, including Indonesia, had convened two iterations of the "Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean," to discuss how to assist individuals fleeing and the root causes of their movement. However, reports indicate that many of the Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh were repatriated to that country and those from Burma have left the Aceh camps, likely to make their way to Malaysia.

Recommendations

Indonesia's democratic success makes it an important partner for U.S. engagement and leadership in the Asia Pacific, a collaboration that will strengthen if Indonesia becomes a beacon not just of democracy, but of protecting human rights pursuant to international standards, including freedom of religion or belief. The United States must encourage the Indonesian government to prevent radical hardliners from shaping religious policies and take other measures to protect followers of all faiths. In addition, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - India

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - India, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ce6c.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.

Key Findings

In 2015, religious tolerance deteriorated and religious freedom violations increased in India. Minority communities, especially Christians, Muslims, and Sikhs, experienced numerous incidents of intimidation, harassment, and violence, largely at the hands of Hindu nationalist groups. Members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tacitly supported these groups and used religiously-divisive language to further inflame tensions. These issues, combined with longstanding problems of police bias and judicial inadequacies, have created a pervasive climate of impunity, where religious minority communities feel increasingly insecure, with no recourse when religiously-motivated crimes occur. In the last year, "higher caste" individuals and local political leaders also prevented Hindus considered part of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Dalits) from entering religious temples. Additionally, the national government or state governments applied several laws to restrict religious conversion, cow slaughter, and foreign funding of NGOs. Moreover, an Indian constitutional provision deeming Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains to be Hindus contradicts international standards of freedom of religion or belief. Based on these concerns, USCIRF again places India on Tier 2, where it has been since 2009. However, USCIRF notes that India is on a negative trajectory in terms of religious freedom. USCIRF will continue to monitor the situation closely during the year ahead to determine if India should be recommended to the U.S. State Department for designation as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom.

Background

India is the world's largest democracy with about 1.26 billion people, or about a one-sixth of the total world population. Nearly 80 percent of the population is Hindu (nearly one billion adherents); more than 14 percent is Muslim (roughly 172 million adherents, the third largest Muslim population in the world); 2.3 percent is Christian (over 25 million adherents); 1.7 percent is Sikh (20 million adherents); less than one percent is Buddhist (eight million adherents); less than one percent is Jain (five million adherents); and about one percent adhere to other faiths or profess no religion (eight million people). India is a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural country and a secular democracy. Despite these positive characteristics, however, the Indian government has long struggled to maintain religious and communal harmony, protect minority communities from abuses, and provide justice when crimes occur.

The country has experienced periodic outbreaks of large-scale communal violence against religious minorities, including in Uttar Pradesh in 2013, Odisha in 2007-2008, Gujarat in 2002, and Delhi in 1984. In 2013, in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, violence between Hindus and Muslims left more than 40 people dead, at least a dozen women and girls raped, and upwards of 50,000 displaced, many of whom still have not returned to their homes. In Odisha in 2007-2008, violence between Hindus and Christians killed nearly 40 people, destroyed churches and homes, and displaced nearly 10,000. In Gujarat in 2002, violence between Hindus and Muslims left between 1,200-2,500 Muslims dead, destroyed homes, and forced 100,000 people to flee. The 1984 anti-Sikhs riots resulted in deaths of more than 3,000 Sikhs. India established special structures, such as Fast-Track Courts, Special Investigative Teams (SITs), and independent commissions, to investigate and adjudicate crimes stemming from these incidents. However, their impact has been hindered by limited capacity, an antiquated judiciary, inconsistent use, political corruption, and religious bias, particularly at the state and local levels. Many cases stemming from these incidents are still pending in the India court system.

Minority religious leaders and laity, including from the Muslim, Christian, and Sikh communities, and non-government organizations (NGOs), attribute India's recent decline in religious freedom and communal harmony to religiously-divisive campaigning in advance of the country's 2014 general election and the BJP's victory in that election. Since the BJP assumed power, religious minority communities have been subject to derogatory comments by BJP politicians and numerous violent attacks and forced conversions by affiliated Hindu nationalist groups, such as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Sangh Parivar, and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The BJP is a Hindu nationalist party that was founded in collaboration with the RSS, and the two maintain close ties at the highest levels. These groups subscribe to the ideology of Hindutva ("Hinduness"), which seeks to make India a Hindu state based on Hinduism and Hindu values. The BJP officially adopted the Hindutva ideology and agenda in 1998.

While Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and other minority communities recognize that religious freedom issues in India predate the current government, these communities report that targeting of them has increased under the BJP government. Christian-affiliated NGOs and religious leaders report that Christians are particularly at risk in states that have adopted "Freedom of Religion Act(s)," commonly referred to as anti-conversion laws. Sikh communities, who have long pursued justice for the 1984 violence or advocated for Sikhism to be recognized as separate from Hinduism, also have been targeted by the Indian government for years. Muslim communities report that since the 2008 and 2010 terrorist attacks in India, Muslims have faced undue scrutiny and arbitrary arrests and detentions, which the government justifies as necessary to counter terrorism.

A USCIRF delegation planned to visit India in March 2016, but the Indian government failed to issue visas to the group, in effect a denial.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Violations against Muslims

During the past year, the Muslim community in India reported increased harassment, violence, and targeted hate campaigns. Muslims often are accused of being terrorists; spying for Pakistan; forcibly kidnapping, converting, and marrying Hindu women; and disrespecting Hinduism by slaughtering cows. The Muslim community reports that these abuses come from Hindu nationalists, including local and state politicians, and the national government has failed to address these problems and, at times, contributes to them. Members of the BJP and RSS have stoked religious tensions by claiming that Muslim population growth is an attempt to diminish the Hindu majority. For example, high-ranking BJP parliamentarians, such as Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj, reportedly called for laws to control the Muslim population. In a February 2015 video of a Sangh Parivar meeting, participants called for "corner[ing] Muslims and destroy[ing] the demons;" several BJP state and national political leaders are visible in the video, including sitting on the dais. Muslims indicate that they rarely report abuses because of societal and police bias, and police intimidation by the RSS. Additionally, Muslim community leaders and members report that mosques are monitored and young boys and men are detained regularly and indiscriminately and held without charges on the pretext of countering terrorism.

Restrictions on Cow Slaughter

Article 48 of the Indian constitution and most Indian states (24 out of 29, as of 2015) significantly restrict or ban cow slaughter, which is required for Muslims during Eid al-Adha (Festival of the Sacrifice). The application of these provisions also economically marginalizes Muslims and Dalits (who adhere to various religious faiths); many members of these communities work in the beef industry, including slaughter for consumption, hauling items, and producing leather goods. Under state criminal laws, individuals can face up to 10 years in jail or a fine of up to 10,000 rupees (US$150) for the slaughter or possession of cows or bulls or the consumption of beef, and mere accusations of violations can lead to violence. For example, in September 2015, in Bisahra village, Uttar Pradesh, a mob of nearly 1,000 people killed Mohammad Akhlaq for allegedly killing a cow, and seriously injured his son. Eight people were arrested and charged with murder and rioting, but no additional information was available by the end of the reporting period. In October 2015, in Indian-administered Kashmir, Zahid Rasool Bhat was set ablaze and later died of his injuries for allegedly transporting cows to be slaughtered. Five people were arrested for murder, rioting, conspiracy, and the use of explosives. A state government spokesman said a fast-track court would be established. According to members of the Muslim community, members of the BJP and the RSS over the last two years have used alleged violations of beef ban laws to inflame Hindus to violently attack Indian Muslims.

Violations against Christians

Christian communities, across many denominations, reported numerous, and increased, incidents of harassment and attacks in the last year, which they attribute to Hindu nationalist groups with the BJP's tacit support. In early 2016, an advocacy group reported that there were at least 365 major attacks on Christians and their institutions during 2015, compared to 120 in 2014; these incidents affected more than 8,000 Christians. For example, in November 2015, Hindu nationalists severely beat 40 Christians worshipping in a private home in Telangana state, killing one woman's unborn child. In February 2016, a mob of 35 people beat Father Jose Kannumkuzhy of the Ramanathapauram Syro-Malabar diocese and three lay church officials in Tamil Nadu state. Reportedly, local police seldom provide protection, refuse to accept complaints, rarely investigate, and sometimes encourage Christians to move or hide their religion.

In 2015, local governments appeared to capitulate to demands for or compel accusations of "forced conversation" made by the RSS to curtail the activities of Christian groups, leading to government-sanctioned restrictions. For example, in February 2016, the Dahar village council in Madhya Pradesh state issued a 5,000 rupees fine (US$75) to the local Christian community for "breaching peace and harmony," after local RSS members claimed that they were trying to convert Hindus. In May 2015, authorities in Dhar District, Madhya Pradesh, banned on "law and order" grounds a Pentecostal meeting that occurs annually. The community reported that they sought and were issued the appropriate permits, which were revoked later due to what the community believes was RSS pressure. According to human rights groups, over 50 villages in the Bastar District of Chhattisgarh State effectively banned all non-Hindu rites, meetings, and practices. In October 2015, the state's Supreme Court lifted the ban, noting that it violated the fundamental right to preach and propagate religion. However, reports continue that Christians in the area are still subjected to social boycotts; denied food, clean water, and employment; and physically attacked or forced to convert to Hinduism.

Anti-Conversion Laws

Six Indian states  Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Arunanchal Pradesh, and Odisha  have so-called "Freedom of Religion Act(s)," commonly referred to as anti-conversion laws. Rajasthan state's parliament also passed an anti-conversion bill, but it was never signed by the state's Chief Minister. These laws, based on concerns about unethical conversion tactics, generally require government officials to assess the legality of conversions out of Hinduism only, and provide for fines and imprisonment for anyone who uses force, fraud, or "inducement" to convert another. While the laws purportedly protect religious minorities from forced conversions, they are one-sided, only concerned about conversions away from Hinduism but not towards Hinduism. Observers note that these laws create a hostile, and on occasion violent, environment for religious minority communities because they do not require any evidence to support accusations of wrongdoing. For example, in January 2016, police detained 15 Christians in Karnataka state after members of two Hindu nationalists groups, Bajrang Sal and VHP, alleged that the church leaders were forcibly converting Hindus; they were released later without charge. In December 2015, eight Christians were acquitted of forced conversion in Puttar town, in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka state. They originally were charged in 2007, and were released until the hearing. In 2015, high-ranking members of the ruling BJP party, including the party's president Amit Shah, called for a nationwide anti-conversion law.

Hindu Nationalist Groups and Forced Conversions

In December 2014, Hindu nationalist groups announced plans to "reconvert" thousands of Christian and Muslims families to Hinduism as part of a so-called Ghar Wapsi (returning home) program. In advance of the program, the Hindu groups sought to raise money for their campaign, noting that it cost nearly 200,000 rupees (US$3,200) per Christian and 500,000 rupees (US$8,000) per Muslim. After domestic and international outcry, the RSS postponed their plans. Nevertheless, smaller-scale forced conversions of members of India's religious minority communities were reported in 2015. For example, in July 2015, 15 Dalit Christians reportedly were forced to "reconvert" in Kerala. In addition, in February 2016, the RSS reportedly placed signs in train stations throughout India that said Christians had to leave India or convert to Hinduism or they will be killed by 2021.

Article 25 of the Constitution

Article 25 of India's constitution states that "Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jain or Buddhist religion, and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly." The lack of recognition of Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism as distinct religions subjects members of these faiths to Hindu Personal Status Laws. Since members of these groups are considered Hindus, they are forced to register their marriages, inherit their properties, and adopt children by classifying themselves as Hindus. Additionally, since they are considered Hindu by law, they are denied access to social services or employment and educational preferences available to other religious minority communities.

Violations against Sikhs

In addition to the violations resulting from Article 25, Sikhs often are harassed and pressured to reject religious practices and beliefs that are distinct to Sikhism, such as wearing Sikh dress and unshorn hair, and carrying religious items, including the kirpan. The Sikh community also reports that the Indian government ignores their religious freedom concerns by targeting Sikhs under the country's sedition law regardless of whether they in fact support the Khalistan movement (a political movement seeking full legal recognition of Sikhism and a Sikh state in the Punjab). For example, in October 2015, Sikhs protested in Chandigarh, Punjab state after pages from the Sikh Holy Scripture (Guru Granth Sahib) were found desecrated. Police officers opened fire at the unarmed protestors, killing two and injuring 70 others, and several Sikh protesters were arrested under the sedition law.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Dalits)

Dalits, or individuals within the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, officially are estimated at over 200 million people, although this only includes Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain Dalits since the Indian government does not view non-Hindus (as it defines that term) as Dalits. In January 2016, Rita Izsak-Ndiaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, reported that crimes against Dalits in India appeared to have increased in 2015. Hindu Dalits also faced religious discrimination in 2015. In several cases, Hindu Dalits were prohibited from entering temples, by "higher caste" individuals or local political leaders. For example, in seven villages in Tirupur district, Tamil Nadu state, Dalits reportedly were not permitted to enter or worship at temples because their entrance would "unsanctify" the temples. A district court case challenging this prohibition is pending. As of June 2015, reportedly there were 13 cases in eight districts in the state of Gujarat over the last five years where Dalits were forbidden from entering temples. Additionally, non-Hindu Dalits, especially Christians and Muslims, do not qualify for the official reserves for jobs or school placement available to Hindu Dalits, putting these groups at a significant economic and social advancement disadvantage.

Foreign (Contribution) Regulation Act

The 2010 Foreign (Contribution) Regulation Act regulates the inflow and use of money received from foreign individuals, associations, and companies that may be "detrimental to the international interest." In April 2015, the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked the licenses of nearly 9,000 charitable organizations. The Ministry stated that the revocations were for non-compliance with the Act's reporting requirements, but numerous religious and non-religious NGOs claimed that they were in retaliation for highlighting the government's poor record on human trafficking, labor conditions, religious freedom and other human rights, environmental, and food issues. Among the affected organizations were Christian NGOs that receive money from foreign co-religionists to build or fund schools, orphanages, and churches, and human rights activists and their funders. For example, two NGOs, the Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), which run conflict-resolution programs and fight court cases stemming from the 2002 Gujarat riots, had their registrations revoked. Additionally, the U.S.-based Ford Foundation, which partially funds the Sabrang Trust and CJP, was put on a "watch list" when the Ministry of Home Affairs accused it of "abetting communal disharmony."

Communal Violence

The states of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan tend to have the greatest number of incidents of religiously-motivated attacks and communal violence, as well as the largest religious minority populations. According to India's Union Home Ministry, in 2015, India experienced a 17% increase in communal violence, when compared to the previous year. In 2015, there were 751 reported incidents of communal violence, up from 644 in 2014. In 2015, 97 people were killed, and 2,246 people injured. Uttar Pradesh had 155 incidents, including 22 deaths and 419 injured. Other states that had significant numbers of communal violence incidents in 2015 were Bihar (71), Maharashtra (105), Madhya Pradesh (92), Karnataka (105), and Gujarat (55). Religious minority communities, especially Muslims, claim that the government often categorizes attacks against them as communal violence, to whitewash the religiously-motivated nature of the violence.

Redress for Past Large-Scale Violence

The Indian courts are still adjudicating cases stemming from large-scale Hindu-Muslim communal violence in Uttar Pradesh (2013) and Gujarat (2002); Hindu-Christian communal violence in Odisha (2007-2008); and Hindu-Sikh communal violence in Delhi (1984). NGOs, religious leaders, and human rights activists allege religious bias and corruption in these investigations and adjudications. Additionally, religious minority communities claim that eye-witnesses often are intimidated not to testify, especially when local political, religious, or societal leaders have been implicated in cases. In February 2016, the first major verdict of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots acquitted 10 people charged with arson and murder for lack of evidence. Six rape cases registered with police are pending in the courts or are still being investigated. In August 2015, the Indian government gave a 15,000 rupee (US$225) compensation to 12 victims of the Odisha violence; other court cases are still pending. Court cases connected to the Gujarat violence also are ongoing. However, there have been numerous credible reports that the government targets lawyers and activists for their work in seeking justice. In February 2015, a new SIT was formed by the Indian government to review several incidents that occurred during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Reportedly, the SIT has not released any reports on their investigations, nor filed any new cases.

U.S. Policy

India and the United States have increased ties over the last several decades, with India now described as a "strategic" and "natural" partner of the United States. In 2009, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, through which the countries discuss a wide range of bilateral, global, and regional issues, such as economic development, business and trade, education, technology, counter-terrorism, and the environment. Issues related to religious freedom have not been included in any dialogues. In 2015, the relationship with India expanded to become the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue.

As part of the initiative to build ties between the United States and India, the Obama Administration has made significant overtures to the Indian government. The first state visit President Barack Obama hosted after taking office was for then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009. In November 2010, President Obama made a three-day state visit to India, and he returned in January 2015 to be the chief guest at India's annual Republic Day festivities, becoming the first U.S. President to travel to India twice.

During his 2015 visit, and again in February 2015 at the U.S. National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama made notable remarks on India's religious freedom concerns. In his speech at a town hall event in New Delhi, and again a few weeks later at the Prayer Breakfast, President Obama underscored the importance of religious freedom to India's success, urging the country not to be "splintered along the lines of religious faith" and stated that India is a place where ". . . religious faiths of all types have, on occasion, been targeted by other people of faith, simply due to their heritage and their beliefs  acts of intolerance that would have shocked [Mahatma] Gandhiji, the person who helped to liberate that nation."

In mid-February 2015, at an event honoring Indian Catholic saints, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated publicly, for the first time, that his government "will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence." This statement is notable given long-standing allegations that, as Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2002, he was complicit in anti-Muslim riots that occurred in that state.

In March 2016, USCIRF sought to visit India due to longstanding and increasing concerns about religious freedom conditions in the country. USCIRF had the full support of the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The Indian government, however, failed to issue visas to the USCIRF delegation, in effect a denial. State Department Spokesman, John Kirby, in response to a reporter's question, stated that the Department was "disappointed by this news." The Indian government also failed to issue visas to USCIRF in 2001 and 2009.

Recommendations

Since 2004, the United States and India have pursued a strategic relationship based on shared concerns about energy, security, and the growing threat of terrorism, as well as shared values of democracy and the rule of law. As part of this important relationship, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Cuba

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Cuba, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ce711.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.

Key Findings

During the reporting period, religious freedom conditions in Cuba deteriorated due to increased government actions and threats to close, demolish, or confiscate church properties. In addition, the Cuban government continues to harass religious leaders and laity, interfere in religious groups' internal affairs, and prevent democracy and human rights activists from participating in religious activities. Despite constitutional protections for religious freedom, the Cuban government actively limits, controls, and monitors religious practice through a restrictive system of laws and policies and government-authorized surveillance and harassment. Based on these concerns, USCIRF again places Cuba on Tier 2 in 2016. Cuba has been on USCIRF's Tier 2 since 2004.

Background

Religious adherence continues to grow in Cuba, although there are no reliable statistics of Cubans' religious affiliations. Sixty to 70 percent of the population is estimated to be Roman Catholic and five percent Protestant. According to the State Department, various religious communities approximate their membership numbers as follows: Assemblies of God, 110,000; the four Baptist conventions, 100,000; Jehovah's Witnesses, 96,000; Methodists, 36,000; Seventh-day Adventists, 35,000; Anglicans, 22,500; Presbyterians, 15,500; Muslims, 2,000-3,000; Jews, 1,500; Quakers, 300; and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 50. An unknown number of Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, and Baha'is also live in Cuba.

While the Cuban constitution guarantees freedom of religion or belief, this protection is limited by other constitutional and legal provisions. Article 8 affirms that "the State recognizes, respects, and guarantees religious freedom," and article 55 further guarantees the right to ". . . change religious beliefs or not have any, and to profess, within the confines of the law, the religious worship of his/her preference." However, article 62 qualifies that all rights can be limited based on the "aims of the socialist State and the nation's determination to build socialism and communism . . . " The Cuban Penal Code's Abuse of Liberty of Worship clause permits the imprisonment of any person who the government determines abuses constitutional religious freedom protections by placing religious beliefs in conflict with other state goals.

The Cuban government controls religious activities through the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and the Ministry of Justice. The government requires religious communities to register with the Ministry of Justice, including the disclosure of funding sources and locations for activities and certification that they are not duplicating the activities of other registered religious communities. The ORA has final authority over registration decisions. Currently, 54 religious communities are registered. Only registered religious communities are allowed to receive foreign visitors, import religious materials, meet in approved houses of worship, and apply to travel abroad for religious purposes. Local Communist Party officials must approve all religious activities of registered groups other than regular worship services, such as repairing or building houses of worship and holding processions or events outside religious buildings. The government also restricts religious practices by denying some religious communities access to state media to air services, limiting exit visas, requiring the registration of publications, limiting the entry of foreign religious workers, and restricting bank accounts to one per denomination or religious association. Further, the ORA continues to pressure denominations to make their internal governing structures, statutes and constitutions more hierarchical, which aids government efforts to control religious communities.

In 2005, the Cuban government implemented a new law to increase oversight over house churches. Known as Directive 43 and Resolution 46, the law requires all house churches to register and submit to the government detailed information on their membership, the house church's inhabitants, and the schedule of services. It permits no more than three meetings to be held per week, bars foreign citizens from participating in services without government permission, and requires house churches of the same denomination to be at least two kilometers apart.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Threats to Houses of Worship

During the reporting period, the Cuban government increasingly targeted houses of worship with closure, confiscation, and destruction. Since 2005, authorities rarely enforced the registration requirement for house churches and infrequently registered house churches that did submit applications; this changed in 2015. In the most egregious example, the government designated 2,000 Assemblies of God churches as illegal and ordered their closure, confiscation, or demolition, although these actions have not been taken. Also, Protestant Pastor Jesus Noel Carballeda was imprisoned from February to August 2015 without trial for "illegal religious activities" for leading an unregistered church.

The government also used a new legal decree to expropriate church properties and require them to pay rent to the government. In January 2015, the Cuban government announced Legal Decree 322, the General Law on Housing, purportedly to regulate private properties and zoning laws. However, Cuban authorities used Legal Decree 322 to expropriate 15 Methodist churches, as well as other churches of various denominations in the more politically-active eastern part of the country.

Continued Targeting and Harassment of Independent Religious Communities

The government continued to harass the Apostolic Reformation and the Eastern and Western Baptist Conventions. These independent, vocal, and large religious communities are resistant to government interference. As in past reporting periods, the Apostolic Reformation has been targeted for government harassment including: short-term arrests of leaders; government-organized mob attacks; confiscations, destruction of, or threats to destroy church property; harassment and surveillance of church members and their relatives; fines on churches; and threats to leaders and members of loss of employment, housing, or educational opportunities. Of particular concern is the ongoing harassment of Apostolic Reformation Reverend Yiorvis Bravo Denis and government efforts to seize his family home and church, the latter serving as the religious community's headquarters. Both the Eastern and the Western Baptist Conventions continued to report surveillance and harassment by state officials, including receiving death threats and being victims of "acts of repudiation" (demonstrations against them by government supporters). The two denominations also reported threats of church destruction or confiscation.

Denial of Religious Freedom for Democracy and Human Rights Activists

As in previous reporting periods, the Cuban government continued to deny democracy and human rights activists their constitutional rights to freedom of religion or belief. More than 100 separate incidents were reported in 2015 of Ladies in White members and other human rights and democracy activists being prevented from attending Sunday Masses. In the majority of cases, these individuals were detained on their way to Mass and released hours later. Individuals reported being beaten and harassed during their detentions. In a new development, they also reported being prevented from attending Bible study groups and prayer meetings. More than 150 democracy and human rights activists were detained during Pope Francis' trip to Cuba in September, preventing them from attending the pontiff's Mass. Further, church leaders reported pressure from government officials to expel or shun such activists. Religious leaders who did not comply were threatened with church confiscation or destruction.

Positive Developments

As in previous years, positive developments continue for the Catholic Church and other religious communities, such as the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian-Reformed Church. These religious denominations continued to report increased opportunities to repair houses of worship, receive exit visas, import religious materials, receive contributions from co-religionists outside Cuba, and conduct charitable, educational, and community service projects.

U.S. Policy

In December 2014, President Barack Obama announced a "New Course on Cuba," starting a process of normalizing diplomatic relations between the countries and significantly lifting trade and travel restrictions. For decades, U.S.-Cuban policies and relations were dominated by the U.S. trade sanctions and travel embargo on Cuba imposed in 1960 and reinforced by the 1996 Helms-Burton Act. The U.S. government's imprisonment of five Cubans arrested in 1998 for spying (known as the "Cuban Five"), and Cuba's detention of USAID contractor Alan Gross, also significantly hampered the relationship.

Since December 2014, the United States and Cuba re-established embassies in each other's capitals. The United States also removed Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list; eased restrictions on authorized travel to Cuba; and increased remittance levels, the import of Cuban products, the export of U.S. telecommunications equipment, and U.S.-led training opportunities for and exportation and/or sale of goods and services to Cuban private businesses and farmers. U.S. institutions were permitted to open banking accounts with Cuban financial institutions and U.S. credit and debit cards were permitted to be used in Cuba. Also Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Cuba in July to re-open the U.S. Embassy; he was the first Secretary of State to travel to the country in 70 years. The White House announced in February 2016 that President Obama would travel to Cuba March 21-22, the first sitting president to do so since 1928.

This was the third time the Obama Administration eased U.S. sanctions on Cuba. In April 2009, the President lifted restrictions on the number of times Cubans in the United States can travel to Cuba and the amount of money they can send to relatives in the country. On the same day, President Obama also announced that the United States would begin issuing licenses for companies to provide cellular telephone and television services in Cuba. In March 2010, President Obama announced that technology companies would be permitted to export Internet services to Cuba to increase freedom of expression and allow human rights activists to collect and share information.

Recommendations

As part of the U.S.-Cuba ongoing discussions, the U.S. government should take significant action to convey that the change in policy does not diminish the Cuban government's need to improve religious freedom conditions on the island. As such, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Afghanistan

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 2 countries - Afghanistan, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ce915.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.

Key Findings

Afghanistan's overall stability and security has deteriorated significantly in the last year due to a resurgence of the Afghan Taliban and increased activity by other extremist groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qaeda. These groups' violent ideology and attacks threaten all Afghans, but the Shi'a Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh minorities are especially vulnerable, as are the tiny Christian and Baha'i communities. Extremist attacks on Shi'a Muslims increased in 2015. Despite a sustained international support effort, the Afghan government lacks the capacity to protect civilians from attacks. In addition, the country's constitution and other laws violate international standards for freedom of religion or belief. Based on these concerns, in 2016 USCIRF again places Afghanistan on Tier 2, where it has been since 2006.

Background

Afghanistan's population is estimated at 32.5 million. An estimated 84 to 89 percent is Sunni Muslim, and 10 to 15 percent is Shi'a Muslim. Sikh, Hindu, Christian, and other religious communities collectively comprise less than one percent. Although the population is religiously homogenous, it is ethnically diverse. According to U.S. government figures, Afghanistan's population is 42 percent Pashtun, 27 percent Tajik, nine percent Hazara, nine percent Uzbek, three percent Turkmen, two percent Baloch, and eight percent other groups.

Formed in September 2014, the national unity government, led by President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah, has been unable to counter violent extremist groups that target the government, the military, civilians, and U.S. and NATO forces. Despite a prolonged international military effort, the Taliban has expanded its reach and power in Afghanistan. As of January 2016, the Taliban controlled around 30 percent of the country, more area than any time since 2001. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Taliban attacks between August and October 2015 increased by 19 percent compared to the same period in 2014. The Afghan government's efforts against the Taliban have been hindered significantly by its own internal instability; a fragmented police, military, and intelligence force; corruption; and a weak economy.

In this context, Afghans from all faiths and ethnic groups increasingly are fleeing their homes and the country. OCHA reported that between January and November 2015, more than 300,000 Afghans were forcibly displaced, a 160 percent increase over the same period in 2014. In total, nearly one million Afghans are internally displaced within the country, and 2.6 million are refugees in the region and beyond. According to European Union figures, nearly 150,000 Afghans, mostly Hazara Shi'a Muslims, sought asylum in Europe in 2015. Afghans also are fleeing to other countries in South Asia, as well as Australia.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Constitutional and Legal Issues

The Afghan constitution fails to protect the individual right to freedom of religion or belief as guaranteed under international human rights law, providing only that non-Muslims are "free to perform their religious rites within the limits of the provisions of the law." There is no provision protecting freedom of religion or belief for Muslims. The constitution states that Islam is the state religion, and that no Afghan law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of Islam. This clause has been interpreted by the Afghan government and religious clerics in ways that limit religious freedom and freedom of expression. The country's penal code permits the courts to defer to Shari'ah law in cases involving matters that neither the penal code nor the constitution explicitly address, such as blasphemy, apostasy and conversion, resulting in those charges being punishable by death. State-backed religious leaders and the judicial system are empowered to interpret and enforce Islamic principles and Shari'ah law, leading at times to arbitrary and abusive interpretations of religious orthodoxy. A 2004 media law prohibits writings deemed un-Islamic, enabling the detention of journalists and others.

Conditions for Non-Muslims

Hindus and Sikhs continue to face discrimination, harassment, and at times violence, despite being allowed to practice their faith in places of public worship and being represented in parliament through presidential appointments. Decades of conflict and official and societal discrimination have diminished significantly these communities' numbers in Afghanistan. In January 2015, the non-governmental Afghanistan Sikh and Hindu Community Council reported that the

Sikh population was fewer than 1,000 families and that Hindus had all but left the country. By contrast, 40 years ago an estimated 50,000 Sikh and Hindu families lived in Afghanistan. Only one of the eight Sikh gurdwaras in Kabul is operating.

The very small Christian population cannot worship openly and is at risk of attack by the Taliban and other extremists. In June 2014, the Taliban kidnapped Fr. Alexis Prem Kumar, who led Jesuit Refugee Services; he was released in February 2015. The one known church in the country continues to operate on the grounds of the Italian embassy. There were no reports of Afghan Christians arrested during the reporting period, but many reportedly have left for India. Afghanistan's tiny Baha'i community leads a covert existence. A 2007 ruling by the General Directorate of Fatwas and Accounts declared the Baha'i faith blasphemous and converts to it apostates.

Violence around Blasphemy Allegations

In March 2015, a mob in Kabul publicly and brutally murdered Farkhunda Malikzada, a young Muslim woman after a local religious leader falsely accused her of burning a Qur'an. Graphic video of the incident, which made worldwide headlines, showed some police attempting to help her, while others stood by as the crowd beat and kicked her, ran a car over her, and set her on fire. Although several religious leaders and government officials initially lauded the murder of an alleged blasphemer, within two days of her murder and following public protests demanding prosecutions, the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs announced she was innocent. Nearly 50 people, including 19 police officers, stood trial in May 2015. Of the civilians charged, four were sentenced to death, eight were sentenced to 16 years in prison, and 18 were found not guilty. Of the police officers, 11 were sentenced to one year in prison and eight were acquitted. In July 2015, an appeals court overturned the four death sentences, instead sentencing three of the men to 20 years in prison and one, who was under 18 years of age, to 10 years.

U.S. Policy

Afghanistan has been the focus of U.S. engagement in South Asia for over a decade. U.S. government efforts have focused on building a stable Afghanistan and fighting extremist groups. The United States brokered the solution to resolve Afghanistan's highly-contested 2014 presidential election, which led to the creation of the current government.

In 2015, U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan transitioned from a combat mission to a training mission, although U.S. forces are still authorized to conduct combat operations. President Barack Obama's original goal to shrink the force to around 5,000 by the end of 2015 was revised in October 2015, at President Ghani's request, largely due to the Taliban's resurgence. By the end of the reporting period, there were approximately 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, who will remain in the country at least through 2016.

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (the United States, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan) are working to create a new framework for peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. A meeting between the two parties occurred in July 2015, but the effort collapsed after the belated news of the 2013 death of Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar led to infighting within the Taliban. In January and February 2016, Ambassador Richard Olson, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, represented the United States in meetings with the Pakistani, Chinese, and Afghan governments. Other United States government officials have visited Afghanistan during the reporting period, including Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski, who traveled to the country in April 2015. In March 2015, President Ghani and CEO Abdullah visited the United States. While in the United States, Ghani met with President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry, and addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

Afghanistan's dependence on U.S. and foreign aid is unlikely to change in the near future. Through the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework, the United States and other international donors committed to provide Afghanistan $16 billion in aid through 2015 and continue assistance at similar levels through 2017. According to a report from the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, as of the end of 2015, the United States had appropriated approximately $113.09 billion for relief and reconstruction in Afghanistan since FY2002, including $68.44 billion for security, $31.79 billion for governance and development, $2.93 billion for humanitarian aid and $9.94 billion for civilian operations. In FY2015, total USAID and Department of State humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan was $182.9 million. In March 2015, Secretary Kerry announced that the United States government will make up to $800 million available to support a "New Development Partnership" to combat corruption, promote rule of law, strengthen women's rights, and enhance private sector growth in Afghanistan.

Recommendations

Recognizing that the Afghan government faces significant challenges in combating the Taliban and other violent extremist groups and generally lacks the capacity to protect religious and ethnic communities from violent attacks, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Vietnam

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Vietnam, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cea11.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.

Key Findings

Government restrictions on religious activities in Vietnam vary widely across geographical areas, as well as among religious organizations based on their relationship with the state. This sends conflicting messages about Vietnam's overall commitment to respecting and protecting freedom of religion or belief. On the one hand, the country's rich religious diversity, the absence of interreligious conflict, and the room for religious practice permitted to some groups in certain areas indicate a positive trajectory towards a rights-respecting environment; on the other hand, the government's continuing heavy-handed management of religion continues to lead not only to restrictions and discrimination, but also to individuals being outright harassed, detained, and targeted with physical violence. The continuing abuses meet the threshold for designating the country as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under IRFA. USCIRF therefore again recommends CPC designation for Vietnam in 2016, as it has every year since 2001. USCIRF believes that engaging Vietnam through the structured, strategic framework of a CPC designation can be a helpful tool to both strengthening the U.S.-Vietnam bilateral partnership and protecting the rights of all religious people and communities.

Background

While the broader human rights situation in Vietnam remains fluid, religious freedom in particular continues to be nuanced and complex. Diverse faith communities are represented in Vietnam, and the degree to which the Vietnamese people have the ability to practice freely without fear of harassment, detention, or violence widely varies. According to estimates, the majority of Vietnam's more than 94 million people practice Buddhism. More than six million Vietnamese are Catholic, more than one million apiece practice the Cao Dai or Hoa Hao faiths, and approximately one to two million are Protestant. Smaller numbers are Khmer Krom Buddhist, Muslim (including ethnic Cham Muslims), Baha'i, Mormon, and Falun Gong, as well as several local religions or other forms of traditional worship.

The government has made dramatic openings with respect to religious freedom, including considering more space for charitable work by religious organizations and, according to government officials, allowing more houses of worship. Also, government officials informed USCIRF during the year that interactions between the government and individuals they referred to as "religious dignitaries" have increased, improving communication and understanding.

Nevertheless, the government continues to view some groups and activities as threatening to the state and to Vietnam's unified national identity. This has had mixed results for religious organizations, as evident in the contrasting experiences of state-sponsored religious organizations versus independent groups, or of registered organizations versus unregistered ones. Some have broad freedom to freely practice their faith, and others have comparatively little. While the severe abuses are not uniform nationwide, and, in fact, greatly vary across provinces, the violations indicate a pattern of behavior by government officials and their affiliates, either at the national or provincial/local level, targeting specific religious faiths, organizations, and/or individuals. Many of these violations stem from police brutality against individuals accused of vague "national security" transgressions.

In August 2015, a USCIRF Commissioner-led delegation visited Vietnam, traveling to Ho Chi Minh City, Tay Ninh, and Hanoi to meet with government officials and representatives of a wide variety of religious and ethnic groups, including state-sponsored, independent, registered, and unregistered organizations. During USCIRF's visit, discussions focused on Vietnam's draft law on religion, which first became publicly available in April 2015 and is expected to receive a vote in the National Assembly sometime in 2016. Although the visit occurred with less government interference than previous USCIRF visits, one interlocutor was detained and beaten after meeting with the USCIRF delegation.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Positive or Encouraging Trends

Relations between the Vietnamese government and the Vatican improved in 2015, with Vatican prefect Cardinal Fernando Filoni visiting Hanoi in January and Pope Francis naming Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon as Vietnam's newest Cardinal. The Vietnamese government also approved a new Catholic university centered around a theological institute, and government officials highlighted to USCIRF the expanding opportunities for charitable and social work by the Catholic Church.

During USCIRF's visit, some interlocutors stated that their religious activities and gatherings faced little to no interference, though several acknowledged that religious organizations in other areas experienced problems. In some cases, these positive trends were new and welcome developments, for which local authorities should be lauded. For example, in January 2016, Hoa Hao Buddhists conducted a religious ceremony at Quang Minh Temple in An Giang Province; public security officials were present, but did not interfere in the proceedings as they have previously. Also, parishioners at the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ in Kontum Province held Christmas celebrations for the first time. Interlocutors also noted open communication with local officials and, in some cases, years of relationship building, but recognized these were no guarantees to being allowed to freely practice their faith. Some offered input to the government regarding the draft law on religion, though the select few whose feedback the government solicited had limited time to review the draft and much of their analysis was critical.

Harassment of Certain Religious Groups

Religious organizations that choose not to seek government recognition face greater risk of abuse by government authorities, particularly provincial or local officials, or government-employed proxies. This is often a two-fold problem: provincial or local officials do not understand central government religion policies, and the central government permits inconsistent and contradictory implementation of such policies. Based on meetings during the August visit, USCIRF concluded that some central government officials are aware of this inconsistency, which at the very least suggests the draft law on religion should include robust training and oversight of local officials, but also demonstrates some degree of central government complicity in or indifference to provincial-level abuses.

In addition to seeking to protect their right to freedom of religion or belief, individuals from some independent or unregistered religious groups advocate on other topics deemed sensitive by the government, such as democracy promotion and human rights, or are viewed as having current or historical ties to Western countries, including the United States. As a result, certain individuals and religious groups falling into these categories  such as the Cao Dai, Montagnards, and followers of Duong Van Minh  face harassment, detention, and physical violence. Moreover, the government's suspicion of large crowds includes individuals congregating for religious purposes, resulting, at times, in similar forms of ill-treatment. For example, Vietnam's Falun Gong practitioners often gather in groups as part of their regular practices, and adherents have been detained and harassed as a result.

The Vietnamese government accuses ethnic minority Montagnards from the Central Highlands of seeking some form of autonomy. Montagnards, many of whom are Protestant, face numerous restrictions: some are prevented from holding religious ceremonies, pastors are harassed or punished, and many are summoned to meet with local authorities and pressured to cease practicing their "poisonous" faith. Since October 2014, up to 300 Vietnamese Montagnards have fled the country for Cambodia, many because of religious persecution. Only 13 have been granted refugee status with UNHCR, countless others are waiting for Cambodia to process their asylum claims, and dozens have been returned to Vietnam, often at great risk of reprisals.

Throughout 2015, in Gia Lai Province, parishioners at an unregistered Mennonite Church were detained and beaten, and some were pressured to renounce their faith. Similarly, the government harassed followers of the small Christian sect known as Duong Van Minh and burned and/or destroyed funeral storage sheds central to the group's core practices. As of October 2015, 27 of 33 funeral sheds throughout four provinces had been attacked. Moreover, Duong Van Minh followers regularly are imprisoned, and in February 2015, government agents attacked followers in Cao Bang Province. Provincial-level public security officials detained one Duong Van Minh follower after he met with USCIRF in August 2015, and reportedly beat and tortured the man when he refused to answer their questions.

Even though Buddhism is the most widely practiced faith in Vietnam, those operating independent from the state-sanctioned Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha often are government targets. This includes the leadership of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV), such as Thich Quang Do, who remains under house arrest, and Buddhist Youth Movement leader Le Cong Cau. In April 2015, Le Cong Cau was detained and questioned for three days, and later in the year he was prevented several times from traveling to meet visiting government officials from the United States and Germany.

During 2015, local authorities in some areas continued to harass and question independent Hoa Hao in connection with the practice of their faith. For example, worshippers' homes and businesses in Dong Thap Province were repeatedly vandalized and surveilled, causing significant disruptions to their livelihoods. The family of one Hoa Hao woman believes the severe stress of such ill-treatment contributed to her untimely death. While this connection cannot be confirmed, the allegation indicates some religious believers' sentiments about the impact of government restrictions on their ability to freely practice their faith.

Mennonite pastor Nguyen Hong Quang and others were attacked and beaten in January and March 2015 just north of Ho Chi Minh City. In recent years, their unregistered church has been the site of multiple raids and attacks by police, security forces, and others. Throughout the year, in Gia Lai Province, police attacked Catholics, including nuns. In December 2015, Protestant minister Rev. Nguyen Trung Ton was arrested; at the end of the reporting period, little is known about his status. Several times during the year, Pastor Y Noen Ayun of the Evangelical Church of Christ in Kon Tum was either arrested or threatened with jail time because he continued preaching. During one instance, in October 2015, a public security officer physically abused him when he refused to cease his religious activities.

Harassment of Property and/or Disruption of Religious Activities

Religious groups across Vietnam remain fearful the government will seize religious property through eviction or demolition and believe the government is targeting them for their faith. Whether motivated by greed, corruption, or an antipathy toward religion, intimidation or destruction of property interferes with the practice of faith. For example, throughout the year, authorities continued to threaten with demolition the UBCV-affiliated Lien Tri Pagoda in Thu Thiem, an area in Ho Chi Minh City slated for significant redevelopment. The UBCV-affiliated Dat Quang Pagoda in Ba Ria Vung Tao Province was harassed in October 2015 when large groups aggressively pursued individual Buddhists and also blocked access to the temple.

Authorities similarly have threatened to close the Catholic school located in Thu Thiem, but reportedly suspended its demolition. In addition, the local government threatened the Dak Jak Parish of approximately 5,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Kon Tum with demolition and expulsion of its priest. Authorities in Kon Tum Province in the Central Highlands are known for particular harshness toward followers of independent, unregistered faiths. Reportedly, local officials drove out many parishioners at Dong Yen Parish in the Diocese of Vinh; this occurred after authorities denied local Catholic schoolchildren access to education.

Khmer Krom Buddhists experienced similar harassment. For example, local authorities in Soc Trang Province have allowed private enterprises to establish commercial businesses on temple grounds, which Khmer Krom Buddhists believe violates the sanctity of the temples. Independent Cao Dai followers in Phu Yen Province protested the local government's attempts to bulldoze Tuy An Temple where they worship. Throughout 2015, followers were threatened by police and warned to stay away from the temple.

Draft Law on Religion

Although the draft law on religion presents Vietnam with an opportunity for positive change, some troubling trends are apparent in the drafts that have been made public. Government officials informed USCIRF that the legislation would provide a structured legal framework for religious policy (as opposed to the current policy comprised of multiple decrees and ordinances), with some suggesting it will provide more equal legal treatment of all religious groups and improve training for local authorities. Many religious organizations and international groups, however, view the draft as increasing government control over every aspect of religious life through layers of notifications and approvals and making "illegal" activities subject to the force of law, rather than ordinance and decree. Thus, critics describe the bill as a "step backward," codifying existing bad policies and intensifying the government's micro-management of religion. Some have suggested modifications to the draft, including elimination of the requirements for mandatory registration and government approval of religious activities, including the appointment or moving of pastors and other religious leaders, as well as reducing wait times for government approvals.

Prisoners

On September 2, 2015, the country's 70th National Day, the Vietnamese government released more than 18,200 prisoners, though none considered to be political or religious prisoners. There were additional high-profile prisoner releases throughout the year, including: the June release of Catholic activist and human rights lawyer Le Quoc Quan; and the August release of Catholic blogger Paulus Le Van Son, Protestant leader Nguyen Van Oai, and Catholic activists Tran Minh Nhat and Thai Van Dung. However, between 100 and 150 prisoners of conscience are believed to remain in prison, including several held for their religious beliefs and/or religious freedom advocacy, such as Father Thaddeus Nguyen Van Ly. Prominent Khmer Krom Buddhists also remain in prison, such as the Venerable Thach Thuol, the Venerable Lieu Ny, and Thach Phum Rich.

Released prisoners are particularly vulnerable to harassment. Christian human rights activist Tran Minh Nhat, released from prison in August 2015, was twice detained and beaten by police in November. In March 2015, unknown aggressors attacked Nguyen Van Dai, a Christian human rights lawyer, who was previously under house arrest and served time in prison. He also was beaten and arrested in December 2015 under Article 88 of the Penal Code, a vague provision often used against human rights activists whom the government accuses of allegedly "conducting propaganda against the state." The United States government spoke out strongly against his arrest.

U.S. Policy

In 2015, the United States and Vietnam marked the 20th anniversary of normalized ties and conducted a number of high-level visits, including General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's July visit to the United States, the first by any head of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Secretary of State John Kerry and Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, Democracy, and Labor Tom Malinowski's August trip to Vietnam. The two countries also held another regular session of their bilateral Human Rights Dialogue, which prominently featured discussion of religious freedom concerns, in part due to the participation of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein.

Areas of bilateral cooperation between the United States and Vietnam include trade, maritime security and defense, energy/environment, science/technology, health care, education, and human rights. These priorities were strategically outlined in 2013 when the two countries launched the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. The FY2016 spending bill included allocations for Vietnam through the Economic Support Fund and Development Assistance programs.

Throughout 2015, Vietnam was a focal point in negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) regional free trade agreement, with critics of the agreement advocating for stronger commitments from Vietnam on human rights and other issues, including religious freedom. This discussion prompted, in part, the addition of language to the Trade Promotion Authority bill (the legislative vehicle to help facilitate streamlined congressional review of the TPP agreement) incorporating religious freedom as a negotiating objective when the U.S. government collaborates with international partners on trade agreements.

Recommendations

The United States should actively take steps to support meaningful and lasting reforms in Vietnam, including to improve religious freedom. As a means to facilitate such improvements, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government designate Vietnam as a CPC and that it:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Tajikistan

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Tajikistan, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ceb11.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.

Key Findings

The government of Tajikistan suppresses and punishes all religious activity independent of state control, particularly the activities of Muslims, Protestants, and Jehovah's Witnesses. Since 2009, numerous laws that severely restrict religious freedom have been implemented in the country. The government also imprisons individuals on unfounded criminal allegations linked to Islamic religious activity and affiliation. In 2015, a Tajik court banned as "extremist" the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, an opposition political party that had been legal for 15 years, and 200 of its leaders and members reportedly were imprisoned. Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned since 2007. Based on these concerns, as it has since 2012, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that the U.S. government designate Tajikistan a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).* Previously, Tajikistan was on USCIRF's Tier 2 (formerly Watch List) from 2009 to 2011.

* On April 15, 2016, after this report was finalized, the State Department designated Tajikistan as a CPC for the first time.

Background

Tajikistan is an isolated and impoverished country that experienced in the 1990s a five-year civil war that resulted in as many as 100,000 deaths; the official post-war amnesty included many Tajik officials responsible for torture. The government is weak and highly corrupt, and 40 percent of the country's gross domestic product is from labor remittances, mostly from Russia. With the Russian economy's recent downturn, hundreds of thousands of Tajik workers have returned home to few job prospects, giving rise to new social tensions.

Over 90 percent of Tajikistan's estimated population of 7.9 million is Muslim, most from the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam; about four percent are Ismaili Shi'a. Of the country's 150,000 Christians, most are Russian Orthodox, but there are also Protestants and Roman Catholics. In addition, there are small numbers of Baha'is, Hare Krishnas, and Jehovah's Witnesses, and fewer than 300 Jews.

Tajikistan's legal environment for religious freedom has seen a sharp decline since the passage of several highly restrictive laws in 2009. The 2009 religion law sets onerous registration requirements for religious groups; criminalizes unregistered religious activity and private religious education and proselytism; sets strict limits on the number and size of mosques; allows state interference with the appointment of imams; requires official permission for religious organizations to provide religious instruction and communicate with foreign co-religionists; imposes state controls on the content, publication and importation of religious materials; and restricts Muslim prayer to mosques, cemeteries, homes, and shrines.

In 2011 and 2012, administrative and penal code amendments set new penalties, including large fines and prison terms, for religion-related charges, such as organizing or participating in "unapproved" religious meetings. Alleged organizers of a "religious extremist study group" face eight-to-12-year prison terms. A 2011 law on parental responsibility banned minors from any organized religious activity except funerals. The State Department has noted that "Tajikistan is the only country in the world in which the law prohibits persons under the age of 18 from participating in public religious activities."

Tajikistan's extremism law punishes extremist, terrorist, or revolutionary activities without requiring acts that involve violence or incitement to imminent violence. Trials under these charges lack due process and procedural safeguards. The Tajik government uses concerns over Islamist extremism to justify actions against individuals taking part in certain religious activities. According to the State Department, the Tajik government's list of groups banned as extremist includes non-violent religiously-linked groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jamaat Tabligh, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Group 24 (a Tajik political opposition group), along with such recognized terrorist groups as al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the Islamic Group (Islamic Community of Pakistan), the Islamic Movement of Eastern Turkestan, the Islamic Party of Turkestan (former Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan  IMU), and Lashkar-e-Tayba. In September 2015, the legal Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan was added to that list.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Restrictions on Muslims

The law restricts Muslim prayer to four locations: mosques, cemeteries, homes, and shrines. Tajik officials monitor mosques and attendees for views they deem extremist or critical of the government, place restrictions on Muslim religious dress, and limit the number and age of hajj (religious pilgrimage) participants; as of April 2015, no one under the age of 35 can take part. The official State Committee on Religious Affairs (SCRA) controls the selection and retention of imams and the content of sermons. Since 2014, the government has paid the salaries of imams of cathedral mosques; these are the only mosques where the state allows sermons (prepared in advance by the semi-official Council of Ulema.) President Emomali Rahmon also instructed the Council of Ulema to adopt a standard uniform for imams. The Tajik NGO Sharq Analytical Center reports such policies have widened the gap between official and unofficial Muslim clergy, leading to popular mistrust of Muslim institutions. In July 2015, an Interior Ministry official in Dushanbe warned mosque-goers during Friday prayers not to leave early, which he claimed was a sign of non-Hanafi Islam; three months later the SCRA prohibited Tajik state employees from attending early afternoon Friday prayers, the Asia-Plus news agency reported.

The law prohibits headscarves in educational institutions, and bans teachers younger than 50 from wearing beards in public buildings. In March 2015, President Rahmon condemned women wearing "uncharacteristic" dress; state television showed police stopping 10 women in headscarves, claiming they were prostitutes. Asia-Plus reported in January 2016 that Khatlon region law enforcement officials "encouraged" 6,673 women to stop wearing Islamic headscarves as part of a 2015 national campaign; throughout the country, hundreds of thousands of bearded men were detained by police, had their fingerprints taken, and were forced to shave.

Between 2004 and 2014, the Council of Ulema banned women from attending mosques. In 2014, it said it would allow women to attend mosques and female students at religious schools to become imam-hatibs (imams' assistants) to work with females at mosques with women-only sections.

Trials and Imprisonment of Muslims

During 2015, Tajik law enforcement officials continued to prosecute dozens for their alleged links to banned Islamic groups or international terrorist networks. Due to Tajikistan's flawed judicial system, it is almost impossible to ascertain the accuracy of such charges.

The government has expressed concern over the increasing number of Tajik officials who reportedly have become Salafis or Shi'a Muslims, and the Salafist movement has been banned as extremist since 2014. The Sharq Analytical Center reports that Salafism has become increasingly popular among the Tajik elite. The SCRA Deputy Head has called Salafis extremist because their discussions show that they are not in total agreement about Islam. Salafi Muslims now risk prosecution under three Criminal Code articles relating to extremism, with possible five to 12-year jail terms.

In February 2015, Tajikistan's Interior Minister claimed that 200 Tajik labor migrants in Russia had joined militants in Syria, RFE/RL reported, but others could not confirm that figure. General Gulmurod Khalimov, head of Tajikistan's Special Assignment Police Unit, said in a May 27, 2015 video that one reason he had defected to ISIL in Syria was due to increasing restrictions on religious freedom in Tajikistan.

IRPT Ban

Until last year, Tajikistan had the only legal Islamist political party in the former Soviet Union, the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT), which was granted such status under the country's post-civil war peace settlement. Government repression of Islamic practice is often intertwined with official efforts to suppress the IRPT, which had called for respecting Tajikistan's secular constitution and international religious freedom commitments. In 2014, the IRPT backed a parliamentary initiative to allow children to attend mosque and in 2015 it was critical of an official campaign against beards and headscarves.

In late August 2015, the Tajik government ordered the IRPT to halt all activity. On September 17, the Prosecutor General accused the IRPT of instigating violence, including a September 4 attack on a police station in which 39 died. In late September, the Tajik Supreme Court banned the IRPT as "an extremist and terrorist organization" for its alleged role in that attack. IRPT Chair Muhiddin Kabiri  forced into foreign exile  asserts that the extremism charges against his party are false and politically motivated. The U.S. delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said that it has "seen no credible evidence that the IRPT as an organization was involved with the attacks in Dushanbe and surrounding towns."

Some 200 IRPT members reportedly have been imprisoned, including former parliamentarian Saidumar Husaini, Deputy Chair Mahmadali Hait, journalist Hikmatulloh Saifullohzoda, Islamic scholar Zubaidullah Roziq, and many regional activists. They are denied access to doctors and lawyers. The day after Saidumar Husaini was jailed, the former parliamentarian told his defense lawyer that he had been tortured. Husaini's lawyer, Buzurgmehr Yorov, was also arrested. Jailed IRPT female lawyer Zarafo Rahmoni, has threatened suicide due to detention conditions. Amnesty International has expressed concern that the imprisoned IRPT activists are subjected to torture. In January 2016, three lawyers  two Turkish and one Russian  were expelled from Tajikistan after they sought access to imprisoned IRPT members. Relatives of IRPT members are threatened by the government; after the Tajik government learned in December 2015 that Muhiddin Kabiri would speak at a public event in Washington, DC, it detained 10 of his relatives, including his 95-year-old father. At least 1,000 IRPT members are reported to have fled the country; the Tajik government continues to press for their extradition. On February 9, 2016, the Tajik Supreme Court began closed hearings in the trial of 13 leading IRPT members accused of attempting to overthrow the government, including Mahmadali Hait and Zarafo Rahmoni.

Status of Houses of Worship

Tajik law sets strict limits on the numbers of mosques permitted. Since 2008, the government has closed hundreds of unregistered mosques and prayer rooms and demolished three unregistered mosques in Dushanbe. The nation's only synagogue, located in Dushanbe, was bulldozed in 2008. The Jewish community later was allowed to worship in a building provided by President Rakhmon's brother-in-law, one of Tajikistan's richest bankers. In contrast, the Aga Khan Cultural Center, Central Asia's first Ismaili center, opened in Dushanbe in 2009, and Tajikistan announced that one of the world's largest mosques, funded by Qatar, will open in Dushanbe in 2017.

Restrictions on Religious Minorities

Small Protestant and other groups cannot obtain legal status under onerous registration requirements, and Jehovah's Witnesses have been banned since 2007 for allegedly causing "discontent" and for conscientious objection to military service. Forum 18 reported on several relevant incidents: in July 2015, police in the Sogd region twice detained Jehovah's Witnesses and imposed administrative punishments. In January 2015, the SCRA threatened to punish various Protestant churches if they did not stop allowing children to worship.

Restrictions on Religious Literature

The government must approve the production, import, export, sale, and distribution of religious texts by registered religious groups, in effect a ban on religious materials by unregistered religious groups. The Ministry of Culture has confiscated religious texts, including from Jehovah's Witnesses. In August 2015, the State Communications Agency ordered mobile phone operator Tcell to block several websites, including turajon.org, a California-based website operated by Nuriddinjon, Haji Akbar and Mahmudjon, sons of prominent deceased Sufi sheikh Mahamaddrafi Turajon. Two of the brothers publicly opposed the 2004 ban on women's mosque attendance; their website hosted a question and answer section on religion, a rare venue for women to seek religious rulings from male Muslim leaders.

Restrictions on Religious Education

A state license is required for religious instruction, and both parents must give written permission for such teaching. Only central mosques are allowed to set up educational groups. As of 2013, the activities of seven of the country's eight madrassahs were suspended, according to the State Department; only one madrassah operates in Tursonzade, near Dushanbe. The state-controlled Islamic University announced in mid-2015 that its madrassah was "temporarily suspended," but as of this writing it remains closed.

Civil Society and Religious Issues

Tajik civil society is subject to increasing official pressure, and Tajik non-governmental organizations are fearful of reporting on religious freedom conditions due to perceived dangers of government backlash.

During 2015, there was in increase in the presidential personality cult. For example, in December 2015, Tajik lawmakers voted to give President Emomali Rahmon the title "Leader of the Nation" as "the founder of peace and national unity of Tajikistan" and grant him lifelong immunity from prosecution. In January 2016, a leading Muslim scholar reportedly proposed that Rahmon's wife be recognized as the leader of all Tajik women adherents of Islam.

U.S. Policy

Tajikistan is strategically important for the United States, partly because Tajiks are the second largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, the country's southern neighbor. Since 2010, the United States has expanded cooperation with Central Asian states, including Tajikistan, to allow it to ship cargo overland via the Northern Distribution Network as U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan continue to withdraw. Tajikistan has given U.S. Special Operations Forces permission to enter the country on a case-by-case basis during counter-terrorism operations.

Since 2010, the United States and Tajikistan have discussed bilateral policy and economic assistance issues through an Annual Bilateral Consultation (ABC); the fifth U.S.-Tajikistan ABC was held in Washington DC in June 2015. The State Department's stated priorities in Tajikistan include increasing respect for the rights of Tajikistan's citizens and strengthening sovereignty and stability. The State Department's annual International Religious Freedom Reports have documented a deterioration of religious freedom in Tajikistan.

Since 1992, the U.S. government has provided over one billion dollars in assistance programs supporting economic growth, democratic institutions, healthcare, education, and security. On democratic institutions, U.S. assistance promotes improved legislation relating to civil society, the media, and speech; legal assistance to non-governmental organizations; and stronger non-state electronic media outlets. On security, the focus has been countering violent extremism and illegal narcotics trafficking.

During 2015, Tajikistan hosted a series of high-level U.S. officials, mostly from the Department of Defense, including General Lloyd J. Austin III, Commander of Central Command (USCENTCOM). In September 2015, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe hosted the Exercise Regional Cooperation, the largest annual, multilateral USCENTCOM command-post exercise with Central and South Asia. U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Tajikistan in November 2015. Secretary of State John Kerry also visited Tajikistan in November. After meeting with President Rahmon, Secretary Kerry made a public statement noting Tajikistan's security and economic challenges and highlighted the need to fight violent extremism while respecting human rights, religious freedom, and active political participation.

Recommendations

In addition to recommending that the U.S. government designate Tajikistan a CPC, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Pakistan

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Pakistan, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307ced15.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.

Key Findings

In 2015, the Pakistani government continued to perpetrate and tolerate systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations. Religiously-discriminatory constitutional provisions and legislation, such as the country's blasphemy law and anti-Ahmadiyya laws, intrinsically violate international standards of freedom of religion or belief and result in prosecutions and imprisonments. The actions of non-state actors, including U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations such as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban), continue to threaten all Pakistanis and the country's overall security. Religious minority communities, including Shi'a and Ahmadiyya Muslims, Christians, and Hindus, experience chronic sectarian and religiously-motivated violence from both terrorist organizations and individuals within society. The government's failure to provide adequate protection for likely targets of such violence or prosecute perpetrators has created a deep-rooted climate of impunity. Discriminatory content against minorities in provincial textbooks remains a significant concern, as are reports of forced conversions and marriages of Christian and Hindu girls and women. While the Pakistani government has taken some steps over the last two years to address egregious religious freedom violations, it has failed to implement systemic changes. Accordingly, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that Pakistan be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), as it has recommended since 2002.

Background

Pakistan is an ethnically and religiously diverse country of over 190 million people. According to the last official census, in 1998, 95 percent of the population identified as Muslim; of that 75 percent identified as Sunni and 25 percent as Shi'a. The remaining five percent were adherents of non-Muslim faiths, including Christians, Hindus, Parsis/Zoroastrians, Baha'is, Sikhs, Buddhists, and others. However, Shi'a Muslim, Christian, and Hindu groups believe their communities are larger than the census reported. An estimated two to four million Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims, but Pakistani law does not recognize them as such.

Pakistan's religious freedom environment has long been marred by religiously-discriminatory constitutional provisions and legislation, including its blasphemy laws. For years, the Pakistani government has failed to protect citizens, minority and majority alike, from sectarian and religiously-motivated violence. Pakistani authorities also have failed to consistently bring perpetrators to justice or take action against societal actors who incite violence. In addition, U.S.-designated terrorist organizations, such as the Pakistani Taliban, pose a significant security challenge to the government, targeting Pakistani civilians, governmental offices, and military locations.

Over the past several years, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his party have taken steps to address some of these issues. Following the December 2014 Pakistani Taliban attack on an army school that killed 130 children, the government announced a 20-point National Action Plan (NAP) to address terrorism, attacks on minority communities, and hate speech and literature intended to incite violence. In November 2015, the government declared the Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) independent from the Ministry of Law and Justice (MoLJ). The mandate of the MoLJ includes defending the state against human rights complaints, which could conflict with the mandate of the MoHR to redress human rights violations, including those perpetrated by the state. In May 2015, the government authorized the country's first independent National Commission for Human Rights, with the ability to conduct inquiries and take action, but provided it no budget. In June 2014, the Supreme Court ordered the federal government to establish a special police force to protect religious minorities and to revise biased school curricula, but the government has not made any progress on either. Overall, implementation of these and other steps by the government have fallen short. Societal violence and terrorist activity continues, and inherently discriminatory laws remain.

In March 2015, a USCIRF delegation made its first-ever Commissioner-level visit to Pakistan. Commissioners met with high-ranking Pakistani officials, including National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz, as well as officials in the Ministries of Interior and Religious Affairs. Tragically, suicide bombers affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban attacked two churches in Lahore the day the USCIRF delegation departed Pakistan.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Blasphemy Laws

Sections 295 and 298 of Pakistan's Penal Code criminalize acts and speech that insult a religion or religious beliefs or defile the Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad, a place of worship, or religious symbols. These provisions inherently violate international standards of freedom of religion or belief, as they protect beliefs over individuals. Accusers are not required to present any evidence that blasphemy occurred, which leads to abuse, including false accusations. There are no penalties for false allegations, though they may exist in other criminal code provisions. Moreover, the law sets severe punishments, including death or life in prison, which have been levied against religious minorities including Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadiyya and Shi'a Muslims, as well as Sunni Muslims. USCIRF is aware of nearly 40 individuals currently sentenced to death or serving life sentences for blasphemy in Pakistan.

An estimated two-thirds of all blasphemy cases in Pakistan occur in Punjab province, where the majority of Pakistan's religious minorities reside. While Muslims represent the greatest number of individuals charged or sentenced, religious minority communities are disproportionately the victims of blasphemy allegations and arrests, as compared to their percentage of the country's population. The non-governmental National Commission for Justice and Peace has reported that in 2014, 105 people were charged with blasphemy: 11 Ahmadis, 7 Christians, 5 Hindus, and 82 Muslims. In February 2015, the Punjab Prosecution Department and provincial judiciary announced that they had reviewed 262 blasphemy cases awaiting trial and recommended that 50 be reviewed for dismissal because the accused had been victimized by complainants. No religious minorities were included in the review.

During the reporting period, Pakistan's Supreme Court suspended the death sentence of Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after a dispute with co-workers, until her appeal could be heard. She remains imprisoned, is in poor health, and in October 2015 was put into isolation due to concerns for her safety. On February 29, 2016, Mumtaz Qadri was executed by hanging for the murder of Punjab governor Salman Taseer, who had spoken out in support of Mrs. Bibi. In the last year, there has been no progress in prosecuting individuals for the 2011 assassination of Minister of Minority Affairs Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who had called for blasphemy law reform.

In January 2016, Muhammad Khan Sherani, the Chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, called on the government to refer the blasphemy law to his council for review. The Council of Ideology is a constitutional body that advises the Pakistani government on whether legislation is compatible with Islam and Islamic law.

Anti-Ahmadiyya Laws

Ahmadis are subject to severe legal restrictions, and suffer from officially-sanctioned discrimination. September 2014 marked the 40th anniversary of Pakistan's second amendment, which amended the constitution to declare Ahmadis to be "non-Muslims." Additionally, sub-clauses B and C of Penal Code Section 298 make it criminal for Ahmadis to refer to themselves as Muslims; preach, propagate, or disseminate materials on their faith; or refer to their houses of worship as mosques. They also are prevented from voting.

In November 2015, in Jhelum, Punjab province, a mob set ablaze a factory owned by members of the Ahmadiyya community. Reportedly, the mob attacked the factory after a person who worked there was accused of desecrating the Qur'an. An Ahmadiyya mosque nearby was burned and looted the following day. Three individuals were arrested for their role in the factory attack, but no further information was available by the end of the reporting period.

In January 2016, Shakoor Shakoor, an optician and store owner in Rabwah, Punjab province, was sentenced to five years in prison on blasphemy charges and three years on terrorism charges, to be served concurrently, for propagating the Ahmadiyya Muslim faith by selling copies of the Qur'an and Ahmadiyya publications. His Shi'a Muslim store manager, Mazhar Sipra, also was sentenced to 5 years on terrorism charges. Both have appealed their sentences.

Education

Discriminatory content against religious minorities in provincial textbooks remains a significant concern. In early 2016, USCIRF released a new report, "Teaching Intolerance in Pakistan: Religious Bias in Public Textbooks," a follow-up to its 2011 study, "Connecting the Dots: Education and Religious Discrimination in Pakistan." The 2016 report found that while 16 problematic passages outlined in the 2011 report were removed, 70 new intolerant or biased passages were added. Fifty-eight of these passages came from textbooks used in the Baluchistan and Sindh provinces, while 12 came from the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Overall, the report found that Pakistani textbooks continue to teach bias against and distrust of non-Muslims and any faith other than Islam, and portray them as inferior. Moreover, the textbooks portray non-Muslims in Pakistan as non-Pakistani or sympathetic towards Pakistan's perceived enemies  Pakistani Christians as Westerners or British colonial oppressors and Pakistani Hindus as Indians. These portrayals stoke pre-existing societal tensions and create a negative climate for Pakistan's religious minority communities.

Forced Conversions

Forced conversion of Christian and Hindu girls and young women into Islam and forced marriage remains a systemic problem. In October 2014, the Pakistan-based Aurat Foundation reported that around 1,000 girls, many under the age of 18, are forcibly converted to Islam each year, mostly through forced marriages or bonded labor. According to the report, public pressure on the police often leads to inadequate or biased investigations in these cases and the girls and their families face intimidation to say they converted willingly. Hindu and Christian women are particularly vulnerable to these crimes. Pakistani law, except in one province, does not recognize Hindu marriages. In February 2016, Sindh province passed a law to allow the Hindu community to officially register their marriages. The law is also retroactive, allowing previously married couples to register. Reportedly, the National Assembly is considering a bill that would pertain to all Hindu marriages throughout the country. Christian marriages are recognized through the Marriage Act of 1872.

Targeted Sectarian Violence

Numerous terrorist groups are active in Pakistan, creating a serious security and stability threat to the region, the country, and its people, especially religious minority communities. In addition to attacking government and military sites, the Pakistani Taliban has been a major persecutor of religious minorities, as well as Sunni Muslims who oppose their religious and political agenda. In December 2015, Pakistani Taliban spokesperson Muhammad Khorsani claimed that the group carried out 136 attacks in 2015 that killed more than 680 people.

Early attempts in 2014 to negotiate peace with the Pakistani Taliban dissolved after repeated attacks, which spurred a major Pakistani military offensive that continues. These significant challenges notwithstanding, religious minority communities view the Pakistani government as unwilling to stem the violent attacks against them by terrorist organizations like the Pakistani Taliban or bring the attackers to justice, and believe that some government officials and local police may be sympathetic to the violent acts.

During the reporting period, religious minority communities suffered numerous violent attacks. For example, in March 2015, two Christian churches in Youhanabad town in Lahore, Punjab province, were bombed, killing at least 15 people and injuring 70. The Pakistani Taliban claimed that it had carried out the attack, and in August 2015, five individuals were arrested. In May 2015, 43 Shi'a Muslims were killed in the southern city of Karachi by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban called Jundullah. The Pakistani Taliban reportedly has killed 1,000 Shi'a Muslims in the last two years.

U.S. Policy

U.S.-Pakistan relations have long been marked by strain, disappointment, and mistrust. Human rights and religious freedom have not been among the highest priorities in the bilateral relationship. Pakistan has played a critical role in U.S. government efforts to combat al-Qaeda, the Afghani Taliban, and other terrorist organization in the areas. The United States relies on Pakistan for transport of supplies and ground lines of communication to Afghanistan. In October 2015, President Obama announced that the United States would halt the withdrawal of American military forces from Afghanistan until the end of his presidential term in 2017. Therefore, U.S. reliance on Pakistan is unlikely to change in the next year. Additionally, the United States, Pakistan, and China are engaged in the Afghan peace process. These three countries, along with Afghanistan, are working together to create a roadmap for restarting a negotiated peace between the Afghan government and the Afghani Taliban.

The United States and Pakistan established a Strategic Dialogue in 2010 to discuss topics such as the economy and trade; energy; security; strategic stability and non-proliferation; law enforcement and counter-terrorism; science and technology, education; agriculture; water; health; and communications and public diplomacy. Human rights are not included in the Dialogue structure. Although the Dialogue was dormant for some time, in January 2015 Secretary Kerry traveled to Islamabad for ministerial meetings.

The aid relationship with Pakistan is complex and changing. In October 2009, President Obama signed the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act (also known as the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act), authorizing an additional $7.5 billion ($1.5 billion annually over five years) in mostly non-military assistance to Pakistan. However, the $1.5 billion amount was only met in the first year, and the appropriated amount was approximately one-third of that each year since. The Act expired in 2014. Congress has placed certification requirements on U.S. military assistance to Pakistan focusing on counterterrorism cooperation. The State Department notified Congress that the Obama administration would waive the certification requirements in July 2014. However, in August 2015, the United States threatened to withhold nearly $300 million of military support funding because Pakistan did not do enough to stem terrorist activity. Non-military U.S. aid dramatically increased in recent years, while military aid has ebbed and flowed over the decades of engagement. For FY2016, more than $800 million in non-military foreign assistance is planned for Pakistan.

Recommendations

Promoting respect for freedom of religion or belief must be an integral part of U.S. policy in Pakistan, and designating Pakistan a CPC would enable the United States to more effectively press Islamabad to undertake needed reforms. The forces that target religious minorities and members of the majority faith present a human rights and security challenge to Pakistan and the United States. USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Nigeria

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Nigeria, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cee15.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.

Key Findings

Religious freedom conditions in Nigeria continued to be troubling during the reporting period. While the Nigerian military successfully recaptured territory from and arrested members of Boko Haram, the terrorist group returned to an asymmetrical warfare campaign, including suicide bombings of mosques and other civilian targets. It also reportedly forced Christians to convert and forced Muslims to adhere to its extreme interpretation of Islam. Boko Haram violence and recurring clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers continue to impact negatively religious freedom and interfaith relations in the country. The Nigerian federal government fails to implement effective strategies to prevent or stop terrorism and sectarian violence and it does not bring to justice those responsible for such violence, thus fostering a climate of impunity. Additionally, the Nigerian military's excessive use of force against a Shi'a Muslim group in Kaduna in December 2015 killed hundreds and worsened the government's relations and societal tensions with that minority community. Finally, religious freedom abuses continue at the state level, including through the application of Shari'ah law. During the reporting period, a Shari'ah court in Kano state sentenced a Sufi cleric and five followers to death for blasphemy. Based on these concerns, in 2016 USCIRF again recommends that Nigeria be designated as a "country of particular concern" or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). USCIRF first recommended that Nigeria be designated a CPC in 2009; Nigeria was on the Commission's Tier 2 (Watch List) from 2002-2009. The State Department has not designated Nigeria a CPC.

Background

Nigeria's population of 180 million is equally divided between Muslims and Christians and is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups. The vast majority of the population of northern Nigeria identifies as Muslim, and primarily is from the Hausa-Fulani ethnic group. In southwest Nigeria, which has large Christian and Muslim populations, the Yoruba is the largest ethnic group. Southeast Nigeria is largely Christian and is dominated by the Igbo ethnic group. The "Middle Belt" in central Nigeria is home to numerous smaller ethnic groups that are predominantly Christian, with a significant Muslim population.

Managing this diversity and developing a national identity has been, and continues to be, a problem for Nigerians and the Nigerian government, especially between its "Muslim north" and "Christian south." Fears of ethnic and religious domination are long-standing. Given that religious identity frequently falls along regional, ethnic, political, and socio-economic lines, it routinely provides flashpoints for violence. In addition, religious practice is pervasive and churches and mosques operate independently of state control. Polling indicates that Nigeria is one of the continent's most religious nations, that religious identity is of primary importance to many Nigerians, and that Nigerians report high levels of distrust towards people of other religions and high levels of concern about religious conflict.

The 1999 Constitution of Nigeria includes provisions protecting religious freedom and prohibiting discrimination based on religion, among other grounds. However, the implementation of some constitutional provisions in different regions result in religious freedom violations. Article 147 creates the legal category of "indigenes," a term that the constitution does not define but is used in Nigeria to mean persons whose ethnic group is considered native to a particular area (as opposed to so-called "settlers," who have ethnic roots in another part of the country). State and local governments issue certifications granting indigene status, which bestow many benefits and privileges such as political positions, access to government employment, and lower school fees. In Nigeria's Middle Belt, indigene and settler identities often fall along ethnic and religious lines, leading to ethno-religious violence over who controls local governments to determine indigene status and distribute the corresponding benefits. The constitution's federalism provisions also create an overly centralized rule-of-law system that hinders effective and timely police responses to sectarian violence and impedes prosecutions. In 12 Muslim-majority northern Nigerian states, federalism has allowed the adoption Shari'ah law in the states' criminal codes.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Boko Haram

Boko Haram is a terrorist organization engaged in an insurgent campaign to overthrow Nigeria's secular government and impose what it considers "pure" Shari'ah law. Boko Haram opposes Nigeria's federal and northern state governments, political leaders, and Muslim religious elites and has worked to expel all Christians from the north. The Council on Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker reports that from May 2011 through December 2015, Boko Haram killed more than 15,000 persons; another 12,000 were killed in fighting between Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces. More than 2.2 million Nigerians have been internally displaced by Boko Haram violence, and 180,000 have sought refuge in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, according to the United Nations. In March 2015, Boko Haram pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

During the reporting period, the Nigerian military, assisted by troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, as well as by local vigilante groups, recaptured almost all the territory Boko Haram had seized in 2013-2014, when it controlled an area roughly the size of Belgium. Since he assumed office in May, President Muhammadu Buhari and his government sought to improve their effectiveness in fighting Boko Haram, including by: relocating the countering Boko Haram command and control center to Maiduguri; initiating corruption cases against former senior government officials charging that they stole money earmarked for arms and operations to defeat terrorists; addressing morale issues in the army; training religious leaders and their congregations on how to provide security for houses of worship and other religious sites; and many other smaller initiatives.

However, while Boko Haram lost territory, it reverted to asymmetrical attacks and expanded its violence into Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. During the reporting period, terrorists attacked at least 30 houses of worship and religious ceremonies in the Lake Chad Basin area, including suicide bombings during Ramadan, Eid al-Adha, and Ashura. Boko Haram also attacked markets, internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, and small villages, which were completely destroyed. Human rights groups and escaped Boko Haram abductees report that Christians under Boko Haram control were forced to convert or die and that Muslim abductees were required to attend Quranic schools to learn the group's extreme interpretation of Islam. There are also reports that Boko Haram applied hudood punishments in its camps.

The Nigerian government's efforts against Boko Haram continue to be primarily military actions. While it has announced multiple initiatives to support Boko Haram's victims and address the economic and educational issues driving conflict, there have been no concrete actions. A December 2015 comprehensive conference for the northeast was delayed indefinitely, and it is unclear who in the Nigerian government is responsible for Northeastern affairs. Further, the Nigerian government is doing little to counter radicalization among potential Boko Haram recruits.

In last year's annual report, USCIRF raised concerns about the Nigerian military's use of excessive force in its campaign against Boko Haram. During the reporting period, there were few reports of such military abuses, although little is known about the military's actions in Borno state. On a positive note, in December 2015, the Chief of Staff of the Nigerian army announced that the army and the Nigerian Bar Association will jointly monitor Nigerian military activities to ensure compliance with human rights protections. Finally, despite routine reports of arrests of Boko Haram fighters or terrorist defections, there are very few trials and convictions. Rather, those arrested remain in military detention without charge.

Clashes with the Islamic Movement of Nigeria

Between December 12 and 14, the Nigerian army killed, injured, and detained hundreds of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) members in Zaria, Kaduna state. The IMN is a Shi'a Muslim movement dedicated to the creation of an Islamic state in northern Nigeria. On December 12, IMN members blocked the procession of the army's chief of staff. Following this incident, soldiers fired on IMN members, killing at least 300, and the army destroyed the group's spiritual headquarters. The group's leader, Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, was severely injured and detained; Zakzaky's son and other leaders were among those killed. The Nigerian army claimed its actions were in response to an IMN assassination attempt on the chief of staff, although there is no evidence of this. The December 2015 confrontation followed a similar, but smaller, clash in 2014, which resulted in the death of three of Zakzaky's sons.

Five separate investigations into the incident were ongoing as of the end of the reporting period, with the leading one by the Kaduna State Commission of Inquiry. However, by the end of the reporting period, the IMN had refused to cooperate with the Commission until its members or lawyers would be able to access Zakzaky who remains detained. On February 10, Nigerian prosecutors charged 191 IMN members with illegal possession of firearms, causing a public disturbance, and incitement.

Sunni-Shi'a relations in Nigeria have worsened since the December 2015 clash. While Nigeria's predominantly Sunni community always has been opposed to the IMN, religious leaders in the past denounced the government's excessive force in other IMN-government clashes, including the 2014 incident. Similar denunciations were not issued following the December 2015 violence. Further, an increasing number of Sufi clerics, including Emir Sanusi, have rejected the IMN on theological grounds. Previously, only Salafi clerics were known to make anti-Shi'a comments.

Sectarian Violence

Since 1999, violence between Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria, particularly in the Middle Belt states, has resulted in the deaths of more than 18,000 people, displaced hundreds of thousands, and damaged or destroyed thousands of churches, mosques, businesses, homes, and other structures. While this violence usually does not start as a religious conflict, it often takes on religious undertones and is perceived as a religion-based conflict for many involved.

In recent years, this violence has occurred primarily in rural areas. Recurrent violence between predominantly Christian farmers and predominantly Muslim nomadic herders in rural areas continued in 2015 and early 2016 and has resulted in hundreds of deaths and destroyed a number of churches. While disputes over land and cattle grazing rights for Muslim herders occur in many Nigerian regions, Christian and Muslim communities in the religiously-balkanized Middle Belt states view these conflicts in religious terms. Once fighting starts, the communities view the conflict in terms of protecting their religious community from violence, not about land.

Nigerian security services have long failed to respond adequately to this violence. The police  a federal entity commanded from Abuja, not by state governors  are rarely deployed, let alone in a timely manner. Rather, the military eventually is called in to end the violence, often with excessive force, indiscriminate shooting, and extrajudicial killings. During or immediately following most episodes of violence, the police or military round up hundreds of persons; the suspects are then housed in police stations and their weapons and other evidence commingled, making it nearly impossible to link individual suspects to any specific crime. Additionally, the security forces frequently fail to follow up on complaints from victims identifying their perpetrators, leading many victims to stop making such reports. The police's failure to respond to and investigate religious violence impedes prosecutions, which fosters an atmosphere of impunity. In addition, in some cases, federal and state attorneys general argue over jurisdiction.

As in previous reporting periods, the Nigerian federal and state government response was non-existent or ineffective. President Buhari created a committee to investigate herder-farmer violence, but has not implemented the committee's recommendation to create grazing reserves for cattle herders.

State-Level Religious Freedom Concerns

Twelve Muslim-majority northern Nigerian states apply their interpretation of Shari'ah law in their criminal codes. Shari'ah criminal provisions and penalties remain on the books in these 12 states, although application varies by location. State governments in Bauchi, Zamfara, Niger, Kaduna, Jigawa, Gombe, and Kano funded and supported Hisbah, or religious police, to enforce such interpretations.

The vast majority of the Shari'ah cases revolve around criminal acts such as cattle rustling and petty theft. However, on January 5, 2016, a Kano Shari'ah Court sentenced Tijaniyya Sufi Muslim cleric Abdul Nyass to death for derogatory remarks against the Prophet Mohammed. Five of his followers were likewise found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death in July; an additional four were acquitted. Nyass and his followers are appealing the convictions and sentences.

Christian leaders in the northern states report that state governments discriminate against Christians in denying applications to build or repair places of worship, access to education, and representation in government bodies and employment. In November, in Zamfara state, properties of Anglican, Catholic, and Christian Corpers Fellowship churches were destroyed due to a zoning error. The Zamfara governor promised to reimburse the communities for the destroyed properties, but at the end of the reporting period, the churches had not received any compensation.

Reports of discrimination against Muslims in southern states continued in 2015. Lagos State bans the wearing of the Islamic headscarf in all state schools.

U.S. Policy

Nigeria is a strategic U.S. economic and security partner in Sub-Saharan Africa. Senior Obama Administration officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior State Department officials, regularly visit the country. The United States is Nigeria's largest trading partner. Nigeria is the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance in Africa and the United States is the largest bilateral donor to Nigeria. Nigeria's importance to U.S. foreign policy was demonstrated in 2010 with the establishment of the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission. The Bi-National Commission has four working groups, on good governance, terrorism and security, energy and investment, and food security and agricultural development.

Bilateral relations improved following Nigeria's successful presidential elections in April 2015, which resulted in a peaceful political transition. Prior to the inauguration of President Buhari, U.S. officials unsuccessfully urged the Nigerian government to expand its campaign against Boko Haram beyond its military approach, address problems of economic and political marginalization in the north, and end Nigerian security forces' excessive use of force in response to Boko Haram. Following President Buhari's victory, both nations sought to improve the relationship. In July 2015, Secretary Kerry called President Buhari a "ready and willing partner."

The U.S. government has a large military assistance and anti-terrorism program in Nigeria to stop Boko Haram. The United States has designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and has designated as terrorists, imposed economic sanctions on, and offered rewards for the capture of several Boko Haram leaders. It also has supported UN Security Council sanctions on Boko Haram to prohibit arms sales, freeze assets, and restrict movement. In 2014, following the kidnappings of almost 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, President Barack Obama sent to Abuja a multi-disciplinary team composed of humanitarian experts, U.S. military personnel, law enforcement advisors, investigators, and hostage negotiation, strategic communication, civilian security and intelligence experts to advise Nigerian officials and help secure the return of the kidnapped girls. In September 2015, the White House announced it would provide $45 million to Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria to fight Boko Haram, including providing military training, equipment, and intelligence for the regional force to fight the terrorist group. In October, President Obama informed the U.S. Congress that he planned to send 300 U.S. troops and surveillance drones to Cameroon to provide intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support. In January 2016, the U.S. government donated 24 Mine-Resistant Armor-Protected vehicles to Nigeria's military authorities. U.S. officials also are considering the deployment of U.S. Special Operations personnel to serve in noncombatant advisory roles. However, in compliance with the Leahy Amendment, U.S. security assistance to the Nigerian military is limited due to concerns of gross human rights violations by Nigerian soldiers. Additionally, both USAID and the State Department support counter-radicalization communication programs in northeast Nigeria. Furthermore, across the Lake Chad Basin region, the United States has provided more than $195 million in humanitarian assistance for persons fleeing Boko Haram.

The State Department and USAID fund programs on conflict mitigation and improving interfaith relations in line with USCIRF recommendations, including a multi-year capacity-building grant to the Kaduna Interfaith Mediation Center to address ethnic and religious violence across the country.

Recommendations

Nigeria has the capacity to improve religious freedom conditions by more fully and effectively countering Boko Haram and sectarian violence, and will only realize respect for human rights, security, stability, and economic prosperity if it does so. For these reasons, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government designate Nigeria a CPC. In addition, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Iraq

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Iraq, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cef15.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.

Key Findings

Iraq's religious freedom climate continued to deteriorate in 2015, especially in areas under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ISIL targets anyone who does not espouse its extremist Islamist ideology, but minority religious and ethnic communities, including the Christian, Yazidi, Shi'a, Turkmen, and Shabak communities, are especially vulnerable. In 2015, USCIRF concluded that ISIL was committing genocide against these groups, and crimes against humanity against these and other groups. While ISIL was the most egregious perpetrator of human rights and religious freedom violations, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), recognized by Prime Minister al-Abadi in September 2015 as officially part of the Iraqi state, have continued to commit systematic attacks against Sunni Muslim civilians, exacerbating sectarian tensions. Although al-Abadi attempted to bring the PMF into the fold of government-sanctioned armed groups through this maneuver, so far it has remained clear that the group  which technically reports to the Ministry of Interior  exercises a significant amount of autonomy and espouses strong pro-Shi'a leanings, mostly to the exclusion of Iraq's Sunni population. However, because the PMF is one of the most effective groups in fighting ISIL, the Iraqi government has not curtailed their activities or prosecuted those who have perpetrated violent attacks. Millions of Iraqis are now refugees or are internally displaced due to ISIL's actions and the government's inability to protect religious communities. Based on violations perpetrated primarily by ISIL, but also due to the Iraqi government's toleration of attacks by security forces and the PMF, in 2016 USCIRF again recommends that the U.S. government designate Iraq as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). USCIRF has recommended CPC designation for Iraq since December 2008. Post-Saddam Iraq has never been designated a CPC by the State Department.

Background

Iraq has long suffered from sectarian tensions, which have adversely affected the country's human rights and religious freedom climate. Under Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi government maintained relative order through intimidation and terror while favoring the Sunni Muslim minority, who comprise approximately 35 percent of the country's population. Following the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's Prime Minister between 2003 and 2014, acted in an authoritarian and sectarian manner. He failed to implement fully an agreement to share government power between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, targeted Sunni areas and Sunni politicians, and marginalized Sunni Muslims in the government and the military. Since Maliki's resignation, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has attempted but not yet succeeded to ease sectarian tensions, although he has made some overtures to integrate Sunni Muslims into the government or recruit them into the military. The PMF and Iranian-backed Shi'a militias that operate outside of government control have further complicated al-Abadi's attempts to ease Sunni-Shi'a tensions on the political and societal level.

This background helped create the conditions that allowed ISIL to rise, spread and ultimately control significant areas of northern and central Iraq. The political actions by Saddam Hussein and Nouri al-Maliki created significant distrust between Iraq's Shi'a majority population and the Sunni Muslim minority population, which impacts Iraq today. The Sunni population has a distrust of the Iraqi government, and doubts its willingness to allow Sunni Muslims to participate at high levels in the government and military. Moreover, Sunni Muslim populations who abhor ISIL fear that the Iraqi government will not provide them protection. Religious minority communities, especially the Yazidi population, doubt the Iraqi government's willingness, ability, or both to protect them from ISIL. This degree of mistrust among Iraq's religious and ethnic communities and these communities' lack of confidence in the Iraqi government have combined to exacerbate sectarian tensions, undermine the country's stability, and create doubt that religious freedom and human rights are a priority and will be protected by the government.

Since 2014, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and its government (KRG) have played a significant role in providing a safe haven for religious minority communities fleeing ISIL's advancements and attacks. The population of the KRG is approximately 5.2 million people. Since ISIL's advent and the beginning of the Syrian conflict, an additional 1.8 million Syrian refugees and Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs) from other parts of Iraq have flooded the KRG, straining its ability to provide sufficient humanitarian aid and services. The pressure on the KRG to provide for communities that sought safety there has further strained relations between the KRG and Baghdad.

Even before ISIL's rise, the country's smallest religious communities  which include Catholics, Orthodox Christian, Protestants, Yazidis, and Sabean Mandaeans  were already significantly diminished. Before 2003, non-Muslim Iraqis made up around three percent of the Iraqi population. By 2013, the Christian population had dwindled to 500,000  half of its reported size in 2003  and today, some Christian leaders report the number to be as low as 250,000 to 300,000. Also in 2013, the Yazidis reported that since 2005 their population had decreased by nearly 200,000 to approximately 500,000, and the Mandaeans reported that almost 90 percent of their community had left the country or been killed, leaving just a few thousand. The size of these religious communities continues to decline as the crisis in Iraq deepens, with many members of Iraq's smallest minority communities having been killed, driven out of the country or internally displaced, especially since ISIL's advance in northern Iraq since 2014.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Violations by ISIL

ISIL threatens the region, Iraq's stability, and human rights and religious freedom for all Iraqis. ISIL's violent religious and political ideology allows for no space for religious diversity or freedom of thought or expression. The group has deliberately expelled minority communities from their historic homelands, forced them to convert to ISIL's version of Islam, raped and enslaved women and children, and tortured and killed community members, including by stoning, electrocution, and beheading. ISIL has targeted all of Iraq's smallest religious minority communities; its ongoing actions could well mark the end of ancient religious communities in northern Iraq. After the reporting period, on March 17, 2016, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that, in his judgment, ISIL "is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shi'a Muslims [and] for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups and in some cases also against Sunni Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities."

ISIL has committed horrific crimes against the Yazidi community, a small religious group it regards as "devil worshippers" and does not consider "People of the Book" (the Abrahamic faiths). A 2015 U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) report found that ISIL committed acts of genocide against the Yazidi community in the summer of 2014. According to survivor accounts, ISIL gave Yazidis two options: convert or face death. The USHMM documents at least 1,562 Yazidis killed in the summer of 2014, including those who died on Mount Sinjar from starvation and dehydration. According to the United Nations, at least 16 mass graves have been uncovered around Sinjar, with the remains of likely Yazidi victims. Yazidi women and girls are subject to mass rape, sexual slavery, assault, and forced marriage to ISIL fighters. In January 2016, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that ISIL had abducted 5,838 people since August 2014: 3,192 women and 2,646 men.

ISIL also has targeted Christian communities. In August 2015, Iraqi Defense Minister, Khaled al-Obeidi reported that ISIL had killed 2,000 Iraqis in the largely Christian Nineveh Plains between January and August 2015, and that more than 125,000 Christians fled to the KRG for protection. In Kirkuk, ISIL has used churches as bases and stormed and desecrated cemeteries; it also demolished Assyrian monasteries. In late January 2016, it was reported that ISIL had destroyed the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, the St. Elijah's Monastery in Erbil, which has been a place of worship for more than 1,400 years; the destruction is believed to have occurred between August and September 2014.

In addition, ISIL victimizes both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. The group has taken responsibility for numerous bombings and killings throughout the country that target both communities. ISIL kills and injures Shi'a Muslims indiscriminately through bombings and other mass killing methods, whereas with Sunnis, it targets communities  and community leaders  that pose threats to its authority or are engaged in resistance activities against it. For example, in July 2015, 115 Shi'a Muslims were killed in Khan Bani Saad, north of Baghdad and in August, 67 Shi'a Muslims were killed in the Jamila Market near Sadr City. In July, 22 members of the Sunni Jubur tribe were executed north of Mosul and in October, ISIL executed 70 members of Sunni Abu Nimer tribe Anbar Province.

Violations by the Iraqi Government

At the 2015 United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister al-Abadi announced that the PMF would be part of the official Iraqi state, accountable to the Ministry of Interior; however, the PMF operates with significant autonomy. Religious leaders, such as Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's top Shi'a cleric, publicly have called on the Iraqi government and the Prime Ministerto exert more robust control over the PMF's actions. In spite of this, al-Abadi has allocated at least $1 billion to the PMF from Iraq's state budget and regularly mentions the group when speaking about the Iraqi government's battles against ISIL.

Although the PMF is an effective military force in the fight against ISIL, it and Shi'a militia groups under its umbrella (such as the Badr Brigades, League of the Righteous, Hezbollah Battalions, and the Imam Ali Battalions) also have been accused of carrying out systematic and egregious sectarian violence against Sunni Muslims and others. According to reports, after the recapture of Tikrit in March 2015, Shi'a militias destroyed hundreds of buildings in the Sunni villages of al-Dur, al-Bu' Ajil, and al-Alam neighborhoods. Two hundred Sunni men also were abducted. In mid-January 2016 in Muqdadiyah, Shi'a militias burned and destroyed six Sunni mosques and a Sunni marketplace. Sunni neighbors and two journalists for Iraqi's al-Sharqiya TV, a channel sympathetic to Iraqi Sunnis, also were executed. At the end of December 2015, PMF groups were reported to be harassing Christian women who did not wear the Islamic headscarf. Christians in Baghdad said that the PMF hung posters on churches and monasteries in Christian neighborhoods urging women to cover their hair and that some Christians received threats that they should not celebrate Christmas or New Year's or disrespect PMF martyrs who died fighting ISIL. Human rights groups have urged the government to hold the PMF and other government-sanctioned actors accountable by, prosecuting them for their perpetration of extortions, torture, extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, and abductions of non-Shi'a, especially Sunni, individuals.

Issues in the KRG

The Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been at the forefront of the fight with ISIL in northern Iraq and more than 1.8 million Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs have flooded the KRG. However, at the end of the reporting period, the KRG had not successfully integrated minority communities into its system of governance. According to reports, there are no seats for Arabs, Yazidis, Kaka'is, or other smaller minorities on the Kurdistan National Council (Parliament). Additionally, there are no specialized ministerial positions for minority populations that would allow for qualified, legitimate representatives from non-Kurdish groups.

U.S. Policy

The rise of ISIL in June 2014 brought with it increased U.S. involvement in Iraq. The actions of the U.S.-designated terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq's territorial integrity and security led the United States to boost cooperation with the governments in both Baghdad and the KRG and their respective security forces, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Peshmerga. The United States' assistance has ranged from organizing the U.S.-led anti-ISIL coalition to conducting regular airstrikes to building indigenous partner capacity. The anti-ISIL coalition, dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve, includes 65 countries, of which Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States are conducting airstrikes. Since September 2014, over 10,000 airstrikes have occurred, at least 7,000 of which have been in Iraq and most of which have been carried out by the United States. In December 2015, the United States announced the deployment of 100 U.S. special operations forces to conduct raids, gather intelligence, free hostages, and seize ISIL leaders. Additionally, the anti-ISIL coalition has sent 6,500 troops to Iraq, 3,500 of which are American. Through the Iraq Train and Equip Fund (ITAF), the United States has allocated over $1.6 billion to train over 17,000 ISF and over 2,500 Peshmerga personnel, as well as Iraqi police and tribal fighters; provide military transportation vehicles, small arms and heavy weapons; and coordinate airlift missions. The G7, which includes the United States, also is working to stem the flow of foreign fighters and coordinate global intelligence to stop ISIL recruitment.

In 2015, the United States provided Iraq with over $623 million in humanitarian aid, including to support internally displaced persons in the KRG. The funding supported the activities of the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN World Health Organization (WHO), UN Development Program (UNDP), and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), among others. The efforts supported by the United States include camp coordination, health and medical support, education projects, food assistance, psychosocial support, shelter rehabilitation, and livelihood development. The United States also continues to resettle Iraqi refugees to the United States. According to State Department statistics, 12,676 Iraqis were resettled to the United States in FY2015, second only to the number of refugees resettled from Burma.

The United States continues to work with Prime Minister al-Abadi to encourage the creation of a more inclusive government representative of Iraq's various religious and ethnic communities. Salim al-Jabouri, the Sunni Muslim Speaker of the House, has been working alongside Al-Abadi to improve Sunni-Shi'a relations, and the two are known to have a closer working relationship than al-Maliki and his Sunni Speaker of the House, Osama al-Nujaifi. Moreover, in 2014, al-Abadi appointed Khaled Al-Obaidi, a Sunni Muslim, as the Minister of Defense to lead the fight against ISIL. Numerous prominent Sunni generals also have been appointed to lead combat against the group in Ramadi. Such moves have increased the trust between the Sunni community, and specifically Sunni soldiers, and the Iraqi military, although sectarian relations remain strained due to previous experiences of the Sunni community under former Prime Minister al-Maliki and the continued actions of government-sanctioned paramilitary groups like the PMF.

The United States in 2015 spent over $52.49 million in Iraq on good governance, rule of law and human rights, political competition and consensus building, and civil society programs. The United States continues to fund projects focused on minority issues. The Support for Minorities in Iraq (SMI) program is one such project. SMI collaborates with centers in Iraq to trains and provide assistance to the country's minority groups so they can better represent themselves in civil society, address common challenges, and empower women economically.

Recommendations

In addition to recommending that the U.S. government designate Iraq a CPC, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:

Call for or support a referral by the UN Security Council to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate ISIL violations in Iraq and Syria against religious and ethnic minorities, following the models used in Sudan and Libya, or encourage the Iraqi government to accept ICC jurisdiction to investigate ISIL violations in Iraq after June 2014;

Encourage the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, in its ongoing international meetings, to work to develop measures to protect and assist the region's most vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities, including by increasing immediate humanitarian aid, prioritizing the resettlement to third countries of the most vulnerable, and providing longer-term support in host countries for those who hope to return to their homes post-conflict;

Develop a government-wide plan of action to protect religious minorities in Iraq and help establish the conditions for them to return to their homes; charge the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom with engaging with the Inter-Governmental Contact Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief to coordinate similar efforts by other governments;

Include in all military or security assistance to the Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdistan governments a requirement that security forces are integrated to reflect the country's religious and ethnic diversity, and provide training for recipient units on universal human rights standards and how to treat civilians, particularly religious minorities;

Urge the Iraqi government to continue to prosecute and hold to account the Popular Mobilization Forces for abuses of non-combatant Sunni Muslims and other religious minorities, and investigate and prosecute perpetrators when violations occur;

Urge the parties to include the protection of rights for all Iraqis and ending discrimination as part of negotiations between the KRG and the Iraqi government on disputed territories, and press the KRG to address alleged abuses against minorities by Kurdish officials in these areas;

Continue to task Embassy officials with engaging religious minority communities, and work with Iraq's government and these communities and their political and civic representatives to help them reach agreement on what measures are needed to ensure their rights and security in the country; and

Focus U.S. programming in Iraq on promoting religious freedom and tolerance and ensure that marginalized communities benefit from U.S. and international development assistance.

The U.S. Congress should:
A man who police say is a suspect in Sunday mornings shooting in Carlisle was in custody Monday after he turned himself in, according to Carlisle Police Lt. and Interim Police Chief Stephen Latshaw.

Chad E. Stanback, 43, of Carlisle, was arraigned Monday at 4:24 p.m. by Magisterial District Judge Paula P. Correal, according to court dockets.

Police told The Sentinel earlier Monday afternoon that Stanback was expected to turn himself in soon.

Police obtained an arrest warrant Sunday for Stanback on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, felony not to possess a firearm and various other charges.

Police identified Stanback as the shooter through an investigation of Sundays incident that sent one person to Penn State Milton Hershey Medical Center. The shooting occurred around 5:15 a.m. Sunday in the 1300 block of North Pitt Street. The victim is expected to recover.

Groller said the motivation for the shooting may have stemmed from an argument between Stanback and the victim.

It is our understanding he [Stanback] was identified as the shooter. While this would be a good outcome, the situation is one that is still very concerning for the community, Candland said. Having said that, I think this would be a desirable outcome if he were to turn himself in.

Police do not believe Sundays shooting is connected to the May 2 shooting incident in Carlisle.

Around 7:30 p.m. on May 2, police responded to the 300 block of North Pitt Street for reports of shots fired. When police officers arrived they found a 22-year old man had been shot in the back of his right shoulder, police said.

Stanback is being held at the Cumberland County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 18.
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Central African Republic

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs recommended by USCIRF - Central African Republic, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf29.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.

Key Findings

Militias formed along opposing Muslim and Christian lines in the Central African Republic (CAR) continue to kill individuals based on their religious identity, leading to retaliatory attacks and waves of violence. CAR's Muslim population remains disproportionately displaced, and in the western part of the country, trapped in peacekeeper enclaves and unable to freely practice their faith. The 2013 coup resulted in rampant lawlessness and the complete collapse of government control. State authorities have almost no presence outside of the capital, Bangui, with the remainder of the country controlled by armed groups. Despite an overall reduction in violence, the passage of a new constitution with religious freedom protections, and the holding of peaceful presidential elections, CAR remains highly volatile, fractured along religious lines, and susceptible to regular outbreaks of sectarian violence. Accordingly, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that CAR should be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC. In 2015, USCIRF determined that the ethnic cleansing of Muslims and sectarian violence in CAR meet the International Religious Freedom Act's (IRFA) standard for CPC designation. While IRFA's language focuses CPC designations on governmental action or inaction, its spirit is to bring U.S. pressure and attention to bear to end egregious violations of religious freedom and broaden the U.S. government's ability to engage the actual drivers of persecution. Bringing stability to CAR will take years and significant U.S. and international support. A CPC designation should be part of sustained U.S. engagement to work with the new CAR government to demobilize armed groups, address impunity, tackle the root causes of the conflict, improve interfaith relations, and reverse the effects of the ethnic cleansing of the Muslim community.

Background

CAR has a long history of political strife, coups, severe human rights abuses, and underdevelopment. Military dictatorships ruled the country for all but nine years since independence and, despite being rich in natural resources, CAR routinely is at the bottom of development indexes. Despite this, sectarian violence and targeted killing based on religious identity are new to the majority-Christian country. The current conflict has resulted in thousands dead, 2.7 million in need of humanitarian assistance, 450,000 internally displaced, and 450,000 refugees. Before 2012, 85 percent of CAR's population was Christian and 15 percent was Muslim. By the end of 2014, 80 percent of the country's Muslim population had been driven out of CAR.

Fighting started in December 2012 due to a rebellion by a coalition of four northern majority-Muslim armed rebel groups, the Seleka, which ostensibly protested the government's failure to implement previous peace agreements and address marginalization in the country's Muslim-majority northeast. Complicating the conflict, large numbers of Chadian and Sudanese foreign fighters and diamond sellers seeking access to CAR's natural resources also supported the rebels. Following a brief peace agreement, the Seleka took the capital, Bangui, in March 2013 and deposed President Francois Bozize. Subsequently, Seleka leader Michel Djotodia proclaimed himself President. In September 2013, Djotodia formally disbanded the Seleka following international condemnation of its crimes against humanity, including enforced disappearances, illegal detentions, torture, and extrajudicial killings. This announcement, however, had no practical impact; ex-Seleka continued to engage in violence, and its coalition members splintered into multiple armed political parties.

In June 2013, deposed president Bozize, his inner circle, and former Central African Armed Forces (FACA) soldiers planned his return to power by recruiting existing self-defense militias (known as the anti-balaka), FACA soldiers, and other aggrieved non-Muslims. They framed the upcoming fight as an opportunity to avenge Seleka attacks on non-Muslims. Many Central African Christians feared for their future under the country's first Muslim leader, who sought support from Muslim leaders during a period when Seleka attacks disproportionately targeted Christians, including by attacking churches while sparing mosques and Muslims. Even prior to this hostility, Muslims in CAR were distrusted and faced consistent societal discrimination.

Ex-Seleka and anti-balaka fighting started in September 2013, and escalated dramatically when the anti-balaka attacked Muslim neighborhoods in Bangui on December 5, 2013. The ensuing fighting led to a large-scale conflict in which civilians were targeted based on their religious identity. In January 2014, Djotodia was forced to resign and the country's parliament elected Catherine Samba-Panza, then mayor of Bangui, as Interim President. When French peacekeeping troops arrived that same month, they targeted ex-Seleka fighters for disarmament, leading those fighters to withdraw from western CAR and leaving Muslim civilians in those newly-deserted areas vulnerable to anti-balaka attacks.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Ethnic Cleansing of Muslims

In December 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Central African Republic (COI) issued a report finding a "pattern of ethnic cleansing committed by the anti-balaka in the areas in which Muslims had been living." In the first part of January 2014, the anti-balaka emptied CAR's western and northwestern cities, towns, and villages of their Muslim residents. Anti-balaka fighters deliberately killed Muslims because of their religious identity or told them to leave the country or die. The anti-balaka even killed Muslims fleeing the violence, including those in humanitarian-assisted evacuation convoys. Muslims from ethnic groups deemed "foreign" to or "invaders" of CAR were especially targeted. The UN reports that in 2014, 99 percent of the capital's Muslim residents left Bangui, 80 percent of the entire country's Muslim population fled to Cameroon or Chad, and 417 of the country's 436 mosques were destroyed.

During the reporting period, the situation for Muslims in western CAR remained the same. The existing Muslims in western CAR continue to live in peacekeeper-protected enclaves and are vulnerable to anti-balaka attacks and killings if they leave. Few displaced Muslims returned to CAR or their homes. The few Muslims in western CAR who have returned or continue to live in their home villages report that anti-balaka soldiers forced them to convert or hide their faith. In a particularly troubling development, the interim parliament, the National Transitional Council, voted in July to prohibit CAR refugees from voting in the presidential and legislative elections; given that Muslims comprise the majority of refugees, this vote would have disenfranchised that population. The Constitutional Court, however, overruled the vote that same month, and refugees were able to vote in the December 2015 and February 2016 elections.

Continuing Sectarian Violence

Killings and skirmishes based on religious identity continue in CAR, particularly in Bangui and central CAR, where there are more religiously-mixed communities. This violence, albeit reduced from 2013-14 levels, now is largely within and between militias for land and resource control. It continues despite the country's de facto partition between the ex-Seleka and the anti-balaka; the presence of French, European Union, and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) peacekeepers; promised ceasefires and disarmaments; and the successful Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation (see below under Positive Developments).

The most serious episode of sectarian and retaliatory violence in 2015 erupted on September 26 in Bangui, after a Muslim taxi driver was murdered and his body left near a mosque in the capital's PK-5 Muslim enclave. The ensuing violence between Muslims and anti-balaka fighters over the next several days resulted in 77 dead and 40,000 displaced. Continuing violence through mid-November left more than 100 dead in total. Individuals were deliberately targeted because of their faith and were killed entering into neighborhoods dominated by the opposite faith.

Other incidents during this reporting period include: fighting on August 20 between ex-Seleka and anti-balaka in Bambari that left 10 dead and thousands displaced after a 19-year-old Muslim was beheaded; and violence in the PK-5 neighborhood on December 13, during the constitutional referendum vote, that resulted in five dead and 20 injured.

Positive Developments

There were several positive developments during the reporting period. From May 4-11, 2015, 600 Central Africans from around the country and different religious communities participated in the Bangui Forum for National Reconciliation to create recommendations to CAR leaders and the international community to bring stability to the country. On June 3, Transitional President Samba-Panza promulgated the establishment of the Special Criminal Court, a hybrid court composed of CAR judges and international judges, to investigate and prosecute grave human rights violations committed in the country since 2003. During an incident-free trip to the country in late November, Pope Francis visited Bangui's PK-5 central Koudoukou mosque. Between December 13 and 15, 93 percent of Central Africans voted to approve a new constitution. The new constitution: recognizes the country's religious diversity; provides for separation of religion and state; establishes equal legal rights for all persons regardless of religion; guarantees freedom of conscience, assembly, religion and worship; and prohibits the formation of political parties based on religion. Unfortunately, however, the vote was marred by low turnout, poor voter education, and violence, including in Bangui's Muslim PK-5 neighborhood on December 13, as discussed above, which prevented Muslims in that area from voting. The vote was extended by two days in response to violence in Bangui, Bria, and elsewhere. Finally, peaceful presidential elections were held in December 2015 and February 2016.

U.S. Policy

U.S.-Central African Republic relations are generally good, but limited. U.S. Embassy Bangui has closed multiple times due to instability. It closed at the start of the current conflict, but reopened in September 2014, and in October 2015 Jeffrey Hawkins was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Central African Republic. U.S.-CAR policy is led by Special Representative for the Central African Republic Ambassador W. Stuart Symington, who has served in this position since April 2014.

As part of U.S. and international efforts to bring justice to the country, on May 13, 2014, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13667 sanctioning the following persons identified by the UN Security Council for threatening CAR's stability: former president Francois Bozize, former transitional president Michel Djotodia, ex-Seleka leaders Nourredine Adam and Abdoulaye Miskine, and anti-balaka "political coordinator" Levy Yakite. On December 17, 2015, the UN Security Council and U.S. government also sanctioned Haroun Gaye, ex-Seleka/Popular Front for the Rebirth of CAR (FPRC) leader, and Eugene Ngaikosset, Bangui's anti-balaka commander. The Treasury Department sanctions block these individuals' property and financial interests in the United States.

Over the past two years, the United States has provided over $800 million in humanitarian, development, and security assistance, including support for international peacekeepers, conflict mitigation, and interfaith relations. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Samantha Power, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and other senior U.S. government officials have traveled to the Central African Republic in the past two years, as part of efforts to prevent and end mass atrocities, increase interfaith dialogue, and encourage national reconciliation efforts. During the reporting period, the U.S. government quickly denounced episodes of sectarian violence and urged the holding of the constitutional referendum and elections.

Recommendations

In addition to recommending that the United States designate the Central African Republic a "country of particular concern" for systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Turkmenistan

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Turkmenistan, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf4c.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.

Key Findings

In 2015, in a climate of pervasive government information control, particularly severe religious freedom violations persisted in Turkmenistan. The government requires religious groups to register under intrusive criteria, strictly controls registered groups' activities, and bans and punishes religious activities by unregistered groups. Police raids and harassment of registered and unregistered religious groups continued. The penalties for most "illegal" religious activities were increased in 2014. Turkmen law does not allow a civilian alternative to military service, and at least one Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector is known to be detained. In light of these severe violations, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that the U.S. government designate Turkmenistan as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). In July 2014, the State Department designated Turkmenistan a CPC for the first time. USCIRF has recommended CPC designation for Turkmenistan since 2000.

Background

Turkmenistan has an estimated total population of 5.1 million. The Turkmen government does not track religious affiliation; the U.S. government estimates that the country is about 85 percent Sunni Muslim, and nine percent Russian Orthodox. Other smaller religious groups include Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Evangelical Christians. The Russian Orthodox community is mostly ethnic Russians and Armenians. The small Shi'a Muslim community is mostly ethnic Iranians, Azeris, or Kurds on the Iranian border or along the Caspian Sea. The country's Jewish community numbers around 400.

Turkmenistan is the most closed country in the former Soviet Union. The country's first president, Saparmurat Niyazov, who died in late 2006, oversaw one of the world's most repressive and isolated states. Turkmenistan's public life was dominated by Niyazov's quasi-religious personality cult set out in his book, the Ruhnama, which was imposed on the country's religious and educational systems. After assuming the presidency in early 2007, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov ordered the release of 11 political prisoners, including the former chief mufti; placed certain limits on Niyazov's personality cult; set up two new official human rights commissions; and registered 13 minority religious groups. He eased police controls on internal travel and allowed Turkmenistan to become slightly more open to the outside world. Since then, however, President Berdimuhamedov has not reformed oppressive laws, maintains a state structure of repressive control, and has reinstituted a pervasive presidential personality cult.

A 2014 Internet law makes it illegal for citizens to insult or slander the president in web postings. While the law states there are plans to ensure free Internet access in Turkmenistan, in 2015 the government reportedly engaged in a campaign to dismantle private satellite cables. In March 2015, a new demonstrations law enacted potentially allows for limited public rallies, including by registered religious organizations, but they must take place at least 200 meters from government buildings and cannot be funded by individuals or foreign governments, RFE/RL reported.

In 2015, the Taliban reportedly killed Turkmen guards on the Turkmen-Afghan border. The adjacent region of northern Afghanistan is home to some 250,000 Turkmen, some of whom allegedly sympathize with Islamist extremist groups, giving rise to concern about religious radicalism spreading into Turkmenistan. In early 2016, President Berdimuhamedov reportedly told the parliament that Turkmenistan's laws on religion should be modified in light of terrorism and increased inter-ethnic and interreligious conflicts, and ordered the constitutional commission to submit proposals for consideration.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Government Control over Religious Activities

Turkmenistan's constitution purports to guarantee religious freedom, the separation of religion from the state, and equality regardless of religion or belief. The 2003 religion law, however, contradicts these provisions. Despite minor reforms in 2007, this law sets intrusive registration criteria and bans any activity by unregistered religious organizations; requires that the government be informed of all foreign financial support; forbids worship in private homes; allows only clerics to wear religious garb in public; and bans private religious education.

The government-appointed Council on Religious Affairs (CRA) supervises religious matters; it controls the hiring, promoting, and firing of Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox clergy; censors religious texts; and oversees the activities of all registered groups. CRA members include only government officials and Sunni Muslim and Russian Orthodox Church representatives.

The secret police, anti-terrorist police units, local government, and local CRA officials continue to raid registered and unregistered religious communities. It is illegal for unregistered groups to rent, purchase, or build places of worship, and even registered groups must obtain scarce government permits.

Government Interference in Internal Religious Affairs

The Turkmen government interferes in the internal leadership and organizational arrangements of religious communities. In early 2013, the President named a new Grand Mufti. Under an official policy, the government has replaced imams who had formal Islamic theological training from abroad with individuals lacking such education. The government appoints all senior officials of Turkmenistan's Muslim administration, who also function as CRA officials and thereby oversee the activities of other religious communities. Local secret police officers reportedly require Muslim and Orthodox clerics to report regularly on their congregations.

Registration of Religious Groups

Since 2005, some small religious groups have been registered, such as Baha'is, several Pentecostal groups, Seventh-Day Adventists, several Evangelical churches, and the Society for Krishna Consciousness. In 2010, Turkmenistan told the UN Human Rights Committee there were 123 registered religious groups, 100 of which are Sunni and Shi'a Muslim and 13 Russian Orthodox. Some communities have decided not to register due to the onerous and opaque process, while certain Shi'a Muslim groups, the Armenian Apostolic Church, some Protestant groups, and the Jehovah's Witnesses have faced rejection of numerous registration applications.

State Control of Religious Literature

A decree has banned publication of religious texts inside Turkmenistan and only registered groups can legally import religious literature under tight state censorship. The CRA must stamp approved religious texts and literature; documents without such a stamp may be confiscated and individuals punished.

State Restrictions on Foreign Travel

The government continues to deny international travel for many citizens, especially those travelling to religious events. The approximately 110,000 individuals with dual Russian-Turkmen citizenship, who mainly are Russian Orthodox, usually can meet coreligionists abroad as well as undertake clerical training. Muslims, however, are not allowed to travel abroad for religious education. In 2014  the latest year for which statistics were available  the government allowed 650 Turkmen Muslims to make the pilgrimage to Mecca; this was an increase over the usual 188, but is still less than a seventh of the country's quota. According to Forum 18, Muslims often must wait up to 11 years to reach the top of the hajj waiting list.

Punishments for Religious Activities

The government continues to impose harsh penalties, such as imprisonment, involuntary drug treatment, and fines, for religious and human rights activities. In January 2014, new administrative code provisions raised the penalties for most "illegal" religious activities. In recent years, Muslims, Protestants, and Jehovah's Witnesses have been detained, fined, imprisoned or internally exiled for their religious beliefs or activities. Most religious prisoners of conscience are held at Seydi Labor Camp in the Lebap Region desert, where they face very harsh conditions, including torture and frequent solitary confinement. The government of Turkmenistan denies the International Committee of the Red Cross access to the country's prisons.

An unknown number of Muslim prisoners of conscience remain jailed. In February 2015, five prisoners convicted of "Wahhabism" were sent to Seydi Labor Camp, where prison guards reportedly beat them so brutally that one man had his hand broken; it could not be determined if the five men were jailed for non-violent religious practice or for actual crimes, since in Central Asia the term "Wahhabi" is often used to describe any devout Muslim.

Reports have faded of a dissident imam who spent years in a psychiatric hospital; this news drought also applies to dozens of other political and religious prisoners, according to the NGO coalition known as "Prove they are Alive." On a positive note, Protestant Umid Gojayev, imprisoned at Seydi Labor Camp for "hooliganism," was freed under amnesty in February 2015.

Conscientious Objectors

Turkmen law has no civilian alternative to military service for conscientious objectors. Reportedly, such a bill was drafted in 2013 but not enacted. Those who refuse to serve in the military can face up to two years of jail. Until 2009, the Turkmen government had given suspended sentences, but since then conscientious objectors have been imprisoned. Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector Soyunmurat Korov has been in the Seydi Labor camp since November 2014; a year later, he still had not stood trial. In February 2015, Jehovah's Witness conscientious objector Ruslan Narkuliyev was released.

Treatment of Religious Minorities

According to Forum 18, after hosting a religious meeting, Jehovah's Witness Bahram Hemdemov received a four-year prison term in May 2015 on false charges of inciting religious enmity in the city of Turkmenabad. His son Serdar also was jailed for two 15-day terms, and both men were beaten. Since February 2015, 14 Jehovah's Witnesses have been detained; one was still held as of May 2015, and about 30 others were fined, especially those who insisted on their legal rights or appealed to the UN. School officials have fired Protestant teachers and publicly bullied Protestant families and pressured them to sign statements denying their faith. Turkmen officials have cancelled summer camps for Protestant children.

U.S. Policy

For the past decade, U.S. policy in Central Asia was dominated by the Afghan war. The United States has key security and economic interests in Turkmenistan due to its proximity to and shared populations with Afghanistan and Iran, and its huge natural gas supplies. Despite its official neutral status, Turkmenistan has allowed the Northern Distribution Network to deliver supplies to U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan as well as the refueling of U.S. flights with non-lethal supplies at the Ashgabat International Airport. During counterterrorism operations, U.S. Special Operations Forces reportedly have been allowed to enter Turkmenistan on a "case-by-case" basis with the Turkmen government's permission.

Initiated five years ago by the State Department, the Annual Bilateral Consultations (ABC's) are a regular mechanism for the United States and Turkmenistan to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including regional security, economic and trade relations, social and cultural ties, and human rights. The fourth ABC session was held in Washington in October 2015, and some concerns about Turkmenistan's religious freedom record were discussed.

In November 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry visited Turkmenistan and met with President Berdimuhamedov. In advance of the meeting, Secretary Kerry said he anticipated "a good conversation" on "human dimension issues." The regional trip was preceded by a joint declaration by the United States and the five Central Asian states, referred to as the "C5+1." That declaration includes a pledge to "protect human rights, develop democratic institutions and practices, and strengthen civil society through respect for recognized norms and principles of international law."

The United States funds programs in Turkmenistan that support civil society organizations, training on legal assistance, Internet access and computer training, capacity building for civil servants, and exchange programs. In recent years, however, the Turkmen government has barred many students from participating in U.S.-funded exchange programs and in 2013 it ordered the Peace Corps to stop its 20-year operations in the country. As part of its worldwide, decade-long American Corners program, the U.S. government continues to support three American Corners that provide free educational materials and English language opportunities in Dashoguz, Mary, and Turkmenabat. For 15 years, Turkmenistan has led the world in U.S. government funding for cultural preservation projects.

When the State Department announced its designation of Turkmenistan as a "country of particular concern" in July 2014, it cited "concerns about the detention and imprisonment of religious minorities, the rights of religious groups to register, the lack of public access to registration procedures, and restrictions on importing religious literature." In September 2014, a waiver of a Presidential action was tied to the designation.

Recommendations

The CPC designation positions the U.S. government to negotiate specific commitments to improve religious freedom while setting a pathway of needed reforms to eventually remove Turkmenistan from the list. In addition to recommending that the U.S. government continue to designate Turkmenistan as a CPC, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Sudan

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Sudan, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf5c.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.

Key Findings

Religious freedom conditions in Sudan deteriorated in 2015 as government officials stiffened penalties for apostasy and blasphemy and continued to arrest persons accused of apostasy and Christians. The government of Sudan, led by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, prosecutes individuals for apostasy, imposes a restrictive interpretation of Shari'ah (Islamic law) and applies corresponding hudood punishments on Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and represses and marginalizes the country's minority Christian community. In 2016, USCIRF again recommends that Sudan be designated as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of freedom of religion or belief. The State Department has designated Sudan a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

Background

More than 97 percent of the Sudanese population is Muslim. The vast majority of Sudanese Muslims belong to different Sufi orders, although Shi'a and Sunni Muslims who follow the Salafist movement are also present. Christians are estimated at three percent of the population and include Coptic, Greek, Ethiopian, and Eritrean Orthodox; Roman Catholics; Anglicans; Presbyterians; Seventh-day Adventists; Jehovah's Witnesses; and several Pentecostal and Evangelical communities.

Sudan's overall human rights record is poor. President al-Bashir and his National Congress Party (NCP) have ruled with absolute authority for more than 25 years. Freedoms of expression, association and assembly are limited, with routine crackdowns and arrests of journalists, human rights advocates, and demonstrators. The armed conflicts in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states continued. All parties to the conflict are responsible for mass displacement, civilian deaths, and other human rights abuses. In areas of conflict, government forces deliberately bombed civilian areas and restricted humanitarian access to civilians. In 2009 and 2010 the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for President al-Bashir accusing him of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The Interim National Constitution includes religious freedom protections and acknowledges Sudan's international human rights commitments. Article 1 recognizes Sudan as a multi-religious country; article 6 articulates a series of religious freedom rights, including to worship, assemble, establish and maintain places of worship, establish and maintain charitable organizations, teach religion, train and elect religious leaders, observe religious holidays, and communicate with co-religionists; and article 31 prohibits discrimination based on religion. However, article 5 provides that "Islamic sharia and the consensus of the people" shall be the "leading sources" of legislation thereby restricting freedom of religion or belief. In October 2011, President al-Bashir stated publicly that Sudan should adopt a constitution to enshrine Islamic law as the main source of legislation.

Religious freedom also is restricted through the implementation of the 1991 Criminal Code, the 1991 Personal Status Law of Muslims, and state-level "public order" laws. The 1991 Criminal Code imposes the NCP's interpretation of Shari'ah law on Muslims and Christians by permitting: death sentences for apostasy (article 126); death or lashing for adultery (articles 146-147); cross-amputations for theft (articles 171-173); prison sentences, flogging, or fines for blasphemy (article 125); and floggings for undefined "offences of honor, reputation and public morality," including undefined "indecent or immoral acts" (articles 151-152). Prohibitions and related punishments for "immorality" and "indecency" are implemented through state level Public Order laws and enforcement mechanisms; violations carry a maximum penalty of 40 lashes, a fine, or both.

Government policies and societal pressure promote conversion to Islam. The government is alleged to tolerate the use of humanitarian assistance to induce conversion to Islam; routinely grant permits to construct and operate mosques, often with government funds; and provide Muslims preferential access to government employment and services and favored treatment in court cases against non-Muslims. The Sudanese government prohibits foreign church officials from traveling outside Khartoum and uses school textbooks that negatively stereotype non-Muslims. The Sudanese Minister of Guidance and Religious Endowments announced in July 2014 that the government no longer will issue permits for the building of new churches, alleging that the current number of churches is sufficient for the Christians remaining in Sudan after South Sudan's 2011 secession. This announcement was especially problematic given that state and non-state actors have confiscated, destroyed, or damaged almost a dozen churches or church properties since 2011. While Sudanese labor laws require employers to give Christian employees two hours off prior to 10 a.m. Sunday for religious purposes, this does not occur in practice. The International Labor Organization reports that Christians are pressured to deny their faith or convert to gain employment.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Criminalization of Apostasy and Blasphemy

Article 126 of the Criminal Code makes conversion from Islam a crime punishable by death. In February 2015, the National Assembly amended article 126 to provide that persons accused of apostasy who recant can still be punished with up to five years' imprisonment.

During the reporting period, the Sudanese government continued to prosecute those accused of apostasy. On November 3, security officers arrested 27 Quranists, including two imams and three children, at a mosque in Mayo, Khartoum. On December 10, the government charged 25 of them with apostasy for not recognizing the hadith. The individuals were released on bail on December 14. On February 9, the Sudanese government stayed all charges. The government also charged two additional individuals with apostasy: Imam Al-Dirdiri Abd al-Rahman was indicted on September 8 for praying to someone other than God during Friday prayers; and a Christian convert was reported to authorities by his father in July. Both cases are ongoing.

In February 2015, the National Assembly increased penalties for blasphemy under article 125 of the Criminal Code. Per the amended article, blasphemy is extended to include public criticism of the Prophet Mohamed, his household, his friends or Abu Bakr, Omer, Osman or Ali in particular, and his wife Aisha. The expanded definition of blasphemy is believed to target Shi'a Muslims. In 2014, Sudan started distancing itself from Iran and strengthened its relationship with Saudi Arabia, and the government closed the Iranian Cultural Center, claiming that it was spreading Shi'a Islam.

Application of Shari'ah Law Provisions

The government continued to apply Shari'ah-based morality provisions of the 1991 Criminal Code and corresponding state-level Public Order laws. Every year, hundreds of Christian and Muslim women are fined or flogged for violating article 152 of the Criminal Code by wearing "indecent" dress. What constitutes indecent dress is not defined by law, but is left to the discretion of Public Order police and judges. The vast majority of women prosecuted under the Public Order regime come from marginalized communities and receive summary trials, with no legal representation. As such, their cases are rarely reported in the media.

The June 25, 2015 arrest of 13 female students between the ages of 17 and 23 for "indecency" was the most high profile public order case of the year. Two of the students were released four hours after their arrest and 10 others were released on bail on June 27. On August 16, Ferdous Al Toum was sentenced to 20 lashings and fined 500 Sudanese pounds. After international condemnation, all charges against Al Toum and the other 12 students were dropped.

Destruction and Confiscation of Churches

Since 2011, Sudan's minority Christian community has endured arrests for proselytization, attacks on religious buildings, closure of churches and Christian educational institutions, and confiscation of religious literature.

The trials against Bahri Evangelical Church Reverends Yat Michael Rout and Peter Yein Reith concluded on August 6, 2015 when they were convicted of minor offences and released from prison on time served. Rev. Michael had been arrested in December 2014 and Rev. Reith one month later after protesting the Sudanese government's efforts to confiscate Bahri Evangelical Presbyterian Church property. Rev. Michael was convicted of breaching public peace and Rev. Reith of inciting hatred. The more serious charges were dropped, including: undermining the constitutional system; espionage; inducing another person to commit an offense; self-defense; and blasphemy. The charge of undermining the constitutional system carries the death penalty. Revs. Michael and Reith returned to South Sudan following their release. On November 19, the Criminal Court of Appeal in Khartoum decided to re-open the case following reports that the National Intelligence Security Services (NISS) had new evidence against them, and issued arrest warrants for the pastors on November 30.

In 2014, the Bahri Evangelical Church entered into a legal battle to maintain ownership of the church property and land. On August 31, 2015, an Administrative Court of Appeal ruled that Sudanese government efforts to impose an administrative committee on the church were unconstitutional.

On October 17, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gadaref was destroyed in an arson attack, and a second one in Omdurman was demolished on October 21. Sudanese authorities in Omdurman had informed Evangelical Lutheran Church officials that their church would not be demolished for development projects.

On December 13 and 18, respectively, the NISS arrested Revs. Telahoon Nogosi Kassa Rata and Hassan Abduraheem Kodi Taour. At the time of this writing, neither has been charged with an offense and both were denied access to a lawyer and family.

U.S. Policy

The United States remains a pivotal international actor in Sudan. U.S. government involvement was vital to achieving the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the North-South civil war and to bringing about the referendum on South Sudan's independence, as well as ensuring that its result was recognized. The U.S. government continues multilateral and bilateral efforts to bring peace to Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur, including supporting African Union peace talks.

In 1997, then-President Bill Clinton utilized the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to sanction Sudan, based on its support for international terrorism, efforts to destabilize neighboring governments, and prevalent human rights and religious freedom violations. These sanctions imposed a trade embargo on the country and a total asset freeze on the government. Since 1997, an arms embargo, travel bans, and asset freezes have been imposed in response to the genocide in Darfur. With the 1999 designation of Sudan as a CPC, the Secretary of State has utilized IRFA to require U.S. opposition to any loan or other use of funds from international financial institutions to or for Sudan. In an attempt to prevent sanctions from negatively impacting regions in Sudan under assault by the government, the sanctions have been amended to allow for increased humanitarian activities in Southern Kordofan State, Blue Nile State, Abyei, Darfur, and marginalized areas in and around Khartoum. In February 2015, the United States allowed the exportation throughout Sudan of communication hardware and software, including computers, smartphones, radios, digital cameras, and related items, as part of a "commitment to promote freedom of expression through access to communications tools."

Neither country has had an ambassador in country since the late 1990s, after the U.S. Embassy bombings in East Africa and U.S. airstrikes against al-Qaeda sites in Khartoum. However, successive U.S. administrations have appointed special envoys to Sudan. The current U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan is Donald E. Booth.

During the reporting period, senior State Department officials raised the issue of Sudan's CPC status and concerns about the country's religious freedom record with Sudanese officials. This engagement continues an increase of U.S. government attention to Sudan's violations of freedom of religion or belief since the 2014 case of Meriam Ibrahim. These issues were raised during visits to Sudan by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Steve Feldstein and Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David N. Saperstein.

U.S. government assistance programs in Sudan support conflict mitigation efforts, democracy promotion, and emergency food aid and relief supplies. The United States remains the world's largest donor of food assistance to Sudan, providing needed aid, either directly or through third parties, to persons from Darfur, Abyei, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile.

Recommendations

With the al-Bashir regime taking steps that would move Sudan toward a more repressive state, the U.S. government should increase efforts to encourage reforms and discourage deteriorating behavior. The normalization of relations with Sudan and any lifting of U.S. sanctions must be preceded by demonstrated, concrete progress by Khartoum in implementing peace agreements, ending abuses of religious freedom and related human rights, and cooperating with efforts to protect civilians. In addition to recommending that Sudan continue to be designated a CPC, USCIRF recommends the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Saudi Arabia

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Saudi Arabia, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf6c.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.

Key Findings

Despite some improvement in religious freedom, Saudi Arabia remains uniquely repressive in the extent to which it restricts the public expression of any religion other than Islam, and a number of high profile cases during the past year demonstrated the government's continued disregard for freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief. The government privileges its own interpretation of Sunni Islam over all other interpretations and prohibits any non-Muslim public places of worship in the country. It continues to prosecute, imprison, and flog individuals for dissent, apostasy, blasphemy, and sorcery, and a 2014 law classifying blasphemy and advocating atheism as terrorism has been used to prosecute human rights defenders and others. In addition, authorities continue to repress and discriminate against dissident clerics and members of the Shi'a community who criticize the government and call for equal rights. Based on the Saudi government's systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that Saudi Arabia be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The State Department has designated Saudi Arabia a CPC repeatedly since 2004, most recently in July 2014. However, since 2006, an indefinite waiver has been in place on taking action otherwise mandated by law as a result of the CPC designation.

Background

Saudi Arabia is officially an Islamic state whose legal system is based on the Hanbali school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence. The constitution is comprised of the Qur'an and the Sunna (traditions of the Prophet Mohammed). The population is nearly 28 million, including approximately eight to 10 million expatriate workers of various faiths, including nearly two million non-Muslims. Approximately 85-90 percent of citizens are Sunni Muslim and 10-15 percent are Shi'a Muslim.

During the reporting period, there was a significant increase in the number of terrorist attacks targeting Shi'a Muslims in the Eastern Province. Many of the attacks were perpetrated by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or its affiliates. Consequently, the Saudi government has arrested hundreds of individuals either involved in the incidents or who were connected to ISIL or promoting its message. In addition, several officials and clerics publicly condemned the attacks against the Shi'a community and called for national unity.

In recent years, the Saudi government has made improvements in policies and practices related to freedom of religion or belief; however, it persists in restricting most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with its particular interpretation of Sunni Islam. Saudi officials base this on their interpretation of a hadith and state that this is what is expected of them as the country that hosts the two holiest mosques in Islam, in Mecca and Medina. This policy violates the rights of other Sunni Muslims who follow varying schools of thought, Shi'a and Ismaili Muslims, and both Muslim and non-Muslim expatriate workers. During the reporting period, Saudi officials stated that the judiciary is in the process of codifying the penal code and working to ensure that it is consistent with human rights standards.

While the government has taken some steps to address its legitimate concerns of combatting religious extremism and countering advocacy of violence in sermons and educational materials, other government actions continue to restrict peaceful religious activities and expression by suppressing the religious views and practices of Saudi and non-Saudi Muslims who do not conform to official positions. Furthermore, the government has not widely promulgated its policy of protecting private religious practice for non-Muslim expatriate workers in the country, which fosters a sense of insecurity.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Recent Improvements

USCIRF has noted some improvements in recent years that include: curtailing the powers of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) as described below; promoting a "culture of dialogue" and understanding between Muslim religious communities inside the Kingdom and advancing inter-religious dialogue in international fora; improving conditions for public religious expression by Shi'a Muslims in certain areas of the Eastern Province; continuing efforts to counter extremist ideology inside the Kingdom, including by dismissing clerics and teachers who espouse intolerant or extremist views; and making revisions to remove intolerant passages from textbooks and curriculum.

Restrictions on Shi'a Muslims and Dissidents

Arrests and detentions of Shi'a Muslim dissidents continued. For many years, the government has detained and imprisoned Shi'a Muslims for participating in demonstrations or publicly calling for reform; holding small religious gatherings in private homes without permits; organizing religious events or celebrating religious holidays in certain parts of the country; and reading religious materials in private homes or husseiniyas (prayer halls). Saudi officials often cite security concerns  rather than limiting religious freedom  as a justification for these restrictions. According to the State Department, most existing Shi'a mosques in the Eastern Province are unable to obtain permits to operate, leaving them at risk of imminent closure. The Shi'a community also faces discrimination in education, employment, the military, political representation, and the judiciary.

In recent years, Shi'a dissidents and reformers have received lengthy prison terms or death sentences for their activities. One prominent Shi'a cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, was executed in January 2016 after being sentenced to death in 2014 by a Specialized Criminal Court for "inciting sectarian strife," disobeying the government, and supporting rioting. Created in 2008, the Specialized Criminal Court is a non-Shari'ah court that tries terrorist-related crimes, although human rights activists also have been tried in these courts. Al-Nimr  who was a vocal critic of the government and a staunch supporter of greater rights for the Shi'a community  was executed the same day as 46 others, including three other Shi'a Muslims convicted of questionable security-related charges. The execution of al-Nimr resulted in an international outcry by various governments, USCIRF, the United Nations, and human rights groups, and exacerbated sectarian tensions in the country and the region. In August 2014, Tawfiq al-Amr, a Shi'a cleric from the al-Ahsa governorate, was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by a 10-year travel ban, and barred from delivering sermons. According to human rights groups, a Specialized Criminal Court convicted him on charges of defaming Saudi Arabia's ruling system, ridiculing its religious leaders, inciting sectarianism, calling for change, and "disobeying the ruler." In January 2015, his sentence was upheld on appeal.

Dissident Sunni Muslims also encountered repression. For example, in November 2014, a criminal court convicted Mikhlif al-Shammari, a Sunni Muslim writer and activist, and sentenced him to two years in prison and 200 lashes for, in part, visiting prominent Shi'a leaders in the Eastern Province and promoting reconciliation between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims through social media. In November 2015, his sentence was upheld on appeal. At the end of the reporting period, he had not been summoned to serve his prison term nor had he received any lashes.

Increase in Violent Attacks against Shi'a Muslims

During the past year, terrorists, including ISIL and its affiliates, increasingly targeted Shi'a worshippers. During the reporting period, there have been at least five major attacks targeting Shi'a places of worship: in January 2016, a suicide bombing and gun attack on a Shi'a mosque in al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province resulted in four deaths and at least 18 injured; in October, a gunman opened fire on a Shi'a mosque in Saihat in the Eastern Province, killing five and wounding nine; also in October, a suicide bombing at a Shi'a mosque in the Najran Province resulted in two deaths and at least 19 injured; in May, a suicide bombing outside a Shi'a mosque in Dammam, Eastern Province resulted in four deaths; and earlier in May, a suicide bombing at a Shi'a mosque in Qatif, Eastern Province killed 21 and injured more than 100.

In several of these cases, the perpetrators committed suicide while carrying out the attack or were killed by authorities. In most cases, Saudi officials and religious leaders condemned the attacks and called for national unity. During the reporting period, hundreds of individuals were arrested because they were connected to the various attacks; planned attacks or monitored potential targets; or used social media to spread extremist ideology and attract new recruits. In July 2015, the Ministry of Interior stated that more than 400 individuals, mostly those linked to ISIL, had been arrested. Several of the investigations related to these incidents are ongoing. Human rights groups have suggested that Saudi government rhetoric is not sufficient to prevent future attacks and that reform to policies is needed.

Apostasy, Blasphemy, and Sorcery Charges

The Saudi government continues to use criminal charges of apostasy and blasphemy to suppress discussion and debate and silence dissidents. Promoters of political and human rights reforms, and those seeking to debate the role of religion in relation to the state, its laws, and society, typically have been the targets of such charges.

In February 2015, a General Court reportedly sentenced to death a Saudi man for apostasy. According to multiple reports, the unidentified man allegedly posted a video of himself on a social networking site tearing pages from a Qur'an while making disparaging remarks. The court used this video as evidence to convict him and justify the death sentence; at the end of the reporting period, his status was unknown.

In November 2015, Saudi poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh was sentenced to death for apostasy allegedly for questioning religion and spreading atheist thought through his poetry. He also was charged with violating Article 6 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law by taking and storing photos of women on his phone. Fayadh said in court that the photos were taken at an art gallery. In May 2014, a Saudi general court in the southwestern city of Abha originally sentenced Fayadh to four years in prison and 800 lashes. After his appeal was dismissed, Fayadh was retried in November by a new panel of judges who ordered him executed for apostasy. In February 2016, an appeals court quashed the death sentence and issued a new verdict of eight years in prison and 800 lashes to be administered on 16 occasions. According to his lawyer, Fayadh also must renounce his poetry in Saudi state media.

In June 2015, the Saudi Supreme Court upheld Saudi blogger Raif Badawi's sentence of 10 years in prison, 1,000 lashes, and a fine of 1 million SR (US$266,000) for, among other charges, insulting Islam and religious authorities. The sentence called for Badawi  the founder and editor of a Web site that served as an online forum for diverse views to be expressed freely  to be lashed 50 times a week for 20 consecutive weeks. On January 9, 2015, Badawi received his first set of 50 lashes. Immediately after the flogging was carried out, several governments, including the United States, USCIRF, and numerous international human rights groups and individuals condemned the implementation of the sentence. Badawihas not received additional floggings, due in part to the international outrage and in part to a medical doctor's finding that he could not physically endure more lashings. At the end of the reporting period, Badawi continued to languish in prison, where he has been held since June 2012. In July 2014, Badawi's counsel, Waleed Abu al-Khair, was sentenced by a Specialized Criminal Court to 15 years in jail on various spurious charges related to his work as a human rights defender. In January 2015, his verdict was upheld.

Arrests and prosecutions for witchcraft and sorcery  a crime punishable by death  continued during the reporting period. According to the State Department and human rights groups, some individuals have been executed in recent years. The CPVPV has special units throughout the country to combat sorcery and witchcraft.

2014 Law Classifies Blasphemy, Advocating Atheism as Acts of Terrorism

Saudi Arabia's 2014 counterterrorism law, the Penal Law for Crimes of Terrorism and its Financing, and a series of subsequent royal decrees create a legal framework that criminalizes as terrorism virtually all forms of peaceful dissent and free expression, including criticizing the government's interpretation of Islam or advocating atheism. Under the new law, which went into effect in February 2014, a conviction could result in a prison term ranging from three to 20 years. The Interior Ministry's March 2014 regulations state that, under the new law, terrorism includes "[c]alling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based." While Saudi Shari'ah courts already permit judges to criminalize various forms of peaceful dissent, the new law provides an additional mechanism to classify as terrorism actions considered blasphemous or advocating atheism. Since the law went into effect, some human rights defenders and atheists reportedly have been charged and convicted under the law. For example, in February 2016, a Saudi man reportedly was convicted of denying the existence of God and ridiculing religious beliefs on Twitter and sentenced to 10-years' imprisonment, 2,000 lashes, and a US$5,300 fine.

Abuses by the CPVPV

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), which reports to the King and is not subject to judicial review, officially enforces public morality and restricts public religious manifestations and practice by both Saudis and non-Saudis. In recent years, the public presence of the CPVPV has diminished in parts of the country. Nevertheless, in 2015, members of the CPVPV periodically overstepped their authority, including harassing and arresting non-Muslim expatriate workers holding religious services in private homes. In 2013, a law was passed limiting the jurisdiction of the CPVPV. Despite the fact that the CPVPV is not allowed to engage in surveillance, detain individuals for more than 24 hours, arrest individuals without police accompaniment, or carry out any kind of punishment, its members have been accused over the past year of beating, whipping, detaining, and otherwise harassing individuals. USCIRF continues to call for the dissolution of the CPVPV.

Improvements in Saudi Textbooks, Yet Continued Dissemination of Intolerant Materials

In 2014, the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC provided USCIRF most textbooks used in public schools in the Kingdom during the 2013-2014 school year. After an analysis of some of the relevant religious textbooks that had previously contained inflammatory language advocating hatred and violence, USCIRF found that there were improvements concerning the removal of intolerant content. USCIRF subsequently requested seven additional textbooks, which it had not received by the end of the reporting period. In January 2016, Saudi officials claimed that some of the requested high school-level textbooks were still in the process of being revised. In its annual international religious freedom report released in October 2015, the State Department found that the Saudi government had not completed its multi-year project to remove objectionable content from textbooks and that intolerant materials remained, "including directives to kill 'sorcerers' and socially exclude infidels. . ."

In recent years, a Saudi royal decree banned the financing outside Saudi Arabia of religious schools, mosques, hate literature, and other activities that support religious intolerance and violence toward non-Muslims and non-conforming Muslims. Nevertheless, some literature, older versions of textbooks, and other intolerant materials reportedly remain in distribution in some countries despite the Saudi government's policy that it would attempt to retrieve previously-distributed materials that teach hatred toward other religions and, in some cases, promote violence. For example, some of the older books justified violence against apostates, sorcerers, and homosexuals, and labeled Jews and Christians "enemies of the believers;" another high school textbook presented the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"  a notorious forgery designed to promote hostility toward Jews  as an authentic document. Concerns also remain about privately-funded satellite television stations in the Kingdom that continue to espouse sectarian hatred and intolerance.

U.S. Policy

Despite a series of challenges in recent years, U.S.-Saudi relations remain close. Since 2010, the U.S. government has notified Congress of more than $100 billion in proposed arms sales to the Kingdom, and, since March 2015, the United States has provided weapons, logistical, and other support for Saudi operations in Yemen. For years, the U.S. government's reliance on the Saudi government for cooperation on counterterrorism, regional security, and energy supplies has limited its willingness to press the Saudi government to improve its poor human rights and religious freedom record.

During the past year, shared concerns over Islamist terrorism, particularly advances by ISIL, and Iranian regional ambitions provided a renewed impetus for increased strategic cooperation. Since 2014, Saudi forces have participated in some coalition strikes on ISIL targets in Syria. Critics have expressed concerns that the United States has been reluctant to jeopardize important bilateral initiatives by pushing publicly for political and human rights reforms. Nevertheless, during the reporting period, the State Department issued some public statements raising human rights and religious freedom issues, including expressing concern about the execution of Shi'a cleric Nimr al-Nimr in January 2016 and urging the Saudi government to cancel the flogging against blogger Raif Badawi and to review his case and sentence in January 2015.

According to the State Department, U.S. policy seeks to press the Saudi government "to respect religious freedom, eliminate discrimination against religious minorities, and promote respect for non-Muslim religious belief." The U.S. government continues to encourage the Saudi government's efforts to remove intolerant passages advocating violence in textbooks, and it continues to include Saudi officials in exchange and U.S. visitor programs that promote religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue. According to reports, the number of Saudi students pursuing higher education in the United States increased ten-fold from 2000 to 2015. In 2015, Saudi officials stated that there were more than 125,000 Saudis in the United States as part of their scholarship program and that plans were in place to expand Saudi government financial support to cover all Saudi students studying in the United States.

In September 2004, consistent with USCIRF's recommendation, the State Department designated Saudi Arabia a CPC for the first time. In 2005, a temporary waiver was put in place, in lieu of otherwise legislatively mandated action as a result of the CPC designation, to allow for continued diplomatic discussions between the U.S. and Saudi governments and "to further the purposes of IRFA." In July 2006, the waiver was left in place indefinitely when the State Department announced that ongoing bilateral discussions with Saudi Arabia had enabled the U.S. government to identify and confirm a number of policies that the Saudi government "is pursuing and will continue to pursue for the purpose of promoting greater freedom for religious practice and increased tolerance for religious groups." USCIRF has concluded that full implementation by the Saudi government of these policies would diminish significantly the government's institutionalized practices that negatively affect freedom of religion and belief. Some of the measures that Saudi Arabia confirmed as state policies included the following:

Halt the dissemination of intolerant literature and extremist ideology within Saudi Arabia and around the world.

Revise and update textbooks to remove remaining intolerant references that disparage Muslims or non-Muslims or that promote hatred toward other religions or religious groups, a process the Saudi government expected to complete in one to two years [no later than July 2008].

Guarantee and protect the right to private worship for all, including non-Muslims who gather in homes for religious practice, and the right to possess and use personal religious materials.

Ensure that members of the CPVPV do not detain or conduct investigations of suspects, implement punishment, violate the sanctity of private homes, conduct surveillance, or confiscate private religious materials; and hold accountable any CPVPV officials who commit abuses.

Bring the Kingdom's rules and regulations into compliance with human rights standards.

On July 18, 2014, the State Department re-designated Saudi Arabia a CPC but kept in place a waiver of any sanctions citing the "important national interest of the United States," pursuant to section 407 of IRFA.

Recommendations

USCIRF urges the U.S. government to address religious freedom issues actively and publicly with the Saudi government and to report openly on the government's success or failure to implement genuine reforms, in order to ensure that the Saudi government's initiatives will result in substantial, demonstrable progress. Specifically, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Iran

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Iran, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf84.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.

Key Findings

Religious freedom conditions continued to deteriorate over the past year, particularly for religious minorities, especially Baha'is, Christian converts, and Sunni Muslims. Sufi Muslims and dissenting Shi'a Muslims also faced harassment, arrests, and imprisonment. Since President Hassan Rouhani was elected president in 2013, the number of individuals from religious minority communities who are in prison because of their beliefs has increased, despite the government releasing some prisoners during the reporting period, including Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini. The government of Iran continues to engage in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, including prolonged detention, torture, and executions based primarily or entirely upon the religion of the accused. While Iran's clerical establishment continued to express anti-Semitic sentiments, the level of anti-Semitic rhetoric from government officials has diminished in recent years. Since 1999, the State Department has designated Iran as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), most recently in July 2014. USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that Iran be designated a CPC.

Background

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a constitutional, theocratic republic that proclaims the Twelver (Shi'a) Jaafari School of Islam to be the official religion of the country. The constitution recognizes Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians as protected religious minorities, and five seats in the parliament are reserved for these groups (two for Armenian Christians and one each for Assyrian Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians). With an overall population of just over 80 million, Iran is approximately 99 percent Muslim  90 percent Shi'a and nine percent Sunni. According to recent estimates, religious minority communities constitute about one percent of the population and include Baha'is (more than 300,000), various Christian denominations (nearly 300,000), Zoroastrians (30,000 to 35,000), and Jews (20,000).

Nevertheless, the government of Iran discriminates against its citizens on the basis of religion or belief, as all laws and regulations are based on unique Shi'a Islamic criteria. Since the 1979 revolution, many members of minority religious communities have fled in fear of persecution. Killings, arrests, and physical abuse of detainees have increased in recent years, including for religious minorities and Muslims who dissent or express views perceived as threatening the government's legitimacy. The government continues to use its religious laws to silence reformers, including human rights defenders and journalists, for exercising their internationally-protected rights to freedom of expression and religion or belief.

Since his 2013 election, President Hassan Rouhani has not delivered on his campaign promises to strengthen civil liberties for religious minorities. Government actions continued to result in physical attacks, harassment, detention, arrests, and imprisonment. Even some of the constitutionally-recognized non-Muslim minorities  Jews, Armenian and Assyrian Christians, and Zoroastrians  face harassment, intimidation, discrimination, arrests, and imprisonment. Some majority Shi'a and minority Sunni Muslims, including clerics who dissent, were intimidated, harassed, and detained. Dissidents and human rights defenders were increasingly subject to abuse and several were sentenced to death and even executed for the capital crime of "enmity against God."

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Muslims

Over the past few years, the Iranian government has imposed harsh prison sentences on prominent reformers from the Shi'a majority community. Authorities charged many of these reformers with "insulting Islam," criticizing the Islamic Republic, and publishing materials that allegedly deviate from Islamic standards. Dissident Shi'a cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Kazemeni Boroujerdi continued to serve an 11-year prison sentence, and the government has banned him from practicing his clerical duties and confiscated his home and belongings. He has suffered physical and mental abuse while in prison. According to human rights groups and the United Nations, some 150 Sunni Muslims are in prison on charges related to their beliefs and religious activities. In October 2015, an Iranian court sentenced to death a Sunni cleric, Shahram Ahadi, who was arrested in 2009 on unfounded security related charges. More than 30 Sunnis are on death row after having been convicted of "enmity against God" in unfair judicial proceedings. Leaders from the Sunni community have been unable to build a mosque in Tehran and have reported widespread abuses and restrictions on their religious practice, including detentions and harassment of clerics and bans on Sunni teachings in public schools. Additionally, Iranian authorities have destroyed Sunni religious literature and mosques in eastern Iran.

Iran's government also continued to harass and arrest members of the Sufi Muslim community, including prominent leaders from the Nematollahi Gonabadi Order, while increasing restrictions on places of worship and destroying Sufi prayer centers and hussainiyas (meeting halls). Over the past year, authorities have detained dozens of Sufis, sentencing many to imprisonment, fines, and floggings. In June 2015, a criminal court sentenced Abbas Salehian to 74 lashes for "committing a haram act through advocating Gonabadi Dervish beliefs." In May 2014, approximately 35 Sufis were convicted on trumped-up charges related to their religious activities and given sentences ranging from three months to four years in prison. Another 10 Sufi activists were either serving prison terms or had cases pending against them. Iranian state television regularly airs programs demonizing Sufism.

Baha'is

The Baha'i community, the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, long has been subject to particularly severe religious freedom violations. The government views Baha'is, who number at least 300,000, as "heretics" and consequently they face repression on the grounds of apostasy. Since 1979, authorities have killed or executed more than 200 Baha'i leaders, and more than 10,000 have been dismissed from government and university jobs. Although the Iranian government maintains publicly that Baha'is are free to attend university, the de facto policy of preventing Baha'is from obtaining higher education remains in effect. Over the past 10 years, approximately 850 Baha'is have been arbitrarily arrested.

As of February 2016, at least 80 Baha'is were being held in prison solely because of their religious beliefs. These include seven Baha'i leaders  Fariba Kamalabadi, Jamaloddin Khanjani, Afif Naemi, Saeid Rezaie, Mahvash Sabet, Behrouz Tavakkoli, and Vahid Tizfahm  as well as Baha'i educators and administrators affiliated with the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education, some of whom were released during the reporting period. During the past year, dozens of Baha'is were arrested throughout the country. In January 2016, in the Golestan province, 24 Baha'is were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 11 years after being convicted for membership in the Baha'i community and engaging in religious activities. In November 2015, at least 20 Baha'is were arrested in three cities  Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad  after their homes were raided and materials confiscated. As part of the crackdown, nearly 30 Baha'i-owned shops were closed following the observance of two Baha'i religious holy days. In April and May, authorities closed 35 Baha'i-owned shops in an effort to force Baha'is not to observe their holy days. In April, in Hamadan, at least 13 Baha'is were arrested over a two-week period for allegedly "engaging in propaganda against the regime." They have not been formally charged. During the 2015-2016 school year, many Baha'i youth who scored very high on standardized tests were either denied entry into university or expelled during the academic year once their religious identity became known to education officials.

Christians

Over the past year, there were numerous incidents of Iranian authorities raiding church services, threatening church members, and arresting and imprisoning worshipers and church leaders, particularly Evangelical Christian converts. Since 2010, authorities arbitrarily arrested and detained more than 550 Christians throughout the country. As of February 2016, approximately 90 Christians were either in prison, detained, or awaiting trial because of their religious beliefs and activities.

Some Christians were released from jail during the year, including two long-serving prisoners of conscience, Saeed Abedini (released in January 2016) and Farshid Fathi (released in December 2015). Abedini's early release was part of a prisoner swap between the United States and Iran. He had been serving an eight-year prison sentence for "threatening the national security of Iran" for his activity in the Christian house church movement. Fathi had been serving an extended prison term on trumped-up security charges related to his religious activities.

During the reporting period, human rights groups inside Iran reported a significant increase in the number of physical assaults and beatings of Christians in prison. Some activists believe the assaults, which have been directed against converts who are leaders of underground house churches, are meant to intimidate others who may wish to convert to Christianity. In December 2015, authorities raided a number of private Christmas services and arrested nearly a dozen church members in Tehran. In April 2015, a revolutionary court upheld a one-year prison sentence and two-year travel bans on 13 Christian converts arrested in 2013.

Jews and Zoroastrians

Although not as pronounced as in previous years, the government continued to propagate anti-Semitism and target members of the Jewish community on the basis of real or perceived "ties to Israel." In 2015, high-level clerics continued to make anti-Semitic remarks in mosques. Numerous programs broadcast on state-run television advance anti-Semitic messages. Official discrimination against Jews continues to be pervasive, fostering a threatening atmosphere for the Jewish community. In a positive development, the government no longer requires Jewish students to attend classes on the Sabbath. In recent years, members of the Zoroastrian community have come under increasing repression and discrimination. At least four Zoroastrians were convicted in 2011 for propaganda of their faith, blasphemy, and other trumped-up charges remain in prison.

Human Rights Defenders, Journalists, and Others

Iranian authorities regularly detain and harass journalists, bloggers, and human rights defenders who say or write anything critical of the Islamic revolution or the Iranian government. Over the past couple of years, a number of human rights lawyers who defended Baha'is and Christians in court were imprisoned or fled the country. In addition, in August 2015, a revolutionary court sentenced to death Mohammad Ali Taheri, a university professor and founder of a spiritual movement (Erfan Halgheh or Spiritual Circle), for the capital crime of "corruption on earth." In October 2011, Taheri had been convicted and sentenced to five years in prison and 74 lashes for "insulting religious sanctities" for publishing several books on spirituality; reportedly, he has been held in solitary confinement since his conviction. Some of Taheri's followers also have been convicted on similar charges and sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five years. In December, the Iranian Supreme Court overturned Taheri's death sentence. At the end of the reporting period, he and some of his followers remained in prison.

U.S. Policy

The U.S. government has not had formal diplomatic relations with the government of Iran since 1980, although the United States participated in negotiations with Iran over the country's nuclear program as part of the group of countries known as the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, and Germany). In July 2015, the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran announced they had reached the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to ensure that Iran's nuclear program would be exclusively peaceful. On January 16, "Implementation Day" of the JCPOA, the United States and European Union began lifting nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. Notwithstanding the JCPOA, the United States continues to keep in place and enforce sanctions for Iran's human rights violations, its support for terrorism, and its ballistic missile program. According to the State Department, these sanctions are intended to target the Iranian government, not the people of Iran.

On July 1, 2010, President Barack Obama signed into law CISADA, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (P.L. 111-195), which highlights Iran's serious human rights violations, including suppression of religious freedom. CISADA requires the President to submit to Congress a list of Iranian government officials or persons acting on their behalf responsible for human rights and religious freedom abuses, bars their entry into the United States, and freezes their assets. In August 2012, the President signed into law the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, or ITRSHRA (H.R. 1905 / P.L. 112-239), which enhances the scope of human rights-related sanctions contained in CISADA. Over the past five years, as a consequence of Iran's human rights violations, the United States has imposed visa restrictions and asset freezes on 19 Iranian officials and 18 Iranian entities pursuant to CISADA, ITRSHRA, and various Executive Orders.

During the past year, U.S. policy on human rights and religious freedom in Iran included a combination of public statements, multilateral activity, and the imposition of unilateral sanctions on Iranian government officials and entities for human rights violations. During the reporting period, high-level U.S. officials in multilateral fora and through public statements urged the Iranian government to respect its citizens' human rights, including the right to religious freedom. In December 2015, for the 13th year in a row, the U.S. government co-sponsored and supported a successful UN General Assembly resolution on human rights in Iran, which passed 76 to 35, with 68 abstentions. The resolution condemned the Iranian government's poor human rights record, including its religious freedom violations and continued abuses targeting religious minorities.

During the year, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry used public occasions to call for the release of Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini. On January 16, 2016, the Obama Administration announced it had secured the release from jail of pastor Abedini, and three other Americans, in exchange for the release of seven Iranians in prison in the United States. Abedini returned to the United States later that month.

On July 28, 2014, the Secretary of State re-designated Iran as a country of particular concern. The Secretary designated the following Presidential Action for Iran: "the existing ongoing travel restrictions based on serious human rights abuses under section 221(a) (1)(C) of the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, pursuant to section 402(c)(5) of the Act." The previous designation made in 2011 cited a provision under CISADA as the Presidential Action. Unlike CISADA, ITRSHRA does not contain a specific provision citing religious freedom violations.

Recommendations

In addition to recommending that the U.S. government should continue to designate Iran as a CPC, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:

Notwithstanding the P5+1 nuclear agreement, ensure that violations of freedom of religion or belief and related human rights are part of multilateral or bilateral discussions with the Iranian government whenever possible, and continue to work closely with European and other allies to apply pressure through a combination of advocacy, diplomacy, and targeted sanctions;

Continue to speak out publicly and frequently at the highest levels about the severe religious freedom abuses in Iran, press for and work to secure the release of all prisoners of conscience, and highlight the need for the international community to hold authorities accountable in specific cases;

Continue to identify Iranian government agencies and officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom, freeze those individuals' assets, and bar their entry into the United States, as delineated under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) citing specific religious freedom violations;

Call on Iran to cooperate fully with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Iran, including allowing the Special Rapporteur  as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief  to visit, and continue to support an annual UN General Assembly resolution condemning severe violations of human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, in Iran and calling for officials responsible for such violations to be held accountable; and

Use appropriated funds to advance Internet freedom and protect Iranian activists by supporting the development and accessibility of new technologies and programs to counter censorship and to facilitate the free flow of information in and out of Iran.

The U.S. Congress should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Eritrea

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Eritrea, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf84d.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.

Key Findings

The Eritrean government continues to repress religious freedom for unregistered, and in some cases registered, religious communities. Systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations include torture or other ill-treatment of religious prisoners, arbitrary arrests and detentions without charges, a prolonged ban on public religious activities of unregistered religious groups, and interference in the internal affairs of registered religious groups. The situation is particularly grave for Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses. The government dominates the internal affairs of the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, the country's largest Christian denomination, and suppresses the religious activities of Muslims, especially those opposed to the government-appointed head of the Muslim community. In light of these violations, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that Eritrea be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). Since 2004, USCIRF has recommended, and the State Department has designated, Eritrea as a CPC, most recently in July 2014.

Background

There are no reliable statistics of religious affiliation in Eritrea. The Pew Charitable Trust estimates that Orthodox Christians comprise approximately 57 percent of the population, Muslims 36 percent, Roman Catholics four percent, and Protestants, including Evangelical Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostals, and others, one percent. On the positive side, there are no religious conflicts in Eritrea and relationships between religious communities are peaceful.

President Isaias Afwerki and the Popular Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) have ruled Eritrea since the country's independence from Ethiopia in 1993. President Afwerki and his circle maintain absolute authority. Thousands of Eritreans are imprisoned for their real or imagined opposition to the government, and a 2015 UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (COI-E) report describes extensive use of torture and forced labor. No private newspapers, political opposition parties, or independent non-governmental organizations exist. The government requires all physically- and mentally-capable people between the ages of 18 and 70 to perform a full-time, indefinite, and poorly-paid national service obligation, which includes military, development, or civil service components. While the national service does include a civil service component, all Eritreans are required to undertake military training and Eritreans cannot choose which type of service they must complete. Hence, there is no alternative for conscientious objectors. The UN and various human rights groups reported that individuals completing their national service obligation in the military are prohibited from practicing their religion and that persons who fail to participate in the national service are detained, sentenced to hard labor, abused, and have their legal documents confiscated. Further, a civilian militia program requirement for most males and females between the ages of 18 and 50 not in the military portion of national service also does not allow for or provide an alternative for conscientious objectors.

The lack of fundamental human rights and economic opportunities in Eritrea has led thousands of Eritreans to flee the country to neighboring states and beyond to seek asylum, including in Europe and the United States. The UN reported in 2015 that since 2014 an estimated six percent of the population has fled the country.

There are very few legal protections for freedom of religion or belief in Eritrea. Those that do exist are either not implemented or are limited by other laws or in practice. The Eritrean constitution provides for freedom of thought, conscience, and belief; guarantees the right to practice and manifest any religion; and prohibits religious discrimination. Unfortunately, the constitution has not been implemented since its ratification in 1997. In May 2014, President Afwerki announced a new constitution would be drafted, although no action had been taken by the end of the reporting period.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Registration

In 2002, the government imposed a registration requirement on all religious groups other than the four officially-recognized religions: the Coptic Orthodox Church of Eritrea; Sunni Islam; the Roman Catholic Church; and the Evangelical Church of Eritrea, a Lutheran-affiliated denomination. All other religious communities are required to apply annually for registration with the Office of Religious Affairs. Registration requirements include a description of the group's history in Eritrea; detailed information about its foreign sources of funding, leadership, assets, and activities; and an explanation of how it would benefit the country or is unique compared to other religious communities. Registration also requires conformity with Proclamation No. 73/1995 "to Legally Standardize and Articulate Religious Institutions and Activities," which permits registered religious institutions the right to preach, teach, and engage in awareness campaigns but prohibits ". . . infringing upon national safety, security and supreme national interests, instigating refusal to serve national service and stirring up acts of political or religious disturbances calculated to endanger the independence and territorial sovereignty of the country."

To date, no other religious communities have been registered. The Baha'i community, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, and the Seventh-day Adventists submitted the required applications after the new registration requirements were enacted; the Eritrean government has yet to act on their applications. The government's inaction means that unregistered religious communities lack a legal basis on which to practice their faiths, including holding services or other religious ceremonies. According to the COI-E report and Eritrean refugees interviewed by USCIRF, most churches of non-registered religious communities are closed and government approval is required to build houses of worship. Leaders and members of unregistered communities that continue to practice their faith are punished with imprisonment and fines.

Religious Prisoners

While the country's closed nature makes exact numbers difficult to determine, the State Department reports 1,200 to 3,000 persons are imprisoned on religious grounds in Eritrea. During the reporting period, there were a few reported incidents of new arrests.

Reports of torture and other abuses of religious prisoners continue. Religious prisoners are sent routinely to the harshest prisons and receive some of the cruelest punishments. Released religious prisoners have reported that they were confined in crowded conditions, such as in 20-foot metal shipping containers or underground barracks, and subjected to extreme temperature fluctuations. In addition, there have been reports of deaths of religious prisoners due to harsh treatment or denial of medical care. Persons detained for religious activities, in both short-term and long-term detentions, are not formally charged, permitted access to legal counsel, accorded due process, or allowed family visits. Prisoners are not permitted to pray aloud, sing, or preach, and religious books are banned. Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Jehovah's Witnesses released from prison report being pressured to recant their faith, forced to sign a statement that they would no longer gather to worship, and warned not to re-engage in religious activities.

Pentecostals and Evangelicals

Pentecostals and Evangelicals comprise the majority of religious prisoners. The Eritrean government is suspicious of newer religious communities, in particular Protestant Evangelical and Pentecostal communities. It has characterized these groups as being part of a foreign campaign to infiltrate the country, engaging in aggressive evangelism alien to Eritrea's cultural traditions, and causing social divisions. During 2015, security forces continued to arrest followers of these faiths for participating in clandestine prayer meetings and religious ceremonies, although toleration of these groups varied by location. The State Department reported that some local authorities denied water and gas to Pentecostals. The Eritrean government and Eritrean religious leaders do not publicize arrests and releases and government secrecy and intimidation makes documenting the exact numbers of such cases difficult. USCIRF received confirmation of almost 200 arrests in 2015.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses are persecuted for their political neutrality and conscientious objection to military service, which are aspects of their faith. On October 25, 1994, President Afwerki issued a decree revoking their citizenship for their refusal to take part in the referendum on independence or to participate in national service. Since 1994, Jehovah's Witnesses have been barred from obtaining government-issued identity and travel documents, government jobs, and business licenses. Eritrean identity cards are required for legal recognition of marriages or land purchases. The State Department reported that some local authorities denied water and gas to Jehovah's Witnesses.

Jehovah's Witnesses who have refused to serve in the military have been imprisoned without trial, some for over a decade, including Paulos Eyassu, Issac Mogos, and Negede Teklemariam who have been detained in Sawa prison since September 24, 1994. Moreover, the government's requirement that high school students complete their final year at the Sawa Training and Education Camp, which includes six months of military training, effectively denies Jehovah's Witnesses an opportunity to graduate from high school. Some children of Jehovah's Witnesses have been expelled from school because of their refusal to salute the flag or to pay for membership in the officially sanctioned national organization for youth and students.

Whole congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses are arrested while attending worship services in homes or in rented facilities and individual Witnesses are regularly arrested and imprisoned for expressing their faith to others. Some are quickly released, while others are held indefinitely without charge. In 2015, as many as 55 Jehovah's Witnesses were detained without charge or trial. Of these, 16 are older than 60, five are older than 70, and one is in his 80s.

Recognized Religious Communities

The Eritrean government also strictly oversees the activities of the four recognized religious communities. These groups are required to submit activity reports every six months; instructed not to accept funds from co-religionists abroad (an order with which the Eritrean Orthodox Church reportedly said it would not comply); and have had religious leaders appointed by government officials. The Eritrean government has appointed the Patriarch of the Eritrean Orthodox Church and the Mufti of the Eritrean Muslim community, as well as other lower-level religious officials. The government-deposed Eritrean Orthodox Patriarch Antonios, who protested government interference in his church's affairs, has been held incommunicado under house arrest since 2007. Hundreds of Orthodox Christian and Muslim religious leaders and laymen who protested these appointments remain imprisoned. The COI-E as well as Eritrean refugees interviewed by USCIRF reported government surveillance of services of the four official religions. Muslims opposed to the government are labeled as fundamentalists and human rights organizations report that religious freedom violations against the Muslim community increased following the January 21, 2013 mutiny during which 100-200 Army soldiers seized the headquarters of the state broadcaster in Asmara. Furthermore, Eritrean officials visiting the United States reportedly pressured diaspora members to attend only Eritrean government-approved Orthodox churches in this country.

Within this environment, the Catholic Church is granted a few more, but still restricted, freedoms than other religious communities, including the permission to host some visiting clergy; to receive funding from the Holy See; to travel for religious purposes and training in small numbers; and to receive exemptions from national service for seminary students and nuns.

U.S. Policy

Relations between the United States and Eritrea remain poor. The U.S. government has long expressed concern about the Eritrean government's human rights practices and support for Ethiopian, Somali, and other armed and rebel groups in the region. The government of Eritrea expelled USAID in 2005, and U.S. programs in the country ended in fiscal year 2006. Eritrea receives no U.S. development, humanitarian, or security assistance. Since 2010, the government has refused to accredit a new U.S. ambassador to the country; in response the U.S. government revoked the credentials of the Eritrean ambassador to the United States.

U.S. government officials routinely raise religious freedom violations when speaking about human rights conditions in Eritrea. The United States was a co-sponsor of a 2012 UN Human Rights Council resolution that successfully created the position of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea. In July 2014, the United States supported the creation of a UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea to investigate systematic violations of human rights, recommend how to improve conditions and ensure accountability, and raise awareness of the situation in the country. In 2015, the U.S. government supported the continuation of the COI-E's mandate for one additional year to determine if the Eritrean government's actions constitute crimes against humanity.

In September 2004, the State Department designated Eritrea a CPC. When re-designating Eritrea in September 2005 and January 2009, the State Department announced the denial of commercial export to Eritrea of defense articles and services covered by the Arms Export Control Act, with some items exempted. The Eritrean government subsequently intensified its repression of unregistered religious groups with a series of arrests and detentions of clergy and ordinary members of the affected groups. The State Department most recently re-designated Eritrea a CPC in July 2014, and continued the presidential action of the arms embargo, although since 2011 this has been under the auspices of UN Security Council resolution 1907 (see below).

U.S.-Eritrean relations also are heavily influenced, often adversely, by strong U.S. ties with Ethiopia. Gaining independence in 1993, Eritrea fought a costly border war with Ethiopia from 1998 to 2000. The United States, the United Nations, the European Union, and the now-defunct Organization of African Unity were formal witnesses to the 2000 accord ending that conflict. However, Eritrean-Ethiopian relations remain tense due to Ethiopia's refusal to permit demarcation of the boundary according to the Hague's Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's 2002 decision. The U.S. government views the commission's decision as "final and binding" and expects both parties to comply.

U.S. policy toward Eritrea also is concentrated on U.S. concerns that the country's activities in the region could destabilize the Horn of Africa. In December 2009, the United States joined a 13-member majority on the UN Security Council in adopting Resolution 1907, sanctioning Eritrea for supporting armed groups in Somalia and failing to withdraw its forces from the Eritrean-Djibouti border following clashes with Djibouti. The sanctions include an arms embargo, travel restrictions, and asset freezes on the Eritrean government's political and military leaders, as well as other individuals designated by the Security Council's Committee on Somalia Sanctions. In April 2010, President Obama announced Executive Order 13536 blocking the property and property interests of several individuals for their financing of al-Shabaab in Somalia, including Yemane Ghebreab, presidential advisor and the former head of political affairs. In December 2011, the United States voted in favor of UN Security Council Resolution 2023, which calls on UN member states to implement Resolution 1907's sanctions and ensure that their dealings with Eritrea's mining industry do not support activities that would destabilize the region. In 2015, the U.S. government voted in the UN Security Council to retain an arms embargo on Eritrea and to renew for another year the mandate of its Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea.

Recommendations

The U.S. government should press for immediate improvements to end religious freedom violations in Eritrea and raise concerns through bilateral and multilateral initiatives. In addition to recommending that the U.S. government should continue to designate Eritrea a CPC and maintaining the existing, ongoing arms embargo referenced in 22 CFR 126.1(a), USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - China

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - China, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cf91b.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.

Key Findings

China's severe religious freedom violations continued in 2015. While the Chinese government sought to further assert itself on the global stage, at home it pursued policies to diminish the voices of individuals and organizations advocating for human rights and genuine rule of law. During the past year, as in recent years, the central and/or provincial governments continued to forcibly remove crosses and bulldoze churches; implement a discriminatory and at times violent crackdown on Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists and their rights; and harass, imprison, or otherwise detain Falun Gong practitioners, human rights defenders, and others. Based on the continuation of this long-standing trend of religious freedom violations, USCIRF again recommends in 2016 that China be designated a "country of particular concern," or CPC, for its systematic, egregious, and ongoing abuses. The State Department has designated China as a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

Background

The past year was marked by the Chinese government's deliberate and unrelenting crackdown on human rights and dissent. This crackdown transpired while the government considered new laws to bolster its power and reach, such as a national security law enacted July 1 and a terrorism law adopted on December 28. China's leadership has long justified its harsh policies, including against Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and others, by asserting the importance of confronting the so-called "three evils"  separatism, terrorism, and religious extremism. In 2015, the Chinese Communist Party tightened its internal ideology, elevating the crusade against the three evils, particularly with respect to religious freedom.

During the past year, the government increased its targeting of human rights lawyers and dissidents, some of whom advocated for religious freedom or represented individuals of various beliefs. In July, authorities across China undertook a sweeping dragnet rounding up lawyers and human rights defenders, including religious freedom advocates, with nearly 300 arrested, detained, or disappeared. Many of these individuals came under government suspicion precisely because they chose to represent politically-undesirable religious groups, such as Uighur Muslims, unregistered Christian leaders and members, and Falun Gong practitioners. While most were released, the location of a few individuals remains unknown and additional detentions and arrests continue. Among those criminally detained or facing charges of subversion or endangering state security are Wang Yu, Li Heping, and Zhang Kai, human rights lawyers known for defending Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, and others. China also punished individuals exercising their right to free speech, such as human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who in December was handed a three-year suspended sentence for "picking quarrels" and "inciting ethnic hatred" in a series of social messages critical of the government's policies.

Those following one of China's five officially recognized religions  Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism  and affiliated with one of the corresponding state-sanctioned "patriotic religious associations" are protected in theory from the government's crackdown on religion. However, the continued imprisonment of Pastor Zhang Shaojie of the state-registered Nanle County Christian Church demonstrates that state recognition is no guarantee of protection. The government continued to accuse individuals and religious organizations of engaging in so-called "cult" activities. Underground house churches are particularly vulnerable to these accusations; Buddhist leader Wu Zeheng received a life sentence in October for his alleged involvement in a cult.

The Chinese Communist Party officially is atheist and took steps in 2015 to ensure that Party members reject religion or belief. More than half of China's population is unaffiliated with any religion or belief. There are nearly 300 million Chinese who practice some form of folk religion; more than 246 million Buddhists; at least 68 million Christians; nearly 25 million Muslims; and less than 3.6 million apiece practice Hinduism, Judaism, or Taoism.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

Uighur Muslims

In January 2015, Chinese authorities extended their "strike hard" anti-terror campaign launched in 2014 that imposed wide-scale restrictions against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. In addition to increased arrests for alleged terrorist activities and the presence of additional troops, security forces reportedly closed religious schools and local authorities continued to crack down on various forms of allegedly "extremist" religious expression, such as beards for men and face-covering veils for women. Local authorities in parts of Xinjiang also threatened action against Muslim business owners if they declined to sell alcohol and cigarettes based on their religious beliefs and traditions. As in years past, officials banned the observance of Ramadan, taking steps to prevent party officials, public servants, and students from fasting. In July 2015, the government of Thailand forcibly repatriated 109 Uighur Muslims to China, reportedly due to Chinese pressure.

China continued to deny that its repressive policies toward Uighur Muslims contribute to the community's discontent and at times aggressive reaction. Following the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, China equated its own experience with so-called Uighur separatists with the situation faced by France concerning the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Days later, Chinese police killed 28 Uighurs the government suspected of involvement in a September 2015 coal mine attack in Xinjiang that killed more than 50, mostly Han Chinese. In an attempt to recruit global support for his campaign of repression against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, President Xi Jinping accused the international community of double standards in its response to perceived terrorism within China. This perspective diminishes the connection between the Chinese government's harsh repression and the actions of some Uighur Muslims: the crackdown has led to the detention or deaths of hundreds and possibly thousands of Uighur Muslims as well as instability and insecurity, fueling resentment and the very extremism the government claims it is trying to quell.

Beijing's attempt to control messaging about its treatment of Uighur Muslims reached beyond its own borders. In December 2015, China expelled French journalist Ursula Gauthier for her writings challenging the government's claims regarding Uighur terrorism. While other foreign journalists have been expelled or denied visas in the past, Gauthier's expulsion was the first in several years. Also in December, China released Rexim and Shawket Hoshur, brothers of American journalist Shohret Hoshur; they had been detained since August 2014 and charged with, but not convicted of, endangering state security. The charges against them and a third brother who is still detained were a means to punish Shohret for his reporting on Xinjiang. Though the two brothers' release is a positive step, all three brothers' detentions reflect the Chinese government's increasing willingness to employ extrajudicial methods and spurious charges to retaliate against individuals and their family members who criticize its repressive policies in Xinjiang and elsewhere.

Tibetan Buddhists

In 2015, the Chinese government maintained tight control of Tibetan Buddhists, strictly monitoring and suppressing their cultural and religious practices. Government-led raids on monasteries continued, and Chinese party officials in Tibet infiltrated monasteries with Communist Party propaganda. Reports indicated increased government interference in the education and training of young Buddhist monks. In protest of these and other repressive policies, at least 143 Tibetans have self-immolated since February 2009. Buddhist leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who had been serving a 20-year sentence, died in prison in July 2015. Supporters of the popular monk maintained he was falsely accused of separatism and terrorism, and there were reports that police opened fire on a group of supporters who had gathered in his memory. Chinese authorities cremated Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's body against his family's wishes and Buddhist practice, leading many to suspect foul play in his death. Also, authorities subsequently detained his sister and niece for nearly two weeks after they requested his body be turned over to them.

The past year was marked by several notable anniversaries: the 80th birthday of the Dalai Lama, the 50th anniversary of Beijing's control over the Tibet Autonomous Region, and the 20th anniversary of the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, also known as the Panchen Lama. Abducted at the age of six, the Panchen Lama has been held in secret by the Chinese government for more than two decades. Also in 2015, the government accused the Dalai Lama of "blasphemy" for suggesting he would not select a successor or reincarnate, effectively ending the line of succession; Beijing also reiterated its own authority to select the next Dalai Lama.

Protestants and Catholics

In May 2015, authorities in Zhejiang Province circulated draft regulations governing the color, size and location of religious signs, symbols, and structures. While the regulations apply to all religious markers, the move aligned with provincial officials' systematic efforts in recent years to forcibly remove church crosses in Zhejiang Province, an area with a high concentration of Christians. Officially branded the "Three Rectifications and One Demolition" campaign, Chinese authorities use the pretext of building code violations to target houses of worship, particularly churches, as illegal structures. By some estimates, the number of cross removals and church demolitions totaled at least 1,500, and many who opposed these acts were arrested. The campaign reached such intensity in 2015 that even government-approved churches and the provincial arms of the government-run Catholic Patriotic Association and Protestant Christian Council publicly expressed alarm, including in a public letter written by the government-appointed bishop of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province and co-signed by several priests.

Although Chinese authorities released several parishioners and pastors throughout the year, they continued to summon, question, detain, and even arrest clergy and parishioners of unregistered house churches, such as at Huoshi Church in Guizhou Province. In January 2015, local officials informed the family of imprisoned Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang that he had died. At the time of his reported death, the underground bishop had been imprisoned, without charges, for 14 years at a secret location, in addition to previous imprisonments and hard labor. In March, a court sentenced Pastor Huang Yizi to one year in prison for trying to protect the cross at Salvation Church in Zhejiang Province from removal. Additionally, as noted above, human rights lawyers often are targeted for assisting religious followers. For example, prior to a meeting with U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein in August 2015, Chinese authorities seized human rights lawyer Zhang Kai. Mr. Zhang is known for his work on behalf of those affected by the church demolitions and cross removals in Zhejiang Province and previously represented Pastor Huang. Following six months of being held without charge  likely at one of China's notorious "black jail" facilities known for their use of torture  Zhang Kai was criminally detained in February 2016.

The Vatican and China continued their ongoing formal dialogues, including a Vatican delegation's visit to China in October 2015. During the year, the Vatican reportedly suggested a compromise regarding the selection and approval of bishops in China, though the government of China has not agreed. While some positive developments transpired  Bishop Wu Qin-jing was installed, Bishop Zhang Yinlin was ordained, and the Vatican approved Bishop-designee Tang Yuange  China still insists it has the authority to appoint bishops independent of the Holy See.

Falun Gong

In 2015, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners reportedly were arrested or sent to brainwashing centers or other detention facilities. Brainwashing centers are a form of extralegal detention known to involve acts of torture. Based on statements from Chinese health officials, the long-standing practice of harvesting organs from prisoners was to end on January 1, 2015. However, many human rights advocates believe the practice continues. Imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners are particularly targeted for organ harvesting. Li Chang, a former government official sentenced to prison for his involvement in a peaceful Falun Gong demonstration, is among the countless Falun Gong practitioners who remain imprisoned at the end of the reporting period. The Chinese government continued to deny Wang Zhiwen a passport or the ability to travel freely to receive proper medical care following the torture he endured during his 15 years in prison. Chinese authorities denied a visa and barred entry into mainland China to Anastasia Lin, a human rights advocate and Falun Gong practitioner. As Miss World Canada 2015, Ms. Lin was scheduled to participate in the Miss World event held in China in December 2015.

Forced Repatriation of North Korean Refugees

During its 2015 review of China's record, the UN Committee against Torture recommended that the Chinese government cease its practice of forcibly repatriating North Korean refugees. In its report, the Committee noted it had obtained "over 100 testimonies from North Koreans . . . indicating that persons forcibly repatriated . . . are systematically subjected to torture and ill-treatment." This violates China's obligations under the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees and its 1969 Protocol. China claims North Koreans entering China without permission are economic migrants, but does so without evaluating each individual's case to determine whether they qualify for refugee status. For example, in October 2015, nine North Korean refugees, including a one-year-old infant, were discovered in Vietnam along the Northeast border with China and transferred to Chinese police. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, among others, called on China and Vietnam to disclose their whereabouts. To date, no information has been made available, and human rights organizations fear they have already been returned to North Korea.

U.S. Policy

On January 6, 2016, North Korea reported it had detonated a hydrogen bomb. While the claims were largely discredited, the international community  including the United States and China  responded swiftly. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the matter with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, and while the two sides agreed a response was necessary, they differed on the approach and the degree to which sanctions should be applied. The two also discussed China's activity in the South China Sea. By February, Congress advanced legislation imposing both mandatory and discretionary sanctions against individuals conducting certain kinds of business with North Korea. The UN Security Council considered new sanctions against North Korea in light of the nuclear test and the country's announced plans to launch a satellite, both in violation of Security Council resolutions.

In 2015, the United States and China conducted several bilateral dialogues, including the Strategic & Economic Dialogue (S&ED) in June and the resumption of the Human Rights Dialogue (HRD) in August, both held in Washington, DC. At the S&ED, the two countries reached agreements on climate change, ocean conservation, global health, counterterrorism cooperation, and other matters of bilateral interest. At the HRD, the head of the U.S. delegation, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Tom Malinowski, discussed several religious freedom issues, including the treatment of Christians, Uighur Muslims, and Tibetan Buddhists.

In September 2015, President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the United States since becoming president in 2013. Human rights organizations widely condemned Xi's high-profile visit. At a joint press conference with Xi, President Barack Obama said that the discussions during Xi's visit included human rights and religious freedom issues, such as the United States' concerns about forcibly closed churches, the treatment of ethnic minorities, and the importance of preserving Tibetan religious and cultural identity.

Throughout the year, United States raised a number of human rights issues with China both publicly and privately, including individual cases. For example, the U.S. Department of State expressed concern and/or condemnation about the detention of women activists and human rights defenders and also the forced repatriation of Uighur Muslims by Thailand. The Department of State also expressed sadness over the death in prison of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and called for Pu Zhiqiang's suspended sentence to be vacated. Along with other Administration visits to China, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein visited the country in August 2015. At the October release of the 2014 Report on International Religious Freedom, Ambassador Saperstein mentioned human rights lawyer Zhang Kai, who was detained by Chinese authorities one day prior to meeting with the Ambassador.

Recommendations

China's approach to religious freedom and related human rights does not comply with international standards. At the same time, China increasingly flouts these standards as it grows more assertive on the global stage and seeks to assume the mantle of world leadership. To reinforce to China that such leadership must go hand-in-hand with the respect for and protection of religious freedom and related human rights, the U.S. government consistently should integrate human rights messaging  and specifically religious freedom  throughout its interactions with China. In addition to recommending the U.S. government continue to designate China as a CPC, USCIRF recommends the U.S. government should:
USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Burma

Publisher United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Publication Date 2 May 2016 Cite as United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF Annual Report 2016 - Tier 1 CPCs designated by the State Department and recommended by USCIRF - Burma, 2 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57307cfa15.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.

Key Findings

In 2015, peaceful elections ended more than 50 years of military-controlled government in Burma, yet the new government faces myriad human rights challenges. Throughout the year, Burma's government and non-state actors continued to violate religious freedom; these violations became a defining element of the campaign season. The abuses were particularly severe for Rohingya Muslims, whose persecution became even more apparent when the magnitude of their flight from Burma captured international media attention. Instead of protecting those most in need, like the Rohingya, Burma's government intensified its isolation and marginalization of vulnerable groups, leaving hundreds of thousands internally displaced and without basic necessities. The government allowed expressions of hatred and intolerance toward religious and ethnic minorities to continue unchecked and shepherded the passage into law of four discriminatory "race and religion bills." Based on these systematic, egregious, and ongoing violations, USCIRF continues to recommend in 2016 that Burma be designated as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The State Department has designated Burma a CPC since 1999, most recently in July 2014.

Background

Burma's November 8 elections dominated 2015, resulting in longtime opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), winning an overwhelming majority of seats and taking control of government. The underlying electoral process was deeply flawed due to the exploitation of religious divisions, the disenfranchisement of Rohingya Muslim voters, and the disqualification of Rohingya Muslim candidates. During 2015, Burma's government enacted into law all four race and religion bills before Election Day, prompting nationalist Buddhist group Ma Ba Tha and its supporters to embark upon an extensive celebratory tour throughout the country. Each of the measures  regulating religious conversion, marriage, and births  discriminate against and restrict the religious freedom of non-Buddhists, particularly Muslims, and diminishes women's rights. The laws have been condemned widely within Burma by civil society organizations and women's groups and in the international community, including by the United States.

Although Burma has opened dramatically since the last nationwide elections, President Thein Sein's government continued to restrict basic freedoms  including the right to freedom of religion or belief. For example, growing religious intolerance resulted in discrimination and ill-treatment against religious and ethnic minorities. Regarding other rights, more than 100 students and others were arrested for their involvement in demonstrations opposing the National Education Law, and activist Chaw Sandi Tun was sentenced to six months in prison for Facebook posts criticizing the military. The outgoing government released 52 political prisoners in January 2016, but human rights groups remain concerned about those still facing trial and those still imprisoned, estimated at more than 400 and more than 80, respectively. Moreover, the government's historic ceasefire agreement with armed ethnic groups fell short when barely half the groups agreed to sign, and intense fighting continued in parts of Shan State and other areas, displacing thousands.

Religious demography figures gathered during the 2014 census were not released in 2015. Based on available information, nearly 90 percent of the population is Buddhist, four percent Christian, and four percent Muslim. Rohingya Muslims comprise as many as one million out of a total population of 51 million, though the number fleeing the country continues to grow.

Religious Freedom Conditions 2015-2016

The Plight of Rohingya Muslims

In 2015, conditions remained grave for Rohingya Muslims, particularly those in Rakhine State and especially the approximately 140,000 confined in deplorable camps. While some aid groups were able to reach certain communities  including ethnic Rakhine who also suffer under the state's extreme poverty  the government has left unaddressed the root causes of the Rohingya's dire circumstances. Burma's government continues to deny Rohingya Muslims citizenship, freedom of movement, access to health care, and other basic services. Some Buddhists continued to espouse hatred and discrimination against Muslims, such as when Ma Ba Tha reportedly proposed a ban on hijabs for Muslim schoolgirls and when pressure from some monks forced Muslims to curtail their Eid celebrations or cancel Friday prayers.

In addition, Rohingya Muslims experienced the denial of their political rights in 2015. Political jockeying between Burma's parliament and President Thein Sein prompted the government to revoke voting rights in any national referendum for individuals with temporary ID cards, also known as "white cards." At one point, the parliament confirmed voting eligibility for white card-holders, many of whom are Rohingya Muslims and had voting rights in previous elections, but this angered some in the Buddhist majority, including influential monks. Following the outcry, the president announced the expiration of all white cards at the end of March and ordered that they be turned in to authorities by the end of May. This resulted not only in the government's revocation of voting rights for white card holders, but also eliminated the only form of identification for many individuals.

Additionally, officials in Rakhine State and at the Union Election Commission denied Rohingya Muslims the right to run for office in the 2015 elections. For example, Shwe Maung, a Rohingya Muslim already serving in parliament, was denied the right to contest the elections because officials falsely claimed his parents were not citizens of Burma when he was born. Kyaw Min, also a Rohingya Muslim, was similarly disqualified. Regarding other Muslim communities, only 28 Muslim candidates ran nationwide: none were successful in winning a seat, marking the first time that Muslims have no representation in the national parliament.

Regional Refugee Crisis

During 2015, despite deep, generational roots in their homeland, many Rohingya Muslims continued to risk the dangerous journey by boat to escape persecution in Burma. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 31,000 Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis fled by boat during the first half of the year, a 34 percent surge over the previous year. The asylum seekers from Burma, whether refugees fleeing due to legitimate fears of persecution or migrants seeking a better life, are stateless and ostracized wherever they go. Following the discovery in May 2015 of mass graves in Thailand and Malaysia, a region-wide crackdown on well-established trafficking and people smuggling routes left stranded countless boats carrying at least 5,000 individuals, many of whom were Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma. Thousands eventually landed in Malaysia and Indonesia, though many died during the journey, and the whereabouts of many others are unknown. By early 2016, countries in the region had convened two iterations of the "Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean," where participants discussed how to assist individuals fleeing and the root causes influencing their movement throughout the region.

Abuses Targeting Ethnic Minority Christians

Since 2011, at least 100,000 Kachin, primarily Christians, remain internally displaced in camps due to ongoing conflicts with Burma's military. The long-standing conflicts, although not religious in nature, have deeply impacted Christian communities and those of other faiths, including by limiting their access to clean water, health care, proper hygiene and sanitation, and other basic necessities. Groups like the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) and others worked during the year to assist those displaced. During the year, churches in Kachin and Shan States reportedly were destroyed in separate incidents as a result of artillery believed to have been fired by the military. The 2014 murder of two Kachin Christian schoolteachers volunteering with KBC in Shan State remains unsolved. In Chin State, Christian communities remained fearful that the local government would deny necessary permissions to erect crosses or build churches, due in large part to the government's long-standing practices of destroying crosses and refusing to allow new church construction. In January 2015, Chin elder Tial Cem faced charges of erecting a cross and allegedly cutting down the trees used to construct it. In August, a Buddhist monk in Karen State began building a pagoda and another structure in an area described as a Baptist Church compound, impacting the congregation's ability to worship.

Religious Intolerance and Expressions of Hate

Throughout 2015, and particularly in the context of the November 8 elections, senior political and Buddhist leaders continued to express intolerance toward Muslims. Buddhist nationalists speciously labeled candidates and political parties "pro-Muslim" to tarnish their reputation and electability and used support for (or opposition to) the discriminatory race and religion bills to measure suitability to hold office. Burma's government revealed a troubling double standard in dealing with individuals whose words or actions were perceived to express hate and/or insult religion. On the one hand, Ma Ba Tha figurehead Ashin Wirathu's slanderous and vile insults of UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee, after she criticized the race and religion bills in January, went unchecked, and the government failed to distance itself from his remarks. Meanwhile, former NLD official Htin Lin Oo was found guilty in June of insulting religion following an October 2014 speech in which he spoke out against the use of Buddhism for extremist purposes. Also, in March 2015, three nightclub managers  a New Zealand man and two Burmese men  were sentenced to two-and-a-half years' hard labor for insulting religion after posting online a promotional advertisement depicting Buddha wearing headphones. The New Zealand man, Philip Blackwood, was released as part of the January 2016 prisoner amnesty, but his two Burmese colleagues remain in prison. While hateful and intolerant expression should be strongly condemned, the right to freedom of expression is indivisible from the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief, and laws making religious defamation a crime violate international human rights norms.

U.S. Policy

During 2015, the United States remained actively engaged with Burma, including high-level visits by several State Department officials, including the first-ever joint visit by Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein and Ambassador Andrew Bennett, the head of Canada's Office of Religious Freedom. Ahead of the elections, the United States and eight other countries issued a joint statement in September in support of credible, transparent, and inclusive elections and expressing concern "about the prospect of religion being used as a tool of division and conflict during the campaign season." U.S. government funding supported a number of election-related efforts, including programs to support the Union Election Commission, voter education, and election monitoring. Earlier in the year, the State Department also expressed concern about the possible impact of the population control bill and three race and religion bills  all now law  on ethnic and religious minorities, a concern shared by USCIRF and many others.

The deepening bilateral relationship between the United States and Burma was reflected in the FY2016 spending bill, which included notable first-time language related to religious freedom, as well as standard funding through the Economic Support Fund, and continued to block military assistance other than through consultations with Burma's military on issues related to human rights and disaster response. (The U.S. arms embargo, the Presidential action applied to Burma pursuant to the CPC designation, remains in effect.) The legislation includes Burma, and particularly Rohingya Muslims, as part of an atrocities prevention report the Secretary of State must submit to Congress. It also prohibits U.S. funds from going to those determined to advocate violence against religious or ethnic groups, specifically mentioning Ma Ba Tha as an example, and the accompanying report language calls for specific review of Ma Ba Tha figurehead Wirathu.

Regarding refugees, at the end of May 2015, the United States announced a $3 million contribution in response to an appeal from the International Organization for Migration. Nearly 14,600 refugees from Burma were resettled to the United States in FY2014 and more than 11,500 in FY2015 through June 30, 2015. According to a State Department spokesperson, the FY2015 resettlements included more than 1,000 Rohingya Muslims.

Recommendations

The new NLD government will have many priorities, and it will be essential for the United States and others to consistently reinforce the importance of religious freedom and related human rights and highlight the threat posed by the words and actions of groups like Ma Ba Tha and individuals like Wirathu. Alongside condemnation, the United States also must continue to press for the rights of Rohingya and other Muslims and increase the costs to Burma for perpetuating abuses. As part of a broader framework to encourage Burma's government to adhere to international human rights standards, USCIRF recommends that the U.S. government continue to designate Burma as a CPC, as well as:
Nursing homes are increasingly evicting their most challenging residents, advocates for the aged and disabled say, testing protections for some of societys most vulnerable.

Those targeted for eviction are frequently poor and suffering from dementia, according to residents allies. They often put up little fight, their families unsure what to do. Removing them makes room for less labor-intensive and more profitable patients, critics of the tactic say, noting it can be shattering.

Its not just losing their home. Its losing their whole community, its losing their familiar caregivers, its losing their roommate, its losing the people they sit with and have meals with, said Alison Hirschel, an attorney who directs the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative and has fought evictions. Its completely devastating.

Complaints and lawsuits across the U.S. point to a spike in evictions even as observers note available records only give a glimpse of the problem.

An Associated Press analysis of federal data from the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program finds complaints about discharges and evictions are up about 57 percent since 2000. It was the top-reported grievance in 2014, with 11,331 such issues logged by ombudsmen, who work to resolve problems faced by residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other adult-care settings.

When they get tired of caring for the resident, they kick the resident out, said Richard Mollot of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a New York advocacy group.

That is often because the resident came to be regarded as undesirable  requiring a greater level of care, exhibiting dementia-induced signs of aggression, or having a family that complained repeatedly about treatment, advocates say. Federal law spells out rules on acceptable transfers, but the advocates say offending facilities routinely stretch permitted justifications for discharge. Even when families fight a move and win an appeal, some homes have disregarded rulings.

Its an epidemic, said Sam Brooks, who has litigated evictions for Community Legal Services of Philadelphia. Its a hard thing to catch and its a hard thing to enforce.

He reviewed three years of nursing home violations in Philadelphia and found only one case in which an operator was actually cited for an involuntary discharge, as evictions are known in long-term care parlance. The citation carried no fine, he said.

Its a risk theyre willing to take, he said, because no one penalizes them.

The American Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, defends the discharge process as lawful and necessary to remove residents who cant be kept safe or who endanger the safety of others, and says processes are in place to ensure evictions arent done improperly.

Dr. David Gifford, a senior vice president with the group, said a national policy discussion is necessary because there is a growing number of individuals with complex, difficult-to-manage cases who outpace the current model of what a nursing home offers.

There are times these individuals cant be managed or they require so much staff attention to manage them that the other residents are endangered, he said.

The numbers of both nursing homes and residents in the U.S. have decreased in recent years; about 1.4 million people occupy about 15,600 homes now. The overall number of complaints across a spectrum of issues has fallen precipitously in the past decade, though complaints about evictions are down only slightly from their high-water mark in 2007, the federal figures show. The share of complaints that evictions and discharges represent has steadily grown, holding the top spot since 2010.

Whatever a facilitys reasons are, involuntary discharges leave families reeling.

Advocates say hospitalizations are a common time when facilities seek to purge residents, even though the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 guarantees Medicaid recipients beds must be held in their nursing homes during hospital stays of up to a week.

Youve got facilities that sometimes would prefer that they be rid of certain residents, said Eric Carlson, an attorney who has contested evictions for the advocacy group Justice in Aging. But when they dont have legal cause to move someone out, he said, sometimes they try and take the easy way out and refuse to let the person back in.

Federal law allows unrequested transfers of residents for a handful of reasons: the facilitys closure; failure to pay; risk posed to the health and safety of others; improvement in the residents condition to the point of no longer needing the homes services; or because the facility can no longer meet the persons needs.

Though that final category is often cited in evictions, advocates dispute how often it fits.

The majority of the time, its because the resident is considered difficult, said Tony Chicotel, an attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, which represented Wilson and Anderson. Federal law is pretty clear: Theyre all required to be able to provide comprehensive, basic care. Every nursing home that takes Medicare or Medicaid funding should be very good or great at providing dementia care.
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.
America is nearly gagging over its two probable choices for president.

The upcoming general election feels like an indigestible dinner menu: Would you like boiled liver or the five-day-old pot pie? Cant there be a third option?

For those with that fervent yet unrealistic wish  and that likely includes a substantial number of voters  a new book on the political circuit will appeal.

A Declaration of Independents: How We Can Break the Two-Party Stranglehold and Restore the American Dream is the title. It was written by Greg Orman, who tried to blaze a trail around politics as usual in a run for the U.S. Senate, and failed.

Ormans 15 minutes of national attention came in 2014, when he threatened to end the Congressional career of Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, who was a three-term incumbent at the time.

Orman, a Princeton-educated, self-made businessman, ran as an independent. Through a confluence of breaks, savvy and hard work, he drew enough support to freak out the GOP. Losing Roberts seat would have put the partys control of the U.S. Senate in jeopardy.

Suffice it to say, it was an all-hands-on-deck moment for Republicans. The heavy hitters of the party were trotted out to Kansas. Their job was to tar Orman as a liberal in disguise, a stooge of Harry Reid who would solidify the Obama White House agenda.

It worked. Orman lost, although he garnered 43 percent of the vote.

Many of Ormans positions on issues fell in the middle of the political spectrum; some aligned with views more typical of Democrats, others with Republicans. His platform was nuanced  not what voters get from the typical candidate of either party.

The experience of that election confirmed in Orman a determination to address Americas political malaise head-on. Hence the book. One of his guiding insights is this: Partisanship has become the new prejudice.

Consider these statistics, highlighted in the book: In 1960, 4 percent of Democrats and 5 percent of Republicans said they would be displeased if their child married someone from a rival political party. By 2010, one-third of Democrats and half of Republicans said they would be somewhat or very unhappy at the idea of their child marrying a person of the opposing political party.

On the other hand, a full 43 percent of Americans identify as independents. And 35 percent say they are moderates. The problem is they often dont have a candidate to support. So they hold their nose and choose. Or they sit out Election Day.

In the book, Orman details the many factors that have contributed to this problem: the gerrymandering of Congressional districts, the negativity that has chased moderate (often female) candidates from the field, the rise of partisan think tanks and news outlets, the shrill voices of talk radio, the ethical pollution of lobbyists and campaign contributions.

Orman writes: [I]ndependence from the party line, from the special interests that control both major political parties through campaign cash, and from extremists who control each partys primary process  thats what this country needs to move forward.

Ormans plea is for the centrist, unaffiliated electorate to back independent candidates who can run up the middle to victory while the two other parties push candidates on the extremes.

Yet in the political scene as its now constituted, independents run the risk of becoming ciphers in Congress, shut out by party loyalists. They also face the question that stymied the Orman campaign: Who will you caucus with?

Ormans answer on the campaign trail was simple: Whichever party is working to solve the problem under consideration. He was branded a liar.

That dynamic might change if even a handful of such candidates are elected at the national level  say, five true independents the Senate. That is a long-term goal of the Centrist Project, which backed Ormans campaign.

The Centrist Project reports that 74 percent of Americans are angry about the way government works. And 89 percent disapprove of how Congress does its job.

Sadly, those very people are likely backing opposing candidates in the current election cycle and might not recognize each other for all the shouting and finger-pointing.

People fed up with Washington are largely fueling the campaigns of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. One wonders what might be possible if those people could be persuaded to recognize their shared values, to research the roots of their problems dispassionately and to withhold assigning blame to scapegoats.

Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Email her at msanchez@kcstar.com.
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend of 5 1/2 years died unexpectedly. Like so many other Americans, he didn't have life insurance or any money to cover his funeral. For the last 2 1/2 years, I provided the primary financial support when he came and lived with me.

His mother made the decisions about the casket and service. She asked that money instead of flowers be given to help pay for the cost of the funeral. Around $4,000 is still owed. She now says the remaining cost should be divided between her, her ex-husband and me.

I don't think I should be obligated to assume a third of the funeral costs. If I had been married to him, the situation would be different. I have friends and family who agree with me and others who don't. If I tell his mother it isn't my responsibility to pay, she and other family members may never speak to me again. What is your response to this scenario?

 Who Is Responsible?

DEAR WHO: This may seem negative, but of this I am positive: Even if you do pay a third of the funeral expenses, those people may turn away from you anyway. So do as your conscience dictates and nobody else.

DEAR ABBY: It has been more than 30 years since I knew the whereabouts of my brother, my only sibling. Over the years, I have searched for him off and on, especially when there were major life events. Both of our parents have died, with my mother cursing him at the end. My family believed he was probably dead since no one had heard from him, even to ask for money.

Yesterday, I Googled his name, and to my surprise his mug shot popped up. It appears he has been incarcerated for most of the 30 years and has a rap sheet a mile long. Nothing violent, just stealing. I am saddened to have seen his photo this way and wonder why he never reached out to me. He has been alone, a criminal, for most of his life with no one to love or care about him.

My husband says don't contact him, and I probably shouldn't. I'd just like him to know that I have missed him and I am sad his life turned out this way. Am I a fool to want to know this hardened criminal? I am justifiably afraid that he could be big trouble. Please advise.

 Sad Sister In Texas

DEAR SAD SISTER: Your brother may have refrained from contacting the family because he was ashamed of the mess he had made of his life. So let's follow your question to its logical conclusion.

You contact your incarcerated, career-criminal brother and tell him how sad you are that his life turned out this way. Then what? What will you do if he wants to correspond with you? If he wants money? If he needs a place to stay if he's ever released?

Unless you are prepared to assume responsibility for someone you have had no contact with in decades, listen to your husband. You already have the information you were searching for, so don't go looking for trouble  because your brother IS trouble.

DEAR READERS: It's National Women's Health Week, so here's a gentle reminder to make your health a priority. Eat healthy, allow time for exercise, manage your stress levels and schedule that appointment you've been putting off to see your doctor or dentist. Your most precious possession is your health, so please take care of it. For more information, visit womenshealth.gov.

 Love, Abby
Halloween events, fall festivals pack October in Abilene, Big Country

From family-friendly to frightful, there are plenty of opportunities to don the costumes and scare up some treats.
Abilene officials reiterated earlier this week that personal responsibility is vital in helping stave off potential infection from the Zika virus.

Dr. Peter Norton, medical authority for the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, reminded Abilene area residents on Monday that removal of mosquito breeding areas and personal protection are the only actions available against the virus.

Mark Lueke, an epidemiologist with the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District, said Friday that city personnel planned to continue to monitor  and to plan for  the disease.

'We have scheduled meetings over the upcoming weeks to address the Zika virus here in Abilene,' Lueke said.

As of Friday afternoon, Texas has had 32 confirmed cases of Zika virus disease, with 31 of those cases in travelers who were infected abroad and diagnosed after they returned home, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

'Personal diligence' in draining water out of containers on one's property is vital in potentially controlling the mosquitoes that might carry the virus, said Aaron Vannoy, animal services manager, earlier in the week.

Collaborating with neighbors to encourage them to drain water sources is also important, he said.
Today in history: On May 9, 1955, West Germany joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) just 10 years after Germany is defeated in World War II. The move is to strengthen the West against Soviet expansion in Europe. The USSR has control over East Germany and the eastern side of Berlin. Both sides publicly announced they would prefer a unified Germany, but only if that Germany was on their side. On May 5, British, French and American forces ended their military occupation of West Germany and recognized it as its own country.
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"It's not right. We need more time."
China's environmental policies face a critical test as economic pressures challenge efforts to reduce reliance on coal.

In a series of announcements since March, the central government has pledged to close thousands of mines, cut operating hours and curb production capacity, which exceeds annual output by nearly 2 billion metric tons.

Coal production and consumption have both dropped for two years in a row as demand slides along with slower economic growth.

The trend has extended into this year's first quarter as production dipped 5.3 percent to 811 million tons and consumption slid 3.7 percent from a year earlier to 910 million tons, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China National Coal Association (CNCA) said.

But other first-quarter figures suggest that coal producers may be tempted to delay cutbacks as short-term price gains combine with efforts to avert an economic decline.

Similar forces have already been felt in the coal-fired steel industry, which recorded its first production increase since 2014 in March. Steel mills have been rushing to cash in on an uptick in prices, despite massive production overcapacity and government orders to make cuts.

China's cabinet-level State Council has told steelmakers to shed 100 million to 150 million tons of capacity over the next five years, eliminating up to a third of the excess that has been blamed for low prices and losses around the world.

Short-term price spikes

But Credit Suisse analyst Vincent Chan told Barrons.com that some manufacturers have backtracked to take advantage of short-term price spikes.

"Real capacity closure and temporary suspension should be discriminated. The former hasn't really happened," Chan said.

"With improved conditions like steel price recovery, these capacities can come back into (the) market fast. In fact, 160 million tons of capacity have already revived or will be revived in Tangshan (northeastern Hebei province)," he said.

In April, the purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the iron and steel sector rose for the fifth month in a row to a reading of 57.3, the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing reported.

PMI readings above 50 signify expansion. April marked the first month in two years that the index exceeded 50, the official Xinhua news agency said.

"Encouraged by the upward pricing trend, many steel mills are resuming production," Xinhua reported on May 3, noting plans to restart mills in other steel centers, including Tianjin and Shanxi.

Steel product prices have climbed by over 60 percent this year, the report said.

But the sudden turnaround for the industry has clashed with the government's plan to make cuts.

Last week, the Ministry of Environmental Protection cited steelmakers in Tangshan for "illegally expanding ferroalloy production capacity" and defying government orders to downsize, Reuters reported.

Coal prices up

The same pressures may come to bear in the coal industry, where modest price hikes have slightly eased the multiyear slump.

Benchmark domestic coal prices rose 5.4 percent this year by mid-April, although they remained nearly 20 percent below year-earlier levels, Reuters said.

With the improvement in prices, China's coal imports also showed signs of life in March, rising 15.6 percent year-on- year, according to customs figures, although quarterly imports fell 1.2 percent.

The increase temporarily firmed coal prices on Asian markets and raised hopes in supplier countries like Australia for a bottoming out after a nearly 30-percent plunge in China's imports last year.

In April, coal imports cooled down again, falling 4.5 percent from March and 5.8 percent from a year before, Platts energy news reported.

At least two major factors seem to be at work in both coal and steel.

The first is that survivors of the shutdowns have been able to benefit from a tightening of the market by staying open longer, at least in the short term.

The second is that the government's attempts to stem the economic slide with stimulus policies may be helping to rally demand, encouraging failing coal mines to prolong operations.

"I think it's a real risk," said Kristen McDonald, China program director at Pacific Environment, a San Francisco-based nongovernmental organization.

"That's why folks in the environmental movement are trying to seize the opportunity at hand to see if there's a way to ensure that doesn't happen," McDonald said in a phone interview.

A Chinese worker levels coal at a coal yard in Jinhu county, east China's Jiangsu province, Feb. 2, 2016. Credit: ImagineChina Reversal of decline

First-quarter data suggest that economic rescue efforts have slowed or reversed last year's decline in key growth sectors like property development.

Gross domestic product growth fell to 6.7 percent during the quarter, but new home prices rose in 62 of 70 surveyed cities in March from a month earlier, up from 47 in February, the NBS reported.

Quarterly property investment climbed 6.1 percent from a year earlier after 1 percent growth for all of 2015.

The renewed activity followed a 25-percent jump in yuan-denominated bank lending in the first quarter, threatening a return to previously shunned stimulus policies.

Signs of a turnaround were also seen in energy use as power consumption increased 5.6 percent in March and 3.2 percent in the quarter, up from 0.5 percent last year.

The revival may be fleeting but it seems bound to have an effect on China's coal consumption, which has been cited as the world's leading source of energy-related carbon emissions and smog.

Even after two years of declines, China burned 3.97 billion metric tons of coal in 2015, according to CNCA data.

A report to the National People's Congress last month found that only 73 of 338 surveyed cities met China's own national air quality standards, Xinhua said.

In what could be a major step for environmental protection, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) planning agency announced on April 25 that 15 provinces and regions with surplus generating capacity should ban or delay construction of new coal-fired power plants until 2018.

The rule could cut overcapacity and limit incentives to burn cheap coal by heading off some 200 planned power projects, according to Greenpeace East Asia.

Enforcement unclear

But it is unclear how strictly it will be enforced, or whether it is really a rule at all.

The New York Times called the announcement a "guideline," making it uncertain that the central government has reversed its 2013 decision to transfer power over project approvals to provincial authorities.

The shift, which was meant to ease bureaucratic burdens, led to overbuilding and competition for GDP-boosting power projects, particularly in coal-reliant regions, Greenpeace said in a study last November.

Although power plants are running at 50 percent of capacity or less, the incentives for building new coal-fired projects remain, said Lauri Myllyvirta, Greenpeace senior global campaigner.

"With every power plant being given roughly the same amount of operating hours, building more still grows your market share and revenue at the expense of others," said Myllyvirta, as quoted by cleantechnica.com.

First-quarter figures show thermal generating capacity rising at a 9.3-percent rate, nearly three times faster than consumption growth. Thermal, mainly coal, power still accounts for 67.5 percent of China's total generating capacity despite big gains in wind power.

The NDRC guideline may cause provinces to reduce or reconsider new power projects, but it may do little to resolve conflicts between environmental and economic growth goals.

"I think everybody's well aware that there is a risk, and there are certainly powerful forces ... in China that do hope the economy turns around and leads to reintegration of the coal industry," McDonald said.
A court in the central Chinese province of Hubei on Monday handed jail terms of four and three-and-a-half years to two members of the anti-graft New Citizens' Movement following a lengthy pretrial detention, lawyers for the men told RFA.

Yuan Fengchu, also known as Yuan Bing, and Yuan Xiaohua were found guilty of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" after their April 20 trial at the Chibi Municipal People's Court in Hubei.

Yuan Bing was jailed for four years, and Yuan Xiaohua for three-and-a-half years. The two men, who aren't related, had been on a rights advocacy tour of the country.

They were held in prolonged pretrial incarceration after their initial detention by police in the southern province of Guangdong in June 2013.

A third activist, Huang Wenxun, was detained around the same time as the two Yuans, and is believed to have been tried in secret and sentenced to four years' imprisonment for "incitement to subvert state power."

Defense lawyer Lu Jingmei said both men had vowed to appeal following the sentencing hearing.

"The hearing ended after the sentencing was read out," Lu said. "They didn't give them the chance to say anything, but when we visited them after the hearing they said they plan to appeal, because they reject the verdict."

Lu said they expected the result.

Political persecution

"This case was largely in line with our expectations, and we don't feel too badly about it, because our clients know that this is a case of political persecution," he said.

"In our defense, we focused on breaches of due process by [the police and prosecution]," he said. "It was enough that we told everybody the truth."

Yuan Bing's lawyer Chen Keyun said the prosecution singled out his client's involvement in press freedom protests outside the Southern group of newspapers after a local propaganda official rewrote the 2013 New Year's Day editorial to remove references to constitutional government.

But his attorney said Yuan doesn't believe he has committed any crime.

"He doesn't think that any of his actions amounted to a crime," Chen said. "He wants me to keep arguing his case."

But Guangzhou-based rights activist Jia Pin said he was very angry about the sentencing.

"They took part in a lot of activities, all of which were against injustice," Jia said. "They were merely exercising their rights as enshrined in the constitution, and yet they received such heavy sentences."

"This shows how little political self-confidence the government has," he added.

Jia said the men had also been subjected to mistreatment during their detention in Chibi's Jiayu County Detention Center in Chibi.

"They were subjected to deliberate torture," he said. "It really makes me very angry indeed."

As both men have already been held for nearly three years, Yuan Xiaohua looks set to be released at the end of the month, once time served is taken into consideration, while Yuan Bing is looking at another seven months behind bars.

Pattern of prosecution

The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network, which compiles reports from rights groups inside China, said the Yuans' trial was "an extreme case in a familiar pattern of persecution."

It said the aim of their "advocacy tour" was to enlighten China about concepts like democracy and the rule of law, and to promote civic activism.

The indictment cited as evidence against them demonstrations during which they advocated for press freedom, government transparency over top leaders personal wealth, and called on the government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which China signed in 1998, CHRD said.

"They spent 34 months in pre-trial detention, a flagrant denial of their right to a fair trial," the group said, calling for the men's immediate release.

Dozens of people linked in some way to the anti-graft New Citizens' Movement group have been detained since President Xi Jinping took power in late 2012, according to Amnesty International.

Anti-graft campaigner and movement founder Xu Zhiyong was handed a four-year jail term in January 2014 on public order charges after staging a street protest calling for greater transparency from the country's richest and most powerful people.

Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities in the central Chinese city of Wuhan are believed to have tried veteran democracy activist Qin Yongmin in secret, a fellow activist said, citing police sources.

Qin and his wife Zhao Suli have been incommunicado since Jan. 19, 2015, activist Pan Lu, who works at the Rose China group founded by Qin, told RFA.

Qin had been briefly held and then released from administrative detention shortly before his disappearance, and his family had received no official news of his fate since then, Pan said.

"I heard that Qin Yongmin was about to be sentenced from the state security police in Wuhan," Pan said, citing information given to fellow activist Zhang Yi by the Xihu district branch of Wuhan's state security police.

The officer in charge of Qin's surveillance, Min Kui, told Zhang that Qin "will be sentenced in the next few days," he said.

However, neither Min nor Zhang were reachable by phone for comment.

"If they are sentencing him, then surely there should have been a judicial procedure, and they should have issued a formal notice of arrest," Pan said.

"All we have is information gleaned from the interrogation of [fellow activist] Shi Yulin that Qin Yongmin was being held on suspicion of incitement to subvert state power, but that is very partial information," he said.

"We have yet to see any formal notification of his arrest, and no they're talking about sentencing him; they didn't mention a date or a time of any trial," he said.

Tried in secret

Qin, a founder member of the banned opposition China Democracy Party, was also tried in secret for "incitement to subvert state power" in 1998, Pan said.

"They are still being very cautious [around him] even 18 years later, because there is a lot of online interest in rights activists," he said.

Qin's brother Qin Yongchang said he hadn't heard anything from police regarding his brother's fate.

"We have asked them [what is going on] but they won't tell us," Qin Yongchang said. "We asked the [police officer] that was in charge of him, and the state security police, but it was no use."

Qin, a founding member of the China Human Rights Observer group, is also a director of Rose China, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Wuhan-based dissident Qin Yongmin, who has already served a lengthy jail term for helping to found the CDP, was taken from his home by state security police officers on Jan. 21.

Qin's wife Zhao Suli was also taken to an unknown location in April, prompting a nationwide "search for Qin Yongmin" by fellow rights activists, who collected hundreds of petition signatures.

Qin, 59, is a contemporary of exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for "counterrevolutionary propaganda and subversion" in the wake of China's Democracy Wall movement in 1981.

He served a further two years' "re-education through labor" in 1993 after he penned a controversial document titled the "Peace Charter."

Qin then served a 12-year jail term for subversion after he helped found the CDP in 1998 in spite of a ban on opposition political parties by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

Unknown locations

A draconian new National Security Law passed last July allowed detainees to be held for up to six months at an unknown location with no contact with relatives or lawyers, in cases involving subversion or spying.

But rights groups say the definitions of such crimes are broad enough to allow police to use them against political dissidents and peaceful rights activists.

The Rose China rights group is closely linked to Qin's China Human Rights Observer group.

Rose China Co-founder Liu Xinglian disappeared in March from a detention center where he had been held since last June on suspicion of "incitement to subvert state power."

Liu's disappearance was discovered on March 11 after two supporters tried to take money to him in the Wuhan No. 2 Detention Center, only to be told he was no longer there.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Monk and writer Jo Lobsang Jamyang,known by his pen name Lomig,shown in an undated file photo was sentenced to prison on unspecified charges.

Authorities in southwestern Chinas Sichuan province have sentenced a Tibetan monk and writer to seven and a half years in prison on unspecified charges, but sources told RFAs Tibetan service that he was sentenced for "sharing government secrets and attempting to divide the nation."

Jo Lobsang Jamyang, 28, also known by his pen name Lomig, was sentenced in Lunggu (in Chinese Wenchuan) county court in the Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture after a closed trial from which his family and lawyer were barred, Kanyak Tsering, a Tibetan living in India, told RFAs Tibetan service.

Jamyang was detained on April 17, 2015 in Lunggu county and kept in the local detention center for one year and six months, a source living in the region told RFA. During that period he was severely tortured.

Jamyangs family was allowed a half-hour visit after the sentencing on May 9, the source said.

Only today, the authorities allowed the family members to see him for about 30 minutes, the source told RFA. During that meeting Jo Lobsang Jamyang shared with family members how the authorities had accused him of sharing government secrets with others and engaging in nation-splitting activities.

Jamyang is known for his poems and social commentary and he has often advocated for freedom of expression for writers in Tibet, Tsering said, adding that a collection of his poems has been published as "The Swirling Yellow Mist."

Jamyang joined Ngabas Kirti monastery at a young age. He was studying in the monastery's Prajnaparamita class and also took part-time courses in non-religious studies at Larung Gar monastery in Serthar (Seda) county and the Northwest University for Nationalities in Lanzhou, Tsering told RFA.

Kirti monastery has been the scene of repeated self-immolations and other protests by monks, former monks, and nuns opposed to Chinese rule in Tibetan areas.

Authorities raided the institution in 2011, taking away hundreds of monks and sending them for political re-education while local Tibetans who sought to protect the monks were beaten and detained, sources said.

Reported by Lhuboom for RFA's Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Brooks Boliek.
Security forces patrol an area where Tibetan villagers protest against a Chinese mining company in Dartsedo county, Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in southwestern China's Sichuan province, May 4, 2016.

More than 100 Tibetans from five nomadic villages have staged a protest against a Chinese mining concern in Dardsedo (in Chinese, Kangding) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, fearing more environmental damage after the company resumed operations, Tibetan sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Protesters from the countys Lhagang, Nangkor, Naglung, Kunmang and Nang nomadic villages in the Yulshok Gargye region in Minyak (Minya) county of southwest Chinas Sichuan province demanded on May 4 that Lhagang Kargye Kha cease mining activities which it began in the area last month, a Tibetan source told RFAs Tibetan Service.

When the company prepared to resume operations, it released old, poisonous water from the mine, which drained into the Lung [Luchu] River and killed many fish, he said.

The number of protestors and armed police then increased in the area the following day, Tibetan sources said.

Many protesters had lain down on the Kangding-Kardze highway and blocked traffic to protest against the lithium mining activities, the first source said.

The Tibetan protesters were surrounded by security forces, but they did not attack the protesters, the source said.

On May 6, authorities from Kardze prefecture and Kangding county arrived at the site and appealed to them to end their protest and stop disrupting traffic, said another Tibetan source, adding that the protesters withdrew the same day.

The authorities convened a meeting where they tried to convince the community that the land is owned by the government and that the mining operations are a government decision, the first source said.

The local community has no right to stop it, he said. But if the people need water and electricity, the authorities have promised to provide those services to the local community.

The mining project was previously blocked in 2005, the same year that Lhagang Kargye Kha had registered as a concern in Kangding county, after Tibetan villagers protested against the company for polluting the Lung River and killing fish, a report on the Tibetan news site Phayul.com said.

Activities at the mine were suspended again in 2013 after local residents presented credible evidence of damage to the fish population in nearby rivers, another Tibetan source said.

Reported by Kunsang Tenzin and Chakmo Tso for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Authorities in northwestern Chinas troubled Xinjiang region have handed a seven-year prison term to an ethnic Ugyhur for watching a politically sensitive film on Muslim migration, sources in the region said.



Eli Yasin, a resident of Chaghraq township in Aksu (in Chinese, Akesu) prefectures Onsu (Wensu) county, was sentenced in February after being held since May 2015, sources said, adding that authorities had suspected Yasin and family members who viewed the film with him of planning to go abroad to wage jihad.



Family circumstances argued against their having had such a plan, though, Hesen Eysa, security chief for Yasins Karasu village, told RFAs Uyghur Service.



All of them were over 40 years of age, Eysa said. They had a farm, and they were struggling to survive and provide for their childrens education."



They showed no signs of opposing the government. At least I never saw any signs of this, he said.



As a security chief, I am having a hard time explaining these charges to the people in my village.



None of this makes any sense. It is very unjust, he said.



Relatives also held



Detained with Yasin were two sisters and the sisters husbands, all residents of nearby Toxula township and each with three to five children in their own families, sources told RFA.



No details were immediately available regarding additional sentences handed out, and police authorities in Onsu county hung up the phone on learning that a reporter from RFAs Uyghur Service had called them for comment.



The Chinese governments policy of stability at all costs is the root cause of such family tragedies in Xinjiang, Memet Toxti, a Uyghur living in exile in Canada, told RFA.



China wants Uyghurs everywhere to know that the state is always watching them, Toxti, a former deputy chairman of the Munich-based World Uyghur Congress, said.



Punishing entire families is a method commonly used to silence Uyghurs before any acts of resistance can take place, he said.



Heavy-handed rule



Rights groups accuse Chinese authorities of heavy-handed rule in Xinjiang, including violent police raids on Uyghur households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on the culture and language of the Uyghur people.



China regularly vows to crack down on what it calls the three evils of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism in Xinjiang.



But experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur separatists, and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012.



Reported and translated by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
On September 29, 1991, Rear Admiral Vladimir Barovic received an order from his Yugoslav Army superiors to start bombing the Croatian coast. It was an order he could not obey, and yet he felt duty bound to do so. Not long before, while negotiating the army's withdrawal from the port of Pula, he had said, "There will be no destruction here while I'm in charge -- and if I'm forced to order the destruction of Pula and Istria, then I will no longer be [in charge]." When the order came, Barovic was as good as his word. Instead of turning the guns of his fleet on Croatian coastal towns, he took his own life.

Barovic made the ultimate sacrifice: giving his own life because he refused to take those of others. To order an attack against the Croatian people, who had done him or his country no wrong -- as he explained in his suicide note -- was against his sense of honor as an officer and a Montenegrin.

While every child in the former Yugoslavia knows about Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leader convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity at The Hague, few will have ever heard of Admiral Barovic. While a student residence in Pale, Karadzic's wartime headquarters, is named after him, there is no building or street in Montenegro, or Croatia, or Serbia named after Barovic.

Barovic was 52 at the time of his suicide. His death was reported in Dalmatian newspapers, and Agence France Presse issued a short notice. He was buried in Herceg Novi, in Montenegro, without fanfare or publicity. News of his suicide was buried as well. That was hardly surprising at the time, but it pains me to think that Barovic has still not claimed his rightful place in the public consciousness. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, the Civic Alliance NGO is campaigning in the Montenegrin capital, Podgorica, on behalf of Admiral Barovic. They have petitioned the country's president, Filip Vujanovic, for a posthumous award to be issued, but there has yet been no response.

Another army officer who did much to save the reputation and honor of his nation was General Jovan Divjak. A Belgrade-born ethnic Serb and a Yugoslav Army officer, when war broke out in Bosnia in April 1992, Divjak found himself in a position similar to that of Barovic a few months earlier. With the Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitaries taking positions in and around Sarajevo and indiscriminately shooting at civilians, Divjak made his choice. He joined the ranks of those defending the city, soon to be under siege and cut off from the outside world. At the time, his decision could have been described as suicidal, given that the odds were stacked in favor of the heavily armed Serbian forces.



Improbably, Sarajevo endured -- and so did Divjak.

Although Karadzic and Mladic left a trail of blood across Bosnia, they did not prevail. The war and the siege lasted another 3 1/2 years, during which Divjak rose to deputy commander of the Bosnian Army. He could have simply turned his back, but he stayed to help coordinate the successful resistance against a far superior and ruthless enemy.

In Serbia, he was proclaimed a traitor and a warrant was issued for his arrest on trumped-up charges. In 2011, he was detained in Vienna based on this Serbian warrant. After spending a few days in an Austrian prison, and a few months under house arrest, he finally cleared his name. The Austrian judge recognized that there was no evidence to support the charges against him.

Divjak is currently running an NGO in Sarajevo, which provides scholarships for Bosnian children who lost their fathers in the war. It would not be stretching the truth to say that it is thanks to Divjak that Serbs have been able to live in Sarajevo after the war -- without feeling ashamed. He made this possible by making the right decision at the most difficult moment.

How long will it take for my fellow Serbs to see that it is General Divjak who should be celebrated rather than General Mladic, who directed the shelling of Sarajevo and who was protected by the Serbian authorities until May 2011?

During his detention in Austria, Divjak was asked by RFE/RL's Balkan Service to keep a diary. One quote from his journal has stayed with me ever since:

'It's a sad and unfortunate place, our Balkans. Unfortunate for being a place where worlds collide and great powers clash, and for being repeatedly conquered and then liberated, but also sad because its denizens so easily allow themselves to be manipulated by their leaders."

Divjak cannot set foot inside Serbia today, not even to visit his family, because he would be immediately arrested. He is still seen as a traitor, even though he stood up to convicted mass murderers. In Sarajevo, he is immensely popular among ordinary people, and yet his treatment by the Bosnian Army leadership and government has been indifferent, at best. The Balkans can seem like a sad and unfortunate place also because its people are unable to recognize their true heroes.
In Moscow, Russia marks the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II.

And in Europe, Russia attempts to use the war as an instrument of the Kremlin's soft power.

On this week's Power Vertical Briefing, we look at how the Kremlin is using the memory of World War II as a legitimizing myth at home and as soft power abroad.

Joining me is Pavel Butorin, managing editor of RFE/RL's Russian language television program Current Time.

Enjoy...

NOTE: The Power Vertical Briefing is a short look ahead to the stories expected to make news in Russia in the coming week. It is hosted by Brian Whitmore, author of The Power Vertical blog, and appears every Monday.
Reports from Iraq say a car bomb has exploded in the eastern city of Baquba, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 40.

Officials said the bomb went off in Baquba's Shifta area on May 9.

The Amaq news agency, which supports the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, said a suicide bomber had targeted Shi'ite militia fighters in the capital of Diyala Province.

The death toll is expected to to rise.

In January 2015, Iraqi officials declared victory over the IS group in Diyala, a mixed Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim area bordering Iran, after security forces and Shi'ite militias drove them out of towns and villages there.

But Baquba and other towns in the province have been hit by a number of bomb attacks carried out by IS militants.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Six policemen have been wounded in a militant attack at a security checkpoint in Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya.

Chechnyas Interior Ministry said the incident near Grozny on May 9 left three of the police officers in a grave condition.

Security measures have been beefed up in Chechnya as Russia and some other former Soviet republics mark the 71st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

May 9 also marks 12 years since the former President of Chechnya Akhmad Kadyrov was killed in a bombing in the central stadium in Grozny during the Victory Day parade.

Islamic insurgents took responsibility for that attack which killed more than a dozen other people.

Akhmad Kadyrov's son, Ramzan Kadyrov, is Chechnya's Kremlin-appointed leader.

Based on reporting by TASS and RIA
Ukraine and its allies have adamantly rejected Russia's claims that Kyiv is developing a "dirty bomb" to use against Moscow's forces, and Ukraine's foreign minister says he has invited experts to visit Ukrainian facilities to see for themselves that Ukraine has nothing to hide.

Russia's claims that Kyiv is planning to deploy a so-called dirty bomb -- a conventional warhead laced with radioactive, biological, or chemical materials -- came in a series of calls between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from several NATO countries.

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.

Britain, France, and the United States issued a joint statement on October 23 dismissing the claim after Shoigu's calls with their defense ministers in which the Russian minister presented no evidence for the claim.

"Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia's transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory," according to the statement.

But Russia doubled down on its assertions, which come after weeks of military defeats for Russia in southern and eastern Ukraine.

"According to the information we have, two organizations in Ukraine have specific instructions to create a so-called dirty bomb. This work is in its final stage," Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov said on October 24.

The chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, later on October 24 spoke by phone with British Chief of Defense Staff Tony Radakin, who rejected Russia's allegations that Ukraine is planning actions to escalate the conflict.

"The military leaders both agreed on the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the U.K. and Russia to manage the risk of miscalculation and to facilitate deescalation," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Gerasimov also held a phone call with his U.S. counterpart, General Mark Milley, to discuss the risks of the use of a dirty bomb in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin-controlled RIA Novosti news agency.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on October 24 weighed in on Moscow's repeated allegation, saying NATO also rejects it.

Stoltenberg said he had spoken with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace "about Russia's false claim that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory."

"NATO Allies reject this allegation. Russia must not use it as a pretext for escalation. We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine," he said on Twitter.

Moscow's claims that Ukraine could employ a dirty bomb raised concern that Russia could use such a device and blame Kyiv.

A senior U.S. military official said the United States has seen no indication that Russia has decided to use nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons in Ukraine, including a dirty bomb.

The official, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, also said the Ukrainians are not building a dirty bomb.

Ukraine earlier called the accusation absurd, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog accepted his request to send experts to Ukraine to refute Moscow's claim.

Kuleba said he invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to "urgently send experts to peaceful facilities in Ukraine which Russia deceitfully claims to be developing a dirty bomb."

Kuleba said Ukraine has always been transparent and has "nothing to hide."

Kuleba said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi agreed, but there's been no confirmation from the IAEA.

He also said he had a call with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who welcomed Ukraine's decision to invite IAEA experts.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Kuleba in a phone call on October 23 that the world would "see through any attempt by Russia to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation [of the war]."

Blinken and Kuleba discussed the U.S. and international commitment to continue supporting Ukraine with "unprecedented security, economic and humanitarian assistance for as long as it takes, as we hold Russia accountable," the State Department's call readout said.

They further noted ongoing efforts to manage the broader implications of the Kremlins war in Ukraine, it added.

With reporting by AFP
Pro-Ukrainian hackers prepared a Victory Day surprise for Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on May 9, when the hacker groups Falcons Flame and Trinity took over nine of the militants' websites.

They referred to the operation as #OpMay9, the date in 1945 when Nazi Germany surrendered to the Soviet Union.

The defaced homepages included the official website of the separatist group Donetsk People's Republic, whose fighters control areas of Ukraine's Donetsk region, on which were published videos produced by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance in 2015 about Ukrainian participation in the defeat of Nazism in World War II.

"Turned out [to be] symbolic [.] 9 websites of Russian terrorists on May 9 were hacked with defacement," a Falcons Flame tweet reads.

Russia occupied and forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in early 2014 and has supported armed separatists in eastern Ukraine who still hold swaths of the Donbas region and, like officials in Moscow, have rejected the authority of the Kyiv government.

Some of the hacked websites displayed a mock message attributed to Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the self-proclaimed leader of Donetsk separatists, expressing hope that this year's Victory Day "will be over the Russo-fascist regime."

It added: "We believe that...Donbas will return to a peaceful life as a part of Ukraine to free from Kremlin oppression."

Hackers shared exclusive information and videos with InformNapalm, a Ukraine-based network of volunteer journalists and translators, shortly after the attack. One of the videos features proof that at least for some time the targeted websites were defaced:

Four of the hacked websites belong to elements of the militant umbrella group Donetsk People's Republic. Their homepage was subsequently unavailable, although it was renamed "Never Again!" in Ukrainian ("Nikoly Znovu!") -- one of the slogans that Ukrainian officials have adopted for May 9.

Roman Burko, InformNapalm's founder, speculated to RFE/RL's Current Time that administrators of the defaced websites might have taken them down completely after discovering the hack.

Four other affected websites were all radical anti-Ukrainian portals, including Vestnik Vernykh, or Messenger Of The Faithful.

The hackers also defaced the website of private Russian military company E.N.O.T. CORP, a radical nationalist group, some of whose members have fought in the Donbas. E.N.O.T. CORP's VK page includes a discussion board about the best traumatic weapons and one titled "hit list" with social-media profiles of people and companies deemed to be enemies.

Burko said Falcon Flames and Trinity are acquaintances who work in the IT sector. They cooperate with InformNapalm regularly and have contributed to some of the resource's biggest investigative projects.

In March, the groups leaked information from a mobile phone that purportedly belonged to an employee of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service (FSEP) who had fought in the Donbas on the side of the pro-Russia separatists. In April, they leaked e-mails that appeared to show Moscow providing visas to foreigners who wanted to support pro-Russia separatists in the Ukrainian east.
Russian police have arrested a man suspected of killing five members of a motorcycle club who were shot dead in a village outside Moscow on May 8.

Investigators said in a statement that the bikers were shot with a hunting rifle early in the morning in the village of Chelokhovo, some 100 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

The 27-year-old suspect  a local resident -- confessed to shooting the bikers after an "argument," the statement said.

Russian news agencies said the bikers had spent the night near an abandoned building at a beer factory in Chelokhovo.

They were reportedly planning to take part in a motorcycle ride in commemoration of Victory Day on May 9, when Russia celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Two women, who were with the bikers, witnessed the killing, news agencies said.

Based on reporting by AP, TASS, and Interfax


Moscow authorities have removed an improvised memorial near the Kremlin where Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov was gunned down last year.

The OVD-Info online news portal reported on May 9 that police detained two activists, who were watching over the site overnight, and removed the memorial that included flowers and posters.

The activists, whose names have not been disclosed, were released several hours later.

Activists have organized a night watch at Nemtsov's memorial because it has been vandalized several times since January.

Nemtsov was fatally shot on a bridge near the Kremlin on February 27, 2015.

Several men from the North Caucasus region have been arrested and charged with Nemtsov's killing.

Nemtsov's relatives and lawyers have expressed skepticism about the probe, insisting the killing must have been ordered by high-ranking Russian officials.

With reporting by OVD-Info


Jokes about Europe's worst genocide since World War II aren't exactly standard fare for television comedies. But a U.S. sitcom appears to have joked about the 1995 slaughter of thousands of Muslim men and boys during the Yugoslav wars -- and Bosnians are outraged.



In an episode of The Odd Couple broadcast April 21 on the U.S. network CBS, one of the male characters invites a prospective date to a Serbian restaurant whose name sounds like A Taste Of Srebrenica. He mangles its pronunciation as well.

The reference is to the town where in 1995 more than 8,000 young Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically rounded up and killed by the Bosnian Serb Army.



The killings, whose memory is still painfully raw for many Bosnian Muslims, sparked international outrage and helped to spur forceful outside intervention to bring the Yugoslav wars of the early 1990s to an end.



In 2004, the United Nations tribunal prosecuting Yugoslav war crimes officially designated the Srebrenica events as "genocide."



Since its airing, the episode has circulated widely among Bosnian communities in Europe and North America, with an outpouring of anger directed at the CBS network, the shows writers, and its actors.



Hatidza Mehmedovic, who lives in Srebrenica and heads a group lobbying on behalf of the 6,000 survivors of the Srebrenica killings, said the show mocks the women who were dragged to such restaurants and raped by Bosnian Serb soldiers. Her husband, two sons, and two brothers died in the massacre.



"The more extreme something [is] the more it will be watched. The world has allowed this. Europe let it happen," Mehmedovic told RFE/RL's Balkan Service.



"Saying, 'Let's go visit that new Serbian restaurant, The Taste of Srebrenica,' is analogous to saying something as horrendous as: 'Let's go visit that new German restaurant, The Taste of Auschwitz,'" the Congress of North American Bosniaks, which represents migrants and refugees from the former Yugoslav region, said in an open letter.



CBS did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment on the episode when contacted by RFE/RL on May 9.



In Bosnia itself, local media have also reported on the reference, with one news portal saying it was "the most primitive way" to insult Srebrenica victims.



Branka Antic Stauber, who lives in Tuzla and runs an NGO that works with Bosnian women who were raped during the war, called the reference "inhumane." She said it was unclear exactly what the writer of the episode was trying to accomplish.



The Institute for Research of Genocide Canada, an Ontario-based research organization established by the University of Sarajevo, called the video a "terrible humiliation of the victims of Srebrenica."

With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service and Deana Kjuka in Prague
A senior Iranian lawmaker says around six Iranian military personnel have been taken captive in Syria following May 6 clashes with Islamist insurgents that left 13 "military advisers" dead and more than a dozen injured.

The statement by Esmail Kowsari appears to be the first official confirmation by Tehran that its fighters have been taken prisoner in Syria.



Islamist insurgents known as Jaish al-Fatah that carried out the attack on Khan Tuman, some 15 kilometers southwest of Aleppo, had previously posted photographs on social media purportedly showing Iran-backed forces that had been killed or taken captive in the village.



It was Iran's biggest loss of forces in a single day since the Islamic republic deployed military forces to bolster its regional ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.



Tehran claims it is providing Assad with military advisers.

"According to the latest figures I have, 13 Iranian defenders of the shrine were killed, 18 were wounded, and five to six Iranians were taken captive," lawmaker Kowsari said in a May 9 interview with the website Jamejamonline.ir.

"Defenders of the shrine" is a phrase used to describe Iranian and other Shi'ite forces, including Afghans who are reportedly trained and deployed in Syria by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Basij force.



Kowsari appeared to blame the United States for Iran's heavy casualties.



"As [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] has repeatedly maintained, America cannot be trusted," he said.



Kowsari added: "On the one hand, America speaks of peace and a cease-fire. But in practice, it acts differently."



Another lawmaker, Mohammad Saleh Jokar, also confirmed that several Iranian security personnel were killed and captured in Khan Tuman, though he did not provide any numbers.



Jokar also blamed the United States.



"What happened in Khan Tuman in past days demonstrates that America cannot be trusted, as the cease-fire in that region had been established by the Americans," Jokar was quoted as saying by domestic media.



"The U.S. should be held accountable for what happened in Khan Tuman and explain why the cease-fire was violated," he said.



Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, warned that Iran will respond to the Khan Tuman incident along with its allies -- Russia, Syria, and the Lebanese militant group Hizballah.



Fighting in Aleppo has escalated despite a February "cessation of hostilities" agreement backed by the United States and Russia.



Earlier this week, Washington and Moscow said they had brokered a cease-fire between the Syrian government and rebels around the city of Aleppo.



The two former Cold War foes said in a May 9 joint statement that they have agreed to "redouble efforts" to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict and "intensify efforts" to ensure the nationwide implementation of the cease-fire.
Tajik authorities say they have detained four suspected supporters of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group who were allegedly planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the country during the celebrations marking Victory Day on May 9.

Tajikistan's Interior Ministry said on May 9 that information provided by Russian police led to the arrest of Tajik national Duston Menglikulov on his arrival in Dushanbe from Moscow on May 6.

The tip off came after police in Moscow detained several Central Asian migrants on May 2 on suspicion of preparing a series of terrorist attacks in the Russian capital.

Menglikulov's three associates were arrested in the south of Tajikistan. All are suspected of planning attacks in Tajikistan ordered by IS leaders in Syria.

Tajik authorities have said that hundreds of the Central Asian nation's citizens are fighting alongside IS militants in Syria and Iraq.


IN THE NEWS

Russia is marking the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II with a Victory Day parade on Red Square.

The personal file of Marshal Georgy Zhukov has been declassified.

A Russian opposition activist in Voronezh has been forcibly sent to a psychiatric clinic.

A whistle-blower has alleged additional doping by Russian athletes at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

WHAT I'M READING

The Kremlin's Strategy In Ukraine

Lilia Shevtsova explains why Putin is so desperate to hold onto Ukraine, and what the Kremlin is planning next.

"In the Kremlin's understanding, Ukraine is a factor for the Russian state. Russia without Ukraine cannot be a superpower; Russia without Ukraine would be a crippled state. The loss of Ukraine may provoke the further disintegration of Russia's galaxy," Shevtsova says.

"Moscow will, therefore, continue to try to keep Kiev in its sphere of influence. But the Kremlin is looking for a more flexible formula. The Russian elite understands that the approach of using force has failed. The strategy of containment of Ukraine through a compromise with the West, which is reflected in the Minsk Agreement, also proved to be a failure. It seems now the Kremlin will use the tactic of waiting, hoping that the failure of Ukrainian reforms will lead to the West losing interest and leaving Ukraine in a gray box."



The EU And NATO

The Economist has a piece on how Russia's actions are forcing the EU and NATO to deepen their cooperation.

"Their headquarters are separated only by a three-kilometre taxi ride across Brussels, and over the years they have declared their shared interests and common values any number of times. But despite having 22 members in common, NATO and the EU have always found it easier to talk about co-operating to than to do so. That may be about to change," the weekly writes.

The Information War In The 'Near Abroad'

Writing in The Harvard International Review, Neli Esipova and Julie Ray of Gallup look at how Russia successfully sold it's Ukraine narrative in the former Soviet republics.

"If the West hopes to at least stay in contention in the next information skirmish, it will clearly need to make some changes to its communication strategy. Some of this will need to be content, and some of it will need to be tone," they write. "The post-Soviet region still has strong ties to Russia, and the Russian media and local media in these countries know their audiences well. At the same time, residents of several post-Soviet stateseven those who use Western mediafeel the distance in the Western medias coverage."

I Know You Are But What Am I?

In case you were wondering whether the Panama Papers revelations and the Spanish investigation into Kremlin officials' organized crime ties has the Putin regime rattled, the check out this Russian "documentary" claiming that the United States. is a corrupt mafia state.

The Sanctification Of Victory Day

Writing in Intersection magazine, journalist Pavel Kazarin looks at how the Kremlin's use of Victory Day as a pillar of state ideology has prevented Russians from having an honest discussion about the war.

"At some point, Russian society will be faced with the fact that the events which occurred between 1939 and 1941 are no longer to be hidden from the public and silenced," Kazarin writes. "Events such as the partition of Poland and the occupation of the Baltic States will become subjects of research, initially in articles, then in TV series and later on, perhaps in films."

Putins Way Of War

Chatham House's Andrew Monaghan has a new paper out looking at the "war" in Russia's hybrid warfare.

The article looks at"the increasingly prominent role of conventional force, including the use of high intensity firepower, in Russian war fighting capabilities, and advocates the need for a shift in our conceptualization of Russian actions from hybrid warfare to state mobilization."

Changing The Game

Writing in Politico, Dennis Ross explains how Russia's intervention in Syria is changing the dynamics of the Middle East.

New U.S. Envoy In Kyiv

Marie Yovanovitch, who previously served as Ambassador in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, will be the new U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine.

Who's The Biggest Crony Capitalism Of All?

Russia tops The Economist's Crony Capitalism index.
Their drama began at the start of the 20th century, like in many other predominantly Muslim countries. But Islamists of the former Ottoman Empire, and especially in the Republic of Turkey since 1923, have traveled a very specific road to arrive at todays Erdogan regime.

The gradual downfall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Western powers, followed by the loss of vast lands of this last Islamic empire where the sultan was also the caliph of the state, was a big blow. The new Turkey was reduced to a sixth or less of its pre-17th-century size.

But not only that. The new system, a republic after the Western model, put an end to both caliphate and sultanate and declared a republican regime with state and religion not only independent from each other but with religion strictly following the state.

The alphabet was changed from Arabic-Persian to Latin. Clothing was Europeanized. Saturday and Sunday became the weekend instead of Thursday and Friday. It was forbidden for religious schools and religious courses to be outside of state control. All sheikhs and mullahs who wanted to continue teaching became state employees reporting to the government. Women were strongly encouraged to put aside Islamic clothing and to actively take part in social activities. Most religious sects and groups, as well as many mosques, were closed or became dysfunctional.

The new regime created a new secular elite -- businesspeople, bureaucrats, the military, with a new education system and a new view of history -- and looked for a new place in the world community, one that was closer to the West and further from the Islamic world.

For nearly 80 years, those who were faithful Muslims -- traditional and provincial -- were looked down upon, pushed into isolation and poverty by the new elite in the major cities, especially Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir -- ironically called the White Turks.

The more they were ignored and pushed out, the more political they got.

They were mostly just the faithful in the early 20th century. They had widely become Islamists of different variations by 2000.

And they had dreams. Dreams to use the democracy to come to power, to put an end to the discrimination against the Muslim faithful; against women who just wanted to wear the hijab according to their beliefs without being thrown out of schools and universities; against men who wanted to wear beards and pray during work times without being laughed at.

They said they wanted peace and equal opportunities for all -- regardless of their faith.

They opened schools and foundations. They increasingly found their way into the military, education, and justice systems -- without making much noise about their beliefs and plans. They established television stations and newspapers. And they created political parties, which were closed and banned. Their newspapers and TV channels were also closed and banned.

But still, they kept going. They worked hard. Very hard.

People saw, enjoyed, and appreciated their work results -- from city administrations to which they were first elected to the schools that they built and ran.

The more the secular system prevented them from growing, the more they cried foul and grew stronger.

In fact, many people outside of the Islamic sector supported them, from left-wing social democrats and Ataturkists (Ataturkcu) to all those White Turks, to secular Alevis and Kurds, to liberal and pro-republican journalists and judges.

The Justice and Development Party, or AKP, was born. It was 2001.

Just a year later, in 2002, it came to power -- alone, in a fair-and-free election, and unlike past elections that produced impotent coalitions of the unwilling.

In its first years, things were going quite smoothly. Everybody was happy and thought the past was one-sided. Now, they thought, we will have a cohesive and inclusive Turkey, a more pluralistic system, looking more like Europe.

Even the secularists felt pleasantly proven wrong. Why were we afraid of these people? they thought.

And Western governments followed suit. The more good things, reforms, stability measures, and economic improvements the AKP governments demonstrated, the more eager were Western governments to embrace the new, pluralistic Muslim conservative Turkey.

And they kept being elected by big majorities.

But things started to change. Quite soon.

In the second part of this report: Islamic Or Not, Unchecked Power Makes You Corrupt
A presenter on Russian state-controlled RT media has been suspended after he said Ukrainian children who saw Russians as occupiers under the Soviet Union should have been drowned.

"For now, I'm stopping our collaboration as neither I nor the rest of the RT team can afford to even think that any of us are capable of sharing such a view," the broadcasters editor in chief, Margarita Simonyan, tweeted late on October 23 in announcing the suspension of presenter Anton Krasovsky.

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.

In a show broadcast last week, RT presenter Anton Krasovsky said children who criticized Russia should have been "thrown straight into a river with a strong current."

Krasovsky -- a pro-war commentator who has been sanctioned by the European Union -- was responding to an account by Russian science fiction author Sergei Lukyanenko about how, when he first visited Ukraine in the 1980s, children told him they would live better lives were it not for Moscow occupying their country.

"They should have been drowned in the Tysyna (River)," Krasovsky said in response. "Just drown those children, drown them." Alternatively, he said, "they could be shoved into huts and burned.

In a short segment of the interview, which was shared on social media, Krasovsky also laughed at reports that Russian soldiers had raped elderly Ukrainian women during the invasion.

"Anton Krasovsky's statement is wild and disgusting.... It is hard to believe that Krasovsky sincerely believed that children should be drowned," Simonyan added.

Krasovsky's comment also sparked outrage in Ukraine and the West, feeding allegations that Russia is intent on eradicating Ukrainians on the whole.

"Governments which have still not banned RT must watch this excerpt," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that linked to a clip of the interview.

"Aggressive genocide incitement (we will put this person on trial for it), which has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Ban RT worldwide," Kuleba said. "This is what you side with if you allow RT to operate in your countries."

Early on October 24, Krasovsky apologized for the comments, saying he was "embarrassed" by them.

WATCH: Anton Krasovsky's soaring career as a Russian television journalist came to an abrupt end in 2013, when he announced live on air that he was gay. Now barred from Russian screens, Krasovsky has nonetheless chosen to stay in Russia -- a society he says is doomed to ruin. (Originally published in 2015)

Krasovsky gained some Western recognition when he announced live on Russian TV in 2013 that he was gay to protest against Kremlin-backed legislation imposing harsh fines and jail terms for the distribution of homosexual "propaganda" to minors.

Krasovskys public announcement brought his soaring career as a Russian television journalist to a temporary end as he was barred from state media. He returned as a presenter for the Russian state-controlled broadcaster in 2020.

In stark contrast to his comments regarding Ukrainians last week, in 2013 -- when a 22-year-old man from the southern Russian town of Volgograd was brutally murdered by neighbors for being gay -- Krasovsky penned an opinion piece in The Guardian criticizing the Kremlin for targeting a select group of people.

How did it come about that today in Russia a good gay person is a dead gay person?. As far as the [Russian] deputies are concerned I am scum by the fact of my birth, and it was criminal negligence not to have made a note of that in my birth certificate. What seemed like a bad dream only a couple of years ago has now become reality. And it is terrifying to imagine what could happen tomorrow, he wrote.

With reporting by Reuters
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2 A Romanian woman holds flowers and a candle to pay tribute to Dinamo's Cameroonian midfielder Patrick Claude Ekeng during a ceremony at Dinamo Stadium in Bucharest. Ekeng collapsed during a Romanian Premier Soccer League playoff match between Dinamo Bucharest and Victoria in Bucharest on May 6. Ekeng fell unconscious without being touched by any other player and died at hospital hours later from a suspected heart attack. He was 26. (epa/Robert Ghement)
ROANOKE, Va.  It has become a common corporate nightmare: An employee gets an email saying a package has arrived for pickup. The email says its from Amazon, or maybe UPS. The employee doesnt remember ordering anything online. To get more information, she clicks a link in the email.

At that point, its game over. A malicious virus scours her hard drive. It travels to other computers in the company. It spreads just like a cold.

A simple click can put an entire business in jeopardy. It can land enormous amounts of private information in the wrong hands. Social Security numbers, home addresses, human resources information can all be leaked. Faceless hackers might hold the information for ransom.

It happens all the time, according to people who work in the cyber security industry. And not just to places like Target and Sony, but to small businesses whose owners never saw it coming.

Sometimes we think this stuff isnt going to hit our area. The cyber world doesnt care what size your community is, said Julie Wheeler, president of the Better Business Bureau of Western Virginia.

And when a cyber attack does happen, the first phone call is likely to one of the people involved with RISE.

The Roanoke Information Security Exchange is a recently formed organization for cyber security professionals in the Roanoke Valley.

Rob Garbee founded the group because he wanted to meet with other people who share his career path. Many IT workers in Roanoke operate as one-man shows, he said. He jokes that IT professionals often have offices in basements and back offices, away from the heart of business operations.

But when a hacker attacks, a cyber security employee can be the most important person on the payroll, especially as dependence on electronic information grows.

Most people dont think about security until they get burned, said Nathaniel Sykes, an IT manager with R&K Solutions who is involved with RISE.

The organization counts about 35 members who meet once a month. Theyre typically casual events where IT professionals can tell war stories and fraternize. More importantly, they can share notes.

There are other cyber security groups in the region, but most are centered in the New River Valley and focus on learning about cyber security. Garbee wanted a place in Roanoke for professionals to gather.

I thought, It sure would be nice if I can talk to other professionals to talk about what I am dealing with,  he said.

So he made some calls last fall, and RISE had its first meeting in October.

All these types of individuals are kind of on our own trying to figure this stuff out, Garbee said.

The group allows members to discuss how to play defense against cyber attacks that are more frequent and advanced every day.

Most RISE members act as security guards for the businesses they serve, protecting private information and computer systems from unwanted intruders.

On the defensive side, we have to be right 100 percent of the time, Garbee said. The attacker only has to be right once.

Some of them work for large companies, which have teams of IT employees to guard data and computer systems. Others work for companies that contract out their expertise to small businesses that lack the resources to hire full-time IT employees.

Monstrous effects

Businesses of every size face cyber threats.

Wheeler of the BBB said big businesses are targeted because of the large amounts of data they keep. Small businesses can be threatened because of their weak safeguards.

The Better Business Bureau warns businesses of all types of scams, from sketchy door-to-door salesmen to malicious emails. Cyber threats are a big part of the problem now, she said.

Those are things that can bring a business to its knees, she said. This is stuff that goes to the heart of your business and your credibility.

Many small businesses, she said, fail to back up the information on their servers. So when a cyber attack destroys that data, they might have to re-create all of their records.

When you think about that effect on a small business  its monstrous, she said.

The men and women involved with RISE try to keep an electronic collapse from happening. And if it does happen they have the tools to minimize the damage. Plotting how to defend computer systems from different types of threats is the topic of most meetings.

From my viewpoint, you can never know enough about security, and these meetings give me the opportunity to hear and see what other companies are experiencing and the methods or tools they may use to address security issues within their organizations, said Allen Surface with SyCom Technologies.

Stealing precious data

A big part of RISE members jobs is educating employees about how to avoid attacks. Cyber security professionals at larger companies will phish their own employees, acting like hackers to test vulnerabilities and to see which tricks employees are mostly likely to fall for.

Ted Nickerson, a security manager at a large local company, told of another cyber security professional who tested a companys employees on Valentines Day, sending out a fake e-card for people to click on.

There was nearly an 80 percent click rate on those e-cards, Nickerson said, emphasizing how hard it is to teach people not to open emails with bad links.

Short of going up and slapping the mouse out of somebodys hand, its going to happen, said Garbee.

Malicious email is one of the most common ways cyber attacks occur, according to several RISE members.

If I had to tag a most common attack that is successful, it would be email phishing attacks where a person receives an email that looks legitimate with either an attachment or URL link inside the email, Surface said. It is important to note that your security policy is only as strong as your weakest link.

Sometimes hackers are looking for information to steal. Sometimes they want to cause problems for the company by shutting down its Internet capabilities. Sometimes its about money. Ransomware is a particularly bad problem right now for businesses of all sizes. Hackers capture a companys private electronic information and hold it hostage until a payment is made. Once theyre paid, the hackers will typically release it. But it could cost a company thousands of dollars.

Ransomware is a particular problem for businesses that need constant access to their electronic data, such as health care companies. Sometimes, cyber security experts will advise business owners to simply pay the ransom.

They will give you the key to get your stuff back, Garbee said. Because if there is ever the word that they did not give you the key, people stop paying.

Several of the groups members said they have consulted with Roanoke-area businesses about ransomware many times. The public usually never even hears about these attacks.

A lot of businesses dont want to admit theyve been hacked so they dont tell anybody, said Nickerson.

Benefits of collaboration

But at RISE meetings, the experts can share their tricks of the trade to prevent attacks. For example, Sykes said one problem he sees is preventing electronic accounts from being compromised. Most companies require employees to log in before they can use their work computers. Hackers can compromise those accounts to collect information.

Garbee, aware of this issue, uses a specific system to make the information harder to reach.

Sykes said he borrowed the idea from Garbee and implemented it into his own work.

Garbee, meanwhile, said he learned that others in the group had developed a solution for security monitoring.

So I went and looked at what they had and said, Huh, that would work well in our environment,  he said.

Cyber security has received a lot more attention in recent years, especially after high-profile hacks such as the Target security breach last year. Doug Turpin, the technology director at Ethos Technologies, hosted a cyber security forum for members of the Salem-Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce last spring to explain how businesses can protect themselves online. He is on the chamber board and felt it was an important subject for its members.

A lot of small businesses dont have the resources to protect themselves, he said. Now retail, medical, legal, everybody has a financial risk involved in being hacked.

And the hackers are becoming more clever. Turpin said one local company faced a cyber attack when a fake email was sent using the name of the CEO, asking for W2 tax forms for employees.

Ethos hosts lunch-and-learn events on the security topic. Turpin was aware of RISE but has not been to a meeting. He said getting cyber security professionals together and hearing different perspectives is good for the region.

Randy Marchany, the chief information security officer at Virginia Tech, spoke at RISE meeting. He said there is a huge shortage of skilled cyber security people in the area, calling it a buyers market. Area community colleges and Virginia Tech have launched programs to encourage students to enter this field.
The victim of a fatal shooting Saturday in Petersburg was Rashawn Mays, 24, of Petersburg, according to police spokeswoman Esther Hyatt.

Mays was driving on Shore Street in Petersburg when he was struck by a bullet possibly fired from another vehicle, authorities said.

Petersburg police responded about 9:30 a.m. Mays was treated at Southside Regional Medical Center and then transferred to VCU Medical Center, where he died, Hyatt said.
Chesterfield had the most teacher resignations in the Richmond area, with 538 in the past five Junes, followed by 363 in Henrico, 333 in Richmond and 131 in Hanover.
When identical twin sisters Sugandh and Surabhi Gupta received their acceptance letters to the University of Richmond on Feb. 17, 2012, neither had left their native country of India.

By the schools 186th commencement on Sunday, the pair had visited 14 different countries in their quest to better understand and interact with the world around them.

This liberal arts environment has allowed us to wander, take chances, fall and rediscover ourselves, said Surabhi Gupta.

As they expanded their understanding of themselves and the world beyond Mumbai, where they grew up, the sisters realized just how much they had in common with their fellow Spiders.

The power of diversity and inclusion were central themes of Sundays ceremony, which was headlined by civil rights pioneer and Emmy award-winning journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

The university has placed an increasing emphasis in recent years on fostering a campus community that resembles the world beyond River Road. The percentage of incoming domestic freshman of color rose from 11 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in 2014; in 2015 the school welcomed its first African-American president, Ronald A. Crutcher.

Crutcher on Sunday thanked the campus community for welcoming him with open hearts and encouraged the departing graduates to remain engaged in the life of the university.

The university conferred more than 1,000 degrees over the weekend, including 790 bachelors degrees; 84 masters degrees; 35 MBA degrees; and 151 juris doctor degrees.

Our hope is that your time at Richmond has challenged you intellectually, Crutcher said, and opened your hearts and minds to others.

That message is in strong contrast to the reception Hunter-Gault said she received upon her graduation from the University of Georgia in 1963, where she was one of the first two African-American students to integrate the school.

The senator who delivered the keynote speech there in 1963 emphasized the majesty of local law, Hunter-Gault said, which affirmed segregation and inequality.

She got through it the same way she had the protests accompanying her enrollment; the bottles and bricks thrown at her dormitory residence; her suspension  later invalidated  over safety concerns: by donning the invisible armor of her ancestors.

They had survived the slings and arrows of their outrageous fortune because they had worn armor, Hunter-Gault said. And their armor was called faith.

She told the Class of 2016 to don their own armor as they head out into a world marked by a toxic political narrative unfolding like a poorly written soap opera further cheapened and amplified by lazy reporting.

She learned a thing or two about good reporting as a staff writer for The New Yorker; as a news anchor for WRC-TV in Washington; as Harlem bureau chief for the New York Times; and in multiple roles working from South Africa and other African countries.

Among the stories Hunter-Gault said have stuck with her was a visit to a refugee camp in Southern Sudan where women voiced concerns about venturing to a dangerous nearby forest to forage for much-needed food. When asked why not send the men, the women answered that the men would face death, whereas they would only be raped.

It was a moment that challenged the balance of her objectivity, reason and emotion. But she ground out a narrative rooted in fairness; contextualizing a heart-breaking reality and advancing the truth.

Good citizenship may require us to struggle to achieve property balance, she said. We have richer lives when we use all of the above to make judgments about issues.

To that end, she advised the graduating students to make their voice heard in the upcoming election, despite an off-putting political climate.

As troubling and ugly as this political campaign is, it is one step along the journey toward a more perfect union, she said.
A Monday morning shooting at the Midlothian Village apartments in South Richmond left one person dead and another injured.

The shooting occurred about 11 a.m., police said. The victims, each of whom had gunshot wounds, were located by police outside the apartment complex. They were taken to VCU Medical Center, where one died as a result of his injuries.

The deceased victim has been identified as Rashawn A. Brathwaite, 23, of the 2300 block of Whitcomb Street.

The second victim was treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released Monday, police said.

Nearby George Wythe High School at 4314 Crutchfield St. was briefly put on lockdown as a precaution after the shooting, according to Richmond Public Schools.

Were looking to the community for help in this case, Richmond Major Crimes Capt. James Laino said in a prepared statement. Our hope is that someone in the Midlothian Village apartment complex saw something  a suspect or vehicle  that could lead to an arrest.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Major Crimes Detective Arcellious Demery at (804) 646-5999 or Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000. Citizens also can text Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the keyword iTip followed by your tip.
A Richmond man is facing multiple charges in connection with a police pursuit over the weekend in Henrico County.

Benjamin Michael Shore, 26, of the 3400 block of East Marshall Street, is charged with eluding police, driving on a suspended license and possessing drug paraphernalia.

The incident began about 4:30 p.m. Sunday when officers saw suspicious activity at a business on East Nine Mile Road at East Richmond Road. Police attempted to stop a vehicle involved in the activity, but the driver took off.

Officers chased the vehicle on Nine Mile Road until it became disabled while trying to enter Interstate 64, police said. Shore tried to run away but was quickly apprehended.
CHESTERFIELD  President Barack Obama acknowledged a Midlothian High School teacher during a ceremony at the White House last week.

Speaking at an event honoring the countrys teachers of the year, the president recognized Danny Abell for a letter hed sent about teaching. Obama said Abell asked his students who among them wanted to be a teacher when they grew up. No one raised their hands, which worried him.

In the letter, Abell asked Obama what he would tell his two daughters, Sasha and Malia, if one of them decided to enter the profession. The president said he would tell the girls that he couldnt be prouder of their decision.
RADFORD, Va.  The Adventure Club daycare center remained open on Monday after two employees were arrested Friday evening as part of a child abuse investigation.

Donna Thornton-Roberts, founder of the company, told The Roanoke Times that the criminal inquiry began with a complaint from a disgruntled former worker. She said one accusation is that an Adventure Club employee took a child outside the view of the facilitys cameras for a spanking. Another accusation is that a different employee was not forthright when police began an investigation.

Thornton-Roberts pointed out that any kind of physical punishment  including spankings  are against company policy.

Daycare employee Charlotte Darlene Hall, 39, of Christiansburg, has been charged with six counts of assault and battery of a child and six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, Radford city spokeswoman Jenni Wilder said last week.

Kimberly Dawn Albert, 40, the daycares director, has been charged with two counts of obstruction of justice.

Thornton-Roberts said she has been in the daycare business for 40 years and this is the first time she has dealt with a criminal investigation.

She added that enrollment was down about 30 percent on Monday, and families who sent their children to the Adventure Club are being offered a refund.

She also stressed that the business operates completely independent of the Adventure Club before and after school programs, which Thornton-Roberts also owns.
The leadership of two area communities will meet in regular sessions today.

DESLOGE

The Desloge Board of Aldermen will consider the passage of two ordinances when it meets in regular session at 7 p.m. tonight at city hall, located at 300 N. Lincoln St.

The first ordinance authorizes City Administrator Greg Camp to execute an agreement with the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission. The second accepts and approves the re-subdivision of Lots 9 and 10 Block A town of Leadville to the city of Desloge.

Other new business will include consideration of bids on a 2006 Ford Crown Victoria and discussion of Urban Pac Funds (UPF); budget meetings on June 6 and June 27; and court procedures.

The meeting is open to the public.

BONNE TERRE

The Bonne Terre City Council will meet in regular session today at 6 p.m. at Bonne Terre City Hall, located at 118 North Allen Street in Bonne Terre.

Listed under new business is a discussion and vote on a senior nutrition center contract for the 2017 fiscal year, and Bonne Terre Fire Chief Matt Barton will discuss the ISO report.

The group is also planning to discuss and vote on Bill #051601, an ordinance granting authorization to city administrator Jim Eaton to execute the contract with the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission regarding the mapping of the citys water and sewer systems.

The council will also discuss and vote on Bill # 051602, an ordinance granting authorization to Jim Eaton to execute the contract with Missouri Machinery regarding the repair of the Turkey Creek lift station.

The agenda also calls for the group to consider a property management agreement between the city and East Missouri Action Agency.

The council will hear department reports from the police department, fire department, municipal court, library and nutrition center.

The meeting is open to the public.
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FARMINGTON -- Visitation resumed today, Tuesday, 6:30  9:30 a.m. at Taylor Funeral Service, Farmington. Mass at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, followed by interment with full military honors at New Calvary Cemetery, Farmington. Photo Obituary and Guestbook online: www.taylorfuneral.com.
COVID-19 drove a dramatic increase in the number of women who died from pregnancy or childbirth complications in the U.S. last year, a crisis that has disproportionately claimed Black and Hispanic women as victims. A government report released Wednesday lays out grim trends across the country for expectant mothers and their newborn babies. It finds that pregnancy-related deaths have spiked nearly 80 percent since 2018, with COVID-19 being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year. The percentage of preterm and low birthweight babies also went up last year, after holding steady for years. And more pregnant or postpartum women are reporting symptoms of depression.
Botetourt Countys former voter registrar, who claimed that she was ousted from her job for political reasons last year, has opted not to make that argument in court.

At the request of Phyllis Booze, a judge in U.S. District Court in Roanoke on Monday dismissed her lawsuit against the county electoral board.

Booze had claimed that because she is a Republican, the two Democrats on the three-member board decided not to appoint her to another term last June and then replaced her with a member of their own political party.

But the new registrar, Traci Clark, is in fact a Republican, according to County Attorney Michael Lockaby.

In agreeing to the dismissal, the electoral board made no settlement and admitted no wrongdoing. Everybody is just walking away, Lockaby said.

Were very pleased with the outcome and were glad we dont have to drag everybody through the rest of the case, he said. The electoral board is here to conduct elections and not to be distracted by lawsuits like this.

Board member Paul Fitzgerald, who had been accused of playing politics along with fellow Democrat William Buck Heartwell, said the facts proved otherwise. The basic allegation was that it was a partisan, political action, Fitzgerald said, when the boards dissatisfaction with Booze was actually based on other factors.

Emails and board meeting minutes document a tense relationship that Booze maintained with Fitzgerald and Heartwell. The third board member, Republican John Rader, was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Records show that Fitzgerald and Heartwell were frustrated with the registrar often acting unilaterally, leaving the board in the dark on matters that fell under its authority.

They complained in emails and during meetings of Booze not keeping them fully informed on matters that included the purchase of new voting machines and her request, made to other county officials, for additional staffing in her office.

In her lawsuit, Booze stated that she has been active in the Republican Party and that she is and has been a loyal supporter of Republican candidates. By targeting her because of that, Booze claimed, the board deprived her of her First Amendment rights to political speech and participation.

However, voter registrars are expected to be politically neutral in Virginia  at least when it comes to their public and professional lives.

While the law does not require a registrar to be apolitical, registrars must perform their duties in a nonpartisan matter, guidelines from the Virginia Department of Elections state. In particular, registrars should do nothing that might cause the public to perceive favoritism for one candidate over another.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed last July, Clark declined to describe her political affiliation, saying that had nothing to do with her job. But in a legal document that would have been used in court, she later stated that she is a longtime Republican.

Roanoke lawyer Terry Grimes, who represented Booze, said she decided to drop the lawsuit because she has moved to Florida.
A Liberty University student died Sunday at the Fallingwater Cascades trail of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Peaks of Otter, according to friends and rescue officials.

Jonathan Veldhuyzen, 20, was found facedown in a body of water below the falls about 6 p.m. Sunday, his roommate, Joseph Elijah McGowan, said Monday.

Bedford Fire Capt. Matt Scott said the department received a report at 6:36 p.m. that a person possibly drowned at the site, located at mile marker 83 across the parkway from the Flat Top Mountain hiking trail entrance.

While we were en route up there, we were informed the subject had fallen into a body of water and they had pulled the subject out and were performing CPR on him at the scene, Scott said in a phone interview Monday morning.

He said the victim was dead when crews arrived.

McGowan said Veldhuyzen  a junior business major  went on a hike with him, his wife, their infant daughter and another friend on Sunday.

We were just kind of driving the Blue Ridge, stopping at different places and enjoying the nice weather, McGowan said in a phone interview Monday afternoon.

While trekking down the Fallingwater Cascades trail, he said Veldhuyzen kept going ahead of the group to explore on his own. The group got to the bottom, set up a hammock and started taking pictures when they noticed their friend was missing.

It must have been 20 minutes since we had seen him, and we werent really thinking about it, McGowan said. He looked to the right of where he was snapping photos, and noticed his friend. Right below us, in the shallow pool of about two and a half feet of water, he was facedown there.

They pulled him out and performed CPR. McGowan said he ran back up the trail and flagged down a group of motorcyclists to call for help since he didnt have cell service.

A little more than an hour after they found Veldhuyzen, crews pronounced him dead.

McGowan said the group is in shock over of what happened.

You see him walk off well and alive, and the next time you see him  McGowan said, pausing. We realized almost immediately it wasnt going to have a good ending.

The National Park Service could not be reached for comment Monday.
Regarding all the harping about the primary process, some say voters are disenfranchised because primary votes are not directly connected to the allocation of delegates. The "experts" in the media do nothing to educate viewers on this process.

The U.S. is not a pure democracy. Each state chooses "electors" who will cast "votes" for president. State legislatures are charged by our constitution to establish systems for choosing these electors. Parties can nominate whom they please. The election of U.S. presidents was not prescribed by the constitution to be by popular vote, nor by direct vote of the masses.

The primaries and caucuses use a complementary process. This is supposed to enhance the odds that states rights, as well as those of the people, get properly represented by responsible leaders. This is not mob rule - what some seem to want and some seem to sell. Watching the news lately, I wonder if anyone knows this anymore.

Consider this: Suppose a famous celebrity decided to run for president. This person was a former astronaut who went wacky due to his long exposure to space. He believed aliens left a pot of gold on the moon that would solve our national debt problem.

This person is now rich and has lots of friends in Hollywood, on Wall Street and in other high places. He used his fame and influence to get onto the ballots in each state. With shrewd wit and charisma, he has the ability to get people to come to huge rallies. He gets many to believe the story of moon-gold.

Because our educational system has failed to pass on to the masses that we are a constitutional republic and not a "democracy," the moon-man has folks in a frenzy that the "establishment" is against him; they want all the gold for themselves. They don't like him because he is threatening the status-quo. What would you do if your were appointed an elector in your state and you knew the moon-man was nuts? You might want a system that allows intelligent and experienced leaders to lead in choosing the top executive. Sound so far-fetched?

THOMAS MACMICHAEL

ROANOKE
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Monday

Bonne Terre Council

The Bonne Terre City Council will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. at city hall located on 118 N. Allen St. The meeting is open to the public.

Desloge Board of Aldermen

The Desloge Board of Aldermen meets in regular session at 7 p.m. at city hall, 300 N. Lincoln St. The meeting is open to the public.

Tuesday

Leadington Board of Aldermen

The Leadington Board of Aldermen meets in regular session at 6 p.m. at city hall, 12 Weir St. The meeting is open to the public.

Park Hills City Council

The Park Hills City Council meets at 6 p.m. for a regular session in the municipal court chambers at city hall, located at 9 Bennett St. The meeting is open to the public.

Wednesday

911 Board

The St. Francois County 911 Board meets in regular session at 10 a.m. at Desloge City Hall, 300 N. Lincoln St. The meeting is open to the public.

West County Board of Education

The West County Board of Education is meeting a day early and at an earlier time this month. The board meets at 4:30 p.m. for a regular session in the Board of Education room located at 1124 Main St. in Leadwood. The meeting is open to the public.

Thursday

MAC Board of Trustees

The Mineral Area College Board of Trustees meets in regular session at 2 p.m. in the boardroom on the school's Park Hills campus. The meeting is open to the public.

Bismarck Board of Aldermen

The Bismarck Board of Aldermen meets in regular session at 7 p.m. in the city's old train depot on South Main Street. The meeting is open to the public.

Farmington City Council

The Farmington City Council meets in regular session at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers, located at 110 W. Columbia St. The meeting is open to the public.
MERCURY will be rising for Mexborough and Swinton Astronomical Society members today.



The smallest planet will be on the agenda at a societys event on Monday, with the public invited to check out its transit using telescopes at the societys observatory on Lee Brooke Lane, Hoober, from 11am to 8pm.



The next time Mercury will pass between the Sun and the Earth after the coming week is in 2032.



Anyone in the UK will be able to observe the transit but they are advised not to look directly at the Sun and that specially-adapted telescopes are needed.



Members will be present at the Hoober observatory to help visitors use the equipment to view the transit safely and at high magnification.



Places should be booked (for free) by contacting Les Marsden on 01709 584217.


Developing diamond production clusters in the Russian Federation may be viewed as a way to improving the competitiveness of the national diamond industry. At present, there are three diamond clusters almost taking their final shape in this country: the Central, Northwestern and Far Eastern Diamond Clusters. Each of them is different and includes various diamond business segments. This article describes the Central and Northwestern Diamond Clusters.



The diamond cluster in the northwest of the Russian Federation is embracing a number of operations engaged in the extraction and production of diamonds.

In the Arkhangelsk Region, diamonds are mined by Severalmaz, OAO belonging to ALROSA Group and operating since 2008. Lukoil, OAO is another diamond miner there, which started to develop the Grib Mine in the area in June 2014 producing about 1.4 million carats of rough diamonds.

Table 6

Besides, this cluster includes:

- Burevestnik, OAO (St. Petersburg), a business unit of ALROSA Group engaged in production of diamond ore concentration equipment, including X-ray luminescent separators of different types;

- Archangelskgeoldobycha, OAO, a subsidiary of LUKOIL, OAO;

- Grib Diamonds, a diamond trading subsidiary of LUKOIL, OAO;

- INREAL, a company established in the early 1990s, which is the countrys leading producer of technical diamond products and diamond grinding powder, having two independent offshoots:

- Nevsky Brilliant, OOO, which is manufacturing polished diamonds of all sizes from natural rough diamonds;

- New Diamond Technology, OOO, which is focused on the production of large-size single-crystal diamonds for diamond-based micro and power electronics, optics, as well as for the tool-making and jewelry industries. Its current project, Sestroretsk Diamond Pipe is producing synthetic nitrogen-free diamonds. It is expected that this project will yield as much diamonds as it is produced by one of the diamond mining units of ALROSA. These three companies formed a diamond holding engaged in waste-free diamond production. Its goods are requested by a variety of industries, including those manufacturing high-tech equipment.

Businesses and organizations of the Central Diamond Cluster are mainly engaged in diamond trade and diamond manufacturing. Some of them carry out strategic management functions with regard to the country's diamond industry and are located in Moscow and in the center of the European part of the Russian Federation.

These are the Ministry of Finance, Gokhran, United Selling Organization of ALROSA and this companys office with its senior management, as well as the financial institutions associated with the diamond business.

ALROSA has diamond cutting operations in Moscow, Orel and Barnaul. The company abandoned the vertical integration strategy, focusing mainly on diamond mining. Its polished sales reached $ 144.4 million in 2014.

Kristall, OAO based in Smolensk remains the largest diamond manufacturer in Russia. It posted polished sales exceeding $ 300 million in 2014. A separate place among diamond cutting businesses is occupied by the diamond cutting and jewelry operation run by Lev Levievs Ruiz Group, a vertically integrated corporation, which is processing the entire amount of diamonds mined by Uralalmaz, ZAO and mainly selling its final goods outside Russia.

Summary and recommendations

1. Thus, we can say that the diamond industry of the Russian Federation, which may serve as an example for imitation for the countrys other industries by some of its production indicators, has formed three inter-related cluster structures being instrumental to turning it into a global diamond industry leader.

2. Given that the Central and Northwestern regions of Russia have a strong scientific base, it is possible to study the surface properties of diamonds and diamond films with a view to develop new technologies for producing synthetic diamonds for the jewelry industry. However, it appears more promising to use synthetic diamonds in microelectronics and nano-technologies. This will contribute to further development of the diamond industry in the country maintaining its pace-setting position in the world.

3. The development of the diamond business in Russia cannot be viewed in isolation from the changes taking place in the world economy, which may face a second wave of the global crisis, almost certainly resulting in reduced demand for luxury goods, and, consequently, for diamond goods as well. The factors, that have arisen in recent years, such as the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the West, the instability in the Middle East, the powerful migration flow from the Middle East and Africa to Europe and the strengthening of terrorist threats, are shifting the development vector of Russias diamond industry in the eastern direction.

Yuri Danilov, Ph. D., CEO of the Expert Information and Analysis Center at Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University




The Kremlin Assumption Belfry housed an exhibition of Russian jeweler Ilgiz Fazulzyanov, "Jewels Inspired by Nature."

Visitors still cherish the memory of other jewelry exhibitions held in the Kremlin earlier, like "Diamond in Russian Avant-Garde", Faberge, Bolin, Cartier and Lalique, so this is the first modern domestic jeweler, whose solo exhibit was welcomed by the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

Ilgiz Fazulzyanov received academic art education at the Kazan Art School. Later he took part in and won numerous international jewelry contests and worked with the Christie's and Bonhams auction houses.

The jewelry works of Ilgiz Fazulzyanov won the Grand Prix of the International Jewellery Design Excellence Award in 2011 and in 2013. His brand, Ilgiz F. enjoys great popularity among connoisseurs, and his clients include many celebrities.

It is not often that the Moscow Kremlin hosts jewelry exhibitions. How is it that your works are presented in such a prestigious place?

It was an offer from the Directorate of the Moscow Kremlin Museums - I myself did not venture any initiative in this respect. Elena Gagarina, having got acquainted with my work, offered to make an exhibition in the Moscow Kremlin Museums. And at the same time, the Kremlin Museums bought five of my works: the "Crows" and "Butterflies. Eclipse" sets, which won the Grand Prix in Hong Kong, then the "Dragonflies" and "Burdocks" (a necklace and a ring).

In one of her interviews, Elena Gagarina called you a genius, and some call you a Russian Lalique. What is your attitude to such epithets?

My attitude is ordinary and impassive. As I sit at the bench, I take this as a public side of my work. You can't do without public relations and advertising: during the five days of the show you are facing a steady stream of people, you give interviews and you are being filmed, you hear pleasant and beautiful words. Besides, the fact that these jewelry pieces were made in Russia wakes patriotic feelings in many people. Many are pleased that we are able to produce such things.





T his is understandable: of those jewelers, whose works were exhibited in the Moscow Kremlin, Cartier is not ours, while Faberge (and Bolin) lived a long time ago...

Well, by and large Faberge is also not ours. Faberge was a shrewd businessman, who brought together many craftsmen and workshops in one place and created a group under the name of Faberge. It included a huge amount of splended artists, including such names as Perkhin, Ovchinnikov, Sazikov and many others.

You worked in France, your brand is presented in Paris, Geneva, Tokyo and New York. Now you paint the dials for Swiss watches Bovet, and you are called a Russian artist. Where do you belong? What is your own feeling about it?

As you know, overseas all those from Russia are automatically considered to be Russians, and people there are not going to understand who you are by nationality. I consider myself a man of Russia, I feel close to all nations living in this country, and I can easily use their traditions in my work.

What helps you in your work?

Knowledge of the fine arts. My teacher was a pupil of Nicolai Fechin (my favorite artist), so I'm more a painter. I like the Victorian Art and the style of art-nouveau favored by French artists. They produced colorful masterpieces full of pliant and mild lines.

And how did you come to the jeweler's art?

After the art school, I established my first jewelry workshop in the Kazan Kremlin. I turned to jewelry from stained glass and batik and realized that it was my art. I started to work with precious metals and stones, doing everything myself, starting from sketches. I was attracted by the complexity of jewelry making  I mastered all the techniques on my own. In 1994, I won a Grand Prix at the international contest of young jewelers in Pakistan, and after that collaborated with the Armory Chamber and Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin, studying the works of old-time jewelers and mastering all the techniques, unaided.

Once you said that if you had classical jewelry education, you would feel squeezed within these frames, unable to do much of what you are doing right now.

When operating techniques are ingrained in the course of learning, people follow them, without deviating from the knowledge gained. But if you have no such techniques, you try to master your own, breaking the canons and technological limitations - as it happened to me. The technique that I use is almost contrary to all the technological rules established at jewelry schools.

As they say, it isnt done that way."

Yes, but I do it and I think it is correct. I am not a technologist, and each new job means new knowledge, research and new technological methods. I do not think about how to make, I am just gaining an insight of the image I have. In my works I use old techniques, which were practiced by Faberge, as well as new and different styles and materials. However, I prefer to work with hot enamel.







Now all jewelers have to switch over to anti-crisis programs, reducing costs, using hollow gold or Swarovski crystals, while you are using diamonds and seem reluctant to save on materials...

The artist may face only one type of crisis  creativity crisis. And if you need materials to create an object of art, including diamonds, you should get these stones, in spite of any crisis, and use them in your work. I have never thought about the price. For me, it is important to create what is born in my mind.

Have you ever found it a problem to look for a buyer, support your family?

Fortunately, thanks to the fate when I needed money for something, it is always found. This does not mean, of course, that some "golden rain" falls on me. Usually, this means the emergence of some interesting project. I have twice in my life became bankrupt - remained flat broke. However, I was not frightened, but rather stimulated. And I immediately bounced back to my usual level. It seems to me that it all depends on your inner attitude. I need some kind of emotional uplift and my body gets tuned to it. I grew up in a house, which was located at the confluence of two rivers, the Volga and Sviyaga. There was forest around us on all sides, and I spent all my free time near the water or in the woods. I consider myself a man of nature. My works reflect life situations, emotions, states. Each of them is like an entry in a diary, communicating with some person. This is creative energy, an obsession to create something.

You combine enamel with diamonds, which is quite unusual. One of your awards was a diploma for the best jewelry piece graced with diamonds, the "Poppies" set. You use diamonds almost always, even when it seems you could do without them, since they are tiny or there is just a small scattering of them. What is it that diamonds add to your jewelry?

This is the background, all this work is based on contrast. Contrast is any situation in life, it is good and evil, light and shadow, it is the warmth of poppies and the cold of diamonds, the scarlet color and neutrality. Diamonds for me are all the same, but I cant do without them. It is also a kind of living stone. I have tried to insert synthetic stones - some zircon, but it was not the right thing. Diamond has such a property  it knows when to shine. If it deems there should be a glimmer, it gives a glimmer and if it deems there should be bright light, or sparkle, or flash, or fire play - it gives all this as well.

You mean, it shows self-determination - in addition to the role that you allot to it?

Of course. When used properly, diamond always plays into your hands, as if turning alive.

You mentioned zirconia - it is believed that even experts find it difficult to distinguish it...

Zirconia, if it shines, it shines always: it will not sometime fade and sometime sparkle - it is such a dead light. And diamond is live, and they both are completely different things.

And why do you not use, for instance, Swarovski crystals? Is it because you are a perfectionist and you like the best?

I do not use them and will never do it - I use live things.

How about cut glass, is it not live?

May be it is - by its nature, but in terms of light it is closer to synthetic things, than to natural ones. I think that this happens after specific treatment it is subjected to.

And have you contemplated using colored diamonds? They have pretty rare hues.

I use them, though not so often - they are generally rare in nature, and as far as artificially colored diamonds are concerned, I do not like them.

Can you see it? Or do you feel it?

Mostly, I feel it.

Since diamonds are a symbol of wealth, status and prestige, does it affect your using them in many of your works?

Of course, diamonds ad solemnity and an aura of power and luxury to jewelry pieces. They are always present in my artworks, but they may be surrounded by inexpensive stones as well. I want to show the beauty of all stones.

If a person buys a piece of art or a unique piece of jewelry, both should contain worthy stones.

Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished




DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend of 5 1/2 years died unexpectedly. Like so many other Americans, he didn't have life insurance or any money to cover his funeral. For the last 2 1/2 years I provided the primary financial support when he came and lived with me.

His mother made the decisions about the casket and service. She asked that money instead of flowers be given to help pay for the cost of the funeral. Around $4,000 is still owed. She now says the remaining cost should be divided between her, her exhusband and me.

I don't think I should be obligated to assume a third of the funeral costs. If I had been married to him, the situation would be different. I have friends and family who agree with me and others who don't. If I tell his mother it isn't my responsibility to pay, she and other family members may never speak to me again. What is your response to this scenario? -- WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

DEAR WHO: This may seem negative, but of this I am positive: Even if you do pay a third of the funeral expenses, those people may turn away from you anyway. So do as your conscience dictates and nobody else.

DEAR ABBY: It has been more than 30 years since I knew the whereabouts of my brother, my only sibling. Over the years, I have searched for him off and on, especially when there were major life events. Both of our parents have died, with my mother cursing him at the end. My family believed he was probably dead since no one had heard from him, even to ask for money.

Yesterday, I Googled his name, and to my surprise his mug shot popped up. It appears he has been incarcerated for most of the 30 years and has a rap sheet a mile long. Nothing violent, just stealing. I am saddened to have seen his photo this way and wonder why he never reached out to me. He has been alone, a criminal, for most of his life with no one to love or care about him.

My husband says don't contact him, and I probably shouldn't. I'd just like him to know that I have missed him and I am sad his life turned out this way. Am I a fool to want to know this hardened criminal? I am justifiably afraid that he could be big trouble. Please advise. -- SAD SISTER IN TEXAS

DEAR SAD SISTER: Your brother may have refrained from contacting the family because he was ashamed of the mess he had made of his life. So let's follow your question to its logical conclusion.

You contact your incarcerated, career-criminal brother and tell him how sad you are that his life turned out this way. Then what? What will you do if he wants to correspond with you? If he wants money? If he needs a place to stay if he's ever released?

Unless you are prepared to assume responsibility for someone you have had no contact with in decades, listen to your husband. You already have the information you were searching for, so don't go looking for trouble -- because your brother IS trouble.

DEAR READERS: It's National Women's Health Week, so here's a gentle reminder to make your health a priority. Eat healthy, allow time for exercise, manage your stress levels, and schedule that appointment you've been putting off to see your doctor or dentist. Your most precious possession is your health, so please take care of it. For more information, visit womenshealth.gov. -- Love, ABBY

DEAR ABBY: When I was in my 20s, I was involved in a long-term relationship with a married man. I became pregnant, we ended the relationship and I gave birth to an amazing, intelligent and well-adjusted son, Kyle. There has been no contact with my former lover, and we have no mutual acquaintances. Now that Kyle is an adult, he has expressed an interest in contacting his father. He is curious, but doesnt want to disrupt his fathers life. Kyle doesnt feel he missed out by not meeting his father; he simply wonders what he is like. The man is easy to locate on social media because he has an unusual last name. I dont want to see my son hurt by rejection or lack of interest from this man. Should I make the initial contact? If so, what would be the best way to do it?  PROTECTIVE MOM IN TENNESSEE

DEAR PROTECTIVE MOM: Your impulse may be to protect your son, but Kyle should make the contact. When he does, he should tell the man that you are his mother, and that he would like to meet him for no other reason than to ask him some questions and get his medical history. The response Kyle gets will tell him a lot about the man who fathered him. But there is no guarantee that a man who never provided financial support for his son will be receptive, compassionate or polite, and your son should be prepared.

DEAR ABBY: I am a retired widow, crippled with rheumatoid arthritis. Every October, I start dreading Halloween, which I consider to be a legal form of extortion. Living on Social Security, I really dont want to waste money for candy. Also, it is difficult for me to get up and down every five minutes to hand out candy. Too many of the children are 16- to 19-year-old males. I have tried keeping the lights off and hiding in my bedroom, but I wake the next morning to find toilet paper in my trees and shrubbery. Once, my front door had been sprayed Stingy Old Witch. The police said they couldnt act because I didnt see who did it. Of course, even if I had seen them, they probably would have been in a costume. Do you have any suggestions?  GROUCHY GRANDMA IN AUSTIN, TEXAS

DEAR GRANDMA: Yes. Because what youve done hasnt worked, buy a large bag of inexpensive candy  they are often for sale at this time of year  and when the extortionists knock on your door, pay up. Because your physical condition makes it difficult for you to get up and down, enlist the help of a relative or neighbor to help you dole it out, or leave the bowl outside by your door with a note saying: Take ONE.

DEAR ABBY: I have been HIV-positive for more than 20 years and I am in good health. I never told anyone in my family about it. I have now returned to my hometown after being away for 40-plus years. I want to tell my father and brothers that Im HIV-positive, but I dont want to alarm them or have them start meddling in my life. I feel like Im lying by not telling them. What should I do?  IVE GOT A SECRET

DEAR GOT A SECRET: Maintaining ones privacy is not lying. Because your intuition tells you that if you disclose your HIV status to your family they will be alarmed or start meddling, dont do it. Youre in good health, your HIV is being well managed and the only person who has to know is your sex partner.

DEAR ABBY: If I name my son after myself, he will be called Jr. or II. But what if my wife named her daughter after herself? I have never heard of it happening, but I just wondered. Would she be called Jr. or the II, too?  HARRY IN ATHENS, GA.

DEAR HARRY: According to Emily Post, the answer is yes. Junior, Senior, II and III are suffixes used by men, but can also be used by women.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Union Pacific

Union Pacific tagged $83 million of its planned $3.75-billion 2016 capital program to improve infrastructure in Arkansas.

The company says its multi-million dollar private investment will enhance employee, community and customer safety and increase rail operating efficiency.

The range of initiatives the Class 1s Arkansas investment covers include $73 million to maintain track and $9 million to maintain bridges in the state. Three key projects Union Pacific plans this year in the state include:

$10 million to replace 21 miles of rail between Mulberry and Van Buren

$10 million to replace 73,237 ties and install 49,140 tons of ballast between Brinkley and Pine Bluff

$9 million to replace 18 miles of rail between Pine Bluff and Grady

UP notes that this years planned $83 million capital expenditure in Arkansas is part of an ongoing investment strategy. From 2011 to 2015, the railroad invested more than $753 million strengthening Arkansas transportation infrastructure.

We constantly evaluate our customers needs to make targeted investments that enhance our efficiency and deliver the goods American businesses and families use daily, said Brenda Mainwaring, Union Pacific vice president  Public Affairs, Southern Region. Continuing to aggressively invest in our infrastructure is an important element in Union Pacifics unwavering safety commitment.

Last week, the railroad detailed plans for a $513 million investment in Texas and a $121.6 million investment in California.
USDOT

An event held in Burlington, Vt., placed the spotlight on a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) that will be used to extend passenger rail from New York City to Burlington.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and U.S. Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) attended the event. The TIGER grant was awarded to the Vermont Agency of Transportation in October 2015 as part of the seventh round of grants.

The funds will be used to extend Amtraks Ethan Allen Express passenger train service all the way to Burlington, Vt. Currently, the service begins in New York City and stops in Rutland, Vt. The $10 million grant will fund approximately 11 miles of new rail track along the state-owned line and three passenger platforms in Middlebury, Vergennes and Burlington. The project will also reduce long-term maintenance costs for the state, allow passenger trains to operate up to 60 miles per hour and enhance safety at multiple railroad crossings.

Transportation is always about the future. If were just fixing todays problems, well fall further and further behind. We already know that a growing population and increasing freight traffic will require our system to do more, said Secretary Foxx. In this round of TIGER grants, we selected projects that focus on where the countrys transportation infrastructure needs to be in the future: safer, more innovative, and more targeted to open the floodgates of opportunity across America.

This is a day Burlington has been waiting a long time for  this funding will help not only take us back to a time when passenger rail extended to Burlington, but more importantly, it will take us into the future, said FRA Administrator Sarah E Feinberg.

Since 2009, the TIGER program has provided $4.6 billion to 381 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, including 134 projects supporting rural and tribal communities. Demand for the program has been overwhelming: to date, the U.S. Department of Transportation has received more than 6,700 applications requesting more than $134 billion for transportation projects across the country.
Saudi Arabia replaced its long-serving oil minister amid a broader cabinet reshuffling Saturday, part of the country's efforts to ease its economic dependence on oil.

But the retirement of Ali al-Naimi, the minister who has been the face of OPEC, may force the group to start afresh the talks on capping oil output with nonmember countries such as Russia, a prospect that fuels concern among market observers.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman named Khalid al-Falih, who had been minister, to the post. Naimi served as oil minister since 1995 and will become an adviser to the royal court.

The biggest cabinet shake-up since Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud ascended the throne in January 2015 also included the elimination of the Ministry of Water and Electricity and the appointment of a new central bank governor.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Total SA (TTA.L, TTFNF.PK, TOT) announced Monday that it has filed a friendly tender offer for Saft, a manufacturer of advanced batteries, following the signature of an agreement between the companies, with the French Financial Markets Authority.

The proposed offer will target all of Saft's issued and outstanding shares at a price of 36.50 euros per share, ex-dividend of 0.85 euro per share, valuing Saft's equity at 950 million euros.

The offer price represents a 38.3% premium above Saft's closing share price on May 6, a premium of 41.9% above the volume weighted average share price over the past six months and a premium of 24.2% above the volume weighted average share price over the past year.

The Supervisory Board of Saft has unanimously approved the friendly takeover by Total and considers the proposed transaction to be in line with the interests of the company, its shareholders and its employees. The Supervisory Board has also announced its intention to recommend that its shareholders tender their shares.

The Supervisory Board of Saft has decided to appoint Finexsi as an independent expert.

The proposed offer is subject to review by the AMF, which will evaluate its compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Germany's factory orders expanded at the fastest pace in nine months in March on foreign demand, figures from Destatis revealed Monday.

New orders in manufacturing climbed 1.9 percent on a monthly basis in March, reversing a revised 0.8 percent fall in February. The increase was the biggest since June 2015.

Economists had forecast a 0.7 percent rise after February's initially estimated decline of 1.2 percent.

The recovery in orders was driven by a 4.3 percent increase in foreign orders. Partially offsetting the growth, domestic orders decreased 1.2 percent.

Carsten Brzeski, an ING Bank NV economist, said today's numbers give some hope that the stagnation since last summer is gradually fading away.

Interestingly, this pick-up can mainly be attributed to foreign orders, suggesting that the cooling of activity might not be as severe as it seemed some months ago, he noted.

Demand from the euro area rose 1.1 percent and new orders from other countries increased 6.2 percent.

Bookings of intermediate goods fell 1.2 percent, while orders for capital goods showed an increase of 4 percent. Demand for consumer goods registered a 1.6 percent rise.

On a yearly basis, growth in factory orders improved unexpectedly to 1.7 percent from 0.7 percent in February. Economists had forecast a 0.2 percent increase.

The ministry said expectations have recently brightened, so that a moderate upswing is expected to continue.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
U.K. shares rose on Monday, even as miners succumbed to selling pressure in the wake of weak trade data from China.

Regional economic reports painted a mixed picture, with readings on German factory orders and Eurozone investor confidence beating estimates, while the Halifax's U.K. house price index declined more than expected in April after the introduction of a new tax on the purchase of rental properties.

U.K. house prices fell by 0.8 percent in April from the previous month, following March's 2.2 percent increase, survey data from the mortgage lender revealed. Economists had forecast a 0.3 percent fall.

All eyes are now on the extraordinary Eurogroup meeting where finance ministers will discuss possible debt relief measures to help reduce Greece's debt burden.

The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 35 points or 0.58 percent at 6,161 in midday trading after closing on a flat note in the previous session.

Low-cost airline easyJet advanced 2.5 percent ahead of its quarterly results due on Tuesday.

G4S shares jumped 7 percent after the security services and outsourcing provider issued a reassuring trading update showing growth in revenue in the first quarter, despite a challenging backdrop.

Anglo American, Antofagasta, BHP Billiton, Glencore and Rio Tinto lost 4-6 percent after Chinese data released over the weekend showed both exports and imports fell more than expected last month.

Energy giant BP Plc and Royal Dutch Shell also traded in the red despite oil prices climbing about 2 percent in the wake of a change at top in Saudi Arabia's energy ministry and raging wildfires in Canada.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
A majority of American voters don't trust presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice, according to the results of a survey by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling.

The poll found that 53 percent of registered voters don't trust Trump to nominate a new justice to the Supreme Court compared to 38 percent that do trust the real estate tycoon. Another 9 percent are not sure.

Even within his own party, trust in Trump is relatively low, as just 57 percent of Republican voters said they would trust him to nominate a justice.

Eighty percent of Democrats as well as a majority of independents don't trust Trump with the responsibility.

PPP noted voters trust both President Barack Obama and Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton far more with the duty of picking a Supreme Court Justice than Trump.

Obama beats Trump 53 percent to 37 percent on the issue, while Clinton leads by a similar 52 percent to 37 percent.

Notably, 29 percent of Republicans trust Obama or Clinton to make the pick rather than their own party's presumptive nominee.

The poll also found that a majority of American voters want the current vacancy on the Supreme Court to be filled this year.

Fifty-eight percent of voters said the vacant seat should be filled this year, while 37 percent said the seat should be left empty for the rest of the year.

Republican lawmakers have argued that the seat should be filled by the next president, although 39 percent of GOP voters said the seat should be filled immediately.

Fifty percent of voters said they'd be less likely to vote for a Senator opposed to holding hearings on federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland's nomination, suggesting that the issue could hurt Republicans this fall.

The PPP survey of 884 registered voters was conducted May 4th and 5th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

(Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Maruti Suzuki may dominate the bestselling cars list in Indian market, but a completely different picture emerges when we look at the most exported cars. In 2018, the most exported cars list is dominated by foreign manufactures such as Ford and Hyundai.

Ford Ecosport tops the list with 91,694 units exported in 2018. It was at number one position in 2017 also. Ford and Hyundai grab three positions each in the list while the rest is taken by Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Nissan and Maruti Suzuki.

At number two is Chevrolet Beat with exports of 79,495 units. GM has stopped selling its cars in the Indian market, but exports are still on. Chevrolet Beat is manufactured at Talegaon facility near Pune and exported to markets such as Argentina, Chile, Peru and Central America. Beat was at second position in 2017 also with exports of 81,157 units. At third spot is Ford Figo with exports of 57,353 units.

Other cars featured in the list are Volkswagen Vento (53,801), Hyundai Grand i10 (50,350), Nissan Sunny (42,534), Hyundai Creta (40,138), Hyundai Verna (31,751), and Ford Figo Aspire (18,863 units). 2018 list of most exported cars is quite similar to 2017, with just a rearrangement in position of certain cars in the list. Only exception is Hyundai Verna that is a new entrant in the list. Nissan Micra that was there in 2017 list is missing in 2018 list.

In the top 10 list of most exported cars in 2018, Indias largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki stands at 8th position with exports of 38,363 units of Baleno. This is a downgrade for Baleno, as it was at 7th position in 2017 with exports of 40,012 units. Maruti recently revealed that they have plans to pump up exports to 10% of their total production. This means, if they achieve their aim of manufacturing 2 million cars in 2020, they plan to export 2 lakh cars a year  which would make them leader in car exports as well.

Its surprising to see that other leading home-grown car manufacturers such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have failed to make it to the most exported cars list. It clearly shows that Indian car manufacturers have an uphill task of making their products sellable in international markets.
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The official launching of the Maiden Samoa in collaboration with the Wellington Chocolate Factory was held yesterday at the Legends Cafe, Taumeasina. Maiden is an inspiration shared by Treena Atoa, Samoa, Kalala Mary Autagavaia, and Tiana Epati, NZ.

Basically, this is a collaboration with Wellington and it is a very good example of how we do business, Treena Atoa said. We get our local farmers to give us organic produce and we want to put that organic produce into a high-end market,

Its provides a good return for our farmers. The group of companies aims to encourage an ethical and organic food supply empowering farmers with the knowledge of where their goods are going. Through Maiden they can collaborate with ethical producers of healthy organic products.

One example is its collaboration with Chocolate Artisans The WCF, on their Koko Samoa Chocolate Bar.

Last week Wellington Chocolate Factory owner, Rochelle Harrison met the local farmers who have made it all possible with the supplies of the koko beans. Also joining Rochelle Harrison is Hayden Booker, founder of Vigour Vitality in New Zealand. Vigour Vitality produces nut butters and vegan milk.

Hayden is looking at a supply of organic coconut and other local nuts to collaborate on the production of a deliciously-inspired Samoan organic vegan food. Maiden is a new player in the export market and its focus is to link local farmers with high-end niche organic markets.
The series of cyclones hitting the country more often than in past decades, are threatening the coconut industry by increasing breeding sites for rhinoceros beetles.

The rhinoceros beetle is a major pest of the coconut tree in its Asian homeland and in the Pacific islands it has invaded including Samoa.

Concerns over the increasing level of infestation of the beetle were brought to the attention of the Director General of the Pacific Community (S.P.C.) Dr. Colin Tukuitonga.

It was one of several issues that Dr. Tukuitonga gathered from the government in his first visit to Samoa this week as the Director General of S.P.C.

During his meeting with the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi earlier this week, Dr. Tukuitonga. said the issue with the rhinoceros beetle was raised amid concerns about the revitalization of the coconut, the tree of life.

From 2014  2015, coconuts had contributed a hefty $5million in export revenue for the country.

Other programmess that were set up to revive the coconut industry included a stimulus package incentive scheme for the plant and also included cocoa and coffee.

On the business side of things, Women in Business Development Inc also has a long term village business plan with local farmers for Organic Virgin Coconut Oil selling the product to The Body Shop.

Much of the governments work through the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to revive coconuts aims to explore the untapped potential of coconut and its export market.

According to Dr. Tukuitonga there seems to be a genuine concern in Samoa about the beetle and its threat.

I dont know how widespread it is around the region but my colleague in Agriculture who is a specialist in this stuff, supports the Prime Ministers concerns, he said.

We think it relates to the cyclones and storms distributing this thing (beetle).

They have done some surveys but we need to do some work on it.

Dr. Tukuitonga pointed out that the level of infestation of the rhinoceros beetle used to be 15 percent in the 1990s. Its thought that cyclones that hit Samoa since 2003, have contributed to the return of the rhinoceros beetle which has more than doubled at 40% due to the high level of fallen coconuts and increased breeding sites.

I was unaware of this until the Prime Minister raised it. The Director General of S.P.C. assured everyone that the organisation will look at how big the problem is and that S.P.C. will look into it and see what they can do. Still in Agriculture, Dr. Tukuitonga said he was also asked about the possibilities of farming opportunities for the sea cucumber.

Interest in the sea cucumber was raised by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Laaulileuatea Polataivao Fosi.

Dr. Tukuitonga said sea cucumber is a highly valued product in Asia and farming trials are being done in Kiribati.

He added another meeting with the Minister on Thursday will further discuss the topic.
Students from the University of Utah in America visited Mapuifagalele Home of the Aged to offer their support in the form of resources and equipment yesterday.

The team was led by Samoan, Sam Atoa.

This is not the first we have visited the Home of the Aged and we hope to continue our support in the future, he said.

We love you all.

In thanking the team from Utah, Sister Sera acknowledged the support of the university.

We thank you so much for your endless support, she said.

May the Lord continue to bless you all and we wish you all well.

The donations included wheelchairs, pillows, bed wedges and a variety of health equipment.
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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/09/2016 -- Best Tax Attorney Lawyer, an online information resource has made it possible for users to find Best Tax Attorney In Tuscon so that users can get help when they need it the most.



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Pittsburgh, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/09/2016 -- "I've never had a breath of fresh air quite like this quartet of alternative rockers, Blue Moon Harem. I'm absolutely in awe with just about every aspect of this band, and even that could be an understatement." - Justyn Brodsky, Artist Reach Official



After years of extensive touring and constant performing, writing and recording, Jon Bix and Demetri Joannou, along with Blue Moon Harem bandmates, Steve Hart and Jose Pep Hernandez, have achieved national radio airplay chart success, twice! The popular Boston-area rock band's latest single releases, "Finland" and "Lie" are both in the Top 15 of the Digital Radio Tracker National Airplay Rock chart. "Finland," which has been charting for several months, is at #8, while their latest single release, "Lie" comes in at #12 . Other artists in the Top 20 include Disturbed, Foo Fighters, Halestorm and 3 Doors Down.



This is not the band's first taste of radio airplay success. During the mid nineties, Bix and Joannou previously collaborated on an album that received massive local Boston airplay and was featured three times on Harvey Warfield's famed "Boston Music Showcase." In more recent years Blue Moon Harem received airplay and performed live on "Bay State Rock," hosted by Carmelita, on terrestrial rock radio, WAAF. Blue Moon Harem was recently featured on legendary producer and Woodstock creator, Artie Kornfeld's national radio show. Upon hearing the band, Kornfeld said, "Within the first few bars, I knew this band was special. I want them for my show!"



With years of touring experience under their collective belts, Blue Moon Harem have performed a grueling schedule of dates, taking them from Massachusetts to Missouri; from Connecticut to the Carolinas; and through the Rust Belt of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The band has performed at legendary venues like the Hard Rock Cafe (Pittsburgh), Way Out Club (St. Louis), The Cove (Maryland) and Arts Armory (Somervile, MD) opening for Charlie Farren of Fahrenheit and Jon Butcher. Now, Blue Moon Harem is planning to capitalize on their radio airplay success, by hitting stages on the festival circuit, while landing opening slots for national touring headliners.



Blue Moon Harem has completed work on their next album, Deep Into Blue (Release Date TBD).



"Blue Moon Harem delivers a coherent, bittersweet mixture of upbeat rock songs and meaningful, heart-warming ballads that are all epitomized by the outstanding songwriting, musicianship and vocal talents of this band." - Rick Jamm, Jamsphere Magazine



For more information on Blue Moon Harem, please visit http://star1ent.com/blue-moon-harem or http://www.reverbnation.com/bmh.

http://www.facebook.com/bluemoonharem

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Watch a live performance of "My Bleeding Heart" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45rIBWdocg4



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MTS Management Group

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750 Cedarwood Drive

Pittsburgh, PA 15235
Armagh, Northern Ireland -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/09/2016 -- Carpet Tile Solutions LTD offers the best quality carpet tiles for unbeatable prices in UK. Carpet Tile Solutions LTD offers a range of high quality carpet tiles that match and exceed the expectations of their customer. The company recently announced that is will provide free delivery on 20 boxes of carpet orders, which will allow buyers to save on their purchase.



Carpet Tiles which are also known as Carpet squares are the most stylish and yet a convenient and modern alternative carpet rolls that are comparatively more difficult to install. Carpet Tiles are very easy to install; therefore, anyone can do it without the need for a professional. these carpet tiles come which an easy to follow installation instruction which are given behind each carpet tile that helps people to do it properly without any mistake. The direction is given according to the patterns and designs that are made on each carpet tile.



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Honolulu, HI -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/09/2016 -- Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or un-paid ("organic") search results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.



As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.



Webmasters and content providers began optimizing sites for search engines in the mid-1990s, as the first search engines were cataloging the early Web. Initially, all webmasters needed to do was to submit the address of a page, or URL, to the various engines which would send a "spider" to "crawl" that page, extract links to other pages from it, and return information found on the page to be indexed. The process involves a search engine spider downloading a page and storing it on the search engine's own server, where a second program, known as an indexer, extracts various information about the page, such as the words it contains and where these are located, as well as any weight for specific words, and all links the page contains, which are then placed into a scheduler for crawling at a later date.



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Vilnius, Lithuania -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/09/2016 -- Lipogems procedure and method is not old, and patients are reporting significant improvement, especially in terms of pain and inflammation.



After Lipogems procedure abroad, most patients report improved function, no more pain at night, ability to do gym exercises, going up and down stairs.



The added benefit for patients is that contrary to surgeries such as knee replacement, Lipogems procedure takes up to 1 hour to perform, and patients can go back home on the same day. Doctor may recommend a follow up consultation after a few weeks after the procedure, depending on the patient's condition before the procedure.



"We are seeing an increased interest in this procedure, especially Lipogems for knee, which has proven to give fantastic results. Physically active people and patients with inflammations or pains are choosing Lipogems procedure at Kardiolita Hospital as there are still many hospitals in Europe that do not do Lipogems, and our doctors are performing it daily" - says Andrius Jonutis, General Deputy Manager at Kardiolita Hospital - the leading private hospital in Vilnius, Lithuania.



Patient may feel some discomfort 1-2 weeks after the procedure as well as bruising - bruising is very common after Lipogems due to the nature of the procedure.



One of the greatest advantages of Lipogems is that the risk of infections is reduced to the absolute minimum - because fat cells taken from the patient's body are washed and micro-fermented in the same Lipogems system and then injected right into the problem area to repair and restructure damaged tissue.



Compared to most hospitals in Europe, Lipogems procedure cost is almost 2 times lower at Kardiolita Hospital in Vilnius, Lithuania.



For more information on Lipogems procedure, visit http://www.treatmentinlithuania.co.uk/lipogems.



All questions and enquiries are being responded to within hours, when sent to: http://www.treatmentinlithuania.co.uk/send-message.



Alternatively, please call +44 (0) 203 290 0070 to get all your questions answered.



About Kardiolita Hospital

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Scottsdale, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/09/2016 -- Speedticketbeaters.com has been providing speeding tickets defenses all over the USA, since 2004. And of course Colorado is one of the 50 U.S. states Speedticketbeaters.com specializes in. But what Colorado drivers don't know, is that Speedticketbeaters considers Colorado one of the easiest states to beat a speeding ticket in.



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Asias first dengue vaccination programme has been launched and is picking up steam in the Philippines despite misgivings in some local health quarters.

The Philippines became the first Asian country to license Sanofi Pasteurs dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, last 22 December, following Mexicos approval of the vaccine on December 11.

Dengvaxia is a tetravalent vaccine taken in three shots at six-month intervals and is recommended for individuals aged 9 to 45. The challenge with dengue is to develop a vaccine that is safe and effective against all four dengue strains. Dengvaxia is assessed to be 90 per cent effective.

Three Philippine government ministries  the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Education, and Department of Interior and Local Government  collaborated in a major launch of the vaccine in Metro Manila on 4 April. [1]

President Benigno Aquino III was also present when DOH secretary Janette Garin administered the injection on one of the first children to be vaccinated.

Questions about prequalification

The Philippines went ahead with the school-based mass vaccination programme even before it was prequalified by the WHO. Prequalification is a standard procedure by WHO to ensure that vaccines purchased by the UN and government procurement agencies are safe and effective.

This has led some medical doctors to raise doubts about the early launch of the mass vaccination programme. The doubting doctors include Teodoro Herbosa, former DOH undersecretary, and Anthony Leachon, board member of the Philippine Health Insurance (PhilHealth). They oppose the implementation of the DOHs 3-billion peso (US$64 million) mass immunisation programme without WHO prequalification.

However, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunisation has reviewed Dengvaxia (CYD-TDV) in April 2016 and recommended introduction of the vaccine in countries or places where dengue is endemic even while awaiting WHO prequalification.

One post-vaccination death reported

As of 24 April, the DOH has vaccinated 204,397 students in grade schools in the Manila metropolis, out of the 279,393 students whose parents have expressed consent to the vaccination. [3]

The DOH reported 362 cases of Adverse Event Following Immunisation (AEFI). This is medical jargon for side effects to the vaccine, which include fever, headache, dizziness, vomiting and rashes.

The percentage of students that developed side effects, however, is minuscule  less than one percent of the total number immunised.

The death of an 11-year-old boy was reported after his immunisation on 31 March although he was screened and assessed by a health doctor before vaccination. He developed fever and diarrhoea on 3 April. He was in and out of different hospitals following that, experiencing difficulty of breathing, fever and cough. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, severe congenital heart disease and electrolyte imbalance. On 11 April the patient had cardiac arrest.

The case was presented to the DOH National Adverse Event Following Immunization Committee for review, after which the committee said it was coincidental that the boy had cardiac arrest after immunisation.

WHO support

The WHO has endorsed the decision of the Philippines to go ahead with its dengue mass vaccination programme based on its own scientific appraisal of the clinical research that preceded adoption of the vaccine.

The WHO country representative in the Philippines, Gundo Weiler, said in a press conference, that they support the Philippine dengue vaccination programme. [4]

Weiler explained that WHOs Strategic Group of Experts on Immunization meets twice a year to vet new medical products like drugs and vaccines and advise WHO on what products to approve. The WHO formal prequalification guidelines and recommendations on the new dengue vaccine are expected to be released in May.

Dengue vaccine pioneers

The Philippines is the first country to implement dengue vaccination in schools and aims to immunise one million grade school children aged nine years and above in the next few years.

Dengue is highly endemic in the Philippines. It ranked first in highest dengue incidence in the Western Pacific region from 2013 to 2015.

There are some 400 million dengue virus infections globally each year. The Asia-Pacific region has the highest incidence of dengue in the world, accounting for more than 70 per cent of dengue cases. South-East Asia alone had an average of 2.9 million dengue cases and 5,906 deaths from 2000 to 2010. [5]

The Philippines has taken a bold step to try this new dengue vaccine in Asia on such a massive scale. It joins only two other countries so far, Mexico and Brazil in South America, in daring to be among the pioneers.

In the face of data that dramatise the dengue danger, Philippine health officials have decided it is worth taking the risk. The reward looks to be great  a defense against a disease that is not to be taken lightly. The next steps should be against the Zika and Ebola viruses.

Crispin Maslog is a Manila-based consultant for the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication. A former journalist, professor and environmental activist, he worked for the Press Foundation of Asia and the International Rice Research Institute.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets South-East Asia & Pacific desk.
Researchers have sequenced the genome of the cassava  enabling them to better understand the genetic basis the plants disease resistance, quality and crop maturity.

A research team in Kenya spent four years decoding the DNA, the genetic material, of the cassava plant, which is widely farmed and eaten across the tropics.

Cassava is the main food security crop of [Africa], so providing a high yield in poor soils with minimal water can be crucial when other crops fail. Morag Ferguson, IITA

The researchers identified the order of the genetic letters of 53 cultivated and wild cassava plant materials from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania  a process called genome sequencing. They also sequenced five cassava-related plants such as M. glaziovii and identified the genetic components of 268 African cassava varieties.



The study which started in 2012, was aimed at increasing the genomic resources for cassava, says Morag Ferguson, a co-author of the study and a molecular geneticist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kenya. The research was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology last month



The study includes 97 per cent of the estimated genes, Ferguson tells SciDev.Net. The large amount of DNA sequence information provides insights into the origin of cassava and resources for the improvement of cassava.

For example, the genome holds information on resistances to cassava brown streak disease, a devastating viral disease affecting cassava in southern, eastern and central Africa.



Sequence information, according to Ferguson, revealed that some disease-resistant cassava varieties in Tanzania, including Namikonga and Muzege, contain sections of genomes of M. glaziovii.



Cassava is the main food security crop of [Africa], so providing a high yield in poor soils with minimal water can be crucial when other crops fail, says Ferguson.

The study was conducted by researchers from countries as varied as Fiji, Kenya, Micronesia, Nigeria, Tanzania and United States.



Paul Kimani, a plant breeder from Kenyas University of Nairobi says the main contribution of the findings is a clear demonstration of the genetic relationships among the various species, including cultivated cassava, its wild relatives and others in the secondary or even tertiary gene pool.



What it does not do is link the genes with any economically important traits such as disease resistance, nutritional quality or agronomic traits, he says.



Kimani explains that because cassava breeders often have little genetic variety among their crop, an epidemic can easily cause severe damage, leading to rapid spread of diseases such as cassava mosaic disease and brown streak disease in Africa.

The key issue is whether the wild cassava has genes for economically important traits such as resistance to diseases, which can be transferred to commercial varieties, Kimani tells SciDev.Net.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
A biotech company in the United States was granted ethical permission to sign up 20 brain dead patients to test whether parts of their central nervous system can be brought back to life. It seems like the company has taken a page off of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein when they planned to regenerate the brains of people who are considered brain dead using a combination of stem cells and laser simulation.

The team who will do the tests hopes to see results within the first two to three months. According to Medical Daily, the outlook for those patients who are considered brain dead isn't too good at the moment. Although being brain dead and being in a vegetative state are often used one and the same, they are actually two different conditions.

The main difference is that those patients who are in a vegetative coma have a bigger chance of making a full recovery. We've seen it countless times: "Man awakes from seven-year coma feeling great" the Atlantic reported. Unfortunately, people who are brain dead don't wake up anymore. The phrase used stands for a complete and irreversible end to all brain functions and this is as serious as it sounds. Although there are patients who still have complete bodily functions like blood circulation, and food digestion even if they are already brain dead, there are those who will say that being brain dead is actually already being dead.

However, the team at Bioquark Inc. involved in the ReAnima Project thinks there may be a way to rewrite medical books and actually reverse what was thought to be irreversible. "This represents the first trial of its kind and another step towards the eventual reversal of death in our lifetime," Dr Ira Pastor, the CEO of Bioquark Inc, said. Pastor also said that they are coordinating with the hospital to identify those families which may have cause a medical or religious barrier to organ donation.

The Express Tribune mentioned that the trial will commence at the Anupam Hospital in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand India and will have participants who have been certified to be dead and will be kept alive through life support. They will be monitored using brain imaging equipment to check for signs of regeneration, specifically in the upper spinal cord, which is the lowest region of the brain stem that controls breathing and hearbeat. The trial will include a combination of therapies, such as injecting the brain with stem cells and a cocktail of peptides, as well as deploying lasers and nerve stimulation techniques that help bring patients out of comas.
DARPA's newest space shuttle will fly without a pilot, and will not go to space. People around the world have been following the progress of DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) as it works on XS-1 project.

DARPA calls its newest XS-1 project a 'space plane'. XS-1 will never enter orbit itself unlike the Space Shuttle, but rather rocket to the edge of space, boosting a payload the rest of the way into low Earth orbit as reported on Spectrum.

As soon as it releases the payload, XS-1 will then land like an airplane, refuel, and be ready to launch again on the following day. DARPA ideally DARPA prefers its space shuttle to be very reliable and reusable that it can fly ten times in matter of ten days. Because it is a drone, XS-1 will have no pilot.

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency has already wrapped up the first Phase of the XS-1project. DARPA partners with 3 industry teams: privately held Masten Space Systems, working with also-private XCOR Aerospace; Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) plus Virgin Galactic; and Boeing (NYSE:BA), working in collaboration with Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. These industries aided DARPA in exploring the technical feasibility of creating a space plane/space shuttle that is capable of delivering payloads to orbit at a cost of $5 million per flight according to a report on The Motley Fool.

During the Proposers Day held just the previous month, DARPA clarifies that it intends to award $140 million to the winner of the Phase 2 and 3 contracts.

The odds on the XS-1 competition are not actually easy. For instance, Boeing already possesses an unmanned vehicle capable of orbital flight: the X-37B drone space shuttle which is used for delivering military payloads to orbit. Nevertheless, the X-37B drone space shuttle is indeed highly classified. There is little knowledge on how much it actually costs or whether it will come close to DARPA's projected $5 million-per-mission price tag. Above all, being a true spaceship, X-37B does not exactly match the concept of a suborbital "space plane" as envisioned by DARPA.
Researchers from Stony Brook University and Baylor College of Medicine highlight some dangers in the use of herbal remedies. They said that the long-term use of herbal remedies has no guarantee of safety.

Science Daily reports that the study was published in EMBO Reports. It was led by Dr. Arthur P. Grollman, the distinguished professor of pharmacological sciences at Stony Brook University and Dr. Donald M. Marcus, a professor emeritus of medicine and immunology at Baylor College of Medicine. They cited that not all herbs are benign and at times they are deadly.

The researchers analyzed the plant Aristolochia. It is considered a medicinal plant since the ancient Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians and until the Early Modern era. It is also used as traditional Chinese medicine. This plant causes aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). This is a condition wherein you could experience renal failure, cancers of the urinary tract and intestinal nephritis.

In Taiwan, there were 8 million people exposed to herbals that contained Aristolochia, according to the national description database collected between 1997 and 2003. In the studies involving patients with renal failure and cancer in China and Taiwan showed that tens of millions of people in the said countries were at risk of AAN.

Furthermore, Marcus and Grollman stated that the recognition of Aristolochia profound carcinogenicity and toxicity in humans began in the early 1990s, when about 100 healthy Belgian women had acquired a chronic kidney disease that needed dialysis or renal transplantation, according to Discovery News.

So, if this plant is toxic, why was it that the dangers were not known earlier? Science Daily stated that almost all carcinogens and many toxins require a long period of time before the symptoms appear.

The authors said that other traditional medicines and herbals are responsible for harmful events in Asia and Africa. On the other hand, these cases lack epidemiological data.

They also emphasized that herbal remedies pose a global hazard. They persuaded the global health community to take actions that will assess short and long term safety. This includes the efficacy of botanical products produces in use.
Years after Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother's Day in the US, created the special holiday in 1908, she went mad on why she actually did.

It's all because after wanting to just honor her mom and inspire other children to do the same, entrepreneurs and business people capitalized on this special day. As a result, instead of just simply and sincerely remembering what their mothers do and did for them, Mother's Day is now a tradition of spending and expenses, just to "celebrate" their moms.

According to a news feature by NPR.org, the first Mother's Day was spent in May 1908, West Virginia. And to salute the woman behind the holiday, the Anna Jervis Museum director, Olive Ricketts had a discussion on how this started. Ricketts shared that Jarvis' mother commented that mothers needed at least a day of rest from all the motherhood tasks they do. As she recalls, "It really didn't mean that she wanted us to get gifts or to cook a dinner or be taken out to dinner. It just meant give us one day here to actually do absolutely nothing if we wanted to. And so she decided that this would be something that she could do to honor her mother by getting this day, but it would also be all mothers."

And that was why Jarvis initiated to author Mother's Day and also the reason that rooted her to despise why she did so, years after.

"First officially observed in 1908, it honored motherhood & family life at a time of rising feminist activism. An early supporter was John Wanamker, whose store stood opposite. Mother's Day was given federal recognition, 1914." These words can be seen displayed in a landmark in Philadelphia where Anna Jarvis was born and lived, says 6abc.

The initiative to honor mothers and women aound the world who work hard to keep their family without financial nor material pay, grew stronger in the times when feminist groups and struggles were arising.

However, capitalists always do their way to make profits in everything they see, and at this account, the innocent day for loving mothers. A few years after her creation, Anna Jarvis loathed how greeting card companies adopted her idea and started making people spend and buy things to celebrate this day.

This culture flourished to this day, where companies and businesses push to gain more profits during Mother's Day through guilting people that the more love they feel towards their mother, the more expensive their gifts and celebration should be. Thus, people should buy their specialized Mother's Day package, promo, item, or what have yous.

Anna Jarvis' mother would never approve of this insincere approach to thanking mothers. But, we salute our mothers, through however we could, anyways. In a lighter mood, see how Adam Conover of TruTV's "Adam Ruins Everything" explained Jarvis' dismay towards capitalists.
Nantong-based Huatai said the chemical tankers will be IMO2 rated, but other details of the newbuildings were not revealed, including the vessel sizes, delivery dates and contract prices.

The newbuilding contract was signed on Tuesday in Shanghai.

The latest contract followed Huatais earlier deal to construct four 1,400 teu boxships for another German shipowner Nordic Hamburg.
Tanjung Offshore will also pursue more downstream projects and support services around Petronas's Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (Rapid) project, reports quoted an industry source as saying.

This forms part of the group's strategy to diversify into related oil and gas businesses to widen its portfolio and increase profitability, he said.

Like many other O&G players, the current downturn in the sector has impacted Tanjung Offshore and as a result, there have been fewer projects amid higher competition which the source said has reduced margins and squeezed profits.
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Press Release

May 9, 2016 BONGBONG MARCOS' INTERNAL "QUICK-COUNT" TO HELP MONITOR ELECTIONS

Expresses Concern Over Numerous Cases of Malfunctioning VCMs Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. is closely watching the conduct of elections through his own "Quick-Count" center in his campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong. Arriving in Manila after casting his vote in Batac, Ilocos Norte, Marcos went straight to his campaign headquarters along Edsa in Mandaluyong City to oversee the preparations being made by monitoring center located at the building's fourth floor. Marcos, in a press briefing, said his own "quick-count" center will enable him and his team to closely monitor the elections and the election results. "The reason why we invited the media is for everyone to see that we have our own internal "quick-count" para mabilis ang aming nakikitang resulta at para talagang mabilis din ang pagkumpara sa Comelec (Commission on Elections) official results," he informed. Lawyer Amor Amorado, head of the BBM for VP "Quick-Count" center, who was present during the press briefing explained that raw data from the election returns will be given to the "Quick-Count" center by people from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) who are connected to a server. "We have people in the PPCRV who are connected to the Transparency Server who will give us raw data from the elections return from the VCMs," Amorado said. Amorado added that they likewise have volunteers in different parts of the Philippines who will give them real time elections results. Amorado also noted that they have divided the center into two groups - the Legal and Non-Legal teams. "We have the Legal and Non-Legal groups. Those manning the Non-Legal team are call center agents who will get the real time election results as they are transmitted from the field while the Legal team are Lawyers who will receive reports from all our 200 Lawyers nationwide on the provincial canvassing as well as in highly urbanized and independent component cities," he explained. He said the center is open 24/7 and will receive reports until they have gathered all pertinent data. Marcos, however, expressed alarm over the numerous reports of malfunctioning vote counting machines in many parts of the country. He said he has already instructed his team to investigate the breakdown of many VCMs. Amorado also expressed worry over the technical glitches saying it could pave the way for cheating. "As part of their protocol, the BEIs (Board of Elections Inspectors) let voters shade the ballots while waiting for the machines to be fixed with the BEIs being the ones to feed the ballots in the VCMs. This where the danger lies because the new machines can be pre-programmed already and so we have to call on all watchers from all parties to watch those replacement machines and watch out for those feeding the ballots because we might have serious problems," he cautioned. Marcos also took particular notice on voters having the same identification number. He however, refused to give more details pending their own investigation. "This is a serious concern and we are beginning to see, yung pare-parehong ID sa iba't-ibang botante. We are going to get more details on this and talk to the people complaining," he said. He then reiterated his call to all voters to exercise their right to vote and continue being patient despite the presence of many glitches in the voting. "Iboto ninyo kung sino ang gusto ninyo na lider at kahit maraming nababalitaang problema, ay dapat konting tiis at mag-antay tayo. Be patient, konting pasensya kasi importante na marinig ang boses ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino dito sa halalang ito," Marcos concluded.
Press Release

May 9, 2016 BONGBONG MARCOS URGES VOTERS TO GET OUT AND VOTE, SETS UP "QUICK-COUNT" NERVE CENTER TO MONITOR ELECTION RESULTS Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. today encouraged all registered voters to go out and exercise their right to choose the leaders they want for the country. "This is our way of changing the course of our country. We should not waste it." Marcos was one of the first voters who cast his vote at precinct 36A at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Valdez in Batac, Ilocos Norte. He then proceed to the Batac Church for a short prayer and then had breakfast with his family at the Batac mansion. He is scheduled to fly back to Manila to be at his campaign headquarters in Mandaluyong City midday. A "quick-count" action center has been set up in his campaign headquarters to monitor the conduct of elections and the election results. Marcos said his "quick-count" nerve center in his campaign headquarters will enable all his volunteers and supporters to report to him directly what is happening on the ground. "We will closely watch the developments. This is our own way of monitoring the conduct of elections as well as the elections results. We intend to actively participate in ensuring clean, honest and credible elections," he said. Marcos repeated his call to the public to be vigilant and take extra efforts to guard their votes. "We cannot overemphasize this to our voters. We all need to be involved in this endeavor because our future is at stake here," he said. "All those who want to report any irregularity in the voting should not hesitate to contact any of their watchers and volunteers for proper guidance and documentation." Marcos is reminding voters that discrepancies in the vote receipts should be reported immediately to the Board of Election Inspectors for proper documentation. "For any complaints, concerns and discrepancy please report to the BEI and the poll watchers. They may also contact our headquarters. We need to guard our votes, it is the only way to make sure that our true collective sentiments will be reflected in the final results," Marcos concluded.
Press Release

May 9, 2016 BONGBONG MARCOS CASTS VOTE EARLY IN ILOCOS NORTE,

REMAINS CONFIDENT OF VICTORY Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr. today cast his vote early in his home province of Ilocos Norte where he began his career in public service that prepared him to face the biggest challenge so far in his political career. Marcos was among the early voters, arriving shortly past 6:00 in the morning in his precinct at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Barangay Valdez, Batac City. Marcos, along with his mother, Ilocos Norte 2nd District Rep. Imelda R. Marcos, his sister Irene Araneta, and other members of the Marcos family are registered voters of Brgy. Lacub, Precinct No. 36-A. The Senator, who was no. 74 in the voter's list of the precinct, was the fifth voter to enter the polling place. He completed voting after a few minutes and when the ballot was inserted into the counting machine, it was processed without a hitch. "Ginawa ko lahat ng mga tinuturo natin sa voters. I made sure na na-shade ng mabuti lahat ng aking mga napili na ihahalal at tiningnan ko ng mabuti yung resibo at eksakto naman sa aking ibinoto, so wala namang problema," Marcos told reporters about his voting experience. After voting, Marcos proceeded to the nearby Immaculate Conception Church, where he joined his mother for a short prayer. "With the sentiment of vox populi, vox dei, I just ask that God's will be done because after all that's what an election should be about," he said when asked what he prayed for. Thereafter he proceeded to the Marcos mansion for breakfast with his mother. They were later joined by his wife, Atty. Louise Araneta Marcos, his eldest son Sandro--who voted separately in Laoag City---and his sisters Irene and Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos. With the huge number of voters and precincts involved, Marcos said some problems are expected to occur but he expressed hope that the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic have put in place measures to immediately address all kinds of problems. With his campaign done without any major problem and the warm reception of the people nationwide I espousing his message for national unity, Marcos reiterated he is confident of victory. "I'm feeling that by all indications we should be successful today," he told reporters in an ambush interview. Marcos said he remains confident he would win despite the fact that his camp continues to receive reports of massive vote-buying. He advised voters to take the money but vote for their candidates of choice. "Huwag ninyong pabayaan na mawala at matahimik ang inyong boses lalo na sa araw na ito. Huwag ninyong pabayaan na masawi ang tunay na ninanais ng ating mga kababayan para sa ating mga liders sa susunod na Administrasyon," said Marcos in a press briefing. Marcos said he is flying back to Manila to monitor the conduct of the elections and the counting of the votes in his campaign headquarters. "We have our own internal quick count that we have done in cooperation with several quick count networks. We have actually several quick counts in my headquarters alone. So that's what we'll be monitoring," said Marcos. Likewise, Marcos said his team will monitor the conduct of the elections through TV and radio broadcasts, as well as the posts in social media. "I'm hopeful that we are still going to have an orderly and honest election. I was watching the procedure very closely, palagay ko naman mauunawaan na madali ang proseso. So I hope kung ano yung nangyari sa akin yun din ang mangyayari sa mga bumoto, na simple lang, at hindi nagkaproblema," Marcos concluded.
Five activists who refused to eat for 17 days, along with hundreds of their supporters, plan to hold a general strike Monday at City Hall in their push for the removal of San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr, raising the specter of disrupted city business and renewed clashes between sheriffs deputies and protesters.

After more than two weeks of subsisting on chicken broth, coconut water and juice, the demonstrators known as the Frisco Five ended their hunger strike Saturday after being hospitalized for deteriorating health. The move came one day after 33 people were cited inside City Hall for allegedly trespassing and failing to follow dispersal orders.

If the five former hunger strikers  Ike Pinkston, 42; Edwin Lindo, 29; Sellassie Blackwell, 39; Maria Gutierrez, 66; and her son, Ilyich Sato, 42  make it to City Hall on Monday, it will be their second appearance there in less than a week. On Tuesday, in wheelchairs being pushed by UCSF medical students, they led a march from their encampment outside the Mission Police Station up to Mayor Ed Lees office before filling the chambers of a Board of Supervisors meeting, where city officials and protesters argued with one another until the latter group left the building.

The next evening, protesters brought their demands to a Police Commission meeting, delaying discussion on changes to use-of-force policies as the crowd chanted calls to fire Suhr.

In a phone call with the hunger strikers Thursday, Lee said that firing Suhr would not advance police reforms. The protesters said they told Lee they were committed to the hunger strike and that their blood would be on his hands should the police chief stay in office.

The Frisco Five said they suspended their hunger strike over the weekend after supporters urged them to eat and put their energy toward pressuring city officials to remove Suhr.

The whole San Francisco community took the step to demand the hunger strikers suspend their hunger strike so they can return to the front lines and help shape this movement and the pursuit of justice for the black and brown citizens of San Francisco, the groups spokeswoman wrote in a statement. They have decided to listen to the community that they love.

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.

Community demands for Suhrs removal came after the fatal police shooting of Mario Woods in December. Video footage of the shooting was captured and widely shared online, as was footage last month in the death of Luis Gongora, leading to allegations of excessive and unnecessary force. In both incidents, police said the men wielded knives and refused to drop them before they were shot.

More than 600 people said they plan to attend the general strike on the events Facebook page, whose organizers urged people to refrain from going to work or school and join them at the picket line beginning at 8 a.m.

A spokeswoman for the Sheriffs Department said she could not discuss Mondays protest. City Administrator Naomi Kelly said that destruction caused by Friday nights raucous crowd will cost thousands of dollars to fix and that, in the meantime, visitors to City Hall cannot use the main entrance on Polk Street.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
Mix pea-plant protein with algae and some serious science and heres what you get: shrimp  at least thats what one San Francisco startup is banking on with its new lab-made product it hopes to get on the market by early this year.

The company, New Wave Foods, is creating a line of scientifically constructed seafoods to take a step toward what it said is the future of worldwide food.

And the company isnt alone.

Handfuls of Bay Area startups, including Impossible Foods with its plant-blood based meatless burger and Solazyme with its range of algae-based food ingredients, are looking to use science to disrupt food production, taking the latest trend from down on the farm, to down in the lab  all in the name of more sustainable, healthy and ethical food products.

More of these companies seem to be popping up every week, said Kristen Rasmussen, a food science professor at UC Berkeley and faculty member of the Berkeley Food Institute. But, she added, its important to remember that they could just be filling the latest profitable niche.

I think we have to remember there is a lot of potential in the market right now with the demand for sustainable foods, she said. The companies may have good intentions, but the foods that are truly best for us are very perishable.

The companies insist their intentions lie within better future food products rather than cash.

New Wave Foods started in San Francisco in September after co-founders Jennifer Kaehms and Dominique Barnes became concerned about the countless numbers of sharks slaughtered each year for their fins  an important ingredient in the Asian delicacy shark fin soup.

Shark fin banned

California  among 10 other states  banned the sale of shark fin to help protect the animals, but shark fin soup is still popular, meaning the demand for shark fins is strong.

Kaehms, Barnes and another co-founder, Michelle Wolf, decided to use their scientific expertise to develop a replacement that would require fewer resources in the long-term, cut down on the mass killings of sharks and offer better nutrition.

Their product, which they call Smart Fin, is early in the development stages. It will be produced from yeast containing genetic material rewritten to produce strands of collagen. The idea, essentially, is to construct the shark fin in the lab, bypassing the shark.

First, though, the company is focusing on its plant-based shrimp product because that seafood item is eaten by more Americans than any other  an average of about 4 pounds per person per year, according to the National Fisheries Institute.

Shrimp has a large market, Kaehms said. It resonates better within the U.S.

Gabrielle Lurie/Special to The Chronicle

The company hasnt completely nailed down the process for how it will create its shrimp and was hesitant to share too many details. The co-founders said, however, that they achieved the perfect taste through the use of algae, which shrimp usually eat and bioaccumulate.

As far as nutrition is concerned, the co-founders said their products will be similar to the real thing, using natural ingredients but without any potential contaminants that live marine counterparts may carry with them.

Impossible Foods, a sustainable food company in Redwood City, got its start after former Stanford biologist Patrick Brown asked himself what he could do with his scientific training to make the world a better place. His conclusion: help people eat foods lower on the food chain, healthier foods and fewer animals.

Plant-based meats

Brown has spent the past 4 years scientifically developing plant-based meats and cheeses with the goal that they will actually satisfy meat-eaters compared with some of the products on the market.

Impossible Foods first product in development is a non-meat burger that is expected to hit the market in late 2016. The burger will be made from protein extracted out of a mix of produce found at the local farmers market  vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes.

It differs from the typical veggie burger in that it is constructed on a molecular level to emulate a meat burger, only in a more nutritious way. It takes the nutrition the cow would consume and turns it into the burger product, without any involvement from the cow.

Gabrielle Lurie/Special to The Chronicle

Weve deconstructed meat in molecular detail to understand how it is made from animals, so we can make the same thing using plants, said Brown in an e-mail. A cow creates meat from plants. We are essentially doing the same thing, but without the cow.

An important element will be the plant-blood part of the burger made from molecule heme, which is responsible for meats red color and meaty taste in this case, the heme is extracted from a protein found in the root of soybean plants, Brown said.

The greater the concentration of heme, the redder the meat  and the more meaty it tastes, Brown said.

Rather than trying to emulate traditional food items, another company, Solazyme, is looking to take a more ingredient-based approach, focusing on low-food chain, algae-based foods.

Sustainable products

The company in South San Francisco offers algae protein powder and algae lipids to food production companies to use in crackers, ice cream, bread and other products. It also offers algae oil (think olive oil or butter) for general use in the kitchen. These products, company officials said, are more sustainable and offer better nutrition compared with traditional ingredients, such as animal fats and oils.

Gabrielle Lurie/Special to The Chronicle

My hope is that algae  as natures first food  becomes just as obvious and ubiquitous as flour and sugar in your home, said company vice president Mark Brooks. It will simplify and clean up ingredients on processed foods and alleviate the strain on agriculture.

UC Berkeleys Rasmussen said she remains skeptical. She says the best way to eat for both health and sustainability is to rely on foods like simple fruits and vegetables.

I think there is a place at the table for these interesting, novel products, Rasmussen said, but I think we are jumping over way easier and simpler approaches, such as eating less meat and eating more fresh, whole foods.

Kevin Schultz is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kschultz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinEdSchultz
UCSF continues to acquire land in Dogpatch, despite repeated assurances to residents that it would focus growth on its 57-acre hospital and research campus in adjacent Mission Bay.

The university took residents of the San Francisco neighborhoods of Dogpatch and Potrero Hill by surprise late last month when it closed escrow on the Cal-Steam plumbing supply warehouse at 777 Mariposa. The sprawling structure occupies 36,000 square feet of land between Minnesota and Indiana streets, kitty-corner to the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay. As recently as January, UCSF leaders had assured residents that they had no plans to add to the Dogpatch footprint, neighbors said.

With this acquisition UCSF now owns two full blocks in the Dogpatch Historic District along Minnesota Street between Mariposa and 19th streets. The five properties total more than 4 acres. The university bought three of the properties  500, 566 and 600 Minnesota St.  in 2015. Another building that UCSF has owned for several years, 654 Minnesota St., houses the universitys server farm and police department.

In addition, UCSF recently announced plans to build a 150,000-square-foot facility at 2130 Third St. in Dogpatch to house the department of psychiatry and a new child, teen and family health center.

Heated meeting

With news of the Third Street development and the Cal-Steam purchase still fresh, Dogpatch Neighborhood Association members grilled UCSF administrators at a meeting Thursday night described as heated and contentious. Longtime resident Jared Doumani, who lives on Tennessee Street and has his painting business in a nearby warehouse, said he is committed to using political or legal means to stop, or at least slow, UCSFs incursion into Dogpatch.

There is going to have to be a fight to get them to realize that they cant autonomously come in and say, Were going to plop ourselves down anywhere we please, he said. Its simple: UCSF belongs in Mission Bay. It does not belong in Dogpatch.

UCSF Vice Chancellor Barbara French said the owner of 777 Mariposa St., a single-story concrete warehouse, approached school officials about selling the property. UCSF said it would honor Cal-Steams lease through its Dec. 31, 2018, term. French said there is no immediate plan for the property, but that UCSF is launching a review of its future space requirements.

This is a case where a property owner came to us and said, I want to sell, she said. The property is across from our medical center. We are mindful of the concerns of the neighborhood, but also mindful that property around our campus is in short supply. The Third Street parcel is being given to the school by an anonymous donor who is also funding a portion of the construction.

She said the Minnesota Street buildings were purchased for student housing, which the city has been encouraging. The residential buildings will accommodate about 800 students. She said the school plans to locate a grocery store on the ground floor.

A few years ago, UCSF began feeling the pinch of the housing crisis and began to identify solutions, French said. We have to do something, because its beginning to undercut our ability to recruit the best talent and the best students.

Evaluating any expansion

Supervisor Malia Cohen, who represents the area, said she finds it hard to believe that UCSF would buy the property without a plan for it.

UCSF needs a more comprehensive process about their expansion outside of Mission Bay, and they need to talk to stakeholders instead of land-banking property, Cohen said. No institution would acquire property without giving some thought to its use and what role it could play in its mission. The Dogpatch is not Mission Bay, and any expansion of UCSFs institutional uses needs to be closely evaluated and vetted.

UCSFs expansion comes as Dogpatch is undergoing an unprecedented construction boom. About 600 new housing units will be finished in the next 12 months and another 1,500 are in the pipeline.

The onslaught of new building is spurring complaints that the added population hasnt been accompanied by improved transit service or new open space. And while local zoning rules require developers to pay fees to help fund improvements to infrastructure, UCSF is exempt from those fees.

There is a concern that we will fall even further behind in the infrastructure needed for the neighborhood, said J.R. Eppler, president of Potrero Boosters. If a private developer purchased the property, we would have an idea of what to expect. With UCSF we have no clue.

Lou Vasquez is a partner with developer Build Inc, which has been working in Dogpatch for a decade and is putting up 116 rental units at 650 Indiana St., directly across from UCSFs newly acquired Minnesota Street properties. He said he sympathizes with fears that UCSF and an influx of new residents will overrun the delicate mix that makes the area so appealing. But he supports UCSFs efforts to create housing for its students, who will bring vitality to the streets and support local restaurants and shops.

In some ways its what the neighborhood has always feared, Vasquez said. But ultimately its a good thing. There is a big need for student housing. I just hope they recognize the need for ground-floor retail, something UCSF has not been so great at in Mission Bay.

Previous disputes

Neighborhood controversy is nothing new for UCSF. The university faced legal challenges to expanding its campuses both in Laurel Village and on Parnassus Avenue. As part of the University of California system, UCSF is not subject to local zoning or the planning approval process.

French said that there are no plans to buy more Dogpatch property, but that would look at opportunities as they arise.

John Loomis, an architect and professor of architecture at San Jose State University, said he is disappointed in UCSFs Dogpatch plans, in part because he is a fan of its Mission Bay campus, which he called holistic and wonderful.

They have a real mission drift when they are leaking into Dogpatch, Loomis said. They need to finish their core mission before they start leaking into other areas.
Those 133 new, high-tech electronic signs that have been staring blankly at motorists for months along Interstate 80 in the East Bay are about to be activated  but the $80 million price tag has some wondering if its a traffic fix or a boondoggle.

The phased rollout of the I-80 Smart Corridor project  with overhanging banks of lit green arrows and red Xs that look as if theyve been lifted from a game show  is scheduled for this month. Its the first step in creating a network of information-gathering sensors and cameras along the freeway, all aimed at alerting drivers to traffic snarls and easing congestion between the MacArthur Maze and Carquinez Bridge.

Its ranked No. 1 as the worst-congested corridor year after year and is carrying about 270,000 people a day, said Tess Lengyel, planning and policy deputy director of the Alameda County Transportation Commission.

The idea behind the project, which was largely funded by state transportation bonds and Alameda County taxpayers, is both to inform drivers of trouble ahead and let them know of alternative routes.

We cant expand any more, so we need to improve what the freeways can do, Lengyel said.

Not everyone, however, is cheering the idea. One transportation official, noting ubiquitous radio reports, websites and even apps that track traffic, called it $80 million to tell you what you already know.

Lengyel counters that the electronic sign network will offer more than passive media. For example, the system can alter speeds on 44 metered freeway on-ramps, much as metering lights control the flow onto the Bay Bridge.

The system will also be linked to traffic lights and electronic signs on nearby San Pablo Avenue to help direct overflow when there is an accident, construction or other bottleneck on I-80.

The goal is to have the whole package up and running by late July. The phased rollout is intended to keep a sudden deluge of flashing electronic information from confusing motorists and creating its own havoc.

As for why the signs have been sitting blank for the past 18 months?

It was a question of testing and fine-tuning the software, said Caltrans spokeswoman Ivy Morrison.

When the switch is finally flipped in a couple of weeks, all motorists will see at first is a message directing them to 80SmartCorridor.org to learn how the system works.

Lets hope they dont do it while driving.

Funny money: The bell has rung on the fight over control of the Democratic County Central Committee in San Francisco, with Chairwoman (and Mayor Ed Lee ally) Mary Jung raising questions about apparent mismanagement of funds by former chairman and current Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

In a letter last week, Jung called on Peskin to release information about a Democratic committee fundraising drive that was headed by his friend Michael Bornstein to fight Proposition 8, the initiative to outlaw same-sex marriage that state voters approved in 2008 and was subsequently tossed out by the courts.

The drive raised $300,000, but according to Jung, We can find no evidence or report that the money was actually used to overturn Prop. 8.

Instead, Jung said, The money simply enriched your allys for-profit company.

Peskin, who is among a slate of candidates seeking to depose Jung, called the charges a smear and just what you would expect from a real estate lobbyist.

But Jung, who handles government relations for the San Francisco Association of Realtors, is sticking by her guns. She says she wants the Democratic committees bank records made public.

For his part, Bornstein, who ran a political canvassing business, said, At no time did I personally financially profit from any of this work. In fact, I volunteered over 1,500 hours of uncompensated work time to support this effort and the work of our local party.

Whats really going on here?

The DCCC election has turned into a fight between moderates and progressives for control of the local Democratic apparatus, including its war chest  and the moderates want to raise questions about how Peskin and his allies will spend the money.

Last puff: As political plays go, the timing of Gov. Jerry Browns signing of the latest round of antismoking bills was a master stroke.

The bills  including measures raising the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21 and adding e-smokes to the tobacco hit list  sat on various statehouse desks for weeks without any action.

The concern was that if the bills were signed too soon, Big Tobacco would have time to gather signatures to land a referendum on the November ballot to repeal them all.

On the other hand, if the governor waited too long, the initiative clock would be reset  and Big Tobacco could move to put a referendum on the 2018 ballot, effectively keeping the new laws from going into effect for two years.

We hit it just at the right spot, said state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco.

The governor, however, did reject a bill allowing local taxation of tobacco products  which was the piece that would have really upset Big Tobacco.

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
All wars are fought twice, writes Viet Thanh Nguyen. The first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory.

Its a notion that Nguyen, born in Vietnam in 1971 and raised in San Jose, has been exploring throughout his writing life.

And now many are paying attention.

Last month, Nguyen won both the Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the Edgar Award (given by the Mystery Writers of America) for his debut novel, The Sympathizer, published last year by Grove Press. This month, Harvard University Press is releasing Nguyens nonfiction book Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War.

Nguyen, who teaches at the University of Southern California, spoke about his work at a recent standing-room-only event at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. He managed to be simultaneously deadly funny and deadly serious, with a presentation style that was ironic, direct, authentic and graceful. Appearing with him was his former UC Berkeley creative writing professor, the beloved author Maxine Hong Kingston.

In my class, I dont think that Viet said more than two words, Kingston said. And now, I can see that he is such a different person ... a writer with so much natural creative power. By looking at and through the truth, he comes out the other side.

Viets amazing feat is to help us remember that by looking historically at all sides of the truth, there is some hope not to go to war again.

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle

Nguyen said, Maxine was one of the very few Asian American writers being published when I was starting out. And she was a pioneer in the blending of genres. That was an important inspiration.

Nguyen said he deeply admires Kingston for her work in the peace movement. He emphasized the inseparability of his own writing and activism: Realism shows things the way we are, but Im interested in the way things should be and can be.

Nguyen says both his novel and nonfiction book grew out of an impulse to look at the underlying issues of war and the limiting idea that we have to choose sides  even after the war is supposedly behind us.

We cant get over the past until we recognize how militarism, racism and capitalism are tied together, he said. We still have the same nexus of problems. And in many ways, we are still fighting the same continuous war.

The Sympathizer, which Chronicle reviewer Thomas Chatterton Williams called powerful and evocative, centers on a double agent, an unnamed South Vietnamese captain who moves to the United States after the Vietnam War. In a skillful variation on the narrator of The Sympathizer, Nguyen opens the prologue of his nonfiction book, Nothing Ever Dies, by announcing: I was born in Vietnam but made in America.

The Sympathizer ends very pessimistically, and its very dark, said Kingston. But I think the new book goes to a very different place. There is so much hope.

In Nothing Ever Dies Nguyen uses the kaleidoscopic lenses of film, literature and art to examine as well as to shatter our familiar recollections.

In the U.S., Nguyen said, we lost the war in fact but won the war in memory. We can export our versions everywhere in the world, and that means we dont necessarily have to pay attention to the memories of others.

He challenges readers to acknowledge that their screen memories and secondhand memories have been powered by those who control a nationalist narrative: stereotyped visuals delivered via Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now and images such as Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the naked, napalmed girl running down a road in Nick Uts 1972 photograph. (Note that Nguyen makes a point of naming not only the photographer of that iconic moment, but also the unforgettable human subject.) While giving an ambitious overview of our burned-in memories of the war in Vietnam, he also meticulously includes discussion of lesser-explored traumas in Cambodia and Laos.

In Nothing Ever Dies, Nguyen aims his critical gaze toward the subjects of identity, power and trauma  individual as well as collective. He insists that in order to wrestle effectively with the troubling weight of the past, we must resist the temptations of amnesia, nostalgia and other constructed simplifications. Our only hope for peace depends on a commitment to expanding our conversation about war and speaking uncomfortable truths about a collaborative history.

Nguyens goal is to achieve a complex ethics of memory, a just memory. He strives both to remember ones own and others, while at the same time drawing attention to the life cycle of memories and their industrial production, how they are fashioned and forgotten, how they evolve and change. He closely studies the ways that genocide is commemorated through public monuments and sites, as well as through postwar art.

Typically we put a huge amount of effort into memorial spaces where we can gather, like in Washington, D.C., Nguyen said. Its important to do that, but there are so many places where terrible things have happened and have not been memorialized. One small step toward addressing the past is to acknowledge how, for example, with the history of slavery, the legacies of the past have left material inequities in the present.

In a chapter titled On the Inhumanities, he pairs graphic artist Art Spiegelman and his groundbreaking post-Holocaust book Maus with Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh, who creates art to address [Khmer Rouge death camp commandant] Duch, the genocide, and his personal experience of survival and witnessing most of his family die from starvation and illness.

Nguyen focuses on confronting the implications of our own dark potential.

These artists seem to return, again and again, to the scene of the crime in an effort to understand it, he writes. Since creativity can extend beyond national boundaries, Nguyen posits that art may offer a less polarized view of the past, enabling a path toward genuine reconciliation.

Still, even creative reflections on war may be inherently problematic. Discussing Maya Lins black wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Nguyen cites Lins own comments about the design: To some, I am not really an American. ... The feeling of being other has profoundly shaped my way of looking at the world  as if from a distance  a third person observer. Nguyen suggests that the walls power comes from its deep ambivalence about war and soldiers, who do not even appear personified as figures, faces, or bodies.

He adds this devastating observation from photographer Philip Jones Griffiths: Everyone should know one simple statistic: the Washington D.C. memorial to the American war dead is 150 yards long; if a similar monument were built with the same density of names of the Vietnamese who died in it, [it] would be nine miles long.

Nguyen writes about filmmaker Dang Nhat Minh, whose 2009 epic Dont Burn is based on the diary of a young North Vietnamese woman, an idealistic doctor who volunteered for war and was killed by American troops. Instead of telling only Dang Thuy Trams story, [the director] also depicted the story of the American officer who recovered her diary and brought it back to her family more than thirty years later.

Nguyen explains: The South Vietnamese soldier who first read her diary told his American superior, Dont burn it. Its already on fire.

Those who risk searching among the borderless embers and ashes of war will find much to learn in Nguyens pages, too.

Elizabeth Rosner is the author of three novels, most recently Electric City, and is working on a book of nonfiction titled Survivor Cafe.
As BART police Sgt. Michael Williamson made his usual rounds outside San Franciscos 16th Street Station one recent gray morning, amid scores of commuters who poured up the steps from the underground railway, a woman, barefoot and twitching, sat to the side of the entrance and pulled out a glass pipe.

Years ago, an officer might have searched the woman before taking her to jail for drug possession. By law, officers today still could. But law enforcement agencies in cities like San Francisco have begun shifting tactics when it comes to low-level narcotics offenses, viewing them more as a public health issue, driven by addiction rather than criminal intent.

Soon, San Francisco will see this change taken a step further. The Department of Public Health is working with the city and BART police forces, as well as the district attorney, the public defender and the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance, to launch a program that would see officers directly divert many drug offenders to treatment rather than arrest them.

Modeled on Seattle program

Though the details of the program must be solidified, it would be modeled after an initiative launched in Seattle in 2011 called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD. The Seattle effort has been lauded by the Obama administration and implemented in other cities, such as Santa Fe, N.M., and Albany, N.Y. The San Francisco program would be called Assistance Before Law Enforcement, or ABLE.

Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2016

Substance abuse and addiction is a brain disease, and it has a high chance of relapse, said Barbara Garcia, the citys director of health. Its like diabetes, not like a broken ankle  it takes constant care, and for many of our clients, its there for a lifetime. What we want to do is interrupt this behavior by making sure people get an offering of service. We want to make sure they have an opportunity to make a change, at a time when the police are getting more engaged in helping people get into services.

Under the programs, officers who have probable cause to cite or arrest people with drugs instead offer them an option to get treatment. In San Francisco, such people would be immediately taken to a Department of Public Health intake site, where they would work with case managers to create an individualized treatment plan.

If they chose treatment, and followed that path for a specified amount of time, the arrest or citation would go away. If they stopped complying, their case would be referred to the district attorneys office.

Where the program makes the biggest leap is by offering the treatment at the front end rather than at the end, said Public Defender Jeff Adachi.

He noted that many people who get arrested are held in jail for days or weeks, and make a series of court appearances, only to end up being ordered to an addiction program.

You start adding up the money, and you think, maybe treatment is a better alternative, Adachi said. If you offer that up front as opposed to 60 days later or 30 days later, it just makes sense.

San Francisco officials have spent the past few years studying the Seattle initiative and are still hammering out the logistics, such as determining which crimes would qualify. But the agencies involved have agreed to launch the pilot program in two areas known for high drug activity: the Tenderloin neighborhood and BARTs 16th Street Station.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

I think based on the experiences in Seattle, it is going to work very well, said District Attorney George Gascon. He pointed to a University of Washington study released last year that found program participants in Seattle had a 60 percent lower likelihood of getting arrested again over a six-month period.

A study by the same University of Washington team found that the cost of the Seattle program averaged $532 a month per person. While its not known how many people could qualify for the pilot program in San Francisco, Garcia said the city can handle them  and in any event it has the ability to add services if needed.

Many of these people are already in these services, she said.

Police express concerns

While the effort seems to be gaining support in San Francisco, some police advocates have concerns about such programs overwhelming officers.

Why is it always left to the police officers, who are already overburdened, over-scrutinized and underpaid, (to be) the court of last resort for every social ill that exists in San Francisco and beyond? said Jim Pasco, executive director of the national Fraternal Order of Police.

When we reach a desperation point, rather than saying we have to really buckle down and fix these really hard things, they say, Lets give the cops the authority to put them in a diversion program or cite them. Thats not the answer, he said. The answer is to keep them from being addicts in the first place. This is a Band-Aid. Its helpful, but its a mask over the failures of city government.

Martin Halloran, president of San Franciscos police union, said, We are closely watching the development of the policy and are keeping an open mind about it. San Francisco police officials could not be reached for interviews about the program.

BART Police Chief Kenton Rainey said he thinks the program will benefit the public as well as his officers.

In our stations, were constantly coming in contact with probably the same 30 or 40 people, Rainey said. It causes a drain on all our services, when youre dealing with the same person over and over and over again and everybody is just passing them along instead of treating what is really ailing them, not just the symptom. Why dont we treat the person if we can?

Laura Thomas, deputy state director of the Drug Policy Alliance in California, said it is time to stop putting police officers in the position of having to address a lot of our major social and economic problems without proper training or tools to make things better.

The war on drugs has been a very, very expensive mistake, Thomas said. Its ruined individuals lives, its torn families apart, and its destroyed communities through mass incarceration. I think the United States more broadly is having this realization that what we have been doing hasnt worked.

Reducing officers workload

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.

Williamson, the BART sergeant at the 16th Street Station, said he saw the program as a way to reduce the workload of officers who spend much of their shifts dealing with issues that often stem from drug abuse, such as fare evasion, panhandling and public urination.

He said it would be an extension of what he and his fellow officers are already doing. The BART officers based out of San Francisco, he said, are familiar with the two-block walk to the Mission Neighborhood Resource Center, where they often offer to escort people in crisis. They also hand out pamphlets to loitering homeless people in a bid to steer them toward resources.

Its a tough balance

And since 2012, Armando Sandoval, BARTs civilian crisis intervention training coordinator, has been helping officers. On a recent morning outside the 16th Street Station, he wore plain clothes as he and two officers approached a disheveled woman sitting on a bench, surrounded by bags.

Its a tough balance, Sandoval said. There is human decency that you want to bestow, but you have to consider the willingness, the capability, of the person youre trying to bestow that on. Officers have to be respectful of that. Were in a new era now.

He said each contact is important. If officers cant persuade someone to accept help one day, they may still build the trust needed to make a breakthrough later.

Think about it, Sandoval said. If one officer makes just one good, solid contact in one year  in a 200-plus agency, thats 200 contacts in one year.

When Williamson approached the barefoot woman with the glass pipe, it was not her breakthrough day. But for Williamson, that didnt matter.

The pipe was clean and had no residue in it. Williamson asked her how she was doing before gently reminding her that she couldnt use the pipe there.

You know to yell if you need something, he told the woman. All you have to do is ask.

I know, she said as she walked away. I know you.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
It might not look like it, but this page celebrated a nation-changing event.

The front page of the Daily Morning Chronicle, as it was then known, from May 9, 1869, covers the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, a monumental accomplishment in 19th century America.

The Golden Spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, but the excitement in San Francisco, Sacramento and across the country was fevered.

At ten oclock the Grand Marshal received a telegram from Governor (Leland) Stanford, informing him that the last spike had been driven at that hour, the story on The Chronicles front page read. The news soon spread among the excited multitude, and everybody was anxious to proceed with the celebration of the event.

And celebrate they did.

San Francisco appropriately celebrates the event, the headline read. That might be selling the jubilation a bit short. The Chronicle reported 100,000 people lit up the city that day, cheering the connection of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads.

The most surprising news about the completion of the railroad and the joining of East and West wasnt covered on the front page: The project was completed early and under budget.

(Click to enlarge)

See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspaper's history.

Chronicle Covers is a project that highlights one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken, art director Danielle Mollette-Parks, producer Michelle Devera and editorial assistant Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke
The Bay Area has the blues.

A third of Bay Area residents are thinking of leaving the region in the next few years, according to the results of the 2016 Bay Area Council poll. Housing costs, traffic and the growing cost of living are now so bad that residents dont believe the future will be brighter. A whopping 83 percent of residents dont believe that traffic will improve.

Only 40 percent of residents believe the region is headed in the right direction.

Even the economy  long the Bay Areas overwhelming bright spot  has residents feeling skeptical. More residents than not believe that the Bay Area will suffer a significant economic downturn in the near future, with 37 percent saying it will happen in the next three years and 15 percent expecting it in the next 3 to 5 years.

The gloomy results are a marked contrast to previous years. In 2015, 55 percent of the Bay Areas residents believed that the region was heading in the right direction. In 2014, 57 percent believed that to be the case.

No more.

The state of California One-third ponder leaving Bay Area amid costs, congestion

The culprits behind all of this bad feeling are familiar: housing access and affordability, gridlock, and rising costs for everything from groceries to parking. But as the poll shows, the social, financial and emotional toll of these things has obviously grown heavier over the past year.

This is an understandable reaction to decades of failing to keep pace even minimally with the Bay Areas housing needs and the transportation to support it, said Jim Wunderman, Bay Area Council president and chief executive officer, in a statement.

The council has persistently pushed for the Bay Area to build more high-density housing and invest in its mass transit options.

Those are the two elements that will, in time, ease the Bay Areas housing crisis and its traffic gridlock.

But there are still too many communities in the Bay Area firmly opposed to high-density housing construction, and new mass transit projects require long time frames and high costs.

The San Francisco Bay Area Renters Federation recently sued the city of Lafayette for scrapping a high-density housing plan in favor of a far smaller number of single-family homes. The organizations legal case may fail, but its certainly provoked a lot of discussion about which cities in the Bay Area are doing their fair share to alleviate the regions problems.

Even cities that generally agree on the need for more housing construction, like San Francisco, disagree about how to make that housing more affordable.

The result of these expensive arguments is more inaction and more gridlock. And as the councils poll shows, everyone suffers.
Republican Assemblywoman Catharine Baker has a bulls-eye on her back.

As the Bay Areas only Republican lawmaker  Assembly, state Senate or Congress  the Dublin attorney is the prime target for California Democrats looking to make her 2014 election a one-time aberration.

Baker, 45, is confident her bipartisan approach to legislating fits her suburban district, which stretches from Walnut Creek and Lafayette to Pleasanton and Livermore.

Ive got a different approach, she said in an interview. Im willing to work outside party lines.

But Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio, a 61-year-old former Pleasanton city councilwoman, argues that Bakers record as a GOP legislator speaks for itself. The districts residents want a lawmaker who will be aligned with them on important issues, she said, someone who will stand up for education and womans health care.

Cook-Kallio, who is retired from teaching government and U.S. history at Irvington High School in Fremont, says public service has always been important to her.

Ive taught thousands of kids to get active and involved in the community, she said. There are quality-of-life issues (in the district). ... I want to provide services.

Contentious campaign

As a former teacher, Cook-Kallio said education issues are a priority. On Democrat-backed efforts to provide preschool for all California 4-year-olds, its a case of pay now or pay later, because children from low-income families who dont attend preschool are instantly behind children who do.

Baker clings close to what she calls her record as a bipartisan problem solver, willing to work with Republicans or Democrats.

She stands with the Legislatures Republicans in backing Gov. Jerry Browns call to put more money into paying down state debt and into Californias rainy-day fund to ease the pain of any future economic downturn.

We know things are going to go south someday so we need to shore up state finances now, Baker said. We cant spend money on long-term obligations.

But she broke with many GOP leaders when she backed a tax increase on managed care health organizations, saying it was needed to qualify for more than $1 billion in federal money for health care for the states poor.

The contest already is shaping up as one of the states most contentious legislative races.

Only days after being sworn in as Assembly speaker, Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County), said that taking back Bakers 16th District seat was the Democrats top priority and that the party would give Cook-Kallio all the support she needs.

Wide early lead in finances

That could be an expensive promise. When Baker beat Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti two years ago, it was one of the most expensive legislative contests in the state, with outside groups pouring millions into the race.

By the time the final results were in, Baker and her backers had spent about $3 million, while the effort for Sbranti, a teacher and union official, had collected about $5.7 million.

Baker has a wide early lead in the money race, with $750,000 in the bank as of April 23, the cutoff date for the most recent state campaign finance report. Her donors include businesses such as Anheuser-Busch, 7-Eleven and Edison International, and political action committees for groups such as the California Apartment Association, Western Growers and the California Restaurant Association.

Her campaign also has collected checks from groups in the construction industry, including Associated General Contractors, Ponderosa Homes, the California Mortgage Bankers Association and the Northern California carpenters union.

Cook-Kallio has about $129,000 cash on hand, with much of her money coming from unions and Democratic officeholders. Already, 14 Assembly Democrats have given $4,200 each to her campaign while the California Nurses Association, the California Teachers Association, the Alameda Labor Council and a number of public employee unions also have chipped in.

With only two candidates in the race, both Baker and Cook-Kallio have guaranteed slots on the November ballot, but that doesnt mean theyre taking the primary lightly. The June vote will provide a snapshot of where the districts voters stand, letting each campaign  and their deep-pocketed supporters  see what needs to be done in the fall.

I hope to do as well as possible in June, Cook-Kallio said. Im pleased with the support I already have.

Constituents more moderate

State party leaders, though, are already looking ahead to November, when they expect the anticipated Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump presidential matchup at the top of the ticket to bring Democrats out in droves.

Baker knows Democrats hold a 39 to 31 percent registration edge in her district, but argues that the voters are anything but the hard-core partisans found elsewhere in the East Bay.

What happens in June is important, she said. Im working my tail off. If I dont do well, it will make my job harder in November.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
The reason marijuana might actually be legalized for adult recreational use in California this November is because professionals  not stoners  are running the campaign this time.

This crew is so straight that the wackiest guy to speak at the campaigns kickoff event the other day in San Francisco was Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican from Orange County who used to be a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan.

Yet even though the 68-year-old Rohrabacher told me he hasnt fired up since he was 23, it sounded as if he might have caught some secondhand smoke out on Post Street when he compared the fight to legalize marijuana to Reagan going to Germany and telling Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down that wall.

Today, I think were sending the message that the walls of cannabis prohibition and this tyranny that our people have faced are coming down, Rohrabacher said. Join us in tearing down this wall.

Softening on legalization

Theres an even bigger wall that supporters of legalization need to scale. Its the wall surrounding churches in many African American and Latino communities. Getting over that wall will be one of the keys to winning the legalization campaign being steered by a combination of political pros and longtime advocates.

Six years ago, when California NAACP Chairwoman Alice Huffman was one of the few black leaders to support the failed Proposition 19 legalization measure, she couldnt even get inside African American churches to talk about the issue. A group of black leaders led by a Sacramento pastor called for her ouster, as they wondered why would the state NAACP advocate for blacks to stay high? Their opposition closed many church doors to Huffman and other legalization advocates.

They thought I was crazy, Huffman told me the other day.

Church leaders told her marijuana was a gateway to harder drugs (not true) and blamed much of the violence in their communities on weed.

I understand that theyre fearful. They see people die. They see people incarcerated, Huffman said. But what they were doing was miseducating a lot of people about cannabis.

She and others have spent the past few years explaining how African Americans are nearly four times as likely (and Latinos 2.5 times) to to be arrested for drug use and possession.

Slowly, over the past few years, Huffman and others say there has been what they call a softening on legalization. With everyone from Black Lives Matter supporters to presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders now talking about mass incarceration and the federal governments failed war on drugs, more people are willing to at least listen to arguments in favor of legalizing weed.

I say regulating, Huffman corrects, because legalizing is too hard for them to hear. It makes the fear factor come forth.

Drug wars long-term effects

Now, roughly a dozen pastors statewide are actually supporting the legalization campaign.

I hear a whole lot of people say, The war on drugs destroyed our community  they werent saying that in 2010, Huffman said. We felt like weve educated them  to a point.

Huffman said church leaders still might not come right and say, Oh, were with you, we love you, were on board. But thats not what I want. What I want is for them not to miseducate their members, so that they can make their own choice. I just want them to say, Well pass this on to our members. And thats been real progress.

The challenge is harder in Latino religious communities. The Catholic Church, influential in the Latino community, opposed Prop. 19. Some legalization advocates remember seeing priests in East Los Angeles handing out anti-Prop. 19 leaflets six years ago. And its more difficult for advocates to tap into their Pentecostal and evangelical churches, which arent networked to the degree African American churches are.

Now, theres hope that the Catholic Church will remain neutral on this years Adult Use of Marijuana Act, said Armando Gudino, who organizes in the Latino community for the Drug Policy Alliance. He hears from parents who are comforted seeing that teen marijuana use remained flat in Colorado after that state legalized weed.

People in the Latino community are realizing that the war on drugs is creating more harm in their community than legalization would, Gudino said. You can be caught with a joint  and living here with a green card for 30 years  and be deported.

Unusual coalition

People also see how mass incarceration is hurting their community, he said. Once you start that conversation, youre just a few sentences away from legalization.

Huffman is feeling confident that if church communities continue to soften, legalization could pass  with the help of what she called one of the most unusual coalitions Ive ever been a part of. Youd never get me up there with that Republican guy on anything else.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
When Bay Area parents Kyson and Sara Dana alerted a flight attendant of their son's severe peanut allergy, they found themselves kicked off the plane.

After the incident on May 2, the couple took to social media to raise awareness of the struggles faced by kids who can be thrown into anaphylactic shock by merely inhaling the smallest amount of nut dust.

After boarding an Allegiant flight from Provo, Utah, to Oakland, the Danas asked a flight attendant if peanuts could not be served in the seating area surrounding them. The attendant refused the request, and Kyson told ABC News 7, they decided to stay on the flight despite the airline's decision.

But the flight attendant returned shortly thereafter and told the family they couldn't stay on the plane.

Kyson took to Facebook to share his frustration: "The flight attendant then causes a huge scene and KICKS US OFF the plane! Who does that? No accommodations offered, no refund, and now no plane. Ever heard of worse customer service????"

Kyson told ABC News 7 that responses to his post were mixed. While some were supportive, others accused him of being an overprotective helicopter parent.

This story is familiar for families of children with severe nut allergies as airline policies around this issue are inconsistent. Airlines aren't legally required to ban nuts from flights and so decisions are left to the discretion of the individual airlines, and often it comes down to the flight crew.

Some airlines are more willing to accommodate a request. Jet Blue, for example, invites passengers to note their allergies in their reservation online, so crew members know to accommodate them. Their policy, outlined online, "is to create a buffer zone for nut consumption one row in front of and one row behind the customer with the allergy. The customers in these rows will be asked to not consume any nuts during the flight."

Allegiant, on the other hand, states on its website that it "does not guarantee an allergen-free flight. Upon request, Allegiant will attempt to re-seat a passenger affected by an allergy in an effort to minimize the passenger's exposure to the allergen."

In the case of the Dana family, a statement from Allegiant said that when the in-flight crew learned of the child's allergy, a call was made to a third-party organization that advises Allegiant and other carriers when making decisions about the safety of passengers with potential medical issues onboard an aircraft.

"The third party organization, which includes on-call medical doctors available to provide guidance, advised that the family not fly on that specific flight," the statement read.

Allegiant went on to put the Dana family on another flight, which got them home a few hours later. The airline also issued an apology, but the parents still feel they were treated unfairly.

"Although these gestures are appreciated, their previous actions to remove us from the plane were discriminatory and inappropriate and they need to be held responsible for them," Kyson wrote in an update to his Facebook message. "A child should never be discriminated against or mistreated because of a health condition that they have no control over."

The Danas are hoping their situation will encourage airlines to do more to accommodate people with nut allergies.

Tyson wrote on Facebook on May 6:

This episode opens up a discussion for how Airlines and the Department of Transportation should treat those with allergies in general. Despite many efforts from activists and concerned parents, no court has ever made a decision for how airlines should treat those with nut allergies (which 15 million people in the US suffer from). They've made laws regarding allergies in schools in order to protect children but the airline industry has remained exempt from any sort of regulation. The incident that we experienced is an act of discrimination. What they did could possibly be considered illegal. With the serious rise in the number of children who suffer from severe allergies, we hope that our experience can be leveraged to instigate a change in airline policy, and hopefully in federal policy.
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About 150 activists circled the sidewalk in front of San Francisco City Hall for hours Monday, once again demanding Police Chief Greg Suhr step down over recent officer-involved shootings and a slew of racist and homophobic text messages exchanged among officers.

Members of the so-called Frisco Five, the group that held a 17-day hunger strike, were still in the hospital and getting reaccustomed to food. Their supporters, many in the Justice for Alex Nieto group, held the demonstration in their absence.

This is excellent, Ben Bac Sierra, 44, one of the protest organizers, said of the turnout. Some will come and go, but the spirit and momentum out here is beautiful.

Mondays protest came after 33 demonstrators were arrested Friday night when they clashed with sheriffs deputies who forced them to clear out of the rotunda of City Hall when they refused to disperse. The late-night rally caused thousands of dollars in damage to the building, officials said.

Bac Sierra  whose friend Nieto was fatally shot by four San Francisco police officers in Bernal Heights Park in 2014  said Mondays strike proves his spirit is living on. Many came clad in red and black clothing, which Nieto wore the day he died.

Nietos parents, Refugio and Elvira, helped lead the protest, saying they were hopeful that continuing demonstrations would advance justice for their son and others who have been shot and killed by San Francisco police. In March, a federal jury rejected the Nieto familys civil rights lawsuit, finding the officers who shot Nieto did not use excessive force after he allegedly pointed a stun gun at them.

Were not tired at all, said Elvira Nieto. You have to have energy to support the struggle.

The Police Department released a statement reiterating that Suhr will not resign because he wants to see the implementation of department reforms being worked on by him, the mayors office and the Department of Justice. Mayor Ed Lee has said he has no plans to fire Suhr.

Mondays protest was the latest in a series of demonstrations calling for Suhrs job since the fatal shooting of Mario Woods on Dec. 2. Tensions between the police and the community flared again last month when Luis Gongora was killed at a homeless encampment after he, like Woods, allegedly refused to drop a knife.

A group of UCSF medical students, calling deaths of black and Latino people by police a public health crisis, opted to skip their morning lecture to participate in the protest.

Policing is a very complex profession, said first-year medical student Johanna Glaser. But a disproportionate amount of violence falls on black and brown lives.

Protesters picketed on the sidewalk outside the front and back entrances to City Hall, marching in a circle and shouting chants and songs demanding the police chief be fired. About noon, they marched around City Halls perimeter 17 times to symbolize the number of days hunger strikers refused to eat.

Inside the building, voters had their first opportunity Monday to cast a ballot in the state primary. Some poll workers were concerned the demonstration would discourage voters from going to City Hall to vote, but they werent sure by how much and said they hadnt gotten any complaints.

Some parents, like San Francisco resident Annie Bacon, brought their young children to the protest, giving them permission to skip school. Bacon said that she was trying to explain police brutality to her 4-year-old son, Dash, and that coming to City Hall was part of his education.

My little white kid is protected in a way these kids arent, she said. And so its our privilege to be out here and say our lives dont matter more than black and brown lives.

The front steps of City Hall were barricaded by sheriffs deputies, but city officials said it was because they needed to repair damage from Friday nights protest.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
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A Bay Area robotics startup plans to use drones to deliver vaccines and blood for transfusions to hard-to-reach areas of Rwanda  with some help from UPS.

The shipping giants charitable organization, the UPS Foundation, has awarded an $800,000 grant to Zipline International of Half Moon Bay and vaccine distribution organization Gavi to start the drone project in July. The companies announced the partnership Monday.

With drones, it does not matter if there are washed out roads, washed out bridges, jungles or mountains in the way, Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo told reporters Thursday before demonstrating how the companys computer-controlled drones take off, drop packages by parachute and return.

Amazon, Walmart and Google have generated attention-grabbing headlines and a fair amount of skepticism by announcing plans to use hovering quadcopter drones to deliver packages to customers.

But the 2-year-old Zipline is quietly building a fleet of fixed-wing, airplane-style drones that can fly to remote locations in countries where motorcycle or truck deliveries can be difficult.

Ziplines first customer is the Rwandan government, which seeks as many as 150 deliveries per day of blood to transfusion facilities in the East African country.

Rinaudo said he and his co-founders switched from their original idea of building cool consumer robots when they discovered a loftier purpose during a trip to a medical center in Tanzania.

In the same way that mobile phones were able to leapfrog the existence of landlines in these countries, we think that this technology can leapfrog the absence of roads, Rinaudo said. And if its something that people are depending on (for) their lives, we need to get it there. And if we can do so cost-effectively, why on earth wouldnt we?

The 22-pound drones can carry a payload of up to 3 pounds. Zipline uses pneumatic launch ramps to fire the drones aloft. The battery-powered craft can fly as fast as 75 mph with a range of about 93 miles round trip.

Guidance system

Zipline is designing its own guidance system. When personnel at one of 21 participating Rwandan clinics texts a blood request in the field, the system logs the GPS coordinates and prints a delivery box label with a scannable code that programs the drones flight plan.

The drone flies about 300 to 400 feet above the ground in a straight line toward the drop-off spot. When it nears the destination, the drone circles the area to calibrate wind conditions so it can drop the package within a designated spot about the size of four parking spaces. Each package comes equipped with a parachute.

The drone then returns to the launch site, where workers can monitor the flight using tablets.

Drones are controversial in the United States, because operators have flown too close to commercial aircraft. But the skies above Rwanda are not as crowded. Zipline will coordinate with the countrys civil aviation authority to steer pilots clear.

The flights will start with blood transfusions. Zipline noted that Africa has the highest rate of death from postpartum hemorrhaging. The system will also be used to deliver vaccines, which are usually needed in a short time frame.

Rabies vaccines, for example, need such a just-in-time delivery system, said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private group started by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The challenge with rabies is that you dont know when somebody is going to get bit by a rabid dog, Berkley said. Once somebody gets bitten, its a race between the time the virus goes from the bite and makes its way up the nervous system.

Berkley said the system, which can be deployed quickly using equipment stored in standard shipping containers, could be used to reach areas where medical workers in the past have risked their own lives, either from catching a disease like Ebola or by getting killed in a local conflict.

I hope in the future we can use technology to not have to ask those people to give their lives for the cause, Rinaudo said.

This isnt the first time drones have been used for humanitarian purposes.

The Syria Airlift Project also used fixed-wing drones to deliver food and medicine to that war-torn country but suspended operations in December when funding dried up.

UPS competitor DHL last year began delivering medicine to a remote island in the North Sea. However, DHL also had to cancel a demonstration of its quadcopter for reporters because of bad weather.

Zipline chose a plane-style drone because its better able to survive severe weather conditions than a quadcopter.

People dont wait for good weather to get sick or have a medical emergency, Rinaudo said.

Zipline  which has funding from investors including Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, SV Angel and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang  plans to build 55 drones in the next five months.

The company allowed reporters access to its testing facility, but required that its drone landing system be kept secret to keep potential competitors in the dark.

Other efforts

If the pilot project proves successful, Ziplines system could be used in public health efforts in other countries.

UPS Foundation President Eduardo Martinez said UPS will also lend its shipping and warehousing expertise to the project.

All of that is needed whether youre in a sudden-onset disaster or whether you have an ongoing emergency like we have with the Syrian refugees, he said.

When asked if UPS could use Ziplines experience to build a commercial version for consumer deliveries, he said it would serve as a learning process.

We do it not only because its the right moral thing to do, but these are our communities too, these are our future markets of tomorrow, Martinez said. Our vision is to look beyond Rwanda.

Benny Evangelista is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: bevangelista@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChronicleBenny
Fending off an unsolicited takeover by the owner of USA Today, Chicagos Tribune Publishing has adopted a shareholder rights plan, better known as a poison pill.

Gannett offered to buy Tribune Publishing last month for more than $388 million. Tribune rejected the offer last week, saying the price was too low. The company owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and a number of other newspapers.
Uber and Lyft on Monday suspended their ride-hailing services in Austin, Texas, after voters decided against overturning city requirements that include fingerprinting their drivers.

But after Saturdays vote, a lawmaker who is a supporter of ride-hailing said that when the Texas Legislature reconvenes next year it will consider establishing statewide regulations for ride-hailing companies that will aim to be consistent and predictable.

It has become increasingly clear that Texas ridesharing companies can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anticompetitive regulations, Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown told the Houston Chronicle on Sunday. As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition.

The Austin American-Statesman reported nearly 56 percent of voters rejected a proposition Saturday that would have repealed rules the Austin City Council approved in December.

Under the rules, drivers must undergo fingerprint-based background checks by Feb. 1, 2017. Uber and Lyft prefer name-based checks. The citys ordinance also prohibits drivers from stopping in traffic lanes for passenger drop-offs and pickups, requires trade dress to identify vehicles for hire and imposes a variety of data reporting requirements.

The fingerprinting question was the key fight in the campaign. Uber and Lyft had poured nearly $9 million into their campaign to overturn the rules.

Advocates for fingerprinting said its the best way to weed out drivers with criminal records. Ride-hailing companies have said their background checks suffice and that fingerprint databases can be out of date. Fingerprinting can also slow down the process of quickly adding new drivers.

Austin appeared to be the chosen battleground for ride-hailing companies that are facing similar restrictions in major cities across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

Houston imposed its own rules requiring fingerprint background checks 18 months ago, prompting Lyft to leave the city. Uber stayed, but its general manager recently wrote a letter to the Houston City Council saying it would ultimately leave if the regulations were not repealed.

In Iowa on Monday, Gov. Terry Branstad signed a bill into law that creates new statewide rules for ride-hailing companies to do business there. The law establishes a regulatory system that will require liability insurance for vehicles, add name-based background checks for drivers and change licensing expectations. State regulators would also have the authority to ensure compliance.

Branstad acknowledged the bill started off as a difficult, contentious issue but later received unanimous support in the state House and Senate.

The new law in Iowa mirrors similar legislation enacted in more than two dozen other states, said Sagar Shah, a general manager for Uber. Shah acknowledged some states and communities have challenged proposed legislation.

A lot of states are still understanding the new industry, and a lot of education is continuing to go on, Shah said.

Schwertner was among several state lawmakers to decry Saturdays vote in Austin.

Local control turns to local tyranny again in Austin, tweeted Republican state Rep. Matt Rinaldi of Irving. #txlege needs to intervene.
Carrying a loaded gun without a license is illegal in California even if the weapon is tucked inside a backpack, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday.

In a unanimous ruling Monday, the court allowed prosecutors to charge a man with violating Californias open-carry law by carrying a loaded revolver that police said they found in his backpack.

The law makes it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, to carry a loaded gun on the person or in a vehicle while in any public place. It was passed nearly five decades ago to plug a hole in state firearms laws after members of the recently formed Black Panthers began conducting cop watch patrols of Oakland neighborhoods while openly carrying guns. At the time, state law did not prohibit the activity. About 30 armed Panthers showed up at the state Capitol in May 1967 to protest the pending legislation.

California also prohibits carrying a concealed handgun outside the home without a license issued by the police chief or the county sheriff, licenses that are unavailable in most populous areas of the state except to police and security guards. A federal appeals court is reviewing a constitutional challenge to that law.

Mondays case dates from February 2014, when Steven Wade was arrested after Los Angeles police found a loaded revolver in a backpack that he had been carrying and tossed away as officers chased him.

He was charged with a felony because the gun was unregistered, but a judge dismissed the open-carry charge, relying on a state appeals court ruling in 2013 that dismissed charges of carrying weaponized knives that police had found in a defendants backpack.

The states high court said the ruling on knives didnt apply to Wades case. For one thing, Justice Ming Chin said in the 7-0 decision, the defendant in the knife case was leaning on the closed backpack, while Wade was carrying his pack. For another, the court in the 2013 case observed that knives can be used in such lawful pursuits as fishing, hunting, camping, picknicking and the like, a rationale that Chin said doesnt apply to guns.

More fundamentally, Chin said, the law was intended to address the dangers posed by those with control over and ready access to loaded guns in public, whether the gun is in a zippered pocket or a backpack.

Wades lawyer, David Polsky, disagreed with the ruling. The history of the law, and particularly its connection with the Black Panther activities, shows that what the Legislature was really targeting was the open carrying of loaded firearms in public, he said.

But Deputy District Attorney Scott Collins, who represented the prosecution, said California courts have recognized that the goal of all firearms laws was simply to enhance public safety.

The case is People vs. Wade, S224599.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
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Lokita Carter lost her composure just once Monday as she testified against a pair of young drifters accused of shooting and killing her husband as he hiked along a Marin County trail last year with his dog.

At the outset of a preliminary hearing of the evidence against Morrison Haze Lampley and Lila Scott Alligood  who are also accused of murdering a Canadian backpacker in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park  Carter kept her head high and her voice steady as she answered logistical questions about the last day of 67-year-old Steve Carters life.

Her face crumpled, though, when a Marin County prosecutor presented her a photo of the last text message her husband sent her. She quickly recovered to continue answering questions.

She was the only witness Monday in Marin County Superior Court. The rest of the hearing was put off until Sept. 19, the result of a big shift in the case  the decision last week by a third defendant to take a plea bargain and testify against his onetime friends.

Killings of teacher, hiker

The three were accused of killing Steve Carter, a highly regarded tantra teacher who was shot multiple times on a scenic fire trail in the Loma Alta Open Space Preserve near Fairfax on Oct. 5. Two days earlier, the body of 23-year-old Audrey Carey was found in Golden Gate Park during the second day of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

Sean Michael Angold, 24, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the death of Steve Carter. According to the charges, prosecutors believe Lampley was the gunman in that killing, but it is still unclear who pulled the trigger in Careys killing.

In court Monday, Lokita Carter was asked questions that established her ownership of the silver Volkswagen Jetta the three suspects were allegedly caught trying to sell outside a soup kitchen in Portland, Ore., when police arrested them.

Investigators said they were able to track the drifters across state lines using the GPS in the stolen station wagon. When they were arrested, they had the stolen Smith & Wesson handgun used in both slayings in their possession, as well as Careys passport, airline tickets and camping gear, police said.

The gun had been stolen Oct. 1 from a car at San Franciscos Fishermans Wharf.

Victims final text message

Carter said she purchased the Jetta in August shortly after she and her husband left their home in Costa Rica so she could receive cancer treatment in California. They had been living with friends in Marin County the day Steve Carter was slain. Lokita Carter said the last time she saw her husband was in the garden, about three hours before he was killed.

He texted her at 5:42 p.m., she said, minutes before he died. She did not disclose the contents of his last message but said she messaged him back at 6 p.m. He never responded.

Steve Carter was found dead at about 6 p.m., still clutching the leash of the couples red Doberman pinscher, Coco  who was also shot but survived

Attorneys for Lampley and Alligood had indicated they wished to postpone the preliminary hearing after Angolds guilty plea last week. Outside court, Deputy Public Defender Pedro Oliveros, one of Lampleys attorneys, said the defense agreed to hear Lokita Carters testimony Monday to accommodate her schedule.

Angolds conviction carries a sentence of up to 15 years to life in prison. Meanwhile, Lampley and Alligood face potential life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Their attorneys expressed skepticism Monday outside court about whether Angold would testify truthfully. Amy Morton, Alligoods attorney, said her client was not offered a deal.

It is a tremendous deal that his attorney worked out, and we will have to see what he said, she said. Im sure its damaging.

Alligood was shaking through much of the court hearing. Morton said she is going through a period of intense sobriety, and shes trying to come to grips.

Shes 18, Morton said. She will die in prison, thats the way its set up now. If I can get anything for her, that means she has some hope. But the way the prosecutor has postured this, she will die in prison. So will Mr. Lampley.

Theres no winner here

Lokita Carter declined to comment outside court. But Steve Wismer, a close friend of Steve Carters, choked up when he spoke of the tragic case.

He would have wanted those kids to have a great life, he said. One mans gone, and their lives are probably over. Its not what he was about.

He continued: Theres no winner here.

Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
The first day of rain is cozy for families. You make hot chocolate, take over the dining room table with a jigsaw table, and snuggle up with the kids under a fuzzy blanket on the couch to watch movies.

And then after a day or two, you start going crazy when the kids get overly creative with baking soda potions in the kitchen and use every blanket and towel in the house to build a fort in the living room.
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CENTENNIAL, Colo.  Nine months after the Colorado theater shooter was sentenced to life in prison, some victims returned to the same courtroom Monday in hopes of holding the company that owns the suburban Denver movie theater accountable for not doing more to prevent his bloody rampage.

In a civil lawsuit, 28 victims and their families say Century Theaters should have had armed guards at the packed opening of the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises and alarms that would have sounded when James Holmes slipped into the darkened auditorium through an emergency exit and opened fire, killing 12.
WASHINGTON  Anxiety over Donald Trump spread among congressional Republicans Monday, pushing several to follow House Speaker Paul Ryans lead and withhold their support from the divisive billionaire. Ryan himself declared theres no point in trying to fake party unity.

If we go forward pretending that were unified, then we are going to be at half-strength this fall, Ryan told the Journal Times in Racine, Wis., defending his stunning decision last week to refuse to endorse his partys presumptive presidential nominee.

Still, in interviews with home-state reporters Monday, Ryan denounced the idea of any Republican launching a third-party or independent candidacy to challenge Trump, telling the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel it would be a disaster for our party.

And Ryan said hed step aside from the House speakers traditional role as chairman of the Republican National Convention if Trump wants him to, a scenario that Trump left open over the weekend, underscoring the depths of strife now afflicting a GOP divided against itself.

Hes the nominee. Ill do whatever he wants in respect to the convention, Ryan said, striking a conciliatory note.

Trump himself shrugged off the need for unity heading into the November general election and a likely match-up against Democrat Hillary Clinton, even though that would be the goal in any normal election year after a candidate effectively clinches the nomination, as Trump did last week.

I think this is a time for unity. And if theres not going to be unity, I think thats OK, too, Trump said on Fox Business Network. I mean, Ill go out and I think Ill do very well. I think Im going to win the race either way.

The comments from Ryan and Trump came as both men prepared for a meeting Thursday, which Republican leaders hope will begin to mend the fabric of their party.

Still, ahead of the meeting, Ryans negative stance appeared to be providing cover for some vulnerable Republicans who are anxious to distance themselves from Trump and his controversial comments about women, Latinos, prisoners of war and others.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, one of the most endangered Senate Republicans, wrote an opinion piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer drawing back from his long-stated intent to back the GOP nominee.

His vulgarity, particularly toward women, is appalling. His lack of appreciation for constitutional limits on executive powers is deeply concerning, Toomey wrote of Trump. There could come a point at which the differences are so great as to be irreconcilable.

Party leaders fear Trumps candidacy could cost Republicans control of the Senate. Even in the House, where Republicans are unlikely to lose control, vulnerable members are nervous.

Ever confident, Trump announced that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former foe but now an enthusiastic supporter, would head his transition team as he headed for the White House after the election.
1 Ride-hailing rules: Fingerprinting drivers for ride-hailing companies must continue in Texas capital city of Austin after voters rejected a $9 million campaign by Uber and Lyft to overturn the safety measure. Both Uber and Lyft threatened to leave Austin after Saturdays defeat, the Austin American-Statesman reported. We want to stay in the city, said Lyft spokeswoman Chelsea Wilson. Unfortunately, the rules passed by City Council dont allow true ride-sharing to operate. Advocates for fingerprinting say its the best way to weed out drivers with criminal records. Ride-hailing companies have said their background checks suffice and that fingerprint databases can be out of date. Fingerprinting can also slow down the process of quickly adding new drivers. Austin Mayor Steve Adler said he hopes to get Uber and Lyft back to the negotiating table.

2 Bighorn pneumonia: Nevada wildlife officials are waiting anxiously to see if their decision to slaughter a diseased herd of bighorn sheep this year paid off in saving a neighboring herd near the Idaho line. The move was part of an effort to combat the spread of bighorn pneumonia that has hit several western states and threatens future efforts to rebuild the native populations that were on the brink of extinction a half century ago. Nevada officials decided in February their only choice was to kill the last 27 survivors of the sickly herd. The pneumonia has also afflicted bighorns in Washington, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico  Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew hoped to jump-start congressional efforts to aid debt-stricken Puerto Rico, traveling to the U.S. territory on Monday and focusing on basic services in jeopardy at public hospitals and schools.

Lews one-day trip to Puerto Rico is part of the Obama administrations campaign to pressure Congress. House Republicans are expected to announce new legislation this week to create a control board to help manage the U.S. territorys $70 billion debt and oversee some debt restructuring.

It will be the third draft of the House bill, which has come under fire from some conservatives who worry it would set a precedent for financially ailing states.

The Treasury Department said Lews trip would highlight how the decadelong debt crisis has already harmed the health, safety and welfare of the 3.5 million Americans living in Puerto Rico.

The territory missed a nearly $370 million bond payment May 1. The default was the largest in a series of missed payments by the struggling U.S. territory since last year, and Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla warned there would be more.

Puerto Rico has payments totaling nearly $2 billion due July 1, including about $700 million in general obligation bonds that are supposed to be guaranteed under the islands Constitution. In an ominous warning directed at Congress and creditors that include U.S. hedge funds, Garcia said the outlook for the next payment is bleak: We dont anticipate having the money.

Garcia said he had no choice but to suspend the debt payment to avoid cutting essential public services, such as schools and medical care.

Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has led negotiations in the House. In addition to disagreement among conservatives, Bishop has also faced objections from Democrats and Puerto Rican officials who say they are concerned the oversight board would be too powerful and the restructuring plan would be too difficult.

Bishop has worked closely with Lew and Treasury officials as he has rewritten the latest version of the bill over the terms of the debt restructuring. Hes said the negotiations with administration officials are one of the things holding the bill up.

The effort has been particularly complicated by disagreement among creditors. While some support the bill, others are fighting it in hopes of preserving larger payouts.
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MEXICO CITY (AP)  A federal judge has ruled that the extradition of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman can move ahead, Mexico's Judicial Council said Monday. But the country's foreign ministry must still approve it and the defense can appeal.

The council, which oversees Mexico's federal judges and tribunals, said the judge, who it did not name, had agreed that the legal requirements laid out in the extradition treaty between the two countries had been met.

The ministry has 20 days to decide whether to approve Guzman's extradition to the United States.

READ MORE: Drug boss 'El Chapo's' new prison Mexico's worst overall

Any extradition attempt can be delayed or stopped by a request to the court by attorneys for the Sinaloa cartel leader.

Guzman was moved Saturday from a prison outside Mexico City to one in Ciudad Juarez near the U.S. border. Questions have arisen on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate the convicted drug lord to a region that is one of his cartel's strongholds.

A Mexican security official acknowledged Sunday that the sudden transfer was to a less-secure prison.

READ MORE: Cartel godfather to be freed from U.S. prison

The official said that in general the Cefereso No. 9 prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he had been held. The official wasn't authorized to discuss Guzman's case publicly and agreed to do so only if not quoted by name.

The official said, however, that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell. Altiplano is considered the country's highest-security prison.

El Chapo" first broke out of another prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the world's most-wanted fugitives. He was recaptured in 2014, but slipped out of Altiplano, which many previously had thought was unescapable, in July 2015 by fleeing through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that went up into the shower in his cell.

READ MORE: Wife of Sinaloa Cartel leader 'El Chapo' Guzman speaks out

Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.

He was returned to Altiplano, where he was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 16-inch (40-centimeter) layer of concrete.

Some Mexican media have speculated that the weekend move was a prelude to imminent extradition to the U.S., where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions. But authorities denied that.

THE ARREST: Fast and Furious gun recovered at drug lord El Chapo's hideout, report says

The security official said Guzman is still in the middle of the extradition process. The Foreign Relations Department has the final say, and Guzman's lawyers still have opportunities to appeal.

A lawyer for Guzman confirmed Saturday that his defense continues to fight the drug lord being sent to the U.S., and officials have said it could take up to a year to reach a final ruling.

Multiple analysts told The Associated Press that there was no sign of a link between the prison switch and extradition.
With this legislation in place, 50:50 companies would now need to pay an enhanced fee of USD 4500 for each L-1 visa nd USD 4000 for each H-1B visa as compared to USD 2250 and USD 2000 previously.

New Delhi: India has been constantly taking up the US visa fee hike matter with the American authorities and the country has also raised the matter in the WTO's dispute settlement body, Parliament was informed on May 9.

The increase in H-1B and L-1 visa fee issue has been raised with the US at various levels including by the Prime Minister with the US President and recently by the Finance Minister with the US Trade Representative, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. She said that the ministry has raised the issue on several occasions "highlighting the negative impact of the hike in visa fee, particularly on Indian IT companies".

In a letter to US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Deputy National Security Advisor Caroline Atkinson, "it was requested not to incorporate such discriminatory and punitive measures into legislations without due process of notice and comment, as it would seriously impede the on going efforts to take the India-US bilateral trade and investment relationship forward".

"India has also taken up the matter on US visa fee hike in the dispute settlement body of the WTO," she said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The US has informed that the visa fee hike has been done through a legislative action and the role of administration is quite limited, she said. On December 18, 2015, the US President signed into law, which doubled the supplemental visa fee for H-1B and L-1 visas for a period of 10 years for companies employing 50 or more employees in the US, 50 per cent of which are on these visas.

With this legislation in place, 50:50 companies would now need to pay an enhanced fee of USD 4500 for each L-1 visa nd USD 4000 for each H-1B visa as compared to USD 2250 and USD 2000 previously. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, she said the USCIS has received 124,000 H-1B visa application for 2013-14, 175,500 H-1B for 2014-15, 233,000 for 2015-16 and 236,000 for 2016-17.
An avid road biker, Nick Moless, is back home this week after surgery Thursday to put a clavicle back together that was broken in three places in a hit-and-run collision.

A weekend ago on the Peninsulas Highway 35/Skyline Boulevard, one of the Bay Areas best routes for biking, a motorcyclist struck Moless from behind and then fled the scene.

It was another weekend showdown on a two-laner in the Bay Areas foothills. From 5 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday, it can feel something like a combat zone for those out on bikes, motorcycles and cars.

On weekends, its having an impact on trips to parks. It seems inevitable these days that you are going to cross paths with somebody who takes all their bad driving habits from the city out to the country two-laners.

Moless was willing to share his story in hopes that somebody would identify the motorcyclist who hit him. The motorcyclist was part of a group of four or five, Moless said. Based on their sound, they were probably riding fast sport bikes, not Harley-Davidsons with their deep-throated rumble.

The California Highway Patrol said it has an open investigation into the incident. Anybody with information can call (650) 369-6261 and reference case No. 9330-2016-6006.

In a Facebook conversation with Moless from his recovery bed, he described the sound of a pack of sport bikes approaching from behind as he rode solo on Skyline, 4 miles north of Alpine Road.

A motorcyclist passes me on the left, and suddenly I am being hit from behind, Moless said. As I am falling, I realize the guy who hit me is passing me on the right. I land hard on my right side, my bike on top of me. I look ahead and see it was a group of about four or five bikes.

With surgery a success, it will take six to eight weeks to recover, he said. Im really hoping the jerk who hit me gets caught.

In the meantime, slow down out there, he said. Whether youre heading to a park or just out to clear your head, enjoy the slower pace of the country two-laners. Share the road.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicles outdoors writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom
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Nudist baby boomers are struggling to recruit young people to join their liberated cause, according to an article in a Canadian publication.

CBC News reports that nudists at Van Tan Club in North Vancouver are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to lure in millennials.

"It's an older group, and I don't know why, but it tends to stay an older group," nudist Linda Kent, 65, told CBC News. "People who join tend to be older."

One club member suspects that "social and body image pressures" are deterring young folks, who are more self-conscious about their naked selves.

The naturist movement has been dealing with declining membership for some time. In 2007, the American Association for Nude Recreation estimated that 90-percent of its 50,000 members were over the age of 35. Many nudist colonies have tried marketing specifically to 18-35 year olds, but their numbers are still faltering.

An article in Tan, an Australian naturist magazine, speculates that Gen X and Yers don't like "formal, group activities" and are afraid of being outed as nudists on social media.

But most importantly, a lack of young people has caused a real manpower crisis in nudist colonies.

"It would be nice to have younger members because we're getting too old to do the physical work," Kent said. "Somebody's gotta do it."
SEOUL  North Korea expelled a BBC reporting crew Monday for what it deemed a disrespectful portrayal of the country and its leader, Kim Jong Un, as Kim used a rare Workers Party congress to cement his grip on power.

More than 100 foreign journalists were granted visas to visit North Korea for the duration of the seventh congress of the Workers Party, the first such political gathering in 36 years. But the authorities blocked the journalists from covering the event, forcing them to rely on state-run, propaganda-filled domestic media to glean details of the meeting.

The BBC reported that its correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, who had arrived with a delegation of Nobel laureates before the congress, was detained Friday and questioned for eight hours before being made to sign a statement.

O Ryong Il, the secretary-general of the Norths National Peace Committee, said that Wingfield-Hayes coverage had distorted facts and spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country, the Associated Press reported.

A producer, Maria Byrne, and a cameraman, Matthew Goddard, were also being expelled Monday, the BBC said.

In one of his reports, Wingfield-Hayes said that his team was in trouble after shooting a segment in front of a statue of the Norths founding president, Kim Il Sung, in which he said something on camera that he said government minders deemed disrespectful. He said the officials demanded that the video be erased.

Wingfield-Hayes described North Korea in one report as one of the most isolated, impoverished and repressive places on earth. He later expressed frustration that North Koreans he wanted to interview ran away when he approached and that everything we see looks like a setup.

Before its four-day session ended Monday, the congress bestowed Kim Jong Un with a new top title, chairman of the Workers Party, after he called for a more vigorous development of nuclear weapons and missiles, state-run media reported. The announcement was made during the 10 minutes that a small group of foreign journalists was allowed, for the first time, to watch the meeting, the AP reported.

The congress also elevated two of Kims closest aides  party Secretary Choe Ryong-hae and Pak Pong-ju, the prime minister and chief economic official  to join the presidium of the partys Politburo. Kim leads the presidium, which has two other members: Kim Yong-nam, head of parliament, and Hwang Pyong-so, chief political officer of the military.

Kim Jong Un, the third-generation leader in his familys dynastic rule of North Korea, had been widely expected to use the congress to cement his grip on power and have his crucial policies, including the policy of increasing a nuclear arsenal while rebuilding the economy, adopted as official party lines.

The party meeting took place shortly after the U.N. Security Council imposed a new round of tougher sanctions to punish the North for its recent nuclear and long-range rocket tests.
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LONDON  Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain warned Monday that isolationism has historically led to war in Europe and urged his country to stay in the European Union, saying it has helped keep the continent at peace.

His argument, by focusing on security and not just economics, brought his campaign to persuade his country to remain in the 28-nation bloc into a new phase.
TEL AVIV  An Israeli soldier went on trial for manslaughter before a military court on Monday after he was recorded on video fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank two months ago.

The rare case of an active serviceman being charged has polarized Israel, with defense officials criticizing the soldiers conduct and large segments of the Israeli public rallying behind him.

The hearings opened Monday before the military court in Tel Aviv, where Sgt. Elor Azaria sat in the defendants bench as his mother wrapped her arms around him to comfort him.

In its indictment, read aloud in the courtroom, the military prosecution said Azaria acted in contrast to the rules of opening fire and without any operational justification. It said the Palestinian, Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, did not present a clear and present threat and that the defendant caused the death of the terrorist al-Sharif illegally.

Azaria was also charged with inappropriate military conduct.

Israeli media said the court urged the sides to seek a plea bargain over the next week. It was unclear whether they would reach a settlement, or how long the trial will last.

At the time of the March incident, the military said two Palestinians had been shot and killed while carrying out a stabbing attack that wounded an Israeli soldier.

But a video released later by the Israeli human rights group BTselem showed one of the attackers still alive after the initial shooting and Azaria firing at his head. The military said the man had been lying on the ground nearly motionless for six minutes before Azaria arrived. An autopsy determined the shot to the head was the cause of death.

The incident took place amid months of Palestinian attacks that have killed and wounded scores of Israeli security forces and civilians.

The truth will come out. The path will be long. We will endure, said defense lawyer Binyamin Malka. The soldiers defense team has said he acted appropriately and that it is seeking full acquittal.

Palestinians have accused Israel of using excessive force against attackers who have already been halted or wounded, and in some cases, of killing innocent civilians. Activists have released a handful of amateur videos supporting the Palestinian claims, but the Hebron shooting is perhaps the strongest evidence of Israeli wrongdoing so far.

The case has divided Israel. Thousands of Israelis rallied last month in support of the soldier, accusing the government of abandoning him at a time of heightened conflict with the Palestinians. A March poll by Channel 2 TV found that 57 percent of the Israeli public opposed prosecuting the soldier, while 68 percent said that criticism of the soldier by the military chief and defense minister was not justified. Just 21 percent said their criticism was justified. On Monday, however, only a few supporters gathered outside the court to support him.
MEXICO CITY  A federal judge has ruled that the extradition of drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to the U.S. can move ahead, Mexicos Judicial Council said Monday.

The nations Foreign Relations Department must next approve the move, and Guzmans legal defense team is likely to appeal the ruling.

The Judicial Council, which oversees Mexicos federal judges and tribunals, said the judge, who it did not name, had agreed that the legal requirements laid out in the extradition treaty between the two countries had been met.

The Foreign Relations Department now has 20 days to decide whether to approve Guzmans extradition.

Any extradition attempt can be delayed or stopped by a request to the court by attorneys for the Sinaloa cartel leader.

Guzman was moved Saturday from a prison outside Mexico City to one in Ciudad Juarez near the U.S. border. Questions have arisen on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate the convicted drug lord to a region that is one of his cartels strongholds.

A Mexican security official acknowledged Sunday that the sudden transfer was to a less-secure prison.

The official, who requested anonymity, said that in general the Cefereso No. 9 prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he had been held.

The official said, however, that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell. Altiplano is considered the countrys highest-security prison.

El Chapo first broke out of another prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the worlds most-wanted fugitives.

He was recaptured in 2014, but slipped out of Altiplano, which many previously had thought was unescapable, in July 2015 by fleeing through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that went up into the shower in his cell.

Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain. He was returned to Altiplano.
1 Islamic State: Turkish troops fired artillery at the Islamic State group across the border in Syria, killing 55 militants and destroying three rocket launchers and three vehicles, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported Sunday. Turkish warplanes also struck positions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, hitting the rebels shelters, ammunition depots and weapons emplacements, the agency reported. The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The military strikes come as Turkey is facing twin threats from the PKK and the Islamic State, which have carried out six major suicide attacks in Turkey since July, killing some 200 people.

2 China landslide: Rescuers searched Monday for 31 construction workers missing in a landslide at the site of a hydropower project after days of heavy rain in southern China. Fourteen other workers were injured, officials and state-run media reported. Rocks and mud buried an office building and the workers living quarters at the site in mountainous Taining county in Fujian province around 5 a.m. Sunday, according to a website run by the county. Mudslides and flooding made some sections of roads unpassable, hindering rescuers efforts to get heavy machinery to the site.
The Story Thus Far

Game of Thrones finally starting catching up with all the characters' perilous situations at the end of last season. It's actually pretty nuts. OopsI meant boring. A lot has happened, which is especially curious given how it's pretty much designed to force people to watch from the very beginning, which is lame. Tyrion freed the dragons in Meereen (but left them in the basement of the palace for some reason). Brienne and Sansa did a whole fucking bunch of nothing. Ramsay killed his dad and then fed his new baby brother and the Bolton family doula to these dogs. The wizard guy who calls the shots in the House of Black and White revealed himself as that little girl who's been terrorizing Arya "I'm Blind" Stark, and Jon Snow came back to life at the hands of the red-themed witch. Dragon Tits was nowhere to be found.

The Gist

Jon Snow sits up for the first time in ages and has a really good body. His albino wolf pal is like, "Daaaaaayammmm, Jon Snow!" He's understandably freaked out a little, even when the red-themed witch comes in to stand around being hot. He recalls the stabbings and whines about who should or shouldn't be alive. The witch asks about the other side, and Jon Snow makes a speech about the vast nothingness that occurs after death. Whoops! Sorry, organized religions (he said, knowing full-well that Christians' hatred of Harry Potter probably extends to GoT)! Everyone else is freaked out, too, and why wouldn't they be? This dude cannot be killed, and the Watch better watch it. Oh man, bumper sticker alert! Throw in a logo somewhere for the GoT dweebs  sold! Anyway, the Wildlings now regard Snow as a god, apparently, and he's hugging people wherever he can. It's amazing he's up and about, truly. People would probably say things about how he's doing great despite the whole "he died" thing.

We finally figure out what's become of Snow's pudgy pal when we find him on a boat in a raging storm as he's about to puke his guts out. Then he does. My kingdom for a Dramamine, right? His girlfriend explains that she has a fleeting grasp of etymology at best, but they're also super excited to start a new life. But whoops, it turns out Pudgy lied to her about where they were going and instead of this place Oldtown, they're going to the place where he grew upShit City, USA. The girlfriend says some more stuff about how he's in charge, and still I sit and wonder, who the hell is writing these women?

We jump to Oat-Bran Stark, who is rocking another vision alongside Max von Sydow that puts them in the grassy hinterlands of some-other-fucking-place beside a lone tower. It is a look into the past of his father, Ned "Boromir/006/Bad Guy from National Treasure" Stark. Now, the casting for young Ned is brilliant, because that motherfucker totally could've grown up to be Sean Bean, but the character could try to be a little more diplomatic with the sword fighter in this flashback.

They fight for some reason (the guys in the flashback, I mean), and most of Stark's buddies get stabbed to death. Stark, however, slashes a throat, so there's that. Still, five of these dudes can't take on the one guy, but there's no real urgency, because we obviously know that Stark will live long enough to have kids and get his head cut off. Thank God his buddy pops up to stab the fool in the back, although the honor of that is questionable. Anyway, someone in the tower is screaming, but we won't find out who it is for probably a bunch more episodes. Ugh. Back in the present, Bran whines about having shit legs and Max von Sydow whines about being made of tree.

Elsewhere, Dragon Tits makes it to Horse Guy-Opolis, the land of the Dothraki. You'd better believe they tear her clothes off, but it's not what you thinkthey just want her to dress like them. The priestess of the town is like, "Why didn't you visit after Aquaman died?" And Daenerys just stands there, dumbfounded. Turns out their law states something about how the women have to hang around after their husbands die. Man, being a woman in this world would suck. Anyway, that's what we learn.

Back in Meereen, things are heating up  or so we would think as we watch Varys fan himself like some kind of goddamn Southern plantation owner. He calls this woman in who's afraid of being tortured, but Varys isn't gonna torture her with tools and instruments, he's just gonna talk her ear off. She has a lot of hometown pride, though, and hates that Daenerys blew into town with her dragons to start running the show. Varys blabs about a Freaky Friday-like situation with her and then threatens her kid. Yikes. Anyway, I'm starting to worry this isn't actually Varys, and it's some other bald guy. Shit. Oh well, eff it. He buys her a boat ticket and tells her to leave town.

In another part of the city, Tyrion waits around with some frowny motherfuckers for something or other. He wants to know what their lives are like, but all the dude will tell him is that he patrols around the city. There's a girl there, too, but she mostly thinks Tyrion is full of shit.

It's not really his fault, though, because these people are no fun. Varys shows up (whereupon I learn it totally was him before), and they all argue about what's going to happen to Meereen. If I know this show, nothing will happen to Meereen for, like, a really long time.

We pop in someplace else, the name of which they don't mention, and kids reminisce about candy with the spookiest dude you've ever seen. Oh! They're in the main city where Cersei lives! OK, and this is the spooky wizard guy. Damn, that dude is scary. Cersei and Jamie stop by to call him creepy despite being the creepiest people around, and the massive knight who slays all of Cersei's detractors hangs around like Herman Fucking Munster in the background. Cersei wants little kids to be spies all over the world is the main point of this scene, I guess. In the council chambers of the town, old bastards whine about the good old days as the Lannisters appear to stir shit up. This old lady on the council straight up tells Cersei that her incest shit is gross as fuck. Nothing happens. Damn, this episode is boring.

While this goes down, King What's-His-Dick visits the lord of the homeless, and they argue about religion. Damn, this guy needs to be stopped. The king is pissed about his mom, but they both send their bodyguards out so nobody gets killed. The homeless dude pontificates about how Cersei is full of shit, but she still loves her son. Just like the rest of the scenes in this episode, they speak in circles, and the rest of us are left bored.

Meanwhile, Arya somehow made it back inside the House of Black and White, where she is beaten and broken and still blind. The wizard leader guy spends most of his time as a young girl during this training period, which includes the strengthening of her nonvisual senses. So they're pretty much turning her into Daredevil. Anyway, she totally is good at fighting by the end of the montage and still passes all of the stupid tests. She can even get around without her cane now. The wizard gives her some fancy water to drink and wouldn't you know itshe can see again. So much for that Daredevil theory. Now, as for why she doesn't make a big deal about regaining her sight  well, that's anyone's guess.

Over in Winterfell, Ramsay continues spooking folks and making deals with bearded jerks. It sounds like the Wildlings are coming to slay everyone, with new and improved Zombie Snow. The bearded guy is all, "Fuck oaths!" and then brings Ramsay some kids to fuck with. The music would have us believe it's a real big deal, and it is, because it's that other Stark kid: Rickets, I think is his name.

Lastly, Zombie Snow addresses the Watch with a rousing hanging for the people who killed him. Dude is apparently extra vicious now that he beat death. Some of the soon-to-be-hanged sass him a little, but it's all for naught, because he hangs the shit out them, even that one young kid! It's pretty much the only thing that happens this week and is pretty boring and messed up all at once. Snow is done. He doesn't even want his fur coat anymore! And so he leaves the Watch and the Wall and all he ever knew or loved.

The Pros:

Can we all agree this week super-sucked? OK, OK, OKyoung Ned Stark stabbed a throat, but otherwise it was wack.

The Cons:

Can we all agree this week seriously super-sucked?

The Grade: F

Boooo! Slime! Filth! Muck! Rubbish! Booooo! This week's episode was so damn boring, it's criminal. Instead of calling it "Oathbreaker," they should have called it "Set Up for Next Week-er." Even Arya getting her sight back at the end of that goofy montage wasn't exciting, and it's so confusing how they'd bring back Snow and then pay attention to everything else. Oh sure, he got his hangings accomplished plus a sassy exit, but it would have been cool to have more. That's pretty much always the deal with this show.

Santa Fe Reporter
Shahid and Mira snapped at the airport as they returned from Maldives.

Mumbai: Actor Shahid Kapoor, who will soon be stepping into the fatherhood zone, says excitement is just an understatement for the feeling of becoming a parent.

On the occasion of completing 13 years in the film industry, the 35-year-old actor was having a Q & A with his fans on Twitter where he was asked,how excited he is for the baby?

I am good and so is Mira. Thank you. Excited would be a huge understatement, Shahid replied.

Love the name btw  I am good and so is Mira. Thank you. Excited would be a huge understatement.  https://t.co/TrVlU1Uf95  Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) May 9, 2016

Shahid and his wife Mira Rajput, who tied the knot in July last year, are expecting their first child.

Miras reported pregnancy became a talking point when she walked the ramp at the fashion week last month.

The actor, who prefers to keep his personal life away from the limelight, also praised his wife for being real.
Peter Dunne, who was Minister of Revenue from 2005 to 2013, says he is concerned that a fourfold increase in the number of foreign trusts in New Zealand, revealed in the Panama Papers, could harm the nation's reputation.

That explosion inevitably raises perceptions that New Zealand is being used as a tax haven, and that is not good for our international reputation," Dunne said. "These revelations challenge the identity of New Zealand  we do not want to be seen as a country that enables tax evasion."

Prime Minister John Key has repeatedly rejected the idea that New Zealand is a tax haven while appointing former PricewaterhouseCoopers chief John Shewan to look into disclosure rules for New Zealand's foreign trust regime. He has been forced to defend his own government after it was disclosed that his former lawyer, Ken Whitney, was a member of a lobby group for the local foreign trust industry that had urged Revenue Minister Todd McClay not to let the Inland Revenue Department conduct a review of New Zealand's permissive foreign trust regime.

The United Future leader said he was also concerned that the tax department hadn't flagged any issues with the foreign trust regime while he was the minister.

"Was Inland Revenue not aware of what was going on, or did they genuinely perceive the issue to be unimportant," he said.

Some 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers leak, are to be made public early tomorrow. More than 61,000 of the 11.5 million documents set to be released online tomorrow mention New Zealand. According to Nicky Hager, who is part of an international group of investigative journalists who have had access to the papers, more than 61,000 of them mention New Zealand.

Dunne said New Zealand has made progress in signing up to double tax agreements and tax information exchange agreements in recent years but none has yet been inked with South American states that have been among the most active in establishing foreign trusts in New Zealand. More work was needed to ensure such trusts weren't vehicles for criminal tax evasion and money-laundering.

"New Zealand needs to do all it can to avoid the label of tax haven from sticking," Dunne said. "The bottom line is that being labelled a tax haven has in transparency and reputation terms, the same impact that an outbreak of foot and mouth disease would have on our reputation as a viable primary producer.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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On April 1, 24-year-old Pratyusha, who shot to fame for her role as Anandi in 'Balika Vadhu', allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself.

New Delhi: The parents of TV star Pratyusha Banerjee, who allegedly committed suicide, have written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking a probe into her death by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

On Saturday, Rahul Raj Singh, the boyfriend of late Pratyusha, reportedly claimed that the parents of the 24-year-old actress used to mentally torture her.

Read: Pratyusha Banerjee suicide: Rahul Raj issues notice to former lawyer

Now, even after so many days, the case is only getting worse as the blame game between Rahul and Pratyusha's Parents is still on.

He has also issued a defamation notice to Neeraj Gupta, who had claimed to be his lawyer when he was admitted to the Shri Sai Hospital after Pratyusha's death.

Read: I'm getting death threats: Pratyusha's last message to Rahul Raj Singh

On April 1, 24-year-old Pratyusha, who shot to fame for her role as Anandi in 'Balika Vadhu', allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself inside her flat in suburban Goregaon.

Two days later, a case under IPC Sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 504, 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC was registered against Rahul following a complaint lodged by the actress's parents.
This isn't the first time that the actor had a quarrel with the media.

Mumbai: Something seems to be off with the happy-go-lucky actor, Ranbir Kapoor lately as the actor isnt in his usual jolly self. After asking media to leave him alone, Ranbir recently lashed out a journalist for following him.

According to reports, on late Saturday (May 7) night, a photojournalist spotted Ranbir Kapoor stepping out of his Bandra house. When the photographer tried to snap few pictures, the actor stopped his car, got out and confronted him. After giving the photographer an earful, Ranbir demanded him to hand over his phone.

Taking the freelance photojournalists phone in his possession, Ranbir drove off to have dinner with his friend Ayan Mukherji. The photographer then called up his employer and depicted the entire story.

After several phone calls, the photographer's employer got hold of Ranbir. Throughout the telephonic conversation, the actor stressed over his discomfort on being followed. Ranbir also gave out a stern warning of filing a police complaint if the photographer continues to follow him.

When the photojournalists employer assured Ranbir that he will not be followed again, the actor asked him to send over the photojournalist to his house around 3 am to collect his mobile phone.
WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential front- runner Hillary Clinton today said no one from the Federal Bureau of Investigation has reached out to her yet to question her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.



Clinton has been being accused of compromising classified information by using a personal email address hosted on a private server during her four years as the top American diplomat during the first term of President Barack Obama.



Early this week, a federal court ruled that the FBI may question her. Media reports said that the FBI was on its way to question her as part of its investigation into what is being called the "emailgate".



Appearing on a talk show, Clinton said she has not been approached by anyone so far on this issue, even though she is ready for it.



"No one has reached out to me yet, but, last summer, I think last August I made it clear I'm more than ready to talk to anybody anytime," Clinton said in response to a question.



"I have encouraged all of my assistants to be very forthcoming, and I hope that this is close to being wrapped up," she said.



Observing that this is a security inquiry, she asserted that she always took classified material seriously.



"There was never any material marked classified that was sent or received by me. And I look forward to this being wrapped up," she said.



Clinton again acknowledged that using her personal email was a mistake by her.



"That was a mistake. I have said that. I will say it again, as often as I need to. It seemed like a convenient idea at the time that certainly wasn't. And so I always take classified material seriously. There's no argument about that that I'm aware of. And I will continue to do so, and within whatever parameters are required for the president, which I know a little bit about, having served with President Obama," she said.

Read Also: Donald Trump Says No Need For Republican Unity

Nikki Haley Rules Out VP Run, Would Support Trump

Source: PTI
Vidya Balan had recently said, "I really think it is none of my business to be judging anyone but I have the greatest admiration for Kangana because she is standing up for herself."

Mumbai: Vidya Balan recently said that she has the "greatest" admiration for Kangana Ranaut for standing up for herself in her ongoing feud with Hrithik Roshan.

However, according to a report in DNA, it has surfaced that Vidya's husband Siddharth Roy Kapur is miffed with her over her comments. Says an insider, Vidyas quotes have caused a major embarassment for her hubby. One reason for that being not just because he is the producer of Hrithiks next release Kaabil, this will make things awkward between him and his actor. Also, Sid is a very non-controversial chap. He likes to stay away from other peoples fights. As a studio head, he has to work with all actors and he has to stay neutral. But now with his wife Vidyas taking up for Kangana, he has become a part of it.

At the trailer launch of her upcoming film 'TE3N', Vidya had said, "I really think it is none of my business to be judging anyone but I have the greatest admiration for Kangana because she is standing up for herself. I think that is very creditable because as women we find it very easy to stand up for other people, our family members, children, husbands, parents but we rarely stand up for ourselves. She (Kangana) is standing up for herself, so kudos to her and more power to her for that."

The feud between Hrithik and Kangana turned nasty after they slapped legal notices on each other. Hrithik, who was the first to send the legal notice, has demanded that she apologise in a press conference and clear the air about their alleged affair which he firmly refutes.

A defiant Kangana 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.
Page Content

On Friday May 6th, Deputy Prime Minister / Minister of Finance Richard Gibson delivered an Opening Address to the participants at the Leadercast Conference held at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill.

The Opening Address

For the fourth consecutive year Victorious Living Foundation has hosted the simulcast on Sint Maarten for the worlds largest one day leadership conference, Leadercast Live. This in itself is an indication that Sint Maarten realizes the need for an event of this nature which will help to hone the leadership skills of the participants that will eventually transform our community positively. The theme for this years Leadercast live conference, broadcast directly from Atlanta and beamed to hundreds of location worldwide is Architects of Tomorrow. For us on Sint Maarten, this theme is of special relevance given the fact that we have embarked on a nation building process since we attained a new Constitutional Status on 10-10-10, a process that requires many qualified Architects of Tomorrow, today.

When we speak of an architect we usually have in mind someone who is innovative, creative and visionary; a person who can see far in the future, and galvanize all the human and other resources around him or to make that future a reality that benefits the entire community or even the world at large. According to the website of Leadercast, this years conference will focus 3 aspects / things that an Architect of Tomorrow must explore.

These three things are:

1. The ability to see a preferred future,

2. operate in the presence

3. and utilize the resources around them to architect a clear path to a new destination.

That is what visionary leadership is all about. This, according to Leadercast, is the role of all Architects of Tomorrow: to imagine a future that is rich and full of hope. A future where problems are solved, questions are answered and confusion gives way to clarity. Need I say more?

Sint Maarten needs leaders who will fulfill that role without fail, who will use their imagination in such a way to imagine a nation in which the full potential of all its residents would be realized and work relentlessly to achieve this. I am sure this Leadercast Conference will unleash that creative genius in all its participants especially from Sint Maarten and inspire and stimulate them to design a new future for the island that will catapult us in to that place of hope and prosperity we all intuitively believe is our manifest destiny. Congratulations to Victorious Living Foundation for hosting this important event and success to all participants.




Page Content

As a service to help the community, the Rotary club of St. Maarten has organized an eye examination program to support the Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (VOSH) initiative on Sint Maarten, to provide free eyeglasses to those who cannot afford it. The primary mission of VOSH is to facilitate the provision of vision care worldwide to people who can neither afford nor obtain such care.





Fourteen Colorado Members of the VOSH team will travel to St. Maarten this weekend where they will execute their mission on Monday May 9, Tuesday May 10 and Wednesday May 11 from 9AM to 5 Pm. All examinations will take place at the white and yellow cross located in St. Johns estate. These volunteers will focus on providing free eyeglasses first to children, as they are the future generation. An eye exam will first take place to decide whether or not a person needs eyeglasses.





Jeffrey "Soc" Sochrin, President of the Rotary Club of Sint Maarten, stated that "The Rotary Club of Sint Maarten is thrilled to be able to support the Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity (VOSH) initiative on Sint Maarten. Eye care and proper corrective lenses, if required, are such an important part of living a healthy and productive life. If this initiative puts a single pair of corrective eyeglasses on one person or student, who might not have been able to otherwise afford glasses, we will have made a huge difference. We encourage the general public to join us for this free eye examination at the White and Yellow Cross on May 9, 10 and 11 from 9 AM to 5 PM. We may even be able to give you free eyeglasses depending on the results of the exam". Sochrin continued, "A special thank you goes out to the visiting optometrists of VOSH, Rick Cassidy, who helped organize this event, the Summit Hotel, who provided lodging to the visiting optometrists, the White and Yellow Cross for offering us a fantastic venue to conduct the eye testing and all the members of the project team that made this event possible.





Dr. Godfrey who is an optometrist from VOSH said: These volunteers love helping the human population and will do the very best they can with what they have. Their passion is giving and they will give eye exams and eye glasses to those in need. We are very fortunate to have them here.





Emil Lee ,Minister of Public Health, Social development, and Labor stated:  I would like to commend the initiative of the Rotary club of St. Maarten to help the less fortunate members of our community to be able see properly. Also special thanks to the white and yellow cross for their support in providing to assist this worthwhile endeavor.





The Rotary Club of St. Maarten was chartered on March 17, 1972 as result of a September 1970 meeting to form a club on the island. For more information, visit the club website at www.rotarysxm.org.




Page Content

Sint Maarten was recently the host of the first Communications Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting of the Caribbean Plant Health Directors (CPHD) Forum. The meeting took place at Divi Little Bay from April 14-15.

This Forum with representatives from 34 countries and territories from across the Region and the Americas, has as its objective the curtailing of the spread of plant pests and diseases since agriculture if one of the basic economic pillars in the Americas and many products from across the Caribbean are traded worldwide.





St. Maarten was represented at this Forum by Mervyn Butcher of the Section responsible for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries from the Inspectorate at the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications. Country Sint Maarten according to Butcher is represented on two of six technical work groups, namely Palm Pest and the Communications. The other four Technical Working Groups are Safeguarding, Fruit Fly, Emergency Preparedness, and Mollucs.

The Communications TWG has drafted a strategy which will be submitted at the next general meeting planned for July in Trinidad & Tobago.





The genesis of the CPHD Forum was largely the result of efforts by the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Heath and Inspection Services (USDA / APHIS) and CARICOM, with support from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

A critical goal of the CPHD Forum is to increase communication and the transparent exchange of sanitary information among Caribbean Countries. One of the means of promoting this exchange is through individual and group interchange of information via the annual CPHD Forum Meeting as the Region does not have a regional sanitary organisation as do all other sub-regions of the Americas (e.g. OIRSA-Central America/Mexico/DR, CAN, COSAVE).





Since there has been liberalization in the trade of plants and plant products, and an obligation on all countries to provide sound scientific data to support the application of any plant health measure(s) and regulatory measures to safeguard their agriculture, this mechanism was put in place.

Countries and territories, in the Caribbean Region face immense challenges in fulfilling this obligation for a number of reasons such as; lack of financial and human resources, technical competence and capacity, infrastructure, and baseline data.





Further compounding the challenges is the reality that the Caribbean Region is one of the few regions that does not have a functioning regional plant protection organization.

A functioning regional plant protection organization provides a platform to address regulatory and technical issues relative to invasive species in areas such as pest detection, mitigation and exclusion, as well as ensure an active voice and representation in the World Trade Organization (WTO/SPS) and other international forums such as IPPC.





PHOTO CUTLINE: Conference representatives at the CPHD Forum that took place at Divi Little Bay. (DCOMM Photo)




Gone are the days when Ranbir Kapoor used to be a media-friendly guy. The actor, who was earlier known for his polite ways with the paparazzi, now makes his irritation evident, every time they go near him. The constant invasion into his personal space, is now getting the better of him and Ranbir has had multiple instances of scuffle with the media.

Not too long ago he had snatched a television photographers camera and just a couple of days ago he took away a freelance photographers phone. It seems the latter was trying to click Ranbirs photo while he was stepping out of his car. When the actor saw that, he confronted the photographer, took away his phone and drove off. His best friend Ayan Mukerji was accompanying him at the time. It took numerous calls for the photographers employer to get hold of Ranbir to request him to return the phone. The actor warned him that he would take police action next time an incident like this happens.

He has been in the bad books of the paparazzi for a while now. On November 14 last year, Ranbir made headlines after he lost his cool when some television photographer tried to capture him and his former lady love Katrina Kaif at their previous residence. From the time the star couple moved in together, the paparazzi would wait outside the gate. Reportedly, the other residents in the neighbourhood complained of the constant media frenzy, irking Ranbir further more. It was then, that the furious actor chased down a TV cameraperson and finally snatched his bag refusing to give it back. Only when the owner of the concerned TV channel called Ranbir, did he return it.

Less than a month later, when he was partying at a swish Bandra hub with his besties Ayan Mukerji and Aarti Shetty, he was followed again and this time too he snatched away a journalists camera, telling him to ask his boss to call him, if he wanted it back. The incident had taken place right outside his Pali Hill home.

Speaking of this behavioural pattern, a friend of the actor said, Ranbir gets very irked by how the paparazzi chases him wherever he goes. And his anger is justified  one can only tolerate so much invasion of privacy. To a certain degree it is part and parcel of a stars life, but not to this extent. He is a friendly guy otherwise, if you will meet him at events and interviews. But no one will like it if they are constantly being followed by the cameras.
Lucknow: Hollywood star Ellen Page is preparing to shoot parts of her show Gaycation that deals with the diverse cultures of sexual minorities around the world, in Varanasi.

The show explores what life is like for the LGBT community in different countries. The show has so far covered the United States, Japan, Jamaica, and Brazil.

The star, anchors the show with her close friend, Ian Daniel and has chosen India as one of her shooting destination.

Her representative recently approached the Varanasi administration to discuss issues including security and permission for the show. Varanasi is said to be extremely sensitive to such issues and film kaers , in the past, have faced considerable problems form the local people.

More than a decade ago, Deepa Mehta had to abandon the shooting of her film Water in Varanasi following protests. A source in the unit said, Well let us hope this series is able to identify the unknown resistance Indian community has towards the third gender and help to overcome it.

He further revealed that the actor has met several notable people which include Apurva Asrani, the script writer of Aligarh. Asrani is also one of the guest on the show. Ellen Page , it may be recalled, had gone public about her sexual preferences at the THRIVE Conference for LGBT youth in Las Vegas in February 2014.

The actress received a standing ovation as she came out with an emotional speech and stated that how she would like to support those who have difficulty in admitting to their close ones and the society about their orientation.
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Chinese tourists will be taken on a tour all over the city to showcase some of the most attractive pandals. (Representative Image)

Kolkata: Kolkata's famous Durga Puja will have a Chinese touch as the country is planning to become a partner for the celebrations this year. As part of a plan to build people to people relations between West Bengal and Yunnan province, which will be connected through the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM)

economic corridor, China will bring in tourists to Kolkata from Kunming city during the festive season.

"We are making arrangements so that a group of may be around 100-200 people from China can come to Kolkata during the Durga Puja in October. Just like Indians, Chinese also have a huge interest in culture. There is a lot of synergy in

eastern cultures," Chinese consul general Ma Zhanwu told PTI. Besides bringing in tourists, they are also planning to tie-up with Durga Puja pandals in the city so that Chinese symbols like those related to dragons, umbrellas etc can also

be showcased during the four-day-long festival here.

"It will be an exchange of culture," he said. A team of government officials from Yunnan province will be in the city later this month to hold talks with the state

tourism department officials and big puja organisers. "Once the new state government takes charge, we will talk with the tourism department," the diplomat said.

The group of Chinese tourists will be taken on a tour all over the city to showcase some of the most attractive pandals, besides the regular attractions of the colonial-era Kolkata.
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Celebrity royals who pester working-class patients in hospitals (Diana, Princess of Wales, was notorious for this and the insufferable Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, does it as well) deserve whatever happens to them.

One hundred years ago this week Sydney's The World's News reported "BLUNT REPLY BY A WOUNDED GERMAN".

The unsuspecting German Empress about to get an earful.

"The German empress [Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein] has had an amazing and distressing experience in a Berlin war hospital. One day recently, while visiting a ward in which terribly mutilated men recently arrived from the western trenches are being cared for, she leant over the bed of a suffering soldier and said in her tenderly solicitous manner: 'Mein guster mann, hoffentlichgeht es Ihfien heute besser (My good fellow, I hope things are going better with you today.')

"He replied 'Na, hoifentlich jeht es Ihnen and Ihren Sohnen ebenso jut wie es mir in diesem Augen blick jeht!' (Well, I only hope it's going as well with you and your sons as it's going with me at this moment!')

"The Empress was staggered, and, according to circumstantial reports current in Berlin, had to be led from the ward in an almost swooning condition. The soldier is believed to be an irreconcilable Social Democrat."
With tropical fish and colourful kookaburras splashed across the walls, the Canberra Hospital's new paediatric emergency department looks more like a daycare centre than a place for the sick.

But from Tuesday, more than 15,000 of the ACT's youngest patients a year will have access to this family-friendly waiting, triage and treatment area away from the chaos of the general hospital.

Deputy director-general of the Canberra Hospital Ian Thompson inside the new paediatric emergency department. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Based on the best designs from around Australia and the world, the $5 million department includes six beds, two consultation rooms and a private waiting area.

It also includes a change room, an isolation room and more private treatment spaces.
Mumbai: Taking advantage of people going on long vacations during summer, a group of burglars broke into 16 houses of a society in Kanjurmarg in Mumbai on Saturday and looted Rs 59,500 worth cash and jewellery. A police search for the culprits is on.

According to the police, the burglars targeted houses situated in chawls known as Ashok Nagar. All robberies happened around midnight. Senior PI Ajinath Satpute said, One of the first complainants came to the police station around 8 am and informed us about the robbery at his place in Ashok Nagar area. When we went to his house we found that several other houses were also broken into in the same chawl and other places situated in the same area. We found 16 houses had been broken into in the same area. From 10 houses the thieves have stolen cash and some jewellery worth Rs 5,9,500. They have also tried and failed to open three houses and they didnt get cash or gold from three other houses.

SPI Satpute added, We have not arrested the accused yet. Also, no one in the area heard any noise or saw any suspicious person. All the incidents took place one after the other at midnight. As there are no CCTV cameras in the area we have brought dog squads and are searching CCTV footages from nearby link areas. We are taking fingerprints from every house and outside the houses.

Vijay Vasant Pednekar, who was the first to find his house burgled and informed the police, said, I was out for the past five days and went to Konkan, my native place, for holidays. I came back home today morning but when I reached I found my front door open and my lock broken. I entered the house and saw that all the things were scattered inside. I lost gold and cash worth Rs 1, 82,000.

A case has been registered with the Kanjurmarg police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

In another case of housebreaking, burglars entered the house of one Abdul Khan in Bhandup West and stole 22 tolas of gold on Saturday.
It seems that if you build a temporary structure for rock stars such as Elton John, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones and the Eagles it's one thing, but if you erect a temporary venue for more humble dwellers it is a very different story in the Hunter Valley.

While Cessnock Council has been happy to roll out the red carpet for the cream of rock, they haven't been as obliging for Australia's largest private hotel developer, Dr Jerry Schwartz.

Illustration: John Shakespeare.

At the heart of the dispute with the council is a marquee that was erected before Dr Schwartz bought the Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley in 2012.

The marquee is used for weddings, functions and the Hunter Valley Wine Festival, but rather than celebrating his massive investment in the beleaguered region with a bottle of Hunter bubbles, Cessnock Council has fought the Sydney plastic surgeon tirelessly over the past three years on everything from bottling plants for his Lovedale Brewery through to a plan to provide accommodation for school groups in villas around the property's lake.
Florists are warning the public to avoid large online flower retailer Ready Flowers after numerous customers complained about the non-delivery or poor quality of bouquets on Mother's Day.

And Fairfax Media can reveal consumer watchdogs across Australia are considering taking joint legal action against the "order gatherer" business - which is not a florist but forwards orders to local retailers - for breaching consumer law.

Sam*, a foodservice consultant from Neutral Bay, placed a $140 order for the "admirer" premium bouquet of roses and lilies with Ready Flowers on Friday morning to be delivered to his mother in New Zealand on Sunday.

The flowers never arrived, and he says his complaints are being ignored.
APN News & Media and Fairfax Media are considering a merger of their New Zealand businesses.

The two media companies are understood to be in early exploratory talks with APN to announce the demerger of its New Zealand business on Wednesday at its annual general meeting.

Fairfax Media chief executive Greg Hywood.

It is understood that Grant Samuel is providing advisory work on the possible merger of NZME with Fairfax Media's New Zealand assets.

Fairfax Media is the publisher of The Australian Financial Review and BusinessDay.
The campaign to reduce the number of Indigenous people in prison tends to miss the point.

The majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners are in jail for assaults and sexual assault and, on average, for each Indigenous prisoner, there are two Indigenous victims.

Most victims are Indigenous women. These facts should force us to raise the question: what about the victims? We must consider the consequences of not applying the law and sentencing practices equally to Indigenous offenders who commit acts that injure women and children.

If the demand is that they should not be sentenced in the same way as other Australians who commit the same crimes, then the conclusion cannot be avoided that the lives of Indigenous women, children, and other victims simply do not matter.
The Coalition will probably win the 2016 election. It has about 20 seats to give it a bit of insurance if things go a bit soft, and the economy will be the main issue. But the thrill of winning will not last for long.

It's unlikely that the government will control the Senate. Senate reform was right and necessary but it's hard to see much immediate benefit for the government. The Greens, Labor and probably Nick Xenophon will stymie nearly all major reform efforts in the following next term.

Labor's plan will be to oppose everything so that throughout the next three years they can go round saying that the Turnbull government is the "do nothing" government. That might sound a bit extreme but that is what has happened constantly since 2013. Even recently there was a moment when it looked like Bill Shorten was going to oppose the sale of the Kidman properties until he heard Scott Morrison oppose it as well, so instead he attacked the government for stopping the deal.

The reason why Australia's growing debt is the big issue is because if we can't manage our spending then there will be serious consequences for all of us. Forget then about fairness  everyone will be worse off. The truth is that if we can't fix the deficits and debts soon our problems will spiral out of control.
For the company that started out with the motto "Don't be evil", Google has come a long way. Its name is now synonymous with tax avoidance.

Like all the Silicon Valley tech giants, Google got away with a great deal by affecting a modish, neo-nerdy sense of techno-cool.

For years this helped divert attention from the fact that Google, like Apple, Facebook and Twitter, are profit-maximising joint stock corporations like any other.

Even Rupert Murdoch, whose firms are not noted for the enthusiasm with which they pay tax, expressed frustration that they seemed to enjoy special treatment. The News Corp chairman complained that "politicians [are] easily awed by Valley ambassadors like Google chairman" Eric Schmidt.
Eminent Australian poet Kenneth Slessor, who had reviewed the manuscript for the Commonwealth Literary Fund, had liked that it "is a kind of success-story and therefore not only a counterblast to the complaints of disgruntled migrants but excellent propaganda for Australian migration as a whole". But he suggested that the first part of the book, which dealt with Varsanyi's pre-migration experiences in Europe, be pruned, because her account "could be duplicated, no doubt, by [the accounts of] many thousands of others who suffered during the war".

Her book "is basically an entertaining and absorbing story", the publisher's blurb informed prospective readers; but its author also "gives us an object lesson in adaptation that could help all migrants". The book was favourably reviewed, not least because it was seen as a complimentary account of Australia and Australians. "Cecile Kunrathy persuades us that we are not such a bad lot after all", the Daily Telegraph observed, "and in the process reveals herself to be a gay, charming person".

The National Library of Australia holds more than a thousand such books. The earliest were published more than 50 years ago. They include, for example, Impudent Foreigner, a 1963 memoir by Hungarian-born Anne Varsanyi, who had migrated to Australia as a displaced person after World War II and wrote under the pen name Cecile Kunrathy.

Last year saw the publication of at least 74 books that featured the memoirs, or were based on the recollections of, people from non-English-speaking backgrounds who had migrated to Australia.

Other European migrants writing their memoirs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s omitted descriptions of their lives prior to arrival in Australia, perhaps sensing that there was little interest among Australian readers in such accounts. Canberra resident Magda Bozic, for example, whose memoir Gather Your Dreams was published in 1984, did not even reveal in which country she was born. Jewish survivors were the exception to the rule. Some of them wrote exclusively about their experience of the Holocaust.

Hardly any of the migrants writing in recent years gloss over their pre-migration past. In fact, many authors focus on experiences they made before they migrated, and portray in detail places and cultures that are foreign to their audience. And when writing about Australia, many are more critical of the welcome they received than Varsanyi/Kunrathy was in 1963.

It seems unlikely that a funding body would now advise a writer to privilege the Australian part of her life story. Australian readers want to know what it was like to grow up in Afghanistan (and have the opportunity to learn about it by reading The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif, which was first published in 2008). They read Isaac Bacirongo's recent memoir because they are interested in the life of a pygmy in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And the many authors who write about surviving the Holocaust can also count on a captive audience.

The interest in the life stories and cultural baggage of migrants is testament to Australians' embrace of multiculturalism. But what exactly does this embrace entail?

If I applied for Australian citizenship, I would be advised to read the booklet Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, which was published by the immigration department in 2014. Studying it would help me to pass the citizenship test. The booklet's non-testable section "has important information that will help you to understand the history and culture of Australia". This includes, for example, a section about Australia's involvement in World War I. "When you are offered a poppy to wear on 11 November," the booklet advises, "you will know that it is to remember our fallen servicemen and women."
A file photo of AgustaWestland (AW101) VVIP Airforce Helicopter. The Rajya Sabha witnessed fiery exchanges between the Congress and BJP Members during the debate on AgustaWestland chopper deal. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: With Congress creating a storm in Parliament over the Prime Minister's charge that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland case, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said Narendra Modi has done nothing wrong and the party should wait for the inquiry to complete.

"The Prime Minister has done nothing wrong. He has addressed a public function and there he said what was already in the public domain, what was there in the court observation also," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said outside Parliament after the disruptions in Rajya Sabha over Modi's remarks in the chopper deal scam.

Read: Agusta deal: After Modis jibe on Sonia, Cong asks which court is PM quoting

Congress created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing repeated adjournments in the House over Modi's allegation at a poll rally that the Italian court had named Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

Asked whether Modi would respond over the issue, Naidu said, "What is there to answer? They (Congress) have everything to answer. Inquiry is on and let it be completed."

On the Prime Minister taking names, Naidu said, "He has not taken any name. He mentioned only those names that appeared in the part of the judgement or annexures to the judgement."

Read: Dont act strongly against Sonia Gandhi, warn BJP leaders

He further said, "There is no need for clarification. The Prime Minister only said whatever was in the facts. No one took name. If anybody has taken name then Congress member Abhishek Singhvi has taken the name. We have not taken any name."

Attacking Congress, he said, "They are trying to disrupt the House unnecessarily. Now, it has become their habit to disrupt the House somehow or other by creating obstruction and diverting the issue."

Read: Dont act strongly against Sonia Gandhi, warn BJP leaders

Minister of State Jitendra Singh said, "The issues which were taken up outside Parliament, cannot be taken up inside the House. Whatever was said at the rally can be answered at rally only. They are unable to answer inside and outside that is why they are resorting to such tactics."

The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments in the first two hours because of the continued uproar and sloganeering by Congress members, leading to washout of the Zero Hour and Question Hour.

Read: AgustaWestland deal: Arvind Kejriwal dares Modi to arrest Sonia Gandhi

In the Lok Sabha too, the issue generated heat soon after it assembled for the day with Congress members raising the matter.

The Congress questioned how Modi could make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both the Houses last week.
Seven years ago, a Victorian parliamentary inquiry suggested Australia was ranked "among the least regulated jurisdictions in the Western world" in terms of the laws that govern political donations and campaign financing.

It is altogether dispiriting that nothing has changed in the interim. In terms of transparency, accountability and timeliness, the laws remain hopelessly inadequate.

Political donations need careful scrutiny.

And yet, here we are, once again heading a federal election, when the direction of the nation will be vested in the hands of one major political party, and voters will have no knowledge about the sources of candidates' funding until early next year. The 2015-16 financial returns, detailing donors to the political parties and the parties' financial statements, will not be published by the Australian Electoral Commission until February.

Laws requiring the disclosure of political donations are intended to secure and uphold the integrity of the electoral system and, in turn, the integrity of the decision-making of the government.
Budget time creates somewhat of an existential dilemma for federal education ministers, especially those of the Liberal variety. They must reconcile their philosophical preference for small government, federalism, and school autonomy with pressure to "fix" the problems in the education system.

If the federal government simply handed over money to systems and schools, funding might as well be administered directly through Treasury. The federal education department and indeed, the job of education minister, need not exist.

Beyond the initial challenge of justifying any intervention in school education at all, a federal minister has a second challenge  to work out what is within their power to actually achieve. As most people would know by now, the federal government does not operate any schools or employ any teachers. Its key pressure point is the distribution of dollars  $73.6 billion during the next four years.

True to his earlier statements, federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has not funded the last two years of the six-year Gonski funding package. Nobody who has been paying attention could have been under any illusion about that. Likewise, despite what appeared in previous budget statements, there was never any doubt the government would offer funding increases only in line with the Consumer Price Index. The Australian Education Act 2013 legislates a minimum increase in federal funding for schools of 3.6 per cent a year, and that is what the budget contains.
A spokeswoman for the Minister said the latest funding recipients were published on the Catalyst website on Friday.

Arts Minister Mitch Fifield's office did not make an official announcement regarding the funding but an updated the list of Catalyst recipients was visible on the department's website without fanfare hours after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called an election for July 2.

The Coalition's controversial Catalyst arts funding program has promised a new round of almost $12 million in funding to more than 45 organisations as the Turnbull Government moves into caretaker mode.

Big winners this round include The Australian Ballet, awarded $1 million to redevelop The Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre; The Bundanon Trust artist's residence ($995,000); Queensland's Circa ($840,000); Playwriting Australia ($800,000); National Library of Australia ($660,000) and Expressions Dance Company ($610,000).



It is unclear when the funds will be delivered, however, and where the money is coming from. If it is not sourced from the current budget, the possibility arises that the government is pre-spending funds ahead of the July 2 election that will decide who holds the purse-strings.

Catalyst has already been criticised following a $1 million grant to the Hans Heysen Foundation for a property in the South Australian electorate of Mayo, held by controversial Liberal MP Jamie Briggs and achieved as the result of lobbying by SA Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi.



Industry voices have also been critical of the amount of funding Catalyst has provided to Major Performing Arts organisations that already reap the lion's share of government arts spending.

These include The Australian Ballet, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, Circus Oz, Musica Viva, State Theatre Company of South Australia and West Australian Ballet. Major events including Adelaide Festival have also been Catalyst recipients.

The 2016 budget promises that at least 50 percent of Catalyst funds will go to small to medium companies, but it is unclear whether this is half of the entire pool of money or half the number of grants, which range from $10,000 to $1 million.

Several organisations such as The Australian Ballet and The Bundanon Trust are recipients of more than one grant.
In the determined absence of the Italian novelist Elena Ferrante, whose real identity is a secret, her American translator, Ann Goldstein, has become the willing ambassador for the phenomenon known as Ferrante Fever.

Goldstein says she has trouble explaining the addictive attraction of Ferrante's fiction for women of all ages - and plenty of men.

Challenging work: Ann Goldstein, Elena Ferrante's translator, says she "might be a little anxious" to meet the strong-willed author.

"It somehow mirrors women's experience, even if it doesn't specifically mirror it," she says. "There's something universal about it in the sense that we all have mothers, husbands, children, all those relationships she explores."

Ferrante's series of four passionate, angry, compelling novels, beginning with My Brilliant Friend, follows two women, Elena and Lila, for 60 years, from a poor childhood in postwar Naples through entangled lives that track changes in 20th-century Italy, from organised crime and communism to feminism and affluence.
Ben Monder AMORPHAE (ECM)  Master-drummer Paul Motian's death stopped this album in its tracks. Guitarist Ben Monder had planned it to be duets between the two of them, and a session in late 2010 generated two astounding tracks. Motian died before they could return to the project, but thankfully Monder did not abandon it, instead creating some solo guitar pieces of astonishing beauty, two duets with another lion of jazz drumming in Andrew Cyrille, and some trios with Cyrille and synthesiser player Pete Rende. Monder and Motian were made for each other with their love of establishing atmosphere with the tiniest musical gestures, much as a great painter might do with minimal brush strokes. On Oh, What a Beautiful Morning (from Oklahoma!), they eliminate the song's blitheness in favour of a startling evocation of the drama of dawn, with streaming effects from the guitar and primal drumming. Fans of Motian's late-period abstraction must hear this. Cyrille also opts for texture-oriented minimalism, and is superb in cross-hatching the shadows of Monder's extraordinary and often forlorn imaginative flights.

John Shand FOLK ROCK Trembling Bells WIDE MAJESTIC AIRE (Tin Angel)

 Lavinia Blackwell's voice is some kind of natural wonder that can storm battlements with the force of a hundred trebuchets, the force of it knocking down resistance, smashing stone as easily as splintering wood. When held back it can make as big an impression, as in the powerfully romantic title track of this EP, which complements and extends last year's wonderful folk-rock-meets-psych gem, The Sovereign Self. Blackwell can also take a listener wending through forests and along brooks, as in the traditional carriage of Swallows Of Carbeth that opens up to a dancing violin at the end. In the wheezy medieval air of Show Me A Hole (And I'll Crawl In It), Blackwell reminds that she can be regal and quietly intimidating. That's before the distorted guitar, swirling organ and rolling drums intrude and complete the picture of this most English, but decidedly not ye olde English, group. Bernard Zuel AUSTERE AMBIENT

Mette Henriette METTE HENRIETTE (ECM)  Norwegian saxophonist Mette Henriette may well be a fan of the Necks. The sort of minimalism she espouses on this double album certainly overlaps with their particular brand of minimalist sonic necromancy, although the differences are just as significant. Most obviously, Henriette eschews long improvisations in favour of short compositions, nearly half of which last less than two minutes. Therefore any improvising must be concise and primarily about maintaining a given piece's stark, ghostly or ominous ambience, while casting a halo of enigma. On the first disc it is often as though her tenor saxophone is being blown on a cold day, so you hear little more than a cloud of steamy breath rising from the bell, and her collaborators, pianist Johan Lindvall and cellist Katrine Schiott, are equally restrained. In contrast, the 20 pieces on the second disc are scored for 13 players (including brass, strings, bandoneon and rhythm section), and while the same sparse aesthetic sometimes applies, elsewhere the music erupts into massive density, and Henriette unleashes scalding tenor solos.
"One of the reasons, quite outside of the great performances, but one of the great elements of Dami's story is her migration story, which is so hopeful," Clarke says. "She came from South Korea aged nine, landed in Logan Valley, and started to learn English from pop songs of Kylie Minogue. It's such a warm and compelling story." Im is also a lightning rod of emotion when she performs, Clarke adds, something he believes will resonate with the Eurovision audience. "She can just feel an audience and be able to be the conductor of it, better than just about any performer I've ever seen, she just does it intuitively," he says. In this year's competition, Australia takes its starting position in the second semi-final. That means unlike last year  where our wildcard put us straight into the final  we have to cross two finish lines, the first to secure our place in the final, and the second for the win. Clarke says that as a result Australia's strategy is different to last year. "We're there to say, we're just so happy to be back at the party, and it's true, we are," he says. "If we survive out of the semi-final, we're going to knock another country out, which means [some people] will be less happy that we're there. We have to go very graciously and humbly into that world." Last year, Australia's wild card  offered, essentially, because we have a large European migrant population, the telecast of the competition commands a large audience here and because it as the contest's 60th anniversary  was met with amusement. But not by everyone.

"We've forced the door open a little bit," Clarke says. "We've been very careful about that. Guy coming fifth last year was an incredible outcome. Smaller countries, who try so hard just to field a representative, they would look at us as being rich and with enormous resources. "You don't want to be overly competitive outwardly, but at the end of the day we are Australians," he adds. If Australia wins this year's competition, we would  as with last year  have to negotiate with a European city to "co-host" next year's competition. And if we do not, a third wildcard is no certainty. "They made it clear this year when they invited us that we'll have to see about next year," Clarke says. Meanwhile, SBS is pressing with plans for Eurovision Asia. Clarke says the format would roughly follow the Eurovision template: competing countries, an allocated point scoring system and the winning country would host the following year's competition. Australia would certainly host the first year of competition, and Clarke says that SBS is looking at launching the competition as early as 2017. Though the finer detail might take some years to iron out, he adds.

The biggest challenge, Clarke says, is that different Asian countries have very different perspectives on singing competitions. In Japan Clarke was flat out told they simply didn't do them, while in South Korea they are a cultural and television staple. "I didn't realise what undertaking this was going to be," he says. "I knew it would be a challenge. It's not a daunting challenge but it's a challenge to bring people together. We are close, we are close." Singer Dami Im representing Australia arrives at the Stockholm City Hall. Credit:Getty Images A brief history of Australian in Eurovision 1974

Our Livvy Newton-John, at 25 on the cusp of global success, takes the stage for Britain (we instantly forgive her) with the contest in Brighton, singing Long Live Love. Only ONJ could pull off such a schmaltzy number and she does, coming fourth. 1977 That Austrian powerhouse Schmetterlinge inexplicably writes a song for Australia at the event in London called Boom Boom Boomerang. Best we leave it right there. 1980 Johnny "Mr Eurovision" Logan might have won the event for Ireland with What's Another Year, but a check of his particulars reveals he was born in Frankston, Victoria. No matter that the family emigrated to Ireland when he was just three, we'll claim that win thanks. He wins again in 1987 and writes the winning song in 1992 for Linda Martin. Well done champion.

1983 SBS begins broadcasting the Eurovision. At first the audience is tiny but the station persists and by the 1990s its cult programming and Eurovision parties begin spontaneously spreading. By 2015, Guy Sebastian's year, the audience grows to an extraordinary 4.2 million for the semifinals and final in Austria. 1996 Brisbane's Gina G successfully camps it up in Oslo representing Britain with Ooh Aah, Just A Little Bit, finishing eighth. The song later tops the British charts and is nominated for the best dance recording at the Grammy Awards in 1997. Go figure. 2014

Jessica Mauboy, part Indigenous Australian, part Indonesian, is picked to sing in a guest role after the shock news we were somehow invited to join the party in Denmark. She looks nervous in front of 180 million viewers but does well despite the distraction of a dancing astronaut holding the Aboriginal flag beside her. The event will forever be remembered for bearded drag Queen Conchita Wurst's right-song, right-time, right-place win. 2015 Despite a groundswell of support for comic rock band TISM, Guy Sebastian, the first winner of Australian Idol way back in 2003, is picked by SBS as Australia first competitive entry. Singing his own song, the upbeat Tonight Again, Sebastian defies predictions and comes fifth out of 40 nations. 2016 Korean-Australian Dami Im, who easily won The X Factor in 2013, is picked by SBS as Australia's second Eurovision contestant for Stockholm in mid May. The 27 year old's song, Sound of Silence, narrowly avoided penalty from the organisers for its use of the phrase "face-time". But she's so adorable she escapes censure; hopes are high for the new face of Australia at Eurovision.
How did we get here? Well, the "oathbreaker" of the episode's title didn't just refer to Jon Snow ditching the Night's Watch. The supposedly loyal Stark bannermen aren't so big on honour these days. When Osha (Natalia Tena) and Rickon (Art Parkinson) showed up to the Last Hearth, Smalljon Umber didn't take them in as Bran predicted. Instead, he killed Rickon's poor direwolf, Shaggydog, then gift wrapped the Stark heir and his chaperone and delivered them to Ramsay, the newly installed Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. And just as Ramsay was running low on hostages.

This isn't what anyone had hoped for when Maisie Williams (who plays Arya) let slip that Rickon would return to the show.

Viewers might remember Smalljon's father Greatjon Umber from way back when. He was a Stark loyalist who swore allegiance to Ned's son even after Robb's direwolf bit off a couple of the old man's fingers. But, according to Smalljon, Greatjon did what all men must one day do. We won't be seeing him again.

Assuming this isn't part of some vast conspiracy to bring down House Bolton -- and there was the whiff of such a plot in George R.R. Martin's book A Dance With Dragons -- this is very bad news for Rickon and Osha. The latter's fate is pretty much sealed, since Ramsay will treat Osha the horrific way he treats every woman who isn't Myranda. Let's just hope we don't have to witness it.

But Ramsay could go one of three directions with the youngest Stark:
After a sympathetic hearing from Goldie, the question came to O'Dwyer, whose answer eventually wound its way through to missing the point of the inquiry almost entirely - with Mr Storrar's eyes all but popping out of his head at the minister's assurance that when it came to budgetary tax measures: "It's all about balance." Kelly O'Dwyer on Q&A. Credit:ABC On the contrary, minister. "To rich people it is a Coke and a milkshake or whatever," Mr Storrar said of tax breaks for higher income earners. Innes Willox, Cassandra Goldie and Andrew Leigh on Q&A. Credit:ABC

"To me it changes my children's life  People who make $80,000 a year  well, they don't even notice it, love. We notice that sort of stuff." And it was pretty much all downhill from there. The Greens' Adam Bandt sat on the banking committee and argue the Oath is an excuse being used to avoid regulation. Credit:ABC O'Dwyer helpfully launched into a cheerful monologue about pies - growing the pie, rather than carving it up as the Greens were inclined to do - but the look on Mr Storrar's face suggested the only thing he could smell was waffle. But the minister soldiered on with her pastry metaphors. It was a bit like watching Mary Poppins trill "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" - the thing you say when you have nothing to say; then before you knew it, she'd taken wayward flight to offer a description of her plans as Small Business Minister. "We have got a company tax cut for small businesses with a turnover of between $2 million and $10 million. Now, you might say that's terrible but it's not because what it does is it creates more jobs," she triumphantly advised Mr Storrar, by now perhaps wishing he'd gotten tickets for The Weekly with Charlie Pickering instead.

Things didn't improve; in fact, they got worse. After a lengthy diversion to debate the rights and wrongs of trickle-down economics and company tax rates, the focus eventually came back to Mr Storrar. This was courtesy of Innes Willox, who had apparently resolved to put the audience member firmly in his place. "Duncan, I'll be harsh in my message," was Willox's opening promise, swiftly fulfilled with an unnerving prosecutory zeal. "If you're on the minimum wage and with a family, you would not pay much tax, if any at all. "Would you? You would not pay much tax." Mr Storrar, gamely responding as some in the audience gasped at the aggression in the inquiry: "I pay tax every time I go to the supermarket. Every time I hop in my car."

This was not, needless to say, an exchange that helped O'Dywer's already faltering cause, and the minister might have preferred Willox hadn't nailed his colours to the government mast quite so firmly. "So we have a situation here where not everyone can win out of every budget every time," he said. "It's not how the system works and the government has made a choice here - I'll talk on their behalf even though I'm not a member of the government - they have actually made a choice to create a situation where we can create jobs for Duncan's children, where we can create investment that doesn't come into the country now, to provide for growth." As they say in the trade, much of this was pretty bad optics - with the audio none too flash either - and there was a strong case to be made for quitting while behind. But O'Dwyer had one minor gem still to come - a throwaway line that served as a reminder that just as there are no boobytrap-free voters, there is also no such thing as a safe throwaway line in the fevered atmosphere of a campaign. Rhapsodising about her government's tax relief measures for small business, she let slip by way of illustration the write-off bonanza available to one cafe owner of her recent acquaintance.
Keeping track of the ever-changing cast is a mystery in itself, but an incredible 20 years on since its beginnings, Silent Witness remains a consistently gripping, intelligent and reliably gruesome staple of TV detective-land. In Snipers' Nest, the first of this two-parter, seemingly random people are taken out by a mystery marksman in areas around London's main ringroad, the M25. For anyone familiar with this motorway/fresh circle of hell, getting offed by a sniper is not necessarily a bad alternative, but what ensues here is a desperate hunt for the culprit, the connection between the victims and the motive. This cast slot well together, led by the reliable Emelia Fox as pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander, evenly matched with partner Dr Jack Hodgson (David Caves). A stand-out is Zoe Telford as DCI Jane De Freitas, an expert in killer profiling who remains unshakeably steely in the face of huge professional and personal pressures. Sarah Thomas

Go, 8.30pm

Released six months after the middling The Matrix Reloaded, the final instalment in the Wachowski brothers' sci-fi trilogy is portentous and mismanaged, reminding you of the malaise that claimed the Star Wars prequels. What's most disappointing is that Revolutions  which begins where Reloaded ended, with the last human resistance against a besieging machine army  succumbs so often to melodramatic sugar. Every cliched bit player in Reloaded resurfaces in Revolutions: The Kid (Clayton Watson), who was nervous and eager, now plays a key role in the digitally defined defence of Zion, although not before a crusty military officer first chews him out and then urges him on with his dying breath. Like the Matrix itself, the omnipotence of the Wachowskis is an illusion: their dazzling visual skills masked the flaws in their dialogue and plotting, leaving you with Keanu Reeves as the increasingly Christ-like Neo, who saves humanity by being crucified. Craig Mathieson

Pay: The Magicians

Friday, Syfy, 8.30pm

It's about time we had a show about an adults-only Hogwarts where the students enjoy drinking and shagging in between learning spells and battling soul-chilling evil. Things get off to a terrific start, thanks in no small part to the casting of the lugubrious-looking Jason Ralph (Aquarius) as Quentin Coldwater, a kind of sad-sack Harry Potter figure. Quentin and his best friend, Julia (Stella Maeve), have little inkling of their nascent magical talents, but others are all too aware of their potential. The two of them are trying to get into Ivy League grad schools but somehow wind up sitting the entrance exam for Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy. Quentin gets in but Julia doesn't make the cut; she gets recruited by a dodgy-looking mob who work outside the system. This first episode is full of magical delights and horrors and suggests there's plenty of depth to the story. Brad Newsome
As a monstrous and destructive wildfire continues to scorch a path through central Canada, an Australian fire expert has issued a stark warning: it could easily happen here.

"Our cities can burn," said David Bowman, a Professor of Environmental Change Biology at the University of Tasmania.

"That might seem tremendously alarmist. But this fire in Fort McMurray [in Canada] is telling us that if you get just the right combination - of the fire being in the right place and the fire weather doing the right things for a disaster - there's absolutely no reason why this scale of economic impact, of burning into some of our cities, is not out of the question."
The accident happened at 3.58 am, and when a patrol reached the spot they found Bharath screaming for help and Devi stuck in the front seat. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: After analysing evidence Hyderabad police has concluded that 21-year-old B.tech student Devi Reddy's death last Sunday was due to injuries suffered in the car crash.

Police commissioner M. Mahender Reddy added that no evidence was found to substantiate a statement from eyewitness Ramulu, who claimed to have seen Bharat Simha Reddy - the other person in the car - assaulting Devi a few minutes before the accident.

Bharath, who was earlier booked under Section 304 (causing death by negligence) has now been booked under Section 304 II (culpable homicide), under which the accused is punishable up to 10 years in prison.

Police said after Devis father dropped her at her friend Sonalis house in Gachibowli, Bharath picked both of them in his car and they drove to Jubilee Hills to pick up friend Vishwanath. They then proceeded to a pub. On way to the pub, Devi asked her mother if she could spend the night at Sonalis home, but she refused. At the pub, Bharat consumed liquor. We collected video of this, the commissioner said.

At 2.30 am, Sonali offered to drop Devi, but she preferred to be dropped by Bharath. Around 3.30 am, Bharath and Devi drove towards her house in HUDA colony. They covered 14 km in just 10 minutes, at an average speed of 100 kmph, and there is no evidence to prove there were others in the vehicle, the commissioner added.

The accident happened at 3.58 am, and when a patrol reached the spot they found Bharath screaming for help and Devi stuck in the front seat. Both of them were not wearing seatbelts. Devi was gasping and was shifted to hospital in Bharaths parents car. They arrived after a phone call from Bharath. But Devi was dead, the commissioner said.

Devis father says family happy with investigation

Shortly after the statement from police, Devi Reddys father, Niranjan Reddy, said the family were satisfied with the investigation. He said facts unearthed by police matched their own information He also added that they had found peace in the fact that she was not assaulted. He however urged cops to reconsider eyewitness Ramulus statement. Meanwhile, further details in the case have also emerged.

Bharath Simha Reddy and Devi Reddy had started their relationship nine months ago but the girls parents were not aware of this fact. Police said that when Devis father dropped her at Sonalis home, he was told only the two girls were going to the pub. Devi didnt tell him about Bharath.

After the pub visit, Devi asked Bharath to drop her home. Around 12.55am, during the party, when Devis sister Manasa called her, she said that Sonali would be dropping her home.

Between 1am and 3.32am Devi got six calls from home. She told Sonali would drop her home, commissioner Mahender Reddy said. To make her family believe Sonali was dropping her, Devi initiated a conference call with her father and Sonali.

To avoid disturbance during that call, Bharath drove his car to a dead end curve at HUDA colony. But later, when her father called Devi again, she said she would reach home in two minutes, Mr Reddy added.

So to reach Devis home in under two minutes, Bharath drove very fast but soon lost control and hit the tree. Devi, suffered serious injuries to her head and ribs.

while Bharath suffered a fracture on his right wrist and abrasions on the left side of his body.
Dumped Western Australian Liberal MP Liberal Dennis Jensen will run as an independent at the federal election, in a last-ditch effort to hold his seat of Tangney.

Dr Jensen, dumped by local preselectors in the safe suburban seat last month, was replaced on the Liberal ticket by former director of the WA branch, Ben Morton.

In a press conference at his Perth electorate office on Tuesday afternoon, Dr Jensen confirmed he would contest the election but said he wouldn't quit the Liberal Party. He lashed out at suggestions he would recontest the seat for financial reasons.

"I am making a stand against the faceless men and women in the Liberal Party who pervert the process and Liberal ideals," he said.
If a week is a long time in politics, former prime minister Tony Abbott might have started the federal election campaign thinking eight weeks is an eternity.

In a reminder of just how much things have changed since he was dumped from the top job in September, Mr Abbott used the first day of the campaign to hand out flyers to early-morning commuters in his electorate of Warringah.

Mr Abbott, who three years ago began the election as opposition leader at the centre of a massive travelling media pack, cut a lonely figure at Manly ferry wharf, greeting voters in the rain with just a handful of Liberal Party volunteers.
Labor candidate Sophie Ismail has contradicted her party's asylum seeker policies, outlining concerns about boat turnbacks and offshore detention on Manus Island and Nauru.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton seized on Ms Ismail's comments and called on Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to discipline his candidate over her comments on immigration policy, which is a fraught political issue for the ALP and one it hopes will not become a major issue during the campaign.

An under pressure Mr Shorten was forced to declare five times his party's policy on boat turnbacks and offshore processing was "clear", as he dodged questions about whether he would reprimand Ms Ismail.
The memo is a "Q&A" brief dated December 2014, meaning it was written before Labor announced its policy to wind back negative gearing and before the government pledged to continue it. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is happy to debate the PM at any time, says a spokesperson. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Since the December 2014 memo, Sydney house prices have climbed a further 11 per cent. Loans to investors account for 46 per cent of all money lent for housing.

The Coalition has positioned itself as the protector of Australia's existing negative gearing and capital gains tax regime, which it argues is largely used by average "mum and dad" wage earners, and signalled its willingness to launch a scare campaign over the issue. But Labor argues its proposed changes will improve housing affordability, particularly for first homebuyers, while also improving the budget bottom line. In Brisbane on Monday, Mr Turnbull stepped up pressure over Labor's capital gains tax policy as he described it as an attack on all investments and said it would make Australians invest and employ less. Any change which discourages negative gearing may be a good thing from a financial stability perspective. Reserve Bank memo released under freedom of information "Bill Shorten wants to have less investment in Australia, can you believe that? He wants Australians to invest less and if they invest less, they'll employ less," he said.

"That's why he is putting up the tax on capital gains. That's why he is seeking to ban negative gearing, standing in the road of entrepreneurship." Last week, Mr Shorten said he could not understand why the Turnbull government "was happy to give a tax cut to a millionaire, happy to give a tax cut to a billion-dollar company, happy to die in the ditch over the ability of property speculators to get paid by the taxpayer to subsidise their property investment. But there is no plan for housing affordability." In Cairns on Monday, Mr Shorten hammered the government for wanting to hand business a $50 billion tax cut over 10 years - a key promise in the budget it released last Tuesday - and argued that more money should instead be spent on education funding. The Opposition Leader was on the back foot, however, after his candidate in the seat of Melbourne contradicted party policy on turning back asylum-seeker boats and offshore detention, insisting five times that the ALP's policy was clear and would not change. The Labor policy would restrict future negative gearing to investment income, meaning new investors would still be able to write off losses on properties and other investments, but only against investment income rather than wages.

Investors in new properties would be exempt and the discount on capital gains tax would be cut from 50 to 25 per cent, but only for new investors. In a boost for the ALP, the bank says in the memo it isn't concerned about negative gearing in its own right, but about its interaction with the capital gains tax discount introduced by the Howard government in 1999. The change meant "only half of any capital gains are taxed at your marginal rate, however the loss on the investment initially is 100 per cent tax deductible". The lopsided arrangement "may encourage chasing of capital gains" and "investors bidding up housing prices". The memo says negative gearers are more of a threat to the stability of the financial system than owner-occupiers because they are more likely to have interest-only loans and so won't have "as much of an equity buffer in the situation where prices fall".
Labor has scored an early election victory over its inner-city Greens rivals with the Sex Party set to send crucial preferences to the ALP in key lower-house battlegrounds.

The Sex Party, which is enjoying growing popularity in Victoria on the back of party leader Fiona Patten's work as a state upper house MP, will field candidates in 10 inner-city seats across Australia, including five in Melbourne that that Greens either hold  Adam Bandt's Melbourne  or are eyeing off; Melbourne Ports, Batman, Wills and Higgins.

Would-be senator Dr Meredith Doig and the leader of the Australian Sex party Fiona Patten amid the interesting decor of Brunswick Street bar Naked for Satan earlier this year Credit:Joe Armao

Ms Patten told Fairfax Media that the party would more than likely direct preferences to the ALP, in part, due to the Greens support for the Turnbull government's Senate reforms.
Widespread confusion over the Turnbull government's proposed building code has threatened to derail building projects around the country, the Electrical Trades Union has warned.

The union has written to Employment Minister Michaelia Cash asking for clarity on how the proposed building code would affect agreements signed before its introduction. The Building and Construction Industry (Fair and Lawful Building Sites) Code 2014 failed to pass through the Senate in 2014 as part of a Bill designed to reintroduce the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

However, the ETU says building companies have been implementing the code because, if introduced without changes in the future, it would appear to apply retrospectively to enterprise agreements made since April 24, 2014. The code says it applies "in respect of enterprise agreements made after 24 April 2014".

However, Senator Cash says the code will not be retrospective and only operate "prospectively".
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will face off for the first time in the election campaign by the end of the week, having agreed to participate in a "people's forum" debate in western Sydney.

At the end of the first day of campaigning, which saw Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten barnstorm marginal Queensland seats, Sky News announced it will broadcast the event from 6pm AEST on Friday.

When the Prime Minister kicked off his campaign on Sunday, he said debates hadn't been discussed yet but "I look forward to having a number of them".

A spokesperson for the Labor campaign said Mr Shorten was ready to discuss the Coalition's proposed company tax cuts and funding cuts in health and education.
Malcolm Turnbull's media minders will plot a course through a supermarket right down to which aisle the Prime Minister will walk down. It rarely involves the fresh fruit and veg section.

Such is the fear that raw onions can strike in an Australian political leader in 2016.

The mastication of a single brown onion was one of the most bizarre moments of Tony Abbott's prime ministership, perhaps even less fathomable than the knighting of Prince Philip.
Rumours have been swirling all morning on the whereabouts of actor Malcolm Kennard, nominated for a Logie for his role as Ivan Milat in Catching Milat, who was allegedly involved in an unseemly incident with the brother of model/personality Lauren Phillips at the Nine after party.

Exactly what transpired is unclear, but sources say a scuffle broke out about 4am resulting in Kennard making a hasty exit from Club 23 at Melbourne's Crown Palladium.

Malcolm Kennard as Ivan Milat in Catching Milat.

Phillips' brother, Bo, was taken away for medical treatment but was released from hospital early on Monday morning and has returned home.
French hospitals are offering pregnant women up to $460 to quit smoking after a study showed that one in five fail to kick the habit while expecting.

Seventeen hospitals across the country are taking part in the 36-month trial to find out whether financial incentives can help more women give up nicotine.

Pregnant French women to be paid $460 to stop smoking. Credit:Rudyanto Wijaya

Participants must be at least 18 years old, no more than four and a half months pregnant and smoke a minimum of five ready-made or three hand-rolled cigarettes a day, and not use use electronic cigarettes or other tobacco products.
The connivance of jail officials in smuggling the items into Amritsar prison cannot be ruled out, police said (Photo: Representational Image)

Chandigarh: A large haul of mobile phones, narcotics and cash was seized by police during simultaneous raids carried out in jails across Punjab on Sunday.

Narcotics like opium and other tablets, scores of mobile phones along with SIM cards, and syringes used for injecting drugs were seized during the raids, a police spokesperson said.

Simultaneous search operations were conducted in jails in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Fazilka, Moga, Faridkot, Mansa, Muktsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Ropar, Nabha and Sub jail in Barnala.

Mobile, drugs and syringes

The largest haul was in Amritsar, with police seizing 21 mobile phones including four androids, 11 charging leads, three head phones, eight SIM cards and two memory cards.

Besides that, 310 used syringes, silver foil paper, bundles of bidis, nearly 30 tablets used as intoxicants, along with an amount of Rs 14,340 cash were also recovered.

An FIR under Section 52A of Prisons Act and section 21 and 22 of NDPS Act has been registered in Amritsar in this connection.

The syringes were used for injecting intoxicants and the foil papers for consumption of smack.

The connivance of jail officials in smuggling the items into Amritsar prison cannot be ruled out, police said.

Narcotic powder

About 430 grams of narcotic powder and six mobile phones along with a SIM card were seized from inmates of the jail in Gurdaspur, district police chief Jagdip Singh Hundal said.

One gram of opium, two mobile phones and as many SIM cards were seized in Patiala.

A large stash of mobiles were also found from the jail in Tarn Taran and modern jail in Nabha with police seizing 12 and 15 phones respectively. Four SIM cards and Rs 5,500 in cash were also seized in Tarn Taran.

Four mobiles each were recovered from Mansa and Sangrur jails, while one phone was found in Hoshiarpur.

Besides the phones, three bluetooth devices, bidis, four sachets of tobacco and Rs 1,800 in cash was recovered in Sangrur, while a SIM card was seized in Mansa.

Four SIM cards have been recovered from Barnala sub jail, while one SIM card, a blade, eight electric bulbs, and an electric wire was found in Ropar jail.

An acute shortage of jail staff, doctors and pharmacists, besides poor infrastructure of drug de-addiction centres came in to notice during the raids, the spokesperson said.

There is a need for installation of CCTV cameras in large numbers to cover crucial points of jails, along with regular checking with sniffer dogs to keep prisons free from drugs, he said.
The Greens would be open to forming a coalition with the Labor party to get over the line at the federal election, MP Adam Bandt has said.

On ABC's Q&A on Monday night, the Greens MP, who was formerly the party's deputy leader, said the parties' previous co-operation in 2010 was "one of the most productive periods" in Australian politics.

"You look at Germany, they're on the way to generating 30 per cent of electricity from renewables, that's because back in the '90s they had Labor and the Greens co-operating together. That's what I would like to see happen," Mr Bandt said.
The case of a 21-year-old Sydney woman who allegedly had $4.6 million mistakenly given to her by her bank is not the first in which Westpac has been left red-faced by a costly "glitch".

In near-identical circumstances, Westpac accidentally set the wrong overdraft limit on Leo Gao's account in 2009, prompting the New Zealand service station owner to flee to Asia and churn through $NZ6.7 million.

In that case, he was tracked down by Interpol 2 years later and sentenced to four years' prison on seven charges of theft.

Last Wednesday, Sydney student Christine Jiaxin Lee, 21, was arrested while trying to board a flight to Malaysia and charged with overdrawing $4.6 million from her Westpac account.
A Queensland Police Union representative has hit out at the service's Ethical Standards Command and the Crime and Corruption Commission for their treatment of officers under investigation while calling for a Royal Commission into the "systemic managerial corruption within the QPS".

South East region representative Phil Notaro, who covers a region stretching from Logan to the New South Wales border, accused the police watchdogs of "unfair" and "disgusting" treatment while investigating QPS officers, as part of a "noble cause corruption" culture he said was "alive and well" within the ESC and CCC.

A police union rep says double standards apply when officers are investigated. Credit:File photo/Glenn Hunt

"The standard of practice requires police to treat their clients with dignity and respect," Senior Sgt Notaro wrote in the April Queensland Police Union journal.

"It should be irrelevant if a client is also a police officer. But some of those at ESC and CCC act as if that standard of practice does not apply to them.
The red dust of outback Queensland has been transformed into red clay, with some parts receiving their highest daily May rainfall totals in 35 years, as part of the same weather event whipping up damaging winds in southern Australia.

But the Bureau of Meteorology said the tropical air mass that has delivered significant rains to much of the country's interior over the past couple of days will lose intensity before it reaches Queensland's south-east, delivering at most some light showers on Monday evening.

Unseasonably warm temperatures are expected to continue throughout the south-east until at least Wednesday, with a summer-like top temperature of 30 degrees tipped for Brisbane on Tuesday.

However, bureau meteorologist Matt Marshall said a dry air mass would quickly follow behind the rain trough, causing overnight temperatures to plunge on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A 14-year-old girl and two 17-year-old men working at a Gold Coast fast food restaurant were threatened with a gun and a knife by a man who climbed through a drive-through window to rob them on Sunday night.

The man remains on the run after threatening the teenagers, who were working at Ashmore's Red Rooster outlet when the man robbed them of cash just before 8pm.

He twice threatened one of the teenagers with the knife before taking a bag of cash, climbing back through the window and fleeing the scene on foot.

None of the teenagers were injured in the incident.
The 2016 federal budget was full of surprises. Much of the media attention has been on the changes proposed to be made to superannuation. There was, however, some welcome news for small business owners with regard to accessing the small business entity tax concessions. Currently for a business to qualify as an SBE it must have turnover of less than $2 million. This threshold has remained static for a number of years and has been long overdue for an increase. Qualifying as an SBE provides many tax concessions for small business owners. What's in the budget for small business? These concessions include the simplified depreciation rules, the ability to fully write off assets costing less than $20,000 in the first year, simplified trading stock valuation rules, and an immediate deduction for prepaid expenses that cover a period of 12 months or less. Unlike many budget policies, if the Coalition government is re-elected and the budget is passed, the SBE entity turnover threshold will increase from $2 million-$10 million from July 1, 2016.

Unfortunately the Turnbull government did not take the opportunity to increase the SBE entity turnover threshold applying to accessing the small business capital gains tax concessions. This means for business owners to access any of the CGT concessions the business must either have a turnover of less than $2 million, or the net value of their assets counted under the test is less than $6 million. One of the unexpected changes in the budget was the removal of the current tests that apply to personal tax-deductible super contributions, which are now known as self employed super contributions. Under the proposal anyone will be able to make personal tax deductible super contributions up to age 75. Q. I started working as an independent contractor in September 2015 and through the housing boom have earned a net income from my business of approximately $90,000. Prior to starting my business I was employed on a salary. I would like to maximise my super contribution this year to help reduce my income tax payable but I am not sure if I am eligible. A. As you were employed for the first two months of the 2016 financial year I believe you will not qualify to make a tax-deductible self-employed super contribution under the current rules. These rules require a person to have either received no employer contributions in a financial year, or their employment income including reportable employer super contributions and fringe benefits be less than 10 per cent of their total assessable income. This means as you will have received, or should have received, employer SGC contributions you would definitely fail the first test and more than likely fail the second test. For you to make a tax-deductible self employed super contribution your employment income for the first two months would need to be less than $9000.
The Australian economy needs a shot in the arm. It got one in this year's federal budget.

Never mind the controversy over superannuation, forget the back and forth about the personal tax cuts, (although these are important discussions to have). The Australian economy needs to move beyond building, and digging up dirt, and in order to do that, it requires modern, competitive policies.

Dropbox's Charlie Wood supports this year's federal budget.

Australia has great talent. But we're at risk of losing it. The lack of policy designed to nurture start-ups and early stage entrepreneurs means we're at risk of seeing them flee to greener pastures overseas.

The federal budget wasn't a total transformation. But it provided a road map for Australian business to be competitive again.
Recent news headlines warning of food security problems in key export markets have brought into sharp focus the huge market advantages accruing to Australian business that successfully leverage the national brand.

"Australia has one of the strongest nation brands in the world, with a reputation for clean, green, quality products made and grown to high quality and safety standards," says Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ian Harrison.

Australian Made

"As a result, businesses making or growing products in Australia can enhance their prospects of attracting international customers wanting to experience a piece of Australia by positioning their products as genuinely Aussie."

This is in contrast to some overseas markets, in particular throughout Asia, where standards are often not as high as in Australia and products are less trusted than those carrying the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo.
Former Liberal MP Rob Johnson has labelled Facebook comments made by the wife of upper house MP Peter Katsambanis - criticising the preselection process in Hillarys - as "deplorable".

Karalee Katsambanis - radio personality and Fairfax Media journalist - took to Facebook recently after her husband, Peter, lost preselection for the blue ribbon seat of Hillarys to businessman Simon Ehrenfeld.

Rob Johnson has slammed Karalee Katsambanis over her Facebook rant.

"F***ing ropeable," Mrs Katsambanis wrote.

"Being "threatened" because I am in the media to keep quiet...yeah right! F**k with my husband and family...you have me to deal with and trust me, that's not a path anyone would want to choose."
Jind: A 17-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly abducted and raped before being dumped near her house in Ram Rai Gate area here, police said on Monday.

The victim's mother alleged in her complaint that her daughter was abducted on the night of May 6 by one Amritpal, a resident of Jain Nagar area here.

The accused then allegedly raped the minor and threatened her against speaking out about the incident.

He left the victim near her home the next morning and fled the scene.

The girl has undergone medical examination and the accused has been booked under sections relating to abduction, rape and the SC/ST Act, the womens' police station in charge said.
The City of Swan is looking into legal options after a state development assessment panel overruled councillors' votes and approved a multistorey apartment block in the centre of historic Guildford.

The four-storey building is planned opposite the Rose and Crown hotel and beside the Padbury Buildings in the original town centre, built by pioneer Walter Padbury around 1830  decades before the building of the second commercial centre around Guildford Hotel.

The 100 Terrace Road development will be beside the Padbury buildings in the foreground. The Rose and Crown can be seen in the background.

At a recent public meeting on DAPs City councillor Ian Johnson said the approval was a "disaster".

"We are now looking at legal options," he said.
The two most recent GOP nominees  Romney [2012; lost] and John McCain [2008; lost]  have 'gone to the mattresses' as the Mafia says when digging in for a fight. Romney rejects Trump's candidacy and continues to mutter 'there must be a better choice;' McCain says he'll cop Trump as the nominee, but only if Trump apologises for one of his more gratuitous insults  when he said that he prefers the guys who weren't captured; not the prisoner of war. (Ex-Navy flyer John McCain was a POW in North Vietnam during the war). Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Credit:Paul Sancya House Speaker Paul Ryan who, theoretically, is to be the chairman of the convention that will confirm the Trump presidency is demanding that Trump prove that he shares the party's values. So Trump reportedly is plotting to have Ryan dumped as chairman. "I'm not there right now," Ryan said last week of backing Trump as the nominee. To which Trump replied: "I'm not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda." Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin hugs Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Credit:AP

In a tart response to Ryan, Trump insisted he was not going to change his policies or his style to win the backing of the GOP leadership  " Everything is subject to negotiation, but I can't and won't be changing much, because the voters support me because of what I'm saying and how I'm saying it. "The establishment didn't do anything to make me the nominee, so its support won't really make much difference in me winning in November." Conservative commentator William Kristol is firmly against Donald Trump. Credit:SMH At this stage it continues to be Trump versus the establishment. But here's the thing  Trump powered through 28 state primaries, picking up the votes of millions of Republicans as a result of which he figures that it's he, not that other bunch who owns the party; and the party doesn't yet know how to deal with the perfectly weird set of circumstances.

2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney weighs in on the Republican presidential race during a speech at the The University of Utah in March. Credit:AP In The New York Times, the talk is of leading Republicans deeply dismayed that their party is on the cusp of an "epochal split  an historic cleavage between the familiar form of conservatism forged in the 1960s and popularised in the 1980s and a rekindled, atavistic nationalism, with roots as old as the republic, that has not flared so intensely since the original America First movement before Pearl Harbour." Romney and, before him, McCain trotted out that 1960s conservatism, but it was not till Trump came along that a significant chunk of the party became electrified  his policy potion of protectionism and isolation struck a nerve with a party rank and file that had been ignored for decades by the party leadership. Trump is feeling so empowered by his victory in the primaries that maybe he thinks he is president already. Party unity  Trump says he can win without it; swing states  Trump cockily predicts he'll take Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania without the backing of Ryan et al. Without for a minute detracting from Trump's primaries won or making rude comments about what it says of the mental state of those who voted for him, The Washington Post commentator George Will does attempt to put it in perspective.
MARIGOT:--- Fire broke out in the AUDRA (section Kidney dialysis section) of the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital (LCF) around 1 pm on Sunday. According to the information provided to SMN News the fire brigade took 42 minutes before they reached the scene because they were busy attending to another fire somewhere in Orient Bay.

Hospital officials said that the fire started in the electrical room of the Kidney Dialysis Center of the Hospital, they said that room has internal damage but otherwise the other parts of the building were not damaged. When the fire started hospital officials began evacuating all patients that were in the pediatric, maternity, emergency and medical wards to prevent them from any type of smoke inhalation.

The fire was brought under control by 3pm said hospital officials on Sunday.

The gendarmes also confirmed that the fire took place in a building at the back of the hospital which is the AUDRA wing. They said no one was in the building at the time and no one was injured.

Fire fighters were busy putting out a huge fire at the Le Galleon Beach at Jets Cool building when the fire started at LCF Hospital on Sunday.
GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The theme for the just concluded Vaccination Week in the Americas was Go for the gold! Get vaccinated! This also coincided with World Immunization Week 2016 during the same period which was from April 24-30.

Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, commends the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) with respect to its annual initiative in the Americas as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) for the recent gains in immunization coverage.

CPS will be organizing its own vaccination open house early June.

Last year immunization at a global level led to several wins in the fight against polio, rubella and maternal and neonatal tetanus. Polio was eliminated in one country, tetanus in three, and rubella in one geographical region.

According to the WHO, on a global level, immunization averts two to three million deaths annually; however, an additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if global vaccination coverage improves. Today, an estimated 18.7 million infants  nearly one in five children  worldwide are still missing routine immunizations for preventable diseases, such as diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.

In 2012, the World Health Assembly endorsed the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), a commitment to ensure that no one misses out on vital immunizations. Despite gains in vaccination coverage in some regions and countries the past year, global vaccination targets remain off track.

The Region of the Americas became the first to eliminate rubella, a contagious viral disease that can cause multiple birth defects as well as fetal death when contracted by women during pregnancy.

Additionally, five years after the introduction of an affordable conjugate meningitis A vaccine, immunization of more than 230 million people has led to the control and near elimination of deadly meningitis A disease in the African meningitis belt that stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia.

New vaccines against dengue, Ebola and malaria have the potential to be game-changers in immunization in the near future. For example, through a ring-vaccination strategy, the Ebola vaccine is being given to anyone who has come into contact with a person infected with Ebola, as well as contacts of theirs.

And, the new polio vaccination regimen, with the withdrawal of type 2 oral polio vaccine in 155 countries this month, represents a critical step towards a polio-free world.

CPS points out that much progress has been made globally to increase immunization coverage, adding that its very important to get children vaccinated so they can grow up healthy and strong.
Winning the Hearts and Minds of Customers: New Evidence That Brands Are Embracing the Customer Journey

BOSTON, MA  (Marketwired)  05/09/16  provider of the leading Customer Journey Hub for agencies and their brand clients, today released the . The study of over one billion real-time, cross-sector brand and customer interactions captured by reveals that brands are increasingly adopting and investing in a diverse set of customer journeys across a broader range of touch points than ever before.

Today, brands and their agencies are placing increased emphasis on omni-channel marketing initiatives, particularly when it comes to managing the customer experience as part of ongoing, individual customer journeys. This is an important step forward from recent approaches which focus on the customer experience at individual touch points. The Kitewheel study examined customer interactions from real cross-channel journeys to provide insights into customers overall experience. A year-over-year comparison of 2014 to 2015 data reveals that each channels role in the customer journey is evolving:

Email is not dead. In fact, it has surged to 23 percent of total journey interactions, up 270 percent year-over-year.

Though the bulk of interaction volume occurs on social media (48 percent), the study found that as businesses expand to new channels as part of their customer journeys, socials overall share of interactions declined 23 percent year-over-year.

Mobile apps represent the fastest growing channel, with interactions increasing tenfold from 2014 to 2015. While the overall percentage of mobile app interactions is still small this channel holds great potential for brands in 2016, but will require a strong, real-time capability.

Despite claims to the contrary, web interactions continue to climb, reaching 20 percent of total interactions; this represents a 67 percent increase year-over-year.

By placing a stronger emphasis on customer journey orchestration over the past year, brands have realized a wealth of new benefits, including increased awareness, engagement, conversion and retention, said Mark Smith, president, Kitewheel. Our study shows that the skys the limit when it comes to customer journey orchestration  best practices will continue to emerge, allowing brands to incorporate more touch points into their omni-channel strategy and deliver the experiences consumers expect.

When it comes to coordinating modern-day customer journeys, retailers are leading the way, orchestrating 50 percent of the total journey interactions tracked in 2015. Meanwhile, travel and healthcare companies are also investing heavily at 15 percent and 12 percent respectively. These sectors are engaging customers across a broad array of channels and producing the highest volumes of interactions. The retail industry also depicts how, over time, brands may expand from approaches that focus on a single channel such as social, to more comprehensive journey approaches that also include web, email and in-store touch points. The travel industry  one of the first industries to widely embrace customer journeys  continues to grow in interaction volume, primarily by incorporating additional channels into the journey for their best customers. Finally, the insurance sector surged, quadrupling interaction volumes year-over-year. The adoption and expansion of customer journeys among a more traditional industry such as travel signifies the pervasiveness and success of the strategy.

Two of Kitewheels marketing agency partners have commented on the report and the importance of the customer journey that Kitewheel delivers:

The new report from Kitewheel validates the importance of customer journeys in todays marketing landscape, said Kelly Jo Sands, SVP, Marketing Technology, Ansira. As brands fight it out to secure customer loyalty, customer journeys will be key to a winning omni-channel strategy.

At GroupM we are aiming to deliver superior customer experiences across all costumer touch points. Kitewheel provides the platform for the seamless integration of disperse sets of platforms and technologies and real-time decisions, which in turn delivers the right message at the right time to the right customer, said Kresten Bach Sndergaard, Business Development Director, GroupM.

For an in-depth look at the 2016 study, please download the .

As a leader in customer journey management, Kitewheel analyzed and compared more than one billion brand and customer interactions from its successful delivery of customer journeys for clients worldwide. Data from 2014 and 2015 was then analyzed in depth across a range of industries  Retail, Automotive, Travel, Healthcare, Education and Insurance  to provide insights into the actual journey executions in todays evolving customer journey market.

Kitewheel enables agencies and brands to plan, execute and optimize intelligent customer journeys. Kitewheels Customer Journey Hub unifies the decisions across all systems and touch points  both physical and digital  enabling systems to work together to drive meaningful interactions with customers and increased ROI.

Kitewheel has more than 25 of the worlds leading marketing agencies as active partners, including the top five agency groups including Omnicom, WPP, Publicis and Havas, and was named a Gartner Cool Vendor in 2014 and included in the 2016 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Hubs. Kitewheel serves its global partner base from offices in Boston, New York City and London. For more information, please visit and follow Kitewheel on and .

Sofia Coon

Scratch Marketing + Media for Kitewheel

(617) 945-0708
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BENGALURU: The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is preparing additional chargesheets in the Lokayukta extortion case, has analysed more than 5,000 audio clippings of conversation between the accused and are including some of them in the chargesheet.

It is also learnt that the analysis revealed that a Superintendent of Police was also in touch with one of the accused. SIT sources said that the investigating teams have seized several mobile phones belonging to the accused.

Over 5,000 recorded conversations were found in the seized mobile phones. All the audio files were analysed and we have picked up 60 out of it, which can be a clinching evidence against the accused, an official said.

The officials are transcribing the conversations to include them in the chargesheets. Its a laborious process and takes a lot of time. Some conversations last more than 30 minutes.

The accused have spoken in length about their modus operandi. Each detail has to be recorded. The conversations will be given to the court in print format along with CDs containing the audio files, the official added.

Further, the SIT has also sent the audio clippings to the Forensic Science Laboratory for voice tests. As per the procedure, we have sent the clippings to the FSL for voice tests. The voice testing experts will have to certify that the voice in the audio is of the accused persons, the official said.

The report submitted by the experts will also be included in the chargesheet, the official added. It is learnt that the SIT has found out most of the conversations related to the case filed by industrialist and KPCC member P.N. Krishnamurthy.

In this case, Ashwin Yerabati, V. Bhaskar, Syed Riyaz, Rajashekar, Narasimha Rao and Sadiq are named as the accused.

SP in touch with accused

During the analyses of audio clippings, the SIT found that a Superintendent of Police (SP) was in contact with accused M. B. Srinivasa Gowda, a journalist. On the evening of the day the first complaint was registered, Gowda calls up the SP, who is on the verge of retirement now. Gowda tries to know the details of the complaint through the SP. Both will speak badly about a senior police official, who was a part of the investigating team in the Lokayukta. In

connection with this, the SP was summoned by the SIT and was questioned. However, he had no involvement in the extortion racket, the

official said.
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.
Two of the accused men, Amit Mukhedkar and Shubham Gupta, have been arrested (Photo: Representational Image)

Pune: A gang of men travelling in a car threatened, abused and attacked a 22-year-old woman in Pune on May 1 for wearing a short dress and roaming around with men.

According to a report, the incident took place as the woman was returning from the sangeet rehearsal for her friend's wedding. At 5.30 am, while we were passing by the Lullanagar main signal, a car started driving parallel to ours. A man rolled down the tinted window glass of his vehicle and peeped into our car, the woman said.

They then began to hurl abuses and threaten the woman and her friends, following her car all the way home. One of her male friends tried to intervene, but was thrashed by one of the men from the gang. The other men dragged the woman out of the car and hit her.

How can you wear such a short dress and roam with two men at such a time? In Pune, this is not allowed, the men told the 22-year-old woman.

The accused allegedly threatened the girl, saying they were influential. "They gave me their names and numbers. They know my address too, they said. They all seemed drunk. They left, only to return five minutes later, with 10 to 15 men brandishing rods and sticks, threatening us," narrated the woman.

The woman subsequently dialed 100 but received no response. The police arrived an hour later and registered a case of non-cognisable offence. Finally, a proper case was filed on Sunday after the woman visited the Kondwa police station several times.

Two of the accused men  Amit Mukhedkar and Shubham Gupta  have been arrested. Police is on the hunt for the rest.
Unidentified miscreants broke into the house of a timber merchant and decamped with gold and other valuables worth over Rs 10 lakhs. (Representational image)

BENGALURU: Unidentified miscreants broke into the house of a timber merchant and decamped with gold and other valuables worth over Rs 10 lakhs. The incident was reported in the house of Shivakumar, a resident of Avalahalli in Byatarayanapura police station limits.

According to the police, Mr. Shivakumar and his family members had gone to Tirupati on Friday evening. When they returned on Monday morning, they were shocked to find the house ransacked.

The miscreants gained entry into the house by breaking open the window grills. They have decamped with over 250 grams of gold jewels, silver articles and Rs 1.5 lakh cash. We have launched a probe into the case following a complaint by Mr. Shivakumar. We are verifying the CCTV footage captured in the locality. We do not rule out the role of known persons in the burglary, the police said. A case was registered in Byatarayanapura police station in this connection.
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Should NASA, along with other spacefaring nations and private companies, try to establish a continuous human presence on the moon? Should the moon take priority over a human mission to Mars?

In his new book, "The Value of the Moon: How to Explore, Live and Prosper in Space Using the Moon's Resources (opens in new tab)," (Smithsonian Books, 2016), planetary scientist and author Paul D. Spudis explains why the moon could be a critical stepping stone for robotic and human missions to other solar system destinations. Following in the footsteps of people like aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun and science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, Spudis uses recent lunar science to show that the moon contains the resources humans need to make it a space-based fueling station and production facility for solar system travel.

In addition, the book gives a history of lunar exploration (and attempted exploration) by the United States, to which Spudis has occasionally had a front-row seat. In addition to being a senior staff scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, he has held leading roles on lunar exploration missions and served on the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy in 2004. Space.com talked with Spudis about his new book, and the highlights of that interview follow. All opinions expressed in this interview are his own. [Why Go Back To The Moon? Retracing The Last Footsteps | Video]

Space.com: Can you give me a brief overview of your new book?

Paul D. Spudis: It's kind of a combination of three different things. I wanted to write a history of the United States' interest in the moon  our voyage there with Apollo, but also our attempts to return there after Apollo. So it's a history in that sense.

Paul D. Spudis is a planetary scientist and author of seven books about the moon. (Image credit: Nathan Lindstrom)

It's [also] a memoir in that I've been doing this for the last 30 years, [and] I wanted to tell some stories and give some perspectives that I had not seen in other accounts. So I'm giving people my insider's view of what happened and why it happened.

And then, the last part is that it's an advocacy document. It's a brief on why I think it's important to make the moon a destination. So I tried to combine those three elements into one continuous narrative.

Space.com: People may have heard about possible plans to return humans to the moon. What's the argument you make in the book for why humans should return to the moon and establish a presence there?

Spudis: The argument of the book is that, fundamentally, the moon has value because it has what we need to create a permanent system of space transportation. And that requires a little bit of explanation, but what it means, basically, is we can use the resources that are found at the poles of the moon.

[The resources] come in two forms: There's the frozen water that occurs in the cold, permanently dark areas, and then there's the quasi-permanent sunlight at the peaks around both poles. So you have continuous energy [from the quasi-permanent sunlight], and you have [water], which is probably one of the most useful things you can find in space.

As a material, water is extremely useful. You can use it to support human life. Obviously, you can drink it. You can use it to reconstitute food. You can use it for sanitation. You can use it as radiation shielding. So it's a consumable that helps protect and sustain human life.

You can use water as a medium for energy storage. When you have the sun shining, you can pass an electrical current through the water and break it down into its component gases  hydrogen and oxygen  store those, and then when you're in an eclipse or at nighttime, you can combine those two gases in a fuel cell to generate electricity. So it's a completely reversible process, changing water into gases and then from gases back into water. So it's a medium of energy storage in that sense.

And finally, and most importantly, the last use of water is that when it's broken down into its component gases and then cryogenically frozen into liquid form, it's the most powerful chemical rocket propellant we know of. So what does that mean about the moon? What does that tell you about the value of the moon in terms of spacefaring? What it means is, we have an offshore fueling station right next door to the Earth. We can use the resources of the moon to create a fueling system and a logistics depot that can support long-duration spaceflight not only between Earth and the moon, but to the planets as well.

So, in a nutshell, that's the argument of the book. That's why I wrote the book: because a lot of people don't realize that  it wasn't until very recent missions to the moon  the robotic missions and the landers that we've had recently  that we've really found out that  you can use what the moon has to offer to create this system. [Moon Base Visions: How to Build a Lunar Colony (Photos)]

Space.com: So, in your most realistic but also optimistic projections, what does the human presence on the moon look like in 50 or 60 years?

Spudis: So, what I propose is, in 50 or 60 years, what we see are bases that are at the poles of the moon, that are harvesting  that are digging up and collecting  the frozen water there, storing it and using it for the variety of purposes that I've talked about, but [also] using that to provision a system of transportation elements. These are landers that go back and forth between the moon and orbit, from the moon's orbit back to the Earth's orbit, and beyond to the planets as well, using the lunar propellant and lunar consumables to provision those kinds of missions. So you're going to the moon to create a permanent, continuously operating spacefaring system.

An artist's illustration of what a base on the moon might look like. The European Space Agency is investigating the possibility of 3D printing lunar habitats. (Image credit: ESA/Foster + Partners)

Space.com: In your book, you talk about a lot of things that go beyond just the science, and you discuss what you think should be done  and can be done  in the realm of human spaceflight.

Spudis: Yes, this goes beyond science, and into engineering. But I think this is a case where our scientific knowledge is actually acting in service to our ability to create spaceflight capability.

A lot of people say, "What's our goal? Is it to go back to the moon or to Mars, or which?" Well, my goal is everything in the solar system. There are many places where you can envision missions, some of which may need people, some of which you just need robotics. But in any of that, you need the ability to send large, power-rich probes and machines to these places in order to do the kinds of things we want to do. Now we can't always do that by launching stuff from the surface of the Earth. There just aren't enough big rockets; there isn't enough money in the economies to support that kind of effort. Because you're lifting enormous amounts of mass out of the deep gravity well of the Earth. [Editor's note: When discussing a rocket's struggle to get away from a massive body, it is sometimes said that the rocket must climb out of the object's "gravity well." The stronger the gravity, the "deeper" the well.] In the inner solar system, Earth has the deepest gravity well. But the gravity well on the moon is only one-sixth of the Earth's. It's much easier to lift the "dumb mass"  the consumables, the water and the rocket propellant  from the moon than it is to do that from the Earth. So that's the argument for going to the moon.

And yes, you're right  it's not a scientific argument, per se. It's a case where science is being applied to the task of creating a spacefaring capability. That's the way I like to look at it.

Space.com: How did you gather the engineering information and the spaceflight information for the book?

Spudis: This is nothing I came up with. People have been thinking along these lines for a long time. If you read the early writings of Wernher von Braun, back in the '50s, he wrote a book called "Across the Space Frontier." And he talked about the various steps of moving humanity into space. And Arthur C. Clarke is another example, another early writer in the '40s and the '50s. And all of them envisioned going to the moon and using the resources of the moon to fuel rockets and to make air and to make water so that people would be able to live in these places. So that's been kind of a dream for a long time.

What is new is that we didn't know until fairly recently that the materials that we need to do that actually do exist [on the moon]. And they do actually exist in quantities large enough to make this feasible. So I've been interested, for a long time, in spaceflight in general. I've always wanted to live in a world where we could go where we want, when we want, to whatever mission we could envision. And to do all that using rockets [only] launched from Earth is so incredibly difficult and so incredibly expensive that it's very likely we will only do a fraction of the things that we could imagine doing.

So what I want to do is change that template  to change it from being limited by what my friend Don Pettit, the astronaut, calls "the tyranny of the rocket equation." The rocket equation basically says the bulk of the mass of a rocket is devoted to fuel and tankage, and not to payload. But we can change that by getting our fuel from sources that are already in space. And that's really the argument. It's not a new dream; it's just that now, for the first time, we actually know that it's possible to realize that dream.

Space: There's also the argument that the moon could be a training ground or proving ground for a human mission to Mars. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Spudis: You can use the moon as a proving ground simply because there are many things  that you'll do on any planetary or lunar mission that you can rehearse, practice and perfect by going to the moon.

So, for example, we talk about extracting water from the polar ice of the moon. Well, people say, "Well, that doesn't really apply to what you might do on Mars." Well, actually, it does  because there's ground ice on Mars as well. And in both cases, it involves a similar sequence of activities: You dig up the frozen ground or the ground ice, you melt it or you heat it up to extract the water, you collect the vapor, and you store the product. And you have to handle granular materials at each stage. Now those processes are common to the moon and to Mars both. So by doing that on the moon, you've already established a technology base, a set of procedures and equipment. You've learned what not to do and how to be careful and do only those things that contribute to a successful extraction. And at the same time, you've also tested the machines that you can use on Mars in an environment that closely simulates it.

So, it's true that they're two different [worlds], and they have different environments, and they have different histories. But at the same time, there's a lot of commonality. They're both terrestrial, rocky objects. They both have dusty surfaces; they have alien, hard radiation near-vacuum environments from which people have to be protected. They have extremes of temperature, both in terms of cold and heat. And you need to basically adjust your machines and your procedures to those conditions. So, in that sense, the moon is a good proving and testing ground for the kinds of things you're going to be doing later on Mars.

Space.com: It seems like the discussion about NASA's future space plans has come to a fork in the road  the agency can choose the moon or Mars. And it seems like that decision will have to be made soon. Do you agree? Is that the decision NASA needs to make now?

Spudis: Well, the reason it's a decision  or the reason it's being treated as a decision  is that it's assumed that we can't do both. It's assumed there is going to be a limited amount of resources and, therefore, a decision has to be made about what should get the main emphasis, simply because we don't have enough money to do everything.

I would argue that, in that kind of calculus, you want to ask yourself the question, "What is your long-term goal? What are you really trying to get out of human spaceflight?" We've asked that several times over the years. Different people have come up with different answers. I think the answer to that question is what I mentioned earlier: What we really want is the ability to be spacefaring, to be able to go where we want, when we want, to do a variety of different kinds of jobs.

So my argument would be that to do that, you need to develop a permanent space-based system  a system that will be robust enough to allow you to do a wide variety of different things but also allow you to do them repeatedly. You don't want a system that just works once and then you throw it away. So [from] that perspective, the question [should we go to the moon or to Mars?] really doesn't come up  because, of course, the moon is in the critical path, because in order to go to Mars, you need to create a system that will allow you to go to Mars and any other space destination repeatedly and not just once.

An image of the lunar surface captured by astronauts during NASA's Apollo 15 mission in 1971. (Image credit: NASA)

The problem is, if you decide to make Mars the only goal, in the same sense that the moon was the only goal during the 1960s, during the Apollo program, when you run the risk of making the Mars program the next Apollo program. You will go there, you'll plant the flag and then no one will go back for 50 years. I don't think [people advocating Mars travel] want that. I don't want that. What I want is a system that allows you go to continuously to all the interesting places that the solar system has to offer. And I think using the moon will allow us to do that.

Space.com: I hear a lot of people talk about how they wish NASA could do what it did during the Apollo program, and that the United States should get back to that. Do you hear that a lot, and do you think it's a good idea to think about near-future spaceflight plans as a way to get back to the Apollo days?

Spudis: I don't think it's a useful way to think about the problem.

The fact of the matter is, Apollo was not about spaceflight. It was not about space at all. It was about beating the Russians to the moon.  Fundamentally, Apollo was a battle in the Cold War. We challenged the Soviet Union in a race to the moon. "We're going to go to the moon, and we're going to put a man on the moon by the end of this decade." That's what Kennedy said. Well, why a man on the moon, and why a decade? Well, obviously, he was challenging the Soviet Union, saying, "We have the technology and the wherewithal to do this, and you don't." That was sort of the unspoken statement.

So [it was] a battle in the Cold War, and what happens when you win a battle? You don't keep fighting it. When you win a battle, you've won the victory; you don't do it anymore. So, in effect, the predicate, the assumption behind the Apollo program, contained within it the seeds of its own demise. Because once you achieve the goal, there's no need to continue achieving it again and again and again. So that's why Apollo ended.

And, in fact, after Apollo, the original plan was to build the [space] shuttle not as an end-all program but as the first step of a continuously expanding process out to the moon and to the planets beyond. So the original "von Braunian" paradigm was: shuttle, space station, moon tug, Mars mission. So you would incrementally build each step, which would allow you to take the next step. So, first, you'd have a shuttle from low Earth orbit to the orbiting space station. And then, from the space station, you'd have a moon tug to take you to lunar orbit. Then, you'd have a lander to take you down to the lunar surface; then, you would have a Mars craft built in space that would go to each of the planets. So each step enabled the next step. It was an incremental, step-wise process.

That's sort of the template we're trying to return to now. And what we've found recently with lunar exploration is that we can use what we've found on the moon to actually help fuel and provision this system.

So I don't pine for the days of the Apollo [missions]. I loved those days; I watched every mission on TV. I even recorded the audio, the air to ground [communications]. I have those little tapes, believe it or not! And I still enjoy listening to them. I mean, it was a great time. It inspired me, and it inspired a lot of my colleagues in the same way. But at the same time, I recognize that it was a historical anomaly. And it doesn't necessarily give us the path with which to pursue a future space program. So the answer is yes, Apollo was great; yes, Apollo was glorious; no, it is not the way to approach future human exploration.

This interview was edited and shortened for brevity and clarity. Go here to read an excerpt from Spudis' book.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
This scarf lets you wrap yourself in a piece of space-exploration history with the very first color image taken of Earth from space. It is part of a series of scarves made using freely available NASA photos.

Want to wrap yourself in the cosmos? Now you can: The newest collection of limited-edition silk scarves, printed with vivid NASA photos, from the New York City-based boutique Slow Factory has just been released.

Celine Semaan Vernon, founder and CEO of the boutique, has been creating the scarves for four years now, using images she takes from NASA's creative commons.

The result is a set of beautiful, delicate, soft scarves that space enthusiasts can appreciate. [Space Fashion Week: How Slow Factory Makes NASA Photos Into Clothes]

Although Vernon's earlier scarves added a little mystery to wearers' wardrobes, with the swirling colors of nebulae or an image of exposed Martian rock, Vernon's new line focuses on a more personal part of the cosmos  the planet humanity calls home.

Vernon named the new line "We Are Home" and chose images that represent Earth and the history of space exploration. But not just any old image of Earth made the cut. In order to be included on the new scarves, the pictures had to be "awe-inspiring," Vernon told Space.com.

This scarf, made by Slow Factory, calls viewers to relive the excitement of the Apollo 11 liftoff with a photo of amazed faces watching the craft launch. (Image credit: Slow Factory)

One scarf shows a sea of faces in an old black-and-white photo, all staring up in wonder at the Apollo 11 liftoff. "It is just heart-warming and spectacular to watch these people look up in amazement," Vernon said.

Other scarves depict the first-ever color photo taken of Earth from space, which Vernon calls "First Earth Selfie," and a group of spacecraft ready for liftoff. The line also features scarves printed with close-up images of Earth, including shots of clouds over the sea and rainbows.

By turning beautiful images of the Earth into scarves, Vernon said she hopes "to raise awareness about the fact that we are all in this together, floating in space on mother-ship Earth."

That idea  that all people share the same home  connects to Vernon's deeper project: to support refugees in Lebanon. Part of the proceeds from the We Are Home collection go to ANERA, a nonprofit that aids refugees in Syria and Lebanon.

The cause is close to Vernon's heart, as she is a Lebanese expat who had to flee Beirut in the midst of a war in the '80s, seeking refugee status in Canada, she said.

"Having to leave everything behind and start over again is something I have seen my father do over and over again, until we were safe and had a place to call home," she said. "We Are Home, our collection, is a symbolic collection made to honor those who had to leave."

This Slow Factory scarf, bearing a picture of the Earth emblazoned with the words "we are home," suggests that everyone on Earth has at least one thing in common. (Image credit: Slow Factory)

In addition to the celestial scarves, the new collection includes a key necklace modeled after the key to Vernon's home in Beirut. "That key is made to honor the refugee tradition to wear their home key around their neck," she said. She will be donating 10 percent of the proceeds from those keys and the rest of the collection to ANERA to offer job-skill training to Syrian refugees, Vernon said.

The collection is in full stock on Slow Factory's website, http://slowfactory.com, after the line's official launch on April 22, which happens to be Earth Day  the perfect release date for a collection that's all about the Earth.

Editor's Note: This article was updated to clarify that ANERA helps Syrian refugees in particular.

Follow Kasandra Brabaw on Twitter @KassieBrabaw. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Bengaluru: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru police is shortly going to chargesheet dreaded underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskars close associate Chhota Shakeel for plotting the murder of a prominent right wing leader in Karnataka with his city-based henchman and prime accused Syed Niyamath alias Rehman (29) under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Karnataka Control of Organised Crime Act, Arms Act and the concerned sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Read: Chhota Shakeels aide held in Bengaluru

Niyamath (29), who is a resident of Bismillahnagar near MICO Layout, is a professional offender and has eight cases of murder, attempt to murder and extortion against him. He was arrested in November 2015 with his three aides for allegedly plotting the murder of a prominent Sri Rama Sene leader at the behest of Shakeel, who was reportedly constantly in touch with him through phone calls and SMSes. Niyamath had also made several calls to Dubai and other countries, where Shakeel is said to be hiding.

Shakeel, who is acting on the orders of his mentor, Dawood, had sent money to Niyamath through the hawala route and was in the process of sending him the firearm through a courier for the operation, which would have created communal unrest in the city and state. Niyamath was caught in the nick of time. He was introduced to Shakeel through another associate Rashid Malbari, who was arrested earlier. He was released on bail but he jumped bail and managed to escape from the country on a forged passport. Niyamath had met Malbari, when they were in judicial custody in the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara, said an officer on condition of anonymity.
Regency-Superior Auctioneers of St. Louis will sell the "largest existing piece of Skylab wreckage," part of the space stations oxygen tank.

A massive chunk of the United States' first space station is about to land at auction.

Billed as the "largest existing piece of Skylab wreckage in private hands," Regency-Superior Auctioneers of St. Louis is offering the 300-pound (136-kilogram) artifact as part of its online space memorabilia sale scheduled for May 12.

The semi-circular relic has a minimum bid of $30,000 and is estimated to be worth between $45,000 and $55,000  shipping from Utah not included. [Encountering Skylab: A Visit to the Space Station's Remains]

"Fragment is not terribly attractive (it was, after all, part of a re-entry crash!), but is extremely historically significant," the auctioneers wrote. "A huge hunk of space history!"

Launched on May 14, 1973, the Skylab orbiting workshop used the converted upper stage of a Saturn V moon rocket to host three astronaut crews for NASA's first long-duration missions. The space station was damaged during its liftoff though, which curtailed its full potential use.

NASA hoped to reboost and repair Skylab using the space shuttle, but the winged vehicle's first launch was delayed and the space station fell back to the Earth six years after it was launched on July 11, 1979.

"Much of the debris hit the ocean, but much rained down on Western Australia as well," Regency-Superior wrote in its auction catalog. "The result? Tiny pieces of Skylab were found by many Aussies and they frequently change hands for hundreds of dollars."

The largest fragments of the fallen space station to survive the re-entry and later be found were the oxygen tanks that supported the astronauts on orbit. Two of the outpost's six tanks are exhibited at the Esperance Municipal Museum in Australia and U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Skylab orbital workshop, America's first space station. (Image credit: NASA)

A third tank, or at least part of the other two, was found on the land of a privately-held farm, 6 miles (10 km) south of Rwalinna, Western Australia and acquired by a marketing company in the early 1980s.

Delta Vee, Inc. recruited astronaut Charles "Pete" Conrad, who walked on the moon and then commanded Skylab's first crew, to help sell small pieces of the tank, which they attached to trading cards and embedded in paperweights to raise funds to promote on-going space missions such as NASA's Viking 1 Mars lander.

"This piece of Skylab was identified by NASA as part of the covering of one of our oxygen tanks," stated Conrad in a 1982 letter that accompanies the 3-foot by 5-foot (0.9 by 1.5 meter) artifact now headed for auction. Conrad died in a motorcycle accident in 1999.

NASA relinquished its claim on the Skylab parts found in Australia, but inspected and identified the fragments from the oxygen tank, as described in a letter from a member of the agency's Skylab team. [Skylab: The First U.S. Space Station (Photos)]

"It is assumed a form of this verification letter was given to all who had recovered pieces of Skylab and cooperated with NASA, which promised to return all pieces to finders," the auction listing states.

The oxygen tank is among 400 space history artifacts and collectibles Regency-Superior is offering in its latest sale. The auction also features a large collection of autographs, including the signatures of Skylab's nine crew members.

Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory took this image near the end of the May 9 Mercury Transit. Mercury is visible on the sun's far right.

Citizen skywatchers, amateur astronomers and scientists alike looked skyward today (May 9) to see Mercury pass across the face of the sun, an event that will not happen again until 2019.

The solar system's smallest planet made a slow passage across the bright solar disc  an event that astronomers call a transit  starting at about 7:16 a.m. EDT (1116 GMT), according to NASA. The planet started on the left side of the sun's disk and took a downward path to the right. Mercury finally exited the suns disk at about 2:38 p.m. EDT (1838 GMT). The event was visible from all of North and South America, Europe, Africa, and much of Asia.

From the perspective of Earth, Mercury completes a transit of the sun about 13 times per century. The last transit was in 2006, and the next one will occur in 2019. In addition to being a fascinating event for skywatchers, this somewhat rare celestial event offers a lot of information for scientists. [The Mercury Transit of 2016 in Amazing Photos]

Today's transit of Mercury proved to be an extremely popular event with the general public and scientists alike. Live views of the event as well as programming about the science of the transit were broadcast online by both NASA and the European Space Association (ESA). NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured a slew of images of the tiny black spot moving across the massive, illuminated disk.

A live webcast from the Slooh Community Observatory featured views of the transit from observatories at multiple locations around the globe, including the Canary Islands; Prescott, Arizona; Hyeres, France; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Space.com readers sent in photos of the transit taken from Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Norway, India and Pakistan, among other places. You can see some of those reader photos in our 2016 Mercury transit image gallery.

12th grade student Jay Hallman looks through a photographer's lens and solar filter to see the planet Mercury as it transited across the face of the sun on Monday, May 9, 2016, in, Boyertown, Pennsylvania. (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)

It's all about perspective

"What happens during a transit is really all about perspective," said Jim Green, NASA's director of planetary science, during a live webcast today, in which NASA scientists discussed the science of the eclipse.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and orbits the star every 88 days, which means the planet technically passes "between" the Earth and the sun somewhat frequently. But a transit by Mercury happens only about 13 times every 100 years, because the orbits of the two planets are slightly misaligned. Mercury's orbit is titled by about 7 degrees relative to Earth's, Green said, which means the smaller planet "misses the sun, from our perspective, many, many times."

Images of the transit show Mercury as a very small, very circular black dot slowly moving at an angle across the brilliant surface of the sun. Looking directly at the sun can cause severe eye damage or blindness, so skywatchers must take safety precautions before viewing the star (look here to find out how to safely observe the sun).

One common method for observing the sun is with a pinhole camera, which projects an image of the sun onto a surface. Sunspots or transiting planets can usually be seen this way, but Mercury cannot.

The planet is too small to be seen transiting the sun without some kind of magnification. So it wasn't until the age of the telescope that humans first saw a transit of Mercury. A Mercury transit was recorded for the first time in 1631, by Pierre Gassendi, based on predictions made by Johannes Kepler.

See more

The science of a transit

Humans have been observing transits of Mercury for nearly four centuries, but scientists still find new things to learn from each such event.

For example, during a transit, modern instruments can study Mercury's very thin atmosphere, also known as an exosphere. The body of the planet blocks the light from the sun, but as that light passes through the exosphere, the gases will block or absorb certain wavelengths of light. Mercury is expelling gases, including potassium and sodium, into its exosphere from under its surface.

Planets that transit their parent stars are of great interest to scientists hunting for worlds outside Earth's solar system. With the so-called transit method for hunting exoplanets, scientists studying distant stars can look for a dip in brightness caused by a planet passing in front of its star. Studying the transit of Mercury provides information about how small a transiting planet can be before it becomes impossible to see the object's effect on its star's brightness, NASA scientists said.

The next transit of Mercury will be visible in North and South America, but the following two transits (in 2032 and 2039) will not be visible in much of the Western Hemisphere. A Mercury transit will be visible to this part of the world once again in 2049.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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They used to work for Flipkart in Nellore and identified some loopholes.

Warangal: Warangal police on Monday arrested four gangsters who duped Flipkart and recovered stolen goods and cash worth Rs 13,60,000. One laptop, 21 mobile phones worth Rs 7.10 lakh and Rs 6.50 lakh were recovered.

The four gang members, G. Srinivasulu Reddy, M.D. Fajluddin, J. Ashok Kumar, and Sayyad Jaleel belong to Nellore. They used to work for Flipkart in Nellore and identified some loopholes.

The gang used to create fake profiles and order items. Later, they would ask for replacement of the product saying that it is faulty. During this process they change the original product and return a fake one.

One of the gangsters registered himself as an assistant professor of Kakatiya University, ordered a product and duped Flipkart. Flipkart filed a complaint at the KU police station. A team lead by crime ACP K. Eshwar Rao nabbed all the four.

Youth held for cheating

A man was arrested by the Chandrayanagutta police on Monday for writing the exam for his friend. Police said that as Shivshankar had backlogs and could not clear them his friend Linga tried to write the exam for him.

Shivshankar Patalay, 26, did engineering at the NRI Engineering College in Kandukur but had backlogs in the final year. As he was not able to clear it he requested his friend Dharavath Linga, a final year engineering student of Gurunanak Engineering College, to write the examination for him.

On Monday, Linga came to the examination centre at Aurora Engineering College to take examination. Invigilators found him while checking hall tickets, SI M. Srinivas Rao, said. A case of cheating was registered against Linga and he was produced before court. A hunt is on to nab Shivshankar.
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Iran and Saudi Arabia are struggling for supremacy in the region and are engaged in a number of proxy wars in the Middle East. The two countries, though, are facing remarkably similar domestic challenges. Here, Saudis are shopping at a store in Riyadh.
"There are clear indications that the mosquito has already managed to hibernate in Germany," Kampen says. In 2014, researchers found the insects in a cemetery just east of Freiburg, in Germany's southwestern corner. In 2015, the mosquitoes were there again, even though there isn't a highway rest stop in the immediate vicinity. "But that was a mild winter. It is unclear if they would disappear again in a severe winter," Kampen says.

The researcher is concerned by such observations. Together with other scientists, he founded an expert commission to study the problem of mosquitoes as transmitters of pathogens. In their first position paper, published in April, the scientists make a plea for action with regard to the Asian tiger mosquito.

"Even if Germany hasn't yet experienced the widespread establishment of the Asian tiger mosquito, existing local or regional populations, such as in Freiburg or Heidelberg, could be sufficient in the summer for the outbreak of small-scale epidemics," the paper notes. "As such, the presence of the Asian tiger mosquito must already be seen as a risk to public health."

Thus far, those mosquitoes that have been discovered are not carrying any pathogens. But they are able to transmit more than 20 viruses, including the Dengue virus, which, according to the Robert Koch Institute, more than 700 travelers brought to Germany in 2015. When it comes to the Chikungunya virus, German doctors have reported more than 100 introduced cases. "We are of the opinion that the mosquito's establishment here should absolutely be prevented," Kampen says.

He believes that education is the best way to reach that goal. The position paper proposes sending trained personnel from door to door in areas near where a tiger mosquito population has been found. They should be charged with finding and destroying possible breeding sites in addition to educating local residents about the fact that the mosquitoes only need a centimeter of water in an old flower pot to multiply. Furthermore, mosquito larvae can be easily destroyed using a bacterial poison.

Such measures, though, cost money. "So long as only the mosquitoes are present and not the pathogens, the law does not require German states to do anything," Kampen says. Slowly, though, the expert has the feeling that people are becoming aware of the problem -- particularly in Germany's most affected state of Baden-Wurttemberg.
Orebro (Sweden), May 08, 2016 (SPS) - The Swedish Left Party has asked the government of his country to recognize the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), as the best contribution to a peaceful solution to the conflict in Western Sahara.

In a statement at the end of its General Congress, the Swedish Party stressed that the official recognition of SADR by the Swedish government is the best contribution that can bring the country to find a peaceful solution to the Saharawi-Moroccan conflict, an initiative which could encourage other countries to take the same decision.

Sweden, according to the political party, must work for the organization of a referendum for the Saharawi people to decide their future and to work in collaboration with the African Union to strengthen the international isolation of Morocco.

The Swedish party also called for the exercise of economic sanctions on Morocco to put an end to its occupation of Western Sahara, and to work to increase the humanitarian aid to the Sahrawi refugees. (SPS)

062/090/TRA
Kochi: BJP on Saturday attacked former Union Minister AK Antony over the AgustaWestland deal, saying since he held the Defence portfolio when the contract was awarded to the foreign firm in 2010, he has to explain who was driving the controversial deal for supplying VVIP choppers to IAF.

"Surely," Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad said when asked whether Antony is also responsible for the agreement with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW101 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force.

"S P Tyagi retired as air chief in 2007. The contract was given in 2010. Antony should explain who was driving this contract," the senior BJP leader told a meet-the-press programme organised by the Ernakulam Press Club here.

He alleged that Antony was forced to order the CBI probe after AgustaWestland chief Giuseppe Orsi was arrested in Italy over the deal. Antony had no option, Prasad said.

The Union Minister, who is in the middle of a campaign for the NDA candidates contesting May 16 Kerala Assembly polls, said though Antony ordered a CBI probe into the deal, no proper investigation was carried out.

"The testimony of two people were important to be examined by CBI - M K Narayanan, the former NSA chief and B V Wanchoo, the former SPG chief," he said.

"Both had become governors (Narayanan and Wanchoo were West Bengal and Goa governors respectively) at the time of CBI's request for examining them. There is no constitutional bar in asking questions to the governor," Prasad said.

"I have a political question to Antony. He needs to explain, who were holding your hands? And if you say that the bribe has been given, and the bribe givers have been convicted in Italy, there were some bribe takers too. Why no action has been taken against the bribe takers," he asked.

Noting that in 2005, when UPA was in power 1.85 meters cabin height was made mandatory, Prasad said, "This height only AgustaWestland helicopter have, which means no competition, single vendor"?

On January 1, 2014, India had scrapped the contract with AgustaWestland for supplying VVIP choppers to IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal.
At Hazel Slack Farm near Ripponden, where the Clarkson family milk 160 all-year-round calving Holsteins, annual farm assessments are providing essential focus, with most progress being seen in the last five years in feed rate, fertility and fertiliser use.

The assessments are part of milk processor Arlas Sustainable Dairy Farming initiative and are carried out by Alltech E-CO 2 . An annual farm visit generates a detailed report that charts current performance against earlier years and also benchmarks the business against others. It also provides advice on how to continue progress.

We are able to show that, over the five years since the farm began carrying out assessments, efficiency has improved from 1,379g of CO 2 equivalents per litre to a level of 1,053g/CO 2 e/litre, explains Victoria Roberts of Alltech E-CO 2 . This is a significant improvement, taking the farm from above the national average (1,230g/CO 2 e/litre) to well below it.

The reports detail the specific areas where improvements have been made, and also where further input is required in order to increase efficiency even further.

J & JR Clarkson have been owner occupiers at Hazel Slack Farm since 1960, with the Holstein Friesian herd now averaging 9,500 litres at 4% butterfat and 3.4% protein. The farm extends to around 300 acres, rising to 1,000ft and bordering moorland. The system is typical of many UK dairy farms, calving all year round, with high yielders predominantly fed inside on a total mixed ration and with the low yielding group outside grazing.
A new organisation  the National Parks Partnerships (NPP)  has been set up to recruit companies to make the national parks better and to help more people to enjoy them in the future.

The NPP is led by a Board of Directors comprising senior executives volunteering from the private sector and key commercial leaders from the national park authorities.

Board Chairman Steve Curl said:

Government and the general public provide important support to the national parks but we need additional commitments to make sure that they are not only sustained but enhanced for future generations.

Partnership with responsible businesses  without commercialisation  can deliver the support needed to secure benefits for national parks and for the massive number of visitors from the UK and overseas, local communities and the environment.

In an NPP survey on the future of the UKs national parks, nearly half of the 2,000 people consulted said they were concerned that the special areas would deteriorate if funding levels reduced in coming years.

Just over two thirds strongly agreed that children needed to get active in the great outdoors and become real kids again, and that everyone should have the basic right to access nature in green spaces, fresh air and places like the national parks.

Steve said:

At a time when children are being encouraged to play more outdoors and we all recognise the importance of being active, companies can facilitate engagement from their own employees and all sections of the public through health and well-being, conservation and other initiatives.

We believe this will also bring substantial business benefits to partner companies  a real win-win.

Peter Charlesworth, Chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said:

The financial and economic realities of today mean that there can, and should, be a much greater collaboration between business and national parks.
Franchise Players is Entrepreneurs Q&A interview column that puts the spotlight on franchisees. If youre a franchisee with advice and tips to share, email franchiseplayers@entrepreneur.com.

Franchise: Glass Doctor

Franchisees: Husband-and-wife team Kevin and Tamara Tennant

Franchisee/Location: Glass Doctor, of Fairbanks, at the North Pole, Alaska

Number of years in business/Number employees: 6 years as independant entrepreneurs, 11 as franchisees/ 6 employees

Initial Investment: $30,000, on average/Tennants' cost was $12,000

Kevin Tennant first braved the rigors of life at the North Pole as a sergeant in the Air Force. But after leaving the service and deciding to start a family business in his new home in Alaska, he faced the rigors of something equally dangerous: glass. That's how Kevin and his wife Tamara found themselves knee-deep in a local dumpster 20 years ago, digging out shards of glass from trashed windshields.

The point was to use the glass to teach themselves glass-repair skills. So, the couple invested $500 in a rock-chip kit, liberated those windshields from that dumpster -- ironically, the property of a future competitor -- and spent hours upon hours at their kitchen table working with their kit. For income, Kevin joined the National Guard, and Tamara worked at a local video store.

Still, sharpening their skills, so to speak, in glass repair was primary. At the time, we had zero experience repairing chipped windshields," Kevin Tennant relates by email. "We did make a few phone calls to the company that sold us the rock-chip repair kit, but most of what we know was learned through trial and error. We eventually drove 400 miles down to Anchorage to work in a shop for free so we could learn how to replace windshields, in addition to repairing them.

After an even bigger investment -- the purchase of a truck -- the Tennants took their rock-chip repair kit and the meager experience they had and opened for business in January 1998. Just six months later, they were doing full replacements, in addition to rock chip repairs. "Business was booming and the profit quickly surpassed Tamaras income at the local video store," Tennant says. "By fall, our profits surpassed my income from the National Guard, as well, and we made the glass business our full-time venture." In 2005, after nine years as independent glass-repair business owners, came the Tennants' move to franchising. "Glass Doctor reached out to me; their plan was compelling enough for me to fly to Waco, Texas, and take a firsthand look," Tennant says. "I saw an opportunity to grow my business, with a ton of help and support from a company I was completely aligned with." The couple, who already had most of the equipment they needed, purchased the franchise and brand-specific equipment and signage for $12,000 and dove in -- just as they had to that dumpster -- teaching themelves about marketing and managing the business' books. "I've learned to work smarter not harder, and I try to work on my business -- not in it," Tennant writes. "I now feel that I could teach others how to successfully work on their businesses because of all the education and support provided by Glass Doctor over the years."

That education included assistance from what the company calls a Sure Start consultant, as well as a franchise consultant that Tennant was in constant contact with. "At conferences, I paid particularly close attention to the most successful franchisees that attended and what they had to say," Tennant says. "Glass Doctor is always just a phone call or email away; and, without fail, someone there always had the answer I was looking for."

En route, there were some hiccups. "The most unexpected challenge was not having the faith to trust in a system that was proven to work time and time again," Tennant says. "In the beginning, I was too stubborn to take all the advice given by Glass Doctor and considered most of it as not applicable in my market. I frequently failed to provide my franchise consultant valuable information concerning my business so he could help me by comparing benchmarks with other franchisees."

The Tennants' business is now one of Glass Doctor's most successful franchisees. Now, they're "transitioning from growth mode to expert mode," Tennant says. And the advice he offers? It's that potential other franchisees ask themselves honestly if they're ready to implement the franchise system and use it to the fullest, Tennant says. If not, "I recommend you remain an independently owned business."

For more information: Glass Doctor

Related:

These Glass Doctor Franchisees Found Smashing Success in a Family Business

How This Woman's Young Daughter Inspired Her to Change Careers

The Grewal Family Franchises Together and Thrives Together



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
The injustice done by the state of Connecticut to Charla Nash, the woman who was brutally mauled by a berserk chimpanzee in Stamford in 2009, lingers.

Not only does it linger, its compounded by the new development that signs have shown her body is rejecting the full-face transplant she received, and that at least part of the reason may be a drug protocol shes undergoing as part of a program intended to help military veterans who receive transplants.

The chimpanzee that attacked Nash had been identified by state officials as a potential danger at least three months before the attack. The state did nothing to seize the 200-pound animal from its owner.

Nashs attempt to hold the state accountable through a lawsuit was rejected by former state claims commissioner J. Paul Vance, who subsequently resigned suddenly after a ruling in another controversial case. The General Assembly also rejected Nash when she appealed Vances decision.

Meanwhile, in the closing hours of the most recent General Assembly session, legislators voted to reverse another Vance decision and has allowed a Trumbull man to go ahead with a suit against the state after a seven-year legal battle.

Overturning the commissioners decision is a rare step. And were not advocating some wholesale relaxation or rewriting of rules that protect the state from frivolous lawsuits. Defenders of the sovereign immunity concept that protects the state from lawsuits argue that letting such a suit go forward would open a floodgate of suits.

We disagree. There does need to be a threshhold for such actions and safeguards against frivolous action.

The Nash case is not one of them. An employee of the then state Department of Environmental Protection, in an email to supervisors in October 2008, more than three months before the attack, identified this privately owned animal as an accident waiting to happen.

The Nash suit would not be based on a speculative theory that someone somewhere should have known about the existence of this animal and should have done something to prevent a random attack.

No, its clear that individuals in a state agency charged with handling such matters not only knew the existence of Travis, the coddled, privately-owned chimpanzee, for at least five years before the attack, but also discussed him with escalating urgency.

The email cited above also warned that even an armed police officer could be in danger if he tried to remove Travis from the Stamford home in which he was kept.

One supervisor said in a sworn deposition that he did not open the email; another said he thought the other supervisor was handling it.

And on Feb. 16, 2009, the fears took gruesome form: Charla Nash responded to the home of her friend, Sandra Herold, Travis owner. The chimp was out of control, attacked Nash, literally ripping off her face and hands. The chimp was shot and killed by a police officer that he was preparing to attack next.

The continuing injustice to this woman should be corrected. Her suit may not prevail, but she should be heard.
Three of their friends drowned while seven were rescued by the community guard at the spot. (Representational image)

Visakhapatnam: A Sunday outing turned tragic for beachgoers in Vizag, as five persons including three Class-X students were feared drowned after they went for a swim at RK Beach, while one fisherman drowned at Yarada Beach. As per reports from various sources, 18 students, all having just written their SSC examination and waiting for results, came to the beach from Mangalapalem area under Kothavalasa mandal of Vizianagaram district.

While 10 were swimming in the waters, opposite the Vishwapriya Function Hall, they were caught in a strong current which pulled them deep into the sea. Three of their friends drowned while seven were rescued by the community guard at the spot. The missing persons were identified as B. Varaprasad, S. Sravan and K. Seshu, all aged around 16 years.

During the same time while the community guards were rescuing the students, another batch of about 11 persons from Koraput area of Odisha was caught in the current. While nine of them were able to get ashore, two were sucked in. The community guards rescued one them but Korra Seetanna, 17, went missing.

In another incident, four persons from Bihar who are working as workers at the container terminal went for a swim and one went missing. He was identified as Babbar Khan. Eyewitnesses said the three incidents happened around 4.30 pm and in close proximity at the RK Beach.

The students ventured into the waters at around 4.25 pm and after a few minutes, a big wave surged towards them and took them deep into the waters. At Yarada Beach, fisherman K. Dhanaraju, 20, was sucked in while he was spreading his net. Others present at the spot rescued him, but he died while being shifted to a hospital.

The police have launched a search operation to trace the missing persons with a help of life guards, marine police, fishermen and coast guard personnel.
F orgive me for not joining the celebrations triggered by Imagination Technologies new shareholder.

Imagination is one of the few major research-led British technology companies.

The microchips it designs have revolutionised the graphics in our mobile phones and tablets, creating the kind of speed and definition phone designers could only have dreamed of.

So critical are Imaginations chips that Apple recently considered buying it.

Yet today, a very different prospect emerged: a takeover by the Chinese government. Tsinghua  the state technology investment fund  opened its offensive with a 3% stake, but the City anticipates a full bid soon. Although investors would pocket a fast buck from such a deal, surely in the long term Britain as a whole risks being short-changed.

China  which is hardly an uncontroversial political ally  is desperate for our most advanced innovations: where it cant copy, it will buy.

But why should we let it? Shipping our greatest intellectual property and brainpower to Beijing only risks weakening Britain as a technology hub and shaking our self-confidence.

Do we really want China to dominate the research end of the technology world like it already rules manufacturing?

In the US, Chinas tech ambitions have received short shrift: Tsinghua last year tried and failed to buy Micron for $23 billion (16 billion) largely because it would have been blocked for security reasons by Washington DCs Committee on Foreign Investment in the US. Multibillion-dollar Chinese tilts at US tech giants Fairchild and Western Digital were scuppered on similar grounds.

Troubled by more than $20 billion of Chinese bid approaches for US firms already in 2016, the US is getting increasingly robust in its opposition.

That can only send the great wall of Chinese money to other countries such as Britain with deals like todays. Yet we have no policy on how to respond.

The UK is a far smaller economy than that in the US, so we cant be as choosy as them when we seek inward investment. Indeed, we should welcome Chinese investment in non-strategic assets.

But having already let Chinese entities embed themselves in our telecoms and nuclear industries with practically no public debate, surely its time for a full government review of what strategic means.

We need to ask ourselves, when it comes to a politically controversial superpower such as China, which areas of British life do we want to protect, and which are we happy to share?
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday slammed Opposition for making desperate attempts to politicise the death of 19-year-old Aditya Sachdeva, who was shot at for 'overtaking' a JD(U) leader's son's car on Saturday night.

Read: Bihar road rage: 19-year-old shot dead by leader's son for 'overtaking'

Breaking his silence on the incident, Nitish said, "Nobody will be spared. Whoever is found guilty will be brought to justice." He lashed out at the Opposition saying they were trying to project the Gaya road rage case as the return of 'jungle raj' in Bihar.

"The manhunt is on for the accused. Nobody can be allowed to take the law in their hands, strict action is being taken against the accused," said Nitish as Gaya observed a bandh after widespread protests.

MLC Manorama Devi's husband Bindi Yadav and the bodyguard have been sent to a 14-day judicial custody on Monday while their son Rocky is still absconding.

The two were taken to Gaya central jail for interrogation, Magadh Zone DIG Saurabh Kumar said.

"Guilty is guilty, law will take its course. My son will surrender," said JD(U) MLC and accused's mother Manorama Devi.

In a related development, four friends of the murdered youth travelling with him in car on Saturday night, recorded their statements under section 164 of CrPC (recording of confessions and statements).

Friends of Aditya Sachdeva  Md Nasir, Md Kaifi, Ankit Kumar and Ayush Agrawal  recorded their statements before the first-class judicial magistrate Rakesh Ranjan Singh narrating the sequence of events leading to their friend's murder by Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Yadav.
C hannel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel today revealed its best-ever April as measures to reassure lorry drivers using the crossing during the Calais migrant crisis paid off.

The Anglo-French logistics giant said 139,200 trucks travelled through the tunnel last month.

Growth came after investments were made last year to provide greater security for drivers, including increased video surveillance, extra policing and new fencing.

The moves allayed truckers fears about passing through Calais after a spate of attacks from migrants trying to reach the UK.

It marks the sixth month in a row that a record has been set, and the highest April traffic since commercial operations began in 1994.

Eurotunnel commercial director Jo Willacy said: Truck drivers arriving at our Coquelles terminal in France access an enlarged, comfortable and secure site.
A s a new MP in 1998 I wrote a pamphlet calling for the UK to make its mind up about the EU. Finally we have that chance. Once the country decides its path on June 23, it should be much easier to have a clearer national strategy and sense of our role in the world.

I had just spent nearly two years as a special adviser in the Foreign Office. I witnessed the all-consuming battle to protect our view of the EU against those of our partners. Most were really committed to the project and the idealism of closer union in Europe. Those countries that on occasion agreed with us gratefully allowed British ministers and officials to make the arguments, so that they werent seen as uncommunitaire, and risk annoying the driving forces of the union, Germany and the commission.

This long defensive bureaucratic battle has been draining. It consumes the energy of ministers and officials, even if our position has been defended over three decades with typical British grit and determination and quite a lot of skill. Bit by bit we have been driven back from our restricted vision of what the EU should be. In the renegotiation our partners have allowed us to carve out this isolated special status, while the project remains intact. This is the redoubt we now defend.

The soaring idealism of the project, planted in the ashes of post-war Europe, today is reinforced by political necessity. Now we have the euro we, or at least the euro area, must move towards some kind of United States of Europe or it will collapse. An accountable body will have to vote the common tax and benefits across Europe to support the eurozone. Unsurprisingly, many of our partners also want a common defence capability, which makes complete sense if your interests are closely aligned.

For Britain our position is all so negative. This is reflected in this referendum campaign. The positive arguments for peace and security in Europe, cloaked in the idealism of Europes founders, are almost completely absent. Instead we trumpet our semi-detached status. Except our deal will either in the long run be unpicked, or our refusal to allow the others to sort out their position will bring the whole thing crashing down.

Eighteen years ago I wanted us to make a choice between two ideals. Britain as a committed member of a great project to secure peace and co-operation in Europe. A sense of European identity to complement our national and British identities. Or the alternative global vision. Britain with its unique history, culture and connections, reinforced by national economic strengths that are global not regional, could embrace a truly international identity. Yes we would lose the benefits of being part of an emerging superstate but our vision would be global as we have the weight to count, if not to command, alone.

Regrettably there is only one positive future role for our country. Remain offers a grimmer and small-minded defence of our deal. We would be working to stop our partners developing the shared sovereignty they need to deliver.

Therefore I will be voting to leave. I believe it is in the long-term interest of both Britain and the EU to do so. I also want us to have a role as a country that is positive and a national strategy that is consistent with our history, culture and population.
A s Labour members prepared late last summer to elect Jeremy Corbyn as leader, Gordon Brown warned in a speech that: Making what we want  the desirable  possible means making the desirable popular and electable.

Sadiq Khan, who has succeeded Boris Johnson as London Mayor, is both popular and electable, and now has the largest personal mandate of any elected politician in the United Kingdom (more than 1.3 million people voted for him).

Khan is the son of a Pakistani immigrant who worked as a bus driver, as he never tires of saying. He is also an observant Muslim and, in a period of rising xenophobia, a potent symbol of the openness, tolerance and diversity of our capital city.

The triumph of this upwardly mobile mayor, who grew up as one of eight children in a council house, should inspire people from all different ethnicities and backgrounds to believe that, with talent and determination, they too can be elected to the highest offices in the land. The great doors of power are not closed to them after all.

But, on the whole, it was a pretty noxious mayoral election campaign, especially when, in the final weeks, Zac Goldsmith smeared his Labour opponent as a fellow traveller of Islamists. The subtext was obvious: this Muslim called Khan, a former human-rights lawyer who has spoken at public events alongside extremists, cannot be trusted.

Goldsmith traduced Khan but he also underestimated and misunderstood him. Khan is less an extremist than an extreme pragmatist. Above all, he knows how to win, which means at times he can seem like a man for all seasons, courting both the Left and the Right, in the manner of Harold Wilson of old.

I remember Khan telling me when we met for coffee last year that he would comfortably beat Tessa Jowell, the admired Blairite candidate who was then the favourite to become the Labour mayoral nominee. Youve got to understand whos voting in this contest, he said.

Later, as Labour careered to the Left after the general election defeat, Corbyn would be useful to Khan, who sensed the mood among the party membership. Once Khan won the nomination, however, he astutely distanced himself from the Labour leader, pledging he would be the most pro-business mayor ever.

Similarly, Khan never doubted he would beat Goldsmith, even as his opponent, hitherto a charming, liberal Tory environmentalist, was coerced into becoming a mud-slinging belligerent.

Labour people are naturally cheered by Khans victory. Some see it as vindication of Corbyns leadership and radicalism. They should be so lucky. In bitter truth, last weeks election results in England, Scotland and Wales merely reiterated the depth of the partys malaise. Labour is the first Opposition party since 1985 to lose seats in local elections.

We already knew from the general election that, in spite of becoming a playground for a deracinated international plutocracy, London is a Labour city. But London is not England, and England is not Britain.

Consider what happened in Scotland, where Labour was once the natural party of government and is now not even the official opposition at Holyrood. That title belongs to the resurgent Tories, led by Ruth Davidson, whose charisma and blue-collar conservatism as well as Labours mediocrity have inspired an improbable revival of the party of Margaret Thatcher in Scotland.

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Its a myth that the Scottish people are more Left wing than the English. They disliked Thatcherism certainly, but few of them yearn for Corbynite socialism. What powers the SNPs popularity is nationalism, a botched devolution settlement that allows the nationalists to claim all successes as their own while attributing failures to Westminster, and the slow death of Scottish Labour.

The former SNP leader Alex Salmond is a centre-Right nationalist, a former oil economist and an instinctive tax-cutter. His cocky, competent successor as leader a nd First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is a pro-business centrist with a social conscience and a long-standing aversion to nuclear weapons being located on the River Clyde.

Misreading her own country, Kezia Dugdale, leader of Scottish Labour, opted to challenge the SNP hegemony by moving sharply to the Left. She proposed raising income tax even for low and average earners (never sensible) and equivocated over her partys commitment to the Union. Labour was crushed and the Tories under Davidson are now claiming to be the last, true believers in, and defenders of, the Union in Scotland.

'Khan is an observant Muslim and a potent symbol of the openness, tolerance and diversity of our capital city'

Where does all this leave Jeremy Corbyn? One source close to the small cohort of Left-wingers who are in control of the party told me that the bearded Islingtonian dislikes the burden and intrusions of leadership and is open to the possibility of John McDonnell, his long-time ally and shadow chancellor, succeeding him in the right circumstances. But first, the Left wants to take full control of the partys policy-making mechanisms and enact a final revenge on Tony Blair and his few remaining disciples, whom they despise.

If what Sadiq Khan describes as his big tent politics represents the best of London Labour, Corbyn and his closest allies  sectarian, ideologically inflexible, suspect on patriotism, drearily pious  represent the worst. In an article yesterday Khan warned Labour that we will never be trusted to govern unless we reach out and engage with all voters  regardless of their background, where they live or where they work.

Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor 1 /17 Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor Mayor of London Sadiq Khan makes his way to City Hall from London Bridge Station in London Jeremy Selwyn London Mayor Sadiq Khan boards a bus stop after leaving his home in Tooting Jack Taylor/Getty Images London's newly elected mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to supporters as he arrives for his first day at work at City Hall Hannah McKay/EPA Sadiq Khan is embraced by a supporter as he arrives at City Hall Hannah McKay/EPA Mayor of London Sadiq Khan waves as he arrives at City Hall Jonathan Brady/PA Sadiq Khan won support with his 'common touch' Jeremy Selwyn Sadiq Khan is mobbed by supporters at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall in London Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn On the Tube: Sadiq Khan Stefan Rousseau/PA Sadiq Khan on a sunny morning at City Hall Stefan Rousseau/PA Breakfast time: Sadiq Khan is offered croissants Hannah McKay/Reuters

The new Mayor might as well have been talking to his wife because Corbyn has no desire to listen or reach out as instructed. Hes less a big tent pragmatist than a closed-minded ideologue, a serial rebel who somehow, late in life, became the accidental leader of the opposition. He knows he doesnt have the support of most of his MPs, who are frankly embarrassed by his incompetence and cranky obsessions.

But he has the support of the members and activists, which means he is immoveable. Meanwhile, the Tories are free to feud, U-turn at will and contradict each other over Europe, knowing full well that Labours zombie opposition cannot hurt them.

Jason Cowley is editor of the New Statesman
S o. We have a new mayor. And doesnt it do us all credit  I mean, the good sense of Londoners as a whole  that in the face of an entitled, patronising and vicious campaign against him, we elected our mayor on the basis of his policies and record rather than his religion or his ethnic origin or his second name.

Theres every reason to think that having a liberal Muslim mayor will help to bolster that good sense. Theres no better rebuke to the insinuation that every brown person with an interest in the Koran is two handshakes away from a suicide bomber than having one in public office and notably not blowing himself up or spouting the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Might it be time for his colleagues in the Labour Party  who are doing the next best thing to blowing themselves up and distributing anti-Semitic propaganda  to take a look at themselves? Thats the heavy hint that Mr Khan dropped yesterday when he refused to endorse Labours daft, and vote-losing, take sides line.

He suggests  as if it were some sort of revelation rather than the plainest common sense  that our aim should be to unite people from all backgrounds as a broad and welcoming tent, not to divide and rule. If you want to exercise power, you need  who knew?  to get people to vote for you.

Every British politician who has made any sort of difference, for better or worse, to the lives of their electors, has done so in the first place by reaching out to the middle ground. Was it an accident that New Labour appealed to a swathe of formerly Tory voters? Was it an accident that Margaret Thatcher courted and won over the Essex men of the lower middle class?

It makes perfect sense that Sadiq Khan campaigned on affordable housing. Here is a topic that affects not a constituency of ideologues to the Left or Right but an entire generation. Theres no more important issue for London, if were not to end up with a vast ghost town owned at its fringes by elderly property millionaires and in its centre by absentee investors. Likewise, his promise to freeze the cost of public transport: thats something that affects every one of the millions of people who use the system daily.

Here was a sensible campaign, run decently against indecent opposition, that triumphed. And it says something that the winner of Labours first significant electoral victory in the Corbyn ascendancy has, not only during his campaign but after it, made a point of distancing himself from the leadership of his own party.

More than that, his first public engagement as mayor was to join a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Barnet. Thats not quite the act of the Islamic extremist hes been smeared as; and its a rather fruity rebuke, by implication, to certain elements in his own party. There he is, standing beside the Chief Rabbi, who just last week condemned Labours severe problem with anti-Semitism. Good on him. I like the cut of our new mayors jib. Is it too early, in fact, to say: vive la resistance?

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Osborne is the TV licence-snatcher, not the BBC

The BBC is said to be considering axing the free licence for 600,000 over-75s  effectively withdrawing the concessionary licence from any older pensioner who has a working member of his or her household. This, naturally, dismays the folk at Age UK, who point out that television is the main form of companionship for 45 per cent of over-75s. This isnt the BBC being gratuitously mean to oldies, though. It looks, rather, like an earnest attempt on the part of the corporation to make the best of a calamitous situation.

The concessionary licence was introduced as a universal benefit for over-75s by Gordon Brown in 2000, and reaffirmed by David Cameron in his first term. It was a political decision, not a decision by the BBC. Yet last summer the Government decided that the 750 million cost of providing those free licences would henceforth be the BBCs problem.

The BBC will cop the bad publicity if it cant afford to maintain the licence as a universal benefit. But this ones on you, George Osborne, and pensioners shouldnt forget it.

Katie Hopkins: what a silly sausage she is

One of the more peculiar ramifications of Sadiq Khans mayoral victory is that professional controversialist Katie Hopkins is now going to run naked down Regent Street with a sausage up her bum. So, at least, she has promised. If she goes through with it, I suppose shell be photographed a lot and then arrested under either the Public Order Act or something relating to an expired food-hygiene certificate.

I dont remember the late Bernard Levin doing anything similar during his long career as a columnist for The Times, but commentators are expected to have a more diverse portfolio these days. Still, I worry for her. Having performed her stunt, and disposed of the sausage, will she not feel afterwards a faint, autumnal chill in her soul? In the words of the poet W B Yeats: Why, what could she have done, being what she is?/ Was there another Troy for her to burn?

Prince Harrys now just one of the blokes

In a new interview Prince Harry has spoken of how upset he was after his first tour of Afghanistan had to be abandoned when the Australian media blew his cover.

To be pulled out, leaving your blokes behind, he said, was one of the darkest moments of my life. Not knowing if I was going to get a phone call saying three of your blokes have just been blown up after you left Afghanistan. And that was completely out of my control.

Its natural and noble that he should feel that way. Interesting that he uses that locution, though. Did he calculate that men would sound too officer class, and that chaps would sound too posh? It seems very emblematic of 21st-century monarchy. We are all blokes now.
As Londoners are finally treated to a glimmer of good weather, international model and former Victoria's Secret Angel Helena Christensen has revealed her capsule collection for summer.

In celebration of the luxury long-haul Sensatori resorts, Christensen has designed and launched a range of boyfriend shirts.

"As someone who has been fortunate to travel the world with my work, this project felt like a natural fit."

"Holidays are about relaxation and the right pieces can transform your experience and style."

"The shirts Camilla and I have designed transition easily from the beach to the bar; theyre designed to feel chic in any environment."

"Im excited about this collaboration and to see our shirts enjoyed throughout the summer."

Modelling the designs herself, 47-year-old Christensen poses in swimwear in shots reminiscent of her days as an Angel walking the Victoria's Secret runway.

The exclusive Helena Christensen for Thomson shirts will be available to purchase online and gifted to guests at the Sensatori Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico resorts during this Summer.

To see more visit thomson.co.uk/sensatori-style
O ne of the worlds largest comedy festivals is coming to London for the first time this summer.

Just For Laughs Montreal, said to be the largest multi-venue comedy event in the world, will be in London for two weeks in July.

The main site in Russell Square will be open daily as a free festival of street performers, magicians and art installations. Ticketed gigs will take place at Paradiso Spiegeltent, The Mix and Logan Hall. Organisers are promising a line-up of some of the UKs best names and up-and-coming talent.

The London festival will be headlined by Australian comedian Jim Jefferies. He said: Just For Laughs in Montreal gave me my first big break in America.

Other acts include east Londoner Gina Yashere, Piff The Magic Dragon, and Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Colin Mochrie. There will also be music shows during the two weeks.

Ticket proceeds from the opening night at the Spiegeltent on July 13 will be donated to Great Ormond Street.

justforlaughslondon.com

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A talented young rower, a yoga instructor and a speedboat-driving businesswoman take their place alongside some of the ancient traditions of the Thames in a new exhibition dedicated to life on the water.

Photographer Matthew Joseph spent three months travelling along its banks from Kew to past Tower Bridge with his camera, picking out a dozen people connected by the river. His show, River People, is now on in Westminster.

He said he wanted it to be an awareness project teaching Londoners about something they can take for granted: You could take nice shots of the Thames at sunset and that would be cool, but people relate to people and I wanted to humanise the river and show people working, playing and making a business and living on it.

One subject is rower Asa Lofstedt, 17, a student at Putney High School who travels to the schools boathouse at 5am each morning to take to the river. She already competes internationally, with only two years experience.

Mr Joseph, 28, said rowers had a unique perspective on the river: Shes a strong, determined individual whose comfort and ease on the water are evident. Not only is the river her training ground, its very much a second home.

50 free things to do in London 1 /66 50 free things to do in London A Cockroach Tour at the Science Museum Get a bug's eye view of the human race with the Science Museum's Cockroach Tour. Step into their shells (literally) and explore how science and technology are influencing our climate. Every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm and 4pm.



sciencemuseum.org.uk Columbia Road Flower Market Come rain or shine, this East End institution peddles its colourful flora every Sunday from 8am-3ish. You'll get the best bargains as it starts to warm down. Check out the adjacent galleries, coffee shops and boutiques which open up at the weekend too. columbiaroad.info Getty Climb up Big Ben Did you know you can wear yourself out climbing up all 334 steps of Big Ben to hear the Great Bell chime the hour up-close? As well as taking in stunning views across London, you can also explore behind the clock faces. Guided tours only at 9am, 11am and 2pm every Monday-Friday. Book ahead.



parliament.uk Getty In-store gigs at Rough Trade East Brick Lane's independent record shop hosts regular free gigs from the likes of Kendrick Lamar (pictured), Gabrielle Aplin and Foals. Wristbands are given out one hour before kick-off.



roughtrade.com Getty Kerb Street Food Markets Making cities taste better one street food market at a time, Kerb are the ultimate foodie guerillas. Find them at King's Cross (Tuesday-Friday), the Gherkin (Thursday) & UCL (last Wednesday of every month). Feast with London's best traders including Mother Flipper burgers and the Meringue Girls (pictured).



kerbfood.com (Picture: David Loftus) Hackney City Farm Give your kids a dose of the countryside in the concrete jungle at one of London's city farms. Our favourite is Hackney City Farm, which is packed with donkeys, pigs and chickens. Open from 10am4.30pm every day except Monday.



hackneycityfarm.co.uk Play table tennis at PING Tables at Earl's Court hangout PING are free on a first come, first served basis. Don't miss tournament Tuesday. Games of Beer Pong are positively encouraged.



weloveping.com Alfie's Antiques Market A hidden gem full of gems, this Marylebone market is an indoor haven for antiques, vintage, collectables and 20th Century design. Open 10am-6pm Tuesday to Saturday.



alfiesantiques.com Gigs and club nights at the Social This central London bar has been going for 15 years. Theres a great range of weekly club nights with a mixture of resident and guest DJs spinning the tunes from house and disco to funk and hip-hop, plus showcases of some of the best new bands around.



thesocial.com Lunchtime concerts at St-Martin-in-the-Fields Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 1pm you can listen to tomorrow's classical music stars, from pianists to choirs, play and sing for free at this beautiful church on the edge of Trafalgar Square. No ticket required. stmartin-in-the-fields.org Nike Training Club You can register for these free womens exercise classes via Facebook around two weeks in advance. Theres yoga, running and general fitness training sessions held in a mixture of indoor and outdoor locations including Clapham Common, Victoria Park and the exercise space in the Nike Town shop.



facebook.com/NikeTrainingClubUK Walk the Tamsin Trail in Richmond Park Walk, run or cycle around the seven mile perimeter of London's largest royal park and try to spot a herd of Red Fallow deer (pictured). Don't worry - there are plenty of tea stops along the way.



royalparks.org.uk Popcorn at Heaven One of London's biggest weekday club nights, Popcorn is one for hedonists who like to dance to house, hip hop and even cheese for seven hours on a Monday night. Just grab a wristband from G-A-Y Bar in Soho for free entry.



popcorn-heaven.com The Queen's House at Greenwich Designed by Inigo Jones in 1616, this Italian Renaissance-style mansion marked a departure from Tudor architecture and houses a fine art collection of maritime paintings. Open Daily 10am-5pm.



rmg.co.uk Guided tours of Tate Modern Tate Modern is spectacular to look at just from the outside (approach from the Millennium Bridge for the best view) and you can also join a free tour lasting 45 minutes and led by in-house experts, at 11am, 12pm, 2pm & 3pm. No booking required unless for a group of more than 10.



tate.org.uk Karaoke at Paradise by Way of Kensal Green Think you've got the X-factor? Hire the private karaoke room (which takes up to 25 guests) for no fee every Monday and Tuesday. Boy George (pictured) has had a go. There's even a button to press to order booze. Call 020 8969 0098 to book.



theparadise.co.uk Friday Night Skate Can you hold your own on rollerskates? Join a marshalled street skate (bladers welcome) which meets at Wellington Arch in Hyde Park at 8pm every Friday. Weather dependent.



lfns.co.uk Evensong at Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey is always open to those who wish to worship. Come for the evensong service to hear the dulcet tones of the Abbey choir. Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday at 5pm or Saturday & Sunday at 3pm.



westminster-abbey.org Meditate at Inner Space Those who need some respite from the grind of life can drop in to Inner Space for free lunchtime and evening meditation and positive thinking classes.



innerspace.org.uk Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace Everyone should watch the Queen's Guardsmen in action at least once in their life. The changing of the guard takes place at 11.30am on odd days (2, 4, 6 etc) throughout the month.



royal.gov.uk Ain't Nothing But The Blues Bar This Soho stalwart claims to serve up the best blues on this side of the pond seven nights a week. From Sunday to Thursday, entry is free all sweet night long and it's free before 8.30pm on Friday and Saturday.



aintnothingbut.co.uk Watch a trial at the Old Bailey Anyone can attend the public galleries of London's premier criminal court the Old Bailey to watch trials in session. Be warned, you can't take in bags, cameras or mobile phones and there's no cloakroom. Open Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm.



cityoflondon.gov.uk Rex Features New Act Night at the Comedy Cafe Theatre Forget big arenas and ticket prices to match, this night in Shoreditch is where many a comedy star, including Jimmy Carr and Mickey Flanagan, cut their teeth. Every Wednesday at 7.45pm.



comedycafetheatre.co.uk Natural History Museum Volcanoes, dinosaurs and a full-sized blue whale skeleton are just some of the wonders of the Natural History Museum.



nhm.ac.uk NHM The Curve Gallery at the Barbican Centre The Curve is always hosting exciting installations that carry no charge but might come with queues, such as Random International's Rain Room (pictured).



barbican.org.uk Gigs at Birthdays This mini bar/club has staged many a free gig, including an impromptu one from Bloc Party (pictured) that prompted massive queues. Make sure you refuel upstairs first.



birthdaysdalston.com Ceremony of the Keys This 700-year-old ceremony is the nightly locking up of the Tower gates. Its a popular event and for dates in 2014 youll need to apply in writing, but online bookings are being taken for January 2015 onwards.



hrp.org.uk Piano recitals at Bar Nightjar Recently voted the world's second best bar for its stupendous cocktails, this Old Street speakeasy also does a fine line in live music. Most nights there's a charge, but entrance to Piano Tuesdays is on the house.



barnightjar.com Whitechapel Gallery Around since 1901, the Whitechapel Gallery can be counted on for pioneering new talent in contemporary art - think Rothko and Frieda Kahlo. The best part? Admission to exhibitions is free.



whitechapelgallery.org Turner Collection at Tate Britain The Clore Gallery at Tate Britain boasts the world's largest collection of Turner paintings. Over 300 oil paintings, sketches and watercolours chart his development from boyhood to mature master and elevator of landscape art.



tate.org.uk Turner, Joseph Mallord William 1775-1851, Norham Castle, Sunrise c.1845 (Tate) Portobello Road Antiques Market Yes you will have to wade through SLR-wielding tourists, but wandering up the two-mile Portobello Road is still a good day out: roam antiques stalls, stock up on bargain bowls of fruit and veg, and explore the fashion market. Open every Saturday from 9am-10am.



portobellomarket.org Rex Features Backpacks, trails & workshops at the V&A Borrow a backpack for your mini art fiends (suitable for 5-12 years) and embark on hands-on activities, jigsaws, stories, puzzles and games to be enjoyed in and around the V&A. No need to book, available every day from the Sackler Centre.



vam.ac.uk Victoria and Albert Museum, London Mediatheque at BFI Southbank Like old movies? The BFI has a ready-to-watch archive of nearly 3000 films and TV series. Simply log on at a viewing station and get reacquainted with old classics from London Town (pictured) to Ab Fab.



bfi.org.uk Courtesy of BFI Mediatheque The Alibi Dalston hotspot The Alibi is always free entry. Don't miss the dive bar's film (Monday) and karaoke (Tuesday) nights .



thealibilondon.co.uk Lunchtime recitals at The Royal Opera House The ROH holds regular lunchtime recitals where you can catch rising orchestral and choral stars. Seats can be reserved online nine days before the concert and always go fast. They also run free backstage tours for nosey parkers.



roh.org.uk Peter Mackertich courtesy of the Royal Opera House Good gym 'Do good, get fit' is the mantra at play here. Join this group of runners and and you'll be sent on community-helping missions such as visiting the elderly. Everyone wins.



goodgym.org Angel Comedy On most Saturday nights the likes of Tony Law (pictured) will tickle your ribs for free from 8pm.



angelcomedy.co.uk The Wellcome Collection One for curious cats, this free gallery is all about medicine, life and art through the ages. Make the most of the library, cafe and temporary collections such as Death: A Self-Portrait (pictured). Don't miss their uber-popular Thursday night events.



wellcomecollection.org Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Lunchtime music at the Royal Festival Hall Find a seat in the Clore Ballroom and simply listen. You'll be treated to jazz, folk and world music from rising stars and established ensembles. Every Friday



southbankcentre.co.uk Parliament Hill The view from here is one you need to see and will revive even the most world-weary Londoner, especially on a clear day. And there's a lido nearby for brave swimmers.



cityoflondon.gov.uk The Wallace Collection A treasure trove in a historic townhouse setting, the Wallace Collection allows you to gawp at old masters, vintage armour, porcelain and furniture. Open to art buffs seven days a week, 10am-5pm.



wallacecollection.org Be in the BBC audience Get your 15 minutes of fame and apply for tickets to be in the audience of a BBC TV show. These guys are entranced by Question Time...



bbc.co.uk Friday nights at Catch Every Friday is free at this Kingsland Road bar and club. Expect anything from live bands to Nineties dance, indie and hip hop.



thecatchbar.com Speakers' Corner Speeches and debates have been taking place at the north-east end of Hyde Park since the 1800s. Stop by to hear wide-ranging views on a huge variety of topics. Or why not rock up and give a speech yourself?



royalparks.org.uk



Pic: Alex Lentati British Museum Not only is it a rather stunning piece of architecture, the British Museum is also an archive of fantastic art and artefacts from all over the world, including the Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles. Find anything from African textiles to a virtual autopsy of an Egyptian mummy. Open daily 10am-5pm.



britishmuseum.org Trustees of the British Museum Borough Market Rain or shine, Borough Market is a great place to refuel after a walk down the river, with hog roasts, lamb burgers and many other culinary delights. A real London institution. Full market open Wednesday-Saturday.



boroughmarket.com Lectures at LSE LSE puts on regular public lectures and everyone is welcome. Expect star speakers - past guests include Kofi Annan (pictured), Bill Clinton and Mervyn King.



lse.ac.uk  LSE / Nigel Stead Broadway Market Sandwiched between London Fields and the Regent's Canal, this old Hackney market is now a hipster hunting ground. Get on your fixie and munch on the trendiest galettes, store up on fresh veg and have a mooch around the vintage clothes stalls. It's easy to while away a day at the cafes which spill on to Broadway. Open on Saturdays 9am-5pm.



broadwaymarlet.co.uk Eric Huang Flickr CC World music and exhibitions at Rich Mix East London's premier cultural centre, Rich Mix hosts open mic spoken word nights, exhibitions, acoustic music (with free cake!) in its bar.



richmix.org.uk Museum of London 450,000 years of London history are on display in the permanent galleries at the museums City and Docklands locations and you can even browse a number of collections online.



museumoflondon.org.uk

Other subjects include Kristiana Thomas, who teaches yoga at the same time as paddle-boarding, and Charlotte Thompson, who runs the Thames Rib Experience that speeds tourists along the river. Mr Joseph said: There are loads of ancient traditions and old industries but the business Charlotte runs with her partner is a great example of something that never used to exist but now its quite a big part of the tourist trade on the Thames. They do a lot of film work as well, they were involved in Bond film Spectre.

Also pictured, alongside charity volunteers, a Tower Bridge driver and a firefighter, is marine logistics expert Chris Livett, the waterman to the Queen. He has also filmed stunts for Bond films and driven David Beckham up the river with the Olympic torch for the 2012 Games opening ceremony.

Most of the other subjects I met have worked with, know of, or have met this stalwart of the river, so it was only right that he has his place in the series, said the photographer.

The show is a collaboration between the Institution of Civil Engineers and Tideway, who are currently working on Londons huge supersewer project.

River People is free and runs until June 3 at the library of One Great George Street in Westminster from 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

@RobDexES

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Review at a glance









I s being an African dependent on the colour of ones skin? Is, in essence, a black African more valid than a white one, in todays post-colonial world?

Such is the satisfyingly thorny nub of May Sumbwanyambes notable debut play, about land ownership in Zimbabwe, presented by those remarkable unearthers of new talent, Papatango.

Its Zimbabwe, 1998, and the Mugabe governments morally questionable programme of land redistribution from white farmers  land grabs, to many  is under way.

Government official Charles (Stefan Adegbola) has arrived with a compulsory purchase order at the remote farm of Guy (Peter Guinness), but Guy and his flinty daughter Chipo (Beatriz Romilly, outstanding) are not going to cede their generations-old home easily.

What to see at the theatre  in pictures 1 /13 What to see at the theatre  in pictures The Deep Blue Sea  Until September 21, National Buy tickets

Henry Hitchings says... Helen McCrory is achingly good in this sombre, tense revival of one of Terence Rattigans finest plays  a devastating portrait of a woman adrift on loves ocean, desperately afraid of loneliness and blighted by the social conventions of the early Fifties. Carrie Cracknells mostly restrained interpretation doesnt shy away from indulging the plays deep silences, and the translucent rooms nested within Tom Scutts design show Hesters Ladbroke Grove lodgings haunted by the fluttery comings and goings of other residents. Their ghostly presence suggests a surveillance society where Hester can never express herself freely. Richard Hubert Smith People, Places & Things  Until June 18, Wyndham's, Buy tickets

Fiona Mountford says... It's rare to see a group of critics, cynical devils that we are, rise to their feet for a sweeping standing ovation on a press night. But this wasnt any old opening, or any old leading actress. For my money, Denise Gough gives the greatest stage performance since Mark Rylance in Jerusalem as Emma, an actress addicted to drink and drugs. Its a supremely confident and well-oiled production from director Jeremy Herrin, with a fluid acting ensemble. There is absolutely no doubt that Gough is the person, Wyndhams the place and this play the thing to see this spring. Johan Persson Guys and Dolls  Until Oct 30, Phoenix Theatre, Buy tickets

Fiona Mountford says... Now in its third incarnation after the premiere at Chichester and an initial West End run at the Savoy, Gordon Greenbergs delicious production of Frank Loessers classy classic once again boasts chemistry in all the right places. In short, theres absolutely nothing not to like about this rendering of Damon Runyons assortment of colourful New York low-lifes. The songs are as tuneful as ever, with Sit Down, Youre Rockin the Boat once more a foot-stomping inducer of encores. This show is tingle-down-the-arms good  a rarity in the West End. Johan Persson The Threepenny Opera  Until Oct 1, National Theatre, Olivier, Buy tickets

Henry Hitchings says... The Threepenny Opera is a stinging indictment of capitalism. Yet for all its pugnacious seriousness it can be fun, and Rufus Norris, whose tenure as artistic director of the National Theatre has so far drawn mixed reviews, oversees a revival thats enjoyably raucous and packed with amusing detail. By downplaying the storys grit and embracing a cartoonish exuberance, Norris ensures that this three-hour production will divide opinion. But after a tentative opening it fizzes with ideas, doing justice to Kurt Weills score, a blend of cabaret and jazz that sounds timelessly, enticingly sleazy. Alastair Muir Show Boat  Until August 27, New London, Buy tickets

Fiona Mountford says... Its always a pleasure to welcome a classy production of a classic musical to the West End and director Daniel Evans has constructed just that in this triumphant transfer from the Sheffield Crucible. From the musically stirring, verbally unsettling opening lines of Ol Man River that begin the show, delivered by the magnificently voiced Emmanuel Kojo as Joe, we know were in for something special. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammersteins 1927 work set the template for the musical as we know it, and 90 years on its still a knockout, above all for its soaring songs. Don't miss this boat. Johan Persson Funny Girl  Until October 8, Savoy Theatre, Buy tickets

Fiona Mountford says... Sheridan Smith triumphantly reinvents Fanny Brice for a new generation of musical theatre lovers, conveying with skill and heart this entertainers emotive blend of professional success and personal vulnerability. Michael Mayers sassy production is reinforced by Michael Pavelkas elegant, wistful design of a theatre, with rows of burnished mirrors running into the wings. Fanny is endlessly reflected back, but never quite in the image shed like to see. Johan Persson The Caretaker  Until May 14, Old Vic, Buy tickets

Henry Hitchings says... Timothy Spall returns to the stage, after a 19-year absence, in Harold Pinters classic vision of deception and isolation. Hes absorbingly watchable as Davies, a tramp taken in by Daniel Mayss generous, simple-minded Aston  and he makes this shambolic figure a bundle of mannerisms, a fidgety bigot who spouts bizarre opinions and peevish gripes. The Caretaker is an incisive, delicately balanced study of a power struggle between three lost souls who are drowning in absurd fantasies. The rich performances make this an unsettling portrait of claustrophobic domesticity and its capacity to warp the mind and the soul. Hamlet  Until August 13, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Buy tickets

Henry Hitchings says... As a brash and youthful Hamlet, in Simon Godwins sultry and at times risky interpretation, Paapa Essiedu radiates star quality. At his best when skittishly imparting the intricacies of Hamlets madness, he combines sarcasm, charm and creepiness. His encounter with the ghost of his father (a memorably doomy Ewart James Walters, whos later a droll gravedigger) transforms him from a slick and smartly dressed graduate into a dynamic oddball whose gestures make the meaning of the plays most famous speeches feel fresh. The production follows the same trajectory. Manuel Harlan/RSC The Alchemist  In rep until August 6, Buy tickets

Fiona Mountford says... For all that The Alchemist (1610) is a splendid satire and proto-farce, its densely packed language, so different from the familiar rhythms of Shakespeare, can be a real challenge. In a well-judged move, director Polly Findlay has cut more than 20 per cent of Ben Jonsons wordy text and employed writer Stephen Jeffreys to demystify some of the more arcane references. The result is a nimble-footed production, blessed with some ingenious little flourishes. The action is a little effortful as times, although McSweeney in particular never fails to amuse. Look out too for the wonderful stuffed alligator that serves as an unlikely storage unit for the trios ill-gotten gains. Helen Maybanks Titanic  Until August 6, Charing Cross Theatre, Buy tickets

Henry Hitchings says... When it premiered on Broadway in 1997, Titanic was widely derided, but this stripped-back interpretation, though still overlong, affords a vigorous and ultimately moving take on the 20th centurys most notorious maritime disaster. In a cast of 20, the standard of singing is high, with the most attractive performances coming from James Gant and Niall Sheehy, while Matthew Crowe is affecting as a pompous but fragile telegraphist. And at the helm Southerland combines sensitivity with ambition, suggesting that this previously moribund venue is now on course for success. Scott Rylander

Sumbwanyambe skilfully offers a series of tense and intense confrontations, nearly always between two of the four characters.

A sense of simmering peril mounts in George Turveys taut production; tribal clapping between scenes comes to seem increasingly ominous, the more we hear about a group of thugs gathering on the perimeter of the farm. Why must, says Chipo to Charles, your wound be healed by wounding me?

Until May 28 (020 7503 1646, arcolatheatre.com)

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A metre from my car window, a grouchy-faced olive baboon is sitting in the rain. As I reach for my camera in that perfunctory, touristy way,

I realise the baboon is clutching a bundle to her chest: a tiny infant shes keeping dry. While Im fussing around with the zoom, Mama Baboon gets up, turns and shows her cerise bottom to me. It is one of many reminders of whos really in charge in the Serengeti.

Im handling a beast of my own, though: a new Land Rover Discovery as bright white as the teeth of a Hollywood starlet. My vehicle is part of a small fleet of 4x4s driving on their intended terrain (Tanzanian shrubland) rather than ferrying little Portia and Edwin around west London. The trip is a collaboration between the car-maker and Abercrombie & Kent, the travel company which has been sending the well-heeled to the wilds since 1962. Its self-drive but guided by radio meaning you get out of the back seat and behind the wheel but without sacrificing the superior animal-spotting skills of a guide who has trained for years (our expert is Phillip, who grew up in the Maasai tribe).

Alamy

The Land Rover is a forgiving car. If you lose control, it takes over. And it is certainly an attraction in its own right: almost as soon as we leave the Arusha Coffee Lodge, where weve spent our first night, weve been pulled over by the police  not because were speeding (though this provokes a panicked check of the limit) but so that the officer can walk around the car admiringly. He isnt alone: even the young Maasai boys hear the purring of our engines and are briefly distracted from shepherding goats to gawp at the car. To be fair to them, it does have superpowers. With our guide Glen barking instructions at me  I imagine him as Luis Moya to my Carlos Sainz  I manage to get the vehicle up on a boulder. Getting it down, of course, is an even tougher challenge. The car realises Im not up to the job, and takes over the steering.

We cover around 500 miles in four days  joy-riding, in the literal sense. I hardly drive in London but here I find myself coming over all Clarkson  hitting the accelerator with delight. You dont need any experience beyond a drivers licence to do it.

The key to being off-road, I soon realise, is not only to listen carefully to the radio but to copy exactly what the lead car does. This approach has its rewards: I manage to drive through a boggy section and go off into some kopjes (mini-hills) in search of cheetahs, while another car gets stuck in the mud. We have to abandon our pursuit of the big cats so that they can get dragged out.

The wildlife is what Im here to see, though  and it doesnt disappoint. During an early morning balloon safari we see a cheetah chase its prey  a wild hare  across the plains. Later in the day, back in our cars, we find a lake of flatulent hippos who bare their teeth as they fight each other for a little more space in the waterhole. We drive up close to a pride of lions that stays sitting above us, indifferent to our presence, as though were the subjects paying our respects and theyre the royals. The brutality of nature is exposed too: we find an elephant calf wandering on its own and spot the inevitable a minute later  vultures pecking at its mothers vast carcass in the grass. Glen tells us the orphan will become a meal for the hyenas within days.

Fascinating creature: keep your eyes peeled for cheetahs / Alamy

But perhaps the most impressive sight is the great wildebeest migration, which arrives in the southern Serengeti roughly from January to April and the northern Serengeti from August to October, heading south again in November and December. Hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, with some zebras and gazelles tagging along for the ride, move annually in a fairly predictable pattern in a bid to find better ground for grazing and fresh water. Glen tells us that the ones at the end of the queue get ill as theyre eating where the others have defecated; some are lost along the way, but if they survive they rejoin the herd.

The wildebeest may not have the beauty of some of the Serengetis other beasts but they compensate in numbers. We find them just before dusk. Its drizzling. I try to tally the silhouettes but its as tricky as crowd-counting: theyve everywhere  snorting and digging at the soil with their hooves. The herd is walking initially but then one gets spooked and starts to run. Soon theyre all thundering away from us, kicking up dust, a diminuendoing rumble their legacy.

Follow the leader: zebra crossing

The wild we watch during our days is diametrically opposed to the luxury in which we spend our nights. Though, technically, we stay in two campsites  the Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp and the Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp  even glamping doesnt do justice to the tents here, which are rebuilt for you in the different locations. Theres a proper double bed (with mosquito net), electricity and a flushing loo. You can even have a hot shower: as you wash, your butler is busily hoisting buckets outside. The staff greet you with warm towels and fruit G&Ts on your arrival back to camp.

The camp has a mini-library, a bar and a dining area, though at night you eat by candlelight outside. Returning to my tent after a filling three-course meal and a few glasses of wine, I notice dozens of pairs of eyes staring at me from the trees; luckily they belong to some (rather adorable) bushbabies. But as night draws on, natures presence becomes more sinister  I hear the calls of the wild: the lions growl, the hyenas cackle.

Alamy

This is adventure at its most luxurious. The only problem being that after careering around the bush in a car with super-powers, driving around London must seem even more mundane.

Details: Tanzania

Abercrombie & Kent (01242 547898, abercrombiekent.co.uk/landrover) offers a number of Land Rover itineraries in 2016 and 2017 (the Tanzania itinerary reviewed above is currently unavailable). Prices start at 3,395pp for a three-night itinerary including accommodation and ground arrangements, but not flights. A&K also offers a range of guided safaris in Tanzania.

tanzaniatouristboard.com
P olice are investigating a petrol bomb attack on the 66 million Chelsea home of Bernie Ecclestones socialite daughter and her husband.

Officers called to reports of a fire at their mansion discovered a lit petrol bomb had been thrown into the gated drive way, landing next to Petra Stunts Range Rover.

The Formula 1 tycoons youngest daughter, her art dealer husband James Stunt and their three young children were not believed to have been at home at the time of the attack at 5.25pm on April 24.

Two men were understood to have been spotted on CCTV running away.

A family friend told the Mail: The whole family are really alarmed by this. They are determined to find out who was behind the attack.

Detectives from Kensington and Chelsea CID are investigating.


CAIRO - The Islamic State (IS) militant group said on Sunday it is responsible for a shooting attack that killed eight Egyptian police in the Helwan district south of the Capital Cairo, according to some social media reports.

However, the IS's claim has not been independently verified, while the Egyptian authorities have yet to confirm it.

Egypt's interior ministry said Sunday that gunmen shot dead eight policemen in the Helwan district south of the Capital Cairo in the early morning, adding that four assailants in a pickup truck intercepted the policemen, while traveling in minivan, and showered them with automatic rifle fire.

The dead included a lieutenant and seven lower ranking policemen who were patrolling the area south of the capital, it added.

Anti-security attacks have escalated following the ouster of the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by the army in response to mass protests against his rule.

The Jihadists took from the restive Sinai Peninsula a center for most their operations. Other attacks have crept to the Capital and other cities.

Hundreds of police and army men have been killed in the attacks.

The militants often claim their attacks are in retaliation for a harsh police crackdown on Islamist supporters of Morsi, which has killed hundreds of protesters and detained thousands.

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdes, an affiliate to the Islamic State (IS) in Sinai, has claimed responsibility of most of the attacks.

It has been almost a year since last such attack occurred in the region. In June 2015, Militants killed a policeman standing guard outside a museum in Helwan area.

Bodies of the victims have been transferred to the Helwan Hospital morgue, and security men still comb the surrounding areas to catch the militants, who escaped the scene, the interior ministry added.
KANYAKUMARI: Do not vote for this alliance or that alliance, but vote for BJP for the better future of Tamil Nadu, extolled Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi at the BJP election rally here on Sunday.

Recalling his campaign at Kanyakumari in the same ground two years ago during the Lok Sabha polls, Mr Modi expressed his appreciation and gratefulness for electing corrupt-free candidate, Pon Radhakrishnan, to represent the district in the Lok Sabha and in the Central government.

It is because of Pon Radhakrishnan that Kanyakumari district has been sanctioned the commercial port at Colachel, said Narendra Modi, adding, that the preliminary works for the port project to tune of Rs 21,000 crore have been already started.

Further taking the credit for the road development projects and bridges implemented in Kanyakumari district, the Prime Minister said that the ongoing road project to connect Kanyakumari with the Thiruvananthapuram airport would further enhance tourism industry in Kanyakumari district. It would ensure better livelihood opportunities for more number of poor families dependent on tourism industry in Kanyakumari, he reasoned.

Brushing aside the Tamil Nadu governments claim of giving free rice for the poor, Mr Narendra Modi said that the Rs 27 worth per kg rice distributed freely to the poor in Tamil Nadu was being supplied by the Central government. We, however, do not paste our faces on the rice bags supplied to the poor brethren of Tamil Nadu like the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, added Modi.

He also reminded the people about the quick Central assistance sent to flood-hit Chennai victims. Mr Modi further assured free LPG supply to around five crore poor households in the next three years so that the health of the poor women would be taken care of.

The Prime Minister added that his government in Delhi is ready with a plan to implement free medical care facilities for the aged poor to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore.

Lashing out at the DMK-Congress combine, whose coalition rule at the Centre for 10 years from 2004 was filled with corruption, he came down heavily on the Congress for the helicopter scam, Modi said that in the two years of NDA rule, they had brought to light the acts of corruption committed by the previous rulers and ensured a corruption-free and development oriented administration in India.

Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan and BJP national general secretary, Muralidhar Rao were present along with the BJP candidates contesting in the three southern districts of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi.
A BMW driver was blasted with a shotgun and nearly killed while trying to buy drugs in east London.

The 30-year-old victim arranged to buy 850 worth of cannabis but the dealers instead ambushed him and tried to steal his car in a brutal attack.

The man managed to escape but needed life-saving surgery after he was shot at, punched and had his legs slammed in a car door.

He has been left with 100 shotgun pellets lodged in his body, including in his eye, face, neck and two in his heart.

Six men are now facing jail after being convicted of robbery and firearms offences at the Old Bailey over the incident in Wanstead in the early hours of March 25 last year.

Clockwise from top left: Celaire, Anwar, Scott, Knight, Richards and Stockley are facing jail / Metropolitan Police

The man had been lured to a meeting place in Draycot Road after arranging the drug deal over the phone.

He parked his BMW  with his girlfriend in the passenger seat  and was told to get into a Vauxhall Astra with Carl Knight, Ramone Celaire and a third unknown man.

Once inside, he was threatened with a shotgun and knife and told to hand over the keys to his BMW.

Describing the violence that unfolded, a Metropolitan Police spokesman said: The victim tried to leave but the car doors had been locked. Knight then began repeatedly punching the victim and stole his watch.

Despite the attack, the victim managed to unwind the window and open the door from the outside. He was then further attacked by someone outside, who repeatedly slammed the car door against his legs to try to stop him escaping.

The victim finally broke free and ran towards his own car, followed by two others. One of the suspects got into the BMW and as the victim tried to pull him out, two shots were fired. One shattered the windscreen and another hit the victim on the arm.

The victim eventually managed to drive off despite his injuries. He stopped at a pizza restaurant in Wanstead High Street and his girlfriend raised the alarm.

Umar Anwar, 21, of Perrin Place, Chelmsford; David Stockley, 29, of no fixed address; Taylor Scott, 21, or Malvern Road, Leytonstone; Jovaughni Richards, 23, of Melon Road, Leytonstone; Ramone Celaire, 24, of no fixed address; and Carl Knight, 33, of The Stow, Harlow were all convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to commit robbery and conspiracy to rob.

They were found not guilty of attempted murder and Anwar was cleared of supplying a controlled drug. The men will be sentenced on May 20.

Detective Sergeant Steve Ramshaw, the investigating officer, said: "This was an extremely serious incident on a quiet residential road in Wanstead in which the victim nearly lost his life.

"These are dangerous individuals and I am pleased they will now be off the streets for a considerable period of time."
A teenager was stabbed as dozens of revellers brawled in the street during a "crazy" party in south London.

Witnesses said teenagers were seen taking selfies as the 18-year-old lay bleeding in the street after the brawl in Brixton.

He is alleged to have been attacked after the party in Challice Way in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The teenage victim was rushed to hospital with stab wounds after the attack. He has since been discharged.

One 28-year-old witness, who asked only to be named as Luca, told the Standard: "I saw a crowd of 40 people around the guy, he was on the ground with blood on him.

"I asked one of the guys there, he said it had happened just five minutes ago - there was a birthday party and he was stabbed.

Cordon: the road was closed by police / Luca F

"He was in a really, really bad condition."

The witness added that he was shocked by the behaviour of bystanders who he claimed did not appear concerned about the victim's condition.

He said: "There were people taking selfies, and the music was still going on, it was really strange.

"People were being normal, having fun - they didn't care. I was a little bit shocked."

He said the party continued even after the man was taken to hospital, and police had put road closures in place.

"It was a really crazy party," he said. "It finished at 6am and they were still fighting in the street.

"I didn't sleep a minute that night, I heard the ambulance, and the police, and they continued to have a party until morning."

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said they were called to Challice Way just after 1am and took the victim to a major trauma centre in south London.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman added: "Police were called by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) at 01.11hrs on Sunday, 8 May, to reports of a stabbing in Challice Way, SW2.

"Officers attended and found 18-year-old man with stab injuries. He was taken to a south London hospital with injuries not thought to be life threatening or life changing. He has since been discharged.

"At this early stage officers believe that there was an altercation between the victim and several other youths, who all fled the scene in the direction of Upper Tulse Hill following the stabbing.

"No arrests have been made and enquires continue. Detectives from Lambeth CID are investigating."
A celebrity barrister who supplied the designer drugs that killed his teenage boyfriend has been spared jail today.

Henry Hendron, 35, bought 1,000 of party drugs including Mephedrone and GBL from BBC producer Alexander Parkin, 41, for so-called chemsex parties at his exclusive London apartment.

However, the illicit drugs scene ended in tragedy when Hendrons boyfriend, Columbian waiter Miguel Jimenez, 18, died from an overdose in January last year.

After the death, police found drugs at Hendron's Temple flat and texts exposing Oxford-educated Radio 3 producer Parkin as his dealer.

The court heard Hendron had also sent such detailed instructions on dividing up the drugs to his boyfriend, that Jimenez replied: "Blimey, and I'm the Columbian."

Hendron, once touted as a possible Conservative Party leader, was today ordered to do 140 hours of community service, pay 500 costs, and be on an 18 month supervision order.

Parkin was ordered to do 200 hours community service and also pay 500 costs.

Judge Richard Marks QC, the Common Serjeant of London, who sentenced them at the Old Bailey this morning, said: "It's often said in the courts and elsewhere how very dangerous unlawful drugs can be but you, Hendron, and to a lesser extent you, Parkin, more than most have experienced this at close quarters with the tragic and untimely death of your partner of some months, Miguel Jimenez.

"But it's important to emphasise I'm not sentencing either of you for any criminal offence in connection with that death.

"Had it been the case, I was sentencing either of you for such an offence, your sentence would have been measured in years not months."

Mr Jimenez had a cocktail of GBL and Methedrone in his system when he was found dead by Hendron on January 20, last year.

He had mixed the drugs with alcohol the night before while with Hendron and a friend, but was lifeless and had blood and vomit around his mouth when found the next morning.

"(The drugs) are both commonly used in the gay chemsex scene to enhance performance and pleasure, often combined with erectile disfunction drugs like viagra", said prosecutor Martyn Bowyer.

"Although GBL is classified as a class C drug and Mephedrone is a class B drug, the tragic death of Miguel Jimenez goes only to highlight the dangers of abusing them."

Police found glass containers with 482ml of GBL in Hendron's flat, as well as 82 grams of Methedrone in plastic bags and white envelopes stashed in a cupboard and under the bed.

Hendron's fingerprints were on a GBL bottle and inside one of the bags of mephedrone.

The barrister, who charges up to 1,750 a day for his services and counts MP Nadine Dorries, the Earl of Cardigan and The Apprentice winner Stella English among his past clients, was arrested two days after Mr Jimenez's death.

In a prepared statement, he said Mr Jimenez had been a regular drug user since he was 15 and had been combining drugs with alcohol on the night he died.

"The day before he returned from court and spent the evening with Miguel and a friend at the flat. Miguel told him he had already taken G and M during the day, they had alcohol together and took more drugs", said Mr Bowyer.

"He said he asked Miguel to stop as he appeared drunk and he was aware of the dangers of mixing those drugs with alcohol."

Although Hendron said he could not remember the PIN code to his iPhone, when they seized his computer they found back-ups of the messages between Hendron and Mr Jimenez, including "specific instructions on how GBL should be decanted", said Mr Bowyer, as well as orders for packaging up grams of Methedrone.

Mr Bowyer said police then found evidence that Parkin had dealt around 1000 of drugs to Hendron, and a raid of the BBC producer's flat uncovered more evidence of drug dealing.

Parkin tried to shift the blame on to a mysterious Brazilian drug dealer called James, while Hendron suggested the messages to Mr Jimenez were "banter".

However, both men later pleaded guilty to drug dealing offences.

Dominic Bell, for Parkin, admitted the BBC executive was "a go-to guy able to source GBL and supply it on" but disputed that he had profited from the deals.

"This is a lifestyle Mr Parkin enjoys, as does Mr Hendron, which involves parties where men attend and drugs are consumed for the reasons set out", he said.

"It is quite a close-knit scene. You have to be known to be a member of that scene, whether a close friend or not you have to be an acquaintance at the very least."

He handed up references from Alan Davey, the controller of BBC Radio 3, presenter Max Reinhardt who worked with Parkin on the Radio 3 show Late Junction, and an official from the British Embassy in Dubai.

Timothy Cray, for Hendron, said: "He has been punished for the unintended actions and consequences.

"Public opinion and his professional body may well take a far wider view of his personal role in events that led to the death of Miguel Jimenez."

He added that Mr Jimenez's mother has forgiven Hendron over the death.

Hendron pleaded guilty to possession of the Class B drug Methedrone and the Class C drug Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with intent to supply.

Parkin admitted supplying the Class B drug Methedrone and the Class C drug Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).
A man is in hospital today after he was shot in the leg in Lewisham town centre.

Gang police rushed to the scene after the victim was fired on near a petrol station in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Officers were called to the shooting in Algernon Road at around 4am by London Ambulance Service paramedics.

The victim was rushed to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition.

Police said a woman was also taken to hospital with minor injures and has since been discharged.

A Met Police spokesman said: "No arrests. Enquiries continue. Trident and Area Crime Command investigate."
A gunman opened fire on a group of revellers who were gathered outside a house party in south London.

Several shots were fired into the group from a car which drove up to the house in Lewisham in the early hours of Sunday, police said.

Two were injured in the attack  a 22-year-old man who remains stable in hospital with leg injuries and an 18-year-old woman who suffered only minor injuries.

Detectives from the Mets Trident and Area Crime Command are appealing for witnesses.

A spokesman said: The victims had been attending a house party in Algernon Road and were part of a group of people standing outside the venue when a saloon car drove past.

The vehicle then reversed and one of the passengers pulled out a firearm and fired several shots into the group. The vehicle drove off along Algernon Road, heading away from Loampit Vale.

The incident happened at about 4am on Sunday.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8247 4863 or call Crimestoppers to remain anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
A London couple today told how they feared for their lives when they were involved in a horror smash on Chrismas Eve.

The Walthsamtow couple were driving up the M4 to visit family when they were slammed into from behind by an Audi.

The 26-year-old driver of the Audi, Harjeevan Randhawa of Salmond Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to causing the collision on Tuesday at Reading Crown Court and was sentenced to eight months in prison on the same day.

The married couple, who are both now aged 37, were driving on the motorway at around 4pm on December 24 last year when Randhawa smashed into the back of their Renault Clio as they travelled in the middle lane between junctions 10 and 11 on the westbound carriageway.

The Renault crossed the carriageway and smashed through bushes before ending up overturned in a ditch of the hard shoulder.

Smash: the couple were lucky to escape with relatively minor injuries / Thames Valley Police

The driver, Richard, sustained cuts and bruises and his wife suffered cuts and bruises and pain in her left arm for which she is still receiving physiotherapy.

Speaking after the sentencing, Richard, who did not wish to give his last name, told the Standard: "It's made us a bit anxious being in cars since then, and it ruined our Christmas and New Year.

"It was very traumatic when it was happening, we were scared for our lives.

"It was a horrible crash, we ended up smashing through lots of bushes, we were both scared, we were really lucky with our injuries.

"The services were all amazing - [they] really looked after us, the police, the hospital and ambulance staff, and we're so grateful to all the witnesses who stopped to help."

Randhawa fled the scene of the collision and was later arrested at his home address, after police found his car parked on the drive with substantial front damage.

Fled: the car was found parked on Randhawa's drive / Thames Valley Police

He was jailed for eight months and was disqualified from driving for five years and four months and was ordered to take an extended retest.

He was also sentenced at Reading Crown Court to two months imprisonment for driving whilst over the prescribed limit of alcohol, to run concurrently, and his licence was endorsed for failing to stop after a road traffic collision.

Richard said he was pleased with Randhawa's sentence, adding that he hopes the time in prison will give him a chance to reflect on his actions.

He said: "We think it's a good sentence, the driving ban of five years is good because it's going to give him time to think about what he's done, and get him off the road because he was a very dangerous driver.

"The custodial sentence will hopefully make him think about what he's done and change for the better, we're very pleased."

Damage: Randhawa's Audi had damage to the front end / Thames Valley Police

PC Matt Cadmore from Three Mile Cross Roads Policing Unit added: I would like to thank all the witnesses for coming forward and providing key evidence to the investigation and for stopping and assisting the injured parties.

It was very fortunate, judging by the damage to the vehicles, that the occupants were not more seriously injured. However the collision did mean their plans for Christmas with their family were affected.

The other driver left the scene of the collision and showed no regard for welfare of the other injured parties. The sentence imposed by the courts shows that these types of offences will be dealt with robustly. 
P olice are concerned for the safety of a 25-year-old mother and her two young children after they went missing from their east London home nearly a week ago.

Detectives believe the family, from Forest Gate, may be with the childrens father Sumon Costa, 36, who is wanted by police for breach of court-imposed bail conditions.

Survoi Costa, seven-year-old Scarlett and her younger brother Scarleon, three, were last seen at their home in Green Street, Forest Gate, last Tuesday, police said.

The family was reported missing by social services two days later. Mr Costa has not been reported missing.

On Monday, the Metropolitan Police issued an urgent appeal for the publics help in their search.

A spokesman said detectives were concerned for their safety and wellbeing.

He added: Enquiries so far indicate that the family were going to leave the country and travel to France, however there is no evidence at this stage to confirm that this has happened.

Enquires with the relevant agencies regarding this are ongoing.

Contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with any information.
A London farm food home delivery service has become the first in the capital to use only electric vehicles in its fleet of vans.

Farmdrop says the move will save hundreds of tonnes of CO2 as well as other harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxide from being pumped into the atmosphere. The trend towards home deliveries and convenience store shopping has seen a sharp rise in the number of diesel-powered vans on Londons streets.

The vans are often doubly polluting as their cooling units emit diesel fumes as well as the engines. The company specialises in food from 70 farms and other producers within 150 miles of London.

It previously used 10 hybrid vans but replaced them all with electric-only Nissan vehicles last week.

Farmdrop founder and former Morgan Stanley investment banker Ben Pugh said: The mainstream food chain is harmful to our health, our environment, our local producers, and it needs fixing.

Farmdrop is on a mission to make it easy to buy the freshest food direct from the best local producers and delivered to peoples doors in a convenient and green way.

Our larger supermarket rivals all use diesel and petrol engines, but Farmdrop is the only grocery delivery service using 100 per cent electric. Not only does this mean cleaner air for Londoners but the savings on fuel allow us to continue to offer great value.

Electric milk floats were once a mainstay of home delivery but have all but disappeared from Londons streets to be replaced by diesel vans.

A conventional diesel delivery van emits 13.89 tonnes of CO2 and 10.36kg of nitrogen oxides into Londons atmosphere every year.

The small lorries that use diesel-powered transport refrigeration units are particularly harmful, giving out 164 times more particulates  the microscopic sooty flakes that are a by-product of burning diesel than a diesel car. There are estimated to be 84,000 transport refrigeration units in Britain.

The capitals air has become an increasingly high profile concern over the past year. A survey of parents found that two out of three worry about children breathing dirty air.

It followed a report in February from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health suggesting that long-term exposure to air pollution could be linked to 40,000 deaths a year.
T raders at one of central Londons oldest street markets have warned they are on their knees and waiting for the chop after Westminster council decided to hand over control to a private operator.

Dozens of stallholders at 250-year-old Berwick Street market in Soho have been told their licences will expire on June 30 because it is not currently reaching its full potential.

But the traders say the main reason business is down (by an estimated 75 per cent) is demolition work on two buildings that is scheduled to last for two years. They fear that privatisation will be followed by huge rent rises that will cleanse a much-loved food market.

Campaign leader Robin Smith says he spent 25,000 getting his Soho Dairy business established and had to survive what he described as the Berwick Street blitz caused by the construction work. The former advertising boss said the decision to give so little warning to traders was outrageous and unfair.

Campaign: traders at Berwick Street market in Soho / Alex Lentati

He has organised a petition against the councils plans and has more than 1,700 backers to date.

We cant let it fall to the developers  rents are already forcing companies and residents out, this cleansing will continue that direction. This is a little vital piece of Soho, everyone seems to be agreed on that. There are 90-year-old customers who were born in Soho in the Twenties and come to us for fruit and veg and milk, they need us, he said.

The market, which dates back to the 18th century, is comprised of about 40 stallholders, a mix of traditional fruit and veg sellers and street food vendors.

The street is also known as The Vinyl Mile because of the number of record stores that line it. In 1995, it served as the backdrop to the Oasis album (Whats The Story) Morning Glory?

Record achievement: the markets street features on the cover of the hit Oasis album

Local councillor Glenys Roberts, said: I am completely against privatisation at this moment with all the development around. I think we should install hoardings showing what the area will be like in a couple of years when finished and bide our time till the right operator, possible even a local, comes along who understands Sohos quirks.

A spokeswoman for Westminster council, whose consultation on its plans ended last Friday, said: The council believes that a private operator, with the right retail and business skills, would be better placed to run a flourishing market that reflects the vibrancy of Soho, whilst providing a real focal point for the areas residents, workers and visitors.

She added that under the new model local traders and community representatives would be part of a board ensuring the market achieved its goals.
L ondon buses will carry adverts praising Allah as part of a drive by Britains biggest Muslim charity to help victims of the Syrian civil war during Ramadan.

Islamic Relief said it hoped the posters, which bear the words Subhan Allah, meaning Glory be to God in Arabic, will portray Islam and international aid in a positive light.

The adverts will be carried in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and Bradford later this month.

Charity leaders hope it will encourage generous donations during the religious festival, which is expected to begin on June 6.

Organisers added they hoped the campaign will help young Muslims to focus on humanitarian work.

Imran Madden, the UK director of Islamic Relief, said: In a sense this could be called a climate change campaign because we want to change the negative climate around international aid and around the Muslim community in this country.

"International aid has helped halve the number of people living in extreme poverty in the past 15 years, and British Muslims are an incredibly generous community who give over 100 million to international aid charities in Ramadan.

It comes as London has just elected Sadiq Khan as the citys first Muslim mayor following an historic victory over Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith.

The capital is home to about half of Britain's estimated three million Muslims.

Transport for London, which regulates the advertisements appearing on the citys buses, does not allow posters linked to a political party or campaign but does not prevent religious ads.

Former mayor Boris Johnson scrapped adverts by a Christian charity on buses after it was accused of claiming to cure gay people.
Bengaluru: With the biology paper for which they had strenuously prepared over the last few months, suddenly cancelled following a Supreme Court directive, students who travelled from faraway places and even other states to write the COMED-K exam on Sunday, were a disappointed lot.

Many of them were hoping to be in contention for medical and dental seats along with engineering seats but with the Supreme Court making it clear that private medical colleges cannot hold admission seats, their medical hopes have been dashed.

They will now have to wait for the Supreme Court decision on making National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) mandatory for medical admissions with the second phase of NEET scheduled from July 24.

As many as 54,300 of 69,102 students who had applied for the COMED-K test, took the physics, chemistry and mathematics (PCM) exam on Sunday.

Swathi, a medical aspirant from Udupi who took the test, said, I felt bad because I travelled all the way to Bengaluru just to write my COMED-K Biology exam and they cancelled that. I was prepared for the biology paper, not PCM. I got a message last night at 10 pm about the exam being cancelled! I feel like my future is ruined.

Another medical aspirant from Kerala said: I was hoping for a medical seat, how can they cancel a subject giving us just a days notice? Im now hoping for a good NEET rank. Everybody is so confused; no one is telling us what is happening.

Further, students also expressed disappointment over their unsatisfactory performance due to the cancellation of the biology paper.

Besides, technical glitches made things worse at five of the 78 centres in Bengaluru city, students were aggravated by a delayed login for the test. As many as 54,300 out of 69,102, (which works out to 78.6%) students took the Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics entrance test for admission to private engineering colleges on Sunday.

While no malpractices were reported from any of the test centers, delayed logins were seen in a few test centres in the city. According to the COMEDK officials, in five of the 78 centres in Bengaluru city, there were delayed logins for the test by a few students; the built-in mechanism permits that whenever theres a delayed login, the time gets extended automatically to the extent of delay.

Vani, another Medical aspirant, said, My exam wasnt great. Biology is my strongest, and that was cancelled. They have cancelled all other Medical exams, I dont know what to do. Im very scared now. Medicine was my dream. Sharadi from Viveka College in Udupi who took the test in Bengaluru sounded a more positive note. My exam went well and I was well prepared. However I could have done better if the Bio paper was not cancelled. I want a medical seat. Ill hopefully get in through NEET.

Priyanka from Sri Chaitanya college in Bengaluru admitted, It wasnt as hard as I had expected it to be. But the sad part is that they cancelled the Biology exam. I was hoping to get into a medical through a COMED K seat, but now I lost my chance. I have to look for a backup and pray for my NEET results to be good.

Gopika from Kerala, an engineering aspirant, was cheerful. My exam was fine. My father seems happier than I am. Math was a little difficult. I aced Physics and Chemistry. There were many theory questions, so we had learnt whatever came. Nothing came as a surprise to us. I want to do Engineering, so the cancellation of the Biology exams did not affect me. I did not plan to write it anyway.
A cyclist is fighting for his life in hospital after being hit by a tipper van on the North Circular.

The rider, a 20-year-old man, collided with the van at a busy junction in Enfield on Sunday morning.

Paramedics rushed the man to an east London hospital, where he remains with life-threatening injuries.

Detectives have launched an appealing for witnesses to the crash, which happened on the westbound carriageway of the A406, Bowles Road, near to the junction with Brownlow Road at around 11.30am.

A Met Police spokesman said: "The driver of the van stopped at the scene and assisted police with their enquiries.

"He was not arrested.

"Detectives from the Serious Collision Unit are investigating."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 0208 5974874.
S ervices at Post Offices have returned to normal after branches nationwide were closed thanks to a major technical glitch.

Thousands of people were unable to pay their bills, post letters or collect benefits due to a computer issue which staff said had hit every branch in the country.

The Post Office tweeted: "We're aware of issues with counter services at some branches. We're working urgently to resolve and apologise for inconvenience or delay."

A short while later the account added: "We're sorry for any inconvenience caused by issues with counter services at some branches this morning. This has now been resolved."

This morning, angry customers across London complained of traipsing from branch to branch only finding each to be closed.

Staff at a branch on Kensington High Street said they were hit, adding that they understood every single branch in the UK had suffered from the service outage.

Administration worker Jean Smith, 35, had come to the post office on her break from work to send off an application for a new passport.

Ms Smith, from Notting Hill, said: "I was in a hurry. I wanted my new passport application to go today.

"It just ridiculous. Now they've locked the front door here without putting any sort of notice up. People are just standing around looking confused.
A radio station has been forced to apologise after a foul-mouthed rap track containing 53 swear words was played during their childrens hour.

London Bangladeshi radio station Betar Bangla was reported to Ofcom after their Childrens Hour programme, which was hosted by two nine year-olds, played My Mind is Gone by Meek Mill.

The song, which was requested by one of their listeners on February 21, contains 53 swear words, with 14 instances of f*** or f****** and 28 instances of n*****.

Regulatory body Ofcom was contacted by an offended listener and launched an investigation into the radio station.

Ofcom found the station to be in breach of three broadcasting rules due to the offensive language broadcast when children were likely to be listening and a failure of due care taken over the emotional welfare of the two presenters.

Apologising for the stations mistake, Beta Bangla founder and executive director, Golam Chowdhury, said: They were just excited to be called and they wanted to play the song so they could get more requests.

We encouraged them to take requests so they can get more listeners and interact with more people in the community.

The guy who was managing the programme was on a break, he went for a prayer for five to eight minutes and during this period it happened.

He didnt even know that this song had been played until we received a letter from Ofcom.

We are very careful now with Childrens Hour, we have a person who is constantly monitoring the children and they are not taking outside calls anymore.

Mr Chowdhury added that he thought the caller who requested the song was an older teenager playing a joke on the young presenters.

During the childrens hour broadcast, which lasted for 50 minutes, the two children recounted a range of jokes and riddles to each other, which Ofcom deemed suitable for the audience.
P ulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar has told how he took inspiration from childhood visits to London for his new play about a banker taken hostage in Pakistan.

The Invisible Hand, a political thriller, will have its UK premiere at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn on May 18 after receiving rave reviews in New York.

Set in Pakistan, the plot centres on an American banker who tries to win his freedom by telling his captors he can match the $10 million ransom if they give him a laptop and let him play the stock market.

Akhtar, a Pakistani-American, said he decided to make one of the kidnappers a British man from Hounslow because of the Asian communitys markedly different experience of integration compared with in the US.

He added: I remember coming here as a child because my cousins lived in London, and being aware of racism in a way that I never felt as a child in America. This was in the Eighties and its completely different now.

In America we place a high premium on homogeneity. Even though we live in a multicultural society there is an idea of what it is to be an American.

In Europe you seem a lot more relaxed about diversity and living cheek by jowl, which creates a different tension. There is a far greater visual display of religiosity thats not seen in the United States, people are visibly marking themselves as Muslims.

The playwright has rewritten the piece since its US debut, but said the story was fundamentally the same and explored the notion of free market capitalism as a religious ideology.

Akhtar, 45, said he has been called both a pro-jihadist and anti-Muslim for his Pulitzer-winning Disgraced. His next work, Junk, is about debt.

The Invisible Hand starts previews from Thursday and runs until July 2.
B arnet councils chief executive has stepped down from his role days after an election day blunder saw voters wrongly being turned away from polling stations.

Andrew Travers is leaving the north London borough by mutual agreement following the problems at all of the north London boroughs 155 polling stations.

Many registered voters in Barnet  including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis  lost the chance to vote in Thursdays mayoral and London Assembly elections, after thousands of names were somehow left off the official electoral lists.

A council spokesman said: Following the events during the morning of Thursday's elections, it has been decided, by mutual agreement, that Andrew Travers, chief executive, will leave the council.

Stepped down: Andrew Travers

The mistake led to angry scenes at some polling stations on Thursday morning, with some residents branding it a disgrace and saying they felt disenfranchised.

Labours Andrew Dismore, who held onto his London Assembly seat for Barnet and Camden, launched a searing attack on Barnet council after his win was confirmed on Friday.

A young man leaves a polling station in Barnet, after being unable to vote / Mary Turner/Getty Images

He said the cock-up came as a result of council cuts and showed that Barnet officials were not in control, not in charge and not resourcing the council properly.

The council has already said it is launching an independent investigation into the error.

A spokesman said: Following problems with electoral registration lists on Thursday 5 May 2016, which meant that some Barnet residents were unable to vote, the council is launching a full independent investigation.

The terms of reference will include a full review of the issues that arose last week as well as the appropriateness of the arrangements in place for the EU Referendum in June.

"The review will conclude by the end of May and the findings will be presented publicly to the general functions committee. We are currently in discussions to establish who will lead on the investigation and will provide further information shortly.
J eremy Corbyn today faced a grilling at the first meeting of Labour MPs since the elections, while Sadiq Khan was expected to receive a heros welcome.

Labour MPs told the Standard Mr Corbyn must recognise that poll results which saw the party drop seats in England, Wales and Scotland represent a failure to make progress.

Mr Khans appearance after his mayoral win was expected to boost morale, though some MPs planned to hail his campaign as an example Mr Corbyn should follow.

The Labour leaders backers have been trying to put a positive spin on results as being better than expected, ahead of Mr Corbyns arrival at the meeting in Westminster tonight.

Sadiq Khan says on Andrew Marr that he wants to appeal to all voters

However, Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP Neil Coyle said: Many will want to see recognition that Thursday was not a move forward.

Even pre-boundary review, Labour would still be 50 seats behind the Conservatives at the next [general] election based on those results. He said Mr Corbyns supporters were performing fascinating mental gymnastics in claiming the results are positive, adding: Any failure to acknowledge that we are behind where we need to be will not go down well.

Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor 1 /17 Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor Mayor of London Sadiq Khan makes his way to City Hall from London Bridge Station in London Jeremy Selwyn London Mayor Sadiq Khan boards a bus stop after leaving his home in Tooting Jack Taylor/Getty Images London's newly elected mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to supporters as he arrives for his first day at work at City Hall Hannah McKay/EPA Sadiq Khan is embraced by a supporter as he arrives at City Hall Hannah McKay/EPA Mayor of London Sadiq Khan waves as he arrives at City Hall Jonathan Brady/PA Sadiq Khan won support with his 'common touch' Jeremy Selwyn Sadiq Khan is mobbed by supporters at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall in London Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn On the Tube: Sadiq Khan Stefan Rousseau/PA Sadiq Khan on a sunny morning at City Hall Stefan Rousseau/PA Breakfast time: Sadiq Khan is offered croissants Hannah McKay/Reuters

Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock said: Tonight it will boil down to those saying we did better than expected and those pointing out that expectations were that it would be catastrophic.

We will be asking whether slightly better than catastrophic is really where we need to be aiming.

The party was nowhere in terms of making progress in crucial seats in middle England and just appeared to be shoring up its core vote, he added.

One Labour MP who preferred not to be named said shadow chancellor John McDonnell had played a blinder in making expectations so low that the results looked like progress.

Another senior backbencher said: Theres no doubt people are going to be asking how are we going to turn this around. MPs want good results. These are not good enough.

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Former shadow cabinet member Yvette Cooper echoed the comments, but went on to praise Mr Khans achievements in London.

She said: Sadiq was a very good example of how you do have to reach out in order to win support.

Under pressure: Jeremy Corbyn / EPA

Speaking to the BBC, she added: Its great that Sadiq won but obviously we had a grim result in Scotland, and as Jeremy said, we only hung on across England. That is not enough in order for us to win the general election.

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Mr Khan took to the airwaves yesterday to warn his party against just speaking to Labour voters, in what was seen as a coded attack on Mr Corbyn.

The new Mayor distanced himself from the Labour leader during his campaign, particularly in calling for tougher action during the height of the partys anti-Semitism crisis.

The issue was likely to arise again at tonights meeting, with one MP telling the Standard the issue had done immeasurable damage to the party at the polls last week.

Looking ahead to the meeting, he added: Its going to be a bumpy ride.
S adiq Khan set out his vision for London today as he revealed he would fight alongside David Cameron to keep Britain in the EU.

The new Labour Mayor said he felt like the boy with the golden ticket after winning the biggest personal mandate in British political history.

He promised to get on with delivering key campaign promises including tackling the housing crisis and keeping Londoners safe.

After a whirlwind 48 hours during which he was elected by 1.3 million votes to his Tory rival Zac Goldsmiths 994,000, he pledged to be a Mayor for all Londoners.

Morning selfie: Sadiq poses for pictures with Londoners / Jeremy Selwyn

This is not just the best job in politics, its the best job full stop. This is the city that gave my family the chance of doing things theyd never dreamt of doing, he told the Standard.

I feel a huge responsibility to make sure were successful because we need to show what a difference winning makes to peoples lives.

I feel like the boy who has won the golden ticket. But I want to get on and do some of the things Ive promised to do.

As he kicked off his first week as Labours most powerful politician, Mr Khan pledged to:

Sadiq Khan waves to the crowd as he enters City Hall for his first day as Mayor / Jeremy Selwyn

work with the Prime Minister to win the European Union referendum. The Mayor revealed Mr Cameron was worried about turn-out and had accepted his offer to use the influence of his win to make sure Londoners voted to remain in.

bring together Londons councils - including Tory ones - with housing associations and developers to tackle the housing crisis. He was confident we can do business with the Government but warned: Were not going to fix the housing crisis overnight.

appoint an independent figure to review the emergency services capacity to deal with a major incident. He is meeting Met Chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe and Fire Service chiefs today.

reassure business he would pack his new advisory board with experts rather than political cronies and lead trade missions overseas.

As he took over from Boris Johnson, Mr Khan said he wanted to have a good working relationship with ministers. Thats how I mean to go along, to make sure I work with whoever to get the best deal for Londoners.

Explainer: What are Sadiq Khan's plans for London?

He added: The mandate on Thursday was massive, the point is to use that to serve this city. You cant do that by being tribal, by being partisan. There are people who in the past have never voted Labour, may never vote Labour, but they love this city. I want to work with them.

In an act of symbolism that was not lost on the crowd, his first public engagement was a Holocaust Memorial event yesterday.

Mr Khan touched briefly on the divisive mayoral election campaign. Thursdays result speaks for itself. We should be proud that Londoners chose hope over fear and unity over division.

However, he admitted to one uncomfortable moment after his victory. I was thoroughly disappointed that Zac didnt shake my hand, I really was.

Mr Khan at London Bridge station for his first day at City Hall / Jeremy Selwyn

Mr Goldsmith is understood to have congratulated him privately beforehand.

International interest in Mr Khans victory has focused on London electing its first Muslim mayor. US Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton tweeted her congratulations to the son of a Pakistani bus driver.

Mr Khan said: Ive never made a big deal out of one single part of my identity, weve all got multiple identities, but clearly is a vindication for the sort of campaign we had.

Cameron warns Brexit threatens peace in Europe

If youve got a Presidential election where one of the candidates thinks Muslims shouldnt be allowed into the country, and has the views Donald Trump has, and youve got a city like London choosing someone that happens to be of Islamic faith, it has an impact.

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Mr Khan admitted he was a bit exhausted - he has had less than ten hours sleep in the last four nights - but was overwhelmed by Londoners reaction to his win.

I recognise that theres really important things Ive got to do. Fix the housing crisis, keep us safe, all that sort of stuff. But Ive got to tell you, the warmth that has been shown to my family and me will stay with me forever.
S enior Cabinet ministers today vowed to bury their political differences to work with Sadiq Khan but both sides privately agree there are fierce battles ahead over money and priorities.

Despite attacking the new London Mayor days ago in the Commons, David Cameron phoned him yesterday with congratulations  and a proposal to campaign together in the European Union referendum.

Mr Khan will also attend the secretive Cobra [Cabinet Office Briefing Room] meetings on security where appropriate.

Ministers are setting up meetings with the Mayor on policies ranging from transport investment and policing to the newly devolved powers to train Londoners in the skills that businesses need.

Employment minister Priti Patel told the Standard: I take the view that he is elected, he has a large democratic mandate, so we will work constructively with him.

Sadiq Khan waves to the crowd as he enters City Hall for his first day as Mayor / Jeremy Selwyn

Transport Secretary Patrick Mc-Loughlin said he expected to meet the new Mayor within a couple of weeks. Our tasks are to move forward to make sure London reaches its potential, he said.

But behind the veneer of business-as-usual smiles, there are hard calculations on all sides. For the time being it suits each to stress that they will co-operate in the interests of Londoners. But arguments, especially over cash, are inevitable.

We had a good working relationship with Boris [Johnson] but there were sometimes disagreements, said a minister. So we can safely assume we will have them with Sadiq Khan.

For the Co nservatives, the Khan honeymoon is also a chance to enjoy  and deepen  the pressure on Jeremy Corbyns Left-wing leadership, by rolling out the red carpet for a rival powerhouse from the centre-Left.

I would try to work with Sadiq Khan, to send the message that we will always work with sensible people, said Lord Hayward, the influential Conservative peer. It is like when Margaret Thatcher said of Mikhail Gorbachev, Here is a man I can do business with.

Explainer: What are Sadiq Khan's plans for London?

It marked him out from the rest of the Politburo, which then looked even more out of touch.

But Mr Khan is not the sort of politician to be fobbed off with empty courtesies. A born fighter, he is now armed with the biggest personal mandate of any UK politician and his allies say he will aim to extract maximum concessions from the Government while the public are on his side.

Mr Khan at London Bridge station for his first day at City Hall / Jeremy Selwyn

He intends to press the Conservatives hard to reverse cuts in police numbers and give bigger devolved powers to London equivalent to those being given to Manchester, and he will seek immediate co-operation for a programme of affordable homes.

Former Mayor Ken Livingstone, who won his first term in the teeth of Tony Blairs opposition, advised Mr Khan to make the most of his honeymoon.

Sadiq is in a very strong position now to get what he wants, he said. The Government needs to work with him. I always worked well with Blair  I just avoided talking about the Iraq war.

Mr Khans allies think housing and transport agreements will come easily. Higher police numbers, which require hard cash, will be difficult.

But the message is clear that Mr Khan is ready to do business with Mr Cameron and George Osborne, the Chancellor. If we are invited on a trade mission with the Government, then you can expect to see Sadiq on the plane, said an ally.

Mr McLoughlin said critical investment in infrastructure such as the Tube, suburban rail and Crossrail 2 would continue to receive full government backing. But he thought Mr Khan could hit trouble from his own party, particularly when trying to meet his pledge to freeze fares.

I think Sadiq is going to have to look at that pledge very carefully, he said. Remember, a lot of Boriss measures were strongly criticised by the Labour assembly. If he can find 1.5 billion from Transport for London, it will be quite an accomplishment.

Ms Patel said Mr Khan would find her door wide open and work was already advanced on devolving skills to boroughs.

She said: When you think about some of the hotspots in London in relation to skills gaps, theres a great deal that can be done.

Apart from the Prime Minister, the biggest beast that Mr Khan will need to strike a relationship with is the Chancellor, the master strategist who may be running for election as premier when the Mayor seeks re-election in 2020.

A Cabinet ally of Mr Osborne predicted relations with the Treasury might be smooth. I doubt it will be a big problem as long as he doesnt declare war on the Government.

As for the Prime Minister, a senior source said there would be co-operation, but also made clear that Mr Cameron and Mr Khan will never be soulmates.

He [Cameron] will be open and listen and work with Khan where he can  but they have some clear differences.

As the next general election draws closer those differences are bound to be magnified. But for now, City Hall and Whitehall are at peace.
Z ac Goldsmith's campaign came under fresh attack today when one of Boris Johnsons former deputies criticised it for trying to paint Sadiq Khan as Corbyns man.

Tooting MP Mr Khan nominated Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership  but Stephen Greenhalgh, who was deputy mayor for policing under Mr Johnson, condemned the decision to argue that Mr Khan would unleash a Corbyn experiment on London if he became Mayor.

Candidly the Zac campaign framed the wrong question. Sadiq is not Corbyns man, he told The Standard. Corbyn is a London MP and the Mr Bean of the Labour Movement, not somebody that Londoners are afraid of  yet!

He believes it was legitimate to question Mr Khans description of moderate Muslims as Uncle Toms, a comment for which he apologised.

Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor 1 /17 Sadiq Khan's first official day as London Mayor Mayor of London Sadiq Khan makes his way to City Hall from London Bridge Station in London Jeremy Selwyn London Mayor Sadiq Khan boards a bus stop after leaving his home in Tooting Jack Taylor/Getty Images London's newly elected mayor Sadiq Khan speaks to supporters as he arrives for his first day at work at City Hall Hannah McKay/EPA Sadiq Khan is embraced by a supporter as he arrives at City Hall Hannah McKay/EPA Mayor of London Sadiq Khan waves as he arrives at City Hall Jonathan Brady/PA Sadiq Khan won support with his 'common touch' Jeremy Selwyn Sadiq Khan is mobbed by supporters at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan arrives at City Hall in London Jeremy Selwyn Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at City Hall Jeremy Selwyn On the Tube: Sadiq Khan Stefan Rousseau/PA Sadiq Khan on a sunny morning at City Hall Stefan Rousseau/PA Breakfast time: Sadiq Khan is offered croissants Hannah McKay/Reuters

But Mr Greenhalgh, a former leader of Hammersmith and Fulham council, added that Londoners resoundingly rejected the idea of guilt by association after Mr Goldsmiths campaign focused on Mr Khans sharing of platforms with speakers with extremist views.

You have got to be judged on what you say personally, not whether you appear at a public meeting with other people whose views you may disagree with vehemently, he said.

Croydon Central Tory MP Gavin Barwell said that the campaign didnt communicate the Zac Goldsmith I know, a passionate environmentalist and one of the least tribal of politicians.

Explainer: What are Sadiq Khan's plans for London?

He argued that it had alienated some voters, and former Cabinet minister Baroness Warsi claimed the campaign had damaged the Conservative Partys reputation on race and religion.

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A Tory campaign source said: The main problem was that we didnt have Boris.
D avid Cameron is set to warn Europe could be plunged into World War Three if Britain votes to leave the EU.

The Prime Minister will suggest the referendum will form a pivotal moment in Europes history as both sides step up their campaigning ahead of the June 23 vote.

Mr Cameron will stress the long, historic links with continental Europe and highlight the sacrifice of British military personnel to ensure the peace of the continent as he makes a "patriotic case" for a Remain vote.

But he will also warn that the peace which Europe has enjoyed in recent years cannot be guaranteed "beyond any shadow of doubt".

He will rank 2016 alongside other turning points in European history including the year of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Blenheim in 1704, Waterloo in 1815, the First World War in 1914, the Battle of Britain in 1940 and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Within hours of Mr Cameron's address, Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson will deliver his own speech before heading out on a campaign battle bus tour across the country later this week.

Setting out the long ties binding the UK to its neighbours Mr Cameron will say: "For good or ill, we have written Europe's history just as Europe has helped to write ours."

Both sides of the referendum debate have sought to use Winston Churchill to make their case.

TODO: define component type apester

The Britain Stronger In Europe campaign released a video message from Second World War veterans to underline the Prime Minister's message.

Mr Cameron is expected to say: "Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it.

"We have always had to go back in, and always at much higher cost.

"The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe."

Highlighting the bloodshed in the Balkans and Russian aggression in Georgia and Ukraine, he will add: "Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

"Is that a risk worth taking?"

"I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."

A Vote Leave spokesman said: "Claims that leaving the EU and taking back control would somehow lead to war smack of desperation from a campaign failing to make the case for the EU and our continued payment of 350 million to Brussels every week.

"The PM's words are deeply ironic given the EU's own border agency says the EU's borderless policy is making the whole of Europe less safe. The safe option is to vote Leave."
New Delhi: The CRPF, which happens to be the countrys largest paramilitary force, has for the first time decided to deploy over 560 women commandos for undertaking anti-Naxal operations in some of the Naxal-infested states.

The entire batch of 567 women personnel, who passed out from the forces Ajmer training centre, will be deployed in Maoist-hit areas in company formation style, which means about 100 personnel at one time. The women unit has been specially trained keeping in mind the requirements in the Naxal areas.

While initially these women personnel will be deployed in one company at a time and after some time their deployment and work utility will be scaled up. The CRPF has already created living infrastructure and barracks for these women at certain locations while more such facilities will be created in due course of time.

The CRPF, officials said, has been working on the concept that if Maoists can have women in their ranks, why not the security forces.

Recently, border-guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had also declared that it will post its women personnel in full combat role in its units along the Sino-Indian border.

The latest batch of the Central Reserve Police Force women personnel have been trained for 44 weeks in jungle warfare, unarmed combat, smart-weapons firing and other drills. The force had initiated a plan in this regard last year when two small teams of these women personnel were sent for familiarisation exercises and based in CRPF camps in the worst-affected Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and some sensitive LWE-hit areas of Jharkhand.

Once deployed, the women personnel will be operating from active CRPF bases and will carry arms and undertake patrols like their male counterparts. Officials said there are specific reasons and operational benefits of deploying women combatants in LWE areas.

They can easily interact with the local women folk which will not only help in gathering good intelligence but also help bring the force closer to the locals.
M inisters today indicated that a decision on Heathrow expansion will not be swayed by the election of opponent Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London.

In a blow to anti-runway campaigners, they said his victory cannot be seen as a mandate from voters against the West London airport because both of the frontrunners were opposed.

Bearing in mind that both the candidates had the same policy on Heathrow, I dont think that is going to alter our thinking very much, said a senior Government figure.

I dont think we can read anything into airport expansion from the election. It is always controversial and would have been whoever was elected as mayor.

At the same time, Mr Khan shocked environmental campaigners after his victory by signalling that he plans to appoint former Transport Secretary Lord Adonis to run transport in the capital. The Labour peer, who heads the governments National Infrastructure Commission, was a leading champion of a third runway.

Green peeress Jenny Jones, who gave her second preference vote to Mr Khan, told the Standard: I am really alarmed by the appointment of Andrew Adonis.

He is a very backward person when it comes to dealing with traffic congestion - he is a man who thinks building more roads is the answer. In my view he would add to Londons problems, not cure them.

Mr Khan originally backed a third runway when he was a transport minister and changed sides when he ran for mayor.

However, he supports a second runway at Gatwick to increase capacity.

David Cameron last year postponed the long-delayed decision on Heathrow until July, partly to avoid a clash between the Government and Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith.

Mr Goldsmith, the Richmond Park MP, has repeatedly made clear he will carry out his 2008 pledge to resign his seat and force a by-election if Mr Cameron gives the go-ahead to an extra runway, which he says would breach a no ifs, no buts pledge given by the Tory leader to voters in the area.

However, No 10 does not think it should be influenced by a by-election threat when it comes to a major national infrastructure decision.

Whitehall insiders think the decision on Heathrow faces yet another delay because of a logjam caused by the EU referendum.

There is only a one-month window between the vote on June 23 and the summer parliamentary recess, meaning it could slip back to September or later.
T he Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War will finally be published on July 6, it has been confirmed.

No redacted text will need to appear in the 2.6 million word report, according to a statement released on Monday.

The publication date, some seven years after the inquiry into the UK's role in the Iraq War was launched in 2009, has been agreed by chairman Sir John Chilcot and David Cameron.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Sir John said: "National security checking of the Inquiry's report has now been completed, without the need for any redactions to appear in the text.

"I am grateful for the speed with which it was accomplished."

Officials will spend the next two months preparing the mammoth report for publication, before it is released on the Inquiry's website.

The statement added: "Arrangements are being made so that families of those who died as a result of the conflict in Iraq can have early access to the report on the day of publication."
T his was the moment a car was engulfed by flames in the middle of a Kent town centre.

Bystanders captured footage of the inferno outside a branch of clothes store Matalan on Hythe Street, Dartford, on Monday afternoon.

Firefighters were called shortly before 3pm to extinguish the blaze. There were no reported casualties.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines were dispatched at 2.49pm and the fire was under control by 3.30pm.

Kent Police said officers attended to help with local road closures.
T he husband of a charity worker who has been held in solitary confinement in an Iranian jail for more than a month today launched an emotional appeal for her return.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, from West Hampstead, was seized by security services at Tehrans main airport with her baby daughter Gabriella as they were returning to the UK after visiting relatives on April 3.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was taken to an unknown location, 600 miles south of the capital, where she has been seen in the custody of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

She has informed her family that she was forced to sign a confession relating to a matter of national security.

Release plea: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard

Gabriella, aged one, remains in Iran in the care of her grandparents because her passport has been confiscated.

After 36 days, and against Foreign Office advice, Mr Ratcliffe decided to speak out and today called on David Cameron to intervene.

Held in Iran: Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was seized with her baby daughter Gabriella

He said: Nazanin is a kind, caring and sociable person, who would do anything for her family. It will be torturing her to be stuck in solitary confinement, away from her baby and all her family, thinking about all the worry that they are going through and whether she will be able to see them again.

The couple met when they were students in 2007 and married in 2009.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe is a project coordinator and works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Mr Ratcliffe said his wife has not been allowed access to a lawyer and the Red Cross has not been able to make contact with her. He added: It is a cruelty that is clearly deliberate and designed and I have been powerless to stop it.

I am pleading to the British authorities, now that delegations are travelling between the two countries to improve trade and understanding, that all efforts are made to bring my wife and daughter home as quickly as possible, and to get Nazanin out of solitary confinement immediately.

Mr Ratcliffe is petitioning the Government to help free his wife. For information visit tinyurl.com/freenaz.
J ustin Timberlake will become the first ever non-contestant to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest.

The US star, who has just released his brand new single, will take to the stage in Stockholm this weekend to sing live.

In a break from tradition, the former NSync frontman will perform Cant Stop The Feeling before the finalists compete.

Show producer Sven Stojanovic said: This is a fantastic opportunity. We are very happy and excited that Justin Timberlake will perform his new song together with his band in our show.

Justin Timberlake - In pictures 1 /50 Justin Timberlake - In pictures Justin Timberlake takes to the stage for his 20/20 Experience World Tour first UK show at the Sheffield Motorpoint Arena. Jonathan Pow/PA Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl in 2004 Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Justin Timberlake shows off his cheeky side in a spoof Beyonce's video SNL Justin Timberlake performs in the audience at the 2017 Oscars Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Justin Timberlake performs at "A Concert for Charlottesville" at University of Virginia's Scott Stadium on 24 September 2017 Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel arrive at the 75th annual Golden Globe Award AP Posing up with Taylor Swift at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2016 Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Justin Timberlake family Halloween snap in 2016 @jessicabiel On the red carpet with Jessica Biel at the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images With Garrett Hedlund and Carey Mulligan at Cannes AFP/Getty Images Justin Timberlake and wife Jessica Biel announce pregnancy on Instagram Justin Timberlake celebrated his mums birthday by sharing an adorable throwback photo At the Miami Heat v Memphis Grizzlies game in 2014 Rex In concert on his 20/20 Experience World Tour at the Forum in 2014 Rex With Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Lance Bass of 'N Sync on stage in 2013 Rex With NSync at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2013 Rex Performing with Singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton Rick Diamond/Getty Images On stage with Jay Z in 2014 Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for M2M Construction Friends With Benefits (2011) with Mila Kunis as Jaime and Justin Timberlake as Dylan Sony Pictures At the 2009 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Rex With wife Jessica Biel at the Met Gala in 2009 Getty Images Duet with Madonna in 2008 Evan Agostini//AP Justin Timberlake performs as model Alessandra Ambrosio walks the runway during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2006 Mark Mainz/Getty Images With Cameron Diaz in 2006 Getty Images Justin's famous performance with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl Frank Micelotta/Getty Images Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl in 2004 Donald Miralle/Getty Accepting a trophy at the Brit Awards in 2004 Rex Performing with Kylie Minogue in 2003 Rex Performing with Kylie Minogue in 2003 Myung Jung Kim/PA At the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2003 Rex Justin Timberlake performs with the Black Eyed peas on stage at the MTV Europe music awards in 2003 Alastair Grant/AP With Britney Spears at the premiere of Crossroads in 2002 Kevin Winter/Getty Images Performing with Michael Jackson Scott Gries/ImageDirect/Getty Images Super Bowl performance with ex-girlfriend Britney Spears in 2001 Rex At the Wango Tango Concert on May 13, 2000 Brenda Chase/Getty Images With N Sync in London in 1997 Rex Tate Lynche, Ryan Gosling, Justin Timberlake, Nita Booth, T J Fantini, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears in the Mickey Mouse Club Rex Justin Timberlake at Ardent Studios in 1992 Rex

It makes it extra special that the Swedish songwriters Max Martin and Shellback have co-written and co-produced the song together with Justin Timberlake.

The special addition to the line-up might have something to do with the fact that the event will be broadcast in the US for the first time this year.

Going out to an estimated audience of 200 million people, the show will be aired across Europe and now on LGBT+ network Logo TV.

Last week Timberlake unveiled the new track  his first in over two years  which has been penned for new film Trolls.

The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will air on BBC One on May14 at 8pm.


Kolkata: The Election Commission on Monday censured West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh for violating the model code of conduct during an election rally in West Midnapore district.



Officials said the poll panel was not satisfied with the reply of Ghosh, who was show-caused earlier, following which the decision to censure him was taken.



It was alleged that Ghosh had openly threatened Trinamool Congress workers at a rally in Kharagpur, from where he was fighting in the recently concluded state Assembly elections.



Polling for all the six phases have ended on May 5 and counting will be taken up on May 19.
HM King Mohammed VI to Pay Official Visit to China

Contact: K. Drawi, 240-994-2476

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 9, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- HM King Mohammed VI will pay an official visit to China as of Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at the invitation of the Chinese president, H.E. Xi Jinping, the Ministry of Royal Household, Protocol and Chancellery announced Monday.

During this visit, the Sovereign will hold talks with Chinese President, the ministry underlined in a statement, adding that the two Heads of State will chair a signing ceremony of several bilateral agreements.

The King will also meet with several Chinese senior officials, the source added.

During the visit, a Strategic Partnership between Morocco and China will be launched.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI upcoming visit will certainly mark a historical turning point in the relations between China and Morocco and will give new impetus to the existing ties between the two countries, founded on mutual trust and solidarity.

China and Morocco established diplomatic relations on November 1958. Since then the political relations between China and Morocco have been developing steadily and smoothly.

The two countries share the close or similar views on many international issues. The trade relationship between the two nations developed steadily. Mutually beneficial cooperation in fisheries, communications, and project contracting continued to deepen. Cooperation in finance and new energy gradually unfolded. Exchanges and cooperation in culture, sports, education and military fields also continued to expand.
The jawan molested her when she was returning home from tuition last morning (Photo: Representational Image)

Balurghat: A class seven girl committed suicide at her home after a BSF personnel allegedly molested her at Gosaipur in the Hili police station area of South Dinajpur district, close to the international border with Bangladesh.

According to an FIR filed by the girl's family at the Hili police station, the jawan molested her when she was returning home from tuition last morning.

The BSF has rubbished the claim.

Soon after returning home the girl tried to commit suicide by tying a cloth around her neck, the FIR said.

The family members broke open the door and took her to the Hili Gramin Hospital in a serious condition. At around 11 pm she died in the hospital, the police said.

There was considerable tension in the area following the incident.

Meanwhile, a senior BSF official speaking to PTI from Siliguri rubbished the involvement of any of its personnel in the incident and claimed the girl was "caught by jawans while she was trying to smuggle in a new cycle from across the border".

"The girl was caught by our jawans when she was trying to smuggle a brand new cycle from across the border. And when the bill she produced turned out to be a fake one of our jawans asked her to stay there. In the meantime, her mother came to the spot and slapped the girl. Our jawans let her go but kept the cycle there," the BSF officer said.

He said the BSF has started a probe under its senior officials even "though we are sure that none of our jawans is involved in any kind of molestation".
Srinagar: Former Union minister and chief of J&Ks main opposition National Conference (NC), Dr. Farooq Abdullah, on Monday strongly pitched for making the Line of Control (LoC) a line of peace.

He said both parts of Kashmir should be granted autonomy as this was the only viable and realistic solution to nearly seven decade problem that has cast dark shadows over the generations.

Mr. Abdullah while speaking at a series of party rallies in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri asserted, We owe peace and dignified life to posterity and that can be achieved only by converting the present dividing line between the two neighbouring countries into line of peace.

He added that the hostilities of past nearly seventy years have retarded growth of people on both sides of the de factor border and that time has come when India and Pakistan should take a bold initiative by calling a spade a spade.

He referred to the two of the three wars India and Pakistan fought on Kashmir, the mini war in Kargil and unabated occasional border skirmishes and said these have only added to the miseries of people of Kashmir, who have faced major brunt of turmoil during the past over two and half decades.

The soft borders would open up vistas of economic opportunities besides enabling hassle free exchange of people, which in turn will be a major dividend to peace and tranquillity in the region, he said, hoping that good sense will prevail upon all the stake holders. He added that denial of autonomy has brought Jammu and Kashmir to present morass, which if ignored anymore can prove detrimental to larger interests of the State. In this context, he referred to the resolution passed by the State Assembly over a decade and half ago, saying that was reflective of the urges and aspirations of the regions and sub-regions of the State.

He also spoke on the fallout of what he alleged are divisive policies being pursued by the present dispensation at the Centre and asserted that politics of hate and intolerance is against the very idea of India. He said India was an abode of people belonging to different faiths and they cannot be brought eye-ball to eye-ball situation for petty politics and furthering any definite political agenda.
Tucked in a quiet corner of the Wildcat Hills, the historic Robidoux Trading Post rarely sees the sort of attention it got this week. Selected as the inaugural Nebraska Tourism Cares project, the building in Carter Canyon attracted a gang of volunteers for two days of renovation work.

To view cutlines, click on photos.

The Trading Post was constructed in 1995 with rough-cut logs rescued from a historic building. The logs were sealed with a material called chinking, a composite of concrete and glue. In addition to cleaning up the trading post, more than a dozen volunteers chiseled out chinking that had deteriorated in years of harsh weather and replaced it with new material.

Friends of Robidoux Trading Post, the Gering Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau volunteers were among local workers on the project. Others came from the Nebraska Tourism Commission. Also lending a hand were descendants of original landowners Rupert and Goldie Bigsby. They included Susan Crabtree, the Bigsbys daughter; Ruperts nephew, Chris Bigsby; and Chris son, Noah. Crabtree came from South Dakota, while the Bigsbys came from Eagle, Nebraska. They joined the group, which spent Friday and Saturday working on the project under the direction of restoration specialist Kevin Haberman from Scotts Bluff National Monument.

The team carried rocks out of the post that had been used to conceal its concrete foundation, drilled out crumbling chinking and began the process of daubing new sealant into the gaps between the logs.

Ive done this kind of work quite often, said Haberman, the facility manager at the monument. The material retains some flexibility to withstand freezing and thawing, he added.

The Robidoux Trading Post sits at one of the most beautiful and historically significant sites in our region, said Karla Niedan-Streeks, Executive Director of the Gering Convention & Visitors Bureau. Funding for the project was provided by the Gering Convention & Visitors Bureau, Scotts Bluff Area Visitors Bureau and the Gering Keno Committee.

She said the improvements will help prevent deterioration of the logs and exhibits and allow the Friends group to expand the exhibits and hands-on activities at the post.

Were really excited to be here and kick off our first Nebraska Tourism Care project in Gering, said Amanda Barker, director of the statewide project. Socttsbluff-Gering is known to be a great supportive community when it comes to Nebraska tourism. We want to restore this destination and put it back on the map.

The Nebraska Tourism Commission selects and publicizes the projects and helps to round up volunteers. Later this summer, volunteers will be working on a section of the Cowboy Trail near Chadron. On June 10-11, crews will clear old railroad ties, clear brush and do various other tasks to prepare the first five miles east of Chadron for further trail development. Two more projects will be selected for 2016 projects.

These service projects are exciting because they show off the best of Nebraska  great people working to preserve destinations that enrich the story of the state, said Barker. We want to begin a great tradition of service across the state.
YORK, Neb.  They call themselves vintage activists for the environment.

And when members of 100 Grannies for a Livable Future needed advice on how to fight a proposed oil pipeline in their home state of Iowa, they contacted Bold Nebraska.

We knew we could turn to you to help us fight the pipeline because you guys are the experts, said Miriam Kashia of North Liberty, Iowa, speaking at an event Saturday hosted by the Nebraska group.

The Keystone XL oil pipeline, once proposed to run through Nebraska and other states, gave rise to the progressive activist organization and its leader, Jane Kleeb. Now that the pipeline is defeated, some of her opponents probably hoped she would move onto another national issue  preferably on one of the coasts.

While Kleeb has no plans to leave Nebraska, her organization is on the move.

She will manage an umbrella group that has launched chapters in Iowa, Oklahoma and Louisiana. While Kleeb will transition out of day-to-day operations of Bold Nebraska, she plans to remain in Hastings, where she lives with her husband, Scott, and three daughters.

She wants to focus on fighting big fossil fuel projects and trying to pass legislation to outlaw eminent domain for private development. And while she would still like to run for elected office, shes putting that in the someday category.

In the meantime, the group she founded will continue its work in the state. In recent months Bold Nebraska has criticized a law passed by Nebraska lawmakers to allow packers to own hogs. And it has helped organize opponents of a proposed chicken processing plant near Fremont.

We want to stop risky fossil fuel projects and stop corporate ag, she said. Stand up to big corporations bullying families. People on the outside are looking at us as more of a populist organization  thats probably right.

A Florida native who once headed the Young Democrats of America, she first came to Nebraska to help organize the 3rd Congressional House race of Democrat Scott Kleeb. The two married after his 2006 run, which, though he lost, was still the best showing by a Democrat in the district in decades.

Jane Kleeb then emerged as the director of Change That Works Nebraska, an effort to pressure then-Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska to vote for health care reform. As the campaign wound down, she approached Omaha philanthropist Dick Holland about funding a progressive activist group.

Kleeb envisioned an organization that would elbow its way into conversations about the states policies. Holland was sold, both by the pitch and the plucky 5-foot-5 woman with the sharp elbows.

She has no reluctance to step into the battle, he said.

Bold Nebraska officially launched in March 2010.

A couple of months later the course of the fledgling organization would change when Kleeb attended a U.S. State Department hearing in York about a proposed Canadian oil pipeline. Kleeb was impressed by the passion and intelligence she heard from farmers and ranchers who testified against the Keystone XL project.

She recognized that protecting private land and clean water were issues that could appeal to politically independent and conservative landowners in ways that more traditional environmental causes could not. In rural Nebraskans, Kleeb saw a population whose livelihoods depend on the environment, but who were largely ignored by national groups.

Kleeb joined forces with national environmental groups to apply political pressure on President Barack Obama. She also built alliances with Native American groups working to protect tribal lands.

And like a rancher with hot irons, she stamped Bold Nebraskas brand on apparel, yard signs, social media and the stage of a Neil Young-Willie Nelson protest concert that attracted 8,000 people to a northeast Nebraska farm on the pipeline route.

She called the events grass-roots actions; they became a hallmark of her approach. Some critics considered them self-promotional gimmicks.

Some of her foes in the Keystone XL battle conceded they grudgingly respected her ability to focus the opposition. She succeeded in stoking peoples emotions to fuel a left-of-center fight against fossil fuel and those who make their livings from it, said Chris Peterson of Lincoln, a conservative campaign and public relations consultant who worked for a pro-pipeline group.

Her success has been at the detriment of jobs and economic development, Peterson said. I think that while shes certainly become a notable figure, especially within the green movement, its definitely come at a cost.

In response, Kleeb said renewable energy projects such as wind and solar create jobs, including in Nebraska.

Bold Nebraska is categorized as a 501(c)4 social welfare organization, which makes it exempt from federal income tax. Donations to such groups are not tax deductible, so the groups do not have to disclose their donors.

Nonetheless, Kleeb supplied a listing of Bold Nebraskas major donors, which has expanded since Holland supplied the seed money. Among the supporters are the New Venture Fund in Washington, D.C.; the Cloud Mountain Foundation in New York; and David desJardins, one of the first software engineers at Google, who supports progressive political causes.

The organization also has collected smaller contributions from roughly 10,000 individual donors. Kleeb estimated that three out of four are from Nebraska.

Based on federal tax returns, the organization raised $132,000 in 2010. Within three years that figure grew to $455,000, and it was $316,000 in 2014, the most recent year the tax filings were available.

The reports indicate Kleebs salary was $100,000 in 2014.

Now she is going to see if she can duplicate her success in other states. The umbrella organization is Bold Alliance, and Kleeb will be its president.

I knew if we just stayed in Nebraska our fundraising abilities would be limited to a small population of donors, she said. So what if we brought that model to other states fighting not only pipelines but other risky fossil fuel projects?

In Louisiana, that means opposing offshore drilling and helping low-income communities faced with challenges related to climate change. In Oklahoma, it is raising awareness of earthquakes linked to fracking injection wells and building partnerships with Native American activists.

In Iowa, the group opposes the Bakken pipeline and is pushing the states attorney general to join an effort to punish Exxon for ignoring internal scientific evidence on global warming.

Kleeb said the organization also is providing advice and expertise to landowner groups fighting oil and natural gas pipelines in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia and West Virginia.

Key funding for the expansion came from the Public Trust Network, a conglomeration of social change organizations focused largely on environmental issues. Depending on how the partnership unfolds, it could result in up to $2 million over five years.

Zach Pollet, national campaign director for the network, said his organization was impressed with what Kleeb was able to do during the long battle over Keystone XL.

Bold Nebraska engaged farmers, ranchers and tribes, Pollet said. To us it seems like the right thing to do. But it also seems like a smart thing to do because it looks like a much better way to win.

Holland, who decided to give Kleeb a chance to start her own organization years ago, said hes pleased with the direction shes taking it.

I hope it makes a hell of a lot of people mad, and I hope they start thinking about the future, he said.

Amy Schaffer of North Platte will take over as the new director of Bold Nebraska.

Kleeb admitted shes having a hard time letting go.

Im happiest when Im in a room full of farmers and ranchers, she said. I like the way they think, the way they act. Theyre incredibly reliable.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com
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Bayi Steels operating revenue down 58.7 percent in Q1

Monday, 09 May 2016 09:55:52 (GMT+3) | Shanghai



Xinjiang Autonomous Region-based Chinese steelmaker Bayi Iron and Steel Group (Bayi Steel) has announced in the first quarter of the current year it registered an operating revenue of RMB 992 million ($152.62 million), declining by 58.7 percent year on year, with a net loss of RMB 447 million ($68.77 million), compared to the net loss of RMB 421 million recorded in the same period of 2015.

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Monday, 09 May 2016 23:33:11 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Brazilian ferroalloys producer Ferbasa saw its net profit decline 62.5 percent in Q1, year-on-year, to BRL 12.6 million, the company said on Monday while releasing its quarterly results.





Ferbasas net revenues in Q1 rose 45.2 percent, year-on-year, due to higher sales volumes, the appreciation of the USD over the BRL and reduced weighted average prices of alloys in USD. Ferroalloys sales volumes in Q1 totaled 73,273 mt, 42.9 percent up, year-on-year.





Cost of products sold rose 70.8 percent in Q1, year-on-year, to BRL 232.3 million, while both gross profit and profit margins in Q1 diminished to 23.9 percent and 4.1 percent, respectively, from 35.3 percent and 16 percent in Q1 2015.





Ferbasas adjusted EBITDA in Q1 was BRL 54.9 million, down from BRL 60.7 million in Q1 2015.





Ferbasa produced 55,463 mt of ferroalloys in Q1, 28.6 percent down, year-on-year.


New Delhi: The Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) were on Monday ordered by the Government to take maximum precautions for Rahul Gandhi's security after an anonymous letter threatening to kill him surfaced.



The unsigned letter in Tamil threatening to kill the Congress Vice President at an election meeting in Puducherry was received by a senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on May 5. Rahul is scheduled to address a rally of the Congress-DMK alliance tomorrow at Karaikal in Puducherry.

Read: Congress asks Rajnath to beef up Rahul's security following death threat



Acting swiftly, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi directed the SPG, responsible for the protection of the Congress Vice President, and the IB to take all necessary precautionary measures in this regard.



Mehrishi's missive to the two agencies came soon after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked him to take up the issue seriously and ensure protection to Rahul, official sources said.



Earlier, a delegation of top Congress leaders met the Home Minister and asked him to beef up Rahul's security following the assassination threat.

Read: Congress in huddle as Rahul Gandhi receives death threat

The team, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; Treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma met Singh and apprised him about the threat to the Congress Vice President's life.



"The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.



Narayanasamy, an AICC General Secretary and a former Union Minister, told PTI from Karaikal over phone that he had received an 'unsigned letter' at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi.



He said the letter written in Tamil stated that "your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry.



We will attack you and your former Prime Minister's son and will be blasted while attending the Karaikal meeting."



Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command.



The SPG guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children -- Rahul and Priyanka -- are SPG protectees.



Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.
Monday, 09 May 2016 17:26:28 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

Italian plantmaker Danieli has announced that it will supply a new casting strand to the state-owned Vietnamese steelmaker Southern Steel Company. The new casting strand will be added to the existing continuous billet caster which was also supplied by Danieli in 2005 and has an annual billet production capacity of 530,000 mt and an annual rolled products capacity of 400,000 mt.

The new equipment scheduled to become operational in February 2017 will produce 120 mm x 120 mm and 150 mm x 150 mm square billets in open-stream casting mode.
Monday, 09 May 2016 17:20:15 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

In April this year, new passenger car registrations in the German market totaled 315,900 units, down 2.2 percent month on month and increasing by eight percent year on year, according to the data released by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). Meanwhile, in the first four months of this year, Germany 's new passenger car registrations increased by six percent year on year, totaling 1,107,300 units.

According to the VDA, in April of the current year 546,500 passenger cars rolled off production lines in Germany , which represents a month-on-month increase of 5.9 percent and a year-on-year rise of 14 percent. German passenger car output in the January-April period of this year amounted to 2,015,800 units, showing a three percent growth compared to the same period of last year.
Monday, 09 May 2016 23:33:53 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Peruvian iron ore export prices declined 21.5 percent in March, year-on-year, according to data released on Monday by the nations central bank, BCRP.





According to government data, Peruvian iron ore export prices reached $24.1/mt in March, down from $30.7/mt in the same month of the year prior, but 7.1 percent up, month-on-month, when compared to Februarys $22.5/mt export price.





BCRP said Peruvian iron ore exports totaled 900,000 mt in March, up from 800,000 mt in the same month of 2015 and from 700,000 mt in February this year.








Monday, 09 May 2016 17:21:45 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

South Africa 's primary carbon and alloy steel product imports (excluding semi-finished steel, stainless steel and drawn wire) amounted to 93,570 mt in March this year, decreasing by 22.5 percent compared to February and down 34.1 percent from March 2015, according to the customs and excise data released by the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI).

The country's primary carbon and alloy steel product imports during the first three months of this year amounted to 307,146 mt, decreasing by 32.8 percent from 456,941 mt in the corresponding period of 2015.
In April this year, the value of Taiwan 's iron and steel exports decreased by 16.2 percent year on year to $1.13 billion, according to the preliminary statistics issued by Taiwan 's Ministry of Finance. In the given month, the country's iron and steel import value totaled $563 million, down 31.7 percent year on year.
Monday, 09 May 2016 13:38:14 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

Turkish rebar producer Izmir Demir Celik Sanayi A.S. (IDC) has announced its financial results for the first quarter of the current year.

Accordingly, in the first quarter, IDC registered a net profit of TRY 35 million ($11.92 million), compared to a net loss of TRY 117.22 million in the same quarter of 2015. In the first quarter this year, the company's sales revenues decreased by 11 percent year on year to TRY 507.98 million ($173.76 million). In the same quarter, IDC recorded an operating profit of TRY 38.73 million ($13.25 million), compared to an operating profit of TRY 4.87 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
Monday, 09 May 2016 20:57:56 (GMT+3) | San Diego

According to the latest figures from the US International Trade Commission, US iron and steel scrap exports totaled 995,288 mt in March, which represents a 3.6 percent decline month-on-month and a 19.1 percent decrease year-on-year.





Turkey was the largest recipient of US iron and scrap exports in March, with 247,891 mt, which is down 5.4 percent month-on-month but up 15.4 percent year-on-year. Other notable destinations in March include: India, with 150,381 mt; Mexico, with 120,087 mt; Korea, with 107,750 mt; and Taiwan, with 105,007 mt.




By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com During last Thursdays county commission meeting, the topic of tourism came up. First District Commissioner Karen Stuppy reported on the Tourism Advisory Council and Tourism Tax Commissions joint meeting earlier that week, at which a task force was formed. She said that the tourism department has an $89,548 budget, with $45,000-50,000
Foreign Affairs Minister Lazar Comanescu met on Monday Swiss National Council President Christa Markwalder; in this context, he restated the importance of observing the principle of free movement assumed by Switzerland in its bilateral agreements with the European Union, and he voiced his hope of finding together a solution to this file.

According to a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) to Agerpres, the meeting occasioned the expression of satisfaction for the excellent quality of bilateral relation and emphasized the good bilateral cooperation in implementing the projects under the 'Swiss Contribution.'

Within this context, minister Lazar Comanescu stressed the role of this contribution in the framework of projects developed in Romania, and thanked the Swiss partners for their relevant commitment.

The MAE mentions that the meeting stressed that implementation of this programme is on schedule and meets deadlines including in the total commitment of funds.

President Christa Markwalder mentioned the special importance Switzerland attaches to carrying out quality projects in Romania; she emphasized the competence and skills of the Romanian partners involved in the unfolding of the 'Swiss Contribution.'

The two officials pointed out the shared interest in enhancing and expanding the economic and specialized cooperation, and hailed to this effect the works of the Romania-Switzerland Investment Forum held on Monday in Bucharest, with the participation of Swiss National Council President Christa Markwalder and of Romania's Vice Prime Minister Costin Borc.

Moreover, the sides evoked the constructive role of the Romanian community in the development of the Swiss Confederation's economy, as a community well integrated into the Swiss society.

The meeting occasioned an exchange of opinions on actual topics on the European agenda, with focus on the evolutions pertaining to migration. The two officials pointed out the need of a united, solidary and firm response of the European Union and of its partners in the management of the migration crisis, to ensure the security of European borders, while aiming at the root causes of the phenomenon.

Swiss National Council President Christa Markwalder is paying an official visit to Romania.
Surat: Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convener Hardik Patel, who is lodged in a jail in Surat on sedition charges, wrote a letter to his parents on Mothers Day on Sunday.

According to a report, the letter addressed to his father reads 'Hardik has not committed any crime by asking for justice for his community'. In the letter, he compares himself to an army jawan who lays down his life for the country.

Read: Patels to step up quota stir; to invite Nitish, Mamata, Uddhav for rallies

Hardik claimed the BJP government wants him and his family to be weakened. He exhorts his parents to remember him as a martyr who fought for the country against this dictatorship and an unjust government. He asks his mother to remain strong and never give in to the machinations of the authorities.

In the letter, Patel reserves special criticism for Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel, claiming that his father helped her in campaigning for the 1997 elections in the state and she has now turned on his family by putting him in jail.

Hardik asked his father to visit the families of all those killed during the Patidar agitation and seek pardon on his behalf for he is unable to help them. Finally, Hardik vows to continue the agitation for securing the communitys rights in jobs and education.

Read: Gujarat govt opposes Hardik Patels bail, says agitation was seditious

On Friday, Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti announced to intensify its agitation over the Patel quota issue, adding that it would invite prominent politicians from other states, including Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray to address the rallies. The organisation, which is spearheading the Patel quota movement, said that it would organise several rallies till the end of this year to highlight their demands and the next round of agitation will start from Visnagar in Mehsana district on May 8.

The decision comes in the wake of Gujarat government's recent decision to provide 10 per cent reservation for Economically Backward Classes (EBC).
An activist argues with a policeman during the protest march taken out by Justice for Jisha, a Facebook collective, to the Perumbavur DySP office on Sunday. (Photo: DC)

Kochi: The law student who was raped and murdered at her house in Eravichira near Perumbavoor used to sleep with a weapon below her pillow, indicating she was feeling unsafe in the makeshift home and that she feared intruders.

A 48-cm long black handle knife was found beneath the pillow and mat used by the 30-year-old Dalit woman, the cops said in the Inquest report which also includes a list of materials recovered by the cops on the night of April 28, the day she was murdered.

As per the report, the slipper suspected to be that of the attacker was recovered a few km from the crime scene on May 4, five days later.

Read: Kerala rape case: Activists get beat up; hartal on Tuesday

Meanwhile, victims sister Deepa claimed two Malayali construction workers had threatened to eliminate Jisha and her mother a few months back when they questioned the workers bad behaviour.

They were engaged in the construction of our new house. Ive told all these to the cops while they recorded my statement. However, Ive no migrant labourer friend. In fact, I couldnt even speak proper Hindi, she said.

The cops earlier said they were on the trail of a migrant labourer, a friend of Deepa.

Read: Kerala rape case: Pervert held for Dalit law student's murder

Earlier in the day, the special investigation team took a neighbour of the victim into custody from Bangalore and is being questioned. He was missing from the area post the murder.

The cops also made a new sketch of the suspect based on the description provided by an eyewitness who claimed to have seen an unidentified person under mysterious circumstances at Iringolkavu on the day of the murder.

The cops later in the day conducted another round of inspection at the victims house at Vattoli Canal Road and sealed the premises.
Memorial Hospital and BJC HealthCare are seeking approval to build a $22 million medical office building next to the new Memorial Hospital East in Shiloh.

BJC HealthCare, the area's largest hospital system, finalized a strategic affiliation with Memorial Hospital of Belleville in November 2015. The two now jointly run Memorial Hospital in Belleville and its newest satellite hospital in Shiloh, under the new parent organization, Memorial Regional Health Services Inc.

Our strategic affiliation with BJC HealthCare allows us to begin this project sooner than expected, Mark Turner, president of Memorial Regional Health Services, said in a statement.

The three-story, 70,500-square-foot medical office building is expected to be complete at the end of 2017, pending approval from the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.

IHFSRB officials confirmed for the Post-Dispatch that they received the application. They declined to share the document before review by the committee.

The board is expected to review the application at its August meeting, according to hospital officials.

Holland Construction Services has been selected to build the facility.
The price of sugar has been increasing steadily in the last three to four months. (Representational Image)

Bengaluru: The sudden increase in prices of sugar in the open market has forced the state government to shell out three times more than the earmarked funds to supply one kg sugar each to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Anthyodaya card holders across the State.

Sources told Deccan Chronicle that till now, the government was spending Rs 58 crore per year on purchase of sugar through tenders. However, with the price hovering between Rs 37 and 39 per kg, henceforth, the government will have to shell out around Rs 140 crore, an additional Rs 82 crore on sugar procurement.

This had upset all calculations of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies.

To bring down the loss, the Cabinet had given approval to hike the prices of sugar supplied through Public Distribution System (PDS) from Rs 13.60 paise per kg to Rs 15 per kg.

In March, the non-availability of sugar forced the department to stop supply of sugar to around 1.07 crore card holders. Now, sugar is available in the market but the price has gone up.

The cost of sugar comes to around Rs 40 per kg including transportation. Though, it is a loss making exercise, the government has to continue supply to the interests of the poor. "Once we have promised to distribute it at a subsidized rates, we can't stop supply just because the rates are high in the market", sources added.

The price of sugar has been increasing steadily in the last three to four months. It was available at Rs 25 to Rs 28 per kg during January-February but now, it has touched Rs 40 per kg.

The sudden increase has been attributed to shortfall in sugar production owing to drought in major sugar growing states like Maharasthra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. The sugar price may breach the Rs 50 mark in the next two to three months.

Only one kg?

Sources maintained that consumers may have to forego three kg of sugar due for the month of March, April and May keeping in view the high rates. The department has decided to distribute only one kg of sugar from June, and not four kg per card.

We may take a call whether to distribute four kg or one kg per card in next one week. It may be mentioned here that BPL and Anthyodaya card holders have not been supplied sugar since March owing to non-availability.
Kirsten Langhammer has given birth to three sets of twins in the past four years. Not one of those babies is her own.

With each pair of twins, Langhammer fulfilled the dreams of a couple wanting to become parents. She loved becoming a mom and being pregnant  even labor and delivery. Using her self-described magical uterus to help create three other families has meant navigating a morass of legal, ethical and health issues.

On this Mothers Day, she is proud of not only her own children, but the families she helped create.

A Google search led Langhammer, of OFallon, Mo., down a path of flying across the country to fertility clinics, being nurtured by intended parents and making life-changing decisions on an examining table.

Her resilient and productive uterus was in demand. And she found a purpose in sharing it.

Gestational surrogacy is a practice made famous by Hollywood couples. Increasingly, its also an avenue for gay couples who want some genetic link to their offspring.

There are limited data available on the number of surrogate births because agencies are not required to report them. Voluntary data collected by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology shows a dramatic increase. There were 2,236 babies born using a gestational surrogate in 2014, up from 738 in 2004. Surrogacy is one of the most expensive infertility options, ranging from about $120,000 to far more for complicated cases, for a full-service agency and egg donor. Gestational surrogates carry embryos genetically unrelated to them. In all three cases, Langhammer was implanted with donor eggs.

Its still a controversial practice. Its illegal in five states to pay a woman to be a surrogate. Laws vary by state. Commercial surrogacy is also illegal in many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, while other countries ban the practice completely, even in unpaid circumstances.

WHAT MOTIVATES A SURROGATE?

Langhammer, 40, had easy pregnancies and loved the deliveries of her own children Jacob, 8, and Ava, 5. She went back to work as a bartender in a country club when Ava was about 2 months old. She and her husband, Jeff, felt their family was complete.

She told a co-worker that she missed being pregnant. He suggested surrogacy. Langhammer didnt know anything about it, so she did a Google search, read the reviews of the first agency that popped up and applied online.

Circle Surrogacy receives 1,200 to 1,300 online applications a month. Less than 2 percent of women make it through the intensive screening, according to John Weltman, the founder and president.

Jeff Langhammer didnt think his wife would actually go through with it, but hes happy she did.

I think its a really great thing to do for someone who cant have children, he said.

Kirsten Langhammers brother and his wife had been unable to have children.

It was close to home for us, she said. Though she was not a surrogate for them, she wanted to be for others. She made it through all the medical and psychological screening and legal hurdles. For the first pregnancy, she would be compensated $28,000, in addition to expenses and benefits.

If I was doing it for the money, I would charge a hell of a lot more than $28,000, she says.

The agency sent her a profile of a couple whose responses matched hers.

She felt a connection to them right away.

For Gabriel Manzon of New York, the hardest thing about coming out as gay was accepting the idea that he would not be able to have his own family.

It was really upsetting and sad for me.

He and his husband have been together 14 years. Five years ago, they decided to look for a surrogate. Because the practice is illegal in New York, they all met at a fertility clinic in Connecticut to do the embryo transfers. Langhammer was implanted when her daughter was 10 months old. Before that, she had to give herself injections and hormones for weeks to sync her cycle with that of the egg donor.

Manzon and his husband flew to Missouri for the first ultrasound. They heard two heartbeats.

One of them cried, Langhammer said. She carried the babies to full term but suffered terrible migraines and went on modified bed rest, which she never had while pregnant with her own children.

The first baby was born vaginally, but the second babys heartbeat started to drop. The doctors performed an emergency C-section. Langhammer was relieved when the babies fathers took over after the delivery.

The last thing I wanted to do was to take care of a baby, she said. Im just an oven, she joked. These arent my babies. The emotional part for her was watching the two men who had grown to become her close friends become fathers.

Their daughters turn 4 this week.

I personally feel very fortunate, blessed and grateful to have a human being who would give up nine months of her own life to give birth for another family, Manzon said.

The girls have asked about their mommy and how they were born.

We explained that we borrowed a belly, Manzon said. The girls have met Langhammer and know they grew inside of her.

The fact that we could have children, he said. It was like a miracle.

Langhammers son, Jacob, was in preschool during her first surrogacy. She explained to him that they would be donating the babies to the couple who had flown down to meet them.

Can we donate Ava, too? Jacob asked of his sister.

No, we have to keep her, his mom said.

Langhammer was hooked on the experience. She switched agencies and matched with James Lewis and Randy Roberts in Los Angeles. The couple, together for more than a decade, had suffered through prior failed attempts with a surrogate.

We were beyond impressed when they met Langhammer, Lewis said. The doctor implanted two embryos. Lewis remembers the phone call when she called them to say it was twins.

Your face goes blank, he said. You start crying. Youve been waiting so long. They flew to Missouri for the birth, a scheduled C-section.

We both got to cut an umbilical cord, he said. A son and a daughter were handed to them, while they sobbed.

Langhammer, who had worked 12- to 14-hour days at the bar through most of this pregnancy, knew how much this moment meant to them. Like the first couple, theyve stayed in close touch with the Langhammers. Their expenses totaled more than $200,000, including the prior attempts.

Langhammer was again paid $28,000.

She waited about a year until accepting the next couple. She was adamant about not carrying twins this time. She was matched with a couple who was just as committed to wanting one child.

When she was on the medical table waiting for the doctor to transplant the embryo, he broke the news to her. Of the eggs that had been fertilized, only two were implantable. And neither of those looked good.

Langhammer wanted to cry. She wasnt prepared for the possibility of twins again. In that moment, she imagined how this couple, who asked not to use their names, must have felt and how slim their chances had become.

Was I really going to say no? she said. She agreed to transplanting both eggs.

I knew as soon as they went in, Im having twins, she said.

Ten days later, she got the results of her blood test. Her hormone levels were more than triple a single pregnancy.

Apparently, my uterus is magical, Langhammer said.

She gave birth, again by a C-section, to the last set of twins in January.

HEALTH RISKS

Dr. John Rinehart, founding partner of Reproductive Medicine Institute in Chicago, advocates for single-embryo transfers as often as possible.

The maternal death rate is three times as high when a woman is carrying twins, according to research published this month in Obstetrics and Gynecology, he said. Death is  a very rare event, about 14 in 100,000.

Repeated C-sections carry an increased risk of complications for the mother  rupture, bleeding, scarring.

After her third C-section, after she had given birth to eight children in eight years, her obstetrician, Dr. Jeffrey Mormol, told her theres always a risk going forward.

Langhammer says shes not one to dwell on possible bad outcomes. If someone came to me with some big, sad story, Id probably really consider it.

Her husband shook his head.

Im 99.9 percent sure Im done, she said.

Oh, Im 100 percent sure, he replied. He says his wife has done her part helping other families.

Im worried about her, and I need her in my life, he said.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

This is the second in a two-part series on homelessness in St. Louis.

Eddie Roth stood before a group of providers of homeless services in the city of St. Louis and compared their work to that of mythical Greek figure Sisyphus. Its Thursday morning and hes standing in the first-floor conference room at 1520 Market Street, known as City Hall West. The location is ironic as the building was once considered a likely location for a city-run homeless shelter that in an ideal world would already be up and running.

The providers are gathered to ask Roth questions about the citys latest request for proposals to run the Biddle House, a planned city-owned homeless shelter on North Tucker Boulevard. The city hopes to open it in July.

You all have been doing the hard work of rolling that stone up the hill, Roth says, recognizing that theres nothing easy about serving the citys most vulnerable residents.

A potential operator of the Biddle House objects to the metaphor.

Remember, that stone kept rolling back down the hill, he said of Sisyphus.

Indeed, that might be an apt description of the citys efforts to deal with its homeless population.

For years, some homeless advocates have criticized the administration of Mayor Francis Slay for not doing enough to deal with the issue, thus creating opportunity for Larry Rice and his poorly run New Life Evangelistic Center to fill the void. But over the past few years, two things have happened.

First, the various providers that make up the Continuum of Care plan in St. Louis have upped their game, particularly in how they assess and track the needs of the homeless population. Second, the push to oust Rice created a crisis.

The best result of that crisis  having to find shelter for at least 100 homeless men a night  is that the city is for the first time planning to own a physical shelter that can also provide daytime services to the homeless, starting with assessment of their needs and ending with a relatively quick transition to housing.

Its what the federal Housing and Urban Development department calls a housing first approach. Instead of warehousing the homeless, these programs work harder to assess their needs, train them for work, and get them quickly into transitional housing. Such programs have found success in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, Minneapolis and Madison, Wis.

Roth said he believes the program the city will end up with in Biddle House  which will be owned by the city but operated by a nonprofit  will be the best of the best.

But the citys first attempt to roll the stone up the hill failed.

Last year, the city issued a request for proposals to provide day services  such as meals  for the homeless at the proposed new center.

The winner of that bid was the Bridge, a nonprofit that has been the primary provider of daytime homeless services in downtown for the past decade. The timing was good for the nonprofit. Its landlord  Centenary United Methodist Church on Olive Street  simply didnt have the proper facilities to run a homeless shelter. In part, because of pressure from downtown residents over loitering issues, its lease was to run out June 30. The city said it could open the new shelter by July 1.

But then the delays started.

The citys financing wasnt  and still isnt  all in hand. It didnt hold any public hearings before it decided to put the center near the entrance of the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, the gateway to the northside. The building sits across the street from Carr Square Village, a residential neighborhood with a mostly African-American population that ranges from low income to middle class.

The neighborhood has threatened to sue to stop the Biddle House.

The city fell back into its longstanding practices and decided to jam this facility into the middle of the poverty-stricken Near Northside without providing any resource to a constituency that it simply does not care enough about, wrote Cynthia Johnson, chairman of the board of directors of the Carr Street Tenant Corp.

When leaders at The Bridge couldnt be given a date certain when their contract would begin, and then were told by Roth that he planned to reopen the bidding, the nonprofits board decided its only decision was to fold up shop June 30.

Even with the disappointment over what has happened to his organization, Chad J. Rulo, the interim executive director of The Bridge, thinks the city is headed in the right direction in terms of Roths efforts to open the Biddle House.

If they truly follow the housing first model, the homeless numbers will dwindle, Rulo said.

Tom Burnham also believes the city is on the right track. Burnham is the former shelter director of Peter and Paul Community Services on the citys south side. He was at Roths bidding conference on Thursday, along with representatives of the Salvation Army, St. Patrick Center, and Employment Connection.

While Burnham believes the citys proposed budget for the Biddle House is off by about a quarter-of-a-million dollars, he believes its the most serious attempt to deal with homelessness hes seen from city government.

This is definitely progress, Burnham said.

Whether the stone makes it to the top of the hill is another question.

Burnham said hed be amazed if Biddle House opens in July, raising the question of how long there will be a gap in homeless services in the downtown area this summer.

We could have a couple of tough weeks downtown, Roth says.

Still, he tries to turn the hopelessness of the daily plight of Sisyphus into a positive story, suggesting a better ending to this tale.

That was a myth, he tells the possible future operators of the citys new shelter. This is for real.

Time will tell.
A federal judge has rejected an attempt by former St. Louis Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa to subpoena the Houston Astros in advance of his sentencing next month for hacking.

Correa attorney David Adler filed a sealed motion April 27 in U.S. District Court in Houston, with attachments.

The next day, U.S. District Judge Lynn N. Hughes entered a one-line order that said, Chris Correa may not subpoena the Astros for production of documents.

Adler declined to comment Monday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Chu, who is prosecuting the case, could not be reached for comment.

The subpoenas could relate to cryptic comments made at a hearing in January where Correa pleaded guilty, admitting he hacked into the accounts of three Astros employees. Correa viewed information about aspiring players in the Astros proprietary database called Ground Control.

Correa admitted that he trespassed repeatedly, but said that he did so based on suspicions that (the Astros) had misappropriated proprietary work from myself and my colleagues, according to a copy of the transcript.

So you broke in their house to find out if they were stealing your stuff? Hughes summarized.

Stupid, I know, Correa replied.

Correa would later claim that he told unidentified colleagues that hed found information he claimed belonged to the Cardinals.

Officials from the Cardinals and Astros, including Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, have repeatedly denied Correas claims.

Correas sentencing on five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer is set for June 6. He could face three to four years under federal sentencing guidelines, which are partly based on financial loss.

At the January hearing, Chu estimated that the hacking cost the Astros $1.7 million, based on the teams scouting budget and the number of player files Correa examined.
UPDATED at 4:30 p.m. with information from New Orleans police and more details on victim's background.

A man who grew up in St. Louis and was found shot to death in New Orleans probably was the victim of a robbery, the police chief said Monday.

New Orleans Police Superintendent Michael Harrison told a news conference that Thomas Rolfes suffered injuries to his hands indicating a struggle and that his wallet was missing. He said Rolfes, 25, suffered one gunshot wound to the chest and was found dead about 4:30 a.m. Saturday on a major street west of the Louisiana Superdome and the city's business district.

A spokesman said police have no suspects.

Rolfes and his fiancee had met in New Orleans Friday to scout a location for their wedding because they both had graduated from Tulane University in that city. Rolfes worked for Clayco, a construction company, as a project engineer in Greenville, S.C., where he had lived for about a year.

He was the oldest of four children of Ron and Julie Rolfes of Town and Country. Ron Rolfes is a Clayco vice president. Funeral arrangements are pending through Kutis Affton Chapel.

Rolfes graduated in 2007 from De Smet Jesuit High School, where he participated in speech and cross country and was a member of the National Honor Society.

Rolfes and his fiancee, Elizabeth Fried, were staying at a hotel near the Superdome. The murder scene was on South Claiborne Avenue about halfway from the hotel to the Tulane campus. News reports in New Orleans said Rolfes had met friends in a tavern at Magazine Street and Napoleon Avenue, in the city's popular uptown area, and was seen on security video buying two bottles of water at a service station on Claiborne a block from the murder scene an hour before his body was found.

Ron "Tripp" Rolfes, one of the victim's brothers, said Thomas Rolfes had been out Friday night. He actually just proposed to his fiancee, said his brother. He said Fried had decided to stay in for the evening, and wasnt with the victim when he was shot.

She was devastated, said Tripp Rolfes.

Clayco flew the family to New Orleans on Saturday on the corporate jet, Tripp Rolfes said.

The family appealed for help from the public in finding the killer.

He was here to start the next chapter of his life. He was meeting his fiancee to visit venues for their wedding. It was the next chapter; our firstborn was marrying this beautiful girl, his mother, Julie Rolfes, told WDSU.

Thomas Rolfes grew up in south St. Louis County in the Oakville area, and graduated from De Smet at age 16, his brother said.

He was one of the smartest people I knew, said Tripp Rolfes. He was always a little bit older than what his birth date might portend. We called him our voice of reason.

The Rolfes have two other children, Tanner and Tessa, both of Town and Country.

Thomas Rolfes graduated from Tulane with a degree in business in 2011 and went to work for Clayco in St. Louis. In a statement, the company said, "We have watched with pride as Tom became a loved and respected force in our organization."

Fried was originally from Rhode Island and works for an accounting firm.

On Monday, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney posted to Facebook that Thomas Rolfes had worked on his 2012 campaign.

Tim O'Neil of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
New Delhi: Nepal's Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay on Monday continued to stay put in his post in Delhi, two days after his country's government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the KP Oli dispensation back home.

"We have not received any official communication from Kathmandu over Ambassador's recall. What we know is only through media. So, he very much remains in his current position," sources in the Nepal embassy told PTI in Delhi.

Though no formal announcement was made about Upadhyay's recall by the Nepalese government, reports emerging from Kathmandu quoting unnamed Foreign Ministry officials said he was being recalled because of his alleged role in the power struggle that nearly deposed Olis government.

His non-cooperation with his country's Foreign Ministry and a reported visit to the Terai region with Indian Ambassador in Kathmandu Ranjit Rae recently were also cited as reasons for the decision.

However, earlier in the day, the Nepalese envoy reportedly rejected the charges, saying he did not conspire with the Indian government to bring down Prime Minister KP Oli-led coalition rule in Nepal.

Read: India envoy recalled for working against national interest: Nepal government

He also denied having visited the restive Madhes region in Nepal's foothills with Rae.

Nepal had on Sunday cancelled the visit of its President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepal's unhappiness with India over the latter's alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.
JEFFERSON CITY  Major issues remain unresolved in the Missouri Legislature as lawmakers brush up against a Friday deadline to approve their priorities.

With lawmakers required to quit at 6 p.m. Friday, the clock is ticking on efforts to reform ethics laws, tweak the states municipal court system, change how Ameren raises its electric rates and override Gov. Jay Nixons vetoes of parts of the budget.

The Senate also could join with the House in an override of Nixons veto of legislation that would alter how public union members pay dues. Lawmakers also have yet to agree on a rewrite of state criminal laws that includes getting the state in compliance with juvenile sentencing guidelines.

And, there also are efforts to loosen state gun laws, encourage the use of police body cameras, tighten abortion restrictions, combat opioid abuse and increase transportation funding through a bump in the states fuel tax.

Republicans who control both the House and Senate are hopeful there is enough time to send a number of major initiatives across the finish line, but signaled they are nonetheless pleased with the progress made since the session began in January.

You dont ever come into the building and get everything you want, said House Speaker Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff.

Democrats say GOP members have wasted valuable time putting hot-button issues on the front burner as a way to massage their message heading into the 2016 election season. In particular, they bemoaned hours of debate last week dedicated to legislation that would tighten restrictions on abortion and loosen restrictions on firearms.

The fact that the majority party has decided to spend this incredibly valuable time on the taxpayers dollar to talk about guns and abortion instead of the things that move Missouri forward  infrastructure, addressing our K-12 transfer problems, expanding healthcare to those who need it. Its a matter of priorities, said Rep. Gina Mitten, D-Richmond Heights.

Ethics reform

Coming into the session in January, Richardson and his Senate counterpart, Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard of Joplin, said ethics reform was a top priority after last years scandals regarding two legislators resigning amid allegations of inappropriate behavior with college interns.

Missouri has been the only state with no limits on campaign contributions, no caps on gifts from lobbyists and no cooling-off period before lawmakers and become lobbyists.

But this session, lawmakers approved legislation imposing a six-month revolving door period for lobbying, banned lawmakers from serving as paid political consultants and placed restrictions on what former legislators can do with their campaign funds.

Left undone is a ban on lobbyist gifts. The House approved a ban on freebies, but the Senate has balked. A $40-per-day spending limit is pending, but it is not clear that measure will move forward before time runs out.

The House sponsor of the gift ban remains hopeful.

Im still pretty confident that well be able to get some form of that bill back from the Senate, said Rep. Justin Alferman, R-Hermann.

Democrats believe the debate over ethics is over.

I think what theyve done, its what they are going to do, said Rep. John Rizzo, D-Kansas City, who serves as the minority party whip.

He decried the Republican failure to push for limits on campaign giving in an era where wealthy donors are regularly funneling six-figure contributions to candidates.

Even though its a small step, its not even close to what the voters expect, Rizzo said.

Override and taxes

The House and Senate also could spend time trying to override line-item vetoes to the 2017 fiscal year budget, including $375,000 that was supposed to go to honor flights and veterans memorials. Nixon said the World War II Memorial Fund couldnt be used for those purposes.

He also vetoed a $500,000 item that wouldve gone to a health information exchange program, contending that the language would have favored one vendor over another.

Nixon also signaled unease with a $380,000 cut to Planned Parenthood, which would mean the state couldnt access about $8 million in federal Medicaid reimbursements, forcing it to fill the gap with general revenue. He didnt take any action on the cut, however.

We will continue to analyze the legal ramifications of this language, and work to ensure that we continue to provide access to essential health services, he said at a news conference Friday.

A gasoline tax increase is among the items in limbo.

The Senate approved a plan to ask voters if they would support a 6-cents-per-gallon increase in the motor fuel tax to raise money for road and bridge improvements.

But the bill has not been voted on in the full House, where Richardson has said GOP members are reluctant to debate tax hikes.

Democrats believe the idea has hit a roadblock.

We still havent debated it on the floor, Rizzo said. To do it in the last week, I find it highly unlikely.

The prospects of a major overhaul of state utility regulations also appears to be stalled. Ameren Missouri and other electric providers had sought changes designed to make it easier for them to raise rates in exchange for promises to upgrade the electric grid. But, the plan has faced repeated filibusters by a bipartisan minority.

Among items Richardson wants to finish are regulations for ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. The proposal has been hung up on whether drivers should undergo fingerprint background checks to ensure passengers are safe.

Richardson says the changes will pave the way for thousands of jobs.

Were going to be working hard on that, Richardson said.

On controversial social issues having to do with firearms and abortion, lawmakers have made late moves to both put a question on the ballot seeking constitutional rights for fetuses and to expand the states so-called castle doctrine, which governs the use of firearms in self-defense.

Other gun-related plans moving in the Legislatures final days include a plan to allow concealed carry on college campuses and public transit, and a proposal to allow lifetime concealed carry permits.

Its also unclear if a proposed ban on donation of fetal tissue and a plan to require two-parent notification for minors seeking abortions will be debated before the final bell rings on Friday.
JEFFERSON CITY  When a proposal to build a feeding operation for 6,000 swine bubbled up near Carrol and Freddie Keys home in Grundy County, they didnt buy the economic development arguments.

They were worried about the stench.

They can build these things 1,000 feet from your house, Carrol Key said Monday. Thats pretty darn close.

As the Missouri Legislature wraps up its 2016 session, language is being folded into several bills that critics say would make it easier for out-of-state companies to establish shell corporations and build such hog farms.

At issue is whether the companies have whats called continuing authority  what opponents of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, say is necessary to ensure that a company has enough assets in Missouri and wont up and leave if there is some catastrophe.

In the Keys case in Grundy County in northern Missouri, the state Clean Water Commission in February reversed an earlier Department of Natural Resources decision that granted Trenton Farms an operating permit. The commissions decision was based on two points: that it was unclear how a 100-year flood would affect the facility; and, that continuing authority hadnt been established.

State records show the parent company of Trenton is Minnesota-based Pipestone Holdings. With the permit denied, the case is now in court.

Under one change proposed in the Legislature, a corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other business organization would need only to be in good standing with the state to meet continuing authority requirements.

That has certain groups rooting around to try to stop the moves.

Not only are family farmers objecting to thousands of hogs moving into their communities next to their farms, but the companies are also setting up these shell corporations that limit their accountability and liability, said Tim Gibbons, spokesman for the Missouri Rural Crisis Center.

The whole impact of this is to reverse the decision made by the Clean Water Commission on the continuing authority, said Jeff Jones, the president of Friends of Responsible Agriculture. That group is opposing another proposed CAFO near Kingdom City, about 100 miles west of St. Louis.

If the Legislature changes that continuing authority, good grief, Carrol Key said.

But a main backer of the continuing authority tweak, state Rep. Joe Don McGaugh, R-Carrollton, said the Grundy County decision upended about 25 years worth of precedent. He said the commission didnt realize the effect it would have on how entities such as subdivisions obtain permits.

Its almost like they put the cart before the horse, he said.

McGaugh said that everyone wanted clean water. In this case, though, Missouri might lose out on investment because of a poorly thought-out decision by the commission.

This was an investor from Minnesota who wanted to come to Missouri to set up an operation, McGaugh said. Now hes going to go to Iowa, or Nebraska  hes going to go somewhere else because bureaucrats in Jefferson City decided to change the rules on him midstream.

The continuing authority language floating around is based on a bill by McGaugh. Though it received a committee hearing in April, the House hasnt taken further action.

Instead, the language  or similar wording  has been tucked into several other bills, avoiding the scrutiny standalone bills receive, critics say.

We see something like this every year  they push something complicated through, no hearing, said state Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, who is the ranking minority member on the House Agriculture Policy Committee.

The language was in at least three bills as of Monday. House Bill 2376, which deals with construction permits, has continuing authority language. So do HB 1588, which would waive certain reporting requirements for some farms; and HB 1827, which deals with livestock owner liability.

Another amendment, sponsored by state Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, would change the makeup of the seven-member Clean Water Commission, stating that no more than four members shall represent the public. That amendment was adopted into HB 1713 on Thursday.

Similar language has been added to Senate Bill 937, which is now in a House committee.

Editor's note: There are seven commissioners on the Clean Water Commission, which the amendment on HB 1713 would not change. A previous version of this article suggested the amendment would have changed that number.
ST. LOUIS  Former three-term St. Louis mayor Vince Schoemehl, who hasnt held public office since the 1990s, is considering an attempt at a mayoral comeback.

After the surprise announcement last month that four-term Mayor Francis Slay wont seek re-election, Schoemehl said a number of people have reached out to him to consider running for the job in 2017.

Schoemehl appears to be giving it some thought. He declined to answer questions from a reporter, but provided a statement to the Post-Dispatch that reads: Some friends have suggested I consider running for Mayor again because they believe my previous 12 years as Mayor provides me with a unique perspective on the City and the St. Louis region. I would do this only if I believed I could immediately begin to work on strategic regional issues such as race relations following the Ferguson Commission report, City/County reunification and other regional issues that could benefit the City and the Region.

He added: So, I have looked at this race but I am not yet convinced I could be all that helpful, but I have several other people I intend to speak over with over the next several weeks before I make any final decision.

Schoemehl, 69, served three terms as mayor from 1981 to 1993.

In 1992, Schoemehl lost a bid for the Democratic Missouri gubernatorial nomination to Mel Carnahan.

Schoemehl has remained active in St. Louis. He recently retired as the president of Grand Center Inc.

Schoemehl is one of many potential candidates in next springs mayoral election. Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed has said he intends to run for the office.

Other potential candidates are Collector of Revenue Greg F.X. Daly, Police Chief Sam Dotson, Treasurer Tishaura Jones, Alderman Lyda Krewson, Alderman Jack Coatar, Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, Alderman Steve Conway and Alderman Antonio French.
18-year-old Neeraj Dogra alias Bony had committed suicide by jumping into river Chenab from a new bridge on April 28 (Photo: Representational Image)

Jammu: Body of a class XII student, who had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into river Chenab, was returned by Pakistani Rangers to BSF after it washed away across the border.

18-year-old Neeraj Dogra alias Bony had committed suicide by jumping into river Chenab from a new bridge on April 28 and his body was washed away to Pakistani side, a BSF officer said.

On receiving the request from police, BSF approached the Pakistani Rangers to search the body, the officer said.

Last evening, a Commandant-level meeting was conducted at Pargal area in which the Rangers handed over the boy's body to his family members in presence of BSF and police, he said.
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Stocks climb as Sunak wins keys to Number 10

Monday, October 24, 2022 - 17:23

Stocks took confidence from Rishi Sunak being named the new UK prime minister on Monday, amid hope that a period of haphazard and market-spooking policymaking has ended.

"Markets have signalled Rishi Sunak will be given time to deliver, with gilt yields falling and the British economy getting a tentative second chance to get back on track. But there's no getting away from the scale of the challenge that faces the new prime minister. The last few weeks have left the UK economy badly bruised, and the volatility of the pound today lays bare the huge task ahead," said AJ Bell analyst Danni Hewson.

The FTSE 100 index closed up 44.26 points, or 0.6% at 7,013.99 on Monday. The FTSE 250 ended up 131.00 points, or 0.8%, at 17,337.55. The AIM All-Share closed up 2.14 points, or 0.3%, at 787.54.

The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.8% at 701.69, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.8% at 14,815.98, and the Cboe Small Companies ended up 0.8% at 12,233.81.

Sunak replaces former leadership rival Truss, who announced her resignation on Thursday last week.

Market and political turmoil overshadowed Truss's stint as PM. The pound and bond markets were pummelled last month after a poorly received mini-budget.

On Monday, however, the pound spent much of the day above the $1.13 mark, before fading back in afternoon dealings.

The pound was quoted at $1.1295 at the London equities close Monday, up from $1.1203 at the close on Friday.

Elsewhere, new figures did little to calm fears of a recession.

A survey found UK private sector output has fallen for the third straight month, fuelling fear that the country is headed for a "deep" recession.

The S&P Global/CIPS flash UK purchasing managers' index composite output measure fell to a 21-month low of 47.2 points in October, from 49.1 in September.

In the FTSE 100, Pearson ended the best blue-chip performer, ending 7.3% higher on Monday.

The London-based education publisher said its trading in the nine months to September 30 was "strong", with underlying sales up 7% year-on-year.

Looking ahead, Pearson said it is on track to deliver at least 100 million of cost efficiencies next year, and it remains on track to deliver group sales and adjusted operating profit in line with consensus expectations for 2022.

Pearson Chief Executive Officer Andy Bird said: "We believe Pearson is well positioned for the future, and we are confident of being able to navigate the challenging macroeconomic environment."

Auto Trader rose 2.0% after selling its Webzone subsidiary, which operates under the Carzone brand in the Republic of Ireland, for 30 million.

Auto Trader noted that Carzone is the second-largest automotive marketplace for Irish retailers and consumers.

The Dublin-based operation brought in revenue of 4.9 million in the year ended March 31 and operating profit of 1.3 million.

In the FTSE 250, Bank of Georgia closed up 4.0% as Chair & Chief Executive Officer Irakli Gilauri renewed his contract for two more years until the end of 2025.

Senior Independent Director David Morrison said: "Irakli has led Georgia Capital since its demerger from BGEO [Group PLC] in 2018 and during this time he has developed the company into a unique institutional investment business in Georgia."

China-focused investment firms had a rough session on Monday, with traders fretting after Xi Jinping secured a rare third term as leader of ruling Communist party in China, signalling his grip on power has no end in sight.

Fidelity China Special Situations dropped 9.8%, JPMorgan China Growth & Income fell 9.9% and Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust declined8.6%.

Investors are fearful that Xi and his allies will continue with gruelling Covid lockdowns and other policies that have punished the world's second-largest economy.

Despite these fears, China's economy grew 3.9% year-on-year in the third quarter, according to official data released Monday, beating forecasts.

Beijing last week delayed the release of the third-quarter growth figures - along with a host of other economic indicators  as the country's leaders gathered in Beijing for the five-yearly Communist Party Congress.

China had been expected to announce some of its weakest quarterly growth figures since 2020, with its economy hobbled by Covid-19 restrictions and a real estate crisis.

Nonetheless, many economists continue to think China will struggle to attain its 2022 growth target of around 5.5%, and the International Monetary Fund has lowered its GDP growth forecast to 3.2% for 2022 and 4.4% for next year.

In European equities on Monday, the CAC 40 in Paris and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt both closed up 1.6%.

The euro stood at $0.9877 at the European equities close Monday, up against $0.9802 at the same time on Friday.

Private sector output in the eurozone remained in sharp decline in October, flash data showed Monday, as energy intensive sectors are hit by higher bills.

The S&P Global flash eurozone composite purchasing managers' index fell to 47.1 points in October from 48.8 points in September.

Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JP148.82 late Monday, higher compared to JP148.03 late Friday.

Japan's services and manufacturing sectors are expected to improve in October, flash data showed, as activity and order book levels were boosted by the recent easing in international border restrictions and the launching of the Nationwide Travel Discount Programme.

The au Jibun Bank flash Japan services business activity index improved to 53.0 in October from 52.2 in September, indicating a second successive month of expansion and the strongest performance in four months.

Stocks in New York were in the green at the London equities close, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.2%, the S&P 500 index up 1.0%, and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.4%.

Inflation concerns and challenging demand conditions weighed on the US private sector in October, the latest flash data from S&P Global showed on Monday.

The headline flash US PMI composite output index registered 47.3 in October, down from 49.5 in September. Consensus, as cited by FXStreet, had expected a reading of 49.1.

Brent oil was quoted at $90.88 a barrel at the London equities close Monday, down from $92.84 late Friday.

Gold was quoted at $1,648.76 an ounce at the London equities close Monday, higher against $1,643.70 at the close on Friday.

In Tuesday's UK corporate calendar, HSBC will publish its third-quarter results and Whitbread will post its half-year results.

In the economic calendar, there is a US consumer confidence reading at 1400 BST after Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill speaks at 0900 BST.

Copyright 2022 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Patna: Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday slammed the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar for the killing of a youth in Gaya by the son of a JD(U) MLC in a road rage incident, saying it was time to impose President's rule in the state.



"This is the perfect time to impose President's rule in Bihar," he told reporters and held Chief Minister Nitish Kumar responsible for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.



Paswan said his son and LJP Parliamentary Board head Chirag Paswan would meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and seek President's rule in Bihar.



The Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution said five days ago a youth, Kishlay, was murdered in Hajipur, his constituency and another was killed in Mahnar recently.



"The killing of the 20-year-old in Gaya by the son of JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi proved the Hindi proverb 'Sainya bhayo kotwal ab daar kahe kaa' (when your own man is the head of a police station what is the need to fear)," he quipped.



Chirag Paswan, Lok Sabha member from Jamui, said the Gaya killing proved that the ruling party leaders were "drunk with power.
Fundraisier Andi Conway Horbury. Photo: Mark Williamson.

A GOOD Samaritan is aiming to raise money to buy a memorial plaque for an ex-serviceman from Kineton whose life savings were stolen by a crooked care home manager.

Andi Conway Horbury, a social welfare support officer with experience helping vulnerable people in Stratford, is aiming to raise around 1,000.

Andi was motivated to do something after the Herald reported on our website late last week how Melanie Oliver, stole 47,000 from residents at River Meadows in Kineton.

Oliver, 49, of Bishops Tachbrook, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to six charges of theft at Warwick Crown Court.

The 90-year-old ex-serviceman, Bertram Shuttleworth, died in a state of distress after discovering what had happened to his savings, the court was told.

Though there was no suggestion that this led to his death, the man had to have a paupers funeral after Oliver left him virtually penniless.

Melanie Oliver has been jailed to fleecing residents of Kineton Meadows care home out of thousands of pounds.

Another resident of the care home had 38,000 taken by Oliver, who used the money to fund what was described in court as an extravagant lifestyle.

Andi said: I have family in Kineton, its a small place, and I feel mortified that somebody who has given so much service to the country in their youth was forced to have a paupers funeral and left really as a forgotten person. When you go into the care profession you should be interested in compassion and helping people, not lining your own pockets. She lived a life of luxury, she took holidays abroad, how could she have the audacity to do that?

People like her just dont have a conscience. It is sad that cases like this keep happening. Ive been doing care in the community for the last 21 years, helping the homeless, drug addicts, those with gambling problems and others. I just think that what this woman did was the lowest of the low.

When you go into the caring profession you work with vulnerable people, I think its so low to steal from them.

Andi, who lives in Warwick, said that his own family suffered a similar experience when money was stolen from his sister, who was severely disabled, while she was receiving care.

Despite not knowing where the ex-servicemans funeral took place, Andi is determined to help and is liaising with Warwickshire Police to try and get more information.

Andi says he will do all he can to find out where the man is buried, but if he cannot locate the grave, any money raised will go towards maintaining graves at St Peters Church in Kineton, or to the charity Zoes Place.

The court heard how Oliver, who had been the manager of the home since 2004, began stealing from the residents, who because of their conditions did not have control of their own bank cards, in 2011 and continued until January last year.

Matters began to unravel for Oliver after Prime Life Ltd decided to give River Meadows more independence, with control of its own bank account for which Oliver was responsible.

A finance officer from the company visited the home on three occasions in 2014, twice following allegations of missing money.

When she was spoken to by the police, Oliver identified another member of staff who had since retired as being a suspect. But further investigations by Warwickshire Polices newly-formed Adults at Risk Unit revealed that the card had been used at various shops and one purchase was for an 85 Pandora bracelet and charm.

It was confirmed that the elderly resident had not purchased jewellery for himself, and had no family to buy for. Rewards points were credited to Olivers store privilege card  and no money went missing on dates when she was on holiday.

Justin Jarmola, defending, said: She is totally ashamed and disgusted that she let people down she was meant to care for.

Jailing Oliver, Judge Richard Griffith-Jones told her: Clever, greedy and dishonest, you stole from the most vulnerable of people, bringing terrible unhappiness to one man in the last days of his life.

This was not only a gross breach of trust, but when you were eventually confronted, you placed suspicion on a wholly innocent person to deflect culpability from yourself.

Responding to Olivers conviction James Wood, Managing Director of River Meadows care home operator, Prime Life Ltd, said: The theft occurred as a result of the offender deliberately acting outside of our policies on the handling of finances. In effect keeping a clients personal bank card in her own possession and not declaring it to our audit team.

Our policies have been reviewed and tightened further with all families, relatives and advocates of clients being encouraged to manage their finances themselves and on behalf of family members. This is not always possible for clients with no advocates/families but enhanced audit systems remain in place. We welcome the custodial sentence imposed.

To support the fundraising, see https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/DeadServicemans90headstoneAppealkinetonWarwickshire
Patrick Foster, James Martin, Thady Duff and Leo Mahan

Three Royal Agricultural University students cleared of gang rape charges are to get some of their defence costs refunded after a judge today criticised the police and prosecution handling of the case.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC ruled that if full details about the alleged rape victim's past promiscuous sexual behaviour had been investigated and revealed by the officer in the case, Det Con Ben Lewis, the students would probably not even have been charged.

Detective Constable Lewis had been accused by defence lawyers at an earlier hearing of 'vandalising' the case by not making full disclosures about the woman's sexual past.

It was clear, said the judge that the officer had become a 'confidante' of the alleged victim.

The officer knew about her 'sexual predilections' and even that she had sent naked photographs of herself to one of the defendants but he made only minimal notes about that and did not disclose it, the judge said.

The students had claimed the woman was a willing sex partner at the time of the alleged rapes after the University May Ball in Cirencester two years ago.

Evidence about her having three in a bed sex with one soldier and intercourse with another soldier on the same night in Oct 2013 was also a key factor in the case.

At Gloucester crown court today the judge allowed an application by the three students for their defence costs - but not in full.

All three were represented by QCs as well as solicitors and the judge said that had not been necessary.

They should be paid only for junior barristers and for one solicitor between them - and they will receive only 75 percent of those costs, he said.

The judge said he would leave it to a court 'taxing master' to assess the exact amounts they will receive.

No figures were revealed at today's hearing.

Thady Duff, 22, of Stubbs Hill Farm, Blunsdon, Swindon; Leo Mahon, 21, of Lawrence road, Cirencester, whose family home is in Stratford Upon Avon, and Patrick Foster, 22, of Lawrence road, Cirencester, whose family home is in Maldon Road, Kelvedon, Essex, were all to have stood trial last month on 11 rape and sex assault charges.

They were jointly charged with amateur jockey James Martin, 20, of Yew Tree Barn, Hook Norton Road, Swerford, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, but he was defended on Legal Aid and did not make any costs application.

All four were formally cleared last month when the prosecution dropped the case after the defence team checked mobile phone records of the night of the incident - and details of a rape case against a soldier whom the woman had slept with six months earlier.

Giving his judgement on the costs application today Judge Tabor said he found that Det Con Lewis and the Crown Prosecution Service were jointly to blame for the non-disclosure of important evidence about the woman's sexual past as well as her behaviour on the night of the alleged rapes.

He said that evidence about the woman having sex with two soldiers at the Tidworth base in Wiltshire in October 2013 - seven months before the alleged gang rape - was ' vital' for the fair conduct of the trial but had not been fully disclosed.

Video clips of parts of the alleged gang rape filmed by Thady Duff should also have been fully disclosed along with any other relevant phone material, he said.

Judge Tabor pointed out that defendants were entitled to costs if there had been 'unnecessary or improper acts or omissions' or 'bad faith, or clear and stark error" by the police and/or prosecution.

The judge said "During the first part of the alleged gang rape of the complainant in her room the defendant Thady Duff took videos of several parts of the incident.

"These were transmitted by social media to several friends. These videos were being shown in a pub the next day. They then found their way into the public domain.

"Thady Duff and Patrick Foster asked the complainant shortly afterwards why she was alleging she had been raped.

"The video clips depict several acts of sexual intercourse between her and one or more of the defendants. The earlier clips do not appear to support the Crown case that she was not consenting. However, it could have been argued that later clips could have provided some support for the Crown.

"On 23rd Feb this year the prosecution were aware that the defence had material which potentially contradicted the complainant's account either wholly or partly.

"The prosecution case had been torpedoed but the ship might still have made it in to port if that had been the only torpedo.

"But would the defendants ever have been charged if this material had been in the hands of the police? "

The judge also referred to messages between the alleged victim and a woman friend in which she said that the video clips might show her 'smiling and being normal.'

Judge Tabor said "This was never disclosed to the defence. It was highly relevant. It sits uncomfortably with an allegation of rape.

"She knew that her demeanour on some of the clips might undermine her case.

"It is less likely, if the prosecution lawyer had seen these clips, that the defendants would have been charged."

The judge also referred to a text the woman sent a few hours after the alleged gang rape.

"From these messages it is quite clear she took some pride in this attribute," said the judge.

"This sits uncomfortably with the suggestion that she had been gang raped four hours earlier.

"All this only came to light after the defence interrogated the mobile phone at the start of the trial process."

The texts did not fit with the woman's allegations against the students and affected her credibility, he said.

Judge Tabor said that in not discovering and revealing the details of the video clips and the texts Det Con Lewis showed he had "a restrictive and incorrect view of what should be disclosed and what should not be disclosed."

The judge went on to review the evidence which had also emerged late in the case about the woman's trip to an army camp with a friend in Oct 2013. Texts from the woman had come to light in which she said she had sex with two men there. However, another woman who had been in bed with her and a soldier had made a rape complaint which was investigated by Royal Military Police.

"They were apparently having a threesome when for some reason the woman took against the activity," the judge said.

"That information remained in the unused material in this case.

"On 20th Oct 2013 the Royal Military Police went to the Royal Agricultural University to interview this complainant as a witness. She said she would not be interviewed until she had spoken to Det Con Lewis.

"She then texted a friend and said she had slept with this man. She was then remarkably frank about her sexual encounters but she was concerned that if it got out her credibility in the rape case would be undermined. I only hope the officer in the case did not see this message for if he did it should most certainly have been disclosed instantly."

The judge said the Royal Military Police had not been willing to divulge full information about their case to Gloucestershire police but in his view that material would have been vital to the fair conduct of the students' trial.

"By the first day of this trial no material regarding the RMP case had been disclosed," said Judge Tabor. "

After this trial had started a synopsis was provided to the defence and they pressed for full disclosure.

Only then did it emerge that she had also had sex with another man at the military camp that night.

"The defence say that the failures to disclose information demonstrate that the officer in the case did not have a proper grasp of his responsibilities. Any conscientious officer would have pursued the file in the Royal Military Police case with vigour and tenacity.

"The officer had frequent meetings with the complainant and was well aware of her particular sexuality which made it especially important that the RMP file be examined.

"This officer, in my judgement, either through inexperience or lack of understanding of his role, failed to provide adequate disclosure."

The judge went on "She did not hide her sexual predilections from the officer. She discussed her sexual behaviour with him in great detail on several occasions.

He has either made no notes about that or minimal and uninformative ones. His failure to make notes was even remarked on by her.

"Aware as he was of his duties and her character he should have investigated her telephone in far greater detail than he did. He appears to have had a limited grasp of his responsibilities as disclosure officer. There is no evidence that he consulted the Crown Prosecution Service about any material he had doubts about.

"He had to protect the privacy of the complainant - but he also had to ensure that material was properly examined. He knew she had been involved in a sexual escapade in Tidworth the previous October and about her general sexual behaviour in which she had been an enthusiastic participant.

"He was also aware she had sent naked photographs of herself to Thady Duff weeks before the incident and had been sexting his brother in the weeks leading up to the Ball.

"The Officer was under a duty to scrutinise the downloads from her phone in far greater depth and note any texts of concern."

The judge said it had been a 'truly startling state of affairs' that when the officer did a search of the woman's phone the only search word he had used was 'sex.'

The Crown Prosecution Service had also made 'stark and wrong' decisions in bringing charges without fuller details from the officer about the woman's phone and the Royal Military Police investigation, the judge added.

None of the defendants were at today's hearing and neither were their lawyers although one defence barrister listened to the judge's ruling via video link from a court in Maidstone, Kent.
New Delhi: Tribal rights activist Gladson Dungdung was offloaded from a London-bound Air India flight on Monday morning even as the national carrier sought to distance itself from the incident saying he was offloaded by "government authority".

In a Facebook post today, Dungdung said he was offloaded by Air India from Delhi-London flight AI 115. "The reason told to me is that my passport had been impounded in 2013, therefore, they will send it back to RTO, Ranchi for verification. The fact is that my passport was impounded in 2013 and returned to me after proper verification in 2014," he said.

Thereafter, he said he had attended a couple of international conferences in Denmark and London in 2014 and 2015 subsequently but there was no issue at all.

In a statement, Air India said it dissociates itself from the issue as "Dungdung was offloaded by Immigration/Government Authority".

Last year too, a major controversy had erupted when Priya Pillai, a Greenpeace activist, was offloaded from a flight to the UK.

According to Dungdung's post, he was going to attend the Workshop on Environmental History and Politics of South Asia to be held in the University of Sussex, UK on May 10.

"I am sure that this is a clear impact of my book 'Mission Saranda: A War for Natural Resources in India'. Defaulters of millions of INR like Vijay Malaya can't be offloaded but activists like me are bound to be offloaded," Dungdung said in the post.

"My fight for the Adivasis' ownership rights over the natural resources, adivasi identity, human rights, ecology and against unjust development processes will continue till they take away my right to life forever," he wrote.
Tristram Wallace.

The jury in the Tristram Wallace murder trial have returned a guilty verdict against one of the group accused of killing him.

Neil Potter,36, was found guilty of murder in a unanimous verdict after more than three full days of deliberations.

The bricklayer claimed he was acting in self defence when he punched, kicked and stamped on Mr Wallace at the junction of Arden Street and Birmingham Road on June 22 last year.

However the eight men and four women on the jury rejected his account.

Following their verdict against Potter, Mr Justice Timothy Holroyde gave them a majority direction on the murder charge faced by Potter's co-defendants.

Toney Jelf, aged 39, Peter Mallon, aged 41, and Donna Windsor, 37, all from the Stratford area.

All three have admitted Mr Wallace's manslaughter but deny committing murder on June 22 last year.

During the trial Birmingham Crown Court heard the group launched a savage attack on Mr Wallace in the mistaken belief he had sold them curry powder and sugar instead of drugs.

Prosecutor James Curtis QC described the attack as a "punishment beating" against an innocent man.

At the opening of the trial he said; "It was in effect a punishment beating fuelled by drink and drugs in which an innocent man was punched, kicked and stamped in a ferocious, joint attack by these four defendants in full view of many members of the public.

"He was heard by the public to be crying out for help. 'Just for pity's sake help', but these defendants continued mercilessly and they killed him."

A string of eyewitnesses described seeing bricklayer Potter confront Mr Wallace on Arden Street.

But violence quickly erupted and Mr Wallace ended up on the ground on a pedestrian crossing where Jelf and Mallon joined in the attack.

After briefly escaping and staggering across Birmingham Road, Mr Wallace was pursued by his killers, described as like a 'pack of wolves', before he was attacked again.

As he lay on a driveway pleading for help, some of the gang allegedly looted Mr Wallace's body searching his pockets, underpants and even his socks.

The stricken victim pleaded for help and died of a cardiac arrest a short time later.

In total it was estimated the group landed at least 30 blows on Mr Wallace leaving him with a broken nose and numerous cuts and bruises.

The jury's deliberations continue.
Polish artist Sepe just finished working on Selfie in the Circus his latest mural somewhere around Zurich, Switzerland.

This wall dedicated to his upcoming solo show with the same title which will be opening at Soon gallery in Zurich.

Raised in traditional graffiti movements, rooted in book illustration and then through later studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Lodz, Sepe became interested in graphic and poster design. the Polish artist is searching for his individual art language mixing those three paths on paper, canvas and walls.

Take a look at more images after the break and check back with us throughout the week for the latest street art updates.


Deutsche Bank maintained a Buy rating on Vale S.A. (NYSE: VALE) with a price target of $6.50. Analyst Rene Kleyweg commented on implications for Vale after the IMF suspended financial assistance to Mozambique. The UK government also suspended aid.

"These developments are all the more disappointing given the world forgave Mozambiques tainted historic debt as recently as 2000," said Kleyweg. "The undisclosed guarantees were taken out by Pro-Indicus and Mozambique Asset Management, both of which are involved in the maritime industry. The undisclosed guarantees follow on from another controversial US$850m loan issued to set up a tuna fishing company. The CEO of the first two entities is Chairman of the third. The interior ministry borrowed additional funds from an undisclosed country."

Commenting on implications for Vale, the analyst said, "Vale is in the process of finalizing a $2.0-2.7bn project finance facility for the Nacala Infrastructure corridor which supports the Moatize coal operations as well as other coal producers, the agricultural industry in Mozambique and Malawi and other economic activity. The main participants in the facility are the African Development Bank, JBIC (Japan Bank for Int. Cooperation) and the IFC, which is the private sector arm of the World Bank. It may be viewed as unacceptable for the IFC to move forward with a private sector transaction in a country where its parent has withdrawn support. However, at this stage the IMF has not suspended its project finance activities in Mozambique."

Kleyweg added, "Whilst $44bn lawsuits may be grabbing the headlines, of much more relevance for the fundamental investment case in our view is the ability to deliver on the Mozambique transaction and monetizing a portion of its Northern System iron ore assets to meet the US$15bn net debt target in 14 months time. Recent news out of Mozambique has not been helpful in this regard. An imminent meeting of the Council of Ministers will be significant in the approval process, but concluding a deal may now be more politically sensitive and dependent on normalizing World Bank relationships with Mozambique. After much huffing and puffing we would still expect a deal to be concluded this year."

For an analyst ratings summary and ratings history on Vale S.A. click here. For more ratings news on Vale S.A. click here.

Shares of Vale S.A. closed at $4.78 yesterday.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) announced that it has expanded its existing relationship with Majid Al Futtaim Fashion through a franchise development agreement to establish a retail store presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Since 2013, the Company, with the support of Majid Al Futtaim Fashion, has opened eight stores in the UAE and Kuwait.

This franchise agreement encompasses the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie and Hollister brands and further demonstrates the Company's commitment to growth in the Middle East.

The Company expects to open its first stores in Qatar in the first quarter of 2017, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the second half of 2017.

"We expect there to be strong demand for our brands in these new markets, and we are thrilled to partner with Majid Al Futtaim Fashion to expand our presence in the Middle East," said Arthur Martinez, Executive Chairman of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. "This arrangement represents our second major franchise partnership, as we continue to expand our brand reach."

"We are excited to continue supporting the development of the Abercrombie & Fitch, abercrombie, and Hollister brands in the Middle East. We have seen significant demand within the last few years in the UAE and Kuwait and we look forward to helping Abercrombie & Fitch Co. grow in this market," said Rajiv Suri, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Fashion.
NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second World War brought untold sorrow to humankind. Its scope and the loss of human life and property were unprecedented. Today is a special day to pay tribute to those who fought for peace, freedom and human dignity, to commemorate the many millions of victims of the Second World War, and to remember its terrifying atrocities and destruction. The war touched all continents and peoples, sparing no one from pain and suffering.

There is not a single family in Azerbaijan that was not affected one way or another by the Second World War. Even though the hostilities took place beyond the territory of Azerbaijan, our people underwent and overcame a severe ordeal and made their contribution to the victory. Azerbaijan mobilized for the army more than 700,000 of its sons and daughters, half of whom sacrificed their lives. Their graves are spread all over Europe, from the Volga River to Berlin. Many Azerbaijanis also fought as members of the resistance in France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Yugoslavia. 128 citizens of Azerbaijan were conferred on title of Hero of the Soviet Union for their valor and feats shown during the war.

The victory was achieved not only on the battlefield but also at home. In a very short time frame, Azerbaijan set up works for the production of ammunition and armaments and hosted industrial enterprises relocated from the war theatre. The true heroism was the selfless service and dedication of the people of Azerbaijan, who worked day and night in oil production. During the Second World War, Baku secured almost 80% of all the oil extracted in the entire Soviet Union, 90% of its naphtha and 96% of its lubricants. Four out of five Soviet aircrafts, tanks and trucks used in the course of the Second World War ran on fuel produced in Baku.

In his article entitled "Glory to the Azerbaijani nation", dated 28 April 1945, Fyodor Tolbukhin, Marshal of the Soviet Union, wrote: "The Red Army owes the Azerbaijani nation and the courageous Baku oilmen for many victories, for on-time delivery of high-quality fuel to attacking units. Soldiers of our front under Stalingrad, in Don and Donbas, on the banks of Dnepr and Dniester, in Belgrade, under Budapest and Vienna remember the Azerbaijani oilmen with gratitude and greet the brave workers of oily Baku."

Contact: Murad Balajayev, 1-212-3712559 (ext. 101), [email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/azerbaijans-contribution-to-the-victory-in-the-world-war-ii-300265354.html

SOURCE Mission of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations
NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Private Company Council (PCC) will host a Private Company Town Hall Meeting on Monday, June 13, 2016, at Baruch College in New York City.

Co-sponsored by the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA) and Baruch College, the event will take place from 9:00 a.m. to noon in Room 14-220 of Baruch College's Newman Vertical Campus at 55 Lexington Avenue.

The town hall meetings are intended to provide private company stakeholders across a wide variety of industries the opportunity to discuss private company accounting issues and share input on current and future agenda topics of both the FASB and the PCC.

Candace E. Wright, chair of the PCC, will lead the discussion. Other expected panelists are FASB members Daryl E. Buck and Lawrence W. Smith, and PCC members Steven J. Brown and Lawrence E. Weinstock.

Interested stakeholders should register in advance to participate. Participants will be eligible to receive up to 3 hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit offered by NYSSCPA, at no cost. The town hall meeting will be recorded and available for audio playback on the FASB website, www.fasb.org.

About the Private Company Council (PCC)

The PCC is the primary advisory body to the FASB on private company matters. The PCC uses the Private Company Decision-Making Framework to advise the FASB on the appropriate accounting treatment for private companies for items under active consideration on the FASBs technical agenda. The PCC also advises the FASB on possible alternatives within GAAP to address the needs of users of private company financial statements. Any proposed changes to GAAP are subject to endorsement by the FASB. For more information, visit www.fasb.org/pcc.

About the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)

Established in 1973, the FASB is the independent, private-sector organization, based in Norwalk, Connecticut, that establishes financial accounting and reporting standards for public and private companies and not-for-profit organizations that follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The FASB is recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as the designated accounting standard setter for public companies. FASB standards are recognized as authoritative by many other organizations, including state Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). The FASB develops and issues financial accounting standards through a transparent and inclusive process intended to promote financial reporting that provides useful information to investors and others who use financial reports. The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) supports and oversees the FASB. For more information, visit www.fasb.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509005972/en/

Media:

John C. Pappas, 203-956-3440

[email protected]

Source: Financial Accounting Standards Board
BROOKLYN, N.Y., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- June 11, 2016 sees the launch of The Other Festival, a bold new entry into the festival circuit that celebrates female makers and creators. The festival will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2016 in Brooklyn, and will nurture creativity and promote entrepreneurship among millennial women.

The Other Festival showcases the women who are redefining how to do business, setting their own rules, putting new systems in place, pushing boundaries. Inventors, storytellers, founders, artists who can't be boxed in. The event is spearheaded by WIE, an influential women's leadership network that works to empower women in their careers.

The three-part event begins with talks, workshops and demos on everything from design to branding to vlogging, giving attendees the tools to turn their own ideas into action. Festival-goers can also interact with the stars of tomorrow via the SMART SHOP village, a marketplace for female makers. And finally, the day ends with performances from the hottest names in music, many of whom will also speak about their experiences in the industry and share advice on how to navigate.

"I moved to New York because it was a place that welcomed and positively encouraged entrepreneurship, disruption and creativity. And Brooklyn has one of the highest concentrations of female entrepreneurs in America so it was only fitting that we hold our first festival there," said Dee Poku, founder and CEO, WIE and creator of The Other Festival. "This is a one-of-kind event, a place to be inspired and to discover what's next. Women in music, fashion, art and technology are at the forefront of innovation in America and I'm looking forward to gathering these mold breakers together. The future is most definitely female."

"I'm proud that New York City will serve as the launching ground for The Other Festival," said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. "Women in business are the backbone of our economy. We want to make New York City a place to celebrate and support women. Through The Other Festival we are giving the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders the tools they need to succeed."

Participants in The Other Festival come from the worlds of music, art, food, design, photography, technology and fashion. Among those sharing their creative process and paths to success are:

Rosario Dawson, Actress, Activist, Entrepreneur

Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code

Rachel Tipograph, Founder, MikMak

Lindsey Stirling, Musician, YouTube Vlogger

Marissa Webb, Designer

Melissa Battifarano, Creative Director, FentyxPuma

Erin Beatty, Creative Director, Suno

Gelila Bekele, Model, Activist, Filmmaker

Melissa Ben Ishay, Founder, Baked By Melissa

Jen Britton, Founder, Jen's Splendid Ice Cream

Elena Brower, Yoga Teacher, Author

Molly Guy, Founder, Stone Fox Bride

Aurora James, Founder, Brother Vellies

Pamela Love, Jewelry Designer

Lauren Maillian, Host, Quit Your Day Job (Oxygen)

Stephanie Mark, Founder, The Coveteur

Rebecca Odes, Co-founder, Wifey.tv

Karen Wong, Deputy Director, New Museum

Vashtie, DJ, Filmmaker, Artist

Brett Heyman, Founder, Edie Parker

The full music lineup will be announced shortly.

Media partners include NYLON Media, Galore, Bustle, theSkimm, and Univision Communications Inc. and more to be announced. Thank you for the support of our event partners including WE NYC, Live Nation and public relations partner, Ogilvy Public Relations.

General admission tickets start at $75 and can be purchased online: www.theotherfestival.eventbrite.com.Venue: Brooklyn Mirage

For more information and updates on The Other Festival visit www.theotherfestival.co, and follow The Other Festival on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @otherfestival.

About WIE (Women, Inspiration and Enterprise):Founded by Dee Poku, WIE is an influential women's leadership network. It curates compelling conversations and content with notable industry figures designed to support future leaders in their careers and help them create valuable networks. WIE has attracted notable speakers to its global symposiums and events. To learn more about the WIE Network, visit www.wienetwork.org.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inaugural-all-female-festival-launches-in-new-york-300265155.html

SOURCE WIE Network
Oct. 2629  500 domestic and foreign exhibitors with 1,500 booths

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Korea Electronics Show, an exhibition representing Koreas electronics/ICT industry, its first exporting industry, will be held at COEX, Seoul from October 26 to October 29, 2016.

The Korea Electronics Show first opened in 1969, and it is Koreas largest and leading professional brand exhibition for the ICT industry. In addition to showcasing materials and parts, the exhibition will also be a business networking festival to gauge the present and future of the electronics/ICT industry including IoT, smart home appliances, 3D convergence technology, AR/VR, broadcasting, audio, and lighting.

The Korea Electronics Show will feature 500 domestic and international exhibitors spread out among 1,500 booths, along with various exhibitions including, Electronic Parts and Materials (electronic components, materials, and equipment), Consumer (IoT, smart home appliances, consumer appliances, beauty instruments), ICT (IT equipment, mobile devices, big data, security appliances), SW and Mobile Apps (solutions, platforms, games, apps), 3D Convergence and Printing (3D convergence technology, AR/VR, holography, content) and, IT Convergence (automotive, medical, sports, smart-edu, health and beauty).

In addition, along with Samsung and LG, domestic and globally competitive international companies will participate. There will also be theme pavilions where visitors can learn about the parts and materials that are the roots of the IT industry in addition to food of the future and other attractions.

Other events of note include biz matching between exhibitors and influential buyers. The Biz Matching event, where approximately 3,000 influential buyers and government officials from 20 nations including Japan, Russia, China, and India will participate, will be a great opportunity to establish an international business network. In addition, during the show, a global trend seminar, a product-development-strategy conference, and an IEIE-IEEE international academic event will be held.

An official from the Korea Electronics Association stated, This exhibition, where influential companies of the electronics/ICT industry and opinion leaders will participate, is a place that will drive new trends. For foreign buyers, on-site matching and a customized tour will be provided.

To participate in the Korea Electronic Show or for more information, please refer to the official website or contact the KES Management Office.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509005596/en/

Korea Electronics Association

Exhibition & Marketing Team

HyubWoo Lee, +82-2-6388-6064

[email protected]

Website: www.kes.org

Source: Korea Electronics Show
German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel attends a news conference with Morocco's Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment Abdelkader Amara during his visit in Rabat, April 19, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer

By Caroline Copley

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Vice Chancellor and leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) Sigmar Gabriel has made light of rumors he was stepping down, saying on Sunday that reports of his departure were exaggerated.

Helmut Markwort, co-publisher of magazine Focus, sparked a flurry of media speculation when he told a German television program he had heard from reliable sources that Gabriel planned to hand in his resignation this week.

Gabriel, 56, who was forced to cancel a trip to Iran last week after reportedly suffering from shingles, dismissed the claim as rubbish.

"I was a little surprised that as a politician in Germany you may no longer be ill without someone spewing nonsense," he told broadcaster RTL in Stockholm, where he had been holding talks with the leaders of Sweden and Austria.

He recalled how U.S. author Mark Twain had published an announcement saying reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated.

"It's a similar thing with me," said Gabriel, who has been leader of the SPD since 2009.

Speculation about Gabriel's future as leader of the SPD has been brewing since he registered just 74 percent in a party delegates' vote of confidence last December - the lowest for an SPD leader in 20 years.

His party has struggled to capitalize on infighting among Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives over Europe's migrant crisis, and had a poor showing in regional elections in March as voters punished Germany's ruling parties in favor of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.

A poll for Bild am Sonntag on Sunday put support for the SPD at 22 percent, even worse than the party's showing in the 2009 election when its vote slumped to a post-war low of 23 percent.

Many in his party openly doubt whether he should stand as their candidate for chancellor at next year's federal elections.

Still, most pundits are betting on him running in 2017 given the lack of clear rivals and apparent reluctance among top SPD officials to take on what is viewed as an unenviable position.

"Of course Gabriel is the one who will run as candidate for chancellor," Justice Minister Heiko Maas told broadcaster ARD on Sunday.

The former teacher has a difficult job. As deputy chancellor in Merkel's grand coalition, he has to show he is fit to lead the nation while also working out policies his party can agree to implement in tandem with the conservatives.

Gabriel, a powerful speaker, has become more outspoken in recent weeks. On Saturday, he urged eurozone finance ministers to start talks about possible debt relief for Greece, a policy Finance Minster Wolfgang Schaeuble opposes.

He has called on the government to invest more, rather than relying on the European Central Bank to promote growth, whereas Schaeuble has doggedly stuck to his goal of a balanced budget.

(Additional reporting by Thorsten Severin and Holger Hansen; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
Members of the communist-affiliated PAME union take part in a rally commemorating May Day, which was postponed due to the Greek Orthodox Easter, and against tax and pension reforms in Athens, Greece, May 8, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police fired rounds of teargas during a protest outside parliament in central Athens on Sunday evening where lawmakers were discussing controversial tax and pension reforms, a Reuters witness said.

A number of hooded protestors threw petrol bombs at police, who responded with stun grenades and teargas, forcing crowds to quickly disperse.

(Writing by Michele Kambas)
New Delhi: JNU student Umar Khalid, who is out on bail in a sedition case and was on a hunger strike for the last 11 days, was taken to AIIMS on Monday after his sugar, sodium and potassium levels fell significantly.



Khalid, who has been rusticated by the university for one semester for his involvement in the controversial February 9 event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, also had to withdraw the hunger strike due to bad health.



"Umar Khalid was forced to discontinue the hunger strike owing to acutely failing health. He had severe cramps in the evening because of low sodium-potassium level in his blood following which he was taken to AIIMS post midnight for saline drips," a JNU Students Union statement said.



Seven students, including JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, have withdrawn from the fast against the punishment by the varsity in connection with the event while 13 others are still continuing with their hunger strike which entered the 12th day today.



JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA), university alumni and mothers residing on the campus have come out in solidarity with the fasting students by going on a one-day relay hunger strike on different days.



The university administration has appealed to the students not to invite outsiders on the campus and resort to "constitutional" means of putting forward their demands.



Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in February in a sedition case over the event and are out on bail now.



While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000, Umar, Anirban and a 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.



Saurabh, who is the lone ABVP member in JNU Students Union, has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 for blocking traffic.



Five ABVP members including Saurabh, who were also on a hunger strike, had last week called off their fast claiming they have an assurance from the JNU administration about consideration of their demands.
One of Raytheon's Integrated Defense buildings is seen in San Diego, California January 20, 2011. REUTERS/Mike Blake

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE: LMT) and Raytheon Co (NYSE: RTN) were awarded a combined $649.7 million modification contract for Paveway II laser-guided bombs, the U.S. Defense Department said on Monday.

The modification provides for a five-year contract extension, the Department said in press release.

(Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies shelled rebel-held areas in Damascus's eastern outskirts on Monday and clashed with insurgents in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Mortar fire wounded nearly 20 people, some very seriously, around the town of Arbin in the Eastern Ghouta area, and shelling close to nearby Douma killed at least one person, the British-based monitoring group reported.

The latest clashes were a significant escalation in fighting in Eastern Ghouta, where the army had last week declared a temporary but now-defunct cessation of hostilities, Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said.

Some rebel groups have in recent weeks been fighting among themselves in the area.

(Reporting by John Davison)
No new hotels have been built in Wellington since 2009 - and it's much the same around the rest of the country.

However, it has had little effect on investors keen to get their hands on highly sought-after properties in the sector.

Five hotels have been sold during the first three months of the year, totalling $114 million.

SUPPLIED Travelodge Wellington is one of 11 major New Zealand hotels sold over the past 12 months.

This follows on from a bumper 2015 year, when 11 hotels sold for more than $290m.

READ MORE:

* Bumper year for hotel sector in 2015 sees 11 hotels sell for $290m

* Big increase in hotel sales prompts call for incentives to build more

* New Zealand among highest average hotel room price rises

* Ellerslie's Novotel Ibis hotel sells for record $55m

* Wealthy Pandey family buys Novotel Wellington from US company Host

* Queenstown lodges in receivership sale despite hot tourism market

Colliers national director of hotels Dean Humphries said it was likely the total value of sales this year would surpass the last historical peak of $378m, recorded in 2006.

Despite buoyant trading conditions, Humphries explained there was an increasing need for new hotels in some of New Zealand's big tourism destinations - Wellington, Auckland and Queenstown.

"The prognosis is, yes, there is enough demand for new hotels, but there are some constraints," he said.

The availability of appropriate sites, as well as the financial feasibility of building a new hotel, were two factors halting the new builds process, Humphries said.

"It is incredibly expensive to build a hotel. There are also constraints in construction with the rising costs of building.

"This is why we are not seeing new hotels . . . new supply remains at alarmingly low levels in the main centres."

During the Global Financial Crisis in 2008, the tourism market "wasn't moving a great deal", therefore there was no need for more hotels, he said.

At that time, demand and supply were equal, Humphries said.

However, an imbalance started to show about 18 months ago, when international tourist numbers spiked, he said.

"With no new supply being built, 320,000 more tourists looking for some where to stay and with no new supply, occupancy rates are going up sharply - it caught us all a bit by surprise.

"Over the peak season, there has been more capacity issues . . . [and] with the 'no vacancy' sign out for many hotels in our key centres, we are now seeing a spill over effect to many of our tier two and three destinations which are also recording healthy trading conditions."

This surge in visitors has translated into record occupancy levels across the New Zealand hotel sector, with many key centres at or near full capacity over the peak summer period, Humphries said.

In Wellington, the hotel business was traditionally a stable Monday to Thursday market.

However, the market had experienced a 5.2 per cent increase in occupancy to reach 78.9 per cent for the year ending March 2016.

The rise came off the back of a booming tourism market and several major events, such as the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo earlier this year, he said.

"Wellington is an interesting one. For many many years it's been in the low 70s because it's very much been a Monday to Thursday market but now we are seeing more of a leisure and event destination.

"It's the highest it's ever performed, ever."
Napier man Clayton Freeman was stunned the Conservation Department took him to court for trapping possums

The Conservation Department has backed down from charging a man for trapping possums in a forest park.

Napier man Clayton Freeman, 48, was charged with "pursuing animals in a conservation area" without a permit.

The department considers possums "one of the greatest threats to our natural environment". They eat native bush, insects and the eggs of native birds

THE GRAF BOYS The Conservation Department says possums are "one of the greatest threats to our natural environment".

Freeman was camping with a friend at in the Kaweka Forest Park, west of Hastings, in August last year, and the alleged offending occurred between the 9th and 11th.

READ MORE:

* Man prosecuted for trapping possums thought he was doing DoC a favour

* Possum fur worth estimated $1800 stolen in Gore fur theft

* Expansive possum control operation in Rimutakas good for cows as well as birds

* Mysterious possum tails litter west and north Auckland roads

Freeman said a friend taught him how to use the traps and he liked the idea so he bought 22 traps and began trapping for himself.

In August the department interviewed him after it received reports of wood being taken. He admitted taking dead kanuka to use as firewood, and said he had been in the area to trap possums.

In February the department charged him with taking plants without consent and for trapping without a permit.

Freeman appeared in Napier District Court in March and pleaded not guilty to both charges.

But when the department dropped the trapping charge Freeman pleaded guilty to taking 2-3 cubic metres of dead kanuka, valued at $300. He appeared in Napier District Court last week and was fined $500 and ordered to pay court costs.

"I'm just glad it's all behind me to be honest. I really don't know why they charged me for either offence. I was genuinely sorry for taking the wood. I had no idea it couldn't be taken. And I'm sorry I didn't have a permit for the trapping. I knew getting rid of possums was okay, I just didn't know you needed a permit. I thought I could have been given a formal warning for both. It's all been a bit full-on actually," Freeman said.

"It was a bloody nightmare," he said.

After he was interviewed in August Freeman was granted a trapping permit.

He sold the fur from the possums. Over the three months he had the permit he was trapping 3-4 days a week and estimates he killed about 100 possums and made "a few hundred bucks".

"It was a hell of a lot of work for not that much money. But that's a lot of trees that were saved. And I was catching quite a few rats too," he said.

He was not sure whether he would go trapping again.

"I've still got my traps. I was considering selling them actually. I could do with the money back really," he said.

A spokesman for the department said the bigger offence had been the taking of the firewood and Freeman had been given a formal warning for trapping possums without a permit.
The Hamilton High Court, where Anthony Ballantyne's murder trial is currently under way.

A man accused of murdering an old friend in his Whangamata house in February last year is contending a third man who visited him that night was the killer.

Anthony Ballantyne is standing trial in the High Court in Hamilton, for the murder of Ivan Kapluggin at his home in the early hours of February 3, 2015.

Kapluggin, 76, was visiting his friend Ballantyne, 62, that night while visiting New Zealand from his home in Thailand, in order to prepare a property he owned in Waikino for sale.

The evening of drinks and a meal ended with the death of Kapluggin from blood loss, after he was stabbed multiple times in his neck and back.

A meat cleaver was apparently used to chop into the side of his head after he was dead.

Ballantyne has denied any involvement or memory of the killing, claiming he woke up next to Kaplaggin's body.

On Monday the court heard evidence from another of Ballantyne's friends, Graham Dowling, who had met the defendant when they both lived in Hamilton some years previously.

They had both subsequently relocated to Whangamata. Dowling was now suffering from the effects of Parkinson's Disease and he had occasionally called on Ballantyne for assistance in such tasks as getting to and from the supermarket.

Cross-examining Dowling, defence lawyer Thomas Sutcliffe revealed details of what his client asserted happened to Kapluggin - a preview of what Ballantyne intended to say later in the week.

Sutcliffe said some of Ballantyne's memories of the evening had returned in the form of brief flashbacks. Dowling had turned up late in the evening and, for a time, had sat and conversed with Ballantyne and Kapluggin on the deck of the house, asking whether the pair were still intending to travel to Tauranga the following day.

"I wasn't there," Dowling responded.

"[Ballantyne] will say he was sitting in a chair opposite you," Sutcliffe continued. "He will say that you were there."

Sutcliffe also said Ballantyne would say Dowling was invited inside the house to watch a video and have a cup of coffee. While he was there, Kapluggin became disoriented and fell to the ground.

When Ballantyne and Dowling went to help, Kapluggin lashed out with his foot, hitting Ballantyne in his midriff and groin.

"[Ballantyne] recalls falling back. That's all he remembers ... He was knocked unconscious but believes you became involved in a fight with Mr Kapluggin.

"You ended up in possession of the knife and ... subsequently took the meat cleaver from the kitchen."

Sutcliffe said Ballantyne had a brief memory of coming to on the deck and of cutting his hand on a broken drinking glass on the deck. His next memory was of waking up next to Kapluggin's body.

Sutcliffe also said Ballantyne recalled Kapluggin having a large amount of money in New Zealand denominations, which his friend had counted out on the table before they had their evening meal.

"He believes you have taken that money," Sutcliffe said.

Throughout these allegations Dowling had maintained his response to each: "I have no recollection, because I wasn't there."

Sutcliffe said Ballantyne had further asserted that after killing Kapluggin, Dowling had enlisted the assistance of another man - Daniel Heaney - to help cover up evidence of his presence at the house and effectively "frame" Ballantyne for the killing, including washing and cleaning a glass and the cleaver.

The trial continues.
Police guarding the home of Helen Silverwood, where she was stabbed to death in December last year.

The Coroner will investigate four Wellington homicide cases together, just days after it was revealed the capital's mental health services will come under review.

Coroner Michael Robb will conduct combined inquiries into four deaths, two of which have already ended in acquittals on insanity grounds, the Ministry of Justice confirmed on Monday

Three of the four cases are understood to involve people who had come into the care of the Capital & Coast District Health Board's (CCDHB) mental health services.





SUPPLIED Kapiti Coast nurse Cathy Stewart (56) who was found dead at her home in Toroa Rd, Otaihanga last year.

Former Chief Coroner Neil MacLean said the aim of combining similar cases to pose big picture inquiries  such as those concerning quad bike deaths  was to investigate patterns, or systemic failures.

READ MORE:

* Man who stabbed stranger had killed brother 13 years earlier

* The tragic and violent case of Richard Hawkins

* Insane killers need closer monitoring

* Cathy Stewart's killing a 'massive failure' of mental health services

* Family of Helen Silverwood 'in shock'

* Murder charge after Wellington man dies

"It is not unusual when a coroner sees a pattern of cases which have a common thread to say 'hang on, instead of looking at these in isolation lets group these together'.

"With a bigger data set there may be a better chance of informed learning."

It would be down to the coroner to determine if there could be changes made to make sure similar deaths did not occur again, he said.

"The coroner needs to work out the total truth of the case ... What actually happened, why did it happen, and can we learn anything from it."

Coroners' inquiries usually result in recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in future.

A Wellington Police spokeswoman said the district had not requested that the inquiries be combined  rather, they were bundled at the request of the Coroner.

The first case concerns a 26-year-old woman with a long history of mental health issues whom had refused her anti-psychotic medication for months by the time she killed on July 1, last year.

On the day of the killing she had rejected medication twice from her doctor and twice from mental health specialists at Wellington Hospital. On the fifth attempt she appeared to swallow it.

Within an hour of being discharged the woman stabbed a 67-year-old man to death and wounded four more people, including a young boy.

No trace of the medication was found in her blood.

She was acquitted of the crimes on insanity ground and made a "special patient" - meaning she will be treated in a forensic psychiatric facility until deemed safe to return to society.

The coroner will also be investigating Kapiti nurse Cathy Stewart's death.

Last Friday a 30-year-old man was found not guilty due to insanity of murdering her in February last year.

At the time of the killing, he had been on leave from his temporary community-based mental health accommodation, under the care of the CCDHB.

The third case concerns the murder of Helen Silverwood, who was stabbed in her Churton Park home last December.

A 27-year-old man with "health issues" has been charged with the 55-year-old's murder.

He was remanded into the care of a psychiatric facility until his next court appearance.

The fourth case the coroner will investigate is Kiaong Tan, who was beaten badly this March in his home at Dwell House, a Kilbirnie boarding house for people on low incomes or discharged from mental health services.

Tan later died in hospital and a 49-year-old man who also lived in Dwell House was arrested shortly after the incident.

A psychiatric report was being prepared to help the court assess his fitness to stand trial for murder.

The coroner's confirmation of a conjoint inquiry comes after the CCDHB confirmed it will be reviewing its mental health facilities following the spate of killings.

General Manager for the Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disability Service for CCDHB, Nigel Fairley, said they were aware the coroners office were looking into the cases.

The review will include the case of Richard Hawkins, who was found not guilty due to insanity last month of stabbing a stranger at a Waikanae train station in May last year, while he was on leave from his community-based mental health care facility.
Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett said contracts with NGOs providing emergency housing should be in place by September.

A $41.1 million funding boost for New Zealand's emergency housing providers will allow them to focus on providing more support for vulnerable Kiwis, rather than fundraising for beds, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

At a pre-Budget announcement outside the Wellington Night Shelter, Bennett announced the Government would fund about 3000 emergency housing places across the country each year for the next four years.

About $32 million would be spent on funding non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to provide the beds.

SUPPLIED The Wellington Night Shelter, which revealed in March it was facing a $30,000 funding crisis, said the Government's announcement was a "welcome lifeline".

Another $9 million would be used to set up a special needs grant, providing up to a week of emergency housing for Kiwis in need who could not get a place through the NGOs.

READ MORE:

* Homeless in motels with emergency funding not released

* Government announces over 500 new social housing properties in Auckland

* Wellington Night Shelter needs $30k ratepayer bailout

The money would fund about 3000 emergency beds over a 12-month period, with about 800 beds available at any one time.

Roughly half of the places would be in Auckland, with another 100 in Christchurch and 60 for main centres like Wellington.

Bennett said the Government wanted to help the increasing number of people living on the streets, particularly in Auckland, as a consequence of rising rents.

The money would give emergency housing providers "absolute certainty of funding", allowing them to spend more time and money on support services for those using the shelters.

"What agencies and organisations were telling us...was, if you paid for the beds, then we're not fundraising for them [and] we can actually get on with the job of doing more wraparound services and better connecting people into the help that they might need."

Those who received emergency housing would have to contribute up to 25 per cent of their income towards their bed, with each provider deciding the actual amount.

"Different organisations will have their own ways of working it, but actually they've [those in emergency housing] got to start getting themselves into a position where they are contributing for themselves."

'WELCOME LIFELINE'

Wellington Night Shelter Trust chairman John Kennedy-Good said the funding was a "welcome lifeline" for the shelter, which revealed in March it was facing a $30,000 funding crisis.

"Right now, the night shelter is only barely surviving, with all our resources focused on keeping our doors open."

Kennedy-Good said the funding could allow the shelter to focus on "breaking the cycle of homelessness, rather than applying a band-aid".

Community Housing Aotearoa director Scott Figenshow said the funding and grants were "a great addition".

However, he was concerned that the agreements would not be signed until after winter, and said existing providers should receive a slice of the funds from July 1 to increase the number of beds on offer.

Labour housing spokesman Phil Twyford said the Government's announcement was "the inevitable consequence" of its failure to address the housing crisis and state housing sell-off.

"New Zealand is witnessing an unprecedented rise in homelessness as a generation of Kiwi families fall between the cracks opened up by John Key, allowing the housing crisis to spiral out of control.

"You just have to walk through the centre of our main cities to see the rise in homeless people begging for money or food. New Zealanders hate to see poverty and squalor on our streets."
Graham Wells from Wells Electrical has confirmed seven people will be made redundant.

Seven jobs are being axed at a Taranaki electrical contracting business, bosses have confirmed.

Wells Instrument and Electrical, which has more than 600 staff, told the affected workers from its Taranaki office on Friday, company head Graham Wells said.

He said the company was not expecting any further redundancies.

Prior to the announcement the E tu union hit out at the company, accusing it of unfairly targeting its members.

Of the seven workers affected four are union members, but that was irrelevant to the situation, Wells said.

READ MORE: Union hit out at redundancies announced for Wells Instrument and Electrical

"Seven people were informed last week they have been made redundant.

"It doesn't make any difference whether they are or not, but four of those are union members.

"The process has been robust and the union have been involved in the process throughout.

"We are working on our business continuing to be successful."

On Friday, E tu Taranaki organiser Jen Natoli said the union expected up to 10 redundancies.

Of those 10 positions, it appeared five of the seven union members at the Taranaki office could lose their jobs.

However, with the numbers confirmed at seven, Natoli said it didn't make the time any less difficult for union members or non-union workers alike.

"It's a little bit disappointing that four of our members have been included in those redundancies but we do understand the company has been facing some hard times."

The union was working with affected members and will be talking with Wells in the coming weeks to resolve any remaining concerns in relation to the collective agreement for remaining members, Natoli said.

Wells was established in Taranaki in 1984 as an electrical contracting company.

It has regional offices in New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland and has a further 19 service bases throughout New Zealand.
Deharadun: Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who was summoned by CBI in connection with a sting that showed him negotiation to bring back rebel MLAs, did not appear before the agency on Monday.

Rawat said he has sought more time from the CBI.

"I hope that the agency will understand our practical problems and will provide us more time. I have clearly said I will present myself before CBI and will provide them whatever information they ask for," he told reporters here.

The former chief minister said he was also ready for a narco test.

According to the CM's media in-charge Surendra Kumar, Rawat cancelled his Delhi visit as he has to attend the meeting of Congress MLAs today before the crucial floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow as per the Supreme Court's direction.

Rawat had faced allegations of horse-trading after a purported sting video allegedly showed him negotiating to bring back rebel legislators.

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 had questioned the journalist allegedly involved in the sting operation at its headquarters in New Delhi as part of its preliminary enquiry.

The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered a floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow when Rawat will seek a vote of confidence.

According to procedural norms, in a Preliminary Enquiry, CBI cannot force a person to present himself for questioning or examination. It can only request the person "to join the probe."

CBI has found the sting CD genuine, the sources said. Rawat, who had been insisting that the sting was fake, had later virtually admitted his presence in the controversial sting CD, but said it was not a crime to meet a journalist or an MLA and dismissed the conversation shown in the video as "meaningless".

They said Rawat has sought more time and his request is being studied.

They said the agency has also questioned a dissident MLA who has claimed that Rawat had allegedly offered him Rs 2.5 crore for changing sides and a position in the Government and that one of the then ministers later approached him with an offer of Rs 10 crore.

The agency has already examined CEO of Samachar Plus channel Umesh Sharma who did the sting.

The inquiry was registered on the recommendation of the state government and the notification was issued by the Centre. The state is under President's rule.

Two days before Rawat was to face vote of confidence on March 28, nine rebel Congress MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, had alleged that they were offered bribe by Rawat for support during the floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly and released a video of the "sting" operation.

The sting CD circulated by the nine Congress rebels who created a political crisis in the state by siding with BJP in the Assembly, purportedly shows Rawat negotiating a money deal with the journalist to buy the support of MLAs who had revolted against him.

Claiming innocence, Rawat had said if anything in the CD

showed he made an offer in cash or kind in exchange for the support of disgruntled MLAs, he was ready "to be hanged" in public.
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New Delhi: Well-known tribal rights activist and author from Jharkhand, Gladson Du-ngdung, has been prevented from boarding an early morning Air India flight to London on Monday at IGI Airport.

Air India, however, denied its involvement and said that Mr Dung-dung was offloaded by immigration or government authority. The airline confirmed that the activist was to travel by flight AI-115 from Delhi to London.

He was to travel to London where he was reportedly going to attend a workshop on environmental history and politics of South Asia, to be held at the University of Sussex on May 10.
Lankas spider man gets pat on the back from across the seas View(s):

By the time the package reached him, the heavily-padded big yellow envelope was quite dirty. It had been shipped all the way from New York, United States of America (USA).

What was inside was a red-and-yellow book with a pink-slip pasted on the cover. The message on that pink-slip warmed his heart and made all the toil and trouble and sleepless nightS engaging in research in the remote corners of Sri Lanka  which of course he enjoyed thoroughly  fully worth.

Thank you for providing us with the photo of the tiger spider! You can find the use of the image on page 81, the note stated.

The book is the Week-by-Week Homework: Reading Comprehension for Grade 6 children in the USA which is among a series published by Scholastic Inc., and the message was by Cynthia Carris, Scholastics Visual Resource Group Photo Editor

Page 81 is all about Poecilotheria rajaei  The Tiger Spider of Sri Lanka and the photograph had been provided by none other than researcher Ranil P. Nanayakkara who along with his team of researchers also described this species in 2012.

This is also not the first publication which has used information and photographs which have come forth from Ranils research. Among them is the popular Ranger Rick, a magazine put out by the National Wildlife Federation which has taken the Tiger Spider through its pages into the homes of children in far-away America.

For Ranil, the Principal Scientist and Co-Founder of Biodiversity Education and Research (BEAR) along with Nilantha Vishvanath, this is a tiny pat on the back from across the seas for the arduous work which yields much research in Sri Lanka.

Not for Ranil the lure of the charismatic species such as the elephant and the leopard though he is passionate about them and has in recent times been on the trail of the pug-marks of the elusive sloth bear at the Wilpattu National Park.

Much before the call of the wild, Ranil was heavily into computers and their technology, securing numerous diplomas in Sri Lanka as well as England where he also armed himself with a degree. But he haS never worked in that field.

While he is dabbling in German currently, learning to speak, read and write this language considered quite difficult, he is a an open-water diver who is also no mean rugby player and boxer, as his stature denotes and also a skilled rifle and pistol-shot.

Now, of course, he has succumbed to his interests of mammalian biology, animal behaviour, palaeontology, archaeology, marine fauna and Mygalomorph spiders. This has guided him in the direction of a Doctorate in Zoology for which he is reading at the University of Kelaniya.

It is, however, not a case of burying his nose in books or spending long hours in libraries, but spending as much time as possible in the field,both land and sea, roughing it out. Even while responding to the call of the giants of the sea, cetaceans such as whales and dolphins and sirenians such as dugongs, Ranil who is into ecology, biology and systematics (taxonomy) has also been intently peering into the domains of other less charismatic creatures such as spiders and bats which only a handful follow even across the world.

Such forays have brought in their wake, the discovery of three new species of Poecilotheria (tarantula) and several new species of small mammals in Sri Lanka and also the re-discovery of the Pouch-bearing sheath-tail bat (Saccolaimus saccolaimus) after 76 years.

Meticulous work in the field has brought Ranil a string of accolades including international publicity for outstanding research from media networks such as Wired magazine, BBC News, Fox News, Yahoo, MSN, New York Daily News, ABC, CNN etc., consultancies and also speaking assignments. A 12-episode awareness documentary on the Fauna and Flora of Sri Lanka that he has produced is awaiting telecast.

Ranils technical expertise has been sought by various organisations and he is the Regional Representative  Indian Ocean in the Sirenian Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) while he has also been an expert reviewer for the National Red List 2012.

Ranil has more than 40 publications to his credit with numerous citations.

Tarantula bite not fatal The magnificent obsession of research-scientist Ranil Nanayakkara who goes after the smaller and less charismatic creatures is the tarantula coming from an ancient lineage. Not content with engaging in research only, Ranil and his team of five have taken up the cause of educating people on the harmlessness of spiders. Explaining that through misplaced fear of the bite and the venom of the spider, people kill Poecilotheria (P. smithi) on sight if they come across it in the forest or in their homes, the BEAR team has undertaken the task of educating people. We have made people aware that the bites of tarantula (P. smithi and other mygalomorphs) are not fatal and there is no need to kill. Co-habitation is important as these creatures are pest-controllers of cockroaches etc. They are an environment-friendly bio-control asset, he says.

(KH)
Segar and Iromie: Exhibition of two distinct styles View(s):

Sifani Jewellers will host two acclaimed Sri Lankan artists in a joint exhibition at their gallery at No. 86, Galle Road, Colombo 3 this week. Artists Iromie Wijewardena and Raja Segar, both of whom have distinctly different styles will present their work on May 13-15 in this exhibition.

Pictured above is a recent Segar painting due to be exhibited -Shanties by highrise buildings mixed media on canvas, which the artist says was done by spreading the paints on canvas and driving his car over it. Yes! the first painting done by my car, he told the Sunday Times.

At left is a painting by Iromie.
Tagore: A man of many roles and master of all By D. C. Ranatunga View(s): View(s):

This weekend marks the 156th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore (1861- 1941), the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and no stranger to Sri Lanka and identified as a man whose spiritual personality and unremitting efforts in the arena of international understanding inspired the entire world.

To refresh my memory about the most famous Indian of modern times, with the exception perhaps of Mahatma Gandhi, I referred to Great Men of India, one in a series of the Home Library Club publications (late 1930s), I had acquired from my fathers collection. I was fascinated by the life sketch written by Dr. K. S. Shelvankar, journalist turned diplomat, who introduces Tagore as being known from Japan to Scandinavia and from Moscow to Buenos Aires, and venerated in his own country as a poet and philosopher in the tradition of the ancient rishis. He quotes German philosopher Hermann Keyserling, who said Tagore is the most universal, the most encompassing, the most complete human being I have known.

Calling the Tagores one of the first families of Bengal, Dr. Selvankar traces Tagores ancestry. They were not only great hereditary landowners (zamindars) but were noted for their munificent patronage of art and literature. Originally Banerjis, they were believed to have settled in West Bengal in about the 8th century CE. In the 17th century they received the appellation of Thakur, which means respected Lord or seigneur.

Defiance of orthodoxy appears indeed to be one of the characteristics of the Tagore family, says Dr. Selvankar. They are supposed to have broken caste rules by eating with Moslems. This offence cost them their place in the Brahman community; and notwithstanding their great wealth they were looked down upon with contempt as pirilis. No strictly orthodox Brahman would either eat of intermarry with them.

Young Tagore did not much care to go to school. He was allowed to follow private lessons. He did not much like that idea too. His mind was at once too eager and too dreamy, too independent and too sensitive to fall readily into the conventional ruts, says Dr. Selvankar. The father being a regular traveller, he took the boy on his wanderings which the young one liked very much.

He had begun to write verse almost as he could walk; his work appeared in print when he was fifteen. Before he was 18 he had published nearly 7,000 lines of verse and a great quantity of prose.At 16 he went to England where after being at Brighton school for a while, he joined University College, London.He returned after about a year.

In his early twenties, he went through a moment of mystical illumination  the first of many such experiences  which he said left a deep impression on him. He describes the first experience in his Reminiscences thus: One morning I happened to be standing on the verandah. The sun was just rising through the leafy tops of those trees. As I continue to gaze, all of a sudden a covering seems to fall away from my eyes, and I found the world bathed in a wonderful radiance, with waves of beauty welling on every side. The radiance pierced in a moment through the folds of sadness and despondency which had accumulated over my heart, and flooded it with this universal light.

The model school

Tagore is synonymous with Santhiniketan, the world famous school in performing arts which he established in 1901. In Dr. Selvankars words, here he hoped to recapture the meditative calm of ancient India and provide an environment where the mind of the young might expand into love of Beauty and of God, as Tagore put it. The school was described in the 1930s as a model institution where the study and revival of Indian culture in all forms go hand on hand with Westernised and most modern methods of education.

He faced a series of tragedies starting with the death of his wife in late 1902 and successive years saw the deaths of his daughter (1904), his father (1905) and son (1907). Meanwhile, he continued to write verse, short stories, novels and plays which were being widely accepted. Among them was the novel Gora described as a long story with the fullness of detail of the Russian novel, and Gitanjali , a book of religious poetry hailed as the authentic voice of one who, through much suffering, had attained joyous serenity.

Tagore met Gandhi and his disciples when they came to Santhiniketan and spent a few days after their return from South Africa in 1915. Much as the poet admired the politician-saint, there were deep differences between them differences which rose to the surface when Gandhi launched the non-cooperation movement. Rabindranath was profoundly opposed to it. He condemned its narrowness of spirit; he feared its further consequences; he deplored the effect it was having on the lives of the young; and he derided the glorification of the charkha, writes Dr. Selvankar. Tagore was freely attacked for this attitude but he stood his ground. Quietly he pursued what he held to be the true ideal of nationalism and internationalism by founding the Culture  Viswa-bharati, and by starting a Department of Rural Reconstruction- Sriniketanto develop village welfare work that he had begun in 1914.

Meanwhile his popularity abroad was increasing. A cult of his work sprang up. Between 1920 and 1930 he undertook no less than seven lecture tours in the West, in Europe and in America. In 1930 he visited the Soviet Union.

Rabindranaths literary achievement is prodigious; it overshadows everything else, says Dr. Selvankar. He adds: It should be recorded, however, that he was not only a poet, playwright and novelist, but a musician, actor, painter, composer, philosopher, journalists, teacher, orator, and a host of other things  and distinguished himself in each of these very different roles. There is no more versatile, prolific and gifted genius in history.

Tagore went on foreign tours where he made a name for himself. After a visit to America he returned in the latter part of 1913 universally recognised as one of the foremost poets of the age. Within a few weeks he was conferred the Nobel Prize for Literature and Calcutta University crowned him with academic laurels soon after. In 1914 he was knighted.
Mr Rao will seek 50 per cent central funding for the Rs 25,000-crore Mission Kakatiya and the Rs 40,000-crore Mission Bhagiratha to find a permanent solution to the drought and drinking water problem in TS.

Hyderabad: Making Telangana drought-free and eradicating the states drinking water problem in three years will be on the top of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos agenda during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Mr Rao, who will be accompanied by senior state officials including those from the irrigation department, will lay stress on permanent measures to tackle drought and drinking water problems instead of temporary measures like supplying water through tankers, trains and giving compensation to drought-affected farmers year after year.

KCR to press PM for funds

Drought will be top on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos agenda during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

CMO sources said Mr Rao will bring to the PMs notice that if the Centre provides financial assistance to his governments Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya and irrigation projects, TS will become drought-free in three years.

The PM had met the CMs of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra etc., last week on the drought issue and pointers from these meetings have come in handy for Mr Rao.

The PM suggested to the CMs to give priority to revival of small water bodies like tanks, lakes etc., and to focus on ensuring permanent solutions to the drinking water issue in states for which the Centre was willing to extend maximum financial assistance.

Interestingly, TS is already ahead of the other states in implementing both of the PMs suggestions, thanks to Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha. While the first phase of Mission Kakatiya, to revive 9,500 tanks, was completed last year, Phase-II, to revive another 9,500, is going on this year.

The Rs 40,000-crore Mission Bhagiratha, to supply tap water to each and every household in three years, has already started delivering results in parts of Medak and will soon cover parts of Warangal, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy.

The CM has readied reports on the progress of both these projects which will be submitted to the PM and if possible, Mr Rao will also give a PowerPoint presentation.

Mr Rao will seek 50 per cent central funding for the Rs 25,000-crore Mission Kakatiya and the Rs 40,000-crore Mission Bhagiratha to find a permanent solution to the drought and drinking water problem in TS.

Since Sunday, Mr Rao has held a series of meetings with Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and senior officials of Irrigation, revenue and panchayat raj departments in light of his meeting with the PM.

Mr Rao will also seek national project status for the Kaleshwaram project, which is aimed at solving irrigation and drinking water woes in TS, on which the state government is incurring nearly Rs 40,000 crore additional expenditure due to redesigning of the Pranahita-Chevella project.
The New Zealand Kiwifruit Board have been ordered to re-hear an application by two Te Puke kiwifruit exporters and marketers to sell kiwifruit in Austria and China.

The board turned down collaborative marketing applications by Splice Fruit Ltd and Seeka Kiwifruit Industries Ltd, and removed a former right of appeal.

Splice sought approval for a collaborative marketing arrangement involving the export of 180,000 trays of green organic Class 1, kiwifruit to Austria.

Seeka sought approval for a collaborative marketing arrangement involving the export of 400,000 trays of green Class 1, kiwifruit to Hainan Island, in China, and for the export of 120,000 trays of green Class 1, kiwifruit to Xinjiang province, in China.

The applications were all refused on December 22, 2015, with reasons given in writing on January 21, 2016. The board withdrew a previous appeal process on November 23, on the advice of senior counsel it was unlawful and invalid.

Justice Heath says it wasnt unlawful.

With respect, I consider that the Queens Counsel from whom the Board sought advice focussed inappropriately on the question whether the Board could set up an appellate procedure akin to that which might otherwise have been included in the Act or Regulations.

He says it was open to the Board to regulate its own procedure by incorporating a review process.

He didnt criticise the Board for removing the appeal process as it was relying on advice from a senior Queens Counsel.

The hearing was expedited to enable the applications for the judicial review and the re-hearings to take place before the kiwifruit export season begins.

Each application for judicial review is granted:

Splice applied to sell kiwifruit in Austria under the name of Ja! Naturlich

There have been previous collaborative efforts between Zespri and Splice. The Europe Committee was conscious of the potential for the proposal to impact adversely on the ZESPRI brand and premium returns to New Zealand suppliers that could be received through it.

Seekas application in respect of the Hainan Island proposal, was the subject of a review of economic evidence by The China Committee, which was concerned about problems that might arise with the ability of the intended market to deal with the volumes of kiwifruit Seeka intended to supply.

And that unsold Hainan fruit would leak onto the mainland, and possibly disrupt Zespris mainland strategy.

In respect of Xinjiang province, the China Committee members were concerned with an analysis of the economic issues. But also considered problems involved in getting the kiwifruit to the relevant destination port, Urumqi, and the likelihood of leakage if the proposal were to go ahead.

The China Committee was concerned about the possibility of a parallel supply of New Zealand kiwifruit developing in a manner detrimental to the goals of increasing sales and maximising returns in China.

(The New Zealand Kiwifruit Board was first defendant, Zespri GRoup Ltd the second defendant.

The two entities were created in 1999 when the Government of the day decided to restructure the kiwifruit industry. One of the aims of the restructuring was to separate out the functions undertaken by the old New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board (the old Board), so that:

(a) Its commercial business was assumed by a limited liability company to be established for that purpose, Zespri Group Ltd (Zespri). Zespri was to be subject to generic laws governing the governance and management of all companies. Its shares were to be issued to producers, and tradable among them.

(b) Regulatory functions were to be transferred to a newly established New Zealand Kiwifruit Board (the Board). Those functions were designed to monitor and enforce various provisions designed to minimise the risk that Zespri would abuse its privileged position in the market, and to safeguard the overall economic interests of all kiwifruit suppliers.

A monopsony was created in favour of Zespri, so that it is the sole entity that is entitled to export kiwifruit to anywhere other than Australia. A number of mechanisms were put in place to minimise the possibility of abuse of Zespris market power, and to ensure that increasing the overall wealth of kiwifruit suppliers remained the primary objective.)
The driver who police say caused a two vehicle crash on Tamatea Arikinui Drive on Saturday afternoon remains in custody today.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at about 4pm after the vehicles collided, blocking one lane of the highway.
TPP is important for New Zealand because it will remove barriers to trade for exporters of New Zealand goods and services in the Asia-Pacific region, Todd says.

Although most of the obligations in TPP can be met by New Zealands existing domestic legal and policy regime, some changes are required.

This Bill will make all domestic legislative changes required to comply with New Zealands obligations in TPP, with the exception for obligations related to plant variety rights, which New Zealand has a three year period following entry into force to implement. I now look forward to the Bill passing through Parliaments legislative process.

The introduction of this Bill is just the latest step in New Zealands domestic processes. The Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Committee has already examined the TPP text and the TPP National Interest Analysis and tabled its report in Parliament, Todd says.

The legislative amendments introduced by the Bill will not come into effect until TPP enters into force for New Zealand.

It is now recognised that TPP It is our biggest FTA to date, and places us centrally in a region encompassing nearly 40 per cent of global GDPrepresenting 800 million consumers who spend $28 trillion each year.

An FTA with the first and third largest economies in the world, to ensure a level playing field for our exporters, has been a priority for successive New Zealand governments. TPP delivers this, Todd says.

TPP could come into force by late 2017/early 2018, once countries have completed their respective domestic processes necessary to ratify the agreement.
A growing number of general practices are introducing patient portals. These secure online sites are the health equivalent to online banking, says Dr Coleman.

Portals enable patients to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view lab test results online.

You can have secure conversations with your GP via email, and in some cases, patients can also view their notes online.

Portals are convenient, secure and real time savers for both the patient and staff at their general practice.

A new interactive map launched today makes it easy for patients to check which general practices are offering portals.

Patient portals are a great step towards enabling New Zealanders to manage more of their own healthcare.

More than 330 general practices are now offering patient portals, with nearly 136,000 New Zealanders registered to use one.

Last year Dr Coleman approved a $3 million funding boost to give more New Zealanders access to patient portals, which included $500,000 for an awareness campaign.

The second phase of the awareness campaign starts today and runs to mid-June on print, radio and online.

The new map is on the patient portal website, www.patientportals.co.nz. You can search by either typing in the name of your general practice, or zoom into your region to see which practices have portals.


A Z Energy discount day before ANZAC day raised $127,000 for the New Zealand RSA.

Z offered a 10 cent per litre nationwide price discount on April 22, with half of the discount provided as a donation to the RSA.
Bengaluru, which was shaken by cases of children as young as three and six being raped in its schools over a year ago, is once again having to confront the ugliness of rapists targeting toddlers, this time at a summer camp.

Just when Bengalureans were beginning to forget the horrendous series of sexual assaults on children in several city schools just over a year ago, last week's incident of the assault on a four year old girl at a summer camp has brought all the fears back. The police and authorities imposed new child safety regulations on schools, but they succeeded by and large only because schools can be regulated, even arm-twisted into obeying guidelines. Summer camps are an unregulated activity, anybody can run them. Is it time to establish rules for these, too? Or, is the onus fully on parents to ensure the safety of their children?

The city, which was shaken by cases of children as young as three and six being raped in its schools over a year ago, is once again having to confront the ugliness of rapists targeting toddlers, this time at a summer camp.

Little did four-year-old Ahaana (name changed) know that the dance summer camp she was going to at a private school in Kempapura, north-east Bengaluru would change her life forever. It was May 3, and the little girl, daughter of an employee in an interior designing firm , was at the month long summer camp, when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by her dance teacher, identified as Peter, 22, a resident of Nandini Layout.

Going by the police, the crime took place between 10 am and 1 pm in one of the classrooms . But unaware of what had occurred, the little girl only told her father about it when he noticed a few bruises when readying her for school. He, of course, lost no time in complaining to the school and with this the horror of child molestation unfolded once again in the city after a gap of over a year.

The last time a child as young as this was molested was in October 2014, when a three-year-old kindergarten student was raped by a 45-year-old school attender in Jalahalli. At the time the rapes of children that seemed to follow one another randomly at one school after another during the year had raised many questions about how careful schools were in recruitment of staff and whether they could do more to ensure the safety of the children in their care. But this time with the horror visiting summer camps, similar questions are now being asked about their organisers . How can they be trusted to keep children in their camps safe is the new concern.

Read: Guest column - Make child rights panel, police nod mandatory for these camps

When Ahaana's father lodged a complaint with the school where the camp was organized, it refused to take responsibility, saying the camp was organised on its premises by a private individual. Since then the Amruthahalli police has arrested the accused dance instructor and the camp organizer, Bharath has been detained.

But this is of little comfort to parents who often enroll their children in summer camps in the belief that they will be spending their holidays under the watch of a responsible organiser while learning some new skills in the process. While the popularity of these camps is growing with several now being organised in the city, Ahaana's assault is bound to put the brakes on parents' enthusiasm in enrolling their children for them as the question of accountability now looms large. Should the buck stop with the organizers of the camps or should the schools or any individual, who lend their premises for them also be held responsible?

A senior police officer says the school in this case cannot be blamed as the camp was organised by a private individual. "If the school authorities were involved, we could have taken action against them. But, in cases like these, it is upto the parents to do background checks of the organisers before sending their wards to the camps," he underlines.

Anyone can start a camp! Time to make rules, ensure accountability

Today anybody and everybody can start a summer camp, notes Mr B T Venkatesh, advocate and former state public prosecutor, arguing that this cannot be allowed to go on anymore considering that a chid has now been molested at one such camp. He believes the state needs to take steps to frame certain guidelines for the summer camps that must be followed diligently by their organisers.

Also, suggesting regular inspections of such camps by state authorities, he says to begin with there must be clarity about who the organisers are. A brochure giving details of the organisers must be given to every parent. The organisers and nobody else is responsible for the children's safety while they are in their care," he maintains emphatically.

Advocate Sandeep Katti too agrees that children are enrolled in summer camps by parents who believe those holding them will not let them down. There is some trust involved and there cannot be any breach of it. But parents too should do a background check of the organisers before enrolling their children in their camps," he advises.

Pointing out that most schools outsource summer camps to third parties, former chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee Meena Jain, says they should give strict orders and lay down guidelines on holding them that should be agreed to in writing by the parties concerned. And before the camp begins there must be an orientation programme for the organisers along with parents on POSCO and other acts. Also, there must be signages of dos and don'ts for everyone on the campus, she suggests, adding, Our education policy strictly says that for any event organised by the school, safety of children must get priority, even though it does not clearly speak about summer camps. "
People will be taking to the streets next week to raise awareness of child abuse following the death of three-year-old Moko Sayviah Rangitoheriri.

Moko was taken to Taupo Hospital in a critical condition last year after his carers said he had fallen off a woodpile the previous day.
Waikato Police are reviewing security arrangements at the front counter of Hamilton Central police station following a serious assault on a police officer on Sunday evening.

The incident happened about 7.55pm in the front counter area of the station, after a man began acting erratically while staff were attempting to help him with a query.

A scuffle followed in which an officer suffered a fractured cheek, cuts and bruises, before the man was subdued by Police staff.

The officer was taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment and is now recovering at home.

A 20-year-old man is in custody and has been charged with injuring with intent, wounding with intent and burglary following the incident.

He is expected to appear in court today.

As a result of the incident, the front counter of Hamilton Central police station will be closed to the public from 7pm every evening until 7am the following morning while a safety review of the area is carried out.

The safety of our staff and visitors is of paramount importance and is a real priority for Police, says Superintendent Bruce Bird, Waikato District Commander.

While we want to make our front counters areas where the public can visit, we must also ensure that these are safe places for the public and for our staff to work.

Until we have identified any safety measures we need to take, the front counter will be closed to the public during these hours.

Police staff will however remain working in the station during these times.

Anyone requiring urgent assistance should call 111."

Last month police announced that a review had highlighted a number of police stations where immediate practical steps were needed to increase security. This work is ongoing, and in some cases involves limiting public access at some stations while necessary security measures are implemented.

The incident at Hamilton Central police station comes after another serious assault on a police employee at Counties Manukau police station which took place last month.

Source: New Zealand Police.
Four hours of racing came down to two seconds to decide the winner of this years Bay of Plenty IRB Long Haul competition.

Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club took first place in a hard fought battle, with Red Beach settling for second and Papamoa A taking out third.
A 25-year-old man will appear in Whakatane District Court today after taking a vehicle with a child in the backseat.

The 16-month-old was left in the car while a caregiver visited a friend in Taneatua, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty, just after 8pm.
Hyderabad: Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh do not have any real time mechanism to track and trace drugs that are manufactured, distributed and sold in their markets.

Lack of proper IT supported infrastructure is making the job of the Drug Control Administration tedious and it has to depend on manufacturers, distributors and retail pharmacists for information.

During the recent recall of 344 banned recombination drugs, it had become a herculean task for the drug control authorities of both states. AP Drug Control Authority (DCA) is now thinking of developing a software to track and trace drugs based on their batch numbers and brand names, from place manufacture to the point of retail sales.

Director general of AP DCA A. Ravi Shankar said, When we or any other monitoring agency find any drug that has gone wrong we need to immediately recall them with the help of the batch numbers and name. However, it is an uphill task to track down these drugs. We are now developing a software and a central server that will store details of all drugs. Tracking can be done on real time basis so that it is easy to withdraw the drug from the market quickly.

He added the software could be useful for all drug control administrations across the country. An AP DCA official said, Dealers are already uploading the purchases made for paying sales tax to the server of the Commercial Taxes department. But the value of the drugs will not help us track them. Now they need to upload batch numbers, quantity and brand names on the servers of DCA so that they can be tracked and traced. This will be tedious for the dealers but in view of public health, it is necessary.

Andhra Pradesh DCA officials said have instructions been given to all field officers whenever something goes wrong regarding a drug. Our staff literally works along with the distributors and makers to trace the defective batch. Now the instructions can be given to specific field officers to recall a drug.

Many Pharma companies win stay orders

Many pharma companies have obtained stay orders regarding 230 of the 344 banned recombination drugs. The Delhi High Court has granted stay to companies that approached it. Drug control authorities of AP and TS are withdrawing the remaining drugs from the market and also of those companies who didnt get stay orders.

A drug control administration official said, The India Drug Manufacturers Association approa-ched the court seeking a stay on the ban on recombination drugs produced by other companies. However, the High Court refused to grant a blanket stay. So it is very complex. There is neither a blanket stay nor a status quo. The stay is applicable only to those companies who approached court regarding specific drugs. If a company that is manufacturing the same recombination drug hasn't got stay then we recall the drug. The stay for companies is extended on a weekly basis.
It is estimated that the government is losing nearly Rs 200 crore per month on account of tax evasion by basmati traders. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Basmati rice dealers and liquor traders are increasingly evading tax, resulting in huge losses for the Telangana state exchequer.

While basmati rice dealers export huge quantities of rice from Hyderabad to other states and countries without trade licenses, city liquor traders are evading privilege tax by resorting to illegal exchange of liquor stocks among themselves.

It is estimated that the government is losing nearly Rs 200 crore per month on account of tax evasion by basmati traders.

The wholesale markets in Begum Bazaar, Kishangunj and Osmangunj are known to be the top basmati trading centres in the country.

These markets receive thousands of tonnes of basmati from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi every month, a significant chunk of which goes unaccounted for, according to sources.

As per norms, traders have to pay 1 per cent market cess to the market committees concerned besides 5 per cent value added tax on sale of every quintal.

But these norms exist only on paper. During recent raids, it was found that nearly 600 unlicensed traders were involved in the basmati trade in Hyderabad.

We have recently issued notices to 200 basmati traders. The tax arrears will be recovered by invoking the Revenue Recovery Act. The government is also actively considering a proposal to bring these traders under the Essential Commodities Act, said Mr Rajasekhar Reddy, selection grade secretary, Hyderabad Market Committee.

Liquor traders on the other hand are evading the 13.5 per cent privilege tax. The Excise department collects Rs 1.08 crore as license fee to set up a liquor shop in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits. It supplies liquor worth Rs 7.56 crore to each outlet, to be sold for a period of one year.

However, shops in prime locations sell more than this. Such shops are supposed to pay 13.5 per cent privilege tax. To avoid this, the traders are procuring liquor stocks from shops that sell less though the norms state that stocks should be obtained only from the Excise department, sources said.

Recent raids conducted by Excise enforcement officials revealed that liquor traders were obtaining stocks from other shops by offering them 5 per cent more.

The government had lost nearly Rs 75 crore last year due to privilege tax evasion. The liquor sales are expected to increase from Rs 12,000 crore last year to Rs 13,000 crore this year, and if tax evasion is not checked, the government will lose over Rs 150 crore privilege tax," said an excise official.

Basmati centre

Though Telangana is not a major producer of basmati rice, Hyderabad has emerged as the major basmati trading centre since 2012 after the state government in undivided AP announced relaxation on exports.

This resulted in mill owners from different parts of the country diverting large quantities of rice to Hyderabad and from here to other states and countries.

City traders mainly source basmati from Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi and export to other states.
David Malcom.jpg

Ithaca police investigate new leads in David Malcom's 1987 murder. Malcom was 26.

(Provided photo)

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Ithaca police are investigating new leads in a nearly 30-year-old cold case killing of a Red Cross Emergency shelter worker.

David W. Malcom's body was discovered in the office at the Red Cross shelter at 717 W. Court St. in Ithaca on Feb. 12, 1987. Malcom, 26, was a staff member at the shelter who reported to work the previous day for his 24-hour shift.

Ithaca police believe Malcom, who was also a Cornell University student, was stabbed to death on Feb. 11, 1987.

Ithaca police started reviewing the case in September 2015 with assistance from the New York State Police Troop C Major Crimes Unit and Tompkins County District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson.

A suspect who resides outside of Tompkins County has been identified. His name is not being released as he has not been charged at this time and the investigation is ongoing, Ithaca police said.

The Cornell University and Tompkins Cortland Community College police departments assisted the Ithaca Police Department with locating some of the witnesses who in 1987 were college students.

More than 100 leads were investigated over the past nine months. Several witnesses have been interviewed in several states -- some as far away as the west coast. Several police agencies outside of Tompkins County have assisted local police with the investigation.

Ithaca police asks anyone with information to call (607) 272-9973 and press 1 to speak with an investigator.
michael morris sentencing.jpg

Michael Morris (in jail garb) looks toward the gallery at his family during sentencing in the shooting of 6 people at McAvan's Pub on Feb. 1, 2015.

(Douglass Dowty | ddowty@syracuse.com)

Michael Morris

Syracuse, NY -- The bullet that hit Christina Voultsios lodged in-between four major organs, including her lungs and heart. Had she been sitting in any other direction, she'd be dead, doctors told her.

More bullets hit five other people at Tipperary Hill's McAvan's Pub last year on Super Bowl Sunday.

The shooter, Michael Morris, 23, had just committed the "largest mass shooting in Syracuse history," Chief Assistant District Attorney Joseph Coolican said. Morris opened fire in the bar with about 20 people inside in a rampage caught on security video.

Morris was sentenced today to 45 years to life in prison as part of a last-minute plea agreement. He admitted to attempted murder and assault, which carried a 42-year to life prison sentence, as well as a 3-year sentence for violating parole. (He had been paroled after stealing a Syracuse police officer's gun.)

Injured in the rampage were Voultsios, Joshua Kennedy, Rich Lighton and Jake Palmer. Morris was charged with first-degree assault in their shootings. He was also accused of attempted murder for shooting bouncer Lawrence Gabriel and Douglas Spossey.

Morris was due to face trial today. Instead, he sent a letter to Judge Thomas J. Miller recently attempting to back out of his plea entered April 14. Miller denied the request, saying Morris knew what he was doing at the time.

His lawyer, Ralph Cognetti, called his client "an aggressive individual, an angry individual, a vocal individual." But he argued that there was some good in Morris and blamed society for not getting him help after mental health issues emerged as early as age 5.

Morris had attempted to convince doctors that he was insane at the time of the Feb. 1 shootings. Morris knew the family of a woman he'd dated was celebrating a birthday at the pub, and that's why he targeted the place.

When his insanity defense failed, he tried to convince doctors he wasn't competent to stand trial. He claimed to hear voices from a nemesis named "Doug," among other things. But prosecutors always contended he was faking.

Today, Morris's mother claimed that prosecutors offered Morris a much lower sentence before his eventual plea to 45 years to life.

But Coolican said that Morris's lawyer may have hoped for a lower sentence, but that prosecutors never agreed to that. In fact, they had publicly stated they would not negotiate with Morris.



In a peculiar moment, Morris remained silent for 45 seconds after being asked if he had anything to say before going to prison. During that time, he turned to his mother in the gallery.

"You can apologize," she told him repeatedly. Eventually, Morris turned to the victims across the aisle: "Apologize," he said simply before the judge announced his fate.

Minutes earlier, Voultsios had described in court the devastating impact that the shooting had on her life: post-traumatic stress disorder, unwanted media attention, speculation and even blame from others.

Voultsios worked for the city of Syracuse at the time of the shooting. She was pursuing a Master's degree. Afterward, she couldn't go back to work, dropped out of school and lost her longtime boyfriend.

Telling her family what happened before her name was released publicly was very difficult, she said.

"It took me months to get over the fact they weren't ashamed of me," Voultsios said of family. Later, she added: "I'm broken. I wonder why this happened. I don't understand it and I'm probably not going to."

But she vowed to do her best to rebound. "I hope I can move on now. Don't know if I can," she said. "I was given a second chance, so I have to try."

Another one of those injured was bouncer Lawrence Gabriel. He grabbed Morris in a bear hug and the two wrestled out into the street. Morris shot Gabriel four times during the assault.

"I thought I was dead," Gabriel recalled a few weeks after the shooting.

Today, prosecutor Coolican credited Gabriel for stopping Morris from doing even more damage. "Lawrence Gabriel has been described as a hero," the prosecutor said. "He doesn't like being called that term, but I guess I just did."

After court, Gabriel shrugged off his heroism.

"It was just a bad year," he said, citing his military experience in a war zone as reference.

Gabriel said he's completely healed from his four gunshot wounds -- in his left side, femur, abdomen and right arm -- and has returned to work.

But when asked about Morris's apology, Gabriel said it seemed forced. "Apologies don't mean anything now," he said.
HomelessJesus.JPG

This statue, depicting a homeless Jesus of Nazareth, was recently unveiled outside Saint Lucy's church in Syracuse.

(Chris Carlson | Syracuse.com)

Since Friday morning, a statue of a homeless man has sat on the grass outside St. Lucy's Catholic Church in the Near West Side of Syracuse.

He is huddled in a robe, holding his hand out in a plea for food, spare change or help.

In the middle of that hand is a crucifixion wound, the only visible sign that the homeless beggar in a cloak symbolizes Jesus.

The Rev. Jim Mathews calls the new figure that sits outside St. Lucy's Church a "powerful message," one that speaks to the church's mission in one of Syracuse's most economically depressed neighborhoods.

"It really spoke to who we want to be and who we are and who we're called to be here at St. Lucy's," Mathews said. "That's what our mission and our goal is here, that we reach out and try to make the gospel message alive."

The statue, created by Timothy P. Schmalz of Ontario, Canada, makes a powerful statement about the churches' priorities, where talking about helping the less fortunate is famously more than lip service.

The title of the piece is "Whatsoever you do," a reference to a bible verse in the book of Matthew that reads: "Whatsoever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

It is one of a series of six statues based on the verse, the most famous of which includes Jesus sleeping on a park bench. The last of the series depicts Jesus covering himself with cardboard boxes.

"The message is getting out there," Schmalz said. "It resonates with a lot of people today. The rich are richer, the poor are poorer. In that widening space we can't have enough reminders that human life, all human life, is sacred. Jesus, instead of hanging out with presidents and kings, he wanted to hang out with the poor and the least in our communities. Millionaires, presidents and the homeless all have the same value."

In St. Lucy's, the sculptor couldn't have found a better match.

The church is known for its outreach programs and welcoming spirit, running a food pantry and consignment store, serving weekly lunches to the hungry and bringing them coffee and doughnuts.

The church serves one of Syracuse's most impoverished areas, yet draws parishioners from across the county. In 2010, the median household income in the Near West Side was $14,474.

Mathews said purchasing and installing the stone statue, which is about 3 feet tall and has a bronze finish, cost the church $9,750 to send a more valuable message.

The church pondered a more expensive option, which consisted of a homeless Jesus sleeping on a park bench, but opted for the more economic option.

That Homeless Jesus statue was unveiled in Buffalo's Cathedral Park last year and was well-received by locals, with visitors frequently leaving gifts. In other locations, however, the statue drew complaints from the community.

"It's almost like theatre," Schmalz said. "At first you think it's a person and with further investigation you realize it's a sculpture and with a close inspection it's not a pan-handler it's Jesus. It's kind of like theatre in the way that it's designed to make one think.

Mathews said he hopes the statue startles visitors into spending some time contemplating the message behind the image.

"This is a very powerful gospel just by looking at it," Mathews said. "You can stand there and look at it and think about the implications. It's a powerful symbol and I think it represents what we're all about here."
Hyderabad: Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao, a true stalwart in every sense of the word, either in leading the armed struggle against the Nizam in the late 1940s or in Parliamentary form of democracy, breathed his last at the age of 93 in a private hospital in here in the early hours of Monday.

Ch. Rajeswara Rao, as he was popularly known, had been suffering from breathing problem and other age-related ailments for some time.

He is survived by three daughters and a son Vemulavada MLA Ch. Ramesh.

Rajeswara Rao would be accorded a state funeral, as per the directions of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The funeral will take place at Mahaprasthanam near Filmnagar Colony on Tuesday.

A native of Marupaka in Vemulawada mandal of Karimnagar district, Rajeswara Rao has joined the Communist party and participated in the famous Telangana Armed Struggle against the Nizam and had gone underground for some time. He actively participated in the Quit India Movement.

Rajeswara Rao was first elected as an MLA in 1957, when general elections were held in Telangana region after the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956.

He was MLA for six times from Sircilla and Metpally in Karimnagar district and the leader of CPI Legislature Party. Rajeswara Rao continued in CPI after the Communist Party split in 1969. He was senior member in the CPI Central Committee for several years.

However, the veteran communist snapped his five-decade-old relation with the CPI in 1999 and joined the Telugu Desam, contested the elections and lost.

He went on to win on a TD ticket from Sircilla in 2004, and after completing the five-year term, retired from politics.

Rajeswara Rao faced widespread criticism for leaving the Communist party and joining the TD, as he had said that the partys founder-president N.T. Rama Rao should be hanged from the nearest lamppost for ignoring the development of AP.

Former Planning Commission member and renowned economist Ch. Hanumantha Rao and Maharashtra Governor Ch. Vidyasagara Rao are Rajeswara Raos younger brothers, while TRS MP from Karimnagar

Boinapally Vinod is his nephew.

The body of the veteran was shifted from the hospital to his residence in MLA's Colony in Jubilee Hills where several leaders, including the Chief Minister paid rich tributes to the departed leader.
Hyderabad: State BJP leader and senior legislator G. Kishan Reddy on Sunday accused the state government of not taking any relief measures in drought hit districts, despite the Centre having released funds.

He said the Chief Minister was able to find time to admit Opposition leaders into the TRS but he was not giving an appointment to BJP leaders wanting to represent the drought situation in the state.

He said that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was on the one hand not reviewing the drought relief work and on the other, patting Excise Commissioner R.V. Chandravadan for exceeding the target in liquor sales. Thus showed that he is giving scant attention to people's sufferings.

Mr Kishan Reddy, who addressed a meeting of BJP district leaders in Mahbubnagar on Sunday, said that farmers who were deprived of a single crop for the last three years, were now selling their cattle as they are unable to feed them fodder and water.

Farmers were even postponing marriages in the families.When the state sought Rs 800 crore assistance, the Centre released Rs 300 crore. Still the state government has not taken up any drought relief work worth mentioning, Mr Kishan Reddy said.

He said that according to the information provided by his party leaders, more than 40 lakh agricultural workers had migrated to other states seeking employment. He accused the state government of changing names and diverting funds earmarked by the Centre to other schemes.
The man's pig entered his neigbour's field and started grazing there, leading to a fight between the men. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: A man was shot at following a tiff with another person over his pig allegedly entering the latter's field in Brahmani area of south west Delhi, police said on Monday.

The victim, identified as Viru, who runs a shop in the area, was grazing his pig last evening when it entered the field of Monu leading to a quarrel, police said.

Viru allegedly rebuked him as he was accompanied by his friends. Later in the night, Monu along with his wife Kaushalya and three others reached Viru's shop and allegedly thrashed him, they said.

Monu fired at Viru injuring his arm, a police officer said, adding, the victim has been admitted to a hospital and the couple has been arrested.

A case of attempt to murder has been registered against them and hunt is on to nab the other accused, police said.
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Anthony Pollock, 41, 100 block of South 21st Street, Fort Pierce; commit domestic battery by strangulation.

Andrew Gonzalez, 27, Delray Beach; possession of marijuana with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver; possession of marijuana over 20 grams.

Jared Backus, 25, Blackwell, Oklahoma; possession of burglary tools with intent to use.

Julian Foster, 31, 500 block of Northwest Fairfax Avenue, Port St. Lucie; warrants for robbery, battery, tampering with a witness.

Brandon O'Connor, 26, 3400 block of Southwest Parsons Street, Port St. Lucie; driving while license suspended, habitual offender.

Percell Derival, 26, 100 block of Bethany Court, Fort Pierce; warrant for sale, manufacture or delivery with intent to sell marijuana within 1,000 feet of a church.

Nelson Ruiz, 41, 1000 block of Southwest Mccall Road, Port St. Lucie; commit domestic battery by strangulation.

Eli Green, 20, 3800 block of Avenue M, Fort Pierce; possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon.

Tremendus Ingram, 26, 36000 block of Avenue K, Fort Pierce; carrying a concealed weapon.

Lanesha Kirkland, 20, 4900 block of San Diego Avenue, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order to revoke bond, grand theft of a motor vehicle, retail theft in concert with others.

Barrington White, 34, 1400 block of North 22nd Street, Fort Pierce; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

Brittni Patterson, 29, 1000 block of South 27th Circle, Fort Pierce; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

Connie Fleurival, 51, 800 block of South Sixth Street, Fort Pierce; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

Deion Anderson, 19, 2600 block of Northwest Hatches Harbor Road, Port St. Lucie; possession of a controlled substance; warrant for violation of probation, battery by strangulation, battery.

Matthew Horvath, 22, 1400 block of Southeast Oakmont Lane, Port St. Lucie; possession of cocaine.

Robinson Tavarez, 45, Hollywood; grand theft; aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

Summer Abdel-Nabi, 37, no address; petty theft; cruelty toward child  abuse without great bodily harm.

Stefen Scheiber, 21, 100 block of Northwest Pleasant Grove Way, Port St. Lucie; possession of cocaine; possession of a controlled substance without a prescription; sale of drugs; possession of a controlled substance; use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony.

Douglas Devlin, 49, 500 block of Northwest Riverside Drive, Port St. Lucie; resisting an officer without violence.

Jimsha Morrell, 29, 7400 block of Santa Clara Boulevard, Fort Pierce; driving while license suspended, habitual offender.

Brooke Rives, 30, 8500 block of Lakeland Boulevard, Fort Pierce; aggravated battery with a deadly weapon without intent to kill; court order to revoke bond, driving while license suspended.

Laura Poli, 28, 6700 block of Woods Island Circle, Port St. Lucie; possession of cocaine; smuggling contraband  introduction into a detention facility.

Rena Phillips, 41, 3200 block of South U.S. 1, Fort Pierce; warrant for court order for pretrial detention and termination of pretrial supervision, giving false information ownership or I.D. information to a secondhand dealer.

Bobby Bullock, 40, 400 block of North 14th Street, Fort Pierce; possession of cocaine.

Nicole Lewis, 20, 4900 block of Palmetto Drive, Fort Pierce; warrant for violation of probation, grand theft, counterfeiting of bank bill, draft or note, uttering a forged instrument.

Charles Turner, 32, 400 block of Sandpiper Drive, Fort Pierce; hold, Martin County, possession of a controlled substance without a valid prescription.

Alma Warren, 33, 300 block of North 18th Street, Fort Pierce; sale, manufacture or delivery or possession with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver MDMA.

Matthew Rosenshein, 27, 3300 block of Southwest Frankford Street, Port St. Lucie; DUI  impairment causing serious bodily injury.

Stacey Simon, 27, 1500 block of Havana Avenue, Fort Pierce; organized fraud.

Carlton Hudson, 48, 1000 block of Avenue E, Fort Pierce; warrant for failure to appear, possession of a controlled substance (cocaine); warrant for second amended violation of probation, possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). Arrested in Indian River County.
By Laurie K. Blandford of TCPalm

MARTIN COUNTY  Sheriff's officials plan to suspend the ground search Tuesday for the missing Hobe Sound mother unless they get new information, said Sheriff William Snyder.

But he's assigned a group of detectives to continue the investigative efforts to find 30-year-old Tricia Todd.

About 60 people consisting of sheriff's deputies on ATVs and on foot, forensics students from Keiser University and civilian crime scene investigators from the Fort Pierce Police Department continued searching for Todd on Monday, Snyder said.

"I don't know that there's a stone we've left unturned," Snyder said.

Sheriff's officials have been scaling back their search for Todd, who's been missing since she didn't pick up her 2-year-old child the morning of April 27 as scheduled. Her ex-husband, Steven Williams, was the last person to see her when she brought him medication for their sick child about midnight on the day she disappeared. Snyder said his story has checked out.
Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, chair of the local government affairs subcommittee, leads the first meeting during the 2016 Florida legislative session on Jan. 13 in Tallahassee. (LEAH VOSS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Melissa E. Holsman of TCPalm

VERO BEACH  Debbie Mayfield may be best remembered, or perhaps judged, as a GOP state House member who waged a largely failed war against high electric rates paid by some of her Indian River County constituents. But she said standing up for cancer patients against unfair treatment costs was her crowning victory during her eight years representing District 54.

Mayfield, who wants to be a state senator, rallied ample support in 2013 to pass the Cancer Treatment Fairness Act, a bill she insisted saved lives and provided equal coverage for oral cancer treatments.

"I had to fight every insurance company and every pharmaceutical company because they didn't like it," recalled Mayfield, 59. "Insurance companies were not acknowledging that oral treatment was the same as a traditional treatment on cancer."

The measure came five years after her first husband, veteran state House Rep. Stan Mayfield, died of cancer at age 52. She championed the treatment matter, she said, because she sees herself as a defender of residents and their problems, not a politician seeking to please party bosses.

Now she wants to battle for residents in the newly drawn state Senate District 17 that covers Indian River County and part of Brevard County.

"I have not forgotten where I came from," she said. "I fight for my community."

EFFECTIVENESS

But Mayfield's political win was three years ago, when she enjoyed a modest level of legislative success that all but vanished in 2014.

Voters looking to determine her political acumen may turn to her recent House record, which shows just 12 percent of her bills became law during the past three sessions.

From 2009 to 2013, Mayfield passed 30 bills out of 57 filed, meaning 53 percent became law. Since then, Mayfield succeeded in passing just three out of 25 she filed. The near legislative shutout started in 2014, when she declared opposition to the state's Common Core education standards and filed a bill to repeal it.

"I went against leadership in filing my Common Core bill because that's what my constituents wanted me to do," she said. "That's what started the snowball; it was a very hot topic, and ... they wanted it to go away. I filed the bill and it put it right back out there in the front light."

The bill didn't pass, and Mayfield hasn't refiled it.

Being an effective legislator, she said, isn't always about getting a bill approved.

"Sometimes it's to stop bad things from happening," Mayfield noted. "Sometimes you may be the only one who votes against it, but there have been several bills I voted against because I thought it was the right thing to do."

She specified voting against recent attempts at alimony reform and allowing immigrants who are not legal residents from receiving in-state college tuition or from joining the Florida Bar.

POLITICAL EQUALS?

Since 2014, Mayfield has sponsored bills related to education, vacation rentals, surtaxes for water projects and several measures involving the Florida Municipal Power Agency  all of which failed.

It may be little surprise then that Mayfield named "the whole structure itself" as her biggest disappointment during four terms in the House.

"The thing I'm most disappointed in is the fact you have 120 members who are elected to do what their constituents want them to do," she said, "and sometimes those 120 members are not treated as equals."

Still, Mayfield said if she beats her Republican political rivals state Rep. Ritch Workman and physician assistant Mike Thomas, both of Melbourne, she'll battle issues that burden her voters, even if it alienates her from her party's leadership.

MORE | Potential for political soap opera in Mayfield-Workman race

"I feel like if I don't do this, we'll get more people up there who are doing this for the wrong reason," she said. "And I feel very strongly I've done it for the right reason."
By Eric Hasert of TCPalm

With telescopes pointing skyward, dozens of students and residents from the Treasure Coast, and beyond, had a chance to view a celestial event Monday from the grounds of the Indian River State College campus in Fort Pierce as the planet Mercury passed between the earth and the sun. Mercury's transit began at 7:13 a.m. traveling at a diagonal angle before clearing the sun at 2:41 p.m.

"Viewing Mercury passing in between us and the sun is not a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's about a 12 times in a lifetime opportunity," said Jon Bell Director of the Indian River State College Hallstrom Planetarium. "You can watch the planet move between us and the sun, so you actually watch the planet as it travels in its orbit as it goes around the sun. We see it as a silhouette, a little black spot on the sun today for about 7 hours."

Members of the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society and the students from IRSC's Hallstrom Astronomical Society assisted spectators viewing the event through several telescopes and solar filters.

"This is amazing, I've never seen Mercury in a telescope at all and to be able to see it as it's passing across the sun in the daytime is absolutely amazing," said Scott Hughes, of Vero Beach, a member of the Treasure Coast Astronomical Society. "There is nothing like seeing it live through a telescope. Seeing it through the Hubble (space telescope) is amazing, seeing it online is cool, but seeing it yourself when you are eye to eye with a telescope is the best thing ever."

The rare event was last seen in 2006, but will be visible again, within sight from the Treasure Coast, on November 11, 2019.

"It is a great opportunity, we have never seen this kind of transit," said Miguel Yazbek, after he and his wife Susanna, both of Brazil, viewed the event from the IRSC campus while vacationing in Fort Pierce. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com.
SHARE Gov. Rick Scott speaks during during the Valley Industry and Commerce Association Leaders Forum in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles on April 13, 2015. Scott is the latest in a string of out-of-state governors trying to raid businesses and jobs from California, home to nearly 40 million people and by itself one of the world's largest economies. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

By Carl Hiaasen

Florida Gov. Rick Scott went to California last week to steal some jobs.

Guess how that brilliant idea turned out.

Scott urged California businesses to pack up and move to Florida because the minimum wage in Florida is only $8.05 an hour.

That was actually the thrust of his selling point: Why are you paying your workers $10 an hour? Floridians will work dirt cheap!

Scott spent lots of taxpayer money to carry this dubious offer to the Golden State, where it went over like a lead balloon.

In a caustic retort, Gov. Jerry Brown wrote: "If you're truly serious about Florida's economic well-being, it's time to stop the silly political stunts and start doing something about climate change  two words you won't even let state officials say."

A Los Angeles Times editorial called Scott's California trip "especially offensive." It said he "should be home in Florida ... trying to create well-paying jobs, instead of trolling for low-wage ones that he can steal in California, undermining this state's effort to pay a living wage to more of its low-skilled workers."

The impetus for Scott's trip was California's decision to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next six years. Scott says the wage hike will cost the state 700,000 jobs, a figure he got from a conservative think tank that didn't even use California jobs data.

Meanwhile, a study by the Labor Center at the University of California-Berkeley predicted no net job loss in Los Angeles as a result of the state's phased-in pay increases.

In Florida, we're used to Scott's obsession with job numbers instead of quality jobs. It will be the centerpiece of his U.S. Senate run in 2018, by which time we might lead the nation in convenience-store openings.

Last week's "trade mission" to California was Scott's second. His first try came in March 2015, and since then California employers have added twice as many new jobs as Florida employers have.

So, that trip didn't work out so great, either.

Unfortunately for Scott, California's economy is booming right now.

Although the unemployment rate is higher than in Florida, there is no corporate exodus. Ironically, census figures from 2014 indicate that more Florida residents are moving to California than going the other direction.

Florida is an easier sell to multimillionaires looking to relocate in a state with no income tax. That's undoubtedly one of the reasons that Scott himself moved to Florida in 2003.

However, Florida isn't so alluring to firms looking for a skilled and educated labor force. That's because the state still spends an embarrassingly paltry amount on its schools.

According to the National Education Association, the average salary of public teachers in Florida in 2013-2014 was $47,780. That's 39th in the country, worse than even Alabama or Louisiana.

In California, the average teacher salary that year was $71,396.

Now, if you're on the board of Apple or Microsoft, where do you think your employees with school-age children would rather live?

It's bad enough that Scott flies around the country bragging about Florida's pathetically low wages, but he's using public money to run radio commercials in other states, beseeching companies to close up shop and move to Florida.

Which would basically screw all the working people on their payrolls.

The governor's job-poaching junkets are, as the Los Angeles Times said, offensive. But his mission is futile, and his lack of sophistication is breathtaking.

Scott puts the "goober" in gubernatorial.

In March, he invited Yale University to leave its iconic Connecticut campus and resettle in Florida, to avoid state taxes on its endowment fund.

That would be Yale University, founded in 1701. A perfect fit for Boca Raton, right? Or maybe Yeehaw Junction?

Whether Scott was serious or not (he insisted he was), he came off looking like a dolt. They're still laughing at him (and us) in New Haven.

Out of courtesy to his GOP colleagues, Scott focuses his job-stealing raids on states with Democratic governors. There's nothing for them to be afraid of, no manic stampede of companies  or Ivy League universities  to the Sunshine State.

All we Floridians can do is apologize to the rest of the country for any past and future appearances by our weird ambassador for cheap labor and mediocrity.

Don't take him seriously. We certainly don't.

Carl Hiaasen is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may write to him at: The Miami Herald, 3511 N.W. 91 Avenue, Doral, Fla. 33172; email: chiaasen@miamiherald.com.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Department of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) announced the Kerala HSE (Class 12) Result 2016 on Tuesday.

Students can check their results online with their registration numbers and roll numbers on the official website of the Kerala Board of HSE.

Check results here: results.itschool.gov.in, vhse.kerala.gov.in, keralaresults.nic.in, results.kerala.nic.in, dhsekerala.gov.in

The Kerala Higher Secondary Examinations 2016 was held in the month of March by Kerala Board of Higher Secondary Education and around 4,60,743 students appeared for the exam.

Sources said that the pass percentage of higher secondary might be slightly low compared to that during the previous years. Hence moderation could be given to enhance the pass percentage.
"Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat solemnly as he leant forward for his stroke. "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothingabsolute nothinghalf so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Youve all thought about it: getting out onto the Cam in glorious sunshine and lying back while you drift down the backs, laughing at all the tourists lapping up the absolute nonsense peddled by punt guides, and just having a jolly good time. But  it is so easy to do punting wrong. Here at last is a definitive guide to making sure youdo the whole extravaganza properly, and don't make a fool of yourself in front of all the other self assured punters, one of whom youre pretty sure you matched with on Tinder last week.

1. Take something to drink

This is an absolute must. Whether youre a decadent Deborah who likes their champagne or a gauche Gerald who settles for cava, you need to have a bottle of something to swig from. Glasses are highly optional, and are really only there if you want to show off. Popping the cork as you go past Kings is essentially obligatory, and you can 100% put the shot on Instagram. Of course, if thats not your style, lashings of ginger beer is an excellent substitution.

2. Hone your technique

It turns out some people come to Cambridge having never punted before  mad, I know. Before you take the boat out onto the main river, its probably best to have a little push-about at the start. There is no shame in using the pole as a rudder to steer with as well, as long as you keep a hold of it. The classic rookie error is getting the wooden poles, which are as thick and heavy as tree-trunks. They will definitely give you a good workout, but for ease of use and speed of reaction the thinner and lighter metal poles are far superior.

3. Take the correct photos

There is no shame in documenting your experiences via social media. Just make sure you take the right ones. The selfie with Kings in the background? Great. The shot of any bridge  but you know itll be the Bridge of Sighs  also great. The water fowl? You got it  great. Make sure you know how ridiculous you are though, and how pretentious all your friends at York think youre being. Also follow the golden rule of Cambridge social media photos, and only go for one platform at once.

4. Pick the day

If its raining punting is just not worth it. Honestly. Only fun when sunny and hot.

5. Dress the part

Do you own a Panama hat? A straw boater? Vintage sunglasses? A striped blazer? Now is the time to shine. There are so few circumstances where you can wear such obscene clothing,but the Cam is a glorious equaliser and means that anything becomes okay. As soon as you step onto the punt all the baggage of the last ninety years sloughs away and its like were in Brideshead again.

6. Dont fall in

You may think the only danger of falling in is a dying iPhone. How wrong you are. The river itself is rife with disease and teeming with wildfowl begging to attack you. Hell hath no fury like a swan. It doesn't even need scorning. Theyre just awful.

There you have it. So, when youre bored of work,finished with exams, or just have some time to kill, now you know how to make the best of the river, and how to maximise your enjoyment of Cambridge in summer.

Happy Punting!

Image Credit: Benutzer:Urs
Italian and Egyptian investigators met in Cairo yesterday in new efforts to break the deadlock over the investigation into the death of Cambridge PhD student, Guilio Regeni. The developments come a day after a court hearing in which the Regeni family's legal aid, activist Ahmad Abdullah, was detained for a further 15 days.

Abdullah is facing charges of belonging to a banned group and attempting to overthrow the state. He was seized from his house on 25 April, the same day that there were planned protests against the transfer of two islands to Saudi Arabia. Whilst his arrest was not directly related to the case, the Regeni family have expressed their dissatisfaction with his detention.

Mohammed Lotfy, from the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom, spoke about the potentially suspect motives for the arrest, stating: of course the declared reason [for his arrest and trial] concerns the 25 April, but you dont know what is in the mind of the national security officer who added his name to the list of people to be arrested.

On Saturday 7 May, as Abdullah was being trialed, fights broke out in court as the activist tried to hold up a sign saying "Truth for Regeni." Due to the fight that broke out between Bailiffs and Lawyers as people attempted to photograph Abdullah with the sign, the judge ordered all defendants, including Regeni's family, to leave the room. Police confiscated phones and deleted any images taken. Following the chaos of the fight, the dentention of Abdullah has been extended for another 15 days.

The arrival of Italian investigators on saturday night is the latest of efforts by the Italian authorities to gain greater clarity in relation to the case. Last month Rome withdrew their ambassador from Cairo, suggesting that Egyptians authorities were not cooperating in the investigation into what happened to Regeni, and accusing the Egyptians of withholding valuable information.

However a breakthrough during a meeting on Friday when, according to Reuters, the Egyptians shared details of phone records related to the investigation with the Italians.

Italian investigators have not yet commented on the outcome of sunday's talks. The Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni has expressed concern about the willingness of Egyptian authorities to cooperate with Rome.

Gentiloni stated that the killing of Giulio was so horrible and we cannot accept an Italian citizen to be tortured and killed in this way. I have to say that until now the cooperation was not satisfactory  I hope that in the next days things will change, but frankly speaking I want to see results before being optimistic on this.
The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland is a difficult play. The title (as intriguing as the script itself) is based on a real treatment, although as the cast mentioned, this really isnt the focus of the play. Performing a relatively new play is at once a blessing and a curse; it debuted in Edinburgh only last year to high acclaim, and so there is a lack of foreknowledge, but the premise has to excite theatre-goers in the first place. I asked one of the directors, Gabrielle McGuinness, to tell me more about the play.

Eradication follows Richard (Gus Mitchell), a sufferer of schizophrenia, and uses the set and props in order to replicate his experience for the audience. The stage is split in two by a wall; on each side, different stories (with the same characters) are taking place  the audience should be totally immersed in the performance. Some interesting work is done with the characters; the same actor, Jerome Burelbach, for example, plays a doctor on one side and Richards father on the other. It is devices such as this, as well as increasingly more surreal props, that emphasise the hallucinations of someone with schizophrenia.

To anyone who regularly watches Cambridge theatre, the Corpus Playroom seems perfect for this  its intimate, and at times sparse space lends itself to the surreal, domestic theatre.

The cast certainly seemed to be fully immersed in the experience: the rehearsal was at once friendly but serious, Jasmin Rees, Laura Pujos and Dolores Carbonari totally dedicated to their characters from the beginning. However, the play is reliant on its innovative structure, and so I was curious to know whether this had created any unforeseen challenges.

Matching up lines, and remembering the cues across the dividing wall was at first interesting admitted Gabrielle. However we got into it pretty quickly, and now it comes as naturally as if it was only one scene

As I watched the small cast rehearse, it was obvious they were approaching the subject of mental health with an incredible amount of sensitivity. However, this is fundamentally a black comedy, and I wondered how this was used to discuss the taboo.

To use drama as a means of discussion is natural, I think, in that its so immersive. Before tackling the script, we had a workshop with the cast which involved a series of disorientating exercises. These allowed us to move towards understanding the condition we are portraying, and also allowed us to see the dark humour in it all. The fact the play is based around a family moves this into a relatable sphere- and hopefully will allow people to feel comfortable discussing the issues raised afterwards. Aside from the themes of mental health, however, there is a remarkable piece of drama here, and our brilliant cast should bring it to life.

Directorial precision, in addition to full dedication from the actors themselves, suggests the play is in great stead for its opening on Tuesday night.

The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland opens at 7pm at the Corpus Playroom, on Tuesday 10 May.

See Johannes Hjorths blog for more photographs of the rehearsal:

(https://photo.johanneshjorth.se/the-eradication-of-schizophrenia-in-western-lapland)
Google has rehired former executive Rick Osterloh to lead its hardware businesses, which it plans to consolidate under a single division, according to news reports published last week.

Osterloh, who recently stepped down as president of Motorola, reportedly will head up Googles Nexus business, which will include a suite of products dubbed the living room.

It looks like Google is trying to develop a coherent hardware product strategy and fix the hodgepodge collection of hardware products scattered all over Google, said Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

With a centralized group, Google can share development expertise and costs. It should lead to better products and products that work together, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Unified Devices

Google reportedly had planned to reshuffle its hardware businesses following the departure of Regina Dugan, advanced technology and project chief, who left to join Facebook. It was developing technologies such as artificial intelligence and upgrading its existing product line, including Chromebooks, to better compete against a number of startups.

In addition to Nexus, the new division reportedly will include Googles OnHub home router, Chromecast, ATAP and Google Glass, the wearable headgear that is being redeveloped under Project Aura.

Nest CEO Tony Fadell will remain as an adviser to the Glass team. Hiroshi Lockheimer will continue to work on Nexus, but he will move over to work on software and platform development.

Most people figured that Osterloh wouldnt be unemployed for long after leaving Motorola, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

Along with being highly experienced and skilled, hes well-liked and respected across the industry, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Motorola Moves

Google agreed tosell its Motorola Mobility smartphone business to Lenovo in 2014 for US$2.91 billion, a move designed to increase Lenovos presence in the U.S. and Latin American smartphone business. The deal made Lenovo the worlds third largest maker of smartphones at the time.

In one of his first major moves after the sale closed, Osterloh last year led the re-entry of Motorola into the Chinese market with the Moto G and Moto X, two years after the company withdrew from that market. The Chinese market had been a difficult environment to compete in, as rivals such as Xiaomi and Huawei were growing at a rapid pace and pushed Motorola on price.

The China re-entry was one of his proudest moments at the company, he said last year.

International device makers that cant make themselves relevant to Chinese consumers are dead, Osterloh said. Meanwhile, savvy homegrown companies are taking advantage of this landscape to use China as a launchpad for their own global ambitions.

The American market was still important but mature and in some ways stodgy, he said, adding that the most interesting opportunities in mobile was on the frontiers of the business.

Wait and See

During the fiscal third quarter, which ended in December, Lenovo reported that global smartphone volume was down 18.1 percent year over year, with 20.2 million units sold.

Little-known Chinese mobile phone companiesOPPO andVivo pushed Lenovo and Xiaomi out of the worlds top five smartphone market share rankings, IDC reported last week.

Motorola earlier this year announced plans to restructure its businesses by focusing on two product subbrands, Moto and Vibe.

Lenovo last month announced plans to restructure its global business, which included naming Xudong Chen and Aymar de Lencquesaing, the former head of Lenovo North America, as co-presidents of its Mobile Business Group.

Osterloh is well regarded, but Googles hardware business has gone nowhere and the question, is can anyone make it work? said analyst Jeff Kagan.

Its not like at Motorola he has transformed the business into a hot growing handset opportunity under Lenovo, he told the E-Commerce Times.

So while there is great opportunity with Google, I would rather withhold judgment and see if he can get the hardware business off the ground, Kagan added.

If he fails, I wouldnt blame him. Google has not been successful with Nexus or other hardware to date, Kagan said. So I just consider this another shot for Google.
Over 13 million Americans had their identities stolen in 2015. By taking these steps, you can avoid becoming one of this year's statistics.

The signs might not raise any red flags at first. An unfamiliar-looking debit from your checking account here, an innocuous charge to your credit card there. Suddenly, a surge of unauthorized purchases slams you with multiple overdraft fees and taps out your credit limit. Soon, it becomes evident that this is more than some financial fluke.

Depending on the scenario and time of year, your bank, your creditor, the IRS, and even your medical provider may come after you for this pattern of errant behavior that was never yours to begin with. Unfortunately, it's still up to you to fix this debt that's now your responsibility.

The Problem is Real, Lasting, and Costly

Identity theft is no laughing matter if you're on the receiving end. It can ruin your credit and worsen your financial well-being, even when you've been super diligent with your money matters. According to a recent study by Javelin Strategy & Research, 13.1 million Americans had their identities stolen last year, the second-highest number in six years. It amounted to a loss of $15 billion for consumers, banks, and others.

It's estimated that it takes about 600 hours to restore your reputation after an identity theft.

It's also estimated that it takes about 600 hours to restore your reputation after an identity theft. Though those numbers are a few years old, it was just last month that comedian John Oliver highlighted the high rates of error and customer dissatisfaction facing credit reporting bureaus.

Identity thieves have no qualms about stealing someone else's information for their own financial gain, and it's becoming harder to fully safeguard oneself. But you can take simple actions to prevent yourself from becoming a victim.

5 Ways to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Guard Important Personal Documents

If you must guard one piece of physical documentation with your life, make it your Social Security card. Never carry it in your wallet, and only reveal your SSN when it's safe to do so (i.e., for banking or employment purposes). Those nine personalized digits can mean a bad case of identity theft if they fall into the wrong hands.

For paper bank statements, ensure that there aren't any unauthorized or unfamiliar transactions. Keep these and other relevant documents in a locked safe or safety deposit box. When you no longer need papers containing personal information, such as receipts, mail, or other personal documents, consider investing in a shredder to destroy them. Dumpster divers do exist and will troll through people's trash looking for any piece of information.

Beware of "Shoulder Surfers"

Keep watch over your debit or credit cards whenever making a transaction. Even at the most seemingly secure location, you never know who might be looking over your shoulder; thieves have even been known to install tiny cameras, credit card skimmers, and even use binoculars from afar to catch a glimpse of your card.

At the ATM, always use one hand the shield the keypad and prevent anyone from seeing you punch in your PIN. When traveling, use your card only in familiar, well-lit areas, since some ATMs are set up by thieves to fool unwitting tourists. Carry only the plastic that's absolutely necessary in your wallet or purse. If it's stolen or lost, immediately close out your cards with your provider or bank so no unauthorized purchases are made.

Protect Your Digital Presence

With the rise in clever hacking techniques, your home computer or laptop might just be the most vulnerable to identity thieves. Install firewalls, anti-virus software, and/or an anti-spyware program to protect it while you're online.

Even if your computer has never been compromised, it's also good to frequently change your passwords, whether they're for your bank account, social media, or another site; experts suggest using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid easy-to-guess debit card PINs as well, and remember to never, ever store any of this information on your computer.

Be Wary of Fishy Phishing Scams

Open your emails and text messages carefully. Many that look harmless and legitimate are scams in disguise, out to fool people into giving up their personal information. Colloquially, it's known as "phishing" because the prospective thieves go fishing for ways to steal your identity. And it's not always as obvious as someone claiming to be a Nigerian prince in need of your help; several phishing scams look real, posing as scholarship offers, discount deals, correspondence from fictitious organizations, or even communications from your own bank.

Several phishing scams look real, posing as scholarship offers, discount deals, or even communications from your own bank.

Always do a close inspection if you receive an email that leaves you in doubt. First, check online to see if the organization is legitimate. Keep in mind that your bank will never solicit you for passwords or PIN numbers in an email. Neither will the IRS. Check for misspellings or poor grammar, which are surefire signs you're looking at a scam. Again, use that anti-virus software, since phishing emails can often damage your computer when you click on them.

Check Your Credit Report

If you don't already, start checking your credit report at least once a year to see where you stand financially --- especially if you're thinking about taking out a loan, buying a car, or opening a new credit card. Look for any fraudulent activity in your accounts, or for open accounts you may not recognize. If people have been racking up debt on your dime, you need to know.

For your own financial sake, and to prevent scammers' access to your accounts, put a fraud alert on your credit report. This 90-day hold only requires you to contact one of three reporting credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, or Experian), according to Credit Sesame. If you suspect a breach in your finances, you can also place a security freeze on your credit reports, which will prevent the approval of any new applications until you've sorted out the potential problem.

If you believe you've been the victim of identity theft or fraud, don't hesitate to contact the relevant authorities. This includes your credit and banking providers, your local police, and/or the Federal Trade Commission.

Paul Sisolak is a contributing writer at dealnews. Republished with permission.

Image credit: Finger print masthead by nulinukas, bank card in internet by Lolabek
Specs and images for the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active have leaked out of Vietnam. The rugged Galaxy S7 variant has a rounded mixed rubber and polycarbonate frame to replace the metal one on the S7, along with physical buttons and a camouflage design.

Samsung has done very well with its latest flagship smartphone coupling, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. The company just reported robust operating profits for its mobile division, and attributed them to stellar sales figures for the new devices. Since the introduction of its now-ancient predecessor, the Galaxy S4, Samsung has also included a more rugged "Active" version in its Galaxy S lineup, and this year is shaping up to be no exception.

Images of the purported Galaxy S7 Active have now leaked out of Vietnam, and considering the fact that much of Samsung's mobile manufacturing occurs in that region, there's a very good chance the photos are legit. The pics show a thick black rubber bumper completely surrounding the unit, the back of which appears to be made of polycarbonate as opposed to the current glass and metal combo on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

The capacitive touch buttons are replaced with physical ones, as has been the case with all models in the Active series, like 2014's AT&T Samsung Galaxy S5 Active and Sprint's variant, the Galaxy S5 Sport. What differs most from previous models appears to be the rubberized frame protection that maintains the rounded appearance of the regular model. The Galaxy S6 Active was rendered more angular, while the earlier Active models maintained the square appearance of their counterparts.

The Galaxy S7 Active will reportedly pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip and contain 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM (just like the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge). The phone will of course sport IP 68 certification for water-resistance and dustproofing, as this year even the regular S7 models are rocking this feature. However, the Active model is rumored to actually meet military drop-damage standards this time around.

We may also expect a choice of one or two solid colors in addition to the camouflage option pictured. The images also show AT&T branding on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 Active, which is consistent with prior years in which the carrier had the exclusive rights to the rugged variant. Samsung also introduced a Sprint-branded Galaxy S5 Sport with very similar specs and design to the Active in 2014, but no such model was repeated for the Galaxy S6 line on Sprint's network.

Are you planning on buying the Samsung Galaxy S7 Active, and do you think Sprint should launch its own variant? Please let us and our readers know in the comments below.

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A pregnant teen infected with Zika virus expressed her desire to keep the baby despite the risks of it being born with a multitude of birth defects associated with the disease.

Seventeen-year-old Sara Mujica from Connecticut learned that she was pregnant four days after the first signs and symptoms of the virus manifested.

"I was getting rashes all over my body: my legs, my arms, my face everywhere, and I also had a fever and headaches," she says.

Sara began looking up information about Zika. She also thought about the possibility that her symptoms were due to chicken pox.

However, the teen thinks she got infected when she visited her 19-year-old fiance Victor Cruz in his current residence in Choloma, Honduras.

When she returned to the United States, she got herself tested, but the results were only released after more than a month. During that time, she was already back in Honduras for a second trip to be with Cruz.

When the results were released on May 2, Sara's mother called her to inform the news. She was emotional as she informed her daughter, who in turn, was shocked.

Miracle Baby

"I'm not happy that my baby is going to be born with Zika but God has given me a miracle," says Sara.

When Sara was 15 years old, she had meningitis and doctors told her she would not be able to conceive anymore, so when she found that she was pregnant, the baby was a huge miracle for her.

In a GoFundMe page she and her fiance set up, she explained how her religious belief also shaped her decision to keep the child.

"I have decided to keep my baby because it's what God has given to me & I do NOT believe in abortion so I would never do that," she writes on her GoFundMe page.

Dangers Of Zika Virus To Pregnant Women

If there is one condition that has strongly been linked with Zika, that is microcephaly, or the congenital abnormal smallness of a baby's head associated with incomplete brain development.

Ever since May 2015, Brazil has reported a notable outbreak of Zika infection and recently, authorities have documented a rise in cases of babies born with microcephaly.

Scientists all over the world started to research on the link between microcephaly and Zika virus during pregnancy. Earlier, there were little to almost no association detected. However, in a recent paper, CDC experts confirmed there is now sufficient proof to conclude that Zika virus during pregnancy is the cause of microcephaly and other birth defects such as eye anomalies, deafness and defective growth.

At present, researchers are looking at the complete list of other possible health impairments that Zika infection during pregnancy may result in.

Fate Of Future Pregnancies

Women who contracted Zika virus before getting pregnant were found to have no risks of having a child born with the birth defects, that is, of course, if the virus has been cleared out of the blood.

Based on available evidence about similar conditions, an individual who becomes infected with Zika is highly likely to have protection against future Zika infections.

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In an effort to determine whether financial incentives could be effective in smoking cessation, hospitals in France will offer pregnant women up to 300 ($342) in vouchers if they agree to kick the habit.

This follows a previous study in the United Kingdom which found that only one in five pregnant women successfully quits smoking even if offered a reward.

Now, the public hospital system in the city of Paris and surrounding suburbs is testing the efficacy of financial rewards, with 17 hospitals agreeing to participate in the three-year trial.

Expectant mothers will be given 20 ($22.81) for every doctor's visit in which they can prove they have not been smoking.

The participants must be over the age of 18, at least four months pregnant, and smoked or used to smoke five cigarettes a day. Most importantly, the women must have a strong desire to quit, researchers say.

Every doctor's visit, the women will have to undergo urine and saliva tests to determine their current nicotine levels.

The women will also see a specialist during prenatal appointments who will help them with strategies that support lifestyle change.

If the participants attend all sessions with the specialist, they will receive an additional voucher that could be redeemed at department stores.

Studies have shown that smoking during pregnancy reaps harmful effects. A study published in April revealed that smoking may chemically alter the DNA of babies.

Specifically, researchers found spots in the blood samples of newborn babies with mothers who smoked.

Half of these spots were linked to specific genes that influence asthma, birth defects including cleft lips and cleft palates, and the development of the nervous system and lungs.

Another study in 2014 found that fetal exposure to cigarette smoke from mothers who did it during pregnancy led to a 45 percent higher risk of developing asthma.

For infants who were exposed to second-hand smoke, the risk for asthma was 23 percent, while the risk for eczema was 26 percent higher.

Meanwhile, France's trial on financial incentives is not the first of its kind. In 2015, researchers in Glasgow published the findings of a similar trial, revealing that financial rewards were indeed effective in helping expectant mothers quit smoking.

Of the more than 600 women in the study, 22.5 percent of those offered with financial rewards stopped the habit, while 8.6 percent who met with specialists quit smoking.

"I think the reason why it worked was because that type of reward really added to the motivation that many of them already had," says Linda Bauld, a researcher in the Glasgow study.

Whether or not the incentive in France will work, we shall wait and see.

Photo: Ricardo Liberato | Flickr

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Connecticut-based drug maker Purdue Pharma has come under fire after a new report tagged the company's wonder drug, OxyContin, as one of the likely reasons why opioid abuse in the United States had increased significantly over the past two decades.

According to a recent article by the Los Angeles Times, Purdue Pharma's complicity in the increase of opioid addiction stems from its marketing of OxyContin's pain relieving properties, which supposedly lasts for 12 hours.

The drug company had informed doctors that patients only need to take one tablet in the morning and another one before going to sleep at night in order to benefit from "smooth and sustained pain control" the entire day.

However, many patients reported that the drug easily wore off after only a few hours after taking it. Since OxyContin shares many chemical properties with heroin, the supposed painkiller left people to experience severe symptoms of withdrawal, such as an intense craving for the medication, as soon as it wears off.

The Times article asserted that based on internal documents gathered from Purdue Pharma, the drug maker continued to push for patients to use OxyContin as a 12-hour medication even though it was well aware that the drug's pain relieving properties dissipate early in many people.

Clinical trials conducted by Purdue Pharma revealed that many of those who were given OxyContin asked for additional doses even before the 12-hour period was up.

The Times also cites an analysis made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on one OxyContin study wherein one-third of 164 participants who were subjected to Purdue Pharma's painkiller dropped out of the treatment. The patients said OxyContin was "ineffective" at helping relieve their pain.

As a result, the drug maker's researchers modified the rules of their study to allow participants to take supplemental pain relief drugs in between receiving 12-hour doses of OxyContin.

Another study found that 95 percent of the 87 cancer patients who were given OxyContin resorted to using alternative painkillers instead of staying exclusively on Purdue Pharma's medication.

Despite reports that OxyContin was ineffective for many people and doctors recommending patients to use the drug only as an eight-hour medication, Purdue Pharma still marketed the painkiller as a 12-hour drug to drive sales because it provides a marketing edge over many of its rival medications that only had shorter durations, the news article said.

Purdue Pharma strongly denies the points mentioned in the Los Angeles Times report, stating that it disregards the clinical and regulatory data that the drug company submitted to the news agency that would contradict the accusations.

"Unfortunately, the paper disregarded this information, instead publishing a story that's long on anecdote and short on facts," Purdue Pharma said.

The drug maker added that the Times report could cause more confusion among people regarding the opioid epidemic that is currently plaguing the country.

As of the moment, OxyContin continues to be one of the most popular painkillers in the United States, with 5.4 million prescriptions written for the drug's use in 2014.

During the same year, more than half of those under the medication for more than three months were given OxyContin doses of at least 60 milligrams. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told doctors that they should avoid prescribing such doses of the drug or to carefully justify why it is needed.

How To Prevent Opioid Abuse

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has identified multiple types of interventions that can help people avoid the abusive use of opioid medications.

1. Launching educational initiatives that could be delivered in schools and communities

2. Supporting the consistent use of programs for prescription drug monitoring

3. Implementing programs for naloxone distribution directly to identified opioid users as well as educating people on the effects of opioid overdose

4. Strictly enforcing the law against pill mills and the practice of doctor shopping

5. Diverting people suffering from substance use disorders to drug courts instead of regular ones

6. Allowing more people to have access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid addiction

7. Creating better formulations for opioid-based analgesics that could discourage abuse

NIDA is also supporting additional research on the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach to determine the most appropriate form of treatment for chronic pain patients. The agency hopes that this could eliminate the practice of some doctors who choose to prescribe opioid medications because of the belief that they are the easiest and least expensive way to relieve pain.

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Hyderabad: The famed Nagarjunakonda, a Buddhist site in Andhra Pradesh has been included in the Archaeological Survey of Indias list of 86 Must See outstanding Indian monuments and archaeological sites on its portal, but there is none from Telangana.

Though Hyderabads Charminar, Golconda Fort and Qutb Shahi tombs are famous the world over, they dont figure in the final list. In the draft Must See list, neither Telangana nor Andhra Pradesh monuments were listed. Churches and convents of Goa were on it but were removed in the final list.

ASI received petitions from historians and others from Telangana demanding inclusion of Telangana monuments. An ASI official said the list was prepared in New Delhi. ASI looks into various aspects including importance of a monument or archaeological site, conservation and maintenance before selecting it. Telangana monuments like Charminar, Golconda and Qutb Shahi tombs may not fit into this aspect, he said.

Of the 29 states and seven Union territories in the country, monuments and archaeological sites from only 17 states figure in the Must See list. Karnataka takes the lions share with 25 of its monuments listed followed by Assam at 18 and Uttar Pradesh nine. The draft list included 45 monuments and archaeological sites that was increased to 86.

The states that do not figure are Telangana, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura. ASI, under the Ministry of Culture, had decided to create an online portal for outstanding monuments and archaeological sites, under the protection of the ASI including those that feature on UNESCOs World Heritage List.
A 26-year-old man in Australia who used cannabis every day has developed a rare form of disease known as cannabis arteritis, which is now preventing a serious wound on his foot from healing properly.

The Frankston native was taken to the hospital after noticing that the ulcer on one of his big toes doesn't seem to heal. He said that he had been using more than 1 gram of marijuana for the past few days leading up to his hospitalization.

Dr. David Soon, a member of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), said that the patient's daily use of marijuana has caused plaque to build up around the artery of his big toe, which prevents the wound to close up and heal.

Soon explained that using cannabis can cause the periphery blood vessels of a person to tighten up, effectively increasing resistance. This causes large amounts of plaque to build up around the arteries, making them narrower and preventing blood from flowing accordingly.

The doctor, who presented his findings during the Annual Scientific Congress (ASC) in Brisbane, said that the case of the Frankston man is the first instance that cannabis arteritis has been detected in Australia. The first few cases of this rare peripheral vascular disease have were identified in Europe from 1960 to 2008.

Cannabis arteritis is known to cause the formation of lesions on the arteries. The condition is closely associated with long-term and daily use of cannabis.

Those who develop this peripheral vascular disease are subjected to limb amputation in severe cases. However, in the Frankston man's case, doctors opted to treat his wound through the use of a balloon catheter (balloon angioplasty). The patient will also have to take aspirin for the rest of his life.

While cannabis arteritis is considered to be a rare condition, Soon said that doctors around the country should know more about it. He added that people who are diagnosed with the disease would have better prognoses if they stop using cannabis.

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A poll has found that half of U.S. teens report feeling heavily dependent on their mobile devices, while more than half of parents know about such addiction of their teens. How do you tell if your kid is actually smartphone-obsessed?

James Steyer, CEO and founder of Common Sense Media, the nonprofit agency initiating the study, highlighted the ways mobile device use can alter family interactions.

[P]roblematic media use can negatively affect childrens development and that multitasking can harm learning and performance, he warned.

Curbing the problem starts with identifying its roots. Common Sense Medias parenting editor Caroline Knorr said that telltale signs are present: children being happy only when they are using their cell phone, or turning upset because their phone is getting in the way of completing other activities.

There are a lot of internet sites that promise help for all kinds of technology addictions, but the best way to proceed if you're feeling there is a problem  start with your doctor who can give an assessment, Knorr told Mashable.

According to psychiatry professor Dr. David Greenfield of the University of Connecticut, only a slim percentage of people qualify as addicted, but many people, including kids, overuse their smartphones.

The line between overuse and addiction is gray, but there are signals that one is moving into addiction territory: one cant stop using her smartphone even with an impending threat to her life, or the device cant be left behind even during a school affair or work meeting.

[If] you cant help being on it even when you know you shouldnt be, that loss of control is the hallmark of an addiction, he explained to Time.

Other warning signs include withdrawal, anxiety, irritability, or feeling uncomfortable when ones phone isnt within reach. A child being on the phone more and more  an increasing desire to up ones smartphone dose  is not unlike substance abusers building up tolerance to alcohol or drugs.

Furthermore, the internet is likened to the worlds largest slot machine, where Greenfield said that excitement and anticipating build up when one checks his or her email or visit a favorite social site. Pleasure chemicals burst in ones brain, driving the ever increasing use of phones.

Other common signs include neglecting spending time with family and friends, changes in sleep patterns (artificial light from phones damage sleep hormone signals), foregoing healthy activities such as walking and socializing, difficulties relating to other kids and people, stress on fingers and the body and behavioral issues such as delinquency.

For digital detox specialist Holland Haiis, it is important to address a current or looming addiction by establishing limits on internet surfing. Posting on social media, for instance, should be kept to three to five times a week, while taking a walk or exercise should be encouraged in case one has the urge to check a mobile device.

Because if a teen often chooses gaming indoors over meeting friends for burgers or the movies, there is certainly a problem at hand.

Photo: Val Wroblewski | Flickr

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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg won a trademark case in China after the Beijing Higher People's Court ruled in its favor against a local company that used "face book" on its beverage product.

Zhujiang Beverage Factory, which is a Zhongshan-based company, registered the trademark "face book" in 2011. Its products include porridge and milk-flavored drinks.

In 2014, the company gained approval from the country's Trademark Review and Adjudication Board to continue using the trademark after Facebook had objected to such use.

A recent post at the Beijing court's Weibo account revealed that the trademark authority's ruling has been revoked. A new verdict was then issued last month, which said that Zhujiang Beverage Factory's "face book" labeling on certain foods and beverages is no doubt an obvious act of trademark infringement and that it had violated fair market competition.

The issue has so far gained wider attention on Chinese social media.

Liu Hongqun, marketing manager at Zhujiang Beverage, argued that "face book" or "lian shu" in the local language depicts something that is inherent in Chinese culture.

Lian shu, according to Liu, is commonly seen in traditional Chinese operas that feature intricately designed masks known as "face books" in China. These masks are used to portray a historical figure in China's traditional operas, although they are more popular in Peking opera.

Liu further argued that while Facebook is indeed a globally popular brand, it has been blocked in China since 2009. He asked about how many customers in China can really access Facebook or sign up for an account in the mainland.

Under the laws in China, a multinational company that has a recognized brand worldwide must prove to the Chinese court that its trademark is also popular within the mainland. Use may be one thing, but popularity is a different matter.

Though Facebook has been blocked in China, the social media site and Zuckerberg are well known in the mainland. Most internet users have gained access to the site by using virtual private networks (VPNs), which are of course deemed illegal by the nation. Apart from Facebook, Twitter  which is also blocked in China  is accessed by consumers using VPNs.

It is speculated that Facebook's recent trademark victory is attributed in part to Zuckerberg's adulation for China. Some of his well-known moves that have earned him a celebrity status include giving out a speech in Mandarin to a crowd in China, sending a Lunar New Year video message in Mandarin, posting some photos on social media that showed him jogging at the smog-filled Tiananmen Square in Beijing, and conducting a meeting in March with Liu Yunshan, a member of a top circle of leadership in China.

In contrast, Apple recently lost a trademark case against a leather-making company that used the name "IPHONE" on its products. The iPhone maker is set to appeal its case to the mainland's Supreme People's Court.

Photo: Marco Pakoeningrat | Flickr

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The Luxembourg Government and Deep Space Industries (DSI) have agreed to develop and launch an aircraft capable of conducting asteroid mining tests in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

DSI, an asteroid mining company, forged an agreement with the government of Luxembourg to work on Prospector-X, a small spacecraft that would assess vital technologies they can use for prospective mining of near Earth orbits like asteroids and its compositions.

Luxembourg is the first European country to express interest in in-space commercial asteroid mining. The government announced in February that it is securing all legal and regulatory frameworks necessary for the project to push through. They have now sealed the deal with DSI.

"Our promising cooperation with DSI within the spaceresources.lu initiative clearly demonstrates the strong commitment of the Luxembourg Government to support the exploration and future use of space resources," said [PDF] Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Etienne Schneider, in a press release.

DSI has a good space exploration portfolio, having previously worked with NASA in several contracts. The company is planning to open another research center in Luxembourg where Prospector-X would be partially built and tested.

The partnership is a novel way of using innovation and power of enterprise to open the space for all, according to DSI board chairman Rick Tumlinson.

Tumlinson shared that they are planning to test Comet-1 on Prospector-X. Comet-1 is an electrothermal thruster that uses a water propellant, which will prove to be useful when harvesting water from asteroids becomes possible.

Asteroids are composed of water ice, which can be harvested and processed to make fuel for rockets and other spacecrafts. They also have rare metals that can be valuable on Earth.

Asteroid mining is the process of getting resources that can be useful for the space industry. Harvested resources can be brought down to Earth from space to further space studies or kept in space to be used by several spacecrafts during their flights. For instance, asteroids can serve as gasoline stations for spacecrafts in transit.

DSI is planning to harvest water from these asteroids and this is why they are also developing a spacecraft that uses water as its propellant  it would be a lucrative business for future in-space applications.

"We are going out to places that are dead and deadly, and we're harvesting the stuff of life so that humanity can go out there and live and explore," said Tumlinson. "It's almost like as if we were drilling for the first oil and we were developing the internal combustion engine."

Tumlinson also shared that DSI is also hoping to widen its asteroid mining to include other gases and valuable metals. But their main focus is the development of thruster because it is already applicable to present commercial space explorations.

Once Prospector-X is launched in LEO, the company is planning to launch Prospector-1 spacecraft on an asteroid mission. The future mission hopes to bring back to Earth a wealth of information about the composition of an asteroid and its potential for mining activities. They are also hoping to send Prospector-1 to many different asteroids to investigate possible mining locations.

While the government sealed the deal with DSI, they are also looking to expand their space mining investments by collaborating with other established asteroid mining companies. Planetary Resource, with its successful asteroid prospecting spacecraft launch in July 2015, is a possible choice for the government.

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Moderators from one of Reddit's biggest online communities plans to ban links from publications that demand readers to stop running ad-blockers on their sites.

The ban has been put up for a vote among subscribers of Reddit's popular technology subreddit, /r/technology, which has more than five million subscribers, and the idea seems to be gaining a lot of support, according to Business Insider.

The thread  which is also considering a ban on pay walls, such as those used by the Wall Street Journal  has been upvoted by nearly 90 percent of users clicking on the forum.

In a message posted Sunday, /r/technology moderator "creq" wrote:

"It has come to our attention that many websites such as Forbes and Wired are now requiring users to disable ad blockers to view content. Because Forbes requires users to do this and has then served malware to them we see this as a security risk to you our community. There are also sites such as Wall Street Journal that have implemented pay-walls which we were are also considering banning.

"We would like all of your thoughts on whether or not we should allow domains such as Forbes here on /r/technology while they continue to resort to such practices.

"Thank you for the input."

Ad-blocker users tend to be young, male and tech-savvy, according to a February report by PageFair and Adobe, estimating 200 million ad block users worldwide every month.

Researchers found that publishers did not have any problems getting users to turn off their ad-blockers when accessing their sites (for example, 42.3 percent either disabled ad-blocker or whitelisted Forbes), but the idea may not bring success in the long run.

Some users turn their ad-blockers back on once they get through the initial ad-blocker wall, while others just get their news somewhere else.

An increasing number of publishers have begun blocking readers who use ad-blockers, including Forbes, GQ, City AM, the Washington Post, the Daily Telegraph and Bild.

Some Reddit users have commented about whether websites like these should be banned entirely or tag them with words such as words such as "NoAdblock," "Paywall" or "Not Safe for Browser" instead, so users know what they're clicking on.

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Kids can soon sue their parents for posting their pictures on Facebook

Authorities in France have warned moms and dads of posting intimate or embarrassing photos of their young children on Facebook. Such an act could land them with a fine and jail time.

French parents could face fines of up to 45,000 and a year in prison if found guilty of breaching their right to privacy when they are young, reported the Guardian. Thanks to the countrys strict privacy laws.

In a few years, children could easily take their parents to court for publishing photos of them when they were younger, Eric Delcroix, an expert on internet law and ethics, told The Telegraph.

Children at certain stages do not wish to be photographed or still less for those photos to be made public, he continued.

In a 2015 study, author and child psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair, said, Your favourite picture of your child sitting on the potty for the first time may not be their favourite picture of themselves when theyre 13. She found that parents in the U.K. post nearly 200 photos of their young children (under the age of 5) every year.

Earlier this year, Frances national gendarmerie wrote that you can all be proud moms and dads to your magnificent children, but be careful.

We remind you that posting photos of your kids to Facebook is not without danger! it wrote.

Given the relative youth of social media, its difficult to say precisely how growing up online could affect children but there are concerns around trespassing privacy, safety and security.

Professor Nicola Whitton from Manchester Metropolitan University added to The Guardian: I think were going to get a backlash in years to come from young people coming to realize that theyve had their whole lives, from the day they were born, available to social media.

Parents have to work out whats right for them, but be aware that this is another person, another human being, who may not thank them for it in 15 years to come.

It may seem hard, but my line would be dont put pictures online until theyre of an age where its appropriate to discuss it with them.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Viviane Gelles, a lawyer specialising in internet privacy told that in French law, Parents are responsible for protecting images of their children.

They could in turn be harming the future reputation of their children by posting them online with irresponsible abandonment. As a result, a grown child would have all the possible rights to sue their parents arguing that their right to privacy was breached by them.

However, Professor Sonia Livingston at the London School of Economics  who has conducted research into childrens rights in a digital age  did not agree with the proposed new laws.

She claimed that the draconian rule need not apply if parents are honest and able to explain to their kids about what they do and dont want online.

Prof Livingston said: If (parents) can be open with their children about what they wish to share, with whom and why, this need not result in a draconian crackdown on all sharing.
Shocker : Researcher Gets Arrested After Finding and Reporting SQL Injection on Elections Site in United States

This can happen only in America. A security researcher who found and reported flaws was surprisingly arrested instead of being rewarded by authorities in Florida. David Levin, 31, a security researcher from Estero, Florida, has turned himself in after Florida police issued a warrant for his arrest last week. The warrant was issued by Florida Police after finding Levin guilty of three hacking-related charges.

Despite of making the police understand he found out the flaws for protecting the election website from hackers, Levin had to spent six hours in jail last Wednesday before being released on a $15,000 bond.

Police on their part stated that Levin was arrested for illegally accessing state websites on three occasions. The first took place on December 19, 2015 when Levin illegally accessed the Lee County Elections website. This incident was then followed by two other, on January 4 and 31, 2016, when Levin also hacked into the Department the State Elections website as well.

The authorities stated that they charged Levin because he never asked for permission prior to starting his endeavor. Perhaps they did not know that security researchers often try to find loopholes in websites including critical state-owned websites to protect them from cyber criminals.

Levin, whos the owner of his own company called Vanguard Cybersecurity, has also recorded a video together with Dan Sinclair, detailing how he hacked into the vulnerable website using a simple SQL injection bug.
A 40 anos de Malvinas

"Revisar el pasado es pensar el futuro". La frase de la presidenta de Telam, Bernarda Llorente, resume el espiritu del documental coproducido entre la agencia de noticias y el canal publico de TV sobre la cobertura que los medios de comunicacion hicieron del conflicto, plagada de censura y mentiras. Una autocritica necesaria para mirar hacia adelante en un (ya viejo) contexto de fake news y negocio informativo.
Her murder occurs amid extremely violent attacks against the residents of Molleturo who are resisting illegal and legal mining. | Read More
New Delhi: Congress created a storm in Parliament on Monday and disrupted proceedings over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charge at a poll rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments in the first two hours because of the continued uproar and sloganeering by Congress members, leading to washout of the Zero Hour and Question Hour.

"Narendra Modi maafi mange. 'Feku' Mama maafi maange (Narendra Modi should apologise. Bluffmaster should apologise)," shouted members of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha, which failed to transact any business except one question during the Question Hour.

In the Lok Sabha too, the issue generated heat soon after it assembled for the day with Congress members raising the matter.

Read: Dont act strongly against Sonia Gandhi, warn BJP leaders

The Congress questioned how the Prime Minister could make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both the Houses last week.

The opposition party wanted to know which court Modi was quoting. "Pradhan Mantri House mein aao (Prime Minister should come to the House)" and reply, Congress members chanted.

In Rajya Sabha, they demanded an apology from the Prime Minister, forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to first adjourn the proceedings of the House twice during Zero Hour, first for 10 minutes and then again till 1200 hours.

Again when the House met at noon, Chairman Hamid Ansari's pleas to allow the Question Hour to function did not evoke any positive response as the Congress members created pandemonium and raised slogans against the Prime Minister.

At one point, an exasperated Ansari remarked: "It is not becoming of the House". Do not do that. Allow the question hour to take place."

Read: AgustaWestland deal: Arvind Kejriwal dares Modi to arrest Sonia Gandhi

In the Lok Sabha, Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge was heard saying that the Prime Minister's comments could influence CBI and ED which are investigating the alleged kickbacks in the Rs 3600 crore VVIP helicopter deal.

Asking "which court has indicted" Sonia Gandhi, Kharge said it was a serious issue and the party might be forced to move Privilege Motion against the Prime Minister.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) said no member in the Lower House or the Upper House, during the debate on AgustaWestland deal, said the UPA leadership had taken money.

Maintaining that Congress had demanded stringent action against any leader or officer found guilty in the case, he said Modi had during poll rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu claimed that it was not his statement but an Italian court has said that Gandhi was guilty in the case.

Read: On election trail in Tamil Nadu, Modi attacks Congress over chopper scam

He asked why Modi did not intervene in the debates on the issue in either of the House to say this.

Azad noted that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply and the charge was being used to tarnish the image of the Congress and its leadership.

CBI, which is conducting an inquiry in the case, falls directly under the Prime Minister, he said and asked will the investigating agency not be influenced by such statements.

Anand Sharma (Cong) said the Prime Minister should come to the House and substantiate the statement he has made. Kurien said what is being attributed to the Prime Minister was said outside the House and the Congress can reply to that outside as well. "The Chair cannot take cognizance of it," he said, adding "I cannot do anything."

As Kurien ruled out Sharma's notice under rule 267 to suspend business to take up the issue, Congress members trooped in the Well raising slogans against the PM. "Is Chair responsible for political speeches," he asked.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while no one guilty in the deal will be spared, no innocent will be touched.

As the Congress members shouted slogans against Prime Minister, Naqvi asked Chair to rein them in saying the BJP was also capable of shouting slogans.

According to him, Modi had said "what the world is talking and what the Italian court has said."

He noted that Modi had not made any policy announcement outside the House and so has not violated any rule. "It was an election rally speech," he said, adding that no one who has taken bribe will be spared and the Congress members' demand will be taken care of.

Sharma asked if the Prime Minister was pre-empting the CBI investigation since the probe agency comes under him. Modi, he said, has made a statement which contradicts what the Defence Minister had said on the floor of the House.

He went on to state that Prime Minister's statement was violative of norms and dignity of the house. Kurien, however, said the Chair cannot ask the Prime Minister to come and make a statement on the issue.
New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday received a death threat following which senior party leaders will meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

According to reports, Puducherry Congress received a letter threatening the life of Rahul Gandhi earlier on Monday.

The Congress vice-president is set to address a public rally in poll bound Puducherry.

Reports stated that the threat letters were written in Tamil.

The Congress leaders will take up the matter with Rajnath, asking him to step up the security for Rahul.
In continuation of the Thai governments efforts at promoting the countrys digital economy, the Thai government has recently announced the waiving of dividend and income taxes for VC firms for up to 10 years, to encourage investments into businesses and start-ups operating within the 10 supported industries, according to a report published by Thairath on May 5th, 2016.

This tax break will also apply to individuals who contribute to the partnered VC funds, and will be eligible for new businesses and start-ups established between the 1st of October to the 31st of December this year, said Deputy Minister of Finance Wisuth Srisuphan.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Science and Technology  in partnership with various venture capital firms  has recently agreed to the establishment of a 500-million baht fund-of-funds aimed at investing in tech start-ups operating within the supported industries.

The governments list of supported industries include: next-generation cars, smart-electronics; affluent, medical and wellness tourism; agriculture and biotechnology; food; robotics for industry; logistics and aviation; biofuels and biochemicals; digital; and medical services. (Source: Tax Break for Start-up Funds  Bangkok Post,

Read the complete story here
New Delhi: Sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Monday got a major boost ahead of the confidence vote in the Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow with the High Court dismissing the petition of nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification and the Supreme Court refusing to give any relief to them.

It is advantage Rawat as Justice U C Dhyani of the High Court dismissed two writ petitions filed by the rebel Congress MLAs against the Speaker's action, holding that by their conduct the lawmakers have "voluntarily given up membership of their political party", a ground for disqualification under the anti-defection law.

Read: Uttarakhand HC dismisses plea of 9 rebel MLAs, to remain disqualified

"This court, subject to scrutiny of Speaker's action on the principles of natural justice, therefore, holds that the ingredients of paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution are met against the petitioners.

"By their conduct, it has been established that they have 'voluntarily given up membership of their political party', even if they have not become members of any other political party," Justice U C Dhyani said in his 57-page judgement.

Read: SC appoints neutral observer for tomorrows floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly

After excluding the nine disqualified MLAs, the Assembly has an effective strength of 61 members. Of that, the Congress has 27 MLAs on its own and claims the backing of six-member PDF to make the ruling side's figure of 33. Rawat needs the backing of 31 MLAs for a simple majority.

The BJP has 28 MLAs, including that of Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty is in doubt. The PDF comprises two of BSP, one of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and three independents.

Read: New video sting bites Harish Rawat

The High Court judgement referred to the joint memorandum signed by the nine MLAs along with the BJP legislators and given to the Governor on March 18 and said dissent is not defection and the Tenth Schedule while recognising dissent prohibits defection.

"The instant case is an illustration of the fact that the petitioners have not only deserted the leader and deserted the Government, but under the garb of dissent, they have, by their conduct, deserted the party, otherwise they would not have said in the joint memorandum that they voted against the Appropriation Bill, it was not passed, the Government is in minority and, therefore, the Cabinet of Harish Rawat be dismissed."

Read: Centre moves SC for modification of its order on Uttarakhand floor test

"There is a thin line of difference between deserting the Leader/Government and deserting the party. Dissent is permissible only so long as it does not tread into the realm of voluntarily relinquishing the membership of the party . If dissent is permitted to unfathomable limit, then it will amount to deserting the party and would also tantamount to voluntarily giving up his membership of such political party under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule," Justice Dhyani said.

Shortly after the High Court verdict, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court challenging the order and sought an immediate relief of being allowed to participate in tomorrow's floor test in the Assembly.

"The prayer for interim relief (for stay of the HC judgement) can be considered on the date of next hearing," an apex court bench comprising Justices Dipak Mishra and Shiva Kirti Singh said while fixing the matter for hearing on July 12. It issued notice to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, who had disqualified the MLAs.

Justice Dhyani his order will not come in the way of the affected MLAs to approach the Speaker for a review of his action.

Earlier, Counsel for the disqualified MLAs, C A Sundaram, mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India T S Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.

The bench of Justice Mishra and Justice Singh allowed the Centre's plea for modification of its Friday order appointing the Principal Secretary (Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Affairs) of Uttarakhand government to oversee conduct of the floor test tomorrow.

Ordering a floor test on May 10 in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said "if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the President's Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 am and 1 pm for a "single agenda" of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.
Rice exports from Vietnam, the worlds third-largest shipper, will probably rebound this year as lower prices boost demand, while competition with Thailand keeps the gain to single digits, according to the government.

The Chinese market will definitely become active again after quiet periods late 2014 and early this year, said Tran Tuan Anh, deputy minister of industry and trade. Competitive prices, suitable varieties, and geographic proximity in particular to China, are Vietnams advantages over Thailand, the top shipper. Exports may rise less than 10 percent in 2015, he said in an interview in Hanoi on March 4.

Global output is set to be near last years record, and Thailand will ship more this year than any country ever, U.S. government data show. Futures fell to a four-year low in Chicago, helping cut food costs to the lowest since 2010. While Thailands export prices will be pressured as the country sells about 17 million metric tons in state reserves over the next two years, they have been higher than that of Vietnam, India and Pakistan, the Thai Rice Exporters Association says.

While generally, Vietnamese rice costs less, Thailand does offer lower prices sometimes, Anh said, without giving an estimate. Thailand is trying to increase access to Africa, where India and Pakistan also compete fiercely, he said.

Prices for Vietnams double-water-polished milled-rice with 5 percent broken were quoted at $355 per ton, the lowest since July 2010 and $50 less than Thailands 5 percent broken for the week ending Feb. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report dated Feb. 12.

Thai prices

The Thai variety was at $419 a ton on March 4, according to exporters association data. Chareon Laothamatas, president of the group, said on Feb. 3 that the price was about $405 to $410 and compares with $355 in Vietnam, $370 in Pakistan and $380 in India. The sale of stockpiled rice will continue to weigh on prices, Chareon said.

Thailands record stockpiles are the legacy of the previous governments rice-purchase policy. Yingluck Shinawatras administration spent $27 billion buying at guaranteed, above-market rates to aid farmers. She was ousted in May by military leaders, who now plan to auction the grain.

Futures traded at $10.53 per 100 pounds on the Chicago Board of Trade on Tuesday after plunging to $10.01 on Feb. 3, the lowest since July 2010.

Vietnam sales

Exports from Vietnam dropped to 6.4 million tons in 2014 from 6.7 million a year earlier, General Statistics Office data show. Sales in the first two months of 2015 may reach 515,000 tons, down 34 percent from a year ago, the office estimates.

Shipments will pick up from the second quarter and bring the total this year to match or exceed last years figure by a little bit, Anh said, without giving exact figures.

Global milled production may decline to 474.6 million tons in 2014-15 from an all-time high of 477.1 million tons a year earlier, according to the USDA.

Thai shipments will climb to 11 million tons in 2015 from 10.2 million tons last year, according to the Food & Agriculture Organization. India will export 8.2 million tons from 10 million tons, it said. Chinas imports may reach 4.3 million tons in 2014-15 from 4.1 million, the USDA report shows.

Vietnam will also continue to count on demand from its traditional markets like the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, Anh said. While the countries are trying to boost production and become self-sufficient, their efforts will take time and demand is still high this year, he said.
Vietnam exported more than two million tons of rice in the first four months this year. Photo: Diep Duc Minh

Thailands plan to sell off its rice stockpile within two months has sparked concerns for Vietnamese rice exporters, many of whom have been already hitting bumps.

They said Thailands clearance of 11.4 million tons, more than the countrys annual average export, in such a short period will push prices down significantly and hurt consumption of rice from Vietnam.

Several exporters said the business is hitting a standstill.

Nguyen Thanh Long, director of Viet Rice Company in Ho Chi Minh City, said many customers from China, the Philippines and Africa have suspended their negotiations.

They said they want more time to calculate and observe the market, Long said, as cited by Phap Luat Newspaper.

A source from the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the clearance in Thailand will put Vietnam in harsh competition. According to industry insiders, purchase of Vietnamese rice was affected when Thailand sold off their stockpile in the past, but the impact will be much worse this time with the record high volume being offered.

Vietnamese rice is currently cheaper than Thai products by US$5-10 a ton.

Rice in Thailands government stockpiles is the direct competitor with Vietnamese low-cost rice, which currently accounts for a major part in Vietnams rice export.

The trade ministry of Vietnam has suggested the agriculture ministry to make plans to reach out to new rice export markets, especially in the quality sector.

Official figures showed Vietnam exported more than two million tons of rice worth US$916 million in the first four months, up 12 percent in volume and 14 percent in value from a year ago.

China continued to be the biggest buyer, importing 32 percent of the volume.
Vietnam could export more than 3 million tons of rice in the first half of 2016, up 12 percent from a year ago, on rising demand from China and other Southeast Asian nations amid supply concerns caused by drought, the government said on Friday.

Rice shipments in the three months ending June are projected at 1.6 million tons, including sales to China, the government reported on its website citing the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). However, the VFA lowered their projection by 11 percent amid a drought in Vietnam's main rice-growing region, the government said.

Vietnam, the world's third-largest rice exporter after India and Thailand, shipped 1.55 million tons of rice in the January to March period, up 38 percent from a year ago, according to Vietnam Customs data released on Wednesday.

The Southeast Asian country has been fighting the worst drought and sea water intrusion in 90 years in its Mekong Delta food basket, brought on by climate change and the El Nino weather pattern. The El Nino typically brings hot, dry conditions to Southeast Asia.

The drought conditions have led other countries in the region to bolster rice imports. Late last year, Vietnam sold 1 million tons of rice to Indonesia and another 450,000 tons to the Philippines for delivery by the end of the first quarter of 2016.

The disasters have lowered the first-quarter growth of Vietnam's agriculture sector, reducing the Delta's winter-spring paddy output while lifting the country's rice export prices to a five-month high in late March.

"Given the relatively high prices, VFA reckons that rice exports could lose their competitive edge and market share in the coming time," the government report said.

Vietnam's paddy output could dip 0.5 percent this year, the first drop since 2010/2011, to 28 million tons due to the dry weather and government plans to switch from rice to corn production, said Aurelia Britsch, senior commodities analyst at BMI Research.

BMI forecasts global rice production to decline in 2015/2016, the first in seven seasons, and a global rice deficit of 13 million tons could emerge for 2015/2016 after consistent surpluses in the crop years from 2005/06 to 2013/14.

Vietnam could follow Thailand to restructure rice cultivation by reducing planting areas and switching to other crops with less water usage, said Le Anh Tuan, deputy head of the Research Institute for Climate Change under Can Tho university.

"Scientists and the authority should reassess the direction for the Delta and should not race into rice production," Tuan told Reuters.
The golden sarcophagus of King Tutankhamun displayed in his burial chamber in the Valley of the Kings, close to Luxor

Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said on Sunday new technology is needed to determine whether Tutankhamun's tomb contains hidden chambers which a British archaeologist believes may hide queen Nefertiti's remains.

Anani spoke to archaeologists and reporters at a conference in Cairo dedicated to King Tutankhamun and his world-famous golden funerary mask.

The mood at Sunday's conference was sceptical months after former minister Mamduh Damati said the secret chambers probably existed, raising expectations of another historical find.

Damati inspected the tomb last September with the theory's proponent, British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves.

His theory and the attention paid to it came as Egypt struggles to revive its key tourism industry after years of political turmoil.

However, experts disagreed on Sunday over how the search for the chambers was handled.

"Handling the project wasn't done scientifically at all," said former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass.

Damati himself said more tests were needed.

"The infrared scan said we need to repeat it because we have something that we cannot be sure what it is exactly," he said.

Damati had said in March that there was a "90 percent chance" that the tomb had two hidden chambers containing organic material.

Reeves theorised that Tutankhamun's tomb was in fact Nefertiti's, and when the boy king died unexpectedly at a young age, he was rushed into her tomb's outer chamber in Luxor's Valley of Kings in southern Egypt.

Hawass suggested that the current antiquities minister hire an autonomous committee of experts to handle the investigation.

"We have to stop this media presence, because there is nothing to publish," he said.

To reassure archaeologists at the conference, Anani said: "I will not make any drills (in the tomb walls) until I am sure 100 percent that there is a cavity behind the wall... I'm very satisfied with the warm scientific debate."

Nefertiti was famed for her beauty as depicted in the famous bust now in Berlin.

She, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten ruled during a turbulent time, and were one of ancient Egypt's most controversial ruling families.

Nefertiti was married to Akhenaten, who tried and failed to force Egypt to convert to monotheism.

DNA evidence has shown that Akhenaten was Tutankhamun's father, but Egyptologists do not agree on who his mother was.

Egyptologists rely on a mix of DNA evidence as well as information documented in ruins and historical calculations to map the pharaohs' family tree.

Most tombs contain more information about the passage to the afterlife rather than solid information about the deceased's biological lineage.
A three-month-old boy from the northern province of Quang Ninh died at home on Friday morning, one day after given a shot of the controversial 5-in-1 vaccine Quinvaxem.

The boy received the shot and a dose of the oral polio vaccine Thursday morning at a local medical center.

A family member said he showed no abnormal signs before death. His mother breastfed him one hour before that and put him to sleep. He did not wake up.

Quang Ninh's health department has ordered local officials to seal the vaccine batch and review the administration process to investigate the cause of death.

A source from the department said 89 other babies receiving the vaccine on the same day are all fine.

Quinvaxem is a WHO prequalified drug and has been distributed in Vietnam by Berna Biotech Korea Corp since 2010 under a national immunization program sponsored by the global vaccine alliance GAVI. It protects children aged two months upward against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza type B.

Babies are given the vaccine for free, but it has lost much of the public trust following the post-vaccination deaths of at least 21 since late 2012.

Supplies of alternatives such as the French-made Pentaxim, which costs around US$30 a shot, are limited and almost impossible to secure.

Quinvaxem uses whole-cell preparations in its whooping cough component while costly alternatives use purified antigens, which are considered safer.

Vietnam provides around 5.5 million Quinvaxem shots every year and up to 200,000 of the alternatives, according to official data.
Ho Chi Minh City has fined South Korean-owned fast food chain Lotteria Vietnam VND146 million (US$6,600) for a mass poisoning case that sent 60 people to hospital last week.

A statement from the citys health department said many workers at Sonion Vietnam, a Danish company at the citys Hi-tech Park, started to show food poisoning symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea after lunch on March 12.

Local media reported their meals, including beef, omelet and vegetable soup, were provided by Lotteria. A total of 60 workers had to be rushed to hospitals in District 9 and the neighboring Thu Duc District.

Cong An TPHCMC newspaper said inspectors have found violations at three Lotteria stores, ranging from lack of food safety certificates to inadequate food preservation equipment.
A 2-month-old baby in Hanoi died Friday night after getting a shot of the controversial 5-in-1 vaccine Quinvaxem, and the health authorities once again defended the vaccines quality.

Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of Hanois health department, suggested that the baby died of anaphylactic shock, a serious condition which happens when ones body is too sensitive to a kind of drug.

The baby girl received the injection at a local medical center on Thursday morning and she started to have fever and cough a lot in the afternoon, local media reported.

Her parents took her to a district hospital the next morning and to Saint Paul Hospital that night, when doctors said she had died before arrival.

Quinvaxem is a WHO prequalified drug and has been distributed in Vietnam by Berna Biotech Korea Corp since 2010 under a national immunization program sponsored by the global vaccine alliance GAVI. It protects children from two months old against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenza type B.

Babies are given the vaccine for free, but it has lost much of the public trust following at least 23 post-vaccination deaths since 2012. In all the cases, the health authorities said there's no problem with the vaccine's quality and its administration.

The latest incident was the second death in Hanoi in the past three years.

Saint Paul Hospital on the same day received another patient with anaphylactic shock from receiving Quinvaxem, but the baby survives.

Vietnam provides around 5.5 million Quinvaxem shots every year and up to 200,000 of more costly alternatives like the French-made Pentaxim, which costs around US$30 a shot.

Quinvaxem uses whole-cell preparations in its whooping cough component while costly alternatives use purified antigens, which are considered safer, but their supply is limited.
Lunch for workers at a shoe factory in Binh Duong Province is mostly rice and a little pork and vegetables.

But the problem is not just the lack of nutrition: sometimes a meal can put a workers very life in danger.

The mass food poisoning suffered by 441 workers at the factory on October 21 was a reminder of the unhealthy factory lunches provided in Vietnam, which has been a major cause of wildcat strikes and the fact that its productivity is among the lowest in the world.

Truong Thi Bich Hanh, vice chairwoman of the Labor Union in Binh Duong, an industrial hub with 150,000 companies, said at least 8 percent of them pay only around 40 cents for a workers meal, or less than half the price of a cheap meal at a street eatery.

She said she does not have an exact number since many companies do not have a trade union, and workers meals are managed by the provinces labor department.

But the department director said he had no idea.

At least 33 cases of mass food poisoning involving 2,302 people, most of them factory workers, have been reported across the country this year.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, head of the food safety department at the health ministry, said the cost of the meal is too low to ensure quality.

Low-quality ingredients easily suffer bacterial or toxic contamination, Phong said, adding that some kitchens even use ingredients that are already spoiled.

He also blamed local authorities for failing to monitor hygiene in factory kitchens, many of which are open for a long time before receiving any food safety and hygiene checks.

Le Bach Mai, deputy director of the National Institute of Nutrition, said even when a meal is safe, it does not properly recharge workers since more than 70 percent of it is starch.

Most women workers are of reproductive age, but a study by the institute found that the lack of vitamins in factory lunch affects their reproductive health, Mai said.

Labor officials said they can only negotiate with businesses about improving workers lunch since there are no laws governing factory meals.

Need lunch rules

Mai Duc Chinh, vice chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor, said the confederation had once recommended that the government should regulate factory lunches, but the labor ministry rejected that, saying it should depend on negotiations between workers and employers.

But since the negotiations never end in workers favor, the confederation has asked the ministrys Institute of Labor Science to study factory meals and the nutrition and calories they provide, he said.

The study will be a foundation for us to ask the government again to force businesses to provide workers with proper meals.

He said factory workers are already struggling with poor wages, and the lunch only makes their life harder.

They dont have enough energy to work and we keep demanding higher productivity from them.
A major plan to pave sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh City downtown with granite will be a waste of money, taking resources away from more pressing problems that the city should solve to attract tourists, experts have said.

While many experts agree that all efforts to improve the city's image should be encouraged, they cannot support this particular plan, which will cost nearly VND1 trillion (US$44.8 million).

Giving the city a facelift is a right move. But spending that much on sidewalks in District 1 at this point is just like a poor family buying an expensive iPhone for their child, said architect Ngo Viet Nam Son.

HCMC is a developing city, and sidewalks will be dug up again and again to facilitate construction projects, and also when the cables are moved to underground," he said. "It will be a waste."

District 1 authorities announced last week that more than 130 streets will be given the granite treatment, saying the facelift will help draw more tourists.

Starting next month, five main streets -- Dong Khoi, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Phung Khac Khoan, and Cong Xa Paris -- will be repaved.

The private sector is expected to join the project, but the city will still have to tap its own budget for an undecided amount.

Son said many cities abroad only have granite sidewalks at certain places such as busy financial and shopping areas.

District 1 should focus on repairing damaged sidewalks and only repave a few streets with high foot traffic, he said.

Granite, though durable, is two to three times more expensive than other materials and its use should be considered carefully, he added.

Urgent problems

Architect Nguyen Ngoc Phuoc Dai of HCMC Institute for Development Studies said granite is not the right material for the city.

Aesthetically the dark gray color does not suit the tropic city and granite will prevent the ground from absorbing water, which can worsen the city's flooding problem, Dai said.

He said granite should only be used for Nguyen Hue, the city's only pedestrian street at the moment, and nearby streets.

Tran Du Lich, a National Assembly member, said the city is facing many urgent problems that should be prioritized, particularly traffic congestion.

For example, the fast-growing Thao Dien Area with many office and apartment buildings should have better roads linking District 1 and 2 because there are often traffic jams that last up to an hour, he said.

Phan Dinh Hue, director of Viet Circle Tourism Company, said that paving sidewalks with granite is not a good way to bring in tourists.

What tourists really need is a safe and clean destination. Cleaning the streets and improving security will help the city attract more visitors, and it also costs less money, he said.

Nguyen Minh Dong, director of investment consulting company Devitec Consult, said the sidewalk upgrading plan is not practical at all.

Residents in HCMC are facing flooding, pollution and traffic congestion. So instead of this expensive plan, the city should focus on such urgent issues first, he said.
Thrissur, Kerala: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday launched her election campaign in Kerala hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "India is my home, I will breathe my last here."

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot take away my commitment to and love for India, my country," Sonia said launching her election campaign in Kerala. "India is my home. It is here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones," the Congress President said.

Read: Dont act strongly against Sonia Gandhi, warn BJP leaders

In a veiled attack to Modi's references to Italy, Sonia Gandhi said, "Yes, I was born in Italy. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I spent 48 years of my life in India, this is my home and this is my country," Sonia said.

The Congress President further lashed out at the Modi regime saying democratically elected governments were being toppled through "unconstitutional and other underhand dealings."

Read: Agusta deal: After Modis jibe on Sonia, Cong asks which court is PM quoting

She also lashed out at the CPI-M-led LDF and said they were 'anti-development' and follow the "politics of violence."

Addressing an election meeting at the Thekinkadu maidan on Monday evening, Gandhi said "Our democratically elected governments like in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are being toppled through unconstitutional and other underhand dealings."

Alleging that the BJP government was a threat to the universities, judiciary, NGOs and civil society, she said, "Universities have been put on notice, judiciary is being threatened, NGOs and civil societies are being silenced."

She said minorities, Dalits, women and tribals were also being troubled and political parties and other sections who oppose the government polices were being treated as "traitors."

"The Prime Minister has plenty of time for his grand shows. When it comes to farmers' sufferings, he just looked away," she said while referring to the crisis faced by the agrarian sector.

Coconut farmers suffered after the Centre refused to put restrictions on the import of palmolein and also declined to release money for Price Stablisation Fund, she said.

She also accused the Modi government of reducing funds for various schemes started by the previous UPA government like the MNREGA, and for self-help groups like Kudumbashree.

Read: AgustaWestland deal: Arvind Kejriwal dares Modi to arrest Sonia Gandhi

The closing down of the Overseas affairs ministry, set up the previous UPA government, had caused difficulties to expatriates, especially from Kerala. She said Kerala was a shinning example of secularism and was a progressive state, but was facing a 'systematic attack' from BJP and RSS. There is need to "stand up and defend the values together," she said.

Touching upon the rape and murder of a Dalit law student at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, she said justice will be meted out to her and the guilty will be punished as per law.

Slamming the CPI-M led LDF, she said they were 'anti-development' and follow the "politics of violence". The ideology of the Left Front does not take into account the state's special needs, she said.
Amid the mysterious deaths of at least 100 tons of fish in the sea off central Vietnam, the environment ministry has urged all cities and provinces on the coast and with rivers to review how waste is disposed of.

Minister Tran Hong Ha has ordered proper and comprehensive checks of major waste treatment plants in coastal and riverine areas  their construction, operation and whether local officials have been doing a good job monitoring them.

Ha named Hanoi and the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Quang Ngai as places that need answers to their prolonged environmental problems.

Thanh Hoa has been facing a mass fish death problem in its Buoi River since May 4. A part of the river has turned dark green and stinky and the problem is spreading downstream.

Local officials estimated that more than 17 tons of fish in farms along the river have been killed as of Sunday in addition to deaths in the natural environment. Farmers are estimated to have lost at least VND1 billion (US$45,000).

Nguyen Duc Quyen, the provinces vice chairman, said at a recent meeting that the water pollution is serious and it is threatening water supply to many people.

Quyen has ordered local environment officials to collaborate with their counterparts in neighboring Hoa Binh Province to test water in the area to identify the cause of the problem.

Hoa Binh Sugar Company has admitted to discharging "dirty wastewater" into the rivers upstream.

Quyen also asked the police to begin a criminal investigation if necessary.

In Hanoi, Ngoc Khanh Lake in Ba Dinh District has been severely polluted since the beginning of the year. The malodor has become unbearable for hundreds of families though more than VND20 billion ($900,000) was spent to clean up the lake.

Ngoc Khanh Lake in Hanoi is heavily polluted. Photo: Le Nam

The water in the lake has turned green and foamy, and people said they can smell the stink hundreds of meters away.

Those living around the lake have to look for refuge during the day while many restaurants and coffee shops in the area have lost their clientele.

In Quang Ngai Province, a coastal village has reported hundreds of deaths due to cancer, or 90 percent of all deaths there, since 2000. People are worried there is a problem with their water source.

Vietnam is going through its biggest environmental crisis ever with at least 100 tons of fish washed ashore last month in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces, apparently killed by industrial effluents. Thousands of families in fishing villages along the central coast have been affected.

Suspicion has centered on Taiwanese steel plant Formosa, which admitted it has a large sewage pipe going straight into the sea in Ha Tinh. But it claimed all its discharged wastewater had been treated.

People across the country have been waiting anxiously for a credible answer to the problem, which has tested the ability of the country to detect and handle large-scale disasters.

The environment ministry said Saturday it has completed a thorough inspection of Formosa involving around 100 experts. But it has yet to announce the findings.
Police in the northern province of Lao Cai said a married couple died in a suicide blast in an apartment on Sunday.

At around 6 a.m. Sunday residents near the six-story apartment building in Bac Duyen Hai Industrial Park heard a huge explosion and saw a fire blaze in the couples apartment on the first floor.

They called the police and tried to extinguish the fire.

When they broke open the door of the apartment, they found the couple, identified only as Lam, 33, and Thuy, 31, already dead.

The Lao Cai police said preliminary investigation has revealed the use of gasoline to commit suicide, but investigations are continuing into what caused the blast.

The couple has a three-year-old daughter who was not home at the time of the blast.
A team of volunteer youths guarding Nguyen Hue Street with their skates. Photo credit: Zing.vn

What an irony.

Not long after the Ho Chi Minh City government issued a ban on skating on Nguyen Hue late last month, the citys newly opened walking street, green-uniformed guards started skating during their street patrols this month.

The so-called volunteer youths  distinguished by their dark green uniforms  are a taskforce assigned by the city government to beef up security in tourist-polular areas.

From August 3, the young guards were seen wearing skates during their patrol shifts. They said they had been trained for inline skating for one month.

According the guards, as the street is large, walking around takes a lot of time. After they started skating, their work became more effective.

We use walkie-talkie to inform each other of any incidents. After that, we skate to the scene in just between 30 seconds and two minutes, a guard named Nguyen Tan Tai told news website Zing.vn.

Late last month, the HCMC government issued a list of dos and don'ts for pedestrians on Nguyen Hue Street, including a ban on all pets.

The selling of coffee, skating and sitting on picnic blankets on the street are also strictly prohibited.

A guard tells a boy not to use his scooter.

A guard tells a girl not to skate on Nguyen Hue.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino speaks during a presidential campaign rally for a political ally Mar Roxas, in Manila, on May 7, 2016

The Philippines holds elections on Monday to choose a successor to President Benigno Aquino. Here are 10 crucial victories and setbacks that came to define his six years in office:

August 23, 2010: Hong Kong hostage crisis

Barely two months in office, Aquino faces his first major crisis when a disgraced policeman takes a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage.

The gunman and eight hostages are killed in a hail of gunfire hours later in a bungled police rescue operation that deeply embarrasses the young administration and strains ties with the Chinese territory for years.

November 18, 2011: Arroyo arrest

Benigno Aquino makes good on a vow to have his predecessor and arch-rival Gloria Arroyo arrested and stand trial for vote fraud.

When the country's chief justice, Renato Corona, takes steps to get Arroyo bailed, Aquino allies have him impeached and removed from office. Arroyo remains under house arrest for the rest of Aquino's term as the trial drags on with little progress.

December 21, 2012: Reproductive health law

Aquino signs a landmark law mandating the state provide free contraceptives to poor couples and teach sex education in schools, defeating years of opposition by the dominant Roman Catholic church.

March 27, 2013: Investment grade

Once regarded as Asia's basket case, the Philippines wins its first investment-grade credit rating, with Fitch Ratings citing the political and economic reforms implemented under Aquino.

Similar upgrades from Moody's and Standard and Poor's follow later that year.

November 8, 2013: Super Typhoon Haiyan

Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit land at the time, smashes into the central islands and launches tsunami-like waves that devastate the city of Tacloban.

The typhoon leaves at least 7,350 dead or missing across a swathe of poverty-stricken central islands the size of Portugal.

March 30, 2014: China sea suit

Unable to counter China's military might as it lays claim to most of the South China Sea, Aquino's government counters by filing a suit at a UN-linked international arbitration tribunal in the Hague. China refuses to recognise the proceedings.

A ruling on Manila's bid to have the Chinese claims declared illegal is expected shortly after Aquino stands down.

April 28, 2014: US Defence Accord

In the face of an increasingly assertive China, the Philippines seals an agreement with its main defence ally allowing US troops and equipment to rotate through Philippine military bases in a move designed to bolster the country's territorial defence.

January 25, 2015: Mamasapano massacre

Elite police commandos raid a remote southern village and kill Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, who is on a US "terrorist" most wanted hitlist, but the team is ambushed by other Muslim guerrilla groups and militias.

Forty-four soldiers die in what becomes known as the Mamasapano massacre, after the town where the killings occurred. The incident provokes public outrage that eventually derails a peace agreement with the country's main Muslim rebel group.

February 3, 2016: Peace deal on ice

Angered by the killings of the police commandos, Congress fails to pass a law aimed at creating a Muslim autonomous region in the south of the mainly Catholic nation.

The law had been key to complying with the terms of a 2014 peace deal with the 10,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the nation's biggest Muslim rebel group. The peace process is placed in limbo until the next president takes over.

April 26, 2016: Canadian beheaded

Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State jihadists dump the head of Canadian retiree John Ridsdel on a street on a remote island. Ridsdel was one of four people kidnapped six months earlier from yachts harboured at a luxury marina.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expresses outrage and Aquino vows to "neutralise" the group, which holds other Canadian, Dutch, Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino hostages. But, as in the past, the militants survive.
"The UKs actions in Libya were part of an ill-conceived intervention, the results of which are still playing out today."
West Point military academy seeks to portray itself as a melting pot that brings together talented students from across the country, without regard for racial or ethnic differences, for elite training as future military leaders

The prestigious West Point military academy has opened an inquiry after 16 black female cadets posed for a photo with fists raised in militant style.

The pose struck by the cadets, dressed in their gray uniforms while standing on the steps of barracks in late April, is seen by some critics as an implicit show of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and thus a potential violation of a Defense Department rule against "partisan political activity."

West Point seeks to portray itself as a melting pot that brings together talented students from across the country, without regard for racial or ethnic differences, for elite training as future military leaders.

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Kasker, a spokesman for the academy in New York state, confirmed that the cadets were members of the current graduating class.

"Academy officials are conducting an inquiry into the matter," he said on Saturday.

The young women were following a longtime tradition at West Point, where soon-to-be graduates each year strike stern and straightlaced poses in historic style much as their predecessors have done for more than a century.

But instead of raising their sabers to the sky, as they did in another photo without controversy, the black student-officers sparked a mini-tempest by raising their fists at a school with a predominantly white and male student population.

Some active-duty officers and army veterans have complained that the pose seemed to violate Pentagon rules on avoiding political activity by paying tribute to the black nationalism of the civil rights-era Black Panthers group or to the militant tone of the present-day Black Lives Matter protests against police abuses.

But others raised their voice in defense of the women, saying that they were more "Beyonce" than "Black Panther."

Mary Tobin, a 2003 graduate of West Point who has talked with some of the students about the photograph, said the raised fists signified only unity and pride at accomplishing something -- surviving the rigors of West Point -- that few people, white or black, have done.
Madonsela arrives at the Time 100 gala celebrating the magazine's naming of the 100 most influential people in the world for the past year, in New York

South Africa's top anti-corruption official fears for her life after learning from an informant that hit men are being contracted to kill her, her spokeswoman said on Sunday.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is a leading public figure who scored a major victory when South Africa's top court ruled on March 31 that President Jacob Zuma had violated the constitution by ignoring her instructions to pay back some of the $16 million of state money spent upgrading his private home.

"On the 1st of April she received a text message from an informant, and that informant warned her to be careful. That person said a top gangster in the Western Cape was paid to get a hit man to kill her," said spokeswoman Kgalalelo Masibi, confirming a report in the Sunday Times newspaper.

"She is concerned about her safety and security," Masibi said, adding that Madonsela knew the informant personally.

Western Cape province has a reputation for gangsterism and organised crime but Masibi said Madonsela did not know who wanted to kill her.

Her office, which has a constitutional mandate, probes misconduct and abuse in state affairs and can have several investigations on the go at any time.

Masibi said Madonsela had immediately alerted South Africa's VIP protection service to the threat and that her security had initially been beefed up, but had since been scaled down.

"Security Services say that 95 percent of the time the informant is incorrect. But what if this falls under the 5 percent that is correct?" Masibi said.

She also said Madonsela had been told by the informant that the hit "should be made to look natural".

Madonsela was quoted in the Sunday Times as saying she had stopped jogging and had become "cautious" about her movements.

The opposition Democratic Alliance said in a statement that police must look into the alleged death threats.

Police could not immediately be reached for comment.
A general view shows a damaged street with sandbags used as barriers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, Syria March 6, 2015.

Syrian government forces and their allies clashed with insurgents near Aleppo on Monday and warplanes launched more raids around a strategic town Islamist rebels seized last week, a monitoring group said.

The capture of Khan Touman was a rare setback for government forces in Aleppo province in recent months, and for allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting.

Warplanes continued to strike around the town on Monday, and had carried out more than 90 raids in the area since Sunday morning, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Al Manar television, run by Damascus's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, said troops had destroyed a tank belonging to insurgents and killed some of its occupants.

Khan Touman lies just southwest of Aleppo city, which is one of the biggest strategic prizes in a war now in its sixth year, and has been divided into government and rebel-held zones through much of the conflict.

Russia's military intervention last September has helped President Bashar al-Assad reverse some rebel gains in the west of the country, including in Aleppo province.

The Observatory said warplanes struck rebel-held areas of the city early on Monday, and rebels fired shells into government-held neighborhoods, despite a Russian-announced extension of a truce encompassing the city of Aleppo.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, hosting a meeting of Assad's opponents in Paris, said Syrian government forces and their allies had bombarded hospitals and refugee camps.

"It is not Daesh (Islamic State) that is being attacked in Aleppo, it is the moderate opposition," he said.

Ayrault said Monday's meeting would call on Russia to put pressure on Assad to stop the attacks, adding that humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need.

"Talks must resume, negotiations are the only solution," he said on radio RTL, ahead of a meeting of ministers from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Britain. Also attending was Riad Hijab, chief coordinator of the main Syrian opposition negotiating group.

The surge in bloodshed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the civil war, wrecked a February "cessation of hostilities" agreement sponsored by Washington and Moscow. The deal excluded Islamic State and al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front.

Peace talks in Geneva between government delegates and opposition figures, including representatives from rebel groups, broke up last month without significant progress.
Turkish warplanes hit targets belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq on Sunday, military sources said, as three soldiers and 12 militants were reported killed in separate clashes over the weekend.

The F-16 and F-4 2020 aircraft destroyed bunkers, ammunition depots and gun installations in four northern Iraqi regions, including Qandil, where the PKK has camps, the sources said.

The air strikes were launched early on Sunday and the aircraft returned safely to their bases, according to the sources.

Turkey has been regularly attacking PKK targets in mountainous northern Iraq since the collapse of a ceasefire between the PKK and the Turkish state in July last year.

It has also been clashing with militants across the largely Kurdish southeast of Turkey, which has seen some of the worst fighting since the height of the insurgency in the 1990s.

Three soldiers were killed on Sunday in a sweep of the city of Nusaybin in southeastern Mardin province, security sources said. They were searching a house when a home-made explosive went off, the sources said.

A day earlier, security forces killed a total of 12 militants in Mardin and the southeastern province of Sirnak, and in the eastern province on Tunceli, the military said in a statement.

Explosives were destroyed in those operations and 11 militants were arrested in Hakkari province, the military said.

More than 40,000 people have died since the autonomy-seeking PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi turns emotional and cries during the UDF election campaign at the Putharikandam grounds in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Former KPCC president C.V. Padmarajan looks on. (Photo: Peethambaran Payyeri)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was through tears rather than through words that Congress president Sonia Gandhi gave a telling reply on Monday to the charges raised against her by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding her nationality. And the vast audience that had gathered for the UDFs campaign rally at Putharikandam grounds here were moved beyond words by her emotionally-charged speech.

India has been my home for the last 48 years and my ashes will mingle with the land here, she said and added that the RSS and the BJP had been hunting her for years just because she was born in Italy.

I was born in Italy. But India would remain my home forever. This is the land where I would live till my end. It is the same place where my ashes should be laid. None can question my commitment. I cannot expect Modi to understand my feelings. But I am sure the people here would understand it, said a teary-eyed and choked-up Sonia.

When she began her speech, she said that she would reply to Mr Modi at the end of her speech and added that she was born to proud and honest parents. I was never ashamed of being the daughter of my parents. I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters living in Italy, she added.

The audience applauded her when Jyothi, daughter of Chengannur DCC general secretary P. Vijayakumar, translated her words into Malayalam.

Sonia came down heavily on the BJP government at the Centre and the LDF here and challenged Mr Modi to show at least one state ruled by them which is better than Kerala in the education and health sectors.

Modi is resorting to character assassination of his political opponents and spending crores on campaigning, but nothing for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, she said. She reminded the people that the ministry of overseas affairs which was launched by the UPA government had been wound up by the Modi government.

Addressing a rally at Thekkinkad maidan in Thrissur, Congress president Sonia Gandhi warned that the secular and progressive values of Kerala were under threat and that the state should stand together with the UDF to defend them.

The UDF government in Kerala had implemented several mega developmental projects like Kannur air port and Kochi Metro, she said. She began her speech by offering her condolences to the victims of the Puttingal fire tragedy in Kollam and the mother of LLB student Jisha, who was raped and murdered in Perumbavur.

The prime minister has little time to look into the issue of farmers. Though the centre was reluctant to allot funds from the price stabilization funds after repeated requests of the Kerala government, the UDF government in Kerala gave the highest minimum support price for crops, she said in her 25-minute speech.

The Modi government had cut down the funds allotted to MGNREGS, the flagship project of the UPA government, which was meant to support the poorest among the poor, she added. The LDF had no clear stand on the liquor policy, she said. She introduced all the 13 UDF candidates in Thrissur district to the 25,000-strong people who had gathered there.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran, Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik and Karnataka Power Minister D.K. Sivakumar among other Congress leaders took part in the rally.
Its a tribute to British democracy that two sons and a daughter of Pakistani bus drivers are at the top of the political heap. Sajid Javid, the business secretary, and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, minister for faith and communities and former Conservative Party chairman, have now been joined by Sadiq Khan, 45, the new mayor of London. London has come a long way since the 1950s when an elderly Londoner boasted she jabbed coloured people in the underground with her handbag so that she could smile sweetly and apologise just to show them whites could be nice.

Although Rotterdam has had a Muslim mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb, since 2009, no capital city can match Mr Khans credentials. He was elected with the largest personal mandate of any politician in British history, defeating Zac Goldsmith, the Old Etonian son of a billionaire businessman and financier whose daughter, Jemima, married the Pakistani politician, Imran Khan, by a margin of more than 1.2 million votes.

Mr Goldsmiths charge that Mr Khan had given platform, oxygen and cover to extremists led to a bitter row, with even British Prime Minister David Cameron being accused of racism. As the Guardian newspaper wrote, Goldsmith waged a campaign soaked in racism, in one of the most ethnically diverse cities on Earth, shamelessly exploiting anti-Muslim prejudices in an effort to secure a shameful victory. Mr Khans Conservative predecessor, the flamboyant upper-class Boris Johnson, was educated at Eton like Mr Goldsmith, read classics at Balliol, was Oxford Union president and editor of the Spectator. In contrast, life has always been a struggle for the working class Khans. Mr Khans grandparents migrated from India to Pakistan, and his parents moved to Britain just before he was born. His mother supplemented his fathers bus drivers wages by working as a seamstress. They lived in a cramped three-bedroom house in a council estate with their eight children, Mr Khan sharing a bunkbed with a brother until he left home in his 20s.

I was surrounded by my mum and dad working all the time, so as soon as I could get a job, I got a job, he explained. I got a paper round, a Saturday job  some summer days I laboured on a building site. The family still sends money to relatives in Pakistan because were blessed being in this country. Being a trade union member, his father got decent pay and conditions whereas his mother, working from home on her own, wasnt, and didnt. That convinced

Mr Khan of the trade union movements relevance and propelled him towards the Labour Party. He fought and retained the marginal parliamentary seat of Tooting for Labour in 2005, one of that years five new ethnic minority MPs. Gordon Brown included Mr Khan in his Cabinet, first as minister for communities and then transport.

Not that his electoral success means all communal discord has disappeared. Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th century Conservative Prime Minister, called race the ultimate reality, and it still remains as powerful a social force as religion. Behind

Mr Khans back, bigots might refer to him as Mayor of Londonistan. The defence secretary in Mr Camerons government, Michael Fallon, who said during the election campaign that Mr Khan was unfit to be mayor, implied that as a Muslim, he was a security threat. This may have been partly on account of the London bus bombings by three Pakistani-origin youths only two months after Mr Khan entered the Commons. His speech then still resonates in political circles.

Today Londoners and the rest of the UK have even more reason to be proud of Londoners  proud of the way heroic Londoners of all faiths, races and backgrounds, victims, survivors and passers-by, acted on Thursday; proud of the way ordinary courageous Londoners carried on with their business and stopped the criminals disrupting our life, Mr Khan told fellow MPs. He lamented there were so few articulate voices of reason from British Muslims. There were angry men with beards, but nobody saying, Actually, Im very comfortable being a Brit, being a Muslim, being a Londoner.

Those comments may have been the saving of his career. Demonstrating that he felt as deeply as any white about the bomb outrage, Mr Khan also proved he wasnt reneging on his own birthright, which is not something the British admire. He passed a difficult test in a society that remains wary of outsiders and where the derogatory word Paki might still be heard in dark corners. However, a greater concern for racial sensitivities is also evident in London where 40 per cent of the inhabitants were born abroad. The tabloid Daily Star abandoned plans to publish a spoof page mocking Sharia law with a special feature to include censored Burqa Babes and a free beard for every bomber, when it realised that many newsagents who sold the paper were ethnic Pakistanis. Economics is an important determinant of social attitudes.

Other ethnic Pakistani notables in British politics include Lord Nazir Ahmed who feels passionately about the Gujarat massacre, the Conservative Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, and Labours Mohammad Sarwar, the first Muslim member of Parliament. Mr Sarwar returned to Pakistan in 2013 where he briefly served as governor of Punjab. In that he followed the precedent Dadabhoy Naoroji and Krishna Menon set. Perhaps such exchanges will be the pattern one day. What excites speculation now is Mr Khans future in British politics. If the rumbles heard against Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader from whom Mr Khan distanced himself dur-ing the mayoral campaign, lead to his ouster, the bus drivers son from Tooting might be a candidate for the job. What then? Mr Johnson quit the mayoralty to try his luck with the prime ministership. Whether or not he succeeds, Mr Khan could one day be the first Asian in Number Ten.
When it came to verifying loan documents to various Chinese property investors Westpac and ANZ experienced a "lost in translation" moment.

According to reports, income statements from various Chinese mortgage customers simply appeared to be more fiction than fact.

After a fresh audit loans that had previously been approved did not pass muster despite the fact that the lenders had generally been paying interest on time.

The move by these banks to take a fresh look at Chinese mortgage borrowers is not accidental. It coincides with moves by three of the four major Australian banks to cease lending to new customers from this market for a series of reasons.
Two of Australia's biggest banks on Monday said they are investigating suspected fraud involving false declarations by a number of home loan borrowers who rely on foreign income.

ANZ Banking Group and Westpac Banking Corp said the alleged fraud was discovered during internal investigations and posed no credit risk.

Very few people understand the economic rationality behind leaving homes vacant. It often makes money for the owner. Credit:iStock

The announcement follows moves by ANZ, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank last month to clamp down on mortgage lending to non-residents, following regulatory concerns about lax lending standards and soaring house prices driven partly by foreign investment.
I found the boy, Shamran, on the floor at the back of the plane. He was genuinely ill, scared and unable to move. I knew it was important to develop a relationship with him, by using the right tone and language.

As we circled the city at night, the plane running out of fuel, a cabin announcement called for help from a teacher, specifically a special-needs teacher. I was proud to be asked to help.

It is now just over a week since The Age shared the story of my experience on Flight JQ527 . To briefly recount the tale, I was flying home from Sydney but the plane was unable to land in Melbourne because a 14-year-old boy with Down syndrome was feeling unwell and lying in the aisle.

It was late and the energy in the plane was strange. It had started as one of hostility and anger between passengers  nasty remarks and negative body language  and needed to be diffused. How wonderful that the Jetstar crew thought outside the box, taking a chance on the idea that positive remarks and warm body language might ease the situation.

Relationships and the power of voice have always been passions of mine. I have been a teacher for more than two decades, with experience co-ordinating special-needs programs. I moved to the University of Melbourne in 2015 to complete a PhD with a focus on the use of language, the power of our questioning as teachers, and what effective language looks like in the classroom.

I have had help. My supervisor is Professor John Hattie, chairman of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, director of the Melbourne Educational Research Institute and deputy director of the Science of Learning Research Centre (both at the University of Melbourne). He is an inspiration to teachers all over the globe.

Teachers know the relationships they develop with their students are the most important foundation for learning. Connecting, knowing their name, showing you care, being mindful and smiling are not just good behaviours to display  they are integral.

On the plane, I got down on the floor in the aisle with Shamran. If he was going to move, I needed to introduce myself, find out his name, connect, let him speak, listen to him, see what the problem was, and not panic him or be punitive. I knew I needed to lock onto his eyes and show empathy. I learnt his favourite books, not as an ice breaker or an introduction, but to construct a real relationship, however brief.
Australians are going to the ballot box less than three years since the last election. Elections should be a triumph of democracy but they now represent a failure of our political process that can be remedied by fixed four-year terms of parliament.

On average, the past 15 federal parliaments have run for terms of 2 years. That is barely enough time to bed down an efficient cabinet and roll out an agenda  let alone consult, legislate and implement important reforms.

Australia desperately needs long-term public policy and a willingness to reform. Governments that last for an average of 2 years all but guarantee short termism in the current environment of political faintheartedness. And the federal parliament is now the only jurisdiction left in Australia with antiquated three-year variable terms.

The now-regular switching of party leaders mid-term and follow-up elections to firm up a prime minister's support have only increased the trend towards shorter terms, exacerbating frustration and uncertainty among the electorate.
The New Girl Shorten has the embarrassment of yet another Labor candidate pointing out the party's culpability in the government's asylum seeker policies - a topic that has nothing to do with jobs and growth, but does rather undermine Labor's arguments regarding fairness. Sophie Ismail is the Labor candidate for the seat of Melbourne: an inner city electorate currently held by Greens MP Adam Bandt by a solid margin. She's an outspoken progressive selected in order to potentially sway voters back to the party, but her outspokenness has extended to Labor policy: specifically with regard to asylum seekers. "I have concerns about turnbacks, I don't think they should be on the table. When people arrive by boat, and 90 per cent of them are genuine refugees, turning them back to places not signed up to the refugee convention is a problem," she told reporters on Monday.

"It's time to review the Pacific Solution and move towards a decent and humane approach that fully complies with out international legal obligations indefinite detention in unsafe conditions is clearly in breach of a number of our obligations and has to end." And Immigration Minister Peter Dutton didn't miss a chance to dig the knife in. "This is eerily similar to the situation that occurred for Kevin Rudd when he tried to be tough on borders but he could not bring his party with him," he crowed. "Under Labor we saw 50,000 people come on boats, 800 boats and 1200 people drown at sea. Bill Shorten has to show leadership and discipline these candidates." And Ismail is hardly the first Labor candidate to express these sorts of views - Labor members Melissa Parke, Lisa Singh, Anna Burke, Jill Hall and Sue Lines have all openly criticised Labor's support for the current policies - but this is coming from a prospective MP rather than future backbenchers or (as in the case of Burke and Parke) MPs who've finished their parliamentary careers. And it illustrates Labor's conundrum: show compassion for refugees and they look weak on border security, which will be exploited by the Coalition. Take a hard line and they'll look like the Coalition, which will be exploited by the Greens.

And this is a huge problem - especially for Australia's dwindling sense of humanity. It's No Game See, here's the thing about this story: you'll notice that everything written about it in this column so far (and in the wider media) is about the strategic positioning of Ismail's statement. How it affects her run against Bandt. How it plays with wider Labor policy. How Dutton and the government can make hay. The bit that's not being talked about: how 850 men are currently in limbo on Manus Island while Australia and Papua New Guinea bicker about whose responsibility they aren't, and about 550 people on Nauru where two people have attempted to burn themselves to death (one successfully), where the Federal Court had to intervene to get a termination for a detainee pregnant through rape, and where another detainee has just given birth to a child conceived via rape. However, offshore detention is reduced to a discussion of political strategy between the parties rather than as a policy that has genuine, horrifying consequences for the health, safety and lives of hundreds of men, women and children.

And that's true of every other policy that probably won't decide the election for Labor or the Coalition, which looks set to be fought on jobs'n'growth versus health'n'education. That's why marriage equality and the possibly plebiscite will be weighed up solely as a liability or a positive, without any concern for the effect upon the Australian citizens still denied civil rights in their own country for no sane reason. Even emissions reduction and climate change policy - literally the most important threat to our continued peace and prosperity, let alone human civilisation worldwide - is going to be discussed almost exclusively in terms of positioning and messaging, and not in terms of Australian species going extinct, increasingly extreme weather, or the death of the Great Barrier Reef. And sure, elections are like sporting events and we love watching our teams win and our rivals lose - but we need to remember through the next eight weeks that politics is important, but it's only important because it genuinely affects people's lives. A strong economy is only good if it benefits people, not because a strong economy is a good abstract thing in itself. Workers rights are not objectively precious; they're worthy of protection because they make life better for working people. All this rhetoric has real-world effects.
Jordan's Queen Rania offers her condolences to the family of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh, who died during clashes with Islamic State. Credit:Petra News Agency

"From death to death to death" is how she described the ordeal of those who finally reached the shores of Lesbos. "All we want is a new chance at life."

No one's listening to her mother, Sadaa, either. All she wants is to see her sons, who are in Germany. "I got as far as Macedonia," she said, "but then I came back to get my daughter, and then the borders closed. Now, I'm here with her, my sons are in Germany and my husband is in Syria with his sick father. What do I do? Where do I go?"

And no one's listening to Fatina, who, just one month ago lost her husband on a boat as they fled Turkey. Eighty refugees were forced at gunpoint onto a dinghy designed for 25. They were crammed in, literally, one on top of the other. Her husband, at the bottom of the pile at the front of the inflatable craft, drowned. The only thought that kept her going on the terrifying sea crossing was that they had escaped Syria and were on their way to start a new life with their four children: 18-month-old twins, a boy and a girl; and two daughters, 4 and 6.

In front of her children, she puts on a brave face. "God gives you power," she said. But when her children aren't looking, tears tumble down her cheeks. "I just don't know what to do," she sobbed, cradling her head in her hands.
If Albert Einstein were travelling across the US today he may have to take a few precautions, like not trying to solve his famous General Theory of Relativity or other complex matters while on board an aircraft, for his genius could so easily be mistaken for a terror plot to bring down the plane if he were to so much as write a few lines of a mathematical equation, as an Ivy League college professor, an Italian with dark hair and a healthy Mediterranean complexion, experienced recently.

The economist was simply scribbling equations while preparing for a speech in Canada when a lady psyched herself up into a state of panic, although it transpired she was the one to be deplaned on health grounds and not the professor who was, at the most, guilty of working on mathematics at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Paranoia about being in an aircraft that could be brought down by terrorists has been taken to its heights ever since 9/11. Travellers in the US are frequently pulled out randomly for the great American treat now known as the full body search. If such choices at random selection seem based on racial profiling, so seems to be the attitude of the Transport Security Administration.

A number of people have suffered from profiling, especially Sikhs. Why, even people speaking rapidly in their native tongues, from India or elsewhere, have seen panic break out over aircraft security. The professor is worried about xenophobic attitudes in the land of freedom and opportunity. Maybe he can run an Internet tutorial on precautions necessary when taking a flight in the US.
For many decades social dances were an integral thread in Australia's social fabric, and a new event is looking to reinvent the tradition for today's crowd.

The Inaugural Annual Dance Affair is billed as part theatre performance and part 'get up and dance' and has unearthed dancers from Bollywood to ballroom, Italian seniors who gather to dance monthly, pint-sized ballerinas and veteran hoofers, twerkers and tango stars.

Movers and shakers: The Inaugural Annual Dance Affair at St Gabriel's Hall in Reservoir gets everybody moving. Credit:Nicole Cleary

The work has been created by Kate McDonald, Ian Pidd and Bec Reid as the culmination of a residency researching grass-roots dance history, and will take place at St Gabriel's Hall in Reservoir from May 11 to 14.

Get in early for the meat tray raffle.



truenortharts.com.au
It has been the training ground for Rove McManus, Hamish and Andy, Peter Helliar and Corinne Grant.

But Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly could be the last TV star to emerge from community television.

After the Sydney community channel TVS closed at the end of last year, Melbourne's Channel 31 will close later this year.
Survivors say a national redress scheme for child sexual abuse should be beyond party politics, as research reveals that the Royal Commission's preferred model could cost the federal government about $872 million.

Blue Knot Foundation, Care Leavers Australia Network (CLAN) and Broken Rites called on the Coalition and Labor to commit to fully funding a national scheme on the first full day of the election campaign.

Leonie Sheedy, from CLAN says support for redress should be bipartisan. Credit:Penny Stephens

CLAN executive director Leonie Sheedy said: "Redress shouldn't be about party politics. It should be bipartisan. We're all Australian citizens and care leavers who were abused in orphanages and children's homes and foster care were the children of the (states' and territories') government."

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, started under Labor and extended under the Coalition, recommended last year that institutions compensate survivors under a single national redress scheme for 60,000 survivors, which it said was the "most effective" for ensuring justice and the most cost-efficient model.
Specialist maths and science teachers will be pushed into NSW primary school classrooms under a plan by the NSW government to arrest the state's plummeting results.

On Monday, NSW Premier Mike Baird and Education Minister Adrian Piccoli announced that traditionally generalist primary school teachers would have the opportunity to be transformed into STEM specialists, as the NSW economy seeks to future-proof itself for growth in the science and technology areas.

"I think we have lost our way a bit in Australia with mathematics," Mr Piccoli said at Brookvale Primary School. "We need to develop a love of these subjects in primary schools so they can go onto higher level maths on high school and university."

The announcement, which will see the Board of Studies partner with UTS, Macquarie University and the University of Sydney to deliver hundreds of specialist STEM teachers into NSW classrooms, comes as more than a million students prepare to sit the final paper-only NAPLAN exams across the country on Tuesday.
More than 2000 public servants at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection have been randomly drug tested at work in a bid to crack down on lapsed standards, safety risks and potential corruption.

The program, criticised by the main public sector union as well as independent experts, was introduced in July when the former customs service was disbanded and reformed as the Australian Border Force, under the control of the department.

Office-bound public servants at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection have been drug tested. Credit:Pat Scala

Public servants at the department's Belconnen office have reported a spike in testing during recent weeks with the end of financial year reporting period looming.
Police are hunting for a woman who they believe drove away after hitting and injuring a 7-year-old boy outside a primary school in Sydney's west.

The boy was crossing Valley Road in Campbelltown when he was hit by the red Mitsubishi Mirage hatchback about 3.05pm.

Police said the driver, a caucasian woman with an olive complexion and long brown hair, briefly stopped before driving away without helping the boy.

Witnesses called an ambulance.

The 7-year-old was treated at the scene for non life-threatening injuries before he was taken to Campbelltown Hospital, where he remained in a stable condition.
MP Rob Pyne says legalised abortion would be consistent with his values. Credit:Chris Hyde "Abortion law reform in Queensland will never become a reality until the LNP give their party room a free vote, as they did with civil partnerships last year. "It's up to the LNP to decide whether they want to be a political party for the 1950s or the 21st century. "However, I respect and understand that some of my caucus colleagues will have a different point of view and we will move forward on this issue in a deliberative and respectful manner." The LNP would only say on Monday that it had not seen the legislation, and would review it in the party room.

Labor MPs have had a conscience vote on the issue since the 1980s. But it hasn't helped alter the law in Queensland. Abortion is the only medical procedure to feature in the Queensland Criminal Code. It has sat there since 1899 but has been amended over the decades  most notably under the Bligh government in 2009 following a high-profile case in Cairns, where a young couple were charged for importing and using RU-48, the so called "abortion pill". They were found not guilty and the Bligh government altered the law to protect doctors who were concerned prescribing the drug was not covered under the legislation. But it remains rather ambiguous, having not been tested in court again and abortion is only considered legal if the "mother's mental or physical health was in serious danger from continuing the pregnancy". Mr Pyne, who labelled the current laws "archaic", said it was time to make the change.

"It's consistent with my values and I think any modern liberal democracy recognises the value of choice in this," he said. "But on top of that we have had a very prominent case in Cairns where a young couple were put on trial when the young woman decided not to proceed with the pregnancy. "We can all have our moral views on abortion, but I think the majority of Queenslanders would agree that there is not any benefit when a woman who decides not to proceed with a pregnancy is prosecuted." Mr Pyne's bill would remove abortion from the criminal code, but leave in place section 313, which makes it a crime to cause the death of a child who would otherwise have been born alive, used in cases of assault and the like. Amanda Bradley of Children By Choice said the change was "long overdue".

"Queensland's abortion statutes date from 1899 and are completely out of step with community expectation and modern medical practice," she said. "We are supporters of the Pro Choice Queensland campaign in favour of Rob Pyne's Private Members Bill to remove abortion from Queensland's Criminal Code. "Most people would agree that it is not OK to criminalise women for accessing a termination when that is their choice." Greens Senator Larissa Waters, who ran a campaign asking Queensland MPs to state their position on the subject, also welcomed the proposed legislation. To mark its introduction, a gathering in support of the bill is planned for outside Queensland Parliament House on Tuesday morning.

"It's incredible to see such strong support from Queenslanders for decriminalising abortion and it shows just how out of touch our state's laws and politicians are on the issue," Ms Waters said. "As a progressive voice, I go to a lot of rallies in Brisbane and rarely do we see expected numbers in the thousands. "I warmly welcome Rob Pyne's private member's bill to fix our laws so they are in line with modern values that trust and empower women to make decisions about their own bodies." But Ms Waters chastised the state's major parties for not taking the step themselves. "...The Greens believe abortion should be decriminalised, and more than that, it should be safe, it should be legal and it should be affordable."
Three young Korean women were allegedly drugged and raped by a man they met through an online language exchange.

Ashraf Kamal Makary, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges including rape in Brisbane's District Court on Monday.

The three Korean women were working and travelling in Australia with a view to improve their English skills, the court heard. Credit:Louie Douvis

In his opening address, crown prosecutor David Finch told the jury his three alleged victims were all young Korean women working and travelling in Australia with a view to improving their English skills.

"You will perhaps see an underlying pattern or unity emerge (of) striking similarities," Mr Finch told the jury.
The Central Reserve Police Force will soon get its first all-woman unit to fight Maoists (also known as Naxalites), who themselves have a womens unit. This is a natural progression of the rapidity with which women are being equated with men in roles that were traditionally marked for men only. Not only are women to brush shoulders with men in combat duties with the Indian Army but they will also soon be flying sorties for the Indian Air Force and also undertaking naval duties that were considered so tough as to justify gender singularity.

The roles being given to women now, as in the CRPF where they are expected to operate in the toughest conditions in which death in combat is more than a mere occupational hazard, go far beyond the breaking of the glass ceiling in air-conditioned offices of the chrome and glass environment of the modern world, which women have achieved in corporate India to a very large extent.

In the roles being envisa

ged by CRPF in active duty, it can be said that Indian women have truly arrived, and literally so with regard to the battle for gender equality. The first batch of over 550 women commandos have already received 44 weeks of extensive and rigorous training in the worst-affected regions of Bastar, in Chhattisgarh, and in Jharkhand. Their training included unarmed combat, jungle warfare, firing of smart weapons, etc and, significantly, they will be doing the same duties as their male counterparts.

There are about 15 districts, if not more, in what is known as the red corridor, which are under Naxalite control. The people in these villages in Maoist-controlled areas live in terror of the rebels, who reportedly indulge in extortion and human rights abuses, especially if they suspect that villagers have been police informers. To operate in such conditions would be the ultimate test of women in the equality test.

While women as the equal of men serve as an object lesson in modernity, it is not to be brushed aside that human rights violations are likely to take place within the forces as this is never to be ruled out in male-dominated societies. Women who have joined the rebel forces and later surrendered to the state have harrowing stories about the treatment meted out to them on the other side of the divide. It would be incumbent on the forces in which women are deployed to put in place a well-defined redressal mechanism to protect women commando forces against human rights and sexual abuse.

Many a time it is poor and exploited rural women who join these forces hoping for a better deal and they should not be doubly exploited, as in the case of the surrendered Maoist rebels. Women commandos in the CRPF make for an exciting development in this struggle for gender equality and one can look forward to hearing of their heroic exploits in the days to come.
Public private partnerships are emerging as the future of reversing Australia's shocking reputation as the worst nation on the planet at protecting its native endangered fauna.

The main problem is the four million feral cats in Australia's outback, each eating four to five native animals a week.

New public private partnership model to protect Queensland's bilbies and night parrots.Photo: Kathie Atkinson Credit:Kathie Atkinson

Now Queensland is set to trial a unique $3 million plan to protect its final 600 bilbies, the endangered night parrot and the vulnerable marsupial rat, the kowari.

Australia's poor record was exposed at a Threatened Species Summit in July 2015 that heard Australia had one of the worst extinction records in the world, with 29 mammal species lost and nearly 1,800 species nationally listed as being under threat.
The fate of south-east Queensland's declining koala population lies with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk introducing a land-clearing moratorium, the Australian Koala Foundation says.

Chief executive Deborah Tabart has sent a letter to the premier's office demanding the moratorium on the clearing of all known koala habitats in the state.

Deborah Tabart of the Australian Koala Foundation. Credit:Naz Mulla

Ms Tabart also on Monday requested a halt on development applications in specific areas across the region until a plan is in place to protect koala habitats.

She said she had no faith in the ability of an expert panel, announced by Environment Minister Steven Miles on Saturday, to adequately protect dwindling numbers of koalas from extinction.
A "warrior princess" whose father sparked debate across the nation with his decision to treat her with cannabis oil has died.

Little Rumer Rose, who couldn't be named until now for legal reasons, passed away in her sleep early Monday morning, her father told a legion of online supporters.

Cairns father Adam Koessler is grieving the loss of his little girl, Rumer Rose. Credit:Fearless Father - Facebook

Queensland father Adam Koessler walked out of court in March with a $500 fine and a two-year good behaviour bond after pleading guilty to supplying his daughter with a dangerous drug.

The 32-year-old had used the oil treat his daughter's neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, after she was diagnosed in December 2014 and given a 50 per cent chance of survival.
Queensland's taxi industry is building a million-dollar war chest to fight Uber and other "illegal taxi services" and win favour in a critical government review.

Taxi Council Queensland members unanimously voted to raise $360 per cab per year for the next three years in an effort to boost its lobbying powers, Fairfax Media can reveal.

If the owners of all 3260 of the state's cab owners pay up, that's almost $1.2 million a year, a huge sum but peanuts compared to the multinational's $50 billion valuation.

Taxi owners are terrified of Uber's surging popularity in the Sunshine state, which is believed to have contributed to a significant drop in taxi licence values, which were worth more than half a million dollars in 2014.
Like most Australians, I tuned into Treasurer Scott Morrison's federal budget speech and read a fair bit of the coverage about the budget.

From a business person's perspective it wasn't a bad budget. It had company tax cuts, which is encouraging, but they only really affect profitable businesses. The reality is many in the retail and small business world make marginal profits and therefore the impact is minimal.

Jason Wyatt: passionate about innovation. Credit:Andrew Maccoll

The announcement that all company tax rates would be progressively lowered to 25 per cent by 2027 was also positive for business. But that's a while off.

Economist Saul Eslake summed up the budget well: "By the standards of previous pre-election budgets, this was a sober, responsible effort on the part of the government."
Years later, Godwin told New York Magazine that he wanted to "prevent the Holocaust from turning into a cliche, or into a handy arrow in someone's rhetorical quiver." So the lawyer came up with a rule-of-thumb that now bears his name: Godwin's Law of Nazi Analogies, which embedded itself in the fabric of the internet after he explained his idea in a popular 1994 Wired article.

It's a symptom of internet comments almost as old as the web itself. In 1990, a lawyer named Mike Godwin noticed a peculiar habit cropping up in Usenet forums. If people didn't like something, they'd juxtapose it with Hitler.

Spend enough time on the web, and the chances are good someone will bring up Hitler.

Sixteen years after Godwin's Law, a business intelligence analyst and blogger who goes by the pseudonym CuriousGnu decided to see just how frequently people invoke Hitler. Using a public dataset of 4.6 million comments from the social media forums on Reddit, CuriousGnu was able to discern the rate at which people invoke the mustachioed fascist or Nazis. The analyst recently shared the findings on his or her blog.

CuriousGnu found that the longer a comment thread continued, the greater the chances someone mentioned Nazis or Hitler. If a thread went beyond 1000 comments, nearly four in five  78 per cent  had such a reference.

CuriousGnu wrote in an email that the goal wasn't to finally prove or disprove Godwin's Law, which would require assessing the context of the comment. The analyst simply wanted to measure the sheer volume of Nazi references. That took a little refinement: The sections of Reddit that deal with history, CuriousGnu wrote, mention "Hitler and Nazis many times, which of course doesn't have anything to do with their form of online social interaction but with the topics they are discussing."

Of course, you could argue that the longer a comment thread continues, all things being equal, the chances of any given word appearing also increases. (As the infinite monkey theorem goes, given enough chimps and typewriters, one ape is bound to produce the works of Shakespeare.) But there seems to be some particular appeal to the invocation of Hitler. When asked by New York Magazine if he thought his law still held true in 2013, Godwin replied the only thing he would change is that Hitler references aren't confined to the web.

For evidence of that corollary to Godwin's Law, just ask Donald Trump.
Critics fear children as young as 12 could soon access the contraceptive pill at school without their parents' knowledge, under a new 'doctors in schools' Labor initiative.

Doctors will visit 100 disadvantaged state secondary schools from next year as part of a Labor election promise aimed at giving thousands of students access to better health care.

Doctors will soon descend on 100 disadvantaged state secondary schools as part of an Andrews government plan. Credit:Getty Images

But the Opposition and the Australian Medical Association have taken aim at the plan, saying it will lead to fragmented care.

The Opposition's education spokesman Nick Wakeling said the initiative raised a lot of ethical questions, including students potentially exploiting it to circumvent their parents.
Mr Cooney was Arnold Bloch Leibler's director of finance and worked with the woman at the time, Chief Crown prosecutor Gavin Silbert, QC, told the jury in his opening address.

Mr Cooney, 47, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape. His lawyer said the issue of consent was in dispute.

Dale Cooney is accused of raping the woman in her bed in the early hours of July 14, 2001, after she had declined his invitation to meet the previous night, the County Court heard on Monday.

A former manager at a law firm who is accused of raping a colleague showed the woman a newspaper headline containing the word "sorry" in the days afterwards, a jury has been told.

Mr Silbert said the woman reported being raped to Arnold Bloch Leibler and the law firm investigated. During a subsequent meeting, Mr Cooney held up to the woman that day's front page of the Herald Sun, which carried the (unrelated) headline "I am sorry".

The jury heard the accused man rang the woman three times on the night of July 13, 2001, while she was out with friends, asking for her to meet him. She declined and turned off her phone.

At 1.32am the next day the woman woke at home to loud banging on her front door, Mr Silbert said, and saw Mr Cooney outside. When she opened the door, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her outside. He went inside and closed the door, but moments later opened it, smiling, and told her to go back to bed.

Soon after he raped the woman on her bed, despite her telling him: "Please don't do this. You are going to regret it."

Prosecutors allege Mr Cooney bit the woman on the neck during the attack, and pulled out clumps of her hair. Afterwards, he kissed her on the cheek, said he was going back to a nightclub and left at 1.42am. The woman smelt alcohol on his breath, the court heard.
A man believed to have been the victim of a stabbing attack in Reservoir on Monday afternoon has been taken to hospital in a serious condition.

An Ambulance Victoria spokesperson said the man suffered abdominal injuries and was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Victoria Police said a passerby had alerted police

Police said a passer-by had alerted police, after finding the victim in Newland Street about 1pm.
The grieving families of the teenage siblings and a French woman killed in the disastrous Swanston Street wall collapse have withdrawn their claims for compensation from builder Grocon.

Six family members had made applications for compensation over the deaths of Alexander Jones, 19, his sister Bridget, 18 and visiting academic Marie-Faith Fiawoo, who were crushed and killed when Grocon's wall collapsed onto the footpath in central Melbourne three years ago.

The 15-metre wall was situated on the Swanston Street boundary of a large Grocon-owned construction project at the former Carlton and United Breweries site.
Corruption in Indian defence deals date back to the 1948 jeep scandal when the pesky and brazen V.K. Krishna Menon, Indias high commissioner to the UK, ignored the protocols and signed a deal for 200 jeeps with a foreign firm and India only received 155. Since then, Bofors, HDW submarines, Coffingate, Tatra trucks and many such deals are symptomatic of the continuing taints that have afflicted the various defence deals. In almost all these deals, murmurs about the nexus between shady arms dealers and politicians of the ruling dispensations (of all political persuasions) did the rounds.

However, the conviction rate of any Indian politician or bureaucrat of any significance in the defence deals has been virtually zero and the blacklisting of tainted firms has resulted in unprecedented difficulties for the Indian defence forces. Bofors, the Swedish manufacturer was blacklisted in 1987 and the ban was lifted only in June 1999 when Bofors proved its mettle in the Kargil war, albeit, badly crippled for want of spare parts.

A similar experience was faced by the Indian Navy when the German submarine manufacturer, HDW, was suddenly blacklisted on disclosures of kickbacks after having supplied four submarines. The HDW blacklisting forced the authorities to deal with dodgy companies to secure spare parts and keep the fleet operational at exorbitant prices. Even in the current melee about the AgustaWestland helicopter scam, questions on the maintenance and spare parts of the three helicopters already inducted and the Naval Sea King helicopters abound, with no clarity on managing the eventuality, and its repercussions.

Strangely, efforts to tighten the screws on corruption have only made the process more complex as it gets mired in intrigues that further require insiders.

Individual arms deals often run into billions of dollars with long-term maintenance and technology support contracts. The process is bureaucratic, highly competitive and long-winding. Hence, it is susceptible to influencers who can circumvent, accelerate and grease palms with speed money to keep the deal moving in a particular direction, till fructification.

Two systemic changes introduced have been the formation of a Technical Oversight Committee, and the almost naive, honour-based Integrity Pact (since 2006), which has an undertaking by the bidders that they have not paid/will not pay bribes, etc. with appropriate penalties (this was made compulsory for all procurement deals above Rs 100 crore). Politically, indecision, procrastination or blacklisting could be kosher, but militarily it is disastrous as it perpetuates the risks to the soldiers and the nation. Against an authorised strength of 42 fighter squadrons, the Indian Air Force has only 33  the tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) was done in 2007, yet despite Rafales selection in 2012, we are still haggling with Dassault Aviation over the base price fixation for the first 36 fighter aircraft in 2016.

There is an urgent need to simplify, shorten and insulate the workings of the core selection team from the competing vendors. This team needs enhanced participation of soldiers rather than tenure-based bureaucrats (the director-general of acquisition, defence ministry, is an IAS officer), and, critically, the answerability of decisions to Parliament rather than the government. This will go a long way in curbing the enthusiasm of ruling politicians, fixers and lobbyists in the ultimate preference of a weaponry, which ought to be decided only on the service requirements.

A fast-track court (perhaps, even military) to convict any individual seen to be meddling in a deal, in a time-bound manner, will ensure adequate deterrence and distance. Last but not the least is the acceleration of private participation in defence industry to harness the technological, entrepreneurial and cost advantages afforded domestically. Currently, the much-bandied Make in India private industry thrust accounts for less than one per cent of the defence budget, signalling Indias tentative steps towards the new defence procurement procedure. Globally, private sector for defence industry fuels the domestic economy. Even a pacifist country like Sweden regularly supplies armament to countries with questionable human rights track record like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain or Egypt.

At the end of the day, scale of defence deals are reflective of our political abilities (or failures) in managing foreign affairs with our neighbouring countries, as indeed our domestic affairs. Unsettled international border disputes, multiple insurgencies and secessionist movements within the country and frequent requisitioning of the armed forces for managing natural and man-made disasters is squeezing the capability and capacity of the defence forces to its limits.

Given the current status, Indias reliance on international defence deals for critical sustenance and efficacy of the over-stretched and under-equipped defence forces is complete and necessary for at least the next two to three decades (India is the top arms importer, accounting for 14 per cent of the global arms trade). So with the financial stakes expected to continue running high in the near future (Rs 78,586 crore has been allocated for capital expenditure in the current years defence budget), coupled with existing systemic inefficiencies will ensure the curse of influencers. Unfortunately, the AgustaWestland narrative is more focused on political blame-game rather than the critical task of simplifying the procurement process with adequate transparency, build-in.

The lure for defence deals thrives on the inherent red-tapism and lack of conviction of influencers in the multiple scams so far. Meanwhile, the soldiers remains exposed, under-involved and inadequately equipped to handle the conventional and unconventional demands that are enforced upon them to guard the borders and within.
The parents of a toddler who died from a heart condition that hospital staff initially mistook for a virus believe their daughter could have survived had medics listened to their concerns.

Angela and Matthew Ebbage say they felt ignored by staff at The Northern Hospital when they raised concerns to doctors and nurses about their 18-month-old daughter Audrey's condition over four days in December 2014.

Audrey Ebbage died following treatment in The Northern Hospital.

The hospital on Monday admitted in the Coroner's Court to failings in relation to Audrey's death.

The Ebbages took Audrey to the Epping hospital on December 11, 2014 with what they believed was a respiratory illness or croup, but her condition deteriorated and she went into cardiac arrest on December 14, 2014. She was rushed to the Royal Children's Hospital but died the following day from a heart condition.
Thunderstorms, gusty winds and fierce rain thrashed Melbourne and surrounding areas on Monday, causing minor flash flooding and traffic chaos.

A low pressure system started moving eastwards from Adelaide early on Monday, dumping heavy rain over much of Victoria, from Port Campbell to Falls Creek.

A torrential downpour hit the CBD about 11.30am, dumping nearly 8 millimetres of rain in just 25 minutes. Temperatures also dropped rapidly, falling from a warm 22 degrees in Melbourne to about 17.

The downpour caused minor flash flooding and filled drains and gutters, as well as the shoes of many office workers making the mad lunchtime dash through the CBD.
Jewish groups have slammed the VCE authority, claiming it has selected a play for the year 12 drama curriculum that portrays Israel as a "blood-thirsty, evil war-machine" and amounts to "anti-Israel propaganda".

The play, Tales of A City by the Sea, was written by Samah Sabawi, a Palestinian-Australian writer and activist, who supports the BDS [Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions] movement against Israel.

Cast of the play, Tales of A City by the Sea, when it premiered in 2014. Credit:Simon Schluter

The play premiered in Melbourne in 2014, and will be performed for the second time at La Mama Courthouse, starting on Wednesday.

More than 1,300 students are studying VCE Drama this year.
When Kristen Hilton rang her mum to tell her she had been appointed as Victoria's new Human Rights Commissioner, Kerry Hilton dug out her daughter's grade five school journal.

The pages are filled with Kristen's musings on the death penalty, animal cruelty and Amnesty International: even at age 11, Hilton was preoccupied with matters of justice.

Victoria's new Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton. Credit:Darrian Traynor

Just two years later she and a friend founded the first local branch of Amnesty International in their Goulburn Valley hometown of Kyabram.

Hilton says her parents Bryan and Kerry, a retailer and teacher, were heavily involved in the local community and imparted a strong sense of curiosity and empathy in their daughters.
The OUTinPerth magazine could come back from the dead less than two weeks after shutting up shop.

Perth's only gay and lesbian publication suddenly closed on April 27 after 14 years, after the owners of the magazine went into liquidation.

Leigh Hill and Graeme Watson are hoping to bring OUTinPerth back to life.

Now the former editorial team behind OUTinPerth - Leigh Hill and Graeme Watson - have brought the rights to the magazine and are hoping to bring it back to Perth streets with a GoFundMe funding campaign.

Mr Watson said it was important to have an independent voice in WA with the federal election on the horizon.
Cairo: Archeologists have clashed at a conference in Egypt over a theory that secret burial chambers could be hidden behind the walls of King Tutankhamun's tomb.

Speaking at the conference on Sunday, former antiquities minister and famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass rejected the theory that undiscovered chambers lie behind the tomb and likely contain the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, one of pharaonic Egypt's most famous figures. The theory has prompted new exploration and it has been extensively scanned by radar.

In dispute: are there secret chambers behind the walls of King Tut's tomb. Credit:AP

"In all my career ... I have never come across any discovery in Egypt due to radar scans," Hawass said, suggesting the technology would be better used to examine existing tombs that are known to contain sealed-off chambers.
Jakarta: Thirteen drug offenders on death row in Indonesia are listed to face the firing squad in a further round of executions expected within weeks.

Central Java police spokesman Alloysius Liliek Darmanto told Fairfax Media about 130 officers from BRIMOB - Indonesia's special police operations force - had been prepared to carry out the executions.

Indonesian special police hold a drill in Denpasar, Bali. Credit:AAP

"The current number [of prisoners to be executed] is still 13," he said. "We don't have details of the names. We just wait for instruction from the Attorney-General's Office."

In a further sign the executions are imminent, three prisoners on death row for drug offences were on Sunday night transferred from Batam to Nusakambangan, where the executions will take place.
One of the American news network's CNN prominent anchors Chris Cuomo decided to skip the small talk during a live interview with Donald Trump on Monday and go straight into a tough question.

But the presumptive Republican presidential nominee didn't appreciate the lack of pleasantries:

CUOMO: We need to talk policy. We need to talk the state of play within your own party, but you have commanded a different headline that needs to be addressed. You are attacking Hillary Clinton for the sexual past and indiscretions of her husband, calling her an 'enabler'. We have a panel of independent voters. They are smart as heck, and most of them don't like it. They see it as a distraction. They see it as hypocritical coming from you, and they mostly see it as potential proof that you may have no real ideas to offer as president. What is your thinking on this line of attack?
Honda To Recall 20 Million More Takata Air Bags

TOKYO MAY. 09, 2016; Japan Today reported that according to Nikkei, Honda Motor will recall an additional 20 million Takata-made air bags globally, a newspaper said Sunday, in a widening scandal that has led to the biggest auto recall in U.S. history.

Tokyo-based auto parts giant Takata is struggling to deal with a defect that can send metal and plastic shrapnel from the inflator canister hurtling toward drivers and passengers when an air bag is deployed.

The defect has been blamed for grisly injuries that have in some cases proved fatal.

Honda, along with other automakers, has already been ordered by U.S. authorities to recall all units that do not contain a desiccant that keeps explosives in air bags from deteriorating.

The Japanese automaker now plans to widen areas for the recall to Asia, Oceania, Latin America and Europe, which will force the firm to recall another 20 million air bags or more globally, bringing the total number to more than 50 million, the Nikkei daily said.

The additional cost is estimated at 200 billion yen ($1.87 billion), the business newspaper said, adding that the latest move by the biggest buyer of Takata air bags may prompt other automakers to follow suit.

Immediate confirmation of the news report was not available.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered Takata to recall between 35 and 40 million more air bags installed in U.S. cars.

That is on top of the 50 million already recalled globally, including about 29 million in the United States, making it by far the biggest auto recall in U.S. history.

Also Wednesday, Honda announced two more people in Malaysia had died in accidents linked to Takata-made air bags. Most deaths have been in the U.S.
Facebook lost the first round in a court fight against some of its users who sued the social networking company, alleging it "unlawfully" collected and stored users' biometric data . (Representational image)

Facebook lost the first round in a court fight against some of its users who sued the social networking company, alleging it 'unlawfully' collected and stored users' biometric data derived from their faces in photographs.

The judge presiding over the case in a California federal court on Thursday turned down Facebook's motion seeking dismissal of the suit.

Facebook filed the motion arguing that the users could not file a complaint under Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) as they had agreed in their user agreement that California law would govern their disputes with the company, and that BIPA does not apply to "tag suggestions."

The court found that Illinois law applies and that the plaintiffs have stated a claim under BIPA.

The complainants had alleged that Facebook's face recognition feature that suggests "tags" on photos unlawfully collected and stored biometric data, in violation of the Illinois BIPA.

The case was filed by some Illinois residents under Illinois law, but the parties agreed to transfer the case to the California court, the court order showed.

Facebook was also hit with a lawsuit over its plan to issue new stock last month.

The company said in April it will create a new class of non-voting shares in a move aimed at letting Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg give away his wealth without relinquishing control of the social media juggernaut he founded.

Facebook was not immediately available for comment.

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Chevrolet Korea: Malibu Receives Over 6,000 Orders In Four Days

Seoul May 9, 2016; Jhoo Dong-chan writing for the Korea Times reported that a GM Korea official said Tuesday that the company's recently introduced Malibu sedan has received more than 6,000 orders in the four days since the model was introduced at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro, southwestern Seoul, on April 27.

Receiving over 2,000 orders for the model on the day of its launch, the Malibu sedan is expected to be a "game changer" in the nation's mid-size sedan market, an official said.

In order to meet customer demands, workers at GM Korea's Bupyeong plant in Incheon reportedly have decided to work full-time during the Children's Day holidays this week.

During its introduction on April 27, Dale Sullivan, GM Korea vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing (VSSM), expressed his confidence in the Malibu, saying it will be the top seller in the nation's mid-sized sedan market.

"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," Sullivan said.

The Malibu's sleek and sporty design received favorable responses from reporters during its unveiling, and the car is expected to attract not only traditional sedan buyers in their 40s and 50s but also young motorists in their 20s and 30s.

It comes with a choice of turbocharged engines  the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter direct-injection gasoline engines. Especially, the 2.0-liter turbo engine produces 253 horsepower and 36.0 kgm of torque. The engine 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 class.

The price for the all-new Malibu starts at 23.1 million won ($20,143).
NHTSA RECALLS - May 9, 2016: Mercedes, Toyota, Nissan, Kia, Hyundai, Cadillac, RV's







Your vehicle MAY be involved in a safety recall and MAY create a safety risk for you or your passengers. If left unrepaired, a potential safety defect could lead to injury or even death. Safety defects must be repaired by a dealer at no cost to you.

The following may apply to one or more of your vehicles if your vehicle is listed below. Click on the NHTSA Campaign ID number below to read more about the safety issue and the reason for the recall.

To find out if your specific vehicle is included in the recall, use our VIN Look-up Tool.

NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V211 Manufacturer : Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. Make / Model Years : MERCEDES BENZ / 2016 Subject : Loss of Vehicle Battery may Result in Rollaway NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V215 Manufacturer : Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing Make / Model Years : TOYOTA / 2016 Subject : Occupant Classification System/FMVSS 208 NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V218 Manufacturer : Forest River, Inc. Make / Model Years : SHASTA / 2015-2016 Subject : Dinette Table May Fall Due to Inadequate Support NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V219 Manufacturer : Nissan North America, Inc. Make / Model Years : NISSAN / 2014-2016 Subject : Rear Lift Gate may Fall if Lift Gate Stays Corrode NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V220 Manufacturer : Forest River, Inc. Make / Model Years : STARTRANS / 2014-2016 Subject : Exit Window Labels Incorrect Placement/FMVSS 217 NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V221 Manufacturer : Riverside RV Make / Model Years : WHITE WATER / 2015 Subject : Tires may Rub due to Incorrect Axle Width NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V222 Manufacturer : Eldorado National- Kansas Make / Model Years : ELDORADO / 2010-2015 Subject : Loose Crimp Fasteners may Allow Fuel Line to Leak NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V223 Manufacturer : New Flyer Industries Ltd. Make / Model Years : NEW FLYER / 2013-2016 Subject : Rear Bus Doors May Open While in Motion NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V224 Manufacturer : Forest River, Inc. Make / Model Years : ELKHART / 2016 Subject : Seat May Separate From the Base Frame NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V225 Manufacturer : Forest River, Inc. Make / Model Years : GLAVAL BUS / 2016 Subject : Seat May Separate From the Base Frame NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V226 Manufacturer : Forest River, Inc. Make / Model Years : STARTRANS / 2016 Subject : Seat May Separate From the Base Frame NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V227 Manufacturer : Forest River, Inc. Make / Model Years : STARCRAFT BUS / 2015-2016 Subject : Seat May Separate From the Base Frame NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V228 Manufacturer : Gulf States Toyota, Inc. Make / Model Years : TOYOTA / 2015-2016 Subject : Incorrect Weight Calculations on Label/FMVSS 110 NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V230 Manufacturer : Jayco, Inc. Make / Model Years : JAYCO / 2016 Subject : Missing Circuit Breaker may Result in Fire NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V231 Manufacturer : Kia Motors America Make / Model Years : KIA / 2016 Subject : Air Bag Second Stage may not Inflate Properly NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V232 Manufacturer : General Motors LLC Manufacturer : Hyundai Motor America Make / Model Years : HYUNDAI / 2015-2017 Subject : Air Bag Second Stage may not Inflate Properly NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V233 Manufacturer : General Motors LLC Manufacturer : Terex South Dakota, Inc. Make / Model Years : TEREX / 2001-2003 Subject : Lower Boom of Aerial Device may Crack/Fail NHTSA Campaign ID Number : 16V256 Manufacturer : General Motors LLC Make / Model Years : CADILLAC / 2016 CHEVROLET / 2016-2017 GMC / 2016 Subject : Upper Control Arms May Have Insufficient Welds

What is a recall?

When a manufacturer or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determines that a car or item of motor vehicle equipment creates an unreasonable risk to safety or fails to meet minimum safety standards, the manufacturer is required to fix that car or equipment at no cost to the consumer. That can be done by repairing it, replacing it, offering a refund (for equipment) or, in rare cases, repurchasing the car.

What should I do if my vehicle is included in this recall?

If your vehicle is included in this recall, it is very important that you get it fixed as soon as possible given the potential danger to you and your passengers if it is not addressed. You should receive a separate letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer, notifying you of the recall and explaining when the remedy will be available, whom to contact to repair your vehicle or equipment, and to remind you that the repair will be done at no charge to you. If you believe your vehicle is included in the recall, but you do not receive a letter in the mail from the vehicle manufacturer, please call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236, or contact your vehicle manufacturer or dealership.
Companies are now trying to monitor breached data to help government institutions and private companies.

San Francisco: As the continuing parade of mass data breaches increases the opportunities for miscreants to use grabbed credentials for all manner of fraud, it is also driving defenders to seek new ways to connect the dots and stop secondary crimes sooner.

Companies like Baltimore's Terbium Labs have professionalized crawling the Dark Web, where criminals trade or sell large quantities of stolen credit card data and most other imaginable categories of personal information.

Austin-based All Clear ID, formerly known as Debix, is among the companies that go beyond credit monitoring and report additional information to consumers.

One of its services looks for breached data turned over to the FBI-affiliated National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance, and then alerts subscribers if material about them shows up.

Starting on Monday, an Austin startup will try a third way: collecting breached data directly from the companies that were hit, then allowing banks and other potential fraud magnets to see if their customers are involved and have accounts more likely to be targeted.

The idea behind what is being dubbed the Compromised Identity Exchange is to charge those most likely to be hit with follow-on fraud for access to information that reduces their risk.

Companies that have been breached will not pay anything to hand over the data that was stolen, and they can feel that they have done more than most to protect their customers or employees by heading off future fraud that might hurt them.

The service is being run by a company called XOR Data Exchange, which says it can produce useful data faster by hearing from the victims instead of trolling the Dark Web, where it may already be too late by the time it appears.

Due to heavy security on the data, XOR says, the system may also allow breached companies to share the sensitive information without changing their privacy policies or waiting for the people exposed to opt in, as they must for credit monitoring.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Twitter has reportedly barred US intelligence agencies from using Dataminr.

New York: Micro-blogging site Twitter has reportedly barred US intelligence agencies from using Dataminr, a service that analyses tweets from across the globe to inform users about news events.

Twitter said in a statement that its data is largely public and the US authorities can review public accounts on its own, the Verge quoted the Wall Street Journal as stating.

The social network has a policy of banning third-party companies such as Dataminr from selling information to the government bodies for surveillance purposes.

Headquartered in New York, Dataminr is the leading real-time information discovery company, which transforms real-time data from Twitter and other public sources into actionable signals, identifying the most relevant information in real-time for clients in Finance, the Public Sector, News, Corporate Security and Crisis Management.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Housing has the right to evict tenants who do not pay their rent, dwellers who have damaged a rental unit and, apparently, food banks too.

As the Ile des Chenes food bank approaches the expiration of the one-year grace period that has kept its premises in a Manitoba Housing building, an operator of the food bank believes they are set for eviction, leaving their future uncertain.

For more than a decade the food bank has paid no rent to be operated out of a suite at Villa des Chenes, an apartment complex on Main Street. To the best of Suzanne Tetreaults knowledge there had never been a lease agreement signed to confirm this agreement, which effectively expired last summer, when the charity was told they have to leave because Manitoba Housing prohibits its units from being utilized for non-residential purposes.

IAN FROESE | THE CARILLON Suzanne Tetreault stocks the shelves at the Ile des Chenes food bank, which may be evicted from a Manitoba Housing apartment complex on Main Street because of regulations that prevent non-resident uses for their subsidized units. The food bank had been using the location without issues for about a decade until concerns were first expressed last year.

The food bank searched for a new home, dismissing one of the few prospects they could find because they couldnt afford rent. They settled on the rectory, the priests residence beside the Ile des Chenes parish that is now unoccupied, but on the day they were to move last August, they received a call from the office of Dawson Trail MLA Ron Lemieux that an arrangement had been made with the minister of housing to keep the food bank where it was for one more year.

That period expires this June, said Tetreault, who argues the rectory is not a satisfactory venue for when the food bank returns from their summer hiatus. She said the rickety stairs are inaccessible for some clients. About 17-20 families from the RM of Ritchot rely on their biweekly hampers, she explains.

We were going to try it out there. If not, we were going to close, she said of their plans last year.

We just want to stay where we are permanently, not have to worry every year if theyre going to kick us out.

Tetreault is aware of a foot care and a bra fitting clinic that once established its travelling shop at Villa des Chenes but in the last year or two has stopped because of Manitoba Housings rules.

She is unsure if outlawing non-resident enterprises is a new policy or simply a decision by the government to enforce existing rules. Manitoba Housing did not return requests for comment from The Carillon.

Tetreault understands the policy is probably meant to apply province-wide but she said there is no pressing demand for their Ile des Chenes suites. She said there are four vacant units at Villa des Chenes.

She hopes Manitoba Housing will reconsider.

They should understand that people who use Manitoba Housing, its because theyre low income, and theyre the same people who come to use the food bank, said Tetreault, who stated they may be forced to close if they cannot find a permanent spot. They had previously been told they can use the rectory but if a paying tenant is found, the food bank would be dismissed.

Tetreault said she has enlisted new MLA Bob Lagasse for help, who has told her the issue is a priority to him once the new PC government settles in.

Tetreault has been running the food bank in Ile des Chenes alongside Diane Aminot for eight years. Retired from her work as a medical lab tech at St Boniface Hospital, Tetreault volunteered because she wanted to help her community in her free time. It has become a venture enjoyed by her and needed by dozens.

A lot of the clients who know were having trouble with the location, they come pleading to us, said Tetreault. They really need this service. Groceries are expensive, a lot of people are out of work, we even have seniors coming herejust with the pension, thats not enough.
By Lauren Carroll and Linda Qiu

Donald Trump did little to heal the rift with Republican Party leaders in interviews on the Sunday shows, calling Mitt Romney ungrateful for Trumps 2012 support and suggesting he would be open to removing Paul Ryan as convention chair if Ryan ultimately fails to endorse him.

As speaker of the House, Ryan is also the partys convention chair. Last week, Ryan said he couldnt yet support Trumps nomination.

Trump also continued to make the case that his win as the presumptive nominee came despite a primary process that was rigged against him.

Trump has complained repeatedly about election problems, so NBC host Chuck Todd of Meet the Press asked Trump if he supports policies that make it easier for people to vote, such as same-day voter registration.

Trump said no.

No, no, Trump said. I dont think people should sneak in through the cracks. And whether thats an ID or any way you want to do it. But you have to be a citizen to vote.

Well, of course, Todd replied. That is the law as it stands already.

Trump disagreed: No, its not. I mean, you have places where people just walk in and vote.

Trumps claim that noncitizens could just walk in and vote rates False.

In most states, people have to register to vote well in advance of Election Day. But 15 states and the District of Columbia have or are about to have same-day voter registration.

Election experts told us the states put safeguards in place to verify identity, even with same-day registration.

Its not that you can just show up and voteyou have to register and provide necessary ID, said Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida.

The specifics vary by state because each state makes its own election laws. For example, some, but not all, states have an electronic database that they can use to check a same-day registrants eligibility on the spot. Others, like Iowa and New Hampshire, send a mailer to all same-day registrants, and if the card is returned as undeliverable, the state will investigate the case as potential election fraud.

But the bottom line is that states strive to hold everyone to the same level of scrutiny in terms of identity verification.

For presidential elections, all states require voters to be U.S. citizens, and there is nothing inherent about same-day registration that would make it easier for noncitizens to vote, said Joshua Douglas, a professor of election law at the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Every expert we asked told us that there are anecdotal examples of noncitizens voting in federal elections, but its rare. And there isnt any evidence that its more prevalent in the states with Election Day registration.

Is the U.S. the highest taxed nation in the world?

Trump released a tax plan in September that would give big tax cuts to the top 0.1 percent and bloat the deficit by at least $10 trillion over the next decade. But Trump said this week hes considering raising taxes on the rich.

Should we assume that most of your plans, then, we shouldnt take you at your words, as sort of that theyre floors? Todd asked Trump.

It is called life, Chuck. Its not my word, of course. I put in a proposal. You know what they are? Theyre really proposals. People can say its a tax plan. Its really a tax proposal. Because after I put it in, and I think you know the Senate and Congress, you know as much as anybody, they start working with you and they start fighting, Trump responded. But Im not under the illusion that that its going to pass. Theyre going to come to me. Theyre going to want to raise it for the rich more than anybody else.

He then explained why, despite that, hes still sticking to his guns and giving a massive tax cut to businesses: Were the highest taxed nation in the world. Our businesses pay more taxes than any businesses in the world. Thats why companies are leaving.

This is a version of one of Trumps oft-repeated talking points, and its inaccurate. The claim rates False.

When we looked at this claim in the past, we compared the United States to the 33 other industrialized nations in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Data from 2014, the most recent year available, shows that the United States wasnt the most highly taxed by the typical metrics and actually places near the bottom or around the middle of the pack.

Trump specified this time that he was talking about business taxes, but the essential data doesnt back him there, either.

Trump would have been more accurate if he had been more specific. The United States does have one of the highest top marginal corporate tax rates in the world. However, companies pay less in practice because they can take deductions and exclusions. When we look at the actual tax burden on U.S. companies, its far from highest in the world.

On overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP, the United States is 31st. (Denmark is first.) On corporate tax revenue as a percentage of GDP, the United States is 17th. (Norway is first.)

The World Banks data for 2012the last year for which it has complete figuresalso placed the United States near the bottom in tax revenue as a percentage of GDP. Nations with lower percentages were Japan and Spain, a couple of oil-rich countries (Oman and Kuwait), and a few impoverished states (like Afghanistan and the Central African Republic).

We also looked at a 2016 report by the World Bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers that assessed the total tax burden for a case study company in different places around the world. The total tax ratewhich includes not only income taxes but also labor taxes, property taxes, profit taxes, etc.is expressed as a percentage over the total profit.

By this metric, the company would have a total tax rate of 43.9 percent in the United States, placing it at No. 64 out of 189 countries.

Thats lower than the rates the company would have paid in the two countries Trump says the United States loses to, China (67.8 percent) and Mexico (51.7 percent). Moreover, its nowhere near the top.

Read the full fact-checks at PunditFact.com.
If Sebastian Stan has spent countless hours clicking his way down the vast and very detailed rabbit holes of Avengers slashfic fan art that reside for eternity on the Internet, he does a masterful job of hiding it on a recent afternoon in Los Angeles.

The actor, 33, cracks a sly smile at the thought of the myriad ways in which Captain America fans have imagined the torrid friendship between Chris Evans Cap and his Bucky Barnes, whose decades-long bromance, one could argue, blossoms into full-fledged love in Marvels Captain America: Civil War.

I offer Stan a glimpse of one gorgeously rendered piece of fan art in which Bucky curls up in bed, spooning a Captain America teddy bear. I mean, thats me with a teddy bear, he says. Thats nice.

Another depicts an extracanonical scene of Steve and Bucky in a clinch, kissing passionately on a bed. Thatswow. Strong.

And finally, before we move on to other Bucky-Steve topics, a sweet sketch of the two sleeping peacefully, his bionic arm wrapped possessively around Steves torso.

Thats really nice, he smiles. Hey, man, he shrugs, a playful glint in his eyes. People come to the movies with all kinds of things.

My favorite was that Daft Punk song, he adds. Up All Night to Get Bucky! Thats great! That really is great.

After playing Steve Rogers brainwashed BFF in two Captain America films and Ant-Man, Stan gets sizable screen time in Civil War, in which the traumatized ex-assassin finds himself at the center of the international conflicts that pit the Avengers against one another and the world against its superheroes.

Finally, we see the tortured side of the Winter Soldier as he dips in and out of the shadows, his long hair hiding beneath a hoodie like an angsty European backpacker. When Bucky is accused of committing a terrorist act, only his old pal Steve Rogers stands by him. Thus begins a new chapter in Bucky and Steves intertwined destinies.

I dont think he knows how to express his emotions, Stan says. Its like the movie Taxi Driver. Hes somebody who is very alone. Its kind of depressing! Hes someone who is piecing together a life and dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Hes paranoid, because he doesnt know if hes being followed or if hes being watched. He has a hard time trusting himself because hes learning about all the things hes done that he doesnt remember. Hes in a very isolated place, and hes sort of like a scared animal. Hes just lost.

What he does learn, Stan adds, is that the only person, his only hope, is Steve Rogers. Because Steve Rogers is the only guy who will keep him alive.

Perhaps, I offer, it is because Steve loves him.

Of course! Hes his only family. I mean, these guys are 99 years old, he laughs. Isnt it amazing when you think about it that way? Theyre these two guys who are totally out of a different world, they dont have anybody, they were ripped out of a past. They never had a choice, necessarily. Certainly, Bucky never had a choice. The idea for the guy was, Im going to go to war, because thats what Im supposed to do for my country, and then Im going to come back and start a lifebut he never did.

Stan imagines Buckys had a rather difficult adjustment to life out of time, a man forced into the 21st century fighting the existential torment of knowing hes been under the control of nefarious evildoers.

Buckys biggest struggles, Stan surmises, are his people skills. Not that he necessarily even remembers the 1940s, but it was different, he says. Now people act differently, they use technology, and I think just for him, regular everyday tasks like going to the supermarket to get food, watching movies, going to the museumall that stuff, I think, are things hes probably doing on his own.

Bucky Barnes rolls solo to the movies?

What else is he going to do? Stan smiles.

I dont know if hes necessarily getting a coffee and relaxing on a Sunday reading the newspaper, he adds. I think hes probably reading the newspaper going, Fuckwhat the fuck is going on in this planet? Where am I? Who am I? But I would say, yeah, hes having a hard time.

Stan considers the deeper political themes written into Civil Warhow we negotiate the costs of war and peacekeeping on an international scale, even within the context of a superhero sequel.

You cant help but think about how it applies to our lives today, Stan offers. But our jobs are that we have to focus on the characters and what their objectives are. I think its much more the job of the writers and the directors to throw that out to the audience and go, Hey, does this make you think about what it would be like if the government read your phone? Does this make you think about people with a lot of money or power or access to nuclear weapons being allowed to act freely, or not?

I cant tell you how many times Ive seen a homeless person in New York, and I give something, and I hear that hes a veteran, he says. I think Bucky represents some of those people that come back and just dont know how to restart their lives, and thats what this movie is for my character. Its sort of like, Where do I go from here?

Stan gives Civil War a glowing review. His favorite scene, he says, is one he shares with Anthony Mackie as Falcon, as both of Caps best buds bicker over a car seat. Its like 48 Hours, Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphythats how I look at it, he says. I, myself, would like to see a remake with us. Im just putting it out there. Were doing 50 Hours together.

Last year, after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice helmer Zack Snyder threw a few jabs at the Marvel cinematic universe, Stan shot back defending the MCU. I mean, the Russos are coming in and taking something people are used to and theyre shaping it up and changing it in a very different way, he told Collider. Theyre not trying to mimic a better Christopher Nolan movie or something like that.

Now that hes seen both Batman v Superman and Civil War, I ask Stan for a follow-up capsule review of the competition.

I did see Batman v Superman, he says with a grin, and I enjoyed it.

Emphasizing the positive, he echoed the sentiments of many a DC fan. I think visually it was insane. I thought Ben Affleck was an incredible Batman. I thought that fight sequence he had against all the guys, that was sick. Even Jesse Eisenberg was cracking me up at some points. Thats all I got.

I also think that DC is at a point right now where, its been my impression, they want to get to Justice League. They want to go ahead and kind of get everybody fighting together. And I think the best way to jumpstart that was to get what I think most people wanted to see for a long time: Batman vs. Superman, two of the biggest superheroes in history.

But, he added, Im a Marvel guy, man.
Now that Donald Trump will be his partys nominee, some Republicans have started saying that they would go Democrat or sit the race out. Mark Salter, a former top aide to Senator John McCain, tweeted: The GOP is going to nominate for a President a guy who reads the National Inquirer and thinks its on the level. Im with her. Neither of the former president Bush is planning to endorse him at this time and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced that he would not be attending the party convention this summer.

Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon said, We have an informed understanding that we could have the potential to expect support from not just Democrats and independents, but Republicans too. Theres a time and place for that support to make itself known. Trump is so unpredictable, so unconventional and, to some, so frightening that some conservative voters in red states would decide to cast their ballot for a Democrat who looks reasonable, experienced, and pretty center-of-the-road.

A clear precedent for this kind of campaign took place a little over 50 years ago. Going into the 1964 election, President Lyndon Johnson and his advisers were extremely concerned about how much the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would cost them in core Democratic states in the South. But the clouds started to clear for the incumbent when Republicans nominated Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater as their nominee. Goldwater was a right-wing conservative who adamantly defended conservatism in his convention speech. He attracted the kind of rough-and-tumble right-wing crowd that made many establishment Republicans squirm. He also had a penchant for making controversial statements.

In a conversation with his advisor Eddie Weisel over the summer, Johnson said that the Republican revolt against Goldwater would outweigh the Southern backlash against civil rights. Referring to himself in the third person, LBJ said: Goldwater, among the Republicans, gets 50 percent. And Johnson gets 27. So the backlash to him is 27 percent, more than twice as much as the Democratic backlash. Yet you never read any columns or any editorials or anybody pointing up the Republican backlash So you better say about the Republican backlashall these extreme statements, and Ku Klux Klan, and all this other stuff.

As the Democratic Convention approached, Johnson started to use the term frontlash to capture what he predicted would happen. He told advisor Dick Nelson, call Bill Moyers and tell him to make copies of them and distribute them to all the networks. Try to get some of our people like [Texas Governor John] Connally and others to point out, then, what the polls show on the frontlash. Use nothing but the word frontlash; quit talking about the backlash.

On the final day of the Democratic Convention in Atlantic City, Johnson spoke to Democratic leaders to inform them about his frontlash strategy and to urge them to spread the word. The goal was to bolster Democratic enthusiasm and to make a suggestion to Republicans who were leery about their frontrunner. Johnson cited opinion polls that showed Goldwater was receiving less support from Republican and Independent voters than Richard Nixon had in 1960. We are finding that one out of every three Republicans stated they are part of the frontlash and will not vote Republican, Johnson said. Well gain two to three times as many as we lose.

Johnson had ample reason to feel good about his prospects. National polls showed that he had a formidable lead over his opponent throughout the country. In the Republican state of Maine, support for Johnson over Goldwater was running seven to one. In Maryland, where Alabama Governor George Wallace had scared some Democrats by doing relatively well in the Democratic primaries with a campaign attacking civil rights, Johnson received 60 percent approval ratings. In Wisconsin, the other state where Wallace had done well, Johnson led Goldwater 53-25. Gallup reported in early September that Johnson was right about frontlash. More Republicans were planning to defect from their party than in any of the last seven presidential election cycles.

During the campaign, the Democratic National Committee made unprecedented use of television spots to convey the message that the president was a productive leader and Goldwater was a dangerous extremist who would ruin this country and our future, as Johnson aide Jack Valenti put it.

Johnsons campaign team hired a first-rate advertising firm to handle his television spots. They released a blistering series of negative television ads designed to eviscerate Goldwater in the eyes of Democrats, independents, and nervous Republicans. The most famous of these ads went on the air on September 7, 1964. Viewers watch a little girl counting a daisys petals up to ten; then they hear a male voice counting down from ten to one. The camera zooms in on one of the girls eyes, and a nuclear explosion fills the screen. President Johnson, in voiceover, says: These are the stakesto make a world in which all of Gods children can live, or to go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die. Another male voice says, Vote for President Johnson on November 3. The stakes are too high for you to stay home.

The Daisy Spot, though it aired only once, remains the most famous of the campaign. But there were other tough-minded ads that conveyed the notion that Goldwaters domestic policy ideas were just as radical and dangerous as his foreign policy ideas. Keep fear of Goldwater as unstable, impulsive, reckless in [the] publics mind, Valenti had advised Johnson. This is our strongest asset.

Johnsons ad campaign specifically targeted Republicans who would not be comfortable with a Goldwater presidency. Central to their argument was not simply that Goldwater was a right-wing extremist but that he was unstable and could not be trusted with power. One of these showed a Republican voter, an actor, speaking to the camera, explaining why he was going to vote for a Democrat. In the four-minute ad, called Confessions of a Republican, a voter explains to viewers why he was not comfortable with his partys nominee. This man scares me, he explained, especially since weird groups like the KKK had endorsed him.

The frontlash strategy worked. Johnson received endorsements from 60 of the 100 top newspapers (a stark contrast to the period between 1940 to 1960, when the top papers endorsed Republicans almost 77 percent of the time), including a number of major conservative publications such as the Hearst chain. Polls showed by late September that Johnson was trouncing Goldwater.

The election was a Democratic triumph. Johnson won 43,129,484 popular votes and 486 electoral votes to Goldwaters 27,178,188 popular votes and 52 electoral votes. Johnson won the biggest popular vote, 61 percent, in American history, better than FDR in 1936, and registered the largest margin of victory. Goldwaters extreme right-wing candidacy, as well as the excitement over Johnsons legislation and the positive memories in the electorate of John Kennedy, drove the size of Democratic majorities to historic levels. The composition of Congress, which New York Times columnist James Reston would later term the Goldwater Congress, changed dramatically. With huge majorities in the House (295-140) and the Senate (68-23), Democrats would have more seats than at any time since 1938. The conservative coalition in Congress had been reduced to its smallest size since it had formed. The Senate Democratic majority was the biggest since 1940.

Democrats were disappointed that the Republicans carried the Deep SouthGeorgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisianathough the Democratic South had started to crack before Goldwater came on the scene, and there were compensations to the Democrats for the loss of these states. African American voting, though still limited, increased and was almost entirely Democratic. Johnson had started to build a strong coalition in the coastal states and in the Republican Midwest, including in North Dakota, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

The frontlash, as Johnson had predicted, kept Republican voters away from the polls or impelled them to vote Democratic. Johnson won Kansas with 54.1 percent of the vote, the first time the state had not gone Republican since 1936. Maine went for the Democratic candidate for just the second time in the states historyand gave him 68 percent of the vote. Johnson also won in Vermont, which was ruby-red in those days and had not gone Democratic since the 1820s. Goldwater won only 16 non-Southern congressional districts. Democrats did extremely well among women, college educated voters, and the elderly, and in the big cities and the suburbs.

Today, a frontlash strategy would face obstacles that didnt exist in 1964. Most important, the electorate is much more polarized than it was five decades ago. It is much more difficult, as a result of demographics, political institutions, and the media, to convince voters to flip from red to blue. And while many Republicans might not like Trump, they wont be willing to go for a Democrat many of them regard as corrupt.

It also remains unclear whether the frontlash in 2016 will just be coming from the party elites rather than the voters. Given the anti-establishment sentiment in the electorate it is possible that Republican voters are more firmly entrenched in their support for their nominee this year than they were in 1964 even if leaders are backing away.

Yet Trump is such an outlier politically given his weak ties to the GOP and his unstable temperament, as well as his total lack of experience in politics, that the possibility does exist. If Hillary Clinton can recreate the frontlash strategy that Johnson used so successfully against Goldwater, she could be looking at a Democratic White House with a Democratic Congress with an opportunity to do the kind of big things her opponent Bernie Sanders has been talking about.
Singh, who is a political cartoonist, on occasions transforms into 'Sikh Captain America', a costumed soldier with a turban who fights bigotry and champions cultural understanding through public appearances and talks. (Photo: Facebook/ Vishavjit Singh)

Washington: Donald Trump wants to make America great again but 'Sikh Captain America' feels the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is making America hate again.

"Donald Trump has certainly been a candidate whose words have been alarming for someone like me, who happens to be at the front lines of bigotry in post-9/11 America," said Vishavjit Singh, a Washington-born Sikh artist-activist in his mid-40s who occasionally transforms into 'Sikh Captain America'.

Singh, who is a political cartoonist, on occasions transforms into 'Sikh Captain America', a costumed soldier with a turban who fights bigotry and champions cultural understanding through public appearances and talks.

As the film "Captain America: Civil War" plays at theatres, Singh drew a stark contrast between Trump and Captain America's alter ego, Steve Rogers -- two iconic New York characters born in the 1940s.

"Captain America as a character would stand in complete opposition to Donald Trump and his candidacy. Today, besides ISIS, the festering of extreme right-wing and supremacist forces at home will be targets for Captain America's wrath," he was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

Vishavjit Singh, a Washington-born Sikh artist-activist. (Photo: Facebook/ Vishavjit Singh)

The artist also creates cartoon campaigns, such as the 'Send Sikh Note To Trump' postcard campaign, in which he and some of his fans send Trump a postcard every day "with a message focused on processing our anger inspired by his jingoistic madness into small kernels of humour and compassion."

"He might be full of himself, overstuffed with his achievements with a towering skyscraper of an ego, but even deep inside him resides seeds of benevolence," Singh said.

"I wish him well; I wish him compassion; I wish him to realise the violence of his words; I wish him a landslide loss in the elections for his own good," he said.

Captain America was born in New York during World War II, from the minds of Jewish creators and future comic-book legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who introduced their super-soldier by having him deliver a haymaker to the jaw of a reeling Hitler.

'Sikh Captain America' was also born in the Big Apple for socio-political reasons, as Singh was planning to attend his first New York Comic-Con as an exhibitor in the fall of 2011.

"Some of my art is informed by my own experience on the streets of America and being targeted as an outsider  at times as a threat just based on my looks," Singh said. "So I had this vision of an American superhero fighting hate and intolerance."

"No other superhero seemed better placed for this task -- I don't think I would have selected Superman or Batman," Singh said.
KILIS, TURKEY  The Syrian orphanage stands empty, its rooftop littered with toys, blood and rubble. Last month, four children were killed here as they playedthe girls in their fresh summer dresses, the boys frowning over a puzzle.

Yasmin, Tesnim, Muhammed and Mutasem are casualties of ISIS, a jihadist superpower which has seized territory across their homeland. But this orphanage was in Turkey, not Syria, and the children had seen it as a refuge.

Three miles from the Syrian border, the town of Kilis is in the terror groups crosshairs. Since in mid-April, Katyusha rockets have landed almost daily, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens more as part of a stepped-up war against the Turkish state.

We told our children they would be safe here. Now they think they are back in Syria, said Abdul Ghani Alshawakh, director of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet organization which runs the orphanage and womens shelter where the four children died. Europe is sending us back here by the boatload. Do they think Syrian blood is cheap?

As Europe closes its borders to most refugees, a new agreement between Brussels and Ankara will see many returned to Turkey on the grounds that it is safe. In Kilis, where Syrians now outnumber Turks, these newcomers say it is anything but.

The attacks come as Turkey intensifies its war against ISIS, tightening control of its border and backing preferred rebel groups who are fighting the militants in northern Syria. In response, ISIS has escalated sporadic bomb attacks on Turkish territory into daily rocket salvosometimes as many as sevenas well as a May Day car bomb in the southern city of Gaziantep.

When the rocket smashed through the orphanage roof last month, Om Kheir, the mother of Tesnim, Muhammed and Mutasem, was approaching on foot. I knew in that moment they were dead, she said, clutching photograph of her children. I felt their souls leave this world as I screamed. I hope they forgive me for bringing them to this town.

Their journey to Turkey had been long and harrowing. They had lived for months in an open field, after fleeing the northern city of Azaz in 2012. Om Kheirs husband, Bassem, has not been heard of since he was arrested early that year by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. One report from a former cellmate suggested he had died from torture.

The children lost their father, they lost their country, and then the war killed them in the one place I promised theyd be safe, said Om Kheir.

In Kilis, where roughly 129,000 Syrians outnumber the 93,300 local Turks, the attacks have deepened tensions between the refugees and their host community. The influx had already strained local services, more than tripling pre-war levels of water consumption and waste collection, and shrinking the amount of green space per person from five square meters to just over one.

Now the Turks say we have brought war to their homes as well. Its getting harder to convince them that we are victims too, said Mahmoud Ghazal, a former headteacher from Aleppo. As he spoke, the boom of another rocketthe third before middayshattered the morning calm. Up ahead, two spindle-legged Syrian school girls bolted, losing rucksacks and shoes as they ran.

So many people here are traumatized, said Ghazal. You see the fear in their eyes when the rockets land. They cant escape it. Theyre back in Aleppo.

Kilis residents have appealed to Ankara for greater protection. Rockets fall on our houses, shrapnel pieces rain on us, we are killed inside our homes, we are killed on the streets, wrote a group of local business leaders in a recent newspaper spot.

Turkey said on Sunday that it had retaliated with cross-border shelling, killing 55 ISIS militants in northern Syria and taking out several rocket installations and vehicles. But experts say attacks are unlikely to be extinguished without clearing ISIS from the so-called Manbij pocket, the last strip of territory it controls along the Turkish border.

The rockets are launched opportunistically off the back of pickup trucks and their firing mechanisms give off limited heat, evading detection by thermal imagery from circling drones.

The rockets are a new phase in the [ISIS] war, and one in which the Turkish government has no answer for, said Aaron Stein, a Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Absent a significant military escalation, Turkey won't be able to stop the rocket fire.

Disagreements between Turkey and the United States over how to clear the Manbij pocket have slowed attempts to push ISIS from the area. While Ankara is backing indigenous Arab forces to do the job, Washington prefers to use fighters mostly drawn from the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, a force the Turkish government describe as terrorists.

Up on the roof of the Kilis orphanage, reminders of the human cost of the Islamic States war lie scattered in every corner. The smell of flesh still lingers and on the very edge, where the rooftop meets the sky, lies a certificate for Muhammed, the youngest child. For Syrias best future scientist, it reads. He had won first place.
Its been a couple of weeks since weve been treated to a healthy dose of John Olivers razor-sharp wit cutting through the cacophony. And by god, hes been missed.

Donald Trump, the real estate heir, Celebrity Apprentice host, and bona fide misogynist, has emerged as the Republican presidential nominee, following the abrupt exits of opponents Ted Cruz and John Kasichand the even more abrupt exit of Cruzs VP pick, Carly Fiorina.

Obviously, the big news here in the U.S. is that Donald Trump is now the presumptive Republican nominee for president, Oliver said on Last Week Tonight. Thats right, this sentient circus peanut now holds the future of a major political party in his tiny, raccoon paw-sized handswhich is frankly a little surprising because the Internet repeatedly tells me I had destroyed and eviscerated him. Why would they say that if it wasnt true?

For those believing the U.S. has become the laughingstock of the world, however, Oliver offered an olive branch: Rodrigo Duterte. Yes, the current mayor of Davao City and frontrunner for president of the Philippinestheir election takes place Mondayis perhaps the only person on the political stage even more outspoken than Trump and, according to Oliver, is a colorful character, to say the least. At a mass wedding recently, Dutertetaking a page out of Braveheartoffered himself up to the brides as a wedding gift, announcing from the stage, I dont have money to give, but I could give your wives something elseand this is for the wives only. Men, Im sorry but you dont get anything because Im not a queer.

Duterte routinely kisses his female supporters, once called the pope a son of a bitch, all of which has earned him a reputation of the Trump of the Easta title previously held by a burnt wonton covered in scarecrow pubes, Oliver quipped, adding, Duterte has also suggested, if elected, he would kill five criminals every weekwhich may not be an idle promise as since hes been there, extrajudicial death squads have reportedly killed over a thousand people. And while he denies any involvement in that, he does admit he has blood on his hands.Oliver then threw to a news clip of Duterte admitting in a nationally televised interview that he had killed people in the past. Yes, of course. I must admit I have killed, he told the interviewer. Three months early on I killed aboutthree people.Im sorryabout three people? Thats not good! exclaimed Oliver. Not knowing how many people youve killed is like not knowing how many Vicodin you took: If you dont know the exact number, the answer is way too fucking many.

The 71-year-old ex-lawyer, who in addition to Trump of the East has received the nicknames The Philippine Punisher and Duterte Harry, said last month on the campaign trail that he should have been the first in line to gang-rape Jacqueline Hamill, an Australian missionary who was gang-raped and murdered in his city, Davao.

Hamill, 36, was gang-raped and killed by inmates during a prison break in Davao back in 1989. She was ministering to the inmates at the time.

I looked at her faceson of a bitchwhat a waste. What came to mind was, they raped her, they lined up, said Duterte. I was angry because she was raped, thats one thingbut she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.

Australias ambassador in Manila, Amanda Gorely, was revolted by Dutertes statement:

Oliver was, too. What a fucking asshole, he said. And if any part of you is thinking, Was that some kind of horrific joke? please know he meant every word of it.

The HBO host then cut to a TV interview with Duterte saying of the gang-rape line, It was not a joke. I said it in a narrative. I was not smiling, I was just talking plain sense.

Wow.OK, let this be a lesson to all of us: When we say I just want a politician who will tell me what he really thinks, we should specify that that politician should not be a total fucking monster, said Oliver.

And yet, incredibly, this man is leading in the polls by 11 points, so hes probably going to get elected president tomorrowwhich isnt just terrifying for the Philippines, because it means that in just a years time, we could be treated to thisa picture of Duterte shaking Trumps hand in the Oval Officeas an official state visit.

Terrifying indeed.
Imagine this. You have hired a technician to fix a broken computer in your home. You dont feel like spending a lot of money, but the level of damage on your computer is making it an expensive repair job.

Do you think that you should pay the technician less to fix your computerrationalizing that, being someone who is good with technology, he probably enjoys fixing your computer, hes probably built a computer, this would be fun for him, and not work?

Why bother pay someone for a job, if there is the possibility that they might enjoy themselves as they work?

This is an unfortunate trend in the creative industries in general and specifically in fashiondemanding maximum quality, for limited to no pay.

Sara Ziff, founder and executive director of the Models Alliance (and also a former model), said: [A] Lack of financial transparency and resulting wage theft is a widespread problem in the modeling industry.

The amount a model is paid for her work is negotiated between the agency and the client. However, models are not always notified by their agencies of the anticipated rate of pay or compensation in advance of the booking, nor are they always given the opportunity to turn down work.

Modelsmany of whom are minorshave low bargaining power and are frequently not paid all of their earned wages, are paid wages late, are paid only after complaining about non-payment, are paid in trade instead of money, or are simply not paid at all.

The modelling industry is rife with the practice of secret feesadditional agency commissions charged directly to the client, often without the models knowledge. These commissions are of course deducted from the models ultimate pay, often without any disclosure at all.

As to why this lack of financial transparency is so accepted in the industry, Ziff said: The labor force is young and female. If they were predominantly white middle-aged men, models would be treated very differently.

Personally, I have been asked to work for 8 hours and was told that the photographs for my book would be compensation enough. After all, didnt I want photos for my portfolio? Didnt I want to show the diverse body of work I was theoretically capable of?

The attitude towards modelsthe attitude of this is glamorous, so its a privilege for you to be here, payment or no paymentmust be eliminated from the fashion consciousness.

We all look for ways to cut corners on cost, but to argue that some services are more essential than others, that there are those services worth paying for and other services not worthy of payment is very insulting.

A photographer friend of mine recommended me for a job. The client called me directly and offered me the gig. I asked immediately how much I would be paid. A price was agreed upon. A week later, the client began to get uncomfortable and asked me if I would accept a gift card to her store instead.

A gift card? If only my landlord accepted those instead of cash. I told the client that unfortunately, I had bills to pay and none of them would accept a gift card. Things worked out in the end, but there was much pushing and shoving.

Another friend was contacted on Instagram by a bikini designer interested in my friends look, but a new designer with no budget to spare for a model.

When my friend told the designer that she would need to take a day off of work (shes an office manager by day), and could not possibly work for free, the designer berated her.

She insulted my friends perception of business, saying that this is how things worked, and my friend (despite her years of experience) was clueless. My friend ended up not getting the jobthe designer went on to say that because of my friends lack of Instagram followers, she wasnt a big enough deal to add some celebratory PR for the bikini label launch.

My friends feelings were hurt. I saw it as a designer looking to cut all corners, by avoiding paying models and a PR team to help her launch her project. The designer also tried to make my friend feel guilty in the process by relaying their own broke artist narrative.

Sometimes agents and bookers arrange for models to work for free, while another model may get paid on the same job.

A friend of mine, Amanda, who is modeling in Istanbul told me her agent booked her a 10-hour day shooting a catalogue for a local up and coming designer.

In the email Amandas booker had sent her with the details for the next shooting day, the booker had also included this sentence: You will be paid (sum deleted) for the day, but say nothing to the other model. She isnt getting paid.

Amanda told me they worked the same amount of hours, they were both professional. She felt guilty the whole shoot knowing she was getting paid and the other girl simply wasnt.

How are people getting away with this? Loopholes and wording, and an expectation that the exploited wont realize how they are legally being exploited.

Cyrus E. Dugger of The Dugger Law Firm, based in New York City and dealing with employment and labor law, has worked with a few models who have sued their former agencies for withholding payment, and illegal deductions from the models salary.

Dugger and I spoke by phone, he detailing some contractual absurdities he has come across when reviewing the modeling contracts of his clients.

The modeling agency employs the model as a contracted freelancer, which in other industries permits the contracted party to work with a group, and then also with others [thus making him or her a freelancer, as opposed to an employee], he said.

In a modeling contract, there is a binding penalty for the freelance contractor to work exclusively with the Agency, but the Agency is not legally bound to provide that professional relationship with any of the legal privileges extended to an employee.

Under New York State law, to take away from an employees pay check is illegal, which would make what most agencies deduct from a models pay check illegalif the model was viewed as an employee of the agency, rather than a freelance, paid contractor.

Because a model is viewed as a freelance contractor models are not entitled to be paid to go on go-sees, earn the minimum wage, be paid within a certain window of timeor be paid in liquid damages by the client should regular payment be unavailable.

The Dugger Law Firm has represented models with misclassification claims within the fashion industry, and models who have been subjected to sneaky deductions.

A final anecdote: I was working in Israelthis was about two or three years agoand my weight had dropped extremely.

I was about 49 kilos at a height of 175 centimeters (my skin was always out of control at that time; zits, acne everywhere, and I felt as if the only thing I could control was my weight).

I had been booked for a catalogue job for a clothing website. It was a long shooting day: about 9 or 10 hours. I completed the shoot, and went home. The next day I got a call from my booker saying that the website was not going to pay me for the work day: they decided I was too skinny and looked too unhealthy and the pictures were unusable.

But, why wouldnt they tell me that at the beginning of the shift?! Couldnt they see when I walked in or was putting on the clothes there was a problem? I asked my booker.

They just cant use the pictures, my booker responded.

But I still worked a whole day! My booker shrugged her shoulders. I walked home, my pockets feeling a little lighter, and my brain manically trying to sort through how I was to pay my overdue rent that month.

This practice of avoiding paying workers for their labor is unacceptable in all other industries. Why is it so tolerated in the creative sphere? Should pleasure truly be payment enough? Of course not: a proper, above-board fee equals professional respect.
Im a very difficult personalityas you probably can tell.

Sitting in New York power-lunch haunt, Michaels, Rose Hartman is hungryhungry for life, to be sure, but also for the plate of seared scallops on a bed of fava beans and creamy morel mushrooms in front of her, with a side of asparagus, followed by citrus panna cotta, all greedily consumed.

On the cusp of 79, shes burning with ambition.

She is also judgmental, acerbic and occasionally unforgivinga Rose with thorns, as sociocultural historian and Daily Beast contributor Anthony Haden-Guest describes her in The Incomparable Rose Hartman, a documentary about her four decades as a celebrity and fashion photographer (not, repeat not, a paparazzo) chronicling the highs and lows of New Yorks club and party scene from Studio 54 onward.

Youre a ballbuster, the movies director, Otis Maas, tells her to her face in one scene, in which Hartman is making a stink about the way hes doing his job, just before he advises her to shut the fuck up.

Hartman, who toiled as a substitute English teacher in the New York public schools for a decade before turning to photography full-time, thinks of her vocation as entering a world, but not being in the world, as she says in the film; she goes on safari in the Chiffon Jungle, her coinage, where I find the most extraordinary subjects.

Hartmans photo of Bianca Jagger on the white steedtaken at Steve Rubell and Ian Schragers famous nightspot where in 1977 Mick Jagger hosted a celebration of his then-wifes 30th birthdayremains the iconic image of a long-lost age.

Busy promoting the movie (of which shes an executive producer) when not hitting the society galas for Highendweekly.com and working on her fourth photo collectionportraits of stylish ladies in a sidewalk cafe, which will either be titled Across the Table or Check, Please!Hartman ambles tentatively into Michaels with the aid of a cane.

Im supposed to have foot surgery, she confides, apologizing for her tardiness and blaming the Uber driver who not only seemed deeply and annoyingly confused about the identity of his passenger, she complains, but also found every traffic jam between her voguishly decorated West Village apartment (her rent-controlled home for the past 50 years) and the Midtown Manhattan restaurant favored by media types, fashionistas, and the odd mogul or two.

I am, shall we say, physically challenged. But generally Im very fast, she adds, noting that she swims for 40 minutes every day in the Equinox pool near her home. I would have happily taken the subway. But now, with the cane

Pixie-ish with short, spiky, silvery-blond hair, Hartman is swathed in dark velvet (a classic ensemble by Gabrielle Carlson) accented by a bulky woolen gray scarf that almost looks alive; she has dark piercing eyes (the vision in her right eye upgraded to near-perfection by recent cataract surgery), and speaks in fastidiously pear-shaped tones, a patrician accent that belies her plebian upbringing on New Yorks Lower East Side.

For a cameo appearance in the documentary, her younger brother, Marcus, tawks in a thick Noo Yawk patois when relating an anecdote about how their parentsa father she adored who died young, and a cold, distant mother with whom she never connectedstopped taking young Rose to the theater out of embarrassment for the girls habit of confronting noisy audience members with an imperious DO YOU MIND?

I was born in Beth Israel Hospital, but I started my life on 9th Street and Avenue C, Hartman says. I was very fortunate, because I was very bright. I went to Hunter College Junior High and Hunter High School, where I studied Spanish, Latin, and English, and I had a speech teacherand I paid attention. So the way I speak is the way Ive always spoken. It hasnt changed.

Hartmans eyes appraisingly take in her surroundings.

Were certainly here on the right day, she declares, pointing out Fashion Week doyenne Fern Mallis accepting a massive chocolate birthday cake a few tables awayshell probably take it home with her, Hartman predictsand novelist-about-town Jay McInerney standing and bending over to administer kisses at the next-door table occupied by, as Hartman says, the ladies who lunch.

Aside from Sharon Bush and Lady Gagas mom Cynthia Germanotta, they include McInerneys heiress-wife Anne Hearst and Annes sister Pattynow a socialite and the owner of a Westminster Dog Show champion, formerly a kidnap victim-turned-bank robber for the Symbionese Liberation Army.

Twelve feet away, Hartman spots former Chanel president Arie Kopelman lunching with former Us Weekly editor Bonnie Fuller.

In due course Hartman spies a chic brunette of a certain age, swanning through the dining room.

That woman is stunning on every level, she says approvingly, and she has the perfect bag. She has an alligator bag, which is probably a $20,000 bag. Im sure she keeps it locked up.

A couple of other ladies fare less well under Hartmans pitiless gaze.

Im sitting in this room, and Im looking at that woman whos on her cell phone talking, and then Im thinking, why is this woman in that rose-colored outfit? Its inappropriate. Its not suitable for her. Its not right for her body. This is going through my brain.

Another woman glides by in a full-length leather turquoise coat. Hartman eyes her with distaste. I could never stand turquoise.

Ultimately Hartmans gaze settles on a table 30 feet away near the dining room entrance, where the immaculately suited and flawlessly tanned George Hamilton is breaking bread with his very close friend, Palm Beach socialite and Broadway producer Terry Allen Kramer.

George Hamilton is incredibleare you kidding me? Hartman gushes over the eternally handsome actor who, at 76, has a thick mane of dark hair (strategically silvered at the fringes) and a miraculously taut chin line not to be found in nature.

He will never deteriorate! Hartman pronouncesprompting her lunch partner to remark, no doubt tastelessly, that when the time comes, George will look marvelous in an open coffin.

Do you really think that was funny? I do not think so, Hartman chides. But you might be right, darling. He must have the best plastic surgeon on the face of this earth.

The subject of cosmetic enhancement naturally leads to a discussion of Hartmans photographic encounters with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and his various wives and women over the years.

Hartman repeatedly photographed Donald Trump with his first wife Ivana, was on hand for his Plaza Hotel wedding to his second wife, Marla Maples, and has frequently pointed her camera (either a handy Lumix point-and-shoot, a cheaper version of a Leica, or a more elaborate and professional Cannon) at Donald and Melania during various events at Trump Tower touting one Trump brand or another.

I dont have a brilliant comment to make about him, Hartman says about the reality show billionaire. I think hes very self-involved, very narcissistic, very insensitive to anybody elses feelings. At the same time, he might win the presidency!

She adds, dismissively, He always wears that same blue suit and red tie and white shirtwhich is so boring to me.

Hartman says that Donald and Ivana, a former competitive skier from Czechoslovakia, made for an attractive couplealthough she always dressed too loudly, favoring bright pink, and garishly caked her face with too much makeup. And when Hartman brought her camera to Trumps wedding to Marla Maples, I knew it [the marriage] wouldnt last.

The current marriage seems more successful.

I think Melania is gorgeous, Hartman says of the former Slovenian model and possible future first lady of the United States. Not semi-gorgeous. Gorgeous!I think her life improved when she left her country. I have no idea. Did she sell her soul to the devil? I dont know, but it doesnt look like shes complaining.

Hartman adds: I have photographed his daughter Ivanka, and she is very smart and very togetherI look at her now and she is very beautifulexquisite. I could go through her face with youher nose, her chinstarting when she was 12 or 13 years old. When she was young she had a little tiny chin, like the chin of her brother. But is that important?

Certainly not.

Meanwhile, the documentaryfeaturing interviews with Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera, Simon Doonan, and other denizens of the fashion worlddepicts a life lived vicariously amid the smart set: Andy Warhol and Lou Reed, Jagger and Jerry Hall, David Bowie and Iman, among many others. (Rich celebrities are different from you and me, but they are more than capable of wallowing in the banal. At Michaels, Hartman recalls encountering Hall, Bowie and Iman years ago at a waterfront restaurant on the island of Mustique, and listening in on their conversation. I expected words of wisdom, but you know what they were talking about? Im sooo happy that we can finally get CNN!)

The Incomparable Rose Hartman, which traces her career from her first glitzy assignmentthe 1976 wedding of Papa granddaughter Joan Hemingway to restaurateur Jean Denoyer in Sun Valley, Idahomakes no effort to airbrush out the nasty bits: her occasional rages, her penchant for elbowing people out of her way, or the fact that she has chosen a solitary, sometimes lonely existence over the companionship of marriage and family.

Hartman says she didnt think to demand editing changes to make her seem more relatable or sympathetic, even though parts of the film clearly drive her to distraction.

In one scene, former ballet dancer and Broadway actor Mark Moralesa gay man with whom Hartman was romantically involved in the Studio 54 days, during which he says he was bisexualtakes the opportunity to psychoanalyze her.

I think its her anger that drives her to do so much, Morales, now retired, 61 and living in North Carolina, tells the camera. Angry that her father died. Angry that she didnt have a good relationship with her mother. Angry that she felt she was less privileged than other people. And, goddammit, she was going to make up for that by entering into this glamorous world and conquering it

To this day, shes that way, and it comes across to people as pushy, presumptuous, ostentatious and all that, but underneath that its just this angry little girl who needs to have her way. Do not fuck with me.

At lunch, Hartman says: The man who said thatdid you see the photos of him when he was young? Did you make the connection? He was so handsome. He let himself go.

Hes been out of my lifeI was crazy about him. We would dance. He was beyond handsome. But is it correct to lash out at someone like that? I never want to speak to him again, because honestly what he said was so absurd.

Over the phone, Morales says that many years ago, when he left New York to pursue career opportunities in Los Angeles, Hartman believed he had abandoned her, and despite efforts to keep in touch, they ultimately lost contact.

I could lose 20 pounds, but I feel like Im in really great shape and holding it together pretty well, Morales says with a laugh. I still think about Rosie every day.

At the end of four hours of on-camera interviews a year ago in New York, Hartman showed up and for the first time in a quarter century, they sat on a sofa together and reminisced about the old days.

At some points we started to cry a little bit, he recalls. When we were finished, I walked Rosie to the subway and I said, I want to thank you for all youve given me. I love you, and I think about us all the time, even now, and I wonder if we can reconnect and have a friendship. And she looked at me and said, Im not interested. It was like somebody had stuck a knife in my heart.

At Michaels, Hartman declares, Were not going to go through every subject who spoke about me. I know their backstories. Theyre very jealous that theres a film about me, blah, blah, blah.

She says she doesnt regret her choice to live on her own, and that she treasures her close friendships with a small coterie of artists, writers and the editor at her photo agency, Getty Images.

I had different boyfriends, usually European, but I would never think of marrying them, she says, confiding that she isnt dating anyone now. I was always free-spirited. I would never want to be a mother. I never wanted children. My photos are my children.
TAMPA, Florida  She worked on and off for five years identifying targets for the U.S. militarys Central Command.

And then, when, some believe, she spoke up about cherry-picked intelligence in the ISIS war, she was drummed out of her joballegedly for cursing twice in the span of the year.

Those were just some of the surreal allegations thrown around last week in a Tampa law office conference room turned into a quasi-courtroom.

Had the case not involved the third-highest ranking person at the Defense Intelligence Agency, a two-star general, a military judge, and hours of testimonyall at a cost of thousands of dollarsit would have been hard to take seriously. Even with those high-ranking officials, at times it was hard not to do a double-take about what was happening.

After all, if cursing were really a fireable offense in the military, every soldier, sailor, Marine, and Defense Department civilian would have to be sent home.

The case suggested that, at CENTCOM, there are two wars being waged: one against ISIS and a separate internal fight between whistleblowers and commanders. This all came to the fore during a rare public hearing last Wednesday before the government appeals board, brought by a subordinate of Gregory Ryckman, the top-ranking civilian at CENTCOMs Joint Intelligence office, known as the J2.

The woman at the center of the case makes a now-familiar allegation: that the same military officials who cherry-picked information about the ISIS war and downplayed the terror groups rising threat also selectively picked information about her. The Pentagon inspector general now is investigating whether CENTCOM officials, including Ryckman, watered down assessments on the rising jihadist threat to comport with the White House.

The woman at the center of the controversy in this case, Carolyn Stewart, is a small person with a big voice. The Army veteran seemingly is demure at first glance, with shoulder-length light brown hair. But as soon as she speaks, it is clear she is not afraid to say exactly what she thinks.

She repeatedly prodded her lawyer throughout the day-long hearing about which questions to ask, which evidence to present, and which details to point out in her favor.

The hearing was a window into how allegations of toxic work environments, faulty reports, and bad leadership consumed the office tasked with leading CENTCOMs intelligence gathering. At issue during the hours-long hearing was whether Stewart cursed at CENTCOM, and if she did curse, whether that created a hostile work environment.

I went to other action officers to avoid Ms. Stewart, one witness explained to the judge, in support of the decision to reassign her.

The hearing, held through a teleconference connecting DIA lawyers in Washington with a judge in Atlanta and the complainant in Tampa, had all the markings of a proper trial. Someone wore a robe and lawyers yelled out objections.

But one couldnt help thinking it was like an episode of The Office. Those charged with helping target ISIS terrorists were instead obsessed with things like who bitched out whom. The government claimed she said it to another woman. Another witnesses said someone else said those words to Stewart.

It is worth noting that such debates were occupying a command post tasked with leading the war on ISIS. And yet the key issue of the time was how precisely Stewart handled a colleague telling her he would not adjust a target order.

Did she toss the papers down or did she place them down? a government lawyer asked a witness.

In the midst of the war against ISIS, the highest-ranking general in charge of intelligence gathering sat for hours waiting in a Tampa law office to testify for all of 15 minutes. The Defense Intelligence Agency chief of staff, the third-highest ranking member of that office, testified for hours over why she decided that a few curses could not be tolerated in an office that helped determine which suspected ISIS members should be targeted for death from above.

The Pentagons inspector general already is investigating a claim by J2 analysts, who are separate from those who conduct targeting, that they were pressured to tone down their analysis of a rising jihadist threat in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50 analysts have made such allegations, and the IGs findings are expected any time.

Stewarts alleged cursing came at a turning point in the war in Syria and against ISIS. In August 2013, the Obama administration was considering launching strikes in Syria for crossing the self-proclaimed red line and deploying chemical weapons. That same month, Stewart supposedly used foul language when a subordinate wrote an incomplete report. A year later, just after the self-proclaimed Islamic State took control of Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, CENTCOM alleged that Stewart cursed at a subordinate for filing an overtime form incorrectly.

Ryckman forwarded the complaint to the Defense Intelligence Agency two months after Stewart had filed a complaint against Ryckman. In between, CENTCOMs Chief of Staff ordered an Army investigation known as a 15-6 into workplace behavior in the targeting office. Stewarts lawyer alleged that Ryckman altered the 15-6 to take out comments from some of the 100-plus employees who are part of targeting that were complimentary of Stewart.

The DIA chief of staff, Suzanne White, concluded that while Stewarts behavior didnt create a hostile work environment, it was unbecoming. Stewart was suspended for 15 days. White later found that Stewart had lost the confidence of her bosses and therefore needed to be reassigned to Charlottesville, Virginia, where a DIA office focuses on cyber warfare.

Stewart is appealing that decision to the United States Merit System Protection Board, a quasi-judicial agency in which federal employees suspended more than 14 days can appeal their cases. The board is supposed to be independent, but the statistics suggest otherwise. It has found in favor of the Defense Department in 99.7 percent of cases put before it, according to the latest statistics.

The judge said Ryckman did not need to testify because the final decision was Whites, not his. The government did not call the two people Stewart allegedly had a confrontation with. In depositions leading up to the hearing, Stewart conceded she may have used profanity in the workplace, which the government argued was cause to move her out of the ISIS fight.

CENTCOM declined to comment about the specifics of the case, but said it backed the process.

It is important to allow the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board time to complete its review and take a full accounting of the facts. Before that time, it would be premature and inappropriate to comment, Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, a CENTCOM spokesman, said in a statement to The Daily Beast.

The judge said he would rule soon, but the damage had already been done. Defense officials said commanders already look for alternative or secondary sourcing to what the J2 produces. The general in charge of CENTCOM, for example, has has various venues to intelligence and can bypass the drama inside the J2 by turning to other agencies that also do assessments on the U.S. effort against ISIS. And decisions about targeting have since moved to the commanders in Iraq.

All of which leaves the bosses in Tampa plenty of time to debate how many curses are too many for CENTCOMs sensitive ears.
Walking into the Oakland Museum of Californias Great Hall, you immediately pick up on some clues that this isnt your usual exhibition.

There are the cafe tables and chairs designed for conversation. Theres a snack machine filled with Skittles, Cheetos and Fritos labeled Munchies.

And right as you enter the Great Hall, youll see a glass case filled with live cannabis plants, on loan to the museum for Altered State: Marijuana in California, the first exhibition of its kind (on show till September 25).

Altered States offers ten sections exploring everything from the use of marijuana in religious contexts to scientific data to the economics of the drug. Most of these offer interactive exhibits to provoke discussion.

On the wall as you enter the museum you see quotes such as poet Allen Ginsbergs Pot is fun, rapper Kendrick Lamars I dont smoke. Period, and a question from William Bennett, both the former drug czar and the Secretary of Education: Why in Gods name foster the use of a drug that makes you stupid?

Theres the Cannabis Confessional, where people go inside a booth, draw the black curtains, and write on an index card what their thoughts about marijuana.

The anonymous responses displayed outside the booth include someone who says they wish their young autistic son could smoke pot to calm his anxieties, and someone who says he loves his girlfriend but doesnt want to have kids with her because she smokes every day.

You can spin a wheel that tells you the likely outcome if youre caught with marijuana in different placesFrisked in Fresno, Stopped in Seattle or Busted in Berkeley.

On the wall is a chart showing arrest rates broken down by ethnicities (people of color are twice as likely to get arrested in California and four times as likely nationally.)

In the Politically Loaded section, staff members from the American Civil Liberties Union and NORML, an organization dedicated to the legal use of marijuana, will hold office hours to answer peoples questions.

In the part of the exhibition that explores creativity and pot, there are two pads on the wall. Draw on this if youre high, says one. Draw on this if youre not, says the other.

The show has taken two years to curate. Sarah Seiter, an associate curator of Natural Science at the museum, said a prototype of the show had attracted a lot of interest from the public.

People were so willing to engage with the informationthey were spending a long time reading, Seiter said. I used to teach science, and I had a hard time getting my students to read a draft.

Along with wanting written information about marijuana, museum staff discovered that people really want to talk about the drug.

Kelly McKinley, director of the Lab at OMCA, says the mock up of the show was in the museums cafe, and people ended up sitting for hours, sharing their ideas and opinions. Thats why they decided on the cafe tables and snack machine, she says, to provide a comfortable place for those conversations.

Mentioning some upcoming exhibitions such as one on gentrification in Oakland and another on the Black Panthers, founded 50 years ago this year in Oakland, McKinley says this is what the museum aspires to do serve the community and give them a place to talk about relevant issues, such as the state measure to legalize recreational use of marijuana this year.

We want to build a connection between the institution and the community. Its such a complicated issue, we wanted to represent many different perspectives, McKinley said. Museums have sometimes erred on the side of having one expert voice. We want to recognize there are many types of expertise, including lived expertise.

Seiter says members of a youth center in nearby San Leandro were consulted for the shows youth section.

Melissa Standen, a curatorial assistant, reached out to people in the states multi-billion dollar marijuana industry, asking them to send in selfies with a description of what they do. Another staff member, Ryan LeBlanc, interviewed people about their experiences using marijuana in their spiritual practice for a documentary in the exhibition.

Seiter has learned a lot while putting Altered State together, particularly about the scientific data on the medical effects of marijuanaor the lack of it.

You always hear that pot is so good for epilepsy, she said. But there have only been four studies, and two of those didnt have control groups.

Seiter says the board of the museum made up of, as she calls them, Oaklanders of some stature, was fine with the potentially controversial topic: they just wanted to make sure the show didnt take a position on legalization and there were spaces for conversation.

There were these women in their 70s and they just said, Well, as long as youre accurate, Seiter said. Oakland is so cool.
It seemed like 2008 all over again.

Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska and a, so far, not-so-effective surrogate for Donald Trump, floated the idea of being the presumptive nominees vice presidential pick during a CNN interview on Sunday.

I think Im pretty much as vetted as anyone in the country could be vetted already, Palin, the infamous former running mate of John McCain said when asked if shed give it another go this election cycle.

After pumping her fist and humbly suggesting that there were other candidates out there who were well-suited for the job, Palin demurred and said I want to help and not hurt.

I am such a realist that I realize there are a whole lot of people out there who would say, Anybody but Palin. I wouldnt want to be a burden on the ticket, and I realize in many, many eyes, I would be that burden, Palin said acutely aware of the baggage her name carries.

Her suggestion, likely striking fear into the hearts of any casual establishment Trump supporters and delight among political observers, comes less than a week after a majority of Trumps short list ran for the hills.

Governor Nikki Haley? Busy running South Carolina.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman? No time. Running for re-election.

Governor Susana Martinez? New Mexico needs her more.

Sen. Marco Rubio? Pass.

Still, for as long as Donald Trump has been the presumptive Republican nomineeall of six daysthe chatter about his vice presidential pick has been incessant. The rumor mill has enveloped everyone from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who has expressed interest despite being north of 70 and rounding out the two-man ticket to a six-wives one, to Trumps former primary opponent, and recent dropout, John Kasich.

The fuel for the speculation is obvious; Trump is a wild card who has defied political logic and made the Republican party his own playground for the last 10 months. But some of his allies dont want to swing from the monkey bars.

Rick Scott, the cone-headed governor of Florida, cut off the idea at the pass before even being asked. Im going to pass, he told Erin Burnett on CNN this week.

Similarly, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, has said he has a hard time believing hell be able to translate his position as Trump hostage to vice president.

Everyone from Ben Carson to Maine Governor Paul LePage (whose chances at selection were as good as this reporters) have opted out, leaving a resilient few waiting on the bench for their time to shine.

But Palin was only the latest figure in the Trump orbit, who seems to have little to chance, to offer herself up for the figurehead position. Former gubernatorial candidate and current collector of reporters addresses Carl Paladino was hankering for the job as far back as October.

And on Sunday, former Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, who shares Trumps fondness for immigration crackdowns, also leapt at the opportunity to join the ticket.

Of course I would be! Brewer said mere minutes after Palin spoke on CNN. I would be willing to serve in any capacity that I could be of help with Donald on. But thats a tremendous list of people to choose from, she said referring to a list of candidates presented on a newsroom monitor.

Theyre all very wonderful people, well-qualified. I certainly think that Newt [Gingrich], Ive known him for a long time, we all have experienced what he can get done in Washington, D.C. And Marco Rubio would be terrific. Mary Fallin would be terrific.

An advisor for Rubio (the artist formerly known as Little Marco) categorically denied that he would accept the position. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, however, said shed be happy to consider the spot. Trump in turn seemed interested in the prospect of bringing on a fellow immigration enforcer who could also maybe make some headway with female voters, a bloc that looks poised to reject Trump outright.

But theres been no indication from Trump and his campaign that they will go outside the box on this important choice.

If anything, the reality television star has indicated that he wants someone with experience; someone to help continue rebuilding bridges Trump has burned with the Washington establishment he scorns.

Somebody that can walk into the Senate and whos been friendly with these guys for 25 years, and people for 25 years and can get things done, is the way the straw-haired mogul described his ideal candidate to The Washington Post in April.

This one lineif it is to be taken at its wordchopped many of Trumps closest political allies out of contention including former presidential candidate Ben Carson, who privately lobbied for the plum spot in March.

After volunteering himself as early as February, at which point Carson was still in the race, the former neurosurgeon changed his tune. Now hes reportedly going to be on a committee to help Trump make the decision, which according to Carson could include potential Democrats, but according to Trump will only include Republicans. A spokesman for Carson would not expound on his role in the process to The Daily Beast.

Trump is not rife with options for people that fit the 25-year experience parameters. His friends in Washington are few and far between and as he continues to try and wrest away whatever power Speaker of the House Paul Ryan still has, Trump isnt making it easy for people to like him.

That being said, theres a veteran of the force who has been forthright about his Trump love: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions.

But he too is allegedly not touching the VP spot with a 10-foot pole.

Weve got enough problems, Sessions told The Washington Examiner when asked this week. He added that Trump needs to get somebody who can help him win this election. And thats what I support. And Im not sure who that is, but Im sure it wont be me.

To his point, Alabama is not a state that is a major threat for Trump in the general election and its not like Sessions is the most lauded man in Washington. Itd be like adding a side of mashed potatoes to a plate of fries; more of the same.

The only other feasible person that can offer the experience Trump purports to want, while actually being in a uniquely perfect position to accept the optics risk of the job is none other than Newt Gingrich.

Gingrich has been an early and feverish Trump cheerleader, privately lobbying GOP insiders to learn to love the firebrand demagogue and singing his praises on network television.

Despite saying in April that Trump would need psychiatric help if he chose him, Gingrich has been more bullish on the idea recently, ready to return to the spotlight he once had for suggesting the country create a moon colony.

Look, I have no idea what his thinking is right now, Gingrich said in an interview with a local Atlanta television station this week. I dont have any interest in the sense that Im going to go out and try to become his vice president. I would obviously have to listen carefully if he called. Hes an old friend and I think any time a potential president calls a citizen, a citizen owes them an obligation.

A spokesman for Gingrich has not returned a request for further comment.

Trump has also made it painfully clear that running against Hillary Clinton means hes going to relitigate the 1990s, dragging each and every skeleton out of the closet into the warm glow of the social media era.

Shes married to a man who got impeached for lying, Trump said of Clinton in Washington state on Saturday. He was impeached and he had to go through a whole big process and it wasnt easy. He was impeached for lying about what happened with a woman.

Who better to have on your team than one of the leaders of that very impeachment?

Gingrich, then the speaker of the House, was a major force in trying to oust President Bill Clinton for lying under oath about his sexual impropriety. Ironically, Gingrich himself was carrying on an affair at the time, something which he later admitted before launching his own presidential campaign in 2012. (A Trump-Gingrich ticket may seal the deal for the most marriages on a single platform in the history of presidential politics).

Even though the conversation is swirling now, and people are already dropping like flies, Trump has said that he will announce his pick at the Republican National Convention in July as part of the pizzazz-filled spectacle he promises.

Still all early signs point to one person.

Too early to hear anything serious, a source close to the Trump campaign told The Daily Beast.

My early money is on Newt.
The April 25 House of Culture, the venue for the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea is seen framed by the Workers' Party flags decorating the streets on Friday, May 6, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo: AP )

Pyongyang: North Korea said it would further strengthen self-defensive nuclear weapons capability "in quality and quantity" in a decision adopted at a rare Workers' Party congress, its KCNA news agency reported on Monday.

The decision was adopted after a review of the work of the party's Central Committee on day three of the congress on Sunday, KCNA said.

The congress is the first to be held in 36 years amid anticipation by the South Korean government and experts that leader Kim Jong Un would use it to further consolidate power. Kim became leader in 2011 after his father's sudden death.

The congress also adopted in the decision to disavow the use of nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is first infringed by others with nuclear arms, as Kim laid out in an address on Saturday.

"We will consistently take hold on the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat and arbitrary practices," it said.

North Korea came under the latest U.N. sanctions in March after its fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch the next month, but it has defied international pressure with more activities under its nuclear and missile programs.
London: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Monday tweeted a picture of his new companion, a 10-week-old kitten, presented to him by his children to keep him company in his Ecuadorean embassy where he has been holed up since 2012.

The 44-year-old intends to keep the world updated on his yet-unnamed companion via Twitter using the handle @EmbassyCat.

"New home! I've arrived!" his tweet read, along with a picture of him cuddling the kitten.

The female kitten, a descendant of the original European wildcat, sleeps in a top hat during the day and prowls the embassy at night.

Assange, who is under diplomatic asylum at the embassy, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sex allegation, which he denies. He believes if he leaves the embassy he will be extradited to the US to be questioned over the activities of WikiLeaks.

A European arrest warrant remains in place, and he has now been living in the Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012, with the fourth anniversary of his refuge nearing next month.

In February, a United Nations' working group found that Sweden and the UK were violating his rights and should release him and award compensation for detaining him without charge.

Assange's lawyers have made an application to the courts in Sweden to enforce the UN group's finding and are filing arguments again today. They have asked for an oral hearing, which if accepted could happen by the end of May.

The UK government had announced that it would formally contest the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Assange is a victim of arbitrary detention.

'Small curs are not regarded when they grin; But great men tremble when the lion roars' @DiploMog pic.twitter.com/MxLgvZllE1  Embassy Cat (@EmbassyCat) May 9, 2016

A statement said: "Julian Assange has never been arbitrarily detained by the UK. The opinion of the UN Working Group ignores the facts and the well-recognised protections of the British legal system. He is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy.

"An allegation of rape is still outstanding and a European Arrest Warrant in place, so the UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden. As the UK is not a party to the Caracas Convention, we do not recognise 'diplomatic asylum'.

"We are deeply frustrated that this unacceptable situation is still being allowed to continue. Ecuador must engage with Sweden in good faith to bring it to an end.

Americas Minister Hugo Swire made this clear to the Ecuadorean Ambassador in November, and we continue to raise the matter in Quito."
This enthusiastic acceptance of the 'take back federal lands' and other erroneous messages, reminds me of a modern day Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance was advanced by the Paiute Indian, Wovoka in 1890s. According to Wovoka, if you did the right moves, and sang the right song, the white people would disappear and the bison would return. To the spiritually defeated, and disenfranchised tribes relegated to reservations, the idea of returning to the old ways was an attractive concept.

The Ghost Dance spread across the West, but tragically came to an end at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. In a similar manner, many in these rural communities are vulnerable to the ideas parlayed by the modern day Ghost Dancers.

Many in rural communities want to believe if they could get the federal government out of the way, their communities would thrive once more. They believe if only they could log, mine, drill more, they would be 'winners' again.

However, what they don't understand is that global economics have changed, and even if the federal government wasn't around to interfere with their desire to ramp up resource exploitation, the old jobs are not coming back.

The irony for these places is most jobs are now with government. The dreaded hated government. For instance, in Harney County where the recent standoff at Malheur Wildlife Refuge occurred with anti-government thugs, 59% of the income in Burns, Oregon, (where community sympathy is strong for 'getting the government off our backs'), comes from government jobs. Increasingly these rural communities are wards of the state-and dependent on taxpayers from elsewhere.

Harney County, where Burns is located, has only 7,000 residents. Given that many are children, you have a very small tax base. Does anyone seriously believe that Harney County taxpayers could, on their own, fund the construction and maintenance of highways, medical clinics, campgrounds, fire-fighting, and all the other expenses that are borne by taxpayers from outside of the county?

A rearview mirror of economy

The future for many of these rural communities like Burns, Challis, Prineville, Escalante, and other similarly situated towns is dependent on fostering and protecting their natural environment.

Study after study has demonstrated that counties with protected lands like wilderness and parks have a more robust economy and more importantly, a more diverse population than those communities that are lacking in such amenities. Not only do these communities attract more 'footloose' businesses and retirees, protecting the landscape enhances the attitudes of the communities as well. That is where the economics is today.

I do not want to imply that economics is the only yardstick to use for valuing a community, nor am I ignoring that the fact that population growth and expanding recreational use has its own set of environmental problems.

Nevertheless, in many of these communities, economic opportunity is the goal of community leaders, but they often fail to comprehend that looking in the rear view mirror isn't going to provide the jobs and future they desire.

Loserville or Winnerville?

Imagine, what Burns, Oregon (where the Malheur Wildlife Refuge take over occurred) could be if instead of promoting ranching and longing for the 'good old days' when logging was a big employer in the community, they instead promoted the area as a great place to live because the proximity to Steens Mountain Conservation Area, the beautiful Wild and Scenic rivers that are near-by, and the wildlife watching at Malheur Wildlife Refuge.

Instead of opposing wolf restoration, imagine how the tenor of the town would change if they actively promoted wolf restoration and advocated wildernesses designation for the many roadless lands nearby? The community could boast that it was the center of wildlands in Oregon. And that moniker would resonate with many people who can afford to live anyplace as well as businesses looking for a high quality of life for their employees.

If these communities wanted to be 'Winnervilles' instead of 'Loservilles', they need to recognize that what is truly valuable in today's world are the remaining wildlands and wildlife in the West. They cannot economically complete with natural resource exploitation in other parts of the world, and jobs in logging, milling, and so forth can easily be exported to Third World countries where labor is cheaper and/or be replaced by automatism here.

What you can't move abroad are the scenic landscapes of the West, the free-flowing rivers, the wildlife, and the sense of open space. These intangibles increasingly have both economic and spiritual value to an urbanized population. They are attractive to the creative society.

To be a winner in today's economy means looking forward with imagination, celebrating new ideas and innovation, not casting a longing eye backwards in the rear view mirror to restore unsustainable industries.

George Wuerthner has published 36 books including Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy. He serves on the board of the Western Watersheds Project.

This article was originally published by CounterPunch.
And to ensure it remains 'business as usual', part of the message is that there is no alternative to the chemical-intensive, GMO model of farming.

Despite talk by company bosses of GMO being just being one option from a mix of possible options that include for example organic and agroecology, the companies they head or their associates have done everything possible (including bribery and fakery) to ensure their model dominates.

They have achieved this by smearing certain scientists, capturing trade bodies and negotiations, incorporating themselves within government policy and regulatory agencies. They have used the concept of 'commercial confidentiality' to justify a lack of transparency. They have funded universities, media outlets and research with the ultimate aim of privileging their model of agriculture ahead of others, which they or their supporters seek to attack, discredit and marginalise (see this).

The industry and its supporters attempt to wrap themselves in 'free market' ideology, while failing to acknowledge that any concept of 'freedom' that they attempt to associate with 'the market' has long been discredited. In terms of farmers 'choosing' to adopt GMO for instance and letting 'the market decide', this is little more than rhetoric.

A combination of monopoly, financial incentives and coercion put paid to that notion (see this, this, this, this and this). Moreover, we don't have markets that are 'free' but an economic system protected by legislation that enshrines private property as being sacrosanct and allows by various means for the flow of wealth to move from consumers and workers to owners of capital who run cartels and conspire to destroy competition and rig the system to their advantage (see this).

Unfortunately, for the environment and our health, we have ended up with a model of industrialised food and agriculture dominated by green revolution ideology and technologies (and wedded to and fuelled and driven by powerful commercial and geopolitical interests), which include hybrid corporate seeds to be doused with chemicals and an over-reliance on other external inputs from large, rich corporations, ranging from machinery and antibiotics to growth hormones and GMOs.

But actually, there is another way: agroecology

Rather than present a range of studies and practical examples that indicate alternative approaches are both viable and should play a leading role when it comes to feeding the world sustainably, which have been outlined many times before (for example, see this), it would be interesting to look at the experience of one farmer from India as recently reported in The Hindu.

Prem Singh runs a farm in the drought-hit Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh, where many farmers have committed suicide in the past few decades. While water shortages are one of the problems faced by the people in the region, this is not the case on Singh's farm, where farming revolves around crop rotation, agricultural biodiversity and organic agriculture.

The farm also conducts research for improving soil fertility (see this on improving soil health in the US and the subsequent eradication of synthetic fertilisers, while maintaining/increasing productivity) and seed development.

Singh believes that if his formula of sustainable farming were to be implemented across India, national food security, ecological balance and the prosperity of a farmers' families could be ensured.

The green revolution and the powers behind it played a big role in dismantling the traditional structure of farming and pushed the farmer to the mercy of unsustainable methods, which also harmed environment. In the area where Singh farms, there has been three recent consecutive droughts, with bouts of unseasonal rains and hailstorm.

The outside know-how of 'experts' was forced on farmers who were then forced to abort traditional and more sustainable methods, eventually leading them into debt-traps.

Singh says: "Every time a farmer commits suicide, the government says he was burdened by debt. What is the key reason for the debt? The farmers are dying because they follow the schemes of the government. This is the real injustice."

In Bundelkhand, there were 17 major droughts during the last century, ten of them caused by deficient rainfall. But the traditional water-recharging methods, numerous ponds and natural harvesting techniques of people then mitigated the scarcity.

The Green Revolution's decades of systematic destruction

With 60 years' hands-on farming experience, Bhaskar Save was able to describe how the green revolution in India destroyed traditional farming, which, among other things, was much more drought resistant, and how water-guzzling cash crops led to water shortages and groundwater depletion. Vandana Shiva has also outlined the devastating impact of the green revolution on both food security and water resources along with the degradation of soil, including its diminished capacity for storing water.

As with Save, Singh says the steps taken by the government over a period of decades have nullified the work of his ancestors because the crops previously grown did not require much water. With the green revolution, though, underground water began to be extracted heavily to sustain the thirst of the seeds, whereas local seeds were tested and adapted to fight drought.

At the centre of it all, says Singh, was "the ruling class's apathy towards farmers manifested in their lack of representation in policy formation."

Singh's philosophy and practices reflect those of the late Bhaskar Save, whose farm in Gujarat was both an inspiration and a model for sustainable, productive farming. Save argued that restoring the natural health of Indian agriculture is the path to solve the inter-related problems of poverty, unemployment and rising population.

He went on to state that farming should require a minimum of financial capital and purchased inputs and minimum external technology. Agricultural production would increase, without costs increasing, poverty would decline and the rise in population would be spontaneously checked (based on the belief poverty itself leads to high birth rates).

Whereas Prem Singh and Bhaskar Save provide a glimpse into what things could be like, not only in India but elsewhere too, the transnational agribusiness companies have an investment in maintaining the status quo.

This is because their business models and practices grow out of and drive a political and economic system run by oligarchical interests. These companies are instrumental in pushing for corrupt, anti-democratic trade deals like TTIP and fuel and profit from a model of globalisation that encourages unnecessary massive environmental destruction, the production of bad food, unsustainable farming practices and the use of health-damaging inputs.

The system moreover thrives on an urban-centric model of development centred on resource-depletion, over-consumption and an economic neoliberalism underpinned by imperialist wars.

It all begs the question: what future humanity?

A future based on uncontrolled urban sprawl, worklessness, massive inequalities (and subsequent political repression) and conflict over finite resources, which continues to push the world to the brink of nuclear annihilation, as well as the appropriation of all facets of life from water and land to forests, seeds and food by powerful corporations.

Or a future that adheres to a model based on certain Gandhian principles, such as indigenous capability and local self-reliance, wherein people limit their needs, live within the limits imposed by the environment and work with the natural ecology rather than by forcing it to bend to the will of profiteering industries.

" ... Gandhiji called the so-called modern society a nine-day wonder. Poverty has been aggravated due to cumulative environmental degradation on account of resource depletion, increasing disparities, rural migration to urban areas resulting in deforestation, soil erosion, loss of soil fertility, desertification, biological impoverishment, pollution of air, water and land on account of lack of sanitation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and their biomagnification, and a whole range of other problems." T N Khoshoo: 'Mahatma Gandhi: An Apostle of Applied Human Ecology'

Colin Todhunter is an extensively published independent writer and former social policy researcher, based in the UK and India.

Support Colin's work here.

This article was originally published on Colin's website.
Brussels: Under heavy security, a trial has begun in Belgium of a suspected extremist cell linked to the ringleader of last year's lethal attacks in Paris.

Sixteen defendants, including nine who are still at large, are accused of involvement in what Belgian authorities say was a terrorist plot being mounted in the eastern city of Verviers. Lawyers for some of the accused said Monday their clients had done nothing illegal.

Belgian police stormed the plotters' suspected hideout in Verviers in January 2015, killing two men and capturing a third.

According to Belgian officials, the suspects were being directed by Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was hunted down by French police and killed days after the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris.
Attorneys in a troubling Franklin County homicide case continued their debate Friday concerning access to the social services records of both the defendant and the victim.

Hope Perdue, 29, was charged nearly one year ago in the death of Callen Mullins, a 3-year-old boy who had been placed in the care of both her and her husband, David.

Deputies summoned by David Perdue arrived at the couples Old Franklin Turnpike home on May 12, 2015, to find Callen severely beaten. The boy later died of his injuries, and his younger brother, Caden, who was also in the Perdues care, showed signs of mistreatment as well, officials have said.

After police arrived at her house that night, Hope Perdue went missing for about 12 hours. She was later discovered hiding in a garage about a mile away.

In March, she was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder and also faces one count of child abuse with serious injury.

Since February, both sides in the case have wrangled over a defense request for three sets of filings within the Department of Social Services.

Those include Hope Perdues records from when she was a child in the foster care system, plus the foster care records for the Mullins brothers and the documentation behind their placement with the Perdues, as well as any related social services records created in the aftermath of Callens death.

At a motions hearing Friday in Franklin County Circuit Court, defense attorneys David Furrow and Brian Mangano, chief county prosecutor A.J. Dudley, and Carolyn Furrow, the lawyer acting on behalf of the Department of Social Services, agreed to the prospect of a hearing to review the use or restrictions of the files in question. David Furrow will enter an order for it this month, which will then be considered by Judge Clyde Perdue.

Fridays hearing came less than two weeks after Judge Perdue on April 25 granted Social Services earlier motion to quash the defense subpoenas seeking access to the files. On Monday, defense attorneys filed a motion asking him to reconsider or clarify his decision.

A key point of the debate is whether the department, by conducting an investigation, has become a party to the action, a standing that could make it immune to a subpoena.

Dudley called the debate a matter of confidentiality versus materiality and said the issues at hand could have repercussions for commonwealths attorneys offices across the state.

Carolyn Furrow approached the issue from a more personal perspective and said that Hope Perdues records are not only about her but also the families, foster parents and children and others involved peripherally.

Its all of the people, she argued.

Virginia code deems social services records confidential information and bars access to them by a person who does not have a legitimate interest ... unless permitted by state or federal law or regulation, according to one of the statutes.

Nowhere does it say a criminal defendant has a legitimate interest, Carolyn Furrow said.

Shes facing a first-degree murder charge, David Furrow told the judge in response. I cant think of a case where I would not have a legitimate interest to see records that are about me.

He said the records will help him determine, among other factors, whether he needs to hire a mental health expert in Hope Perdues defense. If so, he said, those records would give that expert further aid.

As he did at a previous bond hearing, David Furrow also suggested he felt David Perdue bore some culpability yet was being protected by the prosecution.

Hes testifying with immunity, David Furrow said.

It is by no means global immunity, Dudley later added on that subject.

The next hearing in the case is currently set for June 29.
Excel Homes of Virginia in Rocky Mount, formerly known as Mod-U-Kraf Homes, closed its doors Monday.

Excel was a subsidiary of the Delaware-based Innovative Building Systems LLC, headquartered in Pennsylvania, according to Dan Hobbs, general manager.

Approximately 700 employees, including 150 at the Rocky Mount facility, are affected, Hobbs said. Local employees were given from 9 a.m. to noon Monday to pick up their personal belongings from the plant.

It is anticipated that the land and buildings will be purchased in the future by a major player in the industry, Hobbs said. As of now, well have to wait and see what happens.

Hobbs said that on Thursday, May 5, government Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letters were placed in the mail to all employees.

The letter states the company will be liquidating assets and closing all facilities to file volunteer relief under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Although not included in the letter, employees were informed that they would be terminated at the end of the day on Monday, May 9, according to Hobbs.

The company ceased production five weeks ago and had been operating with a skeleton crew, which was continuously reduced in numbers until Mondays closure, Hobbs said.
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.
NORWALK  Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Jonathan A. Harris will be in Norwalk on Saturday morning to offer residents tips on how to protect themselves against fraud and scams.

The event, which is being hosted by Mayor Harry W. Rilling, is set for Saturday, May 14, at 10 a.m., in the Community Room of City Hall, 125 East Ave.
NORWALK  After allegedly vandalizing her ex-boyfriends car, police say a New York woman flipped her own vehicle on Interstate 95 while fleeing the scene.

Police were dispatched to 16 School St. at approximately 4:30 a.m. on a complaint that a woman was breaking car windows with a pink-tipped baton. The male complainant told police that his ex-girlfriend was calmly breaking his car windows, police said.

The complaintant told police that his ex-girlfriend had broken his vehicle window with a rock the day before, and on Sunday at 3:36 a.m. had allegedly sent him a text message saying that she was coming to take out the rest of your car windows.

According to police, the unidentified woman texted the victim at 4:15 a.m. to call the police with a laughing emoji, followed by another text at 4:20 that reportedly said, now fix your window.

A responding officer reportedly saw the suspects vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction on Cross Street. The officer followed the vehicle as it turned onto Belden Avenue before entering the Route 7 connector to I-95 in the southbound direction.

Police said the suspect had quite a lead on the officer when her 1999 Mercedes rolled over and flipped on its roof in the area of exit 14. She was initially found to be unresponsive but breathing, Emergency responders were then called to the accident scene. The woman reportedly told paramedics, Im the crazy ex-lover.

Police said that several prescription bottles were found in the womans vehicle and she allegedly admitted to having taken pills prior to going to her ex-boyfriends home.

According to police, warrants for the 28-year-old suspects blood tests have been applied for, as well as an arrest warrant.

Connecticut State Police have taken over the investigation into the car crash.
Correction: It was incorrectly reported in The Hour that the alleged victim was a student, but was instead, a faculty member

NORWALK  A 19-year-old Norwalk man is accused of stalking and sexually assaulting a faculty member at Norwalk Pathways Academy.

Officers with the Norwalk Police Departments Special Victims Unit arrested Wendel Hunt, of 261 Ely Ave., at his Roodner Court residence on Friday, May 6.

Police said the victim reported the incident in February, after Hunt allegedly began making inappropriate comments to her and eventually asked for her telephone number.

According to police, the victim told Hunt on numerous occasions to stop harassing her; however, he continued to do so, and at one point told the victim that he would not stop until he won her over.

On April 1, Hunt allegedly touched the victims buttocks while at school, police said.

On April 4, Norwalk police began an investigation into an assault complaint that occurred at Pathways Academy (formerly known as Richard C. Briggs High School) located at 350 Main Ave.

Based on the police investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for Hunt. He was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, two counts of second-degree stalking and two counts of disorderly conduct.

Hunt is being held on $25,000 bond and was given a court date of May 19.
Istanbul, Turkey: An unidentified armed man attempted to shoot a Turkish journalist turned editor-in-chief of a leading opposition newspaper outside a court in Turkey's capital Istanbul. As the assailant pointed the gun at the journalist, his wife intervened and saved her husband from the gunman.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Can Dundar was in the court for the trial of a case in which he had been accused of exposing the state's secrets.

After the trial, Dundar left the courtroom with his co-defendant and his wife, Dilek. Outside the court, the gunman opened fire on Dundar and yelled 'traitor'. Dundar luckily survived the attack because of his wife. Dilek bravely fought off the assailant and protected her husband. The video footage shows the armed man with a silver pistol threatening Dundar and accusing him of stealing state's secrets. "I don't know who the attacker is but I know who encouraged him and made me a target," Dundar was quoted as saying after the brutal attack.

Watch: Turkish journalist's wife fights off armed assailant:

For exposing the state's secrets, Dundar and his partner have been sentenced to five years in prison on the charges of treason.

Police officials rushed to the spot and managed to get hold of the attacker, who was later identified as a history-sheeter.
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NORWALK  Annie Curtin was 6 years old. She went to sleep one night and never woke up.

It was sudden. It was unexpected. It was devastating.

She was the most vivacious kid, said Paul Curtin, her father, taking a breath. Sorry, its hard even all these years later. She just had such a zest for life. She was a fun and happy kid.

Annie died suddenly from a brain aneurysm in the summer of 2010. Since 2012, her family has been holding a 5K fundraiser in partnership with ONeills Irish Pub to honor her memory and raise funds for local children. This years race will benefit the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County; day-of registration begins May 15.

You can go one of two ways when something like this happens. You can shut it all down and become a recluse, or you can do something to honor her memory, said Curtin.

Curtin, his wife Kat, and their three children Emma, Quinn and Julia took it upon themselves to do something.

The races began by supporting local foundations started by families who lost a child to the Newtown shootings in 2012. Last year it went toward Norwalk Hospitals outpatient child therapy program.

This year, it will support the local Child Guidance Center, which provides mental health and behavioral support to area children, in addition to after-school programming that supports low-income students.

The fundraisers have raised between $30,000 and $40,000 in the past, said Curtin.

The first year we had no idea how much we were going to raise. We probably would have been thrilled with $10,000 and when we got over $30,000, we all looked at each other and realized how much good we can do, he said.

By Monday afternoon, Curtin said about 400 people had registered  halfway through the 800-person registration cap.

He and his wife are in the process of creating an Annie B. Curtin Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, to expedite fundraising efforts.

He said they will continue to fundraise for nonprofits that support local children.

The community has been so generous with their time and money for these first three years and we look forward to continuing the event, well, forever, if I have any say in it, said Curtin.

Those interested in registering can do so at oneillsono.com. Tickets start at $35 per person for adults and $15 per person for children.

Paul Curtin said all five of his family members will be there, him pushing their 3-year-old in a stroller the whole way through.
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NORWALK - A resident's observation of apparent drug sales occurring in the parking lot of a group of businesses in East Norwalk Saturday evening led to the arrest a of man on numerous narcotics charges, while a second man was taken into custody on outstanding warrants.

The resident called police shortly after 6 p.m. to report watching numerous hand-to-hand drug transactions taking place at 2 Fort Point St., across the street from Veterans Memorial Park and Liberty Square.

Two officers from the Strategic Narcotics Enforcement Team were dispatched to the location and, according to Lt. Paul Resnick, when they arrived they encountered a group of men and one woman in the parking lot. They recognized several of the men "from previous police contacts," he said.

The officers initially approached Melvin Marriner because they were aware he had outstanding warrants, Resnick said.

Marriner tried to convince the officers they were mistaken about his identity, claiming he was Melvin Marriner's brother, Resnick said. When the officers didn't believe him, Marriner allegedly became irate, screaming obscenities at them.

Around this time, Resnick said, another man the officers recognized in the group, Darryl Johnson, walked over to a parked car, opened a rear door and leaned into the passenger compartment.

He said the officers were aware Johnson had previous convictions for robbery, narcotics sales, resisting arrest, breach of peace and possession of a weapon. He said they ordered Johnson to stop moving, show his hands and come towards them.

Johnson began running north on Fort Point St. and one of the officers chased him.

The officer reported that, as Johnson was running, he dropped several clear plastic bags on the ground and threw one under a car. The officer said he picked up one of the bags and it contained a white, rock-like substance.

After a foot pursuit of several minutes, Johnson reportedly stopped and put his hands above his head.

The officer pulled out his Taser stun gun and ordered Johnson to get on the ground. Johnson complied, Resnick said, telling the officer he had nothing on him.

Additional officers were dispatched to the scene to search the area of the foot pursuit and they recovered the bags Johnson dropped, Resnick said, with their contents testing positive for cocaine.

He said the recovered contraband amounted to 15.67 grams of rock cocaine. In addition, they seized two cell phones and $333 in currency from Johnson.

Johnson, 22, of 15 Madison St., was charged with possession and sale of narcotics, possession of narcotics within 1,500 of a public housing project, interfering with an officer and third-degree criminal trespass.

He was held on $75,000 bond and given a court date of May 19.

Marriner, 52, who gave his address as the city's shelter, was held on three misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear in court and one for failure to respond to an infraction. He was held on combined court set bonds of $23,000 and given a court date of May 19.
WILTON  It is said that the quality of life cant be measured in acquired wealth or riches, but instead can only be gauged by the number of people that one affected during their short time on this planet.

If this holds true, then few people have lived a higher quality life than former Wilton resident David Bloomer, who passed away at 93 years old on Friday, April 22.

While Bloomer moved to the town late in his life, he spent the last 20 years of it trying to expand and improve the conditions around his adopted community.

David inspired all of us to go beyond what we thought was possible. He was just one of those guys who would always just say, We can do this, no matter the cause, said Rev. Mary Grace Williams, rector of St. Matthews Episcopal Church where Bloomer attended church.

Just as Bloomer constantly challenged his fellow community members to go above in beyond, so too did he challenge himself to continually outdo all his previous efforts.

Bloomer was a tireless member of not only the St. Matthews community, but from there, he branched out and became involved every community group that he came across.

Early in his time in Wilton, Bloomer took a position as a board member for the Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County and quickly turned it into a place on the executive board.

In addition to serving on St. Matthews vestry, he also chaired the Thursday Luncheon Club and participated in the Outreach Committee for many years at the church.

But, perhaps the most important of Bloomers contributions to Wilton, was his role in the founding of the Wilton Interfaith Action Committee (Wi-ACT).

As a founding member of Wi-ACT, Bloomer played a pivotal role in developing a program geared towards resettling refugees in Wilton. Six years ago, his efforts paid off as the town welcomed a family of Iraqi refugees.

While most would rest in their self-satisfaction at having achieved this accomplishment, Bloomer felt only the drive to help even more families.

Thats why, when refugee resettlement popped back into the public consciousness six years later, Bloomer took the initiative to welcome even more refugeesan effort that came to fruition this winter when Wilton welcomed Syrian family of five.

It has been said, What would happen if we welcomed the stranger with radical hospitality? David lived his life seeing to it that we all as a community answered that question with a resounding affirmation, said friend and colleague Stephen Hudspeth. We have all been enormously enriched as a result as we have worked together across the lines of our ten faith institutionsChristian, Jewish and Muslimto build community among ourselves as we work together to help others.

Bloomers influence with Wi-ACT even extended beyond his refugee resettlement efforts as well.

Under his management, the committees annual meal-packaging event, aptly named Stop Hunger Now, flourished, producing over 165,000 meals to feed over 450 children over an entire year in areas where the need was deemed greatest.

Bloomers altruism may come as a surprise to some, yet anyone who knew his backstory would come to realize that it was just how the man was hardwired.

Bloomers accolades stretch way back to before he even moved to Wilton in 1997.

At age 18, the British native began what would become a lifelong dedication to serving others when he enlisted in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps. While serving in World War II, he gained recognition for his bravery on the battlefield.

Twice, Bloomers name was mentioned in dispatches for having gone behind enemy lines to recover the bodies of those under his command. Thanks to efforts like this, Bloomer was eventually promoted from lieutenant to captain during the famous Battle of the Bulge.

As if this wasnt enough of a resume, Bloomer was also attached to a regiment that had liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Mr. Bloomer was a hero in every sense of the word. A few years actually met a Holocaust survivor, who had been at one of the concentration camps that he had helped liberate in World War II. The survivor had been meeting with a group here in Wilton last yearso he went to meet her, and needless to say it was a touching moment, said Second Selectman Michael Kaelin.

Dave is actually just an example of some of the super people that live in around this town of Wilton that you dont really appreciate until you lose them, added Kaelin.

Not only was Bloomer a fearless soldier, a relentless community activist and a prime example of an exemplary Wilton citizen, but first and foremost, he was also a dedicated family man.

My father raised all three of his children equally, and he raised us to be tolerant and unprejudiced, said his daughter Alice Woods on how her father had reared her and her siblings.

Woods said that family was always an enormous priority to Bloomer. One of the paramount reasons that Bloomer initially moved to Wilton was to be closer to his children in the area.

Bloomer is survived by his wife of 60 years, Siddie Bloomer, his three children and their families: Jeremy, Martin, and Alice, their spouses Mary Bloomer, Wiebke-Marie Stock-Bloomer, and Jonathan Woods, and his eight grandchildren.
London: A 16-year-old Catholic girl who converted to Islam has been banned from attending a school in France for wearing a long skirt that was deemed an ostentatious religious symbol by the headmaster. The skirt  popular among some Muslim women  reached beyond her knees and down to her sneakers, the Nouvel Obs newspaper reported.

The headmaster of the Seine-et-Marne school, in the outer suburbs of Paris, reportedly deemed that the skirt conspicuously showed religious affiliation, which is banned in schools by Frances strict secularity laws. According to the 2004 law that governs secularity in schools, veils, the Jewish kippa or large Christian crosses are all banned in educational establishments, but discreet religious signs are allowed.

The mother of the teenage girl has lodged her complaint with the school authorities, The Local France reported. A meeting is to be held at the school with the girls parents to try to resolve the dispute.

Yes, my daughter, who is Franco-Portuguese and from a Catholic family, has converted to Islam, Marie-Christine de Sousa was quoted as saying. I've always supported her choices and decisions. Earlier this year, I allowed her to wear the veil, which she takes off before going into the school. She wears long dresses for school, she said. The family of the girl is already planning legal action.
For the Intelligencer

Glen Carbon Boy Scout Troop 216 honored David Ruark, 18, at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Sunday, April 17, 2016, at 2 p.m. at the Glen Carbon Community Center. Ruark is the son of Dan and Gina Ruark of Glen Carbon.

Only 2 percent of Scouts attain the highest rank in Boy Scouts of America. An Eagle Scout must have completed at least 21 merit badges and organized a service project that benefits his church, community or school. Ruark earned 26 merit badges and built two wooden park benches for Willoughby Heritage Farm and Conservation Reserve in Collinsville as his service project.
May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, and throughout the month, Speech Pathologist Maggie Schonauer will be offering speech and language screenings for children age 2 and up for $20 at her practice, Metro East Therapy, at 60 South State Route 157.

Schonauer started the practice in February. She is originally from Lincoln. After earning her bachelors degree at Illinois State, she earned a masters at Saint Louis University. Ive been in the St. Louis area since 2011, she said.

Since graduating, she has worked in two different school districts and has done early intervention work. Early intervention is working with children from birth to 3 years old who have been identified as having a delay, she said. These delays can be feeding issues or communication delays, she added.

Speech pathologists work on so many different things, Schonauer said. Its one of the most misunderstood professions. Some of the feeding issues include sensory issues or struggling to chew, she said. Ten percent or less of what we do is working on articulation, she said. It also involved how we understand and process information.

When she does early intervention, she works with the child and family in their home. In both Missouri and Illinois, its funded through the state. Parents call a local coordinator who works with me, she said. Im contracted through the state.

While she is still doing some early intervention, her new practice focuses on older children. My practice targets ages 3 and up, she said. Im offering what I think the community needs, she said. There are not a lot of resources for school age kids, those in middle school, who are struggling in reading. She wants to work with these children. Understanding vocabulary, grammar, writing skills and speaking skills - they all have to do with language, she said. People dont always realize that a speech pathologist can help.

Schonauer is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association and the International Dyslexia Association. She likes to work with the struggling reader, she said.

Her main source of clients so far has been referrals from parents. Its a lot of word of mouth, my website and social media, Schonauer said. Ive had a lot of inquiries from potential clients. A lot of people have called and asked questions. Many insurance plans cover her services, she said, but she always advises clients to call their insurance company ahead of time to see if speech pathology services are covered.

Schonauer now lives in Edwardsville, and plans to continue here. She will be getting married on New Years Eve and her fiance works at SIUE. Ive always been familiar with Edwardsville, she said. Its a great place to have a business; the community is very supportive. I think theres a need for what I do here.

Currently, she is the only speech pathologist at the practice. If the business wants to expand, Ill bring in others, she said.

To schedule a screening, call Schonauers office at 581-8304.
One day last summer, Jiwon Jiwon Park was driving down Interstate 70 in Madison County when an Illinois State Police trooper pulled him over.

In his report of the incident, the trooper noted that he had pulled the vehicle over for allegedly following too closely behind other vehicles.
Saturday afternoon's quick-hitting thunderstorm definitely hit hard.

Ameren reported 44,000 customers without power in the metro-east just after the storm pushed to the southeast.

The National Weather Service's St. Louis office reported wind speed of 38 mph on Saturday with the strongest gust recorded at 51 mph.

Those winds did the bulk of the damage as power lines broke free, some with the help of falling tree branches.

Edwardsville Fire Department Captain James Whiteford said three live lines went down as a result of the storm.

"We had three lines we kept an eye on until Ameren was able to respond," Whiteford said.

Fifteen calls for either downed power lines or trees were received by the department.

Whiteford said one residence on Garfield Drive may have sustained structural damage.

That wasn't the case in Glen Carbon, where a large tree fell on a home at 130 Bollinger.

That home is a rental and is currently unoccupied, according to owner Diane Rasplica Jones.

Jones and her husband Larry had lived in the home for 40 years and raised their children there.

"I love this house," Jones said in an email. "Since we moved a block away, only family members have lived in the house. It is part of our family."

Ameren reported that there were still 4,200 customers without power as of 8 a.m. Sunday.

Contractors were called in from Tennessee to help repair the electrical infrastructure.

Fifteen sub-transmission lines were knocked out of service by falling trees, according to Ameren.

Areas hardest hit, the utility reported, were Alton, Belleville, Hillsboro, Mount Vernon and Centralia.

At least two trees came down in Edwardsville's Leclaire neighborhood and many residents there were without power for approximately seven hours.

Today's forecast calls for more storms as conditions remain unsettled.

While no warnings had been issued as of 9 a.m. today, the National Weather Service was predicting a 90 percent chance of thunderstorms at 1 p.m. and a 75 percent chance between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
After bestowing degrees Friday night upon Graduate School, School of Business and School of Nursing students, Interim Chancellor Stephen Hansen continued Saturday with the Graduate School, and School of Education, Health and Human Behavior in the morning, with the College of Arts and Sciences in the afternoon and finished with the Schools of Engineering and Pharmacy in the evening.

You are the product of Americas belief in the value of education and Americas investment in the future, Hansen said. You are the answer to critics of higher education who question the value of a college degree.

Ollie Langhorst, who earned a bachelors in mechanical engineering, was the final student speaker. A non-traditional student and Marine Corps. veteran, Langhorst pointed to the skills his fellow graduates accumulated during their time at SIUE. We are equipped to solve complex problems, work effectively in teams with people from different walks of life and get the facts in a scholarly manner, he said. On top of all this, each of you has gained the knowledge that despite falling down, success hinges on having the courage to pick yourself up, over and over again.

Mariah Huelsmann, who earned a bachelors in anthropology, was the student speaker for the Saturday afternoon session and noted, College is a season of life, a time to grow and change. The college experience is an ephemeral one, but like springtime on campus, it allows you to bloom into yourself.

I hope that the E experience has allowed the love for the learning, the respect for others, sustainability, integrity, and the application of knowledge to bloom in your hearts, so that your own personal light will shine out into the world and change it for the better, even if its just one person at a time. In the end, I am ready to turn the sun in a new direction.

The morning student speaker was Tarsha Moore, who received a masters in education/college student personnel administration. She reminded her fellow graduates that, You determine your own success and being humble leaves room for more blessings to come your way. You are fearless, and no matter what life throws your way, you can handle it because you have come way too far to fail now.

Finally, remember that as long as you set out to make a positive impact on the lives of the individuals that you encounter, you will always be successful because to make a positive impact is to leave a legacy, and to leave a legacy is to never die!

Nathan Wiederholt, who earned a bachelors in nursing, was the student speaker for Fridays session. Throughout our time at SIUE, we have all grown personally and professionally, he said. Our constant dedication and commitment to our education has been the steady guide to our progress. As we advanced through the years, we slowly but surely grew into who we are today - graduates who embody SIUEs core values of citizenship, wisdom, integrity, inclusion and excellence.

Thelma Mothershed Wair was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during todays afternoon ceremonies. The SIUE alumna has spent her life championing diversity efforts. In 1957, Mothershed Wair attended Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., as one of the Little Rock Nine.

After making her historic footprint, Mothershed Wair earned a bachelors in home economics from SIU Carbondale in 1964. She achieved a masters in guidance and counseling from SIUE in 1970 and completed an administrative certificate in education from the University in 1972.

Long-time friend and fellow SIUE alumna Vivian Nichols spoke on Mothershed Wairs behalf. A good education can be the key to success or at least a stepping stone, Nichols said. Pursue your dreams, no matter how lofty, with honesty, integrity and hard work. Success is attainable.

Camille Emig-Hill was honored with the Universitys Distinguished Service Award Friday night. She achieved a bachelors in mass communications and journalism in 1972 and a masters in business administration in 1977. She began her career in business communications with Ralston Purina. Later, she worked for 30 years at Anheuser-Busch, where she retired as director of human resources shared services.

Emig-Hill focused on gratitude and service. My feeling of gratitude for SIUE is because of the opportunities afforded to me that changed my life, she said. My experiences at SIUE were the best of my life and resulted in relationships that were life-changing.

That attitude of gratitude led to my desire to serve and help others build their success. When you serve, it becomes part of something thats on-going - remember the power of service.
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Linkedin Sade Bimantara (The Jakarta Post) Canberra  Mon, May 9, 2016

Reading the stories and claims put forward by a group calling itself the United Liberation Movement for West Papua ( ULMWP ) is like reading a piece of fiction. There are so many mistakes and outrageous claims by this group that it makes the magical land in The Wizard of Oz seem believable.



The groups name itself is pretentious: Liberation. One may ask, liberate whom or what? They claim that the people of the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua are not free. Wrong.



The people of Papua together with their brothers from other parts of Indonesia fought together in the war for independence from the Netherlands. In 1969 the people of Papua once and for all reaffirmed that Papua is an irrevocable part of Indonesia. A decision recognized by the UN and the international community. Since then, Papua has developed significantly and grown into two administrative provinces with 42 districts and cities with a combined population of 3.9 million.



Anyone who visits Jayapura and other Papuan cities can see that development is comparable with, and in some cases exceeds, other cities in the South Pacific.



Papuans routinely participate in elections that are internationally regarded as free and fair. For instance, the millions of Papuan registered voters, including those overseas outside Indonesia, participated in the 2014 presidential and legislative elections together with 184 million fellow voters across Indonesia, the third-largest democracy in the world.



They have voted for their president and their lawmakers to represent them in Jakarta and in the provincial capitals of Papua and West Papua. The people of Papua and West Papua also directly and freely elect their governors and regents. They are free. Free to vote. Free to govern. Free to determine their future. With its special autonomy, no person other than ethnic Papuans are eligible to be governors and regents in Papua. No other Indonesian provinces enjoy this right.



The ULMWPs claim that Indonesia is committing genocide and killing dissidents on a daily basis is absolutely baseless and unsubstantiated slander. The 1948 International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defined genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group as such.



After reviewing two reports on human rights in Papua ( by Yale Law School students and by Sydney University ), the International Crisis Group ( ICG ) in its 2006 report concluded that Neither of the reports provides any evidence of intent on the part of the Indonesian government or military to destroy the ethnic Papuan population as such in whole or in part.



Unfortunately, violence is committed both against civilians, armed separatists, individuals and groups as well as against the security forces. Cases of violence in 2013-2014 shed light on the nature of the situation in Papua. In those two years, there were 42 reported cases of violence that left 21 civilians, 18 members of the police and the military and nine members of an armed separatist group dead. Just last March, a separatist group of 20 armed people ambushed and killed four workers who were building roads to connect the cities of Sinak and Mulia.



Any cases of violence are treated seriously by the police. The government is strongly committed to protecting the basic human rights of Indonesians including those living in Papua. The highly respected National Commission on Human Rights and many human rights NGOs provide the necessary checks and independent reviews to make sure the rights of the people are properly protected.



The ULMWP has been calling to oust Indonesia from the Melanesian Spearhead Group ( MSG ). Indonesia is a Pacific country. Eleven million Indonesians of Melanesian descent call five provinces of Indonesia home: East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua. This makes Indonesia home to the largest population of Melanesian ethnicity in the world, by comparison, the Melanesian population in other Pacific nations number about 8 million people.



Indonesias engagement and membership in the MSG is intended to add value to the organization by supporting the groups work to develop a stronger cultural, political, social and economic identity and link. We have committed ourselves to being a responsible associate member of the group including through constructive participation in meetings as well as financial contributions.



Through membership in the MSG, Indonesia wants to further open ways and strengthen connectivity, promote greater contacts and exchanges and valuable activities in which we can share our experiences with our Melanesian brothers in the South Pacific. Indonesias 250 million population and its large middle class-60 million and projected to reach 85 million people by 2020-will also be a lucrative export destination for MSG products and services as well as a large investment source.



The ULMWP presence in the MSG on the other hand, is disruptive because its political goal and routine robotic statements calling for Papuan separation from Indonesia is contrary to the Agreed Principles of Cooperation of the MSG: the principles of respect for each others sovereignty.



If members allow the ULMWP to dishonor such revered principles, crafted by the founders of the MSG, the unity and even the existence of the MSG may be at risk because there is the possibility that other organizations with ill-intention may follow suit and question the sovereignty of other members over their respective territories. While other members focus on developing the group with initiatives, programs and projects, the ULMWP has not been adding much value to the MSGs works and instead is blinded by its fantasy of seeing Papua separate from Indonesia.

***

The writer is spokesperson for the Indonesian Embassy in Australia, Canberra. The views expressed are his own.

---------------

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Amalinda Savirani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

How can we understand the form of political participation among Indonesians over the past years? From a general impression, it would be easy for us to conclude that political participation has increased as political rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom to form association, are now guaranteed.

The University of Gadjah Mada, in cooperation with Oslo University, held a 2014 democracy survey. The result of the survey conducted on 600 respondents indicated that political participation of the public in Indonesia has certainly advanced.

Other democracy surveys held by the Indonesian Democracy Index have shown similar results with regard to political participation.

If we use social media as an indicator of political participation, we can observe that citizens can express their political opinions on any issues. If we examine more how opinions are expressed, we can identify three of the most popular ways that the public perceives public issues through social media.

First, practicality and less complexity is what the public loves most. In the case of the transportation issue in Jakarta, ride-hailing application Go-Jek, and its founder, are the new heroes. It is regarded as a major solution to transportation problems in the capital city. But public opinion pays less attention to how complex the situation is. Gojek is indeed a solution but it does not address the roots of Jakartas transportation problems.

Transportation relates to many issues such as the revitalization of old buses and minibuses, competition between transportation business providers, routes and the number of cars and motorcycles, which keeps increasing compared with the amount of road available.

The same practical thinking can be observed in the solution to flooding problems in Jakarta. The eviction of low-income citizens in Jakarta is regarded as the only solution for the problem.

Second, practicality is a result of political framing. A complex reality of public issues is framed, both through the media and social media. This political framing is conducted both by political leaders, who are also politicians, and by their political consultants, supported by their social media armies. Political framing distorts reality and creates bias. These biases are mobilized through the media. Indonesian politics has shifted from mass mobilization to bias mobilization.

In the case of finding solutions to flooding, the framing is not only of the practical solution, but also of low-income citizens in Jakarta. The poor are regarded as people who oppose policies for the betterment of the city, who are not thankful for what the government has done and who cannot be disciplined. The majority of the public, through social media supports these allegations

Third, there has been a tendency to glorify the role of an individual, a person, detached from any affiliations he or she could possibly have. The Go-jek CEO, political leaders in any areas who issue populist policies, the handsome policeman who plays a major role during a terrorist attack, are the new heroes. The public care less about the institutions that contributed to their roles. The 2014 democracy survey also confirms this tendency, on the rise of individual politics in Indonesian politics.

Democratic institutions such as political parties, and grassroots movements are not preferred by the public. Political parties are seen as decadent and corrupted by their leaders and membership. This is why individual candidates in local elections are regarded as the best solution for Indonesian electoral democracy. According to popular opinion, parties are becoming obsolete, as well as the representative-democracy system. They are seen as having failed to provide any concrete and practical solutions for problems that citizens face daily. Social movements and critical groups can see nothing good that government has done. Individuals, detached from parties, are the only relevant issue.

None of the above mentioned features of public participation in social media are typical only of Indonesia. It seems citizens all over the world are tired with complex problems whose solutions need more time, more effort, more understanding and with no guarantee of a satisfactory solution. That which is handy and practical simplifies the situation.

All these simplifications are understandable. Who wants a complex life anyway? It becomes a problem when diversity of opinion in the media becomes a way to label each group as haters or lovers, known popularly as buzzers. Social media as an outlet for us to understand political reality-framing is divided into two groups: The practical and the critical. The critical, who usually think in a more participatory and idealistic way, are labeled as haters of issues that they criticize. Never before in the history of Indonesian politics have we observed a tense relationship between supporters and critical groups.

Is all of this good for Indonesian democracy? Partly it is good as the public speak louder now on many issues. Yet, partly it is not good, as diversity of opinion among citizens is labeled in an undemocratic way. Democracy provides room for differences and facilitates healthy discussion, not to label each other pejoratively.

***

The writer is a research fellow at the Department of Politics and Social Change, Australian National University. The views expressed are her own.

---------------

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin (Associated Press) California, United States  Mon, May 9, 2016

Facebook's No. 2 executive Sheryl Sandberg says she never realized how hard it is to be a single parent until her husband died a year ago.

In a touching Mother's Day weekend post on Facebook, Sandberg says the odds are stacked against single moms. Many live in poverty, work two jobs or don't get paid leave to care for themselves or children if they get sick, she says.

"I did not really get how hard it is to succeed at work when you are overwhelmed at home," Sandberg wrote.

She called on leaders to rethink public and corporate policies to better support single mothers. She didn't say whether anything will change at Facebook, where she is chief operating officer.

Sandberg's husband, Dave, died in a treadmill accident a year ago while on vacation in Mexico.

In this Nov. 3, 2015, file photo, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks during a forum in San Francisco. Sandberg said in a touching Mothers Day weekend Facebook post that until her husbands death she never realized how hard it is to be a single parent.(AP/Eric Risberg)

Here are other thoughts she shared on single parenting, leave policies and her book:

__________

BEING A SINGLE MOM:

Sandberg says she never realized how often situations come up where she's unable to stop her son or daughter from crying. "What would Dave do if he were here?" she asks herself. Sandberg writes that she never realized how many events such as father-daughter dances there are at schools and how hard they are for children without dads.

__________

LEAVE POLICIES:

The U.S., Sandberg says, is the only developed economy in the world that does not provide workers paid maternity leave. She says we need to rethink policies to better support single mothers. The post doesn't address Facebook's own policies. Facebook does offer U.S. employees up to four months of paid parental leave. It's among several high-tech companies that offer benefits around childbirth.

__________

LEAN IN

Sandberg concedes she's fortunate not to have the financial worries that many single moms face. She admits that in her 2013 book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," she should have written more about women raising children without a partner. "I will never experience and understand all of the challenges most single moms face, but I understand a lot more than I did a year ago."
SIS fighters can be seen standing in front of them with a knife in their hand in an attempt to prepare for the execution. (Photo: Twitter)

Al-Raqqah, Syria: The Islamic State group has revealed a new form of punishment for their prisoners - stabbing directly in the heart in order to kill them.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the dreaded terror group has come up with the latest form of executions for the prisoners, who commit crimes against the caliphate.

The public execution incident is believed to have taken place in Syrian city of al-Raqqah. Recent images released by ISIS show prisoners wearing orange jumpsuits, kneeling down on the ground in the middle of the street. ISIS militants can be seen standing in front of them with a knife in their hand to execute them.

Recently, Islamic State terrorists stabbed an unidentified man right in his heart, before shooting him dead.

Last month, the Islamic State group released a series of photographs of two spies being crucified and shot in the head.

The entire incident was captured on camera by ISIS militants and was broadcasted on the terror group's propaganda channel 'Wilayat ar-Raqqah' meaning 'The province of Raqqah .'

After the spies were shot dead, their bodies were hanged with a paper glued to their body. The paper contained a list of accusations and warnings written in Arabic to warn on-lookers about the crime and its consequences.

ISIS is known for their propaganda videos that are directed at spreading terror among people. (Photo: Twitter)
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Linkedin Cemara Dinda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, May 7 2016

In Accused, Dutch actress and scriptwriter Moniek Kramer has managed to tastefully create a thrilling adaptation of what was a huge unraveling of injustice in the Dutch media.



Directed by Paula van der Oest and written by Kramer and Tijs van Marie, the courtroom drama was screened as part of the ongoing 2016 Europe on Screen event, running from April 29 to May 8.



Moviegoers are able to quench their thirst for suspense and hop on an emotional ride watching Accused, or Lucia de B in Dutch, which centers on nurse Lucia de Berks life sentence for allegedly murdering 7 patients and attempting to murder three others at a hospital where she worked.



The film slowly exposes a distortion of facts in Lucias trial, as Judith Jansen, an attorney for the prosecution, notices irregularities in statements from hospital staff and executives and also in other evidence. The distortion had lead to a demonization of Lucia by the press and the public  who labeled her as a serial killer and even an angel of death.



Besides Accused, Kramer, who attended the films screening at the Jakarta Arts Institutes Art Cinema on May 3, has also written for the films Rembrandt and I, Simple Comme Bonjour and A Home for Vincent.



Kramer studied both directing and screenwriting at the Theatre School in Amsterdam, before graduating in 1977 and moving on with her career as a stage actress.



With Accused, Kramer has managed to tastefully create an adaptation of the thrilling case.



During discussion at the screening, Kramer said that she always finds a vital aspect of a films plot becomes the premise of the story.



You have to know what the main character wants from the very beginning. This is called the inciting incident. From the inciting incident, you have to be between hope and fear until the crisis is over and the main character gets what he or she wants, she said.



She encouraged the audience of film students and enthusiasts to revert back to the basics of story-telling. We must always remember, for a protagonist [or] antagonist  what is the inciting incident? And it has to correspond with the crisis. Then what is the goal? What are the obstacles in between? That is structure.



This opinion was reflected in Accused where she has combined facts and details from Lucias case without forgetting to transpose them to add drama, such as by using sharp dialogue and a subtle acceleration of tension.



In addition, the film does not discard moments of distress and sadness from Lucias relatives, allowing us to fully connect with and be a part of Lucias struggle. Throughout the film, the audience feels engaged and involved, allowing them to make assumptions and predictions as the story progresses. It is important to know the rules [and] adapt the rules. If you are too precise, you will lose your audience, she said.



Despite establishing a coherent structure, she said filmmakers are still free to experiment with where each scene is placed, while still maintaining the overall premise of the story.



In Lucias case, it is about perseverance in the midst of proving everyone wrong. Your premise has to be felt in every scene, she says.





When talking about her inspirations, she insisted that aspiring scriptwriters devote a great deal of time to research, while adopting a learn-by-doing mindset. Only then will new ideas, concepts and dialogue surface.



Continue, continue, continue. Keep on writing. Inspiration will come when you go back to structure [and] work on your character, because character is plot, she said.



She encouraged aspiring filmmakers to have the courage to not succumb to a fear of telling the story, or telling the truth  a message quite similar to Lucias ordeal



The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post

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Linkedin Harold Heckle (Associated Press) Madrid  Mon, May 9, 2016

Three Spanish freelance journalists held captive in Syria for nearly 10 months returned home Sunday, tearfully hugging relatives as they got off a military jet sent to Turkey to bring them back.

Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre shook hands with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria on the tarmac of the Torrejon de Ardoz air force base on the outskirts of Madrid. They then smiled and cried as relatives ran to hug them.

Images on Spain's state-owned TVE television channel showed their arrival but reporters were kept outside the base and away from the three journalists, only catching sight of a dark blue van carrying them from the base.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy posted a photograph of the journalists descending from the aircraft with a caption saying "Welcome!" on his official Twitter account.

"Allied and friendly" countries had assisted in ensuring the journalists' release, his office said in a statement late Saturday.

It highlighted Turkey and Qatar, saying they had helped out "especially in the final phase" of the journalists' liberation.

It provided no information on the captors and how they were convinced to give up the journalists.

The three journalists went missing on July 12, near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria. At the time, the region was under the control of al-Qaida's branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said the journalists left Turkey from the southeastern city of Hatay after their release.

"This adventure has ended happily," Garcia-Margallo said.

TVE said in its afternoon news broadcast that the journalists, after arriving at the base, went to a Madrid cafeteria with friends and relatives, where they received a phone call from King Felipe VI. They told journalists that they did not know where they had been held in Syria.

The broadcaster said Lopez explained that the three had been incarcerated together for the first three months, after which Pampliega was taken away and not seen again until just before the flight home.

Pampliega's mother, Maria del Mar Rodriguez, told the Reporters Without Borders organization that it was "marvelous" to speak with her son.

"He had the same voice he's always had, since he was a boy, and he continually asked my forgiveness for what he'd put me through," she said. "I'm going to prepare him a plate of spinach in bechamel sauce, his favorite dish."

Spain's political leaders, campaigning for a general election on June 26, expressed relief and joy at the captives' release.

"I join in with the happiness felt by their families, colleagues and friends," Rajoy said in another tweet.

The journalists, who provided reports to various media outlets, went to Syria to report on the war that started in 2011.

All three had worked in Syria previously and knew what precautions to take before entering the country, said Elsa Gonzalez, president of Spain's federation of journalists.

Three other Spanish journalists were released in March 2014 after being held hostage by Syrian extremists for months.

The Spanish government has never given details of how it secured their release. (**)
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Linkedin Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Cilacap, Central Java  Mon, May 9, 2016

Several death-row inmates have reportedly been moved to Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, Central Java, signaling that their executions will be held in the near future.

Three death-row convicts from Tembesi prison in Batam were quietly transferred to Nusakambangan prison on Sunday evening. They are inmates whose verdicts were final and binding.

Using official prison authority vessel KM Pengayoman, the three inmates from Batam were taken across from the Wijayapura Quay in Cilacap to execution island at around 8 p.m. local time. They are Agus Hadi, 53; Pudjo, 42; and Suryanto, 53.

They are death-row inmates from the Batam Class II Penitentiary, Abdul Aris, warden of Batu prison in Nusakambangan, told journalists on Sunday. They were convicted for drug-trafficking charges, he went on.

Abdul further explained that the three Batam inmates were put together with several other death-row convicts in Batu prison. There were 59 death-row convicts waiting for their executions in Nusakambangan, he added.

Last port of call  Police and security officers secure areas around the Wijayapura Quay in Cilacap, Central Java, ahead of the second round of executions of drug convicts in April 2015. (thejakartapost.com/Agus Maryono)

Law and Human Rights Ministry Central Java chapter head of correctional institution division Molyanto confirmed the transfer of the three death row inmates from Batam to Nusakambangan.

However, he could not yet confirm whether they would be executed in the upcoming round of executions, the third under President Joko Jokowi Widodos administration.

Nusakambangan today received three drug inmates who have received the death penalty. Concerning whether they are on the list of convicts to be executed, we still dont know, Molyanto told journalists on Sunday.

Earlier, Attorney General M Prasetyo confirmed the execution of drug-related death row inmates whose verdicts were final and binding would be carried out soon, saying that all preparations had been made and it was now just a matter of time, he said.

Prasetyo further said that the third round of executions would be conducted on Nusakambangan, the same location as the previous executions of 14 drug convicts in January and April 2015. (ebf)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Serang  Mon, May 9 2016

Australian-based port developer and operator National Port Corporation Limited (NPCL) plans to build a designated port for cattle shipments in Bojonegoro Port in Serang regency, Banten, to meet the beef import needs of the province.

Bantens agriculture and animal husbandry department head Agus M. Tauchid said Saturday that the ports existence would not hamper the local livestock business because the beef needs in the region had not yet been fulfilled.

About 30 to 40 percent of beef demand in Banten is currently supplied from outside the province, from Lampung, East Java, Central Java, West Java, etc. Agus said as quoted by Antara news agency, adding that annual beef demand in Banten was about 33,000 tons.

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Linkedin Dylan Amirio (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9 2016

In Indonesia, tech behemoth Google is busy working on projects to expand the online horizons of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)  a plan that should work in favor of the companys business in Indonesia over the long term.

Google Indonesia country director Tony Keusgen, believing that the country is en route to becoming a regional digital powerhouse, said empowering local SMEs was crucial to the tech giants operations.

Since opening its office in 2011, most of Google Indonesias investment has gone to helping people and local businesses make the most of the web. Indonesia is home to over 89 million internet users as of 2014 and smartphone penetration of 43 percent.

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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

The government has vowed to push the House of Representatives to include the sexual violence bill in the national legislation program (Prolegnas) this year in a bid to stop sexual violence from escalating after the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Bengkulu.

The government is taking sexual violence seriously, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said on Monday. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed the Cabinet to prioritize the issue.

"We will push to prioritize the bill in Prolegnas because it should be addressed as soon as possible with the House of Representatives," Pramono announced at the State Palace on Monday.

One of the proposed punishments for perpetrators of sexual crimes is chemical castration.

The government is pushing for the House to include the bill in its next set of deliberation so that the formulation of the law, including the punishment, can be formulated soon, Pramono added.

The issue came in the spotlight following the gang rape and murder of a student in a remote village in Bengkulu in early April by 14 young men.

The case highlighted sexual violence against women and children and united members of the public in a solidarity act and push for better protection for women and children.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) previously listed six forms of sexual violence that would be the basis of the bill. The forms are rape, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, sexual control, sexual torture and sexually charged punishment.

Drafted at a time when violence against women and children is on the rise, the bill imposes harsher punishment on perpetrators of sexual violence. The bill stipulates a maximum prison sentence for sex-crime convicts. (rin)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

Civil groups have urged the government to introduce sex education in schools nationwide in an effort to prevent sexual violence against students following the rape and murder of a junior high school student in Bengkulu that shocked the nation.

Dozens of activists from the Indonesian Children Proclamation and Women Action Committee -- which comprises non-governmental groups Independent Adolescence Alliance (Ari), Earth People Music Syndicate (Simponi) PKBI, Rutgers WPF Indonesia, Mahardika Women -- met with Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan on Monday to push for sex education being included in the national curriculum.

Sex education is crucial to give students a better understanding of their bodies and sexuality so they can better protect themselves against sexual violence, M. Berkah Gamulya from Simponi said.

That is in line with results of research conducted by the School of Public Health at the University of Indonesia and Rutgers WPF from 2011 to 2013.

Comprehensive sex education must also include knowledge about reproduction, sexual health, gender and gender equality as well as their relationship with society, Berkah said.

Sex education should be introduced at an early age and adjusted in accordance to a student's age, he said.

What is the function of mathematics without sex education that teaches students about dignity at an early age?" he said.

The groups will also monitor the development of government action in preventing sexual violence, especially against children. They claimed that monitoring would play a pivotal role in preventing more children from experiencing sexual violence.

Anies welcomed the suggestion, saying the government planned to include sexual and reproduction health in the national curriculum.

He promised to further discuss the suggestions with his ministry, especially including reproductive health in the national curriculum, extra-curricular and also non-curricular activities.

"Children will be taught about themselves," Anies told journalists at his office.

Moreover, the ministry will focus on non-curriculum activities to help students develop good habits and positive characters.

"The most important thing is that students respect other people and realize what is right and what is wrong," Anies added.

The ministry will also establish a directorate for family education to strengthen parents' roles in equipping their children with knowledge on self-protection.

Public was shocked by the news of the gang rape and murder of 14-year-old junior high school student Yuyun in a remote village in Bengkulu early last month. Yuyun was dragged into the woods, raped and murdered by 14 young men when she was on her way home from school. (rin)
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9 2016

People returning to Jakarta after leaving the capital for the holiday-extended weekend experienced relatively bearable road conditions following earlier warnings that homebound traffic to Jakarta would peak on Sunday.

Masfufah, who traveled from Cilacap regency in Central Java, said her bus had got stuck on the highway in Karawang, West Java, slightly delaying her arrival in Jakarta.

On normal days, I would arrive in Jakarta at 6 p.m. Today I arrived at 7 p.m., because many people were returning to Jakarta, the civil servant said.

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Linkedin (Associated Press) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Monday called on Islamic leaders to spread messages about a tolerant Islam to curb extremism that often springs from misinterpretation of Islamic teachings.

Speaking at the opening of the International Summit of the Moderate Islamic Leaders, Kalla said he believes that youths who don't have deep faith are susceptible to be militants, not for wealth or political cause, but rather as a "shortcut" to heaven.

"That's why the role of Islamic clerics is needed to do more to correct the misinterpretation," Kalla said. "We gather here today for that purpose, to produce the solution to curb radicalism in the form of terrorism, wars and conflicts."

He added that the existence of 1.6 billion Muslims spread across 57 countries should become a force to promote the goodness of Islam.

The meeting organized by Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, is expected to produce a message about the importance of promoting a peaceful Islam to combat radicalism worldwide.

More than 300 religious leaders from 33 countries, including clerics from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Iran are attending the three-day meeting.

Kalla said that extremism in the Middle East and radical acts in other parts of the world are the results of wars at home against authoritarian governments in the name of democracy, which caused the future of their people to fall in the darkness.

Therefore, he said, overcoming radicalism and terrorism requires the unity and integrity of the whole nations.

Kalla noted the need of moderate Islamic states, which are able to provide grace, goodness, and unite to the whole community.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has seen a spate of deadly attacks by Islamic militants including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. The smaller, less deadly strikes in recent years targeted government authorities, mainly police and anti-terrorism forces.

Eight people died in a Jan. 14 Jakarta attack including four militants, who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jayapura  Mon, May 9 2016

No autopsy has been conducted on the body of German citizen Miroslav Vogrineg, 49, as permission is pending from the German Embassy, a police officer says.

The body is still being kept in the cooling chamber of RS Dok II Hospital, Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Monang Siagian said on Sunday.

The body arrived at the hospital in Jayapura, Papua, on Saturday. It was found hanged from a tree in Yongsu Beach, Tablasupa village, Depapre, Jayapura, on Friday afternoon. A local found the body and directly reported it to Depapre Police, but taking down the body could only be achieved the following day.

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London: ISIS has carried out yet another barbaric execution of a young man for allegedly being homosexual, by throwing him off the top of a building. According to the Mail online, the unidentified man had been accused of sodomy, according to local sources, and was punished for this supposed crime by being thrown off a five-storey building in Manbij, Aleppo province. ISIS released the pictures showing the young man fall to his death in front of a large crowd, including dozens of children.

The images show ISIS terrorists standing on the roof of a building under construction in central Manbij city with their young victim blindfolded, barefoot and bound in front of them. Residents in Manbij had been ordered to gather below to witness the execution of a man convicted of sodomy, ARA News reports.

According to the sources they push the man off the building, after which his corpse is stoned by the baying mob in the streets below. The man was thrown brutally by ISIS masked members from the top of the building in the city. The barbaric execution took place in front of hundreds of people, media activist Nasser Taljbini told ARA News.

Daesh militants have become know for their brutal executions of men accused of homosexuality. ISIS last month executed a teenaged boy in Syria for being gay by throwing him off a roof, Pink news reported.

The group has executed hundreds of men for homosexuality as it expands beyond its strongholds.The United Nations Security Council recently discussed the groups tactics in persecuting LGBT people, as well as spreading terror and committing other atrocities.


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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar  Mon, May 9 2016

At least 17 people were injured when a Hong Kong Airlines flight hit turbulence early Saturday, forcing the Hong Kong-bound aircraft to turn back to I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali.

Trikora Harjo, general manager of Ngurah Rais operator PT Angkasa Pura, said among the 17 injured passengers, only 5 passengers were treated at the airport clinic. Meanwhile, others were taken to BIMC hospital. There were no serious injuries.

Hong Kong Airlines flight HX 6704 was en route from Ngurah Rai International Airport to Hong Kong when the plane hit turbulence above Kalimantan. There were 204 passengers and 12 crew on board of the Airbus A332 aircraft.

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Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

The Jakarta administration plans to hire private auditors, instead of BPK, to assess its financial statement before issuing any further municipal bonds, in light of the Sumber Waras hospital case against the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

The Jakarta administration aims to issue municipal bonds next year to finance both the light rail transit (LRT) and the sewage system projects, said Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

"We have talked with OJK [Financial Service Authority] regarding the audit requirement, but haven't received a response yet," he said on Monday following a meeting with credit rating agency Standard & Poor's.

While law stipulates that the government financial report is to be audited by BPK, according to Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) regulations, the issuer of a municipal bond must publish financial statements that have been audited by public auditors.

Last year, Ahok expressed his anger with BPK for giving his administration a reasonable with exceptions (WDP) grade for its 2014 budget, the second WDP grade granted to Jakarta.

Ahok wants the municipal bonds to be issued as soon as possible -- before the tax amnesty law is sealed by the House of Representatives (DPR).

"If the tax amnesty bill is passed into law, a lot of funds will come. In accordance with the government plan, we want to use the funds for infrastructure. We want to catch that momentum," he explained.

Along with municipal bonds, Ahok wants regional companies (BUMDs) to boost development projects in Jakarta and lure more investors. He mentioned Pembangunan Jaya Ancol Tbk and Bank DKI.

"I want them to have a strategic partner to develop their business. I want Ancol to be the best MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] location in Indonesia. I don't care about ownership, I care more about how the BUMDs deliver on their duties," he said.

Jakarta regional planning and development institution (Bapped) head Tuty Kusumawati acknowledged that Bank DKI must conduct an initial public offering (IPO) to become a public company before launching a rights issue.

"We need to prepare Bank DKI as a public company first, then we can find a strategic partner," she told thejakartapost.com. (ags)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Mon, May 9 2016

The Reformed Christian church in Medan, North Sumatra, have named senior high school student Sonya Ekarina Sembiring Depari, once a victim of netizen bullying after she scolded a traffic police officer while claiming to be the daughter of a high-ranking police officer, an anti-drug ambassador.

Leaders of the Reformed Church said the naming of Sonya was aimed at restoring the students self confidence following the death of her father after she was being bullied.

Wasington Pane, chairman of the churchs pre-500 years celebration organizing committee, said Sonya was appointed to represent the churchs youths as she was an active part of its congregation.

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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

The victory of Sadiq Khan, the son of a bus driver who has made history by becoming the first Muslim mayor of London, is a source of inspiration to the Jakarta administration and citizenry alike, says Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

Khan's humble background, especially in comparison to that of his wealthy rival Zac Goldsmith, whom he resoundingly beat in the contest for the UK capital top spot, would encourage the city administration to provide programs to improve the lives of the capital's poor, especially the children, Ahok said on Monday.

The programs that his administration have been focusing on include low-cost apartments (rusunawa), funding allocations for schoolchildren through the Jakarta Smart Card, nutritious-meal subsidies and free bus passes.

The city administration has also committed to granting Rp 18 million (US$ 1,354) a year to each Jakarta student who enters state universities this year.

Living in subsidized apartments would give a healthier and safer environment than living in slum areas, the outspoken governor argued.

The programs are parts of attempts to improve the quality of life of the less unfortunate children so they can have brighter futures.

"Who knows, maybe in the future, the children who live in rusunawa can also be mayor or even president. This is the inspiration we draw from Sadiq's election," Ahok told journalists on Monday.

Ahok congratulated Khan on Saturday through his Twitter account @basuki_btp: Congratulations @SadiqKhan, the new mayor of London. Inspiring story of democracy, merit and tolerance.

Khans victory is also hoped to inspire Jakarta voters to elect a candidate as governor in the upcoming 2017 gubernatorial election based on capacity and track record rather than race or religion, according to Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok).

Labor Party candidate Khan won more than 1.3 million votes, 57 percent of the total, to lead the UK's most populous city; Conservative rival Goldsmith won 43 percent of the vote.

Khan was elected to replace Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson after a campaign marked  and many say marred  by negative campaigning accusing the Muslim politician of sharing platforms with Islamic extremists.

Unlike his rival Goldsmith, the son of billionaire businessman and financier Sir James Goldsmith, the 45-year old Khan was born to a family of Pakistani immigrants in South London, where his father worked as a bus driver to support the family while his mother was a seamstress.

Khan, who has called himself "the British Muslim who will take the fight to the extremists", will lead London, a proudly multicultural city of 8.6 million including more than a million Muslims, in a four-year term until 2020. (rin)
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Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Singapore  Mon, May 9 2016

When improving the quality of education, one should not hesitate to seek friends to cooperate with and to learn from, says Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM) rector Dwikorita Karnawati.

This principle propelled the university open itself up to a S$1 million (US$774,000) donation from Indonesias Tahir Foundation through the Tahir NUS-UGM Collaboration in Medicine Program.

The program will allow UGMs School of Medicine to cooperate with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to improve health education, research and practice through student and lecturer exchanges and combined research.

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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9 2016

Oil and gas business players continue to show their reluctance to invest in local blocks amid low crude prices.



The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry announced last week that none of the eight oil and gas blocks put up for tender last year had gained a winning bidder even though companies were given a lengthy four-month deadline to register an offer.



The ministrys oil and gas director general IGN Wiratmaja Puja said that Azipac Limited had expressed interest in the Oti block and PT Agra Energi Indonesia had registered for the Kasuri II block. However, both companies proposed offers that were below the minimum amount required.



The bidders proposed an offer under the minimum amount required for the Oti block and the Kasuri II block so there were no winners for either block, he said.



The lack of bids was emphasized by the fact that the government increased the revenue proportion for contractors by 35 percent for oil and by 40 percent from gas, from 15 and 30 percent, respectively.



This is not the first time the government has failed to entice investment in Indonesias oil and gas blocks. In 2014, 10 out of 21 oil and gas blocks put up for auction failed to find new contractors. Similar to last years situation, several investors proposed bids for two blocks that did not fulfill requirements, while the remaining eight blocks did not find any bidders.



Wiratmaja said the failure to find a winning bidder stemmed from weak oil prices. Furthermore, the terms and conditions offered by the government were deemed economically unfeasible for potential bidders.



The global oil price lost a third of its value over the past couple of years from US$115 per barrel in 2014 to an all time low of $29 per barrel earlier this year. However, it has rebounded slightly since then and WTI set prices at $43.62 per barrel on Wednesday afternoon. Fellow benchmark Brent Crude set its price at $44.89 on the same day.



Despite the slight rebound, experts have expressed doubts that the crude price will touch the $50 mark any time soon.



However, Wiratmaja remained optimistic and said the eight blocks that failed to sign contracts last year would be put up for auction this year with 11 other blocks scheduled for tender.





This year, the government will offer open bid split schemes in which potential investors can propose their own economically feasible revenue split, conducive to their current situation.



Investment interest in Indonesias oil and gas sector has been on the wane in recent years, despite the countrys significant potential.



A survey conducted by PwC Indonesia in 2015 showed that investment appetite in the oil and gas sector had stagnated. Based on the survey, as many as 36 percent of respondents said there would be no change in capital spending for Indonesian reserve acquisitions, with 12 percent expecting a decrease.



Future capital spending is expected to slow, particularly for exploration. Some survey participants indicated that the price decrease had led to all exploration activities being postponed, the report noted.



Weak investment in the oil and gas sector is not the only problem the country is facing due to low prices.



Ministry data shows that exploration activities have also declined over the past couple of years as only 52 exploratory wells were drilled last year, resulting in a mere 15 discoveries, compared to 83 wells with 25 discoveries in 2014. The number of wells drilled dropped significantly when compared to the average of 104 wells drilled per year from 2011 to 2013.



Up to 10 exploratory wells were drilled from January to April this year.



The lack of exploration may lead to national oil and gas production dropping to 1.5 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) within the next decade. The country produced on average 2.3 million boepd in its first quarter this year.



The oil price plunge has also forced global giants to slash jobs in Indonesia. The local operations of global oil and gas giants Chevron Pacific Indonesia and Japans Inpex are laying off workers to cut costs.

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Linkedin thejakartapost.com (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

The Indonesian public will get access to the leaked documents of 200,000 shell companies owned by clients of Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca early on Tuesday, with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) set to disclose the data for the world to see.

Public access to the documents, dubbed the Panama Papers, will be opened on Monday at 2 p.m. US time or Tuesday at 1 a.m. Indonesian time at https://offshoreleaks.icij.org tempo.co reported on Monday.

However, not all among the 200,000 entities comprising 11.5 million documents will be made public, ICIJ deputy director Marina Walker Guevara said.

"We will only release the most basic information of the company," Marina said as quoted by tempo.co on Monday.

The basic information will include the names of the companies and their shareholders; data of bank accounts, financial transactions, e-mails, passports, phone numbers, and other forms of correspondence related to individuals and the companies will not be published, Marina said.

Tempo journalists, the only ones from Indonesia, are among more than 100 journalists from 76 countries involved in the investigative reports on Panama Papers in the past year.

The names of 899 Indonesian are listed in the 2.6 terrabytes of leaked documents, Tempo found.

"We hope the public can help the probe because part of the access has been opened," Tempo Investigation Magazine managing editor Philipus Parera said.

According to reports by Tempo, Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chair Harry Azhar Aziz was recorded as the sole director of Sheng Yue International Limited, a company established in the tax haven British Virgin Islands in 2010; Harry was serving as the chairman of the House of Representatives budgetary council at the time. Meanwhile, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan was recorded as a director of Mayfair International Ltd, registered in the island country of Seychelles and established in 2006.

Both Harry and Luhut have denied involvement in the aforementioned companies. (afr/rin)
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Linkedin Ruslan Sangaji (The Jakarta Post) Palu, Central Sulawesi  Mon, May 9, 2016

Police in Poso, Central Sulawesi, announced on Sunday that they have arrested two men in Poso on April 30 for allegedly attempting to join the East Indonesia Mujahidin terrorist group led by Santoso.

According to police, the suspects, Dede Supriadi, 40, and Suwardi, 27, intended to meet up with another suspect, Muhammad Ovan Fadlan, who was arrested by the joint policy-military task force Operation Tinombala in Poso on April 27, also allegedly on his way to join Santoso.

Santoso is believed to be hiding in the forests with a group of supporters.

"They had already entered the woods, however, they had run out of supplies and money, so they came back down and we caught them," Operation Tinombala spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto told thejakartapost.com on Sunday.

According to police, Dede and Suwardi spent six days in Palu, staying at two hotels for three nights each. They then moved on to Parigi, where they stayed three days, before entering the forest there. After another three days, however, they ran out of food and water.

"Then they came back to Palu, working as construction workers to save up some money. On May 1, they left again to meet Ovan, but we caught them," Hari said.

Currently, the suspects are in Central Sulawesi Police custody for questioning, where they were surprised to met Ovan as well as three more terrorism suspects who had turned themselves in: Saad, Akil and Fakih, according to police.

"Thank God we got caught by the police, so we are not getting deeply involved with Santoso. The information we got from social media is really different from the facts in the field," Dede said. (anh/dan)
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Linkedin Putera Satria Sambijantoro (The Jakarta Post) Beijing  Mon, May 9 2016

It is not an intelligence or diplomatic coup for Indonesia that China recently agreed to extradite a major corruption suspect to Jakarta with no strings attached.

China has complied with Indonesias demands to extradite Samadikun Hartono, a corruption fugitive who allegedly embezzled Rp 169 billion (US$12.8 million) of state bailout funds disbursed in the aftermath of the 1997-1998 Asian Financial Crisis, just moments after his arrest in Shanghai.

Initially, there was tittle-tattle that Beijing demanded the transfer of four Chinese Uyghurs, who were arrested by police in East Indonesia on terrorism charges, in a prisoner-swap agreement. However, China eventually agreed to send back the Indonesian corruption suspect without getting anything tangible in return.

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Linkedin Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Surabaya  Mon, May 9 2016

As Indonesia witnesses its first export of a naval ship, Vice President Jusuf Kalla says the time is right for seizing an opportunity in the global shipbuilding industry.

The vice president made the statement during a ceremony to mark the historic export of a warship to the Philippines, held by national shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia in Ujung, Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday.

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Dhaka: Bangladesh on Monday summoned the Pakistani high commissioner here to lodge a protest over Islamabad's reaction to a Supreme Court judgment that confirmed the death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami chief and 1971 war crimes convict Motiur Rahman Nizami.

"The statement issued (earlier) by Pakistan Foreign Office is totally unacceptable," secretary of bilateral affairs in Bangladesh foreign office Mizanur Rahman said.

During the meeting, Rahman handed over a note verbale to Pakistan's high commissioner Shuja Alam.

Officials familiar with the meeting said the envoy met Rahman for 15 minutes as Dhaka conveyed its distress over the Pakistan foreign office's statement on May 6 that expressed "deep concern" over the dismissal of Nizami's review petition by the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

They said Alam told Rahman that he would convey the protest to Islamabad.

The envoy was summoned a day after Bangladesh's junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said "We are disappointed with Pakistan's reaction. We never welcome anyone interfering in our internal issues".

"I find this a serious issue, as these war criminals are trying to assure future generations with the notion that Pakistan as a state will be by their side. Otherwise why would Pakistan be so saddened by Nizami's death penalty?" he said.

The Pakistani statement had said "there is a need for reconciliation in Bangladesh in accordance with the spirit of tripartite agreement of April 1974 which calls for a forward looking approach in matters relating to the events of 1971".

"We (Islamabad) have also been following the reaction of the international community and human rights organisations to the 'controversial' trials in Bangladesh, related to events of 1971," it said.
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Linkedin Dewanti A. Wardhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9 2016

Palm oil farming, though a promising sector, remains a challenge for independent smallholders due to difficulties in obtaining complicated and costly certification from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

Independent smallholder Joko Suyono, who operates in the Batanghari regency of Jambi, says getting hold of various permits and certifications requires a complicated process that the local administration does not help with.

Joko recounted the difficulties he faced in obtaining his RSPO certification, which is required for palm oil to be sold in many overseas markets to help to ensure that farming processes are conducted in a manner that guarantees environmental sustainability.

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Linkedin Ruslan Sangadji (The Jakarta Post) Poso, Central Sulawesi  Mon, May 9, 2016

The joint police-military operation to pursue members of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terror group led by Santoso, aka Abu Wardah, has been moved from Lembah Napu in Lore Bersaudara area in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, back to the Poso Pesisir Bersaudara area.

The Lore Bersaudara area covers four districts, namely North Lore, South Lore, East Lore and Lore Peore. Meanwhile, Poso Pesisir Bersaudara encompasses three districts, namely Poso Pesisir, South Poso and North Poso Pesisir, as well as its surrounding areas.

The joint force, which previously established a security camp in the Tambing Lake tourism area, North Lore district, has left the area and moved to the Poso Pesisir Bersaudara area. All road access to and from the area is now tightly monitored by Indonesian Military and National Police personnel who are part of the Operation Tinombala Task Force.

Operation Tinombala Task Force spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr.Hari Suprapto said the relocation was conducted following the arrest of two Santoso group members, namely Muhammad Sulaeman alias Sul alias Ifan, alias Faqih, 19, from Madura, East Java, and Ibadurrohman, alias Ibad, alias Amru, 21, from Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, in Kampung Baru, Padalembara village, South Poso Pesisir, on April 15.

Hari said the task force had stepped up searches and intelligence operations to prevent MIT members who had been separated from the group from entering residential areas.

We continue to stay alert. We are processing any information we receive as thoroughly as possible. Yet, there is the possibility that terror group members could still evade arrest, said Hari.

Reopened  Visitors camp around Tambing Lake in North Lore district. The tourist attraction has reopened for the public as the Operation Tinombala Task Force has moved back to the Poso Pesisir Bersaudara area.(thejakartapost.com/Ruslan Sangadji)

Separately, Lore Lindu National Park head Sudayatna said that as the Operation Tinombala force shifted from the Tambing Lake area to Poso Pesisir Bersaudara, the natural tourism destination in Sedoa village, North Lore district, had been reopened for the public.

It was closed for more than one month. But it has been open for tourists again for several days, Sudayatna told thejakartapost.com recently.

Anni Mustakim, 35, a Palu resident, said she and several friends had just returned from the Tambing Lake but planned to go on vacation there again. During weekends, many tourists, including some foreigners, visit the area.

In 2015, around 6,000 domestic and foreign tourists visited Tambing Lake. The tourist attraction is only around two hours drive away from Palu, the provinces capital.

Many domestic and foreign tourists are drawn to Tambing Lake because of its unique ecosystem, which is a paradise for various bird species.

The Lore Lindu National Park records Tambing Lake is home to more than 260 bird species, 30 percent of which are endemic to the region.

This is why Tambing Lake is very unique, attracting bird lovers and researchers to the tourist destination, said Sudayatna.

Orchids and gum trees, two endemic trees of Central Sulwesi, are other unique aspects of the Tambing Lake. Visitors are allowed to camp and go fishing in designated locations around the lake. (ebf)
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Linkedin Bagus Aditya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9 2016

Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid growth in digital technology, social media, mobile activity and internet usage. Like every other emerging market that is witnessing rapid smartphone adoption, Indonesia is seeing mobile phones increasingly chosen as the platform for digital content consumption. According to US research firm eMarketer, spending on digital advertisement is growing very fast in Indonesia.

The world consists of hundreds of different nations and legal jurisdictions, each with their own set of tax regulations. In cross-border transactions, the interaction of domestic tax systems can leave gaps that result in income not being taxed anywhere.

Google is the poster boy of companies successfully practicing tax optimization. In the last couple of years, there have been intense discussions on how foreign-based online businesses have apparently failed to pay their fair share of tax.

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Linkedin Arif Gunawan Sulistiyono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

XL Axiata Tbk has secured permission from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to collect public funds worth Rp 6.7 trillion (US$503.4 million) through a rights issue. Most of the proceeds will go to its parent company, Malaysia-based Axiata Group Bhd, as a debt payment.

The company will issue 2.14 billion new shares, providing preemptive rights for every holder of 100 shares of EXCL to buy 25 new shares. The offering price of the new shares is Rp 3,150 per unit.

This rights issue is an important achievement for EXCL [XL Axiata], under which XL Axiata will be able to repay debt liabilities amounting to $500 million to our parent company, said XL Axiata chief financial officer Mohamed Adlan in a press statement on Monday.

Axiata Group, which currently controls 66.4 percent of the companys stock, has announced its commitment to execute all of its rights to purchase the new shares, Adlan continued. Consequently, it will have to prepare $334.3 million, which will ultimately go back into its pockets for the debt payment.

Credit Suisse (Singapore) and state-controlled securities company Mandiri Sekuritas will both act as standby buyers in the corporate action, meaning that they will absorb any remaining new shares if the shareholders left their rights unexecuted.

The plan of XL Axiata to hold a rights issue will run well as it has received an effective statement from the OJK, Daewoo Securities Indonesia wrote in a note to investors.

The rights issue plan is in line with the companys strategy to manage its balance sheet by strengthening its financial position while at the same time minimizing the risk of foreign-denominated liabilities.

After repaying its debt, the company will have its debt to equity ratio halved from 1.8 to 0.9.

XL Axiata registered an Rp 5.6 trillion revenue and an Rp 169.3 billion net profit, erasing the net loss of Rp 758.1 billion recorded in the same quarter last year. Its total revenue profile was dynamic, according to Daewoo Securities Indonesia analyst Dang Maulida.

Competition between XL Axiata with other major telecommunications operators in Indonesia, such as Telkomsel and Indosat, is the main reason behind the dynamics, in our view, she said. (ags)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Manila  Mon, May 9, 2016

Philippine voters on Monday will elect a successor to President Benigno Aquino III, choosing from among a diverse cast of candidates.

A look at the five presidential hopefuls, with their positions on the South China Sea territorial disputes, the US pivot to Asia and ending decades of communist and Muslim insurgencies:

JEJOMAR BINAY

Elected vice president in 2010, Jejomar Binay was a human rights lawyer who helped fight dictator Ferdinand Marcos before serving as a longtime mayor of Manila's financial district. Many regarded him as a strong contender for the presidency, but corruption allegations, which he denies, sullied his image. The 73-year-old may be charged with corruption when his vice presidential term ends.

Binay backs talks with China on territorial rifts and a stronger US military presence. He regards peace talks as the best way to end decades of Muslim and communist insurgencies.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago gestures during a Philippine Senate hearing in Manila, Philippines, July 13, 2011.(AP/Bullit Marquez)

MIRIAM DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO

A former trial court judge and immigration commissioner, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was diagnosed with stage-4 lung cancer in 2014 but proceeded to run for president after saying she has recovered. Unable to campaign fully due to her health condition, the 70-year-old Santiago has trailed in pre-election polls.

She was elected to serve as an International Criminal Court judge but passed the chance due to illness. The tough-talking senator says the Philippines should not be fully dependent on the US militarily and backs a strengthening of the local military amid the sea dispute with Beijing.

Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte answers questions from the media in Manila, Philippines, April 29. (AP/Bullit Marquez)

RODRIGO DUTERTE

Despite his threats to kill criminals, obscene remarks and cursing of Pope Francis, Davao city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, 71, has topped the pre-election polls. His pledge to end crime nationwide in three to six months has resonated among crime-weary Filipinos, but has been dismissed by police as undoable. The president has campaigned against Duterte after the latter threatened to close Congress in case he wins and faces impeachment.

Duterte is open to talks with China on the sea feud and describes himself as a socialist wary of the US-Philippine security alliance. Communist rebels, he says, can play a role in his government if he wins.

Presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe addresses supporters during her last campaign rally, May 7, in Manila, Philippines. (AP/Bullit Marquez)

GRACE POE

A political neophyte, Sen. Grace Poe, 47, banks on the celebrity name she inherited from her movie parents, who adopted her after she was found abandoned as a newborn in a church. Her being a foundling and a naturalized American citizen once sparked attempts to nullify her candidacy in legal challenges that she hurdled.

The former preschool teacher backs Aquino's policy on the sea rifts and an arbitration complaint against China, although she says she'll try to engage Beijing constructively. If she wins, Poe says she'll hold talks with communist rebels.

Mar Roxas, former Interior and Local Government Secretary gestures as he answers questions from reporters in suburban Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, April 29. (AP/Aaron Favila)

MAR ROXAS

A US-educated investment banker and the richest Philippine presidential aspirant, Mar Roxas, 58, is banking on his clean image in a country where two presidents have been forced out and a third remains in detention on alleged corruption.

President Benigno Aquino III has endorsed the candidacy of Roxas, who in turn vows to continue his "straight path" style of leadership and support most of his policies, including allowing US forces access to local military camps amid the sea feud with China. Roxas, however, doesn't favor the Philippines joining the US-led Trans Pacific Partnership, fearing it will adversely impact local agriculture.
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Linkedin Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano (Associated Press) Manila  Mon, May 9, 2016

A brash mayor known for sex jokes and a pledge to end crime within six months  by killing suspected criminals if necessary  strongly led an unofficial vote count in Monday's Philippine presidential election, while the son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos led in the vice presidential race.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte reached out to his opponents following a bruising three-month campaign in which President Benigno Aquino III led efforts to discourage Filipinos from voting for him due to fears the mayor may endanger the country's hard-fought democracy.

"Let us be friends," Duterte said in a news conference after voting in southern Davao city. "Let us begin the process of healing."

In the unofficial count based on partial results transmitted electronically from voting centers nationwide, Duterte had more than 12.2 million votes, followed by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas with 7.0 million. Sen. Grace Poe had 6.9 million votes, and Vice President Jejomar Binay was next with 4.1 million.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led with 11.1 million votes in an unofficial count of the vice presidential race, followed by Rep. Leni Robredo, who had 10.4 million.

Vice presidents are elected separately from presidents in the Philippines.

"I am feeling that by all indications we should be successful today," Marcos said in a statement.

Aquino, the son of democracy champions who fought Marcos' dictator father, also campaigned against Marcos Jr., who has never clearly apologized for economic plunder and widespread human rights abuses that occurred under his father.

Weary of poverty, crime, corruption and insurgencies in the hinterlands, voters looked for radical change at the top.

Duterte, a 71-year-old former prosecutor, has peppered his campaign speeches with boasts about his Viagra-fueled sexual prowess and jokes about rape. But he also successfully tapped into the discontent, and many voters overlooked his unashamedly crude language.

"All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you," Duterte told a huge, cheering crowd Saturday in his final campaign rally in Manila. "I have no patience, I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots." Statements such as those have won him the nickname "Duterte Harry," a reference to the Clint Eastwood movie character "Dirty Harry" who had little regard for rules.

Duterte, who has been compared to US Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, threatened during the campaign to close down the Philippine Congress and form a revolutionary government if legislators stonewall his government.

That has alarmed the political establishment, which fears Duterte will squander the hard-won economic progress under Aquino. Aquino has called Duterte a threat to democracy, and likened him to Adolf Hitler.

Aside from the presidential and vice presidential races, more than 45,000 candidates contested 18,000 national, congressional and local positions in elections that have traditionally been tainted by violence and accusations of cheating.

Duterte said he was satisfied with the conduct of the balloting. "So, far I have not received any reports of cheating and violation," he said.

At least 15 people were killed in election-related violence and more than 4,000 arrested for violating a gun ban, according to police.

About 55 million Filipinos registered to vote at 36,000 polling places across the archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, including in a small fishing village in a Philippine-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea.

In final campaigning Saturday, Aquino warned voters that Duterte could be a dictator in the making and urged them not to support him.

Filipinos have been hypersensitive to potential threats to democracy since they rose in a 1986 "people power" revolt that ousted Ferdinand Marcos.

On the campaign trail, Duterte offered radical promises, including his bold anti-crime pledge and a plan to sail to China's new artificial islands in the South China Sea and plant the Philippine flag there. The other candidates stuck to less audacious reforms.

Duterte's opponents have all accused him of making remarks that threaten the rule of law and democracy.

Financial market analysts are predicting that a Duterte win would weaken the Philippine peso given his uncertain economic platform.

The jitters have affected the Philippine stock market, which fell Friday  the last day of trading before Monday's election holiday  for the 10th time in 11 days.

"The market is obviously emotional and the stronger emotion is usually fear rather than hope," said Jose Vistan, research head at AB Capital Securities Inc. "A big chunk of the reason why we're behaving the way we are is obviously because of the elections."

"Duterte is completely out of the system, he's out of the box," said political science Prof. Richard Heydarian of De La Salle University in Manila, adding that in the mayor's portrayal of social problems, "there is a gap between the rhetoric and reality but it's working, it's creating panic among a lot of people and rallying them behind Duterte."

Duterte built a political name with his iron-fist approach to fighting crime in Davao, where he has served as mayor for 22 years. Human rights groups accuse him of carrying out extrajudicial killings to fight crime. During the campaign he joked about wanting to be the first person to rape an Australian missionary who was sexually abused and killed by inmates in a 1989 prison riot.

Aquino has a mixed record in his six-year term, which ends in June. He presided over an accelerating economy, which recorded one of the highest growth rates in Asia at an average of 6.2 percent between 2010 and 2015. He also introduced new taxes, more accountability and reforms, including in the judiciary, and cracked down on tax evaders.

But more than a quarter of the Philippines' 100 million people remain mired in poverty, inequality is rampant and an immediate solution to decades-long Muslim and communist insurgencies in the south remains elusive.

Annual debt payments, some dating back to the Marcos years, and limited funds stymie infrastructure improvements and public services, including law enforcement, fueling frequent complaints.

___

Associated Press photographer Alberto "Bullit" Marquez in Davao, Philippines, contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, May 9, 2016

In the digital era, the regular suitcase is no longer regular. Luggage manufacturers have installed high-tech features that enable travelers to stay connected -- to their suitcase and to the world in general.

Forget your humble old trolley case, digital suitcases offer a proverbial bag-load of tech-savvy features including the ability to charge your phone and track your location.

With its sleek and industrial design, Raden promises to empower its owner with a built-in charger, GPS, a weight scale and applications to help navigate the most efficient route to the airport and seek information related to flights such as current weather predicted at flight destination.

Available in seven colors, the scratch-proof suitcase is available in different sizes including carry-on (22-inch, US$295) and checked bag size (28-inch, $395), as reported by Fortune.

Raden promises to empower its owner with a built-in charger, GPS, a weight scale and applications to help navigate the most efficient route to the airport and seek information related to flights such as current weather predicted at flight destination.(www.raden.com/-)

Alternatively, a smart yet modestly priced suitcase, Away, comes conveniently equipped with a built-in charger in the shape of a battery. This feature will enable you to fully charge your smartphone up to five times using a USB cable. The hard shell bag also comes with a TSA-approved lock, laundry bag and compression pad.

The Away suitcase is only available in carry-on size but is offered in a selection of four colors ($225).

(Read also: Las Vegas airport preps for tech-savvy travelers)

Luxury German luggage brand Rimowa has developed a smart hardcase featuring a digital display screen that aims to replace the function of a paper barcode label. Although the function is only beneficial for Lufthansa passengers at present, by mid-2017 the feature is expected to be utilized by more airlines, replacing the standard luggage label. Made of strong glass, the screen is 10 times stronger than smartphone screens and will not crack easily.

Already available in Europe, the bags are due for release in the US soon. They are available in various colors and sizes at starting price of $670. (kes)
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez is taking on Chinatown landlord Joseph Betesh. [Daily News]

The citys health department plans to inspect all of Raphael Toledanos buildings after elected officials raised concerns about toxic dust. [EV Grieve]

A cigarette smuggling ring that used Chinatown buses has been broken up. [New York Post]

A look at the condo conversion of the Anshei Meseritz Synagogue on East 6th Street as an example of a micro-trend. As New York Citys property market becomes a safe-deposit box for the worlds one percent, luxury residential buildings have become commonplace across the city, including once-downtrodden areas like the Lower East Side. [The Jewish Week]

Nicole Eisenman, the spectacularly talented, darkly hilarious New York artist has a solo exhibition at the New Museum. [New Yorker]
Media reports had suggested that the government was preparing to declare Ranjit Rae persona non-grata (PNG), meaning his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

Kathmandu: Nepal has dismissed rumours that the government was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as "baseless" and aimed at damaging bilateral ties.

Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Rae's expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepal's envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay by the Nepalese government.

Media reports had suggested that the government was preparing to declare Rae persona non-grata (PNG), meaning his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

However, the Nepalese government rubbished such rumours with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa terming them as "baseless".

"Some media speculation regarding Nepal govt mulling expulsion of Indian Ambassador Rae is baseless and aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations," Thapa tweeted.

Nepal's Ambassador to India Upadhyay has continued to stay put in his post in New Delhi, two days after his country's government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the K P Oli dispensation back home.

Nepal had on Friday cancelled the visit of its President to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepal's unhappiness with India over the latter's alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.
As we reported earlier, controversial landlord Steve Croman was arrested this morning and, if convicted, faces up to 25 years in prison on fraud, larceny and other charges. Local activists took aim at another property owner during a protest rally today on East 9th Street.

Backed up by local elected officials and the Cooper Square Committee, residents of 445 East 9th and 57 2nd Avenue vowed to take their landlord, Icon Realty Management, to court if their demands are not met.

Icon bought the 9th Street building in 2014 for $10 million and soon after began a gut renovation project. Cooper Square Committee calls this a case of construction-as-harassment, a not-very-subtle way of displacing rent stabilized tenants. They want Icon to agree to a lead paint mitigation plan, safe construction practices, unobstructed building entryways and a general respect for rent stabilized tenants rights. The Urban Justice Center and Manhattan Legal Services have agreed to represent the residents in court if necessary.

At the rally in front of 445 East 9th St., longtime resident Ben Coopersmith said his family will soon have gone almost a whole year without cooking gas. He noted that all of the ground floor commercial spaces have remained empty, after the owner imposed gouging rent hikes.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman referenced Cromans arrest, saying, Icon has to shape up or were going to see you in (civil) court (If Cromans arrest) is not a warning to Icon, I dont know what is. Hoylman also said tenants, elected officials and advocacy organizations are united. When you come after one of us, you come after all of us, he warned. City Council member Rosie Mendez said there was a meeting last year with Icon to work out the problems in the buildings. Nothing happened, said Mendez, adding, I am here to stand with the residents of my district. She also passed out copies of new city legislation that requires landlords to provide 72 hours notice when a service disruption is going to occur.

Chris Coffey, a spokesman for Icon Realty, attended todays event and he was in contact with the elected officials who were there (Coffey is a former Bloomberg administration official). Later, he provided us with the following statement:

Icon asked the Cooper Square Committee for a meeting in November of 2015. At that meeting, CPC presented a list of action items and requests. Icon completed over 90% of the requests and has worked diligently over the last months to make our service even better. Despite not having heard back our many emails and phone calls to CPC in the last 8 weeks, Icon is committed to improving service to every one of our residents, which is why we are so proud that the number of inquiries has plummeted over the last 6 months. There is always more we can do, and we will work every week towards doing just that.

What about those three retail spaces in the 9th Street building? According to Icons website, the 900 square foot storefront is available for $16,500/month.

UPDATE 6:39 p.m. Brandon Kielbasa, Cooper Squares director of policy and organizing, tells us tonight that repairs are still needed throughout the buildings. He added:

The general demands that tenants made in the November 2015 meeting were not honored (construction issues were one of the big items on the list and they continue to be done in a way thats worrisome in the buildings). The biggest issues the tenants still face now are related to the execution of construction. There are very serious issues with the way theyre doing the work in these buildings.

Kielbasa also said that Icon managers should be speaking directly with tenants and coordinating with their own work crews.
Police officers take positions by nooses as they prepare to execute men at a jail in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo: AP)

Kabul: Afghanistan on Sunday hanged six Taliban-linked inmates, the government said, in the first set of executions carried out as part of President Ashraf Ghanis new hardline policy against the insurgents.

Ghani carried out his threat to execute militants after an insurgent attack last month left 64 people dead in Kabul, in seemingly the deadliest attack on the Afghan capital since 2001.

The executions, the first endorsed by Ghani since he came to power in 2014, have dashed the last traces of hope of reviving Taliban peace talks that broke down last summer.

In accordance with the Afghan constitution... Ghani approved the execution of six terrorists who perpetrated grave crimes against civilians and public security, the presidential palace said in a statement.

This order has been carried out today after... considering the human rights obligations of Afghanistan... and in accordance with Afghan laws.

Five Taliban inmates and one from the Taliban-allied Haqqani network were executed in Kabuls Pule Charkhi prison, Afghanistans spy agency said, releasing their photographs.

Most of them were convicted of militant strikes across Afghanistan, including one charged with facilitating the 2011 assassination of former president Burhanuddin Rabbani.

In its response, the Taliban vowed revenge attacks against government offices responsible for carrying out the executions.

The Taliban, which announced the start of their annual spring offensive on April 12, have already stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed Kabul government.

Cycle of violence

In an unusually vitriolic speech last month, Ghani pledged a tough military response against the Taliban and vowed to enforce legal punishments, including executions of convicted militants.

His remarks were in response to a brazen Taliban assault on April 19 on a security services office in the heart of Kabul, seen as the opening salvo in this years spring offensive.

The carnage left 64 civilians and military personnel dead and cast a pall over international efforts to jumpstart Pakistan-brokered peace talks, which stalled last summer after the Taliban belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar.

Rights groups had pleaded with Ghani to not press ahead with the executions.

By hastily seeking retribution for the horrific bombings that killed 64 people in Kabul... the government plans to execute those convicted of terror offences will neither bring the victims the justice they deserve, nor Afghanistan the security it needs, Amnesty International said in a statement last week.

There is no evidence that the death penalty serves as a deterrent, and there are fears that it will only serve to perpetuate a cycle of violence without tackling any of the root causes.

Ghani has also threatened diplomatic reprisals against Pakistan if it refuses to take action against insurgent havens on its soil.

Ghanis remarks reflected his frustration after he expended substantial political capital since coming to power in 2014 in courting Pakistan in the hope of pressuring the militants to the negotiating table.

The Pakistani government recently admitted, after years of official denial, that the Taliban leadership enjoys safe haven inside the country.
A man has denied raping Keele University student Hannah Stubbs  who killed herself after the alleged attack.

Elgan Varney, 32, a fellow student at Keele University appeared at Stoke Crown Court on Friday and denied two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. Elgan Varney, 32, a fellow student at Keele University appeared at Stoke Crown Court on Friday and denied two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

The first allegation of rape supposedly took place between October and December 2014, and the second in February 2015. The sexual assault allegedly took place on 27 February 2015.

He was released on unconditional bail, but is suspended from the university pending the outcome of his case.

An inquest in Stubbs death recorded a narrative verdict, saying the suicide came after a battle with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The trial starts on October 24th and is expected to last a week.
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The article was available online in Pakistan, but the newspaper version, published by the local Express Tribune, featured a blank spot in the opinion pages where Eltahawy's article had been. (Representational Image)

Islamabad: A feminist author hit back Monday at Pakistan for censoring her article on Muslim women and sex, saying the ban exposed the depth of gender discrimination in the deeply conservative Islamic country.

Egyptian-American Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning journalist who is a vocal public speaker on women's rights, penned a opinion column entitled "Sex Talk for Muslim Women" that ran in Friday's edition of the International New York Times.

The article was available online in Pakistan, but the newspaper version, published by the local Express Tribune, featured a blank spot in the opinion pages where Eltahawy's article had been.

Eltahawy said that the decision to ban her article exposes that authorities think a woman "who claims ownership over her body is dangerous... and must be silenced".

"You can't afford to publish such controversial articles about Islam," a senior source at the Express Tribune said on condition of anonymity when asked about Eltahawy's article.

In the piece, Eltahawy discussed her decision to have sex before marriage in defiance of her own upbringing and faith, and detailed her many conversations with other women of Muslim and Arab descent suffering under the "sexual straitjacket" of virginity imposed on them by men.

"Where are the stories on women's sexual frustrations and experiences?" she wrote.

"My revolution has been to develop from a 29-year-old virgin to the 49-year-old woman who now declares, on any platform I get: It is I who own my body. Not the state, the mosque, the street or my family. And it is my right to have sex whenever, and with whomever, I choose."

'Taboo and shame'

Women have fought for decades to establish rights for themselves in Pakistan, where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.

Last week a teenage girl in the country's northwest was strangled and her body set ablaze after a village council ruled she must die for helping a friend to elope. The killing sparked fresh anger from rights activists.

Eltahawy said the censorship showed "a woman who disobeys and who openly claims sexual liberation and pleasure is dangerous and must be silenced".

She cited backlash in the country to Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Oscar win in February for a documentary about honour killings.

"So many Pakistanis attacked her for making Pakistan 'look bad' and not enough attacked what is actually making Pakistan look bad: men who are ready to kill women for daring to believe they have the right to consent and agency over their bodies."

Conversations about Muslim women and sex must be had, she said, adding she was unaware if the article had been censored in any other country.

"That sex is happening but shrouded in taboo and shame... As women of colour and women of faith, we need to see women who look like us. Sex positivity isn't the domain just of white feminism."

But, she said a recent trip to Lahore for a literary festival introduced her to "wonderful young feminists" who "keep my tenacious optimism intact".

"The more feminists such as the ones I met push, the greater the space they'll create for everyone."
Hollywood said: Explain exactly why I should answer ANY question you pose while you refuse to answer my questions. Click to expand...

So, then, I will ask you the same question: would you free this supposed killer ?And, as far as listing the times you supported the Islamic terrorist swine, let's consider the arsehole you voted for: The Obumerrhoid. Granted that the Obumerrhoid occasionally succumbs to inescapable public pressure and had the seal team exterminate the arsehole Bin Laden, and some other instances where he gave the impression that he was against the Islamic Swine.....but look at the cold facts: Neytanyahu thinks this Obumsky POS is a pile of drek. Obumsky's policies in Iran basically granting them carte blanche w/r/t nuclear development is a horrendous misdeed unmistakably advancing the agenda of the Islamic terrorist swine Also, his obviously ineffective policies in the Mid East, especially Syria is an OBVIOUS indication that Obumsky is either furthering the Islamic terrorist swine's agenda, or doing ZILCH to prevent it.
Solar farm slated

for central Oregon

BEND  A Canadian energy developer is closer to putting a solar farm in central Oregon.

The Bulletin reports Saturn Power Corp. is planning a 10-megawatt facility that could power 1,500 homes each year.

Deschutes County's permit and plan approval for the project was finalized last week after the appeal period ended without opposition.

A company consultant said last year that the electricity will be sold to Pacific Power.

Bend-based Sunlight Solar Energy operates 1,566 solar panels at the Central Electric Cooperative in Bend. Founder and president Paul Israel says there has been plenty of interest in putting commercial solar facilities in Oregon, but that the process is slow.

Developers behind a planned 20-megawatt facility have asked the county to approve revised construction plans.

Bend's first woman

mayor turns 90

BEND  Bend's first woman mayor has turned 90. Ruth Burleigh was working at a hospital in Portland in 1946 when she heard about a job in Bend. She took that job, raised a family there and got involved in politics through her community service work.

The Bulletin reports Burleigh celebrated her 90th birthday last month at the northwest Bend home she has lived in for 50 years.

In the 1970s, Bend formed a chapter of the League of Women Voters in Bend. With experience in bookkeeping for her late husband's small business, she became the chapter's treasurer.

When a position opened up on the all-male city commission, she was encouraged to join the council in 1974.

She was chosen by her fellow commissioners as the first female mayor of Bend in 1978. She served another one-year term in 1981.

It was an important time for Bend's infrastructure, when the city was building its first sewage system.

She quit the commission in 1986 but has stayed active over the years, currently serving on a library committee.

Farm gets recreational

marijuana license

EUGENE  A farm southwest of Eugene has been given a license to become the second licensed recreational marijuana producer in Lane County. Winberry Farm southeast of Eugene joins New Breed Seed, which was licensed last month by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

The Register-Guard reports The Oregon Health Authority is running a temporary recreational marijuana sales program through medical dispensaries. The commission last week granted the first producer licenses in the lead-up to its regulation of recreational pot.

The commission on Thursday approved a small-sized grower license for Winberry Farms. The license, which costs $3,750 annually, allows for up to 20,000 square feet of pot plants to be grown outside.

Closing arguments set

to begin in Lane County

capital murder trial

EUGENE  Closing arguments are up next in the Lane County capital murder trial.

The Register-Guard reports that attorneys in the case against A.J. Scott Nelson finished presenting evidence last week and closing arguments were set for Monday.

Nelson is charged with being one of three people involved in the kidnapping, robbery and murder of Celestino Gutierrez Jr. of Eugene.

Nelson faces 18 felony charges, including three counts of aggravated murder for Gutierrez's slaying at a Eugene home in August 2012.

If the jury convicts Nelson of any of the aggravated murder charges, a second trial phase will begin to decide if Nelson should be sentenced to death.

Two other people were convicted of murdering Gutierrez. One was sent to death row in 2014.
Bye-bye Mardi: Alex Face removes controversial Phuket street mural

PHUKET: Street artist Pattcharapon Alex Face Tangreun today (May 9) began painting over his street mural painted on the walls of the historic Standard Chartered Bank building in Phuket Old Town, upholding his promise to remove the mural by May 15.

culturetourism

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Monday 9 May 2016, 06:05PM

Bangkok-based artist Pattcharapon Alex Face Tangreun began removing the controversial Mardi mural from the walls of the historic Standard Chartered Bank building in Phuket Old Town. Photo: J.P. Mestanza

Bangkok-based artist Pattcharapon Alex Face Tangreun began removing the controversial Mardi mural from the walls of the historic Standard Chartered Bank building in Phuket Old Town. Photo: J.P. Mestanza

The decision was made at a meeting on April 22, where critics voted to have the street art image of Alex Faces character Mardi, a child in a rabbit costume, removed from the building. (See story here.)

The meeting was called in response to critics espousing outrage over the modern art emblazoned on the historic buildings walls as part of a 12-mural campaign by the So Phuket group to promote F.A.T. Phuket (Food, Art, Old Town) and encourage visitors to stroll the streets of Phuket Town.

Bangkok-based artist Mr Pattcharapon today told the media that he was not overly disheartened by the having to remove his own creation.

Everyone has their own understanding and thinks in different ways about art. Also, everyone is thinking in the best interests of Phuket, as do I, he said.

Anyway, street artists accept that their paintings will be painted over sooner or later, thats normal, he added.

The removal of the mural from the old bank building walls will be completed tomorrow, Mr Pattcharapon said.

However, the campaign to complete the 12 murals throughout Phuket Old Town will go ahead, he assured.

The next location to have a mural painted is near the entrance to the Phuket Thaihua Museum, he said.

To read The Phuket News feature article on the mural campaign, Using pop art to represent Phukets cultural heritage, click here.
Court frees Ja News mum amid human rights pressure

BANGKOK: The Military Court late Sunday (May 8) granted bail to alleged anti-coup protester and lese majeste suspect Patnaree Charnkij, hours after it had approved a police request to detain her for 12 days.

politicsmilitarycrime

By Bangkok Post

Monday 9 May 2016, 10:08AM

Patnaree Charnkij and son Sirawith Ja New Seritiwat embrace outside the Bangkok Womens Correctional Institution after she was freed on bail. Photo: Bangkok Post / Pornprom Satrabhaya

The release of Ms Patnaree, mother of Resistance Citizen group leader Sirawith Ja New Seritiwat, came amid pressure on a Thai delegation set to defend the countrys human rights records in Geneva on Wednesday (May 4).

Ms Patnaree was escorted early Sunday morning from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) to the Military Court where police asked for permission to detain her until May 19 for further questioning. She was then taken to Bangkok Womens Correctional Institution for detention.

However, the suspects legal team led by Pavinee Choomsri submitted a bail request with a B500,000 surety on the ground that Ms Patnaree posed no flight risk and she turned herself in to police.

The Military Court agreed to release the suspect on bail on condition that she shall not travel abroad, join any political activity or engage in acts that may lead to public disorder.

Mr Sirawith, who turned up at the court to provide moral support to his mother, slammed the regime over the legal moves against her saying it was holding his mother hostage. He said he was confident his mother did nothing wrong and did not break any law.

The activist said he was not deterred by the militarys move and would continue to fight for his cause.

Former foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul urged the military government to exercise caution in handling critics, saying the countrys human rights record is at stake.

Mr Surapong said the situation could affect the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a report on various countries human rights records, with sittings being held this week in Geneva.

Thailand is one of the 14 states being reviewed by the UPR working group during its current session, which ends on Friday (May 13).

Justice permanent secretary Charnchao Chaiyanukit is leading a delegation of government officials to Geneva to present Thailands human rights record to the UN Human Rights Council. Reports of independent human rights experts and other stakeholders will also be presented.

Mr Surapong said a bad review could affect the international communitys confidence in the regime and have repercussions on foreign trade and investment in the country.

Meanwhile, anti-coup activists under the New Democracy Movement held an event at Thammasat Universitys Tha Phrachan campus to criticise the regime over its legal moves against critics.

Mr Sirawith was expected to join the event.

Titled Making fun is not a crime, the event involved the regimes decision to take action against eight Facebook users who were arrested and charged with inciting public unrest and breaching the Computer Crime Act.

They were accused of being behind Facebook posts that authorities say could instigate chaos.

The online messages allegedly criticised the prime minister and the regime.

Gen Thawip Netniyom, secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), warned the activists Sunday not to break the law or the regimes orders, saying they could face legal action.

He also criticised attempts to bring in international organisations to put pressure on the government, saying the charges against the suspects including Ms Patnaree were based on evidence.

Gen Thawip also suggested foreign groups study Thai laws to understand the fact that authorities were only enforcing the law.

United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship leader Jatuporn Prompan weighed in on Ms Patnarees case, saying the militarys treatment of her was a disgrace to the military institution.

He said the authorities were using Ms Patnaree as a hostage against Mr Sirawith, a staunch critic of the regime, as they were unable to go after him.

The red shirt leader warned this case could also backfire on the government if the people felt the regime was overstepping its authority.

Read original story here.
Drumming to Beat Cancer

Rhythm Nation: A unique and free drum circle, DRUMSTRONG, will be held on Saturday May 21. Come out and bang on something or dance at Yoonique Stone Music Cafe in Nai Harn lake from 6pm to 8pm  were drumming to beat cancer! DRUMSTRONG raises awareness and funds in support of cancer survivorship, education, and research through rhythm.

Monday 9 May 2016, 09:10AM

Drum circles bring communities together for various causes.

This event will represent Thailand in a worldwide concerted collaboration to beat cancer. I would like to invite all drummers in Phuket to come and bring your rhythmic spirit! A delicious barbecue will be served for only B100 per person.

Drumming circles have been used around the world and throughout human history to rally people for different causes, while bringing the fun and benefits of rhythm into peoples lives. There are three types of drum circles: the facilitated drum circle  an event with a professional facilitator who guides the group into creating music for community, educational, or therapeutic purposes; the free-form drum circle  an event that is not guided by anyone and is a more random and somewhat cosmic occurrence; and the cultural drum circle  an event where musicians play culturally specific rhythms such as music from Ghana, Africa.

Virtually every family is affected by cancer. In America, one in two men and one out of three women develop some form of cancer in their lives. If you would like to donate to DRUMSTRONG, bring as little as B20 to Yoonique Stone Cafe, where there will be a donation jar. You can also donate through Paypal: scott@drumstrong.org. We hope to see you there. Bring your beating heart and join this vibrant community energy!

Marco Monti is a drum circle facilitator and founder of the drumming event company SYNERGY EVENTS Co., Ltd. He is also the founder of the free and open group Phuket Drum Circle (on Facebook). He is a member of the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild, holding an M.A. in Psychology from the California Institute for Human Science. www.synergydrum.com info@synergydrum.com Tel. (087) 8957284
Duterte takes big lead in Philippine presidential vote count

PHILIPPINRES: Anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte had a massive lead in the Philippine presidential election vote count on Monday (May 9), a poll monitor said, after an incendiary campaign dominated by his profanity-laced threats to kill criminals.

economicspolitics

By AFP

Monday 9 May 2016, 07:33PM

Presidential frontrunner and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte attends a press conference after he cast his vote in Davao City, on the southern island of Mindanao today (May 9). Photo: AFP

Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, had hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nations twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years.

His big lead in pre-election surveys appeared to be carried into election day, according to the PPCRV, the Catholic Church-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally the votes.

Duterte had 9,039,612 million votes, or 39.02 per cent, with just over half of the total counted, according to PPCRV.

Duterte gave a cautious assessment when asked on CNN Philippines about earlier results that showed him taking a big lead.

I aint there until I am there, he said. If it is my destiny to be there then I accept it.

Senator Grace Poe was in second place with 22.19%, and administration candidate Mar Roxas trailed closely in third, according to the PPCRV.

In the Philippines, a winner is decided simply by whomever gets the most votes.

National media had not called the election for Duterte because it was unclear where the votes tallied so far were from and a region with heavy support for another candidate may not have yet been counted.

Threats to kill

Duterte, a pugnacious 71-year-old, surged from outsider to the top of surveys with cuss-filled vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals, threats to establish one-man rule if lawmakers disobeyed him, and promises to embrace communist rebels.

He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex.

Duterte caused further disgust in international diplomatic circles with a joke that he wanted to rape a beautiful Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot, and by calling the pope a son of a whore.

Departing President Benigno Aquino, whose mother led the democracy movement that ousted Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago, had warned repeatedly the nation was at risk of succumbing to another dictatorship.

I need your help to stop the return of terror in our land. I cannot do it alone, Aquino said in an appeal to voters in a final rally on Saturday in Manila for his preferred successor and fellow Liberal Party stalwart, Mar Roxas.

In his final rally on Saturday, Duterte repeated to tens of thousands of cheering fans his plans to end crime within six months of starting his presidency.

Forget the laws on human rights, said Duterte, who has been accused of running vigilante death squads in Davao.

If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, Id kill you.

Elite rule

Aquino, who is limited by the constitution to a single term of six years, had overseen average annual economic growth of 6% and won international plaudits for trying to tackle corruption.

However his critics said he had done little to change an economic model that favours an extraordinarily small number of families that control nearly all key industries, and has led to one of Asias biggest rich-poor divides.

This criticism appeared to have hurt Roxas, although he was widely seen as a member of the elite.

Roxas grandfather served as the Philippines first president after the nation achieved independence from the United States post-World War II.

Another key message of Dutertes campaign was his pledge to take on the elite, even though his vice presidential running mate was from one of the nations richest and most powerful families.

Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars, had seen her popularity slide after critics pointed to her taking US citizenship then later giving it up.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the early favourite, fell to fourth place in surveys under the weight of a barrage of corruption allegations. The unofficial tally of Mondays vote also placed him fourth.

In an intriguing sub-plot, Marcos son and namesake had a slight lead in the race to be elected vice president, according to the poll monitor, which would cement a remarkable political comeback for his family.

The Philippines has an infamous culture of political violence, and at least 10 people were killed on election day. Fifteen people had been killed in pre-election shootings and bombings, according to police.

But authorities described Mondays violence as isolated incidents and that the overall conduct of the elections was peaceful
Family of Canadian man repeats urgent call for blood donations

PHUKET: The family of a Canadian man injured in a Phuket motorbike accident last week have repeated their call for urgent blood donations so that doctors can perform critical operations.

accidentshealthtransportpatong

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Monday 9 May 2016, 12:03PM

Urgent donations of A-negative or O-negative blood are needed for Canadian David Connelly, who suffered critical injuries in a motorbike accident in Patong last Wednesday.

David Connelly, 41, remains in the Intensive Care Unit at Bangkok Hospital Phuket after he was seriously injured in a collision with a 10-wheeled truck in Patong at 8:30pm last Wednesday (May 4).

His family made an urgent plea for donations of Type A Rh-negative and Type O Rh-negative blood on Thursday. (See story here.)

He is now conscious but doctors cannot operate because they are waiting for the necessary blood stock, a family member told The Phuket News this morning (May 9).

His internal organs, including his lungs and kidneys, have suffered serious damage. Also, his shoulder and pelvis are shattered.

Donors are urged to make their donations at the Phuket Regional Blood Centre, or at the Blood Bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

To make sure donations are dedicated to Mr Connelly, specify the donations are for patient code HN05-16-016358 at Bangkok Hospital.

The Regional Blood Centre is located next to the Phuket Provincial Employment Office near Saphan Hin (see map), or call 076-251178 or the centres hotline 1285 for more information.

As today is a public holiday (Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day), the blood centre is open from 9am to 3pm today.

The centres regular hours are from 8:30am to 4:30pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 8:30am to 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the centre is open from 9am-3pm.

The Blood Bank at Vachira Hospital (Tel: 076-361234), located on Yaowarat Rd in Phuket Town, operates the same regular hours.
May 10: Takena Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Speaker: Kathy Pitzer, general manager for Greater Albany Public Schools Nutrition Services. Time: 7 a.m., Elmers Restaurant, 2802 Santiam Highway S.E. Cost: Free.

May 17: Takena Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Speaker: Bill Raschko, RE/MAX broker, talks about the real estate market. Time: 7 a.m., Elmers Restaurant, 2802 Santiam Highway S.E. Cost: Free.

May 17: Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours: Stutzman Services. Time: 5:15 p.m., 4185 Spicer Dr. S.E., Cost: Free. Info: 541-926-1517.

May 19: Lebanon Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center Business After Hours: American Bookkeeping and Tax Service, Inc. Time: 5 p.m., 430 Second Ave. S.E., Albany. Cost: Free.

May 24: Takena Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Speaker: Jill Weissbeck, business and employment specialist for the Oregon Employment Department. Time: 7 a.m., Elmers Restaurant, 2802 Santiam Highway S.E. Cost: Free.

May 25: Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Forum Luncheon: State of Small Businesses. Speaker: Ruth Miles, small business advocate. Time: 11:30 a.m., Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road. Cost: $15 members, $20 non-members. Info: 541-926-1517.

May 27: Lebanon Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center Forum Lunch: Speaker: Jim Brenau of Willamette Valley Vineyards. Time: 11:30 a.m., Lebanon Community Hospital Training Center, 525 N. Santiam Highway. Cost: $15, RSVP required. Info: 541-258-7164.

May 31: Takena Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Speakers: Fire Chief John Bradner and Police Chief Mario Lattanzio talk about new stations. Time: 7 a.m., Elmers Restaurant, 2802 Santiam Highway S.E. Cost: Free.

June 1: Albany Area Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Luncheon: A Womans Guide to Productivity. Speaker: Tara Robinson. Time: 11:30 a.m., Phoenix Inn Suites, 3410 Spicer Drive S.E. Cost: $16 for members, $25 for non-members. Info: 541-926-1517.
Phuket police yet to confirm body found that of missing Patong hotel worker

PHUKET: Police are trying to identify the naked body of a man found floating in a pond in Kathu this afternoon (May 9)

deathhomicidecrimeaccidentspatongpoliceviolencetourism

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 9 May 2016, 05:34PM

Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workes recover the body from a lagoon in Kathu this afternoon (May 9). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

Lt Sawanya Eidthrong of the Thung Thong Police was called to a lagoon off Wichit Songkram Rd at 12:40pm after a local resident discovered the body floating face down in the water.

The victim was about 170-175cm tall. We believe he died at least three days before his body was found, Lt Sawanya said.

We also found a pair of black flip-flops and a fishing net nearby, but no items of clothing. We are not sure if these belonged to the man, he added.

Officers found no obvious signs of injury or assault, Lt Sawanya said.

The body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for confirmation of the cause of death, he added.

Police are specifically investigating whether the body is that of 24-year-old Muhammad Hakiki from Indonesia, who was reported as missing on Saturday.

Mr Hakiki was last seen on the night of May 7. He was a trainee at a hotel in Patong and was staying at accommodation provided by the hotel which is not far from where the body was found, Lt Sawanya said.

One of Mr Hakikis friends has already inspected the body, but insisted that it was not that of Mr Hakiki.

However, we are not convinced as the condition of the body made it almost impossible to identify, but we will see what doctors can tell us, Lt Sawanya concluded.
Using pop art to represent Phuket's cultural heritage

Artist Zen and property developer Wirachai Pranveerapaibool are responsible for the street art storm that has been taking over Phuket Old Town, having conceived the project over two days in March

Monday 9 May 2016, 12:27PM

Shayan Amin

editor1@classactmedia.co.th

The food themes on the murals are not coincidental, inspired by Phukets inclusion in Unesco Creative Cities listing for its gastronomic delights. Wirachai believes there is a need to build up on the accolade  through a book focused on conserving Phukets gastronomical heritage, and the street murals are a first step to that. Each of the 12 street art images represents one of the 12 chapters in the yet-to-be published book on Phukets culinary heritage.

Wirachai is the finance and direction behind the murals. In providing financial support for the project, which has received no budget from the Tourism Authority or the Phuket City Municipality, Wirachai paid for the materials and equipment used to create the works of art and for the flights and accommodation for the artists, who are providing their skills for free.

The carefully chosen locations of the murals are all blank walls in public areas that act as focal points. Wirachai has been very thoughtful, Every single painting has to be walkable from each other. Within two to three hours you can see all the murals in Phuket Town, like a walking tour of sorts.

Formerly a professional architect and currently a hotelier, Wirachai makes for the consummate organiser for the So Phuket project, bringing together a community of people who love Phuket culture and want to preserve it. More than anything, he and his collaborators have created space for artists such as Zen to be able to create within, drawing in artists and admirers alike to benefit in a myriad of ways while he puts together symbolism, conformity and heritage for means to provide aesthetics and food for thought in Old Town.

Zen, his given name of Danai Usama long forgotten, is a local artist and sculptor from Phuket and has spent the last decade exhibiting all over Europe. The street art project in Phuket has already stirred up undue attention with the bureaucratic kerfuffle behind the mural by Bangkok artist Pattcharapon Alex Face Tangreun on the historic Standard Chartered Building, attention that Zen sees as a positive force in spreading exposure and awareness of art in Phuket, where the vast majority of people are either uninterested or do not go out of their way to visit galleries and attend exhibitions.

Phuket is special now. People do not go to galleries. Having street art is good for the culture, for the progress of the civilisation. It helps open eyes for the arts its Phukets time for an art scene.

For Zen, the most important feature is the ability to get his art out, to affect as many people as possible, and to make art a part of their everyday awareness. He points out that even Krabi has contemporary art museums, something that is starkly missing in Phuket, despite the prolific number of artists who have turned out to take part in the massive project of 12 murals, of which he has painted four in conjunction with fellow artists.

Zen explains his goals very clearly, Art for the public and the people of Phuket who do not know about about street art, and to impact people. There are hardly any museums in Phuket and no contemporary art museums.

Despite the social media popularity of the street murals created under the project, the outrage created by Alex Faces Mardi mural being painted on a historical building indicates a reservation, and perhaps even outright disdain for street art, likely indicates that Zen is not incorrect when he alludes to a lack of artistic appreciation and interest in Phuket.

Street art has a negative perception  bad boys who spray paint. People do not know about the artistry involved in making street art happen, he says.

Zen and his friends draw an interesting, and rather apt comparison. Tattoos were seen negatively as well. Over time, as more people got tattoos and people saw them more, the reaction changed from outright disgust to an interest in the individual tattoos reacting to the imagery. It has become about reactions to the tattoo itself instead of dismissing tattoos because of social stigma, Zen notes.

Given the upsurge of street art in Bangkok over the past five years, Zens efforts are likely to come to fruition. Of the current 12 murals underway, Zen has worked on four with fellow artists.

Street art has its own special magic for creators like Zen  it takes two to three hours, sometimes an entire night, to put a mural together and he enjoys the impact it has. People in Phuket wake up to a mural and find it stunning, he says.

Zen and his fellow artists have an acute understanding of exposure and how daily contact with the murals, coupled with the sheer numbers and media exposure, are likely to create an indelible impression on Phuket residents, and not just the artist community.

As for their detractors? Wirachai puts it well, This kind of art cannot have a public hearing. It has to be between the project and the town So many people ask me the meaning, ultimately, the meaning is you. Good or bad, it is beautiful.

Thanks to Watcharin Khun Nui Rodnit for acting as translator for this article, and Dan Miles for photographs.
ALBANY POLICE

Arrest  12:19 p.m. Sunday, 3400 block of Spicer Road. Police responded to a disturbance at Denny's Restaurant where a man had allegedly punched his preteen daughter. Recep Ozcan, 48, of Woodburn was arrested on a charge of first-degree criminal mistreatment and transported to the Linn County Jail.

Hit and run  1:45 p.m. Friday, 2300 block of Santiam Highway. Police are still looking for a driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that damaged vehicles at Mark Thomas Motors. The driver reportedly missed a corner and crashed into three new Jeep Cherokees and a fire hydrant. The investigation is continuing.

LINN COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

Person found  1:45 a.m. Saturday, 33100 block of Highway 34. Linn deputies were able to reunite a missing Idaho man with his family after he ran out of gas on Interstate 5. Lt. Jeff Cone said the 86-year-old man, who suffers from dementia, had been reported missing Friday from his home near Coeur dAlene. He ran out of gas on the freeway, caught a ride to a service station on Highway 34 to pick up some fuel, then got lost trying to return to the vehicle. He then phoned for help. Cone said the sheriffs office transported the man to a hospital, where he was cared for until family could be contacted.

Injury wreck  10:42 p.m. Saturday, 29400 block of Santiam Highway. Deputies said a 19-year-old Foster woman suffered serious injuries when her 2000 Chevrolet pickup left the road and rolled. Kristin Albright told deputies she was falling asleep and jerked the wheel as she woke, sending the pickup off the road. Albright was taken to Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital, as was her passenger, who did not report being injured. No citations listed.

OREGON STATE POLICE

Traffic tieup  12:28-1:36 p.m. Sunday, Interstate 5 north of Albany. Oregon State Police troopers responded to three separate wrecks involving eight vehicles Sunday afternoon near the Santiam rest area. None involved injuries. Lt. Bill Fugate said the first collision was reported at 12:28 p.m. at milepost 242 northbound. One vehicle rear-ended another, pushing it into a third. As traffic slowed, the second crash was reported at 1 p.m. one mile south of the first, also in the northbound lanes. Again, one vehicle rear-ended another, pushing it into a third. A third rear-end collision involving two vehicles was reported at 1:30 p.m. at milepost 242. Traffic northbound on the freeway was reported backed up through Albany for much of Sunday afternoon. All drivers refused ambulance transport. No citations were listed as of late Sunday.
First week of South Dakota's traditional pheasant hunt is in the books
A commercial truck smashed into the railroad trestle above First Avenue S.E. in Albany shortly before 1 p.m. on Monday, and the top of its box container was peeled almost completely off.

There were no injuries, and hazardous chemicals in the truck did not spill, said Sandy Roberts, Albany Fire Department spokeswoman.

Roberts said there are roughly six instances where a large vehicle hits the railroad trestle, located between Thurston and Madison streets, every year, according to Portland & Western Railroad and Albany Police Department figures. On average, two of those instances involve hazardous materials, she added.

Neighbors were told by the fire department to remain indoors as a hazardous materials team, wearing respirators and other gear, checked out the rig, which had corrosive material signs posted.

The truck was stuck underneath the trestle and First Avenue was reopen at about 3:30 p.m., according to an Albany Police Department tweet.

It sounded like a bomb, just a really loud noise, said Tina Larsell, who was helping out at her fathers nearby business, Larsell Mechanical, 815 First Ave. S.E.

She wondered how the driver missed the flashing lights and warning signs for the railroad trestle. The roadway also has chains suspended above it to hit tall vehicles and warn them of the clearance.

Oscar Salinas Jr. of Hillsboro, the truck driver, was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device. The truck is owned by Rinchem Co. and was headed to Hewlett-Packard, according to police.

A Portland & Western Railroad official said he didnt think the trestle, which is built out of steel and constructed in 1913, would be damaged.

AA Towing needed to let air from the truck's tires to remove the vehicle.
WASHINGTON  My neighborhood of Chevy Chase is a leafy and peaceful slice of Northwest Washington. But this week, the news here is of a woman assaulted outside the local Starbucks by a Donald Trump supporter, she says, for the sin of being Muslim.

Police on Monday released surveillance video showing a heavyset white woman shouting at, and then pouring a bottle of liquid onto, a woman in a Muslim headscarf as she sat outside the coffee shop. Police are investigating a possible hate crime.

The victim said the attacker called her a "worthless piece of Muslim trash" and a "terrorist." And the attacker said she was supporting Trump because he would send the Muslims "back to where you came from."

"She mentioned this man's name to me as a way of saying he's going to put all of you out of this country," the woman, who asked not to be identified, told me Tuesday.

But this is her country. She's African-American, born in Minneapolis, reared in Chicago and now living in D.C.

Trump won the Indiana primary easily Tuesday night, giving him an almost certain grip on the Republican presidential nomination. Now Republicans across the country will be forced to make a moral choice: Do they associate themselves with the grotesque things that Trump and his supporters have said and done? Or do they refuse to allow such things to be said and done in their names?

At the core of Trump's candidacy so far has been his disparagement of women, immigrants, Latinos and African-Americans, his mockery of the disabled, his play with Jewish stereotypes and his demonizing of Muslims. They all should be taken into account, but for now let's focus on the last.

Asked about a system to register and track Muslims in the United States, Trump said, "I would certainly implement that  absolutely." He said he would "certainly look at" closing mosques.

He falsely said there were "thousands" cheering the collapse of the World Trade Center from New Jersey, with its "heavy Arab population."

Trump called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."

Trump continues at rallies to repeat an apocryphal story about U.S. Gen. John Pershing executing Muslim prisoners in the Philippines decades ago using bullets dipped in pig's blood.

At a rally, a Trump supporter called President Obama a Muslim and said Muslims are "a problem in this country." Trump allowed both of those statements to stand.

Trump previously led the "birther" challenge to Obama's birth certificate and speculated, "Maybe it says he is a Muslim."

Trump said in a TV interview that "Islam hates us," and, later asked if that meant all 1.6 billion of the world's Muslims, Trump said, "I mean a lot of 'em."

Muslims have been taunted outside Trump events, and at one event in South Carolina, a woman in a hijab who stood in silent protest was escorted out by police as Trump supporters booed her, chanted Trump's name and suggested she was a terrorist.

Trump can't be blamed for everything his followers do. But his ascent has coincided with a rise in the number of anti-Muslim incidents to the highest level the Council on American-Islamic Relations has ever found. A sampling from the past two months:

 A self-proclaimed Trump supporter was sentenced in California for making death threats outside a Muslim center and for building pipe bombs.

 Demonstrators claiming to be Trump supporters staged public desecrations of the Koran in Atlanta and Phoenix.

 A man chanting Trump slogans at a gas station shouted "brown trash" and other epithets at a Muslim who is student-body vice president at Wichita State University in Kansas. (The Trump backer and a friend of the Muslim student were charged for fighting.)

 A man in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich., was captured on cellphone video chanting "Trump!" and yelling "Kill the Muslims."

 And here in Washington, my Chevy Chase neighbor was attacked on her way home from her county-government job when she stopped outside Starbucks to use the WiFi. She says she told the responding officers that her attacker had invoked Trump, but that detail apparently didn't make the police report.

The victim said the liquid poured on her didn't harm her. But the talk of Trump's coming vengeance on Muslims scared her. "It could get a lot worse for Muslims in America," she said. "For people here on the fence about who to vote for, maybe this will help them make that decision."
Multiple attacks in Iraqi

capital kill at least 12

BAGHDAD  Separate attacks in and around the Iraqi capital on Sunday killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens, officials said.

The deadliest was in Baghdad's western suburb of Abu Ghraib when a suicide bomber blew up himself outside a funeral tent for the wife of a local official, killing three policemen and two civilians, a police officer said. At least 16 others were wounded in that attack, he added.

Elsewhere, three civilians were killed and 10 wounded in a bomb explosion in a commercial area in the town of Madain, about 20 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of Baghdad, another police officer said. Four other civilians were killed and 17 wounded in two separate bomb attacks on commercial areas in Baghdad, police added.

Medical officials confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information.

While no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the Islamic State group regularly targets public areas and government installations in an effort to destabilize the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

North Korea won't use

nuclear weapons first

PYONGYANG, North Korea  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will not use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is invaded and announced a five-year economic plan at a milestone congress of North Korea's ruling party, which entered its third day Sunday.

Kim said he is ready to improve ties with "hostile" nations, and called for more talks with rival South Korea to reduce misunderstanding and distrust. He also urged the United States to stay away from inter-Korean issues.

"Our republic is a responsible nuclear state that, as we made clear before, will not use nuclear weapons first unless aggressive hostile forces use nuclear weapons to invade on our sovereignty," Kim said in a roughly three-hour speech shown Sunday on the North's Korean Central Television.

Spanish reporters home

after captivity in Syria

MADRID  Three Spanish freelance journalists held captive in Syria for nearly 10 months returned home Sunday, tearfully hugging relatives as they got off a military jet sent to Turkey to bring them back.

Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre shook hands with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria on the tarmac of the Torrejon de Ardoz air force base on the outskirts of Madrid. They then smiled and cried as relatives ran to hug them.

Images on Spain's state-owned TVE television channel showed their arrival but reporters were kept outside the base and away from the three journalists, only catching sight of a dark blue van carrying them from the base.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy posted a photograph of the journalists descending from the aircraft with a caption saying "Welcome!" on his official Twitter account.

"Allied and friendly" countries had assisted in ensuring the journalists' release, his office said in a statement late Saturday.

Greek Parliament passes

pension, tax reform bill

ATHENS, Greece  Greece's Parliament in a narrow vote has approved a bill reforming the debt-ridden country's pension and tax systems.

The bill, introduced as part of the requirements the country must meet under its third international bailout, is set to increase social security and pension contributions, and raise taxes for most people.

The bill was approved by the 153 lawmakers of the ruling Syriza/Independent Greeks government coalition in an early Monday vote. All opposition parties in the 300-member Parliament voted against it.

The vote took place amid a crippling general strike and protests that briefly turned violent Sunday.
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, foreground center, attends a meeting on the conflict in Syria in Paris, Monday, May 9, 2016. Representatives of Britain, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Turkey and the EU have also been invited in Paris Monday for a meeting in the presence of the Riad Hijab, head of the Western-backed Syrian opposition coalition, in an effort to re-launch the Syrian peace process.(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
In this Thursday, June 18, 2015 file photo, a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line subway train moves along the track in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File )
Senior Congress leaders met Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday seeking more security for party vice president Rahul Gandhi and others after their Puducherry unit received a threat letter.

The letter, written in Tamil, had threatened to kill Rahul like his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Congress delegation including Anand Sharma and Ahmed Patel urged Singh to order an investigation into the letter.

Rahul is scheduled to address an election rally on Tuesday in Puducherry which goes to polls on May 16.

"Home minister has assured prompt action and security enhancement. He also assured that the agencies of centre and state, Special Protection Group (SPG) will be alerted to the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters later.

Rajiv Gandhi's was assissinated by an LTTE suicide bomber on May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur where he was addressing an election rally.
The political war over the educational qualification of Prime Minister Narendra Modi escalated further on Monday with the Bharatiya Janata Party releasing copies of his degree certificates and demanding an apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal had earlier alleged that Modi had not done BA degree in Delhi University as he claimed in his affidavit. Releasing the documents at a press conference in New Delhi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley accused Kejriwal of trying to politicise the issue.

However, the Aam Admi Party came up with an immediate reactions saying the degrees released by the saffron party are fake and forged as the names and years of the documents don't match. Party leader Ashutosh asked Shah and Jaitley to apologise for showing 'fake' documents.

Earlier, releasing the documents, Amit Shah said Kejriwal tried to turn a blatant lie into truth and create confusion among public by saying PMs degrees are fake. He said Modi did his BA from Delhi University and MA from Gujarat University.

"Arvind Kejriwal ji has not only lowered down the standards of public life but has also defamed the nation across the world," Amit Shah said and added that he will write a letter to the Delhi CM seeking his apology.

Jaitley also slammed Kejriwal saying that making such public statements and attacking someone without checking the facts is a very lowly thing to do. He even said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against Modi threatens federal polity in the country and such attempts should be defeated strongly.

The finance minister shared memories of Modi coming to take his Delhi University exams during the Emergency of 1975-77. "I knew this because I was the student union leader in Delhi university soon after the Emergency," he said.
In a great relief to the Uttarakhand Congress and Chief Minister Harish Rawat, the Supreme Court on Monday refused to strike down a high court order barring the rebel MLAs from voting in the floor test to be held in the state Assembly on Tuesday.

Issuing notice to Uttarakhand assembly speaker, the apex court bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh directed the next hearing of the matter on July 12.

After excluding the nine disqualified MLAs, the Assembly has an effective strength of 61 members and Rawat will now have to prove the support of only 31 lawmakers.

Earlier in the day, the high court dismissed the plea by nine disqualified MLAs, led by former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, who had challenged their disqualification by the speaker under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution providing for disqualification on account of defection.

"This court, subject to scrutiny of Speaker's action on the principles of natural justice, therefore, holds that the ingredients of paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution are met against the petitioners.

"By their conduct, it has been established that they have 'voluntarily given up membership of their political party', even if they have not become members of any other political party," Justice U.C. Dhyani said in his 57-page judgement.

The Congress welcomed the SC order with party leader Indira Hridayesh saying they have got justice from both high court and supreme court.

The Supreme Court had on earlier directed Rawat to take the confidence vote on the floor of the House on May 10.

The state has witnessed a political and legal turmoil after President's rule was imposed in the state, citing a sting operation which shows acceptance of bribes by senior leaders in the Congress. After a huge uproar over the issue, Congress approached the Uttarakhand HC, which went on to quash the President's rule in the state.
Due to a surplus of cucumbers in the Israeli marketplace and a weak selling price, farmers insists they are losing money and cannot continue under current conditions. Cucumber farmers in Moshav Achitov, who produce 70% of the nations cucumbers insist the situation is untenable as they cannot get enough per kilogram to cover costs while the middleman continues to make a handsome profit at the expense of the growers and end-purchasers, i.e. the consumer.

In a form of protest, farmers on Sunday 30 Nissan distributed 2.5 tons of cucumbers free of charge. The farmers explain the recent huge surplus has compelled them to destroy a great deal of cucumbers.

In a showing of solidarity, eggplant farmers on Sunday joined in and distributed a tone of their product for free. Distribution began at 11:00 at the old train station at David Remez Street in Yerushalayim.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
IDF officials announced that despite the rocket fire from Gaza on Friday, it believes the Hamas regime is not interested in entering into another armed conflict with Israel, explaining the attacks last week were not carried out by Hamas.

Senior officials add that nevertheless; it does view the Hamas regime responsible to prevent such attacks.

Military officials add that the IDF is continuing efforts to locate terrorist smuggling tunnels leading from Gaza into southern Israel. It is reported that Hamas is frustrated over the reality that Israel has developed a method to detect tunnels, a methodology that state officials are calling a government secret for the time being.

At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu added, Israel will continue to act as necessary to uncover and counter the threat of tunnels in the south. We will spare no resources and means in providing security to the residents of the area adjacent to Gaza. In the past two years, these communities have flourished amidst a considerable increase in the number of residents. We are working to continue this trend. We are not seeking escalation, but we will not be deterred from doing whatever is necessary to maintain security.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
UN Special Coordinator to the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov over the weekend turned down an officer for a history lesson from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. PM Netanyahu a number of weeks ago offered UNESCO officials a history lesson after the organization announced it views Har Habayis belonging to Islam, and not the Jewish People.

The Prime Minister explained he would personally organize a lesson for UN personnel to correct their historical inaccuracies but the senior UNESCO official has rejected the offer.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
In another worrisome example of the growing anti-Israel sentiment in the international community, Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN Rafael Ramirez over the weekend compared the actions of the Israeli government today to Nazi Germanys final solution against the Palestinians. The ambassador made his remarks during a UN session on Friday, 28 Nissan.

In his words during a Security Council session, Ramirez questioned if Israel is working to impose a final solution against Palestinians throughout the West Bank.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon condemned his words, stating, These are blunt anti-Semitic statements coming from the Venezuelan ambassador towards the Jewish nation. The ambassadors statements are a continuation of the Palestinian representatives statements which equated Israel to the Nazis only a few days ago. The Palestinians are bringing anti-Semitism to the UN and are bringing the language of racism to the world parliament.

Ramirez issued an apology.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
According to Bituach Leumi statistics released Sunday, 30 Nissan, Israels construction industry if far from safe. The report documents there were over 50,000 people injured and 54 killed in work-related accidents, most being among the members of the nations construction industry. These startling facts place Israels construction industry among the highest for injuries at work five times the average in Britain.

Israel ranks third from last followed by Cyprus and Portugal, both with more fatalities and injuries.

In terms of the economy, the accidents since 2010 have cost the nation over NIS 24 billion which has been paid in the form of compensation. This figure rises annually. The report cites the figure does not take indirect damages to the workplace into account, which amounts to an estimated 2 million work days annually.

Varda Edwards of the Economy Ministrys Safety Administration authored the report, working with Rivka Prior of Bituach Leumis Disabilities Unit.

The five-year average in the construction industry for 2010 shows 25.4 fatalities per 100,000 workers and in 2015 it was higher, 33.2 per 100,000. In fact, it is reported that construction workers are five times more likely to be killed in a work-related accident that any other industry in Israel.

It appears that half of the workers killed and injured were sub-contractors and this permits contractors to evade punishment in many cases. Some feel this is a major contributory factor to the lack of job safety. The report blames the various authorities and agencies, explaining the contractors are not afraid and therefore, they lack the incentive to spend to create a safer working environment.

While the majority of construction workers are Israeli citizens, the report adds in 2015 foreign workers were twice as likely to be killed on the job than an Israeli worker.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The head of Israels Manufacturers Association Shraga Brosh releases a bleak forecast for the Israeli workforce. He explained that the layoffs recently reported at Intel are just the beginning and a major wave of layoffs should be expected elsewhere too. He predicts the industrial sector will be the next to feel the economic blow in his address at an economic conference. He reported that since the beginning of 2015, 2,225 industrial sector workers have lost their jobs, amounting to 0.5% of the national labor force. This breaks down to 1,205 jobs in high-tech, 865 jobs in the electronic communications equipment and the remainder divided between machinery & equipment and electrical equipment.

He lamented that while the country should produce 150,000 new jobs annually, the reality is one of decreased local production and increased exports, questioning where workers will find jobs. He feels too many have been absorbed into the public sector, which he feels is already too large and likely to collapse in the not-so-distance future.

He calls on the relevant ministries including the Economy Ministry, to spend the necessary funds to boost the economy and encourage the hiring of additional workers to increase production locally.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Theres no cheering at the White House for Donald Trumps success. Yet for President Barack Obama, things could be worse.

Trumps ascent as the presumptive Republican nominee makes some of Obamas main achievements more likely to survive after the next president takes over. Trumps policy prescriptions, while full of contradictions and short on specifics, are generally closer to Obamas than those of Trumps closest GOP rival, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Where Cruz opposed Obamas outreach to Cuba, Trump said its fine, though he would have handled it differently. Trump even has embraced a few essential elements of Obamas health law, long the bane of the Republican Party.

To be sure, a Trump presidency would be bad news for most of Obamas legacy. After all, Trump has said Obama may go down as the worst president in history.

Trump has said that if hes elected, hell terminate Obamas immigration actions and build a wall on the border with Mexico. He rails against Obamas trade deals and laughs off concerns about climate change, while saying he would repeal the Dodd-Frank financial reforms.

For Hillary Clinton, thats Argument A why voters seeking to uphold Obamas legacy should side with her.

From starting his political campaign on the back of a birther conspiracy about the president to promising to overturn the many accomplishments of the Obama administration, Donald Trump is too much of a risk for anyone who cares about President Obamas legacy, said Jesse Ferguson, a Clinton campaign spokesman.

With Trump as the Republican nominee, Obamas aides are more confident that Obama will be succeeded by a Democrat, a view bolstered by the deep fractures that Trumps ascent is carving in the GOP. The big question at the White House is whether Trump can successfully recast himself in the general election without triggering backlash from voters seeking ideological purity.

A look at issues where Trump has suggested hed stick with elements of Obamas approach:

CUBA

Obama has spent more than a year working to make his historic rapprochement with Cuba irreversible. With Trump as the nominee, it appears closer ties are here to stay.

Unlike Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, and the other Republican candidates who vociferously opposed Obamas policy, Trump has said that a half-century of estrangement was plenty.

I think its fine, Trump said of Obamas outstretched hand. But we should have made a better deal.

___

HEALTH CARE

Like his former GOP challengers, Trump opposes Obamas health law and has pledged a full repeal. But when it comes to what should replace it, Trump has described something closer to Obamas approach than what other Republicans prefer.

Trump wants to keep the coverage guarantees for existing conditions. Thats a position that Cruz and other Republicans havent fully embraced.

While Trump has said his plan would largely rely on private insurance companies, hes been open in the past to government-run health care  a step farther than what Obama was able to accomplish and the preferred system of Democrat Bernie Sanders, Clintons rival for the Democratic nomination.

As far as single payer, it works in Canada, Trump said in a GOP debate in August. It could have worked in a different age.

___

IRAN

Trump is no fan of Obamas nuclear deal with Iran. But hes one of the only GOP contenders this year to suggest he would not rescind it  at least temporarily.

Cruz pledged to rip the deal to shreds on his first day in office. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he couldnt stand behind it. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio promised to re-impose sanctions. And Carly Fiorina said her second call as president  her first would be to Israel  would be to Irans supreme leader to issue an ultimatum.

Not Trump.

We have a horrible contract, but we do have a contract, Trump has said.

Acknowledging it would be popular to say hed rip up the deal, Trump says instead hed seek to renegotiate it and police Iran for violations.

You know, Ive taken over plenty of bad contracts where Ive bought things where deals have gone bad because the people doing it didnt know what they were doing, Trump has said.

(AP)
Donald Trump had always described his run for president as unique. Going it alone without support from senior leaders of the Republican Party may just be another thing that sets him apart.

Does it have to be unified? Im very different than everybody else, perhaps, thats ever run for office. I actually dont think so, Trump told George Stephanopoulos on ABC News This Week on Sunday.

A growing roster of Republicans have said they wont back their partys presumptive nominee in November, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who competed against Trump this year, and Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee. On Sunday, the 2008 nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, said a lot of things would have to happen before hed campaign for Trump.

While that hasnt rattled Trump, he sounded disappointed after House Speaker Paul Ryan wasnt ready to back the real-estate developer and television personality whos dominated the Republican primaries. I was blindsided a little bit, because he spoke to me three weeks ago, and it was a very nice call, a very encouraging call, Trump said on NBCs Meet the Press.

Ryan told CNN on May 5 that Trump needed to stop the bullying and demonstrate his conservative credentials. I hope to support our nominee, the Wisconsin representative said. At this point, Im just not there.

Ryans remarks were a sign of how much Trump needs to do to bring Republicans along with him after a divisive and bruising primary season. Trumps final opponents, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, bowed out after the May 3 Indiana primary, where Trump captured 53 percent of the vote.

Asked on NBC if Ryan should still chair the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July if he continues to withhold support, Trump punted: I will give you a very solid answer, if that happens, about one minute after that happens.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday that Ryans political career is over but for a miracle after he disrespected the more than 10 million Republican voters whove supported Trump.

Ryan may soon be Cantored, said Palin, in a reference to former Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor, considered to be the front-runner to become House speaker before he lost his primary election in 2014 to an unheralded college professor.

While some Republicans in Congress reject Trump, other current and former lawmakers have said they will back the reality TV star as the nominee  if nothing else, than to block Democrat Hillary Clintons path to the White House.

I think it would be better if it were unified, I think it would be  there would be something good about it, Trump told ABC, referring to the Republican Party. But I dont think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense.

Trumps rise has been fueled by dissatisfied Americans whove lost their jobs, and young people saddled with debts, and the party needs to take heed, McCain said on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. You have to listen to people who have chosen the nominee, McCain said.

Still, he called on Trump to apologize for belittling comments made in 2015. Campaigning in Iowa in July, Trump said McCain, a naval aviator shot down during the Vietnam War and held as a prisoner of war for five years, was not a war hero.

Its important for Donald Trump to express his appreciation for veterans  not John McCain, but veterans who were incarcerated as prisoners of war, McCain said.

Pivoting to his likely general election opponent, Trump told ABC that bringing up Bill Clinton is fair game because hes involved in Hillary Clintons campaign, though the offensive treatment of spouses like his own wife, Melania, is unfair.

At rallies over the weekend Trump linked the Democratic front-runner with husband Bill Clintons past marital infidelities and 1998 impeachment. Shes married to a man who was the worst abuser of women in the history of politics, he said in Spokane, Washington, on Saturday. Hillary was an enabler and she treated these women horribly.

He was impeached for lying about what happened with a woman, and shes going to take ads about little Donald Trump? Trump said, referring to the Clintons. I dont think so.

Groups supporting Clinton have reserved millions of dollars in television advertising thats expected to focus on the Republicans past demeaning statements about women.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg  Luzi Ann Javier, Kevin Cirilli
In a third recently-publicized attack against a chareidi, a driver cursed and shouted kill the dossim, a slang used to refer to chareidim in a negative light.

This latest incident occurred on Sunday night 30 Nissan when a ben torah boarding a 417 bus from Jerusalem to Beit Shemesh became the latest victim of anti-Chareidism when assaulted by the driver of the Egged bus. The boarding talmid yeshiva was heading back to his yeshiva. The driver refused to accept his ticket, calling him a thief.

The victim was interviewed by Chadrei Chareidim and is quoted saying the ticket was valid and definitely usable but the driver refused to accept it. He called me a thief and all of this took place while he drove towards Beit Shemesh.

The talmid, Shlomo, is quoted adding that when they arrived in Beit Shemesh the driver opened the door and requested that he get off the bus. I told him I cannot get out in the middle, a place without a bus stop. The driver then said We must kill all the dossim, disgusting chareidi, all the chareidim are thieves. From my perspective you have not paid.

Shlomo explains that he did not get off the bus but continued towards his Beit Shemesh destination while the driver continued to speak ill of chareidim. At Shimshon Junction he explains he felt threatened and decided to get off the bus. The driver would not let me off and the driver said You are captive in my hands now and you are not getting off. The driver continued to another stop near Nahar HaYarden Street. He refused to continue, explaining there was a protest there. This was not so. When I tried to get off at the stop near Rashi Jct. the driver intentionally slammed on the brakes. I flew towards the front. The driver then claimed I tried to steal his money. He got out in anger and begin hitting me with his fists. He scratched my face. It hurt a bit. He grabbed my hat from my head and stepped on it repeatedly. It is a new hat that I bought for the new summer zman.

Shlomo adds that there were about 15 passengers on the bus, some chareidim, who tried to calm the driver but to no avail. When the driver realized I had summoned police he instructed everyone to get off, telling them another bus would come for them.

As the chareidim were getting off the driver called to secular appearing people and asked them to verify his version of the events, to be witnesses for him and to tell police I started up with him. They refused. When police arrived he complained that I struck him. Police filed a number of complaints but refused to give me the numbers instructing me to go to the station and file a complaint. Only after pleading did the policeman agree to give me the complaint number.

Shlomo then explained after police left the driver once again threatened him, saying What I did to you till now was nothing. I should have smashed you.

Egged declined comment, explaining the matter is under police investigation.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
In a two-to-one decision the High Court of Justice rejected a petition filed against Interior Minister Aryeh Deri serving in his cabinet post.

The court on Sunday 30 Nissan ruled to reject the petition seeking to unseat Deri as Minister of the Interior with the court explaining the plaintiff failed to show a clear and direct connection between the nature and essence of Deris past crimes and serving today other than being Interior Minister.

The petitioners explained that back in the 1980s when Deri served as Interior Minister he committed the crimes he was convicted of and this should disqualify him from returning to the same cabinet post. The court did not agree. Justice Salim Jubran who headed the three-justice team explained the court is aware of the investigation against Deri today but the petition addresses actions of the past, not current.

Just Neil Hendel was a minority opinion, accepting the contention of the petitioners that Deri should not be permitted to serve.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) has pledged to provide about $1 billion to finance various projects in the northern province of Lao Cai, which borders China, BIDV said on Monday.

The funds, which will be used to support the provinces 2016-2020 development plan, will be allocated to projects in tourism, mineral production and processing, agriculture and infrastructure, the bank said.

During a business promotion conference sponsored by BIDV on May 8, Lao Cai's provincial government also awarded investment licenses to six projects worth a total of VND3.4 trillion ($152 million), including two hotel projects, an iron ore pelletizing plant and three hydropower projects.
Homeland security officials will release an invisible, harmless gas Monday into part of New York Citys subway system as part of a test of how air moves through the tunnels and platforms.

The test begins at 11 a.m. and will last for five days. Officials said the data would be useful in understanding how toxic vapors or biological contaminants might move through the tunnels during a terrorist attack.

The gas released into the system will contain tracing particles. Detectors have been installed in several stations to see where the vapors go.

The MTA warned riders there may be some delays during the testing, WCBS 880s Marla Diamond reported.

There is no health risk to the public.

(Source: WCBSTV)
The following is via OnlySimchas.com:

Several Jewish families say they were treated unfairly by EasyJet because of their religion during the Passover holiday.

Dozens of Jewish families from Paris who were traveling in Barcelona say that they were removed by Spanish armed police officers from their flight on the way home to the French capital after Passover, with one passenger  a Holocaust survivor  saying that the polices treatment of them was similar to the behavior of Nazi Germanys SS during World War II.

Almost 200 Jewish passengers, including elderly men, pregnant women and babies were in Spain for Passover and were scheduled to fly back May 1 on easyJet Flight 3920 to Paris. The plane returned to the terminal.

EasyJet has denied claims that it used armed police to segregate and remove passengers from a flight because they were Jewish.

One of the more disruptive passengers was reportedly arrested by police.

In a statement, a spokesman for the British company said: Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour on board.

Due to this issue a replacement crew was needed to operate the flight and as a result, the departure of the flight was delayed.

Passengers were held in a gate area at the request of the police for a short period of time to assess those responsible for the incident. The police took a number of passengers for questioning.

Please feel assured that at EasyJet, we do not discriminate against any individual  passengers or staff members. To confirm, we have a zero tolerance towards discrimination of any kind.

The incident is still under investigation with the Spanish Police.

(Source: OnlySimchas)
The following is via KTAR:

Missing Arizona State University professor Debra Schwartz was found dead Sunday morning in a canyon below the rim of Oak Creek Canyon.

Schwartz, 59, was reported missing on Friday morning after she did not check out of her campground like she was scheduled to.

A three-member technical rescue team that was looking for Schwartz located her. Two rope rappels were necessary to get in the canyon and find Schwartz. A third rappel was required to reach her body.

The search consisted of a team on horseback, three teams in off-road vehicles, six teams on the ground, a dog team, Yavapai County Sheriffs Office Air Rescue Helicopter and crew, The Yavapai County Jeep Posse and three technical rescue teams with three technicians in each team.

On Saturday, the Coconino County Sheriffs office received the help from the Yavapai County Search and Rescue unit and the states air rescue operation. Forty searchers on the ground were used Saturday, as well as eight search dogs.

Schwartz, a Tempe resident and English professor at the university, was staying by herself at the Pine Flat Campground at Oak Creek Canyon in northern Arizona.

Her vehicle, tent and other camping equipment was found at the Pine Flats campground.

Coconino County Sheriffs deputies believe Schwartz left her campground for an unknown destination and failed to return.

Sources tell YWN that the funeral and burial will be in Chicago.
G4S enjoyed its biggest share price rise in five years today as the security firm revealed it had avoided further pain on loss-making deals and won new contracts despite an 'uncertain' trading climate.

Shares in G4S soared after the outsourcing giant recorded an increase in profits and revenues and said it continued to wind down loss-making contracts.

The firm which was hit by a number of high profile public scandals, including its botched handling of security at the London Olympics in 2012, also said it had won new work worth 450million in the three months to the end of March.

This helped bump pre-tax profits by 6.5 per cent over the period and increase revenue by 4.5 per cent to 1.5billion.

Over the worst: Chief executive Almanza is attempting to turn G4S around after a number of public scandals, including a prisoner-tagging contract in 2013 and its botched handling of security at the London Olympics

The FTSE 250 company has seen its shares climb by a heady 5.0 per cent this session, or 9.3p, at 193.6p, having fallen more than 12 per cent to a seven-year low in March.

It also said there were no fresh impairments to record on loss-making UK government contracts, including the provision of housing for asylum seekers.

In March, the firm warned that it could take a hit if the Government extends a contract to house asylum seekers in Britain.

The huge rise in asylum seekers - many fleeing Syria - left the company attempting to cope with claimant numbers which are 50 per cent above what they estimated when the deal was signed in 2012.

G4S added that it was bringing a number of onerous UK public service contracts to an end.

Chief executive Ashley Almanza said: 'Against a backdrop of macro-economic uncertainty, the group had a positive start to the year.

'We continued to implement our strategy to transform the group's focus and performance and this is reflected in our revenue growth and improving profit and cash generation.'

One of the firm's biggest growth areas of late has been Australia.

Just 8 per cent of prisons in Australia are privately managed.

This number is set to increase with regional states saying that they are ready for greater privatisation of the sector.

Regional states hope the move will save costs, in the face of rising prison numbers.

The New South Wales government announced in March 2016 that it would allow the private sector to compete with public companies to operate correctional facilities.

David Elliott, corrections minister for the state said: 'I'm saying to the private sector and the public sector, let's see the best that you've got to offer. Prisons in New South Wales are thirsting for reform.'

The move comes at a time when the UK is witnessing a slowdown in the pace of prison privatisation.

G4S recently won a renewed 1billion deal to manage the 1,107-person Port Philip prison in Victoria, Australia, for another 20 years.

It is also on the shortlist, alongside Sodexo, to win a 15million-a-year contract to run a new 254 woman prison near Perth in Western Australia.
The worlds biggest oil company looks set to join the London Stock Exchange in the biggest share listing of all time.

Saudi Arabia is planning to sell a 5 per cent stake in its 1.7trillion oil giant Saudi Aramco to investors  raising a thumping 85bn.

The shares are set to be listed in London as well as in New York and Hong Kong  undermining claims that uncertainty over Britains future in the European Union is damaging the UK. The listing would be the largest in history in a major coup for the LSE.

The move comes amid speculation that the Saudis might be about to overhaul their energy strategy following the collapse in the oil price. Veteran oil minister Ali Al-Naimi was dismissed over the weekend and replaced by Khalid Al-Falih, the chairman of state-owned Saudi Aramco.

Al-Falih is a close ally of Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdoms deputy crown prince and effective ruler, who is widely seen as the ultimate decision maker on oil policy.

Saudi, the most powerful member of Opec, dramatically changed tack in late 2014 and instead of supporting oil prices by backing production cuts started defending market share. However, Al-Falih said he too will continue to prioritise sales over prices despite the slump in oil from $115 a barrel in mid-2014 to below $30 early this year.

Crude has recovered in recent weeks, and has been buoyed by the prospect of prolonged production shutdowns in Canada due to raging wildfires, but fell around 3 per cent to below $44 last night.

Saudi Arabia will maintain its stable petroleum policies, said Al-Falih. We remain committed to maintaining our role in international energy markets and strengthening our position as the worlds most reliable supplier of energy.

Although Saudi is trying to wean itself off its dependence on oil, analysts believe Salman is waging war with Iran as Tehran attempts to boost production after the lifting of sanctions.

Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, said: While newly appointed Khalid Al-Falih is a capable technocrat, he is unlikely to have the independent authority of his predecessor. Importantly, Mohammad bin Salman is more focused on ending Saudis dependence on hydrocarbons through sweeping reform and maintaining market share versus Iran than he is on pursuing higher oil prices.

She added: Moreover, Mohammed bin Salman seems fully committed to waging a brutal battle for market access against arch regional rival Iran, which has resorted to discounting its product in order to regain its pre-sanctions position in key markets such as China and India.

Croft said Salmans oil policy appears to be an extension of his provocative foreign policy efforts to roll back Iranian influence. Aramco is the biggest oil company in the world and controls around 10 per cent of global output. Its record breaking listing is scheduled for 2017 or 2018 with the proceeds set to be invested in projects to diversify Saudi away from oil  such as car plants, weapons production and tourism.
Concern: The IMF's David Lipton

Last week a group of anonymous figures with the awesome brainpower required to work among the elite economists of the International Monetary Fund slipped quietly into London to go through an annual ritual.

Like students at British universities doing their finals, Her Majestys Government is put through a yearly agony of inspection.

The Funds team will spread out from the Treasury to the Bank of England and the City regulators to prepare a report card on Britains economic performance and its progress in maintaining post-crisis financial stability.

But this year the report card  normally delivered at a Treasury press conference  carries added significance because it is due to be released ahead of the Brexit referendum on June 23.

Its verdict could play in to the hands of those in the Remain camp attempting to spread fear among voters.

Already senior IMF officials have made no secret of their worries about what Brexit might do for global economic recovery and stability. But as the Funds deputy managing director David Lipton acknowledges in a rare interview those views were not based on the intense research the IMF normally injects into its work.

Its hard analysis to do and you cant do it on the back of an envelope, says Lipton, 62, a former economist in the Obama White House who has just been appointed to his second stint in his current role.

We should not be that surprised when the IMF produces its official Brexit verdict if it is seen by the government as another endorsement for remain.

Lipton says: Our first instinct is that the existence of the referendum creates uncertainty and thats a significant risk in itself.

If the British people were to choose exit then there would be a period of uncertainty about the successor arrangements for integration or lack of integration in trade, capital markets and other legal arrangements.

We see the prospect for an awful lot of uncertainty when European growth is weak and uncertain, he says.

Encouragingly, though, the IMF seems less parti pris than other voices ranging from President Obama to the OECD about a leave vote.

Lipton says: The referendum is the choice of the citizens of the UK and its their future. As an institution of which the UK is a member we will provide advice on how best to carry forward their decision whatever comes to pass.

Does he think producing a verdict in May, so close to the referendum, could be misinterpreted as political interference?

He says: We certainly have to be very careful in considering whether any finding we come up with are sufficiently reliable and whether and how to convey them to the authorities, our first obligation, and then public eventually.

The IMFs leaders are renowned for sometimes impenetrable analysis, arriving in client countries armed with a menu of austerity policies. When their presence becomes known, citizens may pour onto the streets to protest over feared cuts to their standards of living.

Lipton describes his role as a last line of defence in both terms of quality control and fine tuning of the policies the IMF takes, which leaves him reading mountains of technical economic documents every day.

But he also brings a different dimension. As the scion of a family closely impacted by the Holocaust he feels a close connection to the post-Cold War democracies of Poland and Ukraine, once great centres of Jewish culture and civilization, where the streets are paved with memories of a nearly extinguished society.

DAVID LIPTON, 62, IMF FIRST DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR Day in the Life: Usually gets up at 6.30am and heads to the gym or plays tennis. Then to the office. Truth is there is no normal day here. There are a lot of staff projects I oversee. His day finishes between seven to eight at night. Family: Lives in fashionable 14th Street corridor in downtown Washington DC with his wife Susan Galbraith, a Scot. Susan was a social worker for 30 years but runs a small business selling yarn called Looped. They have three grown up children. Oldest daughter was recently married in Austin, Texas, second daughter is at the Harvard Divinity School and a son will soon to graduate from college in Connecticut. Friends and colleagues: In the same class as Bill Clintons Treasury Secretary Larry Summers at Harvard. Also close to renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs. Spare time: Likes to read history and watch TV shows. He wont leave home without his iPad as he travels for work 104 days a year and allows him to carry a library of 200 books and watch junk TV shows. Enjoys his family vacations in Nantucket.

During our chat in the IMFs closely guarded headquarters in Washington he recommends I read Wartime Lies by Louis Begley, a lawyer in New York. It is the tale of Jewish child in Warsaw who was taken in by a non-Jewish family and protected.

Its the story of what it took for him to survive and how those experiences of living a false life effected the rest of his life, he says. When Lipton, as both a young economic policy maker and now the second most powerful person at the IMF, visits Warsaw and walks its streets the heritage of the Holocaust is on my mind. Everyone interprets their adulthood with what experiences and strictures they had as a child.

Born in Massachusetts, he studied economics at Harvard before joining the IMF where he worked as a staff economist for eight years. Lipton cut his teeth on the international stage as an economic adviser to the Solidarity government in Poland as the Iron Curtain came crashing down. His work on the economics of transition from Communism to capitalism was adopted by Russian reformers, until they were pushed aside.

He views Brexit and the populism during the American election campaign which has propelled Donald Trump to the top of the Republican ticket as a reaction against globalisation.

Explaining, he says: We think globalisation drove a process of growth and integration thats led a lot of poorer countries to grow faster than they would otherwise and to have rising living standards as a result. But it is also true, especially since the global financial crisis, that people have started to understand that this also brings vulnerabilities.

These include the loss of jobs in countries like the United States and Europe.

All of this requires change at the IMF too. It already has made some adjustments with the traditional Western powers ceding some voting power to China and other newly wealthy nations.

In Liptons view the next challenge for the IMF is to find ways of making sure that the global financial policies support rising living standards and dont destroy them. That is a new way of thinking for an organisation which for most of its 60 or so years of existence has been associated with harsh solutions to dealing with crisis.
The total assets of state-owned commercial banks have been falling since the beginning of the year, and stood at VND3,300 trillion (over $148 billion) at the end of February.

Total assets in the banking system climbed 0.74 percent in the first two months of the year to reach VND7,370 trillion (more than $331 billion), according to a report recently issued by the State Bank of Vietnam.

While credit institutions' assets grew, state-owned commercial banks lost VND4.28 trillion (over $192 million) in assets during the first two months of 2016 to stand at $148 billion.

Ocean Bank was bought by the state for zero VND and transformed into a single member limited bank. Photo by VnExpress

Statistics for the 2015 fiscal year show a similar trend, but this happened amid general turmoil in the system, which lost 1.09 percent in total assets from both commercial banks and joint venture banks.

Joint-stock commercial banks OceanBank, Global Petro Commercial Bank (GPBank) and Vietnam Construction Bank (CB) were acquired by the state for zero VND in the first two months of 2016, and since then have been transformed into single member limited banks under state ownership.

Therefore, the burden of having to carry lesser banks on their shoulders might have contributed to the poorer financial performance of state-owned banks.

Regarding equity, the whole system increased 0.73 percent in the first two months and only commercial banks dwindled. Charter capital in state commercial banks remained the same while it rose slightly among commercial joint-stock banks.

The report also shows the ratio of short to medium and long term loans of state owned commercial banks was 33.91 percent while the ratio in commercial joint-stock banks was up to 35.85 percent.

According to a revised draft of Circular 36, commercial banks are allowed to reach a maximum of 40 percent of short to medium and long term loans.
Shares in pet healthcare specialist Premier Veterinary Group tumbled nearly 16 per cent yesterday after it plunged deeper into the red as it looks to expand in the United States.

The company, which provides healthcare plans for more than 100,000 pets, reported losses of 1.1m for the first half of the year.

Tough times: The company, which provides healthcare plans for more than 100,000 pets, reported losses of 1.1m for the first half of the year

That compared with losses of 570,000 in the same period a year earlier and shares fell 15.9 per cent or 21.5p to 120p. The group sells healthcare plans for pets  under the Pet Care Plan brand  through vets in the UK and overseas.
All that stuff about the new normal being different from the old normal - that rates would be permanently lower - is wrong. The surprise is the speed at which it has happened. The markets have done the job of tightening monetary policy which the Bank failed to do. The markets have acted with characteristic brutality. There is a general rule in finance that things always take longer to happen than you would expect, but when the markets do move, they move much faster. That is exactly what happened.
The battle in Vietnams auto transportation industry is becoming fiercer for both traditional taxi firms and new services like Uber and Grab.

A taxi driver told VnExpress that he quit his job of five years to work for Grab. At first, the company helped him make a stable income, but now it has introduced stricter regulations after seeing the number of drivers go up.

Recently, driver numbers have increased sharply. The drivers are no longer subsidized by the company so my monthly income has halved.

On April 30, [Vietnams Reunification Day], I made only two short-distance trips. If this situation continues, I might shift to another taxi firm, he added.

Thoai, another driver who works for Uber, said that his income has also halved compared to last year. He used to earn VND1.5 million ($67.5) per day but that has fallen to about VND800,000. Thoai said this is due to both the high number of Uber drivers as well as cut-throat competition from traditional taxi firms.

Dang Viet Dung, general manager of Uber Vietnam, said in March that the number of Uber drivers was about 15,000, of which only 50 percent drove regularly. Most of the rest work part-time while some only drive several times per year.

To attract more customers, both Uber and Grab are applying discount programs with prices around VND7,000 ($0.3) per kilometer, while that figure in regular taxis can be over VND10,000.

Uber and Grab have been in the Vietnamese market for two years but many local companies still view their operations as illegal because they are not controlled by any laws. Vietnams Directorate for Roads is writing a new draft decree to control Grab and Uber car services.
May 8, 2016 | 09:21 pm PT

Vietcombank has pledged loans worth a total of VND5 trillion ($224 million) to Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Company, the operator of Vietnam's only working oil refinery and a subsidiary of state-owned oil giant PetroVietnam.

The amount secured by Binh Son Refining from Vietcombank so far this year is estimated at more than VND2 trillion, said chairman of the board Nghiem Xuan Thanh, adding that the commercial bank has also provided around $600 million in guarantees to support the companys transactions and import and export activities.

Vietcombank signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Binh Son last Saturday.

Earlier this year, Russia's Gazprom Neft (GPN), the oil arm of top global gas producer Gazprom, halted negotiations to buy a 49 percent stake in Binh Son.

GPN was expected to become a strategic partner in the refinery and the purchase was part of Vietnams policy to privatize state-owned companies across various sectors.

Statistics show that Binh Son has processed about 36 million tons of oil products since the Dung Quat oil refinery went into operation. The refinery is said to be able to handle about 135,000 barrels of crude oil a day.
Hanoi invests $13 million on innovative anti-flood pond to brighten up urban landscape

Hanoi will build an open space that will not only expand recreation opportunities for local residents but also manage and control floodwater.

Thanh Xuan district, located about six kilometers from Hoan Kiem Lake in the central of Hanoi, has invested a total of VND298.7 billion ($13.4 million) to transform a green space and neighborhood playground into community hub with an 8-hectare retention pond.

The retention pond, sandwiched between Thanh Xuan and Cau Giay districts, is designed to control floodwater and regulate the urban climate.

The innovative project, which covers an area of 13.2 hectares, will provide local residents with an upgraded public open space, additional green areas, a new playground, sport fields and a parking lot.

Construction kicked off yesterday and the complex will open to the public in June 2017.
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By Bill Parry

A Jackson Heights man has been indicted by a Queens grand jury on charges of killing his girlfriends dog.

Carlos Hernandez, 33, is the first person to be indicted by the Queens District Attorneys new Animal Cruelty Prosecution Unit.

According to the charges, Hernandez was inside a Forest Hills apartment he shared with his girlfriend and her daughter Jan. 10 when he got into a verbal dispute with her. Hernandez allegedly forcibly grabbed a 3-year-old Chihuahua out of her arms and slammed the dog to the floor where it collapsed and died minutes later. The girlfriends 11-year-old daughter was allegedly present in the apartment when the violent incident occurred.

Hernandez was arraigned last Wednesday before Acting Queens Supreme Court Justice Deborah Stevens Modica on an eight-count indictment charging him with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals and several other charges including endangering the welfare of a child. Bail of $7,500 was continued and the defendants next court date is July 6. Hernandez faces up to seven years in prison.

The defendant is accused of aggravated cruelty to animals for pulling his girlfriends small dog out of her arms during an argument and killing the helpless animal by violently throwing the dog to the floor, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Such acts of aggression toward animals cannotand will notbe tolerated.

Brown noted that the indictment is the first one to be brought by his Animal Prosecutions Unit, which was established in January.

The mandate of the unit, the first of its kind in New York City, will be to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty crimes in Queens.

and to educate the public about how to prevent and detect abuse of animals.
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By Patrick Donachie

A priest was shot in the arm early Sunday morning in Jamaica, according to the NYPD.

At about 12:08 a.m., the 49-year-old priest, identified by the New York Post as Father Damien Ekete from Church of the Holy Spirit in Morris Heights in the Bronx, was standing near the intersection of 134th Street and Rockaway Boulevard. At that point, an individual inside an unknown vehicle fired a weapon, striking the priest in his right arm, police said. He noticed he was shot and was taken to Jamaica Hospital by emergency services. He was in stable condition, according to the NYPD.

The NYPD also released a photo of the vehicle from which the suspect fired, and they asked anyone with information about the incident to call 1 (800)-577-TIPS.
President Tran Dai Quang has pledged to make clear the role of the National Defense and Security Council, which he chairs.

The National Defense and Security Council's role of overseeing the armed forces is being "hindered" because the duty and jurisdiction of the council are "stipulated in Vietnams constitution but not in the country's law". Some of the duties of president were outlined in the constitution but did not have specific instructions on how to execute them, including directing the armed forces, former President Truong Tan Sang told the National Assembly on March 22.

I will ask the Politburo and the National Assembly to clarify the [state presidents] role in overseeing the armed forces and the organization and operation of the National Defense and Security Council, Quang told a conference on Monday.

He also seeks to give directions aimed at building a revolutionary, regular, elite and modern armed forces capable of defending Vietnams sovereignty, including its maritime border.

The National Defense and Security Council is constitutionally empowered to mobilize all forces and potentialities of the country in the cause of national defense.

As chairman of the council, the president acts as commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces.
Prime Minister David Cameron warned Monday that a British exit from the EU would threaten peace on the continent, as the campaign for next month\s crucial referendum gathered steam after regional elections.

With polls showing the "Remain" and "Leave" campaigns neck-and-neck, Cameron and former London mayor Boris Johnson, the "Leave" movement\s de-facto leader, clashed as they stepped up their efforts to woo undecided voters.

A vote to exit the 28-member bloc in the June 23 referendum would be a "reckless and irresponsible" risk to Britain\s economic stability that would leave it "permanently poorer", Cameron warned.

He also said a "Brexit" would threaten Britain\s strength and security in the world, along with peace on the continent if "Europe\s foremost military power" quit the European Union.

"Isolationism has never served this country well," Cameron said in a speech at the British Museum in London.

"Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We\ve always had to go back in, and always at a much higher cost."

Cameron said that while Europe had largely been at peace since the end of World War II, it was barely two decades since the Bosnian war, while the continent was facing a "newly belligerent Russia", with conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine.

British war graves on the continent "stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe", he said.

"Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

"Is that a risk worth taking?

"I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."

But Johnson hit back at Cameron\s warning, saying NATO had guaranteed the peace in Europe, not the EU.

"I don\t think the prime minister can seriously believe that leaving the EU would trigger war on the European continent," he said at a speech in London, condemning "scare stories about World War III, or bubonic plague or whatever".

He said Brexit was now the "great project of European liberalism", and the EU an "obscurantist and universalist" 1950s project "well past its sell-by date".

Johnson attacked three "wholly bogus myths" that EU membership boosts the economy and helps preserve peace, and that wanting to quit was anti-European.

Free from the London mayoralty, Johnson is the bookmakers\ favourite to become the next Conservative leader and Britain\s next prime minister.

The Conservatives are deeply divided over the EU referendum with only around half of its MPs joining Cameron in the Remain camp.

The prime minister insisted Monday that the party would be able to heal its rifts following the vote.

The "Remain" and "Leave" camps are locked on 50 percent each, according to the What UK Thinks website\s average of the last six opinion polls.

The referendum campaign was picking up pace again after regional and local elections last Thursday which saw Labour\s Sadiq Khan elected as London\s new mayor, and pro-independence nationalists returned to power in Scotland, albeit without a majority.

Main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was now being urged to get more involved in the EU referendum campaign.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said Corbyn was showing "half-hearted" support for the Remain cause, having "made a single speech and then retreated to his usual indifference".

Meanwhile Moody\s credit rating agency said Brexit would see a "negative impact" on Britain\s public services.

It said Brexit would lead to "heightened uncertainty" and slower economic growth, resulting in a possible downgrade to Britain\s sovereign credit rating.

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.
Recent rain may not be enough to stave off water restrictions

local
SHARE Richard Carter/Special to the Times Record News Fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois (Charlotte Dameron) is attended to by her sister, Stella (Abigail Clements), in "A Streetcar Named Desire," opening Friday at Backdoor Theatre.

The hurricane that is "A Streetcar Named Desire" tore through Backdoor Theatre Saturday night.

The play might be the thing, but throw in the destroyer of lives that is Stanley Kowalski and it is a catastrophic thing. Southern politeness, gallantry and a gentleman-like manner don't stand a chance; Stanley, after all, is apt to kick and stomp social grace to the ground, and all before the next card game.

Yes, this play is a beast.

Watching the brilliant Gare Brundidge-directed play was exhausting; I found myself clutching my chest after the last scene. It is that emotionally intense.

Brundidge has an embarrassment of riches in his cast, particularly in Charlotte Dameron, who, with actorly gravitas, tackles the ultimate stage role for an actress  fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois,

Dameron, as does the rest of the cast, memorizes an eternity of dialogue, streams and streams of it over three hours. She waltzes through the monstrosity of dialogue with ease to truly inhabit the character. She is breathless, at times, delivering Blanche's pretty little speeches, adding an impeccable Mississippi Southern drawl to her delivery, complete with a lilt, so those rose-colored speeches dance on stage.

Her mannerisms, too, help bring Blanche to life. Dameron flips her hair, throws her head back and laughs garrulously. But she is at her strongest in the final scenes, running here and there and frantic. She kicks and runs and screams. This is a physical role, and Dameron gives it her all.

Just a bit about "Streetcar," Tennessee Williams' elegy on the death of the genteel Old South and the rise of an industrial new South.

It follows schoolteacher Blanche DuBois as she arrives in New Orleans to stay with her sister, Stella Kowalski (Abigail Clements), and her blue collar brute of a brother-in-law, Stanley (David Cerreta), in their cramped two-room apartment. Blanche, who has no money and nowhere to go, says she is on a leave of absence and tells her sister that Belle Reve ("Beautiful Dream"), their plantation family home in Laurel, Mississippi, has been lost.

The abusive Stanley doesn't quite believe Blanche. He isn't the kind to fall for her rose-colored stories or charms, which makes for a powder keg of a situation that ends tragically.

Besides Dameron, Clements, as Stella, lends her character a mix of sweetness, playfulness and sensuality  qualities difficult to find in one actress. Her character journeys through such an arc in this play, starting out as a woman happily blind to her husband's brutish faults but armed with a dose of reality in the end. How Clements beams at Stanley, and how she holds her pregnant belly, translates her character's kindness to the audience.

Cerreta isn't quite the awful caveman audiences might expect Stanley Kowalski to be in the beginning; he leaves a little room to chew up some scenery. But by the second act, Cerreta's Stanley is inhuman, heartless and savage. He turns up the volume so the audience can see the contrast from the more civilized Stanley to the most cruel version of himself.

David Conrady was the right pick to play the very sweet Mitch, Stanley's friend who is taken in by Blanche's charms. And I really enjoyed Eurissanna Roberson as Eunice and Tony White as Steve. Roberson, especially, is bigger than life on stage. She commands the few scenes she's in. She and White are funny in a play that leaves little room for funny.

Outside of the acting, Brundidge does like to make use of Backdoor's rotating stage, and it works well here as he uses it to go from scene to scene in the two-room set, complete with hanging light bulbs (lighting is important in this play).

The New Orleans jazz band, which helped the cast segue from scene to scene, was unexpected and wonderful. The band includes Kevin McCarthy, Renee Price, Myles Hanford, Josh Lemley and Shane Perry.

I didn't find many downsides to this production. Audiences' appreciation of it will depend on how they have interpreted the characters over the years and how the cast might fulfill or blow away those expectations.

"Streetcar" won't be for everyone. The first act alone is two hours long. And audiences typically prefer entertaining musicals or comedies over drama. This also isn't a play for kids, considering themes of abuse and violence.

But "Streetcar" is one of the finest things you'll see on the American stage. It is worth the hurricane.
U.S. Postal Service

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By Judith McGinnis of the Times Record News

From mailbox to mailbox, all day Saturday mail carriers will collect food donated through the annual American Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. This is the NALC drive's 24th anniversary; in 2015, 71 million pound of food were collected nationally.

Local donations will go to the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank.

"Letter carriers walk through the community every day, often coming face to face with the sad reality of hunger," said Betsi Moore Lujan, interim CEO for WFAFB. "The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has always been a huge part of our food drive programs. The area always comes together and helps those in need and we have no doubt everyone will fill a sack with shelf-stable food for neighbors who desperately need it."

Participating in the Letter Carrier drive is simple. Leave a nonperishable food donation in a bag by the mailbox Saturday. Letter carriers will pick it up.

Timing for the drive, according to Lujan, is crucial. WFAFB and the pantries it serves in a 12-county area often receive most of their donations during the holiday season. By spring and summer, many pantries are depleted. In summer supplies are low when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available.

Every year WFAFB distributes nearly 3.7 million pounds of food in North Texas through more than 200 partner agencies and programs. For more information on WFAFB and its needs go to www.wfafb.org, facebook.com/WFAFB and twitter.com/WFAFB.
Electra

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By Times Record News

Voters in Electra decided to throw out their mayor and two city commissioners over the weekend. The ouster of Mayor Pam Ward and commissioners Kevin Byrd and Ricky Kelley was the latest episode in years of squabbling that has plagued the small Wichita County community.

Recall petitions filed in January alleged abuse in office and incompetence by the elected officials, the latest bickering over the firing of Police Chief Michael Hopkins. The small police department has been a source of controversy in Electra for several years.

Related: View a timeline of Electra's police and city leadership issues below.

Elsewhere. voters in one North Texas school district rejected a school bond issue while two other districts passed theirs.

Voters in Nocona rejected a $15 million bond issue to build a new high school. The results were 426 for and 552 against, according to Montague County Elections Adminstrator Brandi Shipman. It was the first bond election in more than 30 years for the district. The last bond built the middle school.

But voters in Seymour Okayed a $4.5 million bond to build a new school district auditorium adjacent to the high school.

The Midway Independent School District in Clay County approved a $6.3 million bond issue to fund facility improvements, technology upgrades and security and school bus improvements.

Some towns voted on city council and school board members Saturday. Wichita Falls did not participate in the May municipal elections this year, opting instead to hold local elections in November to coincide with national, state and county elections.
After tons of dead fish were found in the Buoi River in the northern province of Thanh Hoa on May 4, thousands of households from 22 communes now face fresh water shortages.

Nguyen Duc Quyen, vice chairman of Thanh Hoa's People's Committee, said the province is taking urgent action to resolve the mass fish deaths along the Buoi River. The first step is disposing of the dead fish as soon as possible. The second is to find a secure source of clean water for local people.

Quyen stressed that the situation is grave and its not only about the dead fish. Households in 22 communes along the Buoi River do not have safe water to use for daily life.

Thanh Hoa authorities have advised people against eating the dead fish or using water from the polluted river.

Dead fish decomposing in the Buoi River are adding to the pollution. Photo by Le Hoang

Local police are coordinating with Hoa Binh authorities, where the prime suspect for the disaster is located, to investigate the case and start criminal proceedings if necessary. Thanh Hoa and Hoa Binh's departments of natural resources and environment are working to identify the source of pollution, and the results will be reported to the Prime Minister.

On May 4, people in Thanh Hoa noticed thousands of dead fish floating on the Buoi River. The water also turned a muddy color and started to smell. Over the following days, dead fish were found along a 30 kilometer stretch of the river running through Thach Thanh district.

According to preliminary estimates from Thach Thanh, 32 households have been affected and 17 tons of fish have been lost.

Authorities have identified Hoa Binh Sugarcane JSC (in Hoa Binh province) as the possible reason for the mass fish deaths along the Buoi River. The company admitted to discharging unprocessed wastewater into the river in late April and early May, according to Le Van Binh, head of the Environmental Protection Unit under Thanh Hoas Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Green Island

Honeywell Aerospace locked out 42 union employees Monday morning after the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.

The lockout comes after just three weeks of negotiations, said Tim Vogt, president of United Auto Workers Local 1508. He said that Honeywell's negotiators presented the union with its "last, best and final offer" on May 4, and his members voted Saturday to reject the proposal, which he said included higher health care costs.

Vogt said that workers on the midnight shift were told at 6 a.m. that they would be locked out of the building until the contract negotiations were settled. The plant makes steel brake linings used in airplanes.

"We reached out to the company, and we told them on Saturday that we would be willing to continue negotiations, and they said they would let us know," Vogt said. "And this is how they let us know."

On Monday, locked-out employees had started a picket line along Cohoes Avenue where the Honeywell factory is located and had set up a tent station across the street on village land. Mayor Ellen McNulty-Ryan visited briefly with Vogt and other union officials Monday.

Union workers, who make about $26 an hour, will not be paid while they are locked out by the company. The union will pick up their health care costs during that time. Honeywell offered a wage increase, but Vogt said the union could not accept other concessions such as higher health care costs.

"We are allowed to strike, but we told (Honeywell) we would continue negotiating because we don't have a problem doing that," Vogt said.

Employees in the picket line said Honeywell managers started acting like they were counting on a lockout about a month ago, testing to make sure the locks on the gates worked and bringing in consultants to "shadow" employees during their shifts. Some employees said they felt intimidated by the consultants, who they said were from Strom Engineering, a nationally known industrial strike staffing company.

Scott Sayres, a spokesman for Honeywell Aerospace, said that none of the claims of intimidation could be substantiated, but he acknowledged that employees had complained.

"We respect our employees and when this issue was raised, we immediately looked into it," Sayres said. "The union steward and the employees even expressed appreciation as to how we addressed their concerns."

The previous five-year contract expired May 3. In previous years, the company and the union were able to reach a contract agreement without a strike or lockout, Vogt said.

Vogt said that another Honeywell factory in South Bend, Ind., where it ships its brake pads, also shut out workers Monday.

Honeywell said it would be willing to resume contract talks at any time, but it wouldn't let the workers back in until a new contract is agreed upon.

"Honeywell is disappointed UAW Local 1508 members rejected a competitive and comprehensive offer that would have provided wage increases over the term of the contract. In fact, our offer was similar to the one another UAW local accepted just a few weeks ago," Honeywell said in a statement. "A lot has changed in the five years since we last bargained with the union and our proposals reflect the need to address those changes to be successful in an aviation industry that, globally, has seen more than 30,000 layoffs in the last year alone, including thousands of job cuts announced by our largest customer in March."

lrulison@timesunion.com  518-454-5504  @larryrulison
The number of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters in films released by the seven major Hollywood studios held steady in 2015, but many were included only to be the butt of a joke and an overwhelming majority of them were white or male, according to a new report by GLAAD, formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

While the overall percentage of such characters in films stayed the same, the advocacy group said in its fourth annual report that a closer look at the data revealed 2015 to have been a less inclusive year on the big screen by almost every other measure.

The number of female characters dropped while the number of male characters rose, it said, and the amount of racial diversity among LGBT characters fell sharply after making improvements the year before.

Those findings come amid criticism aimed at Hollywood over the lack of racial diversity in film that reached a boiling point earlier this year when no people of color were nominated in the acting categories of the Academy Awards for the second year in a row, spawning the hashtag OscarsSoWhite.

"The overwhelming majority of LGBT characters that do make it to the big screen continue to lack substance and purpose," Sarah Kate Ellis, the group's president and CEO, said in a statement that accompanied the report's release. Too often, she said, the characters "are included as the setup of a punch line or exist as an isolated token character who never gets the chance to bloom into a fully formed personality."

The study reviewed 126 films produced by the seven largest studios  20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, Walt Disney and Warner Bros.  and found that only 22 of them, or 17.5 percent, contained a character that was identified as LGBT.

More than three-quarters of those films contained a gay male character while only 23 percent featured a lesbian character and 9 percent featured a character who was bisexual. There was only one film, "Hot Pursuit," a Warner Bros. release, that contained a transgender character, the group said.

There were no lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters in any film produced by Disney or Paramount in 2015.

Racial diversity fell sharply in 2015 too, the report said. White characters made up 72.3 percent of the total while people of color made up 25.5 percent, compared with 31.1 percent the year before.

The most high-profile example of that trend may be the Lionsgate film "Stonewall," about the historic 1969 riot at a West Village gay bar that helped spark the modern gay rights movement. Critics said it misrepresented the real-life protagonists of that event by leaving out transgender women of color and focusing on the story of a fictional white man.

The report found 47 gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender characters in films produced by the seven studios, an increase from 28 in 2014.

"Leaving LGBT people out of the picture  or including them only as a punch line  keeps old prejudices alive and creates an unsafe environment, not only here in America, but around the world where most audiences see these depictions," Ellis said. "Hollywood must do better to improve the messages they are sending."
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Troy

Rensselaer County District Attorney Joel Abelove has agreed to turn over his files, including grand jury records, to state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in the ongoing investigation of the fatal shooting of a DWI suspect by a Troy police sergeant.

A settlement filed late Monday in Albany will settle a court petition the attorney general filed last month accusing Abelove of violating an executive order when the district attorney presented evidence in the fatal police shooting to a grand jury that cleared the officer of wrongdoing.

The settlement calls on Abelove to transfer "his office's entire investigative and case file" and states he will "take no further action to investigate and/or prosecute any matter related to the incident."

Schneiderman's petition claimed Abelove illegally took the case to a grand jury after the attorney general notified Abelove's office they were opening an investigation. Abelove, without notifying Schneiderman's office, personally presented the case to a grand jury five days after the April 17 fatal shooting, while the investigation was ongoing.

"We are pleased that DA Abelove acquiesced to each and every one of our legal demands, mooting the lawsuit we filed against him two weeks ago," said Eric Soufer, a spokesman for the attorney general.

Abelove has said the officer, Sgt. Randy French, was cleared of wrongdoing by the grand jury. Troy police officials said French acted lawfully when he fatally shot 37-year-old Edson Thevenin through the windshield as Thevenin's vehicle allegedly pinned the officer against his police cruiser.

But the Times Union has reported that two civilian witnesses told investigators that French did not appear in imminent danger when he fired eight rounds at Thevenin, and that Thevenin's vehicle appeared to roll forward into the officer's legs after he was shot.

Police said the incident was not recorded by any nearby surveillance cameras and Troy police officers and their cruisers are not equipped with recording devices or cameras. Troy police Chief John Tedesco did not disclose that one of the civilian witnesses, a Troy business owner, took cellphone video of part of the shooting incident.

French testified in front of the grand jury that cleared him but it's unclear if Abelove gave the officer immunity for his testimony. If that's the case, it would mean the officer could not be prosecuted for any crime related to the shooting.

The lawsuit filed by Schneiderman sought to undo the grand jury action, which Schneiderman's office said lacks "legal significance." But the settlement does not mention that request.

However, the three-page settlement states that Abelove will not object if the attorney general requests to unseal the jury records, or if Schneiderman's office seeks to present the case to a new grand jury.

"The stipulation is a clear statement that at no time did Mr. Abelove act outside the law or do anything inappropriate or improper," said John W. Bailey, an Albany attorney representing Abelove in the case. "The attorney general was not appointed the special prosecutor until April 29 and from that day forward Mr. Abelove has been more than willing to cooperate, including turning over his entire file to the attorney general."

Schneiderman's office has invoked the executive order at least four times since it was issued last year by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Many district attorneys, including Abelove, criticized the law,

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.

The governor's order said the attorney general may intervene in a fatal police encounter when, "in his opinion, there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous at the time of his death."

The fatal shooting took place about 3:15 a.m. April 17 on Hoosick Street near the Collar City Bridge after Thevenin's vehicle was boxed in by two police cruisers following a brief chase that police said began when he fled a traffic stop.

Police said the stop was prompted by French's suspicion that Thevenin was driving while intoxicated. Thevenin was not armed with a weapon although the police chief said Thevenin's vehicle was a weapon.

The lawsuit accuses Abelove of taking an "end-run around Executive Order 147," saying his actions would exacerbate public concerns about bias in the handling of fatal police shootings.

"His conduct also stands in sharp contrast to the professional conduct of other district attorneys who  while perhaps not agreeing with the appointment of the Attorney General under Executive Order 147  have worked cordially and collaboratively with the Attorney General," the lawsuit said.

Last week, the Times Union reported that the second civilian witness, a Cohoes man, told investigators with the attorney general's office that he didn't think French was in danger when he opened fire on Thevenin.

A person briefed on the investigation, but not authorized to comment publicly, said the 26-year-old witness' description of what he saw unfold that night raises questions about public statements by Troy police officials and Rensselaer County prosecutors who said the officer lawfully opened fire as Thevenin's vehicle pinned French against his police cruiser.

The Cohoes man, who was accompanied by his attorney, Lee Kindlon of Albany, told the state investigators he was driving a vehicle with a standard transmission and the engine stalled. Thevenin drove around him and struck a barrier as he apparently tried to make a U-turn to elude the pursuing officers. The two officers used their patrol cars to box in the fleeing sedan and, the Cohoes man said, Thevenin appeared to rock his car back and forth, almost like he was trying to slowly get out of a parallel-parking spot, when French, who was standing near the front of the Honda, suddenly opened fire, according to the person briefed on the interview.

The man told investigators that after the gunshots rang out, Thevenin's vehicle rolled slowly forward and pinned the officer's legs against his cruiser. Tedesco previously said French was trapped by the vehicle and suffered soft-tissue and ligament injuries.

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu  Rob Gavin contributed reporting.
Schenectady

The Schenectady Fire Department is investigating three small fires set early Sunday morning at the Daily Gazette building.

The fires are "suspicious and under investigation," said Kurt Gerfin, Schenectady Fire Department deputy chief. He added that investigators are "close to ruling out any accidental or natural cause."

On Sunday afternoon, John DeAugustine, the Daily Gazette's publisher, surveyed the damage from the three fires, two in the pressroom and one in the mailroom.

Electricians were brought in to test machinery for damage.

No one was hurt, DeAugustine said, but the building suffered electrical damage.

"The fire was very close to the electrical panel that services the press," DeAugustine said. "Maybe three, four feet."

Tony Tomaro, district manager at the Daily Gazette, was in the building as the power went off, DeAugustine said. As the power went off, he saw a fire, attempted to put it out, and called 911.

Firefighters arrived around 5:33 a.m. They found fires that were small, with some "pallet-sized," said Investigator James Penn of the Schenectady Fire Department.

Two of the fires consumed big boxes of small, ink-stained rags, said Judy Patrick, editor of the Daily Gazette. Another fire, located in the pressroom, was the result of paper being set ablaze.

The fires are being investigated by the Schenectady Fire Department, the Schenectady Police Department, and a representative from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"We never like to be the news  it's certainly not our intention, but in our business, we react very well in stressful situations," DeAugustine said.

jlawrence@timesunion.com  518-454-5467  @jplawrence3
SCOTIA - An early morning crash forced police to close part of a busy road in the village, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Both side of Route 50 are closed between First and Fifth streets in the village, DOT says.
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COLONIE  A Wyoming woman was arrested Friday afternoon after fleeing the Red Roof Inn in a stolen car, town police said.

Crystal Ring, 32, left the Wolf Road motel without paying her $275.71 bill, drove off in a vehicle stolen in Wyoming and was arrested near the Target store on Wade Road Extension, police said.

Ring is a fugitive from justice, wanted on a parole warrant with a history of writing bad checks, police spokesman Lt. Robert Winn said.

Police, who said the woman lied about her name when she was arrested, charged her with criminal possession of stolen property, theft of services, criminal impersonation of another person and operating a vehicle without registration, proper plates or insurance.

 Staff writer
ROTTERDAM  Mohonasen schools were locked down for a time Monday after two students in gym class at Draper Middle School said they saw writing on the outdoor track "which contained non-specific information that could be interpreted as a threat," school officials said.

District officials and police later said the threat was not credible and the lockout was lifted.
If global climate change is the defining challenge of our time, as both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have stated on numerous occasions, then the Paris Climate Agreement is the first step toward meeting it head-on.

Last December 12th, 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement, which establishes a global framework to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and sets a goal for all parties that includes keeping the temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. In order to do so, the world will need to move toward a clean energy economy.

Paris was a turning point in the fight against climate change, said Secretary of State John Kerry.

Paris marked the moment when the world finally decided to heed the ever-rising mountain of evidence that had been piling up for years. It marked the moment that we put to rest once and for all the debate over whether climate change is real  and began instead to galvanize our focus on how, as a global community, we are going to address the irrefutable reality that nature is changing at an increasingly rapid pace due to our own choices.

On April 22, a signing ceremony took place at the United Nations in New York. Over 170 Parties, including the United States, signed the Agreement and over a dozen have already joined.

But in order for the Agreement to go into effect, it must first be accepted, approved, or ratified by at least 55 Parties that collectively emit at least 55 percent of the worlds greenhouse gases.

After joining the Paris Agreement, countries will begin to implement the Agreement, so that the world can accelerate the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.

The urgency of this challenge is only becoming more pronounced, said Secretary of State John Kerry. The United States looks forward to formally joining this agreement this year, and we call on all of our international partners to do so.
THE ISSUE:

New York City is expected to impose a fee on most single-use shopping bags.

THE STAKES:

The state Legislature should come up with a statewide law and avoid confusion.

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

Paper or plastic has been an endless debate when it comes to supermarket checkout lines. Now, there's a third contender: the bring-your-own, reusable option. And it may soon get a big boost from New York City.

Under a bill passed by the City Council and expected to be signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, shops and supermarkets will have to start Oct. 1 charging at least 5 cents per bag, paper or plastic. Stores will get to keep the fee.

The goal is to encourage reusable bags and cut down on the estimated 10 billion bags thrown away in the city each year at a cost of $12.5 million annually to landfill them and clean up the litter.

This isn't a new idea. More than 150 municipalities have either banned single-use plastic bags, or imposed a fee on them. And it's having an effect, advocates say. Washington, D.C., says its 5-cent fee has led to a 60 percent drop in single-bag use. Ireland's 2002 tax on plastic bags is said to have cut their proliferation by 90 percent.

New York City's anticipated law should spur the state Legislature to enact a statewide policy  this year. Which means figuring out what it should be before the session ends in June. This is not as simple as just slapping a tax or a fee on plastic bags and hoping consumers simply respond.

For one thing, this can end up being a regressive tax that, small as it seems, would hit people who can least afford it the hardest. New York City is addressing that by exempting purchases made with food stamps.

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For another, reusable bags aren't ideal for some purchases, such as restaurant takeout (which New York City also exempts) and meats and fish, which can leave residues that contaminate a reusable bag.

And finally, there's a cost to reusable bags, which, again, can be a burden for low income people.

One solution was offered several years ago by Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which proposed that retailers charge 5 cents for each single-use bag, with a penny going to the retailer and the rest going to the state. We suggested the state use the money to help finance distribution of reusable bags.

There are other variations out there, including a bill sponsored by Assembly Member Felix Ortiz, D-Brooklyn, that would impose a 15-cent tax on plastic shopping bags, with various exceptions for meat, fish, produce, dairy, cooked foods, and ice. While 15 cents is quite a bit more than other programs we've heard of, the bill provides that the money be used to fund free reusable bags. And 15 cents could be a more motivating charge than a nickel.

If past practice is any indication, what happens in New York City is likely to be copied elsewhere, and before we know it, the state will have a mish-mash of plastic bag laws. One statewide policy makes more sense for consumers and businesses. Whatever it may settle on, the Legislature should put this issue on the front burner, now. Unlike the paper-or-plastic debate, this one shouldn't be endless.
May 09, 2016

You may have heard about it whispered in tech circles, or someone made an oblique reference to it in conversation and then moved on. But the Dark Web is now coming into the light, and its time you knew what its about.

Simply put, the Dark Web was developed to allow secure communications between government agencies, as well as dissidents & whistleblowers fighting oppressive regimes. But now it's being used to help attack companies, as it also allows for the secure exchange of pilfered information such as Social Security and credit card numbers. It also acts as a conduit, allowing terrorists to plan and hackers to freelance for the highest bidder. In today's security-conscious atmosphere, every business and government entity must understand the threats and challenges this underground network poses.







Still, despite all this, there are many positive attributes of the Dark Web. Now the first major Dark Web conference will be held Thursday, May 12, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage Special Events Hall in New York Citys lower Manhattan.

The show features a top shelf lineup of speakers. Included among them will be Geoffrey Ingersoll, managing editor at The Daily Caller News Foundation. Ahead of the conference, Ingersoll was asked his feelings on the dark Web and what it all means:

TMC (News - Alert): Why do companies need to know about the Dark Web?

Geoffrey Ingersoll: Because you can make money protecting it, from teaching companies to protect and/or protecting your own.

TMC: How big, exactly, is the Dark Web?

GI: It's roughly 95 percent of the Internet, give or take.

TMC: What challenges have come up due to the Dark Web?

GI: Keeping information privileged is big business nowadays, and the inability to do so is ruinous.

TMC: Whats the most surprising thing about the Dark Web people would be surprised to learn?

GI: That 95 percent of the Internet is the Dark Web, and 95 percent of the Dark Web is totally innocuous. Think about it as being like the back end of some random 15 year old girl's tumblr page.

TMC: So whats the difference between the Dark Web and the Deep Web?

GI: The Dark Web is anything that is not publicly searchable through search engines. The Deep Web is websites and marketplaces that only exist under several layers of hardened encryption.

TMC: So what unique perspective about it all will you be sharing at the conference?

GI: I remember before the Internet was encrypted. I served in the Marine Corps, and I remember when their unclassified network was not too protected. I've covered cyber as a journalist for a number of years, and I have a few suggestions about how to protect and make money doing it.

For those interested in attending, seats are still open. To reserve your spot, go HERE and log in today.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi
[May 09, 2016] Digiarty Gives Away Free 4K/HD Movie Converter Coupon and Vendor's Software as 10 Year Anniversary Gifts

Wowing all peers and users by turning from a fledgling into a lanneret in multimedia development ground, Digiarty Software is celebrating its anticipated 10-year anniversary on the official website in two rounds for a whole month long. The longest mega event features an unlimited giveaway of a hardware-accelerated 4K movie downloader and HD video converter, and free solutions of PC speedup, partition managing and more from vendors. The full version of WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe v5.9.4 is highlighted in the event. The recent installed capacity itself is on the rise basically attributed to the hardware acceleration based Intel QSV and Nvidia CUDA/NVENC and new replenishment of iPhone (News - Alert) SE profiles. It is in the first phase that starts from today and lasts until May 22 at

http://www.winxdvd.com/giveaway/ (for Windows users)

http://www.winxdvd.com/giveaway/convert-video-free-mac.htm (for Mac users) Quantitatively, the global Alexa rank of winxdvd.com (established on June 15, 2006) has reached a good 8860 up to today, and ranked delightfully in many fiercely competitive countries including the United States and United Kingdom. The astonishing placement of 1587 in Japan contributes about 44.7% of visitors for the website. Besides, the product line has grown from oneness to richness, covering DVD backup, video conversion, online video download, media playing, DVD burning and so on. "This mega online software feast marks the historical moment before which we've come a long way and made a great leap from 2006," said Jack Han, the indeendent founder and also CEO of Digiarty Software. "As a goal initiative company, we can't live without our customers. Now we are on the cusp of offering the 10-year anniversary gifts to all net citizens found of us or our vendors."



Upon the milestone period, the company's partners offered congratulations and indicated the willingness to take part in the giveaway. Totally 8 vendors, such as Hide My IP, Hard Disk Manager, Wise Care 365, Zemana AntiMalware Premium and FlipHTML5, have been scheduled. Sketch of the On-going Digiarty's 10-Year Anniversary (Round 1):

1. Unlimited giveaway of WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe: The in-demand video converting software developed by the sponsor itself will be the first prey. It helps convert any SD, HD and UHD videos to and from AVI, MP4, MKV, MOV and hundreds of other digital formats. It also downloads videos or music from over 300 famous online websites. The promotion is totally unconditional. 2. Full license coupons of WinX HD Video Converter Deluxe: Different from the giveaway version, a full one means lifetime free upgradable copy that can be used and served forever. It is the first chance to obtain the full version for free this year but with numerical limitation. The app, compatible with Windows 10 or lower, has the functions of making different kinds of videos playable on iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Android (News - Alert) or other portable devices. 3. Vendor Giveaway: EaseUS Partition Master and Auslogics BoostSpeed 7, widely liked for disk partition management and HTML5 Digital Publishing, respectively, are also available in giveaway and ultra-low full licensed versions (up to 90% off). 4. WinX Anniversary Gift Pack: A 6-in-1 software bundle truly worth of having, which contains the famous DVD ripper, DVD cloner, 4K video converter, media player and other two others from both the sponsor and its partners. The pack servers as a one-stop shop and a set of required tools for Windows 10 and the previous Microsoft (News - Alert) operating systems. For a 90% off discount, the price $19.95 for all is fairly unheard-of. The slew of the offerings is just a part in the starting period of Digiart's 10-year anniversary giveaway from May 9 to 22. More surprises will be rolled out from May 23 to June 5 to meet different demands of both new and regular users. About Digiarty Software, Inc. Digiarty Software, Inc. specializes in multimedia software based on Windows, Mac OS X and iOS, which provides personal and home-use video audio software across Apple, Android, Microsoft, Samsung, HTC (News - Alert), Google, Sony and other platforms or devices, including DVD Ripper, video converters, DVD Author, DVD copy software, online video downloader, audio video player, multimedia streaming app, etc. To find out more about Digiarty, please visit http://www.winxdvd.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509005706/en/

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[May 09, 2016] Golden River Resources Announces That GlobeKeeper Boosts Safety, Enhances Security at Cooper River Kids Bridge Run

Golden River Resources Corporation (OTCMKTS:GORV) announced that GlobeKeeper technology was used at the 39th Annual Cooper River Kids Bridge Run successfully. Participants and attendees of the 39th Annual Cooper River Kids Bridge Run enjoyed greater safety and enhanced security, thanks to Gainesville, Georgia-based security technology start-up GlobeKeeper. Held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, the event draws 44,000 participants and poses unique challenges for officials charged with protecting the annual 10-kilometer road running event. This year, state and local law enforcement were given the advantage of GlobeKeeper's secured communication and field collaboration platform that introduces military-grade security and encryption into agency communication devices. This essential resource for mission operations enabled South Carolina's public safety professionals to mitigate risks and comprehensively manage event condition changes in real time. As GlobeKeeper President Carmi Peleg explains, "We work to put the very latest technology in the hands of our law enforcement and military organizations. We want to help every officer and soldie get back to their families safely - and every member of the GlobeKeeper team is committed to that vision."



The GlobeKeeper technology boasts a wealth of application possibilities and virtually limitless potential across a wide swath of industries. By taking existing devices - including cameras, video, GPS and Bluetooth-enabled hardware - and integrating secure communication protocols, GlobeKeeper transforms them into essential resources for mission operations, case management and resource control. GlobeKeeper is a tactical and operational platform that introduces military-grade security and encryption into civilian communication devices. Our global platform elevates common personal communication features to mission-critical standards. For more information, visit http://globekeeper.com.

Golden River Resources announced on March 30, 2016 that proposed acquisition of GlobeKeeper. Forward-Looking Statements Forward-looking statements in this press release are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, the risks of exploration and development stage projects, risks associated with environmental and other regulatory matters, mining risks and competition and the volatility of mineral prices. Actual results and timetables could vary significantly. Additional information about these and other factors that could affect the Company's business is set forth in the Company's fiscal 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160508005046/en/

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[May 09, 2016] GSA Announces Appointment of Dr. Leo Li as Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Leo Li as the chairman of the GSA Board of Directors for 2016 and 2017. Dr. Li serves as chairman, chief executive officer of Spreadtrum Communications, leading the Company's mission to achieve industry leadership through continuous innovation and service. The GSA Board chairman is a coveted position throughout the industry reserved for the most innovative leaders who represent the semiconductor industry's most active global regions. Dr. Li will be the first chairman to serve from mainland China. As a global Alliance, this is a key step for GSA to ensure the commitment to all important regions of the ecosystem. It is vital to GSA that Chinese companies are being serviced and global members have access to all of the opportunities in China. Dr. Li has served as a regional member of the GSA Board of Directors, representing the Asia-Pacific region since 2012. He has also served as a member of GSA's Asia-Pacific Leadership Council since 2011. The Asia-Pacific Leadership Council serves as advisors to the GSA Board on global and regional issues. "I am honored that the GSA Board of Directors has appointed me as their Chairman," commented Dr. Li. "The industry is constantly evolving and GSA has been instrumental in solving a variety of challenges and promoting collaboration between its member companies and partners. I am looking forward to serving as the Chairman to help advance GSA's commitment to support globalization and continue to be the most prominent advocate to expand cooperation and innovation in our dynamic global semiconductor industry." Dr. Li has more than 30 years experience in wireless communications industry, joining Spreadtrum Communications in May 2008. From 2005 to 2007, he served as the chief executive officer of Magicomm Technology Inc., a cell phone product development company. From 2002 to 2005, he ws senior business development director at Broadcom and was responsible for a line of GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA baseband business. From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Li was appointed as general manager of Mobile Phone Product and Vice President of Mobilink Telecom, a GSM baseband start-up company that was sold to Broadcom in 2002. Prior to 1998, he held various senior engineering and program management positions at Rockwell Semiconductors and Ericsson. Dr. Li holds 10 patents in wireless communication systems, RF IC system and circuit designs, and RFID applications.







Dr. Li received a BS degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, China ; a MS degree from the Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China ; a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in College Park , Maryland, USA ; and an MBA degree from the National University in La Jolla, California , USA. "It is a great honor to have Dr. Li serve as the Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors," said Jodi Shelton, president of the GSA. "Dr. Li is one of the most influential leaders in the semiconductor industry in China and his involvement will be critical to our future success. GSA will greatly benefit from his global perspective and technical expertise, enabling GSA to expand its collaboration between China and the worldwide semiconductor industry."

Steve Mollenkopf, the Chairman of the GSA Board of Directors from 2014 to present, will continue to serve as a regional leadership director for the Board. To learn more about the GSA Board of Directors, please visit: http://www.gsaglobal.org/about-us/board-of-directors/ About GSA:



The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) mission is to support the global semiconductor industry and its partners by offering a comprehensive view of the industry. This enables members to better anticipate market opportunities and industry trends, preparing them for technology and business shifts. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration through efficient power networking for global semiconductor leaders and their partners, the GSA identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 30 countries across the globe. www.gsaglobal.org About Spreadtrum Communications: Spreadtrum is a fabless semiconductor company that develops mobile chipset platforms for smartphones, feature phones and other consumer electronics products, supporting 2G, 3G and 4G wireless communications standards. Spreadtrum's solutions combine its highly integrated, power-efficient chipsets with customizable software and reference designs in a complete turnkey platform, enabling customers to achieve faster design cycles with a lower development cost. Spreadtrum's customers include global and China-based manufacturers developing mobile products and emerging markets around the world. http://www.spreadtrum.com/ To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gsa-announces-appointment-of-dr-leo-li-as-chairman-of-the-gsa-board-of-directors-300264811.html SOURCE Spreadtrum Communications, Inc.

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[May 09, 2016] Dalmia Bharat AIM Smart City Accelerator Program Stage 2 Kick-starts

NEW DELHI, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dalmia Bharat AIM Smart City Accelerator Program (powered by Holostik) launched on December 25th, 2015 has entered Stage 2 with the Cohort launch that took place on 6th May, 2016 in New Delhi. As a part of the Cohort, eight selected start-up teams* out of 600 applications will receive mentorship and assistance for a period of four months from the faculties at DLabs, Indian School of Business (ISB) and the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Ashoka University, through access to some of their finest academic and industry networks. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150202/10115525 )

At the end of four months, the selected teams will be presenting their plans to a panel of investors to check their interest in funding. In addition to the private sector, various government bodies like The Ministry of IT andUrbanisation along with state level bodies are being tapped to deploy solutions developed by the selected teams. The program is aimed at nurturing the best start-ups focused on building a smarter and sustainable India. The teams are focussed on four broad verticals: healthcare, education, logistics/ transportation and infrastructure.



The eight selected teams include companies that have plans of building a sustainable community marketplace that connects urban India to rural Bharat by solving food and water crisis, another one that is a customized logistic solutions provider for merchants, a third one that offers a network of clinics that provide technology-enabled healthcare services to patients, at the same time helping increase revenues for the doctors. Others include those offering offline recharges and bill payments, mobile marketing, solar panels and digital bus depots. About Dalmia Bharat Group:

Dalmia Bharat Group is a prominent player in India's core manufacturing sector. With a turnover of over 7000 crore, it has a strong and growing presence in Cement, Sugar, Refractories and Power since 1939. A leader in the specialty cements space and the country's largest producer of slag cement, Dalmia Bharat has a significant presence in generic sugar, with a nationwide presence. It caters to an enduring and growing customer base in refractories and has interests in sustainable power/energy. Visit us at http://www.dalmiabharat.com Media Contact:

Pooja Bharadwaj

[email protected]

+91-9560166999

Sr. Manager-Corporate Communications

Dalmia Bharat Group



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[May 09, 2016] MTS and TEAM-IFPTE reach tentative agreement

WINNIPEG, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - (TSX:MBT) Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. is pleased to announce it has reached a tentative agreement with the Telecommunications Employees Association of Manitoba (TEAM-IFPTE Local 161). "We are very pleased to have reached this tentative agreement, which was reached with hard work by both negotiating teams," said Jay Forbes, President & CEO, MTS. "The TEAM negotiators were constructive and prudent throughout the negotiating process, and we thank them for their professionalism. We look forward to seeing our constructive relationship with the members of TEAM-IFPTE continue, as we focus on serving our customers and moving forward successfully with our ongoing business." TEAM's negtiating committee has unanimously recommended acceptance of the agreement, which is subject to ratification by the TEAM-IFPTE membership. A ratification vote is scheduled to take place no later than June 3, 2016.



TEAM-IFPTE Local 161 represents 900 managers and professionals at MTS. About MTS

At MTS, we're proud to be Manitoba's leading information and communications technology provider. We're dedicated to delivering a full suite of services for Manitobans  Internet, Wireless, TV, Phone Service and Security Systems plus a full suite of Information Solutions, including Unified Cloud and Managed Services. You can count on MTS to make connecting your world easy. We're with you.

We live where we work and actively give back to organizations that strengthen our communities. Through MTS Future First, we provide sponsorships, grants and scholarships, value-in-kind support and volunteer commitment in Manitoba. MTS Inc. is wholly owned by Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (TSX: MBT). For more on MTS' products and services, visit mts.ca. For investor information, visit www.mts.ca/aboutus. SOURCE Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.

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[May 09, 2016] AKUA's Secure Gateway Solution Selected by Parkinson Seed Farm

BALTIMORE, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- AKUA LLC announced today that Parkinson Seed Farm has awarded AKUA a fixed price contract to provide cargo tracking and environmental monitoring of potato seed exports from the United States. The award is a result of a successful proof-of-concept trial conducted in early 2016 for shipments of potato seeds from Parkinson Seed Farm in Idaho, USA to a customer in Algeria. During the trial, environmental, tracking, and breach data were collected and evaluated to determine the effectiveness of AKUA's Data-as-a-Service solution for temperature monitoring and cargo tracking. "Parkinson Seed Farm is a leader in introducing new technologies and tools to the farming industry," said AKUA CEO, Neil Furukawa. "By creating an easy-to-use solution, AKUA has enabled Parkinson to take full advantage of emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to benefit their business." "AKUA successfully demonstrated how IoT devices can be utilized to improve the logistics efficiency and monitor the environmental conditions of our potato seed export shipments," sid Parkinson Seed Farm Owner, Dirk Parkinson. "With our initiative to increase exports, we will be able to analyze the data in real time to be able to make real time logistics decisions prior to shipments arriving at its destinations."



The data from Parkinson's export shipments will also be made available to the recently announced Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Borders and Maritime Security Division's Global Supply Chain pilot research program. With voluntary customer consent, AKUA's secure gateway platform service provides the cargo tracking and breach detection data to the US government's Supply Chain Visibility Platform. About AKUA

AKUA provides secure, persistent environmental monitoring and tracking solutions for intermodal cargo containers that provide in-transit visibility of goods and shipments across the globe. AKUA combines the industry's most advanced tracking devices, multi-layer security, in-transit analytics, and AKUA web services to deliver full, end-to-end supply chain tracking and monitoring. AKUA's solutions enable customers to enhance operating effectiveness and efficiency; minimize loss from theft, damage, or other spoilage; and optimize the value of goods. About Parkinson Seed Farms Based in Idaho, Parkinson Seed Farms is one of the nation's largest potato growers producing high quality seed potato for the world's consumption. Parkinson is an industry leader in transforming the potato industry with new technologies and farming innovations. Disclaimer

Copyright  2016 AKUA LLC. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To the best of our knowledge, all details were correct at the time of publishing; this information is subject to change without notice. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/akuas-secure-gateway-solution-selected-by-parkinson-seed-farm-300264492.html SOURCE AKUA LLC

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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.
Sony Pictures and The Void are looking for some brave souls this summer to help rid Madame Tussauds wax museum (opens in new tab) of all of its ghosts. Youve always wanted to be a Ghostbuster right?

The Void, a company that specializes in what we can only describe as VR theme park installations, announced a partnership with Sony Pictures and Madame Tussauds New York on a Ghostbusters-themed project. The Ghostbusters: Dimensions experience will open this summer, making it the first installation of The Void VR theme park that will be open to the public.

The Void was announced last year, and its concept sounds too good to be true. The Void promises to put you in a whole new dimension, so to speak. The company combines real-world elements, such as physical walls, doors, objects, blowing air and even water mist, with virtual reality experiences. The Void maps the digital world around the physical space, allowing you to feel the virtual environment.

Virtual reality hardware is finally landing in consumer homes, but The Void skipped the off-the-shelf gear and went completely custom. The Void has its own engineering teams and product designers that have built the entire system from the ground up. The company produces its own VR hardware that it calls Rapture, but we dont know much about the specs of the hardware yet.

We do know that The Void built its own custom VR HMD and a force feedback vest that also houses a gaming laptop. The company also said that Rapture includes custom tracking that lets you roam around a large environment without worrying about a tether.

The first permanent installation for The Void will be in Utah, but the company will be launching the Ghostbusters: Dimensions experience in New York first. In July, visitors of Madame Tussauds wax museum will be able to participate in a ghost hunt using The Voids technology. The Void said the experience will feature authentic props, costumes and vehicles from the movie, and youll be taken through multiple scenes that were inspired by the franchise wherein you'll have to chase and capture paranormal creatures.

The Void said that construction has already begun on the Ghostbusters: Dimensions VR experience. The attraction opens two weeks ahead of the new Ghostbusters movie (such convenient timing) on July 1.

Update, May 9, 2:30pm PT: We reached out to The Void to get more information about the hardware being used for the Ghostbusters experience. It turns out the company's Rapture hardware is still under development and won't be ready for the launch in July. The experience will feature a combination of Oculus Rift DK2 HMDs and Leap Motion sensors. "We are currently going down multiple paths until the RAPTURE is ready to roll," said a company representative.

Follow Kevin Carbotte @pumcypuhoy. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.
After teasing fans with a new single, the ominous Burn The Witch, last week, Radiohead have unveiled their highly anticipated ninth studio album. Titled A Moon Shaped Pool, it was released at 4am this morning Australia time.

After completely wiping their social media presence, the band took to Facebook this morning to announce the release of A Moon Shaped Pool, which was accompanied by the release of another new single titled Daydreaming.

The track, which bears lush instrumentation and moody atmospherics similar to Burn The Witch, comes with a music video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, best known as the director of films like Boogie Nights and There Will Be Blood.

Radioheads 11-track follow-up to 2011s The King of Limbs is already being hailed as one of the best albums the band has released to date, with The Guardian praising it for achieving something theyve never achieved before.

Other reviews have likewise been extremely positive, with Rolling Stone describing the album as a haunting, stunning triumph and remarking on the way Radioheads newfound sonic territory does a complete 180 on the preceding album.

Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool Album Cover

In stark contrast to The King of Limbs focus on percussion-heavy polyrhythms and electronic twitterings, A Moon Shaped Pool stands as more of a melancholic journey into melody and atmosphere.

The album is currently available to purchase via iTunes and Amazon.com and available to stream via Apple Music and Tidal. Meanwhile, a physical release is set for 17th June, with a range of pre-order packages, including vinyl copies, available now.

Radiohead  A Moon Shaped Pool Tracklist

1. Burn the Witch

2. Daydreaming

3. Decks Dark

4. Desert Island Disk

5. Ful Stop

6. Glass Eyes

7. Identikit

8. The Numbers

9. Present Tense

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief

11. True Love Waits
We already know that King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are one of Australias most prolific bands, putting out such a steady stream of releases that they always seem to have an upcoming album in the works.

The band recently unveiled their eagerly anticipated eighth studio album, Nonagon Infinity, which in addition to being effectively endless (the album can be played on an infinite loop), boasts even more secrets.

The band recently debuted their latest music video, People Vultures, accompanying the clip with the news that there will be a Nonagon Infinity album movie set to premiere later in the year some time.

The Melbourne group dropped the first single to be taken from Nonagon Infinity, the raucous Gamma Knife, back in March, accompanying the release with an Alejandro Jodorowsky-inspired music video.

The clip for People Vultures picks up right where that clip leaves off  after the band, dressed as monks in pastel-coloured robes, commit ritual suicide. According to the band, its Part IV in the Nonagon Infinity album movie set to be released in late 2016.

Dangerous Minds, who premiered the People Vultures clip, confirmed that King Gizzard have gone and done a Beyonce and fans will soon be able to scour the internet hunting down copies of a Nonagon Infinity movie.

In the meantime, you can check out the clip for People Vultures below. According to co-directors Danny Cohen and Jason Galea, the different characters the titular vulture fights in the clip are all plucked from the tracks on Nonagon Infinity.

With the vulture fully assembled and all the band members inside, it weighed over a tonne and was difficult to move safely across the rough terrain without breaking or toppling over, they told Dangerous Minds.

[Frontman] Stu [Mackenzie] had the daunting job of being inside the vultures neck and head with only a small railing to battle the vertigo and bumps as the vulture slowly moved.
Last week saw the dissolution of The Venue Collective. An unprecedented venture in the Australian live music market, The Venue Collective united the booking logistics of nine of Australias most popular music venues.

Speaking to Tone Deaf, co-founder Ben Thompson specifically cited the collapse of a string of Australias big music festivals as among the factors contributing to his decision to shut down The Venue Collective.

Weve lost a heap of big festivals, therefore weve lost a heap of international acts touring the country. The Aussie dollars dipped down below 70 cents and I think theres a few factors of why that mid-sized tourings been a bit slower, he said.

Indeed, the loss of the Big Day Out, followed later by Soundwave and most recently Stereosonic, has changed the face of the Australian live music landscape and has made the annual touring calendar a lot less crowded.

So, is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Big Day Out co-founder Viv Lees reckons there is and theres a lot of evidence suggesting hes not just being optimistic. It looks like we might be on the cusp of an Aussie music festival renaissance.

Of course, Australias current music festival landscape is hardly barren. There are plenty of events such as Splendour In The Grass and Bluesfest which are doing better than ever and even touring festivals like Groovin The Moo.

Speaking recently to FasterLouder, Lees stated his belief that the big Aussie music festival model is still viable and that its simply a matter of time before the dust settles and some bright spark will discover it again.

Indeed, Ben Thompson shares this belief, revealing to Tone Deaf last week that theres been murmurings of three new big touring festivals that are set to debut in Australia some time in the new year.

We have lost some festivals and its going to take time for things to realign after that, he said. I think things will definitely come back and its looking like well have three big touring festivals in the country next year and hopefully therell be a sideshow boom and thatll really help stimulate things.

It seems its just a matter of which festivals will be filling the gap left by the departure of the Big Day Out and Soundwave. We already know for a fact that well be getting a Soundwave replacement in Legion Festival.

After some trouble securing funding via a crowdsourcing campaign, Legion Festival organisers confirmed they would be going ahead with the heavy music event in January 2017, visiting the East Coast, with mini-festival in Perth and Adelaide.

Its looking like well have three big touring festivals in the country next year and hopefully therell be a sideshow boom and thatll really help stimulate things.

Following the confirmation that Legion would be going ahead, former Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah took to Twitter to muse, Things are heating up. We may have 3 new rock festivals next year! Download, Sonisphere + Legion!

Whilst details were obviously scant, Maddah did manage to offer some odds on any of these festivals making their way Down Under, saying its 100% that well get 1. 50% that well get 2. 25% that all 3 happen.

Rumours about a potential Australian Download leg were sparked after booker Andy Copping suggested fans should not give up hope about the fate of heavy festivals in Australia, telling despondent fans on Twitter to watch this space.

The rumours were bolstered after international touring giant Live Nation announced that their Australasian offshoot would be partnering with UNIFIED, the folks behind UNIFY Gathering and bands like Northlane, The Amity Affliction, and In Hearts Wake.

Seeing a gap in the rock market and holding many key relationships around the world, UNIFIEDs decision to enter the touring space is an important move for the Australian market, a press release announcing the partnership read.

The two industry players seemingly spotted another gap in the Australian festival market, because the press release also made a point of mentioning that Live Nation is also the producer of the UKs famous DOWNLOAD Festival.

However, details about a potential Sonisphere expansion are scant and it bears noting that the event may not be in a position to expand  Sonisphere does not currently have any 2016 events scheduled and the 2015 instalment was cancelled in January last year.

So what could the third event be? Well, there have been rumours for some time now that iconic US festival Lollapalooza could be eyeing an expansion to Australia. After all, its not like Lollapaloozas promoters dont already have roots in Australia.

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C3 Presents, the Austin-based company that owns Lollapalooza are also the owners of Big Day Out, and there has been talk that our beloved Big Day Out could make its return as an Australian iteration of Lollapalooza.

As Tone Deaf reported back in 2014, event founder Perry Farrell previously told Billboard he is excited about Lollapaloozas international plans and Maddah once told triple js Hack that such a rebranding was absolutely possible.

Searches on the websites for IP Australia and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission do yield results for Lollapalooza, though this doesnt necessarily confirm an actual event happening in Australia.

Only time will tell just what the Australian music festival scene will look like a year from now, but if the rumours and industry chatter are true, theres still plenty of reason to hold on to hope. Watch this space.
As weve said numerous times its no secret that were long time fans of woozy-avant hip hop duo Milwaukee Banks. From their string of attention commanding singles and stunning music videos to their Rose Water EP in 2014, each release sees these guys nudge the bar a little higher when it comes to producing quality local hip hop, and their anticipated release of the debut LP Deep Into The Night is no exception (out now via Remote Control).

To celebrate the release of their killer record the duo will be hitting up Perth on Friday 13th May, Sydney on Friday 27th May, Adelaide on Saturday 28th May, Melbourne on the 4th June and Ballarat on Saturday 11th June. Full tour details and ticket links below.

Ahead of the tour, Edo and Dyl took us through some of the records that have shaped their musical journey.



Outkast- Aquemini



1998, Arista/LaFace Records

Dyl: I was listening to a lot of East Coast and West Coast rap and hip hop when this album dropped in 98. Coming out of the south, I had never heard anything like this, I had their other two albums, which were cool, but this was (to me) their turning point in owning their sound and craft.

No one sounded like this. Aquemini, in my personal opinion is Outkasts best body of work to date. This thing just doesnt ever sound old. Its so layered and deep that I still find myself hearing things in it that I didnt all the way back in 98.

The Avalanches  El Producto



1997, Wondergram Records

Edo: I went to Melbourne to see them play live and couldnt stop listening to this EP.

This and the Beastie Boys were the albums that swayed me from listening to stuff like Radiohead and got more into turntablism and sample based music and hip hop.

To hear a sound like this coming out of Australia really blew my mind, still does in fact. But it was through seeing these guys live that inspired me to find out everything I could about sampling, turntables and synths.

The Doors  The Doors



1966, Elektra

Dyl: My teens were full of lots of weed and not much school work.

Sitting in my dark bedroom, light up, sit back and get lost in the lizard kings world. This album made me look at the universe in a different way.

DJ Shadow  Endtroducing.



1996, Mo Wax

Edo: I didnt get onto this album in 96, it was a bit later than that, but when I did get onto it I was fascinated by the multiple layers and sampling in this record.

This crazy mix of hip hop, turntablism, funk and soul amongst other things got me hooked. I was also into the cooler, moody downbeat vibe throughout the album, and it got me really into instrumental hip hop music for a number of years.

Hudson Mohawke  Butter



2009, Warp

Dyl: This album made me want to push my sound and do shit none else was doing, in my production. Drums that sounded like nothing Id ever heard and cheesy midi shorn sounds that none else would even think of using, except HudMo.

He had crafted an aesthetic that people would copy and mimic still today. The sped up vocal sounds, huge kicks contrasted by cheap shitty snares alongside amazingly intricate sample chops. This album is a ride that I didnt want to get off.

Kanye West  808s and Heartbreak



2008, Roc-A-Fella Records

Edo: This record was a brave shift and is still my favourite Kanye record. The drums, synths and production on this album are amazing, and his ability to explore the darker side and depths of his production and lyrical content were simply astonishing.

I remember how much I liked the record when it first came out and so many people couldnt vibe it because the auto tune on his vocals, but I was totally sold on it. Using vocal effects added to the twisted emotions and I felt it was really pushing hip hop into some cool and exciting new territory.

Upcoming Tour Dates

13 May | Hussle Hussle, Mojos Bar, PERTH

27 May | The World Bar, SYDNEY

28 May | Rocket Bar, ADELAIDE

4 June | Hugs & Kisses, MELBOURNE

11 June | Karova Lounge, BALLARAT
Airbourne want some help in tracking down a fan who outed himself as a legit superhero when he jumped off his motorcycle in the middle of traffic to chase down a purse snatcher.

As Russia Today reports, a video apparently caught on the good samaritans helmet cam has been doing the rounds online. The original clip has racked up more than 350,000 views.

The video has been traced to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, with some internet users claiming to have found the social media profiles of both the alleged robber and the motorcycle-riding vigilante.

According to RT, amid claims the whole video is just one big fake, the motorcyclist has been identified as Vyacheslav Verkhogliad, a native of Kiev and apparent rock pig.

Oh yeah, thats the one thing RTs report fails to mention. Verkhogliad pulled off the hot pursuit whilst listening to Aussie band Airbournes classic cut Blonde, Bad And Beautiful.

The clip has even caught the attention of the band, who took to Facebook to see if anyone knows this hero of RocknRoll justice and bestowing him with free tix for life.

So, Mr Verkhogliad, if you are the GoPro-wearing, motorcycle-riding, thief-chasing hero and youre reading this, send a DM Airbournes way, youve got a lifetime of free rock waiting for you.
The situation surrounding this years Maitreya Festival has basically been a car crash in slow motion. Just when you thought the saga had reached its end, something else would happen to add to the multi-car pileup that was unfolding.

Of course, the saga never quite reached its end for all the ticket-holders who still havent received refunds after the popular Aussie bush doofs ill-fated 2016 event was cancelled amid a swarm of controversy and criticism.

And now it looks as though those refunds will never make it to the accounts of ticket-holders who should rightfully be receiving their money back  organisers have taken to Facebook to insist they are unable to make any more refunds.

Whilst posts made to the official Maitreya Festival Facebook page indicated some fans did get their money back, there are still a good number of unhappy punters who have not received refunds and now have all the more reason to be upset.

Dearest fans and foes alike.. this years 10th Anniversary Nontreya Festival has sadly passed, and now we must look to future, but we are also reminded that, if you want to know tomorrow, look at today, because its yesterdays tomorrow, organisers wrote.

We cant in any number of words express to you the ins and outs of the rabbit hole that the event ended in this year. We are very sorry to those who were negatively impacted by the finality, from the patrons, to market stall holders, performers, artists, and the local community of Charlton.

There were no winners out of this, and hopefully from this realisation we can move on. Unfortunately we are unable to make any more refunds for tickets purchased for the 2016 event.

Instead, organisers are offering Maitreya 2016 ticket-holders access to an exclusive event over the Grand Final long weekend, which organisers claim will be held at Lake Wooroonook, the original site of Maitreya 2016.

We hope this event can go to re building trust within the Maitreya community, and assist the community of Wooroonook and Charlton with extra incomes that they so desperately need, organisers continued.

Unfortunately we are unable to make any more refunds for tickets purchased for the 2016 event.

We cant turn back time and give you back what might have been, but we do hold a deep belief that everything happens for a reason, even if that reason is really hard to understand or uncover in the short term.

If we can collectively walk forward with this knowledge, together we can take the time to unravel the lessons that it has for us all, and for this be better individuals in the communities we live.

Unfortunately, punters arent interesting in collectively walking forward with organisers, nor have they been inspired creatively and emotionally by their most recent missive. On the contrary, they are mighty pissed.

How zen of you or is this a emotionally creative way of saying Ive got your money so bad luck. Stop taking Mumbo Jumbo and pay refunds, one upset punter commented, echoing the sentiments of many whove been left out of pocket.

Get off the fucking drugs. Start realising the magnitude of responsibility that event organisers have towards their patrons, artists, contributors and the community. Start living up to these. Start respecting the authorities who have put in a lot of effort in helping facilitate ur event, wrote another.

[include_post id=474439]

Should the event not proceed, punters are entitled to a refund. The odds of whether they get it or not, I dont know, Darren Sanicki of GI & Sanicki Lawyers previously told Tone Deaf.

Im unsure as to the organisers situation in regards to where the money is but if any punters are out of pocket, theyll no doubt go after them.

Youll have to sue them, you can report them to consumer affairs, you can take them to VCAT or the Magistrates Court, and probably one lawyer will put their hand up and represent all those who lost money in one hit.

But unless these guys have got the money youre unlikely to get it. This is more so the case if they dont have insurance in place.
Having quickly sold out their final farewell show at their spiritual home of The Corner Hotel, Melbourne musical treasure BONJAH have now added a second farewell show set to take place at the Prince Bandroom on Thursday, 23rd June.

Joining the lads for what will be their second-last appearance on a live stage ever will be good friends Georgia Mae, Al Parkinson, and The Babes. Tickets are sure to sell out fast so make sure you get yours now (check below for details).

BONJAH first assembled in New Zealand in 2006 and shortly after booked one-way tickets to Melbourne. Over the next 10 years, they sold thousands of records, sold out shows around the world, and played major festivals, all independently.

After almost 10 years to the day since we set foot in Australia, we are officially hanging up the boots and calling time on the band, the band said in a statement. We want to say a heartfelt and sincere thank you to everyone that has bought an album, come to a show or supported us in anyway.

It truly has been an amazing ride and something we will always look back on with incredible memories. We devoted our lives whole-heartedly to our music and made so many life long friendships along the way.

A special mention to our families and partners for being so supportive of us pursuing our dreams as young Kiwis. Keeping the band together is simply not possible due to a beautiful thing called life happening. We are all still brothers & the closest of friends.

We never wanted to be a band playing RSLs, thinking of the glory days. It feels right ending things on our terms with one final show at our spiritual home.

BONJAH Farewell Shows

Thursday, 23rd June 2016

Prince Bandroom, Melbourne
THIS CONFIRMS TKC FIRST REPORTING THAT THE TOY TRAIN STREETCAR WAR AGAINST MAIN STREET TRAFFIC IS ALREADY UNDERWAY!!!

Social media is mostly an echo chamber were good and bad ideas die . . . But a respect local newsie confirms an effort thatnoted before any other media outlet.Remember that earlier in the yearToday, Kansas City's favorite 2nd favorite Pitch reporter claims he's just throwing it out there . . .Let's not forget that our blog community noted that The Pitch is having problems paying its bills so working for corporate interests on this one isn't so far fetched in the last days of print media . . .Check the damage . . .Now, admittedly, this post has a bit of mustard on it if only because we get tired of some of you d-bags claiming that Vockrodt is a genius just because he writes really great round-up stories and the fact that he's tall, white and wears glasses.But more importantly . . .Most Kansas City denizens realize that these ideasget casually thrown out there and this "notion" is part of a bigger scheme.Developing . . .
The Toy Train Kills Kansas City Democracy

During a public television debate Mr. Kemper said the streetcar vote was: "The single-most undemocratic election in Kansas City since the Pendergast era."

Streetcar Supporters Are Deceptive

Voters REJECTED Streetcar Expansion

NEVER FORGET THAT KANSAS CITY VOTERS ALREADY REJECTED STREETCAR EXPANSION AND HAVE CONSISTENTLY VOTED AGAINST TOURISTY RAIL TRANSIT FOR MORE THAN A GENERATION!!!

Tonight let's conclude this mother of the Kansas City toy trains streetcar with a few fact checks that MSM is afraid to offer.Never mind that the newness has already worn off and people aren't clamoring to ride the toy train to nowhere . . . At least not any more so than a bus along the same route.Better yet . . . Let's offer a perspective on some of the tenants of this project . . .Sure, this blog community has shared some great lines about the streetcar but none other than Kansas City patriarch Crosby Kemper III delivered that money line on the streetcar effort not so long ago.That criticism cuts to the core of the project and should silence every cheerleader.There's a streetcar extension effort already underway (again) and every time locals want to know more . . .Meanwhile the local news is content to simply show off their lame Periscope feeds.And here's the kicked . . .The streetcar part deux effort wasn't even close and reminds us that voters outside of the Downtown/Crossroads loop aren't fooled by so much hype and the consultant class suckling at the teet of city hall whilst demanding total devotion.You decide . . .Hopefully, more for the morning update . . .
Tourexpi, turizm haberleri, Reiseburos, tourism news, noticias de turismo, Tourismus Nachrichten,  , travel tourism news, international tourism news, Urlaub, urlaub in der turkei,  , holidays in Turkey,   , global tourism news, dunya turizm, dunya turizm haberleri, Seyahat Acentas,

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Geocaching is a leisure activity that fuses hiking with the thrills of exploring. A true treasure hunt where the smartphone substitutes a compass.



A great treasure, the treasure of Korrigans, is concealed somewhere in Ille-et-Villaine. To find it, we must first reconstitute a virtual map through the discovery of 9 other treasures.



Each of them reveal the fragment of a map that, once reassembled, gives access to a last trail with mysteries to solve.



On the way, the player can win virtual trophies, collect badges on the effigy of the korrigans, and receive many great deals (free entrances, discounts, etc.)



To play, simply download the mobile application available on the App Store and on Google Play.



Dont have a smartphone? Ask for a GPS available for rent in partner tourism offices and directly print the trail maps from the website, explains Yolaine Provost-Gautier of the CDT Haute Bretagne Ille-et-Vilaine.
Saudi Arabia is to transfer ownership of Riyadh's floundering King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) from the Public Pension Agency (PPA), according to four sources aware of the matter.



The move is an attempt to rescue the project, started a decade ago with the aim of making the Saudi capital a global financial centre, and is another example of the burgeoning power of the PIF, which the Gulf state wants to make the world's largest sovereign wealth fund.



A new approach to the project was outlined in the Vision 2030 package of economic reforms which called for transforming the district into "a special zone that has competitive regulations and procedures, with visa exemptions".



It called for a direct link to the international airport, which would get around the kingdom's restrictive entry policies for foreigners, and increasing the real estate and hospitality facilities in the zone to create an "integrated and attractive living and working environment".



The PIF has chosen JPMorgan as its advisor on the transfer and a feasibility study is currently being undertaken, according to two of the sources, which among other things will establish a valuation of the district and how much compensation will be paid to the PPA.



The PPA governor wasn't immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters on Monday. Senior representatives of the PIF and KAFD did not immediately respond to requests for comment.



Construction of the King Abdullah Financial District began in 2006, with skyscrapers set to house banks and the financial regulator across a 1.6-million-sq-m planned area - roughly four times the size of London's Canary Wharf.



But the district, situated in the northern part of Riyadh, has been beset by problems, most recently involving the project's master developer, Saudi Binladin Group, with construction delays and workers protesting at the KAFD site over months of unpaid wages.



It has also so far struggled to find commercial tenants.



Vision 2030 criticised the KAFD as having been conceived "without consideration of its economic feasibility" and without making the necessary efforts to convince the financial community to invest.



Total investment into the project had reached SR31 billion ($8.27 billion) by May 2014, PPA governor Mohammad Al Kharashi told Reuters at the time. PPA currently fully owns KAFD through its Al Ra'idah investment arm.



King Salman and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who announced Vision 2030 on April 25, have been moving key lieutenants of the reform programme into prominent positions to help achieve their desired aims.



On Saturday, veteran oil minister Ali Al Naimi was replaced by US-educated Khalid Al Falih, who was also made chairman of mining giant Ma'aden days before.



Tasked with the district's revival, the PIF is emerging as one of the leading tools being used by Prince Mohammed bin Salman to execute the reform agenda, which also includes a stock market flotation for state oil giant Aramco.



The PIF will likely have to put "a lot more money" into the project once it assumes control, said two of the sources.



Special zones already exist within Saudi Arabia: Aramco has an entire town in Eastern Saudi Arabia to house its workforce, which has luxuries such as cinemas and public swimming pools not found elsewhere in the kingdom.



Most Western expatriates live in gated compounds that allow them to circumvent the kingdom's strict social code, which requires that women wear special garments and restricts interactions between unrelated men and women.



In most cases, Saudi nationals are barred or severely restricted from entering these special zones.



One of the sources said an objective of the feasibility study would be how to manage the KAFD's proposed special visa status to allow for the tens of thousands of Saudi nationals to enter the district daily to work.



It was unclear which social rules would be relaxed in the financial district. In Aramco's compound in Dammam, while the kingdom's zero-tolerance policy towards alcohol remains, women can drive and do not have to cover themselves in public.-Reuters
Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a non-profit public entity, has recently opened its third international office in Africa in the Mozambican capital of Maputo, as part of its strategy to reach out to the promising markets of the world.



The new office, which is the fifth international office set up under Dubai Chambers international expansion strategy covering offices in Baku, Addis Ababa, Erbil and Accra to promote and attract foreign investments to the emirate, is seen as a window for UAE companies wishing to expand in sub-Saharan Africa and to explore lucrative investment opportunities in these untapped markets of the continent, said a statement from the chamber.



The opening of the international office in Mozambique came on the side-lines of the chambers trade mission to both South Africa and Mozambique, which included a delegation comprising of Dubais most prominent businessmen and decision makers from key economic sectors, it added.



According to Mozambican official statistics, UAE investments in Mozambique amounted to $1.47 billion in the year 2015, which constitutes about 39 per cent of the total foreign direct investment to the country, while UAE investments to Mozambique accounted for 30.7 per cent of the total foreign direct investment in 2014, it added.



The office was inaugurated by Majid Saif Al Ghurair, chairman, Dubai Chamber, who also led the delegation, and the ceremony was attended by Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique; and former Mozambican prime ministers Luisa Dias Diogo and Aires Ali; as well as Ernesto Max Tonela, Minister of Industry and Trade of Mozambique; Asim Mirza Al Rahma, UAE ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique, said the statement.



During the opening of the Maputo office, Al Ghurair pointed out that the new office reflects on Dubai business communitys heightened interest in the Mozambican market. He also stressed on the chambers seriousness in strengthening its private sectors presence in African markets based on Dubai's expertise and experience which he said serve as strong tools to facilitate their entry into these lucrative markets, it said.



Al Ghurair added: Dubai Chambers business expansion strategy into the African market is based on the directive of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to solidify our bilateral relations and encourage business and investment with Africa.



Informing about Dubais non-oil trade with Mozambique in 2015, Al Ghurair said that this amounted to Dh724 million ($197.1 million) which is not very significant in light of the potential possessed by the two countries, adding that these figures can be increased 10 fold if both the trading partners fully utilised their capabilities to develop cooperation and this can include operating direct flights.



He called upon Mozambican companies to strengthen their presence in Dubai, as currently there are 29 companies registered under Dubai Chamber membership out of the 12,000 African companies operating in the emirate, he added.



Al Ghurair lauded the support provided by the UAE Embassy in Mozambique for facilitating the activities of the trade mission and for their support to the private sector in overcoming obstacles faced by the UAE investors.



On his part, Ernesto Max Tonela, Minister of Industry and Trade of Mozambique, who attended the ceremony and opened the chamber office, said that this is a significant step in enhancing cooperation ties between the two countries as he expressed his governments commitment to supporting the new office in promoting joint investments while making Mozambique a gateway for Emirati investments in the south African region.



He said: We are looking forward to attract UAE investments to Mozambique as these will contribute to the economic growth and job creation while the country has a number of agreements and partnerships with the European Union and African countries (tripartite agreement FTA), which will allow many benefits for UAE investors in these markets.



On his part, Asim Mirza Al Rahma, UAE ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique, stated that the chamber office will open up the doors to enhanced cooperation and mutual investment opportunities as he also urged to expedite the ongoing negotiations for the signing of avoidance of double taxation which he said will lead to encouraging UAE businesses to invest in the Mozambican market.



During his meeting with the visiting delegation, Carlos Agostinho do Rosario, Prime Minister of Mozambique, congratulated the chamber for opening its international office in Maputo which he said is a solid step towards building a stronger economic relationship between the two countries.



Also present at the meeting was the UAE ambassador to Mozambique as Rosario assured the delegation of his governments commitment to attracting UAE investments to his country by working together while ensuring all support to achieve the common interests of businesses from both the countries, it added.  TradeArabia News Service
Oil rose on Monday after Canada's most destructive wildfire in recent memory knocked out over a million barrels in daily production capacity, but caution among investors prevented a return to late April's 2016 price highs.



The lost capacity is equivalent to well over a third of the country's typical daily production, and almost all of Canada's crude from oil sands is exported to the United States.



US crude futures CLc1 rose 65 cents to $45.31 a barrel by 1118 GMT, having risen earlier by as much as $1.28, while Brent crude futures LCOc1 gained 40 cents to trade at $45.77 a barrel.



The fire, which broke out on May 1, has forced three major oil firms to warn they will be unable to deliver on some contracts for Canadian crude.



The impact of the production loss has been far more marked in the US crude market, where prices for West Texas Intermediate oil for delivery in July CLN7 are now above those for Brent.



Investors now hold near-record high bets on a rising oil price, which analysts say might mean there is less scope for Brent to rally after having gained 25 percent in a month.



"Positioning has been already very stretched in the oil market ... Some must have taken the opportunity to exit, so thats one angle that momentum is slowing down," Barclays Capital commodities strategist Miswin Mahesh said.



"There is a slight fear that prices have recovered too quickly, and we risk repeating the same price trajectory seen around Q2 2015, where the rally slowed down the market balancing process," he added.



Canadian officials on Sunday showed some optimism as favorable weather helped fire fighters, driving the flames away from the oil sands town Fort McMurray, but there was no timeline for a restart of operations at evacuated sites.



"The market is close to balanced ... when we consider the large amount of supply offline in Canada and elsewhere, which could last for months," Morgan Stanley said.



US shale oil output is in decline and production is also falling in Latin America, Asia and Nigeria, eroding a 1-2 million barrels per day supply overhang that pulled down oil prices by 70 percent between 2014 and early 2016.



Markets were also watching Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, where a government shake-up over the weekend included the appointment of Khalid al-Falih as head of the new Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.



"Changes in Saudi Arabia oil leadership only underscore the shift in strategy to one focused on market share over price," Morgan Stanley said.  Reuters
Philippines election candidate Grace Poe conceded defeat to Rodrigo Duterte in the presidential contest on Monday after unofficial results showed the tough-talking mayor winning a large chunk of the votes.



Poe, a popular senator who had led in opinion polls in earlier stages of campaigning, had won over a fifth of votes by midnight (0400 GMT), but trailed Duterte by a substantial margin during the vote count.



"I'm giving way, I respect the results," she told a news conference.



"Duterte has a mandate. Let's give him a chance."



Five hours after polling stations had closed, a rolling ballot count by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed that Duterte had about 39 per cent of the votes cast. An exit poll of a small number of voters showed a similar lead.



Asked by a television interviewer what he thought about his apparent victory, Duterte gave a puzzling answer.



"Sometimes I'm victorious and the winner, sometimes there's always losing and being sad, sometimes being sick and healthy," he told CNN Philippines, slouched in a chair and dressed casually in a checked, short-sleeve shirt.



"That is how the universe is being played every day."



The 71-year-old's truculent defiance of political tradition has drawn comparisons with U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as have his references to his libido.



His man-of-the-people demeanour tapped into popular disgust with the political establishment over its failure to tackle poverty and inequality despite several uninterrupted years of robust economic growth.



His incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs have, however, alarmed many who hear echoes of the Southeast Asian country's authoritarian past.



The election numbers reported by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) had, by 1420 GMT, accounted for about 70 percent of the 54 million registered Filipino voters.



Duterte had 12.1 million votes, with Senator Grace Poe and the government's candidate, Manuel Roxas, far behind with about 6.8 million each.



The PPCRV count is not official so confirmation of Duterte's victory looked likely to come from his rivals conceding defeat.



In an early indication of his unorthodoxy, Duterte told reporters on Monday that if he became president he would seek multilateral talks to resolve disputes over the South China Sea.



The outgoing administration has asked a court of arbitration in The Hague to recognise its right to exploit waters in the South China Sea, a case it hoped could bolster claims by other countries against Beijing in the resource-rich waters.



Duterte said negotiations should include Japan, Australia and the United States, which is traditionally the region's dominant security player and contests Beijing's development of islands and rocky outcrops in the South China Sea.



The presidential race was one of the most divisive in years, with outgoing leader Benigno Aquino and rival candidates warning of a disaster if Duterte makes good on his promises.



Duterte talked of making peace with his rivals after a "virulent" campaign and reiterated that, as president, he would give police a green light to use deadly force against criminals.



"If they put up a good fight and refuse to surrender and if you feel your life is in jeopardy, shoot. You have my authority," he said in Davao City, where he has been mayor for 22 years.



At least 11 people were killed in violence before voting started, but otherwise the election was mostly smooth with voting machine problems at only a few dozen polling stations.



Voters also cast ballots for the vice president, 300 lawmakers and about 18,000 local government officials.



"Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, looked on course to become vice president with a narrow lead as the votes were being counted.



Duterte's entertaining speeches, often loaded with profanities, have shed little light on his policies beyond going after gangsters and drug pushers.



He has been vague on what he would do to spur an economy that has averaged growth at around 6 percent under Aquino.



In a report on Monday, ratings agency S&P Global said a Duterte presidency would create uncertainty, especially if he picks fights with the political elite.



"He could take some time getting used to the many compromises required in the national leadership position," it said.



One indication of that came on Monday as Duterte told reporters he planned to loosen restrictions on foreign ownership of companies across all industries, which could meet with resistance from protectionist forces.



One of Duterte's economic advisors told Reuters that spending on education will be lifted to benefit "disadvantaged regions" and agriculture and rural development will be prioritised to spread wealth more evenly across the country.



"Everything seems to be in imperial Manila. He wants to give more attention to the lagging, the backward regions which have been neglected," said Ernesto Pernia, professor emeritus of economics at the University of the Philippines.



Pernia said the pursuit of tax evaders and corrupt officials should bolster government revenues to fund the extra spending.-Reuters
AllDetails Middle East, an award-winning communications agency based in Dubai, has announced a partnership with Malta-based WDM International to promote the Malta Citizenship by Investment  Individual Investor Programme (IIP) to high-net-worth individuals in the GCC region.



The announcement was marked with a private event held at the Capital Club in Dubai, UAE, last week.



The event was attended by Capital Club members and select guests and was hosted by Dr De Giovanni, a partner at WDM International, and Isabel Tapp, CEO and founder of AllDetails ME.



During the event Dr De Giovanni introduced the programmes and their benefits to those interested in the GCC region.



Malta is a European island south of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a member of the European Union with two official languages: Maltese and English. Malta is six hours from the GCC region with direct flights from Dubai.



The Maltese Individual Investor Programme allows foreign individuals and their families who contribute to the economic development of Malta to be granted citizenship through a certificate of naturalization, said a statement.



The Maltese programme is one of the newest citizenship by investment programmes globally and provides a host of benefits including:

 European Union citizenship of an English speaking country

 Visa-free travel to over 160 countries including the US and the European Union

 The right to live, study and work in the European Union and Switzerland



WDM International - through its legal services firm, WDM Lex Advisory - and Dr Jonathan De Giovanni, the firms partner for the legal and international tax service lines, has been approved as an accredited person by Identity Malta, the agency responsible for Maltas Citizenship by Investment Programme (IIP), said the statement.



This allows WDM Lex Advisory to assist individuals in all stages of their application, it added. Individuals interested in the programme can contact [email protected] -TradeArabia News Service


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Luxurious Vietnam Experience 11days-10nights



(TRAVPR.COM) VIETNAM - May 7th, 2016 - Ciao Travel is delighted to organize upcoming Luxurious Vietnam FAM trip, from 16th to 25th Oct 2016. The trip will give you the opportunity to experience highlights of Vietnam through some most stunning sights of the country. Plus you'll have the chance to feast delicious specialties and drinks while relax at 5* boutique hotels.

Starting in Hanoi - an elegant city, blends modern and tradition to learn about a developing Vietnam that rich in culture. Continue to Halong where you will take a stunning yacht cruise through dramatic islands to touch the greatness of nature. A short flight will bring you to Hue, the land of royal vestiges that reflex glory ceremonies then driving through the most spectacular Vietnam coastline to Hoi An, the little charm World Heritage. The trip will end in Ho Chi Minh City where you will indulge splendid dinner cruise and explore mighty Mekong River.

The trip is special offer for travel agents, who plans extend products to Vietnam or Indochina. Also, travel bloggers, journalist, freelance travel writers. are welcome to join.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Hanoi cyclo tour thru mesmerizing Old Quarter

 City tour of Hanoi for some most well-known landmarks

 Yachts cruise Halong Bay

 Royal citadel tour in Hue

 Dragon boat cruise on Perfume River

 Magnificent Emperor tombs

 Spectacular Hai Van pass

 Charming Hoi An sunset cruise

 Incredible Cu Chi tunnels

 Discover river life in Mekong Delta

 Taste great local specialties

BRIEF ITINERARY

Days 1-2: Hanoi

Airport transfer upon arrival, Cyclo tour to discover hustling Old Quarter, City tour of Hanoi to visit citys landmarks

Day 3 - 4: Halong Bay & Fly to Hue

Cruise amongst thousands of spectacular limestone islands, savor Halong seafood, visit floating village and get stunning landscape photos

Day 5: Hue

Discover the Imperial Citadel, Dragon boat float the Perfume River, Visit Thien Mu pagoda and Royal tomb

Days 6 - 7: Hoi An

Travel over the Hai Van Pass, walking ancient streets of Hoi An. Indulge countryside and sunset on Thu Bon River

Day 8: Fly to Ho Chi Minh City

Ride around Saigon mesmerizing streets, Visit citys landmarks and discover special cuisines.

Day 9: Mekong Delta Experience

Boat trip along meandering creeks of Mekong River, taste the freshness of tropical land and enjoy the sight of river lifestyle.

Day 10: Incredible Cu Chi Tunnels Exploration

Half day explore the amazing tunnels of Cu Chi

Day 11: Departure

Enjoy last minute shopping and sightseeing before your departure

SUGGESTED HOTELS

 In Hanoi: LeOpera 5* hotel

 Ha Long Bay cruise: Jasmine 5* Yacht

 In Hue: Pilgrimage 5* hotel

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PRICE: NETT PRICES IN US DOLLAR:

Per person Triple Room Shared Double Single Room US$ 875 US$985 $ 1.565

To take part in one of the most amazing experience in Vietnam, email the names and job titles of up to 3 members to: service@ciaotravels.com

For further information, contact us at: info@ciaotravels.com or telephone/WhatsApp: + 84947742268

The trip is land service only, not include visa or international flight in/out and will be booked on a first come first served basis.

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Hanoi, 9.May.2016: www.luxurytravelvietnam.com is a DMC and leading luxury tour operator in Vietnam offering vacation packages to explore Vietnam, said Pham Ha, CEO



(TRAVPR.COM) HANOI - May 9th, 2016 - Cuc Phuong National Park



The oldest national park in Vietnam established since 1962. It is located 140 kilometers from South Hanoi and covers an area of 25,000 hectares. Cuc Phuong National Park is densely forested with areas of primeval forests. It is home to a wide variety of flora species including parasitic plants and ligneous creepers.

Established in 1962, Cuc Phuong is the oldest national park of Vietnam, with the area of 25,000 hectares and 140 km far from South of Hanoi. The botanical richness of the forest is remarkable as it is the home of a large number of flora species and patches of primeval forest, embracing ancient trees with thick clusters of roots, and parasitic plants and ligneous creepers.

Typically tropical with an area of 7 hectare, this is a forest of limestone mountainous region with a lot of caves. There are also relics of approving that people had used from 12.500 years ago.

Nam Cat Tien



Nam Cat National Park is located in the three provinces of Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Thuan, South Vietnam. It is rich in biodiversity such as ancient trees, waterfalls, and rivers, among others. Ngok Linh Mountain, Chu Mon Ray jungle, and Dak To hot spring are just some of the tourist attractions at Nam Cat Tien. Several ethnic groups also reside in the area.

Travel to Vietnam and to Cat Tien that is the national park situated in three provinces Dong Nai, Lam Dong, and Binh Thuan, in the South of Vietnam. The national park is truly well-reserved with impressive biodiversity including many ancient trees which may live for a thousand years. The system of waterfalls, rivers are also stunningly striking. Central Highlands Area The Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) of Vietnam are a distinct contrast from the tropical south, with an arid climate and rolling hills. Much of the Central Highlands is a series of flat plateaus, mainly settled by various ethnic groups. Apart from Dalat, most of extraordinary sights and attractions are not mentioned much in travel books, probably because they are located too far from regular tourism routes. Some of the must-see destinations are Ngok Linh Mountain, Chu Mon Ray jungle, Dak To hot spring, etc.

It is a national forest which located in three provinces Dong Nai, Lam Dong and Binh Thuan, has many rich and attractive botanic and animals, is protected by the most strict methods. NCT has many kinds of millions years trees with more than 30m diameter. Stream, waterfall and mountain system is very gigantic and attracting



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Gurdeep Singh Mann

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 9

The Bathinda police today arrested three members of a gang  a Nigerian, German and an Indian  with fake American dollars.

If converted into rupees, the amount of the fake currency comes to nearly Rs 70 lakh.

The accused have been identified as Amritpal Singh of Bathinda, Fayaz Ahmad, a citizen of Germany and a Nigerian citizen Christin, both presently residing in Delhi.

A case in this regard has been registered against the accused and the police suspect that the accused might have international links.

SSP Swapan Sharma said they got a tip-off about the fake currency on May 5 after which they formed a team to nab the accused and also registered a case at Kotwali police station.

The police conducted raids on May 8 at different locations in Delhi and managed to arrest Christin from Saket City Walk mall, Delhi, and then arrested the second accused Fayaz, who was born in Srinagar.

As much as 14,000 American dollars were recovered from his flat and 9,000 dollars from his pocket.

The police then arrested Amritpal Singh of Jujhar Singh Nagar from Santpura Road area.

As much as 2,000 fake American dollars were recovered from his possession.

A vehicle taken into custody by the police was also checked and it was found that 80,000 dollars were hidden with a specially designed lid in the car.

Policemen said the accused had been cheating people by offering fake American dollars in lieu of Indian currency.

The SSP said the gang might be having connections in Nigeria, Germany, and other countries as well.

The police have got three-day remand of the accused and more revelations may come to light after completion of interrogation.
In international politics, the recall of a countrys envoy marks a decisive breakdown in relations between two countries. Another stratagem to express extreme displeasure is the eleventh-hour cancellation of a high-level visit. Nepal has just used both of these with India. It has recalled its Ambassador and annulled a visit by its President. Not stopping at that, Nepal has decided not to accept Indian assistance for a massive airport planned just outside Kathmandu. Nepals demonstration of extreme pique appears to have come out of nowhere  that too, just when both countries seemed poised to turn the page on a year of acrimony.

If Kathmandus version is to be believed, India activated its dirty tricks department as soon as the coalition between the Maoists and the mainstream Marxists began to wobble. But this internal dissonance was short-lived and the comrades decided to hit back at India for allegedly trying to fish in troubled waters. The Oli government cancelled the visit of the Nepal President to India and when the Nepali Ambassador to India dissented, he was shown the door. As a former Nepali Congress politician, it was easy to accuse him of playing Indias game. The ruling regime in Kathmandu is convinced India had wanted to destabilise the government to exact revenge for Nepals dalliance with China and its failure to address the demands of the Madeshi population.

The downward trajectory of India-Nepal ties for the past year has made Prime Minister Narendra Modis carefully cultivated Nepal yatra a distant memory. The February meeting between the two Prime Ministers also failed to break the deadlock. While India seems to be building bridges with the superpower US, it has been losing ground in the near neighbourhood, including Afghanistan, the Maldives and, of late, even Sri Lanka. There are fair reasons to believe that Indias unprecedented dalliance with the US, exemplified by Modis fourth visit to Washington in June, may have prompted its regional peers to sow dissension in South Asian capitals. Whatever the reason(s) or provocation(s), the onus is on New Delhi to summon diplomatic ingenuity and political wisdom to arrest any further precipitous slide in Indo-Nepal ties.
ELKO  Elko High School Jazz Band members are gearing up for the Emil Matys Jazz Fest, an annual tradition that features Grammy award-winning musicians and professionals playing alongside EHS Jazz Band students.

This years Jazz Fest begins at 7 p.m. May 17 at the Elko Convention Center.

The lineup includes Grammy winner Eric Marienthal on saxophone, Willie Murillo playing trumpet, Grammy winner Karen Greene performing on saxophone, and EHS alumni Jim Lentini on trumpet.

Joining the pros and Jazz Band are EHS alums Will Gardner and Heston Sabala, who are currently attending the Los Angeles College of Music in Pasadena.

Also returning is local musician Paul Gardner playing bass trombone. He enjoys how Jazz Fest brings students and pros together.

Its a terrific opportunity for these kids to play professional jazz, said Gardner.

In addition, former Elko resident Pastor Pat Mecham is returning to play trumpet, announced EHS Band Director Katie Ackerman.

Pastor Pat is coming just for this, said Ackerman.

The concert will feature standards and jazz favorites composed by Cab Calloway, Denis DiBlasio and Chuck Mangione.

Its fun jazz, said Ackerman. Were going to have a great time at the concert. Wed love to see everyone come out for it.

Seniors Melissa Cutler and Trey Pope have participated in Jazz Fest for years and they are looking forward to the band rehearsing with the professionals and the concert itself.

I think its a great experience, having the chance to play with such great musicians, said Cutler, who plays baritone saxophone and clarinet.

Cutler also sees the Jazz Fest as something unique to Elko where pros travel to a small town and perform with high school students.

Ive learned so much from them, and Ive gotten to become great friends with some of them, added Pope, who plays bass guitar and trombone in the band.

Probably the best part for everybody is the very end when we close with Its a Wonderful World in tribute to Emil Matys, whom the Jazz Fest is named after, said Pope, describing the traditional finale of the concert. It gets really emotional for a lot of people.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased from an EHS band member, by emailing band director Katie Ackerman at kackerman@ecsdnv.net, or at the door the night of the concert.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 8

Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra today said J&K was not making much use of various schemes of the ministry. He urged the state government to come up with more proposals so that more assistance could be provided.

The Union Minister said this while addressing a press conference here. He said it had always been the endeavour of the NDA government to bring all sections of society into the mainstream, especially the ones which are militancy affected.

Mishra said 23,140 people of Jammu and Kashmir were employed in 3,772 Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) units across the state during 2015-16. He said Rs 38 crore was utilised in the past two years for assisting more than 2,200 PMEGP units in the state.

Earlier, the Union Minister inaugurated a PMEGP workshop at the Institute of Hotel Management, Rajbagh. He said under the Technology Centre System Programme, 15 new technology centres with the help and assistance of World Bank would be set up in various parts of the country.

More than 6,50,000 units have already got registered on Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum and 15 new technology centres at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore are coming up in various states. One of them will be located in the Industrial Growth Centre, Samba, as proposed by the state government, he added.

Earlier, while interacting with the representatives of the Khadi Federation, the minister promised them of early release of the MDA. He said for the first time, Rs 155 crore of MDA had already been released in the first months of the financial year.

Mishra on Saturday inaugurated the Harmukh Khadi Gram Udyog Sansthan, a spinning and weaving centre and marketing plaza for khadi goods at a function in Srinagar.
DK Sudan

Poonch, May 9

Cross-LoC traders have refused to trade as dictated by the Pakistani authorities and announced stoppage of trade from next week. This was decided at a meeting of cross-LoC traders at Chakan da Bagh today.

The decision was taken after the Pakistani trade authorities sent a roster in which only 146 traders from the Indian side were allowed and others denied permission to trade with their counterparts in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK).

Pawan Anand, president of the cross-LoC traders body said, We were formally informed by Custodian of cross-LoC trade Tanveer Ahmed that the Rawalkote trade facilitation officer had sent a list of traders allowed trade with their counterparts and not allowing others.

There are 302 registered traders who trade via Chakan da Bagh, but the Pakistani trade authorities, in connivance with PoJK traders, selected only 146 traders on the condition that one would trade only with the trader assigned, he said.

We have categorically told the PoJK authorities that all registered traders should be allowed and we will not allow a pick-and-choose policy, he said.

Some items are being exported via the Uri-Chakoti route, but not from here. We demand random security checking of perishable items instead of checking of trucks, he said.

Some non-trading firms have entered cross-LoC trade and have been disrupting trade from across the border. The Indian trade authorities have not been doing anything to help the trade to be run smoothly, Anand further said.

He said the PoJK trade authorities had sent back some trucks last week, saying nobody from their side wanted to trade with the firm which had sent the items. He said there was a need to formulate a trade policy for traders for the success of this confidence-building measure.

Ahmed said, The Pakistani trade authorities have sent a roster saying only 65 traders from PoJK and 146 from our side are allowed, but we have 302 traders. How can we accept their condition?

He said, I conveyed the decision of the Pakistani authorities to the traders. After holding a meeting, they informed me that they will not trade with their PoJK counterparts from next week. I have informed my counterpart and the higher authorities about their decision.
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 9

The Supreme Court today refused to let Uttarakhands nine disqualified rebel Congress MLAs vote on the trust motion to be moved by deposed Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the state Assembly tomorrow.

A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh passed the order on an appeal by the nine MLAs challenging the High Courts verdict earlier in the day at Nainital.

The HC had dismissed their petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwals order disqualifying them as MLAs the day Presidents rule was imposed in the state on March 27. The Central rule had pre-empted the trust vote slated for the following day by the HC.

The apex court Bench, however, agreed to hear their appeal in detail and issued notice to the Speaker, seeking his response to both the pleas  stay on their disqualification through an interim order and quashing of the order unseating them as MLAs. It slated the next hearing for July 12 as the SC would have its summer holidays from May 14 to June 30 when only a vacation Bench or two would sit.

Appearing for the nine MLAs, senior advocate Aryaman Sundaram pleaded with the apex court Bench to let his clients vote by keeping their disqualification in abeyance for 150 minutes the way it had suspended the Presidents rule for the period to enable the Assembly to meet for the trust vote.

Sundaram pleaded that the nine votes could be taken into account, subject to the final outcome of their appeal against their disqualification. He questioned the logic behind their disqualification despite the fact that the Assembly records showed that they had supported the state governments money Bill on March 18.

The Bench, however, pointed out that they had signed a memorandum submitted to the Governor on March 18 along with the 26 BJP MLAs, seeking the removal of Rawat as CM. Did this not amount to deserting the Congress attracting their disqualification, as argued by Rawats senior counsel Kapil Sibal, Abhishekh Singhvi and Rajeev Dhavan, the Bench asked.

Sundaram said questioning the CMs authority was allowed under intra-party democracy and as such did not amount to anti-party activity or deserting the party willfully. But the Bench was not convinced at least for the purpose of providing interim relief to them by letting them vote tomorrow.

Rawats counsel opposed the plea for interim relief in a hurry on an issue decided by the Speaker and upheld by the HC. Also, the Election Commission had declared the nine seats vacant. The Bench, however, granted liberty to the disqualified MLAs to approach the SC if the EC initiated the move to hold byelections in these constituencies.

Meanwhile, the SC Bench directed the Principal Secretary, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, to conduct the floor test tomorrow with perceptible objectivity and singularity of purpose of neutrality along with the Secretary, Legislative Assembly.
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 9

Prime Minister Narendra Modis neighbourhood first policy seems to have gone for a toss given the bitter downslide in ties between India and Nepal.

Merely 72 hours before the Nepalese President was to arrive in India on an official visit on Monday, the plan was cancelled. Now, reports emanating from Kathmandu suggest that Nepal has recalled its envoy to India. If that wasnt bad news enough, speculations are abuzz in Nepal that the Indian envoy in Kathmandu might be declared persona non grata.

The reason for the latest bout of unhappiness is the fact that Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli believes that India was behind the recent attempt to dislodge him from power. Though he survived the attempt, thanks to a U-turn by Maoist leader Prachanda, Oli has made his annoyance amply clear to India. Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Nepalese envoy to India and a senior leader of the Nepali Congress party which is now in the opposition, has been recalled since the Oli government believed Upadhyay colluded with India to topple him. The Nepalese envoy is also accused of having violated diplomatic procedure and visiting sensitive areas without informing his government. Despite reports that he has been sacked, Upadhyay continues to stay put in the capital saying he has received no written orders as of now.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 8

Congress workers, led by Asha Manorama Sharma, climbed atop a water tank near Yamuna Colony yesterday to protest the worsening water crisis in Dehradun city.

The protesters said the previous Congress Government in the state had allocated Rs 5 crore to each district to overcome the water crisis but still people were not getting regular water supply due to the negligence of the Pey Jal Nigam. The state government constructed overhead tanks all over the city but the Drinking Water Department did not connect these with supply lines.

Hence, all efforts of the government failed and the tanks were rendered useless. The protesters mocked at the Drinking Water Department for suggesting to them to use these water tanks as watchtowers for viewing the beautiful valley.

Asha said, Due to the carelessness of the department, people of the city are facing a water crisis. If the Pey Jal Nigam cant use water tanks for water supply, they should use these as watchtowers with the help of telescopes. She added the hard work of the previous government had gone waste due to the irresponsible attitude of department officers.

Harjeet Singh, Harish Nagpal, Kuldeep Dobriyal, Mona Gupta, Devendra Negi and Reshma took part in the protest.
R Sedhuraman

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, May 9

The Supreme Court today refused to let Uttarakhands nine disqualified rebel Congress MLAs vote on the trust motion to be moved by deposed Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the state assembly tomorrow.

A Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh passed the order on an appeal by the nine MLAs challenging the high courts verdict earlier in the day at Nainital.

The HC had dismissed their petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwals order disqualifying them as MLAs the day Presidents rule was imposed in the state on March 27. The Central rule had pre-empted the trust vote slated for the next day by the HC.

The apex court bench, however, agreed to hear their appeal in detail and issued notice to the Speaker seeking his response to both the pleas  stay on their disqualification through an interim order and subsequently quashing of the order unseating them as MLAs.

It slated the next hearing for July 12 as the SC would have its summer holidays from May 14 to June 30 when only a vacation Bench or two would sit.

Appearing for the nine MLAs, senior advocate Aryaman Sundaram pleaded with the apex court bench to let his clients vote by keeping their disqualification in abeyance for 150 minutes the way it had suspended the Presidents rule for the period to enable the Assembly to meet for the trust vote.

Sundaram pleaded that the nine votes could be taken into account, subject to the final outcome of their appeal against their disqualification. He questioned the logic behind their disqualification despite the fact that the Assembly records showed that they had supported the state governments money Bill on March 18.

The bench, however, pointed out that they had signed a memorandum submitted to the Governor on March 18 along with the 26 BJP MLAs, seeking the removal of Rawat as CM. Did this not amount to deserting the Congress attracting their disqualification as argued by Rawats senior counsel Kapil Sibal, Abhishekh Singhvi and Rajeev Dhavan, the bench asked.

Sundaram said questioning the CMs authority was allowed under intra-party democracy and as such did not amount to anti-party activity or deserting the party wilfully. But the bench was not convinced at least for the purpose of providing interim relief to them by letting them vote tomorrow.

Rawats counsel opposed the plea for interim relief in a hurry on an issue decided by the Speaker and upheld by the HC. Also, the Election Commission had declared the nine seats vacant. The bench, however, granted liberty to the disqualified MLAs to approach the SC if the EC initiated the move to hold by-elections in these constituencies.

Meanwhile, the SC Bench directed the Principal Secretary, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, to conduct the floor test tomorrow with perceptible objectivity and singularity of purpose of neutrality along with the Secretary, Legislative Assembly.

The collective trust in the legislature is founded on the bedrock of the constitutional trust. This is a case where one side even in the floor test does not trust the other and the other claims that there is no reason not to have the trust. Hence the need for absolute objectivity at the time of voting, it clarified.
Kathmandu: In a fresh bid to resolve the political impasse, the Nepalese government on Sunday invited the Madhesi Front for talks to iron out the differences over the new Constitution. The government sent a formal invitation to the United Democratic Madhesi Front to resolve the differences through talks. Over 50 people have lost their lives during the agitation by the Madhesis. The agitation, however, ended unexpectedly in February just before PM KP Sharma Oli's maiden visit to India without any political agreement. PTI

41 missing after landslide buries hydro project site

Beijing: At least 41 people were missing and seven others injured on Sunday when a massive landslide engulfed the construction site of a hydropower station and its office building in China's southeastern Fujian province. Over a lakh cubic meters of mud buried temporary sheds at a hydropower station construction site and damaged its offices located in Taining County. State-run news agency reported that 41 people were listed missing and seven others injured. PTI

Will only use N-weapons if attacked: Kim

Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un told a rare ruling party congress that his country was a "responsible" nuclear weapons state, with a no first-use policy and a commitment to non-proliferation, state media reported on Sunday. His remarks came amid growing concerns that the North might be on the verge of conducting a fifth nuclear test. Kim also vowed that Pyongyang would "faithfully fulfil" its non-proliferation obligations and push for global denuclearisation. AFP

Indian-origin man elected to Singapore parliament

Singapore: An Indian-origin lawyer from Singapore's ruling Peoples Action Party (PAP) has been elected member of the parliament following his victory in the by-election held at suburban Bukit Batok constituency. Murali Pillai garnered 61.21 per cent of the votes, while Singapore Democratic Party's Chee Soon Juan got 38.79 per cent of votes. PTI
Pyongyang, May 9

North Korea said it will strengthen self-defensive nuclear weapons capability in a decision adopted at a congress of its ruling Workers Party congress, its KCNA news agency reported on Monday, in defiance of UN resolutions.

Isolated North Korea has come under tightening international pressure over its nuclear weapons programme, including tougher UN sanctions adopted in March backed by lone major ally China, following its most recent nuclear test in January.

The decision formalises a position previously held by North Korea, which declared itself a responsible nuclear weapons state and disavowed the use of nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is first infringed by others with nuclear arms.

We will consistently take hold on the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat and arbitrary practices, KCNA said of the congress decision.

The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

North Korea regularly threatens the South and its major ally, the United States, which it accuses of planning a nuclear attack.

The congress is the first to be held in 36 years amid anticipation by the South Korean government and experts that leader Kim Jong Un will use it to further consolidate power. Kim became leader in 2011 after his fathers sudden death.

Since the latest round of UN resolutions, North Korea has continued to engage in nuclear and missile development, and claimed that it had succeeded in miniaturising a nuclear warhead and launching a submarine-based ballistic missile.

Mystery tour

South Korea condemned the Norths claim to being a nuclear weapons state, saying it would continue to exert pressure on Pyongyang until it abandons its nuclear ambitions.

North Korea is believed by western experts to have about 40 kilograms of plutonium, enough to build eight to 12 nuclear weapons.

Foreign journalists issued visas to cover the congress have yet to be granted access to the proceedings, which began on Friday and include 3,467 voting delegates meeting in the enormous April 25 House of Culture. A closing date has not been made public but South Korea officials expect it to last four or five days.

On Monday, visiting media were taken to a textile factory named after Kim Jong Suk, the wife of state founder Kim Il Sung and the grandmother of the current leader. They have also been taken to a maternity hospital, electric cable factory and childrens centre - model sites that are also on tourist itineraries.

At the textile factory, workers were urged on in their labour by propaganda music and slogans on wall-mounted placards.

Lets open the heyday of building a powerful prosperous nation in this year of the Seventh Congress of the Workers Party of Korea!, one of the signs said.

During the weekend, Kim took a conciliatory position on ties with the South, saying military talks were needed to discuss ways to ease tensions.

South Korea rejected the proposal as meaningless.

We have not given up on dialogue, Unification Ministry spokesman Cheong Joon-hee told a briefing on Monday. But it is only when the North shows sincerity about denuclearisation that genuine dialogue is possible.  Reuters
Authorities say a couple wanted in connection with murder cases in Arizona and Nevada has been found dead in a desert area southeast of Kingman. Mohave County Sheriffs detectives say the bodies of 26-year-old Hunter McGuire and his girlfriend _ 32-year-old Samantha Branek _ were found lying next to each other Friday with gunshot wounds to the head. Lake Havasu City police say that it appears McGuire shot himself, but its unclear if Braneks wound was self-inflicted and the county medical examiners office will determine an official cause of death. Authorities say the couple was being sought in connection with a double homicide in Kingman on June 28. They say McGuire also was considered a suspect in the fatal shooting of a woman Monday in Las Vegas.
POWELL, Wyo. (AP)  Training a wild horse is tough  and doing it in 100 days is extremely tough, which is why it's called the Extreme Mustang Makeover.

Nineteen-year-old Daria Anderson of Powell is currently training a wild horse she named Loco Bueno for the challenge put on by the Mustang Heritage Foundation and Bureau of Land Management. She and her competitors each have about 100 days to gentle a wild horse for the chance to win an estimated purse of $20,000 and trophy buckle at the Ford Idaho Horse Park in Nampa, Idaho, on July 29-30.

Once there, Anderson and Loco Bueno will compete in handling and conditioning, a pattern class and a combined leading and riding class, the Powell Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/1TgXfCG).

The goal behind the competition is to show that not only can wild horses be trained, but they are also versatile and rugged.

"People underestimate mustangs, but in a hundred days I guarantee he will do everything the fancy horses can do," Anderson said. "I have been working with horses my whole life and training and wanted something different and more of a challenge."

Though young, she is bringing a lifetime of horse experience on top of her experience studying farrier science at Sheridan College. She now lives in Powell where she is the owner of D4 Performance Horses and Farrier Service.

All of the mustangs are selected at random for event participants and Anderson picked up her horse at the wild horse corral in Boise, Idaho, on April 8 and aptly named him Loco Bueno, after the famous Poco Bueno.

Loco was rounded up in October of last year and gelded in February at 5 years old.

"He still has some of that in him," Anderson said. "He was level-headed, not like the others who were kicking, I thought I got a good one."

The following day, Anderson worked with Loco for the first time.

"He seemed to want to strike a bit, but was responsive to what I wanted to do, like go around the corral," she said.

Anderson pulled out the big guns when she brought Loco to Powell-area newcomer Tom Hagwood's ranch. He and his wife, Arianne, are well known in the mustang community, having won major national competitions such as the Mustang Million and Mustang Magic.

Working with Tom was "was pretty wild, wild as in amazing, because in an hour I was on him bareback on Day 3," Anderson said.

In no time at all she had a saddle on Loco, then ropes and even went so far as to stand on his back.

"It was eye-opening the way he goes about it," she said. "You just want to get your hands on them and get them in a place of total submission. You've got to take away their fight and flight instinct. They have to be 100 percent toward you and know you won't hurt them."

On the fourth and fifth day with Loco, Anderson ponied up with Tom's horse and by the seventh day she was riding Loco in the desert with no ropes if he ran off while checking cows.

"It's definitely the fastest I've ever started a wild horse," Anderson said. "You can do it fast, but you have to do it right. We only have 100 days and that is the extreme part; you can't make mistakes  you don't have time for mistakes. You have to be careful and diligent."

A typical bred horse with all their groundwork done can be green broke in about 30-60 days, she said.

"But he was not used to humans  rounded up in October and then in holding pens, they still act wild," she said. "He is really watchy, and if you are in a zone he is not comfortable with, he will let you know. He is very willing and pretty smart  they have to be to make it in the wild. Bred horses freak out over a rock, but these are like 'no big deal.'"

The top 10 competitors in Nampa this summer will go on to compete in a freestyle finals event.

If Anderson makes it to the top 10, she said she would like to rope a calf and plans to practice that during branding.

"We are in it to win it," Anderson said, adding she hopes to be close to where Tom is with his horses within 100 days.

Loco still belongs to the BLM and will be auctioned off to eligible adopters along with the rest of the horses at the competition and the funds will go to the nonprofit Mustang Heritage Foundation. Anderson and the other trainers will have the option to buy the horses they train at half price. As of Thursday, Anderson wasn't sure if she would keep him or not.

In order to bid and adopt, an application must be approved by the BLM to prove the aspiring owner is at least 18 years old, has no record of animal abuse and has suitable facilities for caring for a horse. Adoptions are limited to four horses per person.

Showcasing the trained wild horses is also intended to help show the public that these animals are just as good as bred horses, and many are awaiting adoption in BLM corrals.

Thousands of wild horses are required to be rounded up and removed from land and placed into holding facilities so that the wild herds remain small enough that they can be managed to prevent over-grazing, habitat degradation and minimize the risks of starvation. This leaves many in holding facilities across the country, waiting for adoption.

Since 2007, over 6,200 wild horses have been adopted through the Mustang Heritage Foundation events and programs, according to the BLM.
The California Labor Commissioners Office is accepting applications for an amnesty program that will allow carriers to reclassify drivers as employees and avoid liability for misclassifying them as independent contractors.

The Motor Carrier Employer Amnesty Program allows port drayage companies to enter into a settlement agreement with the Labor Commissioner and Employment Development Department, where the carrier agrees to pay all wages and benefits owed to drivers misclassified as independent contractors, pay all taxes owed to the state, and classify drivers as employees. The program ends Dec. 31, 2016.

"The sheer number of claims filed and wages awarded to misclassified port truck drivers over the last several years demonstrates a significant problem in the industry," said Julie A. Su, labor commissioner. "This amnesty program provides an opportunity for motor carriers to remedy these problems and correct past abuses."

Since 2011 there have been nearly 800 wage claims with the Labor Commissioners Office for misclassification resulting in $35 million awarded to misclassified port truck drivers in 302 cases. In addition to legal cases, Californias ports and trucking companies have been affected by union-organized driver strikes related to the issue.

The drivers at the heart of the issue are often classified as independent contractors rather than company employees. Groups such as the Teamsters union allege that companies are using the classification to avoid giving drivers the full benefits of a company employee.

Recently, the National Labor Relations board filed a complaint against port trucking company Intermodal Bridge Transport based on charges by the Teamsters Union that the company was misclassifying its drivers. Unless the two sides agree on a settlement, the complaint could lead to the case being presented before an administrative law judge.

"Worker misclassification is a form of wage theft as it denies workers all the rights and benefits of employee status, said Su.

Eligible motor carriers can apply for this voluntary program by filling out the Motor Carrier Employer Amnesty Program (AB 621) application and mailing it to Labor Commissioner's Legal Section, 300 Oceangate, #850, Long Beach, CA 90802. The application may also be emailed to AB621@dir.ca.gov.
Source: IANA

Intermodal volume in the first quarter of 2016 increased, underscoring the segment's core strengths despite other indicators, according to the Intermodal Association of North Americas latest report.

While intermodal trailer volume declined more than 24%, overall volumes netted a 2% total growth for the quarter. Trailer volumes represent the smallest portion of total intermodal shipments, so a decline in that segment was not indicative of intermodal health as a whole, according to IANA.

Domestic container loads recorded a 6.4% increase. Combined with a 3.8% gain in international volumes, the entire segment showed growth in the quarter.

"Total container shipments, domestic and international combined, rose approximately 5% during the first quarter of this year," said Joni Casey, president and CEO of IANA. "And while influenced by comparisons to last year when we were dealing with port congestion issues, we're cautiously optimistic about this year's growth potential."

The seven highest-density trade corridors increased by 4.7% in the quarter. While some corridors fared better than others, all were in the positive. The Midwest-Northwest corridor had the largest growth in the quarter with 10.1%, reflecting the strength of both international and domestic containers, according to IANA.

Weaker international container imports showed negative growth in regions like Mexico, while trailer declines affected areas on a regional level. Intermodal Marketing Companies again demonstrated clear gains in the highway sector, up 15.4% from the previous year, thanks to excess trucking capacity. Intermodal loads fell 13%. The net result was a volume decrease of 1.1%.

A more extensive breakdown of the intermodal industry is contained in the Intermodal Market Trends and Statistics report published quarterly by the IANA. The IANA is an industry trade association that represents the combined interests of the intermodal and freight industry.
TWIN FALLS -- A 16-year-old boy was shot to death Saturday while riding near a high school.

The teen was identified as Vason Widaman, a student at Canyon Ridge High School who lived in Twin Falls with his grandparents who adopted him as a baby.

The teens body will be taken to Boise for an autopsy, County Coroner Gene Turley said.

Widaman was killed in a what police are calling a drive-by shooting just before 4 p.m. Saturday while he rode his bicycle near Canyon Ridge High School. Several witnesses reported hearing four or five shots.

Sunday, people placed colorful flowers and candles where Widamans body fell the day before.

No one has been arrested and police are still looking for suspects, Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said.

Saturday, police said they were looking for a dark-colored car and pulled over several during a city-wide search, including a black Dodge Charger near Norco on Pole Line Road. The names of the people in the car were checked and they were released.

While rumors of more shootings spread on social media Saturday night and Sunday morning, neither Twin Falls police nor Twin Falls County sheriffs deputies reported responding to any other shootings overnight.

Several people reported seeing a man held at gunpoint by police near Falls Avenue and Frontier Road. Police said no one was arrested.

Police are talking with witnesses to identify suspects.

A police statement said several leads indicate that the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.

The incident was the second time in as many days a gun was fired in public in Twin Falls. On Friday, a middle schooler accidentally discharged a handgun in a classroom at Robert Stuart Middle School, less than a mile from the scene of Saturdays shooting. No one was injured, and three students were arrested.

The Twin Falls School District sent a message to parents Sunday night saying the incidents weren't likely connected. Nevertheless, security is being increased Monday at Robert Stuart and Canyon Ridge. The district asked that parents who keep their children at home call in to report the absences.
Oh yeah, hes that guy who married his daughter.

Thats not exactly true when referring to E.W. Marland, but then neither were other facts that people referenced when asked about the oil tycoon and former governor of Oklahoma in the 1930s.

That was if they recognized his name at all.

And that was in Ponca City, where Marlands fame and fortune were most on display.

You wouldnt believe the number of people we talked to who said, Oh yeah, Ive lived here all my life and Ive never been to the mansion,  said Steve Herrin, one of the producers of High Stakes: The Life and Times of E.W. Marland, about filming the documentary in Ponca City.

The 57-minute film about the Oklahoma wildcatter who at one time controlled as much as 10 percent of the worlds oil supply  and whose Marland Oil Company would be transformed into the making of Conoco  will premiere Thursday night at Circle Cinema with a special event, followed by a weekend of screenings.

Marland was governor during the Depression, instituting the Oklahoma Highway Patrol among other programs.

He also built Marland Mansion, a 43,000-square-foot palace on the prairie in Ponca City.

He was close friends with Will Rogers, and he had the idea for the Pioneer Woman statue, Herrin said.

Marland has a colorful history, the filmmaker said, that has in many ways been forgotten.

But then theres that marrying-his-daughter story.

Just days before Jennifer Lawrence won an Academy Award for Silver Linings Playbook in February 2013, a hot film project seemed to come together quickly: She would play Lydie Marland, the governors second wife.

The story seemed irresistible: The woman who was the niece, and then the adopted daughter of Marland, became his wife two years after his wife died and the adoption was annulled. He was 54; she was 26.

Officials with the E.W. Marland Estate Foundation  which funded the new documentary  learned of a proposed screenplays dramatic license, or, well, inaccuracies, said Scott Swearingen, Herrins producing partner on the documentary.

There was going to be an emphasis on drama, with the facts going by the wayside, he said.

The foundation was concerned that people come to see the mansion with that story in mind. The wrong story, said Swearingen, who has crafted video productions for exhibits at Gilcrease Museum of Art and the Woody Guthrie Center.

Apparently Marland was not going to be shown in a good light, he said.

Lydie was going to be the heroine of the story, which would show her doing things to help employees that E.W. wouldnt do, when it was actually E.W. who had instituted the policies that helped these employees.

The foundation hired Swearingen and Herrin to tell the story as it happened  to get it right.

As for The Ends of the Earth, the film proposed to star Lawrence, be directed by David O. Russell and written by Oscar-winner Chris Terrio of Argo, the project has gone silent and all involved have moved on to other films.

The hope is that people learn the real story from the documentary and want to tour Marland Mansion and the Grand Home  Marlands large home near the mansion  to learn more of the story.

That would be the story of a gambler who drilled for oil for three years before striking it rich. A man who made a fortune, lost it all, and then made and lost it again.

Along with becoming governor. And having that odd second marriage.

Its a great story about never giving up. Its remarkable to see how a person accumulates so much money and then loses it in a perfect storm. Why would you need to fictionalize this? Herrin asked.

The real story is so much more interesting than anything Hollywood could come up with.
The opposition is calling for public disclosure of the legal advice given to former Attorney General Faris Al Rawi relating to the indemnity agreement with Vincent Nelson.

Speaking at the UNCs weekly Sunday media conference this morning, MP Saddam Hosein also criticized what he sees as the law associations delayed and weak response to the entire matter.
Marngrook Footy Shows Grant Hansen and Wentworths Shareena Clanton

Hitting the zoo that is the Logies Red Carpet once again, TV Tonight chatted to stars from every network as the cameras popped and the fans screamed.

Once again, there were no questions about Who Are You Wearing? and Who Do You Think Will Tonight? Instead attention turned to recent & upcoming projects and even -whats it like to walk the red carpet?

DAN OREILLY on the next location for The Block:

The soil is getting sorted out as we speak and contestants move in very soon.

Were starting at the end of the month, so its very exciting.

STEPHEN CURRY on playing a serial killer in a film to be shot in Perth:

I look at me and think Id cast him a serial killer.

Emma Booth was playing my daughter in Cloudstreet and now shes playing my wife.

TOM GLEISNER & ED KAVALEE on filming Have You Been Paying Attention? on Saturday night.

Sam Pang is in Stockholm. I know that he and Tara Brown are working on something, so we dont know how long hell be away for. Or whether he will come back at all.

STEVE BAXTER on Shark Tank financing a pitch about a Sharknado amusement:

What you didnt see was me holding out for 20 minutes not wanting to do that deal.

You dont know unless you give something a go. Im a huge fan of trying something.

DARREN GILSHENAN on the reaction to Here Come the Habibs:

It was based on peoples fears (which happens) when you take on any taboo subject. In the case of this it was about cultural differences. Lets face it we live in a society thats full of a lot of fear about those things. I think when the show came out people realised it was ultimately just a family dramedy. Two families at war, but within each theres a lot of love. Similar to the premise of The Moodys with a lot of love and comedy.

SCOTT CAM on whether Reality TV has reno fatigue:

The right shows will work and The Block is a stalwart for the family who watches at home. If we do The Block justice and do a good show and work hard as we all do, I think we will be alright.

Some work, some dont. The Block is a proven show and we work really hard to make it different each year for the folks at home.

PATRICK BRAMMALL on juggling so many projects, here and in the US:

Its really just plate spinning. As Yoda says, Always in motion is the future. Its especially so for freelancers. I cant plan more than a month or so. I dont know where I am going to be.

They say First World Problems. But I live in the first world. Theyre all my problems!

DAMIAN WALSHE-HOWLING on Janet King a new mystery project:

People have been saying they really like the second season and feel like its stronger than the first. It is one of those shows where you have to be sharp an on-point to do it and to follow it. I just love the multicultural aspect of it and we need to see more of it. Im not just saying that to be political, that is who we are as Australians.

Ive got another show coming up which Im not allowed to speak about. We start shooting in June.

JENNY BROCKIE and ANTON ENUS on Insight:

Jenny Brockie: Its a great team and highly collaborative. Theres a lot of talking to come up with those ideas.

Anton Enus: The amazing thing about Insight is you tune in for 5 minute and think Cosmetic surgery, Im not that interested, but then you get hooked because it has such substance to it. Except the puppies one.

WENTWORTH cast on their relationship with fervent fans:

Celia Ireland: I dont think any of us have a personal relationship, but what we are aware of is their support, on social media and how vocal they are. On my Facebook page there will be people from the Dominican Republic chatting to people from Paris.

Socrates Otto: Theyre all connected.

Kate Atkinson: Im not good at social media, but there are a lot of fans who will do things the old-fashioned way. So at work were always signing things and sending them off.

Robbie Magasiva: Im doing a drama in NZ and hopefully, we cant say at this stage, season five of Wentworth. Probably.

MARC FENNELL on Lee Lin Chins Weekend Shift web comedy.

Its The Office meets Utopia meets Lee Lin which cancels out all of the above. Its very surreal, weird and funny. Ive only seen it once. Its half an hour and we have a very good feeling it will become a thing. But its not me thats making it.

RYAN CORR on next projects:

Im doing a series Brisbane which I think will be announced tonight. And possibly a revamp of something that Ive already shot. Things were discussing, but nothing I can actually tell you.

No theres no Packed to the Rafters, I can promise you that categorically.

ANDREW WINTER on Selling Houses Australias ratings:

Weve been de-throned by a couple of things, however, having said that it means Foxtels doing even better. Which is very important. Were so lucky the following he show has. Its just awesome.

SHAYNNA BLAZE on why The Block isnt filming outside Melbourne:

Tell the councils to get their acts together. Its about supporting The Block. They do a great job of showcasing the area and profiling the local community. But if theyre going to make it difficult, they cant film.

DANIELLE CORMACK on what its like on the other side of the red carpet rope:

Its painful. Its good to talk to colleagues and see your peers but its trying to navigate trains on dresses, standing in uncomfortable high heels. But we have a new series on Tuesday which I would love to talk about but I cant say too much.

Still to come: Random Acts of Carpetness Pt 2
Legendary TV producer Reg Grundy, whose production company blazed a trail of iconic Australian TV productions has died, aged 92.

Reg Grundy has passed away in the arms of his beloved wife Joy on their Bermuda estate, Alan Jones said on 2GB radio on Monday.

Grundy was responsible for a swathe of hit shows including The Young Doctors, Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, Wheel of Fortune, Family Feud and Sale of the Century.

Across generations it was Grundy Productions, which would eventually become Fremantle Media, and Crawford Productions that dominated Australian TV production.

News of his death comes a day after Australian TVs night of nights, the Logie Awards.

He once described Prisoner as a personal highlight, and the show that opened the doors to him in the US.

It was an extraordinary show and we had some marvellous, marvellous performances from some of the women in the show.

He said Kylie Minogue was reluctant to acknowledge Neighbours when her pop career was taking off.

She went on to great success and I applaud that. But she said that we couldnt use the tapes, because she didnt want us to use them. And we said No. We own the tapes, and she had to accept it, he said.

But in 2010 he told A Current Affair TV had changed a lot since his day.

Shows are put on and taken off almost overnight, he said.

Doesnt mean to say that there arent people with heart and instinct there, but I think that money is more important and it probably has to be because of the financial situations.

Tim Worner, CEO, Seven West Media said, All of us in television owe a deep thank you to Reg Grundy. In many respects he was ahead of his time, a true pioneer who broke new ground in television and developed and nurtured the careers of so many in front of and behind the camera, and took Australian television to the world.

Tracy Grimshaw, who interviewed in 2010 him, said, Like so many Australians, I grew up with Reg Grundys vision, without having a clue about the man behind the ubiquitous productions. RG (he didnt like being called Reg) was a pioneer in game shows, in drama, in soapies. He was a star maker. But he totally rejected the limelight. He only gave one television interview in his life, and I was privileged and fascinated to be one who spoke with him. He was shy talking about himselfbut not reticent. He remembered everything. He remained passionate about television and emotional about the company he had finally decided to sell some years before. He was a pioneer of our industry. And a devoted husband to Joy, who will be feeling his loss so deeply today. Vale RG. And thanks.

A Current Affair will replay an interview this evening.

Reg Grundy is already an inductee in the Logie Hall of Fame.

Corrected.

Source: News Corp Fairfax
More information Three Spanish journalists kidnapped 10 months ago in Syria freed

The three Spanish reporters who were released this weekend after being held in Syria for 10 months said they were not harmed during their captivity.

Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre arrived at the military base of Torrejon de Ardoz in Madrid on Sunday morning. All three appeared to be in good health, but will undergo extensive medical checkups.

Acting Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria was on hand to greet them as the Falcon 900 aircraft completed its flight from Hatay, in southwest Turkey.

His voice was the same as always, and he kept apologizing for what he had put me through

Antonio Pampliega's mother

Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tweeted the message Welcome! with a photograph of the three men walking out of the military aircraft in Madrid.

Also on hand at Torrejon was General Felix Sanz, head of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), who oversaw the negotiations for the reporters release.

King Felipe VI telephoned the men to congratulate them on their newly found freedom.

Not far from Aleppo

In a short statement to the EFE news agency, the freelance journalists said that their kidnappers treated them humanely, and that they did not know exactly where they were held during their 10-month captivity.

Government sources believe they were never too far from Aleppo, the Syrian city where they were kidnapped in July of last year by the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda.

Jose Manuel Lopez said that all three were held together for the first three months; Pampliega was then taken away and his two colleagues never heard from him again until Saturday, when all three were released.

Seasoned reporters The Madrid-born Pampliega has worked for EL PAIS and keeps the blog Un mundo en Guerra (A world at war), where he explains his coverage of various conflicts since 2010. Angel Sastre has worked for TV station Cuatro, radio station Onda Cero and the daily La Razon, having covered several conflict zones in Latin America and the Middle East. He received the Larra Prize in 2010 for young journalists. The photojournalist Jose Manuel Lopez has won a number of awards for his work, which has taken him to more than 60 countries. His work has been published in L'Espresso and Le Monde.

The men were held in six different hideouts, and only occasionally allowed outside to walk in a courtyard. They said that they worked out in order to stay fit and keep boredom at bay.

News of their release broke late on Saturday, when all three were already in a safe area in Turkey.

When I talked to him on the phone, it was wonderful, said Maria del Mar Rodriguez Vega, Antonio Pampliegas mother, in statements to Reporters Without Borders, the organization that all three are members of.

His voice was the same as always, and he kept apologizing for what he had put me through, she added.

Pampliega, Sastre and the photojournalist Lopez went missing in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on July 12, 2015. All three were freelancing for several news organizations, including EL PAIS. They had prior experience covering war zones.

A long release

The release lasted over three hours, from 5 to 8.30pm local time on Saturday. The prisoners were let go in a rugged spot on the border with the Turkish province of Hatay, around 50 kilometers from Aleppo.

Standing on one side of the border were the Al-Nusra Front kidnappers with their hostages; on the other, Turkish military personnel as well as Spanish Foreign Ministry and CNI officers. Local intermediaries were in charge of crossing the 30 meters of no mans land lying in between, to carry messages from one side to the other under a pouring rain.

The Spanish officers first checked that the men being offered to them were really the Spanish reporters, and talked to them on a cellphone to ask personal questions that their families had prepared. Once their identities were confirmed, they crossed the border one at a time, escorted by the intermediaries.

The process was delayed by the jihadists, who checked every detail before releasing each of the men. Night had fallen by the time all three reporters were on Turkish territory. At that point, the Spanish officers called Madrid to communicate the good news.

EL PAIS has learned that the journalists ate the same food as their captors, who wore hoods most of the time. The only person they saw clearly was an imam who made a futile effort to convert them to Islam.

The reporters explained that they heard faraway explosions  a result of Russian and Syrian air raids over Aleppo  but never close to their area. They said they believe there were other hostages in the same building as themselves, although they never saw any.

Their release relieved one of their families ultimate fears: that they would be sold to the Islamic State.

English version by Susana Urra.
11:35 a.m., May 9, 2016--Unlike this past weekends promenade of odd outfits and oversized hats at the Kentucky Derby, fashion is very functional in the Health Sciences Complex on the University of Delawares Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus.

Martha Hall, a fashion and apparel studies Honors alumna and current biomechanics and movement science doctoral student, is using her fashion knowledge to benefit children with movement disorders. With disorders ranging from cerebral palsy to arthrogryposis, Hall works closely physical therapists and engineers to create wearable technology that effect true changes in these childrens motor behavior.

During a presentation at 3 p.m., Friday, May 13, in the STAR Health Sciences Complex Atrium, Hall will discuss her experiences as a functional design and wearable technology researcher. She will highlight the interdisciplinary work coming out of UDs Move To Learn (M2L) Innovation Lab.

The lecture is titled Thinking Outside the Box: Careers in Fashion Beyond the Runway and is open to the UD community and the general public. There is no cost to attend.

Hall, who holds a bachelors degree in apparel design and a masters degree in fashion and apparel studies, will share the work of the aptly-named student organization Sew Baby Sew, which works with families of children with special needs.

Following Halls presentation, the children will hit the runway to model garments created especially for them.

The address of the STAR Health Sciences Complex is 540 S College Ave, Newark, DE 19713. The Atrium is immediately inside the entrance on the north side of the building.
Davis Pfund accepts his scholarships with Scott Jones, chair of the Department of Accounting and MIS.

Dan Freeman, director of the Horn Program, with scholarship award recipients Samantha Stokes and Eric Albers.

12:17 p.m., May 9, 2016--The University of Delawares Horn Program in Entrepreneurship honored five UD students with scholarships and awards for the 2015-16 school year.

The students will be recognized for their achievements at an award ceremony on Friday, May 13, at the Venture Development Center (VDC).

Shawn and Sheryl McCall Award for Entrepreneurship

Eric Albers, a junior Honors student with a double major in finance and economics, and Samantha Stokes, a sophomore entrepreneurship major, are this years recipients of the Shawn and Sheryl McCall Award for Entrepreneurship. This award was granted to Albers and Stokes for showing entrepreneurial promise.

Both students will receive a check, which is divided into a cash award, a stipend for active participation in VDC programming, and VDC credit, which can be expended to further their entrepreneurial education through startup activity, participation in startup events and travel to meet with advisers and prospective customers.

Albers is currently working on a VentureOn team, Lazarus Rising. This social venture fights homelessness through a program that provides job placement skills to those without permanent housing.

Stokes is developing her business, New Freedom Swim. The company will produce stylish swimsuits made from a special fabric that allows ultraviolet rays to penetrate the bathing suit, so that wearers will not receive tan lines.

Brad and Jennifer Bono Award

Jaclyn Anninos, a senior entrepreneurship and marketing double major, won the Brad and Jennifer Bono Award for her entrepreneurial leadership and social impact.

Anninos will receive either a VDC credit to further her entrepreneurial education through startup activity or a cash award.

Anninos and a fellow student are working on their startup Rain, a company that aims to improve girls confidence levels during adolescence.

David J. Freschman Scholarship

The David J. Freschman Scholarship was established in memory of David J. Freschman, UD alumnus, entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Davis Pfund, a sophomore entrepreneurship major and Chinese studies minor, was this years recipient.

Pfund was awarded the scholarship for demonstrating strong potential to become a successful entrepreneur, and for possessing some of the qualities and characteristics that Freschman possessed, valued and encouraged such as energy, enthusiasm, financial ability and good judgment. Pfund demonstrates these qualities through prior work experience, academic achievement and involvement in extracurricular activities.

Currently, Pfund is working with a team of six on a grant from the National Science Foundation I-Corps Sites Program to develop assistive technology for persons with visual impairment. He also is helping fellow student Jacob Jeifa with his business, TenantU, and sells commercial LED lighting for Zerodraft Maryland.

2016 Horn Award

Joel Amin, a freshman international business major with a minor in entrepreneurship, was awarded the 2016 Horn Award, which is given to a student who promises to realize a great immediate benefit from the receipt of the award.

The award will be used to cover costs associated with Amins business, a highly modernized networking and marketing platform for tradesmen. The platform will allow for users to easily connect with their customers, manage their work portfolios, save data and market to potential clients. The Horn award is funded by annual gifts from faculty who teach entrepreneurship courses.

About the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship

The University of Delaware Horn Program in Entrepreneurship ignites imaginations and empowers world changers through entrepreneurial education.

Its offerings emphasize experiential learning, evidence-based entrepreneurship and active engagement with entrepreneurs, business leaders and members of the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Participation in Horn Program courses and co-curricular activities provides students with the knowledge, skills, connections and access to resources needed to create, deliver and capture value from new ideas and thrive in our rapidly changing world.
10:50 a.m., May 9, 2016--With the summer holidays fast approaching, travelers on the hunt for accommodations might find it easiest to simply choose a hotel with a familiar brand name.

But new research from the University of Delawares Yi-Lin Tsai paints a more complex picture of the relationship between hotels and their brand names.

Tsai pointed out, for example, that about one third of hotels have been rebranded  swapped brand identities from Hyatt to Hilton, for example  since opening.

The problem is that the practitioners dont seem to have very good sense of what the impact of rebranding on performance, said Tsai, assistant professor of marketing.

His research is groundbreaking in its efforts to quantify the impact of this popular phenomenon on hotel performance.

The papers first finding: Rebranding can be highly profitable, but lots of variation occurs.

On average, rebranding resulted in a 6.3 percent increase in hotel occupancy rates. If measured for the entire hotel industry, this amounts to an increase in room revenue of $37 million per year.

However, the studys wide range of data demonstrated that rebranding isnt a surefire profitable option for every hotel. This is important to consider, Tsai said, when performing a cost-benefit analysis and deciding whether or not to make the huge investment that comes with rebranding.

Tsais team also created a graph ranking hotel chains by brand strength, demonstrating which hotel chains provide increases in occupancy and revenue when rebranding.

This means that for the first time, the hotel industry has empirical support for rebranding as a way to enhance value, as well as specic guidance on which strategies increase performance and by how much.

But why does rebranding lead to increased performance or occupancy? Tsais research found that only 60 percent of this increase could be attributed to positive brand identities.

Those kind of increases in hotel performance can not be purely explained by brand itself, Tsai said. We found that it could be attributed to the fit of the brand and the property itself.

Tsai calls this property-brand fit, or how well the physical property aligns with the needs of the new brand.

That this could account for such a significant percentage of gains illustrates an important point to keep in mind about the hospitality industry: Hotel properties and brands are separate components, and lots of variety exists within both.

This might serve as a reminder to travelers to check reviews of individual hotels before selecting holiday accommodations based purely on brand names.

After all, Tsai said, guests dont visit for the brand name; they visit for the experience.

People usually use brand to infer what their hotel quality is, but sometimes it might not be the case, he said. Theres variation.

Brand is important, but its not everything.

Article by Sunny Rosen
10:42 a.m., May 9, 2016--University of Delaware sophomore Nicole Coffey has been awarded the prestigious Earnest F. Hollings Scholarship by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Hollings scholarship is awarded annually to undergraduate candidates majoring in a variety of oceanic, environmental, biological, and atmospheric sciences, or other related fields.

Coffey, an Honors marine science and chemistry double major, was among 127 undergraduate students selected nationwide for 2016.

As a Hollings Scholar, she will receive two years of academic assistance, as well as hands-on, educational training experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management and education activities through a paid summer internship.

Marine science inherently connects many disciplines and allows for reaching beyond a degree. Whether I become a researcher, a policy maker, an educator or even an animal trainer, I firmly believe that I will make a difference, even if its a small one, said Coffey, who is also an Honors Program student.

While Coffeys research interests center on understanding coastal ecosystems, it was an internship with the Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Centers mammal department that opened her eyes to opportunities in conservation and ecosystem management.

During the internship, Coffey met Nila, a two-year-old female sea lion that was rescued off the coast of Southern California in 2014 at approximately six-months of age. A combination of warmer ocean temperatures and overfishing in the region has led to adult sea lions traveling greater distances to find food, causing growing pups to become stranded.

According to Coffey, although the rescue organization nursed Nila back to a healthy weight, her lack of survival skills and timid demeanor around other sea lions prevented her from being released back into the wild. This led to her placement with the Long Island Aquarium.

As happy as I am that Nila has found a forever home, I cannot help but be horrified by the stranding and the imbalance that caused it to happen, Coffey said.

Unhealthy ecosystems cannot support themselves or the stress of a growing human population. Efforts must be made to restore healthy ecosystems and to responsibly manage the oceans resources.

Over the next two years, Coffey plans to explore her interest in conservation and coastal ocean systems, while letting her scientific curiosity guide her ultimate career path.

The Hollings scholarship will give me an amazing chance to discover more about this beautiful planet, and potentially have a hand in something that will make a difference, she said.

Article by Karen B. Roberts
10:46 a.m., May 9, 2016--The University of Delawares 1743 Welcome Days leadership team has announced the winning student speaker for the annual Twilight Induction Ceremony. Sophomore Nikki Dombrowski, an Honors Program student majoring in human services, was selected from a highly competitive group of applicants to address UDs Class of 2020 as they experience their first moments on campus.

What an honor it is to be chosen as the Class of 2020 Twilight Ceremony student speaker, Dombrowski said. As this event is one of the first times that our first-year students will hear words of wisdom and advice from their peers, I hope that they can find both comfort and excitement through the experience. I can vividly remember the feeling of sitting down on the seemingly enormous Green, with thousands of strangers around me trying not to let the flames of their candles go out too soon. It was such a memorable moment for me, and I cannot wait to welcome these new faces to the University of Delaware!

Dombrowski will join a panel of distinguished faculty and staff in welcoming the Universitys newest Blue Hens.

The brief candlelight ceremony, now in its fifth year, serves as the opening weekend finale to 1743 Welcome Days -- a series of celebratory events facilitated through UDs Division of Student Life in collaboration with campus partners that is designed to welcome new students and assist them in making a successful transition to their life at the University.

All members of the University community are welcomed and encouraged to attend the Twilight Induction Ceremony on Monday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. on The Green south of Memorial Hall, and to participate in social media conversations via the hashtag #udwelcome.

For more information on 1743 events, visit the website.

Photo by Mikey Draine
Real Madrid have won a record 12 European Cup finals while Liverpool have won five, so it is no surprise that their UEFA Champions League showdown in Kyiv on 26 May will join a band of deciders that have happened more than once.

European Cup finals that have been played twice

Real Madrid v Stade de Reims: 4-3, 1955/56  2-0, 1958/59

AC Milan v Benfica: 2-1, 1962/63  1-0, 1989/90

AC Milan v Ajax: 4-1, 1968/69  0-1, 1994/95

Ajax v Juventus: 1-0, 1972/73  1-1 aet/2-4 pens, 1995/96

Liverpool v AC Milan: 3-3 aet, 3-2 pens, 2004/05,  1-2, 2006/07

Barcelona v Manchester United: 2-0, 2008/09  3-1, 2010/11

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid: 4-1 aet, 2013/14  1-1 aet/5-3 pens, 2015/16

Real Madrid v Juventus: 1-0, 1997/98, 4-1 2016/17

Real Madrid v Liverpool: 0-1, 1980/81, ?, 2017/18

This year's finalists' previous encounter was in 1981 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Madrid losing 1-0 to an Alan Kennedy goal for Liverpool. That was the start of something of a European dark age for Real Madrid, who would not reach another European Cup final until 17 years later, when they beat Juventus.

1981 highlights: Liverpool 1-0 Real Madrid

 This is the ninth time that a European Cup final will be a replay of a previous showpiece (no sets of teams have ever had three meetings).

 In five of the eight previous repeat finals, the same side won second time round  most recently, Real Madrid beating Juventus last season.

 Liverpool are one of the exceptions to that rule; they beat AC Milan on penalties in 2005, but lost to the same opponents in normal time two years later.

 This is Real Madrid's fourth repeat final: in all three previous double-headers, the outcome of the second game as been the same as the first.
The illegal armed groups continue to shell ATO troops in eastern Ukraine. The militants launched nine attacks in last day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

The tensest situation is observed in Donetsk suburbs. The terrorists used grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms to shell Ukrainian positions south of Avdiyivka (18km north of Donetsk) from the suburbs of the temporarily occupied city.

The militants also used small arms and heavy machine guns to fire at Ukrainian soldiers near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk).

In Mariupol direction, the ATO troops came under fire from automatic grenade launchers and heavy machine guns near Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol).

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Liberation of Europe from fascism always has been and always will be our victory.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said this on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation on May 8, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The most crucial and fiercest battles on the Eastern Front involved Ukraine. Twenty-nine out of seventy-six military operations were held on our territory. Ukrainians fought in the Red Army, the Soviet guerrilla forces, the European resistance groups; as part of the Canadian, American, Australian, British armies. Tens of millions more worked in the rear. All those, who want to diminish the role of Ukraine in the anti-Hitler coalition and in the liberation of Europe from the brown plague, should come to understand this. It always has been and always will be our victory!" Poroshenko said.

He recalled that Ukraine had joined the European countries in marking the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation last year.

"This new tradition in no way substitutes, but rather complements and enhances our state holiday  the Day of Victory over Nazism in the World War II," the Head of State stressed.

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Mystery solved. The owner of an apparently driverless car that was found crashed in a Madrid tunnel in the early hours of Sunday morning is Alejandro G. P., a 28-year-old from Sabadell, Barcelona.

When firefighters and police arrived at the scene of the accident, close to the capitals Atocha railway station, they found that the vehicle had veered off the road and fallen four meters into a tunnel. But there was no driver or passengers to be seen.

First indications suggested the occupants fled the accident and that they may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and wished to avoid police questioning

First indications suggested the occupants fled the accident and that they may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and wished to avoid police questioning. The vehicle had not been reported stolen.

On Monday, Alejandro G. P. gave his side of the story to the police, explaining that that he had been in a nightclub with his girlfriend, which they left after 6am. He was in the passenger seat, he explained, while his girlfriend took the wheel.

When they reached the Mariano de Cavia square, the woman lost control of the Renault Clio, which plunged off the side of the road, crashing into the tunnel. The next thing the man said he remembered was his girlfriend being very nervous, while he had pains in his chest and began suffering a panic attack. So we decided to leave the car there and take a cab to a hospital for treatment, he told the police.

They then caught a taxi, leaving the scene of the accident, and headed to their hotel, in Alcala de Henares, where they collected their identity documents and went for treatment for their injuries in a local hospital.

The pair will now be investigated on suspicion of traffic offenses.

The authorities also want to talk to the girlfriend of the man, the alleged driver, Luz Heydi V. P., who, according to her partner, is currently on a trip to Valencia.

Sources confirmed that the owner of the vehicle appeared voluntarily at the police station, after having heard in the media that his car had been involved in an accident. Alejandro G. P. turned 28 on Saturday, according to the same sources.

English version by Simon Hunter.
British actor Orlando Bloom, who recently visited children in war-torn eastern Ukraine as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, has asked fellow movie stars and fans to help Ukrainian children.

The actor made such a statement on the air of CNN channel, Voice of America reports.

"It's a problem that has disappeared from news feeds but is happening in central Europe. Imagine if it touched you, if it was your child who would sit somewhere in New York, Los Angeles or London, and felt shooting over the head and children feared for their lives. How would you feel? What a sense of responsibility would you have, what would you do to help them?" the actor said.

Bloom stressed the importance of UNICEFs humanitarian support to Ukraine and called on his colleagues to make donations to this organization and become more interested in the events taking place in Ukraine.

As reported, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom went to the conflict-affected areas of eastern Ukraine in late April and visited the school damaged by shells, located a few kilometers from the demarcation line.

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Published May 9, 2016

MONROE, La.  The delightful favorite 'The Magic Flute' by Mozart will be presented by the Louisiana Opera on Friday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. in the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Recital Hall on the campus of the University of Louisiana Monroe.

The music and theatre masterpiece intended for the entire family is a great comedy with beautiful music and a new script in English. The performers are professional artists both familiar and new to the Monroe public.

Returning to Monroe is favorite Corey McKern, who sang the title role in the Barber of Seville last June, and most recently a great success as Billy Bigelow in the Louisiana Operas Carousel excerpts fundraiser last February.

Also singing a leading role in the fundraiser and returning to perform in Flute is soprano Betsy Uschkrat, the former Miss Indiana and New Orleans resident, who will delight audiences as Princess Pamina in The Magic Flute.

The Prince Tamino is heroic tenor Tyler Smith, who has sung a number of leading roles in the LA Opera, and recently sang an important part in the New Orleanss Opera production of Dead Man Walking.

Also returning in the fun roles of the Three Ladies are favorites Claire Vangelisti, Kristen Oden, and Lynn Clark. The villain of the piece, Monostatos, is tenor Julian Jones. Vocal competition winner and LSU vocal student Margaret Ann Zentner is singing the role of Papagena.

New to Monroe is the Queen of the Night, Kelly Holst, singing the stratosphere-high songs that are so challenging in the opera. Ms. Holst is a new voice professor at the renowned Oklahoma City University. Joining her, performing the venerable fatherly role Sarastro will be John Paul White, traveling from Michigan, and also singing in Monroe for the first time. Mr. White has sung the role multiple times in Germany and Switzerland during his career.

The pianist is once again Richard Seiler, costumes are designed and coordinated by Margaret Hall, and the stage director/supratitle composer is Mark Ross Clark.

General admission tickets are only $15 for ULM faculty and staff, and all students are discounted to $5, making this performance great for the entire family. Tickets are available for purchase during office hours in the VAPA office, 105 Biedenharn. Call 342-3247 for information.
Trump este sabado en un acto en Lynden (Washington) AP

More information Trump busca un perfil ortodoxo como aspirante a la vicepresidencia

It will take Republicans a while to deal with the internal commotion that is Donald Trump. His nomination as the GOP candidate in Novembers presidential elections is nearly unstoppable now that he has wiped his rivals off the map. And those battles have left deep wounds. Though many party leaders do not trust him, Trump holds their future in his hands and his choice of vice president, someone who will balance his unconventional style, may determine how well the party fares in November.

After failing to stop the reality TV star from running in the primary race a year ago, even though few people took his bid for the nomination seriously, Republicans no longer hide their unease with the man who will likely be their nominee in six months. Over the last few days, top party leaders have publicly expressed their opinions of this populist, anti-immigration advocate who has polarized the American people and shaken up the foundations of the Republican Party.

The last two GOP presidents, George H. W. Bush and his son George W. Bush, have publicly declined to endorse Trump. Paul Ryan, the Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the most important federal office in Republican hands, has also refused to back him. And several GOP leaders of Hispanic descent have shown their utter discomfort with the presumptive nominee.

Still, the internal combustion caused by the partys gradual acceptance of the primary results does not frighten the real estate mogul. As his nomination became more and more inevitable, Trump softened his attacks against the Republican establishment. I think conservatives want to know, does he share our values and our principles...There are a lot of questions that conservatives, I think, are going to want answers to, Ryan said.

To show up at the presidential elections with a divided party and face someone with Hillary Clintons experience could mean political suicide for the Republicans. In an attempt to smooth things over and unite the party, Ryan has invited Trump to a meeting with party leaders this week.

Meanwhile, Trump is aware that his choice of vice president could be an opportunity to reconcile with many Americans, especially with his own party. The New York businessman has floated the name of his former primary rival, Ohio Governor John Kasich, a well-liked moderate conservative who was his last opponent in the primary race.

Throwing punches left and right Donald Trump has thrown punches left, right and center and he has crippled the Republican Party. His xenophobic remarks against Mexicans and Muslims put him on the far end of a right wing that is already tough on immigration. His comments have led to widespread indignation within the Hispanic community of 50 million and polls say most of them do not intend to vote for him. As Republicans know from past experience, losing this decisive Latino vote can mean losing the election. Trump has also sprinted to the far-left side of the political spectrum. His protectionist measures clash with the Republican ideal of the free market. He has also proposed raising taxes on the wealthy and increasing the hourly minimum wage.

But Trump has also insulted many groups over the last year, including Hispanics and women, two demographics whose votes will prove decisive come November. Marco Rubio, the Florida senator of Cuban descent who was a Republican favorite early in the race, put an end to speculations that he might be Trumps running mate. I'm not looking for it, I'm not asking for it, and it's not going to happen.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a bright star within the party, are two other possible choices. Rumors that Governor Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, could be the right GOP choice started in January when she delivered the Republican response to President Barack Obamas State of the Union address. Haley supported Marco Rubio during the primary contest and she has openly criticized Donald Trump.

English version by Dyane Jean Francois.
On Friday of last week (May 6th), the Government of Kenya announced that it intended to end the hosting of refugees, citing economic, security and environmental burdens. A statement issued by the Ministry of Interior, said the Government had disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs and was working on a mechanism for the closure of Kenya's refugee camps - a move that could affect as many as 600,000 lives.

It is with profound concern that UNHCR takes note of this announcement. For almost a quarter of a century Kenya has played a vital role in East Africa and the Horn of Africa in providing asylum to people forced to flee persecution and war. The safety of hundreds of thousands of Somalis, South Sudanese and others has hinged on Kenya's generosity and its willingness to be a leading beacon in the region for international protection. Tragically, the situations in Somalia and South Sudan that cause people to flee are still unresolved today.

UNHCR has been, and will continue to be, in touch with the Kenyan Government to fully understand the implications of its statement. We recognize that Kenya has played an extraordinary role over many years as one of the world's frontline major refugee hosting nations, and that inevitably this has had many consequences for the country and its population. It is for these reasons, that UNHCR has been a prominent advocate for robust international support for Kenya, including support for host communities and a careful listening to their concerns.

In today's global context of some 60 million people forcibly displaced, it is more important than ever that international asylum obligations prevail and are properly supported. In light of this, and because of the potentially devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of people that premature ending of refugee hosting would have, UNHCR is calling on the Government of Kenya to reconsider its decision and to avoid taking any action that might be at odds with its international obligations towards people needing sanctuary from danger and persecution.

News contacts:

Nairobi - Duke Mwancha (+254 722 207 863) and Teresa Ongaro (+254 735 337 608)

Geneva - Nora Sturm (+41 79 200 76 18) and Adrian Edwards (+41 79 557 91 20)

To find out more about our work in Kenya, please visit the UNHCR Kenya website.
Makeshift shelters and new tents at the new arrivals section of IFO camp, Kenya, in a December 2008 file photo.  UNHCR/E.Hockstein

GENEVA, May 9 (UNHCR) - The UN Refugee Agency is calling on the Government of Kenya to reconsider its recent announcement that it intends to end the hosting of refugees.

The Ministry of Interior made the announcement on May 6 in a statement that cited economic, security and environmental burdens. It said the Government had disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs and was working on a mechanism for the closure of Kenya's refugee camps - a move that could affect as many as 600,000 lives.

"It is with profound concern that UNHCR takes note of this announcement," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards said. "For almost a quarter of a century, Kenya has played a vital role in East Africa and the Horn of Africa in providing asylum to people forced to flee persecution and war."

Edwards noted that the safety of hundreds of thousands of Somalis, South Sudanese and others has hinged on Kenya's generosity and its willingness to be a leading beacon in the region for international protection.

"UNHCR has been, and will continue to be, in touch with the Kenyan Government to fully understand the implications of its statement," he said. "We recognize that Kenya has played an extraordinary role over many years as one of the world's frontline major refugee hosting nations, and that inevitably this has had many consequences for the country and its population."

In recognition of the country's role, UNHCR has been a prominent advocate for robust international support for Kenya, including support for host communities and a careful listening to their concerns.

Edwards stressed that, in today's global context of some 60 million people forcibly displaced, it is more important than ever that international asylum obligations prevail and are properly supported.

"In light of this, and because of the potentially devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of people that premature ending of refugee hosting would have, UNHCR is calling on the Government of Kenya to reconsider its decision and to avoid taking any action that might be at odds with its international obligations towards people needing sanctuary from danger and persecution."

To find out more about UNHCR in Kenya, please visit our country site, UNHCR Kenya.
Bako Sahakyan: Today we can proudly state about another great victory - our young generation

Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan issued a congratulatory address in connection with the Victory Holiday, the Day of the NKR Defense Army and the Liberation of Shoushi. Dear compatriots, Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic and Artsakh Liberation Wars, Respected generals, officers and soldiers of the Defense Army, On behalf of the Republic's authorities and personally myself I cordially congratulate you on the Victory Holiday, the Day of the NKR Defense Army and the Liberation of Shoushi, a holiday that aggregates the victories of our people and has become a symbol of heroism and courage, selflessness and patriotism, a holiday that both glorifies our past and illuminates the future, serves as a landmark for the generations teaching them how to live and create, love the Motherland and defend it. On this festive day we honor and bow our heads to our hero fathers and grandfathers who hand in hand with other peoples of the Soviet Union won the Great Patriotic War. We bow our heads to the brave sons of the Armenian nation who carved the victory in the Artsakh Liberation struggle defending the right of our people to live free and independent on their own soil. Today we can proudly state about another great victory - our young generation, our modern heroes who continue their ancestors' traditions with dignity, weaving new myths and legends in the battlefield. The selfless soldiers of the Defense Army stand firm in their positions and keep impregnable the Artsakh Republic borders. Dear compatriots, All our victories are the triumphs of unity and consolidation around the idea of defending the Motherland facing danger. I am confident that this spirit will always guide our people and we will celebrate more victories. This is the best way to keep alive the memory of our martyrs. This is the only true path to eternity, this is our only way. I once again congratulate all of us on this glorious Triple Holiday and wish peace and new successes to our country and people.
A possible case of mumps has been reported by Calvin College in Michigan. The institution posted on their website that they are on alert for the disease. Students who are opposed to getting vaccinated may be barred from getting inside the campus to avoid a possible mumps outbreak.

Calvin College posted on their health services website that a student may be infected with mumps. The college will know by Monday noon if the mumps infection is confirmed. They are cooperating with the Kent County Health Department to enact protocols to prevent the infection and spread of contagious diseases like mumps.

If the possible mumps case is confirmed, students who have not been vaccinated will not be able to enter the Calvin College campus for 26 days. Those without record for being vaccinated against mumps have been offered vaccination. However, those unwilling to get their shots will not be allowed to enter the Calvin College campus. They will instead continue completing the semester off-campus, WZZM13.com reported.

Calvin College has a population of almost 4,000 students. It is not clear if the mumps disease has spread or how many are affected, Michigan Live noted. Authorities are concerned of a possible scenario of outbreak. A mumps outbreak could disrupt classes, activities and events in the school.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes mumps as an infection that could result in inflamed salivary glands which will result in inflamed jaw and cheeks. Symptoms of mumps include headache, fever, tiredness, aching muscles and appetitle loss.

Calvin College investigating possible mumps case: Calvin college is warning students of a possible case of th... https://t.co/lXt2EtczCg  wilxTV (@wilxTV) May 8, 2016



Mumps is a viral infection that is easily spread through a person's saliva or mucus. A person can get mumps infection from an infected person via talking, sneezing, coughing, sharing things used for eating and drinking and touching infected surfaces.
Protesters stormed the on-campus home of the university president of Dartmouth College, Philip Hanlon, demanding the school to divest from fossil fuel companies.

Sponsored by Divest Dartmouth, the protest brought students from different backgrounds together in what is called a "statement for the future." The demonstration was co-sponsored by 100 organizations, Greek houses and sustainability campaigns from other universities and colleges. Some of these groups include 350.org, Sierra Club and some partners from schools like Yale, Brandeis, Harvard and NYU.

One of these students, Benny Adapon, is a Filipino from Manila who survived a typhoon. He described that his countrymen are already used to "silent resignation" every time a storm visits their area but acknowledged that Dartmouth divesting from fossil fuel companies will go a long way.

"What we do here will end these unnatural calamities," he told Lebanon Valley News.

Hanlon has formed a group that will study the advantages and disadvantages such a move will cause to the university's finances, the Daily Progress reported.

This is not the first time that Dartmouth College was encouraged to severe its corporate ties with certain entities. In the 1980s, the school was notable for pulling out its investments from South Africa to protest apartheid after student demonstrations. This precedent is the very reason that students are now calling for the Dartmouth action as they believe that it is part of its "educational, moral and fiduciary responsibilities."

The New Hampshire Union Leader attacked the demonstrations in an editorial, as they believe that not investing in these types of companies would "rob" impoverished nations of an opportunity to progress. It also warned the administration of Dartmouth College that divesting from fossil fuel companies is bad economic advice and will only "satisfy an ignorant mob."

Watch a video of the demonstration in the video below.
Union Pacific Foundation Grants $240,000 to 33 Arizona Nonprofit Organizations

The Union Pacific Foundation is granting $240,000 in 2016 to 33 Arizona nonprofit organizations.

"These organizations provide meaningful services that positively impact lives," said Scott Moore, Union Pacific senior vice president of Corporate Relations and Union Pacific Foundation president. "An integral part of Union Pacific's success is the work we do to enhance quality of life in the communities where our employees live and work."

Union Pacific assists nonprofits in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

For more than 55 years, the Union Pacific Foundation has upheld the tradition of helping nonprofits build their capacity by supporting new or existing community, cultural, and health and human services initiatives.

2016 Grants City Recipient Avondale Trinity's Learning Resource Center Inc Benson City of Benson Casa Grande Casa Grande Main Street Casa Grande The Boys & Girls Clubs Of The Casa Grande Valley Cortaro Santa's Helpers Incorporated Gilbert Arizona Capitol Broadcast Education Foundation Mesa Paz De Cristo Community Center Nogales Nogales Educational Foundation Inc Nogales The United Way Of Santa Cruz County Arizona Inc Phoenix Arizona State Parks Foundation Phoenix Arizona Town Hall Phoenix Barry Goldwater Institute For Public Policy Research Phoenix Heard Museum Phoenix Hope And A Future Inc Phoenix O'Connor House Phoenix The Arizona Informant Foundation Phoenix WTS Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter Phoenix Young Arts Arizona Ltd Queen Creek San Tan Historical Society Inc Tucson El Rio Health Center Foundation Inc Tucson Interfaith Community Services Tucson Old Pueblo Trolley Inc Tucson Southern Arizona Aids Foundation Tucson Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization Tucson Womens Transportation Seminar Foundation Vail Vail Preservation Society Wellton Town of Wellton Willcox Willcox Historic Theater Preservation Yuma City of Yuma Yuma United Way of Yuma County Yuma Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area Corporation Yuma Yuma Model Railroaders Inc Yuma Yuma Territory Live Steamers

ABOUT THE UNION PACIFIC FOUNDATION

The Union Pacific Foundation is the primary philanthropic arm of Union Pacific Corporation. The Foundation has distributed funds since 1959 to qualified organizations in communities served by Union Pacific. The Foundation is not endowed, but is funded each year from the operating profits of Union Pacific Corporation.

ABOUT UNION PACIFIC

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. From 2006-2015, Union Pacific invested approximately $33 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure. The railroad's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

The statements and information contained in the news releases provided by Union Pacific speak only as of the date issued. Such information by its nature may become outdated, and investors should not assume that the statements and information contained in Union Pacific's news releases remain current after the date issued. Union Pacific makes no commitment, and disclaims any duty, to update any of this information.
Union Pacific Plans to Invest $78.8 Million in its Illinois Rail Infrastructure

Union Pacific plans to invest $78.8 million in 2016 to improve Illinois' transportation infrastructure. The company's multi-million dollar private investment will enhance employee, community and customer safety and increase rail operating efficiency. Freight railroads like Union Pacific operate on track built and maintained without taxpayer funds. Union Pacific's private investments sustain jobs and ensure the company meets growing demand for products used in the American economy.

Union Pacific's planned investment covers a range of initiatives: $73.8 million to maintain railroad track and $4.8 million to maintain bridges in the state. Key projects planned this year include:

$8.2 million investment in the rail line between East St. Louis and Chester to replace more than 60,000 railroad ties and install 27,000 tons of rock ballast.

$7.6 million investment in the rail line between Findlay and Hillsboro to replace nearly 56,000 railroad ties and install 21,300 tons of rock ballast.

$6.6 million investment in the rail line between Mt. Vernon and Whittington to replace 13 miles of rail.

This year's planned $78.8 million capital expenditure in Illinois is part of an ongoing investment strategy. From 2011 to 2015 Union Pacific invested more than $314 million strengthening Illinois' transportation infrastructure.

"We constantly evaluate our customers' needs to make targeted investments that enhance our efficiency and deliver the goods American businesses and families use daily," said Donna Kush, Union Pacific vice president - Public Affairs, Northern Region. "Continuing to aggressively invest in our infrastructure is an important element in Union Pacific's unwavering safety commitment."

Union Pacific plans to spend $3.675 billion across its network this year, following investments totaling approximately $33 billion from 2006-2015. These investments contributed to a 25 percent decrease in derailments over the last 10 years.

ABOUT UNION PACIFIC

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP). One of America's most recognized companies, Union Pacific Railroad connects 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail, providing a critical link in the global supply chain. From 2006-2015, Union Pacific invested approximately $33 billion in its network and operations to support America's transportation infrastructure. The railroad's diversified business mix includes Agricultural Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products and Intermodal. Union Pacific serves many of the fastest-growing U.S. population centers, operates from all major West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada's rail systems and is the only railroad serving all six major Mexico gateways. Union Pacific provides value to its roughly 10,000 customers by delivering products in a safe, reliable, fuel-efficient and environmentally responsible manner.

The statements and information contained in the news releases provided by Union Pacific speak only as of the date issued. Such information by its nature may become outdated, and investors should not assume that the statements and information contained in Union Pacific's news releases remain current after the date issued. Union Pacific makes no commitment, and disclaims any duty, to update any of this information.
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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

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

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

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

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh

USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens

ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
May 9 2016

Images by Scottish Photography Productions

Dem Master has felled the final tower block in a quartet of towers which once stood at Norfolk Court in Glasgows Gorbals , clearing the way for the construction of 201 homes by New Gorbals Housing Association.The Sunday morning blowdown of the 24 storey building saw the 1970s landmark, which once contained 276 flats, reduced to rubble within seconds allowing a 24m regeneration project to proceed.New Gorbals Housing Association chairperson Raymond Shannon commented: Norfolk Court has been home to thousands of local residents since 1976 and is remembered fondly by many of those who lived there. Every tenant affected by demolition in Gorbals since 2002 has been rehoused here - if that is what they wished - and over 80% have chosen to remain in the Gorbals.Then wider Laurieston district has been designated as a Transformational Regeneration Area by Glasgow City Council.
May 9 2016

Perth councilors are considering twin applications to deliver up to 4,500 homes within the Almond Valley and Bertha Park areas of the city.Springfield Properties are behind the larger Bertha Park project which will account for some 3,000 homes in addition to a business park, two primary schools and a secondary.Should the project earn a nod work could get underway by 2017.Separate plans by the Pilkington Trust are also under consideration for a complementary project at Almond Valley Village to the west.In a report to councilors Perth & Kinross development quality manager Nick Brian noted: Due to topographical, landscape and infrastructure constraints it was considered that the best and most sustainable location was around west/north-west Perth due to its proximity to Perth city centre, Inveralmond Industrial Estate and the A9 trunk road.This has resulted in Almond Valley Village, Berth Park and Perth West being allocated in the local development plan as strategic development areas that could help deliver over 5,000 dwellings and thereby significantly meet the expected population growth.Both schemes are being pushed on the basis of projections which indicate that Perths population could grow by as much as 24 per cent by 2037.
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With survival rates higher than 80%, the number of survivors from pediatric cancer continues to increase. Late effects resulting from cancer and cancer therapy are being characterized, but little information exists on sexual health for men who have survived childhood cancer.

To assess erectile dysfunction (ED) in men who survived childhood and adolescent cancers and to identify potential risk factors for ED.

In total, 1,622 men and 271 eligible brothers in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort completed the Male Health Questionnaire, which provided information on sexual practices and sexual function. Combined with demographic, cancer, and treatment information from medical record abstraction, results of the Male Health Questionnaire were analyzed using multivariable modeling. The International Index of Erectile Function was used to identify ED in subjects.

International Index of Erectile Function.

Survivors (mean age = 37.4 years, SD = 7.3 years) reported significantly lower sexual activity in the year before the survey than the brothers (mean age = 38.8 years, SD = 8.5 years) without cancer. ED was reported by 12.3% (95% CI = 10.4-14.3) of survivors and 4.2% (95% CI = 2.0-7.9) of brothers. Survivors showed significantly higher relative risk (RR) for ED (RR = 2.63, 95% CI = 1.40-4.97). In addition to older age, survivors who were exposed to higher-dose (10 Gy) testicular radiation (RR = 3.55, 95% CI = 1.53-8.24), had surgery on the spinal cord or nerves (RR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.36-6.05), prostate surgery (RR = 6.56, 95% CI = 3.84-11.20), or pelvic surgery (RR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.04-4.98) were at higher risk for ED.

Men who have survived childhood cancer have a greater than 2.6-fold increased risk for ED and certain cancer-specific treatments are associated with increased risk. Attention to sexual health, with its physical and emotional implications, and opportunities for early detection and intervention in these individuals could be important.

The journal of sexual medicine. 2016 Apr 21 [Epub ahead of print]

Chad W M Ritenour, Kristy D Seidel, Wendy Leisenring, Ann C Mertens, Karen Wasilewski-Masker, Margarett Shnorhavorian, Charles A Sklar, John A Whitton, Marilyn Stovall, Louis S Constine, Gregory T Armstrong, Leslie L Robison, Lillian R Meacham

Department of Urology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: ., Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA., Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Clinical Statistics Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA., The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA., The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA., Division of Pediatric Urology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA., Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA., Cancer Prevention Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA., Department of Radiation Physics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA., Departments of Radiation Oncology and Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA., Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA., Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA., The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27117527
Published: May 09, 2016

2016 Commencement: Ordinary People Can Do Extraordinary Things

James MacLeod 70 opened his commencement address to the Class of 2016 by encouraging them that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.He highlighted the past commencement speakers he has witnessed in his nine years as a University trustee, from Liberias President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to entrepreneur and alum Ariel Acosta-Rubio 84. As a rather unremarkable University of Tampa economics major who collected his share of mediocre grades during my years here, I wondered what I might say that you can take away from this special gathering today to use in the years ahead, he said.But reflecting on his accomplishments since graduation, he concluded that with hard work and a commitment to do ones best, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.MacLeod is chairman and CEO of CoastalSouth Bancshares Inc., a bank holding company that through its subsidiary, CoastalStates Bank, offers personal and business banking services in five states. MacLeod helped found CoastalStates Bank in 2004, which is now the largest local bank in Beaufort County, SC.He offered six Hs as the basic values needed to live a full life as a contributor to society: honesty, health, humor, remaining humble, happy and hope.If you give up on your dream, its unlikely it will ever occur, MacLeod said. And if we dont hope for a better, more peaceful and caring world, it will never happen.In the crowd of more than 1,400 graduates, MacLeod also addressed one very special to him, Liz MacLeod, his wife who he met at UT in 1967 and married in 1970 when Liz was a junior. She finished her journey Saturday that she started 49 years ago.To her and the others in the Amalie Arena, he finished by quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson.Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.Matthew Hartford 16, a criminology major from Georgetown, MA, delivered the challenge to the graduating class, noting that 2016 is a big year for the U.S. and how his fellow graduates have an important job in shaping that.We all have the opportunity, and now the responsibility, to take what weve learned to build a life off of those who have sacrificed so much for us to be here, Hartford said.He encouraged his classmates to constantly strive for more by always making new goals, taking on new challenges and being flexible to adapt to life.Our challenge is that we have a lot to do, and we want to build something that we can be proud of, Hartford said. We need to surround ourselves with good people, like we have at UT, because regardless of your path, none of us are in this alone.The Alumni Association presented two awards during the ceremony. MacLeod received the Esse Quam Videri Award, which is the highest award given by the association to a graduate of UT, and Jesse Klaucke 11, M.S. 13 received the Young Alumnus Award.To see commencement from the graduates perspective, visit the 2016 Commencement Storify
UTSA professor Janakiram Seshu explores new method to stop the spread of Lyme disease A close-up of a tick, one of the most common carriers of Lyme disease. Share this Story

(May 9, 2016) -- Medication that is normally used to lower cholesterol could stop the spread of Lyme disease, according to a new study co-authored by Janakiram Seshu, associate professor of biology at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).

Roughly 300,000 cases of Lyme disease are estimated to occur in the US by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention every year, Seshu said. One of the questions were asking is how Lyme disease can be stopped before its transmitted from ticks to humans.

Most cases of Lyme disease come from ticks that bite humans after they have acquired the agent of Lyme disease from infected animals, referred to as reservoir hosts. If the burden of infection is reduced in the reservoir hosts, it can be predicted that the chances for ticks to acquire the Lyme disease pathogen will be lower presumably leading to a reduction in the number of cases of human Lyme disease.

Seshu and his team have discovered that statins, medications usually used to lower cholesterol, can reduce the burden in mice and can therefore be exploited to reduce the number of Lyme disease bacteria acquired by the feeding ticks. These investigators believe that this could be one of the many strategies to lower the incidence of Lyme disease by restricting bacterial survival at its source.

Weve figured out that theres one enzyme in the Lyme disease bacteria that is essential for creating its cell wall, which would allow the Lyme disease bacteria to live and cause infection, he said. We discovered that this enzyme can be inhibited by statins, which means that one class of drugs could reduce the number of infectious bacteria in the reservoir hosts.

Seshu noted that these studies are based on experimental models of Lyme disease infection and more work needs to be done to determine how effective statins could be in blocking the natural life cycle of this pathogen.

While the use of statins doesnt spell a complete elimination of Lyme disease, it has the potential to drastically reduce the number of new cases. Now Seshu and his UTSA graduate students are working to better understand how statins can be modified to primarily affect the survival of Lyme disease bacteria.

First we want to determine how statins can be used to stop the growth of the pathogen and how we can exploit these findings to our benefit, Seshu said. Our hope is that if we reduce the number of viable organisms in infected reservoir hosts then we can block the transmission to a point that the disease doesnt affect humans significantly in many areas of the US.

-- Joanna Carver

Public Affairs Specialist

----------------------------

Read the full study, "Statins reduce spirochetal burden and modulate immune responses in the C3H/HeN mouse model of Lyme disease"

Learn more about Janakiram Seshus laboratory.

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Stepan Safaryan: Discourse with Levon Ter-Petrosyan may be advantageous to Serzh Sargsyan (video)

Though different circles in Armenia expected new surprise by Azerbaijan on May 8, the situation in the Karabakh conflict zone remained the same in the past two days. However, Stepan Safaryan, Head of the Armenian Institute for International and Security Issues, says the risks are not left behind. There are other problems, too. The April war has not received a clear assessment by Armenia. We were to set up a committee or a fact-finding group to assess the April skirmishes but we did not do it. I think we gave carte blanche to Azerbaijan, Mr Safaryan said. After the four-day war we should reconsider our stance and toughen our position in the talks. We can no longer negotiate over the documents put on the negotiating table. Azerbaijan killed the negotiation process long ago. No matter whether the talks continue by the Madrid Principals or other principals offered by Lavrov, Putin or someone else, it is clear that Azerbaijan has blocked the talks over the Karabakh issue, he added. Asked whether Serzh Sargsyan and Levon Ter-Petrosyan can cooperate over the Artsakh recognition and what he thought of the latest statement of Armenias first President, Mr Safaryan said, I cannot say anything definite but this discourse may be advantageous to Serzh Sargsyan. But the problem is that it leads to public discourse which is dangerous. Let us not forget that Kosovo was recognized because the negotiations were considered exhausted. If problems of this kind are solved by force, then Armenia should follow suit.
SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Google Ad

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

Google Ad

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

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

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments

Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan

Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement

With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building

OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh

USA Embassy Message for U.S. Citizens

ANCA Issues National Call to Action to Stop Taxpayer Funding of Aliyevs Aggression
With free agent acquisition and No. 1 left-hander David Price appearing vulnerable through the Boston Red Sox' first 30 games, amounting the most earned runs (31) and highest ERA (6.75) for pitchers with at least 40 innings logged, the ballclub is in need of a pick-me-up in their starting rotation in order to continue the success they have experienced in 2016.

Rodriguez to return soon

Just as the doctor ordered, it appears that help may be on the way in the form of left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, who could make his debut at Fenway Park as soon as next Sunday against the Houston Astros after successfully tossing his third rehabilitation start with Triple-A Pawtucket on Sunday afternoon.

Rodriguez, who compiled a 10-6 record and a 3.85 ERA in 21 starts in his rookie season with the big league club in 2015, was expected to become a premier starter in the Red Sox rotation this season before suffering a right knee injury in early spring training, which landed him on the 15-day disabled list to begin the year.

Eduardo Rodriguez tosses a bullpen session with Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez onlooking. | Getty

The 23-year-old now appears ready to take the hill in a Boston uniform after nearing 100% in his appearance on the Pawtucket mound on Sunday, his third with the minor league club.

E-Rod lasts 5.2 innings in third rehab start

After allowing just three earned runs in six innings of work in his second rehab showing, Rodriguez followed up with another solid performance, yielding just three runs on six hits and one walk in 5.2 innings while throwing 93 pitches and striking out a pair of batters in Pawtucket's 3-2 loss to Rochester.

Rodriguez was able to throw his fastball, changeup, and curveball with no limitations, iterating to reporters following the contest that he felt much more comfortable dealing to the plate than in his previous two outings.

However, the one red flag in the Venezuelan's performance was the two home runs that he allowed, with one long ball coming off of a hanging changeup that Rodriguez left up in the zone.

Red Sox manager John Farrell mentioned that the organization will hold a meeting on Monday to discuss what Rodriguez' near future holds, stating that it is certainly a possibility that the phenom makes his next start on an MLB mound.
KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Jennifer Braun and her son Alessandro Gonzalez, 12, hold some of the items stolen from their home in Oxnar while they slept. All the stolen were recovered from the home of a neighbor by Oxnard Police. Items include a Mac computer, Gonzalez's camera and two skateboards, a purse, a soccer bag and $300 in cash that has not been returned. The suspect's trial has been delayed until next month.04-25-2016 OXNARD, CA

SHARE ROB VARELA/THE STAR Ventura Police Department Corporal Steve Arroyo speaks about property crimes and public safety to residents of the Lemonwood trailer park at a packed community meeting in Ventura. 4/19/16 Ventura, CA ROB VARELA/THE STAR Resident Dennis Zabkiewicz looks a card with Ventura Police Department contact numbers as Corporal Steve Arroyo speaks about property crimes and public safety to residents of the Lemonwood trailer park at a packed community meetin in Ventura. 4/19/16 Ventura, CA ROB VARELA/THE STAR Ventura Police Department Corporal Steve Arroyo(center) and Ashley Bautista, the department's civic engagement specialist, test a gate code for police access with resident Dan Thompson at the Lemonwood trailer park in Ventura. 4/19/16 Ventura, CA KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Jennifer Braun and daughter Michelle Mora, 32, reminisce the October, 2015 night when an intruder entered their Oxnard home while they were asleep and stole items from their first floor. All the items were recovered, excpet $300 in cash, from the home of an unknown neighbor by Oxnard Police. Items include a Mac computer, Braun's son's camera and two skateboards, a purse and a soccer bag. The suspect's trail has been delayed until next month.04-25-2016 OXNARD, CA

By Megan Diskin and Yazmin Cruz

Simi Valley resident Shawn Herrera didn't double-check that his garage door was locked on the March night his home was burglarized. Oxnard resident Jennifer Braun forgot to close a sliding-glass door when it happened to her in October.

Both said they usually take the necessary steps to ensure they don't become victims, but as they found out, it only takes one time for a criminal to take advantage of an opportunity.

As property crimes continue to pose a problem in Ventura County, law enforcement agencies urge residents to take that opportunity away from would-be thieves.

"We need to get these stats down, because we can make a dent in it," said Detective Crystal Walker, a crime-prevention officer with the Oxnard Police Department.

She said about 62 percent of the crimes reported in Oxnard last year were theft-related and that a quarter of those were preventable.

Ventura police Cmdr. Sam Arroyo said it's alarming how many times victims of theft have left valuable items in plain view inside their vehicles. And those vehicles often are unlocked, he said.

The same thing can be said in Thousand Oaks as it experiences a crime trend authorities call "car-hopping," Senior Deputy Edward Beauvais said.

Property Crimes in 2014 *Click on the cities for more. The rate is per 1,000 people.

"Criminals will drive through neighborhoods at night and in the early morning hours and try door handles on parked cars," said Beauvais, who works in Thousand Oaks Police Department crime prevention bureau. "If the doors are locked, they move on. If the car doors are unlocked, then they will go through the vehicle looking for valuables."

Beauvais said police emphasize the mantra, "Hide it, lock it, keep it."

As part of their prevention efforts, police encourage neighbors to get to know each other, communicate about suspicious activity and start looking out for one another.

"They know what belongs there and what car shouldn't be there," Walker said.

Fortunately for Braun, her neighbors were already keeping an eye out. They saw the burglar make several trips in and out of her home, and called 911.

Paul Henke, her neighbor, said the incident at Braun's home and another burglary in the area "broke the camel's back" and made him and his wife start a neighborhood watch group. It was news Walker wanted to hear as Oxnard police renew their prevention efforts with an initiative called the Oxnard Neighbors United Project.

Walker has visited many neighborhoods in the city, giving out crime-prevention tips and other resources. One key tip is ensuring all windows and doors are secured, especially during summer, when burglaries tend to occur more often. Braun said the burglary at her home "was in October during a heat wave that we had."

Ashley Bautista, civic engagement specialist with the Ventura Police Department, has been with the agency for a short time, but is focused on neighborhood watch groups. The program was suspended years ago due to budget cuts, but with new funding, she said it is one of her priorities.

Property Crimes in 2015 *Click on the cities for more. The rate is per 1,000 people.

Social media tools are commonly being used by law enforcement agencies to communicate with the public, but also are a way for neighbors to communicate with each other.

Moorpark police recently started using Nextdoor.com, a social networking site for those living in specific neighborhoods to use as a "virtual neighborhood watch." Senior Deputy Becky Purnell said there was an outpouring of interest in starting such an effort after a series of crimes in March.

Nextdoor.com is used by several agencies across the county. Authorities post updates about crime trends and prevention tips, but also encourage neighbors to remain aware.

"We're trying to engage them more to do their own footwork," Walker said.

Law enforcement officials don't want residents to confront any suspicious behavior but instead to report it right away and discuss it with their neighbors to keep everyone safe.

Authorities continue to crack down on property crime, which according to the FBI includes burglary, auto theft and larceny. Larceny is technically theft, but does not include vehicles. Arson is also tracked by the FBI, but the county's statistics are relatively low.

The number of reported stolen vehicles increased by 15 percent across Ventura County in 2015 from the 2014 level, the statistics show, and Oxnard was the city with the most. More than 30 vehicles were stolen from April 1 to 7 in Oxnard, prompting police to tell residents again of the importance of locking their vehicle and keeping valuables out of sight. While supplies lasted, they were also giving away steering wheel locks  another way of preventing the crime.

Reports of larceny, many involving thefts from vehicles, were up 3.6 percent countywide last year from 2014. Beauvais suggests engraving a driver's license or ID number  but not Social Security number  on property to make it easier for detectives to track down victims.

Burglaries were down almost 7 percent last year across the county, with 222 fewer incidents reported. A possible example of the progress against burglary was the arrest by sheriff's officers of four Los Angeles-area gang members suspected of being involved with a crew targeting homes in Ventura, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. Officials call such teams "knock-knock" burglary crews because they knock on doors under a ruse such as looking for a lost dog and then find a way into the home when no one answers.

These crimes may not all be increasing at alarming rates, but in the long term can affect a person's dignity and confidence, Walker said.

"When you're victimized like that, you feel completely powerless," Braun said. "It's a very violating experience."

Braun has lived in her home for almost 13 years, and crime had never been a problem.

"I probably felt too safe," she said. "My guard wasn't up."

The same can be said for Herrera, who thought the gated walls surrounding his neighborhood would keep the criminals out.

"Living in a gated community gave us a false sense of security," Herrera said. "I didn't think we needed to check."

How to prevent property crime

Secure your home

 Landscape your yard. Large hedges and shrubs can hamper visibility.

 Eliminate hiding places.

 Install proper lighting near doors, in the rear of the house and garage. The best for exterior use is a motion detector type of fixture.

 Leave several lights on inside and out when you go out for the evening. Your home should look like there is someone home.

 Sign up for Vacation Watch if your local police department offers a program.

 Make sure doors are solid core wood or metal wrapped. Flimsy doors can be easily broken through.

 Keep garage doors securely locked at all times.

 Deadbolt locks are a must for exterior doors. Lock-in-knob locks can be opened using a credit card.

 Get to know your neighbors.

 Dont hide a key. Leave one with a trusted neighbor or friend.

 Invest in an alarm system.

 Keep a home inventory list in a secure place with insurance documents.

 Dont use your marital status or first name on your mailbox if you live alone.

 Have your keys in your hand when returning home.

 Always be observant of your surroundings.

 Dont display expensive items in plain view.

 Report suspicious people.

Secure your car

 Park in a well lit area.

 Lock doors.

 Remove valuables including phone chargers and parking meter change from your car.

 Use The Club or LoJack.

Source: Simi Valley Police Department Crime Prevention Unit
RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Valerie Hussung (standing, middle), a docent, serves a pot of tea at the Friends of Heritage Square Spring Tea Marketplace on Saturday in Heritage Square Plaza in Oxnard. The event is a fundraiser for the Friends of Heritage Square educational programming.

SHARE RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR A selection of sandwiches, fruit and cookies was offered with pots of tea during the Friends of Heritage Square Spring Tea Marketplace in Heritage Square Plaza in Oxnard. The event is a fundraiser for the Friends of Heritage Square educational programming. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Carolee Luenebrink sports a pink sun hat while enjoying tea at the Friends of Heritage Square Spring Tea Marketplace in Heritage Square Plaza in Oxnard. The fundraiser for the Friends of Heritage Square educational programming included a hat contest. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Connie Korenstein (standing, right), playing the role of Ventura County pioneer Annette Petit Laurent, talks about Petit Laurent's move to Oxnard with her husband, Martin. Korenstein was one of the historical presenters during the Friends of Heritage Square Spring Tea Marketplace in Heritage Square Plaza in Oxnard.

By Alicia Doyle, Special to The Star

The 25th anniversary of Heritage Square in Oxnard was celebrated Saturday with an afternoon tea and stories about the site that features restored Victorian and Craftsman houses once owned by Oxnard's pioneer families.

Opened in 1991 on one city block, Heritage Square features 11 homes, a church, a water tower, a pump house and a storehouse that were moved from their initial locations and restored to their original conditions.

"All of these homes are part of Oxnard's history," said Miriam Figueroa, of Port Hueneme, a docent dressed in Victorian clothes who portrayed the late Caroline Kaufman Pfeiler, whose family owned the oldest house on the square, built in 1877.

"A lot of towns are just demolishing their historical homes and they don't give them any importance," Figueroa said. "These are important. They're part of how we got here and who we were and the beginnings of Oxnard  it's important to know the history of where you are."

Figueroa was among several members of The Friends of Heritage Square who presented brief histories about the homes and their owners during "Tea Time Stories with the Ladies of Heritage Square."

Connie Korenstein, of Oxnard, was the event emcee and portrayed the late Annette Petit Laurent, the first of her family to come to California with her pioneer husband, Martin Laurent.

"My husband, Martin, and I built that house in 1901," Korenstein said in character. "And it was wonderful.  We used to sit on the front porch and watch the parade going by."

Korenstein also noted several upcoming events that are specifically planned for the 25th anniversary, including Oxnard Memories Day in August and Steampunkfest in October.

"Heritage Square is a wonderful place  we have so many things going on," said Heather Behrens, program coordinator, noting upcoming events are listed online at heritagesquareoxnard.com. "We invite the public to come and wander around and enjoy the architecture, and get a tour from a docent that can talk about the families that were here."

Saturday's fundraiser was expected to generate at least $2,000, said Kay Brainard, of Oxnard, who is among 35 docents at Heritage Square.

"We're a nonprofit organization so we need the money for our programs," Brainard said. "And we can always use some more docents."

On Saturday, Brainard dressed the part wearing a 1910-style afternoon tea dress.

While giving tours, "we mostly wear costumes between 1887 and 1912 because that's the age of the homes  the Victorian era," Brainard explained. "The docents are the preservers of Oxnard history and  we educate  that's what all the tours are about."

Carol Puorto, a docent for 16 years, wore a 100-year-old white lace dress and white gloves, and styled her hair with a Gibson Girl Edwardian updo.

"I love dressing up and I love the history," said Puorto, of Port Hueneme, who also serves on the board of Heritage Square. "When people visit they learn so much about the people who first lived here. They learn about Victorian times."

Heritage Square is a treasure in the city, noted Kendra Petersen, of Oxnard, who was in attendance with her daughter and mother-in-law.

The historical site is important, she said, because "they bring back the old time  so my kids can learn about it and their kids can learn about it."
PHOTOS BY TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Ventura County Sheriff's Deputy Adam Garnier reviews a driver's license during a DUI and driver's license checkpoint in Moorpark.

SHARE Ventura County Sheriff's Deputy David Anaya hands out "The DUI Nightmare" pamphlet during a DUI and driver's license checkpoint in Moorpark. KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR George Russell, at home in Thousand Oaks on Tuesday, poses with the booklet he wrote to let people know exactly what the consequences are when one drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Russell has partnered with local law enforcement to educate the public with his booklet. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Ventura County Sheriff's Sr. Deputy Matt Volpe hands out "The DUI Nightmare" pamphlet during a DUI and driver's license checkpoint in Moorpark. TROY HARVEY/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Ventura County Sheriff's Deputy Gregg Delaorsa reviews a driver's license during a DUI and driver's license checkpoint in Moorpark.

By Alysson Aredas, alysson.aredas@vcstar.com

Although it happened over three decades ago, Thousand Oaks resident George Russell vividly remembers the first time he crossed paths with someone who had been driving under the influence.

"At the time I was in jail bunked with a 20-year-old kid who was in there for drunken driving," said Russell. "I heard him yelling through the door that it was time to let him go, but the officer told him that he wasn't going anywhere  that he ran over someone and killed them.

"To this day, I still can't get the image of that kid crumpling onto the floor out of my head," Russell said.

Despite Russell's unforgettable brush with that drunken driver over 30 years ago, the Thousand Oaks resident has had to face two DUIs of his own  the first in 2003 when he was in the Bay Area visiting his dad and the second in 2010 after leaving a restaurant in Santa Barbara.

"I just had two glasses of wine with a full-course meal. I didn't think it would be a problem, but the problem is that people always think they're OK to drink and drive," said Russell of his second DUI. "Turns out I blew a 0.10. It turned into a real nightmare."

Little did Russell know at the time, but those experiences would motivate him to make sure others knew what they were getting themselves into if they chose to drive under the influence. He has also worked with police to help them avoid making that choice.

Driving under the influence remains a significant problem in California, according to a 2014 report to the state Legislature by the Department of Motor Vehicles. In 2012, the latest year covered in the report, 172,893 people were arrested for DUI. In accidents that involved drivers under the influence, there were 1,169 fatalities and 23,868 injuries.

Russell recounted the time he spent in jail  a place he referred to as "the dirtiest place you could possibly be"  the several hundred dollars he had to fork over to recover his car, the moment he found out his license had been suspended, the months he spent taking a mandated DUI class, and the myriad fines he had to pay, among other consequences.

"I had to research a DUI the hard way," said Russell. "I just thought to myself: I can't do this again."

Russell said that he got the idea to produce "The DUI Nightmare" booklets the day he attended his last DUI class.

"I just told my instructor that I wish somebody would've informed me step-by-step of the misery of what I was going to go through after I got my DUI," said Russell. "So I started writing it all down myself  beginning with the minute I saw the flashing lights behind me."

In each of Russell's booklets, he outlined what he calls "The DUI Nightmare." Readers get a glimpse of what it means to get a DUI, including information on roadside sobriety tests, arrests, jail time, attorneys and insurance policy implications.

"This booklet will definitely make a person think twice before they drink and drive," said Russell. "This isn't something that they will easily forget."

After finalizing his booklets, Russell sent an email to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office in December and offered to provide them free of charge for the holiday season. Just before New Year's Eve, the Thousand Oaks resident supplied 1,000 booklets to deputies.

"George's booklets are an excellent tool for us to use to get the word out," said Brad Clifton, motor sergeant of the Thousand Oaks Police Department. "We're just looking for compliance and to educate the public in regard to the impact they have on themselves and other motorists around them."

After a successful holiday season using Russell's booklets, sheriff's deputies and officers at their patrol stations in Camarillo, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks opted to continue the partnership. They now distribute the booklets regularly at DUI checkpoints and during everyday operations.

"We just want people to stop driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol," said Clifton. "I think these pamphlets can help us do that."

For more information on Russell's "The DUI Nightmare" booklet, email admin@duibooklet.com.
SHARE

By Staff Reports

Ventura police said they arrested a man Sunday morning after they found a stolen gun hidden in his car.

Ronald Lewiskates, 20, of Ventura, was arrested after police responded to a fight at 2:37 a.m. in a parking lot in the 2100 block of South Victoria Avenue, police said.

When police arrived they found a large group of people leaving the parking lot and were able to detain Lewiskates, authorities said.

While police detained Lewiskates they discovered he was involved in the fight, had two misdemeanor warrants and had a stolen handgun hidden in his car, police said.

Lewiskates was booked into Ventura County Jail for possession of a concealed handgun, possession of stolen property and the two unrelated misdemeanor warrants.

Police said the fight was mutual so no one was charged.


Ronnie Mund, best known as Ronnie the Limo Driver from the Howard Stern show and Howard TV, hosted at LAVO. After dinning at the Italian eatery Ronnie made his way to the nightclub to host a Vegas version of his Hot Chick of the Week contest, joined by Dirty Marie from Playboy Radio (Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery).

Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery.

The women competed with a dance-off for the honor, and in the end Tracy Patrick from California took home $1000. She will be flown to NYC and hold the title of Miss Howard TV for a month.

Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery.

The Official Brazzers Party was at TAO. After posing on the red carpet the cast took over a VIP sky box in the moat overlooking the entire club.

Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery.

Just after midnight German superstar DJ ATB took to the decks to wow the crowd for another edition of TAO Fridays.

Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas of the New Orleans Saints were spotted in the Boom Box room at Marquee.

Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery.

Photo credit: Al Powers/Powers Imagery.
Gagik Jhangiryan unaware of Karabakh recognition bill (video)

Armenias first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan today visited Haghtanak (Victory) Park on the occasion of the triple holiday  liberation of Shushi, the formation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republics Defense Army and the victory in World War II. He refrained from answering a question by A1+ as to what disastrous consequences the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakhs independence might have for us. Nor did he answer our next question concerning the initiative of opposition lawmaker Zaruhi Postanjyan who had submitted a bill that obligates Armenia to recognize Artsakh. Ter-Petrosyans security officers spoke instead of him. Not today  Not today Stay away, they repeated. Speaking about the same bill, Armenian lawmaker Gagik Jhangiryan said, I do not have any idea of the bill. I am not a member of the government; I have never been in the Cabinet. In reply to our observation that the bill would be debated in the next four-day sitting of the National Assembly, Mr Jhangiryan said the bill has not been introduced in parliament yet and I cannot say anything unless I get acquainted with it. Asked whether we need to recognize NKR independence, Mr Jhangiryan said, Of course, we need to do it but we should choose the right moment for recognition. If we do it now, it means we are withdrawing the Republic of Armenia from the peace talks spearheaded by the OSCE Minsk Group. Asked whether he saw any tangible work done by the international mediator, Mr Jhangiryan said, Yes, I see. Though I have some problems with vision, but I can see. I see their activity especially their direct or indirect attempts aimed at halting military operations.
Those provinces include Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Danang and Quang Nam as well as help the locals do the clean-up at beaches.

The incidents of massive fish die-off along Vietnams central coastal provinces are making fishermens lives are more and more difficult. Understanding truly the tough situation currently, Carlsberg Vietnam is taking action immediately and working closely with local authorities of these provinces to provide rice, noodles and cooking oil to help the local people overcome this hard time.

Ha Tinh was the first destination of this charity donation campaign and Carlsberg Vietnam will continue move to other provinces to support the local people there.

I was in Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Hue beaches a few days ago and saw how the fish death is impacting peoples lives. As you know, Hudas tagline is AM TINH MIEN TRUNG  Central Pride Runs Deep which means that we always stand by the central region, said Tayfun Uner, CEO of Carlsberg Vietnam. We are now working with authorities to get permission to make a charitable donation of VND10 billion to the worst hit across these provinces. Each of the 2,800 Carlsberg Vietnam employees has made a voluntary contribution, donating 1 day of salary towards this effort and will be working on beaches to do the clean-up together with local people.

Carlsberg is one of the first Danish multi-national companies to enter Vietnam and made its first investment in 1993. For the first 20 years, Carlsberg managed its Vietnamese operations through Carlsberg Indochina. In 2012, a fully dedicated Carlsberg Vietnam organisation was established with three offices and breweries in the north, central and south of Vietnam. Carlsberg Vietnams brands include Carlsberg, Tuborg, Huda Gold, Huda, Huda Cool and Halida.


Many argue that the knock-on benefits created by foreign firms justify their incentives-Photo: Le Toan

Nguyen Van Phung, a senior official of the Ministry of Finance, said the $20 million figure (which has not yet been verified as accurate) should not be considered a loss, but an opportunity cost instead. He also maintained that Vietnams tax policies were completely fair, and that no discrimination was made between foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and domestic ones.

There were indeed differences in the past, but since the common laws on Investment and Enterprises were applied, all policies regarding taxes and preferential rates have been fairly applied to all kinds of firms, said Professor Nguyen Mai, head of the Vietnam Association for Foreign Invested Enterprises (VAFIE), adding that preferential programmes to promote investment were quite commonplace.

The Provincial Competitiveness Index 2015 (PCI 2015) report pointed out that most developing countries around the world had preferential tax schemes to attract FIEs. According to the report, Malaysia is one notable example. In 1996, Malaysia accepted the loss of $2.4 billion in accumulative and corporate income taxes. However, in return, the country received $30,000 from each job created by an FIE in the country.

From this perspective, Vietnam can see that reductions or exemptions on taxes for FIEs are simply opportunity costs.

Mai noted that when Intel first came to Vietnam, he advised the Vietnamese government to overlook the short-term financial gains and approve 22 out of the 28 tax proposals made by Intel in order to receive the $1 billion investment from the multinational corporation. Following Intel, various tech giants such as Samsung, LG, and Microsoft came to Vietnam, transforming the country into a global manufacturing base and a magnet for other multinational tech firms. According to Mai, this opportunity cost is clearly beneficial for Vietnam.

Sizing up the benefits

A recent well-known case is Samsung. When the South Korean conglomerate requested preferential programmes for its research and development (R&D) centre in Hanoi, there were concerns that Samsung was crossing a line with its requests.

In fact, Samsung also requested preferential treatments when investing in multi-billion-dollar projects in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City, with the total registered investment capital of $15 billion thus far. The question is whether Vietnam will gain anything in return for these preferential tax treatments.

A few years ago, when Vietnam commemorated 25 years of successfully attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), the government considered preferential programmes for each project, particularly large-scale ones which can have a substantial impact on the Vietnamese economy and society. At that time, experts agreed that appealing policies for FIEs were necessary to draw in strategic investors. Preferential programmes are thus acceptable, particularly because these schemes (for Samsung, LG, Microsoft, and others) are all within legal boundaries.

I believe that Samsungs preferential proposals are already included in Vietnamese laws, so theres no need for a special request, said Mai. For instance, with R&D projects, Vietnam allows the disposition of land-based assets and land usage rights.

The issue remains whether Vietnam will reap any benefits from these policies, which can be examined by taking a closer look at Samsung. By employing 120,000 people with a monthly average wage of VND6 million ($269) per worker, Samsung will give VND720 billion ($33.2 million) per month and VND8.6 trillion ($385 million) per year back to Vietnam in return for the countrys preferential schemes. These figures do not include indirect impacts and contributions, such as exports, R&D, and growth for supporting industries, all of which further impacts socio-economic development in Vietnam.

The Samsung complex has a huge influence on the socio-economic development of Bac Ninh. Last year, they paid VND2 trillion ($89.7 million) in taxes, and in 2018 when the preferential rates run out, this figure will be even larger (taking into account only the 50 hectares of land that Samsung is currently using), emphasised Nguyen Tu Quynh, Chairman of the Bac Ninh Peoples Committee.

Quynh added that after Samsung Bac Ninh started operation, three poor farming villages including Yen Phong, Dong Phong, and Long Chau were transformed into service-focused towns, with new hotels and supporting industries blossoming, and incomes improving generally.

After witnessing the positive impacts from just one large corporation, others such as Microsoft, LG, and hundreds of other FIEs could make contribution to Vietnams growth.

FIEs currently account for 70 per cent of Vietnams export turnover and 60 per cent of industrial manufacturing. Their contributions to the Vietnamese socio-economic development are thus undeniable.

Mai noted that Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Dong Nai, Vinh Phuc, and Binh Duong were just some of the Vietnamese provinces that had been benefiting from the increasing FDI flows.

Dau Anh Tuan, director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys Legal Department, said that if FIEs brought modern technology to Vietnam, the effect would ripple across the country, pushing up local firms productivity and increasing the competitiveness of private Vietnamese firms in the global market. In practice, this is only possible if the domestic and foreign sectors are linked together.

Once again, take Samsung as an example. The conglomerate has organised programmes to help suppliers join its global supply chain, but not many Vietnamese firms have satisfied their requirements. The PCI 2015 points out that if Vietnamese firms fail to join the hi-tech supply chain, preferential programmes may not bring as many benefits to Vietnam as promised.

If this is the case, the fault does not lie with foreign investors, but with domestic firms. Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue cited some experts as recently dismissing FIEs as spoiled kids, and saying the local private sector was thought of as a neglected kid. According to Hue, this problem must be solved by improving local private firms, not by bringing the FDI sector down, as FDI flows are also an important part of the Vietnamese economy.

No excessive preferential programmes

In early April, the government asked the Ministry of Science and Technology to assess whether Microsoft Mobile Oy Vietnam was truly a hi-tech firm and eligible to receive preferential taxes as stated in Vietnamese laws. As a result, Microsofts tax reductions are still pending approval.

This is a commonplace process in Vietnam. Firms that would be given preferential tax treatments must still undergo assessments and evaluations. These companies can only enjoy tax exemptions if they meet various criteria on revenue, the number of staff for R&D, and localisation rate. Any failure to meet these requirements will result in a cancellation of the firms preferential taxes, a policy that is applied to Microsoft, Samsung, and all other foreign invested projects in Vietnam. The preferential tax programmes are therefore not excessive, but closely regulated on a continuous basis.
Workers process garment products for export at Norfolk Joint Stock Company in Dong Van 1 Industrial Zone. - VNA/VNS Photo Vu Sinh

Vu Duc Giang, VITAS chairman, said they were considering moving export garment orders from Viet Nam to Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, because customers of those countries would join the preferential export tax when exporting to the United States (US) and Europe.

Meanwhile, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and Viet Nam-European Free Trade Agreement have not yet come into effect. Therefore, partners of Viet Nam's export garment producers could not join any preferential tax regime from those agreements.

According to the General Department of Customs, Viet Nam gained a year-on-year growth in export values of garments at 7 per cent to US$7 billion in the first four months of this year, lower than the expected rate of 10 per cent. Import of materials for export garment production dropped in four months.

Hoang Trong Khang, deputy head of the import and export division at the Viet An Joint Stock Company specialising in garment exports to the US, European Union (EU) and South Korea, said the company saw reduction in exports to some major markets, including South Korea.

In fact, export orders for production in the second and third quarters have reduced by 5 per cent to 7 per cent against the same period last year, according to the association. The local enterprises were worried about the ability to move export orders of traditional customers to other regional countries in the second and third quarter. That situation would affect exports of enterprises as well as the garment industry.

To take more export orders and set up professional production and business activities, the Viet Nam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) has developed Vinatex International Joint Stock Company (VTJ) and the Supply Chain Development Center (SCDC).

The two businesses would combine and support member companies of Vinatex to exploit and expand the export market, seek customers and develop a supply chain from material to finished products, Tran Quang Nghi, Vinatex chairman, said.

So far, the SCDC has had eight regular customers for garment products and been developing 20 customers in the US, the Europe, South Korea and Japan.

The centre has had 10 customers for cotton and fibre and has been developing 30 customers of the products in Chile, China, Thailand, and Malaysia, in addition to South Korea.

VTJ has had 10 customers and it has concentrated on the US and Japan markets with large export volumes.

Viet Nam expected to gain total export value of $30 billion for this whole year, which is $3 billion more than in 2015.
Protesters run for cover as tear gas canister explode during clashes with Greek riot police during a demonstration against reform package in Athens. (Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP)

ATHENS: Greek riot police fired tear gas to disperse petrol bomb-throwing protesters in Athens on Sunday (May 8) as thousands took to the streets in anti-austerity demos ahead of a vote by lawmakers on a controversial tax and pensions overhaul.

Hooded youths lobbed flares and Molotov cocktails at officers who responded with volleys of tear gas, AFP reporters saw in clashes outside the parliament in the early evening, where some 10,000 protesters turned out to show their anger at the latest reforms demanded by Greece's creditors.

Police said more than 18,000 people overall rallied over the course of the day in the Greek capital, while around 8,000 turned out in the second city of Thessaloniki against the measures demanded by the EU and IMF and which the government is seeking to adopt ahead of a crunch meeting of eurozone creditors on Monday.

The reforms to be voted on later Sunday would reduce Greece's highest pension payouts, merge several pension funds, increase contributions and raise taxes for those on medium and high incomes.

The measures are part of an austerity package demanded by the European Union and International Monetary Fund in exchange for the next tranche of an 86-billion (US$95-billion) bailout agreed in July, the third for the debt-laden country since 2010.

'TIRED AND DISAPPOINTED'

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has said reform is needed to prevent the pension system collapsing in a few years, defended the changes in parliament late Sunday.

"The system requires root and branch reform that previous governments have not dared to undertake," he told lawmakers, adding that the reforms would not affect those on low incomes, something that was the result of "long and hard negotiations with creditors".

His left-wing Syriza party holds a slim majority with 153 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

Earlier, a sea of demonstrators marched through the streets waving banners with many of those taking part supporters of the communist-leaning PAME trade union. "Social security, public and compulsory for all. The plutocracy must pay," said one union banner.

Numbers were, however, significantly down on February protests when 40,000 people marched in Athens alone.

"People are tired and disappointed by the leftist government in power ... the rallies have not had the scale we had expected," said Maria, a private sector employee in her fifties who claims to be owed 30,000 (US$34,000) in back pay from her employer.

Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos has called on the eurozone to back the reforms, warning of a "failed state" if the Brussels talks run aground.

"The elements for closing the first review and providing debt relief are, I firmly believe, all there," according to a letter to the euro area's finance chiefs seen by AFP. "Nobody should believe that another Greek crisis, leading perhaps to another failed state in the region, could be beneficial to anyone."

Greece's budget deficit has ballooned as it struggles to keep up with mammoth debt payments, which the IMF believes is unsustainable.

In its official agenda for Monday's meeting in Brussels, the Eurogroup said it would review the "progress achieved" by Greece as well as discussing "possible debt relief measures".

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CREDITORS

Greece was also in the grip on Sunday of the third day of a general strike that has paralysed public transport across the country. During the stoppages, the public sector has operated at a snail's pace, while most TV and radio stations have refused to air news bulletins.

Despite the pressure from the strikes, Employment Minister Georgios Katrougalos stood by the pensions overhaul, pointing to a funding shortfall of 2 billion. "This reform should have been done decades ago," he said.

Ahead of the Brussels meeting, differences between the creditors themselves have emerged over extra reforms demanded by the IMF that could amount to another 3.6 billion of cuts by Greece.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde has warned that there were "significant gaps" in Greece's reform offers, while European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said Athens had "basically achieved" the objective of the measures required by creditors.

But both the EU and the IMF have agreed that debt relief could be considered.
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One of South Koreas leading manufacturers of electronic displays, LG Display, started construction on its $1.5 billion hi-tech screen (OLED) production factory in the northern port city of Haiphongs Trang Due industrial park late last week. The project will churn out OLED screens for smartphones, iPads, watches, TVs, and automobiles, with the factorys $1.5 billion in investment capital to be disbursed between 2015 and 2028.

Other huge Korean firms also see Vietnam as a hot investment destination, highlighting it as part of the electronics sectors global supply chain by pouring billions of dollars into the country.

For instance, Samsung entered Vietnam in 1996 and currently has three major manufacturing complexes in the country: the Samsung Vina Electronics facility in Ho Chi Minh City, the $2.5-billion Samsung Vietnam Electronics complex in the northern province of Bac Ninh, which became operational in 2009, and the $5-billion Samsung Vietnam Electronics complex in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, which came on line in March 2014. Through the deployment of these billion-dollar projects, Samsung is nearing its goal of turning Vietnam into the groups primary global manufacturing base. These developments have raised Samsungs overall investment capital in Vietnam to nearly $15 billion, making it the biggest sole foreign investor in the country. In 2015, the company exported an estimated sum $30 billion worth of products from Vietnam.

Japanese electronics giants once ruled the world, and brands like Sony, Toshiba, and Sharp were household names. These firms used to operate factories in Vietnam, but Toshiba and Sony, are gradually halting production here.

Toshiba used to have a small-scale TV production facility in Vietnam, but production at the factory stopped in February 2010. In 2008, Sony closed its TV manufacturing plant in Vietnam after nearly two decades in the country.

In a previous email to VIR, a representative of Toshiba Corporation explained that economy of scale in production and change of tariffs were among the reasons for the decision. We continually consider measures to optimise our manufacturing operations and production sites.

He confirmed that driven by the healthy growth of the Vietnamese economy, we anticipate the steady growth in the demand for electronic components and digital products. We forecast the annual growth of over 20 per cent in the markets for TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines.

Sony, Sharp, and Panasonic together reportedly lost billions of dollars in the last fiscal year. These figures stand in sharp contrast to the glory days of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Japan started to dominate the world of consumer electronics. As the Japanese economy surged, electronics conglomerates ruled the market for memory chips, colour TVs, and videocassette recorders, while their research labs gave birth to gadgets that would define an era, such as the Walkman as well as CD and DVD players.

After taking over as Panasonics new leader following the largest annual loss in its 94-year history, president Kazuhiro Tsuga stated at a press conference in June 2012 that Japanese firms were too confident about our technology and manufacturing process. We lost sight of the products from the consumers point of view.


The leader highlighted oil and gas as a key sector for co-operation during a recent visit

During last weeks three-day official visit to Vietnam, Kuwaits Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc and paid a courtesy visit to State President Tran Dai Quang and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Leaders of both sides stressed that the oil and gas sector would be a major focus for collaboration between the countries in the time to come, in addition to co-operation in the sectors of trade, investment, employment, agriculture, and tourism.

During the visit, Vietnams state-owned oil and gas giant PetroVietnam and Kuwait Petroleum Corporations (KPC) Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd (KPI) signed a deal to continue their co-operation within the $9 billion Nghi Son Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Complex Project in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa. The project will process crude oil provided by KPC, which holds a 35.1 per cent stake in this project.

Construction on the plant began in October 2013 and is expected to be completed in late 2016. It is scheduled to be put into official operation in the third quarter of 2017, and will meet about 40 per cent of Vietnams demand for petrol.

On April 18, Japans Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd announced that it and KPI had applied to register joint venture company Idemitsu Q8 Petroleum Limited Liability Company, with the purpose of distributing petroleum products in Vietnam. The products will come from the Nghi Son complex, where Idemitsu and KPI have a stake.

Idemitsu and KPI intend to promote retail and wholesale operations, mainly through the construction and management of service stations across Vietnam, said an Idemitsu press release. Idemitsu and KPI will secure a stable supply of products for the growing Vietnamese market, where demand for petroleum products is expected to follow a steady upward trend.

During the 2011-2013 period, annual two-way trade exceeded $700 million on average with $836.7 million recorded in 2011, mostly driven by Vietnams diesel imports from Kuwait.

Last year, due to the impact of falling oil prices and a decrease in Vietnams imports of Kuwaiti diesel, the bilateral trade dropped to just $220 million.

During the visit, the two countries also signed co-operation deals on culture and art, and sports. The two countries chambers of commerce and industry also inked a co-operation agreement. Vietnam and Kuwait also pledged to further their bilateral co-operation in employment, agriculture, and tourism.

For example, via the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Kuwait has provided loans worth $160 million for Vietnam to help the country implement 13 rural infrastructure development projects.
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According to a ministry source, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) might cut the high-quality steel project from its new master steel plan to 2020 with vision to 2030, which is currently being drafted, as the project has only moved at a snails pace since 2012.

The source, who declined to be named, added that Kyoei Steel blamed its delays on market oversupply, which made it difficult to sell its output.

The project, with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes, held its groundbreaking ceremony in March 2012 and was expected to operate commercially from 2015, becoming the second-largest steel project in Vietnams northern region after the Thai Nguyen steel project. Its capacity might rise to about one million tonnes of steel bar products later on.

Kyoei Steel officially entered Vietnam in 1994 as Vina Kyoei Steel, established as a joint venture company between Kyoei Steel, Mitsui & Co. and Itochu Corporation (Japan), and Vietnam Steel Corporation. Its factory is located in the Phu My Industrial Zone in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Last year it began an extension project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau with a total investment of $220 million, and an annual design capacity of 500,000 metric tonnes of billet, and 500,000 metric tonnes of finished product.

The MoIT predicted that the steel firms in Vietnam will see their overall manufacturing output increase to 35.3 million tonnes per year in the next five years, while demand will be around 15 million tonnes.

In early March, the MoIT announced a decision to issue temporary safeguard duties of 23.3 per cent on steel billets and 14.2 per cent on steel bars for a maximum of 200 days, as it noted that the recent surge in imports has caused serious damage to the local production of steel billets and rods. This is down to the fact that imported steel billets have undercut local products since 2014, especially since the price of imports dropped by 30 per cent last year.

However, Kyoei Steel protested the safeguard duties, saying that the firm has demand for imports.

The MoIT previously stated that Vietnams current production of these items could satisfy domestic demands.
Levon Zurabyan: Unilateral recognition of Karabakh means giving Azerbaijan 'casus belli' (video)

A1+ Company today asked Levon Zurabyan, Vice-Chairman of the Armenian National Congress (HAK), to comment on the opposition bill mandating Karabakhs recognition by Armenia. Zurabyan, who also heads the HAK faction in the Armenian National Assembly, said Armenias first President and HAK Leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan had already expressed their position on the matter in an article. After A1+ reminded Levon Zurabyan that Zaruhi Postanjyan, one of the co-authors of the bill, said that Ter-Petrosyan had tried to repeat what Serzh Sargsyan and Hermine Naghdalyan had already said in connection with opposition parliamentarians initiative. And now, Levon Ter-Petrosyan has been ordered to say it, Zaruhi Postanjyan said commenting on the first Presidents article. I do not view Zaruhi Postanjyan as an authority in issues concerning the Karabakh conflict and I do not think that I need to reflect on her assessment, Levon Zurabyan said at Haghtanak (Victory) Park on May 9. Asked what his faction would do at the next plenary session as the legislature was going to put the bill to a vote, Mr Zurabyan said, This is not the first time a similar bill is introduced in the National Assembly. I do not think we must vote against it. We shall vote for the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state but we shall do it only once. At this stage, we think that it is not the right time to put the bill to a vote, therefore we have decided not to participate in it. In his article, Levon Ter-Petrosyan said a unilateral recognition would be fraught with unpredictable and disastrous consequences. Asked to explain the reasons for such an opinion, Levon Zurabyan said, I would not like to speak instead of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, but there are obvious reasons. There is a plan to hold a referendum in which Karabakhs population would be free to determine the territorys status. In fact, superpowers and the Minsk Group Co-Chairs have accepted Nagorno-Karabakh's right to self-determination and shown the way in which this right to self-determination can be exercised. Therefore, we say that unilateral recognition by Armenia will be fraught with disastrous consequences. In this regard, Mr Zurabyan stressed that by recognizing Artsakh Armenia will give Azerbaijan something which will be seen by the international community as casus belli. It is an act or excuse that is used to justify war, Zurabyan stressed.


Petrolimex is asking for the same benefits granted to other oil refineries in Vietnam

Located in South Van Phong economic zone in the central province of Khanh Hoa, the South Van Phong refinery project was licensed in 2008 and has been at a standstill ever since. Vietnamese investor Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) said it was looking for a foreign investor to jointly carry out the project. However, the project has failed to move forward, despite the fact that Japanese company JX Nippon Oil & Energy has showed interest in becoming the refinerys main shareholder.

According to Bui Ngoc Bao, chairman of Petrolimex, the reason for the delay is that the government has not approved the incentives asked by the company.

Petrolimex is a Vietnamese company. Its unfair if Petrolimexs refinery project does not avail of the same incentives as those enjoyed by foreign-backed projects, he said. We merely propose that South Van Phong get the same incentives as Dung Quat and Nghi Son.

Dung Quat and Nghi Son are the first two refinery projects in Vietnam. Dung Quat refinery is currently in operation, and Nghi Son is scheduled to start commercial operations in 2017. During the first ten years of commercial operation, the two refineries are allowed to sell their products at prices equal to the price of imported fuel, plus 7 per cent for gasoline and oil, 5 per cent for liquefied petroleum gas, and 3 per cent for petrochemical products. In the case of import tariffs on the above products falling lower than these levels the state budget intends to make up the difference.

The two refineries also receive support in terms of infrastructure. The government paid millions of dollars to build roads in the region of Dung Quat, from which Dung Quat refinery benefitted enormously. For the Nghi Son project, the government spent $230 million on compensating and relocating people who lived in the area cleared for the refinery, as well as preparing the ground for construction.

For another oil refinery project, the proposed $30-billion refinery in the central province of Binh Dinh, Thai investors requested that along with incentives already applied for projects in Nhon Hoi economic zone where the refinery is located, they would receive more incentives including land rental fees, corporate income tax breaks, the same pricing policy as Dung Quat and Nghi Son, support in infrastructure construction and site clearance, a port dedicated to the project or support in expanding Quy Nhons existing port, and a steady water supply.

The South Van Phong refinery project has a capacity of five million tonnes of crude input per year. The total investment is estimated at $6-7 billion. Vietnamese partners, including Petrolimex, will join the project but will not contribute more than 30 per cent of the refinerys investment capital.

Petrolimex sold an 8 per cent stake to JX Nippon Oil & Energy by issuing more shares to raise its charter capital. JX Nippon Oil & Energy said that it spent 20 billion ($183 million) on the deal. At the end of 2014, JX Nippon Oil & Energy signed a strategic partnership agreement that facilitated the companys joining the South Van Phong project.


The government will change its current methods to a more proactive approach-Photo: Le Toan

While chairing the debut meeting of the new cabinet, the newly-elected PM stressed that the new government would have to clarify its function as a state management body and a market regulator.

It is crucial now to work towards eliminating the ask-give mechanism. The government will only focus on making policies and creating an environment conducive to business development, Phuc said.

The oft-used term ask-give mechanism, refers to the means of governing society by orders rather than the rule of law, such that actions by lower officials are contingent on receiving approval from superiors, with various favours exchanged in return.

The government must change its working methods in order to avoid becoming a burden to citizens and businesses, as it is now, Phuc stated.

Tran Dinh Thien, head of the Vietnam Economic Institute, told VIR that Phucs words were a great message to the public and enterprises, affirming the governments strong determination to build a more public and business-friendly government.

The government should have done this a long time ago, due to pressures to reform, Thien said. I believe changes in the role of the state from being a producer and owner to being a facilitator, service provider, and regulator can be made successfully.

Thien said that Vietnams deeper international integration is forcing the government to change its attitude towards private enterprises.

Over the past several years, the international community has urged the government to reform its methods by reducing its direct involvement in the market, which is often conducted via administrative orders and the commercialisation of state institutions.

According to the landmark Vietnam 2035 report, a joint Vietnam-World Bank Group study, the Vietnamese government has been heavily engaged in economic activities in various ways: directly, through state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and large economic groups, and indirectly, through close links between the state and an exclusive segment of the domestic private sector.

Currently, Vietnam has about 800 SOEs holding assets worth $142.86 billion and total capital of $52.38 billion.

Beyond its costs to the economy, the commercialisation of state institutions weakens the effectiveness of the state itself. It creates powerful incentives for public officials to exploit their regulatory powers and allocations of property rights to lock in long-term benefits for themselves, their families, or their networks. Such abuses of public authority undermine the legitimacy of state institutions, noted the report.

Thien also noted that it will be difficult to implement the prime ministers new message. This is because it will affect influential vested interests related to resource allocation and public investment, which links to corruption.

However, according to a government release, regarding the fight against corruption and wastefulness, the prime minister affirmed that the new government will be determined to build the governments integrity, transparency and efficiency by getting rid of corruption and wastefulness.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Dinh Cung, head of the Central Institute for Economic Management, said that if the government made greater efforts, Phucs message might be successfully realised.
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A technician from the British biotec company Oxitec, inspects the pupae of genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, a vector for transmitting the Zika virus, in Campinas, Brazil.


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Serzh Sargsyan also visited field kitchen opened at Victory Park (video)

Serzh Sargsyan together with His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II visited the Victory Park in Yerevan and accompanied by the veterans, the highest commanding staff of the RA Armed Forces, high level state officials, representatives of the Freedom Fighters NGOs, representatives of the diplomatic corps laid a wreath at the tribute of the Unknown Warrior. On the occasion of the victory in WWII and anniversary of the liberation of Shushi, the President of Armenia paid tribute to the memory of the heroes who fell defending their Fatherland in the name of peace. Together with the participants of the event, Serzh Sargsyan viewed the march with the participation of the units of the RA Armed Forces, RF border control units, regiments of the ceremonial troops, cadets of the V. Sarkissian Military Institute and students of the M. Melkonian Sport and Military School. Later, the President of Armenia visited the field kitchen traditionally opened at Victory Park on the occasion of May 9 Holiday. He congratulated the veterans gathered at the tent around the dinner table and conversed with them on the issues of their interest.
I've been curious about these new units... How do you like the feel of them? djoddity wrote :

The units are great! Super lightweight and very small. Crystal clear 7" very fast responsive LCD touchscreen, same as XDJ-1000.Everything is alright, but do not expect a high-end jogwheel like the DDJ-SX or DDJ-SZ, CDJ900 or CDJ2000 etc...The jog-wheel is the only point of concern in my opinion. It's very plastic and less responsive, but it does the job well.Why I chosen this unit:+ it's very small (it's as small as my Pioneer DJM400 mixer)+ lightweight+ can be used stand-alone+ can be used with smartphones+ can be used with network database+ can be used as midi controller+ can be used as a backup for VDJ (if laptop crash, switch to usb stick (or smartphone or ipod or ?? in a half-second!)With an USB stick, or recordbox or Virtual DJ, the unit is fast as hell. Did not try Se**to yet.I bought this set because I'm having problems now and then to find a place to put my Pioneer DDJ-SZ controller in a (small) DJ booth in clubs.This setup is going with me instead of the DDJ-SZ where space is a problem.I was looking at the XDJ-1000 too, but the difference is:+ has the standard professional jogwheel+ has beatskip functionality on the touchscreen (not on XDJ-700)+ has jogwheel sensitivity knob (also used for vinyl start / break. XDJ-700 only has the vinyl break function. This is a touchscreen button with predefined stop time you can't modify)- XDJ-1000 is (much) bigger (like a CDJ900 or CDJ2000)- more weight- much more expensive!I wanted a small setup, because my big controller is an issue sometimes. So with the XDJ-1000 I would not save space.. That and the price difference for the options I would not miss.. The XDJ-700 is my kind of controller at the moment..Will test much more and other setups, but this is for now what I know.My setup yesterday. 2x XDJ-700, DJM400 and Virtual DJ 8.1:
Officials in Afghanistan say the State Department designated terrorist group, the al-Qaida linked Haqqani network, has effectively taken over battlefield command of the Taliban insurgency.

Haqqani militants allegedly operate from sanctuaries in neighboring Pakistan and are known for staging high-profile suicide assaults on Afghan and international forces.

The Taliban are currently being commanded by [the] Haqqani [network]. We believe Haqqani and al-Qaida are two different names for the same terrorist organization, Interior Ministry spokesman, Sediq Seddiqi, told reporters in Kabul. He said Afghan security forces military strategists are aware of the terrorist threat and dealing with all of them as a common enemy of Afghanistan.

U.S. and Afghan leaders have long alleged the Haqqani network has ties to Pakistani military-intelligence. The group has fought along side the Taliban in the 15-year Afghan conflict, but mostly operated independently, until last year when its fugitive chief Sirajuddin Haqqani was named deputy to Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.

Officials at NATOs Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan last week also warned of the Haqqani network, describing it as the most lethal and most competent" terrorist organization in the area.

Siraj Haqqani, has been named the number two for the Taliban. And we think that he is increasing really, his day-to-day role in terms of conducting Taliban military operations, says U.S. Army Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, deputy chief of staff for communications for NATOs Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.

And we think that he is trying to exert more influence really, on the leadership with some of these shadow governors in some of these other places [in Afghanistan], Cleveland noted. But he underscored concerns about the Haqqanis branching out from their traditional area and then focus on high profile attacks like the one that killed nearly 70 people in Kabul last month.

Tensions with Pakistan



The Haqqani networks growing role is likely to fuel Afghanistans tensions with Pakistan. Kabul has consistently pressed Islamabad to crackdown on the group, claiming it has evidence showing Haqqanis were behind the April 19 deadly bombing in the Afghan capital.

Pakistani officials dismiss allegations the network is still operating from their territory. A senior foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week urged Afghans to share the evidence, saying Islamabads probe into the violence has established it had nothing to do with it.

Despite emerging new security challenges, Afghan officials claim their forces have inflicted heavy casualties on the insurgents since the Taliban launched its so-called spring offensive last month.

Kabuls ambassador to Islamabad, Hazrat Omer Zakhilwal, tells VOA the battlefield successes have boosted moral of Afghan forces, which have received far less casualties than the previous fighting season.

There were a lot of expectations within the Taliban and the supporters of the Taliban that their spring offensive would result in significant advancements for the Taliban and that there would be collapse of a few provinces by now, Zakhilwal said. The complete opposite happened. The Taliban received and are still receiving tremendous casualties. They did not make any advancement. They are struggling right now with respective their spring offensive and objectives.

Afghan officials say U.S air support has been sought in certain cases, but foreign troops are not involved in ground combat.

Cleveland says about 75 percent of the Afghan Special Operation Forces missions are conducted independently, with no coalition assistance whatsoever.

"Out of that remaining 25 percent, a percentage of that, we're not going into the field with them, we're just essentially helping them with the planning and intelligence and advising and those types of things," he said.

Afghan forces

Independent Western security experts like Ted Callahan, who is based in northern Afghanistan, also agree with Kabuls assessment of the fighting.

Callahan says support from international forces has played a key role in operations Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have conducted, particularly in northern provinces, including Kunduz, which the Taliban had briefly overrun in 2015.

I would say the mood of the local population is much more optimistic than we have seen for several months previously. But at the same time the question is how sustainable is this current model, because if you look it is really dependent on having international forces and their assets present, said Callahan.

Afghan forces have intensified counter-insurgency operations after the April 19 Kabul attack that officials blamed on the Haqqani network.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has dismissed as propaganda claims the insurgent group has suffered massive casualties and failed to achieve its objectives.

Our spring offensive is not a week long or a moth-long activity. It is a full one year operation and our mujahideen will prevail as they did last year, Mujahid asserted.

Analysts believe the intensifying Afghan conflict means further deterioration of the country's relations with Pakistan.

A four-nation process, involving the United States, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan, to promote talks with the Taliban as well as Kabul's normal ties to Islamabad are now "practically hostage" to Afghan expectations of a direct Pakistani action against the Haqqani network, says an Afghan presidential aid, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity.
At least five people were killed and 13 others wounded after an explosion and gunfire attack on Mogadishu traffic police headquarters in the east of Somalia's capital, medical sources and witnesses said.

Al-Shabab militants have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Witnesses said they heard a huge explosion followed by gunfire at the entrance of the traffic police headquarters near the old seaport in Shangani district. The traffic police center is located near the United Arab Emirates embassy.

A car bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber, and moments later a militant tried to enter the building, but was shot by police, security sources told VOA Somali Service.

Mogadishu ambulances services told VOA they recovered the bodies of five people and transported 13 others who were wounded.

Three police officers are among the dead, security sources say.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann abruptly resigned Monday, two weeks after his center-left Social Democratic Party's presidential nominee was drubbed in first-round elections by an anti-immigration far right candidate.

Faymann, chancellor for the past eight years, said he no longer had the "strong backing" of his party.

"As a result of this insufficient support, I am accepting the consequences and resign my functions as party leader and chancellor, effective today," he said.

It was not immediately clear who will succeed him. Austrian media reports say Faymann's successor will be chosen at an extraordinary party summit set for May 17.

The Euro-skeptic far right Freedom Party's candidate, Norbert Hofer, finished first in the April 24 polls with just more than 35 percent of the vote. Green Party nominee Alexander Van der Bellen finished a distant second with 21 percent, setting the stage for for a runoff election May 22.

Hofer's first place finish, the far right's best showing since 1945, is widely seen as reflecting rising voter alarm over Europe's ongoing migrant influx and dissatisfaction with the European Union role in the crisis.
North Koreas treatment of international journalists in the country is undermining the carefully constructed image of the Kim Jong Un government being presented at the party congress, now under way in Pyongyang.

North Korea expelled a team of BBC journalists Monday, apparently because officials were unhappy with their reports.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBCs Tokyo correspondent, along with producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were detained Friday as they were about to leave North Korea. Wingfield-Hayes was interrogated for eight hours.

The BBC team was in North Korea ahead of the Workers Party Congress accompanying a delegation of Nobel prize laureates conducting a research trip.

The team also joined 130 invited foreign journalists to cover the beginning of North Koreas Workers' Party Congress, the biggest political convention held in North Korea in generations.

The journalists, however, have been kept far away from thousands of party officials gathered at the event and government minders have closely managed their movements.

Nuclear state

The party congress itself has tried to show unity and support for North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns "Byongjin" policy of jointly pushing forward economic development and nuclear armament.

On Monday, the congress announced a new title for the North Korean leader, party chairman.

In his address to the congress over the weekend, Kim - dressed in a Western business suit - received extended applause for his speech, but analysts say he offered no serious proposals for reducing international tension over North Koreas nuclear program.

The United Nations imposed harsh new economic sanctions on North Korea in March for its last nuclear test and rocket launch earlier this year.

Kim declared his country a nuclear state, but said he would refrain from using nuclear weapons unless the Norths sovereignty is violated. Kim also said he is willing to normalize ties with states that had been hostile towards it.

South Koreas Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun on Monday rejected Kims position and outreach.

It is a consistent position of us and the international community that we do not recognize North Korea as a nuclear state. Our government will continuously put forth efforts to make North Korea give up its nuclear power through strong sanctions and pressure, he said.

Bong Young-shik, a national security analyst with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul is also dubious whether Kim Jong Un was actually making a serious proposal to engage in talks to reduce inter-Korean tensions.

I think that proposal needs to be weighed to see if it carries any significance or is it just cover for the sake of proposing to the world that the North Korean regime might be interested in a reduction of tension, said Bong.

The international community, including North Korean allies China and Russia, want the Kim Jong Un government to return to talks to dismantle its nuclear program in return for economic assistance and security guarantees.

In his speech Kim Jong Un again refused to give up his nuclear program, but promised to fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearization.

Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korean studies professor at Dongguk University in Seoul said the North Korean leader made clear he is not willing to compromise.

North Korea is trying to get a complete recognition as a nuclear state, and in this process, North Korea is also trying to approach the U.S. and international community on the nuclear issue, he said.

Economy

Kims economic plan offered few specific details but praised the countrys socialist system and promised greater agriculture yields, factory production and coal output.

South Korea's central bank said last year the North's economy grew by one percent in 2014.

Much of the Norths economic activity, however, is happening in unofficial private markets that have been growing steadily in recent years.

Professor Andrei Lankov, a North Korea analyst with Kookmin University, said the fact the North Korean leader did not mention the privatization of the economy is itself a kind of tacit approval.

It can be seen as a sign that hes going to continue with his current economic policy, which is essentially benign neglect of the fast-growing market forces within North Korea, and this is good, Lankov said.

The Norths economy is expected to suffer under the new U.N. sanctions that restrict the countrys lucrative mineral trade and bans most bank transactions.

The ruling party congress, in its fourth day, is the first to be held in 36 years and is happening amid speculation that North Korea will soon conduct its fifth nuclear test.
Facebook has won a rare trademark lawsuit in China over the use of a version of its name by a Chinese beverage maker.

The Beijing Higher People's Court ruled that Pearl River Drinks should not be allowed to register the trademark "face book" and that using it on labels of foods and beverages was an obvious act of copying that hurt market competition.

Neither Facebook nor Pear River Drinks were available for comment.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives have made efforts to woo Chinese officials. Zuckerberg had a rare meeting with China's propaganda czar Liu Yunshan, suggesting a warming of relations between the social media giant and China.

Despite the court victory, Facebook and other foreign websites continue to be blocked in China by what has become known as the "Great Firewall."

Zuckerberg has become a celebrity in China by making speeches in Mandarin and running through noxious smog in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

The Facebook decision comes weeks after a court ruled against technology giant Apple in a similar suit over its iPhone brand. Apple has said it will take its case to China's Supreme People's Court.
A Yazidi woman disfigured by a mine blast while escaping enslavement by Islamic State militants will get needed surgery in Germany after a VOA article detailed her plight and a lack of medical help.

Lamiya Hachi Bashar, 18, lost her sight and was severely disfigured last month. Doctors said her complex injuries required treatment that was not available in Iraq. They said Bashar needed to be sent abroad for plastic surgery before it became impossible for her face to be surgically repaired.

A German aid agency said it was willing to help. However, Bashar faced weeks of waiting in order to get an entry visa to Germany, and there was uncertainty about who was going to pay for the medical procedures.

Following the VOA report, several organizations and individuals reached out to help. Bashar will be flown to Germany this week and receive surgery to repair one damaged eye, Bashar's uncle told VOA.

WATCH: Yazidi Woman Seeks Aid for Disfigured Face

The VOA report "helped her story to be heard everywhere," Bashar's uncle, Idris Kojo, said Monday by telephone from northern Iraq.

The director of the German-based Air Bridge Iraq, Mirza Dinnayi, said the publicity will accelerate Bashar's medical care.

"I am now confident there won't be any problem collecting funds for her," Dinnayi said. "Many people are contacting me offering to do everything to help."

Dinnayi said his organization will pay for the operation for her left eye, which will cost $11,000.

"Other organizations will help us pay for her plastic surgery after the eye operation is done and we have an estimate of the costs," he said.

Bashar is one of thousands of Yazidis who have suffered under systematic violence by IS. While in IS captivity, Bashar said she was sold five times as a sex slave and faced mental and physical abuse. One IS leader in Mosul allegedly forced her to make suicide belts and prepare car bombs.
With Republicans not exactly united behind Donald Trump and polls showing a majority of voters holding unfavorable views of Democrat Hillary Clinton, Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson sees a "real opportunity" for another choice in the race to be the next leader of the United States.

"I do think that Clinton and Trump are the two most polarizing figures in politics today," Johnson said Sunday on ABC's This Week. "And when 50 percent of Americans now declare themselves as independent, I happen to think that they're libertarian, it's just that they don't know it."

His party, which values individual rights over government interference, will formally name its candidate later this month.

But the path for a third-party candidate, from nomination to the November election, contains a number of huge hurdles.

The first, and perhaps biggest, is money.

Campaign financing

Individuals have to declare their candidacy for president with a simple form submitted to the Federal Elections Commission.

So far, more than 1,700 forms have been filed for the 2016 election, though many are clearly joke entries featuring names like Vladimir Putin, Fidel Castro, Rocky Balboa and Buddy the Cat.

To be declared an official candidate, those individuals have to raise at least $5,000 in campaign contributions. To be eligible for federal campaign matching funds during primary season, a candidate has to raise $5,000 in 20 different states.

Fundraising comparisons

According to FEC data, Johnson, with $320,000, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, with $223,000, were the only third-party candidates to meet that threshold by the end of March.

By comparison, Clinton had raised $180 million and Trump $48 million.

Money becomes even more difficult during the general election.

The same public funding system requires a third party to have received at least 5 percent of the popular vote in the previous election in order to be eligible for funds this year. No third party achieved that level in 2012.

That means this year the major party nominees will be able to receive up to $96 million in federal funding, while third parties can receive nothing.

That does not matter much to Democrats and Republicans, who can easily raise more money on their own. Plus, if a candidate takes the federal money, that is all they are allowed to spend on their campaign.

In 2012, President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney each declined federal funds. Obama did so in 2008 as well.

Public financing

Public financing began in 1976, funded by an optional check box on federal income tax return forms allowing the government to allocate $1 (now $3) from an individual's tax payments.

About 27 percent of taxpayers agreed to that in 1976, but that has fallen to just 5 percent. With candidates not relying on the public money as they once did, the fund's balance now stands at more than $300 million.

But even if they somehow found all $300 million in their campaign account, a third-party candidate also faces the challenge of actually getting his or her name on the ballot.

Requirements vary by state, but range from needing to get a few hundred signatures (Tennessee) to nearly 200,000 (California).

Johnson said Sunday he expects the Libertarians to be the only third party on the ballot in each of the 50 states.

Debates

Next, there is the task of convincing voters.

Debates play a big role in the general election, allowing voters to see the candidates side-by-side, tackling the important issues facing the nation.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled three debates, beginning in September, and as in past elections is requiring candidates to get 15 percent support in several polls in order to be allowed to participate.

There is not much polling involving third parties yet.

A Monmouth University poll in late March asked people to weigh a potential election involving Trump, Clinton and Johnson. Clinton won with 42 percent, Trump got 34 percent and Johnson had 11 percent.

A third-party or independent candidate has not been allowed in the debates since 1992 when Ross Perot sparred with Republican George H.W. Bush and Democrat Bill Clinton.

History

Perot's 1992 campaign was one of the few that garnered widespread support on election day, winning 19 percent of the popular vote. Since 1912, only one candidate who was not a Democrat or Republican has done better.

Teddy Roosevelt, a two-term president from 1901 to 1909 as a Republican, ran again in 1912 but lost the party's nomination to sitting President William Taft.

Roosevelt formed his own Progressive Party and ended up winning 27 percent of the vote to come in second place, while Taft came in third.

Together, their vote totals would have beaten Democrat Woodrow Wilson who became president.

That kind of result is why Democratic and Republican candidates today are asked if they will pledge to back the party's nominee if they are not chosen. Meanwhile, third-party candidates continue to fight uphill against what has become an entrenched two-party system in the United States.

Obama won the 2012 election with more than 65 million votes nationwide. Romney came in second place with 60 million votes. Johnson was third with just under 1.3 million, while Stein came in fourth with 465,000.
North Carolinas Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act

The Law:

Passed on March 23, the law, commonly referred to as HB2, bans individuals from using public bathrooms that do not correspond with their biological sex, as dictated by their birth certificates. It also bars cities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances to protect gay and transgender people (per Charlotte's act to protect the rights of the LGBT community).

Supporters:

Citing the right to privacy, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is staunchly defending the controversial law, which largely impacts transgender people.

Last week, the Justice Departments top civil rights official said the bill violated Title VII, which prohibits sex discrimination. The governor was given until Monday to scrap the statute, But the governor responded to the deadline by filing a lawsuit against the Justice Department:

In return, the Department of Justice announced a countersuit against North Carolina during a news conference just a few hours later.

The Feds:

The Justice Department flatly rejects the law, arguing it violates The Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Is the state at risk of losing federal funds?

Yes. The Obama administration is considering withholding billions of dollars, mostly relating to education funding.

According to Human Right Watch, "North Carolina has already lost more than a half billion dollars in economic activity just from companies canceling or reconsidering plans to come to the state...."

Does the law also allow other discriminatory practices, as media outlets have reported?

Yes. HB2 leaves in place language that strips North Carolina workers of the ability to sue under a state anti-discrimination law, a right that has been upheld in court since 1985.

"If you were fired because of your race, fired because of your gender, fired because of your religion, you no longer have a basic remedy, said Allan Freyer, head of the Workers Rights Project at the North Carolina Justice Center, who was quoted in an article published in MotherJones.
Israel has approved the extradition to the United States of two men indicted in New York on multiple counts of securities fraud that carry lengthy jail terms, Israel's Justice Ministry said.



Gery Shalon, 32, and Ziv Orenstein, 41, were arrested at their homes in Israel last July after U.S. authorities accused them of engaging in a stock manipulation scheme between 2011 and 2015. Jerusalem District Court agreed on Sunday to an extradition request by New York Southern District Court.



In a statement on Monday, Israel's Justice Ministry gave no date for the extradition of Shalon and Orenstein, but said the two men had consented to it. Lawyers for the two did not immediately return calls for comment.

According to a U.S. indictment filed last year, Shalon, Orenstein and a third suspect, Joshua Samuel Aaron, had worked with two unnamed stock promoters, one from New Jersey and one from Florida, to run a "pump-and-dump" scheme.



The defendants would acquire shares in thinly traded companies, send millions of spam emails inducing investors to buy the stocks in order to drive up the price, and then sell off their holdings.



U.S. authorities last year said Aaron, a U.S. citizen with residences in Moscow and Tel Aviv, was at large. His circumstances were not immediately clear on Monday.



According to Israel's Justice Ministry, an amended U.S. indictment in March added counts such as computer hacking and online gambling to the original charges filed against Shalon and Orenstein.



Prosecutors in the United States contend that Shalon, Orenstein and Aaron ran a criminal enterprise that hacked into a dozen companies' networks, stealing the personal information of more than 100 million people.



In the case of one of those companies, JPMorgan, prosecutors said records belonging to 83 million customers were stolen. At the time of Shalon's and Orenstein's arrest, Israeli officials neither confirmed nor denied any link to the JPMorgan case, and it was not mentioned in the Justice Ministry

statement.
The trial of an Israeli soldier accused of killing a wounded Palestinian assailant has opened at a military court near Tel Aviv.

Nineteen-year-old Elor Azaria faces charges of manslaughter and inappropriate conduct in the March 24 shooting.

The incident, in the West Bank city of Hebron, came to light after a video showed Azaria shooting dead 21-year-old Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif after he was on the ground and injured, following the stabbing of an Israeli soldier.

In its indictment, the military prosecution said Azaria "acted in contrast to the rules of opening fire and without any operational justification. It said the Palestinian assailant "did not present a clear and present threat."

Azaria's defense says he believed the assailant, though subdued, may have had a suicide explosive belt and posed a danger.

Thousands of Israelis rallied last month in support of the soldier, accusing the government of treating him unfairly. Azaria faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The incident came amid a wave of violence that started in October. Since then, Palestinian attacks have killed 28 Israelis, while Israeli forces have killed about 200 Palestinians; most, they say, were carrying out knife, gun or other attacks at the time.
While the trial of former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo resumes at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during the 2010-2011 post-election crisis, the trial of his wife Simone Gbagbo, who faces similar charges, opens in Ivory Coast.



Simone Gbagbo's supporters gave her a warm welcome as she entered the criminal court that will judge her in Abidjan.

The former first lady is being tried for crimes allegedly committed during the post-electoral crisis in 2010 and 2011, triggered after her husband, then president Laurent Gbagbo, and contestant Alassane Ouattara both claimed victory in presidential elections.

The subsequent four months of violence left at least 3,000 people dead. She and her husband were eventually arrested and Ouattara became president.

While Laurent Gbagbo is on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Simone Gbagbo is being tried in Ivory Coast because Ivorian authorities refused to transfer her, claiming the country's justice system is capable of judging her.

Probably will be found guilty



Defense attorney Rodrigue Dadje says Mrs. Gbagbo prefers to be judged by an Ivorian court, because she is accused of committing crimes towards her own citizens, so she must explain herself in front of them. But he adds that justice in Ivory Coast is not independent, is under the influence of the government, and that there are strong chances she will be condemned even if there is no evidence.

The defense argued in court Monday the composition of the jury is not fair and is biased against her.

Simone Gbagbo, 66 years old, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year by a different court for undermining state security and organizing armed gangs. She has maintained her innocence.

Hoping for justice



Representing the state, prosecutor Soungalo Coulibaly says he is hoping justice will be served for the victims, who have suffered a lot. "Justice must be served in order to reconcile the population," he said.

Arguments are due to start later this month. Simone Gbagbo could face life in prison if she is found guilty.
The Syrian government has announced a 48-hour extension of a fragile localized cease-fire in Aleppo, where an uptick in fighting between the government and rebels has threatened a nationwide cessation of hostilities.

Syrias state news agency, SANA, said the military announced an extension of the localized truce that took effect on Friday and was set to expire early Tuesday.

The U.S. and Russia helped negotiate similar localized cessations last month for Latakia and East Ghouta, as part of a bid to keep the February nationwide cessation of hostilities from unraveling.

Aleppo has been the scene of some of the worst fighting between the government and rebels in recent weeks. Since late April, nearly 300 civilians have been killed in the unrest, which has included airstrikes on hospitals.

U.S. officials say that while the overall goal is to get the nationwide cessation to hold in Syria, the incremental, localized truces can be beneficial.

It is confidence-building, said a senior State Department official Monday.

If you can get past that 48 [hours]. If you can get that 72 [hours], the official added.

Word of the extension in Aleppo came hours after the U.S. and Russia said their combined effort to quell unrest in Syria has resulted in a significant decrease in fighting in some areas, but that challenges remain.

In a joint statement, the two countries said fighting between the Syrian regime and rebels has dropped significantly in North Latakia and East Ghouta.

"However, we also recognize the difficulties faced by the CoH [cessation of hostilities] in several areas of the country, especially in the recent period," the U.S. and Russia said.

In a background briefing Monday, a U.S. official said that in recent days, overall fighting dropped in Aleppo, Syria's largest city, but "there have been pockets where that is not the case."

The official said some of the unrest involved the al-Nusra Front, a terrorist group that is not part of the cessation.

The U.S. and Russia are co-chairs of a cease-fire task force that has been monitoring violations of the truce.

International Syria Support Group

Also, Russia has been using its leverage with the Syrian regime, and the U.S. has been exerting pressure on the Syrian opposition to abide by agreement.

The U.S. and Russian joint statement came as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met in Paris with officials from France and several other countries that are part of the International Syria Support Group.

The 17-nation body has been backing a U.N.-facilitated effort for a political transition in Syria, a move that could ease the countrys internal unrest and bolster the multi-national effort to fight Islamic State in Syria.

Speaking on behalf of Arab and Western ministers meeting in Paris, French Foreign Minister Jean Marc Ayrault called for the Geneva talks to resume as soon as possible. For that to happen, he said at a news conference, "the cease-fire violations stop immediately and progress is achieved in delivering humanitarian aid to civilians on the ground."

Those remarks were echoed by the EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who said, "there is no other way rather than the political way to solve the crisis in Syria" and to pave the way for humanitarian aid and a political transition."

Meeting, anti-corruption summit

Kerry is on a four-day diplomatic mission to Europe that includes a stop in London, where he will participate in an anti-corruption summit.

The anti-corruption gathering Thursday is being hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron, and will be attended by heads of state from Afghanistan, Colombia and Nigeria, among others.

Cameron's summit is aimed at tackling global corruption, and comes just a few weeks after he was exposed in the leak of the so-called Panama Papers as having a stake in an offshore fund set up by his father. The British leader says he has done nothing wrong.

The public will have access to the Panama Papers, which mention various world leaders and dignitaries, beginning Monday.

Cameron called corruption "the root of so many of the world's problems," and said it is "an enemy of progress."

"For too long there has been a taboo about tackling this issue head-on. The summit will change that. Together we will push the fight against corruption to the top of the international agenda where it belongs," he said.

Russia will be represented at the summit by Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg also will be in attendance.

While in Britain, Kerry also will meet with Oxford University students and give a speech at the Oxford Union.
A homeless Kurdish woman was given shelter and is being resettled by the government of the Kurdistan region of Iraq after a VOA Kurdish broadcast detailed her suffering last week.

Amina Ali, 39, had been living in a public park in the city of Sulaimani in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq after she could no longer afford to pay her rent.

"I have no place to live in," she told VOA from inside a tent at the park. "I've been here for weeks."

Soon after a television report was broadcast Friday on VOA's Kurdish Service programming, local officials reached out to VOA for help in locating the woman, a Kurdish official told VOA.

"We didn't know about her until we watched your video report," Omar Gulpi, a local official at the department of social services, told VOA. "We are following her case and for now we have provided her with temporary residence."

Since the beginning of the war with IS militants in 2014, the Kurdish region has been dealing with a severe financial crisis that has greatly crippled economic growth.

The crisis is partially due to budget disputes between the Kurdish government and central government in Baghdad, Kurdish officials say.

Homelessness is becoming an increasing problem among local Kurds as the region grapples with the resettling of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing civil war, as well as internally displaced people in Iraq escaping Islamic State.

Ali, a widow whose brother was killed fighting IS, says she doesn't have any family to support her after her husband died of cancer.

Welfare laws in the Kurdistan region require female citizens to be at least 55 years old to be eligible for government assistance. But officials say they will make an exception for Ali. Given her dire situation, she will be included in the public welfare program.

"This is a very unfortunate story," Mohammed Hawidiani, the Minister of Social Services, told VOA. "I will make certain that she gets all the care she deserves."

Ali will be offered permanent housing and monthly cash assistance, Kurdish officials said.
A list backed by mainstream candidates is claiming victory in Lebanon's first round of local elections, despite a challenge by grassroot groups that hoped to take on the country's stagnant political system.

Members of the Beirut list, an alliance backed by former prime minister Saad Hariri and other senior politicians, announced they had won all 24 seats in the Beirut municipality.

It saw off a challenge from a competing list called Beirut Mandinati, Arabic for "Beirut is my city", which vowed to clean up the city's politics and its streets.

The vote was the first since an eight-month trash crisis in Beirut sparked massive anti-government protests.

Municipal election were held in Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley, where lists backed by the Shiite movement Hezbollah dominated in most municipalities.



Turnout in Beirut was reported at around 20 percent, while in Bekaa close to 50 percent of registered voters turned out.

Final results are expected later Monday.

Sunday's elections were the first in Lebanon since 2010. The government has postponed parliamentary elections, citing security concerns linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Three other rounds of voting will take place in other parts of the country in the coming weeks.
Malawis government has called for the arrest of street beggars and parents of all children seen begging on the street. The government said most of the people on the street are begging as a profession, not a last resort. But the edict has sparked debate and police are yet to crack down.



Its 6 oclock in the morning. The streets in Malawis commercial capital, Blantyre, are bustling with people going to work.



Beggars on the sides of those streets ask for money.



Begging out of acute need



Many are disabled. Fifty-one-year-old Canforzi Biliati was born with deformed limbs. He said this is the only way I earn a living. I give some money to my wife to help her business of selling fritters and I buy food and pay school fees for my children and pay for rent.



Fanny Banda, a single mother of four, cannot walk. She must crawl or use a wheelchair. She said we face a lot of abuses in the streets. Some people call us names while others scold at us saying, 'Why cant we stay home and fend for ourselves?'"



Street begging in Malawi is punishable by a fine of about $2 or three months in jail.



The government called on police to begin enforcing that law in April, and to arrest adults who send children into the streets to beg.



It [the law] also goes further to say anybody giving alms to beggars on the street, that person has broken the law and should also be arrested, said Marry Shawa, is the principal secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disabilities and Social Welfare.



Shawa said the government did a study and found that only about 400 of the 4,500 people begging on the streets of Malawis two largest cities are begging out of an acute need.



Criminalizing giver and receiver



But religious leaders and advocates for the disabled say arrests are not the answer. The government should instead ensure access to education and employment.



Hilda Misomali, a hair dresser, said people should be free to give to beggars if they want.

I think thats not fair because others have just the heart to give. Others give them because may be they have a lot. The way the street children look sometimes forces one to give them, even if you didnt want to give them, she said.

But the government said having people, in particular children, milling the streets is dangerous. And that people can give to the needy at their homes or in other ways.



One month into the crackdown, police say they have yet to make any arrests. They are holding community meetings and trying to educate parents, religious leaders and shop owners.
A Mexican judge has ruled that drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman can be extradited to face charges in the United States.

Mexico's federal court authority announced the approval of the extradition request Monday, but the final decision lies with the foreign ministry.

Guzman's lawyers can appeal the decision.

On Saturday, Guzman was moved from the maximum security Altiplano prison to a prison in Ciudad Juarez, a city located along at the U.S.-Mexico border.

A Mexican government statement said the transfer was prompted by ongoing security upgrades at that facility, and characterized the move as part of a periodic rotation of high-profile prisoners initiated last year.

Guzman escaped from Altiplano in July 2015, in what was widely seen as a major embarrassment to the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto. He gained his freedom by crawling through a hole in his jail cell's shower to a 1.5-kilometer tunnel. He was captured six months later in a military operation in his home state of Sinaloa.

Guzman was first arrested in 1993, before escaping, with the help of guards, in 2001 from a prison in Guadalajara. He was apprehended 13 years later with information provided by U.S. intelligence agencies.
Migrants and refugees are being freed from detention centers in Greece but remain trapped on its islands until their asylum requests are processed, exposing them to dire living conditions and even the risk of people smugglers, human rights groups say.

At least 1,100 people have been released from centers on three islands and more will follow as their 25-day detention limit expires, police officials said. They are forbidden from travelling to the mainland, where most state-run shelters are.

Some 8,000 people, many escaping the Syrian war, have arrived on boats from Turkey since March and are held under a European Union deal with Ankara designed to seal off the main route into Europe for over a million people since 2015.

Under the deal, those who do not seek asylum in Greece  and those who are rejected  will be sent back to Turkey. Asylum applications are piling up and rulings can take weeks.

The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said it was supporting government efforts to create new spaces.

"All parties are working very hard to meet the needs of the human beings present on Greek islands," said Chris Boian, a spokesman in Greece. Asked if those stranded on the islands were vulnerable to human traffickers offering to take them to the mainland, Boian said: "The risk does exist and that is the one reason UNHCR advocates full access to asylum and expansion of the asylum service and alternative legal entry channels [to Europe]."

Human rights groups said the government was not doing enough to provide asylum seekers with shelter and medical care while they wait. On Lesbos, many head to an open, municipality-run site. Those who can afford it check into hotels. Others sleep in the open.



"Every country that asks people to wait in a certain place has to provide them with basic facilities. That's not done by Greece," said Amnesty International's deputy Europe director, Gauri van Gulik. "It's either  you're in prison, or you can sleep rough on an island," she told Reuters.



A government spokesman, Giorgos Kyritis, said the government was doing its best to support refugees and migrants in Greece at the open reception centers, nearly all of which are on the mainland.

"The government cannot afford to support these people financially on an individual basis. It's doing whatever it can to support them in the context of its limited capabilities," he said.
The Obama administration is suing the state of North Carolina over its so-called bathroom bill, saying it breaks federal anti-discrimination laws.

The law requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their sex at birth instead of the gender with which they identify.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday called the North Carolina law "state-sponsored discrimination" that reminds her of a time when blacks were barred from public facilities and states could dictate who was allowed to marry.

The federal government has named the state, its Republican Governor Pat McCrory, the Department of Public Safety, and the University of North Carolina  which receives millions in federal funds  in the lawsuit.

"This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens," Lynch said, stressing that the law has caused "emotional harm, mental anguish, distress, humiliation and indignity" to transgender people.

Earlier Monday, North Carolina sued the federal government to keep the law in place.

Watch video report from VOA's Michael Bowman:

McCrory said Washington is "being a bully ... trying to define gender identity, and there is no clear identification or definition of gender identity."

McCrory and other supporters of the measure defend it as necessary to protect privacy in public bathrooms and guard against men using women's restrooms to spy and prey on women.

Lynch said the state invented a problem that does not exist as an excuse to discriminate and harass people.

In addition to possibly losing federal funds, North Carolina could also lose hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from businesses that are canceling plans to open offices in the state.

Vocal opposition

Rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Nick Jonas and the bands Pearl Jam and Boston have backed out of concerts they planned for North Carolina. Both Pay Pal, a funds transfer company, and Deutsche Bank canceled plans to expand into the state.

A new CNN/ORC poll Monday shows 57 percent of Americans oppose such laws  bad news for a state that looks forward to thousands of tourists spending their summer vacations at North Carolina beaches.

While the North Carolina law was enacted by Republicans over the opposition of state Democratic lawmakers, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, says he does not think the law is necessary.

"There have been very few complaints the way it is," Trump told one interviewer last month. "People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble, and the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment that they're taking."

Trump invited the country's most public transgender person, Caitlyn Jenner, who as a man won an Olympic gold medal, to use whatever restroom she wanted at one of his New York skyscrapers.

Jenner used a women's bathroom and made a point of announcing afterward that she had not been molested while doing so.

WATCH: North Carolina's Bathroom Law Under Scrutiny
The Pentagon says the notorious leader of Islamic State extremists in Iraq's Anbar province has been killed in a coalition airstrike, along with three other jihadists.

Spokesman Peter Cook, speaking Monday, said the May 6 strike near the town of Rutba targeted militant Abu Wahib and his cohorts, who were traveling in a vehicle when hit.

Cook linked Abu Wahib to widely circulated execution videos, and described the militant's killing as "a significant step forward" in the push by the Baghdad government and the U.S.-led coalition supporting it to subdue the extremist movement.

Cook did not say whether the vehicle was attacked by a warplane or a drone, and did not reference Iraqi government reports in 2015 that also claimed the militant had been killed.





Kurdish and Shi'ite websites say Abu Wahib was among more than 100 prisoners who escaped in 2012 from a maximum security prison in Tikrit. That breakout was orchestrated by Islamic State leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, who then appointed Abu Wahib as IS military leader in Anbar.

Abu Wahib gained international notoriety a year later, when widely circulated video showed him publicly executing three Syrian truck drivers near the Syrian border.

The drivers are forced to exit their vehicles and three of four are shot dead after failing to give correct answers to religious questions posed by Abu Wahib to determine whether the drivers were Sunnis.

Abu Wahib was first reported killed last year in a coalition airstrike near Mosul, and the Iraqi government later published an image of a corpse identified as that of the militant.

But a report by the Kurdish-language Assyrian International News Agency quoted militants who later said Abu Wahib recovered from injuries sustained in the attack. The ARA report also published a picture purporting to show the militant driving a car in Anbar weeks after his reported death.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino is appealing for a peaceful, orderly vote as millions head to the polls to choose his successor and candidates for other elected offices.

Violence and fraud have been the hallmarks of past elections in the Philippines, and Aquino said it is time to show the world the country knows how to reflect the spirit of democracy.

"Despite our deep passion and support for our candidates, we can hold elections that are peaceful and orderly," he said.

Polls going into Monday's voting show the tough talking mayor of Davao, Rodrigo Duterte, as the surprise favorite. Duterte is known for his profanity-filled speeches against the government and his threats to murder criminals.



But Duterte's opponents, including Aquino, warn voters not to turn the country over to someone who they say can easily become a dictator.

Voters also are choosing candidates for 18,000 federal and local offices.

The constitution limits the Philippine president to a single six-year term. Aquino is credited with turning the Philippines into one of Asia's most thriving economies.

But his critics say most of the country's wealth is concentrated among a small number of industrialists, with the gap between rich and poor remaining extraordinarily wide.
Kenyan opposition politicians and supporters took to the streets in Nairobi and some other parts of the country, calling for members of Kenya's electoral commission to resign.

This is the second time the opposition members have marched on the electoral body offices in Nairobi.

Police lobbed tear gas at the demonstrators as they tried to access the building that hosts the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission.

For an hour, police and protesters engaged in running battles along the university road in central Nairobi. In the confusion some students joined the protest.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga appealed to protesters to demonstrate peacefully.

We have gathered here to tell the world we the people of Coalition for Reforms and Democracy, we are not criminals, we are people who love peace," said Odinga. "We told the police and the interior minister Nkaiserry that we will have a peaceful demonstration.

The opposition group accuses the electoral body of favoring the ruling Jubilee coalition during the last elections in 2013, and undercounting signatures calling for a referendum on proposed land and electoral reforms.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan accused the opposition of peddling sensational claims against the commission and vowed to stay put. The chairperson called on leaders to produce evidence showing they are not fit to conduct 2017 general election.

Odinga said Kenyans are tired of electoral malpractices and vowed the protests will go on.

We will have a peaceful demonstration so that we can tell the world that Kenyans are fed up with vote rigging. ... We cannot accept that," said Odinga. "We will go on with the protest till the commission led by Isaack Hassan and others resign.

Kenyan media report that on Sunday, the electoral body chief threatened to block opposition leaders from taking part in next years polls if they keep trying to intimidate the commission.

In a statement, a council of non-governmental organizations called on political leaders and other stakeholders to pursue dialogue on the issue of IBEC's credibility.

The council called on opposition leaders and supporters to avoid activities that may jeopardize the stability of the country.
Modar, a Syrian refugee, arrived in Europe last fall wearing a secondhand shirt he purchased in Damascus for $1. The shirt was clean, unwrinkled and stylish.

"When we get to Europe, we want them to think we are good," he had told me in Izmir, Turkey, the day before his rubber-boat journey to Greece. In his mind, Europeans didn't want a bunch of bums showing up.

As it turned out, he was at least partly wrong.

The idea that refugees had nice clothes and smartphones clearly irked some people, Modar later learned, evidenced by outrage expressed online that persists today.

The outraged people, however, often present what they believe to be facts but are  like Modar's belief that Europe wanted well-dressed refugees  thoughts originating with social media myths.

Myth 2: The majority of refugees coming to Europe are young men

Statistically, this was true in 2015, when 58 percent of the more than one million people who traveled to Europe were men. This year, the majority of travelers have been women and children.

But a friend in the United States recently told me that despite United Nations statistics that show the sharp spike in newly arriving women and children, many people, including himself, believe it's still mostly young men who are arriving.

"I've seen the pictures," he said. And since pictures don't lie, the U.N. must be, he concluded.

What he didn't know was that in many Muslim cultures, women do not want to be photographed because they believe it is sinful. When journalists join the crowds, women often duck out of view of cameras, making the visual documentation of the refugee crisis appear to be male-dominated.

Why so many men in 2015?

Many young men on their way to Europe in 2015 told me that their entire families had sold whatever they could to raise the money for one person to travel to Europe. As young men, they said, they were chosen because the trip was dangerous and harsh.

After arriving in Europe, refugees often said their first priority was to bring their families over in a safer way than by rubber boat.

You can blame their patriarchal societies, they added, but please first blame the militaries and militant groups that would have forced them to fight, and potentially kill neighbors or friends, if they had stayed home.

What changed?

The answer to this tweet: They are coming if they can.

For many families, the original plan to fund the young man's trip ahead of a safer legal journey for the rest does not seem to be working out. There are now month- or yearlong waits to achieve legal status in Europe before a refugee can apply for family visas.

This, coupled with the fear in war zones that European doors are closing, some travelers say, has shifted the balance of new arrivals to mostly women and children.

"My husband didn't want me to go in this dangerous way," 17-year-old Mariam told me last month at Piraeus Port near Athens, where thousands of travelers were camped in tents, praying for northern borders to open. Her husband had left more than six months earlier and was no closer to rescuing his family from Syria.

"So we had to just go," she said.

Myth 3: 'Economic migrants' have no rights

Last month, I attended a Pakistani protest on a Greek island beach, posting a live video on Facebook. Protesters at the refugee camp there complained that their countrymen were being deported to Turkey without being given a chance to apply for asylum.

The protesters were chanting things like, "We want asylum!" and "We are human!"

Most of the people that responded online expressed sympathy for the protesters, but there was also a bit of this:

This post is incorrect. Legal refugee status is determined on a case-by-case basis, after a person applies for asylum. Everyone has the right to apply. If a person is then determined to not be a refugee legally, he or she is then not entitled protection under international law and can be deported.

The protesters on the beach said other Pakistanis who had tried to apply had been arrested and deported to Turkey. They were denied their right to apply for legal refugee status.

And this status is not only available to people who have fled war zones. The United Nations refugee agency explains:

Some of the protesters told me they came to Europe only to escape extreme poverty, which would ultimately mean they were unqualified for refugee status. But others said they fled religious persecution or other types of persecution that may qualify them for refugee status.

But none of them had applied for refugee status at the time of their protest. They were neither refugees nor economic migrants, just people on a beach asking for help.

Myth 4: Owning a smartphone and being a refugee are mutually exclusive

This myth is constantly shot down in the news, with reports explaining why refugees often arrive in Europe more eager to charge their phones than to find shelter or food.

But sometimes we still see things like this:

This sentiment reflects the idea that refugees are not deserving of help because some have nice things. It is inaccurate on two levels.

First, refugees prioritize buying smartphones as a matter of life or death. For example, when those boats capsize in the sea, how do authorities know where to find the people? When crashing onto dark shores in Greece, how do refugees know where to find the city? Many refugees gladly skip meals and sell other property to pay for phones.

Second, poverty is not a prerequisite to being a refugee. In fact, according to the legal definition of refugee, the two issues are unrelated.

Many refugees in Europe are poor, having scraped together all they could to get there. But many are not, and it has no bearing on their claim for protection under refugee laws. If poverty alone made someone deserve legal refugee status, then all of the people being labeled "economic migrants" would qualify.

Incidentally, Pakistani travelers being deported to Turkey from Greece these days usually do not have mobile phones.

Why no phones? Because they are extremely poor. Why are they being deported? Because they are not legally refugees.
China's official Xinhua news agency says rescuers have recovered 22 bodies from the rubble of a massive landslide in southeastern Fujian province.

About 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks, loosened by heavy rains on Sunday, slid into a hydroelectric power station site under construction in in Sanming, Taining county. Xinhua says 17 people are still missing, while two people who were initially on the missing list have been found alive. Seven people were injured in the incident.

President Xi Jinping has ordered rescue crews to increase their efforts to find any survivors, but continued rain has made the work more difficult.

Deadly landslides are common in China.

In December, more than 70 people were killed when a large river of mud swept over an industrial park in the economic powerhouse of Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
Al-Qaidas affiliate in Syria has redoubled its efforts against Islamic State with its fighters pressing attacks on a militia in southern Syria that recently swore allegiance to its jihadist rival.

The clashes are being seen as part of a bid by al-Qaidas Jabhat al-Nusra to revitalize its fortunes in Syria, a strategy that has seen it taking the lead in offensives elsewhere in the war-torn country against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

Analysts say al-Nusra is attempting to demonstrate its military leverage over mainstream rebel militias, making it the indispensable force to align with against the Assad regime and IS. And its increased military activity may foreshadow a formal declaration by al-Qaida affiliate of an emirate in Syrias Idlib province, west of Aleppo.

In an audio tape released Sunday, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri appeared to authorize the establishment of a Syrian emirate. In the message - the first for several months - Zawahiri called on the jihad groups in Syria to unite. Syria today is the hope of the Islamic nation, for [its revolution] is the only Arab Spring revolution that is taking the correct path  the path of da'wa (preaching) and jihad for the sake of strengthening the sharia and enacting [its laws], and for the sake of striving to establish a righteous caliphate, not the caliphate of Ibrahim Al-Badri (i.e., Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, IS leader), he said.

By re-escalating hostilities in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra is reacquiring the influence it lost during the dramatic reduction in fighting in February-March when the cessation of hostilities mediated by the United States and Russia went into effect, according to Charles Lister, an analyst at the Middle East Institute.

Al-Qaida could be preparing to declare its own sovereign state in Syria after quietly gathering strength in the shadow of the international campaign against IS, says Lister, author of the book "The Syrian Jihad."

Hama offensive

Last week, al-Qaidas Syrian branch launched an offensive in Hama by attacking Assad forces headquarters in the southeastern suburbs of the city. Al-Nusra claimed to have killed 25 government fighters, including the local commander of the Iranian-trained National Defense Forces. The regime responded with airstrikes on the nearby jihadist-held towns of Aydoun, at-Tuloul al-Homer and ad-Dallak, according to Syrian government spokesmen.

Al-Nusra has also been in the vanguard of a rebel offensive in the southern Aleppo countryside that saw the jihadists last week overrun the village of Maarta just days after capturing the town of Khan Touman from pro-regime Shiite militias. Dramatic video footage was posted online by al-Nusra showing jihadist rockets striking government positions, sending out blast shock waves for several hundreds of meters.

And in Syrias southwest province of Daraa, al-Nusra fighters have been pressing hard attacks on IS allies, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, a British-based pro-opposition group monitoring the conflict.

In fighting rebel factions that oppose it, the jihadist group is seemingly vying with IS to strike fear in its opponents. There was outrage among insurgent militias when al-Nusra fighters in a Damascus suburb last week killed a Sunni fighter from Jaysh al-Islam, a coalition of Islamist militias. The jihadists shot him and cut out his stomach before ripping out his heart.

The brutal execution of the fighter, Mohammad Amer Hawa, prompted a social media furor with even hardline Islamists accusing al-Nusra of being no different than IS.

Arrival of 'powerful' al-Qaida leaders

The increased tempo of al-Nusra operations follows the arrival of a number of al-Qaidas most powerful figures, according to Lister, writing in Foreign Policy magazine. He says it is "the covert revitalization of al-Qaida's central leadership on Europes doorstep.

Lister says there are differences of opinion within Jabhat al-Nusra about establishing an emirate, while influential Sunni clerics in Syria have flatly rejected the group's ambitions.

Consequently, highly influential jihadists have been invited into Syria to mediate and facilitate more productive discussions surrounding al-Qaidas future in Syria, he said.

This isnt the first time there have been disputes within al-Nusra and among allied Sunni theologians about what path the group should pursue. In November 2014 the Daily Beast news site reported there were tentative merger discussions between al-Nusra and IS leaders.

At the same time there were reports from other rebel commanders the groups leader, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, was considering alternatively announcing an al-Nusra emirate to rival the caliphate of the militants of IS. That would have reversed a policy of avoiding imposing sharia law on territory controlled in ad hoc alliances with other insurgent groups in order not to antagonize rebel allies or alienate local populations.

Internal debate

In April and May 2015, Qatari officials urged al-Nusra, behind-the-scenes, to break with al-Qaida, prompting debate within the group that spilled out on social media sites.

Muhamed Nabih Osman, who runs a charitable organization for former Assad prisoners, told VOA, "I think the split will happen soon. You have to understand that al-Nusra consists of two very different parts and that one part, mostly local fighters, [is] not interested in global jihad.

Worried by the tendency of al-Nusra to get ensnared in internal debates, al-Qaida chiefs appear to have intervened, dispatching leading jihadists to drive the creation of an emirate and quash internal opposition, according to Lister.

With the cessation of hostilities effectively over and the political process in Geneva falling apart, Jabhat al-Nusras leverage on the ground is increasing once again, Lister warns.

He argued in an email to VOA, The only way to effectively and durably counter Jabhat al-Nusras emirate ambitions, therefore, lies in efforts to significantly embolden and re-empower Syrias moderate civil, political, judicial and military opposition.

Rather than support such bodies independently of each other, policymakers must... urgently empower the totality of Syrias moderate opposition... aimed at establishing steadily expanding zones of representative Syrian moderate control that are confident and powerful enough to repel al-Qaidas attempts to formalize influence, he said.
Hundreds of economists urged world leaders Monday to end the era of tax havens, arguing they only benefit rich individuals and multinational corporations and serve to increase inequality.

The 300 economists, in a letter coordinated by activist group Oxfam, say poorer countries are hit hardest by tax dodging. The signatories, including Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute and author Thomas Piketty, argue there is no economic justification for tax havens and urge leaders to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding them.

"As the Panama Papers and other recent exposes have revealed, the secrecy provided by tax havens fuels corruption and undermines countries' ability to collect their fair share of taxes," the letter said. "While all countries are hit by tax dodging, poor countries are proportionately the biggest losers, missing out on at least $170 [billion] of taxes annually as a result."

The letter comes days before an anti-corruption summit in London, featuring politicians from 40 countries as well as representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Economists from Harvard, Oxford and the London School of Economics were among the signatories.

Many of the companies that featured in the leak of the so-called Panama Papers were incorporated in British Overseas Territories and the British Virgin Islands.

"The existence of tax havens does not add to overall global wealth or well-being; they serve no useful economic purpose," the letter said. "Whilst these jurisdictions undoubtedly benefit some rich individuals and multinational corporations, this benefit is at the expense of others, and they therefore serve to increase inequality."
A 28-year-old Tibetan writer popularly known as Lomig has been sentenced to seven and half years in prison in a Sichuan province court.

Dharamsala-based Kirti Monastery, which first released the news of the sentencing Monday, said it remains unclear what charges the writer faced. But the Tibet Times reported he was accused disclosing state secrets and "separating the nation."

Free Tibet, a London-based NGO that advocates universal human rights and self-determination for Tibetans in Tibet, reported last year fellow writers suspected the arrest was linked to various blog posts that criticized Beijings policies on Tibet.

Lomig, who is also known as Jo Jamyang, was arrested in April 2015 by Chinese police in Ngawa, where he had previously studied at a Buddhist monastery until Chinese authorities closed it down.

Researchers at Free Tibet say he became an influential figure among young Tibetans in his area," writing about underlying causes of the 2008 Tibetan uprisings and 2009 self-immolation, culminating in a 2010 book, Surge of Yellow Mist.

China has been cracking down on Tibetan writers in recent years, resulting in multiple arrests of some writers. In February, well-known writer Hogan was sentenced to three years in prison; that same month, fellow writer Sonant Tempe was arrested in the Tibetan Autonomous Region for the third time since 2009. His whereabouts remains unknown.
A top U.S. envoy began a two-day trip to Vietnam on Monday to gauge its progress in human rights, two weeks ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama in what will be the first by a U.S. leader in a decade.

Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, is expected to press Vietnam to release unconditionally political prisoners and reform its laws to comply with its international commitments.

Relations between the United States and Vietnam have moved to a new level in the past two years as Washington seeks to make a new ally in Asia, but the communist nation's zero-tolerance approach to its detractors remains a sticking point.

Vietnam has jailed dissidents, bloggers and religious figures in recent years, holding them for long periods without access to family or legal counsel and often subject to torture or other mistreatment, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The United States has been intensifying efforts in building stronger ties - in health, education, environment, energy and recently military - to boost its influence, and offset that of China.

The United States and Vietnam, along with 10 others, this year signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of the world's biggest multinational trade deals.

Though the TPP has no requirements for members to reach certain standards in human rights, analysts say Vietnam's record of arrests, intimidation and oppression of those who speak out against the ruling Communist Party could add to anticipated resistance to the pact among U.S. legislators.

The TPP must be ratified by each member country's parliament.

Malinowski said during his visit to Vietnam last year that he had seen signs of progress on human rights but the country needed to make a stronger commitment.

Rights groups, however, say those improvements might be short-lived and designed to ensure its smooth accession to multilateral trade agreements, including a pact with the European Union.
Donald Trump has launched a high-octane general election campaign after capturing enough electoral votes to be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

Trump is in attack mode this week as he makes his rounds with the media and leverages social media platforms. Instead of attempting to heal a deeply divided Republican Party, Trump is unloading on his fellow Republican politicians, conservative activists and, not surprisingly, Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

I will win the election against crooked Hillary despite the people in the Republican Party that are currently and selfishly opposed to me!, Trump Tweeted Monday morning.

With the general election six months away, the Republican Party remains divided among Trump supporters and GOP traditionalists.

It does seem like there is approximate equal division, University of Maryland political analyst James Gimpel told VOA.

Gimpel predicts at least a third of the Republican Party will remain opposed to Trump in the months ahead. He believes Trump opponents would either try to run their own candidate or simply not cast votes for a presidential candidate in the general election.

A stumbling block to Republican Party unity is a decision by House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican officeholders not to support Trump.

That is emblematic of where a lot of party officeholders are. They dont know exactly what Donald Trump stands for, Gimpel said.

And Trumps tendency to flip-flop on issues such as taxes has not helped unify the party, either, said Gimpel. It leaves a lot of officeholders in a quandary as to what a Trump administration might mean.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is not the only candidate who must contend with Trumps frontrunner status. A larger-than-usual number of other Republican officeholders, like Senator John McCain of Arizona, will have to mount vigorous campaigns to overcome Trump's controversial remarks about immigration and other issues.

Gimpel said it is very likely Republicans could be defending an usually large number of hotly-contested seats, and added it would be best for GOP candidates to prepare for the worst.

A Trump presidential victory could reshape the GOP, with social conservatives likely losing much of their political clout, said Gimpel.

Any Trump-led party is certainly going to be more concerned about economic issues and less concerned about social issues, he said.

Despite Trumps unconventional campaign methods and a lack of detailed policy proposals, the real estate mogul-turned politician continues to appeal to millions of Americans.

The Republican rank-and-file are clearly unhappy with their office holders in Washington, said Gimpel. They feel like the Washington elites have grown increasingly out of step with them.

The prevailing narrative that resonates as Gimpel speaks with voters and conducts research is that Trump is an "imperfect candidate, but he's better than all the others."
The presumptive U.S. Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, is beginning to tap key advisers for a move to the White House, should he win the November national election.

The billionaire real estate mogul on Monday named New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of the Republican presidential challengers Trump defeated in his months-long campaign for the nomination, to serve as chairman of his transition team if he wins the election as the successor to President Barack Obama.

Christie, like Trump an outspoken public figure, dropped out of the presidential race in February, after finishing sixth in the party primary in the northeastern state of New Hampshire that Trump won. Christie subsequently endorsed Trump's bid for the Republican nomination and has appeared numerous times at his campaign rallies.

Some U.S. political analysts have mentioned the 53-year-old Christie, a one-time federal prosecutor, as a prominent possibility to join Trump on the Republican ticket as his vice presidential running mate, although Trump has not publicly mentioned whom he is considering.

Trump, a one-time television reality show host who has never held elective office, has also named his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, publisher of The New York Observer weekly newspaper and head of a real estate development company, to map out White House transition plans.

With Trump a political novice, little is known about whom he might name to key positions if he wins.

Some prominent Republicans, including the party's last two White House occupants, President George H.W. Bush and his son, President George W. Bush, have declined to endorse him. The party's top current elected official, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, says he is "just not ready" to support Trump yet.

Trump has won wide support from Republican voters in the state-by-state nominating contests for his call to deport 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States, a vow to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out more migrants, and a proposal to temporarily stop Muslims from entering the U.S.

But Ryan and other Republican leaders have been slow to acclaim Trump as the party's presidential nominee because of his anti-immigration stands, his characterization of Mexican migrants as rapists and drug abusers, and his denigrating comments about some women.

Ryan says he will not support Trump until he changes his sometimes harsh campaign rhetoric and adheres to traditional conservative Republican policies. He is slated to be the chairman of the party's July national nominating convention, but said Monday he would vacate the position if Trump, as the party's nominee, wants him to.

The two men are set to meet Thursday in Washington to air their differences, but Trump says it is possible the two may just "go our separate ways."

Numerous U.S. polls show Trump trailing the likely Democratic nominee, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is seeking to become the first female U.S. president.

Clinton has yet to clinch the Democratic presidential nomination, but holds a significant lead over her sole challenger, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
In a dark, damp backyard of an apartment block in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, 60 kilometers from the Syrian border, Samar Shekho straps a ventilator over the nose and mouth of her five-year-old son, Ali. He suffers from asthma and needs the machine to help him breathe.

Samar fled her home in Aleppo four months ago with Ali and his cousin, as Russian and Syrian government forces intensified airstrikes on the rebel-held city. Alis father paid a smuggler to help them flee to Turkey.

"My husband wanted to come to Turkey too, but it is too expensive, so he could only send me here. The border is closed and the smugglers want a lot of money," Samar said.

Syrian families fleeing the civil war are being divided, as Turkey has tightened border controls to stem the flow of refugees.

Many families do not travel together, but instead send family members a few at a time. Those left behind have become trapped.

Turkish officials say travelers carrying the right papers, and those who are injured, are allowed through. Officials in Ankara say they are under pressure to tighten controls following the migrant deal with Europe, under which all irregular migrants arriving in Greece are to be returned to Turkey.

Samar's brother, Majid, was the first to escape to Turkey 18 months ago. He had been supporting the family through his job at a local clothing factory, but says the work has dried up.

"There are many Syrians here, and it was especially difficult in the beginning, he said. I learned some skills, but there is very little work here and it is difficult finding a job. I am looking. I hope I can find something."

Without any family income, life is getting tougher. Ali's ventilator only works properly if the correct medicine is added, but his mother can barely afford the electricity to run it, let alone the medicine.

"Everything is expensive here," she said. "I want to get a refugee identity card for my child that will make it easier to see a doctor, but I even need money for that. Life is difficult."

Samar's husband is trying to sell his shop in Aleppo so he can pay a smuggler and be reunited with his family. But no one wants to buy a business in a war zone.

In the meantime, Samar is dependent on handouts from sympathetic locals to help care for her children.
The United Nations refugee agency is calling on Kenya to reconsider its plans to close the country's two main refugee camps, saying the move would have "devastating consequences" for hundreds of thousands of people.

UNHCR said in a statement Monday that it viewed the plans by Kenya's government with "profound concern." It urged the government to "avoid taking any action that might be at odds with its international obligations" and said the safety of hundreds of thousands of refugees hinges on Kenya's generosity.

Kenya announced Friday that it would close the Dadaab and Kakuma refugee camps "within the shortest time possible," citing security concerns, particularly from al-Shabab, a Somali-backed Islamist group that has carried out several mass attacks in Kenya. It said that hosting the refugees, who are mostly from Somalia, posed "immense security challenges."

The two-page statement stopped short of saying refugees would be expelled. However, it said the government has disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs as a first step, and is working on a mechanism to close the camps.

Dadaab, in northeast Kenya, is considered the world's largest refugee camp and currently houses nearly 330,000 people, mostly Somalis. Kakuma, in northwestern Kenya, is home to another 55,000.

Kenya's government Friday acknowledged its decision will cause harm to the refugees and said the international community must take steps to minimize their pain and suffering.

The country hosts about 600,000 refugees in all. About three-fourths are from Somalia, with most of the others coming from South Sudan.

Kenya's government has threatened to close the refugee camps in the past, but never followed through.

Al-Shabab has carried out several major attacks on Kenyan territory, most notably the 2013 attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall that killed 67 people and the 2015 attack on a college in the town of Garissa that killed 148.

Al-Shabab began launching attacks in Kenya after Kenyan troops entered Somalia to fight the militant group in 2011.
A new U.N. report expresses concern about rising xenophobia and discrimination against migrants and refugees.

Xenophobic and racist responses to refugees and migrants seem to be reaching new levels of stridency, frequency and public acceptance, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in the report released Monday.

Several countries in Europe have built fences or closed their borders to try to stem the flow of people fleeing war and poverty seeking entry into their countries.

The secretary-general warns that this growing trend, as well as the criminalizing of irregular migration, will not stop the outflows of people, but rather force them to take more risky routes and extreme measures.

Our interconnected world needs a dignified approach to human mobility rather than one built on closed borders and criminalization, Ban writes.

Since January, the International Organization for Migration estimates that 184,546 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Such journeys are extremely dangerous, with some 1,357 people having died trying to cross the Mediterranean this year.

The U.N. says migration is here to stay, because of conflict, poverty, the impact of climate change, natural disasters and a growing youth population in need of jobs, and sustainable response is required.

Ban is urging countries to shift their policy and public discourse away from its current negative trend and toward the protection of refugees and migrants. He also emphasizes the need to address the root causes of mass migration, saying it must be the cornerstone of international efforts.

The U.N. wants countries to sign up to a Global Compact on a comprehensive refugee response by 2018 that focuses on the need for shared global responsibility in dealing with the issue.

The plan also calls on governments to resettle at least 10 percent of the worlds 19.6 million refugees annually.
Zimbabwes Reserve Bank says it did not authorize directors of consumer giant Innscor Africa to open offshore bank accounts uncovered in the ongoing Panama Papers investigation.

Documents found in the probe indicate that Innscor Africa directors Zinona (Zed) Koudounaris and Michael Fowler, operating through lawyers and accountants, opened four companies in the British Virgin Islands and transferred money from their salaries to the firms early last year.

That move would violate Zimbabwean laws, which prevent money earned in Zimbabwe from being deposited in offshore accounts unless approved by the central bank.

VOA Zimbabwe attempted to call Koudounaris and Fowler for comment but their wives said both men are out of the country.

Innscor Africa Board of Directors chairman Addington Chinake says all of Innscor's financial transfers constitute lawful movement of funds compliant with all relevant regulations, including those of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.



Chinake, an attorney, told VOA that at no point has Innscor Africa Limited transferred any sums of money representing accumulated salaries into any of the entities as alleged.



When asked to clarify Koudounaris and Fowlers relationship with the law and accounting firms allegedly involved with the transfer, Chinake said there are no further comments to make at this stage.

Source of funds: 'accumulated salary'

VOA Zimbabwe's Ray Choto is a reporting partner with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The group is examining more than 11 million documents from a Panamanian law firm that reveal a global network of secret offshore tax havens.

Choto says he came across Koudounaris and Fowler while doing a search of the papers for Zimbabwe-linked people and companies. There were "a couple thousand" documents on the two men, he says.

Those documents show Koudounaris and Fowler used the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca and British accounting firm Northern Wychwood to register the four offshore companies, known as Federated Properties Holdings Limited, Skyfox, Acia Aero Limited and Acia Aero Holdings.



In January 2015, Northern Wychwood senior corporate and trust administrator Sophia Birchall wrote to Mossack Fonseca manager Helen Okell informing her that the funds to be transferred to the firms were the Innscor salaries of Koudounaris and Fowler.



Koudounaris is a well-known and successful businessman and is director of a large Zimbabwean quoted group, Innscor Africa Limited, involved in retail and manufacturing industry, hotel and tourism in Southern Africa, Birchall wrote. SOF (source of funds) is from accumulated salary.



Asked if Koudounaris or Fowler registered such payments, Reserve Bank Governor John Mangudya told VOA in an e-mail statement: According to our records we do not have any approval for the persons whom you have mentioned.

Innscor is headquartered in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare. Fowler is a founding shareholder and Koudounaris has helped to drive the firms core fast-food chains, including Bakers Inn, Chicken Inn and Pizza Inn, found across Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya. The company is also involved in meatpacking, light manufacturing, consumer electronics, and auto parts operations.

It employs more than 14,000 Zimbabweans and continues to do steady business in a weakening economy, with 2015 revenues of more than $814 million.

Bank, accountants helped establish fronts



Mossack Fonseca documents show that Koudounaris and Fowler used Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) reference letters to register the offshore firms. Those letters were signed by senior managers in the banks wealth management unit, confirming that the two were account holders in the executive wealth management center, identified by the bank as a prestigious unit for high net-worth customers.



The Koudounaris reference letter of March 2014 was signed by CBZ wealth management head Maureen Marimirofa. Ten days later, Birchall forwarded that letter to Mossack Fonseca after date-stamping it as the authorized signatory at Northern Wychwood. The Fowler reference letter of September 2014 was co-signed by Marimirofa and by a Mrs. N Dube, who signed as the senior manager of the wealth management department.



In all our dealings with Mr. M J Fowler, he has proved to be a man of high integrity and good character, wrote Marimirofa and Dube. He has conducted all his business dealings as a respectable man who would not commit himself beyond his means. We hereby recommend him favorably for any services that he may require. This letter is however issued without prejudice to the bank or any of its officials.



An internal report by Mossack Fonseca manager Okell says she met Northern Wychwood administrator Birchall and ran through the requirement and she (Birchall) has signed and sealed two original documents, which I will send to compliance this week. The teach-in sessions were of great interest and she said she will book her staff on as soon as they are offered.

A Harare lawyer who requested to remain anonymous said the request for reference letters by Northern Wychwood was a procedural move to show that Mossack Fonseca was complying with British Virgin Islands anti-money-laundering laws.



The so-called teach-in sessions were used by Northern Wychwood as platforms to discuss with its clients how to move funds from jurisdictions outside BVI and how to have fronts for the actual beneficial owners, explained the Harare attorney.



VOA Zimbabwe called Northern Wychwood director Shaun Fergusson Cairns for comment on this story, but his wife, Tracy, said he was asleep. Additional calls went unanswered.



Mossack Fonseca corporate liaison officer Jordan Spencer refused to take questions on Koudounaris and Fowler or on Innscor Africa, saying he was not allowed to discuss the Panama Papers with the media.



Offshore registration documents list residential addresses for Koudounaris and Fowler in Alexandra Park and Colne Valley, two suburbs of Harare, along with photocopies of their passports certified by Innscor Africa company secretary Andrew Lorimer. Repeated attempts to reach Lorimer for comment were unsuccessful.



Koudounaris and Fowler are listed as beneficial owners of Federated Properties with Northern Wychwood executives Bryan Ellis and Brett Hurst as directors. Koudounaris and Fowler are also beneficial owners of Acia Aero Holdings and Acia Aero Limited along with Hurst.



Koudounaris is the beneficial owner of Skyfox with Hurst and Huan Berger Badenhorst as directors and ordinary shares split 80-20 between Innscor International and Chimanimani Holdings Limited, respectively.



More than 100 news organizations are examining Panama Papers documents detailing more than 200,000 offshore entities, some dating back to the 1970s.



VOA Zimbabwe continues to review documents connecting Northern Wychwood executives Cairns, Ellis and Hurst to shell companies linked to hundreds of Zimbabwean clients.
Workers of the National Railways of Zimbabwe have dismissed the governments statement that they have been paid their outstanding salaries as false, saying they were only given money ranging from $150 to $350 per worker last Thursday, in what their employer said was to cushion them against economic hardships.

Transport Minister Jorum Gumbo has urged workers, who downed tools last March in protest over unpaid salaries dating back 15 months, to return to work, saying $3 million was recently availed for their salaries.

He said the money was obtained from companies such as Zisco, Tongaat Hullet, and the Grain Marketing Board.

However, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Amalgamated Workers Union Kenneth Nhemachena told Studio 7 the $3 million can only cover one months salaries for all NRZ workers.




Zimbabwes Reserve Bank says it did not authorize directors of consumer giant Innscor Africa to open offshore accounts uncovered in the ongoing Panama Papers investigation. But Innscor says there is no wrongdoing as its contacts with those offshore firms were conducted in accordance with all applicable laws.

VOA Zimbabwe is a reporting partner with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) examination of more than 11 million documents from a Panamanian law firm that reveal a global network of secret offshore tax havens.

Those documents show Innscor Africa directors Zinona (Zed) Koudounaris and Michael Fowler used lawyers Mossack Fonseca and accountants Northern Wychwood to register Federated Properties Holdings Limited, Skyfox, Acia Aero Limited and Acia Aero Holdings in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

In January 2015, Northern Wychwood senior corporate and trust administrator Sophia Birchall wrote to Mossack Fonseca manager Helen Okell informing her that the funds to be transferred to the firms were the Innscor salaries of Koudounaris and Fowler.

Koudounaris is a well-known and successful businessman and is director of a large Zimbabwean quoted group, Innscor Africa Limited, involved in retail and manufacturing industry, hotel and tourism in Southern Africa, Birchall wrote. SOF (source of funds) is from accumulated salary.

Offshore bank accounts receiving deposits from money earned in Zimbabwe would violate Zimbabwe exchange control and tax laws if not approved by the central bank.

RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWES REACTION

Asked if Koudouaris or Fowler registered such payments, Reserve Bank Governor John Mangudya told VOA in an e-mail statement: According to our records we do not have any approval for the persons whom you have mentioned.

Innscor Africa Board of Directors chairman Addington Chinake says all of its financial transfers constitute lawful movement of funds compliant with all relevant regulations including those of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

Chinake, who is a senior attorney with Kantor and Immerman, told VOA that at no point has Innscor Africa Limited transferred any sums of money representing accumulated salaries into any of the entities as alleged.

When asked to clarify Koudouaris and Fowlers relationship with Acia and Northern Wychwood, Chinake said there are no further comments to make at this stage.

Mossack Fonseca documents show that Koudounaris and Fowler used Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) reference letters to register the offshore firms. Those letters were signed by senior managers in the banks wealth management unit confirming that the two were account holders in the executive wealth management center, identified by the bank as a prestigious unit for high net-worth customers.

The Koudounaris reference letter of March 2014 was signed by CBZ wealth management head Maureen Marimirofa. Ten days later, Birchall forwarded that letter to Mossack Fonseca after date-stamping it as the authorized signatory at Northern Wychwood. The Fowler reference letter of September 2014 was co-signed by Marimirofa and by a Mrs. N. Dube, who signed as the senior manager of the wealth management department.

In all our dealings with Mr. M J Fowler, he has proved to be a man of high integrity and good character, wrote Marimirofa and Dube. He has conducted all his business dealings as a respectable man who would not commit himself beyond his means. We hereby recommend him favorably for any services that he may require. This letter is however issued without prejudice to the bank or any of its officials.

TEACH-IN SESSIONS

An internal report by Mossack Fonseca manager Okell says she met Northern Wychwood administrator Birchall and ran through the requirement and she (Birchall) has signed and sealed two original documents, which I will send to compliance this week. The teach-in sessions were of great interest and she said she will book her staff on as soon as they are offered.

A Harare lawyer, who requested to remain anonymous, said the request for reference letters by Northern Wychwood was a procedural move to show that Mossack Fonseca was complying with British Virgin Islands anti-money-laundering laws.

The so-called teach-in sessions were used by Northern Wychwood as platforms to discuss with its clients how to move funds from jurisdictions outside BVI and how to have fronts for the actual beneficial owners, explained the Harare attorney.

VOA Zimbabwe called Northern Wychwood director Shaun Fergusson Cairns for comment on this story, but his wife, Tracy, said he was asleep. Additional calls went unanswered.

Mossack Fonseca corporate liaison officer Jordan Spencer refused to take questions on Koudounaris and Fowler or on Innscor Africa, saying he was not allowed to discuss the Panama Papers with the media.

Innscor runs several fast-food chains including Bakers Inn, Chicken Inn, and Pizza Inn as well as meatpacking, light manufacturing, consumer electronics, and auto parts operations in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Kenya. Innscor employs more than 14,000 Zimbabweans and continues to show steady profits in a weakening economy, with 2015 revenues of more than $814 million.

Fowler is a founding shareholder of Innscor credited with crocodile ranching operations that he led to a separate stock listing in 2010. Koudounaris helped drive the firms core fast-food brands.

BENEFICIAL OWNERS

Offshore registration documents list residential addresses for Koudounaris and Fowler in Alexandra Park and Colne Valley, respectively along with photocopies of their passports certified by Innscor Africa company secretary Andrew Lorimer. Repeated attempts to reach Lorimer for comment were unsuccessful.

Koudounaris and Fowler are listed as beneficial owners of Federated Properties with Northern Wychwood executives Bryan Ellis and Brett Hurst as directors. Koudounaris and Fowler are also beneficial owners of Acia Aero Holdings and Acia Aero Limited along with Hurst.

Koudounaris is the beneficial owner of Skyfox with Hurst and Huan Berger Badenhorst as directors and ordinary shares split 80-20 between Innscor International and Chimanimani Holdings Limited, respectively.

More than 100 news organizations are examining Panama Papers documents detailing more than 200,000 offshore entities, some dating back to the 1970s.

VOA Zimbabwe continues to review documents connecting Northern Wychwood executives Cairns, Ellis and Hurst to shell companies linked to hundreds of Zimbabwean clients.
The governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, John Mangudya, says cash shortages are expected to end this week.

Mangudya was summoned by a parliamentary committee to clarify policy measures of easing cash shortages, increasing industrial capacity and curbing foreign currency leakages.

Mangudya told the parliamentary finance committee that the current cash shortages are expected to end after the central bank recently imported $15 million, which is expected to boost money supply.

Mangudya said contrary to widespread belief that the introduction of bond notes was meant to ease cash shortages, the move in intended to boost exports.

He said while the purpose of coins was to provide change, bond notes would be used to pay the five percent export incentive to boost production.

The facility is leveraged by a $200 million loan from the African Export and Import Bank.

But lawmakers told him that their constituents were confused about the introduction of the bond notes and wanted to know how they would work.

In response, Mangudya said there was a lot of misinformation on the bond notes.

He added that the introduction of the bond notes is intended to also curb externalization of money, which he said was rampant.

Acting committee chairman Terence Mukupe asked him what the central bank was doing to what he termed counter-revolutionary companies like Vice President Mphokos Choppies and Pick And Pay which he accused of externalizing the US dollar.

Mangudya said he was not brave enough to mention any names but said the central bank was aware of such companies and individuals doing that adding that the raft of measures he announced were intended to address the problems.

Mphoko was not immediately available for comment as he was said to be attending a scheduled meeting at the State House.

Former treasury chief economist, Masimba Manyanya, said while Mangudyas measures were well-intended, Zimbabwe is facing more serious problems which Mangudya has not addressed in most of his policy measures.

Zimbabweans are facing serious cash problems as banks are limiting withdrawals to $50 per person a day. The International Monetary Fund says Zimbabwes economic crisis has been worsened by lack of clarity over the countrys black economic empowerment program and other issues.
Police in Harare on Monday disrupted a planned prayer meeting for missing political activist Itai Dzamara who was abducted 14 months ago by suspected state security agents.

Friends and relatives of the missing activist had gathered at Africa Unity Square, Dzamaras demonstration site, for a Morning Prayer and protest when police pounced on Patson Dzamara and took him to a local post where he was detained for 40 minutes before releasing him.

Dzamara said, Something that struck me happened whilst they were leading me away (is that) the protesters, relatives and the friends who had come to commemorate the day with us actually followed and they were singing that song Senzeni na, asking what wrong have we done for us to be treated like that."

Dzamara returned to Africa Unity Square to address the crowd when the police re-arrested him together with Pastor Patrick Mugadza. The two were detained at Harare Central Police Station and released after three hours without any charges laid against them.

Dzamara said though they failed to go ahead with their planned demonstration Monday, they will gather again Tuesday at the same venue.

We are regrouping tomorrow and the agenda is still the same, we are demanding the release of Itai, at the same time drawing a line in the sand regarding forced disappearances."

He added that there were registering their displeasure at the way the country is being run.

Studio 7 failed to get a comment from the police.

Itai Dzamara was abducted outside a barbershop in Harares Glenview suburb on March 9, 2015, and ever since date no one has heard from him or about his whereabouts.
On the occasion of Victory Day, the Russian Federation and the Syrian Arab Republic organised a symphony concert in the ruins of the antique city of Palmyra on the 5th May 2016.

Speaking in duplex, President Putin saluted the common victory of the Allies over Nazism at the end of the Great Patriotic War (in Western terms, the Second World War) and today, that of Russia and Syria over terrorism.

Using cameras flying over the town of Palmyra, the television showed the extent of the damage inflicted by terrorists who were supported by the Western and Gulf powers.

A symphony concert then followed in the antique theatre with the Russian orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, then another with the Syrian National Orchestra, the Mari Orchestra and the Farah Choir.

The city of Palmyra, the desert city of Empress Zenobia, is the historic symbol of the resistance against Roman imperialism and a civilisation founded on the cooperation between different religions.

In Russisa, the 5th May is Victory Day and in Syria, the 6th May is Martyrs Day. The festivities were broadcast by both Russian and Syrian television.
Fellow citizens of Russia and esteemed veterans, soldiers and sailors, sergeants and master sergeants, warrant officers and chief warrant officers, officers, generals and admirals.

Congratulations on Victory Day! An occasion where joy, memory and grief have merged. May 9 is both a public and a very personal, family holiday. It became a symbol of the sacred relationship between Russia and its people. It is in this unity and loyalty to the Fatherland that our strength, confidence and dignity lie.

The Great Patriotic War will always be a sacred deed of our people, a call to live honestly, hold high the bar of truth and justice and pass these values on from one generation to the next.

We are united by deep, sincere feelings for our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers. We would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to all those who are living, who are near, and we do not conceal our pride and tears. We would like to pay tribute to sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, comrades-in-arms and friends all those who never came back from the war, who are gone. I would like to announce a minute of silence.

A minute of silence.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War: on June 22, 1945, the Nazis treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. The life of a huge country changed in an instant. And at this tragic turning point, there was but one choice, a superior choice to be made  saving the Fatherland became the top priority for the entire people.

A heroic and sacrificial road to Victory ensued. A host of the most challenging tasks had to be solved without hesitation. One of them was evacuating millions of citizens and industries to the east. All of this was to be done in the most difficult conditions of the enemys assault, in the heat of the war.

The veterans are proud of their grandsons and granddaughters  they have not let them down and will always be looking up to the Great Victory, to the deed of a heroic generation of victors!

Now it is hard to comprehend what extraordinary efforts it took to relocate and restore more than fifteen hundred plants. In several months, they started continuously supplying tanks, aircraft, ammunition and military equipment to the front. This greatest, unprecedented labour victory allowed our army to push the enemy back and smash an aggressor that harnessed the economic potential of almost all of Europe.

The deeds of home-front workers demonstrated the vital force of our people, its unity, victorious spirit and love for the Fatherland. Our fathers and grandfathers defeated a powerful and merciless enemy that many countries gave in to. It was the Soviet people that brought freedom to other peoples. It was our soldiers who paid back the Nazis and their allies in full for the millions of victims, for all the barbarities and atrocities on our land.

The war lasted for nearly four years and became an epoch for our entire country. An epoch of courage and bravery, of the toughest trials and tragic losses, of bright hope and boundless faith in Victory. The Great Patriotic War will always be an outstanding, sacred deed of our people, a call to live honestly, hold high the bar of truth and justice and pass these values on from one generation to the next.

May 9 became a symbol of the sacred relationship between Russia and its people. It is in this unity and loyalty to the Fatherland that our strength, confidence and dignity lie.

Comrades, history lessons teach us that peace on Earth is not established by itself; that one needs to be cautious; that double standards as well as shortsighted indulgence of those who nurture criminal plans are impermissible.

Today, civilisation is again facing cruelty and violence: terrorism has become a global threat. We must defeat this evil; Russia is open to joining efforts with all states and is ready to work on creating a modern, non-aligned system of international security.

Our soldiers and commanders have proven that they are worthy successors of the Great Patriotic War heroes and that they honourably protect the interests of Russia. I am sure that today the veterans are proud of their grandsons and granddaughters  they have not let them down and will always be looking up to the Great Victory, to the deed of a heroic generation of victors!

Congratulations on the anniversary of the Great Victory! Hurray!
Photo: Jason LaVeris/Getty Images

Im haunted by that movie Birdman, Sebastian Stan tells me as we sit in a hotel room at the Los Angeles Four Seasons while the press day for Captain America: Civil War unfolds around us. Based on the number of men and women with headsets stationed near doors, youd think there was a head of state in town  and really, how far off is that comparison? The Avengers actors arent running any nations, but they do represent Disneys flagship franchise, one so elaborate they had to invent a term for it: a cinematic universe. By the time Civil War leaves theaters, this universe will have made Disney $10 billion worldwide; knowing that, the pomp and circumstance doesnt seem so overblown.

Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier  namesake of the second Captain America movie and an even bigger part of this new one  is clearly trying to wrap his head around this superhero life. Thus, the reference to Birdman: a movie about an actor attempting to erase the memories of his superhero alter ego by staging a serious play; a movie in which an actors superhero alter ego follows him like a ghost, reminding him its the hero people want to see, not the washed-up actor and his play; a movie that exists as a rebuke to the tights-clad tentpoles that have taken over the industry. This seems like a matter for a licensed therapist, not one of the revolving door of journalists coming through press day. Is Stan worried that his alter ego, the Winter Soldier, will overtake Sebastian Stan, the actor?

I think that depends on what choices you make as an actor in your time off, he explains. But its an interesting  I love how in Birdman, it talks so much about where the persona ends and when the person and the character become the same thing. Because Ive seen that happen with certain people. Certain characters become so popular, right, because people just love to see them.

Its a valid consideration for a guy like Stan, who has chops and experience and was certainly not raised with the expectation of becoming a movie star. Born in Romania, Stan made his way to the United States by the age of 12 and studied at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts, including a year at Shakespeares Globe Theater in London. After school, he did work on the stage, including a run with Liev Schreiber in Eric Bogosians Talk Radio  heres Stan doing a Bogosian monologue  as well as on film and TV, highlighted by a recurring role on Gossip Girl and parts in Black Swan and Rachel Getting Married.

Schreiber and Stan have both now done stints in the superhero-industrial complex (the former played Sabretooth in the X-Men movies), a testament to its stranglehold on the industry; it doesnt get much farther from Marvel than Bogosian. But Stan sees this as a good thing, a testament to the work actors have done in these films, which, he believes, are growing increasingly more sophisticated and nuanced, better able to both satisfy a wide range of audiences and deliver a quality product on their own. His work in Civil War is a great example: He provides a sort of case study for these heroes contradictions, a well-meaning superhuman who, when he falls under the wrong influences, becomes a weapon of mass destruction.

Its always the actors like the Heath Ledgers, people that go against the grain, who kind of change that up, Stan says in explaining why he thinks the relationship between actors and these roles have changed. I mean, Christian Bale  I never think of him as Batman. That was just a part. Hes done all these other things that make you think of him in different ways.

Stans preoccupations make sense, then. In person  or at least in the measure of a person you can get in the 12 minutes you spend with them in a hotel room while a publicist watches you talk  hes witty, charismatic, genuine; he asks me to tell him what I thought of Civil War, honestly, and he compliments my jacket. We discuss the beards of his co-stars Paul Rudd and Chris Evans. Its funny seeing Chris do the press tour all the time, because I get it. I know why he grows that beard, Stan says. You want to remind people, like, hey! Im a person!

And while Stans set to feature in Im Dying Up Here, the Jim Carreyproduced Showtime series focused on the 70s comedy scene in L.A. (Stan really wanted to work with Jonathan Levine, who directed the pilot), his slate going forward is mostly blank. It will certainly be filled with more work in the MCU, with which hes now been involved for six years, ever since he took the role of Barnes after missing out on Cap. But, beyond that, he has the freedom to establish a post-Winter Soldier Stan. Or, as he sees it, the burden to do so.

Everything they told me when I got cast in 2010 is coming to fruition, Stan says. He then wonders about the future of the Marvel movies after Civil War, and the responsibilities that fall to the Russo brothers and MCU architect Kevin Feige: What the fuck are you going to do now? Where are you going to take this thing now? The same question could be asked of Stan  only hes the one asking it.
Chelsea Handlers Netflix docuseries, Chelsea Does, was just getting you warmed up. Soon there will be three nights of Chelsea Handler per week: Her latest Netflix talk show, Chelsea, will air Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and send her around the world as an American emissary to apologize for the existence of Donald Trump. Shell stretch with Maria Sharapova! Shell dress up as a Harajuku girl! Shell chat with some polygamists while cooking hot dogs! Chelsea premieres May 11.
Sigh. Photo: Other Music

In todays sad New York City real estate news, Other Music is closing. The beloved East Village record store  and one of the last places in NYC where you can buy actual CDs  is ending its 20-plus-year run this summer, the New York Times reports. Other Music, which opened in 1995 and outlasted Tower Records and the Virgin Megastore, will close both its brick-and-mortar store and mail-order service on June 25. As you might expect, the reason for closing has everything to do with CDs becoming obsolete: Last year, streaming made more money than both downloads and CDs, and even Kanye declared the format to be dead through his usual tweetstorm. (Though CDs still have some life with country music fans.) And while Other Music says its been surviving on newly popular vinyl sales in recent years, its not enough to keep them in business. Were trying to step back before it becomes a nightmare, co-owner Josh Madell tells the Times  a lesson even Starbucks had to learn last year. The stores label, Other Music Recording Co., will remain, but after June 25, one of the last bastions of CD sales in the city might just be Target. Good thing theres currently only one in all of Manhattan!
Alan Cumming Describes Objects. Photo: Jeff Neumann/CBS

It felt like it was time for The Good Wife to draw to a close; after all, the best years of the show are behind it, and its co-creators always planned for a seven-season run. But that doesnt make it any easier to say good-bye to some of the shows stellar characters, so as a self-soothing mechanism, Ive been daydreaming about possible spin-offs for the ones I love most. Real talk: Even though Michelle and Robert King said theyd be open to a spin-off, the odds dont seem great. The Kings are moving on to new TV projects, and many Good Wife cast members have already started drifting toward new projects. Still, its nice to have something to dream of.

Good As Gold

To be very clear: I would watch any spin-off involving Eli Gold, just as Id watch any series starring Alan Cumming. But I was particularly delighted by the dynamic between Eli and Marissa this season, and so, I propose a series called Good As Gold in which they co-star. In it, theyd play Scandal-style political fixers, traveling the globe to win elections. The shows darkly comedic vibe would come from the fact that it wouldnt matter for whom they were trying to win elections. Picture Eli working his magic and cutting devilish deals to get, say, Putin re-elected  all accompanied with Marissas trademark wit and asides. I would also accept a version of this spin-off in which the Golds solve crimes, or possibly try to obtain relics from ancient archaeological sights. Im pretty flexible here.

Lockhart and Associates

I worry most about Christine Baranskis postGood Wife career; yes, the show has mishandled her and her character in recent years, but the outlook for older actresses in Hollywood feels bleak. Thats why I propose leaving her character Diane exactly where she is, as the only named partner of a firm that doesnt need more than her name at the top of the letterhead. It would be fascinating to see Dianes personal and professional life out from under the shadow of Alicias stories. Id love to see more of how her political activism plays out (especially her strong views around reproductive rights), what her caseload looks like when theres no one else to cater to, and how she makes her offbeat relationship with her husband, Kurt, work.

Approach the Bench

One of The Good Wifes greatest assets over the years has been its strong pool of judges, one of many benefits the show reaped by filming in New York City, our nations hotbed of aging character actors. Id love to see a show built entirely around this group of actors, which includes heavy hitters like Jane Curtin, Denis OHare, Jeffrey Tambor, Ana Gasteyer, and many more. The premise wouldnt even take much work to develop; it could be exactly what The Good Wife is now, only from the perspective of the judges bench rather than the lawyers table. Plus, we know from this season that theres all manner of corruption going on behind the judges closed doors  imagine if we had a few seasons in which to actually explore that. Alternatively, frame it as a comic mockumentary. Parks and Rec has been off the air for far too long  we need some bumbling do-gooders and their nemeses back on network TV.

Sheer Force of Will

When I read about the clamor among fans of The Good Wife who hoped Will would somehow be back for the shows final episodes, my immediate response was, What, as a ghost? Ive since latched onto the idea of Will Gardners ghost just hanging out at the offices of the firm, silently helping along or sabotaging cases. He wouldnt be limited to the firm, though  he could haunt clients to intimidate them from testifying, spy on opposing counsel, distract jurors, and try to avenge his own death, if theres time. Maybe he could even go back in time to examine crime scenes, but thats really something the writers can work out in development. Think of it as a cross between Quantum Leap, The Ghost Whisperer, and Touched by an Angel. Come on, that sounds right up Josh Charless alley, right?

Alan Cumming Describes Objects

An unscripted television program in which someone hands Alan Cumming an object of his or her choosing, and then Cumming describes it. Accent modulation a plus, but not a necessity.

Je Suis Zach

When Zach said that he was getting married, then moving to France with his new bride, and then starting to try to establish himself as a writer, I laughed for about ten full minutes. This obviously deserves its own half-hour HBO dramedy. It could be one part meta-comedy, one part look-at-a-couple-who-got-married-far-too-soon, and one part meditation on the downfall of young white men who show up in France and think theyre Ernest Hemingway. I would also hope for regular visits/guest appearances by Grace, which would introduce us to all of her inevitable rebellious collegiate selves: Raver Grace, Self-Designed Major Grace, Let Me Tell You About My Study Abroad Grace, and You Guyyyyys, Im So Drunk Grace.

Chasin Jason

Yes, Jasons the investigator, so it might make sense to imagine a show for him like Dog the Bounty Hunter or Person of Interest. But I imagine Jason in a show where hes the hunted, not the hunter. Something thats a cross between Catch Me If You Can and a more festive version of The Fugitive, where Jason traverses the globe, growing out his stubble, mumbling sexily, and hiding out from the law. Along the way (having left Alicia back in her rooted life in Chicago), Jason would meet and romance a too-rooted woman in every city and town, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Ideally, he would take off his shirt a lot, too.

Uncanning

Michael J. Foxs show about his real life (that was not, in fact, about his real life) failed a few years back, but the premise wasnt completely flawed. I propose repurposing it and centering it around Louis Canning instead. Same slice-of-life vibe, just with more faked near-death experiences! With Cannings balance of comedic timing and streak of pure evil, the show could be a darker version of Veep.
Tower of  Blood. Photo: HBO

This post was originally published in May. We have updated it to reflect the events of Sunday nights finale.

On Sunday nights season-six finale of Game of Thrones, viewers who had read George R.R. Martins novels finally got confirmation for the shows longest-running fan theory when Bran Stark used his his greenseeing powers to see the exciting conclusion of Ned Starks visit to the Tower of Joy. What did he see? His father taking a little-bitty baby away from his dying sister, and deciding to raise it on his own. Yes, finally, it appears that R plus L really does equal J  or, since theres no need for secrecy anymore, Rhaegar Targaryen plus Lyanna Stark equals Jon Snow.

The Tower of Joy scene appears early in Martins novels, in elliptical references that pop up in Ned Starks memory throughout the first book: Promise me, Ned. Near the end of the book, once Ned ends up in the Black Cells, these turn into a full-fledged flashback, where Ned recalls the battle that took place there. It was the end of Roberts Rebellion, nearly 20 years earlier, and Ned rode with six Northern companions to find his sister, Lyanna, who had been abducted by the Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. (The Lyanna-Rhaegar thing was introduced all the way back in the pilot, but if you need a refresher: Lyanna was betrothed to Robert Baratheon; Rhaegar took her; Robert launched a rebellion and eventually killed Rhaegar; and Lyanna died of unknown causes.)

They found her at the Tower of Joy, in the mountains that formed the border with Dorne. Guarding her were three men of the Kingsguard, including Ser Arthur Dayne, the best swordsman of the age, who carried a white sword named Dawn said to be forged from a meteor. (In the show, its only two; sorry Ser Oswell Whent!) Like some Japanese soldiers in the aftermath of World War II, the Kingsguard did not think that the end of the war was any sort of reason to lay down their arms, and they dueled the Northerners to the death. In the end, only Ned and Howland Reed (father of Meera and Jojen) survived. Though Ned often said he would have died if not for Howland, how exactly the two men came out on top had been a mystery. Some fans thought Howland might have skin-changed into Dayne at a crucial moment; others delighted in imagining him using a crannogman weapon, like a net or a spear, to save the day. In the show, at least, the answer was much much less glamorous: Howland Reed just stabbed Arthur Dayne in the back. You can see why Ned might think a lie of omission would be the right way to go there.

In the Song of Ice and Fire community, the Tower of Joy scene is a reader favorite, in part because it contains some of Martins most sparsely evocative prose. Heres a fan video of the scene, which uses Roy Dotrices audiobook narration:

Of course, that wasnt the only reason people love it, as the scene also contains a whole bunch of clues for something bigger. Besides the presence of the Kingsguard, the Tower scene also includes a reference to Lyanna dying in a bed of blood, and the implication that Ned swore to obey her last wish, details that made their way faithfully into the show version. It all adds up to an idea that either blew your mind when you figured it out for yourself, or blew your mind slightly less when you heard about it from the internet: that Lyanna died giving birth to a child fathered by Rhaegar, and made Ned promise to raise the kid himself  and that kid grew up to be Jon Snow. (Another scenario where Ned chose to employ a very strategic lie of omission.)

Before the season-six finale, this idea was technically still just a theory in the books, but it was a theory in the way gravitys a theory. No one came up up with anything better, so we all just sort of agreed it was true. Remember the story about how showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had to correctly answer Martins question about the identity of Jon Snows mother before they were allowed to adapt the series? An answer of Lyanna Stark would have indicated theyd passed Thrones 101.

For years, fans debated how this mystery of Jon Snows parentage, which was probably very important to the series endgame, would be answered in the show. Season one came and went without Ned having any visions in the Black Cells, and the shows no-flashbacks policy seemingly indicated the Tower of Joy would be excised entirely. Fortunately, Brans vision quests provide a handy way to introduce such backstory without the show getting too bogged down in exposition. But as the earlier episodes proved, this wasnt a reveal that Benioff and Weiss wanted to drop on us all at once. They strung it out, so we found the truth of Jons heritage the same night he was proclaimed King in the North.

How will Jon himself find out? This is one of those areas where book readers are as much in the dark as everyone else; the last time we saw Jon in the novels, he was way too preoccupied with all those people stabbing him to worry too much about his mom. The battle at the Tower of Joy still has one living participant  will Howland Reed simply show up and give Jon the answer in a lengthy monologue, just like Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction? Or will Bran himself be the one to spill? Whatever the answer, it will be interesting to see the effect the news has on Jon himself. The mans already come back from the dead, how much big news can one man take?
About 40 local business and community leaders will fly to Washington, D.C., on Monday for three days of meetings with lawmakers to discuss national issues that may impact Central Texas during a turbulent election year and to present their priorities in the areas of economic development, education, health care and transportation.

The office of Rep. Bill Flores, a Republican representing District 17, which includes Waco, is coordinating the trip, which will include a contingent from Bryan-College Station. The Greater Waco Chamber of Commerces Public Policy Committee joined Flores in putting together the itinerary.

Were very excited about this opportunity to meet with our elected officials and representatives of various government entities as a whole and in small groups over three days, said Jessica Attas, who in October became the chambers full-time director of public policy.

Attas said local leaders will discuss the continued widening of Interstate 35 through Greater Waco and beyond, a project that has exploded in price to about $400 million but will have a sizable impact on the local and statewide economy. Without continued improvement to the interstate, Attas said, big rigs and automobiles face traffic snarls that impede commerce and compromise air quality.

With that in mind, local leaders will lobby for funding to complete the I-35 project that is critical to support the transportation of international and national goods.

Folks are coming up to share with policymakers what they consider to be Central Texas main concerns, Flores said. We have a great group of people lined up to visit with these delegates, to discuss what is keeping businesspeople awake at night.

Flores said many business owners he speaks with are worried about the regulatory environment and the red tape they must navigate to operate.

As for the coming election year and the partisan battles shaping up between supporters of apparent Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, Flores said he is concerned little progress will be made because the elections are going to suck the life out of the room.

Still, he said he would hope to pursue an agenda to address national security and economic growth, as well as tax, welfare and regulatory reform.

Despite obstacles, Central Texas and the state as a whole remain poised to make waves nationally in the realm of economic development.

We do have challenges related to transportation, and you can put a big circle around Interstate 35, he said. But look at the economic triangle formed by Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, and our District 17 is right in the middle. Were ideally suited to be within the growth region of Texas.

The Waco chamber has created a public policy initiative in which it establishes positions on issues that impact its 1,600 members and the overall community.

For example, it supports the reauthorized federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which focuses on creating partnerships between the private sector and educational institutions to provide training that meets the specific needs of employers. It also supports long-term extension of tax credits to promote development and innovation, including the New Market Tax Credit. The initiative also supports tax reforms to reduce corporate tax rates to levels comparable to those of foreign competitors.

Also, the initiative pushes for increased support for such programs as the Small Business Administration, the Economic Development Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It also wants lawmakers to seek new ways, including trade agreements, to expand access to foreign markets for goods made in the United States.

Other issues that likely will provide fodder for discussion in Washington, D.C., include air service, transportation infrastructure and high-speed rail.

Lawmakers scheduled to meet with the contingent from Central Texas include, besides Flores, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or a representative of Cruz; Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House majority leader; Sen. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., speaker of the House; Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee; Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the Financial Services Committee; Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., majority whip; and Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Benghazi Select Committee chairman.

Waco chamber representatives will include Attas, president Matt Meadors and Kris Collins, senior vice president for economic development.
The Waco Hilton is spending $2 million to renovate its property at University Parks Drive and Franklin Avenue to make it more competitive in Wacos booming lodging market that recently saw the opening of two new hotels and will welcome another in June, the Hilton confirmed Monday.

Officials with the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau said Baylor University remains the dominant generator of room rentals in Greater Waco, but Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and their many Magnolia-related projects, including Magnolia Market at the Silos downtown, are closing fast.

Magnolia is up to 25,000 visitors a week, or 1.3 million a year, and it only opened in October, said Carla Pendergraft, interim director of marketing for the Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau. Magnolia Market has become a destination shopping point, and now it is our job to try to get visitors to see more attractions while they are here.

Candlewood Suites last month opened a 99-room hotel at 2710 S. New Road, near U.S. Highway 77, an unveiling that followed the Feb. 29 opening of TownePlace Suites Waco South, a Marriott product, in the upscale Legends Crossing development on State Highway 6 that now has three lodging establishments.

Meanwhile, a 105-room Homewood2 Suites by Hilton likely will open next month at South Valley Mills Drive and Bagby Avenue, near the Gander Mountain store.

Pendergraft said the new arrivals will add 300 rooms to Greater Wacos inventory, and that they meet a need.

But she added that TownPlace, Homewood2 and Candlewood all primarily serve extended-stay clients making Waco home for 30 to 90 days, and will offer little relief to those visiting overnight or for a weekend.

Greater Waco has about 4,000 hotels and motel rooms, but that number falls to between 800 and 1,000 when Pendergraft discusses so-called bankable rooms that a client such as a major convention planner or Baylor University would want to reserve in blocks for a day or two.

She said Baylor has called her twice in the past three weeks to complain that visitors to on-campus events could not find rooms in Greater Waco.

Waco has suffered lodging casualties in recent years, with the demolition or replacement of Hotel Waco, Old Main Lodge and the Clarion Hotel Waco, which was demolished to make room for a new retail and restaurant development at South Fourth Street and Interstate 35 that includes In-N-Out Burger and CVS Pharmacy.

Help is on the horizon, as Dallas-based DBG Investments has proposed a hotel with 125 suites at 115 S. Jack Kultgen Expressway. It will have multilevel parking, an indoor-outdoor pool, a bar, food service and a rooftop deck with views of Baylor, downtown and McLane Stadium.

The Waco Hilton is not adding rooms, but it wants to polish its image since it last received a major remodel in 2008.

We started work week before last, and plan a complete update of the inside, including guest rooms and public areas, general manager Justin Edwards said. We also will be getting a new pool to replace the old square pool. It will have a half-moon shape, a sitting area and fountains.

The interior remodel will include fresh wall coverings; new carpeting, tile, artwork and bedding; and new furniture in the bar and restaurant.

The Waco market is doing very well right now, and we want to provide the best stay possible with essentially a new product, said Edwards of the 195-room hotel.

He said the Waco Hilton, which is attached to the Waco Convention Center, recently became part of Dallas-based Best Western Hospitality.

It has enjoyed a 72 percent occupancy rate since Jan. 1, and has benefited from the Magnolia phenomenon, which brings a good herd of people to the market.

Pendergraft said the entire Waco lodging scene enjoyed an occupancy rate of 68.3 percent, according to figures released at the close of 2015. That placed it third in the state, behind only Austin-Round Rocks 76.1 percent and Dallas 70.6 percent. The statewide percentage stood at 64.9 percent.

Waco in recent years completed a $17 million expansion and beautification of its convention center, which is allowing it to attract larger state and national groups.

Local establishments are seeing growth in the hotel-motel tax revenues they generate. Visitors staying in lodging establishments paid $3.3 million in taxes in March, the latest month for which figures are available. Thats 20 percent more than they paid in March 2015, according to economist Karr Ingham.

Wacos newest hotels, which dote on extended-stay guests, serve a niche that is growing as high-profile construction projects keep crews in Greater Waco for months.

Allergan, for example, will spend $200 million to enlarge its Waco plant by more than 300,000 square feet in phases across four years.
Kaitlyn Mackey graduated from Texas State Technical College with an associate degree Friday, weeks before she walks the stage for her Connally High School diploma at the end of May.

Mackey is one of the first graduates from Connally Independent School Districts Early College High School, a state program that allows high schools to partner with colleges to provide associate degrees free for students.

Connally began its early college program in the 2014-15 school year to provide students with college-credit courses specifically in career and technical fields.

All 190 students enrolled in the program attend TSTC while taking their basic classes at the high school, said Hermann Pereira, principal of the early college program.

Its talking about, How do we put kids in careers? How do we get them to do real-world things?  Pereira said.

Mackey received a degree in auto-collision management, which is one of 31 options TSTC makes available to high school students.

She chose the focus because she was interested in becoming an insurance adjuster, but recently received a job in accounting and doesnt have concrete plans for her future.

Anything is possible. I may go back to school and get an associates in business or accounting, she said.

Most of the early college students are sophomores and juniors, Pereira said. This allows them to have enough time before high school graduation to earn an associate degree.

Pereira said the program is designed to provide students who wouldnt traditionally attend a four-year university with training for a skilled-labor job.

These are kids who are looking at their associates or certificate and (saying), Im ready to go to work,  he said.

The most popular tracks of study include culinary arts, visual communications and automotive, said Elizabeth Gostomski, a career tech counselor. Students must apply and go through an interview process to enroll.

For so long, kids education has been a push for the four-year schools, but were actually giving them the skills so they can be successful right out of high school, she said.

Mackey said she was afraid when she first started the program, but is thankful she took the risk and stuck it out.

Ive been able to have so many opportunities open up to me and Ive learned so much about so many different things, she said.
A 28-year-old man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly posted nude photographs of his ex-girlfriend online after a failed attempt to rekindle their relationship, court documents stated.

Jeremy Lovelace was arrested on a charge of promotion of intimate visual material after he allegedly posted images of a woman who he had previously dated on a Craigslist section named back page, Waco police Detective Brandon Hawthorne stated in an arrest affidavit.

Lovelace and the female victim had been in a relationship previously, but were no longer together when Lovelace allegedly made the posting.

Lovelace had recently made contact with (victim) and was trying to date her, but she refused because she was already dating someone, the affidavit stated. On 10-26-15, (the victim) received text messages from strange men requesting more pictures of her.

The images allegedly showed exposed intimate parts of the victim and were posted without consent of the victim, court documents stated.

The victim asked one of the requestors what they were referring to and he told her about an ad her photos were featured in, court documents stated. The victim received a screenshot of the ad, which allegedly listed Lovelaces email address in the posting.

Lovelace was arrested Sunday. He posted a $1,000 bond Monday and was released from McLennan County Jail.
A Jewish Red Army veteran takes part in a parade marking Victory Day, the anniversary of the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany, in Jerusalem, Israel, May 8, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]
The following companies are subsidiares of Becton, Dickinson and: Accuri Cytometers, Accuri Cytometers Inc., Alverix Inc, Alverix Inc., Atto Bioscience Inc, BD Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., BD Infection Prevention BV, BD Kiestra BV, BD Kiestra Total Lab Automation, BD Rapid Diagnostic (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., BD San Luis Potosi S.A. de C.V., BD Switzerland Sarl, BD Ventures LLC, BD West Africa Limited, BDX INO LLC, Bard (Thailand) Limited, Bard ASDI Inc., Bard Access Systems Inc., Bard Acquisition Sub Inc., Bard Australia Pty. Limited, Bard Benelux N.V., Bard Brachytherapy Inc., Bard Brasil Industria e Comercio de Produtos Para a Saude Ltda., Bard Canada Inc., Bard Chile S.p.A., Bard Czech Republic s.r.o., Bard Devices Inc., Bard Dublin ITC Limited, Bard EMEA Finance Center Sp.z o.o., Bard European Distribution Center N.V., Bard Finance B.V. & Co. KG., Bard Financial Services Ltd., Bard Finland OY, Bard France S.A.S., Bard Global Holdings I LLC, Bard Global Holdings II LLC, Bard Global Holdings III LLC, Bard Healthcare Inc., Bard Healthcare Science (Shanghai) Limited, Bard Hellas S.A., Bard Holding SAS, Bard Holdings Limited, Bard Holdings Netherlands B.V., Bard Hong Kong Limited, Bard IP Holdings Inc., Bard India Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Bard International Holdings B.V., Bard International Inc., Bard Istanbul Healthcare Limited Company, Bard Korea Ltd., Bard Limited, Bard MRL Acquisition Corp., Bard Malaysia Healthcare Sdn. Bhd., Bard Medica SA, Bard Medical Devices (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Bard Medical R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Bard Medical SA (Proprietary) Limited, Bard Mexico Realty S. de R.L. de C.V., Bard Norden AB, Bard Norway AS, Bard Pacific Health Care Company Ltd., Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc., Bard Poland Sp. z.o.o., Bard Productos Plasticos e Medicos Ltda., Bard Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Bard S.r.l., Bard Sdn. Bhd., Bard Shannon Limited, Bard Singapore Private Limited, Bard Sourcing Office Singapore Pte. Ltd., Bard Sweden AB, Bard UK Newco Limited, Bard de Espana S.A., Becton Dickinson (Gibraltar) Holdings Ltd., Becton Dickinson (Gibraltar) Limited, Becton Dickinson (Gibraltar) Management Limited, Becton Dickinson (Mauritius) Limited, Becton Dickinson (Pty) Ltd., Becton Dickinson (Thailand) Limited, Becton Dickinson A.G., Becton Dickinson A/S, Becton Dickinson Argentina S.R.L., Becton Dickinson Asia Holdings Ltd., Becton Dickinson Asia Limited, Becton Dickinson Austria GmbH, Becton Dickinson Austria Holdings GmbH, Becton Dickinson B.V., Becton Dickinson B.V. Saudi Limited Company, Becton Dickinson Benelux N.V., Becton Dickinson Biosciences Systems and Reagents Inc., Becton Dickinson Canada Inc., Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd., Becton Dickinson Croatia d.o.o., Becton Dickinson Czechia s.r.o., Becton Dickinson Dispensing Belgium BVBA, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Denmark A/S, Becton Dickinson Dispensing France SAS, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Ireland Limited, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Norway, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Spain S.L.U., Becton Dickinson Dispensing UK Ltd., Becton Dickinson Distribution Center N.V., Becton Dickinson East Africa Ltd., Becton Dickinson Euro Finance Sarl, Becton Dickinson Europe Holdings S.A.S., Becton Dickinson France S.A.S., Becton Dickinson GSA Beteilgungs GmbH, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings I Inc., Becton Dickinson Global Holdings II LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings IV LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings V LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings VII LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings VIII LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Services Centre Sdn. Bhd, Becton Dickinson GmbH, Becton Dickinson Guatemala S.A., Becton Dickinson Hellas S.A., Becton Dickinson Holdings Limited, Becton Dickinson Holdings Ltd., Becton Dickinson Holdings Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson Hungary Kft., Becton Dickinson India Private Limited, Becton Dickinson Industrias Cirurgicas Ltda., Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy AB, Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Holdings UK Limited, Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Systems Inc., Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Systems Inc. S.A. de C.V., Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy UK, Becton Dickinson Insulin Syringe Ltd., Becton Dickinson International Holdings II Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson International Holdings III Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson International Holdings Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson Israel Ltd., Becton Dickinson Italia S.p.A., Becton Dickinson Ithalat Ihracat Limited Sirketi, Becton Dickinson Korea Holding Inc., Becton Dickinson Korea Ltd., Becton Dickinson Ltd., Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.L., Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Global Holdings Sarl, Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Holdings II S.a.r.L, Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Holdings III S.a.r.L, Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Holdings V S.a.r.L., Becton Dickinson Malaysia Inc., Becton Dickinson Management GmbH & Co. KG, Becton Dickinson Matrex Holdings Inc., Becton Dickinson Medical (S) Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Devices (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Products Pte. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Technology (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Netherlands Global Holdings II C.V., Becton Dickinson Netherlands Holdings B.V., Becton Dickinson Netherlands Holdings II B.V., Becton Dickinson Norway AS, Becton Dickinson O.Y., Becton Dickinson Overseas Services Ltd., Becton Dickinson Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd., Becton Dickinson Penel Limited, Becton Dickinson Philippines Inc., Becton Dickinson Polska Sp.z.o.o., Becton Dickinson Portugal Unipessoal Lda., Becton Dickinson Pty. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Research Centre Ireland Limited, Becton Dickinson Rowa Germany GmbH, Becton Dickinson Rowa Italy Srl, Becton Dickinson S.A., Becton Dickinson Sample Collection GmbH, Becton Dickinson Scot Financing L.L.P., Becton Dickinson Scot Financing L.P., Becton Dickinson Sdn. Bhd., Becton Dickinson Slovakia s.r.o., Becton Dickinson Sweden AB, Becton Dickinson Sweden Holdings AB, Becton Dickinson Switzerland Global Holdings SarL, Becton Dickinson Technology Campus India, Becton Dickinson U.K. Limited, Becton Dickinson UK Financing I Limited, Becton Dickinson UK Financing II Limited, Becton Dickinson Venezuela C.A., Becton Dickinson Venture LLC, Becton Dickinson Verwaltungs GmbH, Becton Dickinson Vostok LLC, Becton Dickinson Worldwide Investments Sa.r.L., Becton Dickinson Zambia Limited, Becton Dickinson and Company Ltd., Becton Dickinson de Colombia Ltda., Becton Dickinson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Becton Dickinson del Uruguay S.A., Bee IT Solutions, Benex Ltd., Biometric Imaging, Bridger Biomed Inc., C. R. Bard (Portugal) - Produtos e Artigos Medicos e Farmaceuticos, C. R. Bard Do Brasil Productos Medicos Ltda., C. R. Bard GmbH, C. R. Bard Inc., C. R. Bard Netherlands Sales B.V., C.R. Bard Inc, CME America LLC, CME Ltd., CME Medical (UK) Limited, CME UK (Holdings) Limited, CRISI Medical Systems, CRISI Medical Systems Inc., Caesarea Medical Electronics, Cardal II LLC, Care Fusion Development Private Limited, CareFusion (Barbados) SrL, CareFusion (Shanghai) Commercial and Trading Co. Limited, CareFusion 213 LLC, CareFusion 2200 Inc., CareFusion 2201 Inc., CareFusion 302 LLC, CareFusion 303 Inc., CareFusion Asia (HK) Limited, CareFusion Corporation, CareFusion Corporation., CareFusion D.R. 203 Ltd., CareFusion France 309 S.A.S., CareFusion Israel 330 Ltd., CareFusion Italy 312 S.p.A., CareFusion Manufacturing LLC, CareFusion Mexico 215 S.A. de C.V., CareFusion Netherlands 328 B.V., CareFusion Netherlands 503 B.V., CareFusion Netherlands 504 B.V., CareFusion Netherlands Financing 283 C.V., CareFusion Resources LLC, CareFusion S.A. 319 (Proprietary) Limited, CareFusion Solutions LLC, CareFusion U.K. 244 Limited, CareFusion U.K. 305 Limited, CareFusion U.K. 306 Limited, Carmel Pharma AB, Carmel Pharma Inc, Cato Software Solutions, Cell Analysis Systems Inc, Cellular Research, Cellular Research Inc., Clearstream Technologies Group Limited, Clearstream Technologies Limited, Clontech Laboratories Inc, Corporativo BD de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Critical Device Corporation, Cubex, Cytognos, Cytopeia Inc, DLD (Bermuda) Ltd., DVL Acquisition Sub Inc., Davol Inc., Davol International Limited, Davol Surgical Innovations S.A. de C.V., Difco Laboratories Incorporated, Distribuidora BD Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dutch American Manufacturers (D.A.M.) B.V., Dymax Corporation, Embo Medical Limited, Enturia de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Enturican Inc., FJ International Inc., FlowCardia Inc., FlowCardia LLC, FlowJo LLC, Franklin Lakes Enterprises L.L.C., GSL Solutions, Gamer Lasertechnik GmbH, GenCell Biosystems, GenCell Biosystems Ltd., GeneOhm Sciences Canada ULC, GeneOhm Sciences Inc, Gentest Corporation, Gesco International Inc., Gesco International LLC, Glentech Inc, HandyLab Inc, HandyLab Inc., IBD Holdings LLC, Iontophoretics Corporation, JoHome LLC, Kabushiki Kaisha Medicon (Medicon Inc.), Liberator Health and Education Services Inc., Liberator Health and Wellness Inc., Liberator Medical Holdings Inc., Liberator Medical Supply Inc., Limited Liability Company Bard Rus, Loma Vista Medical Inc., Loma Vista Medical LLC, Luther Medical Products Inc, Lutonix Inc., Med-Design Corporation, Med-Design Investment Holdings Inc., Med-Safe Systems Inc, Med-Safe Systems Inc., MedChem Products Inc., Medafor Inc., Medegen LLC, Medinservice.com Inc., Medivance Inc., NAT Diagnostics Inc., NAT Diagnostics Inc., NOW Medical Distribution Inc., NOW Medical Distribution LLC, Navarre Biomedical LLC, Navarre Biomedical Ltd., Neomend Inc., Nippon Becton Dickinson Company Ltd., Omega Biosystems Incorporated, P.R.C. (Isialys) Societe a responsabilitie limitee, PT Becton Dickinson Indonesia, PharMingen, PharMingen., Plasso Technology Ltd, PreAnalytiX GmbH, Pristine Access Technologies Inc., ProSeed Inc., Procesos para Esterilizacion S.A. de C.V., Productos Bard de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Productos Para el Cuidado de la Salud S.A. de C.V., Puls Medical Devices AS LC, PureWick Corporation, Roberts Laboratories Inc., Rochester Medical Corporation, Rochester Medical Ltd., Saf-T-Med Inc, Safety Syringes Inc., Scanwell Health Inc., Sendal S.L.U., SenoRx Inc., SenoRx LLC, Shield Healthcare Centers Inc., Sirigen Group Limited, Sirigen II Limited, Sirigen Inc., Sistemas Medicos ALARIS S.A. de C.V., Specialized Cooperative Corporation, Specialized Health Products Inc., Specialized Health Products International Inc., Specialized Health Products International LLC, Staged Diabetes Management LLC, Straub Medical AG, Straub Medical AG, Surgical Site Solutions Inc., TVA Medical Inc, TVA Medical Inc., Tepha Inc, Tepha Inc., Tissuemed Ltd., Tri-County Medical & Ostomy Supplies Inc., TriPath Imaging Inc., Tru-Fit Marketing Corporation, Vas-Cath Incorporated, Vascular Pathways Inc., Velano Vascular, Velano Vascular Inc., Venclose Inc., Venetec International Inc., Venetec International LLC, Visitec, Y-Med Inc., Y-Med LLC, and ZebraSci Inc..

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. It also offers ProxyEdge, an electronic proxy delivery and voting solution; data-driven solutions and an end-to-end platform for content management, composition, and omni-channel distribution of regulatory, marketing, and transactional information, as well as mutual fund trade processing services; data and analytics solutions; solutions for public corporations and mutual funds; SEC filing and capital markets transaction services; registrar, stock transfer, and record-keeping services; and omni-channel customer communications solutions, as well as operates Broadridge Communications Cloud platform that creates, delivers, and manages communications and customer engagement activities. The company's Global Technology and Operations segment provides solutions that automate the front-to-back transaction lifecycle of equity, mutual fund, fixed income, foreign exchange and exchange-traded derivatives, order capture and execution, trade confirmation, margin, cash management, clearance and settlement, reference data management, reconciliations, securities financing and collateral management, asset servicing, compliance and regulatory reporting, portfolio accounting, and custody-related services. This segment also offers business process outsourcing services; technology solutions, such portfolio management, compliance, fee billing, and operational support solutions; and capital market and wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Lake Success, New York.
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Emergent BioSolutions Inc., a life sciences company, focuses on the provision of preparedness and response solutions that address accidental, deliberate, and naturally occurring public health threats (PHTs) in the United States. The company's products address PHTs, which include chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives; emerging infectious diseases; travel health; and emerging health crises and acute/emergency care. It offers BioThrax, an anthrax vaccine; ACAM2000, a smallpox vaccine; Botulism Antitoxin Heptavalent to treat botulinum disease; vaccinia immune globulin intravenous that addresses complications from smallpox vaccine; raxibacumab for the treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax; Anthrasil to for inhalational anthrax; reactive skin decontamination lotion kits; and Trobigard, a combination drug-device auto injector product candidate; and Trobigard, a combination drug-device auto injector product candidate. The company also provides NARCAN, a nasal spray for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose; Vivotif, an oral vaccine for typhoid fever; and Vaxchora, a single-dose oral vaccine to treat cholera. In addition, it is developing AP003, a Naloxone multidose nasal spray; AP007, a sustained release Nalmefene injection for treatment of opioid use disorder; AV7909, an anthrax vaccine; CGRD-001, a pralidoxime chloride/atropine auto-injector; CHIKV VLP, a chikungunya virus VLP vaccine; COVID-HIG for the treatment of SARS-CoV2; EGRD-001, a diazepam auto-injector; SIAN, an antidote for the initial treatment of acute poisoning of cyanide; and UniFlu, a universal influenza vaccine. Further, the company provides contract development and manufacturing services comprising drug substance and product manufacturing, and packaging, as well as technology transfer, process, and analytical development services. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The gun midfielder should be assessed early in the week, but when asked on Sunday whether he would play against the Swans, Cotchin said "I'd like to think yes".

Cotchin missed the Tigers' loss to Hawthorn on Friday night after breaking his cheekbone in the round six loss to Port Adelaide.

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin is hopeful of returning for Saturday night's MCG clash with Sydney, but says his availability for the match will be guided by a meeting on Monday.

Richmond should in any case regain key defender Alex Rance in time to face Coleman Medal leader Lance Franklin. Rance was suspended for the matches against Power and the Hawks.

Cotchin said the club's middle band of players needed to lift if the Tigers (1-6) were to salvage something from a season that is fast turning into a write-off.

"I think we forget about how important those guys are to us playing consistent footy," he told Channel Seven. "We can talk about the leaders, we can talk about our young players, but our middle tier group is probably the most important ... and where you're going to get a lot of your wins from.

"The expectation is that you're going to have 15, 16 players performing at a consistent level, week in, week out, and then you have the ability to carry a few."

Cotchin added that the Tigers needed to be more composed with ball in hand. Trailing by nine points at three-quarter time on Friday night, Damien Hardwick's men succumbed meekly, conceding nine final-term goals.
There's a lot of hot air between now and July 2. Daily we will be treated, if that's the word, to crafted messages from the major parties. Every election has its unforeseen dramas and no doubt if there aren't any real ones, some in the media will blow any minor slip or indiscretion out of proportion in order to create some.

In the end we will be choosing which of the two men leading the major parties should be our prime minister. It's Malcolm or Bill.

Imagine you have just won a mega-lottery and then ask yourself whether you want Bill Shorten or Malcolm Turnbull as a financial adviser for the next three years. Therein lies Labor's problem. You may have an occasional lotto flutter or be a regular purchaser. It matters little. Everyone can imagine a windfall win. Not many, if any, imagine using Bill Shorten as the guy they will trust as a financial adviser. Not even the most rusted-on Labor voter thinks that. And it follows that if you wouldn't trust him to run your finances, why would you trust him to run the country?

Labor will try to make Turnbull appear as the rich, out-of-touch egomaniac. It will not work. Turnbull went to a public school and then won a scholarship. Shorten went to a private school. Turnbull made his own money. Shorten has married it. Twice. Shorten has done nothing in his life to bring him in touch with the digital age and the new economy. Turnbull was around IT, and making it work, decades ago.
CSIRO plans to close its ice lab and cease key Antarctic science activities, moves that scientists warn will damage Australia's international partnerships and run counter to a new $2 billion-plus government plan for the region.

Staff in CSIRO's key climate science units within its Oceans & Atmosphere division will be told as early as Monday where the intended axe of 74 jobs will land, according to a leaked union document obtained by Fairfax Media.

Australia's Aurora Australis at work in the Antarctic. Credit:Mike Zupanc, Australian Antarctic Division

The cuts are part of the agency's plan to slash 275 jobs and shift resources elsewhere. Monday is expected to mark the start of the formal contacting of staff to inform them their positions will go.

Antarctic science will bear part of the brunt just days after Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced government support topping $2 billion over 20 years to boost Australia's position on the icy continent. The funds include an ice-breaker ship but also ice-core research now at risk.
"It suggests to me they are trying to keep this under wraps. They've been sitting on it for almost a year." Fairfax Media understands the proposed extension of Dr Marshall's two-year term for another three years has been sitting with both Mr Pyne and his predecessor, Ian Macfarlane. A spokesman for CSIRO said the process for Dr Marshall's extension had started in June 2015: "The process is ongoing and it is not appropriate to comment further at this time." Mr Pyne's office has sought to distance the minister from the CSIRO cuts, which have drawn international and local criticism, and the decision to back Dr Marshall's reappointment. "Dr Marshall is appointed by the board of CSIRO and this will be considered at their next meeting," the spokesman for Mr Pyne said.

CSIRO management faced another day of damage control after Fairfax Media reported the climate science cuts would include staff managing the agency's decades-old ice lab. CSIRO managers have been discussing with the Australian Antarctic Division to see what if any capability that agency could take. A spokeswoman for the AAD on Monday said those talks were on-going and declined to comment further. 'Destructive' Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said Dr Marshall had "overseen a destructive and counterproductive restructure process at CSIRO that has brought international condemnation". "The Liberals should not have made this decision so close to an election and put the board in such a difficult position," the Tasmanian senator said. "I urge the board that this will look like a rushed, politically-motivated decision if they formally reappoint Marshall now."

"By backing Marshall they are backing climate science cuts. It lays bare the climate denial politics of the coalition." CSIRO chief Dr Marshall's contract was an unusual one for the head of CSIRO. Dr Marshall, whose current contract runs to the end of 2016, told a Senate inquiry into CSIRO's cuts on April 27 that he was not put off accepting the job even though it came with a review before two years were up. "I think probably what I said to the chairman at the time was, 'I'm happy with whatever the board thinks is appropriate. It doesn't really faze me one way or the other'," Dr Marshall told the Senate committee in Canberra. Land and Water squeezed
Children planning major cosmetic surgery will be subject to a three-month cooling off period and must pass an independent mental health check under new national standards.

The Medical Board of Australia will on Monday release new guidelines for doctors performing all cosmetic procedures, from anti-ageing injections to full body makeovers.

They require a seven-day cooling off period for adults before major procedures, and impose a mandatory requirement that doctors prescribing anti-ageing injections and dermal fillers see the patient  at least by video  before doing so.

Joanna Flynn, chairwoman of the medical board, said the public guidelines should send the message that all surgery is serious and requires proper consideration by patients.
Whisky lovers won't be paying less for a tasty nip any time soon as the industry argues over whether a new tax break goes far enough.

Scott Morrison's budget rebate will give distillers up to $30,000 back on the excise they pay, approximately $25 a bottle.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 05: Reg Papps at there Ironbark Distillery. A year ago and have already started winning awards on May 5, 2016 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Christopher Pearce/Fairfax Media) Credit:Christopher Pearce

"The excise break will not be passed on until 2017-18, so in the short term price will probably remain the same," says Reg Papps of Ironbark distillery.

"Once we figure out how it works, and just what the rebate gives us in cash terms then we can make a decision on price point."
Mobile phone use has not caused a rise in brain cancer in Australia, says a new study led by the University of Sydney.

Despite the near complete uptake of mobile phones among Australians over the past 29 years, the communications devices, which emit electromagnetic radiation, are not correlated to incidences of brain cancer, the authors claim.

A 1987 Telstra ad for Australia's first mobile phone. Analysis of the 29 years since shows no correlation between mobile phone use and brain cancer occurrence.

Has the incidence of brain cancer risen in Australia since the introduction of mobile phones 29 years ago?, published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology on Thursday, goes against the claims of American epidemiologist Devra Davis, whose visit to Sydney in November raised concerns over the dangers of mobile phone use.

Mobile phone use has risen to 94 per cent since 1987, when the first mobile phone call was made in Australia.
At just 23, Solange Cunin is making space history. She is the driving force behind Australia's first payload to the International Space Station. And the aerospace engineering student is making her mark with the help of hundreds of NSW high school students.

"We had to get special approval from 16 other nations who take part in the ISS because Australia has never been involved with it before," said Ms Cunin, a student at the University of NSW.

Science and Industry Minister Christopher Pyne this month signed the first "Overseas Launch Certificate" ever issued by the Australian government.

Ms Cunin has enlisted the bright ideas of students from 40 NSW high schools to prepare a piece of hardware that will run 60 experiments in space. All of the experiments are written in Python computer code and loaded up into a piece of kit that will be tested by NASA scientists before rocketing up into Earth orbit.
By Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools May. 09, 2016 | 06:32 AM | MAYFIELD, KY

Graves County High School juniors Ethan Murphey and Mattison Sullivan have performed in some of the same music and drama circles over the years. They attended Graves County Central Elementary, Middle School, and High School at the same time. Both recently qualified to participate in the prestigious Governors School for the Arts program this summer at Centre College in Danville.

Murphey will refine his skills as a vocalist. He will be one of nine basses in the Governor's School of the Arts Choir. He is the son of Ike and Amy Murphey. He joined the Graves County Middle School Choir in the seventh grade and has been selected to participate in All-District Choir every year since. Upon entering high school, Murphey was selected to participate in the Chamber Choir. The following year, he was presented the Outstanding Sophomore Award.

Murphey also participated in Honor Choir activities, such as singing with the University of Tennessee at Martin Chorus and at the music festival at Paducah Tilghman High School. At the latter event, he took lessons with the Acousticats, the University of Kentuckys a capella group. He was chosen as an alternate for GSA as a sophomore. Earlier this year, Murpheys audition led him to Kentucky's All-State Choir, where he spent three days in Louisville under the direction of various university professors, learning music for the all-state performance. Outside school, he helps lead singing in his church and has participated in the Paducah Symphony Youth Chorus.

Sullivan will work on further developing his knowledge of and skills in musical theater. He is the son of Matt and Stephanie Sullivan and lives with his family in Wingo. He first was involved in the arts through the Drama Club at Graves County Central Elementary School. Highlights included playing Peter Pan and travelling with the drama team to Branson, Mo., where they saw the Broadway performance of Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby.

Sullivan also has participated in several musicals with the Purchase Players community theater group in Mayfield, ranging from Mowgli in The Jungle Book to the Cat-in-the Hat in Seussical, the Musical. At Graves High, he has performed in the Chamber Choir and in musical theater. His most recent role was that of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. Sullivan plans to pursue a career in the performing arts. He has not yet selected a university to attend, but plans to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theater.
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According to the Indonesian Trade Ministry, the two-way trade amounted to USD8.5 billion in 2015. Indonesian exports to Saudi Arabia reach USD3.35 billion in 2015, while imports were worth USD5.14 billion.

The total trade between the two countries is expected to increase 15 percent a year in the coming time.

Trade Ministry expert for trade services Arlinda Imbang Jaya said a Saudi business delegation was in Indonesia this week to learn about the market and seek business and cooperation opportunities with Indonesian businesses.

Saudi Arabia expressed its interest in cooperating with various business players including those running professional nursing care, producing pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and medical

equipment.

According to the official, Saudi Arabia is ready to facilitate and help Indonesian companies to expand their businesses in Saudi Arabia.

Indonesias main export commodities to Saudi Arabia are textile products, cars, palm oil, tuna, rubber and rubber products, plywood, paper and paper products, pulp and charcoal./.
By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 08, 2016 | 09:09 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Paducah Area Painters Alliance members have all kinds of events, workshops, classes and shows going on in their gallery on Broadway, 124 Broadway May 4 - 25.A Color Pencil Workshop will be offered each Wednesday morning from 9:00 am until noon. The instructor fee is $10 with PAPA lab fees of $2 for members and $5 for non-members. There's a sign-up sheet and materials list at the gallery or call 270-575-3544.Betty Martyn will have a solo show reception on Thursday, May 12th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Tribeca, 127 Market Square.PAPA's monthly meeting is May 31st from 7:00  8:30 pm at the gallery. New members are welcome and refreshments are served. PAPA had five new members sign up at their 25th Anniversary.PAPA members did well at the Paducah Womans Club 81st Art Show in April:Best of Show & First Place: John McLaren, Featured in exhibition 2015 Winner: Tommy Fletcher, Frank Bennett: 3rd in Professional oils , Mel Garbark: Honorable mention in oils, Mark Ray: 1st in acrylics, Joyce Ray: 3rd in watercolors, Diane Ireland: 2nd & 3rd in acrylics & : 2nd in drawing/mixed media, Carol Hudson: 1st in pastels, Mary Huebschmann: 2nd in watercolor, Paul Young: 2nd in Oils, Vickie Lee Gingrich: 3rd in oils & 3rd in drawing/mixed media, Judith Webb: 2016 Quilters Choice Award & featured in the May Edition of the Paducah Life Magazine with her painting Nocturnalfest.Visit: www.thepapagallery.com for more information. Paducah Area Painters Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

May. 09, 2016 | PADUCAH, KY

By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 09, 2016 | 11:48 AM | PADUCAH, KY

A Paducah pair were arrested Saturday morning in Graves County on numerous charges after one of them reportedly stole a taxi van and ran down a woman.



Paducah Police say Shawn Roach told officers he was driving a van for Chiz Cab Friday night and his friend, 25-year-old Shea R. Hendrickson, was riding with him. He said he picked up a woman  later identified as 25-year-old Sharmelvine A. Watson  at a home in the 3000 block of Monroe Street, and a man  later identified as 26-year-old David Bumphus  at a home in the 2500 block of Clay Street.



Roach said the two passengers began arguing, and Bumphus asked to be let out in the area of 27th and Washington streets. Roach said Watson then turned her anger toward Hendrickson and began fighting with her. During the altercation, Watson reportedly got into the drivers seat of the van and fled the scene.



Roach said he and Hendrickson began chasing the van south on South 27th Street, when it turned around and began heading directly toward them. Roach said Hendrickson ran into a yard at 27th and Clark streets, but Watson followed her into the yard and hit her, dragging her a short distance before fleeing the scene.



Mayfield Police found Bumphus and Watson in the van just before 2:00 am Saturday. Both were taken to the Graves County Jail.



Police said they found marijuana, a plastic grinder, open beer cans and a loaded .22-caliber revolver in an open briefcase between the driver and passenger seats. A jailer later found marijuana hidden on Watson, resulting in a charge of promoting contraband.



Watson is charged with receiving stolen property valued at less than 10,000; receiving stolen property (firearm); possession of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle; first-degree promoting contraband; alcohol intoxication; and carrying a concealed weapon; and on a Paducah Police Department warrant charging her with first-degree assault.



Bumphus is charged with receiving stolen property valued at less than 10,000; receiving stolen property (firearm); driving under the influence; possession of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; driving with no operators license; possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle; and carrying a concealed weapon.
By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 09, 2016 | 12:09 PM | MARSHALL COUNTY, KY

An ATV accident Sunday in Marshall County left a Benton man injured and facing charges.

According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened on Mayfield Highway near Mullins Lane. The driver, 33-year-old Cory Downey, was taken by Marshall County EMS to Marshall County Hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Deputies said they found an open beer can on the ATV. In an interview at the emergency room, Downey reportedly told deputies he drank about eight beers prior to the accident and did not remember the crash.

Due to his injuries Downey was cited for DUI, possession of open alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle and operating an ATV on the roadway.
By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 09, 2016 | 12:28 PM | DRAFFENVILLE, KY

A Saturday traffic stop led to DUI and drug charges for a Benton man.According to the Marshall County Sheriff's Office, a deputy saw a vehicle swerving on US 641 North, near Catfish Kitchen. During a traffic stop, the deputy noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle, along with a six pack of beer in plain sight with three missing.

During a search of the driver, 21-year-old Devon Collins, the deputy reportedly found a baggie of marijuana and a hydrocodone tablet.

Collins was arrested and charged with DUI, possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled substance, careless driving and failure to produce an insurance card.
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"We, the true owners of this land, shall not budge," Robert Mugabe told his people in 2002. "The land is ours." Within four years, only a tenth of Zimbabwe's white farm were still in operation.

May Sumbwanyambe's debut takes us into one of the last, its elderly owner Guy (Peter Guinness) holding out against the black ZANU government's attempts to buy his land. Having seen off several civil servants and their reasonable offers already, it's the turn of calm, collected Charles (Stefan Adegbola) to persuade him and his family to sell Independence Farm.

Realistically, Guy has little option. Local mobs have forced other white farmers in the area off their land, and Charles is expected to return to the capital with the deeds in hand. However, Guy makes no secret of his feelings - Guinness plays him with an unrepentant brusqueness, a strong man always demonstrating his strength - and, though he's terminally ill, he knows selling would be not only giving up his ancestral history, but also his daughter's future. Beatriz Romilly's Chippo is adamant that she wants to inherit both the farm and her father's grit, thereby asserting an independence of her own that was denied to her browbeaten mother (Sandra Duncan).

Sumbwanyambe presents an situation without an obvious amicable resolution. What Charles sees as colonial theft, Guy sees as enterprising cultivation of unused land - something that Max Dorey's elegant set of timber and tools makes abundantly clear. The impulse to redress the injustices of colonialism might be reasonable, but in doing so, the wrongs of the past are revisited on those whose only blame is to have benefitted. Now, as then, abstract policies detach themselves from individual lives.

It's a difficult and necessary debate, one that digs into the specifics of Zimbabwean politics, while rebounding around the world to all manner of disputes regarding land ownership. At the same time, it reflects questions of historical privilege and redress closer to home, questions of power as opposed to property, and they're thrown into sharp relief by a setting that reverses the racial dynamic to give the indigenous black population the upper hand.

However, it is still a debate, and dramatic though it is in George Turvey's taut staging, After Independence is mostly stagnant back and forth; its characters, arguments personified. Win or lose, they themselves aren't particularly changed by the encounter, no matter how nasty negotiations become. For all that, though, Sumbwanyambe puts both sides with real eloquence and even-handedness, even if he could lay off the neat oppositions, and that makes After Independence an insightful account of an impossible situation.

After Independence runs at the Arcola Theatre until 28 May
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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

QUEBEC  Former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau filed a $722,500 lawsuit on Monday against a media outlet for what she claimed is unfair dismissal, according to court documents.

The ex-Liberal member of the legislature was suspended by Cogeco Media without pay in March when she was arrested on various fraud-related charges connected to alleged incidents during her time in office. She was fired in early April.

Normandeaus contract was ended due to the fact these events have caused you to lose the legitimacy, image and credibility that are necessary to host a radio show and for which we entered into a contract with you, according to the dismissal letter cited in the court papers.

Quebec Natural Resources Minister Nathalie Normandeau speaks on May 25, 2011 at the legislature in Quebec City. Former Quebec deputy premier Nathalie Normandeau filed a $722,500 lawsuit on Monday against a media outlet for what she claimed is unfair dismissal, according to court documents. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

She claims in her lawsuit she was let go based on accusations and that she should have benefited from the presumption of innocence.

Normandeau, 48, is seeking $572,500 in lost wages because she had a contract until August 2019 and $150,000 in various damages.

This public condemnation has effectively made the plaintiff (Normandeau) unemployable in the labour market, her lawsuit reads.

Normandeau was one of seven people arrested in mid-March in a scheme in which political financing and gifts were allegedly exchanged for lucrative government contracts between 2000 and 2012.

She served as a Liberal member of the legislature from 1998 to 2011 and held key cabinet positions including municipal affairs, natural resources and Canadian intergovernmental affairs as well as being deputy premier from 2007 to 2011.

A first court date in the lawsuit has been set for this Wednesday.
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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  Manitobas new Progressive Conservative government says a federal bill that water downs Air Canadas maintenance job requirements in the province could hurt the provincial aerospace sector.

Deputy Premier and Justice Minister Heather Stefanson presented at the House of Commons committee on transport, infrastructure and communities Monday, less than a week after she was sworn into office. She said her government is still studying the agreement the previous NDP government came to with Air Canada for a centre of excellence in aerospace maintenance, but that the proposed legislative changes to the Air Canada Public Participation Act are being rushed through without enough study.

We believe the amendments allow for too much flexibility for Air Canada to pull jobs out of Manitoba, Stefanson said.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The NDP hopes to be able to pressure the government to back down on plans to change the Air Canada Public Participation Act, which gives the airline all control over the kind and amount of maintenance work it keeps in Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario.

Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau introduced Bill C-10 in March to give the airline more power over the kind of maintenance jobs it must keep in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga, Ont. The current act, passed when the airline was privatized in 1989, requires heavy maintenance operation centres in those cities. The proposed changes would not specify the kind of maintenance jobs and critics fear the airline will have no obligation to keep high-paying, skilled maintenance jobs in Canada.

Stefanson said she is fine with the proposal from the previous NDP government to modernize the act to refer to Manitoba, rather than to Winnipeg, but said the bill goes much further than that and does nothing to protect Manitoba jobs.

Until we come up with some sort of solution where there is a net gain to Manitoba, we cannot support this bill, Stefanson said.

The existing agreement with Air Canada proposes to establish at least 150 jobs in Winnipeg at the centre of excellence but there would be nothing to stop Air Canada from withdrawing from that agreement at any time.

Stefanson said she has spoken with both Manitobas federal cabinet ministers, Jim Carr and MaryAnn Mihychuk, about the issue.

Manitoba NDP MP Daniel Blaikie proposed Monday the committee suspend the consideration of the bill for several months to allow Air Canada time to negotiate a plan to do heavy maintenance work in Winnipeg. His motion was declined on a technicality because he didnt give notice at least 48 hours in advance.

Manitoba Federation of Labour president Kevin Rebeck told the committee Ottawa hasnt required Air Canada to live up to its obligations under the act for the last four years, ever since Aveos Fleet Performance went bankrupt and 2,600 workers in Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga were laid off.

Two Quebec courts said the airline was violating the act. The airline was going to take the case to the Supreme Court but negotiated deals with Quebec and Manitoba to avoid that. Those deals are not yet finalized and the court case is suspended until they are.

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If my wife has told me this once, shes told me a million times.

Well be sitting quietly in the den when a commercial for some monumentally stupid product  Hey, look, honey, inflatable sauna pants!  will pop up on our big-screen TV.

Without skipping a beat, my wife will frown at me and chirp: You know, they make (bad word) stuff like that just for you!

I will frown back at her, but I dont say anything because I know, deep in my soul, shes absolutely right. The dumber a product is, the more I want it.

I suspect its some kind of guy thing, a primitive need buried deep in our caveman DNA. Still, Im not proud of the fact I feel compelled to purchase PajamaJeans or Zoomies, those chintzy binoculars you wear like sunglasses.

Its even worse when it comes to stupid food. Potato chips that taste like chicken and waffles? Sure, pass them over! Wasabi-flavoured doughnuts? Absolutely! Lobster ice cream? Ill take two scoops.

That said, however, even easily manipulated guys like me know sometimes manufacturers push the creativity envelope just a little too far. Sometimes, from the safety of the couch, innocent consumers have to draw a line in the sand. Sometimes, we have to just say, No!

Which is exactly what I was thinking last week when I stumbled on several news stories I found extremely hard to swallow.

According to these reports, the folks at KFC have pushed their finger lickin good motto to the limit by introducing a line of edible nail polishes that taste just like fried chicken.

Available only in Hong Kong for now, KFCs lickable nail polish comes in two flavours  Original Recipe and Hot & Spicy  and is made entirely from edible ingredients, making it different from a lot of items available at fast-food restaurants.

To use, consumers simply apply and dry like regular nail polish, and then lick  again and again and again, KFC gushed in a statement.

From what I have read online, this is one of the few things in the world that doesnt taste exactly like chicken. It tastes like spices suspended in gloop, is how a video on the Wall Street Journals website described it.

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking: Thanks, Doug, I will most likely never order chicken fingers for the rest of my life.

You are also thinking this is arguably the dumbest food-related product you have ever heard of. Well, let me just say, and this comes from a place of love, you are an idiot.

I say that because I am just about to tell you about the dumbest food-related product in history, and I will do that as soon as you put down that steaming cup of coffee.

Everybody ready? OK, the product I want to tell you about is something called Belly Button Beer, which is brewed with yeast collected from the belly buttons of its hipster brewers. As a fan of all things beer, I wish I was making this story up, but Im not.

Later this month, the geniuses at 7 Cent Brewery, a microbrewery just northwest of Melbourne, Australia, will unveil Belly Button Beer at the 2016 Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular.

According to Smithsonian.com  which never jokes about serious issues like suds  the beer makers swabbed their navels, then streaked them on agar plates, watched the plates fill up with colonies of yeast, then grew them into amounts that could be used in beer.

I am reluctant to tell you about the next step, because it involved tasting beer made from a yeast sample from each of the brewers bellies to see which one had the best flavour profile, then whipping up an 800-litre batch of the one they found most, um, refreshing.

Some say why? We say why not? chirps a post on the Aussie brewerys website. We are really interested to see if the idea of drinking something that originated from a brewers belly button is too much for even the most hardened beer geek.

They insist it tastes like a Belgian-style wheat beer with hints of clove and banana. Its perfectly safe, brewery founder Doug Bremner assured reporters. Yeast is yeast; this beer is no different to any other beer out there.

Which is true, other than the fact it was made from yeast scraped out of the brewers belly buttons! God forbid they get curious about their toe-nail clippings or ear wax.

As I explained at the start of todays column, I am open-minded and adventurous when it comes to food, but there is no way I will ever slake my thirst with something that started life in the dank depths of another guys belly button.

I hate to sound alarmist, but we should pray this beer is never used for military purposes. Because it sounds like a navel destroyer to me.

doug.speirs@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home doesnt require its volunteers to wear uniforms, but Helene Wiebe and Mary Hiebert wear one anyway.

They have volunteered together at the North Kildonan care home twice a week since 1972 and have co-ordinated their outfits for more than 30 years whenever going for a shift.

The first time they dressed alike, it was an coincidence. Now, they talk on the phone before leaving for the care home so they can decide what to wear.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Helene Wiebe (left) and Mary Hiebert volunteer every Wednesday at the Bethania care home. They serve tea in the tea room and have volunteered at the care home for 44 years.

People ask if were twins or sisters, said Wiebe, 84.

Theyre neither  just very good friends.

They got to know each other when Hiebert and her family joined the church Wiebe attends. Shortly after meeting, Hiebert needed someone to look after her young son while she was in the hospital having surgery. Although they barely knew each other, Wiebe looked after him. That was in 1965. They have been friends ever since.

The pair began volunteering at Bethania after seeing a call for volunteers in their church bulletin.

When they began volunteering, they would set up a store in a common area where residents could buy small items such as jewelry and chocolate bars.

More recently, they have organized a weekly Wednesday afternoon gathering in the care homes tea room where residents can socialize.

For Wiebe and Hiebert, building relationships with the residents and staff is the best part of being involved.

Weve gotten to know so many people since weve been here, said Hiebert, 82. Theyve all got a story to tell.

A lot has happened in the 44 years since Wiebe and Hiebert began volunteering together.

They have watched their children grow up and have children of their own, they have both survived cancer and they have grieved the loss of Wiebes husband, George, last year.

We get along so well all the time, Wiebe said when asked to describe her friend. When George died, Mary was there.

Helenes always there when I need someone to talk to, Hiebert said. We confide in each other a lot of things. Were good friends.

Weve gotten to know so many people since weve been here. Theyve all got a story to tell

Wiebe and Hieberts contributions extend beyond the corner store and Wednesday afternoon gatherings, said Dianne Nixdorf, director of recreation and volunteer services at Bethania.

They also serve at the care homes functions and help with fundraising.

Its their commitment to improving the lives of the people who live at Bethania that sticks out, though.

They really are here for the residents, Nixdorf said, describing Wiebe and Hiebert as compassionate, dedicated volunteers. People gravitate toward them.

Bethania currently has a variety of volunteer opportunities available. Anyone interested can visit bethania.ca or call 204-654-5035.

If you volunteer at Bethania, expect to see Wiebe and Hiebert there, serving residents in their co-ordinated outfits, just as they have done for the past 44 years.

Well try to volunteer as long as we can, Hiebert said. We still enjoy it.

The people here are our friends, Wiebe said.

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.
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This article was published 08/05/2016 (2360 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Neither Rana Bokhari nor the Manitoba Liberal Party were talking Sunday about Bokharis sudden decision to resign the leadership.

The statement is all we will be releasing at this time, spokesman Mike Brown said Sunday. Rana will be available for comment at a later date as she performs her duties as interim leader.

Party president Paul Hesse declined to comment, referring to Bokharis statement Saturday. It speaks for itself.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Rana Bokhari announced Saturday that she will be stepping down as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party.

Last week, Bokhari was adamant about staying on as the leader of the provincial Liberals and said in a Free Press interview that she was looking to run in a byelection in St. Boniface if and when former NDP premier Greg Selinger resigns his seat. Bokhari, who failed to win a seat in the legislature April 19 after losing in Fort Rouge to the NDPs Wab Kinew, said she was gearing up to run again.

On Saturday night, however, Bokhari issued a statement saying she was proud of leading her party to its three-seat win but would be throwing in the towel as soon as a new leader is chosen. She said she plans to return to practising law.

Having kept my promise to build the infrastructure the Liberal party needed to compete, I believe that the time is right to transition the party to a new leader who will be able to most benefit from a strong, united party and three fantastic MLAs, the statement said.

Bokhari took over the party leadership in 2013.

Bokharis announcement came as a surprise to many in the party  including two unsuccessful Liberal candidates who said they want Bokhari to leave right away.

Every day that she is here we are less valid to the eyes of Manitobans, said one of the two candidates who agreed to speak Sunday on the condition of anonymity. One of the former candidates said a rebel faction of about 15 to 20 candidates has sprung up in wake of the Liberals disappointing showing on April 19. Along with replacing the leader immediately, the rebels want to figure out how they can survive and rebuild the party.

Eyeing the next election, the candidate expressed hope of running again but with a new leader and a rebuilt party.

We are going to organize so we can start making those changes, the candidate said.

A second rebel candidate voiced concern over the Liberals ability to fundraise and recruit volunteers with Bokhari still at the helm. Both candidates said they dont know how deeply the party is in the red.

So long as she is the leader, we will not be able to raise money or recruit, said the second candidate.

They said party members were informed of Bokharis decision via email after her statement had been sent to the media.

One of the candidates said they found out via social media.

Thats an awkward way to find out.

Many questions remain unanswered, they said. Who made this decision? Was it the board? Was it Bokharis inner circle? What was the process? Why?

Both candidates said Bokharis missteps during the election campaign overshadowed their own message, turning Manitobans away from the party.

As the Liberals polling numbers declined, a promised shift to focus more on local candidates never occurred, they said.

Help was offered regularly to the central campaign, but there was this bunker mentality, said one of the candidates.

The man who challenged Bokhari for the leadership in 2013 and lost said he was only a bit surprised by her announcement Saturday night to step down.

The challenge for her is her being an unelected leader and you have three people who are elected, Dougald Lamont said Sunday.

They (the elected MLAs) have a democratic mandate from the people, Lamont said. Thats a difficult spot to be in, that anyone in that position would face.

Lamont said Bokhari faced an onslaught of NDP advertisements that were relentless till the last day and having her riding targeted by the NDP that ran a star candidate  Kinew  against her.

The Liberals won three seats last month, including Jon Gerrard in River Heights, Cindy Lamoureux in Burrows, and Judy Klassen in Kewatinook.

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg-born scientist who divides his time between Toronto and Hamburg, Germany, is one of this years winners of a prestigious British science award.

Prof. R.J. Dwayne Miller has been named a winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize.

The announcement was made in a Royal Society of Chemistry statement last week.

Miller makes movies about atoms and he is also the founder of Science Rendezvous, an annual Canada-wide event to promote science to the public. It involves more than 160,000 people and an additional 4,000 volunteers in 30-plus cities.

Miller was born in Winnipeg and attended the University of Manitoba, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and immunology in 1978.

He chalked up exhaustive post-graduate work before breaking new ground in science.

Miller works to track chemical reactions on the atomic level using atomic movies, a method of observing the movements of atoms in real time. By doing so he has shown that chemistry can be distilled down to a handful of key atomic motions, the Royal Society said in a statement announcing Millers prize.

This insight will have profound implications for our understanding of biological processes and how to treat disease.

Another website, for the Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, noted Miller also won a major prize in 2015 from the American Chemical Society for the same work.

Millers first atomic movie of melting, the moment a solid collapses to liquid form, for example led to new concepts in laser surgery that are so precise and gentle there is no scar tissue formation, the Hamburg site said.

His team is now collaborating with over 50 surgeons in Hamburg and Toronto to bring this new concept into practice that could solve the longstanding problem of scar tissue in fully recovery of function and aesthetics.

Miller is a director of a department at the famed Max Planck Institute in Hamburg and he has a secondary appointment as a professor of chemistry and physics at the University of Toronto.

He was also named the University of Manitobas 2016 Honoured Alumni of the Year Award in chemistry.

Miller considers himself a movie director. But instead of highly paid actors, his subjects are tiny molecules and his films are made during ground-breaking scientific experiments, the U of M said in a playful interview on its website.

It was in 2003 that he was head of the research group that designed a new generation of electron guns, allowing them to realize a long-time dream to watch atoms in real time during the breaking or making of a chemical bond  the first to ever create a molecular movie. They also came up with the first method for performing surgery at the level of a single cell, thereby avoiding scar tissue.

Some 47 winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize award have gone on to be named Nobel Prize winners.

The society, founded in 1841, is the oldest society for the science of chemistry in the world. Each year, it names three Centenary winners among the worlds scientists who also have outstanding communications skills.

Each winner goes on to give lecture tours in the United Kingdom and each is feted at a British gala, with a cash award equivalent to about US$10,000, along with the presentation of a medal and a certificate. The gala is held every November in London.

Miller was not available for comment.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 08/05/2016 (2360 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Oksana Bondarchuk couldnt help but shed a tear on Sunday at Vimy Ridge Park.

Bondarchuk, the president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Manitoba Provincial Council, recounted the story of her mother, who was taken by the Nazis and forced to dig ditches for the Germans war effort on the front lines.

Bondarchuk, fighting back her tears, said everyone must acknowledge the horrors of the Second World War.

My mother was 16 when (the Nazis) literally came to her village, put up a wired fence and rounded up everyone in a certain age group, Bondarchuk said. My grandmother was able to run to her home, grab a blanket and give it to my mother. That was it.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Oleksiy Zhmendak holds a Ukrainian flag as members from the Ukrainian, Jewish, Russian-speaking and Polish communities gather in Vimy Ridge Park for a day of remembrance and reconciliation for those tho died during the Second World War. Its been 71 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe, and more than 50 people gathered at Vimy Ridge Park to mark the occasion Sunday during the second annual Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation organized by Denys Volkov.

Volkov, who was born in eastern Ukraine, started the event last year to mark the 70th anniversary of the fall of the Third Reich. He looked at the various events around the country and felt there wasnt enough inclusivity.

We invited representatives from the Jewish, Ukrainian and Polish communities, said Volkov, who has Ukrainian, Russian and Jewish blood running through him. We were very please that the federal and provincial governments worked with us as well.

World War II had a profound impact on countries around the world. So many millions of lives were lost. My great-grandfather died, he was taken away from my great-grandmother and never heard from again, so for me, this is personal. For me, Id like to continue to remember them.

Shelley Faintuch of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg said her grandfather was tortured in a public place after failing to hand over leather goods to the Nazis.

My connection to the Holocaust is very close and very tight, she said. My father was incarcerated in Poland but escaped and ran to the Soviet Union where he eventually met my mother. They were able to get to Canada in the fall of 1948.

The Jewish community consecrates a week every year to remember the Holocaust. Its important to remember. In the Jewish tradition, we remember annually the date of the death of someone close to us. These ceremonies form our way of remembering those who didnt have members of their family to remember their death. Its very important in Jewish life.

For Faintuch, forgetting those who died is like bestowing a second death upon them.

If we forget those who perished in order to keep our world a democratic place, they will have died a second death  the physical death they died and they will have also died the death of lack of memory, she said.

Newly elected Progressive Conservative MLA Jon Reyes was also on hand for the ceremony. A veteran himself, Reyes is the special envoy for Manitoba Military Affairs. His friend, Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne, was killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Afghanistan in 2007, an event he said shook him to his core.

He had two kids just like me, he was married, Reyes said. We have to remember that we had young men, fathers, sons, uncles and brothers that served very young, and to lose them to wars and for us to have the freedoms we do, we have to remember them.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The prescience with which Canadas founders intended to frame our countrys trade structure is impressive. Section 121 of the Constitution Act of 1867 says all articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of any one of the provinces shall, from and after the union, be admitted free into each of the other provinces. In laymans terms, goods from one province are to be admitted free into each of the other provinces.

Fast-forward more than 150 years when a groundbreaking court ruling recently dismissed charges against a New Brunswick man for importing Quebec beer. Its expected that this ruling will have a national impact far beyond saving Maritimers a few bucks on their quaff. The ruling could have the power to shift a host of laws across the country that govern everything from the sale of chickens through our marketing board system to how engineers and other professionals work across provincial lines. The prediction is that prices for consumers (voters) will come down as more efficient producers, suppliers and deliverers of products and services flourish.

Over the years, Canadas provinces have built provincial trade barriers ostensibly to protect provincial jobs. In reality, these barriers are misguided attempts to protect provincial coffers or cater to special-interest groups that are unwilling to relinquish their advantage. Too often, free trade arguments have focused on which jurisdiction or sector wins or loses, reducing the economic argument to a zero-sum game where one partys gain is the other partys loss. Overlooked is the historically proven overall benefit to all jurisdictions, and more importantly, the benefit to consumers from better choices and lower prices.

A New Brunswick mans victory in court to import cheap Quebec beer is expected to open provincial trade.

The New West Partnership Trade Agreement is an example of a more open trading environment among provinces. The agreement guarantees a level playing field for businesses, giving British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta companies reciprocal and fair access to each others markets. Manitoba did not join this agreement (ostensibly to control public-procurement decisions) and yet has been critical about being excluded from the benefits of the deal. This protectionist policy thinking effectively closed the door on economic opportunities that would have benefited all provinces alike.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters believes that all provinces would benefit from commitment to a new Agreement on Internal Trade, building on the New West agreement as a model for all of Canada. This is the essential evolution in thinking needed to foster a new interprovincial model. A model, that as per the recent court ruling, requires provinces to end trade-limiting behaviours such as procurement restriction, local-business subsidies and local-only tax incentives.

So who benefits from free trade?

When individuals are free to engage in trade with people in other nations, economic growth is promoted since the buyers can acquire goods and services more cheaply abroad than they can produce at home. For developing countries, open trade is essential for acquiring products and technologies unavailable at home. Moreover, open trade encourages developing countries to specialize in the things they are best at producing, which helps them finance much-needed imports.

Freer trade creates tremendous economic benefits. A bottom-up process, it diffuses its effects across all markets and at all stages of production. Lower tariffs and increased competition reduce prices to consumers, enabling more people to enjoy the benefits of goods and services at prices lower than they were willing to pay before, and in greater quantity. That increased consumer surplus means either:

(1) More money available in peoples budgets to buy an additional goods and services, adding to demand and growth and increasing GDP;

(2) More money to save, adding to investment and capital formation; and

(3) Higher-quality goods at the same price and in the same quantity.

Those direct, primary benefits, valuable in their own right, should be sufficient to make the case for free trade, regardless of jobs. If the inflated concern about jobs is still at issue, then the case for free trade becomes stronger still. The above three consumer benefits mean: greater demand for goods and services from producers and suppliers, which creates jobs; more credit and capital for new ventures, which creates jobs, and; a higher standard of living, which certainly cant hurt jobs.

Yet, both opponents and proponents obscure the solid demand-side case for free trade by emphasizing employment, a secondary consideration. Its time to put politics aside and embrace the economic policy structure our framers intended. The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters applauds the new Manitoba governments intent to move in the right direction, under Premier Pallisters 10-point economic strategy, which includes a focus on moving Manitoba into the New West Partnership.

Ron Koslowsky is the vice-president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
Opinion

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When will we take indigenous spirituality seriously?

As a residential school survivor and professor who has spent 60 years experiencing indigenous education, I have a strong opinion about the need to decolonize indigenous spirituality. I recall how in residential school we were never told anything about indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices. In fact, such things were viewed as tantamount to playing with the devil, and those who did that would all end up in hell. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada calls this spiritual abuse.

This bias against indigenous spirituality has deep roots going back to the first contact with Europeans. Not being Christian was once equated with not being human. But what were indigenous people doing? They had spent millennia developing spiritual relationships with all things, including land, plants and animals. Europeans, on the other hand, had no compunctions about claiming the entire continent, including its indigenous inhabitants, by the simple act of planting a cross. Indigenous people are still alarmed about this.

The many elders I have spoken to over the years tell me everyone needs to recognize that every created thing has its own spirit. Those created things must be accorded proper respect. Such lack of spiritual respect is one of the greatest problems with modern society. I think about it every time I hear a news story about environmental degradation and extinction.

In indigenous culture, spirituality means a direct interface with spirit through ceremonies, dreams, fasting, meditation and visions. Spirituality is dynamic and flexible and not beholden to dogma. It is such spirituality that guides humanity on a meaningful and harmonious path.

How much time do athletes spend developing their physical prowess? Or how much time does each of us spend on our emotional needs, for example, connecting on social media? How much time do professors spend reading, researching and writing? The answer in each of these areas is thousands of hours. Then how much time do we spend developing our spirituality? And simply going to church does not suffice.

As a youth, I was not attuned to spirituality. When I was away at university and had got into car accidents, my mother would call me the following morning and tell me that she dreamed about me being in a vehicle mishap. Back then, I dismissed these as nothing more than strange coincidences. I did not take the practice of indigenous spirituality seriously until personal crisis forced me to take a deep, introspective look at life.

To those who have been fortunate to grow up in an environment where indigenous spirituality is the norm, it is a given that we are all spirit beings on a temporary physical journey. Even more difficult for most to accept is that development of spiritual fluency and ability can lead to palpable results. It is difficult for most to understand there is a world beyond what we perceive with our five senses.

Dare I say that I have received visionary revelation about important information I have searched for? Or that I have seen what can only be considered miraculous healing? I will say this, and no, I am not delusional. Ultimately, the only way one can ever be convinced about such matters is to explore spiritual experience oneself.

Today, we live in an extremely materialistic society. Most of us focus on what we will wear or what we will eat at our next meal. The forces and institutions of society from education to finance do not incentivize any pursuit of spiritual awareness. I have just written a book, The Knowledge Seeker, that describes my journey in coming to understand and appreciate the profoundness of indigenous spirituality. This is the type of teaching that can help fill a critical void where indigenous youth are experiencing substance abuse, criminality, gangs and high rates of suicide.

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman has declared 2016 to be the Year of Reconciliation. I see positive steps being taken to open up about our past and to indigenize public institutions. All of these are welcome measures. However, without the respect and seriousness that needs to be accorded indigenous spirituality, little will ultimately change. But a change of heart and reversal of centuries of destructive attitudes and relationships toward indigenous peoples can eventually move society in a direction of wisdom, healing and mutual accommodation.

Blair Stonechild, a member of the Muscowpetug Saulteaux First Nation, was the first instructor hired by the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College. He is a professor of indigenous studies at First Nations University of Canada and an award-winning author. Stonechild is speaking at The Walrus Talks The Indigenous City on Wednesday at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Opinion

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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most elections are decided on a variety of issues, debated through the campaign. The provincial election last month was different, as the pivotal issue of the provincial sales tax arose well before the election and remained foremost in the minds of voters right through election day.

The beginning of the sharp change in voter intentions away from the NDP toward the Progressive Conservatives is easily traced to the governments decision to raise the PST to eight from seven per cent in its 2013 budget. A succession of polls suggested only mild erosion of NDP support after the tight 2011 election, until the release of the budget that April. Then, a significant gap between the two parties quickly emerged across the province, including seat-rich Winnipeg, which had been critical to the NDPs electoral success.

Moreover, the bad polls for the NDP that followed the PST decision were at the heart of the revolt against then-premier Greg Selingers leadership, which led to a leadership vote in March 2015. Selingers narrow victory in the leadership contest over Gang of Five member Theresa Oswald did little to satisfy party dissidents or the electorate, and NDP support slid below that of the Liberals for the first time in decades. As the election campaign began, polls indicated a PC majority government with the NDP and Liberals fighting for official Opposition status.

The election campaign strategies of the NDP and PCs were clearly linked to the PST debate. Selinger and the NDP defended the PST increase as a critical component of enhanced infrastructure spending and continued delivery of essential public services. Brian Pallister and the PCs promised to roll back the PST increase during their term of government while maintaining front-line public services through expenditure moderation. The NDP responded that Pallister would have to cut valued public services without the $300 million provided by the PST hike.

As the election campaign unfolded, the contrast between the NDP position to maintain the PST increase, expand infrastructure and continue deficit spending and the PC position to roll back the PST and personal income taxes, maintain infrastructure spending (as far as resources would permit) and make inroads on the deficit did not appear to sway the electorate significantly. Indeed, even as the Liberal campaign stumbled amid confusion and controversy, the gap between the PCs and New Democrats in the polls continued to widen, suggesting that time-worn NDP ads warning of the loss of public services under a Tory administration had little traction this time.

Voters awarded the Conservatives more than 50 per cent of the popular vote and a historically large majority. The NDP managed to retain official Opposition status, although this may have been more a reflection of the failings of the Liberal campaign.

The NDP slide seems inextricably linked to the PST increase, but it is less clear what motivated such powerful voter dissatisfaction with this one decision. It may be that its seeds had already been planted and coalesced around this unexpected tax hike. Two ongoing issues have potentially important lessons for politicians in Manitoba and elsewhere.

One issue is the role of balanced-budget legislation as a guiding fiscal principle in the province. Manitoba was a leader in the establishment and development of balanced-budget legislation in Canada. Promises to be fiscally prudent were prominent in the election platforms of the NDP and opposition parties over two decades. While the suspension of the legislation in the face of the global recession in 2009 seemed a reasonable temporary measure, the failure of the NDP government to restore any semblance of fiscal order undoubtedly caused concern. This allowed the Conservatives to use the legislation, and particularly its provision for a referendum on an increase in any major tax such as the PST, to challenge the government in the legislature and the courts prior to the election and to continue that challenge into the campaign. While the PCs quite sensibly did not emphasize a return to the legislation any time soon, they were able to use the governments record on this issue to question the NDPs qualifications to continue governing.

The other fiscal issue that may underlie voter dissatisfaction is the growing imbalance between the revenues and responsibilities of municipal and provincial governments. Successive Winnipeg mayors since Glen Murray have promoted the idea of a new deal between the province and the city that would give Winnipeg new provincial revenue to fund infrastructure and other services and alleviate the citys reliance on property taxes and other stagnant revenue sources. Prominent among these potential revenue sources has been the request for one per cent of the PST. The belated attempt by the Selinger government to link the PST increase to infrastructure spending did not amount to the new deal Winnipeg and other municipalities had been requesting. The new Pallister government may want to pay more careful attention to this concern of municipal officials, and especially urban voters.

Wayne Simpson is a professor of economics at the University of Manitoba. This column was based on a chapter from a forthcoming e-book, Understanding the Manitoba Economy 2016, University of Manitoba Press.
Opinion

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This article was published 08/05/2016 (2360 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When is it time to go?

It is the most important decision facing a political leader. It is also by far and away the hardest.

Politicians generally have to work so hard to become leaders that its not easy to let go. Some political leaders become addicted to the power and attention. Others are unable to see when its time to step down because they are surrounded by sycophants who prevent them from seeing the reality of their situation.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Rana Bokhari announced Saturday she would step down as leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party after losing the April 19 election.

With all that in mind, let it be said that soon-to-be-former Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari will go out having fulfilled this last, great responsibility of political leaders. Over the weekend, Bokhari issued a news release indicating that she would not, as previously suggested, stay on at the helm of her party.

It was not immediately apparent why, after having pledged to stay on and fight, she decided to let go. Party sources said she consulted mainly with friends and family before making the final decision. It likely did not come easily.

The recent provincial election was a bittersweet experience for the rookie leader. Her party doubled its share of the popular vote, and tripled its seat total to three. However, Bokhari was unable to win her own seat, and the conventional wisdom was that her sloppy, uneven performance squandered an opportunity to make much greater gains.

The Liberal campaign never got up to speed. A half-dozen candidates were disqualified for filing improper nomination papers or violating regulations, while another was lost after it was revealed he had a history of domestic abuse. Still, had Bokhari been able to run a relatively smooth campaign, there were clear signs that Manitobans were ready to support her. She was not able to accomplish that.

Bokhari was awkward and jittery as she attempted to negotiate the macro-issues of the campaign. Her pledges and policies were often inexplicable, bordering on hare-brained. The Liberals 2016 Liberal election campaign may be best remembered for a pledge to spend $20 million to establish a government-run grocery store downtown, a promise that didnt make sense politically or economically.

And when the tide of opinion turned against her mid-campaign, she lashed out at the media. Her reaction was clear evidence that, at least to that point, she had not acquired the maturity or resilience to lead.

Immediately following election-night results, Bokhari refused to speak to supporters or reporters. She announced the next day she would stay on as leader, choosing to focus on the gains her party had made instead of the lost opportunities that had been presented.

And then, this past weekend, a moment of clarity. Earlier in the week she had talked publicly about her plan to run in a byelection expected to be held at some point in Saint Boniface, the riding held by former NDP leader Greg Selinger, who has already been replaced on an interim basis by MLA Flor Marcelino. Although Selinger has not provided any clear timetable, it is certainly expected he will resign his seat at some point, creating an opening for Bokhari. Now, that opening, when it does come, will benefit whomever replaces Bokhari.

And therein lies the biggest challenge facing the Liberals: can the party attract several quality candidates to compete for the leadership? The last leadership race, the one that Bokhari won, was a less-than-compelling affair. It generated neither a broad array of quality candidates, or a surge in party membership. There was no convention bounce for Bokhari and the Liberals from that process. For the next leadership race, anything less than a robust contest featuring several viable candidates will only continue the Liberal streak of botching prime opportunities for growth.

The recent election campaign provided evidence that many more Manitobans wanted to vote Liberal than actually cast a vote for Bokhari. Voter turnout stalled, while deliberately spoiled and rejected ballots were at an all-time high. In Fort Rouge, where Bokhari lost, voter turnout actually went down. All of that anecdotal data strongly suggests there were voters that had abandoned the NDP and did not like the idea of electing a Progressive Conservative government, but could not find a viable alternative in the Liberal party.

If the Liberals do find a more compelling, more competent leader out of the next leadership race, there is a very good chance that the Grits could become a factor in deciding the next election. The federal Liberal government remains incredibly popular and should continue to provide a boost to anyone leading a provincial Liberal party. If, and its a big if, they can find a real leader.

Should any or all of that promise come to fruition, Bokhari will deserve a lot of the credit. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, making the right decision at the right time to step down is the sign of someone with a good grasp of the obligations of leadership. So many political leaders stay on long after they have stopped being a net benefit to their parties.

Certainly, Manitoba New Democrats might be looking right now at Bokharis decision with a mix of envy and respect; their leader, Greg Selinger, could not see that he had become a net liability for his party, notwithstanding the abundant advice he was getting from his elected caucus to step down. His decision to stay on one election too long was one of the main reasons the NDP lost so badly in the last election.

History will show Bokhari failed in the last election. However, her decision to step down now has allowed her to punctuate that performance with an act that, on its own, demonstrates the best qualities of a good leader.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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Winnipeggers know only too well tragedy can happen when hospitals dont do their jobs, when medical staff ignore patients or fall down in the quality of care that is expected from them. But the cases that make headlines  Brian Sinclair, Dorothy Madden, Mohinder Singh, to name three  are just the most spectacular and public. The fact is medical errors cause pain and suffering  and death  in many more instances never heard of, and most are never recorded as mistakes.

A new study out of the United States has changed the understanding of the scope of the problem. Medical errors are taking a much higher toll on patients in hospitals every year than previously thought, says a paper published in the British Medical Journal. More than 250,000 people, not 98,000 as previously believed, are dying every year from errors in American hospitals. That makes medical error the third-highest cause of death in the U.S.

That should ring an alarm in Manitoba, where there are no good numbers on how many patients are unintentionally hurt or killed in hospitals each year. Deliberate and gross under-reporting, in fact, makes it impossible to know whether the effort that has been made to prevent recurrence of critical incidents is working.

Brian Sinclair died while waiting 34 hours in an ER waiting room in 2008.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority reports scant information on medical errors. Its 2014-15 annual report said 145 critical incidents were recorded. The number of deaths was not included, but the WRHA says 23 patients or residents in nursing homes died from preventable medical mishaps. The number recorded each year is falling; in 2013-14, there were 178 critical incidents recorded, and that was down from 283 in 2009.

Those statistics do not describe the problem. A 2004 Canadian study found preventable medical errors that cause harm happen in 2.8 per cent of admissions, and death occurs in 0.66 per cent. In Winnipeg, with its 83,000 annual admissions, that would mean 2,300 critical incidents and 547 deaths each year. The number of deaths recorded in 2014-15  16 per cent of all reports  suggests medical practitioners are reporting mistakes that cant escape notice.

Yet, in 2004, provincial legislation was passed to make reporting mandatory. The legislation also protects all information disclosed as confidential, beyond the reach of lawsuits, to encourage reporting and a culture of learning, rather than one of blaming and shaming. WRHA vice-president Lori Lamont agrees medical staff are deciding not to report mistakes, ignoring the law. A big reason, she says, is the blowback of public outrage when some incidents hit the news. Staff dont trust the confidentiality of the process.

Medical errors are unintentional and often are a product of multiple mishaps in care, like the holes in Swiss cheese lining up. But the fact nurses and doctors are refusing to report, to examine their mistakes, does nothing to curry trust of patients. It reinforces the belief hospital workers are insensitive to the concerns and suffering of those who arrive at their doors seeking help.

Surgical oncologist Martin Makary, co-author of the Journal article, says it is time to really start talking about the toll of medical error. He suggests death certificates, for example, should record when a medical error has led to a death, not just the clinical cause. What really needs to happen is an open conversation about human frailty, that we are all capable of making mistakes, to get the discussion out of the closet to move toward prevention.

Repeated surveys have shown Canadians want to be heard, in the management of their hospital care and, more pointedly, that when mistakes are made they expect to be told in an honest, open way. That need for explanation overrides any sense someone has to be punished or sued to make amends. That is the first conversation that has to happen, at a patients bedside as soon as mistakes are recognized.
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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sprague Street spouses Ken Friesen and Sandra Stuart have recently returned from the highlands of Guatemala, from an area home to some 80 Mayan villages.

This is no Mayan Riviera. Here, the indigenous peoples fight government-supported, foreign mining companies that are polluting the water, struggle for equitable land distribution and confront the effects of climate change  a severe drought and blight afflicting Central American coffee harvests.

Ken and Sandra were Manitobas participants in a 12-member Canada-wide delegation to the region, an area aided by the Social Justice Fund of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

Supplied photo by Jasmine Verge Wolseleyites Sandra Stuart and Ken Friesen help build the roof of a medical clinic during a recent work delegation to Guatemala, organized by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Social Justice Fund.

Ken has been a member of this union for 25 years. You may know Sandra. She owns, and teaches at Prana Yoga, at 987 Portage Ave. near Sherburn Street.

PSAC members contribute money to the Social Justice Fund, which supports community projects worldwide, for example in Guatemala, textile, coffee and fish-farming cooperatives.

The Funds Education in Action Program enables volunteers, who apply and are selected, to meet and work with local people at PSAC-supported cooperatives.

Education in Action is about educating us, so we can come back to Canada and do something with that education, said Sandra.

She and Ken helped build a school and medical clinic using local techniques, met with an environmental rights lawyer who represents Mayan causes (and has been shot as a result) and attended a frontline, anti-mining protest.

Said Ken, For me, the most important thing is the work of the CCDA. Thats the Farmers Committee of the Highlands cooperative. Theyre using primarily ancient Mayan farming techniques, based on the lunar calendar, and working with universities, confirming that their knowledge is based in science.

For the coffee plants, they harvest a natural pesticide gathered from the waste product of composting worms.

Sandra noted that because of the Social Justice Funds assistance, workers at the CCDA earn $15 daily rather than the $5 at other nearby farms. CCDA coffee is organic, shade grown, free trade and high quality.

Before leaving for Guatemala, delegates were asked to consider how they might continue helping Mayan families upon their return. After meeting the coffee workers, Sandra asked for 30 pounds of CCDAs Cafe Justicia to sell at her yoga studio.



Shes already had to order more. Dark or medium roast, whole bean or ground, a one-pound bag costs $13. Every cent is returned to the workers.

Brew some social justice at home. Contact: sandrastuart5@gmail.com

Gail Perry is a community correspondent for Wolseley. She can be reached at: gailperry.writer@gmail.com
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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Canadian company is helping the people of Ecuador rebuild following a devastating earthquake.

Gordon Poole, co-owner of HolaEcuador and a former Fort Richmond resident, was at the airport in Manta, Ecuador when the earth started to shake on April 16.

Poole, who currently lives in Quebec, was in Ecuador on business, where his company builds resort communities for Canadian snowbirds and vacationers.

Supplied photo Yves-Rene Bechard, a resident and staff member of Mirador San Jose, a development of HolaEcuador, distributes water to the surrounding villages affected by the earthquake.

Ive been in earthquakes several times in the past because I used to live in Japan, so I know what earthquakes are and even in Gatineau weve had a couple since Ive been living here; so Im not unfamiliar to them but this was nothing like before, Poole said.

Poole estimates the earthquake, which was centered about 175 kilometres north of Manta, lasted between 40 to 50 seconds.

The entire building was shaking and swaying, the security at the airport was very good, they immediately opened the doors and everyone ran out onto the tarmac, and as we were running out part of the building completely collapsed.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake sent buildings along the northwest Pacific-coastal region of Ecuador toppling. The death toll has surpassed 600 people with many more missing, injured, and left homeless. The Ecuador government led by President Rafael Correa has estimated damages at over $2 billion and has announced emergency tax increases and the potential sale of resources to fund reconstruction.

Poole says the HolaEcuador resort community of Mirador San Jose, about 60 kilometres south of Manta, which is home to a number of Canadians, came through unscathed. Poole credits the developments adherence to high standard building codes as one reason the effects of the quake were lessened.

None of the communitys residents or staff was injured in the quake. However, a number of local employees of the resort lost their homes in neighbouring villages.

The community in Mirador San Jose has turned its attention to relief efforts to support neighbours who were devastated by the earthquake. In the days immediately following the quake, the company provided food, fruit, vegetables, and potable water to people in need. Canadians whose homes were unoccupied in Ecuador also offered them to the homeless, a spokesperson said.

HolaEcuador has also started a fundraising campaign that so far has been supported primarily by its Canadian customers. The GoFundMe campaign had pulled in over $40,000 at press time. Money raised will go to support the hardest hit areas of Ecuador, Poole said.

It will go towards providing the immediate requirements: food, shelter, telecommunications and so on, Poole said.

The funds will be administered by HolaEcuador with the governments guidance.

Supplied photo Co-owner of HolaEcuador, Gordon Poole.

Because it is a very personal thing, these donations, we want to make sure we have a good understanding of how the funds are being used so we can report back to the people who donated, he said.

One thing I know of Ecuadorians is that theyre very strong and proud people and hard-working and as a country they will pick themselves up and rebuild, Poole said.

While it will take time for Ecuador to recover from the destruction of the earthquake, Poole says the country needs support from tourists and abroad in the short term. Ecuadors economy is also struggling because of low crude oil prices.

(The earthquake) is extremely devastating. One thing that is important to know is that it only impacted a small portion of the country, Poole said. So I echo the request of the government which is dont cancel your plans to come to Ecuador because of this. The country now more than ever needs tourism dollars flowing in.

To support the efforts of HolaEcuador go to www.gofundme.com/ecuadormirador

The Canadian Red Cross is also accepting donations at bit.ly/21fnOyj
DHARAMSALA, India  When posed a policy question, the Dalai Lama is surprisingly (for a religious leader) un-prone to moralism. What, I asked him, does he think of the European backlash against migration? In the name of sympathy, for the few who are desperate, (resettlement) is worthwhile. But Europeans, he continued, have a right to be concerned for their own prosperity. Better, he said, to help people in their own land. He added: It is really complex.

In conversation, the Dalai Lamas cast of mind is thoroughly empirical. You can see him considering a matter from various angles and revising his views based on new input. He is a Buddhist who recommends analytic meditation instead of employing spiritual exercises as a tranquilizer. Self-reflection, he believes, should be the basis for action in the world. Vague talk of peace, he said, will only disturb some pigeons.

For decades, the Dalai Lama has embodied the Tibetan cause, which was once at the center of Americas Cold War interests. With that cause now something of an international orphan, the Dalai Lama has cultivated a different type of influence  global celebrity based on spiritual charisma.

I saw that charisma up close as the fortunate witness to a singular event. Under the auspices of the United States Institute of Peace, the Dalai Lama spent two days mentoring 28 exceptional youth leaders  men and women doing peacebuilding in conflict zones across Asia and Africa, often at great personal risk.

The Dalai Lama is, despite recent health issues, energetic and apparently (at 80) tireless. He is informal and mischievous (at one point rubbing his bald head into the beard of a very dignified Muslim cleric). He is disarmingly self-effacing: I am not god, quoth the 14th reincarnation of the Lord of Compassion. I dont know is a consistent refrain.

But his view of the world is also highly consistent, and occasionally controversial. He argues that ethics are primary and unifying, while religion belongs to a secondary level of difference. What he calls secular ethics can be derived from common experience and common sense, which teaches the sameness of humanity and the universal capacity for, and need for, love and compassion. For evidence, he turns to neuroscience and social scientific research on child development rather than to scripture (he has mandated a science curriculum for Tibetan monasteries). Human beings, in his view, are essentially good, and responsible for doing good. We promote a more compassionate world, he said, through education, not through prayer.

If this sounds familiar, it is not far from the social ethics  not the theology  of some strains of liberal Protestantism. And the Dalai Lama shares something with Pope Francis: an impatience with institutional religion, which he says is prone to be narrow and rigid.

The Dalai Lama is keen to argue that all religions carry the message of love and compassion. In more careful moments, he says, all religions have the same potential. This is true  from a certain perspective. Each of the worlds major religions has resources of respect for the other that can (and should) be emphasized at the expense of less attractive elements.

Some of the faithful will resist the Dalai Lamas frank insistence that religion be modernized. Some traditions must change. I tell my Hindu friends, they must change their treatment of outcasts. In Islam, the meaning of jihad is not hurting other people. His own tradition he described as too close to the feudal system. This is not a change in religion. It is changing habits due to social tradition.

This religious essentialism  defining a core of humane teaching that stands in judgment of a traditions cultural expressions  is what helps ensure that religion is a positive cultural force. Conservative Protestants in America who dispute this idea still demonstrate it. The treatment of women in most evangelical churches is closer to common American practice than to the Apostle Pauls first-century attitudes, and should be.

The uniqueness of the Dalai Lamas voice in global debates is his emphasis on the inner life. He roots the pursuit of peace in a calm mind  and displays it. External disarmament, he told the gathered young activists, begins with internal disarmament. If you show anger, things get worse. A genuine smile and warmheartedness and a joke are the only way to cool things down.

It is good advice for anyone facing conflict  as well as the only basis for a peace that involves trust, forgiveness and healing.
Today, there are approximately 180,000 teachers receiving a pension that they contributed to their entire teaching career. An actuarial experience study was done and recommendations were made as to the pensions sustainability. The Minnesota Legislature is currently looking at SF 2521 and HF 3070 to remedy this situation. As teachers, we will definitely be impacted.

The problem is that most retired teachers are completely unaware of the situation. WAREA (Winona Area Retired Educators Associations) is inviting all soon-to-be retired staff to an explanation meeting on Wednesday, May 11 at the WEA headquarters behind Taco Johns. Please come, and tell other retired educators you know who may not be aware.

Active teachers depend on our association to protect and defend their hard-fought rights as teachers and negotiate their contracts. After retirement, teachers are now having to join with other retired teachers to defend their pension under attack by the forces in the Minnesota Legislature.

If our legislators do not act this term, our liability will rise.
As Donald Trump gets closer to securing the Republican nomination for president, luminaries of varying illumination are floating the idea of a conservative third-party challenge in November. The thought is more tempting this year than most, but its still hard to see how this would accomplish more than electing Hillary Clinton and muddling the message from a Trump defeat.

We have expressed doubt about Trump, on policy and as a candidate in the general election. His nomination still isnt guaranteed, and the polls show him badly trailing Clinton, despite her many flaws. Third-party advocates say the right candidate would give conservatives an honorable alternative to Trump-Hillary. They say a third-party candidate could win enough states to throw the election into the House of Representatives, which would then presumably choose the non-Trump Republican.

This isnt impossible, but then again it almost never happens. The usual presidential result is the party that splinters hands the election to the other, more united party. Thats what happened to Republicans in 1912 with Teddy Roosevelt, and again in 1992 and 1996 with Ross Perot. Ronald Reagan won in 1980 despite John Andersons third-party run, but the Gipper was the Republican Party nominee while Democrats were divided after Ted Kennedys challenge to Jimmy Carter.

Harry Truman won in 1948 despite Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace breaking from Democrats for third- and fourth-party runs. But Truman was the Democratic nominee, not the challenger, and Democrats were then by far the dominant party. Republicans today are the minority party in voter registration and their approval rating is low.

The exit polls in the primaries show that Democrats are reasonably content with Clinton as their nominee, and she should be able to consolidate the vast majority of Democrats behind her. Short of an indictment for mishandling classified information, shed probably win a large enough plurality in a three-person race to carry enough states and get 270 electoral votes.

Some third-party activists are happy to run the risk of a Hillary victory as long they can guarantee that Trump loses. But such a motivation wont sit well with the millions of Republicans who have voted for Trump. Those voters presumably believe the New Yorker can win in November, but if he doesnt they need to see the consequences of their primary vote.

The GOP would have a hard enough time recovering from a third-straight presidential loss. The last thing the party needs is an excuse for Trump and his allies to blame a defeat on a stab in the back by other Republicans. Thats a recipe for more civil war and another fiasco in 2020.

If Trump is the electoral disaster that many Republicans fear, the first priority to minimize the damage is to preserve the GOP House majority. Assuming the Senate majority goes and the Supreme Court too, the House would be the only check on a return to the progressive excesses of 2009-2010. That priority alone is enough to resist the GOPs third-party temptation.
A Wonewoc man has been charged with possession of child pornography after an investigation into downloads from a peer to peer sharing network.

Zachary J. Dempsey, 31, faces ten counts of possession of child pornography. Each count carries a maximum sentence of a $100,000 fine and 25 years in prison.

According to the criminal complaint, on May 5, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigations and the Wonewoc Police Department executed a search warrant at Dempseys residence. Police confiscated a hard drive from a laptop owned by Dempsey.

A forensic investigation was performed on the hard drive, and nine videos and one image depicting children engaged in sexual activity were found.

While its impossible to know the ages of the children in the videos, all of the titles for the video in the report listed the children as being 10 years old or younger.

In an interview with agents, Dempsey said he was the only person who used the laptop and the peer to peer software program where the pornography was downloaded.

A peer to peer software program allows a large group of users to send files back and forth to each other. The Star-Times is declining to name the file service used.

Dempsey is due in court at 9 a.m. May 18 at the Juneau County Justice Center for his initial appearance. He is currently detained in the Juneau County Jail.
Items are listed under the day of the event only, running as space permits prior to the event. To submit items, call 745-3511, email jcutsforth@capitalnewspapers.com or visit www.portagedailyregister.com. Include name and phone number.

Today

Columbia County Public Health Walk-In Clinic, 8 a.m. to noon, Columbia County Division of Health, 2652 Murphy Road, Portage. Use door No. 4. Bring childs immunization record. Call the Flu Vaccination Hotline at 608-742-9735 for information about flu vaccines. Visit www.co.columbia.wi.us for more information.

Euchre card party, 6:30 p.m. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, W8267 Highway 33 East, Portage. Public welcome. Contact: Cloe, 429-2363.

Portage Pedalers Monday night ride, meet at 6:30 p.m. at Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Monthly rides meet at: MayPortage Public Library; Junebehind Crawford Oil, Highway 33 East and county Highway EE; July and Augustparking lot across from Hill Auto; and September at 6 p.m. at Portage Public Library. Wear a helmet and bikers under 18 must ride with a parent.

Portage Second Harvest mobile food pantry, 11 a.m. Building No. 8, Columbia County Fairgrounds, Portage. Bring boxes, bags, baskets or wagons to carry food.

Seniors Bowling Social, 1 p.m. Tollys Alleys, East Wisconsin Street, Portage. Cost is $6 and includes three games of bowling and shoe rental.

Zumba Gold, 6:30 p.m. Angie W. Cox Public Library, Pardeeville. Session runs Mondays through May 23. $20 session fee or $5 drop ins are always welcome. For more information, contact Deb at DJMACK00001@yahoo.com. This event is not sponsored or endorsed by the Angie W. Cox Public Library.

Zumba Toning, 8:30 a.m. VFW Hall, West Collins St., Portage. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

Zumba Toning, 6 p.m. Harrisville. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

Tuesday

Open Euchre, 6:30 p.m. Sajs on Main, Pardeeville. For information, call 429-3409.

Summer wildlife tour with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff at the MacKenzie Center, 6 to 8 p.m. Mackenzie Center, W7303 County Highway CS, Poynette. This tour will focus on animal adaptations. It is the first of four events in a special summer wildlife series. Participants will learn more about the unique animal residents at the MacKenzie Center from DNR wildlife conservation educators. Advance registration is required. Admission is $5 per person. Call 608-635-8105 to register.

Pardeeville Middle/High School concert, 6:30 p.m. Pardeeville High School, Pardeeville. The concert will feature the fifth and sixth grade choir, middle school choir, high school concert choir, high school show choir, fifth and sixth grade band, middle school band, high school band and high school jazz band.

Portage Family Skate Park Public Meeting, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Gerstenkorn Administration Building, 305 E. Slifer St., Portage. All interested people are welcome to attend. If the Portage Schools are closed or released early the PFSP meeting will be canceled and announced on our Facebook page with a new meeting location as soon as possible.

Portage Public Library offers adult coloring, 4 to 5 p.m. Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage. Open to adults age 18 and older. Coloring sheets and colored pencils provided. Runs every other Tuesday.

Zumba Toning, 4:30 p.m. Woodridge Primary School, Portage. $5 drop in or session fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

Wednesday

Columbia County Public Health Walk-In Clinic, 8 a.m. to noon, Columbia County Division of Health, 2652 Murphy Road, Portage. Use door No. 4. Bring childs immunization record. Call the Flu Vaccination Hotline at 608-742-9735 for information about flu vaccines. Visit www.co.columbia.wi.us for more information.

Bingo, 5:30 p.m. 131 Restaurant, North Main Street, Pardeeville. Bingo will be played every Wednesday, except the first one of the month.

Ignite Your Kids 4 Greatness parenting class, 6 to 7 p.m. Portage United Methodist Church, 1804 New Pinery Road, Portage. Topic will be Reignite Passion for Parenting. Free childcare provided by quality volunteers with background checks. This is a three-session class running Wednesdays through May 25. Sponsored by the Portage Family Skate Park.

Portage Pedalers Wednesday night ride, meet at 6:30 p.m. at Pat and Dougs house, W7956 Douglas Center Road (East of Briggsville on Highway 23 North via 3rd Avenue). Meeting place May through July is Pat and Dougs house; AugustJohn Muir Park; and September at 6 p.m. at Pat and Dougs house. Wear a helmet and bikers under 18 must ride with a parent.

St. Vincent de Paul free medical clinic, 9 a.m. to noon. Wilz Drugs lower level, 140 E. Cook St., Portage. No appointments needed. Information needed is name, date of birth and a contact number. A chiropractor is available from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays. A foot clinic is available every week. The clinic can do exams and prescribe medications. Physical therapist available. Discounted medications are available at Wilz and Walmart. Call Bonny Oestreich, RN, at 608-234-0159 for information.

Photos at Tivoli  Portage Center for the Arts at Tivoli presents an exhibit featuring paintings by Dr. James Foskett, MD. Runs through June. Free and open to the public. Tivoli is located at 2805 Hunters Trail, behind Divine Savior Healthcare in Portage.

Texas Hold em card tournament, VFW Hall, 215 W. Collins St., Portage. Register at 6 p.m. Cards begin at 6:30 p.m. Entry fee is $20. One hundred percent payout. Open to the public. For information, call the VFW Hall at 742-5350.

AMPI retired employees breakfast, 8:30 a.m. Dinos Restaurant, 2900 New Pinery Road, Portage.

Free blood pressure screenings, 1 to 5 p.m. Divine Savior Healthcare, 2817 New Pinery Road, Portage. No appointment necessary. Call 745-6405 for more information. Do not eat, smoke, drink caffeine or exercise for 30 minutes prior.

Zumba, 5:30 p.m. 1208 Northport Road (the former Freedom Carpeting building). This is a $5 drop-in class. For more information, contact Deb at DJMACK00001@yahoo.com or Rena at 697-6713.

Zumba Toning, 5 p.m. Diverse Options, Montello. $5 drop in fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

Thursday

Endeavor Lions Club Bingo, 6:30 p.m. Endeavor-Moundville Fire Department, Endeavor.

Museum at the Portage, 804 MacFarlane Road, Portage. Open from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday in April, May, September and October; and 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday in June, July and August. Admission is free.

Open Texas Hold em, 7 p.m. Sport Club 22, Pardeeville. For information, call 566-9655.

Pardeeville Elementary School concert and art show, 1:30 p.m. Pardeeville Elementary School, Pardeeville. Doors open at 1 p.m. Students in kindergarten through fourth grade will perform.

Portage Public Library Childrens Department organizational meeting, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m., Portage Public Library, 253 W. Edgewater St., Portage, for young people going into sixth grade and up, interested in being a volunteer for the childrens Summer Library Program. Students should come with their summer schedules so they will know their availability for programs; all student volunteers will have to fill out a form and be approved by Mrs. Foster, Childrens Librarian and supervisor of the teen volunteers. If a student is interested in volunteering but unable to attend the meeting, they will have to make arrangements to complete all paperwork prior to being scheduled to help. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend along with their child. For more information, call 742-4959, ext. 210, or email Mrs. Foster at dfoster@portagelibrary.us.

Portage World War II Museum, 119 E. Cook St., Portage, offers free tours to all veterans from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tours take 2 1/2 hours. For information, call 608-697-3690.

Zumba, 5:15 to 6 p.m. Woodridge Primary School, Portage. $5 drop in or session fee. Contact Tami at 608-346-3971 or 4dreamers@frontier.com.

Friday

Art at Tivoli  Portage Center for the Arts at Tivoli presents Carnival on the Banks of the River Styx by Jim Foskett. Exhibit runs through June. Free and open to the public. Tivoli is located at 2805 Hunters Trail, behind Divine Savior Healthcare in Portage.

Portage World War II Museum, 119 E. Cook St., Portage, offers free tours to all veterans from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The tours take 2 1/2 hours. For information, call 608-697-3690.

Unique Singles, 5 p.m. Golden Cup, New Pinery Road. All single men and women older than age 50 welcome. The group is strictly social with no dues or officers.
PARDEEVILLE  What started out in 2009 as an idea for a Pardeeville High School Student Council service project has evolved into an event in which the Pardeeville community comes together to stomp out cancer.

Hundreds turned out for Saturdays Bulldog Stomp 5K Cancer Walk-Run, to raise about $24,500 for the University of Wisconsins Carbone Cancer Center.

Here are a few overheard comments from the event:

If you want to be electronically timed, you must wear a bib.

Student Council adviser Chris Lynch, referring to a new feature this year -- a timing chip, embedded in the bib, to allow precise race timing for those who wanted it. About 135 runners opted for electronic timing.

People like it a little cooler once they start to run. Its all good.

Planner Carol Babcock, on the cloudy weather, with temperatures in the high 50s.

Im running for my aunt and uncle.

Pardeeville eighth-grader Cori McBride, in a conversation with the student wearing the costume of the school mascot, Barney the Bulldog. Coris aunt and uncle, Ruth and John Carlin, both died of cancer.

She resisted the urge for piggy-back rides.

Michael Muscanero of Pardeeville, referring to his 4-year-old daughter, Bella, who ran all of the 1-mile kids run route -- in a sundress.

Lets go, Chorizo.

A voice in the crowd, as one of the five Famous Racing Sausages jogged on -- or near  the 5K race route.

I have to be the last walker?

Penny Judd, who was part of a team walking the 5K route in honor of cancer survivor, and former Pardeeville School District financial manager, Holli Judd.

We go every year, with prayers for Holli.

Penny Judd, on her faithful Bulldog Stomp participation.

Ive worked with Chris and the Student Council for about half a decade. This community, in my opinion, is outstanding. This shows us what people can accomplish when the community comes together.

UW Carbone Cancer Center marketing and budget officer James Listug, who was on hand to receive the Bulldog Stomp donation. The goal was $23,000; the actual total, closer to $24,500.

Small steps.

5K race winner Adam Vrbsky, who got his fourth Bulldog stomp win (having previously won in 2012, 2013 and 2015) -- this year with his best-ever time of 16 minutes, 50 seconds. His T-shirt, with the slogan Cancer Sucks, honored his aunt and uncle, Ruth and John Carlin.

Pardeeville has a great community spirit.

Pardeeville School Board member Margo Pufahl.
Last week, Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Veterans Committee gathered to announce their support for bipartisan legislation designed to fix multiple problems in the Veterans Affairs Health system. Surprisingly, the senators are hopeful that the Senate will pass that bill this month.

Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, emphasized that the bill will will give the VA the tools to fire bad actors, will prohibit bonuses for employees accused of wrongdoing, and will institute protections for whistleblowers.

The Veterans First Act is about accountability, agreed Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., a member of the committee. But Tester emphasized what the legislation aims to do to directly improve veterans care. The bipartisan bill includes his proposed remedies for the Veterans Choice program.

In August 2014, Congress and President Barack Obama created the Veterans Choice program in an effort to reduce the waiting time for veterans to see a doctor. The Veterans Choice program, which must contract with a private gatekeeping company, has actually slowed down the process for getting veterans into care.

Choice is broken and is not working the way it was intended, said Tester.

One big problem with Veterans Choice is that the money goes with the program, not the veteran. The new bill would change that.

This gives the VA flexibility to take Choice money and use it for community care not available within the VA, Tester said.

The state of Montana is one of five sites selected to pilot a partial remedy while Congress works on a comprehensive fix. VA Montana has been authorized to use Veterans Choice funding to contract directly with community clinics when that is the quickest way to have a veteran seen by a qualified physician. Previously, VA Montana had to tap a separate community care fund (which was rapidly being depleted) and wasnt allowed to use Veterans Choice funds.

This is only a partial fix because the Veterans Choice contract still requires referrals to go to the private gatekeeper (Health Net) and VA Montana must wait for Health Net to send the case back, which can take a week or more.

The pilot has been successful in getting veterans in to see physicians in Montana communities faster than they could be seen through Health Net or within the VA, said Johnny Ginnity, VA Montana director. The pilot is expected to go nationwide soon, possibly later this month.

While senators were finalizing their Veterans First Act on Capitol Hill last week, Ginnity was traveling Montana to meet personally with local clinic leaders in Miles City, Billings, Lewistown, Great Falls and elsewhere. His pitch is a deal for these Montana clinics to work directly with the VA to care for veterans, basically cutting out the third-party administrator. Ginnity told The Gazette that clinic leaders have been receptive. The privatized Veterans Choice drew complaints in Montana and elsewhere that the contract was difficult to work with and that payments for services to veterans were long delayed.

The Senate reform bill aims for other improvements, including:

Increasing physician residency positions in VA, both to provide more doctors now and to enhance recruiting efforts for the future.

Boosting efforts to recruit more licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists.

Improving the process for filling leadership vacancies.

VA Montana is constantly recruiting doctors, nurses and other health care professionals and office workers. Among the vacancies last week were associate state director, chief of medical staff and three psychiatrists.

A VA reform bill can and should pass the Senate before Congress recesses for Memorial Day week vacation. We call on Montanas delegation to be leaders in getting veterans health care legislation to President Obamas desk early this summer.

Among 97,000 veterans who call Montana home, 47,000 are enrolled in VA and about 38,000 receive VA treatment every year. Just about everyone in Montana is a veteran or knows a veteran who needs VA health care.
Oncken: What's going on behind the scenes of agriculture?
No Place - an Exhibition by Jean Brundrit

The Wits City Institute is jointly hosting the Cape Town artist's exhibition with the Wits Anthropology Museum.

Space does not need to be a confined, fixed place, like a city. It can be an eternally moving space, where nothing is ever fixed, like the motion of the waves of the sea.

Artist and photographer Jean Brundrit is exploring the way that we look at things. As a visiting research fellow at the Wits City Institute and an NRF rated researcher, Brundrit launched her exhibition, No Place, which is hosted by the Wits City Institute, at the Wits Anthropology Museum last week.

In the exhibition, Brundrit looked at waves and seascapes as places that are not confined  a place that remains undefined and temporary  more of a space than a place.

Included in the exhibition is an artwork in book-form, Big Sea. Through the pages of Big Sea, the viewer embarks on a journey of discovery  in both temporal and geographic terms. Brundrit combines her own images with archival photographs.

These photographs were taken in the late 1920s by Captain R.L.V. Shannon, who skippered a research vessel in the Western Antarctic region, and contemporary photographs taken in the Southern Ocean by her father, Geoff Brundrit, an oceanographer. Brundrits photographs converse with those from the archives of her father and Shannon, creating visual dialogues across time and space.

Shannon looked at the sea from a navigational point of view, while I looked at it from an artists point of view, says Brundrit, a visiting research fellow at Wits City Institute, and an NRF rated researcher.

Brundrit, who admits she has a mild obsession with pinhole photography, likes to experiment with different technologies and media. For one of her works, she used a piece of ice as her camera lens to photograph a globe, while in a separate work she used 3D laser technology to photograph a wave in the sea.

Brundrit teaches photography as part of the Fine Art courses offered at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town. She has exhibited in South Africa and contributed to a number of international exhibitions.

Her research interests are primarily concerned with exploring identity, specifically lesbian identity and strategies of visual representation within a South African context.

The exhibition will run until 3 June at the Wits Anthropology Museum.
W&M student awarded fellowship to study human rights in Europe

Humanity in Action: Alexandra Granato '16 will travel to Warsaw, Poland, following graduation for a month-long fellowship studying human rights. Photo by Marisa Spyker Photo - of - Hide Caption

Unbeknownst to her, Alexandra Granato 16 cemented a part of her future in the span of a single freshman semester.

I signed up for classes in Cultural Anthropology and Intro to Gender, Sexuality, and Womens Studies at the same time and just thought both were sensational, she said. At that point, I knew I wanted to study marginalized people and minority rights issues and how that all interacts in the larger American culture.

Shortly after, Granato declared a self-designed double major in race, gender and cultural studies, and film and media studies. Now, as she gears up for graduation, shes also preparing for a month abroad as a recipient of the Humanity in Action Fellowship, an educational program that brings students and recent graduates from nine countries together in an international city to learn about the social and political roots of discrimination. Granato will be spending the month of June in Warsaw, Poland.

I love that the program has an international focus, said Granato. Ive been studying American culture for so long, but I really do want to have an eye on what minority rights look like around the world, what other countries might be dealing with, and how we can all inform and help each other.

Raised in the small coastal town of Forked River, New Jersey, Granato came to William & Mary with an eye on a career as a political speech writer, until her on-campus experiences inspired her to channel her creativity in different ways.

I joined the performing group Improvisational Theatre, which was an unexpected shaping force in that it helped me meet so many different people who were thinking outside the box, she said.

Through her improv group, she was introduced to filmmaking, screenwriting and documentary making, the latter of which inspired her to create a documentary that blends her dual majors.

I spent a month with no mirrors and no photos of myself and completely cut myself off from all kinds of vanity, she said. It was a very introspective experience and one of the coolest things Ive done at W&M.

A Monroe Scholar, Granato heard about the Humanity in Action Fellowship through a listing for an information session, and was immediately intrigued.

I was impressed with their devotion to this idea that you can change the thought process that makes people bystanders and inspire them to step up and do something about discrimination, she said. If thats possible, I hands down want to be a part of it.

Jeremy Stoddard, associate professor of education and associated faculty in the Film and Media Studies Program, wrote a recommendation letter for Granato and said the program is particularly suited to Granatos interests and talents.

In my 10 years of working at W&M, Alex would be in a very small group of students who I would recommend strongly for this fellowship  and really its as if she has chosen a path that has led directly to this opportunity, he said. I could not imagine a better student to represent W&M in this program. She will contribute to the discussion and to the collaborative international effort that is the heart of this fellowship.

During her month in Warsaw with Humanity in Action, Granato will be exploring issues of human rights in Europe spanning from World War II and the Holocaust to modern day issues facing minorities, such as national identity, immigration, racism and xenophobia. Following the program, Granato is required to create a hands-on action project, such as a film, conference or campaign, reflective of her time in Poland.

Im eager to come away with some kind of knowledge about how to do better in the world myself and how to be a better global citizen in whatever future endeavors I pursue, said Granato.




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Russia completes second reactor vessel for Arktika

09 May 2016

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Russia's ZIO-Podolsk has completed assembling the integrated reactor vessel of the second of two 175 MWt reactors for the Arktika icebreaker. The procedure was completed in 19 days, three days fewer than for the same equipment for the first reactor.

Second reactor vessel for Arktika icebreaker (Image: Rosatom)

The vessel, which is of the LK-60YA series and part of Project 22220, will be able to break through ice 3 meters thick.

ZIO-Podolsk, a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, explained the complexity of the work, which it said involved welding pieces of large diameter - 830 mm - while holding them "in an orbital position".

The first reactor vessel has successfully completed hydraulic and welding tests and assembly of the reactor internals is to follow, the company said on 6 May.

In May last year, Rosatom director general Sergey Kirienko announced that Russia's trade and industry ministry had opened up funding for the development of a project to build the Leader nuclear-powered icebreaker. It is expected that Leader, which is of the LC-110YA series of icebreakers, will be able to break through ice up to 4.5 meters thick.

The icebreaker Lenin was the world's first nuclear-powered surface vessel (20,000 dwt) and remained in service for 30 years (1959-89), though new reactors were fitted in 1970. It led to a series of larger icebreakers, the six 23,500 dwt Arktika-class vessels, launched from 1975. These have two 171 MWt OK-900 reactors delivering 54 MW at the propellers and are used in deep Arctic waters.

The Arktika was the first surface vessel to reach the North Pole, in 1977. The seventh and largest Arktika class icebreaker - 50 Years of Victory (50 Let Pobedy) entered service in 2007. It is 25,800 dwt, 160 m long and 20m wide, and is designed to break through ice up to 2.8 metres thick.

For use in shallow waters such as estuaries and rivers, two shallow-draught Taymyr-class icebreakers of 18,260 dwt with one reactor delivering 35 MW were built in Finland and then fitted with their nuclear steam supply system in Russia. They are built to conform with international safety standards for nuclear vessels and were launched from 1989.

Larger third-generation 'universal' LK-60 icebreakers are being built as dual-draught (8.55 or 10.5m) wide-beam (34m) ships of 25,450 dwt or 33,540 dwt with ballast, able to handle 3 metres of ice.

In August 2012 the United Shipbuilding Corporation won the contract for the first new-generation LK-60 icebreaker powered by two RITM-200 reactors of 175 MWt each, delivering 60 MW at the propellers via twin turbine-generators and three motors. They would be built by subsidiary Baltijsky Zavod Shipbuilding.

Rosatomflot expects to have the pilot version commissioned in 2018 at a cost of RUR 37 billion ($562 million).

In January 2013, Rosatom called for bids to build two more of these universal icebreaker vessels (project 22220), for delivery in 2019 and 2020, and in May 2104 a contract for RUR 84.4 billion was signed with USC, the vessels to be built at the same shipyard. In August the same year Russian regulator Rostechnadzor licensed Baltijsky Zavod Shipbuilding to install the RITM-200 reactor units from OKBM Afrikantov for the pilot model. The keel of Arktica was laid in November 2013, and that of Sibir in May 2015.

A more powerful LC-110 icebreaker of 110 MW net and 55,600 dwt is planned, to be capable of breaking through ice up to 4.5 m thick. The first vessel will be the Leader with 50 m beam to match large tankers.

Russian experience with nuclear powered Arctic ships totalled about 300 reactor-years in 2009. In 2008, the Arctic fleet was transferred from the Murmansk Shipping Company under the Ministry of Transport to FSUE Atomflot, under Rosatom.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Krispy Kreme donut and coffee

By: Feng Qian

People in the United Kingdom, who quickly want to indulge in the new Nutella donuts by Krispy Kreme, will be able to stand in front of an ATM like vending machine, press some buttons and receive their treat.

The vending machine will be placed at a hole in the wall in London.

People will be able to flock to 229 High, and purchase freshly baked donuts between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Each donut will cost a whopping $2.90. The company promised that the proceeds of the new Nutella donuts will be donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

aBe the first to try the new Limited Edition Krispy Kreme, Nutty Chocolatta Doughnut filled with Nutella hazelnut spread at the Hole in the Wall.a

aAnyone who stops by will get a chance to unlock the Krispy Kreme doughnut shaped hatch and discover the hazelnut goodness of the limited edition Krispy Kreme Nutty Chocolatta doughnut as it appears in front of their eyes,a the company wrote on its website.
A young man wanted to make a point about racism in the United States, but his plan backfired when he was exposed for a liar by police. 20-year-old Khalil Cavil of Texas was working at the Saltgrass Steak House in Odessa when he claimed he was discriminated against because of his Muslim name. Cavil took
Calls For Wrexham Council To Be Ambitious & Lead The Way in Welcoming Syrian Refugees

This article is old - Published: Monday, May 9th, 2016

An open letter calling for Wrexham Council to lead the way and be ambitious in welcoming Syrian Refugees to the County Borough, has been sent ahead of tomorrows Executive Board decision.



Published today, the open letter sent by Wrexhams TCC (Together Creating Communities), sees local faith and community leaders call on Wrexham Council to be ambitious and welcome Syrian refugees to Wrexham.

The letter has been signed by the Anglican and Catholic Bishops, as well as the leader of the Methodist Church and representatives of the Islamic community, other Christian denominations, and local organisations.

The document has been published ahead of tomorrows Executive Board meeting, where councillors will discuss providing safety for up to five Syrian refugee families from the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Scheme during 2016/17.

Wrexham is one of many local authorities taking part in the scheme, which is voluntary, and it is noted all 22 Welsh Local Authorities have indicated their support in principle although that position has not been ratified by all.

However the signatures in the letter call for much more to be done, noting that 3 million people have been forced to leave Syria, over half of these being children. Wrexham Council are also called upon to lead the way in Wales and consider welcoming a greater number of families.

Reference is also made to the potential misunderstanding and apprehension there may be regarding the Executive Boards proposals  with community and faith leaders stating they are committed to working with the Council to spread messages of understanding and acceptance, and dispel any myths and fears locally.

The open letter sent to the Executive Board can be viewed in full below:

Dear Wrexham Executive Board

RE Welcoming Syrian Refugees

As local faith and community leaders, we welcome your discussion on welcoming refugees to Wrexham. We are writing to urge you to take swift action on this issue.

It has been 8 months since the Prime Minister announced that the UK will resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees, and we believe that now is the time for Wrexham to take action, and offer a home to the most vulnerable people during this crisis.

We have spoken to local residents from our member communities of all ages and backgrounds, and have encountered an overwhelming sense of support for welcoming refugees. What is clear is that people in our communities feel it is time for Wrexham to do its part. We are incredibly proud of our rich heritage, the contribution that migrants have made to our economy and culture, and the fact that Wrexham is becoming a more diverse community.

Now we strive to be a truly welcoming county, offering support and friendship to those in need. As Wrexham is already a dispersal area, we are well placed to provide practical support, and already have organisations here with specialist expertise willing to be involved.

We understand that Wrexham is considering welcoming five families. Whilst this is a very small number in comparison to the local population, we realise that there could be some apprehension and misunderstanding in the local community. This is why we are committing to working with you, to spread messages of understanding and acceptance, and dispel any myths and fears locally.

We really do see this is as a fantastic opportunity not only for us to offer support, but for us to gain from the rich talents and experiences which individuals can bring to Wrexham. Our local economy, society, and public services have already benefitted hugely from people from other countries bringing their knowledge and skills to Wrexham.

Over 3 million people have been forced to leave Syria; around half of these are children. It seems inconceivable that we would turn our backs and do nothing for those fleeing war and persecution.

We feel that welcoming 30 people is a positive step, but that we really could do more, especially as funding from the Home Office means that welcoming Syrian refugees will not cost the Council anything at all. We urge you to be ambitious and consider welcoming a greater number of families, so that Wrexham can truly lead the way in Wales.

Yours sincerely

Rt Revd Bishop Gregory Cameron, Bishop of

St. Asaph & Patron of TCC

Rt Revd Peter Brignall, Bishop of Wrexham

Rev Dr Jennie Hurd, Synod Cymru & Chair of TCC

Rev Dr Jason Bray, St. Giles Parish Church

Rev Jackie Carter, St. Thomas Penycae

Srs Pauline Cowie, Maggie McCarthy, & Pat

Trussell, Peace and Justice Centre

Rev Tracey Day, Penycae Church of the Nazarene

Rev Sarah Errington, St. Johns Rhosnesni

Dr Farookh Jishi, Wrexham Islamic Cultural Centre

Mrs Tricia Jones, Wrexham Quakers

Canon Bernard Lordan, St. Francis of Assisi Llay

Mrs Wanjiku Ngotho-Mbugua, BAWSO

Rev Robert Parry, Capel y Groes

Rev Richard Sharples, Wrexham Methodist Circuit

Rev Kate Tiltman, St. Johns Rhosymedre & St.

Marys Ruabon

Canon SRP Treloar, Wrexham Cathedral

The report will be discussed by Wrexham Councils Executive Board at 10am tomorrow morning.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has placed the build-up of the armed forces, part of the growing military escalation by the United States and its allies against China, at the centre of the Liberal-National Party governments campaign for the July 2 federal election, announced on Sunday.

Speaking after he announced the double-dissolution election, which requires that all 150 seats in the lower house and all 76 seats in the upper house, the Senate, be declared vacant, Turnbull painted a portrait of Australia completely divorced from reality, as he laid out the coalition governments election campaign.

The prime minister ignored the deepening crisis of the global economy, marked by continuing stagnation in the major centres and a downturn in China, asserting that Australians live in a time of remarkable opportunity, an exciting time, and that on the basis of the governments plan for jobs and economic growth we will succeed as we have never succeeded before.

The agenda he proceeded to spell out, however, consists of war preparations and attacks on the social and democratic rights of the working class.

At the centre of the governments so-called planthe first concrete item Turnbull touched on in his speechis the massive expansion of the armed forces outlined in the 2016 Defence White Paper. Some $194 billion will be squandered over the next 10 years on the purchase of new aircraft, warships, armoured fighting vehicles, missile systems and submarines. Total military spending will reach $495 billion. Turnbull also boasted of a new $2.5 billion military agreement with Singapore, which will see 14,000 Singaporean troops train for 18 weeks a year at Australian bases.

The expansion of the military and de-facto alliances in Asia flow directly from Australias commitment to the US pivot to Asia, which, since 2011, has consisted of escalating preparations for confrontation and war with China. Even as Turnbull held up China as one of the major opportunities for Australian business, Canberra is backing the US as it steadily intensifies diplomatic and military pressure on Beijing. Tensions will reach new heights in the course of the Australian election campaign, when the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration brings down a ruling that is expected to declare Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea illegal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Beijing regime has categorically stated it will not recognise any such decision.

This election, which, under normal circumstances would have been held later in the year, is the outcome of the immense turmoil that has engulfed the Australian political establishment since the 20072008 financial crisis and the turn by US imperialism toward military confrontation with ChinaAustralias largest export market. In 2014, a boom in mining exports to China, which temporarily staved off the full impact of the global economic slump, came to a shattering end. The Australian economy is now sliding into deflation and toward its first recession in 25 years. Jobs are being destroyed in the thousands across every sector of the economy. Accurate (i.e., unofficial) estimates put unemployment at over 11 percent and underemployment at 7.8 percent.

The global economic instability and rising geo-strategic conflicts have been expressed in unprecedented political volatility, and tensions between and within all of the establishment parties. In 2010, Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was removed in an inner-party factional coup. In the elections that followed, Labor, led by Julia Gillard, failed to win a majority and was forced to form the first minority government since 1941. In September 2015, Coalition Prime Minister Tony Abbott was ousted before he had even served two years, in a party-room coup led by Turnbull.

Since being installed as prime minister, Turnbull has been compelled to balance between corporate demands for massive cutbacks to public spending, to address burgeoning budget deficits, and the enormous anger and alienation among masses of people over declining incomes, astronomical housing costs, deteriorating social services and ever-widening social inequality.

Resorting to a desperate political gamble, Turnbull has staked everything on an early double-dissolution election delivering the governing Liberal and National Party Coalition not only a majority in the lower house, but also a majority in the Senate, so it can push through its agenda unimpeded.

The necessary constitutional trigger for the double dissolution was provided in April. Labor, the Greens and the so-called independents, who held the majority in the Senate, refused to pass government legislation re-establishing a draconian industrial commission with sweeping powers to investigate alleged corruption involving the trade unions in the construction industry. Ever since the Coalition won government from Labor in 2013, the Senate has blocked major pieces of its legislation.

The economic component of Turnbulls plan is a steady decline in the corporate tax rate from 30 percent to 25 percent. While promising corporations a near $50 billion windfall due to reductions in tax, the Coalition intends to impose savage cuts to various social welfare programs; raise the retirement age to 70; dragoon young unemployed workers into a cheap labour internship scheme; and starve public health and public education of funding.

The other key plank of the Coalitions election policies is the maintenance of the brutal and illegal policy of denying refugees their right to claim asylum in Australia, and imprisoning them in detention centres located on remote Pacific Islands.

The opposition Labor Party and its leader Bill Shorten are in full agreement with the Coalitions foreign policy alignment with US imperialism in the Asia-Pacific and internationally. It was the former Labor government that committed Australia to the US pivot in 2011. The two major parties also have bipartisan agreement on refugee policy and will combine to try and prevent any discussion during the election campaign on the dangers of war and the criminal abuse of asylum seekers.

The nakedly pro-big business policies of the Coalition, however, have been seized upon by both Labor and the Greens to launch populist campaigns, denouncing the government for representing the millionaires and billionaires and making demagogic commitments to greater social spending. Labor and the Greens have carefully studied how presidential aspirant and self-styled democratic socialist Bernie Sanders has used similar rhetoric to garner support in the US Democratic Party primary elections.

Given the volatile state of mass sentiment, the Coalition led by Turnbull may well be thrown from power and go down in history as the first one-term government since 1931. As in the US and numerous other countries, the predictable two-party dominated parliamentary system in Australia is breaking down, under the impact of external and internal stresses and tensions.

The reality is that the period ahead will be one of accelerating class conflict as the financial and corporate elite demands that the next governmentregardless of which party or coalition of parties takes officeimposes the burden of the crisis on the working class through ruthless austerity cutbacks to public spending and attacks on wages and conditions. If Labor wins, it will begin throwing out its election promises the day after the polling booths close.

None of the capitalist parties or candidates has anything to offer workers and young people except social devastation, deepening attacks on democratic rights and war. The only party that will speak for the independent interests of the working class will be the Socialist Equality Party (SEP), the Australian section of the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI).

The SEP will stand candidates for the Senate and in selected lower house seats to fight, above all, to build a new international anti-war movement against the immense dangers posed by militarism and the growing geo-strategic conflicts between the major powers internationally. The campaign of the SEP will be international in character and addressed to the working class not only in Australia but throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It will be carried out in the closest collaboration with the election campaigns being waged by the Socialist Equality Party (US) and the Partei fur Soziale Gleichheit in Germany, as well as with the fight of the SEP (UK) for an active boycott of the Brexit referendum on the UKs membership of the European Union.

The SEP will advance, against Labor, the Coalition, the Greens and all pro-capitalist candidates, including those of the pseudo-left organisation Socialist Alliance, a genuine socialist and internationalist program to mobilise the working class against the source of war, social inequality and dictatorshipthe capitalist profit system itself.

The SEPs election statement and candidates will be announced over the coming week. We urge WSWS readers to like the SEP Australia Facebook page and follow and help promote the campaign, as it develops, to the widest possible audience within Australia, throughout the Asia-Pacific region and internationally.
As the 2015-2016 school year nears its end, teachers in major cities in the US continue to face attacks on their pay, benefits and working conditions. In Detroit last week, 1,500 teachers walked out for two days to protest the district emergency managers threat to withhold their summer pay.

Teachers in Chicago have been working without a contract for nearly 11 months, threatened with several thousand layoffs, a multiyear pay freeze and higher health insurance costs, among other cuts. The most contentious issue is the Emanuel administrations insistence that teachers take a de facto 7 percent pay cut by having teachers shoulder their own pension contributions.

For months, teachers resolve to combat these attacks has been suppressed by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). Last week, CTU leader and International Socialist Organization member Jesse Sharkey announced that the union had decided not to set a strike date at a delegate meeting, citing concerns ranging from wage loss and loss of health insurance coverage to the mood not being there among teachers.

The CTU has been working systematically to block a struggle against the Emanuel administration, amidst growing anger among teachers and other sections of the working class.

A recent poll of Chicagoans conducted by the New York Times and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 59 percent support a teachers' strike. In the months since the teachers contract expired on June 30, 2015, it is the CTU that has kept teachers on the job without a contract, stalled strike action, and put on stunt actions, including a mock strike vote in November of last year and a one-day April Fools Day walkout.

After an overwhelming strike vote in December, the CTU brought a concessions contract to teachers less than one month later. CTU President Karen Lewis called it a serious offer and made clear that the union was prepared to accept economic concessions in exchange for enforceable protections of education quality and job security. The proposal included increased pension contributions, while the pledges of job security were unenforceable.

After details of the agreement were leaked, the bargaining committee recognized it would be impossible to push through given the level of dissatisfaction among teachers and voted to reject the offer.

Shortly after, in February, Sharkey clearly communicated the CTUs eagerness to push through the concessions. In regard to the pension cuts, everything is on the table, he insisted.

A further obstacle to the CTUs plans for a swifter settlement with Emanuel was the political crisis of his administration precipitated by the November 2015 release of video footage of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting African-American teenager Laquan MacDonald 16 times. Hundreds protested when it came to light that the young man was murdered in cold blood, and that Emanuel and the city council had covered up the crime by refusing to prosecute the cop, suppressing the video footage and evidence of police and state prosecutor cover-up.

This undermined the CTUs attempts to openly promote Emanuel and drive dissatisfaction into the Democratic Partys efforts, alongside Emanuel and CPS CEO Forrest Claypool, to lobby politicians in the state capital to restructure education. Both the city administration and the CTU have used the reportedly $1 billion budget deficit in Chicago Public Schools to try to force teachers to accept cuts in pay and benefits.

The sham character of the CTU leaderships supposed plan to take a strike vote this month was revealed by Emanuel himself, two days prior to the question being brought to union delegates on May 4.

On May 2, Emanuel boasted of his agreement with CTU not to strike, telling media, The good news is they agreed not to strike. In a feeble attempt to try to cover for his open collaboration with Emanuel and suppression of teacher opposition, Sharkey responded, The Unions members have yet to decide when or if we will go on strike in the coming days or during the next school year.

Following the meeting, where no strike date was set, Sharkey told reporters, Weve made a serious play about getting the schools funded; we have to watch that play out. Right now, were focused on trying to get revenue.

The serious play Sharkey referred to is the recently announced revenue recovery package the union is urging the city council to pass. The plan claims to be able to produce as much as $502 million in revenue for the school district by re-implementing a tax on corporations connected to the number of people they employ, which was repealed in 2014. It would also reform the tax increment financing (TIF) district funds, which siphons tax money for schools into mayor-controlled slush funds for private developers.

Several of the taxes proposed would hit working people, including an additional 10 cent tax on each gallon of gasoline purchased, as well as taxes on ride-sharing services and certain municipal improvements.

The political situation in the city will become increasingly volatile in the summer months and into the fall. Mayor Rahm Emanuel is widely despised, and the CTU is discredited in the view of a broad section of teachers.

The nations three million teachers are at the forefront of an assault as public education continues to be a prime target for spending cuts. In the seven years of the Obama administration, the ruling class has orchestrated a massive redistribution of wealth from the bottom layers of the population to the top. This attack will be escalated following the November presidential vote, whoever is elected.

The defense of public education and the rights of teachers cannot be carried forward through the CTU. Even if the CTU were to call a strike at some point, it would be aimed at letting off steam in an effort to force through concessionsas happened in 2012. The fight of teachers must be advanced through the formation of independent organizations of struggle and an appeal to all sections of the working class to wage a common fight against the Democratic and Republican parties and the capitalist system they both defend.

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The city of Cleveland, Ohio has been awarded a $50 million federal security grant for its hosting of the Republican National Convention July 18-21. According to Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, $30 million of the federal grant will be spent on personnel and $20 million on equipment.

National conventions of the two major parties are considered national special security events, and Congress has appropriated funding for every convention since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York City. An equal amount of $50 million has been approved by Congress to provide security for the Democratic National Convention to be held in Philadelphia.

Convention security within the Quicken Loans Arena, the main convention site, will be administered under the direction of the Secret Service, while the Cleveland Police Department will be responsible for providing security outside the convention hall, in coordination with a number of federal agencies.

Cleveland is planning a massive buildup that would increase its police force from 1,200 to 5,000 officers for the convention. This is causing concern because the city has been the scene of a number of racially charged police shootings and protests. The Cleveland Police Department was the subject of a US Justice Department investigation in 2014, coming under scrutiny for its use of unreasonable and unnecessary force. The police killing of 12-year old Tamir Rice, playing in a park with a toy gun, made headlines throughout the world.

The city is planning heightened security measures and is now seeking bidders to provide some 2,000 sets of riot gear, including Elite Defender riot-control suits and 26-inch retractable steel batons.

Other items on the shopping list include three miles of interlocking steel barriers to be used for crowd control; video surveillance systems, cameras and laptops; 10,000 flexicuffs; 16 pointer illuminator aiming lasers; motorcycles, bicycles, tactical armor, ballistic helmets and vests; and horse trailers for use by mounted police. Whatever the city acquires in the way of surveillance technology and military equipment will stay in the region after the convention ends.

Four years ago, at the Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida, police had a variety of sophisticated crowd-control weapons including sound weapons, long-range acoustic devices (LRAD), sting rays, chemical non-lethal munitions, rubber and wooden bullets and tasers.

Freda Levenson, legal director of the Ohio Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times expressing concerns about the police build-up: Were worried about the militarization of the Cleveland Police Department. The consent decree is based on a history in which our Police Department has shown an inability to police with conventional police equipment in ordinary day-to-day situations, and now theyre going to be given all this new shiny technology and weapons Were concerned about their training and their ability to use this [equipment] especially in this larger and challenging context.

The Consent Decree refers to a 2015 agreement between the Cleveland Police and the US Justice Department regarding a review of the departments unconstitutional use of force practices. The Ohio ACLU has published an online Constitutional Playbook for the 2016 Republican Convention, available here.

A portion of the federal money will be used to purchase protest insurance. According to the Plain Dealer, the city of Cleveland will pay a $1.5 million brokerage fee to AON Risk Services Northeast to obtain a $10 million insurance policy, although it is not clear how the city will pay the premiums. Such insurance, designed to protect the city from lawsuits arising from injuries, accidents, and violations of protesters first and fourth amendment rights, has now become standard for cities hosting political conventions.

The convention is expected to attract tens of thousands of demonstrators. So far, two organizations, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Organize Ohio, have filed permit applications to demonstrate, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. However, no permits will be issued until city officials receive the security plan from the US Secret Service, which is not expected until two weeks before the start of the convention.

In a direct attack on the freedom to speech and assembly, at past conventions and G20 meetings, protesters were confined to so-called protest areas, which were fenced-in areas, often blocks away from the meeting location, in which participants were closely guarded.

The AIDS healthcare Foundation, based in Los Angeles, is planning a march involving 1,000 walking participants. Organize Ohio, a grassroots organization, wants to stage a downtown march involving between 1,000 to 5,000 participants. Its director, Larry Bresler, is planning an anti-poverty demonstration on July 18, the opening day of the convention. Theres a complete ignoring of the problems of poverty and the structural issues of poverty, he said.

The law school of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland hosted the Midwest Regional Conference of the National Lawyers Guild on March 19, which was devoted to the provision of legal assistance and jail support to people who might be arrested during mass demonstrations. Conference attendees were warned about RNC committee staff, informants or undercover law enforcement personnel who might be in attendance. In their remarks, speakers recalled the political unrest and activism of the 1960s, and government efforts to undermine protest movements through infiltration.
Detroit teachers have been waging a determined struggle to defend public education, including a series of sickouts since January. These job actions culminated in last weeks two-day closure of 94 Detroit Public Schools (DPS), following threats by DPS emergency manager Judge Steven Rhodes that the district would run out of funds by June 30 and halt scheduled summer checks.

Throughout this struggle, the Detroit Federation of Teachers has played a treacherous role. It has sought at every turn to channel teachers behind pleas to local Democratic Party officials, the state legislature and now Judge Stephen Rhodes and Republican Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder.

All of the state politicians have agreed that the nearly 175-year old school district must be ended and a new district set up that is more closely aligned with the demands of state bondholders and Wall Street.

For their part, the pro-capitalist unions never challenged the basic contention that the DPS debt to hedge funds and other holders of Michigan bonds should be paid at the expense of teachers and children. They have therefore framed the dispute as a choice between competing reorganization plans offered by the state Senate and House.

A fraud has been perpetrated on teachers, whose struggle has been deliberately isolated and sabotaged. American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten has spared no effort in assisting local officials in shutting down the sickouts and neutering the demands of teachers, flying into town repeatedly to show up for various reactionary stunts.

Last week DFT interim president Ivy Bailey, who has thrown the full support of the union behind the Senate version of the reorganization supported by Snyder and Rhodes, sent out a letter to teachers instructing, Now is not the time for more sickouts. Instead, she declared, Now is the time to demand Gov. Rick Snyder veto these bills [the House version] if they come to his desk.

The most strategic way to fight back is to influence lawmakers in the Senate to do the right thing, the letter continued. Rest assured that we have a team of lobbyists, educators, parents, community allies and influencers who have been in Lansing fighting for Detroits schools This is our moment to convince the Senate and the governor that the House bills are wrong.

Endorsing the DFT sabotage of the teachers struggle, United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams issued a similar statement: We call upon the governor to veto this overreach of authority.

Of course, Bailey, Williams, Weingarten, et al. are fully aware that Snyderwith the bipartisan support of the Michigan legislaturehas carried through the largest broadside against education and public workers in the states history. Snyder is justly infamous for his cuts to public education, hundreds of millions of dollars in tax handouts to businesses and for using emergency manager laws to rip up pensions and jobs and privatize city services. His name will forever be linked with the criminal poisoning of Flints water and its associated deaths and human costs.

Likewise with Judge Steven Rhodes, named by Snyder as the emergency manager of the Detroit Public Schools for the purpose of carrying through the dissolution of the public school district and the direct subordination of education to the banks via a Financial Review Commission. This was precisely Rhodes role in the Detroit municipal bankruptcy.

Denouncing teachers and their rights, Rhodes reacted to last weeks two-day sickoutwhich he provoked by threatening not to pay themby terming it an illegal strike and penning a long letter blackguarding teachers for depriving children of an education and nutritious food.

The teachers unions, like their counterparts in other industries, are not working class organizations, but co-conspirators in the attack on workers.

The DFT and AFT are backing the Senate package, Bills 710, 711 and 819-822, because they allow for the continued use of the unions in the plans of the ruling class. Any contract negotiated between Rhodes and the DFT prior to the spin-off of the new district would be rolled over to the Detroit Community School District. In the language of the bill, The terms and conditions of a collective bargaining agreement applicable to employees of the qualifying district on the transfer date would be the terms and conditions applicable to employees of the community district.

In return for a seat at the table for the union hierarchy and the accompanying dues money, the DFT is giving their blessing to the creation of a new model of education management that will set a new precedent in the destruction of public education.

Because the struggles of teachers took place over the heads of the union officialdom and threatened to escape their control, the DFT/AFT has been joined in this betrayal by the UAW, which is equally frightened of the growing opposition of workers to the attack on their living standards and rights.

The unions have justified their self-serving deal by pointing to the draconian measures passed by the Michigan state House. The House bills are indeed an unprecedented assault on education, but they simply escalate the overall time-frame for the privatization of Detroit schools that both plans incorporate. There is far more in common with both legislative initiatives than what divides them.

The debt faced by Detroit schools is being used as a pretext for the destruction of a major citys public education, to be replaced with a proliferation of charter schools and an increasingly apparent class-based education system.

The DFT has not only called off the sickouts in their effort to support this legislation, but organized demonstrations in Lansing, mobilized neighborhood canvasses, phone banks and devoted countless thousands of dollars in resources all for the purpose of lining up teachers behind these reactionary measures.

What do the Senate reorganization bills contain?

* The most important provision is that the new educational entity, the Detroit Community School District, will be placed under the thumb of the Financial Review Commission (FRC), a group of businessmen and politicians who presently oversee the city of Detroit. Despite the bills provision for some nominal control going to a locally elected school board, all substantial decision making will reside with the FRC.

The FRC appoints the Chief Financial Officer of the new district and he/she serves at the Commissions pleasure. The FRC oversees the streamlining of the provision of services and review of the compensation and benefits of employees. In other words, it will mandate, via dictat, cuts to programs, services and personnel. All substantial contracts (including with any unions) must be approved by the FRC.

The FRC is there to exert the control of the financial industry directly and to slash the costs of education. It is mandated to report quarterly as to the status of all debt service due on bonds, leases and other debt. It is authorized to inspect or audit all district financial statements, actuarial reports, revenue estimates, and all other documents, data, or findings that the Commission considers necessary to carry out its purpose.

* The bills sponsor Geoff Hansen (R-Hart) emphasized, The plan maintains education choice and improves choice options for parents and students. He explained that it would identify priority zones that lacked charter schools and would assist in their creation.

* The bills provide vast new powers to the State School Reform/Redesign Office (SRRO), a state oversight body for low performing schools. Last year Governor Snyder moved this department out of the jurisdiction of the states Education Department to his direct control under the Department of Technology, Management and Budget. Under the SRRO, Snyder appointed a Chief Executive Officeran emergency manager with a new nameto run East Detroit Schools last February.

This dubious office will now institute a community district accountability system annually to assign a letter grade of A, B, C, D, E or F to each public school based on a point scale, and require points to be assigned based on a school's performance on proficiency, growth, and nonacademic measures.

The model is the well-known formulaincorporated in the anti-public education agenda of the Obama administrationfor punishing impoverished schools by first putting them under state intervention and then closing them down and replacing them with for-profit run charters.

* The Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) schools are to be returned to the Detroit Community School District, but those schools will continue to pay school employees, including teachers, the lower EAA pay and benefits for two additional years.

Senate Bills 713-715, authored by Phil Pavlov (R-St. Clair Township) introduce new provisions for fines and decertification of teachers deemed violating the state anti-strike law. They are still pending in the state legislature.

The defense of the right to a high quality education requires uniting teachers, schoolworkers, autoworkers and the entire working class in opposition to the pro-capitalist trade unions and the political representatives of both political parties, who are entirely subordinate to the financial elite. The debts of Detroit Public Schools should be repudiated, and additional new funding for education paid for through the nationalization of the banks and auto industry as part of a socialist program implemented by the working class.
The wildfire in the Fort McMurray-Wood-Buffalo region of northern Alberta, the center of Canadas tar-sands oil production, continues to spread. Officials acknowledge that the blaze, which now encompasses over 1,600 square kilometres (615 miles), could go on for months unless stopped by rain.

Around 90,000 people, including the entire population of Fort McMurray, and the residents of the nearby communities of Anzac, Fort McKay First Nation, and Fort McMurray First Nation have been forced from their homes. A provincial state of emergency declared May 4 remains in force as fires continue to burn out of control in a number of places, including Slave Lake, High Level, and Clearwater County.

During Friday and Saturday, 25,000 people stranded north of Fort McMurray in oil-worker camps were evacuated to Edmonton and Calgary in convoys directed by the RCMP. Police also relocated small numbers of people still in the city who were either unable or unwilling to leave. No Fort McMurray evacuees were left north of the city by yesterday morning.

The only two fatalities reported thus far occurred in a traffic accident Wednesday, when an SUV and a trailer-truck collided on Highway 881 during the evacuation, which was ordered on short-notice and with almost no prior warning.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has said that it will be some timeweeks, not daysbefore residents can return to their homes. Although a turn in the weather yesterday brought rain, the fire continued to spread and reportedly was coming close to the Saskatchewan border, 90 kilometres to the east of Fort McMurray.

Fire conditions have stabilized in Fort McMurray itself, and Notley is set to visit today to begin assessing the damage. First responders began going door-to-door to confirm the state of properties yesterday. Although officials have yet to make a tally of damaged buildings, it is clear that large portions of the city have been destroyed. Officials noted that even buildings that have survived largely intact may have suffered extensive water-damage in the effort to save them. Maclean  s magazine, which was given special access to the city Friday, described the neighbourhoods of Beacon Hill and Abasand as lying in ruins, while Waterways, Fort McMurrays oldest, was also severely damaged.

The catastrophe caused by the Fort McMurray fire is a product of the capitalist systems rapacious drive for profit. Big Oil has extracted vast riches from the Fort McMurray area over the past four decades, at considerable cost to the environment. Yet hardly anything was done to guard against an entirely foreseeable disaster. As Fort McMurrays population ballooned to over 100,000 before the 2014 oil price collapse, basic infrastructure and services remained wanting.

Although the full extent of the damage to the city remains unclear, there is a stark contrast between the citys scorched residential streets and the fate of the oil companies tar-sands infrastructure.

At least 1,600 structures in Fort McMurray have been destroyed. The fire also burnt close to facilities operated by Suncor and other oil producers, but because they were surrounded by wide fire breaks and defended by specially-trained company firefighters, none has suffered significant damage. This fact calls into question the claims of senior fire management officials that no fire-break, regardless of its width, could have prevented the fire from laying waste large swathes of Fort McMurray.

Speaking on CTVs Question Period yesterday, federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale confirmed that no damage had been suffered by oil facilities, adding, They will be in a position to get back and running relatively quickly after the danger is past.

As with other environmental disasters, like Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the devastation wrought by the wildfire has been exacerbated by the capitalist systems subordination of the safety of the local population and environment to the accumulation of vast wealth. The extraction of tar sands oil by the major oil corporations has produced an environmental disaster in the region, including damaging fresh water supplies, creating pools of toxic waste, and destroying large areas of forest.

Scientists have repeatedly warned about the threat posed by wildfires due to a growing presence of humans in forested areas of the province (principally for oil extraction), the hotter and dryer weather produced by climate change, and the lack of preparedness. Yet few measures were taken to guard against the danger.

Dr. Mike Flannigan, a well-respected expert on wildfires from the University of Alberta, told CBC that the area burnt by wildfires in the country has doubled since 1970. He went on to emphasize the danger of large cities being developed in the boreal forest, and referred to the opinion of a colleague that a fire break of 2 kilometres should be created around cities by removing trees and brush.

He went on to outline the consequences of failing to establish fire breaks around urban areas. Wildland firefighters are trained to fight wildfire, and municipal firefighters are trained to fight structural fires. Now, you have both types, creating a very dangerous hybrid fire and its entering an area with propane tanks, gas stations and other potentially explosive things.

The frequency of fires in Canada has risen sharply over recent years. Last year, by early September, 6,700 fires had burnt around 4 million hectares. Currently, more than 80 fires are burning in Alberta and British Columbia, and twice as many fires have been reported this fire season as compared to the same point last year.

Successive Alberta provincial governments have cut resources for the management of wildfires and for precautionary measures to prevent their spread. One consequence of this is that from August 16 this year, no air-tanker coverage for the province of Alberta is currently in place, even though the fire season runs until October.

John Innes, Dean of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, gave voice to the frustration in the scientific community when he told Maclea ns, Our research and modelling we have done over the past ten years has been pointing to this. I hate to say I told you so, but thats what the scientific community has been saying for some time and trying to get politicians and others to pay attention to.

The financial elites utter disregard for the residents of the affected region is exemplified by commentary in the corporate media that Fort McMurray should perhaps be rebuilt on a smaller scale, now that oil prices have collapsed.

Thousands of evacuees remain unsure if their homes are still standing or if they will have jobs to return to. As one woman told CBC, referring to her partner and herself, We were six months without work. We just got back on our feet, so now it is a new start.

Even prior to the wildfire, unemployment in Alberta was rising sharply and was higher than the Canadian average for the first time since the 1980s. Statistics Canada reported on Friday that total employment in Alberta dropped by 20,800 in April.

Many of the residents evacuated from Fort McMurray are among the most vulnerable sections of the population. Workers from outside Canada were brought in to fill low-wage jobs in Fort McMurray in catering, retail and childcare. Due to Canadas reactionary temporary foreign worker laws, a significant number of these immigrants now face the prospect of being expelled from the country. The temporary foreign worker regulations stipulate that a worker is bound to his or her employer, meaning that if companies have been put out of business or cannot pay their foreign workers, they lose their entitlement to stay in the country.

Some of the Syrian refugees taken in by Canada also lived in the city. Abdul Almouazan and eight other family members were forced to flee Fort McMurray and are now being housed at the Al-Rashid Mosque in Edmonton along with 140 other evacuees, including refugees from Somalia.
The official report from Germanys Federal Police Agency (BKA) for the first quarter of 2016 confirms a drastic increase in far-right motivated attacks on asylum seekers, refugees and their supporters.

According to the report, in the first three months of the year, there were 347 such attacks on asylum accommodation, including three attempted homicides, 37 arson attacks and 23 bodily injuries. Of the 347 attacks on refugee shelters, the BKA regards 319 as acts of right-wing violence.

In its report, the BKA warns for the first time that as well as physical attacks on refugees, In addition to injury, homicides must be reckoned with in individual cases. The BKA lists other potential targets of right-wing violence as refugee volunteers, politicians and journalists.

In addition to the attacks on refugee homes, the report lists a further 73 violent right-wing crimes against refugees. There were also 386 right-wing offences (propaganda offences, criminal damage and incitement) against refugees, 88 against politicians and 33 against volunteers, including two personal injuries.

The BKA report also warns about terrorist and criminal groups in the far-right spectrum. As evidence for this, it cites the build-up of offences in certain regions, the availability of explosives as well as the number of those the security authorities deem to be potential offenders on the far right.

Overall, the number of crimes with a right-wing extremist background rose from 10,541 (2014) to 13,846 (2015). This represents an increase of more than 30 percent.

Throughout 2015, there were 1,031 officially registered attacks on asylum seeker accommodation. Adding in the attacks that have occurred over the first three months of this year to the rest of 2015, there has been an increase of 25 percent.

In particular, there were many right-wing attacks on refugees and their accommodation in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. There were 92 since the beginning of this year, and 214 last year.

These high numbers are just the tip of the iceberg. As the WSWS has reported in previous articles on this subject, the official statistics only record crimes that are classified as being motivated by right-wing extremist sentiments. Countless attacks on refugee shelters or on political opponents are not registered because the police authorities conceal the extreme-right motivation.

In addition, only a fraction of these crimes are investigated and even fewer offenders are prosecuted and convicted. Investigations of the far-right terrorist group National Socialist Underground (NSU) have revealed that extreme-right offenders who work as undercover informants for the intelligence services or police have often had their crimes covered. The boundaries between the obstruction of justice and the immediate financial and logistical support of such right-wing groups are very fluid. The police and intelligence services are closely linked to the right-wing extremist scene via this network of undercover informants and agents.

The rise of extreme-right and xenophobic violence is a direct result of the brutal refugee policy of the German government, which aims only at sealing off borders and deterrence. This is supported by all the state governments and established parties in Germany.

The government has repeatedly tightened up the asylum laws in the past few months. With the support of the Green Party, the Bundesrat (second chamber of parliament) has declared all the Balkan states to be safe countries of origin, resulting in the deportation of thousands of people who have lived in Germany for many years. A hideous competition between the various state administrations can be witnessed as to who can be the most effective and most ruthless when it comes to deportations.

As a result of the European Unions dirty deal with Turkey, which the German government largely negotiated, and the closure of the Balkan route, only a few refugees now manage to travel to Germany, where their treatment and accommodation breaches fundamental democratic rights. Hundreds of thousands of people are denied decent housing and proper treatment. This is meant to discourage others from coming to Germany, and at the same time is grist to the mill of the far-right parties and fanatics.
Written and directed by Sue Brooks

With a few honourable exceptions, the Australian film industry, which produces only a handful of features each year, has offered little in the way of thoughtful examinations of the social life of ordinary people in the past decade.

Looking for Grace, the latest offering from Sue Brooks, has been praised by several local critics who suggested that it brings something new and serious to Australian filmmaking. The movie was nominated for the Golden Lion at last years 72nd Venice International Film Festival and recently won the Directors Guild of Americas Finders Award.

Brookss film, which centres on the efforts of a lower middle-class couple in Western Australia to find Grace (Odessa Young), their runaway 16-year-old daughter and only child, is a largely aimless and frustrating work.

The 100-minute feature is divided into five chapterseach named after the storys principal characters and told from their standpoint. The first chapter is about Grace, the others deal with Denise and Dan (Graces mother and father), Tom (a semi-retired detective) and Bruce (a long-distance truck driver).

The film opens with Grace and her friend Sappho (Kenya Pearson) on an interstate bus. Grace has stolen a large amount of money from her father and the two girls are travelling east across Australia to attend a rock concert in Ceduna, South Australia, thousands of kilometres away on the edge of the vast Nullarbor Plain.

On the bus the girls befriend Jamie (Harry Richardson) but when it becomes clear that he is only interested in Grace, Sappho decides to abandon the journey and go home. Grace spends the night with Jamie in a rather seedy hotel but awakes in the morning alone. Jamie has stolen her fathers money and she is stranded in the tiny desert settlement, far from home.

Youngs portrayal of Grace as an alienated and disconnected teenager attempting to break free of her stultifying home life and satisfy her sense of adventure and youthful optimism is sensitive and convincing.

The following chapters, notwithstanding occasional humorous moments and some striking shots of the Australian outback, are less interesting and as the movie progresses feel forced and artificial. The acting in these chapters is credible enough, but the film makes no real attempt to explore why Grace stole her fathers money and ran away from home.

Dan and Denise eventually find Grace but they are preoccupied with their own personal questions. Everyone appears detached and confused, with little ability to convey their concerns.

Dan (Richard Roxburgh), who owns a small furniture shop, seems to be facing a mid-life crisis and what appear to be financial problems that he has never told his wife about. He is also struck with guilt about an unconsummated liaison with Sandra (Tasma Walton), his furniture store manager.

Denise (Radha Mitchell) is a home-mother, seemingly dominated by domestic issues and struggling to build a stronger relationship with her husband and daughter. She spends much of her time in the familys suburban home, to which Brooks gives a deliberately exaggerated blandness.

The quirky, semi-retired detective Tom (Terry Norris), who has been called in to assist Dan and Denise find Grace, becomes a sympathetic mediator to the troubles in the family. One of the films lighter moments involves a late night discussion between Tom and Dan about the pros and cons of extra-marital affairs.

Long-distance truck driver Bruce (Myles Pollard), who is crossing the Nullarbor Plain with his young son, is little more than a plot device in the overall structure of the film. His two appearances are brief, the last one used to bring the movie to a sudden and gratuitously harsh end.

Looking for Grace alludes to some important subjectsthe social pressures on contemporary working families and their children and the general lack of social communication. These issues, however, are never seriously tackled or dramatically investigated.

In one interview director Sue Brooks explained that she was fascinated by the idea that we all live our lives separately and inter-connectedly  As you are living your life one of the big questions is what is in front of you and you dont really know what that is. Would you be doing this like this, if you knew what was happening in front of you?

Guided by this outlook, the film seems to be an exercise in absurdism. Every character is groping in the dark for a greater meaning, but confronts obstacles and events that render his or her efforts almost meaningless. After Grace has been found and the characters are slowly coming to terms with one another, the film ends on a sudden and tragic note. It is a rather bleak and pessimistic message about the ultimately futile search for any purpose in life.
The following speech was delivered by Joseph Kishore, national secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (US), at the conclusion of the International May Day Online Rally on May 1, 2016.

I want to conclude this meeting by thanking all of the speakers today, and all of you who have participated in this online rally. This is truly a unique event, bringing together workers and young people from more than 90 countries, on every continent, to express their united opposition to the policies of the ruling class that are leading humanity towards disaster. Thank you to all of you who contributed to this discussion by leaving your comments, very interesting comments, over 500 comments so far.

A number of people have gathered in significant numbers in many countries to listen in to this meeting. Theres a meeting of 40 workers and youth in Germany. One comment left by comrades there is along the following lines: Workers at the meeting in Berlin argue, that everybody in the world should be able to vote for the US president and that they would vote for Jerry and Niles.

Joseph Kishore speech to the International May Day rally

Well, we would say that we agree with you. The US election is an international election, with international consequences. In fact, Obama was just in Germany, to pressure the European powers to join forces in the plotting of new wars in the Middle East, North Africa and against Russia. To this conspiracy of the capitalist elites, the war planning of the German and American ruling class, we respond with a joint struggle of workers in the US, Germany and around the world against imperialism and against the capitalist system.

This rally is a concrete expression of the fundamental purpose of May Day, the historic day of international working class solidarity. Leon Trotsky, co-leader with Lenin of the Russian Revolution and the founder of the Fourth International, explained that the aim of May Day was, by means of simultaneous demonstrations by workers of all countries on that day, to prepare the ground for drawing them together into a single international proletarian organization of revolutionary action having one world center and one world political orientation.

That is our purpose today. The global unification of the working class is the necessary response to the global crisis of the capitalist system, which finds its most dangerous manifestation in war.

The speeches delivered today provide a powerful picture of an extremely explosive world situation. Their combined impact makes clear the immense tasks we confront. We live in an era of perpetual war. Twenty-five years of escalating military conflict following the dissolution of the Soviet Union; fifteen years of the war on terror, the fraudulent pretext for neocolonial operations by the US and European powers, and the catch-all justification for the destruction of democratic rights.

The spreading maelstrom of imperialist violence brings into its orbit every country and continent, as we have seen in the speeches today. In East Asia and the Pacific, the US pivot to Asia, aimed at encircling China, is embroiling the entire region. Australia is becoming the American aircraft carrier in the South Pacific, while Japan is even considering nuclear weapons as it reinterprets its constitution. This is a country that was the victim of the only atomic bombs dropped on a civilian population, which killed more than 200,000 people at the end of the Second World War.

The Middle East and Central Asia have already been devastated by wars and occupations that have destroyed entire societies, stoked sectarian conflict and driven millions from their homes. The countries of Africa are the perpetual target of imperialist intrigues over control of natural resources. The US and European powers are flooding arms and troops into Eastern Europe in the campaign against Russia. In Western Europe, Germany, Britain, France and Italy are remilitarizing to ensure their share of the spoils. Latin America, long a target of US imperialism, is an emerging center of competition with China.

Expanding regional wars are developing ever more directly into a conflict involving major powers, armed with nuclear weapons. Even if they wanted to prevent a descent into world war, the imperialist governments cannot control the consequences of their own recklessness, let alone override the logic of imperialism.

In this developing inferno of imperialist war and violence, the American ruling class plays a central role. Its criminal machinations, however, are the most concentrated expression of a bankrupt world system that is charting a catastrophic course.

Now, there are immense risks, but there are also enormous possibilities. The old order is breaking apart. The old political institutions are increasingly incapable of containing explosive social tensions. The same contradictions that produce imperialist war are also exacerbating class conflict and creating the objective conditions for social revolution.

Who is to pay for war? The working class, in the form of body bags, shattered homes and cities, and unrelenting demands for sacrifice in the name of so-called national interest. In the same way, it is the working class that is forced to pay for the trillions funneled into the stock market, in the form of mass unemployment, poverty and the destruction of social rights to ensure the bloated wealth of a financial aristocracy that has accumulated incomprehensible sums of money.

All over the world we are beginning to see the signs of developing class struggle, including here in the United States. As comrade Jerry White said, the American ruling class confronts its most dangerous enemy at home, that is, the American working class. What does it mean that millions of young people and workers in the United States identify as socialists? And this in the land of unlimited opportunity, of American exceptionalism, of the American dream? The country where socialism has been ignored or vilified and suppressed for generations?

The change in objective conditions is leading workers to change their minds.

What is happening in the United States is of immense political significance, but it is certainly not unique. Whether the workers in France opposed to right-wing labor reforms and an anti-democratic state of emergency; the wave of autoworkers struggles and other strikes in China and India; the strikes of Kuwaiti oil workers; protests in Japan, with a population deeply opposed to war and remilitarization; everywhere workers are becoming radicalized, politicized, looking for a way forward, turning toward socialism.

The international working class is an immense social force. It is not our task to create opposition, to convince broad masses of workers to enter into struggle. Rather, our task is to develop an understanding, within the working class, of the real nature of the present crisis and its world-historical implications, to unite the separate struggles into a common political movement against imperialism and the capitalist system.

To accomplish this, a political leadership must be built. That leadership is the International Committee of the Fourth International. There is no other political movement that can or will take up the fight against imperialism. The ignominious demise of Bernie Sanders political revolution is mirrored in different forms all over the world: the actions of Syriza in Greece, of Jeremy Corbyn in Britain, of the PT in Brazil.

To this must be added all the pseudo-left organizations, the champions of human rights interventions, those who have backed the CIA operation in Syria and Libya, who have campaigned for war against China and Russia, who have denounced knee-jerk anti-imperialism.

All these forces support imperialism because they support capitalism and are hostile to the interests of the working class. The class interests these political forces represent is most clearly expressed in their attitude towards war.

A new anti-war movement must be built, but it must be rooted in an understanding that there can be no struggle against war without a fight for socialism, just as there can be no fight for socialism without a struggle against war. This anti-war movement must be based on the working class; it must socialist. It must be independent of and hostile to all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class. And, above all, it must be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism.

This is the program and perspective that we advance in the fight against imperialist war. And in fact this rally is the political foundation for this movement.

I would like to conclude this rally with an appeal: To all those who are listening today, take up the fight for socialism! Build the International Committee of the Fourth International. Where there are sections, join the Socialist Equality Party. Where there are not, help to build one. Set up a branch of the IYSSE at your school or college. Build a faction of the SEP in your factory or workplace. Study the program of the Socialist Equality Party and the International Committee of the Fourth International and make the decision to join and build the World Party of Socialist Revolution!
The following speech was delivered by Jerry White, the SEP (US) presidential candidate, to the International May Day Online Rally held on May 1, 2016.

The Socialist Equality Party has entered the 2016 presidential elections to provide workers and young people a socialist and internationalist alternative to the two parties of war, social inequality and oppression. My running mate, Niles Niemuth, and I have placed at the center of our campaign the fight to raise the political consciousness of the working class, to oppose all forms of national chauvinism, racism and anti-immigrant baiting, and to unify workers in the United States and around the world to oppose imperialism and the danger of world war.

The presidential election in the United States has revealed the enormous crisis of American capitalism and its two party political system. The one issue that dominates over these electionsand the one issue least discussedis the war drive of the American ruling class, including the well-advanced plans for expanded military interventions, including a direct clash with Russia and China, which carries with it the threat of a nuclear holocaust.

Jerry White speech to the International May Day rally

After one of the most convulsive elections in US history, the American people are being left with supposed choice of two warmongers. Whatever their tactical differences, the likely nominees of both parties, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are both strategically committed to American imperialisms reckless drive for world domination.

Clintons hands are already covered in blood. Under her husbands administration, she supported the horrific sanctions against Iraq, which were responsible for the deaths of a half million children, and the bombing of Yugoslavia. As New York senator she supported the criminal invasion of Iraq; and as Obamas secretary of state she oversaw the preparations for the fascist-backed coup in Ukraine and the bloody regime change operations in Libya and Syria.

As the New York Times recently noted in a glowing piece, Clinton has the closest ties to the military-intelligence apparatus, particularly the Pentagon brass. For all their bluster about bombing the Islamic State into oblivion, neither Donald J. Trump nor Senator Ted Cruz of Texas have demonstrated anywhere near the appetite for military engagement abroad that Clinton has, the Times wrote, adding, she is the last true hawk left in the race.

The billionaire Trump, however, is not to be outdone. Expressing the unvarnished violence and decadence of the American ruling class, he combines the demand for the unlimited use of military power and CIA torture and assassinations, with the promotion of American First nationalism. His call for the building of a wall on the border with Mexico and fascistic agitation against Muslims and Hispanic immigrants is aimed at silencing and intimidating all opposition to war and the dictatorship of the financial elite.

The aim of our unquestioned military dominance, Trump declared last week, is to make America great again. At its most fundamental level, this means the unlimited use of American military power to block the rise of economic competitors and attempt to restore American dominance after decades of economic decline, growing trade and balance of payment deficits, and descent into the worst forms of financial criminality.

The US elections have revealed the immense and growing opposition of workers and youth in the United States who are sick of the war crimes committed overseas, as well as the decades-long class war waged against the jobs, living standards and democratic rights of workers on the home front.

Eight years after the 2008 crash, the economic and social misery felt by tens of millions of people in the US lies in sharp contrast with Obamas pronouncement of an economic recovery. Depression-like conditions prevail in whole swathes of the country hit by the global collapse of the coal, oil and steel industries. In February and March, factories eliminated 50,000 jobs, wiping out all of the gains in manufacturing jobs recorded last year. The fall in the official unemployment rate is chiefly due to the record number of workers who have given up searching for jobs or who are forced to work part-time. In fact, all of the net gains in jobs since the so-called recovery have been as independent contractors, temporary and part-time.

The Obama administration has overseen the greatest transfer of wealth in US history. The top 20 billionaires in the US have as much wealth as the bottom 150 million Americans. The rich not only enjoy untold wealth and privilege, they live longer. The life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest Americans averages almost 15 years for men and 10 for women.

This has had a profound impact on social consciousness, particularly among the young generation, which has seen nothing but unending war, growing indebtedness and economic insecurity. A new Harvard University survey of young adults aged 18 to 29 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.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who pitched himself as an opponent of the billionaire class, has been the initial beneficiary of this political radicalization. The scale of his support blows up the official narrative of American politics, according to which no one claiming to be a socialist can get a hearing.

Sanders, however, is no socialist. For all of his talk about a political revolution, Sanders studiously avoided any discussion of military policy, and in the last days he declared support for drone warfare and Obamas infamous kill list. Hostile to the fight for the international unity of the working class, he promotes economic nationalism and the lie that job losses in the US are due to China and Mexico. His support for US imperialism is highlighted above all by his promotion of the Democratic Party, and his pledge to support the warmonger Hillary Clinton after she wins the nomination.

The only reason a billionaire demagogue like Trump has gotten a hearing and could even win the presidential elections is because of the bankruptcy of the official left in the United States, which is consumed by the lifestyle concerns of the upper middle class and oblivious and hostile to the economic and social grievances of working people.

The political radicalization born of endless wars and the explosive growth of social inequality will go far beyond the warmed over liberalism of Sanders and the confines of the Democratic Party. Despite the best efforts of the trade union bureaucracy to suppress it, there are signs of the reemergence of the class struggle in the US, from the rebellion of autoworkers against the contract betrayal by the United Auto Workers last fall, to the protests by teachers and students against the destruction of public education, and the current strike by 39,000 workers against the telecom giant Verizon.

Our election campaign is aimed at broadening this political opposition and developing it in a consciously anti-imperialist direction. The same transnational corporations that are waging unrelenting war against the jobs and living standards of American workers are hell bent on waging war to conquer the world. But workers and youth in the US have no interest in fighting and dying to see which global corporations dominate the worlds profits, raw materials and sources of labor.

The reemergence of the class struggle in the US and our partys fight to arm workers with a socialist and international program and perspective is of critical international importance. The American ruling class may be determined to control the world, but it will soon find out it is not the master of its own house.

For all of its arrogance and hubris, the American ruling class is the most frightened in the world. Their own spokesmen warn that it is only a matter of time before the pitch forks come out. In our discussions on Verizon picket lines, workers liken the class divide in America to France before Marie Antoinette lost her head. They say that if things continue as they are workers will have no choice but to make a revolution.

These sentiments are part of an international process of political radicalization. The most essential question, however, is the building of the International Committee of the Fourth International as the revolutionary leadership of the coming struggles of the international working class.

In the spirit of May Day, the Socialist Equality Party will use this election campaign to politically educate the working class, oppose all forms of national chauvinism and bigotry, and to build a powerful, international movement against war, social inequality and exploitation. We call on all of our listeners to support this campaign.
On March 23, 2016, following a meeting of the Clubs and Societies Committee (C&SC) of the University of Melbourne Student Union, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) was informed that our application to form an affiliated student club had been rejected for the fourth time in two years.

The C & S Coordinatoran employee of University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU)verbally informed the IYSSEs representative that the committee had denied the application on the grounds that it believed it could not have good faith relations with the IYSSE, the youth movement of the world Trotskyist movement and the Socialist Equality Party (SEP).

The minutes of the March 23 meeting, which were finally posted on the UMSU website in late April 2016, show that this was not the case. After considerable discussion and a number of prior motions, the Committee voted down a motion to grant the IYSSE initial approval by four votes to three. As we will shortly review in detail, the minutes reveal that the C&SC violated UMSU regulations, which it is obliged to uphold, in order to once again deny the IYSSE affiliation.

The Committees willingness to contravene the UMSU constitution, however, can only be fully appreciated in its wider contextas part of a series of attempts to use anti-democratic methods to prevent the IYSSE from establishing and developing its presence on university campuses across Australia.

From early 2014, the IYSSE launched a political campaign against the Australian governments support for the US pivot to Asia and preparations for war on China, and its far-reaching assault on democratic rights under the false pretext of combatting terrorism. We warned students that the ruling elite was seeking to indoctrinate young people in militarism and nationalism, by launching a four-year celebration of the centenary of World War I. We explained that Canberra was spending more than any other country on commemorating that imperialist slaughterespecially the role of the Australian military in the British-led invasion of Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915, now known as Anzac Day.

Since then, IYSSE members have campaigned extensively on campuses, distributing thousands of statements and holding numerous meetings to discuss the socialist and internationalist program required to fight war and reaction.

University administrations and student unions have responded with attempts to proscribe our activities. We have had to fight against instructions that political clubs are prohibited from inviting election candidates onto university grounds (University of Newcastle) and against demands to hand over our leaflets to be checked by university security before we can distribute them to students (University of Western Sydney). In 2015, University of Sydney management blatantly censored the SEP and IYSSE, by refusing to allow us to hire a venue to hold an April 26 public meeting opposing war and the Anzac Day glorification of militarism.

Arguably, the UMSU C&SC has waged the most determined vendetta against us. In April 2014 and April 2015, it rejected IYSSE applications on the false grounds that we had overlapping aims with the club of the pseudo-left organisation Socialist Alternative, with which the IYSSE has publicly stated political differences. In August 2015, the committee rejected a third application, on the grounds that it could not have a good faith working relationship with the IYSSE, because we had publicly exposed before students its earlier, factually incorrect and therefore anti-democratic decisions!

This year, on March 23, the C&SC rejected our fourth application.

The Committee consists of seven students elected from the executive members of affiliated clubs on campus: Gulsara Kaplun of the Secular Society, Kayley Cuzzubbo of Potter Heads, Jacinta Cooper of the Science Students Society, Julianna Rozek of Horticultured, Nicholas Hynes of the Arts Students Society, Alexander Tashevski-Beckwith of the Political Interests Society and Angela Keyte of the Physics Students Society. All were present at the meeting, along with Coordinator Sanders and Ryan Davey and Yasmine Luu, the two C&SC office bearers.

Kaplun, Davey and Luu were part of the seven-member 2015 committee that twice rejected IYSSE applications.

The minutes record that the IYSSEs representative attended the meeting. They state that, during this time, Discussion of good faith and intimidation were considered and that the C&SC acknowledged that the IYSSE had aims directly opposed the [sic] Socialist Alternative.

After the IYSSE representative left, a motion was moved by Alexander Tashevski-Beckwith to grant the IYSSE initial approval and seconded by Angela Keyte. It was defeated two to four, with one abstention.

Gulsara Kaplunalso a member of the Student Council, UMSUs paramount governing bodythen moved a motion to reject the IYSSEs application on the ground that the C&S staff or Committee cannot transact the affiliation with the Contacts on a good faith basis. Only three of the seven Committee members voted in favour. One voted against and three abstained. In other words, a majority of the seven-member Committee did not support the rejection of the IYSSEs application on the grounds of an absence of good faith.

In response to the clear divisions in the Committee, C & S officer bearer Ryan Davey moved to strike both motionsmeaning neither would have standing. This extraordinary motion was carried without dissent.

Nicholas Hynes then moved to grant the IYSSE initial approval, seconded by Angela Keyte. This time, three committee members voted in favour, while four voted against. The motion was declared Lost and no other motion concerning the IYSSE was moved.

The significance of this fact is that while the C&SC refused to approve the IYSSEs application, no motion was either moved or passed to reject the IYSSEs affiliation and the Committee gave no grounds for such a rejection. Yet, UMSU Clubs and Societies Regulations, Section 4, Affiliations, is explicit on this issue. The regulations state: If denied, advised with reasons, resubmission invited for next affiliation period [emphasis added]. Section 4.1.3 proceeds to set out the 14 sweeping grounds on which an application can be rejected.

Thus, the minutes demonstrate that the IYSSE was subjected to an unconstitutional travesty. No motion was passed citing grounds to deny the application and the IYSSE has not been invited to resubmit. The only conclusion that can be reasonably drawn is that the vote against approval by the four-member majority of the seven-member C&SC was motivated by unstated political prejudicesin other words, discrimination, which is prohibited in both the UMSU constitution and the Clubs and Societies Regulations.

Davey and Luu, the C&S officer bearers who are bound at all times by UMSU Policy and Regulations in the exercise of their duties, presided over this violation of the rights of the more than 50 students who had expressed interest in establishing an IYSSE club.

Clearly, it was not the IYSSE that displayed a lack of good faith.

Given the constitutional issues and potential legal implications involved, it is noteworthy that the University of Melbourne Student Council, to whom the C&SC is accountable, has taken no action. And this under conditions where the C&SC has now established a precedent for rejecting the affiliation of any student clubs without providing a reason.

The crucial political issue is how University of Melbourne students respond to this assault on democratic rights and the conclusions that students everywhere draw from the IYSSEs experiences.

The actions of the UMSU C&SC reflect broader social processes and tendencies. Over a period of decades, the universities have been transformed from centres of free-ranging intellectual debate and inquiry, into stultifying, corporatised institutions, where management views anything deemed controversialsuch as the IYSSEwith suspicion and as a potential threat to business sponsorships and lucrative international student enrolments. The student unions have degenerated into conformist and complacent apparatuses. The funds at their disposal are granted to them by university administrations from the amount raised by the Student Services Amenities Fee, which all students are required to pay.

Student politics is dominated by a narrow layer, with ties generally to the pro-capitalist Labor, Liberals, and Greens, and to the pseudo-left groupings, such as Socialist Alternative and Socialist Alliance. It is well known that a student union position often becomes the stepping-stone to a lucrative career. The vast majority of students, howeverup to 95 percent on some campusesare so alienated from student politics and the unions that they dont even vote in student elections.

At the same time, increasing numbers of students are becoming politicised by the endless worldwide cycle of military violence, unprecedented levels of social inequality, savage cuts to tertiary education and ever more naked police-state measures. There is growing interest in socialist policies and recognition of the need for an alternative political movement. That is why the IYSSE, despite being proscribed, has been able on four occasions since 2014, to submit to the C&SC the names of dozens of students who want a University of Melbourne IYSSE club.

Important layers of students are responding to the IYSSEs insistence that oppositional sentiment towards war, austerity and attacks on democratic rights can only go forward through a political break with the establishment parties and, above all, through an understanding of the irreconcilable political differences that exist between a genuine socialist perspective, represented by the IYSSE, and the pro-imperialist and identity-based politics of the pseudo-left.

If students want rights on campusincluding the right to hear a genuine socialist alternativethey will have to take a political stand. We appeal to students everywhere to come to the defence of democratic principles, oppose discrimination against the IYSSE and support our fight to have the C&SC decision overturned.

Students can contact us at the IYSSE/SEP webpage or through the IYSSE-Australia Facebook page.
Over the weekend, masses of workers across Greece joined in a general strike and tens of thousands demonstrated against the package of brutal austerity measures adopted by the Syriza (Coalition of the Radical Left) government and passed by the Greek parliament Sunday night. In Athens, many thousands took to the streets, shouting slogans such as Rise up to throw out the government, the EU and the IMF! and No to the dismantling of social security!

The three-day strike shut down large parts of the Greek economy. Subway, bus and train drivers, teachers, public servants, journalists, ferry staff, rubbish collectors and workers in the private sector participated. Even owners of kiosks and small shops stopped work.

This did not prevent Syriza from voting in parliament for 5.4 billion in regressive tax hikes and 1.8 billion in pension cuts. The measures include an increase in the value-added tax (sales tax) from 23 percent to 24 percent, a tax hike for low-paid workers and small businesses, and a 20 percent rise in employee pension contributions for many sections of the work force.

These attacks are only the latest in a series of reactionary social measures carried out by the Syriza government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. It previously increased pension contributions, cut benefits and raised the retirement age to 67. These cuts have hit broad swathes of the population in a country where, due to mass unemployment and the European Unions shredding of the social safety net, workers income has fallen by 30 percent and entire families are forced to survive on meagre pensions. In addition, public assets have been privatized, leading to more wage and job cuts.

The powerful response to the strike call against the Tsipras government, elected in January 2015 on the basis of pledges to end the austerity measures dictated by the European Union, is the result of this bitter experience. Millions of workers are drawing definite conclusions about Syriza. It is increasingly being seen for what it is: a reactionary bourgeois government serving the interests of European and international capital. The supposedly left Syriza party is a tool of the CIA and the banks, determined to defend the European Union and rescue the bankrupt Greek capitalist class by reducing the working class to destitution.

This weekends general strike signals a renewal of struggle by the Greek working class after the shock and demoralization caused by Syrizas betrayal. This struggle must take as its point of departure the lessons of the bitter experience with Syriza in 2015.

Syriza came to power by tapping into mass opposition to the EU, the International Monetary Fund and the banks after four years of devastating austerity. The organization had long operated on the periphery of the social democratic PASOK party, which first implemented the EUs austerity demands. Tsipras himself had been thoroughly vetted in the course of visits to Washington and the major European capitals before he was allowed to take office.

The implications of Syrizas alignment with American and European imperialism began to emerge immediately upon the partys taking office, when Tsipras named the far-right Independent Greeks as its coalition partner. Syriza did nothing to mobilize the vast opposition to austerity not only within Greece, but across Europe, which had been building up in the course of seven years of economic crisis. Instead, after a few weeks in power, Syriza repudiated its election promise to end the EU austerity program and agreed to continue the so-called bailout on the terms demanded by the EU, the IMF and the European Central Bank.

When a decisive majority of the Greek population voted no in the July 5 referendum on EU austerity, Syriza ignored the vote and agreed to new cuts that went far beyond the measures accepted by its social democratic and conservative predecessors. Under Syriza, the social crisis has intensified, with official unemployment currently standing at 25 percent and a third of households living in poverty.

The class character of Syriza and all of the petty-bourgeois pseudo-left organizations that promoted it as a progressive alternative for the working class stands starkly exposed. The deeper the capitalist crisis and the sharper the tensions within the EU, the more openly Syriza operates as a defender of Greek and European capitalism, working with the EU and international financial institutions to defend the privileges of its social base in the bourgeoisie and the upper-middle class.

Syriza has many accomplices in this political crime. Greeces main trade unions are closely allied with Syriza and do all in their power to limit strikes and turn them into toothless protests. Pseudo-left groups around the world, from the International Socialist Organization in the United States to Germanys Left Party and the New Anti-capitalist Party in France, hailed the Syriza government and covered for its treachery. They have worked either to directly subordinate the working class to Syriza or promote illusions that the Syriza government can be pressured from below to adopt a new, progressive course.

More than a year of this government has demonstrated that it cannot be turned into a defender of the interests of working people because it and its leading party, Syriza, are instruments of the capitalist class.

As the Greek working class renews its struggle, it must consciously set as its task the bringing down of the Syriza government and the revolutionary mobilization of workers, young people and all oppressed layers of society throughout Europe and internationally. It must wage a ruthless political struggle against Syriza and the entire fraternity of pseudo-left organizations, including the Stalinist Greek Communist Party (KKE), which criticizes Syriza from the standpoint of Greek nationalism while working with the trade unions to contain and smother working-class opposition.

The working class must take the fight out of the hands of the trade unions and establish its own organizations of strugglestrike committees completely independent of the union bureaucracies, the bourgeois parties and the state. These genuinely democratic fighting organizations will form the nucleus of organs of workers power.

As the International Committee of the Fourth International explained last November in its statement, The Political Lessons of Syrizas Betrayal in Greece, Events have proven that the working class cannot defend even its most minimal interests by relying on bourgeois governments, even those staffed by so-called radical left parties, or by attempting to pressure such governments to carry out policies favourable to it. The policies of Syriza show that workers have no choice but to take the revolutionary road.
A lawsuit filed last week by Army Captain Nathan Michael Smith alleges that the Obama administrations unilateral decision to launch a war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq violates the Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Resolution, since only Congress has the power to declare war.

Smith is currently deployed to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where he works as an intelligence officer. In his lawsuit filed Friday, Smith presents himself as a proud soldier who completely accepts the framework of the so-called war on terror, which he calls a good war. Nevertheless, he alleges that since the president does not have any legal authority to unilaterally launch wars without congressional approval, My conscience bothered me.

Regardless of Smiths personal motives, the lawsuit sheds light on the assertion of unlimited presidential powers to launch and wage wars. Under the American political framework as set forth in the Constitution, the president is the commander in chief of the armed forces, but only Congress can declare war or conclude peace treaties. This is one of the many examples of the separation of powers and system of checks and balances set forth in the Constitution, designed to prevent tyrannical power from accumulating in the hands of one office or institution.

The War Powers Resolution was passed by the US Congress in 1973, during the deep military and political crisis, including the Watergate scandal, linked to the debacle of the Vietnam War. A constitutional breakdown loomed in 1971 when Congress repealed the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin resolution that had authorized the war, but the Nixon administration continued the war anyway.

The War Powers Resolution requires that the president report to Congress within 48 hours of authorizing military action. It also requires that the president request congressional approval within 60 days of launching hostilities. If congressional approval is not obtained, the president must cease the war within 90 days. President Nixon vetoed the act, but Congress overrode the veto with a two-thirds majority. Nixons own Justice Department acknowledged that the resolution was constitutional and binding.

Over the past several decades, and accelerating in the course of the so-called war on terror, this essential constitutional framework and the War Powers Resolution have been abrogated in practice. Each successive administration has adopted a more and more hostile attitude to the War Powers Resolution, reflecting the growing assertiveness of authoritarian tendencies within the American political establishment.

With respect to the issue of war powers, the Obama administrations rejection of basic constitutional principles goes further than any previous administration.

Obama launched and waged the 2011 war in Libya in flagrant violation of the War Powers Resolution, conspicuously allowing the 60-day period to lapse without making any attempt to obtain congressional approval. Summoned to Congress to explain the administrations conduct, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in March 2011 that the president had the power to launch military interventions without congressional authorization. Clintons contempt for basic constitutional principles drew public criticism from a number of congressional Republicans at the time.

Clinton, now the Democratic Partys frontrunner in the 2016 presidential elections, was a primary conspirator in the illegal regime-change operation against Libya in 2011, which left tens of thousands killed.

In 2014, Obama announced that he was ordering the US military to begin hostilities in a war against ISIS that included Syria and Iraq. This occurred after the Obama administration had declared a formal end to hostilities in Iraq. In unilaterally declaring war and sending soldiers into combat, the supposed constitutional scholar simply ignored the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution.

When Obama was posturing as the Democratic presidential candidate of hope and change in 2007, he stated, The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation. As the well-connected private intelligence web site Stratfor observed in a recent article, campaign rhetoric tends to diverge from post-election policy.

Yale Law Professor Bruce Ackerman, who is representing Smith in his lawsuit, wrote in a New York Times article in September 2014 that Obamas actions in violation of the War Powers Resolution constituted a decisive break in the American constitutional tradition. He continued: Nothing attempted by his predecessor, George W. Bush, remotely compares in imperial hubris.

The nominal political and legal justification for the ongoing US military aggression throughout the Middle East remains the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed overwhelmingly by congressional Democrats and Republicans immediately after the events of September 11, 2001. The brief document purported to authorize the Bush administration to use necessary and appropriate force against anyone who planned, authorized, committed or aided the September 11 attacks.

Both the Bush and Obama administrations have cited that authorization, together with the September 11 attacks themselves, as a blank check authorizing US military aggression anywhere in the world. However, almost 15 years later, this pretext for unlimited war has worn increasingly threadbare and absurd. In the year 2001, at the time the AUMF was passed, ISIS did not exist. ISIS grew into prominence during the American- and Saudi-supported efforts to overthrow the Syrian government of Bashar Al-Assad beginning in 2011.

Smiths lawsuit alleges a total of five counts of illegal conduct by the Obama administration: violation of the War Powers Resolution; violation of the presidents constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed; violation of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force; violation of the 2002 authorization to use military force in Iraq; and violation of limits on the presidents powers as commander in chief.

Smiths lawsuit requests a declaration that the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq violates the War Powers Resolution because the Congress has not declared war or given the president specific statutory authorization to fight the war, and that the War Powers Resolution will require the disengagement, within thirty days, of all United States armed forces from the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

It is significant that these fundamental constitutional and legal issues are being raised in a lawsuit by a lone Army officer. If Obamas conduct were a question on a final exam in a high school civics class 50 years ago, the correct answer would be obvious. Any student who thought that Obamas conduct was legal would receive the exam back with a red x next to the answer. However, the year 2016 finds virtually the entire political establishment, the media and both political parties in a conspiracy of silence with respect to this flagrant violation of the Constitution.

This silence exists because both the Democratic and Republican parties are complicit in facilitating the assertion of dictatorial war powers by the president, and they have accommodated themselves to the war on terror and its assault on core democratic principles. Moreover, as the entire political establishment lurches to the right and the bulk of the population surges to the left, both capitalist parties are in agreement that the war crimes perpetrated by members of the other party cannot be discussed, let alone investigated and prosecuted.

After promising at least 16 times on camera not to put American boots in the ground in Syria, Obama revealed the deployment of 50 Special Forces soldiers to Syria in December of last year. Last month, he increased the number to 300. In addition, Obama recently called for the number of US soldiers in Iraq to be increased to 1,600. Three US soldiers have died in the conflict with ISIS so far.

State Department spokesman John Kirby recently claimed that Obama never made these promises. He also claimed that Special Forces soldiers are not boots on the ground because they do not have a conventional combat mission.
The passage into law of the Conservative governments Trade Union Act was made possible by the rotten and degraded character of Britains trade unions.

The act, passed May 4, contains fundamental attacks on the right to strike and is an assault on civil liberties. Yet since it was first proposed last year, it has met with only token opposition. The only concern of the trade union leaders has been to protect their own income, raised from dues-paying members. The same holds true for their allies in the Labour Party, who receive millions of pounds every year from the unions via the political levy.

The Act makes strikes illegal if fewer than 50 percent of union members vote in a postal ballot and fewer than 40 percent of all workers in important public services vote for action, regardless of turnout. Unions must give employers 14 days notice of strike action and renew any strike mandate with a new ballot within four months of the original ballot. It removes regulations that currently prohibit the use of agency workers to be used as strikebreakers.

What is deemed unlawful picketing is made a criminal, as opposed to a civil offence. Unions must liaise with the police during a strike and send them details of pickets and demonstrations. Local councils are empowered to impose community protection orders against trade unions to prevent intimidation. It also requires certification officers to order unions to hand over information during investigations, including the names and addresses of union members.

The Act includes new powers to fine trade unions over the conduct of internal elections, ballots, the spending of political funds and violations of reporting rules, including an annual audit on strikes, pickets and protests.

Despite these attacks, the bill passed almost in its entirety and with minimal media coverage.

The Trades Unions Congress (TUC) mounted the type of campaign in which it specialises, with no strikes or even a rally organised. Instead a bogus week of activities (February 8-14) was held in which the main event was a big workplace meeting that consisted of TUC leader Frances OGrady being interviewed for 15 minutes about the Bill, which was streamed to a few workplace meetings held in various cities. The TUC held the interview at lunchtime to cause the least possible inconvenience to employers.

The only changes made to the Bill came after it was defeated in the House of Lords on March 16. The upper chamber agreed with cross-party committee recommendations that any change to funding arrangements should be restricted to new members only, with the four million trade unionists already paying the political levy exempted.

The Trade Union Bills first incarnation proposed the abolition of the check-off system in the heavily unionised public sector, with union subscriptions deducted automatically from wages. It also stipulated that union members would have to agree in writing every five years to pay into the political fund.

Labour estimated this would result in a loss of income of at least 35 million across a five-year parliament. An internal document read, The party could not absorb a loss of 5-6 m and maintain its current structure. With an annual salary cost in excess of over 50% of total costs, it is clear that current staffing levels could not be sustained.

With the June referendum on the UKs European Union membership looming, the Conservative government-backed Remain campaign is heavily reliant on the support of Labour and the unions.

The call for a Remain vote is based on support for the reactionary deal negotiated by Prime Minister David Cameron with the other 27 EU heads of state, which includes a clampdown on the welfare rights of European migrants and an exemption from financial regulations for the City of London.

To maintain their rotten alliance, the unions and the Tories came to agreement on a few amendmentsensuring the anti-democratic legislation was passed.

In the final bill, the union dues check-off will continue, where the costs are met by the trade unions and with the only requirement that being that union members have the option of paying subscriptions by other means.

Under the original proposals, the bill gave the unions just three months to obtain the signature of members agreeing to the payment of the levy. Now the unions will be given 12 months to transition to the new system.

The Act also does away with imposing a cap on union officials facility timefunding for time off to carry out union duties. The government also agreed to the unions demand for a review on electronic voting in strike ballots.

The law passed with the TUC issuing just a four-paragraph statement, in which OGrady acknowledged the Bill attacked the right to strikea fundamental British liberty but pledged to do nothing in response. The main problem with the law, said OGrady, was that it poses a serious threat to good industrial relations the TUC has with employers.

In exchange for getting their amendments to the Bill, according to Channel 4 News, the trade unions could be preparing to donate up to 1.7m to Labour In For Britainthe official group in support of the Remain campaign.

The government announced the concessions just prior to a joint article published in the Guardian by Prime Minister David Cameron and former TUC leader Brendan Barber, in which they wrote that it is right that the rules of conventional politics be temporarily set aside because of the prospects for working people all across Britain at stake on 23 June.

The TUCs endorsement allowed Cameron, whose government is responsible for an unrelenting assault on jobs, wages and conditions, to pose as a friend of the workers. If we choose to stay in the EU, said the article, we can protect working people and the poorest families. We can choose stability and economic security--a bright future with more jobs, higher pay and lower prices.

Given the decades-long collaboration of the TUC with successive Tory and Labour governments in attacking the working class, the Trades Union Bill would have still passed without opposition even if there had been no EU referendum. The only difference would have been on the Tory side, which would have not felt compelled to make even minor concessions to the union bureaucracy.

Barbers last act as leader was to receive praise at a TUC Congress in 2010 from then-Bank of England governor Mervyn King. King said of Barbers role following the world financial crash in 2008, Brendan has helped us through some extremely turbulent times. I am grateful to him.

The unions and the ruling elite address each with increased openness not as adversaries but as colleagues.

Cameron and Barber speak of the European Union as our home market of 500 million consumers. They end with the plea: For the sake of every worker in Britain, we urge you: vote to remain. The one section of society which neither the unions nor Labour speak for is the working class. Their role in ensuring the passage of the Trade Union Bill again demonstrates that, for the sake of every worker, what is required is the building of new rank-and-file organisations of class struggle and a new party dedicated to the struggle for socialism.
Several former leaders of the Republican Party have declared that they will not support the presumptive presidential nominee of the party, billionaire real estate tycoon Donald Trump. Their statements underscore the explosive character of the political crisis building up in the United States, which threatens the break-up of the two-party system through which big business has exercised a political monopoly for more than a century.

Beginning with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who announced Thursday that he was not ready at this point to endorse Trump for the presidency, the list has grown to include both living former Republican presidents, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, several former candidates for the 2016 nomination, and numerous other elected officials.

While Ryan presented his rebuff of Trump as conditional, pending a meeting between the two now set for May 12, the repudiation of the Republican frontrunner by the others was more definitive. A statement issued on behalf of the two former presidents announcing that they would not endorse Trump indicated that neither Bush would have anything to say about the presidential campaign until after the November 8 election.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination and the younger brother of George W. Bush, posted a statement Friday on Facebook declaring, Donald Trump has not demonstrated [the] temperament or strength of character necessary in a president. He continued: He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution. And, he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy.

Mitt Romney appeared Thursday night at a gala dinner in Washington DC to benefit the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. When asked if he would run as an independent candidate for president, he said he was not interested. He then added, I dont intend on supporting either of the major-party candidates at this point. He continued: I am dismayed at where we are now, I wish we had better choices, and I keep hoping that somehow things will get better, and I just dont see an easy answer from where we are.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who like Jeb Bush was a candidate for the Republican nomination and signed a pledge last year to support the eventual nominee, said Friday that Trump was unfit to be commander in chief. I don't think hes a reliable Republican conservative, he said. I dont believe that Donald Trump has the temperament and judgment to be commander in chief. I think Donald Trump is going to places where very few people have gone and Im not going with him.

An even more scathing denunciation came from former US senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire, who will be a delegate to the Republican National Convention pledged to Ohio Governor John Kasich. Unequivocally, I am not supporting Donald Trump, he told the press. I think he is a sociopath.

While saying he would vote for Trump in November, Arizona Senator John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, said he would not attend the July convention in Cleveland. This is the increasingly common choice of those who wont oppose Trump publicly but dont want to be associated with his coronation as the nominee.

The executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Ward Baker, told a briefing for lobbyists and donors Thursday that Republican candidates should skip the convention if they felt it was to their advantage in November.

Some of the most right-wing members of the House Republican caucus have declared their opposition to Trump, including Justin Amash of Michigan, who bills himself a libertarian, and Steve King of Iowa, a ferocious anti-immigrant bigot who supported Texas Senator Ted Cruz and is aligned with the most extreme Christian fundamentalists.

While those publicly opposing Trump include some of the most prominent Republican Party leaders, they are in a distinct minority.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have both declared their support for Trump as the presumptive nominee. They were joined by former vice president Dick Cheney, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee Robert Dole, and a slew of Republican governors, including many, like Mike Spence of Indiana and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, who had supported rival candidates for the nomination.

Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who dropped out of the presidential race last September and urged his rivals to unite against Trump, said he would support Trump over likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Some of the Trump endorsements came from rivals who once described him in scathing terms. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry called Trump a barking carnival act and a cancer on conservatism when he was running against the billionaire last year. On Thursday, he endorsed him and indicated he was available to be his running mate.

Former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal described Trump last fallbefore he abandoned his own presidential campaignas dangerous and a narcissist and egomaniac. That didnt stop him from endorsing Trump as well.

Another unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, had called Trump a delusional narcissist and an orange-faced windbag, adding that A speck of dirt is way more qualified to be president. Last month he said he would support Trump if he became the Republican nominee.

There is cynicism and duplicity on both sides of the Republican divide. But there are significant underlying political conflicts, which have nothing to do with characterizations of Trump as a maniac or buffoon.

There is substantial opposition to the billionaires muddled views on foreign policy, a mixture of isolationism and extreme militarism, and his promotion of economic nationalism, where the dominant factions on Wall Street and in the military-intelligence apparatus see Democrat Hillary Clinton as a more reliable defender of their interests.

Powerful sections of corporate America reject Trumps attacks on trade agreements that have been engineered, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, to favor the interests of the biggest US companies and banks.

Trump did not help himself in this quarter with his declaration that Britain would be better off pulling out of the European Union, followed by his suggestion that the US government could pressure creditors to accept less than full payment on the national debt. In both cases, Wall Street is adamantly opposed because of the potentially catastrophic damage to its financial interests.

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Donald Trumps emergence as the presumptive US Republican presidential candidate has been met with a mixture of consternation and nervousness in Australias media and political establishment, both for foreign and domestic policy reasons. Alarm over the implications of a Trump presidency for the Australian ruling elites long reliance on the US military alliance has been accompanied by anxiety over the popular discontent that Trump has exploited.

In his comments on foreign policy, Trump has combined America First isolationism, demanding that US allies ramp up their own military spending, with provocative denunciations of China and aggressive assertions of American might. Trump has declared he will stop China raping America, back the use of torture by US forces and encourage Japan and South Korea to acquire nuclear weapons.

Domestically, he has employed fascistic demagogy, seeking to divert the seething social discontent among working people by scapegoating immigrants and other minorities, and promoting extreme nationalism in economic and foreign policy. His rise marks the advanced decomposition of American democracy. As the WSWS has warned:

The impending nomination of Trump means that a substantial section of the American ruling class has concluded that the defense of its interests requires massive political repression within the United States and war against competitors and enemies beyond its borders.

During a radio interview last week, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sought to downplay the potential fallout. He insisted that he had absolutely no doubt Australia would always have a very, very strong friend and ally in Washington, regardless of who was elected president. Our relationship with the United States is so deepits based on thousands if not millions of individual relationships, its been built up over generations, he said.

Turnbulls remarks underscore the integration of Australias political, military and security elite into that of Washington since World War II, in order to secure the predatory interests of Australian imperialism in the Asia-Pacific region. Since taking office last September, Turnbull has been at pains to publicly maintain the commitment made by the previous Labor government to the Obama administrations pivot or rebalance to Asia to counter the rise of China and prepare for war against Beijing if necessary, despite China becoming Australian capitalisms largest export market over the past decade.

At the same time, Turnbull voiced concern about Trumps capacity to tap into the social tension produced by mounting inequality in the US, while trying to deny any such disaffection in Australia. Income inequality is a big issue in the United States, Turnbull said. We have much more equality in incomes in Australia because we have a much better targeted social welfare system. But there are a lot of tensions there and I think support for Trump is clearly evidence of that.

In reality, widening inequalitya global phenomenonis also producing growing political unrest and volatility in Australia, as demonstrated by the inability of any prime minister to survive a full parliamentary term since 2007. Turnbulls recourse to an unpredictable double dissolution election of all members of both houses of parliament on July 2, in an attempt to break through a Senate blockage of deeply unpopular key austerity measures, is further evidence of a similar underlying political crisis to that convulsing America.

Figures within the Australian security establishment, where there are close ties to Washington, have expressed alarm that a Trump presidency might signal a waning US commitment to Australias interests. Former Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general David Irvine told an Australian Strategic Policy Institute conference in Canberra last month that a Trump victory would totally overturn the Asia-Pacific applecart, with a nuclear Japan or a nuclear South Korea. The foundation of Asia-Pacific security would be turned on its head and Australia would have to significantly increase its own military capability.

Reflecting these concerns, former Labor Party leader Kim Beazley, who recently completed a six-year appointment as Australias ambassador to Washington, has warned that a Trump White House would have devastating consequences for relations with China and for US trade commitments, notably the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the proposed US-led economic bloc across the region.

Were Trump to be elected, the impact on American positioning on global trade would be disastrous, Beazley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on May 5. Visceral hostility to the American free trade positionthat has been a lifetime Trump commitment. In a lecture last month, Beazley declared that Trump had no regard for alliances at all. If Trump won the presidency, it is certain the TPP would not go through and the effect would be potentially quite devastating.

Beazley also represents the pro-Washington leadership that has long been entrenched inside the Labor Party. He strongly backed Hillary Clinton, a proven ruthless prosecutor of the military and economic interests of the US and its allies. Her victory would be reassuring because she would be most likely to replicate in minds of friends and opponents of America what it has stood for traditionally, including the rebalance toward Asia.

Similar anxieties have been voiced by another figure with close connections in Washington, the Australians foreign editor Greg Sheridan. On the basis of declared policy, Clinton would be an infinitely better president for Australia than Trump, he wrote on May 5. Clinton values alliances, is widely experienced and works for stability. But Sheridan noted that she was by no means inspiring, to anybody, giving Trump burgeoning electoral plausibility.

This posed an acute dilemma. All my national security Republican friends in Washington detest Trump and many plan to vote for Clinton or not vote at all. Perhaps, Sheridan suggested, they should get close to his campaign to try to draw it into strategic reality and responsibility. Sheridan gave voice to the perplexity in ruling circles. Anything at all is possible now, he concluded.

Mark Latham, another former Labor Party leader, has welcomed the Trump ascendancy, openly extolling his fascistic demagogy as a means of channeling social unrest, while promoting the illusion that Trump would be less of a dangerous warmonger than George Bush, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. In a March 29 column in Murdochs Sydney Daily Telegraph tabloid, Latham hailed Trump for advocating bold solutions to longstanding problems, such as illegal immigration and deficit budgeting, backed by his personal story in building a lucrative business career.

Clearly, Latham, who led Labor from 2003 to 2005, would relish playing a similar role to Trump. Revealing an abiding contempt for the working class, he declared that Trump appealed to voters not only because the billionaire was ostensibly anti-establishment, but shared their views. Why shouldnt they support a successful, down-to-earth candidate who talks their language and shares their values?

Furthermore, Latham argued, Trumps foreign policy is in our national interest. Trump, Latham claimed, has been highly critical of Bush and the neo-con invasion of Iraq, which resulted in the death of 4,500 American servicemen and the rise of Islamic Statea truly vulgar outcome. A Trump presidency would mean no more fiascos like Vietnam and Iraq, sparing young Australian lives from the futile killing fields of US-led invasions.

Far from opposing imperialist war, this view reflects essentially tactical divisions within both the American and Australian ruling classes provoked by the catastrophic outcomes of the interventions in Vietnam and the Middle East. Above all, Latham, like Trump, is looking to whip up nationalism as a means of diverting the rising social discontent in a reactionary and violent direction that would inevitably entail war against foreign rivals as well as domestic repression.
The strike by nearly 40,000 workers against Verizon Communications will reach the one-month mark at the end of this week with the giant corporation showing no signs of pulling back from its demands for sweeping concessions in wages, benefits and work conditions.

While workers have demonstrated their determination to defend past gains , the strike has settled into the pattern of countless workers struggles over the last 35 years, which were isolated and betrayed by the unions. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the trade union federations that oversee them have opposed any broader mobilization of the working class that would upset their decades-long partnership with the employers and the Democratic Party.

If the Verizon strike is not to suffer the same fate, rank-and-file workers must take the conduct of the struggle into their own hands and wage the fight based on an entirely different political strategy.

The following is a comment from a striking Verizon worker in New York City who is a veteran of the 1989 NYNEX strike and the 2000 and 2011 strikes at Verizon. A supporter of the World Socialist Web Site and the WSWS Verizon Strike Newsletter, the worker explains the global character of the telecommunications industry and why workers need an international strategy to defend their jobs and living standards.

As the World Socialist Web Site has been reporting, the primary issues in our strike are pensions, increased health care costs, and Verizons demand to arbitrarily shift an employees work location over an extensive geographic area, a move many believe is designed to force older workers to retire so the company can hire lower-paid workers without pensions. In another effort to slash jobs, the company wants to route service and technical calls to centers in Mexico and the Philippines.

The CWA has seized upon the last demand to promote hostility to workers in other countries and reinforce the false claim that US workers can defend our jobs without adopting an international strategy to fight the global telecom giants.

The absurdity of such an outlook is seen by an examination of the global character of Verizon. It is the primary provider of basic phone service and a major provider of cable TV and Internet access in the major population and business centers along the eastern seaboard of the United States. But that is not all.

In every respect, Verizon is a global corporation. The company has 177,900 employees worldwide. In 2015 Forbes ranked Verizon as the 22nd largest corporation on the planet. Verizon operates 50 data centers around the world, including those hosting the cloud.

As one of its corporate websites notes, Verizons network includes more than 800,000 route miles of overland and undersea cables. To put this in perspective the website notes, The Verizon network is large enough to circle the world more than 20 times.

The companys network extends to customers in more than 2,700 cities in 150 countries around the globe. Verizon is a member of a consortium of companies involved in the 15,000-kilometer Europe India Gateway (EIG) cable system, which provides tremendous bandwidth between Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India and the Trans-Pacific Express optical network system (TPE) providing service between the US and Asia. A look at a map of undersea cables makes it obvious these cable routes follow major shipping routes around the globe, which have evolved with global commerce.

A quick review of Verizons job postings shows the company is hiring in dozens of international locations, from Tampa, Florida to Stuttgart, Germany and Bangalore, India.

Over the last several decades the global telecom industry has consolidated and is now dominated by a relatively few transnational corporations. Verizon is the second largest in the world, behind China Mobile. According to Forbes, the next five are: AT&T (US), Vodaphone (UK), Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (Japan), SoftBanks Sprint (Japan) and Deutsche Telekom (Germany).

The top six telecom giants have 1,228,563 employees worldwide and in 2015 had combined sales of $617 billion and a market capitalization of $891.5 billion. Flush with cash, the companies are not spending money on serious improvements of infrastructure, let alone improving the wages and conditions of workers. Instead they are spending billions on stock buybacks, dividends and mergers and acquisitions, like Verizons 2014 purchase of Vodaphones 45 percent stake in the wireless division and last years $4.5 billion acquisition of AOL. Such moves only benefit the wealthiest shareholders, including company executives, and vast and powerful financial institutions, which hold ultimate sway over the industry.

These companies are not constrained by national borders. Instead their networks integrate seamlessly across countries and continents. For example, a person can snap a photo on the beach in Los Angeles on a Verizon phone and instantly their friend riding a train outside Paris, connected via the French telecom Orange, can view that photo on their laptop.

In sharp contradistinction to the global character of the telecom industry, the CWA and IBEW are conducting the strike on a nationalist platform under the banner of protecting American jobs.

There is no question that Verizon and other corporations are seeking to exploit lower-paid workers in the most impoverished countries in order to maximize their profits. Workers in the call centers in the Philippines, for example, work for contractors who fire them only to rehire them in order to avoid paying any benefits. Their pay averages $230 a month. And these workers are forced to work the night shift with no extra compensation to meet the peak demand from calls originating in the US.

These workers are not our enemies. The issues facing US workers are universal. Last year in Spain, telecom workers struck and occupied a telephone exchange in Barcelona to demand the end of precariousness and slave labor. In India, thousands of workers struck in opposition to privatization of the telecom system. In Poland there were telecom strikes in opposition to mass layoffs

But protectionism and economic nationalism, promoted not only by the unions but by politicians like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, are a reactionary utopia, which is aimed at convincing us that American workers have more in common with our bosses, like Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam, than we do with our class brothers and sisters around the world.

Such nationalism plays directly into the hands of the global corporations, which want to pit workers against each other in a race to the bottom and has never saved a single job. The failure of this strategy stands evident in the archipelago of derelict and ruined factories stretching from Syracuse to Chicago, from Newark to Baltimore and in countless other rust belt locations.

The CWA has no strategy or intent to wage a global fight. Before the strike some workers proposed that the CWA try to organize Filipino workers but the union officials brushed them off. Instead the local union has made us engage in various stunts, such as marching us over the Brooklyn Bridge to attend the Democratic primaries or protesting scabs at hotels, which have had no real effect on Verizons global or even national operations.

We can no longer afford to follow the unions into the blind alley of nationalism and subordinate ourselves to the interest of the national capitalist class and their demands to expropriate ever-greater surplus value from our labor. The promotion of nationalism also goes hand-in-hand with militarism and war.

Instead we have to adopt an international strategy to unite all workersin the Philippines, Mexico, China and everywhereagainst the moneyed global elites. Under capitalism, the revolutionary developments in technology and globalization have been and will continue to be used to destroy our jobs and wages. Under socialism the huge telecom monopoliesbuilt up by the labor of generations of workerswould be turned into publicly owned utilities, democratically controlled by the working class.

Only in this way can the vast wealth produced by the collective labor of workers around the world be used to provide universal, affordable and reliable communication for everyone, and all telecom workers be guaranteed a good standard of living, decent work conditions and a comfortable retirement.
Last Wednesday, US President Obama told the residents of Flint, Michigan that their children, poisoned by water from the contaminated Flint River, and many potentially scarred for life, will be fine.

In this video, Jerry White, the Socialist Equality Partys 2016 presidential candidate, responds to Obamas declaration that the poisoning of thousands of children in Flint, Michigan is not a major issue.
The US military announced Friday that dozens American advisers have been deployed to Yemen over the past two weeks. They are working with Saudi and Arab coalition troops seeking to assert control over southern portions of the country, including the areas controlled by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The deployment of US ground forces to Yemen comes amid a general escalation of US war-making in the region, including the dispatch of 450 US commandos, Apache helicopters and B-52 bombers, along with hundreds of additional US Marines for operations in Iraq and Syria, where US air forces have carried out more than 5,000 strikes since August 2014, as part of an air war that has expended more than $7 billion in Pentagon contingency funds.

In what is now standard operating procedure, the escalation of US involvement in Yemen was initiated completely behind the backs of the American people. Military operations were well underway before they were quietly announced in the American media.

The US forces are reportedly partnering with troops deployed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), assisting with a range of military operations providing intelligence, planning and naval support, according to the US Defense Department.

Additionally, the Boxer, a US assault ship carrying additional hundreds of US troops, is now stationed off Yemens coast in the Gulf of Aden, together with an American amphibious readiness group, including two destroyers, the Gravely and the Gonzalez, according to US News and World Report.

Washington has also deployed attack helicopters to a base in southwestern Yemen. US air forces began carrying out direct strikes inside Yemen last month, with US war planes launching at least four airstrikes since April 23.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis described the deployments as short-term and claimed that only a few dozen American soldiers are present.

According to Yemeni media reports, however, the US deployments included some 200 US Marines and 100 Army Rangers. According to Yemens Al-Masirah satellite television network an unknown number of the US forces were sent directly into the southeastern port city of Mukallah.

The latest deployment of US troops underscores the ultimate responsibility of US President Barack Obama and his top advisers for the humanitarian catastrophe currently gripping Yemen, widely considered by human rights groups as one of the worst in the world, next to that produced by the US war for regime change in Syria.

Obama, who came into office in 2008 with the full support of all the official anti-war organizations, has overseen a major escalation of the US drone war against Yemen, a campaign that has included the first officially acknowledged extra-judicial assassinations of US citizens, including Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki.

With full approval from the White House, the US military has organized and carried out massive acts of military violence and war crimes against Yemens impoverished population. US forces have been closely involved in backing Saudi air and ground attacks that have led to the deaths of thousands of Yemeni civilians and the destruction of much of the countrys vital infrastructure. Nearly 3 million Yemeni civilians have been displaced since the launch of war last spring, and more than 6,000 civilians killed, according to UN figures.

Equipped with American military equipment and munitions, and advised by US officers, the Saudi-led coalition has carried out numerous documented war crimes, including multiple uses of illegal, American-made cluster bombs against villages in the north. According to the Associated Press, pro-Saudi gunmen spent Sunday capturing and forcibly evicting some 2,000 residents from Aden, who they claimed were threats to security.

Officially, all American troops were withdrawn from the country last year amid the toppling of the US and Saudi backed government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi by Houthi militias. With American Special Forces currently deployed, according to varying reports, in anywhere between 80 and 130 countries worldwide, it is unlikely that all US forces were actually withdrawn. Given the US support for the Saudi war, which has included planning, target selection, and sophisticated logistical aid, there is every reason to believe that at least a skeleton crew of US military and intelligence agents has remained behind throughout the past year.

The renewal of direct, officially acknowledged US air and ground operations is only the latest chapter in more than 15 years of US covert, drone and air war. Washington seized on the 9/11 attacks as a pretext to launch a low-intensity war in Yemen that has seen hundreds of US special forces and intelligence personnel develop joint operations with the Yemeni military over a decade and a half.

While the current redeployment of US troops is being justified under the banner of the war against Al Qaeda, the US-backed Saudi coalition has promoted the Islamist group as part of its war strategy to the point where AQAP was able to seize control of significant portions of the south, including the port city of Mukallah.

Yemeni and Emirati troops backed by the Saudi coalition reportedly retook Mukallah last month, under circumstances that remain murky. The city, which had been transformed over the past year into the main stronghold of AQAP and center of lucrative trading operations run by the group, was recaptured with virtually no fighting.

From all appearances, AQAP reached a settlement with the Saudi coalition, which has sought to utilize the Islamist group as a proxy army in the course of its war. AQAP withdrew visible presence prior to entry of the Saudi-backed units into the city, informing residents via Twitter that it withdrew to prevent the enemy from moving the battle to your homes, markets, roads and mosques.

AQAP has actively courted Saudi support by offering its services against the Houthi militants, in return for which the group was allowed to establish, as Reuters put it in a recent report, a rich mini-state along the Arabian Sea coastline.

Amid the chaos generated by the Saudi war, AQAP has been allowed to rampage throughout the eastern portion of the country, and last September, Islamist militants flooded into the southern capital of Aden after control of the city had been transferred to UAE forces fighting with the Saudi coalition.

Aside from the occupation of Aden by a few thousand coalition forces, there is nothing to indicate a serious military push against AQAP, the supposed rationale behind the new US intervention.

The latest round of ceasefire talks between the Gulf coalition and the Houthi insurgency broke down Sunday, amid reports that Saudi airstrikes in the north had killed at least seven of the movements members.

The Yemen war has intensified regional tensions between the Saudi-led alliance, centered around the Gulf Cooperation Council, and a range of Shia-affiliated forces centered around the Iranian government.

The US-backed Saudi bloc, and an Iranian counter-alliance aligned with Russia and with deepening ties to European ruling elites, are being drawn deeper into a regional proxy war against one another for control over Syria and Iraq. Numerous reports in US media have alleged ties between the Houthi insurgency and Iran as a justification for the current Saudi-led onslaught, but little hard evidence has been produced.

The sharpening of geopolitical tensions globally takes on concentrated expression in the Middle East, which includes immensely strategic resources and commercial routes, including the Bab al Mandeb Strait, a strategic oil shipping sea lane which passes between Yemen and Djibouti in east Africa, connecting the Red Sea to the Sea of Aden.

The pressure of these tensions on the fragmented regional state system is driving a confrontation between Riyadh and Tehran with the potential to serve as the trigger for a third world war.

Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal highlighted as much in comments last week, when he threatened that the Saudi regime is prepared to move forward with plans to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal, if it believes it is necessary to counter Iran.
QUINCY, FL (WTXL) - A man accused of attacking and sexually assaulting a cab driver in Gadsden County plead no contest.

According to the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office, Michael Hayes called a cab in Tallahassee on February 4, 2015. Deputies said the victim was carjacked, driven to several areas in Havana and sexually assaulted.

The victim, after reportedly being dragged out of her car, was able to escape and drive to the hospital in her taxi cab, unclothed.

According to authorities, Hayes did later confess to the assault in an interview with investigators.

At a hearing Thursday, Hayes plead no contest to charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery.

Hayes received 30 years for the kidnapping charges, 15 years for the sexual assaults and 15 years for robbery, which will be served concurrently, the courts said.
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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks at a fundraising luncheon in March. With eight months left in his term, Inslee has issued more executive orders than either of the two previous governors did in their first terms. (ELLEN M. BANNER/The Seattle Times file)
The trial of Sergeant Elor Azaria, the Kfir Brigade soldier who shot dead an already-neutralized terrorist in Hebron last March, began Monday morning at the Jaffa Military Court, with the accused being read his indictment.

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"The soldier took several steps towards the terrorists, aimed at his head and fired a single bullet from short range. This the defendant did in contravention of the rules of engagement and without operational justification," the indictment said. It said the Palestinian, Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, "did not present a clear and present threat" and that "the defendant caused the death of the terrorist al-Sharif illegally."

Azaria was charged with manslaughter and inpporpriate military conduct last month at the Jaffa Military Court. Military prosecutors said that with no proof of premeditation, they had opted to indict Azaria for manslaughter instead of murder. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Sergeant Elor Azaria (Photo: Shaul Golan)

The president of Jaffa Military Court, Colonel Maya Heller, military judge Lt. Col. Carmel Wahabi and Judge Lt. Col. Yogev Yifrach, urged the sides to seek a plea bargain over the next week.

Heller also rejected Azaria's request to be allowed out of detention to celebrate Independence Day.

The incident occurred on March 24, when two terrorists armed with knives stabbed a soldier, moderately wounding him, at an IDF post near the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in Hebron. One of the terrorists was shot dead, but the second, Abed al Fatah a-Sharif, was neutralized and lay wounded on the ground.

A video filmed several minutes later by B'Tselem shows Azaria shooting the neutralized terrorist in the head. An autopsy, attended by both an Israeli and a Palestinian pathologist, showed it was Azaria's bullet that killed him.

Video shot by B'Tselem of the incident (:   .   )

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Azaria, a conscript medic, is the first active duty Israeli soldier to face criminal proceedings over the alleged illegal use of lethal force since the violence erupted in October.

But with the IDF chief urging soldiers to use only "measured and considered force" in dealing with attackers, an opinion poll found that 57 percent of Israelis believe Azaria should never have been arrested.

Two months ago, after far-right ministers in his governing coalition cautioned against what they dismissed as a show trial, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the unusual step of telephoning the conscript's father to say "I understand your distress" and promising his son would be treated fairly.

Elor Azaria in court (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"The truth will come out. The path will be long. We will endure," said defense lawyer Binyamin Malka. The soldier's defense team has said he acted appropriately and that it is seeking full acquittal.

According to the military, Azaria told investigators he believed the Palestinian, though subdued, may have had a suicide explosive belt and that he still posed a danger.

Prosecutor Lt.-Col. Adoram Rigler said at the court hearing last April that "the terrorist who was shot by the soldier did not pose a risk to him or to anyone around him. There is a strong evidentiary basis to prove the indictment."

The defense, meanwhile, claimed that The testimony and evidence ruled out a vengeful motive for the shooting. The pathologist said she cannot rule out that the terrorist might have moved his hands.
Iran reportedly successfully tested a medium-range ballistic missile two weeks ago that can reach as far as Israel, a senior military planning official was quoted as saying by Iranian new agency Tasnim on Monday.

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"We tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) and eight metres error margin two weeks ago. An eight-metre error margin means ...full accuracy," Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi as saying.

But Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan issued a vague denial on Monday. Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, Dehghan said the military has not conducted a missile test "with the range that was published in the media," without elaborating and without denying the existence of a military test two weeks ago.

Iranian missile test (Photo: EPA)

In recent years, Iran has carried out several experiments with ballistic missiles, and from time to time it announces military developments designed to demonstrate its strength and deter its enemies - including Israel, the US and the Gulf countries.

Just two months ago, Iran conducted a ballistic missile test using missiles on which were written in Hebrew "Israel must be wiped out."

This experiment was carried out in contravention of the UN Security Council, and at a time in which Iran and world powers are working on the implementation of the nuclear agreement, which was supposed to relieve the tension with Tehran.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On Monday, a senior Iranian military planning official was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying that Iran has successfully tested a medium-range ballistic missile two weeks ago,

"We tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) and an eight meters error margin two weeks ago. An eight-metre error margin means (...) full accuracy," Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi as saying.
The arrests of two Jewish youths aged 12 and 14 who were arrested on Saturday night on suspicion of puncturing tires and vandalizing Palestinian vehicles in the Gush Etzion region have been extended until Tuesday.

One of the suspects was found carrying tear gas. According to the boys' attorney, the boys were already released from the police station in a secluded area and were forced to hitchhike in the evening to Jerusalem where they were arrested once again.
A draft version of a report penned by State Comptroller Yosef Shapira about Operation Protective Edge , the findings of which are rumored to indicate damning failures of the governments handling of the war, will be presented before the Knesset for review. Fifty-three MKs hailing from the various opposition factions signed on Sunday the initiative to bring about a special discussion on the matter.

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Its signatories include MKs who signed the initiative are from Meretz, The Zionist Union Camp, the Arab Joint List and Yesh Atid. The day of the discussion has yet to be determined.

Meretz Chairman Ilan Gilon said: Serious failures of the previous Netanyahu government which are coming to light in the leaked draft report, prove that the security of Israel is in the hands of people who cant be trusted. We demand even more so that, given the latest incidents in the south, the prime minister appears to the Knesset to be held accountable and provide clear answers to the public.

Netanyahu, Ya'alon and Gantz in IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv during Operation Protective Edge (Photo: Chaim Tzach/GPO)

On Monday morning reserve General Yom-Tov Samia, who served as Deputy Commander of the Southern Command during the 50-day operation, also expressed harsh criticism about the handling of the war. I have not read the draft report but however drastic it may be - I am not sure that it will be drastic enough, he said. During an interview with Army Radio , Samia added: The honor award ceremony for the operation was a scandal. The citations were there to cover something up.

Yom-Tov Samia (Photo: Herzel Yosef)

Last Thursday, media sources reported State Comptroller Yosef Shapira's intention to publish a devestating report about the operation which would include profound criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon and former Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

A draft of the secret report was presented before cabinet members who served during the operation.

According to the news channels, the draft contains a claim that, among other things, Netanyahu and Yaalon did not update the cabinet about Shin Bet warnings of possible military conflicts against Hamas in July 2014 and that Netanyahus government never discussed the tunnel threat until Operation Protective Edge itself. Gantz is expected to be criticised for the military evaluations which he submitted to the cabinet.

Harsh responses by bereaved families of the operation were also forthcoming upon hearing of the draft. I want to receive this report, I hear people from Netanyahus and Yaalons side saying that this is nonsense. Since when does the government criticise the State Comptroller? asked Ilan Sagi, the father of soldier Erez Sagi who fell during the 2014 summer operation after Hamas terrorists suddenly emerged from a tunnel close to military stand at which he was stationed.

Sagi added during a conversation with Ynet that the subject absolutely has to come to public light so that everyone can know and see the management of the government. It is important for the families. I hope that the report will be published and they will not plaster over things.
Convicted Israeli spy Mordechai Vanunu returned to court Sunday, this time for repeatedly violating the terms of his parole. Vanunu had famously served a lengthy prison sentence for providing foreign press with classified information regarding Israel's nuclear weaponry.

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A nuclear technician, Mordechai Vanunu was convicted in 1988 of treason and espionage for revealing details of Israels atomic program in Dimonaa program that Israel has never officially acknowledgedto the British press in 1986. After being apprehended by the Mossad in a secret operation in Rome, he was sentenced to prison, eventually being released in 2004 under severe restrictions.

Convicted Israeli spy Mordechai Vanunu (Photo: Haim Zach)

Three different counts of parole violations were filed against Vanunu by the police on Sunday, including meeting with foreign citizens for a time exceeding 30 minutes and for moving apartments without notifying the authorities. Vanunu is also charged with allegedly revealing privileged information during an interview he gave to Channel 2 News in September 2015.

According to the indictment, Vanunu secretly met with two US citizens in a hotel in East Jerusalem. Avigdor Feldman, Vanunus lawyer, dismissed the charges as politically motivated and dealing with petty violations, saying that the meeting occurred three years ago and that the apartment his client had moved into was in the same building as his previous one.

Filing an indictment for meeting two foreigners three years ago, for moving apartments in the same building and for giving an interview that had been properly presented to the military censorship is a new low, stated Felman, relating to the harassment that the State of Israel has subjected Vanunu to.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday morning with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders during which the two discussed diplomatic relations between their respective countries. Reynders expressed his gratitude for Netanyahu's willingness to assist his country in the aftermath of the Brussels terror attack.

They also discussed the threat of radical Islam in the area and in Europe.

The prime minister emphasized that the French peace initiatives enable the Palestinians to avoid direct negotiations and therefore distance prospects of peace.
PHNOM PENH- Police in Cambodia detained eight activists, including two Westerners, who wore black clothing in a peaceful protest Monday in support of human rights workers who were jailed last week, a rights advocacy group said. They were released after being held for several hours.

Om Sam Ath of the group Licadho said the eight were among as many as 200 people taking part in a "Black Monday" campaign to show their solidarity with one former and four current officers of another human rights group, ADHOC. He said the two Westerners were a German and a Swede who worked as advisers to Licadho.

The detainees were released without immediately facing charges. National Police spokesman Gen. Kirt Chantharith said the six Cambodians were detained because they sought to incite disorder, but were released after they agreed to sign letters recognizing their mistake.
BEIRUT - Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies won a vast majority of seats in areas where they ran in local elections in eastern Lebanon, the group's deputy leader said Monday, a day after the vote took place.

Meanwhile, the head of a local coalition of different political groups said they will most likely win the Beirut municipality.

The municipal elections held Sunday in only two areas of the country -- the capital, Beirut, and the eastern Bekaa Valley region -- were the first vote in Lebanon since 2010 and a key test of grassroots support in the two regions.

Hezbollah's deputy chief sheikh Naim Kassem said Monday that the group and its allies ran in 80 municipalities out of 143 in the Bekaa Valley and won almost all the seats. That included all municipal seats in the historic city of Baalbek and the major town of Brital along the Syria border, where Hezbollah competed against a list backed by prominent families.

"It was a complete victory," Kassem said of the Baalbek and Brital vote. He added that Hezbollah's opponents secured some seats in six towns in the area.
Egyptian President al-Sisi met on Monday afternoon in his Cairo palace with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. During the meeting, a-Sisi assured Abbas that Egypt will continue in its efforts to bring about the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.

"Coming to a just agreement will include stabilization of the region and will contribute to the reduction of instability in the Middle East, he said.

According to the statement from the Egyptian Presidential Office, Abbas spoke during their encounter about the importance of a speedy establishment of an international committee and the creation of international mechanisms which will consist of a variety of factors in order to bring an end to the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Egyptian statement further read that the two sides agreed on the need to end the settlements, to supply the required defense to Palestinians and to prepare the environment for solving the Palestinian issue.

The two also discussed international and regional efforts currently underway such as the French initiative on the renewal of peace negotiations between Israelis and the Palestinians.
DUBAI - Up to half-a-dozen Iranian soldiers deployed in Syria have been captured by rebel forces, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday, two days after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirmed losses in a battle near Aleppo.

Rebels seized the village of Khan Touman on Friday, some 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Aleppo, and killed several Iranian soldiers, dealing one of Tehran's biggest losses in Syria.

"According to the latest numbers, 13 defenders of the shrine were killed, 18 were wounded and five to six were captured," Esmail Kosari, chairman of the Iranian parliament's defence committee, was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online news agency.

It was the first time Iran had confirmed that any of its combatants had been taken prisoner in Syria. In December, Islamist rebels in Khan Touman said they had seized two Iranians but that was never confirmed by Tehran.
Israel is defending a program to bring Jordanian day workers into its tourism industry against heavy criticism in Jordan.

The Tourism Ministry says Monday that the arrangement to bring in some 1,500 workers to hotels in the southern city of Eilat is a "win-win situation" for Jordanians seeking employment and for Israeli hoteliers. The ministry says the Jordanians enjoy the same employment and social benefits as their Israeli counterparts.

Jordanians opposed to normalization of relations with Israel have lashed out at the arrangement and floated conspiracy theories about the workers being recruited by Israel's Mossad spy agency.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace accord in 1994 and have close security cooperation. But many Jordanians oppose normalization with Israel and are angered by its policies toward the Palestinians.
On the eve of Israel's 68th Independence day, the number of its citizens stands at 8,522,000 people, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported on Monday.

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The new State of Israel only had 806,000 citizens when it was established in 1948, while the CBS estimates that there will be approximately 11.3 million Israelis by 2035.

There are 6,377,000 Jews living in Israel (consisting of 74.8 percent of the population), 1,771,000 Arabs (20.8 percent), and 374,000 who describe themselves as other (non-Arab Christians, members of other religions, etc, who make up 4.4 percent of the population).

New Immigrants arrive in Israel (Photo: Yaron Brener)

Since Israel's 67th Independence Day, 195,000 people were born and 47,000 died, while 36,000 immigrated to Israel.

The CBS further reports that 75 percent of the Jews living in Israel were born in Israel, compared to only 35 percent when the state was established 68 years ago.

Back in 1948, only Tel Aviv-Jaffa had more than 100,000 residents. Today, there are 13 cities with more than 100,000 people, eight of them with over 200,000 residents: Jerusalem, Tel AvivJaffa, Haifa, Rishon Lezion, Petah Tikva, Ashdod, Netanya, and Be'er Sheva.

Almost half of world's Jews live in Israel

According to CBS data, there were only 11.5 million Jews in the world in 1948, and only six percent of them lived in Israel. Three generations later, there are about 14.3 million Jews worldwide, of which 43 percent live in Israel  almost half of all Jews worldwide.

Israel's GDP has also grown drastically since its establishment  from NIS 25.1 billion in 1950 to NIS 1.108 trillion in 2015. GDP per capita went up from NIS 19,800 in 1950 to NIS 132,400 today. Also, the unemployment rate has sunk from 7.2 percent in 1955 to 5.3 percent in 2015.

A storefront ready for Independence Day (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

In 1956, the average Israeli spent 42 percent of their monthly salary on food, whereas that number fell to 16.2 percent by 2014. Despite this, the average spending on transportation and media jumped from three percent in 1956 to 20 percent in 2014.

The CBS also compared home appliance ownership in Israel. In 1956, only 12 percent of Israelis had a washing machine, 37 percent had a refrigerator, and 10 percent had air conditioning. In 1963, only 13 percent of Israelis had home phones.

Today, the situation is much different: 96 percent of Israelis now have washing machines in their homes, 99.9 percent of Israelis have refrigerators, 87 percent have air conditioning, and while 73 percent of Israelis still have a landline, 96 percent of the population has at least one cellphone.

Flags in Tel Aviv (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The CBS also reports a 87 percent increase in motor vehicle use in the country since its founding. In 1951, there were only 34,103 licensed vehicles on Israeli roads, which average out to approximately one vehicle per 25 people. Today, there are 2,965,727 registered cars on Israeli roads - approximately one vehicle per every three people.

The number of riders on Israeli railways has also gone up 31 percent since the founding of the state, from 1,557,000 rides in 1950 to 48,541,000 in 2014.

In addition, Israelis have become more educated. In 1950, there were only 1,300 people studying at universities around the country, and 200 graduates. By 2015, that number rose to 310,000 students studying at Israeli colleges and universities, and 72,500 people who completed degrees.
Israel on Monday issued a "severe" warning to its citizens to avoid visiting Tunisia where hundreds of Jewish pilgrims will be celebrating the religious Lag BaOmer festival later this month.

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"There is a severe travel warning for Tunisia (high concrete threat)," the Counter-Terrorism Bureau said in a statement released by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Terrorist elements, especially those affiliated with Global Jihad, continue to operate in Tunisia and commit attacks; therefore, there is a high threat level against Jewish targets," said the statement.

The El Ghriba synagogue in Djerba (Photo: AP)

"It is recommended that visits to Tunisia be avoided," it added.

Last year, Tunisia was hit by a string of attacks claimed by the Islamic State group that killed dozens of holidaymakers in the North African country.

But the 2014 edition of Lag BaOmer in the Tunisian holiday island of Djerba took place without incident, despite a similar warning from Israel.

This year the festival -- during which pilgrims visit the tombs of revered rabbis as well as the famed El Ghriba synagogue -- will take place May 25-26.

Djerba is home to one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world.

But the number of pilgrims visiting El Ghriba have fallen sharply since a 2002 suicide bombing claimed by Al-Qaeda that killed 21 people.

Prior to the attack, the celebrations in Djerba would attract almost 8,000 people each year, including from France, Israel, Italy and Britain.
Shots were heard at the entrance to the village of Rameh in the Upper Galilee.

Magen David Adom paramedics report that a 45 year old man was killed in the incident. The disturbance occured next to the gas station at the entrance to the village.

Police are on the scene and have opened up an investigation.
DUBAI - Saudi air defence forces on Monday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, but the Saudi-led coalition said it would maintain a ceasefire despite what it sees as a violation of it by the Houthi militia, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.

The Iran-allied Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed exiled government are trying to broker a peace agreement in talks in Kuwait and ease a humanitarian crisis in the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country.
As talk of a possible unity government continue in the political system, senior Zionist Union officials said Monday the party is eyeing the Agriculture Ministry as a condition to join the coalition.

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For the Zionist Union, the Agriculture Ministry is not only important to a significant portion of its voters (in moshavs and kibbutzim), getting the ministry would also mean removing the Tekuma faction from the government. Tekuma has two seats in Bayit Yehudi - Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, and MK Bezalel Smotrich.

With Ariel out of the government, it would be easier for Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to join the coalition.

Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

On the other hand, there is still opposition among senior party officials, among them is Shelly Yachimovich who is not willing to be part of a government that supports the natural gas deal

Over the past few days, Herzog has been holding talks with party MKs ahead of the upcoming Labor party conference. Naturally, questions arose in many of these meetings about the negotiations to join a unity government. Faction members wanted to know if there was any truth to reports on these negotiations and how Herzog was planning on getting the party's voters on board with such a move.

The internal discussions within the party arose because of the current makeup of the coalition, with parties like Bayit Yehudi holding positions that are problematic for the Zionist Union.

"Sitting in the government with the far-right parties will present the Zionist Union in a negative light," faction members argued.
PANAMA CITY - Panama will close key crossings on its border with Colombia to prevent undocumented migrants from Cuba and Africa entering the country, President Juan Carlos Varela said on Monday.

"We've taken the difficult decision to close the border with Colombia in the Puerto Obaldia area and in other parts of the border to prevent the trafficking of illegal immigrants," Varela said at the launch of an anti-drug trafficking operation.

Last week, Panama and Mexico agreed to airlift almost 3,500 Cubans stranded since December on the Panamanian frontier with Costa Rica to near the US Mexico border.
The United States has announced a $50 million aid program for the Gaza Strip.

US officials said Monday that the money will be used over five years to provide basic humanitarian assistance and create jobs. The money will be distributed by the US Agency for International Development in partnership with Catholic Relief Services.

The US Consul General in Jerusalem, Donald A. Blume, said the effort is meant to address "the dire needs that are obvious in Gaza."

Gaza's economy has sharply declined since the Islamic militant group Hamas took over the coastal territory nearly a decade ago. Unemployment there is estimated to be over 40 percent.
The United States on Monday announced a $50 million humanitarian aid program for the Gaza Strip.

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US officials said the money will be used over five years to provide basic humanitarian assistance and create jobs. It will be distributed by the US Agency for International Development in partnership with Catholic Relief Services.

The US Consul General in Jerusalem, Donald A. Blume, said the effort is meant to address "the dire needs that are obvious in Gaza."

Destruction in Gaza following Operation Protective Edge (Photo: AP)

Gaza's economy has sharply declined since the Islamic militant group Hamas took over the coastal territory nearly a decade ago. Unemployment there is estimated to be over 40 percent.

The US considers Hamas a terror organization and has no official relations with the group.
LJUBLJANA- The possible withdrawal of Britain from the European Union after a referendum on June 23 is a worry for NATO, the defence alliance's Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said on Monday.

"From a NATO point of view having a strong, unified European Union that is a capable partner is perhaps more important today than it has been for many years," he said.

"Anything that would disrupt the unity of the European Union would be of concern to NATO. The United Kingdom is a very important military and political player within NATO and I hope that will remain so in the future," he said.
Medal of Honor recipients share thoughts with service members

Three Medal of Honor recipients arrived at the 934th Airlift Wing to meet and interact with military personnel, local law enforcement and first responders all of whom will be providing assistance during the 2016 Congressional Medal of Honor Society convention that will be held in the Twin Cities in October.



There is nothing I can say that will be more valuable than the interactions that were going to continue to have here this evening, said Col. Anthony Polashek, the 934th Airlift Wing commander as he addressed the recipients and the audience. Thank you for your service that you continue to provide to our Country by your example, your leadership and reminding folks that the cost of being an American can be very high. Freedom is not free and youre a great example and a great inspiration to all of us. Thank you!



Thomas Kelly, president of the CMOHS, Robert Patterson, vice president of the CMOHS, and Harold Hal Fritz, former president of the CMOHS, whom are all recipients of the MOH were here in the Twin Cities to visit the various venues that will be used to host the upcoming convention.

We currently have 76 living recipients. Six of them are World War II vets, six of them are Korean War Vets, 11 are Afghanistan veterans and the rest are Vietnam veterans, said Kelley. Out of those 76 were hoping that maybe 50 can make it to the convention.

Since last years convention in Boston, Mass., the society has grown due to recent recipients of the MOH.



Since then weve gained a couple of new kids as we call them who have brought the average age of the membership of the MOH society from about 77 down to 70, Kelley joked.



Patterson also provided a sense of comedy for the audience as he spoke of some of his experiences.



Im also their trouble maker. If anybody can cause trouble, Im guilty, Patterson said as he laughed. If I were to join the Army today and do what I did then, theyd throw me out as being undesirable.



Patterson also shared a story about a time when he received an Article 15 while serving in Vietnam. He indicated that when he received this Article 15, the issuing officer couldnt help but laugh at the situation and continue to laugh the whole time he issued the Article 15. Years later Patterson ran into this same officer and asked him why he laughed all those years ago during what is typically a time of serious punishment.

He looked at me and said Sgt. Maj., Im the only commander who can say that they recommended a person for a Medal of Honor in the morning and gave them an Article 15 in the afternoon, Patterson said with a smile as he recalled the story.



When addressing the audience, Fritz, who was the last speaker, related to the crowd on a personal note.



All of us are on the same level playing field. Were all looking at the same goal. Were all looking at projecting, protecting and preserving freedom for all Americans, Fritz said proudly. It doesnt matter whether I wear the Medal of Honor, whether I wear an Air Force uniform, an Army uniform, a Marine Corps uniform or Im a civilian, were all here on the same team, we all care.



Fritz also expressed how much he and his fellow recipients care for our country.



We care about America, we care about the future. We have 76 living recipients and each of those recipients, besides the three of us that are here today, would tell you the same thing, Fritz said. The common thread that runs amongst all of us is our great love of this country, love of freedom and the willingness to sacrifice as far as we need to, to maintain it, for this generation and future generations.



With the convention being held in Minnesota, Fritz also voiced his gratitude with respect to coming to the Twin Cities.



We are glad to be here because of you. Were going to be glad to be coming here as recipients because of you. Because we believe in you and we want to show Americans as we travel that were just ordinary Americans just like youwe just happened to be in a situation where a decision had to be made to save lives and we made that decision, Fritz said.



A proud American, Fritz credited the freedoms we have in America to those present in the audience.

Weve got a lot of freedoms because of the men and women in uniform both military uniform and the first responders and the American people that support them, Fritz voiced. It takes blood, it takes dedication, sacrifice to maintain what we have today if we want to ensure that we have it today and for our future for our children and our grandchildren.



As the event came to an end, Colonel Polashek expressed his gratitude towards the recipients.



Thank you again for your time and for your sacrifice! Thank you for offering us this opportunity to come and speak to our folks, Polashek said. Youre such an inspiration and your service is an inspiration to all Americans. Thank you very much!


This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company.

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Patna: Pressure is mounting on Rocky Yadav, the son of Legislative Council member Manorma Devi of the ruling Janata Dal (United) (JD-U), to surrender after he allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Meanwhile, normal life was badly hit today in Bihar's Gaya town by a shutdown called by BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest against the killing of Aditya.

Rocky's father Bindi Yadav, a criminal-turned-politician, was with him in the car along with a bodyguard.

While Rocky has been absconding since the incident, his father and the bodyguard were arrested. Meanwhile, Bindi Yadav has asked the authorities to free him so that he could get his son to surrender.

This latest incident has vindicated his stand that "jungle raj" has returned to Bihar, BJP's Prem Kumar, who represents Gaya town in the Assembly, has said.

Police said its preliminary investigation shows that Rocky got into a fit of rage after Aditya's car allegedly did not let his Land Rover vehicle pass. The row resulted in the teenager being shot dead.

The accused's vehicle has been recovered from his parents' house, police said.

Bindi Yadav has a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of cartridges of AK 47 was recovered from him.
Gaya: The BJP held demonstrations and called for a shutdown in Bihar's Gaya district to protest against the murder of a class 12 student by a Janata Dal (United) MLC's son in a case of road rage late on Sunday.

The Bihar Police late on Sunday arrested the accused youth's father on charges of 'criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused'.

While accused Rocky, 23, is on the run, his father and JD(U) MLC's husband, Bindi Yadav - charged in 2011 with sedition for storing 6,000 rounds of assault rifle bullets - was arrested for "harbouring" the alleged killer.

According to reports, Rocky is a member of the Rifle Club in Delhi.

"We have arrested two persons, Bindi Yadav and a bodyguard. Allegation against Bindi Yadav is of criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused," SSP Gaya Garima Malik told ANI.

The two were sent to 14 days judicial custody. The police also detained LoP Prem Kumar during BJP protest over alleged killing of the youth by JD(U) MLC's son in Gaya.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties sharpened attack on the ruling Nitish Kumar government, describing the road rage incident as the 'Jungle Raj part 2'.

When we said, this will be 'Jungle Raj 2', it was taken otherwise. Since Nitish ji has taken charge, such incidents have only escalated, Giriraj Singh of BJP said.

Since new government was formed in Bihar, criminals have become fearless, Singh added.

Aditya Sachdeva, the victim, was returning home after celebrating his birthday when he overtook Rocky's car.

A scuffle broke out between the two sides when Rocky shot Aditya dead.

Talking to ANI, Bindi Yadav defended his son and alleged that his son was assaulted by those sitting in the victim's car.

"My son was driving the car and those four persons in the other car were drunk. They overtook his car and stopped my son on the way. They then pulled him out of the car and started beating him," said Yadav.

"During the scuffle, my son took out his licensed pistol in defence and by mistake it happened," he added.

Yadav further said the law will take its own course in this matter, adding he has immense faith and respect for the judiciary.

Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United) has assured appropriate action against the accused.

"Anyone taking law in their hands will not be spared. Such people can't be protected," JD (U) leader Ali Anwar told ANI.

With ANI inputs
Patna: Janata Dal-United legislator Manorama Devi, whose son Rocky Yadav is accused of killing a teenager in Bihar's Gaya town, on Monday said he is likely to surrender in court soon.

"My son will surrender in court soon as he has been told that a murder case has been lodged against him. But I have no information about his whereabouts," Manorma Devi told the media here.

Earlier, there was rumour about Rocky's surrender in a Gaya court on Monday itself.

Meanwhile, normal life was badly hit in Gaya after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance called for a shutdown to protest against the fatal shooting of Aditya Sachdeva. The Bihar Chamber of Commerce also supported the shutdown.

Manorama Devi's husband Bindi Yadav and his bodyguard -- arrested on charge of criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused -- were meanwhile sent in 14-day judicial custody by a Gaya court, Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Garima Malik said.

Rocky Yadav, 30, allegedly shot dead Aditya, son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his sport utility vehicle on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said his government will not spare anyone found guilty.

"Anyone found guilty will not be spared; the law will take its course and a manhunt is on for the accused," he said.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad also demanded stern action in the case.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav also assured of action against anyone found guilty.

Meanwhile, hundreds of slogan-shouting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers, including leader of opposition in the Bihar assembly Prem Kumar, took to the streets in Gaya district to demand Rocky's arrest.

"The police must arrest the accused without delay and take convincing action in this case," said Prem Kumar, who represents Gaya constituency in the assembly.

BJP workers asked shopkeepers to down shutters of their shops, burnt tyres, blocked roads and urged people to support the shutdown.

"It is a complete shutdown in Gaya. Vehicles are not running. People are angry with what happened to Aditya and his family," Prem Kumar said.

He said the latest incident had vindicated his stand that "jungle raj" had returned to Bihar.

Police said preliminary investigation indicated that Rocky flew into a rage after Aditya did not let his Land Rover pass. The row led to shooting of the teenager.

The accused's vehicle has been seized from his parents' house, police said.

Bindi Yadav has a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of AK-47 cartridges was seized from his home.

The grand alliance of Nitish Kumar's JD-U, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress are in power in Bihar.
Patna: Under attack over deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that those involved in the killing of a teenager in a case road rage in Gaya district will not be spared.

Guilty will not be spared, law will take its course. A manhunt is on for the accused, Nitish Kumar said while addressing a press conference on the issue.

On questions of declining law and order situation, he said, ''Nobody can be allowed to take law in their hands. Strict action is being taken.''

Inspector General is supervising the investigation in the case, I assure you all that the guilty will not be spared, Nitish Kumar said.

When asked what action has been taken so far, the Bihar JD(U) leader said, ''the bodyguard has been suspended and arrested. Departmental action has already being taken and a criminal case will also be pursued against him.''

The reactions from Kumar came hours after BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) observed a shutdown in Gaya to protest against the killing of a class 12 student, allegedly by a ruling party legislator's son.

Rocky Yadav, 30, allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Rocky is the son of legislative council member Manorma Devi of the ruling Janata Dal (United) (JD-U).

His father Bindi Yadav, a criminal-turned-politician, was with him in the car along with a bodyguard.

While Rocky has been absconding since the incident, his father and the bodyguard were arrested and are to be produced in a local court on Monday, Gaya senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

"We are looking for the accused inside and outside the state," she said.

Hundreds of slogan-shouting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers, including Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly Prem Kumar, took to the streets of Gaya district demanding arrest of Rocky Yadav.

"Police must arrest the accused without delay and take convincing action in this case," said Prem Kumar who represents Gaya town in the assembly.

BJP workers asked shopkeepers to down shutters, burnt tyres, blocked roads and urged people to support the shutdown.

"Look, it is hundred percent shutdown in Gaya town. Vehicles are not running. People are angry with what happened to Aditya and his family," Prem Kumar said.

This latest incident has vindicated his stand that "jungle raj" has returned to Bihar, he said.

Police said its preliminary investigation shows that Rocky got into a fit of rage after Aditya's car allegedly did not let his Land Rover vehicle pass. The row resulted in the teenager being shot dead.

The accused's vehicle has been recovered from his parents' house, police said.

Bindi Yadav has a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of cartridges of AK 47 was recovered from him.
Kishanganj: Former union minister and senior RJD Lok Sabha MP Mohammad Taslimuddin today said Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is not "PM material" and he is "day dreaming of becoming the prime minister" as he has failed to provide "sushashan" (good governance) in Bihar.

"Nitish Kumar is not PM material. How can a person run the country who could not provide sushashan in his own state which is witnessing a spate of killings," Taslimuddin told reporters here.

"Kumar is day dreaming of becoming the prime minister by launching nationwide campaign against liquor but that will not fructify," he added.

Taslimuddin, a five-term MP who represents Araria in Lok Sabha, said Kumar has failed to rein in the spate of killings that have taken place in recent past in the state.

"Administration has collapsed in the state. The chief minister is indulging in stunt show to deceit people...There is loot everywhere in Bihar as there is no control on government departments," he said.

It was Nitish Kumar, who ran the government with BJP's support, who first opened liquor shops in every nook and corner of the state "be it temple, mosque, chowk, school, hospital etc" and now he has suddenly enforced prohibition.

"I am not against prohibition but it should have been implemented in a phased manner," the MP said.
Gaya: The BJP has called a bandh in Bihar's Gaya to protest against the murder of a class 12 student by a Janata Dal (United) MLC's son in a case of road rage late on Sunday.

The Bihar Police late on Sunday arrested the accused youth's father on charges of 'criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused'.

While accused Rocky, 23, is on the run, his father and MLC's husband, Bindi Yadav - charged in 2011 with sedition for storing 6,000 rounds of assault rifle bullets - was arrested for "harbouring" the alleged killer.

According to reports, Rocky is a member of the Rifle Club in Delhi.

"We have arrested two persons, Bindi Yadav and a bodyguard. Allegation against Bindi Yadav is of criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused," SSP Gaya Garima Malik told ANI.

Aditya Sachdeva, the victim, was returning home after celebrating his birthday when he overtook Rocky's car.

A scuffle broke out between the two sides when Rocky shot Aditya dead.

Talking to ANI, Bindi Yadav defended his son and alleged that his son was assaulted by those sitting in the victim's car.

"My son was driving the car and those four persons in the other car were drunk. They overtook his car and stopped my son on the way. They then pulled him out of the car and started beating him," said Yadav.

"During the scuffle, my son took out his licensed pistol in defence and by mistake it happened," he added.

Yadav further said the law will take its own course in this matter, adding he has immense faith and respect for the judiciary.

Meanwhile, the Janata Dal (United) has assured appropriate action against the accused.

"Anyone taking law in their hands will not be spared. Such people can't be protected," JD (U) leader Ali Anwar told ANI.

With ANI inputs
New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid, who was on a hunger strike for the last 11 days, was on Monday morning taken to AIIMS after there was a significant dip in his sugar, sodiam and potassium level.

Khalid, along with 25 other JNU students were protesting against the JNU committee's decision of slapping a fine on him and others for participating in pro-Afzal event in the campus on February 9.

The university management meted out varying degrees of punishment to students for their role in a February 9 event to commemorate parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's third death anniversary.

Some of the students, penalized for indiscipline and raising "objectionable" slogans, were rusticated. Kanhaiya Kumar was fined Rs 10,000.

The punishment came two months after Kanhaiya Kumar, Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were jailed and then released for taking part in the event.

Umar Khalid, who was accused of organising the event and inviting several outsiders for raising anti-India slogans on the night of February 9, was rusticated by the university for one semester.
New Delhi: Not kidding, but a newly discovered wasp species in South Africa has been named after Hollywood actor Brad Pitt!

The new wasp species, called Conobregma bradpitti, belongs to a large worldwide group of wasps parasitising in moth or butterfly caterpillars.

It is said that while thinking of a name for the new wasp, Dr Buntika A Butcher, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, recalled her long hours of studying in her laboratory right under the poster of her favourite film actor. This is how the new wasp was named after Brad Pitt.

The dark brown, 2mm-long wasp, which is also parasitic, has a brownish-yellow head, antennae and legs.

Its body is deep brown, nearly black in colour, while its head, antennae and legs are brown-yellow. The wings stand out with their much brighter shades.

In their paper, the authors from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand and the University of Calicut, India, also describe another new species of parasitic wasp. It is the first from its subtribe spotted in the whole of India, while its closest 'relative' lives in Nepal.

Interestingly, the wasp with celebrity name unites two, until now, doubtful genera. Being very similar, they had already been noted to have only four diagnostic features that set them apart. However, C bradpitti shared two of those with each. Thus, the species prompted the solution of the taxonomic problem and, as a result, the two were synonymised.

The research has been published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

(With PTI inputs)
Hyderabad: The results for Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) 2016 were announced on Monday evening.

The candidates who appeared for AP EAMCET 2016 exams can visit the official websites to check their results.

The official websites are - http://www.apeamcet.org/ and manabadi.com

Earlier, the AP EAMCET 2016 results were scheduled to be declared on Monday at 11 AM.

The AP EAMCET 2016 exam was held on April 29.

Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) is conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada on behalf of APSCHE.

EAMCET is the prerequisite for admission into various professional courses offered in University/ Private Colleges in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
New Delhi: Finally the wait is over as the Board of Secondary Education of Andhra Pradesh (BSEAP) is all set to announce the results of Class 10th board exams on Tuesday, May 10 2016 at 11 am.

The Andhra Pradesh SSC exams were held between March 26, 2016 and 4th April, 2016.

Students can check their results on the board official website mentioned below. http://www.bseap.org/ and http://www. manabadi.co.in/

How to download BSEAP SSC Results 2016:

Students need to login to the websites mentioned above

Submit details like roll number and date of birth

Take a print out of the result

Important: Do not forget to take a print out of the result for further references.

About the Board of Secondary Education of Andhra Pradesh (BSEAP)

The Board of Studies Andhra Pradesh (BSEAP), comes under the Directorate of Government Examinations which is a part of the Ministry of Secondary Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh. It conducts exams twice in a year  once in March (the Annual Examinations) and the other in May/June ( Advanced Supplementary Examinations).
Kolkata: The West Bengal Board Of Secondary Education (WBBSE) on Tuesday will declare the results of Class 10 or Madhyamik examination, a top official said today.

The Madhyamik Pariksha for class 10 students was held from February 1 to 10, 2016. Over 10 lakh students appeared for the examination at various centres across the state. The Higher Secondary (HS) exam were conducted between February 15 and February 29, 2016.

Students can view their result online on board official website wbresults.nic.in.

They will be required to enter their details like Roll number and other information in the respected field.

Students are advised to take a print out of their results for future use.

Apart from the official website of the board, students can view their result online to any of the following websites www.wbbse.org, wbresults.nic.in, www.wb10.knowyourresult.com, www.exametc.com, www.examresults.net and www.indiaresult.com.

Students can also check their result through SMS, by sending  WB10 followed by their 10-digit roll number, to any of the following numbers: 58888711, 52070, 54242, 56263, 5676750 and 56263.
Panaji: A Goa children`s court on Monday extended the remand by three days of expelled Congress leader and St. Cruz MLA Atanasio Monserrate alias Babush and the step-mother of the minor girl, who was raped.

After Babush was sent to police custody for three days by a court on May 6, the third accused Rosy Ferros, who had allegedly helped the victim`s mother to sell the girl to the expelled Congress leader, was arrested the next day.

The police had earlier arrested the victim`s mother on charges of trafficking.

Babush was arrested reportedly after he surrendered before the Goa Police.

The Goa Police on May 4 registered an FIR against Babush under Section 8 of the Goa Children`s Act and Sections 3 and 4 of the POCSO Act, besides various IPC Sections of rape, assault and restraining the survivor.

Earlier, the police searched his properties on the outskirts of Panaji.Babush was expelled from the Congress on charges of anti-party activities after the Panaji Assembly by-polls last year.

Babush, who is an unattached member in the Goa Assembly, reportedly also has a history of being chargesheeted for extortion.

He had recently announced of taking control of the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) with eyes on the next assembly polls scheduled in early 2017.
Washington: A new device which may shorten the time required to rapidly diagnose bacterial infections from days to hours has been developed by researchers.

The system would allow point-of-care diagnosis, as it does not require the facilities and expertise available only in hospital laboratories, researchers said.

"Rapid and efficient diagnosis of the pathogen is a critical first step in choosing the appropriate antibiotic regimen, and this system could provide that information in a physician's office in less than two hours," said Ralph Weissleder from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the US.

While considered the gold standard for diagnosing bacterial infections, traditional culture-based diagnosis can take several days and requires specialized equipment, trained laboratory personnel and procedures that vary depending on the particular pathogen, researchers said.

Emerging genetic approaches that identify bacterial species by their nucleic acid sequences are powerful but still require complex equipment and workflows, restricting such testing to specialized hospital laboratories, they said.

The system dubbed PAD for Polarisation Anisotropy Diagnostics, allows for accurate genetic testing in a simple device. Bacterial RNA is extracted from a sample in a small, disposable plastic cartridge, researchers said.

Following polymerase chain reaction amplification of the RNA, the material is loaded into a two centimetre plastic cube containing optical components that detect target RNAs based on the response to a light signal of sequence-specific detection probes, they said.

These optical cubes are placed on an electronic base station that transmits data to a smartphone or computer where the results can be displayed.

For the study, researchers used a prototype PAD system containing four optical cubes to test clinical samples from nine patients and compared the results with those acquired by conventional microbiology cultures.

Testing for the presence of five important bacterial species - E coli, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Staph aureus - and for factors indicating the virulence and antibiotic resistance of specific strains produced identical results with both procedures, researchers said.

But while PAD provided results in less than two hours, the bacterial culture process took three to five days, they said.

"We can see three immediate applications for a system that can provide such rapid and accurate results - quickly diagnosing a patient's infection, determining whether antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present in a group of patients, and detecting bacterial contamination of medical devices or patient environments," said Hakho Lee from MGH.

The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.
New Delhi: Shortly after BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitely brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational degrees to public domain, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) hit back by reasserting the allegation that PM's Modi BA/MA degree are fake.

Addressing a press conference, AAP leader Ashutosh said, Aam Aadmi Party wants to inform the nation that the degrees showed by Amit Shah are forged. Neither Amit Shah nor Arun Jaitley is a God that the country will believe their lie.

Flashing copies of Modi's BA marksheet and degree certificate, Ashutosh said there are several discrepancies in the documents.

The AAP leader said that while on one document, PM Modi's name is mentioned as Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while on the other it's Narendra Damodardas Modi.

Citing procedural rules, Ashutosh demanded that the BJP or PM Modi furnish the affidavit that is needed to change the name in official records.

He also pointed out that Modi's BA marksheet was issued in the year 1977 while his degree certificate mentions the year of passing as 1978.

Has he (Modi) done two BAs? he quipped.

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Ashutosh added that the lack of a graduate degree is no hindrance for someone occupying the post of PM but doing forgery is a crime.

The former journalist also challenged Amit Shah to accompany him to Delhi University to get to the bottom of the matter.
New Delhi: In a major and sensational revelation, it has come to the fore that out of Rs 360 crore bribe in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, Rs 50 crore was set aside for media alone!

Reportedly, out of Rs 360 crore amount to bribe influential people, Rs 50 crore was meant for media in connection with the controversial deal, according to a report in OneIndia News.

Earlier, it was reported that a senior journalist is under scanner of Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his role in AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam.

It has been found that this journalist, who was working with a Hindi news channel, had travelled with his wife to Italy allegedly sponsored by AgustaWestland.

The ED officials allege that only on this journalist and his family an amount of Rs 28 lakhs was spent,

James Christian Michel, one of the middlemen, was in charge of the media. He had organised junkets for officials and media personnel.

During the investigation, the ED found that Michel had spent Rs 4 crore only on the tickets which were meant for the junkets.

Earlier, on Saturday, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had tweeted, "The first paid news journalist in AW scam to be interrogated."
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on AgustaWestland controversy and said that he cannot take away her love and commitment towards India.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi can't take away my love and commitment for my country, India. It is here that I will breathe my last and my ashes will mingle with my loved ones in India," she said.

The Congress president who launched her party election campaign in poll-bound Kerala today, further hit at Modi regime by claiming that none of the BJP-ruled states has seen development under the present government.

"I challenge him (PM Modi) to show at least one BJP ruled state that has a better health and educational achievement than Kerala," PTI quoted Sonia as saying.

Slamming PM Modi's Sunday jibe regarding her Italy connections, Sonia said, "I also know PM Modi will never understand my integrity and him and RSS will always abuse me and stoop low to attack me. Yes, I was born in Italy and have a family there. I have a 93-year-old mother and I am not ashamed of it. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi."

"I was born to proud and honest parents, I will never be ashamed of them. I have spent 48 years of my life in India, this is my home and this is my country. I cannot expect PM Modi to understand the feelings but I am sure you will," she said while addressing the rally at Trivandrum.

On Sunday, while addressing an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram, PM Modi had launched a blistering attack on Congress and Sonia over the AgustaWestland scandal and had demanded that the names of those who took kickbacks in the chopper deal be made public and the culprits punished.

Everyone knows who has relatives in Italy, PM Modi had said at Kerala rally, adding the Italian high court had released the names.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The conversion of Rohit Vemula's family to Buddhism is in line with the growing trend among Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the country.

A report in The Indian Express cites government data Buddhism is the fastest growing religion among Dalits - suggesting that Buddhism is being seen as the symbol of the success of the Dalit movement in India.

As per the data, the numbers of Scheduled Caste Buddhists have increased by 38% from 41.59 lakh in 2001 to 57.56 lakh in 2011, while the total SC population grew by 21.3% from 16.6 crore to 20.14 crore.

Over 90% of the SCs who practice Buddhism live in Maharashtra, which has 52.04 lakh Buddhists  their rate of growth in Maharashtra is an astounding 60%.

On the other hand, the rate of growth of Hindu SCs was just 19.6%, up from 15.8 crore to 18.9 crore in the decade from 2001 to 2011.

However, Buddhists still form only 2.83% of the overall Dalit population.

Dr BR Ambedkar, who played a pivotal role in revival of the Buddhist movement in India, had converted to Buddhism in 1956, a few weeks before his death.
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday slammed BJP leader Subramanian Swamy for claiming that the documents on AgustaWestland deal that he tabled in Rajya Sabha were "approved" by the chair.

Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said no documents had been authenticated.

"Dr. Swamy, who does not have the habit of speaking truth, says Rajya Sabha has approved his documents. How has Rajya Sabha approved it," Congress member Jairam Ramesh asked.

Ramesh was referring to a tweet by Swamy on Friday in which the BJP leader said, "Rajya Sabha has approved my documents. Jairam Ramesh run for cover."

The documents were related to the speech Swamy made during the Rajya Sabha debate on AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal in which kickbacks were allegedly paid when Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in office.

Congress members had then demanded that the documents quoted in the debate should be tabled in the house.

On Monday, Swamy took strong exception to Ramesh`s comments.

"I rise in protest against him saying I have a habit of telling lies," said Swamy who became a member of the upper house on April 26 as one of the nominees of the BJP-led central government.

"When the chairman of the house has allowed me to place these on the table of the house, the proper procedure for him is to write a letter to the chairman," Swamy said.

Launching a counter-attack on Ramesh, the BJP leader said: "Mr. Ramesh has the habit of putting his hand in the wrong place and getting it bit. Right now it is under bandage because of that."

Deputy Chairman Kurien said the responsibility of authenticating the documents rests with Swamy and that the members of the house can examine them.

"Chair has not authenticated any paper," Kurien said.

Swamy also reminded the chair that his privilege notice against Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad is pending with the chairman.

The BJP leader had on April 29 submitted a breach of privilege notice against Congress leader Azad for "lying" that the UPA government had blacklisted helicopter maker AgustaWestland and its Italian parent Finmeccanica.

Since becoming a member of the Rajya Sabha, Swamy has been attacking Congress on the AgustaWestland scandal. He also named Congress President Sonia Gandhi while raising the issue in the upper house.
New Delhi: Hours after a Congress delegation on Monday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh to demand adequate security for party vice president Rahul Gandhi in wake of death threats to him, the Special Protection Group(SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau(IB) were today ordered by the government to take maximum precautions for the Congress vice president.

Acting swiftly, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi directed the SPG, responsible for the protection of the Congress VP, and the IB to take all necessary precautionary measures in this regard.

Mehrishi's missive to the two agencies came soon after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked him to take up the issue seriously and ensure protection to Rahul, official sources said.

Earlier, some top brass of Congress, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; Treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma met the Home Minister and apprised him about the threat to the Congress Vice President's life.

"The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.

During the meeting, Sharma also raised the issue of proposal to shift en masse about 400 officers of the SPG and to bring in new people.

"It is a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up as SPG personnel require rigorous training," he said.

The party's Puducherry unit had received a letter threatening Gandhi would be killed like his father, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Narayanasamy, an AICC General Secretary and a former Union Minister, from Karaikal said over the phone that he had received an 'unsigned letter' at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi, as per PTI.

He said the letter written in Tamil stated that "your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former Prime Minister's son and will be blasted while attending the Karaikal meeting."

Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command.

The SPG guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children -- Rahul and Priyanka -- are SPG protectees.

Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: A young woman from Hyderabad, who was employed as a house maid in Saudi Arabia, was allegedly tortured to death.

The deceased, identified as Asima Khatoon, 25, had moved to Riyadh in December last year on a business visa organized by the sort of agents who run large rackets of supplying cheap labour from India to the Middle East.

Her mother told ANI that her daughter revealed to her in phone calls that she was held hostage on the day she arrived and was tortured mentally as well as physically by her employer, Abdul Rahman Ali Mohammed.

"I had sent my daughter abroad to work and earn. She was locked in a room the day she reached there and was not given any food. My daughter used to call me and cry," victim's mother Ghousia Khatoon said.

The news of her death came just three days after the Telangana government wrote to the Centre asking to help her free from her employer and bring her back to the country.

Police inspector G Ramesh said that they have written a letter to Saudi Arabia consulate on behalf of Telangana government and are trying to bring her body back.
New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Department of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) is all set to declare the Kerala DHSE (+2) Result 2016 on Monday, i.e. May 9.

Students can take a sigh of relief as it is confirmed now that the Kerala HSE Plus Two Result 2016 will be declared today at 11 am.

As per the latest news received through a DHSE Result notification, the Kerala result for class 12 students will be available on the official website of the Board on the aforementioned date.

On 9th May, students can log on to the official websites - keralaresults.nic.in and dhsekerala.gov.in to check their results.

The Kerala Higher Secondary Examination (HSE) 2016 was held from 09 March 2016 till 29 March 2016 with Malayalam language as its first paper. A total of 460743 students have appeared for the examination.

If you are one of the students waiting for the result, heres the step by step procedure to get the Kerala result:

- Go to the official website keralaresults.nic.in / dhsekerala.gov.in

- Navigate to the Kerala HSE Result 2016

- Fill the relevant information asked in the submission form

- Submit all the details

- Access the Kerala DHSE Result 2016

Zee Media wishes all the students best of luck!
New Delhi: The membership of 21 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs may be cancelled!

In March 2015, Delhi government had given secretary level posts to 21 AAP MLAs, over which one Prashant Patel had filed a petition before President Pranab Mukherjee seeking membership cancellation of these 21 AAP MLAs. The petition alleged that the said MLAs occupied offices of profit in violation of the Constitution of India.

The President had forwarded the petition to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The ECI had then issued a show-cause notice to 21 AAP legislators who were appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries by the Delhi government last year.

However, AAP MLAs have said that as Parliamentary Secretaries, they are not taking any salary or allowance at all, according to a report in Khabrein24.

The AAP MLAs have to file reply before ECI till May 10.
New Delhi: It's a big day for medical aspirants as the Supreme Court is likely to clear the uncertainty hanging over the fate of medical entrance examinations conducted by states on Monday.

The Supreme Court on Friday had said that it would pass an order on May 9.

A bench of Justices AR Dave, Shiva Kirti Singh and A K Goel said clouds of uncertainty hanging over the fate of entrance examinations conducted by states after implementation of NEET will be cleared on May 9 when it would pass an order to put to rest all confusion.

Also, the Supreme Court on Friday had ruled that those students who had appeared for NEET-I held on May 1 would not be allowed in phase II of the test to be held on July 24.

The bench hinted that it may consider allowing states conducting their own tests to continue with the admission process for current academic year alone.

The Court had said that the issue with regard to those students who had appeared or who are due to appear in examinations conducted by the States in accordance with their State laws, shall be decided after hearing Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar.

The Solicitor General will on Monday apprise the court about the stand of the Centre.

Ever since the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) was revived by Supreme Court in April, the state governments and private colleges have been trying to convince the court to allow them to hold tests at least for the current academic year.

The court's order has also created confusion in the minds of lakhs of medical aspirants. Medical aspirants are confused whether the examination they had appeared or about to appear would be valid or not. Meanwhile, states are conducting the examinations with hearing in the Supreme Court going on.

Interestingly MCI, which had supported NEET and had opposed plea of state governments, softened its stand and told the bench they should be allowed to hold the tests this year.

NEET schedule

According to the schedule, the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) scheduled for May 1 was treated as the first round of the NEET.

However, those who have not applied for AIPMT will be given opportunity to appear in round two on July 24.

The combined result will be declared on August 17, in order to complete the admission process by September 30 - the deadline set by the apex court in its previous orders.
Lucknow: A photojournalist of a leading English daily was on Monday electrocuted in Jhansi district while taking photographs of the water train parked in the railway yard.

Ravi Kanojia (34) was clicking pictures of the train when he came in contact with a power line, police said here.

He died on the spot.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav condoled his death and announced financial assistance of Rs 20 lakhs to his family.
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of lowering the level of politics for accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying about his educational qualification.

Making public the BA and MA degrees of PM Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought a public apology from the Delhi Chief Minister.

Immediately after the BJP's presser, the party's followers began tweeting asking Kejriwal to apologise. Check out some tweets here:

Lies of Kejriwal can divert attention for some time but cannot hide his complete failure wrt to governance in Delhi.#KejriwalSaySorry  Shahnawaz Hussain (@ShahnawazBJP) May 9, 2016

Today I feel truly sorry and sad for Delhi-ites. Poor souls have been taken for a ride on AAP's doles' promises. #KejriwalSaySorry  Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) May 9, 2016

Do you even know what a success is?? Your comment is just like yesterday's pseudoscience analogy!! #KejriwalSaySorry  davinder singh (@davysandhu1) May 9, 2016

SHAME ON YOU KEJRIWAL for deliberately showing a fake degree of some Narendra Kumar to malign PM. #KejriwalSaySorry https://t.co/TGSsA1BApv  Shashank Raikar (@ShashankTweeps) May 9, 2016

Kejiriwal if you and your associates are fake and fraud that doesn't mean everyone else is also like you guys, #KejriwalSaySorry  Balraj Singh Bhathal (@balraj_bhathal) May 9, 2016

Even Sorry will be shamed to come out of your mouth Mr. Kejriwal , Stop saving ur family members in helicopter scam.#KejriwalSaySorry  Abhishek (@abhi_0009) May 9, 2016

#KejriwalSaySorry@ArvindKejriwal not only sorry, Arvind should resign from CM/Party Supremo post for misleading the entire nation.  Suyash Deep Rai (@suyashdeep) May 9, 2016

#KejriwalSaySorry Sad for delhites who got a CM who never cared for the people who voted for him and using Delhi for his political growth  Upma (@upma62) May 9, 2016

Dear AK, if u have seen PM Modi's degree well

Now show your JEE Qualification Certificate

Demand Sonia & Rahul Degree too.#KejriwalSaySorry  RSS (@RSS4India) May 9, 2016

#KejriwalSaySorry Arvind is the dumbest person on Indian Political Hostory. Rather than asking ScamQeenSonia he is running filthy politics  Suyash Deep Rai (@suyashdeep) May 9, 2016

Why are you still so focused on PMs credentials when you arent even able to hold up ur own party @Arvind Kejriwal #KejriwalSaySorry  Raman (@RamanSran22) May 9, 2016
Delhi: In one of the biggest exposes of 2016, it has been revealed that in order to bag tender for biometric facial recognition device, Cryptometrics, a company in Canada, gave kickbacks to officers of Air India.

Biometric facial recognition device is used for recognition of faces of passengers.

In an exclusive report, Zee Media Corp has learnt that on 24 February 2006, Air India had issued a Request for Proposal for the device and the tender for the same given by 20 companies including Canada's Cryptometrics.

Later, it was revealed in order to get the tender, Cryptometrics paid kickbacks to Air India officials through a person named Nazir Karigar.

Nazir is an NRI and a businessman in Canada.

His closeness with Air India officials can be ascertained from the fact that Nazir had the full copy of the tender with him on 28 December 2005 itself. Whereas Air India had issued the tender on 24 February 2006. This essentially means that the businessman had full information about the tender from beforehand.

Meanwhile, in order to keep Cryptometrics ahead in the process of tender, four lakh 50 thousand dollars or approximately three crore rupees was transferred in the Mumbai account of Nazir.

There was a contract for the transaction of the above money. It had been decided that 40 lakh dollars or 26 crore 64 lakh rupees was to be given to then civil aviation minister Praful Patel. It was written in the contract that as the deal moves forward, the kickbacks will also be given accordingly.

However, the contract could not reach its logical conclusion and left behind a few unanswered questions.

(We would like to clarify that just because someone's name is in the papers does not mean that he is hundred percent guilty. But doubts and questions are definitely raised.)

Zee News team has in its possession numerous documents regarding the alleged scam and has studied it thoroughly.

Some of the main characters of the scam are as follows:

- Nazir, who has claimed to have met Patel and delivered him money.

- Air India, with whom the deal was to be finalised and which was worth 10 crore 50 lakh dollars or approximately 698 crore rupees. 30 percent of the deal was to be given allegedly to Patel and Air India officials through Nazir. (The money that was given to Nazir's account resulted in Cryptometrics being selected in the tender process.)

- Another important character of the deal was vice president of Cryptometrics Canada, Robert Bell. There were numerous e mail exchanges between Nazir and Bell.

- Also, former Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafur was director, security of Air India and is said to be an important character of the whole deal.

- Apart from the above, the role of the then CMD Vasudevan Tulsidas also has to be looked at carefully.

- Plus, Captain Mascarenhas' name also figures. He was Air India's deputy director, security then.

One of the most important documents in the whole matter is the verdict of superior court of justice, Ontario.

In this verdict, one NRI Nazir Karigar has been found to be guilty of giving bribes to officials of Air India.

Moreover, in this order, Patel's name has also cropped up. But whether the bribe money reached him or not, is not clear in the verdict.

As per the verdict, Cryptometrics company gave bribes through Nazir so that it could bag tender of supplying facial recognition technology from Air India.

E mails of Bell's was placed before the court in Canada as proof.

As per Bell's statement in court, Nazir had contacted him in June 2005. Nazir apparently told Bell that many officers in Air India know him and that they were looking for face detection software. Later, in September 2005 Nazir and his associate Mehul Shah met Bell in Ottawa, wherein the deal was struck that whatever revenue Cryptometrics will get from Air India, 30 percent of it will be given to Nazir and his men.

Following this, on 19 January 2006 Air India's director security Gafur and his associated Mascarenhas visited office of Cryptometrics company in Canada. This means that they made the trip before the tender was released by Air India.

Then on Nazir's request, Cryptometrics formed a new company in India named 'Cryptometrics India'. Nazir was made its executive director.

It has been further revealed that on 16 April 2006, there was meeting in Mumbai in which Bell and Nazir decided as to which Air India officials would be given how many shares.

As per the plan, Cryptometrics had been shortlisted by 3 August 2006.

It has been revealed by the tender committee note of 12 September 2006 that only 2 companies were shortlisted from 20 companies. There were - IPCON, Canada and Cryptometrics Canada.

To be noted is the fact that IPCON, Canada was Nazir's company only and was used by him to apply for tender so that a single bidder situation does not arise.

However, it is written in the court order that it was not confirmed whether the bribe money was delivered to Air India officials from Nazir's account or not.

Meanwhile, Cryptometrics was putting pressure on Nazir to quickly seal the deal or return the money. The company had started looking for a new middleman.

On the other hand, in a written clarification sent to Zee News, Praful Patel has said that the allegations against him were baseless because the deal was never finalised and the tender was terminated.

He also said that such tenders are looked at by Air India and the ministry is not sent such files.
Srinagar: The annual Amarnarh Yatra to the Himalayan Hindu cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir will begin on July 2 and conclude on August 24, it was announced here on Monday.

The schedule and arrangements for this year's pilgrimage were discussed in a meeting, chaired by Governor NN Vohra, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) at the Raj Bhavan here on Monday.

Announcing the schedule after the meeting, SASB CEO PK Tripathi said that 7,500 yatris per day are permitted to undertake the yatra along each of the two routes, via Baltal and Pahalgam.

It was also informed that, based on the weather conditions, the access control gates at Domel and Chandanwari will be closed at 11 a.m. every day, after which no pilgrim will be allowed to proceed on the tracks. He said the pilgrims must avoid staying at the shrine for the night as the temperature drops sharply after sunset.

Accordingly, the pilgrims will not be allowed to proceed beyond Panjtarni Camp after 3 pm every day.

Tripathi said the advance registration which commenced on February 29 through 432 bank branches of Punjab National Bank, J&K Bank and YES Bank spread over the country is proceeding smoothly and, as of now, 143,462 people have enrolled.

The list of bank branches authorised to undertake advance registration is available on the shrine board's website www. shriamarnathjishrine.com, which has also procedure and guidelines for securing advance registration, group registration and registration of pilgrims from outside the country.

Tripathi again appealed to all the intending pilgrims to obtain advance registration, in their own interest, to avoid inconvenience in undertaking the yatra and stressed the need to obtain compulsory health certificate (CHC) from the authorised government doctors or the designated medical institutes. The statewise list of authorised doctors is also available on the website.

He further informed that in order to educate, inform and familiarise the intending Yatris regarding the do's and don't's and health advisory, the board has got these printed as pocket booklets which are being provided free of cost to each pilgrim at the time of registration through the various bank branches.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday started functioning from the summer capital here after shifting from winter capital as part of the pre-independence bi-annual Darbar Move practice.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was accorded a guard of honour in Srinagar.

Raj Bhavan, Civil Secretariat and other offices were closed in Jammu on April 29 and reopened here on Monday.

The government would function in the summer capital till late October and then move to Jammu, the winter capital of the state, in the first week of November.

The government functioning for six months in winter capital Jammu and then shifting for the summer to Srinagar has long been referred to as `Darbar move`, a tradition started by the Dogra monarch maharaja Gulab Singh.

`Darbar` means royal court.

Since being sworn in on April 4, Mufti operated from Jammu. She now shifts to the civil secretariat here which also houses the offices of her ministerial colleagues and top bureaucrats.

`Darbar move` has often been criticised for its monarchical orginis and expenditure of crores of rupees of public money in shifting the seat of government.

The tradition, however, has got so much entrenched that any suggestion to dispense with it is immediately labelled as regional or parochial.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government is all set to start functioning from the summer capital here from Monday after shifting from winter capital as part of the pre-independence bi-annual Darbar Move practice.

Raj Bhavan, Civil Secretariat and other offices were closed in Jammu on April 29 and are scheduled to reopen here on Monday as per the 'darbar move', a century-old practice under which government functions six month each in the two capitals of the state.

The government would function in the summer capital till late October and then move to Jammu, the winter capital of the state, in the first week of November.

Authorities have made all necessary arrangements, including security, to ensure smooth functioning of the offices in the Kashmir Valley.

Security agencies in the Valley have made arrangements for re-opening of Civil Secretariat and other Darbar Move offices in the summer capital.

"We have taken all necessary steps to ensure the security of the Civil Secretariat and other Darbar Move offices. We have discussed measures relating to security, traffic and deployment of personnel by different wings of Jammu and Kashmir Police and other security forces with regard to the Darbar Move," a security official said.

He said law and order situation in the Valley is fully under control and police and other security agencies have taken all measures to ensure that peaceful atmosphere prevails.

He said Director General of Police (DGP) K Rajendra Kumar chaired a high-level security meeting on May 5 to take stock of security, traffic and law and order arrangements ahead of Darbar Move.

He called for greater coordination among all law enforcing agencies to ensure security and law and order in summer capital and other parts of the valley during the summer season.

Every year, the city gets a face-lift on the eve of re-opening of Civil Secretariat and other move offices.

Besides, the government offices and quarters have been renovated and the street lights restored.

The roads around and leading to the Civil Secretariat are being renovated, with labourers busy cleaning the pathways and painting the roadsides, officials said.

On the reopening of offices, work will begin from 9.30 am to 5 pm at the Civil Secretariat, they said, adding that for other departments located outside the Secretariat, work will begin from 10 am to 4 pm.
Srinaga: Offering a clarification amid the ongoing Sainik colony controversy, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday asserted that no such land had been allotted by state government in the matter and called on her predecessor Omar Abdullah to stop from stirring trouble by indulging in rumour-mongering.

"First of all, no such land has been allotted in the matter and secondly, the demand has been made by the soldiers who belong from Jammu and Kashmir. But until today the government has never allotted any land to them," Mufti told reporters here.

Asserting that Omar was repeating his mistake of churning up old facts and presenting them as new developments, she added that he should not indulge in spreading such rumours right ahead of a busy tourist season."He should not indulge in such activities. Why is he stirring up trouble now and spreading rumours when it is tourist season? I appeal to the people not to fall for such rumours," Mufti added.

Earlier, Omar Abdullah has said the glaring contradiction of the PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir on the proposal, which is in violation of Article 370, has given rise to apprehensions about their underlying political motive."Considering their record of over the past one year, the people have serious apprehensions. It could be a ruse to settle non-state subjects in Kashmir and hence bypass Article 370," he said while addressing his party workers in Baramulla district.

According to reports, the Kashmiri separatists have threatened to stage a mass agitation if land is allotted for setting up residential colonies for the armed forces personnel. They are of the view that any such move would be seen as a deliberate attempt on the Mehbooba Mufti-led government`s part to change the state`s demography.

A day after media reported that the Jammu and Kashmir Government has fast-tracked identification of land for setting up residential colonies for the armed forces, Education Minister Naeem Akhtar claimed they have no plan to allot land for the purpose.

In April 2015, the Rajya Sainik Board (RSB), headed by Governor N N Vohra, approved establishment of a Sainik Colony in Srinagar close to the old airport.In a note to the Home department, the RSB said 173 kanals (21.6 acres) of land had been identified for the Sainik Colony and approval had been sought from then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
Belgaum: Long before the concept of people's participation in decision took root in Europe, an Indian saint had built the world's first Parliament, that also gave equal representation to women.

The saint philosopher was Basaveshwara, who birth anniversary is being celebrated as Basava Jayanti across Karnataka and parts of Maharashtra today.

The 12th-century social reformer was the founding saint of the Lingayat-Shaivism sect of Hinduism.

His message found expression in the form of Vachanas that define a new way of looking at God and life.

Basava staunchly believed in a caste-less society where each individual had equal opportunity to rise up in life.

To give force to the noble mission, Basava conceptualised Anubhava Mantapa  an academy of mystics, saints and philosophers of the Lingayata faith and acted as the fountainhead of thoughts on common human values and ethics.

Presided over another great mystic Allama Prabhu, the Anubhava Mantapa also had numerous Sharanas  people from the lower strata of society  as participants.

Basavanna himself joined as a participant in the Anubhava Mantapa with other greats like Akka Mahadevi and Channabasavanna.

The Anubhava Mantapa played a pivotal role in changing the course of discourse in the caste-ridden Medieval Karnataka.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala 12th Results 2016, which were earlier scheduled to be announced on Monday (May 09, 2016) have now been reportedly postponed.

The Department of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) Kerala, is likely to announce the result of Kerala board class 12th (+2) result for the year 2016 on either May 10, 2016 or May 11, 2016.

Students can log on to keralaresults.nic.in or results.kerala.nic.in to check DHSE 12th Result 2016.

About the Board:

The Kerala Higher Secondary Examination (HSE) 2016 was held from 09 March, 2016 to March 29, 2016 with Malayalam language as its first paper. A total of 4,60,743 students had appeared for the examination.

The Board was formed in 1990 to reorganise secondary and collegiate education in Kerala.

Here's how you can check Kerala Plus two Results 2016:

1. Visit the official website: keralaresults.nic.in or results.kerala.nic.in

2. Fill in the details like roll number, name, mobile number, and e-mail ID.

3. Click on 'Submit' and get your result.

4. Now download or take printout for future reference.

Zee Media wishes students all the best!
Mumbai: After a Shiv Sena politician, a leader associated with the Congress party has now added to the controversy apropos of women's entry into the famous Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai.

Nizamuddin Rayeen has hailed the ban on women in the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah.

The chief of Mumbai Congress Minority Cell also lashed out at activists for seeking "an equal right to pray".

"The whole activism around the Haji Ali Dargah is being projected as gender discrimination, which is a wrong narrative. It is a religious matter. Why should others, such as Trupti Desai, be bothered about it," opined Rayeen.

"It is under the purview of the dargah management, whom they allow in the premises and till what line. They have every right to do that," Rayeen told DNA.

"If the activists really have faith in Haji Ali, they can pray outside the shrine or even sitting at home. Mann changa toh kathoti mein Ganga. They are creating a fuss only to malign the name of such a prestigious religious place," said the Congress leader.

When reminded that women were permitted in Ajmer and Deva Sharif dargahs, Rayeen said, "Once allowed inside, these activists would then want to do a kirtan in the dargah. There is no limit to freedom."

"Islam prohibits consumption of alcohol but many Muslims drink. This doesn't mean that prohibition should be scrapped."

On April 28, high drama and pandemonium prevailed as Bhumata Brigade president Trupti Desai and her band of around 50 women supporters tried to enter the dargah in Mumbai. However, their attempt was foiled by police, who were present in large numbers, and supporters of political parties like the Samajwadi Party, All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Awami Party and other Muslim social and religious organisations.

Earlier, Shiv Sena's Muslim leader Haji Arfat Shaikh threatened to welcome Desai with 'chappals' if she tried to enter the dargah, while AIMIM leaders warned of blackening her face.
New Delhi: Twitter Inc in a major move has decided to block US intelligence agencies from accessing Dataminr, that sends real time alerts about the unfolding terrors and political unrest, according to the reports of the Wall Street Journal.

Twitter owns 5% stake in Dataminr, the only company it authorizes both to access its entire real-time stream of public tweets and sell it to clients.

Dataminr disclosed this on its website where it clearly told intelligence agencies that Twitter no longer wants to provide service to them.

Twitter's justified this move by stating that it's a company policy under which they can ban any third-party companies from selling information to the government agencies for the purpose of surveillance.

The social media giant also clarified that this move will not affect Dataminr service to financial industry, news media, or any other client outside intelligence media.
Zee News Bureau

New Delhi: If you are a techno geek or someone who keep a close eye on latest technological developments then then here's a bonanza offer for you!

NASA has recently releases 56 patents which are now available for unrestricted public use.

Along with this the space giant also launched searchable database to systemize thousands of expired NASA patents already in public domain. These database will help you download the technologies.

This scientific step is expected to benefit many private space technology companies like Bigelow Aerospace Space X, RedWorks whose findings are inspired by NASA researches.

By releasing this collection into the public domain, we are encouraging entrepreneurs to explore new ways to commercialize NASA technologies. said Daniel Lockney, NASAs Technology Transfer program executive.

The new database named NASA Patent Portfolio showcases technologies developed for 15 different areas like aeronautics, communication, electrical/electronics, environment, medicine and biotechnology, It and software, instrumentation, manufacturing, materials and coatings, mechanical and fluid systems, optics, power generation and storage, propulsion, robotics and sensors.

Earlier also NASA has permitted small businesses to use its expired patents for free but it's the first ever the American space agency is allowing even the ordinary mass to access its collection of patents.
Kabul: Unidentified assailants abducted 15 coal miners from Afghanistan`s Baghlan province, an official said on Monday.

"A group of unidentified assailants stormed the office of the coal miners in Karkar area n Sunday and after destroying office items, they took the 15 miners," the official said.

The assailants also took away 11 vehicles, Xinhua news agency reported.

Spokesman for Baghlan provincial government Mahmoud Hakmal confirmed the incident and without providing further details, said "Efforts and search operations are underway to locate and ensure safe release of the abductees."
New Delhi: NASA has tweeted out a beautiful image of barred spiral galaxy NGC 4394 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hubble spies barred spiral galaxy situated about 55 million light-years from Earth.https://t.co/DzEn6Fp9oy pic.twitter.com/wCu8MAyI2z  Hubble (@NASA_Hubble) May 6, 2016

Discovered in 1784 by the German-British astronomer William Herschel, NGC 4394 is situated about 55 million light-years from Earth. The galaxy lies in the constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair) and is considered to be a member of the Virgo Cluster.

At the center of NGC 4394 lies a region of ionized gas known as a low-ionization nuclear emission-line region (LINER). LINERs are active regions that display a characteristic set of emission lines in their spectra - mostly from weakly ionized atoms of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur, explains NASA.

The observatory, which is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long - the length of a large school bus, is the observatory, is the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. Hubble has made more than 1.2 million observations since its mission began in 1990.
Chandigarh: In a new twist, police on Sunday claimed that Chandigarh's biggest-ever "heist" of Rs 14 crore at a jewellery shop located in the main commercial complex here was a story "concocted" by the store's owners.

According to police, the heist was planned to claim insurance amount.

The owners were booked on Saturday after "confessional statement" of the store manager.

Sector 17's Station House Officer Uday Pal Singh yesterday claimed that shop owners, Vinod Verma and Rajnish Verma, had concocted the robbery story to claim insurance amount of Rs 10 crore.

"The manager of the Forever Diamonds in Sector 17 has disclosed in his statement that the shop owners Vinod and Rajnish had concocted the robbery story to claim insurance.

"Subsequently, we have booked both the owners for cheating, forgery and destruction of evidence," Singh said.

He further said that on the basis of fresh evidence which has come to fore in the case, the police have removed sections of robbery from the FIR and added fresh sections like cheating and forgery.

Asked if the two owners had been arrested, the SHO said, "We had called them for investigations. But one of them said he was unwell and in hospital while the other one has suddenly gone somewhere. We will take next step as per law".

He said the police had recorded the statement of the manager Ajay.

The shop owners, Vinod Verma and Rajnish Verma, had earlier told the police that they were at the shop along with an employee Ajay when the robbers arrived.

They had told the police they did not suspect anything when the accused came as one of them had ordered a diamond ring worth Rs 3 lakh a day before the robbery on April 30.

(With PTI inputs)
Nainital: In a major boost to the Congress party ahead of the floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly, the Nainital High Court on Monday dismissed the petition of nine rebel MLAs seeking to vote in the confidence motion scheduled for Tuesday.

The high court ruling implies that these rebel Congress MLAs will not be able to vote in the floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow.

The order was passed by Justice UC Dhyani after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and senior advocate Amit Sibal, counsel for Congress Chief Whip Indira Hridayesh, concluded their arguments, stressing on the legitimacy of the disqualification.

The High Court dismissed MLAs' plea stating that there is no need of interference within Speaker's action, Amit Sibal, counsel for Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker said.

A visibly relaxed former chief minister Harish Rawat said, ''We are grateful to the HC, welcome its order.''

We are confident of getting justice, he added. I'm confident the people who stood with me in time of crisis, stood with Congress in last 4 years, will support us, he said.

Meanwhile, big celebrations have erupted outside Harish Rawat's residence after the high court dismissed rebel MLAs plea challenging their disqualification.

However, the 9 Rebel Congress MLAs have moved the apex court for urgent hearing against Uttarakhand HC's order dismissing their plea which challenged their disqualification.

Supreme Court is likely to hear their plea at 2 pm. After the Uttarakhand HC order, Speaker has also filed a caveat in the SC, demanding that if this order is challenged in apex court, he must be heard.

The Uttarakhand High Court had on Saturday reserved its verdict on the nine disqualified rebel Congress MLAs till today.

The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10,

The apex court had directed that the nine rebel Congress MLAs, who have challenged their disqualification by the Speaker in the High Court, will not participate in the floor test "if they have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence.

With the top court order, the effective strength of the House will be reduced from 70 to 61 in which any party mustering the support of 31 MLAs will have the majority.

The rebel Congress MLAs had sided with BJP to demand a division of votes on the Appropriation Bill in the state Assembly.

Uttarakhand was plunged into political uncertainty after nine Congress legislators, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, whom Harish Rawat replaced, revolted and turned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The crisis peaked on March 18 when the assembly passed the Appropriation Bill by voice vote even as the opposition sought recorded voting. Speaker Govind Kunjwal declined the request, leading the BJP to cry foul.

Rawat was then asked by Governor KK Paul to prove his majority on March 28 but a day before that the central government ousted his government by imposing President's Rule. Rawat immediately went to court.

The Uttarakhand High Court by its April 21 verdict had quashed the President's Rule.Uttarakhand was plunged into political uncertainty after nine Congress legislators, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, whom Harish Rawat replaced, revolted and turned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The crisis peaked on March 18 when the assembly passed the Appropriation Bill by voice vote even as the opposition sought recorded voting. Speaker Govind Kunjwal declined the request, leading the BJP to cry foul.

Rawat was then asked by Governor KK Paul to prove his majority on March 28 but a day before that the central government ousted his government by imposing President's Rule. Rawat immediately went to court.

The Uttarakhand High Court by its April 21 verdict had quashed the President's Rule.
New Delhi: In a big relief for former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the petition of the nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification from the State Assembly.

The apex court, while maintaining that the disqualified MLAs won't be allowed to participate in the floor test due on Tuesday, also posted the matter for next hearing on July 12.

The ruling holds significance as the Uttarakhand Assembly will witness a floor test tomorrow under the strict guidelines of the Supreme Court to find out if Rawat enjoys the confidence of the House or not.

The Supreme Court had this morning agreed to hear a plea by nine disqualified Uttarakhand MLAs who had challenged their disqualification from the State Assembly.

The MLAs moved the Supreme Court minutes after the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed a similar plea from them earlier in the day.

Dismissing the petition, the single judge Nainital High Court bench of Justice UC Dhyani advised the MLAs to go back to state Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and request a review of his action if they so wished.

The judgement by the high court was seen as a blow for the BJP as it would have made its task difficult in the confidence vote that will be sought on Tuesday by former chief minister Harish Rawat.

Now that the nine MLAs remain disqualified after the SC ruling, the BJP is left with only 28 MLAs, including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is reportedly in doubt. Although suspended by the BJP, Arya continues to represent it in the House.

In addition, the disqualification of rebel MLAs will now give Rawat an advantage in the floor test which will be held in the Assembly with an effective strength of 62. To win a majority, 31 MLAs are required.

The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered that a floor test be conducted in the Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10.

Rawat was chief minister of Uttarakhand till the BJP-led Centre imposed President's Rule in the state on March 27.
Dehradun: Uttarakhand High Court will on Monday pronounce its judgement on the petition challenging disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs.

The high court had on Saturday reserved its judgement for today. The HC is expected to pronounce its verdict at 10 am on May 9.

"The hearing has been concluded. I will pronounce the judgement at 10.15 AM on May 9," Justice UC Dhyani said in brief remarks counsel at the conclusion of nearly three hours of arguments on both sides.

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10,

If these MLAs are allowed to vote, former chief minister Harish Rawat's fate in the 70-member Assembly may be sealed.

The apex court directed that the nine rebel Congress MLAs, who have challenged their disqualification by the Speaker in the High Court, will not participate in the floor test "if they have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence.

With the top court order, the effective strength of the House will be reduced from 70 to 61 in which any party mustering the support of 31 MLAs will have the majority.

Supreme Court orders Uttarakhand floor test on May 10, proceedings to be videographed

The rebel Congress MLAs had sided with BJP to demand a division of votes on the Appropriation Bill in the state Assembly.

Uttarakhand was plunged into political uncertainty after nine Congress legislators, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, whom Harish Rawat replaced, revolted and turned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The crisis peaked on March 18 when the assembly passed the Appropriation Bill by voice vote even as the opposition sought recorded voting. Speaker Govind Kunjwal declined the request, leading the BJP to cry foul.

Rawat was then asked by Governor KK Paul to prove his majority on March 28 but a day before that the central government ousted his government by imposing President's Rule. Rawat immediately went to court.

Uttarakhand crisis: After CBI summon, Harish Rawat says will cooperate, adds 'Public is ultimate master'

The Uttarakhand High Court by its April 21 verdict had quashed the President's rule.
New Delhi/Nainital: As the Uttarakhand political crisis is getting murkier by each passing day, ousted chief minister Harish Rawat announced on Monday that he will step down if Congress do not win majority in the floor test in the state assembly tomorrow.

Notably, in a major blow to the BJP-led Centre, the Supreme Court in an interim order today refused to allow the nine rebel Uttarakhand Congress MLAs to participate in the trust vote.

The apex court, which also maintained that voting in floor test shall take place tomorrow as directed, will hear the matter next on July 12.

The nine rebel Congress MLAs had earlier approached the apex court for an urgent hearing against the Uttarakhand High Court's order dismissing their plea which challenged their disqualification.

The rebel MLAs moved the apex court this morning after Justice UC Dhyani of the Uttarakhand High Court pronounced his order dismissing their petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision to disqualify them.

The nine Congress MLAs had stood against their party on March 18 and supported the BJP by asking for a division of votes on the Appropriation Bill, after which the Speaker had disqualified them.

Earlier, the apex court had said the disqualified MLAs would not be able to cast their vote as long as their disqualification remained.

Excluding the nine disqualified Congress 'rebel' MLAs, the floor test will involve 27 Congress MLAs, 28 BJP MLAs, six PDF members and one nominated member.

The total members to vote being 62, Harish Rawat will need 32 votes to be reinstated as the chief minister of Uttarakhand.

(With Agency inputs)
Kolkata: Deriding left-leaning students for turning Jadavpur University into a "hub of anti-national activities", the RSS students' wing ABVP on Monday took out a protest rally outside the varsity.

Addressing the rally, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishads' (ABVP) West Bengal secretary Subir Halder threatened to "chop off" the legs of Leftist students.

"The leftists have turned the university into a den of anti-national activities. We will not allow these antinational activities here. These Leftists, if they dare to venture out of the university, we will chop off their legs," he said.

Carrying the Indian tricolour and shouting slogans, ABVP and BJP activists took out the rally from Gol Park till the Jadavpur police station.

Halder also said the ABVP will be staging protest rallies across the state against "growing antinationalism in educational institutions".

With the rally coming days after the screening of Vivek Agnihotri's controversial "Buddha in a Traffic Jam" triggered clashes and caused tension in the campus on Friday, police took no chances and fortified the varsity putting up barricades at the entrances.

There was also scuffle between the protestors and police after they tried to break the barricades and enter the university.

Police declared the assembly to be unlawful and repeatedly urged the protestors to go back and not to break the barricades.

A section of students and faculty members also staged demonstration inside the campus against the ABVP's bid to "saffronise" the varsity.

"We have seen how in the name of screening a movie the ABVP activists indulged in molesting students. We all have gathered here to resists their evil designs. We are here to resist the fascist outfits like the ABVP and the BJP," said one of the varsity students.

"We have joined our students to prevent any kind of untoward incident like it happened on Friday," said a faculty member.

On Saturday, a section of varsity students, led by the Left-backed Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU), took out a protest march demanding arrest of ABVP supporters and a campus free of "BJP-RSS-ABVP terror".

Besides Governor KN Tripathi seeking a report from Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das over the issue of the clashes and commotion over an open-air screening of Agnihotri's film on Friday, the varsity authorities have lodged a police complaint against outsiders, including three ABVP activists, for allegedly molesting female students during the event.
Kolkata: A jawan of border guarding force SSB, deployed for election duties in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, today allegedly committed suicide after shooting himself from his service rifle.

Officials said the incident occurred early in the morning when constable Sonu K Rathore fired two rounds on himself from his INSAS rifle at a forces' camp duty area in the district.

They said Rathore's unit, Sashastra Seema Bal's 38th battalion, was on election duty in Cooch Behar.

Local police officials and senior SSB officers reached the spot. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to go into the reasons as to why Rathore took the extreme step, officials said.

Rathore, a resident of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh, joined SSB in 2012. The force is tasked to guard Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
Brussels: Belgium on Monday began the trial of seven alleged jihadists accused of links to the terror cell behind the Paris and Brussels attacks.

The men were arrested after a deadly raid in the Belgian town of Verviers in January 2015 which exposed an alleged plan to kill police officers.

A further nine people who are still at large are being tried in their absence by the court in Brussels.

Police believe Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of November`s Paris attacks, was giving orders to the Verviers cell by phone from Greece.

Abaaoud, who was killed in a shootout in Paris days after the attacks, also had close links to the cell behind the March 22 Brussels airport and metro attacks.

French President Francois Hollande has said the same terror cell was behind the Paris massacre, in which gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people, and the Brussels attacks in which 32 people died.

Both attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

"The theory in which Verviers is at the heart of the Paris attacks" is among those being probed by French legal authorities, a source close to the investigation told the French newspaper Le Monde.

The main suspect at the trial of the Verviers cell is Marouane El Bali, who is accused of attempted murder for firing at police during the gunfight, during which two suspected jihadists were killed.

He denies the charges.

"He was a small player and was absolutely not aware of any planned attacks," his lawyer Sebastien Courtoy told Belga news agency.

Belgian police said at the time the cell was planning to kill and kidnap police officers under orders from Islamic State.

Killed in the raid were Sofiane Amghar and Khalid Ben Larbi who went to Syria to join Islamic State in April 2014. The two then slipped back into Belgium to the Verviers hideout which is about 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Brussels.

The raid on Verviers also occurred just two weeks after a set of jihadist attacks in Paris against the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper and a Jewish supermarket that left 17 people dead.
Brasilia: The impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was thrown into confusion on Monday when the acting speaker of the lower house of Congress annulled an April vote by lawmakers that launched the process.

Just days before the Senate seemed near-certain to suspend Rousseff for six months and open an impeachment trial, the new leader of the lower house threw a spanner in the works -- dramatically ramping up the instability gripping Latin America's biggest country.

Waldir Maranhao, the interim speaker, ordered that a new vote in the lower house should take place on whether to impeach Rousseff in the coming days, following five official sessions in the chamber.

The cancellation of the lower house vote was ordered in response to a request by Rousseff's solicitor general, who had challenged its legitimacy.

Maranhao said the original vote by lower house deputies had "prejudged" Rousseff and denied her "the right to a full defense."

However, it was not immediately clear how the chaotic new development would play out.

The Senate had been due to start its own voting process on Wednesday, with a majority expected to back suspension of Rousseff. Once suspended, she would face a trial lasting months, with a two-thirds majority needed eventually to eject her from office.

Early signs were that the Senate would ignore Maranhao's order, possibly prompting a decisive battle in the Supreme Court.

The head of the chamber's impeachment committee, Raimundo Lira, said that the vote would go ahead as planned, regardless of Maranhao's intervention.

However there was no immediate word from the powerful Senate president, Renan Calheiros, who was reported to be meeting with party leaders.

A delighted-looking Rousseff interrupted a speech to supporters to say that she'd just got unconfirmed news of the impeachment drive hitting a roadblock.

"I don't know the consequences. Please be cautious," she said, calling on her backers to "defend democracy."

The impeachment battle has taken so many unexpected twists that Brazilians refer to it as a real-life version of the Netflix political drama "House of Cards."

Rousseff, from the leftist Workers' Party, is accused of illegally manipulating government budget accounts during her 2014 re-election battle to mask the seriousness of economic problems. But she says the process has been twisted into a coup by right-wingers in the second year of her second term.

Her removal had been looking increasingly certain after the lower house voted in mid-April by an overwhelming majority to send her case to the Senate for trial.

In the Senate, around 50 of the 81 senators have said they planned to vote in favor of an impeachment trial, well over the simple majority needed to open the process.

The vote result had been expected on Thursday, followed shortly afterwards by Rousseff's departure from the presidential offices. Ministers have reportedly already been clearing their desks.

Adding to the confusion, Maranhao, the man at the center of the latest episode, is little-known to most Brazilians.
Tehran: Iran`s Foreign Ministry on Monday said the recent killing of Iranian military advisers in Syria shows that militants fighting the Syrian government are not committed to the ceasefire.

"In recent developments, some of Iranian military advisers to Syria were martyred. This is the sign of lack of precise mechanisms for the fulfilment of the ceasefire," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari told reporters.

On Saturday, Iran`s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said 13 of its military advisers had been killed in Syrian clashes in the town of Khan Tuman, south of the Syrian province of Aleppo, reported Xinhua news agency.

In a statement, the IRGC said that 21 other Iranians were also wounded in the clashes.

A party to the truce is the Syrian government that is accountable for its commitments, the Iranian spokesman said.

However, he added, the Syrian opposition is not homogeneous and that some groups are terrorists who control parts of Syrian territory.

The terrorist groups are not bound with any international agreement and are seeking their own interests by creating crisis, Ansari told a weekly press briefing.

If any ceasefire in Syria can serve as a means for the terrorists to gather their forces, then it will be endangered and the peace process will be hindered, he added.

Rebels from the Nusra Front, branded as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, attacked the town of Khan Tuman in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday and Friday, succeeding eventually in taking control of the town.

Aleppo, Syria`s second largest city and once an economic hub, has been carved out between the government in the western part of the city and the rebels in the east.

Iran, a major regional ally of the Syrian government in its fight against the militant groups, earlier announced the presence of its military advisers in Syria.
London: Londons newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, on Sunday compared Prime Minister David Cameron and mayoral opponent Zac Goldsmith to Donald Trump over their nasty election campaign.

Khan, the candidate for Jeremy Corbyns anti-austerity Labour Party, accused both Conservative politicians of attempting to turn ethnic communities against each other and using tactics straight out of the Donald Trump playbook, the Guardian reports.

Khan, who was officially sworn into his new post on Saturday, was apparently referencing Trumps controversial anti-Muslim comments in an article he wrote for Sundays Observer newspaper.

Khan, who is Muslim, says he hoped the mayoral campaign would focus on issues surrounding housing, transport and air pollution.

Instead, he said Cameron and Goldsmith attempted to win votes by dividing communities.

They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other - something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope its something the Conservative Party will never try to repeat, he wrote.

Khan earlier criticized the Conservatives of running a really nasty campaign in their bid to hold on to the London mayors post, held by Boris Johnson since 2008.

Cameron has yet to congratulate Khan on his electoral win, or even publicly acknowledge it.

The new mayors comments echo criticism from senior Tories who broke away from their own partys position to condemn the Conservative London campaign as divisive.

I was disgusted with the tone of (Goldsmiths) campaign and his repeated, and risible, attempts to smear Sadiq Khan and paint (him) as a closet extremist, wrote Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, Mohammed Amin.

Cameron was accused of making racist comments about Khan for saying he shared a platform with extremists who support IS during Prime Ministers Questions ahead of the London vote.
Pyongyang: North Korea on Monday wrapped up its first ruling party congress for 36 years -- an event seen as a formal coronation for leader Kim Jong-Un , who was appointed to the post of party chairman.

Thousands of delegates clapped and cheered enthusiastically as the country`s official head of state, Kim Yong-Nam, announced the new title which cements Kim`s status as the isolated state`s supreme ruler.

For the first time since they arrived last week, foreign journalists were allowed a rare glimpse inside the delegate hall, which was festooned in red and gold banners carrying the party`s logo.

Serious-looking men, and the occasional woman, dressed in sombre suits and servicemen weighed down by chests-full of medals filled row after row of red seats in the cavernous hall.

The congress, which opened on Friday, has given 33-year-old Kim a podium to secure his status as rightful inheritor of the one-party state founded by his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, who also held the title of party chairman.

"Kim`s new position makes it very clear that the whole party meeting is only aimed at solidifying his legitimacy as the new leader," said Koh Young-Hwan, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 1991.

Koh, who is now vice head of the South`s state-run Institute for National Security Strategy, said the rarity of the party congress conferred real authority on the new role.

"All past leaders of the party were named at a party congress... so this was a perfect coronation," he told AFP in Seoul.Around 130 foreign reporters were invited to cover the congress, although their movement was tightly controlled, and their only access to the event came on the last day.

The authorities announced Monday that they were expelling a BBC journalist, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, for "speaking very ill of the system and the leadership" in his reports.

He had initially been detained on Friday and questioned for eight hours.

"We are never going to allow him back into the country for any reporting," said an official with the North`s National Peace Committee.

As well as raising Kim to the post of party chairman, the congress formally endorsed his legacy "byungjin" doctrine of twin economic and nuclear development.

Delegates on Sunday unanimously adopted Kim`s working report on the party, which stressed the need to strengthen the North`s nuclear arsenal "both in quality and quantity".

North Korea has carried out two of its four nuclear tests under Kim`s leadership, most recently in January when it claimed to have tried out a powerful hydrogen bomb -- a claim experts have disputed.

There has been growing concern that Pyongyang may be on the verge of conducting a fifth test, with satellite imagery showing activity at the North`s Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

The congress also enshrined a policy of not using nuclear weapons unless the country is attacked by another nuclear power, and of working towards reunification of the divided Korean peninsula."But if the South Korean authorities opt for a war... we will turn out in the just war to mercilessly wipe out the anti-reunification forces," said the report adopted by the North Korean delegates.

Kim was not even born when the last party congress was held in 1980 to crown his father, Kim Jong-Il, as the heir apparent to founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

When his own turn came, following the death of Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, the new young leader quickly set about shoring up his power base.

One of his earliest moves was to adjust his father`s "songun", or military first policy, to the "byungjin" policy of economic-nuclear development.

The nuclear half of that strategy had dominated the run-up to the party congress, starting with a fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch a month later.

Some observers had predicted the congress might switch the focus to the economic side of the equation, and Kim did unveil a five-year economic plan -- the first of its kind for decades.

But it was short on detail beyond general ambitions to boost production across all economic sectors, with a particular focus on energy output.
Rome: Late Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's youngest son has urged Muslims to liberate the holy city of Jerusalem in an audio message, US terrorist-tracking organisation SITE tweeted on Monday.

"Jerusalem is a bride whose blood is our dowry," Hamza bin Laden purportedly says in the online message, quoted by SITE.

"The fight to free Jerusalem is a battle between faith and unbelief that requires the unity of the Ummah (the Muslim community)," SITE quotes the message as continuing.

Believed to be 23 or 24 years old, Hamza bin Laden has been touted as a future leader of the terror network.

"The liberation of Palestinian land has been brought much closer by the Syrian revolution," says the message, which SITE's director Rita Katz claims was recorded about five months ago.

The message was released a day after al Qaeda leader, the Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahiri allegedly urged rival militant groups in Syria to unite or risk death in an audio recording posted to the Internet.

In the audiotape, Zawahiri allegedly lent his support to the al Qaeda affiliated Al Nusra Front's plan to create a sovereign state in Syria that would rival the self-declared caliphate of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Zawahiri become al Qaeda's leader in June 2011, a few weeks after Osama bin Laden was killed in a raid on his compound in Pakistan by US special forces.

It is believed that Hamza bin Laden managed to escape from the compound during the raid by US navy seals. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Al Qaeda released a message in August, purportedly from Hamza bin Laden calling for Jihad against America and its allies. It specifically suggests London, Washington, Paris and Tel Aviv as targets for attacks.

He is believed to have taken part in attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan as early as in 2005.
Dubai: Iran successfully tested a medium-range ballistic missile two weeks ago, a senior military planning official was quoted as saying by the Tasnim news agency on Monday.

"We tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) and eight metres error margin two weeks ago. An eight-metre error margin means ...full accuracy," Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi as saying.
Kuwait City: The UN special envoy to Yemen on Monday urged the country`s warring parties to make concessions to save peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war.

The appeal by Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed came after face-to-face talks broke off with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels protesting about air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

After holding several separate meetings with each delegation, Ould Cheikh Ahmed called on the two sides to "make concessions in order to strike a comprehensive peaceful solution" to end Yemen`s deadly conflict.

"The participants in the Kuwait negotiations must reflect the aspirations of the Yemeni people. I am confident that Yemenis want an end to the conflict," he said in a statement.

All direct meetings scheduled for Sunday were called off, but the UN envoy said new talks are scheduled for Monday and appealed for cooperation.

The two delegations also met with Kuwait`s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah and ambassadors of the 18 mostly Western countries backing the talks in a bid to bring the Yemeni foes back to the negotiating table.

Yemen`s foreign minister said the talks which began on April 21 made no headway.

"For the sake of peace, we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress," said Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.

"But after three weeks, we have nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments," Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter.

The rebels issued a strong protest to the UN envoy over alleged air raids Sunday by Saudi-led Arab coalition that they said left several people dead, according to a source close to their delegation.

There was no immediate confirmation of the reported air strikes.

The rebels and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014.

The talks, which come after two failed attempts in June and December last year in Switzerland, are based on UN Security Council resolution which orders the rebels to withdraw and surrender heavy weaponry they had seized.

There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.

oh/dv
Toronto: Authorities battling a forest fire in Canada looked to Mother Nature for more help Monday, as cooling temperatures and rain slowed the spread of the blaze that had forced the evacuation of an entire city.

There was more good news too, with the amount of land charred less than originally feared and the last of 25,000 people trapped north of Fort McMurray in Alberta province safely evacuated in road convoys through the ruined oil city.

Oil facilities have escaped major damage, officials said, and there have been no fatalities directly linked to the blaze.

Alberta premier Rachel Notley and other officials said the fires raging for days around Fort McMurray were moving "much, much more slowly" thanks to a bit of rain and cooler temperatures.

Authorities had worried the fire could spread east to Saskatchewan province, but Notley said that had not happened yet.

The fire`s eastern edge was 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Saskatchewan and estimates of the area destroyed were lowered from 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles) to about 1,600 square kilometers.

The ruthless blaze, fanned by high winds and fueled by tinder-dry conditions, devastated Fort McMurray and the region around it. The city was home to 100,000 until it was evacuated last week as flames burned homes to the ground amid scenes of panic and mass exodus.

Chad Morrison, senior wildfire manager for Alberta, said Sunday that favorable weather conditions and the hard work of about 500 firefighters had contained most fire lines in Fort McMurray.

The threat to oil-sand mines north of the city had also diminished, at least for now, he said.

Morrison said fire lines had moved away from the work sites of Nexen, a unit of the Chinese group CNOOC, after inflicting only minor damage.

Work sites of the Suncor petroleum group, which suspended operations in the area, had also been spared.

The company said Sunday it had moved 10,000 people including employees, their families and local residents to safety.Morrison said firefighters hoped rains and cooler temperatures predicted for Monday and winds from the west, gusting up to 60 kilometers per hour (35 mph), would keep the flames away from the petroleum work camps in coming days.

Even as fellow Canadians rally to provide succor and support, thousands of evacuees are coming to terms with the likelihood that they will be unable to see their homes anytime soon -- assuming the dwellings are still standing.

Hundreds of firefighters, exhausted and demoralized after days vainly battling a blaze they grimly refer to as "the beast," acknowledged that they will probably have to wait for the fire to burn itself out.

The Alberta oil sands are a vital part of the regional economy.

Huge swaths of forest and brush, as well as whole neighborhoods of the city, have been turned to ash in an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg.

Firefighters are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.

Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city, but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or destroyed structures and residents can begin to move back into areas spared by the inferno.

Notley said late Saturday that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.

"There`s a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home," she said.

Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found temporary shelter with friends or family, but the government is working furiously to provide accommodations for the others. In Lac La Biche, the first big town south of the forbidden zone, cases of mineral water, clothes and food provided by the Red Cross or donated by fellow Canadians are being distributed by volunteers.

"It`s just amazing to see what`s been done. We`re overwhelmed, everybody`s overwhelmed with how much the whole country has supported us," said Sarah, who evacuated with her family without knowing where they would end up.

"I`ve said to my daughter the whole way up here, the most important thing is that we`re here, we`re safe, and everything else is just stuff," she told AFP.

Notley said large numbers of evacuees could be housed for now in university dormitories in Edmonton or Calgary -- students left days ago when their spring term ended.

Across the province, more than 1,400 firefighters, about 133 helicopters, 200 pieces of heavy equipment and more than 27 air tankers are battling 43 separate blazes.

Reduced output by Alberta`s oil producers -- down by a million barrels a day -- contributed to a rise in crude prices in trading Monday in Asia.

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YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. The month of May is celebrated as the month of various victories of Armenia. By the valor of the new generation, the month of May strengthens the faith in the prosperous future of the Armenia-Nagorno Karabakh-Diaspora unity.

The victory of the Great Patriotic War, the Liberation of Shushi and the anniversary of the Nagorno Karabakhi Defense Armys establishment are celebrated during this month.

A number of events are scheduled to take place in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on May 9, which will pay homage to the fallen heroes and those who continue encouraging the new generation with bravery and valor.

The events began in the Presidential Palace of Nagorno Karabakh, where an awarding ceremony took place on May 8.

A number of soldiers and volunteers were awarded for their service, bravery and honor, while protecting the borders.

Sergeant Robert Abajyan was posthumously awarded the Karabakhi hero highest state rank and the Golden Eagle medal for outstanding bravery and valor.

Around 300 others were also presented high state awards, 17 of whom posthumously.

Around 600, 000 Armenian soldiers also fought during the Great Patriotic War (World War II)

4 Marshalls and 1 Admiral from Armenia were commanding during those times. 70, 000 Armenian soldiers were awarded highest medals for their service, and 104 soldiers were named Hero of the USSR.

Wedding in the Mountains  Historic Victory for the Armenian people

24 years ago on May 9, the Armenian forces accomplished the mission Wedding in the Mountains, liberating Shushi. The liberation was a turning point in the Nagorno Karabakh War, and was followed by numerous other victories.

During the night of May 8, at 2:30, after capturing military positions of Kirs and taking under control the Lachin- Shushi road, the Armenian forces entered Shushi. The Armenian flag is raised at the top of the St. Ghazanchetsots Cathedral (Cathedral of Christ the Holy Savior), marking the liberation of Shushi.

The anniversary of the establishment of the Defense Army of Nagorno Karabakh is also celebrated during May. The Defense Army was created on May 5, 1992.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan issued a congratulatory message on the occasion of Victory Day.

As informed by the Presidential Administration, the message reads:

Dear Compatriots,

I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of Victory and Peace Day.

For our nation the WWII was really a Patriotic War. Many of the sons of our nation fought for the freedom of our Fatherland and its bright future. They fought at all fronts, at the battle field and at the home front. Today, we pay tribute and express gratitude to the bright memory of our heroic predecessors, hundred thousands of whom fell in the struggle with the evil. We also pay tribute and express gratitude to a sadly small number of veterans who today stand with us.

This holiday is dedicated not only to the military victory but also to peace. Along with other nations of the Soviet Union, we paid dearly for the victory and earned peace. That victory had given us a historic chance to get again as a nation to our feet economically, culturally, and politically. We know all too well the price of that victory.

Dear Fellow Citizens,

For us, May 9 was reconsidered and reassessed with the liberation of Shushi in 1992. The cultural center of Artsakh, which for centuries had always been spreading light, education, science and arts, was turned into a monstrous weapon emplacement which was spreading death and destruction all around. For us, liberation of Shushi was the matter of life and death; on May 9 we repeated the heroic act of our fathers and grandfathers and changed the course of the war.



Twenty-four years later, last month now sons of the liberators of Shushi repeated the heroic act of their fathers. This time, these were not the fidayi units but regiments of the mature regular army. They proved that each new generation of the Armenian nation is ready to again and resolutely defend our security, peace, and rights.

Dear Compatriots,

I congratulate us all on this glorious holiday. I wish us all peaceful skies and productive work.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Overnight May 8-9 Azerbaijani forces fired irregular shots from various caliber weapons at Armenian positions in the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border.

The Defense Ministry of Armenia reports that Armenian forces are in full control of the situation and take countermeasures only in case of targeted Azerbaijani violations.

According to data received from the Nagorno Karabakhi Defense Ministry, Azerbaijani forces continued violating the ceasefire agreement by firing various caliber weapons, 60mm and 82mm mortars, RPG-7 and AGS-17 grenade launchers.

The Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh are in control of the situation and continue monitoring the borders.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakyan issued a congratulatory message on the occasion of Victory Day and Liberation of Shushi.

As reported by the Presidential Administration of Nagorno Karabakh, the message reads:



Dear compatriots,

Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic and Nagorno Karabakh Liberation Wars,

Respected generals, officers and soldiers of the Defense Army,

On behalf of the Republic's authorities and personally myself I cordially congratulate you on the Victory Holiday, the Day of the NKR Defense Army and the Liberation of Shushi, a holiday that aggregates the victories of our people and has become a symbol of heroism and courage, selflessness and patriotism, a holiday that both glorifies our past and illuminates the future, serves as a landmark for the generations teaching them how to live and create, love the Motherland and defend it.

On this festive day we honor and bow our heads to our hero fathers and grandfathers who hand in hand with other peoples of the Soviet Union won the Great Patriotic War. We bow our heads to the brave sons of the Armenian nation who carved the victory in the Nagorno Karabakh Liberation struggle defending the right of our people to live free and independent on their own soil.

Today we can proudly state about another great victory - our young generation, our modern heroes who continue their ancestors' traditions with dignity, weaving new myths and legends in the battlefield. The selfless soldiers of the Defense Army stand firm in their positions and keep impregnable the Nagorno Karabakh Republic borders.



Dear compatriots,

All our victories are the triumphs of unity and consolidation around the idea of defending the Motherland facing danger. I am confident that this spirit will always guide our people and we will celebrate more victories. This is the best way to keep alive the memory of our martyrs. This is the only true path to eternity, this is our only way.

I once again congratulate all of us on this glorious Triple Holiday and wish peace and new successes to our country and people.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. About a fifth of homes have been destroyed in Fort McMurray, a Canadian city ravaged by a huge wildfire, local MP D. Yurdiga has told the BBC.

After touring the damage David Yurdiga said it might be years before the city was running normally again.

More than 100,000 residents of the city and surrounding area fled after an evacuation order was issued.

Officials say the fire, now burning for a week, grew more slowly at the weekend than first feared.

Firefighters held key areas and the blaze now covers about 1,610 sq km (620 sq miles) - less than the 1,800 sq km (700 sq miles) estimated on Saturday.

Yurdiga said while most of the city was intact the area was still too dangerous for residents to return home.

"An estimate: 20% of the homes have been burnt, but the majority of homes are standing, no damage at all," Yurdiga said.

On Sunday, fire chiefs spoke of getting a "death grip" on the fire, which has been fed by hot weather and tinder dry terrain.

"With a little help from mother nature and a bit of a break in the weather, and all the hard work of all the firefighters we were able to hold most of the line in Fort McMurray," said Alberta wildfire manager Chad Morrison.

But it could be months before the fire is fully brought under control. Officials warned only significant rainfall could fully halt its spread.

The fire is being blown east away from communities, but still threatens to cross from Alberta province into neighbouring Saskatchewan.

Air quality warnings have been issued for Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories, with locals advised to close windows and doors due to smoke.

The final evacuations of 25,000 people who headed north from Fort McMurray after the blaze began was completed on Sunday.

The fire is expected to be the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history, with insurance costs alone already running into billions of dollars.

Fort McMurray is in the heart of Canada's oil sands country, and the region has the world's third-largest reserves of oil. Workers at major oil companies have also been evacuated.

As much as a quarter of the country's oil production has been halted by the fire, raising concerns about the effect on the Canadian economy.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan, who is currently on a working visit in Nagorno Karabakh, visited military positions in the line of contact of Nagorno Karabakhi-Azerbaijani forces and personally reviewed the situation.

The Prime Minister met with soldiers and personally thanked for their service, the Government reported.

The Armenian people are proud of you, because it is due to your heroism and actions that thwarted the Azerbaijani aggression and gave appropriate counterattacks. Your actions are an inspiration to everyone, because we understand that our borders are protected thanks to you. Your valor is priceless, the PM said.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. President Serzh Sargsyan, accompanied by His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, visited the Victory Park in Yerevan and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The President was also accompanied by war veterans, top military officials and members of the Diplomatic Corps.

On the occasion of Victory Day and the anniversary of Liberation of Shushi, President Sargsyan paid homage to the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for peace and protection of their country.

The President also watched the military march of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Sargsyan later engaged in a conversation with veterans about various issues.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia Ivan Volinkin announced during a press conference on May 9 that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict can be settled only through peaceful means, by negotiations. In this case my opinion is, that this conflict should be solved only peacefully. This conflict should not be settled militarily, it should be settled around a negotiating table. There is no other way, the Ambassador said.

Show me documents that Russia continues selling armaments to Azerbaijan, the Ambassador said by answering a reporters question that Russia continues selling weaponry to Azerbaijan in the current tense situation.

To a reporters observation that there was an announcement on resumption of selling arms, the Ambassador said: But it doesnt mean that it continues selling.

A reporter asked: Meaning, Russia is not selling armaments to Azerbaijan?. The Ambassador did not give a clear answer and said that Russia is selling armaments to Armenia too.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan is currently on a working visit in Nagorno Karabakh.

During the visit Abrahamyan participated in events dedicated to the Victory Day of the Great Patriotic War, the anniversary of the establishment of the Defense Army of Nagorno Karabakh and the Liberation of Shushi.

Armenian and Karabakhi top officials laid wreaths at the memorial of the fallen soldiers in Stepanakert.

Later the officials laid flowers at the Shushi Tank-memorial and memorials of Commander Vazgen Sargsyan and Nelson Stepanyan.

The PM said that as a result of the May victories, the Armenia-Nagorno Karabakh-Diaspora unity has strengthened even more. I want to congratulate all Armenians on this occasion, and wish new successes. We have to be united, and as a result we will have similar successes. Thus, we have to do everything for the strengthening of this unity, the said.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has resigned after losing the support of Social Democratic party colleagues, reports the BBC.

Faymann came to power in 2008 but has faced criticism within his party since the far right won the first round of presidential elections last month.

He told a hastily convened press conference that Austria needed a chancellor who had his party "fully behind him".

He called for the government to make a new start.

"I'm stepping down from my role as chancellor and SPO leader," he said, acknowledging he had lost support within the party.

In his statement he singled out the challenges of bringing down unemployment, as well as social cohesion and the refugee crisis.

Earlier this year, Faymann yielded to pressure from a conservative coalition partner to cap the number of people allowed to claim asylum in Austria after the arrival in 2015 of more than 90,000 asylum seekers.

The success of far-right Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer in the first round of the presidential election a fortnight ago put further pressure on Faymann's government.
US Federal Magistrate judge Stephen William Smith sounds the alarm about the skyrocketing trend of US courts operating in secret, with their findings (or even the fact that they're hearing a case at all) sealed to scrutiny, and an ever-increasing portion of judicial action taking place in off-record arbitration.

Smith estimates that US courts are issuing a half-million secret surveillance orders per year, while the number of completely sealed civil cases and cases whose records are heavily redacted, or have a "substantial number of sealed filings" are mounting, though no accurate records are kept on the total number, "because the numbers would likely have been too large to tabulate in any meaningful way." The number one case name in the DC Circuit of Appeals docket is In re Sealed Case  the first sealed case only having been filed in 1981.

As Smith points out, this has real consequences: how you can you know if the law is dealing with you in a fair and even-handed manner if you don't know how it deals with everyone else, especially the wealthy people who can hire fancy lawyers to successfully argue for sealed records?



That traditional aversion to court secrecy has been overcome in the last few decades. To take but one example, the case name In re Sealed Case first appeared in 1981; it is now the most common case name on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals docket. Another telling sign is that the government is far more aggressively (and successfully) asserting evidentiary privileges than ever before. This includes well-established privileges like state secrets, and brand new ones like the privilege for investigative techniques and procedures. Unsurprisingly, the brainchild behind this particular privilege was J. Edgar Hoover himself, the godfather of the "black bag" job and other illicit techniques. (The story behind this privilege is told here.) Hoover's privilege is often invoked to limit court testimony about technological tools routinely used by law enforcement, such as cell site simulators (Stingrays). My concern is not merely that a velvet curtain is being drawn across wide swaths of traditionally public judicial business. Over the last 30 years, with Supreme Court enabling, much of that traditional judicial business has been outsourced to private arbitrators and non-public "dispute resolution" mechanisms. Employers, Internet service providers, and consumer lenders have led a mass exodus from the court system. By the click of a mouse or tick of a box, the American public is constantly inveigled to divert the enforcement of its legal rights to venues closed off from public scrutiny. Justice is becoming privatized, like so many other formerly public goods turned over to invisible hands  electricity, water, education, prisons, highways, the military.



Are US Courts Going Dark?

[Stephen Wm. Smith/Just Security]





(via /.)
Roam's accommodations in Bali, Indonesia are seen here. (Roam)

A new company is hoping to offer its users a chance to live and work in different cities around the world, by just signing a lease that offers a lot of flexibility.

Roam, which was conceived just over a year ago, provides its customers with a private, fully-furnished bedroom and bathroom for US$500 per week or $1,800 a month.

The startup works on a "co-living" model, which has residents share kitchen and work space facilities in the buildings owned by Roam. But this isn't some hostel you'll be staying in: the properties offer more high-end amenities like pools, libraries and a yoga studio.

Roam currently offers accommodations at a contemporary boutique hotel in Ubud, Bali, one of the Indonesian islands cultural hubs. This isn't designed for someone just looking to enjoy a vacation, though; Roam's model is tailored to people who want to immersive themselves in a new city for weeks or months at a time.

A bedroom at Roam's accommodations in Bali, Indonesia is seen here. (Roam)

Other options are on the way, including a restored Victorian boarding house in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood, which is scheduled to officially open at the end of May.

Another location in Spains capital, Madrid, is also slated to open at the end of the month. Accommodations in London and Buenos Aires are said to be in the works for 2016, and company says it hopes to end the year with five to eight properties.

Roam is also eyeing cities like Berlin and Amsterdam, as well as exotic locales in Asia. So far, no plans have been made to set up in Canada, but Roam CEO Bruno Haid told Yahoo Finance Canada that he would be more than happy to consider it if they found an interesting property development.

Currently, the company is targeting cities that have nice weather year-round, with vibrant urban communities and are close to economic centres.

Haid added that its current standard-rate leases will remain unchanged until Roam expands to pricier cities, such as New York and San Francisco, where users would pay a premium for their stay.

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Haid says that in his early thirties he used to make frequent trips between New York, San Francisco and London, and that finding the right housing set up was always a challenge.

He said he was often forced to piece it together himself through a variety of options, from Airbnb or house-sitting for friends.

There was always a personal need to find a reliable new form of housing that is location independent, said Haid.

The idea for Roam began to take shape after a conversation with a friend who raved about life in Bali and how it would be great to split time between there and London, to get work done and then go back to paradise.

It basically triggered a cascade of: We really should rethink housing. Not only have a nice place independently, but also what public and private means  Are there better forms to organized living? Haid recalled.

New kind of community living

Haid said Roam offers a distinct advantage over hotels and Airbnb: a social environment where guests can immerse themselves into the local city life by interacting with their fellow tenants.

The whole barriers of arriving at location are  often and honestly torn down, because you are immediately part of a group of people and the wider neighbourhood, he said.

In particular, Haid says the communal kitchens will become a social gathering point..

Even if youre not the most outgoing person, just showing up in the kitchen just makes it a completely different experience, he said.

He added while hotels often have restaurants and bars, in comparison, it is "quite anonymous."

You are not inclined to go into the restaurant kitchen and cook together, but just this simple gesture makes a world of difference in how you get to know people and how to get to experience new cultures, said Haid.

Changing where we call home

The company recently announced that it had received $3.3 million in funding from a number of prominent backers, including SoundCloud, and the Collaborative Fund, whose portfolio includes Kickstarter, Lyft and Reddit.

Haid said Roam has been able to attract investors because there has been a clear shift in the way people work and live around the world, with more people being able to have a more fluid lifestyle.

The traditional 30-year detached home mortgage financed place doesnt really work for our generation, and actually for a lot of generations, so there is idea that could be a new model of housing, he said.

In fact, Haid says more 1.2 million globally, who have a disposable income of more than $80,000 and can work without a fixed location, may be in the market for Roams services.

Haid said based on the companys operations in Bali, which opened two months ago, its clients come from three different types of backgrounds: Freelancers in their late twenties; couples in their late thirties who decide to downsize temporarily to see the world; and empty nesters whose kids have left for college.

He added that most of his clients so far have opted to stay between two to six weeks, but many are starting to inquire about the housing in Miami.

Roam is also working on a corresponding app.
The government will set up a special interdepartmental division to control the work of the customs service, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said.

"An interdepartmental division will be set up to control the customs (service) and all the others. This will be a hundred of people, who will have all of the technical equipment to show how one needs to work. I will equip them as well as possible," Groysman said at a meeting at the Krakovets border crossing on the Ukrainian-Polish border on Saturday.

He also informed the leadership of the Ukrainian State Fiscal Service and the chiefs of the customs offices that they have three months to establish order at the Ukrainian customs offices.

"You have three months to establish order at the Ukrainian customs offices. If you have the political will, I support you, if not, write resignation statements already today, otherwise, you will be swept away," the prime minister said.

The customs service ought to be changed as quickly as possible; and the changes should be the following: a rise in national budget revenues and the honest work of customs officials, he said.

According to the estimates of the government, current revenue reserves of the customs service's activity can amount to tens of billions of hryvnias annually, Groysman said.

"If doing your work honestly, we will be able to receive extra 50 billion hryvnias from the customs (service)," he said.

Groysman also said that this has been the looting and a crime to set up 'black' and 'gray' schemes of smuggling, while the war has been on in the east and people have had no money to buy medicines.
Despite a long history, dating at least as far back as Tudor England, tipping remains one of the most awkward and confusing aspects of our everyday economic exchanges. Figuring out the intricacies, though, is easier than you might expect, according to the founder of the Etiquette School of New York, Patricia Fitzpatrick. Tipping is something we do to show our gratitude for service, especially when its personal, to give a little something extra. The thing of it is, she said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada, is that almost every service person gets tipped if they spend a lot of time, and if they take a lot of extra care.



Movers, massage therapists, delivery drivers, door attendants and cleaning staff are all a yes for on-the-spot tips, but there are exceptions to the rule. Cultural differences are the biggest influence, so dont assume that tipping rituals will be the same wherever you head on your next big trip. In Finland and Japan it is considered rude to tip in a restaurant. In France and Costa Rica, a service charge-style tip is included in most restaurant bills, and its often expected of diners (especially tourists) to leave an added amount for good service.

Even here in North America, not everyone knows what the rules are for offering a bonus. During her first move in New York with her husband, before she became the tipping maven she is today, Fitzpatrick had belongings practically held hostage by movers until she realized they were holding out for a tip. Ideally, though, we tip as a way to show gratitude for the personal attention someone has shown usnot because were being ransomed or pressured. The movers take extra care of the most breakable boxes and wear those little booties so they dont mess up your carpets. Your masseuse knows just the right amount of pressure to apply to that knot in your right hip.

Tipping is often a way to make up for an industry with traditionally low wages, like table service in a restaurant or cleaning service at a hotel. Not only do these people take our personal desires and comfort into account, but their paychecks show little for this effort. Give a gratuity to your handyman, but not your plumber. You tip the person who comes to your home to clean and debug your computer, but not the salesperson who sold it to you. When someone helps you with groceries to your car, or delivers them to your home, Fitzpatrick suggests tipping up to $1 per bag, but you dont tip the person who checks you out at the register.

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Many companies forbid their employees from accepting gratuities, while others have limits on the value a tip or gift they can receive, but in general, anyone who offers you personalized service is safe to tip. Unless they are members of a professional society or working out of a professional office, like doctors (and nurses), psychologists, lawyers, accountants, electricians or architects, you shouldnt have to worry about causing offense.

Standard tips, even outside of restaurants, are in the realm of 15-20 per cent in Canada, dependent on the level of service you receive. This means that if you call out for food delivery in a blizzard, you should compensate your service provider accordingly. A one-time tip for a handyman, a cleaner, or mover might be anywhere from $5 to $20 depending on the amount of effort involved in the job. Account for staff changeover by tipping regularly. Tip the newspaper delivery person each time you pay to renew your subscription, instead of just at Christmas. Leave money in an envelope on your hotel pillow every day during your trip, instead of just on checkout.

If you are ever unsure if tipping is appropriate, you can always ask. Researching ahead of time is less awkward, but if youre caught off guard, dont shy away from the question. Fitzpatrick admits that even she feels weird asking someone if its okay to tip them. My husband hates hanging pictures or paintings. So when I moved to a new apartment a few years ago, I actually hired outside people to come and hang them for me. They were professionals, she said, but they were definitely providing her a service. So she asked, Do you accept gratuities? They replied, Well, if youd like to and she had her answer, as simple as that. I wasnt completely comfortable asking in that situation, but I would have felt more uncomfortable if I didnt give them something.

Tipping is our way of recognizing that we have been seen and cared for in some way. It may not be the best model of merit-based income, but its the model we have. Do some research, inquire with friends, or ask your service providers directly. Dont leave people working hard for your tips empty-handed.
They hoped to keep their business private, but some of the world's richest citizens will instead have their finances opened to prying eyes.

Confidential details of more than 200,000 offshore accounts in the Panama Papers  including the names of at least 625 Canadians  will be revealed Monday, in the hope that public scrutiny of the material will generate hundreds of tips about possible corruption and tax dodging.

The new information, to be released online at 2 p.m. ET in a searchable database, will list:

- The name of anyone listed as a director or shareholder of an offshore company in the huge Panama Papers leak.

- The names and addresses of more than 200,000 offshore companies, though in most cases, the ultimate owner is still shrouded in secrecy.

- The identities of dozens of intermediary agencies that helped set up and run those accounts in tandem with Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm from which the records were leaked.

CBC News and the Toronto Star, who have exclusive access in Canada to the leaked data, will be publishing a series of stories on Canadians named in it. Those include an examination of a lawyer who was known as a "go to" for wealthy people hoping to move money offshore, and of a convicted fraudster who set up 60 corporations in various tax havens.

Until now, only select names of high prominence have been made public since a group of global media outlets, including CBC and the Star, broke news of the Panama Papers last month.

"We think this is a logical next step in the investigation," said Gerard Ryle, director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the Washington-based organization that has been co-ordinating reporting on the records.

"We have 370 journalists around the world looking at the data, but it's so vast, I mean 11 million documents," Ryle said. "We know we've missed things."

Private documents withheld

Among the 2.6 terabytes of information leaked from Mossack Fonseca, the CBC and the Star have identified around 625 Canadians whose names could be exposed.

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The ICIJ has said all along it intended to publish the list of names and accounts in the Panama Papers  which it got from two German journalists who obtained the leak from a source  while withholding the actual documents. Those documents include everything from copies of people's passports to telephone numbers, Mossack Fonseca's internal emails and, in some cases, financial records, material that will not be included in Monday's release and will remain available only to the ICIJ and its journalist partners like CBC and the Star.

Many prominent names have already emerged since news outlets began reporting on the leak early last month.

- Icelandic prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson stepped aside amid allegations he had had a secret offshore account that held bonds in his country's banks, which he failed to list in his parliamentary ethics disclosures. He denied any wrongdoing.

- Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked the data leak as an American plot when records showed his cronies had amassed nearly $2 billion through a miasma of transactions involving accounts and banks closely linked to him.

- China suppressed internet sites mentioning the Panama Papers in connection with its leaders, after reports showed relatives of President Xi Jinping and of several other top officials had been hiding sometimes vast wealth in offshore companies. China's Foreign Ministry called the allegations "groundless."

It is not illegal for Canadians to have an offshore account, but any income must be reported for tax purposes, as well as any offshore assets totalling more than $100,000. Offshore jurisdictions like the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man or Liechtenstein often have strict confidentiality rules for bank accounts and shell companies that make it easier to hide assets from tax authorities.

The ICIJ's Ryle said his organization hopes members of the public will scour the new Panama Papers data and flag any potential malfeasance they spot.

But he also said a deeper principle is at stake: that people shouldn't be able to disguise transactions like real-estate purchases or transfers of huge wealth through the opaque conduit of offshore corporations.

"Leaders of the world, including David Cameron, the British prime minister, have said this basic kind of information is the kind of information that should be made public," Ryle said.

Kim Marsh, a Vancouver-based expert on international financial crime who spent 25 years with the RCMP, said concerns over the anonymity of high-end property buyers in Canadian cities shows the issue cuts close to home.

"We only have to look at what's happening in the property market in B.C., Toronto, elsewhere.... They don't want their names associated with properties, so they'll set up a nominee situation," he said, referring to the registration of a corporation using a figurehead to disguise the real owners. "And there's lots of controversy about that."

Journalist group criticized

The effort to publish details from the Panama Papers is not without opposition. Last week in Miami, at an international conference on offshore havens where Ryle delivered a keynote address, his organization and its media partners were publicly chastised by a number of lawyers for dealing in "stolen" data and for cherry-picking stories from the Panama Papers that, the critics said, made offshore havens look especially nefarious.

In particular, Mossack Fonseca co-founder Ramon Fonseca said in a letter read out after Ryle's remarks that "thanks to people like him, privacy  a basic human right  is already on the list of species in danger of extinction."

Ryle shrugged off the critics.

"There's been overwhelming public interest in these documents, and I think that overwhelming public interest outrides anything that Fonseca is actually saying."

Contact the writer of this story at zach.dubinsky@cbc.ca
By Ankur Banerjee and Allison Lampert (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc said on Monday it expected to file its first-quarter report with U.S. and Canadian regulators on or before June 10, ahead of a July 31 deadline, and reiterated its first-quarter forecasts. Embattled Valeant filed its 2015 financial report last month, allaying concerns about a possible default on the company's debt of more than $30 billion. The company missed an original March 15 deadline to file its annual report, citing an in-house review of its accounting practices. The probe found problems dating back to 2014. Valeant, whose U.S. shares were down 3 percent in afternoon trading, also said on Monday it expected filings for the second quarter ending June 30 and thereafter to be filed on time. The Laval, Quebec-based company, which also reiterated its first-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings forecasts, is under scrutiny from the U.S. Congress, prosecutors and regulators over its drug pricing, business practices and accounting. Valeant said in March that it expected first-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.30-$1.55 per share and revenue to be in the range of $2.3 billion-$2.4 billion. Analysts on average expect earnings of $1.36 per share and revenue of $2.36 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The drugmaker said last month that Joseph Papa, former chief executive of Perrigo Co Plc , would replace Michael Pearson as CEO. Pearson's frenzied dealmaking fueled double-digit profit growth at Valeant until the disclosure last fall of its controversial relationship with a specialty drug distributor, and its strategy of sharply increasing drug prices drew criticism. Michael Sabia, chief executive of Canada's second-largest pension fund manager on Monday called Valeant "a business built to satisfy the short-term impulses of equity managers in the public markets." Sabia, CEO of Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, said the fund which oversees C$248 billion in assets, owned a small amount of Valeant stock which they sold "at the right time" before the price collapsed. "It is the poster child of what can happen when the focus of capital markets is on the short term," Sabia said at the CFA Institute's annual conference. Valeant's U.S. shares were trading at $28.99, a far cry from their August high of $263.70. The company's shares sank earlier this year after it said it would delay filing its 2015 financial report, opening the door to possible default on its debt. The company's Toronto-listed shares were down 2.4 percent at C$37.65. (Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Ted Kerr and Shounak Dasgupta)
Canada will remove its permanent objector status to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said Monday.

The declaration  first adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007  recognizes Indigenous people's basic human rights, as well as rights to self-determination, language, equality and land, among others.

"We are fully adopting this and working to implement it within the laws of Canada, which is our charter," Bennett said.

The announcement came at the UN in New York City, where Bennett and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould are attending the opening session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

While Bennett offered few details on exactly how Canada would implement the declaration, she said that an official announcement would be coming on Tuesday.

'Platitudes' repeated

The lack of specific details in Monday's announcement frustrated some.

"I was so disappointed that there was nothing new or substantive added to the conversation," said Hayden King, director of the Centre for Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University.

"[The Liberal government] just repeats these platitudes and these commitments, but it has not demonstrated or indicated any concrete action."

King also had concerns about Bennett and Wilson-Raybould's comments that Indigenous peoples in Canada are already protected and that the UN declaration "breathes life" into Section 35 of the Constitution Act, which recognizes and affirms their rights.

He said previous governments have relied on Canadian courts' interpretation of Section 35, which he calls narrow and limited.

Shifting position

More than 140 nations passed the UN declaration in 2007, but Canada  which had been involved in drafting it  initially opposed it, along with the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

The then Conservative government had concerns about the declaration's wording on provisions addressing lands and resources, as well as an article calling on states to obtain prior informed consent with Indigenous groups before enacting new laws.



Wilson-Raybould, who addressed the Permanent Forum on Monday morning, said that the issue of consent could still be a challenge moving forward.



"There are many facets to the question, differing perspectives, and a number of options," she said, before quoting the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Story continues

"Beyond the necessary truth telling and healing, reconciliation requires laws to change and policies to be rewritten. We intend to do so in full partnership."

Not legally binding

Unlike UN conventions, declarations are not legally binding. When the previous Conservative government finally officially endorsed the declaration in 2010, the government referred to it as an "aspirational document."

Since then, Indigenous leaders have been calling for more action on the UN declaration. Among the 94 calls to action issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015 was for all levels of government to adopt and implement the declaration.

More recently, New Democrat MP Romeo Saganash tabled a private member's bill calling on Canada to "harmonize" the country's laws with the UN declaration  the second time he's done so.

Bennett applauded the work of the NDP member, who has been travelling the country seeking support for this bill  and who for two decades has been part of the international effort that went into crafting the declaration. But she said that Canada would need to consult with First Nations, Inuit and Metis before implementing the UN declaration.



"I don't think we can go forward based on a private member's bill without proper consultation."



Shortly after the 2015 federal election, Bennett announced the new Liberal government would implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as part of its effort to rebuild its working relationships with First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples.

As part of her trip to New York, Bennett is leading a delegation that includes leaders from the Native Women's Association of Canada, Metis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, as well as elders and youth.



Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde will also be leading a delegation to the United Nations on Thursday.

Correction : A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the Assembly of First Nations would be part of a delegation to the UN led by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett. In fact, AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde will lead a separate delegation on Thursday.(May 10, 2016 4:01 PM)
By Amanda Becker and Luciana Lopez CLEVELAND/NEW YORK - Bracing for a general election fight with Donald Trump, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and her allies are putting resources into industrial states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania to try to block Trump from making inroads with working-class voters there. Labor leaders, progressive groups and Democratic operatives told Reuters in interviews that they took seriously Trump's appeal with white working-class voters and were studying how to respond to his promises to create jobs and negotiate better trade deals. The desire to stop the presumptive Republican presidential nominee from wresting away the support of unionized workers has even led a group organized to back Bernie Sanders, Labor for Bernie, to consider its next steps if Sanders does not win the Democratic nomination. It may well be our task to work hard to reach out to our (labor union) members who support Trump and begin an important dialogue, said Rand Wilson, a staunch Sanders supporter and Labor for Bernie spokesman. The Rust Belt, which includes Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and West Virginia, has suffered heavy job losses in sectors such as autos, coal and steel that have faced fierce competition from abroad. The region, home to many unionized workers, has been a stronghold for Democrats. The exceptions are socially conservative West Virginia, which has gone Republican in the past four presidential elections, and Indiana, which has gone Democratic only twice since 1940. Ohio has switched back and forth. Trump has aggressively courted working-class voters ahead of the Nov. 8 election to succeed Democratic President Barack Obama. He has criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and promised to rip up the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. He has also said he will consider raising the minimum wage and backing higher taxes on the wealthy. On Monday, Trump sought to backtrack from those comments on taxes. "Now if I increase it on the wealthy, that means they're still going to be paying less than they are paying now," he told CNN. "I'm talking about increasing it from my (original) tax proposal." Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told Reuters the campaign was targeting industrial states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, which have voted Democratic in presidential elections since 1992. Working America, an advocacy group affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor federation, is expanding operations in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania and plans to open an office in Wisconsin. Its first mission is talking to voters about jobs and the economy and trying to gauge where they are leaning in the presidential race. Later in the campaign, the group will work more aggressively to win over voters. In Ohio, the Democratic Party has doubled its field operation over the past month, thanks to an infusion of cash raised by the Clinton campaign for the national and state parties. Clinton, who has a strong lead over Sanders but has yet to secure the Democratic nomination, has already hired state directors in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Working America field director Soren Norris knocked on doors on the west side of Cleveland last week as part of an effort to gauge voter sentiment. At the first house, Tamara Phillips, 44, told Norris she was not enthusiastic about either Clinton or Trump but that she would vote for the New York businessman if forced to choose. Phillips, who works in publishing, said taxes on her commission income rose during former President Bill Clintons administration. But she said she had reservations about Trumps gruff demeanor. MENDING FENCES IN APPALACHIA With an eye toward voters across the Rust Belt, Clinton visited Appalachia last week with stops in West Virginia and Ohio. She apologized for previous statements related to shutting down the coal industry and told protesters she was committed to solving their economic problems even if they did not support her. Union activists said their strategy for undercutting Trumps support would be pointing out discrepancies in his positions. His comment that he is open to raising the minimum wage comes after he said in a November debate that wages are too high and that an increase would hurt the economy. Although Trump rails against trade deals and businesses that move operations to Mexico, critics say that items such as ties and suits in his clothing line were made in China. The best way to go after Trump is to make him run against himself, said political strategist Brad Bannon, who advises labor unions. Tom Buffenbarger, a Clinton surrogate to labor and the past president of the machinists union, said Democrats would have a lot of fun highlighting Trump's inconsistencies, although he acknowledged the Republican candidate presented a threat in some Rust Belt states. Are we concerned about the industrial states in the upcoming election?" Buffenbarger said. "Yeah, Donald Trumps done a good job complaining about the trade deal while he continues to ship work from the U.S. to China. (Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Peter Cooney and Jonathan Oatis)
The press center of the Ukrainian army operation in southeastern Ukraine wrote on Facebook on Monday that the militants shelled Ukrainian army positions nine times on Sunday, focusing on the suburbs of Donetsk.

"Tensions are still the highest in the suburbs of Donetsk. Ukrainian army positions on the outskirts of that city, south of Avdiyivka, came under intense fire of various kinds of grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns and small arms last night," the report said.

It also said that Ukrainian army strongholds near Maryinka came under fire of man-portable anti-tank grenade launchers, and the militants used small arms and large-caliber machineguns against Ukrainian forces on the approaches to the populated locality of Luhanske in Donetsk region, on the Horlivka-Svitlodarsk bulge.

Also, the militants shelled a Ukrainian army stronghold near Shyrokyne in the Mariupol sector, using automatic mounted grenade launchers and large-caliber machine guns, the report said.

No attacks of the militia were observed in the Luhansk sector, it said.
A protest is set to take place late this afternoon in the Southwest borough after a 6-year-old boy was hit by a pickup truck while he was on the sidewalk.

The boy, who remains in critical condition, was riding his bike May 1 when he was struck by a truck coming out of an alley.

Protest organizer Louis-Eric Trudeau says the goal of the protest is to push Montreal to do more to make its streets safe.

"When I'm with my son on his little bicycle, I am always afraid he might be hit by a car while coming out of an alley. This is something that is difficult to deal with, the uncertainty," Trudeau said.

He also wants the protest to serve as a reminder to drivers that using a car in the city is a major responsibility.

The protest was organized by citizens but a cyclist advocacy group will be present, along with several politicians.

Southwest city councillor, Craig Sauve, said Montreal streets and alleyways are not as secure as they should be to protect pedestrians and cyclists.

"The alleyways and the parks are the playgrounds of many children in the city. They must be made are accessible and safe," Sauve said.

Participants will be marching to show solidarity with the family of the boy who was hit and remind drivers of how dangerous their vehicles are.

The protest is set to get underway at 5:30 p.m. close to the scene of the collision, near the corner of Laurendeau and de Biencourt streets in the Cote-Saint-Paul neighbourhood.

Police say they are still unsure whether they will lay any charges against the driver of the truck.
By Dmitry Solovyov MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia launched its first rocket from a new cosmodrome on Thursday, a day after a technical glitch forced a postponement of the event in a sign of continuing crisis in the nation's space industry. An unmanned Soyuz-2.1A rocket, carrying three satellites, roared into a clear blue sky from the launchpad at Vostochny cosmodrome in the remote Amur Region near China's border at 0501 Moscow time (0201 GMT), state television showed. The satellites separated from the rocket's third stage about nine minutes into the flight and headed for their designated orbits, Russian news agencies quoted officials from the space agency Roscosmos as saying. The launch was called off less than two minutes before lift-off on Wednesday, upsetting President Vladimir Putin. He had flown thousands of kilometers to watch what Russian media and officials called a historic event. "I want to congratulate you. There is something to be proud of," Putin told cosmodrome workers and Roscosmos officials after watching Thursday's launch at Vostochny, Russian media reported. "The equipment overreached itself a little bit yesterday," he said. "In principle, we could have held the launch yesterday, but the equipment overdid its job and stopped the launch. This is a normal thing." His remarks contrasted with his tough words after Wednesday's aborted launch, when he criticized Roscosmos and government officials for the large number of technical problems in the space industry, saying that "there should be an appropriate reaction". Putin reprimanded Roscosmos head Igor Komarov and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is in charge of space and military industries, Russian news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. CORRUPTION AND GLITCHES Delays and corruption have blighted work on the new cosmodrome. A European Space Agency launch in French Guiana, using a similar Russian Soyuz rocket, was also delayed by technical problems this month. Problems with Russian space rockets are worrisome not just for the Kremlin but also for the U.S. space program. NASA has depended on Russia to fly its astronauts to the International Space Station since it retired its space shuttle. The Soviet Union pioneered manned space flight when it fired Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961. But since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's space program has had to retrench for lack of cash. For years it filled gaps in its budget by taking paying tourists into space. The Vostochny spaceport, the first civilian rocket launch site on Russian territory, is intended to phase out Russia's reliance on the Baikonur cosmodrome, which it leases from ex-Soviet Kazakhstan. "The main thing is that this launch pad is now working, it has been prepared well by you and it is functioning," Putin told cosmodrome workers on Thursday. "We are now facing a second stage here, to accommodate a heavy rocket." "We have a lot of work in front of us, and it's daunting. But beyond all doubt, this is ... a very serious step forward in the development of Russia's space exploration." (Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Senior IS Leader Dies In US Airstrike In Iraq

A senior Islamic State leader in Iraq's Anbar province has been killed by a US airstrike, the Pentagon says.

The attack on 6 May "targeted Abu Wahib, ISIL's military emir for Anbar province and a former member of al Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in ISIL execution videos", the Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

The strike was on a vehicle carrying Abu Wahib and three other Islamic State members near the town of Rutba, he said.

"We view him as a significant leader in ISIL leadership overall, not just in Anbar Province," Mr Cook added.

"Removing him from the battlefield will be a significant step forward."

Abu Wahib, also known as Shaqir Wahib al Fadhawi, is understood to have been the man in a 2013 video who quizzed truck drivers and executed three who failed to prove they were Sunni Muslims.

After the killings, Colonel Yassin Dwaij, head of Anbar provinces police intelligence, told the AFP news agency: "He is the only one who kills without covering his face, and is working on declaring an Islamic state.

"He is dangerous and cunning."

In May 2013, he was blamed for leading militants in kidnapping 16 policemen along the Iraq-Jordan highway in Anbar, leaving 12 of them dead and four injured.

The 30-year-old became a well-known figure with his thin black beard and monobrow and last year was ridiculed by members of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, who said he looked like a doner kebab when wearing camouflage.

According to reports, he was drawn to terrorism while studying computer science at the University of Anbar.

He was arrested for links to al Qaeda in 2006 and held by US forces at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq until 2009, when he was sentenced to death and moved to a prison in Tikrit.

An al Qaeda-led riot at the prison allowed him and 109 other extremists to escape and return to their terror networks.
Energy Efficiency

Duke U Turns to Natural Gas, Steam To Improve Efficiency

Duke University has entered a partnership designed to provide cleaner and more efficient power for itself and the surrounding community.

As part of the partnership, Duke University will partner with Duke Energy, which will build, own and operate a 21-megawatt natural gas combined heat and power (CHP) installation on the university's Durham campus.

Pending approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC), "the plant would use the waste heat from generating electricity to produce thermal energy and steam needed for the university, making it one of the most efficient generating assets in the Duke Energy generation fleet," according to a news release. "The electric power would be put back on the Duke Energy electric grid to serve the university and nearby customers."

In addition to the power, the system would produce approximately 75,000 pounds of steam per hour, which would be used to produce hot water and more. The system would eliminate the university's energy-related carbon output by about a quarter and may in the future be used to provide back up to increase reliability for hospitals and clinics.

"This partnership will provide value for Duke University and will accelerate our progress towards climate neutrality," said Tallman Trask III, Duke University's executive vice president, in a prepared statement. "By combining steam and electricity generation systems, we can increase efficiency and reduce our overall consumption by millions of units of energy each year, and have a positive effect on the community at large."

If approved, the $55 million project is scheduled to begin production in 2018.
Distance Learning

U Southern Indiana Debuts Accelerated Online MBA

The University of Southern Indiana (USI) has launched an accelerated online master of business administration degree in an effort to make an MBA degree more accessible to residents of Indiana and neighboring areas.

Offered through USI's Romain College of Business and accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the new program offers six start times per year and is designed to be completed in as little as 18 months. The program costs $12,500 and features competitive admissions requirements that include a GMAT waiver for prospective students with prior work or higher education experience.

"USI has a tradition of making quality higher education accessible," said Mohammed Khayum, dean of the Romain College of Business, in a prepared statement. "Our accelerated online MBA program offers highly interactive instruction and innovative approaches to problem solving that develop students' abilities to think critically and creatively within the business world, thereby enhancing professional growth."
MONDAY, May 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A man's risk of aggressive and lethal prostate cancer may be heavily influenced by gene mutations previously linked to breast and ovarian cancer in women, a trio of new studies suggests.

And, at least one expert says these findings may indicate that men with a history of breast cancer in their family probably should receive more intense screening for prostate cancer in the future, particularly if those cancers are linked to mutations in the so-called breast cancer genes -- BRCA1 or BRCA2.

One of the studies found that men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer seemed four times more likely to already have advanced cancer if they carry a BRCA2 gene mutation, compared with the general population.

"They are very much at high risk of cancer and we should be tailoring their screening, to be more aggressive in screening versus less aggressive," said Dr. Srinivas Vourganti, a co-researcher on that study and an assistant professor of urology at SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Findings from the studies were scheduled to be presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, in San Diego. Results from meetings are generally considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

"I think BRCA is a tool we can start using to distinguish who is going to benefit from earlier treatment and more aggressive type treatments" for prostate cancer, added Dr. Brian Helfand, a urologic oncologist with NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago. Helfand was scheduled to moderate a panel presentation of the three studies.

Breast cancer has been definitively linked with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Up to two-thirds of women with a BRCA1 mutation and as many as 45 percent of women with BRCA2 will develop breast cancer by age 70, according to estimates from the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

BRCA mutations have been assumed to influence other forms of cancer as well, because these genes normally produce proteins that repair damaged DNA that could otherwise cause cancer, Vourganti said.

But previous research has estimated that BRCA mutations would be involved in as few as 5 percent of prostate cancers, Helfand said.

"We all just took it for what it was worth," Helfand said. "Yeah, they're there, but it's not applicable to 95 percent of men."

Now, these three new studies indicate that the prostate cancer risk from BRCA mutations may have been severely underestimated, Helfand and Vourganti said.

In the first study, Vourganti and his colleagues conducted an evidence review. The review combined the results of 12 prostate cancer studies. Those studies included 261 men who tested positive for a BRCA2 mutation.

The researchers found that the cancer already had spread to other parts of the body in 17 percent of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients who had a BRCA2 mutation, compared with 4 percent of new diagnoses across the general population.

Men with BRCA2 mutations also were much more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer -- about 40 percent compared with 11 percent of the general population, the findings showed.

"This is very telling," Vourganti said. "When [these] men are diagnosed, they have very aggressive cancers."

The second study reviewed blood DNA samples from 857 prostate cancer patients treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Researchers found that black prostate cancer patients were more than three times as likely to have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation as white patients -- 7 percent versus 2 percent.

In addition, black prostate cancer patients were more likely to have their cancer spread to another part of their body than whites (9 percent versus 2 percent). And it tended to take less time for their cancer to spread, the findings showed.

BRCA mutations could help explain why black men are two or more times more likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, Helfand said.

"The frequency of BRCA mutations in African American men has been largely unknown," he said. "This study shows it's much higher than we thought, and may be a good reason why African American men are more likely to die or have aggressive disease."

The third study focused exclusively on men who'd been treated for breast cancer.

Breast cancer is extremely rare in men, Helfand said. A man's lifetime risk of breast cancer is about one in 1,000, compared with a one in seven lifetime risk for prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

A review of nearly 5,800 men diagnosed with breast cancer revealed that they had a more than 30 percent increased risk of developing prostate cancer later on.

Doctors should consider screening men with a personal or family history of breast cancer for BRCA mutations that could influence their risk of prostate cancer, Helfand concluded from these three studies.

"We need to recognize this as a risk factor and start screening those men more aggressively," he said.

In addition, prostate cancer patients who test positive for a BRCA mutation might respond better to cancer treatments that are more effective in treating BRCA-positive breast cancer, Vourganti said.

"In this era of personalized medicine, there's promise for men who present with BRCA2," he said. "We're learning that prostate cancer is not one disease. Rather, it is many different diseases that need to be treated on a personalized and individual basis. Men need to talk with their doctors and know that their genes do matter."

More information

For more on BRCA mutations, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
MONDAY, May 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- MIT researchers may have discovered a fountain of youth for skin -- at least a very temporary one.

The researchers have developed a "second skin" that could be used to smooth wrinkles, protect skin from damage, or administer medications to treat skin conditions, such as eczema. But, right now, the product only does its job for about a day.

"It's an invisible layer that can provide a barrier, provide cosmetic improvement, and potentially deliver a drug locally to the area that's being treated," Daniel Anderson said in a university news release. He is an associate professor in MIT's department of chemical engineering.

"Those three things together could really make it ideal for use in humans," Anderson added.

As people age, their skin becomes less elastic and firm, the study authors noted. These signs of aging may be worsened by sun damage. For the past decade, the research team worked on developing a protective coating for the skin that could restore a youthful appearance and protect the skin from further damage.

"We started thinking about how we might be able to control the properties of skin by coating it with polymers that would impart beneficial effects," said Anderson. "We also wanted it to be invisible and comfortable."

For their research, the scientists created a library of more than 100 potential polymers. The researchers explained that they tested each material in order to determine which one would most closely match the appearance and characteristics of healthy skin.

The product used in this study included silicone-based polymers that can be manipulated into an arrangement known as a cross-linked polymer layer (XPL).

The second skin is applied in two steps. Both layers are applied as creams or ointments. Once on the skin, XPL is nearly invisible. It can remain on the skin for up to 24 hours, the study authors said.

"It has to have the right optical properties, otherwise it won't look good, and it has to have the right mechanical properties, otherwise it won't have the right strength and it won't perform correctly," said the study's senior author, Robert Langer, a professor at MIT.

The polymer may be applied directly to the skin as an undetectable thin coating, which mimics the properties of healthy, young skin, the researchers explained.

Laboratory tests showed the polymer was able to return to its original state after being stretched more than 250 percent. In contrast, real skin may be stretched about 180 percent, the authors said.

"Creating a material that behaves like skin is very difficult," said one of the study's authors, Barbara Gilchrest, a dermatologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Many people have tried to do this, and the materials that have been available up until this have not had the properties of being flexible, comfortable, nonirritating, and able to conform to the movement of the skin and return to its original shape."

When tested on people, researchers found the polymer was able to reshape "eye bags" beneath the lower eyelids, and the effect lasted about 24 hours. It also treated dry skin and improved hydration, the study found.

In another trial, XPL was applied to the skin of the forearm to test its elasticity. When tested with a suction cup, the XPL-treated skin bounced back to its original position more quickly than natural skin, the findings showed.

The researchers also looked at XPL's ability to protect against dry skin. Two hours after it was applied, the polymer outperformed a high-end commercial moisturizer in helping the skin stay hydrated, according to the report.

XPL even performed better than petroleum jelly after 24 hours. Meanwhile, none of the participants involved in the XPL trials reported experiencing any irritation from the polymer.

The researchers noted that this "skin" could be modified to provide long-lasting protection against the sun's harmful UV rays.

A new company -- Olivo Laboratories -- was formed by Langer and Anderson to focus on developing the new technology. The company will first try to develop XPL for delivering medications for skin conditions.

The new research was published online May 9 in Nature Materials.

More information

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about skin care and aging.
Ukrainian military servicewoman Nadia Savchenko, who is currently in jail in Rostov region after being sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment in Russia, has paid a 30,000-ruble fine imposed by the Russian court for a border-crossing that the court said was illegal, her mother Maria Savchenko said.

Speaking to journalists after the opening of a photo exhibition, entitled "Heroes' Mothers" in Kyiv on Sunday, she said that she had spoken to her daughter's lawyer Nikolai Polozov last Friday.

"He said that ... she was given documents in order to return to Ukraine. There is a line that requires her to admit that she crossed the border and asked for asylum, which he said made her laugh. There is also a fine there. Polozov explained to her that there is an article that if she fails to pay this fine, these documents will be deemed invalid. So she agreed," the Ukrainian woman's mother said.

She said that in jail Nadia had no money of her own, but the Ukrainian consuls gave her 40,000 Russian rubles.

"She gave away 30,000 rubles [to pay the fine]," M. Savchenko said.

In late April Savchenko and her lawyer Polozov filled out documentation for her extradition to Ukraine. Her other lawyer, Mark Feigin, said that while filling out the documentation Savchenko refused to admit her guilt.

"When she was filling out the documents, Nadia made no admission of guilt," her lawyer said.

"Nevertheless, she has agreed to pay the 30,000 ruble fine the court imposed on her for the ostensibly illegal border-crossing, but she also stated that she was taken out of Ukraine illegally," the defense lawyer said.

Polozov said that they also discussed the provisions of the extradition convention and its consequences.

"Everything that was required of Nadia, she complied with that, now the date of her release depends fully and entirely on how quickly the authorities will act," he said.

On March 22, the Donetsk City Court in Russia's Rostov region found Savchenko guilty in the killing of Russian journalists Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin and sentenced her to 22 years of imprisonment. The court also found her guilty of attempted murder and illegal border crossing.
MONDAY, May 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- While many may associate bipolar disorder with episodes of mania followed by periods of depression, a new study suggests that's often not the case.

Researchers say states of anxiety are equally as likely as to follow manic episodes as depression.

The finding might have implications for better treatment, the research team said.

"For years, we may have missed opportunities to evaluate the effects of treatments for bipolar disorder on anxiety," said study lead author Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

"The results of our study suggest that researchers should begin to ask whether, and to what extent, treatments for bipolar disorder relieve anxiety as well as mania and depression," he added in a university new release.

According to the study authors, about 5.7 million Americans have bipolar disorder, which causes cycles of mania (elevated or irritable mood) and depression.

The new findings stem from an analysis of data from more than 34,000 American adults with bipolar disorder.

"Although it has long been widely assumed that bipolar disorder represents repeated episodes of mania and depression as poles along a single continuum of mood, the clinical reality is often far more complex," Olfson said.

He said that, based on the new findings, "patients whose main symptom is anxiety should be carefully assessed for a history of mania before starting treatment."

The study was published May 3 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on bipolar disorder.
Palace of Culture and Science

In the heart of downtown Warsaw stands a "gift" from former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin: the Palace of Culture of Science, the tallest building in the country.

Communism fell in Poland in 1989. But the Palace remains more than 60 years after its construction, despite persistent calls to tear it down.

Much of the truly negative sentiment toward the building has dissipated over the last several decades, but it continues to strike a chord with many Poles, especially the older generation that lived under Soviet rule.

One taxi driver I met called the building "Sauron's Tower." And a running joke among Poles calls the "trzydziestka," a large terrace on the building's 30th floor, the best view of the city  because it's the only place where you can't see the Palace itself.

Aside from complaints about the aesthetic, the building's true irony is that it wasn't a gift at all. And it wasn't wanted.

"Stalin wanted to build in Warsaw a monument to himself and a symbol of the USSR's control of Poland," Marta Hankiewicz, a tour guide with the city, told Business Insider. "The PR around the construction said that [the Palace] was a gift of friendship from the USSR and theoretically, all costs were covered. However, if you look at the reality of the Polish economy following World War II, it can be said that Poland paid for it."

And to make room for the building, Stalin further destroyed a city already in ruins. After World War II, nearly 70% of Warsaw as a whole (on both sides of Vistula River) was destroyed.

The Warsaw Uprising, one of the largest resistance operations in Europe, infuriated the German regime, leading them to institute what's now referred to as the "planned destruction of Warsaw" in 1944. The powerful Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler uttered his infamous quote, "No stone can remain standing," about the city in the wake of the Uprising.

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Palace of Culture and Science skitch

The area around the Palace, however, suffered slightly less destruction  about 60%. Nearly 30 apartment buildings survived almost untouched and another 50 could have been repaired, according to Hankiewicz.

Stalin, however, confiscated and leveled those buildings to make room for the Palace.

"The area which disappeared was an important, vibrant part of the city, with eclectic and art-nouveau architecture," Hankiewicz said. "Unfortunately, that style was hated by the communists, as it reminded them of capitalism."

Soviet architect Lew Rudniew designed the Palace using an elaborate combination of baroque and Gothic styles modeled after the "Seven Sisters," or seven skyscrapers, in Moscow that honored Stalin.

Construction finished in 1955 after three years. It put the Palace at 777 feet, the tallest building in Poland and among the top 20 in Europe.

interior Palace of Culture and Science

I

t contains more than 3,000 rooms. It includes two private universities, the Polish Academy of Sciences, one of the largest conference facilities in Poland, a post office, a movie theater, a swimming pool, two concert halls, a bar, and several museums and libraries.

Originally, the building's title was supposed to include Stalin's name  the Palace of Culture and Science of Joseph Stalin. But Stalin died one year after construction began, and his crimes against the Soviet people came to light soon after. His name was never used and was removed from a book held by one of the statutes decorating the building, according to Hankiewicz.

Poles like to joke about hating the building. But a more serious movement formed to destroy it after the fall of communism  although it has lost its momentum in the last 25 years, Hankiewicz said

"Today, most Warsaw residents, even if they may not think it's pretty, prefer to accept it as a local landmark and a 'souvenir' of times gone by," she said. "Or they don't want to pay for the demolition."

And the younger generation, one that never lived under Stalin, has grown accustomed its presence and "even think[s] it's cool," Hankiewicz said, referencing a popular T-shirt with the Palace as a heart.

Today, the area surrounding the Palace serves as Warsaw's topographical downtown, with a large mall and the central metro station.

"But unlike before World War II, there is not much life or soul there," Hankiewicz said.

Post-World War II, what residents consider Warsaw's center has become scattered to many sections and streets of the city, such as Chmielna, Nowy Swiat, Hoza, Poznanska, and Plac Zbawiciela.





More From Business Insider


Madagascar, producer of 80 percent of the world's vanilla, has seen the spice's price jump from about $60 per kilogramme (2.2 pounds) in 2014 to as much as $220 now (AFP Photo/Patrick Mercier) (AFP/File)

Antananarivo (AFP) - The sweet flavours of vanilla are taking on a bitter edge for buyers in Madagascar as prices have almost quadrupled but quality has declined, with experts blaming speculation, money laundering and a poor harvest.

Madagascar, producer of 80 percent of the world's vanilla, has seen the spice's price jump from about $60 per kilogramme (2.2 pounds) in 2014 to as much as $220 now.

In some local supermarkets, vanilla -- used in everything from ice cream to cakes -- has become so expensive that the pods have been removed from the spice aisle and placed close to the cash registers to deter thieves.

"The 2015 harvest was not excellent, about 1,200 tonnes compared to 1,800 the year before," Emmanuel Nee, head of the ingredients department at French spice trading company Touton, told AFP.

"But that doesn't justify the huge price jump we've seen this year," he added, instead blaming "extremely speculative" traders and an "irrational" market.

Dominique Rakotoson, head of a Madagascan family-operated vanilla company and one of the few people willing to talk on the record, pointed to large operators for stockpiling and hiking up prices.

Half of Madagascar's vanilla is exported to Europe, and a third to the United States -- but the island is not seeing the potential benefits of higher prices.

"Some buyers abroad have now cancelled or reduced their orders," said Rakotoson, while food production companies are turning to cheaper synthetic vanilla as an alternative.

- Rush for profit -

All the while, the quality of Madagascar's crops have been slipping.

Many producers are harvesting the vanilla pods before they reach maturity, hoping to cash in on the high prices and also to pre-empt the theft of their increasingly valuable crops.

There has also been a spike in vacuum packing, bypassing a complex and months-long preparation process that dries out the pod and reveals the spice's sweet aroma.

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By trapping the moisture in the pod, "vacuum packing interrupts the drying process, which compromises the quality of the vanilla," explained Landry Njaka, secretary of the National Vanilla Platform, the industry's trade association.

To catch up to export standards, the work has to be redone correctly, thus raising prices, said Nee.

The government recently banned vacuum packing in an effort to revive quality.

To mark the occasion, 500 kilos of prematurely-picked pods were burned.

The authorities have also announced they will dispatch special teams to prevent early harvesting and ward off thieves, though many are sceptical of how effective these measures will be.

Some Madagascans even speculate that the vanilla industry is being used as a front for the illegal trade in rosewood - a sought-after product in China, where it is used to make furniture and musical instruments.

"It's in rosewood areas that we're seeing an overlap with vanilla price speculation," said Nee.

Madagascar, among the poorest countries in the world according to the World Bank, sorely needs the boost the vanilla price jump should bring.

Instead, potential competitors -- like Vietnam, India and Indonesia -- have now expressed interest in stepping into the market.

It takes a good five years for a plantation's first vanilla crop to be produced.

But in a country where the industry employs 200,000 and generated $192 million in exports last year, a spike in competition could be a heavy blow.
The flow of Ukrainian citizens arriving in Belarus from the conflict zone in Donbas decreased this year, but did not stop, despite the Minsk agreements, Sergei Kasinsky, the head of the department on refuges and shelter of the republic's Interior Ministry's citizenship and migration department, said in Minsk on Friday.

"Despite the fact that the Minsk agreements are now in effect, the flow has decreased, but it continues," the Belarusian state-run media quoted Kasinsky as saying.

"There are a total of some 47,000 Ukrainians in our country who have permanent or temporary residence permits," he said.

According to Kasinsky's information, 900 citizens of Ukraine sought protective status in the Belarusian Interior Ministry in 2014, some 1,200 sought such status in 2015 and some 200 sought it in the first quarter of this year.

He recalled that additional protection is provided for a year with the right to extend it if the situation in the country from which the migrant arrived does not change.

"We currently believe the situation has not changed and has not improved so much as to say that we will no longer extend the additional protection to these people," he said.

Kasinsky said some citizens of Ukraine who have arrived in Belarus from the military conflict zones are returning to their homeland, but their number is insignificant.

Kasinsky also said a permanent flow of migrants to Belarus from Syria began in 2013.

"This flow remains. These people are mainly young people who have come to study and do not want to return to their homeland due to the civil war. There are families, including mixed, among the refugees," he said.
English Latvian

Olaine, 2016-05-08 22:59 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supervisory Council of JSC Olainfarm has read the Consolidated and Parent Companys Annual reports for 2015, as well as Independent Auditors Report about it. In addition, the Council has assessed financial position of the Company and Operations of the Management Board during this financial year and hence produced this Report.

The Council values very highly the work conducted by Companys Board during the last year, as it resulted not only in increased sales volumes but also in record high profits. This has all been achieved in times, when economic situation in several markets important for the Company is facing stagnation or even heavy recession. The Council shares the concerns of the Board regarding declining sales in Belarus, which has for many years been one of the most important markets for the company, therefore the Council urges the Board to take all reasonably justified measures to prevent further declining of sales in this country. The Council is satisfied with very successful cooperation of the Company with the World Health Organization and with very good operations of Company in countries of Central Asia. Both these factors have helped the Company to achieve 4% sales growth despite previously mentioned issues in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus

During 2015 the Council has paid a very close attention to development of several related companies of the Group. The Council would like to particularly emphasize the rapid and positive developments taking place at SIA Silvanols during 2015, when this company, possibly for the first time in its history made significant profit from its basic operations. Also, developments at SIA Latvijas aptieka are worth noting as this company keeps increasing number of its pharmacies and in 2015 the number was comfortably above 60.

Consolidated profit of the company in 2015 reached 15.3 million euros, but unconsolidated profit reached 14.6 million euros. Both these numbers are the highest in corporate history and are significantly higher than the results of 2014. Both, consolidated and unconsolidated profit targets have been exceeded, but it should however be noted, that positive foreign exchange fluctuations in early months of 2015, when Russian Rouble gained significant strength have contributed to it. The Council has drawn the attention of the Board that in different circumstances the current margins might be difficult to attain.

Relatively small sales growth, instable situation in several important markets, stagnating or even declining sales of some of Companys main products have made the Council to again stress the necessity to make greater effort to diversify Companys sales markets or products offered by companies of the Group. The Council will support any reasonable steps contributing to this, including acquisitions of new companies.

The Council is satisfied that the Board kept its promise previously made to shareholders and after the two year dividend break is suggesting that 17.5% of the profit made in 2015 be paid in dividends. The Council suggests that, although the necessity for the Company to make different investments will not diminish, in order to observe the best interests of shareholders, no more dividend breaks are held in future, should that be possible.

During 2015 the Council of the Company has performed its duties and supervised operations of the Company according to legislation, decisions by the general meeting. The Council has approved financial statements and overviewed operations of Companys management. During the reporting period 18 Council meetings were held. During these meetings, Board reports, Board composition, plans, planned and actual budgets were reviewed. Agenda items of general meeting was pre-approved. Council found no insufficiencies in Boards operations in 2015. The Board has been in constant consultations with the Council and has taken into account all previously mentioned and other recommendations of the Council targeted at safe further development of the Company.

The Council would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board, all employees of the Company and its partners for successful operations in 2015, to congratulate shareholders with record high results of the last year and to wish successful, stable and positively challenging 2016.

Approved by the Council Meeting on May 6, 2016

Chairwoman of the Council Valentina Andrejeva

JSC Olainfarm is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Latvia with more than 40 years of experience in production of medication and chemical and pharmaceutical products. A basic principle of company's operations is to produce reliable and effective top quality products for Latvia and the rest of the world. Products made by the Group are being exported to more than 35 countries of the world, including the Baltics, Russia, other CIS, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.
ATLANTA, May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The UPS Foundation (NYSE: UPS) today announced a partnership with Zipline, a California-based robotics company, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to explore using drones to transform the way life-saving medicines like blood and vaccines are delivered across the world.

All too often, critical health products spoil or fail to reach the individuals who urgently need them. This public-private partnership combines a century of global logistics expertise, cold chain and healthcare delivery from UPS with Ziplines national drone delivery network and Gavis experience in developing countries focused on saving lives and protecting health in the most remote places of the world.

The UPS Foundation has awarded an $800,000 grant to support the initial launch of this initiative in Rwanda.



Public-private partnerships are the key to solving many of the worlds challenges, with each partner contributing its unique expertise, said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS. UPS is always exploring innovative ways to enhance humanitarian logistics to help save lives, and were proud to partner with Gavi and Zipline as we explore ways to extend the Rwandan governments innovations at a global scale.



Starting later this year, the Rwandan government will begin using Zipline drones, which can make up to 150 deliveries per day of life-saving blood to 21 transfusing facilities located in the western half of the country. According to the WHO1, Africa has the highest rate in the world of maternal death due to postpartum hemorrhaging, which makes access to lifesaving blood transfusions critically important for women across the continent.



Our partnership with UPS and Zipline is an exciting step into a new territory for the delivery of medical supplies, said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It is a totally different way of delivering vaccines to remote communities and we are extremely interested to learn if UAVs can provide a safe, effective way to make vaccines available for some of the hardest-to-reach children.



While Rwandas national drone network is initially focused on the delivery of blood supplies, the plan is to expand the initiative to include vaccines, treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and many other essential and lifesaving medicines. Rwandas drone delivery operation is expected to save thousands of lives over the next three years and could serve as a model for other countries.



The inability to deliver life-saving medicines to the people who need them the most causes millions of preventable deaths each year. The work of this partnership will help solve that problem once and for all, said Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo. With the expertise and vision of UPS, Gavi and Zipline, instant drone delivery will allow us to save thousands of lives in a way that was never before possible.



About The UPS Foundation



UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation leads its global citizenship programs and is responsible for facilitating community involvement to local, national, and global communities. In 2015, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $110 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/Foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.



About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance



Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunization of an additional 500 million children and the prevention of approximately 7 million future deaths.



Zipline International, Inc.



Zipline is a robotics company based in California. The company works with governments to provide reliable access to medical products at the last mile. Ziplines long-term mission is to build instant delivery for the planet, allowing medicines and other products to be delivered on demand and without using a drop of gasoline. Zipline is supported by some of the smartest investors in the world, including: Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, SV Angel, Subtraction Capital, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Stanford University.



[1]Statistic cited in speech given by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, on 3/1/2016. Source: Carroli G, Cuesta C, Abalos E, Gulmezoglu AM. Epidemiology of postpartum haemorrhage: a systematic review. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2008 22:999-1012.
TORONTO, May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mandalay Resources Corporation (Mandalay or the Company) (TSX:MND) today announced that its first quarter 2016 financial results will be released after market close on May 11, 2016, followed by a conference call with Mark Sander, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mandalay, for investors and analysts on May 12, 2016 at 8:00 am (Toronto time).



Analysts and interested investors are invited to participate using the following dial-in numbers:

Participant Number: (201) 689-8341 Participant Number (Toll free): (877) 407-8289 Conference ID: 13635838

A replay of the conference call will be available until 23:59 pm (Toronto time), May 26, 2016 and can be accessed using the following dial-in number:

Encore Toll Free Dial-in Number: (877) 660-6853 Encore ID: 13635838

Mandalay AGM

Mandalays Annual General Meeting will be held in Toronto at The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West, Toronto, on the 19th Floor, Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 9:00 am.

About Mandalay Resources Corporation:

Mandalay Resources is a Canadian-based natural resource company with producing assets in Australia, Chile, and Sweden, and a development project in Chile. The Company is focused on executing a roll-up strategy, creating critical mass by aggregating advanced or in-production gold, copper, silver and antimony projects in Australia, the Americas, and Europe to generate near-term cash flow and shareholder value.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
Specialists will dismantle Soviet symbols from the Motherland sculpture in Kyiv this year, Volodymyr Viatrovych, the head of the Ukrainian National Memory Institute, has said.

"It's hard for me to say when precisely. This decision has not been made on the engineering level yet. But I am confident that the dismantling will definitely happen. And it should happen in 2016," the Internet publication 44.ua quoted Viatrovych as saying on Friday.

On January 20, 2016, Viatrovych said the USSR emblem will be removed from the shield.

"The emblem of the USSR will be removed from the shield of the Motherland sculpture," Viatrovych said on Facebook.

The Motherland sculpture is located in Kyiv on the high right bank of the Dnipro River. The statue is holding a 16 meters long sward, which weighs nine tonnes, in one hand and a shield, which is 13 meters long and 8 meters wide and bears the emblem of the USSR (which weighs 13 tonnes), in the other hand.

The monument belongs to the Museum of Ukrainian History in WW II.

The complex was opened by Leonid Brezhnev, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, on the Victory Day in 1981.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said Ukraine places stake on a politico-diplomatic path of returning the occupied territories to the sovereignty of Ukraine.

"The commander-in-chief must take into account all the factors: military, international, economic, and other. Therefore we stake on a politico-diplomatic way to return the temporarily occupied territories to the sovereignty of Ukraine," he said, speaking during the "First minute of peace" at the Museum of History of Ukraine in World War II.

He noted Ukraine spends almost one-fifth of the national budget on defense and security, while over two years it managed to build an army every Ukrainian can be proud of.

"The Armed Forces of Ukraine, having liberated most part of Donbas, are securely holding the line. We fulfill the Minsk Agreements, but our soldiers, where appropriate, receive the order to open fire in response. In a word, they repulse enemy provocations," Poroshenko said.

The president assured that Ukrainian diplomats are making every effort to continue sanctions against the Russian Federation imposed by the EU, the United States and other countries.

"From time to time some European countries declare the ineffectiveness of sanctions. Well, if someone considers them to be ineffective, they should not remove or mitigate them but continue and strengthen," the president added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, while being on a working visit in Romania, visited Ukrainian Shevchenko Lyceum and met with representatives of Ukrainian community in the town of Sighetu Marmatiei.

"During his meeting with the Ukrainian community, the minister discussed a further way of cooperation, particularly in culture and education, which will contribute to the popularization of the Ukrainian language, culture and traditions of the Ukrainian people in Romania," reads a report of the communications and policy department of Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Ministry.

While staying at the lyceum, the minister and the teaching staff of the institution, representatives of the county discussed the topical issues of the lyceum's functioning and improving the conditions of studying the native language at school by representatives of the Ukrainian community.

Klimkin thanked the Union of Ukrainians in Romania "for their active stance on the condemnation of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and supporting Ukrainian servicemen."
Poroshenko: Moskal will continue decentralization, fight against smuggling as Zakarpattia governor

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday night held a meeting with Head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Hennadiy Moskal.

"I had a constructive meeting with Head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration Hennadiy Moskal. He will continue implementing my program on decentralization and resolutely fight against smuggling in Zakarpattia region," Poroshenko wrote on his Facebook page.

The head of state noted the idea of equipping customs offices with special scanners and spending part of revenues from customs duties on regional infrastructure projects was supported.
Kyiv gets no official info about alleged detention of Stavytsky in Israel

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) has not got official information on the detention of ex-Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine Eduard Stavytsky in Israel.

"We have no confirmation of this information," the head of the special investigations department in the PGO, Serhiy Horbatiuk, told Interfax-Ukraine.

He informed the prosecutor authorities appealed to the Ukrainian Interpol so that its representatives through their channels contact Israeli counterparts to obtain necessary information.

The director of the communications department of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine, Artem Shevchenko, in turn, told reporters "the ministry has not got any official comments from the Israeli side."

An informed source told the agency Stavytsky was searched earlier, there is no official confirmation of his detention in Israel.

"I'll tell you exactly what Stavytsky was search a few weeks ago. Then a lot of money was found, whose origin he could not explain," the source said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has no official information about the detention of Stavytsky.
Two Ukrainian servicemen were killed and another four suffered injuries in the army operation zone in Donbas over the past day, Ukrainian Presidential Administration spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk has said.

"One serviceman was killed and another two were injured as they hit a pull-action mine near Krymske. One serviceman hit an unknown explosive device near Avdiyivka in the Donetsk sector. Two guys were injured in attacks conducted by hostiles near Avdiyivka," Motuzianyk told a press briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

The militants were most active in the Mariupol sector, where six attacks were observed, he said.

The Ukrainian Security Service has prevented an act of sabotage in Mariupol, Donetsk region, Motuzianyk said. The police found an arms cache containing nine grenade launchers, 16 grenades, 80 kilograms of gunpowder, 600 grams of TNT, two electric detonators and almost 2,500 cartridges of various calibers. The cache belonged to the militants planning an act of sabotage, he said.

In addition, the police confiscated seven grenades and 50 cartridges of various calibers in Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Krasnoarmiysk, he said.
Poroshenko, his wife take part in opening 'Mothers of Heroes' photo exhibition in Kyiv

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna Poroshenko took part in opening the "Mothers of Heroes" photo exhibition dedicated to the Mother's Day, which coincided with the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation this year.

The exhibition takes place on the square near the National Museum of History of Ukraine in World War II.

Mothers of Ukrainian servicemen and the mother of Ukrainian pilot and MP (the Batkivschyna faction) Nadia Savchenko, Maria Ivanivna, participated in opening the exhibition too.

The president praised the strength of every Ukrainian mother and wife whose sons and husbands defend the homeland. According to Poroshenko, they demonstrate the same courage and heroism as that of the Ukrainian warriors on the frontline.

Poroshenko highlighted the sacrifice of Ukrainian women who found enough strength to support the decision of their sons and husbands to fight against the aggressor for the sake of peace in the country.

"Mothers of heroes are also Ukrainian heroes, for they face even greater pressure! I would like to emphasize that our victory depends on you as well. Just as on the heroism of our defenders - your sons and husbands," the president addressed the attendees.
Two persons involved in the kidnapping of a French citizen on May 6 this year have been detained in Kyiv, head of the main national police department in Kyiv Andriy Kryschenko has reported.

"Yesterday... two persons involved in the abduction of this citizen were detained. These individuals are currently detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code," he said.

He also said the French citizen has been found, he has injuries, he is currently giving evidence to law enforcement agencies.

"The Frenchman has been found today. He is now in the police, giving evidence. He has physical injuries," Kryschenko said.

According to the Kyiv police head, the abusers took him out of town and there released. Kryschenko suggested that the foreigner was released after those involved in his abduction had been detained.

As reported, unknown persons kidnapped a foreigner near a hotel in Pechersky district in Kyiv on May 6 for ransom.
JAKARTA, May 9 -- The second meeting of China-Indonesia High-level Economic Dialogue, which was co-chaired by Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Darmin Nasution, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, was held here on Monday.

The two sides hailed the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation after the first meeting in January last year, had an in-depth exchange of views and reached a comprehensive agreement on the cooperation in trading, investment, financing, infrastructure, energy and agriculture.

Both officials agreed that the two countries, which share development goals, should work together to deal with the global economic challenge and to promote further cooperation.

Yang said China and Indonesia are good neighbors, good friends and good partners, seeing a momentum of bilateral relations.

China is willing to implement the consensus between Chinese and Indonesian leaders and synergy the development strategies and achieve common development with Indonesia, said the Chinese official.

Commenting on the Indonesia-China relation, Darmin said China is Indonesia's important cooperation partner.

Indonesia is ready to facilitate Chinese investment in Indonesia and strengthen the cooperation with China in all fields, Darmin said.

The two sides signed cooperation documents after the one-day dialogue.
BEIJING, May 9 -- China's economy will follow an L-shaped path as downward pressures weigh and new growth momentum has yet to pick up, the People's Daily on Monday quoted an "authoritative figure" as saying in an exclusive interview.

The country's economic growth, which slowed to its lowest level after the global financial crisis, will not see a U-shaped or a V-shaped rebound, but follow an L-shaped path going forward, the source said.

The People's Daily, flagship newspaper of the ruling Communist Party of China, did not disclose the name of the source, but the term "authoritative figure" is usually used for high-level officials.

The source said China's economic growth has been stable and "within expectations," but warned of emerging problems such as a real estate bubble, industrial overcapacity, rising non-performing loans, local government debt and financial market risks.

High leverage is the "original sin" that leads to risks in the market for foreign exchange, stocks, bonds, real estate and bank credit, the person was cited as saying.

According to the authoritative figure, the country should make deleveraging a priority, and the "fantasy" of stimulating the economy through monetary easing should be dropped. The country needs to be proactive in dealing with rising bad loans, rather than hiding them.

The economy enjoys huge potential, high resilience and ample leeway, which means its growth will not plunge, even without stimulus policies, the authoritative figure said.

China will avoid a massive stimulus plan to boost growth, which would have a short-term effect but risk long-term damage. Instead, the country has chosen a much harder but more sustainable path of development in pursuing supply-side structural reform, according to the source.

The stock market, foreign exchange market and real estate market should return to their respective functions instead of being used at means of maintaining economic growth, the source said.
Nepal to Carry out Feasibility Study on Petrol Exploration with China's Technical Support

The Nepalese government has decided to carry out feasibility study on mineral, gas and petrol exploration in Western Nepal's Dailekh District.

A report will be made over the next three years to find out the status of mines in different parts of the country.

It's understood, a six-member team from China will provide technical support during the endeavor.

The Nepalese Ministry of Industry said the move was part of the agreement between China and Nepal during Nepalese Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli's visit to China in March.

Nepal is heavily reliant on its Southern neighbor India for petroleum products. However, experts suggest nothing has been done so far to explore the country's own petroleum resources.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists publishes today a searchable database that strips away the secrecy of nearly 214,000 offshore entities created in 21 jurisdictions, from Nevada to Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands.

The data, part of the Panama Papers investigation, is the largest ever release of information about offshore companies and the people behind them. This includes, when available, the names of the real owners of those opaque structures.

The database also displays information about more than 100,000 additional offshore entities ICIJ had already disclosed in its 2013 Offshore Leaks investigation.

ICIJ is publishing the information in the public interest.

The new data that ICIJ is now making public represents a fraction of the Panama Papers, a trove of more than 11.5 million leaked files from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the worlds top creators of hard-to-trace companies, trusts and foundations.

ICIJ is not publishing the totality of the leak, and it is not disclosing raw documents or personal information en masse. The database contains a great deal of information about company owners, proxies and intermediaries in secrecy jurisdictions, but it doesnt disclose bank accounts, email exchanges and financial transactions contained in the documents.

In all, the interactive application reveals more than 360,000 names of people and companies behind secret offshore structures. As the data are from leaked sources and not a standardized registry, there may be some duplication of names.

The data was originally obtained from an anonymous source by reporters at the German newspaper Sueddeustche Zeitung, who asked ICIJ to organize a global reporting collaboration to analyze the files.

More than 370 reporters in nearly 80 countries probed the files for a year. Their investigations uncovered the secret offshore holdings of 12 world leaders, more than 128 other politicians and scores of fraudsters, drug traffickers and other criminals whose companies had been blacklisted in the US and elsewhere.

Their status as outlaws or public officials didnt prevent them from obtaining shell companies in locales where secrecy laws often make it impossible for prosecutors and other investigators to trace their assets.

The files revealed, for example, that associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly shuffled as much as $2 billion through banks and shadow companies.

The reaction to the Panama Papers was immediate and viral.

Outraged citizens took to the streets in Reykjavik, Malta and London while the hashtag #panamapapers trended on Twitter for days after the story broke on April 3. The prime minister of Iceland resigned over the British Virgin Islands company he co-owned with his wife, while other world leaders scrambled to explain their secret holdings. It took UKs Prime Minister David Cameron three days to publicly acknowledge he had profited from an investment fund, created by his father, that was incorporated in Panama and managed in the Bahamas. In Spain a minister resigned after being caught in a series of lies about his connections to offshore, and in Uruguay police arrested five individuals suspected of laundering money for a powerful Mexican drug cartel.

The Panama Papers underscore the fundamental injustices and inequalities created by the offshore system, media commentators and political leaders say.

When taxes are evaded, when state assets are taken and put into these havens, all of these things can have a tremendous negative effect on our mission to end poverty and boost prosperity, Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank, said as he opened the spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington soon after ICIJ and more than 100 other news organizations began revealing the results of the media collaborations investigation.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, pointed out that the biggest problem was that many of the schemes revealed by the Panama Papers were legal. Its not that theyre breaking the laws, its that the laws are so poorly designed, he said.

The revelations reignited the debate about the need for public registries in which information about who ultimately controls a company be accessible to all. The UK has made disclosure of beneficial owner data mandatory and public, but British overseas territories such the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, some of the busiest offshore havens, have agreed to share that information only when it is requested by law enforcement.

Citing the Panama Papers, the US government also announced Thursday that it has sent legislation to Congress to create a centralized federal registry of the actual owners of any newly created company. The registry would help law enforcement authorities ferret out the real people behind anonymous companies used in money laundering and other wrongdoing.

The governments of Australia and Germany have said that they too intend to create public registries of company owners.

On Friday, the anonymous leaker of the Panama Papers, known only as John Doe, spoke publicly for the first time in a written statement and called out for concrete steps to combat tax havens. In the European Union, every member states corporate register should be freely accessible, with detailed data plainly available on ultimate beneficial owners, the source wrote. Doe added that the US can clearly no longer trust its fifty states to make sound decisions about their own corporate data.

The searchable database that ICIJ publishes today allows users to explore the networks of companies and people that used  and sometimes abused  the secrecy of offshore locales with the help of Mossack Fonseca and other intermediaries. The leaked data covers nearly 40 years, from 1977 through the end of 2015.

The data, which includes postal addresses, displays links to more than 200 countries and territories, from China to Chile. Users can filter the information by country and by offshore jurisdiction. They can also explore the role of banks, law firms and other gatekeepers of the financial system in facilitating the creation of offshore companies for high net worth individuals. For the first time, they can see details about shadowy Panamanian private foundations, including when available information about who controls them.

While the interactive application opens up a world that has never been shown in this much detail, not every owner of a company that appears in the Panama Papers shows up in the public database. This is because ownership information is often buried in emails, power-of-attorney letters and internal notes of Mossack Fonseca employees and cannot easily be extracted in a systematic manner. In addition, Mossack Fonseca often failed to collect the necessary information about the ultimate owners of companies, relying instead on banks and other intermediaries to keep track of that essential data.

Still, it is expected that Panama Papers revelations will continue to surface as regulators and ordinary citizens from around the globe probe the newly available data and find new connections that may have escaped reporters. Concerned citizens are encouraged to share tips with ICIJ and the Panama Papers journalists who continue to investigate the documents. The full dataset is also available for download.

Transparency is not going to move backward, Kim said in his World Bank spring meetings remarks, warning that those trying to avoid taxes or steal money from public treasuries should be very careful because they will eventually be tracked down. The world is only going to become more and more transparent as we move forward.
Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC said Monday its first-quarter revenue plunged by more than half, but that losses in its struggling business should end later this year as it banks on a new flagship product.

Revenue from January to March was down 64 percent year-on-year to Tw$14.8 billion ($456 million), while net loss in the period was Tw$2.6 billion, the company said in a statement.

The loss -- compared with profit of Tw$360 million a year earlier -- marked the fourth consecutive quarter of declines for HTC, once the star of the intensely competitive smartphone sector.

But chief financial officer Chialin Chang was hopeful the recent launch of the HTC 10 in April would boost fortunes.

"We are actually quite hopeful that the HTC 10 will bring back the momentum," he said.

"From the internal management perspective, we are hoping the third quarter in the smartphone business we will be able to achieve a breakeven," Chang added.

The homegrown Taiwanese brand has struggled to maintain its edge as Samsung, Apple and strong Chinese brands like Huawei expand their market share.

But the company touts its new HTC 10 to have the best smartphone camera on the market. It carries a new feature that gives users more options to personalise home screens than many Android phones.

HTC has also been cost-cutting to turn the ailing business around, slashing headcount and streamlining its product offerings to focus on high-end phones.

But analysts are still sceptical, with some observers saying the focus on cost-cutting may deter innovation.

First-quarter results did not yet reflect the launch of its new virtual reality product HTC Vive, which also went on sale in April.

HTC has been pouring resources into virtual reality, as have its rivals including Samsung and LG.

The company is one of the early players to venture into virtual reality and has spearheaded an informal alliance to develop the sector -- including Warner Brothers, Alibaba, and Valve.

Chang declined to comment on reports that HTC is looking to spin off its virtual reality business, only emphasising that it is a "very high potential market."

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"We're going to put in resources to make sure we have long-term success in this sector," he said on Monday's call.

Research firm CCS Insight predicts the number of virtual reality devices sold will grow from 2.2 million last year to 20 million in 2018, with smartphone-based devices representing the vast majority.

my/lm/eb
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
Ashley Sutcliffe (left), public relations manager at Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, one of Chinas biggest private carmakers, holds a discussion session with his colleagues in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Friday. GAO ERQIANG / CHINA DAILY

Demand for skills grows as government pledges to introduce more imported talent for pillar industries

Chinese employers with a shortage of highly skilled workers have opened their doors wider to foreign talent.

The trend is being spurred by a new government manpower policy that encourages companies to hire directly from the international market.

Major international headhunting companies have benefited from the change, seeing robust growth in such business in recent years, a China Daily investigation has found.

Spring Professional, a subsidiary of leading human resources company Adecco Group, has operated on the Chinese mainland for more than 10 years.

It says that in the past three years, its annual revenue in China has grown by between 70 and 100 percent, thanks to the growing demand from Chinese companies for international staff.

"Three years ago, 80 percent of our business was to find candidates for multinationals in China. Now, more than 60 percent of our business has shifted to searching for international candidates for Chinese employers," said Xiao Lirong, director for Beijing and Shanghai at Spring Professional.

"Besides the private sector, even State-owned enterprises have become our clients," she said. State companies have traditionally relied on government agencies to introduce overseas talent.

Robert Parkinson, CEO and founder of RMG Selection, another international human resources company that focuses on China, said its annual placement for foreigners in Chinese companies has doubled in four years.

Parkinson said the demand for skilled technical foreign talent is growing as China moves from low-cost manufacturing to more diversified innovative business.

"In the past, foreign talent we searched for focused on marketing or selling. Now, Chinese companies increasingly need technical experts," Parkinson said, adding that this business will continue to grow.

Business for international recruiters is poised to continue soaring after the government pledged to introduce more overseas talent for pillar industries during the 13th Five-Year-Plan (2016-20), with "the market playing the leading role", instead of government-initiated recruitment.

China targets top overseas talent, including professionals in innovation, breakthrough technologies and new industries, as well as scientists in strategic sectors. The government has simplified the visa application process to hire them.

One example is new-energy vehicles. Last year alone, China manufactured 379,000 such vehicles, a fourfold increase year-on-year, which has demonstrated the shortage of overseas talent.

Audrey Deng, a recruitment manager with more than eight years' experience, said six automobile clients have created more than 80 new positions, mainly for leading experts from countries including the United States, Germany and Japan.

Christine Raynaud, Greater China CEO for Morgan Philips Group, a global recruitment company, said that despite the growing demand, international recruitment is difficult for local and foreign companies in China.

"Chinese firms and brands are internationalizing to compete in global markets, and this means they have to attract and integrate foreign experts on critical projects," she said. "However, the traditional recruitment model is too local' in terms of sourcing and recruiter experience."

Raynaud said the internet could speed up the screening process, but when it comes to the final interview, only professional human resources experts can judge whether candidates are suitable.

Backed by international resources and professional experts worldwide, recruitment firms are expected to bridge the gap.

Deng said, "We have branches in many countries that can help Chinese employers to expand their channels to search for international candidates."
The human gut is a complex and amazing system, and the more we learn about it, the more amazed we are. It turns out
STEM

Pennsylvania District Wins NEF STEM Leadership Award

Lehighton Schools has won the National Education Foundation's (NEF) 2016 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Leadership Award.

The school district is one of several dozen that are participating in NEF's CyberLearning STEM+ Academy program. The program incorporates personalized learning, teacher stipends, learning management systems, mentoring, motivational rewards for students and parents, teacher training and tech support. The educational programs at the school are intended to advance a student one grade level in a subject in 20 to 30 learning hours.

Students in the district this year advanced a grade level in math and reading in 26 and 27 hours, respectively. The district will receive a $10,000 award for the achievement.

Other districts receiving distinguished achievement awards, which also carry monetary awards, are in Canton, NY; Sydney, NE; Steubenville, OH: and Warren County, PA.

NEF initiated the STEM+ Academy initiative in 2013 in conjunction with the State University of New York, TEKSystems, Pearson Education and Skillsoft to improve STEM learning in disadvantaged schools.

Districts can apply for the grants from NEF. While there are some costs to the district, some, including Lehighton, can receive matching federal grants to cover the cost.

Lehighton District Superintendent and STEM Academy Director Charlie Bachert said, "It is a great honor and privilege to be recognized with an award of this magnitude from such a prestigious group as NEF. We are fortunate to have such a strong partnership with NEF, and look forward to expanding our STEM program districtwide."
JINAN, May 8 -- China's first hospital founded by an insurance firm, in cooperation with local government, opened on Sunday, creating a new model for health care.

Approved by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, the Sunshine Union Hospital opened in Weifang City in east China's Shandong Province.

The Sunshine Insurance Group invested 3 billion yuan (461 million U.S.dollars) to set up the hospital in cooperation with the city government.

Zhang Weigong, chair of the insurance firm, said at the opening ceremony that the hospital will experiment with introducing commercial medical insurance in hospital fee payment, allowing people better access to medical services.

The class A hospital, on par with all major hospitals in big Chinese cities such as Beijing and Tianjin, covers 63 hectares of land and can accommodate up to 2,000 inpatients.

Liu Shuguang, mayor of Weifang, said in addition to the hospital, the city is also pushing forward medical reforms in public hospitals by encouraging private capital to invest in hospitals.

The hospital is part of China's plan to build a "healthy China" laid out in the government's 13th Five-year Plan (2016 to 2020). It offers a guideline to reform the country's health insurance system to give people easier and better access to medical services.

Previously, provinces such as Jilin, Heilongjiang, Guangdong and Hainan started experimenting with commercial insurance for critical illnesses to complement basic medical insurance.

In late March, the government of Zibo City in Shandong became the latest to link e-pharmacies with government hospitals. JD.com and Shandong Xinhua Pharmaceutical, a pharmacy listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, were tasked with operating an out-of-hospital platform linked with in-hospital prescriptions. Hospitals were asked to share information with the platform to allow patients to purchase drugs easily.
Filipinos go to the polls today to elect a president, replacing the term-limited Benigno Aquino III. Here are five things to know about the election in the Philippines.

#1: How the Election Works

More than 18,000 local and national postseverything from senator to town mayorsare up for grabs. In the Philippines, presidents get a single six-year term. There is only one voting round: in a close-fought race like the current one featuring several strong candidates, the winner might secure just 30% of the vote or less. There are more than 54 million registered voters, 80% of whom are expected to take part. It usually takes several weeks for the Philippine Congress to confirm the result, but the winner should be known within a few daysunless the margin of victory is small. In that situation, a protracted battle could ensue as presidential candidates launch legal cases and challenge local vote counts.

#2: Colorful Characters

Many candidates probably wouldnt pass the bar for electoral suitability in other less forgiving democracies. In the Philippines, local warlords, convicted felons and celebrities have a strong track record of winning elections. In midterm 2013 polls, 17 winners were convicted criminals and 256 were facing corruption charges, according to the Philippines corruption court. It is a similar story this time. Joseph Estrada, a former president and movie star who was ousted, jailed for corruption and barred from ever holding public office again, is running for re-election as mayor of Manila. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, another ex-president, has been under hospital arrest for several years facing corruption charges, which she denies; she is seeking re-election to Congress. And Imelda Marcos, wife of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos who went into exile in 1986 after allegedly stealing $10 billion from the national treasury, is fighting for re-election to Congress at the age of 87.

#3: Violence

Philippine elections are often marred by violence. Gun ownership is widespread and rivalry between local political clans is often intense. In 2010, the police said 155 people died as a result of election-related violence, including 22 assassinated candidates. This year, things have been more calm. Over the weekend, police said they counted 15 election-related killings, including the shooting of a mayoral candidate Saturday in the southern town of Lantapan. On Monday, seven people were killed in a shootout in Rosario, a town near Manila which police had earlier classified as an area of concern due to a bitter rivalry between political families. Police say they have deployed 120,000 officers armed with assault rifles to guard polling stations. A similar number of army troops are also on standby. Things might be a lot less calm after the election, however, with front runner Rodrigo Duterte promising a bloody war on criminals that he says could leave 50,000 people dead.

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#4: Logistical Nightmares

Running an election on an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands is an extreme challenge and preparations have been difficult. The Commission on Elections, the government agency responsible for running the polls, has had a torrid time. It disqualified Senator Grace Poe, a leading presidential candidate, last year, only for the Supreme Court to reject its decision. In March, the commission warned that there would be chaos unless the election was postponed by at least a month to give it more time to prepare more than 90,000 automatic voting machines nationwide. The appeal fell on deaf ears, leaving the commission scrambling to get things organized. The commission insists that the automatic voting machines will deliver a result that people can trust, but already some overseas Filipinoswho were able to vote in advancehave complained that the machines didnt accurately record their ballots.

#5: Cheating

Outgoing President Benigno Aquino III won by a landslide in 2010, but elections are usually much closer and are accompanied by allegations of cheating. Election Commissioner Luie Guia said over the weekend that vote buying is everywhere and that candidates were trying everything they could to solicit votesoffering money but also freebies such as groceries and toiletries. Reports of a possible power outage Monday in areas of the main island of Luzon also raised eyebrows, and many recalled unproven allegations that mass power cuts on election day in 1992 enabled manipulation. This year, as is traditional, many of the leading candidates have accused each other of attempting to cheat the system. Richard Gordon, a former senator who is running for the Senate again, said that he was aware of high-level attempts to distort the results. This is a sham democracy, he said.
(Adds statement from NOC in Tripoli)

By Ayman al-Warfalli

BENGHAZI, Libya, May 9 (Reuters) - Libya's crude oil output has fallen to a trickle amid a standoff over export rights that prevented trading giant Glencore (Xetra: A1JAGV - news) from loading a tanker.

Libya's production was down to 212,000 barrels on Monday, after the largest National Oil Corp (NOC) subsidiary, AGOCO, was forced to slash output by one-third from southeastern fields, an NOC spokesman in Tripoli said.

The NOC warned that storage tanks at the eastern port of Hariga would fill up in less than three weeks if no oil is exported and that output would fall further.

The dispute over exports involves the internationally backed NOC in Tripoli and a parallel version of the NOC created by a rival Libyan government in the east of the country.

The eastern NOC made an unsuccessful bid to export oil last month and has since prevented a tanker from loading at Marsa el-Hariga port for the Tripoli NOC.

Prior to the latest dispute over exports from Hariga, Libya's oil production had already fallen to less than a quarter of the 1.6 million bpd it was producing before the 2011 uprising that toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Production from AGOCO's Messla and Sarir fields has been cut to between 80,000 and 100,000 barrels per day from 230,000, as crude loadings at the Marsa el-Hariga port in eastern Libya remain suspended, a spokesman for AGOCO said.

The spokesman, Omran al-Zwai, said there were no technical or administrative problems with production at the two fields.

AGOCO is mediating indirect negotiations between the two NOCs in an effort to resolve the dispute, a Tripoli NOC official told Reuters.

POWER STRUGGLE

Exports from Hariga account for three-quarters of Libya's oil production, and national income would be halved if they were stopped, NOC Tripoli spokesman Mohamed el-Harari said. Some production capacity could be lost permanently if oil from the southeast fields that is high in wax solidifies in pipelines, he added.

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The dispute is part of a broader power struggle between factions in eastern and western Libya. The Tripoli NOC is keen to work with a new U.N.-backed unity government to revive Libya's oil production, but the government has faced resistance from groups in the east.

The unity government is designed to bring together two rival parliaments and administrations that have been operating in Tripoli and the east since 2014.

The eastern NOC shipped a cargo of 650,000 barrels from Hariga last month, but the United Nations blacklisted the tanker and it was forced to return to a western Libyan port to unload.

The authorities in the east then prevented Glencore tanker Seachance from loading at Hariga. The tanker, which was scheduled to load on April 26 to 28, was still waiting near the port, according to a Hariga port official and Reuters tracking.

Glencore was not immediately available for comment.

The eastern NOC issued a statement late on Sunday saying there was no plan to stop crude exports from Hariga, but it was concerned about a contract signed by the Tripoli NOC and Glencore, which it called "totally unfair".

Glencore sealed an export deal with NOC Tripoli last year allowing the trader exclusively to lift crude from Hariga.

Eastern NOC marketing manager Almabruk Sultan said the board of directors was trying to check whether the contract with Glencore complied with international trade laws, but they had not received a copy of the contract yet.

"The Glencore issue has nothing to do with politics," he said.

The eastern NOC has been in touch with the unity government in Tripoli as it tries to reunite the eastern and western branches, but "the process is slow", Sultan added.

"We are for the unity of both NOCs and the unity of Libya, but it has to be done in a fair and just way."

NOC Tripoli Chairman Mustafa Sanalla said the "blockade" at Hariga would achieve nothing. "In terms of legitimacy, which is what the blockaders want, it is a dead end," he said in a statement. "So I am asking them to reconsider their approach. Open the ports for the well-being of our country."

(Additional reporting by Aidan Lewis in Tunis and Ahmad Ghaddar in London; Writing by Aidan Lewis and Ahmad Ghaddar; Editing by Dale Hudson and Peter Cooney)
DUSHANBE, May 9 (Reuters) - Tojiksodirotbank, Tajikistan's second-biggest lender, is seeking a capital injection from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, it said on Monday.

Tojiksodirotbank said it was also seeking help from the government to be able to meet its obligations on time.

"Tojiksodirotbank, one of the country's systemically important banks, needs financial assistance in the current situation," it said in a statement, without giving details on why it needs help other than that it had been "negatively affected by the economic and financial crisis".

The bank, which has assets of 3.8 billion somoni (about $483 million) and is owned by several Tajik private companies, said it expected the capital injection issue to be discussed at the annual EBRD meetings in London this week.

It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) gave no details of how much it is seeking.

Last month, Tojiksodirotbank denied local media reports saying it was laying off staff.

Some bank customers have complained about having to wait in long queues to withdraw cash from their accounts. (Reporting by Nazarali Pirnazarov; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Alexander Winning and Susan Thomas)
By Megan Rowling

BARCELONA, May 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The world's first summit on humanitarian reform this month should set in motion global political action to tackle violations of the laws of war aimed at protecting civilians, a UK parliamentary committee said on Tuesday.

In the run-up to the conference in Istanbul on May 23-24, aid agencies and U.N. officials have decried abuses of international humanitarian law (IHL), especially attacks on hospitals in conflict zones and the bombing of a refugee camp in Syria last week.

British MP Stephen Twigg, who chairs the International Development Committee, said upholding IHL "is essential to delivering aid".

"Using their presence at this summit, we urge the UK government to press all actors on the global stage to bolster international humanitarian law," he said, as the cross-party committee issued a report outlining its priorities for the summit.

Aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres, which saw 75 hospitals it managed or supported bombed last year, has pulled out of the summit, saying it will not hold states to account for their role in conflicts, nor pressure them to abide by the rules of war.

The UK parliamentary committee said the summit should reinvigorate and accelerate negotiations for an intergovernmental mechanism to strengthen compliance with IHL.

The International Committee of the Red Cross proposed such a mechanism last year, but some states rejected it.

Political commitments on IHL made at the meeting should be "truly universal, and not limited to a few parties", the report added.

And states with weaker institutions should be helped to investigate and prosecute allegations of IHL violations, it said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed establishing a "watchdog" to track, collect data and report on trends of IHL violations, among other measures, it noted.

In written evidence to the inquiry, Britain's Department for International Development said: "This will be a challenging area to make immediate progress, but we cannot afford to stand by while violations of International Humanitarian Law continue."

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MP Twigg, of Britain's opposition Labour Party, said much consultation had taken place ahead of the summit.

"There is recognition that the players involved need to get better at meeting the needs of people affected by conflict and disaster. But there is a distinct lack of agreement on what the priorities should be," he said in a statement.

The committee put forward five other key areas where it hopes to see concrete results, including reforms to bridge the divide between emergency relief and development aid, and more emphasis on preventing and resolving crises, from early warning systems to analysis of political risks in fragile states.

It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) also called for efforts to address the "unintended consequences" of counter-terrorism legislation, which can have a chilling effect on humanitarian response. The British government should explore "reasonable exceptions" for humanitarian activities, as exist in jurisdictions like Australia, it added.

The report urged British Prime Minister David Cameron to go to the summit. "As such a large donor, a signal of high-level UK support is vital to a strong summit outcome and thus a more effective delivery of UK humanitarian assistance," it said.

So far, the United Nations has indicated that 50 heads of state or government will attend but has named only a few. (Reporting by Megan Rowling; editing by Ros Russell. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters (Dusseldorf: TOC.DU - news) , that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)
By Jeb Blount

LAGARTO, Brazil (Reuters) - Judge Marcel Montalvao joined some of Brazil's top politicians as one of the country's most-hated public figures when he ordered a 72-hour shutdown of WhatsApp this week, abruptly cutting off the messaging service for some 100 million users.

But none of the young women staring at their cell phones and tapping away on the now-restored WhatsApp in a patch of shade outside Montalvao's courthouse in the small city of Lagarto were among the haters.

Even as the judge prepared to rule on cases involving their loved ones in a courthouse compound that is heavily guarded and sits behind a high, electrified fence, the women expressed understanding for a man known locally as fiercely dedicated to fighting crime.

"It was a pain at first. We use zap-zap all the time," said Marcielle Santana, 26, using the universal slang term in Brazil for Facebook-owned WhatsApp.

"But you have to respect him. He's going after drug gangs, pedophiles. That's more important than a little time without zap-zap."

Montalvao ordered Brazil's main telecom operators to block WhatsApp on Monday for 72 hours after it failed to produce for the court messages supposedly traded between members of Brazil's most powerful drug gang.

In March, he ordered the imprisonment of a Brazil-based Facebook executive for failing to comply with a previously attempted block on WhatsApp. The executive was jailed and freed after a day.

This week, Montalvao's order was lifted by a higher court about 24 hours after it went into effect. A similar temporary block of the messaging service occurred last December after a judge in Sao Paulo state ordered it shut for failing to share information in a criminal case.

WhatsApp officials have repeatedly argued they cannot turn over to judges material that they do not possess. Their encrypted messaging service does not store user-generated content on any servers, they say.

The block of WhatsApp ignited such an outcry in Brazil that a congressional commission on Wednesday recommended a bill that would bar authorities from blocking popular messaging applications.

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Facebook Inc's Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg also weighed in, calling on Brazilians to demand that WhatsApp never be blocked again.

Nancy Andrighi, a minister at Brazil's National Council of Justice, a federal watchdog over judges, on Tuesday gave Montalvao two weeks to explain his decision to block WhatsApp. If the council finds the judge abused his power, it could take disciplinary action against him.

Despite all that, Montalvao's reputation in Lagarto and the surrounding area remains positive even after his nearly year-long battle with WhatsApp and Facebook - principally because of his hard-line stance against surging crime, often linked to drug gangs, in the city.

FROM CLASSROOM TO POLICE PROTECTION

Montalvao, the son of shoe shiner, spent 20 years as a schoolteacher in the Sergipe state capital Aracaju, Montalvao. He told a Lagarto radio station last year that he became a judge in 2004 after deciding that teaching was not doing enough to help young people.

Montalvao declined on Thursday to give an interview to Reuters about the WhatsApp case, citing judicial secrecy and the delicate security situation surrounding the arrival that day of eight gang suspects to his court.

The area, part of Brazil's impoverished Northeast, grew rapidly during the two terms of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, thanks to a commodities boom and surging government spending during his eight years in office that began in 2003.

But crime grew along with the population, as the rural poor flocked to jobs at expanding food processing plants and with the opening of a large medical faculty of the Federal University of Sergipe. Lagarto is now home to 103,000 people, a jump of 25 percent over the 2000 Census.

Not all has changed, though.

Despite the glittering medical campus and neat downtown shops, churches and government buildings, horses graze on roads near the courthouse, which sits beside manioc and coconut fields and overgrown empty lots. Vultures circle overhead in the strong tropical sun.

"We're still in the country, but we aren't the little, dusty northeastern town that everybody has in their mind," said Rilley Guimaraes, Lagarto's municipal secretary of Industry, Commerce and Tourism. "The attacks on Lagarto have been offensive."

Montalvao's willingness to take on criminals, including the PCC, the notorious Sao Paulo-based drugs, guns and extortion cartel, has earned him death threats.

He lives under 24-hour police protection and spends much of his time wearing a bullet-resistant vest, said Eduardo Maia, president of the Lagarto chapter of Brazil's bar association, the OAB.

Maia was partly supportive of Montalvao, saying that the judge was facing the same challenge raised by Apple Corp's refusal to help the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation access encrypted messages on an iPhone used by one of the shooters in an attack in San Bernardino, California.

"Under Brazilian law, Montalvao's order was perfectly legal," Maia said. "WhatsApp and Facebook weren't providing or storing information that our Internet laws require them to keep, and for them to criticize the judge for that is rather arrogant."

The problem, Maia said, is whether that law can be "met by any company, and was the order proportional to the problem the judge was trying to solve?"

"I don't think so," he said. "But that debate is going on everywhere."

(Reporting by Jeb Blount; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Brad Brooks and Frances Kerry)
United Airlines holds a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch its non-stop flight service between San Francisco and China's Xi'an on May 8, 2016. (Photo by Ma Dan)

San Francisco, May 8 --- United Airlines inaugurated its nonstop flight between San Francisco and China's Xi'an on May 8.

The flights from Uniteds Asia-Pacific gateway in San Francisco will be the first trans-Pacific service to Xian, making United the first U.S. airline to serve the city, a commerce and tourism hub in the central region of China.

United Airlines will use Boeing 787 Dreamliner to operate the three-times-weekly service during the peak travel period between May 8 and Oct. 27, 2016.

United is celebrating our 30th anniversary of service linking the U.S. and China this year and there couldnt be a better way to honor our proud and long-standing relationship than by being the first airline to offer customers nonstop trans-Pacific service to Xian, said Marcel Fuchs, Uniteds Vice President for Atlantic and Pacific sales. United operates more nonstop U.S.-China flights, and to more cities in China, than any other airline and we expect the addition of flights to Xian to continue to create opportunities for trade and collaboration between our two countries throughout the U.S.-China Tourism Year and long into the future.

Luo Linquan, General Consul at Chinese Consulate General to San Francisco said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that more than 4.75 million tourists traveled between China and U.S. in 2015, including 2.1 million American tourists to China and 2.7 million Chinese tourists to America. "According to the initiative launched by the leaders of our two countries, 2016 is 'China-US tourism year,' It is estimated that tourists between China and U.S. will exceed 5 million this year."

He also said that "It is the perfect year for the United Airlines to open its direct flight service between Xi'an and San Francisco. It will be the 8th scheduled flights between San Francisco and mainland China. With this new service, people from central region of China could fly to U.S. more easily, and U.S. people will enjoy the facilitation to travel to Xi'an, to explore the beauty and prosperity of such a famous historical city."

With frequent exchanges between the two countries, both Chinese and U.S. airlines are snatching the market in big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and others. United Airlines is now eyeing some second-tier cities. The company opened its direct flight last year to China's Chengdu. It will also launched its service to Hangzhou in July this year.
By Francois Murphy, Shadia Nasralla and Kirsti Knolle VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigned on Monday, bowing to a revolt from inside his Social Democratic Party after it suffered a humiliating electoral defeat to a far right buoyed by Europe's migration crisis. Faymann's surprise announcement marks the fall of a political survivor adept at compromises and about-faces that angered his party's base in his more than seven years in power. While the Social Democrats' popularity has been waning for years, the rising tide of populism that has carried anti-immigrant parties in countries like Germany and Sweden during the migration crisis hastened his departure. "Do I have full cover ..., strong support within the party? I must say the answer is no," Faymann, 56, said in a statement. "I draw the consequences from this low level of support and step down from my positions as party leader and federal chancellor." Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, who heads the conservative People's Party that rules in coalition with the Social Democrats, said he saw no need for a snap election after the announcement, APA news agency reported. "For us it was a big surprise as we believed the personnel debate at the Social Democrats had been done," conservative Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling told reporters in Brussels. Markets, however, shrugged off the news. As the anti-immigration Freedom Party is leading in opinion polls on more than 30 percent, the Social Democrats have little interest in a general election being held before the next one due in 2018, as they would most likely lose the chancellorship. With President Heinz Fischer, a former Social Democrat, in office until early July, a Social Democrat is likely to take over from Mitterlehner, who will meanwhile run the government on an interim basis. The Social Democratic Party (SPO) leadership set about finding a successor for Faymann at a meeting on Monday, and asked the veteran mayor of Vienna, Michael Haeupl, to take over as party leader for the time being. "I am not chancellor and have no intention of becoming it," Haeupl told a news conference after the meeting. SUCCESSOR NEXT WEEK Haeupl said the leadership's pick to succeed Faymann would be announced on Tuesday next week and then submitted to Fischer to be appointed as chancellor. A party conference planned for June 25 should then approve that choice as party leader. Two names have been widely mentioned as the most likely successor: Christian Kern, the head of Austrian rail operator OBB, and Gerhard Zeiler, former head of public broadcaster ORF and now president of Turner International . Faymann paid the price for the first round of Austria's presidential election two weeks ago, when the Freedom Party's candidate came first on 35 percent and neither ruling party nominee made it into the May 22 run-off. After the election, which produced the worst combined result for both of the mainstream parties since Austria's president became directly elected in 1951, opposition among Social Democrats grew into open revolt. Faymann was even jeered at a May Day rally. Any new leader will have to try to heal rifts in the party over issues such as the government's growing restrictions on immigration and asylum, which have been widely interpreted as a late attempt to mimic populist far-right policies. Austria took in around 90,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more than 1 percent of its population and many fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond. It has since said it cannot cope with as many migrants in future, and acted to stop the influx through measures such as shutting down the main migrant route into Europe, in coordination with its Balkan neighbours. The party is also divided over whether it should reverse a self-imposed ban on forming national coalitions with the Freedom Party. Faymann repeatedly said he opposed such a move. (Additional reporting by Kirsti Knolle in Vienna and From Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster is Northern Ireland's First Minister-elect after her party won 38 of the 108 seats in the Stormont Assembly.

Mrs Foster, who survived an IRA bombing in 1988, will continue to share political power with Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, a former IRA commander.

Sinn Fein won 28 seats with the Ulster Unionists on 16, SDLP 12, Alliance eight, People Before Profit Alliance two, Green Party two, with the Traditional Unionist Voice and independent Claire Sugden winning one each.

All 108 seats have now been declared.

The 30-seat threshold, which the DUP has passed, is significant because parties with this strength are able to launch a 'petition of concern' which can block legislation.

Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster said on Friday evening that she is expecting to be returned as Northern Ireland's First Minister, as the DUP leader topped the poll in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

She said: "I feel great, it is a great endorsement of our campaign and I am absolutely delighted."

Counting in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections, which finished late on Saturday afternoon, took longer than elsewhere because of the country's voting system.

Sky News Ireland Correspondent David Blevins said: "Northern Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote system - a form of Proportional Representation - to elect members of the Assembly.

"Voters rank candidates in order of preference by marking 1, 2, 3, etc. next to names on a ballot paper. Each candidate needs a minimum number of votes to be elected - the 'quota'.

"If a candidate is eliminated or has more votes than are needed to fill the quota, their surplus votes are transferred to the remaining candidates, hence the long process."

In all, 703,744 people voted in the election, representing a turnout of 54.91%, slightly from the 55.64% turnout in the 2011 assembly election.

The poll was the first chance to vote for people born after the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998, which paved the way for a devolved power-sharing government.

:: Corbyn Vows To Rebuild Labour In Scotland
Would you dare to accept a kiss from a total stranger? College students from Hunan University, Central South University and Hunan Normal University recently held a kiss a stranger contest. Starting in March, the organizers began to recruit volunteers. In total, 200 students signed up, though only 10 couples accomplished the task.

The students conceived of the activity as a way of expressing mutual trust. All the volunteers were between the ages of 18 and 22. Of the 200 volunteers, there were less than 80 female students. However, on May 7, of the 40 volunteers that showed up, there were more females than males.

Volunteers first played a few warm-up games to get to know each other. Then they picked their kissing partners through a drawing. During the half hour activity, 10 couples failed to kiss. Overall, the female participants displayed more initiative than the males.
Five former secretaries general of NATO have published a letter supporting Britain's continued membership of the EU.

Lord Carrington, Javier Solana, Lord Robertson, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and Anders Fogh Rasmussen have written to say: "Given the scale and range of challenges to peace and stability we collectively face, the Euro-Atlantic community needs an active and engaged United Kingdom.

"At a time of such global instability, and when NATO is trying to reinforce its role in Eastern Europe, it would be very troubling if the UK ended its membership of the European Union.

"While the decision is one for the British people, Brexit would undoubtedly lead to a loss of British influence, undermine NATO and give succour to the West's enemies just when we need to stand shoulder to shoulder across the Euro-Atlantic community against common threats, including on our doorstep."

The letter, which was distributed by Downing Street, comes a day after David Cameron gave a speech defending Britains membership of the EU asking: "Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

"Is that a risk worth taking?

"I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."

But senior Conservative Dr Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee, has accused the Prime Minister of entering "some sort of Alice Through The Looking Glass world".

"The real deterrent to an outside aggressor is very clear: it is the United States belonging to NATO.

"What the European Union is trying to do by building a common foreign and defence policy is trying to duplicate NATO without the involvement of the United States and that is highly dangerous."

Last month, in an interview with Sky News, the current NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "A strong UK at the heart of Europe is good for NATO.

"It's good for our security and a fragmented Europe is bad for security."

The letter is the first time so many former secretaries general have written together.

Between them they led the alliance during the Cold War and following the 9/11 attacks.
BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's security forces said they arrested a senior member of Islamist militant group Ansar Dine who trafficked weapons for attacks in Mali and over the border in Burkina Faso. Yacouba Toure is suspected of supplying the arms, grenades and ammunition used in an attack near Burkina Faso's second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, in October that killed three gendarmes, Mali's Head Office of State Security said. Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have all been targeted by Islamist attacks blamed on militant networks that extend beyond national borders. Ansar Dine has claimed numerous strikes in Mali against military and U.N. targets, including a suicide and rocket attack on a U.N. base that killed six peacekeepers in February. Mali's state security said Toure, who was arrested on the outskirts of Bamako on Thursday, had joined Islamist groups in northern Mali in 2010, where he received military weapons training and became the main arms supplier for militants operating in the south. (Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo and Adama Diarra; Writing by Makini Brice; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 (Xinhua) -- An United Airlines' Boeing 787 Dreamliner to fly the inaugural nonstop flight from San Francisco to China's Xi'an is going to take off from the San Francisco International Airport, United States, on May 8, 2016. United Airlines celebrated the launch of new nonstop flights from U.S. west coast city San Francisco to Chinese western city Xi'an at the San Francisco International Airport on Sunday. The three-times-weekly seasonal service, the first trans-Pacific service to Xi'an, will be operational between May 8 and Oct. 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Liu Yilin)
North Carolina and the US Justice Department are suing one another over the state's transgender bathroom law.

The controversial legislation forces transgender people to use public bathrooms that match their birth gender.

The Justice Department put state leaders on notice last week, saying the law known as House Bill 2 (HB2) was in violation of the Civil Rights Act.

State officials, including Governor Pat McCrory, responded by suing the federal government ahead of a Monday deadline to confirm that they would not comply with the measure.

The lawsuit accused the Justice Department and the Obama administration of "baseless and blatant overreach".

"We believe a court rather than a federal agency should tell our state, our nation and employers across the county what the law requires," Mr McCrory told a news conference.

The Justice Department countered with its own lawsuit, which seeks a court order to block implementation of the measure.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the federal civil rights lawsuit also seeks a court order declaring HB2 as "impermissibly discriminatory".

In addition to the legal action, Ms Lynch said her department "retains the option of curtailing federal funding" to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina.

The agency previously warned state officials that failure to scrap the law could result in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in school funding.

"None of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity and insists that a person pretend to be something or someone they are not ... as a pretext for discrimination and harassment," Ms Lynch told a news conference.

She added: "State sanctioned discrimination never looks good."

North Carolina officials accused Ms Lynch in their lawsuit of attempting to impose a "radical re-interpretation" of federal civil rights law.

Story continues

HB2, which was enacted in March, overturned a Charlotte city ordinance that allowed transgender people to use public toilets that matched their gender identities.

Proponents of the measure argue it protects children from predators who would attempt to enter women's bathrooms.

Critics have decried the move, along with similar measures in other states, as an attack on the LGBT community.

Two companies - PayPal and Deutsche Bank - have scrapped plans to add jobs in the state, and several musical acts have cancelled gigs in North Carolina over the law.

Several major corporations, including Google, Apple, IBM and American Airlines, have also condemned HB2.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi filed a lawsuit on Monday over a state law that allows the use of religious beliefs as a reason to deny services to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

The so-called Religious Freedom Bill - HB1523 - was filed in response to last summer's Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalised same-sex marriage nationwide.
By David Brunnstrom, Lesley Wroughton and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is considering whether to lift the three-decade-old U.S. arms embargo on Vietnam, U.S. officials say, as he weighs calls to forge closer military ties with Hanoi against concerns over its poor human rights record. The debate within the U.S. administration is coming to a head amid preparations for Obamas trip to Vietnam in the second half of May to bolster ties between Washington and Hanoi, former wartime enemies who are increasingly partners against Chinas growing territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea. The full removal of the embargo  something Vietnam has long sought - would sweep away one of the last major vestiges of the Vietnam War era and advance the normalization of relations begun 21 years ago. It would also likely anger Beijing, which condemned Obamas partial lifting of the arms ban in 2014 as an interference in the regions balance of power. On one side of the internal debate, some White House and State Department aides say it would be premature to completely end restrictions on lethal military assistance before Vietnams communist government has made more progress on human rights. They are at odds with other officials, including many at the Pentagon, who argue that bolstering Vietnams ability to counter a rising China should take priority, according to people with knowledge of the discussions. Boosting the security of allies and partners has been a major thrust of Obamas strategic pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region, a centrepiece of his foreign policy. Even as Vietnam seeks warmer relations with the United States, though, U.S. officials are mindful that suspicions linger among Communist Party conservatives that Washington wants to undermine their countrys one-party system. One major factor in Obamas decision will be whether Vietnam will move forward on major U.S. defence deals, a potential boon for American jobs that could soften congressional opposition to lifting the weapons ban, according to one source close to White House policymaking. There have been questions about whether Vietnam, which has relied mostly on Russian weapons suppliers since the Cold War, is ready to start buying U.S.-made systems. Diplomats have seen increasing signs that Hanoi is seeking ties with U.S. defence contractors but Washington wants tangible commitments, according to the source. Vietnam is big buyer of weapons from Russia, its Cold War-era patron, including Kilo-class submarines and corvettes. It could look to the United States for items such as P-3 surveillance planes and missiles to beef up its naval forces and coastal defences. At the Pentagon, the prevailing view appears to be more in line with Defense Secretary Ash Carters congressional testimony late last month that he would support lifting restrictions on the sale of U.S. weapons to Vietnam. That comment raised eyebrows at the White House, where officials said Obama had yet to rule on the issue. Obama's final decision could hinge on whatever recommendations come from a visit to Vietnam early this week by Daniel Russel, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, and Tom Malinowski, the administrations top human rights envoy. It was not clear whether Obama was leaning for or against ending the embargo ahead of his trip, which will make him the third consecutive U.S. president to visit Vietnam. Obama eased the ban on lethal arms sales to Vietnam in October 2014, allowing shipments of defensive maritime equipment to help Hanoi build up its deterrent to Chinas pursuit of its claims in the South China Sea, which conflict with those of its neighbours such as Vietnam and U.S. ally the Philippines. "UNDESERVED AT THIS TIME" John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said lifting the arms ban would be undeserved at this time. The group, in an April 27 letter sent to Obama, described the Vietnamese government as among the most repressive in the world. While a number of U.S. lawmakers favour closer military ties with Vietnam because of shared concerns about China, others have deep misgivings. Democratic U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez, a member of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam who also has a large Vietnamese-American voting bloc in her California district, said lifting the embargo would be giving a free pass to a government that continually harasses, detains and imprisons its citizens. Obama has the power to bypass Congress to lift the embargo. But his administration would hope for support from Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, a decorated former prisoner of war in North Vietnam who backed the 2014 partial lifting. Some U.S. officials see signs that Vietnam is starting to pay attention to human rights criticism. But concerns remain over the government's heavy-handedness toward political opponents and treatment of workers and there is worry that Washington will lose some leverage if it gives up the arms embargo without securing concessions for reforms. One senior U.S. official suggested that it might be best for now to set the issue of the lethal weapons ban aside. These things do take time, the official said. But others said the door should remain open to lifting the embargo as preparations proceed for Obamas visit. If Obama opts against removing the ban for now, another option that might mollify the Vietnamese would be creating a working group to map out the path toward doing so, one U.S. official said. (Additional reporting by Martin Petty in Manila, Phil Stewart in Washington; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing By Stuart Grudgings)
BERLIN (Reuters) - Sueddeutsche Zeitung said on Friday that the source of millions of documents leaked to the German newspaper from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca had sent them a manifesto, saying his motivation was the "scale of injustices" the papers revealed. The source had never before publicly stated why he leaked the documents, now known as the Panama Papers, said Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), one of Germany's most reputable newspapers. In an 1,800 word manifesto published on the SZ website on Friday, the source, calling himself "John Doe", praised others who have leaked secret and sensitive documents, such as Edward Snowden, who revealed details of the U.S. government's mass surveillance programme. "For his revelations about the National Security Agency (NSA), he deserves a hero's welcome and a substantial prize, not banishment," the source wrote. He also said he would be willing to co-operate with law enforcement agencies. He called on the European Commission, Britain, the United States and other nations to take steps to protect people who reveal private information about such sensitive issues rather than punishing them. "Legitimate whistleblowers who expose unquestionable wrongdoing, whether insiders or outsiders, deserve immunity from government retribution, full stop," he said. The source, who contacted the paper a year ago with an offer of encrypted internal documents from Mossack Fonseca, denied being a spy but said he had recognised the "scale of injustices" described in their contents. The documents cover a period over almost 40 years, from 1977 until last December, and purport to show that some companies domiciled in tax havens were being used for suspected money laundering, arms and drug deals and tax evasion. Reuters could not independently verify whether the source was the same person who leaked the original documents. The source's identity and gender is not known. Sueddeutsche Zeitung spent more than a year, along with other media outlets and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, analysing the huge cache of documents. On Friday, Sueddeutsche Zeitung introduced the manifesto by saying: "Now 'John Doe', the anonymous source, has sent the SZ a manifesto, which can be read as an explanation of his actions  and as a call to action." The source welcomed the fact that the leak had triggered a debate on "wrongdoing by the elite" but said not enough action had been taken. "For the record, I do not work for any government or intelligence agency, directly or as a contractor, and I never have," he said. The source was critical of banks, financial regulators, tax authorities, the courts, and the legal profession, as well as the media, saying he had offered the documents to several major media outlets that had chosen not to cover them. "The collective impact of these failures has been a complete erosion of ethical standards, ultimately leading to a novel system we still call Capitalism, but which is tantamount to economic slavery." The source ended the manifesto by saying "inexpensive, limitless digital storage and fast internet connections" should help digitise the revolution against income inequality. (Writing by Caroline Copley; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By Enrico Dela Cruz and Manuel Mogato MANILA (Reuters) - Outgoing Philippine leader Benigno Aquino on Friday weighed into the contest to replace him by urging presidential candidates to join forces and stop popular maverick mayor Rodrigo Duterte from winning next week's election. Aquino's intervention, just three days before the vote, came moments after his chosen successor, Manuel Roxas, hastily called a news conference urging rival Grace Poe to join him and uphold "democracy and decency" by thwarting Duterte. Duterte's promises to wipe out drugs and criminality within six months and his advocacy of extrajudicial killings have struck a chord among Filipinos tired of soaring crime rates. The administration's push for a pact followed the release of the last opinion poll before Monday's vote, which showed crime-fighting mayor Duterte as top choice for 33 percent of survey respondents, 11 points ahead of nearest rival Poe, with Roxas on 20 percent. "I am trying to get all of these different voices together and in that sense, perhaps help our candidate get together and have that united front," Aquino told CNN Philippines. Duterte, 71, was a late entry into the race and analysts say his victory would represent disenchantment with Aquino's administration, despite it overseeing economic growth averaging over six percent annually, the country's best five-year record in four decades. Aquino said he was talking with Roxas and had exchanged text messages with Poe about them joining forces and it would be good if other candidates, Miriam Santiago and Vice-President Jejomar Binay, allied themselves to beat Duterte. "Instead of thinking about what shall we do if everything he says is exactly what he intends to do, why don't we remove that problem, or that threat, or that insecurity," he said. 'COMICAL' PLAN Duterte's spokesman Peter Lavina likened the efforts to thwart his boss to "thieves dividing the loot" and said it was both comical, and "truly sickening". Neither Aquino nor Roxas explained how an alliance would work, or if any candidates would have to withdraw. Early reaction suggested Aquino's idea may not get any takers. Poe, a senator and adopted daughter of Philippine movie stars, said there was no chance she would back down. "We have been through a lot and what we carry here are the dreams and hopes of our countrymen that should not be compromised," she told a radio station. Binay's camp described Aquino's call for unity as "hollow" and said he should worry more about ensuring a fair election. Aquino's pick for the presidency, Roxas, said all candidates had fought "divisive and vicious" campaigns but should now coordinate to sideline Duterte, a man he once called an "executioner". "Uncertainty and the spectre of a dictatorship are looming over our country once again," he said. Some commentators said Aquino's move could backfire by making Duterte look like a victim. Political science professor Benito Lim said the plan was doomed to fail. "That simply will not work," he said. "That's not the way people vote now." (Additional reporting by Karen Lema and Neil Jerome Morales; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel and Toby Chopra)
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party will back former centrist prime minister Donald Tusk for a second term as European Council president in a year's time, a senior PiS figure said on Monday. The pledge of support, made by Ryszard Czarnecki who is vice-president of the European Parliament, came despite repeated criticism of Tusk by the PiS and appeared a deliberate move by the party to clear up any ambiguity on the issue. Tusk wishes to stay in his Brussels job when his current two and a half year spell ends in May next year, EU sources say, and Czarnecki's comment in a daily newspaper was certain to boost Tusk's chances of doing that. Until now it was not clear whether the PiS, which is led by Tusk's political foe, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, would throw its weight behind him. It has repeatedly said that Tusk was "politically" responsible for the 2010 plane crash which killed Poland's president and Kaczynski's twin brother, Lech. Tusk was prime minister at the time and some in the PiS argue he is guilty of not ensuring the president's safety. But in an opinion piece carried by the daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita on Monday, Czarnecki said the PiS would stick to an "unwritten rule of Polish politics," that the Polish government should always back Poles in top posts abroad. "If Tusk does not become head of the European Council again, it will not be due to the Law and Justice government's actions, but due to the lack of support from other countries. He will have ours," Czarnecki said. Tusk's Civic Platform party (PO), now the second-largest parliamentary force after losing to PiS last October, greeted Czarnecki's announcement sceptically. "Jaroslaw Kaczynski prefers for Tusk to be in (Brussels), and not in Poland, because he is traumatised by eight election losses," Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, a prominent PO politician told private radio Zet, referring to a string of PO's election victories under the former leader. "He always lost to Tusk, so he doesn't want him here." The plane crash which killed president Lech Kaczynski and a large number of high-rank officials took place near Smolensk, western Russia, close to the place where Stalinist secret police forces shot some of the 22,000 Polish officers and intellectuals they executed in 1940. While the crash initially united Poles in grief, it has since given rise to bitter domestic political divisions. An inquiry by Tusk's government returned a verdict of pilot error but since coming to power, PiS has reopened the investigation, saying an onboard explosion could have caused the crash. (Reporting by Wiktor Szary; Additional reporting by Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
In recent days, more than 10 countries have shown their support for Chinas proposition of peacefully resolving the South China Sea dispute through negotiations between the countries directly concerned.

The countries that have shown their solidarity with China include not only ASEAN members like Laos, Cambodia, Brunei and Myanmar, but also neighboring countries such as Russia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Kyrgyzstan, and even European and African countries such as Poland, Belarus and Gambia.

The statements from these countries are of special significance, coming as they do as the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague prepares to announce the result of the so-called South China Sea arbitration that was unilaterally filed by the Philippines.

After the Philippines filed the arbitration, the U.S., Japan and several other Western countries echoed their stance. U.S. government and media, in particular, have been making a big deal over the case, requesting that China adhere to the outcome. At one point, the U.S. government even claimed that the arbitration result would be legally binding for China.

Given that the arbitration was unilaterally submitted by the Philippines despite Chinas opposition, it constitutes a flagrant violation of the compulsory dispute settlement procedures under the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition, by requesting the arbitration, the Philippines is attempting to cover its illegal occupation of China's Nansha Islands and deprive China of its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea.

In order to achieve this goal, the Philippines has drummed up sympathy from the international community by labeling itself as the weak victim to Chinas supposed bully. At the same time, by vocally supporting the single-sided arbitration, the U.S. and Japan are interfering in regional affairs in the South China Sea for no valid reason. They are trying to defame Chinas image and suppress China's regional influence, all in pursuit of their own strategic interests.

In recent days, South China Sea buzzwords like freedom of navigation, militarization, international law, arbitration, expansion and aggression have been repeatedly mentioned by the Japanese and U.S. government and media. Both countries are attempting to make China the scapegoat for tension in the South China Sea. Of course, it is also an attempt by the U.S. to further its strategy of "Asia-Pacific Rebalance" by interfering in regional affairs.

The U.S. and Japan have never hidden their ultimate ambition when it comes to the South China Sea. Once the arbitration goes in favor of the Philippines, its easy to imagine that these countries will jump on the opportunity to start another round of speculation.

The actions of the U.S. and Japan will not bring peace and stability to the South China Sea, but will only escalate the conflict, which harms regional cooperation. China will not accept or participate in the arbitration, and the result of the arbitration will never shake China's sovereignty. The Philippines will eventually have no choice but to return to equitable negotiation and dialogue.

The truth of the matter is, most ASEAN countries recognize the validity of China's stance, and disputes over the Nansha Islands should not affect the relationship between China and ASEAN member countries. Together, through dialogue and consultation between the parties directly concerned, China and the ASEAN countries are capable of safeguarding the security and stability of the region.

The nature of the South China Sea issue and the cooperation between China and ASEAN countries will never be changed by the opinions of the U.S. or other countries. Neither will those opinions deter China from maintaining sovereignty and stability in the South China Sea.

Confucius said: "Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors." China is a righteous country, and its stance on this issue will not change, no matter the tide of international opinion.

(The author is an expert on international affairs.)

This article was edited and translated from 
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Slovak customs officers injured a Syrian woman on Monday when they shot at a car carrying migrants from Hungary into Slovakia, authorities said. Police in Europe have sometimes used water cannon and tear gas to prevent migrants from crossing borders but this may be the first reported incident inside the continent's passport-free Schengen zone where migrants have been shot at. The officers stopped four passenger cars entering Slovakia from Hungary in the early hours of Monday, the Financial Administration that runs the customs service said in a press release. Three cars complied with an order to stop but the fourth tried to escape and endangered three officers, it said. "The officers fired warning shots and when the car did not stop they fired at the car, injuring one person," it said, without further details. A hospital in Dunajska Streda, southern Slovakia, said the injured person was a Syrian woman aged about 26 and that she was in a stable condition after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from her back. The hospital said it had also treated two migrants suffering from dehydration. The cars and the passengers were handed over to the border police, the Financial Administration said. Slovakia has so far seen only a trickle of migrants trying to cross its territory to reach Germany, the favoured destination for people fleeing conflicts and poverty in the Middle East and beyond. But the government fears tighter border controls by neighbouring Austria could prompt more migrants to use Slovakia as a stepping stone from Hungary as they head west. (Reporting By Tatiana Jancarikova; Editing by Gareth Jones)
By Greg Torode and J.R. Wu HONG KONG/TAIPEI (Reuters) - A Taiwanese group has intervened in the Philippines' international court case against China's claims in the South China Sea, pressing Taipei's position that Taiwan is entitled to a swathe of the disputed waterway as an economic zone. The unusual submission has emerged just as judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague are poised to rule on the Philippines' landmark case, brought under the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The move could delay the judges' ruling, now expected within two months, and potentially complicates worsening territorial disputes roiling across the vital trade route. Last month, the judges allowed written evidence from the government-linked Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law, even though Taiwan is neither a member of the United Nations, nor a signatory to UNCLOS, legal and diplomatic sources told Reuters. As well as reviewing several hundred pages of evidence from Taiwan, the judges have also sought further information from the Philippines and China, legal sources close to the case say. Manila is challenging the legality of China's claims to virtually the entire South China Sea, in part by arguing that no reefs, atolls or islets in the Spratly archipelago can legally be considered an island, and therefore holds no rights to an 200 nautical mile (370 km) exclusive economic zone. Taiwan's single holding of Itu Aba is the biggest feature in the Spratlys and the one some analysts believe has the strongest claim to island status and an economic zone. The Spratlys are also claimed by China, Vietnam and Malaysia while Brunei claims nearby waters. Taiwanese officials have bristled at Philippines' earlier evidence that Itu Aba is a "rock" that cannot support natural human habitation, so has no claims on either island-status, or an EEZ. Citing various government reports and statements as evidence, the society's submission to the court states "it is clear that Taiping Island (Itu Aba) is an island which can sustain human habitation and economic life of its own under....UNCLOS." Court officials have yet to respond to written questions from Reuters and the Philippines foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "PROTECT ANCESTRAL PROPERTY" The Taiwanese move comes amid rising tensions, with Beijing and Washington accusing each other militarising the area as China builds facilities on its recent reef reclamations and the U.S. increases patrols, exercises and overflights. Reiterating Beijing's non-acceptance of the case, China's Foreign Ministry said the Philippines was using the case to negate China's territorial sovereignty. "Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait all have a responsibility to jointly protect the ancestral property of the Chinese people," the ministry said in a faxed reply to Reuters. While the society is technically operating as a private body, it has close ties to Taipei, including President Ma Ying-jeou, who once headed the institution and still remains on the board. Ma staged a high-profile visit to Itu Aba in late January - one of several events orchestrated by Taiwan to push its claimed status as an island. A spokesman for Ma told Reuters the submission was not made on behalf of the Taiwan government, but its findings were consistent with Taipei's official stance. While the society's arguments might aid China's position, Beijing is likely to be wary of any move by the judges to bolster Taiwan's standing in the international community, analysts said. Chinese officials have repeatedly challenged the court's jurisdiction and the rights of the Philippines to bring the case, refusing to participate. Beijing has ignored invitations from the court to provide its own submission, but the judges have taken into account Chinese public statements, according to court releases. Taiwan, regarded by Beijing as a breakaway province, was not invited to participate in any way. Vietnam has provided a submission in support of Philippines' arguments that the court has jurisdiction. Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at Singapore's ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, said it was significant the judges' had consented to review Taiwan's arguments. "It demonstrates that the judges are striving to be impartial, and that they have been at pains to take into account the views of all the concerned parties, even China, which has refused to participate, and Taiwan, which isn't a member of the UN," he said. While China won't like the court giving Taiwan "international space", on this issue "Beijing may decide to look the other way", he said. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and Manuel Mogato in Manila.; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
TAIPEI (Reuters) - The incoming Taiwanese government on Sunday accused China of "political interference" after a senior Chinese official cast doubt over the island keeping its observer status at the World Health Organisation if bilateral relations deteriorated further. China and self-ruled Taiwan underwent a rapprochement under the outgoing government which was run by China-friendly Nationalists, but ties have begun to strain with their successors, the independence-leaning Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Tsai and the DPP won landslide presidential and parliamentary elections in January, in part on rising anti-China sentiment on the island. She has said she will maintain the status quo with China, but has never conceded to a key bilateral agreement, the "one China" principle. Under this agreement with the Nationalists, Taiwan and China agree they are both part of a single China although both sides lay claim to being its legitimate government. On Friday, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office, China's top agency that deals with the island, said that Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly was an arrangement based on the "one China" principle, and that this could cease "should the political foundation of cross-Strait ties be destabilised in the future," according to a state-run Xinhua report. Taiwan, an island separated by the Taiwan Strait from mainland China, has attended the annual gathering of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the WHO, since 2009 in an observer status. Incoming DPP cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan said the comments by the Taiwan Affairs Office were unacceptable. "We believe this is political interference in our participation in the WHO. We cannot accept this and express our solemn protest," Tung said at a press conference late Sunday. "Taiwan people's health and their right to fully participate in the international community must not be constrained by any political framework," he said. China has considered self-ruled Taiwan a wayward province ever since defeated Nationalists fled to the island after a civil war with China's Communists in 1949. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to take back the island, particularly if it makes moves toward independence. Tung said Taiwan's participation in the upcoming WHO meeting and the issue of "one China" were not associated matters, indicating the new government was not conceding to accepting the "one China" principle. Taiwan has diplomatic ties with only 22, mostly small and poor, states. Most major nations and multilateral organizations, like the WHO which falls under the United Nations, formally recognise China. The WHO invited Taiwan, but the invitation also referenced a resolution under the U.N. that recognises China, according to the Taiwan government. Tung said the incoming government will send its new health minister Lin Tzuo-yien to the meeting, which will be held in Geneva May 23-28. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
HANOI (Reuters) - A top U.S. envoy began a two-day trip to Vietnam on Monday to gauge its progress in human rights, two weeks ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama in what will be the first by a U.S. leader in a decade. Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, is expected to press Vietnam to release unconditionally political prisoners and reform its laws to comply with its international commitments. Relations between the United States and Vietnam have moved to a new level in the past two years as Washington seeks to make a new ally in Asia, but the communist nation's zero-tolerance approach to its detractors remains a sticking point. Vietnam has jailed dissidents, bloggers and religious figures in recent years, holding them for long periods without access to family or legal counsel and often subject to torture or other mistreatment, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch. The United States has been intensifying efforts in building stronger ties - in health, education, environment, energy and recently military - to boost its influence, and offset that of China. The United States and Vietnam, along with 10 others, this year signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of the world's biggest multinational trade deals. Though the TPP has no requirements for members to reach certain standards in human rights, analysts say Vietnam's record of arrests, intimidation and oppression of those who speak out against the ruling Communist Party could add to anticipated resistance to the pact among U.S. legislators. The TPP must be ratified by each member country's parliament. Malinowski said during his visit to Vietnam last year that he had seen signs of progress on human rights but the country needed to make a stronger commitment. Rights groups, however, say those improvements might be short-lived and designed to ensure its smooth accession to multilateral trade agreements, including a pact with the European Union. (Reporting by My Pham; Editing by Martin Petty, Robert Birsel)
Mr. Zhou feeds the rats noodles. (photo/CQNEWS)

Rats are seen everywhere in Mr. Zhou's apartment. (photo/CQNEWS)

Pest control professionals treat Mr. Zhou's apartment. (photo/CQNEWS)

Mr. Zhou, an elderly man in his seventies, was recently found to be keeping over 200 rats in his apartment in the city of Chongqing.

Zhou Xunlu, Mr. Zhou's neighbor, was the one to discover the secret. On the morning of April 24, he saw Mr. Zhou walking home with two big bags in his hands. Zhou Xunlu offered to help and asked what were in the bags. Mr. Zhou said it was food for his rats.

"People keep dogs or cats. I have never heard of anyone keeping rats!" Zhou Xunlu commented. Skeptical, he came to Mr. Zhou's home to see the situation for himself. When he saw hundreds of rats swarming around the food that Mr. Zhou put on the floor, he was totally stunned.

According to Mr. Zhou, he has had the rats for the last two months. Pitying them, he began to offer them food. As a result, the rats rapidly reproduced in his apartment.

Worried neighbors ultimately persuaded Mr. Zhou to get rid of his rats.

On May 6, thanks to arrangements made by the residential community's service center, Mr. Zhou and his family were temporarily moved to a nursing home. Pest control professionals were then invited to remove the rats from the apartment. One pest control worker said that he had never seen so many rats in one place before.

Social workers and volunteers from the community will visit and take care of the old man after he moves back. With more care and attention, his neighbors hope he will cut off his psychological reliance on the rats.
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Italian buyout firm Alto Partners has sold its entire 95% stake in BIA, a European producer and distributor of couscous, to B.F. S.p.A., which is the holding company of Bonifiche Ferraresi.
8,585 people attended A Place in the Sun Live at Olympia London, a 10% increase on 2015.

Over 190 exhibitors discussed property, finance, tax and legal issues.

Jasmine Harman, Laura Hamilton, Amanda Lamb and Ben Hillman joined host Ryan Philpott and expert panelists, for standing-room only seminar sessions.

A record 8,585 overseas property hunters filled the aisles of Olympia London over the weekend to visit A Place in the Sun Live, Britain's largest overseas property exhibition.

The show opened at 10am on Friday 6th May to queues of overseas property hunters eager to source their dream property. Over 190 exhibitors showcasing properties from Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, the USA and more filled the main hall and gallery area.

The ever-popular stage area The Hub was standing-room only with seminars hosted by A Place in the Sun magazine editor, Liz Rowlinson. Experts joined Liz on stage to cover current topics including the state of the market and potential impact of the referendum in June.

Jasmine Harman, Laura Hamilton, Amanda Lamb and for the first time since joining the show, Ben Hillman joined Ryan Philpott on The Hub stage throughout the three days, offering fun anecdotes and experiences from the television show along with top tips for buyers before joining visitors for one-to-ones, signings and photographs.

The show's dedicated French, Italian, Portuguese and Florida pavilions were packed with potential buyers to view properties and listen to various talks from professionals flown in the for the occasion.

The increase in visitor numbers seems to prove that interest and confidence in the overseas property market is continuing to grow with Brits.

Andy Bridge, Managing Director, A Place in the Sun Ltd comments:

"It was encouraging to see an increase in visitors to the London show, we would have liked a few more on the Sunday but when it reaches 26 degrees understandably some people's plans change.

A 10% increase on the same show last year is a clear sign more people want to buy overseas, tax changes on second homes in the UK announced in the recent budget is one factor contributing to buyers looking abroad."

A Place in the Sun Live returns to NEC Birmingham, 23rd - 25th September 2016 and is launching A Place in the Sun Live at the SECC Glasgow as a two-day show 29th - 30th October 2016.
YEREVAN, MAY 6, ARMENPRESS. Issues within Turkish ruling Justice and Development party will not have an impact on the Armenian community of Istanbul, chief editor of Istanbul Zhamanak newspaper Ara Gochunyan said this during an interview with journalists in the Armenpress press hall.

Issues and changes within the ruling party cannot have neither positive, nor negative influence on the Armenian community. Today there is no ruling crisis in Turkey, simply the political figures should change, whereas the community issues and their solutions have no direct link with the internal political events, Ara Gochunyan said.

Referring to the issue of recent misunderstandings between Erdogan and Davutoglu, Gochunyan said this is associated with taking some powers from Davutoglu.

The head of the party had the right to appoint party branches leaders. At the party convention everybody already were saying that they are the faithful partners of Erdogan. Even a petition was carried out without informing Prime Minister according to which head of the party did not have the power to appoint leaders of party branches. This power was transferred to the party council. This was the point that tensions arose between Erdogan and Davutoglu, he said. Ara Gochunyan stated that there is little possibility that external political factors were on the basis of this tension.

Prime Minister-President tandem have always existed in the international issues which in many cases showed effective results. European leaders are well aware of Erdogans weight, he said.

In response to questions how it is possible the formation of new opposition or fragmentation of the ruling party after Davutoglu-Erdogan incident, Ara Gochunyan said former high-ranking officials still remain within the ruling party and if they try to move against Erdogan, in this case the fragmentation is theoretically possible. However, Erdogan dominates.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davotuglu announced on May 5 that he resigns from the head of Justice and Development partys position.
(File photo)

Over 300 colleges and universities from over 30 countries came to recruit Chinese students at the China International Education Exhibition Tour 2016 (CIEET) in Beijing on May 7.

A reporter from Beijing Times noted that in recent years, boarding schools have increasingly become the focus of attention, as more and more parents opt to send their children abroad for high school. However, because those children are still quite young, parents are more concerned about their daily lives, including aspects like the food in the school cafeteria.

In order to attract more Chinese students, many schools are offering competitive scholarships. Some schools also put emphasis on the future employability of their graduates.

CIEET is the largest education fair held in China. Started in 1999, a total of 20 CIEET events have since been held in over 30 Chinese cities. More than 1,300 unique institutions have participated in the fair over the past 17 years. In 2016, the exhibition will travel to seven major cities in China between May 7 and May 22.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. The leader of North Korea has said the country plans to strengthen its nuclear arsenal, will not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is threatened, state media report.

North Korea first tested nuclear weapons in 2006, after withdrawing from an international treaty, reports BBC.

It has made repeated threats of nuclear strikes against South Korea and the US.

But Kim Jong-un reportedly told the Workers' Party Congress in Pyongyang that he is willing to normalise ties with previously hostile countries.

A BBC correspondent in North Korea says Kim tends to send mixed messages and movement observed at the country's nuclear site is consistent with preparations for another nuclear test.

State media quoted Kim as saying there should be more talks with South Korea to build trust and understanding.

And he said the country would "faithfully fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearisation".

The KCNA news agency reported him as saying: "As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our Republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes."

He said the government would "improve and normalise the relations with those countries which respect the sovereignty of the DPRK and are friendly towards it, though they had been hostile toward it in the past".
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Firefighters say a plane with one person on board crash landed on the top of a building in Pomona, California, CBS Los Angeles reported.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department said a call came out at 4:40 p.m. Sunday of a plane that landed on the roof of a building at 901 Corporate Center Drive in Pomona.

The impact of the crash created a hole in the roof of the building as a result of the aircraft's wheels.

The department said the 61-year-old man, identified as the pilot, was airlifted to the hospital.

The pilot's wife said via phone that he's doing okay after sustaining a broken ankle and a gash on his forehead.

She said her husband, who has been flying for 45 years, was en route to Pomona from Fullerton when this happened.

Witnesses described seeing the plane go down to CBS Los Angeles.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, though officials report that the pilot said the plane lost power.
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Peace in Europe could be at risk if Britain votes to leave the European Union, David Cameron has warned, BBC reports.

The UK has regretted "turning its back" on Europe in the past, the PM said, arguing the European Union has "helped reconcile" countries and maintain peace.

Cameron asked if leaving the union is a "risk worth taking".

Leave campaigners said Nato, not the EU, kept the UK safe and accused Downing Street of "losing the plot".

Vote Leave said: "During the renegotiation the PM said he 'ruled nothing out'. Now he thinks leaving the EU would lead to war. What changed?"

Despite his security warning, Cameron defended his decision to call the referendum, telling the BBC: "You shouldn't try to hold an independent sovereign nation in an organisation against its will."

There are just over six weeks to go until the 23 June referendum which will decide whether Britain remains in or leaves the EU.

Boris Johnson, who wants the UK to leave the EU, is making a speech on the "cosmopolitan case for Brexit".

Johnson - now free from his role as London mayor - will begin a battle bus tour of the country on behalf of the Leave campaign later this week.

The major speeches - from the most high-profile figures on both sides of the campaign - come as the referendum campaign intensifies, following last week's elections.

Cameron, who was introduced by former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband, argued the EU - with Britain in it - had helped bring together countries that had been "at each others' throats for decades".

He warned the peace and stability Europe has enjoyed in recent years could not be guaranteed, saying leaving risked "the clock being turned back to an age of competing nationalism in Europe".
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. The government should be campaigning to leave the EU because of the "total failure" of its renegotiations, Boris Johnson says, BBC reports.

The ex-London mayor and Leave campaigner said the EU was "virtually identical" after the PM's reform talks.

In a speech in London, he criticised what he called the "wholly bogus" arguments in favour of remaining in.

David Cameron said the UK had "the best of both worlds" in its relationship with a "reformed" EU.

He also said the Leave campaign offered "no answers to the most basic questions" and warned security in Europe could be at risk if the UK voted for an exit.

There are just over six weeks to go until the 23 June referendum which will decide whether Britain remains in, or leaves, the EU.

Johnson, one of the favourites to replace Cameron as Conservative leader, was scathing about the reforms the PM secured before calling the vote.

Quoting from the PM's 2013 speech in which Cameron outlined his referendum plans, Johnson said "nothing remotely resembling" the promised changes had been achieved.

Eurosceptics had been "excited" by what had been offered, Johnson said, but "quietly despaired as no reform was forthcoming".

"If you look at what we were promised, and what we got, the government should logically be campaigning on our side today," he said.

Cameron told the BBC he had "always believed that we are better off in a reformed European Union".

The reforms, he said, gave the UK "the best of both worlds" because it was in the single market but out of the euro, and people were able to travel freely but able to "keep our borders".

But Johnson said the government was powerless to control EU migration because "this most basic power of a state - to decide who has the right to live and work in your country - has been taken away and now resides in Brussels".

The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP said the UK would not be "leaving Europe" if it quits the EU, as he set out the "liberal cosmopolitan" case for an exit - including starting to sing Ode to Joy in German.

He also reiterated the Leave campaign's desire to maintain access to the EU single market area if it leaves - saying this could be achieved without being subject to the "vast, growing and politically-driven empire of EU law".

In his speech, Cameron said the UK would be forced to accept freedom of movement and pay into the EU budget in exchange for single market access, adding that leaving it would be a "reckless and irresponsible course".

"The Leave campaign can't answer them because they don't know the answers," he said.

"They have no plan."
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. New global rules forcing companies to report taxable activities country-by-country publicly have been called for by a group of 300 prominent economists, reports BBC.

In a letter to world leaders, the group urges the UK to "take a lead" in the push for more tax transparency.

Poor countries are the biggest losers from tax havens, they claim.

The letter's signatories, co-ordinated by charity Oxfam, include best-selling author Thomas Piketty and 2015 Nobel Prize economics winner Angus Deaton.

The letter comes ahead of the UK government's anti-corruption summit on Thursday, which politicians from 40 countries as well as World Bank and IMF representatives are expected to attend.

The economists - who include almost 50 professors from British universities - argue the UK's position as summit host as well as its sovereignty over what it says is a third of the world's tax havens makes it "uniquely placed" to take the lead.

"We need new global agreements on issues such as public country-by-country reporting, including for tax havens," the economists write in the letter.

"Governments must also put their own houses in order by ensuring that all the territories for which they are responsible make publicly available information about the real 'beneficial' owners of company and trusts," they add.

The letter comes in the aftermath of the Panama Papers leak, which revealed how some rich people hide assets, sparking widespread condemnation that the authorities had failed to act.

One of the signatories, the economist Dr Ha-Joon Chang of the University of Cambridge, told the BBC that he signed the letter because he shared "the view that tax havens serve no useful purpose".

Dr Chang said: "These tax havens basically allow companies and certain individuals to free-ride on the rest of humanity.

"These companies and people make money in one country by using workers educated with public money, using roads, ports and other infrastructure paid for by the taxpayers of that country and moving the money to another country in a shell company which doesn't really do any business there."

Another high-profile signatory, Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, also told the BBC that tax havens showed "how the rich and the powerful really control the levers of finance".

He said: "Even with the secrecy, we're in a more transparent world so I think our governments are being pushed harder and harder to crack down on these abuses."
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The photo show the fake jellyfish (L) and the real jellyfish (R).

Police in eastern China's Huzhou cracked a case involving fake jellyfish, according to a news report in Hangzhou on May 7.

In late April, police officers at the Huzhou Public Security Bureau received a tip that a man surnamed Yuan and the other two people had been making and selling fake jellyfish at a farmer's market in Huzhou for almost a year.

The police seized more than 150 kilograms of artificial jellyfish at the farmer's market on April 22.

The three suspects started making the fake delicacy with sodium alginate, calcium chloride and aluminum sulfate in June of 2015. Since then, they have made more than 70,000 yuan in profits.

Yuan was aware that the fake jellyfish could be unhealthy or even dangerous . However, the production cost of the artificial jellyfish was less than half the cost of processing real jellyfish. In addition, less time is required to produce artificial jellyfish than is needed to process real ones.

Yuan confessed that he had learned the trade from a "master" surnamed Jia in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.

After hearing Yuans confession, the Huzhou police officers went to Changzhou and arrested Jia, along with his two accomplices. The officers also seized 1 ton of fake jellyfish.

Within a year, Jia and his assistants were capable of producing more than 10 tons of fake jellyfish for a profit of more than 100,000 yuan.

An investigation into the whereabouts of the remaining fake jellyfish is underway.

Police officers bust the fake jellyfish production area.

The fake jellyfish are made from sodium alginate, calcium chloride and aluminum sulfate.
Tourists get trash bags at a service stations. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

Hailuogou scenic area in southwest China's Sichuan province has implemented a policy to reward tourists who collect rubbish in the scenic area since February 2015, according to Sichuan Daily.

The rewards a tourist gets is depending on the amount of rubbish they collect. One can get a postcard printed with beautiful scenery of Hailuogou scenic area, a package of chrysanthemum produced in Hailuogou, a souvenir medal, an admission ticket to Hongshi Park or a title of "Hailuogou Ambassador of Environmental Protection" which allows recipients to visit the scenic area free of charge for five years, said a report in Sichuan Daily.

To date, 20 tourists have won the reward to visit Hailuogou without paying admission fees.

Deng Zengjun, director of Hailuogou's property management center, told the newspaper that the amount of rubbish around a tourist center selling groceries has been reduced by two-thirds during the peak hours of a day since the implementation of the policy. In addition, the number of sanitation workers in Hailuogou has decreased from 11 to seven.

A tourist is rewarded for collecting rubbish. (Photo/Chinanews.com)

Beautiful scenery at the Hailuogou scenic spot. (File photo)
Published On May 09, 2016 12:47 PM By Alshaar

Takata has been in the eye of the storm for a substantial while for its airbags. Overshadowing several car manufacturers, the auto parts maker is now driving Honda against the wall.

After being a part of the biggest recall in US auto history, the Japanese manufacturer is expected to roll back millions of cars across the globe in the near future, possibly including India too.

The Tokyo-based auto parts manufacturer Takata has been guilty of a defect that could send shrapnel and explosives hurling towards drivers and passengers whenever the airbags are deployed. The blemish has inflicted several injuries globally, even causing deaths in certain cases.

Installed with Takata airbags, Honda, along with other manufactures, was recently ordered by the US authorities to recall all units that do not contain a desiccant that keeps explosives from deteriorating inside the airbags. Japanese daily, The Nikkei now reports the extent of the recall could further extend.

The Japanese automaker is planning to widen the areas for the recall to Asia, Oceania, Latin America and Europe, according to the daily. In this case, the carmaker will also recall cars in India, where it has already recalled more than 2 lakh cars for faulty airbags in the recent past.

This leg of recalls will force the firm to treat another 20 million airbags or more globally, bringing the total number to more than 50 million, Nikkei said.

The additional cost is estimated at around 200 billion yen (Rs 12,358 crore approx), the business newspaper said, adding that the latest move by the biggest buyer of Takata air bags may prompt other automakers to follow suit.

The infamous airbag issue has caused more than 100 mishaps across the globe, majority in the US. As recent as last week, Honda had reported two deaths in Malaysia linked to airbag-related issues.
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Don't expect Saudi Arabia's new oil boss to bring big change to OPEC's June meeting, analysts warned, after the energy power replaced its long-serving minister Ali al-Naimi on Saturday. "Al-Naimi's removal is less a reflection on [his] policies, which really have carried the kingdom through two decades of highs and lows in the oil markets, than a reflection of the tough scope of the work ahead in Saudi Arabia" Emily Hawthorne, Middle East analyst at political consultancy Strafor, told CNBC's "The Rundown". In a far-reaching government shake-up, , who had been oil minister since 1995, with Khalid al-Falih, the chairman of state-owned oil company Aramco. The change came after a sustained decline in oil prices; oil prices have fallen as much as 70 percent since mid-2014 amid an energy supply surplus and a slowdown in global demand growth. Saudi Arabia is one of the world's largest crude oil producer and the de facto leader of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The exit of the country's high-profile minister comes just ahead of the next OPEC meeting, scheduled for June 2.

The 13-member oil cartel has repeatedly refused to cut supply despite the slide in prices, as Saudi Arabia sticks to its strategy of leveraging its low-cost production to squeeze out higher-cost U.S. shale oil producers. Saudi Arabia has also reportedly refused to sign up to a production freeze deal unless Iran, which has only recently returned to the oil market and is determined to built its market share, also signs up to the deal. IHS vice chairman Dan Yergin told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday that Saudi Arabia was unlikely to back down in June from this position. "Al-Falih has said he will continue [Saudi Arabia's intention of allowing] the market determine the market and not have the old days of OPEC trying to manage the market," Yergin said. On Sunday, al-Falih said he would maintain the country's "stable petroleum policies," according to a Reuters report. It's also in Saudi's long-term interest to keep crude oil prices low now in order to limit demand shift to alternative fuels such as shale and, at the same time, spur economic change in the kingdom, Taurus Wealth Advisors executive, Rainer Michael Preiss, told CNBC's "Street Signs".


As Youtube continues to fight against the spread of misinformation, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania explored how tobacco-related videos continue to make their rounds around the popular video streaming service.

The researchers explained that viewers continue to see videos promoting the positives of tobacco use or vaping. Considering the number of young people who regularly use YouTube, and the misleading statements evident throughout the videos, this has become a serious issue.

The easy access of such [video] material suggests that YouTube is a fertile environment for the promotion of tobacco products despite its banning of tobacco advertising, the researchers explained.

Pushing boundaries

The researchers evaluated several different search criteria on YouTube to understand what kind of effect these videos are having on viewers.

Their work revealed that viewers can easily access videos on any number of topics related to tobacco, including how to properly use tobacco, fun ways to utilize tobacco, or even how to vape. These videos receive millions of views, and some even suggest that any negative health effects related to tobacco use can be mitigated, though there is no scientific backing to support any of these claims.

This is particularly concerning considering how prevalent the dangers associated with vaping have become and how many young people have taken up the habit.

This suggested to us that the misleading tobacco videos we identified on YouTube are part of the information environment that eludes the restrictions that apply to regular tobacco advertising and product promotion, said researcher Patrick E. Jamieson.

Not only are these videos misleading, but they also go against YouTube guidelines that prohibit tobacco advertisements. Moreover, they serve as a source of income for those posting them and for YouTube.

As our study of YouTube illustrates, producers of misleading tobacco content can primarily represent private individuals rather than tobacco manufacturers, said researcher Dan Romer. Indeed, the producers of the tobacco videos we identified...do not appear to be employees of the tobacco industry, it is nevertheless possible that a content creator could receive endorsement payments from a tobacco company.

Telling the true story

According to the researchers, the best way to combat these videos is with the truth. Its crucial that consumers are getting the right information.

On platforms like YouTube where these videos are most prevalent, setting up ads or videos with content that debunks these misleading messages is key to setting the record straight.
Valletta Cruise Port has welcomed the first call by Carnival Cruise Line to Malta, with the arrival of the Carnival Vista.

Minister for Tourism, Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis said "this development was very exciting and that the islands looked forward to enhancing the relationship between the Maltese Islands and Carnival Cruise Line. Another interesting development is that approximately 80% of Carnival passengers are from the United States. This will help to diversify Maltas cruise line market."

2015 was an record year for the industry in Malta as 307 cruise vessels entered the Grand Harbour. According to figures published by the National Statistics Office, these vessels carried more than 670,000 passengers, up by 30% from 2014. Minister Lewis said the trend was continuing. Winter business is picking up too as 17 cruise ships called in the port between January and March 2016, eight more than last year. N

The results attained reflect the drive by all stakeholders to develop our product and promote Maltas increasing attractiveness and popularity as a leading cruise destination in the Mediterranean, in what is a highly competitive market, stated Dr. Lewis.

Meanwhile Valletta Cruise Ports CEO Mr. Stephen Xuereb commented that in 2016 Valletta Cruise Port is welcoming more than 74 calls from Carnival brands which include amongst others Costa and AIDA, with over 150,000 passengers onboard. 7 of these calls are by Carnival Vista with over 27,000 passengers.

Valletta Cruise Port has just invested 1.5 million in Forni Terminal to accommodate the increasing flows of passengers onboard the larger ships. Improving the infrastructure on Quays 4/5 and towards Lascaris Wharf is critical to the continued growth of the industry in Valletta. We are currently working on these plans looking to the future, commented Xuereb.
Recent actions by the Congress of the United States in proposing legislation aimed at providing regulatory relief for credit unions sends a clear and distinct message to the NCUA Board. Address the issues that that you should or we will do it for you.

By putting off discussing and acting on issues like supplemental capital, revised exam scheduling, transparent budget hearings and significant member business lending revisions, the NCUA Board is risking losing their authority as a regulator and insurer to be the decision making body on credit union matters. Failing to address controversial subjects where positions need to be taken and hard decisions made has resulted in the trade associations pursuing their agendas directly with Congress. Not to say that certain issues do not require legislative action, but we have reached a point where Congress is being asked to address and rectify issues that are in the discretion of the NCUA Board.

Credit unions need to understand that the last thing they want is to deal with the 535 members of Congress on day to day issues that impact their operations. Opening the door to the belief that they have to go to Capitol Hill every time credit unions feel the NCUA Board is dragging their feet is creating a path that neither credit unions or the Board should want to go down.

The NCUA Board by statute is the place to address the issues they are empowered to deal with. That is where credit unions and their trade associations must make the effort to accomplish regulatory changes the Board can readily handle. Dealing with three people, and now two, should be a lot easier than trying to convince 535 individuals.

The federal government moves very slow and accomplishes a lot less that they should. In some areas, NCUA is right in line with that dreaded philosophy. There is no reason why credit unions should have to wait months or even years for the Board to openly discuss areas of concern and one way or the other make a decision on a course of action. A prime example is the question of whether or not to allow a cycle of 18 months for examination of well-run credit unions. It is an issue that should be addressed now and resolved now not later.

When someone fails to do their job someone else usually step up and in to fill the void and do what needs to be done. The NCUA Board cannot allow that pattern to continue and impact their operations.

I dont know anyone who really wants the Congress to take over the decision making for credit union regulation. That is a slippery slope to go down. Lets hope the NCUA Board can avoid that direction.
Buzz Points is the only program of its kind to support the bank local, buy local movement. In conjunction with National Small Business Week, were proud to celebrate our partnerships with small businesses and local merchants around the country. Weve placed a premium on helping our local business partners succeed and holding ourselves accountable toward that goal.

By any measure, we generated new opportunity and increased customer loyalty for small businesses nationwide. In just the last year, we categorized 20,000 more merchants as locally-owned businesses, vastly expanding the number of locations where Buzz Points users can earn additional rewards for supporting local organizations. Throughout 2015, Buzz Points Preferred Local Business partners averaged three reward redemptions from users per month, increasing customer loyalty to the tune of 200% from 2014. And on the whole, cardholder reward redemptions at Preferred Local Businesses spiked 143% over 2014 levels.

Beyond revenue and customer loyalty growth, our team and platform have provided local businesses with specific marketing insights to help them better serve their local communities. Since partnering with the Buzz Points program through Fort Community Credit Union, the owners of Wisconsins The Sweet Spot cafe and bakeshop have enjoyed increased visibility into their customers buying habits. Buzz Points gives us the financial and marketing benefits for doing what we were already doing, they explained.

The owner of Wisconsins Crimson Salon and Spa has stated that Buzz Points is the most successful marketing system for our business to date! What The Fork, a food truck based in Scranton, PA, has even studied Buzz Points customer purchase behavior and regularly adjusts incentives and rewards, gamifying the loyalty experience for its customers.

We appreciate the trust and partnership of our small business affiliates, spread across 17 states around the country. We salute your commitment to your communities, and we look forward to growing with you!

To learn how the Buzz Points solution can create new opportunities for your small business, contact us!
Steven Post, whose 35-year credit union career included more than two decades as president/CEO of Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU), has been voted Credit Union Magazines 2016 Credit Union Hero of the Year.

In addition to being really surprised, Im very honored to receive this recognition, Post says. I have always felt there are many, many heroes at work in the credit union industry. And Im honored to be counted as one of them.

Through an online vote at news.cuna.org, readers of Credit Union Magazine narrowly selected Post over three other respected finalists to win the award, which is sponsored by CSCU. The Credit Union Hero of the Year award recognizes individuals who serve as examples for the entire movement through their service, advocacy, and commitment to credit union ideals.

CUNA will honor Post in a presentation at the Opening General Session of the Americas Credit Union Conference, June 26-29, in Seattle.
5/9 SFSU Press Conference In support and solidarity with the TWLF2016 Hunger StrikersAndrew J JolivetteSent: Sunday, May 8, 2016 3:39 PMSubject: Danny Glover to meet with TWLF2016 Students on Hunger Strike-Invitation to SpeakDear Friends,You may be aware of a 7 day hunger strike being lead by 4 SFSU students to defend and advance Ethnic Studies at SFSU. We wanted to reach out to invite you to attend and show support for the students if your schedule permits. Several SF Supervisors will be speaking along with Actor and Activist, Danny Glover. The schedule and details for tomorrow are below. Wishing you a very Happy Mothers Day!SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITYSTATE OF EMERGENCY PRESS RELEASEPRESS CONFERENCE AND CALL FOR SOLIDARITY:MONDAY, MAY 9 AT 12:30PM - 1:30PM OUTSIDE OF THE J. PAUL LEONARD LIBRARY1600 HOLLOWAY AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132The Chairs Council of the College of Ethnic Studies are calling for an emergency press conference on Monday, May 9th, 2016 at 12:30 on the lawn in front of the University Library in front of the student hunger strike encampment. The four students, known as the TWLF2016 (Third World Liberation Front) began an indefinite hunger strike on Monday May 2nd, 2016. Now after a week, we are calling on all of our community members to come out in solidarity to support the brave action of our students.The Press Conference will feature speeches and support statements from:Chairs of the College of Ethnic Studies, Statement read by San Francisco Poet Laureate, Alejandro Murguia, Chair of Latina and Latino Studies, SFSUStatement by Actor and Political Activist, Danny GloverStatement by San Francisco Supervisor, Jane Kim*Tentative*Statement by San Francisco Board of Supervisors President, London Breed*Tentative*Statement by San Francisco Supervisor, John AvalosStatement by San Francisco Supervisor, David CamposStatement by Hyrda Mendoza, SF Mayor's Senior Advisor on Education and Family Services*TentativeStatement by San Francisco Supervisor, Eric MarStatement by Lateefah Simon, CSU Board of TrusteesStatement by Professor and Chair of Political Science/Co-Chair Faculty Rights Committee, James MartelStatement by ASI President, Shannon Deloso*Tentative*Statement by Student Hunger StrikersOpen Mic For Solidarity StatementsThis press conference is being called to:1). Express our Colleges support for the Students on Hunger Strike2). To refute the administrations misinformation campaign and politics of distraction. This rhetoric includes false statements about our overspending problem and the scapegoating of our Dean, Dr. Kenneth Monteiro. The fact is that since 2007 there has been a systematic starvation of the College of Ethnic Studies, we have faced a 40% reduction in base support. Most of our departments have no Assistant Professor because they have not been able to hire and replace those we die or retire. Moreover, the statements from the administration have created a toxic working environment and an increasingly difficult racial climate on campus.3. We wish to thank CSU Chancellor Timothy White for acknowledging our letter calling for a Civil Rights and Racial Discrimination investigation at SFSU which the Chancellor states will conclude by May 23rd, 2016.4. We also want to affirm our support and solidarity with the TWLF2016 Hunger Strikers not just in words, but by initiating a rolling faculty fast in conjunction with the students on the hunger strike.5. Finally we invite our colleagues from the California Faculty Association and the Faculty Rights Committee to launch a class action grievance on the basis of racial discrimination. We have met with our faculty rights representative and learned the following:A. Our lectures are particularly precarious because, different from other colleges on the campus, we do not have a budget allocation for lecturers.B. The underfunding of the college has led to an excessive and inequitable work load for our staff and facultyC. We charge that the SFSU Provost and President have created a hostile work environment/fear of retaliation based on their revocation of two hires for Black faculty members that were previously approved and funded as replacement hires in the Department of Africana Studies.Andrew JolivetteProfessor and ChairAmerican Indian Studies DepartmentAffiliated Faculty, Race & Resistance Studies,Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership,Graduate Program in Sexuality StudiesSan Francisco State University1600 Holloway AvenueSan Francisco, CA. 94132(415) 338-2701 ~ ajoli [at] sfsu.edu
- NDLF has told President Muhammadu Buhari that they are not afraid of him in the creeks

- The militant group says that the bombing of pipelines are not yet over

- The group says they won't condemn the recent bombings in the Niger Delta

- They urged other militants to not hide their identities if indeed they are fighting a course for the Niger Delta people

The Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari is not God, whom the boys in the creek would be afraid of.

Militants in the Niger Delta

The group recalled that as at the time they surrendered their weapons during the reign of President Goodluck Jonathan, they made it clear to the world that bombing of pipelines was not over.

NDLF asked the president to sack Paul Boroh, coordinator of the presidential amnesty programme, if he wanted to be in control of the current oil war.

We do not condemn the current bombing because when we surrendered, we told the world that bombing of pipelines was not over yet, Mark Anthony, spokesman of the group, said in a statement on Sunday.

Those bombing pipelines in Delta State should not behave like cowards if they are truly fighting the interest of Niger Delta.

READ ALSO: What Buhari must do to pipeline vandals  Senator

They should be bold enough to come out. When we were bombing, our leader General John Togo did not hide his face. We dealt with the Nigerian army, and we were not hiding.

They should not hide their identity. Buhari is not God and they should not be scared of him. JTF should not attack and arrest innocent people in Ijaw communities, they should go for the real sabotuers.

We had told former President Goodluck Jonathan that Nigerian army cannot protect pipelines in the creek.

The current amnesty chairman Paul Boroh does not know the boys in Niger Delta. He is not in touch with Niger Delta major ex-agitators. Buhari should sack him immediately and appoint another chairman like Kingsley Kuku, who knows the boys in the creek. This will help the current oil war.

Vanguard reports that the Niger Delta militants have continued their attacks on oil systems blowing up the Chevron Valve Platform in Abiteye, Warri North council area of Delta state.

The recent attack happened at about 10:40pm on May 5. An official of the Department of Security Services (DSS), who asked not to be named, confirmed the development continuing that the platform was totally destroyed with the use of dynamites.

According to the source, the platform is a main connecting point where all other installations link up and serves as a pivot to chevron BOP and the Chevron Tank farm thereby halting all operations of the company in the region.

The Niger Delta Avengers claimed the responsibility for the incident in a statement noted that onslaught on the facility is in line with its pledge to the Nigerian government to cripple the economy.

Meanwhile, Chief Ayimi Emami, a Niger Delta activist, has called on the federal government not to bow to cheap blackmail antics of a former militant leader who is allegedly behind the recent attacks on oil facilities and pipelines in Warri area of Delta state.

Those who have issues bothering on criminal activities and illegalities should go to the court to answer did their deeds and clear their names rather than resorting to cheap blackmail to arm-twist the federal government and the EFCC to drop the charges against them.

One man cannot hold the FG to ransome; he cannot hold the nation by forming a parallel government within the Nigerian state, he stressed.

The Nigerian army has issued serious warming to persons taking laws into their hands to desist or face the wrath of the army.

This warning hints that the message is directed at a militancy group, Niger Delta Avengers that has claimed responsibility for series of bombing of pipelines in the region.

Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar who is the acting director defence information in a statement issued on Sunday, May 8 said groups looking for relevance must do it through the proper channel and not through violence.

In the same vein, the IYC spokesperson, Mr Eric Omar has said: The Ijaw Youth Council does not see the justification in the Niger Delta Avengers embarking on destruction of oil facilities because Tompolo denounced the group. I think Tompolo did the proper thing by coming out to inform the entire world that he was not part of the Niger Delta Avengers when there were insinuations to the effect that he was behind them.

As with other cases of attack on oil facilities, the Niger Delta environment and people are the ultimate victim and would suffer from these latest attacks. The IYC believe that irrespective of the grievances, there are better ways of expressing them rather than contributing to the further destruction of the already massively degraded Niger Delta environment. On the fresh directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to crush the militants, he asserted While the IYC do not support the attacks on oil facilities, we hasten to add that it should not be used as a justification to attack innocent Niger Delta communities.

He added: The security agencies should go after the real culprits and not innocent communities and people in the Niger Delta region. From our experience, the security personnel in a bid to impress their superiors and justify the huge amount of money budgeted for the purpose always attack innocent communities and people.

This must not be allowed to happen this time around. We would also advise the federal government to be prompt in directing security agencies to deal with insurgent groups all over the country, including the Fulani herdsmen, who have been killing innocent Nigerians just like they have just directed in respect of the Niger Delta Avengers, Omare added.

Source: Legit.ng
- The Niger Delta Avengers have become a force to reckon with

- Within few weeks of their existence, they have caused serious havoc to the Nigerian economy by blowing up major pipelines owned by foreign oil companies

- The group has now listed its conditions for peace

Following appeals from prominent Nigerians, notable organisations and pressure groups appealing to them to lay down their arms, the Niger Delta Avengers has listed their conditions for peace in the Niger Delta region.

In an email sent to select journalists, the group indicated its readiness to lay down their arms if their conditions are met by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

President Muhammadu Buhari has another issue to worry about

Legit.ng lists the 10 major demands of the group.

READ ALSO: Pipelines attack: Dont bow to cheap blackmail of ex-militant leader  Activist to PMB

Read below:

1. The immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference report, failure of Nigeria will forcefully break-up.

2. President Buhari, the director-general of the State Secret Service and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Bayelsa state, Timipre Sylva should apologize to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of Late Chief DSP Alamieyesegha for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation.

3. The ownership of oil blocks in Nigeria must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people.

4. The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place - Okerenkoko in Delta state, must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately.

5. The minister of transportation, Rotimi Amechi should apologize to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his careless and reckless statement about the citing of the University in Okerenko.

6. Ogoniland and and all oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up, while compensation should be paid to all oil producing communities.

7. Radio Biafra director and Independent Peoples of Biafra leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, should be released unconditionally.

8. The Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and allowed to continue to run effectively.

9. All APC members indicted for corruption should be made to face trial like their counterparts in the Peoples Democratic Party.

10. All oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe this demands, as their business interest in the country will be first targeted.

Meanwhile, former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo had denied that he was responsible for pipeline bombings in the Niger Delta region.

In an open letter addressed to President Buhari, Tompolo had stated that he was not a member of Niger Delta Avengers.

Source: Legit.ng
National Rugby League respects and honours the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.
Regeneration is a word that Mancunians are thoroughly familiar with. This June will mark the 20th anniversary since a bomb set off by the provisional IRA wiped out half a mile of the city centre. Since then, billions of pounds have been spent on turning Manchester into the epitome of

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Real I.S. has acquired the Bloodstone Building office block in Dublin for its special Bayerische Grundvermogen VI (BGV VI) AIF. This investment enables us to diversify the portfolio to the benefit of our investors, on the one hand, while strengthening our position in the very attractive Irish market, on the

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In 2012, the United States experienced the warmest spring on record followed by the most severe drought since the Dust Bowl.

The record-setting year is especially intriguing for scientists who study the flux of carbon between vegetation and the atmosphere. That's because extreme climate events can dramatically change how terrestrial ecosystems absorb carbon. What's more, the combination of a warmer spring followed by a dry summer is projected to be more prevalent in the U.S. under climate change.

In other words, although 2012 doesn't precisely match projections -- the spring was cooler and the summer was drier than climate models predict by the end of this century -- the year offers a glimpse of the kinds of changes that could be in store for the carbon cycle in the United States.

Normally, terrestrial ecosystems are an important carbon sink. They take in more carbon than they release and globally offset one-third of the world's fossil fuel emissions. The big question is: How will the exchange of carbon between vegetation and the atmosphere change in the decades to come?

To help answer this question, an international team of scientists used a network of 22 "carbon-sensing" towers throughout the continental United States in an effort to map the carbon flux across the nation during the 2012 drought. The towers are a part of the Ameriflux network, which is a community of scientists and sites that measure ecosystem carbon, water, and energy fluxes in North and South America. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) manages Ameriflux for the Department of Energy.

The research was led by Sebastian Wolf at UC Berkeley, who is now at ETH Zurich. It also involved scientists from several other institutions in the United States, Australia and the Netherlands. Their study was recently published in the journal PNAS.

"This research underscores the importance of Ameriflux in assessing the impact of climate variability on vegetation, especially over a large scale, with respect to carbon flux," says Trevor Keenan, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab's Climate & Ecosystems Division who contributed to the study while at Australia's Macquarie University. Margaret Torn, a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab's Climate & Ecosystems Division, heads the Ameriflux Management Project, which was established by the Department of Energy at Berkeley Lab to support the broad Ameriflux community.

The scientists found the warm spring triggered leaf growth and photosynthetic activity earlier in the year than usual, which led to more carbon uptake than normal. Plant activity then waned during the ensuing drought, which caused ecosystems to absorb less carbon than normal. Overall, forests and grasslands of the United States were negatively impacted by the intense drought, and so were not as strong of a carbon sink in 2012 as they are in normal years. The warm spring, however, helped offset this dip in carbon uptake.

In another twist, the surge in springtime growth used up more soil moisture than normal, which meant there was less water available for vegetation during the drought, making a bad situation even worse.

These results were derived in part from data obtained at the 22 Ameriflux towers, which were chosen because they're located in different areas throughout the United States, and they each have at least five years of measurements. Gas analyzers on the towers measure how much carbon and water vapor is present in "packets" of air that travel past the tower. The analyzers can determine whether the carbon is coming from the ecosystem into the atmosphere, or the atmosphere into the ecosystem. The towers also measure temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture.

The towers used in the study are among roughly 160 active sites in the Ameriflux network. An important component of Ameriflux is the standardization of data from each site, which enables large-scale studies that encompass measurements from dozens of sites. Ameriflux also provides a central repository for the data, and a roving team of experts that ensures each site is working properly.

The scientists also used satellite measurements provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and inverse modeling from CarbonTracker provided by the Netherlands' Wageningen University, both of which consistently showed the same results.
Researchers in Malaysia and Japan have found that birdcages kept at home may be a breeding site for mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus to humans.

Bird keeping for personal or commercial purposes is as common in Malaysia as in the rest of South-East Asia. However, birdcages could provide an ideal environment for the development of mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus to humans.

Dengue fever is a debilitating and sometimes deadly disease caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Its symptoms include fever, headache, rash, muscle and joint pain, and sometimes severe bleeding.

Researchers have found that mosquito larvae can grow in bird faeces dropped into birdcage water bowls. Previous research found various developmental stages of the mosquito Aedes albopictus in the water containers of birdcages in rural homes of peninsular Malaysia. Aedes albopictus can transmit more than 20 diseases to humans, including dengue. Researchers were unsure, however, whether bird droppings contributed to the development and population maintenance of these mosquitoes.

Hamady Dieng of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak with colleagues from Malaysia and Japan found that A. albopictus can breed on bird faeces as effectively as when they are cultured under laboratory conditions with standard mosquito feed.

Dr Dieng and his colleagues collected mosquito samples from nine water containers in birdcages owned by residents of Penang State, Malaysia. The researchers divided hatched larvae into two high-density groups and two low-density groups (to check the impact of density on population growth), containing 80 and 40 larvae respectively. They then fed one set in each density group with standard larval food, which is commonly used to culture mosquitoes in labs, and the other with bird faecal matter, made of powdered bird manure from spotted doves.

They found that larvae grown on standard larval food or bird faecal matter had similar mortality rates and developed into pupae and adults with similar success rates. Female mosquitoes from the low-density group fed on blood and produced eggs at similar levels regardless of the type of food given during the larval stage, suggesting they had an equal potential of spreading dengue virus to humans.

The research suggests that birdcages may have been producing dengue vectors for many years in the region. This knowledge could help the development of preventive measures against the disease.

Dr Dieng now plans to examine the capacity of fecal matter from cats and dogs to support the development of dengue mosquitoes.
Why do we choose the partners we do, and why do we get flak about it from our parents? Professor Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair and Associate Professor Robert Biegler from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's Department of Psychology say it comes down to simple genetics.

"We see a conflict between mother and daughter because of opposing interests," says Biegler.

The researchers knew this was the case from their research several years ago. They even know why, and named the conflict the "Juliet effect" after the conflict between Juliet and her mother Lady Capulet in Shakespeare's drama.

Juliet's mother hates Romeo

Juliet's mother would rather have Juliet marry Paris, who is from a good family. Juliet has set her sights on the heartthrob Romeo from the archenemy's family.

But what's new is that you find the same opposing interests between sisters.

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Your sister would choose the steady fellow for you.

It's the old story. The daughter of the house brings home the handsome 'hunk' and proclaims that he is the love of her life.

But her mother prefers the respectable fellow with promising prospects, or maybe the rich guy from a good family.

As it turns out, your sister would probably agree with your mother, and would rather you have a steady, boring partner, too. This despite the fact that mother and sister would both rather have a hunk themselves.

Everything is ultimately about genetics and mathematics.

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"For their own partners, women focus on an attractive appearance that suggests good health and an ability to pass on their genes. At the same time, they prioritize qualities in their sister's partner that can provide direct benefits for the whole family," say the researchers. "This is consistent with our previous studies where we compared mothers' and daughters' choices," they add.

Studied sisters

The context for this new insight is a survey that the researchers undertook among female students and their sisters.

Participants were asked to rank 133 different characteristics that described the perfect partner for themselves or their sister. A similar survey was conducted among mothers and daughters a few years ago.

"For the most part, women choose the same ideal partner characteristics for themselves as for their sister. The qualities of faithfulness, loyalty, honesty, trustworthiness and reliability score highest when women are asked who would make an ideal partner," says Biegler.

But some clear differences also emerged. "The women perceived characteristics like being understanding, empathetic, responsible, helpful, sensible and kind as more important for their sister's partner than for their own," says Biegler.

Women found being sincere, humorous, charming, sexually satisfying and fun as more important for their own partner than their sister's.

Relative's partner must contribute directly

The reason is really simple. You are more closely related to your own kids than to your sister's kids or your grandchild. The transfer of your own genes is ultimately most important.

You share so much genetic material with your relatives that you can't be blase about whom they have babies with. They also carry on some of your genes and are part of what is known as your "inclusive fitness." But they can't get in the way of your own direct gene transfer.

"The ideal partner for your sister or your daughter can't drain resources from you and decrease the chance that your own genes can be passed on. Preferably he should directly increase your own chances. This can be achieved in part if your sister or daughter makes big gains by choosing a particular partner, and is able to spread your shared genes much more effectively," says Biegler.

But an advantage for your sister will rarely outweigh your decreased chances. Normally you want to have the greatest genetic advantage when a relative chooses a partner that can provide direct benefits for you, in terms of wealth or status, for example.

You don't want to spend money or other resources on raising your sister's or daughter's kids, unless it can bring you a considerable advantage in spreading your shared genetic material. And then you'd often rather spend the resources on increasing the survival and status of your own children, or have more kids yourself who can procreate.

"Women prefer for their daughter or sister to choose someone who can contribute to the upbringing of their own children and grandchildren, or who at least doesn't pose a burden," Kennair says.

This also means that the man should be trustworthy, take care of his children, preferably be strong financially and have a social status that does not diminish your or your descendants' chances of spreading their genes. Your own partner may contribute indirectly

So why would you rather have a good-looker yourself?

"The underlying truth remains: passing on your own genes is the priority. The primary consideration is to find a partner who can give you attractive children who survive. They need to be attractive enough to pass on their genes to the next generation to the greatest extent possible," said Kennair.

That's why the muscular heartthrob is a more interesting choice than the boring geek for one's own partner.

"A healthy hunk is presumably in good health, attractive to others as a partner and can transfer those genes to your children," says Kennair.

Then your children might also be more attractive than if you choose the geeky nerd. It's nice to have a stable guy, but in the end you'll be drawn to the handsome man instead.

Trying to exert influence

But it's no sure thing that you'll end up choosing the heartthrob. Your mother or sister might try to influence you to choose a different partner than the one you like best. Yes, this happens even in our society where we like to think that we choose our own partner.

Whether you opt to listen to them is another matter entirely. That can depend on your own living situation, or if your family refuses to provide financial assistance or other help if you go for the heartthrob against their wishes.

Not a moral issue

Kennair and Biegler are moving into an area that often evokes strong feelings. But, they say, none of this is a matter of morality, only of passing on genes.

"People who haven't behaved according to this pattern have been deselected through generations. A larger proportion of them simply didn't get to pass on their genes to a new generation. So their contribution to the gene pool dwindled," says Kennair.

But for those who still want to look at it all through a moral lens, it just gets worse.

Latent in us

The best possible outcome, of course, is if the heartthrob you've set eyes on is also a kind and steady-as-they-come kind of guy with good prospects.

But there's no guarantee you'll just be able to pick one that has absolutely everything, you know. This perfect guy may prefer your sister. Or your mother. It may be part of the reason they won't allow you this heartthrob.

It could be that your sister would like you to choose another partner so that the heartthrob will be available to her instead. She may not even be thinking about it, and it's far from certain that she's actually trying to steal your guy.

The same underlying mechanism may even still exist in your mother, even though she is past her baby-making days. It lies dormant in both of them, just as it does in you.

This mechanism is a result of competition and has yielded the best results over generations, regardless of morality.

No one is saying that any of this is necessarily conscious. It is a result of genetic transfer through all the generations before you. Your mother and your sister are also out after the best possible partner.

Equal, but similar

Perhaps most interesting is that this also applies in a relatively egalitarian society like Norway, where women are largely financially independent and choose their own partners.

Today, Norwegian women can usually even provide independently for themselves and their children. But they seem to be attracted to partners with exactly the same qualities as the partners of women in countries where the family chooses their partner. In very few cultures do women have much choice.

"It's the exception for women to choose their own partners. In most cultures, it isn't this way," says Kennair.

In most cultures, the mother will usually get her way. But the researchers' hypothesis is that the stronger the parents' control is over their children in a culture, the stronger the conflict between the sisters is also.

"If you can't win over mom, you still have a chance to win against your sister. The less chance you have to win one conflict, the harder you have to fight to win the other," suggests Biegler.

That's why it is more important for you that a grandchild passes on their genes than that a cousin does.

This has nothing to do with morality. It is more or less pure mathematics. We assume monogamous relationships.

But even for independent Norwegian women, it can be an advantage if the partner doesn't take off and leave you with almost all the responsibility for the kids. This can also reduce your chances of effectively passing on your genes.

Maybe you would have liked to have more kids if you had been able to afford it. Or maybe your sons become paupers who don't get support from others' mothers.

"In the end, though, Norwegian women are more attracted to the good-lookers than the boring, kind and steady types--the same attributes that have been playing out for generations before us for the greatest genetic success," say the two researchers.
College of Computing Professor Ashok Goel teaches Knowledge Based Artificial Intelligence (KBAI) every semester. It's a core requirement of Georgia Tech's online master's of science in computer science program. And every time he offers it, Goel estimates, his 300 or so students post roughly 10,000 messages in the online forums -- far too many inquiries for him and his eight teaching assistants (TA) to handle.

That's why Goel added a ninth TA this semester. Her name is Jill Watson, and she's unlike any other TA in the world. In fact, she's not even a "she." Jill is a computer -- a virtual TA -- implemented on IBM's Watson platform.

"The world is full of online classes, and they're plagued with low retention rates," Goel said. "One of the main reasons many students drop out is because they don't receive enough teaching support. We created Jill as a way to provide faster answers and feedback."

Goel and his team of Georgia Tech graduate students started to build her last year. They contacted Piazza, the course's online discussion forum, to track down all the questions that had ever been asked in KBAI since the class was launched in fall 2014 (about 40,000 postings in all). Then they started to feed Jill the questions and answers.

"One of the secrets of online classes is that the number of questions increases if you have more students, but the number of different questions doesn't really go up," Goel said. "Students tend to ask the same questions over and over again."

That's an ideal situation for the Watson platform, which specializes in answering questions with distinct, clear solutions. The team wrote code that allows Jill to field routine questions that are asked every semester. For example, students consistently ask where they can find particular assignments and readings.

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Jill wasn't very good for the first few weeks after she started in January, often giving odd and irrelevant answers. Her responses were posted in a forum that wasn't visible to students.

"Initially her answers weren't good enough because she would get stuck on keywords," said Lalith Polepeddi, one of the graduate students who co-developed the virtual TA. "For example, a student asked about organizing a meet-up to go over video lessons with others, and Jill gave an answer referencing a textbook that could supplement the video lessons -- same keywords -- but different context. So we learned from mistakes like this one, and gradually made Jill smarter."

After some tinkering by the research team, Jill found her groove and soon was answering questions with 97 percent certainty. When she did, the human TAs would upload her responses to the students. By the end of March, Jill didn't need any assistance: She wrote the class directly if she was 97 percent positive her answer was correct.

The students, who were studying artificial intelligence, were unknowingly interacting with it. Goel didn't inform them about Jill's true identity until April 26. The student response was uniformly positive. One admitted her mind was blown. Another asked if Jill could "come out and play." Since then some students have organized a KBAI alumni forum to learn about new developments with Jill after the class ends, and another group of students has launched an open source project to replicate her.

Back in February, student Tyson Bailey began to wonder if Jill was a computer and posted his suspicions on Piazza.

"We were taking an AI course, so I had to imagine that it was possible there might be an AI lurking around," said Bailey, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Then again, I asked Dr. Goel if he was a computer in one of my first email interactions with him. I think it's a great idea and hope that they continue to improve it."

Jill ended the semester able to answer many routine questions asked. She'll return -- with a different name -- next semester. The goal is to have the virtual teaching assistant answer 40 percent of all questions by the end of year.
Air pollution legislation to control fossil fuel emissions and the associated acid rain has worked -- perhaps leading to the need for sulfur fertilizers for crop production. A University of Illinois study drawing from over 20 years of data shows that sulfur levels in Midwest watersheds and rivers have steadily declined, so much so that farmers may need to consider applying sulfur in the not too distant future.

"We don't think there are actual sulfur deficiencies yet, but clearly more sulfur is coming out of the soil and water than what is going in," says U of I biogeochemist Mark David. "As the Clean Air Act and amendments have taken effect there has been a reduction in sulfur emissions from coal combustion, so that the amount of atmospheric sulfur deposited each year is only 25 percent of what it used to be. At some point, farmers are going to have to fertilize with sulfur."

David says farmers whose fields have fine-textured soils that are high in organic matter have less of a concern. "For many, it could be 10 or 20 years from now, but for some, particularly those farming on poorer soils, it'll be sooner. Farmers whose fields have poorer soil or notice a yield reduction may want to have their soil tested for sulfate. If it registers low, they can consider applying fertilizer."

David explains that sulfur in soil comes from two main sources. It's in the air from fossil fuel combustion and in groundwater where water has come in contact with coal or pyrite seams. It comes out of the soil through tile-drained fields and it is taken up into plants as they grow and are then harvested. Most fields in Illinois do not receive fertilizers containing sulfur. Some in the Embarras and Kaskaskia watersheds apply ammonium sulfate, which adds not just nitrogen, but also sulfur.

In their study, David and his team analyzed data from three rivers in east-central Illinois at times when the flow was high and low from the field drainage tiles and the rivers. Sulfate concentrations were greatest in the Salt Fork River, followed by the Embarras, and then the Kaskaskia Rivers.

"As we go from northeast to southwest across this part of Illinois, the sulfate that we think is from groundwater near coal seams, decreases. In the Tuscola and Atwood areas, we don't think there are any groundwater sulfate inputs. When we looked at a whole variety of fields with tile drainage systems, we found that some had very low sulfate concentrations -- just a few milligrams per liter. One farm in our study had applied bed ash from a power plant. We saw high concentrations of sulfate in that field. There's no doubt that it boosted the level of sulfur. But over the next three or four years most of it had washed out through the tile system," co-author and U of I agronomist Lowell Gentry says.

The long-term nature of the study allowed the team to do watershed balances and look at the inputs and outputs of the sulfur "budget" for the area.

"That balance is negative, with greater outputs from harvest and leaching, than inputs from atmospheric deposition and fertilizers, so what is missing is coming from the soil. There is a lot of sulfur in soil in organic forms and that's being slowly depleted. At some point, there won't be enough to keep up with what the crop needs. That's when farmers will need to add fertilizer," Gentry says.

David began his career in the 1980s studying the effects of acid rain -- a main ingredient of which is sulfur. "Back then no one ever thought about fertilizing with sulfur because there was always plenty of atmospheric sulfur available from burning coal."

The samples David collected over the past two decades were primarily used to track nitrates that enter the rivers via drainage tiles in agricultural fields, and eventually reach the Gulf of Mexico. He says that unlike nitrate, "sulfate is not a problem in Midwestern streams and rivers. It's not like other chemicals that cause problems downstream and in the Gulf."

David believes that this is the first study looking at long-term trends in sulfur in agricultural areas. "Most of the studies about atmospheric deposition in sulfur have been in forested watersheds in the northeast where lakes were acidified, such as in the Adirondack Mountains in New York and in streams in the Appalachian Mountains, areas that were sensitive to acid rain. Sulfate is more of a problem in the northeast in forest soils," he says.
An international team of astrophysicists, including Professor Phil Charles from the University of Southampton, have detected an intense wind from one of the closest known black holes to the Earth.

During observations of V404 Cygni, which went into a bright and violent outburst in June 2015 after more than 25 years of quiescence, the team began taking optical measurements of the black hole's accretion disc using the 10.4m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) -- the biggest optical-infrared telescope in the world, situated at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafia, La Palma) in the Canary Islands.

The results, which are published today in Nature, show the presence of a wind of neutral material (unionised hydrogen and helium), which is formed in the outer layers of the accretion disc, regulating the accretion of material by the black hole. This wind, detected for the first time in a system of this type, has a very high velocity (3,000 kilometres per second) so that it can escape from the gravitational field around the black hole.

Professor Charles, from Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, said: "Its presence allows us to explain why the outburst, in spite of being bright and very violent, with continuous changes in luminosity and ejections of mass in the form of jets, was also very brief, lasting only two weeks."

At the end of this outburst the GTC observations revealed the presence of a nebula formed from material expelled by the wind. This phenomenon, which has been observed for the first time in a black hole, also allows scientists to estimate the quantity of mass ejected into the interstellar medium.

Teo Munoz Darias, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the lead author of the study (and also a former Marie Curie Fellow at Southampton), said: "The brightness of the source and the large collecting area of the GTC allowed us not only to detect the wind, but also to measure the variation of its properties on time-scales of minutes. The database obtained is probably the best ever observed for an object of this kind.

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"This outburst of V404 Cygni, because of its complexity and because of the high quantity and quality of the observations, will help us understand how black holes swallow material via their accretion discs."

"We think that what we have observed with the GTC in V404 Cygni happens, at least, in other black holes with large accretion discs," concluded Professor Charles and Jorge Casares from IAC, two of the discoverers of V404 Cygni in 1992, and co-authors of the study.

V404 Cygni is a black hole within a binary system located in the constellation of Cygnus. In such systems, of which less than 50 are known, a black hole of around 10 times the mass of the Sun is swallowing material from a very nearby star, its companion star. During this process material falls onto the black hole and forms an accretion disc, whose hotter, innermost zones emit in X-rays. In the outer regions, however, we can study the disc in visible light, which is the part of the spectrum observable with the GTC.

V404 Cygni, at only 8,000 light years away, is one of the closest known black holes to the Earth, and has a particularly large accretion disc (with a radius of about ten million kilometres), making its outbursts especially bright at all wavelengths (X-rays, visible, infrared and radio waves).

On 15 June 2015, V404 Cygni went into outburst after a quiescence of over 25 years. During this period its brightness increased one million fold in a few days, becoming the brightest X-ray source in the sky. The GTC began taking spectroscopic observations on 17 June via the activation of a "target of opportunity" programme, designed by IAC researchers for this kind of event.

The observations were made with the OSIRIS instrument on the GTC, and were carried out during the two weeks of the outburst, in observing windows of one to two hours per night. In addition, the study included observations in X-rays by the INTEGRAL and SWIFT satellites, as well as data from the AMI radio-interferometer in the United Kingdom.

Nine of the series of data obtained during the night of 27 June were obtained with the GTC in the presence of His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, who attended the observations as part of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Canary Island Observatories. The King was able to observe at first hand the exceptional range of phenomena exhibited by this black hole.
<p>Facebook/Penny Parker </p>

When Ruby was saved from a horse auction in Pennsylvania this winter, she was a skeleton. She pinned her ears back whenever anyone came near her, but her big blue eyes caught the attention of a rescuer who came up with the money to bail her out.

Facebook/Penny Parker

Penny Parker, barn manager at Thornbury Farm Stables in West Chester, Pennsylvania, got a call from the woman who rescued the mare and needed a place to quarantine her for a month. Horses who are rescued from auctions often sit in crowded, filthy "kill pens" for up to a week, sometimes with no food or water. They can become very sick, which is why they can't be around other horses at first. Parker's quarantine pen at the barn was full, so she brought Ruby home to her backyard. "Within the first three days, she wasn't really trusting, which was normal," Parker told The Dodo. "I tried to blanket her, and she kicked me, pretty hard." Then Ruby's belly started to show. Parker figured the horse had worms, and had the vet come out to examine her. That's when they found out she was pregnant. No one could tell how far along she was since she was so thin, but the vet figured it might be three or four weeks until her baby came. (Horses are pregnant for about 11 months, so that was a pretty rough guess.)

Facebook/Penny Parker

Parker's friends at the barn threw her a foal shower, and Parker planned to name the baby Winter Sky. Three months passed, and Ruby - now out of quarantine and pastured with other mares - was still pregnant. Finally, on Friday, April 29, a spindly baby boy was born. He was named Skye.

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Facebook/Penny Parker

Parker and her boyfriend, Dave Manning, quickly fell in love with the handsome foal - but unfortunately, his mother didn't. They tried to get him to nurse, but Ruby kicked Skye in the head and in the ribs. The vet sedated her to the point where she was nearly asleep, and she was still trying to kick him. "That whole first day, it was total turmoil trying to get this baby to nurse," Parker said. "At the end of the day we had to pull him from her because we thought, 'She's gonna kill him.'"

Facebook/Penny Parker

No one knows what Ruby's life was like before she ended up at auction, but Parker suspects her rejection of her baby had something to do with her past. "I think she'd probably given birth, and they had probably taken them away from her right away," she said. "She's got PTSD, for sure." Now that Parker and Manning had separated Skye from his mother, they had to bottle-feed him around the clock - and they were very worried about him getting the colostrum he needed in the first 24 hours. Because the colostrum levels in his blood were low, baby Skye had to get a blood transfusion.

Facebook/Penny Parker

He was weak, but taking several bottles of formula every hour and a half. Night came, and it was getting cold fast. "I looked at my boyfriend, and I said, 'We've got to take him home. I can't leave him here,'" Parker said. "So we put him in a minivan and he was asleep, he wasn't stressed. We had a 15-minute drive home and we brought him into the house, and my boyfriend slept on the queen-sized mattress on the floor with him."

Facebook/Penny Parker

Facebook/Penny Parker

Manning dozed on the mattress with Skye, who kept nudging him every hour throughout the night for his bottle.

Facebook/Penny Parker

When Manning finally fell asleep around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, he was soon woken up by the baby horse standing over him in the living room, ready to start the day.

Facebook/Penny Parker

Later that morning, Parker and Manning brought Skye back to the barn. They set up bottle-feeding shifts with friends - and started desperately looking for a surrogate mother. On Sunday, their calls were answered. Lucy, a retired racehorse from Castle Rock Farm in West Chester, Pennsylvania, had lost her own baby three years ago, and had more recently become a surrogate mom to another foal who was rejected at birth. On Sunday, Parker picked her up and started injecting her with medication that helps stimulate milk production in mares. She was introduced to Skye that day, and proved to be a perfect mom.

Facebook/Penny Parker

"By Monday morning, they were in love," Parker said. "She's lying next to him, standing over him while he sleeps. They're running around together, connected at the hip."

Facebook/Penny Parker

Skye is nursing from his new mom now, while Parker and Manning continue to supplement her milk supply with bottles of formula. He loves people and the other animals on the farm and will never know whatever trauma Ruby experienced.

Facebook/Penny Parker

"She's lonely and confused, as you can understand," Parker said. "You still can't touch her beyond her shoulder. She's dangerous, and it's a shame." Parker has rescued four horses from kill pens at auctions in the last couple of years, and she said it takes a long time to gain their trust. Horse auctions are, sadly, a common way for horse camps, racing farms and individuals who no longer want to care for their horses to quickly unload them. "They're every single week, and they're all over," Parker said. While horse slaughter is illegal in the U.S., "kill buyers" show up at every auction to buy large numbers of horses for as little as $50 a head and ship them to Mexico or Canada to be killed for meat. Meanwhile, the woman who rescued Ruby had to pay $750 to get her pulled from the deplorable conditions of the kill pen. "They pull on our heartstrings and get a lot of money out of us rescue people," Parker said. Skye and Ruby will always have a loving home with Parker and Manning. To help them out with the costs of his vet bills and the nurse mare, you can donate to Skye's Gofundme page.

Facebook/Penny Parker
A small cage used to be where Masrya spent a majority of her time. These days, however, the lioness is treated like a queen at Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa, alongside her adopted son, Nero.

"We followed Masrya's story from day one and she was the lioness who inspired us to do what we do," Minunette Heuser, Emoya's cofounder, told The Dodo. "Imagine our surprise and delight when, years later, the very same lioness, with her new partner, [came into] our care," Heuser said. As a young cub, Masrya was kept as a pet in Egypt. She was purchased from a street trader, who used her as a tourist photo prop - and in order to make sure she wouldn't hurt anyone while posing for photographs, she was declawed. But as Masrya grew older, bigger and stronger, it was no longer safe to let the young lioness roam freely, according to Spots & Stripes Conservation, which recounts her story on its website. As a result, Masrya was confined to a small cage, and was kept outside and put on display along a busy street.

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The lioness, who was about 2 years old at the time, had no opportunities for enrichment - all she could do in that cage was sit, stand and watch the world around her go by. But all of that changed in July 2012, when a young German woman noticed Masrya, trapped in her cage with no chance at freedom - and decided to do something about it. The woman, named Saskia Berndt, set the wheels in motion for Masrya to be rescued. With fundraising assistance from the Spots & Stripes Conservation group, based in the U.K., Masrya was taken in by the Stichting Leeuw Lion Foundation in the Netherlands. Masrya was found to be generally in good condition and kept in clean (although not ideal) conditions, according to Spots & Stripes. She also showed no signs of fear or aggression toward humans - most likely a result of her living among them for so long. Wild lions are typically shy animals and mostly avoid humans. MasryaSpots & Stripes Conservation

Masrya | Spots & Stripes Conservation

Masrya arrived at Stichting Leeuw in February 2013. At last, she was able to wander freely within her enclosure at the lion foundation and feel grass underneath her paws for the first time. Her next-door neighbor happened to be a 4-month-old male lion cub named Nero.

Nero was rescued from a French circus, where he was also kept in a small cage and used as a prop for photographs.

The cub was in need of a mother figure and Masrya was in need of company, so the two were paired together and haven't been separated since. When Stichting Leeuw decided that Masrya ought to return to her native Africa, it went without saying that Nero would accompany her.

Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary, which most recently became home to 33 other lions , was more than glad to give both of them their final home.

Nero has since grown up to become one handsome lion.

But he and Masrya remain as affectionate toward each other as ever.

Together, they're finally getting to live the lives they deserved from the start.
Canopy Growth Corp. is the first Canadian licensed medical marijuana producer to expand internationally, buying a stake in Australias AusCann International with its pot-growing expertise, rather than cash.

The company  based in a converted chocolate factory in Smiths Falls, Ont.  said Monday it will provide advice in production, quality assurance and operations in exchange for a 15 per cent stake in AusCann, with options for a bigger share.

AusCann is an early entrant into Australias nascent medical cannabis industry as the country, like many others, works out a framework for legal medical marijuana.

Canopy CEO Bruce Linton will join the Australian companys board. He said his company can provide lessons about the opportunities and challenges AusCann faces, as they are very similar to those Canadas licensed producers went through when they started up a few years ago.

Linton expects to make more announcements about international partnerships in the coming weeks as Canadas commercial medical marijuana program becomes a model for a host of countries liberalizing their policies.

Why would you become really capable in the first country in the world to create the framework and then sit back and watch the rest of the world figure it out, when you could go out and be a big player? he said.

Were actually probably being viewed by no less than seven or eight countries as they roll out the medical step and the recreational step.

Khurram Malik, head of research at Jacob Capital Management Inc., said he expects more Canadian marijuana companies to jump on international expansion opportunities.

Canada was the first to license large industrial-scale growing of cannabis at a pharmaceutical grade. It took the licensed producers a long time to grow it at scale and there were a lot of mistakes made along the way, he said.

We had to invent it as we went along and now we have the authority and expertise to grow it at scale. If other companies want to do it, this is the first place theyre going to look.

AusCann toured Canadian facilities for about a year before approaching Canopy Growth with the proposition.

We chose to work with Canopy Growth because theyve established themselves as leaders in the Canadian and global industry. We are excited to establish the same success here in Australia, said Elaine Darby, managing director of AusCann.

Canopy Growth owns the Tweed and Bedrocan brands.

Canopy is readying itself to become a leading player in the legal recreational marijuana market, especially after the Canadian governments 4/20 announcement that it plans to legalize the drug next year.

A Supreme Court decision forced the Conservative government to make medical marijuana accessible to patients in 2014. They opted to create an industry based on large-scale commercial producers that it said could be worth $1.3 billion. There are currently about 30 licensed producers.

There are fewer than 40,000 Canadian medical marijuana patients, but the University of Ottawa estimates there are some 2.3 million recreational pot users.

Bay Street is suddenly very interested in the marijuana sector, Linton said.

The combination of rapid growth, full coverage from a political perspective and the need to make money for your clients, you need to look for something that actually has real opportunity in the next 3,4,5 years both domestic and internationally, he said.

Im not feeling like theres not a lot of other choices that meet that criteria.

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Canadian Heritage Minister Melanie Jolys digital CanCon consultation is likely to spark calls from the cultural establishment for new levies and taxes to fund the creation of domestic content. The Internet will be the primary target, with demands for a Netflix tax along with legislative reforms that would open the door to additional fees on Internet providers.

Yet an unimaginative approach that seeks to regulate the Internet imposes costs that would make Internet access less affordable and create a regulatory environment that runs counter to fundamental principles of freedom of speech and access to information.

Joly should reject efforts to recycle stale policies and instead embrace the opportunity to shake up Canadian cultural policy.

The starting point should be a shift in funding for Canadian content creation. The current model, which relies heavily on mandatory contributions from the Canadian broadcasting community, is in decline as revenues from the sector slowly shrink. (The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission recently reported that conventional television revenues declined by 2.4 per cent in 2015.)

With the broadcasting sector struggling to compete against unregulated Internet services, Joly should drop mandatory contributions altogether. In their place, support for the content industries could come from four sources:

federal granting programs funded through general tax revenues,

benefits packages from industry mergers, allocations from spectrum licensing,

and targeted tax credits that benefit Canadian producers.

The change would provide more stable funding for production and marketing, while leaving broadcasters more competitive.

Online services should remain unregulated and free from mandatory contributions, but should be subject to general sales taxes. Levying GST or HST on Canadian online video services such as Shomi or CraveTV while leaving Netflix tax-free creates a tax revenue shortfall and places domestic services at a disadvantage compared to their foreign counterparts.

Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications law must also keep pace with the changing digital environment. Rules that grant the CRTC the power to determine which channels may operate in Canada should be repealed. Instead, the Commission should concentrate on consumer protection and marketplace competition.

The consumer protection issues include regulations maintaining maximum consumer choice through pick-and-pay models, truth in advertising on communications services and guaranteed Internet access for all Canadians.

Competition encompasses an even broader range of issues including enforceable net neutrality rules to ensure that creators and consumers benefit from neutral network service without unfair preferences, safeguards against vertically integrated media giants unfairly favouring their own content, and the possibility of structural separation for companies that own significant content and carriage businesses.

As for Canadas public broadcaster, one of the most contentious issues in recent years has been the CBCs emphasis on digital delivery of news content.

Reconciling the need for the CBC to remain relevant by embracing digital delivery with the financial impact on private sector news services could be addressed by requiring the public broadcaster to adopt an ad-free approach to its online news presence. That would ensure that it reaches digital audiences but does not directly compete with the private sector for advertising dollars.

The private news services could also benefit from a change to allow tax deductions for advertising on Canadian websites.

While these changes would dramatically shift the legal and regulatory environment for Canadian culture, Jolys initiative needs an even bigger goal to capture the publics imagination. That could include requiring the CBC to open its content for public re-use (the government is opening its national parks, why not its national content?) or embarking on a comprehensive digitization initiative that provides the foundation for a national digital library.

Joly has encouraged Canadians to think big about Canadian cultural policy. It now falls to the government to reject the regulatory models of the past by embracing a future-focused strategy that emphasizes competition, consumer access, and the export and promotion of Canadian content for a global audience.

Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He can be reached at mgeist@uottawa.ca or online at www.michaelgeist.ca .

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John McAfee has been named the chairman and chief executive officer of MGT Capital Investments Inc., marking a return to public markets about five years after the eponymous anti-virus company he founded was sold to Intel Corp. for $7.68 billion.

McAfee will oversee the small, mobile-gaming companys move into cybersecurity. MGT is acquiring technology and assets from spyware maker D-Vasive Inc. and will change its name to John McAfee Global Technologies Inc., according to a statement Monday.

D-Vasive provides software that protects users from invasive applications that can activate a devices camera, microphone, Bluetooth or Internet connection. McAfee said he plans to use the D-Vasive technology as a foundation to build a cybersecurity company.

The enormous impact of cybersecurity on our lives requires the scale and resources of a public company, McAfee said in the statement. Our ability to continue to hire the best minds in the business will be vastly enhanced with a public platform.

McAfee, 70, announced a run late last year as a presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party, campaigning on a privacy-focused platform that includes pushing for the government to create a cybersecurity defense strategy. He is also a founder of Future Tense Secure Systems Inc., a security and privacy company that provides apps including D-Vasives, according to its website. MGT Capital has a consulting agreement with the company, also known as Future Tense Central, according to the statement.

McAfee has previously tried to distance himself from the anti-virus software that bore his name, and has called it one of the worst products on the planet.

In 2012, while living in Belize, McAfee had run-ins with local police for alleged unlicensed drug manufacturing and weapons possession but was released without charge. Later, Belize police started a search for him as a person of interest in connection with the murder of his neighbor, Gregory Viant Faull. McAfee moved to Guatemala, where he was detained and released before eventually returning to the U.S. McAfee said he was innocent.

MGT Capital, with a market value of more than $8 million, operates a number of mobile and online gaming sites and owns stakes in DraftDay.com, a daily fantasy sport-betting platform.

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When the contractor she hired to help renovate her house over the summer stopped showing up, there wasnt much Wendy Cacilhas could do to get back the $5,000 shed already paid him.

He never finished the job  I had a hole in my roof, she said. Hed left after Cacilhas and her husband raised concerns with him about the quality of the work.

They lodged a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. But the contractors company dissolved. There was no accountability, she said. Once there was a conflict, I didnt know how I could go about resolving my issue.

The rest of the work had to be done piecemeal, with contractors found through friends, family and contractor rating site HomeStars.com. She says she found HomeStars frustrating to use because reviews didnt always appear genuine.

Toronto-based app Jiffy launched last year claims to be the fixer-upper solution to the patchy home maintenance system Cacilhas faced.

It connects you with trades  ranging from appliance repair, to plumbing, pest control, junk removal and general fixer and maintenance services  within a day.

Each has a minimum price, which covers a certain amount of time, space or appliances, and a per unit cost if it takes more. Most offer after-hour and weekend services, which some charge at a premium. For example, plumbers and electricians base price is $180 for two hours of work, but they charge 1.5 times more on evenings and weekends.

They are vetted by Jiffy to make sure each vendor has a business license and insurance.

You can order the service online or on the Apple and Android app, with the option of having the person come In a Jiffy! (ASAP), or to schedule a specific time at a later date.

The app spares appraisal trips, negotiations and the base costs many charge just to show up, says co-founder Ryan Shupak.

Shupak says Jiffys rates are not the cheapest and were not the most expensive  but were not reinventing the wheel, he explains.

Though Jiffys interface resembles Uber, its not adding supply like UberX does. Were offering liquidity, he says. There may be hundreds of plumbers in Toronto, but theres no dispatching method to see whos available.

Each professional is also rated and the app wont send anyone rated below four (out of five) stars. The technology to rate customers hasnt been unleashed yet, Shupak says, but a problematic one can be flagged.

The idea for Jiffy came after co-founder Paul Arlin, who went to university with Shupak at McGill, struggled to find an electrician who would install light fixtures in his newly renovated home.

It took him about two weeks of going back and forth, Shupak said. He was sure (that) Theres got to be an electrician driving around my area, who can just come in and install these fixtures and sort of be done with it.

Co-founders Shupak, 30, Arlin, 31, and Jaimie Grossman, in his early 40s, received about $550,000 from a handful of angel investors at the end of the summer, including Facebook Canadas managing director Jordan Banks.

Theyve used that to build the apps technology, grow its user base and expand, which Shupak says its about ready to do.

The team is looking to spread to other cities and is already recruiting in five more places across North America (Vancouver, Chicago, Boston, Florida and Calgary) to see where it should start. It has four employees working on the apps development, customer service and marketing out of its office in Yonge-Eglington.

Theres an average of about a dozen vendors (companies) for each of the 24 trades categories, Shupak says, and thousands of users across the city. But the team is trying to keep a balance between supply and demand, he added.

We dont want to have too many plumbers that were not important to them.

John Ruffolos company Graff Electric is on Jiffy. He says he wouldnt usually send the electricians he employs on the smaller jobs that come through Jiffy, but he uses the platform to keep them occupied on slow days.

Theyre good little filler jobs, Ruffolo said, explaining most Jiffy calls had been for smaller service gigs. To be honest with you, as contractors, we dont really make money on these calls.

Ruffolo typically charges $150 for his electricians to drive somewhere (counting an hour there and back), a $40 truck charge for gas and so on. Then, its $75 per hour the job takes.

He says Jiffy helps him break even for the periods between bigger jobs. He says he takes four or five Jiffy calls a week.

But Tanya Klein, owner of Etobicoke-based Anta Plumbing, says the generic per unit pricing Jiffy employs could be misleading. It means nothing to me, she said. It should be per service.

Her company of about 30 plumbers doesnt use the app. Instead Klein has a price book clients can peruse to help determine what the work might cost them.

Though ratings can be helpful, Klein says she often chooses which technician to send according to client needs.

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LOS ANGELESRadioheads ninth studio album A Moon Shaped Pool is now available to purchase on iTunes and Amazon and streaming on Tidal and Apple Music. The groundbreaking rock group released two songs, Burn the Witch and Daydreaming, online earlier in the week in a lead-up to the 11-track albums release Sunday.

Physical copies of the album can be pre-ordered too, but wont be available until June 17.

Radiohead begins a world tour May 20 in The Netherlands. The band will visit New York and Chicago in July and California in August.

Their last album, The King of Limbs, was released in 2011. It followed the experimental digital release of In Rainbows in 2007, where fans were able to pay what they wanted for the download.

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A Reason to Talk

Written and performed by Sachli Gholamalizad. Until May 14 at The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St. W. TheatreCentre.org or 416-538-0988.

Were told the least we can do is call our mothers on Mothers Day. But the conveniently timed run of Sachli Gholamalizads solo performance A Reason to Talk, which opened in a presentation by Why Not Theatre the night before parents and children convened for flowers and brunch on Sunday, reminds us that the lines of intergenerational communication are not always so clear.

Though its what she wants most from her familial relationships, nothing about A Reason to Talk is direct and straightforward. Gholamalizad, an Iranian-born Belgium-based artist, does not turn to face the audience until her curtain call. Instead, she sits at a desk with a computer, keyboard, and a webcam that feeds into a monitor beside herit feels like a one-sided Skype call for reasons that will continue to build throughout the show.

Above her is another screen that projects home videos and messages she types on the keyboard in real time. Centre stage is the looming elephant in the room, a giant screen that takes up the generous Theatre Centre stage, which displays intimate interview clips with Gholamalizads mothera stunning woman who moved her children out of a war zone in Iran when Gholamalizad was 5 years old, cared for them alone for two years waiting for her husband to join them, and made a life in a new country with new languages, traditions, and values.

The latter would prove to be a dividing force between her and her daughter, who rebelled against her mothers rules at 15, kick-starting an unfixable rift between them that continues in their inability to communicate the darker, unhappy aspects of their lives and relationship. Gholamalizad says, or types rather, that a broken relationship basically pauses any maturation on either side. So though she has practically doubled in age, the interviews are a moving window into this period in time when generations and cultures began to clash. Simultaneously, we see the digital reflection of Gholamalizad in the present, revisiting their relationship in every performance with regret, anger, frustration, and sorrow written clearly on her face.

You can also plainly see the pain in her mother, which is what makes these interviews so compellingthe closer she comes to breaking the barrier between her own life and her daughters, the easier she seems to cover it with platitudes like You should always think positive and Im happy if my children are happy.

Above all, A Reason to Talk is about where talking falls short. And Gholamalizad fills in the gaps with images, words, sounds, and songs that cut through misunderstandings or miscommunications. A short list of insensitive questions that Gholamalizad received as an Iranian immigrant living in Europe, from how to pronounce her name to more sinister accusations, reveals the potential for these two women to connect over their immigrant experiences in a new culturebut we also know that was never able to occur. In the videos, Gholamalizads mother believes shes protecting her children by not discussing the hardships of living in Iran and in living in Belgium, when thats exactly the thing that could bring them closer together.

Screens get a bad rap for breaking down communication lines and making humans more isolated. But if those lines just arent available face to face, Sachli Gholamalizad uses them ingeniously to build them back up again in unexpected ways.

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Walking is the most common form of physical activity for people over age 60, and its good for them. Among other benefits, its linked to a lower risk of heart disease, and it can improve leg strength and increase endurance.

Dog owners, studies have found, get more exercise than people who dont have dogs, probably because of the walking involved.

So, do seniors who walk their dogs have better health and get more exercise? Yes, according to a new study in the journal The Gerontologist.

To come to this conclusion, researchers at Miami University in Ohio and the University of Missouri looked at data from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study, a biennial survey of Americans older than 50 that is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. They found that those who walked dogs had lower body mass indexes, fewer limitations in daily activities, fewer chronic conditions and fewer visits to the doctor. They also got exercise more often and did it more vigorously.

Those who owned dogs but didnt take them on strolls, however, had poorer health. Dog walking appears to be the mechanism by which dog ownership promotes health, the study said. It noted, however, that it wasnt clear whether the dog-walking actually caused the better health.

Still, co-author Rebecca Johnson, a professor at the University of Missouri and director of its Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction, said she felt confident that the association between the dog-walking and health, combined with previous studies on the benefits of dog ownership, should be enough to prompt medical professionals to recommend seniors to both have a pooch and walk it.

The whole body of literature on dog ownership ... indicates that the dog is unconditionally loving, Johnson said. They are a social lubrication, meaning other people talk to people if theyre out walking their dog. Theyre a bridge to other generations.

But there may be good reasons to think hard before adopting a dog. Hal Herzog, a psychology professor who studies human-animal relationships at Western Carolina University, praised the studys large sample size and analysis, and he said the association between dog-walking and health appeared to be strong. But he said its important that it didnt show dog-walking caused better health.

It is equally likely that elderly people who are in good health have the energy to walk their dogs, he said. It is critical in these types of studies that readers do not confuse correlation and causality.

There can also be cons to owning dogs, Herzog said. The Centers for Disease Control, for example, reported in 2006 that more than 86,000 people are injured each year in falls associated with cats and dogs  mostly with dogs  with increasing rates of injury as people get older.

Johnson acknowledged that dogs can come with downsides, and she noted that one doesnt have to own a dog to reap the benefits of walking one  walking shelter or friends dogs works, too. But she said seniors shouldnt have to forgo pet ownership just because it can involve lifting heavy bags of dog food, changing litter or visits to the vet. Older people also have trouble changing light bulbs, she said.

They need help, but that doesnt mean they shouldnt have electric light, Johnson said. People say, well, its a burden for older people to have dogs because they need help. Sure, they need help. As they age, they need help with a lot of things.

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LAC LA BICHE, ALTA.Mirna Chehab woke up on Mothers Day and applied her black eyeliner and pink lipstick with perfection. The mother of three put on her sparkly earrings and two necklaces.

I want my kids to see me strong, she said. If I dont look the same way I look every day I would let my kids down. They would think mommys sick.

When they came to the Bold Center in Lac La Biche on Sunday, where Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees have been gathering for meals, clothing and shelter, Chehabs daughters spotted a man handing out roses. Mom, mom, mom, they said. You have to stop here with the car.

Then they got out and chased the man with the bucket of flowers.

He was probably thinking, what the heck are those girls following me for. 

Chehab and her family have been in Lac La Biche since early Wednesday morning, when they fled Fort McMurray, where they own a custom cabinet business.

The fire is so bad, its heading to, what is it called again, Eladio began, before whispering to his mother for help for the last word: Saskatchewan.

Let me show you something, Chehab said, two red roses in her hand.

This is our house, she said, showing a photo of a regular suburban house in the Thickwood neighbourhood of Fort McMurray with a bright, flaming orange sky behind it. Its still standing.

They fled as fire blazed in, separating traffic north and south as aircraft above dumped water to keep the fire at bay.

Were going to die, were going to die, her six-year-old son, Eladio, shouted from the back, beside his older sister. (An aunt and uncle picked up his sister.)

No, were not going to die, his father Hadi Eljamal replied.

Yes, were going to die, Eladio said.

Eladio was in better spirits in the windy, sunny day on Sunday. He had received a new bike, a bag full of toys, and a cold Popsicle. His father, Hadi, wore a donated Toronto Maple Leafs sweater and carried his sons prized possessions, along with a pillow tucked under his arm. Around them, a group of ironworkers cooked hamburgers and hotdogs and handed them out. One woman at the grill said she wasnt even sure where the food had come from. It was almost like it just appeared.

Chehab said it has been nice to be here. Everyone gives hugs. On Sunday, they had lunch at the local legion, and the ladies in charge of the meal borrowed her son for a few minutes. When Eladio returned, he came back with a cupcake and a card he made just for his mom.

Sparkly red and sparkly blue, he said. And sprinkles!

Tears came out of my eyes, she said.

Her daughters are 17 and 14 and terrified that they would lose the house. Chehab said they are lucky. She ran into one of her customers who had lost everything, even her dog. Inside the centre, the strain of such loss is visible on many faces. Chehab said she couldnt sleep for a few days and sleeping pills didnt help. She and her husband are trying to stay positive, because anything less would be too much for their kids to take.

She left the Bold Centre Sunday evening, smiling.

You know what, she said. Its going to be different from any other Mothers Day.

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WASHINGTONThe federal government is preparing to introduce legislation that will establish rules for a new border-crossing experiment that could change the way travellers enter the U.S.

It will spell out the rights and responsibilities of U.S. customs agents working on Canadian soil, under the preclearance project recently announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Barack Obama.

The project will expand a system already in place for air travel  where passengers at major airports clear customs before taking off, and skip potentially longer lines in the U.S.

Announced during Trudeaus first official visit to Washington, preclearance is being extended to land travel with the first pilot projects occurring at train stations in Vancouver and Montreal.

Legislation will soon establish rules for the new system.

Were going to be aiming for a spring introduction, said Chrystia Freeland, the minister who runs the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations.

We are hard at work on it  and were confident were going to get it done. There is strong support for it across the government  this is something that our government is really in favour of.

Freeland was in Washington last week to prepare for the first North American Leaders Summit in two years. She promised a new emphasis on trilateral co-operation, as the presidents of the U.S. and Mexico visit Canada next month.

She said the new rules for land travel will be based on existing ones for airports. Preclearance is already the norm at eight airports and is being introduced in Quebec City and downtown Toronto.

Under the 2001 airport deal, American agents can detain travellers in Canada  but it would be up to domestic police services to make a formal arrest. Also, American officers can be present for a strip search, but not when it involves travellers of the opposite sex. Other provisions govern the ability of agents to carry firearms.

This is not a newfangled thing. We have preclearance (at airports), Freeland said in an interview. It works very well for Canadians, and thats why were keen to extend it and formalize the structure a bit more.

Preclearance could potentially become widespread with people clearing customs at major train stations, bus stations and even off the side of highways before they reach the border.

Freeland said the governments are approaching it one initiative at a time.

The land-preclearance agreement was first announced by the former Conservative government and the Obama administration, but implementing legislation had never been passed.

There was some uncertainty about whether the new Liberal government would remain committed to it; Trudeau answered that question by announcing the train-station pilot project during his White House visit.

A prominent business group welcomed news of the bill. Its also awaiting a twin version of the bill in the U.S. Congress. Such legislation had been introduced this spring in Washington with bipartisan support, but got sidelined in an unrelated dispute over other provisions of an omnibus bill.

Thats a really important step  introducing and passing the enabling legislation in Canada is really important, said Maryscott Greenwood of the Canadian American Business Council.

Preclearance is going slower than we would like right now, in both countries. From our point of view its moving. Its moving a little slower than we would like. But it is moving  and thats really important.

She said preclearance will make for the smoother movement of people and products, allowing people to deal with customs early  before bottlenecks happen the border.

The Canadian government has apparently concluded that the economic benefit warrants the cost. Canada will pay for U.S. customs infrastructure on Canadian soil.

Were ready to do that, Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters last month during a trip to Washington.

We want to have the best possible flow of people, goods and services. So making an investment in that regard would make sense. Every one of these specific decisions will have to be taken on its specific merits.

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Mississauga daycare provider April Luckese was sentenced Monday to five years and 11 months in jail for killing an infant girl by shaking her and failing to seek care for her injuries.

In his decision in a Brampton courtroom Monday, Superior Court Justice Gordon Lemon expressed sympathy for Luckese, who was convicted of manslaughter in March in the death of 14-month-old Duy-An Nguyen.

The assault took but seconds in her otherwise exemplary life, Lemon said, sentencing Luckese to six years minus time served during her trial.

I have no doubt that Ms Luckese is a good person who has done a bad thing.

The judge added that Luckeses sentence is more severe because she did not plead guilty and could have sought medical attention after she shook Duy-An, who had been in her care for just two days.

The courtroom benches were lined with Luckeses family and friends on Monday, including her husband, who repeatedly sniffled as Lemon sentenced his wife to jail time. Luckese, a short woman with closely cropped brown hair, turned to gaze at him as she was escorted from the courtroom holding a stress ball, her eyes red-rimmed and welling with tears.

The 41-year-old mother ran an unlicensed daycare business out of her home in Mississauga. Lemon ruled that on Jan. 5, 2011, Luckese lost her patience because Duy-An was crying and, in a momentary failure, shook the infant in frustration.

The assault took place at around 2:30 p.m., but ambulances werent called until other childrens parents arrived almost two hours later, Lemon said. The judge cited Luckeses statements describing how Duy-An was limp and unresponsive, with her eyes half closed.

There were seven children under age 7 at the unlicensed daycare business that day, Lemon said, including Luckeses own two children.

The Crown had asked for an eight- to nine-year sentence, while defence lawyer Stephen Whitzman wanted Luckese to go on probation for three years and serve 240 hours of community service.

During the trial, Crown lawyer Amber Lepchuk said Duy-An died of severe head trauma. She had a fractured skull and swelling and bleeding on her brain, Lepchuk said.

Parents with children in Luckese's care testified during the trial that she was rattled and concerned about the child on the afternoon of the incident. When they saw the infant was limp and floppy and seemed unresponsive, the decision was made to call 911, the court heard.

Duy-Ans parents also testified during the trial, saying their daughter seemed normal and healthy on the morning she was killed. An Nguyen, Duy-Ans mother, described from the witness stand how she raced to the daycare business in a panic after she received an accidental phone call and overheard other people expressing concern about her daughter.

Duy-An was already in an ambulance by the time she got there, she said. Her daughter later died in hospital.

Luckese initially told police that she tripped while carrying Duy-An, and that the child struck her head on a banister. She later recanted and said she had shaken the child.

Whitzman, Luckeses lawyer, said he would appeal his clients conviction. Later Monday he began that appeal at Ontarios highest court in Osgoode Hall, while also arguing for his client to be released on bail in the meantime. Whitzman told the Star he expects a decision on bail by Wednesday.

We felt that there were some serious errors that the trial judge made in reaching his decision, Whitzman said, arguing that the medical evidence didnt show that the delay in calling 911 significantly contributed to Duy-Ans death. Whitzman said he will also contend that statements supporting Luckese as a good person should have been given more weight and that some of her statements to police should not have been admissible.

With all due respect to the trial judge, he misunderstood the evidence, he said.

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The City of Vaughan is facing widespread criticism over its environmental record, following a recent pattern of council decisions that suggest a lack of commitment to protecting green space  and in particular land within the Greenbelt.

Since the new council was elected in fall 2014, councillors have pushed the province to open up protected lands for development. They also recently failed to pass a provincially mandated process to map all of the citys natural spaces in need of protection.

Worst of all, critics say, is that instead of taking a stand against developers trying to exploit protected lands, Vaughan council appears to be lobbying for them.

Vaughan council is actively promoting the removal of land from the Greenbelt for some development proposals, instead of staying neutral and being fair, said King-Vaughan MP Deb Schulte, a former municipal councillor. Schulte was regarded as an environmental champion when she sat on council last term. Where is the consistency and vision for a more sustainable future?

The Greenbelt contains almost 800,000 hectares of protected land, including the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. According to estimates provided by the city, a quarter of Vaughan falls within the Greenbelt or Oak Ridges Moraine.

There is no real process to remove land from Greenbelt protection. But municipalities can request adjustments of certain lands during the 10-year provincial review of the plans, which is currently underway.

Last year, York Region included requests from more than 40 landowners to redesignate protected land for development, in submissions to the province as part of its review of the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greenbelt plans. Fifteen of those requests were in Vaughan.

At the time, the region and most municipalities said they were not taking a position on these requests, but seeking provincial direction to deal with them.

Vaughan council, however, approved a motion endorsing one parcel of land in particular, owned by the Milani Group.

Deputy mayor Michael Di Biase wrote the handwritten motion asking the province for redesignation from countryside to settlement for 29 hectares of land at the northeast corner of Teston Rd. and Dufferin St. The motion also asked for a process to permit further adjustments to the Greenbelt boundaries.

In an email, Di Biase said he advocated for change because the site is completely surrounded by development with houses directly to the east, directly to the south and directly to the west and a cemetery directly to the north and added that transit also run along the lands. In terms of development of the area . . . this area allows us to efficiently utilize existing infrastructure that is currently in place immediately adjacent.

Landowner Cam Milani did not respond to a request for comment about plans for the land.

Tim Gray, the executive director of Environmental Defence, said Vaughans efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Vaughan is being quite aggressive and is using the review process to get as many parcels of land (as possible) taken out of protection and into urban development, he said, adding that if the province creates a process for removing land from the Greenbelt, it will signal the end of protected lands.

Earlier this year the city received a stern warning from the province when it deferred for several years a motion to endorse the citys natural heritage network. City staff had worked for years with the province and landowners to map out the green space in Vaughan  a requirement of all municipalities to be compliant with the provinces growth plan.

We are concerned that . . . failing to identify applicable natural heritage features introduces uncertainty into planning and development in the city of Vaughan, the province wrote.

We went contrary to the provinces direction, said Ward 1 Councillor Marilyn Iafrate, adding there is now no clear plan of what needs to be protected. We had a plan, we had a revised updated map of that was agreed to by all parties, and all we wanted to do was set that to a legal document. There was no communication from anyone that they opposed, so why wouldnt we support it?

Di Biase, who supported the deferral, said the report and proposed amendments did not allow appropriate time for the residents and landowners in the City of Vaughan an opportunity for review.

In an email, the city said the natural environment is among Vaughans most important assets, and as a growing city, there is a commitment to responsible, sustainable land use that ensures protection of all natural heritage resources.

Residents say they are concerned about how much of the Greenbelt lands will be left by the time the council term is over.

This council has been very disappointing, said Robert Kennedy, president of the Mackenzie Ridge Ratepayers Association. To change a designation of land, even on principle, without any consultation or studies, is really troubling, he said.

Council also passed a motion last month asking the province to resume plans for a new GTA West highway, even though it will cut right through Vaughans portion of the Greenbelt in Kleinburg.

And early last year, the province quietly issued a rare ministerial order to change the designation of a 40-hectare parcel of environmentally sensitive lands in the Oak Ridge Moraine, east of Dufferin St. south of Kirby St., to low density residential after the city requested the provincial development facilitator to assist in resolving long-standing development disputes.

The province was helping to settle a $150-million lawsuit launched by landowner Lucia Milani and her company, Rizmi Holdings Ltd., against the city for closing down two development applications that would have rezoned the land from agricultural to residential. When the Oak Ridges Moraine legislation came into effect in 2002, the land could not be developed.

The developer was told it could now develop the site in exchange for withdrawing its application for an aggregate licence to allow extraction of sand, gravel, clay, earth and bedrock from the site, said a spokesman from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Maria Augimeri, a Toronto councillor and chair of the Toronto and Region Conservation Agency, said that while Vaughans actions may seem local, they are having an impact beyond its borders.

The Greater Toronto Area is a collective of towns, cities and neighbourhoods that ought to coexist with respect for one another, said Augimeri, who has called her tenure on TRCA eye-opening.

When a rogue municipality runs afoul of due consideration for the environment, we all suffer, she said. The province must to do all it can to bring municipalities in the 905 to account.

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As the ocean rose, they had to flee.

The sea has started to come inland, it forced us to move up to the hilltop and rebuild our village there away from the sea, said Sirilo Sutaroti, 94, a leader of the Paurata tribe, to a group of Australian environmental scientists. The scene of this rising sea is an archipelago of upthrust volcanoes and coral atolls, which dots the Pacific to the northeast of Australia: the Solomon Islands. There, a swollen sea is claiming the shoreline  and even, researchers say, entire masses of land.

In a recent paper in the journal Environmental Research Letters, the scientists link the destructive sea level rise to anthropogenic  that is, human-caused  climate change. The study is the first time anyone has concretely analyzed the loss of Solomon Island shoreline in the context of global warming, they say.

Such work comes at a time when coastal villages  where a few hundred people like Sutaroti might live, whose familial roots could stretch back a century  have scattered, re-forming in smaller clusters where there is suitable higher ground. On the island of Nuatambu, the sea has claimed 11 houses. Another 12 remain, wrote Simon Albert, one of the study authors and a civil engineer at the University of Queensland, Australia, in an email. The families that have left have moved to the nearby large island of Choiseul. What was once a single community has fractured into five smaller hamlets.

Taro Island, a populated atoll in northwest Solomon Islands, may become the first capital city on the planet that people desert due to climate change, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. When Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, visited the Solomon Islands and nearby Kiribati, he witnessed an entire population of a Taro Island town preparing to move. (His hotel room, he said in the same 2014 speech, came equipped with life preservers.)

The Solomon Islands, which consists of six main islands and nearly a thousand others, is one of the least densely populated Pacific island nations. Across 10,000 square miles live just over half a million people. Despite the low population density, finding a safe place to call home has become a challenge for some Solomon Islanders.

There are large volcanic islands where people can relocate to, wrote Albert. But such relocations can be fraught with tension. The majority of land is tightly controlled by traditional owners  so moving one group of people onto other peoples lands has been the source of ethnic conflict. Many who remain on Nuatambu would like to leave but cannot afford to.

Prior research indicated that although rising seas threaten shorelines, atolls and other islands appeared to resilient, at least in the short term. So-called dynamic atolls are in constant flux, according to one 2014 paper, able to keep their sandy tops above water. But Albert and his colleagues catalogued 11 drowned Solomon Islands  six that had severe erosion and five that sunk completely.

When it comes to island erosion, several factors can mask or overpower the effects of climate change; Albert mentioned plate tectonics, hurricanes, waves, and human disturbances like seawalls or reclamation projects. In the new paper, the researchers attempted to home in on the effects of climate change as much as possible. The study we conducted in the Solomon Islands is unique as the islands do not have human habitation, Albert said, with Nuatambu Island being the one notable exception. (Those still living on Nuatambu are building basic stone walls by hand, the scientist said, which are unlikely to help slow the erosion.)

Whats more, the sea-level rise observed in this study  at about six to 10 millimetres a year  is triple the global average. In most places, the added water from melting polar glaciers raise the sea level just a millimetre or so annually. But if the ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica were to dissolve into the ocean, by 2100 the oceans could rise by as much as 15 metres.

Using historical evidence and satellite images of the Solomon Islands, the environmental scientists mapped the changes of a subset of 33 coral atolls over the years between 1947 and 2015. In the north, where the waves were strongest, islands were most likely to succumb to the sea. And these islands at risk, the researchers found, were far more than sterile humps of sand.

All five of the sunken islands once teemed with plant life, some of it estimated to be 300 years old. The islands were densely vegetated with tropical forest, Albert wrote. Coconut palms, she-oaks, mangroves, pandanus. Where the forests havent completely vanished along with the islands, all that now remains are the trunks of dead trees, stripped of greenery and left looking like skeletal fingers that point toward the heavens.

At the same time that the sea level rises, climate change has brought devastating floods to the Solomon Islands. A flood in April 2014 caused a total of 31 deaths, according to a scientific followup to the disaster. Twenty-ones lives were lost when intense rain burst riverbanks, and 10 children also died in the aftermath, falling ill to infectious diarrhea.

These islands are not the only Pacific Island nations facing a hungry sea. Strong tides have wreaked havoc over the Marshall Islands, where the United States once tested nuclear weapons. In 2014, refugees from the island of Tuvalu may have been the first to flee a country due to climate change. Beyond Pacific islands, coastal cities  like Miami Beach, which now floods on a regular basis  are also vulnerable. If the Earths temperature increased by about 4 C, as many as 760 million people could lose their homes to the ocean.

Over the past 20 years, the sea level rise at Solomon Islands spiked dramatically, a trend that may not continue. In the short term things may stabilize, Albert said. Even if the current water rise flags, however, the long-term prognosis is grim. The rates we have recently seen in the Solomons will be experienced globally in the second half of this century.

These sunken islands, he said, are a portent of things to come.

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Yanis Varoufakis is a rare bird in a dry field  a starconomist.

A member of Greeces newly elected left-wing government Syriza, Varoufakis became finance minister in 2015. But his brief term ended when he famously refused to agree to a massive and punitive loan to stave off default on Greeces debt. Now the motorcycle-riding economist is stumping for democratic reform of the European Union as Britain prepares to vote on a Brexit from the shaky organization.

Varoufakiss latest book is And the Weak Suffer What They Must? Europes Crisis and Americas Economic Future. Here he talks about how secrecy, shaming and subterfuge have undermined Greece, Europe and the global financial system.

Youre one of Europes harshest critics, yet youre urging Britain not to exit the EU?

I dont even think its possible. Once youre in, its quite another thing to exit. Britain is part of a single market that was painfully constructed over decades.

But a Brexit would accelerate Europes disintegration. If Im correct it will return us to a postmodern version of the 1930s. Britain would be speeding up a terrible process which will create a vortex that will consume it. Instead, Britain must reclaim its democracy by staying in, and joining the rest of us in Europe who want to democratize the EU.

Why do you say Europe is on the edge of an abyss?

The economic crisis, a slow-burning recession/depression that began in 2008, is creating centrifugal forces which are tearing us apart. Wherever you look  finance, industry, banking  you see fragmentation. You have banks that are increasingly in the red, relying on states which are themselves in the red.

States rely on the same bankrupt banks to survive, because weve created a currency that is unique in history. We have a large, mighty central bank without a real state at its back. In the shock waves that came after 2008 you get an accumulating crisis at every level: monetary, credit and unemployment.

You believe there is a threat of resurgent fascism in Europe?

Its not a future threat, its a present reality. We dont have to wait for fascists to be in government to have them in power.

When you have Frances socialist president withdrawing the nationality of French citizens with draconian legislation, the Austrian government sending troops to the Greek-Macedonian border to seal if off from refugees, the German ultra nationalist right gaining ground for accusing the European Central Bank of sacrificing German households on the altar of Europe, and the dissolution of basic journalistic freedoms in Hungary  its not a prediction. Its happening now.

You resigned as finance minister in 2015 over a massive loan deal for Greece. Why?

I resigned because I could see it was just playing with arithmetic. They were setting up an agreement that was designed to fail. The numbers didnt add up. The agreement I refused to sign was a further 85-billion euro loan for Greece (after two earlier bailouts that caused severe austerity and a crushing depression.)

But out of that loan, approximately zero would go to Greece. I would have to borrow it from the creditors to give it back to the creditors (the German and French banks)  in order to keep pretending that Greece was capable of paying back the previous loans.

The new loans would make the debt even less sustainable and a deeper austerity program would shrink the economy and create a humanitarian crisis. Its a typical case of extending bankruptcy by pretending youve solved it.

But the surprising secret was that the Troika you were negotiating with  the European Union, European Commission and International Monetary Fund  actually knew it was going to fail?

They admitted it, but only behind closed doors. Somebody very high up in the International Monetary Fund startled me by saying Yanis, of course youre right. What were asking cant be done. But you must understand that weve invested a lot of political capital in these policies. Your credibility depends on you accepting them.

You were also jeered for your unorthodox image  no tie, leather jacket, riding a motorbike.

It was a trivialization campaign that was part of a broader character assassination. The most lethal and depressing part was that it spread like a bush fire in the media and it was very hard for me to have a sensible conversation and have my ideas taken seriously. But if I had signed that deal I would not have been targeted that way. Id have been a sensible, competent finance minister who also rides a motorcycle.

By the way, Ive been riding a motorcycle since I was 14, illegally! Ive never worn a tie. And if suddenly I appeared in Armani suits once I was elected, how hypocritical would that be for the people who voted for me?

Greece also has a refugee crisis. Could it be a bargaining chip with the EU, as happened with Turkey, which got 3 billion euro in aid?

I dont think you should use refugees as a means to an end. But at the same time it is quite preposterous the way Greece has been treated by the EU. The great and good were imploring Turkey to open the border with Syria and let in refugees. In the same breath they were telling Greece to close its border with Turkey, then the Greek-Macedonian border would be closed. I am deeply ashamed to be part of a Europe that has come to this.

Youre now spearheading the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) to make the EU more democratic so its members wont be subjected to decisions over which they have little control. How does it work?

We started on Feb. 9 in Berlin with about 100 of us. Now we have 20,000 activists working full time. We were reacting as creatively as we could to the fear of a disintegrating democracy in the EU. The only way it can be saved is to bring back legitimacy, rationality and a degree of humanism.

The problem is the disconnect between the democratic processes of the member states and the democracy vacuum in the EU itself. But all the important decisions have shifted to the EU.

Our first phase is a campaign for transparency: it was absolutely clear to me that a lot of what was said in closed meetings was scandalous, and would never be said in the open. Our short-term goal is to connect them to cameras. Without that, democracy has zero chance.

Outside Europe, do you think Canada is on the right track with an anti-austerity budget?

As near to right as you can get. Before and after the 2008 crisis Canada responded quite well to the (crisis) that began in Wall Street. But then fiscal conservatives dented the original idea and the result was less than optimal.

Now the problem for Canada is a perfect storm in emerging markets, declining commodity prices and the rise of the American dollar. This can create problems independent of Canadas own fiscal stance. But moving away from austerity at this time is the best plan.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Nazi Germanys air force bombed Britain almost nightly for eight months in 1940 and 41 in what was dubbed the Blitz. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed and large parts of London were destroyed. The raids peaked on May 10, 1941, waning thereafter as Germany began to focus on invading the Soviet Union.

When I was in elementary school, we were taught that the Great Fire of London took place in 1666. But for me, it took place on May 10, 1941, when the German Luftwaffe tried to destroy my hometown. They didnt succeed, but what a mess that night was.

My mother and I had been going to an air raid shelter every night for months. My father was away building barracks for the British army in some remote corner of southwest England. I had been evacuated to the countryside with my school at the beginning of the war but had escaped back to London before the Blitz began.

At first, Mummy and I sought nightly cover in the crypt of All Saints Church. If we heard a bomb whistling down as we made our way there, we dashed into one of the brick shelters which always smelled of urine and cats.

When the church was hit by incendiary bombs, we moved on to the basement of Trumans Brewery. The men loved the smell and joked that they hoped it would be hit so the beer would flow like water. Then a time bomb blew a hole in the brewery and we had to move to the Fruit Exchange in Spitalfields, with its awful smell of rotten fruit and vegetables.

Another time bomb forced us to Liverpool Street tube station. But the platform was already full, so we rode the tube from station to station until, at St. Pauls, there was space for us. That is where we spent our nights for nearly two years, our ears getting used to the sound of trains passing by until midnight.

That evening in May, I didnt want to go to the tube. I was sick to death of running every night. I was upstairs in the front room, looking at the top layer of my parents wedding cake sitting under a glass on top of the piano. Mummy had kept it all these years. It sat on three little pillars made of hard icing sugar. On top were two figures  a bride and a groom. I wondered what Mummy had been like as a bride and Daddy as a groom. All I wanted was to stay with that bride and groom and not deal with the hustle and bustle of sirens and bombs.

Im not going to the tube tonight, I protested. Im staying here. Uncle Yudi and cousin Theresa always say, If your number isnt on a bomb its not going to hit you. So Im not going tonight.

But Mummy was adamant, so despite my tears she dragged me along the many streets to Liverpool station just as dusk was closing in.

Suddenly we heard it  the wailing of the terrible siren, the banging of the ack-ack guns, and the whizzing of bombs. Everyone was running for the station.

By the time we got to St. Pauls, we knew it was going to be a bad night. Even on the platform, deep underground, we could hear loud banging above. Some of the men went to the top of the escalator to find out what was going on. They came down with grim reports. The milk bar across the road from the tube station had a direct hit and many people had been killed. I clung to Mummy, and she to me. We slept very little that night.

When dawn came we planned to go home as we had come. But there were no trains running and we had to walk home from St. Pauls.

When we came to the top of the escalator, the sight was more than we could bear. The milk bar was a mass of rubble and twisted iron. Small fires were burning all around. The churchyard walls of St. Pauls were smashed but the church dome was still intact. We walked down Cheapside and were stopped many times by Air Raid Protection men. Many buildings had been cordoned off because of fires. Through Leadenhall Street we walked to Aldgate Pump. More flames, more rubble.

When we came to our block there was devastation, and in the midst of it were Uncle Yudi and Theresa trying to sort out the mess. There had been a bomb behind our house and the blast had blown everything onto the street. Daddys jacket that was hanging on the door of the front room near the piano had been blasted through the window, still on its hanger, stuck to the outside wall of the house and riddled with holes. Sheets of piano music were in the road.

And then I saw the bride and groom, lying together beside the now-broken wedding cake. They were intact, still side by side on their pillars. I picked them up and cuddled them. My fantasy friends hadnt died.

Later, the ARP took us to a rest centre at my old school. We couldnt go back to our house. It was too dangerous and had to be boarded up.

By some miracle, Uncle Yudi and Theresa hadnt stayed in our house that night. Theresa had gone to her fathers and Yudi had gone to a pub, or so he said. Perhaps they thought their number would be on a bomb if they had stayed home.

What would have happened if Mummy and I had stayed home? Then again, maybe  like my bride and groom  we would have been saved, too.

Adapted from Kitty Wintrobs book Im Not Going Back: Wartime Memoir of a Child Evacuee. Read more about Wintrob at http://wintrob.com/kittywintrob/ wintrob.com/kittywintrob/ END

May 10, 1941

11:02 p.m.

Bombing begins

5:57 a.m.

Bombing ends

571

Sorties flown by German bombers

86,173

Incendiary bombs dropped

2,136

Fires reported by the London Fire Brigade

1,436

People killed, along with 1,800 serious injuries

285

Hectares of destruction  about double that of the Great Fire of London

Source: RAF Museum

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TEL AVIV, ISRAELAn Israeli soldier went on trial for manslaughter before a military court on Monday after he was caught on video fatally shooting a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank two months ago.

The rare case of an active serviceman being charged has polarized Israel, with defence officials criticizing the soldiers conduct and large segments of the Israeli public rallying behind him.

The hearings opened Monday before the military court in Tel Aviv, where Sgt. Elor Azaria sat in the defendants bench as his mother wrapped her arms around him to comfort him.

In its indictment, read aloud in the courtroom, the military prosecution said Azaria acted in contrast to the rules of opening fire and without any operational justification. It said the Palestinian, Abdel-Fattah al-Sharif, did not present a clear and present threat and that the defendant caused the death of the terrorist al-Sharif illegally.

Azaria was also charged with inappropriate military conduct.

Israeli media said the court urged the sides to seek a plea bargain over the next week. It was unclear whether they would reach a settlement, or how long the trial will last.

At the time of the March incident, the military said two Palestinians had been shot and killed while carrying out a stabbing attack that wounded an Israeli soldier.

But a video released later by the Israeli human rights group BTselem showed one of the attackers still alive after the initial shooting and Azaria firing at his head. The military said the man had been lying on the ground nearly motionless for six minutes before Azaria arrived. An autopsy determined the shot to the head was the cause of death.

The incident took place amid months of Palestinian attacks that have killed and wounded scores of Israeli security forces and civilians.

The truth will come out. The path will be long. We will endure, said defence lawyer Binyamin Malka. The soldiers defence team has said he acted appropriately and that it is seeking full acquittal.

Palestinians have accused Israel of using excessive force against attackers who have already been halted or wounded, and in some cases, of killing innocent civilians. Activists have released a handful of amateur videos supporting the Palestinian claims, but the Hebron shooting is perhaps the strongest evidence of Israeli wrongdoing so far.

The case has divided Israel. Thousands of Israelis rallied last month in support of the soldier, accusing the government of abandoning him at a time of heightened conflict with the Palestinians. A March poll by Channel 2 TV found that 57 per cent of the Israeli public opposed prosecuting the soldier, while 68 per cent said that criticism of the soldier by the military chief and defence minister was not justified. Just 21 per cent said their criticism was justified. The poll gave no margin of error. On Monday, however, only a few supporters gathered outside the court to support him.

Also on Monday, a Jewish settler group said it took over a multistory building in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalems Old City.

It was the latest move by nationalist Jews to acquire properties in order to ensure Arab areas of Jerusalem remain in Israeli hands under any future peace deal with the Palestinians. Some 1,000 Jews have moved into Arab areas of the Old City since the 1980s.

About four Palestinian families previously lived in the building that was taken over Monday, said Daniel Luria of the Ateret Cohanim settler group. He said three or four Jewish families, along with religious studies students, will move into the building after renovations.

Luria said the property was purchased legally by an investor, whom he would not identify.

Israel captured the Old City along with East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and later annexed the territory, but Palestinians claim East Jerusalem for the capital of their hoped-for state.

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The yearbook photo showed a young woman in hijab, the speckled head scarf framing her smiling face in front of a sunny schoolyard. Underneath, a caption read: Isis Phillips, 11th.

For years, Isis has been among the 700 most popular girls names in the United States, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. It is inspired by the ancient Egyptian goddess of the same appellation, an important deity worshipped for her healing powers and her maternal prowess.

But the problem was, the name of the girl in the photo isnt Isis or Phillips. Not even close.

When Bayan Zehlif, a senior at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., saw the moniker under her picture, she recoiled. Affixing that name to someone in a hijab could not have been an accident, she thought.

I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this, Zehlif wrote on Facebook on Saturday. Apparently I am Isis in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, lets be real.

This was the connotation that emerged in Zehlifs mind when she saw the page. Trevor Santellan, a student on the yearbook team, told KABC that Isis Phillips is the real name of an 11th-grade student who formerly attended Los Osos. She transferred earlier in the year.

In a message to the New York Daily News, Santellan said: If anything, [Zehlif] is being racist against herself because she misinterpreted it.

Recently, Isis has been more frequently associated with Daesh, than with age-old mythology. The jihadist group that has taken responsibility for terrorist attacks around the world is frequently referred to as ISIS, an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Other names include ISIL, for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Daesh. The matter has been up for debate.

School officials are investigating.

If they find that a student acted irresponsibly and intentionally, administration will take appropriate actions, Mat Holton, Chaffey Joint Union High School District superintendent, told the Los Angeles Times. The school will assure students, staff and the community that this regrettable incident in no way represents the values, or beliefs, of Los Osos High School.

The schools principal, Susan Petrocelli, tweeted an apology.

Also, We should have checked each name carefully in the book and we had no intention to create this misunderstanding, the yearbook team said in a statement. It is our fault and this is absolutely inexcusable on our part.

A statement from the Council of American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles noted that approximately 200 yearbooks have already been distributed, and that this may not be the first Islamophobic event to have occurred recently at the school.

More than 3,200 students attend Los Osos. Zehlif will likely not return until things are resolved, CAIR said.

We join with the family in their concern about a possible bias motive for this incident and in the deep concern for their daughters safety as a result of being falsely labelled as a member of a terrorist group, Hussam Ayloush, the chapters executive director, said in the statement.

Ayloush added: No student should have to face the humiliation of being associated with a group as reprehensible as ISIS.

Fellow students are encouraging their classmates with copies of the yearbook to correct the error themselves.

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Wealthy Canadians whose offshore accounts were exposed in the Panama Papers got there with a lot of help.

A sprawling industry of tax avoidance professionals  lawyers, financial planners, bankers and accountants  make a living advising the rich how and where to find places to lighten, or even eliminate, their tax responsibilities in Canada.

They are the enablers.

They facilitate a torrent of money out of Canada and into tax havens  a sum estimated to be $100 billion more than the $270 billion that has been officially declared to the government.

An ongoing Toronto Star/CBC investigation into tax havens, based on 11.5 million leaked records belonging to the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, reveals a sophisticated and sometimes shadowy network of wealth managers whove been setting up offshore corporations since the 1970s.

The Panama Papers reveal that nearly 100 Canadian offshore specialists worked with Mossack Fonseca to set up more than 2,100 companies in tax havens such as Panama, the British Virgin Islands and Niue.

Those jurisdictions are chosen because public disclosure of corporate ownerships is not required, allowing links to individuals to remain secret.

Much of this is considered legal. And there are justifiable reasons for establishing companies offshore.

But in an affidavit filed in court last week, Rachid Fizazi, an aggressive tax planning specialist with the Canada Revenue Agency, said:

It is the experience of the CRA that Canadian taxpayers who hold, directly or indirectly or beneficially, property through an offshore entity or who may carry on business through an offshore entity, may not comply with their duties and obligations under the (Income Tax Act) and may not properly report.

The Star/CBC investigation has uncovered examples of how offshore anonymity has attracted professionals whose efforts appear designed to hide money from tax agencies.

Weve created a monster here. In many cases, its become clear that the instigator in an aggressive tax avoidance structure is the law firm or the accounting firm or the bank, not the client, said John Christensen, founder and executive director of the Tax Justice Network of financial researchers.

I would love to see a few big law firms, accountancy firms and banks in the headlights, forced to justify their actions which are so clearly against public interest.

Mossacks Canadian Office:

Vancouvers Fred Sharp is, by far, Mossack Fonsecas most industrious Canadian middle man, according to an analysis of data obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and shared with the Toronto Star and CBC in Canada.

The documents reveal Sharps companys commitment to corporate secrecy  including the destruction of records  and its willingness to do business with one of Canadas most notorious fraudsters.

As early as 1994, Sharp consulted with Mossack Fonseca officials about options for structuring a company offshore so that no taxable income accrues, according to internal MF documents.

Since then, Sharps Belize-based company, Bond & Company, helped create 1,167 companies and foundations in a complicated arrangement by which Mossacks billings to Sharp were to reflect Bond & Co-Belize but should be sent to their physical address in Vancouver (Corporate House).

Corporate House, Sharps company, became the de facto Canadian headquarters of Mossack Fonseca.

Referrals of Canadian (clients) must be made to Corporate House, reads one instruction. They run an investment banking (operation) w/ admin, acctng, legal, securities, etc  so (offshore incorporation) is a natural extension of their activities.

Sharp refused interview requests but in a written response defended his business: Tax planning is a global reality that results from international competition and inefficient governmental regulation. It promotes efficiency and is legal.

The relationship Sharps Corporate House established with Mossack Fonseca was intimate.

A company called Mossack Fonseca (Canada) Inc. was registered in B.C., in May 1998, and dissolved 11 months later. Its sole director is listed as Frederick L. Sharp.

In 2006, Sharps company paid Mossack Fonseca $15,000 to set up a computer server in Panama to house Sharps corporate data  an arrangement that was too close for comfort for some within Mossack Fonseca, correspondence shows.

Personally, I do not have a good feeling mixing our operation with our clients, one Mossack official said in a 2009 memo. This usually does not end in a good way (example Fred Sharp data hosting in our server room in Panama).

In addition, Mossack Fonseca staff was under instructions to not send any annual invoice nor statement of account to the client by email, neither by fax, nor airmail. Printed invoices or statement of accts should be destroyed.

Such instructions are given all the time in the offshore world, says Bob Lindquist, a leading international forensic accountant from Toronto. Its a technique to provide a further layer of protection, he said. Out of sight and out of mind, nothing comes home.

While Sharp and his company are routinely referred to in Mossack Fonseca correspondence as the Vancouver lawyers, no one listed in the company is a member of the British Columbia Law Society, including Sharp himself.

Sharp was suspended by the law society for a year in 1995 for professional misconduct and ordered to pay $12,000 in costs. He was never again licensed to practise law in B.C., according to the provinces law society.

The B.C. Law Society ruling says Sharp admitted to knowingly taking instructions from M, who was  in fact, disqualified from acting as an officer or director of a public company because of a criminal record for fraud.

With Sharps assistance, M was able to steal nearly $500,000 from a company he controlled illegally.

M, according to sources close to the case, is Michael Mitton, then a stock promoter with a long string of fraud convictions.

Despite his suspension, Sharp registered a company called Great Northwest Capital Corporation in 1996.

Documents list nominee directors for Great Northwest, including Leticia Montoya, whose name appears on 11,000 other Panamanian company registries. Mittons name appears nowhere on the company but the documents show the RCMP had linked Mitton and Great Northwest Capital.

In 1997, the government of Niue wrote to Mossack Fonseca: An inquiry was received from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police concerning one Michael MittonMitton allegedly used Great Northwest Capital Corporation to perpetrate a $2.1-million fraud against an Isle of Man stock brokerage firm.

Vancouver lawyer Barry Holmes recalls a meeting with Mitton and Sharp that led to the incorporation of Great Northwest in 1996. It was obvious, Holmes recalls, that the two men knew each other well. At that meeting, it was Mitton who directed Sharp on the creation of the company, he says.

Hes the smartest guy Ive ever met, Holmes says of Mitton. If he used that brilliance properly, I believe he could own the world.

Following the RCMPs questions, Sharp told Mossack Fonseca he believed there was no existence of fraud and that while Mitton bought some shares from a trust in Isle of Man without paying for them, a civil court action had concluded the dispute.

That wasnt true.

Mossack told Niue officials: We have discussed the matter with our client and have arrived to the conclusion that there is no fraud involved, but rather a civil liability situation which we understand has been properly resolved.

Mossack Fonseca officials have repeatedly said they do not conduct business with criminals: If for some reason, unbeknownst to us, some company formed by us ended up in the hands of people having such relations for whatever criminal or unlawful purpose, we strongly condemned that situation and took and will continue taking any measures that are reasonably available to us.

Mitton was criminally convicted in December 2000 and sentenced to four years in prison on six counts of fraud for what the judge called a $2.4-million swindle that defrauded victims in Canada, the U.S. and the Isle of Man.

Since 1977, Mitton has approximately 100 criminal convictions for fraud, forgery, false pretenses, money laundering and related conspiracies, according to an Ontario Securities Commission press release last year.

In June 2015, Quebecs financial markets authority issued a warning that Mitton was soliciting investors using the name Mike Cypress.

Sharp declined to comment on why he continued working with Mitton.

I cannot speak accurately to your various queries as you have provided no evidence regarding events that may or may not have occurred 20 years ago, he wrote. He instead offered an op-ed piece: Who stole the Panama Papers, and why? One apparent reason is to entice the press to engage in plumptuous innuendo about the new political incorrectness of tax avoidance.

Canadas Fraudster Middle Man:

Sharp had a relationship with another prominent Canadian enabler in the Panama Papers: Michael Ritter, a convicted fraudster who changed his name to Adam Michael Rohan in 2009 as he emerged from prison.

The Edmonton wealth manager registered 60 companies through Mossack Fonseca in tax havens such as Niue, the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas.

He was registering those companies until 2005, shortly before he was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to stealing $10.5 million (U.S.) from a Wall Street energy trader and taking part in a $270-million (U.S.) pyramid scheme that victimized 6,500 investors.

He was released on day parole 18 months after his 10-year sentence was imposed and was granted full parole  and a new name  by the end of 2009.

His fraud went beyond financial crimes.

In the late 1980s, he was recognized as a high-profile lawyer, serving as the provinces chief parliamentary counsel from 1987 to 1993. It was eventually exposed that he had never, as he claimed, graduated from law at the London School of Economics.

It is no secret that my firm created hundreds of offshore corporations through Mossack Fonseca, Ritter wrote in written responses to the Star and the CBC. MF was one of the biggest law firms around specializing in this work.

The corporations he helped create with his firm  Newport Pacific Financial  represented only a few foreign clients (mostly corporate) who had hundreds of different investments in other parts of the world, he wrote.

His conviction had nothing to do with Mossack Fonseca or the use of offshore tax havens generally, he said.

Ritters connection to Sharps company dates to at least the 1990s, according to the Panama Papers and written responses from Ritter.

We probably did foreign incorporations for a year before I contacted MF to become a client of theirs as our clients asked for companies formed in the Caribbean, Ritter wrote. MF had a number of branches in the countries our clients wanted, so they seemed like a good one stop shop. We always dealt directly with their Panama office except for the brief couple of months we tried using Fred Sharp, as their Canadian affiliate.

Not long after, Mossack Fonseca invited Ritter to deal with their newly minted Vancouver office led by Fred Sharp. But the relationship became quickly adversarial.

Mr. Sharp was extremely ambitious and realized that our office (which also employed several Canadian and foreign-trained lawyers) was well-versed in corporate law used in various countries. Mr. Sharp developed a habit of using us as a resource, Ritter wrote.

It was extremely time consuming, and I came to the conclusion that Mr. Sharp was simply picking our brains in hopes to surpass us as an offshore providerI learned that he then started directing his calls to other members of my staff, and even started making sounds that he wanted to poach them from my firm to work for him in Vancouver.

In 1998, according to an internal client record, Ritter told Mossack Fonseca he did not want to deal with Sharp now or at any time in the future since he is arrogant, snottyand manipulative person.

Ritter is now pursuing a PhD at Simon Fraser University focusing on the movement of wealth offshore.

I have an advantage no other academic or journalistic researcher has ever had, he wrote. I have obtained access to exceptionally secretive corridors of power in the offshore industry because I am seen as something much more than an outside academic researcher  I was once one of them.

He declined an interview request, saying he has moved on with his life and is doing everything possible to contribute to my students, academia, and to society in a meaningful way.

Selling secrecy in bulk

From two small offices in a commercial complex on Steeles Ave. W, Unitrust Capital Corp and Unitrust Corporate Services operate a discount outlet mall for the offshore incorporation business.

Konstantin Nikitouchkin, 57, and his son Roman, who run the companies, arent living the lavish lifestyles of the global ultra elite. They dont drive luxury cars or live in multimillion dollar mansions, but they could be Canadas biggest offshore incorporators.

The Panama Papers show they have registered 684 anonymous corporations through Mossack Fonseca  and its clear that the Panamanian law firm isnt their only offshore partner.

Commonwealth Trust Limited, a British Virgin Islands-based corporate agent that was at the centre of a 2013 leak of offshore data, registered 5,699 offshore companies for Unitrust, bringing their total to well over 6,000 companies, and that only includes those that have been publicly exposed.

Unitrust claims to have a presence on three continents but their website also carries an odd disclaimer: they wont do business with Canadian residents.

Both companies declined the Stars request for an interview and did not respond to a list of detailed questions for this story.

When approached at their offices in Vaughan, Roman Nikitouchkin said: Unfortunately, I cant say anything. No comment.

Unitrust Managing Director Pavel (Paul) Rostorotsky, 58, said only: We are a private business and we make decisions and arrange our affairs as we see fit.

One thing Unitrust makes no effort to hide is that they are selling secrecy and tax avoidance.

Beneficiaries, directors, and members names are NOT listed in public documents or registered with local authorities, says their website. No annual return and/or audit required, and all financial data is kept confidentially in the companys office; The company may have corporate directors, enhancing its confidential characteristics even further.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: an (offshore company) may have millions of dollars in profit and still pay virtually NO taxes in the country or territory where it was incorporated, the website states.

With prices that range from $490 (U.S.) to $7,879 (U.S.), Unitrust will also provide an address and a virtual office so that a paper company appears to have real operations.

Deep discounts apply where a multiple order is placed with us, their website states.

This sales pitch has attracted at least one Canadian accused of fraud. According to the Panama Papers files, Montrealer Eric Van Nguyen, 32, used Unitrust to register Exporta Commercial Ltd. in the British Virgin Islands in January 2010. Nguyen was charged in September 2014 with 85 counts of fraud and grand larceny in New York state after prosecutors alleged he was involved in a pump-and-dump penny stock scheme that bilked investors out of $290 million (U.S.).

Nguyen has not responded to the Stars phone calls, emails and a letter left at his Montreal address.

Rostorotsky did email Mossack Fonseca to resign as Nguyens agent, but it took him two months after the charges were made public to do so.

Minutes of meetings contained in the documents database describe how Konstantin Nikitouchkin and Rostorotsky used their Russian connections.

Both the elder Nikitouchkin and Rostorotsky were born in Russia, according to scans of their Canadian passports kept in Mossack Fonsecas database, and more than 250 of the companies they registered offshore have Russian shareholders.

Their firm is active in offshr Russian mkt since 93 (sic), states an internal Mossack Fonseca memo. They form companies in the BVI, Bahamas, Delaware, Colorado and Cyprus and provide shelf companies to European banks, the memo said. They have 6 staff at Moscow office, with offices in four other Russian cities & associates in BAH/BVI/USA/CYPRUS.

Public registries show Unitrust also had offices in London, UK, and a now-defunct corporate presence in Oregon.

And they used this global presence to demand bulk discounts in their dealings with Mossack Fonseca, according to emails and meeting records.

The Client contended that he is of the view that he falls in the big Client category and hence requested whether the Company would afford him a discount on his annual fees, stated an internal Mossack Fonseca memo after a meeting with Konstantin Nikitouchkin.

Playing different offshore agents against each other, Unitrust regularly demanded price reductions. They currently incorporate approximately 1000 BVI (companies) from (another) provider, but Mr. Rostorotsky said he would not drop them just like that, according to notes from another meeting.

Unitrusts website states they operate with the highest ethical standards and strictly adhere to all known laws and regulations.

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In the coming weeks, Ontario will finalize a new law and a regulation that will guide the provinces approach to climate action for decades to come. Carbon pricing through cap-and-trade is just one part of that plan. Which is good, because carbon pricing alone is not sufficient to cut carbon emissions to the extent required.

A key feature of Ontarios approach is to use revenues from cap-and-trade to fund actions to further reduce carbon pollution, which is a good idea  if the province chooses those actions wisely and learns from the experiences of other jurisdictions about what not to do.

British Columbias example shows that a price on carbon alone is not enough to sufficiently cut emissions. At $30 per tonne, B.C. has the highest carbon price in North America. Yet, B.C. is not on track to meet its carbon reduction targets. Rather, emissions in B.C. are rising. Why? Because the price is too low and because the provinces revenue neutral system leaves no money to fund complementary programs to reduce emissions.

To rely solely on pricing, economic models say that the price of carbon needs to be $100 to $200 per tonne to achieve significant emissions reductions. And that kind of price isnt on the table. So, a combination of carbon pricing plus complementary actions is needed.

In contrast to B.C., Ontario is taking a more comprehensive approach to fighting climate change in its Climate Change Mitigation and Low-carbon Economy Act, which is working its way through Queens Park. But the Act needs strengthening if its going to be effective.

First, the good news. The Act enshrines Ontarios emission reduction targets in law. And the targets are solid, calling for a 37 per cent reduction of emissions by 2030 and an 80 per cent reduction by 2050. The Act puts a limit on carbon pollution  the cap in cap-and-trade  and says the limit will decline steadily, which will help the province reach its targets.

The legislation puts a price on carbon of about $18 per tonne across most of the emissions in the Ontario economy. Its not as high as B.C.s price, and at less than 5 cents per litre of gasoline, its unlikely to have much of an impact on peoples behaviour. To those who complain that things will cost a little more under carbon pricing, the reality is that, if anything, the price is too low. But its a good start and the price should rise as the emission cap comes down.

The Act also commits Ontario to spending carbon-pricing revenues on cutting carbon emissions, which is the right course of action if the province is to reach its emissions reduction targets. Through the auction of permits under the cap-and-trade program, the government expects to raise about $2 billion each year, which it promised to reinvest in a variety of initiatives that will reduce emissions. This revenue is absolutely crucial to fight climate change by allowing the province to invest in the things we need more of, like more renewable energy, more energy efficiency, and pollution-free transportation options.

Ontarios Climate Change Mitigation and Low-carbon Economy Act is on the right track but, the Act will only be effective if cap-and-trade revenues are used for new initiatives that will significantly reduce carbon emissions. To ensure this is what happens, the rules around the use of revenue need to be tightened up before the new law is finalized. The current proposal says the money needs to be reinvested in climate action, but as written, its possible for the funds to be misspent on projects with dubious environmental benefits, or on projects already committed to by the government.

Quebec offers a cautionary tale on the use of cap-and-trade revenue. Quebecs Auditor General has criticized the management of Quebecs green fund, where the cap-and-trade revenues are deposited. Monies from that account were used to fund an oil pipeline and to fix one of Air Canadas planes. The surest way to undermine confidence in cap-and-trade would be for Ontario to follow suit.

The good news is that theres still time to strengthen the Act. And the really good news is that Ontario is taking a comprehensive approach to fighting climate change, which is whats needed.

Keith Brooks is the director of the Clean Economy Program at Environmental Defence.

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The crisis in Attawapiskat, while tragic and shocking, is, sadly, not a new , or even unique one. Suicide amongst indigenous people has been a major concern for years. On small reserves, where everybody knows each other, suicide affects everyone, and the impact can be felt long afterwards.

There was a part of me that felt frustrated by the sudden outpouring of support; why are we only concerned now? Where is the concern for the other affected communities? And how long, in this age of overwhelming information, until Attawapiskat, too, is forgotten?

I started travelling to remote reserves nearly 10 years ago. Though I quickly fell in love with the stark landscape and indigenous culture, I was also struck by the poor housing, stories of trauma and high rate of suicide. As an outsider, I struggled to develop a trusting clinical relationship and I often felt powerless to actually help my patients.

Illnesses were often rooted in social inequalities, and the medical model is overwhelmingly individualistic. How do you help a child with behavioural problems, when he cannot sleep because of overcrowding in his home and does not have reliable access to food?

This is not to say that there shouldnt be more mental health resources devoted to the North, which is often grossly under-served, in spite of the higher rate of mental health problems. In fact, one of the most frustrating aspects of working in the North is the lack of supportive infrastructure, curtailing the effectiveness of clinicians.

For example, in some communities the only option for patients who are suicidal is either being kept in jail, or being flown to a hospital down south, far from home. In-community crisis resources are simply not available. I also believe there is a benefit in providing people who live in small, isolated communities with a confidential space to talk and be heard. There is even benefit, for some mental illnesses, for medication. There is also a need for developing more substance abuse treatment programs.

The government of Attawapiskat should be applauded for its ability to effectively draw national attention to the community following a cluster of suicides. Its encouraging this story did garner front page headlines, when indigenous issues have historically been ignored.

But if we truly care about indigenous mental health (and we should), mental health professionals alone are not the answer. This is especially true for those who are only involved on a short-term basis, such as the team that was flown in. They arent able to develop long-term, trusting relationships.

I wish I could say with confidence what would be definitively helpful, but the problems leading to suicide crises today have been centuries in the making, and will likely not be easily undone. I also dont think that its my place as a non-indigenous person to dictate solutions.

For centuries, federal policy has been of a top-down, paternalistic nature. Its an approach thats clearly not working. There are many indigenous people and organizations across Canada working hard to improve the wellbeing of their communities, many of which are under-funded, if they receive funding at all. (One major setback was the cuts made by the Harper government to organizations such as the National Aboriginal Health Organization and the Native Womens Association of Canada).

There are many examples of indigenous communities and individuals who are thriving. Shortly after the state of emergency was called in Attawapiskat, photos circulated of Cree youth brainstorming ideas to help their community. There is a massive amount of expertise and resilience to draw from.

It is important to address emergency situations as they arise, but it is equally as important to form meaningful, long-term partnerships with indigenous communities, and address the root causes of suicide. If we want to be helpful, as government officials, as health professionals, as Canadians, it is time for us to pay attention and time for us to listen.

Melissa Pickles is completing her residency in psychiatry at McGill University and has worked as a clinician and researcher with indigenous communities for nearly a decade. Opinions expressed are her own views.

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Since 1985 a publication ban has existed in the Criminal Code that prevents the identification of an alleged victim of a sexual assault unless the complainant obtains a court order to overturn the ban. It was something feminists fought for to encourage victims to come forward by protecting them from the social stigma of assault, and it has since been extended to other disciplinary proceedings outside of the courts.

But what if there were no social stigma attached to being the victim of a sexual assault or harassment? What if sex crimes were taken out of the closet and dealt with collectively, as Barbara MacQuarrie, community director of Western Universitys centre for research and education on violence against women and children, has advocated.

That was certainly Temerra Dixons goal last week when she shed the veil of anonymity as Ms. X and came out publicly in the Star as a victim of sexual abuse by Dr. Javad Peirovy. There needs to be more people to come forward and scream this as loud as they can, because the only way this is going to change is if people come forward, she argued.

Indeed, while identity bans are in place to protect victims, they can actually reinforce the notion that there is something to be ashamed of, when there is not. And the secrecy surrounding sexual assault cases protects alleged abusers, too.

That issue came up at Queens Park last week. As Premier Kathleen Wynne acknowledged on Tuesday, she has had to deal with allegations of sexual harassment against at least two of her own MPPs. But because the victims did not want a public process, Wynne refused for several days to name the members involved or describe what actions she took to deal with the complaints. Finally, on Friday afternoon, she said former Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor was one of those involved and was forced to resign in 2013. (Craitor said the allegations against him were unfounded and unsubstantiated.)

A lack of transparency in this area doesnt serve the public good. Voters need to know how their representatives in the legislature are behaving and potential abusers need to know there are strong penalties meted out for harassment or assault. And there may be other alleged victims who would come forward if both MPPs were named.

Fortunately, more and more victims are stepping forward to say they are not ashamed. And if a new poll taken in the wake of the trial of Jian Ghomeshi is any indication, their actions go a long way to overcoming the stigma associated with sexual assault and harassment cases. Two thirds of the Canadians surveyed believed the majority of sexual assault claims are true. And when it comes to assigning blame, 73 per cent blamed the perpetrator while only 2 per cent blamed the victim.

In other words, the days of victim blaming and shaming are coming to an end.

That is what complainants who come forward and identify themselves are fighting for. Consider Lucy DeCoutere and Linda Christina Redgrave, who identified themselves during and after the Ghomeshi trial.

Or consider the 35 women who went public with their photographs on the cover of New York magazine to allege they were sexually assaulted by comedian Bill Cosby. As one of the alleged victims, Tamara Green, said: We cant be disappeared. That is powerful.

Sadly, though understandably, alleged victims dont always have the courage to come forward. In 2014 when then-Liberal leader Justin Trudeau heard of sexual assault allegations against two of his MPs from two female NDP MPs he suspended Massimo Pacetti and Scott Andrews from caucus. While the Star supported that move, we also argued that the female MPs should not have hesitated to set a bold, empowered example for other women by going public with their stories at a time when society is taking the issue of violence against women more seriously than ever before.

Our opinion hasnt changed. As more and more victims of sexual assault step into the spotlight, it will become harder for perpetrators to hide behind a veil of secrecy. There is still time for those who allege they were sexually harassed by the two Liberal MPPs to step out from the shadows and open up a discussion in the legislature that is long overdue.

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Its not a free ride  but close enough.

The federal governments immediate lifting of all costs for processing access to information requests, except for a $5 application fee, marks a significant advance in openness. This will give more Canadians an opportunity to examine official records and track the machinations of their elected officials, federal agencies and departments.

It doesnt fully deliver on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus promise to introduce a new era of accountability to Ottawa. Considerably more needs to be done in that regard. But this serves as a welcome sign that the Liberal government is committed to meaningful change.

The federal Access to Information Act hasnt received a substantial update in more than 30 years. Reform of this process is essential to provide more transparency, and waiving extraordinary costs is overdue.

In the past, one way for truculent bureaucrats to block access to government documents was to inform people that fulfilling their request would cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, ostensibly to cover copying and other expenses. When presented with that prospect, few applicants had sufficiently deep pockets to continue.

Now this barrier has been removed. In another step forward, the government has indicated it will release information in user-friendly formats whenever possible. Previously, requested files were sometimes delivered in paper format, or in other forms making computer analysis difficult, especially when thousands of pages were involved.

The next stage in fixing Canadas access system is to come later this year, when the government plans to introduce legislation giving the Office of the Information Commissioner power to force bureaucrats to release records. Currently, this office can only recommend that material be disclosed.

And the act is to be extended to apply appropriately to ministers offices and the Prime Ministers Office. Ottawas definition of appropriate, in this context, remains to be seen. But the principle of accountability demands that terms for access be set as broadly as possible. As the Trudeau government has reminded Canadians in the past, this information belongs to the people and it should be open by default.

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Associate Professor | College of Distance Education

Professor Sexton began teaching at the U.S. Naval War College in 2001 as a military professor in the National Security Decision Making Department. Upon retiring from the military in 2005, she taught as an adjunct professor for the College of Distance Education (CDE) where she taught over 850 students online before returning to campus as a civilian CDE professor in 2014. In 2018, Professor Sexton was named the program manager for online programs and is responsible for the Naval Command and Staff and electives online programs.
Airmen work in the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The center detects, tracks, and identifies all artificial objects in Earth orbit. (U.S. Air Force/U.S. Air Force)

The first salvo was a missile launch by the Chinese in 2007 that blew up a dead satellite and littered space with thousands of pieces of debris. But it was another Chinese launch three years ago that made the Pentagon really snap to attention, opening up the possibility that outer space would become a new front in modern warfare.

This time, the rocket reached close to a far more distant orbit  one thats more than 22,000 miles away  and just happens to be where the United States parks its most sensitive national security satellites, used for tasks such as guiding precision bombs and spying on adversaries.

The flyby served as a wake-up call and prompted the Defense Department and intelligence agencies to begin spending billions of dollars to protect what Air Force Gen. John Hyten in an interview called the most valuable real estate in space.

Faced with the prospect of hostilities there, defense officials are developing ways to protect exposed satellites floating in orbit and to keep apprised of what an enemy is doing hundreds, if not thousands, of miles above Earths surface. They are making satellites more resilient, enabling them to withstand jamming efforts.

And instead of relying only on large and expensive systems, defense officials plan to send swarms of small satellites into orbit that are much more difficult to target.

GPS III is the next generation of GPS satellites that will introduce new capabilities to meet the higher demands of both military and civilian users. In this photo, two contractors work on a GPS III satellite. (U.S. Air Force)

At the same time, the Pentagon has designated the Air Force secretary a principal space adviser, with authority to coordinate actions in space across the Defense Department. Agencies have begun participating in war-game scenarios involving space combat at the recently activated Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center.

The flurry of activity raises the specter of a new technological arms race, this one in space, as nations jockey for advantage. The Pentagon is even developing what is known as the Space Fence, which would allow it to better track debris in space.

National security officials are not only concerned that missiles could take out their satellites but also that a crafts equipment could be easily jammed. Potential enemies could dazzle sensors, temporarily blinding them, or deploy tiny parasitic satellites that attach to host satellites and do their worst. That could lead to soldiers stranded on the battlefield with little means of communication or missiles that would not be able to find their targets.

We have considered space a sanctuary for quite some time. And therefore a lot of our systems are big, expensive, enormously capable, but enormously vulnerable, said Deputy Defense Secretary Robert O. Work.

Perhaps most striking is how openly Pentagon officials are talking about their efforts to fight in space  especially because much of the work remains highly classified.

While the United States has been bogged down in counterterrorism operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Pentagon officials say that Russia and China have been developing the capability to attack the United States in space.

Every military operation that takes place in the world today is critically dependent on space in one way or another, said Hyten, commander of the Air Force Space Command. Whether our own people in the United States are fully cognizant of the dependence on space or not, the rest of the world has been watching us very closely.

Since the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the United States has become increasingly reliant on space for how it fights. Its satellites are used to snap images of the enemy, provide communications in remote areas, and guide ships, drones and even bombs via GPS. That same navigation technology also has become embedded into everyday life for Americans, who rely on satellites for driving directions, television signals and more. Even the banking system uses GPS to time transactions.

Those high-tech capabilities have given the U.S. military an extraordinary advantage over its adversaries, and over the years, the military has launched dozens of satellites into space.

Now, as Russia, China and others develop technology that could take out the national security infrastructure the United States has built in space, Pentagon officials fear its satellites could be sitting ducks. Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said recently that North Korea has successfully jammed GPS satellites, that Iran was busy building a space program and that violent extremist organizations were able to access space-based technologies to help them encrypt communications, among other things.

We must recognize that despite our efforts, a future conflict may start, or extend, into space, he said.

Although Hyten and others had long been concerned about the mounting arms race in space, it was only after the 2013 launch by the Chinese that the Pentagon acted with a new sense of urgency.

As adversaries began targeting space, there was a level of frustration  in the space community, Hyten said. We just needed someone to say go.

The go came in 2014, when top Pentagon officials, including Work, the deputy defense secretary, made space a priority, saying at a meeting that if, God forbid, someday a conflict does extend from the Earth to space, what are you going to do about it? Hyten recalled.

The Pentagon spends $22 billion on space programs and is investing an additional $5 billion in space efforts this year, including $2 billion for what is known as space control, which includes its highly classified offensive programs. Hyten declined to discuss the ways in which the United States is preparing to attack other countries in space. But the United States has had the capability to blow up satellites since 1985, when an F-15 fighter pilot fired a missile into space that took out an old military observation satellite.

The Pentagon is moving in the right direction, said Elbridge Colby, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, because if the United States was to get into a conflict with Russia or China, we should count on them going into space because its so important to us, and its quite vulnerable.

The new space operations center has been up and running for just more than six months. It had what Hyten called a very slow start because we just hadnt thought about it. But officials have begun running through scenarios and identifying weaknesses in defense, which help officials tear down the walls between different fiefdoms, he said, so communication and planning can improve.

Most of all, there has been a culture change, he said. Where Pentagon officials who focused on space once operated in what was a peaceful environment, they have had to think of themselves  and space  differently.

They are warriors, Hyten said. And they need to recognize that they are war fighters.

Not that the Pentagon is inviting war. Its preparations are to deter conflicts, not incite them, officials said.

During a recent speech, Frank Rose, the assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, said he was concerned about the continued development by Russia and China of antisatellite weapons. But he said the United States is committed to preventing conflict from extending into space, and our diplomatic strategy supports this goal. The possibility of conflict in space is in no ones interest.

Part of that is speaking out publicly about a highly sensitive subject.

The fact that the Pentagon is being so vocal, consistent and in some sense you could say dramatic is an indication of how serious the problem is, Colby said.

When China flew its missile to near whats known as geostationary orbit  the orbit where the Pentagon has many of its satellites  that appears to have scared the crap out of people, said Brian Weeden, a technical adviser for Secure World Foundation.

At the time, Chinese officials said they had tested a land-based missile interceptor and denied that the weapon was designed to destroy satellites.

Russia also got the Pentagons attention when one of its satellites, launched in 2014, flew between two commercial Intelsat communications satellites and then sidled up to a third.

It did not pose a collision risk, but it was uncomfortably close, Weeden said.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Without space, the United States would be forced to revert to industrial age warfare, Hyten said.

Its Vietnam, Korea and World War II, he said. No more precision missiles and smart bombs. Which means casualties are higher, collateral damage is higher. . . . We dont want to fight that way because thats not the American way of war today.
courts

Judge throws out case on media moguls care

The battle over the fortune of ailing media mogul Sumner Redstone shifted to a new front Monday after a judge threw out the case over his medical care and both sides targeted each other with $100 million lawsuits.

The 92-year-old who controls CBS and Viacom clearly stated his intentions in videotaped testimony last week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David J. Cowan ruled. In a deposition, Redstone said he wanted his daughter, Shari, to make medical decisions for him if he is incapacitated and that he no longer wanted former girlfriend Manuela Herzer in his life.

Herzer filed a petition last year saying Redstone lacked the mental capacity to expel her from his home and could no longer make informed decisions.

Cowan didnt rule on Redstones mental capacity or whether he suffered undue influence from his daughter.

The businessman has a speech impediment, relies on a feeding tube and requires 24-hour care, but his doctor has not declared him incapacitated.

Herzers lawyer, Pierce ODonnell, said his client would appeal and sue Shari Redstone for $100 million for interfering with Herzers expected inheritance.

Sumner Redstones legal team said in a statement that it would sue to reclaim $150 million that Redstone gave Herzer and another former girlfriend, Sydney Holland.

 Bloomberg News

HOUSING

Home prices increase in 87% of metro areas

Home prices climbed in 87 percent of U.S. metropolitan areas in the first quarter as buyers competed for a tight supply of listings, the National Association of Realtors said in a report.

The median price of an existing single-family home rose from a year earlier in 154 of the 178 markets measured, the group said. In the past three months, 81 percent of metropolitan areas had price increases. Twenty-eight regions had gains of 10 percent or more in the first quarter, down from 30 markets at the end of 2015.

There were 1.98 million previously owned homes for sale at the end of March, down 1.5 percent from a year earlier, the Realtors said.

The median price of an existing single-family home was $217,600 in the first quarter, up 6.3 percent from a year earlier, the report said. The most expensive markets were the San Jose area, with a median price for a house at $970,000; San Francisco, at $770,3000; and Honolulu, at $721,400.

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Manuela Herzer, the former girlfriend of 92 year-old Sumner Redstone, controlling shareholder of Viacom and CBS, heads back into court in Los Angeles on May 6, 2016, where she was suing to be reinstated as the person in charge of Redstone's health care. (Kevork Djansezian/Reuters)

Sumner Redstone won his fight to be rid of a former girlfriend as a Los Angeles probate judge threw out her lawsuit alleging that the 92-year-old media billionaire was mentally incompetent.

The ruling ends the case on the second day of a trial but may not avoid a further public airing of the infighting among the Redstone family, some of his former girlfriends, and the nurses who take care of the former Viacom and CBS chairman. Within minutes of Mondays ruling, Redstones former lover sued Redstones daughter, Shari, her two sons and members of his household staff over claims that they interfered with her expected inheritance.

The trial opened Friday with Redstones videotaped testimony, in which he used expletives to describe his ex-girlfriend, Manuela Herzer, and said he wanted her out of his life. While the recording confirmed that Redstone was in frail health and required help speaking, his wish for Herzer to have no role in his health-care decisions was clear.

Redstones testimony has ultimately defeated her case, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cowan said Monday in his ruling. Though Herzer may have believed that Redstone would not be able to say anything, or be able to understand the questions, he did both.

Cowan said there were no legal grounds not to follow his stated wishes.

In this April 20, 2013, file photo, media mogul Sumner Redstone arrives at the 2013 MOCA Gala celebrating the opening of the Urs Fischer exhibition at MOCA, in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/AP)

Herzer made her next step in the fight clear with her new lawsuit in Los Angeles state court. Redstone cut Herzer out of his will last year when he also removed her as his health-care agent, the person who will make decisions for him when he is no longer able. Herzer seeks at least $70 million in her lawsuit.

The abrupt end of the trial lessens the chance that trustees of Redstones estate will step in for the time being. He owns majority voting rights in National Amusements Inc., which controls CBS and Viacom, and had he been declared incompetent by the judge, that could have set in motion a chain of events that would have shifted control of that company to seven trustees, among them Shari Redstone and Viacom chief executive Philippe Dauman.

Ms. Herzer bet wrong when she assumed that Mr. Redstones difficulty communicating would result in her reinstatement in his life and fortune, Robert N. Klieger, one of Redstones lawyers, said in a statement.

Redstone will seek to recover money that he lavished on Herzer and another ex-girlfriend, Klieger said. Mr. Redstone is looking forward to liberating the $150 million in gifts to Ms. Herzer and her friend, he said.

Pierce ODonnell, Herzers lawyer, said he will appeal Mondays decision.

Herzer filed a petition in November to have Redstone declared incompetent and have herself reinstated as his health-care proxy. Redstones lawyers accused her of being more concerned about being removed from his will, which would have left her $50 million and his $20 million mansion in Los Angeless Beverly Park neighborhood.

Herzer, who describes herself as Redstones longtime friend, companion and caretaker, had lived with him since April 2013, together with then-girlfriend Sydney Holland. Herzer dated Redstone from 1999 to 2001, according to her petition. Redstones mental health declined rapidly after he broke off with Holland in August, according to Herzer.

Trial witnesses would have included Dauman, who was named Redstones health-care agent in October, and Shari Redstone, with whom the media mogul has had a rocky relationship. This year, she replaced Dauman as her fathers health-care agent.

Herzer claimed that Sumner Redstone was being manipulated by the people around him when he kicked her out and that he had become a prisoner in his own home. She said Redstone had become a living ghost.

Shari Redstone countered that her fathers health has improved since Herzer has been out of his life.

Keryn Redstone, daughter of Redstones estranged son, Brent, joined in the case to support Herzer, arguing that the tempestuous and difficult relationship between her grandfather and her aunt necessitated that he be put under court protection.

I am grateful to the court for putting an end to this long ordeal, Shari Redstone said in a statement. I am so happy for my father that he can now live his life in peace, surrounded by his friends and family.
Claudia Roth Pierponts title is taken from George Gershwins original name for his 1924 Rhapsody in Blue. He wanted to call the work American Rhapsody to convey the musical kaleidoscope of America  of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness. Bursting with the energy and ecstasy of Jazz Age America, Gershwins Rhapsody gave the American spirit a pulse.

A longtime arts writer for the New Yorker, Pierpont is the author of Roth Unbound: A Writer and His Books and Passionate Minds: Women Rewriting the World. Here, she tracks the American spirit in 12 essays that portray individuals who have created the books, songs, films and architecture that have become the common air we breathe and that we call a culture. The result is a compelling group portrait of modern America.

The first profile is of Edith Wharton, who serves as a bridge to modernism. Wharton was a creature of the upper class who wrote fluidly about such new women as Lily Bart in The House of Mirth (1905)  young women drawn to New York by the promise of jobs and freedom in the early 20th century. Whartons own economic independence allowed her to live an untraditional life, traveling in Europe, spending time with men she enjoyed and divorcing a husband she didnt. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1921 for The Age of Innocence but thought her writing had become the literary equivalent of tufted furniture and gas chandeliers. She thanked F. Scott Fitzgerald for sending her a copy of The Great Gatsby in 1925. Fitzgerald gave voice to a decade that roared, and although Wharton continued to write, Pierpont describes her later efforts as elaborately staged and stiffly posed tableaux vivants, like the frozen theatrical scenes put on at society parties in The House of Mirth.

Gatsbys author was the writer who defined Americas Jazz Age. In 1924  the same year as the debut of Rhapsody in Blue  Fitzgerald announced to his editor Max Perkins that he was completing the best American novel ever written. Twenty-eight when The Great Gatsby came out the next year, Fitzgerald was already a celebrity because of his two popular Jazz Age novels, This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned. But Gatsby was a surprising commercial failure and achieved success only after Fitzgeralds death in 1940. His lasting importance, Pierpont suggests, grows from his relentless embrace of romance. In his final completed novel, Tender Is the Night (1934), Fitzgerald rhapsodized about ordinary places where chicle factories fumed and link belts grew link by link in factories. He never stopped relishing the wonder of it all.

Another of Pierponts revealing profiles describes an architectural wonder that sent the modernist spirit soaring. The Chrysler Building, completed in 1930, was the product of automobile titan Walter Chryslers ego. He felt no embarrassment about naming the building after himself and saw it as a way to generate an epic of publicity for his business. Designed by William Van Alen, the art deco skyscraper featured a stunning crown made of always-lustrous steel and a spire that was cloud-piercing. Pierpont writes that the buildings illusion was essential to its identity: The spire rises to an impossible slenderness that disappears gradually, like a bird flying out of sight. The implication is that somewhere in the empyrean, infinitely tall, the Chrysler Building is still rising.

[Review: Modern Man: The Life of Le Corbusier, by Anthony Flint]

Illusion as a profession is central to Pierponts essays on Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando and particularly Katharine Hepburn. Since Charlie Chaplin leapt off the screen and into the popular imagination in 1914, movie stars have been central to the evolution of Americas personality culture. But box office popularity is a harrowing existence, as Hepburns career testifies. She was a success in the early 1930s but lapsed into box office poison by 1938. Playwright Philip Barry soon rescued her with a Broadway success, The Philadelphia Story, and her boyfriend Howard Hughes lent her money to buy the film rights. The tremendous success of that film gave her economic independence and control over her career. Ultimately, Pierpont writes, Hepburn created an image that embodied the most sought-after strengths of modern women . . . intelligence, independence, gall.

[Read more: Orson Welles was fundamentally insecure as an actor]

Three of the 12 essays focus on important African Americans whose careers spanned the century: performer Bert Williams, writer James Baldwin and musical legend Nina Simone. Each of their lives chronicles a search for inclusiveness in mainstream American culture. The idea of illusion was central to Williamss minstrelsy: light-skinned, he blacked up to perform, a tradition Paul Laurence Dunbar described in 1896 as a mask that grins and lies, / It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes. Baldwin wrote about race and yearning amid the civil rights turmoil of the 1950s and 60s; Pierpont writes that although he often left the United States to live in Paris and Istanbul, the 60s were inescapably Baldwins decade. His bestsellers Another Country and The Fire Next Time landed him on Time magazines cover in 1963.

Pierponts concluding profile focuses on the remarkable but troubled Simone (1933-2003). She has recently been rediscovered but not without controversy. A new biopic, Nina, stars Zoe Saldana, who is lighter-skinned than Simone. As Pierpont writes, There is no escaping the fact that her casting represents exactly the sort of prejudice that Simone was always up against.

In one guise or another, illusion plays a central role in each of Pierponts profiles. Her book is an ingenious and captivating way to spotlight the kaleidoscopic rhapsody of Americas spirit.

Henderson is historian emerita of the National Portrait Gallery. She has written extensively about media and culture, and curated such exhibitions as Red, Hot & Blue: A Smithsonian Salute to the America Musical and Kate: A Centennial Celebration of Katharine Hepburn.

Author Claudia Roth Pierpont (Shiva Rouhani)
Louise Erdrichs new novel, LaRose, begins with the elemental gravitas of an ancient story: One day while hunting, a man accidentally kills his neighbors 5-year-old son.

Louise Erdrich (Paul Emmel)

Such a canyon of grief triggers the kind of emotional vertigo that would make anyone recoil. But you can lean on Erdrich, who has been bringing her healing insight to devastating tragedies for more than 30 years. Where other writers might have jumped from this boys death into a black hole of despair  or, worse, slathered on a salve of sentimentality  Erdrich proposes a breathtaking response.

LaRose plays out in the Ojibwe territory of North Dakota immortalized in more than a dozen of Erdrichs works, including her novel The Round House , which won a National Book Award in 2012, and The Plague of Doves , which was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This is a realm thick with history and mythology, a place where the past nourishes the present with sweet and bitter water. The people of this region, Indians and whites, harken to a chorus of ancestors, Anishinaabe spirits and Jesus. Again and again, Erdrich shows us how a rich Native community perseveres against our nations efforts to destroy it, ignore it or render it a quaint irrelevance.

[Review: The Round House, by Louise Erdrich]

The shooting death of the young boy named Dusty at the opening of LaRose provides a stark demonstration of two cultures responses to a moral conundrum of horrific dimensions. The civilized legal system of the state quickly dispatches with Dustys death: clearly an accident; no one at fault. But that sterile judgment cant soothe the parents agony or calm the perpetrators remorse. How will any of these tightly knit survivors go on living when dawn arrives sad, calm, and brimming with debt?

That is essentially the question Erdrich explores over the course of this expansive novel. Tempted to kill himself or drink himself into oblivion, the guilt-ridden hunter, Landreaux Iron, and his wife, Emmaline, withdraw to their sweat lodge and pray. They sang to their ancestors, Erdrich writes, the ones so far back their names were lost. As for the ones whose names they remembered, the names that ended with iban for passed on, or in the spirit world, those were more complicated. Those were the reason both Landreaux and Emmaline were holding hands tightly, throwing their medicines onto the glowing rocks, then crying out with gulping cries.

As is often the case, the answer to their prayers is not the answer they want to hear. But determined to heed their inspiration, Landreaux and Emmaline take their own 5-year-old son, LaRose, to the home of their grieving neighbors and announce: Our son will be your son now. . . . Its the old way.

Its an extraordinary gesture, an unspeakable gift, fraught with emotional complications that Erdrich explores with tremendous sensitivity. If theres something obscene about trying to substitute another boy for their dead son, theres also something undeniably comforting about LaRoses living, breathing presence. He was Dusty and the opposite of Dusty, Erdrich writes. When the grieving father feels himself responding to LaRose, he was pierced with a sense of disloyalty. His wife is blind with fury and wants nothing to do with Landreaux and Emmaline and their infuriating magnanimity, and yet she also feels a desperate grasping that leaned her windingly toward the child.

LaRose by Louise Erdrich. (Harper)

Even more fascinating than Erdrichs portrayal of the four parents consumed by the phosphorus of grief is her delicate handling of LaRose himself, the young boy forced to serve as the coin of this reparation. Hes named after a long line of female LaRoses, reaching all the way back to a feral child rescued by a trapper in the unsettled wilderness. There had always been a LaRose, Erdrich writes, and periodically, the narrative slips back to harrowing stories of those ancestors. They were healers of fearsome power who survived the relentless efforts to assimilate them into white culture, to drive the native blood from their bodies. (One of these haunting episodes appeared in the New Yorker last June.)

In the vast universe of Erdrichs characters, this boy may be her most graceful creation. LaRose radiates the faint hues of a mystic, the purest distillation of his foremothers healing ability, but he remains very much a child, grounded in the everyday world of toys and school and those who love him. Theres nothing false about his salubrious effect on his adopted family  Im not a saint, he says seriously  its just the natural effect of his genuine sweetness, his infinite patience, his preternatural willingness to be what these wounded people need him to be. Just one tender example: LaRose lets his adopted mother read Where the Wild Things Are to him over and over ad infinitum because he knows it was Dustys favorite, but when he visits his own family, he confesses, I am so over that book.

This is almost impossible to get right  that precarious mixture of innocence, wisdom and humor that can quickly curdle into preciousness. But Erdrich never missteps. The visions that LaRose experiences seem wholly in concert with his adolescent mind, and his efforts to save his adoptive parents from their own despair by hiding all the ropes, pesticides and bullets feel entirely appropriate for a child determined to do what he can.

As this private struggle plays out between the two families, there are other dangers slithering through the novel, too, that draw our attention out into the wider town. In a tense subplot, a seething rival threatens to poison Landreauxs efforts to make amends. Hes an old friend from the reservation boarding school, a Native Iago, who has been rolling his outrage under his tongue for decades, eavesdropping and plotting for the right moment to exact his revenge. But even this wicked character eventually finds himself transformed by the moral alchemy of the Ojibwe community.

Dustys parents will never be whole, of course, and the man who killed him knows that the story would be around him for the rest of his life. But that doesnt absolve any of these people from the formidable duty of caring for one another and their surviving children. Be patient, the ancestors advise. Time eats sorrow.

The recurring miracle of Erdrichs fiction is that nothing feels miraculous in her novels. She gently insists that there are abiding spirits in this land and alternative ways of living and forgiving that have somehow survived the Wests best efforts to snuff them out.

Ron Charles is the editor of Book World. You can follow him on Twitter @RonCharles.

On Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m., Louise Erdrich will join PEN/Faulkner at an event co-hosted by the Library of Congress at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol St. NE, Washington, D.C. For tickets, call 202-544-7077.
Reading a novel about a historical character is like finding snapshots in someone elses photo album of a party you attended. Theres something familiar about it, but youre startled, again and again, by the new angle.

In The Noise of Time, Julian Barnes largely avoids this problem of disorientation. The acclaimed author treads so gently around the life of 20th-century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich that he stays almost entirely external, only skimming below the surface of the public facade. The result is unlikely to startle anybody who knows Shostakovich  or to offer a particularly fresh view of this complicated, tortured man.

But The Noise of Time is not written for those who know Shostakovich  not least because it blithely embraces a romanticized version of Shostakovichs life that has been widely discredited. Testimony, Shostakovichs purported memoir, has been shown to have been written less with than by another author, Solomon Volkov, and scholars are wary of treating it as fact. And yet in his novels acknowledgments, Barnes says that he treated it as a private diary and one of his main sources. Indeed, despite his mention of the Shostakovich wars, I was left wondering just how far Barnes had actually immersed himself in Shostakovich scholarship, or Shostakovichs music, before writing.

[Review: Shostakovich and Stalin, by Solomon Volkov]

Whats at issue  in the Shostakovich wars, as in this novel  is the composers relationship to the Soviet regime. In 1936, when Shostakovichs young career was blossoming, an article in Pravda titled Muddle Instead of Music attacked his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. The article effectively proscribed his work for years and appeared to make him a marked man, although he did survive Stalins purges, as many did not. (Barnes depicts this episode and its aftermath in the first of his novels three sections.) In the following years, Shostakovich made various nominal attempts to give the authorities what they wanted, starting with the Fifth Symphony, the finale of which purports to glorify the Soviet regime but which Testimony describes as a veiled parody of it.

"The Noise of Time" by Julian Barnes (Knopf)

It is easier to admire a composer who wrote messages of resistance and rebellion into his music than one who fearfully accommodated. Many who loved Shostakovich and love his music have been glad to support what seemed like tangible proof of his opposition to the regime under which he lived and worked. The reality is not so black and white. But Barnes, rather than taking advantage of fictions potential for nuance, offers what amounts to an unquestioning echo of Testimonys stance. His three-part book is essentially an extended meditation on art, with increasingly fragmentary glimpses of the people and events in the composers life.

Its hardly uncommon for historical fiction to take liberties. And certainly Barnes knows how to tell a tale. But for all its polished surface, this novel is equivocating and cautious. It backs its way into the story, groping toward a fragmented sense of the main character. Were confronted with short paragraphs that offer epigrammatic patness and a lot of motivic repetition of phrases or images as a mask for a certain amount of narrative uncertainty, be it on the part of the protagonist (Shostakovich) or, it often seems, the author himself.

For Shostakovich, Barnes makes clear, music is all that matters. Theres some irony here, since The Noise of Time must be one of the least musical books about a composer ever written. There is very little mention of Shostakovichs music and virtually no mention of what went into writing it. One senses in Barnes the non-aficionados shyness about engaging with music, so pervasive as to prevent his even taking an interest in learning more.

There is at least one musical source that appears to have informed him, though: a show about Shostakovich that was staged in 2000 and that toured widely thereafter, by the London-based Theatre de Complicite and the Emerson String Quartet. Created before Testimony was widely called into question, it took almost the same view of Shostakovich-as-persecuted-hero that Barnes does. Its title, from a book by the poet Osip Mandelstam, was The Noise of Time. Barnes does not credit it in his acknowledgments.

Such things are merely symptomatic of this books greatest flaw: its failure to delve deeply into the ideas that shaped the composers life, even a lack of intellectual curiosity that lets the author be content with falling into step with previous artistic work rather than really making the material his own. A great historical novel  take Hilary Mantels Wolf Hall  presents something new: a compelling, fresh reinterpretation; Barness The Noise of Time is merely an adroit rephrasing of an argument weve heard before. The result is a pretty enough piece of writing that may well be embraced by those to whom the story is new. But it remains as shallow as  well, a snapshot.

Anne Midgette is the classical music critic of The Washington Post.
William Schallert, an actor who played Patty Dukes father  and uncle  in her 1960s sitcom and led a long, contentious strike for actors, died May 8 at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif. He was 93.

His son, Edwin Schallert, confirmed the death but did not disclose the cause.

Mr. Schallert was usually seen in supporting roles, but his lean, friendly face was familiar to baby boomers for roles in two classic sitcoms  as a teacher to Dwayne Hickman and his pals in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and as the dad in The Patty Duke Show.

The Patty Duke Show (1963-1966) was challenging for Duke, who had already achieved stardom on Broadway as the young Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker and repeated the role in the film, winning her an Oscar for supporting actress. (Duke died in March at age 69.)

In the television series, she played a double role, as Patty Lane, a typical American teenager, and her cultured cousin Cathy, who lives with Pattys family. Cathy was newly arrived from overseas, where, the theme song told viewers, she adores a minuet, the Ballets Russes and crepes suzette. Patty, meanwhile, just likes rock-and-roll and hot dogs.

Mr. Schallert was cast as Pattys harried father (and Cathys uncle), who was confused by the look-alike girls.

He was similarly frustrated as Mr. Pomfritt, the English teacher on Dobie Gillis. The show, which ran from 1959 to 1963, starred Hickman as a teenager comically yearning for the perfect girl and featured a strong supporting cast including Bob Denver as his beatnik pal Maynard. You ready, my young barbarians? Mr. Pomfritt would ask his students, comically pining for the days of corporal punishment in the classroom.

In 1979, Mr. Schallert was elected president of the 46,000-member Screen Actors Guild. The next year, he led the union as it staged a 13-week strike over such issues as actors pay for films made for the then-new cable television industry.

He told the Los Angeles Times his message to actors was that we have to respect ourselves as artists and recalled the pre-union days when actors were sometimes expected to work until midnight and be back at work six hours later.

Mr. Schallert was defeated in his bid for a second two-year term as SAG president in 1981 by Lou Grant star Ed Asner, who had strongly criticized the agreement the union had reached to end the strike. Asner ran into his own controversies as SAG chief by taking stands critical of U.S. foreign policy, and he decided not to seek a third term in 1985. He was succeeded by none other than Mr. Schallerts former screen daughter, Duke.

Mr. Schallert said in 2008 that his greatest accomplishment as SAG president was the formation of a committee for performers with disabilities. We had established committees for all of the various ethnic minorities, women and seniors, he said. Im a big beneficiary of that right now because Im 85 and I still work.

William Joseph Schallert was born in Los Angeles on July 6, 1922. His father, Edwin Francis Schallert, was Los Angeles Times drama editor from 1919 to 1958.

Mr. Schallert attended the University of California at Los Angeles and went to England on a Fulbright scholarship in 1952. He studied repertory theater and lectured on American theater at the University of Oxford.

His wife, actress Leah Waggner, died in 2015. Besides his son Edwin, survivors include three other sons and seven grandchildren, the New York Times reported.

At the start of his career, Mr. Schallert was a founding member of the Circle Theater in Hollywood. The director was Charlie Chaplin, whose son Sydney was a cast member.

In all, Mr. Schallert appeared in hundreds of movies, television series and specials, playing characters and walk-ons. Among his later TV roles were guest shots on Desperate Housewives and True Blood. In 2008, he played Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in Recount, HBOs Emmy-winning dramatization of the 2000 presidential election.

He also played such real-life figures such as Gen. Mark Clark in the 1979 miniseries Ike: The War Years and Gen. Robert E. Lee in the 1986 miniseries North and South, Book II.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1966, Mr. Schallert lamented being cast as the second man through the door, or supporting player.

I did come close to a lead once, he said. This was a pilot I made for a series named Filbert. But when the producers calculated the series would cost $75,000 per episode, they figured a top name would be needed in the lead to assure success. So they gave up the project. It was a hard pill to swallow.
Q: In 1968, my parents, who are now deceased, gave me a Bulova Ambassador watch for my graduation from law school. The watch has much sentimental value (as well as practical utility). The automatic movement stopped working. I gave the watch to a jeweler, who replaced the automatic movement with a quartz movement that didnt really fit, particularly the opening for the date. I sent the watch to a Bulova repair center in New York, but they couldnt help. And I havent been able to find the correct Bulova watch movement on eBay. I still have the original movement (in pieces). On the back, in three lines, it reads, AV SEMAG/SWISS/1 ONE JEWEL. Do you know who can get my watch back to its original condition?

Rockville

A: Voskan Galooshian, owner of Midiya Jewelry Design & Repair Shop in Bethesda (301-951-8895; midiyajewelersbethes damd.com), said he should be able to help. But hed need to see the watch to give even a ballpark estimate of the price. It could be hundreds, it could be thousands, he said.

If that doesnt work, you have other options. The Bulova Service Center in New York recommends using Watchophilia (watchophilia.com) as a source for leads. (The service center does not work on watches from the 1960s, only newer ones.) One possibility gleaned from Watchophilia is Darlor Watch Restorations in Ontario, Canada (289-868-9699; info@darlor-watch.com). Owner Darryl Lesser, a certified watchmaker for 23 years, said hes sure he can help. Throw all the parts into an envelope and send them to me, he said.

If he can use the old mechanism, Lesser estimated the repair would cost about $75. If he needs to install a different but still authentic mechanism, figure on about $150. Finding the necessary part shouldnt be a problem. I have over 2,500 vintage Bulova movements in stock, Lesser said during a phone call. Then, after looking at the picture and details you sent, he followed up with an email: 100 percent I can restore this piece. It is a 11AHAC series Bulova automatic caliber, and I have a few in stock. Only garbage jewelers take out old Bulova mechanisms and replace them with modern movements, he said, because that undercuts the watchs value.

Knoll has sold Bertoia chairs since Harry Bertoia invented them in the early 1950s. A reader who owns a set of them wants to find protective clips to place underneath the horizontal legs. (Knoll)

A third approach is to look for repair shops listed on the website of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (nawcc.org). One company listed there is GCA La Precision (703-255-0055; viennawatchandclockrepair.com), a company in Vienna, Va., with an interest in repairing multi-function, complicated watches. The master watchmaker, Guido Calvetti Alave, is Rolex-trained and certified. The company has a large inventory of parts and also manufactures parts when necessary.

The sleds on my Bertoia chairs are showing damage and rust from resting on the concrete floor of my balcony. I found some clips on Amazon that look as if they might work to raise the sleds so they arent in direct contact with the concrete. But without knowing whether they would work, I am hesitant to pay close to $100 for four clips  especially given that I have five chairs that need retrofitting. Do you have any other ideas?

Alexandria

You are correct that attaching clips to the bottom of the sleds  the horizontal piece at the base of each pair of legs  would elevate the metal and ward off rust stains. However, you dont need to spend $100 on them  let alone $500.

Knoll, which has sold these chairs since Harry Bertoia invented them in the early 1950s, makes clips that fit all Bertoia chairs and sells them for about $1 each. Because the price is so modest, Bernadette Frey, who handles the orders, often just sends them gratis, she said. The clips are not advertised on Knolls website. Contact Frey by calling Knolls customer service number, 800-343-5665, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then key in her extension, 1094. Or email her at bernadette_frey@knoll.com.

Have a problem in your home? Send questions to localliving@washpost.com . Put How To in the subject line, tell us where you live and try to include a photo.
Animal scientist Alexandra Horowitz, author of Inside of a Dog, learned a lot about animals by studying the ones in her life, including her dog Finnegan. (Vegar Abelsnes)

Alexandra Horowitzs best teacher had four legs and a keen, black nose. Horowitz even dedicates her new book, Inside of a Dog, to this teacher: a pooch named Pumpernickel.

Horowitz is an animal scientist who studies what dogs do (their behavior) and what they know (cognition). She learned about the way that dogs perceive, or understand, the world by closely watching Pumpernickel, her pet for 17 years.

Horowitzs book is full of fascinating information about dogs. Youll learn how dogs descended from wolves and why they gaze directly at humans. Have you ever wondered why one dog bows to another? Thats a signal that means Lets play!

Curious kid

Growing up close to Golden, Colorado, Horowitz was surrounded by animals. She liked to watch her dog and cat, as well as the ants in her yard. On her way to school, Horowitz counted the prairie dogs in the field and listened for their calls.

She also enjoyed books with furry characters, including Mouse Tales by Arnold Lobel and Old Yeller by Fred Gipson.

But I had no idea that you could actually study animal behavior, Horowitz said by phone from her home in New York City. The only animal-related job I knew was veterinarian.

In college, Horowitz majored in philosophy, which is the study of ideas about knowledge. In graduate school, though, she wanted to study how knowledge is acquired. Horowitz soon realized that she was especially curious about how animals learn and why they behave in certain ways.

At first, she observed rhinoceroses and bonobos in a zoo, but then she realized how little she knew about her own pet. Horowitz began to take videos of Pumpernickel playing and taking walks. She watched the videos many times so she could determine exactly what her dog was doing and why. In this way, she learned more about the behavior of dogs in general.

The nose knows

Horowitz continues to learn from the dogs in her life. She now has two dogs named Finnegan and Upton. Observing them is giving her important information for her second book. Its about a dogs most important sense: the sense of smell.

Dogs experience things very differently from humans, Horowitz said. We see the world, and a dog smells it.

The noses of most dogs have at least 200 million receptor sites. Humans have only 6 million such sites.

Animal science at home

Horowitz teaches classes in animal behavior at Barnard College in New York City. Some animal scientists focus on wild animals in the field, such as pandas and chimpanzees; others observe rats in laboratories. But Horowitz thinks we can learn a lot by studying the animals around us. She asks her college students to observe squirrels, pigeons or their pets.

We can think that we know a lot about an ordinary animal, like a dog or squirrel, because we see them frequently, Horowitz said.

But to be an effective animal scientist, you must resist that idea, she said. Be open to discovery. Observe carefully. Try to experience the world as that animal does.

You can do this right now, in your home or neighborhood. You dont need special classes or a white lab coat. Inside of a Dog includes activities that help you perceive the world as a dog might. For example, give a good sniff to every object you come across. Or try walking on your hands and knees. What do you notice when youre about the height of a dog?

Bow-wow-WOW! Youre seeing the world in whole new canine kind of way.
Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton speaks with California voters during a rally in east Los Angeles on May 5. Her campaign announced a team Monday for the D.C. pimary on June 14. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

The District will award some of the last handfuls of delegates in the Democratic primary contest, and many party leaders in the nations capital have already committed to Hillary Clinton for president, but the front-runner isnt taking any votes for granted, her campaign says.

On Monday, Clintons campaign announced a leadership team for Districts June 14 primary that includes two figures in her national campaign and another heavily involved in her string of victories across the South.

Adam Parkhomenko, who founded the Ready for Hillary effort to ramp up early national grass-roots engagement, will lead the D.C. campaign, similar to the role he took on for the campaigns rout in Maryland.

Richard McDaniel, Southern political director for Hillary for America, will become D.C. political director.

LaDavia Drane, who left D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers office last year to become Clintons head of African American outreach, will serve as a special adviser.

Up for grabs in D.C. are about 45 delegates, with about 20 already pledged to Clinton.

Early polling shows Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders could hit the 15 percent threshold to win at least a few of those delegates.

[The latest Democratic delegate count]
Tipate Tolson, center, 13, listens to Ben Williams at the Walker Jones Education Campus in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 7, 2016. Williams will be the first principal of the city school systems first all-boy's school and was speaking to the students about the possibility of attending it. (Bonnie Jo Mount/Washington Post)

The Districts decision to pump $20 million into a program that focuses on boosting the academic achievement of minority males is under fire in a new study, which concludes that minority females are also lagging far behind their white counterparts.

The American Civil Liberties Union of the Nations Capital is questioning the legality of the taxpayer-funded Empowering Males of Color initiative. Its study found that city officials did not provide compelling reasons to create a program that excludes female students, a potential violation of federal laws barring gender discrimination.

Based on the documents produced, DCPS [D.C. Public Schools] is unlikely to be able to justify the exclusion of girls from any of the sponsored programs, because DCPSs own data lead to the unavoidable conclusion that the racial achievement gap impacts girls as well as boys of color, the ACLU study said.

In the District, white students far outperform black students on standardized tests, and black male students are the lowest-performing demographic. But minority female students are also underperforming, and the ACLUs Leaving Girls Behind report contends that it is unfair for the school system to paint the problem as a gender issue instead of a more broad racial one.

D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced in January 2015 that the city would invest $20 million in the citys initiative for black and Hispanic male students, including an all-boys college preparatory high school east of the Anacostia River, citywide tutoring programs, and gender-based academies and activities at low-performing schools.

[First-time principal will lead D.C.s first all-male public high school]

The program also seeks private funding and is similar to the idea behind President Obamas My Brothers Keeper initiative, which aims to keep young minority men in the classroom and out of prison.

Far too many students are not benefiting from the progress we are making, Henderson said at a news conference last year. Its a very real, very urgent problem.

City leaders have argued that black and Hispanic boys face the lowest graduation rates, with a rate of 48 percent and 57 percent, respectively, compared with the 82 percent of white male students who graduate.

But minority girls arent much better off, the ACLU study found. Black and Hispanic girls graduate at a rate of 62 percent and 66 percent, respectively, compared with 91 percent of whites.

The math proficiency rate is 37 percent for black male students, 55 percent for Hispanics and 91 percent for whites. The math proficiency rate is 45 percent for black female students, 61 percent for Hispanics and 93 percent for whites.

The ACLU study also reported that black students are suspended at far higher rates than any other demographic group in the citys schools, with black male students accounting for 58 percent of suspended students and black female students making up 35 percent of all suspensions; black and Hispanic males make up 43 percent of the students enrolled in D.C. schools.

The ACLU also argues that the city relied on shoddy studies supporting single-sex education benefits that did not meet legal muster and relied on gender stereotypes when laying out why single-sex learning environments are effective.

[D.C. schools to invest $20 million in efforts to help black and Latino male students]

The Leaving Girls Behind report draws on two legal statutes to make its case against the Empowering Males of Color initiative.

The ACLU argues that, under the constitutions Equal Protection Clause, public schools cannot operate programs that exclude members of one sex unless they have an exceedingly persuasive justification. And these single-sex programs cannot be based on overbroad generalizations about the different talents, capacities, or preferences, according to law cited by the ACLU.

Title IX, a federal statute, allows publicly funded single-sex education programs under limited circumstances, including that the relationship between the single-sex program and its intended goals is established with supportive data.

The ACLU and some city leaders previously have questioned the Empowering Males of Color programs legality.

D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine said last year that the program does not violate the Equal Protection Clause because its rationale  to boost achievement among the citys lowest performing demographic  is exceedingly persuasive. He said he would defend the initiative if challenged in court. Racines office said Monday that he would be reviewing the ACLU study.

D.C. Public Schools plans to stick with the program.

We believe in supporting each students interests and needs by providing differentiated programming and opportunities that align to those interests and needs, Michelle Lerner, a school system spokeswoman, wrote in an email.

Monica Hopkins-Maxwell, the executive director of the ACLU of the Nations Capital, said the organization is considering filing a lawsuit against the city challenging the program.

Correction: This story was changed to correct that black and Hispanic males make up 43 percent of the students enrolled in D.C. schools, as opposed to all black and Hispanic students making up 43 percent of students.
Loudoun County residents walked to Grace Church in Lincoln last month as part of a work session to consider ways the church might be used if it is restored. (Jim Barnes/For The Washington Post)

Jeffrey Jackson wants to be able to show his grandson the church where his ancestors worshiped, near the graves where they are buried.

Reginald Simms envisions a museum honoring Loudoun Countys African American veterans.

Lee Lawrence would like to see a display depicting the long-standing ties between white Quakers and the African American community in the western Loudoun village of Lincoln.

Area residents offered these and other ideas for restoring the abandoned Grace Church building during a four-hour design workshop last month at the Goose Creek Friends Meeting House in Lincoln. Architects then sketched drawings showing how the two-story stone structure that housed an African American congregation from the 1880s through the 1940s might be restored and put to use.

The meeting was facilitated by members of Loudouns Design Cabinet, a group of architects, planners, engineers and other professionals who meet periodically with community groups to help resolve development issues. Participants included area residents whose ancestors worshiped at Grace Church and members of the Lincoln Preservation Foundation and the villages Quaker congregation.

Their dreams for restoring the church were tempered by concerns about the impact that some potential uses for the property  such as weddings and school field trips  would have on the small village.

Carol Morris Dukes, vice president and founder of the Lincoln Preservation Foundation, said her group has been raising funds for the project since the organization was formed in 1999.

Its been a tough row to hoe, she said, describing challenges the group has faced in obtaining grants. Many organizations that offer grants are not willing to give money to restore old structures unless they are used for educational or historical programming or events that attract visitors, she said.

The federal government denied a grant application because the property is still under the control of Grace Annex United Methodist Church in Purcellville, Dukes said.

Neighbors of Grace Church said Lincolns roads and other infrastructure could not handle large numbers of visitors for weddings and other major events.

Why would you build something so that there would be conflict? asked Kristin ORourke, 36, who lives near the church. Why would you even start that process in the first place? ORourke said she supports the restoration and preservation of the building, but not for programs or events that would draw large numbers of visitors.

The concern is, how do you fund it without having events? said Michael Rohrer, 68, of Lincoln. How do you raise the money to do restoration?

Stirling Rasmussen, 75, of Lincoln cautioned against skewing the goals of the project to please the granting agencies.

Theres a lot of support for restoring it as a church and a museum, the history of the people who built it and used it, Rasmussen said. But to then open it up to larger events raises question of traffic and infrastructure not being able to support it.

Simms, 81, of Purcellville, pointed out that the church was there before houses were built around it. He said a museum at the church would be a meaningful way to honor Loudouns African American veterans.

Lawrence, 59, who lives near Lincoln, said a museum could shine a light on the long history of harmonious relations between the races in Lincoln, where Quakers educated African American children before and after the Civil War, and helped the black congregation build Grace Church in the 1880s.

During the work session, consensus gradually emerged in favor of restoring the church but limiting the scope of events there. There also was support for a suggestion to control traffic near the site by directing visitors to park at nearby Mount Olive Baptist Church and walk down a footpath to Grace Church.

Design Cabinet Chairman Alan Hansen of DBI Architects said county staff members would compile the drawings and public comments to help those interested in preserving the church decide what steps to take next.

Jackson, 64, of the village of St. Louis, said afterward that he was moved that so many people are interested in the restoration effort.

It just warms my heart that maybe this is going to come to fruition, he said.


Elva Pineda poses for a photo at her home in Rockville, Md. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Elva Pineda lay on Georgia Avenue  her leg crushed, her husbands Nissan Sentra destroyed, her 4-year-old daughter nowhere to be seen.

Mi bebe! the young mother told a paramedic leaning over her. Mi bebe!

In an instant, Pinedas only child, Elizabeth, her husband, Salvador Ramos, and her brother Felipe were killed when two cars  going as fast as 106 mph down Georgia Avenue in Montgomery County, Md.  crashed one after the other into the Sentra. The impact split the Sentra in half, tore out seat belts and propelled the family from the car. The young girl came to rest on a sidewalk, still strapped into her car seat, upside down.

The drivers of the speeding cars  one in a Chevrolet Camaro, the other in a turbo-charged Volkswagen Passat and unknown to each other  had started racing spontaneously, according to authorities, barreling down a stretch of Georgia Avenue bounded by homes where the speed limit is 45 mph.

The crash in 2013 led to a winding, emotional and contentious court case that is set to conclude Monday, when the two drivers are scheduled to be sentenced on three counts each of vehicular manslaughter.

Every day people lose family members to accidents like this one, Pineda, 34, said in an interview last week. There are people who get into their cars, pumped up with adrenaline, without thinking.

For Pineda, a native of Honduras, the legal ordeal is part of an upended life, one centered on trying to move on after losing in an instant her only child, her husband and an older brother who had been a father figure growing up. She has leaned on her faith, leading weekly Bible studies and, three days a week, serving as an usher during services at the Camino a la Vida Eterna Pentecostal Church.

She smiles enough, jokes enough, that she can appear happy. And shes around people a lot  working as a cook and living with relatives in a 900-square-foot home in Rockville, Md., she moved into after the crash.

But the grief is constant. She took a trunk with her in the move, and in there she keeps Salvadors wallet and car keys and lotion he used. From Elizabeth: a pair of her shoes, one of her dresses and her favorite doll.

When I think a lot about them, I open the trunk, Pineda said in Spanish. But I cant do it all the time.

Pineda can recite to the hour what she did with Elizabeth on Sunday, June 9, 2013, her daughters last day.

It started at 8 a.m., when the little girl woke her.

Lets play, Elizabeth said.



Elva Pineda holds her daughter, Elizabeth, who was killed in a 2013 car crash in Montgomery County. (Family photo)

They bathed together. They ate breakfast and played outdoors, where Elizabeth rode her bike. They ate lunch, watched a cartoon and got ready for the Sunday evening service at Camino a la Vida Eterna. Elizabeth begged to wear a pink birthday dress  one Pineda thought would be too warm for June  but she relented.

With her husband, Salvador, 39, at work  he was a chef at a Bethesda, Md., restaurant  the mother and daughter headed to church. You look pretty today, Mom, Elizabeth told her.

At the service, Elizabeth was especially affectionate, sitting close to her and touching her face.

She was saying goodbye, Pineda tells herself now.

A chance encounter

Just before 10 p.m. on June 9, 2013, Shaka Wakefield, 25 at the time, and Audias Sanchez, then 36, each pulled in to a Citgo gas station along Georgia Avenue, in the Aspen Hill area, about five miles north of the Capital Beltway.

Wakefield had spent the day in training at the U.S. Army Reserve  specifically, a session on suicide prevention  then went out for a dinner of sushi and soda with a fellow soldier. She was headed home at the wheel of a 2008 Passat shed bought four months earlier.

Sanchez, a married father of five who owns a small construction business, was driving a recently purchased red Camaro. His dream car, he called it.

Wakefield and Sanchez didnt know each other, and there would be no evidence at their trial that they spoke at the gas station. The cars pulled out, eventually heading south on Georgia Avenue.

Wakefields exact speed could never be calculated, prosecutors would later acknowledge. But they said crash reconstruction analysis established she was going, at a minimum, 77 mph at impact. And more important to the case they presented: Wakefield was always ahead of Sanchez, who had a car equipped with black-box technology that recorded a speed of 106 mph seconds before impact.

It was dark when their racing cars crested a low rise and headed into a minor bend.

At that moment, a 2000 Nissan Sentra started to cross Georgia Avenue from a small side street  Kayson Street.

Pinedas husband, Ramos, was behind the wheel, next to her. In the back seat was Elizabeth and Pinedas brother, whom the family was driving to his nearby home.



A violent, 2013 crash in Montgomery County tore this Nissan Sentra in half, and claimed the lives of three of its occupants. (Montgomery County Circuit Court records)

In the legal battle to come, Wakefield and Sanchez would say they were not racing and cast blame on Ramos.

That day, he had drunk alcohol, and his autopsy showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.07  just below the limit of driving under the influence in Maryland. The Passat driver, Wakefield, said that she was driving at or near the speed limit and that the Sentra darted in front of her. Sanchez didnt testify, but his attorney said that because his car was the second to hit the Sentra, its occupants already had been ejected. But the courtroom battles were more than a year away.

From the back seat that night, Felipe Pineda had persuaded his sister  Elizabeths mom  to let the child watch a video on a cellphone. Elizabeth was fixed on the screen, watching her favorite Spanish-language show, Delicioso, a cooking program.

A terrible accident

Elva Pineda came to on a hospital bed and looked up at two police officers, each with sad expressions.

She remembers hoping she was dreaming.

The officers asked for phone numbers of extended family. Someone else spoke out to say she needed surgery.

Pineda couldnt move, and she told herself that once she got out of the operating room she would hear that Elizabeth was fine.

She awoke from the procedure to see relatives at the bedside. They couldnt bring themselves to say what had happened.

A doctor leaned in.

You were in a terrible accident, he said. I dont know how you survived, but your family did not.



Salvador Ramos and his daughter, Elizabeth. (Family photo)

Felipe Pineda hold his niece. Elizabeth. (Family photo)

She screamed and screamed again and then, in silence, wondered about her daughter: Wherever her body was, was she wrapped in blankets?

On the witness stand

Pineda knew that as the lone survivor from the Sentra, she was a key witness for prosecutors. And she knew defense attorneys would attack her husbands driving.

Shed met Ramos when she was 25, still in Colon, Honduras, where she was taking care of her aging parents. She was the 10th of 11 children, and Ramos was visiting from the United States, a friend of her older brothers.

They married in 2007, had Elizabeth two years later, and moved to Montgomery County. Pineda arrived to a snowstorm, three days of no power, missing her parents. But she stayed, and by 2013 had plans to enroll Elizabeth in preschool.

On Dec. 15, 2015, Pineda took the witness stand. She made a point of looking directly at Wakefield and Sanchez. I wanted them to see my eyes, so they would feel my pain, she recalled. But she said she quickly realized the pain they already felt. They, too, were suffering.

Through a court interpreter, prosecutor Amy Bills asked Pineda about the day of the crash. I stayed with my little one, Pineda said.

Defense attorney Leonard Addison questioned Pineda briefly, and asked her whether she had smelled alcohol on her husband. No, she said. Another defense attorney, Paolo Gnocchi, also questioned her.

Miss Pineda, Im sorry for your loss, he said, his own voice cracking. I have to ask you some questions.

He keyed in on the Sentras crossing of Georgia Avenue.

It would be very difficult for you to accept if Salvador had not made that stop on Kayson Street, wouldnt it? he asked.

Yes, he did it, Pineda said.

Prosecutors had more to their case: a witness who saw two cars zoom past going neck and neck before the crash; a witness at a nearby house who said he heard two engines revving and saw two speeding cars before hearing the crash; and accident reconstruction data that painted a picture of what happened.

For racing, you dont need a flag man in the middle of the street, prosecutor Mark Anderson told jurors, saying Wakefield and Sanchez engaged in an impromptu race down Georgia Avenue: My cars faster. No, mine is. 

He said there was nothing to indicate Pinedas husband did anything other than legally, and properly, try to cross the road to make a left turn. The Camaro and Passat came up so fast as they rounded the slight bend, the prosecutor said, that no driver could have reacted to get out of the way.

You dont have to be a rocket scientist to realize that 106 on a residential road is going to lead to the carnage, Anderson said.

Clinging to memories

In the days ahead of Mondays scheduled sentencing, Pineda struggled to write her Victim Impact Statement, which is part of the proceedings. Some drafts she had to crumple and toss. She turned it in Wednesday, two pages in Spanish in longhand.

That day I lost what I loved the most: My family and my little one, she wrote. Sorrow walks with me every day.

The next day, she went to a Bible study planning meeting at church, went to Friday services and went to the churchs main service Sunday evening.

Shes an inspiration, said Heriberto Interiano, a church staffer and active member. Every time I see her, she seems happy.

What happiness she has, Pineda said, she draws from precious memories that help relieve the crushing present. Among the best: brash and funny things Elizabeth said, including one chiding the girl gave her father when he made plans to take her mother to dinner, as a couple.

We are three, Elizabeth told him, not two anymore.
A jury on Monday convicted six MS-13 gang members in connection with three brutal murders and an attempted murder in Northern Virginia, delivering an across-the-board verdict in a sweeping federal case against the violent street gang.

After less than two full days of deliberations, jurors found that the gang members played various roles in the stabbing and dismembering of two men, the fatal shooting of another, and a failed plot to kill a fellow gang member.

The verdict is a victory for prosecutors, who initially charged 13 people, all of them members of a clique known as the Park View Locos Salvatruchas, under a law once used to fight the Mafia. Six defendants pleaded guilty before trial and testified against the others. One defendant is being tried separately.

Extreme violence is the hallmark of MS-13, and these horrific crimes represent exactly what the gang stands for, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement.

[MS-13 members accused in brutal killings]

Shotgun and machete. (Courtesy of U.S. Attorneys Office)

The defendants, all in their early- to late-20s and dressed in light-colored button-up shirts, stood silently as a clerk read the verdict for each charge. A female family member of one defendant, Jesus Alejandro Chavez, sobbed loudly and yelled at prosecutors in Spanish as the clerk said hed been found guilty of shooting and killing an Alexandria man in June 2014. Chavez and other defendants bowed their heads.

Sentencing will take place over the summer. All defendants face mandatory life imprisonment.

Were extremely disappointed with the result, but the fight is not over, said Christopher Amolsch, an attorney for Christian Lemus Cerna, who was convicted of taking part in one of the stabbings. We plan to use every means necessary to keep going.

The case dates back to October 2013, when prosecutors said several of the defendants plotted to kill a member believed to be cooperating with police.

Authorities intercepted them in Woodbridge one night as they were driving to Gar-Field High School, where the member, known only as Peligroso, took night classes. They found two machetes and a sawed-off shotgun in their car.

A week later, gang members killed Nelson Omar Quintanilla Trujillo, who was suspected of alerting police to the failed murder plot, prosecutors said. After luring Trujillo into Holmes Run Park in Fairfax County, they stabbed him to death, dismembered him and buried him in the woods. Several months later, they stabbed and decapitated Gerson Adoni Martinez Aguilar, an MS-13 recruit who was accused of stealing gang money and having sex with an incarcerated members girlfriend. They buried him in the same park.

The third murder took place in June 2014, when Chavez and two other gang members shot and killed Julio Urrutia in Alexandria, mistaking him for a rival gang member, according to the prosecutors.

Omar Castillo (Courtesy of U.S. Attorneys Office)

The trial stretched seven weeks in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Alexandria. A jury of 11 men and one woman heard testimony from more than 40 witnesses, including gang experts, law enforcement agents and former gang members. As a precaution, the court installed extra security measures during the proceedings. U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, the presiding judge, called it an epic and complex case for this court.

Prosecutors presented no forensic evidence connecting the defendants to the crimes. Instead, they built the case almost entirely on testimony from cooperating defendants and a confidential FBI informant who secretly recorded hundreds of phone calls with the gang over the course of a year.

[MS-13 member turned FBI informant describes life in the gang]

The informant, a 33-year-old El Salvadoran immigrant known as Junior, was a leader of a local MS-13 clique called the Silvas Locos Salvatrucha. He has worked with the FBI for more than a decade, receiving $42,000 over the years for providing information about the gang. In late 2013, after learning about the murder of Trujillo, Junior agreed to use an FBI cellphone and body wires to record conversations with the defendants.

The Washington Post is withholding Juniors real name at the request of prosecutors, who said the witness could be in danger.

Prosecutors presented numerous recordings they said include gang members taking credit for the killings. According to transcripts prepared by the FBI, gang members repeatedly told Junior the gory details about how they stabbed and dismembered the victims, and buried them in shallow graves.

A turning point in the investigation came when Junior persuaded one of the defendants to show him the grave sites in Holmes Run Park, where the gang buried Trujillo and Aguilar. During the trip, Junior wore a video wire, recording the entire meeting. The FBI later excavated the two bodies.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Martinez praised Junior in closing arguments, saying he risked his life to help solve the murders.

Junior, I submit to you, is a hero, Martinez told the jury.

But defense attorneys contended that Junior was little more than an opportunist who manipulated both the gang and authorities. They said Junior was motivated to work with prosecutors by the promise of money and immigration benefits.

Frank Salvato, an attorney for Cerna, said Junior concealed his own brushes with the law, including a robbery and beating he allegedly took part in.

Hes a habitual manipulator and liar, Salvato said. He is no hero.

Others argued that the defendants were merely falsely bragging to a senior gang member when they talked with Junior about their roles in the slayings. Defense attorneys said Junior maintained the appearance of an MS-13 member for years by lying about committing crimes.

Junior is living proof that anyone can make it through MS-13 on false bluster alone, said Jeffrey Zimmerman, an attorney for Alvin Gaitan Benitez, who was convicted of helping murder Aguilar and reburying Trujillos body.

The court also heard testimony from several gang members who accepted plea deals. One of them, Jose Del Cid, 20, admitted to taking part in every killing in the case. While on the stand, he also told jurors that he had killed at least two people when he was a teenager in El Salvador.

Defense attorneys repeatedly challenged the credibility of Del Cid and the other cooperators, saying they were pinning blame on their counterparts in hopes of getting reduced sentences and other benefits from the government.

Martinez said although the cooperators were no choir boys, they were the only people present for the killings who could implicate the other defendants.

If they lie, they get no sentence reduction. Telling the truth now is their best incentive, Martinez said. What else would you have us do?

Jose Lopez Torres, Omar Dejesus Castillo and Manuel Paiz Guevara were also among the defendants convicted Monday.

MS-13 has operated in the Washington region since the early 1990s and has between 2,000 and 3,000 members in the area, according to gang experts.

An aggressive crackdown by the FBI and local police in the mid-2000s drove the gang underground for several years. But more recently, law enforcement experts say, MS-13 leaders in El Salvador have pressured cliques in the Washington region to rebuild. The effort has unleashed a new round of violence in the past three years, experts said.
A car ran off a highway and crashed in Anne Arundel County Saturday afternoon, and at least half a dozen state and county agencies were involved in saving the life of the driver and bringing order to a scene of chaos.

Police said the crash occurred in the Arnold area about 4:50 a.m. when a car that had been traveling fast in the southbound lanes of Ritchie Highway went out of control near Joyce Lane. It knocked over a fire hydrant and damaged a tree.

According to the police, this is what happened next:

The county fire department extricated the driver. The state police flew him by helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

Water was flowing freely. The county department of public works went to the scene to cut off the water and fix the hydrant.

Workers from the State Highway Administration arrived to remove the damaged tree.

County police traffic safety investigators took the lead in looking into just what had happened.

As of Sunday, police said, the driver was in critical but stable condition.
Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in the Westfield Montgomery Mall shooting and two other fatal shootings in the D.C. area, into custody in Bethesda, Md.

May 6, 2016 Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in the Westfield Montgomery Mall shooting and two other fatal shootings in the D.C. area, into custody in Bethesda, Md. Alex Brandon/AP

One man was slain at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and a woman was killed outside a Giant grocery store in Aspen Hill. The suspect, Eulalio Tordil, is in custody.

One man was slain at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and a woman was killed outside a Giant grocery store in Aspen Hill. The suspect, Eulalio Tordil, is in custody.

One man was slain at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and a woman was killed outside a Giant grocery store in Aspen Hill. The suspect, Eulalio Tordil, is in custody.

A Maryland man accused of killing three people in a shooting rampage lost his eyeglasses during a scuffle with his final victim as he tried to carjack her SUV, prosecutors said Monday, an occurrence that helped contribute to his capture.

Without his glasses, Eulalio Tordil, 62, couldnt see well enough to drive any distance, prosecutors said, and parked in a lot near his alleged final attack where a patrol officer noticed his license plate from a lookout report and alerted a law enforcement team that swarmed and arrested Tordil.

On Monday, a Montgomery County Court judge ordered Tordil, of Adelphi, held without bond until his preliminary hearing June 3. Tordil, an officer with the Federal Protective Service since 1997, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and multiple firearm charges in connection with Fridays shootings in Montgomery. The attacks began Thursday in Prince Georges County where Tordil is accused of fatally shooting his estranged wife as she waited to pick up her daughters outside a Beltsville high school. They ended Friday in Montgomery in what authorities said were attempted carjackings at a mall and outside a supermarket in the course of the manhunt.

The rampage left three people dead and three wounded, some of them bystanders who tried to come to the aid of those Tordil is accused of shooting.

[Details of Eulalio Tordils arrest]

Eulalio Tordil (Montgomery County Police Department)

During his initial court appearance on Monday, Tordil appeared via closed-circuit TV. When asked, Tordil stated his name and responded yes when asked if he could hear the proceedings. Tordil stood with his head down as Montgomery States Attorney John McCarthy and Tordils public defender discussed the details of the case. Tordils attorneys did not oppose holding the man without bond at this time.

The .40-caliber Glock used in the Montgomery shootings, prosecutors said Monday, was purchased legally by Tordil in 2014 in Las Vegas.

As of Monday, authorities were looking for other weapons belonging to Tordil, including a Smith & Wesson, McCarthy said after the hearing.

A cache of guns and Tordils service weapon already had been removed from him after his wife, Gladys, 44, obtained a protective order against him in March, authorities have said.

The recent protective order in Prince Georges included allegations that Tordil physically abused his two stepdaughters and his wife over 10 years. It detailed the personal arsenal that Tordils wife said she was aware of, and listed .40- and .45-caliber handguns, an M4, a revolver and a hunting gun.

Tordils superiors at the Federal Protective Service took his gun and badge as a result of the protective order and put him on administrative duty.

The weapons listed in the order were confiscated, said John Erzen, a spokesman for the Prince Georges states attorneys office. On Monday, Erzen said that if the .40-caliber Glock was purchased before the protective order, how it didnt get confiscated, we dont know. That is part of the investigation. The deputies took all the guns listed in the protective order, minus his service weapon.

Montgomery County Assistant Chief Russ Hamill described the attempted carjackings at Md. shopping centers on May 6, and detailed how two of the victims "selflessly and heroically" saved a woman. She and one man were injured, while the other died. Suspect Eulalio Tordil is in custody. (WUSA9)

A protective order is a civil proceeding, which would not trigger a police investigation, said Dorothy Lennig, the director of the legal clinic at House of Ruth in Maryland, a nonprofit that helps families struggling with domestic violence. Someone seeking to bring a criminal case would have to either file a criminal complaint with a court commissioner or directly contact police to trigger an investigation.

The House of Ruth helped Gladys Tordil with her protective order, but Lennig said she couldnt speak to the specifics of the case for confidentiality reasons. She did the steps that we would encourage her to do, Lennig said.

Ruth Glenn, executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said protective orders or restraining orders rarely trigger criminal investigations. A judge could decide if there is imminent danger or real threat of physical harm, she said, but law enforcement doesnt automatically get involved solely based on an order of protection.

The review of Tordils weapons continued as added details of the shootings in Montgomery emerged.

It was during a scuffle with Claudina Molina, 65, who was fatally shot outside the Giant supermarket in Aspen Hill on Friday, that Tordil lost his glasses and a magazine from his .40-caliber handgun, prosecutors said.

Molina was shot inside the SUV that Tordil tried to take, police have said previously.

Unable to see well enough to drive any distance without his glasses, Tordil drove across the street from the Giant, went inside a Dunkin Donuts for a cup of coffee and then went inside the Boston Market for lunch, prosecutors and charging documents allege. He was arrested after returning to his car, which police rammed to prevent his exit.

[Details of Eulalio Tordils arrest]

Before the shooting at Giant, Tordil allegedly shot and killed Boyds resident Malcom Winffel, 45, who had come to the aid of a woman at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda whose SUV Tordil also was attempting to take, prosecutors said. That woman and another man trying to help her were wounded.

Police in Prince Georges have charged Tordil with first-degree murder and related charges in connection with the slaying of his estranged wife, a high school chemistry teacher. He also is charged in Prince Georges with assault for allegedly shooting and wounding a bystander who had come to his wifes aid.

If convicted in the Montgomery case, Tordil faces a maximum of life without parole, said McCarthy, the Montgomery states attorney.

McCarthy said that Thursday evening through Friday morning, Tordil drove  with his cellphone off  through Maryland and parts of Virginia before driving to Montgomery Mall at about 11 a.m.Years ago, Tordil lived near the mall, which is one reason, McCarthy said, he drove to the area during the shootings.

Before his arrest on Friday, police had found numerous notes written by Tordil that they said were suicide notes. He thought he would be killed in a shootout with police, McCarthy said. Instead, after police with their weapons drawn confronted him outside the Boston Market, Tordil surrendered peacefully. The .40-caliber handgun was found inside his vehicle, police said.

Tordil had an extensive background in law enforcement, McCarthy said. In addition to his work with the Federal Protective Service, he previously worked security for the National Institutes of Health.
Police arrested three Brandywine men on first degree murder charges for killing 22-year-old man May 2. (Prince George's County police)

Detectives arrested three men on first-degree murder charges in the slaying of a 22-year-old man last week in during a daylight shooting in a Brandywine neighborhood during a marijuana-related robbery, Prince Georges County police said.

Authorities charged three men from Brandywine in the fatal shooting of Ra Shaad Hargrave on May 2 about 1:45 p.m. Police found Hargrave, of Waldorf, dead at the scene in the 15100 block of General Lafayette Boulevard.

Officials identified the men charged in the homicide as Rodney Nedd Jr, 21, of the 15000 block of Benjamin Ring Street, Antonio Howard Jr, 22, of the 15000 block of Chadsey Lane and Aiden Hicks, 19, of the 7000 block of Chadds Ford Drive.
Police said they have charged three teenage suspects with murder after a gang-related fatal shooting last month.

On April 17 about 3 a.m., Prince Georges County police were called to the 6800 block of Riggs Road in Chillum, Md., after a report of a shooting, the department said in a statement. Officers found two men outside with gunshot wounds, the statement said. One, 25-year-old Gamaliel Nerio Rico of Bladensburg, Md., died several hours later, and the other was released from the hospital, according to police.

The suspects  16-year-old Manuel Beltran of the 2000 block of Fordham Street in Hyattsville, Md., 16-year-old Darwin Monroy Madrid of the 2000 block of Guilford Road in Hyattsville and 17-year-old Fernando Baires of the 8100 block of Tahona Drive in Silver Spring, Md.  have each been charged with first-degree and second-degree murder, police said, as well as a gun count.

The shooting was gang-related, and the suspects were charged as adults, according to police.
An artists rendering of the interior of the planned Purple Line commuter trains in Maryland. (Purple Line Transit Partners)

Two Silver Spring couples who face losing chunks of their front yards to the Purple Line sued the state of Maryland on Monday, contending that transportation officials shortchanged them on the purchase price offered for the land, needed to build the $5.6 billion light-rail project.

They also are seeking class status so that dozens more impacted property owners can join the lawsuit.

The suit, filed in Montgomery County Circuit Court, asserts that the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) illegally offered compensation only for the land it wants to take  but not for the diminished value of the remaining land.

Michele Rosenfeld, the attorney for the property owners, said the state appeared to be attempting to recoup money lost when Gov. Larry Hogan (R) shaved about $500 million from the cost of the project before giving it his blessing last year.

Finding money to build the Purple Line has been a challenge for the MTA, but fleecing my clients is clearly not fair or legal, Rosenfeld said.

She asked the court to certify the defendants as a class so that the estimated 50 to 100 other residential property owners along the route in Montgomery and Prince Georges counties can join the suit.

[Maryland approves $5.6 billion Purple Line contract]

Paul Shepard, an MTA spokesman, said the agency would have no comment on the suit until it is reviewed by legal counsel.

The two couples live along Wayne Avenue, just east of downtown Silver Spring, an area expected to be one of the most directly impacted by the 16.2-mile light-rail line linking Bethesda in Montgomery and New Carrollton in Prince Georges.

Andrew Hoddick, who lives with his wife, Karen FitzGerald, in the 700 block of Wayne Avenue, said in a statement provided by Rosenfeld that he was offered $11,200 by the state, which will take most of his front yard.

My house is about 75 feet from where the train will run, Hoddick said. Starting at 6:15 in the morning, 135-foot trains will rumble by my home every 7 minutes. Of course my house will be devalued, Hoddick said. His home has an assessed value of $618,000, according to City-Data.com.

The other couple, Cynthia and William Milloy, who live in the 800 block of Wayne Avenue, said in the suit they were offered $13,849 plus an additional $3,911 for a temporary construction easement. City-Data shows their property has an assessed value of $526,220.

Rosenfeld said the value of the properties could be completely lost because of the rail line, with ground vibrations, squealing wheels and overhead power lines. The suit asks for a minimum of $750,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages of $100,000 for each couple.

[Purple Line contractor cleared to begin pre-construction work]

Rosenfeld said the suit was not an attempt to halt construction of the Purple Line, which is expected to begin in November or December in Prince Georges.

Were not trying to argue the pros and cons of the Purple Line, she said, but only to obtain just compensation on behalf of her clients.

Most of the alignment west of downtown Silver Spring is along the wooded Georgetown Branch Trail.

While some residents and environmental activists have objected to trains running along the trail  the Purple Lines construction will require cutting hundreds of mature trees  Montgomery County has owned the land to preserve for a transit way since 1988. Construction is expected to take six years.

If construction begins on time, the line is scheduled to begin carrying passengers in spring 2022.
The chief executive of Alexandrias public housing authority, who was criticized earlier this year over the redevelopment of the aged Ramsey Homes, will retire at the end of 2016.

Roy Priest, who has led the Alexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority for nine years, announced his retirement last week, saying he has guided the agency through a period of transformation.

Priest has spent more than 40 years working in housing and community economic development.

City council members, who appoint the housing authoritys board, strongly criticized how Priest and his subordinates handled a proposal to replace the 74-year-old Ramsey Homes with a new mixed-income development.

The proposal would have more than tripled the number of housing units on a half-block in an historically African-American neighborhood that is now being gentrified.

During Preists tenure as director of the housing authority, 621 mixed-income units have generated $25,000 in tax revenue, 530 units are in redevelopment planning, and a strategic plan was created, ARHA commissioner Carter Flemmming said in a statement.

Housing authority commissioners will work with Priest over the next months to finish a reorganization of the agency that began a month ago, and establish standards to help select a new chief.
Arlington County promoted its acting assistant chief, James Bonzano, to fire chief last week, after a national search. Bonzano, who joined the Arlington fire department in 1984, began his new job Sunday.

Bonzano has led and served in nearly every section of the agency , county officials said, from personnel services to EMS battalion chief. The previous fire chief, James Schwartz, was named deputy county manager last September.

A native Arlingtonian, Bonzano received his bachelors degree from Old Dominion University and his masters degree in organizational leadership and innovation from Marymount University.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe reaches to hug then-Virginia Supreme Court Justice Jane Marum Roush before his State of the Commonwealth Address in January. (Steve Helber/AP)

Gov. Terry McAuliffes short-lived pick for the Virginia Supreme Court is following other former judges into a related line of work  as a mediator with a private dispute-mediation firm.

Justice Jane Marum Roush will serve as a neutral at the McCammon Group, which she described as the preeminent mediation group in Virginia. In that role, the former Fairfax County circuit judge will work with civil litigants to resolve their disputes without going to trial.

[Time runs out  again  for McAuliffes Supreme Court pick]

Roush is a highly regarded jurist who presided over the trial of D.C. area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo. She won two recess appointments to the states highest court from McAuliffe (D) last year.

But the Republican-led General Assembly, which often is at odds with McAuliffe and eager to assert its ultimate authority over judicial appointments, twice refused to grant Roush a full 12-year appointment.

[GOP wins long Supreme Court fight with McAuliffe]

In March, the legislature elected Appeals Court Judge Stephen R. McCullough to the slot, thwarting McAuliffes plan to give Roush a third recess appointment.

Im a firm believer in the adage that when one door closes, another door opens, Roush said Friday evening. I consider the whole Supreme Court thing a professional disappointment, but Im not going to let it define me. Im interested in and excited about this new opportunity for me.
Republicans overwhelmingly chose local economist and environmental consultant Charles Hernick to challenge Rep. Don Beyer (D) for Virginias 8th District congressional seat this fall.

The delegates to the partys district convention Saturday nominated Hernick with 78 percent of the vote, spurning Michael Webb, a former Army officer.

Hernick said Monday that Beyer is not in touch with what the people are focused on  transportation is a huge issue and Metro is going to need more money . . . but Metro should expect additional oversight proportional to the additional funding.

He also said federal employees need better information technology because Metros recently announced repair work will tax our ability to keep the federal government open. Between blizzards that close down federal operations and days-long or weeks-long Metro shutdowns, federal employees need both the infrastructure and software to keep working, he said.

Hernick, a first-time candidate who has raised about $18,000 to Beyers $1.3 million, said he wont match the incumbents campaign funds but hopes to raise enough to get his message out. He just released his first campaign ad on YouTube.

People are attuned to this election cycle, because of the lively Republican presidential primary, Hernick said. Likely Republican nominee for president candidate Donald Trump will have to earn my vote, Hernick said, because he did not support Trump in the primary, he said. But he added that both he and Trump are focused on changing the culture of Washington and getting things done.

Beyer said Monday that he intends to run a robust campaign, and treat Hernick with respect. He noted that Hernicks website indicates he is for immigration reform and tackling climate change, topics on which Beyer said they appear to agree.

Conventional wisdom says this is a Democratic seat, but conventional wisdom is often wrong so Im taking nothing for granted, Beyer said. Hernicks charge that Beyer is not paying enough attention to transportation and Metro is silly, Beyer said, pointing out that he has had multiple discussions with Metros leaders and public statements on the issues.

The district includes all of Arlington County, Alexandria and Falls Church and a portion of Fairfax County.
It may be myth that Ben Franklin thought that the symbol of the United States should be not the bald eagle but the turkey. But at a time when eagles have received much attention in the Washington area, some commotion was created last week by at least one wild turkey.

A wild turkey was photographed atop the cab of a truck on Tuesday in the Shirlington area of Arlington. A woman spotted a wild turkey on the street in Old Town Alexandria on Thursday. On the same day, the Alexandria police said on Twitter that Those wild turkey sightings keep coming into the dispatch center.

It could not be ruled out that one turkey prompted all the calls and was photographed in both Arlington and Alexandria.

The photo posted on the Arlington police Twitter feed was taken on Shirlingtons Campbell Avenue. The bird was perched atop the cab of a truck. It had stopped there after disrupting traffic, the Tweet said.

In Alexandria, a woman posted a photo on Twitter along with the caption ...so this is walking down s.peyton street right now.

The bird appeared to be crossing in the middle of the block.
MISSOURI

Ferguson, Mo., swears in black police chief

Delrish Moss, 51, was sworn in Monday as the first permanent black police chief of Ferguson, Mo., just weeks after a federal judge approved the St. Louis County towns agreement with the Justice Department that seeks to resolve racial bias in the criminal justice system.

The towns police department has come under intense scrutiny since the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in 2014.

Moss spent his entire 32-year career in Miami, where he grew up.

Moss was selected as the new chief in March from among 54 applicants.

Browns death on Aug. 9, 2014, at the hands of white officer Darren Wilson thrust the otherwise nondescript suburb into the spotlight and was a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement.

A grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice cleared Wilson of wrongdoing, and he resigned in November 2014. Butthe shooting prompted months of protests. The unrest shed light on the strained relationship between black residents in Ferguson and the mostly white police force. About two-thirds of Fergusons 20,000 residents are black.

 Associated Press

EDUCATION

Limit criminal-records questions, government tells colleges

Colleges should limit their use of questions about criminal records in the admissions process because the inquiries may unfairly deter many disadvantaged students from pursuing higher education, the federal government said in a new report.

Education Secretary John B. King Jr. discussed the report Monday in Los Angeles.

We believe in second chances and we believe in fairness, King said in a statement. The college admissions process shouldnt serve as a roadblock to opportunity, but should serve as a gateway to unlocking untapped potential of students.

The University of California, which includes the prestigious and highly selective Berkeley and Los Angeles campuses, does not ask about criminal backgrounds. The federal government does not have the authority to dictate what questions colleges use to screen applicants. But the main federal application for financial aid includes a criminal-background question.

Removing that question from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, would require an act of Congress, officials say.

The federal report, Beyond the Box, recommends that colleges review whether requests for criminal-background information can be delayed until after an initial admissions decision has been made, to avoid a chilling effect on potential applicants.

The Common Application, which is used by several hundred selective colleges and universities, asks applicants about disciplinary records at their high schools and whether they have been adjudicated guilty or convicted of a crime.

 Nick Anderson

MASSACHUSETTS

FBI agent says he lied during Bulger trial

A former FBI agent pleaded guilty Monday to lying repeatedly during his testimony at the trial of Boston gangster James Whitey Bulger, including claiming he was the first officer to recover the gun used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

Robert Fitzpatrick, 76, was accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments during Bulgers 2013 racketeering trial. He pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Fitzpatrick, who had been an assistant special agent in charge of the FBIs Boston division during Bulgers bloody reign, was the first witness Bulgers lawyers called during the high-profile trial. At a hearing Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Hafer said Fitzpatrick was motivated in part by a desire to promote sales of a book he co-wrote.

Bulger, 86, was convicted in 2013 of a range of gangland crimes in the 1970s and 80s, including roles in 11 murders. He is serving a life sentence.

 Associated Press

Arkansas judge accused of trading leniency for sex resigns: An Arkansas judge accused of inappropriate sexual relationships resigned Monday after new allegations surfaced suggesting that he used his authority to repeatedly sexually abuse young male defendants going back at least 30 years to his time as a prosecutor. Part-time Cross County District Judge Joe Boeckmann resigned after he was presented with allegations that he had targeted young men accused before his court.

 Associated Press


Patty Farrell holds a photo of her daughter, Laree Farrell-Lincoln, who died of a heroin overdose three years ago. (Heather Ainsworth for The Washington Post)

When Jarret McCasland and his fiancee decided to celebrate her 19th birthday with heroin, it meant the end of her life and the end of his freedom.

Flavia Cardenas, who worked in a nightclub, died of an overdose the next morning in Baton Rouge. After a prosecutor convinced a jury that McCasland administered the fatal dose, the 27-year-old pipe fabrication shop worker was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison in February with no chance for parole.

With deaths from heroin and opioids at their highest level in U.S. history, prosecutors have begun charging those who supplied the final dose with murder, even when that person is the deceaseds friend, lover, sibling or spouse.

[Salvaging some good: The unexpected side effect of the tragic opioid epidemic]

The new initiative is sometimes in direct conflict with good Samaritan laws, which protect addicts from being charged if they call 911 when a fellow user is overdosing. The tougher approach also is in marked contrast to a growing movement that seeks to treat drug addiction as a disease and public-health crisis rather than criminal behavior.



Steven Coleman supplied his father and his fathers friend with heroin in February 2015. His fathers friend died of an overdose. (Andrew Spear for The Washington Post)

Prosecutors in New Jersey, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana have recently dusted off dormant War on Drugs-era laws to subject sellers and providers to homicide charges and stiff sentences on par with convictions for shooting, beating or poisoning people to death. In New York, Ohio and Virginia, lawmakers have introduced bills to allow murder charges to be filed in drug-overdose deaths.

In New Hampshire, the attorney general is partnering with federal prosecutors to investigate all opiate-overdose deaths as crimes instead of accidental deaths. A particular focus of the crackdown is fentanyl, which in 2015 surpassed heroin in drug overdose deaths in the state. The synthetic opiate is far more potent than heroin and is often added to intensify the high and cut production costs.

[Life expectancy for white females in U.S. suffers rare decline]

In Pennsylvania, where the exasperated Lycoming County coroner announced in March that he would begin categorizing heroin-overdose deaths as homicides on death certificates, the federal government also has begun ratcheting up penalties for even low-level dealers whose products cause bodily harm or death.

I think a person who supplies illegal drugs to a person that kills them is committing an act of violence, said David Hickton, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, who in 2015 was tapped by then-U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to co-chair a national heroin task force. Its no different than a person who shoots somebody with a gun.

What is different is a focus on the bottom of the supply chain, when investigators once prioritized putting away those at the top.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide are struggling to stop a growing heroin epidemic from spreading across the United States. (McKenna Ewen, Whitney Shefte/The Washington Post)

The heftier criminal charges come even as more locales are deploying their police as first-aid workers always on patrol with the antidote naloxone, which restores breathing and often saves the lives of heroin-overdose victims. A pilot program outside Cincinnati sends police and emergency crews with drug-addiction counselors on follow-up visits to the homes of people who have recently overdosed.

[Despair, death and division in small-town America]

Taken together, the swirl of sometimes conflicting new initiatives  efforts to get users into treatment instead of putting them in jail, the clampdown on suppliers and dealers, dramatic differences across state lines on what constitutes behavior worthy of a murder charge  reflects how the devastating speed of heroins wrath in large sections of the country has left authorities scrambling for solutions.

We are all just kind of at a loss, said Lt. Liz Scott of the sheriffs department in Spotsylvania County, Va.

Disparity for 911 callers

Between 2011 and 2014, the number of heroin overdose deaths in the United States soared from about 4,400 a year to more than 10,000, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Factor in prescription opioids and the 2014 death toll rises to 28,647  a record high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.





To try to save lives, about 30 states have passed good Samaritan laws exempting drug users from prosecution for minor drug violations when they call 911 and stay with a friend who is suffering from an overdose, according to the Drug Policy Alliance. But in states with no such law, a 911 call can be a precursor to a murder charge and a new level of family devastation.

[An American health crisis plaguing white women]

Thats what happened to 39-year-old William Moore, of Spotsylvania County, when he called 911 during the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 26, after finding his wife, Ashley, unresponsive in their mobile home.

Because Moore admitted to deputies that he had given Ashley the heroin  and even though his wife injected the heroin herself  he was charged with felony murder. Moore, who authorities say is an addict and a dealer, also has been charged with child endangerment, because two of the couples children, ages 2 and 10, were home at the time.

Scott acknowledged that Moore apparently wasted little time in dialing 911.

There is no evidence that he waited to clean up the area, she said. He certainly wanted to render aid to his wife. He was cooperative.

Another complication in cracking down on sellers while providing help for users is that the line between the two is often blurred.

1 of 16 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Family tragedies reflect the rise in heroin use View Photos Heroin  now cheap, plentiful and more potent than ever  is killing people at record rates. Caption In Maine, deaths from heroin overdoses ballooned from seven in 2010 to 57 last year. A September 2014 photo of David Paul McCarthy, 29, with his father, Kevin McCarthy and stepmother Nancy McCarthy on a drive through Bar Harbor in a convertible. A month later, David died of a heroin overdose. Courtesy of The McCarthy Family Wait 1 second to continue.

A lot of people who deal drugs are addicts, even though they are caught selling or trafficking, said Inimai Chettiar, director of the Justice Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York Universitys School of Law. If you go after the person who sold to the person who wound up dying, youre not really going after the people who are responsible for the drug trade  the kingpins.

On much of the East Coast, authorities are showing unprecedented leniency to users while cracking down hard on heroin dealers  a polarity highlighted by two specific proposals in the state of New York.

[Surgeon General: Why the opioid epidemic should be treated as a public health crisis]

In Ithaca, Mayor Svante Myrick (D) has proposed creating the nations first injection center where addicts can shoot up under the supervision of medical workers equipped with naloxone.

Meanwhile, the New York state Senate last June passed a bill  named Larees Law after 18-year-old Laree Farrell-Lincoln, who died of a heroin overdose three years ago  that would enable prosecutors to charge heroin dealers with homicide when their product can be linked to a death.

Farrell-Lincoln was the only child of Patty Farrell. She was a straight-A student and a cheerleader. She was also strong-willed and curious, Farrell said, and tried heroin on a whim. Her descent was rapid. She lost 30 pounds in a month and quickly confessed to Farrell, a retired Albany police officer, that she was an addict.

She would be sitting with me on the love seat and she was just high as a kite, Farrell said. It was gut-wrenching. Shed be sitting up, falling asleep, eyes half-closed.

After a 28-day stint in rehab, she relapsed, and her spiral resumed.

One morning, as Farrell was making coffee, she called upstairs to her daughter, and heard no response. She ran upstairs, opened the bedroom door and found Laree facedown in bed, eyes open.

She was the love of my life; I just lived for that kid, Farrell said. Heroin took her down in four months.

On both sides of the addict-supplier divide, families are left in shambles.

In New Orleans, Chelcie Schleben, 23, and her ex-boyfriend Joshua Lore, 25, were locked up for a year and a half as they awaited trial. Schleben and Lore were charged with the murder of Kody Woods, who died of an overdose while the three, all in their early 20s, were using heroin in a home in the citys Gentilly neighborhood in 2014. The two pleaded guilty Tuesday and were sentenced to 10 years in prison.

In a sense, the Woods family lost two members in this tragedy: Woods and Lore were best friends who had palled around since middle school.

It was a brother relationship, said Woodss oldest sibling, Tonya Hebert, 38, who became their mothers right hand after the 1999 death of their father, and then the familys de-facto parent after the 2008 death of their mother. They would do normal boy things  rims on their cars, paintballing, going to the movies. . . . They did so much in life together.

Steven Coleman of Charleston, W.Va., 27, grew up in a troubled home of addicts, according to family members and his attorney. He found his mother in bed, dead of a methadone overdose, in 2004 and got addicted to painkillers prescribed for stomach pain in 2010. When the pills became difficult to acquire, he turned to heroin.

On Valentines Day in 2015, Colemans father, who lived with him, asked him for heroin. Coleman supplied it on a plate, and the father went into a bedroom and used it with a female friend  43-year-old Melody Ann Oxley  who died that night of an overdose, according to the criminal complaint. Coleman discovered Oxley and called 911, but he left the house before responders arrived.



Steve Slater attends the trial of his son, Steven Coleman, on March 30, 2015. (Andrew Spear for The Washington Post)

In what is said to be the first case of its kind in Kanawha County, Coleman was charged with first-degree murder. Coleman sat in jail for nearly a year awaiting trial before he pleaded guilty on April 27 to lesser charges. Although the murder charge was dismissed, Coleman, who was facing life in prison, said the experience has cost him his reputation.

It affected me greatly, he said during a phone call from South Central Regional Jail, where he was held without bail. It ruined how people view me. It ruined everything I ever had.

Heroin, which he snorted, consumed his life. It took away all my pain, all my worry and stress, he said.

After he was jailed, Coleman rode out the withdrawal symptoms with the aid of detox medication but endured sleepless nights, loss of appetite and the pins-and-needles of restless-leg syndrome.

Distort what theyve done

The shift toward stringency bucks a broadening bipartisan push across the United States to roll back the tough-on-crime policies of the 1980s and 90s that locked up untold numbers of nonviolent drug offenders, fueling mass incarceration.



A heroin user prepares to inject himself in New London, Conn. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Some crime experts say the current crackdowns seem all too reminiscent of the old ways.

Douglas Husak, a legal-philosophy professor at Rutgers University, said slapping dealers with murder charges is not only excessive, but misleading.

You want the labels of what criminals have done to give people some kind of idea of what crime theyve committed, he said. You dont want to call somebody a rapist if what he did was grope somebody. Im not condoning groping, but youve misrepresented what hes done. To call people who sell heroin murderers seems to distort what theyve done. Call it like it is  they are drug dealers.

But prosecutors and police leaders say heroins surging death toll has necessitated a tougher and more sophisticated approach to policing.

It doesnt follow that to be smart on crime you have to be soft on crime, said Hickton, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. After his 25-county district was besieged in August by a deadly strain of heroin cut with fentanyl, he announced that his office would lock up heroin dealers for 20 years to life if it could be proved that their product killed. Previously, drug charges have generally been tied to the quantity of drug seized or sold.

Tom Synan, police chief in Newtown, Ohio, and the head of a heroin task force in Hamilton County, agrees with the strategy, saying many dealers are well aware of the dangers of heroin and the more-potent fentanyl.

In many cases, not only do they have prior knowledge, they are the ones helping to mix it, he said. To me that is more than just a street drug. You are intentionally fueling the addiction and giving [users] a product that is extremely dangerous and could cause their death, and you know it.

That profile of a calculating heroin dealer is unrecognizable to Doug McCasland, the father of Jarret McCasland. He said his sons incarceration is an outrage.

McCasland, 60, says he believes Jarret has been wrongfully convicted and is hiring a new attorney to file an appeal.

He is totally innocent, he said.

In the meantime, the elder McCasland said he is struggling to sleep at night. The father-son duo were close; they worked at the same plant and often carpooled together, leaving at 5 in the morning.

They took our son from us, he said. The sentence they gave him is a living execution. . . . You would not believe the kind of person he is versus the kind of person they portray.
health

E-cigarettes making more children sick

Electronic cigarettes have sickened rising numbers of young children, a study of U.S. poison-center calls has found. Most cases involve swallowing liquid nicotine.

While most children werent seriously harmed, one died and several had severe complications, including comas and seizures.

This is an epidemic by any definition, said lead author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The researchers say the results highlight a need for better parent awareness about the importance of keeping the devices out of sight and reach of young children. They also recommend stricter regulations and applauded long-awaited restrictions the Food and Drug Administration issued on Thursday.

The study examined poison center calls about exposure to nicotine and tobacco products among children younger than 6 from January 2012 through April 2015. The most worrisome findings involved e-cigarettes  battery-powered devices that turn nicotine into an inhalable vapor. Some feature colorful packaging and flavored nicotine that can attract young children.

The results were published Mondayin the journal Pediatrics.

The FDA rules issued last week will require federal review of the devices and their ingredients, imposing restrictions similar to those affecting traditional cigarettes. The agency intends to issue rules to require nicotine exposure warnings and child-resistant packaging. That action would supplement the Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention law, which takes effect this summer and will require child-resistant packaging of liquid nicotine containers.

 Associated Press

Maine

Cruise passengers may have norovirus

Federal health officials said passengers aboard the first cruise ship to dock in Portland, Maine, this season may have norovirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 27 percent of the passengers aboard the Balmoral, operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, have gotten sick since the cruise began April 16.

The CDC reported that 252 of the 919 passengers on the Balmoral have fallen ill, as well as eight members of the 502-member crew.

Symptoms of norovirus include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The CDC said the ship has increased its cleaning and disinfection procedures. Two CDC health officers and an epidemiologist boarded the ship during its stop in Baltimore, last week.

Mayor Ethan Strimling told the Portland Press Herald that he learned about the outbreak just before boarding the ship for a tour on Sunday morning.

I could see there were people wiping things down constantly, he said. We got onto the elevators and they wiped the elevators down.

The Balmoral set out from Southampton, England, on April 16 and is due to return May 20.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines did not immediately return a request for comment.

 Associated Press

California

Student wearing hijab misidentified as Isis

A California student was embarrassed and distressed after a picture of her wearing an Islamic headscarf, or hijab, appeared in her high school yearbook with the false name Isis Phillips, a Muslim advocacy group said Sunday.

The senior at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga and her parents were embarrassed after seeing the picture in the yearbook and have suffered a great deal of emotional and psychological distress, according to an emailed statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.

The schools principal has apologized for what she described as a misprint, and CAIR said its legal team would meet on Monday with the family and school officials and seek an investigation of the incident, a spokesman told Reuters.

ISIS is one way to refer to the Islamic State, the militant group that has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria and claimed responsibility for bombings in Europe. The United Nations defines the Islamic State as a terrorist group.

A student who worked on the yearbook said the printing of the wrong name was a mistake and that a student named Isis Phillips had transferred from the school earlier in the year, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

 Reuters

Man charged with killing three: A Hawaii man arrested in connection with the deaths of a woman and two children has been charged. The Hawaii Police Department said John Ali Hoffman, 49, faces several charges, including first-degree murder. He was arrested Friday. The woman has not been publicly identified pending family notification. Police say a boy and girl have not been identified. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that the bodies were those of Hoffmans wife and children. Police said an autopsy found that the three died from gunshot wounds. Hoffman was also charged with three counts of second-degree murder and the use of a firearm to commit a felony. Hoffman is being held on $2.75 million bond ahead of a court appearance set for Monday.

Tenn. girl still missing: A 9-year-old Tennessee girl remains missing days after authorities say she was taken by a noncustodial uncle. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine said the search continued Sunday for Carlie Marie Trent of Rogersville. DeVine said there have been no confirmed sightings despite dozens of tips. The bureau issued an Amber Alert on Thursday, a day after Gary Simpson, 57, signed her out of school under false pretenses. DeVine said they may be in an isolated area such as a campground, campsite or state park. Authorities said they may be in a white van with a Tennessee registration of 173GPS. Carlie is 4 feet 8 inches tall with blond hair and blue eyes. Simpson is 5-foot-10, is balding and has brown hair and eyes. Both are white.

 From news services
SYRIA

Fragile cease-re extended for 48 hours

The Syrian military on Monday extended a fragile cease-fire that had broken down in the northern city of Aleppo, and the United States and Russia worked together to try to get peace talks back on track.

Shortly before the cease-fire was due to expire and as fighting raged in Aleppo, the Syrian military announced that the truce would be extended for 48 hours.

But Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in Paris to discuss Syrian peace talks with his counterparts from Europe and the Middle East, spoke with caution rather than optimism.

These are words on a piece of paper. They are not actions, Kerry said. It is going to be up to the commanders in the field and the interested parties  which includes us.

Earlier in the day, the United States and Russia issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to a truce. The two countries, co-chairs of an international group pushing peace talks, pledged to use their influence with the warring parties  Russia with the Syrian government and the United States with rebel groups  to urge them to refrain from provocations and to stop firing.

Russia said it would work with the Syrian regime to minimize air operations over areas crowded with civilians or rebel groups that have agreed to the truce.

The prospects for peace talks looked dim, however. At the most recent round, each side accused the other of violating the truce.

In their joint statement, the United States and Russia vowed to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement in the faltering talks. They specifically mentioned the need for a political transition from President Bashar al-Assads government.

 Carol Morello and Hugh Naylor

EGYPT

3 killed, 91 injured in re in downtown Cairo

A massive fire engulfed a hotel and several nearby buildings in a busy commercial area in downtown Cairo early Monday, killing three people and wounding 91, according to Egypts ambulance services.

The fire started shortly after midnight inside the six-story Hotel Andalusia in the populous Ataba neighborhood. The flames quickly spread to at least three adjacent buildings, including a warehouse, according to an Interior Ministry statement carried by the state-run Middle East News Agency.

The cause of the blaze, which took six hours to put out, was not known.

As hotel guests were being evacuated, the blaze engulfed dozens of street vendor stalls and small shops along the street.

Many watched with disbelief as the flames consumed their goods, which they said were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

 Associated Press

Judge says El Chapo extradition may proceed: A judge has ruled that drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman can be extradited to face charges in the United States, Mexicos federal court authority said, days after he was moved to a prison along the U.S. border. Guzman, boss of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, was for years the worlds most-wanted drug trafficker until his capture in February 2014. He escaped from prison in July. The Mexican government recaptured him in January.

49 reported killed in Rwanda landslides: At least 49 people have been killed by landslides in northern Rwanda after heavy weekend rains, an official said. Torrential rains in the area about 50 miles from the capital have also destroyed several homes, Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs Minister Seraphine Mukantabana said. Northern Rwanda is particularly hilly, making it vulnerable to landslides during the rainy season.

Iran issues vague denial about report of missile test: Irans defense minister issued a vague denial after a media outlet close to the elite Revolutionary Guard Corps said it test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 1,250 miles two weeks ago. Gen. Hossein Dehghan told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that the military has not conducted a missile test with the range that was published in the media. He did not say whether the military had conducted a recent missile test. The earlier report was carried by the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency. The nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers last year does not include provisions against missile tests.

China landslide death toll climbs to 34: The death toll in a landslide in Chinas southeastern Fujian province has risen to 34, with four people still missing, state media said. The landslide, triggered Sunday by heavy rain, hit a hydroelectric power station that was under construction. Continuing heavy rain in the area was hampering the rescue effort and more evacuations were being organized, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

UAE man whose wife killed U.S. citizen gets life sentence: A court in the United Arab Emirates handed a life sentence to the husband of an Emirati woman executed for the 2014 murder of an American schoolteacher. An Abu Dhabi-based newspaper reported that Mohammed al-Hashemi, 34, was found guilty of planning to assassinate one of the countrys leaders and blow up the racetrack and an Ikea store in Abu Dhabi. Prosecutors had also accused him of transferring nearly $22,000 to support al-Qaeda and of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group.

10 Yemeni rebels reported killed in airstrikes: Security officials and witnesses said at least 10 Yemeni rebels were killed in airstrikes by a Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemens embattled government. They said the air raids hit a military camp in Amran province and also wounded more than 15. Meanwhile, the coalition said Saudi forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired across the border from Yemen. The fighting continues even though Yemens warring sides are taking part in indirect peace talks in Kuwait.

 From news services
According to the May 6 Economy & Business article Discovery plans buyouts that may lead to layoffs, David M. Zaslav, chief executive of Discovery Communications, told investors, The ultimate goal is to maximize growth. To do this, Discovery is offering buyouts, which may lead to layoffs. Two years ago, Mr. Zaslav was the countrys highest paid executive.

I have two questions: Is this cost-cutting measure a way to increase his compensation? And if not enough employees select the buyout to reach the companys goal, will Mr. Zaslav take a cut in his compensation before laying off lower-level employees?

Anne G. Kaiser, Silver Spring
The heart-rending story about Diane Guerrero touched a nerve [Actress shares story of her parents deportation, Style, May 4]. As a mother, I sympathize with the anguish she experienced as a consequence of her parents deportation. As a native Colombian, I understand the desire of immigrants who want to improve their circumstances by living in another country. And as a naturalized U.S. citizen, I agree with her that there is a need for immigration reform.

The U.S. government should develop a fair and sensitive immigration policy that encourages people to seek legal entry to this country so that families can remain intact while following their dream of a better economic life.

Nancy Jesurun-Clements, Oak Hill
I know the polls say Donald Trump cannot win. But what if we are looking at the wrong poll question?

What if Trumps overwhelming negatives dont matter? Or, to put it another way, what if the countrys negatives matter more?

Right now, about 6 in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view of Trump, and only 36 percent view him positively.

But the country is faring even worse. In the most recent average of polls calculated by RealClearPolitics, 26.9 percent of Americans think the nation is headed in the right direction and 64.9 percent think we are heading down the wrong track.

So what if even voters who respect Hillary Clintons competence reject her as the embodiment of business as usual? And what if even voters who do not like Trumps bigotry or bluster care more that he will, in their view, shake things up?

Sure, these voters might tell themselves, he may be crude, or inconsistent, or ill-informed. He may insult women and Hispanics and other groups. But its part of a shtick. He probably doesnt mean half of it. Hes just an entertainer. The desire to send a message of disgust or disapproval, in other words, could lead voters to overlook, discount, wish away or excuse many Trump sins.

Meanwhile, Clinton cannot shake free of the status quo. You may remember how this bedeviled Al Gore when he asked voters to give the Democratic Party a third straight presidential term in 2000. The vice president managed to achieve the worst of both worlds, alienating Bill Clinton and his most ardent supporters without establishing himself as an entirely new brand.

Unlike Gore, Hillary Clinton is not an incumbent. But she is no less associated with the establishment, having served as first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state over the past quarter-century. Even if she were inclined to do so, she could not afford to distance herself from President Obama, whose backers she will need to turn out in large numbers.

I know there is an element of irrationality in these fears. I understand that not every dissatisfied American will vote for Trump.

About two-thirds of the country may think we are on the wrong track, after all, but Obamas approval rating is 51 percent and rising.

Meanwhile, only 4.7 percent of eligible voters have actually cast a ballot for Trump in the party nomination process so far, as an analysis by FairVote shows. Many of the remaining 95.3 percent, no matter how unhappy most are with the performance of their government, will take their responsibility seriously enough that they will not vote for someone who casually threatens the faith and credit of the United States, breezily posits the merits of nuclear proliferation and cheerfully espouses torture as an instrument of U.S. policy.

Republicans are divided, the economy is improving, the demographics are increasingly in Democrats favor. The likeliest result of a Trump nomination is a Republican washout up and down the ballot.

I do get all that.

Still, when I hear smart people explaining why Trump cannot win, all I can think is: Arent you the ones who told us that he couldnt top 30 percent, and then 40 percent, and then 50 percent in the Republican primaries? Werent you confident that he was finished after he called Mexicans rapists, and insulted prisoners of war, and dished out a menstruation insult?

Did you predict his nomination? If not, we dont want to hear your certainty about his November defeat.

Nor is it reassuring to read how happy the Clinton camp must be to be facing such a weak opponent. They need to be running scared  smart, but scared  now and for the next six months.

I do have faith in the American voter, I really do. But when two-thirds of the country is unhappy, a rational outcome cant be taken for granted.

Read more from Fred Hiatts archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
MECHANICSVILLE, MD - APRIL 25: A woman stands at the voting booth at the White Marsh Elementary School polling station, April 26, 2016 in Mechanicsville, Maryland. Maryland is one of five states that is holding their primary elections today. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

As the election process shifts from the primary to the general-election phase, the media must resolve to invoke the golden rule when interviewing the candidates and their spokespeople. He who has the gold makes the rules. Media  not the candidates  have the gold. The candidates need exposure from TV, radio, print and digital.

Its a new ballgame now, and the media must be accountable to their audiences. Media must be prepared to terminate an interview early if a candidate is not answering questions directly or attempts to use the opportunity to blather on with tweets instead of substance.

Kenneth C. Mahieu, McLean

I am not sure whether I am more angered or saddened by Eliot A. Cohens May 5 op-ed, The case for a third party.

Mr. Cohen ignored the fact that there is a third party: the Libertarian Party. It is active in all 50 states and has existed since 1971. The candidate in 2012, Gary Johnson, a two-term New Mexico governor, received more than 1.2 million votes for the first time in the partys history and is expected to do much better this go-round, especially considering his likely opponents.

The party stands for small government. It is fiscally conservative and socially liberal, values shared by a high and seemingly increasing percentage of U.S. citizens, most of whom are, unfortunately, unaware of the partys existence.

Harry Viener, Burke

Eliot A. Cohen, who served under presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, called for a third-party candidate to stop Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, even if it would mean Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, the lesser evil, would become president.

Instead of electing Ms. Clinton, carrying out his suggestion might be the best Republican path to the White House. This is so because a strong, moderate Republican might well prevent anyone from obtaining a majority of the electors, in which case the House is charged with immediately picking one of the candidates to be the next president.

John R. Maney, Springfield

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been repeating some false statements over and over again. Here are the last four of his claims that the Post's Fact Checker gave Four Pinocchios. (Jenny Starrs,Michelle Lee/The Washington Post)

In his May 5 op-ed, Charles Lane asserted that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps supporters have abdicated their duty to hold a candidate accountable for his or her ideas. But Mr. Lanes admonishment failed to recognize that present-day GOP primary voters are rejecting President Obamas ideas of the past seven years. If voters move Mr. Trump to the White House, progressives will be the ones who suffer postpartum blues after Mr. Obama has departed. A Trump presidency would be the birth of a new era.

John K. Lambert, Silver Spring

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said she will support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump but not endorse him [ Trumps sacking of the GOP, op-ed, May 6]. She could have said that she would endorse him but not support him. Or she could have said that she would not endorse or support him but would vote for him. Or support him and vote for him but not endorse him. Or not endorse him, support him, or vote for him but like him on Facebook.

Barry Blyveis, Columbia
Lawrence Summers is a professor at and past president of Harvard University. He was treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001 and an economic adviser to President Obama from 2009 through 2010.

Most of the time, I use this column to recommend policy changes that I believe would make the world a better place. This time I am using it to salute a policy change that I believe will have important benefits and that carries with it important lessons. The decision of the European Central Bank (ECB) last week to end the production of 500-euro notes is a triumph of reasonable judgment over shameless fear-mongering. As an important paper published a few months ago by former Standard Chartered chief executive Peter Sands and his Harvard colleagues demonstrates, this change will make the world a safer, fairer place and carries important lessons for the future.

Almost everything in life and in public policy has both good and bad sides. Automobiles provide great transportation services but sometimes lead to devastating accidents. Liquid financial markets provide huge benefits to savers and investors but can be driven to speculative excess. High-denomination currency notes stand out as a case in which good uses are dwarfed by bad ones. Britains Serious Organized Crime Agency has estimated that more than 90 percent of British demand for 500-euro notes came from criminals before their availability was curtailed there in 2010.

There is little if any legitimate use for 500-euro notes. Carrying out a transaction with 20 50-euro notes hardly seems burdensome, and this would represent over $1,000 in purchasing power. Twenty 200-euro notes would be almost $5,000. Who in todays world needs cash for a legitimate $5,000 transaction? Indeed, the ECB found that 56 percent of the E.U. public had never laid eyes on a 500-euro note. Cash transactions of more than 3,000 euros have in fact been made illegal in Italy, while France has placed the limit at 1,000 euros. Anyone who thinks that abolishing a high-denomination note damages a countrys currency or its citizenry should note that the United States and Canada phased out the $1,000 note and, in the case of the United States, the $500 bill as well without noticeable complaint.

The ECB policy is at the gentle end of the reasonable spectrum of possible policies. Unlike in the case of the United States, no effort is being made to stop the use of existing notes as legal tender, and the policy is being implemented only at the end of 2018. After Europes action, it will still produce notes more than twice as valuable as the highest-denomination notes issued anywhere else in the Group of Seven. And certainly there is no suggestion that eliminating cash completely would be desirable or is in conceivable prospect.

In contrast to the absence of an important role for 500-euro notes in normal commerce, these bills have a major role facilitating illicit activity, as suggested by their nickname Bin Ladens. Measurement is obviously difficult, but estimates by Austrian professor Friedrich Schneider suggest that physical cash is used for 80 percent of the global drug trade, 50 percent of human trafficking transactions, 70 percent of small-arms trade and 50 percent of transactions in human organs. Estimates by the International Monetary Fund and others of total annual money laundering consistently exceed $1 trillion. High-denomination notes also have a substantial role in facilitating tax evasion and capital flight.

To be sure, it is difficult to estimate how much crime would be prevented by stopping the creation of 500-euro notes. It would surely impose some burdens on criminals and might interfere with some transactions, which is not unimportant. The key point is that even a small reduction in crime would more than justify the loss of any possible benefit that comes from the 500-euro note.

Europe has led on a significant security issue. But its action should be seen as a beginning, not an end. As a first follow-on, the world should demand that Switzerland stop issuing 1,000-Swiss-franc notes. After Europes action, these will stand out as the worlds highest-denomination note by a huge margin. Switzerland has a long and unfortunate history with illicit finance. It would be tragic if it were to profit from criminal currency substitution following Europes bold step. Second, the question of the facilitation of criminal activity should be placed prominently on the Group of 20 agenda. There would be a strong case for stopping the creation of notes with values greater than perhaps $50 and also for greater cooperation to assure that new financial technologies such as bitcoin do not become vehicles for facilitating illicit transactions.
Regarding the May 8 Local Opinions essay Maryland needs women in Congress :

Democratic women spoke loudly in last months primary election by overwhelmingly choosing Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) to be their nominee for the Senate. Women in Maryland care about advancing policies that benefit women, families and our entire communities. Maryland state Del. Kathy Szeliga (R-Baltimore County) and Republicans in the Maryland General Assembly and across the country are on the wrong side of issues such as the right to paid sick and family leave, reproductive choice and a higher minimum wage, while Mr. Van Hollen has been a leader on vital womens issues. As shown by the primary, the Maryland Republican Party now is the party of presidential candidate Donald Trump, who seeks to raise himself up by dividing Americans based on religion, ethnicity, race and gender. By contrast, Mr. Van Hollen has always worked to bring people together to fight for the common good.

Yvette Lewis, Bowie

Susan Turnbull, Bethesda

The writers are former chairs of the

Maryland Democratic Party.
THE INTENT of Virginias ban on voting by convicted felons was to weaken the political power of black people, whose electoral clout was abhorrent to the racists who enacted the prohibition a century ago. Today, Virginia Republicans, who have done their utmost to dilute minority voting by enacting arbitrary voter-ID requirements, are animated by the same idea.

Determined to block any surge in African American electoral participation in November, which would mainly benefit Democrats, they are planning litigation to challenge Gov. Terry McAuliffes executive order that restores voting rights to more than 200,000 former convicts who have finished serving their felony sentences.

When Richmonds GOP leaders embarked on their campaign to tighten voter-ID laws, they could cite no widespread or credible problem with fraud at the polls. Today, similarly, they can point to no constitutional language preventing Mr. McAuliffe, a Democrat, from restoring voting rights to ex-convicts  something that takes place routinely in most states.

Governor McAuliffes flagrant disregard for the Constitution of Virginia and the rule of law must not go unchecked, declared Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City), who cited no provision in law or the constitution to buttress his claim.

No wonder Richmond Republicans are floundering. The leading expert on (and the principal draftsman of) the state constitution, University of Virginia law professor A.E. Dick Howard, has said Mr. McAuliffe has ample authority to restore voting rights to felons who have paid their debt to society. And Mr. McAuliffes GOP predecessor, former governor Robert F. McDonnell, encountered little resistance from fellow Republicans when, just three years ago, he established a system to automatically restore the vote to thousands of nonviolent former felons annually.

No principle distinguishes Mr. McAuliffes move from Mr. McDonnells; whats different is the scale. While Mr. McDonnells move empowered perhaps 10,000 ex-convicts, Mr. McAuliffes covers 206,000 in one fell swoop, with more to come as they become eligible.

Republicans insist Mr. McAuliffe has overstepped by not restoring voting rights on a case-by-case basis. But the constitution says nothing to require any such individualized review, and Mr. McDonnell himself ignored that nicety.

A surge in voting by former felons, who are disproportionately black, might tilt Virginia, a swing state, toward the Democrats. Mindful of the stakes, the Republicans have hired the biggest legal gun they could find to challenge the governors executive order: Charles J. Cooper, an assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration.

The ban on voting by felons has disenfranchised nearly a quarter-million African Americans in Virginia, about a fifth of the total. Mr. McAuliffes office has issued extensive citations from the constitution, under which a felon is banned from voting unless his civil rights have been restored by the Governor and further empowers the governor to remove political disabilities consequent upon conviction.

That looks like sufficient constitutional basis for Mr. McAuliffes action, on top of the moral imperative of erasing one of the last and most noxious vestiges of Jim Crow in Virginia.
Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Spokane, Wash., on May 7. (Jake Parrish/Reuters)

There must be 50 ways to leave your leader.

Some slip out the back.

In this election, I do not support either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).

Some are making new plans.

I cannot support Donald Trump, said Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), calling for a third-party choice.

The Fix breaks down the 10 Republicans who have been most vocally opposed to Trump's nomination. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

A few are being coy.

Conventions have never been very appealing to me, said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), explaining why he would miss this summers.

Others on this bus wont discuss much.

Im not going to take any more stupid questions about Donald Trump, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R ) said, explaining that he was not endorsing any candidate.

The rest drop off the key  I dont think he has the temperament or judgment to be commander in chief, said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)  and get themselves free.

There is a mass displeasure with Trump among elected Republican officials. But each seems to have a different way of expressing the disdain. A few are overtly hostile to Trump and categorical in their refusal to support the demagogue, including Reps. Bob Dold (Ill.), Scott Rigell (Va.), Richard Hanna (N.Y.) and Justin Amash (Mich.)  Amash said Trump might be a bigger threat to freedom than Hillary Clinton. But most are painstakingly nuanced, trying to keep their distance from Trump without antagonizing his supporters.

There are those who say they arent yet supporting Trump, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.), who is not there yet, Rep. Barbara Comstock (Va.), who says Trump hasnt earned her vote at this time, and Rep. Ann Wagner (Mo.), who says shes not for Trump thus far.

Some feign deliberation. I would like to ask him questions about some of the statements hes made, said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), a House GOP leader.

A few are dissing Trump by omission. Both former presidents Bush said they wont attend the convention, nor support Trump, though they supported past Republican nominees. But Jeb Bush (like 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney) is more high-energy on this point: I will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, he says.

Probably the most delicate in their Trump distancing are the most vulnerable Republican senators up for reelection in November. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) is a profile in parsing. Kelly plans to support the nominee, a spokeswoman explained. But she isnt planning to endorse anyone this cycle.

Sen. John McCain wont go to the Cleveland convention, but he told CNNs Manu Raju that he could support Trump. Still, he wont share a stage with Trump unless a lot of things happen  including a retraction of Trumps statement disparaging American prisoners of war.

Sen. Rob Portman, who is vulnerable in Ohio, has an additional problem: He cant really skip the convention, because its in his home state. Instead, hes planning to have a mini-convention with his supporters somewhere in Cleveland.

Sen. Richard Burr, potentially in trouble in North Carolina, told a crowd that having our preferences is no longer an option and that the nominee is going to be Trump. So will he campaign with Trump? Im going to be focused on my own reelection, he told the Raleigh News & Observer.

In Illinois, Sen. Mark Kirk had said he would support Trump if he were the nominee but now says Trump is a riverboat gamble and pronounces himself probably the best-positioned Republican to weather the institution of Trumpism.

The website TPM is keeping a running tally of where elected Republicans stand on Trump: 11 who have endorsed Trump (including Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Ron Johnson of Michigan, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie); 23 who are supporting the nominee with varying levels of discomfort (including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California); five who refuse to say (including Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder); five NeverTrump types (including Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada); and eight fuzzballs trying not to commit (including Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who said that it is not the choice I had hoped to be presented with, but I guess this is where we are.)

But TPM is surely low-balling the number of fuzzballs. The Chicago Tribune reports that Gov. Bruce Rauner wont formally endorse Trump (hes apparently open to supporting Trump casually). Rep. John Katko (N.Y.) declares himself concerned about Trump, while Rep. Charlie Dent (Pa.) says Trump has a great deal of work to do to convince many Americans, myself included.

By comparison, Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.) is refreshingly clear. I will not support Mr. Trump, he told the CBS Miami affiliate. That is not a political decision; that is a moral decision.

There. Was that so hard?

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
In his May 6 op-ed, The ideological earthquake, Charles Krauthammer mischaracterized the ideology that was rejected by GOP voters. Mr. Krauthammer cited voters feeling of betrayal by conservative leaders who didnt deliver on their promises to adhere to conservative orthodoxy (repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, stop President Obamas tax-and-spend hyperliberalism).

GOP voters rejected the ideology of the Republican Party for the past seven years, which has been to deny anything that would look like a victory for President Obama. This ideology of no has led to increased mistrust of government, continued crumbling of infrastructure and anemic economic growth. And where there have been conservative leaders who have been able to imprint the conservative ideology on government (for example, Kansas, Louisiana and Michigan), the state has failed its people.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has offered to break this cycle of no and less in a different way, by promising yes and more to getting things done that help people. The GOP voters chose Mr. Trump because he refused to adhere to the recent conservative ideology of no. They want their government to work for them, not against them.

Maurice Werner, Washington

Charles Krauthammer expressed the dismay of many Republicans over the triumph of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Mr. Krauthammer noted that, in exit polls, up to 60 percent of GOP voters said they feel betrayed by their leaders because of the failure of the GOP-dominated Congress to roll back Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood and attack other GOP targets.

The premise is wrong. The electorate is not so much charmed by anti-government ideology as it is concerned about the governments failure to respond to peoples very real concerns: jobs, health care, affordable housing and other practical issues. Sixty-two percent of the public supports the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare upholding health-insurance subsidies. Gallup reports that 59 percent of Americans view Planned Parenthood favorably. In 2013, The Post reported that 53 percent of Americans blamed the GOP for the government shutdown. Mr. Trumps unexpected success with GOP voters should be a wake-up call that Americans are primarily seeking not ideological purity but a government that listens and seeks to address their real-life needs.

Elizabeth R. Conklin, Honolulu
Former Oklahoma Gov. David Hall in 2007 at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. (Jaconna Aguirre/AP)

David Hall, a former Oklahoma governor who maintained his innocence long after an indictment complicated his public legacy, died May 6 at a hospital near his home in La Jolla, Calif. He was 85.

The cause was a stroke, his daughter Julie Martin said.

Mr. Hall, a Democrat, served one term as a governor, from 1971 to 1975. Three days after leaving office, he was indicted on federal racketeering and extortion charges stemming from a scheme involving payment to sway investment of state retirement funds.

He was convicted of bribery and extortion and served 19 months of a three-year sentence. All the while, he maintained his innocence and wrote a book about his experience.

David Walters, who served as the states Democratic governor from 1991 to 1995, praised Mr. Halls willingness to increase revenue during tough financial times.

His own financial controversies and accusations  which led, of course, to conviction  cloud his administration, but he had the courage at the time to raise revenues when the state desperately needed them, and so met his obligations as the head administrator for the state, Walters said.

Current Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican, said in a statement: During his tenure as governor, he focused on the states education system and was committed to expanding Oklahomas roads. He called education the golden problem solver of the 20th century, and introduced what was then the largest-road-building program in Oklahoma history.

Mr. Hall was born in Oklahoma City on Oct. 20, 1930. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1952 and served in the Air Force before earning a law degree from the University of Tulsa in 1959.

He later was county attorney for Tulsa County and a law professor at the University of Tulsa before defeating incumbent Republican Gov. Dewey F. Bartlett Sr. In 1974, Mr. Hall lost to David L. Boren, a Democrat, who later served in the U.S. Senate and is now president of the University of Oklahoma.

Mr. Hall left Oklahoma after serving his sentence and settled in Southern California, where he worked in real estate ventures.

Survivors include his wife, Jo Evans Hall, and three children.
At a campaign rally here in one of the most liberal towns in America, Donald Trump offered praise for an unusual party: avowed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders.

Now, Im no fan of Bernie Sanders, but he is 100 percent right, Trump told a crowd here this weekend. He is 100 percent right: Hillary Clinton is totally controlled by the people that put up her money. Shes totally controlled by Wall Street.

Thats not the only area where the presumptive Republican nominee sounds like Sanders, who is challenging Clinton for the Democratic nomination. On a series of issues, including free trade and foreign military intervention, Trump is effectively running to the left not only of his own party but also of Clinton.

For weeks, Trump has openly praised Sanders, crediting the senator from Vermont for raising questions about the former secretary of states judgment on campaign finance, trade and foreign policy. He has also pointed to Sanderss questioning of Clintons qualifications as a sign that the topic is fair game.

NAFTA has been one of the great economic disasters. Who signed it? Clinton. Clinton, Trump said Saturday at a rally in Lynden, Wash. He was referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which was actually signed by George H.W. Bush but was implemented through legislation signed by Bill Clinton.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to and meets California voters during a rally at East Los Angeles College in east Los Angeles on Thursday May 5, 2016. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post)

It has destroyed, Ill tell you what, its destroyed our country as we know it, Trump said.

The line of attack poses an unusual and vexing challenge for the Democratic front-runner, who has spent months embracing increasingly liberal positions in her primary fight with Sanders. After jockeying to win over voters on the left, the Clinton campaign is now tasked with pinpointing the best way to attack Trump  an ideological moving target who sometimes switches positions within the space of a day  while also reaching out to moderates and disaffected conservatives.

[Theres nobody left: Evangelicals feel abandoned by GOP in wake of Trump]

The real estate mogul has sought to develop a clear contrast with Clinton on foreign affairs and international trade, calling for an America First policy that simultaneously turns her experience as the nations chief diplomat against her while tapping into the anxieties of angry voters worried about being left behind by globalization. In recent days, he has also moved to the left on the minimum wage and tax policy, suggesting that he is willing to alter his positions to benefit the middle class.

But Trumps populist pitch may be seriously hampered, even among voters skeptical of Clinton, by his controversial statements on women, Muslims and Mexican immigrants.

During an anti-Trump protest in Eugene last week, many said they would remain firmly opposed to his candidacy on the basis of social issues, including his controversial calls to deport millions of illegal immigrants and to temporarily ban Muslim foreigners from entering the country.

Doug Gustafson, 29, of Bellingham, Wash., is a Sanders supporter who agrees that both Sanders and Trump have ignited the passions of Americans who feel increasingly disenfranchised. But although he agrees with Trump that recent trade pacts are bad for American workers, Gustafson said the Republicans controversial rhetoric disqualifies him from consideration for higher office.

1 of 10 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  10 celebrities who say theyll leave the U.S. if Donald Trump is elected president View Photos From Jon Stewart to Cher, some said theyd move to Canada, but some preferred another planet. Caption From Jon Stewart to Cher, some said theyd move to Canada, but some preferred another planet. Jon Stewart After the Emmy Awards in September, Stewart was asked whether hed consider returning to "The Daily Show" if Donald Trump is elected president in 2016. I would consider getting in a rocket and going to another planet because clearly this planet has gone bonkers," he said. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

I think a broken clock is right twice a day, he said.

But Gustafson added that, given her cozy ties to Wall Street, he would not be able to vote for Clinton in November, either. Im not going to vote for the oligarchy, he said.

[The Trump effect: Some Republicans fear no seat is safe]

Not every Sanders supporter is Bernie or Bust, however.

Shes not an infallible candidate or human being, but shell have my support in the general, said Andy Brocco, 44, who lives in Eugene and is supporting Sanders.

Brianna Soumokil, 19, called herself a big Bernie supporter but said that she would vote for Clinton in the general election just to ensure Trump doesnt get it.

She dismissed Trumps praise of Sanders for attacking Clinton. I would definitely not be happy voting for her. I dont support her. I dont believe in what she believes in, Soumokil said. But when it comes down to the same-old-same-old or fascism, Id definitely choose Hillary.

Sanders has also made clear he is no fan of Trump, but the two do broadly agree on some issues, at least when it comes to their critiques.

Like Trump, Sanders has regularly warned about what he believes are the lopsided benefits of global trade deals, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which was brokered by the Obama administration. Clinton praised the deal while she was secretary of state, but after heavy attacks from Sanders last year, she said she opposes the pact.

Sanders and Trump have both blasted Clinton for her 2003 vote in favor of the Iraq War, for her ties to wealthy Wall Street donors and over her qualifications to be president. Both also now criticize her for the 2011 military intervention in Libya, although Trump was a strong supporter of it at the time.

[Milbank: Sanders and Trump are peas in a pod]

Hes been tough on her. In fact, Id like him to keep going because the longer he goes, the more Im going to like it, Trump said last month in Harrisburg, Pa., the first of many such comments. So Bernie Sanders, not me, said she is not qualified. So now Im going to say, Shes not qualified. Okay?

Sanderss aides dismiss suggestions that Trump cribbing the senators words will ultimately hurt Clinton. They argue that these lines of attack pale in comparison to the thick books of opposition research that Republicans will employ against her.

Trumps apparent positions of agreement with Sanders have added to his problems with Republicans, many of whom are refusing to back him as the presumptive nominee because of his caustic rhetoric and controversial policies. The mogul waves away such complaints.

Some people would say Im not that conservative on trade, he said this weekend in Eugene. And I believe in free trade, which everybody likes, but weve been taken advantage of by globalization because we have leaders that are incompetent. They dont know how to do deals.

He added on ABCs This Week: Dont forget  this is called the Republican Party. Its not called the Conservative Party.

As for Clinton, she and her campaign have gone hard after Trump since he effectively secured the GOP nomination last week, attacking him as an intolerant, out-of-touch plutocrat. She has focused in particular on some of his more bellicose foreign policy remarks as perilous and unsafe.

What Im hearing from him talk about, Oh, let other countries have nuclear weapons. . . . Were trying to reduce their numbers to prevent other countries from having them, and he talks about it like its some real estate deal, Clinton said Friday in Oakland, Calif. That is dangerous. It is reckless.

Scott Clement and Anne Gearan in Washington and Katie Zezima in Oakland, Calif., contributed to this report.
A girl from the Northern Indian state of Haryana was one of four girls whose supporters say they were raped at the order of a panchayat, village council, as punishment to the entire community over a land dispute. (Enrico Fabian/For The Washington Post)

The teenage girl, dressed in pink, sits in the dirt before six community elders.

In a scene captured on a cellphone video, one of the men wags his finger angrily at her. He rages: This girl must be punished.

A villager ties her waist with rope, holding the other end, and lifts a tree branch into the air. She bows her head. The first lash comes, then another, then another. Ten in all. She lets out a wail.

Eventually the crowd starts murmuring, Enough, enough, although nobody moves to stop the beating. Finally, the man throws down his stick. Its over.

She is 13 years old. Or maybe 15. Her family doesnt know for sure. She has never set foot in a school and has spent most of her life doing chores at home, occasionally begging for food and performing in her fathers acrobatic show, for which she is given 20 rupees, about 30 cents.

Sube Singh Samain (center), age 60, a cotton and rice farmer and leader of an association of clan councils in Hisar, Haryana, says the councils play a valuable role in smoothing things over between families and keeping disputes out of the courts. (Enrico Fabian/For The Washington Post)

Her crime? Being too scared to tell anyone her father raped her.

India is a country of 1.2 billion people, with a growing economy, a young population and an energetic prime minister eager to sell the country on the world stage. A generation of women taking stronger roles in the workforce, in colleges and online isnt afraid to push against outdated misogyny  be it acid attacks, rape and sexual harassment, or the demeaning portrayal of women in movies and advertisements.

[The brutal ways some clan councils in South Asia punish women]

Yet patriarchal prejudices ingrained for centuries have been tough to shake loose despite a growing clamor for change  and continue to affect life from the village water pump to the judicial system and beyond.

Male-dominated village councils have existed in India for centuries to resolve disputes between neighbors and serve as enforcers of social mores in the countrys stratified caste system. Although elected village bodies were established by the Indian government in 1992, unelected clan councils continue to operate with impunity throughout rural India, issuing their own edicts in the name of preserving harmony.

Five years after the Supreme Court said such councils should be illegal, the central government and some states are only beginning to pass or contemplate laws that would limit their behavior.

These councils often prevent or break up marriages and love affairs between couples from different castes, and they have instigated honor killings. Women typically receive the harshest punishments.

They also intervene in cases of sexual assault  mediating resolutions between two families, attempting to smooth over devastating wounds with a few hundred rupees, and even in some cases forcing a victim to marry her rapist. Amid international outrage about the 2012 fatal gang rape of a Delhi student, laws were passed to make it easier for rape victims to file charges. But the road to the police station is still a long one.

[Gang rape of a woman on a bus in New Delhi raises outrage in India]

In rape cases, their role is underground and not officially or publicly acknowledged, said Jagmati Sangwan of the All India Democratic Womens Association, a longtime critic. They will ask the family of the victim to go for a compromise, go for mediation, and that suppresses the interests of the victim.

Sube Singh Samain, a leader of an association of clan councils in the northern state of Haryana, said they serve a vital role in a county with an overburdened justice system and where legal cases can be costly. He said that village elders have banned the sale of meat, restricted cellphone use by youths and even prohibited loud music at weddings. (The music is so bad the cows and bulls fall over and run away, he said.) They also step in to smooth things between families, sometimes urging people to withdraw police complaints.

We say, Lets not go to the courts; lets resolve it,  he said. We encourage them to go back to the police if a [complaint] has already been filed and say, I was not in a right state of mind; I want to take back my statement. 

[Why wont India criminalize marital rape? ]

Some of the most brutal decrees have garnered international headlines.

In 2014, for example, a clan council in the state of West Bengal ordered the gang rape of a woman as punishment for her relationship with a man outside her tribal community  with a leader allegedly urging the council to go enjoy the girl and have fun, according to a police complaint.

In Maharashtra, representatives from an advocacy group called the Committee for Eradication of Blind Faith work with about 100 people a year who have been victimized by caste councils  called panchayats  most of them female.

Women are forced to retrieve a coin from a vat of boiling oil to prove their purity. One woman was forced to walk, scantily clad, through the forest while the panchayat members threw balls of dough straight off a fire at her back.

You cant have a parallel judiciary thats completely unaccountable and gives arbitrary punishments  many of them barbaric, said Hamid Dabholkar, the head of the advocacy group. That is what happened in this case where the girl was beaten when she herself was a victim.

Grim turn in a hard life

Before she died, Anusuya Chavans existence had been as precarious as the tightrope she walked in her husbands acrobatic shows. For the most part, she was able to shelter her two younger daughters from their fathers rages, but eventually her own drinking and battle with tuberculosis caught up with her. She died last year.

[10 reasons why India has a sexual violence problem]

At the time, her teenage daughter begged to go live with one of her older siblings, but the father, Shivram Yeshwant Chavan, told her no. He needed someone to cook, keep house and earn money for him.

Up until then, the girls life had not been easy, but there were small comforts. She had no friends, but she liked turning handstands in the dirt with her sister, Laila, 7. Or buying a snack of spicy puffed rice or kulfi, a frozen dessert, with pocket change her father slipped her.

Then one night in January, her father came home from his job playing a steel drum in a wedding band, drunk on local hooch. She was sound asleep on the ground in their home, her sister curled up tight next to her. He got down on the ground, too, and put his hand over her mouth.

Victimized again

In early March, a farmer and local labor activist named Sachin Tukaram Bhise was headed to a nearby village to find day laborers for his wheat and sugar cane farm when he heard a village council was to be called by members of the local Gopal community, near Mauje Jawalwadi. Shivram Chavans sons did not know the whole story but feared the worst and had ostracized their father; he was ready to confess.

The Gopals are a largely illiterate, impoverished group who were once nomads making their living as cow herders and itinerant street performers. Many have since settled down to menial jobs in the fertile farming region in the shadow of the basalt crags of the Sahyadri mountain range.

As Bhise watched, people from around the area gathered in the main square of the village amid tin-roofed sheds. The teenager and her father were brought to kneel before the council.

[Why an Indian judge thinks rapists should marry their victims]

Chavan bowed his head and admitted what he had done, Bhise recalled, and said he was ready for whatever punishment the council would give him. Then the elders turned to the teenager and began to berate her.

They said it was the girls fault. That the father was drunk and he was not in his senses, Bhise said. I got angered at the whole thing. How could a girl invite such an act? The panch said, Youre useless, youre the culprit. She was crying.

Bhise took out his cellphone and surreptitiously began recording video as the council issued its verdict  a fine of about $67 and a whipping of 15 sticks for the father, five sticks for the girl. They would be whipped until each of the thin tree branches broke.

Bhise took his evidence to the police, who later arrested all seven members of the council, charging them with conspiracy, extortion and assault. The father was held on charges of child abuse.

Teen: I was at fault

It did not hurt me, because they beat me very lightly, the teenager said quietly about a month later.

She was curled up on a tarpaulin outside the place where she now lives with her brother and his family  a hut of fabric pieces stretched over bamboo poles and secured by rocks. It sits on a ridge overlooking a sweeping mountain vista.

As she spoke, the girl began to cry, tears slipping easily from her eyes. She touched the feet of a Marathi-speaking visitor, a gesture of respect, and said she has only herself to blame.

I asked them to beat me because I was at fault, she said. The fault was I did not tell anyone about this at home. I told them my father just held my hand. That was my mistake.

Her sister-in-law, Jaya, who was sitting with her on the tarpaulin, agreed that she had been wrong.

If she had told them, the brothers would have beaten the father. There would have been no panchayat and the matter would have been resolved at home, she said. If the brothers hadnt beaten him, then the sisters-in-law would have.

Now, the woman said, the girl just wants to close the case and put it behind her. Since the attack, she has been interviewed by a female police officer, undergone a medical examination, and received a small amount of money from the states victims fund.

[Indias rape problem is also a police problem]

Last month, the state government of Maharashtra approved a measure that prohibits the gathering of village councils to impose a social boycott, one of the most common  and devastating  punishments. It effectively banishes an individual or family, cutting them off from communal water pumps, stores or the local temple.

Some in the Indian government have called for other states to follow suit, and the government has tightened its laws to prohibit social boycotting in some cases.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he had pushed through the bill because of a rising number of disturbing cases of caste panchayats acting improperly.

We cannot allow atrocities against any individual or groups, he said. We will not allow parallel institutions of justice by non-state actors, and we cannot compromise on the dignity and rights of individuals.

And in April, the Gopal community decided to disband the panchayat system and take criminal matters directly to the police from then on, community leader Dilip Dinkar Jadhav said.

Marry the rapist?

For a while it seemed that the members of the panchayat, or at least the man who administered the beating, did not want to be found. A trip to his village  a few families living on a narrow dirt lane near a small yellow Hindu temple  turned up nothing.

We dont know him, one of the neighbors said.

But after a flurry of telephone calls, Arun Jadhav agreed to meet. He appeared with Dilip Jadhav at a roadside restaurant on the areas busy National Highway 4, which is studded with expensive auto dealerships that cater to the areas prosperous farmers and white-collar workers. Arun Jadhav, 45, an illiterate trumpet player, was reserved, a Nike ball cap pulled low over his eyes. Dilip Jadhav, 45, a wedding band manager with a gold-tone watch and a neat checked shirt, had the air of a man used to sorting out problems.

Arun Jadhav, who is not directly related to Dilip Jadhav, said he had been called to the village that day to attend a memorial service for the teenagers mother that evolved into the panchayat meeting.

Somebody asked me to take responsibility for hitting these people, and thats what I did. I had tea and then I left, he said.

Both men agreed that the teenager deserved the beating because she hid the truth about the assault.

Dilip Jadhav said it has fallen upon him to secure a future for the girl, which will be difficult.

If something like that happened to my daughter, then we would get her married off to the rapist, he said. We dont go to the police station. If they take the kids to the police station, everybody knows about her and she is a bigger liability. Its better if she gets married to him.

He thinks he has found a match for the teenager, though  a widower of 20, maybe 21, also a musician, whose wife recently died. Within six months, shell be married.

Farheen Fatima, Sangeeta Gandhe and Pragya Krishna contributed to this report.

Read more:

Hundreds protest release of New Delhi rapist

India orders panic button for mobile phones in bid to protect women

Transgender activists in India fight for inclusion at key Hindu festival

Women fight for access to sacred places in India

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Rodrigo Duterte, a brash and unflinchingly authoritarian mayor, looks poised to be the next president of the Philippines, building a seemingly insurmountable lead in Mondays presidential election, according to unofficial partial results, and drawing a concession from a top rival.

Duterte, who goes by nicknames such as the Punisher and Duterte Harry  a local twist on the movie lawman Dirty Harry  was far ahead of four main rivals, winning nearly 40 percent of the vote, early returns showed. He was the heavy favorite heading into the election despite promising to kill suspected criminals and joking about rape. Final official results may take days.

But with most votes counted, one of Dutertes top challengers, Sen. Grace Poe, called him late Monday to concede, Philippine news media reported. Although she had denounced him as an executioner during the campaign, Poe told reporters that voters have given him a mandate, adding, Lets give him a chance.

Dutertes backers see him as a crime-busting savior.

I think hell bring about the change we all long for, said Mhanwell Duran, 19, as he waited to cast his vote.

Filipino presidential candidate and longtime Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte has stirred up contention with his brash, off-color statements on rape, extrajudicial killings and more. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Critics, though, worry about a return to the strongman politics of the past in a country that is one of Washingtons closest allies in the region.

[Philippines race becomes U.S. punchline]

More than 140,000 police officers and soldiers were deployed across the island nation to protect its voting centers, numbering about 36,000. The Philippines has a long tradition of election violence, fueled by lax law enforcement and politicians with private armies.

Just before the polls opened, seven people were killed and one was wounded when armed men attacked a vehicle outside the capital, Manila. Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor, a spokesman for the Philippine National Police, said the victims  all supporters of a local mayor  were shot in the head.

The race featuring Duterte and four challengers was fought primarily on domestic issues, including crime, corruption and transportation. With China pressing its claims in the South China Sea and the United States boosting its military role in the Philippines, foreign relations also loomed large.

But the contest came to be defined by Dutertes rhetorical fireworks. The 71-year-old has made headlines for, among other comments, calling Pope Francis a son of a whore in a predominantly Roman Catholic nation and saying that he wished he had been first to rape an Australian woman killed in a 1989 prison riot.

[American ships return to Subic Bay]

There was even a promised stunt  vowing to ride a Jet Ski to a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

The longtime mayors provocative comments have earned him comparisons to Donald Trump and tag lines such as Trump of the East.

Duterte dislikes the notion  Trump is a bigot; I am not, he said  but he does not bristle at another word used to describe him: dictator. He said he would dissolve the countrys congress and install a revolutionary government if he needs to.

I am a dictator? Yes, it is true, he said.

For many in the Philippines, where the 1986 People Power Revolution ended three decades of dictatorial rule, the comment crossed a line. Years of trying to put up a democratic state and we waste it for what? asked Alisson Atis, a 26-year-old student. For one ruling body?

But millions of others seem to gravitate to Dutertes combative ways, seeing him as a political outsider who can shake up the status quo.

In the Philippines, democracy is a family business. President Benigno Aquino III is the son of a former president. Presidential hopeful Manuel Roxas IIs grandfather once ruled the country. Among the candidates for vice president: Sen. Ferdinand R. Bongbong Marcos Jr., son of disgraced former ruler Ferdinand E. Marcos and his wife, Imelda Marcos.

Although the country has had solid economic growth under Aquino, poverty and inequality persist. Many voters think that Aquino failed to deliver real change and are drawn to Dutertes big promises.

This is a fight against the administration, said Edmund Tayao, a professor of political science at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. Its a protest vote because its an anti-establishment vote.

[Islamist militants behead Canadian hostage]

Unlike Aquino and others, Duterte made his name in the countrys less-developed south. He spent more than 20 years as the mayor of Davao, where he patrolled the streets on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and gave interviews with a pistol tucked in his waistband.

As mayor, he made tackling crime his signature issue, but his law-and-order campaigns included the summary execution of criminals. A 2015 Human Rights Watch report traced the rise of Davaos death squad mayor.

Rather than distance himself from the title during the campaign, Duterte seemed to welcome it, musing about his plans to kill all criminals and feed their bodies to fish. He has promised to eliminate crime and corruption in six months if he becomes president.

On foreign policy, Duterte is seen as something of a wild card. The next president faces the unenviable task of trying to balance China as it presses its maritime claims off the Philippine coast and to safeguard the countrys alliance with the United States, which seeks to increase its military presence in the area in response.

In addition to his Jet Ski plan, Duterte has said that he would consider putting aside differences with China if Beijing offered some big-ticket railway projects on his home island of Mindanao.

Assuming he holds his lead in the final tally, the question is how Duterte plans to deliver on his tough talk. His cabinet members will have many things to do in terms of giving him advice more or less consistent to the national interest, because he is not really into national policy, Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform, said in Manila.

But the problem is, Casiple added, he is not listening to his advisers . . . when they are telling him to shut his mouth.

Rauhala reported from Beijing.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Outgoing Chancellor Werner Faymann of Austria at a news conference last week in Vienna. (Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters)

Austrias chancellor resigned Monday, citing insufficient support within his party to deal with challenges facing the country, including the ongoing migrant crisis.

The surprise move by Werner Faymann followed a back-of-the-pack showing last month by his Social Democratic Party in the first round of the presidential election. The candidate representing the right-wing Freedom Party, which favors a harder line against migrants and refugees streaming into Europe, emerged at the top.

Faymann became chancellor in 2008 and was the European Unions second-longest-serving national leader after German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He is among the highest-profile political casualties of a backlash against established parties and unease over the migrant issue in Europe.

[The stunning success of Austrias anti-immigrant far-right, in one map]

His decision also could amplify debates inside Austria over border controls and other steps as the migrant flow potentially shifts from Aegean Sea crossings to routes across the Mediterranean to Italy  putting Austria among the countries next on the trail of those heading north.

The Austrian chancellor is the head of government, effectively the most powerful politician in the country. The president, who appoints the chancellor, has a mostly ceremonial role, with limited powers to intervene in parliament.

[Austrian officials say Europe, not smugglers, must decide which migrants make it]

In Vienna, Faymann said his decision was prompted by the question about whether, in this difficult time . . . one has the full backing in ones party.

I have to answer this with no, he said.

Austria had recently adopted a tougher stance on migrants, including stricter controls of its external borders, such as plans for a fence along the Brenner Pass from Italy.

But some politicians, including leaders of the Freedom Party, have called for even tougher measures.

Austrias ruling coalition has increasingly come under pressure for its refugee policy.

The Freedom Partys presidential candidate, Norbert Hofer, received more than 35 percent of the vote in the first round last month, leading the pack. But Hofer missed the 50 percent threshold for outright victory. He will face former Green Party chairman Alexander Van der Bellen in a runoff on May 22.

What were witnessing in Austria is a true wind of change, said Peter Hajek, a political analyst based in Vienna. The majority of people are fed up with the current system, he said, opening greater room for right-wing groups and populists across Europe.

Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner will take over as head of government until a new candidate is found.

Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Migrant routes could shift back to Italy

8 ridiculous, racist things said by far-right E.U. politicians

Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, says that Jews in France feel that they are looked upon as second-class citizens. (Michel Euler/AFP/Getty Images)

France is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe, and its most troubled.

A wave of anti-Semitic violence in recent years has shaken Jews in this country to the point where growing numbers no longer see a future here.

Some have simply left. In 2015, approximately 8,000 French Jews abandoned France for Israel  a record number that has grown with each passing year. Meanwhile, others have decamped to London and elsewhere.

I dont have any hope anymore, honestly, said Noemie, a middle-aged French Jewish woman who appeared in a recent BBC documentary with her mother, who said she no longer even felt safe publicly identifying as Jewish in France. The documentary aired in April.

But those statistics  and the stories behind them  are complicated. Not every case can be attributed to anti-Semitism, and many French Jews who have officially relocated to Israel still spend a portion of every year in France.

There are some Israelis, such as Omer Shatz, a human rights lawyer living in Paris, who consider France safer than Israel, where the prospect of stabbings, bombings and attacks are a seemingly inescapable reality.

In terms of security, I dont believe that Israel is a safe place for Jews, he said. Or for anyone else.

But a sense of anxiety nevertheless pervades a community that accounts for just 1 percent of the total French population but nearly half of all victims of what French authorities call xenophobic violence.

Jews  who have been living in France for 2,000 years and have been full citizens since 1791  now feel that they are looked upon as second-class citizens, said Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions, an umbrella organization of community leadership.

In the historic fount of liberty, equality and fraternity, Jews are now struggling to consolidate safety and security in a France where radical Islamist violence has been rising.

In the past decade, France has seen a number of high-profile anti-Semitic attacks.

In 2006, there was the abduction and murder of a Jewish cellphone salesman by a gang of anti-Semitic youths. In 2012, a shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse. In 2015, a shooting at a kosher supermarket the day after the Charlie Hebdo attack. And in January of this year, the machete attack on a Jewish teacher as he walked on the street in Marseille.

Last year, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly called for French Jews to immigrate to Israel. More than a few seem to have listened.

As many have left, remaining members of the community such as Bernard-Henri Levy, the popular philosopher and public intellectual, have begun to publicly argue the case for staying.

In a new book and several public interventions since its publication, Levy has urged French Jews to stay put.

Dont desert the ground, he said in an interview.Stay and fight.

But in recent weeks, that idea has taken an unusual turn in the form of the Union of French Jewish Patriots, a new association tied to Frances far-right National Front party.

The idea, according to its chief architect, Michel Thooris, is to defend the quality of life for Jews in France against Islamic anti-Semitism in particular.

We refuse to let France become Judenrein, literally without Jews, he said, using the same German word the Nazis used during World War II, when they tried to liquidate European Jewry .

In France, as in much of Europe, the Holocaust remains an eternally fraught subject.

Jews in France  as in every other country the Nazis occupied during the war  were arrested, deported and murdered. But unlike in many other places, French officials willingly collaborated with anti-Jewish persecutions often without Nazi orders, an uncomfortable legacy the government formally apologized for in the mid-1990s.

In a climate of heightened anti-Semitism, invoking that history to justify the need for a new Jewish defense association might seem natural. But for many Jews, doing so for an association affiliated with the National Front is anything but.

For them, the National Front is a symbol of Holocaust denial.

The party was founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, now 87, who infamously described the Nazi concentration camps as a mere detail of history  a remark he has refused to retract. After years of fighting prosecution, a French court declared him guilty last month of questioning a crime against humanity. He has been fined about $35,000.

His daughter, Marine Le Pen, currently leads the party and has publicly condemned her fathers anti-Jewish remarks on several occasions. The two are estranged.

As she declared in 2014: I keep saying to the French Jews . . . not only is the National Front not your enemy, but it is probably in the future the best shield to protect you.

Still, many French Jews continue to see the National Front as an embodiment of her fathers flagrant anti-Semitism. Some are baffled that other Jews would affiliate with such an organization.

It is a fact that all the supporters of Vichy, of Petain, and all that have only one place in the political spectrum, said Cukierman, referring to the regime that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II and its leadership. And that is the National Front with or without Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Its totally absurd, Levy said. For me, the National Front is part of the danger  not part of the solution. You have among elected officials from the National Front a certain nostalgia for Hitlerism and Nazism.

But Thooris thinks times have changed. There are probably anti-Semites in all political parties, including the National Front,he said. Except when they are detected in the party, they are excluded by Marine Le Pen.

Today, he added, the National Front is the only political party thats actually proposed really defending France and the French, so its natural that French Jews would vote for them.

In the last French presidential election, only about 13 percent of Jewish voters supported the National Front compared with 18 percent of non-Jewish voters, according to a national poll.

For Levy and others, the answer to the situation facing Jews in France today is to openly confront anti-Semitism, including what he considers the lingering anti-Jewish prejudice of the National Front.

We have the means to defend ourselves today, which was not always the case, he said. And the best self-defense is self-pride.

Read more:

A French synagogue is being converted into a mosque after Jews abandoned the neighborhood

Frances most famous intellectual urges Jews not to leave

A month after kosher market attack, French Jews plan an exodus

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
An alleged hacker with the Syrian Electronic Army, a group that supports the Syrian government, has been extradited to the United States from Germany on charges of conspiracy linked to a hacking-related extortion scheme, U.S. officials said Monday.

Peter Romar, 36, was put on a plane to Dulles International Airport on Monday, the officials said. He is expected to appear in federal court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday.

Romar, a Syrian national who was living in Waltershausen, Germany, worked with members of the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) to extort money from victims, including online companies in the United States, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in March.

The SEA is a hacking group that has been involved since at least 2011 in computer intrusions in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, officials said.

[U.S. charges three suspected Syrian Electronic Army hackers]

Between 2013 and 2014, Firas Dardar, a member of the SEA who lived in Homs, Syria, hacked at least 14 private companies in the United States, China, Europe and elsewhere; at least one company has a server in Ashburn, Va., according to the complaint.

After gaining access to the victims computer, Dardar would redirect legitimate Internet traffic away from the companys systems, deface website text, send messages using the victims accounts, steal data and engage in other illegal activities, according to prosecutors.

He would then demand payments from the victim, threatening further damage or to sell stolen information to other hackers if the company didnt pay, according to the complaint. Dardar demanded in total more than $500,000 from individual companies as part of the extortion scheme, although he and Romar accepted smaller amounts in many instances.

Romar would receive payments from victims who could not transmit money directly to Dardar because of international sanctions against Syria, prosecutors said. He would then find a way to get the money to Syria. In a case involving a Web-hosting company in California, he forwarded the money to an intermediary in Lebanon, according to the complaint.

In another case, this one involving a hack of a Swiss Web-hosting company, Dardar arranged for a payment of 5,000 euros, or about $5,700, for a report on how he conducted the intrusion. According to the complaint, Dardar told the company to send the money to Romars PayPal account.

Dardar, Romar and a third SEA hacker, Ahmad Umar Agha, were charged in September with a string of hacking-related crimes. Dardar and Aghas targets allegedly included Harvard University, The Washington Post, the White House, USA Today, NASA and Microsoft.

In one notable 2013 hack, the SEA said it hijacked the Associated Presss Twitter account and sent out a tweet that falsely reported an explosion at the White House had injured President Obama. The hoax caused a $136 billion dip in the stock market.

Agha and Dardar, believed to be in Syria, have been placed on the FBIs Cyber Most Wanted list. The agency is offering $100,000 rewards for information leading to their arrests, according to a Justice Department news release.

Read more:
The Syrian military on Monday extended a fragile cease-fire that had broken down in the northern city of Aleppo, as the United States and Russia worked together to try to get peace talks back on track and quell the violence.

Shortly before the cease-fire was due to expire and as fighting raged in the northern city of Aleppo, the Syrian military announced that the truce would be extended for 48 hours.

But Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in Paris to discuss Syrian peace talks with his counterparts from Europe and the Middle East, spoke with caution rather than optimism.

These are words on a piece of paper. They are not actions, Kerry said. It is going to be up to the commanders in the field and the interested parties  which includes us.

Earlier in the day, the United States and Russia issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to a truce, or cessation of hostilities, as they call it. The two countries, co-chairs of an international group pushing peace talks, pledged to use their influence with the warring parties  Russia with the Syrian government and the United States with rebel groups  to urge them to refrain from provocations and to stop firing.

We have decided to reconfirm our commitment to the [truce] in Syria and to intensify efforts to ensure its nationwide implementation, the statement said.

Russia said it would work with the Syrian government to minimize air operations over areas crowded with civilians or rebel groups that have agreed to the truce. That is particularly significant in areas near Aleppo, where fighters from al-Qaeda-backed Jabhat al-Nusra  which is not party to the cease-fire and is considered a legitimate target  are often based near strongholds of rebels who are parties to the cease-fire. The confusion has contributed to the unraveling of previous cease-fires.

However, Jabhat al-Nusra has only a small presence inside the city of Aleppo. Rebel groups accuse Russia of raising concerns about the al-Qaeda franchise as a pretext to attack non-extremist opponents of the government.

The cease-fire does include the thousands of Shiite militiamen from Lebanon, Iraq and Iran who are battling the mostly Sunni Muslim rebels in Aleppo on behalf of the Syrian government. The militiamen, however, have continued fighting despite the truce.

Wed like to see a real reduction in Syrian air force overflights, said a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the reasoning behind the joint statement. Even if theyre not dropping ordnance, even the hovering of a helicopter overhead, has had a worrying effect.

The statement, the official added, makes clear neither the Russian nor Syrian air forces should strike civilians or parties to the cessation.

But the prospects for peace talks looked dim. A 10-week-old partial truce had laid the groundwork that allowed U.N.-mediated peace talks between government and opposition representatives to begin in Geneva. But at the most recent sessions last month, both sides accused the other of violating the truce.

The government delegation to the talks appeared unwilling to compromise on key issues  a stance that diplomats familiar with the negotiations attributed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assads rising confidence after regaining momentum on the battlefield. His forces have received a significant boost from Russia, which has carried out devastating air raids against rebel forces.

In the joint statement Monday, the United States and Russia vowed to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement in the faltering talks.

They specifically mentioned the need for a political transition from the Assad government.

The mention of a transition, although not new, was considered crucial to assure rebels that they have something to gain in the end.

Morello reported from Washington, and Naylor reported from Beirut.

Read more:

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A triumphant Kim Jong Un was crowned chairman of North Koreas Workers Party on Monday, the climax of a once-in-a-

generation congress during which the young leader showed how, despite the odds, he had consolidated his power.

Although he did not announce anything particularly new during the four-day meeting  espousing his usual lines about pursuing economic growth at the same time as nuclear weapons  Kim presented himself as every inch the strong leader.

With his Western-style suit and heavy-framed glasses, the 33-year-old looked the spitting image of his grandfather Kim Il Sung, North Koreas founder and eternal president. State television broadcast pictures of 3,000 party members rapturously applauding a man with no military experience or revolutionary credentials, who has been in power for less than five years.

Hes an arrogant and calculating dictator, but hes consolidated power faster than his grandfather did, said Katharine Moon, a Korea expert at the Brookings Institution. It took Kim Il Sung almost 25 years, until a party congress in 1960, to cement his rule.

This guys managed to do it in just four years, Moon said.

[North Korea expels BBC journalist after disrespectful reports]

Kim took over the reins of North Korea at the end of 2011, barely a year after his father, Kim Jong Il, anointed him as his successor. In contrast, Kim Jong Il had spent more than two decades in the public eye, being groomed to inherit the leadership from his father.

Intelligence services have been predicting the imminent collapse of North Korea for years, but Kim Jong Un has defied suggestions that hes too young and inexperienced to hold together one of the worlds most brutal dictatorships.

Kim was already head of the Workers Party, bearing the title first secretary, but was elevated  unanimously  to chairman during the highly choreographed congress. It is the same title Kim Il Sung held from 1946 to 1966.

The changes are part of a wider move by Kim to elevate the party over the military and return to the system begun by his grandfather.

[North Korea announces five-year economic plan, its first since the 1980s]

The Kim family has managed to stay at the helm of the worlds only communist dynasty for 70 years through an all-pervasive personality cult that does not brook any criticism of the leadership.

That intolerance was apparent Monday when North Korea expelled a BBC journalist for writing disrespectful reports about the countrys leader.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, Tokyo correspondent for the BBC, was detained at Pyongyang airport Friday as he prepared to leave the country. after reporting on a visit by three Nobel laureates to North Korea. One of his stories described Kim as corpulent and unpredictable.

He was interrogated for eight hours and made to sign a statement of apology before being put on a plane to Beijing on Monday, along with two colleagues.

O Ryong Il, a spokesman for the North Korean government, said that Wingfield-Hayes was being expelled for speaking very ill of the system and that the government would never admit him again into the country. [Its party time in North Korea. Workers Party party time.]

Away from the fanfare and unflinching adulation at the congress, some analysts were not impressed at the content.

For all the hullaballoo, there is a lot of status quo here, said Ken Gause, a North Korea leadership expert at CNA, a research company in Arlington, Va. Were left wondering which of two directions hes going in. Is he going to carry out a fifth nuclear test, or is he going to try to continue pursuing a peace agreement with the U.S.?

During a three-hour-long address to the congress, Kim repeatedly promoted his byungjin policy, the simultaneous pursuit of both economic development and nuclear weapons. He presented a five-year economic plan, the first from North Korea in three decades.

But as he touted nuclear weapons, Kim said also his country would not use them unless its sovereignty was challenged. And he struck a surprisingly conciliatory note on South Korea, suggesting that he was trying to dial back recent tensions.

He also hinted at the possibility of a peace treaty with the United States, saying that Pyongyang was open to normalizing relations with once hostile nations.

Read more

North Korea leader hails nuclear and missile advances as rare party congress opens

The Washington Post arrives in North Korea for a once-in-a-generation party congress

Its party time in North Korea. Workers Party party time.

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff was thrown into disarray Monday after the leader of Brazils lower house moved to annul its vote last month to put her on trial.

The announcement was an unexpected reprieve for Rousseff, coming just two days ahead of a second impeachment vote, this one in Brazils Senate. But the relief was likely to be short-lived.

By the late afternoon, the president of Brazils Senate said the upper chamber vote would go forward as planned, injecting yet another dose of uncertainty into the countrys political crisis. The standoff could end up at Brazils Supreme Court.

The days confusion started with the publication of a statement by Waldir Maranhao, a little-known congressman who was named interim speaker of Brazils Chamber of Deputies just last week. Maranhao said he had accepted a request by Attorney General Jose Cardozo, who is defending Rousseff, to annul the April 17 impeachment vote in the lower house, citing procedural irregularities.

Maranhao said lawmakers should not have announced their votes in advance and should not have been told how to vote by party leaders. He also said that Rousseffs defense should have been last to speak before voting began.

For these reasons I annulled the session . . . and decided that a new session should take place, Maranhao said. He did not set a date. About 70 percent of Brazilian deputies voted against Rousseff in last months session, so dozens of lawmakers would have to change their minds about her impeachment for a future vote to break her way.

Still, the annulment announcement touched off a scramble in Brazils National Congress, as Rousseffs opponents reacted with angry disbelief and began questioning Maranhaos authority to cancel a vote that had taken place.

Even Rousseff seemed to be whipsawed by the move.

I dont know the consequences, she said in a speech, cautioning a crowd of cheering supporters to temper their enthusiasm. We have to find out whats happening.

Maranhao is a member of the Progressive Party, a centrist block that was part of Rousseffs governing coalition until recently and whose deputies then voted for her impeachment.

Rousseffs supporters said Maranhaos move reflected public disapproval of the way the April 17 vote unfolded, with lawmakers taunting, shoving and even spitting on one another in a raucous session carried live on national television.

The country is shocked at what happened in the chamber, Jose Guimaraes, the leader of Rousseffs Workers Party in the lower house, told TV Globo.

Maranhao became acting speaker of the house last week after Eduardo Cunha, the elected speaker, was suspended by Brazils Supreme Court. Cunha is accused of corruption by the same court.

Rousseff faces impeachment on charges that she used improper loans from government banks to fund popular social programs. Senators must decide whether this amounts to what is considered a crime of responsibility. Rousseffs opponents said she deceived Congress and the Brazilian public by concealing budget gaps brought on by her poor management of the economy.

Rousseff insists that she did nothing wrong and that the budgetary tactics have been a standard practice of Brazilian presidents.

[Not much support for Brazils president, but impeachment also unpopular]

Renan Calheiros, the president of the Senate, said Wednesdays impeachment vote would go ahead as planned.

To accept this game-playing with our democracy would make me personally responsible for a delay in the process, Calheiros told the Senate. An autocratic decision cannot override the will of the legislature.

Under the usual procedure, if 41 of Brazils 81 senators vote to impeach Rousseff, she would be put on trial and forced to step down temporarily pending a final vote. It wasnt clear if Maranhaos attempt to annul the lower house vote could stop that.

What will happen on Wednesday is they may get more votes against Rousseff than they had originally thought, said David Fleischer, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Brasilia. Thats called a backfire.

Joaquim Falcao, a professor of constitutional law at the Getulio Vargas Foundation law school in Rio, said that because Maranhaos decision lacks legal authority, it would not be able to stop the impeachment process against Rousseff.

[The unraveling of Brazil]

Ricardo Ismael, a professor of political science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, said the matter would probably go to the Supreme Court. He predicted that the court would overturn the nullification and put the impeachment process back on track.

The annulment attempt managed to stir up more chaos in Brazil, rattling financial markets and causing a slide in the value of the Brazilian currency. With the Rio Olympic Games less than three months away, the nation of 200 million is in the grips of its worst economic crisis since the 1930s. Investors have reacted negatively to signs of more turmoil ahead.

We are in a bad position, Ismael said. This is going to increase political instability.

Read more

How Brazils ruling Workers Party lost the workers

Brazils new hero is a nerdy judge who is tough on official corruption

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The Philippines holds elections on Monday to choose a successor to President Benigno Aquino. Here are 10 crucial victories and setbacks that came to define his six years in office:

- August 23, 2010: Hong Kong hostage crisis -

Barely two months in office, Aquino faces his first major crisis when a disgraced policeman takes a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage.

The gunman and eight hostages are killed in a hail of gunfire hours later in a bungled police rescue operation that deeply embarrasses the young administration and strains ties with the Chinese territory for years.

- November 18, 2011: Arroyo arrest -

Benigno Aquino makes good on a vow to have his predecessor and arch-rival Gloria Arroyo arrested and stand trial for vote fraud.

When the country's chief justice, Renato Corona, takes steps to get Arroyo bailed, Aquino allies have him impeached and removed from office. Arroyo remains under house arrest for the rest of Aquino's term as the trial drags on with little progress.

- December 21, 2012: Reproductive health law -

Aquino signs a landmark law mandating the state provide free contraceptives to poor couples and teach sex education in schools, defeating years of opposition by the dominant Roman Catholic church.

- March 27, 2013: Investment grade -

Once regarded as Asia's basket case, the Philippines wins its first investment-grade credit rating, with Fitch Ratings citing the political and economic reforms implemented under Aquino.

Similar upgrades from Moody's and Standard and Poor's follow later that year.

- November 8, 2013: Super Typhoon Haiyan -

Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit land at the time, smashes into the central islands and launches tsunami-like waves that devastate the city of Tacloban.

The typhoon leaves at least 7,350 dead or missing across a swathe of poverty-stricken central islands the size of Portugal.

- March 30, 2014: China sea suit -

Unable to counter China's military might as it lays claim to most of the South China Sea, Aquino's government counters by filing a suit at a UN-linked international arbitration tribunal in the Hague. China refuses to recognise the proceedings.

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A ruling on Manila's bid to have the Chinese claims declared illegal is expected shortly after Aquino stands down.

- April 28, 2014: US Defence Accord -

In the face of an increasingly assertive China, the Philippines seals an agreement with its main defence ally allowing US troops and equipment to rotate through Philippine military bases in a move designed to bolster the country's territorial defence.

- January 25, 2015: Mamasapano massacre -

Elite police commandos raid a remote southern village and kill Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, who is on a US "terrorist" most wanted hitlist, but the team is ambushed by other Muslim guerrilla groups and militias.

Forty-four soldiers die in what becomes known as the Mamasapano massacre, after the town where the killings occurred. The incident provokes public outrage that eventually derails a peace agreement with the country's main Muslim rebel group.

- February 3, 2016: Peace deal on ice -

Angered by the killings of the police commandos, Congress fails to pass a law aimed at creating a Muslim autonomous region in the south of the mainly Catholic nation.

The law had been key to complying with the terms of a 2014 peace deal with the 10,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the nation's biggest Muslim rebel group. The peace process is placed in limbo until the next president takes over.

- April 26, 2016: Canadian beheaded -

Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State jihadists dump the head of Canadian retiree John Ridsdel on a street on a remote island. Ridsdel was one of four people kidnapped six months earlier from yachts harboured at a luxury marina.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expresses outrage and Aquino vows to "neutralise" the group, which holds other Canadian, Dutch, Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino hostages. But, as in the past, the militants survive.
Asha Burwell leaves the front of the judge's bench at Albany City Criminal Court on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, following her arraignment in Albany, N.Y. Burwell claimed a group of white men and women harassed her and others with racial slurs aboard a city bus and is being charged with assault. (Paul Buckowski/The Albany Times Union via AP, Pool) MANDATORY CREDIT

Three State University of New York at Albany college students who claimed that they were the victims of a hate crime were punished by the Student Conduct Board for violating the code of conduct, the Times Union reported.

Two of the students, Ariel Agudio and Asha Burwell, were expelled from the school, and the third, Alexis Briggs, was suspended for two years, according to a public statement from SUNY Albany President Robert J. Jones.

The three women ignited an emotionally charged firestorm on SUNY Albany's campus in January after Burwell tweeted that they were the victims of a racially motivated attack on a city bus.

I just got jumped on a bus while people hit us and called us the "n" word and NO ONE helped us.  Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

No one.  Asha Burwell (@AshaBurwell) January 30, 2016

The incident garnered national attention. Even Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton weighed in, tweeting that there was "no excuse for racism and violence on a college campus."

There's no excuse for racism and violence on a college campus. https://t.co/ADVghl4iEv -H  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) February 4, 2016

The women claimed that a group of 12 to 20 people, including white men, attacked them while riding a late-night bus route that students refer to as the "drunk bus," according to the Times Union. Many bystanders witnessed the account, but did nothing to help them, they said, according to the publication.

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One of the students, Agudio, called 911 following the incident and told the dispatcher that the women were the victims of a "racial crime" and stated that "if someone doesn't come and take this down or something, I'm going to call the news," according to a copy of the call reviewed by the Times Union.

After authorities reviewed footage of the incident, however, a different story began to emerge.

The women appeared to be the aggressors in the video, which shows some of the white men trying to break up the fight, according to police.

"I especially want to point out that what happened on the bus was not a 'hate crime,'" University Police Department Chief J. Frank Wiley said in a statement, according to the Times Union.

The women were indicted and arraigned on 10 charges, including assault and false reporting, in early May.

After claiming that the trio were the victims of a hate crime in January, supporters rallied together to confront racism on campus. But now, with police providing evidence that the women lied, some question the damage already done to race relations.

Kristi Gustafson Barlette wrote in a column in the Times Union:

Did it occur to you that you weren't a woman of one (or three, since Ariel Agudio and Alexis Briggs are part of this, too) crying wolf, but rather your actions, your decisions, your choices will make people  the public, and otherwise  think many who come after you with their own legitimate, fair, honest claims of assault are also lying?

The incident on SUNY Albany's campus follows months of racial unrest on other college campuses across the nation. Minority students at Ivy League universities have protested institutional racism at their respective schools, and the president of the University of Missouri resigned last fall amid intense protests about racism on campus.

NOW WATCH: There's been a sharp rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes since the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino





More From Business Insider


In some high schools, planning for college does not begin until a student's sophomore year. But freshmen are often in the best position to tailor the high school experience to their college goals since they have several years ahead of them.

Below are three important questions that high school freshmen should ask their counselors in order to maximize their high school experience.

1. What elective classes should I take if I am interested in studying [this subject]?

High school counselors will generally tell their students to take a relatively standard set of courses. These courses are designed to give all students, regardless of intended major, the necessary foundation to succeed in college.

Counselors also tend to recommend that students enroll in as many Advanced Placement, dual enrollment and honors classes as they can while still doing well academically.

Still, there is typically room for several elective courses. These are classes that provid e exploration of an extracurricular subject that students may end up developing a personal passion for -- and potentially help put them on a path to studying that subject early.

Students who plan to study English literature may wish to take a theat e r course, for instance, since a portion of what is studied in that subject was originally written for the stage. If your high school offers an Ancient Greek class, and if you are leaning toward a classics major, take advantage and begin your Greek studies now.

The best courses to take will be different for each student, depending on their personality and desired course of study in college, but this is an area where your counselor can help you.

[Explore how to lay the groundwork for college starting in freshman year.]

2. How can I decide what careers I may be interested in?

This is not a question that high school freshmen generally give much thought to, but a chosen career path often highly influences the classes they take in college -- and, to a lesser extent, the courses they take in high school.

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Although you may be interested in the hard sciences now, for example, it is worth asking yourself whether this is a career path you will ultimately pursue. If it is not, it may not be necessary to take six science classes prior to your high school graduation.

Similarly, students who wish to go into the business field should take economics and entrepreneurship, if available. Students who plan to choose a career that requires international travel, such as a government or journalism job, should take a second or even third language.

If you are not certain of your interests, ask your counselor how you can best explore multiple options.

[Learn how to use all four years of high school to prepare for college.]

3. Who else should I talk to before the year ends?

Your high school counselor can also suggest people to talk to about your specific academic and career goals.

Maybe there is a teacher at your school with experience in a specific career -- not just education, but perhaps the special ty he or she teaches, like a drama teacher with great acting experience or an English teacher who has published a novel.

Or there may be former students, either currently in or recently graduated from college, who can offer insight into what a particular major is like.

High school counselors generally know who to contact to locate the information you seek, and talking to someone with relevant experience can often be useful when setting goals for the future.

Many high schools have resources regarding youth employment as well, where students can talk to people who can help connect them with after-school jobs, babysitting opportunities, internships and so on. These offices can also give students important information about what's legal in terms of teen employment -- working hours, acceptable tasks, permits and more.

Students who take on one of these roles would meet additional people to talk to about their interests and future as well. Your counselor should be able to direct you to one of these offices if your school offers them.

Remember: Planning ahead and asking your counselor questions during freshman year can pay dividends as you move closer to graduation and college.

Bradford Holmes is a professional SAT and Latin tutor with Varsity Tutors. He earned his B.A. from Harvard University and his master's degree from the University of Southern California.
Many investors like to look for value in stocks, but this can be very tough to define. There is great debate regarding which metrics are the best to focus on in this regard, and which are not really quality indicators of future performance. Fortunately, with our new style score system we have identified the key statistics to pay close attention to and thus which stocks might be the best for value investors in the near term.



This method discovered several great candidates for value-oriented investors, but today lets focus on JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. JKS as this stock is looking especially impressive right now. And while there are numerous reasons why this is the case, we have highlighted three of the most vital reasons for JKSs status as a solid value stock below:



Price to Forward Sales for JinkoSolar



One of the most underrated ratios for value investors is the price/forward sales metric. This ratio shows investors how much they are paying for each dollar of revenues generated. In other words, a lower number is better here while a price to sales ratio of 1 means that you are paying one dollar for each dollar in sales.



With a P/S ratio of 0.19, JKS investors are paying 19 cents in stock price for each dollar of revenue generated by the company. Compare this to the industry average of 0.51, and it is safe to say that JKS is undervalued compared to many of its peers on this important metric.



Forward PE for JinkoSolar



Easily one of the most popular readings for value investors, the forward PE ratio shows us the current price of a stock divided by the full year earnings. Generally speaking, value investors like to see this ratio below 20, though it can vary by industry.



Right now, JKS has a forward PE of just 3.93, which means that investors are paying $3.93 for each dollar in expected JinkoSolar earnings this year. Compared to the industry at large this is pretty favorable as the overall space has an average PE of 5.01 in comparison.



JKS Earnings Estimate Revisions Moving in the Right Direction



The solid value ratios outlined in the preceding paragraphs might be enough for some investors, but we should also note that the earnings estimate revisions have been trending in a positive direction as well. Analysts who follow JKS stock have been raising their estimates for the company lately, meaning that the EPS picture is looking a bit more favorably for JinkoSolar now.



Over the past 60 days, 1 earnings estimate has gone higher compared to none lower for the full year, while we are also seeing 1 upward revision for the next year compared to none lower in the same time frame. These revisions have helped to boost the consensus estimate as 60 days ago JKS was expected to post earnings of $4.90 per share for the full year though today it looks to have EPS of $5.14 for the full year.



Bottom Line



For the reasons detailed above, investors shouldnt be surprised to read that we have JKS as a stock with a Value Score of A and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). So if you are a value investor, definitely keep JKS on your short list as this looks be a stock that is very well-positioned for gains in the near term.



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JINKOSOLAR HLDG (JKS): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Warning: This recap for the Closure" episode of Quantico contains spoilers.

AGAIN, in which we find out the identity of The Voice for real, this time. We think.



Here, 20 things we learned in the Closure episode of Quantico:

1. We pick up where we left off last week: Alex drove through that wall and out of the parking garage, and now shes driving Ryans truck around the streets of New York City. Drews voice is directing her, and as she tries to talk him out of whatever he has planned, he tells her to just keep driving, because if she stops, the nuke in the truck will detonate. She cant even open a door or window in the truck, or he will detonate the bomb. Meanwhile, Alex calls Shelby and connects her into the call, so she can hear everything Drew is saying to Alex.



2. Because the nuke is in Ryans truck, and because of that manifesto Drew had Alex unknowingly plant on Ryans computer, Miranda has taken Ryan out of play and put him in the holding cell with Caleb.

3. In the Quantico timeline, the NATS are about to graduate, and Liam gives Alex her dads old FBI badge to celebrate. He says her dad would be proud of her, and he says he would be happy to work with her in the field now that she proved him wrong about her true motivation for joining the FBI.



4. Also in the Quantico timeline, Ryan tells Alex that hes decided to take the job with Liam in D.C., which means he will be just three hours away from her in New York City, by train. Great, she says in her most flirty Alex way. I hope you take it then.



5. Caleb has been assigned to the San Diego field office; Iris still doesnt have security clearance, so she doesnt know where shes going, until Caleb pulls some strings and has Mama Haas personally sign off on Iriss clearance. Caleb also refers to Iris as Spy-rus.



6. Shelby gets a letter from her mom, and yells at Caleb, but he tells her he didnt write that one. Later, Shelby talks to Clayton, who tells her a woman using one of her moms aliases landed in Montreal two days ago. He says she needs to be sure she wants to bring her parents to justice, because once she starts the pursuit, theres no turning back. Should the FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR really be giving someone the choice of whether or not they want to bring fugitives to justice?!

Story continues

Related: Read all Yahoo TVs Quantico Recaps



7. The twins handler tells them timelines have been sped up, and they have just 24 hours to get their lives in order before they have to begin trying to infiltrate the terrorist cell in Queens. Raina begins having serious doubts about whether or not she wants to continue, and after Ryan tells her she needs to have someone special, an emotional anchor, she can trust to talk to, she calls Simon. They meet at a diner, and she tells him she doesnt know why shes sticking with the FBI. He tells her to trust her instincts, and that catching terrorists for the FBI isnt the only way to do good in the world. He says his company donates millions of dollars to charities, and that he could get her a job there. Raina seems to be leaning that way, until Nimah walks in and sees her with Simon. The sisters talk privately for a moment, and Raina admits to Nimah that shes scared of the terrorist leader theyre going to have to live with for a long time. Nimah says she understands, and she doesnt want Raina to do this for her. She wants Raina to do whats best for her, and will support whatever decision she makes. Despite her concerns about the mission, and her obvious affection for Simon, Raina decides to stick with the FBI.

8. Shelby is in a super rude, downer mood, and Alex asks her when she went all Kylo Ren. Good one, Alex. Shelby then tells Alex what has happened with her parents, that they were only using her for more cash, and Caleb was forging letters from them to make her think they werent turds.



9. For their final assignment, the NATS are broken into groups and given a real terrorist attack from the past they must investigate, with access to the real files and evidence, and assistance from the actual agents who worked the cases when they happened. Alex asks to be assigned to Omaha, and Liam refuses because of her personal connection. Instead, Shelby gets assigned to Omaha, and Alex to 9/11. Can you see whats coming? Yep, Alex and Shelby switch their access cards so Alex can look into her fathers actions in Omaha, and Shelby digs into 9/11 files, where she finds immunity agreement forms. Since Clayton told her she had to lure her parents out of hiding, shes going to use the forms to create fake immunity documents and convince her parents to meet with her and sign them. Alex discovers that one week of her dads reports from the Omaha assignment are missing, so she goes to his handler at the time to ask where they are. With some prodding (a shockingly little amount, though), Fred Baxter tells her Liam and her dad were undercover in Omaha, trying to catch a right-wing militia in the act. Sometimes the bad guys need a nudge a push to do the thing you wanna catch them doing, Baxter adds. You might supply them with blueprints to the building, so theyd know where to park the trucks with the bombs. He then burned her dads journal of the week the tragedy occurred, when the baddies with the bombs were successful before they could be caught and American service men and women, as well as children in daycare, died as a result. Baxter then admits to Alex that her dad and Liam were told to keep their mouths shut about what really happened.

10. Back to present day NYC. While Alex is still driving around the city, Drew is telling her how apathetic America is, that the country only cares about something and is propelled into action when theres a crisis, so hes going to give them one.

11. Shelby, with Drew and Alex live on her phone (unbeknownst to Drew), goes to Claire Haass campaign bus to tell her whats going on. Claires campaign manager doesnt want to give Shelby access  you know, since shes Claires late husbands mistress  but Shelby convinces her, and moments later, she and Claire are walking into the FBI offices. Shelby shares her live phone conference call with Alex and Drew, and Claire tells Miranda she knows Alex isnt a terrorist. Mama Haas demands that Miranda release Caleb. Ryan and Raina are exonerated and released as well, and Miranda puts them all to work trying to track down Drew. Miranda and Claire also agree to try to keep the situation as quiet as possible, but that plans done in when the local news airs a report with footage of Ryans truck and the bomb inside it. Claire gives a press conference then, saying shes suspending her campaign so she can fully assist the FBI. Alex is still driving around, and when she tries yet again to talk Drew out of his plan, he tells her to forget it. Welcome to the end, he says.



12. Raina tells Miranda she has a plan that may lead them to Drew. It involves the possibility that hes using a landline instead of a cell phone, and that they will be able to trace it. While Raina and Caleb work on that, Miranda heads to the elevators. Ryans surprised shes leaving in the middle of the crisis, but she says shes just going upstairs for a quick meeting. Why, then, does he see the elevator going downstairs?



13. Caleb and Raina narrow Drews location down to a warehouse on the west side of Manhattan, and Ryan takes a squad and heads to the building 



14.  and Drew is there with Simon! Theyre both waking up, after being drugged. Their hands are tied, and theyre tied to chairs. Nearby, a laptop is playing the phone call between Drew and Alex, and Drew points out that its not him on the call; its the handiwork of The Voice, now making a fake Drew voice so Alex and the FBI think Drew is the big bad terrorist. As Simon and Drew try to free themselves, they notice that the door out of the room has a trip wire that will blow the room if its touched. Drew tells Simon to break his thumb so he can slip out of the ropes hes tied up with, and when theyre free, Simon goes out the window. Drew is trying to get through to someone via the laptop and phone in the room, just as Ryan and his men break through the door and set off the bomb. Ryan and his men are okay, but Drews status remains unknown. Outside, Simon sees Alex, finally stopped in the truck, and, after the FBI has secured the vehicle, Simon tries to convince her to get out. Shes afraid the truck will explode, but her friend convinces her to open the door.

Related: Quantico: Priyanka Chopras Castmates Share 3 Reasons They Love Her



15. In the Quantico timeline, Caleb goes to Mama Wyatts hotel room and warns her that Shelby is coming to set her up for capture by the FBI. He wants to spare Shelby having to live with putting her parents away. Alex, Ryan, and Liam also try to stop Shelby, not only from regrets about turning her parents in, but from getting into legal trouble herself for creating fake immunity agreement documents. Theyre unaware she is working with Clayton Haas, but shes still so angry at her pal Alex for interfering that she tells Alex that for the rest of her life shes going to regret that she even met Alex.



16. Ryan bursts into Liams office and demands to know what really happened in Omaha. Liam shares pretty much the same story Ted, er, Fred Baxter told Alex, that Liam and Alexs dad had fed blueprints to the militia, which then carried out their bomb attack with that info. Liam then goes into how they  the same they who told Ryan what to say after Chicago  told him and Alexs dad what to say. You fall in line, or they zero you out, Liam says. The guilt sent Michael down a spiral. I held on to the top of the bottle with one hand, while he drowned at the bottom of it. Ryan then tells Liam hes not taking the job in D.C. I thought Chicago was a mistake, Ryan says. But it was a pattern. You find the shortcuts and other people pay the price. Ryan says he wants to strike out on his own, away from Liam, who tells him hes making a mistake. Maybe, Ryan says. But itll be mine for a change.



17. Ryan goes to Alexs dorm room, where shes crying after her fight with Shelby. She says she came to Quantico with few friends, and it looks like shell leave the same way. Ryan says that for all the talk of partnerships and teamwork at Quantico, they dont tell you that being an agent is actually pretty lonely. But Alex has a temporary cure for that: she says they each have two weeks before they start their new jobs, so why dont they run away together, somewhere completely off the grid, and really get to know each other? She apologizes then for interrupting him with whatever he came to her room to tell her, but he smiles and says, It can wait.

Related: Why Quantico Was Priyanka Chopras First Choice for a TV Role (and She Read a Lot of Scripts)



18. Back to the NYC present: Claire is giving another press conference, with Alex at her side. She declares Alex a hero, and says the bomb threat is no more. At the FBI offices, Simon is telling everyone the whole bomb threat was just theater, designed to create a scare. Just then, everyone gets the same alert on their phones: Bureau Wide Alert. Nuclear bomb from todays event in NYC now reported as missing. They all panic, and say Miranda is the only one in the office who would even know where the bomb had been taken. And, oh yeah, where is Miranda?



19. Miranda is inside an apartment, with her gun drawn, staring at computer monitors and finding a set of blueprints inside a desk drawer. The monitors show surveillance of several people, including Alex, Ryan, Shelby, Miranda, Drew, and the FBI offices. Miranda hears someone enter the room behind her, and she says, I got suspicious when I saw footage of Alex leaked from inside the FBI building. Only a few people could have accessed it. I should have known and she turns around quickly and fires at someone, who fires back and hits her. She falls to the ground, bleeding, but looks up from the ground to ask her attacker, Why are you doing this?



20. Her attacker  Liam!  responds: To make things right.



Quantico airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC.

(Photos: Philippe Bosse/ABC)


PureWow

It looks like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle thought their Archewell website needed a little bit of a facelift. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been keeping quite busy these days, what with a Netflix docuseries, podcasts, oh, and two young kids to take care of. However, we just noticed that the couple changed the photo on the homepage of their website, trading out the old pic for a brand-new portrait courtesy of Misan Harriman. Archewell Foundation/Misan Harriman The pic was snapped during t
A disappointing employment report in April showed that job growth had declined to its lowest pace in seven months. The number of jobs added came in far lower than expected while the employment rate remained flat at Marchs level. Following a series of mixed signals, this is the first significant indication that the economy may be slowing down.

However, the service sector shows no signs of slowing down as was borne out by last weeks ISM numbers. Nearly all the employment gains for April came in from three services sectors. Adding stocks from these areas to your portfolio makes good sense at this point.

Job Growth Flags

The U.S. economy created a total of 160,000 jobs in April, significantly lower than the consensus estimate of 203,000. The tally was also considerably lower than Marchs downwardly revised job number of 208,000. Moreover, the unemployment rate in April was in line with the consensus estimate and Marchs rate of 5%.

However, average hourly earnings gained 0.3% or 8 cents in April from the previous months figure to $25.53. This was the third highest monthly gain in a year. Average hourly earnings also witnessed a 2.5% rise from the year-ago figure.

Services Power Gains

The lions share of job additions came from three areas, professional and business services, healthcare and the financial sector. Coming in at first place was professional and business services with 65,000 job additions. Management and technical consulting services added 21,000 jobs.

The number of jobs in the healthcare sector increased by 44,000. Ambulatory health care services and hospitals contributed 19,000 and 23,000 jobs, respectively. Financial activities provided 20,000 more jobs with credit intermediation and related services adding 8,000 positions.

ISM Gauge Hits Four-Month High

The ISM Services Index increased from 54.5% in March to 55.7% in April, indicating expansion in servicing activity for the 75th straight month. Additionally, the reading was more than the consensus estimate of 54.8%. This was the highest reading for the index in the last four months.

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Currently, the services sectors have come to comprise nearly 90% of the U.S. economy. Weighed down by weak global economic conditions and a stronger dollar, manufacturing is traversing particularly troubled waters. On the other hand, sectors which are relatively insulated from global weaknesses, such as health care providers, have been faring much better.

Our Choices

Strong services sector growth is shoring up the economy at a time when it is beset by troubles from abroad. This is specifically true for those industries which are relatively insulated from the weaknesses of global demand and a rising dollar.

Investing in such sectors makes good sense, especially because such conditions are expected to prevail for some time now. However, picking winning stocks may be a difficult task.

This is where our VGM score comes in. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM score.

We have narrowed down our search to the following stocks based on a good Zacks Rank and VGM score.

Vectrus, Inc. VEC engages in providing infrastructure asset management, logistics and supply chain management, and information technology and network communication services.

Vectrus has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and a VGM Score of A. The forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for the current financial year (F1) is 9.69, lower than the industry average of 16.15.

PRGX Global, Inc. PRGX provides audit, analytics, and advisory services in order to improve client financial performance.

PRGX Global has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of A. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 79% over the last 30 days.

Nobilis Health Corp. HLTH is an owner and manager of ambulatory surgical centers and hospitals.

Nobilis Health has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 97.1% for the current year. It has a P/E (F1) of 6.29, which is lower than the industry average of 14.25.

HEALTHSOUTH Corp. HLS provides post-acute healthcare services and home-based patient care.

Vail Resorts has a Zacks Rank #2 and a VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 9.5% for the current year. It has a P/E (F1) of 16.71, which is lower than the industry average of 18.82. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 2.4% over the last 30 days.

Raymond James Financial, Inc. RJF provides financial services mainly in the U.S. and Canada.

Raymond James Financial has a Zacks Rank #1 and a VGM Score of B. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 5.2% over the last 30 days.

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PRGX GLOBAL INC (PRGX): Free Stock Analysis Report



RAYMOND JAS FIN (RJF): Free Stock Analysis Report



HEALTHSOUTH CP (HLS): Free Stock Analysis Report



NOBILIS HEALTH (HLTH): Free Stock Analysis Report



VECTRUS INC (VEC): Free Stock Analysis Report



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Older couple moving

Sure, downsizing should save you money. Whatever may have spurred the urge to purgewhether its kids flying from the coop, a desire for a smaller place to maintain, maybe even an unhealthy addiction to Tiny House Hunters on HGTVmoving into a smaller place can grow your nest egg right at a time when extra cash will come in handy. The payoff can be big.

According to a study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, moving from a $250,000 house to one that costs $150,000 could on average increase yearly income by $3,000 and reduce annual expenses by $3,250, saving the homeowner $6,250 a year. And maybe lots more.

But heres the dirty (little) secret about downsizing: It can cost money, too. If youre not careful, some nasty expenses can creep into the picture and drain whatever savings you were hoping to accrue. To make sure this doesnt happen to you, watch out for the following curveball costs. Plan accordingly before you make the big move to smallness. Because why not do it right?

Hidden cost No. 1: Taxes

Depending on how long youve lived in your home, when you sell the place, a large portion of your equity may go straight to federal and state capital-gains taxes. Many folks downplay or underestimate this heavy lift. You can exclude up to $500,000 of profit from the sale of your home if youre a married couple filing jointly, or $250,000 if youre single. (Your profit is the sale price minus its selling expenses and tax basisthat is, what you paid when you originally purchased it, plus the cost of any improvements youve made to the property.)

The IRS offers some guidelines on how to calculate capital gains, but youll still want to consult a tax adviser to find out how much youre going to walk away with when you sell your home, says Rae Wayne, a Realtor with the Bizzy Blondes team in Los Angeles.

Additionally, if youre buying your next property, you might have to pay more in property taxes depending on where youre moving. But if this is a retirement move youre making, you may be in luck: Some cities offer property tax relief to seniors, so find out from your adviser if a discount is available and whether you qualify.

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Hidden cost No. 2: Repairs

Depending on how long youve lived in your home, you might have plenty of deferred maintenance to deal with. So to get the most value for your house, youll need to make repairs before putting your property on the market. You may also have some cosmetic issues that need attention. Maybe lots of em.

A lot of homeowners just let landscaping slip, says Nancy Newquist-Nolan, a Realtor with Pacific Coast Realty in Santa Barbara, CA, who specializes in downsizing. Older homeowners in particular just dont have the energy.

Is that you? When Jeb Bush was labeled low energy during the Republican primaries, did you nod sadly in recognition? Then its worth hiring a professional to do basic landscaping, including removing weeds, planting flowers, and pruning hedges and trees. Improving your homes landscape can raise its value by up to 12%, according to research from Virginia Tech.

Moreover, painting the front door, replacing the mailbox, and updating light fixtures are low-cost upgrades that can boost curb appeal substantially.

Hidden cost No. 3: Moving

Unless you can get friends or family to help you (and at this point in your life, do you really want to?), youll probably hire a moving company when you downsize. Just keep this in mind: The average professional move costs a not-at-all-small $12,230, according to Worldwide ERC, an association that tracks mobility costs.

But there are a number of ways you can save.

Timing is crucial. Summer is peak moving season, since most families want to move when their children are out of school. And trust us, surge pricing isnt unique to Uber. So avoid the priciest periods if possible: Youll save if you can relocate during the winter. Moreover, a midmonth move will help cut costs, since movers are busiest during the beginning and end of the month when leases turn over, says Scott Michael, president and CEO at American Moving & Storage Association.

Another way to cut costs is simply to comparison shop: Get in-home quotes from at least three companies, Michael advises. Transporting valuables like antiques? Make sure youre covered if something breaks. Since legal coverage varies by state, look into purchasing full replacement value protection from the moving company, says Michael. Also, some homeowners insurance policies cover items when in transit, so check your coverage.

If youre making a local move, youll likely pay by the hour, so make the process as seamless as possible, says Regina Leeds, a professional organizer and author of Rightsize  Right Now!: The 8-Week Plan to Organize, Declutter, and Make Any Move Stress-Free.

To conserve time, pack smaller items yourself, label boxes and furniture to indicate their designated room, and supply workers with handwritten instructions the day of the move.

The less questions movers have to ask you, the faster theyll go, and the more youll save, says Leeds.

Since long-distance moves are typically priced based on weight, you can shave costs by unloading your clutter before moving.

Hidden cost No. 4: Storage

Having trouble parting with some of your possessions? You may be tempted to put them into a storage unit, but Newquist-Nolan says its a waste of money.

When you downsize, you should be able to reduce your possessions to fit your new living space, she says.

Leeds recommends going room to room and making a list of everything youre going to get rid of, including furniture, clothing, and canned foods.

You want to have space in your next home for new mementos, says Leeds.

Be brutalyoull be happy you were. You have three options when paring down your belongings, according to Newquist-Nolan: Give them to family, sell them (either on eBay or in a yard sale), or make a donation and receive a tax write-off. Some organizations (e.g., the Salvation Army) will pick up donations from your house, making it a hassle-free decision. If youre going to simplify, simplify.

Hidden cost No. 5: Living expenses in your new locale

This one is a big wild card. Some living expenses are fixed, like condo dues or homeowners association fees, and thus easier to budget for; in other cases, your cost of living might go upsometimes way upif youre making a long-distance move.

Online calculators can give you a rough estimate of what youll be paying, but you can get a better sense of how much things cost by visiting your prospective town.

Check out the supermarkets, restaurants, and shopping centers, says Wayne, and talk to as many people as possible to get a feel for what its like to live there. After all, small is the new big. Just make sure its the right kind of small.



More from realtor.com: Is It Smarter to Rent or Buy?

The post 5 Surprising Ways Downsizing May Actually Cost You Big Bucks appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.





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A University of Pennsylvania economics professor was involved in a flight delay Thursday after a fellow passenger reported the math equations he was writing on the plane as suspicious.

The passenger, Guido Menzio, was eventually allowed to continue on the Philadelphia-to-Syracuse journey. But Menzios situation highlighted the recent trend of air travelers being kicked off jetliners for reasons that seem to fall short of the bar.

While precise data about these incidents isnt recorded, a combination of highly suspicious travelers, cramped airplanes, and the generally anxiety-inducing process of flying seems to be fueling an uptick.

Here are a few examples over the last few months.

1. A University of California, Berkeley student was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight in April after another passenger reported he was making comments in Arabic perceived to be threatening, as the airline put it. The student later said he was talking on the phone with his uncle about a speech he had attended. The incident sparked a conversation about air travel, security, and Islamophobia.

2. The parents of a 1-year-old child said they were kicked off an Allegiant Air flight in May after informing the flight crew of the boys severe peanut allergy. The airline said an outside medical advisor recommended the child not be allowed on board.

4. A 385-pound man said he was given the boot from a United Airlines flight in April after his would-be row mate complained about his comfort to a flight attendant. A United spokesperson told The Huffington Post that the airlines policy is to remove people who cant safely fit into their seat.

5. A U.S. Army veteran claimed that Spirit Airlines forced her off an April flight after she tried to bring her emotional support animal on board. Service animals are generally allowed on flights.

6. A woman claimed she was unjustly kicked off an American Airlines flight last October by an irate flight attendant. In video recorded by other passengers, the woman is seen crying through the ordeal. American told The Washington Post it had apologized to the passenger.
If you think finding a needle in a haystack sounds challenging, try searching for fossils the size of fingernail clippings in massive slabs of rock.

But that's just what a team of scientists is doing at a site in Chengjiang, China. And they recently struck a fossil jackpot, discovering an extremely rare arthropod larva fossil measuring a mere 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) long.

The fossil, estimated to be 520 million years old, was preserved in 3D, presenting the researchers with an exceptional level of detail for this very early stage of the creature's development. It also provided them with a first glimpse of ancestral larval forms in arthropods, the invertebrate animal group with exoskeletons and segmented bodies that includes arachnids, crustaceans and insects. [Photos: A Cambrian Larva With a 'Daggerlike' Tail]

The larva has a segmented body, with two large structures on its head, four pairs of branching legs and three additional pairs of legs that are much less developed. Its posterior is tipped with a "dagger-like" appendage, framed by two triangular forms resembling paddles, which the scientists suggest may have been used for swimming.

This is the first fossil of its kind to be found at Chengjiang since the site's discovery in 1984, according to Yu Liu, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich.

The researchers identified the tiny fossil as a known species  Leanchoilia illecebrosa, a member of the "short great appendage arthropods," which earned their name due to the large claw-like structures attached to their heads, likely used for feeding or for sensing their environment.

In fact, it was the shape of those appendages in the larva fossil that helped the scientists with their identification, Liu told Live Science in an email.

But compared to adult forms, other limbs in the fossil were not as well developed. This told the scientists that the new discovery represented an early larval stage, Liu said.

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Hidden in rock

Finding fossils this small is no easy task. It begins with removing large slabs of rock, splitting them into somewhat smaller slabs, and then reviewing them with a magnifying lens to see if there might be "something interesting" preserved in them, according to Liu.

"As you may imagine, the chance of finding a fossil is not very high," Liu told Live Science. "In most cases, you get one fossil after separating tens of slabs. The chance of finding a GOOD fossil is even lower. You need to separate hundreds or even thousands of slabs for that."

Such tiny and delicate specimens like this one can't be isolated from the rocky material around them with the methods traditionally used for chipping out larger fossils. Paleontologists use microphotography and scanning technology rather than picks, drills, or chisels to "penetrate" the rock and show them the remains of once-living animals preserved inside.

3D surprise

And finding such a small fossil preserved in 3D was unexpected and exciting, Liu said. Micro computed tomography  micro-CT scans  of the larva offered a highly detailed picture of its body, with an interesting surprise as a result.

This particular larva's body type  one in which body segments are added as the creature grows to adulthood  was already thought to be typical for modern crustaceans, Liu said. But, finding one this far back in the fossil record hints that this was a feature in all other arthropod ancestors, as well.

This rare find represents an important puzzle piece for investigating the mysteries of the Cambrian radiation  an evolutionary boom period that began about 543 million years ago and lasted around 53 million years  the researchers wrote in their study. Understanding these ancient animals' stages of development could help to unravel the mechanisms that gave rise to the unprecedented diversity of living forms in Earth's distant past.

The findings were published online May 2 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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Small Business Week, celebrated every year since 1963, was May 1 to May 7. It is amazing to think that small businesses employ half of the country's workforce and create two out of every three new jobs in America, according to smallbusiness.com. In honor of the power of the small business, here are seven reasons to work for one (if, for some reason, you are not already).

Everyone will know your name. The "Cheers" theme song had it right, most of us want to go somewhere "where everybody knows your name. And they are always glad you came." Both are true of working in a small company. You are not one of thousands of employees, and since you aren't, showing up to work every day is especially appreciated by the small business owner.

[See: 25 Awesome Business Jobs for 2016.]

You can make an impact. Statistically, 1 out of 20 or even 1 out of 100 represents a much larger value than 1 out of 1,000. Each employee in a small business has the potential to make a difference. Your good efforts and accomplishments have an excellent chance of being recognized.

You are never more than a couple of levels away from the decision-maker. Small businesses typically have much flatter organizational structures than their larger counterparts. For employees, this can mean quicker decision-making and greater access to management.

Exposure. Small businesses often hire people who can manage multiple functions or solve a variety of problems. This wider range of responsibility can be very enriching and very gratifying for people who like variety in their work. It can also allow a less-experienced employee to see a larger slice of how the business is run. This exposure is invaluable.

[See: 10 Things You Should Know Before Working for a Startup.]

Customer contact. At the end of the day, all successful businesses share one important trait: they solve a need for customers. It is the essence of all business. Employees that have frequent and meaningful contact with customers find it easier to see the big picture. They also have ample opportunity to strengthen their service and sales skills. In his book, "How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It," Mark Cuban, billionaire entrepreneur and investor, advises, "Learn to sell. In business you're always selling -- to your prospects, investors, and employees." He adds, "Your customers can tell you the things that are broken and how they want to be made happy. Listen to them."

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Learning how to listen and how to solve customers' problems increases your professional value. In a small business, it is typically easier to interact with customers than in a large enterprise.

Many successful small businesses are started by former employees of large firms. Although there are some small businesses that are founded by inexperienced owners, often a small business is the brainchild of a former corporate employee or manager who decided to try things in a different way. These owners have seen some of the less glamorous aspects of large corporations, like slow decision-making and bureaucracy, and had a fresh approach to improve the way business is conducted.

[See: 10 Things They Don't Tell You About Your First Job.]

See something different. Working for a small business can give you a chance to see a modern and often improved approach within seasoned industries. Furthermore, because a small business may not have the resources and the efficiencies of a large company, there is often a greater reliance on creativity and ingenuity to attract customers and resolve business challenges.

Nearly everyone relies on small businesses one way or another. There has never been a better time to join the ranks of millions of American employees who have found their ideal career positions within a small business. With ample opportunities, relatively flat organizational charts and an inspiring reliance on new ways to stay competitive, small businesses are a great place for you to make a big impact.

Robin Reshwan is the founder of Collegial Services, a consulting/staffing firm that connects college students, recent graduates and the organizations that hire them and a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE). She has interviewed, placed and hired thousands of people across a broad spectrum of companies and industries. Her career tips and advice are used by universities, national clubs/associations and businesses. A Certified Professional Resume Writer, Robin has been honored as a Professional Business Woman of the Year by the American Business Women's Association. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and as a Regents Scholar from University of California, Davis.





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As soon as the bell rings and youngsters flood out of their classrooms on the last day of school, parents are faced with a challenge. Without school and afterschool activities to fill the days, parents must find new ways to entertain and stimulate creativity in their kids.

Plopping little ones in front of the TV isn't ideal, while summer camps can be expensive. Happily, there's plenty of stimulating, kid-friendly summer fun to be had -- and it doesn't have to cost you a dime.

This season, keep your youngsters engaged with these eight free summer-break activities:

Check out the library.

With virtually every book ever written accessible on mobile readers, it's easy to forget about your local library. But libraries are much more than houses of literature -- they're community hubs, learning spaces and activity centers. Main branches often host an array of free events and activities, from story time and puppet shows to family movie nights. And of course, libraries are a treasure trove of delightful stories and eye-catching illustrations.

[See: 10 Fun, Frugal Ways to Spend Your Free Time.]

Visit a farmers market.

Colorful, bustling and full of local vendors, farmers markets aren't just fun -- they're learning opportunities. At the farmers market, you can introduce your kids to different types of vegetables and fruits and get them excited about eating healthy. Through meeting with local vendors, your little ones can learn about all the work that goes into growing and harvesting food.

Cook together.

The kitchen is a fantastic place to stimulate creativity and encourage healthy habits in your children. When you cook with your kids, you can spark discussions about nutrition and the benefits of eating wholesome foods. Try whipping up healthy, kid-friendly dishes like baked chicken nuggets, whole-wheat pizzas and fruit smoothies.

[See: 10 Meals to Make When You're Trying to Save.]

Volunteer.

When you volunteer as a family, you can instill in your kids important values like empathy, gratitude and community responsibility. Wonderful volunteer opportunities abound for families of all sizes and interests. You and your youngsters could deliver meals with a local charity service like Meals on Wheels or visit a nursing home to spend time, play games and work on crafts with the residents. You could play with orphaned pets at a local animal shelter or serve meals at a local food bank -- the list goes on!

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Go for a hike.

Hiking gives kids a chance to exercise, breathe fresh air and explore the natural world around them. The secret to a successful hike is to combine learning with fun. Encourage your kids to look for wildlife or wildflowers, or set up a scavenger hunt for natural objects in different colors and shapes. Make rubbings of tree bark or hunt down leaves for making moose and bird crafts. Be prepared to take plenty of breaks, when you can refuel on snacks and take in the sights and sounds of nature.

Create a campsite in your backyard.

Dig out the tents and sleeping bags and set up a campsite in your own backyard. Don't have a tent? You can make your own using your clothesline and sheets. Your family can set up the campsite together, gathering pillows, tents and supplies. Sing campfire songs and fire up the grill to sizzle up some hot dogs, burgers and veggies. At night, tell ghost stories, stargaze and have a shadow puppet show with your flashlights.

Help your kids start a business.

The lemonade stand is a time-honored American tradition, but it's not the only kid-friendly entrepreneurial opportunity out there. With your guidance and encouragement, your children could start a dog-walking, lawn-mowing or car-washing service. Starting a business can help children learn about the value of money, while boosting their confidence and improving their communication skills.

[See: A Guide to Launching Your Side Business.]

Create a backyard waterpark.

Skip the high admission fees and crowds of ordinary water parks and build one in your backyard. You can create a sturdy Slip 'N Slide with a plastic tarp or a large plastic garbage bag (or two) cut lengthwise along the sides. After securing the slide with towel-padded stones, use the hose to send water gushing down the slide, and add baby shampoo to maximize slipperiness.

After constructing your slide, you can set up a sprinkler for your whippersnappers to scamper around, and fill a bucket with water balloons for a water balloon toss. You and your kiddos can scheme up additional features for your backyard water park -- odds are, they've got some imaginative ideas.

Maria Lalonde honed her deal-hunting skills while traveling through South America and Southeast Asia, combing colorful local markets for unique finds. Her love of blogging and thirst for deals brought her to Offers.com, where she blogs about savings tips.





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From ELLE

A teenage girl sits in a rocking chair holding a fussy infant. She rocks back and forth, and gradually the baby calms, soothed by the motion. She whispers "shhhhhh," looking up at the Winnie the Pooh prints hanging on the walls of the nursery. She rocks back and forth. The baby is quiet. Gently, the girl places the baby in her crib. She turns out the light and closes the door. Some time later, the baby begins to cry. The girl stands at the foot of the stairs, uncertain. Should I go up? she wonders. The crying stops.

Francie Webb was fourteen years old in 1995 when a tragedy transformed her life. Babysitting for a family in her Virginia town, she spent a typical evening chasing their two-year-old son and caring for their eleven-week-old daughter, Catherine. She put the fussy infant to sleep and tried to wrangle the active toddler toward bedtime. When the children's parents returned, Francie went home. Her family received a phone call a few hours later letting them know that Catherine had died that night.

Through a haze of shock, Francie remembers the memorial service-the casket so small it made her sob. She remembers Catherine's parents hugging her, telling her, "We love you so much," although they hardly knew her. She remembers breaking down at school in the middle of a translation in Latin class.

The cause of Catherine's death was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-that mysterious and terrifying diagnosis that, at the time, killed over 6,000 infants every year. Just a year earlier, the national "Back to Sleep" campaign had been launched, urging caregivers to place infants on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS. While the cause of SIDS is still unknown, studies have shown that back sleeping has a dramatic impact, and by 2000, the campaign had succeeded in reducing SIDS rates by over 50 percent. Francie had put Catherine to sleep on her stomach, as she had been taught, as she had done hundreds of times for her own siblings and the other children she babysat.

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Devastated, Francie remembers asking her mother if the tragedy was her fault, if there was anything she could have done to save the baby girl, and was reassured that there was not. But she was not convinced. She felt deeply responsible for Catherine's death.

The thought of becoming a mother herself was too terrifying to imagine.

As Francie grew older, a sense of shame tainted her relationships. She used the painful story as a loyalty test, always wondering whether people would still want to be close to her if they knew what had happened. The thought of becoming a mother herself was too terrifying to imagine. But she never talked about or really admitted her own grief.

It wasn't until Francie graduated from college that she began to notice the cracks in the facade of strength she had constructed. A counselor encouraged her to contact Catherine's family, who had moved and were then living in England. Although she hadn't spoken to them in more than seven years, Francie wrote a letter to the family in which she admitted her struggles, her sense of guilt, and her hope that she hadn't been responsible for ruining their lives.

Catherine's mother, Nadine, remembers that their response was immediate. "My husband just said, send her a plane ticket," Nadine says. "Just get her over here and let her know that we're okay. Show her that we've moved on."

The visit to England was healing for Francie. Together, Francie and Nadine watched the only video that exists of Catherine, taken three days before she died. Nadine had only found the courage to watch it for the first time almost five years after Catherine's death, while pregnant with her second son. What she found was both unexpected and comforting. "I felt watching it that somehow the light had already gone out of her," Nadine says. "She didn't ever look at the camera.  She was almost, sort of, on another planet.  Like something in her had already gone even though she hadn't actually died yet."

Watching the video, Francie felt the same. It was as if "she wasn't meant to stay." Francie takes comfort from a belief common to many cultures about children who don't stay in this world, a sense that this is unpreventable. Some stay and some go. "I thinkthat was the first step in putting it all behind her, knowing we didn't blame her," says Nadine.

Francie flew back to the U.S. feeling comforted and reassured. But nothing prepared her for the fear and anxiety unleashed almost a decade later by her own pregnancy. Concerns about the baby's size forced her to see a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and kept her on bed rest for months. She lived in terror that she would somehow lose her own child. Francie reached out for support, hiring a birth doula and talking with her OB and pediatrician. Ultimately, she was able to have an un-medicated birth in a hospital. She was stunned by the "unfathomable pain" of labor, as she puts it, but she also felt empowered and transformed by the experience. She had done this thing. She had birthed her baby into her hands and held her before anyone else. "Next time, we do this at home," Francie told her husband. "I'm not afraid anymore."

Two years later, Francie was determined that her second pregnancy would be entirely different. She found a midwife. She planned a home birth. She chose not to have a single ultrasound scan of her developing baby, preferring to allow her child to simply be who she was. She worked to prepare for the birth not physically, but emotionally. She wrote in a journal. She began to operate from a place of trust.

"Next time, we do this at home," Francie told her husband. "I'm not afraid anymore."

But Francie's home birth did not go as planned. While she had imagined laboring in a birthing pool surrounded by women-the midwife and assistant, the doula from her first labor, a birth photographer, her mother, and close friends-no one managed to get there in time. Less than an hour after she realized she was in labor, Francie found herself alone on her bed, her husband on the phone with the doula, getting ready to push her baby into the world by herself.

"The only thought I had was: surrender. Let go. Allow this to happen," Francie says. "When I felt an inkling of fear, I decided to pray. I said to the baby, I need you to be okay, and I need you to let me know you're okay. I pictured her coming out, looking healthy and crying. And that is exactly what happened."

Francie believes, as many obstetricians and midwives do, that there is a physiological relationship between a mother's emotional state and the process of giving birth. There are many approaches to this mind-body connection, ranging from meditation and visualization techniques to self-hypnosis and yoga. The process of working through past traumas or fears has been most famously documented by midwife and author, Ina May Gaskin, as an essential step in allowing a woman's body to physically open for the baby. By doing her own emotional work over the course of 20 years, Francie believes that she created the conditions for an empowering and beautiful birth in an active way. It didn't just happen.

Less than an hour after she realized she was in labor, Francie found herself alone on her bed...getting ready to push her baby into the world by herself.

While Francie had planned to document her first moments with her child, she never imagined that the photo of herself in the act of birth would later go viral. She posted the photo on Facebook on her baby's first birthday-the day that children officially age out of the risk of SIDS.

Reactions to the photo, which Francie shared in a private Facebook group dedicated to pregnancy and childbirth in New York City, were swift and severe. While many group members responded warmly, within an hour the photo had been removed for violating Facebook's anti-nudity policy. Articles about the photo's censorship rapidly began to appear in the media. Some expressed outrage at Facebook for labeling the photo "sexually explicit" and pointed out that the site allows images of "women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring." Others questioned whether the photo was "over-sharing" or whether the ban on childbirth images contributed to a social media culture that shames and disempowers women.

But for Francie, the photo simply represents her transformation. It marks the end of a 20-year journey of recovery from the life-altering tragedy that nearly prevented her from becoming a mother at all. "I need people to understand that this was not easy," Francie says. "This was not an isolated incident. This was not an accident. I started preparing for this birth twenty years ago when I thought I could control whether or not a baby survived, and I couldn't."

Even in the depth of her grief and guilt, Francie always had a feeling that she would someday use the experience of Catherine's death to help others. It led her to become a birth doula and to create a website, TheMilkinMama.com, dedicated to teaching mothers how to hand express breast milk. It brought her to that moment of total courage, alone on a bed, holding her newborn baby in her hands.

Catherine's parents donated her corneas after her death, and months later they received a certificate telling them that two children now had the gift of sight because of Catherine. "Initially," Nadine says, "I thought, maybe one of these children will go on to be an amazing doctor or an amazing artist. And then you think, wait a minute, maybe one of these children will just go on to be an amazing mother."

Sarah Yahr Tucker is a freelance writer and parenting blogger for Mom.me. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
By Letitia Stein and Colleen Jenkins

(Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union said it filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday to block a Mississippi law allowing people to deny wedding services to same-sex couples based on religious objections.

The lawsuit seeks a court injunction to stop the law from taking effect on July 1. The ACLU said the measure discriminates against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and is unconstitutional following a U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last year that legalized same-sex marriage.

The ACLU of Mississippi is suing on behalf of state residents Nykolas Alford and Stephen Thomas, a gay couple engaged to be married.

"At a time when were supposed to be excited as a couple engaged to be married, this law permits discrimination against us simply because of who we are," they said in a statement released by the ACLU.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, a Republican, last month signed into law the wide-reaching measure, which supporters called necessary to protect businesses and individuals seeking to exercise their religious views.

"The ACLU continues its mission of trying to use the federal court system to push its liberal agenda," Bryant said in a statement responding to the lawsuit. "Instead of cherry-picking causes popular with the radical left, the ACLU should allocate its resources defending all civil liberties."

The ACLU lawsuit for procedural purposes names one state official, Judy Moulder, the state's registrar of vital records, as a defendant. She could not immediately be reached for comment.

Mississippi is among a handful of southern U.S. states on the front lines of legal battles over equality, privacy and religious freedom.

In March, North Carolina became the first state to bar people from using restrooms consistent with their gender identity. State officials on Monday sued the U.S. Justice Department for challenging its law on public restroom access.

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The far-reaching Mississippi law also clears the way for employers to cite religion in determining workplace policies on dress code, grooming and bathroom and locker access.

In a media release, the ACLU said that Mississippi law could impact people in sexual relationships outside of a heterosexual marriage. While the initial challenge is focused on the provisions pertaining to marriage, the organization said in a statement that it planned to fight the other provisions.

"We wont rest until every last piece of this law is struck down and all LGBT people in Mississippi have equal justice under the law, said ACLU senior staff attorney Josh Block in a statement.

(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins in Winston-Salem, N.C. and Letitia Stein in Tampa, Fla.; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Tom Brown)
By Maiya Keidan LONDON (Reuters) - Activist hedge fund TCI's campaign against German carmaker Volkswagen was launched as its own initiative and not on behalf of a broader investor group, a partner at the firm told Reuters. In a letter to Volkswagen's executive and supervisory boards on Friday, TCI, founded by Chris Hohn, said it wanted to see a complete overhaul of the carmaker's executive pay structure as part of a plan to boost productivity. The $10 billion London-based hedge fund says it has a 2 percent exposure to VW's non-voting preference shares and none to the group's ordinary shares. Although acting alone, it would be prepared to speak to fellow investors, TCI partner Ben Walker said. "We will speak to any investor whose motives and interests are aligned with ours," said Walker. TCI spoke out ahead of a May 10 meeting of members of VW's supervisory board to discuss issues including whether to allow its third-largest shareholder, the Qatari Investment Authority, a seat on its executive steering committee. Reeling from a diesel emissions cheating scandal and fresh from posting a record loss of 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) for 2015, investors have been riled by news that Volkswagen's top bosses would get millions of euros in bonus payments. "We're shining a light on the situation," said Walker. "By shining a light, you expose it to the ridicule that it deserves," adding TCI believed the share price could double if the firm improved productivity. "In five years -- in a good market for auto sales  efficiency and productivity plummet[ed] because of all the escalating personnel expenses," he said. "The old management team acted at the behest of German unions, protected jobs and increased salaries of German workers and, long-term, that is not good for the company; it's not good for workers long-term." VW's works council, whose members occupy about half the seats on the carmaker's supervisory board, declined comment. VW has also declined to comment on TCI's criticism. VW shares are down by around 20 percent since the diesel scandal broke last September. Matthias Mueller, former head of Porsche, replaced Martin Winterkorn as Volkswagen chief executive a week into the crisis. Walker said TCI would now wait and see how Volkswagen's management team responds, particularly in their long-term strategy plan, expected in the next couple of months. One solution, long sought after by some investors, would be for Volkswagen and Porsche to abandon their current holding company structure and merge, loosening the grip of the Porsche-Piech family. "I think it would be massively positive for both Volkswagen and Porsche," said Walker. Activist investors often build an 'economic position' in a target company through derivatives, which give them a larger exposure to the firm than their holding of actual shares would suggest. TCI declined to specify how it had built its position. VW's shares ended Friday up 2.8 percent and extended those gains on Monday, up 2.1 percent to 124.35 euros by 1520 GMT. (Additional reporting by Andreas Cremer in Berlin; Editing by Keith Weir)
The AES Corporations AES first-quarter 2016 adjusted earnings per share of 13 cents missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 19 cents by a wide 31.6%. Quarterly earnings also plunged 48% from the year-ago level of 25 cents.



The companys earnings declined primarily due to an increase of 4 cents in tax expenses, and devaluation of foreign currencies in Latin America and Europe.



First-quarter diluted earnings from continuing operations (including lower unrealized foreign currency transaction losses, unrealized derivative losses and losses on retirement of debt) came in at 19 cents per share, a penny lower than 20 cents earned in the year-ago quarter.



Highlights of the Release



AES Corp. generated total revenue of $3,471 million in the first quarter, down 12.9% year over year, due to lower contribution from both the regulated and non-regulated businesses.



In the reported quarter, total cost of sales was $2,967 million, down 9.1% year over year. General and administrative expenses were $48 million, lower than the year-ago level of $55 million. Operating income was down 30.1% to $504 million.



Interest expenses in the quarter were $364 million, up from $363 million in the year-ago period.



Financial Condition



AES Corp. reported cash and cash equivalents of $1,185 million as of Mar 31, 2016, compared with $1,262 million as of Dec 31, 2015. Non-recourse debt was $13,413 million as of Mar 31, 2016, up from $12,956 million as of Dec 31, 2015.



In the first quarter of 2016, cash from operating activities was $640 million, compared with $437 million a year ago. Total capital expenditure in the quarter was $650 million, lower than $661 million a year ago.



Proportional free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure, was $253 million in the first quarter, down from $265 million in the year-ago period.



Guidance



AES Corp. reaffirmed its adjusted earnings per share guidance for 2016 in the range of 95 cents to $1.05.



The company also reiterated its 2016 proportional free cash flow guidance in the range of $1,000 million to $1,350 million.



Peer Releases



CMS Energy Corp. CMS reported first-quarter 2016 adjusted earnings per share of 59 cents, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 68 cents by 13.2%. Quarterly earnings also tanked 19.2% from the year-ago figure of 73 cents.



DTE Energy Company DTE reported first-quarter 2016 operating earnings per share of $1.52, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Reported earnings, however, dropped 7.9% from the year-ago figure of $1.65.



Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. HE reported adjusted earnings of 31 cents per share in the first quarter of 2016, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 37 cents by 16.2%. Earnings also dropped 11.4% from the year-ago adjusted number of 35 cents.



Zacks Rank



AES Corp. currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).



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Malawi's former president Joyce Banda (front) arrives at the Abuja International Conference Centre, venue of Nigeria's centenary celebration, February 27, 2014. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani DUBAI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - African women in politics need financial support from the West to help them forge ahead rather than leadership training, Malawi's former president Joyce Banda said on Sunday, adding that advice she had received in the past had backfired. Ensuring women's full participation at all levels in political, economic and public life is one of the targets of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, an ambitious plan to end poverty and inequality agreed by world leaders last year. Just over a fifth of parliamentary seats in sub-Saharan Africa are held by women, according to U.N. data, but there are wide variations between countries. Banda, Malawi's first female president and the second woman to lead an African country after Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, told delegates at a conference on African women's empowerment that a confrontational western style would not work in Africa. She described how she had once received women's leadership training in New York, where participants were told to be assertive, stand straight and look people in the eye. "If I had done that, for example while talking to a traditional ruler in Africa, I would have been rejected immediately," Banda said, explaining that she believed in feminism and in equal rights for women, but also in "doing things the African way". "If you want to take the western route, all you will get is rejection, frustration. Confrontation will never work," she said in a speech at the Sheroes Forum in Dubai. Banda described how, following the 1995 Fourth World Women Conference in Beijing where delegates called for international efforts to boost women's political representation, she had printed a banner for a follow-up conference in Malawi with the slogan "99 Women in Office by 1999". But she said this prompted instant resistance from many male politicians who felt threatened about the men who would be unseated in order for the 99 women to take their seats. "If you want to fight men to get equal rights, you will get frustrated," said Banda. Banda, who was in power from 2012 to 2014, runs the Elect Her In Africa (EHIA) initiative which aims to encourage women to run for elected offices and to spur governments to appoint women to key positions. She said the best way the West could help African women gain political power was through helping their economic empowerment. "When you don't have the money, you can't stand for elective power, not in Africa," she added. The Sheroes Forum is a biannual event bringing together African women who are blazing a trail in the public and private sectors to discuss how best to promote women's empowerment in politics and business. (Editing by Emma Batha; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, which covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories.)
Montreal (AFP) - Donor countries of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria will meet in Montreal in September to try to raise $13 billion to finance their work, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.

Canada will put forward Can$785 million (US$605.6 million) of the 2017-2019 budget at the September 16 gathering, Trudeau announced.

The Fund is scrambling to try to end the world's AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria epidemics by 2030.

The Fund says it has saved an estimated 17 million lives thanks to prevention and care programs in more than 140 countries since it was created in 2002.

Canada's contribution alone, up 20 percent, should help save about eight million additional lives by 2018, according to Trudeau's office.

"This is an historic opportunity for Canada and the world," the prime minister said.

"By fast-tracking investments and building global solidarity, we can bring an end to three devastating epidemics -- AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria -- that have tragic and far-reaching impacts on the world's most vulnerable people."
Aden (AFP) - Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition on Monday hit a military base captured by Yemeni rebels north of Sanaa, killing at least 11, a military official said.

The raid targeted Al-Amaliqa base which was taken over recently by the Huthi rebels in their northern stronghold of Amran province, the official said.

He said 11 people were killed in the first raid to target the base since the rebels seized it.

There was no immediate confirmation of the air strike from other sources.

The government delegation to UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait walked out earlier this month in protest at the takeover of the base by the Iran-backed rebels.

The rebels have in their turn complained over alleged air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition which they said killed several people.

UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Monday urged Yemen's warring parties to make concessions to save peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war.
(Updates forecast, adds details on officials touring Fort McMurray)

By Liz Hampton and Rod Nickel

LAC LA BICHE, Alberta, May 9 (Reuters) - Canadian officials on Monday were hoping to take their first look at the town ravaged by the nation's most destructive wildfire in recent memory as firefighters hoped cooler, possibly rainy weather would help them battle the blaze.

Alberta's premiere, Rachel Notley, was set to lead local officials and media on an inspection of oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray, whose 88,000 inhabitants barely had time to flee the blaze that broke out on May 1. Notley warned the nation to brace for grim images, with entire neighborhoods destroyed.

Firefighters said the weather had turned in their favor.

"This is great firefighting weather, we can really get in here and get a handle on this fire, and really get a death grip on it," Alberta fire official Chad Morrison said on Sunday.

The wildfire scorching through Canada's oil sands region in northeast Alberta had been expected to double in size, but light rains and cooler temperatures held it back.

Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 10C (50F), down from Sunday's high of 17 C (63F), with Environment Canada forecasting a 40 percent chance of showers in Fort McMurray.

The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring.

Alberta's government estimated on Sunday that the fire had consumed 161,000 hectares (395,000 acres).

Officials said it was too early to know when the thousands of evacuees camped out in nearby towns could go back to Fort McMurray, even if their homes were intact.

The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid is damaged and the water is undrinkable.

Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region. About half of its crude output, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate.

Story continues

U.S. oil prices fell 1.3 percent on Monday morning.

The inferno could become the costliest natural disaster in Canada's history. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed C$9 billion ($7 billion).

Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the fire safely, although two people died in a car crash during the evacuation.

In a Sunday evening message, Fort McMurray fire chief Darby Allen sent condolences to the families of the two teenage cousins who died in the crash. One victim, 15-year-old Emily Ryan, was the daughter of a fireman in the city.

Regional officials also said via Facebook that firefighters were getting their first break since the fire began a week ago after being relieved by reinforcements.

(With additional reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary and Allison Martell in Toronto; Writing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Richard Pullin and Jeffrey Benkoe)
As if global growth worries were not enough; natural calamity gnawed at the Canadian economy last week. The country saw the worst wildfire in recent times, with about 400,000 acres bursting into flames. Apart from residents safety issues, the outbreak  which took place in Fort McMurray, Alberta  was more detrimental to the oil sands (read: Global Growth Worries Loom: ETFs to Play).



The region is oil-rich and economists are now predicting that wildfire could cut oilsands production in half. Among the renowned operators, Suncor Energy (SU) has closed all of its oilsands facilities in the region, causing about 600,000 bbl/d of production stoppage and has surrounded its facilities with fire breaks. The other companies that shut down production included Shell Albian Sands, Nexen Long Lake and ConocoPhillips Surmont and so on.



Given uncertainties pertaining to the wildfire situation, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) commented that if we assume those shutdowns last for two weeks, they would subtract 0.5 per cent from May GDP." Apart from the blows from oil-related earnings, this unprecedented disruption will also likely weight on citizens daily routine and thus take a bite out of retail sales.



Economists Estimate Cut



Owing to this fire issue, RBC has slashed its prediction for second-quarter annualized growth to 0.5%. Previously, the bank had expected Canada's economy to expand at a 1.5% clip in the April-to-June quarter, per the source.

BMO Financial has also reduced its second-quarter GDP estimate to zero from 1.5% to account for the damage of the Fort McMurray wildfires.



A Nomura economist forecast that a fall of about 500,000 barrels of production per day is equal to nearly one-fifth of overall output. And this would curtail growth by about 0.12 percentage points for every week of production cease.

All in all, the Canadian economy is to get a considerable hit by the oil patch as the Fort McMurray has been reduced to ashes and will take some time to get back to its former shape. As per BMO capital, a catastrophe of this level could cause as much as $9 billion losses in the insured industry.



ETFs to Watch



Since Canada was forced to see the shutdown of more than a third of the country's usual daily output, a significant tightening in oil supplies has been felt in the global market. As a result, oil prices jumped post Fort McMurray fire. Oil prices upped about 2% in trading early on Monday, as per Reuters. This might favor oil ETFs like United States Oil (USO) and United States Brent Oil (BNO). Notably, USO and BNO were up about 0.6% and 0.5%, respectively on May 6, 2016 (read: Top ETF Stories of April).



Since Canadas GDP will be hit, Canada ETFs may underperform due to this fire disaster. The fund iShares MSCI Canada (EWC) has 41.2% weight in the financial sector followed by 20.8% in energy and 11.5% in materials sector (see all Canadian Equity ETFs here).



Another fund that could be hard hit is IQ Canada Small Cap ETF (CNDA). If domestic activities fall short extensively in May, then the fund may decline as small-caps are truly reflective of domestic actions.



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Damascus (AFP) - A truce in Aleppo in northern Syria between regime forces and rebels that was due to expire late Monday has been extended by 48 hours, the army command said.

"The 'regime of silence' in Aleppo and its province has been extended by 48 hours from Tuesday 01:00 am (local time) to midnight on Wednesday," a statement said.

The temporary truce, initially for two days and then prolonged until Tuesday at 00:01 am (21:01 GMT Monday), was decided after fighting killed nearly 300 people since April 22 in Aleppo, where some areas are held by rebels and others by government forces.

The announcement came as Russia and the United States agreed to boost efforts to find a political solution to Syria's five-year war which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

The two powers also agreed to extend a truce across the whole of the country.

"The Russian Federation and United States are determined to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement of the Syrian conflict," according to a joint US-Russian statement published by the Russian foreign ministry.

To this end, Russia "will work with the Syrian authorities to minimise aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties" to the ceasefire, it said.

The two powers brokered a February 27 ceasefire between regime forces and the armed opposition that did not, however, include jihadist fighters such as the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels fired rockets into a regime-held district of Aleppo, killing five civilians including two children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitor also reported 10 civilians killed on Monday by regime bombardment in the northwestern province of Idlib which is controlled by Al-Nusra Front.
From ELLE

At the seven-month mark of her pregnancy, Ali Wong, stand-up comedian and writer for Fresh Off the Boat, did what no pregnant woman had done before: she shot a one-hour comedy special. Available on Netflix today, Baby Cobra, a riff on Wong's favorite yoga pose, features the whip-smart, wonderfully raunchy comic at her best. Jokes range from trapping her Harvard Business School husband, to the ingredients for a perfect marriage (e.g., mutual racism), and why housewives are the geniuses of our time.

In Baby Cobra, Wong-whose acting credits include Chelsea Handler's Are You There, Chelsea? and Inside Amy Schumer-delivers a comic-genius gem. It'll be the best way (trust us) to spend the weekend.

We caught up with Wong on the day of the big release.

Why did you decide to film 'Baby Cobra' while seven months pregnant?

I wanted to use my pregnancy as a source of power and turn it into a weapon instead of a weakness.

Pregnancy for a working woman is generally perceived as a weakness. You're tired at work, and then you have to take time off afterward to recover from the birth, and care for the baby. I'm lucky because my boss, the showrunner at Fresh Off the Boat, was really cool about me taking time off, but I was still nervous about having that "maternity leave" conversation. Every woman is. [And] I had so much anxiety about my stand-up career taking a big hit, so I wanted to use my pregnancy as a source of power and turn it into a weapon instead of a weakness. When you're pregnant, you're hungry, tired, and fat, so you have this "I don't give a fuck" attitude that lends itself really well to performance. You let go of all dignity and shame, and it's beautiful.

There's a BET Awards tribute to Prince, where Alicia Keys sings "Adore." She climbs up on the piano, kicks her feet up in the air, and sings with such passion-all pregnant and powerful-and it really inspired me.

Story continues

In 'Baby Cobra,' your jokes jump from sex to racism and feminism. What were the riskiest jokes in the bunch?

The miscarriage joke, but it was important for me to leave it in. It's a dark subject but something that happens to a lot of women, unfortunately. I'm proud that I was able to craft part of that experience into a joke, [and] I also wanted other women who have miscarried to know that I've had one too, and that they're not alone-they'll get through it.

How did your family and friends respond when you originally told them about the Netflix special?

Because I'd had a miscarriage before this pregnancy, some people were worried about me rolling around on stage. But in the end, they knew it was the best thing for me, and [that it] wouldn't harm the baby. There are women who do triathlons in their third trimester!

And the baby! How is she? What's her name?

Mari, inspired by my hero Marie Kondo, who wrote The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She's really wonderful, is very into eye contact, and has forced me to be a lot more present. It's hard to be anxious about the future or depressed about the past when your baby does an explosive poo that somehow ends up in the feet part of her pajamas.

How has being a mom affected your stand-up?

I shot Baby Cobra in September and a lot has happened since then. I've been going up on stage in my sweatpants, with no makeup, looking like Vietnamese Nell, talking about my real-ass experience with breastfeeding, the nanny search, and mommy groups.

What are some of your favorite examples of funny moms on screen?

I love Judith Light in Transparent. She is so ready to live her own life, but can't help but worry about her adult kids and how their actions reflect her reputation. She's very real to me, and reminds me a lot of my mom. I also loved Toni Collette in About a Boy. And who doesn't want to be Cookie Lyon from Empire? I want that wardrobe, that ferocity, and those clever comebacks. She really cracks me up.

There are 'Baby Cobra' billboards all over. How does it feel to drive past pictures of your seven-months-pregnant self?

"When the baby comes, nobody cares about you, and society treats you like garbage."

Seeing those images actually makes me miss being pregnant. People are so nice to you when the baby is inside your body. They treat you like a reproductive goddess. They open doors for you [and] don't let you carry heavy stuff. Then when the baby comes, nobody cares about you, and society treats you like garbage. You walk into a restaurant with a stroller and everyone rolls their eyes.

Stand-up aside, you've been a 'Fresh Off the Boat' writer for both seasons. How did you get involved with the show?

I never wanted to be a TV writer, but then I had a meeting with the showrunner, Nahnatchka Khan, and completely fell in love with her. The first day was seriously like the first day of high school. I was so intimidated and scared but now I consider the staff my second family. So many of them visited me at my house when I was greasy, confused, and exhausted during my maternity leave.

What's been your favorite moment from the show?

DMX guest-starred in the episode that I wrote this past season. We were told he was a "huge fan" of the show. When I asked him what some of his favorite episodes were, he told me that he had never seen it since he'd been in jail for the past couple months.

This interview has been condensed and edited.
(Adds details throughout, background)

By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - An alleged computer hacker sympathetic to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government is due to appear in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday after being extradited from Germany, a U.S. law-enforcement source said on Monday.

The source said Peter Romar, 36, an alleged member of the hacking group Syrian Electronic Army, was being flown to the United States on Monday.

Romar is one of three Syrian nationals charged in March by U.S. federal prosecutors in Virginia with being part of a criminal conspiracy.

Two other defendants in the case, Ahmad Umar Agha and Firas Dardar, were charged with being involved in a "hoax regarding a terrorist attack," and "attempting to cause mutiny of the U.S. armed forces."

Dardar and Agha are still believed to be in Syria.

Romar and Dardar were charged separately with extortion and wire fraud. Prosecutors alleged their activities included attempts to blackmail hacking victims and transfer their extortion payments to Syria, with Romar in Germany acting as a middleman, according to a court document.

The alleged hackers used a relatively unsophisticated hacking tactic known as "spear-phishing," to target computers belonging to media networks, including CNN, National Public Radio, the Associated Press and Reuters, in addition to Microsoft Corp, Harvard University and Human Rights Watch, the U.S. Justice Department said at the time of the indictment.

The group's most notorious escapade was the hijacking of an Associated Press Twitter account in April 2013, involving the issuing of a message saying the White House had been bombed and President Barack Obama injured. That hack caused a temporary stock market plunge.

The hackers also allegedly tried, unsuccessfully, on multiple occasions to infiltrate the White House data systems.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball,; additional reporting by Eric Auchard, writing by Mohammad Zargham; editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and G Crosse)
Alphabet Inc. GOOGL continues to progress with its self-driving cars initiative. Recently the company entered into a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. FCAU. Per the deal announced last week, Google will incorporate its self-driving technology into 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans to be used as test vehicles.

Chief executive of the Google Self-Driving Car Project John Krafcik said, The opportunity to work closely with [Fiat Chrysler] engineers will accelerate our efforts to develop a fully self-driving car that will make our roads safer and bring everyday destinations within reach for those who cannot drive.

Fiat Chrysler's CEO, Sergio Marchionnesaid, "We are approaching this in a completely open-ended fashion." "They found it easy to work with us and to explore and learn. Whether this is enough for them to feel comfortable to take the next step is unclear to me," she added.

For a considerably long time, Fiat Chrysler has been quiet over self driving technology while its competitors like General Motors Company GM and Ford Motor Co. F have publicly discussed their success stories.

However, with a host of developments in the self-driving cars space in recent times, it appears that Fiat Chrysler has finally decided to break its silence.

Separately, Google and Ford Motor have partnered to lead a coalition of companies that will push for federal approval of autonomous cars in the near future. Uber, Lyft and Volvo Cars are other members of this coalition. The Google-Ford coalition indicated a closer partnership for development of autonomous cars. But Fiat Chrysler is the first announcement. But note that the Google-Fiat agreement is non-exclusive meaning that both parties are free to form similar relationships with other companies.

The partnership appears to be a win-win situation for both. Google for the first time gets an automotive partner to accelerate its efforts to build self driving cars. Fiat Chrysler on the other hand sees the partnership as an opportunity to leapfrog its competitors in the race for self driving cars.

Story continues

At present, Google has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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Travis Kalanick Uber CEO

For the first time in its seven-year existence, car-hailing app Uber is outsourcing some of its server infrastructure beyond its own four walls, reports The Information.

Uber is apparently soliciting bids from the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon  the leading players in cloud computing, where companies can punch in their credit card and get access to fundamentally unlimited supercomputing power.

With a global footprint across 69 countries, Uber needs to make sure that its servers and the software that makes the magic happen are as high-performance and available as possible.

That means Uber wants to make sure that its server facilities are as geographically close to customers as possible. In this business, milliseconds count.

Building close to worldwide customers is tough for any company, though, even one with Uber's $9 billion in funding. By tapping into vast cloud computing infrastructure like Amazon's, Microsoft's, and Google's, Uber would be able to bolster its global reach.

And while Uber is reportedly only looking to move relatively small chunks of its code into the cloud, just getting the company's business would be an incredible feather in any cloud provider's cap. A sales war may well be brewing as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and other cloud providers trip over themselves to win Uber's business.

Race to growth

Cloud computing vendors are currently in a heated race to win ever-larger businesses.

While the Amazon Web Services cloud started off as a niche service for small developers and startups, it's turned into a major $7 billion industry force. Microsoft and IBM have the edge that they already work with big business. And Google Cloud Platform, under industry vet Diane Greene, has made a redoubled effort to build out their enterprise platform.

If nothing else, with Uber's massive scale, it would be a huge PR win for Microsoft, Amazon, Google, or whoever wins this deal. Their salespeople could point at Uber and show what's possible, especially since the startup has become such a household name.

Story continues

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick speaks during the Baidu and Uber strategic cooperation and investment signing ceremony at Baidu's headquarters in Beijing December 17, 2014. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Complicating matters is the fact that Uber's technology, according to that report, is "vendor-neutral," meaning that they're not predisposed to preferring one vendor over another.

In fact, hypothetically, they could partner with different cloud providers in different regions, depending on who's got data centers where. For instance, Microsoft was the first cloud player to open its doors in India. The tools do exist to run one bit of infrastructure across multiple clouds. And the report suggests that in China, Uber may be looking at regional superpowers like Alibaba and Baidu.

On a final note, while Apple moved some of its infrastructure to Google Cloud Platform, it seems markedly unlikely that Uber will follow suit. Uber is working on driverless car technology, and it may end up competing with Google in that same market. Google has also been reported to be exploring launching its own ride-sharing service, which would put it in even more direct competition with Uber, and might make Uber hesitant to store valuable business data on Google's computers.

Similarly, Uber's push into logistics and delivery may conflict with Amazon's initiatives to do the same. That kind of business logic may trump technical considerations.

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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amazon fresh seattle 2007

Amazon is close to launching its own recipe-delivery service in partnership with Tyson Foods, showing the e-commerce company's growing ambition in the grocery and food business.

Tyson Foods CEO Donald Smith reaffirmed in its earnings call on Monday that it's working with Amazon Fresh on a new "chef-inspired, meal kits service" called Tyson Taste Makers for launch this fall.

"We're expanding our relationship with Amazon Fresh to sell fresh protein as well as partner with them around innovation. We plan to launch Tyson Taste Makers, a line of chef-inspired meal kits in premium proteins for home delivery with Amazon Fresh this fall," Smith said.

Smith didn't share any more details around Taste Makers. But based on his description and previous comments made on his partnership with Amazon Fresh, the new service sounds like a ready-to-cook ingredients delivery service, akin to what Blue Apron and HelloFresh do.

Well teach them about the cuts of meat and where they come from. Well help pre-cut, trim, dry age, smoke, marinate, and do the prep so all they have to do is cook it. And then well inspire them to explore and cook with ingredients that they may have never used before," Smith said at a conference in March to describe the upcoming product with Amazon Fresh.

Amazon's representative wasn't immediately available for comment.

Taste Makers would be Amazon's latest effort to win more share in the massive food and grocery market. Since its 2007 beta launch in Seattle, Amazon's grocery delivery service called Amazon Fresh started expanding to other cities in 2013, including New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. It delivers thousands of products from fresh fruit and meat to milk and ice cream, and costs $299/year.

Expanding into the recipe-delivery market would be a nice way for Amazon to reach the younger, upper-income market that's increasingly finding similar services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh useful. Blue Apron has raised over $190 million and is now worth $2 billion, while HelloFresh is now worth $2.9 billion.

Story continues

And that will only help Amazon become a bigger player in the US food and beverage industry. According to Cowen & Co.'s recent report, Amazon is expected to sell $23.2 billion worth of grocery products by 2021, nearly triple what it's forecast to sell this year, making it the 7th largest food and beverage retailer in the US.

Screen Shot 2016 05 09 at 2.19.12 PM

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Michael Hayes shook Kenyon College's campus to its core in April when he wrote about his sister Chelsie's experience as a survivor of rape at the school. Now Hayes, a Kenyon alumnus, has teamed up with a handful of other former students to launch a blog about sexual assault at the school.

The blog, titled "KC Alumni for Title IX" and hosted at Medium, features the stories of alumni who have experienced sexual violence, as well as accounts from victims' friends and loved ones.

"What has become clear this past week is that Kenyon alumni collectively have a unique point of view about the issue of sexual assault on campus and that some of them are now ready to speak up," the alumni wrote in a post.

The nine former students. Title IX is the name of a provision in federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex for educational institutions that receive federal funding.

"We give Kenyon alumni a chance to share their stories about sexual assault on campus," reads the group's bio on Medium. "We publish accounts from survivors + their friends + loved ones."

Submissions can be anonymous, and the guidelines specify that posts cannot identify others by name.

Anna Bloom, one of the group's editors who graduated in 2004, said that while the blog would not turn down contributions from current students, the goal was to set up a space for Kenyon alumni who may have remained silent for decades about their experience.

"Most people don't report sexual assault when it happens to them, or even find the courage to talk about their experience thereafter," Bloom said in an email. "That means many people have been quiet for some time, maybe even decades."

Bloom described the project as an "organic extension" of a closed Facebook group for alumni that cropped up shortly after Hayes published his open letter. The group, which grew to include more than members within a few days of its creation, also composed and sent a letter about the university's handling of sexual assault cases that was signed by 7 to Kenyon College President Sean Decatur. The alumni also distributed at a recent campus forum on sexual assault.

Story continues

Kenyon alumna Sally Wilson hands out flowers following a campus forum on Title IX, the provision in federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex at institutions that receive federal funding.

In an open letter published online on April 25, Hayes expressed outrage at the university's handling of his sister's case. Chelsie Hayes was raped in her dorm room on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. After a lengthy administrative process, the university found there was "insufficient evidence" to sanction the attacker, who told Chelsie she was "too cute to be a lesbian."

"Kenyon has betrayed my trust  a trust with the strength of 23 years," Michael wrote. "Kenyon failed my little sister in a way that I, with her permission, refuse to be silent about."

Chelsie decided to withdraw from the school after the university's verdict.

Hayes' letter sparked sit-ins and protests on the Kenyon campus, leading Decatur to announce the school would hire an outside firm to review its sexual misconduct policy.
The best-known American in the picturesque kingdom of Thailand is a greying, well-tanned onetime architect named James H. W. Thompson, 52, who has almost singlehanded saved Thailands vital silk industry from extinction.

So begins TIMEs 1958 profile of Jim Thompson, dubbed The Silk King.

Less than a decade later, the news out of Asia regarding Jim Thompson would be much different. The media, including TIME, reported on Thompsons mysterious disappearance while on a walk in the Malaysian highlands. Even today, nearly a half-century later, what happened to Thompson remains a mystery. Because of this event, and the conspiracy theories surrounding it, Thompsons popular memory has become a salacious one.

However, Thompsons true legacy is the quintessential story of personal reinvention. He is proof that it is never too late to start a new chapter.

James H. W. Thompson was born in 1906. He grew up in Delaware and attended Princeton, taking architecture courses at the University of Pennsylvania before practicing architecture in New York under fellow Princetonian Arthur Cort Holden. Thompson networked with his parents society friendsoffering up his expertise for home designand indulged in hobbies like hunting and breeding bantams. On the surface, he was living a charmed life, but his letters tell a slightly more frustrating story.

Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter

Most significantly, in three separate attempts in the late 1930s, he failed to pass his qualifying exam to become a licensed architect. This led to a demeaning exchange with the board in which he asked to have his results reconsidered and was refused. However, his scores would soon be irrelevant: in 1940, he enlisted in the Delaware National Guard.

Whether he knew it or not, Thompson was already well on his way toward a life of a very different sort. Thompson eventually landed a position with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor to the CIA, which sent him to Thailand just as World War II was ending. Keen to stay in Bangkok even after his discharge, his sights landed serendipitously on the untapped potential of the Thai silk industry.

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Despite silk resources of its own, Thailand was importing the fabric. It disturbed me that production of this wonderful material had stopped, Thompson told TIME. Perhaps to emphasize Thompsons unlikely ascendance, TIME wrote that he started with a $700 investment in the late 1940s and by 1957 was making $650,000 in annual silk sales.

However, an account by Thompson friend and biographer William Warren says that the company had raised $25,000 from shareholders when it was incorporated, although Thompsons personal investment was much smaller.

Two notable incidents helped Thompsons silk achieve worldwide fame. Firstly, Thompson was able to connect with Vogue editor Edna Woolman Chase through a mutual friend. Chase loved Thompsons fabrics enough to feature them in the magazine.

Secondly, he supplied the fabrics for Rodgers and Hammersteins The King and I when it ran on Broadway, a show that takes place in present day Thailand.

MORE: Read TIMEs Original Review of The King and I

Thompson was among the rare group of middle-aged people who not only dream of turning their back on what they have achieved (or failed to achieve) and starting out on an entirely new path, but actually go through with it, wrote Warren in his 2007 book Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery.

The same Thompson who once was accused of attempting to fool Delaware society into believing he was a licensed architect now charmed European ladies in Bangkok by recommending the colorful silks that most offset their eyes. He was a world away from his life in America and its disappointments.

But he had not left design: In 1959, Thompson completed a house that would become one of Bangkoks premier tourist attractions. He combined six different styles of Thai houses with his own contemporary vision. The result was a unique complex of peaked villas surrounded by lush greenery. Unsurprisingly, the home was located in the heart of the city and along the pulse of Thompsons new world: on the banks of the khlong (canal) across which Bangkoks silk weavers lived and worked.

The Jim Thompson house quickly became a social hub for friends old and new. More importantly, Thompson filled it with a collection of Thai art and antiques that was unprecedented in scope. He saw these acquisitions as a gift to his new country and planned to leave them to the royally sanctioned Siam Society.



In Bangkok, Thompson was the center of his own domain. But the real test of his personal transformation was how he handled a blow to his pride, similar to the ones that turned him away from his life in New York.

MORE: A Brief History of Coups in Thailand

In 1962, Thompson was accused of having five stolen Buddha heads in his possession. According to Warren, Thompson swore in a letter to the director general of Thailands Fine Arts Department that he was amassing a collection that would benefit the nation, not making a collection for financial advantages or selfish purposes. However, after a visit from the police, Thompson was obliged to bring the contested artwork to Thailands National Museum.

Chastened, and pulling the only cards he had left, he revoked the will that left his house and the art collection it contained to the Siam Society and withdrew from his place on its council. His home is now a museum with its own foundation. In fact, Thompson spent his fortune adding to that collection. When he left for his ill-fated trip to Malaysia, Warren explains, he only had $50 in his bank account. The salary he had earned from the silk company went straight to his art until the end of his days.

TIMEs coverage of Thompsons disappearance describes a massive manhunt involving helicopters, dogs and the help of local aborigines. In the beginning, his friends and loved ones expected him to walk right back out of the jungle. As time went on, however, theories of his kidnapping or voluntary disappearance abounded. It didnt help that multiple professional clairvoyants claimed to know his whereabouts.

Its unfortunate that the circumstances surrounding Thompsons presumed disappearance came to overshadow the details of his life and his inspiring story of personal reinvention.

If Thompsons story is to be told in terms of a walk, it should be along the path less traveled.
Junk Bond Issuance Paused Last Week, Market Sentiment Is Positive

(Continued from Prior Part)

Pricing trends

Issuance in the primary high-yield market fell last week after recording the second-largest year-to-date issuance volume in the previous week. However, the deal flow was up from six deals priced in the previous week to seven in the last week.

Funds like the PIMCO High Yield Fund  Class A (PHDAX) and the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (HYG) invest in junk bonds. PHDAXs holdings include Citigroup (C) and Lloyds Banking Group (LYG).

Issuance by Ardagh Holdings

Ardagh Holdings is a subsidiary of Ardagh Group SA. It issued dollar-denominated junk bonds worth $3.15 billion on April 29. The three-tranche issue consisted of:

$1.0 billion in 4.6% senior secured notes due in 2023. The notes were rated Ba3/B+ and were issued at 100% of the aggregate principal amount at a yield to worst of 4.6%.

$500 million in senior secured floating-rate notes due in 2021. The notes were rated Ba3/B+ and were issued at LIBOR + 325 basis points

$1.65 billion in 7.3% senior notes due in 2023. The notes were rated B3/CCC+ and were issued at 100% of the aggregate principal amount at a yield to worst of 7.3%.

The proceeds from the issue and sale of the notes will be used to pay part of the cash consideration for the metal beverage can manufacturing assets acquisition from Ball Corporation (BLL) and Rexam PLC. The proceeds will support locations in Europe, the US, and Brazil once Balls proposed offer for Rexam completes.

Issuance by United Rentals

United Rentals (URI) is an equipment rental company in the US. It issued junk bonds worth $750 million on April 29. The senior notes were rated B1/BB- and carried a coupon of 5.9%. The bonds will mature in 2026 and were issued at 100% of the aggregate principal amount at a yield to worst of 5.9%. The company intends to use the proceeds of the loan for refinancing purposes.

Issuance by PQ Corporation

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PQ Corporation issued junk bonds worth $625 million on April 26. The senior secured notes were rated B2/B+ and carried a coupon of 6.8%. The bonds will mature in 2022 and were issued at 100% of the aggregate principal amount at a yield to worst of 6.8%. The company intends to use the proceeds of the loan for refinancing purposes.

Issuance by Kaiser Aluminum

Kaiser Aluminum (KALU) produces fabricated aluminum products for aerospace or high strength, general engineering, automotive, and custom industrial applications. It issued junk bonds worth $375 million on April 28. The senior notes were rated Ba3/BB and carried a coupon of 5.9%. The bonds will mature in 2024 and were issued at 100% of the aggregate principal amount at a yield to worst of 5.9%. The company intends to use the proceeds of the loan for refinancing purposes.

In the next part, well look at high-yield bond fund flows and bond funds yield movement.

Continue to Next Part

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By Steve Barnes

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Reuters) - An Arkansas judge accused by a state panel of trading sentence reductions for sex with young defendants has resigned, legal documents released on Monday showed.

Joseph Boeckmann of state district court in Wynne, Arkansas, was suspended over the scandal in November by the Arkansas Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over the states lower courts.

He was accused of issuing substitutionary sentences to certain defendants, and offering sentence reductions or dismissals to others, all allegedly to entice them into sexual relations.

The Arkansas Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, charged with overseeing judges, said in the documents made public on Monday that it had recovered more than 1,000 images of nude or semi-nude young men from the judges home computer.

Many of the men were photographed at the judge's home, the commission said, adding it anticipated uncovering more than 3,000 similar pictures.

In his letter of resignation, provided by the commission, Boeckmann vowed to never again "seek employment as a local, county or state employee or public servant in the state of Arkansas." The resignation was effective as of Monday, it said.

In December, an attorney for Boeckmann said he denied the allegations against him. Boeckmann could not be reached for comment.

In a letter to Boeckmann's attorney, the commission's director, David Sachar, said investigators had uncovered "numerous photos of naked young men from behind bending over after an apparent paddling. The paddle appears in photographs and has been identified by witnesses as belonging to the judge."

Sachar asked Boeckmanns attorney to direct the judge not to destroy or dispose of the paddle.

Sachar said authorities have identified some of the men and are attempting to identify others.

The commission said it also had documented cash payments from the judge to some of the young men.

Other documents unsealed on Monday included statements to the commission by individuals claiming that Boeckmann's alleged misconduct began more than 30 years ago when they were juveniles and he was a state deputy prosecutor.

Boeckmann's resignation concludes administrative action by the state. State and federal police agencies are reviewing the allegations for possible criminal prosecution.

(Reporting by Steve Barnes; Editing by Tom Brown)
Dollar Rises, Crude Drops, and Chinese Data Disappoints on May 9

(Continued from Prior Part)

Mixed Monday in Asian markets as yen falls

The major Asian markets (AAXJ) were trading on a contrasting note on May 9 as they were affected by negative sentiments from the previous weeks US payrolls. This was offset by the statement by Japans finance minister, Taro Aso, that intervention may be in order if the yens volatility persists.

The Japanese yen was trading 1.1% higher at 108.27 as of 8:30 AM EST. The Japanese (DXJ) Nikkei 225 and Indian Nifty 50 were among the biggest gainers for the day as they rose by 0.68% and 1.7%, respectively. The Chinese (MCHI) DJ Shanghai Index registered significant losses for the day as it fell by 2.7%.

European markets rise with oil prices

Major European indexes (DBEU) were trading on a positive note on May 9 after the rise in crude oil prices resulted in gains in the major markets. The European indexes (HEDJ) were also affected by the strong release of German factory orders. Crude futures (USO) were up by 0.80% at 7:30 AM EST.

Specifically, the SPDR Euro Stoxx 50 ETF (FEZ) was trading 1.3% higher at 7:30 AM EST. The German DAX and French CAC 40 also posted significant gains. The DAX rose by 1.9% while the CAC rose by 1.3%.

Contrasting domestic data release

The Chinese balance of trade for April was published on Sunday, revealing a surplus of $45.5 billion against the forecasts of a surplus of $32 billion. The rise in the trade balance was attributed to a fall of 10.9% in imports against a fall of 1.8% in exports.

The Japanese consumer confidence index published by the countrys cabinet office was released at 40.8. There was positive data from the European front as Destatis reported the month-over-month German factory orders rising by 1.9%, which was well above the forecasts of a rise of 0.7%.

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Mark Kelly understands how to pilot a space shuttle. What he doesn't get is why the hell Congress won't stop people on the TSA No-Fly List from shopping at gun shows.

Kelly is a retired NASA astronaut and Navy combat veteran. He's also the husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the former Arizona congresswoman still recovering from being shot in a gunman's 2001 rampage.

His latest mission: Fighting what he says is an incomprehensible lack of a law that would flag prospective gun buyers based on their status as suspected terror risks.

Read more: Top Constitutional Lawyers Explain What the Second Amendment Really Says About Gun Control

"Being on the terrorist watch list, you can walk into a federally licensed firearms dealer, you can walk into a Walmart, you can go to the local gun shop and , and you will be sold whatever gun you decide to purchase,"

Astronaut Mark Kelly's Fight to Stop People on the Terror Watch List From Buying Guns

Kelly and Giffords travel the country under the aegis of Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun-control lobbying group they founded after the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

As mass shootings continue to roil the country, the couple is hoping this year's elections will bring new pressure to bear on addressing what Kelly calls the "terror gap" in gun sales.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle regularly offer condolences and condemnations after attacks in places from Newtown to Aurora to San Bernardino.

The public is equally appalled, Kelly said:

When you tell somebody that to purchase guns and explosives from U.S. dealers 2,200 times, they're shocked. And you know what? They're really shocked to find out were successful 91% of the time ... That means we have sold over 2,000 guns  assuming they're only buying one gun at a time  [to] people we know are on the terrorist watch list.

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Backing for closing the "terror gap" hit 82% in a national poll conducted for ARS, with approval reaching 74% among gun owners.

Source: Americans for Responsible Solutions

"That level of support is up there with ice cream and free money," Kelly said. "It's really high."

So what's the holdup? Kelly lays the blame squarely at the feet of the gun lobby and the lawmakers who bow to its power.

"This is 100% a powerful corporate interest led by the National Rifle Association. It does not allow members of Congress to vote on this bill," Kelly said. "They prohibit them from voting to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists ... The National Rifle Association is basically opposed to any restriction in selling firearms to any individual  even if it's a terrorist."

For some lawmakers, he says, it seems almost a fixation: "I had a U.S. senator once tell me in a phone conversation [about] the Manchin-Toomey background check bill [three] separate times [that] they had an 'A' rating from the NRA, as if it was like a badge of honor."

Gun control issues can be handled both at the national and state legislative levels, but the

Ironically, perhaps, "when the Bush Administration created the no-fly list, the White House also said, 'Hey, by the way, we really shouldn't allow these people to buy guns, either,'" he added. "I mean, it started with President Bush, but it's still something that Congress was still unable to do."

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, who's had both Giffords and Kelly at her side at campaign events, unsurprisingly supports the legislation.

This should be common sense-yet Republican senators blocked a bill to stop suspected terrorists from buying guns.pic.twitter.com/Xcbdhb2mp0 https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CVZ7EJ3XAAAo7ij.png:large

Bernie Sanders, who continues to represent Vermont in the Senate and has run into static from rival Clinton's camp over his stance on guns, has similarly spoken in favor of such restrictions:

I don't think it's very hard to understand that terrorists or potential terrorists should not have guns.

On the GOP side, presumptive nominee Donald Trump's team skirted the issue.

"Pass on this one," spokeswoman Hope Hicks replied to an inquiry about Kelly's campaign.

Due process: For its part, the National Rifle Association insists those attacking the organization on the so-called terror gap are getting it twisted.

NRA spokesman Lars Dalseide said the organization "has never supported the idea of terrorist or dangerous people having access to firearms and suggesting otherwise is a blatant lie."

Astronaut Mark Kelly's Fight to Stop People on the Terror Watch List From Buying Guns

The NRA spokesman continued:

The truth is that 98% of those on the watch list are neither American citizens or resident aliens so they can't legally purchase firearms in the first place. The truth is that terrorist who perpetrated the attacks in Fort Hood, Tennessee, and San Bernardino weren't on the terror watch list and politicizing their evil intentions won't make it any more true.

Dalseide specifically pointed to cases of people being wrongfully placed on watch lists, as documented, for example, by the ACLU. If the sort of gun regulations Kelly supports become law, he said, those people are "in jeopardy of losing a Constitutional right without any due process."

No sale: Kelly says the argument that the legislation is weak because it could harm people wrongfully listed as terrorists doesn't stand up. People can petition to be removed from the list.

"You can do without affecting any responsible person's Second Amendment rights. I'm a gun owner. I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment," said. "But I also think we shouldn't be stupid about it. We shouldn't make it easy for terrorists to buy firearms."
By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian royal commission on Monday recommended building a nuclear industry, including a waste dump, in the uranium-rich state of South Australia, propelling the case for overturning long-held opposition to nuclear power. The recommendation drew broad support from the federal government, and will likely be embraced by nuclear proponents to justify ending decades-long resistance to nuclear energy which has hinged on safety and environmental grounds. The government "stands ready to work with the South Australian Government if they choose to pursue any new economic opportunities in this area that create jobs and growth", energy and resources minister Josh Frydenberg said in a statement. The commission's recommendation offers a "sound basis for the South Australian government and the broader community to make informed and considered decisions about South Australia's role in the nuclear fuel cycle", Frydenberg added. Nuclear advocates have targeted sparsely populated South Australia, with one of the world's biggest uranium deposits, as a home for a nuclear power plant and waste dump, and the state's government began an inquiry into the possibility last year. The commission urged the state and federal governments to adopt nuclear power generation, to "allow it to contribute to a low-carbon electricity system". It also recommended South Australia build a government-owned nuclear waste dump, saying the facility could generate A$100 ($73.5) billion for the state over 120 years. The commission noted that South Australia, known for its vast deserts and producing half Australia's wine, could keep its reputation as a tourist destination but recommended "targeted, informative and fact-based discussions with potentially affected stakeholders" to ease concerns. The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) said the report was "deeply disturbing" and there was not the broad political support that needed to push ahead with the plan. "The promise of dollar signs seems to have blinded the commission to the known danger signs," said ACF campaigner Dave Sweeney in a statement. "High-level radioactive waste is a long-term environmental threat, not a short-term business opportunity." Australia has a third of the world's uranium reserves and in 2015 produced 6,689 tonnes of U308, a common form of yellowcake, or uranium powder, making it the world's third largest producer behind Kazakhstan and Canada, according to the World Nuclear Association. ($1 = 1.3602 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Dubai (AFP) - Bahrain's foreign ministry said Monday that opposition activist Zainab al-Khawaja who is in jail with her toddler will be released for "humanitarian" reasons.

The Shiite mother was jailed in March after being convicted of insulting the king by ripping a photograph of him. She kept her son, who is reportedly just over one year old, with her in jail.

The foreign ministry said Khawaja's release will be the result of its follow up on the situation of inmates with foreign citizenship held in "criminal cases."

Zainab, who was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2014, is the daughter of prominent rights activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and also holds Danish nationality.

Another foreign female inmate, whose nationality has not been revealed, will also be released along with her four-year-old son, the ministry said.

"It has been decided that both of them will be released... taking into consideration their situation and humanitarian principles," the ministry said in a statement.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said during a press briefing last month with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry that Khawaja will go home.

Tiny but strategic Bahrain, home base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, remains deeply divided after authorities crushed a month-old, Shiite-led uprising that called for reforms in March 2011.
From Road & Track

The original Shelby GT350 might be the most important car in the Ford Mustang's long history. Sure, Lee Iacocca's baby set the U.S. on fire when it debuted in 1964, but it was Carroll Shelby's mad creation that made it a legend. With only 252 built, the opportunity to own a 1966 GT350 is incredibly rare, so this barn-find example selling at a Bonhams auction next month is quite special.

This particular chassis was recently discovered after many years sitting in storage. It's only had one owner since new, and as it sits right now, it's unrestored. Bonhams expects it to sell for between $80,000 and $120,000, but a restoration would be costly if that's what the buyer decides to do with it.

As Hemmings points out, the 252 1966 GT350s built are the pick of the litter among early GT350s because they're slightly more refined than the 1965 cars. As we discovered in our May 1965 review, the first GT350 was little more than an SCCA race car with license plates. For 1966, Shelby installed a quieter exhaust, a less aggressive differential, plexiglass rear-quarter windows, and a softer suspension setup. This particular example has the louder, side-exit exhaust of the 1965 car, though.



Those additional creature comforts don't mean this GT350 isn't ready to party: It still has a 306-horsepower 289 ci. V8, with a four-barrel Holley carburetor and a different intake manifold than the stock Ford. It sends it's power through a four-speed Borg Wagner transmission with a glorious Hurst shifter.



Apparently, this car was used as a demonstrator by a Ford dealer, then sold to a private owner who put 10,000 miles on it before storing it in a garage in 1976. It's a gorgeous time capsule that's itching to be brought back to its 1966 glory. It crosses the block at Bonhams Greenwich auction in Connecticut next month.

via Hemmings
Fort McMurray (Canada) (AFP) - Firefighters battled Monday to protect oil installations in Canada's wildfire-ravaged city of Fort McMurray, capital of the country's oil sands region, as rain and cooling temperatures slow the spread of the blaze.

Crews turned their attention to the oil facilities that are the economic lifeblood of western Canada's Alberta region, huge swaths of which have burned to the ground in the runaway fires that have raged for more than a week now.

With weather conditions improving and the fire propagating somewhat more slowly, officials said firefighters can now focus on safeguarding the region's industry, as well as restoring essential infrastructure that will have to be up and running before evacuees can return.

Alberta's Premier Rachel Notley is planning to provide an update later Monday on the damages and losses, which according to initial estimates total some $9 billion.

Authorities have yet to say when they expect the tens of thousands of evacuated residents -- who are growing more impatient by the day -- will be able to return to rebuild homes and businesses destroyed by the blaze.

First, they will need to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the damage and replace vital infrastructure -- a process which they acknowledge won't happen quickly.

"We're going to start getting some folks on the ground that can start having a look at those damage assessments and getting a better feel for it," said Scott Long, director of Alberta's Emergency Management Agency.

"We have paid special attention to the critical infrastructure within Fort McMurray, because things like 4power stations, schools, and hospitals, water treatment plants, are essential for the re-entry planning," he explained.

Long said transformers will have to be brought in, as well as equipment to get the water system up and running again. Hospitals and clinics will have to be brought up to code, prior to the return of residents.

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- Thousands homeless -

Ralph Goodale, minister for public security urged evacuees to be patient.

"The recovery here is not going to be quick and it's not going to be easy. It will be essential to make sure that can be done safely," he said.

Officials said the inferno consists of 34 discrete fires, five of which are blazing out of control, and containing them is proving to be a massive challenge for even the huge contingent of 1,500 firefighters, 150 helicopters and 30-odd firefighting aircraft deployed to the region.

The fires by-and-large have spared the downtown area, but residential areas, particularly in the west and north of Fort McMurray, have been devastated, said officials, who say that thousands of the city's inhabitants have been left homeless.

The cost of battling the fire, which is continuing to cause havoc, is proving to be a huge economic setback for the entire province.

On Sunday, the local gas and electricity company Atco dispatched a team of 250 workers to start getting the electrical network back on line, including replacement of wood pylons used for the power lines which went up in flames.

The gas supply to the city, which was turned off as the fire bore down on Fort McMurray, will also have to be brought back online, authorities said.

Oil drilling operations have been suspended, causing local companies to have to forfeit the production of between a million and 1.5 million barrels of oil per day -- a blow to a region that already had fallen on rough economic times.

The industry's thousands of workers will also take several days to get back at their jobs.

- Financial aid -

About 100,000 people who were forced to flee the city continue to hunker down in shelters and barracks normally used to house oil workers.

For thousands forced to clear out from the city about a week ago, university dorms, youth hostels and camp grounds -- or even parking lots -- are now home, in many cases hundreds of kilometers (miles) from Fort McMurray.

Another problem is providing schooling to the children affected by the disaster, which threatens to continue for weeks and maybe months.

On Monday, Alberta's capital city Edmonton and it's largest city Calgary, offered a total 12,000 places in their schools for children who evacuated Fort McMurray.

Some five tonnes of vital food supplies were airlifted by helicopter to an indigenous community to the southeast of Fort McMurray.

In a bit of good news, evacuees were finally to be given financial aid: 1,250 dollars for each adult and 500 dollars per child to tide families over until they can access their own financial resources.

Insurance companies, meanwhile, have said they will also work to make funds available quickly for claims over losses sustained in the disaster.
When Bayan Zehlif opened her high school yearbook, she came across a most unwelcome surprise. The student at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California, found her photo, in which she's wearing a hijab, but underneath her name, she had been labeled as "Isis Phillips."

"I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this," she wrote Saturday on Facebook. "Apparently I am 'Isis' in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, let's be real."

Source: Facebook

School officials did reach out to Zehlif and said the name had been a misprint and are now asking students who have received the yearbook to return them for an updated copy, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for an investigation, which school officials support. Chaffey Joint Union High School District superintendent Mat Holton promised an investigation and said if evidence of intentional wrongdoing was discovered, the guilty parties would be held accountable.

"If they find that a student acted irresponsibly and intentionally, administration will take appropriate actions," he told the Los Angeles Times. "The school will assure students, staff and the community that this regrettable incident in no way represents the values, or beliefs, of Los Osos High School."

LOHS is taking every step possible to correct & investigate a regrettable misprint discovered in the yearbook. We sincerely apologize.

It's not the first time Muslim students have faced heightened scrutiny in school environments. In September, Ahmed Mohamed, perhaps better known as "clock boy," was briefly taken into custody by law enforcement after his Texas high school teacher thought a clock he made at home was a bomb. Mohamed rode the incident and a corresponding wave of publicity all the way to the White House and a scholarship to study in Qatar.
PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korea detained a BBC journalist and ordered his expulsion over his reporting, the broadcaster said on Monday, as a large group of foreign reporters cover a rare congress of the countrys ruling Workers Party.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was detained on Friday as he was about to leave the country, along with a BBC producer and cameraman, the network said. The three were on their way to the airport in Pyongyang on Monday afternoon, it said.

Chinas Xinhua news agency cited a North Korean official as saying the correspondent was detained for improper reportage.

Another BBC correspondent in Pyongyang, John Sudworth, said in a broadcast report that there was disagreement, a concern over the content of Ruperts reporting, including questioning the authenticity of a hospital.

When he reached the airport on Friday, he was separated from the rest of his team, prevented from boarding that flight, taken to a hotel and interrogated by the security bureau here in Pyongyang before being made to sign a statement and then released, eventually allowed to rejoin us here in this hotel, Sudworth said in the report.

North Korea granted visas to 128 journalists from 12 countries. Their movements are closely managed and as of Monday morning they had yet to get access to the proceedings of the party congress, which began on Friday.

Wingfield-Hayes had been in town ahead of the congress to cover the visit of a group of Nobel laureates.

North Korea said it will strengthen self-defensive nuclear weapons capability in a decision adopted at the congress, its KCNA news agency reported on Monday, in defiance of U.N. resolutions.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Tony Munroe and Nick Macfie)
Alexander Girard Doors

From the moment you see the front doors on this Woodside, CA, home (which was sold in August for $7.4 million), its clear they are pieces of art that transcend the simple act of entering or exiting.

Hand-painted in geometric shapes and vibrant hues of red, blue, and white, the eye-popping visual jumps from the modernist wood-and-glass structure that otherwise blends into the natural surroundings of the woodsy lot.

The doors, and everything else in the house, were custom-made for Robert Scoren, who commissioned Mid-Century Modern master Don Knorr and interior designer Alexander Girard to concoct his jaw-dropping dream home, which was completed in 1969.

Those doors were made personally by Alexander Girard as his friend, listing agent David Kelsey says, who adds that Scoren was very friendly with a lot of notable artists.

Fabric Covered Bench Designed by Alexander Girard

The artistry continues through the entry into a truly one-of-a-kind residence. The original interior design is evident in almost every room of the house, from furniture, to textiles and paint colors.

The doors were created by graphics guru Girard, who may be the most famous designer youve never heard of.

Girard, who died in 1993, collaborated with such notable Mid-Century Modern designers as Charles and Ray Eames, and George Nelson, and created original textiles for the Herman Miller furniture store. Jonathan Adler, the famed decorator with his line of eponymous decor stores, counts Girard as one of his top influences.

Textiles by Alexander Girard

And if youve ever seen the legendary Irwin Miller House in Columbus, IN, built in the 1950s, youve already encountered the swoon-worthy Girard pillowscape and glorious textiles in the conversation pit that enliven the otherwise stark architecture of the Eero Saarinendesigned home.

Backyard

The homes new owners agreed to preserve the doors for the Scoren family, which are practically like a cubist family crest. Look closely and youll see the initials RS for Robert Scoren, who died in 2012. The doors were just passed on to the delighted family, and will be installed at a daughters home in Los Angeles.

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This is probably one of the coolest endings to the transaction, Kelsey says.

The doors also come with a cool backstory.

The whole interior was done by my grandfather, Aleishall Girard Maxon says. The granddaughter of the famed designer, along with other family members, runs the Girard Studio, which is working to preserve and promote her grandfathers work.

Living Room

The doors are trademark Girard, she says. He was a master typographer. He loved monogramming things. She adds, Taking the name for them on the doors is totally specialized to this house and typical of my grandfather.

Maxon, also an artist, was able to visit the Scoren house some years ago to view the furnishings up-close. Girard made custom cabinets for the kitchen covered in fabrics. Other details include a custom headboard for a bedroom, curtains, and even furniture and built-ins, she notes.

Still, even though the architecturally trained Girard had done other custom homes, this one stood out, she notes, because of Scoren and Girards friendship. Scoren was my parents and grandparents dentist. And the relationship grew from there.

Girard, who eventually landed in New Mexico, led a more quiet existence than his creative compatriots. Lately, he has been experiencing a bit of a comeback. Herman Miller recently celebrated the artist with a special pop-up exhibit in Tokyo.

And the Vitra Design Museum in Germany opened a major retrospective of the artists work that will run for a year and then travel, according to Maxon.

He will get more exposure than he ever did when he was alive, she says.

Seems like a door has once again opened.

The post Go Behind the Most Famous Front Doors in Woodside appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.





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(Photo: Getty Images)

From Good Housekeeping

A young woman in Vienna claims she was not only the victim of a crime, but blamed for it by police after the fact.

Identified only by her first name, Sabina, the 20-year-old woman says a man approached her at the train station, speaking to her in a foreign language while putting his hands through her hair. [He] made it clear that in his cultural background there were hardly any blonde women, she told the Swiss German-language newspaper Heute. I told him to go away, and for a short while he really did go away.

Sabina says the man returned with friends, who she believes to be from Afghanistan, and the four of them stole her handbag and her cards, then attacked her, bashing her head into the ground. I felt so helpless, she recalls. She then stayed on the ground, she says, while no one around her assisted. She eventually managed to make her way to the hospital and was treated for bruising to her head.

As if this attack wasnt traumatic enough, Sabina claims that when she went to the police, she was told that she should not have been traveling alone at that time of night (8 PM) and, possibly even more outrageous, that she should dye her hair to avoid being assaulted. Not only is the idea that a woman is asking for it by walking around alone or wearing specific clothing an outdated and offensive fallacy, its downright dangerous - particularly when its perpetuated by the police.

At first I was scared, but now Im more angry than anything, she says, regarding the polices alleged instructions to stay off public transportation at night. They also gave me other advice, telling me I should dye my hair dark and not to dress in such a provocative way. Indirectly that means I was partly to blame for what happened to me. This was a massive insult.

As a result of being assaulted, Sabina says she will now avoid crowded places out of fear.

[h/t Heute via The Local]
Over the weekend, Saudi Arabia appointed Khalid al-Falih to serve as the country's "Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources." The ex-Saudi Aramco CEO and current Chairman will replace Ali al-Naimi who oversaw the country's oil interests for more than 20 years.

Bloomberg's Riad Hamade offered his expert take on the new appointment during Monday's "Bloomberg Markets" segment.

According to Hamade, Saudi Arabia's oil policy of favoring market share over a certain price level will remain unchanged as Falih himself has been of the policy making decision a few years ago. As such, any incremental volatility in the oil market is unlikely.

Related Link: What Can Investors Expect From The New Saudi Oil Minister?

Falih was also instrumental in demanding Iran join any sort of international agreement to freeze oil export levels. By comparison, Falih was "more accepting of not including Iran."

Hamade also noted that it will "take time" for Falih to gain the international respect that his predecessor spent 20 years developing. On the other hand, Falih is "not an unknown," as he was heavily involved in senior leadership positions at Saudi Aramco since 2009.

"With time, as people get to know what he has to say, the markets will get to know how to interpret his comments," Hamade added.

See more from Benzinga

 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / Blue River Resources Ltd. (BXR.V) (BRVRF) ("BLUE RIVER") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Definitive Agreement ("DA") with Angkor Gold Corp. to explore Angkor's 100% owned, 150 sq. km, Banlung tenement in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The agreement gives Blue River initially the right to participate in up to a 50% interest of the Banlung license after the completion of a total investment of US$3.5 million in exploration expenditures over a 4-year period. Once the first 3 options have been satisfied, Blue River may then exercise their option on an additional 20% interest of the Banlung tenement through the commission and completion of a bankable feasibility study on the property or portion thereof.

Blue River Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration and development company, focused on discovering and developing copper deposits in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt of British Columbia and Washington State.

Today's announcement follows a previous release of surface data on the Banlung tenement dated October 13, 2015 where ANGKOR disclosed the discovery of a 2 km(2) gold anomaly.

"I am pleased to announce this agreement with Blue River today. The beauty of this anomaly is its close proximity to surface - making it easier to work on, and quicker to move to a development strategy if warranted," said Mike Weeks, President of ANGKOR. He continued, "We will now move full steam ahead with exploration plans at Okalla West to build our understanding of the depth and layout of this gold anomaly with an eye towards operationalizing the area."

"There are great synergies here, and we are keen to get on the ground and build shareholder value for both companies moving forward," stated Griffin Jones, President of Blue River. "We have been looking for the right opportunity to explore outside of the traditional markets for Blue River. Angkor Gold and Cambodia are the perfect fit with the country's growing infrastructure, and significant potential as a developing world-class mining sector."

Story continues

Cannot view this image? Please visit [http://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3217/20494_a1462663430512_69.jpg] to view this image

Highlights:

ANGKOR will receive a non-refundable US$100,000 exploration payment from Blue River, and grant Blue River the following earn-in Options:

Option #1 - Based on additional Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$900,000 from June 30-2016 through March 30, 2018, Blue River will be granted a 10% interest to the Banlung Tenement;

Option #2 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,500,000 no later than 1 year following the date that Option 1 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a 30% interest to the Banlung Tenement for a total of 40%;

Option #3 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,000,000 no later than 1 year from the date Option 2 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a further 10% interest to the Banlung Tenement for a total of 50%;

Option #4 - Based on the completion of a Bankable Feasibility Study on the Banlung Tenement, or portion thereof, Blue River will earn a final 20% interest to the Banlung Tenement for a total of 70%.

Upon completion of the 4th Option, ANGKOR will maintain a 30% free-carry on the Banlung Tenement, or can convert at its discretion, to a 5% Net-Smelter Return.

"Our plans are to advance exploration quickly and efficiently on the Banlung tenement with specific focus on the Okalla West prospect initially but to also capture and comprehend the Banlung intrusive structure," continued Weeks. "It is a large property with lots of potential."

"In addition to the gold anomaly at Okalla West, the discovery of olivine-pyroxenite rocks in the south-west of Okalla West prospect, coupled with the cobalt, copper, chrome, nickel and vanadium termite mound anomalism in the same area keeps the door open to the potential for economic base metals within the mafic complex," stated John Paul Dau, VP of Operations. "These early indications on Okalla West show the great potential of the area as a flagship project for both companies," he concluded.

Technical information contained in this news release was reviewed by Jonathan Soper, P. Eng., a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101.

ANGKOR GOLD CORP.

ANGKOR Gold Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange (ANK) and is Cambodia's premier gold explorer, with a significantly large land package and a first-mover advantage with excellent relationships at all levels of Government (local to national).

BLUE RIVER RESOURCES LTD

Blue River Resources Ltd. has a 100% interest in two mineral properties in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt, the Castle Copper Project near the Copper Mountain Mine, Princeton, BC and the Mazama Copper Deposit, Okanogan County, Wa.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

BLUE RIVER RESOURCES LTD.

/s/ Griffin Jones

Griffin Jones

President, Director



For further information contact:

Griffin Jones, Tel: (604) 682-7339

www.Blueriv.com

SOURCE: Blue River Resources Ltd.
Cannes (France) (AFP) - Bomb experts will carry out daily sweeps at the Cannes film festival, opening this week under maximum security as France faces its highest ever terror threat, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Monday.

The glitterati, set to descend on the resort town as the festival opens Wednesday, will also have to tip open expensive handbags for inspection after climbing the red carpet into the main venue, the Palais des Festivals, which is to be secured by some 400 private security agents.

Hundreds more police officers and specialised units will be on duty in the city, whose lure for the rich and famous makes it equally attractive to jewellery thieves and robbers.

The 69th Cannes film festival comes six months after Islamic State jihadists launched co-ordinated attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead, and France remains under a state of emergency.

"We must keep in mind as we prepare to open this festival, that we are faced with a risk which has never been as high, and faced with an enemy determined to strike us at any moment," said Cazeneuve.

"We must demonstrate extreme vigilance at all times."

Cazeneuve, who visited the city two days before it becomes the world movie capital for the two week cinematic extravaganza, said the stakes were high for security forces.

He said the city had to take into account "the global nature of the event, its visibility, the high number of celebrities who must be protected, the concentration of crowds in public spaces, without forgetting the need to preserve the atmosphere of conviviality which is crucial to the success of the festival."

Just along the coast from Nice on the French Riviera, Cannes is home to 500 CCTV cameras, making it the most closely monitored town in France, said mayor David Lisnard.

He dismissed concerns that the tight security will throw a wet blanket over the parties, glitter and glamour of the event.

"Do you think an attack brings merriment? We have succeeded in preserving the festival atmosphere. The public will be at the foot of the (red-carpeted) steps. All the parties will be authorised, but, security must be taken care of," he told AFP.

"Cannes must be protected not because of the cocktail parties, but because it is a professional event of a high level which brings honour to France."
Brasilia (AFP) - The impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was thrown into confusion Monday when the acting speaker of the lower house of Congress annulled the April vote by lawmakers that launched the process.

Just days before the Senate seemed near certain to suspend Rousseff for six months and open an impeachment trial, the new leader of the lower house threw a spanner in the works -- dramatically ramping up the instability gripping Latin America's biggest country.

Waldir Maranhao, the interim speaker, ordered that a new vote in the lower house should take place on whether to impeach Rousseff in the coming days, following five official sessions in the chamber.

The cancellation of the lower house vote was ordered in response to a request by Rousseff's solicitor general, who had challenged its legitimacy.

Maranhao said the original vote by lower house deputies had "prejudged" Rousseff and denied her "the right to a full defense."

The ruling sparked uproar with Rousseff's allies seeing a possible escape route for the president and her opponents denouncing Maranhao's intervention.

- 'Surreal' twist -

The Senate had been due to start its own voting process on Wednesday, with a majority expected to back suspension of Rousseff. Once suspended, she would face a trial lasting months, with a two-thirds majority needed eventually to eject her from office.

Early signs were that the Senate would ignore Maranhao's order, possibly prompting a decisive battle in the Supreme Court.

The head of the chamber's impeachment committee, Raimundo Lira, said that the vote would go ahead as planned, regardless of Maranhao.

However, there was no immediate word from the powerful Senate president, Renan Calheiros, who was reported to be meeting with party leaders.

A delighted-looking Rousseff interrupted a speech to supporters to say that she'd just got unconfirmed news of the impeachment drive hitting a roadblock.

Story continues

"I don't know the consequences. Please be cautious," she said, calling on her backers to "defend democracy."

Andrei Perfeito from Gradual Investimentos financial consultants called the development "surreal."

"I don't think it will reverse the process of President (Rousseff's) suspension but without doubt the use of this 'atomic bomb' will buy the president more time for her defense."

- Political soap opera -

The impeachment battle has taken so many unexpected twists that Brazilians refer to it as a real-life version of the Netflix political drama "House of Cards."

Rousseff, from the leftist Workers' Party, is accused of illegally manipulating government budget accounts during her 2014 re-election battle to mask the seriousness of economic problems. But she says the process has been twisted into a coup by right-wingers in the second year of her second term.

Her removal had been looking increasingly certain after the lower house voted in mid-April by an overwhelming majority to send her case to the Senate for trial.

In the Senate, around 50 of the 81 senators have said they planned to vote in favor of an impeachment trial, well over the simple majority needed to open the process.

The vote result had been expected on Thursday, followed shortly after by Rousseff's departure from the presidential offices. Ministers have reportedly already been clearing their desks.

Adding to the confusion, Maranhao, the man at the center of the latest episode, is little-known to most Brazilians.

He took the post of speaker only last week as a replacement for Eduardo Cunha, the veteran speaker and architect of the controversial impeachment drive who was forced by the Supreme Court to stand down over corruption charges.

Pauderney Avelino, leader of the DEM opposition party in the lower house of Congress, expressed "disbelief" at Maranhao's order.

"It's a decision that has no value," he said. "It's not up to the speaker of the house to intervene in a juridically perfect process.... The process should continue normally."

Maranhao was to give a press conference at 4:00 pm (1900 GMT).

- Economic crisis, corruption -

The political crisis comes on top of the deepest recession in decades just three months before Rio de Janeiro hosts the Olympic Games from August 5 to 21 -- the first Olympics held in South America.

Brazil is also in the midst of a giant corruption scandal involving state oil company Petrobras that has implicated numerous politicians, including allies and enemies of Rousseff.

Rousseff has not been formally accused of corruption like many of her rivals. But prosecutors have called for her to be investigated for allegedly trying to obstruct a probe into the Petrobras affair.

Among the high-profile suspects are Cunha and Rousseff's presidential predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

If Rousseff is suspended, she would be replaced by her vice-president-turned-enemy, Michel Temer.

Temer, a center-right leader, has been alleged to have been involved in the Petrobras affair but he has not been formally investigated. A Sao Paulo court has fined him for campaign financing irregularities and he could face an eight-year ban from seeking elected office.
(Adds background on Petrobras, Chinese lending)

BRASILIA, May 9 (Reuters) - Brazil's state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA said on Monday it has signed a preliminary deal with the Export-Import Bank of China for a $1 billion loan to pay for goods and services already contracted with Chinese firms.

The loan, if finalized, would allow Petrobras, as the company is known, to pre-finance resources needed for 2017 and diversify its sources of finance, Petrobras said in a statement.

With about $130 billion in debt, Rio de Janeiro-based Petrobras is the world's most-indebted oil company and one of the most indebted non-financial companies.

A price-fixing, bribery and political kickback scandal that exploded in late 2014 has reduced Petrobras' ability to raise capital in financial markets. A plunge in oil prices slashed exploration and production revenue.

To make up for these factors the company has slashed spending and sought out state lenders from countries such as China that are seeking oil supplies and increase their share of sales of goods and services to Brazil.

In 2015 it received a $5 billion loan from the state-owned China Development Bank to buy Chinese goods and services. In March it received a $1 billion loan from the leasing unit of state-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to help finance its P-52 offshore oil platform.

A $5 billion to $10 billion loan package, payable in cash or oil, from the China Development Bank completed earlier this year would allow Petrobras to pay most of its $12 billion of maturing obligations this year.

(Reporting by Silvio Cascione, additional reporting by Jeb Blount, writing by Jeb Blount; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Richard Chang)
Just days before her wedding, Elise Boissonneault's dream dress was destroyed by the massive wildfires that continue to rage across Canada.



But thanks to the power of social media  hundreds of people came forward to make sure Boissonneault and her fiance Brandon Phillippo could still have their special day.



After evacuating her home in Fort McMurray, Canada, on Tuesday, Boissonneault learned that her wedding dress, which was still in the care of a seamstress, had been destroyed in the fires.



When Boissonneault's wedding photographer, Alex Neary, asked how she could help the 29-year-old bride to be, she had just one request.







"She said that they werenat going to let this disaster ruin the happiest day of their lives, buts she asked if I could help her out by helping her to find a new dress," Neary tells PEOPLE.





Bride Whose Wedding Dress Was Destroyed in Canada Wildfires Gets Dream Wedding Thanks to Kindness of Strangers| Marriage, Weddings, Wildfires, Good Deeds, Real People Stories, The Daily Smile



So, Neary put out a call for help on Facebook. Within one hour, the Toronto-based photographer's post was shared 700 times and received hundreds of responses from women offering to lend their own wedding gowns. Neary then passed the responses along to Boissonneault, who was busy scrambling to finalize the details of her wedding from her hotel.



"I was sending her images of all the wedding dresses I was getting and she couldnat believe it, she said she was in tears," Neary recalls.



 Need a little inspiration? Click here to subscribe to the Daily Smile Newsletter for uplifting, feel-good stories that brighten up your inbox.



One offer came from Ginny Monaco, the manager of Lea-Ann Belter Bridal. Monaco reached out to Neary asking if Boissonneault and her mother would like to come in and pick out a dress to borrow free of charge.





A photo posted by Alex Neary (@wildeyed) on May 5, 2016 at 5:05pm PDT





When Boissonneault fell in love with two wedding dresses the shop, Monaco said she could wear them both. She lent the young bride a lace dress for her ceremony and gave her a silk dress to wear for the reception.





Elise's second dress was a beautiful slinky silk gown by @leaannbelterbridal. She took Brandon's breath away when he first saw her in it. #wildeyedphotography A photo posted by Alex Neary (@wildeyed) on May 8, 2016 at 5:40am PDT





On Saturday, Boissonneault and her Phillippo's intimate Toronto wedding went forward as planned.



"Everyone there was just so full of love," Neary says of the big day. "Elise was so happy that she could still have the wedding she planned before the disaster."
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - The possible withdrawal of Britain from the European Union after a referendum on June 23 is a worry for NATO, the defense alliance's Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said on Monday. "From a NATO point of view having a strong, unified European Union that is a capable partner is perhaps more important today than it has been for many years," he said. "Anything that would disrupt the unity of the European Union would be of concern to NATO. The United Kingdom is a very important military and political player within NATO and I hope that will remain so in the future," he said. British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday set out the security case for remaining in the European Union, saying Britain needed the EU to fight Islamic State and rebuff a "newly belligerent" Russia. Both the "In" and "Out" campaigns in Britain are trying to find arguments that resonate with voters who are evenly split over which way to vote in the referendum, according to opinion polls. (Reporting By Marja Novak; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) - Among the ranks of campaigners to keep Britain in the European Union is a small group of Prime Minister David Cameron's closest advisers. For these aides, the scale of victory is as important as victory itself. This team is targeting close to 60 percent of the "Remain" vote in a June 23 referendum that will decide whether Britain stays in the EU or leaves, members of Cameron's inner circle told Reuters in interviews. That, they believe, is the minimum to bury the "Europe question" and ensure Cameron is able to serve out his term to 2020. Polls suggest the vote is too close to call. Yet these advisers believe scraping through is not enough. Without a clear margin, Cameron will remain vulnerable on an issue that brought down two of his predecessors, Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and has bedeviled his Conservative Party for decades. Already some anti EU "eurosceptics" in the party are plotting to try to force Cameron aside regardless of the referendum outcome, according to two Conservative Party sources. The greater the margin of victory, the smaller their chance of success, the aides say. The advisers' tactics include the targeted use of social media - mothers of young children are more likely to engage with the campaign in the evening, for instance. They have organized 'theme weeks', such as one that draws in pro-Europeans in the opposition Labour Party, and for every new statistic rolled out in the debate there is a carefully crafted back story. A spokesman for Cameron said the prime minister was committed to winning the referendum but declined to speculate on the scale of victory he wanted. A source close to the prime minister said he was conscious the bigger the win, the stronger his position. "And even then putting the party back together will not be easy," said the source, who like several others interviewed for this article declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the campaign publicly. Not only is the country divided over EU membership but almost half of the Conservative Party's lawmakers and some members of the cabinet are campaigning to leave the 28-member bloc. The source close to Cameron said the PM was 'edgy'. So Cameron has turned to trusted advisers and experienced election hands to make sure "things fly through properly and he has people who understand what he means and how he works". The prime minister is relying most heavily on roughly half a dozen aides who were central to the Conservatives' election victory last year and Scotland's vote against independence in 2014. SECRET WEAPONS The group includes his "secret weapons" in the 2015 parliamentary election, Craig Elder and Tom Edmonds, who target swing voters with online videos and social media adverts. Elder and Edmonds, digital strategists, left their jobs at the Conservative Party after helping Cameron win the 2015 election to set up their own agency, which is retained by the Remain campaign. They declined to comment for this article but they have in the past outlined their strategy, which includes targeting different groups at the most effective times of the day - say a 40-year-old mum of two on social media in the evening, "when the kids have gone to bed". The man behind Remain's field team, Stuart Hand, helped run the Tory ground campaign during the 2015 election. Two other advisers, Andrew Cooper and Stephen Gilbert, bring polling advice and election experience. Both have been close to Cameron for about two decades. Once a week, at least one Remain campaign adviser attends the prime minister's 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. meetings in his Downing Street office. As June 23 draws closer, Cameron will be briefed almost continuously. Dozens of campaigners employed by the Remain campaign will be working round the clock. One new team member says he was advised to stock up on cans of baked beans and new underwear because "there will be no time to eat or wash". Also in Downing Street, Ameet Gill, a long-serving aide, fills in "the grid", a sort of diary, to set the prime minister's EU agenda. Downing Street coordinates with the EU referendum unit, which manages the government message, and with Remain, or The Britain Stronger in Europe campaign, run from an office three miles (five km) away in the City of London. Cameron is unable to visit the Remain team's base in Cannon Street in central London often because of government business, so he relies on Gilbert, who has taken a leave of absence as deputy chairman of the Conservatives, to liaise, said a source close to the campaign. Gilbert could not be reached for comment. BIGGEST GAMBLE The June 23 vote will determine Cameron's political legacy and the future of Britain. He called the referendum under pressure from members of his own party and in response to a growing electoral threat from the UK Independence Party, an anti-EU force. Cameron has thrown himself into campaigning, touring the country to try to convince people to support remaining in the European Union, repeating his mantra that Britain is "stronger, safer and better off" in the bloc. He has visited workers in finance, car manufacturing, the defense industry, shared the floor with political opponent turned EU ally Brendan Barber, a former trade union leader, and met often hostile students to try to persuade Britons to vote to stay in the EU. If securing his legacy means some opponents of EU membership decide to leave the Conservative Party, then "so be it", said one of the sources close to the campaign. Cameron's spokesman said it was up to individuals to decide whether to remain in the party after the vote, but added that while he expected "the vast majority of the party" will respect how Britain votes, "there will be some people who continue to believe very strongly that we should leave." For Britain Stronger in Europe, which unites pro-Europeans from several political parties, the prime minister's role is key, said James McGrory, its chief campaign spokesman. McGrory, a former adviser to Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister Nick Clegg during the 2010-2015 coalition government, underlines that the Britain Stronger in Europe is an umbrella group which allows all parties to press the campaign. Cross-party cooperation is rare in Britain, where the left-right political divide often creates a tribal atmosphere in parliament. But Cameron needs opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat to mobilize their voters. TEAM BACK TOGETHER Cameron's reliance on a small circle of advisers has not been universally well received. Some eurosceptic members of the Conservative Party have accused Cameron of stacking the odds in his favor. According to aides, Cameron is willing to weather the storm and is convinced he can win. Cooper said in his personal opinion the goal was that once the referendum was over, Cameron would be able to return to the election program he set out last year - to tackle poverty, to boost home ownership and to end discrimination. "If the Remain campaign wins by a clear margin, the Conservative Party must quickly move on from the EU issue," he said. "On the Saturday morning we should go back wholeheartedly to the agenda David Cameron set out in his speech to last year's party conference, driving the Conservative Party onto the center ground and bolting it there." (additional reporting by William James, editing by Janet McBride)
LONDON (Reuters) - More British businesses now want to leave the European Union than earlier this year, the British Chambers of Commerce said in a survey on Tuesday, though most of its members want to remain.

The BCC, one of Britain's two main employer organisations, said 37 percent of members intend to vote to leave the EU in June's referendum, based on a poll conducted in early April, up from 30 percent in a poll conducted between Jan. 23 and Feb. 4.

The proportion who want to remain dropped to 54 percent from 60 percent.

"Although a clear majority of the business people we surveyed continue to express a preference to remain in the European Union, the gap between 'Remain' and 'Leave' has narrowed significantly in recent weeks," BCC acting director general Adam Marshall said.

BCC members' support for EU membership exceeds the public's.

Opinion polls show British voters are roughly evenly split, with one poll from market research company ICM on Monday showing 46 percent of those likely to vote wanted to leave, compared with 44 percent who wished to stay.

The BCC's online survey of more than 2,000 of its members took place before the publication of a raft of reports from Britain's finance ministry, the International Monetary Fund and others warning of economic damage if Britain leaves the EU.

In contrast to other surveys suggesting the referendum debate was aggravating an economic slowdown, the BCC said 71 percent of its members found the debate was having no impact on sales and 80 percent reported no impact on investment.

Nearly a third of firms said their growth would be boosted if Britain stayed in the EU, while 16 percent said they would gain if Britain left. Almost half felt EU membership made little difference.

Looking purely at firms which do not sell goods or services to the EU -- a minority of respondents to the BCC survey, but a majority of British businesses overall -- more wanted to leave the EU than to stay, the BCC said.

Story continues

John Longworth, who had to step down as BCC director general in March after expressing support for Brexit, and now campaigns for a 'Leave' vote, said these non-exporting firms were more representative of British business than other BCC members.

"Despite the claims of the pro-EU camp to the contrary, business is not fearful of the referendum or the result," he said in a statement released by the Vote Leave campaign group.

The BCC has an official neutral stance on EU membership.

The Confederation of British Industry, which mostly represents larger firms than the BCC, says 80 percent of its members want to remain in the EU and that leaving would bring heavy economic costs.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
LONDON (Reuters) - More British businesses now want to leave the European Union than earlier this year, the British Chambers of Commerce said in a survey on Tuesday, though most of its members want to remain. The BCC, one of Britain's two main employer organisations, said 37 percent of members intend to vote to leave the EU in June's referendum, based on a poll conducted in early April, up from 30 percent in a poll conducted between Jan. 23 and Feb. 4. The proportion who want to remain dropped to 54 percent from 60 percent. "Although a clear majority of the business people we surveyed continue to express a preference to remain in the European Union, the gap between 'Remain' and 'Leave' has narrowed significantly in recent weeks," BCC acting director general Adam Marshall said. BCC members' support for EU membership exceeds the public's. Opinion polls show British voters are roughly evenly split, with one poll from market research company ICM on Monday showing 46 percent of those likely to vote wanted to leave, compared with 44 percent who wished to stay. The BCC's online survey of more than 2,000 of its members took place before the publication of a raft of reports from Britain's finance ministry, the International Monetary Fund and others warning of economic damage if Britain leaves the EU. In contrast to other surveys suggesting the referendum debate was aggravating an economic slowdown, the BCC said 71 percent of its members found the debate was having no impact on sales and 80 percent reported no impact on investment. Nearly a third of firms said their growth would be boosted if Britain stayed in the EU, while 16 percent said they would gain if Britain left. Almost half felt EU membership made little difference. Looking purely at firms which do not sell goods or services to the EU -- a minority of respondents to the BCC survey, but a majority of British businesses overall -- more wanted to leave the EU than to stay, the BCC said. John Longworth, who had to step down as BCC director general in March after expressing support for Brexit, and now campaigns for a 'Leave' vote, said these non-exporting firms were more representative of British business than other BCC members. "Despite the claims of the pro-EU camp to the contrary, business is not fearful of the referendum or the result," he said in a statement released by the Vote Leave campaign group. The BCC has an official neutral stance on EU membership. The Confederation of British Industry, which mostly represents larger firms than the BCC, says 80 percent of its members want to remain in the EU and that leaving would bring heavy economic costs. (Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
Fadya, 38, escaped the war in Syria with her brother and sister who are both mentally disabled and her father who is blind. Her mother came too, but had a stroke during the journey and is now also incapacitated. Fadya, who declined to give her last name for safety reasons, has been living in the city of Mafraq, Jordan, for three years. She looks after all four handicapped family members on her own.

Recently, Fadyas brother became quite sick. He was throwing up blood, she says. Fadya took him to a government hospital, but was told the cost of treatment would be over 400 dinars ($562). With no access to employment and most of her savings gone, such a fee was too large for Fadya, and so she took her brother home to look after him herself. I had no choice, she says.

Had her brother fallen ill 18 months ago, Fadya and her family would have been treated like insured Jordanians and the treatment for her brother wouldve been free. But as of November 2014, the Jordanian government changed its policy, requiring registered refugees to pay the same subsidized rates as uninsured Jordanians.

Given the economic situation for Syrian refugees in Jordan, even modest fees are totally unaffordable, says Anne Garella from Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Many are now completely dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Such is the case for Fadya who is only able to access medical treatment at a free health clinic run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Mafraq.

Sitting in the clinic listening to Fadya tell her story was an unlikely visitor: Dave Rowntree, the drummer from British rock band Blur. Last year, Rowntree launched the Star Boot Sale, an online auction to raise money for the IRC: Selling memorabilia donated by everyone from Paul McCartney to Coldplay, he raised 65,000. This year, hes planning something even bigger.

Theyre just ordinary mums, daughters, sisters, says Rowntree after hearing Fadyas story. If the tables were turned, that could be my mum.

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Rowntree was in Jordan to see IRCs work and to see what life is like for the more than 600,000 Syrian refugees living here. Hes hoping to renew public attention and get through to Brits who have become increasingly desensitized to the migrant crisis.

People have lost sight of what this is all about. Refugees are fleeing because someone bombed their house, he says. But the most powerful thing we have is their individual stories.

This month, Rowntree will again be launching the Star Boot Sale: So far, Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, comedian Stephen Fry, and actor Paddy Considine have offered to donate items for the online auction. This time, theyll also be an offline sale: Rowntree along with other artists and musicians will be manning stalls on May 22 at the Old Truman Brewery in London. Theyll be selling knick knacks and memorabilia from bands like Stone Roses, Hot Chip, Blur, comedian David Walliams, street artist Dom Pattinson and ex-Spice Girl Mel C, some of whom will also appear at the event.

Everyone has a bunch of things in their attic that theyll never use, says Rowntree. So I thought, why dont we sell them to raise money for Syrian refugees?

The money from the online and offline auctions will go towards IRCs mobile health clinics, special vans kitted out with medical equipment which can service refugees living in remote communities, far from clinics and hospitals.

Outside of urban locations, accessing healthcare is even harder, says Caroline Boustany, Health Coordinator for the IRC in Jordan. You might only need to pay one dinar for transportation, but that one dinar means youre not going to eat that day.

The day after the visit to the clinic in Mafraq, Rowntree visited one of these mobile units operating on the outskirts of the city. Manning the van was Dr Muhammad Famad, who explained that beyond the financial and logistical difficulties of accessing healthcare, documentation is a big problem.

To access services like health care, refugees living outside of camps need a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Asylum Seekers Certificate and a Ministry of Interior (MoI) service card. But as Amnesty International reported recently, Syrians who have left camps unofficially or who have returned to Syria and come back into Jordan arent eligible for these documents, or the services they allow. Most people rely on NGOs which offer treatment without asking for documentation.

Amon Erfan Al-Ali, a 19-year-old Syrian woman waiting for treatment from the mobile unit, found herself in exactly this situation. While pregnant, she had left the Azraq refugee camp unofficially, and so technically shes not registered in Jordan. When it came time to give birth, she had to pay 500 dinars ($703) at a government hospital. She said she and her husband sold their wedding rings to pay for the delivery. And because Al-Ali is unregistered, her name does not appear on her childs birth certificate, making the now 9-month-old child legally motherless.

How can a child not have a mother? says the babys grandmother, Marian Abdullah Bou-Qan, 57, showing the childs registration certificate which only listed the fathers name. Without services set up by aid agencies like IRC, accessing healthcare for Al-Ali would be nearly impossible.

Hatem Azrui from Jordans Ministry of Health says that the 2014 policy changes have increased healthcare costs for Syrians, but insists that services like maternal health, child services, vaccinations and services for those suffering from thalassemia are still offered to registered refugees free of charge. But in order for Jordan to continue providing adequate health care to Syrians, he says the international community needs to do more.

Rich countries have been affected by the influx of refugees, but theyve only received a small number of them, he said in a written statement to TIME. How can Jordan, with its limited resources and its difficult economic conditions, be expected to continue to bear this heavy burden and confront the great challenge facing its health sector with the inadequate support that donor countries have provided?

By the end of 2015, only 26% of Jordans funding requirements for health had been met, according to Amnesty International. At a donor conference in February, wealthy countries pledged $12 billion to support countries like Jordan shoulder the refugee burden. But so far only 53 percent of the $6 billion pledged in London for programmes in 2016 have been allocated to a specific appeal. Even less has actually been paid to organisations running the programmes, says Ariane Rummery from UNHCR.

Meanwhile, at a meeting of the World Bank and the IMF two weeks ago, the European Union and eight other countries pledged $141 million in grants to countries like Lebanon and Jordan to deal with the crisis  but according to the Wall Street Journal, its just a fraction of what World Bank officials were hoping for.

In this context, no matter how successful the Star Boot Sale is, it will only be a drop in the ocean when compared to the funds required to ensure Syrians in Jordan can access adequate healthcare and other services. Still, for Rowntree at least, the auction has an even greater symbolic power.

The migrant crisis is still unfolding on a wildly dramatic, biblical scale, he says. But it seems to have fallen off the agenda. This is a chance to keep people talking about it.

***

The Star Boot Sale Event: The Star Boot Sale will be held at the Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London on 22nd May 2016. Doors open at 11am. Tickets cost 15 and will be on sale at Eventbright from 9am on Tuesday 3rd May here wwww.eventbright.com/StarBootSale

Star Boot Sale Online Auction: The online auction goes live on May 19th at 2pm and bidding closes at 6pm on Friday 27th May. Check it out at wwww.shpock.com/StarBootSale
LONDON (Reuters) - British support for staying in the European Union is up to 42 percent from 40 percent previously while support for leaving is on 40 percent, up from 39 percent, according to a YouGov online opinion poll on Monday. YouGov said 13 percent did not know how they would vote in the June 23 referendum, down from 16 percent. Field work for the latest poll was carried out between May 4 and 6 among 3,378 adults and the margin of error was three percent, YouGov said. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden)
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are returning to America this summer for a mixture of stadium, arena and amphitheater dates as part of their ongoing River tour. It kicks off August 23rd with a two-night stand at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and wraps up September 14th at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, though it's possible more dates will be added.

Readers' Poll: 10 Best 1980s Bruce Springsteen Songs

When the North American leg of the River tour wrapped in Brooklyn on April 25th, Springsteen told the crowd it was the "last official performance of The River from start to finish." The tour heads to Europe for a long run of stadium and festival dates next week. "We're gonna open up our set lists over in Europe," Springsteen said in Brooklyn. "The band is looking forward to coming off a leash," E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent wrote on Twitter. "This could get interesting."

Some European fans voiced frustration that they wouldn't get to see a complete performance of The River. Guitarist Steve Van Zandt pledged to refund their money, while Tallent tried to mollify them. "Have a little faith," he tweeted. "The Americans will be whining because they didn't get the show you are going to see."

Springsteen had no concrete plans to tour with the E Street Band this year until November 2015, when he decided to support The River box set with a series of arena shows that gradually grew into a huge world tour. "The [new album] I've been working on is more of a solo project," he told E Street Radio late last year. "It wasn't a project I was going to probably take the band out on. So I said, 'Gee, that's going to push the band playing again until a ways in the future. It'll be nice to get some playing in so you don't wind up being two or three years between E Street tours.' This will give us a chance to get out there and stretch our muscles a little bit."

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Bruce Springsteen The River Tour - Summer Leg

August 23  East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium

August 25  East Rutherford, NJ MetLife Stadium

August 28  Chicago, IL United Center

September 1  Washington, DC Nationals Park

September 3  Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater

September 7  Philadelphia, PA Citizens Bank Park

September 11  Pittsburgh, PA CONSOL Energy Center

September 14  Foxborough, MA Gillette Stadium

Related
The long battle for the artistic freedom of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has finally come to an end, with organizers on Monday announcing that the 21st edition of the event will take place as scheduled from Oct. 6-15 in the South Korean port city of Busan.

Organizers of Asia's largest cinema event have been at odds with the Busan metropolitan government for the past year and eight months, with local filmmaker coalition groups threatening to boycott BIFF in order to protect its artistic freedom. But organizers and local authorities finally have reached an agreement, resulting in some of the biggest changes in the festival's 20-year history.

Under the fest's revised articles of association, the Busan mayor will no longer automatically serve as chairman of the BIFF organizing committee. It will be left to someone in the private sector as Suh previously announced in March. A general assembly is slated to take place around mid-May so that organizers can smooth out the details.

In the meantime, Kim Dong-ho, founder and honorary director of BIFF, will step in to fill in as fest director. The position had remained vacant, with Kang Soo-youn flying the fest solo ever since Mayor Suh Byung-soo announced in February that Lee Yong-kwan, a co-founder of BIFF, would not be reappointed as fest director. Kim previously helmed BIFF from 1996-2010.

Read More: Battle for Busan Festival: South Korean Filmmakers Threaten Boycott

Busan authorities fund roughly half of the event's annual budget, and the mayor has automatically served as fest chairman. Around September 2014, conflicts arose between BIFF and local authorities when Mayor Suh Byung-soo opposed the screening of a politically sensitive documentary, The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol.

Busan authorities then ordered an unprecedented audit inspection and filed a lawsuit against fest organizers for appointing new members to the advisory board without the consent of the chairman.

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"[BIFF founder and honorary director] Kim Dong-ho and other veteran members are still onboard and making sure things are running smoothly," Jay Jeon, director of BIFF's Asian Film Market and a founding member of the fest alongside Lee, previously told The Hollywood Reporter. "Though we are trying hard to work out details with Busan City, it remains unchanged that we both want to host a successful festival. I believe the filmmakers have made the boycott statement in hopes that the festival will prosper in the long run."

Read More: Fox International Productions to Expand Slate of South Korean Projects
By Rod Nickel FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian officials who got their first glimpse on Monday of the oil sands boomtown of Fort McMurray since a wildfire erupted said they were encouraged by how much of it escaped destruction, estimating almost 90 percent of its buildings were saved. But a tour of the fire-ravaged city also revealed scenes of utter devastation, with blocks of homes reduced to blackened foundations, front steps and metal barbecues. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said 2,400 structures had burned within the city while almost 25,000 were saved. The fire that has ravaged some 204,000 hectares (504,000 acres) of Alberta moved far enough away from the evacuated town of 88,000 people to allow an official delegation led by the Notley to visit. "We were really encouraged today to see the extent of residential communities that were saved," Notley said. "That of course doesn't mean there aren't going to be some really heartbreaking images for some people to see when they come back." Reporters on the tour viewed the charred rubble of the community's Beacon Hill neighborhood, where some 80 percent of the homes had been burned to the ground and the wreckage of blackened and melted cars remained on roads. Notley said it was not safe for residents to enter the city unescorted, with parts still smoldering and large areas without power, water and gas. She said repair crews will have weeks of work ahead of them to make the city safe. Fire Chief Darby Allen told reporters that 85 percent of the buildings in Fort McMurray had survived the blaze, offering a slightly lower estimate than Notley. All schools except one that had been under construction were intact. Notley credited the efforts of firefighters who battled the out-of-control blaze for days. The assessment by officials came a few hours after insurance experts revised sharply downward their estimates of the cost of damage from the blaze, which began on May 1. Canada's largest property and casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp expects to suffer losses ranging from C$130 million to C$160 million ($100 million-$123 million) from the wildfire. Intact used satellite imagery and geocoding technology to see if buildings were a total loss or partially destroyed. Analysts said Intact's forecast implied overall industry losses of between C$1 billion C$1.1 billion, much less than the earlier forecast of C$9 billion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed a multi-year commitment by the national government to rebuild Fort McMurray. "We will support and invest in rebuilding Fort McMurray in a broad range of ways in the coming days, weeks, months and yes, years," he told reporters in Ottawa, but gave no details. Fire officials said the blaze was still large, growing and dangerous. But they noted cooler weather had slowed the fire's spread and would help in the coming days. High temperatures and winds accelerated the blaze last week. RAIN NEEDED TO TAME 'BEAST' Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), down from Sunday's high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius). The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday, according to Environment Canada. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring. "This beast is so big, we need rain to fix it," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Monday. Government weather forecasts show the first possibility of rain on Wednesday with a 30 percent chance. Notley said she expected to be able to provide a schedule within two weeks for the return of residents. Thousands of evacuees are camped in nearby towns. Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region. About half of its crude output, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate. Statoil ASA said it will suspend all production at its Leismer oil sands project in northern Alberta until midstream terminals needed to transport crude oil via pipeline reopen. Its move followed shutdowns of Nexen Energy's Long Lake facility, Suncor Energy's base plant operations, the Syncrude project and Conoco Phillips' Surmont project. Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the fire safely, although two teenagers died in a car crash during the evacuation. (With additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Nia Williams in Calgary and Matt Schuffman, Ethan Lou and Allison Martell in Toronto; Writing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)
By Liz Hampton and Rod Nickel

LAC LA BICHE, Alberta, May 9 (Reuters) - Canadian firefighters looked to cooler weather on Monday to help with their battle against the country's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, as officials sought to gauge the damage to oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray.

The fire, which started on May 1, spread so quickly that the community's 88,000 inhabitants barely had time to leave and whole neighborhoods were destroyed.

"This is great firefighting weather, we can really get in here and get a handle on this fire, and really get a death grip on it," Alberta fire official Chad Morrison said on Sunday.

The wildfire scorching through Canada's oil sands region in northeast Alberta had been expected to double in size on Sunday, but light rains and cooler temperatures helped hold it back.

The temperature, which reached a high of 17 C (63F) on Sunday, was expected to cool further, with Environment Canada forecasting a 40 percent chance of showers in Fort McMurray on Monday.

Cooler temperatures around 10 C were expected through to Friday after last week's record heat. Still, much of Alberta is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring.

Alberta's government estimated on Sunday that the fire had consumed 161,000 hectares (395,000 acres).

Officials made clear it was too early to put a time line on getting thousands of evacuees camped out in nearby towns back to Fort McMurray soon, even if their homes are intact.

The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid is damaged and the water is undrinkable.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said on Sunday recovery efforts had begun, with 250 employees from power company ATCO working to restore the power grid and assess gas infrastructure.

Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region. About half of the crude output from the sands, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate.

Oil prices jumped almost 2 percent in trading early on Monday, as Canada's fire contributed to tightening supply.

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The inferno looks set to become the costliest natural disaster in Canada's history. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed C$9 billion ($7 billion).

Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the fire safely, although two people were killed in a car crash during the evacuation.

In his now regular evening message Fort McMurray fire chief Darby Allen on Sunday sent condolences to the families of the two teenage cousins in the crash. One of the victims, 15-year-old Emily Ryan, was the daughter of a fireman in the city.

Regional officials also said via Facebook that firefighters were getting their first break since the fire began a week ago after being relieved by reinforcements.

(With additional reporting by Nia Williams in Calgary; Writing by Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Richard Pullin)
By Rod Nickel FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian officials who got their first glimpse on Monday of the oil sands boomtown of Fort McMurray since a wildfire erupted said they were encouraged by how much of it escaped destruction, estimating almost 90 percent of its buildings were saved. But a tour of the fire-ravaged city also revealed scenes of utter devastation, with blocks of homes reduced to blackened foundations, front steps and metal barbecues. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said 2,400 structures had burnt within the city while almost 25,000 were saved. The fire that has ravaged some 204,000 hectares (504,000 acres) of Alberta moved far enough away from the evacuated town of 88,000 people to allow an official delegation led by the Notley to visit. "We were really encouraged today to see the extent of residential communities that were saved," Notley said. "That of course doesn't mean there aren't going to be some really heartbreaking images for some people to see when they come back." Reporters on the tour viewed the charred rubble of the community's Beacon Hill neighbourhood, where some 80 percent of the homes had been burnt to the ground and the wreckage of blackened and melted cars remained on roads. Notley said it was not safe for residents to enter the city unescorted, with parts still smoldering and large areas without power, water and gas. She said repair crews will have weeks of work ahead of them to make the city safe. Fire Chief Darby Allen told reporters that 85 percent of the buildings in Fort McMurray had survived the blaze, offering a slightly lower estimate than Notley. All schools except one that had been under construction were intact. Notley credited the efforts of firefighters who battled the out-of-control blaze for days. The assessment by officials came a few hours after insurance experts revised sharply downward their estimates of the cost of damage from the blaze, which began on May 1. Canada's largest property and casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp expects to suffer losses ranging from C$130 million to C$160 million ($100 million-$123 million) from the wildfire. Intact used satellite imagery and geocoding technology to see if buildings were a total loss or partially destroyed. Analysts said Intact's forecast implied overall industry losses of between C$1 billion C$1.1 billion, much less than the earlier forecast of C$9 billion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed a multi-year commitment by the national government to rebuild Fort McMurray. "We will support and invest in rebuilding Fort McMurray in a broad range of ways in the coming days, weeks, months and yes, years," he told reporters in Ottawa, but gave no details. Fire officials said the blaze was still large, growing and dangerous. But they noted cooler weather had slowed the fire's spread and would help in the coming days. High temperatures and winds accelerated the blaze last week. RAIN NEEDED TO TAME 'BEAST' Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), down from Sunday's high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius). The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday, according to Environment Canada. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring. "This beast is so big, we need rain to fix it," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Monday. Government weather forecasts show the first possibility of rain on Wednesday with a 30 percent chance. Notley said she expected to be able to provide a schedule within two weeks for the return of residents. Thousands of evacuees are camped in nearby towns. Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region.About half of its crude output, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate. Statoil ASA said it will suspend all production at its Leismer oil sands project in northern Alberta until midstream terminals needed to transport crude oil via pipeline reopen. Its move followed shutdowns of Nexen Energy's Long Lake facility, Suncor Energy's base plant operations, the Syncrude project and Conoco Phillips' Surmont project . Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the firesafely, although two teenagers died in a car crash duringthe evacuation. ($1 = 1.2997 Canadian dollars) (With additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Nia Williams in Calgary and Matt Schuffman, Ethan Lou and Allison Martell in Toronto; Writing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)
ATHENS, May 9 (Reuters) - Eldorado Gold will resume construction work at a stalled Greek gold mine project after it received approval by Greek authorities, the Canadian miner said on Monday.

After years of confrontation with the Greek government over environmental concerns, Vancouver-based Eldorado halted development in its Skouries project in northern Greece in January.

It laid off most of its 600 workers at the project, saying the government had been delaying necessary permits. Eldorado had also threatened to do the same with its Olympias mine, which is situated nearby.

Eldorado said its Greek unit, Hellas Gold, received approval of an updated technical study for its Skouries project. The decision enabled it to recommence construction activities at the site, the company said.

"We are all very pleased with the receipt of this approval and greatly encouraged by the ongoing interaction between Hellas Gold and the Ministry and its technical services," Chief Executive Officer Paul Wright said in a statement.

"We look forward to working together with the Ministry to advance the Skouries and Olympias projects for the benefit of all stakeholders," he added.

Eldorado was granted a Greek licence to set up a processing plant in Olympias in March, which was instrumental in the development of the mine.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, editing by Ed Osmond)
By Rod Nickel FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (Reuters) - The wildfire that swept through the Canadian city of Fort McMurray blazed a capricious trail. Swathes of homes were burned to the ground while nearby areas were unscathed and dotted with blooming lilacs, a tour showed on Monday. In Beacon Hill, one of the worst-hit neighborhoods of a city that booms and busts with the price of oil, houses on street after street were reduced to nothing more than blackened foundations and front steps. Metal barbecues stood outside some. Cars and trucks sat in some driveways on melted tires, streams of once-molten metal snaked from underneath. "This was a beast. It was an animal. It was a fire like I've never seen in my life," Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen told reporters, who were allowed to tour the oilsands city by bus on Monday afternoon. The uncontrollable wildfire forced the evacuation of the entire city six days ago. Some 88,000 residents fled on the one highway that leads into the remote community in northern Alberta. While Allen told reporters he believes 85 percent of the city's homes and businesses were still intact, much of the tour focused on the worst-hit neighborhoods where hundreds of homes were destroyed. In the devastated neighborhood of Abasand, one side of a street was intact, barely touched by fire, while town homes on the other side of the street were burned to the ground. Three bikes - an adult bike and two for children - leaned against a fence, burned to just their metal frames and wheel rims. Blackened ground and trees contrasted starkly with patches of green grass and flowers elsewhere. Sometimes they were just inches apart. "There's not much left ... It is pretty much destroyed," Allen said of Beacon Hill. But some structures survived. Two schools were largely untouched, their brightly colored slides and swings eerily deserted as residents remained barred from re-entering the city. The Canadian flag still flew over the school complex, unmarked by the flames. Much of the downtown and key infrastructure such as a hospital and bridges were also spared, as firefighters gave up on some neighborhoods to focus on saving others. Allen said firefighters at one point had to work to save their own firehall. Nearby, a trailer park was largely destroyed. "I do truly believe we couldn't do any more," he said. (Additional writing by Andrea Hopkins; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Ontario, Canada-based Canadian Solar Inc. CSIQ will release first-quarter 2016 financial results before the opening bell on May 11. Last quarter, the company posted a positive earnings surprise of 40.00%.



Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement.









Why a Likely Positive Surprise?



Our proven model shows that Canadian Solar is likely to beat earnings because it has the right combination of two key ingredients. A stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates, and Canadian Solar has the right mix.



Zacks ESP: The Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is +146.15%. This is because the Most Accurate estimate stands at 32 cents, much higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 13 cents. This is a meaningful indicator of a likely positive earnings surprise for the company.



Zacks Rank: Canadian Solar has a Zacks Rank #3, which when combined with the companys positive ESP, makes us reasonably confident of an earnings beat this season.



Conversely, Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or #5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.



What is Driving the Better-than-Expected Earnings?



During its fourth-quarter earnings call, Canadian Solar provided an outlook for the first quarter of 2016. It expects shipments in the range of 1,085 megawatts (MW) to 1,135 MW. Total revenue is anticipated to be $645 million to $695 million, with gross margin of 1214%.



Going forward, Canadian Solar has plans to increase the capacity of its products. By the end of this year, the company hopes to attain wafer capacity of 1.0 gigawatt (GW), cell capacity of 3.9 GW and module capacity of 5.73 GW.



Meanwhile, during the first quarter, Canadian Solar added five solar power plants with a capacity of 22.9 MW-peaks (MWp) to its UK solar fleet, bringing the total capacity of the operating plants to 63.1 MWp. The company also brought online three solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in Japan with a total capacity of about 6.2 MWp.



Canadian Solar also supplied 2.8 MW of the CSI-28/36-KTL-CT three-phase inverters to Brar Family Partnerships in Delano, CA, during the quarter. These initiatives are expected to fuel top-line growth at the company.



We note that Canadian Solar has a strong pipeline of projects and is known for its strategic moves that further consolidate its position. An increasing number of global utility-scale projects at the company are also encouraging.



A Stock to Consider



Here is another solar stock you may want to consider, as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter:



Trina Solar Limited TSL has an Earnings ESP of +43.48% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is expected to release first-quarter 2016 results on May 19.



Peer Releases



SunPower Corp. SPWR reported first-quarter 2016 adjusted loss of 42 cents per share, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of loss of 23 cents by 82.6%. In the year-ago quarter, the company had reported earnings of 5 cents.



First Solar Inc. FSLR reported first-quarter 2016 earnings of $1.66 a share, sweeping past the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 91 cents by 82.4%. The reported number was also a reversal from the prior-year loss of 61 cents, reflecting higher sales, gross profits, operating income and lower expenses.



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Zacks Investment Research
By Fabian Hamacher TAIPEI (Reuters) - A prize-winning Taiwanese film exploring the use of the death penalty will screen at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, adding to recent increased debate about the island's use of capital punishment. Leon Lee's 23-minute film titled "The Day To Choose" puts its main character, a lawyer and strong opponent of the death penalty, in the difficult position of choosing how to punish the murderers of his wife. Taiwan retains the death penalty despite calls to abolish it in line with international practice, but some have argued it is necessary in extreme cases such as the beheading of a four-year-old girl on a Taipei street in March. Lee, a student in the German language department at Soochow University, developed the film with his producer Cheng Kuang-yu, based on a script that Cheng had long wanted to realize. "What I really want to discuss in this short film is not only the issue of capital punishment, but how much a human will stick to (his or her ideals) when faced with adversity," Lee told Reuters on the set of the film. The picture will screen in the short film corner at the prestigious annual Cannes festival in France on May 11-22 and has already won "Best Drama Short Film" at the 2016 Universe Multicultural Film Festival in California last month. (Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
Among the luxury party palaces dotting the waters off Cannes during the festival this year will float one slightly more virtuous vessel: the yellow-funneled, 250-foot motor yacht Yersin, which was blessed in the presence of Prince Albert II of Monaco in June. The world's most efficient, clean and advanced ICE Class explorer superyacht (ICE designates serious ice-going vessels) was conceived and built for scientific research projects - while offering key comforts of more leisure-focused crafts - with the support of the likes of Prince Albert's foundation (luxury watchmaker Blancpain also is a partner). Yersin likely will be the scene of a few fest shindigs in Cannes, but its future holds more excursions like the one Albert's wife, Princess Charlene, hosted in June, with 11 schoolchildren from Nice observing dolphins off the coast of Monaco.

"There is a trend toward more interesting yachts, offering the potential for fuel-efficient, long-range cruising and self-sufficiency," says Peter Wilson of Marine Construction Management in Newport, R.I., which has overseen 75 superyacht builds. "Foundations operating expedition and research projects have become a fascinating area of expansion."

Yersin's wheelhouse features a print of the Belgian cartoon adventurer Tintin, a childhood hero of Fiat's.

A meeting room for press and research presentations.

Yersin's owner, French entrepreneur Francois Fiat (he and wife Genevieve Baud, a grocery and retail heiress, are involved in environmental causes), planned the craft with a focus on adventure, science and education. Named for Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin, who discovered the pathogen that caused the bubonic plague in 1894, it was built over 36 months in France's Piriou Shipyard (in collaboration with Pierre Jacques Kubis Naval Design), where until March Jacques Cousteau's Calypso was docked. Yersin carries enough diving and lab equipment for a National Geographic expedition and has a library stocked with Cousteau's films.

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Read More: Calvin Klein Cancels Annual Cannes Party

The master suite, along with another double close by, is situated one level above the main deck (where the remaining six cabins are located) and has two private recessed decks flanking it. Also on board: two gymnasiums, a massage room, hair salon and hammam. A glass sculpture in the main deck saloon portrays Prince Albert II on one side and his great-great-grandfather Prince Albert I, who inaugurated Monaco's Oceanographic Museum, on the other. A pair of 25-foot military-grade, bullet-proof Zodiac rigid inflatable Hurricanes shadow the boat at anchor - they can be used to bring guests aboard or for expeditions. Yersin also has a more refined tender - a 37-foot Wajer Osprey launch - and several toys, including kayaks and an all-terrain quad bike, available for recreation and exploration.

The intimate upper-deck theater has 15 plush seats.

Yersin features electric propulsion through Azimuth thrusters powered by generators. At a cruising speed of 11 knots, it uses only 100 gallons of diesel per hour, about half what a conventional diesel yacht would guzzle. At a slow steaming speed of 9 knots, this drops to 47 gallons per hour, allowing 40 days at sea with 40 people on board, including crew. It's available for charter, but only with a background check and a detailed research proposal; rates will vary according to the project but at a minimum will cover running costs (about $23,000 a day), with sponsorship opportunities available for scientific expeditions.

Whoever boards Yersin can enjoy large TV monitors in luxurious lounging areas as well as a 15-seat cinema. A 1,400-square-foot multipurpose platform can accommodate a reception marquee, suspended by a crane, and serve as a dance floor. If it all gets too exciting, there's a well-equipped hospital room below decks. Gin and tonic, anybody? Just don't throw the lime overboard - the vessel was designed "to make an impression but not leave a trace" in the ocean.

This story first appeared in the May 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
Security concerns are taking a front-seat row at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

France's Minister of Interior Bernard Cazeneuve traveled to Cannes on Monday to brief festival organizers, city officials and businesses on what extra security measures are being planned for this year's event, which gets underway Wednesday.

Separately, Cannes Mayor David Lisnard warned Monday that the police are being ordered to carry out random searches of people on the street.

The meeting at the Palais - headquarters of the famed film festival - comes as France continues to operate under a state of emergency following the Paris terrorist attacks in November.

While the government has said there are no specific threats against the fest, no one is taking any chances and there are already signs of increased security in Cannes, from the train station to the front of the Palais, where the event's renowned red-carpet events will take place.

"He will explain to us what the French government has decided to reinforce in terms of security in Cannes," said one person who was invited to take part in the meeting.

"There will be drastic security measures at the foot of the red carpet. Only the stars associated with the official films will be taken to the bottom of the red carpet. The rest will have to be diverted to another road and walk. And everyone is being warned to get there in advance," the person said.

Read More: Cannes Faces Backlash Over Chilling Terrorist Simulation Video

A security force numbering about 500 will be responsible for guarding the Palais itself. Following Monday's meeting, state official Adolphe Colrat will announce the number of other police and paramilitary officers being drafted to help in other parts of Cannes.

Interior Minister Cazeneuve tweeted a photo of himself at the security meeting on Monday.

Reunion cet apres-midi en mairie de Cannes avec les elus et les organisateurs sur la securite du Festival pic.twitter.com/insPRn7kp2

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- Bernard Cazeneuve (@BCazeneuve) May 9, 2016

In an interview with French TV following the meeting, Cazeneuve said police would set up an operational command post in Cannes for the duration of the festival. There will be extra security on the beaches as well as dedicated units stationed on roads leading into Cannes. Cazeneuve, however, declined to go into substantial detail on other plans, saying the effectiveness of many security measures "lies in their discretion."

Earlier this month, the city on the Cote d'Azur staged a dramatic test run of what might happen if terrorists target the stars, film industry execs and thousands of fans who descend on the Croisette every year. A video of the exercise, which featured masked gunmen with machine guns storming the red-carpeted steps of the Cannes Palais as shots rang out, played on repeat on French television and circulated widely on the internet.

The purpose, according to Palais president Claire-Anne Reix, was to show fest attendees "that we are training, that we are preparing, that we are ready. It's not frightening. What should be frightening is all the videos you see on the internet, not the coverage of an exercise."

The real-life security measures being imposed include no-fly zones in certain areas and sea restrictions.

And the fest's Directors' Fortnight section previously announced it has had to cut 17 hours of screenings to accommodate the new security protocols attendees will have to go through to access the cinemas.

Festival president Pierre Lescure has insisted Cannes must strike a balance between security and freedom of movement.
Baquba (Iraq) (AFP) - A car bomb exploded on Monday in a busy area of the Iraqi city of Baquba, killing at least 10 people, a senior military official and a doctor said.

"A car bomb went off in the Shifta area of central Baquba, killing 10 people and wounding 35. This is an initial toll," a lieutenant colonel in the regional operations command said.

A doctor at Baquba hospital and a police captain gave the same toll.

Shifta is a busy area in central Baquba, a city which is the capital of the province of Diyala and lies about 70 kilometres (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but all such bombings recently have been claimed by the Islamic State group that took over large parts of Iraq nearly two years ago.

Diyala province was declared "liberated" from IS in January 2015, but ending their open control of populated areas has not brought an end to attacks.

Baquba and other towns in Diyala province have been hit by a number of large bomb attacks carried out by the jihadists.

Diyala has also been the scene of deadly sectarian violence over the years, and some of the Shiite militia groups currently active in the area have been accused of abuses.
(This version of the May 5, 2016 story has been corrected to make clear Ralph Nader ran as a Green Party candidate) By Ginger Gibson and Jonathan Allen WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Trump's emergence as the last man standing in the Republican presidential race has prompted his critics inside the party to intensify their search for a candidate they could back as a serious third-party alternative. Political operatives are courting donors, calling potential candidates and developing legal contingency plans for overcoming onerous ballot qualification laws. "This is as much as anything a battle for the future of American party politics," said Republican strategist Joel Searby, who is working with conservative writer Bill Kristol, among others, on an effort to identify a third-party candidate to run in the Nov. 8 presidential election. A separate group, Conservatives Against Trump, which includes blogger Erick Erickson, has been holding calls and meetings to discuss third-party candidates as well as other options to stop the New York billionaire from winning the White House. The hurdles to a third-party candidacy are immense. No independent candidate has ever won a presidential election, although some have played spoilers. But the efforts by the Republican groups underscore the unusual divisiveness of Trump's candidacy within Republican ranks ahead of a likely general election fight with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Trump's opposition to free trade is at odds with the views of many Republicans, especially in the party's business wing. Many of Trump's critics also find his rhetoric offensive, including his call to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the country and his comment describing Mexican immigrants to the United States as rapists and drug dealers. Some Republicans say they worry that any third-party candidate would only siphon votes away from Trump and help Clinton win the election. Ralph Nader's Green Party presidential run has been blamed by some Democrats for the razor-thin defeat of Democratic nominee Al Gore in the 2000 election. Ross Perot's independent candidacy in 1992 was seen by some Republicans as contributing to President George H.W. Bush's loss to Democrat Bill Clinton. One outcome, though rare, may be that no candidate crosses the necessary threshold of 270 votes in the U.S. Electoral College. In that case, the vote for the next president would pass to the U.S. House of Representatives, currently controlled by Republicans. Deborah DeMoss Fonseca, who recruited donors for former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush and is working with Conservatives Against Trump, said her group was trying to find a candidate who would be high-profile enough to compete with Trump and Clinton. NO EASY TASK But finding a candidate of that caliber who would be willing to run is no easy feat. Searby's group has reached out to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and James Mattis, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general, among others, but both declined after discussions. Republican U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska has emerged as a favorite of the Republicans seeking a third-party candidate. Kristol has had warm words for him. Sasse, a freshman lawmaker and former Bush administration official, is a strong critic of Trump and has called for an alternative candidate to him. But he says that person should be someone other than him. On Wednesday, the morning after Trump emerged as the presumptive presidential nominee, phones at the office of Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson were ringing off the hook with calls from small-government Republicans who feel they cannot get behind Trump. But as a Libertarian, Johnson holds views on some issues, such as the legalization of marijuana, that are antithetical to the views of some Republicans. In March, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, said he had considered jumping into the race as a third-party candidate but opted against it, saying he feared it would only serve to help get Trump elected. One of the biggest hurdles to a third-party run is simply getting on the ballot in enough states to mount a viable campaign. Texas requires more than 79,000 signatures from voters who did not participate in either primary. Its deadline is Monday. Among other states, North Carolina's deadline is the end of May, and Illinois and Florida in mid-July. "A third-party candidate is a pipe dream," said Republican strategist Tony Fratto, who worked in Bush's administration and strongly opposes Trump. "What's going to happen is Hillary Clinton is going to win big. It won't be close." (Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson in Washington; Editing by Caren Bohan and Peter Cooney)
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Donald Trump just made a new mess while walking back his controversial plan for US debt.

The problem, according to Business Insider's Josh Barro, is that he thinks he is a financial genius.

The CEO of fintech company Lending Club is stepping down, and the stock is crashing.

The company that bought Keurig is buying Krispy Kreme. That deal is the latest step in an effort to build a coffee and bagel empire.

We've been poring over a Valeant document dump from the Senate. Here are the highlights:

In other news, it turns out that a booming Wall Street business is based on guesstimates, and that could be a problem. China's president may have warned about a potentially 'deadly' risk to the economy. And Citigroup has appointed a new team at the top of its equities business - here's the memo.

Lastly, John McAfee was just named CEO of a small tech company, and the stock is going nuts.

Here are the top Wall Street headlines at midday:

The huge 'Panama Papers' data dump just dropped - The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists just published a huge database about how some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people hide their cash  dubbed the "Panama Papers."

The massive spike in the number of apartments built in the US last year was almost entirely because of a single city - It is all because of New York.

Meet the all-woman team disrupting an antiquated financial industry - It's not often you come across an all-woman management team in business.

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Goldman Sachs is going after Main Street - The Wall Street firm has made some significant changes in recent weeks that hint at a strategic shift away from its traditionally elite clients and toward more common investors.

CITI: The 10-year yield is going back toward record lows, but this time is different - Wall Street's analysts and the futures market are falling into line on when the next hike will be.

Goldman Sachs' HR chief says this is the key to writing a winning cover letter - If you ever questioned the value of a cover letter in today's technological age, Goldman Sachs' HR chief has an important message for you.





More From Business Insider


Chelsea Handler is back on Wednesday with her new self-named Netflix series, which will run three days a week. Though she has a pretty sweet in-studio desk, the meat of the show mostly takes place on-location within her travels.

A new trailer that dropped Monday showcases some of its best stuff  watch the video above.

Heres how the streaming service describes the teaser: In just 90 seconds, you see Chelsea boldly carrying a Donald Trump pinata through Mexico City, receiving some hard news from a polygamist that shes not exactly fourth-wife material, and training with no-nonsense Russian athletes, including Maria Sharapova.

Chelsea, Netflixs first-ever talk show, will post new episodes Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 12:01 a.m. PT.

Also Read: Chelsea Handler on Surrendering to Netflix: You Just Want Somebody to Slap You Around' (Video)

Heres the lineup for Handlers premiere week, with loglines also in Netflixs own words:

Wednesday, May 11 (#1001)

Chelsea created this talk show to get the college education she never had, so for her series opener, shes tackling the topic of education with guests Drew Barrymore, Pitbull and U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King. The episode will close with a special Netflix University segment.

Thursday, May 12 (#1002)

Chelseas live in-studio guests include Gwyneth Paltrow, Tony Hale, and TEDTalks Chris Anderson. She will also travel south of the border to explore the world of Telenovelas in Mexico.

Friday, May 13 (#1003)

Welcome to ChelseaCon. Comic book expert Amy Dallen gives Chelsea a primer on the Marvel Universe, before the cast of Captain America: Civil War  Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Emily VanCamp, and Frank Grillo  take on their biggest challenge yet: dinner at Chelseas!

Related stories from TheWrap:

Chelsea Handler Handles Racism in New 'Chelsea Does' Trailer (Video)

Chelsea Handler Salutes Netflix on New Series: 'They Paid Me to Do Drugs!'

Chelsea Handler Searches for Truth About Marriage in 'Chelsea Does' Netflix Trailer (Video)
By Carl O'Donnell and Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) - Italian specialty pharmaceutical company Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA is close to an agreement to acquire some of Medicines Co's cardiovascular assets for several hundred millions of dollars, according to people familiar with the matter. The transaction would allow Chiesi to expand its global footprint, while freeing up capital for Medicines Co to invest in its drug development pipeline. Based in Parsippany, New Jersey, Medicines Co has a market capitalization of $2.5 billion. Medicines Co is in the final stages of negotiating the sale of its main cardiovascular drugs, with the exception of Angiomax, to Chiesi, the people said on Sunday. Angiomax is an anticoagulant that saw its sales drop by more than 40 percent after losing patent protection in 2015. Medicines Co has challenged the loss of patent protection in court. The deal with Chiesi, which calls for initial upfront payments followed by subsequent milestone payouts tied to specific performance targets, could come as early as this week, but has not yet been finalized, the people added. It is still possible that talks fall apart at the last minute, the people cautioned. The sources asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Medicines Co declined to comment, while Chiesi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Medicine Co's stated strategy has been to sell off its commercialized assets to raise money for the development of its promising suite of pipeline drugs, including two next-generation treatments for heart disease. In December, Medicines Co agreed to sell its portfolio of hemostasis treatments to Mallinckrodt Plc for $410 million. In January, Medicines Co announced it has begun phase II clinical trials on its PSCK9 inhibitor, a heart disease drug that is largely seen as its most promising asset. Founded in 1935, privately held Chiesi focuses in the respiratory, neonatology and special care therapeutic areas. It generates more than 1.4 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in annual sales, according to its website. (Editing by Mary Milliken)
SEOUL (Reuters) - The president of China, which has grown increasingly frustrated over North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, sent a congratulatory message to the North's leader Kim Jong Un on his promotion to chairman of the country's ruling party, North Korean state media said on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Kim, the third-generation leader of isolated North Korea, added the title of chairman of the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) on Monday, the closing day of the country's first ruling party congress in 36 years. "I wish the Korean people fresh success in carrying out the cause of socialism under the leadership of the WPK headed by Chairman Kim Jong Un," Chinese President Xi Jinping told Kim, according to North Korea's state KCNA news agency. "We will make efforts together with the DPRK side to bring happiness to the two countries and their peoples and contribute to peace, stability and development in this region by steadily developing the Sino-DPRK friendship and cooperation," Xi said. DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name. China, North Korea's chief ally and main trading partner, backed tough United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea in March following the North's fourth nuclear test, in January. During its ruling party congress, North Korea said it would strengthen its nuclear weapons capability, and said it would not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is infringed by others with nuclear arms. (Reporting by Tony Munroe; Editing by Richard Pullin)
A Chinese company has been told it can no longer use the words face book in its branding, in a rare favorable court ruling for a U.S. company that comes after extensive efforts by Facebook to court Chinese officials.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Beijing Higher Peoples Court announced it had revoked approval for Zhujiang Beverage  which makes flavored milk drinks and porridge  to use the name.

Arguing against the courts decision, the companys marketing manager told the Wall Street Journal that the Chinese translation of the words face book  lian shu  referred to masks used in traditional Chinese opera. Lian shu is something very Chinese, said Liu Hongqun.

The countrys trademark regulator may still revisit the decision, but it appears to be a victory for Facebook. The social network remains blocked to Internet users in the Chinese Communist Partyruled nation, but founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made efforts to ingratiate himself with Chinese officials, including by recently braving the notorious Beijing smog to take a run in front of the gates of the Forbidden City.

Other American companies have not had Facebooks luck in China. A firm making handbags just got the go-ahead to keep using the name iPhone on its products, despite registering the trademark in 2007, five years after Apple did.

[WSJ]
Chinese stocks were hard hit on Monday after the government's mouthpiece People's Daily published an article titled "Authoritative Person Talking About China's Economy."

According to Barrons, the article said a person of high authority in China is expecting the country's economic growth to look like an "L-shape" for "more than one or two years."

Meanwhile, China's government said the country's total exports fell by 1.8 percent in April while imports also fell 10.9 percent.

China's Shanghai index lost 2.79 percent.

"Markets remain very cautious," Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney, told Bloomberg. "There's a lot of focus on potential negatives. There are significant risks in normalizing global monetary systems. The Chinese numbers were a bit disappointing with both export and import volumes showing a decline."

Find out what's going on in today's market and bring any questions you have to Benzinga's PreMarket Prep.

Most other Asian equity indices ended the day positive. India's Mumbai Sensesx index gained 1.82 percent, Japan's Nikkei index gained 0.68 percent Australia's ASX index gained 0.54 percent and Taiwan's TSEC index lost 0.18 percent.

European stocks were mostly higher with the broad Euro Stoxx 50 index trading higher by around 1.40 percent with more than four hours of trading remaining.

Germany's DAX index was an out-performer, having gained 1.76 percent, following by France's CAC index that was higher by 1.44 percent and the UK's FTSE index which was higher by 0.46 percent.

Oil prices were higher as well Monday morning as an ongoing wildfire in Canada temporarily knocked out over 1 million barrels in daily production capacity. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia appointed Khalid al-Falih as head of the government's newly created Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.

Crude futures rose nearly $1 per barrel to $45.57, while Brent crude futures rose $0.72 per barrel to trade at $46.02.

See more from Benzinga

 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Christian Borle clearly doesn't like being unemployed. The two-time Tony Award winner, known to TV audiences for his role on NBC's musical drama, Smash, already has his next two Broadway gigs lined up.

After wrapping his year-long run at the St. James Theatre this summer as the preening rock-star Shakespeare in Something Rotten!, Borle will jump four blocks to the Walter Kerr Theatre to co-star with Andrew Rannells in the limited-engagement fall revival of Falsettos, beginning performances Sept. 29. In spring 2017, Borle will then double back two blocks to play the lead role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

That musical adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl children's novel begins previews next March, with exact dates to be set. Additional cast also is to be announced.

As previously reported, Jack O'Brien will direct the production, with choreography by another Smash alum, Joshua Bergasse. The musical's score is by the Hairspray team of composer Marc Shaiman and co-lyricist Scott Wittman, with a book adaptation by Scottish playwright David Greig. The show's design team also has been announced, with sets and costumes by Mark Thompson, puppet design by Basil Twist and lighting by Japhy Weideman.

O'Brien, whose three Tonys for direction include one for Hairspray, will significantly retool the staging for the Broadway run, departing from the show's London production, which opened in June 2013 and is set to close next January after being seen by more than 1.8 million people. That staging was directed by Sam Mendes, who dropped out of Broadway plans for the project in December last year due to scheduling conflicts. Douglas Hodge originated the role of Willy Wonka in London.

Mendes remains on board as a producer through his Neal Street Productions banner, which teams with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures and Langley Park Productions on the show.

Published in 1964, Dahl's novel follows a boy named Charlie Bucket, who lives in poverty, as he wins one of five golden tickets to visit the chocolate factory of the title. There he encounters the eccentric owner and his workforce, the Oompa Loompas, themselves rescued from poverty, and ultimately discovers that Willy Wonka's contest has a greater purpose.

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The story was further popularized in a 1971 movie musical starring Gene Wilder, titled Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Tim Burton directed a remake of the film in 2005 under the book's original title, starring Johnny Depp. The new stage musical will incorporate songs from the Wilder version by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, including "Pure Imagination."

Borle won his first Tony Award for featured actor in a play in 2012 for Peter and the Starcatcher, following last year with another win in the equivalent musical category forSomething Rotten! His other Broadway credits include Monty Python's Spamalot, Legally Blondeand Mary Poppins.

"Christian was the first - and in truth, perhaps the only person I could imagine to create the role of Willy," said O'Brien in a statement. "His combination of child-like fantasy, edge, mystery and sheer star power seemed destined for this role."

Securing the Lunt-Fontanne gives producers a prime address for the hefty production for what they clearly hope will be a long time, right near the heart of Times Square. The theater became available thanks to the August closing notice, announced last week, of the Harvey Weinstein-produced Finding Neverland.

Broadway's other musical based on a popular Dahl novel, Matilda, is scheduled to close at the Shubert Theatre in January after a successful four-year run. That production has grossed $168 million to date. While the next tenant at the Shubert has not yet been announced, the rumor mill has the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly, starring Bette Midler, heading there in the spring.

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter
EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the start of this weeks Cannes Film Festival, New York-based film sales, finance, distribution and talent management company Cinetic Media, headed by John Sloss, is launching into the international arena with a new division. Jason Ishikawa, will lead a new international sales division for Cinetic, which had until now focused on domestic sales. With Ishikawa on board, Cinetic will now be working with existing sales, management and finance teams to, as the company says, devise strategies on film finance and worldwide sales as well as acquiring international sales rights.

Previously, Ishikawa served as Senior Director of Acquisitions, Financing and Sales at The Film Sales Company, the New York-based founded in 2002 by Andrew Herwitz. Since starting at The Film Sales Company in 2009, Ishikawa has helped oversee sales of over 100 documentary and narrative feature films across international and domestic territories in addition to raising financing for numerous fiction and non-fiction projects.

The new international division joins a company that has branched out from its sales core since its founding in 2001 to include a host of advisory services ranging from development, finance, distribution, talent management and corporate consulting. In 2014 former IFC Films exec Ryan Werner brought his then new PR and marketing company under the Cinetic umbrella, quickly becoming a big player in the New York and international film scene.

Im very excited to be joining Cinetic to launch the international sales division, said Ishikawa in a statement provided to Deadline. I look forward to working alongside our robust domestic sales, financing and management divisions to execute global sales and distribution strategies for our clients.

Jason is the perfect fit for our team added Sloss. With his enthusiastic love and understanding of film and his knowledge of worldwide rights and markets, we feel hell be a major asset to us as we continue to expand our services.

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The inclusion of Cinetic in international sales will come as the market has seen shake-up in recent years, including the departure of Paris-based Rezos head of international sales Sebastien Chesneau who launched new sales company, Cercamon ahead of last years Cannes Film Festival.

Rumors about the new division were palpable at Cinetics party at Post Factory at the recent Tribeca Film Festival, though the company only confirmed its move Sunday. In the past, Cinetic partnered with Amsterdam-based sales company, Fortissimo Films on some titles for territories outside its domestic base.

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FRANKFURT, May 9 (Reuters) - Buyout group Cinven is preparing a sale of German residential and technical lighting products maker SLV in a potential 800 million euro ($911 million) deal, people familiar with the matter said.

The private equity investor has asked Goldman Sachs to organise the auction which it plans to officially launch in the second half of the year, the sources said.

SLV is expected to post earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of about 65 million euros this year and may be valued at 12-13 times that, they added.

"A low double-digit multiple is realistic," one of the people said.

Cinven and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

($1 = 0.8777 euros) (Reporting by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Tina Bellon)
By Neil Robinson LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester City drew 2-2 with Arsenal to leave their Champions League qualification in serious doubt and Tottenham Hotspur failed to nail down second place in the Premier League after losing 2-1 at home to Southampton on Sunday. Arsenal twice came from behind to deny City and need a point from their final game to secure a Champions League place of their own next season. City ended the day two points ahead of Manchester United after manager Manuel Pellegrini's final match in charge at the Etihad but their neighbours have a game in hand and will deny them a Champions League place if they win their final two matches. "We should have won that game and I think we deserved it. We played very well," Pellegrini said. "Our first 25 minutes were some of the best here this season. But Arsenal's goals were good," the Chilean added. "The effort, speed and character was good, and we were playing against a very good team." City started brightly. Sergio Aguero rifled a shot into the net from outside the box but Olivier Giroud quickly equalised with a powerful header, his first goal for 16 games. Kevin de Bruyne ran half the length of the pitch, holding off four defenders, to grab City's second before Alexis Sanchez grabbed Arsenal's equaliser. Spurs need a point from their final game at Newcastle United to finish above Arsenal for the first time since 1995 and secure their best finish in the top flight since 1963. Tottenham's traditional frailty was on show at White Hart Lane, however, as they again failed to secure victory from a winning position after Son Heung-min put them ahead after 15 minutes. Two goals from Steven Davis sealed a Southampton comeback that kept them in the hunt for a Europa League place. At Anfield, a much-changed Liverpool side containing just three of the side who started against Villarreal in the Europa League on Thursday, easily saw off Watford 2-0 with goals from Joe Allen and Roberto Firmino. Leicester City collected the Premier League trophy on Saturday after beating Everton 3-1 and are 10 points clear at the top of the table. (Editing by Ed Osmond)
EXCLUSIVE: Clive Owen has boarded Andorra, a romantic thriller based on Peter Camerons novel which has Roxanne helmer Fred Schepisi directing. This is a reteam for Owen and Schepisi who previously collaborated on 2013s Words And Pictures. Jamie Bialkower is producing for Melbourne-based Jump Street Films and Lizzette Atkins for Unicorn Films. James Ivory is exec producing with a spring 2017 production start scheduled in Europe and post-production to follow in Australia.

Owen will star as Alexander Fox, a bookseller who leaves the U.S. after a personal tragedy to begin a new life abroad. The tiny eponymous country in which he finds himself is an idyllic escape, offering Fox the chance to reinvent himself. Settling into its grand  and only  hotel, he quickly becomes entangled with the ever-present locals as the mystery of his origin deepens. An Australian couple takes an unsettling interest in the attractive newcomer, and Andorras matriarch seems to recall him from long ago. When a womans body is found almost immediately upon his arrival, the local lieutenant becomes strangely convinced that Fox is responsible and he soon finds himself in a crisis of conscience and identity in this foreign country from which he may not be able to escape.

Originally published in 1997, Camerons novel was re-issued in 2009. Cameron and Bialkower adapted the book for the screen. Camerons 2002 novel, The City Of Your Final Destination, was made into a 2009 film by Merchant Ivory.

Owen recently became attached to Danis Tanovics Invisible and will next be seen in Luc Bessons Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets. Hes repped by CAA.

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When we say, Theres a time and a place for everything, and its called college, we dont mean for kids to take it literally. The message is that screwing up in the real world can have severe consequences. School, on the other hand, tends to be a bit more forgiving of the young and dumb.

Maybe that is the wrong message to to send impressionable young adults, even in jest. If we really want to prepare our future business and political leaders for the real world, we should teach them personal accountability: that actions, good or bad, lead to consequences. Also that were a nation of laws that distinguish right from wrong.

But who would have thought that the schools themselves would to take the joke seriously? Lately, it seems that colleges across America are becoming backwards bizarro worlds where bad behavior goes unpunished and lawlessness prevails.

At a Harvard Law School event some weeks ago, a student later identified as Husam El-Qoulaq stood up in front of 150 colleagues and professors during the Q&A following a presentation by former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni to reportedly ask, How is it that you are so smelly? Its regarding your odor  very smelly.

That prompted Dean Martha Minow to send an email to the entire law school condemning the comment as disturbing, offensive, inappropriate and anti-Semitic, calling it an embarrassment to this institution and an assault upon the values we seek to uphold. I couldnt agree more.

But instead of putting some teeth into it, so students know that such behavior would not be tolerated, to my knowledge, the student suffered no consequences. On the contrary, the administration made every effort to hide his identity, and the Harvard Law Record published A Letter in Support of Husam El-Qoulaq.

Of course free speech is protected, but theres a nuance to the First Amendment that seems to escape more and more people these days: it only applies in public, not in private. When someone disrupts a private event of any kind, whether it takes place in a boardroom or a class room  leaders have the right to remediate the problem.

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That kind of disruptive and childish nonsense would not be tolerated in the corporate world, nor should it be tolerated in an institution of higher learning.

The student did, however, issue an apology  not for disrupting the event or insulting a guest of the school; he simply didnt intend for his comments to be perceived as anti-Semitic.

Meanwhile, in 2011, the Obama Administration decided it would be a good idea to deal with a growing problem of sexual assaults on campus by taking such cases out of the hands of the criminal justice system and putting them into the hands of kangaroo courts where university administrators act as judge and jury in on-campus rape trials.

While the wording of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and several supplemental letters detailing schools responsibilities in sexual violence cases are pretty onerous, and all federally funded institutions are required to comply, college administrators seem to have taken their newfound authority too far.

From Yale and Amherst College to Duke and the University of Michigan, falsely accused students are suing their schools for expelling and labelling them sex offenders without due process or a chance for appeal, even after investigations discover that the rapes in question were actually consensual sex.

Apparently, 28 faculty members of Harvard Law School wrote a strongly worded objection to the universitys procedures for deciding cases of alleged sexual misconduct. The professors say Harvards policies lack the most basic elements of fairness and due process, are overwhelmingly stacked against the accused, and are in no way required by Title IX law or regulation.

Im guessing the legal profs know their subject matter.

And the irony is, theres no real evidence that Title IX, the way its being interpreted, or the way schools are metering out justice are actually effective in reducing the number of rapes on campus.

Those are just a few examples of a trend I see playing out across the country, that schools are being run in ways that are alarmingly inconsistent with our cultures most esteemed core values, namely that personal accountability means actions lead to consequences, and that those consequences are determined by the rule of law.

When I think back on all the crazy things I did in college, the only saving grace is that I knew what I was doing was wrong. How did I know? Not only was my bad behavior not condoned by my professors, the consequences were swift, harsh and fair. I learned those lessons the hard way, and that prepared me for the real world.

Unfortunately, thats not happening today. Tomorrows leaders are learning the wrong lessons. How can that not have a profound influence on our culture?

Related Articles
(New throughout, adds jury selection completed; judge rules Homeland Security issue inadmissible)

By Keith Coffman

CENTENNIAL, Colo., May 9 (Reuters) - A six-member jury was chosen on Monday in Colorado to hear the first civil trial of wrongful death and personal injury claims stemming from a 2012 mass shooting in which 12 people were killed and dozens wounded in a suburban Denver movie theater.

Selection of the jurors, plus two alternates, set the stage for both sides on Tuesday to begin delivering opening statements in the lawsuit against the owner of the Century 16 Theater multiplex in Aurora.

More than two dozen plaintiffs, including surviving victims and relatives of the dead, have sued Cinemark USA Inc and the cinema's property owners in state court, accusing them of various security lapses they say contributed to the tragedy.

A separate civil suit against Cinemark in federal court is expected to go to trial in July.

According to the state lawsuit, the companies failed to hire sufficient security personnel in light of a previous shootings and other violence in the shopping mall where the theater is located.

It also cited a lack of surveillance cameras around the property, a faulty emergency exit alarm that failed to go off when the gunman launched his attack through the cinema's rear door, and the failure of security personnel to intervene once the shooting started.

Plaintiffs' attorney Marc Bern said Cinemark was especially negligent in failing to notify its general managers about a U.S. Homeland Security Department advisory in May 2012 warning that U.S. movie theaters were potential terrorism targets.

But in court on Monday, Arapahoe County District Judge Phillip Douglass ruled the Homeland Security warning inadmissible, saying it "might mislead and confuse the jury."

Texas-based Cinemark owns the multiplex where the gunman, James Holmes, opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle, shotgun and pistol during a midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20, 2012.

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In its answer to the lawsuit, Cinemark said the movie chain "did not have the legal duty to foresee the injury-causing mass murderous assault committed by James Holmes, nor did it have the legal duty to prevent it."

Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student who pleaded innocent by reason of insanity, was found guilty last summer of murdering 12 people and wounding 70 in the rampage, and was sentenced to life in prison.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for past and future economic losses, including medical expenses, lost wages, earnings potential and disability, as well as for pain, suffering and emotional stress.

(Editing by Steve Gorman and David Gregorio)
Bill Ackman

The US Senate has released 818 pages of Valeant-related information connected to the investigation into the pharmaceutical company's business practices.

Along with a variety of emails and documents, the dump includes a number of messages between Valeant leadership, including former CEO Mike Pearson, and Bill Ackman, hedge fund billionaire and CEO of Pershing Square.

Ackman is a huge investor in the troubled pharmaceutical company and, based on the emails, in constant communication with management. Ackman joined the board on March 21.

After suffering a huge stock-price drop because of concerns over the company's practice of hiking drug prices, the company faced accusations of shady accounting and possible fraud.

Valeant's response, in Ackman's eyes, was lacking.

"I don't think you are handling this correctly and the company is at risk of getting into a death spiral as a result," Ackman wrote in an email at 1:44 a.m. to Pearson and then CFO Howard Schiller on October 27, 2015.

In an email at 6:31 a.m. on the same day, Ackman was agitated about a New York Times story by Joe Nocera that compared Valeant to Enron (emphasis added):

As things stand, the torpedoes are in the water and the sharks are circling. They will kill the company. Valeant has become toxic.

Doctors will stop prescribing your products. You will lose complete access to the credit markets. Your credit line will suddenly become unavailable. Regulators around the world will start investigating and competing to find problems with every element of your business. And when you have 10 state troopers following you for hours they will give you tickets and probably arrest you regardless of your innocence.

You are getting very poor advice from your lawyers and your PR advisors. I am sure they advised you to have a scripted call and limit questions. The only people that need scripts and limited questions are crooks. Joe Nocera is right. You look like Enron.

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An October meltdown

The emails were sent just a few days after the company's relationship with Philidor was disclosed on October 19 by the company in its quarterly earnings call.

Two days later, on October 21, short seller Andrew Left of Citron Research called the firm the "pharmaceutical Enron" and sent the stock tanking.

On that day, Ackman emailed Valeant leadership to suggest a different tactic in handling Left's report.

"If something like this happens again you should call the NYSE and have them halt the stock until you can respond to the critic with a press release," wrote Ackman at 6:50 p.m.

Michael Pearson

The company had responded with a statement the same day, but waited five days to fully respond to Left's report in a conference call. Ackman appeared to be getting impatient with the delays.

"Every minute that you wait before sending out a press release, another shareholder capitulates on Valeant and does not come back," wrote Ackman on October 22 at 1:44 p.m.

Pearson then responded to Ackman, assuring the Pershing Square CEO that the press release was coming. At 5:57 p.m., Ackman emailed Pearson again, saying simply: "Still don't have it."

As of October 25, Ackman appeared to believe that the issues with Valeant were mostly because of public-relations failings, but hoped that the presentation would clear those problems up.

"We are very comfortable with the company and the character and honesty of the team," wrote Ackman in a long email making suggestions for the presentation at 9:56 p.m. on October 25. "I am sure the same is true for your other shareholders."

Just two days later, Ackman sent the "death spiral" and "Enron" emails.

Ackman later clarified his comments, stating that he had confidence in Pearson as CEO on October 29. He said that it wasn't Pearson's management of the business that drew his ire, but rather his communication abilities. Ackman wrote at 3:54 p.m. (emphasis added):

I just want you to know that I am totally supportive of you as CEO of Valeant. I am only disappointed that you have not yet been willing to do an open line q&a with all of your shareholders, and as a result, certain important questions remain unanswered. I just want to make sure you don't confuse my disagreement with you about a conference call with my confidence in you as CEO.

Just the beginning

Between the market open on October 19, when the company disclosed the Philidor relationship, and market close on October 27, after Ackman's strongly worded emails, the stock fell from $169.80 a share to $109.54, a 35% drop.

Valeant's stock would then go on to fall even further as the scandal played out. Since the Philidor disclosure, shares have tumbled a total of 89%, opening trading on Monday at $30.89 a share.

The company has had to delay and totally redo its financial reporting. Pearson has been removed as CEO. On April 27, 2016, Ackman, Schiller, and Pearson were called in front of the Senate to testify regarding Valeant's business. The same committee released the documents on Friday.

NOW WATCH: Watch Hillary Clinton threaten to 'go after' one of the most controversial drug companies in America





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By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Twenty-five years after the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was set up to integrate ex-Soviet bloc states into the world economy, the EBRD is finding its core region pulled apart by a wave of anti-establishment, anti-migrant sentiment. The bank, which has invested around 100 billion euros ($113.89 billion) since its creation in 1991, holds its annual meeting this week at a time of increasingly fenced-off European borders, sluggish economies, a possible British exit from the European Union and discord between governments over sheltering over 1.2 million migrants camped out across the continent. Coupled with Cold War-style tensions between the West and Russia, there are signs of divergence in the bank's traditional heartland for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall - an erosion of the cohesion the EBRD had set out to promote. "I think we are really at a turning point in European history," Commerzbank's chief emerging market strategist Simon Quijano-Evans said. "Are we going to see a reversal of the convergence story between east and west Europe of the last 10, 15, 25 years? And how are leaders, wherever they are from, going to deal with that?" Representatives of the EBRD's 67 shareholders, including the United States, European Union, Japan and China, will converge on the bank's headquarters in London to thrash out these issues. The bank, also struggling to map out its future strategy, has evolved far beyond its original mandate of investing in ex-Soviet bloc countries, adding stakes in Turkey, Mongolia, North Africa and Jordan as well as euro zone states Greece and Cyprus. Its involvement in North Africa, for instance, has raised eyebrows and many are also questioning EBRD investments in increasingly prosperous economies such as Poland. The EBRD president, British former civil servant Suma Chakrabarti, is expected to be handed another four-year term at the meeting, but even he is recommending the bank's shareholders halt its rapid expansion. "I myself feel we have a huge task already," Chakrabarti told Reuters in an interview. "We have 36 countries of operation (where it invests) and they are very heterogeneous. I think we need to focus, therefore, the efforts (of staff) fully on delivering within the existing set of countries." Chakrabarti is adamant, however, that the EBRD will remain headquartered in London even if Britain votes for Brexit, or to leave the EU, at a referendum on June 23. For some EBRD member states, though, Brexit may change the equation in several ways. Already in countries such as Poland and Hungary, anti-establishment ruling parties are tussling with the EU. "The EU that all of us (Balkan countries) are aspiring to, it has lost its magic power," Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told Reuters earlier this year. "WHAT IS IT REALLY FOR?" The EBRD now spends more than 9 billion euros ($10.25 billion) a year funding roads, banks, gas pipelines and small businesses, as well as a steel hangar the size of London's St Paul's Cathedral placed over the site of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. But its region of operation - stretching from Estonia to Egypt and Morocco to Mongolia - has failed to fully heal the scars left by the financial crisis. The bank's economists, like the IMF last week, will cut their growth forecasts again, especially for the eastern European and Caucasus states that have been hit the hardest by commodity and currency market problems. Greece's woes, for instance, may be bubbling up again, with Athens risking unrest by passing unpopular tax and pension bills in order to receive emergency EU cash. Attendees at this week's meeting include Volodymyr Groysman, the new prime minister of Ukraine, where the EBRD currently spends 1 billion euros a year; and Sergei Storchak, deputy finance minister of Russia, which is under Western sanctions and is no longer receiving new EBRD investment. Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem, China's deputy central bank governor Yi Gang and the French and Italian finance ministers are all due to attend. Their sessions are likely to debate how to tackle the change of direction in the EBRD's traditional heartland. "It has been almost constantly reinventing itself for the whole 25 years," said David Marsh, managing director of the policy forum OMFIF. "It hasn't really overcome this issue of what is it really for. There is the same old question of what should be the long-term mandate be." (Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Lagos (AFP) - An appeal court judge in Nigeria's financial capital, Lagos, has upheld 25-year jail terms imposed on three men found guilty at a secret trial of terror charges linked to Boko Haram.

The Lagos State government said in a statement Sunday that judge Ibrahim Buba at the Court of Appeal last Friday "affirmed the judgement" of the Federal High Court in September 2014.

The trio were found guilty of conspiracy, acts of terrorism, concealing information and possession of firearms and ammunition, it added.

Charges were dropped against 13 others while a fourth defendant was acquitted on the grounds of lack of evidence.

The state justice commissioner at the time said the 17 suspects were arrested in the Lekki and Ijora suburbs of Lagos and found with improvised explosives, firearms and ammunition.

The explosives were "fully primed and ready to be deployed", Ade Ipaye told reporters.

The original trial was held behind closed doors on the grounds of national security, he added, but human rights groups raised concerns about transparency, due process and a fair trial.

The men were charged in March 2013 with conspiracy, acts of terrorism, concealing information and possession of firearms and ammunition.

The three defendants -- identified by the state government as Ali Mohammed Modu, Adamu Ali Karumi and Ibrahim Usman Ali -- lodged an appeal against conviction and sentence.

Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency, which has predominantly affected northeast Nigeria, has left at least 20,000 people dead and made more than 2.6 million people homeless since 2009.

But very few fighters detained by the military over that time have been charged and prosecuted.
khalid

Daily Discovery is a feature that highlights a new or recently discovered artist who were excited about. See the rest of our Daily Discoveries here.

Khalid is 18 years old, from El Paso, Texas, and hes finding it hard to balance music and school. Or, so he says. Judging by his excellent new song Location, hes got it figured out. The song is a warm balance of a soulful, traditional skill set and a modern, youthful sensibility. Hes finished with school soon, and if that means even more time to focus on music, hes destined for great things.

Here are some questions he answered for his school newspaper:

Could you present yourself? Your background and how you decided to become a musician?

My name is Khalid and I am an 18 year old artist from El Paso, Texas.

Well, Im young and that brings constant change in my life. I was raised a military child (still am) and grew up overseas eventually leading up to me coming to El Paso, a place I look to as home. Living a military life is full of constant ups and downs and I think it shaped me to who I am becoming. I decided to get into music after watching my mother, shes been singing since before I was born.

I used to record singing videos and post them on the internet but the right moment led me to creating my own song and putting myself out there. Im glad I did that.

How would you describe your music? What are your influences?

My music is my life, my sound is changing and growing with myself. As of now I havent found just one genre to label myself and Im always trying to explore even as a song writer. Its mood music. My influences go from artists such as Alt J to Father John Misty. Sade to India Arie. Frank Ocean and James Fauntleroy. Even all the way over to Musiq Soulchild. Theres way more. I make music I can see myself listening to at the moment.

Whats the story behind Location and the process behind the record?

Location is a story of young love. The kind of love that you would travel all over the country to find. Its just a story of searching for something that we all want in life no matter who we are and thats a real genuine lover, but it doesnt come easy.

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Being in the same environment of great artists/producers with crazy, dope creativity helped the creation of the song move so smooth, its like I would go in and say something or think of an idea and they would stack on my idea with an even better idea and then eventually thats how Location came about. It was work but fun work.

I started out as Kai! a couple of months ago and got featured on a previous Pigeons & Planes article and that all led to me meeting SykSense (credited for his work with Drake, Bryson Tiller, etc.) and a couple of other dope artists and when we work around each other great things flow around the room, its wild.

Whats coming next for you?

I dont know whats coming up next, but I just know that its going to be something I wouldve never imagined myself doing a year ago.

The post Daily Discovery: Khalid appeared first on Pigeons & Planes.

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BRUSSELS, May 9 (Reuters) - International lenders and Greece are likely to reach within days a deal on reforms that would unlock new loans and deputy finance ministers will prepare options for Greek debt relief for May 24, European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis said.

Dombrovskis said euro zone finance ministers, the Eurogroup, welcomed on Monday the passing by the Greek parliament of a package of reforms aimed at achieving a primary surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2018.

"Eurogroup welcomes the policy package. Staff level agreement to be finalised in coming days, including the contingency mechanism," Dombrovskis said on Twitter.

"Greek debt: short, medium and long term debt measures to be discussed. EWG to report back to 24 May," Dombrovskis said, referring to the Eurogroup Working Group of euro zone deputy finance ministers who prepare meetings of the ministers.

(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski)
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Malaysian utility Tenaga Nasional, backed by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional, will buy a 30 percent stake in the energy unit of indebted Indian infrastructure group GMR for $300 million in cash, the companies said on Monday.

The deal comes as most Indian power companies are struggling with softer-than-expected demand and heavy debt brought on by years of aggressive expansion, inviting pressure from lenders to divest assets to repay loans.

But the entry of a deep-pocketed foreign player like Tenaga into an economy looking to provide power to its 1.3 billion people, widens the pool of potential buyers for other Indian power companies also looking to sell stakes while expanding operations.

"India has a large and supply-constrained power market with demand spurred by economic growth and (Tenaga) will be able to capture the long-term growth of the Indian electricity market," Tenaga said in a statement. (http://bit.ly/1OaG0a0)

GMR, known for the Mumbai and New Delhi airports it has helped develop, said it will use the proceeds from the deal to cut debt. Its net debt was 410 billion rupees ($6.15 billion) as of last year. (http://reut.rs/1UMw3B0)

GMR Energy, whose investors include Singapore-based Temasek Holdings and a consortium led by India's IDFC Bank, has an operating capacity of around 2,300 megawatts (MW) and a pipeline of around 2,330 MW more projects, mainly coal and gas-fired but also hydro and solar energy.

Tenaga said the partnership with GMR will come with "significant opportunities to further develop renewable energy assets, in particular solar", and is in-line with its five-year plan to secure new generation capacity internationally.

($1 = 66.6202 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das, editing by David Evans)
By Anjuli Davies LONDON (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank has agreed to settle allegations of sex discrimination and unfair dismissal in a case brought by a former senior employee who was fired in the wake of the Libor-rigging scandal. Shivani Mathur, who was Deutsche's London-based global head of economic resources, was suing the bank for sex discrimination, unfair dismissal, unequal pay and suffering detriment after whistleblowing, according to court documents filed in January. "Ms Mathur's employment tribunal claim has been resolved," a Deutsche Bank spokesman in London said, declining to comment further. The bank had previously said it was ordered to terminate Mathur's employment in connection with a regulatory settlement and had been contesting her claim filed at the central London employment tribunal. Mathur confirmed the settlement. "I have withdrawn the tribunal claim as we have reached a settlement on confidential terms. As such, I am unable to provide further comment," she said in an e-mail message. The settlement will include monetary payments by the German bank, according to a source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter is private. Whistleblowing, sex discrimination and unequal pay claims all have no upper limits on compensation if a tribunal rules in favour of the claimant. Unfair dismissal claims, if successful, have a limit of 78,300 pounds compensation. Deutsche Bank was one of several large European and U.S. banks fined for allegedly failing to stop traders manipulating benchmark interest rate such as Libor, which are used to set prices for trillions of dollars of assets such as home loans. U.S. and British authorities fined Deutsche Bank $2.5 billion (1.7 billion pounds) in April 2015, accused Germany's largest lender of obstructing regulators and ordered it to sack seven employees in the biggest global settlement over alleged Libor rigging. Mathur, who joined Deutsche Bank in July 2008 and was at the bank until April 2015, was one of the seven employees ordered to be fired by New York's banking regulator as part of the bank's settlement of the Libor allegations. A growing number of former bank staff are going to London employment tribunals and claiming they were unfairly fired after investigations into the alleged manipulation of Libor and foreign exchange markets. (Editing by Sinead Cruise and Keith Weir)
With her porcelain skin and glazed eyes, the stiff hostess at the Hae Dang Hwa Restaurant nearly blends in with the decor, until I notice her hand slowly beckon me from above. Upstairs, the massive interior has all the usual trappings of an upscale eatery  polished plates and Botoxed smiles  except the noodles are cold and the waitresses are even colder. This is my short sojourn into North Korea.

Well, almost.

Im more than 500 miles away from Pyongyang in one of Beijings finest North Korean restaurants. Hae Dang Hwa is a favorite haunt for visiting diplomats hailing from the Hermit Kingdom, since the brooding Embassy of North Korea is located just around the corner. Even more unsettling, its owned and operated by the worlds most shunned government and sworn mortal enemy of my own mother country. Apparently, the North Korean government runs more than 130 restaurants like Hae Dang Hwa to remit revenue back to Pyongyang. So, before I peer inside, I put away my capitalist, freedom-loving American arrogance for now and venture inside this small slice of North Korean life. Overpriced chaperoned tour not included.

Do you take check or credit? How are you plotting your escape?

Getting here was not straightforward. I wandered in circles for an hour before I found the Korean signage for Hae Dang Hwa, foregrounded in Communist red and sandwiched between two blue stripes  an obvious nod to the flag of the isolated nation. There, I meet up with my friend whos been reluctant to enter on his own. My friend cant help but gawk at the glossy waitresses, who are allegedly handpicked by the government, escorted to work every day and rotated out every three years. By day, they stomp around in 3-inch heels, primped and polished in formfitting dresses. But by night, they double as performers and dancers who belt out karaoke lyrics and play traditional instruments for all to enjoy. I resist the strong urge to request Gangnam Style before I place my order.

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Hae Dang Hwa Restaurant

Source: Flickr CC

Waitress Clone No. 1 guides my friend and me to a table and gingerly places a white napkin in my lap. Nearby, a group of stern black suits, all sporting red lapel pins that bear the face of their fearless leader, Kim Jong-un, get up to leave. Yes, those are dignitaries and everyone here is North Korean, the waitress tells me with a pained smile and in perfect Mandarin (not a lick of English is spoken here). But I dont hear her at first. Im too busy trying to decipher the menu full of Steamed East Ocean Hairy Crab, Bullfrog With Pickled Pepper and Dog Meat Hot Pot  so-called delicacies that are all fermented, braised or steamed by a master chef in the back who honed his cooking chops in Japan. I opt for the slightly safer choices of deep-fried shrimp balls with tea leaves, black and slimy Pyongyang noodles and the classic spicy kimchi. The fanciest schmanciest dishes here easily hit the $90 range  about three times more than the average monthly salary back in North Korea.

Waitress Clone No. 2 brings out the dishes in haste, which were less than stellar in taste and presentation. But no matter, Im not here for the cuisine. I hear that the staff is tight-lipped about anything thats not on the menu. So I ponder which sensitive question could cross the line: Do you recommend the pork or the turtle? Do you take check or credit? How are you plotting your escape? I spend the rest of my meal chewing slowly and mustering up the courage to ask. But after 40 minutes, I instead inquire  Where is the restroom?  which Waitress Clone No. 3 must escort me to.

Its all too creepy for me to bear, so I pay the check and scurry out the door. But not before the stiff hostess murmurs goodbye and asks where we are from. America, my friend blurts out before I can stop him. Oh, she says, taken aback. Its the most emotion shes probably allowed to show.

I take it as my cue to leave.

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The long-gestating movie about legendary comic Richard Pryor has lost its director.

Lee Daniels, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Precious and Lee Daniels' The Butler, has exited the project, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. The Weinstein Co., which is behind the film (it also released The Butler), is said to have declined to wait further for Daniels' schedule to clear up. He is an executive producer on Fox's smash television drama Empire, and he has another project at the network, Star, that is requiring a significant time commitment.

Weinstein Co., which declined to comment, currently is searching for another helmer and made initial overtures to several filmmakers this weekend.

Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?, from a script by Bill Condon, chronicles the life of the groundbreaking comedian, who rose to prominence in the 1970s, enjoying a film and television career before being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The project has been in development in various incarnations for more than a decade (Pryor himself had a hand in it before his death after a heart attack in 2005). The current version has a star-studded cast set, including Mike Epps as Pryor, Oprah Winfrey as his grandmother and Kate Hudson as Pryor's widow Jennifer Lee Pryor.

Read More: '24: Legacy,' Lee Daniels' 'Star' Ordered to Series at Fox

After languishing in development for years, the project was set to begin filming in March but was delayed in part due to Daniels' busy schedule (he lamented his inability to focus on the project as far back as 2014). The current start of shooting is set for October, but sources say he asked for a further delay and Weinstein Co. wasn't willing to wait. The company expects to keep that start date with a new director.

It's unclear if any castmembers will exit with Daniels or if a new filmmaker will want revisions to the script.

Daniels is repped by CAA.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump signaled Sunday that the wealthy would see higher taxes under his administration, breaking with conservative orthodoxy and his own tax plan.

Appearing on ABC News' This Week With George Stephanopoulos, Trump said his call for a massive tax cut for the wealthy was a negotiating gambit and he expected the rich would ultimately pay more to the federal government.

"I make deals," Trump told Stephanopoulos. "I negotiate. I put out a plan that has a massive, massive tax  bigger than any other candidate. We have to negotiate with Congress. What I'm doing is I'm putting in a plan and that's my maximum plan. It's what I want.

Asked directly whether he wanted to see taxes for the wealthy "go up or down," Trump said, "They will go up a little bit."

Trump's plan: That's a turnabout from Trump's tax policy, which calls for a slash in the top income rate from 39.6% to 25% and would leave the richest households with an estimated $1.3 million more in after-tax income each year, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Donald Trump unveils his tax policy proposals during a 2015 press conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

But Trump told Stephanopoulos there's no contradiction between that plan and his remarks Sunday.

"Look, when I'm negotiating with the Democrats, I'm putting in plan," Trump said. "I'm putting in my optimum plan. It's going to be negotiated, George, it's not going to stay there. They're not going to say there's your plan, let's approve it. They're going to say, 'Let's see what we can do.'"

Trump has a history of backing tax hikes on the rich, proposing a one-time 14.25% "net worth tax" on individuals and trust funds worth at least $10 million in 1999, as he flirted with a third-party presidential bid.

Trump also said Sunday he would remain firm in advocating his proposed cut in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15% and would "fight like hell" to preserve tax cuts for the middle class.

The bottom line: With Trump facing unease in many establishment GOP quarters, his willingness to buck standard Republican principles on tax policy could further complicate his efforts to unite the party.

But as Trump pivots to general election mode, his heresies on taxes and the minimum wage could help him appeal to more moderate and independent voters in his contest against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump escalated his fight with Washingtons evangelical leaders on Monday by attacking the president of the Southern Baptist Conventions policy arm. Russell Moore is truly a terrible representative of Evangelicals and all of the good they stand for. A nasty guy with no heart! Trump tweeted.

The fight between Moore and Trump has been brewing for months, and now it is exposing deep fault lines in the evangelical community over the presumptive GOP nominee.

Moore is the head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the denominations public policy office. He took over the post in 2013 following the long tenure of conservative hardliner Richard Land, and while Moore is committed to the traditional social conservative issues like abortion and marriage, he also has pushed to expand the platform, advocating for immigration reform and racial justice, especially in the face of poverty, police brutality, and mass incarceration.

Trumps direct attack comes three days after Moore wrote an op-ed for the New York Times, A White Church No More, that directly called out Trump by name for a campaign that has cast light on the darkness of pent-up nativism and bigotry all over the country. Moore pointed out that the evangelical church in the U.S. is no longer the old white precinct captains in Iowa, or the old, white television evangelists.

The next Billy Graham probably will speak only Spanish or Arabic or Persian or Mandarin, Moore wrote. The man on the throne in heaven is a dark-skinned, Aramaic-speaking foreigner who is probably not all that impressed by chants of Make America great again.

Moore responded Monday to Trumps attack by tweeting a passage from the Old Testament, where Gods prophet Elijah stands up to the enemy king Ahab whose people followed false gods. You have abandoned the Lords commands and have followed the Baals, Elijah says in the Bible, before the God of Israel rains down fire to show his power.

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Trump supporters jumped in to attack Moore on social media for his leadership of the Evangelical Immigration Table, a platform for immigration reform signed by hundreds of influential evangelical leaders that includes a path to citizenship or legal status for those who qualify. Moore is a leader of the group along with presidents of the National Association of Evangelicals, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, and evangelical humanitarian relief organizations.

For decades the golden rule of Republican politics has been that winning over social conservative evangelicals, like Moore, is a necessary strategy for a White House win. Now that group and its leadership is splithalf of white evangelicals think Trump would make a good or great president, according to the Pew Research Center. Moore came out early this cycle as a #NeverTrump voter, and he has been urging evangelicals to vote for neither nominee if he or she is morally disqualified, including Trump, for his comments on race.

Some evangelical leaders are coming to Moores defense. An attack on Russell Moore is an attack on the entire evangelical community, Samuel Rodriguez Jr., president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and a leader of the Evangelical Immigration Table, says. White evangelicals alone can never and will never elected Donald J. Trump. Dorothy, we are not in Kansas anymore.

Mark DeMoss, evangelical public relations executive and former Mitt Romney adviser, recently resigned from the board of trustees of the evangelical Liberty University following his disagreement with Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr.s Trump endorsement. Scorched earth name-calling, insulting and demagoguing does not seem to me to be the way to build a winning general election coalition, DeMoss says. Russell Moore thoughtfully represents views and attitudes of millions of people of faith in the country; it is one thing to disagree with him, another thing altogether to be dismissive of him.

Tim Blackmon, the chaplain of the evangelical Wheaton College in Illinois, defended Moore on Twitter: this reminds me of Pierre Trudeaus quip: Ive been called worse things by better people.

But the influence of a Trump protest from evangelical leaders like Moore remains to be seen. Im not sure of the actual material affect, says Johnnie Moore (no relation to Russell Moore), a National Association of Evangelicals board member who is pushing an initiative to get 25 million evangelicals to the polls in November. Dr. Moore is much more influential among younger envangelicals than older evangelicals  Young evangelicals, they dont rally to the other side; they just protest by not acting.

Evangelical leaders are also far from politically united, and Southern Baptists do not vote as a block. Robert Jeffress, a Southern Baptist pastor of the 12,000-member First Baptist Church in Dallas, has been very supportive of the presumptive Republican nominee. Russell Moore has launched numerous vitriolic attacks not only against Trumps policies but about his own character and integrity, Jeffress says. No one should be surprised that Trump would respond to such attacks.

This is unprecedented what Russell Moore has done, and I believe there are many people who are not sympathetic with his views toward Trump, he adds. While Moore is a respected leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, he absolutely does not speak for all Southern Baptists even as I dont speak for all Southern Baptists. There are no Southern Baptist Popes.
Energy stocks were among the markets worst performers on Monday, while U.S. oil prices snapped a three-session win streak, after news over the weekend that Saudi Arabia unexpectedly replaced its oil minister.

It was announced on Sunday Saudi Aramco Chairman Khalid al-Falih will succeed Ali al-Naimi as the Middle Eastern nations oil minister. The news comes less than a month ahead of OPECs June 2 meeting.

While some view Naimis ouster as a result of perhaps diverging views between him and the oil-rich nations leadership, Omar Al-Ubaydli, affiliated senior research fellow at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center, said it was more a necessary transition of leadership than anything else.

The man is 81 years old; its time to retire, Al-Ubaydli said.

He explained that Falihs appointment is likely to result in a continuation of Saudi oil policy as the world becomes more comfortable with the idea that lower crude prices are here to stay.

This is a good opportunity to overcome some internal political opposition that would exist if they tried to introduce economic reforms. When there are high prices, its difficult to convince local stakeholders to change the way the economy starts up, but with low prices nowthis is time to introduce reforms, he said.

Al-Ubaydli continued by saying its simply a coincidence that an oil-minister regime change came about at the same time the nation looks to enact a change in economic policies.

Last month, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  son of Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud  announced a plan to reduce the nations economic dependence on oil as prices have collapsed more than 70% since the summer of 2014 as other world players  including U.S. shale producers  have helped drive up global production, creating a supply glut.

Richard Swann, editorial director for Americas Oil Markets, said while Saudi is feeling pain alongside the rest of the worlds leading oil producers, the reshuffling of the ranks isnt an indication the nation is looking to shift away from current policy.

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The upheaval in the oil patch is a direct result of Saudi oil policy and their refusal to move on price has resulted in current market conditionsthe reshuffle confirms that theyre sticking to policy and there will be no short-term let up from Saudi, he said.

Naimis departure comes alongside a slew of other changes including a move to rename the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources. That shift is another in the move to diversify away from oil.

Saudi has a lot of untapped mineral resources. It signifies the expansion of diversifying the economy, Al-Ubaydli said. The shake ups in other ministries including energy, and adding culture is an attempt at diversification, to create jobs for Saudi Arabians, and rebuild an economy in a very dynamic and forceful way.

For global oil prices long term, Al-Ubaydli said analysts need to understand that even with the regime shift in the Saudi oil ministry, its unlikely a downshift in the countrys production will come about any time soon.

Its commercial suicide for OPEC, he said. Shale has changed the way the market works and analysts need to accept prices wont increase soon, and they need to suspend the intellectual contortion about how it will happen.

Swann explained that for oil markets, communication has been key  and analysts have been able to react knowingly to any headlines with Naimis name included. Now, with a new oil minister in place, he said further communications efforts will be just as important.

Theyve been a country thats been very clear at communicating their policy, and about what the policy is. With the new minister, the market will look for the same kind of signals, he said. Its very important for the stature of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, as Falih transitions into his position, Saudi-owned Aramco looks to float a small portion of its sales in an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange soon as 2017 or 2018, the Telegraph reported on Sunday, hoping to entice heavyweights like ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) or Chinas Sinopec to do a deal. The deal is could value the group in the trillions-of-dollars range.

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tightrope

With earnings season wrapping up, now is as good a time as any to take a bird's-eye view of the health of US corporations.

After disastrous expectations from analysts, 71% of S&P 500 companies that have reported their quarterly earnings so far have beat consensus projections for profits  about 87% of the S&P 500 have reported as of Sunday.

But in spite of the beats, companies are still in a profit recession.

Defined as two or more quarters of negative earnings growth, we are now three quarters deep into this corporate-specific recession. Profits dropped by 7.1% for S&P 500 companies year-over-year for the first quarter.

"Global corporate earnings are in recession now although they are not yet falling as fast as they do during US economic recessions," wrote Jan Loeys, global strategist at JPMorgan.

Based on Loeys' analysis, it does not appear that it is easing up anytime soon.

"Past episodes where soft US earnings reversed course saw either strong fiscal or monetary stimulus or strong growth in productivity," wrote Loeys in a note to clients. "With central banks having much less to give today, fiscal policy neutral, and productivity falling, it [is] much harder to expect higher company earnings over the next year."

Loeys' isn't overly worried about this, despite the fact that in almost every occasion such a profit drawdown corresponds with the dramatic policy action he outlines above or a broader, economywide recession.

"Falling profit margins have been the important warning signal and cause of an eventual US recession and we thus continue to see an elevated risk of such a contraction over the next 1-2 years, even as the immediate risk appears low," wrote Loeys.

On the more bearish slant is Andrew Lapthorne, head of quantitative strategy at Societe Generale. To him this profit downturn is a sign that stocks are far too overvalued and the economy is weaker than you think.

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"MSCI World EPS is now declining at the fastest pace since 2009, losing 4% in the last couple of months alone (this despite stronger oil prices)," wrote Lapthorne in a note. For the S&P 500 specifically, the year on year drop in profit drop was the most since third quarter of 2009.

"Global earnings are now 14% off the peak set in August 2014 and back to where they stood five years ago. Equity prices on the other hand are 25% higher. Gravity beckons!"

Screen Shot 2016 05 09 at 3.39.22 PM

Lapthorne also noted in a later note that even stripping out the dismal energy sector MSCI profits are down 1% from peak. Stripping out both outliers to the upside (financials) and downside (as we mentioned, energy) profits are down 5% from peak.

So yes, corporations hopped over a monumentally low bar in the first quarter of 2016, but that doesn't mean their troubles are ending. What that means for the broader economy and stocks is up for debate. It could be just a slowdown, or a signal of a nearing recession depending on how you look at it.

Either way, as profits stand now, it isn't pretty.

NOW WATCH: Activists vandalized 600 billboards in Paris to call out these giant corporations in a huge way





More From Business Insider


Drake and his producer Noah 40 Shebib spent an hour talking with fellow Canadian Nardwuar about seemingly everything. And in case you dont have time to listen to the wide-ranging interview, here are some of the topics they covered.

ON KISSING FANS

Back in 2009, Drake apparently had a tradition of kissing his fans. Unsurprisingly, as he became a huge star, he halted that practice. He explained:



The glory days man, I miss it a lotyou never know how old fans are and what theyve been up to prior to the showso I dont kiss fans anymore.

DRAKES BRA COLLECTION

Drake also confessed to Nardwuar that around the same time he used to collect certain, ahem, mementos from fans:



When my tour manager was a wonderful lady named Tina she would keep a collection of bras for me in a trunk and it became a thing to throw bras onstage.

DRAKES RAP DEBUT ON DEGRASSI

Nardwuar dived even further back in time and asked Drake about his time as Jimmy Brooks on Canadian teen soap opera Degrassi. They discussed one scene in particular, where Drake/Jimmy drops a few cringeworthy bars. Drake explained the story behind Spinners Rap:



It was the first time I ever got to showcase rap on television but I think [Degrassi] gave me an opportunity after that to write a real song myself, I dont think I wrote those bars [in Spinners Rap], believe it or not [laughs].

ON THAT CHAINING TATUM LINE

Nardwuar later moved on to Drakes latest album Views and talked about a line off the song Pop Style that had a lot of fans rolling their eyes: Have so many chains / they call me Chaining Tatum. Corny to be sure, but Drake defended it, saying:



Im a Channing Tatum fan and I just wanted to find a way to use his name and I thought the line was amazing and its one of my favorite bars.

If you have an hour to kill, heres the full Nardwuar vs. Drake interview:

For more commentary on pop culture and music, follow @IAmCorneliaRowe.
By Elizabeth Piper and Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Britain needs the European Union to help fight Islamic State and rebuff a "newly belligerent" Russia, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday, making a "big, bold, patriotic case" for membership of the bloc. With just over six weeks to go before a referendum, both sides of the debate are sharpening their arguments, with Conservative former London mayor, Boris Johnson, attacking the prime minister for scaremongering. Cameron, setting out the security argument for Britain to vote to remain in the EU on June 23, drew on military history, invoking the memory of wartime leader Winston Churchill to bolster his case that "isolationism has never served this country well". But it was his comments that the EU had helped secure peace for 70 years that were seized upon by "Out" campaigners. "I think people should think very hard before they make these kinds of warnings, I don't believe that leaving the EU would cause World War Three to break out on the European continent," Johnson said. Cameron told diplomats and campaigners: "I want to show that if you love this country, if you want to keep it strong in the world and keep our people safe, our membership of the EU is one of the tools that helps us to do these things. "I'm not arguing that the EU alone has kept the peace in Europe these last 70 years, of course not, NATO has played an absolutely key role ... (but) it's pretty extraordinary that countries that were fighting and killing each other are now finding a way to work together." He said Britain could be exposed to greater threats if voters decided to leave the EU, underlining the role of security cooperation after dozens were killed in attacks by Islamic State in Brussels and Paris. "We see a newly belligerent Russia, the rise of the Daesh (Islamic State) network to our east and to our south the migration crisis - dealing with these requires unity of purpose in the West," he said. RESONATE WITH VOTERS A British exit, or Brexit, he said, would "make cooperation more legally complex and make our access to vital information much slower". Johnson, whom the prime minister had once hoped to recruit to his "In" campaign, said the argument was "wholly bogus". "I don't think the prime minister can seriously believe that leaving the EU would trigger war on the European continent, given that he was prepared only a few months ago to urge that people should vote leave if they failed to get a substantially reformed European Union," Johnson told campaigners and reporters. He said Britain should pull out now to regain its sovereignty and democratic rights, leaving a failing organisation. The former mayor, who is seen as a possible replacement for Cameron, called on Britons to demand answers from "In" campaigners, including over how high levels of immigration could be curbed when, he said, the country had no control of its borders. Both campaigns are trying to find arguments that resonate with British voters, who, according to opinion polls, are evenly split over which way to vote. Pollster ICM said that according to its weekly online survey on Monday the campaign to leave the EU had extended its lead, with 46 percent backing an EU exit compared with 44 percent supporting remaining in the bloc. (writing by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Michael Holden and Janet Lawrence)
How would you define mental health? Kyle MacNevin, the 23-year-old cofounder of clothing brand Wear Your Label, said on Friday night at the opening of a two-day pop-up shop in Santa Monica, California.

There isn't a simple, nonacademic definition, MacNevin and his cofounder, 22-year-old Kayley Reed, said. The two entrepreneurs are working to change perceptions about what it means to be mentally healthy.

We often define having mental health as not having mental illness, MacNevin said. Like, Im healthy because Im not depressed. Im healthy because Im not schizophrenic. That has a negative connotation.

To counter those connotations the Canadian-based business partners have designed t-shirts and tank tops with slogans such as "Anxious but Courageous" or Its Okay Not to Be Okay on them. They use garments to encourage their customers to embrace their mental health labels without shame. Their apparel also features self-care tagssimilar to washing instructionsthat were developed with help from mental health professionals. The tags remind people to meditate, stretch, and laugh.

We create clothes to create visibility, MacNevin said. Mental illness is often a quite invisible thing. And if you cant see it, you often make predispositions or judge. And when you judge something you can often stigmatize it.

RELATED: Why Twitter Is a Great Place to Talk About Mental Illness

Mental illness affects one in four adults, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. But fear of judgment can prevent people from seeking help. The World Bank estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the global economy $1 trillion a year.

If Friday nights event was any evidence, the goal to end stigma around mental health has resonated widely. The small venue was packed with supporters and featured art and food from similarly minded organizations.

Along with Wear Your Label, the pop-up shop featured photography from the Broken Light Collective, an online photo gallery designed for people affected by mental illness. The Depressed Cake Shop, a global community of bakers trying to end the stigma of mental illness, sold a bevy of desserts. Each of the baked goods has a grayish color, to "signify the gray cloud that can descend over a beautiful world when someone is struggling with mental health issues," the Depressed Cake Shop website explains. A portion of the proceeds from the pop-up will support mental health programs at St. Joseph Center of Venice, a local organization that supports low-income and homeless people.

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Both MacNevin and Reed wore Wear Your Label bracelets, their different colors signifying specific mental health disorders or traumatic events. MacNevin wore a green threaded piece representing anxiety disorders; Reed sported a rose quartz beaded bracelet meant for survivors of sexual assault. Although subtle, the bracelets created a sense of camaraderie among attendees; fans who identified the pair by their bracelets expressed gratitude and excitement.

I get to hear messages from people every day who are going through similar things, Reed said, noting that the shared experiences help make the stress of running a start-up worth it.

MacNevin and Reed met two years ago in Canada while working with a mental health organization, and they bonded over their personal battles. MacNevin lives with generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD, and Reed has struggled with an eating disorder. They started out creating clothing to empower people with mental illnesses, but after a flurry of media coverage in May of last year, Wear Your Label took off.

We went from two kids screen-printing everything in a small studio in Fredericton, [New Brunswick], shipping all our orders," Reed said, "and things just went likeshe made a whooshing sound to indicate how quickly everything changed.

We had so many back orders that we had to call everyone we knew to help screen print shirts, MacNevin said.

Over the past year, Wear Your Label has shown at New York Fashion Week, expanded into home decor, and worked with global organizations such as the World Bank to raise awareness about mental health.

MacNevin and Reed hope that their clothing will foster conversations and encourage a lifestyle in which its normal to talk about mental health. That said, they acknowledge that wearing their mental health status on their sleeve isnt always easy.

When I wear a Wear Your Label garment its a statement to the world that I am a walking, open-door policy to talk about mental health, MacNevin said, adding that he only wears the brands clothing when he feels particularly healthy. Its hard sharing your story,but if we can provide a vehicle for conversation, then thats a really good step.

Take the Pledge: Pledge to Support Pop Culture That Powers Gender Equality

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 Wentworth Miller Gets Real With Body Shamers About Depression

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Original article from TakePart
The commercial drones market is still nascent, and valued at roughly $2 billion at this time. However, this figure could skyrocket to up to $127 billion over the next four years, consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP said in a report issued Monday.

According to the analysts, drones will soon be detecting underproductive agricultural areas, spraying pesticides and nutrients, and verifying insurance claims, among other civilian tasks.

Piotr Romanowski, a PwC partner explained, The cost of drone technology is falling so quickly that a number of everyday applications are becoming cost-efficient.

Related Link: Why Is UPS Exploring The Use Of Drones?

However, the report pointed out a few legal issues could get in the way of this bound-to-boom industry. It's the lack of legislation that worries PwC analysts. But, this concern may not linger for a very long time, as several countries, including Poland, South Africa and Singapore have already started to draft regulations for the commercial and civilian use of drones.

Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no positions in any of the securities mentioned above.

See more from Benzinga

 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) - Electronic cigarettes are sickening a growing number of young kids, usually because children drink the liquid nicotine thats used in the devices, a U.S. study of poison center calls suggests. Often, children arent seriously harmed, but several have had severe complications like comas and seizures and one child died from liquid nicotine poisoning. Even small amounts of liquid nicotine can cause serious poisoning or death in young children, said senior study author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The study, which focused on poison center calls about kids under six years old exposed to tobacco and nicotine, found e-cigarettes posed the biggest risk to toddlers. Children in this age group are curious, have newfound mobility, explore their environment by putting things in their mouth, and do not recognize danger, Smith added by email. Big U.S. tobacco companies are all developing e-cigarettes. The battery-powered gadgets feature a glowing tip and a heating element that turns liquid nicotine and other flavorings into a cloud of vapor that users inhale. Smith and colleagues analyzed poison center data from January 2012 through April 2015. During that period, monthly calls related to e-cigarettes surged from 14 to 223, they report in the journal Pediatrics. Overall, there were 4,128 calls about e-cigarettes, accounting for about 14 percent of the roughly 29,000 total calls related to childrens exposure to nicotine and tobacco during the study. When kids got their hands on e-cigarettes, they were five times more likely to be admitted to a health facility and more than twice as likely to have serious medical problems compared to children exposed to traditional cigarettes, the study found. Most of the time, kids got their hands on e-cigarettes at home. Typically, symptoms from drinking liquid nicotine - like vomiting, nausea, and a rapid heartbeat - went away within a few hours. Among the children who needed medical care, less than 3 percent were hospitalized and roughly 2 percent had severe complications like breathing difficulties, seizures and comas. The study probably underestimates the risk of e-cigarettes, however, because it only includes cases voluntarily reported to poison control centers, the authors note. Its also possible physicians might be more inclined to report issues with e-cigarettes because the devices and the resulting medical problems are relatively new. Even so, the findings should serve as a warning to parents because drinking liquid nicotine can be much more toxic to kids than eating tobacco found in traditional cigarettes, said Dr. Sean Patrick Nordt, an emergency medicine researcher at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine who wasnt involved in the study. Liquid nicotine is easier for the body to absorb than tobacco in cigarettes, Nordt said by email. Because cigarette tobacco also doesnt taste very good, kids are less likely to ingest enough of it to seriously hurt themselves. By contrast, e-cigarettes can look and smell like candy to children, Nordt added. Nicotine is also much more concentrated in liquids than in traditional cigarettes, noted Dr. Kyran Quinlan, a researcher at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and chair of the council on injury, violence and poison prevention for the American Academy of Pediatrics. A cigarette has about 1-2 milligrams of nicotine, but liquid refills for e-cigarettes are often contain at least 18 milligrams, Quinlan, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. A small sip, say a teaspoon which is 5 milligrams, exposes a child to the nicotine of several packs of cigarettes all at once, Quinlan said. Parents should know that the highly concentrated liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes is a new deadly poison, Quinlan added. The packaging, colors and flavors make these toddler magnets. Young children should have no access to e-cigarettes or their refill liquids because it could kill them. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1Ok3g0f Pediatrics, online May 9, 2016.
Eddie Redmayne has been cast in Aardman Studios upcoming prehistoric comedy adventure Early Man.

Directed by Nick Park, the stop-frame pic is co-financed by Studiocanal, representing the second union between Europes two premier animation forces: the duo last teamed on 2015s Shaun the Sheep.

Redmayne is the first cast member announced in the toon, which is set at the dawn of time when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth. The Brit thesp will voice the role of plucky caveman Dug who, along with his sidekick Hognob, unites his tribe against the mighty Bronze Age in a battle to beat them at their own game.

It marks Parks first feature film since Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Pic is skidded for an early 2018 release. Studiocanal will distribute the title in the U.K., France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand and is selling worldwide rights for the pic.

The British Film Institute also supports the film.

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PARIS (Reuters) - EDF's works council said on Monday it had voted to order an external study into the French utility's project to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Britain. The works council said it was missing key information and ordered the study to help it to prepare a recommendation about the 18 billion pound project. EDF's main unions want the company to delay the Hinkley Point project by three years, the time they say is needed to finish other nuclear projects in France and China. The works council did not say when the study would be ready or when it expected to make its recommendation, which will not be binding on EDF. EDF chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy said late last month that Hinkley Point would be launched once the works council had issued its recommendation. Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron has said he expected a final investment decision in September. EDF declined to comment. (Reporting by Benjamin Mallet, writing by Geert De Clercq. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Cairo (AFP) - Egypt will use its influence as chair of the UN Security Council in May to defend the interests of the Palestinian people, the presidency said on Monday.

The pledge, made during talks between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, comes after France called for an international conference later this month to relaunch peace talks.

Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations have been frozen since a US-brokered initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Last month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said France will host a meeting of ministers from 20 countries on May 30 to try to relaunch the peace process.

Abbas and Sisi discussed "ways of coordinating Arab efforts and the steps that need to be taken within the UN Security Council" as Egypt holds the rotating presidency of the council for the month of May, a statement said.

The two leaders said efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be bolstered in light of regional and international initiatives, including France's decision to host a conference.

The Palestinian leadership has welcomed the French initiative but Israel opposes it, insisting that direct and unconditional negotiations with the Palestinians are the only way forward.

Ayrault has said that the aim of hosting a ministerial conference in May is to prepare for an international summit later this year that would include the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Paris's initiative comes amid tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and as a wave of violence since October last year has killed 204 Palestinians and 28 Israelis, according to an AFP count.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

Trend:

Azerbaijan's Military Prosecutor's Office has opened a criminal case in connection with the Armenian provocation in the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in early April, Khanlar Valiyev, deputy prosecutor general, military prosecutor, told Trend May 9.

"Azerbaijani servicemen died as a result of the Armenian provocation committed on April 2-5 on the line of contact," said Valiyev.

He added that a criminal case has been opened on this fact in the Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor's Office and investigative measures are being conducted.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.

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 Edinburgh International Film Festival and Studiocanal have partnered to screen a newly restored 4K version of Russell Mulcahys Highlander at the upcoming 70th edition of the fest.

The special screening will take place on June 18 in the Scottish city to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1980s action-fantasy cult classic.

Pic stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery and Clancy Brown, the latter of whom will be in attendance at the screening at Cineworld, Fountain Park in Edinburgh in addition to other special guests.

Set in both New York and the Scottish Highlands, pic has been restored by Deluxe London based on a 4K scan of the original camera negative. Studiocanal will release the restored version of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray on July 11th.

EIFF runs from June 15-26.

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Warning: The following contains spoilers for Sundays finale of Elementary

Morland Holmes story on Elementary has come to an end  for now.

John Noble will not return as a series regular for Season 5 of the CBS drama, TVLine has learned.

RELATEDElementary Boss on Morlands Choice, Moriartys Presence, P.I.s Partnership

After taking over Moriartys organization in order to protect Sherlock and Joan, the senior Holmes said goodbye to New York City during Sundays Season 4 finale. (Get scoop on that twist and more here.)

This was always the plan that we would have John aboard for Season 4, and he would then exit, executive producer Rob Doherty tells TVLine. We wanted Morland  and, by extension, John  to help us define Season 4, and he absolutely did that. I feel like we told the one long story we wanted to, but we [also] got to tell a lot of smaller stories about Sherlock and his father, and then Morland trying to develop a relationship with Joan. We feel like we did everything we set out to do.

RELATEDCBS Renews Elementary for Season 5

Doherty goes on to add, Weve also left the door very open to seeing John again next year.

Elementary fans, will you miss Morland?

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Photo by Taras Taraporvala for Elle India.



Elle India thinks its high time we started thinking differently about what a feminine body looks like, and in the latest issue, the magazine proves that women dont have to be slender and/or soft to be beautiful. This month, for its beauty issue, the glossy is featuring muscular ladies to show that having a chiseled physique is definitely sexy  and feminine to boot.

Elle India gathered seven supremely toned women from different walks of life to talk about their bodies, why they love them, why they feel feminine in their own skin, and what challenges they face as women who go against body norms. Though their careers differ (the list includes women who work as trainers, makeup artists, and actresses), each woman is tremendously focused on keeping her body in tip-top shape.

My teachers used to tell me to be more delicate, like a woman. Natasha Noel, a yoga instructor told the magazine. Strength has always fascinated me more than flexibility. Being strong is sexy  its empowering.



The best thing about the spread is that although each woman is very fit and muscular, they all have different body types. Seeing the diversity even in a small group of fit bodies sends a powerful message about what we consider acceptable for a woman to look like and how ridiculously narrow that standard is. Each one of these women is strong, sexy, and confident  perfectly feminine and extremely beautiful.

Were conditioned to only look at the weighing scale, but building muscle is essential, nutritionist Rashi Chowdhary said to the magazine. Plus, nothing beats the feeling of being able to lift twice your weight.



Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.


pivotal ceo rob mee

Last Thursday, hot business software startup Pivotal announced that it had raised $253 million from investors like Ford and Microsoft  a mega-deal that valued the company at $2.8 billion.

But a form filed with the United States Securities Exchange Commission shows that it had raised closer to $653 million, a massive $400 million gap.

So, two questions: First off, if the round was a whopping $653 million, why wouldn't Pivotal say so? Second off, where did that second $400 million come from?

Turns out, both questions have the same answer, as reported by TechCrunch. EMC, the tech mega-corporation in the midst of its own $67 billion super-merger with Dell, increased its already-considerable stake in Pivotal to the tune of $400 million.

But it wasn't your normal kind of venture deal, and this is where things get messy. Basically, Pivotal had a large amount of debt that it owed to EMC, and paid it back by giving EMC $400 million of equity in the company. Now, Pivotal is largely debt-free.

"At this point in its development, Pivotal, a 3year old company with strong financial and customer momentum, now has no long-term debt, strategic investors, and significant cash," says a Pivotal spokesperson.

Indeed, alongside last week's funding announcement, Pivotal also announced that it had $116 million in annualized recurring revenue., with the Pivotal Cloud Foundry product doing $200 million in annual bookings.

EMC, alongside VMware (itself an EMC subsidiary), were the original investors in Pivotal back when it was first spun off in 2012. GE also is said to own a 10% stake. And both EMC and VMware are going to get subsumed into the new Dell Technologies banner once that merger finally executes.

The inter-related corporate structures are pretty complex. But the fact that EMC is willing to swap debt for equity is a telling show of faith in Pivotal.

NOW WATCH: Barbara Corcoran shares her most profitable investment to date





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(Updates prices, adds comments) SAO PAULO, May 9 (Reuters) - Brazilian markets weakened on Monday after the acting lower house speaker in Brazil's Congress annulled an impeachment vote, though losses were pared as investors bet the move would delay rather than prevent leftist President Dilma Rousseff's removal from office.

The Brazilian currency, the real , weakened 1.5 percent against the U.S. dollar, after falling about 5 percent when the news broke.

The country's benchmark Bovespa stock index slid 2 percent while the broader MSCI Latin American stock index was down 0.8 percent, also hurt by weaker commodity prices following unfavorable economic data in China.

The impeachment process was now expected to return to the lower house, which had earlier voted overwhelmingly to oust Rousseff. Markets rose in recent weeks on expectations Vice President Michel Temer would take office and put austerity measures in place to better control public spending.

"I don't think it derails (impeachment). I think there's still plenty of votes in both houses to impeach, but ... this process is not going to be fast and easy," said Win Thin, head of emerging market currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman.

Shares of state-run oil firm Petrobras shed about 8 percent. Mining company Vale tumbled nearly 9 percent.

Waldir Maranhao, who broke with his center-right Progressive Party and voted against Rousseff's impeachment last month, took over as acting speaker last week. He said there were procedural flaws in the April 17 vote in the chamber approving the impeachment charges against Rousseff.

"It's by no means certain that Mr. Maranhao has the authority to return the vote to the lower house, and the ensuing confusion risks triggering a constitutional crisis," Neil Shearing, chief emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note.

The impeachment proceedings are focused on Rousseff's alleged manipulation of public accounts and not a sweeping kickback scandal involving state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, commonly known as Petrobras.

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The process has been criticized because it was started by Eduardo Cunha, the former lower house speaker who was removed last week due to pending charges he took bribes.

Central bank director Altamir Lopes said the market volatility was normal given the news, while speaking at a public event in the northern city of Belem.

Shares of Brazilian meatpacker JBS fell 7 percent, also hurt by reports in newspaper O Globo that witnesses in a corruption scandal had testified the company made illegal campaign donations to Rousseff's campaign, allegations the company denied.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Mexico's peso weakened 1.3 percent while Chile's peso was down 1.5 percent.

Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1432 GMT: Latin American market prices from Reuters Stock indexes Latest Daily pct YTD pct change change MSCI Emerging Markets 798.60 -0.84 1.41 MSCI LatAm 2,116.88 -1.89 17.92 Brazil Bovespa 50,618.07 -2.13 16.77 Mexico IPC 45,072.82 -0.3 4.88 Chile IPSA 3,979.68 -0.58 8.14 Chile IGPA 19,589.06 -0.51 7.92 Argentina MerVal 13,077.93 -2.79 12.01 Colombia IGBC 9,602.81 0.22 12.35 Venezuela IBC 15,357.17 -0.07 5.27 Currencies Brazil real 3.5556 -1.49 11.01 Mexico peso 18.1300 -1.38 -4.96 Chile peso 675.2 -1.51 5.11 Colombia peso 2,957 -0.10 7.18 Peru sol 3.3439 -1.01 2.10 Argentina peso 14.2275 -0.09 -8.75 (interbank) Argentina peso 14.51 0.21 -1.65 (parallel) (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer in Sao Paulo, Dion Rabouin in New York and Alonso Soto in Belem; editing by G Crosse)
When Michael Urtiaga goes on job interviews, he regularly gets asked the question, "How were you able to balance an MBA education at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business with your previous full-time job near Cincinnati?"

The answer: The 36-year-old, who's now in between jobs, pursued his MBA online through the Kelley Direct program -- not by traveling to the school on the weekends, as some interviewers initially assume given that he lives about a two-hour drive away from the campus.

Urtiaga says interviewers generally seem accepting of his online degree given the strong reputation of the school. Still, he sometimes needs to answer questions about the pros and cons of online learning and the real-world benefits the online program offers.

"Oftentimes, you can see their faces change as you go through the conversation," says Urtiaga, who completed his MBA last year and is now pursuing an online master's in strategic management as part of a dual degree program at Kelley. There's still a bit of a stigma, he says, but people usually come around when they hear some of the format's virtues.

[Discoverfour questions employers ask about job applicants with online degrees.]

Recruiters say most employers accept job candidates' online MBAs from respected schools, especially now that the quality of an online MBA education at many institutions is equivalent to one on a physical campus. But in some cases, experts say, there's still the need to educate companies about the legitimacy of many online programs.

A significant portion of employers won't even ask about the format in which the degree was earned, says Adam J. Samples, regional president of Atrium Staffing in New Jersey. Others will only dig deeper if they have a specific reason to -- as in Urtiaga's case, where they see he worked while pursuing his MBA.

In the latter scenario, for instance, a potential employer might ask why the student chose the online route to an education and how the program works, experts say. What's most important, however, is the reputation of the institution and its accreditation.

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"I think more and more employers don't have a knee-jerk negative or positive reaction when they hear the word 'online,'" says Richard Garrett, chief research officer at Eduventures, a research and advisory firm for higher education institutions.

Samples says in the first half of his 12-year career, employers he worked with generally expressed concerns with online degrees. They were unsure, for example, whether students were learning vital business skills gained in a classroom setting, such as group collaboration.

[Learnfive steps to take before starting online group work.]

But that perception has changed as well-known schools embrace online learning and meet high academic standards -- though there's still some hesitancy over online MBAs from for-profit institutions, Samples says.

Employers' growing acceptance of online MBAs is good news for online learners as business administration remains the most popular graduate degree pursued online, according to a 2015 survey by Aslanian Market Research and the Learning House.

"I think it's an exciting time," says Mike Schmeckebier, associate director of graduate career services at Indiana's Kelley School of Business, of the growing acceptance among employers. "In five to seven, eight years, we're going to look back, and we're going to identify this time as really the turning point of when this was really coming to fruition."

Experts say most employers now understand that an online education not only provides essential workplace skills and student-faculty interaction but also allows students to apply course material directly to their job, and vice versa.

But not all hiring managers are familiar with online learning. And, at some larger companies, earning an online degree can make the hiring process more difficult.

For instance, Schmeckebier says, at big firms with established hiring processes, it may be questionable who -- a campus recruiter or a recruiter for more experienced candidates -- would do the hiring for an online MBA student who's also working.

"They fall into this kind of gray area," Schmeckebier says.

That's not to say that big firms won't hire candidates with online degrees, he says, but doing so occasionally requires additional work from the company's end. Schmeckebier believes schools with online MBA programs should dedicate more time and resources to educating employers about online programs and creating proper recruitment channels.

[Explorethe hot fields for new MBA graduates.]

When it comes to a resume, it isn't necessary to state that a program was completed online, experts say. If the company is curious, they'll ask.

Kristen Zierau, director of executive recruiting for Clarke Caniff Strategic Search, says recruiters at the executive search firm first ask hiring mangers if they are open to candidates with online MBAs.

"I think most of them are very receptive," she says, "especially if they received it while working full time."

Trying to fund your online education? Get tips and more in the U.S. News Paying for Online Education center.





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The doors will open on Monday, May 16, to a new wild, wild West of crowdfunding for entrepreneurs.

Traditional crowdfunding is when an individual contributes money to a business or creative endeavor in exchange for a token gift, experience or recognition. Equity crowdfunding, meanwhile, is when entrepreneurs sell a piece of their companies in exchange for cash. Historically, entrepreneurs have only been able to raise money through equity crowdfunding from accredited investors, or those individuals who have sufficient levels of wealth and assets.

As of May 16, thanks to Title 3 of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2012, entrepreneurs can raise money through equity crowdfunding from anybody who has the cash and the interest in investing.

Now, your family, friends and anyone with an interest can invest in your company -- not just angel investors and other wealthy individuals.

Entrepreneurs will be able to raise money like they did generations ago, from their neighbors and communities that know them, not from some conglomerate risk-averse bank headquartered on Wall Street," says Nick Tommarello, the co-founder and CEO of equity crowdfunding platform Wefunder, in an email with Entrepreneur. "We expect that this is that start of a renaissance of entrepreneurship in the United States.

That means entrepreneurs have a much wider pool of investors to raise money from.

Related: The SEC Just Approved Rules Opening Up Equity Crowdfunding to the General Public In a 3-1 Vote

Opening up equity crowdfunding beyond accredited investors is the greatest advancement for entrepreneurship in a generation. The single most powerful barrier to bringing great innovations and companies to life is the ability to raise capital," says Ron Miller, the CEO of equity crowdfunding platform StartEngine, in an email with Entrepreneur. "Entrepreneurs now have the opportunity to engage their customer fans as investors, who in turn become brand ambassadors.

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Gaining access to new pools of capital is one reason for entrepreneurs to be encouraged, but the new equity crowdfunding rules also have regulations attached to them and potential limitations. Entrepreneurs who are going to attempt to raise money with equity crowdfunding need to know what they are getting into before diving into an equity crowdfunding campaign.

Heres your hotlist of need-to-know details.

1. The amount you are allowed to raise on a crowdfunding platform is capped at $1 million in any 12-month period.

While that will be plenty of money for some small businesses, its definitely not enough to be a complete funding round for some entrepreneurs.

Nowadays, startups on average raise, at a seed stage, in the neighborhood of $2 million. The fact that startups will have a limit of $1 million per year will either force them to be under capitalized or conduct another type of offering in parallel to doing a Title 3 to raise the remaining capital from accredited investors, which means more costs from a legal perspective, says Alejandro Cremades, the co-founder of 1000 Angels, a digital platform where accredited investors can invest in startups that venture capitalists are also investing in.

2. Before selecting an equity crowdfunding platform, ask the portal what kind of support it offers.

There will undoubtedly be a flurry of equity crowdfunding platforms bubbling to the surface in the weeks and months following the May 16 start date. Entrepreneurs need to keep in mind not only what the crowdfunding platform will offer during the course of the campaign, but also after the fundraising period closes.

Related: Starting May 16, Entrepreneurs Can Raise Money in a Whole New Way. Here's What You Need to Know.

Choosing a platform is a very critical component of an equity crowdfunding investors journey, says Jonathan Medved, the CEO of equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd. How is your platform set up to manage the investment in a startup post funding? Will they sit on a board? Will they provide you with investment reports and how will they provide added value to the companies they invest in? Startup companies need assistance not only to raise funding, but also require help in countless areas such as business development and raising additional funds.

3. Dont take money from more than 480 unprofessional investors.

As the law is currently written, a small business with more than 500 unprofessional investors and more than $25 million in assets will be subject to the same regulations as a public company, which is potentially a serious burden for a small-business owner.

Thankfully, Congress is debating the Fix Crowdfund Act to take care of this issue, but in the meantime, we don't recommend that even a small business accept more than 480 shareholders, unless they have the right to repurchase those securities if they hit the $25 million asset number, says Tommarello.

4. Marketing is mission critical in an equity crowdfunding raise.

Launching your campaign is only the first step. Startups are going to need to have a plan to get the word out, just as with more traditional crowdfunding campaigns.

Related: An Unlikely Romance Between a Venture Capital Fund and a Crowdfunding Platform Promises to Shake Up Startup Financing

Entrepreneurs will be faced with the challenge of standing out and being found by potential investors. Many will quickly learn that Build it and they will come only works in the movies. Marketing an offering is rarely cheap and never easy, says Howard Orloff, the co-founder of the Illinois-based investment platform VestLo.

5. Be careful what you say on social media about your crowdfunding campaign.

Entrepreneurs are allowed to share the name of the business they are raising money for, type of business, location, contact information for interested investors, the platform on which they are raising funds and a general description of the business. They can not, however, get into a pitch about why investors ought to invest.

Entrepreneurs need to understand that they cannot discuss the specifics of their crowdfunding campaign through social media. Most dont understand this distinction. While all other forms of crowdfunding piggyback on social media -- this one does not, says Richard Swart, the chief strategy officer of the equity crowdfunding education resource NextGen Crowdfunding. They are specifically forbidden from hyping or promoting any detail of the offering aside from communication to investor on the intermediary platform.

6. There is going to be paperwork.

And the consequences for failing to file appropriate paperwork are not insignificant.

While regulation crowdfunding affords tremendous opportunity to entrepreneurs, with that opportunity comes responsibility," says Miller of StartEngine. "Specifically, the procedural and substantive requirements must be followed. Otherwise entrepreneurs risk disgorgement, penalties and even possible jail time,

The goal of the regulation associated disclosure paperwork is to protect the unwitting investor from making an uninformed risk.

Naturally, when the SEC hears that the general public will get access to this new asset class, their biggest concern is to protect the investors -- the average Joe and grandma from losing their entire life savings. So they really laid on the regulations, says Cremades of 1000 Angels. It's a risk for founders to take on the burden of the upfront costs required to get prepared, from a paperwork standpoint, for a Title III offering. Financial audits, disclosures, due diligence, ongoing reporting, etc. -- it all adds up, plus it takes time from the founders.

Related: What the U.S. Can Learn From the Netherlands About Equity Crowdfunding

The specific financial disclosure paperwork depends on just how much an entrepreneur is raising. Companies raising $100,000 or less must make financial statements and specific line items from income tax returns available to investors, both of which are certified by the principal executive officer of the company. Companies raising between $100,000.01 to $500,000 must provide investors financial statements reviewed by an independent public accountant and the accountants review report. For entrepreneurs raising between $500,000.01 to $1 million, the disclosure requirements vary depending on whether it is the first time they have raised money with equity crowdfunding. If entrepreneurs are raising between $500,000.01 to $1 million and it is their first time raising money with crowdfunding, then they have to provide financial statements reviewed by an independent public accountant and the accountants review report. If entrepreneurs are raising between $500,000.01 to $1 million and it is not their first time raising money with crowdfunding, then they must provide financial statements audited by an independent public accountant and the accountants audit report. (Audits are considered more comprehensive than reviews.)

All of the regulatory paperwork and disclosure documents may be a turnoff for some entrepreneurs.

The best tech-enabled companies will continue to pursue traditional funding routes to avoid the regulatory hurdles of Title III of the JOBS Act. Certainly, there may be a type of company that will be suitable to raise capital under Title III and that remains to be seen, but our sentiment is that sophisticated tech founders will avoid this funding option like a plague, says Cremades, who estimates that financial audits can cost up to $50,000. It comes with too many strings attached and alternative funding options are less expensive, less risky and more sound financially in the short/long-term.

Related: Only 1 in 3 Americans Have Heard of Equity Crowdfunding

7. You have to stay in touch with your investors after they give you money.

Larger companies have entire investor relations departments. Smaller businesses that use equity crowdfunding, however, will have to manage these communications on their own.

Communication, post-offering, is going to be very important and probably a challenge until platforms and the industry, as a whole, matures, says Vincent Bradley, the CEO and co-founder of equity crowdfunding platform FlashFunders. Startups will need better tools to help manage and communicate with their shareholders, but it will take time to understand exactly what is going to be needed to make sure companies can interact, engage and leverage their new crowdfunders as efficiently as possible.
The Environmental Protection Agency is warning homeowners about an illegally marketed refrigerant for central air conditioners that poses a safety hazard to them and to the technicians that service their systems. Called R-22a or just 22a, the propane-based refrigerant can catch fire or explode. The EPA prohibits its use, which has resulted in enforcement actionsarrests and finesagainst those who market and sell it.



While you may not know what refrigerant your HVAC contractor uses to recharge your system, its a good idea to ask the next time you get an annual tune-up. One of the most common refrigerants, HCFC22 or just R22, is being phased out because it depletes ozone from the atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency has a list of more environmentally friendly alternatives on its website but R-22a isnt one of them.



Using an unapproved, flammable refrigerant in a system that wasnt designed to address flammability can lead to serious consequences, including explosion or injury in the worst cases, said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPAs Office of Air and Radiation. As the summer cooling season gets started, we want to make sure consumers and equipment owners know what is going into their system is safe.



In the past year, the EPA has taken enforcement actions against at least three offenders including assessing civil penalties against two companies for $100,000 and $300,000 and working with the FBI to arrest a Louisiana man for selling a product called Super-Freeze 22a to unwitting technicians and homeowners. In one instance, according to the EPA, the product caught fire, burned, and injured a technician.



Owners of central air conditioning systems should have them serviced by a pro at least once a year. To find one in your area, check the website of the ACCA, a trade organization. Ask the technician to change all filters, clean and flush the coils, drain the pan and drainage system, and vacuum the blower compartments. The contractor should also check that the system is properly charged with refrigerant, that there are no leaks, and that all mechanical components are working properly.

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If they're not and you're in the market for a new central air system, check our central air reliability Ratings.







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Berlin (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched legal action to prevent the head of German media giant Axel Springer from repeating support for a TV satirist who crudely insulted the Turkish leader, a lawyer said Monday.

"It's like a gang rape. When someone starts, all the others follow," Erdogan's German lawyer Ralf Hoecker, who specialises in media cases, told AFP after filing the petition in a court in Cologne.

Hoecker was referring to an open letter published in one of the group's papers in which Axel Springer's chief executive voiced support for the celebrity comedian who accused Erdogan of bestiality and watching child pornography in a poem.

A spokesman for the Axel Springer group, which publishes the mass-circulation Bild newspaper among other titles, refused to comment on the matter.

Satirist Jan Boehmermann's recital of his so-called "Defamatory Poem" on national television in late March sparked a diplomatic firestorm and a row over free speech.

In a controversial move, Chancellor Angela Merkel authorised criminal proceedings against the comedian after Turkey requested he be prosecuted for his "smear poem."

During the broadcast Boehmermann gleefully admitted his poem flouted Germany's legal limits to free speech and was intended as a provocation.

In his letter Axel Springer CEO Mathias Doepfner took the comedian's side, declaring: "For me your poem worked. I laughed out loud."

Erdogan has come in for fierce Western criticism of late over his increasingly authoritarian rule.

US President Barack Obama has warned that Turkey's approach towards the media is taking it "down a path that would be very troubling" after two leading opposition journalists were put on trial.

In response Erdogan defiantly declared he would not take "lessons in democracy" from the West.

Lawyer Hoecker told AFP he thought it unlikely that the court in Cologne would ban Doepfner from repeating his support for the comedian but added that "no Boehmermann imitators can feel safe when they insult Mr Erdogan on the Internet".
BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a preliminary injunction against German publisher Axel Springer's chief executive Mathias Doepfner, German media cited Erdogan's lawyer as saying on Monday. German media cited Ralf Hoecker, a lawyer for Erdogan, as saying the Turkish leader wanted the injunction due to Doepfner's support for a poem read out by comedian Jan Boehmermann on German national television in March. In the poem Boehmermann suggested Erdogan hits girls, watches child pornography and engages in bestiality. In an open letter published in German newspaper Welt am Sonntag in April, Doepfner expressed solidarity with Boehmermann, saying he had laughed out loud over the poem and "wholeheartedly" supported what the comedian had said. Neither Hoecker's law firm nor Erdogan's office was immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters. A spokeswoman for Springer said: "We do not yet have any information about this at all. It's important to note that Mr Doepfner wanted to defend the freedom of art and satire in his open letter - that was the reason for his letter." Hoecker's law firm published a statement on its website on Monday saying it had succeeded in getting a preliminary injunction against German director and producer Uwe Boll who, in a video posted online, defended Boehmermann's poem and said Erdogan should be shot. "It's like gang rape: When one starts, everyone starts coming out of the woodwork and taking part," Ralf Hoecker said in that statement. "Mr Erdogan is a human being and human dignity is inviolable," he said, adding that this was placed above the freedom of press, art and opinion in the German constitution. The statement from Hoecker's firm did not mention Doepfner or Springer. Erdogan is known for his sensitivity to criticism and Turkish prosecutors have opened over 1,800 cases against people for insulting him since he became president in 2014. Chancellor Angela Merkel drew heavy criticism for allowing German prosecutors to pursue a case against Boehmermann. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Additional reporting by Harro Ten Wolde in Frankfurt and Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

Trend:

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during a telephone conversation, Russian Foreign Ministry said on May 9.

The sides discussed current international issues, "including the problems of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the possible steps of the OSCE Minsk Group at this stage," the report said.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

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.
MLPs Fell 1.9% Last Week: Here's What You Need to Know

(Continued from Prior Part)

Ethane prices

Ethane prices fell last week after rallying for four consecutive weeks. Mont Belvieu ethane prices fell 8.4% to $0.189 per gallon. Ethane prices rose 3.1% to $0.206 per gallon in the previous week. However, ethane prices have fallen significantly over the years.

Low ethane prices and higher costs for storing and transporting ethane resulted in ethane rejection. This means producers leave ethane in the natural gas stream. Extracting ethane isnt always economical when prices are low. The costs of storing and transporting ethane are higher than the related costs for hydrocarbon gas liquids products. Read What is ethane rejection and why is it important for energy MLPs? to learn more about ethane rejection.

The above graph shows weekly ethane prices over the past six weeks. Enable Midstream Partners (ENBL), Tallgrass Energy Partners (TEP), and Summit Midstream Partners (SMLP) are a few of the MLPs engaged in natural gas gathering and processing.

Key developments

Recent developments in the ethane market are expected to have a positive impact on MLPs involved in ethane projects. These MLPs include Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL), Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), DCP Midstream Partners (DPM), and Enterprise Products Partners (EPD). Energy Transfer Partners forms 0.03% of the SuperDividend U.S. ETF (DIV).

One of the developments is higher ethane use from petrochemical companies. Lower ethane prices resulted in petrochemical companies using ethane more as a feedstock in place of naphtha.

According to Wouter van Kempen, DPMs CEO, There are billions of dollars of investments in petchem facilities that are expected to come online in 2017 and 2018, and those crackers crack only one thing. That is ethane. These expansions, along with [BDH] facilities and exports, are anticipated to need ethane in excess of what is currently being rejected by the industry. And to give you some perspective, over 650,000 barrels per day of ethane are currently being rejected.

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Ethane infrastructure

Ethane-related infrastructure, including plants to convert ethane to ethylene, has been developing in the United States. This development supports the rising demand for petrochemical companies. This trend is positive for ethane demand. Eventually, it will be positive for prices. Some companies are investing in export terminals for ethane. Theres an attractive export market for ethane in Canada, Asia, and Europe.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
By Jan Strupczewski and Renee Maltezou BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - The euro zone was to turn its attention tentatively on Monday to helping Greece deal with its massive debt repayments, a few hours after lawmakers in Athens passed unpopular pension and tax reforms one critic called "a tombstone for growth". Officials in Brussels said the Eurogroup of euro zone finance ministers would start talks -- preliminary only -- on a potential reprofiling of Greek debt to make future servicing costs manageable, despite opposition from fiscally hard-line Germany which does not believe any relief is needed. Such reprofiling is not debt forgiveness in itself, but rather includes such things as stretching repayments out over years or tying them to economic performance. The package of reforms passed in Athens earlier on Monday was required by Greece's international creditors to free up more than 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) from its latest bailout, although that outcome is not guaranteed at Monday's Eurogroup meeting. "A ... deal needs to address three issues: reforms -- we are there -- the contingency mechanism -- we are almost there -- and the debt issue -- we are starting the discussion," European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici said on entering the meeting. The International Monetary Fund believes Athens must get debt relief for its economy to develop and wants the discussions to focus on capping annual servicing costs at around 15 percent of GDP or less. Germany believes Greece can do without debt relief for now, especially that it does not have to service its debt until after 2022, when a 10-year grace period expires. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos met in Brussels on Monday morning ahead of the euro zone ministers' meeting to work out a compromise, officials said. In Berlin, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said that Greece's economic reforms must be reviewed by euro zone finance ministers before any additional debt relief can be decided on. Early on Monday in Athens, lawmakers passed unpopular pension and tax reforms that aim to ensure Greece will attain savings to meet an agreed 3.5 percent budget surplus target before interest payments in 2018, helping it to regain bond market access and make its debt load sustainable. "We have an important opportunity before us for the country to break this vicious cycle, and enter a virtuous cycle," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras earlier told parliament during a debate on the reforms. But Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of the conservative New Democracy party summed up the opposition to more austerity: "The measures will be a tombstone for growth prospects." REPROFILING OPTIONS The ministers meeting in Brussels will be presented with two reports on how to reprofile Greek debt -- one prepared by the IMF and the other by euro zone institutions. But the discussions will be preliminary with no decisions expected because a deal on debt relief has to be agreed at the same time as two packages of Greek reforms, only the first of which was passed on Monday. The other is even more problematic because Greece's lenders want the country to legislate now what reforms would automatically kick in if Greece looked set to miss the 3.5 percent primary surplus target in 2018. Tsakalotos wrote in a letter to euro zone finance ministers last week that such steps were impossible to legislate under the Greek legal system. Yet without such a contingency package the IMF does not want to sign off on the next loan disbursement. Even though the IMF does not have a bailout now in place for Greece, its go-ahead for any European disbursements is politically a must for Germany and half a dozen of other euro zone countries. The contingency measures are to amount to savings of 2 percent of GDP -- the difference between the IMF's and European forecasts for the 2018 primary surplus under current reforms, including the ones passed on Monday. The IMF believes Greece will only reach a surplus of 1.5 percent. (Additional reporting By Tom Koerkemeier and Francesco Guarascio; editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
STOCKHOLM - - Contestants from 41 European countries and Australia walked the red carpet outside Stockholm's Royal Palace on Sunday, kicking-off Eurovision Song Contest week, which culminates in the grand finale on Saturday. Sweden is hosting the competition after Mans Zelmerlow won last year's contest in Vienna with the electro-pop ballad "Heroes". Hundreds of fans gathered outside the palace to catch a glimpse of the contestants as they arrived to the EuroClub which has been set up just in front of the palace especially for the contest. The draw to determine in which half of the grand finale the Big Five and Sweden will perform in also took place. The so-called Big Five - Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain - as well as hosting country, Sweden - qualify for the final automatically and do not compete in the semi-finals. Only 26 countries will compete in the final.
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Greece's reform package is a major step forward but Eurogroup finance ministers will probably not release a multi-billion euro bailout right away, European Commission Deputy President Jyrki Katainen said on Monday.

He told Finnish broadcaster YLE it was likely that further discussions on debt relief would come before the five billion euro package is released.

Greek lawmakers earlier passed unpopular pension and tax reforms that the country's leftist-led government hopes will persuade official creditors to unlock bailout cash.

"Last night's decisions were a major step forward. I don't have the latest information, if something's still missing, but as a starting point, Greece has done what was expected," Katainen said.

"It's possible the Eurogroup finance ministers will at some point decide to extend loan maturities and perhaps also lower interests rates," Katainen said.

(Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
BOSTON (Reuters) - A former FBI agent admitted on Monday that he lied on the witness stand during the 2013 trial of former Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger, officials said.

Robert Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty to 12 criminal counts of perjury and obstruction of justice for a wide variety of false statements during the high-profile mob trial.

The first witness called by Bulger's attorneys, Fitzpatrick had told the jury he concluded that the Federal Bureau of Investigation should not be working with Bulger as an informant because when he looked into his eyes he "couldn't see his soul."

Fitzpatrick, now 76, also said he had been the first FBI agent on the scene of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968 and that he had later been sent to Boston on a special assignment to clean up "major problems" in that office.

On Monday, he admitted that all those statements were lies, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

His attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Dennis Saylor to sentence Fitzpatrick to two years of probation. Saylor will determine his sentence in August.

The trial cast a harsh light on the corrupt relationship between the Irish-American gangster and FBI agents who shared Bulger's heritage and turned a blind eye to his gang's murder and mayhem in exchange for information they could use against the Italian-American Mafia.

Fitzpatrick, who served in the FBI from 1965 through 1986, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance on the perjury charges.

Bulger, 86, has denied serving as an informant, insisting he paid agents for tips but provided none of his own. He fled the city in 1995 on a tip from an FBI handler that arrest was imminent and was a fugitive for 16 years, most of them atop the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list. Agents caught up with him in an apartment in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.

He is serving a life sentence after being convicted of committing or ordering 11 murders while head of the Winter Hill gang in the 1970s and '80s.

The 2015 movie "Black Mass" told the story of Bulger's rise to power and eventual arrest.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Frances Kerry and Dan Grebler)
Welcome back, Goldie Hawn!

After a 14-year hiatus from the big screen, the funny lady will make her long-awaited return with a part in Amy Schumer's upcoming action comedy.

EXCLUSIVE: Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson Can't Stop Gushing Over 'Rare' Family Reunion

ET's Lauren Zima caught up with Goldie at her annual Annual Love In For Kids charity event in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday, where she explained that she wouldn't have returned for just any film.

"It had to be funny and it had to be with the right person," she said. "I did a lot of stuff, but if it can't live up to the expectation, it's not worth doing."

She knew that there were a few elements necessary for her to commit to a movie shoot again, including joy, fun, and working "with someone you admire and adore." In this case, the lucky woman who got Goldie's admiration was Amy.

The 70-year-old actress -- who's last film was 2002's The Banger Sisters -- noted that the entire movie revolves around her and Amy. "We are on quite a romp together, the two of us -- in the jungle!" she laughed. "It's just going to be a blast! So that's what brought me back."

She even FaceTimed with her co-star's dad recently, all while the Inside Amy Schumer star encouraged her father to admit that Goldie was "the love of his life."

"It was a tearful moment, actually," Goldie told ET. "Because it was so true. He's so real, and this is why Amy's real."

It's easy to see why it was Amy who convinced Goldie to do a movie once again, a point Kate Hudson made clear while joining her mom for the love in.

WATCH: Amy Schumer Gushes Over Boyfriend Ben Hanisch

"It's kind of a no brainer. I mean, Amy Schumer, my mom," Kate told ET. "My mom hasn't worked in a long time for a reason, and I think this is the perfect thing for her to come back I really look forward to it. I'm so excited. I'm going to go visit them!"

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Goldie gushed about the "rare" family reunion she got to have at her charity event, which included her longtime partner, Kurt Russell, three kids -- Kate, Oliver Hudson, and Wyatt Russell -- and five of her grandchildren. Hear more about the delightful affair in the video below.

Related Articles
By Alexandra Alper

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Spanish construction firm Ferrovial SA (FER.MC) may cancel its plan to bid jointly with cash-strapped local builder ICA for a contract to build a $3.5 billion (2 billion pounds) terminal building for Mexico City's new airport, people familiar with the matter said.

The Spanish builder is weighing an exit from a "memorandum of understanding" with Empresas ICA SAB de CV (ICA.MX), two sources said, as the Mexican firm struggles under 67.617 billion pesos ($3.74 billion) in debt.

The joint bid memorandum was signed by both companies in Madrid in July 2015.

Two of the sources, who asked for anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the situation, said Ferrovial has reached out to other companies seeking possible partners to form a new consortium to bid on the terminal.

Ferrovial declined to comment.

A spokesman for ICA also declined to comment, saying by email that "joint participation agreements for projects establish confidentiality clauses that we should respect."

Ferrovial, which won a 2010 contract to build a terminal at London's Heathrow Airport for around 800 million pounds, would be well-placed to win bidding for the Mexican project under ordinary circumstances.

But the tie-up with ICA has cast a shadow over Ferrovial's chances of building the futuristic terminal, designed by British architect Norman Foster and billionaire Carlos Slim's son-in-law Fernando Romero.

The terminal is part of a 169 billion peso ($9.34 billion) airport project aimed at turning Mexico City into a major regional hub.

Securing a project like the airport terminal would be a massive boon for ICA. But it has defaulted on about $60 million in interest payments since December, raising doubts about whether it could shoulder its part of the financial burden for building the terminal, which is set to open in 2020.

The call for bids for the project, which was published last week, requires bidders to have net working capital worth at least 8 percent of the cost of the work they expect to complete in the first year of construction.

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Interested parties must file their proposals by Nov. 21 and the winning bidder is expected to be announced on Dec. 9, according to the tender's ambitious timeline. It calls for work on the project to begin on Dec. 20.

Two sources close to the project have estimated the cost of the terminal construction at around $3.5 billion.

ICA recently replaced its chief executive and hired financial advisory firm Rothschild to come up with a debt restructuring plan by February. But it has yet to release the plan and Reuters reported that it is eyeing a pre-packaged bankruptcy filing for some of its subsidiaries.

The airport project, unveiled in 2014, is the signature infrastructure project of President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration. The new terminal is expected to handle some 50 million passengers annually.

Aimed at boosting capacity at Mexico's over-saturated Benito Juarez International Airport, it has survived successive government spending cuts as sinking oil prices have crimped public expenditure.

($1 = 18.0900 Mexican pesos)

(Additional Reporting by Robert Hetz in Madrid and Gabriela Lopez in Monterrey; Editing by Simon Gardner and Tom Brown)
SINA Corporation SINA is expected to report first-quarter 2016 results on May 11. Last quarter, it posted a positive surprise of 90.91%. However, the company posted an average negative surprise of 80.40% over the trailing four quarters.

Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Factors at Play

SINA has a strong product pipeline and is investing in product development and marketing. The companys robust user base for its e-Commerce and Weibo offerings are the positives.

However, the company is expected to see some headwinds owing to the weakness in traditional brand advertising, especially for its portal. In addition, the company faces some challenges in its display advertising business owing to the ongoing transition from brand advertising to performance-based advertising. The companys business is also likely to be impacted by the soft macroeconomic conditions in China. In addition, significant restrictions on online search and other social-networking activities in the region remain concerns.

Moreover, Weibo is expected to face stiff competition from the likes of WeChat in China, which may hurt its user base. However, we believe that Weibos monetization ability will be a major driving factor for SINA amid intensifying competition from the likes of Sohu.com SOHU and NetEase NTES in the video and brand advertising market.

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively show that SINA is likely to beat earnings this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) for this to happen. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Zacks ESP: SINA has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at a loss of 12 cents.

Zacks Rank: SINA has a Zacks Rank #3 which, when combined with a 0.00% ESP, makes surprise prediction difficult.

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We caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 or 5 (Sell-rated stocks) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions momentum.

Stocks to Consider

Heres a stock that you may want to consider as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter

The Toronto-Dominion Bank TD has an Earnings ESP of +6.90% and a Zacks Rank #2.

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South African-born Swiss explorer Mike Horn on Sunday set off from Monaco at the start of an attempt to circumnavigate the globe in an unmotorised expedition.

Horn, who will be 50 in July, left the principality aboard his sailboat Pangaea en route for South Africa, the Monaco Yacht Club said in a statement.



The 270,000 kilometre (16,800 mile) Pole2Pole journey, described on Horn's website as "the greatest exploratory expedition of the 21st century", will include a four-month trek across the Antarctic on skis, pulling a 200 kilogram sled and aided by a kite when the wind is in his favour.



Horn has spent half his life pitting his wits and testing his endurance against the most extreme terrains, including circumnavigating the equator, while aiming to protect the environment and educate the world's youth along the way.



Once he reaches South Africa, where he was born, Horn will cross the Southern Ocean to Antarctica.



After crossing the Antarctic he will sail up the Pacific eventually reaching the Arctic.



From there, he will travel by ski and kayak to Greenland, before sailing back to Europe.



Along the way the explorer will visit Botswana, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Himalayas, Japan and Russia, among other places.



Horn set off from Monaco on Pangea with scientists, film-makers and writers on board for the first leg.








Baku, Azerbaijan, May 10:

Trend:

Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev was born on May 10, 1923 in Nakhchivan city of Azerbaijan. In 1939, after graduating from the Nakhchivan Pedagogical School, he entered the Architecture Department of the Industrial Institute of Azerbaijan (now the State Oil Academy of Azerbaijan), but the incipient war impeded the completion of his education.

Since 1941, Heydar Aliyev has headed a department at the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Nakhchivan, and in 1944, was sent to work at state security bodies. He received special education in the cities of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and Moscow. In 1957 he graduated from the History Department of the Azerbaijan State University. Having worked for twenty five years at state security bodies, Heydar Aliyev worked as a deputy chairman of the State Security Committee under the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR since 1964, and from 1967, held the office of chairman of the committee, and rose to the rank of a major general.

Elected, at the Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan in July 1969, first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev became the head of the republic.

Elected a candidate to the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union's Communist Party in 1976, and a member of the Political Bureau in 1982, Heydar Aliyev was appointed the first deputy chairman of the USSR's Council of Ministers. While on this position, Heydar Aliyev headed the most significant areas of the USSR's economic, social and cultural lives.

For twenty years, Heydar Aliyev has been a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Azerbaijan SSR, and for five years, worked as a first deputy chairman of the USSR's Council of Ministers.

In October 1987, as a sign of protest against the policy pursued by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union's Communist Party and, personally, by Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev, Heydar Aliyev resigned from his post.

In bound with the tragedy committed on 20 January 1990 in Baku by the Soviet troops, Heydar Aliyev, appearing the next day at the Representative Office of Azerbaijan in Moscow with a statement, demanded that the organizers and executors of the crime committed against the people of Azerbaijan be punished. As a sign of protest against the hypocritical policy of the USSR leadership towards the critical conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, in July 1991, he left the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

After returning to Azerbaijan in July 1990, Heydar Aliyev first lived in Baku, then moved to Nakhchivan, and the same year was elected a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan. In 1991-1993, he held the post of chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In 1992, at the constituent congress of the New Azerbaijan Party in Nakhchivan, Heydar Aliyev was elected chairman of the Party.

In May-June 1993, when, as a result of a crisis in the government, the country was on the verge of a civil war and faced the peril of losing independence, the people of Azerbaijan demanded to bring Heydar Aliyev to power, and the then leaders of Azerbaijan were obliged to officially invite Heydar Aliyev to Baku.

On 15 June 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan, and on 24 June, by a resolution of the National Assembly, he proceeded to fulfilling the authorities of the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

On October 3, 1993, as a result of the nationwide vote, Heydar Aliyev was elected president of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

At the election held on October 11, 1998, he was re-elected president of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Heydar Aliyev, giving his consent to be nominated as a candidate at the 15 October 2003 presidential elections, relinquished to run at the elections due to health problems.

On December 12, 2003, national leader of the Azerbaijani people, President Heydar Aliyev passed away in a Cleveland hospital in the US, where he had been undergoing medical treatment, and on December 15, was buried at the Alley of Honor in Baku.
HONG KONG, May 9 (Reuters) - Chinese people won't be able to quench their thirst with a refreshing "face book" beverage, after the U.S. social networking company won a rare trademark victory against a local firm in China.

By contrast, Apple Inc last month lost its battle to prevent a domestic company from using the "iPhone" trademark on leather goods in China.

China's intellectual property protections are often perceived as quite lax but they are steadily improving, lawyers say. The victory may offer a glimmer of hope for Facebook Inc in China, where its social network is not accessible and its business is mainly selling overseas advertising for Chinese companies.

The Beijing Municipal High People's Court said the Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks application, filed in 2011, to label certain foods and beverages "face book" was an obvious act of copying and harmed fair market competition.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment. An employee at Pearl River Drinks said the case was not widely known at the company and that the staff member in charge of it was not available for comment.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives have made concerted efforts to woo Chinese officials. In March, Zuckerberg had a rare meeting with the country's propaganda tsar, a suggestion of warming relations between Facebook and the government.

Zuckerberg frequently makes headlines in China, where he has achieved celebrity status by making speeches in Mandarin and sharing pictures of runs through noxious smog in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

Facebook had previously objected to China's Trademark Review and Adjudication Board twice but was unsuccessful, prompting its decision to take the case to court.

(Reporting by Stella Tsang; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
A former Facebook employee has alleged that staffers tampered with the influential Trending Topics feed that highlights the most-discussed news stories across the social media giants global platform.

Remaining anonymous, the employee who claimed to have previously worked for Facebooks News Feed section, told the tech website Gizmodo that staffers would often prevent stories with conservative topics such as the CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney, and Rand Paul, from trending as news stories on the site, and were more likely to include articles from CNN and the BBC than conservative sites like Breitbart, and Newsmax. The former employee also said that editors would insert other stories into the section whether or not they were actually the most read.

Facebook has denied that there is a corporate-sanctioned effort to impose a political agenda on its Trending Topics display.

Depending on who was on shift, things would be blacklisted or trending, the employee told Gizmodo. Id come on shift and Id discover that CPAC or Mitt Romney or Glenn Beck or popular conservative topics wouldnt be trending because either the curator didnt recognize the news topic or it was like they had a bias against Ted Cruz.

Facebook uses an algorithm to determine which topics are the most popular on the site, and their News team monitors these subjects. Before Trending Topics appear on the site, editors confirm the subject is tied to a current event, and then write a news description. Trending topics are personalized for individuals based on their interests and location, so they can often differ by user.

According to Facebook, no outlets are blocked from trending. A spokeswoman for the company told Variety: We take allegations of bias very seriously. Facebook is a platform for people and perspectives from across the political spectrum. Trending Topics shows you the popular topics and hashtags that are being talked about on Facebook. There are rigorous guidelines in place for the review team to ensure consistency and neutrality. These guidelines do not permit the suppression of political perspectives. Nor do they permit the prioritization of one viewpoint over another or one news outlet over another. These guidelines do not prohibit any news outlet from appearing in Trending Topics.

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The allegations sparked much discussion Monday about the perception of bias within the worlds largest social media platform.

Here's how Facebook manipulated the news surrounding NC's bathroom law today: https://t.co/qZsFeajbWy  The Federalist (@FDRLST) May 9, 2016

Story trending on TWITTER https://t.co/ZHJClHJzZM  DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) May 9, 2016

Aside from fueling right-wing persecution, this is a key reminder of dangers of Silicon Valley controlling content https://t.co/BCromK3Wvu  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 9, 2016

Facebook Refuses To Respond To Reports That It Blacklisted Conservative News https://t.co/bVaO5W8qXN pic.twitter.com/ADIeziIuSI  The Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 9, 2016

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The New Auction Bidding App will Allow People to Bid on Property they are Interested in, Even from Hundreds of Miles Away

CLIVE, IA / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / Peoples Company, a leader in land transactions, management, appraisals, auctions and farm management in Des Moines IA is marrying the world's oldest commodity with the newest technology for everyone's benefit. Peoples Company is launching a mobile auction bidding app to make it easier for people to "land" the property they want from the convenience of their smartphone or tablet.

This means people can bid on property they are interested in even if they are hundreds or even thousands of miles away. All people have to do to see the newest farm listings in Des Moines IA is download the Peoples Company mobile bidding app, powered by BidWrangler, from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, and they will be ready to bid.

The Peoples Company mobile bidding app is an innovative solution for buyers who may be unable to attend the live auction. The app is interactive, so they can follow the auction in real time with instantaneous updates as the auction is unfolding. All of Peoples Company's land auctions will be included on the app, but some of those involve only live bidding. The app helps people plan their schedule too by sending notifications, updates, and reminders about upcoming auctions directly to a mobile device.

"The app offers extraordinary convenience for many of our clients as they're spread across the country. You can live-bid on a farm in Iowa with the touch of a button on your smartphone from virtually anywhere. That's powerful." said Peoples Company President Steve Bruere. "It's a competitive business, and we're committed to being industry leaders through innovative technology and market knowledge. This, coupled with our 'boots on the ground' approach to marketing land, allows us to be a resource for our clients despite their physical location."

The capabilities of this land management app ultimately broaden the buyer pool for any given auction as buyers no longer need to be present on auction day. Bruere points out that Peoples Company sold 572.22 acres in Appanoose County, Iowa to a Florida-based buyer via the new mobile app in early April.

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Download the land investing app today to register for the upcoming online auction of 15 diverse properties owned by the Iowa Department of Transportation spread throughout seven Iowa counties.

Visit PeoplesCompany.com to see all of their land listings and follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on their latest auctions and listings, statewide auction results, and other industry news.

About Peoples Company:

Peoples Company is a leading agricultural real estate brokerage and land auction company specializing in land management, land appraisal, and land investing servicesoffered in nine Midwest states. Based in Clive, Iowa, the company's 70-person team has established key relationships with major institutional investors in land investment space. The cornerstone of Peoples Company's aggressive marketing efforts is the annual Land Investment Expos, attracting more than 600 people in the heart of ag-country. Peoples Company is licensed to sell real estate in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. For more information, visit www.PeoplesCompany.com or call (800) 855-5263.

Contact:

Steve Bruere, President

steve@peoplescompany.com

515-240-7500

SOURCE: Peoples Company
Despite its rows and rows of chisel- and needle-like teeth, a newly described prehistoric marine reptile wasn't a fearsome predator but rather an herbivorous giant that acted like a lawnmower for the sea, a new study finds.

The crocodile-size reptile lived about 242 million years ago, during the Middle Triassic period. Researchers discovered the first specimen in 2014 in southern China, but because it was poorly preserved, they reported that it had a beak like a flamingo's.

Now, two newly discovered specimens show that the beast was far more bizarre: It sported a hammerhead-shaped snout that it likely used to graze on plants lining the ocean floor, the researchers said. It's also the earliest herbivorous marine reptile on record by about 8 million years, they said. [The 12 Weirdest Animal Discoveries]

"I haven't seen anything like it before," said study co-researcher Olivier Rieppel, the Rowe family curator of evolutionary biology at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Weird reptile

The reptile's name  Atopodentatus unicus  hints at its weird anatomy. In Latin, the genus and species names translate to "unique strangely toothed," the researchers said. The newly analyzed specimens show that the creature had a mouthful of chisel-shaped teeth  one row on the upper jaw and two rows on the lower jaw.

"The remaining parts of the jaw [are filled with] densely packed needle-shaped teeth forming a mesh," the researchers wrote in the study, published online today (May 6) in the journal Science Advances. This mesh likely helped A. unicus collect plant material, much like a baleen whale catches krill, said Louis Jacobs, a vertebrate paleontologist at Southern Methodist University in Texas who was not involved in the study.

The chisel-like teeth probably acted as a rake and trimmer, helping A. unicus scrape and dislodge plants from the seafloor, Jacobs said. Next, the reptile likely sucked in a mouthful of water, letting bits of plants get stuck in the mesh formed by its thin, needle-like teeth, he said.

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"Then, they squish the water out of their mouth, and those little teeth along the sides of the jaw and on the roof of the mouth strain out all of the plant bits," Jacobs told Live Science. "That's an amazing way to feed. I'd like to do that myself."

Rare beast

The two new specimens are teaching scientists about herbivorous marine reptiles, which are rare even today. One of the few modern herbivorous marine reptiles includes the marine iguana of the Galapagos, which swims around, plucking algae off of marine rocks for food, Jacobs said.

There are also a few herbivorous marine mammals, such as manatees and dugongs, and the extinct marine mammals known as the Desmostylians (which Jacobs helped describe in a 2015 study published in the journal Historical Biology.) But, in general, marine reptiles are omnivores or carnivores, such as most modern sea turtles and the extinct marine predators, the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs.

"[A. unicus] is so surprising because it is very rare, that anything besides fish living in water would be herbivorous," Jacobs told Live Science. [Image Gallery: Ancient Monsters of the Sea]

A. unicus also tells researchers about how life recovered after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction about 252 million years ago.

"The existence of specialized animals like Atopodentatus unicus shows us that life recovered and diversified more quickly than previously thought," Rieppel said in a statement. "And it's definitely a reptile that no one would have thought to exist. Look at it  it's crazy!"

Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

Editor's Recommendations

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
RENO, NV / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / Scandium International Mining Corp. (TSX: SCY) ("Scandium International" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the filing of a National Instrument NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Feasibility Study - Nyngan Scandium Project" on SEDAR, on Friday May 6, 2016. This Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) on the Company's 80% owned Nyngan Scandium Project, supports the technical and economic viability of the Nyngan Scandium Project.

The feasibility study delivers a positive result on the Nyngan Scandium Project, and recommends the Project owners seek finance and proceed to construction. Recommendations are made for additional immediate work, notably to win additional offtake agreements with customers, complete some optimizing flow sheet studies, and to initiate as early as possible detailed engineering required on certain long-lead capital items.

A copy of the Feasibility Study may be accessed on SEDAR or on the Company's website at www.scandiummining.com.

QUALIFIED PERSONS AND NI 43-101 TECHNICAL REPORT

Willem Duyvesteyn, Msc, AIME, CIM, a Director and CTO of the Company, is a qualified person for the purposes of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical content of this press release on behalf of the Company.

ABOUT SCANDIUM INTERNATIONAL MINING CORP.

The Company is focused on developing the Nyngan Scandium Project into the world's first scandium-only producing mine. The Company owns an 80% interest in both the Nyngan Scandium Project, and the adjacent Honeybugle Scandium Property, in New South Wales, Australia, and is manager of both projects. Our joint venture partner, Scandium Investments LLC, owns the remaining 20% in both projects, along with an option to convert those direct project interests into SCY common shares, based on market values, prior to construction.

In addition to the two lateritic scandium properties in Australia, SCY owns a 100% interest in the Trdal Scandium/REE property in southern Norway, where we continue our exploration efforts, specifically for scandium and REE minerals.

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For further information, please contact:

George Putnam, President and CEO

Tel: 925-208-1775

Email: info@scandiummining.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company and its business. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and include, but are not limited to: reserve and resource estimates, estimated NPV of the project, anticipated IRR, anticipated mining and processing methods for the Project, the estimated economics of the project, anticipated Scandium recoveries, production rates, scandium grades, estimated capital costs, operating cash costs and total production costs, planned additional processing work and environmental permitting. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by forward looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation risks related to uncertainty in the demand for Scandium and pricing assumptions; uncertainties related to raising sufficient financing to fund the project in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; changes in planned work resulting from logistical, technical or other factors; the possibility that results of work will not fulfill expectations and realize the perceived potential of the Company's properties; uncertainties involved in the estimation of Scandium reserves and resources; the possibility that required permits may not be obtained on a timely manner or at all; the possibility that capital and operating costs may be higher than currently estimated and may preclude commercial development or render operations uneconomic; the possibility that the estimated recovery rates may not be achieved; risk of accidents, equipment breakdowns and labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties or interruptions; the possibility of cost overruns or unanticipated expenses in the work program; risks related to projected project economics, recovery rates, and estimated NPV and anticipated IRR and other factors identified in the Company's SEC filings and its filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, opinions and expectations of the Company's management at the time they are made, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements if those beliefs, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances, should change.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors Regarding Resource Estimates: The Company's technical disclosure uses terms such as "indicated resources" and "measured resources" which are defined by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, and are required to be disclosed in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). The disclosure standards in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Industry Guide 7 normally do not recognize information concerning these terms or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute "reserves" by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth in the Company's disclosure documents may not be comparable with information presented by companies using only U.S. standards in their public disclosure.

SOURCE: Scandium International Mining Corp.
By Sue Britt

FERGUSON, Mo. (Reuters) - Ferguson, Missouri, the site of violent protests after a white officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in 2014, on Monday swore in an African American police chief who said his focus is on making the community safer, not more profitable.

"Government is not designed to make a profit," said Delrish Moss, a 51-year-old veteran of the Miami Police Department, referring to past Justice Department complaints of aggressive ticketing of African Americans by the police to boost city funds through fines. "Ferguson knows now that that is not the way to do things."

His swearing in comes less than three weeks after a federal judge approved an agreement to reform Ferguson's police department and municipal law code. The reforms are intended to fix what the U.S. Justice Department has called widespread racial bias in the city's police department.

Moss, ahead of his installation, said his experience in Miami has been a training ground for Ferguson and his goal is to make the community safer. He was officially sworn in shortly after 3 p.m. CDT (4 p.m. ET).

The racial composition of the police in Ferguson, a St. Louis suburb of 21,000, has been a source of controversy since most officers are white, while two-thirds of the town's residents are black.

The Justice Department initiated a civil rights investigation into Ferguson's policing after Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed by a white officer in 2014.

Moss, who in his 32 years in Miami worked patrol, undercover assignments and homicide investigations, previously said Ferguson's police department needed a massive recruiting drive to become more reflective of the community. Moss most recently was supervisor of Miami Police Department's public information and community relations.

He is at least Ferguson's third police chief since Brown's death. Ferguson erupted into violent protests after a grand jury chose not to indict the white officer, Darren Wilson.

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Thomas Jackson, chief at the time of Brown's death, resigned in March 2015 after being criticized for the handling of the resulting protests. Interim Chief Andre Anderson, the city's first black chief, resigned in December.

Brown's death was one of several killings of unarmed black men that started a nationwide debate about the use of excessive force by police, especially against minorities.

The reform agreement requires Ferguson provide its officers with bias-awareness training and implement an accountability system, city officials have said. The city also agreed police must ensure that stop, search and arrest practices are not discriminatory under law.

(Reporting by Sue Britt; Writing by Ben Klayman; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and David Gregorio)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

Trend:

Russia's President Vladimir Putin congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

"I sincerely congratulate you on the 71st anniversary of the victory in Great Patriotic War," said Putin's message to President Ilham Aliyev.

May 9 is the glorious date of the common history of Russia and Azerbaijan, Putin said.

"This day will forever remain as a symbol of unity and unprecedented heroism of our peoples, who fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism on the battlefields and worked selflessly in the rear for the sake of victory," added the president.

"I am confident that the time-tested ties of friendship will continue to serve as a solid basis for the strengthening of the Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership," said Putin.

Putin also requested to convey all veterans living in Azerbaijan the most sincere words of gratitude, wishes for health, happiness and long life.
EXCLUSIVE: Glen Basners FilmNation will handle international sales at Cannes on a brace of Amazon Studios pictures: Todd Haynes Wonderstruck and Doug Limans The Wall. The move represents the beginning of a potentially more strategic partnership between the two companies, both of which have aligned smart house tastes and excellent filmmaker relationships and reputations. For now, however, the deal is limited to those two pictures. Both FilmNation and Amazon declined to comment when contacted by Deadline. The priority for Amazon, which is producing and fully financing both movies, is to enhance the films international profiles and distribution. Both films will be released theatrically and Deadline understands that Amazon wants to ensure it finds the right partners in each territory for the films as a priority above simply which distribs offer the higher MG. It is part of Amazons overall strategy to establish itself as a leading generator of upscale, intelligent indie fare across multiple platforms, including theatrical and on-demand.

The deal represents another seal of approval for Basners FilmNation, which has solidly established itself as one of the leading international sales and finance film companies since the former Weinstein Co. exec launched it in 2008. In 2014, FilmNation inked a deal with Open Road that sees the company handling international sales on productions brought forward by the AMC-Regal founded company. One such project, family film Show Dogs, is on FilmNations Cannes slate.

Wonderstruck sees Haynes reuniting with Julianne Moore and producer Christine Vachons Killer Films, along with Michelle Williams (Manchester By the Sea) and Oaks Fegley (The Truth About Lies). The film will be based on a childrens book by Brian Selznick (The Invention of Hugo Cabret) that follows two deaf children, set 50 years apart, who dream of different lives. Amazon Studios is set to release the film theatrically in the U.S. next year.

Limans The Wall, which is currently out to cast, is about an American sharpshooter trapped in a standoff with an Iraqi sniper. Dwain Worrell has written that script.

This years Cannes is shaping up as Amazons biggest ever international festival presence. The company is opening the fest with Woody Allens Cafe Society, with an all-star cast that includes Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Jesse Eisenberg and Anna Camp. Amazon, with indie stalwarts Ted Hope and Bob Berney and the senior leadership of Jason Ropell, worldwide head of motion pictures and studio chief Roy Price shaping the companys strategy, will release the film on July 15.

Amazon also has Jim Jarmuschs Paterson, Nicolas Winding Refns The Neon Demon and Park Chan-wooks The Handmaiden in competition, and Jarmuschs Iggy Pop documentary Gimme Danger as a special screening  more than any other studio.

Related stories

Richard Gere To Star In Jon Avnet's 'Three Christs' - Cannes

The Exchange Nabs International Sales Rights To 'Gleason' Doc

Alicia Vikander Launches Vikarious Productions; Sets First Project 'Euphoria' With Eva Green- Cannes
From Cosmopolitan

Police are now saying Terri "Missy" Bevers, 45, received a "creepy" message on LinkedIn days before she was found murdered in a Midlothian, Texas, church on April 18, according to CBS News. The fitness instructor died of three puncture wounds to her head and chest, and was found when she did not show up to teach her 5 a.m. class.

A new warrant issued by police seeks access to her LinkedIn account. Less than three days before she was killed, Bevers reportedly showed a friend the "strange message" she'd received. The friend told police "they both agreed that the message was creepy and strange," but she couldn't remember who'd sent it.

The Dallas Morning News reports Bevers had been receiving other "flirtatious and familiar" LinkedIn messages from a different person.Bevers was reportedly having financial and marital problems before her death, and other recent messages exchanged between her and her husband refer to an extramarital affair. Police also hope to obtain access to Bevers's phone records, as they believe she'd been in contact with her killer and that the suspect might "have used a cellphone to record the slaying," though there's no elaboration as to why.

Though they have not named a suspect, police also released the above surveillance footage, which shows the suspect pacing the halls of the church at the time of the murder. The person appears to be carrying a hammer, is wearing tactical police gear, and has a "distinctive walk caused by an injury to his or her right leg or foot."

Anyone with information about the murder or the suspect is encouraged to call the Midlothian police at (972) 775-3333 or Ellis County Crime Stoppers at (972) 937-7297.

Follow Tess on Twitter.
(Reuters) - A Florida man was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for threatening to bomb two mosques and shoot their congregants, a federal hate crime, shortly after November's deadly attacks in Paris, U.S. Justice Department officials said on Monday.

Martin Alan Schnitzler, 43, of Seminole, pleaded guilty in February to one count of obstructing persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs.

Schnitzler faced up to 20 years in prison on the federal charges, but U.S. District Court Judge James D. Whittemore sentenced him to one year plus one day.

"This prosecution sends a clear message to anyone who contemplates the use of threats or intimidation to interfere with the right of individuals to worship as they choose, without fear," U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III of the Middle District of Florida said in a statement Monday.

Schnitzler admitted to having left the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg and the Islamic Society of Pinellas County profanity-laced voice messages in which he threatened congregants on Nov. 13, 2015.

Both messages referred to the Paris attacks, which had occurred the same day and killed 130 people. Schnitzler admitted that his threats were prompted by the attacks.

In one message, he threatened to "personally have a militia" show up at one of the mosques, and "firebomb you, shoot whoever is there on sight in the head. I don't care if they're [expletive] two years old or a hundred."

The threats drove both mosques to request increased law-enforcement presence and ramp up their own safety measures.

Bryant Camareno, a lawyer for Schnitzler, said in February that his client expressed remorse and was "upset at the emotional harm" he caused congregants.

He also said Schnitzler was not a credible threat, having taken no steps to carry out the harms he threatened.

Camareno could not be reached to comment on Monday.

(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Nearly all sectors have reached the last leg of the Q1 earnings season with 87.2% of the S&P 500 companies having reported their results as of May 6, 2016 (per the latest Zacks Earnings Trend). Notably, a sizeable chunk of these companies delivered better-than-expected results, probably because estimates for this quarter were already reduced to easy-to-beat levels, owing to the global macroeconomic concerns.



Among the 16 Zacks sectors deciding the fate of the overall index, 8 are expected to witness an earnings decline in Q1, with Basic Materials, Industrial Products, Energy and Conglomerates being a big drag. On the contrary, the Consumer Staples sector looks attractive as it is expected to witness 2.1% earnings growth in Q1, though revenue is anticipated to slide 4%, better than a 7.9% slump witnessed in the preceding quarter.



Per the latest report, out of 84.4% of the S&P 500 Consumer Staple stocks that have reported results so far, 85.2% beat earnings and 66.7% surpassed revenue estimates. Also, 1.6% of these companies saw their earnings improve year over year, while 5.3% posted a slowdown in revenues, mainly accountable to the foreign currency fluctuations.



While robust cost savings and better pricing helped major food behemoths like Kellogg Company K) and The Hershey Company HSY post better-than-expected earnings even amid a challenging currency environment, Archer Daniels Midland Company ADM was unable to battle the same and thus, continued with its dismal earnings trend. Apart from the weakening currencies, economic slowdown in many emerging countries remains a hurdle for international sales and profits for many food stocks.



That said, lets see whats in store for these food stocks queued up for earnings releases this week.



Leading processor and distributor of fresh milk and other dairy products, Dean Foods Company DF is slated to report first-quarter fiscal 2016 results on May 10. The company, which has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 23.5% over the past four quarters, currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of 0.00%.

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Though Dean Foods earnings topped estimates in the preceding quarter, sales remained soft and lagged expectations for the fifth straight time, mainly on account of a decline in volumes. Further, the company expects the first quarter to witness a low single-digit dip in volumes, thus posing a concern. Apart from this, Dean Foods heavy dependence on commodities such as raw milk, soybeans, diesel fuel and others, greatly exposes it to adverse price fluctuations, which can impact margins and thereby hurt results. (Read more: Will Dean Foods Q1 Earnings Ruin its Positive Trend?)



Aramark ARMK that offers food services, facilities management, uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities, school districts, stadiums and businesses, is slated to report second-quarter fiscal 2016 results on May 11. In the trailing four quarters, this Philadelphia, PA-based company underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 1.1%.



Our proven model does not conclusively show that Aramark is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1, 2 or 3 for this to happen. Aramark has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate both stand at 34 cents. The company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, its ESP of 0.00% makes surprise prediction difficult.



Finally, lets take a look at Charlotte, NC-based Snyder's-Lance, Inc. LNCE, which manufactures, markets and distributes a variety of branded and private label snack foods and bakery products. The company, scheduled to release first-quarter 2016 results on May 10, has underperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 6.7% over the trailing four quarters. Further, the company, carrying a Zacks Rank #4, currently has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, with the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate both pegged at 23 cents.



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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

Trend:

On May 7-8, Bangkok hosted the ouncil meetings of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).

During the meeting, Secretary General of Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) Farid Gayibov made a presentation in connection with the submission of Azerbaijan's candidacy to host the next FIG Council meeting in Baku, said the message posted on AGF website.

On May 6-7, 2017, FIG Council members will meet in Baku for the first time according to the Council's decision.

A draw was held during the meetings that determined the order of athletes' performances in the qualification of competitions of the gymnastics disciplines within the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, where Azerbaijan will be represented by three athletes (Marina Durunda - Rhythmic Gymnastics, Oleg Stepko and Petro Pakhnyuk - Men's Artistic Gymnastics).

FIG Council is the second important body within the FIG management structure (the first is the Congress), which is held annually in May.

The functions of the Council, which consists of 44 members, includes the consideration of the FIG President's report, approval of the FIG Executive Committee's actions, amendments to the FIG Technical Regulations, approval of annual financial statements, budget of competitions and others.

Baku will witness important decisions of the FIG's first Council of the Olympic Cycle 2017-2020.
(Adds details)

May 9 (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan Inc said on Monday it would sell its 70 percent stake in a unit controlling the Tenke copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to China Molybdenum Co Ltd (CMOC) for $2.65 billion.

Freeport, like other big miners has been selling assets to cut debt, while China has been snapping up commodity assets around the world to feed its massive economy.

China is heavily reliant on imported copper for its smelters and Chinese companies have been looking to buy overseas mines.

CMOC, one of China's largest producers of molybdenum, agreed last month to pay $1.5 billion to buy Anglo American Plc's niobium and phosphates business in Brazil.

Freeport said on Monday it would receive another $60 million from CMOC if the average copper price exceeds $3.50 per pound and $60 million if the average cobalt price exceeds $20 per pound between 2018 and 2019.

The U.S. miner owns 70 percent of TF Holdings Ltd, a Bermuda holding company that indirectly owns an 80 percent interest in Tenke Fungurume Mining SA.

Freeport, the world's biggest listed copper producer, has an effective 56 percent interest in the Tenke project, one of the world's largest copper-cobalt deposits.

Lundin Mining Corp holds a 24 percent stake in the project and the DRC's state mining company holds 20 percent.

Freeport also said it had agreed to negotiate exclusively with CMOC for the sale of its interests in Freeport Cobalt, including the Kokkola Cobalt Refinery in Finland and the Kisanfu Exploration project in the DRC.

Freeport, whose debt stands at nearly $21 billion, has announced asset sales worth more than $4 billion this year.

(Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
Paris (AFP) - A deputy speaker of France's parliament resigned on Monday after becoming the latest French politician to face sexual harassment allegations, although he vehemently denies the claims.

Denis Baupin, a former member of the ecologist EELV party who is married to Housing Minister Emmanuelle Cosse, plans to sue the women for defamation, his lawyer Emmanuel Pierrat said.

The allegations are "mendacious, defamatory and baseless," Pierrat said in a statement.

"Sexual harassment and even more so sexual aggression are totally foreign" to the 41-year-old Baupin, one of parliament's six deputy speakers, the lawyer added.

Baupin said in an email to parliament speaker Claude Bartolone seen by AFP that he was stepping down from the position he has held for nearly four years in order to "best prepare my defence".

The scandal adds to a series of sexual allegations against French politicians after the spectacular fall from grace in May 2011 of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The latest high-profile case involved Finance Minister Michel Sapin, accused in a book published in April of sexually harassing a journalist, an allegation he brushed off as "inexact and slanderous".

The four EELV party members made the allegations against Baupin to French media.

EELV spokeswoman Sandrine Rousseau told the Mediapart website and France Inter radio that Baupin made an aggressive pass at her in October 2011 during a party meeting.

"At one point I wanted to take a break," she said.

"Denis Baupin appeared in the corridor outside... He pinned me against the wall with his chest and tried to kiss me. I pushed him away vigorously."

The encounter made Rousseau "very uneasy", she said.

"I immediately thought that it was absolutely not normal that this should happen to me. But I thought of it as sexual aggression much later," she said.

- 'People kept quiet' -

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Elen Debost, deputy mayor of the central city of Le Mans, told AFP that Baupin had sent her sexually explicit text messages for several months in 2011.

She said the messages began after she indicated her support for his run for parliament.

"A first text message followed. And it lasted for several months, messages of a sexual nature, about his fantasies, his desires, how he saw me, how much he wanted me," she said.

Debost did not speak out at first, but when she and Rousseau were approached by Mediapart and France Inter, they "realised the scale of the problem, how long it had lasted, the number of women were involved, the number of people who knew."

The news outlets also spoke to Isabelle Attard, a former EELV deputy, who said Baupin used to subject her to "almost daily harassment with provocative, salacious text messages" between June 2012 and the end of 2013, when she left the party.

Debost said "a lot of people kept quiet so as not to harm his campaign".

Annie Lahmer, an EELV member of the Paris regional government, also accused Baupin of sexual impropriety, saying the incidents dated back more than 15 years.

French law has a statute of limitations of three years in cases of sexual harassment or aggression, except when the alleged victim is a minor, when it is longer.

Baupin left the EELV party last month over "strategic disagreements" ahead of elections next year.

The sexual assault case against Strauss-Kahn, who had been tipped for the French presidency in 2012, involved a New York hotel maid and was settled in a civil suit.

Last year, women journalists teamed up to write an op-ed piece in France's left-leaning Liberation daily complaining that they are routinely subjected to harassment by the men they are assigned to interview.

"We hope that by overcoming our fears of speaking out and the fact that we didn't do so anonymously will help others to break their silence," Debost told AFP.
Guess what? The people you think are your friends probably aren't. In fact, generally speaking, you're probably terrible at judging how other people actually feel about you.

Such is the optimistic conclusion of a new study published in PLOS ONE, which found that almost half of the people we think are our friends don't think the feeling is mutual.

Source: Buzzfeed/Giphy

Scientists at Tel Aviv University teamed up with researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to get 84 undergraduate students in Israel to rate their classmates on a scale from zero to five. A zero rating meant " ," a three meant "friend" and a five meant "one of my best friends."

The researchers also asked students to predict how they thought their peers would rate them. Although 95% of participants thought their friendship ratings would be reciprocated, only about half actually were. 47% of the friendship ratings were one-sided, with one student ranking the other as a friend

"Most of the people are wrong about half of their relationships," Dr. Erez Shmueli, one of the study's authors, said in a phone interview. "We are very bad at judging the types of relationships we have"  which is unfortunate, because this is a skill that's crucial to determining our own social influence.

That said, researchers found a few factors that could help predict if two people would select each other as friends: if they had overlapping social circles, for instance, or if they shared the same approximate number of friends. Someone with few friends, for instance, was more likely to have a one-sided connection with someone who already had a lot of friends, which seems fairly intuitive.

Source: perezhilton.tumblr.com/Giphy

So if the factors that determine our friendships seem so obvious, why do so many of us misjudge our relationships? The researchers think

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So basically, if you want to do a better job of figuring out who your friends really are: get over yourself and take a brutally honest look at your relationships. "In our daily life as individuals, we can try to understand the kinds of relationships we actually have," Shmueli said. "Who are the people we can trust?"

h/t ScienceDaily
By Atul Prakash and Alistair Smout

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top share index closed lower on Monday, extending its biggest weekly drop since February, as a slump in mining stocks outweighed a rally in travel and leisure stocks.

The FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) finished 0.2 percent lower after falling 1.9 percent last week, with the drop marking the third straight week of losses. The index is down around 2 percent so far this year.

The UK mining index slumped 7.9 percent on poor China trade data and a stronger dollar. China's exports and imports fell more than expected in April, underlining weak demand at home and abroad, though its overall trade surplus rose.

"Caution is the watchword," said Peter Dixon of Commerzbank. "China's economy is not going to show a massive pickup and I don't think the sector would be able to generate the kind of earnings that it used to have until recent years."

Shares in Anglo American (AAL.L), Glencore (GLEN.L), Antofagasta (ANTO.L), Rio Tinto (RIO.L) and BHP Billiton (BLT.L) fell between 5.6 percent and 13.8 percent. Steelmaker ArcelorMittal (ISPA.AS) plummeted more than 12 percent, the biggest one-day percentage drop since late 2008.

Their decline offset gains by budget airline easyJet (EZJ.L), which rose 3.8 percent on weaker oil prices and an upgrade to "outperform" from "underperform" from RBC. Travel firm TUI (TUIT.L) was up 3.7 percent and Whitbread (WTB.L), Britain's biggest hotel and coffee shop operator, advanced 2.6 percent.

Among mid-caps, security firm G4S (GFS.L) rose 4.8 percent after saying it had made a positive start to its financial year. Revenue from continuing businesses rose 4.5 percent in its first quarter and it suffered no new impairments on loss-making government contracts.

British baker Greggs (GRG.L) rose 2.7 percent after its results. Sales slowed, but traders were encouraged by the performance, especially given a 16 percent drop for the stock so far this year.

(Editing by Larry King)
Despite a couple of great scenes and a shocking moment or two, I found this week to be a little subdued and kind of dull. Not to say that there wasnt some good work and nice development, it just all felt a bit dour and empty. Though it featured the return of many supporting characters, such as Maester Pycelle and Olenna, it also felt particularly small.

There was no real urgency to any of the scenes and as in episode 1, it felt like it was set in a world after a war and not proceeding one. Perhaps its the title Oathbreaker that lends the episode to disappointment, what with so many oaths being broken and the governing body of each corner of the seven kingdoms reduced to side characters, it feels like the kingdom isnt a kingdom anymore.

Also, if the title were referring to Jon then its not technically true as he died and therefore holds no responsibility as a member of the nights watch. I just felt like there were too many transitional moments and few pay-offs for an episode in the 6th season.

However, there was some good stuff and Ill try to get to it all in this review.

Bran continues to see into the past, this time witnessing his father take on a double sworded Ser Arthur Dayne whose guarding Lyanna in a tower and even, potentially, manages to whisper across the wind to him. Yet hes not allowed to stay for too long in the past, so we dont see inside the tower today.

Speaking of Starks, Arya isnt one. She is no-one, more or less. Whether she believes she is or not, she has her eyesight back and can wield a stick whilst blind with ease. Im currently finding little to interest me in her story and in a weird way I felt like her story moved too quickly this week. It took one montage to make her no-one.

We may not see Sansa this episode but oh boy Rickon and Osha being revealed to Ramsey, with a dead Shaggydog head was a real blast from the past. Ive continually been wondering about those two and it was a great shock to see them but can we not get one episode without a Stark in mortal peril, please?

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Cersei and Jamie talk to the small council, Olenna getting a sly dig at Cersei and Ser Gregor doing his best to scare the crap out of Maester Pycelle. Meanwhile, Tommen tries his best to intimidate the High Sparrow.

Across the Ocean, Dany meets Khal Moros wife in Vaes Dothrak and is told she must stay there with the Dosh Khaleen forever, as a former wife of a Khal. At least she actually broke an oath.

Tyrion tries to get Greyworm and Missandei to crack a smile whilst Varys proves that hed be a very gentle ruler and we learn that both Varys and Qyburn use children to gather secrets.

Oh, and Sam and Gilly are back. Theyre on their way to Sams old home on a boat in a storm. Thats about it.

In the final scene, Jon hangs Olly and Ser Allister for their mutiny and proceeds to quit the nights watch. Hes being very moody and thats nothing to do with being dead. Do you think he was in Heaven?

Anyways, I cant say I loved this episode. I was willing for something to happen, even just a tense conversation around a table would have been nice but Ramsey forming an uneasy alliance with Lord Umber was all we seemed to get.

Im not saying I want super excitement, I love Better Call Saul which is 99% sitting around and talking, I just wish the storytelling was a little tighter. Hopefully, its just preparing to ramp up as it moves towards a bleaker winter.
Through the last six seasons of Game of Thrones, Arya Stark has become one of the most dangerous people in Westeros (and Essos). Here are the greatest moments on Aryas path from highborn tomboy to face-swapping assassin.

Arya Stark began the series as a rebellious tomboy more interested in swords and archery than in sewing and dancing. She left her home in Winterfell to join her sister, Sansa, and her father, Ned, at Kings Landing.

Tragedy first came into her life when her friend Mycah was killed by the bodyguard Sandor Clegane when he was falsely accused of harming the spoiled prince Joffrey Lannister.

Arya began learning swordplay under the tutelage of Syrio Forel, but their lessons came to a halt when Syrio was killed in an attempt to protect Arya from being captured by Lannister knights.

Arya fled Kings Landing shortly thereafter, but not before witnessing her father get executed by Joffrey.

In season 2, Arya disguised herself as a boy named Arry while being held prisoner in Harrenhal.

While working in Harrenhal, Arya met Jaqen Hghar, an assassin who offered to kill three men who wronged Arya to repay her for helping save his life.

After escaping Harrenhal with the help of Jaqen, Arya was taken prisoner by the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of vigilantes who wish to ransom her back to the Starks.

The Brotherhood captured Sandor Clegane and forced him into a trial by combat. But to Aryas frustration, Sandor won the battle and was released.

Arya attempted another escape, only to fall into Cleganes clutches and once again become a ransom hostage.

It was during her travels with her most bitter enemy that Arya began killing, starting with a group of soldiers who killed and desecrated the body of her brother Robb.

Clegane was mortally wounded during a fight with Catelyn Starks former knight, Brienne. Arya chose to get revenge through mercy by leaving him to die slowly instead of killing him quickly.

Arya then traveled to the island of Braavos, the homeland of Syrio Forel and Jaqen Hghar.

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Returning to Westeros, Arya got her revenge on the Freys for the Red Wedding and the death of her mother and brother. She first killed Lord Walder Freys sons, Lothar and Black Walder, and baked them into a pie, which she fed to Lord Frey.

Arya then killed Lord Walder as well, slitting his throat in the same way her mother, Catelyn Stark, was killed. She reminded him that a smiling Stark face would be the last thing he saw before he died.

Kicking off Season 7, Arya used her Faceless Man skills to wear Walder Freys face, inviting just about everyone in House Frey to a feast. Once shed assembled every one of the Freys involved in the Red Wedding, Arya delivered the coup de grace  poisoning all of them in one fell swoop. She basically single-handedly eliminated one of the Starks biggest enemies.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

Trend:

A solemn ceremony on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the victory over fascism in the Second World War has been held in Baku on May 9.

Azerbaijani president, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the event.

Chairman of the Republican Council of Veterans, Major General in reserve Dadash Rzayev welcomed the head of state.

President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse met with war veterans and congratulated them. The head of state was presented with gifts.

President Ilham Aliyev met with family members of twice Hero of the Soviet Union Hazi Aslanov, and congratulated them on Victory Day. Then President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev laid a wreath at the statue of Hazi Aslanov.

The head of state posed for photographs together with the war veterans.

A guard of honor passed in front of the Commander-in-Chief under the accompaniment of a military march.

The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Artur Rasizade, Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov, Head of the Presidential Administration Ramiz Mehdiyev and other officials.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers for episode three, season six of HBO's Game of Thrones.]

At long last, one of the most pressing questions in Game of Thrones history has finally been answered: "Where's Rickon?"

Unfortunately for the youngest of the Stark siblings, it's not a happy answer. In episode three of season six, called "Oathbreaker," Rickon returned alongside his Wildling guardian Osha (Natalia Tena), the two of them having not been seen on the show since parting ways with brother Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) during season three. Rickon and Osha set off to seek protection with House Umber while Bran traveled north to seek out the Three-Eyed Raven (Max von Sydow). Now Rickon's back where he started, at home in Winterfell, albeit under cruel terms: Smalljon Umber (Dean S. Jagger) betrayed the little lord and handed him over to Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), along with Osha and the severed head of Rickon's direwolf Shaggydog.

It's a brutal return to form for a long-lost Game of Thrones character, and yet, that's the way Westeros works. But some fans believe the situation for Rickon is not as desperate as it looks. One of the great twists in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, the novel series on which Thrones is based, features several prominent Northerners secretly plotting against House Bolton - and certain viewers believe Smalljon Umber and Rickon are at the heart of that conspiracy here on the show.

Rickon actor Art Parkinson spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the theories surrounding his return to Game of Thrones, how his character has changed since season three, and more.

Read More: 'Game of Thrones': 10 Key Moments From Season 6's 'Oathbreaker'

What was your reaction when you learned about Rickon's story this season?

It was definitely more of an independent direction. He wasn't really with his brother anymore. It's just him and Osha. I think it's great. It was a very new, feral Rickon.

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At his core, who is Rickon to you, and how has he changed since the last time we saw him?

To me, he's very feral. He's very strong-willed. After the death of his father, I think he became very independent and very angry. I think Rickon is a little bit more mature now. He's been away for quite a long time at this point. I think he's a bit more independent and stronger-willed.

In the books, Rickon is described as the wildest of the Stark children. Will we see more of that side to him this year?

I'd say so. He's a very wild and strong character. He has a lot of fight in him. Hopefully we'll get to see more of that this season.

Read More: 'Game of Thrones': Jon Snow Makes a Fatal Choice in 'Oathbreaker'

What was your first day back on set like?

We were shooting the scene you just saw last night. It was great. It was strange to be back. I remember some of the props department was there, and I had worked with some of them on [the 2014 movie] Shooting for Socrates as well. They were there and it was very comfortable. But I had to be a little bit intimidated, with the fact that I have Ramsay staring down at me. It was a cool mind-set to get back into, especially with the first day back.

Rickon returns to Winterfell, but it's not the home he once knew. What's going through his mind as he's handed over to Ramsay?

I think he's a little bit wary of the situation and taking his surroundings into account. When Shaggydog's head is brought in, then I think he'snot afraid, but more anger that's built up. There's some shock for a minute, and then it's pure anger.

Many people were upset to see another direwolf die. What was your reaction to Shaggydog's death?

Yeah. It was disappointing that I wouldn't get to hang out with Saxon, who played Shaggydog on set, ever again. It was a little bit saddening. They actually brought him down to Donegal, which is where I live, so we could bond with him. It really is a quite intimidating dog. When I first started working with him, he was twice the size of me, and twice the weight, and twice the strength. (Laughs) So, it was cool to hang out with him and meet him and get more familiar with him. By the time we finished filming season three, it was very strange to know that I wouldn't see this dog again for a long time. Even though a lot of the dogs were CGI'ed at that point, you would still see them on set, just for camera reference. So it was strange to know that you would never get to see them again.

What does Rickon look like without Shaggydog in his life?

I think he's a lot more independent. He sort of has to step up to the mark without Shaggydog. It's going to be a very, very different Rickon.

Read More: 'Game of Thrones': Michael McElhatton Reflects on Roose Bolton's Legacy and Red Wedding Memories

We know Ramsay is not a big fan of the Starks. We've seen how he treats prisoners in the past. How worried should we be about Rickon's physical safety?

At the moment, I'm not able to say too much about that. (Laughs) But it's an intense relationship. Rickon has a lot of fight in him, so he's someone who will stand up for himself and try as hard as he can against him. [Iwan Rheon] is brilliant. It's great whenever you have someone you're able to work off of, someone who's so intimidating staring down at you. It really gets you into the mind-set of Rickon.

How about working with Natalia Tena? You two have worked together for a long time now.

Nat's brilliant. She's always been very lovely and helped me in many ways to get into the mind-set of the character. She's a very intense actress. Whenever she's in character, it's hard to look at her out of character. It's very easy to work off of her. She really helps you.

What's Rickon's view of Osha? Does he view her as a mother figure?

I think he feels she's more of a friend, but a friend who gets to tell him what to do. (Laughs) I think it's less than a mother-son relationship, but it's definitely more than just being his mate.

She's the cool babysitter.

Exactly. (Laughs)

How much will we learn about where Rickon's been since the last time we saw him?

I'm not too sure how much you'll find out about Rickon and where he's been, but it will definitely be a cool storyline and something that's going to be very interesting to see.

Some fans are theorizing that Rickon is not in as much trouble as we're being led to believe, and maybe he's part of a plan with the Umbers to betray Ramsay. What's your take on that theory?

Well, if that's true, it would be great. At the same time, if it isn't, it would be very disappointing to see that the Umbers really did betray the Starks.

It would be a very dangerous plan to put a very valuable person like Rickon so close to a psychopath like Ramsay. Do you think Rickon would be brave enough to handle a challenge like that?

I think Rickon, since he's come back, is a lot stronger emotionally and is much more of a mature character. I think he's able to handle pretty much anything thrown his way at the moment.

Read More: 'Game of Thrones': Bran Stark Actor Goes Inside the Tower of Joy

House Stark is having a very big season so far with Jon's resurrection, Sansa's escape from Winterfell, Bran's training with the Three-Eyed Raven, Arya's training with the House of Black and White, and Rickon's return. Do you believe a happy ending is possible for the Starks?

It's something I would like to see, the Starks reunited - but at the same time, you can never be too confident in something like that happening on a show like Game of Thrones. (Laughs)

Is this Rickon's biggest season yet?

I'd say it's one of his biggest seasons. It's definitely great to get back into Game of Thrones and re-embrace the character. It was very enjoyable.

What's next for Rickon?

I can't tease much, but I'm allowed to say this: Dangerous times are ahead.

Follow THR's Game of Thrones coverage for more interviews, news and analysis.
There is an image that appears in several medieval texts ranging from Arthurian romance to Italian philosophy. It depicts Madam Fortune turning a wheel with four people on it  a king sits atop the wheel, a peasant is being dragged underneath, a courtier is rising up to the top of the wheel, and a noble is being pulled from the top down to the bottom. Fortune is turning the wheel constantly, dragging its inhabitants in and out of power and servitude.

It is a wheel that Queen Daenerys Targaryen knows all too well.

Theyre all just spokes on a wheel, she said to Tyrion last season on Game of Thrones. This ones on top, then that ones on top, and on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground. Im not going to stop the wheel. Im going to break the wheel.

Though the tale of Westeros is unmistakably a fantasy, Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire draw much of their broad themes and aesthetics from medieval art and culture.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Brings Back Jon Snow With a Vengeance

Thats why the Getty Center in Los Angeles has decided to use the show as an opportunity to showcase its collection of paintings and illuminations from the Middle Ages. For the past three seasons, curators at the Getty have gone through thousands of pieces in their archives and posted a collage of medieval artwork on their Tumblr page that best recap each weeks episode.

The project is spearheaded by Bryan Keene, an assistant curator at the Gettys Department of Manuscripts and an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University. Every week, he watches each new Game of Thrones episode two or three times and takes notes on the most important images from each scene of the show. Then he breaks it down into key words and themes like dragons, battles  or in the case of this weeks episode  executions.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones': That Ned Stark Flashback, Jon Snow and the Prince That Was Promised

The most c ommon theme, however, is violence. Whether the subject matter is the Passion of the Christ or the sort of grisly torture d evices that Ramsay Bolton would love to have in his basement, theres a lot of gore to be found in the Gettys collection. Every Game of Thrones episode comes with a foreboding tone, as if Death itself is waiting to reappear at any given time. In a way, the series has captured a sense of what it was like to live in the unstable world of the Middle Ages.

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Medieval art includes a great deal of violence because the medieval world was extremely violent, Keene said. We can think about war, death, pestilence, famine  incidentally the traditional names of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse  and how these torments placed mortality at the forefront of everyones mind in the Middle Ages.

Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' 101: Explaining the Tyrion Targaryen Fan Theory

Keene notes that few of the illuminations match up as perfectly with the series as the Wheel of Fortune. In last weeks recap, he used an image of a woman being attacked by a dog to symbolize Ramsay killing his stepmother with his hunting dogs. The image was from one of the short stories by medieval Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, depicting a woman being punished in Hell by having her body ripped apart by hunting dogs. Her crime? Rejecting the advances of a lover. Hey, it was the 14th century.

Keene also notes that like Westeros, clashes between different religions were a common element of medieval history. Weve seen the High Sparrow knock Cersei down a peg, Melisandre bring Jon back to life in the name of Rhllor, and Arya forsake her entire identity to serve the Many-Faced God. In the same way, different religions were shaping Europe in the Middle Ages all the time.

Whenever characters on Game of Thrones speak of the old gods and the new, I am reminded of the development and the complexities of medieval world religions, Keene said. for example, how various medieval Christian communities interacted with each other and with other faith groups, like Jews and Muslims.

This weeks recap includes two Christian images alongside each other. One is an image of the resurrected Christ. The other is a picture of Judas being hung by demons from hell to symbolize his suicide after betraying Jesus. Jon Snow is the Christ figure returning from the dead, and Olly is the traitor being punished with the noose.

Its a clever analogy, but Keene has an even better one. One of his favorite sources of art for the recaps is the World Chronicle, a 13th century German tome by poet Rudolf von Ems. Keene says the epic has over 400 illuminations ranging from historical events to retellings of Hebrew tales. One of those illuminations shows the corrupt prince Evilmerodach becoming King of Babylon by killing his father, Nebuchadnezzar. The fathers body is chopped into pieces as crows descend for a piece of the rendered flesh.

A feast for crows, if you will.

Check out more of the Gettys Game of Thrones recaps on Tumblr.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Game of Thrones': That Ned Stark Flashback, Jon Snow and the Prince That Was Promised

'Game of Thrones' Brings Back Jon Snow With a Vengeance

'Game of Thrones' 101: The Story of Jon Snow, from Timid Bastard to Resurrected Leader (Photos)
Premium steel and iron company Gibraltar Industries, Inc. ROCK reported robust first-quarter 2016 results.



Adjusted earnings came in at 24 cents per share surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 11 cents. The bottom line also improved substantially from year-ago income of 6 cents. The stellar performance was driven by the benefits from the companys RBI acquisition, optimal usage of resources and greater operational efficiency.

Gibraltar Industries net sales were $233.7 million in the quarter, up 16.5% year over year. The companys top line also surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $224 million.

Gross profit margin increased 660 basis points (bps) to 21.5%. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $36.5 million, up from $20.9 million in the prior-year quarter. Gibraltar

Industries reported an adjusted operating margin of 6.6% in the quarter, up 370 bps year over year.

Segment Details

Residential Products segment generated revenues of $100.1 million, down 6.3% year over year. Adjusted operating margin was 13.2%, up 550 bps year over year. The improvement was attributable to greater operational efficiency and early receivables from the 80/20 simplification plan.

Industrial and Infrastructure Products yielded revenues of $79.7 million, down 15% year over year. The decline stemmed from lower shipment volumes, reduced energy as well as mining activities and lower steel cost prices on customer pricing. The segments adjusted operating margin was 5%, up 250 bps year over year. The improvement was driven by better management of raw input expenses, superior manufacturing competence and benefits received from 80/20 simplification.

The Renewable Energy & Conservation segments revenues came in at $53.9 million in the quarter under review. Solid demand for RBIs ground-mounted solar racking and commercial greenhouse goods supported the upside. The segments adjusted operating margin stood at 8%.

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Other Financial Aspects

Gibraltar Industries exited the first quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $82.6 million, up from $68.9 million at year-end 2015. Long-term debt was $209 million, up a marginal 0.1% from that as of Dec 31, 2015.

In the quarter under review, Gibraltar Industries generated $15.4 million of cash from operating activities compared with $14.8 million utilized in the year-ago period. Capital expenditure was $1.5 million, down from $2 million in the year-ago quarter.

Outlook Issued

Going forward, Gibraltar Industries aims to improve its results through a new four-pillar growth strategy. This program involves operational improvements, product innovation, strategic acquisitions and superior portfolio management. The company also looks forward to realizing three goals in 2016, namely, improvement in earnings, effective capital deployment and increasing shareholders utility.

Considering the benefits of RBI acquisition and successful operational programs, Gibralter Industries anticipates earnings of 3641 cents for second-quarter 2016. However, full-year 2016 revenue guidance has been lowered to a range of $1.04$1.06 billion from the previous range of $1.06$1.08 billion to account for the impact of the companys European industrial business divestiture.

Full-year earnings are projected in a band of $1.30$1.40 per share based on superior operational performance.



Stocks to Consider



Gibraltar Industries presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the same industry include CRH plc CRH, GCP Applied Technologies Inc. GCP and Masco Corporation MAS. All the three companies presently hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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It was the slap heard around the Internet. The Good Wife ended its seven series run with an across-the-face slap from Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) to Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies), after her betrayal in the courtroom.

Speaking to Variety, series creators and executive producers Michelle and Robert King defend the moment, as well as explaining Alicias future, what it was like having Josh Charles back on set, and their plans for Brain Dead.

Was this the finale you always planned?

Robert: At least with regard to the last five minutes. How we got there was a bit more of a negotiated route, with regard to what actors were available. We thought Carrie Preston would be the lawyer. We thought there would be moves we would have made if we had the actors available to us. So absent that, yes.

Michelle: We knew what the spine would be, but many of the details were created in the last three, four months.

Audiences reacted badly to the slap. How did you feel about it?

Robert King: It felt right. We knew fans, a lot of fans, would be upset. The difficulty we had that was that everything that was tempting to do was tempting to do in a way that undercut the seven seasons of the show. They were kind of good for the last episode of the show. We had a sit-down in our writers room about two to three months ago about the ending. And we had always had on our whiteboard, about the ending, the word SLAP. And it was, OK, are we still sure of this? It was a conversation that went all over the map. The other possible end had her running after a guy, falling into the arms of a guy, the usual running to the airport scene. We just thought that would be happy-making in the moment but it didnt feel a wrap up to the seven seasons. And that seemed more important. Were sorry if anybodys thrown by this, but we do think it will be more resonant for the show in the rearview mirror. You may want to return to the first episode  how did she change from the first episode? That seems more important than whether she ends up with Jason and we see them setting up house together. That doesnt seem to be what the show was really about.

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Michelle King: Not only that, but the acting there at the end with Julianna and Christine was so stellar, its hard to reject anything that brings that about.

Was Jason always conceived of as her final love interest or was the role expanded because of Jeffrey Dean Morgans performance?

Michelle: The role was always meant to go the entire season.

Robert: Just as Alicia has always been trying to find the guy in her life, the show has always been trying to find the right guy. What we thought this last year was about was that Peter, the Chris Noth character, was about weight, was about holding her down; as Jason said, you need to be needed or youll tip over. Jason was the opposite. He was about weightlessness, he was free-floating. He gives her a property on Mars. The third character in her life was the one who was there from the very beginning, Will Gardner. Hes this romantic figure in her mind who she can manipulate and be a dream character in any way she wants. Those felt like the three poles in her life of men. Jason was always there as someone who was representing a direction in her life.

Talk about filming with Josh Charles. What was it like having him back on set?

Robert: He came to the set a little nervous. We still have all the same crew. This is a family that stayed together. He wanted to see how everyone took it. He fell right into it. He and Julianna have so much chemistry it burns up the screen. There were no problem.

Michelle: It was fantastic. Everyone lingered around wanting to see the two of them in scenes together. In the same way, with old friends you start talking if you havent seen each other in a long time as though no one time has passed, thats what it was like watching the two of them together again. The characters were right there.

Does Alicia end up in politics or back at the law firm?

Robert King: I would actually say its law. I dont think she loves politics. I think Eli will constantly be there pushing her to go to bigger and bigger things, but I actually think her love is with the law. I think the slap has woken her up to the collateral damage shes causing in her life. And she will try to correct that.

Michelle King: I agree.

But can she patch things up with Diane?

Michelle King: That was a pretty big rift. I think it will take something really large for that relationship to mend.

What have you learned from this show that you will bring to your new show Brain Dead?

Robert: Try to be more cinematic. Build an operation from the ground up. Dont try to keep change it as you go. Use New York actors as much as you can. Try to be more conservative in your page count. I think the biggest thing is try to be more cinematic. I think movies in trying to be more of a spectacle have lost their cinematic bones and they havent really stretched themselves cinematically. TV now with their bigger screens and hi-def have allowed a lot more maneuverability. I just love our show when it goes silent. When it goes silent and the images are allowed to take over, like the Regina Spektor scene, its just a dream. Were trying to do some of that in Brain Dead. Its harder with a comedy because comedy is built around dialogue. And its harder with other directors because you have something in your minds eye that you want to communicate.

Michelle: How valuable it is to work with great actors. We had spectacular actors on Good Wife. And weve been fortunate in Brain Dead to also have a marvelous cast.

Robert, youve said you regretted the title of The Good Wife. Looking back, what would you rename it?

Robert: One of the titles we had thrown about before Scandal was Scandal. Its a very good title. The Good Wife is probably best for the irony of the show but I also think it has kept some of the male audience away. I think its a very muscular show, its very cynical, very knowing. Its not as much about female empowerment as much about power. Another title might have allowed other people to find the show.

Do you think theres a possibility for another quality, broadcast, 22-episode drama?

Michelle: Yes if the actors are willing to do it. When we started there werent as many cable and streaming options for actors. Now I think 22 is such a grueling schedule that a lot of actors are going to gulp if they have the choice.

Robert: Its very hard to maintain a voice over 22 episodes. It really requires a micro-managing thats very difficult over 22 episodes. The good news is that there are so many great smaller shows these days filling the gap. The advantage of 22 is that we really felt we could do anything. Suddenly wed do an episode thats completely in Alicias mind. Hey, why not? Its the 15th episode out of 22. Lets do an episode about BitCoin. It doesnt matter. Well teach the audience. Twenty-two allows more freedom to do that.

Arent lawyers supposed to zealously defend their clients?

Robert: That is the argument, isnt it? Heres the thing. Can you zealously defend a client to a point where you have strained the ethical demands of friends and family? And I do think there are needs for balancing out ethical demands. I think someone could look objectively at the situation, especially a lawyer, and say, wait a minute, Diane, youre overreacting. Youre the lawyer. Your husband got involved with this woman. On the other hand, we were with Alicia at the party episode, two back. And we saw Alicia watch Diane and Kurt McVeigh huddling and kissing, and her jealousy in many ways of their relationship. And you cant say that that didnt play into this end. At least Alicia should have known what she was playing with. Either there was a hidden side of her that did want Diane brought down to her level: If I cant have a husband that Im perfectly happy with, then I dont mind that it happens to this other person. On the other hand, you can view that under the guise of zealously defending your client. So what I love about the ending in my mind is one could defend both sides of this.

Michelle: I would say thats what characterizes our best episodes. You can see the argument from both characters point of view.

Robert: I think thats something thats building over seven seasons. Will, when he cleared her desk said, Youre awful and you dont even know how awful you are. There have always been justifications for certain ethical maneuvers. But in the long run, those justifications either became thinner or were built on shakier ground. This sounds like were ending up hating Alicia. Not at all. Shes as human as any character weve created. The character is not served well if shes given a happier ending that doesnt allow for who she is.

What did you think of The Good Wife finale? Weigh in below.

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'The Good Wife' Finale Review: Alicia Revisits Her Past, Faces Ambiguous Future

'The Good Wife' Finale Surprises as Alicia Florrick's Emotional Saga Ends (SPOILERS)
This story contains spoilers for the final episode of The Good Wife



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The Good Wife slapped us in the face  literally. While many shows offer resolution in their final episodes, The Good Wife emphatically refused to do so. It brought back the ghost of Will Gardner not to provide closure or offer guidance as most benevolent ghosts would, but to steer Alicia into making choices that could get her hurt. The writers undercut everything we expected: a romantic resolution, a resolution to her partnership with Diane Lockhart, a resolution as to Peters guilt, and all in the most jarring way possible. It was a bold move and a fitting end to a show that completely revolutionized what a network drama can do.

Thats not to say that the finale lived up to some of the shows best episodes. The Good Wife had undeniably run its course. Last week Lucca and Jason chatted about Alicia over drinks in a sequence that felt as if it had been scripted for the lawyers former sidekick and love interest, Kalinda and Will, three years ago. The show was repeating old drama with less interesting characters. As bitter as I am at Josh Charles and Archie Panjabi for jumping ship, they seem to have done so at the right time.

Indeed, the whole plot has come full circle: the show opened with the question of whether Peter would go to jail, and if Alicia would stick by him. Tonight, with Peter again facing conviction and divorce, we finally got our answer: yes and no. Shell stand next to him for the optics, but wont hold his hand at the podium. Whether thats a character growing stronger or growing into a more cynical political operative, I will leave to you to decide.

But let us not bemoan the decline of The Good Wife  its a rare television show that ends with its strongest season  but celebrate what it did give us.

The Good Wife gave us a revolutionary take on modern feminism. One of televisions few complicated heroines, the writers also let her grow and, more importantly, contradict herself without apologizing or explaining her actions. The show made us both love and hate Alicia, while other television writers fretted over their heroines being likable.

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The finale proved to be a clear embodiment of this idea of flawed feminism as Alicia decides she wants to be with Jason, whom she describes as a boy, just because she doesnt want to live in her apartment alonean utterly depressing conclusion for feminist fans of the show. Its apt, then, that this wish isnt fulfilled. Not only that, but when the audience thinks the resolution might be that Diane and Alicia were in fact meant to be (a girl-power conclusion), Diane, a symbol of relentless feminism on the show, slaps Alicia in the face in the final moments (paralleling Alicias empowering slap of Peter in the first episode).

Zacks new fiance (another new actor in a familiar role for the show) comes out and says it in the third-to-last episode: some might think Alicia sticking by her man is retro, but feminism means women can do whatever they want  even if that means playing the saint.

Of course, what this character doesnt know is that St. Alicia, over the course of seven seasons, has slowly learned that she doesnt have to be, well, the good wife. Her affair with Will was tentative, fraught and full of complications. Not so for her relationship with Jason. She doesnt care what people think and is even willing to make out with her investigator boyfriend in a bar. (A whole other piece could be written about the frank depiction of sexuality on the show: its rare for Hollywood to offer us a woman over 40 who is allowed to enjoy sex, let alone receive oral pleasure.)

In Season 1, we saw a lot more of Grace and Zack as Alicia tried to balance work and home and struggled with bad mother guilt. By Season 7, shes employed Grace to help her with her career goals and accepted that Zacks quick marriage as his mistake to make.

Shes shaken by Peters transgressions in the beginning, but by the penultimate episode she responds to Peters latest affair by mock crying and rolling her eyes. Shes gotten tougher, accepted her flaws, gone after her goals. Shes not the feminist hero we deserve  as we see with the slap  but shes definitely evolved. That is a woman doing what she wants. Though Julianna Margulies has emphatically denied the comparison, the Hillary Clinton parallel is undeniable: think of the presidential candidate in the days of the Monica Lewinsky scandal compared to today.

The Good Wife gave us surprisingly nuanced debates around hot-button issues like abortion, gun control, gay marriage, government surveillance, campus rape and the tech bubble. (Oh, ChumHum, you will be missed.) Even as the country was becoming more politically polarized, Emilys List darling Diane has productive conversations with her Sarah Palinworshipping husband about the right to bear arms or with a right-wing businessman about whether a devout Christian baker can legally refuse to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. Though the main characters were Democrats, the show never assumed they were right.

And The Good Wife gave us a well-made drama every Sunday night for 22 weeks a year. Besides offering one of the greatest Hollywood romances  no, Im not talking about Peter or Jason but the ghost that joined us in the finale  it was arguably the only remaining prestige drama on network television. It was the last show from one of the major networks to be nominated for a best drama Emmy in 2011. (It never won.) Ever since, cable dramas like Mad Men, British imports like Downton Abbey and streaming-service darlings like Netflixs House of Cards have dominated the category.

The Emmys are by no means the definitive judge of quality television: fans of Scandal and Greys Anatomy would argue that Shonda Rhimes is writing great drama on ABC. But those shows rely on OMG moments every single episode that The Good Wife and other prestige television shows, from The Sopranos to Breaking Bad, sprung on their audiences once a season. The closest The Good Wife ever came to a must-tweet scene was Wills shocking death (and tonights ghostly return), a moment that worked precisely because it was so out of character for the show.

Its the end of an era. Both Charles and Margulies have vowed never to act in a 22-episode-per-year drama again: they require 14-hour workdays year-round. For better or worse, these sorts of shows have been cut down to eight- or 12-episode seasons and sold to cable networks, streaming services or HBO. Network television, meanwhile, seems content with procedurals like CSI or replicating the Shondaland model with shows like Empire and Quantico. Its similar to whats happened in film, where most studios lean heavily on superhero blockbusters and leave the quieter fare to indie filmmakers who must seek out smaller distributors. Luckily for television fans, AMC, Netflix and the like seem willing to take risks on this sort of fare  at least for now.

After the soon-to-be-infamous slap, Alicia composes herself and struts forward. May all our future television heroes and heroines exhibit such chutzpah.
Dearest Good Wife Friends,

Thank you is easy. Goodbye is harder.

Thank you for an extraordinary seven seasons of support, encouragement, and commitment to The Good Wife. To say that we could not have done this without you is an understatement.

This is the second time weve written you about the creative decisions involved with The Good Wife:the first was with the end of Will Gardner; now its with the end of the series. Both goodbyes involved difficult decisions, and if you found some value in the earlier explanation, you might find some in this one.

We wanted this seriesa series that stretched over 156 episodesto have some shape, some structural meaning. So after we realized we wouldnt be cancelled after 13 episodes, we started to devise a vanishing point we could write toward. That structure, in our minds, was simple. The show would start with a slap and end with a slap. Each slap would involve Alicia. This would be the bookend. She would slap someone who victimized her at the beginning of the series; and she would be slapped by someone she victimized at the end.

In this way, the victim would become the victimizer. This is the education of Alicia Florrick.

Alicias character, to us, was about change. Each season she made choices she could never have made the season before. So over the course of seven years, she became tougher, more powerful, more cunning. Of course, we loved Alicia for this. Each decision made sense in the moment, and we forgave her or congratulated her each time. Even her decision in this last episodethe one that resulted in Diane being hurtcame out of her parental need to keep Grace from following in her path. She didnt want Grace to put her future on hold in order to stand by Peter.

But together all these decisions, legitimate as they were, added up to a character who was becoming more desensitized to her impact. She was becoming more and more like her husband, and, ultimately, Diane was the collateral damage.

That we found interesting. Over seven years could you completely remake your character? Could a victim become a victimizer?

(By the way, parenthetically, thats the cool thing about TV. It allows you to develop a concept that more resembles life. A character keeps changing over the course of seven years, but instead of reading about it in a novel over a weekend, you experience it over the actual seven yearswith actors who age along with their charactersexcept for Grace who seemed to be 15-years-old for a few years. Sorry.)

One theme we kept returning to over and over in the series was: politics isnt out there. Its not something that happens in D.C. or on the news. It happens in our offices, our homes, our marriages. Thats why we ended the series the way we did. Alicia is no longer a victim of politics. She is someone who takes charge, someone who controls the agenda.

On one level this is empowering. It allowed Alicia to control her fate. But it also changed her. Ironically, at the exact moment she found the power to leave Peter, she realized she had become Peter.

And thats tragic. Yes, Alicias story contains tragedy. We still love her. And we hope you do too. The ending is supposed to be unsettling. But we dont think characters need to avoid tragedy to be embraced. We were tempted to have Alicia chase after a man in the endstop him from getting on a train or an airplane at the last minute, hold him, kiss him. We like those endings. But there was something false about it here. It isnt who Alicia is. In the end, the story of Alicia isnt about who shell be with; its about who shell be.

There is hope in the ending toowe believe. Alicia composes herself and marches toward the future. The two slaps to our mind are chapter endings and headings. If the slap that started the series woke Alicia uphelped her overcome her naivety about her husband and the worlds corruptionthen this second slap wakes her up to her own culpability. The question is what will she do with that?

Anyway, we should leave it there. We loved writing this series. We loved the comedy, the drama, the tragedy. We loved the lion telephone with Glenn Childs voice. Elsbeth Tascioni facing off with Bob Balaban. Moo Cow. Elis raised eyebrow. The Sexual harassment video Alicia and Will were forced to watch. Will clearing Alicias desk. Carys trip on mushrooms. Dianes weakness for guns. The YouTube videos the NSA guys sent back and forth.

Its hard to not write for these characters anymore. They seem very real to usas if well turn a corner at the market and find Patti Nyholm there shopping for diapers; or turn another corner and find Judge Abernathy Feeling the Bern.

Weve had fun. Thank you for having fun with us. Weve also felt sad. Drama embraces both. So thank you for feeling sad with us too. And mostly, thank you for allowing these characters into your home every week for seven years.

Its been an honor to write for them, as well as for you.

With all our gratitude and affection,

Robert & Michelle King
CBS' The Good Wife ended Sunday night on a note of deep, deliberate ambiguity that, for all its clever dodging of definitiveness, struck an oddly incorrect note.



Nothing changes the fact that this was the best network drama of the past 20 years or so. Mad Men, by contrast, may have concluded on a note of crystalline, acidic perfection, but the show itself was often bafflingly uneven. I'll take Good Wife.



I mean, it's not as if Kalinda Sharma lept out of the bathtub with a knife.



Still.







Spoiler warning: For those who haven't seen The Good Wife series finale, plot details will follow.



In the very last scene, in a clever return to the series' beginnings, Peter Florrick was expecting extremely estranged wife Alicia (Julianna Margulies) to stand by his side as he resigned the governorship. (He had been indicted for meddling in a criminal case involving the son of a donor. Was he guilty? Given that Chris Noth played him  exceptionally well  with a look of stern, skulking displeasure, possibly.)



Alicia agreed to appear with him, proving the essential assessment of her character by her friend and colleague, Lucca (Cush Jumbo): "You tend to confuse responsibility and love."



That was the entire show in a nutshell.



And yet Alicia, leaning for the moment toward romance, toward the impulses of the heart, pulled away from Peter at his press conference and went off and down a corridor in pursuit of her lover, investigator Jason Crouse (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). But she found no Jason and no fire escape out of which he might have ducked. Did she imagine she'd seen him?



Jason, in fact, might have gotten fed up being asked by Alicia and company to ferret out tantalizing fragments of exculpatory evidence to rescue Peter, who happened to be his rival. The poor man's name was Jason, not Job.



Instead Alicia was confronted by law partner Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), who chose this pinchedly intense moment to air her own issues with Alicia: Diane's husband, ballistics expert Kurt McVeigh (Gary Cole), had also been drawn into the trial, and in an especially vicious cross-examination by the defense  in other words, by his wife's firm  had been compromised both as a professional and a husband.



And so Diane, face to face with Alicia, slapped her. Then strode off. It all seemed so wildly dramatic, you wondered if Alicia had imagined this, too. After all, she'd spent portions of the episode in a kind of fugue state, mentally wandering in and out of conversations (not just flashbacks  conversations with Josh Charles' Will Gardner, the murdered love of her life).



But Alicia reeled  the slap was real  and her eyes were wet with tears as she was left alone, with no one to tell her where to go next, whether to the left or right in that godforsaken corridor. (This is why politicians have aides.) She was just there, in the corridor.



Well, we're all just in the corridor, aren't we, wondering what to do next? Although most of us haven't just been slapped by Christine Baranski or disappointed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And yet this is an all too  what?  existentially convenient a way to leave Alicia.



To some degree it echoes the famous (and, at the time, very controversial) open-ended conclusion to The Sopranos. But that conclusion, while evasive, was an ironically archetypal image of a suburban American family who were, as we knew from the start, trying to fool themselves that their whole way of life wasn't based on murder and crime.



Alicia, on the other hand, was possibly on the cusp of becoming a significant political figure. She had never been archetypal, or average  to play the "good" political wife, she merely pretended to be  and perhaps she now had the potential to be out and out extraordinary. That, at any rate, was the insight of Peteras campaign manager, Eli Gold (Alan Cumming), in one of the finale's sharpest scenes. Eli, realizing that Peter had no more future in politics than Richard Nixon  I'm referring here to a dead Richard Nixon  had begun advising donors to funnel money away from Peter and toward Alicia. On receiving this information, Peter looked as if he'd felt the explosive impact of a torpedo in each of his loafers.



But mightn't Alicia, alone in that corridor, instead of looking like a beautifully but rather conventionally distraught heroine, have been given the option to display a slight gleam of ambition in her eye and to say, "I think I'll give Eli a call"? Or, "If Peter wants to stay in politics, he can be Bill Clinton to my Hillary. Let him start a foundation, if he's so determined to be viable."



Perhaps this is what she'd do, anyway. Perhaps, even now, she and Eli are texting about focus groups and slogans. ("Unleash Alicia!") But it didn't feel that way.



Hadn't the show been moving us beyond the question of how much Alicia should be defined by whom she loved? Or by who loved her? The episode's scenes with Will were a kind, sentimental gesture to fans, but by now I'd learned to feel Will more strongly by his absence than his presence. Was he even necessary this time?



While we're at it: Should the show, at the very end, have redefined Diane, a powerful attorney, as a woman betrayed, boiling over with the desire to strike out and strike back?



I'm disappointed.
Julianna Margulies told us it would be bittersweet  and The Good Wife finale on Sunday night certainly was that!

The finale wrapped up some major plotlines and -- more importantly -- it brought Margulies' character, Alicia Florrick, full circle.

PHOTOS: The Most Iconic TV Series Finales

In the final minutes of the show, we were deliberately brought back to the beginning of the series -- with Alicia called to stand by her husband once again as 'the good wife,' while her disgraced husband Peter (Chris Noth) gives yet another scripted public apology for his wrongdoings.

But after seven seasons, Alicia's finally not willing to play that part anymore and, in what is perhaps the most satisfying moment of the episode, she breaks away from Peter right as he reaches for her.

The episode was fraught with twist after last-minute, heartbreaking twist. But who can forget it also brought us back Will (Josh Charles), as Alicia internally answers Lucca's question: "Who do you want to come home to?"

Lucca, asking the question we all want to know the answer to. #GoodWifeFarewell pic.twitter.com/ZPdEJGTyY6  The Good Wife (@TheGoodWife_CBS) May 9, 2016

While we don't get an answer to the question of whether Alicia and Jason (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) end up together, that answer seems less important than where Alicia is at the end of the show; a powerful woman, one who doesn't break -- as she so calculatingly tells assistant U.S. attorney Connor Fox (Matthew Morrison).

Sunday nights are never going to be the same. #GoodWifeFarewell pic.twitter.com/q0HQEdhSAb  The Good Wife (@TheGoodWife_CBS) May 9, 2016

NEWS: 'The Good Wife' Star Julianna Margulies on 'Bittersweet' Series Finale and What She'll Miss Most About Alicia Florrick

What we do know is that Alicia has a good future ahead of her  with or without a man. Eli Gold (Alan Cumming) has convinced Peter's donors to throw their weight, and their money, behind Alicia. The inevitable divorce, Eli tells Peter, will be seen by the public as a move of independence.

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Thankfully, that independence will be more than just for show as so much of Peter and Alicia's marriage has been.

The Good Wife creators and writers, Robert and Michelle King, discussed the ending and that slap with CBS in a video posted to Twitter on Sunday evening.

"We started with this feeling that it started with a slap and it should end with a slap," Robert said.

"This show is about a woman who becomes more and more confident and more and more cunning, and excited about her abilities and also about power. So that slap at the end is very similar to the slap at the beginning. We always had this idea of Alicia becoming more and more of something that she also was not liking in her husband."

MORE: 7 Things You'd Be Surprised to Know About 'The Good Wife' (Including Spinoff Talk)

Fans chimed on Twitter in with their grief and farewells to the show using the hashtag #TheGoodWifeFarewell. For his part, Josh Charles, who played Will Gardner in the series, raised a toast: "To Wife, To Wife, L'Chaim!" he wrote.

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[Warning: Spoilers ahead.]

To begin as we recap the series finale of CBS The Good Wife, lets acknowledge the elephant in the room: Yes, creators Robert and Michelle King pandered to audiences by bringing back Josh Charles Will Gardner as the Ghost of Christmas Present? And like so many callbacks over the last few episodes, its a mostly wasted effort since Alicia seemed to have recovered from that lost love shortly after her laundry room breakdown. Hasnt she moved on to Jeffrey Dean Morgans Jason? But who cares when it comes to a series finale? The writers will never have to please us again.

In that same vein, surprise! Despite last weeks cliffhanger, the verdict in Peter Florricks trial is not in; the jury merely has a question. (How did that message get so confused?) And so the episode pivots from then potential fallout of Peter returning to prison to the Scooby Gang at Lockhart Florrick working together to solve a mystery. The whole thing feels very anticlimactic, especially since everything the defense argues in the first half of the episode becomes moot in the second half, and Peter ultimately accepts a year of probation. Along the way, Peter discovers that Eli is telling all of his donors to start backing Alicias future political career, wholl be perceived as strong once she divorces Peter. Alicia doesnt know anything about this; as usual, the men in her life are too busy planning her future to let her in on it.

Thats the real disappointment in this series finale. Early on, Luca asks Alicia to whom shed rather come home every day: Peter or Jason? That night, Alicia imagines both scenarios and then a third: Coming home to Will Gardner. Because obviously, Alicia Florrick could never be happy coming home to an empty house. Instead, Ghost Will tells Alicia to run, run, run to Jason and be with him, because she would go crazy if she had to live in her apartment alone!

Also Read: 'The Good Wife's' Matthew Morrison Laughs Off Terrible Movie He Did With Christine Baranski

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And what are we left with after seven seasons of watching Alicia struggle to rebuild (and then rebuild again and then again) her life and career? Is she stronger now or is she just emotionally numbed by seven years of taking a beating? What are we supposed to think of the woman we first met when she was publicly humiliated by her husbands affairs coldly orchestrating the undercutting of Dianes husband by asking him on the stand if hed had an affair? Is this an inevitable outcome of a life in the political arena?

So one of network televisions premiere prestige dramas ends with Alicia in yet another unflattering wig, taking her place beside Peter at yet another press conference in an echo of the series premiere. But this time, she leaves the stage early to run after a man she mistakenly assumes is Jason. When she turns around (and this entire sequence has a dreamlike unreality to it), she sees Diane approaching. Diane? she asks. Diane whacks her across the face and calmly keeps walking, leaving Alicia to wipe away tears, square her shoulders, and walk into her future. Its gratifying in the moment, because didnt Alicia deserve it, just a tiny bit? Just the way that Peter deserved the slap in the first episode? And its certainly on brand, given how many obstacles and hurdles Alicia has had to overcome (even Don Draper occasionally got to be happy). But in the end, what it amounts to is saying goodbye to a character weve grown to love over the better part of a decade by watching her get slapped down one last time.

The victim becomes the victimizer, Michelle King says in an interview released after the finale ended. (King then goes on to say that Alicia has gained great strength and imply that her newfound strength came at the cost of her morality.) One cant argue with that after this episode, but one could ask for a little more buildup. Isnt Alicia Florrick the one who was faced with eviction and a malpractice suit just a few weeks ago? Those arent the hallmarks of a victimizer; those are the hallmarks of a woman who cant catch a break.

Things used to be simpler, Alicia says to Will during one of their imaginary heart-to-hearts. Will was only half right when he grins and says, No, they werent. Things were never simpler on The Good Wife, but they were more dramatically satisfying.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

By Anakhanum Hidayatova - Trend:

The heads and military attaches of the diplomatic missions of the CIS countries in Baku laid a wreath at the memorial of the military glory on the occasion of Victory Day.

Vladimir Dorokhin, Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan, congratulated veterans on Victory Day on behalf of the diplomats of the CIS countries.

The ambassador stressed Azerbaijan's role in victory over fascism.

"One and a half million people were cured and recovered in the hospitals, which were on the territory of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)," the ambassador said. "It is possible to write and talk a lot about Azerbaijan's heroism and contribution. Thank God, people remember and talk about it."

"We are very pleased that Azerbaijan is among the countries that do not want to rewrite history, estimate at its true worth as it was in reality, oppose the falsification of history, stand against downplaying the feat of the Soviet people in this war," the ambassador said. "This testifies to the wisdom of the Azerbaijani leadership, society, the country's maturity."

Dorokhin added that while trying to downplay the victory of the Soviet people, the monuments dedicated to the victory over fascism are desecrated in some countries, but in Azerbaijan, on the contrary, the monuments dedicated to the victory are preserved and restored.

Adil Aliyev, Azerbaijani MP, also congratulated veterans on Victory Day.

Aliyev stressed that Victory Day - May 9 is one of the most important holidays for Azerbaijan.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
Dont read on unless youve seen End, the series finale of the CBS drama The Good Wife.

You almost had me, Good Wife finale, right until the end. I have some very mixed emotions about that last sequence.

The good: It was satisfying that Alicia, in a scene that echoed a key moment from the shows very first episode, did not take Peters hand at the end of his press conference. She left him hanging, which was only right, given that she was about to start a new life. She held his hand walking into that room, but after that, they were done. Shed done all the Peter Florrick hand-holding, literal and figurative, she was ever going to do. About time she set off on her own.

Intellectually, I suppose you can make the case that it made sense for her not to find Jason in that hallway. There was a certain logic to the idea that Alicia would exit that press conference  and her old life  on her own.

And yet I very much wanted her to walk into Jasons waiting arms. Ill never not want that. Tonally, it might have been too mushy an ending for this show, and given that the show was about an independent woman, again, the ending we got makes sense.

But The Good Wife cant give me that swoon-y Alicia-Jason romance and then expect me to not want her to smooch Jason one more time. Am I made of stone? One moment from End gives me hope for Jason and Alicias future: The way he looked at Alicia longingly and lovingly, just before they walked into Carys classroom. That was the look of someone who is deeply in love. Somewhere, that tall drink of man is waiting for Alicia, as she asked him to, and as far as Im concerned, at this moment, theyre in bed right now, sated in all kinds of ways and destroying a really good bottle of tequila. Or Scotch. Or wine.

The point is, theyre cozy, and theyre drinking. In my opinion.

The one thing that will never sit right with me about The Good Wife is the slap that Diane (Christine Baranski) administered to Alicia. This is not about whether Alicia deserved it; anyone who broke up the Diane-Kurt marriage, as Alicia probably did, deserved some kind of retribution. Physical violence is never the answer, unless youre Diane in that moment, and even the most committed Buddhists would have a hard time saying they didnt get it.

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But there are a couple of deeper problems here. One is a matter of sloppy storytelling. Are we to understand that Kurt was having an affair with Holly (Megan Hiltys character), during his marriage to Diane? I wasnt clear on that point, at all.

And if Kurt was sleeping with Holly during those years, well, that plot point is a bit of a deus ex machina, isnt it? How did anyone know about that affair? When did Alicia or Lucca find out? The courtroom revelation was part of a larger point the show was making, of course  the point being that Alicia would do anything and hurt anyone in order to win her case. That Alicia would be cold and calcluating is not in itself a problem: That idea is thematically of a piece with the show Ive watched for seven years. I dont have a problem with The Good Wife reinforcing that idea.

I do have a problem with the show reinforcing that idea via a very contrived, late-in-the-game sub-plot, I do have problems with ultra-convenient revelations, and I really have a problem with that whole mess determining that Diane and Alicia went out as enemies. Why was that necessary?

The Good Wife is one of the most explicitly feminist shows in recent memory: A lot of the finale continued to explore many of the shows core questions, which often revolved around one womans resistance to the idea that she had to conform to certain ideas about likability, ambition and spousal fidelity. At its best, The Good Wife has quietly but furiously depicted the kinds of limitations women bump up against, despite their competence, and the frustrations they feel as a result.

Thats all good. Why undo the idea that ambitious women can get along together, and even be friends and allies, despite differences in their agendas, with a slap straight out of Melrose Place? I understand that the slap is a callback to Alicias slap of Peter all those years ago, but that doesnt make this slap carry any less sting. These are different situations, and these women slapping each other has a different context. It bothered me, and it gave the finale a sour flavor, frankly.

To have the final scene of the show depict one accomplished, complicated woman striking another accomplished, complicated woman is tiresome at best and reductive and regressive at worst. A catfight, really, at this late date? A scene of two women fighting over a man has to be some kind of reverse-Bechdel Test fail, and Im not going to pretend to like it, just as I didnt like the contrivance of the abrupt and silly subplot involving Holly earlier this season.

In any event, there was a strange, dream-like quality to that final scene. Who hasnt dreamed of running down a hallway filled with an urgent need to find someone, only to discover that person wasnt there? I almost wondered if the hallway sequence was all in Alicias head, but it clearly wasnt. The final slap broke the dream trance and made the eternally resilient Alicia cry, but it didnt break her. Nothing can break her now.

Whether thats a good thing or a bad thing is entirely up to the viewer, but I think that idea  that she is a survivor  makes sense as the thought the show wanted to go out on, though, again, I have objections to how some of the last moments played out.

Though I didnt love how the choice was depicted, I cant necessarily fault the idea that Alicia made a definite choice regarding Peters case. It was a tough call, but she had to pick between her work family and her actual family, and she chose the latter. The most successful parts of the finale were the ones in which she meditated on what it had all been for (hi, Will!). Ultimately, Alicia decided that her family needed some closure so that they could truly move on and work as a unit, even a fractured unit. With Peter doing a year of probation, Grace could go to college, her other kid could do .. whatever it is he does, and she and Peter could divorce. Finally, she could start her new life (with Jason, one hopes).

Alicia has probably lost her job at her former firm; I cant see her and Diane working together after this. But she has a new job  running for office. This is only hinted at in the last hour, but Ive long thought that the biggest missed opportunity of The Good Wife was not showing Alicia actually serving in elected office. There were long stretches in which I got bored with Peters various campaigns and Alicias own campaign had some dull spots, but I always wanted to see how shed actually do if she was the States Attorney.

Lets face it, Alicia, especially as depicted in the last few seasons, had all the qualities an effective politician needs: She doesnt much care whether people like her, but she can put up a palatable front so that they vote for her. Shes tough and not much gets to her, and she doesnt let her vulnerabilities show unless they work to her advantage. Shes a master of controlling her image and she actually has the tenacity to get things done.

It probably would have been a pretty great season of TV if the drama had spent some time showing Alicia making the tough decisions of an elected politician. Perhaps the reunion movie will cover that? The reunion movie I hope the Kings and the cast make in a few years, that is.

A lot of what transpired before that final scene was good, solid Good Wife trial-based storytelling. There were reversals and surprises and ups and downs; there was a jovially eccentric judge and this shows version of stunt casting (real-life superstar lawyer David Boies).

But it was really about Alicia figuring out what she wanted, once and for all. I dont know if I care anymore, Alicia said laconically at one point, in reference to Peters latest legal problems. It was hard not to agree, because, oy vey, the amount of hoops people have had to jump through for that one entitled man. But the Kings, who wrote the episode, did a good job of walking Alicia through her life options, bringing her back into contact with characters like Cary, and getting her in a room with Will once again.

Grief is a weird thing; it ebbs and flows and resists logic. Thats why it made sense that as momentous decisions occupied Alicias days, her nights and private moments would be overtaken by thoughts of Will, the one who got away, the one who died before she could truly make up her mind to be with him. Those scenes were beautifully acted by Josh Charles and Margulies, and it was lovely to have her say a proper, resonant goodbye to Will before heading into an unknown and ambiguous future.

As for the goodbyes to Peter, those scenes were less momentous and, all things considered, less interesting. In the Sliding Doors scenario scored by the great Regina Spektor song Better, there was no tension in the Peter scenario, given that those two settled into an unspectacular and pragmatic friendship long ago. I often thought the show should have kicked Peter to the curb years ago, but it made some sense in the finale to have him wrestle with something many others (including this viewer) have known for a while: Alicia has long been a better candidate for public office than her husband.

In any event, my mixed emotions about the finale sound about right.

In the whole home stretch of The Good Wife, I have been beset by a wide range of thoughts about its impending exit. I knew Id miss its intelligence and its wit and the fact that it was about complex people who l openly enjoyed being good at their jobs (an aspect of life that too few shows dwell on). Id miss its willingness to be adventurous and subversive and the fact that it could introduce judges and supporting character that were often fantastically memorable after less than five minutes of screen time. Id miss the winningly no-nonsense Lucca (ace late addition Cush Jumbo) and the sexy vibe between Alicia and Jason. Not that the chemistry between Morgan and star Margulies wasnt electric, but its hard not to arrive at the conclusion that Morgans scruffy beard alone would be capable of creating incendiary sparks with an inanimate object.

Despite the fact that The Good Wife long reigned as the best broadcast network drama on TV, in recent seasons, it was obvious that it was time for the show to go. Another season  especially if creators Robert and Michelle King werent steering the ship  would have likely been mostly an embarrassing and floundering spectacle. Of course, there were dud episodes and sub-plots every season, and the Kings werent necessarily wrong to point out that making 22 really good episodes of TV every season isnt easy. But in the seventh and final season, there were notably more of subplots and segues that were, at best, time-fillers and at worst, eyeroll-inducing. For instance, there were long periods throughout its run in which The Good Wife didnt quite know what to do with Diane, so it would make her engage in some silly side plot or court case, and the recent one in which she lost her temper to Holly felt contrived and overly petty.

All Good Wife fans could describe elements throughout the shows run that they never wanted to see again (a partial list from me: Most scenes on Peters campaign bus, Kalindas seeming inability to escape Lemond Bishops kitchen, and just about every scene involving David Lee or Howard Lyman. Also Im still sore about the fact that Alicia never slept with Finn Polmar; there may be a class-action suit in the offing about that.)

Of course, there were many more things to love about this show, and one of the great things about it was that, week to week, you never knew what you were going to get. That 22-episode order could be burden, especially in an era in which cable seasons were typically 13 episodes and done  and some shows these days only knock out only six or eight episodes in a season. But a drama with only eight or 10 or 13 episodes cant make many side trips or experiment much, whereas some of The Good Wifes best arcs and moments came as the result of experimentation.

As Todd VanDerWerff pointed out recently, a show with 22 episodes to work with can play, and during the past seven years, very few broadcast network dramas even came close to The Good Wifes spirit of adventure and lively curiosity. One week, we were inside the NSA; the next, we could be sitting in on a juicy divorce, speeding through bond court, or witnessing a weird passive-aggressive battle between Alicia and one of her delightful nemises (Michael J. Foxs Louis Canning, Mamie Gummers Nancy Crozier, Martha Plimptons Patti Nyholm, Anna Camps Caitlin; the list goes on).

If I were to only list great recurring characters, Id be here all night, but who wont miss Elspeth Tascioni (Carrie Preston), her wonderfully odd ex-husband Mike Tascioni (Will Patton), Tim Guinees Andrew Wiley (the investigator/dad who always had his kids in tow), Lucca, Elis daughter Marissa (Sarah Steele), who stole every scene she was in. For all the terrifically entertaining judges it brought us over the years, I will forgive The Good Wife for introducing the word ChumHum into my vocabulary. Probably. Someday.

(Does the fact that the show pulled off at least a dozen landmark episodes like Red Team, Blue Team mean that I have to forgive it for the preposterous green-screen disaster of the final Kalinda-Alicia scene? Hm, not sure. Ask me after my third shot of tequila).

Anyway, its appropriate that the shows final run was such a prickly, wonderful, annoying, enjoyable, alluring, frustrating experience. This last season was like the dramas lead character: Inscrutable, unpredictable, thoughtful, engaging, a little self-indulgent and never simple.

Like the people around Alicia, I never quite knew what to make of the polished, intelligent lawyer, and the fact that The Good Wife brought such an unapologetically complicated woman to broadcast network TV is the shows biggest accomplishment. Whether you loved her or disliked her or simply couldnt figure her out, it wasnt easy to take your eyes off Alicia.

Alicia never pandered to our desire to know exactly who she was and exactly what she wanted. I raise a glass of red wine to The Good Wife, and for all the ways in which it confounded us, satisfied us and kept us guessing.

A few final thoughts:

Now that The Good Wife is off the air, whats your contender for smartest broadcast network drama? My nominee would be Jane the Virgin, but the CW program trends toward comedy so perhaps it doesnt qualify. If you have a contender to nominate as finest broadcast network drama currently airing, leave it in the comments.

Spinoffs I would accept: Elsbeth and Mike, a legal dramedy set at an all-Tascioni law firm, from the viewpoint of the dog. Legal Jeopardy, in which Lucca and Jason investigate and try cases, with occasional appearances from Jasons girlfriend, a high-powered lawyer from Chicago. Id also accept a Rockford Files remake starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

All the judges we saw here should just start popping up on other law dramas, eternally. This is reasonable. In my opinion.

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SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details from tonights series finale of The Good Wife.

CBS The Good Wife ended its seven-season run the way it started, with the final scene in the closer mirroring the opening scene in the pilot  Illinois politician Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) announcing his resignation over corruption charges, with his wife, Alicia (Julianna Margulies), by his side.

The recreation was almost exact, from both scenes opening with a closeup of the Frorricks hands as they enter the press conference, to the camera focusing on Alicia while Peter is making his announcement, to a slap in the very same hallway when its over, and Alicia picking herself up and walking away.

GoodWifehands

The difference  Alicia refused to take Peters hand when they were leaving this time, and it was Diane (Christine Baranski) who slapped Alicia vs. Alicia hitting her husband in the pilot. (In both cases, it was well deserved; somewhat out of character, Alicia humiliated both Diane and her husband in court to help her mans case.)

Like the pilot, the finale was written by The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King, who discuss the idea behind beginning and ending the show with a slap and other key elements in the finale in a post-mortem interview. And once again, it featured Alicia and the two men in her life, Peter and the late Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who played a major part in the finale.

The Good Wife  the most critically acclaimed broadcast drama of the last few years  provided one of the biggest shockers in recent TV history when male lead Will Gardner was gunned down in Season 5 in a plot twist kept firmly under wraps that caught viewers completely by surprise, a rare feat in todays era of social media where secrets are almost impossible to keep. It was only fitting that fans were reminded of the memorable moment with Gardners return for several scenes (and one farewell kiss with Alicia) in a dream sequence. Its just really good to see you again, said Alicia.

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Will proved to be Alicias sounding board and advisor as she questioned her job and mulled her personal future, helping her with Peters legal case and telling her Go to him (Jason) when she asks What do I do now?

willgardner

Alicia hung onto the Wife moniker in the title til the end barely, as she appeared determined to finally divorce her husband. Will Gardner remained the love of her life, as the finale reminded us, but she had her suitors after her death. Ironically, the hottest prospect after Will, Matthew Goode, who played Finn Polmar, went on to be the one Downton Abbeys Lady Mary ended up with. His successor, Jeffrey Dean Morgans PI Jason Crouse, and Alicia came close to a happily ever after but the Kings did not tied the bow in the finale, instead leaving Alicia on her own.

The Good Wife also will be remembered for the rather messy exit of original co-star Archie Panjabi last May. There was no Panjabi cameo in the series closer, and unlike many finales, there was no parade of popular recurring characters  even standout regular David Lee (Zach Grenier) was MIA  with the story driving the proceedings. (Though there was an amusing guest appearance by uber lawyer David Boise as himself on the stand.)

GoodWifeFinaleAliciaend

The finale kept the focus where it has been throughout the shows seven seasons, on the evolution and education of Alicia Florrick, from a scorned housewife whose husband was caught sleeping around with prostitutes and subordinates, to a strong, independent (and increasingly cunning and ruthless) professional woman who wouldnt let setbacks, like her botched run for the States Attorney office, let her down.

So there she was in the final seconds of the finale, picking herself up after possibly losing her new love, Jason, and being hit by one of her best friends, Diane, whom she betrayed to defend her soon-to-be ex-husband. Alicia, by herself, facing the future.

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'The Good Wife' Creators On "Unsettling" Final Scene, Alternative Endings, Alicia's Future, & Who Couldn't Make The Finale

'The Good Wife' Ends With Season-Best 10.5 Million Tuned In
[Warning: This story contains spoilers for the series finale of The Good Wife, "End."]

"Do I look like I'm breaking down?"

Alicia Florrick as a TV character will be dearly missed. This is her negotiating with prosecutor Connor Fox (Matthew Morrison) about Peter's plea deal. He is trying to pack on more years, but Alicia finds a compromise: three years and Peter will surrender immediately.

This seems like it's the end of the line for Peter (Chris Noth). He apologizes to Eli (Alan Cumming) for pushing him aside during the presidential campaign. They share a nice moment outside of the courtroom.

However, all of Alicia's hard work goes out the window when the judge reveals that the jury doesn't have a verdict. They simply have a question. Diane (Christine Baranski) backtracks on entering the plea deal and suddenly it's a scramble about the 911 call the jurors want to hear from the murder Peter is accused of cleaning up.

Although he had stepped away from the case for obvious reasons, Jason (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) enters the courtroom at the behest of Lucca (Cush Jumbo). He enters right as the court is playing the 911 call. Jason, smartly, records the 911 call as it's played which comes in handy when the jury asks about an inaudible noise. Jason quickly deduces it's an iPhone ring tone, which means someone else was at the crime scene.

Back at the firm, Lucca confronts Alicia about what's happening with Jason. "You tend to confuse responsibility and love," Lucca tells her. "Think about it: Who do you want to come home to? Every night? Who do you want to see when you open your door?"

Later that night, Alicia is home on her bed researching when suddenly her music goes from a classical tune to Regina Spektor's "Better." She stops for a moment and thinks about just that. Behind door number one is Jason, who greets her with a sultry kiss. Behind door number two is Peter, who greets her with a slightly less sultry kiss. Behind door number three is Will Gardner (Josh Charles). The moment doesn't last long enough to see if he'll kiss her. She gets up and closes the door to her bedroom. But suddenly she's imagining kissing Will again. Alicia tries to shake her head out of the moment and whispers "stupid" under her breath.

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Read More: 'The Good Wife' Creators on "Truthful" Finale and Their Emotional Goodbye

She then goes to the office to look up an old case from her second year, 2010 to be exact, and when she can't read the Post-it on the file, she flashes back to Will. In his old office, just like the good old days, Will schools her on the file in question and then begins to tease Alicia about their days at Georgetown. Suddenly, the fun flashback morphs into a more emotional dream sequence. "It's just really good to see you again," she tells Will. "Again? Where was I?" Will responds, re-igniting #TheGoodWifeSupportGroup that formed online after his shocking season five death sent people into an emotional tailspin.

"You wouldn't like it here now. Things have gotten pretty sad," Alicia tells him, although he argues things were always pretty sad. The discussion quickly turns to their animosity towards one another in season five after she left the firm for Florrick/Agos right before he died.

"Did you really hate me?" Alicia asks. "Oh yeah," Will replies with a smile.

Alicia asks for advice in the case, and then, more importantly, in her personal life. "Why didn't I come to you?" Alicia asks him.

Will quotes something he says she used to say: "It was romantic because it didn't happen."

Alicia is then left sitting alone, in the dark, at the firm as the credits roll in. This time, it's not Alicia in headlines, but the empty office.

The show returns with Peter going to a longtime supporter to talk about the future - a little optimistic, eh? - but he is distraught with what he hears. The supporter says Eli has told him they will move their investments to Alicia. "Alicia divorces you, she runs for office," the man says, citing Alicia's approval ratings.

At Jason's behest, Alicia goes to find Cary (Matt Czuchry) and ask for his help. He's guest lecturing and Alicia says it looks like he's been doing it his whole life. Jason replies that it's nice when someone finds their purpose.

In the moment, Alicia decides to confront Jason about their relationship issues and what their future might or might not hold. "My head hurts every time I try to figure out what you want, what I want and how those things might coincide," Jason tells her. He explains that Alicia sometimes needs to be needed, it keeps her balanced, grounded.

Read More: 'The Good Wife': A Look Back at the Many Lives of Lockhart/Gardner

Just when she is about to issue her rebuttal, Cary's class lets out and she and Jason speak to him. (But not after Alicia leans in and whispers in Jason's ear to wait for her.) Although Cary seems reluctant to help, Alicia likely wins him over with her reasoning that she wants to know the truth about Peter's case no matter if he's truly innocent or truly guilty.

Back in court, Grace (Makenzie Vega) shocks and angers Alicia when she tells her that she's not going to Berkeley while Peter is in trouble. Alicia tells her she needs to leave and live her life, but Grace says it's her decision and she's staying. Is this a way to make Alicia confront the example - for better and for worse - that she made to her children by standing by Peter when she was clearly not happy?

Cary goes to longtime prosecutor Matan and says they might have missed something. Guess he still misses court a little bit, even if he doesn't miss the firm drama one iota.

Peter then confronts Eli about his decision to have donors move their support to Alicia. Peter is mad he's already being pushed out so quickly when he's technically still governor and he has yet to be found guilty. "We have to give them someone," Eli explains, going on to tell Peter he will basically be untouchable after this scandal no matter what happens.

"If I'm so tainted, why am I not tainting her?" Peter asks Eli about Alicia's stellar approval ratings. Eli's reason? Because Alicia will be divorcing him.

Alicia doesn't know about Eli's grand plan, not yet anyway. Eli tells Peter it's the smart move and apologizes, but it's not clear how much he really means it.

Peter than gets a call that the bullets, the bullets that he had been accused of hiding, have been found.

Diane has her husband Kurt (Gary Cole) test the bullets and the result is "definitive," but not good. The bullets were from Locke's gun so Peter did have reason to hide them.

Read More: 'The Good Wife': 9 Moments That Changed the Series Forever

With this latest twist in Peter's case, Alicia is ambivalent about how much to push for the ballistics, or not, since they don't make Peter look good. "I don't know if I care anymore," Alicia tells Diane, who says she must care because it's her client. However, Diane doesn't fight very hard in judge's chambers.

Alicia arrives home and it's Peter waiting for her in the kitchen. "Just so you know, I didn't do it," he tells her. Alicia says it doesn't matter, but Peter says it matters to him what she thinks. Right now, Peter's latest plea deal would be for one year in jail - down a lot from ten, but he is still wavering about whether to take it.

Kurt is called into court, which sends Alicia and Diane into World War III back at the firm. Alicia tells her to "undercut" Kurt so she can represent her client, Peter, as best as possible. After everything that happened between Kurt and Diane in the last episode, Diane's hesitation is understandable and, as she argues, Kurt can't be undercut. Diane tells Alicia to have Peter fire her, and then Alicia taps Lucca for Kurt's cross-examination, and she doesn't throw her boss' husband any softballs. In fact, she accuses Kurt of changing his testimony to align with Holly Westfall (Megan Hilty) because he's having an affair with her. Diane, shocked and heartbroken, walks out of the courtroom. Wasn't she supposed to be in the good, healthy, loving marriage? Grace is in the front row and if she hasn't been sullied on marriage by now, she never will be.

"What is the point of all this?" Will is back and that's his question for Alicia. They discuss ethics and Alicia laments how "things used to be simpler." No, Will says, "things were never simple." Then Alicia negotiates with Connor Fox about Peter's plea deal, which is now down to one year of probation. No jail time.

"It won't get better," Connor warns her. A reference to the song from earlier?

"I would take it," Alicia tells Peter later. "It's amazing we've come this far." A reference to their marriage, maybe?

"My career will be over," Peter tells Alicia. "I think it's over anyways, isn't it?" Alicia smartly replies.

When Peter tells her he's going to take the deal, Alicia is suddenly left with a question: "What do I do now?"

Will arrives once again, and tells her to go to Jason. "Jason's not you," she says. "Do you want to live here alone?" Will asks her, pointing to her big apartment that will soon be empty when Grace heads to college. "Go to him. It's not too late."

So Alicia's love for Jason, or maybe for Will, drives her into the investigator's arms. But first, one last embrace with the late Will.

"I'll love you forever," she tells him. Will's response? "I'm ok with that."

Alicia can't find Jason at the office so she calls his cell and tells him Peter is taking a plea, Grace is going to school and she wants to talk to him. Alicia and Will had such bad history with missed calls and voicemails (the season one finale, Will's death), will the same be true for her and Jason?

The series' last scene is eerily similar to its first. Peter at a press conference announcing his resignation and his plea deal and thanking everyone for their support, most importantly his wife. Alicia then thinks she sees Jason and runs into the back hallway, only to find a random man and then to find Diane. And just like she once slapped Peter in the pilot, Diane slaps her. Good. Really good. Alicia is at once emotional but then resolute and continues walking. Was Jason really there? Did he leave for good as he said he would? Do viewers really need resolution about Alicia's love life, beyond the closure she finally seemed to receive with Will? Apparently not.

Weigh in on The Good Wife's series finale below.
Stocks are mixed at midday, as the major U.S. indices (^DJI, ^GSPC, ^IXIC, ^RUT) struggle to build on Friday's gains. Health care (XLV) is leading the way up, with energy (XLE) the biggest loser. Keith Bliss of Cuttone & Co. joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange for more on the markets.

Alexis Christoforous is joined by Yahoo Finance's Andy Serwer and Yahoo Finance's Seana Smith to discuss the other stories we're keeping an eye on today.

Scandal at Lending Club

Lending Clubs CEO is resigning after an internal review. It turns out Renaud Laplanche abused the sale of a loan and didnt disclose his personal interest in an investment fund. Lending Clubs president Scott Sanborn will become the acting CEO. The company promises to resolve the issue and prevent a similar matter from happening in the future.

Google and Oracle head back to court

Two of the largest computer companies are heading back to court. Oracle and Alphabet's Google are heading back to court today to resolve a six-year battle over software rights. Billions of dollars are at stake, as well as the fate of how computer software is distributed.

Twitter tells the CIA to back off

The social networking company has blocked at least two intelligence agencies from accessing a data mining service, according to the Wall Street Journal. Twitter made the move because it is worried it looked like it worked closely with spy agencieswhen which it claims not to. The CIA wouldnt comment on the matter.
The supposed principle on which Senate Republicans have been refusing to consider President Obamas nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to serve on the Supreme Court has been that the American people should have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice.

The logic behind the claim has always been tortured. The man who nominated Garland was elected by the American people, as were the senators who would have to confirm him. Yet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) refuse to hold a hearing on the nomination. They have also relied on a supposed precedent, woven from whole cloth that says Supreme Court nominees are not confirmed in a presidents final year in office.

Related: As Trump Turns to the General Election, He Flip-Flops on Policy

But in general, the argument has been that Barack Obama should not be allowed to select another Supreme Court Justice -- that job should be passed on to his successor.

The American people may well elect a president who decides to re-nominate Judge Garland, McConnell wrote in a USA Today op-ed last month. The next president may also nominate someone very different. Either way, we can continue to work on legislative solutions, and the American people can continue the national conversation about the type of justice who should serve on the Supreme Court.

In an appearance on Meet the Press on Sunday, though, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona dropped a hint that what critics of the GOPs strategy on Garland have been arguing all along is true: The decision to block his nomination has nothing to do with letting the American people choose the person who will appoint someone to fill the seat of recently deceased Justice Antonin Scalia.

In fact, if the American people choose a president who might nominate someone more liberal than Garland, Flake said, they ought to be ignored.

Related: Trump Fallout is Alienating More Conservatives from the GOP

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Republicans are more than justified in waiting, he told host Chuck Todd. That is following both principle and precedent. The principle is to have the most conservative qualified jurist that we can have on the Supreme Court, not that the people ought to decide before the next election. Ive never held that position. If we come to a pointIve said all alongwhere were going to lose the election in November, then we ought to approve him quickly, because Im certain hell be more conservative than a Hillary Clinton nomination.

Yes, well, so much for the people.

Meanwhile Garland, an almost universally admired figure who is current chief judge of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, has been waiting to have his nomination considered for nearly two months, with no end in sight.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Gordon Ramsay ruined a wedding proposal after bringing champagne before a diner had popped the question.



The French maitre dhotel at one of the chefs Las Las Vegas restaurants told him a guest had asked his girlfriend to be his wife.

But the waiter, who had a shaky grasp of English, only intended to say the diner was planning to propose.

Speaking at the Vegas Uncorkd food and wine festival, Ramsay, 49, below with wife Tara, said: My maitre d asked me if I would go over to table seven who were celebrating their engagement.

So I said, Send two nice glasses of champagne over to them.

When the champagne arrived I went over to congratulate them and the guy hadnt asked her! Ramsay predictably gave a dressing down to the waiter, describing him as a French t***.

He added: I was like, How am I going to get out of that?

Pictures Getty Images
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory will sue the United States Department of Justice over the challenge the federal government has made to the state's increasingly controversial anti-transgender " ll," Reuters reported Monday. McCrory had until end of day Monday to respond to the department's order for North Carolina to reverse the law on the grounds that it violates federal civil rights laws.

BREAKING: North Carolina governor sues Department of Justice over challenge to controversial restroom law.

The governor released a statement Monday saying the White House was trying to "rewrite the law," and that doing so could have implications beyond North Carolina.

"The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina," the statement read. "They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a women's locker room, restroom or shower facility."

Here's North Carolina's governor suing the feds over the bathroom law.pic.twitter.com/NjyDEvDGzg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiBUnSlU4AE59yx.jpg:large

The Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, which the governor signed in March, requires citizens of North Carolina to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender marked on their birth certificate. The bill drew deep divisions in the state and even among Republicans, having divided GOP presidential candidates in the days before Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee.

The governor is expected to address reporters at 1:00 p.m Eastern.

May 9, 2016, 10:40 a.m. Eastern: This story has been updated.
Brussels (AFP) - Greece and its EU-IMF creditors will reach a deal to release the next tranche of its 86-billion-euro bailout "in the coming days", said a senior EU official on Monday after talks in Brussels.

"Staff level agreement to be finalised in coming days, including the contingency mechanism," said Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU Commission's vice-president in charge of the euro, following the meeting of the Eurogroup, the eurozone's 19 finance ministers.

The "contingency mechanism" refers to extra reforms that will kick in case Greece misses its spending targets in 2018.

Dombrovskis also tweeted that debt relief for Greece -- a key demand of the IMF but opposed by powerful Germany -- would be discussed by officials who would report back to the ministers at their next meeting on May 24.

Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem separately told a press conference that the Greek parliament's approval of fresh reforms in a tense vote late Sunday "paves the way for successful completion of the first review" of last July's bailout.

Dijssselbloem said earlier that he hoped to reach a deal on debt relief at the May 24 meeting.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

By Anakhanum Idayatova - Trend:

The Victory Day is the brightest holiday of the year, Gennady Ahramovich, Belarusian ambassador to Azerbaijan, told reporters in Baku.

He made the remarks May 9 during the ceremony of laying a wreath at the Memorial of Military Glory in Baku.

Ahramovich said that 71 years ago ended the most difficult war in the history of humanity that touched all the peoples of the former Soviet Union.

This holiday is uniting all peoples of the former Soviet Union, he added.

"I wish the veterans, who gave us a bright future, happiness, health and long life," said Ahramovich.

The ambassador added that he would not like to see such terrible wars in the history of mankind anymore and wants all conflicts to be solved peacefully.

Edited by SI

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
BERLIN, May 9 (Reuters) - A batch of Greek economic reforms must be reviewed by euro zone finance ministers before any additional debt relief can be decided on, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday.

Seibert said there was a clear process for determining further steps, including a review of the programme of austerity measures, and that process was still under way.

Earlier, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel's called for euro zone ministers to begin talks on debt relief for Greece. A spokeswoman for the Economy Ministry said Gabriel was speaking in his capacity as leader of Germany's Social Democrats (SPD).

(Reporting by Berlin Newsroom; Editing by Paul Carrel)
From Harper's BAZAAR

Since 2007, Google search interest for the term "handmade" has more than doubled worldwide. (The term "machine made," meanwhile, has plummeted since its peak in 2004, according to Google Trends.) There is no doubt that the fashion industry, which frequently uses labels like "artisan" and "craftsmanship" to push products, has shifted its focus to more personalized, customized and individualized items-even at a time when Zara's growth continues to climb. (It's worth noting that the Spanish company now sells a select range of "handmade" items in store and online.) So what does it mean for a piece of clothing to be handmade, rather than machine made? And in an age of exacting 3D printing, computer modeling, laser cutting, and ultrasonic welding, is one really more valuable than the other?

Symbolic of exclusivity and individuality, handmade items have long been looked at with superiority, while machine made pieces are deemed inferior and dehumanizing. But proponents of the machine-Karl Lagerfeld being one of them-argue that technology in fashion is simply a sign of progress; that the value lies not in what (hand or machine) made the garment, but rather the thought process behind it.

"Perhaps it used to matter if a dress was handmade or machine made, at least in haute couture, but now things are completely different. The digital revolution has changed the world," Lagerfeld explains in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Spring 2016 exhibition, Manus x Machina. Open to the public on May 5, the exhibition, featuring 170 ensembles, looks at the relationship between, and this ongoing dichotomy of, the hand (manus) and the machine (machina) in fashion.

Indeed, all of the haute couture ensembles on display, like their ready-to-wear counterparts, were actually constructed by machine. It is only in their surface embellishments (embroidery, featherwork, and artificial flowers) that the hand comes into play.

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The exhibition's centerpiece, a Chanel wedding gown from the fall/winter 2014-2015 haute couture collection, exemplifies this push-and-pull of fashion and technology. Described as "haute couture without the couture," the machine sewn and hand finished synthetic scuba knit dress, which took 450 hours to complete, dares the viewer to deem its digitally manipulated and heat-pressed embroidered train "inferior".

"Perhaps it used to matter if a dress was handmade or machine made, at least in haute couture, but now things are completely different." - Karl Lagerfeld

"The traditional distinction between haute couture and ready-to-wear is the distinction between handmade and machine made," explains Andrew Bolton, head curator of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. "The exhibition questions this distinction, not least because haute couture and ready-to-wear are increasingly embracing the practices and techniques of the other, but it also questions the traditional values associated with the hand and the machine."

Bolton describes the hand and the machine as "mutual protagonists" solving design problems, enhancing design practices and ultimately, advancing the future of fashion. But convincing the average consumer, who oftimes conflates machine made with mass production, may be difficult. Designer Jonathon Simkhai, who fuses "manus" and "machina" techniques for augmented creativity and innovation, believes a garment that is hand sewn is assumed to be more expensive because customers associate handmade with labor and skill. "They understand the intricacy of the detailing, as well as the fact that they are buying a one-of-a-kind design, or one of which only a handful were produced," he says.

Still, Simkhai believes it is possible to "embrace the time we live in with regard to technology as a way to stay relevant and move fashion forward," while continuing to recognize and respect handmade artistry. "We develop custom artwork digitally in-house that is then used to create our fabrics and trims," he explains. "It still takes a designer with a certain specialized skill-set to know exactly how to place these designs onto the fabric and then be able to manipulate that fabric in order to achieve the desired result."

Julie Heller, owner of the appointment-only designer vintage store EraLuxe Gallery-frequented by Rihanna and filled with a curated collection of Alaia, Chanel, and Versace-believes that historically, more value has been placed on handmade clothing because of its meticulous construction. "Handmade pieces are more labor intensive, they are rare, you can see the detail inside the garment; these are all qualities that are still associated with added value," she says. Though Heller admits that the scope of what makes a garment valuable is "definitely changing" as technology advances, she believes that when it comes to resale value, it is unlikely something created digitally will surpass the price of a handmade item-mostly because of society's nostalgia for craftsmanship of the past. "People will always want old school pieces of manufacturing, the kind that need that touch and element of construction," she says.

It is this physical touch, and the emotional relationship we have with our clothes, that Hazel Clark, the research chair of fashion at Parsons, believes will see handmade fashion continue to hold more value over the machine made.

"There is a sense of a relationship with the person who has made the item; a direct contact with another human being. People like that sense of connection," explains Clark. "The hand gives a value added which has no monetary value. The value added is that connection with a maker. There is a fear of losing connection, through social media, the wider global scene, that means we are seeking connection in many walks of life-including in our clothes. That sense of the individual in the process is important."

But as Dutch designer Iris van Herpen notes in the Manus x Machina exhibition, some materials are simply better to cut with a machine than by hand. "Leather is one of them," she concludes.

One thing is clear, however: as the hand and the machine continue to work in tandem, whether in haute couture or ready-to-wear, we have no choice but to embrace a new paradigm of fashion, one that is more relevant to our age of technology. As Sarah Burton remarked, referring to a machine sewn and hand-embroidered Alexander McQueen dress from Spring 2009: "At [Alexander] McQueen there has always been a merging of couture and ready-to-wear practices. It's difficult to differentiate one from the other."
From Town & Country

In the continuing saga of Harvard's increasingly tenuous relationship with its final clubs and Greek organizations, the university announced today that beginning with the class of of 2021 all members of single-sex organizations will be banned from leadership roles on campus and will be ineligible for official recommendations for scholarships and fellowships.

In the announcement, University President Drew G. Faust outlined her decision by arguing that the clubs "encourage a form of self-segregation that undermines the promise offered by Harvard's diverse student body."

This policy, the Boston Globe reports, is the result of pressure from undergraduate Dean Rakesh Khurana and other college administrators to urge the clubs to accept women (two clubs, Fox and Spee, have so far). The administrators have argued that single-sex clubs, especially the all-male organizations, are linked to a higher risk of sexual assault.

Last month Charles M. Storey, a Porcellian member from the class of 1982, wrote a letter to the Crimson disagreeing with that assessment. And last week Porcellian members released a study that disputes the university's premise.

The new policy will apply to the university's eight all-male final clubs, six all-female final clubs, five fraternities, and four sororities.
The author of a new book on Robert Levinson, the former FBI agent who has been missing in Iran since 2007, says the U.S. government is covering up evidence about the role Iranian intelligence officials played in apprehending him and likely holding him captive for the past nine years.

Its impossible to believe that Bob Levinson vaporized into thin air on Kish Island, part of Iran, said Barry Meier, a New York Times reporter whose new book is Missing Man: The American Spy who Vanished in Iran, in an interview with Yahoo News.

He was arrested. The only people he could have been conceivably been arrested by were the Iranian security forces or the Iranian police. There is absolutely no question about it.

Yet when the Obama administration signed the nuclear accord with Iran last January, and released seven Iranians held on sanctions violations in the U.S. in exchange for five Americans being held hostage in Iran, Levinson was not on the list  and his family never even got a courtesy call, said Meier.

Secretary of State John Kerry said then that the Obama administration would continue to press for Levinsons release  and the FBI even recently set up a Facebook page in Farsi to solicit tips about Levinsons whereabouts. The Iranian government, for its part, has publicly denied knowing anything about what happened to Levinson.

But according to Meier, the Obama administration received evidence nearly five years ago  which it has never publicly disclosed  that the Iranian government held Levinsons fate in its hands: Irans ambassador in Paris then, Seyed Mehdi Miraboutalebi, told members of a religious group that his country would arrange to release Levinson if the U.S. would help squelch a forthcoming report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) critical of Irans nuclear program  an offer that was passed along to the FBI.

Yet the Obama administration never publicly revealed the apparent Iranian offer  and neither the State Department nor the FBI even informed Levinsons family.

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Its not just the State Department that hasnt shared what it knows, said Meier. Its been the FBI. I guess I would urge Secretary Kerry and other people in the OA [Obama administration], if they really do care about Bob Levinsons fate, its time to put out whatever information they have about he role that Iran played, or might have played, in this episode. 

Levinsons wife, Christine, who cooperated with Meier on the book, and his seven children are embittered, says the author. They feel  and I think they have reason to believe  that Bob was abandoned by his government, by the Obama administration, Meier said. There are people within the government, who have made a lot of noise about everything they have done  and will continue to do  to try and bring Bob Levinson home. But there is little concrete evidence that they have done the kinds of things that will actually make that happen.

A senior Obama administration official, asked for comment, sent this email: The United States is unwavering in its commitment to determine the whereabouts of retired FBI special agent Robert Levinson. We know that Bob disappeared from Kish Island, Iran in March 2007. We have been engaged in conversation with the Iranian government regarding his case and we expect this dialogue will continue.

Unfortunately, for the sake of the ongoing investigation, we cannot get into specifics regarding our discussion with Iran on his case. Based on the agreement reached between the United States and Iran to cooperate, we look forward to the Iranians fulfilling their commitment to continue to work together in locating Robert Levinson. The Levinson family has now endured the hardship of his disappearance for almost nine years. We will not cease our efforts until he is home in the United States.

After a lengthy career with the FBI, Levinson was a private investigator working for corporate and other clients when he went to Kish Island in Iran in 2007. The official U.S. government story at the time was that he was there on behalf of a major tobacco company to investigate cigarette smuggling. But Meier uncovered new details  including a trove of emails  about his real mission: to collect information for a group inside the CIA, called the Illicit Financing Group, by meeting with a notorious assassin, Dawud Salahuddin, an American wanted for murder of an Iranian diplomat in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1980. Salahuddin, born David Belfield, had fled the U.S. for Iran after the murder and was believed to have contacts inside the Iranian government. Levinson was hoping to recruit Salahuddin as an informant on corruption and sanctions violations by Iranian officials.

Yet for years the CIA never disclosed that it had dispatched Levinson to Iran, and even denied its role to Congress, according to Meiers book. The CIAs role was first reported by the Associated Press and Washington Post in 2013; three officials resigned over the matter.

And they [the CIA] still havent come clean on it, said Meier. Its one of the great tragedies of this story that the CIA has sought fit to keep everything about this episode wrapped up to protect people within the CIA. They pushed three people out; they got three people to resign. But we really dont know the full story.

The key question  one that Meier cant answer but fears the most  is whether Levinson is still alive. More than five years ago, whoever is holding him captive released a harrowing video of a gaunt Levinson warning about his ill health (he suffers from diabetes) and pleading for his life. Other photos also surfaced of Levinson wearing an orange jumpsuit like those worn by detainees at Guantanamo.

But since then, no word has been heard from him  and the Iranians still publicly insist they know nothing.

Is Levinson still alive? I would like him to be alive, said Meier. I hope hes alive. But, he added, Its very difficult to believe after five years that hes still alive.
When it comes to sex with a much bigger mate, one type of spider has the problem licked.

Males of the Madagascar spider species Darwin's bark spider (Caerostris darwini) address sex head-first, performing highly conscientious oral stimulation to the female's genitals, according to a new study.

And they don't skimp on it, either. The oral attention  which the researchers described as "obligatory," and which they observed before, during and after mating  could occur "up to 100 times" in a single encounter, they said in a statement. [Video: Spider Sex Is Freaky -- Oral, 'S&M' and Cannibalism]

"A rich sexual repertoire"

Mouth-on-genital stimulation is relatively rare in the animal kingdom, and is most commonly found in mammals. Fellatio has been observed in lions, hyenas, bats, lemurs, cheetahs and dolphins, to name a few, while cunnilingus is known in bonobos and fruit bats.

Before this study, oral stimulation was not unheard of in spiders  it also occurs in the Latrodectus genus, commonly known as widow spiders. But it has not been well documented, and this is the first detailed evidence of the activity, the scientists reported.

The Darwin's bark spider exhibited a "rich sexual repertoire," the scientists wrote. Males mating with older females would restrain them with silk bonds. They would also break off "genital plugs" and leave them behind in the female, to prevent them from mating with other males. [Weird and Wonderful: 9 Bizarre Spiders]

And invariably, the male spiders would lubricate females' genitals with saliva  essentially drooling on their mate's naughty bits.

This kind of sexual activity isn't recreational. It's an essential reproductive technique, typically driven by sexual dimorphism  significant physical differences between the sexes.

Size matters

"Sexual dimorphism  especially size dimorphism in general  is linked to bizarre sexual behaviors," Matjaz Gregori?, the study's lead author, told Live Science in an email.

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And the Darwin's bark spider certainly qualifies as sexually dimorphic. Males typically measure about a quarter of an inch (6 millimeters) in body length, while females can be about four times their size, with a body length of about 1 inch (20 millimeters). In the study, the researchers described their spider females as 14 times heavier than the males on average, and about 2.3 times larger.

Gregori?, an evolutionary biologist with the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, explained that unusual sexual behaviors link directly to conflict between the sexes brought about by dramatic size differences.

"Usually, the small and numerous males evolve mechanisms to monopolize females," Gregori? said. These can include guarding females, binding them, using oral sexual contact, even breaking off bits of their own bodies and using them as plugs, to keep other males from penetrating their mate.

Meanwhile, females evolve counter-adaptations to keep the males in check  like eating them. Sexual cannibalism, Gregori? said, is a female mechanism used to control the duration of sex, or to choose among males, which are usually much more numerous than females in sexually dimorphic species.

Prove it all night

But even among unusual mating behaviors, oral stimulation is extremely rare  especially in spiders  and Gregori? and his colleagues considered several possible explanations.

Could they be using oral sex to keep from being eaten? Probably not, the researchers determined. In their observations, they noted that males performed oral stimulation on all females regardless of how aggressive they were. They even orally stimulated females that had recently molted, and were incapable of attacking them.

What was more likely, they concluded, was that oral sexual contact served as a means for the male to signal his fitness as a potential mate. There could also be enzymes in the spider's saliva that benefitted sperm transmission, and potentially impeded the success of sperm deposited by other males.

Further tests would be needed to know for sure what reproductive purpose the prolonged oral stimulation serves. In any case, the female spiders don't appear to be objecting to the attention in the slightest.

The findings were published online April 29 in the journal Scientific Reports.

Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A couple who spotted an out-of-control bus were stunned to discover a 12-year-old boy behind the wheel.

The child, who has not been named, is believed to have stolen the bus from a depot in Bangor, Maine before taking it on a joyride on Thursday.

Read: Woman Pulls Over Cop Speeding: 'Nobody is Above the Law'

John St. Germain told INSIDE EDITION that he was inside a car with his colleague when they saw the bus driving erratically. When the driver started smashing into signs, the couple called police and started recording.

It was quite shocking, St. Germain told IE. I was nervous and scared at the same time.

But the couple was even more shocked when they realized who was driving. Its a f***ing kid! he's heard saying in the video.

After arguing over what to do, the couple beeped their horn and the youngster eventually pulled over. St. Germain then boarded the bus.

I stood there for a minute. He didnt even notice me, he told IE. Then he said, I know what I am doing.'"

But St. Germain grabbed the wheel and put his foot on the brake. Much to St. Germains shock, the boy casually sauntered down the road like nothing happened, he said.

He followed the boy until the police caught up with them. The child was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and driving without a license.

Read: Teen Screams 'My Car Won't Stop!' in 911 Call When Gas Pedal Breaks

It turns out that St. Germain doesnt have a license either  and he feared that hed be in trouble for driving the bus. But the police thanked him before giving him a Bangor Police Department Challenge coin for his help.

The department then shared the couple's video to Facebook, where is has been liked more than 5,000 times.

Watch: 11-Year-Old Arrested After Taking Cement Truck on a Joyride

Related Articles:
From Road & Track

Ever since the debut of the Toyota 86-well, Scion FR-S for the U.S. at the time-enthusiasts have been hoping Toyota would release another variant. Maybe a turbo version? Or a convertible? Those would both be great, but looking at this Toyota 86 shooting brake concept, we have to say, Toyota should absolutely build this.

It's been created as a one-off concept by Toyota Australia, but this shooting brake isn't some rolling shell. It's a real car that could be put into production if the company decided it wanted to. Now we just have to figure out a way to make Toyota want to.

"The Shooting Brake concept is a classy option for active couples or a second car for families who want something different. Equally suited to weekends away as well as the track, it's a car you could buy with your head and your heart," says Brad Cramb, Toyota Australia's divisional marketing manager.

Exactly. The 86 is already a blast to drive, but in shooting-brake form, it adds a dose of practicality that would make it a justifiable option to even more buyers. Heck, even Toyota Japan is a big fan of the concept.

"I was totally surprised and liked it so much that I arranged for my expert takumi craftsmen to hand-build the Shooting Brake concept, based on the Australian design," says the 86's Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada.

It's also apparently still a great driver's car.

"It is a fully functioning, driveable vehicle that has been put through its paces on Toyota test tracks. The [86's] nicely weighted and direct steering ensures the car retains the coupe's involving driving experience with a slightly more neutral feel in tight corners," says Tada

With Toyota 86 sales in a slump, a shooting brake could be the shot in the arm it needs. Get on it, Toyota!
Allison Williams is just one of those Girls that gives back.



For years, the actress has had a passion for eliminating the education gap thanks to Horizons National, a program launched in her hometown school.



She's now an official ambassador for the nonprofit, but Williams has been connected to the group since she was in grade school in Connecticut.



"It was started at the elementary school that my mom and I went to called New Canaan Country School," says Williams, 28. "It was started in 1965 because the principal at the time realized that the campus was just lying dormant during the summer, so why not fill it with kids who could use a little extra preoccupation during the summer, who maybe come from under-served families or ESL families to give some extra stimulus?"







Since launching in 1965, Horizons National has grown to serve 51 communities in 17 states, offering summer school to combat the "summer slide" and aid kids from low-income and other under-served backgrounds via a six-week program.



"I sort of look at it as the hacking generation's guide to giving because it's very logical: It takes preexisting resources, like a school, and a donor base that's wealthy enough to support a program that is also close enough to low-income families or under-served areas that would comprise the student body," says Williams.



From swimming lessons and refresher courses in various studies to providing meaningful mentors, Horizons National is working to provide equal education across the country.



"I was talking to kids in the program and how they feel about Horizons generally, and they were both like, 'We dread going back to school because the kids there aren't motivated learners.' They used that phrase! These are second graders!" says Williams of a recent eye-opening experience talking to beneficiaries of the program.



"I'd never looked at my classroom's analytically like this, but when you see such a stark difference a Our public education system in so many places is just failing these kids, and once they're exposed to what education can be  that it can be engaging and fun, completely outside the realm of learning  they go back to their other schools and realize the inequity of it."





Story continues





In addition to bonding with some youth as part of Horizons' buddy system in the past, the Girls star is now using her celebrity to advance the effort.



Most recently, that means: Through May 12, Williams is running a 10 Days of Giving campaign on her social media accounts ( Allison Williams on Facebook and @aw on Instagram) to raise money for Horizons. She's partnered with various businesses and friends  from Jennifer Meyer jewelry and Keds to Apple  to give away some serious swag, all in the name of charity.



"I'm gonna post a product that I love, and we worked with each of these companies to donate their product to us. So I'm gonna say: If you donate $50, you get a pair of Keds, and we have 200 pairs, so the first 200 people who reach out to us get the Keds. And every day there's different products," says Williams, who sends handwritten notes to everyone who participates and donates.



And this isn't the first time Williams has raised awareness and money for the organization using social media: She ran a similar initiative last year, but only for one day.



"I got so much out of it last year, even though my hand basically broke  it's literally not been the same since, I went to do a doctor, after I wrote hundreds of page-long notes, and it gets you after a while," she says.









But the impact she felt she was making continues to drive her.



"Being able to look up someone's address and say, 'Okay, you are 15 miles away from a Horizons program, and the program starts and ends on these dates, and you should go visit, and if you say that you are interested in how it works, they will show you around.' Or, 'Oh, you're from Houston. We don't have a program in Houston; we absolutely should. Please let us know if there's a facility you think could host us. You'd be a hero to so many kids,'" says Williams.



"Selfishly, it allows me to be in really intimate communication to people who have already shown a vested interest in our organization and endeavor."



The actress is so invested in the effort herself that she actually asked for donations to Horizons in lieu of wedding gifts when she married Ricky Van Veen in a star-studded September ceremony, attended by A-list pals like Katy Perry and John Mayer



The results? An entirely new Horizons location.



"For our wedding, we didn't do a registry, we just asked for donations to Horizons, and most people don't donate when they see that, they think, 'Phew, I donat have to give a present!' Because they think the bride and groom are never gonna see it," says Williams.





9.19.15 Dress by @oscarprgirl Photo by @christianothstudio A photo posted by Allison Williams (@aw) on Sep 20, 2015 at 12:05am PDT





"But we wrote it in such a way that was clear that we were gonna see it as the donations came in  as a nudge, like, 'We will know who you are if you don't do it.' And we raised enough money to open up a whole new program in Austin, Texas, which is starting this summer  which is crazy! The mere act of us getting married meant we could open up a whole new Horizons."



As driven as ever, Williams says: "My hope is we'll figure out a way how to teach our children equally, as it should be everywhere."
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

By Anakhanum Hidayatova - Trend:

The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict requires certain efforts of the entire international community, Gennady Ahramovich, Belarusian ambassador, told reporters in Baku May 9.

"I understand the pain of Azerbaijani people," the diplomat said.

The ambassador expressed hope that the conflict will be resolved in the future by using all international mechanisms.

"As a country having close relations with Azerbaijan, Belarus as a strategic partner wants speedy and peaceful settlement of the conflict," the diplomat said. "Belarusians know about war and we do not want any nation to experience it."

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 the author on Twitter: @Anahanum
This 200ft oil tanker has been found washed ashore on a beach in Liberia, west Africa  but its crew is nowhere to be seen.

The abandoned Tamaya 1, which is registered in Panama, was found near Robertsport, by the border with Sierra Leone, last week.

Speculation is rife as to where those who were on board the ship are  particularly given the regions notoriety for piracy.

According to Marine Traffic, the vessels last known position was just south of Dakar, Senegal, on April 22.

However, details of the vessels 600-mile journey south since then are completely unknown.

Locally, speculation is rife as to what happened. Although piracy is not unlikely, the number of incidents involving oil tankers has fallen dramatically in years years.

Robertsport, Liberia (Erik Cleves Kristensen/Flickr)

In fact, a source at nations port authority told the Liberian Daily Observer that it may be down to the tankers owner going bankrupt.



They said: Our best bet is that the vessels owner might have gone broke and had no money to pay crew members. And therefore, the crew abandoned the ship.

The 992 gross tonne tanker, built in 1980, has spent several days on the beach, and has reportedly been looted  after authorities were apparently to act.

(Credit: Preston Veteran Gaylor/Facebook)
REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - Iceland's longest serving president will not run for a sixth term in June, the president's office said on Monday, reversing a decision after being caught up in political upheaval caused by the Panama Papers scandal, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has been president since 1996. He had received criticism after his wife's family was linked to holdings in tax havens made public in the Panama papers. He has denied any wrongdoing. Grimsson has exerted his right to demand popular votes on key issues, introducing political power to an office that had traditionally been seen as largely ceremonial. His decision comes after Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson decided to step down in April when leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm showed his wife owned an offshore company that held debt from failed Icelandic banks. As president, Grimsson demanded referendums on deals made by the government to pay Britain and the Netherlands for their bailouts of customers of private Icelandic banks. In both cases, voters rejected the deals. Grimsson originally said he would not seek reelection but then surprised commentators in April with a decision to run in the wake of the resignation of Gunnlaugsson, saying the country needed stability. (Reporting by Stockholm newsroom; Editing by Alistair Scrutton)
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists publishes today a searchable database that strips away the secrecy of nearly 214,000 offshore entities created in 21 jurisdictions, from Nevada to Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands.

The data, part of the Panama Papers investigation, is the largest ever release of information about offshore companies and the people behind them. This includes, when available, the names of the real owners of those opaque structures.

The database also displays information about more than 100,000 additional offshore entities ICIJ had already disclosed in its 2013 Offshore Leaks investigation.

ICIJ is publishing the information in the public interest.

The new data that ICIJ is now making public represents a fraction of the Panama Papers, a trove of more than 11.5 million leaked files from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, one of the worlds top creators of hard-to-trace companies, trusts and foundations.

ICIJ is not publishing the totality of the leak, and it is not disclosing raw documents or personal information en masse. The database contains a great deal of information about company owners, proxies and intermediaries in secrecy jurisdictions, but it doesnt disclose bank accounts, email exchanges and financial transactions contained in the documents.

In all, the interactive application reveals more than 360,000 names of people and companies behind secret offshore structures. As the data are from leaked sources and not a standardized registry, there may be some duplication of names.

This story is part of The Panama Papers. Click here to read more stories in this series.

Don't miss another Accountability investigation: Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email.

The data was originally obtained from an anonymous source by reporters at the German newspaper Sueddeustche Zeitung, who asked ICIJ to organize a global reporting collaboration to analyze the files.

Story continues

More than 370 reporters in nearly 80 countries probed the files for a year. Their investigations uncovered the secret offshore holdings of 12 world leaders, more than 128 other politicians and scores of fraudsters, drug traffickers and other criminals whose companies had been blacklisted in the US and elsewhere.

Their status as outlaws or public officials didnt prevent them from obtaining shell companies in locales where secrecy laws often make it impossible for prosecutors and other investigators to trace their assets.

The files revealed, for example, that associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin secretly shuffled as much as $2 billion through banks and shadow companies.

The reaction to the Panama Papers was immediate and viral.

Outraged citizens took to the streets in Reykjavik, Malta and London while the hashtag #panamapapers trended on Twitter for days after the story broke on April 3. The prime minister of Iceland resigned over the British Virgin Islands company he co-owned with his wife, while other world leaders scrambled to explain their secret holdings. It took UKs Prime Minister David Cameron three days to publicly acknowledge he had profited from an investment fund, created by his father, that was incorporated in Panama and managed in the Bahamas. In Spain a minister resigned after being caught in a series of lies about his connections to offshore, and in Uruguay police arrested five individuals suspected of laundering money for a powerful Mexican drug cartel.

The Panama Papers underscore the fundamental injustices and inequalities created by the offshore system, media commentators and political leaders say.

When taxes are evaded, when state assets are taken and put into these havens, all of these things can have a tremendous negative effect on our mission to end poverty and boost prosperity, Jim Yong Kim, the president of the World Bank, said as he opened the spring meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington soon after ICIJ and more than 100 other news organizations began revealing the results of the media collaborations investigation.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, pointed out that the biggest problem was that many of the schemes revealed by the Panama Papers were legal. Its not that theyre breaking the laws, its that the laws are so poorly designed, he said.

The revelations reignited the debate about the need for public registries in which information about who ultimately controls a company be accessible to all. The UK has made disclosure of beneficial owner data mandatory and public, but British overseas territories such the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands, some the busiest offshore havens, have agreed to share that information only when it is requested by law enforcement.

Citing the Panama Papers, the US government also announced Thursday that it has sent legislation to Congress to create a centralized federal registry of the actual owners of any newly created company. The registry would help law enforcement authorities ferret out the real people behind anonymous companies used in money laundering and other wrongdoing.

The governments of Australia and Germany have said that they too intend to create public registries of company owners.

On Friday, the anonymous leaker of the Panama Papers, known only as John Doe, spoke publicly for the first time in a written statement and called out for concrete steps to combat tax havens. In the European Union, every member states corporate register should be freely accessible, with detailed data plainly available on ultimate beneficial owners, the source wrote. Doe added that the US can clearly no longer trust its fifty states to make sound decisions about their own corporate data.

The searchable database that ICIJ publishes today allows users to explore the networks of companies and people that used  and sometimes abused  the secrecy of offshore locales with the help of Mossack Fonseca and other intermediaries. The leaked data covers nearly 40 years, from 1977 through the end of 2015.

The data, which includes postal addresses, displays links to more than 200 countries and territories, from China to Chile. Users can filter the information by country and by offshore jurisdiction. They can also explore the role of banks, law firms and other gatekeepers of the financial system in facilitating the creation of offshore companies for high net worth individuals. For the first time, they can see details about shadowy Panamanian private foundations, including when available information about who controls them.

While the interactive application opens up a world that has never been shown in this much detail, not every owner of a company that appears in the Panama Papers shows up in the public database. This is because ownership information is often buried in emails, power-of-attorney letters and internal notes of Mossack Fonseca employees and cannot easily be extracted in a systematic manner. In addition, Mossack Fonseca often failed to collect the necessary information about the ultimate owners of companies, relying instead on banks and other intermediaries to keep track of that essential data.

Still, it is expected that Panama Papers revelations will continue to surface as regulators and ordinary citizens from around the globe probe the newly available data and find new connections that may have escaped reporters. Concerned citizens are encouraged to share tips with ICIJ and the Panama Papers journalists who continue to investigate the documents. The full dataset is also available for download.

Transparency is not going to move backward, Kim said in his World Bank spring meetings remarks, warning that those trying to avoid taxes or steal money from public treasuries should be very careful because they will eventually be tracked down. The world is only going to become more and more transparent as we move forward.

This story is part of The Panama Papers. Click here to read more stories in this series.

Related stories

Copyright 2016 The Center for Public Integrity. This story was published by The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan investigative news organization in Washington, D.C.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced on Monday to produce his college degrees, days after bitter political rivals accused him of lying about graduating from university.

At a press conference in the capital, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and ruling party chief Amit Shah released copies of Modi's Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees and accused the opposition of running a smear campaign.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Shah demanded Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal apologise for "spreading lies" about the prime minister, as a political row over the degrees intensified.

"If you (Kejriwal) did not have any proof how did you make such an allegation? You have tried to spread lies. You must apologise publicly to the nation," Shah told a televised press conference.

"It's unfortunate that we have to hold such a press conference at all," Shah added.

Jaitley, Modi's top lieutenant, accused Kejriwal of attempting to mislead voters instead of getting on with the job of governing the Indian capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, a bitter Modi rival, last week accused the premier of lying about graduating from Delhi University with a BA and obtaining a Masters in Political Science from Gujarat University.

The AAP refused to back down on Monday, with leader Ashutosh, who uses one name, insisting there were "glaring discrepancies" in the released certificates, including different spellings of Modi's name.

Social media lit up on Monday over the controversy, with many users in India sympathetic to Modi, and with #kejriwalsaysorry trending on Twitter.

Modi, who came from humble beginnings and sold tea at a railway station as a boy, stormed to power in 2014, when the BJP won the biggest majority in three decades.

The Congress party, which suffered a drubbing at the general election, has also weighed into the controversy, claiming Modi should "come clean" on the issue.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has approved the extradition to the United States of two men indicted in New York on multiple counts of securities fraud that carry lengthy jail terms, Israel's Justice Ministry said. Gery Shalon, 32, and Ziv Orenstein, 41, were arrested at their homes in Israel last July after U.S. authorities accused them of engaging in a stock manipulation scheme between 2011 and 2015. Jerusalem District Court agreed on Sunday to an extradition request by New York Southern District Court. In a statement on Monday, Israel's Justice Ministry gave no date for the extradition of Shalon and Orenstein, but said the two men had consented to it. Lawyers for the two did not immediately return calls for comment. According to a U.S. indictment filed last year, Shalon, Orenstein and a third suspect, Joshua Samuel Aaron, had worked with two unnamed stock promoters, one from New Jersey and one from Florida, to run a "pump-and-dump" scheme. The defendants would acquire shares in thinly traded companies, send millions of spam emails inducing investors to buy the stocks in order to drive up the price, and then sell off their holdings. U.S. authorities last year said Aaron, a U.S. citizen with residences in Moscow and Tel Aviv, was at large. His circumstances were not immediately clear on Monday. According to Israel's Justice Ministry, an amended U.S. indictment in March added counts such as computer hacking and online gambling to the original charges filed against Shalon and Orenstein. Prosecutors in the United States contend that Shalon, Orenstein and Aaron ran a criminal enterprise that hacked into a dozen companies' networks, stealing the personal information of more than 100 million people. In the case of one of those companies, JPMorgan, prosecutors said records belonging to 83 million customers were stolen. At the time of Shalon's and Orenstein's arrest, Israeli officials neither confirmed nor denied any link to the JPMorgan case, and it was not mentioned in the Justice Ministry statement. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Dominic Evans)
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

Trend:

Azerbaijani manat will keep a stable exchange rate until the end of 2016, Elman Rustamov, chairman of Azerbaijan's Central Bank (CBA), told reporters May 9 in Baku.

Rustamov added that manat's exchange rate is determined in accordance with market demand.

He noted that recently, the CBA bought about $85 million for the manat rate's stabilization.

"Manat is still in search of stability against the background of the floating exchange rate," said the CBA head.

As for the forecasts, Rustamov noted that they depend on internal and external factors and oil prices.

He also said that the current situation allows saying that no major changes regarding the national currency are expected until the end of 2016.

"Oil prices and the overall economic situation in the country allow to say that," he noted.

Regarding the growth of the country's foreign exchange reserves [against the background of rising oil prices], the CBA head said that this is related to the oil fund revenues, but not with the rising oil prices.

"Our foreign exchange reserves have increased since the beginning of the year and as of today it is $4.2 billion," said Rustamov.

He added that foreign exchange revenues were obtained both from the management and the market.

The official exchange rate of the Azerbaijani manat against the US dollar was set at 1.5094 manats for May 10.

Manat's rate against the US dollar has strengthened by 0.04 percent as compared to May 6.
Land owned by a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem has been confiscated by the Israeli government and reallocated to a Zionist settlement non-government organization, an investigation by local news outlet Haaretz discovered.

The NGO, Amana, is in the process of building its headquarters on land that belongs to the Abu Ta'ah family. "Documents submitted for an administrative petition against the land transfer reveals that the state used strenuous bureaucratic acrobatics to deliver land that didn't belong to it," Haaretz reported.

Maps were redrawn, crucial documents were concealed and the Abu Ta'ah family was never even informed their land was going to be seized. When the family finally realized their property was being expropriated  after Amana started cordoning off portions of their land with fences   they petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to no avail. They have appealed and the case has now advanced to the Supreme Court.

Read more: Bernie Sanders Is the First Presidential Candidate to Show Sympathy for Palestinians

Israeli and Palestinian activists advocating for peace protest the wall and occupation on May 6.

One of Amana's key leaders, Ze'ev Hever, has previously been convicted of terrorism and helped spearhead the NGO's illegal acquisition of Palestinian land for settlements.

"This presence is a guiding force in protecting the conditions necessary for a Jewish State," Amana says of its organization on its website. "Amana is the only movement of its kind in Jerusalem."

But a 2014 police investigation discovered that Amana subsidiary Al-Watan forged documents in order to illegally build a settlement on privately owned Palestinian land. Another investigation revealed that 14 of 15 times Al-Watan purported to have purchased land from a Palestinian were fraudulent, involving bribed straw men and the use of a dead Palestinian's identity.

Pisgat Ze'ev, an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem, is seen behind the wall separating Israel from Palestinian occupied territories.

"We knew all my life that we had this land," Mohammed Abu Ta'ah told Haaretz. "When my mother was supposed to receive her National Insurance Institute stipend, they told her she would not receive it because we have land."

Story continues

"They are not the owners and I am," he added. "There's no justice."

The family is being represented by Steven Berman, a lawyer who ironically spent many years defending Jerusalem against property disputes with Palestinians. "When the Abu Ta'ah family came to me and told me they had received a letter ordering them to evacuate this plot, it seemed illogical to me," Berman said in an interview with Haaretz.

Wine bottles manufactured on a West Bank settlement

While the l technically allows for expropriation under some circumstances, many activists, governments and organizations argue the settlements are both unlawful and a violation of Palestinians' human rights.

"Israeli settlements in the West Bank violate the laws of occupation," Human Rights Watch wrote in January. "The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring its citizens into the territory it occupies and from transferring or displacing the population of an occupied territory within or outside the territory."

Settlements often include private industry, HRC explains, which has been able to benefit from cheap labor by hiring Palestinians with few economic a .

Source: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

The issue has captivated international headlines in the past. In 2014, Scarlett Johansson was pressured to end her eight-year association with charity Oxfam as ambassador after the actress was featured in a SodaStream campaign  the company is known for running one of its factories from a West Bank settlement. Oxfam, who has taken a public stand against settlements, felt Johansson's endorsement of the business was at odds with the goals of the charity.

The government's reported acquisition of Palestinian land using fraudulent documentation and practices adds yet another layer of complication to an already legally ambiguous and deeply contentious affair.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli authorities have approved the extradition to the United States of two nationals indicted over a cyber attack against JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest computer frauds in history.

Gery Shalon, 32, and 41-year-old Ziv Orenstein were arrested in Israel last July and will be extradited following a US request, the justice ministry said in a statement on Monday.

They risk lengthy prison sentences if convicted, it said, adding that both suspects had consented to the extradition.

It did not say when this would take place.

Shalon and Orenstein were among four people indicted in a massive hacking scheme by a "diversified criminal conglomerate" that compromised data from millions of customers of JPMorgan Chase and other firms, US officials said in November.

The bank revealed in 2014 that a hack had compromised data on 76 million household customers and seven million businesses, including their names, email addresses and telephone numbers -- the largest theft of data from a US financial institution.

The two Israelis and US citizen Joshua Samuel Aaron were charged with multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy and other charges related to the hack.

Around the same time Shalon and Orenstein were arrested in Israel, US officials detained Anthony Murgio, who was charged with operating an illegal money transfer service using the bitcoin virtual currency that helped launder the profits from the scheme.

Aaron, who is known to have ties to Russia, remains at large, according to officials in the United States.

The indictments include some 30 criminal charges carrying penalties of between five and 20 years each.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Monday to discuss logistics for deploying 450 troops near the front line with Islamic State to protect workers carrying out repairs to the Mosul dam. Pinotti met in Baghdad with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, according to a statement from his office. She later traveled to Erbil, the Kurdish regional capital 115 km (70 miles) east of Mosul dam, Italian defense forces said. Italy has about 750 soldiers in Iraq, mostly training Iraqi army and police in Baghdad and Erbil, but the new troops will be deployed not far from Islamic State-held Mosul, less than 20 km away from the dam, in a potential combat zone. The Iraqi government signed a $296-million contract in February with Italy's Trevi Group to make badly needed upgrades to the 3.6-km-long (2.2-mile) Mosul dam, which has suffered from structural flaws since it was built in the 1980s. A delegation from Trevi visited the dam in March to begin preparing a nearby site to host the engineers and soldiers, which a source said could take up to six months to complete. Islamist insurgents seized the dam in August 2014, leading to fears they might blow it up and unleash a wall of water on Mosul and Baghdad that could kill thousands of civilians. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters recaptured the dam two weeks later with the help of U.S. and Iraqi government forces. A U.S. government briefing paper released in late February said the 500,000 to 1.47 million Iraqis living in the highest-risk areas along the Tigris River "probably would not survive" the impact of a flood unless they were evacuated. Iraqi authorities have played down the threat, estimating only a one in 1,000 chance of failure. (Reporting By Stephen Kalin and Isla Binnie in Milan; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
MILAN (Reuters) - The chief executive of Italian defence group Leonardo (LDOF.MI), until recently known as Finmeccanica, said on Monday the company would invest 1 billion euros (1 billion pounds) over the next five years in its aeronautics sector.

"After five years of losses we returned to profit and we will invest where there is the greatest value added, and Turin is one of the places," CEO Mauro Moretti said.

The investment will be focused in the research and development departments of its three industrial sites close to northern city of Turin, part of the group's aeronautics and defence electronics units.

The group raised its 2016 forecasts for orders and cash flow on Thursday, helped by a multi-billion-euro Eurofighter contract.

($1 = 0.8780 euros)

(Reporting by Giulia Segreti, editing by Valentina Za)
american airlines thumb

An Italian University of Pennsylvania economics professor was pulled off of his American Airlines flight for questioning after a passenger grew concerned about "her seatmate's cryptic notes," The Washington Post's Catherine Rampell reported this weekend.

As it turned out, the economist, Guido Menzio, whom Rampell described as having "dark, curly hair, olive skin, and an exotic foreign accent," had been working on a math equation.

After an attempt at small talk, a 30-year-old female passenger, whom American Airlines has not identified for privacy reasons, alerted a crew member, and Menzio was taken off the plane for questioning.

Menzio showed his notes  a differential equation he had been working on for a speech he was traveling to give at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada  to the authorities and was allowed to reboard the plane and return to his seat.

Menzio was "treated respectfully throughout," he told Rampell, but was frustrated that such an incident could happen.

He also believes that a xenophobic undercurrent in American politics contributed, later adding, "It is hard not to recognize in this incident, the ethos of [Donald] Trump's voting base."

The female passenger never returned to her seat.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages passengers to remain aware of their surroundings and inform airport personnel of behavior they see as suspicious with its "If you see something, say something" mantra.

Menzio is a well-regarded economist who last year won the Carlo Alberto Medal, an award given to the best Italian economist under 40. He is a tenured associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

"Whenever there are conflicts between passengers we try to work with them peacefully to resolve it," Casey Norton, a spokesman for American Airlines, told Rampell.

The incident calls to memory a similar situation aboard a Southwest Airlines flight in which a University of California at Berkley student was removed from his flight for speaking Arabic.

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(Reuters) - The Japanese government on Monday notified automakers to recall an additional 7 million vehicles with faulty Takata air bags that have been sold in Japan, the Nikkei reported on Monday, citing sources.

If all companies comply with the notice, faulty air bag-related recalls in Japan are expected to reach nearly 20 million vehicles, with the global total touching 120 million vehicles, Nikkei said.

Separately, the Nikkei also reported that Mitsubishi Motors Corp (7211.T) and Nissan Motor Co Ltd plan to compensate customers for costs incurred from fuel efficiency-related issues, with Mitsubishi paying Nissan's portion of the expenses.

(Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
By Minami Funakoshi TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese court found on Monday an artist not guilty of obscenity for displaying figurines modeled on her vagina, signaling a step towards freedom of expression, although the court fined her for distributing digital data of her genitals. The Tokyo court dismissed prosecutors' charge that Megumi Igarashi, who works under the name "Rokudenashiko" or "good-for-nothing girl", had displayed obscene objects, saying her figurines - decorated with fake fur and glitter - could be considered "pop art". "This verdict is extremely rare, said Takashi Yamaguchi, one of her lawyers, adding that it had "high historic value". Igarashi said she was "20-percent happy" that the court acknowledged her figurines as art, but stressed she was "completely innocent". The court found Igarashi guilty for distributing digital data of indecent material and fined her 400,000 yen ($3,700). Prosecutors had sought a fine of more than $7,400. "I am of course indignant. I will appeal and continue to fight in court," she told a news conference, where she displayed several pink vagina figurines that prosecutors had argued were obscene. Igarashi was arrested and briefly jailed in 2014 after building a kayak and making figurines modeled on her vagina, and sending 3D printer data of her scanned genitalia, used to make the boat, to a number of donors who helped fund the project. Igarashi's arrest and detention triggered a debate about women's rights and artistic freedom in Japan. More than 1,000 people tweeted about the verdict soon after it was announced, many of them expressing anger and questioning the court's logic. "What? How about products resembling male or female genitalia displayed at adult sex shops? Are they permissible?" questioned one Twitter user in response to the verdict. Although Japan has an extensive pornography industry, it is regulated by a section of the criminal code that dates back to 1907. Video pornography in Japan has often used digital mosaics to obscure genitalia in sex scenes to avoid obscenity charges. While depictions of female genitalia remain largely taboo, representations of male genitalia are shown at shrines and at some festivals, where giant phalluses are paraded openly through the streets as symbols of fertility and sexual health. (Additional reporting by Teppei Kasai; Editing by Linda Sieg, Robert Birsel)
Jared Leto is no stranger to fully immersing himself in his characters  he lost 40 lbs for his Oscar-winning role in Dallas Buyers Club, gained 60 lbs to play John Lennons killer in Chapter 27 and gifted his Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) a live rat while shooting Suicide Squad, in which he plays the Joker. And as more details emerge about his preparation for his Joker role, it gets more interesting.

Leto recently spoke about how hes prepping for the role, giving audiences a glimpse on how he crafted and perfected his creepy take on the iconic Joker cackle, which has been featured prominently in trailers.

I worked on the laugh walking around the streets of New York and Toronto, and I kinda would walk around the streets and see what laughs would get under peoples skin, Leto told the hosts of CNBCs Squawk Box.

You know when you hear someone laugh at a restaurant? Its a little jarring. I tried them out. And I kind of got to a place where I would laugh and people are always turning around like, Who is this creepy guy behind me?' he added.

When co-star Jai Courtney, who plays Captain Boomerang, spoke to MTV about Letos role he said, I dont know how you measure that these days. I havent seen him, since we started working, out-of-character, lets put it that way.

The Joker will be unveiled when Suicide Squad hits theaters on Aug. 5.

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Watch: The Joker Joins the Fun in New 'Suicide Squad' Trailer
By Barbara Goldberg

NEW YORK (Reuters) - After a weeklong manhunt, an escapee from a prison unit of a New Jersey psychiatric hospital was taken into custody on Monday in the state's desolate Pine Barrens wilderness.

Arthur Buckel, 38, was under arrest in a forested area west of the Garden State Parkway near Lacey Township on the edge of the Pine Barrens, said New Jersey State Police and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office.

"They got him in the woods," said a spokesman for the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, which tweeted a photograph of Buckel with his wrists handcuffed behind him surrounded by uniformed law enforcement officers.

Buckel was two weeks away from parole when he disappeared on Tuesday from a minimum security unit at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Hammonton, about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Lacey Township. He was serving three years for aggravated assault, drug possession and burglary, after previously serving time for manslaughter in the killing of a 10-month-old baby.

The Pine Barrens, a sparsely populated coastal plain known for its scruffy pygmy pine trees, is located about 80 miles (129 km) south of New York City.

Featured on the HBO hit series "The Sopranos" and in the writings of Pulitzer Prize-winner John McPhee, the Pine Barrens has long been known as a refuge for fugitives and anyone looking to operate out of law enforcement's sights.

Buckel was apprehended hours after he failed to turn himself in to police as he had promised at the parkway's Forked River Rest Area on Sunday night. Family members had negotiated his surrender, but shortly before state police arrived, he walked off, Lacey Township police said in a statement.

Buckel, who appears clean shaven on security video from the rest stop, left on foot but it was not known whether he eventually entered a vehicle, police said.

On Monday morning, extra patrols were underway at school bus stops and during arrival times at nearby schools. The search for Buckel entailed a half dozen local municipalities, New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Department of Corrections, said state police Sergeant First Class Gregory Williams.

No further details were available. A corrections department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Ax; Editing by Frank McGurty and Alan Crosby)
Bobby Jindal speaks at the the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Forum in Des Moines in September. (Photo: Brian C. Frank/Reuters)



Bobby Jindal once called Donald Trump a shallow, unserious, substance-free, narcissistic egomaniac and a madman who must be stopped. Now the former Louisiana governor is endorsing him for president.

In an op-ed entitled Im voting Trump, warts and all, published by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Jindal argues that while Trump is by no means an ideal choice for commander in chief, hes better than the alternative  though not by much.

I think electing Donald Trump would be the second-worst thing we could do this November, better only than electing Hillary Clinton to serve as the third term for the Obama administrations radical policies, Jindal wrote in the op-ed. I am not pretending that Mr. Trump has suddenly become a conservative champion or even a reliable Republican: He is completely unpredictable. The problem is that Hillary is predictably liberal.

I do not pretend Donald Trump is the Reaganesque leader we so desperately need, but he is certainly the better of two bad choices, he continued. Hardly an inspiring slogan, I know. It would be better to vote for a candidate rather than simply against one. If current trends hold, I will be among the many complaining this fall about my choices.

But Jindal, who dropped his own bid for the Republican nomination in November, says the stakes for the GOP are simply too high not to back the brash billionaire.

I have no idea what Mr. Trump might do, Jindal continued, while Mrs. Clinton is predictable. Both are scary, the former less so.

Jindals endorsement of Trump, albeit tepid, stands in contrast to the feelings he expressed about the presumptive Republican nominee in an op-ed for CNN in September.

Like all narcissists, Trump is insecure, weak and afraid of being exposed, Jindal wrote. Thats why hes constantly telling us how big and rich and great he is, and how insignificant everyone else is.

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Like a kid in a superhero costume, Trump compares himself to Ronald Reagan, wearing the Gippers slogan on his forehead as if he just thought of it, Jindal continued. But whereas Reagan was a terrible entertainer and a great statesman, Trump is a great entertainer who would be a terrible statesman.

We face a choice, he continued. We can decide to win, or we can be the biggest fools in history and put our faith not in our principles, but in an egomaniac who has no principles.

Jindal warned that failure to speak out against Trump is an endorsement of Clinton, and that Trumps nomination would gift the White House to her.

He would self-destruct in a general election. In fact, he may be Clintons only hope, Jindal wrote. If you want to stick it to the man so badly that you are willing to see Clinton win, vote for Trump.

In his Wall Street Journal op-ed, Jindal wrote that he stands by all of his previous criticisms of Trump, but the stakes for the country are too great to elect Clinton.
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9



By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:



Iran test fired a ballistic missile two weeks ago, a senior Iranian commander said.



Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi said that the country's armed forces have test-fired a 2000-km range ballistic missile, and an error margin of eight meters, Fars news agency reported.



Iranian media sources have widely reported on the home-grown missiles exhibited or test-fired over the last Iranian calendar year, 1394 (ended March 20). Media reports suggested that Iran maintains dozens of short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles with one of the largest missile arsenals in the Middle East.



Although several Western and regional countries have expressed concerns over Iran's missile program, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly said that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.
On Sundays Last Week Tonight, John Oliver debunked scientific studies that make outrageous claims. Oliver pointed to an example of an all too familiar subject of studies: Coffee. In just the last few months, weve seen studies about coffee that claim it may reverse the effects of liver damage, help prevent colon cancer, decrease the risk of endometrial cancer, and increase the risk of miscarriage. Coffee today is like God in the Old Testament: It will either save you or kill you, depending on how much you believe in its magic powers.

These studies can have serious consequences. Oliver explained that they are rarely replicated or fact-checked, but that hasnt stopped news organizations from actively reporting on the studies as truth. The contradictory nature of these salacious studies can lead people to dismiss actual science that has been peer reviewed  like climate change.



Last Week Tonight airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on HBO.

Watch Hamilton star sing about Puerto Ricos plight on Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram  or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Cynthia LuCiette, on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.


Screen_shot_2016-05-09_at_2.35.53_pm

Johnny Depp will never be allowed to live down the bizarre video apology he made in April for illegally bringing his dogs into Australia. It's sweet he's trying to joke about it, though.

Depp and his wife Amber Heard faced trial on Australia's Gold Coast for smuggling their pooches, Pistol and Boo, into the country and breaking the nation's strict quarantine laws in the process.

SEE ALSO: Kim Kardashian stuns in Yeezy on the cover of Australian Vogue

The hostage video apology, featuring a sullen-faced Depp and Heard, was played to the court during their appearance. Heard was sentenced to a good behaviour bond of A$1,000, but the video from the pair provided excellent fodder for late-night talk shows and YouTube parodies.

Down but not out after his confusing brush with Australian law, Depp made light of the apology to a room full of reporters while promoting his new film, Alice Through The Looking Glass, in the UK on Sunday. "I'm going to do this everywhere I go. I would really like to apologise for not smuggling in my dogs into England, because it would've been a bad thing to do," Depp said.

"Because the Australians, though chipper and, you know," he continued, as the audience laughed.

Director Tim Burton, a producer on the new film, chimed in on the joke. "I forgot to tell you  they're dead, I just sat on them upstairs by accident," he said.

"I tried to kill them after Australia," Depp replied in jest.

As much as stern-faced Australian customs agents may have implored Depp and Heard to learn their lesson from the incident, it appears Depp is trying to show the world he couldn't care less. If you look really close though, you can still see the existential pain in his eyes.
LONDON (AP)  Actor Johnny Depp has mocked the video apology over the international dog smuggling scandal that ensued after he and his wife illegally brought their Yorkshire Terriers into Australia.

Depp and actor and his wife, Amber Heard, avoided jail time in the so-called war on terrier incident with their wooden apology for bringing Pistol and Boo into Australia

The actor, who was in London promoting the film Alice Through the Looking Glass, deadpanned that he would really like to apologize for not smuggling my dogs into England because it wouldve been a bad thing to do.

The dog debacle ended with a decidedly low-budget video in which Depp and Heard sit stone-faced in front of the camera, delivering stilted lines about the importance of protecting Australias biodiversity.
jon stewart

Jon Stewart broke his silence on the 2016 presidential race on Monday, holding little back when ripping into presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"I don't know if Donald Trump is eligible to be president," he told David Axelrod during a taping of his "The Axe Files" podcast at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics.

"And that's not a birther thing ... Look, I'm not a constitutional scholar, so I can't necessarily say, but are you eligible to run if you are a man-baby or a baby-man?" he continued. "I don't know, and again, I'm not here to be politically incorrect. He is a man-baby. He has the physical countenance of a man and has the temperament and hands of a baby. So to have that together, I mean, for God's sake."

Stewart referenced a famous 2013 Twitter war with Trump as evidence of the mogul being too thin-skinned for the presidency.

"We made fun of him. And I think we referred to him as a boiled ham in a wig, and so he tweeted at me. Because, as you know, great leaders tweet late at night, as I'm sure you remember Lincoln's Gettysburg tweetstorm," Stewart said.

Trump sent out this series of tweets aimed at the former 'Daily Show' host in 2013:

I promise you that I'm much smarter than Jonathan Leibowitz - I mean Jon Stewart @TheDailyShow. Who, by the way, is totally overrated.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 24, 2013

If Jon Stewart is so above it all & legit, why did he change his name from Jonathan Leibowitz? He should be proud of his heritage!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2013

Jon Stewart @TheDailyShow is a total phony he should cherish his pastnot run from it.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2013

Stewart said that he responded by asking Trump why he didn't go by his given name of "F---face Von Clownstick," which sparked one of Trump's most engaged tweets:

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Amazing how the haters & losers keep tweeting the name F**kface Von Clownstick like they are so original & like no one else is doing it...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2013

The battle served as proof that Trump doesn't have what it takes to be president, he said.

"We got into this huge fight," Stewart recalled. "I don't know that a man-baby can be president. Character is destiny, and he is the most thin-skinned individual."

Watch the exchange below at the 7:45 mark:

NOW WATCH: The real story behind Trump's taco bowl tweet





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Jon Stewart no longer has The Daily Show as a platform to rip politicians, but he still found time to say what he thinks about Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.

At the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, Stewart told David Axelrod he wasnt sure if Trump was even eligible for the presidential nomination, Politico reports. Im not a constitutional scholar, so I cant necessarily say, but are you eligible to run if you are a man-baby, or a baby-man? he asked, adding, He has the physical countenance of a man and a babys temperament and hands.

Stewart went on to describe Trump as an unrepentant narcissistic ahole and raised the question of the time period Trump is harkening back to when he says he wants to Make America Great Again. When was America great? What is this time that he speaks of? 81 to 82?

Stewart also had choice words for Hillary Clinton, calling her a very bright woman without the courage of her convictions because Im not even sure what they are.

[Politico]
Sumner Redstone

A judge has thrown out a lawsuit brought against Sumner Redstone by his ex-girlfriend, CNBC reports.

The lawsuit, brought by Manuela Herzer, challenged the mental competency of the media mogul, who's an owner and chairman emeritus of both Viacom and CBS.

The judge suggested he was leaning toward approving Redstone's lawyers' motion to dismiss the lawsuit last week, The New York Times reported.

The judge was reportedly strongly influenced by a profanity-laden video of Redstone played in the courtroom, in which he refuted Herzer's claims.

The lawsuit would've put Herzer in control of Redstone's health care decisions, after she was removed from a directive to do so. Redstone claims Herzer stole money from him.

"I want Manuela out of my life," Redstone said in the video statement.

NOW WATCH: Back in 2014, dancer Misty Copeland told us a story about working with Prince





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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may have been getting lonely living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for the past four years, but now he has something to keep him company: a new kitten.

The cat, which has yet to be named, was a gift from Assanges children, ITV reports. But according to its new Twitter handle, it takes after its owner: the cats bio says it is interested in counterpurr-veillance.

Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy since being granted diplomatic asylum by the country in 2012. Sweden has attempted to extradite him for questioning in a sexual assault investigation, which Assange believes could lead to his transfer to U.S. custody for his role in leaking classified documents on Wikileaks.

In February, a United Nations group found that Sweden and the U.K. are violating Assanges rights. Assanges lawyers have applied to Sweden to enforce the UNs findings.

At least now he has a feline friend to help him wait.
Parents of tiny hypebeasts can rejoice because Kanye West is now making his wildly popular Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 sneakers for the kid set.

On Sunday nights episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian West confirmed that baby Yeezys are definitely in the works. The reality television celebutante announced that the sneakers will be arriving late this summer in one of the shows scenes with her sisters.

Baby Yeezys are going to be launched in August, Kardashian West said. The black ones and the original blue-and-cream mix. She also mentioned that the sneaker might be released in pink as well.

This isnt the first time that baby Yeezys have made an appearance; Kardashian West posted an Instagram of pairs of tiny custom Yeezys last year that were made exclusively for her daughter North West, the only official pairs made for kids at that time.

She later posted a Snapchat of son Saint West wearing a pair of Yeezy Boosts on Easter Sunday.

If these baby Yeezys are anything like their grownup predecessors, theres no doubt that theyll be selling out, even at a steep price point  Sneaker News reported that the baby Boosts will be retailing for about $120 a pop. So if youre looking to cop a pair of Yeezys for your little one, you might want to start saving now.
The life of a reality star is predictably non-stop. Whether youre brunette one day and blonde the next, landing a major magazine cover or being serenaded for Mothers Day, all before jetting off to a new city, when youre a part of the Kardashian-Jenner crew its all just another average day, and this weekend was no exception to that rule.

Kim Kardashian blonde photoshoot

Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner both opted for brief mane updates on Saturday, going blonde for a millisecond before switching back to their standard brown. In Kims case it appears to be faux, or at least a color meant only to last one night, going platinum for a top secret nighttime photo shoot. Kylie, on the other hand, changes her hair about as regularly as she changes her outfit, so seeing the teen go back to dirty blonde feels more like a return to form than a surprising reveal.

A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on May 8, 2016 at 6:32pm PDT

RELATED VIDEO: Is Princess Sophia Stealing Kim Kardashians Look?



RELATED PHOTOS: 8 Times Kylie Jenner & Kim Kardashian Looked Exactly Alike

A video posted by Kim Kardashian Snapchats (@kimmysnapchats) on May 8, 2016 at 8:14am PDT

As we said, blonde was just a quick pit-stop for Kim, who was already brunette again just in time for Mothers Day with her hair pulled back into protective cornrow plaits, as she and her daughter North were serenaded by a string orchestra hired by her husband Kanye just for the occasion.

@VogueAustralia June Cover wearing Yeezy A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on May 7, 2016 at 10:16pm PDT

But the Mothers Day surprises didnt end there: Kim also debuted her newest magazine cover for Vogue Australia wearing Yeezy Season 3, marking the first time her husbands designs have been featured on the cover of a major fashion magazine.

Now off again after the best Mothers Day. Thank you @letsjetsmarter for being so amazing! LA-Chicago-NY-Miami-Vegas A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on May 8, 2016 at 6:56pm PDT

And, of course, no Kardashian holiday would be complete without jetting off in a private plane for a quick tour of America.

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Happy Mothers Day A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on May 8, 2016 at 1:17pm PDT

Meanwhile, the rest of Kims sisters celebrated the number one momager in their lives with a Kiss-inspired tour tee. We think we might have a great idea for what merch Kanye can sell at his next TLOP pop-up store

What do you think of the Kardashians big weekend? Would you go blonde for a day or buy a Kris tee? Sound off below!

Emily Kirkpatrick


Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9

By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:

More than 100 Iranian lawmakers have urged President Hassan Rouhani to set a deadline for halting the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The lawmakers have called for reviewing Iran's commitments regarding the JCPOA through a letter to Rouhani, IRNA news agency reported May 9.

The lawmakers have also called on the government to adopt reciprocal measures in proportion to a possible move by the US to seize Iran's frozen assets.

On April 20, a US court ruled that a part of Iran's frozen assets had to be turned over to the US families of the victims of a 1983 bombing in Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran.

The lawmakers' letter was read by Mohammad Dehqan, an Iranian lawmaker, during the parliamentary open session on May 9.

The JCPOA was implemented on January 16 followed by a nuclear deal last year curbing Iran's nuclear program in return for the removal of international sanctions.

However, short after the implementation of the JCPOA several Iranian officials including Governor of Central Bank of Iran Valiollah Seif criticized the westerners for failing to meet commitments regarding the JCPOA and the full removal of sanctions.

Therefore the joint commission of Iran and the group P5+1set up a working group to probe into the issue of the removal of sanctions.
1

By Joe Price

Its four in the afternoon in Portsmouth, England, and Kevin Abstract is out cold, his body spread across three chairs in a dark dressing room of the Pyramids Centre, a big, pyramid-shaped venue right by the sea, next to a castle. When I open the door, he lets out a yelp, shielding his eyes from the blinding light shooting in from the corridor. Weary eyed, the blue-haired, Texas-bred teen born as Ian Simpson looks up and shakes my hand while apologizing for his lack of consciousness. A few seconds later, his producer, DJ, and writing partner Romil sticks his hand from around the door to greet me.

They just got off a nine-hour flight from their home of Austin, Texas to Londons Heathrow airport, and their lack of sleep is showing.

2

In the dressing room at Portsmouths Pyramids Centre

In the coming days, 19-year-old Kevin Abstract will be performing in front of thousands as the opening act for alternative California band The Neighbourhood on the four-date UK leg of their current tour. Kevin and Jesse Rutherford, The Neighbourhoods charismatic frontman, have become friends. Kevin jumped at the chance to fill the opening slot, seeing it as an opportunity to test out new material from his forthcoming album, They Shoot Horses. Its going to be an experiment, of sorts. While The Neighbourhood have flourished on radio with catchy, accessible music, Kevin Abstracts sound is more challenging, blending forward-thinking pop with left-field hip-hop. It can be abrasive, confrontational, and deeply personal. I hate my last name, I hate everything it stands for, he confesses on an unreleased song Empty.

Kevin has been thrown out of his element for his debut UK shows, performing in front of thousands of people who dont know him. Its a difficult position to be in, but its also his biggest opportunity yet.

After Kevin and Romils brief nap, we take a walk around the building in search of coffee. You get to hear all the new songs from the album, Romil says excitedly. Hope you dont hate any of it. Romil, the considerably more alert of the two, is bouncing around the empty venue ahead of their imminent soundcheck. Kevin remains quiet, looking disappointed as he sips his shitty coffee.

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The friends work well to balance each other, both personally and musically. Romils beautifully melodic, bass-heavy beats provide fodder for Kevins impulsive personality, and the two have been inseparable since Kevins debut album, MTV1987. Their chemistry is unwavering, and its been made apparent in Kevins new music that theyve both been growing as artists.

3

Stuck in traffic on the M6 on the way to Manchester

Kevin is reaching outside of his circle more with They Shoot Horses, enlisting Michael Uzowuru as executive producer for the album. Uzowuru has only been producing music since 2010, but hes already developed an impressive track record that features the likes of Vince Staples and Earl Sweatshirt. Urzowuru is one of the only people Kevin has collaborated with outside the Brockhampton collective.

Me and Romil always build the songs. We build all the drafts together, Kevin explains Michael Uzowuru is executive producing, and hes been adding a lot of live instruments and musicians, and helping us with song structure and stuff like that. Hes teaching us a lot about music that we didnt know. Its really a Quincy Jones-esque process to making a record.

As far as vocal guests go, Kevin is keeping it simple. Jesse Rutherford might be on my album, but thats about it, he says, before elaborating that he wants the album to mostly focus on his own voice. From the sounds of the new material, it makes sense that hes avoiding too many features for his biggest project yetlyrically, its an extremely intimate look at Kevins coming-of-age experience.

4

Performing in Birmingham

Taking to the stage for soundcheck, Kevin and Romil discuss setlist possibilities, going back and forth regarding what song to open the show with. Stuck between a few options that they both agree would work, they decide to face the decision later, opting to focus on getting the sound perfect first. They Shoot Horses is a natural progression from MTV1987, but theres a noticeable shift in sound and focus. The new album is more accessible and more diverse, he tells me. On MTV I was trying to do the same thing, but I think I really found the balance here. And also the songs just sound a lot better. While MTV1987 was downtrodden and quite often an angry piece of work, They Shoot Horses features more hope.

The biggest stylistic change lies in how he approaches his vocals. Im trying to sing a lot more on this new album, he explains. I wanna make sure that if I rap, that the rapping is necessary. I didnt want to force anything. I want the story to grow, I want the narrative to grow. Im trying to use both elements, rapping and singing, for different effects. One to tell a story and one to convey a mood. It all has to serve a purpose.

They Shoot Horses still occupies that dark suburban universe that MTV did, but its more personal. I was more talking about my friends on MTV. This album is way more about me and my perspective. Backstage before the show, he paces back and forth, exhaling deeply. I get super nervous up until the point Im on stage and Im about to perform, he says.

Before we can wrap up our conversation, Kevins manager Anish comes in to announce that its showtime. Kevin slips on his in-ear monitors, perks himself up, and sprints to the stage. He opens with a brief introductory track called Elizabeth, then yells BOO at the audience. The majority are caught off-guard, and Kevin, standing in the middle of the stage, looks a little lost. Its hard to tell from the side of the stage, but things dont seem to be going quite as planned.

I was more talking about my friends on MTV. This album is way more about me and my perspective.

Hard-hitting tracks like Bet I and Drugs dont go down well with The Neighbourhoods crowd, but the new material does. Echo, Empty, and Papercut all connect, but the latter half of Drugs, which features an interpolation of Cassies Me & U, doesnt elicit the response that Kevin is used to getting at his own shows. The crowd looks unamused. Reflecting on the performance afterwards, Kevin admits that it was awkward for him. Damn, no one knows Cassie. Its such a different audience.

Theres a sense that these shows are an elaborate rehearsal for Kevin and Romil, who only found out theyd be supporting The Neighbourhood a few months before it actually happened. I dont really even know how this tour happened, Kevin says. All I know is I was hanging out with Jesse one day and we talked about it. I played him some new music, and he said we should do it. I didnt know if it was actually going to happen or not. It was scary, I had to get in-ear monitors because I knew Id have to hear myself on stage when Im playing these big shows. But me and Romil had less than a week to rehearse.

Jesse has been throwing support behind Brockhamptonand Kevin in particularfor a long time. Jesse just followed me on Twitter one day, and this was after Sweater Weather was a huge song, Kevin tells me. It was before I even put out MTV1987I think it was right after the Drugs video.

Kevin has come a long way since that video, which was shot in his local Walmart. His cinematic video for Echoshot and directed by frequent collaborator Tyler Mitchellfeatures elaborate tracking shots, dramatic color schemes, and was made in New York City, almost 2,000 miles from the small Texas town where Kevin grew up.

I like doing those songs like Echo first, because theyre super calm and people dont expect much, he explains. I like bringing the element of surprise. I just knew I had to make those people pay attention. Theyre just there for The Neighbourhood, so I gotta make sure anything I say on stage sticks with them in some way. I just want to make sure they remember my existence and that Im a person, a real person that they saw in real life.

5

Soundcheck at Roundhouse in London

When I met Kevin for the first time at the beginning of this tour, his sentences were short and non-committal. Now, three shows in, hes cracking jokes every few minutes. I ask him about the shift in behavior. Being on the tour and being away from home, just everything at once I wasnt really able to open up just yet. It took some time to get comfortable with everybody.

Throughout the tour, brief moments highlight Kevin and Romils distinct personalities. On the way from Birmingham to Manchester for the show at the O2 Ritz, we get caught in a horrendous traffic jam. Initially, everyone just laughs at it, rapping along to Young Thug and shouting at other slow-moving cars from the window. How far is Manchester? Kevin asks nearby cars. Have you seen Shrek!? he screams out the window, which makes everyone laugh way more than it should.

A sense of worry settles in after were caught in traffic for more than three hours, turning a two-hour journey into an almost six-hour ordeal. Kevin remains hopeful well make it on time, whereas Romil starts to look more panicked by the second. Getting out of the car in frustration when were at a complete standstill, Romil slams the door and paces back and forth before returning and apologizing. Kevin remains quiet, suggesting maybe we should contact Jesse to let him know that we might not make it for soundcheck. Frank Ocean comes on in the car, and a sense of relaxation settles in.

I honestly thought we werent going to make it, Romil tells me when we finally arrive, just in time for a brief soundcheck before doors open. Being stuck in such a confined place for so long, its easy to get a sense of their general outlook by how they react to the things happening all around them. To both Kevin and Romil, everything is either fucking amazing or complete trash. Theres no in-between, and besides wifi, trash is easily their most used word.

Hey, do you hate me yet? Romil asks at several points throughout the day.

6

At the afterparty in London

In London, on the final night of their short time on tour, it feels like everyones finally gotten into a groove, and that Kevin is ready for the biggest stage of his career so far. The Roundhouse has a capacity of over 3,000, and has hosted artists like The Beatles and Radiohead.

As he walks into the enormous space for the first time, Kevin is taken aback by its size. Jesus, he murmurs, before saying wow five more times on our way to the dressing room. I ask him if hes intimidated by the stage. Absolutely. Just look at it. Despite his concerns, he puts on the best show of the tour, effectively interacting with the crowd and getting the reaction to Bet I that hes been looking for all tour. Perhaps it was the crowd, or perhaps it was Kevins confidence that night, but his performance at the London show was met with the kind of enthusiasm youd expect for a headliner. It was intimidating because no one knows who I am, he says after the show. But its exciting because I love seeing how people respond to the new music, or just me as an artist.

Of all the new music, Papercut is the most revealing. He addresses his sexuality, his family life, and his difficulties growing up. Its autobiographical in the ways Frank Ocean and Childish Gambinos best material can be, directly addressing his own troubles rather than those of a character. Im starting to trust my artistry a lot more and just let my music do its thing, he says. When asked about what prompted his decision to be more forward about his own sexuality in his music, he explained, I just wanna be free I guess. Theres not really a voice for people who identify with me, especially in my genre.

Hes always been careful to not say something unless he means it, which gives songs on the more personal side a considerable amount of weight. Im just cautious and mindful of what Im saying, because Im recording it, and Ill put it online and itll be there forever. People will listen to it over and over and over, and it could get instilled into them and itll become a part of them if they like it. Those listeners could live by those words, and even if its less than a thousand kids, Im still mindful of those 800 or 900 people who are constantly listening, just to make sure Im saying something that resonates and means something.

Since the tour, its been announced that Kevin will once again support The Neighbourhood, this time as part of their North American tour. Performing at 23 of the dates, the tour is set to last more than a month and marks a considerable jump from the four shows he played in the UK. Jesse Rutherford is clearly a huge fan of Kevin after this first run of showshe watched Kevins full sets in Birmingham and London. When Kevin flexed about Jesse following him on Twitter while performing in Birmingham, Jesse shouted, I LOVE YOU, SON!

Full of grand ideas and limitless ambition, Kevin is aiming to do big things with They Shoot Horses. I just want to be recognized as an artist. People like Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Jeff Buckley, Kurt Cobain. Moving away from this whole internet-born persona is just another era of Kevin Abstract, you know? Im just trying to be more transparent with who I am. I want to be on TV, I want people to see me. I dont want to just be on Twitter and SoundCloud anymore.

I want to be on TV, I want people to see me. I dont want to just be on Twitter and SoundCloud anymore.

Its around four in the morning now, on Kevins last night in the U.K. Hes sitting on a bed in a penthouse in the center of London, staring down at his own hands. Despite his playful nature on the drive here, hes serious and quiet now. Weve come full circle, and Kevin is just as unresponsive as when we first met over three days ago in the dressing room of The Pyramids Centre.

These times with Kevin Abstract can be uncomfortable. Its to be expected. Hes an introverted, blue-haired, black teenager from Texas, and hes in London, thrown on stage facing unfamiliar crowds of thousands. In so many ways, both literally and figuratively, hes outside of his comfort zone.

In Kevins case, thats not necessarily a problem. Before passing out and waking up to board a flight back to Texas, Kevin said something that made me realize that he is completely at ease with being uncomfortable. Hes used to it, and hes alright with it. In a captivating way, he almost seems to thrive off it.

I asked Kevin what he thought of the tour, and how he felt about the experience overall. He hesitated, then unwittingly smiled for a second and made eye contact. It was one of the best weeks of my life, I think.

CffNYTiWsAArHYW

The post Kevin Abstract is Out of His Comfort Zone appeared first on Pigeons & Planes.

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(Photo: Bryan Huang/Yahoo Singapore)

In an attempt to urge people to take public transport more often, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Monday (9 May) used a colourful analogy of being a vegetarian in Parliament.

Khaw said that those who could not take public transport 100 per cent of the time should at least attempt to use it some of the time like he does, calling it the greenest form of transport.

At least (be a) part-time public transport user. Its a little bit like being vegetarian, if you cannot do 100 per cent vegetarian like me even twice a month is good, said Khaw.

At least one day a week, I use public transport throughout the day. And sometimes I do two days, he said.

Khaw was replying to a question about the transport ministrys stance on electric vehicles asked by Nee Soon Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah.

He said that his ministry encouraged the use of vehicles that are more environmentally-friendly, including electric cars.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) had already issued a request for information to invite proposals for a nation-wide electric car programme, he said.

He also added that the programme would see the installation of 2,000 electric vehicle charging points across Singapore, and that proposals are in the final stage of evaluation.

However, Khaw insisted that public transport was the most environmentally-friendly option in the country.

Even though the electric cars produce no tail pipe emissions, the process of generating the electricity they consume produces carbon. We must move towards a car-lite Singapore, Khaw said.


From ELLE

Khloe Kardashian's Instagram is getting A LOT of heat and it all has to do with her family trip to Cuba where the Kardashian clan was filming Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

The most recent post drawing the ire of the Internet is a video of the youngest Kardashian sister with niece North West on their flight back to LA from Cuba.

Prepared for any backlash, Kardashian captioned the post with: "Home (chill out people... She's in a booster car seat. I can hear you already! Worry about your own s--t. We good over here. TRUST)."

Perhaps Khloe is on the defensive because of another photo that people have been criticizing. Earlier this week, Kardashian shared a photo of her posing in front of a Fidel Castro monument in Cuba captioned simply "Havana" with an emoji of the Cuban flag.

It probably would not surprise most people if Khloe was not familiar with the history of Cuba. But as commenters reminded her, most people see Fidel Castro as a dictator responsible for numerous human rights violations and a mass exodus of Cubans to the U.S. and elsewhere seeking safety.

Several fans expressed their disappointment in the comments while other commenters demanded she take the photo down and apologize. Others used the Kardashian's Armenian heritage as a comparison. One person wrote: "Fidel is just like the dictators in Armenia that killed so many Armenians."

On the other hand, some fans came to Kardashian's defense saying she was simply taking photos with history and documenting her travels. As of this posting the photo has still up and has over 11K comments.
AUSTIN, TX (May 9, 2016)  Kimbia Chief Executive Officer Daniel A. Gillett today announced the online fundraising technology provider is initiating several actions in response to the issues associated with the Give Local America crowdfunding event on May 3.

We have been in regular contact with our community partners since this incident occurred, and we are pleased to take these actions to mitigate the impact on participating organizations, said Gillett. After a thorough review of events, we will be better able to communicate a specific plan to ensure that an incident of this kind will not occur in the future and our partners, nonprofits and their donors can be confident in our ability to help them achieve their goals.

Kimbia is the technology platform and solution provider for Give Local America, a one-day, nationwide crowdfunding event that raises money to benefit local communities. At approximately 10:00 a.m. EDT on May 3ten hours after the start of the third annual eventKimbia began to recognize significant delays in processing donations. Monitoring this activity as it began, Kimbia dedicated the companys full resources to resolving the issue as promptly as possible and returned to full donation-processing capabilities later that evening.

Gillett emphasized that the personal information of donors who accessed the site on May 3 was not compromised. All donations were processed securely.

The plan includes a series of actions. First, Kimbia will waive approximately $370,000 in feesabout one-third of the net fees it normally would have received from this years Give Local America event. For most communities, this will translate to a reduction in their invoices from 2.99 percent to 1.99 percent of funds raised.

Second, Kimbia will make its online fundraising technology available to each participating nonprofit at no cost for the rest of the year, including a customizable donation page, a donation form that can be embedded on their website, automatic donation receipts and donor reports. Although each nonprofit will still pay related credit card-processing fees, Kimbia will provide the technology at no cost. This program will be made available over the next 30 to 45 days, as Kimbia works with each local community representative to develop the appropriate features.

Third, beginning at the end of June, Kimbias fundraising strategy team will develop and provide online fundraising workshops each month at no cost to help nonprofits and community partners become more successful online fundraisers year-round.

Fourth, Gillett will personally forfeit his salary for the next three months. Kimbia will instead pay the amount of his salary to organizations that participated in Give Local America.

Despite the processing delays, community partners raised more than $50 million nationwide for local causes associated with this event.

Give Local America is an annual event that our 44 employees look forward to throughout the year, sharing in our community partners anticipation and excitement, said Gillett. We will work diligently to identify the specific causes of the issues we encountered and take every step necessary to ensure robust safeguards are in place to prevent a reoccurrence.

###

About Kimbia, Inc.

Kimbia is an online fundraising, crowdfunding, and event platform provider for nonprofits, higher education, and community foundations. Kimbia is the technology platform and solution provider behind Give Local America.

About Give Local America

Give Local America is the only single-day crowdfunding event that betters communities through local channels. The organization works with community partners to bring hundreds of thousands of people together to make gifts and support vital causes in their communities.
The Solution Controls the Propane Location, Making Gas Grilling Safe, Convenient, and Simpler Than Ever Before

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / Adam and Cory Civilla, a duo of grilling enthusiasts, recently announced the launch of their new product, Knob Where You Need It! The invention--meant to make grilling more secure, comfortable, and inexpensive--puts the propane control in any location that the user chooses.

In addition to being economical by preventing propane loss, Where You Need It! promotes safer and more comfortable grill use by allowing users to turn propane off immediately without being burned by the hot grill body. Knob Where You Need It! was created to be tough, durable, and user friendly: it features a shaft made of bi-directional steel cable that is lubricated for smooth operation and longevity, an adapter and knob created from durable UV- and temperature-resistant polycarbonate plastic, and corrosion resistant tubing.

Due to the tubing's ability to be routed through tight spaces, Knob Where You Need It! was designed to be universally adaptable for gas grills. Currently, Knob Where You Need It! is only able to fit standard propane tanks between four to 40 pounds with an overfill protection device (OPD) style valve. Recognizable by the unique tri-lobe knob design, the OPD valves are standard safety device on propane tanks under 40 pounds in both Canada and the United States.

"You can rely on Knob Where You Need It! to provide years of worry free easy access to your propane valve," said a representative of the project. "We're dedicated to bringing a great new product to market that will help make your world a little easier, a little safer, and a little greener."

At this time, the Knob Where You Need It! team started a campaign on Kickstarter where they seek to raise the necessary funds to continue the project. The Civillas are offering supporters a number of perks in exchange for their donations, such as discounts and early bird deliveries of the product. Knob Where You Need It!'s team is looking into adapting the product to fit other tank knobs and invites readers to contact them with suggestions.

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Individuals interested in learning more about Knob Where You Need It! can visit the company's Kickstarter page for additional information.

About Knob Where You Need It!:

Knob Where You Need It! is a solution that makes gas grilling even more safe and convenient. Knob Where You Need It! puts the propane control in a location of the user's choosing. Because Knob Where You Need It! is in plain sight, it is easy to remember and easy to reach, making it much more likely that the user will turn their fuel off at its source. The creators of Knob Where You Need It! intended to make the grilling experience safer while simultaneously making it more comfortable, convenient and economical. For more information, please visit https://goo.gl/XBcSeL.

Contact:

Matthew Palmer

admin@rocketfactor.com

(949) 555-2861

SOURCE: Knob Where You Need It!
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (NYSE: KKD) and JAB Beech Inc. revealed they have struck a definitive merger deal. Accordingly, the latter will acquire the former for $21 a share in cash for a total value of about $1.35 billion. The offer price carries at 25 percent premium over Friday's closing price.

According to the press release, "The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals."

Additionally, following the announcements of the merger, Krispy Kreme board decided to postpone the company's 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which was slated for June 14. Further information regarding a rescheduled meeting will be provided at a later date.

Related Link: Dunkin' Brands Shares Rise Almost 1% To .55 Following Krispy Kreme Going Private

Krispy Kreme Chairman Jim Morgan said, "For nearly 80 years, our iconic brand has been touching and enhancing lives through the joy that is Krispy Kreme. This transaction puts us in the best possible position to continue to spread that joy to a growing number of people around the world while delivering significant value to Krispy Kreme shareholders. I am confident the JAB team is the right partner with whom to continue building upon our incredible legacy."

The company's CEO Tony Thompson commented, "JAB's experience and industry knowledge make them the ideal partner to help grow the iconic Krispy Kreme brand throughout the world. We remain focused on our long term strategy and continuing to offer our premium, high-quality doughnuts and sweet treats to consumers around the world. We look forward to working with JAB to continue bringing the joy that is Krispy Kreme to a growing number of customers. Together with our talented team and our passionate franchisees, we will continue to build on the Krispy Kreme culture, values and commitment to our customers and guests."

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At time of writing, Krispy Kreme was trading up 24.30 percent at $20.97.

See more from Benzinga

 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
There are countless ways to make a classic car go fastereverything from racier suspension components to heady motor mods. But ask many devotees of speed how theyd do it, and theyll give you a common answer. Swap in a small block Chevrolet V8.

Small block Chevys, especially LS series engines, have been the go-to for V8 engine swaps for years, and that is precisely the route East Coast Defender (ECD) went when modifying their latest project truck, nicknamed Beast.

Beneath its hulking Land Rover Defender 110 body lives a Chevrolet LS3 V8, the type youd find in the late-great C6 Corvette. Bone stock, youd have to measure this trucks run to 60 mph in geologic time. Now, it manages the run in just seven seconds. Considering its massive size and heft, thats pretty darn sprightly.

RELATED: The Bowler EXR-S is a Supercar in Range Rover Clothes

Blasphemous? Not in the slightest, think of this as the best of both worldsAmerican power meets British off-road heritage. A match made in, wellKissimmee, Florida. Thats where East Coast Defender builds its hardcore Landies.

While ECD didnt reveal the Beasts total horsepower, stock Corvette LS3 crate engines generate 430 ponies. To handle that additional grunt, East Coast Defender upgraded this truck with one of GMs tried-and-tested 4L80E automatic transmissions. Heavy duty Ashcroft drive shafts and axles massage that Corvette power into the ground, helped along with a pair of limited-slip differentials. Need to engage four-wheel drive? ECD swapped out the Defenders old lever-style shifter for a modern push-button unit. Pretty slick.

RELATED: Why the 2017 Corvette Grand Sport is a Sports Car Bargain

You wouldnt know theres a Corvette V8 living under this brute from the outside, but a quick look at its equipment would suggest it isnt your typical Landie. A Magnaflow exhaust carries those burbling horsepowers rearward, and past a two-inch Terrafirm suspension lift kit, eight-piston front brakes, six-piston rear brakes, and an aggressive Wild Bear bumper with a 10,000 pound winch hanging off the front. Its looks are further sinistered-up with an aggressive Kahn widebody package too.

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Contrasting its rather brutish exterior, the Beasts interior is very upscale and well appointed. Hand stitched leather weaves its way across the dashboard, door cards, and console, pairing well with a set of Corbeau leather racing seats, a Momo steering wheel, and an eight-speaker JBL sound system.

Sure, it may be a bit too pretty to thrash through empty deserts or dense jungle trails, but if you should decide to do so, the Corvette powered Beast would surely suffice.

RELATED: Surprise! The Land Rover Defender isnt Dead Yet!




Tehran, Iran, May 9

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Iran has said it is likely to refrain from sending nationals on the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia this year.

The announcement was made by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari during a press conference, Trend correspondent reported May 9.

Iran has been requesting Saudi Arabia to guarantee the safety of Iranian pilgrims, but Riyadh has shown a cold shoulder.

The request comes as Iran lost some 400 lives during last year's hajj ritual when over 2,000 Muslims from around the world were crushed in a deadly stampede while taking the pilgrimage in Mecca.

"We regret that Saudi Arabia has been putting turns and twists into taking necessary measures for long. If such behavior had continued in a few days ahead when there is still time to pursue the issue, then the Saudi government would have blocked the way to God [an Islamic expression]," the spokesman said.

"We hope to the last moment that Saudi Arabia stops this wrong behavior and acts to its natural duties as the host of the hajj ritual. But if it continues the way it has been so far, it would regrettably be impossible to send Iranians on hajj," he said.

A day earlier, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said that hajj pilgrimage may be cancelled for Iranians this year as Saudi Arabia is refusing to give guarantees that it will take care of the lives of pilgrims.

Today the committee held a session with Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization officials, where it was said that Saudi Arabia has not guaranteed the safety of the pilgrims, Mohammad Hassan Asafari said May 8.

He said as Saudi Arabia is unlikely to announce that it is ready to protect the pilgrims within a 7-day deadline set by Iran, Tehran may just cancel sending pilgrims on hajj this year.
Washington (AFP) - A US-led coalition air strike has killed a senior Islamic State leader in Iraq's Anbar province, along with three other IS jihadists, the Pentagon said Monday.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the May 6 strike near the town of Rutba -- deep in the Anbar desert -- targeted Abu Wahib, IS's "military emir" for the vast western province.

Wahib was "a former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in ISIL execution videos," Cook said, using an acronym for the IS group.

"We view him as a significant leader in ISIL leadership overall, not just in Anbar Province," he added. "Removing him from the battlefield will be a significant step forward."

The men were traveling in a vehicle when they were hit. Cook provided no additional details and did not specify if a warplane or a drone had carried out the strike.

The killing of Wahib is the latest in a series of attacks on senior IS leaders in Iraq and Syria, where the jihadists still control huge tracts of land despite an intense US-led air campaign dating back to August 2014.

Some other recent targets include Suleiman Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, an "ISIL war council member," Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli -- the IS group's second-in-command also known as Haji Imam -- and Omar al-Shishani, the man known as "Omar the Chechen," who was effectively IS's defense minister.

In February, US special operations forces captured Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, who was described as a chemical weapons expert.

"Since the start of 2015, we've targeted and killed more than 40 high-value ISIL and Al-Qaeda external attack plotters. We have removed cell leaders, facilitators, planners and recruiters," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren wrote online last week.

Despite many significant coalition gains against the IS group, the jihadists still control the key cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, and assaults to recapture the towns are not expected for months.
From Road & Track

Your humble author was in middle school when the C5-generation Corvette dropped like an alien spaceship crash-landing on Earth. Out with the old, in with the new, new, new! I once botched together with my ham-dough fingers a Monogram model kit of a Corvette Grand Sport-Skill 2, thank you, because I had an attention span once-this obliterated every single memory of that. In the still-developing brain of a single-digit age, a then-new C5 Corvette spotted on the street deserved all the shrieking and shouting I threw at it.

If all Corvettes are revolutionary, then the C5 was certainly it. The debut of the brand-new aluminum-block LS engine couldn't have come wrapped in prettier bodywork. The C5 was shorter, meaner, more agile, more aerodynamic. It was a watershed moment, said Don Sherman in a tattered February 1997 issue of Popular Science that I read on the living room floor with a rapt attention usually reserved for medical school finals. With a double-spread cutaway, who could resist?

Relive the joy of the C5, simultaneously the first modern Corvette and one of the best-performing ones ever made. Still is. If you've got an hour to kill then you can do no worse than checking out the above 1990s time warp, which covers the entire production process at Bowling Green, Kentucky, the failed concepts, the engineering details, the pre-sinkhole National Corvette Museum, and an exquisite mustache.

Did you know that the C5 Corvette was the first example of the breed with parallel windshield wipers? Now you know.
By Joy Wiltermuth

NEW YORK, May 9 (IFR) - The troubles that emerged at Lending Club on Monday unleashed new worries about online lenders, which have been struggling to keep the confidence of investors in the ABS market.

CEO Renaud Laplanche resigned after the market leader in so-called peer-to-peer lending acknowledged it had sold a US$22m pool of loans that did not meet the buyer's criteria.

While the company was seen to have acted quickly - it bought the loans back from the buyer, investment bank Jefferies, at par - the news will come as a setback for peer-to-peer ABS.

"This is the last thing this segment of the market needs," one investor, who has bought previous securitization deals from marketplace lenders, told IFR.

"All of these things are definitely going to make investors ask for more scrutiny."

TROUBLE AHEAD, TROUBLE BEHIND

The incident was merely the latest bit of negative news for a sector buffeted by setbacks over the past year and half that have made the buyside increasingly wary about marketplace ABS.

Lenders have faced legal challenges over rates deemed potentially usurious in some securitized loans, while the US government is studying tougher new regulations for the sector.

Meanwhile Moody's has threatened downgrades on a trio of online lending securitization deals it has rated, because the performance of loans was worse than they had anticipated.

Those woes have helped translate to higher funding costs for borrowers, who have been punished by the buyside on deals coming to market so far in 2016.

Citigroup, for example, had to offer investors a 12.5% yield to offload BB-/B notes from its final securitization of loans from Prosper in March.

That was more than double what BlackRock paid on similar notes last year, and Prosper and Citi terminated their ABS issuance partnership thereafter. Prosper cut 170 jobs in May.

BUYERS BEWARE

Lending Club and rivals Avant, CircleBack, OnDeck and Prosper have also sold securitized deals, but online lending still accounts for just a tiny part of the broader ABS market.

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According to data research company Peer IQ, only around US$4bn of marketplace loan ABS have been sold in total through the first quarter of this year, compared to some US$1.4trn outstanding in mainstream consumer ABS such as auto loans.

Still, the fact that it was Jefferies that got caught out - the bank has been one of the biggest buyers in the nascent sector - will likely make other investors even more wary.

"Clearly it's not a good thing when the market leader suddenly turns out, at a minimum, to have less than pristine procedures in place," said Richard Kelly, a managing director at NewOak Capital Markets.

"For anyone who hasn't been approved for buying this asset class, this isn't likely going to precipitate a wave of new interest."

Further details on what exactly went wrong with the Lending Club loan pool that Jefferies bought had yet to emerge by Monday afternoon.

But it was enough to send Lending Club shares plummeting 35 percent to US$4.62, valuing the company at about US$1.75bn compared to US$9bn when it went public in December 2014.

"It does underscore the importance of transparency and trust in this industry," David Snitkof, a co-founder of Orchard, an online lending technology company, told IFR.

"This is a learning moment for marketplace lending, and an opportunity for all participants to set the bar even higher in order for our industry to thrive." (Reporting by Joy Wiltermuth; Editing by Marc Carnegie and Natalie Harrison)
Washington (AFP) - Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are all but assured a US presidential showdown in November, but a third-party candidate -- Libertarian Gary Johnson -- will likely be on the ballot in all 50 states.

Johnson, the former two-term governor of New Mexico, earned barely one percent of the vote in 2012 as standard-bearer for the Libertarian Party, which has yet to win a congressional race in its 45-year history and is hardly on the average American voter's radar.

But while Johnson is an unknown quantity compared to his headline-grabbing rivals, he sees the unprecedented chaos within the Republican Party and Clinton's lingering image problems as his clearest-ever chance to break through with a frustrated electorate.

"It really is" a golden opportunity, the 63-year-old Johnson told AFP in an interview Monday near the White House, insisting his campaign could pick up steam as voters seek a more palatable alternative to the provocative billionaire.

Trump's recent ascension as the GOP's presumptive nominee has threatened to unravel the party. Several spooked Republican grandees have refused to back him in the general election, and there is a growing movement among conservatives to back an alternative candidate.

Could this be the Libertarian Party's moment?

A third-party victory is unlikely in the United States, where the system is geared toward a two-party race. "Rigged" is how Johnson described it, appropriating a favorite word of Clinton's challenger Bernie Sanders.

The last alternative candidate to mount a viable campaign was Ross Perot, the billionaire tech tycoon who won nearly 19 percent of the vote in 1992 against Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

But with Trump and Hillary Clinton suffering from miserable favorability ratings, Johnson sees fertile ground in 2016, particularly with independent voters but also those Republicans and Democrats disillusioned with the mainstream options.

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"They're the two most polarizing figures in American politics today," he said of the frontrunners.

- Best of both worlds? -

"I'm more liberal than Hillary on social issues, and I'm more conservative on fiscal issues than Ted Cruz was," said Johnson, referring to the Texas senator who quit the Republican race last week.

"That puts the best of both worlds, if you will... into one package, and that's me."

Johnson is indeed in a spotlight -- he earned 11 percent support in a March Monmouth University poll that tested a three-way race.

But he has just $35,000 cash on hand, which he admitted "doesn't make for winning the presidency." Clinton has $29 million.

"The quantum leap for us would be to raise $50 million. It hasn't happened," Johnson said.

Hundreds of Libertarian delegates converge on Orlando, Florida in late May to pick their nominee, and Johnson is the odds-on favorite, despite some colorful competitors including anti-virus software developer John McAfee.

Johnson himself is highly unconventional. Often clad in jeans and running shoes, as he was Monday, he is an Ironman triathlete who has climbed Mount Everest.

Johnson advocates for marijuana legalization, and headed a pot startup, Cannabis Sativa Inc, until he stepped down January 1 to launch his campaign.

The Libertarian Party said Johnson is already on the ballot in 36 states and is on track to make all 50 by election day on November 8.

His main challenge, he said, is getting into the debates.

He is suing the commission that organizes the presidential debates "because we believe that it's a rigged game, that Democrats and Republicans collude with one another to exclude everyone else."

Johnson is hardly ever included in presidential polling, and yet the commission only allows candidates in debates if they achieve 15 percent in polls.

Like many Libertarians, Johnson advocates for small government and supports abortion rights.

Trump's positions on immigration, free trade and waterboarding are "scary" and unlikely to bring positive change, he added.

He is also deeply critical of the foreign policy of presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, warning of the "unintended consequence" of military intervention.

"If attacked, the United States is going to attack back," he stressed. "But let's stop with empire building."

Political tradition suggests Johnson can't win. But he also said he would not compromise and take the vice presidential slot should either rival want him on their ticket.

"I think I'm 180 degrees when it comes to Donald Trump, and with regard to Hillary Clinton, it's not going to happen," he said.

"There's a reality to this also."
The life expectancy gap between black and white Americans has been steadily closing within the last two decades to an all-time record low, according to recently released statistics.

The suicide rate among black men has dropped from 1999 to 2014, according to the New York Times, which cited federal data. They are the only racial group to see a decrease, the newspaper said. The Times also reports that infant mortality among blacks has dropped by more than a fifth since the late 1990s and that there has been a 40% decline in the rate of deaths by homicides for the racial group from 1995 to 2013.

Blacks are catching up, said Samuel Preston, a demographer at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Times. The gap is now the narrowest it has been since the beginning of the 20th century, and thats really good news.

The life expectancy gap between blacks and whites was seven years in 1990. By 2014, it was 3.4 years  the smallest gap in history, the newspaper reports.

[NYT]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT.N> and Raytheon Co <RTN.N> were awarded a combined $649.7 million modification contract for Paveway II laser-guided bombs, the U.S. Defense Department said on Monday.

The modification provides for a five-year contract extension, the Department said in press release.

(Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
The first Muslim mayor of London may not be able to visit the United States -- even though he'd like to.

Sadiq Khan, who was elected mayor last week, pointed out that he will not be allowed into the U.S. because of his faith if Donald Trump is elected president.

"I think Bill de Blasio is doing interesting housing stuff in New York, Rahm Emanuel is doing interesting stuff with the infrastructure bank in Chicago," Khan told Time on Sunday. "I want to go to America to meet with and engage with American mayors."

[READ: Canadians Worried What a Trump Presidency Might Bring]

"If Donald Trump becomes the president I'll be stopped from going there by virtue of my faith, which means I can't engage with American mayors and swap ideas."

Trump, for his part, has noted some exceptions to his "complete and total shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States, including for heads of state.

Still, Khan doesn't believe he'll get the chance to make them. "I'm confident that Donald Trump's approach to politics won't win in America," he said.

You can follow Rachel Dicker on Twitter or reach her at rdicker@usnews.com.
On Monday afternoon, the Department of Justice announced it would sue the state of North Carolina, just hours after Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said the state would launch its own lawsuit defending the state's increasingly tendentious HB2 "bathroom bill."

Last week, the DOJ announced HB2, which prohibits trans people from using any public bathroom that does not match the biological sex listed on their birth certificates and preempts all anti-LGBTQ discrimination ordinances in the state (among a host of other odious changes), violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Federal prosecutors now intend to bring the state to heel and force compliance with their understanding of the law in court, asserting the law violates Titles VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.

BREAKING: U.S. DOJ files federal lawsuit against North Carolina over #HB2. https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2827915/NC-DOJComplaint.pdf ...pic.twitter.com/B2urJQQDtD https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiCf5-MXAAAFNNU.jpg:large

The lawsuit for the state of North Carolina argues the DOJ enforcement effort is "a baseless and blatant overreach" and "an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long-established federal civil rights laws in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the intent of Congress and disregards decades of statutory interpretation by the courts," reported Politico.

According to the Charlotte Observer, outside of a relatively small pool of conservative analysts, most legal experts expect the DOJ to win.

"For any federal district judge, I think this conclusion is virtually inescapable," Charlotte School of Law employment specialist Brian Clarke told the paper. "As a result, I think this lawsuit will be short lived in the district court and is unlikely to lead to anything but a loss for Gov. McCrory."



Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article76502777.html#storylink=cpy."



Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article76502777.html#storylink=cpy
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb at Mogadishu's traffic police headquarters killed at least two officers on Monday, Somali police said, and the country's al Shabaab militant group claimed responsibility. Three other police were wounded during the attack, said traffic police officer Mohamed Nur. "It was a suicide car bomb that hit the gate. We also shot dead an armed militant who wanted to storm the building," he told Reuters. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaabs military operations spokesman, said they lost the two attackers and said the death toll on the government side was nine policemen. It was not possible to verify the death toll independently. Al Shabaab, which frequently attacks military and civilian targets in its campaign to topple Somalia's Western-backed government, has inflated casualty figures in the past. Local residents said the front of the traffic headquarters was damaged extensively by the blast, which also destroyed nearby shops. (Reporting by Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Lupita Nyongo has been in some high-profile movies lately. But since her voice is whats mainly represented in both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Jungle Book, it feels like we havent seen much of her on the big screen since her Oscar win for 12 Years a Slave.

That will change in September when Queen of Katwe  Nyongos third consecutive Disney-distributed film  arrives in theaters. A full trailer is expected to drop Tuesday, but Nyongo has shared an early first look at it via her Twitter feed.

Its my absolute joy to share the first look of @QueenOfKatwe!! This movie proves that daring to dream is worth it https://t.co/sJgYRI6lts  Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) May 8, 2016

The film is based on the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan woman who becomes a chess champion. Nyongo will play Mutesis mother in the presumably uplifting story directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding). Its release in the fall suggests that Disney has some awards season hopes for this one.

Check out the preview of the preview now, and well reconvene tomorrow when the full trailer arrives online.

Related: From Maz Kanata to Jungle Book: Lupita Nyong'o Is Here, There, Everywhere
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 8

By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:

Iran's foreign ministry has summoned a Kuwaiti envoy to Tehran over a recent summit held in the Arab country with the participation of Iranian opposition figures, IRNA news agency reported.

Holding such conferences in Kuwait is against international principles and norms, an official with the foreign ministry of Iran told the Kuwait's envoy.

According to the reports, foreign based Iranian opposition figures who attended the summit are backed by the foreign states.

The report did not provide further information on the summit, its purposes and identity of Iranian attendees.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  May 09, 2016  Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This weeks list includes Macys (M), Nordstrom (JWN), Kohls (KSS), Alphabet (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL).

To see more earnings analysis, visit https://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

Every day, Zacks.com makes their Bull Stock of the Day available, free of charge. To see it, click here .

How Is the Earnings Picture Evolving?

With results from 87% of S&P 500 members already out, the bulk of the Q1 earnings season is now behind us. The Retail sector is the only one at this stage that has any sizable number of reports still to come. For all the other sectors, the Q1 earnings picture is in the open now, with the trends established already not likely to change much in the coming days.



We have been pointing out these trends since the start of this reporting cycle, which include widespread growth challenges, more numerous positive surprises and fewer negative revisions to current-quarter estimates. The abundance of positive surprises is primarily a function of the levels to which estimates had fallen ahead of the start of this reporting cycle. The recent pullback in the exchange value of the U.S. dollar is likely helping on the margin as well, though low expectations made all the difference.



The more notable development on the earnings front is the deceleration in negative estimate revisions to current-period estimates (estimates for 2016 Q2). While estimates for Q2 are coming down, following the well-trodden path of previous quarters.



As negative as this revisions trend looks, it is nevertheless an improvement over what we had seen in the comparable period in the preceding earnings cycle. The improved commodity-price backdrop and the reduced dollar drag are some of the more plausible explanations for this development. But it is also likely that Q2 estimates had already fallen enough at the time when Q1 estimates were coming down and there is simply not that much need for further downward adjustments.



Whatever the reason for the lower negative revisions trend for Q2 estimates, it is nevertheless a potentially positive development, particularly if sustained over the coming months. We will have to wait till July to get a better read on this development after companies start reporting June quarter results and guide towards Q3 estimates. Current estimates for Q3 are showing essentially flat growth from the year-earlier level.



Q1 Earnings Scorecard (As of Friday, May 6th)



We now have Q1 results from 436 S&P 500 members or 87.2% of the indexs total membership. Total earnings for these index members are down -7.5% from the same period last year on -1.5% lower revenues, with 71.3% beating EPS estimates and 56.4% beating revenue estimates. The percentage of companies that are able to beat both EPS and revenue estimates is tracking 46.6% at this stage.



The table below shows the current scorecard for these companies



Q1 earnings season has come to an end for 6 of the 16 Zacks sectors, while another 5 sectors are past the 90% mark in their reporting tallies. The Retail sector is the only one at this stage that has more than 50% of its reports still to come at this stage. Macys (M), Nordstrom (JWN) and Kohls ( KSS) are some of the notable retailers coming out with quarterly results this week.



The last column of the above table, titled price impact, shows the average price impact of the earnings releases. The most positive reaction has been to the Transportation, Utilities, Construction and Consumer Staples sectors while the reaction to the Tech sector results has been the most negative of the major sectors.



As referred to earlier, the two key takeaways from the results thus far are:



First , the growth challenge is not only very obvious, but also widespread. The Energy sector is no doubt dragging the reported growth pace quite a bit, but the growth comparison still remains unfavorable even if we exclude the reported Energy sector reports from the sample of reported results.



Second , positive surprises are more numerous, particularly on the revenues side. The big driver of this are the low levels to which estimates had fallen ahead of the start of this earnings season. But as indicated earlier, the improving dollar is helping matters to some extent as well.



This incidence of more numerous positive surprises is visible in the blended beats comparisons as well; blended beats refer to companies that beat both revenues as well EPS estimates. At present, 46.6% of the 436 S&P 500 members that have reported results are beating both EPS and revenue estimates, which is better than what we saw from the same group of companies in the preceding quarter as well as the 4-quarter and 12-quarter averages.



Even the beleaguered Basic Materials and Industrial Products sectors have beat EPS and revenue estimates more often this time around compared to other recent periods. The proportion of Basic Material sector companies that have beat both EPS and revenue estimates in Q1 is 38.9%, which compares to 4-quarter and 12-quarter averages of 8.3% and 21.3%, respectively. The highest blended beat % are for the Construction, Conglomerates, and Aerospace sectors while the lowest is for Utilities.



Tech Sector Results



Market participants found the Tech sectors Q1 earnings performance to be disappointing, with a number of the bellwethers like Googles parentAlphabet (GOOGL), Apple (AAPL) and others coming up short of estimates in their results and/or guidance.



Including all of the Tech sector reports that have come out already, we have Q1 results from 88.5% of the sectors total market capitalization in the S&P 500 index. Total earnings for these Tech companies are down -5.6% on +1.0% higher revenues, with 70.2% beating EPS estimates and 51.1% beating revenue estimates. Excluding the Apple drag, total earnings for the rest of the sector would be up +0.7%.



This is weak performance from these Tech companies relative to what we have seen from the same group of companies in other recent periods, as the charts below show.



What this shows is that not only growth remains challenged, but fewer are able to beat expectations. In fact, positive revenue surprises are tracking more than 7 percentage points below the 4-quarter average and 12 percentage points below the 12-quarter average. Please note that the sectors weak growth pace is primarily a function of tough comparisons at Apple. Excluding Apple, the sectors Q1 earnings growth would be +1.1%.



Q1 Estimates as a Whole



Combining the actual results from the 436 S&P 500 members that have reported results with estimates for the still-to-come 64 members, total Q1 earnings are currently expected to be down -6.7% from the same period last year on -1.1% lower revenues. This will be the 4th quarter in a row of earnings declines for the index.



Energy is the big drag in Q1, as it has been in other recent periods, with total earnings for the sector expected to be down -107.9% from the same period last year on -31.5% lower revenues. Excluding the Energy sector, earnings growth for the remainder of the index would still be in the negative  down -1.3%. In total, 9 of the 16 Zacks sectors are on track for negative earnings growth in Q1, including Finance and Technology, the two biggest sectors in the index.

Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today. Find out What is happening in the stock market today on zacks.com.



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Reuters) - IOI Corporation Berhad is challenging a decision by a global sustainable palm oil initiative to suspend the Malaysian firm's sustainable certification, it said in a stock exchange filing on Monday.

The palm oil producer said it had filed a challenge proceeding against the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) with the Justice of Peace in Zurich, Switzerland, which will act as a mediator in the dispute.

The RSPO, a body of consumers, green groups and plantation firms which has its seat in Zurich, suspended IOI's certificates in early April for allegedly violating sustainable policies at its concessions in Indonesia.

IOI's statement said it would only press ahead with formal legal action against the RSPO at the District Court in Zurich if the parties were unable to reach an agreement during conciliation proceedings.

For the full announcement: http://bit.ly/1T0pFBH

(Reporting by Emily Chow; editing by David Clarke)
From Good Housekeeping

After a common medical procedure left him paralyzed, a Georgia man is finally receiving justice. Cris Nelson and his wife will receive $15 million after a routine blood test actually rendered him immobile.

The nightmare began when Nelson, a former truck driver, needed an annual physical exam for work. He went to a local clinic for the checkup, and sat on the exam table while an employee drew his blood. She only turned away to get a band-aid, but Nelson quickly passed out and fell forward off the table, landing on and then breaking his neck.

The avoidable accident caused irreparable paralysis, and changed the couple's lives forever. Now, Nelson is completely dependent on his wife for simple tasks such as getting dressed or using the bathroom.

"Nobody should ever give blood while they are sitting up on a table," the Nelsons' attorney Lloyd Bell told CBS46. "They need to be lying down, they need to be in a chair with arms."

While the Nelsons would choose Cris's health over the payout any day, they do hope their story will spread the word about a simple but important safety rule.

[h/t CBS 46]
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / Maritime Resources Corp. (MAE.V) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into an Engineering, Evaluation and Services Agreement ("Agreement") with Rambler Metals and Mining PLC ("Rambler") to evaluate the economic potential of re-opening the past producing Hammerdown gold mine located within Maritime's Green Bay Property, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

Under the terms of the Agreement, the companies will work together and appoint an independent qualified third party consultant (the "Consultant") to prepare and complete a pre-feasibility study (the "Study"), funded by Maritime. The Study will evaluate the mineral reserves available on the property. Should a positive economic analysis and a production decision, by the Board of Directors of Maritime be determined, the two companies will then negotiate mutually agreeable management services and toll milling agreements that will see Rambler assist Maritime in the process of re-opening the old Hammerdown mine.

The initial Independent Mineral Resource Estimate for the Green Bay Gold property was prepared in accordance to the requirements of NI 43-101 and released in June 2013. The study estimates the property to contain in excess of 425,000 ounces of gold in the Measured and Indicated categories and in excess of 660,000 ounces in the Inferred category, both at a 3 g/t cut-off grade. The estimate was compiled by Tetra Tech of Ontario. (see press release from May 28, 2013)

Throughout the process the Green Bay Property will remain 100% owned by Maritime along with all rights to continue exploring the land package. Exploration potential at Green Bay is substantial in three areas; the Rumbullion vein system which extends for 800 metres to the northeast, the Hammerdown offset fault extension which is projected at approximately 500 metre depth and the open Orion vein system which lies approximately 1,500 meters to the southwest of Hammerdown and has only been drilled to 300m depth.

In order to assist Maritime and the management team in advancing the Hammerdown project pursuant to this Agreement, Rambler has agreed to vote all its common shares of Maritime in favour of management during the terms of this agreement.

Doug Fulcher, President and CEO of Maritime commented:

"We are very pleased to have entered into this Agreement with Rambler. Rambler's presence and operational expertise in Newfoundland is a huge asset to Maritime as we move the Hammerdown project forward. The toll milling option at the permitted Nugget Pond gold mill, where Hammerdown ore was previously processed, would allow for the project to be fast-tracked to production following a positive production decision by Maritime.

The Hammerdown mine was previously in production from 2000 until 2004 with grades averaging approximately 16 g/t gold at an 8 g/t cut-off grade with average gold recoveries in excess of 97%. The high grade nature of the deposit, combined with the existing underground workings and infrastructure would provide opportunities to reduce capital costs and permitting time to production when compared to building new milling and tailings storage facilities at the Hammerdown property."

Norman Williams, President and CEO of Rambler Metals and Mining commented:

"We are pleased to see Maritime moving ahead with the economic evaluation and pre-feasibility work to determine the viability of restarting the past producing Hammerdown mine. Our gold plant at Nugget Pond remains under care and maintenance while Ming Mine ore is fed directly into the copper concentrator only. Fully utilizing all available infrastructure at our processing facilities could be a tremendous opportunity for both Maritime and Rambler."

A BOUT MARITIME RESOURCES CORP:

Maritime Resources holds 100% of the Green Bay property, located near Springdale, Newfoundland and Labrador. The property hosts the past producing Hammerdown gold mine and the Orion gold deposit separated by a 1.5 km distance, as well as the Lochinvar base metals/precious metals deposit.

An initial Independent Mineral Resource Estimate for the Green Bay Gold property was prepared in accordance to the requirements of NI 43-101 and released in early June 2013. The study estimates the property to contain in excess of 425,000 ounces of gold (727,500 tonnes @ 11.59 g/t Au at Hammerdown and 1,096,500 tonnes @ 4.47 g/t Au at Orion) in the Measured and Indicated categories and in excess of 660,000 ounces (1,767,000 tonnes @ 7.58 g/t Au at Hammerdown and 1,288,000 tonnes @ 5.44 g/t Au at Orion) in the Inferred category, all at a 3 g/t cut-off grade diluted to 1.2 metre wide mining width. The estimate was compiled by Tetra Tech of Ontario.

The Hammerdown gold deposit was successfully mined by Richmont Mines between 2000 and 2004 while gold prices averaged $325/oz. During its operation, a total of 291,400 tonnes of ore were mined and milled, at an average grade of 15.83 g/t Au, recovering a total of 143,000 ounces of gold at an 8 g/t cut-off. All of the ore was processed at the Nugget Pond mill, now owned and operated by Rambler, with an average gold recovery of 97.1%. Mining terminated in 2004 due to low gold prices with extensive gold mineralization remaining, although uneconomic at that time. (Maritime is in possession of historic mining records). The Orion gold deposit consists of two main vein systems, both of which are open along strike, and down plunge to the northeast.

Further information on the Green Bay Gold Property can be found on our website along with the NI43-101 Technical Report filed on SEDAR on July 11, 2013 at www.maritimeresourcescorp.com.

Bernard H. Kahlert, P.Eng. is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical disclosure contained in this release.

ABOUT RAMBLER METALS AND MINING:

Rambler is a mining and development Company that in November 2012 brought its first mine into commercial production. The group has a 100% ownership in the Ming Copper-Gold Mine, a fully operational base and precious metals processing facility and year round bulk storage and shipping facility; all located on the Baie Verte peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The Company's Vision is to be Atlantic Canada's leading mine operator and resource developer through growth and expansion of its existing assets; discovering new deposits; strategic partnerships; mergers and acquisitions. In addition to the Ming Mine, Rambler owns 100 per cent of the former producing Little Deer/ Whales Back copper mines and has a 17% equity stake in Maritime Resources.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Doug Fulcher"

Doug Fulcher

President & CEO

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Cathy DiVito, Investor Relations

Telephone: (604) 484-7111

info@maritimeresourcescorp.com

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in resource exploration and development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

SOURCE: Maritime Resources Corp.
(Repeating for additional clients with no changes to text)

By Jonathan Spicer and Jim Finkle

New York, May 9 (Reuters) - In the years before hackers stole $81 million from a Bangladesh central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, senior Fed security officials examined the risk of such an attack - but judged the prospect unlikely, bank sources told Reuters.

The Fed managers worried that lax security procedures and outdated technology at some foreign central banks could allow cyber-criminals to commandeer local computers and breach foreign accounts at the U.S. central bank, according to interviews with seven current and former New York Fed officials and a former U.S. government official familiar with the discussions.

Over several years, New York Fed and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials discussed the risk of an attack made using the banking system's communications network, known as SWIFT, according to Fed and government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The New York Fed was concerned with lots of vulnerabilities," said the former government official. "SWIFT was one of them."

But the Fed focused security resources on other priorities, such as preventing money-laundering and enforcing U.S. economic sanctions, officials with knowledge of the bank's security operations told Reuters. Fed officials took some comfort in the fact that SWIFT's security software had never been cracked, the officials said.

The immediate result of the breach for the New York Fed is a claim from the Bangladesh Bank for payment of lost funds and a potential lawsuit. Beyond that, the heist showed that the U.S. central bank long understood a potentially systemic risk to a vital global finance network, but was unable or unwilling to address it.

The New York Fed declined to comment on past security priorities or on whether it had made changes since the heist. SWIFT declined to comment.

Before the heist, some New York Fed officials considered the threat of fraudulent transfers ordered through SWIFT a "fat tail risk" - a statistical term for events with low probability but dire consequences, said one well-placed official with knowledge of the discussions. February's theft from the Bangladesh Bank fit that definition - a bold cyber heist in which thieves attempted to withdraw nearly $1 billion in dozens of requests.

Story continues

The crime rattled the banking industry because the conduit for the theft was the SWIFT network, an acronym for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. A cooperative overseen by 20 of the world's largest central banks, SWIFT connects about 11,000 financial institutions globally that use it to order money transfers.

"What everyone is realizing right now is that no one has ever really appreciated the risk," said the person with direct knowledge of the New York Fed's deliberations.

SWIFT has said that the scheme involved altering SWIFT software on Bangladesh Bank computers to hide evidence of fraudulent transfers. Last week, SWIFT acknowledged that the Bangladesh Bank attack was not an isolated incident but one of a number of recent criminal schemes aimed at its messaging platform. SWIFT has declined to elaborate further.

Two Bangladesh Bank officials have told Reuters they believe both the New York Fed and SWIFT bear some responsibility for the failure to prevent the attack. The officials previously told Reuters that SWIFT gave Bangladesh Bank no prior warning about vulnerabilities, and the New York Fed failed to stop fraudulent orders when they reached New York.

The head of Bangladesh Bank is scheduled to meet next week with New York Fed president William Dudley and a senior executive from SWIFT to discuss the matter. SWIFT has said the attack was related to an internal operating issue at Bangladesh Bank, and the New York Fed has said it has no evidence that its systems were compromised.

Richard Dzina, head of the New York Fed's wholesale product office, in remarks at a banking conference Tuesday said bank workers "acted properly" in releasing the funds. The system was penetrated, he said, because the hackers had acquired valid credentials to order the transfers.

$80 BILLION A DAY

The New York Fed holds trillions of dollars in funds for central banks worldwide. It processes about $80 billion in fund transfers in and out of their accounts each day, according to a New York Fed official.

Security is handled by the New York Fed's Central Bank and International Account Services (CBIAS) division, a closely-guarded operation inside its fortress in lower Manhattan. CBIAS assigns risk profiles to individual countries and regions, assessing government stability, terrorism threats, and organized crime activity when deciding how to dispense cash to central banks and other official institutions, current and former Fed officials said.

In the months before the attack, the security unit was focused on bulking up its anti-money laundering protections, an initiative driven by the Board of Governors at the Fed's Washington, D.C. headquarters, according to two people familiar with the plan. Another priority was protecting the Fed's own Fedwire payments system from cyber attacks, several current and former Fed officials said.

Most transfer requests are approved automatically after computer screening. Only a few of about 2,000 daily transactions are flagged for review by employees, according to a New York Fed official.

One of the officials said automated scanners used for SWIFT payments were effective for preventing money laundering and enforcing economic sanctions - but would not defend the bank against fraudulent money transfers.

"There is a balance here that has to be struck between allowing customers to make new payments and to conduct their business in a timely manner, and also to prevent really obnoxious or obvious cases of fraud," said Shehriyar Antia, a former senior New York Fed policy advisor and analyst in the CBIAS unit.

The CBIAS system specifically checks for typographical errors - and it was a thief's typo, along with an unusually high number of requests for payments to private entities, that alerted the Fed to February's cyber attack, banking sources have told Reuters. Once alerted, the Fed suspended payments on most of the requests coming from the Bangladesh Bank, but not before the thieves extracted $81 million.

The Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh police and the FBI are investigating the attack.

A Bangladesh police official who heads the department's forensic training institute previously told Reuters that SWIFT servers at Bangladesh's central bank were vulnerable to hackers because of the absence of a firewall and a lack of basic security protocols.

LOOSE CONTROLS

Three former officials said that the New York Fed had recently focused on loose controls over terminals and other access points to the SWIFT network at foreign central banks, where bankers often order withdrawals for hundreds of millions of dollars.

The concerns focused on the possibility that banks would purchase computers implanted with malicious software or that attackers could steal or buy legitimate credentials from employees, said the former U.S. government official. An additional worry, according to two former Fed officials, was the possibility that a corrupt insider - possibly a bank employee - might have access to the SWIFT network and submit a fraudulent payment request.

Years of managing foreign central bank accounts gave some Fed officials concern that certain banks were ill-equipped to handle local security because of a lack of infrastructure investment and other procedural problems. But the Fed does not have the ability to audit the security protocols at correspondent central banks.

"The vulnerability is that central banks, even in developing countries, have a lot of money relative to their level of sophistication," said the official with knowledge of the security concerns. "It's not just Bangladesh."

(Writing by David Greising; editing by Brian Thevenot and Edward Tobin)
When many people think of domestic violence, they likely picture something not unlike Rihanna's bruised and battered face at the hands of then-boyfriend Chris Brown in 2009. However, physical violence is not the only way domestic violence exists.

On Monday, Twitter users reminded everyone about the nonphysical forms abuse of relationship abuse can take with the hashtag #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou, which started with a string of tweets from writer Zahira Kelly, who uses the handle @bad_dominicana, last week:

Read more: People Who Commit Domestic Violence Have Different Brain Activity Than Other Criminals

maybe he doesnt hit u. he just comes home angry at the world& broke& starts putting u down for being a useless parasite whos why hes broke.

maybe he doesnt hit u. he just complains about your belly after u had his kids. & tells u to get skinny before he gets a cuter 15 yr old

maybe he doesnt hit u. he just has a raging fit if youre wearing shoes, skirt, a chain, or handbag he dont like.

In sharing her own experience, Kelly quickly found she wasn't alone:

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he knew what to say to keep you going back to him after he emotionally devastated you.

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he makes you feel bad about advancing in your life/studies/career because you didn't think of him first

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he says it's "such a shame you're disabled" yet "you're so lucky I still choose to be w/ you when others wouldn't"

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he promised to kill others and then himself if you didn't comply with the "sexual favors" he "asked" of you

According to domestic violence nonprofit Safe Horizons, domestic violence includes five categories of abuse  physical, sexual, economic, emotional and psychological  and encapsulates any "pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence."

About are victims of what the National Domestic Violence Hotline calls "severe" physical violence from an intimate partner at some point in their lives. Domestic violence affects all genders and happens in same-gender and opposite-gender relationships alike.

While studies have shown people who perpetrate domestic violence have different brain functioning than other criminals, relationship abuse typically arises from social forces as well. StopRelationshipAbuse.org cites toxic masculinity, media's glorification of violence, rape culture and society's insistence on rigid gender roles as contributing factors.

According to the site, warning signs of abuse include a partner preventing you from seeing your friends and family, or humiliating you in front of them:

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he makes sure you know the friends he never wants you to see don't actually like you

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he's rude to your friends and family and he ridicules you in front of his.

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he actively shares intimate details of your sex life with friends/family meant to embarrass you.

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he constantly tries to convince you that you have no friends & you'd have nowhere to go if you left him

Your partner might make it a point to knock down your self-worth:

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he said that staying committed to you was boring.

maybehedoesnthityou but tells you "I'll break up with you if you cut your hair" because he thinks women with short hair look "too butch"

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but he makes you feel bad, embarrassed, or childish for caring about things you love

Or leave you worrying about if  or when  the abuse will become physical:

MaybeHeDoesntHitYou but you lose sleep over when he will.

Or #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou yet.https://twitter.com/meggophone/status/729692117551992833 ...

StopRelationshipAbuse.org emphasizes that abuse is never the fault of the victim. "No matter what others might say, you are never responsible for your partner's abusive actions," the site says. "Dating abuse is not caused by alcohol or drugs, stress, anger management, or provocation. It is always a choice to be abusive."

May 9, 2016, 4:03 p.m.: This story has been updated.
McLaren has managed a feat not every upstart automaker can put on their resume: actually turning a consistent profit. This has been an issue for many UK luxury brands. But McLaren intends to keep its profitable streak alive by introducing 15 new models over the coming six years.

The report comes from Automotive News Europe, which spoke to McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt about the companys plans for the future. He said that the company is selling more cars each year with about 3,000 expected this year. He wants that number to be at 5,000 by 2022.

RELATED: See More Images of the 2014 McLaren P1

That puts the small manufacturer at capacity, but with its small profit margin, the company needs to make and sell as many cars as possible. Execs have been investing about 25 percent of their profits back into the company, and thats how they plan to introduce 15 new products so quickly.

These cars will include a new powertrain and new structures, but will remain two-seat, mid-engine vehicles with carbon fiber passenger compartments and aluminum frames (for now). This includes a hybrid by the end of the decade. He says it wont be a hybrid just for the sake of it, but a vehicle designed to meet emissions targets and add to the McLaren experience.

RELATED: See Images of the 1969 McLaren M6GT




Medicare provides valuable health insurance to most older Americans. But it also comes with a complicated set of rules and sometimes significant out-of-pocket costs. Here's what you can expect to pay for Medicare in retirement.

[See: 10 Things You Need to Know About Medicare.]

Premiums. Most retirees pay the standard Medicare Part B premium of $104.90 per month in 2016. However, some Medicare beneficiaries pay more. Retirees who sign up for Medicare in 2016 and Medicare beneficiaries who have not yet claimed Social Security will be charged $121.80 per month for Medicare Part B. High-income retirees bringing in more than $85,000 ($170,000 for couples) will also pay higher Part B premiums, ranging from $170.50 to $389.80 monthly depending on how high their income is.

Most retirees don't pay a premium for Medicare Part A hospital insurance. The premium cost for Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage varies depending on the plan you select. Most retirees have their Medicare premiums deducted from their Social Security check.

Deductible and coinsurance. Medicare Part B has a $166 deductible in 2016. After that, Medicare beneficiaries typically need to pay 20 percent of the cost of most doctor's services. "That can quickly add up if a lot of health services are needed over time," says Tanya Feke, a medical doctor and author of "Medicare Essentials: A Physician Insider Explains the Fine Print." There is no annual limit on how much you might need to pay out of pocket.

There are some services Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for that aren't subject to these cost-sharing requirements, such as a wellness visit once every 12 months and a variety of preventative care services, including flu shots and cardiovascular disease screenings. "Some preventive screening tests like colonoscopies and mammograms are free under Part B, but only if certain conditions are met," Feke says. However, if a problem is discovered during a preventative visit, it could lead to other medical services that do have an additional cost.

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Hospital stays. If you are hospitalized, Medicare Part A has a $1,288 deductible. If you end up spending more than 60 days in the hospital it will cost you $322 per day for days 61 through 90 and $644 for up to 60 lifetime reserve days after that. "Everyone with Part A has to pay each time they are admitted to the hospital," Feke says. "For people who need hospital services frequently, out-of-pocket costs could skyrocket." Once your lifetime reserve days are used up, you will become responsible for your own hospital expenses.

[Quiz: Test Your Medicare Knowledge.]

Supplemental insurance. Some retirees buy supplemental insurance policies to cover some of the cost-sharing requirements of traditional Medicare as well as some additional services. A Medigap policy can help to make your health care costs in retirement more predictable. Many plans will cover some of Medicare Part B's out-of-pocket costs and longer hospital stays than traditional Medicare. "The out-of-pocket costs can be great or virtually zero, depending on what type of a supplemental Medigap plan you choose," says Ronald Kahan, a medical doctor and author of "Medicare Demystified: A Physician Helps Save You Time, Money, and Frustration." "The most comprehensive plan is Plan F. It's the most expensive, but it will also cover virtually every copay and deductible that you have."

Another option is to sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan, which means you will receive your Medicare Parts A and B via a private plan instead of original Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans have different cost-sharing requirements for medical services and sometimes more coverage restrictions than traditional Medicare. "If you're willing to see in-network doctors and only do refererals from your primary care physician, your out-of pocket costs could be smaller," Kahan says. "You are trading off that low cost for the ability to go to any doctor you want when you want without a referral."

Prescription drug coverage. Seniors can choose among an average of over two dozen plans for their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, and each offers different prices and coverage. The average premium was $41.46 per month in 2016, and plans are allowed to charge deductibles of up to $360. Premiums are higher for people who go 63 or more days without prescription drug coverage after becoming eligible for Medicare and for high-income Medicare beneficiaries. To get the best value for your money, you will need to continue to compare plans each year in retirement because the prices and covered medications change annually. "I think it's worth looking at your prescription drug plan every year because sometimes plans change their level of coverage, and there are always new plans coming out," says Cindy Levering, a retired pension actuary in Baltimore and member of the Society of Actuaries committee on post retirement needs and risks.

Avoid late-enrollment penalties. You can first sign up for Medicare during the seven-month initial enrollment period that begins three months before you turn 65. If you don't sign up for Medicare during this initial enrollment period, you could be charged higher premiums for the rest of your life. Your Part B premiums will increase by 10 percent for each 12-month period you delayed Medicare coverage after becoming eligible for it. If you didn't sign up for Medicare because you receive group health insurance through your or your spouse's job, you need to sign up for Medicare within eight months of leaving the job or the coverage ending to avoid the penalty.

[See: 10 Medical Services Medicare Doesn't Cover.]

Some medical services aren't covered. You will need to budget for commonly needed medical services that Medicare doesn't cover, including eyeglasses, contact lenses, dental care and hearing aids. "Most retirees don't have dental insurance, and dental work is not covered by Medicare," Levering says. Most significantly, Medicare only covers up to 100 days of nursing home care, after which you will become responsible for all further long-term care costs.

Emily Brandon is the author of "Pensionless: The 10-Step Solution for a Stress-Free Retirement."
Baku, Azerbaijan, May 9



By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan has dismissed remarks by a senior military official suggesting that the country has recently test-fired a 2000-km range ballistic missile with an error margin of eight meters.

"We have not test-fired a 2000-km range ballistic missile with an error margin of eight meters, recently," Fars news agency quoted Dehqan as saying.

However, Dehqan added that the country will never give up its missile program.

Earlier on the day, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi said that over the past two weeks the country's armed forces test-fired a 2000-km range ballistic missile, and an error margin of eight meters.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be among some 50 leaders attending the first-ever world humanitarian summit in Istanbul to rethink the global aid strategy, UN diplomats said Monday.

The May 23-24 summit has been criticized by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which announced it will not be taking part, calling it a "fig leaf of good intentions."

Merkel, who has been at the center of Europe's refugee crisis, confirmed her attendance, as did Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country holds the six-month presidency of the European Union.

A question mark remains over the representation from France and Britain. The United States is expected to send the head of the US Agency for International Development.

Others attending include Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou and Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam, whose country is hosting more than one million Syrian refugees.

In all, 110 countries have confirmed that they will send a delegation to the summit, which has been in preparation for the past three years.

MSF said it was pulling out of the summit because it had lost hope that it will address "the weaknesses in humanitarian action and emergency response" in conflict areas and during epidemics.

One of the top issues on the agenda is the crisis in humanitarian financing.
Mexican drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman might be on his way to a prison he cant escape.

On Monday, a Mexican federal court ruled that Guzman, boss of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, can be shipped north to face trial in the United States. On Saturday, he was moved to a high security prison in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez on the U.S. border. Hes expected to be extradited later this year.

A trial in the United States is exactly what Guzman, who once sat on the Forbes billionaire list, did not want, simply because hes very good at getting out of Mexican jails. Guzman escaped last summer from the supposedly high security Altiplano prison via a mile-long underground tunnel, an embarrassment to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nietos government. He was taken back into custody this past January.

Guzman escaped from another prison in 2001, allegedly hiding in dirty laundry to flee. His legend grew after he disappeared, with the United States offering a $5 million reward for his capture. In 2013, law enforcement officials in Chicago, a destination for many of Guzmans drugs, named him Public Enemy No. 1. He was recaptured in 2014.

Mexican drug lords arent above a little graft to see that a U.S. court decision goes their way. This year, Francisco Antonio Colorado-Cessa, a notorious member of the Los Zetas cartel, was found guilty on U.S. charges of conspiracy and bribery of public officials in the Western District Court of Louisiana.

The United States has long wanted Mexico to extradite Guzman to face criminal charges, including cocaine smuggling and money laundering. Its not yet clear where his trial will take place. He faces charges in a number of cities, including Chicago, New York, and Miami. The U.S. Justice Department did not return a request for comment on Mondays developments.

Pena Nieto has promised to get tough on the cartels that have waged a violent drug war across Mexico, killing more than 80,000 since 2006. Fighting between Guzmans cartel and a rival located in Juarez, just across the border from El Paso, Texas, has killed more than 10,000 alone.

The capture of El Chapo was a major victory for the Mexican president. If the drug kingpin is found guilty and sent to prison in the United States, U.S. law enforcement would win the ultimate prize: Guzman sitting behind American bars, where its much harder to tunnel a way to freedom.

Photo credit: YURI CORTEZ/Getty Images
Recaptured drug lord Joaquin

Mexico's prison system has been called a "disaster," and drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman just got sent to the worst lockup in the country.

Guzman was transferred early Saturday morning to Cefereso No. 9, just outside Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas.

A 2015 report by Mexico's National Human Rights Commission found that Cefereso No. 9 scored 6.63 out of 10 in overall quality, the lowest score of the country's 21 federal prisons and below the 7.32 score of the 10th-ranked Altiplano prison, where Guzman was being held before.

The prison  about 14 miles from downtown Ciudad Juarez  had a low score for handling prisoners with special requirements.

It also got middling marks for prisoner safety and well-being and for rehabilitation, according to the Associated Press. Despite those issues and overcrowding, the prison improved from 2014.

One area in which the prison performs well is in "conditions of governability," which perhaps led to Mexican officials' assertions that Cefereso No. 9 would hold the kingpin.

The Mexican government said Guzman was removed from the maximum-security Altiplano prison, from which he escaped in brazen fashion in July before being recaptured in January, to do renovations meant to improve security there, though it may have been in response to a more immediate risk.

El Chapo Mexico prison

"Moving him from one prison to another is one way of delaying any potentially successful escape plans, or they might have had some information that an escape plan had been hatched," Alejandro Hope, the security and justice editor at El Daily Post, told The Guardian.

Hope has said in the past that Guzman's continued presence at Altiplano makes it more likely the conditions that allowed his escape in the past will return.

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And Guzman's very presence in Chihuahua seems to be a matter of concern.

His Sinaloa cartel recently won a violent struggle over the trafficking corridor running through Ciudad Juarez, and while violence in the city has dropped considerably, it is likely that the cartel still has a significant presence there.

Mexico El Chapo Guzman prison transfer

"It just doesn't make any sense," Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, told the AP on Sunday. "He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape."

Hope echoed that point, telling the AP, "The surrounding environment is risky because 'El Chapo' certainly has a lot of people in Ciudad Juarez, so it seems like a relatively odd choice  Probably the other alternatives were not any better, whatever their objective was."

'Master of tunnels'

There have also been conflicting messages about whether the transfer was a prelude to Guzman's likely extradition to the US.

el chapo

"Due to the proximity (to the US), it makes it easier to extradite him," a Mexican law-enforcement official told CNN about the transfer to Ciudad Juarez.

Other authorities told Reuters that the move "was not a preamble to extradition."

Hope noted that moving Guzman to Cefereso No. 9 to ease extradition would be strange, as it would be just as easy to fly him from Mexico City, located about 60 miles east of Altiplano prison, as it would be to fly from Juarez.

No details about an escape attempt have emerged, and the efforts of Guzman's legal team (which has called the transfer illegal) and past experience suggest that extradition will take more than just a few months.

It's not yet clear what's going on, but with Guzman  nicknamed "the master of tunnels" for his subterranean proclivities  it's usually more than meets the eye.

NOW WATCH: Forget 'El Chapo'  this is Mexico's most powerful drug lord





More From Business Insider


Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is expected to be extradited to the United States by the end of the year, a US official said Monday after a court approved the move.

A Mexico City judge ruled Friday that the extradition could go ahead based on cocaine trafficking charges lodged in a California federal court, judicial officials said.

But Mexico's foreign ministry, which said it received the ruling on Monday, now has 20 days to make a decision and Guzman's lawyers would subsequently have 30 days to appeal any extradition. If such an appeal is denied, another court would have to review the case.

"We're still months away," the US government official said on condition of anonymity, adding, however, that "we expect him to be extradited by the end of the year."

An extradition within the same year of Guzman's arrest would be relatively quick for Mexico's judicial system, the official said.

In a reversal, President Enrique Pena Nieto asked the attorney general's office to expedite the extradition process after he was detained in January.

Pena Nieto's government had previously balked at sending Guzman to the United States before the Sinaloa drug cartel kingpin escaped from prison in July last year.

Guzman's lawyer, Jose Refugio Rodriguez, told AFP that his client would fight the extradition unless he can negotiate the terms with US authorities.

Guzman, who was abruptly transferred to a new jail on Saturday, has hired a US lawyer and would be willing to plead guilty in return for good US prison conditions.

"If we have an agreement, (the extradition) will proceed," Refugio said. "Otherwise, we will fight extradition with everything we've got."

But the US official warned that there would be no deals, telling AFP: "We do not negotiate."

- Prison transfer -

Guzman was unexpectedly transferred on Saturday from the Altiplano maximum-security prison near Mexico City to another penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez, a city bordering Texas.

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Mexican officials said the move had nothing to do with the extradition process and that Guzman was moved because of work being done to boost security at Altiplano, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Mexico City.

Eduardo Guerrero, head of the national penitentiary system, defended the decision, saying the Ciudad Juarez prison was secure even though it was ranked last among the country's federal penitentiaries by the National Human Rights Commission in 2015.

"It's a prison that today fulfills all the necessary characteristics to hold high-profile inmates," Guerrero told Radio Formula.

Another Guzman lawyer, Andres Granados, said he was not allowed to see his client on Monday. A heavy police and military presence was seen on the outskirts of the prison.

- Extradition: 'A matter of when' -

Analysts questioned Guzman's transfer, given that Ciudad Juarez is a bastion of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

The drug capo first broke out of a high-security prison in western Mexico in 2001 by hiding in a laundry cart. He was arrested in February 2014.

He escaped from the Altiplano prison in July 2015 through a 1.5-kilometer (one-mile) tunnel that led to his cell shower, but he was sent back there after being recaptured in January.

"It's not logical that they would move an individual with money, wealth and power like Guzman, who has already escaped from the two most maximum security prisons that Mexico has," said Mike Vigil, a retired chief of international operations at the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Vigil said the Mexican government will likely extradite him to the United States and US authorities will never negotiate with the drug lord, adding that the DEA already rejected an attempt by Guzman to negotiate with the agency in the 1990s.

"It's too risky for the Mexican government to keep him in any penitentiary in Mexico," the former DEA official said. "He's going to be extradited. It's just a matter of when."
The Montclair Film Festival on Sunday announced its 2016 award winners.

The narrative feature jury prize was won by Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow, with Sophia Takal's Always Shine also receiving a special jury prize.

On the documentary side, Kirsten Johnson's Cameraperson took home the Bruce Sinofsky prize for documentary feature, an award named for the late documentary filmmaker and Montclair, N.J., resident. A special jury prize for narrative innovation also was awarded to Keith Maitland's Tower.

The future/now prize, honoring emerging low-budget American independent filmmaking, went to Anna Rose Holmer's The Fits. Kris Avedisian also received an award for his performance in Donald Cried.

The New Jersey films award, which honors a select group of movies made by New Jersey artists, was given to Josie Swantek Heitz and Dave Adams' The Wrong Light. In the same competition category, Jason Cohen's Silicon Cowboys earned a special jury prize for archival storytelling.

Read More: 'Love Actually' Director Richard Curtis on Characters' "Less Lovely" Life, Montclair Film Festival Tribute

The audience award for narrative feature was given to Thor 3 director Taika Waititi's Hunt for the Wilderpeople, with Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You taking home the audience award for documentary feature. Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami's Sonita won the audience prize for world cinema, and Kahane Cooperman's Joe's Violin received the audience award for short film.

Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg's Weiner, about disgraced former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, won the David Carr Award for truth in nonfiction filmmaking, which is named for the late New York Times writer and honors a film that uses journalistic techniques to explore important contemporary subjects.

The junior jury prize, given by a group of 13 high-school students, went to Clay Tweel's Gleason, with a special jury prize for social justice awarded to Sonita.

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"We are deeply honored by the fact that so many incredible filmmakers chose to share their work with the festival and our audiences. We thank every one of our filmmakers for their overwhelming generosity," Montclair Film Festival executive director Tom Hall said in a statement. "These awards are the festival's way of honoring work that challenges and inspires us, and we hope they offer further encouragement to the filmmakers to continue making great work."

Read More: Montclair Film Festival: Industry Ties Bring Stephen Colbert, 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' To NY Suburb
(Adds Edmond de Rothschild Group)

May 9 (Reuters) - The following financial services industry appointments were announced on Monday. To inform us of other job changes, email moves@thomsonreuters.com.

CITIGROUP INC

A director on Citigroup's US investment grade bond syndicate has left the firm, a source at the bank told IFR on Monday.

EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD GROUP

Private banking company Edmond de Rothschild Group named Roderick Munsters as chief executive of its asset management unit.

LENDING CLUB CORP

The operator of the world's biggest online lending platform said that Chief Executive and Chairman Renaud Laplanche had resigned following a review that revealed a violation of the company's business practices.

MITSUBISHI UFJ SECURITIES

The securities arm of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc has hired Krishna Shah to head its European ABS and CLO operations, a spokesperson confirmed on Monday to IFR.

SARASIN & PARTNERS LLP

The UK-based asset manager named Kwai San Wong as stewardship analyst, effective immediately.

VONTOBEL ASSET MANAGEMENT

The asset manager named Henrik Rox Hansen as head of sales, Nordics and the Netherlands, with a focus on both institutional clients and wholesale investors.

TARGET ADVISERS LLP

The UK-based specialist advisory and property management services provider to the healthcare investment sector appointed Tim Kay as investment director.

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC

HSBC Middle East, a unit of the bank, has appointed Robin Jones as interim chief executive, the bank said in a statement on Sunday.

(Compiled by Anet Josline Pinto and Rishika Sadam in Bengaluru)
Tehran, Iran, May 9

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Suicides carried out in crowded areas hold an element of protest and their number is expected to rise in the future, said Suicide Prevention Association of Iran's Chairman Kazem Malekuti.

He pointed to emotional depression as one of the major causes behind suicide, adding the emotional disorder has been on the rise in Iran over the past decade, ILNA news agency reported May 9.

Various causes from political to economic, cultural, social, and psychological usually play a role in bringing one to the decision to kill themselves, he said and pointed out that researches have shown depression can increase suicide odds six-fold.

In recent years Iranians especially in big urban areas have from time to time witnessed people attempt suicide in public areas by throwing themselves before subway trains, hanging themselves, or jumping off bridges.

Malekuti underlined unemployment as a major contributor to suicide, pointing out however that preventive programs in a number of less-developed cities across Iran have proven helpful.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has proposed that by 2020 suicide around the world should diminish by 10 percent.

The WHO's 2012 report puts Iran at the 120th place in world suicide ranking.

In early May an Iranian man attempted suicide after being unable to pay for his treatment at a Tehran hospital. Ali Shafie began experiencing extreme pain in his stomach and sought help at Milad Hospital. Shafie was refused treatment after being told his insurance booklet had expired and he was unable to pay the three million rial ($95) fee.

Shafie's pain was so severe he threw himself off the third floor of the hospital and went into a coma.
By Keith Coffman

DENVER, May 9 (Reuters) - Jury selection was due to begin on Monday in Colorado for the first civil trial of wrongful death and personal injury claims stemming from a 2012 mass shooting in which 12 people were killed and dozens wounded in a suburban Denver movie theater.

A group of more than two dozen plaintiffs, including surviving victims and relatives of the dead, have sued the movie theater chain Cinemark USA and the cinema's property owners in state court, accusing them of various security lapses.

According to the lawsuit, the companies failed to hire sufficient security personnel in light of the cinema's previous history of shootings and other violence.

It also cited a lack of surveillance cameras around the theater's perimeter, a faulty emergency exit alarm that failed to go off when the gunman launched his attack through the cinema's rear door, and the failure of theater security personnel to intervene once the shooting started.

Plaintiffs' attorney Marc Bern said Cinemark was especially negligent in failing to notify its general managers about a U.S. Department of Homeland Security advisory issued in May 2012 warning that movie theaters had been deemed potential targets for terrorism.

Texas-based Cinemark owns the Century 16 Theater multiplex where the gunman, James Holmes, opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle, shotgun and pistol during a midnight screening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20, 2012.

In its answer to the lawsuit, Cinemark said the case should be dismissed because the chain "did not have the legal duty to foresee the injury-causing mass murderous assault committed by James Holmes, nor did it have the legal duty to prevent it."

Holmes, a former neuroscience graduate student who pleaded innocent by reason of insanity, was found guilty last summer of murdering 12 people and wounding 70 in the rampage, and was sentenced to life in prison.

Jury selection in the civil trial, the first arising from the fatal rampage, was slated to begin in Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, Colorado, with opening arguments expected to possibly get under way by day's end.

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The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages for past and future economic losses, including medical expenses, lost wages and earning potential and disability, as well as for pain, suffering and emotional stress.

A separate personal injury and wrongful death case filed in federal court is expected to go to trial in July.

(Editing by Steve Gorman)
Washington (AFP) - North Carolina's governor and the US federal government upped the ante in a battle over the rights of transgender Americans, filing dueling lawsuits over a state law restricting their use of public restrooms.

The showdown comes amid a wider debate on equal rights in the United States, where a flurry of initiatives have targeted the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) communities since a historic Supreme Court decision last year legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The North Carolina law passed on March 23 -- requiring transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate -- has triggered a national outcry.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who calls North Carolina her home state, denounced the law as "state-sponsored discrimination" and compared it to racial segregation laws and bans on same-sex marriage.

"This action is about a great deal more than bathrooms," she told reporters.

"This is about the dignity and the respect that we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we as a people and as a country have enacted to protect them."

A string high-profile entertainers and big companies have joined activists in denouncing the North Carolina measure, pulling the plug on events and investments in the state.

But supporters say the controversial law is intended to protect women from sexual predators.

The state's governor Pat McCrory on Monday filed a suit against the US Justice Department in defense of the law, and asked the federal courts to decide.

In turn, the Justice Department filed a civil rights countersuit, charging that the law is discriminatory.

The government's complaint cites as defendants the state and its governor, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina and its board.

Lynch warned that "we retain the option" to curtail federal funding for the state over the issue, with billions of dollars in government aid potentially at stake, including key education funding.

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- 'We stand with you' -

Speaking directly to the transgender community, Lynch said "history is on your side."

"No matter how isolated, no matter how afraid, and no matter how alone you may feel today, know this -- that the Department of Justice and indeed the entire Obama administration want you to know that we see you, we stand with you, and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward," she said.

"It's about the founding ideals that have led to this country haltingly but inexorably in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans."

North Carolina's governor has defended the law as a necessary response to an ordinance in the state's largest city of Charlotte that expanded legal protections for people's sexual orientation and gender identity.

"This caused major privacy concerns about males entering female facilities or females entering male facilities," he told reporters, saying he expected other states and private entities to join the suit.

The latest legal action coincides with a deadline the Justice Department gave North Carolina's governor last week to "remedy" the measure, warning him that the law violated federal anti-discrimination statutes.

McCrory said President Barack Obama's administration was "bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina."

"This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level," he said.

The governor also stressed that North Carolina allows private companies to set their own policies concerning the use of bathrooms, locker rooms and showers.

The state's own attorney general, a Democrat locked in a tight battle against McCrory to win his post in November, said the law has already cost thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in economic activity.

"It's time for the governor to stop the partisan gamesmanship and undo this law now," Roy Cooper said in a statement.

- Government 'bullying'? -

Conservatives hailed the state's move.

Lashing out at the Justice Department's "bullying," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said that Obama was trying to "fundamentally transform America."

"If the White House can dictate the bathroom policies of America, what could possibly be beyond their reach?" he asked.

Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr, Demi Lovato and Cyndi Lauper are just some of the musicians and bands who have cancelled concerts in the southeastern state.

PayPal scrapped plans to build facilities in North Carolina that would have provided work for around 400 people, while Deutsche Bank halted plans to create 250 jobs.

The National Basketball Association has warned that it may pull its All-Star game next year out of Charlotte if the law is not changed.

In response to the protest movement, McCrory last month had softened the law, but stopped short of ending its most controversial provision on limits to public bathroom access.

Unsatisfied with the minor changes, activists pressed on.
By James Pearson PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is infringed by others with nuclear arms, in a speech broadcast on Sunday, and set a five-year plan to boost the secretive state's moribund economy. The North "will faithfully fulfil its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearisation", Kim said on Saturday at the rare congress of the ruling Workers' Party, although the speech only aired on Sunday on state television. Pyongyang was also willing to normalise ties with states that had been hostile towards it, Kim said. Isolated North Korea has made similar statements in the past, although it has also frequently threatened to attack the United States and South Korea, and has defied United Nations resolutions in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The first party congress in 36 years began on Friday amid anticipation by the South Korean government and experts that the young third-generation leader would use it to further consolidate power. Kim became leader in 2011 after his father's sudden death. North Korea's economy is squeezed by U.N. sanctions that were tightened in March following its latest nuclear test, and Kim's five-year plan to boost economic growth emphasised the need to improve North Korea's electricity supply and develop domestic sources of energy, including nuclear power. He laid out the blueprint in an address highlighting his "Byongjin" policy of jointly pushing forward economic development and nuclear armament. On Sunday morning, foreign journalists were told to dress presentably and were brought to the People's Palace of Culture, where dozens of black Mercedes-Benz sedans, with the 727 number plates reserved for top government officials, were parked. However, after a one-hour wait in a lobby outside large wooden doors with frosted glass, the journalists were taken back to their hotel without having met any officials. While the North Korean capital has been tidied-up as part of a 70-day campaign of intensified labour ahead of the congress, the 128 members of the foreign media issued visas to cover the event had yet to be granted access to the proceedings as of Sunday afternoon. ENERGY FOCUS North Korea does not publish economic data, though South Korea's central bank said last year the North's economy grew by 1 percent in 2014. The estimate did not include grey market economic activity, which has grown steadily in recent years and created an expanding consumer class. Kim's economic plan spelled out areas of focus, including more mechanisation of agriculture and automation of factories, and higher coal output, but gave few specific targets. "(We must) solve the energy problem and place the basic industry section on the right track, and increase agricultural and light industry production to definitely improve lives of the people," Kim said in a speech that lasted just over three hours, with delegates at the end rising to their feet in applause and shouts of "manse!," or "cheers for long life!" While the economic plan was short on detail, Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership, said it was significant that Kim had set out an economic plan at all. "In stark contrast to his father, he is publicly taking responsibility for the economy and development as the originator of the policy. His father never undertook that responsibility," Madden said. North Korea came under tougher new U.N. sanctions in March after its most recent nuclear test and the launch of a long-range rocket, which put an object into space orbit, in defiance of past Security Council resolutions. Since then, it has continued to engage in nuclear and missile development, and claimed that it had succeeded in miniaturising a nuclear warhead and launching a submarine-based ballistic missile. "As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our Republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes," Kim said. Kim, 33, also called for improved ties with the rival South, although he has made similar proposals in the past that made little progress. The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and relations have been at a low since the North's January nuclear test, its fourth. Kim Un Gyun, a 25 year old member of the elite Kim Il Sung Youth League, was among Pyongyang residents expressing support for Kim and his policies. "Although we are under many sanctions, we have to strictly adhere to the nuclear programme because it's the Marshal Kim Jong Un's Byongjin policy." (Additional reporting by Joseph Campbell in Pyongyang, Jack Kim, Ju-min Park and Nataly Pak in SEOUL; Editing by Tony Munroe and Will Waterman)
At the end of April, Native American seniors about to graduate from Elton High School in Jennings, Louisiana, were given permission to don eagle feathers during graduation, according to the Times-Picayune. Originally, the school had decided against it, citing that the feathers violated its dress code.

"Students have been fined and not allowed to graduate because of a feather," Sophia John, a Coushatta Tribal princess, told the Times-Picayune. "We are not doing this to be disrespectful. We just want to show pride, and we should be allowed to celebrate our heritage."

In many tribes, the eagle feathers are symbols of great accomplishments. For the past few years, Native American students have fought for the right to represent their heritage during their high school graduation, citing that the ban is disrespectful to their culture.

Sometimes the fight ends up in court, and sometimes it ends up on social media, with the hashtag #LetTheFeathersFly.

A photo posted by On-hel-lee-ka (@dvoted2beauty) on May 9, 2016 at 5:17am PDT

Harden Griffith, a former Caney Valley High School student in Caney, Kansas, sued the school district in April for $10,000 in civil damages for not letting her attach a feather on her cap during last year's graduation, the Examiner Enterprise reported. She argues the school violated her rights under the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act since the feather is a part of her religious beliefs.

Shoutout to the GF Native American community for making #LetTheFeathersFly possible. We stand united despite any circumstance, remember that

Often, the schools take on a blanket stance, arguing that the feather, or any altercation, would disrupt the visual unity of the graduating class, according to the Kansas City Star. Schools typically offer students to wear the feather under the gown or in the hair.

"It makes me feel like I have to hide who I am," Waverly Wilson, a graduate from Lakes High School in Lakewood, Washington, told the Indian Country Today Media Network of that option last year.
It could end up costing his state hundreds of millions of dollars from major employers and in federal aid, but GOP North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory filed suit on Monday against the Obama administration in defense of his states controversial new bathroom law  one that the Justice Department insists abridges the civil rights of gay and transgender people.

The Justice Department has concluded that the North Carolina law barring LGBT people from using public restrooms that do not correspond to the gender of their birth violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Related: North Carolina Officials Sue U.S. Justice Dept. Over Transgender 'Bathroom Law'

The Justice Departments top civil rights lawyer, Vanita Gupta, had given McCrory until today to signal whether or not he would remedy the violations by amending the law and notifying state employees they are entitled to use public bathrooms and other facilities consistent with their gender identity.

But McCrory charged in federal court that the Obama administration had engaged in baseless and blatant overreach that could affect other states and private businesses across the country.

The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina, he said. This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level.

Our nation is one nation, especially when it comes to fighting discrimination, which I support wholeheartedly, McCrory said during a brief appearance in the state capital today. Ultimately, I think its time for the U.S. Congress to bring clarity to our national anti-discrimination provisions under Title VII and Title IX.

Related: North Carolina Lawmaker -- 'We Must Fight to Keep Our State Straight'

McCrory and his Republican allies in the state legislature are swimming upstream in challenging the Justice Departments interpretations of civil rights law and ignoring widespread sentiment of business leaders, gay rights activists and average Americans that the law is off the grid.

Story continues

A majority of Americans oppose laws that require transgender individuals to use bathroom facilities that do not correspond to their gender identity, according to a new CNN/ORC Poll released today. The survey of 1,001 adults, conducted April 28 to May 1, asked, Overall, would you say you favor or oppose laws that require transgender individuals to use facilities that correspond to their gender at birth rather than their gender identity?

Fifty-seven percent of those interviewed said they oppose laws like the one in North Carolina, compared to just 39 percent who support them. Republicans were more inclined to support transgender discrimination laws than Democrats, according to the survey. But even there, Republicans are evenly split on laws of this nature, with 48 percent saying they favor them and 48 percent opposed.

The pollsters noted that the latest findings are similar to Americans attitudes about the legalization of gay marriage, with Democrats and more moderate Republicans are in favor while more conservative Republicans are opposed.

Even billionaire Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has opposed the North Carolina law, arguing initially that the measure was passed to address essentially a non-existent problem.

Related: North Carolina Transgender Law Violates Civil Rights Law

Trump said during an interview in late April with NBCs Today Show that there have been very few problems with transgender people using the public bathrooms of their choice and that North Carolina should leave it the way it is. However, he subsequently softened his criticism of the law in the face of a backlash from Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other social conservatives.

Cruz, who was then challenging Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, declared at a rally in Frederick, Maryland, that Donald on television this morning said gosh he thought men should be able to go into the girls bathrooms if they want to. Now let me ask you: Have we gone stark raving nuts?

Trump subsequently tempered his opposition to the North Carolina law. He told Fox News host Sean Hannity that while the new law was unfortunately causing North Carolina problems and could result in the loss of business, I think that local communities and states should make the decision without the federal government getting involved.

McCrory has repeatedly defended the state law, known as HB2, arguing that it was an essential response to a Charlotte, N.C., city ordinance that he said went too far in expanding civil rights protection for individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It was the first time a state passed such a law.

Related: Federal Judge Upholds Voter ID Law in North Carolina

Notably, todays suit was filed by private attorneys on behalf of McCrory, and not by North Carolinas attorney general, Roy Cooper, the states chief legal official. Cooper, a Democrat, is challenging McCrory for election in November.

A spokesperson for Cooper said on Sunday that Governor McCrory signed HB2 into law in the dark of night after passing it in just 12 hours.

The governor needs to undo this law and stop playing politics with our economy, said Ford Porter, the spokesman.

North Carolinas economy already has taken a hit as a result of the new law. Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr canceled major concerts in North Carolina to protest the new law, while many organizations have threatened to cancel meeting and events in North Carolina.

PayPal announced in April that it had canceled plans to open a new global payment center in Charlotte, which was expected to bring 400 new jobs to the city.

That same month Deutsche Bank revealed it was canceling a planned expansion of its operation in Cary, not far from the state capital of Raleigh. That expansion would have added 250 jobs to the banks current workforce of 900.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
President of the General Inspection Organization Naser Seraji on Monday held talks with Chinese minister of supervision on ways to extradite prisoners sentenced for financial corruption seeking asylum in Iran or China, IRNA reported.

Naser Seraj leading a delegation is now in China to attend the 9th annual meeting of the general assembly of international community in charge of fight with corruption in Beijing.

The two sides reviewed expansion of mutual cooperation in line with mutual interests.

President of the General Inspection Organization said one of the reason for his visit to China was to pursue implementation of the agreements already signed between the two countries on extradition of prisoners.

He called for tough measures to be taken by the two countries to deal with wrongdoing and expressed the hope that all countries would create an unsafe environment for the criminals.

He criticized the Western governments for failure to keep their words and said that unfortunately they trample upon Public International Law and the International Law of Investments.
Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng. (File photo: Yahoo Singapore)

Making secondary school education compulsory would not ensure full enrolment or solve the root problems of non-attendance, said Acting Minister for Education (Schools) Ng Chee Meng on Monday (9 May).

These (problems) are often complex and multi-faceted in nature, Ng told Parliament. Instead, the Ministry of Education (MOE) takes a holistic approach by working with various groups including parents, schools, community groups and other relevant agencies to support families and help students attend school, he said.

Ng said his ministry recognised that regular school attendance is necessary but really insufficient for real learning to take place.

MOE invests in providing multiple pathways and programmes in schools that cater to students of different learning needs and strengths. This is to ensure that every student is able to learn at a pace most suited to him or her, Ng said. He added that it is the quality of school experience that keeps students interested and engaged in class.

Ng was replying to a question from Tampines GRC Member-of-Parliament Cheng Li Hui, who had asked if the MOE would consider extending compulsory education to secondary schools, up to N and O levels.

Compulsory education currently applies only to primary school education. Singaporeans who are between the ages of six and 15 must attend a national primary school under the Compulsory Education Act, which was introduced in 2003.

Ng noted that Singapore has achieved near universal secondary education, with less than 1 per cent of each Primary One cohort not completing secondary school.

A legislative extension of compulsory education is unlikely to be effective in reducing this any further, the minister said.
By Julia Harte and Colleen Jenkins WASHINGTON/WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - A fight between the Obama administration and North Carolina over a state law limiting public bathroom access for transgender people escalated on Monday as both sides sued each other, trading accusations of civil rights violations and government overreach. The U.S. Justice Department's complaint asked a federal district court in North Carolina to declare that the state is violating the 1964 Civil Rights Act and order it to stop enforcing the ban. Hours earlier, North Carolina's Republican governor, Pat McCrory, and the state's secretary of public safety sued the agency in a different federal court in North Carolina, accusing it of "baseless and blatant overreach." The so-called bathroom law, passed in March and known as HB 2, prohibits people from using public restrooms not corresponding to their biological sex. It has thrust North Carolina into the center of a national debate over equality and privacy, and has now led the state into what could be a long and costly legal battle with the U.S. government. Americans are divided over how public restrooms should be used by transgender people, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with 44 percent saying people should use them according to their biological sex and 39 percent saying they should be used according to the gender with which they identify. By passing the law, North Carolina became the first state in the country to ban people from using multiple occupancy restrooms or changing rooms in public buildings and schools that do not match the sex on their birth certificate. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Monday the department "retains the option" of curtailing federal funding to North Carolina unless it backs down. "None of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity and insists that a person pretend to be something or someone that they are not," Lynch said at a news conference, comparing the measure to Jim Crow-era racial discrimination laws and bans on same-sex marriage. Lynch said the department is monitoring other U.S. jurisdictions that have passed or considered laws similar to North Carolina's but declined to say whether the agency was planning any action against them. White House spokesman Josh Earnest called the North Carolina law mean-spirited but McCrory said in his complaint that it is "common sense privacy policy." North Carolina Republicans say the law stops men from posing as transgender to gain access to women's restrooms. BILLIONS AT STAKE North Carolina stands to lose $4.8 billion in funds, mainly educational grants, if it does not back down, according to an analysis by lawyers at the University of California, Los Angeles Law School. The Justice Department's complaint named the state of North Carolina, McCrory, the state's Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina system as defendants. The 17-campus University of North Carolina system says it takes federal non-discrimination laws very seriously but must also adhere to state laws like HB 2. "In these circumstances, the University is truly caught in the middle," UNC President Margaret Spellings said. McCrory told reporters that North Carolina had been forced to pass the law after the Charlotte city council passed an ordinance that allowed transgender people access to bathrooms based on gender identity in public and private buildings. "Were taking the Obama admin to court. They're bypassing Congress, attempting to rewrite law & policies for the whole country, not just NC," McCrory wrote on Twitter. The Republican leaders of North Carolina's state legislature also sued the U.S. government over the law on Monday, hours after McCrory's lawsuit. The law is also being challenged in federal district court by critics including the American Civil Liberties Union. (Additional reporting by Julia Edwards in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Attorney General Loretta Lynch struck back against North Carolinas lawsuit over the states controversial LGBT law, calling it state-sanctioned discrimination against transgender people.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on Monday filed a lawsuit against the federal government after it warned the state last week to back down from its controversial LGBT law or risk losing millions of dollars in funding. The Justice Department struck back later Monday by filing a lawsuit of its own, arguing that the legislation violates Title VII, Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act.

In a press conference, Lynch said the law known as HB2 created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security. She went on to compare the legislation to historical backlashes to American progress, including the Jim Crow laws and the resistance to the Brown v. Board of Ed. decision.

Pending ongoing discussions with the state, Lynch said, We retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina.

North Carolinas suit is the governors response to the federal government, which gave the state until the end of the day Monday to say it would not enforce the law that bans transgender people from certain bathrooms, the Associated Press reports. This is not a North Carolina issue. It is now a national issue, McCrory said Monday at a news conference.

Im taking this initiative to ensure that North Carolina continues to receive federal funding until the courts resolve this issue, he said earlier in a statement. The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina. This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level. They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a womens locker room, restroom or shower facility.

Story continues

The Justice Department last Wednesday notified the state in a letter that the law violates federal Civil Rights Act protections barring workplace discrimination based on sex. The departments position is a baseless and blatant overreach, McCrory said in the complaint, which was filed in Federal District Court of the Eastern District of North Carolina. This is an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long-established federal civil rights laws, the lawsuit says.

The departments threat is real but misplaced, it adds. North Carolina does not treat transgender employees differently from non-transgender employees. All state employees are required to use the bathroom and changing facilities assigned to persons of their same biological sex, regardless of gender identity, or transgender status.

McCrory is now calling for Congress to bring clarity to the nations anti-discrimination laws. The governor also said the governments intervention affected the personal privacy of North Carolina residents. Our nation is dealing with a new, complex and emotional issue  how to balance the expectations of privacy and equality in one of the most private areas of our lives, he said Monday at a news conference. Our nation is one nation, especially when it comes to fighting discrimination, which I support whole-heartedly.

North Carolinas bathroom law went into effect in March. McCrory said he asked the federal government for more time to respond but said that request was denied.
BBC Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were detained by North Korean officials on Friday and are being expelled from the country. The BBC reports that the team was held over the weekend with Wingfield-Hayes questioned for eight hours; they were taken to the airport this morning. At issue for Pyongyang was the news crews disrespectful reporting, per CNN. According to Chinese state media, at a press conference this morning, an official with the countrys National Peace Committee accused the journalists of attacking the DPRK system and non-objective reporting.

Reports have suggested that hackles were raised over a broadcast in which Wingfield-Hayes visited a childrens hospital and said the patients looked remarkably well, and there isnt a real doctor in sight Everything we see looks like a set-up.

Per The Guardian, O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the National Peace Committee, said Wingfield-Hayes coverage spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country.

Recalling the reaction of the government to 2014s The Interview, CNN correspondent Will Ripley said from Pyongyang today, North Koreans take very seriously comments made about their leader, Kim Jung-un.

The team was in North Korea ahead of the Workers Party Congress, but was not covering the event. The conference is the first of its kind in 36 years and marks the DPRKs rare opening up to a bevy of foreign journalists. The BBC crew was instead said to be accompanying a delegation of Nobel Prize laureates on a research trip.

O Ryong Il is also reported to have addressed the BBC during the press conference, saying, We think that if the BBC is a genuine, true, international media organization you should be acting in such a way as to respect the law and system in the country, and you must admit your mistakes.

Story continues

A BBC spokesman said, We are very disappointed that our reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been deported from North Korea after the government took offence at material he had filed. Four BBC staff, who were invited to cover the Workers Party Congress, remain in North Korea and we expect them to be allowed to continue their reporting.

CNN reports that another BBC correspondent who was at the press conference asked how the world would view the fact that North Korea had detained and punished a journalist for reporting things that they didnt agree with. The question, CNN said, remained unanswered.

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By James Pearson PYONGYANG (Reuters) - North Korea said it would strengthen its defensive nuclear weapons capability, the official KCNA news agency reported on Monday, a decision adopted in defiance of U.N. resolutions at a rare congress of its ruling Workers' Party. The congress, which ended on Monday after four days, was the first in 36 years, and secretive North Korea granted visas to scores of foreign journalists to coincide with the gathering. Their movements have been closely monitored and one BBC journalist, not reporting directly on the congress, was expelled along with two colleagues, after a top official said he had "distorted facts and realities" in his coverage. Young leader Kim Jong Un, who assumed power in 2011 after his father's sudden death, took on the new title of party chairman on Monday, media reported. The promotion - his previous party title was first secretary - had been predicted by analysts who had expected Kim would use the congress to consolidate his power. North Korea has come under tightening international pressure over its nuclear weapons program, including tougher U.N. sanctions adopted in March backed by lone major ally China, following its most recent nuclear test in January. The congress's decision on strengthening the capability of its nuclear weapons formalizes North Korea's position. It had already declared itself "a responsible nuclear weapons state" and disavowed the use of nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is first infringed by others with nuclear arms. "We will consistently take hold on the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat and arbitrary practices," KCNA said, citing the congress. The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. North Korea regularly threatens the South and its major ally, the United States, which it accuses of planning a nuclear attack. Since the latest round of U.N. resolutions, North Korea has pressed ahead with its nuclear and missile development, and said it had succeeded in miniaturizing a nuclear warhead and launching a submarine-based ballistic missile. Late on Monday, North Korean state TV showed Kim declaring the congress closed. RIVAL KOREAS South Korea condemned the North's claim to be a nuclear weapons state, saying it would continue to exert pressure on Pyongyang until it abandons its nuclear ambitions. North Korea is believed by western experts to have about 40 kg of plutonium, enough to build eight to 12 nuclear weapons. On the weekend, Kim took a conciliatory position on ties with the South, saying military talks were needed to discuss ways to ease tension. South Korea rejected the proposal as meaningless. "We have not given up on dialogue," South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Cheong Joon-hee told a briefing. "But it is only when the North shows sincerity about decentralization that genuine dialogue is possible." The unusually large group of 128 foreign media members in Pyongyang for the congress had not been given any access to the proceedings until Monday afternoon, when a group of about 30 of them were let in to the April 25 House of Culture for several minutes after nearly three hours of security checks. There, Kim entered and was received by a wildly cheering audience of delegates, according to reporters who got in. The expulsion of BBC journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes grabbed headlines in foreign media on Monday. He had been in the country ahead of the congress to cover the visit of a group of Nobel laureates. Earlier on Monday, visiting media were taken to a textile factory named after Kim Jong Suk, the wife of state founder Kim Il Sung and the grandmother of the current leader. They have been taken to a string of show-case sites including a maternity hospital, electric cable factory and children's center. (Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park and Minwoo Park in Seoul; Editing by Tony Munroe, Robert Birsel and Mike Collett-White)
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH is set to release first-quarter 2016 results before the market opens on May 10.

Last quarter, the company delivered a negative earnings surprise of 10.00%. Lets see how things are shaping up for this announcement.



Factors at Play this Quarter

An improving economy has paved the way for an increase in the disposable income of consumers. This has, in turn, benefitted the cruise industry as positive consumer sentiment is driving demand for leisure and recreational activities.

Recently, the company was authorized to operate its cruise line to Cuba. The entire cruise industry is bullish on Cuba and Norwegian Cruise Line is hoping to grab the opportunity to boost revenues from the route. Norwegian Cruise Lines competitor, Carnival Corporation CCL was the first.

cruise line to get the necessary clearance for this route. Meanwhile, another rival, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL stated that it has no plans to venture into Cuba as of now.

Earnings Whispers

Our proven model does not conclusively show that Norwegian Cruise Line is likely to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or at least 3 (Hold) for this to happen. Unfortunately, this is not the case here, as elaborated below.

Zacks ESP: Norwegian Cruise Line has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate stand at 38 cents.

Zacks Rank: Norwegian Cruise Line carries a Zacks Rank #3, which increases the predictive power of ESP. However, we need to have a positive ESP to be confident of an earnings surprise.

Note that Sell-rated stocks (Zacks Rank #4 or #5) should never be considered going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is witnessing negative estimate revisions.

A Stock to Consider

Here is a company you may want to consider as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.

Story continues

Gener8 Maritime Inc. GNRT with Earnings ESP of +5.8% and a Zacks Rank #3.The company is scheduled to release its first quarter 2016 results on May 11.

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North Korea said it will strengthen self-defensive nuclear weapons capability in a decision adopted at a congress of its ruling Workers' Party congress, its KCNA news agency reported on Monday, in defiance of U.N. resolutions, Reuters reported.

Isolated North Korea has come under tightening international pressure over its nuclear weapons program, including tougher U.N. sanctions adopted in March backed by lone major ally China, following its most recent nuclear test in January.

The decision formalizes a position previously held by North Korea, which declared itself "a responsible nuclear weapons state" and disavowed the use of nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is first infringed by others with nuclear arms.

"We will consistently take hold on the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat and arbitrary practices," KCNA said of the congress decision.

The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. North Korea regularly threatens the South and its major ally, the United States, which it accuses of planning a nuclear attack.

The congress is the first to be held in 36 years amid anticipation by the South Korean government and experts that leader Kim Jong Un will use it to further consolidate power. Kim became leader in 2011 after his father's sudden death.

Since the latest round of U.N. resolutions, North Korea has continued to engage in nuclear and missile development, and claimed that it had succeeded in miniaturizing a nuclear warhead and launching a submarine-based ballistic missile.
New York (AFP) - Four paintings by JMW Turner depicting 18th and 19th century commercial whaling and their possible link to "Moby Dick" are the focus of an exhibit opening Tuesday at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Turner's Whaling Pictures" features works done in the 1840s as the Briton Turner was near the end of his career and life.

This is the first time all four have been shown together, with one owned by the Met and three on loan from London, said curator Alison Hokanson.

Seascapes were a favorite of Turner, and in this case he addressed the legendary era of commercial whaling, in which sailing ships would spend years at sea, sometimes in remote places like the South Pacific, hunting down those mighty creatures to extract oil used in lamps.

"It was one of the last of Turner's painting campaigns, a new subject," Hokanson said Monday as she presented the 1.2 meter by 90 cm (4 ft X 3 ft) paintings to the media. They will be on display through August 7.

Two of the paintings depict the hunt itself, in which whalers in small boats hurled harpoons at the whale from a short distance.

The other two address the carving up of whales to obtain oil, which was the industry's lifeblood.

But all four scenes are presented in a sort of artistic haze: they are not neat, clean, picture-perfect representations. Rather, it's as if the brutal action of whaling, the weather and the enormity of the sea come together to blur one's view.

"Critics were astonished by the dynamic, the colors," said Hokanson.

People were even frustrated at times as they tried to discern exactly what was happening in these paintings, she said.

- Melville's inspiration? -

The commercial whaling era served as inspiration for other artists, such as Herman Melville, the author of "Moby Dick" -- the tale of Captain Ahab, obsessed with hunting down and killing a great white which on a previous voyage had bitten off his leg.

Story continues

The exhibit provides an opportunity to consider whether the Turner paintings influenced Melville, whose book was published in 1851, the year Turner died.

"Aspects of Melville's novel are strikingly evocative of Turner's style," the Met says on its website.

"Melville knew about Turner's paintings. It cannot be proven he saw them," Hokanson said. Melville visited London in 1849.

At the exhibit, one wall features a Moby Dick passage that describes a large oil painting depicting a whale hunt very similar to one in a Turner painting. This suggests Melville did see the Turner works.

It is true that both men drew inspiration from an illustrated book entitled "The Natural History of the Sperm Whale," published in 1839 by Thomas Beale, a whaling ship physician.

The Met exhibit also includes related watercolors by Turner, whaling artefacts such as a harpoon and an oil lamp, a first edition "Moby Dick" and a copy of Beale's book.
By Barani Krishnan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled on Monday on expectations that U.S. crude inventories would again build to record highs, taking the market's focus off swooning Canadian oil output due to raging wildfires.

Brent settled almost 4 percent lower, with U.S. crude down almost 3 percent. In early trading, oil rallied more than 2 percent as investors considered the loss of half, or more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd), of Canadian oilsands supply. Canada exports almost all its crude from oilsands to the United States.

But analysts noted that speculators already hold the largest number of long positions since last summer in U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate futures (CLc1) and near-record bullish bets on Brent (LCOc1), and said the scope for further gains was limited.

"Positioning has been already very stretched in the oil market," Barclays Capital commodities strategist Miswin Mahesh said.

WTI's front-month contract, June (CLc1), settled down $1.22, or 2.8 percent, at $43.44 (30 pounds) a barrel. It had rallied as much as $1.28 in Asia.

Brent's front-month, July (LCOc1), tumbled by $1.74, or 3.8 percent, to settle at $43.63. It had risen as high as $46.48.

July WTI hit its highest premium in more than three months to July Brent due the relatively superior performance of U.S. crude since the wildfire. The U.S. market typically trades at a discount to the European benchmark (CL-LCO1=R).

Some analysts said the Canadian outages could still support prices as officials said resuming operations would be a challenge, with no timeline set.

On Monday, investors were focussed on market intelligence firm Genscape's report of an inventory build of 1.4 million barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub for WTI futures.

Separately, they expected total U.S. crude inventories to have built again last week for a fifth straight week, rising by 500,000 barrels to new record highs above 543 million barrels.

Investors were also wary of Saudi Arabia's appointment of a new Energy Minister, Khalid al-Falih, who was expected to strengthen the kingdom's focus on oil market share over price defence.

Story continues

Until last month, oil had seen one of the strongest rebounds since the financial crisis, with prices rallying nearly 80 percent from multi-year lows under $30 in the first quarter, supported by falling U.S. production, supply constraints in Libya and the Americas and a weak dollar.

The rally has since faded as record pumping of oil by Russia and major Middle East producers renewed worries about a global glut of some 1.5 million bpd that originally drove prices down from above $100 in mid 2014.

(Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Richard Chang)
oil

Stocks went nowhere while the price of crude oil slid to start the week.

The decline in oil prices came after news out this weekend that Saudi Arabia would replace its oil minister after 20 years on the job.

First, the scoreboard:

Dow: 17,705.9, -34.7, (-0.2%)

S&P 500: 2,058.7, +1.6, (+0.1%)

Nasdaq: 4,750.2, +14.1, (+0.3%)

WTI crude oil: $43.40, -2.8%

Coffee, Donuts

JAB Holdings is creating a coffee and donut empire.

On Monday, the European investment company announced a deal to acquire Krispy Kreme for $1.35 billion, or $21 per share. Shares of Krispy Kreme gained about 24% on the news.

In December, JAB spent $13.9 billion to buy home-brewing coffee company Keurig Green Mountain. The company also owns Caribou Coffee and a controlling stake in Peet's Coffee & Tea.

Here's a full rundown of the consumer-related companies JAB has scooped up in recent years.

"This transaction puts us in the best possible position to continue to spread that joy to a growing number of people around the world while delivering significant value to Krispy Kreme shareholders," Krispy Kreme chairman Jim Morgan said in a statement on Monday.

The only thing I can definitely say on this deal is that Krispy Kreme has good donuts and good K-cup flavors.

Fintech, Disrupted

Fintech leader Lending Club announced Monday that its CEO will be stepping down following an internal review that involved a $22 million loan sale.

In a statement Monday morning, Lending Club said CEO Renaud Laplanche would step down after, "an internal review of sales of $22 million in near-prime loans to a single investor, in contravention of the investor's express instructions as to a noncredit and nonpricing element, in March and April 2016."

Basically, the company lined up a buyer for a pool of loans but then didn't deliver loans of the credit quality desired by the buyer of the loan pool. According to Bloomberg, Jefferies was the buyer of this particular pool.

Kadhim Shubber at FT Alphaville writes: "A key selling point of online lending has been that the digitisation of the loan process means that data is easier to analyse and, critically, more trustworthy. But as weve argued before, its wrong to assume that greater transparency and detail equals greater accuracy, particularly when the key issue in lending has always related to incentives rather than information."

Story continues

Basically, fintech needs borrower but it also needs purchasers of those loans just as much and getting those two folks to line up is not a particularly easy process. In fact, in this case it didn't seem to work at all!

Elsewhere, the company reported earnings that missed on the bottom line though revenue came in better than expected.

Bond Market Liquidity

Matt Turner is worried about bond market liquidity.

Or, specifically, about the use of bond ETFs as a source of liquidity when the price of the bonds underlying the ETFs are probably stale.

But as this chart from Deutsche Bank shows, there is basically a period in which bonds exist, in terms of being legitimate market instruments for which an investors can get up-to-date pricing information, and then the bonds just sort of sit. Like, say, in the pool of bonds that compose an ETF, the price of which is guesstimated and used a source of daily liquidity for those bond investors who can't this liquidity elsewhere.

And so on.

screen shot 2016 05 09 at 11.22.05 am

Here's Deutsche Bank:

So there you have it: roughly one-third of all names in HY and IG barely ever trade. They could go for months without a real price print, meaning that all those indexes tracking thousands of ISINs on a daily basis are routinely guessing values for 25-40% of their constituents.

It is what it is, whether we like it or not, the reality of the situation, and at least to this point, the industry has not come up with a better solution to this problem than guesstimating values for a large number of bonds. But it nevertheless provides an important lesson to all those using indexes to measure their volatility, sharpe ratios and other useful risk/return characteristics. Because a large portion of this indexes is marked at stale prices, all these otherwise useful measures are routinely underestimating true volatility in credit.

Citi, meanwhile, thinks the 10-year could be headed to 1.5% this year an possible back to its all-time low of 1.38%.

Bill Ackman

Bill Ackman sent some really great emails during the whole Valeant blow-up back in the fall.

Among them was a lengthy email to Charlie Munger imploring him to reconsider his comparison of the company to ITT, one of the most famous conglomerate roll-ups from the 1960s.

Rather than compare Valeant to ITT, Ackman pitched Munger on a more familiar idea: Berkshire Hathaway.

"Valeant shares a lot of similarity to Berkshire in its decentralization, its approach to capital allocation, and its shareholder orientation," Ackman wrote.

"Pearson's management approach is similar to 3G's in the company's extremely cost-disciplined and rational approach to operations. While Valeant has made a large number of acquisitions of varying size in an extremely strategic and disciplined fashion since Pearson has been CEO, nearly all have been purchased for cash.

"Valeant is not a roll up which has used a high-value currency to buy lower-multiple unrelated businesses. In fact, Valeant stock has been and continues to remain perennially undervalued, and Pearson has been extremely reluctant to issue equity (in fact, the company repurchased a substantial amount of stock in the first few years of his tenure)."

Elsewhere in Ackman's emails we get to see his clear panic during the worst of Valeant's PR nightmare and share plunge, and he also dropped some clues about what he'd like to see the company do with its Bausch & Lomb unit (spoiler: IPO it).

Additionally

Donald Trump says more things on debt. Josh Barro is concerned the real problem is that Trump thinks he's a genius.

I argued that technical innovation has basically done what it's going to do. (People didn't like this argument.)

Facebook's newsroom sounds a lot like other newsrooms.

Pascal's Wager teaches an important lesson about investing and risk.

$429.6 million Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey.

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By Barani Krishnan

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled on Monday on expectations that U.S. crude inventories would again build to record highs, taking the market's focus off swooning Canadian oil output due to raging wildfires.

Brent settled almost 4 percent lower, with U.S. crude down almost 3 percent. In early trading, oil rallied more than 2 percent as investors considered the loss of half, or more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd), of Canadian oilsands supply. Canada exports almost all its crude from oilsands to the United States.

But analysts noted that speculators already hold the largest number of long positions since last summer in U.S. crude's West Texas Intermediate futures (CLc1) and near-record bullish bets on Brent (LCOc1), and said the scope for further gains was limited. [CFTC/] [O/ICE]

"Positioning has been already very stretched in the oil market," Barclays Capital commodities strategist Miswin Mahesh said.

WTI's front-month contract, June (CLc1), settled down $1.22, or 2.8 percent, at $43.44 a barrel. It had rallied as much as $1.28 in Asia.

Brent's front-month, July (LCOc1), tumbled by $1.74, or 3.8 percent, to settle at $43.63. It had risen as high as $46.48.

July WTI hit its highest premium in more than three months to July Brent due the relatively superior performance of U.S. crude since the wildfire. The U.S. market typically trades at a discount to the European benchmark (CL-LCO1=R).

Some analysts said the Canadian outages could still support prices as officials said resuming operations would be a challenge, with no timeline set.

On Monday, investors were focusSed on market intelligence firm Genscape's report of an inventory build of 1.4 million barrels at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub for WTI futures.

Separately, they expected total U.S. crude inventories to have built again last week for a fifth straight week, rising by 500,000 barrels to new record highs above 543 million barrels.

Investors were also wary of Saudi Arabia's appointment of a new Energy Minister, Khalid al-Falih, who was expected to strengthen the kingdom's focus on oil market share over price defenCe.

Story continues

Until last month, oil had seen one of the strongest rebounds since the financial crisis, with prices rallying nearly 80 percent from multiyear lows under $30 in the first quarter, supported by falling U.S. production, supply constraints in Libya and the Americas and a weak dollar.

The rally has since faded as record pumping of oil by Russia and major Middle East producers renewed worries about a global glut of some 1.5 million bpd that originally drove prices down from above $100 in mid 2014.

(Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Richard Chang)
By Amanda Cooper

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rallied on Monday as Canada's most destructive wildfire in recent memory knocked out over a million barrels in daily production capacity, but caution among investors prevented a return to late April's 2016 price highs.

The lost capacity is equivalent to well over a third of the country's typical daily production, and almost all of Canada's crude from oil sands is exported to the United States.

U.S. crude futures rose 91 cents to $45.57 a barrel by 0910 GMT, up for a fourth day in a row, while Brent crude futures rose 72 cents to $46.02 a barrel.

The fire, which broke out on May 1, has forced three major oil firms to warn they will be unable to deliver on some contracts for Canadian crude.

The impact of the production loss has been far more marked in the U.S. crude market, where prices for West Texas Intermediate oil for delivery in July are now above those for Brent.

Investors now hold more bets on a rising oil price than at any time in history, which analysts say might mean there is less scope for Brent to rally after having gained 25 percent in a month. [CFTC/] [O/ICE]

"Positioning has been already very stretched in the oil market ... Some must have taken the opportunity to exit, so thats one angle that momentum is slowing down," Barclays Capital commodities strategist Miswin Mahesh said.

"There is a slight fear that prices have recovered too quickly, and we risk repeating the same price trajectory seen around Q2 2015, where the rally slowed down the market balancing process," he added.

Canadian officials on Sunday showed some optimism as favourable weather helped fire fighters, driving the flames away from the oil sands town Fort McMurray, but there was no timeline for a restart of operations at evacuated sites.

"The market is close to balanced ... when we consider the large amount of supply offline in Canada and elsewhere, which could last for months," Morgan Stanley said.

U.S. shale oil output is in decline and production is also falling in Latin America, Asia and Nigeria, eroding a 1-2 million barrels per day supply overhang that pulled down oil prices by 70 percent between 2014 and early 2016.

Story continues

Markets were also watching Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, where a government shake-up over the weekend included the appointment of Khalid al-Falih as head of the new Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources.

"Changes in Saudi Arabia oil leadership only underscore the shift in strategy to one focused on market share over price," Morgan Stanley said.

(Additional reporting by Barani Krishnan in New York; Editing by Dale Hudson and Susan Thomas)
Turkey has been left alone to combat IS, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

The president said Turkey had inflicted the heaviest price on the terror group, Anadolu reported.

"They left us alone in fighting against this organization that hurt us with both suicide bombers and attacks in Kilis," he told the audience at a film awards ceremony in Istanbul. The border province of Kilis has been the target of IS rocket attacks since mid-January, resulting in 21 deaths and more than 70 people injured.

He added: "None of those who said they are fighting against the IS terrorist organization in Syria have either made them suffer the losses or pay the price as Turkey has done."

Referring to bomb attacks in Turkey by IS and the terrorist organization PKK, Erdogan criticized the world's apparent indifference to terrorism in Turkey.

"The difference between the reactions to the bombs that exploded in Ankara and Istanbul and acts carried out in Paris and Brussels is nothing more than the incarnation of injustice," he said.

He also condemned the international community's "mercilessness" approach to the refugee problem and criticized the "unfair" structure of the UN Security Council, which is dominated by permanent members France, the U.K., Russia, China and the U.S.

"Is there justice?" he asked. "No. Five permanent members, determining the fate of the world. Injustice is completely reinforced there."

He reiterated his call for the council to be reformed to include up to 20 members representing every continent. "They do not accept," he said.

Erdogan also repeated his condemnation of the absence of a Muslim presence among the council's permanent members. "There is not a Muslim country there, in this world where there are 1.7 billion Muslims," he said.
The oldest pieces of rock on Earth, zircon crystals, may have formed in craters left by asteroid impacts early in the planet's life.

Zircon crystals are more than 4 billion years old. Since the Earth itself is just over 4.5 billion years old, these ancient crystals can offer insight into the planet's history. Fifteen years ago, the crystals first made headlines, when research into the rocks' formation revealed the presence of water on Earth's surface soon after the planet formed.

Since that research was published, scientists have looked further to zircon crystals in hopes of finding other answers about the planet's history. [When Space Attacks: The 6 Craziest Meteor Impacts]

Scientists previously believed that the ancient zircon crystals were formed when tectonic plates collided, in similar processes to the disruption that created mountain ranges, volcanic activity and earthquakes.

However, most researchers date plate tectonics' beginning to about 3 billion years ago. Thus, zircon crystals were formed about 1 billion years before tectonic plates could have created the rocks.

In the new research, out of Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, researchers pursued a hypothesis that the crystals formed inside impact craters that were created when asteroids slammed into a young Earth.

To test their idea, the researchers collected zircons from the Sudbury impact crater in Ontario, Canada  one of the best-preserved large impact craters, and Earth's second oldest confirmed crater, at nearly 2 billion years old. In analyzing these younger zircons, the scientists found that the newer rocks were were indistinguishable from the ancient set.

"What we found was quite surprising," Trinity researcher and co-author of the study Gavin Kenny said in a statement. "Many people thought the very ancient zircon crystals couldn't have formed in impact craters, but we now know they could have."

The impact of these asteroids  which pummeled the Earth, moon and inner planets of the solar system  would have melted the Earths crust to form lava lakes. As the area around the impact crater was heated and began to cool, the conditions would have allowed zircon to cystalize, Kenny explained to Live Science.

Story continues

Determining the crystals' origins will help scientists continue to piece together an idea of what the planet's early years looked like, Kenny said, and how life began to emerge on Earth.

"Our new finding is going to fill in more of what we know about the Earth," Kenny said.

Follow Kacey Deamer @KaceyDeamer. Follow Live Science @livescience, on Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From Esquire

We are often critical of the home office of American sedition, the great state of South Carolina, for its retrograde attitude on just about everything that's happened in this country since Pickett's Charge was turned back, but they did have this great law where, if you were a citizen and some big company poisoned your air, or your water, or your land, you could sue the eyebrows off the company. Granted, this had a lot to do with the fact that the state itself usually lacked the money, the personnel, or the will to do it on your behalf, but it was a terrific weapon in the hands of the right citizens in the right place. Well, the good folks at ThinkProgress are here to tell us that the state legislature isn't having any of that people power stuff anymore.

Now, with only a month left in its 2015-2016 session, the South Carolina legislature has picked up a bill that would do away with this ability. "No one in the public of South Carolina is calling for the repeal of their rights to protect their communities and clean water," Frank Holleman, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), told ThinkProgress in an email. "Instead, this is an example of the lobbyists for corporate polluters controlling politicians who will take away the rights of citizens in order to curry favor with major campaign contributors."

As Holleman points out, there's almost no support among actual South Carolinians to repeal this law. This is the legislature completely doing the bidding of lobbyists for the energy and extraction industries.

Senators Ross Turner and Paul Campbell, who sponsored the bill, did not respond Thursday to a request for comment. "Of those that are for it, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who wants to talk about being for it. They don't like it; they don't want to be for it; they recognize the wisdom of our position," State Rep. James Smith, who opposes the bill, told ThinkProgress. "Behind the scenes it appears that there are quite powerful forces behind it." The not-quite-unspoken message here is that utilities and other industrial interests are putting pressure on the legislature to pass the bill, which Smith called a "horrible backwards [idea] that will hopefully not become law." And so far, industry seems to be winning.

Story continues

(An aside: the interviews with the people in the coal towns of West Virginia are indeed poignant, and that comment about putting coal miners out of work was the most tone-deaf moment of Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign so far. But the coal industry is one of the most environmentally catastrophic ones we have, and to that you can add the fact that its history is shot through with a feeling that the people who work the mines are expendable production units. It is going to do a lot of damage as it thrashes itself to its death.)

This is something I never thought I'd say, but I really expect the South Carolina legislature to do the right thing here. The Democrats are hoping they can at least run out the clock on the current legislative session. As for Governor Nikki Haley, everybody's favorite VP candidate, on whose desk thus bill ultimately may land, I have absolutely no idea what she'll do. But I know where her constituents stand.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.
With great crystal comes great responsibility! Once Upon a Time's Sunday, May 8, episode started with Zelena (Rebecca Mader) and Hades (Greg Germann) in Storybrooke after escaping the Underworld. Zelena handed over her still-unnamed child to Hades, saying she trusts him with anything. She then left to check in with her sister, Regina (Lana Parrilla), and tell her that Hades had changed his evil ways.

PHOTOS: TV's Most Shocking Deaths

As if on cue, King Arthur (Liam Garrigan) showed up after escaping jail, and looked to Hades for help. King Arthur said he was "unjustly imprisoned," and Hades said he could relate. Hades then helped the only way he knows how: by killing King Arthur with the snap of his fingers.

Snow White and the Happy Reunion

Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) was surprised to see Charming (Josh Dallas) and the rest of her family after escaping the Underworld. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) then informed her that not only did Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) not make it back, but Hades was now in Storybrooke and evil as ever. Emma said, "I made so many mistakes  I should have never gone down there," which might be the understatement of the century. Meanwhile, Regina and Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) tried unsuccessfully to convince Zelena that Hades was indeed still a villain. In disbelief, Zelena warned Regina not to hurt Hades, saying that if she did, it would be at her own peril. She then left in a huff, and in a puff of green smoke.

PHOTOS: Best TV Couples of All Time

Now in the Underworld, King Arthur ran into Hook at the diner of the Blind Witch (Emma Caulfield). After realizing he was no longer with the living, King Arthur reluctantly agreed to help Hook find Hades' weakness in hopes of moving on to a better place.



The King Is Dead

After discovering King Arthur's lifeless corpse, Emma was ready to run off half-cocked and fight Hades. She was stopped by her father, Charming, who told her that other people deal with death "by grieving." While hiding from the others, Hades was lying to Zelena by making her think he had changed and that everyone else was out to get him. Hades then said, "I hope it doesn't come to a fight, but if they force us into it, I do have something." He then pulled out two halves of the Olympian crystal, mentioning to Zelena that it was very powerful and dangerous and that he has waited a very long time to use it.

Story continues

PHOTOS: 15 Best TV Moms!

Gold (Robert Carlyle) asked the father of Belle (Emilie de Ravin) to give her true love's kiss so she would wake from the sleeping curse, but her dad refused, saying he would rather die than help Gold. Emma showed up and stopped Gold from hurting Belle's father. She then asked Gold if he knew how to stop Hades. Back in the Underworld, Hook and King Arthur were on a quest to find the missing pages from the storybook that Hades stole, hoping that it would help them discover his weakness.



Time for a Plan

Hades was mending the crystal, now that his heart had started beating after true love's kiss. He wanted to rule Storybrooke, even though Zelena just wanted to move on and start anew. Gold was willing to make a deal for the crystal, Hades said no and Gold said, "Don't say I didn't warn you." Robin Hood and Regina finally agreed to give Zelena a second chance after they rescued Robin's daughter. The archer said he never does anything without a plan, but this time he would just have to wing it.

Hook and Arthur were in a boat in the River of Souls looking for the storybook that Cruella had hidden. Just before they reached the book, an evil spirit grabbed King Arthur by the ankle, attempting to drag him into the river. Before he could, Hook used a torch to fight off the spirit. They then placed the pages they found into the Underworld copy of the storybook, and Emma discovered the pages in the Storybrooke copy of the book. She now realized the crystal is Hades' weakness.

Fight for Your Life

Zelena caught Emma trying to break her protection spell, and Hades walked right by Regina and Robin Hood. The couple then went to save the baby, but Hades caught them and tried to kill Regina with the Olympian crystal. As a true hero, Robin stepped in front of the blast, and his soul was instantly erased from existence. And you thought your day was bad.

Zelena caught Hades as he was about to kill Regina. After a scuffle, Zelena ended up with the crystal, and Hades urges her to kill Regina. Realizing that Hades didn't actually change, Zelena turned on him and killed her true love to save her sister. Zelena and Regina embraced amid the shock of losing their true loves.

Go to the Light

Hook thanked King Arthur for his help, to which Arthur replied, "I have embarked on many a wrongheaded quest in my time. I'm just glad to finish one that was righteous." King Arthur stayed to fix the Underworld as its leader, while Hook moved on.

Zeus appeared before Hook and thanked him. He then guided Hook to where he belonged.

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

Emma, Regina and the rest of Storybrooke were at Robin Hood's funeral to say goodbye. Zelena decided to name her daughter Robin as a tribute. Emma was left alone to say goodbye, when Hook suddenly appeared behind her, alive and well.

Gold sifted through Hades' ashes and retrieved a piece of the Olympian crystal, saying to the pile of ashes, "Like I told you, this is my kingdom."

Tell Us: How will Robin's death affect Regina? And what should be next for her love life?

Once Upon a Time airs on ABC Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.




Pat Toomey

Pat Toomey isn't ready to jump aboard the Trump train just yet.

The Republican senator from Pennsylvania, locked in one of the most consequential Senate races of the 2016 election, told Philadelphia's WAEB radio on Monday that he's "got this set of doubts" regarding presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

My message to Donald Trump is: You need to unite the Republican Party if were gonna win this general election," Toomey said. "I hope to get to the point where I can enthusiastically support Donald Trump. Im not there right now, and I hope we dont get to a point where I decide I just cant support him.

Toomey echoed his sentiment from a Sunday op-ed he wrote for Philly.com.

"As a Republican elected official, I am inclined to support the nominee of my party," Toomey wrote. "That doesn't mean I must always agree with him. I didn't agree with Mitt Romney, John McCain, or George W. Bush on everything, but I supported them."

"That said, Trump is different from previous nominees," he continued.

Toomey first endorsed Marco Rubio, a Florida senator, for president. After Rubio dropped out of the race, Toomey voted for Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, in the Pennsylvania primary last month.

And though he called Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton "unacceptably flawed," he added that he's "not pleased with the two choices we have."

"There could come a point at which the differences are so great as to be irreconcilable," he wrote. "I hope that doesn't happen, but I have never been a rubber stamp for my party's positions or its candidates."

He added that Trump must seek to unite the party and listen to some of his critics to reassure voters "who have grave doubts about him."

"Winning the nomination is a great accomplishment, but it does not mean party members check their judgment at the door," he wrote.

Donald Trump

Toomey is facing a tough battleground-state reelection fight for his Senate seat against Katie McGinty, the Democratic candidate who has already attempted to tie Toomey to Trump.

Story continues

A Quinnipiac poll from early April showed Toomey with a 9-point edge over McGinty. But that came weeks before McGinty dispatched two Democratic primary challengers and became Democrats' nominee to take on Toomey.

Left-leaning groups like Emily's List, a political action committee that works to elect female candidates that favor abortion rights, have already signaled a strategy to make races like Pennsylvania's a referendum on Trump and the policies he supports.

"None of these Republican candidates have had the spine to stand up to Donald Trump so far," Marcy Stech, the communication's director for Emily's List, told Business Insider in an email.

"Trump's words and his policies are toxic for any Republican on the ballot, and no amount of rhetorical tap dancing will be able to get around that," she continued.

Toomey's op-ed wasn't his first expression of frustration with Trump as the party's presumptive nominee. When interviewed by Dom Giordano of Philadelphia's WPHT radio on Wednesday, Toomey seemed less than excited about the prospect of Trump at the top of the Republican ticket.



Clinton and Trump as the options was "not the choice I had hoped to be presented with, but I guess this is where we are," he said.

Many Republican leaders have expressed trepidation with supporting Trump as the Manhattan billionaire has risen to carry the mantle of the party. Four of the past five Republican presidential nominees, including the past two Republican presidents, have said they will not be attending the convention in Cleveland this summer.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who is meeting with Trump later this week, told CNN last Thursday that he is "just not ready" to support the real-estate magnate.

Maxwell Tani contributed reporting.

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More and more, 67-year-old Washington resident Lon Coleman feels like hes wandering through a fog. He walks into the living room and forgets why, or makes a phone call only to blank on whose number he dialed. An author of three books who once wrote up to five poems a day, now the lines that spring to his mind often slip away as soon as he puts pencil to paper. Sometimes the fog clears, and when his memory comes back, its amazing, he says. Sometimes it doesnt, I have to admit.

Coleman is among the estimated 46.8 million people worldwide with some form of dementia, including Alzheimers disease. Twice a day he takes drugs that slow, but dont stop, the diseases progression. Meanwhile, a cure continues to elude scientists. But some think that artificial intelligence, or AI, could speed up drug discovery for dementia, as well as a host of other diseases. On a race to outsmart themselves, theyve designed technology that can plumb the genome for mechanisms that underlie disease, or scan millions of molecules to identify those most likely to work as drugs. AI could yield faster diagnoses too, with software that detects cognitive decline from voice recordings and malaria from microscope slides. The proliferation of genomic and other data, plus a dramatic increase in computers ability to process and store it, have created kind of a perfect storm  to tackle these really tough medical problems, says Courosh Mehanian, principal research scientist at Intellectual Ventures Laboratory in Seattle.

By removing the grunt work, AI technology can free up scientists and clinicians for other types of work, like spending time with patients.

Given that it can take around a decade or more and billions of dollars to develop just one drug, such technology could have huge implications, especially for rare and tropical diseases, which pharmaceutical companies have little financial incentive to produce drugs for. It could also provide a powerful tool for precision-based medicine, meaning diagnostics or treatments tailor-made to individual patients. And pharma companies can use AI technology to predict how a patient or group of patients will respond to a drug based on their genetic profile, for instance, minimizing side effects. All of that potentially means faster, more precise diagnostics that could lower health care costs and free up clinicians to spend more time with patients.

Today, AI broadly encompasses machine learning and deep learning, which both involve training a computer model to recognize an unknown object by presenting it with lots of examples. Winterlight Labs has trained its machine learning-based software, which detects cognitive impairment from one- to five-minute speech snippets, to recognize differences in features such as pitch and grammatical complexity between people with and without Alzheimers. Founder Frank Rudzicz envisions users recalling a picture or a story over the Internet. The software would then send its analysis to a doctor. Analyzing one sample takes around five minutes  less than the three-hour-long battery of assessments typically used today  which could allow for earlier diagnosis, quickening access to medical services and cutting costs.

Other systems interpret the genome to understand disease, suggesting more precise diagnostics and even treatments. Deep Genomics in Toronto has developed a system designed to move beyond correlating genetic variations with certain diseases, unraveling how they lead to disease. The company is testing its technology in a study of a child with an immunological disorder who has a never-before-seen genetic mutation, which its CEO Brendan Frey hopes could change the way pharmaceutical research is done, in part, by identifying drug targets and predicting how patients will respond to a drug.

Meanwhile, Intellectual Ventures Laboratorys Autoscope relies on deep learning  which uses networks modeled after those found in the brain  to detect the malaria parasite from blood films on glass microscope slides. Today, the standard method for highly trained microscopists is to pore over slides for the tiny, hard-to-spot parasite. But many areas hard hit by malaria have few microscopists, not to mention training resources. In a recent field evaluation in Thailand, the Autoscope, which is expected to roll out in 2017, correctly classified 170 slides using characteristics such as shape and texture. But since it uses electricity and has a target cost of about $1,500, its intended for clinics with sufficient resources  not remote areas.

Then there are systems that streamline the actual designing of a drug. Enter Atomwises AtomNet, a deep learning-based system that teaches itself how to recognize medicinal chemistry building blocks based on data from earlier research. When presented with the protein structure of a target (think of it as a lock), it considers a million possible keys per day to predict which ones will open it effectively. The San Francisco-based company is collaborating with researchers to predict potential drug molecules for cancer, neurological diseases and more.

But Atomwise COO Alexander Levy notes that the candidates AtomNet proposes still need to undergo testing. It doesnt solve every problem in the development of medicine. Ditto for other AI technologies, where Coleman notes any new discoveries will still face a lumbering approval process. There might be hype, but in the end for it to be truly useful, there needs to be some task not solved by any other approach, says Yanjun Qi, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Virginia. Others worry that AI will replace human analysis, possibly leading to more errors as well as job cuts.

Some patients might feel uneasy about clinical decisions based on conclusions drawn by a machine. But Suzie Siegel, a 57-year-old survivor of leiomyosarcoma  a rare, aggressive cancer  points out that there are doctors out there who are making decisions now based on insufficient information, she says, so that doesnt scare me at all.

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Pakistani journalist and activist Khurram Zaki was gunned down on the streets of Karachi on Saturday night, in the latest sign that campaigners face severe risks for speaking out against extremism in the country.

The BBC reports that unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on Zaki, 40, killing him and badly wounding his dining companion and a bystander.

Zaki was an editor of the website Let Us Build Pakistan, which promotes a progressive, inclusive and democratic Pakistan. Himself a follower of the Shiite branch of Islam, Zaki campaigned on social media against sectarian killings and Sunni fundamentalist groups inciting violence online.

Fellow activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir told al-Jazeera he was certain the murder was a result of Zakis activism. The primary reason behind Zaki being shot dead was his constant activism in a bold manner, he said.

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban has reportedly claimed responsibility for the slaying, but police cautioned that the group has in the past tried to take credit for acts that it did not commit.

His death is the grim reminder that whoever raises voice against Taliban [and other militant groups] in Pakistan will not be spared, Zakis colleagues at Let Us Build Pakistan said in a statement reported by the BBC.

[BBC, al-Jazeera]
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met Chief of Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar in Ankara on Monday.

The meeting lasted for two-and-a-half hours.

In remarks made to the media, Davutoglu said: "One of the main reasons that Turkey looks to the future with confidence in a democratic system, despite lots of regions in crisis around it, is the Turkish General Staff."

He hailed the military as one of the vital organs of the Turkish Republic, especially "when survival of the state matters."

During my 20-month-tenure as prime minister, the Turkish government and Turkish General Staff worked "in harmony" and "fulfilled many important and challenging duties," Davutoglu said.

"Whether it is the issue of terrorism within our borders or instabilities emerging out of Syria and Iraq, Turkish Armed Forces represented our country's power and might," he added.

He also said that he was grateful to all martyred soldiers, veterans, security and police personnel.

"Our republic will reach its centennial goals through determination," he said.

On May 5, Davutoglu declared at a press conference that he would step down as prime minister after the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's extraordinary congress on May 22.
By Dustin Volz and David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin vowed on Sunday to help unseat Paul Ryan, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, because of the his refusal to endorse presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Palin, the former Alaska governor and Trump supporter, endorsed conservative businessman Paul Nehlen, who is challenging Ryan, the House speaker, for his congressional seat in the Wisconsin Republican nominating contest on Aug. 9. I will do whatever I can for Paul Nehlen, Palin said in an interview with CNN. This man is a hardworking guy, so in touch with the people. Though Ryan is heavily favored to win the primary race against Nehlen, Palin predicted an upset in a race she said would shock Washington's political class. Palin's comments underscore the deep divisions within the party over Trump, who effectively locked up his party's nomination for president last week when his two remaining rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, dropped out of the race. Palin said she believed Ryan would get Cantored, comparing him to former Eric Cantor, the former No. 2 Republican in the House who was defeated in a 2014 primary by conservative Dave Brat, now a Virginia congressman. Ryan said last week he was not ready to support Trump yet, saying that the New York real estate mogul needed to do more to unify the Republican party. "Paul Ryan and his ilk, their problem is that they become so disconnected from the people they are elected to represent, as evidenced by Paul Ryan's refusal to support the GOP front runner, that we just said, 'He's our man,'" Palin said. A poll in March by Marquette University Law School showed Ryan with more than an 80 percent approval rating among Wisconsin Republicans. Seen as an intellectual leader of the partys conservative values, many inside the party believe he may mount his own White House run in the next presidential cycle. Nehlen, like Trump, wants to secure the southern border with Mexico and withdraw from global trade deals. He told Reuters in April that Cantors defeat in 2014 "reinforced in my mind that he could defeat Ryan. Asked if she would be willing to be vetted as a potential vice presidential candidate, Palin said she recognizes many voters might not want her on the ticket and that she wouldnt want to be a burden to Trumps candidacy. Palin, who is popular with the Tea Party wing of the Republican party, was tapped in 2008 to be the running mate for former Republican presidential nominee John McCain. (Reporting by Dustin Volz and David Lawder; Editing by Caren Bohan and Alan Crosby)
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' database of the Panama Papers, a massive data leak that blew the lid on shady corporate offshoring practices at Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, is now accessible to the public.

A searchable archive of the papers came online at offshoreleaks.icij.org on Monday afternoon. The database includes some "200,000 shell companies, foundations and trusts set up in more than 20 tax havens around the world," many of which are tied to unethical or illegal financial practices, the BBC reported.

Navigating the site is a simple query-based process with search results showing financial ties between various shell companies and their registrants and operators.

Source: ICIJ

Source: ICIJ

The original publication of the papers implicated dozens of high-ranking world leaders  including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davi Gunnlaugsson, who has since left office, as well as officials at organizations like FIFA  in a web of financial misconduct ranging from tax evasion to bribery and profiteering. With the database available to the public, many are now searching for potential links to other high-profile figures.

For example, associates of presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have both appeared in searches for Mossack Fonseca's U.S. clients.

What the #PanamaPapers say about Donald Trump: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article74789322.html ...pic.twitter.com/pSdylS475G https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiCdxW7WwAAWdGV.jpg:large

One of Hillary's mega-Super PAC donors already apparently found in newly digitized #panamapapers docshttps://twitter.com/wjtuck/status/729745204652158976 ... https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiCTZFWWUAAQalW.jpg:large

The US thought it was spared the Panama Papers drama. No morehttp://ind.pn/1Yihiox

The ICIJ warned in a notice to web users arriving at the new site, that just because someone appears in the database does not mean they committed a crime.

"There are legitimate uses for offshore companies and trusts," the ICIJ wrote. "We do not intend to suggest or imply that any persons, companies, or other entities included in the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database have broken the law or otherwise acted improperly."
By Clare Baldwin and Paul Carsten

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - The law firm at the centre of the "Panama Papers" offshore tax haven controversy has written an apology to a Chinese banking client as it seeks to shore up its Asian business following a massive leak of financial data last month, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

The letter was written by Mossack Fonseca in response to queries from the Chinese bank about compliance with global financial standards. It is not known whether there were similar communications with other financial institutions, but the letter shows at least one bank client in the firm's biggest market was concerned by issues raised in the publicity surrounding the leak.

In the undated letter to the mid-tier Shanghai-based lender, signed by Mossack Fonseca's regional general manager, the shell company specialist said it "deeply regrets" any misuse of its services or the companies it set up.

"If the unauthorised illegal leaks from Mossack Fonseca company servers have created any inconvenience for (the bank) and your clients, we wish to once again apologise," it added.

A Mossack Fonseca spokesperson said reporting of the leak had "deepened confusion" about the nature of its business.

"As such, we are routinely speaking to our clients and other related parties that have questions to explain that ... nothing in the illegally obtained cache of documents suggests we have done anything wrong or illegal," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Leaks from the Panama Papers, named after the law firm's central American home base, have embarrassed some leading politicians around the world with their chronicling of a shadowy world of offshore holdings and hidden wealth.

The source who provided the letter requested that the state-owned bank not be named to protect their identity due to the sensitivity of the subject in China. A former Mossack Fonseca employee in China said the bank was a major client.

Story continues

Mossack Fonseca has also replaced several key staff in a shake-up of its operations in China, according to a person familiar with the matter and a second former employee.

Relatives and business associates of eight senior Chinese Communist Party figures  including President Xi Jinping's brother-in-law - are named as beneficiaries of offshore holding companies in the leaked documents. None have made any comment and it was not clear if any were clients of the Shanghai bank.

ASIA SHAKE-UP

The letter to the state-owned bank was signed by Maria Mercedes Sadowski, who became regional general manager for Asia in January 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The second former employer, who was dismissed from Mossack Fonseca earlier this year, also said Sadowski had arrived in Asia at the start of the year and initiated a shake-up that saw roughly half a dozen departures across its eight offices in Greater China.

In response to Reuters' emailed questions to Sadowski and the firm, the Mossack Fonseca spokesperson said that "our plan in China and elsewhere is to continue to serve our clients".

The former employee said Sadowski had replaced Austin Zhang, who had headed Mossack Fonseca's Asia business from its busiest office in Hong Kong since the early 2000s. But it was unclear whether Zhang had severed all ties with firm.

Contacted by Reuters on the messaging app WeChat in April, Zhang hinted he had left. A keen photographer, he said he would be willing to talk about his art, but "if it's for other things then it would not be necessary. I am no longer in that group".

He then stopped responding to messages.

Following the reports about the links to relatives of Chinese officials, China has moved to limit access to online coverage of the "Panama Papers" story within its borders, with state media denouncing Western reporting on the leak as biased.

(Reporting by Clare Baldwin in Hong Kong, Paul Carsten in Beijing and John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Edited by Alex Richardson)
By Clare Baldwin and Paul Carsten

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - The law firm at the center of the "Panama Papers" offshore tax haven controversy has written an apology to a Chinese banking client as it seeks to shore up its Asian business following a massive leak of financial data last month, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

The letter was written by Mossack Fonseca in response to queries from the Chinese bank about compliance with global financial standards. It is not known whether there were similar communications with other financial institutions, but the letter shows at least one bank client in the firm's biggest market was concerned by issues raised in the publicity surrounding the leak.

In the undated letter to the mid-tier Shanghai-based lender, signed by Mossack Fonseca's regional general manager, the shell company specialist said it "deeply regrets" any misuse of its services or the companies it set up.

"If the unauthorized illegal leaks from Mossack Fonseca company servers have created any inconvenience for (the bank) and your clients, we wish to once again apologize," it added.

A Mossack Fonseca spokesperson said reporting of the leak had "deepened confusion" about the nature of its business.

"As such, we are routinely speaking to our clients and other related parties that have questions to explain that ... nothing in the illegally obtained cache of documents suggests we have done anything wrong or illegal," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Leaks from the Panama Papers, named after the law firm's central American home base, have embarrassed some leading politicians around the world with their chronicling of a shadowy world of offshore holdings and hidden wealth.

The source who provided the letter requested that the state-owned bank not be named to protect their identity due to the sensitivity of the subject in China. A former Mossack Fonseca employee in China said the bank was a major client.

Story continues

Mossack Fonseca has also replaced several key staff in a shake-up of its operations in China, according to a person familiar with the matter and a second former employee.

Relatives and business associates of eight senior Chinese Communist Party figures  including President Xi Jinping's brother-in-law - are named as beneficiaries of offshore holding companies in the leaked documents. None have made any comment and it was not clear if any were clients of the Shanghai bank.

ASIA SHAKE-UP

The letter to the state-owned bank was signed by Maria Mercedes Sadowski, who became regional general manager for Asia in January 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The second former employer, who was dismissed from Mossack Fonseca earlier this year, also said Sadowski had arrived in Asia at the start of the year and initiated a shake-up that saw roughly half a dozen departures across its eight offices in Greater China.

In response to Reuters' emailed questions to Sadowski and the firm, the Mossack Fonseca spokesperson said that "our plan in China and elsewhere is to continue to serve our clients".

The former employee said Sadowski had replaced Austin Zhang, who had headed Mossack Fonseca's Asia business from its busiest office in Hong Kong since the early 2000s. But it was unclear whether Zhang had severed all ties with firm.

Contacted by Reuters on the messaging app WeChat in April, Zhang hinted he had left. A keen photographer, he said he would be willing to talk about his art, but "if it's for other things then it would not be necessary. I am no longer in that group".

He then stopped responding to messages.

Following the reports about the links to relatives of Chinese officials, China has moved to limit access to online coverage of the "Panama Papers" story within its borders, with state media denouncing Western reporting on the leak as biased.

(Reporting by Clare Baldwin in Hong Kong, Paul Carsten in Beijing and John Ruwitch in Shanghai; Edited by Alex Richardson)
By Charlotte Greenfield and Rebecca Howard WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Wealthy Latin Americans are using secretive, tax-free New Zealand shelf companies and trusts to help channel funds around the world, according to a report on Monday based on leaks of the so-called Panama Papers. Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister John Key to take action after local media analyzed more than 61,000 documents relating to New Zealand that are part of the massive leak of data from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm. The papers have shone spotlight on how the world's rich take advantage of offshore tax regimes. Mossack Fonseca actively promoted New Zealand as a good place to do business due to its tax-free status, high levels of confidentiality and legal security, according to a joint report by Radio New Zealand, TVNZ and investigative journalist Nicky Hager. Key said it was "utterly incorrect" that New Zealand was a tax haven, adding he was open to changing rules around foreign trusts if advised by a review or the OECD. "If there's any need for change in this area, the government will consider it and if necessary, take action," Key told reporters. The government was asking the Ministry of Justice to move quickly on rules already under consideration to tighten anti-money laundering requirements for lawyers, real estates and accountants, he added. Opposition Labour Party Leader Andrew Little said the government must act to "preserve New Zealands reputation by shutting down the system that sees our country implicated in a massive global network of tax avoidance." The New Zealand government said last month it would begin a review of its foreign trust laws after the Panama Papers highlighted vulnerabilities in its legal framework that made it a possible link in international tax avoidance structures because its foreign trusts are not subject to tax. Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said that review doesn't go far enough. He called on Key to "stop defending the tax avoidance industry" and demanded a full inquiry. WIDESPREAD INVESTIGATIONS Governments across the world have begun investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of more than 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca. The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of China's President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine. According to the report, Mossack Fonseca's main contact in New Zealand was allegedly Roger Thompson, co-founder and director of accountant firm Bentleys New Zealand, the registered office of Mossack Fonseca New Zealand. Thompson was listed in more than 4,500 Panama paper documents, the report said. The number of foreign trusts in New Zealand has surged to almost 10,700 this year from less than 2,000 ten years ago, according to Inland Revenue figures quoted in the report. Thompson said in his experience, the use of trusts for tax evasion was not common and his firm did not assist people to illegally hide assets. "I think the assumption that all New Zealand foreign trusts are being used for illegitimate purposes is unfounded and based largely on ignorance," Thompson was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand. When contacted by Reuters, Bentleys New Zealand said Thompson was not in the office. (This story corrects first name in paragraph 12 to "Roger", not "Robert") (Editing by Lincoln Feast)
Paris (AFP) - A silver-plated press used to squeeze blood and bone marrow from ducks for a signature dish at legendary Paris restaurant Tour d'Argent fetched more than 40,000 euros ($45,000) at auction on Monday.

The duck press from the 19th-century manufacturer Christofle, inscribed with the famous Left Bank restaurant's emblem, sold to a French collector for roughly 10 times the estimate of between 4,000 and 6,000 euros.

The restaurant, which offers stunning views of the river Seine and Notre Dame cathedral, says it has served some 1.15 million dishes of "Canard a la Presse" since 1890.

The silver press, one of four owned by the Michelin-starred restaurant that is said to have been founded in 1582, was among some 3,000 items including silver cutlery, glasses and bottles of liquor going under the hammer at the Artcurial auction house in the two-day sale.

The lots belong either to the restaurant itself, or the Terrail family, which has owned the restaurant since the start of the 20th century.

The auction house expects the sale to raise between 400,000 and 500,000 euros.

Among the liquors in the catalogue are three bottles of 1788 Clos de Griffier cognac valued at between 20,000 and 25,000 euros each.
Over the last two years, about 1,000 Singaporeans were allowed to withdraw their Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings on medical grounds each year, said manpower minister Lim Swee Say in Parliament on Monday (9 May).

Lim was responding to questions posed by Workers Partys Daniel Goh, who asked the ministry to clarify its definition of severely impacted life expectancy when applying for an early withdrawal under the CPF Medical Grounds Scheme.

Goh also asked if the definition could be brought in line with the Life Insurance Associations (LIA) Critical Illness Framework, or its equivalent.

For withdrawal of CPF savings on medical grounds, Lim said that applicants are only eligible for full withdrawal of their savings if they are suffering from a terminal illness.

Those who are suffering from an illness that renders them permanently unfit to work, suffering from unsound mind, or have a severely impaired life expectancy, are able to withdraw either the higher of up to $5,000 or their remaining savings after setting aside a reduced retirement sum in their retirement account. This reduced retirement sum has been set at $40,300, which is half of the current basic retirement sum, Lim said.

Lim also explained that it would be inappropriate to adopt the LIA framework as suggested by Goh as not all of the listed medical conditions would result in a severely shortened life expectancy.

Conversely, there may be medical conditions which are not on their (LIA) list that could still result in severely shortened life expectancy, Lim said.

CPF members who wish to make withdrawals based on any of the four medical grounds are required to have their medical conditions certified either by doctors from public medical institutions or those on the CPF boards panel.

When asked if the ministry would increase the $5,000 cap due to rising cost of living, Lim replied that he was hesitant about introducing such a move.

On balance, the Medical Grounds Scheme is about allowing members to withdraw their savings in a lump sum versus keeping some savings to support their monthly expenditure. We feel that $5,000 is the right amount at the moment.

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On Wednesday, May 11 at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET, Yahoo will live stream Pentatonixs concert from the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, NC. Tune in HERE to watch!

A cappella sensations Pentatonix have already conquered reality television (as champions of The Sing-Off Season 3); the stadium concert circuit (as the openers on Kelly Clarksons recent megatour); the film world (with a role in Pitch Perfect 2); the Grammys (with a win this year for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella); the charts (their holiday album Thats Christmas to Me was the fourth best seller of 2014); and, of course, the Internet (with more than 10 million subscribers, they have the 44th most popular overall channel on YouTube, and their Grammy-winning Daft Punk Medley has more than 190 million views).

It seems Pentatonix have done it all. But now, with their new self-titled album  their first of almost entirely original material  theyve set their sights on yet another milestone. Pentatonix want a hit radio single. And with the groovy, 90s R&B-inspired Cant Sleep Love (which, incidentally, has racked up 5.8 million YouTube views and counting), they just might conquer the Top 40, too.

We have so much to say as an artist, Scott Hoying  who formed Pentatonix with Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi, and Kevin Olusola in 2011, shortly before their fateful Sing-Off audition  tells Yahoo Music. Weve been doing covers for so long and have had a lot of success with it and its been amazing, but now we want to show that we can write music and we have something to say. Its been so much fun. In a month, two months, we wrote 40 or 50 songs. We were so inspired. It kind of breathed a new life into the group.

Its a very vulnerable thing, because its something weve started from scratch, says Grassi. Its hard!

Story continues

It is scary, Hoying admits. When you do something for so long that people love and then you switch it up, you never know if people are going to be like, 'Oh, theyre not themselves anymore. Im out. But the thing is, our fanbase is so, so loyal, and they love everything weve done So I think [the new album] will go over well.

Things havent always come so easily for Pentatonix. Incredibly, Hoying and Maldonado were passed over by American Idol (Hoying also unsuccessfully tried out for The Voice and The X Factor), and Kaplan, auditioning with a different a cappella group, didnt make the cut on Americas Got Talent. Once they joined forces for The Sing-Off, Hoying says, It all came together and just felt so right We thought, 'Whoa, this is really special. We can really compete in the music industry. But then, not everyone in the music industry agreed. Epic Records, the label that signed Pentatonix after their Sing-Off victory, practically dumped the group before the ink on their contract had even dried.

Our entire career, still to this day [people tell us to give up cappella], Hoying says. We were dropped from a label within a week after the show. And that was the reasoning: 'A cappella cant do this.

But Pentatonix refused to deviate from their instrument-less artistic vision. This is what makes us special. No one else does this in the mainstream. So theres no point for us to lose that, says Kaplan.

It was actually YouTube, not The Sing-Off or any record label assistance, that really put Pentatonix on the musical map (and eventually led to a new deal with RCA Records). So Pentatonix have some advice for any aspiring YouTubers out there. I would say have a particular vision, know your style, and know yourself well. And make sure whatever you do, its high quality, says Grassi.



Yeah, put a lot of thought into it, because I think those are the videos that really shine and stand out, adds Maldonado. If its pristine and perfect, people are going to be like, 'Wow, thats amazing, look at all the work they put into it. Youre showing your brand in that way as well.

You cant be lazy, Hoying says, point-blank.

Pentatonix are obviously anything but lazy, and their hard work is paying off. Surely their ultimate goal of having a top 40 single, or a top 10 single, or a No. 1 single  just having something that plays on the radio a lot! is well within their reach.

Check out Pentatonixs chat for more on their Grammy night memories, Daft Punks reaction to their Daft Punk Medley video, lessons learned from Kelly Clarkson, their collaboration with Jason Derulo, and what they really thought of fellow YouTuber Todrick Halls Pentatodrix parody video. And catch their adorable bonus clip of what just might be the best Yahoo yodel ever.

Follow Lyndsey on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+, Amazon, Tumblr, Vine, Spotify
NATO chief has expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Turkey's Kilis border province, which has recently been hit by several Daesh rockets fired from Syria, Anadolu Agency reported.

In a written statement Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO "stands in solidarity with Turkey" in the face of such attacks.

"I am concerned by the deterioration of the situation in Kilis and the shelling by ISIL [Daesh], which directly affects the security of Turkey," Stoltenberg said.

"I deeply regret the loss of life of Turkish nationals in Kilis, and extend my condolences to the Turkish people and the families of the victims," he said.

"NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey. The alliance has taken measures to strengthen Turkey's security and will continue to do so as long as necessary," he added.

Kilis lies six kilometers (four miles) from the Syrian border.

Turkish towns and provinces have been repeatedly struck by fire from across the frontier since mid-January.

In Kilis province alone, the local governor said 20 people have been killed and almost 70 others wounded by rockets which have fallen inside Turkish territory since attacks began earlier this year.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus - speaking on May 2 after a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - said that in the last three months 55 rockets had been fired by Daesh into Kilis.

The Turkish military has shelled Daesh positions in retaliation. On May 2, Turkish forces struck Daesh gun emplacements and ammunition dumps in the Suran, Arshak, Ikdakh and Ihtimalat regions on the Syrian side of the border, initially killing 50 terrorists. This figure later rose to 64.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's pharmaceuticals trade body has come out firmly against the country leaving the European Union, warning on Monday that an exit could put British patients at the back of the line for new medicines. Leaders of individual companies, including GlaxoSmithKline's Andrew Witty and AstraZeneca's Pascal Soriot, have already voiced opposition to a so-called Brexit, but the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) had not previously expressed a view. ABPI Chief Executive Mike Thompson, however, said that his members were "overwhelmingly supportive of remaining in the EU", especially given concerns over disruption to the pan-European drug approval system provided by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). "If we left the EU, this would mean that the licensing of new medicines would have to be handled by a UK agency as well as a European agency," he said. "Our members have confirmed that the applications for a UK license would come after the European license due to the smaller patient population in the UK." Lawyers have previously warned that a vote to leave the EU in Britain's referendum next month would threaten some prescription medicines with regulatory limbo. An exit could also force the London-based EMA and the life sciences division of Europe's new Unified Patent Court to move from London. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by David Goodman)
Anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte was set to secure a huge win in Monday's Philippine presidential elections, according to a poll monitor, after an incendiary campaign dominated by his profanity-laced vows to kill criminals.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nation's twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years.

And after a record turnout of voters in Monday's elections, Duterte appeared set for a commanding victory.

With 80 percent of the vote counted late on Monday night, Duterte had 13.2 million votes, about 5.5 million more than his nearest rival, according to the PPCRV, a Catholic Church-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally the votes.

Duterte had 38.72 percent of the vote, with administration candidate Mar Roxas in second place with 22.67 percent.

Senator Grace Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars, conceded after the ongoing tally placed her third with 21.87 percent.

"I congratulate Mayor Duterte," Poe told reporters.

"(He) is clearly the leading candidate in the ongoing count and has been chosen by a plurality of our people".

Before the results came out, Duterte was already speaking like a winner as he called for rivalries to be put aside following one of the nation's most bitter and divisive campaigns in the Philippines' history.

"I want to reach out my hand and let us begin the healing now," Duterte told reporters in Davao, the nation's third-biggest city, which he has ruled for most of the past two decades.

However, he said he would not proclaim himself the victor until it was official.

"I am not there until I am there, and that is the when last vote is counted and you are declared a winner. At this time it would be presumptuous of me," he said.

In the Philippines, a winner is decided simply by whomever gets the most votes.

Story continues

- Threats to kill -

Duterte, a pugnacious 71-year-old, surged from outsider to the top of surveys with cuss-filled vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals, threats to establish one-man rule if lawmakers disobeyed him and promises to embrace communist rebels.

He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex.

Duterte caused further disgust in international diplomatic circles with a joke that he wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot, and by calling the pope a "son of a whore".

Departing President Benigno Aquino, whose mother led the democracy movement that ousted Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago, had warned repeatedly the nation was at risk of succumbing to another dictatorship.

"I need your help to stop the return of terror in our land. I cannot do it alone," Aquino said in an appeal to voters in a final rally on Saturday in Manila for Roxas, his preferred successor and fellow Liberal Party stalwart.

In his final rally on Saturday, Duterte repeated to tens of thousands of cheering fans his plans to end crime within six months of starting his presidency.

"Forget the laws on human rights," said Duterte, who has been accused of running vigilante death squads in Davao.

"If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, I'd kill you."

- Elite rule -

Aquino, who is limited by the constitution to a single term of six years, had overseen average annual economic growth of six percent and won international plaudits for trying to tackle corruption.

However, his critics said he had done little to change an economic model that favours an extraordinarily small number of families that control nearly all key industries, and has led to one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.

This criticism appeared to have hurt Roxas, a member of the wealthy classes.

Another key message of Duterte's campaign was his pledge to take on the elite, even though his vice presidential running mate was from one of the nation's richest and most powerful families.

Poe had seen her popularity slide after critics pointed to her taking US citizenship then later giving it up.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the early favourite, was in a distant fourth place, according to the poll monitor, after crumbling under the weight of a barrage of corruption allegations.

In an intriguing sub-plot, former dictator Marcos's son and namesake had a slight lead in the race to be elected vice president, according to the poll monitor, which would cement a remarkable political comeback for his family.
Philadelphia has a rich history of hosting colorful political conventions, and in the first of a series of articles, we look at the controversial conventions of the slavery and anti-immigrant era before the Civil War.

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This July, Philadelphia will host its 13th major national political convention when the Democrats convene at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. Seven of the conventions held in Philadelphia in the past were for the Republicans, while another four were for Democrats, with the Whigs and Progressives also meeting in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia only trails Chicago as the most-popular convention location in American history. The Windy City, with its central location, has hosted 26 conventions. (The last Chicago national convention was in 1996.)

Baltimore also has hosted an estimated 13 major conventions (8 for the Democrats, 3 for the GOP, 2 for the Whigs), but the last time it did host a big convention was in 1912. In the early days of political conventions, starting in 1832, Baltimore hosted 11 conventions in a 28-year-period before the Civil War.

In the critical period before the war, Philadelphia also started hosting conventions, with three very different parties meeting in the city of Brotherly Love.

1848: The Whigs high-water mark

The Whig Party was the main rival to the Democratic Party founded by Andrew Jackson from 1834 to 1856. The Whigs had four U.S. Presidents in that time period, but only two were elected: William Henry Harrison and Zachary Taylor. A third, John Tyler, succeeded Harrison after the Presidents death in 1841, but Tyler was kicked out of the Whigs while still in the White House. And Millard Fillmore was the last Whig President as the party crumbled under the pressures that led to the Civil War. Fillmore succeeded Taylor, who was the second President to die in office.

In 1848, the Whigs had their national convention at Philadelphias Chinese Museum, about 10 blocks south of the current convention center. Thousands of Whigs arrived in Philadelphia and about 300 held seats as convention delegates. The 1848 election front runner was an independent, the aforementioned General Zachary Taylor, who was a hero of the Mexican-American War. Taylor decided to run for the White House as a Whig, due partly to his dislike of outgoing President James K. Polk.

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Taylors main rival in Philadelphia was the Whig party leader, Henry Clay, who had lost to Polk in the 1844 presidential election. Daniel Webster and General Winfield Scott were also contenders, but Taylor prevailed on the fourth ballot. The party named Fillmore, a moderate anti-slavery New Yorker, as Taylors running mate. In the end, former President Martin Van Buren, as a third-party Free Soil Party candidate, helped split the vote in New York in favor of Taylor, and Taylor narrowly defeated Lewis Cass in the general election.

1856: The Know Nothings gather in Philly

In February 1856, one of the most controversial political parties in history met at Philadelphias National Hall to pick its own candidate for a divided general election. In the four years since Democratic candidate Franklin Pierce took the 1852 election from Winfield Scott, the Whigs fell apart as a national party as its members took sides on the slavery issue. Some former Whigs, like William Seward and Abraham Lincoln, joined the newly formed Republican Party. But another party, the American, or Native-American Party, also attracted former Whig Party members. They become known as the Know Nothings, since party members wouldnt discuss their beliefs or party membership with outsiders.

The Know Nothings were an anti-immigrant nativist party. The party doctrine stood firmly against Catholics and foreigners, and its members had some regional election success in the 1850s. But the Know Nothings, like the Whigs, had split on the slavery issue. In Philadelphia, former President Fillmore won a first ballot nomination, with President Jacksons nephew, Andrew Donelson, as his running mate. The Know Nothings did poorly in the 1856 election and soon disappeared as a political factor.

1856: The first Republican convention

At this point, the Grand Old Party was the brand new party and it gathered at Philadelphias Musical Fund Hall on Locust Street in June 1856 to pick its first presidential candidate. The Republicans were formed after disgruntled Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, former Free Soil members and abolitionists came together. It was viewed as a regional party, with its strength in the northern and western states.

The leading Whigs of the day were future Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon Chase and, of course, William Seward. Both men dropped from presidential contention before the 1856 Philadelphia meeting. Instead, it was 71-year-old Supreme Court Justice John McLean against a 43-year-old rival, John Fremont, in the nomination fight. The dashing Fremont had gained a great deal of celebrity for his expeditions in the West, and he had briefly served in the Senate.

Fremont easily defeated McLean on the first ballot. Former New Jersey senator William Dayton was the vice presidential nominee, defeating another former Congress member, Abraham Lincoln. In the fall, the Democrats took the White House and the Electoral College when James Buchanan carried Pennsylvania, but Buchanan only took 45 percent of the popular vote. The Republicans and the Know Nothings had 55 percent of the vote combined, and the Republicans were within a two-state margin of taking the 1860 vote in the Electoral College.

Scott Bomboy is editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.

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By Robert-Jan Bartunek BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A series of bugged, coded communications over two months led Belgian police to storm a suspected Islamic State cell in the town of Verviers last year, thwarting an alleged plot, a Brussels court heard on Monday. One unidentified conspirator used the cover name "Fatty"; another in the plot which Belgian authorities have said intended to target police officers, went by the handle "Big Lanky". Among seven accused present on the first day of a terrorism trial that began in Brussels under heavy security seven weeks after suicide bombers killed 32 people in the capital was Marouan El Bali. He survived the gunfight in January 2015 when police shot dead two armed men who had returned from fighting with IS in Syria. In summarizing the case against the 16 accused, nine of whom are still at large, the judge offered details of how security services had used telephone taps to help combat a potential threat from more than 300 Belgians who have fought in Syria. In a tapped call in November 2014 an unidentified man told another who was on a police watchlist: "I've got everything." Six months after a first Islamist attack in Belgium, when a Frenchman shot dead four people at Brussels' Jewish Museum, that was enough to set off an intensive monitoring operation. It led to the Verviers raid, a week after Islamist attacks on the Paris magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish grocery had shocked Europe. The judge said investigators had heard cryptic messages, some from Turkey and Greece, to various alleged members of the Belgian cell, including those named Fatty and Big Lanky. Among those involved was Abdelhamid Abaaoud from Brussels, who fought with Islamic State in Syria and is believed to have been an organizer of several attacks in Europe, including those in Paris last Nov. 13. Abaaoud was killed in a gunbattle with French police five days after militants killed 130 people. Criticized by some for failing to prevent the March 22 IS suicide bombings at Brussels airport and on the city's metro, Belgian leaders have highlighted the operation at Verviers, a rundown industrial town near German border, as a major success. As well as the two dead gunmen, both from Brussels' Arab immigrant community, police found assault rifles, bomb-making material and items of Belgian police uniform. Abaaoud later boasted online that he had eluded capture and returned to Syria. El Bali, who was found in the safehouse, has protested his innocence. His lawyer told reporters outside the court on Monday that he had merely been visiting a childhood friend. He is accused of being a leader in a terrorist group, attempted murder, making and keeping of bombs and planning an attack on a non-specified building, his lawyer said. The trial is expected to last several weeks. (Editing by Alastair Macdonald)
BOSTON (Reuters) - Police were investigating a bomb threat made at Tufts University just outside Boston on Monday as fire officials extinguished a car fire on campus, the university said on its website.

Six buildings on the university's campus in Medford, Massachusetts, were closed as the investigation proceeded, the school said.

(Reporting by Scott Malone)
By Jilian Mincer

NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuters) - Eric Newman thinks new U.S. tobacco rules could be devastating for high-end cigar makers like him, but he is not giving up.

J.C. Newman Cigar Co of Tampa, Florida has been in business since 1895, and now has about 750 employees that make premium cigars by hand or on vintage machines.

In less than 90 days, the industry will have to comply with the first-ever rules on cigars issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Against expectations, the agency included premium, hand-rolled cigars in its oversight along with mass-produced, machine-cut stogies.

Cigar industry advocates warn the rules, particularly a requirement to submit new products for FDA review, may prove too costly for up to 75 percent of the smaller manufacturers that use more traditional methods.

The premium industry has lobbied for several years for an exemption from the rules, and some of its leaders, including Newman, say they will meet with members of Congress or take legal action to fight the new FDA regulation. Major cigar associations are expected to gather next week to map out a strategy.

"The FDA took the path of least resistance," said Newman, the fourth generation of his family to head the cigar company. "It is easier to make a one-size fits all regulation than try to understand the nuances of the industry."

The FDA last Thursday banned the sale of e-cigarettes and cigars to minors and said it would require manufacturers to submit their products for review. Both are proving increasingly popular among teens and middle school students, threatening efforts to keep a new generation away from nicotine addiction and the ills of tobacco.

Teenage males in particular have taken to small cigars, or cigarillos, infused with flavors such as chocolate, strawberry and fruit punch. But the makers of premium cigars say their products are smoked on average twice a week by adult men and don't represent a temptation for minors.

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"This is something that is enjoyed by adults in a relaxed setting," said Kevin Talley, senior director of federal affairs for the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association, which represents about 5,000 small business retailers. "It's an artisan product, a labor of love for these manufacturers."

Mitch Zeller, head of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said the agency could not make such fine distinctions in introducing new consumer protections against tobacco products.

"All cigars pose serious negative health risks. To exclude some would be neglecting our duty to protect public health," Zeller told reporters after the rules were announced.

The premium cigar industry accounts for about 300 million units, or less than 3 percent of the nearly 12 billion cigars sold annually in the United States, according to data from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Euromonitor estimates that about $3.1 billion in large cigars - a category that includes premium brands - were sold in the United States last year. That compared with $2.9 billion in standard size cigars and $1.3 billion in small cigars - which are typically less expensive and made by machine.

The biggest challenge for the cigar industry would be to meet new testing requirements for products developed after February 2007.

The new rules would be financially burdensome for the vast majority of premium cigar manufacturers because most are small operations that could not afford the time or cost government approval new blends and cigars would take.

"When customers come into the store, the number one question we are asked is what's new?" said John Anderson, whose stores include W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist, located, steps from the White House. The store has been open since 1887 and served presidents, but if everything continues as laid out in new regulations "we would lose 85 percent of product on our shelves," said Anderson.

(Reporting by Jilian Mincer, additional reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Alan Crosby)
Prince Harry on Monday opened up about how his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, was excited to help trash talk the White House ahead of the Invictus Games.

The Prince of Wales laughed alongside First Lady Michelle Obama during an exclusive interview with ABCs Good Morning America, in which the two discussed the royal and light-hearted taunting wars that unfolded on Twitter before the international competition for injured veterans began on Sunday.

Prince Harry had enlisted the help of the Queen to record a video in response to the Obamas warning they would bring it at the Games. The Queen can be seen dismissively saying, Oh really? Please, to the couple before Prince Harry drops the mic.

I generally didnt know what to do. She dragged her husband into it, Prince Harry told GMA about his initial reaction to the Obamas video. I didnt want to have to ask the Queen because I didnt want to have to back her into the corner.

But the 90-year-old royal needed little persuading after seeing the Obamas jab, Prince Harry said. I showed her the video and she said, Right, what do we have to do? Prince Harry recalled.

The First Lady also talked about the moment she and her husband were greeted by Prince George in a tiny white bathrobe at Kensington Palace. She said its the most precious thing to see Prince Harry interact with his nephew, adding that the 2-year-old didnt understand why his uncle wasnt speaking as much as he usually does.

Obama said he kept asking: Uncle Harry, why are you so quiet? Why are you so quiet? He didnt understand what was wrong with you, she said to Prince Harry.

Prince Harry and the First Lady also praised those who have served in the military as they discussed the importance of the Invictus Games, an international competition for injured veterans. The contest  which kicked off Sunday in Orlando, Florida  helps give some 500 former soldiers from 14 countries a feeling of camaraderie that may have been lost when their service ended, Prince Harry said.

For a lot of these guys, once they were force to leave the military, they didnt have any recognition of being part of a team, he said, adding that his own time in the military was so important. I wanted to be one of the lads, I wanted to be one of the guys, he added. Its certainly given me a purpose in life.

Obama said the U.S. team was ready and fired up before she touted the competing veterans as the best citizens youll find. Once they take that uniform off, theyre still looking for ways to serve, she said. We cant waste that talent.
He is truly our Prince Charming, Michelle Obama said at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games. (Photo: Getty Images)

Michelle Obama spoke for most American women on Sunday when, at the opening of the Invictus Games, she dubbed Prince Harry our Prince Charming. The famously eligible bachelor, 31, is in the good ole U.S.A. for the sporting event he founded for wounded veterans  and hes easily winning over our citizens one at a time.

Prince Harry and Morgan Freeman share a handshake and a knowing look. (Photo: Getty Images)

Not only does he have FLOTUSs seal of approval, the redheaded royal got some support from God  well, close  in the earthly form of Morgan Freeman, who voiced the deity in Bruce Almighty. The Academy Award winner, who also starred in the film Invictus, is a games ambassador and looked pretty excited to have face time with Harry.

Yes, ladies, he loves kids. (Photo: Getty Images)

Even the noncelebrity photos from the event are delightful. When Prince Williams little brother isnt getting up close and personal with the participants, hes driving the ladies mad by posing in one adorable photo after another with grinning children. That can only be topped by the cute photos of Harry nearly getting kissed by a service dog.



Cmon  could he be any cuter? They even have the same color hair. (Photo: Getty Images)

What can we say? The guy clearly knows how to work a crowd. Even this guy had Harry mania.

This photo, with a Team USA Invictus member, is everything. (Photo: Getty Images)

Having Harry on U.S. soil, however, brings us back to his most memorable visit to the states ever  and, no, not when Princess Diana took him to Disney World in 1993. Were talking about his lost weekend in Las Vegas in August 2012.

Lets rewind a bit to when Captain Wales, as he was known in his army days, was doing a two-month military training in the western U.S. and made his way to Sin City for some headline-making debauchery. Good-time Harry, who was no stranger to controversy, was photographed partying in a hotel hot tub with no shortage of ladies, but that was only the start. TMZ ran photos of him  in the buff  playing a game of strip billiards in a VIP hotel suite.

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Harrys weekend in Vegas was a royal headline-grabber. (Photo: Splash News)



The details were almost unbelievable. Harry and his entourage met some ladies at a hotel bar and invited them to his $8,000-a-night suite at the Wynn and Encore hotel complex. A game of strip pool resulted in a naked Harry running around the room. In one photo, he was pressed up against a nude woman. The kicker was that his security guards, which you know were all fired, didnt confiscate the ladies cameras, so they snapped photos and later sold them. There were more crown jewels headlines than you could count.

While the ladies enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame, Buckingham Palace officials moved to get publication of the photos banned in Britain, arguing to the countrys Press Complaints Commission that they were a breach of the princes privacy. Their official statement? Harry was taking some private time in the U.S. Private was one word for it.

(Photo: CBS This Morning)

The tabloids made up tales about how the royals would be flying to the U.S. to set Harry straight  we envisioned the queen smacking him around with one of her fascinators  but the buzz surrounding the scandal quickly died down just weeks later when he returned to the front lines in Afghanistan. And in a 2014 interview with Man of the World, he was asked about the Vegas hijinks and he said  rather perfectly, It was probably a classic case of me being too much Army and not enough prince.

While promoting the Invictus Games on Monday, he was interviewed on the Today show. After fielding questions about when hell have children (I have no idea, said George and Charlottes uncle. I dont even have a girlfriend at the moment), he was asked about his wilder days. Again, he charmed with his reply.

To me, its a part of growing up, he smiled. Youve got to find your own path. If you slip off, if people dont tell you youve slipped off, then you sure as hell work it out yourself.

Looks like he has sure as hell worked it out himself.
Experts disagreed on whether ongoing radar scans would reveal the existence of a hidden burial chamber within King Tutankhamuns tomb

Archeologists disagreed during the last session of a three-day conference held in Egypt, to discuss Tutankhamun and his treasured funerary collection, on whether the kings tomb contains a hidden chamber holding the final resting place of Queen Nefertiti.

The final session involved a scientific discussion forum on the latest results of recent radar scan surveys carried out on the boy-kings tomb in Luxor in an attempt to uncover any existing hidden chambers by using non-invasive methods.

The radar surveys aim to test a theory put forward last August by British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves, who claimed that the tomb hid the burial place of Queen Nefertiti.

Former minister of antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty supported the theory and the survey mission, saying that more radar scans from the top of the tomb should be carried out in order to reach the accurate results.

However, former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass rejected the theory, asserting that nothing lay beyond the burial chamber in the boy-kings tomb.

He also raised doubts over whether radar scans can be used to make archaeological discoveries.

In my entire career, I have never come across any discovery in Egypt made by radar scans, he said.

Hawass suggests that in order to test the accuracy of the radar, scans should be carried out on tombs that are already known to contain hidden chambers, such as King Ramses IIs tomb, which has 10 sealed chambers.

Reeves defended his theory by stating that preliminary results of several scans suggest that two void spaces exist behind the north and west walls of the tombs burial chamber and show signs of metal matter.

"I was looking for the evidence that would tell me that my initial reading was wrong," he said. "But I didn't find any evidence to suggest that. I just found more and more indicators that there is something extra going on in Tutankhamun's tomb."

Most of the scholars and Egyptologists who attended the conference rejected Reeves theory, saying it has no basis in reality.

Director of the Egyptian Museum and Papyri in Berlin Friederike Seyfried, who does not believe that Tutankhamuns burial chamber conceals any hidden chambers, told Ahram Online that the results of the radar survey do not prove the existence of a hidden tomb.

The sudden death of the boy-king led the tombs builders to finish the tomb quickly and close it up, which is why a cavity was found.

She describes Reeves claim that the tomb of Nefertiti lies behind the northern wall of the burial chamber as a mere hypothesis.

She rejected Reeves claim that a scene depicted on a wall within the tomb shows Tutankhamun performing the opening of the mouth ritual for Nefertiti, saying that an inscription shows that it is in fact King Iy who is performing the ritual for Tutankhamun.

I believe that the ancient Egyptian artist would never make a depiction of the pharaoh without a direct inscription beside [the image], Seyfried said.

Antiquities minister Khaled El-Enany asserted that the conference shows that science is a priority and we are not against any scientific project, adding that the scientific endeavour would ultimately reveal the truth.

The scans of the tomb will continue in line with the scholars' recommendations, but no physical exploration will be allowed unless there is 100 percent certainty that there is a cavity behind the wall, El-Enany concludes.

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Confide messaging app photo

Earlier this month, an appeals court shut off Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service in Brazil after a judge ordered the country's wireless operators to block access to the service.

The ban was lifted after about 24 hours, but not before other messaging apps saw download surges as Brazilians looked for alternate ways to chat with friends and family.

One of those apps is Confide, a privacy-focused messaging app developed by a New York-based startup that boasts ephemeral messaging and screenshot protection as its top features.

"We saw a roughly 500% increase  six times  in Brazil downloads during the WhatsApp ban," Confide cofounder Jon Brod told Business Insider. "An hour after the ban we saw a spike."

Although mainstream messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram now offer end-to-end encryption, Confide messages go one step further and disappear as soon as they're read by their recipient. The app also has a "wanding" feature in which users read text by moving their finger over each line, which prevents screenshots from capturing more than a few words at a time.

On Monday, Confide is adding voice messaging to its app. The company says it will allow users to communicate sentiment that doesn't usually come across in a text chat, and hopes that their business clients will adopt the feature to discuss potential deals, hiring, or other sensitive subjects.

Events like the Sony hack and the Brazil WhatsApp ban usually end up boosting Confide, Brod says. "I think people had an expectation of privacy and events like this accelerate that expectation."

Confide's voice messaging audio clips disappear after the chat window is closed, and are encrypted like the rest of Confide's messages.

Here's what it looks like:

Confide Voice Recording Framed

Confide Voice Playback Framed

NOW WATCH: Uber is making customers pay for having drivers wait





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* More than 1 mln bpd in Canadian oil supply offline

* 11 oil producers, 3 pipeline operators curb activity

* Restarting production will take weeks, say analysts (Writes through, adds tumble in oil prices after Monday's initial rally, analyst comments)

By Barani Krishnan

NEW YORK, May 9 (Reuters) - Oil producers and refiners braced on Monday for a prolonged shutdown and possible supply constraints from Canada's vast oil sands region as a destructive wildfire continued into a second week.

Cooler and possible wetter weather looked to help firefighters battling the massive blaze as Canadian officials planned to take their first look at oil boom town Fort McMurray.

The town has been ravaged by the nation's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, with about half of the nation's oil sands capacity remained shut as energy firms kept facilities closed as a precaution.

Officials said resuming operations would be a challenge and no timeline had been considered.

"This production is not gone for good, yet when fires are controlled, restarting production will take several more weeks, even without damage," energy analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note. "The situation is fluid."

The yard of CNOOC unit Nexen's facility in Long Lake, Alberta, suffered minor damage on Sunday from fire, officials said. It was the first reported damage to an energy industry asset since the crisis began.

Statoil and Husky Energy Inc were among 11 production companies and three pipeline operators that have curbed activities after the inferno that began on May 1 forced more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) of capacity offline.

Syncrude Canada Ltd will cut forecast crude production volumes for May by some 35 percent, three trading sources familiar with the matter said on Monday.

BP and other big oil firms have already warned that they would not be able to deliver on some contracts.

Oil prices initially rallied 2 percent on Monday before tumbling, with U.S. crude settling down nearly 3 percent and Brent almost 4 percent lower, as the market discounted immediate impact from the Canadian outages.

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Investors also focused on U.S. crude stockpiles, which were expected to have built for a fifth straight week last week to record highs.

Canadian crude futures, however, continued to extended their run-up on Monday, with Western Canadian select for June trading at the narrowest discount to the U.S. benchmark since June 2015.

Until last month, global oil prices had seen one of the strongest rebounds since the financial crisis, with Brent rallying nearly 80 percent at one point from multiyear lows under $30 in the first quarter, supported by falling U.S. production, supply constraints in Libya and the Americas and a weak dollar.

The rally has since faded as record pumping of oil by Russia and major Middle East producers renewed worries about a global glut of some 1.5 million bpd that originally drove prices down from above $100 a barrel in mid 2014.

Some analysts said the Canadian outages could still support prices down the road.

"A loss of 1 million bpd spread over a month's time would represent a sizable 30 million barrels that would not necessarily be negated by an upswing in crude imports into the U.S. Gulf coast region," said Jim Ritterbusch of Chicago-based oil consultancy Ritterbusch & Associates.

The United States imports about 3.5 million barrels a day of Canadian crude, which is particularly important for U.S. refiners from Ohio to the Dakotas.

Record U.S. inventories and plentiful supplies in storage in western Canada will offset some of the losses from the blaze. But prolonged outages in the oil sands, which has the world's third-largest crude reserves, could roil producers and traders' contracts and order books.

On Friday, BP Plc , Suncor Energy Inc, the largest Canadian oil producer, and U.S. refiner Phillips 66 issued "force majeure" notices that would prevent them from delivering on some contracts for Canadian crude.

According to Genscape, which monitors key crude storage terminals in western Canada, including critical locations in Edmonton and Hardisty, total inventories were 26.5 million barrels at the end of April, equivalent to less than a month of output currently offline.

"We are going to see this impacting flows, not necessarily right away, but over the next few weeks," said Matt Smith, who tracks crude cargoes for New York-based Clipper Data. "An outage of this volume is going to have a supportive influence on the market."

(Additional reporting by Allison Martell in Toronto; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Alan Crosby)
Pen pictures of the key presidential and vice presidential candidates in Monday's Philippine elections:

For president:

Rodrigo 'Rudy' Duterte

Tough-talking mayor of the southern city of Davao who has electrified his supporters and outraged his critics with vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals in a brutal war on crime.

The 71-year-old has fashioned himself as an authoritarian, anti-establishment candidate who can provide quick solutions to crime, poverty and many other deep-rooted problems that plague the nation. The clear favourite to win, according to surveys.

Grace Poe

A former schoolteacher with a Cinderella-like background, Poe, 47 is the adopted daughter of the country's most famous showbiz couple who owes much of her popularity to her parents.

Poe entered politics only three years ago when she topped the Senate election and jumped to become an early favourite in the campaign. But controversies over previously taking US citizenship and being unable to identify her biological parents have hurt her.

Manuel 'Mar' Roxas

Grandson of the post-colonial Philippines' first president, the former senator and ex-cabinet minister is backed by President Benigno Aquino and the ruling Liberal Party.

However the Wharton-educated Roxas, 58, lacks the charisma of rivals, who portray him as a privileged landlord detached from the sufferings of the poor. In equal second place with Poe, about 11 percentage points behind Duterte, according to surveys.

Jejomar 'Jojo' Binay

The incumbent vice president and four-term mayor of Makati, the financial district of Manila, first came to national attention as a lawyer defending dissidents jailed by dictator Ferdinand Marcos' martial law rule.

His popularity plunged after a high-profile Senate public inquiry into his wealth led to the filing of a criminal complaint for graft against him over the construction of an allegedly overpriced Makati car park building.

Miriam Santiago

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The tough-talking former judge fell less than 800,000 votes short of capturing the presidency from Fidel Ramos 24 years ago, but the 70-year-old senator now brings up the rear in all surveys.

She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer two years ago and she has had limited time on the stumps, though she says she has beaten back the disease with an expensive new treatment.

For vice president:

Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos

The son and namesake of the dead dictator who was chased out to US exile 30 years ago is statistically tied for the lead with an Aquino ally in the separate vice presidential race.

Staunchly refusing to apologise for widespread human rights abuses and the alleged plunder of state coffers during his father's rule, a victory would put the son a heartbeat away from the presidential palace.
(Reuters) - A stomach bug causing vomiting and diarrhoea has spread to more than a quarter of the 919 passengers aboard a British cruise ship, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, as the ship docked in Maine over the weekend. It also said eight of the 520 crew on the Balmoral, operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, had also fallen ill with the bug, identified as a norovirus. The Balmoral left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before putting in at Norfolk, Virginia, where it first arrived in the United States late last month. CDC officials said at that time that 153 passengers and six crew had been infected by norovirus. Health officials and an epidemiologist boarded the ship at its next stop in Baltimore, Maryland to assess the outbreak and the response. The CDC said specimens collected and onboard tested positive for norovirus, and would be sent to CDC for additional testing. Fred. Olsen said in an April 29 statement that a "gastro-enteritis type illness" had affected a number of guests, with seven cases in isolation at that point. It said two U.S. nationals were on board, with the majority of passengers from the United Kingdom. When the Balmoral docked at Portland, Maine, over the weekend, media reported witnesses seeing surfaces being constantly wiped down. The ship was due to stop at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, on Monday. CDC said the cruise line had taken actions in response to the outbreak, including increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures, collecting stool specimens, daily reporting of illness and dispatching public health and sanitation managers to oversee and assist with implementation of sanitation and outbreak response. Balmoral has capacity for 1,350 passengers, and is the largest and newest ship in the cruise line's fleet. (Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
(Reuters) - A stomach bug causing vomiting and diarrhea has spread to more than a quarter of the 919 passengers aboard a British cruise ship, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, as the ship docked in Maine over the weekend.

It also said eight of the 520 crew on the Balmoral, operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, had also fallen ill with the bug, identified as a norovirus.

The Balmoral left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before putting in at Norfolk, Virginia, where it first arrived in the United States late last month.

CDC officials said at that time that 153 passengers and six crew had been infected by norovirus. Health officials and an epidemiologist boarded the ship at its next stop in Baltimore, Maryland to assess the outbreak and the response.

The CDC said specimens collected and onboard tested positive for norovirus, and would be sent to CDC for additional testing.

Fred. Olsen said in an April 29 statement that a "gastro-enteritis type illness" had affected a number of guests, with seven cases in isolation at that point.

It said two U.S. nationals were on board, with the majority of passengers from the United Kingdom.

When the Balmoral docked at Portland, Maine, over the weekend, media reported witnesses seeing surfaces being constantly wiped down.

The ship was due to stop at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, on Monday.

CDC said the cruise line had taken actions in response to the outbreak, including increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures, collecting stool specimens, daily reporting of illness and dispatching public health and sanitation managers to oversee and assist with implementation of sanitation and outbreak response.

Balmoral has capacity for 1,350 passengers, and is the largest and newest ship in the cruise line's fleet.

(Reporting by Chris Michaud; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
(Editor's note: paragraph 5 contains language that may offend some readers.)

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, May 9 (Reuters) - A trial over Sumner Redstone's mental competence could end as early as Monday when a California judge is expected to announce whether he will throw out a lawsuit from the 92-year-old media mogul's former girlfriend.

In a legal brief prepared over the weekend, Redstone's attorneys argued that the case should be dismissed, saying their client was competent and had made his wishes clear.

In a brief of their own, attorneys representing his ex-girlfriend, Manuela Herzer, argued that only a full trial could determine whether Redstone was competent and urged the judge to evaluate all the evidence "rather than looking at Redstone's testimony in a vacuum or in isolation."

The new legal arguments came in response to a request from Judge David Cowan, after a closed session on Friday, the opening day of trial, in which he watched videotaped testimony from the multibillionaire.

A transcript of the recording shows Redstone struggling to answer some questions coherently. But he was exceptionally clear about not wanting Herzer to play any role in his life, referring to her repeatedly as a "fucking bitch."

Cowan called Redstone's testimony "strong evidence," and said he would consider over the weekend whether to grant a request by Redstone's attorneys to toss out the case. He asked both sides to prepare legal briefs laying out their positions on why the case should or shouldn't be dismissed.

Herzer, 52, contends Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc and CBS Corp, was not mentally competent when he removed her as his designated healthcare agent last October.

"Does he know what he's doing? That's what I'm wrestling with," Cowan said.

Herzer earned Redstone's animosity, the new Redstone brief contends, by filing "a petition full of needlessly salacious allegations about Mr. Redstone's private affairs" thereby making "the most intimate details of Mr. Redstone's life and medical condition" fodder for national media coverage.

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Herzer's attorneys assert in their filing that Redstone was unduly influenced and lacked capacity to make an independent decision. His care-givers were "a den of spies and co-conspirators of Shari Redstone," the filing argues, "all working together to remove Herzer and take control of Redstone for their own financially-motivated (and sometimes competing) reasons."

Herzer's attorneys presented testimony on Friday from geriatric psychiatrist Stephen Read, who said that Redstone had dementia.

Read said he examined Redstone earlier this year on Herzer's behalf. Among other tasks, Read said he asked Redstone to identify colored shapes.

"He did very poorly," Read said, pointing at a green square when asked to point to a blue star. Read also said that Redstone has "uncontrollable outbursts of anger," which interfere with his ability to reason.

If the case goes forward, the judge will hear on Monday from Keryn Redstone, a granddaughter of the mogul who is siding with Herzer. In court filings, 34-year-old Keryn Redstone said her grandfather had become a "prisoner in his own home" after Herzer was suddenly ejected from the mansion in October.

When she last saw her grandfather in February, "he just sat there, staring into space," Keryn Redstone said.

A month ago, the two sides had reached a preliminary settlement agreement that would have awarded Herzer about $30 million, according to a source familiar with the matter. Those talks fell apart and the case proceeded to trial.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Sue Horton, G Crosse)
Turkish shelling killed 55 Islamic State insurgents in northern Syria on Saturday, military sources said, in retaliation for weeks of rocket attacks on a Turkish border town.

Artillery fire hit the regions of Suran and Tal El Hisn north of Aleppo, as well as Baragidah and Kusakcik, taking out three rocket installations and three vehicles in addition to killing the militants, the sources said on Sunday.

The Turkish border town of Kilis, which lies just across the frontier from Islamic State-controlled territory of Syria, has been regularly struck by rockets in recent weeks, killing about 20 people and wounding 70 more, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.

The Turkish military usually responds with artillery barrages into northern Syria, but officials have said it is difficult to hit mobile Islamic State targets with howitzers. Turkish officials have said they need more help from Western allies in defending Kilis and the border.

"None of those who claim to fight against Daesh in Syria have neither inflicted as many losses on it as we have, nor have they paid as big a price as we have," President Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

"They left us alone in our struggle against this group that hurts us with suicide bombings and attacks on Kilis."

Kilis is about 60 km (37 miles) north of Aleppo - Syria's embattled, biggest city and a big prize in the more than five-year-old civil war - and is sheltering about 110,000 Syrian refugees.

Turkish officials have said Islamic State fighters often drive up to the Turkish border on motorcycles and then launch rockets at Kilis before fleeing.

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TUNIS (Reuters) - Talks on providing support for Libya's new unity government will be held in Vienna next week, Italy's foreign minister said on Monday. The meeting will focus on international efforts to bring stability to Libya, where two rival governments have vied for power since 2014, opening the way for Islamic State to establish itself and gain ground in the North African state. Regional foreign ministers will meet for the talks, according to Italy's Paolo Gentiloni. He did not give details on who would attend, but past talks on Libya have included the United States and European officials and Libya's North African neighbors. Prime Minister Fayez Serraj's U.N-backed Government of National Accord arrived in Tripoli a month ago, but it has faced resistance from hardliners in both the Libyan factions running rival governments. "There will be a meeting in Vienna on May 16 to support the government of Serraj and to push for stability in Libya," the minister said, according to a Tunisian foreign ministry statement. "Regional foreign ministers and other important figures will be there." Five years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, western powers are backing Serraj's government as the best solution to chaos in Libya. They are waiting for a request from Serraj for military aid to help in the fight against Islamic State in Libya. Islamic State took advantage of Libya's political turmoil to establish itself in Sirte last year. It controls a strip of coast about 250 km (155 miles) long around the city, but it has struggled to hold ground elsewhere in the country. Western governments hope the U.N.-backed government will be able to unite Libya's armed factions to take on Islamic State. But efforts to counter the group have so far depended on loose alliances of armed brigades that supported the rival governments operating in Tripoli and the east. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; writing by Patrick Markey)
Who got signed, promoted, hired or fired? The Hollywood Reporter rounds up the week in representation news. To submit announcements for consideration, contact rebecca.sun@thr.com.

Purple Reigns

UTA has signed The Color Purple star Cynthia Erivo, who has received a Tony nomination for leading actress in a musical for playing Celie. It's the Broadway debut for the British actress, who originated the role in the revival at London's Menier Chocolate Factory. THR's David Rooney raved about her performance throughout his review of the show, calling her "the real deal." Erivo continues to be repped by Claire Hoath Management in the U.K., Authentic and Peikoff Mahan.

Ollie, Martin and Quentin Love Him  and So Does Oscar

WME has signed Academy Award-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson. He is one of just three living directors of photography to have won three Oscars in the same category. In addition to statuettes for Oliver Stone's JFK and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator and Hugo, Richardson also has been nominated another six times, from Stone's Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July to Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight. He also has received 10 ASC and four BAFTA nominations. Richardson's latest work is Ben Affleck's Live by Night, due out in fall 2017.

Finding a New Gear

Innovative has signed actor and comedian Adam Ferrara, who currently co-hosts the American version of Top Gear, which airs on History. He's perhaps best known for playing Chief "Needles" Nelson on FX's Rescue Me, and he also played Edie Falco's cop love interest as a series regular on season six of Showtime's Nurse Jackie. Ferrara continues to be repped by Peter Rosegarten of Peter Rosegarten Management and attorney Isaac Dunham of Schreck Rose.

Ironically, "Verve" and "Cheer" Are Similar Terms

Jessica Bendinger, who wrote the classic cheerleading comedy Bring It On, has signed with Verve. She previously was at UTA. Bendinger made her directorial debut with her 2006 gymnastics script Stick It, and she also served as a creative consultant and writer on HBO's Sex and the City. She was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2013, and last fall served as a mentor for the inaugural Writers Lab, a program funded by Meryl Streep to develop female scribes over the age of 40.

Story continues

An Angel Gets a Manager

Model Taylor Hill, part of Victoria's Secret's newest class of Angels, has signed with Lighthouse Management & Media. The Colorado native, who wore Topshop to the Met Gala on May 2, continues to be repped by IMG.

This Hiring Is No Joke

Comedy and speakers agent Jim Oliver has moved from Innovative to Gotham Artists in New York. "We've had the pleasure of knowing Jim for many years now and are thrilled to have him join the agency," said Gotham co-founder Alec Melman of Oliver, who also previously worked at WME. "His knowledge and expertise of the industry will enhance our footprint into other larger-scale markets."

Elsewhere in Rep World:

Bella Thorne Signs With CAA

Will Packer Moves Production Company to CAA

Jeremy Scott Signs With WME-IMG

UTA Signs 'Black Mass' Actress Julianne Nicholson

Rock Band Muse Signs With UTA

CAA Signs Bon Jovi's David Bryan for Individual Representation

CAA Marketing Sets New Leadership Structure

APA Promotes Branding Agent Lauren Nogy to Vice President

Circle of Confusion Promotes Daniela Garcia-Brcek to Literary Manager
AP_16127029197094

Something wildly unexpected happened last Tuesday night: Ted Cruz dropped out of the GOP presidential race, having been throttled by Donald Trump in the make-or-break Indiana primary.

Less than a day later, John Kasich called it quits as well.

Trump had become the presumptive, newly unchallenged Republican presidential nominee.

Then something unprecedented happened Thursday afternoon: The top elected Republican official decided to refrain from supporting the party's new standard-bearer off the bat.

"I'm just not ready to do that at this point," House Speaker Paul Ryan told CNN host Jake Tapper in an interview. "I'm not there right now."

"I hope to, and I want to," he continued. "But I think what is required is to unify this party. And I think the bulk of the burden on unifying the party will have to come from our presumptive nominee."

Rather than unification, the Republican Party is in the midst of a virtual split in two with Trump as the party's presumptive nominee. Many elected officials and party leaders have come out in support of the mogul, including Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in hopes of rallying the party around a strong challenge to likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Others have held their ground. The party's two most recent presidential nominees and its two living presidents declined to offer their support. Ryan was the loudest chip to fall (at least for now) in the camp.

"I think what a lot of Republicans want to see is that we have a standard-bearer that bears our standards," he said Thursday.

Trump did little to hold back in retaliation toward Ryan, signaling a clear and perhaps lengthy rift within the party. On Thursday he released a statement saying he was "not ready" to back the speaker's policy agenda.

The next day, he attributed Ryan's weariness to the real-estate magnate's repeated bashing of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's performance in the 2012 election. Ryan was Romney's running mate.

Story continues

"Well they lost a race that should've been won last time, and I've been very open about it," Trump told "Fox & Friends" in a Friday interview. "That was a race that should've easily been won. That was an easier race than we have this year, but I'll win. You already see the polls going up rapidly."

"I mean he talks about unity, but what is this about unity?" Trump continued.

On Sunday, Trump said he had been "blindsided" by Ryan's nonendorsement. In a "Meet the Press" interview, Trump wouldn't rule out trying to replace Ryan as the chair of this summer's Republican National Convention.

Paul Ryan

Yet Ryan is hardly alone in his refusal to support Trump.

Some of the most influential members of the Republican Party are planning to sit out Trump's coronation at the Republican National Convention this summer.

Four of the past five GOP presidential nominees have announced that they will be skipping the convention.

Romney, the 2012 nominee who campaigned hard against Trump in recent months while propping up Trump's GOP competitors, said he wouldn't be attending the convention. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the nominee in 2008, won't be attending the convention but said he would vote for Trump.

Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush plan to stay out of the election spotlight.

On Friday, 2016 GOP presidential contenders Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush said they couldn't support Trump. Trump lashed out in furious responses that were reminiscent of his many battles with his two former rivals.

"I fully understand why Lindsey Graham cannot support me," Trump said. "If I got beaten as badly as I beat him, and all the other candidates he endorsed, I would not be able to give my support either."

Others, such as Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, have been floating the idea of a third-party candidate running on a conservative platform. When MSNBC's "Morning Joe" cohost Joe Scarborough offered the idea on his Friday show, an angered Trump lashed out at him on Twitter as well.

"Joe Scarborough initially endorsed Jeb Bush and Jeb crashed, then John Kasich and that didn't work," Trump tweeted. "Not much power or insight!"

"I hear @JoeNBC of rapidly fading @Morning_Joe is pushing hard for a third party candidate to run," he posted moments later. "This will guarantee a Crooked Hillary win."

Many Republicans who previously declined to line up behind the Manhattan billionaire have since reversed course. But his most likely general-election opponent has already taken full advantage of the GOP infighting.

Donald Trump

Clinton's campaign has pushed out emails to reporters almost every time a prominent Republican has distanced himself or herself from Trump. The campaign also cut a video quoting Jeb Bush, Graham, Cruz, and Marco Rubio  Trump's former presidential rivals  saying negative things about the business mogul.

Priebus, the Republican National Committee chair, has been trying his best to mend the fences. Trump and Ryan will meet with the party's chairman after meeting with each other on Capitol Hill next week. Priebus, who called for party unity after anointing Trump the presumptive nominee following the voting in Indiana, is looking to move forward on that pledge.

And it would appear necessary. The Cook Political Report adjusted a dozen states' ratings with Trump as the nominee of a fractured party, saying those states had all become more favorable to Democrats in the presidential election.

But as Trump made clear on Wednesday's edition of "Morning Joe," he doesn't really care for party unity.

"I don't think it's imperative that the entire party come together," he said. "I don't want everybody. I don't even want certain people that were extraordinarily nasty. Let them go their own way. Let them wait eight years or let them wait 16 years or whatever."

NOW WATCH: The real story behind Trump's taco bowl tweet





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Researchers have developed an invisible polymer film that they say can reduce wrinkles and under-eye bags.

A team of scientists from Harvard and M.I.T., all of whom are investors in the company that paid for the research, say theyve found a second skin that can help reduce the appearance of unwanted lines, as well as treat skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, according to the New York Times. The new material, made of safe and commonly used chemicals, temporarily protects and tightens skin, researchers say.

There have been no reported irritations or allergic reactions among the 170 subjects tested in small studies, according to the study. The findings were published Monday in the journal Nature Materials.

The scientists have an equity interest in Living Proof, which is the company that funded the research, according to the Times. The product is being developed by another company, Olivo Laboratories, which owns the patents.

[NYT]
Only 25% of F&B firms pay bills on time.

Singapores retail firms are scrambling for looser cash flows as creditors feel the chill of looming defaults.

According to a report by DP Information Group, retail companies take the fewest days to settle a bill before it is due, indicating that creditors are demanding prompt payment.

According to the Days Turned Cash (DTC) National Average - a measure of the days a company takes to pay a creditor once a debt is due - retail SMEs took just 12 extra days to settle their accounts in Q1 2016, DP Information Group said.

This is far from the national average of 29 days, the average of eight industries. Additionally, a high 77 per cent of retail companies settled their debts on time, making them the most prompt payers of any industry.

According to Lincoln Teo, CEO of DP Info, tight payment times are an indication of the concern other companies have when providing credit to retail companies.

Some companies are telling us that it is now the norm to demand prompt payment from retail companies. It is also their policy to vigorously pursue money owed by retailers, he added.

Meanwhile, several unfavourable factors have made companies more cautious when extending credit to a retail firm, including higher wages, foreign labour restrictions, increased rents, and tighter competition, Teo said.

This has a negative effect on the cash flow of retail companies because they are unable to tap on suppliers credit - a common short-term financing approach used to ease their cash flow, he explained.







More From Singapore Business Review


Revolution Studios is reaching out to Latino digital video viewers with a two-pronged deal it unveiled this morning.

It made an unspecified seven-figure investment for an undisclosed stake in Spanish language digital services company Latin Everywhere. Revolution also agreed to license Spanish-dubbed versions of its films to Latin Everywheres streaming platform, Pongalo (Spanish for play it). Titles in the deal include xXx, Maid In Manhattan and Black Hawk Down.

The arrangements are designed to help Latin Everywhere develop a premium, subscription version of Pongalo, currently a free, ad-supported service.

The inclusion of these popular titles will add tremendous value to the content we offer our users as we add a subscription component to Pongalos OTT platform, Latin everywhere Chairman Rich Hull and CEO Jorge Granier said in a statement.

Revolution CEO Vince Totino said the company made the investment because its acutely aware of the importance of tapping into the worlds vast, tech-savvy Latino audiences.

Latin Everywhere describes itself as the largest Latino-focused film and TV network on YouTube with more than 2 billion views last year. Most came from mobile devices.

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The fierce fire blazed for over eight hours in the crowded Attaba area

A huge fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at a popular market of street vendors in downtown Cairo, Egypt state TV reported.

The fire, which started at a six-storey hotel in the Attaba area and extended to adjacent buildings including a warehouse, burnt for over eight hours into daylight morning hours.

TV footage showed a sheet of flames leaping from windows of two buildings and dense plumes of smoke shooting into the sky. Some seven hours later, clouds of white smoke continued to be seen as fire fighters sprayed water inside and sirens blared nearby.

No deaths were reported. However, a total of 77 were injured in the fire, many of whom suffered asphyxiation, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed told state news agency MENA.

Of the injured, 36 were transported to nearby hospitals, while 41 were given medical care at the site.

Following the extinguishing of the fire, Egypts Prime Minister Sherif Ismail visited the site of the incident to check on the efforts of the civil protection forces.

The Andalus Hotel, located in the famous commercial street of Al-Rewaiei, was rapidly evacuated and 32 fire fighting and hydraulic ladder vehicles were sent to the scene to extinguish the fire, state news agency MENA said.

The blaze has engulfed a number of shops as well as vendor's storehouses and stalls in the street.

Attaba is a crowded neighbourhood in downtown Cairo where the streets are dotted with small low-price shops and vendors selling a wide variety of goods.

An eyewitness said in TV comments that fire fighting teams and police were late to arrive to put out the blaze.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear and an investigation is currently underway, an official said.

Cairo Security Chief Khaled Abel-Al and acting-Governor Ahmed Taymour went to the area in downtown to follow up on efforts to contain the fire.

It is the second fire to break out in the area in a week after a short circuit last Monday caused a blaze some 100m from the new fire.

Three were injured in last week's blaze.

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Robbie Williams has a new recording deal, with a new album on the way. And an old friend is back on board.

The British pop star used the platform of his social media accounts to reveal he's working with Sony Music U.K. on a new set of recordings.

"Managed to keep this secret for a whole week," he tweeted. "I'm working on my new album with @SonyMusicUK x https://bit.ly/rwcolumbia #excited #newalbum."

Managed to keep this secret for a whole week: I'm working on my new album with @SonyMusicUK x https://t.co/PSJoSN92cE #excited #newalbum

- Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) May 8, 2016

The LP will also reunite Williams with his long-time collaborator Guy Chambers, who together wrote some of the artist's most enduring hits, including "Angels," "Rock DJ", "Feel", "Millennium", and "Let Me Entertain You".

Neither party has shared the name of the album, his eleventh studio recording, though the music major has slated it for release "later this year" through Columbia Records.

Robbie Williams Drops Album Surprise, Tipped to Reunite with Take That

A separate statement from Sony Music quotes Williams as saying: "The team at Sony are professional, incredibly hungry, and have a great energy. They're inspired, I'm inspired. I'm more ready than I ever have been and I'm totally convinced I'm in the right place. I look forward to working on this album, which is an album I'm immensely proud of, in this exciting new partnership with Sony Music."

Robbie Williams is Britain's greatest modern-day pop star. A one-time Take That hearthrob, the entertainer set off on his own path in 1995. He's never looked back. The singer has shifted more than 18 million solo albums in Britain alone, where he can effortlessly sell-out stadiums. His most recent set, Swings Both Ways," became Williams' 11th solo U.K. No. 1 album, a streak dating back to his 1997 debut Life Thru a Lens. Swings Both Ways was released through Universal Island. Williams' worldwide sales top 55 million units.

Robbie Williams Flirts With 15-Year-Old Fan Onstage, Instantly Regrets It: Watch

"We are delighted to be working with Robbie," says Sony Music U.K.'s chairman and CEO Jason Iley. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime signing with the biggest male solo artist of our generation. Robbie Williams is one of the most charismatic, unique and creative artists this country has ever produced and his incredible achievements continue to make him one of the most successful in the world today. When he met the team, there was an immediate connection and we are immensely proud to be releasing what is sure to be an album that defines an exciting new chapter for Robbie."
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - One Brazilian is accused of taking bribes, another with hiding a secret bank account, a third with trying to help a man escape prison.

So who are they -- hardened conmen? Mobsters?

No, they're three of the leading senators set to judge President Dilma Rousseff this week and decide whether to remove her from office.

The phrase about taking a thief to catch a thief might have been invented for what Sylvio Costa, founder of Congresso em Foco website, calls "the strange reality" of Brazil's political landscape.

Rousseff is accused of using illegal state loans to boost public spending and hide the shaky condition of the economy during her 2014 reelection.

She argues that these accounting tricks have long been common practice in Brazilian governments and were at worst a misdemeanor, far from an impeachable crime or act of corruption.

But if the president's sins fall into a grey area, the same cannot be said for those accusing -- and judging -- her.

Analysis by watchdog Transparencia Brasil reveals the Senate is a rogues' gallery where 61 percent of the 81 members have been convicted or probed in crimes at some point.

Rap sheets range from the serious, like stealing millions of dollars in a giant embezzlement scheme uncovered at state oil company Petrobras, to the ridiculous -- like Senator Telmario Mota de Oliveira's suspected involvement in cock fighting.

Congresso em Foco, which covers Congress and keep tabs on politicians' brushes with the law, says 24 of the 81 senators face current criminal cases.

"The Senate is a small portrait of Brazilian politics," Costa said. "We have a political system which is completely rotten."

- Right to the top -

Senate President Renan Calheiros, the man who will organize the impeachment trial, is in that 61 percent.

He's accused of taking millions in bribes, along with dozens of other politicians and leading business figures, in the corruption network that fleeced billions of dollars from Petrobras.

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But -- again, like many in the elite -- Calheiros is a remarkable escape artist.

In 2013 he survived the embarrassment of being caught using an Air Force jet to fly to the northern city of Recife for a hair transplant. He also rode out accusations that he allowed a lobbyist to pay child support to a lover he'd gotten pregnant.

Another big name in the gallery is Senator Aecio Neves, the opposition candidate whom Rousseff only narrowly beat in 2014.

Neves fancies himself as a strong bet at the next scheduled elections in 2018, even if he's being investigated for bribe taking and has come under fire for his family's secret bank account in Liechtenstein.

Then there's silver-haired Delcidio do Amaral, who led Rousseff's Workers' Party in the upper house until last November when he became the first sitting senator to be arrested.

Amaral, accused of being a key player in the Petrobras ring, allegedly attempted to organize the flight of a jailed oil executive to Spain so that he wouldn't testify.

Since then, Amaral has started testifying himself, becoming the government's star witness in a plea bargain that has seen him point fingers at dozens of former colleagues, including Rousseff, whom prosecutors are now probing for obstruction of justice.

- It gets wilder -

Just when Brazil's political crisis seems unable to get any wilder, it does.

Consider the line of presidential succession in a country where the elected president looks almost certain to be forced to step aside.

Rousseff's immediate replacement is her vice president-turned-enemy Michel Temer. He'll take over as soon as the Senate suspends Rousseff and if she is forced out altogether, he'd stay in office until the next scheduled elections in 2018.

Temer was fingered by Amaral in the Petrobras affair. Also, a Sao Paulo court this week effectively banned him from seeking elected office for eight years because he broke campaign finance rules.

After Temer comes Eduardo Cunha, the speaker of Congress' lower house -- or he was until Thursday when the Supreme Court suspended him for allegedly obstructing a probe into his alleged bribe taking.

Cunha's replacement as head of the lower house is Waldir Maranhao Cardoso. And yes, Maranhao is also accused of involvement in the Petrobras thievery.

Finally, the next closest to the throne is Calheiros -- the scandal-plagued Senate president himself.

Will things improve? Costa says the Supreme Court's downing of the seemingly untouchable Cunha is a landmark.

But even as growing numbers of corrupt leaders go to jail, those still free can take comfort in the story of yet another senator, Fernando Collor de Mello.

Son of a senator, Collor became Brazil's president in 1990 only to be forced out in 1992 by impeachment for corruption and banned from seeking public office for eight years.

In 2006, Collor entered the Senate. Despite also being charged with Petrobras corruption last year -- and suffering the indignity of police confiscating a Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini from his house -- he's still there.

And this week, he'll be among the 81 men and women voting on Rousseff's fate.
Brasilia (AFP) - The impeachment process against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff got back on track Monday after descending into confusion with leaders of the Senate and lower house of Congress arguing over whether it should continue.

Rousseff faces being suspended from office if the Senate votes -- as now appears likely -- to open an impeachment trial at a session starting Wednesday.

But earlier, in a stunning twist of events, the interim lower house speaker, Waldir Maranhao, declared that the whole process was flawed and should be brought back to square one.

Maranhao said the original vote by lower house deputies sending Rousseff to face the Senate had "prejudged" the president and denied her "the right to a full defense." He called for the Senate to halt proceedings and for the lower house to hold a new vote.

The order sparked consternation in the capital, with Rousseff's allies seeing a possible escape route for the president and her opponents reacting furiously.

Rousseff huddled in an emergency meeting with ministers and all eyes turned to see how the Senate would react.

Senate President Renan Calheiros did not take long.

"I ignore" the order, Calheiros said in a nationally televised session, sparking raucous applause and angry shouting from rival senators on the Senate floor.

Calheiros called Maranhao's intervention in the impeachment drama "absolutely untimely" and "playing with democracy."

Maranhao shot back shortly after in a brief press conference where he said he'd been trying to "save democracy" and "correct faults."

It was not immediately clear whether the government would appeal to the Supreme Court to rule on the split between the lower and upper houses. However, the Senate picked up where it had left off and continued procedural preparations for the start of voting on Wednesday.

- 'Surreal' twist -

The impeachment battle has taken so many unexpected twists that Brazilians refer to it as a real-life version of the Netflix political drama "House of Cards."

Story continues

Rousseff, from the leftist Workers' Party, is accused of illegally manipulating government budget accounts during her 2014 re-election battle to mask the seriousness of economic problems. But she says the process has been twisted into a coup by right-wingers in the second year of her second term.

Her removal had been looking increasingly certain after the lower house voted in mid-April by an overwhelming majority to send her case to the Senate for trial -- the vote now declared void by Maranhao.

In the Senate, around 50 of the 81 senators have already said they planned to vote in favor of an impeachment trial, well over the simple majority needed to open the process.

The vote result is expected on Thursday, followed shortly after by Rousseff's departure from the presidential offices. Ministers have reportedly already been clearing their desks.

Once suspended, Rousseff would face a trial lasting months, with a two-thirds majority needed eventually to eject her from office.

The news of Maranhao's attempt to block the process came as Rousseff was giving a speech to supporters.

"I don't know the consequences. Please be cautious," she said, interrupting her speech, and calling on her backers to "defend democracy."

Andrei Perfeito from Gradual Investimentos financial consultants called the development "surreal."

"I don't think it will reverse the process of President (Rousseff's) suspension but without doubt the use of this 'atomic bomb' will buy the president more time for her defense," Perfeito said.

- Economic crisis, corruption -

The political crisis comes on top of the deepest recession in decades for Brazil, just three months before Rio de Janeiro hosts the Olympic Games from August 5 to 21 -- the first Olympics held in South America.

Brazil is also in the midst of a giant corruption scandal involving state oil company Petrobras in which numerous politicians have been implicated, including allies and enemies of Rousseff.

Rousseff has not been formally accused of corruption like many of her rivals. But prosecutors have called for her to be investigated for allegedly trying to obstruct a probe into the Petrobras affair.

If Rousseff is suspended, she would be replaced by her vice-president-turned-enemy, Michel Temer.

Temer, a center-right leader, has been alleged to have been involved in the Petrobras affair but has not been formally investigated. A Sao Paulo court has fined him for campaign financing irregularities and he could face an eight-year ban from seeking elected office.

Politicians being investigated in the Petrobras embezzlement ring include Calheiros, Maranhao and Rousseff's presidential predecessor and political mentor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Moscow (AFP) - Government forces and rebels in the Syrian battleground city of Aleppo agreed Monday to extend their truce for a second time, the army said, as the United States and Russia vowed to "redouble" efforts to end the five-year conflict.

The cessation of hostilities was initially to last for two days but was later extended until Tuesday at 00:01 am (21:01 GMT Monday).

Announcing a further prolongation, the army command said: "The 'regime of silence' in Aleppo and its province has been extended by 48 hours from Tuesday 01:00 am (local time) to midnight on Wednesday."

The rebels had yet to confirm the extension of the truce, which was decided after nearly 300 people were killed in an uptick in fighting in Syria's largest city since late April.

The announcement came as Russia and the United States agreed to boost efforts to find a political solution to the five-year war which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

"The Russian Federation and United States are determined to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement of the Syrian conflict," a joint US-Russian statement published by the Russian foreign ministry said.

The two powers also agreed to try extend a February 27 ceasefire across the whole of the country.

The ceasefire, which was brokered by Washington and Moscow and excluded jihadist rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces, was greatly strained by the upsurge in violence in Aleppo.

Washington and Moscow on Monday hailed some "progress" in reducing the fighting but admitted to ongoing "difficulties" in achieving a de-escalation in some areas as well as in ensuring humanitarian access to besieged areas.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels fired rockets into a regime-held district of Aleppo, killing five civilians including two children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitor also reported 10 civilians killed on Monday by regime bombardments in the northwestern province of Idlib which is controlled by Al-Nusra Front.

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In the statement from Moscow, Russia and the US restated their commitment to the ceasefire and vowed "to intensify efforts to ensure its nationwide implementation."

"We also intend to enhance efforts to promote humanitarian assistance to all people in need," they said.

To this end, Russia "will work with the Syrian authorities to minimise aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties" to the ceasefire, they added.

Washington meanwhile said it would step up assistance to its allies in the region "to help them prevent the flow of fighters, weapons or financial support to terrorist organisations across their borders".

UN-brokered talks on the conflict held in Geneva fell apart three weeks ago when Syria's main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) suspended its formal participation.

In telephone talks Monday US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed "the need to pursue negotiations between Syrian authorities and all the opposition under UN mediation," according to the Russian foreign ministry statement.

- Parallel efforts -

The fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a major stumbling block in efforts to end a half-decade of war.

In Paris, France called for the Syrian government and rebel forces to return to the negotiating table in Geneva "as soon as possible".

Speaking after a meeting with several Arab and Western backers of the Syrian opposition, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also called for "concrete guarantees on the maintenance of the ceasefire" and access for humanitarian aid on the ground.

Ayrault met with his Saudi, Qatari, Turkish and UAE counterparts in Paris. Kerry attended the talks but sources said he played a low-key role in a sign that Washington still believes the best hope for progress is to work most closely with Moscow.

Arriving for talks with Ayrault, Kerry held up the joint US-Russian statement as "a commitment by Russia" to try rein in Assad's bombardments.

"But again, the proof will be in the eating of the pudding, not the making, and we'll have to see what happens," he said.

A diplomatic source said it had taken a great deal of effort to persuade Kerry to attend because he did not want to upset the Russians who were strongly opposed to the meeting.

The United Nations has sought in vain for months to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which has also forced millions to flee.

Also on Monday, an audio message emerged in which the son of Al-Qaeda's late founder Osama bin Laden urged jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight would pave the way to "liberating Palestine".

"The Islamic umma (nation) should focus on jihad in Al-Sham (Syria) ... and unite the ranks of mujahedeen there," said 23-year-old Hamza in the undated message posted online.
From Esquire

One of the most revealing moments on the reissue of Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker-his 2000 solo debut, and arguably one of the strongest, if not the most adored, releases of his career to date-is an afterthought, a clip that had no reason to make the initial album as it's little more than a few seconds of conversation caught on tape.

"This is a real classic. They're kind of hit-or-miss."

"They're making consistently better ones now. One of my little, my favorite little Martins got completely smashed up in the wreck."

"Oh, that sucks!"

"I'd had it for like, 21 years."

"Ugh! Yeah, that guitar over there that I played on the show, I've had it for, I don't know, like, six years, and I've never played anything else. So all my friends are trying to tell me to put it away now, because I've made so many records with it, and I've toured with it-"

"No, no no no no. You've gotta keep playing it.""Yeah."

This exchange took place during the session that gave us "Oh My Sweet Carolina," the slow, homesick duet featuring a road-worn Adams and living folk legend Emmylou Harris. The track is a cherished one off Heartbreaker, a song that remains a steadfast favorite in Adams' live show. It features nothing more than the woven ribbons of their two voices and the blanketing chords of an acoustic guitar, and this inclusion of the outtake on the second disc of Heartbreaker's reissue offers alternative harmonies to the parts we've come to know as those of Adams and Harris along with this newly unearthed dialogue.

The quick chat between the two is both remarkable and plain: These are two songwriters, two of the best of their respective generations, talking shop; it's not like Adams and Harris are saying anything scintillating or revelatory or quotable, even, just two professionals conversing before it's time to get to work. The guitar is the "classic" Adams is referring to in the exchange above; he and Harris then go back-and-forth about their favorite instruments for a second before someone in the booth reminds them that the tape is rolling. It's likely the producer, Ethan Johns; it probably isn't Dave Rawlings, the guitar-picking impresario who lends his supporting talents to Heartbreaker and makes an appearance himself in the album's lead-off track, in which he and Adams argue over Morrissey's "Hairdresser On Fire" and whether or not the track in question is off Viva Hate or Bona Drag. (Adams technically won that "Argument with David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey," as "Hairdresser on Fire" was the b-side to Viva Hate single "Suedehead" and included on the tracklisting of the American pressing of the Smiths frontman's 1988 solo debut.) Still, the conversational quality of Heartbreaker and Adams' solo career began with Rawlings, and it's what makes this moment with Harris feel possible and no-less special. We're used to Adams bantering with his audience, critics, and collaborators. He's already made a point to let us in on that front.

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Adams doesn't need a lot to be brilliant, to make art that lasts, to gather the metaphorical rope required to hang himself, and that's part of the reason why the clarity and hidden conversations of the Heartbreaker reissue feel like such a gift, even now. In the 16 years since the release of Heartbreaker, Adams has been the subject of both critical acclaim and media scrutiny, either for defending himself or picking fights. Schoolyard rules apply in adulthood as they did in our youth, and Adams has ignored the basic tenet that you don't engage with the bullies time and time again, a seemingly impossible feat when the integrity of your art and the very sinews of your creative identity are threatened for sport or the financial gain of the offender. His skirmishes with Jack White, Paul Westerberg, and Jeff Tweedy are the stuff of legend at this point, as is the message he left on then-Chicago Sun-Times pop critic Jim DeRogatis' answering machine after he published an unsavory review of a 2003 performance. Adams took umbrage not with the fact that he was criticized, but in the overtly personal overtones of DeRogatis' review: "You obviously have a problem with me, not with the music, because you can't refute it, obviously, because it's too fucking good. You know it is, or you wouldn't write about me. You would just, like, let it go. But you write about me every chance you get, which is shit, man. So get somebody else who gets it."

He's since said that he regrets confronting DeRogatis-"That was totally my fault, for giving it power," he told Pitchfork's Amanda Petrusich in 2004-and one can understand why, given the way he's been painted as a vitriolic, arrogant artist with a bruised ego. Hell, he makes his mission plain to Pitchfork after requesting to speak with Petrusich in that 2004 interview following the site's merciless reviews of Rock N Roll and the Love Is Hell EPs that preceded it: "I was like, maybe I should just call and then they'll know I'm a real human being." More than a decade has passed since that conversation, since the surliest of his moments onstage and the most high-profile offenses have been trotted out and sneered at, and this need to be acknowledged as a dude-a human being, one who doesn't cut the song perfectly the first time-is evident in the inclusion of these resurfaced outtakes and demos. This face-to-face intensity is present on this Heartbreaker reissue in a way we haven't seen yet from him in his recorded output. (Except for "Oh My God, Whatever, Etc." from 2007's Easy Tiger, maybe, because "STAB ME IN THE FUCKIN' EYE WITH THE FUCKIN' EMPIRE STATE BUILDING" is one of the most gleefully frustrated phrases one could ever hope to hear.)

For the dedicated fan, the Heartbreaker reissue gives us both the snapshots and the negatives: It offers up these glimpses into his studio life, like the Harris conversation and the full "Hairdresser on Fire" impromptu jam that lead to the argument with Rawlings, along with the genesis of certain tracks that would make appearances on later Adams cuts, like "When the Rope Gets Tight," the skeleton for "Don't Fail Me Now" off 2005's Jacksonville City Nights, and "Petal in a Rainstorm," which wouldn't see the light of day until 2011's Ashes & Fire. It offers a forensic look at some of the less-revered gems in his catalog while giving us new shades for faithful favorites.

It feels generous, magnanimous and inviting, and that's why the tabloid fodder of yesteryear and angry answering machine messages rendered immortal by the internet are important to note. With the bullshit Adams both endured and generated in this 16-year time period in between Heartbreaker and its reissue taken into consideration, he doesn't have to give us goofy snippets that have him and his fellow musicians nerding out about Martin guitars or Morrissey, these connections forged in moments in precious moments of unadulterated enthusiasm. But instead of holding what's dear to him close and leaving the footnotes of the record's snarling last call anthems and stunning folk ballads locked away, he's putting them out there and showing us he's a human being. He's just pressing it to vinyl instead of picking up a telephone this time around, and it seems like we're finally ready to hear what he has to say without passing judgment on the man who made the music.
The last time a train from Los Angeles rolled westward into Santa Monica, Eisenhower was in the White House, Gary Cooper had just won the best actor Oscar (for High Noon) and the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. But on Monday morning, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti led the media and community VIPs on the first official preview of Metro's westward extension, which officially connects downtown Santa Monica to Culver City and beyond on May 20.

"Marty McFly would be very happy today," said Garcetti with a friendly smirk as he stood on the platform of the Downtown Santa Monica Station. "It's back to the future today. We're literally rewriting history with this train."

Los Angeles once was interlaced with train lines - in fact, 90 years ago no fewer than three train lines connected Downtown L.A. and Beverly Hills to the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice. But then came the reign of the automobile, causing rail ridership to decline and complaints about trolley traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard, Venice Boulevard and elsewhere to rise. The last streetcars run by Pacific Electric stopped running to the beach in 1953.

"This may be the car capital of the world, but now people can ride a train from skyline to shoreline," pronounced the mayor before boarding what Metro officials dubbed "The VIP train" in Culver City, mentioning to this reporter that he had spent many weeks thinking about slogans and had failed to figure out anything that rhymed with lobster. "Anyway, I'm really proud that this project was finished on time and on budget."

The westward extension includes seven new stations and 6.6 miles of light-rail track passing through Westwood, West L.A. and Santa Monica. Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington says his organization projects a daily ridership of 18,000 people, adding, "I'm confident we'll exceed that before too long."

Metro CEO Phillip A. Washington and a brand new light-rail car.

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In the run-up to this launch, PR efforts have touted the food and shopping options that are springing up near these new stations, but on this trial run I didn't see any adjacent development where an upwardly mobile commuter could buy a cold-pressed juice or yoga pants or even a strong cup of coffee (other than a couple spots previously in operation next to Bergamont Station). Still, Washington said that extensive development is underway that will bring more housing, improved shopping and new commercial real estate to the corridor around the new line. "All of that just driven by this train line," he said. "Think about that. In Los Angeles! This is going to be a great investment for the region."

The stations have an open, austere aesthetic without any visible concessions or much in the way of structural architecture. "We didn't want the new stations to have any enclosed boxes; we wanted people to be exposed to the sun and feel the ocean breezes," said Garcetti as a stiff maritime wind cooled the platforms of the Downtown Santa Monica station, located three blocks from the city's famous pier, as if for effect. Perhaps 100 yards away, a construction crew was working on a parking lot and small bus circle that presumably will be done within 11 days.

The train cars themselves were new, too - the first of 78 light-rail cars Metro ordered from Japanese manufacturing giant Kinkisharyo. These cars are significantly quieter than Metro's existing train stock (thanks to a more sophisticated air-conditioning system), said Bruce Shelburne, Metro's executive director of rail operations, and offer a bit more room between seats. "Many of the cars in our system are 26 or 27 years old and eventually these cars will replace all those old cars," said Shelburne, also noting that all of the new Kinkisharyo cars are being assembled and tested in nearby Palmdale.

Officials with the mayor's office and Metro repeatedly mentioned a talking point about the transformational power of a 12-minute trip between Culver City and Santa Monica. I ran a stopwatch on this trip in both directions and it took roughly 18 and a half minutes each way (with normal-seeming stops at each station). The train crossed intersections with Lincoln Boulevard, Barrington Avenue and 17th Street without slowing - Metro has installed signals that can stop traffic as a train is approaching - but we stopped for red lights at 7th and 5th streets. One Metro staffer told me that the timing of traffic lights in Santa Monica will be controlled by a sophisticated system that tries to balance the realities of real-time car traffic with the desire to keep the trains moving as fast as possible.

Mayor Garcetti faced a throng of reporters at the Downtown Santa Monica Metro station.

With no offense to the VIP guests, perhaps the most remarkable thing about this most uneventful train ride was looking out the windows of the light-rail car as we sped past cars gridlocked on I-10. Before we pulled out of Culver City, I checked the drive-time to the Downtown Santa Monica station on Waze - it was 26 minutes, a figure that easily would double on a sunny Saturday afternoon. For the first time since 1953, a westbound train was cruising toward the ocean in Santa Monica.

"Anyone who's ever been stuck in that weekend crunch on the 10 should be excited about this new service," said Garcetti. "I can't wait to ride it again once it's open to the pubic and see a little sand on these trains."
Sarah Palin doesn't want to add any more fuel to the #NeverTrump fire.



The former Alaska governor said Sunday that while she's open to being Donald Trump's running mate, she fears adding her name to the presumptive GOP nominee's ticket could end up hurting rather than helping him.



"I am such a realist that I realize there are a whole lot of people out there who would say, 'Anybody but Palin,' " she said on CNN's State of the Union. "I wouldn't want to be a burden on the ticket, and I realize in many, many eyes, I would be that burden."



"I just want the guy to win. I want America to win," added Palin, who endorsed Trump in January. "And I don't know if I would be the person that would be able to help him win."







Asked by Jake Tapper if she was willing to be vetted for the job, Palin replied, "I think I'm pretty much as vetted as anybody in the country. I think there are so many other great people out there in America who can serve in this position. I think if someone wanted to choose me, they already know who I am, what I stand for. They wouldn't be in for any surprises."



While Palin may not think she's a good fit for the vice presidency, she has taken on the role of Trump's enforcer, calling on critics of the billionaire businessman  particularly House Speaker Paul Ryan  to get behind his campaign.



Ryan's "political career is over a because he has so disrespected the will of the people," Palin said of the 2012 vice presidential nominee, who last week said he was "not ready" to back Trump. "And as the leader of the GOP, the convention, certainly he is to remain neutral, and for him to already come out and say who he will not support is not a wise decision of his."



"Paul Ryan and his ilk, their problem is they have become so disconnected from the people they were elected to represent," she continued. "Their problem is they feel so threatened at this point that their power, their prestige, their purse will be adversely affected by this change that is coming with Trump."





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RELATED VIDEO: Celebs React to Donald Trump's Cinco De Mayo Post





Palin added that she would work to defeat Ryan in his Congressional reelection bid in Wisconsin by throwing her support behind his opponent Paul Nehlen.



She began her mission with a Facebook post Sunday in which she wrote: "I'm supporting the independent conservative businessman, Paul Nehlen, to return the House Speakership to 'We The People.' "









But, as The Washington Post noted, "Palin, for her part, may not fully understand how Congress works." The paper then pointed to this tweet from Independent Journal reporter Joe Perticone:



"Does Sarah Palin think that whoever wins the race in Wisconsin 1st district automatically becomes Speaker?"
Saudi Arabia appears to be making plans for life beyond oil. Following hints from Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country on April 25 released its Vision 2030, a blueprint to diversify its economy and reduce dependence on oil revenue. While the plan is long on ideas and thus far short on implementation, the proposals, if enacted, could bring unprecedented reforms to the Saudi economy  and profound change in the kingdom. The blueprint signifies first and foremost that at least some in the Saudi royal family recognize that the kingdoms current trajectory is unsustainable, and that change, or at least the appearance of it, is needed.

First, the announcement to open Saudi Aramco, the worlds largest oil-producing company, to outside investment, could help both modernize the oil giant and increase the transparency of the companys books, and the scrutiny to which they are subject. Saudi Arabia has never publicized its financial records. To open up the state-owned oil producer to outside investment would require the release of financial documents and would necessitate accountability to shareholders. While less than five percent of Aramco is anticipated to be open for bidding, this may be the first step toward a more forward-looking Saudi Arabia.

Second, the Saudi government plans to transfer part of its public investment fund into a sovereign wealth fund. The transition will include shifting ownership of Saudi Aramco to the investment fund, making it the largest such fund in the world. The Saudis are aiming to attract investment and diversify the kingdoms economy by opening a portion of the fund to local and international investors. The restructuring is also intended to prepare Saudi Arabia for a life less reliant on oil revenue, a shift Prince Mohammed said could occur by 2020. While it would likely take much longer for such reforms to begin, much less come to fruition, public acknowledgement of and commitment to diversification strikes a new tone, and suggests recognition of a new reality.

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Saudi Arabias proposals come on the heels of similarly significant domestic energy subsidy reform. Last December, the government initiated a five-year plan to raise the price of domestic fuels, including electricity, a move formerly considered off limits in the kingdom, where the population has long been accustomed to subsidized energy. While the government intends to ease the pain of rising energy prices with direct cash transfers to low- and middle-income families, the change will still expose the Saudi public to fluctuating energy prices.

As consumer prices for energy gradually increase, the government also plans to introduce a call added tax on luxury goods by 2018. The tax would alter the existing balance of (no) taxation for (no) representation, as the Saudi government has never taxed its citizens, with the exception of the Islamic charity tax. Such a change could spark public demands for greater accountability, or ire from a population unaccustomed to taxation. Either way, it promises a change in the status quo, if not the social contract.

Shifts at the social level mirror these economic changes. Saudi courts recently stripped the morality police of their authority to arrest Saudis for inappropriate moral conduct, including dress, another first indicative of a fundamental restructuring of the relationship between the government and the governed. No longer are the rulers providing goods and services to the public at no cost, and perhaps no longer will the Saudi populace be willing to tolerate limited political expression.

While these initial steps are unprecedented, they may also be cosmetic. The Saudi governments strategic dispersal of cash to lessen the blow of reduced subsidies could dilute the significance of these changes, while their potency could be tempered in the absence of significant government follow-through. On the other hand, it is possible that these proposals could amount to nothing less than a renegotiation of the social contract, leading some to wonder if the changes will end the rentier state. If the royal family can navigate this transition, it may indeed be the first time in history that a successful rentier state intentionally removed a level of separation from the rulers and the ruled.

Ultimately, the degree of taxation the Saudi populace is willing to bear and the degree of freedom the Saudi government is willing to tolerate remains shrouded in uncertainty. However, if the Saudis can successfully navigate a strategy in which they increase transparency and accountability while locking in more oil revenue now to invest in a diversified future, they just might pave the way for a smooth transition. However, if they keep both feet firmly planted in past policies  resource rents and repression  both might backfire.

Photo credit: FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Binladin Group, which has laid off tens of thousands of employees because of financial difficulties, said on Monday it has begun paying delayed wages to its remaining staff.

"We managed to finalise the payment for about 10,000 employees," Yaseen Alattas, the firm's chief communications officer, told AFP.

He added that the measure was made in coordination with Saudi Arabia's labour ministry, and "we will do the same for the remaining batches" of workers when cash is flowing "from our clients", which means the government.

Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of the kingdom's construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries.

Saudi Binladin Group, one of the world's largest construction companies, was also suspended by the government from new public contracts after a deadly crane accident last September.

Alattas said the government has made a commitment to pay the contractors, "including us".

He did not specify how many other staff still need to be paid but said those fired -- about 69,000 foreigners -- were only a fraction of manpower at the Group which built some of the Gulf nation's landmarks.

Of those 69,000, he said about 34,000 have received salaries and been repatriated, roughly 20,000 others have transferred to other employers or resigned, and close to 15,000 are "under processing".

After decades of thriving on lucrative government contracts, the company faced unprecedented scrutiny after one of its cranes working on a major expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, toppled in September.

At least 109 people died, including foreign pilgrims, leading King Salman to suspend the firm from new public contracts.

- Sanctions lifted -

Alattas confirmed that the sanction has now been lifted and that Saudi Binladin Group will again be able to bid for government projects.

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But he said the suspension, in any case, had not affected the company's existing projects.

There were "multiple reasons" for the wage delays but one was related to "cash flow", he said.

Egyptians accounted for a large percentage of Binladin Group employees.

Some complained to the labour ministry in their home country that they had not been paid for three months, the Arab News reported in March.

At that time, a well-informed source told AFP that "because of delays in payments from the government administration, several companies today have problems... paying both their employees and producers".

Minister of State Mohammad bin Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh told Bloomberg News in an interview published on April 4 "that all or 95 to 98 percent of all arrears will be paid" within two weeks.

Saudi Binladin Group was founded more than 80 years ago by the father of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed five years ago by US Navy SEALs.

It developed landmarks including the domed Faisaliah Tower in central Riyadh and the Mecca Royal Clock Tower, one of the world's tallest buildings.

Last week, Labour Minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani vowed to ensure that the Binladin Group keeps a pledge to resolve wage issues.

"The company promised to solve all the issues related to the wages," he told reporters.

Staff at another Saudi construction giant, Saudi Oger Ltd, have also complained of unpaid wages.

Haqbani insisted the problem was not widespread.

"We still have many expats coming to the country. Two cases will never be able to represent the situation of the labour market in Saudi Arabia," he said.
Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi air defence on Monday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, the Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government said, slamming a "dangerous escalation" as peace talks with rebels falter.

"The launch of the missile at this time is a dangerous escalation by Huthi militias" and the forces of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said the Saudi-led coalition in a statement.

It said the coalition is cooperating with the international community to "maintain calm and help the Kuwait (peace) talks to succeed".

The missile is the first to be reported fired from Yemen at Saudi Arabia since a ceasefire took effect last month ahead of the UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait.

The coalition said it will continue to exert self-restraint but "reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place" in the event such an attack is repeated.

The coalition said the missile was intercepted at dawn, adding that coalition's immediately destroyed the launcher inside Yemen.
Calm was restored in the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip after violence flared last week, reportedly due to a truce between the two sides mediated by Cairo

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is due to hold talks with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo during a two-day visit by the latter to the Egyptian capital, state news agency MENA said.

Talks between the two leaders will focus on "efforts to push forward the peace process" with the Israelis amid a recent flare-up of violence along the Israel-Gaza border.

Violence erupted along the frontier on Wednesday as Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters exchanged fire and Israeli warplanes bombed targets in areas in the northern and southern part of the enclave, ruled by the Islamist Hamas group.

A senior Hamas official in exile, Moussa Abu Marzouk, said calm was restored after Egypt intervened to mediate a truce with Israel following 24 hours of fighting.

Cairo brokered a truce that ended a 50-day conflict in 2014 which killed over 2,100 Palestinians, mostly civilians, 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel.

Abbas arrived in Cairo on Sunday and met later in the day with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the pair discussed efforts to support the Palestinian issue and preparations for an international peace conference France will host on May 30 in a bid re-launch talks between Palestinians and Israelis by the end of the year.

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This is the valley where I learned empathy, says Matthew Griff Griffin, a former Army captain, holding a photograph of a procession of Army Rangers winding their way through Afghanistans snowy Korengal Valley.

In November 2003, Griff and his Ranger platoon deployed to the valleys north of a forward operating base (FOB) now named after one of Griffs fellow Rangers, Sgt. Jay Blessing. Just one week after this photo was taken, Blessing was killed during an IED attack, the first of many that their unit  part of the premier light infantry unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment  would have to endure.

Their objective in Korengal was simple: Deny al Qaeda fighters safe haven in the high-altitude villages of Kunar province. But rather than operating from a static network of FOBs, the Rangers had to venture deep into remote, mountainous territory for weeks, living off the land.

We drove trucks as far as they could go, then rode helicopters as far as they could go. Then we started walking, Griff says. Their unit had to climb thousands of feet, incurring dizzying disorientation and high fevers.

On one frigid morning, another Ranger in Griffs unit, Spc. Donald Lee, kept guard on a dirt road, sick with a 102-degree fever. As he stood shivering, two young Afghan girls walked over and, without hesitation, handed him the contents of their small arms: goat milk chai, warm naan, and a jar of marmalade. For Lee, the moment was life-changing. It was then, Lee says, that God threw me a life raft.

During those weeks patrolling the snowy peaks of Afghanistan, Lee and Griff saw the hardships of life in that country, a life oppressed by violence and poverty. Once you see this kind of poverty, you cant unsee it, Griff says. And you feel compelled to help.

Six years after their deployment ended, Lee and Griff discovered a way to help rebuild the Afghanistan they left behind.

The idea for their company, Combat Flip Flops, started with a trip Griff made to a Kabul boot factory in 2009 while on a mission supporting the Afghan National Army (ANA) combat medic program. The factory specialized in producing combat boots for the rugged terrain of Afghanistan; a thriving business, it was a precious oasis in an otherwise commercially destitute region. Owned by a local family, the factory had become the economic backbone of the community, employing more than 300 people; each employees salary was supporting anywhere from five to 13 family members.

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While he was at the factory, Griff spotted a boot sole with a flip-flop thong punched through it, sitting on a barrel. It was the ugliest and coolest thing Ive ever seen, he says.

The shoddy flip-flop was a practical solution in an environment of scarcity. In a Muslim country where people pray five times a day, the repetitive act of removing and donning heavy combat boots is tedious and inconvenient. So, local Afghans created a kind of hybrid footwear: shoes that were easy to slip on and off with a flip-flop top, but with the soles of combat boots.

A pair of Combat Flip Flops rests on a machine gun. Photo courtesy of Combat Flip Flops.

Thats when Griff says he had his light-bulb moment. Two years later, Griff and Lee founded the Washington state-based Combat Flip Flops.

The macro goal was ambitious and expansive  to build a commercial alterative for conflict and post-conflict zones, particularly Afghanistan, where state-sponsored solutions failed to provide a sustainable model for peace and development. Griff and Lee planned to import raw supplies from China directly to their manufacturing facility in Afghanistan, which would produce finished goods for distribution in the United States. To finance the initial setup, the two men invested their own personal capital. If it had value, we sold it, which included everything from his guns to his motorcycle, Griff says.

Utilizing word of mouth and social media campaigns on Twitter and Instagram, by March 2012, Combat Flip Flops had received roughly 4,000 pre-orders. However, it wasnt long before Griff and Lee hit the first of many early obstacles. When U.S. President Barack Obama announced in June 2011 that U.S. forces would withdraw from Afghanistan by September 2012, international donors quickly abandoned the country. Consequently, the Kabul factory Combat Flip Flops relied upon received notification of its pending closure in May 2012 as the Afghan First Initiative ended abruptly. Although the Kabul factory had managed to produce 4,000 pairs of flip-flops before closing, they were all defective  riddled with imperfections and tears, adding to the companys woes. Determined to fill the pre-orders, Griff partnered with another Kabul-based factory, but that factory closed before delivering a single order. By early December, Griff and his team had purchased a new supply of raw materials from China, yet possessed no manufacturing capability.

Undeterred, Griff set up a makeshift factory in his garage in Issaquah, Washington. And for four months, the Combat Flip Flops team  comprising family and friends  labored daily from 5 a.m. to midnight, funded by Griffs personal credit card. Recalling that first treacherous year of Combat Flip Flops, Griff laughs. We know our product down to the glue!

But in February 2013, Combat Flip Flops finally caught a break. Griff attended MAGIC, a trade show in Las Vegas, where he struck a partnership with Vice Royalty, a trade consultancy representing Colombian manufacturers. To Griff and Lee, Colombia, like Afghanistan, fit their companys vision of helping conflict and post-conflict countries develop through sustainable trade. Additionally, with Colombian manufacturers who believed in their companys mission, Combat Flip Flops would gain the manufacturing capability it desperately needed. By August 2013, the companys Colombian manufacturers produced their first successful order of footwear, fulfilling the long-awaited pre-orders.

In the five years since its inception, Combat Flip Flops has expanded its mission beyond Afghanistan with a diverse inventory, which now includes claymore bags, bangles, sarongs, and T-shirts. In Colombia, its flip-flop manufacturing provides much-needed jobs. In Laos, its peacemaker bangles are crafted with metal recycled from landmines, transforming weapons of war into tools of economic growth and social awareness. In Afghanistan, its sarongs are handmade by local women, the proceeds of which help fund secondary school education for Afghan girls. Currently, Combat Flip Flops dedicates 2 percent of the companys net income to its charitable donations, which include education for Afghan women and girls and de-mining efforts in Laos. In total, Griff and Lees homegrown enterprise has provided more than 52 years of secondary school education and cleared roughly 30,677 square feet of unexploded ordnance in Laos.

What really matters to us is putting those girls to school. We have this mentality of just one more, Griff says. Lets get one more girl into school.

Afghan women attend classes in Kabul provided by Aid Afghanistan for Education, a non-profit partnered with Combat Flip Flops, in April 2014. Photo credit: JOEL VAN HOUDT

So, how is it possible for a business model based on flip-flops to gain traction in conflict zones where billion-dollar government aid programs have failed?

The answer, according to Nick Kesler, the founder of VetImpact, a nonprofit consulting firm that provides internships with veteran businesses for transitioning military members with an interest in entrepreneurship, begins with first accepting mistakes made and then having the courage to invest in innovative grassroots solutions.

I witnessed the utter lack of a comprehensive strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan to provide the basic elements of a civil society, says Kesler, a Navy Reserve lieutenant commander and former rotary pilot who deployed in support of the global war on terrorism three times from 2006 to 2013. Now we are witnessing what happens when we [continue to] think there is a military solution to a [complex] problem that really requires a whole nation approach, he says, referring to the use and advancement of public and private partnerships whereby military actions work in concert with development activities over the long term to provide economic and social empowerment.

Kesler laments that the majority of development contracts issued by the U.S. government are doled out to large firms with little governmental oversight. No one wants to play with the small kid in the market. They want to go after the Walmarts of the world, he explains. The government gives out these multimillion[-dollar] contracts, but how much of it gets to the people who need it?

Kesler started VetImpact in 2015 to repurpose veterans skills and relationships to help them search and find international market opportunities and eventually serve as a clearing house for veteran volunteers that want to help rebuild post-conflict countries. To put it simply, VetImpact facilitates mentorships and internships for veterans with companies like Combat Flip Flops, Rumi Spice, and Flying Scarfs, which are working to rebuild conflict zones through free trade. Although VetImpact remains a small start-up, Kesler envisions the company evolving into an international business consultancy specializing in post-conflict regions.

Unlike traditional development aid programs, VetImpact is built on the trade as aid model, which aims to foster economic development through international trade, capital markets, and foreign direct investment (FDI). According to Kesler, merely injecting international donor funds into a country or market does not produce growth. He insists capital must be paired with market forces, particularly profit-driven businesses, to generate incentives for businesses to grow and innovate, which in turn spurs increases in employment.

Kesler believes that, after years of combat operations and sacrifices, veterans are motivated by knowing that their deployments and efforts meant something. And by partnering with veteran-owned businesses, VetImpact strives to build and grow businesses in nasty places.

For large companies, the bottom line is to make money, Kesler says. But when youre bootstrapping it like us, its about helping each other out  so you both make it out.

U.S. soldiers carry the coffin of a ranger with the 75th regiment killed in Afghanistan, at an Air Force base in Dover, Delaware, in Oct. 2013. Photo credit: PATRICK SMITH/Getty Images

For many veterans who served in Afghanistan, the idea of returning to a country where they once deployed as warfighters is unfathomable  an unwanted reminder of lost friends and scars that still run deep. But to the three veterans who founded Rumi Spice, a Chicago-based saffron company, their mission in Afghanistan was incomplete, even after they hung up their uniforms. Conceived as a public-benefit corporation, Rumi Spice partners directly with Afghan farmers to produce, process, and distribute Afghan saffron on the international market.

In 2010, as a first lieutenant and platoon commander of Route Clearance Patrol (RCP) 44, Kimberly Jung had the dangerous mission of searching for improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on Afghanistans notorious Highway 1  also known as the highway of death. Those missions could last anywhere from two hours to two days, mostly in the countrys western provinces like Herat. Jung talks about those missions with an unexpected calm. Most of the time, looking for IEDs is really boring. Until, she says, something happens.

On one day when something happened, one of the soldiers in her unit was hit by an IED. He used to be really jovial, Jung remembers. But afterwards, he became really angry.

But rather than blame the Afghan men who planted those IEDs, Jung understood that their motivation was economic, not political. During her deployment, Jung watched as the land allotment for young men  the financial lifeline in rural Afghanistan  constantly shrunk. She knew that the young Afghan men who couldnt find work were left to seek out paramilitary means to earn an income. And for Jung, the never-ending cycle of unemployment and IEDs was not only a pure ideological problem but also a deeply economic one.

And that problem, Jung believed, was both futile  and avoidable. All it does is leave thousands of broken lives on both sides, she says.

The idea to start Rumi Spice came in March 2013, four years after Jungs deployment, when Jung and Emily Miller, a former Army engineering officer, were both students at Harvard Business School. Miller had served a few provinces away in Paktika, Afghanistan. Attached to Ranger and Special Forces units, Miller rappelled into towns during night raids pursuing high-value targets. And like Jung, Miller had witnessed the same violence-inducing cycle that limits the choices of Afghan civilians.

After a conversation with another fellow veteran, Keith Alaniz, they learned of an Afghan farmer named Haji Yosef from Wardak province, who had a warehouse filled with saffron but no customers. Jung and Miller saw a chance to change the economic dynamic in a country held hostage by the opium trade. For years, opium, the essential ingredient to heroin, served as Afghanistans primary cash crop, filling the coffers of warlords and the Taliban with billions of dollars.

Tragically, average Afghan farmers must choose between cultivating highly profitable opium for the very fighters tearing their country apart or cultivating a less profitable, but legitimate crop and risking punitive violence for doing so.

Admittedly, saffron production is extremely difficult, requiring 70,000 flowers for each pound of saffron, which works out at one acre per 10lb, according to the Telegraph. Yet, the complications of saffron production make it the worlds most expensive spice, averaging $1,500 per pound or $15 per gram. Nevertheless, despite the high demand and profit margins of saffron, the average Afghan saffron farmer earns roughly $400 to $600 annually, a small fraction of the crops market value.

Determined to empower Afghan saffron farmers, Jung hand-carried the first shipment of saffron from Herat and Wardak in July 2013. She went door-to-door selling saffron to local markets and restaurants in the Boston area. By 2015, Rumi Spices network included more than 40 farmers in Afghanistan and paid direct wages to 75 Afghan women, who process and dry the saffron. In addition, the firm reinvests at least 10 percent of its profits back into infrastructure, like processing facilities, working capital for farmers, and machines  totaling 3.6 percent of Afghanistans entire agricultural FDI. In November 2015, Rumi Spice established its first processing facility in Herat.

For Jung, empowering Afghan women is particularly meaningful. Recalling her deployment, Jung says, I [loved] to go into the villages even if that wasnt what we were supposed to do. [Wed] seek out the young Afghan girls and hand out little things  pencils, erasers, candy. But then, she says, the young boys would come over and extend their hands, as if to say, Give it to me. The girls were always left with nothing, Jung says. And thats when I realized I wanted to do something meaningful, something impactful.

Soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment march through the Korengal Valley, in 2003. Photo credit: MATTHEW GRIFFIN

In 2003, Griff and Lee searched for al Qaeda fighters in the blistering cold of Afghanistans mountains. The same war was still being waged in 2009 when Jung was navigating through IED-laden valleys in Herat province, while Miller continued the never-ending hunt for insurgent fighters. In 2013, on the deck of the USS Kearsarge in the Persian Gulf, the war in Afghanistan remained open-ended to Kelser, a rotary pilot deployed to support the global war on terrorism. Although NATOs combat mission officially ended in 2014, the United States continues to deploy and maintain roughly 9,800 American troops in Afghanistan. In the latest budget proposal, the Obama administration has earmarked roughly $6 billion for Afghan development, which includes $2.5 billion to USAID and the State Department and more than $3.5 billion to the Defense Department.

Watching the war in Afghanistan trudge on for 15 years, Griff laments, My friends keep dying. They keep coming back in coffins. And what were doing now isnt working.

Thus, to the veterans of Combat Flip Flops, VetImpact, and Rumi Spice, their war in Afghanistan has shifted from a conflict of bullets and battalions to a mission of individuals and businesses. Through an uncanny combination of free market capitalism, social activism, and grassroots empowerment, these companies fundamentally challenge the notion of how America should conceptualize economic reconstruction in conflict-stricken nations. Spanning four countries and three continents, Combat Flip Flops has grown tremendously, earning a total revenue of $300,000 in 2015, compared to $75,000 in 2013. On Feb. 5, 2016, Griff and Lee appeared on ABC reality show Shark Tank, where they persuaded Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, and Daymond John to buy a 30 percent stake in Combat Flip Flops for $300,000. Meanwhile, Rumi Spice has grown from a network of 11 Afghan farmers in 2014 to an estimated 60 farmers in 2016. In two years, Rumi Spice now accounts for 5 percent of Afghanistans total saffron production with an estimated $500,000 in revenue for 2016.

Compared to the $95.7 billion appropriated for Afghan reconstruction by the United States, the scale of these ambitious companies may seem minuscule. However, to the veterans of Combat Flip Flops, VetImpact, and Rumi Spice, the goal is to effect positive change on an individual level. Their shared vision is rooted in small, but sustainable steps toward a better future for the country they once served in uniform. Ultimately, they demand more than stability and security for Afghanistan; they demand prosperity and liberty.

With unbridled optimism, Jung says, Were laying a foundation for peace, one saffron flower at a time.

Top image credit: MATTHEW GRIFFIN
On the red carpet, women are frequently lauded for wearing menswear-inspired suiting instead of the expected gown or sexy mini. But if that woman isnt a celebrity? Fuhgeddaboudit!

Such was the lesson learned by teenager Aniya Wolf when she attended her prom last week at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa. Since she was a little kid, Wolf has preferred to dress in a more typically masculine way, favoring pants and sneakers over skirts and heels. Ive just always been like this, ever since I was little, she told her local ABC news affiliate. I was always more masculine. You wouldnt catch me playing with any Barbie dolls, Ill tell you that right now. So it seemed only natural for her to choose to wear a tuxedo to her prom, rather than a glitzy gown.

But officials at the Catholic school werent having it. As Wolfs mother, Carolyn, explains, they sent out a last-minute email in an attempt to dissuade her daughter from wearing a suit, explaining that only male students were permitted to wear suits to prom, and female students were required to wear dresses. But Wolf had already bought a suit  and anyway, she wasnt about to alter her personal style to appease her overly conservative school.

I told them that I had read the dress code that was given to the students and I didnt think that it precluded her from wearing a suit, said Wolfs mother. I said that this was very unfair, particularly at the last minute. We had gone out and bought a new suit. I think my daughter is beautiful in a suit.

So Wolf wore her suit to prom  and you can probably guess what happened next: She was voted prom queen!

Kidding. As soon as she arrived at the event, a member of Bishop McDevitts faculty allegedly took Wolf by the arm and threatened to call the police  so Wolf left.

You know, a lot of girls dresses, I mean Im not saying that all of them are this way, but they do show a lot of skin, Wolf said. I think Im dressed pretty modestly.



Story continues

The year 2016 may go down as one of prom dress-code disputes  but in this case, it seems clear that Wolfs schools disapproval of her way of dressing has less to do with her level of modesty compared with her fellow students, and more to do with her orientation. Wolf identifies as lesbian, and the Catholic Church has quite a contentious history regarding homosexuality. Still, forcing a lesbian into a dress wont turn her straight  itll just piss her off.

The good news? Prom means high school is almost over for Wolf  and New York City isnt that far from Pennsylvania, if she wants to move here  and its still close to Mama Carolyn and her awesomeness. Just keep doing you, Aniya.

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Pyongyang (AFP) - North Korea's secretive ruling party briefly opened up to the world's media Monday, as a confident-looking Kim Jong-Un took centre stage at its rare top-level gathering.

Foreign journalists invited to cover the Workers' Party congress -- the first for 36 years -- had previously got no closer than 200 metres (yards) from the April 25 Palace, where about 3,400 delegates began meeting last Friday.

On Monday some of the 130 reporters invited to North Korea specifically to cover the event actually made it into the meeting, albeit for just five minutes.

The media invitation was not unique -- journalists were allowed into the last congress in 1980, before Kim was born -- but still rare for a nation which opens up only selectively.

The spectacle inside the palace was gripping political theatre.

Thousands of serious-looking men -- plus the occasional woman -- in sober suits, along with servicemen weighed down by chests-full of medals, occupied row after row of red seats in the cavernous hall.

As music blasted out, they rose to their feet in unison and began a round of thunderous applause when Kim, flanked by other top officials, strode onto the stage.

He waved to delegates as the clapping echoed around the hall.

The official head of state, Kim Yong-Nam, then announced senior posts in the party -- including a new position of party chairman for leader Kim, seen as further bolstering his authority.

Journalists were ushered out after five minutes but the preparations for their brief visit had taken hours.

Security was intensely strict. Reporters who assembled at a nearby venue were patted down and checked minutely with a hand-held wand.

Cellphones and all potentially suspicious items, even metal ballpoint pens, were confiscated till after the meeting. Photographers' stepladders were banned.

Security staff made three further checks with hand-held wands at the April 25 Palace and equipment was scanned again.

Inside, a gleaming reception hall with marble columns and chandeliers featured a massive red carpet and a 50-metre-long backdrop with images of late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, the current ruler's grandfather and father.

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Long rows of congratulatory bouquets lined the opposite wall.

Before entering the congress hall, journalists were told not to photograph or film the notes which each delegate assiduously made of proceedings.

The massive grey stone venue is bedecked with huge party banners and large portraits of the late Kims.

Central Pyongyang has been festooned with party flags and the party symbol -- a hammer, sickle and calligraphy brush representing factory workers, farmers and intellectuals -- during the congress.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Kim Jong-Un appears to wield unchallenged authority and the party congress is not a forum for debate.

Analysts say it is effectively a coronation for Kim, who, unlike his father, had little time to prepare for another dynastic transfer.

He took power in December 2011 after the sudden death of his father.

Kim has been working since then to assert his authority -- purging the party, government and powerful military of those seen as disloyal and ordering the execution of his powerful uncle, and one-time political mentor, Jang Song-Thaek.
Bangladesh police Tuesday stepped up security at the capital Dhaka's main prison where the authorities are expected to hang the leader of the country's largest Islamist party for war crimes.

Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, could be hanged as early as Tuesday night after the country's highest court published the final judgement upholding his execution order.

Nizami's execution would exacerbate tensions in the Muslim-majority country after a string of killings of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities by suspected Islamist militants.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the 73-year-old leader could be executed at "any time" if he did not seek mercy from the country's president. "We're making all preparations," Khan told reporters.

Officials formally read the verdict to Nizami on Monday night after he was brought to Dhaka Central Jail from a prison outside the capital, senior jailor Jahangir Kabir told reporters.

The Islamist leader did not say then whether he would seek any clemency, Kabir said, and prisoners are normally given a 24-hour window after verdict publication to formally apply.

Nizami's lawyer told AFP last week that he would not seek any pardon as it would require him to admit crimes he was convicted of, including mass murder, rape and orchestrating the killing of secular intellectuals during the 1971 war of independence.

Three senior Jamaat officials and a leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been executed since December 2013 for war crimes despite global criticism of their trials. All were hanged at the jail.

"Extra policemen have been deployed at the jail," Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mofizuddin Ahmed told AFP.

Heavily armed Rapid Action Battalion officers were also dispatched, the elite squad's spokesman, Mufti Mahmud Khan, said.

- Hacked to death -

Since last month an atheist student, two gay rights activists, a liberal professor, a Hindu tailor who allegedly made derogatory comments against the Prophet Mohammed and a Sufi Muslim leader have been hacked to death.

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Jamaat has said the charges against Nizami, a former government minister, are false and aimed at eliminating the leadership of the party.

Nizami took over as party leader in 2000 and played a key role in the victory of an Islamist-allied government in the 2001 general election.

The 1971 conflict, one of the bloodiest in world history, led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh from what was then East Pakistan.

Prosecutors said Nizami was responsible for setting up the pro-Pakistani Al-Badr militia, which killed top writers, doctors and journalists in the most gruesome chapter of the war.

Their bodies were found blindfolded with their hands tied and dumped in a marsh on the outskirts of the capital.

The trial heard Nizami ordered the killings, designed to "intellectually cripple" the fledgling nation.

He was convicted in October 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal, which was established in 2010 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government and has sentenced more than a dozen opposition leaders for war crimes.

Rights groups say the trials fall short of global standards and lack international oversight, while the government says they are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict.

Amnesty International has called for an immediate halt to Nizami's execution, citing concerns over the fairness of the trials.

In 2013 the convictions of Jamaat officials triggered the country's deadliest violence in decades.

Around 500 people were killed, mainly in clashes between Islamists and police, and thousands of Islamists were arrested.

The government says up to three million people died in the 1971 war, while independent researchers put the figure at between 300,000 and 500,000.
LONDON (Reuters) - Shell said on Monday that oil output was continuing at its oil fields in Nigeria despite local media reports of a militant attack near its Bonga facilities. Media reports said the company was evacuating workers because of threats from militiants. "Our operations at Bonga are continuing," a spokesman for Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) said in a statement, adding that it will continue to monitor the security situation in its operating areas and take all possible steps to ensure the safety of staff and contractors. (Reporting By Libby George; Editing by David Goodman)
(Adds background, earlier Shell statement)

YENAGOA, Nigeria, May 9 (Reuters) - Shell workers at Nigeria's Bonga oil field in the southern Niger Delta are being evacuated following a militant threat, a senior labour union official said on Monday.

"We are aware of the development and the evacuation is being done in categories of workers and cadres," Cogent Ojobor, chairman of the Warri branch of the Nupeng oil labour union, said. "My members are yet to be evacuated."

He gave no numbers.

Shell said earlier on Monday that oil output was continuing at its oil fields in Nigeria despite local media reports of a militant attack near its Bonga facilities.

"Our operations at Bonga are continuing," a spokesman for Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) said in a statement. It said it would continue to monitor the security situation in its operating areas and take all possible steps to ensure the safety of staff and contractors.

Last week, militants attacked a Chevron platform in the Delta where tensions have been building up since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.

President Muhammadu Buhari has said there would be a crack down on "vandals and saboteurs" in the Delta region, which produces most of the country's oil.

A group known as the Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the Chevron attack. The same group has said it carried out an attack on a Shell oil pipeline in February which shut down the 250,000 barrel-a-day Forcados export terminal.

Residents in the Delta have been demanding a greater share of oil revenues. Crude oil sales account for around 70 percent of national income in Nigeria but there has not been much development in the poor Delta region.

Buhari has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.

The militancy is a further challenge for a government faced with an insurgency by the Islamist militant Boko Haram group in the northeast and violent clashes between armed nomadic herdsmen and locals over land use in various parts of the country.

(Reporting By Libby George and Tife Owolabi; Writing by Libby George and Ulf Laessing; Editing by David Goodman and Jane Merriman)
Silver Wheaton Corp. (NYSE: SLW) disclosed that its Board has declared its second quarterly cash dividend of $0.05 a share. On an annualized basis, the dividend worked out to $0.20 a share. The dividend provided a yield of 1 percent.

Silver Wheaton indicated that the second quarterly cash dividend would be paid on or before June 2. The company has also fixed the record date of May 19 to determine the eligible shareholders name to pay the dividend.



The company said that as per its dividend policy, the dividend would be equal to 20 percent of the average cash generated by operating activities in the previous four quarters divided by the Company's then outstanding common shares, all rounded to the nearest cent.

The dividend payout ratio was 43.0 percent for the quarter while the dividend payout ratio for the five-year average was 30.0%. In the last three-year period, the average drop in dividend rate was 19.5 percent.

On Monday, the stock traded 6.15 percent down.

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 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
(Fixes typos in paragraph 2 & 3)

* Sensitive deals above $2 bln to no longer need cabinet approval

* Beijing will also allow competition between Chinese bidders

* China began relaxing complex M&A regulations in 2014

* Proposed changes aimed at speeding up approvals process

* Efforts to control outflows could still hold up some deals

By Michelle Price and Denny Thomas

HONG KONG, May 9 (Reuters) - China is planning to remove the need for State Council approval for large, sensitive outbound deals and will allow Chinese companies to vie for the same target, a move likely to further boost record overseas acquisitions by Chinese companies.

China's chief outbound investment regulator, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), has published draft rules aimed at both speeding up approvals and allowing head-to-head competition between Chinese bidders.

Under the proposed rule changes, Chinese companies seeking to carry out a deal of $2 billion or more in sectors or countries that China deems sensitive will no longer need approval from the State Council, or to provide proof of financing.

The State Council, China's cabinet, is chaired by Premier Li Keqiang and includes the heads of major departments and agencies. Sensitive deals will still need the approval of the NDRC and the Ministry of Commerce, or MOFCOM, China's other investment regulator.

The State Council, NDRC and MOFCOM did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The NDRC has also proposed reducing the role its regional bureaus play in approving regular deals, a move that should strip out an extra layer of red tape faced by companies based in far-flung provinces.

The draft was published online in early April, just as China's outbound push seemed to have stalled following Anbang Insurance Group Co's decision to drop a $14 billion bid for Starwood Hotels, but has not been widely reported.

The proposal would also remove the NDRC's discretionary power to operate an informal policy of giving one Chinese company the exclusive right to bid for an overseas deal.

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This policy was aimed at preventing competition among Chinese bidders at the expense of the state, but has been criticised by market participants.

"The new proposal is very encouraging, as it shows the NDRC is moving away from this regime and more towards a market-driven process," said Xiong Jin, international partner at law firm King & Wood Mallesons in Beijing.

The new rules are expected to come into force soon after the consultation closes on May 13.

M&A FRENZY

The NDRC proposal is the latest move by the Chinese government to relax its outbound investment rules after it began an overhaul of the opaque and complex regime in 2014 in a bid to spur Chinese companies to buy up strategic assets in sectors including food and technology.

The overhaul helped trigger an M&A frenzy that saw Chinese buyers delivering a record $104 billion of outbound deals last year, nearly double that of 2014, according to Thomson Reuters data. The tally so far this year is $97 billion.

In a landmark change, Beijing moved in 2014 to a filing-based registration system for outbound investments.

That meant that a vast majority of China overseas M&A no longer required approvals, but only a registration with the NDRC and MOFCOM, with filing confirmations typically issued in around seven working days.

Only investments in sensitive sectors such as media and telecoms, or sensitive countries such as those under sanctions, remained subject to review and approval by the NDRC and MOFCOM, with deals of $2 billion or more needing the blessing of the State Council.

"Over the past two years, the government has been relaxing the outbound investment rules to push more Chinese companies to go global, but the rules are still not very straightforward and there can be some ambiguity around the thresholds for approvals," said Nanda Lau, a partner at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills in Shanghai.

"The latest NDRC proposal should simplify and expedite the approval process, and will also level the playing field increasing competition between bidders."

The NDRC and MOFCOM approval process normally takes around 20 business days, but this can extend up to three months if State Council approval is required.

But China's need to keep a lid on capital outflows means Chinese investors cannot expect an entirely smooth ride, even under the proposed new regime.

Funding arrangements will still need to be registered with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), which is carefully watching outflows.

About $175 billion left China during the first quarter of the year compared with a record $674 billion for all of 2015, according to data from the Institute of International Finance.

SAFE did not respond to a request for comment.

SAFE has in recent months tightened up the process for approving funds, requiring extra paperwork and ad hoc meetings, to ensure transactions are genuine, lawyers and bankers said.

"China will continue to ease the outbound M&A rules, but there will be some bumps in the road," said Andrew McGinty, Shanghai-based partner at law firm Hogan Lovells International.

"Recent developments around sharp outflows may temporarily hold up that process, but the mid-to-longer term direction in favour of liberalisation is set to continue."

(Reporting by Michelle Price and Denny Thomas; Additional reporting by Sue-Lin Wong in Beijing; Editing by Alex Richardson)
The meeting will discuss ways to fight the ideology of terrorist organizations

Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry will travel to New York Monday for a three-day visit to head the Egyptian delegation at UN Security Council sessions including a meeting on counter-terrorism next Wednesday, an FM statement read.

Shoukry will participate in the Council's open debate at the ministerial level about fighting the ideological discourse of the terrorist organizations, which FM spokesperson Ahmed Abuzeid descrived as the "most important event in which the FM will participate."

According to the FM statement, the session will be attended by the foreign ministers of the member countries of the Security Council in addition to the rest of the members of the UN, a session which was initiated by Egypt, as Egyptian Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta is the Council president for May.

In a press briefing on May 2, Aboulatta had said that Shoukry would participate in the "open debate on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts" on May 11.

The foreign minister will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Hungary, the Netherlands, Argentina, Norway and New Zealand, with Danish UN General assembly president Mogens Lykketoft, and a number of candidates for the post of Secretary-General.

Shoukry will attend a high-level discussion of the General Assembly on activities required to consolidate peacekeeping and peace-building.

A meeting with UN Arab Group will also be held with Shoukry in order to discuss a number of issues on the Security Council agenda, as Egypt is currently the Arab Group representative in the Security Council.

The Egyptian FM will also sit for interviews with foreign newspapers and news agencies.

In May, a Security Council mission is expected to visit Egypt for meetings with the Arab League.

Egypt had co-organized a meeting on Palestine last Friday, "Arria-Formula Meeting on Protection of Civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," with Angola, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela, which was open to all member states.

The meeting aimed at shedding the light on what the international community must do to protect the Palestinian population including from a legal perspective.

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By Steve Gorman

May 8 (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's No. 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, paid a Mother's Day tribute to single moms, acknowledging she never fully understood the difficulty of raising children without a spouse or partner until her husband died last year.

"I did not really get how hard it is to succeed at work when you are overwhelmed at home," she wrote in a weekend message posted to her own Facebook account, adding that the death of her husband, Dave Goldberg, "has redefined what it is to be a mother."

Sandberg, 46, who joined Facebook in 2008 as the chief operating officer for the popular social media platform, lost her husband to a treadmill accident while they were vacationing in Mexico in May 2015.

The couple, married for 11 years, had two children together, a son and daughter.

"Before Dave died, I had a partner who shared both the joys and responsibilities of parenting. Then, without warning, I was on my own," Sandberg wrote.

She also called for greater public and corporate support for single, working mothers, citing data showing the number of women raising their children alone in the United States has nearly doubled since the 1970s, and that 40 percent of such families live in poverty.

The United States is the world's only developed economy lacking paid maternity leave as a matter of national policy, and 35 percent of single U.S. mothers experience food insecurity, she said.

Sandberg's message did not mention Facebook's own parental leave policy, which provides four months of paid leave to all full-time employees when they become new mothers or fathers.

"I realize how extremely fortunate I am not to face the financial burdens so many single mothers and widows face," wrote Sandberg, whose net worth Forbes magazine places at $1.4 billion.

She also acknowledged how some critics had complained that she gave short shrift to the difficulties faced by single, working women in the bestselling 2013 book she co-wrote, "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead."

"They were right," she said. "I will never experience and understand all of the challenges most single moms face, but I understand a lot more than I did a year ago." (Editing by Mary Milliken)
By Steve Gorman

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's No. 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, paid a Mother's Day tribute to single moms, acknowledging she never fully understood the difficulty of raising children without a spouse or partner until her husband died last year.

"I did not really get how hard it is to succeed at work when you are overwhelmed at home," she wrote in a weekend message posted to her own Facebook account, adding that the death of her husband, Dave Goldberg, "has redefined what it is to be a mother."

Sandberg, 46, who joined Facebook in 2008 as the chief operating officer for the popular social media platform, lost her husband to a treadmill accident while they were vacationing in Mexico in May 2015.

The couple, married for 11 years, had two children together, a son and daughter.

"Before Dave died, I had a partner who shared both the joys and responsibilities of parenting. Then, without warning, I was on my own," Sandberg wrote.

She also called for greater public and corporate support for single, working mothers, citing data showing the number of women raising their children alone in the United States has nearly doubled since the 1970s, and that 40 percent of such families live in poverty.

The United States is the world's only developed economy lacking paid maternity leave as a matter of national policy, and 35 percent of single U.S. mothers experience food insecurity, she said.

Sandberg's message did not mention Facebook's own parental leave policy, which provides four months of paid leave to all full-time employees when they become new mothers or fathers.

"I realize how extremely fortunate I am not to face the financial burdens so many single mothers and widows face," wrote Sandberg, whose net worth Forbes magazine places at $1.4 billion.

She also acknowledged how some critics had complained that she gave short shrift to the difficulties faced by single, working women in the bestselling 2013 book she co-wrote, "Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead."

"They were right," she said. "I will never experience and understand all of the challenges most single moms face, but I understand a lot more than I did a year ago."

(Editing by Mary Milliken)
(Adds details, quotes from conference call, updates share activity)

May 9 (Reuters) - SolarCity Corp cut its forecast for solar panel installations this year and reported a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss, sending its shares down nearly 20 percent in extended trading on Monday.

The company, which is backed by Tesla Motors Inc founder Elon Musk, said it expects to install 1.0-1.1 gigawatts in 2016, lower than the 1.25 GW it had forecast in February.

A pullback in a key solar support policy in Nevada, a January price increase on residential systems and a redesign of its solar loan product were among the reasons SolarCity cited for the lowered forecast.

"We had a bunch of headwinds that hit us all at the same time," Chief Executive Lyndon Rive said on a conference call with analysts. "These have all been addressed."

Still, the lower volumes drove up the company's costs to acquire new business. It will take "about two quarters" to get back to normal customer acquisition cost levels, Rive said.

SolarCity said it raised $728 million in financing during the quarter for its rooftop solar systems.

SolarCity became a Wall Street darling thanks to its innovative no-money-down financing schemes that underpinned a rapid growth in solar installations in recent years. But late last year, the company said it would slow its pace of growth to focus on generating cash.

The slower growth, combined with complex financials that rely heavily on renewable energy subsidies, has spooked some investors. The company's stock is 65 percent below its 52-week high set nearly a year ago.

In extended trade on Monday, the stock fell to $18.07 after closing at $22.51 on Nasdaq.

Solar panel installments of 214 MW during the quarter, however, were higher than the company's own expectations as it completed a project in Maryland ahead of time. The company had forecast installations of 180 MW in February.

SolarCity said its net loss attributable to shareholders increased to $25 million, or 25 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 31, from $21.5 million, or 22 cents per share, a year earlier. (http://bit.ly/1T1DI9Z)

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Total expenses jumped about 54 percent to $226.9 million.

On an adjusted basis, the company posted a loss of $2.56 per share, compared with a loss of $2.32 per share expected by analysts on average.

Revenue rose 81.6 percent to $122.6 million, above analysts' average estimate of $109.9 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Dan Grebler)
South Africas lead anticorruption official Thuli Madonsela has been warned by an informant that hit men may be targeting her.

The public protector is known for issuing a 2014 instruction to President Jacob Zuma to repay some of the state funds he spent on private home renovations. South Africas top court upheld Madonselas demand on March 31, Reuters reports, and ruled that Zuma had breached the constitution by ignoring her earlier request.

Her spokesperson said Madonsela received a text message alerting her to the alleged death threat on April 1. She is concerned about her safety and security, the spokesperson said.

Madonsela was included in the 2014 Time 100 list for investigating corruption at the highest levels of government. At the time, she was described by former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Lamido Sanusi as being among the tiny but growing band of African public servants giving us hope for the future of our continent.

[Reuters]
By Stella Mapenzauswa JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African unemployment reached the highest level on record, official data showed on Monday, clouding the finance minister's efforts to convince Standard and Poor's and Fitch not to downgrade the country's credit rating. After a decision by Moody's late on Friday to keep its rating on South Africa steady, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said he aimed to show its fellow agencies that the country was on the right economic track ahead of their own reviews in the coming weeks. One of the world's biggest metals producers, South Africa's economy has been hit by a slide in commodities prices which came on top of wide spread labour strife in the mining industry. The country's rand currency initially rose on Monday in reaction to the ratings news, but sank sharply after the statistics agency revealed unemployment had risen to 26.7 percent of the labour force in the first quarter - the highest level since the survey of households began in 2008. Gordhan himself warned against complacency after Moody's appeared to give Africa's most industrialised economy some breathing space. "We developed a common intent among labour, business and government that we don't want to be downgraded and that we have many positives to say about ourselves," Gordhan told reporters at a public finance management conference in Johannesburg. "We can't be positive. All we can do is work as hard as we can to convince people out there that we are a country that is capable of solving its problems," he said. President Jacob Zuma is scheduled to meet with business and labour leaders later on Monday. The wobbly economy has raised the stakes for local elections on Aug. 3 which analysts say will be the sternest political test his ruling African National Congress has faced since coming to power in 1994. Gordhan plans to hold meetings with Fitch and S&P in the next couple of weeks after Moody's had said the country was "likely approaching a turning point after several years of falling growth." Moody's left its rating of South Africa's debt at Baa2, two levels above sub-investment grade, but assigned a negative outlook, citing risks to implementation of structural and fiscal reforms. Hastily reappointed as finance minister in December after Zuma rattled investor confidence by inexplicably replacing his predecessor with a little known politician, Gordhan warned that a global downturn meant South Africa was on its own in tacking its economic woes. "We need to find new and innovative ways to search for new engines of growth, to find new ways of igniting growth and creating the jobs that our people desperately require," he said. The Treasury in February forecast tepid growth for Africa's most industrialised economy of just 0.9 percent in 2016 from a previous forecast of 1.7 percent and compared with estimated growth of 1.3 percent in 2015. (Additional reporting by Mfuneko Toyana and Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by James Macharia and Toby Chopra)
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) and PowerSecure International, Inc. (NYSE: POWR) disclosed that they have completed their merger that was worth about $425 million. As a result, PowerSecure has become a fully owned subsidiary of the Company.

According to Southern Company, the terms of the agreement enabled PowerSecure's stockholders to get $18.75 in cash in exchange for each share of PowerSecure common stock on May 9. As a result of the completion of the merger, the company indicated that PowerSecure's common stock ceased to trade on the New York Stock Exchange immediately before May 9.

President and CEO Thomas Fanning said, "For more than a century, the Southern Company system has provided quality service by generating and delivering affordable, reliable electricity to the customer's meter. Today we are thrilled to draw on PowerSecure's nationally recognized expertise to deliver even greater customer value by developing innovative technologies on the other side of the meter."

Southern Company said its current business model provided an opportunity to leverage PowerSecure's unique expertise to help meet customers' energy requirements with the help of advanced technologies. The company acquired a premier provider of distributed infrastructure, offering primarily commercial and industrial customers innovative solutions to meet their individual reliability, energy efficiency or green objectives.

The company pointed out that it recognized these technologies, which typically get highest demand in areas outside of the Southeast  where there was greater opportunity to improve electric reliability, price and customer service. The company believes that the acquisition positioned itself to advance distributed infrastructure development across the U.S.

Shares of the company traded 0.55 percent higher on Monday.

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Madrid (AFP) - One of three Spanish journalists released after nearly a year held hostage in Syria by an Al Qaeda-linked group said Monday he feels like he is "walking on air", after being reunited with his family.

Angel Sastre added he was grateful to the Madrid government, a day after flying home with fellow freelance reporters Jose Manuel Lopez and Antonio Pampliega on a Spanish defence ministry jet sent to Turkey to bring them back.

"I am very happy, enjoying myself, walking on air," Sastre told radio Onda Cero.

The three journalists were kidnapped by armed men on July 13 while travelling together in a small van in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, where they had been reporting on fighting for various Spanish media.

They were held by the Al-Nusra front, Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate.

"Your life changes in a few hours. From being in Syria for ten months, now I am in Madrid with my family after all that happened. I am very happy to be together with my family. I am in the phase of recovering a bit the life I had," Sastre said.

"We feel very grateful for the government's handling" of the situation, he added.

Sastre, 35, who has worked in trouble spots around the world for Spanish television, radio and press, gave no details about his time in captivity or how the three men were released.

The Spanish government said in a statement late Saturday that their release was "possible thanks to the collaboration of allies and friends especially in the final phase from Turkey and Qatar", but gave no further details.

"For these types of operation to succeed, for them to continue to succeed, what is important is discretion," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told Antena 3 television on Monday.

"What is important to know here is that Spain has partners, allies that will help us in extreme difficult situations like a kidnapping," he added.
Ezz El-Din Khaled, a 19-year-old university student and member of a performance art band, is accused of inciting protests and 'insulting state institutions'

A Cairo prosecution appealed on Monday the release of a member of a satirical performance art band on bail pending investigation into charges of "insulting state institutions" and calling for protests.

Earlier Sunday, the Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) NGO announced that Ezz El-Din Khaled, the youngest member of Atfal Shawaree, or Street Children, was released on EGP 10,000 bail pending investigations.

Khaled was arrested on Saturday at his home.

The prosecution accused the 19-year-old Ain Shams University student of inciting protests and "uploading videos insulting state institutions" before ordering his detention for four days pending investigation.

The remaining six members of the band are currently on the run, said band-member Mohamed Adel on his official Facebook page.

Atfal Shawaree gained huge popularity after uploading videos online shot in the street and mocking the rhetoric of the regime and its supporters by using famous patriotic songs.

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(Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Monday he would step down as chairman of the Republican Party's July convention if presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump asked him to do so, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter said on Twitter. ".@SpeakerRyan on whether he'd step down as convention chair if Trump asks: I'll do whatever he asks me to do," Christian Schneider, one of the newspaper's columnists, tweeted. Ryan also said in the interview he is steadfastly opposed to a third-party candidate, even if it were 2012 party nominee Mitt Romney, Schneider said in another tweet. (Reporting by Megan Cassella in Washington; Editing by Eric Beech)
London (AFP) - Sri Lanka's bowlers endured a miserable warm-up for next week's first Test against England as they were put to the sword by Essex on the second day of their tour match on Monday.

Angelo Mathews' team had already struggled with the bat after being dismissed for 254 as teenager Aaron Beard bagged four wickets on his first-class debut.

And they fared no better with the ball as Jaik Mickleburgh, who scored 109, and Tom Westley, who hit 108, smashed the tourists to all corners of Chelmsford.

Essex reached 412 for four declared after Ravi Bopara, 87 not out, and Dan Lawrence, 57 not out, took over the assault of the chastened Sri Lanka attack.

To make matters worse, Sri Lanka then closed day two of the three-day match on 42 for two.

Kaushal Silva fell lbw to Beard victim and then Kusal Mendis went to a late slip catch off Matt Dixon.

A bowling attack described by Sri Lanka chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya as the best in the world appeared some way short of that billing, with one more outing scheduled before the first Test at Headingley next week.

Westley joined opener Mickleburgh at start of play, following the departure of nightwatchman Tom Moore the previous evening and the pair put on 132 in 35 overs for the third wicket.
By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A microcap stock promoter pleaded guilty on Monday to engaging in a scheme to launder $250 million obtained by manipulating the shares of more than 40 companies, including the little-known Cynk Technology Corp whose value was driven past $6 billion.

Gregg Mulholland, also known as "Stamps" and "Charlie Wolf," pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, to conspiracy to commit money laundering, almost a year after he was arrested and three weeks before he was set to face trial.

Mulholland could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, prosecutors said in a statement. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.

U.S. regulators in July 2014 suspended trading in Cynk, a social media company with no revenue or assets, after its share price soared in less than a month to $21.95 from 6 cents for no apparent reason.

That surge followed a month when no Cynk shares were traded at all, and briefly gave the company a market value higher than three dozen companies in the Standard & Poor's 500.

Prosecutors said Mulholland, 46, was behind that volatility after he and his co-conspirators amassed control over the free standing Cynk shares to conduct what is known as a pump-and-dump scheme.

The indictment said Cynk was among about 40 public companies whose shares were manipulated by individuals overseen by Mulholland, resulting in $250 million in proceeds that were laundered through at least five offshore law firms.

Prosecutors said Mulholland and his group of stock manipulators conducted the scheme through shell structures and offshore brokerage firms established by Robert Bandfield, a U.S. citizen who founded Belize-based IPC Corporate Services.

"Mulholland's staggering fraud perpetrated on the investing public was built on an elaborate offshore shell game, which included his secret ownership of an offshore brokerage firm," Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Robert Capters said in a statement.

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That brokerage firms was Legacy Global Markets SA, a broker-dealer based in Panama that Bandfield claimed to have created and that Mulholland secretly owned, prosecutors said.

Mulholland was arrested in June 2015 during a layover in Phoenix on a flight from Canada to Mexico, and became one of nine people to be charged in connection with the massive fraudulent scheme.

Bandfield, who prosecutors say schemed to help more than 100 clients including Mulholland evade U.S. securities and tax laws, is scheduled to face trial on May 31. He has pleaded not guilty.

The case is U.S. v. Bandfield et al, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 14-cr-00476.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
Manuela Herzer already lost a court decision Monday in her attempt to re-insert herself in Sumner Redstones life. But scrutiny of the former girlfriend is far from over  as lawyers said they are preparing to sue her and another ex in an attempt to recover $150 million in cash and gifts they say media magnate showered on the two women.

Redstones lawyers said they plan to file a lawsuit within the next two weeks accusing Herzer and Sydney Holland of elder abuse. The complaint will accuse the women of isolating the chairman emeritus of Viacom and CBS from his friends and family, then coercing him into giving them wads of cash and other assets over the course of five years.

The threatened ligitation came in the aftermath of Judge David J. Cowans ruling Monday morning against Herzer. The Los Angeles judge said that he would not reinstate Herzer as Redstones health care agent, because the 92-year-old clearly did not want his ex-girlfriend in his home or in his life.

Herzers attorney, Pierce ODonnell, called the threatened lawsuit laughable, adding: His two attorneys and a leading psychiatrist blessed these gifts as the result of Sumners sound mind and free will. This is obviously a desperate act.

Herzer, 52, has already filed a lawsuit of her own, demanding $70 million that she believes she is entitled to receive because she said she was improperly removed from the Redstones estate plan. That document once called for Herzer to receive $50 million and a $20 million home. But Redstone, 92, reportedly learned that the live-in was taking his money and lying to him to keep him away from other women he wanted to keep in his life. After learning of those alleged betrayals, he threw over Herzer, whom he had known for 17 years.

One nurse from Redstones Beverly Park mansion testified briefly Friday that he hated Herzer and reported his concerns to the magnates daughter, Shari Redstone. He acknowledged he talked to others about his concerns, claiming in one email that 99% of the staff is willing to testify about the brutality of Manuela and Sydney.

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Herzers lawyers say it is the household staff and other Redstone aides that betrayed him. They compared those people to a spy ring that improperly reported to Shari Redstone on Redstone and the two women who long oversaw his care.

But nurse Joseph Octaviano defended his actions, saying that he was justified in reporting to Shari because he believed the nonagenarian was being abused.

Attorney Robert Klieger, who helped represent Redstone in the just-completed competency case, said he will lead the upcoming lawsuit to recover funds from Herzer and Holland.

What I expect you will see alleged in the suit we are preparing is that Sumner Redstone was manipulated into selling large portions of his stock holdings in Viacom and CBS, Klieger said, and the proceeds of those sales went into the purses of Ms. Holland and Ms. Herzer. The lawyer charged that the two women threatened to abandon Redstone if he did not do their bidding.

Holland was not present during the Herzer lawsuit, but both she and Herzer have previously said that Redstones gifts to them were all voluntary and that the billionaire had a history of generosity, particularly to women who were his romantic interests.

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(UPDATE with new lawsuit and statements from attorney and Shari Redstone:) The trial over who controls Sumner Redstones heath care is over, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled today, pulling the plug on the proceedings. After receiving requested briefs over the weekend from attorneys for the media moguls ex-companion Manuela Herzer and Redstones reps (read them here & here), the tentative ruling this morning by Judge David Cowan to grant the motion to dismiss from lawyers for the former Viacom and CBS boss comes after just one full day of trial on Friday.

There is no good cause for further judicial involvement where the Court has now heard directly from Redstone that he has lost trust in Herzer, does not want her in his life and instead wants his daughter Shari to look after him if necessary, Cowan wrote in his tentative ruling Monday in reference to the videotaped testimony from the mogul that was played in a closed court Friday. Redstone is presumed to have capacity  the Court has no business interfering with his prerogatives, the judge adds. The tentative was adapted as a final ruling after attorneys for both sides briefly spoke.

Mr. Redstone is grateful that the Court dismissed this case and honored his stated wish to keep Manuel Herzer out of his life and healthcare decisions, Redstones lawyer Gabrielle Vidal of Loeb & Loeb said in a statement after the the ruling. Mr. Redstone looks forward to spending time with his loved ones in peace.

Pierce O'Donnell

Deadline has learned that Herzers lawyers are appealing todays ruling and have also just filed a more than $100 million civil suit against Shari Redstone and seven members of the household medical staff (read it here). What happened to Sumner Redstone was not the product of free will, Herzers lead attorney Pierce ODonnell told Deadline, stressing undue influence by the younger Redstone and the medical staff. Promptly after her significant loss in court today, Herzer continued her baseless attack against the Redstone family with a second lawsuit, a spokesperson for Shari Redstone said this morning in response. It is total fiction and continues to speak volumes about Herzers motivation and character.

With Wall Street and Hollywood both paying close attention due to the 80% of the voting shares at Viacom and CBS that Redstone controls, and therefore an estimated $40 billion in media assets, the trial examining the 92-year old billionaires competency was scheduled to run until May 16. Coming over 6-months after Herzer first filed her legal challenge to being replaced last October as Redstones health care agent by current Viacom CEO and Chair Philippe Dauman, that opening day of the non-jury trial was dominated by the testimony of the ailing mogul himself.

Philippe Dauman Shari Redstone

Calling Herzer a f*cking bitch repeatedly, Redstone in a short deposition taken at his Beverly Hills home on May 5 also told ODonnell and his own primary attorney that I want Manuela out of my life. Though often finding it hard to communicate and requiring the assistance of a speech therapist as interpreter, the severely speech impaired mogul told the lawyers he wanted Shar Shari to be in charge of his health care directive, a clear-ish reference to his sometimes estranged daughter Shari Redstone.

RelatedSumner Redstone Will Testify In Health Care Trial After All

While the downtown courtroom was cleared of the general public and media on the morning of last Friday during the playing of the video of Redstones deposition, a transcript was immediately afterwards provided by Herzers Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinge legal team.

Though the day also saw extensive testimony from Herzer hired expert Dr. Stephen Read, a geriatric psychiatrist who examined Redstone on January 29, and Redstone vocational nurse Joe Octaviano, the moguls statements weighed heavy on Judge Cowan almost as soon as he heard them. I want to know why that testimony shouldnt be respected at the end of the day, the judge asked ODonnell in court, also saying when it comes to proving a lack of capacity on Redstones part, your burden now is a hard one.

Loeb & Loeb attorney Vidal announced later on the afternoon of May 6 that Redstones side would yet again be seeking a dismissal and followed up strongly on May 8 in their brief. Were there compelling evidence that Mr. Redstone did not understand what he was doing when he removed Ms. Herzer from his advance health care directive, or that the wishes he expressed just last week were the product of undue influence, then perhaps dismissal would be premature, the renewed motion stated. But there is no such evidence. Ms. Herzer suggested that the Court needed to hear from only two witnesses to determine capacity-Mr. Redstone and Dr. Read. The Court has heard from both, and the evidence of capacity is overwhelming.

RelatedViacom CEO Says Talks To Sell Paramount Stake On Track To Wrap In June

Mr. Redstone has told the Court in no uncertain terms who he wants as his health care agent should he become unable to make his own decisions, and it is his daughter, Shari Redstone, not Ms. Herzer, the 11-page motion added. With Mr. Redstones capacity no longer genuinely in dispute, that should be the beginning and end of the inquiry.

With a bevy of witnesses on their schedule including granddaughter Keryn Redstone, various medical professionals and household staff but excerpts of the video deposition taken by Bert Fields of Daman in NYC last month, Herzers team filed their own brief on May 8 seeking to keep the case going.

The salient question before the Court is not only what Redstone said, but also whether Redstone fully appreciates what he said, and whether he has been unduly influenced to make those statements, however strongly he may have spoken, noted ODonnell and Herzers legal team in their 16-page response to the motion to dismiss, also filed on May 8. Although Redstone speaks in disparaging and vulgar terms about Herzer, whom he once called the love of his life, the Court cannot assume that he was expressing his true wishes and beliefs, particularly when those statements were only intelligible to his speech therapist.

The Court also needs to hear the substantial evidence why Shari Redstone is manifestly unfit to serve as Redstones health care agent. Herzer proffers that the evidence will show that Sharis unfitness is not merely geographical but also warranted because of (1) her demonstrated, profoundly different views than her father about end-of-life decisions, (2) her history of estrangement from her father and their suspicious recent reconciliation, and (3) her active campaign of spying against her father and violating his privacy on a grand scale, Herzers side also offered as an argument to Judge Cowan to keep the trial alive. There can be no doubt that Redstone did not want Shari Redstone to be his agent while he was still competent, they added.

The trial seemed set last month not to ever occur. Settlement talks between the two sides in early April had, Herzer to receive around $30 million to end her case and the younger Redstone was to take over from NYC-based Dauman as her fathers health care agent. That near end came to an end when things hit an impasse, in the words of ODonnell, and fell apart in mid-April.

Regardless of settlement or not, Redstones attorneys have argued from the beginning that the the billionaire was always fully aware what he was doing when he kicked Herzer out of his home last fall and soon afterwards replaced her with Dauman as his health care agent. They added to that last week in pre-trial filings that, among other monetary allegations, that Herzer expressed no concerns about the neurological state of Redstone in September 2015 when he made her his solo health care agent after the end of his relationship with fellow ex-companion Sydney Holland.

RelatedLes Moonves Calls Not Embracing Diversity Stupid, Universals Jeff Shell Tells Confab Movie Biz 10 Years Behind TV

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Still, various concerns about Redstones true physical and neurological health abounded, with his lawyers fighting hard to keep his medical records and the man himself out of the trial. After submitting to a court-ordered medical examination by Herzers Dr. Read earlier this year, the National Amusements Inc. owner resigned from his position as executive chairman at

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CBS on February 3, with Les Moonves replacing him soon afterward, in a clear attempt to avoid further corporate controversy. The next day, Redstone dropped his executive chairman title at Viacom with Dauman voted in to the job by the board over the objections of Shari Redstone.

Moves that many interpreted as signs that worries about public disclosures of Redstones actual status could impact his corporate governance and Viacom and CBS themselves.

Now, with Redstones own slurred but coherent enough word having, defeated her case, in Judge Cowans words, Herzer finds herself out of the moguls life and out of court  for now.

Related stories

Sumner Redstone Trial: Judge Says He'll Consider Dismissal Over The Weekend

Sumner Redstone Will Testify In Health Care Trial After All

Viacom CEO Says Talks To Sell Paramount Stake "On Track" To Wrap In June
While the first quarter earnings season is almost over for all the other sectors, there are still a few companies in the retail sector that are yet to report. As a result, investors are on the lookout for companies in the retail sector that can beat their respective earnings estimates.

Interestingly, a significant number of companies that have reported their results so far have come out with positive surprises, in terms of both earnings and revenues, despite macroeconomic issues and continued volatility in the equity markets.

As per our Earnings Preview report, out of the 87.2% of the S&P 500 members who have already reported their first quarter results, 71.3% of the companies have beaten earnings estimates and 56.4% have surpassed top-line expectations, despite a decline in earnings and sales on a year-over-year basis.

This implies that either investors were prepared for even weaker results or the guidance for most companies was already lowered to easy-to-beat levels.

Among the supermarket retail biggies that have reported their quarterly results, The Kroger Company KR, one of the largest grocery retailers, posted an earnings beat in its fourth-quarter fiscal 2015 on Mar 3, but revenues missed the same. Krogers dominant position enables it to expand its store base and boost market share. Krogers customer-centric business model provides a strong value proposition to consumers. It is well positioned to continue its growth momentum primarily through identical supermarket sales growth. However, intensifying price war among grocery stores to lure budget-constrained consumers may adversely impact Krogers sales and margins.

Whole Foods Market, Inc. WFM delivered its second straight quarter of positive earnings surprise when it reported second-quarter fiscal 2016 results on May 5, buoyed by cost control endeavors undertaken by management. The top-line however fell short of the Zacks Consensus Estimate.

Whole Foods has been revamping its pricing strategy and concentrating on value offerings in view of heightened competition as more companies are entering and expanding their presence in the Organic & Natural food business. These players include The Kroger Co., Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. SFM and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT.

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Here we have two supermarket stocks, each of which is scheduled to release its first-quarter numbers on May 10. Let's see how things are shaping up for this announcement.

Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA JRONY, a supermarket chain which is engaged in the distribution and production of food items and fast moving consumer goods in Portugal and Poland, has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first quarter earnings is pegged at 27 cents.

Brazil-based Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao CBD, holding a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), is scheduled to report its earnings on Tuesday after markets close. The company had released first quarter 2016 sales figures on Apr 14. Its sales improved despite a weak economic environment and restricted spending.

Net sales of this retailer increased 3% in the first quarter, which compared favorably with sales growth of just 0.2% in the preceding quarter. Assai Multivarejo continued to deliver stronger sales while Via Varejo generated its best sales performance since the second quarter of 2015, and witnessed market share gains.

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A man accused in the December 2014 burning death of Jessica Chambers is on trial today in a case that involves the death of a second woman.



Quinton Tellis, 27, was charged in February with killing Chambers more than a year after the 19-year-old was found on fire in her car on a rural road in small-town Courtland, Mississippi. Authorities located Tellis in neighboring Louisiana, where he was in jail and charged with unlawful use of a debit card that belonged to slain former Taiwanese exchange student Meing-Chen Hsiao, 34.



Although police have identified Tellis as a suspect in Hsiao's August, 2015 stabbing death, he has not been charged with killing her and his trial solely concerns his alleged unlawful use of her debit card. If convicted, he faces a life sentence without parole as a habitual offender due to prior felony convictions in Mississippi, The Clarion-Ledgerreports.



Tellis was an acquaintance of both Chambers and Hsiao.





Suspect in Burning Death of Jessica Chambers on Trial In Case Tied to Death of Another Young Woman| Crime & Courts, True Crime, Real People Stories

When Tellis was arrested in the Chambers case, Desoto County District Attorney John Champion told reporters, "This was personal against Jessica." The two grew up in the same neighborhood of Courtland and attended the same high school, Jessica's stepmother Debbie Chambers told PEOPLE.



But Champion did not release a motive in Chambers's death and Tellis has not yet entered a plea.



Champion says he believes Tellis acted alone. Authorities were able to place Tellis and Chambers together using cell phone records.







 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.



Tellis has been held in a Louisiana jail on $200,000 bond since his arrest on the debit card charge. He is also charged in Louisiana with one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.



Tellis pleaded not guilty last October to both the unlawful debit card charge and the marijuana possession charges, a spokesman for the Quachita Parish Clerk of Court tells PEOPLE.



Authorities have said they would extradite him to Mississippi to face charges in Chambers's death.
Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail will address parliament Tuesday on the president's decision to extend a state of emergency in parts of North Sinai

The speaker of Egypt's parliament Ali Abdel-Al disclosed this week that Prime Minister Sherif Ismail will address MPs on security conditions in the governorate of North Sinai on Tuesday.

Abdel-Al indicated that Ismail's statement will come after the government officially informs parliament of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's decision to extend the state of emergency in North Sinai for three more months.

According to Article 154 of the constitution, the government must inform parliament of the president's decision to implement a state of emergency within seven days, and that the decision  applicable for no more than three months  must be approved by two thirds of MPs.

Although El-Sisi decided on 29 April to extend the state of emergency, parliament was officially informed of the decision on 8 May.

Abdel-Al indicated that Article 131 of parliament's internal bylaws states that the prime minister must come before parliament within 24 hours to inform MPs of the reason behind the extension.

"The decision (decree 187/2016) states that the extension of the state of emergency is necessary to fight terrorism in designated parts of North Sinai, contain the dangerous security conditions there, and safeguard the country's eastern borders with the Gaza Strip against any terrorist threats," said Abdel-Al.

The decree states that emergency measures are to be imposed in areas including the region from the east of Rafah Hill to El-Awga west of El-Arish.

A curfew will be imposed in the region from 7pm to 6am, though El-Arish city  the capital of North Sinai  and the international road from the El-Midan checkpoint to the entrance of El-Arish city from the east will see a four-hour curfew starting from 1am until 5am, or until further notice.

The decree states that any citizen found guilty of violating curfew hours could face imprisonment according to emergency law 162/1985.

Alaa Abdel-Moneim, the parliamentary spokesperson for the Support Egypt bloc, surprised all by denouncing the government's failure to inform parliament of the extension in a timely manner.

"The government should have informed parliament of this decision earlier because although it was issued on 29 April, parliament was informed on 8 May, or after nine days," said Abdel-Moneim, arguing that "this goes in violation of Article 154 of the constitution, which stipulates that parliament must be officially informed of the extension decision within seven days."

"I urge the government to respect the constitution," said Abdel-Moneim, also pointing out that "the government has not submitted the 2016/2017 state budget to parliament on time."

"Instead of presenting this budget to parliament on 1 April, it came at a later date."

In response, speaker Abdel-Al assured that the extension of the state of emergency in North Sinai will only go into effect after parliament's approval.

"I also want to make it clear that while President El-Sisi referred the extension decree to the government on 4 May, the government sent it to parliament on 8 May, or within seven days," said Abdel-Al.

Abdel-Al indicated that following the prime minister's address, MPs representing North Sinai will be the first to take the floor to give a review of security conditions in the governorate.

The initial decision to impose a state of emergency came in August 2013 by then-interim president Adly Mansour after the violent unrest in the country following the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Hundreds of security and army personnel have been killed in North Sinai since 2013, with Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, an Islamist militant group affiliated with the Islamic State, declaring responsibilityfor most attacks.

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Cambodian police arrested eight rights activists, including two foreigners, on Monday as they stamped down on protests linked to a shadowy political sex scandal.

Eight people, including the deputy director of prominent local rights organisation Licadho and two foreigners -- a Swede and a German who also work for the group -- were detained as they tried to rally outside a prison in Phnom Penh, Am Sam Ath of Licadho, told AFP.

"The government is scared by its own shadow," he said, adding that the foreigners had been sent to immigration police.

All were later released after signing documents "promising not to do illegal activities", he later said.

Rights workers and activists dressed in black uniforms were calling on authorities to free five colleagues charged last week in connection with a sex scandal that has engulfed Cambodia's political opposition.

Opposition lawmaker Kem Sokha, the deputy leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, has been accused of having an affair with a 25-year-old hairdresser.

Allegations have swirled among opposition groups that the repressive government of Prime Minister Hun Sen has fanned the scandal to smear his enemies -- a charge the government denies.

The woman was initially helped by rights groups when multiple audio tapes of her conversations with Kem Sokha were leaked online two months ago and she came into the crosshairs of the police, long accused by activists of lacking independence from Hun Sen's government.

But she later accused the rights groups of instructing her to deny the relationship for money after she was interrogated by Cambodia's anti-terrorism police.

That accusation led to five activists last week being charged with bribery, an allegation they deny.

Various rights groups called for protests to mark a week of their detention, with instructions for supporters to dress in black.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Sar Kheng told authorities nationwide that a handful of NGOs were inciting a "Black Uniform Campaign" and ordered them to "prevent the movement that could lead to chaos and unrest in the society".

Story continues

Cambodian police and officials could not be reached for comment on the new arrests.

A UN rights office staff member, Sally Soen, was also charged with being an accomplice to the alleged bribery but has not yet been arrested and is likely covered by diplomatic immunity.

Kem Sokha has not publicly commented on the accusations against him.
(Recasts with deputy PM to leave government)

STOCKHOLM, May 9 (Reuters) - Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Asa Romson resigned on Monday after her Green Party proposed replacing her as leader, dealing a blow to the centre-left coalition government which has been struggling since it took power in 2014.

Romson's resignation forced Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to announce that he will reshuffle his cabinet before the end of May. He said he will keep the Greens as junior coalition partners.

If the Greens withdraw from the coalition, the Social Democrats could govern alone until 2018 or a snap election could be called. The coalition is lagging the centre-right bloc in opinion polls.

Earlier on Monday, the Green Party's election committee proposed replacing Romson as it's joint leader, saying she no longer had sufficient support after a series of scandals involving party members.

It recommended fellow leader Education Minister Gustav Fridolin remain and proposed that Isabella Lovin, now Minister for International Development, replace Romson as co-leader.

Romson told local news agency TT she will leave government.

Dissatisfaction with the Green Party leadership has grown since a row involving Housing Minister Mehmet Kaplan, who resigned last month partly over comments he made seven years ago comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians to the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany.

Romson and Fridolin had asked the party convention on May 13-15 to vote on whether to replace them. The convention had been expected to vote in line with the committee's proposals.

A surge in support for the far-right Sweden Democrats has overturned decades of stable politics and left parliament gridlocked. Record numbers of asylum seekers have led to policy U-turns that have angered the Greens and deepened divisions in the ruling coalition.

An opinion poll last week showed support for the Greens running at just above the 4 percent threshold for seats in parliament, their lowest for 10 years.

Support for the Social Democrats has also declined. Together with the Left Party, the government coalition has 39 percent support, compared with 43 percent for the centre-right opposition parties. The Sweden Democrats have 15.3 percent.

(Reporting by Johan Sennero and Daniel Dickson; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Asa Romson resigned on Monday after her Green Party proposed replacing her as leader, dealing a blow to the center-left coalition government which has been struggling since it took power in 2014. Romson's resignation forced Social Democratic Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to announce that he will reshuffle his cabinet before the end of May. He said he will keep the Greens as junior coalition partners. If the Greens withdraw from the coalition, the Social Democrats could govern alone until 2018 or a snap election could be called. The coalition is lagging the center-right bloc in opinion polls. Earlier on Monday, the Green Party's election committee proposed replacing Romson as it's joint leader, saying she no longer had sufficient support after a series of scandals involving party members. It recommended fellow leader Education Minister Gustav Fridolin remain and proposed that Isabella Lovin, now Minister for International Development, replace Romson as co-leader. Romson told local news agency TT she will leave government. Dissatisfaction with the Green Party leadership has grown since a row involving Housing Minister Mehmet Kaplan, who resigned last month partly over comments he made seven years ago comparing Israel's treatment of Palestinians to the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany. Romson and Fridolin had asked the party convention on May 13-15 to vote on whether to replace them. The convention had been expected to vote in line with the committee's proposals. A surge in support for the far-right Sweden Democrats has overturned decades of stable politics and left parliament gridlocked. Record numbers of asylum seekers have led to policy U-turns that have angered the Greens and deepened divisions in the ruling coalition. An opinion poll last week showed support for the Greens running at just above the 4 percent threshold for seats in parliament, their lowest for 10 years. Support for the Social Democrats has also declined. Together with the Left Party, the government coalition has 39 percent support, compared with 43 percent for the center-right opposition parties. The Sweden Democrats have 15.3 percent. (Reporting by Johan Sennero and Daniel Dickson; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
By Jim Finkle

(Reuters) - SWIFT on Monday rejected allegations by officials in Bangladesh that technicians with the global messaging system made the nation's central bank more vulnerable to hacking before an $81 million cyber heist in February.

The comments were in response to a Reuters story that cited Bangladeshi police and a central bank official as saying that SWIFT technicians introduced security holes into the bank's network while connecting SWIFT to Bangladesh's first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system.

"SWIFT was not responsible for any of the issues cited by the officials, or party to the related decisions," the Brussels-based bank-owned cooperative said in a statement posted on its website.

"As a SWIFT user like any other, Bangladesh Bank is responsible for the security of its own systems interfacing with the SWIFT network and their related environment  starting with basic password protection practices  in much the same way as they are responsible for their other internal security considerations," the statement said.

Reuters has not been able to independently verify the allegations by Bangladeshi officials about the SWIFT technicians.

The officials in Dhaka discussed their findings with Reuters ahead of a meeting on Tuesday in Basel, Switzerland, where Bangladesh Bank officials have said their governor and a lawyer appointed by the bank would discuss recovery of about $81 million stolen by hackers with the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a senior executive from SWIFT.

SWIFT's statement said it "looks forward to the meeting with Bangladesh Bank and New York Federal Reserve Bank officials in Basel on 10th May, when the banks security issues and these baseless allegations will be discussed."

Bangladesh Bank officials have said they believed SWIFT, and the New York Fed, bear some responsibility for the February cyber heist.

SWIFT's statement on Monday marked the first time it responded to such allegations.

(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
- Once a "daredevil" outsider with a toothy grin, Japan swim sensation Kosuke Hagino insists there will be no excuses if he fails to beat boyhood idol Michael Phelps at the Rio Olympics. The 21-year-old, who edged Phelps to claim bronze in the 400 metres individual medley behind gold medallist Ryan Lochte in London four years ago, told AFP he is targeting double gold in Brazil this summer. "Back then I wasn't even thinking," Hagino said in a poolside interview at Japan's National Training Centre. "I was just this daredevil long-shot. Of course I was aiming to win a medal but I went into that race with doubts clouding my mind. I was lucky to finish with a medal in London, but this time there will be no luck involved. I'm going there to win so it's a totally different feeling to four years ago. The aim is to win gold in the 200m and 400m medley."

AFP
By John Davison and David Brunnstrom BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies fought insurgents near Aleppo on Monday and jets conducted raids around a nearby town seized by Islamist rebels, a monitoring group said, as Syria's military said a ceasefire in Aleppo would be extended by 48 hours starting on Tuesday. A recent surge in bloodshed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, wrecked the 10-week-old, partial truce sponsored by Washington and Moscow that had allowed U.N.-brokered peace talks to convene in Geneva. The United States and Russia, which support rival sides in the civil war, said they would work to revive the February "cessation of hostilities" agreement that reduced fighting in parts of the country for several weeks. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said all parties had to press the sides they back to turn "words on a piece of paper" into actions to reinstate the truce. Syria's military high command was quoted by state news agency SANA as saying the Aleppo ceasefire would be extended by 48 hours in the northern city beginning at 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET on Monday). A number of short-term local truces have been in place since April 29, first around Damascus and northern Latakia and then in Aleppo, but there has still been fighting between rebels and government forces. The cessation of hostilities and local truces do not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front. Asaad al-Zoubi, the chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition at the Geneva talks, criticized the extended Aleppo truce, telling Al Jazeera television that such measures served only to allow thousands of reinforcing troops to be sent from Iran, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Warplanes struck the town of Khan Touman, southwest of Aleppo, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rebels also fought government forces east of Damascus, and jets hit the rebel-held towns of Maarat al-Numan and Idlib. Russia and the United States said in a joint statement they would step up efforts to persuade the warring parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement. "We have decided to reconfirm our commitment to the (ceasefire) in Syria and to intensify efforts to ensure its nation-wide implementation," they said. "We demand that parties cease any indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructure and medical facilities." Visiting Paris, Kerry said a reduction of violence in line with the U.S.-Russian joint statement depended on field commanders as well as interested parties including the United States. "These are words on a piece of paper. They are not actions," he said. "We have a responsibility to make certain that the opposition lives up to this, and Russia and Iran have a responsibility to make sure the Assad regime lives up to this." Basma Kodmani, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Committee, expressed hope of a return to the Geneva peace talks if the U.S.-Russian agreement is swiftly implemented. STRATEGIC PRIZE Russia's military intervention last September helped Assad reverse some rebel gains in the west of the country, including in Aleppo province. But insurgents captured the town of Khan Touman last week, inflicting a rare setback on government forces and allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting. Several Iranian soldiers were captured in the clashes, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday. The city of Aleppo is one of the biggest strategic prizes in a war now in its sixth year, and has been divided into government and rebel-held zones through much of the conflict. The Observatory said warplanes struck rebel-held areas of the city early on Monday, and rebels fired shells into government-held neighborhoods. Al Manar, the television channel of Damascus's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, said on Monday troops had destroyed a tank belonging to insurgents and killed some of its occupants. On the eastern edge of Damascus, government forces and their allies shelled rebel areas and clashed with insurgents, the Observatory and the rebel force Jaish al-Islam said. Three people were killed and 13 wounded in air strikes on Idlib, it said. Jaish al-Islam agreed with a rival rebel group, Failaq al Rahman, that both would vacate a town they have been fighting over for almost two weeks, the Observatory said. The groups, two of the strongest operating in the area, agreed to make no more attempts to occupy the town of Misraba in the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus, and return it to civilian rule. After 13 days of heavy artillery exchanges, Jaish al Islam took control of the town over the weekend, capturing around 50 rival fighters. Saudi Arabia condemned air strikes on a camp for displaced Syrians west of Aleppo last week that killed at least 28 people, saying it was part of "the genocide committed by Bashar al-Assad's forces against civilians in Syria." A Saudi cabinet statement on Monday said the strikes on the camp, alongside the prevention of humanitarian aid deliveries to Syrians, constituted war crimes. Damascus has denied targeting the camp or obstructing aid deliveries. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, hosting a meeting in Paris of Assad's opponents, said Syrian government forces and their allies had bombarded hospitals and refugee camps. "It is not Daesh (Islamic State) that is being attacked in Aleppo, it is the moderate opposition," he said. The U.S.-Russian joint statement said Moscow would work with Syrian authorities "to minimize aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties to the cessation." (Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut, Geert De Clercq in Paris, Sylvia Westall in Dubai and Tom Miles in Geneva; writing by Dominic Evans and Peter Cooney; editing by David Stamp and G Crosse)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies shelled rebel-held areas in Damascus's eastern outskirts on Monday and clashed with insurgents in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Mortar fire wounded nearly 20 people, some very seriously, around the town of Arbin in the Eastern Ghouta area, and shelling close to nearby Douma killed at least one person, the British-based monitoring group reported. The latest clashes were a significant escalation in fighting in Eastern Ghouta, where the army had last week declared a temporary but now-defunct cessation of hostilities, Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said. Some rebel groups have in recent weeks been fighting among themselves in the area. (Reporting by John Davison)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A ceasefire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo will be extended by 48 hours beginning at 1 a.m. on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Monday), state news agency SANA said on Monday, quoting the Syrian military high command. Aleppo, Syria's largest pre-war city, has witnessed a vicious flare-up in fighting in recent weeks, shattering a nationwide cessation of hostilities agreement and causing peace talks to collapse. The cessation of hostilities and such local truces do not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front. Rebels and the mainstream Syrian opposition have said the Syrian government uses this fact to continue to attack rebel positions. Both sides accuse the other of causing the cessation of hostilities to break down. In an attempt to revive the cessation of hostilities, a number of short-term local truces have been put in place since April 29, first around Damascus and northern Latakia and then in Aleppo. The Aleppo truce went into effect in the middle of last week, but there has still been some fighting between rebels and government forces. The most significant outbreak of violence has been southwest of Aleppo around the town of Kham Touman, which rebels seized on Friday, inflicting a rare setback on government forces and allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting. The chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition at Geneva peace talks, Asaad al-Zoubi, criticised the extended Aleppo truce in an interview with Al Jazeera television, saying such measures serve only to allow thousands of reinforcing troops to be sent from Iran, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "The truce has not been done for the interests of the Syrian people," he said. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut; Additional reporting by Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams)
The federation of Egyptian tourism agencies said on Monday it had paid $140,000 each in compensation to the families of three of eight Mexican tourists killed by mistake last year.

The tourists and four Egyptians were killed by security forces on September 13, 2015 when they came under fire during a lunch break in Egypt's vast Western Desert while on their way to the Bahariya oasis.

Survivors have told Mexican diplomats that came under fire from a plane and helicopters.

Egypt said the tourists had entered a restricted area and were "mistakenly" killed as security forces chased militants.

"The families of three of the victims have each received a bank transfer worth $140,000," said Ahmed Ibrahim, treasurer of the Egyptian Travel Agents Association.

He told AFP the payment was made after the three families agreed not to press legal proceedings against Egypt after their relatives were killed.

Their lawyers signed the agreement last week, he said.

"Negotiations are under way with the other five families in order to close the case definitively," Ibrahim said.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid confirmed that an agreement had been reached to compensate three of the eight families.

He said the accord was between the federation and the families and that the Cairo government was not involved.

Ibrahim said the federation agreed to compensate the families after an investigation found that the travel agency looking after the tourists was responsible for their deaths.

In January, Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu said Egypt's tourism ministry "found that the administrative authorities and the travel agency should have had more clarity on the permit, and in that sense would eventually be responsible".

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By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - A tentative deal has been reached to end a strike in a Syrian prison by nearly 800 mostly political detainees that would eventually lead to the pardon and release of those held without charges, rights groups and activists in touch with inmates said on Monday. They said the deal brokered late on Sunday would end a mutiny in the Hama prison in central Syria that started last week when political detainees revolted after five inmates were to be taken to the notorious Sadnaya prison for the execution of death sentences passed by an extra-judicial military tribunal. "The regime has agreed to most of our demands to release those political detainees held without charges," said a rights activist in touch with two inmates who requested anonymity. The prisoners seized the prison 210 km (130 miles) from Damascus, and took hostages from guards.. That prompted a siege in which the authorities tried to storm the civilian prison on Friday using tear gas bombs and rubber bullets in an attempt to end the rebellion. Leading Syrian rights activist Mazen Darwish, a former detainee in the prison and in touch with the prisoners, said a verbal agreement had been reached, but did not give details. Another rights activist in touch with inmates said the deal was brokered after tribal figures intervened with the authorities who gave assurances to inmates held without charge they would be released if they ended their revolt. The Syrian interior ministry has denied the reports about Hama central prison but has not elaborated on the issue since Monday. The UK Observatory for Human Rights had confirmed a deal was in the works to release 26 detainees. The authorities previously released 46 detainees under Red Crescent mediation until negotiations broke down. The deal comes after conditions worsened and inmates made appeals to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after prison officials cut electricity and water amid food shortages and serious medical conditions among some of the inmates. Inmates have demanded the release of political detainees held without charges. Many feared a wave of executions that could follow if they were to be transferred to the Sadnaya military prison, north of Damascus. The prison itself was the scene of protests in 2008 by Islamist detainees that led to several being fired at and killed. International rights groups say thousands of detainees are held in Syrian government prisons without charge and many of them are tortured to death, which authorities deny. Human Rights Watch expressed concern late on Friday about the safety of the hostages and said an attempt to retake the facility risked high casualties. The Syrian conflict began in 2011 with popular protests against President Bashar al-Assad and spiraled into civil war after a crackdown by security forces. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Peter Cooney)
Road rage is about to get very deadly in Afghanistan.

On Monday, a Taliban-affiliated website issued a statement warning followers to stop speeding, follow traffic laws, and otherwise drive safely  or face a jihad waged by its so-called Department for the Prevention of Civilian Casualties.

The missive by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan comes a day after 73 people were killed when a fuel tanker hit two passenger buses in a head-on collision in Ghazni province, south of the capital Kabul. An Al Jazeera reporter in Afghanistan said the drivers likely were speeding to avoid being stopped by the Taliban on a hostile stretch of the road.

In its statement, the Taliban said it hereby issues a notice to all drivers and companies of all private, transport, and freight vehicles to strictly follow all traffic rules while journeying on major roads.

The Islamic Emirate is obliged to take Shari and legal action against all offenders from now onwards, the Taliban statement said.

Its worth noting that the Taliban  the purported parent organization of the Department for the Prevention of Civilian Casualties  continues to kill Afghans though suicide bombings and other attacks, including one last month in Kabul that left dozens dead and more than 300 injured. The April 19 suicide bomb against an Afghan military headquarters, launching the start of the terror groups annual spring offensive, was declared one of the bloodiest attacks in Kabul ever.

Afghanistans roads are notoriously bad. The country had only about 50 miles of paved roads when the United States invaded in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks.

Thats not going to stop the Taliban from playing traffic cop.

If any of our countrymen are harassed by drivers during their journeys, they may forward their complaints to the local Mujahideen of Islamic Emirates, the statement read. It also urged people to call the Department for the Prevention of Civilian Casualties  allegedly, for protection.

Photo credit: NASIR WAQIF/AFP/Getty Images
From Harper's BAZAAR

Though they rocked the Met Gala red carpet individually, Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston joined forces for the ultimate dance battle inside the ceremony itself. Naturally, videos of the unexpected dance duo went viral, much to people's amusement. In an interview with the Press Association, Hiddleston finally explained how it all began-and apparently The Weeknd was to blame.

"I love dancing, who doesn't?" he said. "It's a weird one (that it went viral). I haven't actually danced for a long time, but I happened to be dancing at the Met Gala, because it was a party."

"I was on a table with Taylor Swift and The Weeknd was playing and she said, 'The thing about these parties is nobody gets up to dance' and you're making music. She, as a musician, was like, 'We've got to dance for The Weeknd' so we got up and danced," he explained.

But the British actor wasn't expecting their little dance-off to circulate so quickly. "I didn't know it was going to ping round the world, but it's all good," he said.

We're hoping to see more of these in the future. In case you needed a recap, here are two clips of their impromptu dance numbers:

[h/t ET]
OSLO (Reuters) - Three board members at Norway's Telenor (TEL.OL), including the deputy chairman, will step down this week in the latest high-profile departures from the state-controlled telecoms company.

The protracted boardroom upheaval at the company follows a dispute with the Norwegian government last year over Telenor's handling of an investigation into affiliate Vimpelcom's dealings in Uzbekistan.

A statement from the company on Monday said that deputy chairman Frank Dangeard and board members Marit Vaagen and Burckhard Bergman had asked to be relieved of their duties ahead of Wednesday's meeting of the Telenor corporate assembly that appoints board members.

Telenor said that two new board members, Jacob Aqraou and Siri Beate Hatlen, had been proposed by its nomination committee and it is considering putting forward a third candidate.

Vimpelcom, in which Telenor holds a 33 percent stake, said in February that it would pay $795 million to resolve U.S. and Dutch investigations into a bribery scheme in Uzbekistan, in the second-largest global anti-corruption settlement in history.

The latest departures from Telenor's top management follow the October resignation of then-chairman Svein Aaser, with the chief financial officer and legal director following suit last month after a report by auditing firm Deloitte found weakness in the company's handling of the Vimpelcom case.

The report did not find that any Telenor employees had been involved in corrupt actions or any other legal offences.

The Norwegian government owns 54 percent stake of Telenor, which has more than 200 million subscribers in 13 markets across Europe and Asia.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by David Goodman)
TEL AVIV, May 9 (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries reported a smaller than expected decline in first-quarter profit as sales of generic drugs fell 17 percent while revenue from its top drug Copaxone rose.

Israel-based Teva, which is in the process of buying Allergan's Actavis generic business for $40.5 billion, said on Monday it earned $1.20 per share excluding one-time items, down from $1.36 a year earlier. Excluding equity offerings on Dec. 15 to finance the Actavis deal, EPS in the quarter was $1.36.

Revenue slipped 3 percent to $4.81 billion, although excluding foreign exchange fluctuations, revenue fell 1 percent.

Teva, the world's biggest generic drugmaker, was forecast to earn $1.17 excluding one-off items on revenue of $4.77 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Global sales of its best-selling multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone rose 9 percent to $1.0 billion. The drug, which accounts for about 20 percent of its revenue and 50 percent of profit, is now facing competition.

Sandoz, part of Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG, and Momenta Pharmaceuticals last June launched a once daily 20 mg version called Glatopa.

Teva forecast adjusted second-quarter earnings of $1.16-$1.20, or $1.32-$1.36 without the equity offerings, and revenue of $4.7-$4.9 billion. It said the outlook does not include any revenue or profit from the Actavis acquisition, which it expects to close in June.

It will pay a quarterly dividend of 34 cents a share.

(Reporting by Tova Cohen)
Petach Tikva, Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited TEVA is a global pharmaceutical company with a strong presence in the generics as well as branded markets. Tevas main branded products include Copaxone (multiple sclerosis) and Azilect (Parkinsons disease). Besides this, Tevas branded product portfolio consists of respiratory products like ProAir, a short-acting beta-agonist for the treatment of bronchial spasms and exercise-induced bronchospasm, and Qvar, an inhaled corticosteroid for long-term control of chronic bronchial asthma.



Moreover, the company has several candidates in its pipeline, which are in different stages of development for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and asthma.



Teva has signed an agreement to acquire Allergans generics business (Actavis Generics) for $40.5 billion. The deal is slated to close in Jun 2016.



Tevas earnings track record has been good with the company delivering positive earnings surprises in three of the last four quarters with an average surprise of 5.44%.



Currently, TEVA has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), but that could definitely change following the companys full earnings report which was just released. We have highlighted some of the key stats from this just-revealed announcement below:



Earnings Beat: TEVAs first quarter earnings came in at $1.20 per share, beating consensus estimates of $1.13.



Revenues Beat: Teva posted revenues of $4.81 billion, surpassing consensus estimates of $4.75 billion.



Key Stats: Currency fluctuations cut first quarter revenues by about $107 million. Lead branded product, Copaxone, posted worldwide sales of $1 billion, up 9%. Meanwhile, generic revenues declined during the quarter.



2Q16 Outlook: The company provided its outlook for the second quarter of 2016  while earnings are expected in the range of $1.16 - $1.20 per share, revenues are expected in the range of $4.7-$4.9 billion. Guidance includes the impact of the Rimsa acquisition and the Teva-Takeda business venture, but not of the Actavis Generics acquisition. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second quarter 2016 earnings and revenue are $1.21 per share and $5.45 billion, respectively.



Check back later for our full write up on this TEVA earnings report later!



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TEVA PHARM ADR (TEVA): Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
A top Thai medical college has caught students using spy cameras linked to smartwatches to cheat during exams in what some social media users on Monday compared to a plot straight out of a Mission Impossible movie.

Arthit Ourairat, the rector of Rangsit University, posted pictures of the hi-tech cheating equipment on his Facebook page on Sunday evening, announcing that the entrance exam in question had been cancelled after the plot was discovered.

Three students used glasses with wireless cameras embedded in their frames to transmit images to a group of as yet unnamed people, who then sent the answers to the smartwatches.

Arthit said the trio had paid 800,000 baht ($23,000) each to the tutor group for the equipment and the answers.

The team did it in real-time, Arthit wrote.

Thailands Channel 3 news reported Monday that the students had been blacklisted.

We want this to be known in public to make people aware that we must be careful, particularly for medical exams where there is high demand among students but not many vacancies, Arthit told the network.

His original post went viral, with many either praising the students for their ingenuity or condemning them for cheating.

If they had passed and graduated, we might have had illegal doctors working for us, wrote a Facebook user.

Others were more impressed. Cool, wrote one. Like Hollywood or Mission Impossible.

Medical degrees are highly sought after in Thailand, where doctors can make small fortunes in a private sector that has become one of the worlds treatment hubs.

Despite more than a decade of impressive economic growth, Thailands education system is in dire need of reform with rote learning, long hours and poor international test scores still commonplace.

In the 2014 PISA rankings, which measures global educational standards, Thai students performed below the global average and much worse than those from poorer Vietnam in subjects like maths and science.

Last year the World Bank said improving poor quality education was the most important step the kingdom could take to securing a better future, with one third of Thai 15-year-olds functionally illiterate  lacking the basic reading skills to manage their lives in the modern world.

Critics say the kingdoms high corruption levels and ongoing political instability has made deep-seated education reforms impossible over the last decade.
Britains Got Talent has played host to many different types of talented individuals, and on Monday they brought in some people from the dark side. A brigade of dancing Stormtroopers from the Star Wars universe made an appearance on Britains Got Talent, much to the delight of judge Simon Cowell. I literally said, If we could find Stormtroopers who can dance,  seriously, I said that, explained Cowell, this show is going to go into a different league.

The Star Wars homage also featured tributes to other dances, such as the Nae Nae and Gangnam Style, as well as the choreography from Beyonces Single Ladies. Dancing Stormtroopers have been floating into the zeitgeist recently. A fraternity at Tuskegee University did a play on them, and a similar routine was done in a sketch at this years CBS Diversity Showcase. But these British Stormtroopers blew judge Simon Cowell away, and at the conclusion he said, My dream has come true  thank you.

WATCH: Terrified Simon Cowell Participates in Blindfolded Crossbow Stunt

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.


The Stone Roses have been forced to cancel two tour dates in Japan after drummer Reni fell and fractured two ribs.

The band were due to play the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo on the June 2 and 3.

Copyright [Dave J Hogan/Getty Images]



Announcing the news on their website, promoters Creative Man shared a statement from management, which read: The Stone Roses are very sorry to have to cancel their two proposed concerts at the Budokan.

Reni has had an accidental fall and fractured two ribs, his doctor has told him to rest for at least a month. Unfortunately this means that the band are unable to fulfil their planned performances in Japan.

Though the band have seemingly not commented on the cancellations on social media, the website appears to include comments from the band, which says: Were extremely disappointed to be unable to come to Tokyo for Budokan headline shows. We hope to be able to return to Japan soon.

Copyright [Rob Ball/WireImage]



Were wishing Reni a speedy recovery.

The Stone Roses are due to tour the UK starting on June 15, and its not yet known if these dates will be affected.

They will play:


The official recognition of 'Support Egypt' will allow its MPs to gain control of parliaments 25 committees, for which elections will be held in May

Egypt's parliament speaker Ali Abdel-Al announced during Monday's evening session that the Support Egypt bloc is the first coalition in parliament to be officially recognised by the House.

Abdel-Al stated that the coalition, which is currently made up of 315 MPs, had a total of 337 hopeful members, though the remaining MPs are awaiting approval from their respective parties to join the bloc.

Of the 337 hopeful members, 121 are party members and 216 are independents.

Abdel-Al had disclosed in April that he received requests from around 300 MPs asking for official recognition for the Support Egypt coalition.

Article 99 of the internal bylaws stipulates that for a parliamentary coalition to be officially recognised, it must include no less than 25 percent of MPs, and that they come from at least 10 governorates.

The Support Egypt coalition, widely believed to be loyal to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, was founded by late MP Sameh Seif El-Yazal last November, and is now led by MP Saad El-Gammal, who was a member of former president Hosni Mubaraks now-defunct ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and chairman of the 2005-2010 parliaments Arab Affairs Committee.

The official formation of Support Egypt will allow its MPs to gain control of parliaments 25 committees, for which elections will be held in May.

Two other coalitions are expected to be formed ahead of committee elections; one led by MPs affiliated with the Free Egyptians Party and a number of independents, and another led by the liberal Wafd Party.

A parliamentary bloc called the 25-30 Group  named after the two revolutions of 25 January 2011 and 30 June 2013  also announced that it aims to form a leftist parliamentary coalition.

Egypts parliament is composed of 596 MPs, with around 40 percent affiliated with political parties and 60 percent independents.

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Nairobi (AFP) - The mayor of Burundi's capital on Monday vowed to crush "terrorists" blamed for a spate of weekend grenade attacks that left three people dead and about 20 injured.

Hundreds have been killed and a quarter of a million people have fled Burundi since President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial decision April 2015 to run for a third term, a vote he won amid opposition boycotts in July.

Anti-government protests were brutally quashed and killings and attacks have become a regular feature in the troubled country as a political crisis shows no sign of abating.

Bujumbura mayor Freddy Mbonimpa told AFP that three people had died in the capital since Friday in "terrorist acts targeting peaceful citizens."

"These terrorists are trying to instil panic... we are in the process of breaking up these terrorist groups with the help of the local population," he said.

Grenade attacks in Bujumbura intensified last month after a month-long lull in March.

A grenade blast in a bar on Sunday evening killed one person and injured five others in the working-class district of Bwiza in central Bujumbura.

On Saturday two women died after a grenade was thrown into a small market in the city's north-east. On Friday, eight people were injured in another grenade attack, a police officer said.
With Sharon and Ozzy Osbournes divorce announcement putting an end to 33 years of marriage, heres a look back at the highs and lows of the couples time together.

1970: Sharon was just 18 years old when she met Ozzy. Her father, Don Arden, managed Black Sabbath, the band Ozzy fronted.

NEWS: Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne Are Ending Their 33-Year Marriage

1979: Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath by Arden. Sharon flew to Los Angeles to meet Ozzy and began managing his career and the two started dating.

1982: Ozzy and Sharon marry in Maui, Hawaii on July 4th.

1983 - 1985: They welcome the birth of their children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.

1989: While the previous years had been marred by domestic violence, a serious low-point was reached in August 1989. Ozzy returned home drunk from performing at a music festival and announced, Ive decided you have to go, before trying to strangle Sharon, as she later recalled. Sharon called the police but decided not to press charges. Ozzy spends three months in rehab.

1999: Sharon lost 100 pounds after undergoing lap-band surgery. She later had the band removed.

2002-2005: The Osbournes years. The familys MTV reality television show is one of the networks most successful ever at the time of the first season. It catapults the family, including children Kelly and Jack, into pop-culture stardom.

2002: After Sharon was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, she was upset to see it spread in the summer of 2002. You think nothing will ever happen to you. Youre invincible. Then after you get over the shock and panic, you realize how lucky you are to be alive, she told People magazine at the time. Ozzy was the one who had urged her to get a checkup and told the magazine that he was doing a lot of praying for his wife. Shes my whole world, he said at the time. Shes the best lover Ive ever had, the best friend Ive ever had. She has been my pillar of strength for many years.

2002: By the age of 16, Kelly was taking up to 50 prescription pills a day. She wrote about her addiction in her memoir, Fierce, in 2009. In the book, she said her mothers cancer diagnosis drove her to go overboard with her drug use. I was trying to stay strong so I took Vicodin to hide the terrible sadness, she wrote. But by this point I was waking up and emptying six Vicodin into my hand Soon I was taking 50 pills a day. Most people would overdose on 10. Eventually photographs of Kelly buying drugs were sent to her parents and she entered rehab three different times before getting clean.

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2003: Struggling with the pressures of his familys fame, Jack entered rehab in April and later got candid about his own drug addiction. What no one knew as I was filming the second (season) of The Osbournes was that aged just 16 I was struggling with a serious addiction to a painkiller called Oxycontin or Hillbilly heroin, he said in a British TV interview with Kelly in 2004. My drug taking made me so miserable that just months after this footage was recorded I tried to kill myself.

2012: Just three weeks after the birth of his daughter Pearl, Jack Osbourne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). The devastating blow hurt the family, including Jacks parents who seemingly blamed themselves for his condition. I kept thinking, 'What did I do wrong? What did I eat or drink when I was pregnant? I feel like it was somehow my fault, Sharon told BBC News. Ozzy added, If it was me, youd think, 'Ozzy had a reputation and it caught up with him, but Jack is such a good guy.

MORE: Sharon Osbourne Opens Up About Food Addiction

2012: After learning she was at risk for breast cancer a decade after her first cancer battle, Sharon underwent a preventative double mastectomy. For me, it wasnt a big decision, it was a no-brainer. I didnt want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me, she told Hello! magazine at the time.

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2013: In April 2013, Ozzy took to Facebook to announce that he had resumed his alcohol and drug abuse in the previous 18 months, but was again living sober. Sharon addressed divorce rumors and emphatically denied them on The Talk, where she is a co-host, but admitted Ozzy continued to struggle with sobriety.

2016: Sharon came out as bisexual on her show, The Talk, saying, I always think everybody is gay, so am I. I am not a little bit gay. I am extremely interested in the fact of what I missed out on. But it is too late now.

2016: A source close to the couple confirmed to ET in May that the longtime couple had split after 33 years of marriage. Just a week earlier Sharon had posted a loving pic of her hubby performing in Australia and the two had shared a romantic smooch in a Valentines Day post in February.

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Krispy Kreme coffee

Krispy Kreme just became part of a coffee empire, as the chain doubles down on its own beverage business.

JAB Holding Company, the parent company of coffee brands including Caribou Coffee, Peet's Coffee and Tea, and Keurig Green Mountain, is buying Krispy Kreme Doughnuts for about $1.35 billion.

Even before it struck a deal with a coffee empire, Krispy Kreme was working hard to boost beverage sales, by trying out a new store concept and improving its offerings.

"Coffee changed over time, and we didnt change with it," Krispy Kreme CEO Tony Thompson told Business Insider in December.

In December, coffee made up just 5% of Krispy Kremes sales  a figure that Thompson said the chain hoped to double.

clemmons 1

Last fall, the company opened a coffee shop-inspired location in Clemmons, North Carolina, near the company's headquarters in Winston-Salem. The new prototype is aimed at boosting beverage sales by revamping the customer experience with vintage signs, natural wood, free Wi-Fi, and a redesigned ordering system and seating area.

"Were not trying to go be a Starbucks," Thompson said of the location. "What we want out of this is, people are coming for the donut. We want to attach [coffee]."

Krispy Kreme was rolling out aspects of Clemmons store to other locations, in an attempt to boost coffee sales across the business. The company didn't immediately reply to a request for comment on whether the sale to JAB changes its plans.

The chain is in the process of redesigning locations to better encourage coffee orders, with plans to launch the new ordering system at 70 shops in 2016. New stores and remodeled locations incorporating aspects of the design are expected to open later this year.



krispy kreme doughnuts

Krispy Kreme has said that the drive to boost coffee sales now impacts every aspect of Krispy Kremes business, including store design, deals and promotions, and drive-thru strategy. The menu is also evolving, with a relaunch of the chain's drip coffee this quarter.

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"The approach to coffee, it's not doing one, or two, or three things," Krispy Kremes CFO Price Cooper said in a call with investors in March. "You've got to be comprehensive about that."

Krispy Kreme is never going to become a fully coffee-centric chain like Caribou Coffee or Peet's. The No. 1 sales driver will still be doughnuts, with Thompson saying in a statement that Krispy Kreme remains "focused on our long term strategy and continuing to offer our premium, high-quality doughnuts and sweet treats to consumers around the world."

Still, Krispy Kreme is determined to jump start its coffee business. JAB  a company that wants to create a "global coffee platform"  could be the perfect partner in achieving that goal.

NOW WATCH: Waffle shots are a new delicious way to drink coffee





More From Business Insider


[ Ali Marintzer and Charlie Bator got the prom photo of a lifetime / Facebook]



Mother Nature sure made her presence known in one Colorado couples prom photo as several tornadoes tore through the state Saturday afternoon.

Twelve tornadoes were spotted making their way across the Eastern Plains, tearing up homes and knocking down electric poles along the outskirts of Wray, Colorado. Unafraid, Ali Marintzer all dressed up for prom with her boyfriend, Charlie Bator, got the post dramatic backdrop in her photo as a result.

After realizing the tornado posed no threat, Marintzers mother, Heidi, took the picture of the high school couple, ABC Denver reports. Marintzer then posted the photo to her Facebook page, showing the massive tornado moving behind them in the distance.

Marintzer told KMGH that the tornado which struck about 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) from her home, delayed the prom by about 45 minutes.

The tornado injured at least five people and several buildings were also damaged. NBC News reports.
Tornado sirens were activated in Aurora, Colorado, after spotters saw a rotating thunderstorm moving towards the Denver metro area on Sunday. The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northeastern Colorado earlier today. Sundays storms following a tornado outbreak that hit Wray, Colorado, on Saturday.

This video shows the huge storm cloud over Aurora. Credit: Instagram/Nicole Fabrizio
MARIETTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / Torrid Technologies, Inc., a company based out of Marietta, Georgia, has recently released the 2016.3 version of their award-winning Retirement View software for Mac computers. The new version includes several important enhancements and improvements. The software has been in circulation and consistently updated since 1994 when it first appeared for the Mac operating system.

The software was designed to help individuals plan their retirement, even if they aren't that good with a computer and know little about financial planning. It is also used by financial advisors to create visual retirement plans for their clients. Torrid Technologies founder Tim Turner says, "Our Retirement View software is for anyone concerned about whether they are saving enough for retirement. It's more robust than free internet calculators and way easier to use than most complicated software systems."

Currently, Torrid Tech is offering a free demo of the software from the company's website at http://www.torrid-tech.com. The tool is described as being easy to use, easy to learn, and uses a simple fill-in-the-blank system. It works instantly and accurately to create your retirement saving plans in less than 15 minutes.

The Retirement View software for Mac can be downloaded directly from the Torrid Technologies site for both individuals and financial advisors. From there, potential users of the software can read the reviews of current customers, speak to a member of the team or learn more from their knowledge base.

A unique video tour of the capabilities of the 2016 retirement view software release is also available through the website, providing some insight into the upgrades and additional content which users can benefit from during the retirement planning process. This walks users through entering data such as Social Security, Pensions, investments, benefits, special expenses, and other cash disbursements. It also shows why using a basic online calculator for this type of planning is inefficient and dangerous.

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Price varies between the personal edition, couple's edition, and professional edition, but all versions offer the same colorful graphics, real-time experience, and uncomplicated process to provide users with effortless planning potential. The company invites interested parties to download the trial version and see for themselves how easy it is to build your own retirement plan and take control over your retirement finances.

RetirementView software is available on both Mac and Windows computers, as well as tablets. Consumers use it for do-it-yourself retirement planning for both employees and those already retired. Financial advisors use RetirementView to build retirement plans for clients that they can see and discuss changes to avoid running out of money.

Contact Torrid Technologies, Inc.:

Miji Pearse

888-333-5095 x47

miji@torrid-tech.com

1860 Sandy Plains Rd Ste 204-129 Marietta, GA 30066

SOURCE: Torrid Technologies, Inc.
Spicy beef rendang devoured, your stomachs reeling. Now Mother Natures a callin. But as you stumble into that small stall in Malaysia, you remember that Charmins hard to come by in Southeast Asias public loos. So, like the bold backpackers before you, you brave the built-in water sprayer that hangs next to every porcelain bowl: the bum gun.

The guidelines are simple. Just squat, aim and cleanse  and soon, you too will toss that itchy, fibrous wad we call toilet paper for good. Thats a load of crap, you say? Well, a growing camp of Westerners have already converted to the heavenly hose. Grant Perrott, a 24-year-old electrician from London who used the bum gun throughout Southeast Asia, says its more ergonomic, economical and effective than anything else his posterior has ever encountered: a revolutionary bit of kit with a tender, sweet blast that we wont be able to live without one day. He now passionately believes that well look back on our primitive wiping ways just like we regard ancient civilizations thinking the Earth was a flat surface.

Grimace all you want, but joining the bum gun club comes with plenty of perks. First off, for you tree huggers, its an environmentally friendly alternative to the 50 pounds of toilet paper the average American dumps each year, and that doesnt even count the so-called flushable wipes that are clogging up sewage systems from here to there. Indeed, the bum gun was born of practical considerations; plumbing systems in developing Asia are so basic that a few sheets of tissue can throw them into a clog-and-overflow tizzy, says Bob Clampitt. (He adds that his own stainless-steel hose is downright therapeutic.)

If the bum gun is far less bulky and pretentious than European bidets, its also idiot-proof. Leave the seat-warming, air-drying, Bluetooth-equipped toilets that are far more complicated than they should be to the Japanese: The bum gun is an alternative for derrieres that need quick and easy, not pomp and pampering. And its more sanitary, according to proponents like Conor McMillen. (The handyman, based in Texas, installed his own DIY bum gun in 10 minutes.) As far as your keister goes, water beats paper any day  and for the record, rocks and scissors probably fare much worse.

So ardent are the new bum-gunners that you can now find such attachments for sale in the West. Still, it may be hard to get more people on board. Globetrotter Lauren Manuel McShane refused to touch one when she jetted to Malaysia, complaining about the wet floors that result, the required squatting. Plus, wasting water is a big no-no in drought-ridden areas. Places like dry California may not exactly leap for the idea of a dribbling hose for your fanny. And then there are the woes of wet feet or, even worse, a damp bottom in a business suit. You still have to use one or two squares of paper to dry off if youre in a hurry.

But at least, unlike paper, the water can be treated and reused for multiple bottom washings. One toilet paper roll takes an estimated 37 gallons of water to produce and an additional 1.6 gallons to flush down each wad. So, if you want a happier heinie, the humble bum gun is the clear underdog. It deserves its due recognition on the hygiene scene  and we dont have to take it sitting down.

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The head of medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Saturday Syria's neighbours should keep their borders open to allow people to flee the war-torn country.

"We need to ensure that the border between Syria and other neighbouring countries remains open. It is a lifeline and people should have the right to flee conflicts," Jerome Oberreit told AFP.

He was speaking after more than 28 civilians including women and children were killed in an attack on a camp for displaced Syrians in Idlib province near the closed Turkish border.

He said the incident was "an illustration that the idea of safe zones inside Syria is dangerously false".

MSF has said that last year alone, 94 air strikes and rocket attacks hit 63 hospitals and clinics that it supports in Syria.

Another 12 MSF-supported health facilities were hit this year, Oberreit said, but these were by no means the only ones hit inside the country.

"We are working in a very extreme environment and unfortunately a lot of other structures have been hit that are totally unnoticed," he said.

Just last week, the bombing of the MSF-supported Al-Quds hospital in the northern city of Aleppo left at least 55 people dead, according to the latest toll from MSF.

At least 270,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Syria's five-year war since it started with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in 2011.

Most of the refugees are in neighbouring countries, notably Turkey which has become the biggest host country with between two and 2.5 million Syrians on its soil.

Nearly 1.2 million have taken refuge in Lebanon, according to official sources.

Roughly 630,000 people have moed to Jordan, according to the UNHCR, but the authorities there put their number at more than a million.

Both Jordan and Lebanon now have strict restrictions on the entry of Syrians into their territory.

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Jaffa (Israel) (AFP) - The politically charged trial began Monday of an Israeli soldier accused of shooting dead a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground.

The head of the military court's three-judge panel read out the manslaughter indictment to Elor Azaria, who was clad in his uniform and surrounded by family in the cramped courtroom, an AFP journalist said.

The 19-year-old soldier also faces charges of conduct unbecoming before the court in Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv.

He stated his military ID number and said "I do" when asked if he understood the charges.

Azaria, who also holds French citizenship, shot dead the 21-year-old Palestinian on March 24 in the city of Hebron, in the south of the occupied West Bank.

In a video that was widely circulated following the incident, the Palestinian Abdul Fatah al-Sharif is shown lying on the ground along with another man after being shot and wounded. He had minutes earlier allegedly stabbed and moderately wounded a soldier, according to the army.

Azaria, who was not at the scene during the alleged attack, then appears in the footage and is seen shooting Sharif in the head without any apparent provocation.

The incident came amid a wave of unrest that erupted in October and has so far killed 203 Palestinians and 28 Israelis.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, Israeli authorities say.

Monday's hearing lasted only an hour, with the judges agreeing to a defence request for more time to prepare the case. They also refused a plea to allow the defendant release from his detention for Israeli Independence Day, celebrated this Thursday.

Azaria, who is being detained in a military base during legal procedures, had been granted a weekend last month to celebrate Passover with his family.

The court will hold the next session on May 23.

The case has garnered widespread attention and sparked debate in Israel over a rare case of a soldier being charged with killing an assailant, even if he no longer posed a threat.

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- 'Fingerprints of meddling' -

Azaria's defence team, who say he thought the Palestinian was wearing explosives, said on Monday the trial was tainted by a politicised attempt to produce a conviction.

"We can see crude fingerprints of the highest echelons meddling in the legal process by the means of giving orders to the prosecutors. The prosecution in this case is not independent, attorney Ilan Katz told reporters.

The prosecution, however, stood by the allegation that Azaria acted in severe breach of protocol, reflecting remarks by Israel's military chief as well as the defence minister.

"This trial is about an abnormally severe issue from our perspective - the operationally unjustifiable shooting of a terrorist, who had already been neutralised, in violation of all rules of engagement," prosecutor Nadav Weissman said.

The top brass of the Israeli military have condemned his actions, but rightwing politicians have argued that he has been unfairly treated.

Thousands of people attended a controversial rally in support of Azaria last month.

If Azaria were convicted of manslaughter in the military court, it would be the first time for an Israeli serviceman since 2004, when a soldier was sentenced to eight years in prison for killing British national Tom Hurndall, of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement.

According to Israeli NGO Yesh Din, since 2000 there have been 262 military investigations into Palestinian fatalities, with 22 soldiers charged with offences relating to deaths.
Tribune Publishing shares are down 1.7% in early trading today after the owner of the Los Angeles Times reported that its board has adopted a so-called poison pill defense that could stop Gannetts $400 million (not including debt) takeover effort.

Based on Gannetts approach and continued hostility, the Board is taking prudent measures to protect our shareholders best interests, Tribune CEO Justin Dearborn says. Our Board is unanimous that Gannett will not succeed with its current tactics and low-ball price. Tribune stakeholders deserve better and we are confident that the steps we are taking will create better opportunities for future value than engaging with Gannett under the current circumstances.

The poison pill would kick in if someone buys 20% or more of Tribunes stock. It would give all other investors the right to double their share of the companys equity. The plan will only last a year, the company says, although theres nothing that would prevent it from being renewed.

Gannett says that Tribune is putting up another roadblock to prevent its stockholders from realizing compelling, immediate and certain cash value for their investment. The decision to implement a poison pill is yet another demonstration that Tribunes Board and management team are not listening to its stockholders.

The owner of USA Today has offered $12.25 a share for Tribune. Thats a nearly 63% premium to Tribunes trading price before Gannett publicly announced its proposal.

Gannett is encouraging Tribune shareholders to register their support for a deal by withholding their votes for company directors at the June 2 annual meeting.

On Friday Tribunes No. 2 shareholder, Oaktree Capital, said in an SEC filing that it would be in the best interests of the [company] and its stockholders for [Tribune] to pursue discussions with Gannett to see if an acceptable agreement can be reached for Gannett to acquire [Tribune].

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But Tribune says it has a growth plan would be superior to Gannetts offer.

A major expansion of the L.A. Times and a company-wide shift to digital publishing would help more than offset revenue pressure in the traditional publishing business, Tribune says. It has a clear vision  innovative technologies as well as the experience necessary to execute that strategy.

The company also says Gannett is taking advantage of a dip in Tribunes stock due to the elimination of the dividend and disclosure of a material accounting weakness.

Related stories

Tribune Publishing's No. 2 Shareholder Urges Deal Talks With Gannett

Tribune Publishing Rejects Gannett Offer As It Unveils Plan To Expand L.A. Times

Gannett Asks Tribune Investors To Show Support For A Deal By Withholding Votes
Donald Trump has defended saying that Hillary Clinton enabled her husband's affairs.

Read: Sarah Palin Vows to Destroy House Speaker Paul Ryan's Political Career Over Trump Snub

The GOP front-runner continued his attacks on Clinton as he appeared on CNNs New Day on Monday. He also accused her of playing the womans card in her campaign.

Its only retribution for what she said, Trump said told host Chris Cuomo. She is playing the womens card to the hilt. I mean, I watched over the weekend and everything is about women, and 'Donald Trump raised his voice,' and you know. Its all nonsense.

During a campaign stop in Eugene, Oregon on Friday, Trump stirred the political pot with his comments about Hillary and Bill Clinton.

She's married to a man who was the worst abuser of women in the history of politics. Hillary was an enabler. These women were destroyed not by him but by the way she treated these women horribly. He lied. He was impeached," she said.

Trump had a different take on President Clintons affair in 2008.

Look at the trouble Bill Clinton got into. Something so totally unimportant, they tried to impeach him which was total nonsense, he told CNN in 2008.

Read: Man's Obituary Asks People Not to Vote For Hillary Clinton

But on Monday, his claws were out.

She cant talk about me because nobody respects women more than Donald Trump, he told New Day. I will be better for women by a big factor than Hillary Clinton, who frankly, I dont even think will be good to women.

Trump also called President Bill Clinton "the worst abuser of women."

Watch: Trump's Ancestors Made Wine in a Tiny German Town for 100 Years

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Weve hassled Donald Trump as much as anybody on various aspects of his economic plan. But on taxes, were sticking up for Trump, at least this once.

Trump has drawn fire for  well, for practically everything  but most recently for supposedly changing his story on taxes. The wealthy are willing to pay more, Trump said recently on ABCs This Week. Taxes for the rich will go up somewhat.

Sacre bleu! Higher taxes on anybody is apostasy among hardcore Republicans, and Trumps own plan entails tax cuts for mostly everybody, with nobody targeted for higher taxes. So the predictable reaction to Trump saying he expects higher taxes on the wealthy is that hes flip-flopping now that hes locked up the Republican presidential nomination and no longer has to appease conservative tax hawks.

The plan Trump put out last year mostly called for tax cuts, including lowering the top individual rate from 39.6% to 25% and the corporate rate from 35% to 15%. So isn't he contradicting himself? Not really. In fact, putting Trumps remarks in context makes them seem perfectly rational. Trump was talking about negotiating his tax plan with Congress once he (gulp) becomes president. His premise seems to be that Congress wont simply accept his entire tax plan and vote it into law unchanged. Members of Congress will ask for concessions. Maybe even Democratic members of Congress! In order for President Trump to get what he wants, he may have to give other politicians something they want, and there are a lot of Dems who want to raise taxes on those at the top of the heap.

Trumps critics seem to be freaking out because hes talking about the way legislating actually works, instead of presenting a fantastical non-starter in order to woo voters with simple ideas too good to be true, such as cutting taxes and sitting back as the economy magically grows at twice the normal rate.

Admittedly, such realism does sound unusual coming from Trump, the candidate who wants to force Mexico to pay for a border wall meant to pen in itself, and round up 12 million illegal immigrants as if herding a few head of cattle. But Trump is showing he actually does know something about negotiating: You start by asking for more than you expect to get, while keeping in mind the least youre willing to accept.

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You could argue that Trump has shown his hand too early, by revealing hell accept higher taxes on the wealthy in exchange for other priorities. But Trumps baseline tax plan is almost laughably generous, cutting taxes so much it would add about $1 trillion per year to the national debt. Even with a corollary allowing higher taxes on the rich, Trumps tax plan still fails the plausibility sniff test. He hasnt exactly given away the farm.

Acknowledging he may have to agree to concessions makes the billionaire political outsider seem more realistic than his insider counterparts. It may also earn him slightly better standing with centrists and moderates. Now if only hed do the same thing on free trade, immigration, debt reduction, unemployment, monetary policy.

Rick Newmans latest book is Liberty for All: A Manifesto for Reclaiming Financial and Political Freedom. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.
Megyn Kelly debuted a clip of her eagerly anticipated interview with Donald Trump on Monday.

Read: Trump Defends Calling Hillary Clinton an 'Enabler' Of Her Husband's Affairs

The Fox News host shared the teaser as she appeared on Live! with Kelly and Michael.

In the interview, she asked Trump: "You seem to stay angry for months. Was that real or was that strategy?"

Well, I'm a real person," he responded. "I dont say, Oh gee, I'm angry tonight but tomorrow you're my best friend.

Trump and Kelly sparred following the first GOP debate last August when Trump accused Kelly of treating him unfairly. But they reached a Truce when she recently went to Trump Tower in New York for a meeting.

Read: Read: Sarah Palin Vows to Destroy House Speaker Paul Ryan's Political Career Over Trump Snub

"I have great respect for you that you were able to say, Lets get together. Lets talk," Trump told her in the interview. "For me, I would not have done that."

The full interview will air on the FOX broadcasting network on May 17.

Watch: Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan Skip Daytime Emmy Awards, Win Big Anyway



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Tunis (AFP) - Tunisian security forces used tear gas on Monday against hundreds of people in the southern town of Ben Guerdane protesting against the closure of the border with Libya, officials said.

"Around 1,000 people rallied outside local government offices and set tyres ablaze in protest against a Libyan decision to close the Ras Jedir border crossing," interior ministry spokesman Yasser Mesbah said.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, he added.

Ras Jedir is the main frontier between western Libya and southeastern Tunisia, a region whose economy is largely dependent on cross-border trade, both legal and illegal.

Tunisia's southern provinces are among the poorest in the country.

Since April, Libyan border officials have stopped the flow of merchandise across the border, sparking anger among residents.

A Libyan official, Hafedh Moammar, said at the time that the border was closed amid alleged "harassment" of Libyan travellers and to stop the flow of smuggled fuel.

The governor of the Tunisian town of Medenine, Tahar Matmati, said Libya also wanted to impose a "unified tax" on all products crossing the frontier.

In March, Tunisia closed two border crossings with Libya for two weeks in response to a deadly jihadist attack on Ben Guerdane.

Tunisia has also built a 200-kilometre (125-mile) barrier stretching about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to prevent militants from infiltrating.
A Saudi soldier died in a gun battle with militants in the western Taif region outside Mecca on Sunday, state news agency SPA said.

Two assailants opened fire on a police station before retreating to the mountain village of Thaqeef where the soldier, named as private Saeed al-Harithy, was killed in an exchange of fire, SPA reported.

Troops found an explosive vest and bomb-making material and the security operation was ongoing, the news agency added.

Saudi forces have been caught up in an escalating confrontation with Islamic State (IS) group militants in the last week after troops shot dead two IS group fighters and two others blew themselves up in a raid on their compound outside the holy city of Mecca on Thursday.

Two other IS suspects were killed and a third was wounded in southwestern Bisha province on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, was hit by a spate of deadly attacks on security forces and its Shia Muslim minority last year. IS group's local branches have claimed many of them.

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DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed in two days of fighting between security forces and Kurdish militants in Turkey's southeast, the military said on Monday. Hundreds of soldiers, police officers and militants have been killed since fighting between the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and security forces re-ignited in July, and the conflict is at its deadliest in two decades. Nine PKK members were killed on Sunday in the towns of Nusaybin and Sirnak, the military General Staff said on its website. On Monday, a soldier was killed in clashes in Nusaybin, located at the Syrian border and under a round-the-clock curfew since mid-March, the army said. Fighting continued in both Nusaybin and Sirnak throughout the day, a security source said. The violence wrecked a peace process that was seen as the best chance to solve the PKK's three-decade armed campaign that has claimed more than 40,000 lives. President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to continue security operations until the PKK surrenders. The PKK is classified as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States. European officials have criticized the length of the absolute curfews and the severity of security operations, but the European Court of Human Rights this year dismissed a request for an injunction to lift the curfews. (Reporting by Seyhmus Cakan and Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Don McGahns picture is conspicuously missing from the wall of former commissioners at the Federal Election Commission, and its nowhere on the agencys website.

The former FEC chairmans presence, though, is still felt, nearly three years after he resigned from the commission. Former colleagues and fellow lawyers describe him as a disruptor who proudly upended enforcement policies and contributed to the FECs current gridlocked state.

I came here to work, to change the way the place thinks. I was proven right time and time again by court cases, McGahn told the Center for Public Integrity shortly after stepping down.

McGahn is now a key player for the presidential campaign machine of an even more disruptive Donald  presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump  whos rocketing toward a likely general election showdown with Democrat Hillary Clinton.

But the two Donalds are most curious partners.

Related: Don McGahn summary

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Their working relationships tangled roots reach back decades to Atlantic City, where McGahns powerful uncle represented Trumps business interests  until the alliance cracked in a bitter feud over money.

And the younger McGahn and Trump are hardly ideological soulmates. Trump has repeatedly railed against what he considers the poison of special-interest money in politics, while McGahn is best known for helping special interests play politics with as few restrictions as possible.

Perhaps its a marriage of convenience between a brash billionaire and one of the savviest campaign lawyers his money can buy. Regardless, McGahn is one of a small group of insiders who have been standing at Trumps side since the mogul launched his unlikely, odds-defying bid last June.

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McGahn has up to now operated mostly in the background  neither he nor the Trump organization would comment. But as the Trump campaign prepares its general election battle plan, McGahn, as campaign counsel, will inevitably serve as a powerful weapon in Trumps quest for the Oval Office.

'Like a sledgehammer'

If Trump wins? Previous campaign lawyers to White House contenders have later molded administration policy in important respects. This means one of the nations most polarizing election lawyers could return to center stage  and not just thanks to the classic rock cover band he plays guitar with on weekends.

McGahn was perhaps the most consequential member of the FEC in its history said Jan Witold Baran, a well-regarded Republican election lawyer and co-chairman of the election law and government ethics practice at law firm Wiley Rein. Baran said McGahn checked the authority of the agencys staff and general counsel and used his experience as a lawyer representing clients to win rights for political committees under the FECs jurisdiction, including those the commission is investigating.

FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, a Democratic appointee, who frequently clashed with McGahn while both were on the commission, sees it differently.

He was consequential like a sledgehammer was consequential, she said, adding, he did his best to undermine the law.

Boardwalk to Beltway

McGahn, 47, grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, a place for people who arent afraid to roll the dice.

He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and received his law degree at Widener University in 1994. He worked on campaign and election law at then-Washington powerhouse Patton Boggs and was for a time an in-house lawyer for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the Republican campaign arm for the U.S. House of Representatives.

He has also represented the campaign of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who faced a series of investigations in connection with his handling of political contributions. McGahns wife, Shannon McGahn, now staff director for the House Financial Services Committee, is a former spokeswoman for DeLay, and the former lawmaker attended their 2011 wedding. The couple has two young sons.

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McGahn developed a reputation as an iconoclast: a Republican election lawyer who for a long time wore his shaggy hair long and played a mean Les Paul guitar for Scotts New Band, hitting power chords on everything from Whitesnake to AC/DC.

A beast on stage with skills as sharp as a samurai sword, his band bio boasts.

When President George W. Bush nominated him to the FEC in 2008, some observers criticized McGahn as too partisan, even for an agency whose commissioners were expected to be associated with a party.

Now, of course, McGahn is working for Trump  a candidate whose rise has prompted countless pundits to posit the imminent destruction of the same Republican Party with which McGahn is so closely identified.

One parlor game in legal circles is guessing how Trump and McGahn connected in the first place.

A key clue is pedigree: Don McGahn is just the latest McGahn Trump has turned to for legal help.

Back in the day

In the early 1980s, when Trump was getting into the Atlantic City casino business, projects hinged on navigating the local regulatory process.

Patrick Paddy McGahn, New Jerseys most highly decorated Korean War hero, was a political power broker. Probably the resorts best known and most powerful lawyer, his fees reportedly were the highest in town  $300 an hour  according to the book "Trumped!," by John R. ODonnell, a former president of the Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City.

In 1982, when Trump needed potentially valuable air rights for a casino project, Paddy McGahn pushed approval through in lightning speed and at a minimal price  $100, according to Nelson Johnsons book Boardwalk Empire."

Related: "He was able to get whatever Trump wanted done"

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McGahn was the one who was able to work the crowd and get whatever Trump wanted done, said Don Targan, a personal injury lawyer in Atlantic City who was close friends with Paddy McGahn for decades, until Paddy McGahns death in 2000.

Trump and Paddy McGahn were at one point so close, ODonnell wrote, that Trump named a cocktail lounge in the grand Trump Taj Mahal casino Paddys Saloon.

In the early 1990s, however, Trumps casino empire began to fall apart.

Trump Plazas lawyers, amidst the bankruptcy of their hotel/casino, challenged in federal court both Paddy McGahns bills and the effectiveness of his work.

With hundreds of thousands of dollars and his reputation at stake, Paddy McGahn fought back. Both Targan and McGahns lawyer in the case, Arthur J. Abramowitz, said the late war hero took the case personally.

There was a falling out with a lot of animosity, Abramowitz said. [Paddy McGahn] had a lot of pride in what he did, and when somebody says that you do something not up to standards, I think its more than just denial of a debt.

Abramowitz, who said he also represented other creditors in connection with the Trump bankruptcies, said it is unusual for a debtor to level allegations against a lawyer such as the ones leveled against Paddy McGahn  and McGahn was hit hard by it.

The two sides eventually filed documents with the court saying they had settled the case. The exact terms werent immediately available, but the order approving the settlement said Paddy McGahn was entitled to go back to court if Trump Plaza Associates failed to pay the money owed under the agreement. Both Abramowitz and Targan recall that Paddy McGahn collected a significant settlement from Trump Plaza Associates, though they dont recollect a precise amount.

As for Paddy McGahns nephews current representation of Trump, Targan said, it is amazing to me, and it just happened to be a freak of nature.

Paddy McGahn, Targan added, is probably turning over in his grave.

Odd couple

Most every lawyer says its unfair to assume an attorney shares his or her clients views.

Even so, the disconnect between public stances taken by Trump and those taken by Don McGahn is striking.

McGahn has often cited free speech grounds in opposing restrictions on campaign spending, and hes pushed back against federal enforcement cases, arguing that they could chill political speech.

When elected officials are able to handicap and silence their electoral opponents, they will rarely refrain from doing so, McGahn wrote last year, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece on Clintons campaign finance reform proposals.

McGahn is also known as a strong proponent of political parties.

Trump, in contrast, has called for revamping libel laws to make lawsuits easier to bring, something that makes most free speech proponents look askance. He has also repeatedly criticized the role the Republican National Committee has played in the primary process. He has yet to lay out specific proposals for overhauling the current system for regulating money in politics, but has repeatedly said the status quo breeds corruption.

The system is broken, he said during a Republican debate in March. And frankly, I know the system better than anybody else, and I'm the only one up here that's going to be able to fix that system because that system is wrong.

Trumps assertion is steeped in hyperbole: Theres no way he knows the system as well as McGahn.

From 1999 until 2008, when McGahn was a lawyer for the National Republican Congressional Committee, he was an insiders insider.

Related: "Non-enforcement agency"

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McGahn  together with fellow Republican FEC appointees Caroline Hunter and Matthew Petersen, currently chairman of the commission  then formed a powerful, united voting block from 2008 until he left the FEC to return to private practice at Patton Boggs in 2013. (Hes since jumped to another firm, Jones Day).

McGahns FEC tenure coincided with a series of federal court rulings, including the Supreme Courts 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, which increasingly deregulated how campaign cash may be raised and spent. On a parallel track, McGahn and his allies drove changes in the way the commission did business, especially concerning how they punished  or didnt punish  political actors suspected of violating federal rules and regulations.

Whether you agreed with him or not he was a force to reckon with, said Petersen, who was appointed to the agency at the same time as McGahn and allied with him throughout his tenure.

A force? Yes. A positive force? No, says former FEC general counsel Lawrence M. Noble, who is now general counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that was often at odds with McGahn.

His impact on the agency was to continue moving the agency down the road to where it is today, which is a non-enforcement agency, Noble said, adding that McGahn was continually questioning long-standing interpretations of the law and saying he would not go along with it.

But Michael Toner, a former FEC chairman who is now co-chair of the election law practice at Wiley Rein, praised McGahn as a forceful advocate who really was a driving force in shaping the FECs post-Citizens United form.

He served at a time when there were a lot of changes in the judicial landscape  and the FEC had to grapple with how to proceed, to be blunt," Toner said.

The FEC today, three years after McGahns departure, is known as a reluctant enforcer. The six commissioners, three backed by each political party, are frequently gridlocked and often at each others throats, and the agency is fighting low staff morale. Fines assessed by the agency fell from a high of $6.71 million in fiscal year 2006 to less than $1 million in 2015.

Just like his high-profile client, Trump, McGahn is an iconoclastic lightning rod, not known for backing away from a brawl or breaking bread with opponents afterwards.

I would never have characterized him as a go-along, get-along guy, said Ken Jones, a friend and former colleague of McGahns at the law firm Patton Boggs and a former lawyer for both the Republican National Committee and the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign in 2000.

During McGahns tenure at the FEC, he was a frequent target for watchdog groups who said he was crippling the FECs ability to enforce the law and destroying morale among the agencys staff through his reluctance to proceed with enforcement cases. Noble once described him as a commissioner who did his best to make the FEC dysfunctional.

Doubling down

The Trump campaigns filings with the FEC show it has made more than $833,000 in payments to McGahns firm, Jones Day, since the campaign started.

March brought the firms highest bills yet  nearly $162,000. Last month, the Trump campaign brought on a second Jones Day partner, William McGinley, a colleague of McGahns in the political law practice, to help with its delegate operation.

McGahns portfolio with the Trump campaign clearly goes beyond basic advice on campaign finance.

McGahn beat back an attempt to strip Trumps name from the critical New Hampshire ballot late last year, then stood behind the candidate on a stage in Manchester in February as Trump delivered his first victory speech of the campaign.

He raised concerns with the Nevada Republican Party after Trumps then-rival for the nomination, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, suggested supporters record anything that looks suspicious when entering caucus sites in Nevada.

In a letter, McGahn said the Cruz campaigns recommendation was especially troubling given Senator Cruz and his campaigns track record of election shenanigans, and then went on to a series of bullet points highlighting accusations of dishonesty by the Cruz campaign.

McGahns letter asked the Nevada Republican Party to clarify whether the taping is permissible and make clear that voter intimidation tactics will not be tolerated.

McGahn has also written letters demanding that outside groups, including super PACs, stop raising money using Trumps name and likeness.

In March, McGahn helped organize a meeting between Trump and Republicans, including U.S. Reps. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.; Chris Collins, R-N.Y.; and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., as well as former Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., at the Washington, D.C., offices of Jones Day.

Jones Day is, by some reports, the largest law firm in the country, with nearly 1,700 lawyers. This number includes roughly 250 lawyers in a D.C. office boasting sweeping views of the Capitol. Its endured a series of reports about whether the attention Trump has drawn to the firm would prompt Jones Day to drop Trump as a client.

Not only has that not happened, the ties between the two appear to be solidifying, with McGinley also representing the billionaire businessman. The two lawyers traveled to Florida in April as part of a group representing Trump at a Republican National Committee meeting there.

In the end, though, no one knows exactly what advice McGahn is giving Trump  or whether his client is listening to it.

Related: "Part of Don's job..."

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Former colleague Jones, while stressing that he isnt familiar with the details of McGahns representation of Trump, said part of McGahns job is obviously dealing with the intricacies of arcane campaign finance law.

In addition, part of Dons job is to educate the candidate and the campaign as to what is a good position to take as the Republican front-runner on money and politics, Jones said.

Sometimes, the popular answer may not be the right answer. Theres a difference between making a sound bite about money and politics and truly understanding the interaction between money and politics and the federal government, Jones added.

Brad Smith, a former FEC chairman who now leads the Center for Competitive Politics, a nonprofit that advocates for less campaign finance regulation, said: Lawyers have to represent the interest of your client, but I think good lawyers also try to take on the old term of counselor and counsel their clients as to true long-term interest.

McGahn has never been one to worry about the popular answer.

Whether hell be more willing to have his photograph associated with the Trump campaign than he was with the FEC remains to be seen.

This story was co-published with the Huffington Post, Newsweek and the Press of Atlantic City.

This story is part of Buying of the President 2016. Tracking the candidates, political committees and nonprofits that are making this presidential election the most expensive in history. Click here to read more stories in this investigation.

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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.
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission have asked mobile phone carriers and manufacturers to explain how they release security updates amid mounting concerns over security vulnerabilities, the U.S. agencies said on Monday.

The agencies have written to Apple Inc, AT&T Inc and Alphabet Inc, among others, in order "to better understand, and ultimately to improve, the security of mobile devices," the FCC said.

The FCC sent letters to six mobile phone carriers on security issues, while the FTC ordered eight mobile device manufacturers including BlackBerry Ltd, Microsoft Corp, LG Electronics USA Inc and Samsung Electronics America Inc [SMELA.UL] to disclose "the factors that they consider in deciding whether to patch a vulnerability on a particular mobile device."

The FTC also seeks "detailed data on the specific mobile devices they have offered for sale to consumers since August 2013" and "the vulnerabilities that have affected those devices; and whether and when the company patched such vulnerabilities."

The agencies are opening the inquiry about how mobile carriers and manufacturers handle security updates for mobile devices because consumers and businesses are conducting a growing amount of daily activities on mobile devices and new questions have been raised about how the security of mobile communications.

The "safety of their communications and other personal information is directly related to the security of the devices they use," the FCC said. "There have recently been a growing number of vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems that threaten the security and integrity of a users device."

The FCC said it sent letters to mobile carriers including AT&T, Verizon Communications Inc, Sprint Corp, U.S. Cellular Corp, Tracfone Wireless, which is owned by America Movil SAB, and T-Mobile US, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom, "asking questions about their processes for reviewing and releasing security updates for mobile devices."

Story continues

The companies must respond to the FCC and FTC questions within 45 days.

There were more than 355 million U.S. mobile wireless devices in use in 2014, the FCC said in a December report. The agency said that number had risen to 382 million by mid-2015, citing company disclosures.

The FCC noted that a vulnerability called "Stagefright" in the Android operating system could affect almost 1 billion Android devices globally. Reuters reported in August that Google and Samsung planned to release monthly security fixes for Android phones.

The change came after security researcher Joshua Drake found a vulnerability that could allow attackers to send a special multimedia message to an Android phone and access sensitive content even if the message is unopened.

Google did not immediately comment on Monday. Apple declined to comment.

Consumers may be left unprotected, potentially indefinitely, by any delays in patching vulnerabilities, the FCC said.

John Marinho, vice president for cybersecurity at CTIA, a wireless trade group, said in a statement that "customers security remains a top priority for wireless companies, and there is a very strong partnership among carriers."

(Editing by Bernadette Baum and Matthew Lewis)
(Adds industry reaction, details of inquiries)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission have asked mobile phone carriers and manufacturers to explain how they release security updates amid mounting concerns over security vulnerabilities, the U.S. agencies said on Monday.

The agencies have written to Apple Inc, AT&T Inc and Alphabet Inc, among others, in order "to better understand, and ultimately to improve, the security of mobile devices," the FCC said.

The FCC sent letters to six mobile phone carriers on security issues, while the FTC ordered eight mobile device manufacturers including BlackBerry Ltd, Microsoft Corp , LG Electronics USA Inc and Samsung Electronics America Inc to disclose "the factors that they consider in deciding whether to patch a vulnerability on a particular mobile device."

The FTC also seeks "detailed data on the specific mobile devices they have offered for sale to consumers since August 2013" and "the vulnerabilities that have affected those devices; and whether and when the company patched such vulnerabilities."

The agencies are opening the inquiry about how mobile carriers and manufacturers handle security updates for mobile devices because consumers and businesses are conducting a growing amount of daily activities on mobile devices and new questions have been raised about how the security of mobile communications.

The "safety of their communications and other personal information is directly related to the security of the devices they use," the FCC said. "There have recently been a growing number of vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems that threaten the security and integrity of a user's device."

The FCC said it sent letters to mobile carriers including AT&T, Verizon Communications Inc, Sprint Corp, U.S. Cellular Corp, Tracfone Wireless, which is owned by America Movil SAB, and T-Mobile US, which is owned by Deutsche Telekom, "asking questions about their processes for reviewing and releasing security updates for mobile devices."

Story continues

The companies must respond to the FCC and FTC questions within 45 days.

There were more than 355 million U.S. mobile wireless devices in use in 2014, the FCC said in a December report. The agency said that number had risen to 382 million by mid-2015, citing company disclosures.

The FCC noted that a vulnerability called "Stagefright" in the Android operating system could affect almost 1 billion Android devices globally. Reuters reported in August that Google and Samsung planned to release monthly security fixes for Android phones.

The change came after security researcher Joshua Drake found a vulnerability that could allow attackers to send a special multimedia message to an Android phone and access sensitive content even if the message is unopened.

Google did not immediately comment on Monday. Apple declined to comment.

Consumers may be left unprotected, potentially indefinitely, by any delays in patching vulnerabilities, the FCC said.

John Marinho, vice president for cybersecurity at CTIA, a wireless trade group, said in a statement that "customers' security remains a top priority for wireless companies, and there is a very strong partnership among carriers." (Editing by Bernadette Baum and Matthew Lewis)
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission on Monday wrote to Apple Inc, AT&T Inc, Alphabet Inc , Sprint Corp, Verizon Communications Inc and others, enquiring how they release security updates amid mounting concerns over security vulnerabilities, the agencies said.

The FCC said the joint inquiry by the commissions was "to better understand, and ultimately to improve, the security of mobile devices."

The FCC sent letters to six mobile phone carriers on security issues, while the FTC ordered eight mobile device manufacturers to provide information about how they issue security updates to address vulnerabilities in mobile devices.

The FTC said it sent letters to Apple, Blackberry; Alphabet's Google unit, HTC America Inc. LG Electronics USA Inc.; Microsoft Corp; Motorola Mobility LLC and Samsung Electronics America Inc.

The FTC said the companies must disclose "the factors that they consider in deciding whether to patch a vulnerability on a particular mobile device" and "detailed data on the specific mobile devices they have offered for sale to consumers since August 2013" and "the vulnerabilities that have affected those devices; and whether and when the company patched such vulnerabilities."

The FCC said it sent letters to mobile carriers including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T Mobile, "asking questions about their processes for reviewing and releasing security updates for mobile devices."

The "safety of their communications and other personal information is directly related to the security of the devices they use," the FCC said. "There have recently been a growing number of vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems that threaten the security and integrity of a users device."

Consumers may be left unprotected potentially indefinitely by any delays in patching vulnerabilities, the FCC said.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Brit film financier The Fyzz Facility has inked a deal with The Tea Shop & Film Company producers Mark Lane and James Harris to launch The Fyzz Facility Pictures.

The merger sees Tea Shops Lane and Harris appointed as directors alongside Fyzzs Wayne Marc Godfrey and Robert Jones. The two companies have collaborated on three pics in the last 18 months, including upcoming shark thriller 47 Meters Down, which will be released by the Weinstein Company in North America and eOne in Blighty.

Under the new banner, the team will focus on developing existing and new IP and strive to produce three to five feature films and television productions a year with the support of substantial financial backing.

Since Godfrey (The Usual Suspects) launched The Fyzz Facility in 2010, the outfit has brought more than $85 million of investment into more than 100 feature pics including Jennifer Aniston starrer Cake, Martin Scorseses Silence, toplining Liam Neeson and Robert De Niro starrer Heist.

The financier has also produced features such as A Patch of Fog and The Survivalist.

Tea Shop has produced U.K. fare such as Tower Block and Cockneys vs Zombies and is currently in post on a raft of titles including Orlando Bloom starrer Romans.

Phillip Wealand will also join the new venture, working in The Fyzz Facility development team, headed up by Emma Lamont.

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Richard Gere To Star In Jon Avnet's 'Three Christs'

Production, Film Financing Company Fyzz Facility Opens L.A. Office
WASHINGTON(Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 25 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Sunday, according to the coalition leading the daily operations against the militant group. In a statement released on Monday, the Combined Joint Task Force said 16 strikes near nine Iraqi cities were concentrated near Falluja and Mosul, where they hit six units of Islamic State fighters as well as two dozen rockets and a dozen rocket rails, among other weapons. The strikes also hit a bunker, weapons caches and four tactical units near other cities, including Al Baghdadi, Albu Hayat, Bayji, Habbaniyah, Hit, Kisik and Sultan Abdallah, the task force said. In Syria, nine strikes near Al Shadaddi, Manbij, Mara and Palmyra hit six units of militant fighters as well as six Islamic State fighting positions, four vehicles, an improvised explosive device, and other targets, according to the statement. (Reporting by Washington newsroom)
HARARE (Reuters) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said on Monday up to 4.5 million people, half of Zimbabwe's drought-stricken rural population, will need aid by next March as the agency seeks to plug a funding gap of $290 million for assistance. An El Nino-induced drought has hit southern Africa and cut the output of the staple maize crop. In March, the government said 4 million Zimbabweans required food aid, almost 30 percent of the national population. UNDP resident coordinator Bishow Parajuli told reporters the agency had raised $70 million since President Robert Mugabe's government's government made a plea for aid in February, leaving a $290 million funding gap. "We project the people in need will increase ... to approximately 4.5 million or 49 percent of the rural population during the peak of the lean season from January to March 2017," said Parajuli. U.N. World Food Programme country director Eddie Rowe said Zimbabwe's 2016 maize production forecast would fall below 60 percent of the five-year average. Zimbabwe's average harvest in the last five years has been between 700,000 and 1 million tonnes, against annual consumption of between 1.6 million and 1.8 million tonnes, he said. The International Monetary Fund said last week Zimbabwe's economic difficulties had deepened after drought cut agriculture production and disrupted power generation. (Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Ed Stoddard)
A court in the United Arab Emirates sentenced a man convicted of Islamist militancy to life in prison on Monday, Dubai-based Arabiya TV said, almost a year after his wife was executed for killing an American kindergarten teacher.

The stabbing attack in an Abu Dhabi mall was rare for the UAE, a tourism and economic hub, and her husband - identified by Emirati media by his initials M.A.S. - was arrested and charged with supporting militant groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda.

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(Repeats story originally published on May 6, no changes to headline or text)

By Tom Polansek and Karl Plume

May 6 (Reuters) - Across the U.S. Farm Belt, top grain handlers have banned genetically modified crops that are not approved in all major overseas markets, shaking up a decades-old system that used the world's biggest exporting country as a launchpad for new seeds from companies like Monsanto Co.

Bold yellow signs from global trader Bunge Ltd are posted at U.S. grain elevators barring 19 varieties of GMO corn and soybeans that lack approval in important markets.

CHS Inc, the country's largest farm cooperative, wants companies to keep seeds with new biotech traits off the market until they have full approval from major foreign buyers, Gary Anderson, a senior vice president for CHS, told Reuters.

"I think that would be the safest thing for the supply chain," he said. CHS implemented a policy last year under which it will not sell seeds or buy grain that contains traits lacking approvals needed for export.

The U.S. farm sector is trying to avoid a repeat of the turmoil that occurred in 2013 and 2014, when China turned away boatloads of U.S. corn containing a Syngenta AG trait called Viptera that it had not approved. Viptera corn was engineered to control insects.

Cargill Inc and Archer Daniels Midland Co each said the rejections cost them millions of dollars, and both companies have sued Syngenta for damages. ADM is refusing GMO crops that lack global approval. Cargill did not respond to requests for comment.

The United States is the biggest producer of GMO crops and has long been at the forefront of technology aiming to protect crops against insects or allow them to resist herbicides.

That innovation is now seen as a risk to trade because it is hard to segregate crops containing unapproved traits from the billions of identical-looking bushels exported every year.

Soren Schroder, chief executive officer for Bunge, said the practice of launching GMO seeds without full approval is "very risky."

Story continues

"It's an uncomfortable position for the industry when there are traits out there that haven't had major market approval," he said in an interview.

The latest crop being banned is Monsanto's Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybean, whose seeds are genetically engineered to resist the herbicides glyphosate and dicamba. It is being sold for the first time in the United States and Canada this year despite lacking clearance from the European Union, an important export market for North American soybeans.

Monsanto said it expects EU approval soon. It initially projected farmers would plant the seed on 3 million acres in the United States, roughly 4 percent of overall plantings, and 420,000 acres in Canada.

Plantings have already begun in North America, and Monsanto spokeswoman Trish Jordan said that each passing week without EU authorization lowers the forecast for acreage in Canada.

The company is allowing growers to switch to another variety and has not yet shipped Xtend seeds to farmers who have ordered it in Canada. Monsanto has not publicly lowered its U.S. forecast.

ADM, Bunge and CHS have said they will not accept Xtend soybeans until the trait is fully approved by major markets. Bunge also declined to accept Viptera corn before China cleared it in December 2014.

The company's list of banned traits on its yellow posters contains products from Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow AgroSciences, Stine Seeds, DuPont Pioneer and Bayer, many of which are not commercially available to farmers yet.

CHS has its own list of restricted traits that includes products from Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont Pioneer.

Seed companies, including Syngenta and Dow, are addressing industry concerns by selling biotech products under programs that restrict where growers can deliver their harvests to keep crops out of unapproved markets.

Farmers also produce crops containing biotech traits from Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer under contracts with end users that designate approved locations where they can be delivered.

However, such approaches are not fool-proof methods of protecting the supply chain, Anderson said.

Stine Seed and Bayer said they have policies against selling seed traits that lack approvals in major export markets.

Bayer this week seized on concerns about Monsanto's launch of Xtend soybeans to promote its own brand, LibertyLink.

"Soybeans, once considered such a simple crop to grow and market, is becoming more complicated," Bayer said. It called the situation faced by growers "downright confusing."

(Additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg; Editing by David Gregorio)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Education urged colleges and universities on Monday to remove obstacles that can keep the 70 million Americans with criminal records from seeking higher education.

The call coincided with the department's release of guidelines that encourage schools to look for alternatives to asking about criminal histories during admissions and to take a broader view of individuals' applications.

The move is one way of giving people with criminal records a second chance, Education Secretary John King Jr said.

"Those who paid their debt and served their sentences deserve a chance to learn and thrive, to make their lives better and get back to their communities," he said in a conference call.

King made the announcement at the University of California, Los Angeles. The University of California system does not ask about criminal justice history in its admissions.

King's move comes as President Barack Obama attempts to reform the criminal justice system before he leaves office in January. Despite falling crime rates, more than 2 million Americans are imprisoned, the statement said.

The resource guide calls for delaying any request for information about involvement in the criminal justice system until after an applicant is admitted to the school.

It also urges informing potential students on how to respond to requests about a criminal history and making questions about it more narrowly focused.

The Education Department report includes recommendations on how schools might consider applicants' criminal histories and campus safety without discouraging applications for admission.

King said that the schools should join the federal government, 23 states, more than 100 cities and counties and many businesses that have reconsidered how they use criminal justice records during hiring.

A 2015 study showed that two-thirds of people with felony convictions who started applications at the State University of New York system never finished the process, partly because of requirements for detailing their convictions.

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By contrast, the attrition rate for all applicants was 21 percent.

Terry Hartle, senior vice president for the American Council on Education, which groups about 2,000 two- and four-year colleges and universities, said schools should pay attention to linking social justice issues, like criminal justice reform, to their own standards, such as in the admissions process.

"The department has made a useful contribution to that discussion," Hartle said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Dan Grebler; Editing by Alan Crosby)
By Dan Levine

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Drivers who worked for ride-hailing service Uber [UBER.UL] in California and Massachusetts over the past seven years would have been entitled to an estimated $730 million in expense reimbursements had they been employees rather than contractors, according to court documents made public on Monday.

The figure was calculated by attorneys for drivers in a class action against the company, based on a standard rate for mileage reimbursement set by the U.S. government, and on data provided by Uber. Uber disputes the idea that drivers would ever be entitled to that reimbursement rate.

Uber and smaller rival Lyft are attempting to settle legal actions by drivers who contend they should be classified as employees and therefore entitled to reimbursement for expenses, including gasoline and vehicle maintenance. Drivers currently pay those costs themselves.

The proposed Uber settlement would pay drivers up to $100 million. A San Francisco federal judge must decide whether that deal is fair, and the total potential damages at play in the lawsuit will likely bear on his analysis.

According to attorneys for the drivers, the total value of driver claims in the Uber case is $852 million, which includes a tips claim. Uber calculates the total value of plaintiff claims at $429 million.

The $100 million Uber settlement represents about 12 percent of potential $852 million in damages, or about 23 percent of $429 million.

Lyft had agreed to settle its class action for $12.25 million, but a separate federal judge rejected the deal because it represented only about 9 percent of the potential value of drivers' claims.

While the deal does not elevate drivers to employees, attorneys for drivers have defended it, saying they faced significant risks had the case moved forward. They also say drivers who have worked several months could be entitled to thousands of dollars each under the settlement.

Beyond the money, Uber Technologies Inc also agreed to a new policy governing driver termination, including an appeals process for drivers terminated by Uber. The privately held company will also clarify that drivers do not automatically receive gratuities from their fares and will allow them to solicit tips.

Additionally, the company agreed to assist with the creation of a drivers' association. Those nonmonetary commitments expire in two years.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas, May 9 (Reuters) - On-demand ride companies Uber and Lyft suspended their services in Austin, Texas, on Monday after a stinging loss in a weekend vote where they had spent heavily to repeal a city ordinance requiring them to conduct fingerprint background checks for their drivers.

The defeat in the Texas capital could encourage other cities to back the fingerprint-based criminal background checks, knowing they can survive a bruising political battle, analysts said. Voters in the city of about 900,000 people said by a margin of 56 to 44 percent they wanted the fingerprint checks to stay.

In their efforts to repeal the requirement that was approved by the City Council in December, Uber and Lyft firms contributed about $9 million to a political action group called Ridesharing Works for Austin, finance reports showed.

Their spending, about 85 times larger than their opponents', worked out to more than $200 for each vote they received in support of their losing position.

Uber and Lyft have said their existing background checks are thorough and ensure safety, seeing the fingerprint checks as an unnecessary regulation.

After the results of what was called Proposition 1 in Austin, Lyft said it would halt service on Monday and Uber threatened to. On Monday, both had suspended services, the City of Austin said.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who opposed the move by Uber and Lyft to get rid of fingerprinting, said on Monday the city "remains open to talking with Lyft and Uber whether they are operating in Austin or not."

The Austin election marked the first time a major U.S. city has put the regulations to a vote. The vote was conducted after a petition drive by Ridesharing Works, the political group underwritten by Uber and Lyft.

Other places where the company is battling over fingerprints include Atlanta and Houston.

In April, Uber threatened to leave Houston unless the city dropped the regulation. The city has not backed down, and a study it conducted found background checks by Uber and Lyft often missed felonies, including homicide and sexual assaults.

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The Atlanta City Council postponed a vote planned for early May to further consider a measure to require fingerprinting for ride-hailing service drivers at the city's main airport.

New York is only other major city requiring the fingerprint checks where Uber operates.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Frances Kerry)
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Pension Protection Fund (PPF) first flagged concern about department store BHS's pension scheme in 2012, the fund's chief executive told a joint parliamentary committee on Monday. The 164-store BHS was placed into administration, a form of creditor protection, by owner Retail Acquisitions last month, putting the 88-year-old retailer at risk of disappearing from British shopping streets and jeopardising 11,000 jobs. BHS's pension scheme, which has 20,000 members and a deficit of 571 million pounds, was taken on by the PPF, a so-called lifeboat scheme paid for by a compulsory annual levy on all British pension schemes. PPF CEO Alan Rubenstein told a joint session of parliament's Work and Pensions and Business, Innovation and Skills committees that in March 2012 he passed on intelligence about the BHS scheme to The Pensions Regulator. At that time BHS was owned by retail tycoon Philip Green. "The company (BHS) had been looking at using one of the Arcadia group companies to guarantee the pension fund and had in the end withdrawn that guarantee," Rubenstein said. Arcadia is Green's company that owns several brands, including Topshop. Green owned BHS for 15 years then sold it in March last year to Retail Acquisitions, a group of investors, for a nominal sum of one pound. Rubenstein said the cost to the PPF of closing the BHS pension scheme deficit would be about 270 million pounds based on its 2012 valuation. The 571 million pound deficit figure is based on what an insurance company would pay if it were to buy out the fund. The Pensions Regulator is investigating whether BHS's previous owners sought to avoid their obligations and should be pursued for a contribution to make good the deficit. Lesley Titcomb, CEO of the Pensions Regulator, told the committees it had not accepted a 23-year recovery plan for the BHS scheme it received in August 2013 and was in dialogue with the scheme when it learned of Retail Acquisition's purchase of BHS through the media. It then immediately launched a formal "anti-avoidance" inquiry. The PPF's Rubenstein said a 23-year plan was over twice the normal length of recovery programmes. Titcomb said the regulator was investigating "whether any of the parties connected with all of this, of which there are a large number, have walked away from their responsibilities." She said she expected the investigation to have made significant progress by the end of 2016. "A contribution notice can be enforced through the courts in the same way as any other debt can be enforced," Nicola Parish, the regulator's director of case management, told the committees. "The PPF would be able to pursue that as a debt to the pension scheme." The collapse of BHS is also being investigated by Britain's Insolvency Service. (Reporting by James Davey and Carolyn Cohn)
A team of UK police officers will fly to the Greek island of Kos to renew the search for Ben Needham, the toddler who went missing 25 years ago.

Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on July 24, 1991 while on a trip with his mother and grandparents.

His mother, Kerry, has confirmed that a team of 10 British police officers will travel to the island on Tuesday to find new witnesses in the case.

Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police announced it had secured extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search for Ben, who would now be 26.

The campaign Help Find Ben Needham, headed by his mother, said the officers will urge islanders to come forward with any information which might help the case.

(Bens mother, Kerry Needham)

A police press conference is planned at the farmhouse in Iraklis where Ben went missing.

Ms Needham said: We believe someone on Kos does know something - and if they do please come forward.

It doesnt matter how insignificant they think it is - if they have information let the police know.

(Police search for clues in Kos in 2012)

Funding of 1.1 million has been secured from the Home Office to commit further police resources to the case.

A search of the farmhouse by South Yorkshire Police took place in 2012 and Bens family made an appeal on Greek TV last May.

(An artists impression of what Ben might look like, released by police in 2007)

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said detectives will be actively progressing lines of inquiry, distributing leaflets and posters, and carrying out house-to-house visits in Iraklis in Kos, where Ben was last seen.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said: The lives of Ben Needhams family were ripped apart when he disappeared more than twenty years ago and their determination to find him has not diminished.

They are more desperate than ever to find answers about what happened to him.

(Pictures: PA/Rex)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - A new UN plan to tackle the worst refugee crisis since World War II would aim to resettle at least 10 percent of refugees annually, piling pressure on countries to open up their doors to those fleeing wars and disasters.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined the proposal for a new "global compact on responsibility-sharing" on Monday to address the crisis from the 60 million refugees and displaced people worldwide.

The United Nations hopes that new deal will lift some of the burden on developing countries in the refugee crisis, which has been fueled by the five-year war in Syria and other conflicts.

The proposal calls for resettling at least 10 percent of the global refugee population of 19.6 million annually under a scheme that would be negotiated at the United Nations.

"With equitable responsiblity sharing, there would be no crisis for host countries," Ban said.

"We can afford to help, and we know what we need to do," but too often fear, ignorance and xenophobia get in the way, he said.

The UN plan was put forward as the European Union has been bogged down in disputes over how to deal with its refugee crisis.

An EU deal with Turkey, which has agreed to take back migrants in exchange for a string of concessions, has run into hurdles and the bloc has been haggling over how to share out the burden of resettlements.

More than 184,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea already this year, up from nearly 49,000 for the same four-month period last year as the refugee crisis rages on.

The global compact on refugees is expected to be adopted at a UN summit on September 19, that will be followed on September 20 by a US pledging conference.

President Barack Obama will host that conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting to ask countries to come forward and announce the number of refugees they are willing to take in along with any other support they can offer.

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- Game-changer? -

Amnesty International applauded the proposal, saying it could lay down arrangements for burden-sharing that would reduce overcrowding in refugee camps and could see fewer asylum-seekers making perilous journeys at sea.

"The UN plan could be a game-changer," said Sherif Elsayed-Ali, deputy director of global issues at Amnesty International.

"World leaders cannot go on lurching from crisis to crisis, haggling over numbers and fiddling while parts of the world burn, leaving developing countries to host 86 percent of the world's refugees," he said.

"A comprehensive system that clearly sets out the responsibility of each country before the crisis becomes acute could fix that."

A handful of countries are currently bearing the brunt of the global refugee crisis, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Eight countries host more than half of the world's refugees: Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya and Uganda.

Nine countries plus the European Union pay for 75 percent of the UN's budget to support refugees: the United States, Britain, Japan, Germany, Kuwait, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Netherlands.

Ban is also calling for a new global compact on migration, but has set a two-year deadline to negotiate the terms of those arrangements on regulating migration flows.

The report calls for a UN-led campaign against xenophobia and for a beefing up the UN refugee agency's response plan to better deal with the flow of asylum-seekers.
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.)

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.
Top diplomats will hold talks in Vienna this month aimed at supporting efforts to end the chaos in Libya, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Monday.

On a visit to Tunisia, Gentiloni said he had invited Tunis to join foreign ministers from "the most important countries in the region as well as the main international actors" for talks on Libya due in the Austrian capital later in May.

"A common effort is needed to help the process of bringing stability to Libya," Gentiloni told reporters, adding the invitation had been extended in his name and on behalf of US Secretary of State John Kerry.

A member of the Italian delegation said the meeting would take place on May 16.

The Tunisian foreign ministry confirmed the date, adding it had not yet accepted the invitation.

Foreign powers and Libya's neighbours are supporting efforts by a new unity government to assert its authority in the country, which has been roiled by turmoil since the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi.

Rival forces are vying for control of Libya, with Western nations particularly worried by the rise of a powerful local branch of the jihadist Islamic State group.

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From Harper's BAZAAR

Update, 5/6/2016: Celebrities are hopping on the Snapchat bandwagon by the dozens lately, with innumerable A-listers joining the app since our last update. Here, an upgraded list of the ones you need to be following:

chrissyteigen: From cooking lessons to peeks at baby Luna, life is never boring for Teigen and husband John Legend.

jenatkinhair: The hairstylist for the likes of the Kardashians and Chrissy Teigen shares her adventures with her clients around the world.

KimKardashian: Just when you thought the social media maven couldn't share any more of her life, Kardashian offers an inside look at her beauty routine, exclusive events like the Met Gala and adorable moments with baby North.

ladygaga: Follow for an inside look at the pop star's life-watch out for cameos from fiance Taylor Kinney and her pups Asia and Koji.

khudsnaps: Kate Hudson's masterful impressions and slew of silly voices will put you in a good mood no matter what.

theoliverhudson: Kate Hudson's little brother has no filter or self-consciousness and the wildest imagination we've seen in someone past the age of seven.

Update, 7/22/15: Back in February, David Yi gave BAZAAR his official guide to navigating the world of Snapchat-along with who to follow on the new favorite app. With more celebs, models and bloggers stepping up their snap game, we rounded up the latest must-follow accounts to add to your radar below:

Rickthesizzler: Mega-star Justin Bieber finally gave in last month and shared his Snapchat account with the world-giving all the Bieliebers a firsthand look at his life, from riding around in his custom Maybach, goofing around with his best friends to spending quality time with his little brother Jaxson.

Kylizzlmynizzl: The youngest Jenner, Kylie loves a good Snapchat singalong, you'll find her lip-synching to her favorite tunes while riding around Calabasas, and also glimpses of her supermodel sister Kendall Jenner.

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Rihanna: The account is run by Rihanna's best friend, Leandra Simone, which gives us a real behind-the-scenes look at the pop diva, from her late-night munchie runs to bathing her new puppy.

CalvinHarris: While we're still waiting for a glimpse of life with superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift, for now Harris shows off his funny side, recording humorous moments from a life on the go.

Haileybisboring: Quite the contrary, Hailey Baldwin's snapchat records hilarious moments with her movie-star dad Stephen Baldwin, and dance parties with her crew including Kendall Jenner, Jayden Smith and more.

ChiaraFerragni: It's true the #BlondeSaladNeverStops, see what it's really like to be a blogger, country hopping, attending fabulous parties, and working on photo shoots with major brands and magazines.

Joan_Smalls: From the perfect supermodel selfies, to peeks at life on-set, you won't want to miss a minute of her story.

KellyBellyBoom1: Want to know what it's like to be one of the newest Victoria's Secret angels? Follow the Swedish-born stunner, Kelly Gale, for a look at her workouts and photo shoots with the legendary lingerie brand.

ChelseaLeyland: From working the party circuit and constant travels, get an inside peek as life as a DJ-about-town, plus you can't help but be entertained by her American accent impersonations.

DevWindsor: Top model, Devon Windsor, who splits her time between New York and Los Angeles, loves to bring her Snapchat followers along for the ride.

ShaninaMShaik: The Aussie model also shares a behind-the-scenes look at life on set, where she always has her bulldog, Chopper, by her side.

Jas: She may smize for the camera, but Victoria's Secret angel Jasmine Tookes shows off her fun and goofy side on the app, whether she's hanging at home with model boyfriend Tobias Sorenson (thesorenson87) or girl's night out with Victoria's Secret babes.

Original Post, 2/10/15: If Facebook is where your parents live, and Instagram and Twitter where millennials hang, Snapchat is where kids of Generation Z have gone to seek refuge. The app, which made its debut in 2011, initially attracted teens who wanted their own place in the universe to send everything from silly scribbles to salacious sexts, knowing that they would be purged within seconds.

Today, it's become the most relevant social media platform that's available. Free from intuitive features that readily hand over information into a newsfeed or a home page, the platform isn't the easiest ones to learn. Which makes it cool-like a secret club-for only those "in the know" to understand.

And for adults who have been able to grasp its concept, it's become the speakeasy for social media.

Recently, Snapchat debuted its Discover feed with partners like ESPN, Yahoo News, CNN, Cosmopolitan, Warner Music, among others, a place where users can find breaking news stories updated throughout the day. It's also the same place where Madonna recently premiered her video, "Living for Love" last week. From scripted shows that have already debuted like "Literally Can't Even," to live feeds from events like Sundance or last Sunday's Grammys, Snapchat is proving that it's only getting more relevant and quickly taking over.

If you're still not sold on Snapchat and still a little puzzled as to who to follow-or what it's about-here's BAZAAR's starter kit of the best users who are using the app correctly, and who you need to follow now.

Bobbyhundreds- If you want to see how Snapchat is supposed to be used, there's no one else to follow than Bobby "Hundreds" Kim, co-founder of the Los Angeles streetwear brand, The Hundreds. Kim uses the platform to tell daily stories of his life, from attending influencer conferences with Nasty Gal's Sophia Amoruso, to getting pulled over by cops. Whatever the tale, there's always a takeaway and insight that Kim shares.

psimadethis- Erica Domesek of the popular DIY site, P.S. I Made This, has translated her social media prowess into creating hilarious stories on Snapchat. In one story she's off on an eating sojourn with two friends in Santa Monica. In another, she's watching hot boys eating during a Super Bowl party. It's like watching Domesek's own reality show in real time, and we're completely glued to our phone screens.

Man_Repeller- The always witty Leandra Medine gives you a quirky, behind-the-scenes look at The Man Repeller. Consider Leandra's Snapchats your front row ticket to New York's fashion scene and all things cool.

Diplo- Who doesn't fantasize about hanging with Diplo as their best friend or permanent companion? The swaggy DJ takes insider videos into his jet-setting life where users are able to see him changing (ahem, while shirtless) into his Grammys outfit, to listening to exclusive beats he's working on. Whatever the case, it's obvious that it's Diplo's world, we're only watching (avidly on Snapchat).

Nowthisnews- Founded in 2012, NowThisNews is one of the first and only news outlets that completely lives on social media. With its bold, humorous graphics, it translates easily onto Snapchat as one of the most exciting and insightful news channels germane to this generation.

JeromeJarre- As if becoming one of the world's biggest Vine stars wasn't enough, Jerome Jarre, the 24-year old social media wunderkind, went onto Snapchat last year to do the same thing. Now with millions of followers, you can watch Jarre live Snapchatting from award shows, to hanging with celebs like Robert de Niro and Pharrell.

Hannahbgood- The always fashionable DJ Hannah Bronfman's Snapchats are the perfect balance of her duo life-health/fitness expert and curator of HBFit by day and one of fashion's hottest DJ's by night. From her motivating workouts to her videos from behind the turntables at New York's best parties, her snaps will give you major FOMO.

Frmheadtotoe- YouTube beauty guru, Jen Chae, of the popular channel, Frmheadtotoe, recently amassed over 1 million subscribers. She's since taken that momentum and launched a saccharine but informative Snapchat where users can see what products she's currently using and how she applies makeup. The best part of her Snaps are when she documents each step of her beauty regime from a naked, makeup free face, to full, finished face.

Ryanseacrest- The busiest man in showbiz also has one of the busiest Snapchats around. Seacrest provides an intimate and compelling behind-the-scenes look into his life, from hitting the red carpets, to interviewing your favorite celebrities.

SophiaAmoruso- What is it like to be a #girlboss? From the looks of Amoruso's own Snaps, pretty amazing. The 30-year old doesn't hold back when it comes to filming antics such as using her own hair as sunglasses, or poking fun at herself while riding down a Los Angeles street. Obviously, Amoruso is saying that a #girlboss just wants to have fun.

Ireneisgood- One of the biggest models in South Korea and now a burgeoning street style star stateside, Irene Kim, provides an inside look into the many shoots she's on, to her hair transformations, and her insane outfits she's prepared for New York Fashion Week.

VashtieKola- If you've ever had serious FOMO, now's not the time to follow fashion insider and New York City It Girl, Vashtie. The DJ provides her followers with an intimate look inside the exclusive fashion world and the ins and outs of all things cool.

Atrak- The Canadian DJ takes his followers on a dizzying, 24/7 worldwide adventure, jumping from one continent to another, doing so with style, humor, and frenetic energy.
From Cosmopolitan

Illustrating that he is just as good at playing the media/world at large as the rest of family, Rob Kardashian has just livened up everyone's Friday afternoons by sharing an Instagram which seems to suggest his fiancee Blac Chyna is pregnant. It's an emoji (Kimoji-style, no less) announcement, because of course it is:

Rob's caption is the baby emoji and the wedding emoji; Chyna has also shared the same Insta, with the baby emoji and the party whistle emoji also. Is there anyone still trying to argue that these two aren't the new Kardashian power couple?! Rob had it in him all along.

Update 5/6, 3:30 p.m.: Sources tell TMZ that Chyna is "several months along," leaving us with the wonderful possibility that the keeper of the Kardashian family's name was conceived somewhere along the road trip Rob and Chyna took back from Texas to Los Angeles following her arrest there in January. Both Rob and Chyna are "super excited," TMZ adds.

This post will be updated with further information as it becomes available, once we're all able to breathe and comprehend this.

Follow Alex on Twitter.
By Nick Carey

May 9 (Reuters) - International delivery company UPS is backing a start-up using drones in Rwanda to transport life-saving blood supplies and vaccines, underlining the wide potential for the unmanned aircraft and helping bring package delivery by drone to U.S. consumers a step closer.

U.S. companies are keen to use drones to cut delivery times and costs but hurdles range from smoothing communication between the autonomous robots and airplanes in America's crowded airspace to ensuring battery safety and longevity.

As far back as 2013, online retailer Amazon said it was testing delivery using drones and Alphabet Inc's Google has promised such a service by 2017. Leading retailer Walmart is also testing drones.

But UPS, Walmart, legal experts and consultants say overcoming U.S. regulatory hurdles and concerns over drone safety will require vast amounts of data from real-time use -- with testing in the near-term limited to remote areas of the United States or in other countries.

UPS will provide a grant of $800,000 plus logistical support through the UPS Foundation to a partnership including Gavi, a group providing vaccines to poor countries, and robotics company Zipline International Inc for drone flights in Rwanda starting in August. The drones will deliver blood and vaccines to half the transfusion centers in the country of 11 million people, making deliveries 20 times faster than by land.

"Tens of thousands of hours of flight logged in an environment where it's much easier" to operate will help make package delivery a reality in the United States, Zipline chief executive Keller Rinaudo told reporters at a presentation late last week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has adopted a step-by-step approach to drones, will soon release finalized rules for small drone use that will most likely limit their use to within the "visual line-of-sight" of an operator or observer.

"If you're looking for an economically-efficient way to deliver packages, you'd be better off using a bicycle," said Ryan Calo, an assistant law professor at the University of Washington specializing in robotics.

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"NIGHTMARE SCENARIO"

The hurdles to using drones to deliver packages to consumers include technology, communication, insurance and privacy.

Questions remain about battery life and safety, especially after lithium-ion battery problems resulted in a fire on board a parked Boeing 787 in Boston in 2013.

Safe communication between drones and with airplanes in America's busy airspace is years away. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has been working on a drone traffic management system and will pass its research to the FAA in 2019 for further testing.

In the push for autonomous cars and trucks, companies like Google and Daimler have turned to individual states such as Nevada, which has issued licenses for testing on its roads. But the FAA controls all U.S. airspace, so permits on a state-by-state basis will not suffice for drone testing.

"You really do have to make sure the FAA is in the boat and we are really focused on that piece of it more than anything," said Mark Wallace, UPS' senior vice president for global engineering. As part of its strategy, UPS has invested in Boston-based drone manufacturer CyPhy Works Inc.

UPS will focus on projects like Rwanda and testing drones in remote U.S. areas in the near-term, he added.

Walmart said last year it plans to test drones for package delivery.

The retailer is "more likely to start with short hops" in rural areas, spokesman Dan Toporek said. "It has to happen a step at a time, which will teach us, and will provide insights to the FAA and the public on 'this is how it could work.'"

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. Google referred Reuters to previous statements that the company hopes to operate a delivery service by 2017.

Data from companies like No. 2 U.S. railroad BNSF, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc, could also prove valuable, said Logan Campbell, chief executive of drone consulting firm Aerotas. BNSF has an exemption from the FAA to operate drones out of the line of sight along its rail network.

Campbell said while drone manufacturers would like to see the FAA move faster, the "nightmare scenario" would be if a drone crashed into a manned aircraft.

"We have to get this right," he said. "If we move too fast and there's an accident, it could ruin the entire industry." (Additional reporting by Deborah Todd in San Francisco; editing by Stuart Grudgings.)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced as much as $90 million in funding for projects relating to the design, construction and operation of "integrated bio-refinery facilities."



In a statement at the end of last week, the DOE described the production of biofuels from "sustainable, non-food, domestic biomass resources" as an important part of the administration's aims to cut both carbon emissions and the U.S.'s reliance on foreign oil.





"The domestic bio-industry could play an important part in the growing clean energy economy and in reducing American dependence on imported oil," Lynn Orr, the DOE's under-secretary for science and energy, said in a news release.

"This funding opportunity will support companies that are working to advance current technologies and help them overcome existing challenges in bioenergy so the industry can meet its full potential," Orr added.

The DOE added that the U.S. is currently spending around $1 billion every three days on "imported oil."

According to the Energy Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's estimated that the U.S. could produce over a billion tons of biomass that could be turned into biopower, biofuels and bioproducts.

The importance of biofuels is only set to increase. A 2011 report from the IEA projects that by 2050, biofuels could provide 27 percent of the world's transportation fuel.

As technology advances, new, innovative ways of generating biofuels are being developed. Scottish start-up Celtic Renewables has developed technology to turn the by-products of whisky into a next generation biofuel, while London's bio-bean is looking to turn waste coffee grounds into advanced biofuels.





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What Led Vale SA to Beat Market Expectations in 1Q16?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Balance sheet position

Vale (VALE) ended 1Q16 with $3.8 billion in cash compared to $3.6 billion at the end of 4Q15. Its net debt also increased from $25.2 billion to $27.7 billion. The increase was mainly driven by the impact of the exchange rate on translating Brazilian reals denominated in US dollars (UUP) (USDU). It was also driven by negative free cash flow (or FCF) earned by the company during the quarter.

Negative FCF was mainly due to a $1.3 billion increase in working capital in 1Q16 sequentially. Working capital changes should most likely reverse over the course of the year.

During the call, Vale management maintained that in spite of the increasing prices, we remain fully-committed to the strengthening of our balance sheet through the reduction of our net debt.

Debt repayments coming due

Vale has the following significant debt maturing in the next few years:

$2 billion in 2016

$3.1 billion in 2017

$3.6 billion in 2018

$2.8 billion in 2019

$3.6 billion in 2020

With these debt maturities looming, Vale is aggressively focusing on selling assets. Asset sales that management is now targeting will be over and above the $4 billion, to the $5.5 billion it highlighted in December 2015.

Asset sales

Earlier, Vale was more focused on selling non-core assets such as ships and fertilizers. Now, the core assets for sale could include anything from iron ore to nickel, copper, coal, and fertilizers. The company maintained its debt reduction target of $10 billion.

The company also dismissed press reports that it could be looking to buy assets in the fertilizer business. While Vale has delivered a solid set of numbers and has shown operational performance consistency, investors are still concerned about its high level of leverage in a volatile commodity price (COMT) environment.

Vales drastic measures are not unique. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) and Anglo American (AAUKY) have also decided to sell their assets to reduce their debts. BHP Billiton (BHP) (BBL) and Rio Tinto (RIO) have reduced their dividends (DVY) in a bid to conserve cash.

Story continues

In the final part of our series, well see what Wall Street is saying about Vale after its 1Q16 results.

Continue to Next Part

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[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Sunday's episode of Veep, "The Eagle."]

Let's talk about Splett.

Richard T. Splett (T., though his middle name is actually John) is the latest political lackey to break out on Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Veep.

Last week, Richard (Sam Richardson) told a member of the press to email him at splett2@splettnet.net, adding, "Splett1's my father. I'll be sad to see him go, but it'll be nice to get my hands on that handle."

On Sunday, Richard followed up the joke with the reveal of his blog name, Let's Talk About Splett - which actually exists (and so does the above e-mail, by the way). A quick review of Let's Talk About Splett uncovers Richard-esque blog posts and musings that range from "Spletterings" to rankings of the best brand of apple and the top five episodes from Star Trek: Voyager season two. Plus, his rap voicemail, ripe for a download.

Given Richard's scene-stealing presence this season, it's no wonder the minds behind Veep decided to give the cheery and wide-eyed recount strategist the honor of the Easter egg.

"He's a different kind of energy," showrunner David Mandel tells The Hollywood Reporter. "In a world where the denizens of Selina [Meyer]'s world are vipers, he's a little bit of the bunny rabbit in a viper pit."

A treat for the show's fans, Richard's blog, Let's Talk About Splett, exists in the real world, too.

Richard, who has risen up the ranks since his introduction in season three as one of the incompetent staffers under the charge of Amy Brookheimer (Anna Chlumsky), has made an imprint on President Meyer with his knowledge in the recount process, thanks to his doctorate in electoral law. Newly promoted over former boss Jonah Ryan (Timothy Simons), it seems Richard can do no wrong: On Sunday, he saved the day when he unintentionally discovered the location of the missing ballots Meyer and co. have been hunting for in their quest to clinch the Nevada recount.

Story continues

"Richard as sort of this idiot savant with election law, it has so many rippling effects," Mandel says. "Its effect on Jonah, who is having this great sort of grown-man-throwing-a-six-year-old-hissy-fit, basically, is just a pleasure to watch."

Mandel likens the duo of Richard and Jonah to the 1930s comedy act of Laurel and Hardy: "I would watch a 20-minute short about those two guys trying to paint a house." But so far, it's mostly been Jonah bossing Richard around. What if that were no longer the case?

"Somewhat early on, we came up with the idea of flipping that relationship and having Richard be in charge of Jonah and seeing what that would bring out in Richard, as well as the petulance it would bring out in Jonah," he says. "And I think it worked better than we ever imagined."

Read More: 'Veep' Boss Talks Casting John Slattery and Selena's "Risky" New Romance

"Everybody we ever meet in Washington knows somebody like Jonah, but never fesses up to being Jonah," Mandel says of Ryan, played by Timothy Simons.

Even though Richard is the only one in the group to worship Jonah, he's no dummy. "He's aware that he has something to say about election law," Mandel says. "He doesn't always quite know what he's going to say, but he's not an idiot and that's really important. You do get the sense that he would take a bullet for Jonah, in a way that I'm not sure anyone other than Jonah's mother would, but he's very happy to be having his time in the sun."

As for whether or not the moment will last, Mandel says not to count Jonah's "cockroach-like" nature out.

"It's definitely eating at Jonah's soul, I think it's slowly destroying him," he says. "But as you know, just when you kind of get used to that status quo, things will change and we'll hit you with something else."

And Jonah isn't the only White House staffer to be feeling pangs of jealousy over Selena's shiny new toy.

"His optimist energy interacts really well with a crew of pessimists and 'What's in it for me?'-ists - that's a little bit of a secret to the Richard character," Mandel says.

Bouncing Richard's likable nature off the self-serving interests of Dan Egan (Reid Scott) and Amy - who, spoiler alert, asks Richard in next week's episode: "What is wrong with you, you Paddington Bear-looking f - ?" - was the inspiration for Richard's rise in the ranks.

Read More: 'Veep': New Showrunner Vows to Honor Its Roots, Take Show to a New Place

Jonah Ryan, Richard Splett, Bob "The Eagle" Bradley, Amy Brookheimer and Dan Egan on Veep.

"Richard may actually be, in terms of as human beings, the best of all of them," Mandel says. "He's genuinely kind, he genuinely believes in the political process and that the best candidate should win. He's genuinely loyal and trying to do a good job for the sake of the country."

When tasked with figuring out how to explain to viewers the obscurity of election law amid the recount storyline, Mandel was looking for creative ways to tell "very boring stuff." The idea to make Richard Veep's version of The Big Short's Margot Robbie explaining stock market "shorting" in a bubble bath became appealing. "By putting it in Richard's mouth, we were able to get away with something without putting the audience to sleep," he says. "And having this revelation about this side of Richard, it's giving you these multiple purposes."

So when its Richard - not Amy, Dan or Jonah - who successfully delivers during the tete-a-tete with a party elder when Bob "The Eagle" Bradley (Martin Mull) goes missing, it's infuriating to the others and enjoyable to those watching.

"In every office, there's that one guy that just looks like he's so happy to be there," Mandel says. "Everybody's a little grumpy, hungover or just tired because no one ever gets enough sleep, and it's sort of like, 'Why is that guy so god damn sunny?'"

Despite the obvious threats posed by dismantling the power structure between Richard and Jonah - not to mention what it's doing to Amy, still desperate to claw her way back into Selina's most inner circle - the showrunner assures those rooting for Richard that his hard work won't go unnoticed.

"Dare I say it, if they win the presidency, maybe there's a spot for him," says Mandel about if Richard has any value to Selina when the recount is resolved. "Richard is proving his worth to the administration. I don't think that will be forgotten."

Veep airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO.
* Palm oil rises on improved export demand, bullish data

outlook

* Demand a bigger concern for the market than dry weather

-trader

* Malaysian Palm Oil Board data due May 10, after 0430 GMT

(Updates prices)

By Emily Chow

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Reuters) - Malaysian benchmark palm oil

futures rose on Monday, supported by improved demand and

forecasts that stockpiles will drop on falling production ahead

of a data release from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).

A Reuters poll forecasts Malaysian stockpiles in April will

decline as production slumps versus a year ago. Malaysian

end-stocks may drop 3.5 percent to a 14-month low of 1.82

million tonnes in April, in the absence of a sharp seasonal jump

in output, the poll showed. Output is forecast to rise 8 percent

to 1.32 million tonnes from March, but decline 22 percent

year-on-year.

Official data is scheduled for release on Tuesday.

The palm oil contract for July delivery on the

Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange was 1.3 percent higher at

2,662 ringgit ($664) per tonne at the close of trade.

Traded volumes were 39,693 lots of 25 tonnes each in the

evening, lower than the 2015 daily average of 44,600.

"Buyers are there due to Ramadan, I think May will see some

fairly good demand," said a trader based in Kuala Lumpur.

"While production will rise, end-stocks will be reduced from

current levels. Dry weather is not a factor, demand is the

bigger concern now."

The Muslim holy celebration of Ramadan, which starts in

early June this year, is a month-long event of fasting and

feasting that spurs higher palm oil demand for cooking.

Traders are relying on the festive season to drive higher

palm oil demand. Shipments of palm oil products fell in April as

Malaysia implemented a 5 percent export tax on crude palm oil,

and as China, the world's second-largest palm oil buyer,

favoured soy imports over palm.

In competing vegetable oils, the September soybean oil

contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 1.6

percent, while the Chicago Board of Trade soyoil contract for

Story continues

July gained 0.7 percent.

The offer price for crude palm kernel oil stood at 4910.78

ringgit per tonne (PKO-MYSTH-M1) in the evening, according to

price assessments by Thomson Reuters.

Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1104 GMT:

Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume

MY PALM OIL MAY6 2674 +35.00 2665 2675 55

MY PALM OIL JUN6 2672 +36.00 2661 2680 1609

MY PALM OIL JUL6 2661 +34.00 2655 2673 23214

CHINA PALM OLEIN SEP6 5506 +126.00 5378 5532 140150

8

CHINA SOYOIL SEP6 6236 +96.00 6108 6272 974500

CBOT SOY OIL JUL6 33.29 +8.00 33.06 33.51 11140

INDIA PALM OIL MAY6 560.50 +8.00 555.60 564 2289

INDIA SOYOIL MAY6 652.95 +9.25 648 654 19440

NYMEX CRUDE JUN6 45.46 +0.80 45.00 45.94 132633

Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne

CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound

Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne

India soy oil in Indian rupee per 10 kg

Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel

($1 = 4.0100 ringgit)

($1 = 66.4500 Indian rupees)

($1 = 6.5065 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and

William Hardy)
The first video footage and images have hit the web for one of the most anticipated thrill rides at Shanghai Disneyland: The TRON Lightcycle Power Run.

A video uploaded on YouTube takes viewers on a virtual ride aboard the TRON thrill ride which recreates the Grid universe in a high-speed roller coaster that doubles as the Lightcycle.

Shanghai Disneyland hosted a soft opening over the weekend, with guests posting their experiences on Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean rides.

The park opens June 16.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/RdBjrURwg-Q
Tunisian authorities prevented nearly 2,000 people from travelling abroad to join militant groups in the first three months of this year, interior ministry spokesman Yasser Mesbah said on Monday.

Since January, authorities have also dismantled 33 suspected "terrorist" cells and put on trial 1,400 people accused of belonging to a "terrorist organisation", Mesbah told private radio station Shems FM.

"In 2016, 1,877 Tunisians were prevented from leaving the country to travel to zones of tension," Mesbah said, without identifying these destinations.

Since its 2011 revolution, Tunisia has faced a growing jihadist threat, with the Islamic State group last year claiming a string of deadly attacks on holidaymakers and security forces that killed dozens.

Thousands of Tunisians have joined jihadist groups in conflict zones such as Iraq, Syria and Libya over the past few years.

Mesbah told AFP that most of the suspects prevented from travelling abroad to join militant groups this year were young people aged between 20 and 23 who have been placed under daily surveillance.

In the radio interview, Mesbah said that since January authorities have also carried out 1,733 raids on the homes of people suspected of sheltering "terrorist elements".

During that same period, 140 suspects were arrested in connection with facilitating the travel of would-be militant fighters abroad, he added.

Mesbah said the interior ministry had a string of measures ready to fight "the war against terrorism", and is ready to ensure security at any event including the Jewish Lag BaOmer festival.

The annual gathering, during which pilgrims visit the tombs of revered rabbis and the famed El Ghriba synagogue on the holiday island of Djerba, will take place on May 25 and 26.

Israel on Monday warned of the danger of attacks targeting Jews and urged them to avoid travel to Tunisia.

A 2002 suicide bombing claimed by Al-Qaeda killed 21 people in Djerba, which is home to one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world.

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VW Volkswagen midsize suv body

Volkswagen's new mid-size SUV is progressing towards production.

The company's Chattanooga factory has completed the first test body used to calibrate the SUV production line's tooling and procedures.

To commemorate the occasion, the production facility's staff took a picture with the completed metal bodywork.

VW has been tight lipped about its new SUV. The company has yet to release any detailed technical information on the US-built off-roader.

However, styling for the upcoming model is expected to be based on VW's CrossBlue concept which debuted at the 2013 Detroit auto show.

The new SUV is expected to enter production by the end of the year and reach showrooms in early 2017.

This is welcomed news as the German automaker's namesake brand continues to struggle mightily in a US market that craves SUVs.

For the year, Volkswagen's US sales are down nearly 12%. The only bright spot in VWs portfolio is the compact Tiguan crossover which has seen its sales skyrocket 64% this year.

The current generation Tiguan has been around since 2008 is set to be replaced next year in the US market by a new second generation model.

VW Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept

The as yet unnamed mid-size SUV is one of four new crossovers VW is planning to introduce  to complement the Tiguan and Touareg  over the next few years.

This includes a sub-compact crossover and a compact model that will both slot in below the next generation Tiguan in the model hierarchy. The new mid-size crossover, built exclusively for the US and the China markets, will be positioned between the Tiguan and the Touareg.

VW Volkswagen Crossblue Concept

The new Chattanooga-built SUV will allows VW to recast its capable, but slow-selling Touareg as a niche performance SUV. After all, lurking underneath the Touareg's VW body is a Porsche developed SUV.

At the top of VW brand hierarchy will be the company's flagship SUV based on the T-Prime Concept GTE introduced this month at the Beijing auto show.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: Be sure to learn the actual meaning of these real estate 'code words' before looking for a new place





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What Led Vale SA to Beat Market Expectations in 1Q16?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Analyst recommendations

The Market has given a consensus rating of hold to Vale SA (VALE). Of the 31 analysts covering the stock, 16% have given it a buy recommendation, and 26% have recommended a sell. For Rio Tinto (RIO), 43% of analysts are recommending a buy. For BHP Billiton (BHP) (BBL), 20% of analysts are recommending a buy.

In comparison, Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) has buy recommendations from 11% of analysts covering the stock. The company forms 3.6% of the SPDR S&P Metals and Mining ETF (XME).

Potential downside

The average target price for Vale is $4 compared to its current market price of $5.70. This implies a potential downside of 30%. Scotia Capital issued Vales highest target price of $6, while its lowest target price came from Morgan Stanley at $2.90.

Recommendation changes

Jefferies increased its target price for Vale from $4.50 to $5.50 and maintained its hold rating. It views stronger iron ore prices as a positive.

Morgan Stanley maintained its underweight rating and target price of $2.90, mainly due to leverage concerns.

Clarksons Platou Securities held to its neutral rating and target price of $3.50.

While analysts were happy about Vales strong operational performance, they remain wary of the companys high capex (capital expenditure) requirements as its S11D project ramps up. This is especially true for a company with high financial leverage.

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Here at OZY, we love color. Just look at our homepage: Yellow! Purple! Green! Thats because, ahem, were very stylish people with a discerning eye for design, but its also because we believe certain colors project the kind of energy, optimism and freshness that matches our content. So color us intrigued when we heard British economist Noreena Hertz, the author of Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World, explaining how color can be much more than just a subtle mood enhancer.

In Part 1 of this new video series, Hertz highlights research from around the world that shows how our subconscious reacts to colors in surprising ways. She may cause you to reconsider everything from the color of your shirt to the color of your paperwork to the color of your profile pic. (*Note to OZYs beloved photo team: Can we please buy a red background?)

Related Articles
A candidate for West Virginia state senate was brutally attacked over the weekend when a man wielding brass knuckles blind-sided him at a cookout, police say.

Retired Major Richard Ojeda, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who's challenging the incumbent Democrat, was attending the political function in the town of Logan when a man reportedly asked him for a bumper sticker.

When Ojeda knelt to attach the sticker to the man's car, police say the suspect struck the candidate as many as nine times with brass knuckles, knocking him out.

According to West Virginia State Troopers, the suspect--who's been identified as 41-year-old Jonathan Porter--then climbed into his truck and tried to run over Ojeda.

Bystanders reportedly used their own vehicles to block the suspect from hitting the candidate.

Read: Teen Watched As Her Mother Was Fatally Shot by Estranged Husband Outside School: Friend

Ojeda, 45, was rushed to a trauma unit. He suffered multiple facial fractures and a severe concussion and will require surgery sometime this week, reports WOWK.

While witnesses reportedly told police that Porter used brass knuckles, no evidence of the weapons were found at the scene and Porter denied using them, State Trooper Zachary Holden told NBC News.

Holden said Porter turned himself in after hiding out in the woods for six hours.

Porter is being held on suspicion of malicious assault, malicious attempted assault and felony destruction of property. He is scheduled for arraignment Monday.

Though he's far from recovered, Ojeda has already vowed to continue his fight to represent the people of WV District 7.

Police cited no motive for the attack, but Ojeda appears to believe it was politically driven.

"Sorry for the pic but make no mistake....I am now even more dedicated to the cause," Ojeda wrote in a Facebook post along with a photo of his battered face.

Read: Military Father Surprises His Deaf Daughter By Entering The Room During Their Skype Session

Story continues

"This doesn't scare me and I don't quit! This was premeditated and there was a reason the guy did this. Regardless....if anyone thinks that this will get me to march in line you obviously don't know me very well."

Ojeda is due to go up against incumbent Senator Art Kirkendoll in Tuesday's primary. Kirkendoll condemned the attack in a Facebook post on Sunday.

"I was informed that my opponent was physically assaulted and injured at a political function today. I do not now, nor have I ever, condoned violence.

"It has no place in our political campaigns or in our communities. My and my family's thoughts and prayers are with my opponent and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery."

Watch: Man's Obituary Asks People Not to Vote For Hillary Clinton

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This is the shocking sight of a two-headed cow that has led villagers to label it a sign from God.

The calf has two conjoined heads but only one body and it was declared a godly incarnation by stunned locals after it was born in Udaipur, India.

One villager said: This is a very auspicious sign.

Cow is our mother God and this is a blessing from her.

Vet Dr Sumit Kumar said the animal was a case of one in a million.

Conjoined: The two-headed calf shares one body (Caters)

He added: The newborn has two heads. But the lower body is the same.

In such a case, it is highly unlikely that the calf will survive for too long.

However, the calf has clung on to life - and even appears to be fit and healthy, despite its deformity.

It is currently being kept under observation at a nearby animal facility.

Cows are regarded as the holiest of all animals in Hinduism and are worshipped by followers.
LGBT rights advocate Dan Savage took shock-pundit Ann Coulter to task for demagoguing against transgender people on Friday's episode of Real Time With Bill Maher.

Tr s. In North Carolina, conservative legislators have rushed to pass "bathroom bills" that require transgender people to use bathrooms that reflect their birth gender rather than their gender identity.

On Real Time, Coulter parroted the main talking point for why these laws are necessary: If trans people can use the bathroom of their choosing, straight child molesters will dress up as women and prey on little girls in the restroom.

Source: Associated Press

"It's not that transgender people are going to go and molest children," Coulter said. "It's that once you say that men can go into women's bathrooms ... a child molester now has the right to go into that bathroom."

Sure a cisgender person could pretend to be trans and enter the restroom of a different gender. But as Savage pointed out, someone intent on breaking laws against child molestation probably doesn't have much regard for bathroom restrictions in the first place.

"A child molester doesn't need to put on a dress to enter a bathroom," Savage said. "You can Google 'sexually assaulted in a restroom' and you get thousands of examples of cisgender straight men."

And the reality is that there have been zero reported cases of trans people attacking others in bathrooms.

Source: Elaine Thompson/AP

Savage also noted that conservatives' tactics on trans people  drumming up disgust against sexual minorities  is a longstanding play in the right-wing playbook.

"They couldn't demagogue anymore about gays and lesbians because too many of us are out and too many people know us so they took the same old script  oh they're recruiting children, preying on children, threatening children, creeping in bathrooms," Savage said. "They're just taking that now and applying that to trans women and it's bullshit."

Watch the video below:
These moms have finally found a way to keep their kids quiet.

The children, who featured in an adorable video by make-up artist Stephanie Nadia, were so shocked to see their mothers following makeovers that they couldn't utter a word.

Read: Military Father Surprises His Deaf Daughter By Entering The Room During Their Skype Session

The video shows children, between 18 months and 6 years old, reacting to their moms in full, glamorous make-up for the first time.

One child, Mathias, compared his mom to The Joker -- before correcting himself and saying she looked like Harley Quinn, "which meant beautiful in his eyes," Nadia told InsideEdition.com.

Some of the other children and their dads were simply stunned into silence. "Is that you mommy?" one child asked.

Nadia, a make-up artist from Brooklyn, New York, said she decided to pamper the mothers after creating another video in which she gave couples makeovers to show how they might look when they're old.

"After creating my couples aging video and having an incredible time seeing the couples react to each other's looks, I was curious to see how children would react to a transformation," she told IE.com. "And who better to transform dramatically than their own mothers. I thought it would be perfect, especially since Mother's Day was right around the corner."

Some of the moms were surprised by their looks, too, she said.

Read: Man Proposes To Girlfriend In The Middle of a 'Live Street Art' Photo Shoot

"I intentionally went outside of everyone's comfort zones to see what they thought about these glamorous looks,' she said.

But they all loved the experience, which was a nice break from their hectic days.

"One of my goals, whether they liked the makeup or not, was to make sure they enjoyed the experience," Nadia said. "I think most of them eventually got used to it and ended up loving it even if they weren't sure about it at first. One mother told me the next day her children were asking what happened to her glitter eyes."

Story continues

To see more of Stephanie Nadia's videos, visit her YouTube channel here.

Watch: Model Undergoes Extreme Makeover After Being Rejected From Dating Site
2016 mercury transit timeline

On Monday, the tiniest planet in our solar system is wandering in front of the sun, resulting in a rare seven-and-a-half-hour transit that only occurs 13 times a century.

Mercury began this journey on Monday at 7:12 a.m. ET and will remain in sight until around 2:42 p.m. ET.

The planet will appear as a tiny black speck ambling across the bright face of the sun.

The timeline of the event, as described by Discovery News, is as follows:

First, Mercury will make contact with the corona, the extended outer atmosphere of the sun. This event, called corona contact, is only visible from space. The next four phases of Mercury's trip are categorized into first, second, transit, third, and fourth contacts. Here they are:

First contact: Mercury's edge first touches the edge of the sun. Second contact: Mercury moves entirely onto the suns disc. If youre looking through a telescope as Mercury separates from the suns edge, something called the black drop effect will occur, and a thin line will seem to connect Mercury to space. About four hours later, Mercury reaches what's called the transit midpoint, which is halfway across the face of the sun. Third contact: On its way out, Mercury crosses the edge of the sun, producing another black drop effect. Fourth contact: Mercury exits the face of the sun entirely.

Finally, in its last corona contact, Mercury will leave the suns corona in an event that is, once again, only visible from space.

Nearly everywhere on the globe with the exception of Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and a small area of eastern Asia, will be able see Mercurys transit.

Its a very bad idea to try to watch Mercurys transit with your naked eyes due to the suns harmful ultraviolet rays. But you can watch the event through a telescope or a pair of binoculars, as long as you have a solar filter to avoid damaging your eyes.

Dont have access to a telescope or binoculars with a solar filter? No worries. Slooh Community Observatory is hosting a free, live webcast of the transit from 7 a.m. ET to 2:45 p.m. ET.

Story continues

Check out their live feed below:

NOW WATCH: A super rare event is about to happen in space that we won't see again until 2019





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Bahrain's foreign ministry said Monday that jailed opposition activist Zainab al-Khawaja who is in jail with her toddler will be released for "humanitarian" reasons.

The Shia mother was jailed in March after being convicted of insulting the king by ripping a photograph of him. She kept her son, who is reportedly just over one year old, with her in jail.

The foreign ministry said Khawaja's release will be the result of its follow up on the situation of inmates with foreign citizenship held in "criminal cases."

Zainab, who was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2014, is the daughter of prominent rights activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and also holds Danish nationality.

Another foreign female inmate, whose nationality has not been revealed, will also be released along with her four-year-old son, the ministry said.

"It has been decided that both of them will be released... taking into consideration their situation and humanitarian principles," the ministry said in a statement.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said during a press briefing last month with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry that Khawaja will go home.

Tiny but strategic Bahrain, home base of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, remains deeply divided after authorities crushed a month-old, Shia-led uprising in March 2011.

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This is the extraordinary moment an elephant decided he wanted in on a bit of selfie action by photobombing a young safari tourist.

The huge animal was being papped by a group taking a tour round a wild game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, when it started to walk towards them.

Thomas Chan, 20, from California, USA, was sat in a safari jeep with a guide when the bull elephant approached the convoy.

The majestic beast had been inspecting a nearby van full of students from Thomas university, Azusa Pacific, when he turned his attention to the jeep.

As Thomas sat their stunned, the elephant stood perfectly in the frame for the video selfie, standing less than an arms length away from the cameraman.

And, amazingly, even after getting into shot for a selfie, the elephant appeared to reach out with its trunk so it could have a go operating the camera.



Shocked: Thomas Chan was granted an unbelievable selfie from the photobombing elephant (Caters)

The student described the moment as one of the most adrenaline-fueled events of his life.



He said: I was shocked that I managed to get so close to the elephant, it was complete chance.

"At one point we were so close, I couldve put my hand out and touched it  while I was taking a selfie with it it swung its trunk over, as if to make a grab for the camera, too.

"I have never felt so small and vulnerable  the elephant couldve had its way with us if it wanted to.

"All of the others in the jeep with me were equally frightened and in awe as I was.

"After we got back, my safari guide told me that even she was nervous and unsure of what to do. She said that she wouldnt have known what to do had the elephant charged us.

Thankfully he was only interested in the selfie.
Trump vs Ryan: The presumptive GOP presidential nominee declined to rule out blocking Paul Ryan, the House speaker, from serving as the chairman of the Republican convention. His comments on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday came after Ryan said he couldnt endorse Trumpfor now.

North Korea expels BBC team: Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, a correspondent for the U.K. broadcaster, his producer, Maria Byrne, and Matthew Goddard, the cameraman, were stopped Friday as they were about to leave the country where they had gone to cover a congress of the ruling workers party. They were detained over the weekend, but were taken to airport Monday and expelled.

Panama Papers, contd: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the group that released details of documents belonging to Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the heart of the leaked documents, will release a searchable index of the papers today.

Database @ICIJorg will publish should not be used lightly to attack people but to understand the systemic problems of the offshore world  Marina Walker (@MarinaWalkerG) May 9, 2016

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Juniper Has Disappointing 1Q16: Why Is It Upbeat about 2016?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Juniper acquires BTI Systems

Earlier this year, Juniper Networks (JNPR) announced its intent to acquire optical equipment provider BTI Systems. The joining of Junipers data center switching and IP (Internet Protocol) routing platform with BTIs cloud and metro networking software and systems could transform the packet optical networking segment of the merged entity.

The acquisition will also provide customers with open softwaredriven solutions that are automated, cost-efficient, and highly programmable.

Juniper expects the acquisition to enhance its ability to provide network automation. BTI complements Junipers IP and Ethernet products. This acquisition will also add improved optical capabilities, network management, and automation software. Juniper aims to incorporate these capabilities as well as BTIs team into its switching and routing line.

Telecommunications operators such as Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) are looking to upgrade their networks to provide high broadband speeds of 100 Gbps (gigabytes per second) to customers. During the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference held in March 2016, Juniper mentioned that the acquisition of BTI Systems would help it make enhancements to its MX product line, an essential component in the development of metro networks.

These products and services will be used by cloud and content networks as demand for video streaming, content sharing, and social networks continues to grow. The above chart shows how the cloud and video streaming markets are expected to replace the linear pay-TV market.

Soon after Juniper announced its intent to acquire BTI, Microsoft (MSFT), one of the largest buyers of data center interconnect products, announced an R&D (research and development) collaboration with Inphi. Europes (EFA) Nokia (NOK) acquired Alcatel-Lucent. Hardware giant Cisco (CSCO) announced a number of partnerships with Ericsson (ERIC).

Story continues

Saudis telecom leader chooses Juniper for Internet

In February 2016, Saudi Telecom Company, a leader in providing integrated communication services in Saudi Arabia, chose Juniper Networks (JNPR) to deliver an Internet experience and expand Saudi Telecoms fixed and mobile Internet backbone. This will enable Saudi Telecom to handle services and functions and cater to growing customer demand.

The expansion is expected to provide high-speed Internet access to 3G (third-generation), 4G (fourth-generation), and fixed subscribers throughout the Middle East.

Next, lets see what Juniper is saying about 2016.

Continue to Next Part

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Officials of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point have launched an investigation after 16 African-American women cadets posed with raised fists for a graduation photo.

Read: War Veteran Turned West Virginia State Senate Candidate Is Brutalized in Brass Knuckle Attack

The West Point cadets are now in hot water with some critics saying the photo is a violation of the long tradition and strict rule at the U.S. Military Academy that prohibits any kind of political statement in uniform.

The pose the candidates struck has been used by the Black Lives Matter organization and Beyonce during her controversial Super Bowl performance that some saw as a tribute to the Black Panthers of the 1960s.

The photo was released online last month and has raised eyebrows with comments like: "If their military careers flame out, maybe Beyonce can give these gals jobs on her road crew.

Tony Lombardo, editor of The Army Times, broke the story about the controversial photo.

He told IE: "This is a very serious situation that these women find themselves in. Even if they didn't mean to make a political statement, in the U.S. military you can still get in trouble for this, they could still be charged. It could kill their careers."

Seventeen African-American women are scheduled to graduate later this month. All but one posed for the controversial photo in dress grays.

Read: Watch the Jaw-Dropping Pillow Fight at West Point that Left 24 With Concussions

The women also took another photo that is part of a long tradition known as an Old Corps Pose.

Mary Tobin is a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran who served as a mentor for the cadets.

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"Four years of hard work, would they risk that in one moment in one picture? The answer is no," she said.

A video taken at a West Point concert showed another tradition -- cadets with raised fists during the "Army Strong" theme.

"The fact of the matter is that we raise our fists so much at West Point -- for our teams, our clubs, for any activity. We are very competitive."

In a statement, West Point said: "academy officials are conducting an inquiry into the matter."

Watch: Wendy Williams Slams Giuliani While Defending Beyonce's Performance

Related Articles:
Things are getting meta for White House Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes.

In a profile published last week in the New York Times Magazine, Rhodes  President Barack Obamas top foreign-policy spin doctor  made several jibes at how the media covers the White House. Rhodes boasted in the article about creating an echo chamber in the press to sell the administrations landmark Iran nuclear deal to the public. He derided reporters for their youth and inexperience, and marveled at his own deceit in building public support for a controversial diplomatic agreement with Iran.

Now, after a weekend of criticism against his own admission that he crafted a narrative to support the Iran deal, Rhodes is in damage-control mode. Late Sunday, he took to Medium to issue a new bit of spin to spin himself out of the mess he made in the Times profile.

Rhodes now argues that the Obama administration made no attempt to deceive the public about the diplomatic agreement with Iran, while tacitly apologizing to any reporters he may have offended.

The critical point that the deals opponents are missing in the current debate is that we believed deeply in the case that we were making: about the effectiveness of the deal, about the value of diplomacy, and about the stakes involved, Rhodes wrote. It wasnt spin, its what we believed and continue to believe, and the hallmark of the entire campaign was to push out facts.

The Times article, written by journalist David Samuels, portrayed Rhodes, a once-aspiring novelist, as cleverly exploiting the medias weaknesses in covering international affairs to push the White Houses agenda, particularly on the Iran deal. In one passage, Samuels likens Rhodes to Holden Caulfield, the protagonist from J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye, and said the spin doctors greatest writing was selling a narrative to the Washington press corps and the public at large.

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That Samuels compares Rhodes, who has attained enormous success and power by pushing manufactured talking points, to Caulfield, who famously despises all forms of phoniness, represents one of the profiles great ironies.

The way in which most Americans have heard the story of the Iran deal presented  that the Obama administration began seriously engaging with Iranian officials in 2013 in order to take advantage of a new political reality in Iran, which came about because of elections that brought moderates to power in that country  was largely manufactured for the purpose for selling the deal, Samuels wrote in the profile.

In another widely cited quote from the article, Rhodes and Ned Price, a deputy, derided reporters and bragged to Samuels about having created an echo chamber. The two men implied that the rise of internet journalism and cutbacks in the industry have made journalists easier to manipulate and unable to cover foreign news objectively.

All these newspapers used to have foreign bureaus, Rhodes told Samuels. Now they dont. They call us to explain to them whats happening in Moscow and Cairo. Most of the outlets are reporting on world events from Washington. The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns. Thats a sea change. They literally know nothing.

For the record, this reporter is 27, has reported abroad, and knows considerably more than literally nothing.

Now, Rhodes appears to have realized that it was perhaps less than diplomatic to dismiss the entire press corps as a herd of know-nothings.

[There] was no shortage of good reporting and analysis  positive, negative, and mixed  about the Iran deal. Every press corps that I interacted with vetted that deal as extensively as any other foreign policy initiative of the presidency. A review of the press from that period will find plenty of tough journalism and scrutiny, he wrote on Sunday in a strained attempt to convey the sense that he has a modicum of respect for the free press.

The portrait of Rhodes led Foreign Policys Tom Ricks to describe Rhodes as the asshole who is the presidents foreign policy guru. Other observers have been similarly critical, and as reporters and editors in Washington consider whether Rhodes did in fact pull the wool over their eyes, there will be no small measure of satisfaction in watching this spin doctor try to untangle himself from the web he has spun for himself.

Photo credit:BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
earnest

The White House is scrambling to clean up the political mess created by a New York Times Magazine profile of President Barack Obama's deputy national-security adviser, Ben Rhodes, who offered surprisingly blunt comments about the Iran nuclear deal and other contentious topics.

In the interview, Rhodes was candid about how the administration has sought to shape its foreign policy, and went into some detail about how "Beltway insider" experts and reporters helped the White House sell the Iran nuclear deal to the general public.

The profile has sparked backlash among those who feel that Rhodes admitted to being part of a campaign to "spin" the narrative and deceive Americans into approving the landmark nuclear deal.

Rhodes' comments also angered Washington reporters, whom he characterized as "27-year-olds" who "literally know nothing" or as "handpicked Beltway insiders" who report on the White House uncritically. And he was critical of the Washington foreign-policy establishment, which he apparently refers to as "the Blob."

Rhodes responded to the criticism in a post on Medium published on Monday morning: "How We Advocated for the Iran Deal." In the post, Rhodes defended the strategies the White House used to sell the deal to the general public and protect it from its opponents.

In his daily press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that Rhodes was motivated to discuss the administration's communications strategy further because "there has been an attempt by opponents of the Iran deal to say that the effort to protect the deal was based solely on 'spin.'"

ben rhodes

"I recognize that there is an attempt by those who either lied or got it wrong to re-litigate this fight," Earnest told reporters. But "time and time again, the critics of the deal have been wrong. I think that is an indication that our attempts to protect the agreement were rooted in fact. And that's what Ben wanted to reiterate in his piece."

Story continues

Jonathan Karl, ABC's chief White House correspondent, asked Earnest if it is "the White House view that Hillary Clinton is part of the foreign policy 'Blob'" Rhodes referred to in his interview, which he said was clearly meant as a "derogatory" term.

Earnest replied that he had never heard Rhodes use the term "Blob."

"I'm not even sure what that means," Earnest said.

Earnest also told reporters that Rhodes' comment about the "27-year-old" reporters was "not meant as a put-down" of the White House press corps.

"Based on that reaction I'm confident he would say it differently if he had the chance," Earnest said.

Fox News White House correspondent Kevin Corke later confronted Earnest again about the administration's attempts to sell the Iran deal.

"Can you state categorically that no senior official in this administration has ever lied publicly about any aspect of the Iran nuclear deal?" Corke asked.

"No, Kevin," Earnest replied.

NOW WATCH: OBAMA: This was my worst mistake as president





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Burmas newly installed government is trying to get foreign diplomats to refrain from using the name Rohingya, in the latest blow to the countrys heavily persecuted Muslim group. The move is an apparent bow to pressure from a small but influential ultra-nationalist movement that refuses to recognize the rights of the Rohingya people to belong in Burma.

A spokeswoman for Burmas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aye Aye Soe, told TIME that the government was not objecting [to] the term [Rohingya] but requesting not to use it. The suggestion was made during private courtesy calls between Aung San Suu Kyi  in her role as Minister of Foreign Affairs  and the U.S. Ambassador to Burma Scot Marciel, after the embassy had been targeted by Burmese over its use of the word. Protesters see the term  which means a person of Rohang, the old Muslim term for what is now Arakan state in western Burma  as conferring historical legitimacy on the Muslim presence in the country.

Though the historical origins of the term Rohingya are muddy, many Rohingya families have lived in western Burma for generations and the majority choose this term to describe themselves. However, during the 2014 census, the Rohingya were forced to identify themselves as Bengali  the official term for them  or they would not be registered. They are not recognized as one of the 135 official ethnic groups in the country, and nearly all of the 1.1 million Rohingya are denied citizenship and basic rights.

The U.N. considers the Rohingya, who reside near Burmas border with Bangladesh, to be among the worlds most persecuted minorities, but in most of Burma they are viewed as dangerous interlopers. In western Arakan state, a spate of deadly riots beginning in 2012 between the local Buddhist population and the Muslim Rohingya claimed more than 100 lives and displaced some 140,000 people  mostly Rohingya. Many are still confined to squalid camps where they are denied freedom of movement, education and healthcare. Conditions are so dire that tens of thousands have fled by boat, undertaking perilous voyages in the hands of traffickers in the hope of finding refuge in Muslim-majority Malaysia or other Southeast Asian countries.

Read More: Burmas Hard-Line Buddhists Are Waging a Campaign of Hate That Nobody Can Stop

While the international community has repeatedly urged the government to end persecution and allow the group to call themselves Rohingya if they wish, last weeks advisory signals that the countys new government, led by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, is not inclined toward concessions and will continue to scrub the term from official usage.

Many Buddhists believe the name Rohingya is a political claim that they cannot agree to, according to Ronan Lee, a researcher and former Australian lawmaker who has conducted extensive studies in Arakan state.

The fear among local Arakan communities appears to be that recognizing the rights of the Rohingya would open up Burmas porous border with Bangladesh, and lead to a Muslim incursion in a devoutly Buddhist nation. These fears have been fueled by a burgeoning movement led by hard-line Buddhists, with the support of influential monks, who in recent years have spread pervasive rumors about the Muslim community. The movement even successfully lobbied for the passage of discriminatory laws restricting religious conversion and birthrates, buoyed by a popular belief that Muslims were having too many children and could eventually overtake the Buddhist population.

The issue is so sensitive that there was uproar in late April, when the U.S. embassy in Rangoon issued a statement after at least 22 people, including nine children, died in a boat accident, and expressed condolences to the victims families, who local reports state were from the Rohingya community.

Hundreds of hard-line nationalists, including Buddhist monks, responded with a protest at the embassy, calling on diplomats to stop using what they called a fake term. Marciel in turn told reporters that referring to the Rohingya by their preferred name was not a political decision; its just a normal practice, reiterating that communities anywhere have the ability to decide what they should be called.

Read More: Rohingya Survivors Speak of Their Ordeals as 139 Suspected Graves Are Found in Malaysia

His response didnt satisfy the protesters, members of a nationalist group called the Myanmar National Network. The group says they will continue to protest until the Burmese government publicly condemns the use of the word by foreign officials.

The right to self-identification should not be controversial, says Wai Wai Nu, a renowned Rohingya activist and former political prisoner, who is known as one of the few activists in Burma to speak up on behalf of the beleaguered minority. But the issue has become so volatile that some international actors believe it would best be put aside for pragmatic reasons.

Lee says that while the international communitys use of the term Rohingya has helped bring the issue to the worlds attention, within Burma it could be creating a political roadblock that stands in the way of Arakan states Muslims gaining the human rights and citizenship they are entitled to.

Read More: Burmas Nowhere People

The Burmese government also sees other issues as more pressing. Last year, Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept the polls in a landslide win and assumed power in April, taking over from a military-backed government after decades of authoritarian rule. But the new democratic government has inherited a host of problems including civil war, grinding poverty, rampant corruption and a dysfunctional bureaucracy.

As a new government [we have] thousands of problems to deal with, Win Htein, a member of the ruling partys central committee, told TIME, frustrated by the Rohingya controversy. The Rohingya and [Arakan] state is just one of the problems.

The international community maintains that the plight of the Rohingya is urgent; the U.N. special rapporteur on Burma, Yanghee Lee, has called on the new government to improve the Rohingyas living situation within the first 100 days of its term. So far the government has given no public indication that it is addressing the issue, and Win Htein says that Aung San Suu Kyi is the only one authorized to speak on it.

Read More: Who Is Htin Kyaw, Burmas New President?

To the great disappointment of human rights advocates, she hasnt. David Mathieson, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch in Burma, says that Aung San Suu Kyis silence on the issue could sully her and her governments reputation, urging her to rescind her ministrys request to diplomats.

It will be hard for Suu Kyi to address the Rohingya issue if she refuses to refer to them by their name and continues to kowtow to extremists, Mathieson said, which is what her qualified public statements amount to.
What's Happening with Chinas Weakening PMI?

(Continued from Prior Part)

Importance of PMI

Chinas manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers Index) is an economic indicator that provides advance insight into how an economys manufacturing sector is performing. A reading above 50 indicates that activity is expanding. Below 50 signals a contraction.

The manufacturing PMI is based on five subindexes:

production index

new orders index

employed person index

main raw materials inventory index

supplier delivery time index

Official manufacturing PMI ticked down in April

Chinas official manufacturing PMI for April was 50.1, down from 50.2 in March. This index is released every month by the National Bureau of Statistics of China. It focuses mainly on large Chinese companies. The data indicate that Chinas manufacturing sector is far from revival and confidence among large manufacturers remains weak. This means the government may have to continue to provide stimulus measures to reinforce investor confidence in the economy.

The production index fell to 52.2 in April, from 52.3 in March. The new orders index fell to 51.0 from 51.4 a month ago. The new export orders index came in at 50.1, down from 50.2 in March.

Employment fell at manufacturing firms, and the employed person index fell to 47.8 in April from 48.1 in March. The main raw materials inventory index came in below the threshold at 47.8, from 48.2 a month ago.

Impact on funds

Chinas manufacturing sector is affected by overcapacity and global slowdown. So a fall in PMI may have an adverse impact on the performances of China-focused mutual funds such as the Oberweis China Opportunities Fund (OBCHX) and the Matthews China Investor Fund  Class (MCHFX), which have sizable exposure to the industrials sector. This shows that the slowdown in the manufacturing sector is so deep-rooted that even a government stimulus is showing mediocre results.

These mutual funds are invested in stocks of companies such as Tencent Holdings (TCEHY), JD.com (JD), Vipshop Holdings (VIPS), and NetEase (NTES). The performance of these companies has been adversely impacted by sluggish global demand.

Story continues

Investors can get exposure to Chinese stocks through funds such as the iShares MSCI China (MCHI) and the Deutsche X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China  Class A (ASHR).

In the next article, well look at the Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index.

Continue to Next Part

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Fridays Consumer Pops and Drops: PPC, VSTO, HLF, and POOL

(Continued from Prior Part)

Price movement of Herbalife

Herbalife (HLF) has a market cap of $6.1 billion. HLF rose by 9.1% to close at $63.62 per share on May 6, 2016. The stocks weekly, monthly, and year-to-date (or YTD) price movements were 9.8%, 3.7%, and 18.7%, respectively, on May 6. This means that HLF is trading 8.0% above its 20-day moving average, 8.6% above its 50-day moving average, and 16.1% above its 200-day moving average.

Related ETF and peers

The PowerShares Dynamic Market Portfolio ETF (PWC) invests 0.43% of its holdings in Herbalife. The ETF tracks a quant-selected, tier-weighted index covering the entire US equity market. The YTD price movement of PWC was -3.2% as of May 6, 2016.

The market caps of Herbalifes competitors are as follows:

GNC Holdings (GNC): $1.9 billion

Nu Skin Enterprises (NUS): $2.1 billion

Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM): $22.5 billion

Herbalifes talks with the FTC

Herbalife rose by 9.1% on May 6, 2016, after the announcement that the company is in advanced talks with the US Federal Trade Commission (or FTC) to settle the claims against the company. As per these claims, Herbalife operates as a pyramid scheme.

As per a Herbalife statement, The possible settlement with the FTC would likely include a monetary payment and injunctive and other relief. It also said, a number of material open issues could still prevent a settlement. The company has estimated the fine to be $200 million.

Performance of Herbalife in 1Q16

Herbalife reported fiscal 1Q16 net sales of $1,119.6 million, a rise of 1.3% compared to net sales of $1,105.4 million in fiscal 4Q15. The companys gross profit margin and operating income rose by 0.50% and 24.1%, respectively, in fiscal 1Q16 compared to fiscal 1Q15.

Its net income and EPS (earnings per share) rose to $95.8 million and $1.12, respectively, in fiscal 1Q16, compared to $78.2 million and $0.92, respectively, in fiscal 4Q15.

Story continues

Herbalifes cash and cash equivalents fell by 13.0%, and its inventories rose by 1.4% in fiscal 1Q16 compared to fiscal 4Q15. Its current ratio fell to 1.2x in fiscal 1Q16 compared to 1.5x in fiscal 4Q15.

Projections

The company has made the following projections for fiscal 2Q16:

volume point growth: 1.5%4.5%

net sales growth: 0.0%3.0%

adjusted EPS: $1.10$1.20

capital expenditure: $65.0 million$75.0 million

currency adjusted net sales growth: 5.5%8.5%

currency adjusted EPS: $1.30$1.40

The company has made the following projections for fiscal 2016:

volume point growth: 2.0%5.0%

net sales growth: 1.5%4.5%

adjusted EPS: $4.40$4.75

capital expenditure: $145.0 million$175.0 million

effective tax rate: 28.0%30.0%

currency adjusted net sales growth: 6.0%9.0%

currency adjusted EPS: $5.10$5.45

The guidance for currency adjusted net sales growth and EPS exclude the impact of price increases in its Venezuela operations tied to foreign exchange movements.

In the next part, well look at Pool Corporation.

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Understanding the Strategic Importance of Freeports Asset Sales

(Continued from Prior Part)

Grasberg mine

A stake sale in Indonesia was one of the ways through which Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) intended to raise cash. According to Freeport-McMoRans agreement with Indonesias government, over time, it needs to divest a 20.6% stake in the Indonesia operations to the government or its citizens.

In its 4Q15 earnings conference call, Freeport-McMoRan noted it has submitted the valuation of the Indonesian (EIDO) operations to the government. The company valued the Indonesia operations at ~$17 billion. Freeports Indonesia operations, where Rio Tinto (RIO) (TRQ) is its partner, is one of the most sought-after assets in Freeports portfolio.

Valuation differences

However, recent industry reports suggest that the Indonesian government is valuing the Freeports Indonesia operations at only a fraction of what Freeport proposed. While Freeport had proposed a valuation of $1.7 billion for ~10.6% stake in the Indonesia operations, the Indonesian government is valuing it at only $630 million.

According to Freeport, it wants the asset to be valued at fair market value, but the Indonesian government is valuing the asset on replacement cost. According to Freeport, its in talks with the government to settle these issues amicably. However, the company said it could look at international arbitration over this issue, as it has no obligation to divest the stake in Indonesia.

Wild card

Indonesia operations are a wild card for Freeport. If the company manages to get an IPO of its Indonesia operations at valuation levels near what its management guided in the 4Q15 earnings call, it could go a long way in restoring investor confidence. Higher valuation for the Indonesia operations would not only help it raise more cash but also support Freeports valuation multiples.

But then, valuation is not the only issue facing Freeports Indonesia operations. You can read about the other issues in Key Issues facing Freeport-McMoRans Indonesia Operations.

Story continues

In the next part of this series, well see if selling copper assets is the correct strategy for Freeport.

You can also consider the Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) to get a diversified exposure to the materials sector. Together, Freeport and Newmont Mining (NEM) form ~6.4% of XLBs portfolio.

Continue to Next Part

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A US-led coalition air strike has killed a senior Islamic State group leader in Iraq's Anbar province, along with three other IS group militants, the Pentagon said Monday.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the May 6 strike near the town of Rutba -- deep in the Anbar desert -- targeted Abu Wahib, IS's "military emir" for the vast western province.

Wahib was "a former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in ISIL execution videos," Cook said, using an acronym for the IS group.

"We view him as a significant leader in ISIL leadership overall, not just in Anbar Province," he added. "Removing him from the battlefield will be a significant step forward."

The men were traveling in a vehicle when they were hit. Cook provided no additional details and did not specify if a warplane or a drone had carried out the strike.

The killing of Wahib is the latest in a series of attacks on senior IS group leaders in Iraq and Syria, where the militants still control huge tracts of land despite an intense US-led air campaign dating back to August 2014.

Some other recent targets include Suleiman Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, an "ISIL war council member," Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli -- the IS group's second-in-command also known as Haji Imam -- and Omar al-Shishani, the man known as "Omar the Chechen," who was effectively IS's defense minister.

In February, US special operations forces captured Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, who was described as a chemical weapons expert.

"Since the start of 2015, we've targeted and killed more than 40 high-value ISIL and Al-Qaeda external attack plotters. We have removed cell leaders, facilitators, planners and recruiters," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren wrote online last week.

Despite many significant coalition gains against the IS group, the militants still control the key cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, and assaults to recapture the towns are not expected for months.

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Fort McMurray (Canada) (AFP) - Fort McMurray is largely intact despite a week of damage from the wildfires devastating Canada's oil sands region, Alberta's premier said after touring the ghost town.

Firefighters warned, however, that the tens of thousands of evacuated residents would not be able to return for at least two weeks.

"It was a miracle we got the entire population out safely," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley told reporters.

"Equally miraculous... the fast action and the hard work and dedication and the smarts of the first responders has, it appears, saved 90 percent of the city of Fort McMurray."

Notley commented after getting a first look at damage caused by the inferno more than a week after it began, forcing some 100,000 people to flee. Many are workers lured from around the world by the local oil boom.

But with much work required to restore water, electricity, gas and other key infrastructure, fire chief Darby Allen said authorities would need two weeks before being able to provide a timeline for when the first residents would be allowed back home.

"If that fire had gotten into downtown, we would have lost the downtown area," he said.

Notley said she was "very much struck by the power of the devastation of the fire."

"The city was surrounded by an ocean of fire only a few days ago... It was quite overwhelming in some spots," she said.

"I will also say that I was similarly struck by the proximity of the devastation to neighborhoods that were untouched."

Some 2,000 homes were destroyed by the blaze that began in the forests west of the city but hundreds others were spared -- including the hospital and most of the schools, Notley said. Smoke was still rising from the ruins.

Despite the good news, the fire was still advancing to the east and has ravaged more than 200,000 hectares (494,200 acres) of forest, said Chad Morrison, senior wildfire manager for Alberta.

Story continues

"We expect cooler temperatures the next two days to continue to help us to have success in the communities and areas," he added.

In total, 700 firefighters were on hand to battle the blaze, as well as 20 helicopters and 27 air tankers.

With the extra help, crews are now expected to turn their attention to the oil facilities that are the economic lifeblood of western Alberta province.

Damages and losses according to initial estimates total some $9 billion.

- Thousands homeless -

Frustration mounted among evacuees crammed into shelters after a traumatic flight from the oil city.

At the closest evacuation center to the fires, in Lac La Biche, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of Fort McMurray, security was doubled overnight and entry has become more tightly controlled.

"People are tired, they're frustrated, they feel helpless, and sometimes they just lash out," said security guard Mustafa Abraham.

Abraham said half a dozen people had been briefly taken into custody by municipal peace officers and security guards, mostly for drunkenness or unruliness.

Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale urged evacuees to be patient.

"The recovery here is not going to be quick and it's not going to be easy. It will be essential to make sure that can be done safely," he said.

While flames largely spared the downtown area, residential areas, particularly to the west and north of Fort McMurray, have been devastated, said officials. Thousands have been left homeless.

- Financial aid -

For thousands forced to clear out from the city about a week ago, university dorms, youth hostels and camp grounds -- or even parking lots -- are now home, in many cases hundreds of kilometers (miles) from Fort McMurray.

Another problem is providing schooling to the children affected by the disaster, which threatens to continue for weeks and maybe months.

On Monday, Alberta's capital city Edmonton and its largest city Calgary, offered a total 12,000 spots in their schools for children who evacuated Fort McMurray.

Some five tonnes of vital food supplies were airlifted by helicopter to an indigenous community to the southeast of Fort McMurray.

In a bit of good news, evacuees were finally set to receive financial aid: $1,250 for each adult and $500 per dependent to tide families over until they can access their own financial resources.

Insurance companies, meanwhile, have said they will also work to make funds available quickly for claims over losses sustained in the disaster.
From Cosmopolitan

Charla Nash, a 62-year-old woman who was attacked by a chimpanzee in 2009, received a full-face transplant in 2011. But now, her new face has landed her in the hospital again, the New York Times reports.

Luckily, the complications seem to be moderate, and she isn't at risk of losing her face. Nash was taking part in a study to figure out whether she could be taken off her anti-rejection drugs. After more than a year in the study, her immune system started to reject her transplanted face. She has now been removed from the study and has resumed her current medications; she will likely leave the hospital in the next two days.

Nash explained in a statement that she doesn't even feel ill, and hopes she can still take part in future research around patients like her:

I appreciate everyone's concern. I feel perfect. I didn't even know I was having a rejection episode. While I am disappointed that I cannot continue in the research project, I am proud of my contributions to date, and am hopeful that it will help those wounded serving our country, and others needing transplants in the future.

According to Today.com, anti-rejection medication can have serious effects like cancer, infections, and kidney damage. The military-funded study's goal was to help veterans who need transplants after they come home from war.

Follow Megan on Twitter.
Geneva (AFP) - Legislation against the promotion of breast milk substitutes must be significantly tightened if global efforts to encourage breast feeding are to succeed, a UN report warned Monday.

It is widely recognised that breastfeeding carries huge health benefits, but countries' failure to crack down on the marketing of substitutes means far too many children are still being reared on formula, said the World Health Organization, the UN children's agency UNICEF and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN).

"There are still far too many places where mothers are inundated with incorrect and biased information through advertising and unsubstantiated health claims," warned Francesco Branca, head of WHO's Nutrition for Health and Development department.

"This can distort parents' perceptions and undermine their confidence in breastfeeding, with the result that far too many children miss out on its many benefits," he said in a statement.

Experts have long extolled the health benefits of breastfeeding, pointing out that breastfed children are healthier, perform better on intelligence tests and are less likely to be overweight or suffer from diabetes later in life.

Women who breastfeed also have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, research shows.

A study in the Lancet medical journal earlier this year estimated that more than 800,000 child deaths and 20,000 breast cancer deaths could be averted every year if more babies were breastfed for longer.

- Industry pressure -

WHO and UNICEF recommend babies have nothing but breast milk for the first six months, after which they should continue to breastfeed alongside other safe and nutritionally-adequate foods until they are at least two.

But in spite of the clear advantages, only about one child in three is exclusively breastfed for the first half year of life -- a rate that has not improved in two decades.

Countries have agreed to try to push that number up to at least 50 percent by 2025, but pressure from a growing breast-milk substitute industry is complicating those efforts.

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The industry today rakes in sales of nearly $45 billion annually -- a figure which is projected to grow to $70 billion by 2019.

Of the 194 countries studied, 135 had some form of legal measures linked to the WHO's International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.

That was a clear improvement from 103 countries in 2011, but the report showed only 39 of them covered all the Code's recommendations, including banning all advertising and sample hand-outs of breast-milk substitutes, bans on labels making nutritional or health claims and requiring products to inform consumers of the superiority of breastfeeding over formula.

- 'Fudging the truth' -

And the world's wealthiest countries, which are often the most business-friendly, tend to have the weakest legislation.

Only six percent of European countries provide comprehensive legislation and most have just a few laws.

The United States, Australia and New Zealand meanwhile had no legal measures at all, the report said.

At the other end of the scale, a full 36 percent of countries in Southeast Asia had laws covering all the recommendations in the Code, followed by Africa at 30 percent and the Eastern Mediterranean region at 29 percent, the report showed.

"Clever marketing should not be allowed to fudge the truth that there is no equal substitute for a mother's own milk," UNICEF nutrition chief Werner Schultink said in the statement.
A feminist author hit back Monday at Pakistan for censoring her article on Muslim women and sex, saying the ban exposed the depth of gender discrimination in the deeply conservative Islamic country.

Egyptian-American Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning journalist who is a vocal public speaker on women's rights, penned a opinion column entitled "Sex Talk for Muslim Women" that ran in Friday's edition of the International New York Times.

The article was available online in Pakistan, but the newspaper version, published by the local Express Tribune, featured a blank spot in the opinion pages where Eltahawy's article had been.

Eltahawy told AFP that the decision to ban her article exposes that authorities think a woman "who claims ownership over her body is dangerous... and must be silenced".

"You can't afford to publish such controversial articles about Islam," a senior source at the Express Tribune told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked about Eltahawy's article.

In the piece, Eltahawy discussed her decision to have sex before marriage in defiance of her own upbringing and faith, and detailed her many conversations with other women of Muslim and Arab descent suffering under the "sexual straitjacket" of virginity imposed on them by men.

"Where are the stories on women's sexual frustrations and experiences?" she wrote.

"My revolution has been to develop from a 29-year-old virgin to the 49-year-old woman who now declares, on any platform I get: It is I who own my body. Not the state, the mosque, the street or my family. And it is my right to have sex whenever, and with whomever, I choose."

- 'Taboo and shame' -

Women have fought for decades to establish rights for themselves in Pakistan, where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.

Last week a teenage girl in the country's northwest was strangled and her body set ablaze after a village council ruled she must die for helping a friend to elope. The killing sparked fresh anger from rights activists.

Story continues

Eltahawy said the censorship showed "a woman who disobeys and who openly claims sexual liberation and pleasure is dangerous and must be silenced".

She cited backlash in the country to Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Oscar win in February for a documentary about honour killings.

"So many Pakistanis attacked her for making Pakistan 'look bad' and not enough attacked what is actually making Pakistan look bad: men who are ready to kill women for daring to believe they have the right to consent and agency over their bodies."

Conversations about Muslim women and sex must be had, she said, adding she was unaware if the article had been censored in any other country.

"That sex is happening but shrouded in taboo and shame... As women of colour and women of faith, we need to see women who look like us. Sex positivity isn't the domain just of white feminism."

But, she said a recent trip to Lahore for a literary festival introduced her to "wonderful young feminists" who "keep my tenacious optimism intact".

"The more feminists such as the ones I met push, the greater the space they'll create for everyone."
Speculation about who will be sitting on this years X Factor judging panel is growing week-by-week, with no official confirmation about whos signing up after Nick Grimshaw and Cheryl quit.

Former judges Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh have all been highly rumoured to return to the show, though things with Nicole have hit a stumbling block as shes due to appear in a Broadway production of Cats.

Now, reports are claiming that Simon Cowell is willing to spend big to get these three back, and that he has significantly upped a deal for Nicole to convince her to return.

A source told the Daily Star: ITV bosses, Simon, Sharon and Louis all agree Nicole would be the perfect person to join the line-up.



Not only is she glamorous and gorgeous, which obviously helps with the press, she also gets on well with everyone. Nicole and Sharon are good friends, and Louis and Simon are both big fans.

Nicole, Louis and Sharon were previously on the panel together with Gary Barlow. Copyright [Tom Dymond/Thames/REX/Shutterstock]



Its claimed that Sharon and Louis have verbally agreed to return if theyre happy with the fourth judge, though they havent signed anything yet.

The paper claims Rita Ora is also in discussions, with the source adding: Nothing is a done deal at the moment but it is looking like a two-horse race between Nicole and Rita for the fourth judge.

Rita won with Louisa Johnson in 2015. Copyright [Syco/Thames/Corbis/Chapple]



The problem with Nicole is she is supposed to be starring in Cats. I guess it depends if she has already signed a contract or, if she has signed, whether she can change it.

A spokesman said no decisions have been made yet, so for now, well just have to watch this space.
On Monday, May 9, 2016, as Donald Trump  the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican party pivots his campaign toward the general election, he has stepped up barbs aimed at his presumed Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Trump is meeting with Speaker of the House Paul Ryan this week. Ryan made news last week when he announced he wasnt yet ready to support the Trump campaign. Trump is also drawing attention for recent changes in his espoused tax policy: now saying he would raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Yahoo News Live guest host Paul Beban will speak with the Trump campaigns national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson about all of this latest news surrounding Donald Trump.
Can Yamanas 2016 Initiatives Restore Investor Confidence?

Earnings slightly beat expectations

Yamana Gold (AUY) released its fiscal 1Q16 results on May 4, 2016, after the Market closed. It held the conference call the next day. The company reported EPS (earnings per share) of $0.03, which is ahead of consensus expectations of $0.00. Improved overhead costs, depreciation, and deferred income tax benefits were the main reasons driving the beat.

Yamana Golds outperformance in the gold sector

Yamanas stock price reacted positively to the earnings release and management commentary. The stock closed 6.6% higher on May 5, 2016, compared to a 3.3% rise for the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX).

As of May 6, 2016, Yamanas stock has risen a whopping 145% YTD (year-to-date) on an absolute basis. Even on a relative basis, the company has outperformed GDX. GDX has risen 78% YTD, while the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD), which tracks the spot price of gold, has risen 20%.

By comparison, Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM), New Gold (NGD), and Eldorado Gold (EGO) have risen 71%, 96%, and 33%, respectively.

Historically, Yamana Gold has lagged behind its peers. Due to its high financial leverage, its a higher beta play on gold compared to its peers. This led its share price to rise relatively more than its peers shares when the gold rally started at the beginning of 2016. Its relative discount to its peers might also have been one of the reasons for investor interest in the stock. Well look at Yamana Golds valuation later in this series.

Series overview

In this series, well look at key takeaways from Yamana Golds 1Q16 earnings and call. Well also analyze its recent developments with regard to its asset purchases and progress toward debt reduction. Yamanas inconsistent operational performance has been a main concern for investors. In this series, well attempt to see if some of those concerns are subsiding.

Investors can access the gold industry through gold-backed ETFs such as the SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX). Agnico Eagle Mines accounts for 2.8% of the total holdings of GDX.

Story continues

In the next part of this series, well look at Yamana Golds production growth.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
Kuwait City (AFP) - Yemen's warring parties resumed face-to-face talks on Monday following a two-day interruption after mediation efforts and an appeal by the UN envoy, the United Nations said.

Three joint working groups, formed by the UN last week, discussed during face-to-face meetings written proposals tabled by the two delegations to resolve the 13-month conflict, UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

He said the groups discussed key issues on political and security matters and the release of prisoners and detainees.

These include the withdrawal of the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels from areas they occupied in a 2014 offensive, the surrender of weapons and agreeing a political settlement.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed praised the delegations for their cooperation but warned that problems still existed.

"There is no doubt that we are at a true crossroads. We are either moving towards peace or going back to square one," he said.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed also said that the gap between the two sides is large, but that the working groups are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday.

Hours after the talks resumed, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government made the announcement and slammed a "dangerous escalation" by the Huthis.

The coalition is cooperating with the international community "to maintain calm and help the Kuwait talks to succeed", a statement said.

But it also warned that the coalition "reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place" if there are further attacks.

Earlier on Monday, coalition aircraft hit a military base captured by rebels north of Sanaa, killing at least 11, a military official said.

- Diplomatic pressure -

The raid targeted Al-Amaliqa base which was taken over recently by the Huthis in their northern stronghold of Amran province.

The renewed direct talks came a day after mediation by the Kuwaiti foreign minister, ambassadors of the mostly Western 18 countries backing the peace process and the UN Special envoy.

Story continues

Direct talks broke off on Saturday with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Huthi rebels protesting about coalition air raids.

A source close to the government delegation said the resumption of direct talks came as a result of international diplomatic pressure on the rebels.

But the source also told AFP that no progress was made on Monday.

Yemen's foreign minister said the talks which began on April 21 have made no headway.

"For the sake of peace, we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress," said Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.

"But after three weeks, we have nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments," Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter.

The rebels issued a strong protest to the UN envoy over alleged air raids Sunday that they said killed several people, according to a source close to their delegation.

There was no immediate confirmation of the reported air strikes.

The rebels and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014.

The talks, which come after two failed peace attempts in June and December last year in Switzerland, are based on a UN Security Council resolution which orders the rebels to withdraw and surrender heavy weaponry they had seized.

There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.
The United States said on Monday it could not confirm reports that Iran had tested a precision-guided missile two weeks ago but if true such a step would be provocative and destabilizing.

"We are aware of Iranian comments on an additional ballistic missile launched," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told a briefing, saying any launch by Iran would be inconsistent with a UN Security Council resolution. "We remained concerned about Iran's ballistic missile test launch which are provocative and destabilizing."

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NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York has ordered 143 nail salons to pay cheated employees $2 million in outstanding wages and damages as the result of a crackdown on an industry that relies heavily on an immigrant workforce.

The payments to 652 employees were ordered in the year since Governor Andrew Cuomo created the New York State Nail Salon Industry Enforcement Task Force to end abuse of salon employees, the governor said in a statement.

"A fair day's wage for a fair day's work is a principle that this state was built upon," Cuomo said. "This administration is committed to stopping employers who exploit workers and deny them what they are rightfully owed."

The task force was created in May 2015 following a New York Times expose that highlighted unsafe working conditions with harmful chemicals and unfair labor practices that included paying less than the legal minimum wage and withholding paychecks from nail salon workers, comprised largely of Asian and Latino immigrants.

Working with the New York State Department of Labor, the task force has opened investigations into more than 450 nail salons businesses, the governor said.

Cuomo last summer signed into law a series of reforms including requirements that salon owners provide workers with adequate protective supplies such as masks and gloves and that licensing exams be administered in Nepali, Tibetan and Vietnamese in addition to English, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, Russian and Chinese.

The new reforms also require all licensed salons to secure a bond or insurance policy to cover legal wages or other general business liabilities in the event that the owner is ordered to pay back wages. As of last month, some 4,000 nail salons across the state had secured a wage bond, Cuomo said.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Alan Crosby)
The Young Turks are bringing their political purview to Fusion next fall.

The politics-focused online news network will host a weekly series tied to the general election. The currently untitled show will see TYT personalities Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola travel to college campuses around the country to focus on the issues that matter to young people.

The series, which is set to premiere Sept. 5 and will air for 12 weeks, will shoot in front of a live audience and feature other TYT personalities including Cenk Uygur, Jimmy Dore, Ben Mankiewicz, Hannah Cranston and Kim Horcher.

"Fusion's goal is to continue elevating the issues that matter to this diverse, emerging generation of young people," said Fusion content chief Daniel Eilemberg. "The Young Turks and their distinct, passionate voices will be a valuable addition to our coverage of this unconventional and consequential election cycle."

Added TYT chief business officer Steve Oh: "This election cycle has greatly energized millennials, who have long embraced digital outlets like The Young Turks for their news. Fusion will bring The Young Turks to TV and in person in a way that speaks to our digitally-native audience."

TYT began as a liberal talk show on Sirius in 2002 and over the last 14 years has expanded into a full-fledged online network with 2.9 million YouTube subscribers and more than 3 billion total views. The move to cable network Fusion marks the return of TYT to television. Uygur hosted a weeknight program on CurrentTV from 2011 until its sale to Al Jazeera in 2013.

Read More: Disney's ABC Sells Fusion Stake to Univision
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  May 09, 2016  Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Horizon Pharma plc (HZNP), Incyte Corporation (INCY), Juno Therapeutics Inc. (JUNO), Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (HALO) and Kite Pharma, Inc. (KITE).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Fridays Analyst Blog:

Biotech Stocks Were Watching for Earnings Reports

Its nearing the closing bell of the first-quarter 2016 earnings season with almost 75% of the S&P 500 members having already reported results. With 71.4% of these members beating bottom-line estimates and 56.4% surpassing top-line expectations, the first-quarter earnings season has been A Case of Low Expectations.

Notably, the Medical sector is anticipated to be one of the seven sectors to record earnings growth in the first quarter of 2016, as per our Earnings Trends. Our Q1 scorecard shows that 75.5% of the Medical sector has reported results with a blended beat of 67.5% (the percentage of companies that have beaten both EPS as well as revenue estimates).

Particularly, the earnings picture for the biotech sector looks quite mixed. By now, several biotech companies have reported first-quarter results.

Companies like Amgen and Regeneron have topped first-quarter earnings and revenues. While Amgen raised the outlook for the year, Regeneron upped the 2016 view for its key eye drug, Eylea. However, heavyweight biotech stock Gilead lagged both earnings and revenue estimates even though it reiterated its outlook for the year. As far as the other biotech stocks are concerned, including the likes of Biogen, Celgene, Alexion, and AbbVie, while some managed to post mixed results, others came up with disappointing performances and outlooks for the year.



Still, several medium and small-sized biotech companies are yet to report first-quarter results. Lets see what awaits these six biotech stocks when they report their first-quarter 2016 results on May 9.



Can these Biotech Stocks Pull a Surprise?



Horizon Pharma plc (HZNP) has already provided weaker-than-expected net sales and adjusted EBITDA expectations for the first quarter of 2016 last month. The company expects a major part of its sales and EBITDA to come in the second half of the year. Focus will be on the results of the companys business units as well as the performance of key products including Actimmune. Horizon Pharmas Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and an Earnings ESP of -13.16% do not conclusively show that the company is likely to beat earnings estimates this quarter (read more: What's in Store for Horizon This Earnings Season? ).

Story continues

Oncology focused Incyte Corporations (INCY) Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of the ESP but its ESP of -46.67% makes a surprise prediction difficult this quarter. Incytes track record has however been pretty good with the company surpassing expectations in three of the last four quarters with an average positive surprise of 85.99%.

Juno Therapeutics Inc. (JUNO) is among the major players in the field of T-cell-based immunotherapy and has pipeline candidates like JCAR015, JCAR017 and JCAR014 which use CAR T cell technology to target CD19. It has collaborations with companies like Celgene for the global development and commercialization of immunotherapies. With no approved products in its portfolio and not generating any product revenues as yet, focus will be on the companys cash burn and pipeline updates.



Juno has a Zacks Rank #3 which when combined with an ESP 0.00% makes a surprise prediction difficult (read more: Juno Q1 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock? ).

San Diego, CA-based Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. ( HALO), focused on the development and commercialization of oncology therapies, has an impressive track record. The company has beaten estimates in three of the trailing four quarters with an average positive surprise of 60.41%. Our model does not show that Halozyme is likely to beat estimates this quarter. Though the companys Zacks Rank #3 enhances the predictive power of the ESP, its 0.00% ESP makes a surprise prediction difficult.

Kite Pharma, Inc. s (KITE) performance over the last four quarters is mostly disappointing with the company surpassing expectations in just one quarter. Moreover, Kite Pharmas Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) which when combined with an ESP -11.48% does not conclusively show that Kite Pharma is likely to beat estimates this quarter as well.



This development-stage company is looking to transform the paradigm of treating cancer which involves using the bodys immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Focus will be on updates on the companys progress with its lead pipeline candidate KTE-C19 as well as on collaboration agreements with several companies including Amgen (read more: Kite to Report Q1 Earnings: Will the Stock Disappoint? ).

Stay tuned! Check later on our full write-up on earnings releases of these stocks.

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Parker Conrad

Things may be looking more ominous for the former CEO of once high-flying insurance startup Zenefits.

He's hired a very famous trial lawyer, John Keker, unnamed sources have told BuzzFeed's William Alden. Conrad's representative did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment, and Keker declined to comment to BuzzFeed.

Keker is known for defending tech dealmaker Frank Quattrone when he was accused of improperly dealing with IPOs in the early 2000s.

He's had other celebrity clients like Lance Armstrong, and he defended Lucasfilm when that company was accused of colluding with Google, Apple, Intel, and Pixar to not poach each other's employees.

Conrad, the Zenefits cofounder and now ex-CEO, resigned suddenly in February after the company was investigated by regulators over selling insurance without a license. Zenefits offers human resources to small businesses in exchange for being their insurance broker.

As the former CEO, Conrad is being blamed for all sorts of Zenefits' failings, from the out-of-control hiring that brought the company down to a frat-like culture of boozing and partying.

The company also revealed that employees who were studying for their California insurance license may have been skirting the law. They were using a browser extension called a "macro" that allowed them to pretend to be studying for the test to fulfill the legal number of study hours required, when they were not actually studying, the company said.

A Zenefits representative told Business Insider that it blames Conrad for the macro program, claiming that he was the one who wrote it. Conrad's rep declined comment on that. It is possible that he didn't know the extent to which the macro was being used until after the company conducted an internal investigation about it.

Zenefits has become one of the poster children for a run-amok Valley startup culture that has begun to implode in 2016. This crop of startups raised so much money from venture capitalists that their investors valued them at $1 billion or more.

Story continues

When Zenefits was 2 years old, it had raised $582 million in venture investment at a $4.5 billion valuation based on promises that it was on track to become the fastest-growing software-as-a-service startup to reach $100 million in revenue under contract.

It then went crazy hiring salespeople and other employees to try and meet that $100 million goal, but fell apart in the process, including missing that internal goal.

NOW WATCH: A Florida couple is being sued over their insane Christmas display





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From Popular Mechanics

If you thought bulletproof, jet-powered superheroes in colorful outfits exist only in the movies and comic books, then it's time to reconsider. EMILY, a remote-controlled robot lifeguard, recently proved her value by rescuing some 300 Syrian refugees from drowning off the Greek island of Lesbos.

"EMILY is made of Kevlar and aircraft-grade composites and is virtually indestructible"

The robot, full name Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, is designed to be thrown out of a helicopter (or from a boat or a bridge) and then driven up to a person in the water. EMILY has propulsion similar to a jet ski with no propeller blades to cause injuries or get tangled. It zips along at a brisk 22 mph. Rough conditions are no problem; EMILY can handle 30-waves and survive collisions with rocks and reefs and keep going.

"EMILY is made of Kevlar and aircraft-grade composites and is virtually indestructible," says Tony Mulligan, CEO of marine robotics company Hydronalix and Emily's inventor.

EMILY is easy to spot thanks to its orange, red and yellow color scheme. It has lights for night rescues. A two-way radio system allows rescuers to talk to people in the water and see them via a video camera. While the bot' most obvious use is an emergency flotation device for up to six people struggling in the water, the robot can also deliver life jackets, or can drag a rescue line 800 yards through surf or currents.

As with all superheroes, there is a cool origin story here. In Emily's case this goes back to a 2001 project for a drone to track whales during Navy sonar testing. In 2011, elements of the original drone were used to create a new machine for hurricane tracking and disaster response. Other components were incorporated from the Office of Naval Research's mysterious SwampWorks program.

The end result of this collaboration between Hydroanalix, the ONR, and the Navy's Small Business Innovation Research is EMILY. Bob Smith of SBIR calls EMILY as "a classic overnight success story years in the making."

Story continues

At just four feet long and twenty-five pounds, Emily may be a little on the small side for a superhero. But unlike her fictional counterparts, she's out there saving lives in the real world, with some 260 units in service with coast guards, navies and others, including the Roboticists Without Borders team that took Emily to Greece. Now that's a marvel.
Spanish police have arrested a young man who live-streamed video of himself driving at nearly twice the speed limit (AFP Photo/Dominique Faget) (AFP/File)

Madrid (AFP) - Spanish police have arrested a young man who live-streamed video of himself driving at nearly twice the speed limit, forcing other drivers to swerve out of the way to avoid being hit.

The man posted several videos he made on his mobile phone using the live-streaming app Periscope that show his harrowing top-speed driving on roads in Madrid at night, police said in a statement.

In one clip he is seen driving on a ring road that surrounds the Spanish capital at over 195 kilometres (120 miles) per hour in an area where the speed limit is 100 kph, it added.

"Let's go, 200 without any problem. Let's go. let's go," he can be heard saying in the video as his car quickly approaches another vehicle.

Police arrested the man in Rivas-Vaciamadrid located just southeast of Madrid after receiving several complaints from people who had seen the videos.

Authorities said he was charged with dangerous driving, but did not release the date of his arrest.

"Besides the danger posed by driving while using his mobile telephone in videos that lasted over 16 minutes, the detainee performed manuevers at high speed that forced other drivers to switch lanes to avoid collisions on at least four occasions," the statement said.

The authorities said it is the first time that someone has been arrested in Spain for a crime involving Periscope, which allows anyone to live-stream an event through their mobile phones.

Viewers of Periscope videos can participate by sending cartoon hearts across the video feed and typing comments which scroll across the screen for all to see.
By Jim Finkle (Reuters) - SWIFT on Monday rejected allegations by officials in Bangladesh that technicians with the global messaging system made the nation's central bank more vulnerable to hacking before an $81 million cyber heist in February. The comments were in response to a Reuters story that cited Bangladeshi police and a central bank official as saying that SWIFT technicians introduced security holes into the bank's network while connecting SWIFT to Bangladesh's first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system. "SWIFT was not responsible for any of the issues cited by the officials, or party to the related decisions," the Brussels-based bank-owned cooperative said in a statement posted on its website. "As a SWIFT user like any other, Bangladesh Bank is responsible for the security of its own systems interfacing with the SWIFT network and their related environment  starting with basic password protection practices  in much the same way as they are responsible for their other internal security considerations," the statement said. Reuters has not been able to independently verify the allegations by Bangladeshi officials about the SWIFT technicians. The officials in Dhaka discussed their findings with Reuters ahead of a meeting on Tuesday in Basel, Switzerland, where Bangladesh Bank officials have said their governor and a lawyer appointed by the bank would discuss recovery of about $81 million stolen by hackers with the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a senior executive from SWIFT. SWIFT's statement said it "looks forward to the meeting with Bangladesh Bank and New York Federal Reserve Bank officials in Basel on 10th May, when the banks security issues and these baseless allegations will be discussed." Bangladesh Bank officials have said they believed SWIFT, and the New York Fed, bear some responsibility for the February cyber heist. SWIFT's statement on Monday marked the first time it responded to such allegations. (Reporting by Jim Finkle; Editing by Toni Reinhold)
Related British PM Cameron says no second referendum on EU membership

Prime Minister David Cameron warned Monday that a British exit from the EU would threaten peace on the continent, as the campaign for next month's crucial referendum gathered steam after regional elections.

With polls showing the two campaigns are neck-and-neck, Cameron and the de-facto leader of the "Leave" movement, former London mayor Boris Johnson, were both stepping up efforts to woo undecided voters.

Leaving the 28-member bloc in the June 23 referendum would be a "reckless and irresponsible" risk to Britain's economic stability that would leave it "permanently poorer", Cameron warned.

He also said a "Brexit" would threaten Britain's strength and security in the world, along with peace on the continent if "Europe's foremost military power" quit the European Union.

"Isolationism has never served this country well," he said in a speech at the British Museum in London.

"Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We've always had to go back in, and always at a much higher cost."

Cameron said that while Europe had largely been at peace since the end of World War II, it was barely two decades since the Bosnian war, while the continent was facing a "newly belligerent Russia", with conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine.

British war graves on the continent "stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe", he said.

"Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

"Is that a risk worth taking?

"I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."

Leave campaigners attacked the speech with Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party, saying the EU had increased hostility on the continent, especially in Greece.

"The anti-democratic EU, far from bringing countries together, has divided Europe," he said.

"If we remain in the EU, we will be locked inside a failed project that is pushing towards closer fiscal, political and military union, no matter the pain and suffering it brings to the people of Europe."

The Remain and Leave camps are neck-and-neck on 50 percent each, according to the What UK Thinks website's average of the last six opinion polls.

Later Monday, Cameron's fellow Conservative Johnson was also making a speech in which he decried the EU as a "28-man pantomime horse".

The referendum campaign was picking up pace again after regional and local elections last Thursday which saw Labour's Sadiq Khan elected as London's new mayor, and pro-independence nationalists returned to power in Scotland, albeit without a majority.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said there would be an "almost certain" drive for another referendum on Scottish independence if the UK voted to leave the EU but Scottish voters wanted to stay.

Cameron raised this prospect during his speech.

"Let me just say this about Scotland: you don't renew your country by taking a decision that could ultimately lead to its disintegration. So, as we weigh up this decision, let us do so with our eyes open," he said.

Cameron's Conservative Party is deeply divided over the EU referendum with only around half of his MPs with him on the Remain side.

The prime minister insisted again on Monday that the party would be able to heal its rifts following the vote.

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HTC's revenue from January to March was down 64 percent year-on-year to Tw$14.8 billion ($456 million), while net loss in the period was Tw$2.6 billion (AFP Photo/Sam Yeh) (AFP)

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC said Monday its first-quarter revenue plunged by more than half, but that losses in its struggling business should end later this year as it banks on a new flagship product.

Revenue from January to March was down 64 percent year-on-year to Tw$14.8 billion ($456 million), while net loss in the period was Tw$2.6 billion, the company said in a statement.

The loss -- compared with profit of Tw$360 million a year earlier -- marked the fourth consecutive quarter of declines for HTC, once the star of the intensely competitive smartphone sector.

Results were much worse than expected, according to Yuanta Securities, despite booking gains from selling some properties in the quarter.

But chief financial officer Chialin Chang was hopeful the recent launch of the HTC 10 in April would boost fortunes.

"We are actually quite hopeful that the HTC 10 will bring back the momentum," he said.

"From the internal management perspective, we are hoping the third quarter in the smartphone business we will be able to achieve a breakeven," Chang added.

The homegrown Taiwanese brand has struggled to maintain its edge as Samsung, Apple and strong Chinese brands like Huawei expand their market share.

But the company touts its new HTC 10 to have the best smartphone camera on the market. It carries a new feature that gives users more options to personalise home screens than many Android phones.

HTC has also been cost-cutting to turn the ailing business around, slashing headcount and streamlining its product offerings to focus on high-end phones.

But analysts are still sceptical, with some observers saying the focus on cost-cutting may deter innovation.

First-quarter results did not yet reflect the launch of its new virtual reality product HTC Vive, which also went on sale in April.

HTC has been pouring resources into virtual reality, as have its rivals including Samsung and LG.

The company is one of the early players to venture into virtual reality and has spearheaded an informal alliance to develop the sector -- including Warner Brothers, Alibaba, and Valve.

Story continues

Chang declined to comment on reports that HTC is looking to spin off its virtual reality business, only emphasising that it is a "very high potential market."

"We're going to put in resources to make sure we have long-term success in this sector," he said.

Research firm CCS Insight predicts the number of virtual reality devices sold will grow from 2.2 million last year to 20 million in 2018, with smartphone-based devices representing the vast majority.
Keeping up with the torrential number of tweets that Twitter processes is difficult for any user, and the company has just made that task even harder for the U.S. government. Twitter no longer lets American intelligence agencies access Dataminr, a service that rapidly analyzes real-time public tweets for patterns and breaking news.



According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported Twitter's information cutoff last night (May 8), Dataminr has been very useful to both the U.S. intelligence community and to its private-sector customers, which include The Wall Street Journal, other media companies and financial firms.

The service gave U.S. intelligence services a heads-up about last November's Paris terrorist attacks just after they began, the WSJ said. Dataminr sent notifications to all its clients about March's Brussels terrorist attacks 10 minutes before any news outlet transmitted the story. This kind of open-source intelligence (OSINT) makes Dataminer "an extremely valuable tool," an unnamed U.S. intelligence official told the newspaper.



MORE: Best VPN Services for Staying Anonymous Online

The same official told the WSJ that Twitter blocked agencies such as the C.I.A. from accessing Dataminr because the company was concerned about the "optics" of a close relationship with American intelligence agencies.



The Journal did not specify when the cutoff occurred, but it presumably took place in the wake of the high-profile battle between Apple and the FBI over encrypted data on an iPhone used by one of the shooters in last December's terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.

In a statement to USA Today, Twitter declared it "never authorized Dataminr or any third party to sell data to a government or intelligence agency for surveillance purposes." The story does not make clear whether Dataminr sold or simply gave its data to the U.S. intelligence community.

Twitter holds a 5 percent investment stake in Dataminr. The WSJ says Dataminr is the only company that Twitter has authorized to mine and sell data from the entire body of public tweets. However, that doesn't stop anyone from mining data from public tweets for private purposes.



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Dataminr apparently began supplying data to American spy agencies after it gained another investor: In-Q-Tel, the U.S. intelligence community's venture-capital arm. According to the WSJ, the working relationship between Dataminr and In-Q-Tel began as a trial-based pilot program, one that Twitter has now told Dataminr it should not continue.

Going forward, U.S. intelligence agencies will likely create their own tools for acquiring Twitter data, or perhaps obtain the information from a third party. Dataminr still has an active, valid contract to supply real-time alerts for world events to the Department of Homeland Security.

Copyright 2016 Toms Guides , a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Slovak officials say customs officers have opened fire at a car carrying migrants, injuring a woman.

Patricia Macikova, a spokeswoman for the Slovak Financial Administration, says the officials wanted to stop four suspicious cars coming from Hungary near Velky Meder shortly after midnight Monday. As one driver was trying to escape, Macikova says, an officer fired warning shots into the air before aiming at the car, injuring one migrant.

A 26-year-old Syrian woman was operated Monday morning in a hospital in nearby Dunajska Streda. Tomas Kral, a spokesman for a company that operates the clinic, said a projectile was removed from her back.

There was no immediate comment from police.

With border checks re-established on the Austrian-Hungarian border, the migrants could possibly go through Slovakia and the Czech Republic to get to Germany.

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Number of tourists visiting Egypt falls for fifth consecutive month after downing of Russian Plane in Sinai

The number of tourists visiting Egypt fell in March for the fifth consecutive month, after the downing of a Russian plane last year drove tourists away.

Egypt saw 440,700 tourists visit in March, 47.2 percent lower than the same month last year when 834,600 tourists visited, state statistics body CAPMAS said on Monday.

The current decline in tourist numbers comes after a Russian passenger jet crashed in Sinai on 31 October last year, killing all 224 people on board, most of whom were Russian holidaymakers.

In January, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that "after the plane crash, over the past three or four months, [Egypt] has lost around $1.2 billion or $1.3 billion in revenues.

"For Egypt, the contraction in foreign currency inflows that would accompany a shrinking tourism industry would not only negatively impact growth, but would exacerbate the existing foreign currency shortage," said a World Bank report in January which had accordingly revised down its forecast for the country's economic growth by 0.7 percent in the fiscal year 2015/16.

Egypt has faced an acute foreign currency crunch, needed for imports of basic staples and factory input, as the political aftermath of the 2011 uprising drove away tourists and foreign investors, main sources of the hard currency.

According to CAPMAS, West Europeans top the visitor list, making up 37.2 percent of the total arriving tourists in March, followed by Middle Easterners with 28.2 percent and East Europeans with 12.8 percent.

The countries sending the most tourists in each region are Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine, CAPMAS said.

In March this year, tourists spent a total of 2.5 million nights in the country, versus 7.6 million in the same month a year prior.

Egypt accrued $6.1 billion in tourism revenue in 2015, down 15 percent from the year before, as the total number of tourists dropped in 2015 by 6 percent to 9.3 million and the total number of nights spent in the country declined by 14 percent.

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The film is included in MoMAs collection

Summer 70 is a film directed by celebrated Egyptian artist, puppeteer, art director and filmmaker Nagy Shaker and Italian filmmaker Paolo Isaja

The 66 minute film is rendered a classic of experimental film in Egypt, and was made whilst Shaker was studying theatre at the Italian fine arts university in 1970.

The silent black and white film is unscripted, with no arch narrative, and no results or conclusions, exploring the idea of freedom during the second half of the 20th century.

At the start of the 1970s, when youth were rebelling and a counter culture was spreading through the air, the two filmmakers met and shared a desire to experiment with film as a medium.

Armed with nothing but their 16 mm camera and a very limited budget, Summer 70 emerged as a result of their experimenting.

The central character is a young American with Italian roots named Gloria, who visits Rome in search of her ancestry.

Through both directors visions, we see their impressions of Gloria in search for her identity.

The film was screened in the San Marino International Experimental Film festival in 1972, then screened many times in experimental cine clubs across Europe.

In 2010, the film was included in MoMa's Mapping Subjectivity film series and was added to the experimental film collection at the museum.

A live performance by French saxophonist Francois Jeanneau, winner of Music Grand Prix in 1991, will accompany the performance at the French Institute.

Programme:

Wednesday 18 May at 7pm

French Institute, 1 Madrasset El-Hoqooq street, El-Mounira, Cairo

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Naji was sentenced to two years in jail last February for 'violating public decency' and 'using erotic language' in his latest novel

Freedom of expression advocacy group PEN America sent an open letter on Sunday to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Egyptian MPs  signed by over 120 renowned writers and artists, including American filmmaker Woody Allen, Paul Auster and Orhan Pamuk  urging the release of jailed Egyptian novelist Ahmed Naji.

The letter was sent by PEN America a few days before its annual Literary Gala, which will be held in New York on 16 May.

The organisation will honour the author in absentia with the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award in recognition of his struggle in the face of adversity for the right to freedom of expression, according to the organisation's website.

In the letter, petitioners denounced Najis jailing, saying that "writing is not a crime."

The list of the petitioners include American literary icons Robert Caro and Philip Roth, bestselling authors Michael Chabon and Chimamanda Adichie, cultural luminary Stephen Sondheim, Turkish Elif Shafak, Nigerian-American Teju Cole, Indian Siddhartha Deb, among others.

The letter says that Najis references to sex and drugs are "subjects so relevant to contemporary life that they are addressed through creative expression worldwide, and clearly fall within Egypts constitutional protections for artistic freedom."

In Februray, Naji received a sentence of two years in jail by an appeal misdemeanour courtd for violating public decency and using erotic language in a chapter from his latest novel The Use of Life, which was published in state-owned literary newspaper Akhbar El-Adab.

Naji was cleared in January of the same charges by a lower misdemeanour court.

The 31-year-old novelist is serving his sentence in Tora prison in south Cairo.

Nagy's defence team is currently appealing the sentence before the Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest appeals court.

The letter deemed Najis sentencing "emblematic of the Egyptian governments deeply troubling crackdown on free expression," saying that over the past year, Egyptian authorities closed cultural centres, raided an art gallery and publishing house, and imposed prison terms on several other artists, including film producer Rana El-Sobky and poet Fatima Naoot.

According to Egypt's Press Syndicate, there are at least 27 journalists in prison on various criminal charges. The union says these journalists are jailed or face criminal procedures in cases ultimately related to freedom of expression.

Egypt comes second to China in jailing writers, according to the Committee To Protect Journalists.

The list of the petitioners include prominent American novelist Philip Roth, Turkish Elif Shafak, Teju Cole and Siddhartha Deb, among others.

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(Guangzhou)  The government of Guangdong Province has called on hospitals to look out for former patients who might seek revenge on doctors after a dentist was apparently stabbed to death by a man he treated 25 years ago.

The health commission in the southern province said in a statement on May 7 that hospitals should go through the records of former patients and investigate "people who have a tendency to hurt medical workers."

The statement came a few hours after Chen Zhongwei, a retired dentist at Guangdong General Hospital in Guangzhou, died of blood loss after suffering stab wound to his head, chest, abdomen and arms, the hospital said on its website.

Several medical workers at the hospital told Caixin that on May 5 a former patient followed Chen to his home across the street from the hospital, forced his way in and attacked Chen.

The suspected assailant later jumped to his death from Chen's balcony, the sources said. The attacker underwent dental surgery performed by Chen in 1991 and became distraught when he recently discovered his teeth were discolored.

The man had confronted Chen in his neighborhood to demand compensation in April, former colleagues said. Chen felt threatened, so he brought the man to the hospital's guardhouse.

He also took a picture of the man and sent a message to former colleagues to warn them the man might be "mentally ill."

The health commission also said hospitals should enhance security measures in and around hospitals, especially at the apartments provided by the hospital.

The incident once again puts in the spotlight a dismaying problem facing China's health care workers: angry former patients or their relatives violently attacking them over perceived problems with care.

As one doctor in Beijing put it to state media: "If the results of treatments are not ideal, doctors may become patients' punching bags."

The People's Daily newspaper estimated that China's doctors suffered 70,000 attacks in 2013. In less than two weeks in October that year, at least six serious attacks on medical workers occurred.

In that month, a doctor in Guangdong was left with a damaged eye and ruptured spleen after being beaten by a patient's relatives, who had been refused entry into an intensive care unit. Also in October 2013, a disgruntled patient stabbed three doctors in the eastern province of Zhejiang, killing one and injuring two.

Starting in 2013 the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Public Security have required hospitals to post one security guard for every 20 beds, but People's Daily questioned whether this was being done, writing, "Whether these policies have been implemented or not is a concern."

(Rewritten by Chen Na)
Worldwide, China was the birthplace of most children adopted overseas with 2,589 out of all 9,320 children. Next came Ethiopia with 1,727 and Russia with 970. Korea ranked fourth with 736, followed by 632 from Ukraine, 230 from the Philippines, 228 from India, 207 from Uganda, and 205 from Taiwan.

Korea is still sending hundreds of babies for adoption to the U.S., highlighting the need to strengthen child protection in the country. According to the 2011 Annual Adoption Report to Congress released Friday, out of the total of 2,047 foreign-born children adopted by U.S. families from October 2010 to September 2011, 734 or 36 percent were from Korea.

According to the statistics by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, among the total 2,475 Korean children who were adopted last year, 1,013 were adopted overseas. Despite its respectable economic status as the world's 13th largest economy, Korea is still sending 40 percent of children who are up for adoption overseas.

The Hague Adoption Convention stipulates, "Intercountry adoptions shall be made in the best interests of the child and with respect for his or her fundamental rights. To prevent the abduction, the sale of, or traffic in children each state should take, as a matter of priority, appropriate measures to enable the child to remain in the care of his or her family of origin." Adoption overseas should be the last resort.

But Korea still remains as a major exporter of babies due to weak child protection and public aversion to adoption. Nho Choong-rai, a professor at Ewha Womans University, said, "There is lack of childcare and foster care facilities in Korea, and in-country adoption for many disabled or older children is quite rare, so they usually end up being adopted overseas." Disabled children in particular are mostly being put up for overseas adoption and constitute less than 3.5 percent of total adoptions in Korea.

After a new government policy that encourages domestic adoption in 2007, the number of domestic adoption exceeded adoptions abroad for the first time, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare said public perception of adoption is slowing changing but there is a still long way to go.

Nearly 90 percent of children who are adopted in Korea are children from single mothers. Lee Kyung-eun of the Welfare Ministry said, "There is still a strong stigma and little support for single mothers to raise their kids alone in Korea."

Among 1,013 children who were put up for overseas adoption here last year, 775 or 76.5 percent were adopted by U.S. families. Sweden is a distant second with 74, followed by Canada with 60, Norway with 43, and Australia with 18.

Cho Hye-jung of the Department of Child Studies at Chongshin University said, "From August next year, those who wish to adopt children will need authorization from the family court. That could become an obstacle and further decrease the number of in-country adoptions. Of course we need to work toward reducing the number of young single mothers, but a more fundamental way to reduce the number of children who are put up for adoption would be much more support to single mothers who wish to raise their babies."
"I think it would be better if it were unified, I think it would be, there would be something good about it," he said. "But I don't think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense."

"Does it have to be unified?" Trump asked about the Republican Party on ABC's This Week news show Sunday. "I'm very different than everybody else, perhaps, that's ever run for office? I actually don't think so.

As the billionaire real estate mogul all but clinched the party's presidential nomination last week, the last two Republican presidents, President George H.W. Bush and his son, President George W. Bush, and numerous other party officials declared they have no intention of supporting his maverick candidacy.

Donald Trump, the presumptive U.S. Republican presidential nominee, is not all that worried that key party leaders say they won't support him in the national election against the likely Democratic nominee, former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

 Ryan Not Ready to Endorse Trump

The party's top current elected official, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, said he is "just not ready" to endorse Trump and wants to make sure he would uphold the party's traditional conservative principles before agreeing to support him. He has opposed Trump's call to temporarily block Muslims from entering the country and the two disagree on U.S. foreign policy and trade issues.

Ryan and Trump have scheduled a meeting Thursday in Washington to air their differences, but the brash Trump, a one-time television reality show host who has never held elective office, says it's possible the two may just "go our separate ways."

Other conservative leaders have raised the possibility of fielding a third candidate against Trump and Clinton, but third party candidacies have not fared well in U.S. presidential elections, almost always trailing far behind the Democratic and Republican nominees. Some Republican lawmakers say they will support Trump even though they originally preferred other presidential candidates.

The 69-year-old Trump surged to the top of the Republicans' one-time field of 17 candidates with calls to build an impenetrable wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to halt the stream of illegal immigrants into the United States and to deport the 11 million already in the country.

He has won more than 10 million votes in state-by-state party nominating contests, with his last two challengers dropping out of the race for the party's presidential nomination after Trump scored an impressive win in last week's contest in the Midwestern state of Indiana.

Neither Trump nor Clinton has officially clinched their parties' presidential nominations yet, but they are trading verbal taunts at each other.

 Attacking the Clintons

At a rally Saturday, Trump, who is married to his third wife and through the years has bragged about sexual exploits, lampooned Clinton for the marital infidelities of her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

"She's married to a man who was the worst abuser of women in the history of politics," Trump said.

Clinton has disparaged Trump as unfit to be the country's commander in chief. "We can't have a loose cannon in the Oval Office" at the White House, she told cheering supporters at a rally.

Numerous polls show Clinton ahead of Trump in the election to pick the successor to President Barack Obama, who leaves office next January.
U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed new regulations that would require U.S. companies to disclose more information about their owners.

The administration announced the regulations Thursday in response to the leak of the "Panama Papers," millions of documents detailing international tax evasion through secret offshore accounts.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Obama said the proposals "would make sure families and small businesses who don't have fancy lawyers and fancy accountants are being treated the same as big corporations who do."

The regulations would require companies to disclose their owners to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and allow law enforcement agencies to access that information. A second rule would close a loophole allowing a narrow class of foreign-owned companies to avoid reporting to the IRS.

Obama said the mission cannot be completed without the help of Congress, which he said should approve legislation that requires greater disclosure.

"Only Congress can fully close the loopholes that wealthy individuals and powerful corporations all too often take advantage of, often at the expense of middle-class families. If they're getting out of paying their fair share of taxes, that means the rest of us have to shoulder that burden. I've put forward plans repeatedly to do exactly that."

The administration also wants the U.S. Senate to ratify eight tax treaties that have languished there.

The administration's proposals come as the U.S. has emerged as a top haven for tax evaders, rivaling Switzerland and the Cayman Islands.
Australia's prime minister has called for an early election to be held on July 2.

In announcing the date on Sunday, Malcolm Turnbull said, "At this election, Australians will have a very clear choice: to keep the course, maintain the commitment to our national economic plan for growth and jobs or go back to Labor with its high-taxing, higher spending, debt-and-deficit agenda which will stop our nation's transition to the new economy dead in its tracks."

Turnbull is looking to win a second three-year term for his Liberal-National coalition. He replaced Tony Abbott as leader of the Liberal Party last September, just two years after the coalition government came to power.
North Korea is now capable of mounting a nuclear warhead on a short- to mid-range missile capable of hitting targets in South Korea and Japan, the New York Times claimed Saturday.

The paper cited South Korean and U.S. intelligence sources as claiming the information was based on "intelligence gleaned from high-level defectors, analysis of propaganda images and data collected from North Korean missile and nuclear tests, which have accelerated over the past six months."

But experts believe it will take many more years before North Korea develops an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the continental U.S.

North Korea has Scud missiles with a range of 300 to 700 km and Rodong missiles with a range of 1,300 km.

Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies said on the website 38 North in March that North Korea appears to have succeeded in developing a nuclear warhead measuring 60 cm in diameter and weighing between 200 to 300 kg.

The daily said the North's progress in nuclear arms development poses new obstacles to the North Korea policy of the Obama administration.

Obama's policy of "strategic patience" -- not overreacting to the Norths missile and nuclear tests, while using sanctions to press it to negotiate -- had practically failed, it claimed.

A military official here disagreed. "North Korea has made significant progress in miniaturizing a nuclear warhead, but we can't find any evidence that it is capable of mounting them on a missile," he said.


A fourth Zika infection has been found in Korea in a woman in her 20s who recently returned from Vietnam. That raises another red flag against travel to Southeast Asia since the previous two patients apparently contracted the virus in the Philippines.

The woman tested positive for Zika virus during a polymerase chain reaction test. She worked in Ho Chi Minh City from April 10-30 and returned home on May 1, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday.

On return she went to a hospital in Incheon on May 4 to treat her chronic thyroid disease. The hospital suspected that she was infected with Zika and reported her to quarantine authorities.

The woman once had experienced rashes and arthralgia but is currently in good condition. The chances that she will spread the Zika virus are slim since she has not donated blood or been bitten by a mosquito here recently, according to the KCDC.

Since the first confirmed infections in Brazil last year, Zika has spread to other Latin American countries and Southeast Asia. Millions of Koreans visit Southeast Asia every year, including 830,000 tourists to Vietnam alone in 2014.

Health authorities advised pregnant women to put off travel to Southeast Asia and Latin America since the disease has been linked to birth defects.

Zika can be transmitted through mosquito bites, sexual intercourse or blood transfusion but not other contact with patients. The fatality rate is low, but the link with microcephaly in newborns is becoming more of a certainty.


North Korea made a great show of inviting foreign reporters to cover the Workers Party congress in Pyongyang but then promptly barred them from the event and showed them a lot of farming implements. Each member of a foreign news team was assigned a minder who controlled their every step.

Foreign journalists watch North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speak at the Workers Party congress during a televised broadcast in Pyongyang on Sunday. /AP-Yonhap

Reporters got as far as a junction near the congress venue before they were whisked off to a factory in Pyongyang and herded to several tourist spots, a cancer research center and other "seemingly modernized" buildings. "Is what I'm experiencing some real-life version of 'Waiting for Godot'? Or perhaps it's more like 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,'" the Los Angeles Times' reporter wondered. Their only glimpse of the main event came on late-night TV, where leader Kim Jong-un was greeted with thunderous applause and roars of approbation.

Foreign journalists are seen filming and reporting from across a venue for the Workers Party congress in Pyongyang on Friday. /AP-Yonhap

Japan's Kyodo News reported that North Korean authorities not only barred foreign journalists from covering the event but "cajoled" 120 reporters on tours to factories and other venues that had nothing to do with the congress. Yet veterans of North Korea coverage said this was still the most loosely controlled tour they had experienced, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 42-year-old is all set to assume the position left vacant by Liz Truss.
#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...
Canadian post-rock pioneers Godspeed You! Black Emperor have announced their return to Dublin later this summer.

The ever-fluctuating collective last played Dublin's Vicar Street in April of last year, and will return to the same venue on August 21st.

Their last album was 2012's 'ALLELUJAH! DON'T BEND! ASCEND!' but you can expect to hear plenty from their back catalogue on the night in question.

Tickets are 28 and on sale from usual outlets this Wednesday at 9am.
This season of 'Love Is Blind' is shaping up to be absolute madness  here's what people are saying about it
We don't want to call this a step down for Timberlake, but we're not sure how else you'd phrase it.

Having burst back onto the scene with his new single 'Can't Stop The Feeling' last week, Justin Timberlake has thrown another curveball at the world with the news that he'll be performing as an interval act in the Grand Final of the Eurovision this year.

It will be the first time in the history of the competition that an already famous bona fide star will take part in the show and its organisers are obviously delighted.

Martin Osterdahl, exec producer of this year's contest, said: "We are proud to welcome one of the worlds greatest artists! It is an honor and an inspiration to all of us"

"This is a fantastic opportunity, we are very happy and excited that Justin Timberlake will perform his new song together with his band in our show. It makes it extra special that the Swedish songwriters Max Martin and Shellback have co-written and co-produced the song together with Justin Timberlake", said show producer Sven Stojanovic.

It's good news for JT too though, with the show going out to over 200 million people across the world which will pretty much guarantee more streams and downloads of his single and promote the movie it's attached to, DreamWorks Animation's 'Trolls'.

Honestly, we're not sure that Justin Timberlake ever knew or possibly even knows now what the Eurovision is but we look forward to seeing him on stage in Stockholm on Saturday night.
Chelsea Handler's new Netflix chat show is promising to be something different and if this clip is anything to go by then that's certainly going to be the case.

Members of the Captain America: Civil War cast (Chris Evans, Emily Van Camp, Sebastian Stan and Frank Grillo) joined Chelsea for a dinner party in which they discussed the movie, and the bonds between the characters. Of course Chelsea being Chelsea, she takes it to a level only she can.

Chelsea will be available on Netflix from May 11th.

Via YouTube
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini visited Kosovo last week where she attended talks about the countrys future in Europe. Kosovo is Europe, she said, and it is important to continue on the long road to European integration. Ms Mogherini emphasized the need for all Kosovo to unite behind the European agenda and she praised the progress behind recent positive developments: Its great to be here to share the celebrations for something that is really important, and that we have wanted so much, that is a result of so much hard common work we have done.

Ms Mogherini also commented on the Association Agreement and visa demands, saying that these are much awaited by Kosovars and that they also have very symbolic and political meaning. She reassured Pristina that Brussels is working on its European integration in the EU. Ms Mogherinis visit came just after the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the EU and Kosovo had come into force on 1 April. Moreover, last week the European Commission proposed to the Council and the European Parliament to remove visa requirements for the nationals of Kosovo.

Kosovo declared independence in 2008 and gained diplomatic recognition by most 108 United Nations members as a sovereign state. Serbia, just like five other EU Member States, does not recognize Kosovos independence, although it has normalized its relations with Pristina and accepted the legitimacy of Kosovo institutions following the Brussels Agreement of 2013. The EU itself has no official position towards Kosovos status but it retains a Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and facilitates a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. Kosovo is one of only two Muslim-majority territories on European mainland. The main ethnic groups are Kosovo Albanians, who are a majority, and Kosovo Serbs.
ID thieves deserve harshest punishment Updated: 2016-05-07 09:24 By LI FANGCHAO(China Daily)

Wang Nana was dumbfounded when a bank clerk told her that she had not been honest in her application for a bank loan. According to a credit check, the 33-year-old graduated from Zhoukou Vocational and Technical College in 2006 and runs a photocopy outlet in Central China's Henan province.

But Wang never went to a college.

An investigation revealed a carefully planned crime committed 13 years ago. Wang had taken the national college entrance exam in 2003, but she didn't receive an admission letter from any university. Giving up her college dream, Wang then shifted to another city to work.

The truth, however, is that her college enrollment letter was intercepted by another girl, who attended college under her name. Zhang Yingying, the impostor, graduated with a certificate that carries her photo but Wang's name and ID number. Zhang later landed a job as a teacher at a vocational school.

More details emerged as the probe continued. Zhang Yingying's father confessed that he had bribed the teacher in charge of mailing the enrollment letters to get Wang's admission letter. He then got a fake ID card and hukou (or household registration) for his daughter by bribing local police officers.

For girls (and boys) from poor rural families like Wang, a college degree can change their lives. This makes the act of denying her the life-changing opportunity a crime.

But Wang's is not an isolated case.

In another case that came to light recently, Liu Hongli, a teacher also from Henan, found that her hukou had been "transferred" to Beijing and her Henan household registration nullified, which essentially meant she didn't exist. That was 11 years ago.

Further inquiry revealed the details. In 2004, a colleague of Liu borrowed her university certificate as she sought her help to apply for a job for Cheng Yuanyuanthe latter being the colleague's friend. Instead, Cheng used Liu's certificate to land a job in Beijing and then got Liu's hukou "transferred" to the capital. After the case was cracked, Cheng's Beijing residence permit was revoked and Liu's reinstated.

Both cases point to poor management and loopholes in the household registration system. In China, hukou, a small piece of paper, is a lot more than just proof of residence.

There is a huge difference between a rural and an urban residence permit. Even if a person spends his/her entire life working in a big city, but doesn't have a permit to live permanently in the city, he/she can only get pension after retirement in the place where his/her household is registered.

Having one's household registered in a city like Beijing brings with it lots of social benefits in terms of education, welfare and insurance, which drive people to fabricate or even steal others' identities.

Separating hukou from the social benefits is a difficult part of the reform. For a vast country with a huge floating population like China, it is difficult to prevent duplicated ID numbers or inconsistency between ID and residence permit.

Incidents of a person being wrongfully detained by police for having an ID number that matches that of a criminal suspect or a man seeking to register his first marriage being told that he is already married have been reported from time to time.

But in Wang's case, the horrible fact is that Zhang Yingying's father bribed officials to give his daughter a fake identity. Had Wang's school, the college she was supposed to attend or the police followed the rules, the tragedy would have been prevented.

Zhoukou authorities announced recently that 13 people involved in the case had been punished and three of them face criminal charges. But irrespective of the outcome of the court case, Wang cannot get her lost 13 years back.

So the culprits should get the harshest punishment, in order to deter potential cheats in the future.

The writer is an editor with China Daily. lifangchao@chinadaily.com.cn
Chance for Manila to settle sea issue Updated: 2016-05-07 09:24 By CHEN QINGHONG(China Daily)

A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of China's Navy on Saturday finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Philippine presidential election on May 9, arguably the most contentious in decades, will see a new leader assume power because incumbent President Benigno Aquino III is barred from seeking re-election. Since Aquino is responsible for the souring of Beijing-Manila relations by endorsing Washington's "rebalancing to Asia-Pacific" policy over the past six years, the world is waiting to see what the new Philippine government's China policy will be.

Backed by the United States, the Aquino government has constantly sought to challenge China over the South China Sea issue, which, however, has proved to be a fool's errand.

To begin with, Manila's attempt to confront Beijing over its Huangyan Island has failed.

To maintain relations with the Philippines, however, China has exercised exemplary restraint in the island dispute. And the Philippines was expected to reciprocate the gesture for the sake of bilateral ties, which Aquino has long refused.

Encouraged by Washington, Manila sent military vessels to harass Chinese fishing boats and fishermen operating in waters off Huangyan Island in 2012, triggering a two-month confrontation with China's surveillance ships. This prompted Beijing to strengthen its presence on the island, leaving no scope for Manila to encroach upon the Chinese territory.

Thanks to the Aquino administration's accommodative policy, US troops, which the Philippine people fought strenuously to get rid of, are back in the country and will be stationed at five military bases.

Seeking Washington's protection might not be a good move for Manilait could even be counter-productivebecause Philippine soldiers, despite being equipped and trained according to US standards, have not been able to defeat the poorly-equipped anti-government forces.

By selling its Hamilton-class cutters and other advanced weapons to the Philippines, Washington is strengthening its military alliance with Manila.

But the Philippines should realize that it is just a piece on the US chessboard. The US may make use of the Philippines to meddle in the waters of the South China Sea, but it will never get involved if it leads to open confrontation between China and the Philippines. Should a serious conflict break out between Beijing and Manila over the South China Sea issue, which is about China's maritime sovereignty, Washington might prefer to watch from the sidelines because it does not concern the US' core interests.

Manila's provocations such as those around the Huangyan Island and the filing of an arbitration case in its dispute with China in the South China Sea, have a lot to do with the deteriorating bilateral relations, which have dealt a heavy blow to their trade and commercial cooperation.

As such, the incoming Philippine government should recalibrate its China policy.

But the prospects for that do not look encouraging, because the US is likely to take steps to ensure the new Philippine administration keeps serving its "rebalancing to Asia-Pacific" policy.

On the one hand, Washington is expected to ramp up its military aid to Manila in the next five years. On the other, in an attempt to hype up China's legal construction on its South China Sea islands, the US flew six of its military planes through the international airspace near Huangyan Island last month, injecting more uncertainties into China-Philippines ties.

The Aquino government has been trying to justify its hawkish stance on the South China Sea issue and urging the incoming leadership to follow the same policy. Worse, its anti-China propaganda has seriously affected domestic opinion, as more Philippine citizens now seem to distrust China.

Given these facts, the new Philippine administration should take appropriate measures to improve Beijing-Manila ties and seek peaceful solution to bilateral disputes without becoming an expendable part of Washington's Asia-Pacific maneuver.

The author is a researcher in Southeast Asian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
Filipinos head to polls to elect new president Updated: 2016-05-09 14:04 (Xinhua)

A Filipino woman shows her finger with an indelible ink mark as she poses after casting her vote in a polling precincts for the national elections in Davao city in southern Philippines, May 9, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

MANILA - More than 54 million Filipinos began casting their votes in polling centers across the country on Monday to pick a new president.

Five candidates are vying for the presidency to succeed Benigno Aquino III, whose six-year term ends on June 30.

Besides electing a new president, voters will also be choosing candidates for vice-president, hundreds of lawmakers and around 18,000 local officials.

Polls opened at 6:00 am local time (2200 GMT Sunday) and will close at 5:00 pm local time. The election commission said unofficial outcome for the presidential and vice presidential polls will be expected within 72 hours.
EU anti-dumping moves may damage relations with China Updated: 2016-05-09 20:00 By Fu Jing in Brussels(chinadaily.com.cn)

A technician checks steel plates at a Han-Steel Co Ltd unit in Handan, Hebei province. [Hao Qunying/For China Daily]

Leading European economists urged the European Union not to be too reliant on protectionist measures against China's competitive steel exports, warning that escalated anti-dumping moves may lead to retaliation from Beijing and damage the bilateral relationship.

They said both sides have already set an excellent example in solving solar panel disputes and consultation has brought the relationship back on track; the method should be used to find solutions over excess steel capacity, which they say is a "global phenomena."

Europe's steelmakers are facing closure or a drastic reduction in jobs, with trade unions blaming China for dumping cheaper steel products on the open market.

Since last year, the European Union has repeatedly resorted to defensive trade measures, seeking to impose punitive tariffs against China's various competitive steel products, though such products have helped reduce the cost of business in Europe amid economic stagnation.

A solution "very much depends on whether the EU is prepared to intensify negotiations with China and its companies on best accounting practices and cost measurement," said Rolf Langhammer, vice-president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany from 1997-2012.

Referring to the consultations in the solar panel dispute in 2012-13, Langhammer, who is still a professor at Kiel, said there have been examples in the past in which Chinese companies constructively cooperated with the EU Commission and thus prevented anti-dumping duties being imposed on their exports.

"This would be a good way to go," he said.

Langhammer insisted that bilateral relationship would strongly benefit from a clear policy of the Chinese government to abstain from any trade-distorting subsidization policies in favor of their steel plants.

Beijing rejects the allegation that China has offered incentives and subsidies to encourage steel producers to export. Spokesman of Ministry of Commerce Shen Danyang ruled it out at press conference last month, saying "China has not injected export subsidies for the steel companies."

Men Jing, professor at the College of Europe, also expressed her concern over Brussels' actions of imposing excessive trade protection measures against China's steel exports and its time-consuming decision-making process of granting China market economy status, which European Parliament will debate on Tuesday.

"I have sensed that, if two sides could not cope with the two headaches properly, the tit-for-tat actions, which I don't expect, may bring trouble for the bilateral relationship between China and EU, which just celebrated their 40th anniversary last year," said Men.

"However, I don't think the relationships between China and the EU member states, between China and Central and Eastern European countries, will be affected," said Men. "Their relationships have gathered sound momentum."

Fredrik Erixon, Director of the European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE), a world-economy think tank in Brussels, said trade disputes were never welcome, but both sides know that they would be damaged if such disputes were allowed to spiral out of control and lead to trade wars.

"The important thing is to prevent escalating trade defense measures and to keep up the pace on concluding the bilateral investment treaty between China and the EU," said Erixon.

"The political reaction is likely to be highly critical, perhaps leading to retaliation by the Chinese government on European exports."

"As long as global growth remains muted, the demand for steel will be below capacity, and forecasts suggest overcapacity will remain a problem for several years," Erixon said.

Langhammer said overcapacity in steel is a global phenomenon which can be primarily explained by declining demand for raw steel in many emerging markets, including China, and by difficulties in rapidly adjusting supply volumes.

China is responding by closing steel plants, but this will not decisively cure the problem. "Nor will Brussels anti-dumping measures be of permanent help," said Langhammer.

To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn


Why Did Murphy Oil Shares Fall despite Its 1Q16 Earnings Beat?

Murphy Oils 1Q16 earnings beat estimates

Murphy Oil (MUR) announced its 1Q16 earnings on May 4, 2016, after the Market closed. It reported an adjusted EPS (earnings per share) of -$0.66 per share. This was $0.05 better than Wall Street analysts consensus for an EPS of -$0.71 per share. Murphy Oils 1Q16 earnings are higher by $0.45 per sharecompared to -$1.11 per share in 1Q15. Even when compared sequentially with 4Q15, Murphy Oils 1Q16 earnings are higher by $0.10 per share.

Murphy Oils 1Q16 revenue missed estimates

For 1Q16, Murphy Oil reported adjusted revenue of ~$430 million. This was ~2% lower than Wall Street analysts consensus of ~$439 million. Murphy Oils 1Q16 revenues are lower by ~53%compared to its 1Q15 revenues of ~$922 million. Even when compared sequentially with 4Q15, Murphy Oils 1Q16 revenues are lower by ~35%.

Due to the steep downward trend in energy prices, many S&P 500 (SPY) upstream companies like Range Resources (RRC), Devon Energy (DVN), and ConocoPhillips (COP) reported an ~24%, ~35%, and ~37% year-over-year decline in their 1Q16 adjusted revenues, respectively. The Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. Bear 3x Shares (DRIP) is a leveraged inverse ETF. It invests in oil and gas exploration and production companies.

Murphy Oils earnings trend

As you can see in the above chart, Murphy Oil reported much lower earnings in 2015 due to lower realized crude oil (USO) (UWTI) (DWTI) and natural gas (UNG) (BOIL) prices. In 1Q15, Murphy Oil saw its adjusted earnings turn negative for the first time since 1Q13. Since 1Q13, Murphy Oil beat the earnings expectations ~69% of the time.

Due to lower realized crude oil (UCO) (SCO) and natural gas (GASX) (GASL) prices, other upstream companies like Range Resources (RRC) and Devon Energy (DVN) also saw their earnings turn negative in 1Q16. ConocoPhillips (COP) has reported negative earnings since 2Q15.

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Whats in this series?

Having analyzed Murphy Oils 1Q16 earnings performance, in this series well look at its operational performance, Wall Street analysts ratings, and how its stock price reacted to past earnings beats.

Now, lets take a look at Murphy Oils operational performance for 1Q16.

Continue to Next Part

Browse this series on Market Realist:
OKLAHOMA CITY, UT--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - APMEX, an online Precious Metals retailer based in Oklahoma City, teamed up with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma in the annual "Fighting HungerFeeding Hope" food and fund drive. Last year, with two fundraisers, APMEX donated more than 500,000 meals in total to hungry families across Oklahoma.

According to the Food Bank, Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation. One in six Oklahomans, or about 656,000 people, struggle with hunger or have limited availability of nutritionally adequate food. The average Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit amounts to roughly $4 a day per person and more than 1 million people in the state currently utilize these benefits to avoid going hungry.

APMEX President Scott Thomas knows first-hand what it is like to struggle with food insecurity. Thomas worked at a pizza parlor as a teenager and would bring home leftover pizza for his family to eat since they had nothing else. He believes it is unacceptable that one in four children and one in eleven seniors struggle with hunger every day in Oklahoma.

"Helping to fight hunger and provide meals to those who need them the most is very important to not only my family and I, but is also a meaningful cause for many employees at APMEX," APMEX President Scott Thomas said.

In 2015, APMEX provided more than 132,000 meals with the Feeding Hope Food Drive, in addition to an end-of-year toy drive and $100,000 donation. This year, APMEX set a goal to provide 140,000 meals to Oklahomans who struggle with hunger.

Every dollar donated to the Food Bank provides five meals; this year's contribution of $31,294.82, plus 1,367 pounds of food, will provide 158,752.5 meals for Oklahomans. APMEX held many different contests during the week to raise money for "Feeding HungerFighting Hope," ranging from raffles to a silent art auction. All these opportunities helped contribute over a week's worth of meals to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

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"If you are able to help in any shape or form, whether that is through donations or physically volunteering at the Food Bank, I invite everyone to join us in this fight," Thomas said.

About APMEX, Inc.

For more than 15 years, APMEX has been one of the nation's largest Precious Metals e-retailers. Boasting over $6.5 billion in transactions, APMEX was recently ranked the #1 Specialty E-Retailer and #42 out of 500 e-retailers by Internet Retailer Magazine. APMEX has the largest selection of bullion and numismatic items provided by a retailer, boasting more than 10,000 products. Product offerings include all U.S. Mint bullion such as Gold, Silver and Platinum American Eagle coins. APMEX also sells products from leading mints around the world including The Royal Mint, Perth Mint, Royal Canadian Mint and many others. APMEX is a member of the American Numismatic Association, the International Precious Metals Institute and the Industry Council for Tangible Assets. For additional information, visit www.APMEX.com or call (800) 375-9006.

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Florida and Arizona might be retirement hotspots due to their temperate climates, but when it comes to quality of life for senior citizens, theyre not all theyre cracked up to be. In fact, you might want to start thinking about the Upper Midwest.

A new study from Caring.com finds that South Dakota is actually the best state in which to grow old, thanks to its quality care for aging citizens  and the below-average cost of that care.

Best states to retire

Northern states, in fact, had a remarkably strong showing, with three Upper Midwest states sweeping the top three spots. Take a look at the sites top five states to grow old:

1) South Dakota

2) Iowa

3) Minnesota

4) Alaska

5) Oregon

Florida and Arizona both had fairly disappointing results, coming in 31st and 17th, respectively. And West Virginia came in dead last, thanks to its poor healthcare and quality of life rankings.

"The main takeaway from this research is that the traditional retirement destinations don't always offer the best mix of cost and quality," said Dayna Steele, Caring.com's chief caring expert in a statement. "This is why it's so important for people to do their homework while they're still relatively young and healthy in order to set themselves up for retirement years that are truly golden."

Worst states

Where else should you avoid? The worst five, per Caring.com, were:

50) West Virginia

49) New Jersey

48) New York

47) Kentucky

46) Indiana

Caring.coms study included data from Genworth, Long-Term Scorecard (a joint effort that included the AARP) and Gallup-Healthways  along with data of its own. Collectively, the groups looked at the median costs of home health services, assisted living, quality of life and care, current well-being and more. The group made its rankings on 12 categories  half related to finance and half tied to quality of life and care.

Somewhat surprisingly, this isnt the first time Northern states have been given the definitive nod over states many people connect with an aging population. In March, Wyoming topped Bankrate.coms list of the best places to retire, with South Dakota coming in second. While its a slightly different category, its certainly closely tied. (West Virginia and New York, its worth noting, were also among the five worst on that list.)

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If youre looking to age in a state with warm weather in which to approach your golden years, South Carolina was tops in the survey, ranking eighth overall. And North Carolina came in 15th.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war will highlight the actions of Prime Minister Tony Blair (C), pictured in Basra, Iraq on December 21, 2004, and his administration (AFP Photo/Adrian Dennis) (AFP/File)

London (AFP) - Britain's long-delayed mammoth inquiry into its part in the 2003 war in Iraq will be published on July 6, its chairman revealed Monday.

The Iraq Inquiry headed by former senior civil servant John Chilcot, which began in 2009, was originally due to report within a year.

In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, Chilcot said that routine checks to ensure that the report did not breach national security had been completed, without the need for redactions.

A July 6 publication date allows time for "final proof reading, formatting, printing and the steps required for electronic publication", he said, in the letter published Monday.

The report is expected to be 2.6 million words long.

The Chilcot inquiry was set up by prime minister Gordon Brown, the successor of Tony Blair, who led Britain into the conflict in 2003. Some 179 British soldiers died in the war.

The inquiry's vast remit was to consider Britain's involvement in Iraq from 2001 to 2009 to establish what happened, the way decisions were made and actions taken, and to identify lessons that can be learned.

It received evidence from over 150 witnesses, held more than 130 sessions of oral evidence, and analysed more than 150,000 government documents.

The report is expected to highlight how Britain's involvement in Iraq -- particularly questions over whether Blair's government "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to make the case for war -- remains the subject of heated debate.

The inquiry's costs to April 2015 were 10.375 million ($15 million, 13.1 million euros).
TORONTO, ONTARIO / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2016 / California Gold Mining Inc. ("California Gold" or the "Company") announces new assay results from the Company's recently completed Phase III drill program at its flagship Fremont Project (the "Project") in Mariposa County, California.

Vishal Gupta, California Gold's President and CEO, said, "The Fremont Project, located in one of the world's greatest gold districts, has demonstrated consistent drilling success. As we near the release of our first resource estimate, California Gold is in a strong position to create incremental shareholder value by demonstrating a substantial gold endowment and benefiting from the improved conditions in the gold market."

This press release discusses the assay results and corresponding geological interpretation for four holes of the Phase III drill program, namely DD-15-045, 046, 050 and 061. Highlights from these four holes are displayed in the following table. The plan-view collar locations and interpreted geological cross-sections for all four holes can be viewed in Appendices A and B of this press release, respectively.

** Notes: Composite grades are length weighted to interval width. Composite true width for DD-15-045 is estimated at 91% of the reported interval. Composite true width for DD-15-046 is estimated at 91% of the reported interval. Composite true width for DD-15-050 is estimated at 91% of the reported interval. Composite true width for DD-15-061 is estimated at 83% of the reported interval.

The Phase III drill program commenced on September 11, 2015 and concluded on March 5, 2016. It consisted of a total of 43 diamond holes, and 12,549 metres of drilling.

Today's announcement brings the total number of Phase III drill holes for which assay results have been publicly released to 27. Assay results for the previously released 23 drill holes were announced on November 9, 2015, November 23, 2015, December 15, 2015, January 18, 2016, February 17, 2016, March 30, 2016, and April 27, 2016. Further assay results will continue to be released as they become available.

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The Phase III drill program is designed to achieve the following objectives:

Generation of a maiden resource estimate for the Project covering the main Pine Tree-Josephine mineralized zone

Testing the down-dip extension of the shear zone in the main Pine Tree-Josephine mineralized zone to a depth of up to 1,000 metres below surface

Testing the mineralization potential of the newly discovered mineralized zones on surface originally discussed in the Company's December 4, 2014 press release

Discussion of the Phase III Drill Holes

The four holes discussed in this press release are part of the infill drilling segment of the Phase III drill program, focused on providing greater confidence in the geological continuity of the main Pine Tree-Josephine mineralized zone, in order to help generate a maiden resource estimate for the Project.

The results from all currently analyzed Phase III drill holes show strong correlation with the geology documented during the recent Phase I and II diamond, and historic RC, drilling campaigns, and geological analysis of the Pine Tree-Josephine deposit.

A descriptive overview of the geological setting and the various styles of mineralization prevalent at the Project is provided in the Company's news release dated November 9, 2015.

DD-15-045

Drill hole DD-15-045 was drilled with an azimuth of 240 and an inclination of -55 to a depth of 335.9m.

This hole intersected three important mineralized zones with gold values exceeding 1.2 g/t. A 4.6m interval with an average of 1.23 g/t Au was intersected between 285.6m and 290.2m and is associated with sulphide replacement mineralization in the tectonic melange between massive quartz veins, and quartz-albite alteration. A 4.7m interval with an average of 2.01 g/t Au was intersected between 294.9m and 299.6m and is associated with sulphide replacement mineralization in the tectonic melange and massive quartz veins. This interval includes an intersection of 0.8m with an average grade of 5.35 g/t Au (297.8m to 298.6m). At the footwall contact of the tectonic melange a 4.9m interval with an average grade of 6.91 g/t Au was intersected between 310.0m and 314.9m. This is a zone of fine-grained, sulphide replacement mineralization associated with fault gouge development and massive quartz veins that have been observed in a similar position in previously analyzed drill holes. This interval includes an intersection of 0.7m with an average grade of 43.03 g/t Au (314.2m to 314.9m).

DD-15-046

Drill hole DD-15-046 was drilled with an azimuth of 240 and an inclination of -55 to a depth of 335.3m.

This hole intersected one important mineralized zone. A 5.8m interval with an average of 3.68 g/t Au was intersected between 311.1m and 316.9m and is associated with fault gouge, cataclasite and quartz vein stockwork in the tectonic melange. This interval includes an intersection of 1.6m with an average grade of 5.29 g/t Au (311.8m to 313.4m).

DD-15-050

Drill hole DD-15-050 was drilled with an azimuth of 240 and an inclination of -55 to a depth of 383.7m.

This hole intersected three important mineralized zones with gold values exceeding 1.1 g/t. A 5.4m interval with an average of 1.14 g/t Au was intersected between 317.1m and 322.5m and is associated with sulfide replacement mineralization, shearing, and abundant quartz veins in the tectonic melange. A 3.7m interval with an average of 1.85 g/t Au was intersected between 329.8m and 333.5m and is associated with pyrite and arsenopyrite mineralization, brecciation, and quartz veins in the tectonic melange. This interval includes an intersection of 0.9m with an average grade of 4.44 g/t Au (330.7m to 331.6m). At the footwall contact of the tectonic melange an 8.4m interval with an average grade of 3.58 g/t Au was intersected between 342.7m and 351.1m. This is a zone of fine-grained, sulphide replacement mineralization associated with fault gouge development, massive quartz veins, and abundant quartz stockwork that have been observed in a similar position in previously analyzed drill holes. This interval includes an intersection of 2.4m with an average grade of 5.73 g/t Au (342.7m to 345.2m).

DD-15-061

Drill hole DD-15-061 was drilled with an azimuth of 250 and an inclination of -65 to a depth of 138.1m.

This hole intersected three important mineralized zones with gold values exceeding 1.7 g/t. A 10.7m interval with an average of 1.70 g/t Au was intersected between 69.5m and 80.2m and is associated with sulfide replacement mineralization in massive, to vuggy quartz veins tectonic melange. A 7.9m interval with an average of 2.41 g/t Au was intersected between 92.4m and 100.3m and is associated with brecciation and quartz-ankerite veins in the tectonic melange. This interval includes an intersection of 4.6m with an average grade of 3.12 g/t Au (93.9m to 98.5m). At the footwall contact of the tectonic melange a 6.7m interval with an average grade of 1.88 g/t Au was intersected between 112.6m and 119.3m. This is a zone of sulphide replacement mineralization associated with fault gouge, breccia, and ribboned, to massive quartz veins that have been observed in a similar position in previously analyzed drill holes. This interval includes an intersection of 2.1m with an average grade of 3.29 g/t Au (117.2m to 119.3m).

The Company has retained the services of SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc., an internationally recognized, independent resource consulting firm, to advise the Companys technical team on overall geological interpretation and to act as an independent umpire on assay results.

Description of Quality Assurance & Quality Control (QA/QC) Procedures

The laboratory being used for assay analyses is American Assay Laboratories Inc. ("AAL") based in Sparks, Nevada (ISO/IEC 17025:2005 Certified).

Prior to transportation of core samples to AAL, all core processing is conducted at the Project site in an enclosed 6,000 sq. ft. office facility. All diamond drill core is logged, photographed and split using core saws. Core from entire holes is being sampled every five feet to compare with the historic RC hole assay intervals. Additionally, sub-samples are being collected within the planned five foot intervals where important geological or mineralization contacts occur to allow better discrimination within the geological model. The minimum sample interval is 1.5 feet.

One half of the split core is transported to AAL by Company employees for prep and analysis. The other half of the core is stored at the Company core storage facility for future inspection and assay verification. All gold analyses of strongly mineralized samples utilize the screened metallics fire (SMF) assay method with a gravimetric finish. At the laboratory, the entire sample is crushed to 90 percent minus ten-mesh. A rotary splitter is used to obtain a 500 gram sample for pulverising. The screened metallics are collected as the plus fraction from a 150-mesh screen at the lab. The plus 150-mesh fraction is fire assayed in its entirety. Two separate one-assay ton fire (1ATF) analyses of the minus 150-mesh fraction are performed and arithmetically averaged. The minus and plus 150-mesh results are then combined for a total screened metallics fire assay.

A full QA/QC program, involving insertion of appropriate blanks and standards is being employed with acceptable results. Generation of QA/QC control charts, and overall independent umpiring of assay results is being conducted by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc.

Mr. Vishal Gupta, the Company's President & CEO has reviewed and approved this press release. Mr. Gupta is a P.Geo. registered with the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO), and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined under National Instrument 43-101. The exploration program at Fremont is being conducted under Mr. Guptas supervision.

About California Gold Mining Inc.

California Gold Mining Inc. is focused on developing its flagship Fremont gold project in Mariposa County, California. The project consists of a land package totaling 3,351 acres of historically producing gold mines. The Fremont Property lies within California's prolific Mother Lode Gold Belt that has produced over 50 million oz of gold historically. The Company purchased the property in March 2013.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release of California Gold contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause California Gold's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this document include statements regarding planned exploration work on the Companys Fremont Property including the anticipated results and timing thereof. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward looking statements. Any factor could cause actual results to differ materially from California Gold's expectations. California Gold undertakes no obligation to update these forward looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change, unless otherwise required by law.

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.

For further information contact:

Vishal Gupta

President & CEO

647-977-9267 x333

Website: www.caligold.ca





Appendix A

Orthophoto of the Pine Tree-Josephine Deposit Showing Locations of Completed and Planned Phase III Drill Holes, and Historic Drill Holes

To view the image for Planned Phase III drill holes, please click on the following link:

http://www.fscwire.com/sites/default/files/NR/711/10771_californiaimage1.jpg

Appendix B

Interpreted Geological Cross-Sections Depicting Down-Hole Traces

For Completed Phase III Drill Holes, and Historic Drill Holes

DD-15-045 & DD-15-050

To view the image for DD-15-045 & DD-15-050, please click on the following link:

http://www.fscwire.com/sites/default/files/NR/711/10771_californiaimage2.jpg

DD-15-046

To view the image for DD-15-046, please click on the following link:

http://www.fscwire.com/sites/default/files/NR/711/10771_californiaimage3.jpg

DD-15-061

To view the image for DD-15-061, please click on the following link:

http://www.fscwire.com/sites/default/files/NR/711/10771_californiaimage4.jpg

SOURCE: California Gold Mining Inc.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - Canada Rare Earth Corporation ("Canada Rare Earth" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:LL) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement (the "Agreement") to purchase 60% of the issued and outstanding shares (the "Shares") of a company based in Laos ("LaosCo"). LaosCo owns a full capability rare earth refinery (the "Refinery") that is designed to process monazite rare earth concentrate and separate the concentrate into the entire spectrum of commercially traded rare earths including light and heavy elements. LaosCo's future development plans entail extending capabilities to include rare earth metal making.

The configuration of the Refinery is based on years of design, construction and operating experience in separating rare earth concentrates into individual rare earth oxides to at least 99.99% purity. The engineering team that designed and built the Refinery has built 10 similar refineries that each produce over 3,000 tpa of rare earths including heavy and light elements.

As a part of the transaction the Refinery will become a core element in the Company's operations. Canada Rare Earth will market internationally and sell products directly to customers globally.

Once the purchase of the Shares closes (the "Closing"), shareholders of LaosCo will be responsible for contributing their respective pro-rata share of working capital requirements. Additionally, shareholders will be responsible for their pro-rata share of future, agreed upon capital expenditures (such as for extending the Refinery's capabilities to rare earth metal making utilizing the oxide production).

The Agreement is subject to certain terms and conditions including: receiving an operating permit within 6 months of the date of the Agreement; and paying a specified purchase price for the Shares within 12 months of the date of the Agreement. There can be no assurance that either or both of the operating permit or the necessary funding for the purchase of the Shares will be achieved within the specified time frames. For proprietary business and competitive pricing reasons and while fund raising for this initiative, the Agreement precludes the parties from disclosing the purchase price of the Shares until the acquisition of the Shares has closed.

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As additional consideration, subject to Closing on the acquisition of the Shares and subject to regulatory approval, Canada Rare Earth will grant a warrant to the owner of LaosCo to purchase up to 40 million shares of the Company, at an exercise price of C$0.25 per share, exercisable within 30 days of the Closing.

On behalf of the Board

Tracy A. Moore, CEO and Peter Shearing, COO

ABOUT CANADA RARE EARTH CORP.

Canada Rare Earth Corp. is developing an international vertically and horizontally integrated business within the global rare earth industry. Our key focus is to generate revenues and positive cash flow from a variety of profit centers in the rare earth production and sales chain by sourcing, adding value and selling rare earths in all stages and forms. We are in the process of establishing our own mining, concentrating and refinery capabilities in addition to working with affiliated and third party organizations.

"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." The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.

In addition to risks associated with forward looking statements there are risks associated with the proposed acquisition of the Shares including risks relating to the ability of the Company to raise sufficient funds required to purchase the Shares. Further, there can be no certainty that the required permits will be obtained to enable the Refinery to commence operations as well as risks associated with carrying on business and owning assets in Laos, a non-Western country.

For more information on the Company, interested parties should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
Investors look at an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage house in Shanghai, China, April 21, 2016. REUTERS/Aly Song/File photo

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China stocks fell sharply again on Monday, reaching eight-month lows, as investors saw hopes for a strong economic recovery fade and worried about fresh regulatory curbs on speculation.

Following the market's nearly 3 percent slump on Friday, China's blue-chip CSI300 index fell 2.1 percent, to 3,065.62, while the Shanghai Composite Index (.SSEC) lost 2.8 percent, to 2,832.11 points.

China April trade data, released on Sunday, doused investor hopes of a sustainable economic recovery, with both exports and imports falling more than expected.

Recovery hopes were further dimmed by an article on Monday in the People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece. It cited an "authoritative source" saying China's economic trend will be "L-shaped", rather than "U-shaped", and definitely not "V-shaped", but the government will not use excessive investment or rapid credit expansion to stimulate growth.

Shares fell across the board, but selling concentrated in relatively expensive small caps (.CHINEXTC) amid fears of fresh regulatory crackdown on speculation.

China's securities regulator said on Friday that the valuation gap between the domestic and overseas market and speculation on "shell" companies - firms used for backdoor listings - merited attention.

An index tracking raw material shares tumbled nearly 5 percent as China's commodity prices continued to fall amid a government crackdown on speculative trading.

(Reported by Samuel Shen and Nathaniel Taplin; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
BRUSSELS, May 9 (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said he did not expect a final agreement to be reached on Greece during talks in Brussels on Monday but he remained optimistic that a solution would be reached in May.

"I'm still confident that we'll get a solution in May," Schaeuble said.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, chairman of euro zone finance ministers, said on Monday he hoped a deal with Greece on reforms and debt relief, that would unlock new loans to Athens, could be reached at the next meeting of the ministers on May 24.

(Reporting by Tom Koerkemeier; Writing by Michelle Martin)
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - Entree Gold Inc. (ETG.TO)(NYSE MKT:EGI)(EKA.F)("Entree" or the "Company") welcomes the May 5, 2016 announcements that formal notice to proceed approval has been given for the next stage in the development of the world-class Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia by the boards of Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. ("Turquoise Hill"), Rio Tinto and Entree's joint venture partner, Oyu Tolgoi LLC ("OTLLC"). This was the final requirement for the re-start of underground development at the Hugo North Lift 1 block cave, including Lift 1 of the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture's Hugo North Extension deposit. The announcements also noted that an updated Oyu Tolgoi Feasibility Study (the "2016 Feasibility Study") has been completed including a re-estimate of capital, and all necessary permits have been granted. Underground construction is expected to re-commence in mid-2016.

Stephen Scott, President & CEO of Entree said, "We are very pleased and excited by these announcements which represent very significant milestones for the project and all stakeholders, including the people of Mongolia and Entree shareholders. This historic decision is another step towards realizing the significant value from this world class project and is a clear signal of improved investor confidence in Mongolia as an attractive place to do business."

According to Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill the notice to proceed decision follows the December 2015 signing of a $4.4 billion project financing agreement with international financial institutions and export credit agencies representing the Governments of the United States, Canada and Australia, along with 15 commercial banks, for the development of the underground mine, including Lift 1 of the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture's Hugo North Extension deposit.

Turquoise Hill further reported that pre-start activities for the underground started in August 2015 and have included ramp-up of the owners and engineering procurement and construction management teams, re-estimation activities, detailed engineering and early procurement for equipment and materials required for necessary critical works that are key enablers for recommencement of underground lateral development mining activity. Appointments to key roles in the underground team are well underway, with key staff starting in Q1 2016.

Entree has a carried interest in two of the Oyu Tolgoi project deposits - the Hugo North Extension copper-gold deposit and the Heruga copper-gold-molybdenum deposit (the "Entree/Oyu Tolgoi JV Property"). These deposits are the northern-most and southern-most, respectively, in the 12 kilometre-long Oyu Tolgoi series of deposits. The resources at Hugo North Extension include a Probable reserve, which is included in the first phase ("Lift 1") of underground mine development. The Probable reserve (September 20, 2014) for Hugo North Extension totals 35 million tonnes grading 1.59% copper, 0.55 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold, and 3.72 g/t silver. Entree holds a 20% carried interest in this mineral reserve through the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture.

A second lift for the Oyu Tolgoi underground block cave operation, including additional resources from Hugo North Extension, has been proposed but has not yet been modeled within the existing mine plan.

Under the terms of the joint venture, Entree elected to have OTLLC debt finance Entree's share of costs with interest accruing at OTLLC's actual cost of capital or prime plus 2%, whichever is less, at the date of the advance. Debt repayment may be made in whole or in part from (and only from) 90% of monthly available cash flow arising from sale of Entree's share of products.

Turquoise Hill expects to publish an updated National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") independent technical report relating to the project in the second half of 2016. Once Entree receives all required information relating to the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi JV Property, it will report on the impact of the 2016 Feasibility Study.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Robert Cinits, P.Geo., Entree's Vice President, Corporate Development, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has approved the technical information in this release. For further information on the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi JV Property, see the Company's technical report, titled "Lookout Hill Feasibility Study Update", with an effective date of March 29, 2016, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ABOUT ENTREE GOLD INC.

Entree Gold Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration company balancing opportunity and risk with key assets in Mongolia and Nevada. As a joint venture partner with a carried interest on a portion of the Oyu Tolgoi mining project in Mongolia, Entree has a unique opportunity to participate in one of the world's largest copper-gold projects managed by one of the premier mining companies - Rio Tinto. Oyu Tolgoi, with its series of deposits containing copper, gold and molybdenum, has been under exploration and development since the late 1990s. Additionally, Entree has also been advancing its Ann Mason Project in one of the world's most favourable mining jurisdictions, Nevada. The Ann Mason Project hosts the Ann Mason copper-molybdenum deposit as well as the Blue Hill copper deposit within the rejuvenated Yerington copper camp.

Sandstorm Gold, Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill Resources are major shareholders of Entree, holding approximately 15%, 11% and 9% of issued and outstanding shares, respectively.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates; the timing for first Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture development ore; anticipated future costs; construction and continued development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine, including Lift 1 of the Hugo North Extension deposit; potential metallurgical recoveries and grades; plans for future programs and budgets; plans for future technical reports; anticipated business activities; corporate strategies; requirements for additional capital; uses of funds; and future financial performance.

In certain cases, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budgeted", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate" or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee of Entree's future performance and are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions, legal proceedings and negotiations and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the status of the Company's relationship and interaction with the Government of Mongolia, OTLLC, Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill. With respect to the construction and continued development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine, important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information include, amongst others, the timing and cost of the construction and expansion of mining and processing facilities; the timing and availability of a long term power source for the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine; the timing to satisfy all conditions precedent to the first drawdown of project financing; the impact of the delay in the funding and development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine; delays, and the costs which would result from delays, in the development of the underground mine; and production estimates and the anticipated yearly production of copper, gold and silver at the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine.

Other uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by forward-looking statements and information include, amongst others, whether the size, grade and continuity of deposits and resource and reserve estimates have been interpreted correctly from exploration results; fluctuations in commodity prices and demand; changing foreign exchange rates; actions by Rio Tinto, Turquoise Hill and/or OTLLC and by government authorities including the Government of Mongolia; the availability of funding on reasonable terms; the impact of changes in interpretation to or changes in enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices, including laws, regulations and government practices with respect to mining, foreign investment, royalties and taxation; the terms and timing of obtaining necessary environmental and other government approvals, consents and permits; the availability and cost of necessary items such as power, water, skilled labour, transportation and appropriate smelting and refining arrangements; and misjudgements in the course of preparing forward-looking statements.

In addition, there are also known and unknown risk factors which may cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to international operations, including legal and political risk in Mongolia; risks associated with changes in the attitudes of governments to foreign investment; risks associated with the conduct of joint ventures; discrepancies between actual and anticipated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; global financial conditions; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; inability to upgrade Inferred mineral resources to Indicated or Measured mineral resources; inability to convert mineral resources to mineral reserves; conclusions of economic evaluations; future prices of copper, gold, silver and molybdenum; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining government approvals, permits or licences or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; environmental risks; title disputes; limitations on insurance coverage; as well as those factors described in the Company's most recently filed Management's Discussion and Analysis and in the Company's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2015, dated March 30, 2016 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.
A woman walks next to a BlackRock sign pictured in the Manhattan borough of New York, October 11, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (Reuters)

By Trevor Hunnicutt

NEW YORK (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc is accelerating its push in Latin America, making plans for its first launch of a private equity infrastructure fund targeting that market, a company document showed.

The launch is anticipated this year, according to the document, an infrastructure investing plan seen by Reuters on Monday.

Such funds typically target large investors who can lock up their initial investments for a decade or more. The size of the fund was not disclosed, and BlackRock declined to comment.

Since its acquisition of Mexican investment company Infraestructura Institucional last year, BlackRock has said it has $1 billion committed by investors and plans to invest broadly across the energy, utility, transportation and communication infrastructure sectors in the region, especially in Mexico.

BlackRock started its infrastructure unit in 2011, and more recently has focused on growth in Latin America. The unit oversees physical property as well as relationships, from construction sub-contractors to government officials.

To date, the unit has been known for specializing in renewable-energy projects and being rooted in developed markets in Europe, the United States and Asia. The company has about $9 billion in infrastructure assets under management overall.

The firm has expanded, hiring foreign executives, including Manuel Sanchez, the former chief executive of Spanish renewable energy company Abengoa. BlackRock now has 26 people currently assigned in the Latin America infrastructure effort.

In its expansion south, BlackRock expects more government policy reforms of the sort that ended Mexico's decades-old state energy monopoly across the Americas. Mexico's economy grew more quickly than expected in the first quarter this year, preliminary data showed last month, after uneven U.S. demand and sinking oil prices shook the economy in 2015.

Company executives have said they expect large investors, including pension funds, to boost their stakes in investments such as railroads, pipelines and wind farms in the hope that they will return a stream of cash for pensioners and other investors.

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In addition to expanding its Mexico City-based team, BlackRock last year took a joint stake worth around $900 million in a Mexican natural-gas pipeline project with U.S. private equity company First Reserve that is expected to start operating this year.

It is also looking at expanding to other countries, such as Colombia, Peru and Chile, company officials have said. New York-based BlackRock managed $4.7 trillion overall as of March 31.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Dan Grebler)
A welder works at a Ferrovial construction site, of new residential buildings, in Madrid, February 24, 2015. REUTERS/Susana Vera

By Alexandra Alper

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Spanish construction firm Ferrovial SA (FER.MC) may cancel its plan to bid jointly with cash-strapped local builder ICA for a contract to build a $3.5 billion (2 billion pounds) terminal building for Mexico City's new airport, people familiar with the matter said.

The Spanish builder is weighing an exit from a "memorandum of understanding" with Empresas ICA SAB de CV (ICA.MX), two sources said, as the Mexican firm struggles under 67.617 billion pesos ($3.74 billion) in debt.

The joint bid memorandum was signed by both companies in Madrid in July 2015.

Two of the sources, who asked for anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the situation, said Ferrovial has reached out to other companies seeking possible partners to form a new consortium to bid on the terminal.

Ferrovial declined to comment.

A spokesman for ICA also declined to comment, saying by email that "joint participation agreements for projects establish confidentiality clauses that we should respect."

Ferrovial, which won a 2010 contract to build a terminal at London's Heathrow Airport for around 800 million pounds, would be well-placed to win bidding for the Mexican project under ordinary circumstances.

But the tie-up with ICA has cast a shadow over Ferrovial's chances of building the futuristic terminal, designed by British architect Norman Foster and billionaire Carlos Slim's son-in-law Fernando Romero.

The terminal is part of a 169 billion peso ($9.34 billion) airport project aimed at turning Mexico City into a major regional hub.

Securing a project like the airport terminal would be a massive boon for ICA. But it has defaulted on about $60 million in interest payments since December, raising doubts about whether it could shoulder its part of the financial burden for building the terminal, which is set to open in 2020.

The call for bids for the project, which was published last week, requires bidders to have net working capital worth at least 8 percent of the cost of the work they expect to complete in the first year of construction.

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Interested parties must file their proposals by Nov. 21 and the winning bidder is expected to be announced on Dec. 9, according to the tender's ambitious timeline. It calls for work on the project to begin on Dec. 20.

Two sources close to the project have estimated the cost of the terminal construction at around $3.5 billion.

ICA recently replaced its chief executive and hired financial advisory firm Rothschild to come up with a debt restructuring plan by February. But it has yet to release the plan and Reuters reported that it is eyeing a pre-packaged bankruptcy filing for some of its subsidiaries.

The airport project, unveiled in 2014, is the signature infrastructure project of President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration. The new terminal is expected to handle some 50 million passengers annually.

Aimed at boosting capacity at Mexico's over-saturated Benito Juarez International Airport, it has survived successive government spending cuts as sinking oil prices have crimped public expenditure.

($1 = 18.0900 Mexican pesos)

(Additional Reporting by Robert Hetz in Madrid and Gabriela Lopez in Monterrey; Editing by Simon Gardner and Tom Brown)
By Sanjeev Miglani, Serajul Quadir and Jim Finkle DHAKA/BOSTON (Reuters) - Bangladesh's central bank became more vulnerable to hackers when technicians from SWIFT, the global financial network, connected a new bank transaction system to SWIFT messaging three months before a $81 million cyber heist, Bangladeshi police and a bank official alleged. The technicians introduced the vulnerabilities when they connected SWIFT to Bangladesh's first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system, said Mohammad Shah Alam, the head of the criminal investigation department of the Bangladesh police who is leading the probe into one of the biggest cyber-heists in the world. "We found a lot of loopholes," Alam said in an interview in Dhaka. "The changes caused much more risk for Bangladesh Bank." He and a senior central bank official said the SWIFT employees made missteps in connecting the RTGS to the central bank's messaging platform. The technicians did not appear to have followed their own procedures to ensure the system was secure, according to the Bangladesh Bank official, who said he was not authorized to publicly comment because of the ongoing investigation. Because of this, SWIFT messaging at the central bank was widely accessible, including remote access with only a simple password, police said. It had no firewalls and only a rudimentary switch. "It was the responsibility of SWIFT to check for weaknesses once they had set up the system. But it does not appear to have been done," said the bank official. SWIFT's chief spokeswoman Natasha de Teran said she had no comment on the allegations by authorities in Bangladesh. She also declined comment on any aspect of the Bangladesh project, including whether the firm had deployed any employees or outside contractors to Bangladesh Bank. Reuters was not able to independently verify the allegations by Bangladeshi officials about the SWIFT technicians. If they are validated, however, that could undermine confidence in the cooperative that is the backbone of global financial transactions. The officials in Dhaka discussed their findings with Reuters ahead of a meeting this week in Basel, Switzerland where Bangladesh Bank officials have said their governor and a lawyer appointed by the bank will discuss recovery of about $81 million stolen by the hackers with the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a senior executive from SWIFT. Bangladesh Bank officials have said they believed SWIFT, and the New York Fed, bear some responsibility for the February cyber heist. SWIFT has declined comment on that claim. "NO INHERENT RISK" The RTGS, which enables domestic banks and the central bank to settle large transfers between themselves, was installed at Bangladesh Bank in October last year and then connected to SWIFT. In February, hackers sent fraudulent messages, ostensibly from the central bank in Dhaka, on the SWIFT system to the New York Fed seeking to transfer nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account there. Most of the transfers were blocked but about $81 million was sent to a bank in the Philippines and much of that money remains missing. A spokesman for Bangladesh Bank declined comment on the investigation into the heist. He said, however, that RTGS continued to work well, noting that a large number of countries use SWIFT messaging for similar systems. "There is no inherent risk in this," he said. According to the Bangladeshi police, the technicians linked the RTGS to SWIFT computers on the same network as about 5,000 central bank computers that are accessible from the open Internet. Instead, they should have set up a separate local area network, or LAN, that could not connect to the rest of the bank or the Internet, police said. The technicians also failed to install a firewall between the RTGS and the SWIFT room so that the bank could block malicious traffic from coming into the facility. When they installed a networking switch to control access to SWIFT, they chose to use a rudimentary old one they had found unused in the bank, rather than a more sophisticated, managed switch that gave the bank the ability to control access to the network, police said. REMOTE ACCESS During the job, the technicians set up a wireless connection so they could access computers in the locked SWIFT room from other offices inside the bank. When they finished, they failed to disconnect the remote access, which was only secured with a simple password, police and the bank official said. They also failed to disable a USB port on the computer attached to the SWIFT system, as is usual for critical networks to prevent malicious software from being installed through a tainted thumb drive, police said. Police did not provide any evidence for any of the assertions. But another central bank official familiar with the SWIFT room operations confirmed that the port was "active" until the heist came to light. He had no explanation. The hackers used malicious software to modify the SWIFT messaging software to help hide their tracks. Bangladeshi police said they have asked SWIFT to facilitate interviews with the SWIFT technicians. "Whether it is intentional or negligence, we are trying to find out," said Alam. SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is used by about 8,000 banks around the world to order funds transfers and other communications. It is connected to RTGS systems installed at scores of banks worldwide, and there have been no reports of problems elsewhere with connections between those two systems. The U.S. FBI, which is leading investigations into the case, has made no comment so far. New York Fed executive Richard Dzina said at a conference last week that bank workers "acted properly" in releasing the funds. The system was penetrated, he said, because the hackers had acquired valid credentials to order the transfers Former central bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, who is heading an internal probe by Bangladesh Bank into the heist, said SWIFT needed to review its technology in the wake of the heist. "It seems to be a case of extreme carelessness," he told Reuters. He declined to provide more details saying a final report was due in the next few weeks. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in SINGAPORE, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
* Biggest copper deal since Glencore's Las Bambas sale

* Freeport has sold $4 bln assets since start of 2016

* China Molybdenum strikes second deal in two weeks

* China's outbound deals near $100 bln

* Lundin Mining has right of first offer on Tenke (Adds analyst comment, stock move, deal terms)

By Anet Josline Pinto and Denny Thomas

May 9 (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan Inc has agreed to sell its majority stake in the Tenke copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo to China Molybdenum Co Ltd (CMOC) for $2.65 billion in cash, reducing the U.S. miner's debt and handing the Chinese company one of the world's prized copper assets.

The deal is a vote of confidence in copper, which many consider a bright spot among base metals. It is also the biggest copper deal since Glencore sold its Las Bambas mine in Peru for $6 billion in 2014.

The China Moly acquisition, its second in as many weeks, comes days after Rio Tinto approved a $5.3 billion underground expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia..

Even though copper prices are languishing near seven-year lows due to a supply glut, the recent corporate activity is a sign some investors are willing to call a bottom on the commodities cycle and expect a copper deficit ahead.

The deal is "further evidence of what China sees as a fair long-term copper price, which is north of where current levels are trading," said Paul Gait, senior research analyst at Bernstein Investment Research in London.

Freeport, like other big miners, has been selling assets to cut debt, while China has been snapping up commodity assets around the world to feed its massive economy.

The deal takes China's announced outbound M&A tally to about $100 billion in 2016, nearing last year's record $104 billion. It is China Moly's largest outbound deal to date.

Freeport shares fell 8 percent to $10.80 in New York, in line with other big miners as copper hit its lowest in nearly a month.

DEBT PILE

Shareholders have put many companies on notice, piling on pressure to sell assets to repair their balance sheets. Including this deal, Freeport, which has debt of nearly $21 billion, has sold about $4 billion worth of assets this year. The Phoenix, Arizona-based miner needed to sell $3 billion of assets by mid-year to keep its debt unsecured.

Story continues

"It is a good price for the asset and it significantly improves their liquidity and their balance sheet," Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina said.

The deal follows Freeport's sale in February of a 13 percent stake in its Morenci copper mine in Arizona to Sumitomo Metal Mining for $1 billion.

Tenke Fungurume, in the southern Congolese copper belt, is one of the world's largest copper deposits. Producing since 2009, it is 56 percent owned by Freeport, with a 24 percent stake held by Lundin Mining and a 20 percent stake by Gecamines, Congo's state mining firm.

Toronto-based Lundin has a right of first offer on any change of control transaction over Tenke. The offer is open for 90 days once the company receives notice, which it hasn't yet, spokesman John Miniotis said in an email. "Lundin will carefully evaluate all options for its stake in Tenke and will update the market in due course," he said.

The mine is one of Freeport's prize assets, along with Morenci, Cerro Verde in Peru and Grasberg in Indonesia, but it had deferred development and expansion plans due to sluggish copper prices.

Freeport also slashed planned capital spending at Tenke for 2016 by 50 percent, alongside initiatives to reduce administrative costs.

China relies heavily on imported copper for its smelters and Chinese companies have been looking to buy overseas mines.

CMOC, one of China's largest producers of molybdenum, agreed last month to pay $1.5 billion to buy Anglo American Plc's niobium and phosphates business in Brazil. The company told the Financial Times last week it had more than $4 billion to pursue acquisitions, betting that the commodities cycle had bottomed.

Freeport said it would receive another $60 million from China Moly if the average copper price exceeds $3.50 per pound and $60 million if the average cobalt price exceeds $20 per pound between 2018 and 2019.

The U.S. miner agreed to sell its 70 percent stake in TF Holdings Ltd, a Bermuda holding company that indirectly owns an 80 percent interest in Tenke Fungurume Mining SA.

Freeport also said it agreed to negotiate exclusively with China Moly for the sale of its interests in Freeport Cobalt, including the Kokkola Cobalt Refinery in Finland and the Kisanfu Exploration project in the DRC.

Citigroup advised China Moly on the deal, according to sources familiar with the matter.

(Reporting by Anet Josline Pinto in Bengaluru and Denny Thomas in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Nicole Mordant in Vancouver and Barbara Lewis in Brussels; Editing by Peter Graff and Meredith Mazzilli)
(Adds more quotes, background)

By Francesco Guarascio and Michele Kambas

BRUSSELS, May 9 (Reuters) - Greece and euro zone lenders reached an agreement on Monday which will pave the way to disburse bailout cash to Athens and may include debt relief measures, Greece's finance minister said after a meeting of euro zone finance ministers.

The preliminary deal may unlock more than 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) to ease Greece's squeezed finances and cover debt repayments maturing in June and July.

"It was a very good Eurogroup for Greece and I think a very good Eurogroup for Europe," Euclid Tsakalotos told a news conference in Brussels after the meeting.

"There was an agreement on fiscal measures and structural reforms that closes the first review" of the Greek bailout programme, Tsakalotos said adding, however, that payments will be made after the Greek parliament adopts "prior actions" agreed with lenders.

The final statement of the Eurogroup meeting said prior actions included measures agreed with lenders in July, among them pension and tax reforms passed on Monday by the Greek parliament, but also additional contingency measures.

These measures should be applied if Athens failed to reach agreed fiscal targets in 2018, when the current bailout programme expires.

The additional measures have been requested by the International Monetary Fund as a condition to participate to the Greek bailout.

The IMF prefers lower fiscal targets for Athens, which it sees as more credible. But euro zone countries led by Germany insisted that a primary surplus of 3.5 percent of GDP in 2018 is possible.

Tsakalotos said ministers agreed to continue talks on contingency measures in the next two weeks on the basis of a Greek proposal, ahead of a meeting of euro zone finance ministers on May 24 that should finalise the deal.

The Greek finance minister was confident that at that meeting there may be progress on debt relief measures.

Greek public debt is expected to be at 182.8 percent of gross domestic product this year, according to economic forecasts of the European Commission.

Story continues

Over the next two weeks, EU experts "will be working to clarify and come up with proposals for the discussions we had today on debt," Tsakalotos said.

It was the first time euro zone finance ministers discussed Greece's debt relief during the bailout programme. No haircut of the nominal value of the debt is on the table, but ministers said they were open to consider maturities and the timing for the repayment of the loans.

"There wasn't a meeting of minds on all issues, but there was a clear feeling that people were trying to sort this out and to have debt as one aspect of the overall deal," Tsakalotos said.

(Reporting by Michele Kambas and Francesco Guarascio; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
MILAN (Reuters) - Italy has a lot more to do to make the country more attractive to foreign investors who have been put off by its "relationship capitalism," Giuseppe Vegas, president of financial watchdog Consob said on Monday.

Vegas said things were changing but more needed to be done to make it easier for professional investors to put money into Italian businesses.

"'The little world of the past' of our relationship capitalism is slowly disintegrating but for now institutional investors prefer to remain on the sidelines," Vegas said in his annual speech to the finance industry.

Italy's big companies have relied for decades on a system based on personal influence and connections, while a web of cross-shareholdings protected them from foreign predators.

At the other end of the spectrum, small businesses with less than 10 employees - which account for 95 percent of the total - have been heavily reliant on bank loans, often secured through personal relationships.

This has begun to change since the global financial crisis and Italy's economic slump when bank loans dried up and tens of thousands of companies defaulted on their debts.

"But we're only halfway through," Vegas said. "A significant distance separates us from countries with more advanced capital markets."

Vegas said a market-based model made it easier for companies to be taken over, senior management can have a bigger role on company boards and institutional investors are more active in shaping corporate governance.

In Italy, 58 percent of the around 7,000 companies with revenues exceeding 50 million euros are family businesses - and the owners are often reluctant to cede control to outside investors.

But foreign investment is increasing. A study by industry body Unimpresa showed the value of foreign investments in listed companies in Italy rose to 279 billion euros (208 billion pounds) in June 2015, or 51 percent of the total, up from 44 percent a year earlier.

This was the first time that foreign ownership topped the 50 percent mark in the euro zone's third-biggest economy.

Story continues

And last year, foreign companies took over some of Italy's big corporate names such as the world's fifth-largest tyremaker Pirelli and automotive designer Pininfarina (PNNI.MI).

Swiss company Dufry bought World Duty Free from the Benetton family and U.S. conglomerate United Technologies (UTX.N) purchased a 70 percent stake in family-owned heating systems group Riello.

(Reporting by Valentina Za. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Why LatAm Mutual Funds Rose in the First 4 Months of 2016

(Continued from Prior Part)

Performance evaluation of the BlackRock Latin America Fund

The BlackRock Latin America Fund A (MDLTX) surged 22.1% in the first four months of 2016, but it still emerged as a below-average performer among the eight funds in this review. In the past year, it has fallen 13.2%, placing it fifth among its peers.

Meanwhile, from Decembers end until May 6, 2016, the fund rose 16.8%. Weve graphed its performance against two ETFs: the iShares Latin America 40 ETF (ILF) and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Latin America ETF (EEML). Lets look at what contributed to MDLTXs below-average showing in the first part of 2016.

Portfolio composition and contribution to returns

Financials were not only the biggest sector in MDLTXs portfolio, they were also the biggest positive contributors to its returns in the first four months of 2016. The ADR (American depositary receipt) of Banco Bradesco (BBDO) and the sponsored preference ADR of Itau Unibanco Holding (ITUB) were mainly responsible for boosting the sectors contributions. Morgan Stanley (MS) caused some drag on the sectors returns.

Consumer staples, the second-largest of MDLTXs invested sectors, followed financials in terms of positive contributions. Ambev (ABEV) and Raia Drogasil powered the sectors returns. Meanwhile, Adecoagro (AGRO) emerged as a negative contributor.

Materials stocks were also sizable positive contributors. They were led by the sponsored ADR of CEMEX (CX), with Compania de Minas Buenaventura (BVN) also playing a major role in the sectors performance. However, the sector was held back by the common stocks and sponsored ADR of Fibria Celulose (FBR).

Other major positive contributors included Telefonica Brasil (VIV), Grana y Montero (GRAM), YPF (YPF), and Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (VLRS).

Investor takeaway

Alone, MDLTX did well in the first part of 2016. All of its top sectors provided positive returns, and its point-to-point returns were over 20%. However, compared to the passively managed ILF, there were several problems.

Story continues

Though financials were big positive contributors to MDLTX, they still fell behind compared to the financial stocks in ILF. MDLTXs sectoral contributions from the consumer discretionary, energy, materials, and utilities sectors lagged behind their counterparts in ILF. Even those stocks that contributed more to MDLTX than to ILF didnt do so by a large margin.

A few funds in this review seem to be better placed than MDLTX. However, one comforting factor for those already invested in the fund is that its made good stock picks in its core sectors. It remains to be seen whether the funds management makes any more changes to the portfolio in regards to Brazilian stocks.

Lets move on to the T. Rowe Price Latin America Fund (PRLAX) in the next article.

Continue to Next Part

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el chapo Collage

Mexico's prison system has been called a "disaster," and drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman just got sent to the worst lockup in the country.

Guzman was transferred early Saturday morning to Cefereso No. 9, just outside Ciudad Juarez, which is across the border from El Paso, Texas.

A 2015 report by Mexico's National Human Rights Commission found that Cefereso No. 9 scored 6.63 out of 10 in overall quality, the lowest score of the country's 21 federal prisons and below the 7.32 score of the 10th-ranked Altiplano prison, where Guzman was being held before.

The prison  about 14 miles from downtown Ciudad Juarez  had a low score for handling prisoners with special requirements.

It also got middling marks for prisoner safety and well-being and for rehabilitation, according to the Associated Press. Despite those issues and overcrowding, the prison improved from 2014.

One area in which the prison performs well is in "conditions of governability," which perhaps led to Mexican officials' assertions that Cefereso No. 9 would hold the kingpin.

The Mexican government said Guzman was removed from the maximum-security Altiplano prison, from which he escaped in brazen fashion in July before being recaptured in January, to do renovations meant to improve security there, though it may have been in response to a more immediate risk.

chapo for woody

"Moving him from one prison to another is one way of delaying any potentially successful escape plans, or they might have had some information that an escape plan had been hatched," Alejandro Hope, the security and justice editor at El Daily Post, told The Guardian.

Hope has said in the past that Guzman's continued presence at Altiplano makes it more likely the conditions that allowed his escape in the past will return.

Story continues

And Guzman's very presence in Chihuahua seems to be a matter of concern.

His Sinaloa cartel recently won a violent struggle over the trafficking corridor running through Ciudad Juarez, and while violence in the city has dropped considerably, it is likely that the cartel still has a significant presence there.

Mexico El Chapo Guzman prison transfer

"It just doesn't make any sense," Mike Vigil, the former chief of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, told the AP on Sunday. "He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape."

Hope echoed that point, telling the AP, "The surrounding environment is risky because 'El Chapo' certainly has a lot of people in Ciudad Juarez, so it seems like a relatively odd choice  Probably the other alternatives were not any better, whatever their objective was."

'Master of tunnels'

There have also been conflicting messages about whether the transfer was a prelude to Guzman's likely extradition to the US.

"Due to the proximity (to the US), it makes it easier to extradite him," a Mexican law-enforcement official told CNN about the transfer to Ciudad Juarez.

Other authorities told Reuters that the move "was not a preamble to extradition."

Hope noted that moving Guzman to Cefereso No. 9 to ease extradition would be strange, as it would be just as easy to fly him from Mexico City, located about 60 miles east of Altiplano prison, as it would be to fly from Juarez.

No details about an escape attempt have emerged, and the efforts of Guzman's legal team (which has called the transfer illegal) and past experience suggest that extradition will take more than just a few months.

It's not yet clear what's going on, but with Guzman  nicknamed "the master of tunnels" for his subterranean proclivities  it's usually more than meets the eye.

NOW WATCH: Forget 'El Chapo'  this is Mexico's most powerful drug lord





More From Business Insider


Sometimes a leader's most important job is leading people where they don't want to go. That was the theme of John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, and many historians have made the same point. For a reminder of how following the populace rather than leading it can be disastrous, turn your attention to the Philippines, where the polls in the presidential election closed not long ago. As I write, Rodrigo Duterte is reported to be well ahead with two-thirds of the votes counted, and if you haven't been following this race, you won't believe how he has become the likely victor.

Remember that the Philippines have been a democracy since 1986, when Corazon Aquino, mother of current President Benigno Aquino III, was elected president. By law, he can't run for re-election, and he urged the other candidates to unite against Duterte, but they refused; Duterte needs only a plurality to win. At his campaign rallies, which in some cases attracted hundreds of thousands of supporters, he essentially promised to end democracy - to declare "a revolutionary government" - if congress thwarts his will. He bragged about overseeing the killing of hundreds of alleged criminals, without trials, as mayor of the the city of Davao, and he promised to kill thousands more - to "fill Manila Bay with their bodies" - to impose order if elected president.

In his heavily Catholic country he called Pope Francis "the son of a whore," and he routinely dismisses critics in language you will not read on Fortune.com. He made a joke about an Australian nun who was raped and killed in the Philippines; when the ambassadors of Australia and the U.S. objected, he told them to "shut up." He angrily denied media reports that he had a secret bank account filled with wealth from payoffs until a journalist proved its existence by making a deposit. He then admitted it, shrugged, and made a joke.

His followers love all of it. The more he insults everyone in power and promises to blow up the system, the more popular he becomes. The Philippine economy has been growing smartly, but millions of Filipinos remain grindingly poor, and rampant crime makes their lives miserable. They're desperate for a candidate who talks like them and promises the magic of a sudden solution to their problems, and never mind the niceties of how he'd do it. His supporters are not a majority of Filipinos; polls show that they're only about 30% of the voting public. But under the rules, that may be enough.

Duterte gave them exactly what they wanted, and he is probably the Philippines' next president. But his tough-talking campaign strategy was the opposite of courage. It's often said that bullies are the biggest cowards, and he's a stellar example.

See original article on Fortune.com

More from Fortune.com
By Ron Bousso

LONDON (Reuters) - Brazil has joined a list of countries exporting diesel to Europe, reversing a traditional route and underscoring a weakening of the largest South American economy.

At least three 37,000 tonne cargoes of diesel, on the tankers Torm Gunhild, High Performance and MT Alexandros, have sailed in recent weeks from Brazil to Europe, according to Reuters ship tracking data and traders.

Torm Gunhild is heading to Venice and is chartered by Italian oil company Eni (ENI.MI) while MT Alexandros has been chartered by trading house Glencore and is set to discharge in the Canary Islands.

High Performance, chartered by BP (BP.L.), is currently crossing the Atlantic after sailing from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Brazil in mid-April before being redirected when it was off Brazil's coast, according to ship tracking data.

Traders linked the rare arbitrage to Brazil's economy, which has struggled with a deepening recession in recent years. Its economic output fell 3.8 percent in 2015 and is expected to decline by the same amount in 2016, according to the International Monetary Fund.

According to trade sources, one of the cargoes loaded distillates off the coast of Brazil from a vessel that originated at India's Reliance oil refinery.

Diesel consumption in Brazil, which imports much of its needs from the United States, Asia and, at times, Europe, has also been on a steady decline.

The move could also be linked to the ramping up of Brazil's refineries, according to Robert Campbell, head of oil products research at consultancy Energy Aspects.

"The Brazilian economy is doing poorly but refinery runs have also been below capacity for a while now so if they push these up they would sharply reduce the requirement for diesel imports," Campbell said.

(GRAPHIC: Brazil's gasoline and diesel sales http://tmsnrt.rs/1WNIMUh)

Europe is the world's main hub for diesel due its heavy use. A sharp increase in diesel refining capacity around the world has led over the past year to a sharp increase in supply, in Europe in particular, putting heavy pressure on diesel refining margins.

France's Total (TOTF.PA) is offering to sell a 270,000 tonne cargo of diesel into Europe, which would be the largest cargo ever sold in the region, according to traders.

(Additional reporting by Libby George, editing by William Hardy and Jane Merriman)
Campaign signs concerning a municipal vote over fingerprint requirements for ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft are seen along a roadway in Austin, Texas, May 6, 2016. REUTERS/Jon Herskovitz/File Photo

By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - On-demand ride companies Uber and Lyft suspended their services in Austin, Texas, on Monday after a stinging loss in a weekend vote where they had spent heavily to repeal a city ordinance requiring them to conduct fingerprint background checks for their drivers.

The defeat in Austin could encourage other cities to back the fingerprint-based criminal background checks, knowing they can survive a bruising political battle, analysts said. Voters in the city of about 900,000 people said by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent they wanted fingerprint checks to stay.

In their efforts to repeal the requirement approved by the City Council in December, Uber [UBER.UL] and Lyft contributed about $9 million to a political action group called Ridesharing Works for Austin, finance reports showed.

Their spending, about 85 times larger than their opponents', worked out to more than $200 for each vote they received in support of their losing position.

Uber and Lyft have said their existing background checks are thorough and ensure safety, seeing the fingerprint checks as an unnecessary regulation.

After the results of what was called Proposition 1 in Austin, Lyft said it would halt service on Monday and Uber threatened to do the same. On Monday, both had suspended services, the City of Austin said.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who opposed the move by Uber and Lyft to get rid of fingerprinting, said the city "remains open to talking with Lyft and Uber whether they are operating in Austin or not."

The Austin election marked the first time a major U.S. city has put the regulations to a vote. The vote was conducted after a petition drive by Ridesharing Works, the political group underwritten by Uber and Lyft.

Uber said it may look for changes in state law after the loss in Austin.

In Iowa, Governor Terry Branstad on Monday signed into law a measure setting up new statewide guidelines for ride-hailing companies, requiring them to conduct driver background checks and for drivers to carry liability insurance.

Story continues

Other places where the company is battling over fingerprints include Atlanta and Houston.

In April, Uber threatened to leave Houston unless the city dropped the regulation. The city has not backed down, and a study it conducted found background checks by Uber and Lyft often missed felonies, including sexual assaults.

New York is the only other major city requiring the fingerprint checks where Uber operates. Chicago and Los Angeles are considering the checks.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Additional reporting by Justin Madden in Chicago; Editing by Frances Kerry and Alan Crosby)
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - ZenFi, New York's carrier-neutral fronthaul fiber provider, today announces the availability of its highly flexible and scalable dark fiber network across New York City including Manhattan and The Bronx. This marks a critical phase of ZenFi's aggressive network expansion, followed by future dark fiber connectivity throughout the City's remaining boroughs, including Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

To enable its promise of "Any Pair. Anywhere.", ZenFi now delivers distributed, highly flexible and scalable dark fiber connectivity between New York City's largest carrier hotels. ZenFi New York Metro Cross-Connect Services, with connectivity to 18 New Jersey-based data centers, are currently available for immediate turn-up in 111 8th Avenue, 75 Broad Street, 85 10th Avenue, 60 Hudson Street and 325 Hudson Street. The ZenFi Access Network is also operational in the Bronx, providing customers with extended connectivity throughout the borough and back into Manhattan. Leveraging a neighborhood network and colocation infrastructure model, the network is specifically designed to support widely distributed wireless equipment interconnection and colocation.

"ZenFi has created a pervasive dark fiber network unlike anything previously available in the New York metro area," explains ZenFi President and CEO, Ray LaChance. "By establishing colo-to-colo connectivity between Manhattan's largest carrier hotels and extending our Access Network to The Bronx, ZenFi is enabling enhanced wireless connectivity and the Internet of Things in New York, allowing customers to connect anywhere in the City on a dedicated, dark fiber platform."

The ZenFi network is custom-built to support wireless service provider requirements for densification -- bringing more small cells, in-building and outdoor Distributed Antenna System (DAS) remotes, Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), macro sites and Wi-Fi access points closer to the user -- and increase the accessibility and affordability of bandwidth at the edge. Combining the ZenFi Access Network with a core carrier Express Network, which delivers diverse high-capacity, low latency connectivity between enterprise sites, business centers and carrier hotels, the ZenFi network delivers the immense bandwidth required to support the Internet of Things and enable customers to reach more locations easily and affordably.

Contact ZenFi today to check network availability or to request fiber to your location or connectivity to another carrier hotel.

The ZenFi team is attending International Telecoms Week (ITW) 2016 in Chicago May 8-11. To schedule a meeting with ZenFi during the conference, please email ZenFi@imillerpr.com. For more information about ZenFi, visit www.ZenFi.com or email info@ZenFi.com.

About ZenFi

ZenFi owns and operates a carrier-neutral dark fiber network specializing in fronthaul, backhaul and wavelength connectivity to enable the Internet of Things (IoT). Its New York City purpose-built network is the infrastructure that underlies and enables connectivity in today's mobile world. For more information, please visit: www.ZenFi.com.
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Taipei, May 9 (CNA) With the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) set to take the helm of the government, fears are mounting in Taiwan's tourism industry that cross-Taiwan Strait relations could take a turn for the worse and deal a heavy blow to the sector, the Economic Daily News said in a report on Monday.
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Scotland has voted No to a second referendum

8 May 2016The TelegraphThis column comes to you from the Boswell Literary Festival, in Ayrshire, named in honour of Dr Johnsons immortal biographer.That book is, among many other things, the record of the productive association between a proud Scot (Boswell) and a bloody-minded Englishman (Johnson). They were Better Together. It is a good place to be as the results of the Scottish election are digested.The most important immediate effect is on next months nationwide EU referendum . One of the fears had been that a UK Leave majority carried by English votes would so anger the Scots that they would demand a second independence referendum of their own.Since Leave supporters believe in the United Kingdom, it seemed too risky to some to vote to give the Scots this incentive for break-up.Now that risk has evaporated. We know that this break-up (which, by the way, I do not believe Scotland wants) is not on the cards. Even the SNP, slightly chastened by their loss of an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament, are briefing that they wont be seeking a second Scottish referendum.More reassuring is the fact that, even if they did, they would be most unlikely to get one. The decision is for the UK Parliament, not the Scottish one, and Westminster will feel under little moral pressure to call one as the tide of nationalism recedes. Now that the Scottish Tories have more than doubled their seats, politics north of the border show signs of becoming less messianic and more normal. Scottish voters have recalled, for example, that tax matters.On Thursday they punished the only one of the three main parties  Labour  which promised to increase income tax.At the festival, which takes place in Dumfries House, so wonderfully restored by the Prince of Wales and thrown open for the pleasure and employment of the rather depressed former mining area, I was speaking about Mrs Thatcher.Her story contains a lesson about Scotland and tax, though not quite the one that people think. The great folk-legend is that she made Scotland a guinea-pig for the poll tax, as if she specially intended to torture its population.What actually happened is that she was running scared because of rates  the tax which preceded the poll tax. In Scotland, there had, by law, to be a rate revaluation, and the consequence was that rates shot up, in some cases, by more than 300 per cent. Mrs Thatchers Scottish ministers were in such a blind panic about what would happen in the coming general election of 1987 that they begged her to bring in change fast. So the poll tax was promised to the Scots earlier than to the rest of the country because they were thought to be gagging for it.This promise helped shore up the sagging Scottish Tory vote in 1987. It was only when Scotland started to pay the poll tax nearly two years later that all hell broke loose. The rest is history, or rather, herstory.And the lesson  how could anyone have ever forgotten it?  is that Scotland, egalitarian though it likes to think of itself, is even more averse to high taxes than other parts of the United Kingdom.
faces removal from office.On Friday evening, SPLC President Richard Cohen said that Moore has disgraced his office and should be removed."He is such an egomaniac and such a religious zealot that he thinks he can ignore court orders with impunity," Cohen said. "For the sake of our state, he should be kicked out of office."This is the second time Moore has faced such charges. In 2003, the Court of the Judiciary removed Moore from office after he installed a washing machine-sized monument of the Ten Commandments in the state judicial building in Montgomery. Moore refused a federal court order to remove the monument, leading to his removal from the state's highest court.His obstinance this time, though, is worse, Cohen said."This time, he has instructed every probate judge in the state to violate a court order," he said.Reached by phone Friday evening, Moore said he was ready to fight what he called the LGBT agenda.
All the stars, planets and other objects in the universe, exist under the governance of one force, namely gravity. A disruption in one place creates ripples of gravity  some minute and some massive  that affect the orbits and motions of astronomical objects far and wide, creating a sort of trickle-down butterfly effect.

The same can be said for the effects created by the establishment of a vertically integrated company within a community. The trickle down effect can produce both positive and negative effects upon the existing residents and businesses. Some of those effects involve incomes, lifestyles, community structure and an overall economic impact.

When a new company moves in, one as large as Costco Wholesale  which has proposed constructing a fully integrated poultry processing operation in the Fremont area  much time, energy, money and mind-numbing integrated mathematical calculations are deployed to establish indicators of possible ripple effects within and beyond a community.

One of those indicators is known as a multiplier effect. It originates with a companys initial capital investment that can stimulate new employment, services and spending in the area. The multiplier represents a kind of circular flow of money through a communitys economy.

Darin Buelow of Deloitte consulting, the consulting firm that has been working with Costco provided the Fremont Tribune with a copy of an Economic Impact Study report on the proposed facility dated Nov. 13, 2015. He explained that such a study represents a standard practice in site selection analyses for a project like the one proposed by Costco. The impact study was performed using IMPLAN software, an industry standard for such analyses and evaluates the statewide impact of the construction and ongoing operation of a large, state-of-the art poultry processing operation.

(The economic impact model) helps us understand the potential economic impacts in terms of job creation, output and income, beyond the direct activity on the project site itself, Buelow wrote in an email.

The impact study projects good things for the states economy as a result of the large capital investment. For example when the plant reaches full operation, the anticipated income impact reported in by the study could be $239 million annually. That number represents a 2.14 income multiplier. In very basic terms, this means that for every dollar of income generated by the facility for its workers, additional dollars of income will be generated in other jobs indirectly related to the facility because the workers of that facility are spending their new income in the community.

Simply put, people of a community (i.e. the state) earn income, then spend that income within the community, which in turn becomes another persons income. The income movement works in a circular pattern, so when a large company comes along and injects a big investment into the existing income circle, that investment creates additional circulating income for the workers in other jobs (e.g. restaurants, retail and other), and that additional income continues to circulate.

During the construction period the impact study reports an $88 million anticipated income investment, representing a 1.50 multiplier.

However, David Swenson an associate scientist for the department of economics at Iowa State University, and a well-known expert on IMPLAN analysis, cautioned that the economic and income multipliers depend on many factors.

The appropriate questions on the construction impacts are how much of this is to be subcontracted to local firms, he wrote in an email. He added, for such specialized facilities, out-of-region contractors  who possess abundant experience in the construction and technicalities of such facilities  will do most of the work.

Swenson was careful not to discount IMPLAN studys results, explaining that its a complex analysis subject to many different influences.

The accuracy of IMPLAN hinges mainly on the skill of the analyst using the system, explained Swenson. Accuracy is a moving target. The credibility of an impact study depends on how carefully the study was done.

Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, also identifies trickle down effects stimulated by population growth as possible benefits. A FAQ from the Greater Fremont Development Council noted that the proposed Costco operation would create 1100 new jobs at the technical, managerial and advanced manufacturing levels. It also stated that the company plans to hire production labor at $13 to $17 per hour (above the median production rate) that could help keep young people in the community.

Thompson points out that because Fremont is located on the edge an populous hub (i.e. Omaha) it will remain unclear  until the plant begins operations  as to what share of the work force would come from the local population, and what share would commute from outside.

However, Thompson did say that population increases spill over into other areas; more people require more available resources and services. Spillover effects into healthcare, education and retail could lead to job multipliers in all types of employment sectors, Thompson explained.

He further pointed out, when a community expands its economy the result can lead to the increases in various job opportunities. Additionally, when economies expand, wage levels tend to rise, he said.

Purely from an economic perspective, its fair to say that attracting a large factory will positively impact an economy, Thompson said. Theoretically however, he stressed, that many other complex elements are involved in such a large investment.

According to Lee Schultz, an agricultural and natural resource economics expert at Iowa State University, vertical integration of the poultry industry has resulted in reduced poultry prices and improved quality and consistency of product.

For many people who might be raising a family, that would seem a definite benefit.

Some issues still remain unclear as to their effects upon the local community. According to the GFDC FAQ, new traffic comprised of the delivery of chickens and outgoing refrigerated product could reach approximately 120 trucks per day. Effects on traffic patterns depends on many factors, not in the least the chosen location of the facility.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that an economic impact analysis is just that: an analysis, a study of interrelated and integral parts in an effort to understand how those parts create a whole.
A Cass County deputy was transported to a hospital Saturday after apprehending a Colorado man who fled the scene of a road rage accident.

The Cass County Sherriffs Office received a broadcast about the road rage incident that started when a vehicle reportedly rear-ended another vehicle on Highway 75 in Sarpy County and headed into Cass County at about 11:30 p.m. May 7.

Plattsmouth police officers located the vehicle of the suspect, later identified as Timothy Rider of Colorado, in the Hy-Vee parking lot. They saw Rider flee the vehicle on foot.

A search of the area of Hy-Vee, Oakview Cemetery and the First Baptist Church was conducted by Cass County Sheriffs Office and Plattsmouth Police Department, a press release from the sheriff states.

At about 12:50 a.m. and after several minutes of searching, a deputy saw Rider run from the woods. The deputy chased and eventually tackled him.

Rider was subsequently taken into custody and booked into the Cass County Corrections Center. He was charged with assault on a police officer, obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest and willful reckless driving. The police department also charged Rider with additional crimes.

The deputy who tackled Rider sustained injuries to his left and right knees, left shoulder, arm and elbow. Plattsmouth Emergency Medical Services transported him to the Bellevue Medical Center for treatment. He was treated and released after being provided medication for pain and swelling.
PLATTSMOUTH  An Omaha man who threw a handgun out a window while driving in Cass County appeared in court Monday morning for a plea hearing.

Ernest C. Harrington, 36, pled no contest to one charge in Cass County District Court. Harrington entered his plea to a Class ID felony of possession of firearm by prohibited person. The state agreed to dismiss a felony charge of operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest as part of a plea bargain. The state also agreed not to pursue a habitual criminal designation in Harringtons case.

Deputy County Attorney Richard Fedde told the court a Nebraska State Patrol trooper saw Harrington speeding in his vehicle on Interstate 80 on Nov. 25. The trooper began to pursue Harrington as the car approached the Platte River Bridge. Fedde said the trooper reported that Harringtons car began to move erratically along the interstate as the pursuit progressed.

Fedde said the trooper then saw a person throw an object out a front window onto the Platte River Bridge. The object made sparks as it landed on the pavement and broke in half. Authorities later recovered the parts of a .22-caliber handgun.

Fedde said two passengers were in the car with Harrington at the time. He said both people would have testified that they saw Harrington throw an object out the window. Both witnesses said they did not realize it was a handgun at the time.

Harringtons record includes a term of 20 months in the Nebraska Department of Corrections for two felony convictions. He was convicted in 2005 of operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and felony possession of a gun in Douglas County. He was also convicted of possession of controlled substance in both 2007 and 2014.

The minimum sentence for a Class ID felony is three years in prison. Sarpy County officials charged Harrington with possession of a short shotgun for the same driving incident. He entered a plea to that charge earlier this spring. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 6 in both the Cass County and Sarpy County cases.
PLATTSMOUTH  Plattsmouth theatre students received rave reviews from classmates, administrators and teachers for their recent production on the PHS stage.

They also earned positive feedback Friday from members of one of the states top performing arts organizations.

Plattsmouth students collected six nominations in the Nebraska High School Theatre Awards program. The Blue Devils earned honors for their production of Sweeney Todd April 28-30. PHS teacher Tyler Orvis directed a performance that featured 25 students handling on-stage and off-stage roles.

Cast members included Zach Prall, Josie Ptacek, Lucas Powell, Josie Ritzman, Carson Santee, Nolan Randall, Casey R. Scott, Alene Groenjes, Grace Roby, Angelina Stuhr and Bethany Leonhardt. Members of the ensemble included Rose Ptacek, Teri Richt, Kylie Turner, Hannah Bowles, Sydnee Bell, Joshua Voogd, Shawn Leonhardt, Zakary Neumann and Cody Drap.

Mariah Glynn filled stage manager and scenic design roles and Brittany Wilke worked on the stage crew. Tim Schreiber (organ), Parker Cundall (percussion) and Kayla Blinston (clarinet) played in the productions orchestra.

A total of 51 schools from within a 150-mile distance of the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha participated in this years Nebraska High School Theatre Awards program. Students at participating schools were able to attend classes led by professional teaching artists throughout the year. Professional judges also watched theatre productions at each of the schools and rated their performances.

Omaha Performing Arts officials will honor all winners from Plattsmouth and other schools at the Nebraska High School Theatre Awards Showcase on Thursday, June 9. The 7:30 p.m. event will take place at the Holland Performing Arts Center. The showcase is modeled after the Tony Awards and will feature performances involving hundreds of local students.

Plattsmouth is one of ten schools that will receive awards in the Outstanding Musical Theatre Production category. Other award-winning schools in the category include Bellevue West, Elkhorn, Grand Island Northwest, Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln Southwest, Millard West, Omaha Burke, Omaha Concordia and Platteview.

Plattsmouth is also one of ten schools that will be honored in the Outstanding Ensemble category. Other award-winning schools include Bellevue West, Elkhorn, Lincoln Southeast, Lincoln Southwest, Millard West, Omaha Burke, Omaha Central, Omaha Concordia and Platteview.

Prall and Josie Ptacek will both be honored as recipients of Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role awards. Prall will be one of ten award-winning lead actors and Ptacek will be one of ten award-winning lead actresses. Prall played the role of Sweeney Todd and Ptacek performed the role of Mrs. Lovett in Plattsmouths production.

OPA officials also announced that Prall and Ptacek will be two of 12 Nebraska finalists for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards program. Judges selected six boys and six girls to be finalists for the national program. They made their decisions after watching students take part in an audition process April 16.

OPA officials will reveal the names of two state nominees at the June 9 gala. The two winners will travel to New York City the last week of June to represent Nebraska at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards program.

(Josie and Zach) are two students from an entire group that has been nominated, Omaha Performing Arts Public Relations Director Rosalee Roberts said. The names of those two performers actually going to New York will be announced at the showcase. Its a great honor for Josie and Zach to have been nominated as a national finalist but we dont know yet if they will be going to New York.

Other national finalists in the actress category include Lauren Johnson and Eleanor Carle of Bellevue West, Nora Larson of Lincoln Southeast, Maya Matthews of Omaha Brownell-Talbot and Natalie Day of Omaha Westside. Other national finalists in the actor category include Matthew Hakel of Lincoln Southwest, Grant Mannschreck of Millard West, Ben Adams of Omaha Burke, Matthew Pohlman of Omaha Skutt and Japrice Green of Omaha South.
The following is the planned agenda of the bimonthly Fremont City Council meetings taking place in the City Council Chambers located on the second floor of the municipal building at 400 East Military Street.

Public comment period at 6:30 p.m. regarding funding from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development Community Development Block Grant (see below).

Study session begins at 6:45 p.m.

Regular meeting called to order at 7:00 p.m.

This week of note on the agenda:

- Council will be entertaining four public hearings in regards to funding from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development Community Development Block Grant awarded to the city. The grants are to address comprehensive revitalization activities such as family housing rehabilitations and street improvements. Public hearings are required for CDBG funded activities to obtain citizen input.

- Mayor Scott Getzschman will be requesting continued support of development and redevelopment of the Fremont Memorial Complex, to include, but not limited to, Heedum Field at Memorial Stadium, Memorial Park, and the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) of Fremont facilities.

- City Engineer Justin Zetterman will address an amendment to the Subdivision Ordinance related to providing drainage of lots located in the three areas; northeast of 27th & Laverna; the area between Victoria Lane & Churchill Drive to the west of Buckingham; and the area between Maplewood Drive and Eastwood Drive. Issues with trapped water in the backyards of these areas has resulted in many complaints. Because the issue has been created by the way subdivision development and also how the lots were graded and by construction upon the lots, the City of Fremont judges that tax payer dollars should not be used address the flooding. However, a revision to the subdivision ordinance will be proposed to avoid the problem in the future.

- The council will consider Getzschmans recommendations to appoint Brian Wiese and Rol Horeis to three-year terms on Planning Commission as well as a recommendation to appoint Aaron Rix to a three-year term as an Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Representative on Planning Commission. Both terms end in April 2019.
Afghan officials have lowered the death toll from a deadly collision between two passenger buses and a fuel tanker that collided on a major highway in eastern Afghanistan.

Jawed Salangi, a spokesman for the Ghazni governor, said 52 people were killed on May 8 in the Muqur district of Ghazni, on the main highway linking the capital, Kabul, to the southern city of Kandahar.

Ismail Kawusi, a Health Ministry spokesman, said the higher toll of 73 given by the government was due to "technical difficulties" with the flow of information from hospitals.

Dozens more were injured in the collision that set all three vehicles ablaze.

Muqur police said they were investigating the cause of the accident but said early findings indicate that the crash was caused by reckless driving.

Traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, where the rules of the road are rarely enforced and highways are often in poor condition.

Based on reporting on dpa and AP
Afghanistans Hazara minority has promised demonstrations and public sector strikes if the government does not rout an electric power line project through the Hazara homeland of central Afghanistan as was originally planned.

The Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TUTAP) electricity power line, which would connect South and Central Asia via Afghanistan, was originally set to pass through the Bamyan province of central Afghanistan, where most residents are Hazara. The project would provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the attendant economic benefits of such a project.

But the plan has changed, reportedly on the insistence of investors, to build the project through the glacial heights of Salang Pass in the neighboring Parwan and Baghlan provinces.

The Second Afghan Vice President Sarwar Danish and the Second Deputy for Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Mohammad Mohaqiq, themselves ethnic Hazaras, are insisting the TUTAP project be built in Bamyan.

The project is estimated to cost more than one billion dollars and will carry 500 kilovolts of power.

"Relocating the electricity project away from the central regions means a clear discrimination against certain people, Mohaqiq said. This means that the president and his administration are acting against particular people and it would mark the end of our cooperation.

Karim Khalili, senior Hazara leader and second deputy to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, is also adamant that Kabul consider reverting the route back to Bamyan.

I would like to emphasize that the demands of the people have no ethnic or religious motives. These protests are about a big economic benefit for Afghanistan, said Khalili. I told the president that senior economic experts should gather to assess the TUTAP from different angles to determine which route is more beneficial for Afghanistan.

The predominantly Shiite Hazaras claim to have historically faced discrimination in Sunni dominated Afghanistan. The TUTAP route controversy now appears to be providing a rallying point.

Hazara leaders point to a 2013 feasibility study by the German company Fichtner which claimed that the Bamyan route would avoid the narrow roads and other obstacles along the mountainous Salang Pass, and would better secure the power supply for Kabul and southern Afghanistan.

Officials from the Afghan Energy Ministry and its electricity subsidiary Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) say that a more recent, revised Fitchner report which has not yet been made public found Salang Pass north of Kabul to be a better alternative to Bamyan.

Wahidullah Tawhidi, a spokesman for DABS, says that the Salang route is nearly 80 kilometers shorter compared to Bamyan.

We will save more than $400,000 on every kilometer, he told Radio Free Afghanistan. We would also need to build a new road in Bamyan, so a power line through this region would delay the entire project for 28 months.

Last week Afghanistans Minister for Energy and Water Ali Ahmad Osmani told journalists that the Salang route was chosen at the request of the TUTAP project investors, and the route is now final.

"The Asian Development Bank and Japanese investors requested the TUTAP route be finalized by the end of April, otherwise we might have faced funding problems, Osmani said.

Officials from the Afghan Energy Ministry say that if the project goes through Bamyan, scores of Afghan provinces such as Panjshir, Kapisa, Paktia, and Paktika will be deprived of electricity. The ministry says if the route is changed back to Bamyan, the province would be provided with 300 megawatts of power, well above the 30 megawatts they claim it currently needs.

But Hazara leaders are not convinced. Tahir Zohair, the governor of Bamyan, says that if the project is not routed through the region, residents of central Afghanistan will have to wait for another eight years to get electricity.

According to the master plan of the Afghan Energy Ministry, Bamyan and central Afghanistan in general are not part of the electricity delivery program until 2024, he said. If TUTAP could pass through Bamyan, the people would have electricity well ahead of the planned timeline.

At a rally in Kabul on May 9, demonstrators called on the government to reroute the project through Bamyan.

"We will use every civil means to pressure the government to meet our demands, Hazara lawmaker Ahmad Behzad said. This will include mass resignations from the government and protests inside and outside of Afghanistan.
DES MOINES  A National Republican group launched an effort Monday to unify factions within the party around their 2016 GOP presumptive presidential candidate Donald Trump and to rally women behind his campaign against likely Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Womens voices and votes will make the difference, said Carrie Almond of Chillicothe, Missouri, president of the National Federation of Republican Women, who is leading a Destination: White House bus tour. It launched in Iowa to register Republican-leaning women to vote and rally federation members to help elect GOP candidates to put a Republican back in the White House.

Almond shrugged off polls indicating Trump has challenges in attracting the support of women voters, saying her federation passed a unity resolution in March to support the GOP presidential nominee, so we are ready to rally behind the presumptive nominee and take this across the finish line to victory. She noted her federations members logged more than 4.2 million campaign volunteer hours in 2014 helping Republican candidates.

Its the women in the family unit, when theres trouble, who bring everybody to the dining room table and say, OK, lets all have a nice meal and make up. So thats what were going to be doing is getting everybody united, registered to vote and engaged to be ready to take us back to the White House in 2016, said Almond before boarding the red, white and blue bus nicknamed Rosie that will end up in Maine by months end.

Almond said its quite easy for women to support Trump when the opponent is Clinton and the next president will make critical appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court.

We have to have a Republican to help get that situation taken care of in our favor. No question about it, she said.

On hand to give the bus tour a rousing sendoff at the Republican Party of Iowa headquarters were Iowas National Republican Committee members Tamara Scott and Steve Scheffler, State Auditor Mary Mosiman and other Republican activists.

As you know, weve got a challenging task ahead of us here in this election and I guess one of the biggest places where I think you could be of assistance is to encourage people out in the grassroots, people that have traditionally worked for our candidates, not to sit out this election, Scheffler told those gathered.

No political candidate is perfect, he said. The bottom line is when you look at the alternative, Hillary Clinton, who in my view is very flawed, who is ethically challenged and maybe should be somewhere besides the White House, we have a big job to do. No candidate is perfect but we have to do everything in our power to make sure that our presumptive nominee is elected president.

The bus tour is slated to make Iowa stops Tuesday in Denison, Waterloo and Walcott.
A roundup of state government and Capitol news items of interest for Monday, May 9, 2016:

NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY AWARD: The Iowa Department of Public Safetys Governors Traffic Safety Bureau has established a new award in honor of Des Moines Police Officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales who were killed in the line of duty by an impaired motorist who was driving the wrong direction on Interstate 80 west of Des Moines.

The Farrell/Puente-Morales Award will be presented at the bureaus annual conference to a law enforcement agency that has displayed a strong emphasis on addressing impaired driving throughout the year.

All agencies that have a GTSB contract will be reviewed by bureau staff and one agency will be selected as the award recipient by reviewing their enforcement, education or public awareness efforts in the fight against impaired driving, officials said Monday.

Puente-Morales worked full-time for the Franklin County Sheriffs Office from March 2008 to August 2011. He was based in Dows. He also was a member of the Iowa National Guards 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantrys Charlie Co.

IMPAIRED DRIVING COALTION: Officials in the Iowa Department of Public Safetys Governors Traffic Safety Bureau say they have formed a first-of-its-kind-in-Iowa Impaired Driving Coalition to combat problems associated with impaired driving.

The task force includes members of state public safety, corrections, transportation, public health and human rights agencies, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Iowa Attorney Generals Office, as well as city, county and state law enforcement officers and private partners.

The coalition has been asked to review existing Iowa data, laws, regulations and programs, and to propose a coordinated statewide impaired driving plan for preventing and reducing impaired driving behavior.

The purpose of the statewide plan is to provide a comprehensive strategy for preventing and reducing impaired driving based on coordinated efforts designed to reduce deaths and increase public safety. That strategy eventually will be submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for approval.

GRANT APPLICATIONS SOUGHT: The Iowa Womens Foundation is accepting applications for its 2017 grants. This year the foundation awarded more than $89,000  the largest amount in the organizations history. The 2017 total is expected to approach $100,000, organizers say.

The foundation awards grants to fund Iowa non-profit programs that focus on empowering women and girls through training, resources and financial literacy. An RFP is available online at iawf.org.

In order to be considered for a grant, nonprofit organizations must complete an application. Eligibility requirements and the application are available at www.iawf.org. All applications are due by 5 p.m. May 31.

HOME OWNERS WANTED: Gov. Terry Branstad used his weekly news conference Monday to promote a 2,500 Bucks campaign that encourages Iowa home buyers to visit IowaHouseHunt.com in June to learn about all aspects of purchasing a home in Iowa, including a $2,500 down payment assistance grant and a chance to win $2,500.

To participate in the 2,500 Bucks campaign, Iowans should visit IowaHouseHunt.com from May 23-July 4 to enter the sweepstakes for two $2,500 prizes. They can receive another entry by submitting a photo of themselves and an item symbolizing their favorite term for money to use when describing $2,500.

The campaign is hosted by the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa Association of Realtors and the Iowa Mortgage Association.

BOTTLED WATER ADVISORY: City officials in Anamosa are asking residents to use bottled water until they identify an unknown chemical that entered the water supply sometime over the weekend.

While mixing chemicals to treat drinking water on Friday afternoon, officials say a city employee noticed the mixture looked different than it usually does. He shut down the pump, preventing the mixture from entering the water supply. However, the automated system later opened the valve and mixed the suspect chemical into the citys water supply.

Officials with the city and the state Department of Natural Resources were working with the chemical supply company to determine what chemical they delivered to Anamosa. The city was flushing the water distribution system and has contacted hospitals, schools, restaurants and other public facilities advising them to use bottled water.

Officials say they will notify residents when water is safe to drink and the advisory is lifted.

 By Globe Gazette Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES | Ride-hailing services like Uber will be governed by state regulations in Iowa next year under a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Terry Branstad.

The regulations require ride-hailing companies to be permitted by the state transportation department and drivers to undergo background checks, and set minimum insurance levels for drivers.

The new state regulations, which go into effect Jan. 1, establish a baseline set of requirements for ride-hailing companies like Uber, which to this point has been governed in Iowa by local ordinances.

Local governments still may pass additional regulations if they choose.

This is really a positive step forward for Iowa, Sagar Shah, general manager for Uber in Iowa, said Monday. Its real exciting for the industry, for the riders and drivers, and the economic opportunities that will be created for everyone with this uniform regulation.

Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft use an internet-based application to pair people looking for a ride with drivers who are independently contracted by the service.

Uber operates in the Quad-Cities, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines and Ames, and has served more than 100,000 Iowans, according to a company official.

The company plans to operate in Sioux City this summer, and Shah said expansion plans include the Cedar Valley area of Waterloo and Cedar Falls.

We look forward to expanding in new cities now around Iowa, Shah said. One excellent outcome from this bill is the ability to expand elsewhere in the state.

The legislation had generated a tense debate over insurance requirements but ultimately was approved unanimously by state lawmakers.

As technologies and industries continue to innovate and evolve, so should Iowas laws. And this bill aims to do just that, Branstad said.

The ride-hailing companies permit filing fee of $5,000 will go to the states Road Use Tax Fund, which funds road construction and repairs.

Drivers must carry $1 million in liability insurance, and if the vehicle being used has a lien the driver must notify its holder.
MASON CITY | Area Education Agency 267 staff plan to hand out books this month to help special education students stem summer reading loss.

The books will be given to kindergarten through third-grade students.

The organization collected nearly 1,400 books statewide during a drive in March, which will be handed out at schools throughout North Iowa later this month.
BRITT  This grand march path was a little shorter than the previous weeks at West Hancock High School.

Westview Care Center residents had their own prom event on April 30. They got dressed up and were escorted down the grand march aisle to get their pictures taken before dessert was served.

High school senior Erin Roth helped organize the senior prom for her second year. It has been an annual event for several years.

The residents look forward to it all year long, she said.

Especially as Roth and fellow seniors Emma Chizek and Hailey Kabrick showed off their prom dresses during the event.

They like to see the high-schoolers who come in, Westview administrator Rachel Kist said.

I think they like seeing our dresses. Theyre so different from when they went to prom, Roth said.

The residents arent the only ones who appreciate the event.

It is very fun. I come every year, Linda Tweed said after she escorted her mom, June Tweed, down the grand march aisle.

Its so nice they do this for the residents. Everyone is so dressed up, I enjoy it very much, she said.

Westview employee Kaitlynn Jones helped get the residents ready for the prom.

I helped do their hair and makeup. It was fun to show them in the mirror how dressed up they are, she said.

This was Jones first year helping with the prom.

I loved it, she said.
CHARLES CITY  Rhoda McCartney grew up 8 miles west of the rural Charles City home where womens suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt lived as a girl.

It was a curiosity spot for me, said McCartney, now 87.

Catt, whose efforts helped lead to ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 guaranteeing women the right to vote, wasnt included in the history books in school back then, but you heard stories, McCartney said.

Many years later, McCartney learned the home where Catt lived from the age of 7 to early adulthood was on the market. She led the effort to form a non-profit organization called the National 19th Amendment Society to raise money to buy it, restore it and open it to the public.

Today visitors from all over the United States and many other countries come to the Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home.

Without Rhoda it never would have happened, said Marilu Wohlers, one of the founding board members of the National 19th Amendment Society, which presented McCartney with its first Woman of Influence Award May 1.

McCartney called people she knew in the Charles City area who were involved in the community and interested in history to ask them to be a part of the National 19th Amendment Society.

The society purchased the house and some of the surrounding land in 1991.

The house was in such bad shape when the society bought it that Bill Wagner, the preservation architect they worked with, told them if they didnt do something soon, by the following year it will be a cow pasture, McCartney said.

Dick Young was the contractor for the restoration project.

Eventually the society raised enough money to purchase the rest of the farmstead.

The home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, opened to the public in 2005. It is dedicated to telling the story of Catt, the fight for womens right to vote, and life on the prairie during the 19th century.
FOREST CITY  A consultant told the city of Forest Citys personnel committee recently that it was on the right track in seeking a city administrator/clerk combination.

Pat Callahan of Callahan Municipal Consultants in Anamosa met with the committee via telephone on April 27.

In the end for a community of your size, it works the best, Callahan said of the administrator/clerk combination. The city will also need a deputy clerk to handle much of the clerking duties, he said.

Committee member and City Councilman Dan Davis said the committee was leaning toward a city administrator/clerk to replace Mac Tilberg, who resigned from that position after about two years with the city.

The personnel committee met with Callahan as part of a process to select a consultant to help with replacing Tilberg.

Callahan, who eventually got the job, said that in the search for city administrator or manager positions he has conducted, about half have been for the administrator/clerk or manager/clerk combination. Smaller towns and cities usually pursue the combination while cities of 9,000 or more pursue separate clerks and administrators, Callahan said.

Forest City has a population of about 4,300.

When the process is completed, hopefully, one candidate rises to the top, Callahan said. Most candidates want to get hired in a unanimous vote.

In the rare instances when the council does not agree on a top candidate after the steps of review and interview process, Callahan said he will take the time so a consensus can be reached. If that doesnt happen, the city may need to start over, Callahan said.

Rankings and council involvement are keys in Callahans process.

Callahan said he ranks all the applicants but the council also needs to rank them. Rankings are used to selected six to eight candidates for telephone or Skype interviews.

Those six to eight candidates are again ranked by Callahan and the council to trim the list to three to five candidates for an in-person interview process from a Friday afternoon through Saturday.

After that, candidates are again ranked so the City Council can make a decision, Callahan said.
MASON CITY | A Mason City man accused of using brass knuckles during an alleged assault faces criminal charges.

Michael Schenker, 20, was charged with misdemeanor aggravated assault and marijuana possession.

Schenker wore brass knuckles while assaulting a 39-year-old male acquaintance Sunday morning, said Mason City Police Sgt. Greg Scott.

The incident was reported about 9:45 a.m. in the 1400 block of North Jefferson Avenue.

The victim, a Mason City resident, had injuries on his head, Scott said. He was evaluated by medics at the scene. The man was not hospitalized.

Schenker remained jailed Monday in lieu of $2,000 bond.

-- Molly Montag
MASON CITY  Staff members at Mason City Clinics orthopedic division created a FitBit fitness challenge among themselves, losing over 100 pounds combined in one month.

Abby Ankenbauer of Clear Lake got a FitBit at Christmas to track her steps, generating a bit of buzz in the department.

I wanted to get in on that, Hannah Deibler said. Soon after, 16 women bought FitBits.

Nurse Vicki Anderson decided in late March that it would be fun to have a little competition to track steps. They broke into two teams of eight with Ankenbauer and Anderson as captains.

I lead the Hot Steppers and Vicki leads the Dump the Rump team, Abby said, laughing.

The ladies would work out through the week at the clinics on-site Fitness Center at lunch time, before and after work.

The team with the most steps by May 1 would be the winner and the losing team would buy pizza for the two teams.

It was fun to pump each other up and compete, Anderson said. It made us work harder.

By the end of the month, the women clocked more than 5 million steps  2,425 miles.

The Dump the Rump team lost but they dont feel like they did.

We all won, really, Anderson said.

The teams ages range from 22 to 61, with Anderson as the oldest.

She was really an encouragement because she was keeping up with the best of us, Deibler said.

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 10,000 steps daily is an ideal number for a healthy lifestyle.

We knew the importance of working out, and walking is easy for a busy lifestyle, Anderson said.

The clinics orthopedic department encourages daily exercise and walking to decrease knee problems.

This really taught me how much I didnt move before, Deibler said. And it was really easy to hit 10,000 steps.
CHARLES CITY  Curtis Curt Olson, 75, of Charles City, died Saturday, May 7, 2016, at the 11th Street Chautauqua Guest Home in Charles City.

A funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City with the Rev. Gary Mayer celebrating. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Charles City.

Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, at Hauser Funeral Home and will continue one hour prior to the funeral Mass on Wednesday at the church.

Arrangements are with Hauser Funeral Home in Charles City.
MASON CITY  Paul W. Kitner, 83, of Mason City, died Friday, May 6, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Memorial Park Cemetery with the Rev. Kenneth Gehling officiating. Military honors will be conducted by the Mason City veterans.
MASON CITY  The 76 Trombones sculpture has moved to its new home outside The Music Man Square.

Some sculptures head out; `76 Trombones' remains MASON CITY  Several sculptures were removed from downtown Mason City Thursday, en route to 

The spiraling whirlwind of band instruments is now on permanent display within the planter on the southwest corner of the building, not far from where some of the lyrics of its namesake song are etched on the building.

Designed by Canadian artist Douglas Walker, it was scheduled to rotate to Wisconsin last month as part of a traveling sculpture exhibit unless $15,000 was raised to purchase and keep it in River City.

A committee led by resident Jack Leaman managed to raise the funds through a variety of donations over about two months, said Susan Moorman, a Mason City businesswoman who assisted with the effort.

Efforts continue to save '76 Trombones' sculpture MASON CITY  There is a scene in The Music Man in which Professor Harold Hill tells young 

Personally, I feel that it was the right time and the right place and the right people to make this happen, Leaman said Monday.

The structure was moved from its original spot outside the police station on East State Street. It was re-installed with The Music Man Squares permission last week.

It has a place in Jacks heart because he was in a band when he was younger, Moorman said. We just think it belongs here in Mason City.

The sculpture was part of the non-profit River City Sculptures on Parade program in which new sculptures are brought in every year to participating cities to show as public art.

Cerro Gordo Supervisors contribute to '76 Trombones' sculpture MASON CITY  The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors will contribute to keeping a Music

The recent fundraising push to keep 76 Trombones included a $500 donation from the Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors. The board unanimously voted last month to provide $500 to clean, protect and move the sculpture to its new home.

Jack had had it in his mind since they installed it (by the police station) that it would be wonderful to have it here, Moorman said. It was just as sweet to have so many Mason City people step up to the plate to keep it here.
MASON CITY  A crash on Monday afternoon blocked a lane of South Illinois Avenue near Mason City High School for about an hour.

The collision happened about 12:40 p.m. on the north side of Fourth Street Southeast.

It involved a red pickup and two cars. Police say a woman driving one of the cars hit her head. She was evaluated by medics but declined transportation to the hospital, said Mason City Police Sgt. Greg Scott.

No one else was hurt.

The crash remained under investigation Monday.

 Molly Montag
Rarely in modern history has a party appeared as divided over its nominee as Republicans are over Donald Trump. But will his GOP critics really keep their backs turned through November or will they come around?

Some leaders of the conservative movement claim they will never vote for him  not only think-tank intellectuals, but also members of Congress such as Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska. Columnist George F. Will, once a backstairs adviser to Ronald Reagan, says good Republicans shouldnt merely withhold their votes, but work to make sure Trump loses all 50 states  to make sure Trumpism is discredited forever.

And yet, as Trumps nomination becomes more certain, more Republicans are finding nice things to say about the businessman.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Trump had done an impressive job attracting new voters to GOP primaries. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said Trumps centrist positions might have bipartisan appeal. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump was showing promise as a foreign policy thinker. Rep. Duncan Hunter, one of Trumps earliest backers in Congress, offered a more practical assessment: People like to be with the winner.

And that is whats really going on here. Republicans arent falling in love with Trump; they just figure that, since the real estate promoter is about to become the leader of their party, its better to grit their teeth and hope for the best than to fight a losing battle. Even Jeb Bush, whose presidential hopes were demolished by Trump, now says he will support the nominee. He just wont say his name.

But the never-say-#NeverTrump Republicans have a problem: In private, many of them  perhaps most of them  dont think Trump can win the general election.

The structural problem of the Trump candidacy is his unfavorable numbers, GOP pollster David Winston told me. Among women, who  did I mention?  are the majority of the electorate, his unfavorables are in the 70s. Those arent easy numbers to turn around, particularly when a candidate has had as much exposure as Trump.

Thats why even if, in the end, few Republican politicians will actively oppose Trump, many wont actively support him, either.

One bellwether to watch: how many Senate candidates in tough races decide to skip the Republican National Convention, which is likely to be a week-long celebration of everything Trump.

Youre going to see a lot of Senate candidates staying home and doing their own knitting that week, GOP strategist Scott Reed told me.

Instead of focusing on the presidential campaign, many in the GOP  not just candidates, but also activists and donors  will focus on congressional races.

Republicans are terrified that a Trump defeat would lose the GOP its majority in the Senate, which they gained only two years ago. Some even worry that a Democratic landslide could endanger the GOPs majority in the House of Representatives.

In some states, candidates are going to depend on people who are voting for (Democrat Hillary) Clinton to switch sides and vote for the other party when it comes to Congress, Winston noted. Thats hard to do.

One answer: The program House Speaker Paul Ryan plans to unveil next month, aimed at giving GOP congressional candidates a list of conservative policies they can campaign on, whether they correspond to Trumps positions or not.

In effect, the GOP could enter the fall campaign with two different platforms: one espoused by its mercurial presidential candidate, the other by the more orthodox conservatives around Ryan.

House candidates are going to need a sense of direction, and they dont necessarily want to rely on Trump to provide it, Winston said. If Trump appears headed for defeat, the Ryan program could give them a lifeline.

Political parties can of course recover from bad elections  even from campaigns that divide them internally.

Four years after the 1964 election, which Republican candidate Barry Goldwater lost in a landslide, the GOP won the White House. And four years after Democrat George McGovern lost in the landslide of 1972, the Democrats came back too.

Everybody writes off a party after it has a bad election, Winston said. After 2008, when Obama won, people said it was the end of the Republican Party. But two years later we had 2010 and won a majority in the House.

To many Republicans, the prospect of a loss to Clintons Democrats looks painful, but it also presents a familiar, even comfortable problem: At that point, their mission will be to make Clinton a one-term president.

The greater dilemma  the fear they wont acknowledge, at least in public  is that Trump might actually win. If that happens, conservatives who dont love their candidate will face four years of having to defend his policies and trying to tame his excesses. Thats when their real troubles would begin.
In a way, it was fitting that the City Council vote on the Prestage pork processing plant last week was a 3-3 tie. If we hadnt realized it already, the tie vote emphasized how divided we were as a community on this.

This seems like a really good time to ask ourselves: Who are we? What do we want? What risks are we willing to take? What sacrifices are we willing to make to get where we want to go?

There is a passage in Alice in Wonderland that goes like this:

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked.

His response was a question: Where do you want to go?

I dont know, Alice answered.

Then, said the cat, it doesnt matter.

David Howery, the head of social services program in St. Joseph, Missouri, says a key to success in a community is that the community has to get it.

When City Councilman Bill Schickel voted against the Prestage proposal last week, he said it was a good proposal, but in order for it to work the community had to be behind it. So he voted no.

Who are we?

Are we a community that gets it or doesnt get it?

Howery said a stumbling block can be a citizenry that has disdain for the downtrodden and helps only those they deem worthy.

Are we a community that picks and chooses who is worthy and who is not?

The dispute over the Prestage deal resulted in some hate-filled messages on social media directed at people with opposite viewpoints from those posting the messages.

Are we a community that embraces the free exchange of ideas and opinions  as long as they agree with ours?

Are we a community that thrives on character building or character assassination?

Are we a community in which rumors speak louder than the truth?

Are we a community that, for the most part, stays home on election day  and then criticizes elected officials for the next four years?

These are all questions I have asked myself and invite you to give them a try. See how many of your answers you are uncomfortable with because all of them lead directly into my last question:

Are we a community that makes things happen, watches things happen or says`What happened?

In other words, who are we?
Donald Trump is now what he has claimed to be for some time: the presumptive Republican nominee for president. His attainment of that status is a triumph for him and a tragedy for both his party and the country.

Trumps lopsided victory in Tuesdays Indiana primary, the latest in a string of double-digit wins, prompted Sen. Ted Cruz to suspend his campaign even before the final ballots were counted. On Wednesday Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the last, best hope of Republicans appalled by the bombastic businessmans ascent, announced that he too would leave the race. Kasichs departure deprives voters in the remaining Republican primaries of a meaningful choice.

Trumps imminent capture of the Republican nomination is a monumental and mind-boggling political achievement. Over the last several months, to the surprise and embarrassment of pundits and political professionals alike, this political novice has eliminated one prominent and better qualified opponent after another. The casualty list includes current and former governors  most notably Jeb Bush, the well-funded scion of a political dynasty  and two senators who were considered rising Republican stars: Texas Cruz and Floridas Marco Rubio.

Clearly Trump has connected with many voters, channeling anxieties about cultural change, a long-stagnant economy, globalization and a series of failed military interventions. Yet Republicans have ample reason to fear the consequences of a Trump nomination, not only for the presidential election but for contests further down the ballot.

After the 2012 election, an autopsy commissioned by the chairman of the Republican National Committee concluded that the partys future success would depend on reaching out to women and minorities.

Young voters are increasingly rolling their eyes at what the party represents and many minorities wrongly think that Republicans do not like them, the report of the partys Growth and Opportunity Project observed. When someone rolls their eyes at us, they are not likely to open their ears to us.

Expect plenty of eye-rolling and deaf ears once the party nominates a man who demeans women, describes Mexican immigrants as rapists and proposes a ban (albeit a temporary one) on any foreign Muslim entering the United States.

The peril Trump poses for Republican electoral prospects doesnt alter the fact that the country as a whole would also be endangered by his selection as the Republican standard-bearer. Yes, some polls suggest that Trump would fare disastrously in the general election. The problem is that, armed with a major-party nomination, even an unqualified underdog might squeak into the Oval Office in the event of a national catastrophe or a crisis in the opposing campaign.

In the coming weeks and months, we can expect Trump and his advisers to attempt a series of makeovers to smooth out the rough edges of his persona. Indeed, the cosmetic surgery has already begun with the uncharacteristically restrained (but still muddled and self-contradictory) foreign-policy speech Trump delivered in Washington last month.

Its important that voters not be fooled by the revisionist project, and instead focus on Trump as he is and as he may be again if he wins the Oval Office in November: a superficial, poorly informed, vindictive and egotistical man who seems incapable of stifling the impulse to lash out at critics, political opponents and anyone else who bruises his vanity.

Those traits may not be liabilities in a business career or on a reality television show, but they could be fatal in a commander-in-chief and the representative of the U.S. on the world stage. That Trump is nevertheless on the verge of being acclaimed as the Republican nominee is deeply depressing.

Trumps nomination may be a foregone conclusion, but prominent Republicans who recognize the threat he poses to their party arent obliged to fall into line. They can strike profiles in courage by saying publicly what they believe in their hearts: Never Trump.

 By The Los Angeles Times
NORTHVALE, N.J., May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Elite" or the Company") (OTCBB:ELTP) announced today it will present data for SequestOx (ELI-200) at the American Pain Society 35th Annual Scientific Meeting being held in Austin, Texas, USA, May 11  14, 2016. The abstract, is entitled Pharmacodynamic data assessing the abuse potential of a novel abuse deterrent oxycodone formulation (ELI-200) compared to oxycodone immediate release, oral intact ELI-200, and placebo in healthy, non-dependent recreational opioid users following intranasal administration.



SequestOx is Elites lead opioid abuse-deterrent candidate and is an immediate-release Oxycodone Hydrochloride containing sequestered Naltrexone which incorporates 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg and 30 mg doses of oxycodone into capsules. The New Drug Application for SequestOXTM has been accepted and granted priority review by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has set a target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of July 14, 2016.

About Elites Abuse Deterrent Technology

Elites proprietary abuse deterrent technology, ART, is a multi-particulate capsule which contains an opioid agonist in addition to naltrexone, an opioid antagonist used primarily in the management of alcohol dependence and opioid dependence. When this product is taken as intended, the naltrexone is designed to pass through the body unreleased while the opioid agonist releases as intended providing therapeutic pain relief for which it is prescribed. If the multi-particulate beads are crushed or dissolved, the opioid antagonist is designed to release and so block the effects of active opioid agonist. The absorption of the naltrexone is intended to block the euphoria by preferentially binding to the same receptors in the brain as the opioid agonist and thereby reducing the incentive for abuse or misuse by recreational drug abusers. Elites pharmacological approach to abuse-deterrence can be applied to a wide range of opioids used today in pain management.

About Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company which is developing a pipeline of proprietary pharmacological abuse-deterrent opioid products as well as niche generic products. Elite specializes in oral sustained and controlled release drug products which have high barriers to entry. Elite owns generic and OTC products which have been licensed to TAGI Pharma, Epic Pharma and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. Elite currently has eight commercial products being sold, additional approved products pending manufacturing site transfer and a product under review pending approval by the FDA. Elites lead pipeline products include abuse-deterrent opioids which utilize the Companys patented proprietary technology and a once-daily opioid. These products include sustained release oral formulations of opioids for the treatment of chronic pain. These formulations are intended to address two major limitations of existing oral opioids: the provision of consistent relief of baseline pain levels and deterrence of potential opioid abuse. Elite also provides contract manufacturing for Ascend Laboratories (a subsidiary of Alkem Laboratories Ltd.), and a Hong Kong based company for development of a branded product for the United States market and its territories. Elite operates a GMP and DEA registered facility for research, development, and manufacturing located in Northvale, NJ. Learn more at www.elitepharma.com.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Including those related to the effects, if any, on future results, performance or other expectations that may have some correlation to the subject matter of this press release, readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, its ability to obtain FDA approval of the transfers of the ANDAs or the timing of such approval process, delays, uncertainties, inability to obtain necessary ingredients and other factors not under the control of Elite, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Elite to be materially different from the results, performance or other expectations that may be implied by these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the expected timing of approval, if at all, of SequestOx by the FDA. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future action or performance. These risks and other factors, including, without limitation, the Companys ability to obtain sufficient funding under the LPC Agreement or from other sources, the timing or results of pending and future clinical trials, regulatory reviews and approvals by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory authorities, intellectual property protections and defenses, and the Companys ability to operate as a going concern, are discussed in Elite's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its reports on forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. Elite undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 
Endeavour Announces Governance Changes:

- Sebastien de Montessus appointed as CEO

- Neil Woodyer to become Non-Executive Chairman

View News Release in PDF Format

George Town, May 9th, 2016 - Endeavour Mining Corporation ("Endeavour") (TSX: EDV) (OTCQX: EDVMF) announces that Sebastien de Montessus has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), replacing Neil Woodyer who will be appointed Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Michael Beckett will remain an independent director.

These governance changes are to take effect upon the completion of the Annual General Meeting, which is expected to be held on June 28th, 2016.

The Board of Directors wishes to thank Mr. Woodyer for his significant contribution to the growth of the Company. In addition, the Board is pleased to welcome Mr. de Montessus who brings a proven management track-record as former CEO of La Mancha and of Areva Mining, and a large experience in African mining operations.

Michael Beckett, Chairman of the Board of Directors commented, "Neil has shown exceptional vision and leadership throughout his 6-year tenure, and, as founder of Endeavour, has grown the company into an intermediate gold producer with five operating mines and opportunities for growth. On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and Endeavour employees, I want to thank Neil and recognize him for establishing the Endeavour we know today. We are pleased to welcome Sebastien and we look forward to having him lead the company into the future".

Neil Woodyer commented, "I am very proud of Endeavour's team and our accomplishments to date. We now have a committed and long term strategic relationship with our main shareholder Naguib Sawiris, on which to build further significant value for our shareholders. Our achievements to date are largely due to our strong operating team and its leadership, our proven construction team and our entrepreneurial corporate team. Over the last six months Sebastien has developed a key role within the team and I am very confident that he is the right person to lead the company forward. I would also like to thank our Chairman, Michael Beckett, for the support that he has given me in my role as CEO."

Sebastien de Montessus commented, "I look forward to leading Endeavour through this pivotal time and carrying on our work developing Endeavour into the one of Africa's premier gold producers. I am excited about the value we will create and will work hard to secure a strong future for Endeavour and its stakeholders".

About Sebastien de Montessus

Mr. de Montessus has been the President and a Director of Endeavour since November 27, 2015. Previously, Mr. de Montessus was the Chief Executive Officer of the La Mancha Group since 2012. La Mancha is 100% owned by the Sawiris family from Egypt. Under the leadership of Mr. de Montessus, La Mancha doubled its production through optimization efforts before undergoing a portfolio restructure which enabled La Mancha to become the main shareholder of both Evolution Mining, the second largest Australian gold producer, and Endeavour Mining, one of the leading African gold miner. In September 2015, Mr. de Montessus was appointed to the board of Evolution Mining.

Prior to his role with La Mancha Mr. de Montessus was a member of the Executive Board and Group Deputy CEO of AREVA Group (a world leader in nuclear energy) and CEO of AREVA Mining (uranium), where he oversaw the design and implementation of a 5-year strategic plan, which saw Areva Mining significantly increase profitability and become the largest uranium producer in the world in 2010 with 6 mines.

Mr. de Montessus was a Board member of ERAMET, a world leader in alloying metals, between 2010 and 2012.

Before joining AREVA in 2002, Mr. de Montessus was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley in London (M&A and Equity Capital Markets).

Mr. de Montessus is a business graduate from ESCP-Europe Business School in Paris.

About Endeavour Mining Corporation

Endeavour Mining is a TSX-listed intermediate gold producer, focused on developing a portfolio of high quality mines in the prolific West-African region, where it has established a solid operational and construction track record.

Endeavour is ideally positioned as the major pure West-African multi-operation gold mining company, operating 5 mines in Cote d'Ivoire (Agbaou, Ity), Burkina Faso (Karma), Mali (Tabakoto), and Ghana (Nzema). In 2016, it expects to produce between 535koz and 560koz at an AISC of US$870 to US$920/oz, excluding Karma which is expected to enter commercial production in June. Endeavour is currently building its Hounde project in Burkina Faso, which is expected to commence production in Q4-2017 and become its flagship low-cost mine with an average annual production of 190koz at an AISC of US$709/oz over a 10-year mine life based on reserves.

The development of the Hounde project is expected to lift Endeavour's group production +900kozpa and decrease its average AISC to <$800/oz by 2018, while exploration is aims to extend all mine lives to +10 years.

Endeavour is listed on the TSX (symbol EDV), and also trades on the OTCQX (symbol EDVMF).

Contact Information

Vincent Benoit



EVP - Strategy & Business Development

+33 (0)1 70 38 36 96

vbenoit@endeavourmining.com







Martino De Ciccio



VP - Strategy & Investor Relations

+33 (0)1 70 38 36 95

mdeciccio@endeavourmining.com DFH Public Affairs in Toronto



John Vincic

(416) 206-0118 x.224

jvincic@dfhpublicaffairs.com







Brunswick Group LLP in London



Carole Cable, Partner

+44 7974 982 458

ccable@brunswickgroup.com

Endeavour Mining | Executive Office | Bureau 76, 7 Boulevard des Moulins, Monaco 98000

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including but not limited to, statements with respect to Endeavour's plans and operating performance, the estimation of mineral reserves and resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of future production, future capital expenditures, and the success of exploration activities. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expects", "expected", "budgeted", "forecasts", and "anticipates". Forward-looking statements, while based on management's best estimates and assumptions, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Please refer to Endeavour's most recent Annual Information Form filed under its profile at www.sedar.com for further information respecting the risks affecting Endeavour and its business.
NEW YORK, May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genco Shipping & Trading Limited (NYSE:GNK) (Genco or the Company) today reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2016.



The following financial review discusses the results for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and March 31, 2015.

First Quarter 2016 and Year-to-Date Highlights

Recorded a net loss attributable to Genco Shipping & Trading Limited of $54.5 million for the first quarter of 2016 Basic and diluted loss per share of $0.75.



Financial Review: 2016 First Quarter

The Company recorded a net loss attributable to Genco Shipping & Trading Limited for the first quarter of 2016 of $54.5 million, or $0.75 basic and diluted net loss per share. Comparatively, for the three months ended March 31, 2015, the Company recorded a net loss attributable to Genco Shipping & Trading Limited of $38.4 million, or $0.64 basic and diluted net loss per share.

John C. Wobensmith, President, commented, During a challenging market period, our focus has remained on achieving the highest operational standards for our customers, maintaining cost-efficient operations, and taking steps to enhance Gencos long-term commercial prospects. To build on our past success, we continue to look at a range of alternatives to strengthen Gencos financial position.

The Companys revenues decreased to $20.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016, compared to $34.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015. The decrease was primarily due to lower spot market rates achieved by the majority of the vessels in our fleet during the first quarter of 2016 versus the same period last year marginally offset by the increase in the size of our fleet following the delivery of two Ultramax newbuilding vessels.

The average daily time charter equivalent, or TCE, rates obtained by the Companys fleet was $2,629 per day for the three months ended March 31, 2016 as compared to $4,977 for the three months ended March 31, 2015. The decrease in TCE was primarily due to lower spot rates achieved by the vessels in our fleet during the first quarter of 2016 versus the first quarter of 2015. During the first quarter of 2016, the Baltic Dry Index continued to come under considerable pressure reaching an all-time low of 290 on February 11, 2016. Several seasonal factors materialized during the quarter driving the decline in freight rates, including strong newbuilding deliveries in January, the Chinese New Year celebration in February and various cargo disruptions from the major iron ore producers. The decline in the BDI spurred vessel scrapping to record levels, which helped to partially offset the firm delivery totals. Toward the end of March and into the second quarter, heightened demand for iron ore cargoes together with the onset of the South American grain season have propelled gains in freight rates.

Total operating expenses were $67.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 compared to $108.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015. During the three months ended March 31, 2016, a $1.7 million impairment loss was recorded in order to adjust the value of the Genco Marine to its estimated net realizable value as of March 31, 2016 as the Company determined that the scrapping of the Genco Marine was more likely than not based on discussions with the Companys Board of Directors. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, an impairment of vessel assets of $35.4 million was recognized relating to the sale of the Baltic Tiger and the Baltic Lion in April 2015. Vessel operating expenses were $29.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and $28.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015. This was primarily due to the increase in the size of our fleet. General, administrative and technical management expenses were $12.9 million for the first quarter of 2016 compared to $20.3 million for the first quarter of 2015, primarily due to a decrease in compensation expenses. Included in general, administrative and technical management expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and the three months ended March 31, 2015, are non-cash compensation expenses of $5.5 million and $12.4 million, respectively, arising from awards under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2014 Management Incentive Plan, or MIP. Depreciation and amortization expenses increased to $20.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 from $19.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015, primarily due to the increase in the size of our fleet.

Daily vessel operating expenses, or DVOE, decreased to $4,573 per vessel per day for the first quarter of 2016 compared to $4,686 per vessel per day for the same quarter of 2015 predominantly due to lower crew and maintenance related expenses. We believe daily vessel operating expenses are best measured for comparative purposes over a 12month period in order to take into account all of the expenses that each vessel in our fleet will incur over a full year of operation. Based on estimates provided by our technical managers and managements views, our DVOE budget for 2016 is $4,820 per vessel per day on a weighted average basis for the entire year.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flow

Net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 was $27.3 million and $12.3 million, respectively. Included in the net loss attributable to Genco during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 are $1.7 million and $35.4 million of non-cash impairment of vessel assets, respectively. Excluding the aforementioned non-cash charges for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, the loss would be higher by $9.1 million. Also included in the net loss during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015 was $5.5 million and $12.4 million, respectively, of non-cash amortization of non-vested stock compensation due to the vesting of restricted shares and warrants issued under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan and the MIP. Additionally, the fluctuation in accounts payable and accrued expenses decreased by $7.3 million due to the timing of payments. The above changes in operating activities were partially offset by a $4.3 million increase in the fluctuation in prepaid expenses and other current assets due to the timing of payments and a $3.5 million decrease in deferred drydocking costs incurred during the first quarter of 2016 as compared to the first quarter of 2015. Drydocking costs decreased because there were no vessels that completed drydocking during the first quarter of 2016 as compared to five vessels during the first quarter of 2015.

Net cash provided by investing activities was $0.4 million during the three months ended March 31, 2016 as compared to net cash used in investing activities of $4.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2015. The fluctuation is primarily due to a $23.8 million decrease in the purchase of vessels, including deposits. The decrease is primarily due to the completion of the purchase of the Baltic Wasp on January 2, 2015. The decrease in the purchase of vessels, including deposits was partially offset by a $19.6 million decrease in deposits of restricted cash, representing the amount of restricted cash that was held in an escrow account as of December 31, 2014 for the purchase of the Baltic Wasp, which was released to the shipyard upon the vessel delivery on January 2, 2015.

Net cash used in financing activities was $18.6 million during the three months ended March 31, 2016 as compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $2.2 million during the three months ended March 31, 2015. Net cash used in financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2016 consisted primarily of the following: $10.2 million repayment of debt under the $253 Million Term Loan Facility, $3.0 million repayment of debt under the $148 Million Credit Facility, $1.9 million repayment of debt under the $100 Million Term Loan Facility, $1.6 million repayment of debt under the 2015 Revolving Credit Facility, $0.7 million repayment of debt under $44 Million Term Loan Facility, $0.7 million repayment of debt under the 2014 Term Loan Facilities, $0.4 million repayment of debt under the $22 Million Term Loan Facility, and $0.1 million cash settlement paid to non-accredited 5.00% Convertible Senior Note holders. Net cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2015 consisted primarily of $115.0 million of proceeds from the $148 Million Credit Facility partially offset by the following: $102.3 million repayment of debt under the 2010 Credit Facility, $5.3 million repayment of debt under the $253 Million Term Loan Facility, $1.9 million repayment of debt under the $100 Million Term Loan Facility, $0.7 million repayment of debt under the $44 Million Term Loan Facility, $0.4 million repayment of debt under the $22 Million Term Loan Facility and $2.2 million payment of deferred financing costs.

Capital Expenditures

We make capital expenditures from time to time in connection with vessel acquisitions. Currently, our fleet consists of 13 Capesize, eight Panamax, four Ultramax, 21 Supramax, six Handymax and 18 Handysize vessels with an aggregate capacity of approximately 5,158,000 dwt.

In addition to acquisitions that we may undertake in future periods, we will incur additional capital expenditures due to special surveys and drydockings for our fleet. We did not have any of our vessels drydock during the first quarter of 2016. We currently expect ten of our vessels to be drydocked during the remainder of 2016.

As previously announced, we have initiated a fuel efficiency upgrade program for certain of our vessels. We believe this program will generate considerable fuel savings going forward and increase the future earnings potential for these vessels. The upgrades have been successfully installed on 16 of our vessels, which completed their respective planned drydocking during 2014 and 2015. Currently, we do not expect to install fuel efficiency upgrades on any of the vessels scheduled to drydock in 2016.

We estimate our capital expenditures related to drydocking for our fleet through 2016 to be:

Q2 2016 Q3-Q4 2016 Estimated Costs (1) $1.6 million $7.3 million Estimated Offhire Days (2) 45 210

(1) Estimates are based on our budgeted cost of drydocking our vessels in China. Actual costs will vary based on various factors, including where the drydockings are actually performed. We expect to fund these costs with cash from operations. These costs do not include drydock expense items that are reflected in vessel operating expenses.

(2) Actual length will vary based on the condition of the vessel, yard schedules and other factors.

Credit Facility Waivers

As previously announced, the Company entered into agreements for waivers of the collateral maintenance covenants under its $253 Million Term Loan Facility, its $100 Million Credit Facility, and its $148 Million Credit Facility. Such waivers are currently in effect through May 31, 2016. The Company is currently in discussions with its lenders in efforts to address its previously disclosed liquidity and covenant compliance issues. The Company is also considering a range of alternatives to address such issues as described in our public filings. The Company does not intend to provide updates or details of such discussions or efforts on an ongoing basis.

Financial Statement Presentation

As previously announced, we completed our merger with Baltic Trading on July 17, 2015. Prior to the completion of the Genco and Baltic Trading merger, Genco consolidated Baltic Trading and the Baltic Trading common shares that Genco acquired in the merger were recognized as a noncontrolling interest in the consolidated financial statements of Genco. Under U.S. GAAP, changes in a parent's ownership interest in a subsidiary that do not result in the parent losing control of the subsidiary are considered equity transactions (i.e. transactions with owners in their capacity as owners) with any difference between the amount by which the noncontrolling interest is adjusted and the fair value of the consideration paid attributed to the equity of the parent. Accordingly, upon completion of the merger, any difference between the fair value of the Genco common shares issued in exchange for Baltic Trading common shares was reflected as an adjustment to the equity in Genco. No gain or loss was reorganized in Gencos consolidated statement of comprehensive income upon completion of the transaction.

Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data

The following table summarizes Genco Shipping & Trading Limiteds selected consolidated financial and other data for the periods indicated below.

Three Months Ended

March 31, 2016 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2015 (Dollars in thousands, except share and per share data) (unaudited) INCOME STATEMENT DATA: Revenues: Voyage revenues $ 20,131 $ 33,609 Service revenues 811 810 Total revenues 20,942 34,419 Operating expenses: Voyage expenses 3,896 4,380 Vessel operating expenses 29,127 28,672 General, administrative and management fees 12,855 20,324 Depreciation and amortization 20,339 19,410 Impairment of vessel assets 1,685 35,396 Total operating expenses 67,902 108,182 Operating loss (46,960 ) (73,763 ) Other (expense) income: Other (expense) income (125 ) 11 Interest income 62 24 Interest expense (7,113 ) (4,324 ) Other expense (7,176 ) (4,289 ) Loss before reorganization items, net (54,136 ) (78,052 ) Reorganization items, net (94 ) (520 ) Loss before income taxes (54,230 ) (78,572 ) Income tax expense (253 ) (543 ) Net loss (54,483 ) (79,115 ) Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interest - (40,673 ) Net loss attributable to Genco Shipping & Trading Limited $ (54,483 ) $ (38,442 ) Net loss per share - basic $ (0.75 ) $ (0.64 ) Net loss per share - diluted $ (0.75 ) $ (0.64 ) Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic 72,187,954 60,430,789 Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted 72,187,954 60,430,789 March 31, 2016 December 31, 2015 BALANCE SHEET DATA: (unaudited) Cash (including restricted cash) $ 95,419 $ 140,889 Current assets 123,969 172,529 Total assets 1,644,099 1,714,663 Current liabilities (excluding current portion of long-term debt) 23,845 28,525 Current portion of long-term debt (net of $8.9 million and $9.4 million of unamortized 561,097 579,023 debt issuance costs at March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively) Long-term debt - - Shareholders' equity 1,057,828 1,105,966 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2016 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2015 (unaudited) Net cash used in operating activities $ (27,304 ) $ (12,320 ) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 389 (4,515 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (18,555 ) 2,204 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2016 Three Months Ended

March 31, 2015 (Dollars in thousands) EBITDA Reconciliation: (unaudited) Net Loss attributable to Genco Shipping & Trading Limited $ (54,483 ) $ (38,442 ) + Net interest expense 7,051 4,300 + Income tax expense 253 543 + Depreciation and amortization 20,339 19,410 EBITDA(1) $ (26,840 ) $ (14,189 ) Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 March 31, 2015 GENCO CONSOLIDATED FLEET DATA: (unaudited) Total number of vessels at end of period 70 68 Average number of vessels (2) 70.0 68.0 Total ownership days for fleet (3) 6,370 6,119 Total available days for fleet (4) 6,174 5,872 Total operating days for fleet (5) 6,079 5,813 Fleet utilization (6) 98.5 % 99.0 % AVERAGE DAILY RESULTS: Time charter equivalent (7) $ 2,629 $ 4,977 Daily vessel operating expenses per vessel (8) 4,573 4,686

1) EBITDA represents net income (loss) plus net interest expense, taxes, and depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is included because it is used by management and certain investors as a measure of operating performance. EBITDA is used by analysts in the shipping industry as a common performance measure to compare results across peers. Our management uses EBITDA as a performance measure in consolidating internal financial statements and it is presented for review at our board meetings. For these reasons, we believe that EBITDA is a useful measure to present to our investors. EBITDA is not an item recognized by U.S. GAAP (i.e. non-GAAP measure) and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, operating income or any other indicator of a company's operating performance required by U.S. GAAP. EBITDA is not a source of liquidity or cash flows as shown in our consolidated statement of cash flows. The definition of EBITDA used here may not be comparable to that used by other companies. Pursuant to the amendments entered into on April 30, 2015 for our $100 Million Term Loan Facility and our $253 Million Term Loan Facility, the definition of Consolidated EBITDA used in the financial covenants has been eliminated.

2) Average number of vessels is the number of vessels that constituted our fleet for the relevant period, as measured by the sum of the number of days each vessel was part of our fleet during the period divided by the number of calendar days in that period.

3) We define ownership days as the aggregate number of days in a period during which each vessel in our fleet has been owned by us. Ownership days are an indicator of the size of our fleet over a period and affect both the amount of revenues and the amount of expenses that we record during a period.

4) We define available days as the number of our ownership days less the aggregate number of days that our vessels are off-hire due to scheduled repairs or repairs under guarantee, vessel upgrades or special surveys and the aggregate amount of time that we spend positioning our vessels between time charters. Companies in the shipping industry generally use available days to measure the number of days in a period during which vessels should be capable of generating revenues.

5) We define operating days as the number of our available days in a period less the aggregate number of days that our vessels are off-hire due to unforeseen circumstances. The shipping industry uses operating days to measure the aggregate number of days in a period during which vessels actually generate revenues.

6) We calculate fleet utilization by dividing the number of our operating days during a period by the number of our available days during the period. The shipping industry uses fleet utilization to measure a company's efficiency in finding suitable employment for its vessels and minimizing the number of days that its vessels are off-hire for reasons other than scheduled repairs or repairs under guarantee, vessel upgrades, special surveys or vessel positioning.

7) We define TCE rates as our net voyage revenue (voyage revenues less voyage expenses (including voyage expenses to Parent)) divided by the number of our available days during the period, which is consistent with industry standards. TCE rate is a common shipping industry performance measure used primarily to compare daily earnings generated by vessels on time charters with daily earnings generated by vessels on voyage charters, because charterhire rates for vessels on voyage charters are generally not expressed in per-day amounts while charterhire rates for vessels on time charters generally are expressed in such amounts.

8) We define daily vessel operating expenses to include crew wages and related costs, the cost of insurance expenses relating to repairs and maintenance (excluding drydocking), the costs of spares and consumable stores, tonnage taxes and other miscellaneous expenses. Daily vessel operating expenses are calculated by dividing vessel operating expenses by ownership days for the relevant period.

Genco Shipping & Trading Limiteds Fleet

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited transports iron ore, coal, grain, steel products and other drybulk cargoes along worldwide shipping routes. Genco Shipping & Trading Limiteds current fleet consists of 13 Capesize, eight Panamax, four Ultramax, 21 Supramax, six Handymax and 18 Handysize vessels with an aggregate capacity of approximately 5,158,000 dwt.

Our current fleet contains 16 groups of sister ships, which are vessels of virtually identical sizes and specifications. We believe that maintaining a fleet that includes sister ships reduces costs by creating economies of scale in the maintenance, supply and crewing of our vessels. As of May 9, 2016, the average age of our current fleet was 9.5 years.

The following table reflects the current employment of Gencos fleet:

Year Charter Cash Daily Vessel Built Charterer Expiration(1) Rate(2) Capesize Vessels Genco Augustus 2007 Swissmarine Services S.A. Jun. 2016/Feb. 2017 102% of

BCI/$7,800(3) Genco Tiberius 2007 Cargill International S.A. November 2016 98% of BCI Genco London 2007 Swissmarine Services S.A. December 2016 $3,250 with 50%

profit sharing Genco Titus 2007 Swissmarine Services S.A. June 2016 104.5% of BCI Genco Constantine 2008 Swissmarine Services S.A. February 2017 $7,800(4) Genco Hadrian 2008 Swissmarine Services S.A. November 2016 98.5% of BCI Genco Commodus 2009 Swissmarine Asia Pte. Ltd. March 2017 $3,250 with 50%

profit sharing Genco Maximus 2009 Swissmarine Services S.A. February 2017 $3,250 with 50%

profit sharing Genco Claudius 2010 Swissmarine Services S.A. September 2016 99% of BCI Genco Tiger 2011 Swissmarine Services S.A. October 2016 103% of BCI Baltic Lion 2012 Swissmarine Services S.A. December 2016 $3,250 with 50%

profit sharing Baltic Bear 2010 Swissmarine Services S.A. February 2017 $7,000(5) Baltic Wolf 2010 Swissmarine Services S.A. December 2016 $3,250 with 50%

profit sharing Panamax Vessels Genco Beauty 1999 Navig8 Inc. September 2016 94.75% of BPI Genco Knight 1999 Swissmarine Services S.A. June 2016 95% of BPI Genco Leader 1999 Navig8 Pan8 Pool Inc. July 2016 Spot Pool(6) Genco Vigour 1999 Swissmarine Services S.A. June 2016 95% of BPI(7) Genco Acheron 1999 Hyundai Glovis Co., Ltd. June 2016 $ 4,250 Genco Surprise 1998 Windrose SPS Shipping &

Trading S.A. June 2016 $5,500(8) Genco Raptor 2007 M2M Panamax Pool Ltd. June 2016 100% of BPI Genco Thunder 2007 Swissmarine Services S.A. August 2016 100% of BPI Ultramax Vessels Baltic Hornet 2014 Swissmarine Asia Pte. Ltd. February 2017 115.5% of BSI Baltic Wasp 2015 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. January 2017 $3,250 with 50%

profit sharing(9) Baltic Scorpion 2015 Swissmarine Asia Pte. Ltd. October 2016 115.5% of BSI Baltic Mantis 2015 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. December 2016 115% of BSI Supramax Vessels Genco Predator 2005 ED&F Man Shipping Ltd. October 2016 98.5% of BSI Genco Warrior 2005 Centurion Bulk Pte. Ltd.,

Singapore June 2016 98.5% of BSI Genco Hunter 2007 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. June 2017 104% of BSI(10) Genco Cavalier 2007 Siva Bulk Ltd. May 2016 $5,150(11) Genco Lorraine 2009 Cargill Ocean Transportation

(Singapore) Pte. Ltd. May 2016 $4,250(12) Genco Loire 2009 Bulkhandling Handymax A/S August 2016 Spot Pool(13) Genco Aquitaine 2009 Bulkhandling Handymax A/S August 2016 Spot Pool(13) Genco Ardennes 2009 Clipper Sapphire Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(14) Genco Auvergne 2009 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. June 2016 100% of BSI Genco Bourgogne 2010 Clipper Sapphire Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(14) Genco Brittany 2010 Clipper Sapphire Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(14) Genco Languedoc 2010 Clipper Sapphire Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(14) Genco Normandy 2007 Harmony Innovation Shipping

Ltd. May 2016 $4,650(15) Genco Picardy 2005 Centurion Bulk Pte. Ltd.,

Singapore July 2016 98.5% of BSI Genco Provence 2004 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. August 2016 100% of BSI Genco Pyrenees 2010 Clipper Sapphire Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(14) Genco Rhone 2011 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. December 2016 100% of BSI Baltic Leopard 2009 Bulkhandling Handymax A/S October 2016 Spot Pool(16) Baltic Panther 2009 Bulkhandling Handymax A/S August 2016 Spot Pool(13) Baltic Jaguar 2009 Medi Supra Pool Management May 2016 $3,500(17) Baltic Cougar 2009 Bulkhandling Handymax A/S August 2016 Spot Pool(13) Handymax Vessels Genco Success 1997 TST NV, Nevis February 2017 87.5% of BSI(18) Genco Carrier 1998 Westline Navigation Co., Ltd. May 2016 $3,250(19) Genco Prosperity 1997 TST NV, Nevis March 2017 87.5% of BSI(20) Genco Wisdom 1997 ED&F Man Shipping Ltd. May/Jul. 2016 89%/88.5% of

BSI(21) Genco Marine 1996 Elder Triumphant Shipping

Lines Ltd. April 2016 $4,225(22) Genco Muse 2001 Dooyang Limited April 2016 $3,750(23) Handysize Vessels Genco Sugar 1998 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Pioneer 1999 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Progress 1999 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Explorer 1999 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Reliance 1999 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Baltic Hare 2009 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Baltic Fox 2010 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Charger 2005 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Challenger 2003 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Genco Champion 2006 Clipper Logger Pool November 2016 Spot Pool(24) Baltic Wind 2009 Trammo Bulk Carriers June 2016 107% of BHSI Baltic Cove 2010 Clipper Bulk Shipping Ltd. June 2016 100.5% of BHSI Baltic Breeze 2010 Trammo Bulk Carriers January 2017 103% of BHSI Genco Ocean 2010 Falcon Navigation A/S July 2016 103% of BHSI Genco Bay 2010 Clipper Bulk Shipping Ltd. June 2016 102% of BHSI Genco Avra 2011 Ultrabulk S.A. April 2017 104% of BHSI Genco Mare 2011 Pioneer Navigation Ltd. June 2017 103.5% of

BHSI(25) Genco Spirit 2011 Clipper Bulk Shipping Ltd. August 2016 $

7,000



(1) The charter expiration dates presented represent the earliest dates that our charters may be terminated in the ordinary course. Under the terms of each contract, the charterer is entitled to extend the time charter from two to four months in order to complete the vessel's final voyage plus any time the vessel has been off-hire.

(2) Time charter rates presented are the gross daily charterhire rates before third-party brokerage commission generally ranging from 1.25% to 6.25%. In a time charter, the charterer is responsible for voyage expenses such as bunkers, port expenses, agents fees and canal dues.

(3) We have agreed to an extension with Swissmarine Services S.A. on a time charter for 8.5 to 12.5 months at a rate of $7,800 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The extension is expected to begin on or about June 1, 2016.

(4) We have reached an agreement with Swissmarine Services S.A. on a time charter for 9.5 to 13.5 months at a rate of $7,800 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The vessel delivered to charterers on May 4, 2016.

(5) We have agreed to an extension with Swissmarine Services S.A. on a time charter for 9.5 to 13.5 months at a rate of $7,000 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The extension began on May 1, 2016.

(6) We have reached an agreement to enter this vessel into the Navig8 Pan8 Pool, a vessel pool trading in the spot market of which Navig8 Inc. acts as the pool manager.

(7) We have agreed to an extension with Swissmarine Services S.A. on a time charter based on 95% of the Baltic Panamax Index (BPI), published by the Baltic Exchange, as reflected in daily reports. Hire paid every 15 days in arrears less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The minimum and maximum expiration dates of the time charter are May 15, 2016 and November 15, 2016, respectively.

(8) We have reached an agreement with Windrose SPS Shipping & Trading S.A. on a time charter for approximately 75 days at a rate of $5,500 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The vessel delivered to charterers on April 7, 2016 after repositioning. The vessel redelivered to Genco on March 29, 2016.

(9) We have agreed to an extension with Pioneer Navigation Ltd. on a time charter for 11 to 14.5 months at a rate of $3,250 per day with a 50% index-based profit sharing component except for the initial 25 days in which the hire rate is $2,500 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in arrears less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The extension began on February 29, 2016.

(10) We have agreed to an extension with Pioneer Navigation Ltd. on a spot market-related time charter based on 104% of the Baltic Supramax Index (BSI), published by the Baltic Exchange, as reflected in daily reports. Hire is paid every 15 days in arrears less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The minimum and maximum expiration dates of the time charter are June 15, 2017 and August 15, 2017, respectively. The extension began on March 16, 2016.

(11) We have reached an agreement with Siva Bulk Ltd. on a time charter for approximately 25 days at a rate of $5,150 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The vessel delivered to charterers on April 22, 2016 after repositioning. The vessel redelivered to Genco on April 17, 2016.

(12) We have reached an agreement with Cargill Ocean Transportation (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. on a time charter for approximately 10 days at a rate of $4,250 per day. Hire is paid every 10 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The vessel delivered to charterers on April 20, 2016 after repositioning. The vessel redelivered to Genco on April 16, 2016.

(13) We have reached an agreement to enter these vessels into the Bulkhandling Handymax A/S Pool, a vessel pool trading in the spot market of which Torvald Klaveness acts as the pool manager. Genco can withdraw a vessel with three months notice.

(14) We have reached an agreement to enter these vessels into the Clipper Sapphire Pool, a vessel pool trading in the spot market of which Clipper Group acts as the pool manager. Genco can withdraw a vessel with a minimum notice of six months.

(15) We have reached an agreement with Harmony Innovation Shipping Ltd. on a time charter for approximately 20 days at a rate of $4,650 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The vessel delivered to charterers on May 3, 2016 after repositioning. The vessel redelivered to Genco on April 25, 2016.

(16) We have reached an agreement to enter this vessel into the Bulkhandling Handymax A/S Pool, a vessel pool trading in the spot market of which Torvald Klaveness acts as the pool manager. Genco can withdraw the vessel with three months notice after the vessel has been in the pool for a minimum of four months. The vessel entered the pool on March 13, 2016.

(17) We have reached an agreement with Medi Supra Pool Management Ltd. on a time charter for approximately 15 days at a rate of $3,500 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The vessel delivered to charterers on April 24, 2016 after repositioning. The vessel redelivered to Genco on April 18, 2016.

(18) We have reached an agreement with TST NV, Nevis on a spot-market related time charter based on 87.5% of the BSI, as reflected in daily reports. Hire is paid every 15 days in arrears less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The minimum and maximum expiration dates of the time charter are February 1, 2017 and April 1, 2017, respectively. The vessel delivered to charterers on April 14, 2016.

(19) We have agreed to an extension with Westline Navigation Co., Ltd. on a time charter for approximately 20 days at a rate of $3,250 per day. Hire is paid every 15 days in advance less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The extension began on April 30, 2016.

(20) We have agreed to an extension with TST NV, Nevis on a spot market-related time charter based on 87.5% of the BSI, as reflected in daily reports. Hire is paid every 15 days in arrears less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The minimum and maximum expiration dates of the time charter are March 15, 2017 and May 15, 2017, respectively.

(21) We have agreed to an extension with ED&F Man Shipping Ltd. on a time charter for approximately two months to a maximum expiration of April 1, 2017 based on 88.5% of the BSI, as reflected in daily reports. Hire is paid every 15 days in arrears less a 5.00% third-party brokerage commission. The extension is expected to begin on or about May 17, 2016.

(22) The vessel redelivered to Genco on April 29, 2016.

(23) The vessel redelivered to Genco on April 28, 2016 and is currently awaiting next employment.

(24) We have reached an agreement to enter these vessels into the Clipper Logger Pool, a vessel pool trading in the spot market of which Clipper Group acts as the pool manager. Genco can withdraw the vessels with a minimum notice of six months.

(25) We have agreed to an extension with Pioneer Navigation Ltd. on a spot-market related time charter for 12 to 15.5 months based on 103.5% of the Baltic Handysize Index (BHSI), published by the Baltic Exchange, as reflected in daily reports except for the initial 42 days in which hire is based on the average of the Baltic Handysize HS2 and HS3 routes. The extension is expected to begin after completion of drydocking for scheduled maintenance.

About Genco Shipping & Trading Limited

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited transports iron ore, coal, grain, steel products and other drybulk cargoes along worldwide shipping routes. Genco Shipping & Trading Limiteds current fleet consists of 13 Capesize, eight Panamax, four Ultramax, 21 Supramax, six Handymax and 18 Handysize vessels with an aggregate capacity of approximately 5,158,000 dwt.

Conference Call Announcement

Genco Shipping & Trading Limited will hold a conference call on Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its 2016 first quarter financial results. The conference call and a presentation will be simultaneously webcast and will be available on the Companys website, www.GencoShipping.com. To access the conference call, dial (888) 572-7033 or (719) 325-2354 and enter passcode 4227073. A replay of the conference call can also be accessed for two weeks by dialing (888) 203-1112 or (719) 457-0820 and entering the passcode 4227073. The Company intends to place additional materials related to the earnings announcement, including a slide presentation, on its website prior to the conference call.

Website Information

We intend to use our website, www.GencoShipping.com, as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Such disclosures will be included in our websites Investor Relations section. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations portion of our website, in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, and webcasts. To subscribe to our e-mail alert service, please click the Receive E-mail Alerts link in the Investor Relations section of our website and submit your email address. The information contained in, or that may be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into or a part of this document or any other report or document we file with or furnish to the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.

"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements use words such as anticipate, budget, estimate, expect, project, intend, plan, believe, and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of potential future events, circumstances or future operating or financial performance. These forward looking statements are based on managements current expectations and observations. Included among the factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward looking statements contained in this report are the following: (i) further declines or sustained weakness in demand in the drybulk shipping industry; (ii) continuation of weakness in drybulk shipping rates; (iii) changes in the supply of or demand for drybulk products, generally or in particular regions; (iv) changes in the supply of drybulk carriers including newbuilding of vessels or lower than anticipated scrapping of older vessels; (v) changes in rules and regulations applicable to the cargo industry, including, without limitation, legislation adopted by international organizations or by individual countries and actions taken by regulatory authorities; (vi) increases in costs and expenses including but not limited to: crew wages, insurance, provisions, lube, oil, bunkers, repairs, maintenance and general, administrative, and management fee expenses; (vii) whether our insurance arrangements are adequate; (viii) changes in general domestic and international political conditions; (ix) acts of war, terrorism, or piracy; (x) changes in the condition of the Companys vessels or applicable maintenance or regulatory standards (which may affect, among other things, our anticipated drydocking or maintenance and repair costs) and unanticipated drydock expenditures; (xi) the Companys acquisition or disposition of vessels; (xii) the amount of offhire time needed to complete repairs on vessels and the timing and amount of any reimbursement by our insurance carriers for insurance claims, including offhire days; (xiii) the completion of definitive documentation with respect to charters; (xiv) charterers compliance with the terms of their charters in the current market environment; (xv) the ability to realize the expected benefits of the our merger with Baltic Trading to the degree, in the amounts or in the timeframe anticipated; (xvi) the extent to which our operating results continue to be affected by weakness in market conditions and charter rates; (xvii) our ability to continue as a going concern, (xviii) our ability to maintain contracts that are critical to our operation, to obtain and maintain acceptable terms with our vendors, customers and service providers and to retain key executives, managers and employees; (xix) our ability to implement measures to resolve our liquidity and covenant compliance issues; and other factors listed from time to time in our public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and its subsequent reports on Form 8-K. Our ability to pay dividends in any period will depend upon various factors, including the limitations under any credit agreements to which we may be a party, applicable provisions of Marshall Islands law and the final determination by the Board of Directors each quarter after its review of our financial performance. The timing and amount of dividends, if any, could also be affected by factors affecting cash flows, results of operations, required capital expenditures, or reserves. As a result, the amount of dividends actually paid may vary. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CARLSBAD, Calif., May 09, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL), a leading provider of radio frequency (RF) and mixed-signal integrated circuits for cable and satellite broadband communications, the connected home, data center, metro, long-haul fiber networks, and wireless infrastructure clarifies the dial in number for its First Quarter 2016 Conference Call.



Conference Call Details

MaxLinear will host its first quarter 2016 financial results conference call today, May 9, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time). To access this call, dial US toll free: 1-855-629-3857 / International: 1-661-378-9892 with conference ID: 93512935. A live webcast of the conference call will be accessible from the investor relations section of the MaxLinear website at http://investors.maxlinear.com, and will be archived and available after the call at http://investors.maxlinear.com until May 23, 2016. A replay of the conference call will also be available until May 23, 2016 by dialing toll free: 1-855-859-2056 and referencing passcode: 93507413.

About MaxLinear, Inc.

MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL) is a global provider of integrated, radio frequency, and mixed-signal integrated circuits and SoCs. The company is a pioneer in multimedia over coax alliance (MoCA) technology and its products serve broadband communications and infrastructure industries, including cable TV, satellite TV, data center, metro, and long-haul optical transport network applications. MaxLinear is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. For more information, please visit www.maxlinear.com.

MXL is MaxLinears registered trademark. Other trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
IRVING, TEXAS, May 9, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CHC Group (OTC Pink Sheets:HELIQ) (the "Company" or "CHC") today announced the appointment of William L. Transier to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.



An independent, Class II director, Mr. Transier's term is until the Company's 2018 annual general meeting of shareholders. He was also elected to serve on the Board's Audit Committee and Health, Safety and Environment Committee.



"We are pleased to add a director of Bill's caliber to our Board," said John Krenicki Jr., CHC's Chairman of the Board. "In addition to a wealth of experience in the oil and gas industry and firsthand experience in corporate reorganizations, Bill's knowledge of our industry will help us to continue to focus on serving our customers for the long term."



Mr. Transier, 61, is the founder and has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Transier Advisors, LLC since 2015. Prior to 2015, Mr. Transier served as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Endeavour International Corporation from October 2006 to December 2014. He also served as a Co-Chief Executive Officer from February 2004 to October 2006. On October 10, 2014, Endeavour filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, which was dismissed in November of 2015 by virtue of a structured settlement agreement.



Before joining Endeavour, Mr. Transier served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ocean Energy, Inc. from March 1999 to April 2003, when Ocean Energy merged with Devon Energy Corporation. From September 1998 to March 1999, Mr. Transier served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Seagull Energy Corporation when Seagull Energy merged with Ocean Energy. From May 1996 to September 1998, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Seagull Energy Corporation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Transier served in various roles, including partner in the audit department and head of the Global Energy practice of KPMG LLP from June 1986 to April 1996. Mr. Transier is also the Lead Independent Director of Helix Energy Solutions Group and he has served on its board since October 2000.



Mr. Transier also has experience in a number of Board roles. Since August 2014, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of Paragon Offshore plc. From December 2006 to December 2012, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Cal Dive International, Inc. He served as Lead Director of Cal Dive from May 2009 until December 2012. Until June 2009, Mr. Transier was a member of the Board of Directors of Reliant Energy, Inc.



Mr. Transier graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Business Administration with honors in accounting. He received his Masters in Business Administration from Regis University, attended the International Program at Wharton Business School and studied law at the University of Houston Law Center.



ABOUT CHC



CHC Helicopter is a leader in enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely, including oil and gas companies, government search-and-rescue agencies and organizations requiring helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services through the Heli-One segment. The Company has a fleet of more than 220 aircraft and operates on six continents.



Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements



This press release, and other statements that we may make, contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management, but are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results and/or the timing of events to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, for the year ended April 30, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended January 31, 2016. The Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission are available at www.sec.gov. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. No assurances can be given that our efforts to effectively reorganize under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code will ultimately be successful or that we will succeed in strengthening our balance sheet or increase our financial flexibility. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated.



The Company cautions that trading in the Company's securities during the pendency of the Chapter 11 cases is highly speculative and poses substantial risks. Although the Company does not yet have a plan of reorganization or an agreement with creditors and lessors for such a plan, no assurance can be given that, when the reorganization is completed, its ordinary shares will not be cancelled without any distribution being made to shareholders.



CHC Group

MEDIA

Susan Gordon, +1.214.262.7426

Senior Director, Global Communications

susan.gordon@chc.ca



INVESTORS

+1.604.247.7060

investor@chc.ca
new religious practices in Thailand express a mix of reality and non-reality or mythic elements, which Foucault (1986) defined as heterotopias, spaces that have many layers of meaning or relationships to other places than

As cultural hybridity,immediately meet the eye.A., new religious practices in Thailand express a mix of reality and non-reality or mythic elements, which Foucault (1986) defined as heterotopias, spaces that have many layers of meaning or relationships to other places thanB.new religious practices in Thailand express a mix of reality and non-reality or mythic elements, which Foucault (1986) defined as heterotopias, spaces that have many layers of meaning or relationships to other places asC.new religious practices in Thailand express a mix of reality and non-reality or mythic elements, which Foucault (1986) defined as heterotopias, a term that describes spaces that have more layers of meaning or relationships to other places thanD., new religious practices in Thailand express a mix of reality and non-reality with mythic elements, which Foucault (1986) defined as heterotopias, a term that describes spaces, that have more layers of meaning or relationships than other places, whichE.new religious practices in Thailand express a mix of reality and non-reality or mythic elements, and Foucault (1986) defined them as heterotopias , spaces that have more layers of meaning or relationships to other places that




Contact me for online GMAT math tutoring, or about my higher-level GMAT Quant books and problem sets, at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com



ianstewartgmat.com GMAT Tutor in MontrealContact me for online GMAT math tutoring, or about my higher-level GMAT Quant books and problem sets, at ianstewartgmat at gmail.com Signature Read More

I agree completely with Chris - this is a really bad question. Not only is the writing awful, but the question makes no logical sense. The argument itself says "the companys workers are mean-spirited and egotistical". If that's stated in the stem of a real GMAT question, then that is a *premise*. It cannot be wrong. So it makes no difference if the company employs 15 people or 150,000 people -- the question has told us that it is an absolutely true fact that the employees of this company are "mean-spirited and egotistical", no matter how many of them there are. So B is not the correct answer here.The logical problem with the argument, if we accept its premises to be true, is that it draws a conclusion about *all* companies from this one company. So we should be looking for an answer choice which suggests a reason why this one company might be different from other companies. None of the answers really do that, but the only one I could even tenuously justify is A -- perhaps this company differs from others because it has a worse work environment. But the question is just so badly written to begin with that it's a pointless exercise trying to find a good answer._________________
mikemcgarry wrote:

ykaiim wrote:

The company's chief executive, whose technological expertise, views on the future of the industry, and decision-making style were impressive to the managers who worked with her, was also acknowledged as a leading strategist by many people outside her firm, including executives at rival companies, whose approaches often differed substantially from her own.

(A) were impressive to the managers who worked with her, was also acknowledged as a leading strategist by many people outside her firm, including executives at rival companies, whose approaches often differed substantially from

(B) impressed the managers who worked with her, also was acknowledged as a leading strategist by many people outside her firm, including executives at rival companies, whose approaches often differed substantially from

(C) was impressive to the managers who worked with her, was also acknowledged as a leading strategist by many people outside her firm, that included executives at rival companies, whose approaches were different substantially in comparison to

(D) was impressive to the managers who worked with her, also acknowledged as a leading strategist by many people outside her firm, who included executives at rival companies, the approaches of whom differed substantially when compared to

(E) were an impression to the managers who worked with her, also was acknowledged as a leading strategist by many people outside her firm, including executives at rival companies, whose approaches were often substantially different from that of

avohden

dentobizz

ykaiim

also

also

all five answer choices are run-on sentences

Make it your default assumption that a question without a source may not be worth anything at all, and if it generates a great deal of controversy about the OA, then that's further evidence that it just may not be a good question.

DearThank you for your private messages. I am happy to give my two cents on this question.I searched the web and was not able to find any source for this question --- for all I know, perhapsmade it himself. I would say this question is a faulty question, as are many questions that generate the most discussion and confusion on GC.The word "" is an adverb, NOT a conjunction, and it absolutely cannot be used to link two clauses or two verbs in parallel. The word "" often accompanies a bonafide conjunction ("and also", "but also") but is not a conjunction on its own. Thus,. I don't know what the question author was trying to test on this question, but that author apparently did not understand the basics of grammar.The very best think you can do for your GMAT preparedness would be to pretend that this question does not exist.Remember, if you can't determine the source, don't make it your default assumption that something in the form of a GMAT SC is actually a good question.A good SC question may be tricky, but usually once someone points out the fundamental issues, most people will fall into agreement.Does all this make sense?Mike
Look, we know that everyone wants to feel safe wherever they're going, but, really, do you need to bring daggers and throwing stars in your carry-on bags? A Connecticut man was arrested over the weekend when the Transportation Security Administration officers at LaGuardia Airport found a cache of "several deadly martial arts weapons" in his bag.

According to the TSA, the items were discovered when the New Haven resident was going through a security checkpoint. The forbidden objects included a "dagger... three throwing knives, a traditional throwing star and an expandable throwing star." The TSA officers alerted the Port Authority Police who confiscated the items and arrested the man on weapons charges.

While the TSA says that airport operations were not impacted, it would probably help everyone, since the TSA lines are already so crazy, if you checked the TSA list of prohibited items before traveling.
For the first time since Downtown Brooklyn's Community Education Council 13 voted to zone incoming DUMBO kindergarten students out of predominantly white, upper-middle-class PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights and into PS 307a school that primarily serves black residents of the NYCHA-run Farragut Houses on York StreetDepartment of Education officials met with community members and the principals of both schools last week to discuss next steps.

"Part of how PS 8 grew and became a school of choice that people buy buildings to get close to is parents rolling up their sleeves and doing something," said Office of District Planning representative Meg Barboza on Thursday.

Overcrowding has been an issue at PS 8 since the late 2000s thanks to its high test scores, and the robust real estate development in downtown Brooklyn. Black and Hispanic students currently represent 34% of PS 8's student body, while PS 307, which has historically performed lower on state tests, is 95% minority.

The rezoning plan offered by the Department of Education last fall impacts kindergarten and Pre-K students for the coming 2016-2017 school year. There was considerable pushback from both communities when the plan was first presentedsome DUMBO parents resisted the move to a school with lower test scores; some Farragut parents argued that the plan overlooked "obvious racial tensions," and could reverse their efforts to focus on the unique needs of minority students.

"We don't want any galloping knights coming in here and trying to change the image," said Benjamin Greene, PS 307 PTA Co-President. "We want to make sure that PS 307 is not going to be this Fortune 500 school in two or three years."

According to ODP data, PS 8 is currently at 135% capacity. The school has already accepted 125 kindergarten students for next year, with just one student on the wait list; PS 307 has sent out 66 offers to prospective students (the DOE could not confirm how many of those students have accepted their offers). For comparison, the current PS 307 zone has about 19 kindergarten-age students.

PS 307 Principal Stephanie Carroll spoke at length on Thursday, running down a list of projects she's taken on since January to prepare for the additional students. The school has partnered with New York Appleseed, a nonprofit that partners with City College professors to ease the integration process at racially segregated schools. Starting this month, she'll invite neighborhood parents and potential pre-K students into the school for mommy-and-me activities.

The school also has a new website. "It's been described to me as clean and crisp," Carroll said proudly, adding, "It's getting [us] out of this image of being tucked away."

"I always said that if this passed, 307 would have the most amount of work to do," PS 8 Principal Seth Phillips told the group. "The biggest thing we've been able to do [since the rezoning passed] is get refocused on kids, and [focus] less on the wait list."

The DOE praised Carroll's efforts, and encouraged her and the PS 307 PTA to look to PS 8 as an example. In the early 2000s, the school was under enrolled, primarily serving students from the Farragut houses. Then Brooklyn Heights parents dug in their heels to promote the school. In 2005, Madonna visited in stilettos to read one of her children's books. By 2008, PS 8 was packed to the gills.

Superintendent Barbara Freeman encouraged PS 307 to think of the task aheadpreparing for an influx of new studentsas a "rebranding" process. "Rebranding doesn't mean that everything we did before was bad," she said.

But PS 307 PTA Co-President Faraji Hannah-Jones expressed concern that the process to date has not been inclusive of his school's parent community. While meetings attended by school administrators, the DOE, and a handful of vocal community members are a good step, he said, the parent community at PS 307 still feels uninformed about planned changes for the school.

"When those affluent parents come in, we do not want to alienate the parents who live across the street in the Farragut houses," he said on Thursday. Instead, he's eager to establish programing at the school that caters specifically to the Farragut communitylike GED and computer literacy classes for parents. "That's how we rebrand," he said.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story misstated the current kindergarten class sizes at PS 8 and PS 307.
Notorious Manhattan landlord Steve Croman was arrested this morning along with his mortgage broker on felony fraud charges for allegedly inflating rents on loan applications.

Croman and broker Barry Swartz both face as many as 25 years in prison.

Croman, so loathed by tenants that his tactics of noxious renovations and aggressively evicting and seeking buyouts from rent-stabilized tenants sparked the formation of the first landlord-specific tenant union since the 1980s, is also about to be sued for alleged tenant harassment by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Schneiderman's office has been investigating Croman for two years.

The lawsuit is supposed to cite threats and intimidation by Croman's hired gun, ex-cop and "tenant relocation specialist" Anthony Falconite, and serial dangerous construction in violation of city health and buildings department orders, including repeated instances of work that exposed tenants to lead dust.

"My message to unscrupulous landlords is simple: if you put your own profits over your tenants legal protections, we will investigate you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," Schneiderman said in a statement. "My office will not tolerate anyone who attempts to line their own pockets by gaming the system. No one is above the lawno matter how rich or powerful."

Croman and Swartz turned themselves in to police this morning. Croman is facing 20 felony counts, including grand larceny, falsifying business records, tax fraud, conspiring to defraud, and offering a false instrument. Swartz, of the high-powered real estate finance firm Pergolis Swartz Associates, is facing 15 felonies, including grand larceny, falsifying records, and conspiring to defraud. The two are accused of jacking up rents on rent rolls, by listing as market-rate apartments that were actually rent-stabilized, and high-balling commercial rents, in order to get seven refinancing loans worth over a million dollars each between 2012 and 2014. Croman is also accused of filing false permits with the Department of Buildings, and failing to pay payroll taxes in 2011.



Barry Swartz (Attorney General's Office)

Croman owns 140 buildings throughout Manhattan, according to the Attorney General's Office, and has been accused of harassing rent-stabilized since the mid-1990s. He first acquired buildings downtown, in Chinatown and the East Village, but now also has holdings in East Harlem and elsewhere. The civil suit that the state is planning to file outlines the kind of alleged high-pressure apartment-flipping tactics Croman is better known for. The allegations include:

Harassing rent-stabilized tenants to take buyouts, often consisting of a few months free rent or a few thousand dollars.

Incentivizing said harassment by calling rent-stabilized tenants "targets" in communication with employees, and having the workers compete to obtain the most buyouts, with bonuses of as much as $10,000. (Falconite, the hired goon who in 2014 Schneiderman hit with a cease-and-desist letter for his aggressive tactics, allegedly wrote to a property manager that obtaining buyouts was a "team sport," to which the property manager purportedly responded, "I know that!! Whos our next target? We have to start lining them up!!!")

Filing repeated baseless lawsuits against tenants to pressure them out, and creating grounds for the cases by refusing to acknowledge receipt of rent, then suing for back rent.

Directing Falconite, whom Croman allegedly called his "secret weapon," to pose as a repairman or building inspector to gain access to tenants' apartments.

Having Falconite improperly accuse tenants of violating their leases.

Performing construction jobs at least 175 times without permits.

Directing workers to ignore stop-work orders and hide illegal construction from building inspectors.

Filing dozens of false documents with the Buildings Department.

Exposing tenants to lead dust on more than 20 occasions, including once at 65 times the legal threshold, and defying Health Department orders to address the spread of the poison.

Failing to correct hundreds of building code violations deemed hazardous or imminently hazardous to human life.

An organizer with the group Movement for Justice in El Barrio, which has been organizing 360 tenants of 13 Croman-owned buildings in East Harlem, praised the attorney generals' moves.

"We feel that its a long time coming. We are very happy that this has occurred," organizer Juan Haro said. "We believe that this is the result of tireless efforts of the tenants that live in these buildings themselves."

Haro said that tenants aren't sure what comes next, but they're planning a party in the neighborhood this weekend.

At a press conference this afternoon, Schneiderman said he hopes that through the civil case he can get Croman's buildings put in receivership.

"No one can visit any one of these buildings and come away with anything than anger and disgust at this situation," Schneiderman said. "We're seeking to get a receiver appointed to take over to remediate the conditions, to follow the laws that all responsible landlords follow...This case is bad enough that these guys should not continue to be allowed to manage these buildings."

Haro said that the fact that it took the attorney general to act, despite numerous alleged (and not-so-alleged) instances of harassment and violations of the building and health codes, shows the weakness of existing anti-harassment laws and of code enforcement by city agencies. Receivership, he said, would be ideal.

"Hopefully this isnt just him being put on notice," Haro said. "New York City needs to see him lose control of these properties."

Schneiderman acknowledged the difficulty of building tenant harassment cases against the landlord himself, saying, "Its hard to make a criminal case of harassment, which is why our team really dug in on this bank fraud issue, which is not something thats not been pursued in the past."

Croman's son Jake recently made headlines after video surfaced of him calling an Uber driver a "minimum-wage faggot," and saying, "You're working all night! Guess what? I'm gonna sit on my ass and watch TV. Fuck you!"

Croman is being represented by Ben Brafman, the big-shot lawyer representing Mayor Bill de Blasio and former NYPD chief of department Philip Banks in the FBI investigation into possible corruption in the police department and the Mayor's Office, as well as hated pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, accused of securities fraud.

In a statement, Brafman said, "Mr. Croman has entered a plea of not guilty. The charges in this case are defensible and Mr. Croman intends to address all issues in a responsible fashion. The criminal charges have nothing whatsoever to do with allegations relating to tenant harassment."

Swartz's lawyer Laura Brevetti said, "We will vigorously defend these charges and were very confident that he will be ultimately vindicated."

A woman who answered the phone at Croman Real Estate said, "We have no comment for anything." The voicemail at a second number she suggested calling was full.

A woman who answered the phone at Pergolis Swartz Associates, when told a reporter was seeking comment about Swartz's arrest, said, "No, no thank you," and hung up.

Falconite did not immediately return a voice message left at a home number listed for him.

Croman and Swartz both posted bail, set at $500,000 for Croman and $250,000 for Swartz.
For All U of U Health Patients & Visitors
FISH CREEK -- After nearly five months in recovery, a 4-year-old bald eagle launched out of her crate on Sunday, finding a perch halfway up a pine tree next to Fish Creek.

Camy Popiel and her boyfriend, John Proen, were driving along Interstate 90 between Superior and Alberton on Dec. 20 when Proen spotted something on the side of the road, a large, dark shape in stark contrast to the blanket of snow underneath.

"I think that was a bald eagle," he told Popiel.

They turned back and saw he was right: a bald eagle lay completely spread out over the snow. Surely its dead, they thought. Then the eagle lifted up its head.

"I finally got a little bit of (cellphone) coverage, and posted it on my Facebook page," Popiel said. "I asked everyone if they could get the number of someone who could help."

Ravens had started circling, but Popiel was determined this eagle was going to live, even if it meant "having to get my Montana whoop-ass out."

"No one's going to get this eagle," she said.

They called the poaching hotline, and an hour and a half later, help arrived.

"She didn't fight at all. She was ready to be rescued," Popiel said.

Popiel spoke to the eagle, comforting her the way she comforts her dog, who suffers from seizures. The eagle was completely soaked and near death. They named her Eli when they originally thought she was male, after a 4-year-old boy Popiel knows who suffers from a heart condition.

Eventually, Eli wound up at the Wild Skies Raptor Center in Missoula.

Eli was struck by a car, breaking her leg, said Wild Skies founder and Executive Director Brooke Tanner.

She wasnt able to stand for nearly six weeks, meaning she either had nerve damage or a pelvic fracture. Once her bones had healed, Tanner noticed that she was still knuckling her right talons. But one day, Tanner went to the enclosure and there was Eli, perched. That was a turning point, Tanner said, and ever since then Eli worked on getting her strength back.

"As far as eagles go, she was great to work with," Tanner said. "But it was touch-and-go there for awhile. The fracture was so close to the joint. We were going to try and splint it ... and we knew within a week, this isn't going to work."

They had to use external fixators on both sides of her leg to help her heal.

On Sunday, her left leg was banded with a silver U.S. Geological Survey band. If anything ever happens to Eli, or when she dies, if someone finds the band theyll be able to tell more about her and how long she lived.

Then Wild Skies gave Eli her final meal at the center: venison. They sharpened her talons and she was ready to go.

Overlooking Fish Creek on Sunday afternoon, Tanner set up Eli's crate so the opening was pointing toward the valley. The idea was that Eli would fly out, catch the breeze and head to the river. Eli had other plans, veering sharply left out of the crate and causing the small audience to duck as she stretched her 6 1/2-foot wingspan and took off for the nearby trees.

"Go, Eli, go!" Popiel shouted. "Go, baby, go!"

She found a pine tree and perched, eyeing everything around her.

Sometimes they fly off and they keep going, other times they perch, Tanner said. I would expect her to do that (perch). And this time of year everybody is so territorial that she wants to probably sit tight. I was kind of worried about osprey being around or something, somebody being territorial and chasing her off as soon as she came out. Im just glad that didnt happen.

Two adult redtail hawks did start hovering over the tree. They werent happy Eli was there, and showed it by tucking their wings and diving sharply.

Eventually they gave up and flew away, leaving Eli alone.
The best political advice I ever received was from the late U.S. Sen. Lee Metcalf. It was during the Vietnam War, and I was in Washington, D.C., with my fellow Montana State University student leaders, Kelly Addy from Shelby and Bob Quinn from Big Sandy.

I had just filed for the Montana Legislature along with Dorothy Bradley of Bozeman, and Metcalf had seen the news reports in the Montana papers about the young college students, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, running to make change within the system.

A combat veteran of World War II, Metcalf was becoming increasingly opposed to the Vietnam War, but he was also growing resentful of the thousands of student protesters who for many days had crowded the corridors of the Congressional offices buildings making it nearly impossible for Congress to function. A tousled man of burly build with a reputation for cantankerousness, Metcalf appeared troubled and weary. He told me he had read about my legislative candidacy and invited me to visit with him about it. I vividly remember that behind his cluttered desk were towers of stacked newspapers. On top of one of them was a large sleeping cat.

He told me he had first run for the Montana House of Representatives when he was only a little older than me. He said he had done so because he was inspired by the New Deal, and was determined to be a part of implementing in our state, what he believed were its critically needed reforms. Because of the extreme importance of this to him, he campaigned intensively. On the evening before the election, he joined his parents in their Stevensville home for dinner.

He said his mother commented to him that he hadnt asked any of the Metcalf neighbors for their votes. They had known him nearly all his life. Did he need to? She replied that people like to be asked. Though tired, Metcalf sensed seriousness in his mothers words. He quickly got up from the table and called on the dozen or so nearby families. Bone tired, he trekked back home that cold, pitch-black November night at nearly 10 p.m.

I won that election by 15 votes, and I think I got em that night after dinner, he told me.

He said because of that victory he was able to go on to the Montana Supreme Court, then to Congress, and from there to the United States Senate.

So, it was pretty important what I did after dinner that night, wasnt it? he said to me with force in his voice. And so my advice to you is that if you really believe there is a need for you to serve in public office, then you have an absolute duty to campaign as hard as you can.

It was profound advice delivered powerfully, and it became fundamental to me. I never entered an election campaign unless I was firm in the belief that I was running for reasons that were right, relevant and achievable. When I was certain of this, then I had a great internal motivation to win.

And so nearly half a century after I received it, I pass on Sen. Metcalfs timeless advice to any political candidates who may be reading this. If you really believe it is right and in the peoples interest that you should serve in public office, then get up from the table and knock on a few more doors. If you dont know why youre running, then have some dessert and settle back in your recliner.

Bob Brown is a former Montana secretary of state and state Senate president.
The Helena City Commission agreed Wednesday to seek bids for measures that will allow trains passing through the city to no longer be required to use their horns where tracks cross streets.

However, it was noted that seeking bids does not obligate the city to move ahead with the project.

It is $800,000 to get all of the quiet zone -- that includes wayside horns at Roberts and National and then medians at the rest of them: Joslyn, Carter, Benton and Montana, Ryan Leland, the city engineer, said of improvements planned for city streets.

Wayside horns would be installed at railroad crossings, although the sound is focused toward approaching traffic and is less intrusive for a neighborhood.

City residents, particularly those of the Sixth Ward, which includes the railroad crossings at both Roberts Street and Montana Avenue, have long said train horns disrupt sleep.

However, installation of a quiet zone will not preclude the use of horns in the Montana Rail Link yards that are part of the Sixth Ward.

The city commission last year allocated $500,000 from the $1.94 million the city received as its share of a statewide telecom tax settlement toward a quiet zone. The cost at that time was estimated to be $579,000.

The minimum the city could spend to implement a quiet zone would be $333,300, Leland said.

Adding the wayside horns, at $138,000 each, at National Avenue and Roberts Street, adds $276,000 to the project cost.

There are also pedestrian improvements at Benton Avenue, Leland said, as well as other work that adds $178,000 to the total.

While the city agreed to seek bids, it will separate the base bid work, which is the minimum needed to put the quiet zone in place, from the two alternatives.

Well, weve been a long time getting to this point, Mayor Jim Smith said.

Commissioner Ed Noonan noted there are many people who care greatly about this project before he said, I gained a certain compassion for what they were going through and I would be in favor of at least doing the base of the project at this point.

However, Leland, in response to a question from Commissioner Andres Haladay, said meeting only the minimum requirements for a quiet zone subjects the city to annual inspections by the Federal Railroad Administration.

The city would need to include the wayside horns to no longer be subjected to annual inspections, Leland added.

Adding the cost of the horns to the minimum requirements pushes the total to almost $600,000.

Annual inspections will come with a cost to the city, Leland said, and explained that this expense would be either internal for the city or come from hiring someone to handle it.

Another concern, he noted, was if they change anything in their requirements of the risk assessment, they can take the quiet zone away from us.

An upgrade could be required of the city in future years, he continued, before advising the commission that Montana Rail Link, which operates the section of track that passes through Helena, wants wayside horns installed.

Commissioner Dan Ellison said he didnt support using a portion of the telecom tax settlement for a quiet zone, although a majority of the commission favored it.

The costs for a quiet zone have risen, he said, and a survey conducted by the Independent Record found there wasnt support for a quiet zone.

Safety records say two kinds of accidents occur at railroad crossing and involve either those who dont stop when the crossing gate is lowered to block traffic or those who drive around the gate and collide with a train, Ellison said.

I dont think we need to spend $800,000 to prevent a few people in town from doing really stupid things like that, he added.

He cited an email from a city resident to also conclude, I dont think its a safety problem and I dont think its a noise problem and we have a bunch of other high priorities in our city that I think we would be better  to spend this money on rather than on a quiet zone.

Wednesdays administrative meeting where the quiet zone was discussed also detailed an array of infrastructure projects that are needed, including a little more than $4 million for work to Front Street.

The commission has been advised previously that the water system needs more than $45 million of upgrades and nearly $26.6 million is required for street improvements.

While agreeing that eliminating horns from passing trains could improve property values for neighborhood residents, Ellison said, but I dont know that the entire city of Helena thinks that this is a great idea.

But if the commission decides to go forward, then thats a decision. Ill live with that, he added.

Smith noted the commissions previous support for a quiet zone and said he saw the cost being similar to what was discussed when that decision was made.

Im hesitant to do an about-face on a decision that we made in the past, the mayor said before concluding that he supported seeking bids.

This has been under consideration for a long time and I think the desire of people is to have a quieter city when trains go through. In return for that weve got to make these safety improvements. It was all about quiet at one point in time, not safety. I gather that the people who are interested in that are still interested in quieter trains, Smith said.
It was reported Ohio lost 112,500 manufacturing jobs in 2015 to Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries by way of unfair trade agreements. Congress failed to include any real American worker protections in the program; effectively kicking the replaced workers to the street. Members of Congress like Rep. Rodney Davis, and Sens. Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk point to the trade deal creating jobs; their job numbers are primarily low paying and low skilled minimum wage. They seem to think giving up $20 for $10 is a good thing. They are blowing smoke and American workers are sick of it.

These job losses affect American workers who are 50 and over the hardest. Obama is pushing a monstrous 5,000 page version of TPP, which fails to protect American workers. The war against the American worker is being escalated; be afraid of what Obama calls the new world economy. Michelle Makin was recently in Chicago in support of 200 skilled tech workers who are being replaced by foreign visa workers. Also reported is Intel laid Off 12,000 American workers after seeking foreign worker visas to import 14,523 foreign workers since 2010. The foreign worker visa program is a scheme to replace skilled American tech workers with foreign workers.

Obama showed his love for the middle class by driving Peabody Coal to bankruptcy; Obama succeeded in decimating whole towns, from Wyoming to Virginia. An estimated 31,000 coal miners, truckers, engineers, construction workers and others have lost their jobs since 2009 as a result of Obamas jihad against the middle class. Wealth redistribution and globalism are hallmarks of the New World Order. American workers should come first, why do you think the federal government betrays them?

Roger German, Decatur
CHICAGO  After nine years at Google, Phoebe Elder quit in July to stay home with her two kids. Relieved to get off the hamster wheel of juggling a demanding job and family time, Elder, who lives in suburban Chicago, also feared losing the independence of having her own paycheck and the notoriously tough task of returning to work after a career break.

The Mom Project, a new Chicago-based startup, aims to help women like Elder keep a foot in the door while fulfilling companies project-based needs.

Im not looking to fully return to the workforce at this moment, but I would love the opportunity to do something to stay relevant, said Elder, 34, who has signed up to be part of The Mom Projects talent network.

The Mom Project, which launched in April, is a digital marketplace connecting career breakers with companies that need educated and experienced people for temporary projects, permanent posts or to fill in when an employee goes on maternity leave  dubbed a maternityship, said Allison Robinson, founder and CEO.

The Mom Project is a for-profit company that collects fees from companies that use its service. It does not charge the moms.

Robinson started the company during her own maternity leave from Procter & Gamble, where she works in enterprise sales and marketing strategy. She was struck by a statistic she read in Harvard Business Review that showed 43 percent of highly skilled women with children voluntarily leave their jobs, and connected that with broader trends of businesses desiring a flexible workforce that they can bring in and out as they need.

In addition, as more companies roll out generous parental-leave policies in an effort to attract and retain talented employees, they must figure out how to cover that gap.

This is helping to engender the rise of a more independent workforce, said Robinson, who is in the midst of a 12-month partially paid maternity leave from P&G.

Robinson said she has recruited several hundred women, most in the Chicago area, through professional and alumni associations to join the talent network. Candidates must have an undergraduate degree and five years of professional experience, and must undergo an interview with a talent manager. More than half of the recruits have a masters degree or higher.

The Mom Project is now in talks with companies, including major corporations as well as smaller businesses, to get them to sign on. Robinson said she is in the final stages of placing candidates into 10 project opportunities, which typically pay $30,000 to $60,000, depending on the role and length.

For example, an advertising agency that needs someone to fill a 20-hour-a-week project management role for six months is offering $40,000, Robinson said. The Mom Project, which functions like an Airbnb for hand-selected talent, connects the candidates with the work opportunity, handles the terms of employment and processes the payments.

Career interruptions to care for kids or other family members are a top reason women lag far behind men in senior leadership positions, pay and other metrics of success. About a quarter of prime-age adults who are not working consider themselves homemakers, almost all of them are women and the majority say they want to go back to work now or someday, according to a 2014 survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, The New York Times and CBS News. But most say they would prefer part-time work.

Elder, who transferred to Googles Chicago offices from California three years ago to be closer to family in New York, said she and her husband tried various child care options so that she could keep working. But she felt sad a lot as she missed out on the day-to-day of her kids being little. They are now 2 and 4.

Elder hopes to return to work at some point to add to the familys finances as she and her husband prepare to send the kids to college. She jumped at the opportunity when Robinson found her through LinkedIn and told her about The Mom Project.

Elders LinkedIn profile lists more than a decade of sales and advertising experience at companies ranging from Hearst to YouTube to Google, where most recently she managed a team of brand specialists for its digital media campaigns  and, at the top, her most recent vocation: stay-at-home mom.

I didnt want to fall off the Earth, she said.

That her stay-at-home status could be an asset rather than a liability reflects a shift in thinking.

Phil Perkins, CEO of Rocket Wagon, a digital product development agency in Chicago, said he connected with Robinson at a networking event for Chicago startups and has been in talks with The Mom Project about signing a contract.

His company, which launched a year ago and has 20 employees, is looking for help with content strategy and marketing efforts as it tries to tell its story, and Perkins is eager to dig into any pool to find the best talent.

He has been impressed with the caliber of candidates The Mom Project has brought him so far.

Its hard to find people, Perkins said. This is a unique set of circumstances for people who are very accomplished professionally.

And how about stay-at-home dads?

Robinson said that while the company is focused on recruiting women, The Mom Project is an equal opportunity platform that welcomes any person who identifies with our mission and goals and we currently have several men in our talent network.
DECATUR  A Decatur woman died early Sunday after her vehicle collided with an Illinois State Police squad car rushing to assist in the hunt for a Mahomet suspect who had allegedly shot and wounded a police officer.

State Police said the trooper was northbound on Oakland Avenue at 11 p.m Saturday with lights and siren activated on his way to Interstate 72 when Kelley E. Wilson allegedly pulled out in front of him at the intersection with Harrison Avenue. Police say the squad car was unable to avoid striking the driver's side of Wilson's vehicle, the impact of the collision causing massive damage as it injured both drivers.

Wilson was rushed to Decatur Memorial Hospital, where the 26-year-old mother of two was later pronounced dead at 1:07 a.m. Sunday. The 53-year-old trooper was hospitalized, and an update on his condition was not available Sunday night.

Wilson was alone in the vehicle.

The crash remained under investigation Sunday as police from multiple jurisdictions continued their hunt for the gunman. State Police director Leo Schmitz issued a statement Sunday expressing remorse for Wilson's death: At this difficult time, the Illinois State Police extends its sincerest condolences to her family and continues to investigate this crash, Schmitz said.

Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and the ISP trooper.

The gunbattle in Mahomet that had provoked a wide police response involved a suspect later identified as Dracy C. Pendleton, 35, of Bellflower, who police continued to hunt Sunday and described as armed and dangerous.

Mahomet police say Pendleton had been pulled over in the village about 10:45 p.m for a minor traffic offense. It's not clear exactly what happened next, but at some point, a physical confrontation ensued with Mahomet police officer Jeremy Scharlow, who received a blow to the head and tried to subdue Pendleton with a shot from a stun gun.

Mahomet Police Chief Mike Metzler, quoted in local media, said Pendleton then opened fire with a handgun, hitting Scharlow in the arm. Scharlow returned fire and likely hit the suspect; bloodstains were found in a nearly house into which he ran. He came outside again with a rifle believed to be an AK-47 and opened fire again before fleeing in a truck.

That vehicle was later found crashed into the gates of a business near Mahomet called Mid-America Sand & Gravel. A white pickup truck is now missing from the business, and Mahomet Police say they believe Pendleton stole it to make his escape.

Scharlow was released after treatment at a hospital.

State Police said Pendleton is being sought for the attempted murder of Scharlow, 35, and have warned the public to be on their guard. Police believe Pendleton may be forced to try and seek treatment for his gunshot wound.

An extended family member told The Associated Press that Pendleton had recently moved out of his home after separating from his wife.

Jack Dollahon said that Pendleton  his grandson's half brother  works as a contractor and is a father of two sons, both younger than 2.

Pendleton is described as 5 feet 10-inches tall, 155 pounds, with blue eyes and blond hair. Anyone with information about him can call 217-384-TIPS or go to www.373tips.com.
DECATUR  After a 22-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint outside a northside apartment by a 27-year-old man and 21-year-old woman, the couple was arrested 45 minutes later when police found them inside the same apartment.

The victim told police he was inside the building, 1760 N. Water St., at about 12:45 p.m. Thursday, when a man held him up with a small silver handgun, while a woman rummaged through his pockets.

The female removed and retained his cellphone, wallet and contents, and just over $300, said a probable cause affidavit by Decatur patrol officer Edward Cunningham. The man then escorted him out of the building, still at gunpoint.

The victim called police, who located the victim's phone and wallet right outside the apartment building, with its contents strewn about.

The suspects, Malcolm J. Mathews and Senica Givens, were located inside the apartment. The victim identified them as the individuals who had robbed him.

The money and handgun were not recovered, Cunningham wrote in his statement.

Mathews, who also uses the spelling Matthews, and Givens, also known as Feliciano-Givens, are being held in the Macon County Jail, pending their arraignments by Friday. He is being held on $80,000 bond, she on $50,000 bond.

Mathews, who is serving a two-year felony probation term for a Jan. 27 conviction of criminal trespass to a residence, has 10 criminal convictions since 2006. He has served four terms in the Illinois Department of Corrections, for domestic battery/bodily harm, attempted residential burglary, resisting an officer/causing injury and escape/violating electronic monitoring.
DECATUR  Betsy is a busy bee.

The plush toy, mascot of Jeanene Edrington's fourth-grade class at South Shores School, has traveled to Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Texas and Mexico with Edrington's longtime friends, Jeff and Bonita Amenda.

I don't really know how it started, Bonita Amenda said. We've been friends for years, and we were just talking.

Much like the favorite elementary school class project Flat Stanley, where people take photos of a boy made of paper in various locations and students track his travels, Betsy's adventures with the Amendas provided the fourth grade with vicarious trips, photos, Facebook chats and videos, and even souvenirs.

We brought leis back to them (from Hawaii), Bonita Amenda said. We always try to do some little thing like that.

From Scotland, they delivered tea and cookies, and most of the students, as well as Edrington, had never drunk hot tea before, though it's a staple in the British Isles. After each trip, they drop by the classroom to show photos and tell stories about their travels, and in between visits, Edrington uses their latest adventure as a jumping-off point for units about the history, geography and culture in the area they're visiting.

Edrington held an impromptu verbal quiz in her class Thursday when the Amendas visited with tales of their latest journey to Texas and Mexico. "What's the name of the native peoples of Australia?" Hands shot up all over the room, and the answer is aborigines. "Who's Shrek?" A sheep who ran away to avoid being sheared and stayed gone for six years. When he was found, his wool was cut off and it was enough to make 20 men's suits. Shrek also got to meet the country's prime minister. "What's the name of the ship that serves as a tomb for its crew that died in the attack on Pearl Harbor?"

I know it's a state, said Joey McGinn.

After some discussion, the class agreed it was the Arizona.

The Amendas are retired and have always been keen travelers, Bonita Amenda said. Betsy Bee traveled in her purse or in Jeff Amenda's camera bag, and they took photos with Betsy posed in front of landmarks and famous places. The connection with the Amendas provided a ready-made way to make the study of the various countries real and fascinating, Edrington said.
DECATUR -- Saturdays Childrens Museum of Illinois Duck Derby was bittersweet for Kate Flemming.

Flemming was with the museum for more than four years and served as executive director on an interim basis twice before landing the job in June 2015. Saturday was her last day: Flemming is starting a new job at Millikin University as program coordinator in the Center for Entrepreneurship.

Its hard to leave a place you love, Flemming said.

She was hired in 2012 as the Childrens Museums marketing and fundraising coordinator and served as interim executive director before Nicole Bateman was hired for the position. When Bateman left to become the community marketing manager for Economic Development Corporation of Decatur and Macon County in April 2015, Flemming was again appointed interim director. Two months later, she was hired as executive director.

Flemming said the job at Millikin was a closer match to her focus while at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she earned her masters in nonprofit management.

My background is arts management, and when I saw that position at Millikin, it meshed really well with my academic background, Flemming said. Im excited to be working with the arts, but also still community members. Ill be promoting entrepreneurship in student ventures, so this was a great training ground for me as far as helping them work through what types of problems they may come across in their ventures.

Childrens Museum Board President Betsy Tanner said the position would be advertised and said the board hoped to be doing interviews by June.

Last time the job was open, we had over 30 resumes, and weve already had several people in the community express interest, Tanner said. The big thing with the job is the museum is not only the educational aspect and the curriculum, its also a business. We need someone who can wear multiple hats.

Rachel Franz will serve as interim executive director.

Rachel is willing to bridge that gap until we find someone, Tanner said. I know Rachel; shes someone who has expressed interest in owning her own business. Shes willing to do it on an interim basis because shes scheduled to move to St. Louis at the end of the summer.

Therell be plenty for Franz and whoever becomes the new executive director to oversee. The Childrens Museum is in the process of adding new exhibits outside the building. Tanner said the exhibits will be ready in mid- to late-June.

Im excited to see who they bring in, Flemming said. Hopefully, Ive started enough projects, programming and relationships that they can continue to build on. Nicole Bateman did a lot during her time here and I think the museum as a whole has done a lot in four years. It was a fun time for me.
Janet Shumaker has helped generations of Beaver Dam High School graduates to appreciate literature during her 47 years of teaching. She will be retiring at the end of this school year but appreciates her years in the district.

I have had thousands of wonderful students, and I have thoroughly enjoyed my career as an English teacher in Beaver Dam, she said.

Of course the staff at the schools is appreciated by Shumaker as well. She taught from 1969 to 1987 at Beaver Dam Middle School and has been teaching at Beaver Dam High School since then.

Im sure everyone loves their job, but I had a wonderful career, Shumaker said.

I had many outstanding role models in Beaver Dam who exemplified the best of the teaching profession, Shumaker said. One of my first mentors was Roger Van Haren, whose classroom at the junior high was next to mine. He had a great sense of humor, knew his subject matter, cared deeply about his students and was always available to answer my questions. Beaver Dam has had so many exemplary teachers with great character who expected students to strive for excellence.

Shumakers mother was also an English teacher and Janet felt being an English teacher was a natural fit for her, as was her move to Beaver Dam.

Long-time superintendent Eric Becker liked Concordia College graduates and had hired Charlie McDonald who graduated from Concordia a few years earlier, Becker said about coming to teach at Beaver Dam Junior HighSchool, now Beaver Dam Middle School. After Mr. Becker received my resume, he planned to come to Concordia to interview me, but had something unexpected come up. So I came to Beaver Dam and interviewed with Bob Hanson, who was then the director of curriculum and later the junior high principal.

Shumaker said she liked being close to Madison because of the University of Wisconsin. She eventually earning her masters degree in English education at UW-Madison.

Shumaker said she was fortunate to get to teach many different English classes over the years, from eighth to 12th grades.

Among the courses I taught were 20th Century American Literature, World Literature, College Preparation Literature, and Advanced Placement Literature and Composition, Shumaker said. The board of education, central office administrators, and principals have generally understood that studying literature is central to a good education, whether a student goes on to college or enters the workforce after graduation. Studying great literature is essential not only to developing reading, writing, and analytical skills, but also to understanding our world and having empathy for others.

Shumaker couldnt point out one book that she enjoyed teaching the most.

There are so many different books that unlocked the possibilities for students, she said.

Another one of Shumakers loves over the years has been traveling, which she began doing when she was 19.

My first few years of teaching, I saved money and was able to travel in Europe, Canada and the United States during the summers, Shumaker said. More recently I have been fortunate enough to visit China, Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and other countries in Asia and Europe.

Shumaker said she plans to continue traveling in her retirement. Reading, of course, will still play a role in her life.

Because Beaver Dams curriculum has historically included novels, plays and poetry by many of the worlds greatest authors, I have been able to read and teach great literature, Shumaker said. I would like to read the Pulitzer, Nobel, and Man Booker Prize winning books that I have not yet read. I would also like to volunteer to read to elderly people and help with adult literacy projects.

As the year ends and she attends the 2016 graduation ceremony, Shumaker said she doubts it will be her last time in the high school.

I have some students who are juniors and they have already asked me to attend their graduation, Shumaker said. I may just do that.
What you need to know before attending Tuesday's Cap Times Talk on the state of downtown retail.
Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.
Tina Reese leads a word game for residents at a nursing home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Wisconsin is working on a new plan for providing long-term care, but so far the plan is vague on how the system will actually operate.
The Cap Times has profiled each of this year's six winners. You can find the collected Q&As here.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, said May 5 that he is "just not ready" to support presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. PHOTO BY J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Latinos are a rapidly growing portion of Dane Countys population, but it is hard for them to get well-paying jobs or to feel fully accepted in the community, a business conference in Madison was told Monday.

Latino families feel like they are on the sidelines, in the shadows ... Latino youths feel disconnected, said Karen Menendez Coller, executive director of Centro Hispano of Dane County.

The comments came at a panel on immigration at the daylong Madison Regions Economic Development and Diversity Summit.

Reports show the Latino population in Dane County virtually doubled between the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau report and 2010 report, Menendez Coller said, and 83 percent of them speak English.

Having a sense of home here  thats something we really need to work on, she said.

Mayra Medrano, president of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County, said that when Latinos come to the U.S., they believe it is better not to make any noise, and that limits their chances of getting ahead.

She estimated there are about 5,600 Latino-owned companies statewide, most in the retail and service industries.

That piece of the pie is going to diversify, Medrano said.

Grant Sovern, immigration attorney at the Quarles & Brady law firm, said it is hard to hear people say immigration is a drain on our economy because in reality, those who earn a college degree add more to the economy than the average citizen, and their children have an even greater impact.

We all know that  its the American experience, Sovern said.

Sovern, Medrano and Menendez Coller were the members of a panel that called for a series of changes, including:

Increasing the minimum wage and providing career paths for Latino employees

Offering a pathway to legal status for undocumented workers

Letting undocumented residents pay in-state tuition at Wisconsin colleges and universities

Allowing all residents to obtain a drivers license

Over the years, Sovern said, undocumented immigrants have paid hundreds of billions of dollars ... into Social Security that theyll never get benefits from.

He said even Latino residents who are here legally fear being treated differently by their co-workers and employers.

Federal and state policies try to make life so miserable (they) will want to go home. And this policy has failed, Sovern said.

Menendez Coller noted that Centro Hispano began a certified nursing assistant program with Madison Area Technical College. As of mid-January, about 70 students had graduated from the program and 82 percent were employed, earning $7.25 to $20 an hour.

Theyre successful (and) integrated in the job market, she said. A similar program is being initiated for bank tellers, Menendez Coller said.

She said its time for Latino immigrants to be less shy about speaking up and to be advocates for themselves.

There is a need for us to have a greater vision for our community, that really sees all these issues as important, Menendez Coller said.

About 500 people attended the conference, presented by MadREP, the Madison Region Economic Partnership, and the Urban League of Greater Madison, at Monona Terrace.
The past four weeks have been disruptive at Upshift Swap Shop, but some normalcy will return this week when the store at 836 E. Johnson St. resumes regular hours.

Sure, the front of the store has a new mural but the redesign wasnt planned.

Instead, it came courtesy of an alleged drunken driver who crashed her sport utility vehicle through the front of the store on April 13. No one was injured and the driver, Alicia Wilson, 64, was arrested but hasnt been charged.

But the store that specializes in womens clothing was heavily damaged and forced to close for seven days. The incident caused thousands of dollars of damage to the building, about 10 pieces of clothing were lost, along with some shelving and two mannequins.

Lindsay Leno, who opened the shop in 2013 and added a web store in November, and said she has loss-of-business insurance and is just glad that no one was hurt.

At the end of the day, if its just stuff that got damaged, were totally OK with that, Leno said last week. Weve really handled it with a sense of humor and have just taken it in stride and day by day.

After the crash, the front was boarded up with plywood and then Stephanie Hagens, a local fashion illustrator, answered Lenos Facebook plea for an artist to paint a colorful mural. The mural will be moved in the coming weeks to the inside of the store once contractors begin permanent repairs to the storefront, something that should be completed in about two weeks, Leno said.

Upshift isnt the only small business in recovery mode.

At Crazy Lennys E-Bikes, 6107 Odana Road, owner Len Mattioli is literally having a fire sale.

A faulty lithium-ion battery in an electronic bike may have been the cause of an April 15 fire at his shop that caused about $350,000 damage, most of that to about 105 bikes.

The business remains open but is operating out of a small adjacent storefront. Bikes are moved out of the small temporary quarters each day into tents outside the store. About 40 of the 80 bikes that were salvaged are still for sale, with Mattioli using tongue-in-cheek marketing slogans like soot yourself on a new bike and best barbecued bikes.

The business, which never closed because of the fire, could be back in its original space by the end of the month once reconstruction is completed.

Weve tried to keep it light, Mattioli said. Were doing our best to sell but its not easy.

Last June, a deer crashed through a window of the store. No one was hurt and the deer fled.

Leno said shed seen news stories about vehicles driving into buildings but as a small-business owner, never considered it a possibility for her store. After all, theres rent to worry about, insurance, staff, shoveling the sidewalk, making sure the store is well stocked, social media posts and myriad other things to tend to.

Even when I retell the story, its surreal, said Leno, a native of Duluth, Minnesota. I still cant believe weeks later that it actually happened.

Unfortunately, the mishap occurred in the middle of the stores busiest time of the year, which is March, April and May. And some of her customers have avoided the store thinking it has been closed. Starting Monday, the store will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

At the end of the day, were really happy with how things are going, Leno said.

Clothing store to open on State Street: The construction of a building for a 15,000 square-foot Under Armour store is underway at 610 State St., and another clothing store aimed at the college crowd will open this week across the street.

Tailgate Clothing Co. was founded by designer and Iowa State University graduate Todd Snyder in 1997. In 2014, he opened a retail location in Iowa City. Snyder is a former designer for Polo Ralph Lauren, was the director of menswear for the Gap, a senior vice president of Menswear at J. Crew and in 2012 he was named GQs 2012 Best New Menswear Designer.

But in November, Snyders company was purchased by American Eagle for $11 million, a move that will allow for the addition of dozens more stores across the country. The Madison store is just the second in the Tailgate brand and will open Wednesday on the ground floor of the Hub Madison, next door to the Colectivo Coffee shop at the corner of N. Frances and State streets.

Joining a leading American retailer is an exciting step for our brands and provides a strong foundation for future growth, Snyder said in November. Our new Tailgate store concept is an ideal outlet to integrate (American Eagle) jeans and apparel, creating a unique lifestyle destination on college campuses.

Oak Creek or the Chicago burbs? For those who enjoy assembling their own furniture after noshing on Swedish meatballs, the announcement last week that IKEA would build a store in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek created a buzz even here in Madison.

It will mark the first store in Wisconsin for the mega-retailer and eliminate traffic headaches, tolls and some drive time for those used to going to IKEA in Schaumburg, Illinois. And, one can only hope the new store wont be located in a maze of frontage roads that can send a GPS into freeze mode, like that of the Schaumburg store.

The time and mileage savings once the Oak Creek store opens wont be insignificant, but its not as great as one might think. According to Mapquest, from the state Capitol, the 123-mile trip to the IKEA in Schaumburg takes 2 hours and 14 minutes. The 84 miles to the Oak Creek store near Interstate 94 and West Drexel Avenue can be covered in 1 hour and 42 minutes. But shoppers from Janesville will save just one mile and one minute if they choose Oak Creek over Schaumburg.
A cleaning woman who appeared to be under the influence of drugs at a Middleton home on Sunday was arrested for possession of drugs.

Keeley Cornwell, 27, was tentatively charged with possession of heroin, methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, Middleton police said.

Police were called to a residence in the 7400 block of Franklin Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, when the homeowner said the cleaning woman was acting suspiciously.

"The homeowner also reported finding a bag in the bathroom containing drugs and drug paraphernalia, the bag belonging to the cleaning person," said Sgt. Travis Kakuske.
Saying it was simply not credible that he didnt know the girl was a minor, a Dane County judge sentenced a 31-year-old Madison man Monday to five years in prison for the repeated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl, whom he later threatened after she told him she was pregnant.

Circuit Judge Josann Reynolds also ordered Jason R. Guetzlaff to spend 10 years on extended supervision after he is released from prison.

Guetzlaff pleaded guilty in October to the repeated sexual assault charge but failed to appear for his sentencing hearing in February. He turned himself in a few days later.

In her remarks, Reynolds called Guetzlaff highly intelligent but manipulative, and said she believes he has a personality disorder that needs treatment in a prison setting.

And Reynolds thanked Guetzlaff for not appearing for his earlier sentencing hearing when he was supposed to, because events in the interim gave her the opportunity to know who you really are.

She was making reference, among other things, to recorded jail phone calls with two women, in which she said that Guetzlaff played the women off one another as he tried to raise $250,000 to get out of jail.

Assistant District Attorney Paul Barnett said that had Guetzlaff raised the bail, he doubted Guetzlaff would have shown up for sentencing. Guetzlaffs lawyer, Erika Bierma, countered that Guetzlaff only wanted to get out of jail because he felt unsafe there.

In a lengthy statement in court, Guetzlaff said that he had hit a low point in his life and became active in social media, and through it he met the girl. He said she lied about her age, and that he didnt know how old she actually was until their time together was over.

Had I realized she was a minor, I would have stopped talking to her immediately, Guetzlaff said. In hindsight, I am floored and shocked at what Ive gotten myself into.

But Barnett, and later Reynolds, said that the clues about the girls true age were abundant, from her appearance to the things she talked about, including homework. Reynolds pointed out that Guetzlaff had picked her up from school and knew that she lived with her parents.

Your rationalizing and justification that you didnt know that a child wasnt a child is simply not credible, Reynolds said.

But most shocking, Reynolds said, were text messages sent to the girl after she told Guetzlaff that she was pregnant.

Believe me, you do not want to have my baby, he wrote in one read by Reynolds. When you find out who I am you will want an abortion.

Guetzlaff denied that he intended any harm by his comments to the girl.
A former Madison police officer pleaded guilty Monday to stealing nearly $4,000 during a sting operation in December that was aimed at him.

The guilty plea to the theft charge by Andrew Pullum, 31, was entered conditionally, with a possibility that Pullum could withdraw the plea if a federal appeals court reverses a decision by a judge in April that denied his motion to dismiss the charge, according to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Madison.

Pullum still faces a second count, for possessing 20 firearms as an unlawful user of marijuana and cocaine, but under the plea agreement, that charge will be dismissed by prosecutors when Pullum is sentenced on Aug. 23 by U.S. District Judge James Peterson.

Pullum now faces up to 10 years in prison, but given that this is his first felony conviction, a sentence that long is unlikely. He resigned from the police department in January.

Pullum was arrested Dec. 18. Police began investigating Pullum after getting a tip that he was planning a robbery with other people. No charges related to that information were ever filed.

The FBI became involved in the investigation and set up a sting on Dec. 17, according to court documents.

A police supervisor told Pullum to contact a tipster, who was actually an FBI agent, who told Pullum that she was upset with her drug dealer boyfriend. She told him there may be money and cocaine in her boyfriends car, which was parked at Elver Park on Madisons Southwest Side.

As investigators watched, Pullum took a duffel bag containing $3,950 from the trunk of the car, and later left the Madison police West Precinct with the bag. He did not bring the bag to work with him on Dec. 18, court documents state.

According to Judge Petersons decision issued on April 28, police received a warrant to search Pullums home in Verona. Nearly all of the money, which was in bills recorded by the FBI, was found at Pullums home, while some was found on his person, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reinhard said.

According to Petersons decision, the bag contained a GPS tracking device, and police watched from a plane as Pullum drove to the bait car, retrieved a key for it from a wheel well where he was told it would be, and took the bag from the trunk.

After putting the bag in his squad car, Pullum radioed for a drug-sniffing dog, which was brought to the scene but found nothing. After leaving work at the end of his shift, Pullum drove to a parking lot in a rural park, threw something that looked like the duffel bag into a trash can, then drove off.

Agents later checked the bag, which was empty. As they watched from the plane, Pullum went to another address, then went home.

Pullum and his lawyer, Assistant Federal Defender Joseph Bugni, contended that the search warrant for Pullums home was issued illegally because it didnt contain any information establishing that the address that was searched was Pullums home, and it failed to connect the theft of the money from the bait car to the home.

Peterson ruled that although it was an oversight to omit facts establishing that the home was Pullums, that wasnt reason enough to quash the search warrant. Peterson also ruled that the search warrant established probable cause that police would find the bait money at the home.

Pullum also asked to dismiss the theft charge because the money was represented to him as drug money, which Bugni argued belonged to nobody.

Unknown to Pullum, the money actually belonged to the FBI. Peterson, while giving Bugni credit for creativity, denied that motion as well.
Two people were killed and two suffered life-threatening injuries early Sunday in a two-vehicle crash in Grant County.

The crash happened at about 12:45 a.m. at the Highway 80/81 T-intersection in the town of Smelser, the Sheriff's Office said.

The fatal victims were Robert McCabe, 61, Cuba City, and an unknown Hispanic male. The injured victims were Manuel Perez, 22, and an unknown Hispanic male.

The investigation determined McCabe was driving south in a van on Highway 80/81, and a Jeep with three people, including Perez as a passenger, was westbound on Highway 81.

The Jeep failed to stop at a stop sign at the T-intersection, hitting the van on the driver's side.

McCabe and one of the unidentified people were pronounced dead at the scene, while the two injured victims were taken by Med Flight to UW Hospital in Madison.

The crash remains under investigation.
A Madison man has pleaded guilty to reckless injury charge for shooting another man during a marijuana deal, leaving the victim paralyzed.

Kamonzi Turner, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree reckless injury for a Jan. 19, 2015, shooting at the Dutch Mill Park and Ride on Madisons Southeast Side.

Under a plea agreement, the charge was reduced from first-degree reckless injury. Two other charges, first-degree reckless endangerment and carrying a concealed weapon, were dismissed but can be considered when Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke sentences Turner in about two months.

Under the agreement, Assistant District Attorney Robert Jambois can ask for up to 10 years in prison and six years of extended supervision for Turner.

According to a criminal complaint, the victim told police that Turner had picked him up from home, wanting to buy a half-pound of marijuana. He said he made arrangements for himself and Turner to meet another man, and buy the marijuana from that man.

They met at the park and ride, and got into the other mans car, the complaint states. They began talking, and Turner pulled out a gun. The victim told police that when he asked what was going on and raised his arms, Turner shot him.

The other man told police he wrestled with Turner until they fell out of the back seat of the car onto the pavement, but stopped when Turner told him that the victim was dead. During the pause, the man said, Turner fled, according to the complaint.
A Cottage Grove man allegedly attacked his wife with a hammer before cutting himself with a knife Monday morning, police said.

Officers, paramedics and a Med Flight helicopter were called to 234 Chateau Drive on the villages north side at about 6:45 a.m. Monday after reports of two people injured.

According to Cottage Grove police:

The couples two children, ages about 3 and 7, were in the house, but were not injured. The children are being taken care of by relatives who live nearby.

He (the husband) showed up at the house, assaulted his wife, then attempted to take his own life, said Police Chief Daniel Layber.

Layber issued a news release Monday afternoon with more details about the attempted homicide/suicide.

Officers made contact with the 31-year-old female victim outside the residence, Layber said. She said her husband had assaulted her with a hammer and he was still in the residence.

She also told police he had a knife and was threatening to kill himself, and might already be dead.

Officers entered the residence to take the husband into custody and to prevent him from harming himself, Layber said. Officers found the subject in the basement bathroom area, armed with a knife.

He was ordered to drop the knife and to exit the bathroom, and he complied with the orders, Layber said. He had self-inflicted neck wounds and was bleeding profusely.

Both were taken to UW Hospital in Madison, the husband via Med Flight and the wife by ambulance.

Authorities declined to identify them.

Officers have been assigned to guard the man at the hospital until he is released.

We will be pursuing charges against the husband of domestic violence and attempted homicide, Layber said.

Layber said police had been at the residence before, in mid-April.

The Dane County Sheriffs Office is assisting the police with processing the crime scene, while Cottage Grove police are talking to the victim and witnesses.
Horizon High School  the only high school in the state aimed at students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction  may be forced to close its doors if donations dont start rolling in, administrators said.

The private nonprofit school at 5003 University Avenue in Madison will face a $10,500-a-month deficit in the coming school year if it continues offering its critical therapeutic services, according to Michael Christopher, president of the schools board.

Since Horizon High School opened in 2005 to serve students who are at least 30 days sober, it has helped more than 100 students turn their lives around. Fifteen students are enrolled this year, the most the school has had.

Were kind of in the business of saving lives, said Horizon director Traci Tisserand Goll. We are there not just during the school day  because our school is small, we have communication with our students on weekends and holidays. Obviously addiction doesnt keep school hours.

Currently, the operating budget for Horizon is about $220,000 to cover staffing costs, including a full-time counselor, Christopher said.

According to Christopher, about 70 percent of that funding came from area school districts who referred students and contributed $7,200 for the educational portion of each students enrollment. The balance was raised from various donations.

But school districts such as Middleton, Oregon, Verona and Waunakee have slashed their funding for the program, Christopher said, leaving Madison as the only district contributing anything toward incoming students tuition.

However, the $7,200 contributed per student is only a fraction of the nearly $20,000 tuition needed to attend Horizon, leaving families to cover the remaining cost.

Now more than half of the operating costs will depend on donations and grants.

Horizon is also hoping to raise $30,000 to maintain its summer school program, which began about three or four years ago.

Summer school is a very high priority for us, Christopher said. Because young people that are trying to recover from addiction often have relapses during the summer.

Although school districts have their own programs to help students with substance abuse, Horizon offers a more encompassing approach to recovering students.

The importance of a program like this is that it gives the young people a protected environment with a positive peer culture and therapeutic supports, said Dr. Paul Moberg, a Horizon board member and research professor in UW-Madisons School of Medicine and Public Health.

Usually when students are reintroduced to their school environments, its hard for them to get away from the peer groups that may have gotten them in trouble in the first place, Moberg said.

Since sending out donation letters in late April, Horizon has accrued a $10,000 matching grant from the American Family Foundation, a significant contribution from the Madison South Rotary Club, and another significant contribution from an individual supporter of Horizon, school officials said.

It will definitely help, Christopher said. But we have a long way to go.
Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said on Sunday that she would back a challenger to House Speaker Paul Ryan in the Janesville Republicans August primary election in response to Ryan announcing last week that he cannot yet support presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Palin, in an interview with CNNs State of the Union, invoked the name of former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., who was ousted in a stunning upset by a tea party challenger in a 2014 Republican primary .

I think Paul Ryan is soon to be Cantored, as in Eric Cantor, said Palin, who ran on the Republican ticket with John McCain in 2008. His political career is over, but for a miracle, because he has so disrespected the will of the people.

Palin was echoing the sentiments expressed by conservative pundit Ann Coulter during an appearance on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday night, when she too had harsh words for Ryan.

He is so hated by the base, Coulter said. Hes absolutely hated. Hes the next Eric Cantor.

Ryan, who was elevated to speaker in October, said in an interview with CNN on Thursday that he hopes to be able to support Trump in the November election, but Im just not ready to do that at this point. Im not there right now.

Trump complained that he was blindsided by Ryans refusal to endorse him. Trump said Ryan had called him three weeks ago, after winning the New York primary on April 19, to congratulate him and that the two had a friendly exchange.

A Ryan spokesman said that phone call never happened. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Ryan disputed the time of the call, not the call itself. She added, I believe this took place in late March.

Trump and Ryan plan to meet in Washington on Thursday. Ryan is on tap to be chairman of the GOP convention in Cleveland in July. Trump said his message to Ryan will be simple: Im going to say, Look, this is what the people want. 

Ryan, a nine-term representative, is facing a primary challenge from Delavan businessman Paul Nehlen. It is only the second time a Republican has challenged Ryan in a 1st Congressional District primary since his initial election to the House in 1998; he received more than 94 percent of the GOP vote in 2014 over frequent protester Jeremy Ryan.

The Wisconsin primary is August 9, and Palin says she will work to oust Ryan.

I will do whatever I can for Paul Nehlen. This man is a hardworking guy, so in touch with the people, Palin said. Paul Ryan and his ilk, their problem is they have become so disconnected from the people whom they are elected to represent, as evidenced by Paul Ryans refusal to support the GOP front-runner that we just said, Hes our man.

What Paul Ryan and his ilk, again, their problem is they feel so threatened at this point that their power, their prestige, their purse will be adversely affected by the change that is coming with Trump and with someone like Paul Nehlen that theyre not thinking straight right now.

Palin, interviewed by CNN host Jake Tapper, suggested that Ryans motives for not backing Trump had to do with his own political ambitions.

I think why Paul Ryan is doing this, Jake, is it kind of screws his chances for the 2020 presidential bid that hes gunning for, Palin said. If the GOP were to win now, that wouldnt bode well for his chances in 2020, and thats what hes shooting for.

Tapper also asked Palin about the prospects of another run for vice president. The former Alaska governor conceded she probably wouldnt be the most effective running mate for Trump, the real estate mogul and reality TV star whom she declared her support for in January, before the nominating contests began.

I want to help and not hurt. And I am such a realist that I realize that there are a whole lot of people out there who would say Anybody but Palin. I wouldnt want to be a burden on the ticket, and I recognize that in many, many eyes, I would be that burden, Palin said. So, you, know, I just want the guy to win. I want America to win, and I dont know if Id be the person that would be able to help him win.
JANESVILLE  U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he would step aside as chairman of the Republican National Convention if presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump requests it.

In an interview with the Wisconsin State Journal, Ryan  who has raised questions about Trumps commitment to conservative principles  also said I just dont know if Trump understands the constitutional role of the president.

Ryan, R-Janesville, said his remarks about Trump were an attempt to acknowledge the fissures in the Republican Party that have coincided with Trumps ascent.

Ryan also spoke about his own candidacy for re-election. Facing a pro-Trump Republican primary challenger in his own congressional district, Ryan said hes confident of his electoral prospects and described forces backing his rival as outside agitators.

Ryans remarks about the national convention come as he and Trump have been locked in a struggle for leadership of the Republican Party. Last week, Ryan publicly rebuked Trump by saying hes not ready to support his candidacy.

The two are scheduled to meet Thursday.

Ryan is set to preside over the GOP national convention in July, at which Trump is poised to become the partys standard-bearer in the November election. Trump said on Meet the Press Sunday that he wouldnt rule out an attempt to oust Ryan from the convention post.

Speaking to the State Journal Monday, Ryan said Trump should be able to decide who leads the convention.

He earned the right to decide these things, and I will honor his decision, Ryan said.

National political strategist Bruce Haynes said national conventions typically serve as a springboard and a rubber-stamp for presidential nominees.

What Ryan is saying, fairly enough, is if the candidate is not comfortable with me as the leader of that process, Im happy to step aside, Haynes said.

Trump spoke warmly of Ryan in a CNN interview Monday morning, saying, Ive always liked him. A Trump spokeswoman didnt respond to a request for comment.

Cant pretend on unity

Before Ryans comments about Trump last week, he had maintained he would support whoever Republicans nominated for president.

Its also unprecedented in the history of modern presidential campaigns for a House speaker to publicly distance himself from his own partys presumptive White House nominee.

Paul Ryan: I'm not ready to support Donald Trump House Speaker Paul Ryan is refusing to support Donald Trump as the Republican nominee for president, insisting Thursday that the businessman must do more to unify the GOP.

Ryan told the State Journal that his comments were based on an honest personal evaluation of the schism in the Republican Party.

We cant just pretend that our party is unified, Ryan said. We have some work to do to unify ourselves so that we can be at full strength in the fall.

Trumps resounding win in the Indiana primary last week pushed his remaining GOP rivals, Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. John Kasich, out of the race, making him the presumptive nominee.

Until the results in Indiana became apparent, Ryan said he expected the Republican National Convention to be contested, with no candidate being the presumptive nominee heading into the convention.

Ryan told CNN last week that there are a lot of questions that conservatives, I think, are going to want answers to from Trump. Ryan prefaced that by citing principles of limited government, the proper role of the executive and adherence to the U.S. Constitution.

Asked by the State Journal if Trump has done or said something to suggest he doesnt understand those principles, Ryan responded: I just dont know the answer to your question.

There are just some common core principles that are very important, and if were going to unify this party, I think we have to just work on those together, Ryan added.

Some other leading Republicans, including several of Trumps former presidential rivals, have criticized Trump in remarkably strong terms. The 2012 GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, called Trump a phony and a fraud. Cruz called him a narcissist at a level I dont think this country has ever seen. Sen. Marco Rubio called him a con man.

You can roll the tape on a lot of stuff many of us have said, Ryan said Monday. The question is  the man won the nomination fair and square. So the question going forward is, can we unify our party and move forward with a campaign that is capable of winning, that is inclusive?

Primary battle

Ryan faces a primary challenge on his home turf in Wisconsins First Congressional District, which runs along Wisconsins southern border from Janesville to Racine and Kenosha.

Businessman Paul Nehlen is campaigning to oust Ryan in the Republican primary on Aug. 9.

Nehlen has endorsed Trump, and former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, also a Trump supporter, is supporting Nehlen. She told CNN in a recent interview that Ryan will be Cantor-ed, a reference to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who was ousted in a Republican primary in 2014.

Ryan said Monday theres no point in responding to Palin. But Ryan added that hes confident heading into the primary.

People are going to say things to get attention. Outside agitators will try and have influence, Ryan said. People here know me extremely well.

Nehlen has co-opted Trumps criticism of global trade deals, hammering Ryan for supporting the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed global trade deal between the U.S. and Pacific Rim nations.

Ryan supported fast-track authority for the trade deal and has spoken positively about it, calling it very important and saying it has a lot of promise.

But Ryan said Monday that his opponents criticism is off-base.

I have actually withheld my support for TPP, because I want to see improvements in it, he said.

Ryan also defended his support for free trade in general, calling it vital to the economy of his southern Wisconsin district.

Its critical to our manufacturing sector and our agricultural sector, Ryan said.
Gov. Scott Walker was one of several conservative names appearing in popular news stories that were kept from being promoted on Facebook by the social media website's own employees tasked with telling users which news was trending, according to a Gizmodo article released Monday citing unnamed sources.

According to a former employee who worked at Facebook, workers often suppressed news stories that would appeal to conservative users from the "trending" section of Facebook.

"This individual says that workers prevented stories about the right-wing CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney, Rand Paul, and other conservative topics from appearing in the highly-influential section, even though they were organically trending among the sites users," according the article.

Gizmodo obtained notes from the former employee that showed a log of topics omitted from the trending section, which included Walker, former IRS official Lois Lerner, conservative news aggregator the Drudge Report, former Navy Seal Chris Kyle, who was murdered in 2013 and the subject of the film "American Sniper," and former Fox News contributor Steven Crowder.

According to Gizmodo's interviews, stories covered by conservative news outlets, such as Breitbart, Washington Examiner and Newsmax, that were shared among Facebook users enough to be recognized by the site's algorithm that identifies trending topics were excluded unless mainstream outlets like the New York Times, the BBC and CNN picked up the same stories.

The article said other former employees "denied consciously suppressing conservative news, and we were unable to determine if left-wing news topics or sources were similarly suppressed."
A conservative super PAC has revised an ad criticizing former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold after three television stations in Madison and Green Bay pulled it over questions about the ads claim that Feingold ignored a 2009 memo detailing allegations of prescription drug abuse at the Tomah VA hospital.

The original ad, released by the Freedom Partners Action Fund that backs U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson in his re-election bid against Feingold and is funded by billionaire conservative Charles Koch, includes an interview with Tomah whistleblower Ryan Honl, who claimed Feingold received a 2009 memo from a union alleging abusive overprescription of drugs was occurring at the hospital. The ad has been revised and will be worked into a $2 million ad buy, according to Freedom Partners Action Fund.

Lin Ellinghuysen, the president of that American Federation of Government Employees chapter, told the Wisconsin State Journal this year that the 2009 memo was incorrectly marked as hand-delivered, which the Feingold campaign on Monday pointed to as evidence of the ad being based on bogus claims.

The substance of the ad is the same  multiple memos showing veteran harm at Tomah were marked delivered to Sen. Feingold, and he did nothing, said Freedom Partners Action Fund spokesman Bill Riggs in a statement. The idea he had no knowledge of a major scandal unfolding in his state over the course of two years should be alarming to most voters in Wisconsin.

Feingold campaign manager Tom Russell on Monday told reporters the campaign called on Johnson to weigh in on the original ad, which he described as demonstrably false.

Sen. Johnson and his allies knew this ad was false and based on a lie when it began airing. Thats why three TV stations pulled the plug on it, Feingold spokesman Michael Tyler said in an email. Johnsons allies are now trying to weasel their way back onto the airwaves with more deception  citing a document that says absolutely nothing about the tragic overprescription of opioids at the Tomah VA.

The 2008 memo raises the question of whether Houlihan prescribes medication to patients without assessing them.

Brian Reisinger, spokesman for Johnsons campaign, said Johnson is responsible for his own actions and his own words, and so is everyone else.

Reisinger said Johnson found out about the Tomah allegations in January 2015 and took swift and decisive action as soon as he personally learned of the tragic problems at the Tomah VA, which sadly predated his time in office by years.

If it werent for the work he has done since  to hold the VA accountable  the individuals responsible would still be endangering the lives of Wisconsin veterans, Reisinger said in an email.

Reisinger pointed to Johnson asking the VA Inspector General to publish reports dating back to 2006, sponsoring legislation that aims to bring accountability, protect whistleblowers and improve health care for veterans, and releasing a report last year on the investigation.

The original ad was pulled after attorneys with the Perkins Coie law firm last week sent a letter to television stations calling the ad false. While challenges of ads (are) commonplace, the decision to actually take down an ad by a station is exceedingly rare, Feingold campaign attorney Jonathan Berkon told reporters Monday.

Honl declined to comment.
Members of a statewide organization of bed and breakfast operators are leading an effort to crack down on people who offer residences through online short-term rental websites without getting licensed and paying taxes.

Since late last summer, Public Health Madison and Dane County has received 32 complaints against properties listed on websites such as Airbnb and VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). All of the complaints have been filed by people connected with the Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association, according to the health agency.

The development comes as city officials are examining ways to enforce a 2013 ordinance regulating rentals through those and similar websites.

Mayor Paul Soglin in March floated the idea of hiring a new city employee whose sole job would be to track down and collect thousands of dollars worth of unreported room tax revenues from people who post rooms, apartments or houses for short-term rentals. He suggested the employee could use clues in photographs included in Airbnb and VRBO listings to determine locations of rentals.

That practice is already in use by bed and breakfast owners across the state who have been using it to lodge complaints against operators of unlicensed short-term rentals.

Dusan Duke Mihajlovic, owner of the Oscar H. Hanson House Bed & Breakfast in Cambridge, said he regularly monitors listings on those sites in Cambridge, Fort Atkinson, Lake Mills and parts of Madison. He believes the current laws governing bed and breakfasts and tourist rooming houses should be enforced both for safety and for fairness to licensed businesses.

Im trying to level the playing field, he said. If youre going to have lodging, youre supposed to have a license from the department of health, so I let the department of health know whenever I find one because they do not have the staff or the time to hunt them down.

Some of these places are charging $50 a night. I cant get down that low and Im sure if they played by the regulations, they couldnt get down that low either.

Dusan estimates hes reported a couple dozen addresses to state authorities over the past year by examining photos and referencing them against Google Earth and Street View. He was part of a committee that urged the Bed & Breakfast Association to formally implement the method on a widespread basis, but difficulty coordinating the laborious process has limited its success.

A lot of people are just watching their area and then informing DHS, he said.

Teresa Coffman and her mother, Ardis, are among those who received a letter from Public Health Madison and Dane County notifying them of a complaint.

The two had never run a business, but had previously allowed visitors to stay at their 6001 Hammersley Road home through their Unitarian affiliation. They learned about Airbnb in early 2014, and being accustomed to welcoming strangers into their home, began listing a room for $65 a night to help offset property taxes and pay for home improvements. Last year, the room accounted for 255 nights of occupancy, Teresa Coffman said.

The November letter came as a surprise, but Coffman said it was helpful in outlining a path for them to operate legally as a bed and breakfast or tourist rooming house.

Public Health Madison and Dane County, which enforces the state health code locally, charges $491 for bed and breakfast and $595 for tourist rooming house licenses. Annual renewal fees on those licenses are $116 and $220, respectively, including $110 that goes to the state.

The Coffmans paid to register as a rooming house and were asked to pay back a years worth of sales taxes to the state, along with three months of room tax to the city. Together, those totaled a little more than $400.

We were glad that we didnt feel like it was punitive. It didnt feel like anyone was trying to make this unusually difficult or put us out of business. They just wanted to help us get right with the city and state, Teresa Coffman said. Were happy to pay the taxes, to be honest, because we dont have to feel were doing anything wrong.

Thats the mentality city officials hope more people will adopt.

Madisons ordinance classifies short-term online rentals as tourist rooming houses, subjecting them to health inspections and taxes. It also limits properties to 30 rental days per year if the owner does not occupy the home while its being rented.

But in practice, the ordinance has been sparsely used, relying largely on self-reporting. Prior to 2015, only four properties rented through Airbnb or VRBO were licensed in the city.

Ald. Ledell Zellers, whose Near East Side 2nd District includes a plethora of licensed bed and breakfasts and unlicensed short-term rentals, said finding a solution for compliance has become a recurring discussion among city leaders and staff.

I want something thats logical, thats easy to apply for, but I want it to be enforced, Zellers said.

The recent citizen-led sting has caused a bump in license requests. Six were approved last year and 10 have been approved or are pending this year. Almost half of those license applications were the result of complaints.

Compared to how many listings there are on Airbnb  we dont really know how many listings there are in Madison and Dane County  we have seen an increase. But thats just dealing with the places we were given information about, said Beth Cleary, environmental health services supervisor for the city and county.

I dont think thats representative, though, of the true number of unlicensed lodging accommodations on those websites, Cleary said.

City treasurer Dave Gawenda said his office has sought only the room taxes for the current quarter when new rooming house operators are identified.

We do reserve the right to go back, but were focused on getting new operators on the list, Gawenda said. As an administrator, Im satisfied with adding them to the list and making sure from here on out they pay their taxes.

Now that they are licensed, the Coffmans have raised rates by $4 to help cover taxes. Despite being exposed to authorities by someone affiliated with the Bed & Breakfast Association, Teresa Coffman said she has no hard feelings.

I think everyone deserves a level playing field and if that has to be sought out by the city or the Bed & Breakfast Association, whoever  I think everybody should do the right thing, she said.
Madison is quick to condemn racial disparities between black and white residents. Its much less willing to take concrete steps toward addressing those problems.

Last weeks unanimous vote for a comprehensive Madison Area Technical College campus on the South Side breaks the trend of Madison talk that has never been followed through with action, said Madison Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, who serves on the MATC Board.

We hope shes right. And we urge further action to improve academic achievement in Madison, especially for young people who are struggling.

The MATC Board wisely voted last week to shift attention and resources from its building in Downtown Madison to the South Side, where the need for postsecondary education is great.

Madisons K-12 school district should consider a similar investment  building a neighborhood school on Allied Drive, just south of Madisons Beltline and east of Verona Road. The areas children are bused to other schools now, making it harder for parents  especially those without cars  to attend school activities.

Justified Anger, a group of influential black leaders in Madison, called last year for less busing of black students to predominantly white schools  even if that means more segregation. The Rev. Alex Gee of Justified Anger makes a convincing case that busing hasnt worked. Madison has one of the highest school achievement gaps in the nation, with just 58 percent of black students graduating in four years.

Gees group also called for more black role models in Madison schools and the community. Madison schools are making progress at hiring more minority principals. Yet less than 3 percent of teachers are black, compared to nearly 20 percent of students.

The Madison School District last summer started training nearly a dozen high school students to become future teachers. In exchange for encouragement and incentives including access to UW-Madisons School of Education, participants agree to teach in the Madison district for at least two years after graduating from college. This promising effort should expand.

Madison School District Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham is right that high quality teaching is most important for learning, and shes appropriately pushed for better evaluations, professional development and team teaching. But the district must do more.

Madison should pay teachers based on performance, rather than years of service. Providing more financial rewards for top teachers will keep more of them in the classroom and help attract young, diverse talent to the profession.

Madison should begin classes later in the morning for teenagers, as research for decades has shown is best for learning.

Madison is improving summer school and giving books to children who dont have any. Yet many of the children who qualify for summer school dont attend.

The ultimate solution is a year-round class schedule with shorter breaks to stop the summer slide in learning. The Urban League of Greater Madison proposed a longer school year with July classes as part of a college-prep academy catering to minority students. The School Board rejected the idea.

Talking about disparities is important. But action is what drives change. MATCs vote for the South Side last week was decisive.
Facebook workers routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers from the social networks influential trending news section, according to a former journalist who worked on the project. This individual says that workers prevented stories about the right-wing CPAC gathering, Mitt Romney, Rand Paul, and other conservative topics from appearing in the highly-influential section, even though they were organically trending among the sites users.

Several former Facebook news curators, as they were known internally, also told Gizmodo that they were instructed to artificially inject selected stories into the trending news module, even if they werent popular enough to warrant inclusionor in some cases werent trending at all. The former curators, all of whom worked as contractors, also said they were directed not to include news about Facebook itself in the trending module.

In other words, Facebooks news section operates like a traditional newsroom, reflecting the biases of its workers and the institutional imperatives of the corporation. Imposing human editorial values onto the lists of topics an algorithm spits out is by no means a bad thingbut it is in stark contrast to the companys claims that the trending module simply lists topics that have recently become popular on Facebook.

These new allegations emerged after Gizmodo last week revealed details about the inner workings of Facebooks trending news teama small group of young journalists, primarily educated at Ivy League or private East Coast universities, who curate the trending module on the upper-right-hand corner of the site. As we reported last week, curators have access to a ranked list of trending topics surfaced by Facebooks algorithm, which prioritizes the stories that should be shown to Facebook users in the trending section. The curators write headlines and summaries of each topic, and include links to news sites. The section, which launched in 2014, constitutes some of the most powerful real estate on the internet and helps dictate what news Facebooks users167 million in the US aloneare reading at any given moment.
There are those who want to eliminate the pro-life and pro-marriage planks from the Illinois Republican Platform," Lake County Republicans' First Vice Chair Mike Danford said at a recent Lake County Right to Life gatherin g. "[Committee member] Pat Brady is one of them.

In a recent report from Lake County, Republicans were warned that changes were being considered to the state's pro-life and traditional marriage planks.

Eighteen members of the Illinois Republican Party are currently discussing via conference calls changes they recommend should be made to the platform and presented to state convention delegates during the May 20-21st gathering at the Peoria State Convention Center.

CHICAGO - If you have an idea for changing the 2016 GOP State Convention platform, you're welcome to join the conversation via the WeAreIllinois.com website .

Illinois Review reached out to Mr. Brady to confirm whether or not he is working to change the platform on life or marriage, and he declined to answer. In 2012, Brady told Illinois Review that he believed same sex marriage was an "equality issue", and that the "true conservative position is in favor" of allowing gay marriage. In 2013, Brady signed on with ACLU-Illinois to appeal to Republican legislators to support same sex marriage in Illinois. Shortly thereafter, the General Assembly passed the legislation and Governor Pat Quinn signed it into law.

Sources familiar with this year's platform committee discussions suggest that while the pro-life plank is always touchy, the biggest controversy appears to be more on the IL GOP's family plank. Whether the 2012 definition of marriage remains the same could be the most divisive issue with which the committee deals in 2016.

The current ILGOP wording that we were told is likely to divide the committee is found in Section V, "The Embrace of the Traditional Family" parts C and D - especially the words "one man and one woman" since Illinois voted to legalize same sex marriage:

Who is serving on this year's IL GOP Platform Committee? Each member of the State Central Committee appoints a person to represent his or her congressional district. The picks to serve on the IL GOP Platform Committee are as follows:

The platform committee encourages suggestions to the platform to be submitted on the WeAreIllinois.com website this week.
"...The Department [of Justice] contends that North Carolinas common sense privacy policy constitutes a pattern or practice of discriminating against transgender employees in the terms and conditions of their employment because it does not give employees an unfettered right to use the bathroom or changing facility of their choice based on gender identity," the suit says.

NORTH CAROLINA - North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory filed suit against the federal government Monday, contending the state's recently enacted bathroom law HB2 to be a "common sense privacy policy."

McCrory argues that the DOJs position is a "baseless and blatant overreach" of the federal government.

"This is an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long-established federal civil rights laws in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the intent of Congress and disregards decades of statutory interpretation by the Courts," the suit says.

The suit argues that transgenders are not a protected class under Title VII. Changing that definition would take a congressional act.

"The overwhelming weight of legal authority recognizes that transgender status is not a protected class under Title VII. If the United States desires a new protected class under Title VII, it must seek such action by the United States Congress," it says.

The suit is HERE.

North Carolina is not the only state that has had the Department of Justice step in to demand equal access for transgenders. Chicago suburban District 211 was told to provide equal access to transgenders for bathrooms, showers and dressing rooms. A group of 51 parents filed a lawsuit against the federal government. The lawsuit is working its way through the courts, as well.
The company aims to export a total of 50,000 units of the model this year, over two-fold increase from last year.

The Beat, badged as Spark outside India, is available in more than 70 markets worldwide and has sold over 1 million units.

By India Today Web Desk: General Motors India on Monday rolled out the first unit of its hatchback Beat, meant for export to Argentina, making the Latin American nation sixth major export market for the model.

ALSO READ: Comparison: Chevrolet Trailblazer vs Ford Endeavour

The first shipment will leave for Argentina next month. The company aims to export a total of 50,000 units of the model this year, over two-fold increase from last year.

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"In keeping with our commitment to the Make in India programme, we are proud to celebrate the roll-out of the first vehicle for Argentina," GM India President and Managing Director Kaher Kazem said in a statement.

The new export market is a testimony to the company's commitment to providing the highest quality standards to global customers from the Talegaon plant, he added.

ALSO READ: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 convertible debuts at New York Auto Show

"Whether it is in India or anywhere else in the world, General Motors follows the highest quality standards in its manufacturing processes providing same high quality vehicles that customers in India and around the world expect and deserve," Kazem said.

GM India already exports the left-hand drive Beat to countries like Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean Countries (CAC), Uruguay and now Argentina.

The Chevrolet Beat recorded the highest growth for any passenger vehicle exported from India and became the sixth most exported passenger vehicle during 2015-16 fiscal, with a total of 37,082 units.

ALSO READ: Chevrolet Cruze prices slashed by up to Rs 86K

The Beat, badged as Spark outside India, is available in more than 70 markets worldwide and has sold over 1 million units. The model is produced at GM India's manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra, which has a base capacity of 1,30,000 vehicles.

"In 2016, we plan to export over 50,000 vehicles, compared with 21,000 vehicles last calendar year, reinforcing our commitment to the Indian market and our strong local supplier base," Kazem said.

This is part of GM's strategy to make India an export hub for global markets and help increase capacity utilisation at the Talegaon plant, he added.

ALSO READ: General Motors to launch notchback Chevrolet Essentia in 2017

"We expect to identify additional export markets going forward," Kazem said.

The Talegaon facility will become a global export hub for GM, with around 30 per cent of its annual production planned for markets outside India, he added.

--- ENDS ---
The Automatic variant of W6 FWD is priced at Rs 14.29 lakh (ex-showroom Navi Mumbai) for W6 FWD variant)and will be available across Mahindra dealerships.

By India Today Web Desk: Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., on Monday announced the introduction of the Automatic Transmission (AT) in the W6 FWD variant of the New Age XUV500.

The Automatic option will now be available across four (4) variants of the New Age XUV500 at a range of price points to appeal to different customers - W6 FWD, W8 FWD and W10 FWD and AWD. The Automatic variant of W6 FWD is priced at Rs 14.29 lakh (ex-showroom Navi Mumbai) for W6 FWD variant)and will be available across Mahindra dealerships with immediate effect.

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ALSO READ: Mahindra XUV500 crosses 1.5 lakh cumulative sales mark

Vivek Nayer, Chief Marketing Officer, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. said, "The Automatic Transmission of the New Age XUV500 has resonated very well with our customers since we launched it in November 2015."

The New Age XUV500 is the only SUV in its class to offer a 2nd generation, 6-speed automatic transmission with AWD as an option. The Automatic Transmission has been sourced from the leading global supplier, AISIN, Japan. The New Age XUV500 Automatic takes driving experience to the next level with easy cruising on city roads as well as highways.

The New Age XUV500 is the only SUV in its class to offer a 2nd generation, 6-speed automatic transmission with AWD as an option.

ALSO READ: Is the Mahindra XUV500 W4 value for money?



Nayer said, "I am sure that the availability of the Automatic Transmission across variants and a range of price points will now render this technology more accessible to a larger base of customers and make the XUV500 a more attractive proposition amongst a wide spectrum of buyers."

Key Features OF THE NEW AGE XUV500 AUTOMATIC

Fully Automatic Gearbox - The XUV500 Automatic features a new 2nd generation transmission with torque convertor and a planetary gear-train that enables smooth and precise gear shifts.

ALSO READ: Mahindra TUV300 to get similar engine as the NuvoSport

The intuitive gear changes combine responsiveness of a manual transmission with the hassle-free operation of an automatic, thereby providing the experience of both relaxed cruise or spirited drive, as desired. The Automatic transmission allows dynamic gear shifts that are smooth and barely perceptible.

Optimized gear ratios (with 2 overdrive gears) with 6 speed automatic transmission for better fuel efficiency - With 6 gears the XUV500 has a higher number of gear ratios than a conventional 5 speed automatic which are optimized to deliver the best fuel efficiency.

ALSO READ: Mahindra launches limited edition Scorpio; priced at Rs 13.07 lakh

Automatic transmission with AWD - For the Adventure seekers the all new Automatic transmission also comes with an option of All Wheel Drive (AWD) on the XUV500 W10 variant. The AWD ensures that the vehicle torque is suitably distributed between the wheels to provide the best traction on rugged or slippery roads, by sensing the difference in RPM between the front and rear wheels.

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Intelligent adaptation to terrains and altitudes - The intelligent all new transmission is capable of adapting to mid and high altitudes to enable best drivability in these conditions. The two uphill climbing modes allow the vehicle to take on slopes and ghats effortlessly.

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Other emergency contact numbers such as 100, 101, 102 or 1906 would be used as subordinate numbers. Read to know more.

By India Today Web Desk: Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has approved the provision of a single emergency number in India. The all-inclusive emergency number 112 will come in effect from January 1 in 2017.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had approached the Indian government to launch the number '112' as a single emergency contact number.

The use of 112 will not affect the existing emergency numbers. Contact numbers such as 100, 101, 102 and 1906, which are used to contact police, fire department, ambulance and gas leakage management, will be reserved as subordinate numbers.

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Here are some facts you should not miss about it:



All the existing emergency numbers such as 100, 101, 102 and 108 will be continued as secondary numbers

The current emergency numbers will be re-routed to 112

Some of the current emergency numbers include 100, 101, 102, 1512, 181, 1091 etc

After a year or so, these numbers will be closed following a public awareness campaign

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had earlier recommended to implement an emergency communication and response system (GPS enabled mobile phones) in the country which that would be accessed through 112

Department of Telecommunications had rejected this proposal since, not everybody uses a GPS enabled mobile phone. According to them, a large percentage of people still uses low cost handsets that do not support GPS

The telecom regulator has been suggested to study the impact of enabling all the mobile phones with GPS before finalising the deal

Other countries which use the 112 number for emergencies include: Albania, Canada, Andorra, Austria, Czech Republic, Australia, France, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, the United Sates, Switzerland, Sweden, Syria, Sri Lanka etc

Other countries that have only one emergency number: Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Lithuania, Romania, Guam, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Aruba, Belize, Bermuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the United States etc.

Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.

To get more updates on Current Affairs, send in your query by mail toeducation.intoday@gmail.com.

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As the new Class 8 Social Science Rajasthan textbook did not include the name of the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, an open letter has been written to Education Minister Vasudev Devnani about the correction of these changes.

By India Today Web Desk: As the new Class 8 Social Science Rajasthan textbook did not include the name of the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, an open letter has been written to Education Minister Vasudev Devnani about the correction of these changes.

According to a report in The Indian Express , Vasudev Devnani said:



Jawaharlal Nehru's name had not been removed but was "still there on page 9,1 mentioning one-line of Nehru presenting the objectives resolution in the chapter 'Our Constitution' and while on page 177, the only reference is of him having "inaugurated" one of the steps on the course to "Rajasthan's unification".



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Reports on missing of Nehru's name:



The book makes no mention of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru either as a freedom fighter or as the first Prime Minister of Independent India

The description of Nehru is significantly shorter as compared to the earlier version of the book. "It depends on what the government decides. If it asks us again, what to do with it now, we will suggest bringing out a supplement to the main textbook, " Professor K S Gupta, former head of the department of history at Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur said.

On being asked about the changes Professor Gupta said: "We received instructions from the government to include certain aspects, but nothing on excluding anything, We were instructed to include and highlight content on local heroes, veer and veerangana of Rajasthan, which we did."



"There was no deliberate attempt to remove Nehru. The omission must have happened at the level of the committee. In any case, the government has nothing to do with it," he added further.



Among the changes which are being revised in the textbook are prefixing of the title 'great' to Maharana Pratap and Chanakya, instead of Mughal Emperor Akbar.



Comment from political leaders:

"What is wrong with it? Who was the bigger leader, Sardar Patel or Nehru? If Patel had not brought about unification of India, would Nehru have become Prime Minister? The idea is to promote nationalist leaders like Patel, Bhagat Singh, Maharana Pratap, and it is upon the BJP government to do that. The Congress needs to introspect why it ignored leaders like Patel. The Congress only minds if someone from their family is affected," Party Jaipur (rural) president D D Kumawat said.

Congress leader Ashok Gehlot have a different story to tell:

"It is shameful that the BJP government has removed the name of Jawaharlal Nehru, the builder of modern India and the founder of world's largest democracy. History is witness that governments which attempt to distort history become history themselves," Gehlot said.



"The RSS-inspired curriculum has also gone silent on Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Gandhiji. But his bullet couldn't kill Gandhiji, who lives in our collective memory, so much so that even PM Narendra Modi keeps chanting his name," he further included.

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READ: Kanhaiya pens open letter to Smriti Irani for Mother's Day, calls her anti-rational

ALSO READ: Medical colleges in 'rotten' state, says SC: Orissa-based private college accused of playing with students' future

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to get more education news.



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The fund will act as a centralised reserve that will allocate the money according to the severity of the outbreak.

By India Today Web Desk:

The Zika virus has been tormenting the world since its outbreak in 2015. The virus has caused havoc in the South American countries with children being born with unusually small heads due to Microcephaly. Due to the massive spread of the disease, the United Nations has drafted a new Zika Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF). The draft will enable a quick response to the outbreak with a dedicated fund to tackle it.

Here are a few facts about this new trust and how it plans to tackle the Zika virus break out:

The trust has been launched by the Secretary-General of United Nations, Ban Ki-moon at the UN headquarters in New York

The Zika Strategic Response Framework developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be funded by the newly established trust. Apart from the WHO Response Framework, the fund will also help UN agencies and partners and international epidemiological experts

The fund will act as a centralised reserve that will allocate the money according to the severity of the outbreak.

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Sensing the emergency, the Government of India has also issued a detailed set of guidelines on how to tackle the outbreak of Zika virus. The guidelines were authorised by the Union Health Ministry. Although no cases of Zika attack has been reported from India, the guidelines have been issued as a precautionary measure. The Zika virus has so far affected 23 countries, including Brazil, Bolivia, Barbados and Columbia.

The guidelines are as follows:

1. All citizens, especially pregnant women, must refrain from travelling to the affected countries.

2. All international airports and ports will display signage showing information on the disease. Quarantine facilities will also be set up at all major entry points to the country .

3. All travellers must report to the customs for medical check up if they are returning from the affected countries and suffering from illness.

4. All travellers who are already in the affected countries should strictly follow protective measures, especially during the day to prevent mosquito bite.

5. Rapid Response Teams (RRT), comprising a microbiologist, an epidemiologist and a medical specialist, have been set up at central and state surveillance units.

6. The government-run Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) will track reports of acute febrile illness through its community and hospital-based data collection system. It will investigate such cases occurring to people who have recently been to the affected countries.

7. Delhi-based National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been identified to be the nodal agency for the investigation of Zika virus outbreak in the country.

Interested in General Knowledge and Current Affairs? Click here to stay informed and know what is happening around the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.

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By PTI: Poonch (J&K), May 9 (PTI) As many as 149 people of divided families of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir today crossed the Line of Control in a weekly bus service via Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point here.

Of these, 78 people crossed over to PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) from Jammu and Kashmir side, while 71 travelled to the Indian side from PoK via the Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point, officials said.

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From the Jammu and Kashmir side, there was one new traveller while the remaining 77 were PoK returnees who were going back after staying here with their relatives, they said.

From the PoK side, 70 were freshers while one was an Indian returnee, the officials said.

Officials from both sides monitored the crossover exercise at Chakan-Da-Bagh, they added. PTI CORR TSS AB ASV RG ASV

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By Samonway Duttagupta: Before you read any further, please note that the opinions given below are personal.

Let me be honest with you at the very outset--I have never been to Ladakh. Neither am I planning to visit the place anytime soon. Surprised? Well, I don't blame you for that. You have always known this place to be a traveller's paradise. I mean, forget those with a passion for travelling; these days, whoever you see wants to go to Ladakh. Thanks to the social media and the numerous pictures you have seen, Ladakh has become the oh-so-beautiful destination.

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Before you start judging me, let me assure you that I have also been through that phase. Who wouldn't want to go to a place so beautiful? But at the same time, I have known far too many travellers and learnt about far too many experience before reaching the conclusion of not wanting to go. Here's what I want to tell others--get over for the good. Reasons? Here are a few:



It's way too far: Try reaching Ladakh from any part of the country, it can never be reached in a day. Unless you are planning to take the flight. But, what's the use of going to Ladakh if you are not travelling by road? I have heard that the views that one gets on the Srinagar-Leh highway are more beautiful than the destination itself. Besides, you will need to take a leave of at least 10 to 15 days to cover the entire belt. If you think your boss is kind enough, go ahead. Just to get the facts in place, Leh is 1,262 km from New Delhi. That's some journey! It is expensive: Yes, you read that right. Ladakh is certainly expensive. This is one harsh truth very few people will tell you. After all, the so called "homestays" and hotels and local cafes of Leh won't confess that they have increased the prices because of so many international tourists visiting the place. No doubt, it is great for the region's tourism industry, but at the same time, it will certainly burn a hole in your pocket. Allow me to quote a person's post on Quora: "If you are backpacking as a bachelor and book tickets to Leh well in advance and stay in homestays, used shared taxis it will be around 40K. If not budget for 60-70K. Keep in mind transportation is most expensive in Ladakh if you want dedicated taxi." So, now you know what I am talking about. There are better alternatives: For heaven's sake, get over it! Ladakh is not the most beautiful place in this country. I can say this safely--there are much better alternatives to Ladakh within India itself. You can visit one of the offbeat places in the Kinnaur region of Himachal Pradesh. To name a few, there's Sangla, Kalpa, Kaza, Spiti and many more. Trust me, you will thank me for these suggestions after you come back from a trip to these places. Besides, there's hardly any place of Ladakh that you haven't seen on the Internet. Meaning no offence, every Tom, Dick and Harry with a DSLR thinks he has become a travel photographer after coming back from Ladakh. Now, you are not one of those wannabes, are you? It's more crowded than you think: True that. Try travelling to Ladakh during the season. The whole world will be there. Of course the photographs don't lie--there are enough empty barren lands around. And there are the stark mountains, and the lonely Pangong Lake, and the monasteries. You know about them already, don't you? And there are so many like you who rush to the place every year for getting awed by these places. No doubt, they are beautiful. But why do you want to go to a place everyone else is going, and talking about, and posting 200-photograph albums with its pictures on Facebook? Grow up, become a real traveller and explore new places--places where people hardly go. Trust me, the town of Leh is filled with tourists. Oh, I had almost forgotten the Royal Enfield riders. Those bikers are everywhere! Including the ones who claim themselves to be. Are you sure you want to invest your valuable time and money in that circus? It's freaking cold: Don't think I am one of those who shies away from travelling to a place just because it's cold. And I know that you are also not one of them. But come on, there's no point putting your life at stake for a place that has better alternatives within the country itself. First you save some money, then you plan the trip and beg your boss for the leaves, and what do you get in the end? The same old place you have seen in the pictures (not photoshopped) and always having the risk of getting the acute mountain sickness (AMS). Ladakh is too high for people like you and me. We are not used to sub-zero temperatures for so long. And then there's so much strain involved in moving around the barren landscapes on long winding roads. I have heard of at least three people dying in that region while they were on a holiday--even after taking enough precaution. God bless the departed souls.

We are living in an age where time is an asset and money is really important. Just make the two things useful. Ladakh is good, but India is home to place that are great. Make your choice wisely. I wish you a happy journey in advance!



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This 80-year-old grandmother is slaying it with her incredible makeup and how!

By India Today Web Desk: Meet the 80-year-old grandmother Livia, who became an overnight internet sensation after her granddaughter, Tea Flego decided to give her a glamorous makeover. Flego who is a Croatian artist, made full use of her incredible contouring skills and turned her grandmom into a glam-mom!



My dear granny Livia .(79) She loves makeup :) #makeupartists#makeupaddict#makeupfreak#makeupgeek#makeupartist#makeup#makeupaddict#worldmakeupartists#makeupartistsworldwide#ma#anastasiabeverlyhills#hudabeauty#followme#like4likes A photo posted by makeupbyteaflego (@teaflego) on Dec 7, 2014 at 3:10pm PST

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Livia had never in her wildest dreams thought that she and her make-up would go on to become this popular.

Also read: This powerful poem speaks about how women are beyond the hair on their bodies



After the makeover, Tea posted pictures of her grandmom online--that instantly went viral. Now known as Glam-Ma across the internet, Livia is enjoying every bit of the attention coming her way, proving yet again that age is just a number!

Also read: This woman was asked to leave a cafe because she dared to talk about her vagina



???My CONTOURED GLAM -MA?????????????????????????????? She really enjoys her popularity !!!And says:"Come on ,take a pic ,*I want to advertise you "???????????? #teaflego#glamma #hudabeauty#hudabeautylashes#brian_champagne#motd#anastasiabeverlyhills#maccosmetics#lillygalichi#makeuplook#makeupjunkie#makeupfreak#wakeupandmakeup#allmodernmakeup#universodamaquiagem_oficial#slave2beauty#@slave2beauty#valjermayne#makeupfanatic1#makeuponpoint#contouring#flawless#makeupgeek#makeupfanatic#makeupguru#makeuptutorial#gerardcosmetics#glitterinjections@hudabeauty#teaflego#glammaa A photo posted by makeupbyteaflego (@teaflego) on Mar 3, 2016 at 4:32am PST



Tea posted a message on her Instagram page saying, "Being in a nursing home and getting informations about reactions all over the world,means a lot for her. In 80's she become a star .She is grateful, She loves you and She has a message for you: THERE ARE NO UGLY WOMEN ,ONLY LAZY ONES! (sic)"



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Carrying the Indian tricolours and shouting slogans, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists took out the rally from Gol Park to the Jadavpur police station.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Deriding left-leaning students for turning Jadavpur University into a "hub of anti-national activities", the RSS students' wing ABVP on Monday took out a protest rally outside the varsity.

With the rally coming days after the screening of Vivek Agnihotri's controversial "Buddha in a Traffic Jam" triggered clashes and caused tension in the campus on Friday, police took no chances and fortified the varsity putting up barricades at the entrances.

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Carrying the Indian tricolours and shouting slogans, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists took out the rally from Gol Park to the Jadavpur police station.

"The leftists have turned the university into a den of anti-national activities. Forgetting their own country, they raise pro-Pakistan slogans. This rally is to condemn their anti-nationalism," said ABVP leader Subir Haldar.

On Saturday, a section of varsity students, led by the Left-backed Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU), took out a protest march demanding arrest of ABVP supporters and a campus free of "BJP-RSS-ABVP terror".

Besides Governor KN Tripathi seeking a report from Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das over the issue of the clashes and commotion over an open-air screening of Agnihotri's film on Friday, the varsity authorities have lodged a police complaint against outsiders, including three ABVP activists, for allegedly molesting female students during the event.

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TV actress Kanchi Kaul has shared the first picture of her 3-month-old son Ivarr on Instagram.

By India Today Web Desk: Telly couple Kanchi Kaul and Shabir Ahluwalia are in a happy space these days. The couple had welcomed their second son in February this year; they have named him Ivarr. Shabir and Kanchi had shared a single pic of the newborn at that time, but it did not show his face.



#madewithlove #itsrainingboys #joy #pure #priceless #perfect #alwaysandforever #touchwood A photo posted by kanchikaul (@kanchikaul) on Feb 27, 2016 at 1:31am PST

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In this new pic shared by Kanchi, we get a better look of his cute face and tiny body. The 3-month-old is wearing a white T-shirt which has this interesting quote--"Every mother on earth gave birth to a child except my mother--she gave birth to a legend."



Also read: SEE: Shabir Ahluwalia's wife Kanchi Kaul shares first photo of their second son



The couple's first son Azai will turn 2 in July this year. Kanchi had earlier said they had planned their babies at a short interval so that she could go back to work.

"Proud big brother Azai, would like to introduce his new partner in crime that will forever share the blame. BOY it is, THANK YOU GOD," Shabir had announced the arrival of his second son.

Also read: Congratulations! Shabir Ahluwalia and Kanchi Kaul blessed with a baby boy



Shabir Ahluwalia is currently starring in Zee TV's Kumkum Bhagya opposite Sriti Jha.

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By PTI: demand

New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) JNU today formed a four-member committee to look into demands of students who are on hunger strike against punishment in connection with the controversial February 9 event even as three more students withdrew their fast due to deteriorating health condition.

"The Vice-Chancellor has decided to form a team consisting of Rector-1, Rector-II, Dean of Students and Registrar to discuss issues related to students and teachers who have been on hunger strike," the university said in a statement.

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"Solutions can be found only through peaceful dialogue and discussion and not through measures that can also have long term impact on health and adversely affect the academic life on campus. The administration yet again appeals the students to end their strike and come forward to hold discussion of their demands," it added.

The students union, however, said it is yet to take a decision whether to enter into negotiations with the administration or not.

Meanwhile, three students-Umar Khalid, Pratim Ghosal and Parthipan, discontinued their fast after their health deteriorated.

Umar, who is out on bail in a sedition case over the event and has been rusticated for one semester by the university, was rushed to AIIMS in wee hours today when his sugar and sodium-potassium levels fell significantly.

So far, nine students, including JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, have withdrawn from the fast against the punishment by the varsity in connection with the event while 11 others are still continuing with their hunger strike which entered the 12th day today.

JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA), university alumni and mothers residing on the campus have come out in solidarity with the fasting students by going on a one-day relay hunger strike on different days.

Terming the hunger strike to be an "unlawful activity", the university administration had last week appealed to the students not to invite outsiders on the campus and resort to "constitutional" means of putting forward their demands.

Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in February in a sedition case over the event and are out on bail now.

While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000, Umar, Anirban and a Kashmiri student, Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varying durations. more PTI GJS RG

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For nearly two years now, a file pending with the Union ministry of defence has been giving the Indian navy sleepless nights. A proposal for the purchase of 98 Black Shark torpedoes, worth 300 million Euros, from Finmeccanica subsidiary Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), has been hanging fire since July 2014, ever since the MoD placed all dealings with the Italian arms firm on hold over the AgustaWestland chopper bribery scandal.

On May 1, 2016, the Indian navy's first conventional submarine in 16 years, the Kalvari, sailed into the Arabian Sea for trials without the Black Shark torpedoes. Without torpedoes, its principal weapon, the Kalvari is nothing more than a stealthy transport vessel. Five other indigenously built Scorpene submarines are to be delivered by 2022 without torpedoes, the navy now fears. A new line of six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) are also being designed to fire these advanced torpedoes. Hence, the navy, citing 'urgent operational necessity' in 2014, asked the defence ministry to process the torpedo file.

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The law ministry too had concurred with the Navy in 2015, but the MoD is yet to take a decision. This, despite Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar indicating his distaste for blanket blacklists as far back as December 2014. He argued instead for heavy financial penalties for companies that violated procurement norms. "Should we rule ourselves out with all of its 39 subsidiaries?" he had asked at the time, citing the Finmeccanica case. "There has to be a clear policy on that."

Click here to Enlarge Graphic by Nilanjan Das

But with the firm now becoming a political hot potato, a question mark hangs over Parrikar's nuanced approach. Even as the BJP attempted to corner the Gandhis over the chopper bribery scandal, the Congress targeted the government over its continued dealings with Finmeccanica. The MoD acted on a recommendation the FIPB had made a day after the April 7 verdict of the Milan court, cancelling a joint venture between the Italian firm and the Tatas to build helicopters.

On April 27, a day after the BJP began its barrage in parliament, Parrikar asked his officials for all files on the AW chopper purchase and details of all transactions with its parent company Finmeccanica. This move, officials believe, could set the stage for a possible blacklist of the firm and all its subsidiaries, many of whom supply a range of guns, missiles, radars and helicopter upgrades for the armed forces (see graphic).

Blacklists in India have historically had a catastrophic effect-not on the foreign defence firms whom they are meant to punish, but on the armed forces. The blacklisting of Swedish gunmaker Bofors paralysed the army's Howitzer programme, the HDW blacklist set the Navy's conventional submarine programme back by a decade and the ban on Israeli missile maker IAI after the Barak bribery scandal meant warships at sea were defenceless against enemy attack.

In the UPA years, defence minister A.K. Antony had used the blacklist as a broadsword, hacking away at defence firms found guilty of bribery or using defence agents. At least a dozen firms were blacklisted, six of them foreign vendors, directly affecting defence modernisation programmes.

"What we do in India is a disaster," says Vivek Rae, former Director General (Acquisition). "We compromise national security at the altar of populist democracy."

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In the case of the Black Shark, the Navy customised the Scorpene class submarines' fire control system for the torpedo. Integrating another type of torpedo, the only option in case the government decides to blacklist WASS, could cost approximately $30 million per submarine besides rebooting the entire procurement process, from the qualitative requirements to weapon trials, which could take up to five years. A complete blacklist of Finmeccanica could also put on hold the Navy's plan to upgrade its fleet of Kamov and Sea King anti-submarine helicopters. Worse, it effectively narrows the field, allowing rival firms to hike prices. Finmeccanica's departure has now left the field open to only the American, French and Russian helicopter makers.

"In the Finmeccanica case, there is a need to punish only the helicopter manufacturer, not the entire holding company. Such a blanket approach is neither feasible nor desirable," says Air Marshal Padamjit Singh Ahluwalia, former chief of the Western Air Command.

The new defence policy

The return of the AW scandal-with its bevy of agents and the looming shadow of a blacklist-coincides with the launch of the MoD's new Defence Procurement Policy this year. A key highlight of the DPP-2016 released by Parrikar on March 28, which will govern all arms purchases made after April 1, are four annexures dealing with problems that have hobbled defence acquisition over the past decade. These relate to foreign firms having to approach multiple Indian agencies in case of a name change, anonymous complaints stalling defence purchases, agents involved in defence purchases and, finally, blacklists halting defence modernisation.

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Only policy annexures relating to anonymous complaints and name change have been released in the past few months. Crucial policy changes-for legalising defence agents and on how to blacklist arms firms for misdemeanours-have been pending with the MoD for nearly eight months now. These would completely change the way the MoD conducts business. For over a decade now, companies have had to give the ministry an undertaking that middlemen would not be used. Now, for the first time, the MoD annexure says that middlemen must be registered and disclose all their bank statements and percentages of commission earned on defence deals.

Parrikar had earlier called for "penalisation provisions" in the new policy to replace the reflexive "blacklisting" of arms vendors suspected of wrongdoing. "We'll have a mechanism to calibrate the weight of the punishment in accordance with the offence committed by the vendor," he told the media Delhi while launching the new DPP in New Delhi.

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Stiff fines and not blacklists are the global norm as well. In the most famous such case, UK arms firm BAE Systems paid a $400 million fine to the United States in 2010 after admitting to defrauding the country in the sale of fighter planes to Saudi Arabia.

Instead of a blanket ban on the firm, the MoD could adopt Parrikar's nuanced policy in a three-stage approach. Existing contracts go through, pending the conclusion of an investigation. If the inquiry finds a firm guilty, only the division is penalised and a financial penalty imposed. The second stage entails putting all deals on hold and processing only cases deemed critical. A blacklist of the company and its subsidiaries should only be the last resort. "This new policy should come into effect soon, else the damage to our stalled defence modernisation will continue," says Maj. Gen. Mrinal Suman (retd) who heads the CII's defence technical assessment and advisory services.

The AW bribery saga, it seems, will be a test case for the MoD's new policy. But only after the affair has exhausted its utility as a political weapon.

Also read:

Shadow of a scam

In the eye of the storm



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By PTI: From Aditi Khanna London, May 9 (PTI) Wikileaks founder Julian Assange today tweeted a picture of his new companion, a 10-week-old kitten, presented to him by his children to keep him company in his Ecuadorean embassy where he has been holed up since 2012.

The 44-year-old intends to keep the world updated on his yet-unnamed companion via Twitter using the handle @EmbassyCat.

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"New home! Ive arrived!" his tweet read, along with a picture of him cuddling the kitten.

The female kitten, a descendant of the original European wildcat, sleeps in a top hat during the day and prowls the embassy at night.

Assange, who is under diplomatic asylum at the embassy, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sex allegation, which he denies. He believes if he leaves the embassy he will be extradited to the US to be questioned over the activities of WikiLeaks.

A European arrest warrant remains in place, and he has now been living in the Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012, with the fourth anniversary of his refuge nearing next month.

In February, a United Nations working group found that Sweden and the UK were violating his rights and should release him and award compensation for detaining him without charge.

Assanges lawyers have made an application to the courts in Sweden to enforce the UN groups finding and are filing arguments again today. They have asked for an oral hearing, which if accepted could happen by the end of May.

The UK government had announced that it would formally contest the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Assangeis a victim of arbitrary detention.

A statement said: "JulianAssangehas never been arbitrarily detained by the UK. The opinion of the UN Working Group ignores the facts and the well-recognised protections of the British legal system. He is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy.

"An allegation of rape is still outstanding and a European Arrest Warrant in place, so the UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden. As the UK is not a party to the Caracas Convention, we do not recognise diplomatic asylum.

"We are deeply frustrated that this unacceptable situation is still being allowed to continue. Ecuador must engage with Sweden in good faith to bring it to an end. Americas Minister Hugo Swire made this clear to the Ecuadorean Ambassador in November, and we continue to raise the matter in Quito." PTI AK ZH

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The annual awards show took place yesterday; here is the full list of winners.

BAFTA rewards the very best in television broadcast on British screens. Photo: AP

By India Today Web Desk: The BAFTA (The British Academy Television Awards) 2016 took place yesterday at the Royal Festival Hall in London. The event had some of the biggest names from both the small and silver screen in attendance for the annual awards.

Mark Rylance and Suranne Jones received the leading actor and actress awards respectively.



Here is the complete list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA TV Awards 2016.

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Leading actor

Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall

Leading actress

Suranne Jones, Doctor Foster

Supporting actor

Tom Courtenay, Unforgotten

Supporting actress

Chanel Cresswell, This is England '90

Entertainment performance

Leigh Francis, Celebrity Juice

Male performance in a comedy programme

Peter Kay, Peter Kay's Car Share

Female performance in a comedy programme

Michaela Coel, Chewing Gum

Drama series

Wolf Hall

Single drama

Don't Take My Baby

Also read: BAFTA TV awards: Jason Watkins beats Benedict Cumberbatch, takes best actor honour

Mini-series

This is England '90

Soap and continuing drama

EastEnders

International

Transparent

Entertainment programme

Strictly Come Dancing

Comedy and comedy entertainment programme

Have I Got News For You

Scripted comedy

Peter Kay's Car Share

Features

The Great British Bake Off

Radio Times Audience Award

Poldark

Current affairs

Outbreak: The Truth about Ebola

Single documentary

My Son the Jihadi

Factual series

The Murder Detectives

Reality and constructed factual

First Dates

Specialist factual

Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

News coverage

Channel 4 News: Paris Massacre

Sport

The Ashes (Sky Sports)

Live event

Big Blue Live (BBC One)



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By PTI: From Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, May 9 (PTI) Bangladesh today summoned the Pakistani high commissioner here to lodge a protest over Islamabads reaction to a Supreme Court judgment that confirmed the death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami chief and 1971 war crimes convict Motiur Rahman Nizami.

"The statement issued (earlier) by Pakistan Foreign Office is totally unacceptable," secretary of bilateral affairs in Bangladesh foreign office Mizanur Rahman said.

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During the meeting, Rahman handed over a note verbale to Pakistans high commissioner Shuja Alam.

Officials familiar with the meeting said the envoy met Rahman for 15 minutes as Dhaka conveyed its distress over the Pakistan foreign offices statement on May 6 that expressed "deep concern" over the dismissal of Nizamis review petition by the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

They said Alam told Rahman that he would convey the protest to Islamabad.

The envoy was summoned a day after Bangladeshs junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said "We are disappointed with Pakistans reaction. We never welcome anyone interfering in our internal issues".

"I find this a serious issue, as these war criminals are trying to assure future generations with the notion that Pakistan as a state will be by their side. Otherwise why would Pakistan be so saddened by Nizamis death penalty?" he said.

The Pakistani statement had said "there is a need for reconciliation in Bangladesh in accordance with the spirit of tripartite agreement of April 1974 which calls for a forward looking approach in matters relating to the events of 1971".

"We (Islamabad) have also been following the reaction of the international community and human rights organisations to the controversial trials in Bangladesh, related to events of 1971," it said. PTI AR KUN AKJ KUN

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On April 28, RJD leader Anil Kumar, a mukhiya of the Singhaul panchayat, was returning home after seeing a doctor in Bihar's Saharsa district when he was stopped by three motorcycle-borne assailants who pumped four bullets into his body. Kumar, who died of his gunshot wounds, had been head of the panchayat for three terms and had fielded his wife Amanna Devi after the seat was declared reserved for women. Bihar was the first state in the country to introduce 50 per cent reservation for women in all tiers of panchayats through the Bihar Panchayati Raj Act, 2006.

Sallauddin Ali, 36, the sitting mukhiya of Chourdargah panchayat in Sheikhpura district was luckier than Anil Kumar. He too was on his way home on April 4 when two men on a bike flagged his car. They must be potential voters, Sallauddin thought, as he told his driver to stop. The car stopped, he rolled down the window, stuck his hand out. But it was a mistake. The man in the riding seat shouted, "Yahi hai mukhiya" and the pillion immediately fired. Luckily, the bullet only struck Ali's left forearm. The hitman took aim again but this time his gun misfired.

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Sallauddin, part of the ruling JD(U), isn't, like Anil Kumar, contesting this time. The young politician too followed the Bihari tradition of fielding his wife Shabina to contest the seat which has become reserved for women. "This obviously enraged my rivals. They know I won't let them win," he says.

Violence has marred the first and second phase of panchayat polls. Bihar has been preparing for the 10-phase panchayat elections, set to take place between April 24 and May 30. As many as 8,397 panchayat mukhiyas are to be elected, a minimum 50 per cent of them women (in reserved seats). It's a contest which could outweigh the state elections, if not in significance, then certainly in the violence.

Bloody contest

In just the first three phases of the polls, the magnitude and extent of the violence has far exceeded the five phase of assmebly elections held in November last year. One person was killed in Nawada, and another political activist was grievously injured in Saharsa district. In southeast Bihar's Banka district, village strongman Kapildev Singh was beaten to death for not supporting the candidature of the sitting mukhiya.

The vicious circle of violence had, in fact, begun earlier. Prominent eastern Bihar lawyer from Naugachchia, Pramod Rai, was shot dead on March 15, shortly after he fielded his wife Renu Devi for the zila parishad (district board) post. "The murder is a fallout of his wife deciding to contest. We'll let the cops investigate till the elections are over. After, that we will see that justice is done," says Pawan Rai, the deceased's younger brother. Pawan, a sitting mukhiya, opted out this year, and is putting all his efforts into getting his sister-in-law elected.

Sarfaraz Ali, mukhiya of Chordargah village, Sheikhpura district of Bihar, recuperating from his injuries. Photo: Ranjan Rahi Sarfaraz Ali, mukhiya of Chordargah village, Sheikhpura district of Bihar, recuperating from his injuries. Photo: Ranjan Rahi

In the last five years, some 50 mukhiyas have been killed across the state. A day before Pramod Rai's murder, another mukhiya candidate, Kanhaiya Singh, was shot dead while he was sleeping, at home in Gopalganj, a district at the northwestern tip of Bihar, at the other end of the state from Naugachchia, where Rai was murdered. But the most shocking assassination so far has been that of LJP sympathiser Brijnathi Singh. He was killed on the outskirts of Patna on February 5, bullets from two AK-47 rifles peppering his body.

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Singh, who was elected village head while in jail for a murder case in 2001, had a criminal history. That, and the use of assault rifles, seemed to suggest he fell victim to a gang war. It is more likely, however, that Singh's murder was linked to the panchayat polls.

Patna senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj says the wife of Brijnathi's rival Sunil Rai was contesting the upcoming panchayat polls for the position of block head of Raghopur in Vaishali. Brijnathi was the biggest roadblock. He was backing his sister-in-law, Munni Devi, the present block head who is seeking re-election. "We believe this was the main reason for his killing," says the Patna SSP.

The VIP mukhiya

So why this sudden spate of attacks on mukhiyas? Well, the post of village headman was always important but with the recent devolution of power, they now have a decisive say in the use of funds for development schemes funded by both the Centre and state governments. "I have got development works done for Rs 2 crore in a year. Funds are not an issue for someone willing to work. No wonder many rogue elements are eyeing the panchayat posts to make their fortunes," Sallauddin told india today.

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As fund allocations soar, local government in Bihar finds itself bumping up against new challenges, like less committed, more money-minded mukhiya aspirants. Back in June 2013, the police discovered disproportionate assets worth over Rs 4 crore when they raided the houses of two mukhiyas in West Champaran district.

The prospect of power and the added corruption possibilities have attracted the worst of elements. In Bihar, apart from the familiar practice of using MNREGA money to buy personal SUVs, over 20 lakh fake job cards have been found to have been used to make fraudulent payments.

The government has received a surfeit of corruption complaints against various mukhiyas. From allegations of corruption in the appointment of panchayat teachers to the embezzlement of Rs 12.9 crore allocated by village headmen of one district for the purchase of solar lamps, the questionable conduct of mukhiyas has rattled the government. But as of now, there is little that can be done to rein them in. Becoming a mukhiya is clearly a lucrative prospect in rural Bihar today. But, as the number of killings suggest, it's a privilege fraught with risk too.

Follow the writer on Twitter @Amitabh1975

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Anand Joshi has been accused of arbitrarily issuing notices to large number of NGOs and societies registered under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), who have been receiving significant amount of foreign contribution.

Raids were conducted at four locations, which are the residential and official premises of Anand Joshi, who recently transferred out of FRCA.

Cash of Rs 7.5 lakh approximately and some documents pertaining to Ministry of Home Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Ministry were found.

The foreigners division which looks into FCRA violation started an enquiry as files pertaining to activist Teesta Setalvad went missing in September 2015. The disappearance was linked to Anand Joshi.
"We have written to the authorities that they should cooperate with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) staff in carrying out checks," said a senior Union Health Ministry official.

By Neetu Chandra Sharma: The Union Health Ministry has written to embassies in the national Capital to not refuse entry to anti-mosquito squads. Due to security reasons, embassies and Union ministries don't let such squads enter their premises. This has led to larval growth and dengue cases in the past.

"Last year, dengue cases were reported from embassies in Delhi. We have written to the authorities that they should cooperate with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) staff in carrying out checks," said a senior Union Health Ministry official. According to officials, over 20 diplomats from Germany, UK, US, Canada, Pakistan, Australia, Italy and Palestine and their family members suffered from dengue last year. As per norms, NDMC officers inspect all buildings falling in NDMC areas every year to check mosquito breeding. They issue notices if mosquito breeding is noticed and defaulters are asked to reply within a week on what measures they have taken to stop breeding. If breeding is still found within their premises, NDMC issues challans. Foreign diplomatic missions are not bound by law to allow officials to check breeding and NDMC does not have the authority to issue challans or notices to them.



Heavy breeding

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NDMC is now planning to approach embassies and foreign missions with the request to provide access to its staff for inspecting their premises. In 2015, NDMC found heavy breeding of mosquitoes in at least 12 embassies including those of Ghana, Singapore, Malaysia, Ethiopia and the Czech Republic. "We can help them with remedial measures," said a ministry official. Not only embassies, authorities at government offices often don't let NDMC staff enter their premises for regular checks. "Last year, when NDMC inspectors walked into the Home Ministry building to check if there was mosquito breeding, they faced resistance from officials. Later, when they somehow managed to enter the premises, heavy breeding of mosquitoes was found," said the health ministry official.

With dengue season approaching, mosquito breeding has been noticed in over 200 prominent buildings in Delhi's VIP zone including those housing offices of the Environment and Telecommunication ministries and AIIMS following which the civic body has served notices to them. Lady Hardinge Hospital, AIIMS, RML Hospital, Paryavaran Bhawan, Meghdoot Bhawan, Sanchar Bhawan, Baroda House, Kashmir House, Red Cross Society, Shivaji Stadium and Delhi High Court have been served notices by the NDMC after vector-carrying mosquitoes were found breeding in their premises. A challan has also been issued to the All India Radio.



Counter steps

"Our inspection team has already started field visits and surveillance work. A total of 225 notices have been issued so far in the first phase. The team is reviewing the mosquitogenic conditions and offices are being asked to take preventive measures," said Dr RN Singh, Chief Medical Officer, NDMC. Last year, NDMC had issued over 125 notices to the President's Estate after heavy mosquito-breeding was found at various places on its sprawling campus. However, officials say the situation has improved this year. "After repeated notices were sent to Rashtrapati Bhawan, a fourmember team was formed to work closely for taking precautionary and control measures, and the situation has largely improved. No breeding has been detected so far," Dr Singh said. Last year, with over 15,500 cases till mid-November, dengue outbreak was reported to be the worst in the city since 1996 when 10,252 cases and 423 deaths were reported.



The report

According to a municipal report, at least seven cases of dengue have been reported in the national Capital this year, with five of them in the first 10 days of April. The mosquitoes that transmit dengue live among humans and breed in discarded tyres, flower pots, old oil drums and water storage containers close to human dwellings and coolers etc. Unlike the mosquitoes that cause malaria, dengue mosquitoes bite during the day.

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Also Read

Indian scientists develop Dengue drug

Scientists develop dengue drug

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Dr Rohini Premkumari (67), was a world famous oncologist residing in Egmore, Chennai. She and her mother Dr Subadra Nair (88) were staying together.

Rohini Premkumari was found dead with her hands, legs tied and mouth closed with a medical tape by Rohini's former employee Parameswaran.

Parameswaran went to check on Rohini Premkumari as Subadra had called him to find out what was wrong.

According to the police, Rohini Premkumari had suffered a blow on her head with a hard object.

Earlier Rohini Premkumari had heated arguments with a contractor for overcharging her in a renovation work.
According to the police, they received a tip-off about the striptease in the upscale bar on Field Marshal K M Cariappa Road in the city. They raided the bar and found several girls performing a striptease while customers threw currency notes at them

By Mail Today: The Bengaluru police have arrested 37 people from the Times Bar & Restaurant in the heart of the city for allegedly organizing a striptease, on Saturday night.

According to the police, they received a tip-off about the striptease in the upscale bar on Field Marshal K M Cariappa Road in the city. They raided the bar and found several girls performing a striptease while customers threw currency notes at them. As many as 77 girls from Nepal and Bihar were rescued from the bar.

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The police found cash worth Rs 2 lakh strewn on the bar floor by customers. The owners of the bar - Gangashetty and his partners, Omprakash Yadav, Vanitha, Shanti Swaroop, Dhanendra and Syed Sameer - are absconding. The police said that they would lure girls from economically weaker families by offering them jobs, but force them into strip tease at the bar.

Multiple cases have been filed against the owners of the bar by the police, who have launched an extensive hunt to nab them.

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) Delhi Police will soon have its own "deradicalisation" centre and a monitoring team to track down youths being radicalised through social media and provide them with right counselling.

The decision came after the polices anti-terrorism unit Special Cell detained 10 youths for their alleged ideological leaning towards banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and later let them off, failing to gather adequate evidence.

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However, six of them were summoned and questioned at the Special Cell office for a few hours today, after which the investigators let them off again.

They were confronted with evidence which the agency has acquired from a pen drive recovered from one of the three arrested accused and the decoded input obtained from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

CERT-In is government of Indias nodal agency that deals with cyber security threats, which Delhi Police had approached for help in the case.

"The idea of a deradicalisation centre has been approved by the Police Commissioner. The centre will have counselling facilities and a social network monitoring team to track down youths who are radicalised through social media and are in the early stages," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said.

He further said "once tracked, the youths will be counselled by experts, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and community leaders, in the right way and within the right time."

While four of the 10 youths who were released on Saturday have been given a clean chit, the police had arranged for them counselling sessions with a clinical psychologist, the other six will be summoned on and off for questioning at the Special Cell office in Lodhi Colony here.

"Their guardians have given undertaking that they will make sure the boys lead their lives in the right path in future," Deep said.

Delhi Police had picked up 13 youths for alleged links with Pakistan-based terror group JeM after a late night operation on Tuesday and later arrested three Sajid, Sameer Ahmed and Shakir Ansari.

Officials privy to the investigation said that they have recovered videos of Osama Bin Laden from the trio and suspect that they were influenced by his ideas too.

The investigators had earlier claimed that the trio were initially inspired by dreaded ISIS and later shifted their ideological leaning. PTI DEY PAL

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By PTI: Nainital/New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) Sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat today got a major boost ahead of the confidence vote in the Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow with the High Court dismissing the petition of nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification and the Supreme Court refusing to give any relief to them.

It is advantage Rawat as Justice U C Dhyani of the High Court dismissed two writ petitions filed by the rebel Congress MLAs against the Speakers action, holding that by their conduct the lawmakers have "voluntarily given up membership of their political party", a ground for disqualification under the anti-defection law.

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"This court, subject to scrutiny of Speakers action on the principles of natural justice, therefore, holds that the ingredients of paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution are met against the petitioners.

"By their conduct, it has been established that they have voluntarily given up membership of their political party, even if they have not become members of any other political party," Justice U C Dhyani said in his 57-page judgement. After excluding the nine disqualified MLAs, the Assembly has an effective strength of 61 members. Of that, the Congress has 27 MLAs on its own and claims the backing of six-member PDF to make the ruling sides figure of 33. Rawat needs the backing of 31 MLAs for a simple majority. The BJP has 28 MLAs, including that of Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty is in doubt. The PDF comprises two of BSP, one of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and three Independents. The High Court judgement referred to the joint memorandum signed by the nine MLAs along with the BJP legislators and given to the Governor on March 18 and said dissent is not defection and the Tenth Schedule while recognising dissent prohibits defection. "The instant case is an illustration of the fact that the petitioners have not only deserted the leader and deserted the Government, but under the garb of dissent, they have, by their conduct, deserted the party, otherwise they would not have said in the joint memorandum that they voted against the Appropriation Bill, it was not passed, the Government is in minority and, therefore, the Cabinet of Harish Rawat be dismissed. "There is a thin line of difference between deserting the Leader/Government and deserting the party. Dissent is permissible only so long as it does not tread into the realm of ?voluntarily relinquishing the membership of the party?.

"If dissent is permitted to unfathomable limit, then it will amount to deserting the party and would also tantamount to ?voluntarily giving up his membership of such political party? under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule," Justice Dhyani said. (More) PTI ALM RKS MNL PKS VSC

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Delhi University (DU) today clarified that the PM's records have been maintained in DU and he cleared his BA exams from the University in 1978. He was awarded the degree in 1979.

By India Today Web Desk: After all the brouhaha over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's so-called 'fake certificate', Delhi University (DU) came forward today and clarified that the PM's records have been maintained in DU and he cleared his BA exams from the University in 1978. He was awarded the degree in 1979.

DU also said that two different roll number's were allotted to Modi in 1977 and 1978 and his name 'Narendra Kumar Damodar Das Mody', which was seen on a marksheet flashed by AAP leader Ashutosh on TV, is nothing but a spelling mistake.

A copy of the certificate flashed by Ashutosh.

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Moments after Amit Shah flashed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA and MA degrees at a press conference and demanded an apology from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for raking up a false issue, the AAP hit back, claiming that the degrees displayed by the BJP president were fake.

"PM Narendra Modi's degrees shown by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley are fake and forged," senior AAP leader Ashutosh had said as he asked how the two degrees have two different names. "The BA degree {shown below} has Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while the MA degree says his name is Narendra Damodardas Modi," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged fake BA certificate.

Accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of turning a "blatant lie into truth", BJP chief Amit Shah today displayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degrees as his party tried to clear the air around the Prime Minister's educational qualifications.

"We are putting both the degrees of the Prime Minister, the Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University and the MA from Gujarat University in public domain," Shah told in a press conference he addressed with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The BJP on today made public the BA and MA degrees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought an apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for accusing Modi of lying about his educational qualification.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged fake MA certificate.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Delhi's Babarpur constituency Naresh Gaur on Monday vouched that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stayed with him in 1974 when he came to Delhi to appear for his B.A. first year exams at Delhi University (DU).

"Modi ji stayed with me at the ABVP office at 33, Bungalow Road when he came to appear for his first year B.A. exams. He was an ordinary party worker back then," Gaur, a three-time legislator from Babarpur constituency in north-east Delhi, said.

However, Gaur said it was the only time that he saw Modi appearing for Delhi University exams.

"In 1975, during the Emergency we were arrested and stayed in jail for close to 10 months. I don't know what happened after that," Gaur said.

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He was speaking on the sidelines of the press conference held here by BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Modi's educational qualifications.

But, said Gaur, he was "sure" that Modi's degree from DU was real.

"I am one thousand percent sure that Modi's degree is real and not fake," he said.

Gaur said that there were spare rooms at the office where party workers from outside Delhi could briefly stay, and that he himself stayed all the time at the office as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak. Bungalow Road is close to Delhi University.

ALSO READ:

PM Modi's degrees flashed by Amit Shah fake and forged, alleges AAP

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Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Yusuf Pathan is in a happy space and in the middle of great form, thanks to his second child. The Baroda batsman, in an exclusive chat revealed his softer side for his fans.

By Ateet Sharma : Amidst all the hullabaloo surrounding an IPL franchise owned by a Bollywood superstar, Yusuf Pathan stands like a man who has the ability to hit the mute button and slip into HIS territory anytime. (Full IPL Coverage)



Travelling, jet lag, adoring fans waiting to mob their heroes at the team hotel post midnight and after a energy-sapping game, the elder Pathan never complains about anything. Patience and perspective are this knight's most important virtue these days.

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"Look at these children, they must've been waiting for me since last so many hours. Bachhe farishtey hote hain (kids are angels). I make sure nobody goes back home disappointed," Yusuf tells India Today in an exclusive chat as a young Kolkata Knight Riders fan nervously juggles with his selfie stick.

Having become father for the second time in the middle of the current IPL season, one can sense the source of Yusuf's latest burst of energy.

"True that! I am in such a happy zone. There was a gap between our matches when my second son was born so I was lucky enough to go home and meet him. I still change my elder son's diapers, now comes more responsibility. I have always believed that fathers should also play an important role in a child's upbringing," he says.

That happy zone has extended to the playing field as well.

Yusuf happy and deadly

With 228 runs from 10 matches, Yusuf is the third highest run-getter for the Knight Riders this season. Many would dub this as a fairly decent show considering that the first two on that list - skipper Gautam Gambhir and his opening partner Robin Uthappa - have hardly let anyone else bat this time around.

Yusuf's blitzkrieg 29-ball 60 against Bangalore and another unbeaten 41-ball 63 vs Gujarat on Sunday helped KKR recover from a precarious situation. Another 106 runs in the remaining four games and 2016 will become Yusuf's second-best IPL season ever after the inaugural edition in 2008 when he aggregated 435 runs from 16 games.

Click here to Enlarge Image was posted by Yusuf Pathan on Instagram.

"Mashallah. This season is going really well for me. I want to finish it on a high. Our team is winning, it is a happy dressing room with every individual contributing. Good that we have been doing well right from the start, being the top team in the league. At KKR, we want to carry this momentum till the end."

Putting a price tag on his wicket

The 2016 version of Yusuf Pathan is also a lot different from the slam-bang big hitter of yesteryears. In six of the 10 innings this season, the 33-year-old has got a 'not out' tag attached to the runs scored from his bat.

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"Yes, I have made quite a few changes in my technique now. I am now more experienced, more wiser. Moreover, I have constantly assessed my game sitting with seniors like (Jacques) Kallis, (Simon) Katich and (Wasim) Akram. Having them around has helped a lot. I know that the opposition team will always be under more pressure if I stand in the middle for long. I wait for my big overs now instead of having a go at every ball. I have realised this, implemented it in my batting and the results are showing," said Yusuf.

'Happy to have the skipper's trust'

Faith and form restored, Yusuf is happy that skipper Gambhir is giving him a chance to bat up the order.

"I have always justified the faith skipper has shown in me. I have passed in every exam. I am happy the way captain is using me, good for me as well as the team if I come up the batting order and get more overs to bat," says the Baroda batsman.



With runs comes the hope of making a comeback in the Indian team. It's been four years since Yusuf was last seen in Team India colours.

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"I am trying everything to make a comeback in the Indian team. I am working hard and I will definitely come back in the Indian team," he assures.

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This object is going to be 18 times more expensive than the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building in Dubai and the cost for building it, will be a whopping 24 billion pounds.

By India Today Web Desk: A new nuclear power station is set to be the most expensive object on Earth according to environment charity Greenpeace.

In Greenpeace's estimation, the proposed nuclear power station located in the south-west of the UK, the nuclear power plant named Hinkley Point C will cost a whopping 24 billion pounds (35 billion dollars).

The proposed new nuclear plant in Somerset called Hinkley Point C will be first nuclear power station to come up in the UK in 30 years.



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The plant is so expensive that it overshadows the cost of Burj Khalifa by 18 times and is going to cost five times more than Large Hadron Collider, which is the world's largest and most complex particle collider. It will also dwarf the 2.2 billion pound cost of Heathrow Airport Terminal 2.

The environmental charity Greenpeace launched a petition against the project blaming the French energy firm for giving a low an estimate for the plant's construction.

Emeritus professor of energy policy at Greenwich University Steve Thomas said: "Nuclear power plants are the most complicated piece of equipment we make.

"Cost of nuclear power plants has tended to go up throughout history as accidents happen and we design measures to deal with the risk."

Hinkley Point C has the potential to exceed the costs for historical buildings including the Great Pyramid of Giza, constructed more than 4,500 years ago.

While the new power plant might be the most expensive object on our planet, it is not the most expensive in the Universe and it definitely cannot touch the cost of the International Space Station which stands at 77.6 billion pounds.





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By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, May 9 (PTI) Facebook has warded off a threat to its trademark in China with a Beijing court ruling against a Chinese firm to use the famous name for its beverage, providing a rare trademark victory for the US social networking giant in the Communist nation.

The Beijing Municipal High Peoples Court said the local firm Zhongshan-based Zhujiang Beverage had "violated moral principles" with "obvious intention to duplicate and copy from another high-profile trademark", BBC reported.

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Zhujiang Beverage, which sells products like milk-flavored drinks and porridge, said it registered its trademark "face book" in 2011. The company faced objections from Facebook, but gained approval from the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board the countrys trademark authority in 2014 to use it.

Facebook is blocked in China since 2009 but its founder Mark Zuckerberg who is married to a Chinese has recently gone on acharm offenciveto access the Chinese market.

Along with other social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook is currently blocked to nearly 700 million internet users in China.

The court judgement was a reprieve of sorts for the Facebook as Apple last week lost itstrademark fight in Chinato a handbag firm which won legal case to retain the name Iphone.

The court ruling in favour of Facebook has led Chinese local media to speculate whether Beijings hard stance against Facebook might soften.

During a recent visit to China, Zuckerberg met with Chinas propaganda chief Liu Yunshan as well as fellow media guru Jack Ma.

In whatcritics described as a publicity stuntto win Chinas favour, he also went for a run on Beijings Tiananmen Square despite heavy pollution and also achieved celebrity status by making speeches in Mandarin. PTI KJV AMS ASK AKJ AMS

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar does not think that investigations of the police into the Gaya road rage case is slow and shoddy.

Janata Dal (United) MLC Manorama Devi's son Rocky - who is main accused in the Gaya road rage case - is on the run since the last two days.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar does not think that investigations of the police into the Gaya road rage case is slow and shoddy. The police is in fact being lauded by the Bihar CM.

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Here are the updates:

Reacting to the Gaya road rage incident after two days, Nitish asserted that the accused in this matter, son of JDU MLC Manorama Devi will not be allowed to escape. Speaking on the sidelines of his weekly junta durbar, Nitish said that strictest possible action will be taken against Rocky and searches were been carried out at all possible locations to apprehend him. Nitish rejected opposition's charges that the police was going slow in the investigation, considering it was a high profile matter. Nitish Kumar said the police was carrying out investigations in a free and fair manner and the work of the police should be lauded. Nitish Kumar also hinted action against MLC Manorama Devi if she is involved in the incident. "Nobody will be allowed to take law into his hand. Strict action will be taken in the case. For how long will the accused run away from law? The work being done by the police in the Gaya road rage case is commendable. Action against the MLC only after her involvement in incident comes to light," Nitish Kumar said. The Bihar CM defended the rising crime graph in the state and "jungleraj" barbs of the opposition by taking an alibi that Delhi witnessed greater number of crime despite the Centre having the police in their hands. "The crime rate in Bihar is very less in comparison to Delhi where policing is in hands of the Central government," he said. Nitish also slammed the BJP government at the Centre for making personal attacks on Congress's top leadership over the AgustaWestland scam. He said personal attacks are not a healthy trend in politics.

Also Read: Gaya road rage: Action will be taken against guilty, says Nitish Kumar

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Chhagan Bhujbal, the former Deputy CM of Maharashtra is currently lodged in the Arthur Road Jail and is facing charges of money laundering.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar has reportedly distanced the NCP from its top leader Chhagan Bhujbal over charges of money laundering.

Speaking to reporters in Satara, Pawar said that if Bhujbal has done anything wrong he will pay the price for it. He also added that if the govt has done wrong to Bhujbal they too will have to pay the price.

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Bhujbal, the former Deputy CM of Maharashtra, is currently lodged in the Arthur Road Jail and is facing charges of money laundering.

Ever since Bhujbal's arrest, the party has maintained a safe distance from him. The former Shivsainik was once the OBC face of the party. Bhujbal was also the first President of the state unit after the party was formed in 1999 when Pawar left the Congress.

Bhujbal's nephew and former MP Sameer too is arrested under Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Unlike Congress that rallied firmly behind Ashok Chavan over allegations of involvement in the Adarsh Scam, NCP supremo's stand of distancing the party from one of its top leaders has taken many in the political circle by surprise.

Recently pictures of a frail looking Bhujbal inside the jail went viral on social media. Even then there was little reaction from the party.

Bhujbal has been in jail for over 2 months. Now with the Party President himself distancing, it looks like the party has dumped one of its top leaders and left him to fight his own battle.

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A passionate dog lover, Dushyant Singh had been feeding the strays and taking care of their medical issues for almost a year.

By Vishakha Saxena: On the afternoon of May 6, 20-year-old Mumbai resident Dushyant Singh returned home from college to encounter a distraught security guard. He informed Singh that one his beloved strays - the white one - had died.

What Singh and his neighbour Shubhang Sharma discovered after that was a horrifying scene that he's still coming to terms with - 15 dogs poisoned to death, including the mother of seven 15-day-old puppies. Another seven strays missing.

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"One of them was still trying to survive, I took him to the vet but on our way, I lost him too," Singh told India Today. He knew they had been poisoned right away - they were foaming at the mouth. Singh, his family members and Sharma then returned to their Mira Road locality to collect the bodies and file an FIR.

A passionate dog lover, Singh had been feeding the strays and taking care of their medical issues for almost a year.

Eventually, the group tracked down a CCTV camera in their society that showed a local butcher Shyamlal Badal allegedly feeding poisoned meat to the dogs.

The 60-year-old butcher however, denied the allegations.

That was just the beginning of Singh's frustrations. Fellow residents remained indifferent and the police initially refused to file an FIR. When they did come through, they sent Badal home for lack of eyewitnesses. He was to appear again on Monday, and the onus was on Singh and his friends and family to find the proof linking Badal to the crime.

The group caught their second big break when they found the bag in which Badal allegedly carried the meat and poison. "CCTV caught him throwing the bag at a spot, so we rushed and (were) lucky enough to find that bag," he says. They even have eyewitnesses whose identities are being protected.



***

A little past midnight, Singh (@De****tiveHumor) took to Twitter to express his anguish. "Sare dogs khatam ho gaye except 15-day old puppies. If you can't feed them, at least don't kill them. They don't take anything from you. Humanity is a myth now," he wrote. While some users abused him and accused him of spreading fake stories, Singh's tweets caught attention.

On Saturday, a vet performed the post-mortem and declared the dogs had been poisoned by meat laced with pesticide. Pawa India - an animal welfare and rights NGO - also joined their efforts and together they buried the 15 dead strays. Singh is still looking for the remaining seven.

***

According to a Midday report, Badal told some residents that he had killed the dogs because they attacked his goats and pigs.

Singh believes this is not the first time Badal has indulged in mass killings of dogs. He alleges Badal killed "more than 50 dogs" in Sai Baba Nagar - a locality two kilometres from Mira Road - in January this year. "...Dogs there died in a same way," he says. "I saw a few bodies and walked away," he adds.

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On Monday, Singh tweeted two pictures of Badal. One of them showed the butcher holding his ears - "he was saying sorry to us, it was when he came to the police station on Saturday," says Singh. Officially, however, Badal has refused any role in the incident.

Guys, this is the face of that guy (in white) who killed all the dogs. Please RT this. pic.twitter.com/BgckCv5O6IChaukanna Chor (@DefucktiveHumor) May 9, 2016

***

Dushyant Singh has worked hard to bring justice to the dead strays. He's even working on trying to get the orphaned pups adopted, but what he saw has almost scarred him. "I've never seen so many dead bodies ever in my life, I am just 20 years old," he says.

15 day old puppies up for adoption. contact @DefucktiveHumor for details pic.twitter.com/QiIWK8D0htWelfareofStrayDogs (@WSDIndia) May 9, 2016





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By PTI: Aizawl, May 9 (PTI) The administration of Mamit district on the Mizoram-Bangladesh border today issued an order prohibiting import of chicken, bird, duck and eggs from Bangladesh and Tripura.

Mamit district magistrate Lalbiaksangi issued the prohibitory order after it was learned that a bird flu outbreak had been recently reported in Bangladesh.

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She also issued an order prohibiting transportation of pig and cow from other districts of Mizoram and also neighbouring Tripura and Bangladesh.

In some Mizoram districts, there is an outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Foot and Mouth Disease among the cattle. At least 2,300 pigs have died due to PRRS in Champhai district on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, according to H Lalrinzuala, general secretary of the Champhai Area Vawk Vulh Association today. Lalrinzuala told PTI over phone that there might be a number of pig deaths which went unreported. The cause of deaths of pigs in south Mizorams Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts were yet to be determined as the samples of the dead and sick pigs were being sent for tests to the laboratories. PTI HCV MD MD

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) An Indian woman working in Saudi Arabia, who was allegedly tortured by her employer leading to her death, had died due to "natural reasons", External Affairs Ministry said today.

Her family had claimed she lost her life because of torture by her Saudi employer.

Reacting to reports about the death of Asima Khatoon in Riyadh, reportedly due to torture by her sponsor last week, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said,"On receipt of information, our Embassy in Riyadh sent one of its officials to King Saud Chest Disease Hospital, Riyadh, one of the reputed Hospitals for TB, today.

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"He was told by the Mortuary In-charge that she was admitted in the Hospital on 27 of last month and later on shifted to the ICU. The death was due to natural reasons and he was informed that all the requisite documents have been handed over to the sponsor for submission to the Embassy."

However, Hyderabad police received a complaint from the deceased womans mother Ghousia Khtoon alleging that her daughter, who left for Saudi Arabia last December, was tortured by her master, which subsequently led to her death.

"Khtoon alleged that she received a call on May 2 from Saudi Arabia saying her daughter had some chest complaint and was admitted to a hospital and died the same day," police inspector G Ramesh told PTI in Hyderabad.

Swarup also noted that the sponsor had visited the Embassy on May 3 (by when the matter had not been reported in the media) and again today, for completing the documentation in order to transport her mortal remains to India.

"As per the death report, she died on May 2 due to disseminated TB and multi-organ failure. Further, according to the report, she received anti-TB drugs in 2012 for 3 months," the Spokesperson said, adding the Embassy was in touch with the family of the deceased in India to determine future course of action.

According to the sponsor, Asima Khatoon worked for him for 4 months and 16 days in return for which he has deposited five months? salary with the Embassy, he added. PTI PYK SK

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While Deepika Singh enjoyed homemade golgappas on the sets of Diya Aur Baati Hum, Rashami Desai has found a way to stay in weekend mode. Here's what TV stars posted on Instagram this week.

Here's what TV stars did this weekend. Picture courtesy: Instagram: Deepika Singh; Instagram/Rashami Desai

By India Today Web Desk: What's Yeh Hai Mohabbatein star Divyanka Tripathi doing when not giving perfect shots for her hit daily soap? Well, she's Instagramming interesting stuff. Like this week, she posted a throwback picture with beau Vivek Dahiya.

Arjun Bijlani won a Man of the Match award in a BCL 2 match and he had to share it with his fans. What else happened in your favourite TV stars' life?

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You will rarely find a boring Instagram post on Divyanka Tripathi's page. Especially when it comes to posing with beau Vivek Dahiya, the actress goes all a bit crazy. Now, that's too 'mooch' love, really. Check out.



#LostAndFound... A #VeryOldSelfie! #Nautankiiss @vivekdahiya08 &#Me?? A photo posted by Divyanka Tripathi (@divyankatripathi) on May 8, 2016 at 3:14pm PDT

Arjun Bijlani has been the face of Mumbai Tigers in Box Cricket League season 2 on Colors. So when he got this dream trophy, it was naturally a special moment for him to share on Instagram.





Kishwer Merchant and Suyyash Rai who will tie the knot soon, are having the time of their life these days. The lucky couple gets a lot of time together. Is this the secret to their happy relationship?





Thank u for being my strength.. Everytime i lose hope and faith.. U remind me tht u are there standing rite behind me, and u actually make thgs alright everytime !!! P.S : am a lucky girl .. ???????? A photo posted by Kishwer (@kishwersmerchantt) on May 7, 2016 at 9:01am PDT

Aww! Chintoo Sharma aka Bharti Singh poses with this cute kid. Or shall we say, two cute kids pose together for the camera?





Happy birth day my love #ishu#heartbeat #baby#angel#girl#???????????????????????????????????? A photo posted by Bharti Singh (@bharti.laughterqueen) on May 8, 2016 at 4:59pm PDT

Bhabho feeds Sandhya aka Deepika Singh homemade golgappas on the sets of Diya Aur Baati Hum.



Homemade golgappe calls for a break #onset???? #Madness My darling bhabho feeding me?????? A photo posted by Deepika Singh (@deepikasingh150) on May 8, 2016 at 9:53pm PDT

The weekend is over, but Rashami Desai is still in Saturday mode. Here's why:





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Have we missed an interesting post here? Do share in the comments box below.



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Bollywood's most eligible bachelor, Salman Khan, might finally settle down with girlfriend Iulia Vantur this year. But there is a twist in their love story. Rumour has it that Salman's closeness with his ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif is giving Iulia sleepless nights.

By India Today Web Desk: Bollywood's most eligible bachelor, Salman Khan, might finally settle down this year. If reports are to be believed, Salman will tie the knot with rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur. Buzz has it that Iulia and Salman have been dating for more than a year now and the two are ready to take their relationship to the next level. But there is a twist in their love story. Rumour has it that Salman's closeness with his ex-girlfriend Katrina Kaif is giving Iulia sleepless nights.

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ALSO READ: Salman Khan to finally get married to rumoured girlfriend Iulia Vantur?

ALSO READ: Ranbir-Katrina break-up, Katrina Kaif chooses Salman Khan over Ranbir Kapoor



Ever ever since Katrina broke up with Ranbir Kapoor, the Bang Bang actor has often been spotted with Salman. In fact, Katrina's closeness to Salman was cited as one of the reasons behind Ranbir-Katrina break-up.

In fact, rumour has it that Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor is helping Katrina revive her career after a string of flops. Buzz has it that she might be roped in Kabir Khan's next, opposite Salman.

Salman Khan and Iulia Vantur

And if a report in Spotboye.com is to be believed, the Romanian beauty isn't too pleased with Salman giving too much attention to Katrina. The website further stated that Iulia has her reasons to worry and she isn't ready to take things lying down.

The report suggested that Iulia had a heart-to-heart discussion with Salman, explaining her fears. A source close to Salman was quoted as telling the website, "Iulia told him that she is very happy that he is helping Katrina in her troubled times. But she also hinted that his proximity to Kat disturbs her on some level."

The source added that, however, Salman has assured her that she has nothing to worry.

On the work front, Salman is currently busy shooting for Ali Abbas Zafar's upcoming film Sultan. The actor will essay the role of a wrestler in the sports-based film. It is set to hit the screens on Eid.

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We don't have any official reason why Apple was denied permission to sell refurbished iPhones in India. But there are speculations.

By India Today Web Desk: India recently rejected Apple's plan to sell refurbished iPhones in India. But we don't have any official reason why it happened. But there are speculations.

One of the reasons could be India's problem with the e-waste. For example, see this info graphics that highlights this issue amply.

Graphics credit: Newsflicks



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Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Kapoor bonded really well at IIFA 2015 and since then there have been rumours related to their link-up.

By India Today Web Desk: Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Kapoor bonded really well at IIFA 2015 and since then there have been rumours related to their link-up. Jacqueline has always maintained that Arjun is only a close friend and it's said that Sonam Kapoor played role of the matchmaker.

ALSO READ: Jacqueline Fernandez, Arjun Kapoor the newest B-Town couple or just friends?



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In a recent interview to Times Of India, Jacqueline said that Sonam Kapoor never tried to set her up with Arjun. "Sonam never tried to set me up with Arjun, it was one of those lovely rumours. Sonam was one of the first people I met in the industry and from childhood she knows everyone here. So naturally, she introduced me to all of them. She has introduced me to Arjun and Varun, too. We are a group of friends now, and when these articles come out it's really funny," the Roy actor told the leading daily.

"We wonder which idiot opened his mouth, and did something silly or dumb. The good thing about having friends in the industry is that we also know what is going on in reality, so Arjun and I still joke about it. We say, 'Oh, we just heard we broke up!' Clarifying rumours with the person concerned is the most important thing, the rest don't count. Luckily, I have that equation with most of them to do that. Right now, the only love of my life is Mew Mew, and she's ignoring me," added Jacqueline.

Earlier, Arjun and Jacqueline walked the ramp for Manish Malhotra at the Lakme Fashion Week. And the two also had eyes for each other at the gala dinner for Prince William and Kate Middleton. In an earlier interview, Jacqueline had said, "I'm not dating him. Arjun has been my one of earliest friends along with Sonam (Kapoor)."

Earlier in August 2015, Jacqueline had told PTI, "Arjun finds these link up stories hilarious. I also think it is quite funny. We are focused on our careers right now. We are just great friends and that's it. So, it is absurd to link us together. I am single."

On the work front, Jacqueline will next be seen in Housefull 3. And Arjun was last seen on the silver screen in R Balki's Ki And Ka.

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After confirming on Twitter that they are indeed breaking up, Upen Patel has now said he and ladylove Karishma Tanna are not splitting up, they're just going through some ups and downs.

By India Today Web Desk: Model-turned-actor Upen Patel and television actress and reality TV star Karishma Tanna's breakup news had majorly upset UpMa fans. Soon after the reports came out, the couple started trending across the web. But, in a new development, Upen deleted his earlier tweet where he confirmed the breakup--"Me and Karishma have both agreed to part ways. Thank you for all your love,"--and instead posted a new tweet saying the couple has decided to take time to evaluate their relationship.



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The fresh tweet indicates that they are just going through some ups and downs like any other regular couple.

All those who love us.We R not splitting up but just getting through our ups & downs like all relationships go through. Love conquers all ?? upen patel (@upenpatelworld) May 8, 2016

But if you look at his earlier posts, it seems that all hasn't been well and that Upen has been feeling low and trying hard to keep the relationship going.

People spend too much time looking for more, instead of appreciating what they already have. upen patel (@upenpatelworld) April 27, 2016

Upen Patel also told TOI that they still love each other but are not in a good space. "It's not a breakup. Every relationship goes through ups and downs. We definitely love each other, but at the moment, we are not in a good space. And hence, we have decided to take time apart from each other and evaluate our relationship. We love each other, but this is a tough time for us. We hope to get through this phase and get back together. We are trying to work out our differences and come back stronger."

This is what Karishma had to say when contacted by Tellychakkar: "Every couple has issues and fights and they do overcome it. No relationship is perfect and I do not even want one, as then it would be too boring. We are pretty much together and I don't think anyone has the right to comment on our career matters."



Don't get disheartened UpMa fans; it looks like it's just a rough phase.



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By PTI: Mathura, May 9 (PTI) A Kazakh national was found dead at a room of Nikunj Ashram in Vrindavan today, police said.

"Birzhan Umurzakov from Kazakhstan, who was on tourist Visa, hired a room in Nikunj Ashram under Vrindavan Police Station area last evening," police said.

This morning, when he did not open the door, police was informed, following which they reached the spot and recovered the body from the room..

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The Embassy of Kazakhstan has been informed and the body has been kept in the mortuary, they said. PTI CORR NSD PAL NSD

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By PTI: New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) Kuwait has imposed a ban on imports of poultry products from India in the wake of bird flu outbreak in Tripura on January 4, Parliament was informed today.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that information is being shared to sensitise the importing countries that establishment based compartmentalisation is possible in India and the same may be considered for import of the products from India.

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"In the wake of incidence of outbreak of bird flu in Tripura on January 4, Kuwait has imposed a ban on imports of poultry products from India," she said. The export of poultry products to Kuwait during December 2015 was USD 0.05 million (Rs 0.33 crore) and in January and February 2016 it was Rs 0.65 crore and Rs 0.17 crore, respectively.

Replying to a separate question, she said the government has "not" given any licence for import of Chinese fireworks so far.

All the chief ministers of states have been asked to direct the concerned authorities to keep a close vigil on clandestine imports and its sale, she said.

"Advertisements were also published in various national and regional newspapers across the country to sensitise public against using illegally imported fireworks and their harmful effects," she added.

Department of Revenue Intelligence and customs authorities have also been sensitised to confiscate clandestinely imported fireworks and taking appropriate action against illegal importers and sellers.

In 2015-16, 12.7 tonnes of fireworks have been exported from India. In the same fiscal, 1,19,972 tonnes of fireworks have been produced in and around Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. PTI RR SBT MR

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By PTI: Hyderabad, May 9 (PTI) A 34-year-old woman from here was tortured to death by her employer in Saudi Arabia, her mother has alleged.

A complaint was received by Reinbazar police from Ghousia Khtoom, a resident of Chadarghat, alleging that her daughter, who left for Saudi Arabia last December, was tortured by her master, which subsequently led to her death.

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"Khtoom alleged that she received a call on May 2 from Saudi Arabia saying her daughter had some chest complaint and was admitted to a hospital and died on the same day," police inspector G Ramesh told PTI today.

"Through the Telangana government, police have requested the Indian Embassy (in Saudi Arabia) there to help bring her body here. Khtoom alleged that her daughter died due to the torture meted out to her," the officer said.

A case has been registered and investigations are underway, he said. PTI GDK NRB RSY ZMN

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Rumours were in circulation in Kathmandu from Sunday that the government was preparing to declare Rae, who was said to have breached several diplomatic norms - including the Vienna Convention - persona non-grata (PNG), meaninging his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Nepal has rubbished rumours of plans to expel Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae following the cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandrai's visit to New Delhi and the recall of its envoy from New Delhi.

Rumours were in circulation in Kathmandu from Sunday that the government was preparing to declare Rae, who was said to have breached several diplomatic norms - including the Vienna Convention - persona non-grata (PNG), meaninging his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

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The rumours gained ground after Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli cancelled Bhandarai's visit and recalled Nepal's Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Uphadhya apparently in retaliation of India's supposed hand in toppling his government.

After some media outlets reported that a closed door meeting at Oli's residence discussed possibility of declaring Rae PNG, this simultaneously created turmoil in New Delhi and Kathmandu prompting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa to issue a statement on Sunday evening saying: "Some media speculation regarding Nepal government mulling expulsion of Indian Ambassador Rae is baseless and is aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations."



Also read:

Nepal mulls action against Indian envoy alleging interference

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The decision has been made to eliminate any sort of discrimination based on a woman's pregnancy.

By India Today Web Desk: In a new set of laws proposed by the New York City Human Rights Commission, women in New York cannot be denied alcohol on the pretext of their pregnancy.

The decision was made as an effort on the part of the commission to eliminate any sort of discrimination based on a woman's pregnancy--that renders them weaker or less capable in any way.

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Also Read: If you are pregnant, stop using cosmetics

The guidelines state, "Judgments and stereotypes about how pregnant individuals should behave, their physical capabilities, and what is or is not healthy for a foetus are pervasive in our society and cannot be used as pretext for unlawful discriminatory decisions."

According to The Associated Press, "Although it is still required for New York City bars to post signs warning against the dangers of drinking while pregnant, human rights advocates believe in a woman's right to make her own health decisions."

While some human rights activists believe that this decision is a rather progressive one, some conservative societies inclusive of certain US states, still choose to believe that exposing a foetus to alcohol is an act to be avoided and in some extreme cases, punished.

Also Read: Active pregnant ladies may give birth to exercise-friendly babies

Apart from this decision, the commission has further gone ahead and stated that some rules like "eating desk lunches or tweaking their hours unexpectedly" should also be made permissible in order to make things more convenient for moms-to-be.

So all the pregnant ladies in New York City can not only make full use of the happy hours at their favourite bars should they wish to, but also eat lunch at their office desks.

Three cheers to a free world!



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Against the wish of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala is thinking of electing CPIM-led LDF dumping both Oommen Chandy's developmental agenda and the BJP's Hindutva agenda.

By Jeemon Jacob: It seems that history is going to repeat once again in Kerala poll. Against the wish of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala is thinking of electing CPIM led LDF dumping both Oommen Chandy's developmental agenda and Modi's Hindutva agenda, indicates pre-poll survey conducted by IMEG, Institute for Monitoring Economic Growth based in Thiruvananthapuram.

IMEG, a collective of statisticians, headed by A Meera sahib, former Director of Statistical Department claims that LDF may get 83-90 seats in the 2016 Assembly poll while Congress led UDF play the loser with 50 to 57 seats. BJP-led NDA may not open account in the Assembly.

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The survey conducted among 60000 voters from South, Central and North regions of the state from April 20 to May 6 assures that NDA would increase its vote share as the Front is contesting in all 140 constituencies of the state.

"Much against to the claims of BJP, only in four constituencies, tri-polar contest is witnessed. Nemom, Vatiyurkavu , Manjeshwaram and Kasargod are the constituencies where BJP is positioned as a formidable force. But in other constituencies, BJP candidates decide the winner as Congress going to be a loser in such constituencies," explained A. Meerasahib, who headed the survey team.

According to him, the survey found that Ezhava led BJDS is not going to help BJP politically in Kerala as majority of the voters question the political relevance of such tie ups.

"In North and South, LDF has an edge and in Central , UDF may retain its seats. In Malabar, Jamaet led Welfare Party and Popular Front of India's political outfit SDPI may ruin the chances of UDF. There is a subtle shift from Congress vote bank to NDA. But such shift is not evident from Ezhava cadres of CPIM to BJDS," Meera Sahib told India Today.

According to the survey, UDF may lose almost seven seats due to rebel candidates.

Survey pointed out that corruption is the major issue discussed during the poll campaign and National leaders visit or their campaigns have not influenced the voters decisions any manner.

"Most of the voters opinioned that Chandy government's last minute controversial decisions influenced them to shun the UDF government and liquor ban is not a major issue. 60 per cent of the people participated in the survey pointed out that the decisions taken by Chandy government before announcing the date of the election were not right and unethical, the pre poll survey said.

63 per cent of the participants believe that Chandy government is involved in solar scam.

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Only 51 per cent of the participants feel that LDF dons in the role of people friendly policies.

ALSO READ:

Namesakes, rebels big headaches for Kerala's candidates



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The state government says no land has been allotted or is being allotted anywhere in Kashmir for any housing project in the name of 'Sainik colony'.

By Naseer Ganai: While the Jammu and Kashmir government maintains it has no proposal to establish a separate Sainik Colony in Jammu and Kashmir for ex-soldiers, opposition National Conference (NC) working president on Sunday displayed an order of the state home department proposing establishing of a Sainik Colony in Srinagar.

The order copy tweeted by the NC working president talks about allotment of 350 kanals (about 18 hectares) to Sainik Colony in Srinagar. The Jammu and Kashmir Home Department, headed by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on April 11 had sought status of allocation of land for Sainik Colony in Srinagar, summer capital of the state.

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"Revised proposal sent to Home Department". The Home Department is headed by @mehbooba_mufti so who is lying here?," NC leader Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Abdullah said the state government's proposal to allot land in the valley for the proposed Sainik Colony could be a ruse to settle non-state subjects in Kashmir and hence bypass Article 370.

The separatists have alleged that setting up a separate (Sainik) colony for retired army men in the valley and settling homeless non-state subjects in Kashmir is a move aimed at "changing the demography" of the Muslim majority state. They vowed to oppose it.

The state government, however, says no land has been allotted or is being allotted anywhere in Kashmir for any housing project in the name of 'Sainik Colony'.

"Like some other sections of the working class and professionals, the ex-servicemen belonging to the state have been demanding land for a housing colony, but no allotment of land for any such project has been made anywhere in the Valley," state government spokesman Naeem Akhtar said.

Akhtar said reports about Sainik Colony were aimed at disturbing peace in the state at a time when tourism and business activity has just started picking up.

But now with the copy of the "proposal" of the home department in hand, the NC is accusing Akhtar, who is also minister for education, of "deliberately disseminating lies on such a sensitive matter."

NC spokesperson Junaid Azim Mattu said there was unambiguous proof that successive PDP-BJP governments headed by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti were involved in the process of allocating hundreds of kanals of land for the proposed Sainik Colony in Srinagar.

"Official Documents prove it beyond any reasonable doubt that the official process of identification of land for 'Sainik Colony' in Srinagar, from the initial allocation of 173 kanals to the subsequent 350 kanals, was initiated twice in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took oath of office on the 1st of March. The very next month, the Divisional Commissioner in a letter on the 10th of April agreed in principal to provide 173 kanals of land for the proposed 'Sainik Colony' in Srinagar and Budgam Districts. This is not a matter of speculation or hypothesis and is a matter of official record", Mattu said.

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"Then more recently after Mehbooba Mufti took over as the Chief Minister of the State with the charge of the Home Department on the 4th of April, 2016, the Home Secretary in an official letter dated the 11th of April sought the status of the allocation of land for the proposed Sainik Colony from the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir and the concerned District Development Commissioners. This too, is a matter of official record", he added.

The NC spokesperson said both these official communications prove that Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti were actively and directly involved not only as heads of government but also as successive home ministers of the state in the formal process of land allocation for 'Sainik Colony' in Srinagar.

"Inspite of these proofs and facts, the state government spokesperson and cabinet minister Naeem Akhtar has denied the fact that two successive state governments headed by the PDP have been regularly seeking the status of land allocation for the 'Sainik colony'," the NC said.

"Is the state government trying to cover up PDP's tacit understanding with its alliance partner on this sensitive issue or is this a compromise PDP had agreed to make to pave way for Mufti Sahab and then Mehbooba Mufti to occupy the Chief Minister's chair?", the NC spokesperson said.

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ALSO READ

Omar Abdullah expects PDP-BJP leaders to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' after swearing in

No land allotted anywhere in the valley for Sainik Colony, says Naeem Akhtar

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"We are putting both the degrees of the Prime Minister, the Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University and the MA from Gujarat University in public domain," Shah told in a press conference he addressed with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

By India Today Web Desk: Accusing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of turning a "blatant lie into truth", BJP chief Amit Shah today displayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degrees as his party tried to clear the air around the Prime Minister's educational qualifications.

"We are putting both the degrees of the Prime Minister, the Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University and the MA from Gujarat University in public domain," Shah told in a press conference he addressed with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged fake BA certificate.

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"Arvind Kejriwal tried to turn a blatant lie into truth and create confusion among the public by saying the PM's degrees are fake," Shah said as he attacked Kejriwal for "lowering the standards of public discourse" and defaming India across the world.

Jaitley said the accusations come from a party several of whose leaders are facing allegations of disclosing fake degrees. "Making such public statements, attacking someone without checking the facts is a very lowly thing to do," Jaitley said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged fake MA certificate.

Last week, the Aam Aadmi Party had alleged that a degree obtained by a namesake of him has been shown as as his own, which Arvind Kejriwal said amounted to outright "cheating". Kejriwal told a press conference that he can assert with "full responsibility" that Delhi University's records have no mention of "Narendra Damodardas Modi" and that one "Narendra Kumar Mahavir Prasad Modi" had taken admission in 1975.

The Delhi Chief Minister, who has been demanding that Modi's degrees be placed in public domain, said the issue was not whether the PM was "10th pass or 12th pass" but that he has furnished "fake" certificates and "cheated" the people of the country.

Also Read

Kejriwal writes to DU VC on Modi degree: 5 points from his letter



Modi doesn't have DU degree, alleges Kejriwal

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"PM Narendra Modi's degrees shown by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley are fake and forged," senior AAP leader Ashutosh said as he asked how the two degrees have two different names. "The BA degree has Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while the MA degree says his name is Narendra Damodardas Modi," he said.

By India Today Web Desk: Moments after Amit Shah flashed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA and MA degrees at a press conference and demanded an apology from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for raking up a false issue, the AAP hit back, claiming that the degrees displayed by the BJP president are fake.

"PM Narendra Modi's degrees shown by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley are fake and forged," senior AAP leader Ashutosh said as he asked how the two degrees have two different names. "The BA degree {shown below} has Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while the MA degree says his name is Narendra Damodardas Modi," he said.

This marksheet flashed by Ashutosh shows the name 'Narendra Kumar Damodar Das Mody'.

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"Also, if the marksheet says he finished his BA in 1977, why does the degree say 1978?" he asked. "Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley tried a lot, but have been caught red-handed. They need to show the affidavit through which PM changed his name in the two degrees," he added.

Earlier, Shah and Jaitley had forcefully rejected the fake degree allegations as the two leaders accused Kejriwal of lowering the public discourse by spreading unsubstantiated canards against the Prime Minister.

Jaitley even said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against Modi threatens federal polity in the country and such attempts should be defeated strongly while challenging the Delhi Chief Minister to verify his claims. "The politics of adventurism is being treated as a substitute for governance," he said, mounting a strong attack on Kejriwal.

Shah said Kejriwal has lowered the public discourse and that he has defamed the country before the whole world by levelling baseless allegations against Modi. "It is very unfortunate that we have to hold this press meet to clarify the Prime Minister's educational qualification status," he said.

Also read:

PM Modi's degree flashed by Amit Shah as BJP attacks Arvind Kejriwal, demands apology

Kejriwal writes to DU VC on Modi degree: 5 points from his letter



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Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande's break-up rumours have been in news for quite some time now. According to reports, Sushant is on a house-hunting spree.

By India Today Web Desk: Sushant Singh Rajput and Ankita Lokhande's break-up rumours have been in news for quite some time now. Earlier, there were reports that Ankita has asked Sushant to move out of their Bandra residence. And now it's said that Sushant is on a house-hunting spree.

A source told Spotboye.com, "Sushant is considering getting a pad in and around Bandra and has been in touch with a few brokers for the same. Since he is away in Budapest and can't look at the nitty-gritty, a few of his friends are keeping a constant tab on the progress."

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Earlier, the PK actor had shared a image with a message for his ex-girlfriend Ankita. He wrote, "Elusive memories that are far more precious than any tantalising desire (sic)."

Elusive memories that are far more precious than any tantalising desire.. pic.twitter.com/D7csRx6ITu Sushant S Rajput (@itsSSR) April 24, 2016

The gossip mills have been abuzz with rumours like the reason behind their break-up was Ankita's addiction to alcohol. And Sushant's closeness to his co-stars Parineeti Chopra and Kriti Sanon also added to the reasons behind their split. But the Kai Po Che rubbished all such rumours related to his break-up with long time girlfriend Ankita.

Neither she was an alcoholic nor I am a womaniser . People do Grow apart & its unfortunate . Period!! Sushant S Rajput (@itsSSR) May 4, 2016

Sushant and Ankita first met on the sets of their Television show Pavitra Rishta and fell in love instantly.

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A high-powered delegation from the Congress will meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh later today to discuss Rahul's security. There has been no revelation yet from the party on where the threat to Rahul came from.

By India Today Web Desk: The opposition Congress today said their vice-president Rahul Gandhi has received threats of assassination and has demanded that the government must ensure the 45-year-old leader's security.

A high-powered delegation from the Congress will meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh later today to discuss Rahul's security. There has been no revelation yet from the party on where the threat to Rahul came from.

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The Gandhi family to which Rahul belongs to has suffered a couple of assassinations in the past.

In 1991, Rahul's father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide squad belonging to the LTTE during an election rally in Tamil Nadu.

Rahul's grandmother and another former Prime Minister in the Gandhi family, Indira Gandhi, was also assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984.

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The threat to the 45-year-old leader has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Puducherry on May 4. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in poll-bound Puducherry on Tuesday for a public meeting.

By India Today Web Desk: Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured security enhancement for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who is believed to have received an assassination threat in a letter written in Tamil.

"The Home Minister has assured prompt action and security enhancement for Rahul Gandhi. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and states as well as the Special Protection Group (SPG) will be alerted to the threat that has been received," senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said after his meeting with Rajnath.

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The threat to the 45-year-old leader has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Puducherry on May 4. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in poll-bound Puducherry on Tuesday for a public meeting.

The letter was reportedly sent to V Narayanswamy, who was the Minister for PMO in the UPA government. The letter has allegedly claimed that Congress is responsible for the "closure of industries in Pondicherry" and has threatened that Gandhi will be "blasted" when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.

In 1991, Rahul's father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide squad belonging to the LTTE during an election rally in Tamil Nadu.

Sharma said the government has also proposed to "en masse" shift about 400 officers and bring in new people in the SPG, which guards Rahul Gandhi. "SPG requires rigorous training. Its personnel are brought from CISF, CRPF, BSF and central agencies. So it is a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel," he said.

The SPG guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediately family. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul and Priyanka are also SPG protectees.

Besides Sharma, the Congress team that met Rajnath included Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, treasurer Motilal Vohra, and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla. A Home Ministry official later said that Rajnath Singh, after the meeting, asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to take up the issue seriously and ensure protection to Rahul.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) were on Monday ordered by the Government to take maximum precautions for Rahul Gandhi's security after an anonymous letter threatening to kill him surfaced.



Also Read:



Rahul Gandhi gets death threat, top Congress leaders to meet Rajnath Singh



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The #RunningManChallenge is the latest dance-off rage on the internet with police officers all over the busting a unique move. The dance videos keep getting better and here are some of the best ones.

By India Today Web Desk: About a week ago the New Zealand police posted a video of officers dancing to a 1995 hit single My Boo by Ghost Town DJs.



In the video eight police officers in uniform nailed the dance-off with some killer moves. They then went on to nominate other police departments across the world including the famous NYPD and LYPD to bust a move.

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A post on the force's Facebook page that accompanies the video read: "We catch people on the run everyday, this was a new #runningmanchallenge for our team."



New Zealand police force also wants to hire 400 new officers by the end of 2016, particularly of Maori, Pacific Island, Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian descent with the help of this video,reports the Guardian.



This new internet rage is at par with the Harlem Shake and Ice Bucket Challenge from the past.

The challenge caught on the internet like wildfire, with police officers around the world putting their best foot forward for the dance-off in their own unique way.

These are some of the best responses to the dance-off challenge so far:







The New York Police Department were the first to respond with some help from the Brooklyn schoolkids.





More recently, the Central Australian police gave a mind blowing response using police horses and a didgeridoo.

The Northern Territory Police took the challenge to the next level with one officer a 4-metre saltwater crocodile in his hand while grooving to the beats. They nominated Singapore Police Force and New Orleans Police Department Polizei Berlin Police Nationale for the same.



If the #RunningManChallenge comes around to the Indian police force, a performance spiced up with some Bollywood thumkas will surely be an interesting watch, provided we don't have to see any pot-bellied cops.





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By PTI: New Delhi, May 9 (PTI) Markets regulator Sebi has asked Asurre Agrowtech and its directors to refund investors money, which was raised through illegal investment schemes, in three months.

Sebi also barred the firm and its directors -- Sengan Thangappalam, Shanmugam Rajendran, P Saravanan, V Venkataramanujam and R Devadoss -- from the capital market for four years.

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As per the Sebi order, the company launched and operated collective investment schemes (CIS) without obtaining registration from the regulator.

A probe by Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) found that the firm mobilised funds from customers through various investment plans under schemes of purchase of livestock/poultry.

As per the details, the company mobilised a total of Rs 69.30 crore under its schemes. The company claimed that it has refunded Rs 11.74 crore as on December 31, 2015 and has to refund Rs 57.55 crore.

However, it did not provide any verifiable proof regarding its claim.

In the order passed by Sebi Whole Time Member Prashant Saran, the regulator restrained the firms and their directors from collecting any money from investors or launching any CIS.

The entities will have to provide a detailed inventory of all their assets and details of all their bank and demat accounts, among others.

In addition, they have been barred from selling any assets of the company except for the purpose of making refunds to their investors.

In case they fail to comply with the order, Sebi said the entities will continue to be barred from the securities market even after the completion of four years of restrictions imposed on them "till all the CIS are wound up and all the money mobilised through such schemes are refunded to its investors with returns which are due to them". PTI SOM MR

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Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover, who tied the knot on April 30, have taken off to Maldives for a week-long vacation.

By India Today Web Desk: Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover's fairy-tale wedding was one of the most-talked-about weddings of 2016, and after a week of celebrations and dinners and lunches, now the newlyweds have left for a beachside honeymoon. The couple, who tied the knot on April 30, has taken off to Maldives for a week-long vacation.

ALSO READ: Must have been a saint in my previous life to deserve someone like Bipasha, says Karan Singh Grover

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ALSO READ: These photos from Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover's fairy-tale wedding will give you major relationship goals



The newlyweds were spotted at the Mumbai Airport on Saturday night. According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, Bipasha and Karan wanted the much-needed break and they decided to fly to Maldives for their honeymoon.

A friend of the couple was quoted as telling the tabloid, "Following the wedding, Karan and Bipasha have been busy throwing dinner parties for family and friends. This is a much-needed break although a short one since they will be returning by May 13. Maldives is their favourite holiday destination, they rang in the New Year there too. Knowing their love for beaches, their choice of destination for the honeymoon was hardly a surprise even though the decision was an impromptu one."

Bipasha shared a picture on Instagram from her vacation, however, the actor did not disclose the location.

Sun Sea Clouds Love ??Thank you ?? A video posted by bipashabasu (@bipashabasu) on May 8, 2016 at 9:38pm PDT

Bipasha and Karan started dating on the sets of their 2015 film Alone, and since then there has been no looking back for the couple. The two remained tight-lipped about their relationship status for over a year, and it was only in April this year that Bipasha and Karan made things official and also announced their marriage date.

The lovebirds had an intimate Bengali-sytle wedding, which was followed by a star-studded reception. And the newlywed couple is currently soaking in the 'sun-sea-cloud' vibe in Maldives.

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Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez have started shooting for Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's action film. The title of the film is not yet confirmed. It had been reported that the action flick was a sequel of Hrithik Roshan's Bang Bang.

By India Today Web Desk: Sidharth Malhotra and Jacqueline Fernandez have started shooting for Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's action film. The title of the film is not yet confirmed.

It had been reported that the action flick was a sequel of Hrithik Roshan's Bang Bang. However, Sidharth said that the film has nothing to do with the first part.

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Jacqueline took to Instagram to share a picture of Sidharth and her carrying a clapboard and on which 'Not Bang Bang 2' is written.

Here we goooooooooo @s1dofficial #rajndk @foxstarhindi #notbangbang2 ???????? A photo posted by Jacqueline Fernandez (@jacquelinef143) on May 8, 2016 at 8:59pm PDT

This is for the first time Sidharth and Jacqueline have been paired opposite each other, but they did share the screen space in the 2015 film Brothers. According to reports, Sidharth and Jacqueline have an eight-day long schedule and will be shooting across different locations in Mumbai.

A source informed Indian Express, "During the Miami schedule, lots of action sequences in the sea will be picturised on Sidharth and Jackie with a large team of Hollywood stuntmen and action directors. Fly-boarding and hover-boarding, which involve rising above the water to pull off innovative stunts in the water wearing a jetpack, are on the agenda."

"After Miami, the unit will return to Mumbai before heading to Malaysia for the final schedule. All the travel paperwork and schedules have been locked," added the source.

Directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, the film is set to release in 2017.

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Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput made headlines when the rumours related to Mira's pregnancy started doing the rounds. Mother-to-be Mira was spotted with a baby bump walking hand-in-hand with Shahid at the airport.

By India Today Web Desk: Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput made headlines when the rumours related to Mira's pregnancy started doing the rounds. The gossips mills have always been abuzz with the stories related to both Shahid and Mira. The couple was in Maldives for a vacation and now they have returned to Mumbai.

Mother-to-be Mira was spotted with a baby bump walking hand-in-hand with Shahid at the airport. The two were seen wearing casuals at the airport

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Shahid had confirmed the news of Mira's pregnancy at the trailer launch of his upcoming film Udta Punjab. He had said, "Why are you asking ghuma firake (round about), ask directly. Yes...haan main baap banane wala hoon (yes, I am going to become a father)."

The rumours related to Mira's pregnancy started doing the rounds when she was spotted with a baby bump at Lakme Fashion Week this year. According to reports, Mira is halfway through her pregnancy.

From their selfies to public appearances, Shahid and Mira have always managed to grab eyeballs. Shahid married Mira on July 7 last year.

(Picture Courtesy: Yogen Shah)



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Shahid Kapoor, who is expecting his first child with wife Mira Rajput, said that excited would be a huge understatement.

By India Today Web Desk: Shahid Kapoor is one happy man these days. Not only is he scaling new heights as far as his professional life is concerned, he is getting ready to take on a new role off camera too. Kapoor will soon be welcoming his first child with wife Mira Rajput.

PHOTOS: Mira Rajput returns from Maldives with Shahid Kapoor, flaunts her baby bump

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The actor, amid juggling his Udta Punjab promotions, took a break to interact with his fans on Twitter on Monday (May 9). Kapoor completed 13 years in the Hindi film industry on Monday, and his fans took it upon themselves to celebrate the occasion. The hashtag '#13YearsOfShahidKapoor' was among the top trends in India today. Sasha, in turn, decided to take some time off his hectic schedule to thank his fans.

In between answering career-related questions, Shahid obliged other curious fans too. So someone asked him how excited he was for the baby. To which, Shahid replied:

Love the name btw ???? I am good and so is Mira. Thank you. Excited would be a huge understatement. ?? https://t.co/TrVlU1Uf95 Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) May 9, 2016

A fan also asked Shahid, "What is the best thing about Mira?" Shahid's response was: "Real"

Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput, who are soon to turn parents, just got back to Mumbai after their babymoon in Maldives. Shahid and Mira tied the knot in July last year and are expecting their first child together.

For several months, there has been much speculation about Mira's pregnancy after the lenses captured her with a baby bump on the runway at the Lakme Fashion Week earlier this year. It was only at the trailer launch of Udta Punjab that Shahid put a stop to all rumours by saying that he was indeed going to be a father soon.

On the work front, Shahid's Udta Punjab will hit the screens on June 19 this year. After that, Shahid has the release of Vishal Bhardwaj's Rangoon to look forward to.

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The deceased Aditya Sachdeva, who is son of a well-known Gaya businessman, was returning along with his three other friends from Bodh Gaya after attending a birthday party. The four friends were driving a Swift car.

The son of JD-U MLA Manorama Devi and dreaded gangster-turned politician Bindeshwari Yadav, Rocky Kumar was driving in a Land Rover vehicle which belongs to the legislator.

Apart from Rocky, his friend and Rajesh Kumar, bodyguard of Bihar police provided to Manorama Devi was also in the Land Rover.

Rocky, who was driving the SUV tried to overtake the Swift in which Aditya and his friends were traveling but was unable to do so. Angered by this, Rocky sped his SUV, overtook Aditya's car and stopped.

An infuriated Rocky along with his friends and bodyguard started brutally thrashing up the four friends. Soon Rocky pulled out his pistol from the SUV and started firing in the air. Trembling, the four friends tried to escape in their car when Rocky fired at the car which hit in Aditya head and he died on the spot.

After the incident, Rocky fled away. The Bihar police has now recovered the Land Rover vehicle and arrested the bodyguard and interrogating him at an undisclosed location.

Police have also detained legislator's husband Bindi Yadav.

Bindi Yadav defended his son and alleged that his son was assaulted by those sitting in the victim's car.

"My son was driving the car and those four persons in the other car were drunk. They overtook his car and stopped my son on the way. They then pulled him out of the car and started beating him," said Yadav. "During the scuffle, my son took out his licensed pistol in defence and by mistake it happened," he added.
By PTI: Washington, May 9 (PTI) Scientists have created a new light-emitting cement that could last a hundred years and illuminate roads, highways or bicycle lanes at night by absorbing solar energy during the day.

Currently, the cement exists in blue or green colour, and the light intensity can be regulated to avoid dazzling drivers.

"The main issue was that cement is an opaque body that doesnt allow the pass of light to its interior," said Jose Carlos Rubio, from Michoacans University of San Nicolas Hidalgo (UMSNH) in Mexico.

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Rubio explained that common cement is a dust that when added to water dissolves like an effervescent pill.

"In that moment it starts to become a gel, similar to the one used for hair styling, but much stronger and resistant; at the same time, some crystal flakes are formed, these are unwanted sub-products in hardened cement," Rubio said.

Due to this, researchers focused on modifying the micro-structure of the cement in order to eliminate crystals and make it completely gel, helping it to absorb solar energy and then return it to the environment as light.

By the morning, the building, road, highway or structure that is made out of this new cement can absorb solar energy and emit it during the night for around 12 hours, researchers said.

Rubio said that most fluorescent materials are made out of plastic and have an average of three years of life span because they decay with UV rays. However, the new cement is sun-resistant and has an estimated lifespan of 100 years.

The material is made out of sand, dust or clay that becomes the gel, and the only residue of its production is water vapour, researchers said. PTI MHN SAR SAR

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The rebel Congress MLAs had urged the apex court to stay the operation of the Uttarakhand High Court order that came earlier today.

By India Today Web Desk: In further setback for nine rebel MLAs and a major boost for the Congress in Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court has also rejected their petition challenging the state High Court order against their disqualification.

The rebel Congress MLAs had urged the apex court to stay the operation of the Uttarakhand High Court order that came earlier today. They had urged the Supreme Court to permit them to exercise their vote during the confidence vote being sought by ousted chief minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday.

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Earlier, the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed the petition of nine rebel Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification, holding that by their conduct they have "voluntarily given up membership of their political party", implying that they can be disqualified on that ground.

"This court, subject to scrutiny of Speaker's action on the principles of natural justice, therefore, holds that the ingredients of paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution are met against the petitioners.

"By their conduct, it has been established that they have 'voluntarily given up membership of their political party', even if they have not become members of any other political party," Justice UC Dhyani said in his 57-page judgment.

The judgment will make the BJP's task difficult in the confidence vote to be sought by Rawat tomorrow as it will be left with only 28 MLAs including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is in doubt. Though suspended by the BJP Arya continues to represent the party in the House.

The Supreme Court may give Rawat an advantage in the floor test which will now be held in the Assembly with an effective strength of 62 in which the winning side will need 31 MLAs for a majority.

At present, in the 70-member Assembly, the BJP has 28 MLAs, the Congress has 27, BSP has two, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker. Nine Congress MLAs are disqualified and one is a BJP rebel.

ALSO READ:

Uttarakhand floor test on May 10: Supreme Court

Uttarakhand crisis: Supreme Court floor test order a game changer or not?





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The city of Mumbai, India's most populous with over 184 million people, is a test case of all the ills that beset the real estate sector in India, be it illegal construction, rampant corruption, building collapses, or builders taking hapless buyers for a ride. Among the many cases that came to light, the one that got the most attention was the Adarsh Housing Society scam, not just because it cost then chief minister Ashok Chavan his job in 2010 and put several top bureaucrats and politicians in the dock, but also because it showed up the murky builder-politician-bureaucrat nexus for what it was. The case is back in the news with the Bombay High Court ordering that the society building be razed and criminal proceedings initiated against the politicians, bureaucrats and ministers found guilty.

The case goes back six years, when it came to light that apartments in this 31-storey plush residential complex in Mumbai's Colaba area, originally meant to be allotted to heroes of the 1999 Kargil war or their widows, had in fact gone to people who had nothing to do with the war. It was not just misuse of land, the government had blatantly ignored the concerns of the Indian Navy, which saw the erection of a 100-metre-high building close to a proposed helipad and military installations as a security threat.

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Investigations by the army and the CBI revealed that Chavan had cleared the project when he was revenue minister, and close relatives, including his mother-in-law, owned three flats in the building. Of the 12 bureaucrats named in the scam, nine, including senior bureaucrat and then city municipal commissioner Jairaj Phatak, have been arrested. The Adarsh Commission, constituted by the Maharashtra government, in its report recommended cancelling memberships of 25 owners, including Chavan's relatives, Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu and Indian diplomat Devyani 'Nannygate' Khobragade. Chavan and two other former CMs, Sushilkumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh, are still under investigation.

Industry observers say while the high court order comes down heavily on the misuse of land by politicians, it does little to address the malfeasance rampant in the city's real estate sector. Violations of floor space index in real estate projects is still common, despite the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai announcing amendments to the Development Control Regulation (DCR) in 2012. The scarcity of developable land parcels has led to high prices of land, often as much as 50 per cent of the total project cost, ultimately leading to high cost of homes and offices for buyers. It became commonplace for builders to divert funds of one project to another, often delaying both. Some estimates say there are as many as 55,000 illegal buildings in Mumbai. The city's real estate problems won't go away so easily.

Also read:

Realty strikes



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Twinkle Khanna's tongue-in-cheek humour did not go well with Art of Living founder Sri Sri's supporters and while they slammed her, Twitterati sided with Khanna in this Twitter war.

By India Today Web Desk: If you are on Twitter, you'll be aware of how heavily loaded with wit and sarcasm are Bollywood actress Twinkle Khanna's tweets. No wonder @MrsFunnyBones has more than a million followers.

But, her tongue-in-cheek humour did not go down well with a few. This was when she responded to Art of Living founder Sri Sri's statement about Yousafzai Malala.

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Twinkle's response to Sri Sri on Malala

He had said that Malala was an undeserving recipient of the Peace Prize and he was offered the Noble but refused to accept it.



Responding to that Twinkle tweeted "Sri Sri got his nobel foot and half his beard stuck in his mouth in a yogic pose that Baba Ramdev perfected a while ago #HolyMenAndHairyTales (sic)".

The one with the funny bone was then slammed on Twitter by supporters of Sri Sri on Saturday. In fact, one of Sri Sri's disciples is said to have intimidated her with a threat to boycott her husband, Akshay Kumar's next release- Housefull 3.

Team Twinkle fired back

Twinkle though deleted her 'twitter joke' but tweeted a clarification, "Didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings was meant to be a joke and am old enough to accept an error of judgement on my part. Art of living teacher practising Art of intimidation? Didn't like my joke diss me-drag my husband,boycott etc. (sic)"





Didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings was meant to be a joke and am old enough to accept an error of judgement on my part. Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) May 7, 2016

Art of living teacher practising Art of intimidation? Didn't like my joke diss me-drag my husband,boycott etc #Shame https://t.co/yFdz8bKHJo Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) May 8, 2016

Meanwhile, the Twitterati started tweeting in Twinkle's support using the screenshot of her old tweet.

@mrsfunnybones I guess even if you are twice the man you can't take on a woman! #srisri #MrMr https://t.co/MzV058710K radhika vaz (@radvaz) May 8, 2016

. @mrsfunnybones but why did u even apologize to these #AOL goons, disappointed. U made a joke & shd stand ur ground. @DarshakHathi Suryanarayan Ganesh (@gsurya) May 8, 2016

. @mrsfunnybones shame that the cheap online @ArtofLiving goons of a Fake Baba @SriSri threatened you into submission. A pious mob they are. Suryanarayan Ganesh (@gsurya) May 8, 2016

Mr. Mr. @SriSri have some funny bone. Art of Living at least teaches you that. @gsurya https://t.co/0WvZ9Qq78D rekha sharma (@rekhaji883) May 8, 2016





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An image of a weirdly shaped tomato made waves on social media recently after some users compared it to AIADMK supporters of Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, even branding it 'Ammato'.We collected a few uncanny photos of similar fruits and vegetables which tell us nature too has a sense of humour.

By Mohak Gupta: A Twitter user recently tweeted a photo of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Jayalalithaa acknowledging fellow ministers respectfully bowed in front of her, alongwith a photo of an unusually shaped tomato. The comparison gave birth to a hilarious pun 'Ammato'.

@Purba_Ray

When tomatoes follow Jayalalithaa they are called 'Ammato' pic.twitter.com/mU4ElN3qfX Sleepy BUM (@Sleeepybum) May 9, 2016

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We collected a few uncanny photos of fruits and vegetables which might just be as hilarious as 'Ammato.'

Run Radish Run: Yeh kaunse khet ki mooli hai

Photo Credit: imgur.com Photo Credit: imgur.com



Jaadu ki jhappi: 24 carrot love

Photo Credit: reddit.com



Aaloo's Well: Green and bear it

Photo Credit: theguardian.com

Wait, what the duck is that?

Photo Credit: thispeanutlookslikeaduck.com

Radish my foot!

Photo Credit: imgur.com



That face looks so aww-bergine.

Photo Credit: imgur.com









Some people don't seem to carrot all.

Photo Credit: imgur.com



Onion else thinking it looks like Angry Bird?

Photo Credit: imgur.com



Like we said, looks can be deceiving.

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According to sources, 20 youngsters in each constituency will help spread the message of the party and will act as key strategists in coordination with the central leadership.

By Amit Agnihotri: The latest from election strategist Prashant Kishor's school of political management is to have a crack team of 20 youngsters from among Congress workers for each of the 403 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Kishor is working hard to prepare a micro-level strategy to revive the Congress in the politically-crucial state, but there are several challenges before him.

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While his team will shortly start taking interviews to select promising youngsters, Kishor has asked local Congress leaders to prepare 14-member booth-level committees to ensure maximum votes in favour of the party.

According to sources, 20 youngsters in each constituency will help spread the message of the party and will act as key strategists in coordination with the central leadership.



The strategy

The booth-level panels, to be drawn from among the party cadre and frontal organisations like the Youth Congress, NSUI and Mahila Congress, will be tasked with mingling with locals and convincing them to vote for the party.

On an average, this system will create a pool of around 5,000 active workers in each assembly constituency, which, if utilised, can improve the Congress vote share significantly, said party insiders.

As they will be workers drafted under the direct supervision of the central readership and Rahul Gandhi himself, high motivation levels are expected. This will help counter the weak organisational muscle of the Congress across the state.

Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress V-P Rahul Gandhi to turn around the party's fortunes in UP. Prashant Kishor has been roped in by Congress V-P Rahul Gandhi to turn around the party's fortunes in UP.

A weak organisation, and infighting among local leaders, has been the bane of the Congress party for decades in Uttar Pradesh and has contributed to its limited influence across the 403 assembly seats.

Party insiders said unlike previous assembly and national elections, where a top-down approach was followed to win polls, Kishor's micro-level strategy could help improve the situation.

Ahead of the 2012 assembly polls, the Congress was in an upbeat mood over its success in the 2009 national elections in which the party had surprised itself by winning 22 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats.

Though Rahul campaigned extensively across the state with around 200 rallies, assembly results in 2012 proved to be a shocker to him as the Congress could win just six seats more than what it could in the 2007 assembly polls.

The Congress could improve only marginally from 22 seats in 2007 to 28 in 2012 when an internal assessment provided to Rahul Gandhi had assured at least 100 seats.



Filling gaps

Though Congress leaders claim a lot of gaps in the party organisation have been plugged over the past few years, insiders complain of thin presence of workers across the state. Besides weak organisational capacity, infighting among local leaders continues to challenge the central leadership and is perhaps the only reason for the continuance of UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri, seen by many as a neutral player.

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While there has been talk of a new name as UP Congress chief in the months to come, there is still no clarity on the issue.

Meanwhile, Kishor's idea that Rahul be named as the Congress chief ministerial candidate for UP has not found favour with central leaders who believe this may be seen as a downgrade for the Gandhi scion who is set to take over the reins of the party from his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

Kishor has also suggested the name of Priynaka Gandhi Vadra as a possible CM nominee of the party but that idea too, said insiders, has not found many takers within the party.

Though a charismatic face, Priyanka has limited her role to campaigning in the parliamentary constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli represented by Rahul and Sonia, respectively.

Sources said reactions to Kishor's role as a strategist have been mixed with some seeing him as a class monitor and others saying they don't need a strategist to win polls.

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Also Read

The Election Game: Prashant Kishor's book on how to win, lose elections

Rahul Gandhi may be face of Congress in Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls



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In a major boost for ousted Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, the Supreme Court has rejected the petition of rebel Congress MLAs challenging the state High Court order against their disqualification.

By Ashhar Khan: The celebrations have already started at the Bijapur Guest House the residence of the ousted Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat. Sweets and cheering forced Harish Rawat to come out and meet his supporters

The celebrations began at 1020 am when the Uttarakhand High Court ruled in favour of the Congress and upheld the disqualification of nine rebel congress MLAs. There was a lull in between when the rebels challenged the order in Supreme Court. But at 430 pm when the order of the Supreme Court upholding the high court order came the celebrations once again began

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Harish Rawat now has to face the floor test on Tuesday the tenth Of May. The nine rebel MLAs of the Congress will now vote. This means that the assembly is reduced to 62. The Congress has 27 MLAs with 3 independent 2 BSP 1 UKD and 1 Nominated MLAs supporting him. This takes the tally to 34 in a 62 member assembly. Harish Rawat says that he has the numbers to get past the floor test

On the face of it seems a cakewalk for Harish Rawat. But there is still much work which needs to be done. BSP Supremo Mayawati is to be assuaged the Congress managers are working overtime to get her blessings. Dialogue is on with Satish Chandra Mishra the BSP MP to bring her on board. They are hopeful for a positive outcome

Then comes the issue of one Congress MLA Rekha Arya, sources say she has developed second thoughts about voting in the floor test . Efforts are on to get her back in the fold sources in the congress say that she is being blackmailed by the BJP

The silver lining for Harish Rawat is the one BJP MLA Bhim Lal Arya is upset with the BJP. The BJP has written to the speaker asking for Bhim Lal Arya's disqualification. The speaker has not taken a decision on the matter. This means he can abstain or go against the BJP. Something about which the Harish Rawat camp is very hopeful

In this cliffhanger Harish Rawat has a margin of taking a hit of three MLAs . Anything more than that could be the endgame for him in this 51 day old saga.

ALSO READ:

Supreme Court rejects petition of rebel Uttarakhand MLAs, edge for Congress in floor test tomorrow



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At present, in the 70-member Assembly, the BJP has 28 MLAs, the Congress has 27, BSP has two, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker. The winning side will need 31 MLAs for a majority.

By India Today Web Desk: Uttarakhand Assembly will be conducting a floor test on Tuesday after the Supreme Court rejected the petition of the nine rebel Congress MLAs who challenged the Uttarakhand High Court's order against their disqualification.

At present, in the 70-member Assembly, the BJP has 28 MLAs, the Congress 27, BSP 2, 3 independent and 1 belonging to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P). The winning side will need 31 MLAs for a majority.

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On the show To The Point with Karan Thapar, these were the questions raised:

- Will the outcome of the floor test be an embarrassment for the BJP and a victory for the Congress?

- Was the situation regarding the nine rebel MLAs still messy?

- Will it lead to more horsetrading the night before the test itself?

Senior BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal was asked if it was a slap on the face of the Modi government as they lost the fight to stop the floor test from taking place.



"The facts are to the contrary, as the Supreme Court passed the order only after the Central government said it was willing to go through with the floor test," Mittal said.

Mittal further said that he cannot understand how the two sting operations that exposed the horsetrading that was being done by ousted chief minister Harish Rawat seems to have become a non issue for the media and everybody.

Independent lawyer Sanjay Hegde was asked if the Supreme Court should have paid better interest to the stings and in particular the most recent sting or was the apex court right to say, as the Uttarakhand High Court had said, that one sting on its own cannot be an instance of the collapse of constitutional rule.

"The issue before the Supreme Court was firstly about the imposition of President's Rule, and there it already had the judgement of the Uttarakhand High Court and it was a question of whether to affirm it or to set it aside. So far it has not set it aside. Before the apex court, it was agreed by both the Congress and the BJP that the floor test can go on," Hegde said.

Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi was asked what he thought about the Supreme Court's decision and Sudhanshu Mittal's comment that the Central government had agreed to the floor test.

"The process must be allowed to work itself out tomorrow, as indeed the judicial process has worked itself out largely. So for now I cannot say it is a slap on anybody's face," Singhvi said.

Watch the whole interview in the video below:

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By Srijani Ganguly/Mail Today: The most common and apparent manifestation of narcissism, one which many of us fall prey to these days, is the act of taking 'selfies'. From heads of states to students in colleges, everyone has, sometime or the other, felt the need to aim the lens of the phone or camera towards one's own face.

At a cursory glance, it appears to be an innocuous form of self-absorption (although several people have died for being oblivious to their surroundings while taking selfies), when narcissism runs too high in an individual it can be dangerous for the one suffering from it and also those around him. Just like the ancient myth (about a handsome Greek youth called Narcissus who lost himself while looking at his own reflection) which inspired the term, a person suffering from narcissistic personality disorder can be the source of several serious problems both for himself and others.

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Also read: Selfie-obsessed: 5 sure-shot ways of telling if you're a narcissist

According to Dr Amulya Seth, psychiatry consultant at Columbia Asia Hospital in Ghaziabad, narcissistic personality disorder can be harmful for both the patient and others around him. "It may lead to social withdrawal, depression and dysthymia in the patient. As these subjects have an excessive need for admiration and acclaim, intense and chronic envy and an arrogant attitude, there is a high incidence of marital problems and interpersonal disputes with others. They also tend to manipulate people around them for their own purpose," says the doctor.

Men suffer more:

Interestingly, more men than women suffer from it. And till date, there is no clear explanation as to why this happens. "It's probably the result of social evolution where males with such traits were allowed to flourish, but women had to face a lot of social isolation. The difference in upbringing of male and female offspring where subtle messages are conveyed to male gender that they are superior while female gender is idealised as docile and sensitive, also encouraged pre-existing narcissistic traits in men," says Dr Jyoti Kapoor Madan, senior consultant, psychiatry at Paras Hospitals in Gurgaon.

"Although the disorder is characterised by an inflated sense of self-importance, excessive need for admiration and lack of empathy for others," adds Dr Madan, "behind this mask lies lack of self-confidence and fragile self-esteem."

Also read: 5 mindless work habits you're too lazy to change but should be dumped



This disorder, like all other personality disorders, is born from several factors. As Dr Samir Parikh, director of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare, says, "Personality disorders are characterised by an enduring and pervasive pattern of inner experience and behaviour that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture, and typically has an onset which can be traced back at least to adolescence or early adulthood. A combination of genetic, psychological and psychosocial factors contributes to the development of a narcissistic personality disorder."

Curing the disorder:

Since there is no clear cause for this disorder, says Dr Seth, complete cure is rather difficult. "However," the doctor adds, "with psychotherapy and medicines the illness can be managed. As these subjects are prone to have depression and other co-morbid psychiatric conditions, medicines have to be given for those illnesses as well. The psychological therapy used, on the other hand, may be psychoanalysis, in which the therapist delves into the past of the patient and brings out any suppressed conflicts. Group therapy is also advocated by some, so that they can learn to share and develop empathy. All personality disorders are usually difficult to treat."

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year ago, when Bernie Sanders announced his run for president, few thought his bid would amount to more than a protest campaign. But today, after more than 2 million donors and 400,000 volunteers have helped Sanders build a highly effective political organization that has earned him victories in 18 states so far, activists are strategizing about how to turn his campaign into a long-term movement.

In nearly every state in the nation, autonomous grassroots organizations began campaigning for Sanders months before his campaign established any official presence on the ground. Ranging from state-level organizations such as Illinois for Bernie and Team Bernie NY to city and even neighborhood groups, they brought together thousands of volunteersmany of whom had never participated in electoral politicsto work together toward a common goal.

Now, those organizations are beginning to build coalitions with labor, socialist parties and progressive groups to set a post-election agenda for the political revolution. To that end, National Nurses United, which endorsed Sanders, is organizing a Peoples Summit on June 17 in Chicago, while the Peoples Revolution, a group founded by former Occupy organizers, is hosting a Peoples Convention in Philadelphia two days before the Democratic National Convention in July. As with any project to unite the Left, however, these efforts must first grapple with long-standing divides around tactics and priorities.

The advantage of a presidential campaign is that it unifies competing interests around a common goal, says Charles Lenchner, cofounder with Winnie Wong of People for Bernie, one of the largest pro-Sanders grassroots organizations and a partner in the Peoples Summit. Without a candidate to rally around, the contradictions become more visible.

One of the biggest open questions is what role Sanders and his campaign infrastructure will play. On a number of occasions, Sanders has expressed his desire to continue fighting for political revolution, win or lose. Larry Cohen, former CWA president and senior adviser to the Sanders campaign, says that Sanders will continue to be a transformational force in American politics well beyond the election. The Sanders campaign recently began fundraising for three progressive insurgents who are challenging Democratic incumbents: Zephyr Teachout in New York, Lucy Flores in Nevada and Pramila Jayapal in Washington. The campaign also plans to support other down-ballot candidates, according to Cohen.

Cohen thinks that Sanders will also support grassroots efforts to further his political revolution. His own support for it wont be centralized, but more of a facilitating role within that network, says Cohen. That is a characteristic of how this campaign has operated from the start, and thats not an accident.

We want Bernie to share what he built in large part thanks to our help. We want to make sure it goes back to the people.

The Peoples Revolution envisions Bernie without the Bernie, says Jack Jackrabbit Pollack, who in October cofounded the group with fellow Sanders organizer Shana East. What Bernie has shown us is that you can actually rally people around a set of policies that are really all going in a positive direction.

The Peoples Revolution sees Sanders as a critical partner in building a broad issues-based progressive movement to ensure the promise of the campaignA Future to Believe Inbecomes a reality. At the Peoples Convention, the group plans to develop and ratify a Peoples Platform to present to the Democratic National Convention and set an agenda for the broader movement.

The Peoples Revolution also hopes to convince Sanders to turn over the resources his campaign has amassedmoney, voter data and an email databaseto the grassroots. We want Bernie to share what he built in large part thanks to our help, Pollack says. We want to make sure it goes back to the people.

To that end, an unrelated group of more than 1,000 Sanders supporters recently signed an open letter, drafted by New York teacher and labor activist Erik Forman, calling on Sanders to devote his resources toward building a permanent organization.

While he declined to go into specifics, Cohen says these questions are on Sanders mind as well. Theres been a recognition by Bernie that this is about supporters feeling like they own a chunk of this campaign. Thats what accounts for the number of donations, and more importantly the number of volunteer hours.

But Charles Lenchner cautions against relying on the Sanders campaign for direction and support. The lesson of People for Bernie has been that you dont need those traditional gatekeepers to make a difference, he says. The early weakness of the Sanders campaign was its greatest strength. People had to figure out how to build the infrastructure of a political campaign by themselves. We were able to create a massive volunteer network with almost no money at all. We want to make it as difficult as possible for outside groups to co-opt the movement thats united behind Bernie.

Another obstacle, of course, is that not everyone on the Left is united behind Sanders. Critics from the movement for Black lives have argued that Sanders focus on economic issues fails to confront the racialized nature of American capitalism.

For too long, economic justice movements have asked people from marginalized communities to bracket their identities for the sake of the cause, says Jessica Pierce, national co-chair of the Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100). Its one thing to say, This is the peoples movement, but who are those people and how are they coming together? Pierce continues. Inclusion has to be completely integrated into your organizational structure. If Im not seeing anything in a platform that speaks to what I deal with every day as a Black person, then thats telling me I dont matter.

Pierce says BYP100 has not yet been contacted by organizers of the Summit or the Peoples Convention (both groups say they plan to reach out). Pierce sees strategic potential in such large-scale collaborations, but for BYP100, she says, the key question would be, How does it help us advance our cause, too?

Lenchner believes that addressing concerns like Pierces is vital to creating a sustainable long-term movement. We need to be intentional about bringing new people into leadership positions in the movement, he says. One of the big challenges is that movements tend to be led by the first people who showed up. Thats not a good way to decide who leaders are. It also shouldnt just be the people who can work the most, because theyre the ones who have enough privilege to be able to do so.

Lenchner hopes to address such questions head-on at the Peoples Summit in Chicago, as well as moving beyond the silos that progressives often work in. Democratic Socialists of America is joining People for Bernie and NNU in organizing the event, and theyve brought in a diverse array of groups such as Progressive Democrats of America, Peoples Action, United Students Against Sweatshops and 350.org.

The goal is to use the opportunity of a political campaign to generate broad unity on the Left, while creating a space for people to act autonomously to pursue their own goals and interests, Lenchner says.

The lesson of People for Bernie has been that you dont need those traditional gatekeepers to make a difference.

One point of tension is the age-old question of whether to continue to engage in electoral politics. For many of us, participation in electoral politics feels like an abusive relationship, reads Erik Formans open letter to Sanders. Many of us poured our hearts into the presidential bids of the Rainbow Coalition, or the long-shot campaigns of Ralph Nader and other Green Party candidates. Many of us turned out to put Obama in the White House.  All of these electoral campaigns left little behind but broken hearts.

Pollack, however, argues that the Sanders campaign has shown that the Left can actually win elections and use them to build power. My experience with the Left has been that we reject electoral politics, and we agitate and we lobby, he says. But today Bernie is illustrating the idea that an electoral insurgency can take place that can actually push our agenda forward.

The Peoples Revolution hopes to spark similar insurgencies in future races on every level of the political system. Toward that end, they are talking with Grassroots Select, a digital collective founded by Sanders supporters to channel resources and volunteers to candidates who share Sanders agenda. Pollack also points to Berniecrats.net, a crowdsourced list of more than 250 pro-Bernie candidates running in 2016, as another example of how Sanders grassroots support can buoy other progressive candidates.

Differences on strategy aside, however, Pollack thinks the most important goal is ensuring that the political revolution promised by the Sanders campaign doesnt fade away. People who didnt believe they had anything to fight for suddenly realized that they werent alone, he says. We need to organize, we need to strategize and build power to make our ideas a reality.

This is the first in a new series on the political revolution sparked by the Bernie Sanders campaign, and the impact it's having beyond the election.

Don't miss the next article. Subscribe to the free In These Times weekly newsletter:

Ethan Corey is a New York-based reporter writing about politics, social movements and inequality. Follow him on Twitter at @ethanscorey.

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[May 09, 2016] MnM's New Release on Cloud Deal Tracker Covering the Important Deals Signed in 2014-2015

PUNE, India, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new research report "Cloud Deal Tracker 2014 - 2015", the key vendors include IBM, Microsoft Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, and Amazon Web Service. MarketsandMarkets cloud deal tracker tracks around 147 deals, with various industries and technologies, with which we track the behavior of market by identifying the type of significant deals signed in 2014 and 2015. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 45 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Cloud Deal Tracker 2014 - 2015" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-deal-tracker-76694205.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. This report is instrumental in helping the stakeholders such as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Networking companies, Data Center Providers, System integrators/migration service providers, Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Professional Service Providers, Cloud Service Brokers (CSBs), Aggregators, Cloud Vendors, Cloud Architects, Cloud services developers, Channel partners, Value-added resellers (VARs), System Administrator, Government/Regulatory and compliance agencies, and Investors and venture capitalists to plan their further cloud strategies and investments. Deals done by cloud services vendors are analyzed by industry, region, service models, deployment modes, and vendors. The deals are tracked by the deal tracker for various industries in technological markets globally. Hence, the deal tracker provides an updated view on deals to its clients to make smart business decisions. Cloud Deal Tracker covers the major and important deals signed for two years, 2014 and 2015 and tracks the global cloud services market. The deal tracker helps clients understand emerging trends in the cloud market and identify underlying opportunities. The major cost associated with using traditional IT infrastructure is the cost of maintenance, which is being overcome by use of cloud environment. Cloud computing is more efficient than a typical client-server model as it provides scalable and flexible computing. Cloud computing is based on the concept of virtualization. Cloud computing is on-demand netwrk access of shared computing resources. Changing business landscape and evolving technology gave rise to cloud adoption.



Ask for Sample Pages @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=76694205 The main characteristics of cloud computing is the provision of computing capabilities without any human interaction with a service provider. The cloud computing technology is maturing to the point of becoming a prime source of technology for all industries. Most of the large as well as small companies have adopted cloud computing or are in the process of adopting it, for at least some of its applications or processes to leverage its benefits.

The deals in the cloud market also help in identifying and procuring contract information of cloud services vendors and their distinct competencies in the cloud market. The deals are further classified based on the service models used and deployment modes deployed. The deal tracker analyzes deals based on the service models, which are Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) deployed in private, public, or hybrid environment. Some of the deals were signed by multiple vendors in the consortium providing hybrid cloud services to the customers. By using hybrid cloud, customers can leverage the benefits of both private and public cloud capabilities.

Browse Related Report



Hybrid Cloud Market by Solution (Cloud Management and Orchestration, Disaster Recovery, Security and Compliance, and Hybrid Hosting), by Service (Professional Services and Managed Services), by Service Model (IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS) - Global Forecast to 2021

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Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Market by Solution (Managed Hosting, Storage as a Service, DRaaS, Colocation, Network as a Service, Content Delivery, High Performance Computing as a Service), Deployment Types, End users, verticals, and Region - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/infrastructure-as-service-market-262058075.html About MarketsandMarkets: MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact:

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Edward Canby

Edward Canby was born on November 9, 1817. After graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1839, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

During his early career, Canby served in the Second Seminole War in Florida and saw combat during the Mexican-American War. It was in this time period he received three promotions, and at the culmination of the Mexican-American War he held the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After serving in Wyoming and Utah and fighting Indians from 1857 through 1858, he was assigned to New Mexico where in 1860 Canby coordinated a campaign against the Navaho. Canby's cavalry unit was unsuccessful in capturing or punishing the Navajo for the Indians' raids against the livestock settlers in the area. The campaign ended in frustration, with Canby rarely sighting Navajo raiders.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Canby commanded Fort Defiance, New Mexico Territory. He was promoted to colonel on May 14, 1861. After early losses to the Confederate Army, Canby eventually forced the Confederates to retreat to Texas after the Union emerged as victors at the Battle of Glorieta Pass.

Realizing that the territory given to his troops were too large to patrol, he persuaded the governors of both New Mexico and Colorado to raise volunteer units to supplement regular federal troops. Eventually, the Union forces proved the victors in this area.

Being in the military, Canby became used to being reassigned to meet the needs of the United States. Therefore, it came as no surprise when as a major general he found himself in command of the Military Division of Western Mississippi.

It was during this command that he won several battles in the region and then accepted the surrender of the Confederate forces

still occupying Mobile, Alabama in the spring of 1865.

At the conclusion of the Civil War, Canby served as commander of various military departments. It was a difficult period of time following the war as his military unit was forced to keep the peace between whites and blacks, and state and federal governments. Many of the districts in the South had established Ku Klux Klan chapters, which the U.S. government was not able to suppress until the early 1870s.

Canby's final assignment was an attempt to bring peace between the federal government and the Modoc Indians of California. Although Canby thought he had forged a peace, the Indians attending the signing of the peace agreement had brought weapons with them and shot Canby. Canby's death happened on April 11, 1873, with Canby being only 55 years old.
CHARLESTON -- A man was sentenced on Friday to the maximum probation term for which he was eligible for his role in stealing a cellphone from a man on Eastern Illinois University's campus last year.

Ezra Evans had been accused of working with a group of juveniles on a series of crimes in Charleston last year. However, the robbery charge to which he pleaded guilty in February was his first adult criminal conviction, according to the case's prosecutor.

Evans, 19, for whom court records list a Chicago address but who also reportedly has a Charleston residence, admitted working with juvenile suspects to attack a man and steal his phone.

That incident occurred on the EIU campus on Sept. 13, and case records indicate the man was knocked unconscious near the university's Booth Library and then awoke to find his phone missing.

The records also say Evans later admitted to police that he and two juveniles went to the university campus with plans to commit a robbery and one of them attacked the man at his instruction.

Though there was no agreement on a sentence when Evans pleaded guilty, on Friday Assistant State's Attorney Rob Scales and Public Defender Anthony Ortega made a joint recommendation.

Coles County Circuit Judge Teresa Righter accepted the recommendation and imposed a four-year probation term. The conviction could also have resulted in a prison sentence of three to seven years.

Righter also granted Scales' motion to dismiss a residential burglary charge that accused Evans of taking part in the theft of a large jar of coins from a home on Filmore Avenue in Charleston on Sept. 17.

When Evans pleaded guilty to the robbery, Scales indicated he would ask that that the residential burglary charge be dismissed. A conviction for that offense would have required a four- to 15-year prison sentence.

Scales said four juveniles were suspected of and charged with working with Evans, who was charged as an adult because he was 18 years old at the time of the crimes.

Police reported a series of similar crimes in Charleston around the time of Evans' arrest.

Scales said authorities first thought Evans and the group with whom he was working were responsible for all the crimes. However, another group of juveniles were found to be taking part in similar but unrelated activity, leading to other arrests, he said.
MATTOON (JG-TC) -- A local man was arrested early Sunday morning on charges of domestic battery and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile.

A Mattoon Police Department press release reported that Brian E. Willenborg, 35, of Mattoon was arrested at 3:28 a.m. in the 800 block of Rudy Avenue on charges alleging that he battered a female and that he provided alcohol to a minor.

The Illinois Department of Corrections also issued a parole hold warrant on Willenborg. That warrant alleges that Willenborg was on parole from prison at the time of the new allegations. He was taken to the Coles County jail.

In other matters, Lorilee A. McQueen, 34, of Mattoon was arrested at 6:44 p.m. Friday in the 1600 block of Champaign Avenue on a Cumberland County arrest warrant for criminal damage to property. She was taken to the Coles County jail.
SPRINGFIELD -- Gov. Bruce Rauner is renewing his call for a clean bill to fund elementary and secondary education next school year.

The Republicans statement comes in conjunction with a visit Monday to Lyons Township High School in west suburban La Grange and follows last weeks release of Illinois State Board of Education figures on what a Democratic proposal to overhaul the states school funding formula would mean for individual districts.

In Coles County, the proposal would mean the Charleston school district would break even compared to the 2015 state budget; the Mattoon school district would gain more than $777,000 in funding; and the Oakland district would gain more than $65,000. In Cumberland County, the Neoga school district would receive an additional more than $46,000, while Cumberland schools would net approximately $170,600 more in state funds under the Democratic plan.

The governor has said he supports changing the way the state distributes money to school districts, but he wants to fully fund the current formula while lawmakers continue to work on those changes. If lawmakers approve his plan, itd mark the first time in seven years that districts would receive the whole amount state law says they should.

Our priority right now should be funding our schools for the upcoming school year, Rauner said in a written statement. Since day one, I have been committed to building a world-class education system in Illinois that ensures every child goes to a high-quality school and can go on to a high-paying career. Fully funding our schools is a step closer to making that a reality.

Many Democrats argue that it doesnt make sense to put more money into a system that does a bad job of distributing money to poorer districts that need it the most.

I am encouraged that the governor and Republicans recognize the current systems failings, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said in a written statement issued in response to Rauners remarks. They said they want a system that recognizes the needs of rural and low-income communities. Lucky for them, that plan is pending in the Illinois Senate and they will soon get the chance to vote for it.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, has been working for the last several years on legislation that would redirect state money to the neediest districts. In an effort to win support from both parties and all parts of the state, Manars latest version includes provisions intended to prevent any districts from losing money in the first year under the new formula.

Despite Republican statements to the contrary, figures the State Board of Education released last week show that Manars bill would do just that.

Had his formula been in place for the 2014-15 school year, the last for which the board has complete data, Lyons Townships funding wouldve been unchanged compared with the current formula.

Under Rauners plan, the district, which spends $2,700 more per student on instruction than the state average, would gain $104,000 next year compared with the current year.

Poorer districts, meanwhile, would see substantial gains under Manars plan.

Figures for how districts would fare under Manars plan with the level of overall funding Rauner has proposed for next year are not yet available.

With strong backing likely from Chicago and downstate Democrats, passage of Manars plan in the Senate may hinge on additional support from suburban Democrats, some of whom represent districts that would eventually see state funding dip under the proposal, and downstate Republicans, many of whom represent districts that stand to benefit.

GOP senators, like Rauner, have been highly critical of the bill, labeling it a bailout for Chicago Public Schools.

The proposal would direct an additional $175 million to the states largest school district, and the state would begin picking up the tab for Chicago teachers pensions, something it already does for the rest of the state. Chicago would lose $74 million under Rauners plan.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, has come out in opposition of Manars plan, despite the fact that 35 school districts he represents wouldve gained an average of nearly $130,000 in 2014-15 under the new formula, according to state board figures.

This debate has to be bigger than who were winners and who were losers under a certain proposal, Righter said.

Really the issue here is, 'What do we want the school aid formula to achieve?' he said.

From his perspective, the formula should aid districts that are doing their part through local property taxes to fund schools but still struggling to provide adequate money due to low property values.

Given its relatively low property tax rate compared with surrounding suburbs, Chicago could do more locally to fund its schools, Righter said, adding that it should also be held accountable for poor financial and academic performance.
Nebraska Home Sales is pleased to welcome Ann Tanner. Tanner has worked for the last 10 years in every aspect of the industry representing sellers, buyers, investors, and banks, in both the residential and commercial market. She has earned her nationally recognized graduate, Realtors Institute (GRI) designation and has gained in-depth knowledge on technical subjects as well as the fundamentals of real estate. Tanner invites anyone seeking professional real estate services to contact her at (402) 432-8293.
Yaskawa, America, Motoman Robotics has honored Steven Peterson with the prestigious Ichiban Award. This annual award is designed to honor the top salesperson throughout all of North America and Brazil.

Yaskawa Motoman recognizes Peterson as its most consistent performer; he has achieved Corps delite status 92% of his years with Motoman as compared to a company average of 19%. Corps delite status recognizes the top sales performers each year. This consistency has made Peterson Yaskawa Motomans all-time sales leader with bookings of over $131 million.

Peterson currently serves the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri, providing robot automation solutions to a wide variety of manufacturers including agricultural equipment, automotive parts, and STEM Robots for education. Peterson holds a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both earned at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He resides in Lincoln.

Yaskawa America, Motoman Robotics Division

Founded in 1989, the Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America, Inc. is a leading robotics company in the Americas. With over 300,000 Motoman robots installed globally, Yaskawa provides automation products and solutions for virtually every industry and robotic application; including arc welding, assembly, coating, dispensing, material handling, material cutting, material removal, packaging, palletizing and spot welding. For more information please visit our website at www.motoman.com or call 937.847.6200.
Ricky L. Rhodd, 61, Lincoln, passed away May 7, 2016. Graveside services with military honors by the Iowa Tribal Honor Guard: 11 a.m. Tuesday, Tesson Cemetery on the Iowa Tribe Reservation near White Cloud, Kan. Visitation: 1-8 p.m. Monday, with family greeting friends from 6-8 p.m., at Hall Funeral Home, Falls City.
OMAHA  A Nebraska official says investigators have found no indication that a spinning carnival ride was malfunctioning when an 11-year-old girl's hair got caught in it, ripping her scalp.

Nebraska Labor Department spokeswoman Grace Johnson also said Monday that investigators have no reason to believe the person operating the ride wasn't paying attention Saturday afternoon when the incident happened on the King's Crown ride at a Cinco de Mayo festival in Omaha.

The girl was taken to Nebraska Medicine where she underwent surgery to repair her scalp.

Her mother, Virginia Cooksey, says Tuesday that her daughter is in critical but stable condition and her treatment seems to be effective so far. She said the girl is "still sedated, but fighting through this."
A 44-year-old inmate at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution was found unresponsive early Monday and died in an apparent suicide, prison officials said.

Aslin Nabarro was found during a check of his housing unit just before 4 a.m., Nebraska Department of Correctional Services spokesman Andrew Nystrom said in a news release.

He was pronounced dead at 4:50 a.m.

Nystrom declined to discuss Nabarro's death further, citing a pending grand jury investigation required by state law whenever anyone dies in custody.

While the cause of death remains under investigation, initial reports indicate it was a suicide, Nystrom said.

Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick will investigate the death, he said.

Nabarro was convicted in 2013 of attempted first-degree murder for stabbing his estranged girlfriend outside of St. Mary's Cathedral in Grand Island.

After the attack, he slit his throat and left the scene, police said then.

His projected release date was August 2033.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department arrested Timothy Kubert, president of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, on suspicion of tampering with witnesses in a sexual assault investigation, according to Sgt. Zach Byers.

A sexual assault was reported at the residence of Delta Upsilon on April 5.

Through the investigation into that allegation, UNL police came to believe Kubert told members of the chapter not to talk with police about what happened, Byers said. Kubert was arrested at 11:23 a.m. on Friday.

Kubert was released later that day on a $2,500 bond, according to Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Officer Ricardo Marroquan.

Kubert has not answered any of their questions yet, and the investigation of the sexual assault is ongoing.
The research options available in the Urban Entomology Lab at the University of Florida were a veritable whos who of some of the most annoying insects alive.

House flies. Mosquitoes. Other pests that spread disease and cause a nuisance.

Corraine McNeill wasnt interested until her adviser suggested bedbugs.

I honestly said, Whats a bedbug? said McNeill, a native of Jamaica who has taught biology at Union College since 2012.

Her interest piqued, McNeill started on a research project that looked at the Behavioral Responses of Nymph and Adult Cimex lectularius to Colored Harborages.

In plainspeak: Can bedbugs see color, and if so, what colors do they prefer?

The answer to the first question, McNeill learned, is yes.

We wanted to determine if there were unique ways of controlling bedbugs, because if they can see color, we can use those colors to our advantage, said McNeill, whose findings were published in the Journal of Medical Entomology on April 25.

The experiment went through two stages. In the first, bedbugs were placed in petri dishes with colored cards folded into little tents to create a shelter.

McNeill would leave the bugs alone in a controlled environment free from her exhaling carbon dioxide, her body heat and any other variables to which they may be attracted for a 10-minute period.

In the first round of tests, McNeill said the bugs routinely picked the colored tents over a white control tent.

But in the second round, the bugs were given a choice between two randomly selected colors -- more on that later. McNeill also studied how the bedbugs acted when a group of insects was present, and how their behaviors changed in different group settings.

She also recorded results for newly hatched to adult bedbugs, for hungry bedbugs and those which had just eaten.

All told, about 1,000 bedbugs from Koehlers colony were used in the experiment, McNeill said.

According to the studys findings, bedbugs prefer red and black and avoid green and yellow. Newly hatched bugs didnt show any preference in color, McNeill said, but once they had been given their first meal, their behavior changed.

Once you feed that baby bedbug, it turns on some genes that help them start to see colors, McNeill said. And as they grow up, their color preferences change, similar to how if as a kid you always liked green toys, but when you become an adult you like something else.

Biologically speaking, McNeill said, research has determined that bedbugs have two unique photoreceptors that allow them to pick up on the intensity of each colors wavelengths.

So while a bedbug may be able to distinguish between a longer wavelength color like red and shorter wavelength colors like blue or violet, McNeill said it doesnt appear the photoreceptors are capable of distinguishing between black and red, or black and orange.

To the bedbug, all those colors are welcoming.

We think it appears the same to them  the long wavelengths appear dark and welcoming, McNeill said. But we wont be able to say definitively without extra research.

While the study has demonstrated bedbugs are capable of choosing which colors are most appealing to them to use as a shelter, McNeill said the research has some limitations.

The colors used were on card stock -- not bedsheets, which are capable of holding a scent and warmth and other properties attractive to bugs -- so there is no need to throw out the red and black Husker bedding just yet.

Knowing how bedbugs respond to different wavelengths of light could be useful in creating traps, however.

By using shelters in colors favored by bedbugs, along with certain pheromones or odors, McNeill said, effective traps could be made to capture the insects before they lay eggs in a mattress.

Weve just found another tool that we can use, she said.
Sunday marked the 71st anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, commemorating when Germany and its Western cronies unconditionally surrendered to the Allies, and the event was celebrated in Lincoln during the Guardians of Freedom Air Show.

To begin the final day of the weekend-long air show, the Nebraska National Guard held a ceremony to honor those who fought during World War II in Europe, specifically those who were from Nebraska. Those in attendance Sunday morning were reminded that around 100 members of the Nebraska National Guards 134th Infantry Regiment, 110th Medical Battalion and 110th Quartermaster Company lost their lives in the final days leading up to the surrender of the Axis powers.

On days like this, when we prepare to watch highly trained aviators perform their amazing acts, it's important for us to remember as a community that days like today wouldnt be possible if it hadnt been for the dedicated service of American military men and women, said Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, Nebraska's adjutant general. Soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines came together time and time again to fight against the forces of tyranny that threatened freedom around the world.

Retired Master Sgt. Jim Gilmore listened intently as Bohac spoke. Gilmore retired in 2002 from the National Guard after more than 22 years of service.

I loved the ceremony, Gilmore said. It was very moving.

Lt. Col. Kevin Hynes, public affairs officer for the Nebraska National Guard, particularly noted the attentiveness of the crowd at the ceremony.

The part that I noticed was when we had our moment of silence, it was absolutely silent, Hynes said. It was the only time the whole weekend. But I think the crowd was really grateful for those people we recognized.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has broken just about every political rule and precedent this election cycle, so what difference would it make if he broke one more?

If Trump wants to gain credibility with voters who are either wary of or vehemently opposed to him becoming president, he should borrow from the British system and name a shadow cabinet.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a British shadow cabinet is made up of a group of senior people from the opposition party who create an alternative cabinet to that of the government. The role of shadow ministers is to criticize government ministers. If their party wins a majority in a future election, most are frequently appointed to cabinet positions.

If Trump were to adopt such a strategy now, it would present him with several opportunities. First, each of his appointees, presumably, would be people with the knowledge and experience Trump lacks. Second, each of his shadow cabinet members could focus on what they consider the failures of a particular government agency or program and offer alternatives to make it better. Third, some of Trump's shadow cabinet could recommend doing away with cabinet agencies and programs by making the case that they cost too much and fail to live up to their purpose.

In Britain, the shadow cabinet is presided over by the opposition leader. In Trump's shadow cabinet, his choice for vice president, who should be named before the convention to allow the public time to become comfortable with his choice, might be the one to keep his people focused on their goal. Should Trump win, all of the shadow cabinet members could be nominated to real cabinet positions.

How would this work? The shadow minister for education could make the case for the dissolution of the unnecessary Department of Education, which was Jimmy Carter's promise to the teachers unions in 1976 in order to gain their endorsement. DOE educates no one and is another one of those Washington bureaucracies that thinks it knows better than local school districts and parents how best to educate. The shadow minister might also make the case for school choice, focusing on poor and minority children trapped in failing government schools whose liberation would offer them a chance to succeed.

The shadow minister for defense would look at wasteful spending by the military and by members of Congress who like to spend money on defense projects in their states and districts for things the military doesn't want or need.

Stories of overpriced planes and ships and long delays are legion. The F-35 fighter jet is just one of many bad examples. The airplane has been way behind schedule in development and cost overruns have added to the price, now around $1 trillion.

A withering 2015 report by the National Security Network, a D.C.-based think tank, according to Fortune.com, maintains that "The F-35 fighter jet will find itself outmaneuvered, outgunned, out of range, and visible to enemy sensors."

Trump should also promise a flat or fair tax, elimination of the Internal Revenue Service and a top-to-bottom audit of the federal government. Programs that do not perform well and within budget should either be eliminated or turned over to the private sector.

This idea can be sold to voters based not only on their antipathy to Washington, which Trump's campaign has helped channel, but also for the sake of coming generations who will be saddled with the bill. Are we so selfish that we want ours now without concern for the financial burden we are placing on our grandchildren and their kids?

A shadow cabinet might work and it would be different. Like Trump.
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stopped off briefly in Omaha Friday to blow smoke about opening Japan to more beef and forcing China to buy Nebraska products. Nebraskans need to take a closer look.

Trump's trade policies could ravage Nebraska agriculture and do major damage to the states economy.

That's something Nebraskas Republican voters should take into account when they go to the polls on Tuesday, even though the results in the presidential primary will be largely symbolic.

Take, for example, Trumps opposition to the Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership pending in Congress.

As Darci Vetter, Americas chief agricultural trade negotiator, told ag journalists recently, the TPP is an incredibly important deal for U.S. agriculture. Vetter, who grew up on a family farm in Nebraska, pointed out that the pact would lower foreign tariffs on U.S. agricultural products, making them more affordable for foreign buyers.

But Trump in the Fox Business/Wall Street Journal debate in November, called it one of the worst trade deals.

It should be pointed out that Trump clearly did not know what he was talking about because his response to the question on the pact made repeated references to China, prompting Sen. Rand Paul to riposte, Hey, you know, we might want to point out that China is not part of this deal.

Its equally disappointing that apparent Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has flip-flopped on the TPP. After supporting the pact while she was in the Obama administration, she now has reversed her position, aligning her position with opponent Bernie Sanders.

But Nebraska depends on trade, particularly in agriculture. And in Nebraska one out of every four jobs is related to agriculture.

In 2015 Nebraska exported $6.6 billion worth of products, according to the International Trade Administration. Of that $3.5 billion went to its 20 free trade partners, an increase of 103 percent since 2005.

The TPP would add another 11 countries to the number of free trade partners.

One measure of the depth of support for free trade in Nebraska is that 22 agricultural organization and Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a letter urging Congress to give President Obama fast track authority on TPP.

Between Trump and Clinton, theres little doubt that Trumps policies on trade would be more of a threat to Nebraskas economy.

Trump has proposed a 45 percent tariff on imported Chinese goods. Not only would this make the cost of those products soar, it also raises the spectre of a trade war, with China retaliating with its own tariffs.

Last year Nebraska exported $493 million worth of goods to China. Loss of that market would punch a gaping hole in Nebraskas economy, destroying jobs from Plattsmouth to Chadron. The prospect is alarming.
In regard to the pending ash borer infestation ("Ash borer is $960 million statewide problem," April 6), thought should be given to the traditional idea of planting the same species of tree on both sides of the street all the way down the block.

On the good side, it looks nice, as if one were standing in a cathedral and looking up at the ceiling.

On the bad side, it fosters the spread of whichever infestation comes along next, whether it be insect, fungus or virus. Those also require the expenditure of millions of dollars per infestation.

We didn't learn from the Dutch Elm Disease infestation.

Would the streets really look all that bad if a variety of species or genera were to be replanted on each block instead of always having all the same? The bugs, fungi or viruses prefer it but they don't have to foot the bill.

If symmetry is wanted for aesthetic reasons, different species with similar size, color, and shape could be planted.

This would not solve the insect problem, but it would make it more manageable over the decades.

Allen Keen, Lincoln
In a recent article ("Shocked at politics? Take the bubble quiz," April 16), Meghan Daum is less than candid about Charles Murray. She calls him "a controversial figure known for divisive theories about the relationship between poverty and IQ, [who] has never been popular in bubbly liberal circles." There is good reason for his lack of popularity: Murray is a racist.

Murray is best-known as co-author of an infamous book, "The Bell Curve." In this work, he does not link poverty with IQ but with race. He asserts that African-American poverty is caused by innate intellectual inferiority and that blacks should be corralled onto "a high tech and more lavish version of the Indian reservation" so they won't spread their "inferior" genes.

In "The Mismeasure of Man," Stephen Jay Gould, one of America's most renowned biologists, mathematically analyses "The Bell Curve" and finds its "anachronistic social Darwinist agenda" to be biased, deceptive and racist. This is the "political scientist" Daum cites as an authority!

Daum's failure to mention Murray's proven racism makes me question everything she writes. She admits his "bubble quiz" is "more parlor game than scientific measure," then proceeds to treat it seriously anyway. Why? To beat up progressives. She cites no facts, only stereotypes: progressives all listen to NPR, live only on the coasts, have forgotten their roots and more. She even manages to blame "craft-beer and groovy coffee shops for" for Donald Trump! Trump's minions may "feel forgotten by the establishment" as Daum says, but that isn't why they're voting for him: it's because they're hateful mean-spirited bigots.

This non-NPR-listening, non-craft-beer-drinking, non-coastal white progressive is too busy to put up with racism, no matter how it is expressed, and conservatives like Meghan Daum seem to be expressing a lot of it lately.

Mike Meile, Lincoln
Gov. Pete Ricketts contributed $50,000 to the Nebraska Republican Party last week, six days before Tuesday's primary election.

The funding was noted in a report of a late contribution filed with the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Such reports are required for contributions made within 14 days of an election.

Ricketts has been playing an active role in this year's legislative elections and is openly opposing the re-election of at least one incumbent state senator who is a fellow Republican.

But the $50,000 contribution is about more than that, gubernatorial spokesman Taylor Gage said Monday.

"The governor has supported the Nebraska GOP and legislative candidates for over a decade," Gage said.

"He has continued to do so this election cycle by endorsing several Republicans in legislative races and contributing to the state party to support their operations and organizational efforts for the national convention."

Ricketts has endorsed Steve Halloran of Hastings in his primary contest with Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings and recently attended a fundraiser for Halloran.

On Monday, the governor was keynote speaker at a luncheon in Kearney supporting John Lowe in his bid to succeed term-limited Sen. Galen Hadley, Speaker of the Legislature. Both of Lowe's primary opponents are also Republicans.

"Being a small business owner, I know that to grow our economy and create jobs, we must hold the line on government spending and lower the tax burden," Lowe said.

"If elected, I look forward to working with Gov. Ricketts to grow Nebraska," he said.

Ricketts is also supporting Mike Hilgers in his 21st District legislative contest in Lincoln and Lancaster County. Both of his opponents in the race to succeed term-limited Sen. Ken Haar of Malcolm are Democrats.

Two gubernatorial appointees, Sens. Nicole Fox of Omaha and David Schnoor of Scribner, also have the governor's public support.

Schnoor will automatically move on to the general election because he has only one opponent in Tuesday's primary. The top two vote-getters in each legislative district will meet in a November showdown.

Fox would appear to be the only endangered legislative incumbent in Tuesday's election. A Republican, she faces two opponents who are Democrats in a strongly Democratic South Omaha district.
A 65-year-old North Bend man died Sunday of injuries suffered when a train hit his truck.

Robert M. Conn was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado southbound on County Road 3 about four miles west of North Bend and just north of the Platte River just before 4 p.m., according to a news release from the Dodge County Sheriffs Office.

Conn failed to stop at the railroad tracks, where there is a stop sign and cross bucks, according to the sheriffs office. A Union Pacific train going east at about 45 mph hit the truck and Conn, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown free and died at the scene, the sheriff's office said.

The road is little traveled and there was no other traffic in the area at the time of the crash, Sheriff Steven Hespen said by phone.

Authorities do not suspect alcohol was a factor in the crash, and all warning devices on the train engine were found to be in working order.
Two of Nebraska's top youth volunteers of 2016, My'Kah Knowlin, 15, of Lincoln and Golden Kelly, 13, of Omaha, were honored in Washington, D.C., for their volunteer service during the 21st annual presentation of The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

They and with 100 other top youth volunteers from across the country each received $1,000 awards and personal congratulations from Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank at an award ceremony and gala dinner reception at the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History.

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, sponsored by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), named the pair Nebraska's top high school and middle level youth volunteers in February. In addition to their cash awards, each received an engraved silver medallion and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent to Washington, D.C., for four days of recognition events.

My'Kah, a freshman at Lincoln High School, formed a network of student role models and mentors at nine schools throughout Nebraska to help stop bullying and support victims. After years of being bullied herself, MyKah believed that the only way to stop it was to commit suicide. I couldnt see any other way out, she said.

But she was lucky enough to have a strong support system, and instead resolved to provide other victims of bullying with the support she had benefited from. I want to make sure that no one feels suicide is their only choice, but to know there are others out there who want to stand beside them and help them get through the hard times, said MyKah.

Because she felt that sharing personal stories of bullying would be key to helping other victims, MyKah named her initiative My STORIES, which is also an acronym for Students Teaching Others Respect, Independence, Empowerment and Strength. She began recruiting students in her school and other schools to reach out to kids being bullied, offer to stand beside them, teach them how to document and report incidents, and bolster their self-respect. In one instance, MyKah intervened directly to help save a young girl from taking her own life. I may not be able to protect all students, she said, but I will stand up to those I see trying to hurt others, and I will continue to educate those who want to help.
RACINE COUNTY  Paul Ryan says he was just being who I am when he dropped a bombshell last week in not endorsing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

With the two scheduled to meet Thursday, the House speaker said in an interview Monday with The Journal Times hes not looking for anything specific from Trump. His goal is to unify a party clearly split over its presidential candidate, with Republicans ranging from the rank and file to 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney pledging not to vote for him.

If we go forward pretending that were unified, then we are going to be at half-strength this fall, said Ryan, R-Wis., whose district includes Racine County.

I want to be part of that unifying process, and thats why I invited Donald to meet with me and other leaders in D.C. this week to begin talking to each other to figure out how we unify this party.

Ryan unfamiliar with Trump

Trump has split with Ryan on many issues, including trade, immigration and entitlement reform.

Then theres Trumps inflammatory rhetoric on women, Hispanics, Muslims and others. Ryan said I dont want to comment on the past  he noted he has previously spoken out on some of Trumps proposals, like a proposed ban on Muslims  but said its important the party reach independents and disaffected Democrats.

Were going to have a campaign that can not only unify all Republicans on conservative principles, but is capable of being an inclusive campaign that appeals to everybody, Ryan said. Our principles are inclusive principles that apply to everyone in every walk of life.

Ryan said he and Trump had one nice conversation in March but otherwise dont know each other. He said Trump deserves credit for an impressive victory. Its really an amazing feat. He is the figurehead of the party, given his victory.

Stance draws criticism

Ryans position on Trump has drawn some rebukes, including from his primary opponent, Paul Nehlen of Delavan. On Sunday, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she will work to defeat Ryan in the primary.

I really have no comment, Ryan said. People here know me very, very well ... Ive never been worried about outside influences in our district. I am who I am and Im not going to worry about those other things.

The attacks are largely due to Ryans position and stature in the party. But he said he knew it was part of becoming speaker, a position he long resisted until assuming the mantle in October.

My colleagues asked me to do this and I redesigned the job to suit my strengths, he said. And so Im happy where I am. I believe I can play a very constructive role for our country and for this district.
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca said the things that made Donald Trump unpopular with presidential primary voters in Wisconsin should make Republicans vulnerable in state Legislature races in November.

In an interview on WKOW-TV's "Capital City Sunday," Barca, D-Kenosha, said he hopes that Democrats can at least narrow a 27-seat Republican majority in the state Assembly to single digits with Trump leading the GOP ticket.

Barca said "continuous surprises" from the Trump campaign should be familiar to Wisconsin voters.

"I think part of what makes him so unpopular, aside from his agenda for women, which also in Wisconsin has been horrendous, is the fact that you never know where he's going to go," Barca told host Greg Neumann. "And Gov. (Scott) Walker didn't campaign on taking a quarter-billion dollars out of our university system. He never campaigned on taking a billion dollars out of our public schools. He never campaigned on letting our infrastructure suffer. ... So the data, the metrics are just horrendous under Gov. Walker and the Republican leadership, and I think people are ready for a change so we're excited about that."

A member of the Republican leadership seemed to concede that possibility in a separate TV interview broadcast Sunday.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said on "UpFront with Mike Gousha" that his presumption is still that Trump will lose the general election to Democrat Hillary Clinton and could negatively impact down-ballot Republicans in Wisconsin.

Trump lost to Ted Cruz by 13 points in the April primary here and was viewed unfavorably by 70 percent of likely Wisconsin voters in a March poll by the Marquette University Law School.

Trump, however, could help the party by adopting a more GOP-friendly approach between now and November, Vos said.

"If Donald Trump begins to offer specific policy proposals that reinforce what Republicans believe, the common-sense principles that I know and a center-right nation people would rally around, I think that would help our ticket," Vos said. "I just haven't seen it in the first six months of this campaign, which is why we're focusing on our record."

Naturally, Vos and Barca differed on how the Republicans' record will play with the electorate.

Republicans hold 63 of the 99 Assembly seats, all of which are up for election in November although it remains to be seen how many will be contested. For Democrats to cut the Republican majority to single digits, they would need a net gain of nine seats.

Barca said he'll have a better sense of the Democrats' prospects once the filing deadline passes on June 1, but said the outlook is positive.

"We feel we will definitely pick up a good number of seats," he said.

Vos said that Wisconsin Republicans have a record to stand on while that might not be the case at the national level.

"If you're a Republican, you look and you say we have right to work, we have prevailing wage reform, we reduced income taxes, held property taxes frozen, a UW tuition freeze, more money for public schools  lots of things to be proud of," Vos said. "If you're an independent or lean Democrat, we have a lot of things to be proud of, too: more money for schools, we saved SeniorCare, more money for BadgerCare, we focused on Alzheimer's and dementia, we dealt with the heroin epidemic. So we have a great record to run on of getting things done. And, frankly, there's a little bit more that needs to get done in Washington, which is why that frustration exists with the Donald Trump voter."

Parts of that resume might work against Republican legislators, said Barca, who cited 11 GOP Assembly members voting against the budget last year as evidence of "cracks finally in that Republican armor."

"They tell me privately they're concerned about this election cycle," Barca said, "and they should be."
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Afghanistan: Taliban prisoners hanged as Helmand fighting flares

Afghanistan has hanged six Taliban inmates in the first executions since Ashraf Ghani became president in 2014.
BJP makes Modi's degree public, asks Kejriwal to apologise

The BJP on Monday made public the BA and MA degrees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought an apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for accusing Modi of lying about his educational qualification.
China Fujian landslide: 41 missing under rubble

At least 41 construction workers are missing after a landslide buried their dormitory under rocks and mud in China, state media report.
CIAA files corruption charge against DDC Manager Sah

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against DDC Manager Satrughna Prasad Sah at the Special Court.
Fast and furious

Govt went far in cancelling Presidents Delhi visit and recalling Nepal envoy
Binod Ghimire covers parliamentary affairs and human rights for The Kathmandu Post. Since joining the Post in 2010, he has reported primarily on social issues, focusing on education and transitional justice.
Five dead in Myagdi jeep accident

Five people died when a Bolero jeep en route to Niskot from Darwang in Myagdi district met with an accident on Monday.
Five years on, state still undecided on squatter resettlement plan

Five years after a failed attempt to evict the squatters from a public land at Thapathali in Kathmandu, the government has been struggling to find an alternative space to relocate them.
Govt invites Morcha for talks

After a lull of nearly three months, the government on Sunday made a fresh call to the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) to return to the negotiating table.
Govt move could deal a setback to Nepal-India ties

The governments decision to recall Nepali Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay could be a setback in Nepal-India diplomatic ties, say diplomatic experts.
Govt starts draft work

The government has started drafting Laboratory Bill that aims to classify various government and non-government laboratories while also expanding the services to health facilities at grass roots level.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
Handle with care

The issue of provincial boundaries should be resolved first before calling local polls
Happy employees are productive employees

Manish Timilsina is the Assistant General Manager at Century Commercial Bank Limited.
Millions worth of banned herb seized

A huge collection of banned herb Dactylorhiza hatagirea  locally known as Paanchaunle  was confiscated from near the Matena area of Bhimdutta Municipality in Kanchanpur on Sunday.
Missing boy found dead

A missing nine-year-old boy was found dead at Panauti Municipality in Kavre district on Sunday.
Missing Russian trekker found dead at Pisang

A Russian trekker who had gone missing while returning after ascending the Pisang Mountain in Manang district was found dead on Monday.
Mother, daughter rescued

The National Human Rights Commission officials have rescued a mother and her daughter from a hotel as they were found to have been exploited and assaulted there for long, keeping them captive.
National consensus a must to keep the nation strong, independent

Nepals politics took a familiar turn on Wednesday morning with the news of an imminent change in government.
Ncell files Rs9.96b in CG tax return

Succumbing to steady pressure from various stakeholders, Ncell, a privately owned telecom company, on Sunday filed the tax return and paid 15 out of 25 percent of capital gains tax (CGT) on the behalf of its previous owner TeliaSonera.
Petroleum exploration study begins

A joint team of Chinese experts and Commerce Ministry officials has started a feasibility study on petroleum gas and mineral oil exploration in Shreesthan, Dailekh
Philippines election: Polls open with outspoken mayor tipped to win

People in the Philippines are voting for a new president and other leaders, with outspoken mayor Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte the favourite to win.
Raid at Foreign Employment Department: Labour Permit Division under police control

The Metropolitan Police Crime Division has arrested a migrant worker leaving for foreign employment for the first time with a re-entry visa, from Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu on Monday.
Shopping centres, marts sprout up across Valley

The convenience of shopping centres has encouraged more and more Kathmanduites to do their buying at such outlets.
The call of duty

Subisu Cable Net, one of the most prominent internet service providers in the country, provides a 24-hour helplineprioritising customer satisfaction and service at all times
When Satyajit Ray rejected many shaving brushes for one scene

Perfectionist par excellence, legendary film maker Satyajit Ray had rejected 60 odd shaving brushes before finally selecting one which was used for a fraction of a second in his cult film "Nayak", featuring matinee idol Uttam Kumar, recalls his assistant.
The verification exercise for the Project Affected Persons under along Mukono-Kyetume-Katosi-Kisoga-Nyenga Road is expected to begin today.

This is after residents cried out over delayed compensation for their land where the road passed.

Elizabath Ninsima, a Land Acquisition Officer at the Uganda National Roads Authority says only people with valid documents will be considered for compensation.

The road made headlines last year when government lost over Sh24 billion to illegal contractors  Eutaw Construction Company.

Former Works minister, now minister without portfolio Abraham Byandala is among those implicated in the case and they are currently battling the charges before the Anti-Corruption Court.

Story By Ivan Kyeyune
By

Born in one country, living in another  the beginning of expat life.

My first baby was 11 days old when we made our way to the airport. In those 11 days wed taken part, like many before us, in the expat version of the Amazing Baby Race. From the moment our newborn had made an appearance my husband was on a mission  a series of challenges for us to complete to make it from one country to another.

Every expat parent knows it. It begins with the birth certificate, sometimes translated, sometime not. Next its the passport: a process involving duplicate copies and waiting areas with queues that move at a beaurocratic speed. Youll then usually discover some sort of additional and unexpected paperwork for a visa or permit. If you happen to be far from home its possible government departments will be discovered, stamps will be aquired, palms greased and deals sweatened.

None of this is the real challenge though. The ultimate challenge is packing up to six weeks of pre baby shopping with 11 days of post natal sleep deprived angst.

I could tell you everything about that first flight. I remember the baby basket we carrried her in, how my father swung it gently from side to side to keep her from screaming while we checked in. The tearful goodbye with my mother, the worry she unsuccessfully hid. I remember the couple we sat across from at the gate who told us our baby was a human kewpie doll. Thats exactly what she was: rosebud lips, enormous doe eyes and the whisp of a curl on her forehead. She was insanely perfect and we were overwhelmingly biaised.

When we landed in Singapore with an hour or two to spare, I made my way through the airport gingerly carrying her in a sling. What if I broke her? What if something went wrong? Was she too hot? I should lay her flat.

I found a change table in the womens bathroom and amongst the busyiness of airport life laid my newborn down with the soul purposes of fawning and fanning. As people wandered by with the noise of hand dryers blowing and taps running, a woman stopped to smile.

Enjoy your baby, it goes so quickly, my babys 21 now there was a tear in her eye. And maybe it was the hormones and the jet lag, but right in that moment I understood the sadness. While every cell of my sleep deprived and post natal body felt the blues of being consumed with babyness  I somehow knew that it was going to escape me.

I guess it was about four weeks ago that my doe eyed child and I made our way through customs and immigration. Her hair in a top knot, her teenage trademark of headphones attached to a device, one earbud hanging. She swiped her own passport and looked towards me as they quetsioned her age and travel movements.

Thats my Mum she said with a beaming smile in my direction to confirm that she wasnt absconding.

Hot chocolate? I asked as we hit the airport bar just outside of our gate.

Sure! Im going to look for a power socket though, my battery is almost flat.

And off she wandered, like the professional traveller that weve encouraged her to become. As I stood at the bar I looked over at a couple who were taking turns at holding their newborn.

Shes beautiful I said wistfully.

Its her first flight they said in unison, they had more carry-on luggage than Beyonce on her way to Vegas for a month. They were nervous, unsure of what the next twelve hours would hold.

Youll be an expert three hours into the trip. I promise I said enthusiastically. My babys nearly 16 I said before having to stop and catch myself. The tears were in a holding pattern.

Enjoy it, it goes so quickly, I thought to myself as I carried the hot chocolate back to the table.

Sign up for the best bits here Your favourite posts from the group as well as the gems from the podcast. We'll send it straight to your inbox to save you searching Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.
By Trudy Rubin



Last month, unarmed Russian fighter jets buzzed within 30 feet of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea and also barrel-rolled a U.S. reconnaissance plane flying over that sea.



In part, these provocative stunts were a message from Moscow of its continuing displeasure at the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which had the temerity to join the European Union and NATO. Equally outrageous  from a Kremlin perspective  Baltic leaders are demonstrating how Europe could break away from its dangerous energy dependence on Russia, which Moscow cleverly wields to manipulate European politicians.



The Baltic states are spoilsports, messing with Vladimir Putin's mirage of re-establishing a Russian empire. So the Russian leader is probing for NATO weakness in the run-up to key alliance meetings, when U.S. and European leaders will discuss how to respond to Putin's destabilizing games.



Lithuania's deputy ambassador, Mindaugas Zickus, laid out in an interview the strategic reasons why that response demands firmness. "Putin's entire strategy is about testing us," says Zickus. "He is trying to explore how Russia can renew its greatness in imperial terms."



The Lithuanian diplomat doesn't buy the theory that Putin is only reacting to a fear of encirclement brought on by NATO expansion to the Baltics along with several countries in Central and Eastern Europe. (His skepticism is not surprising since the Baltic states were occupied by Moscow for decades.)



Zickus believes that Putin would have sought to restore Russian grandeur whether or not NATO expanded. "If we weren't NATO members," says Zickus, "he would have been more aggressive, trying to increase leverage over us in any area."



I agree. Given the large Russian ethnic minorities in Latvia and Estonia, Putin might even have tried to imitate his successful tactic in Ukraine, sending in Russian soldiers in disguise to destabilize the country.



Now that NATO has expanded, Putin's "strategic goal is to break up NATO," says Zickus. "He says NATO belongs to the past." (He is no doubt encouraged by Donald Trump, who says NATO is no longer necessary.)



The Russian leader has chalked up successes in his seizure of Crimea from non-NATO member Ukraine and his ability to destabilize eastern Ukraine, thus ensuring it will never join NATO. But Zickus believes Putin was surprised at the way the alliance held together in reauthorizing economic sanctions against Moscow six times for its invasion of Ukraine.



So what does he believe the alliance must do now to convince Putin that the Kremlin's dangerous military maneuvers could provoke a military conflict, one that not even the Kremlin desires?



Zickus makes three essential points.



First, the response to Putin must be very clear, including on a preventative military level. "We hope Putin understands war with the West makes no sense," the diplomat says. "But he wants to test every possible weakness. He doesn't know how far he'll go but he is testing."



The Balts would like to see more NATO military support, including a permanent basing of NATO troops on their soil. (Under a 1997 NATO-Russia accord, both sides pledged not to station large numbers of troops along their respective borders, but Baltic leaders believe Russia violated that act with its invasion of Ukraine.) However, they are pleased that President Barack Obama is planning a substantial increase in the deployment of heavy weapons and equipment to Central and Eastern Europe, including an armored brigade of 4,200 troops. This month, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said NATO was also considering an additional force of 4,000 troops that would rotate between the Baltics and Poland.



These troops would not be permanently based, so they would not violate the 1997 deal, but they would send the message that NATO stands behind its new members. Whether this would be sufficient to check Putin's dangerous probing is unclear.



Second, Zickus says NATO must figure out how to deal with Putin's hybrid warfare, which seeks to undermine European democracies in ways other than military force. Moscow uses broadcast media  which reaches Russian minorities in the Baltics  to push anti-NATO propaganda.



Moreover, as I've written, Russia funds populist political candidates in Europe who are anti-American and oppose NATO and membership in the European Union. In addition, Russian money has reportedly backed European green movements that oppose fracking, which could help wean Europe off dependence on Russian gas.



Western countries don't fully grasp the potency of such Russian tactics, nor have they come up with any counter-strategy that works.



Which leads to point three: Lithuania has demonstrated how Europe can and should wean itself off Russian energy supplies. Last year, Lithuania, which had been totally dependent on Russian gas, opened an LNG terminal at Klaipada. This year the country will receive more than half its gas from Norway. The Lithuanian example demonstrates the potential for European energy independence, helped by future LNG exports from the United States  although Russia is trying to undermine the momentum.



"We will have Russia as a normal partner when Russia realizes we can survive without them, that we have other options," says Zickus. A small Baltic nation is showing how this can be done.



Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Copyright belongs to Tribune Content Agency, LLC.




Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
DEAR READERS: I've stepped away from my column for a week while I put the finishing touches on my new book, which will be published in the fall. Please enjoy these "Best Of" columns in my absence. I'll be back with your fresh questions and answers next week.

DEAR AMY: I am the nanny of two 10-year-old girls this summer, and I am concerned with comments they have made about their looks.

Both are normal-size, healthy girls with regular bodies, but I have heard them say how fat they think they are at least five or six times. One time one girl complained about her "big belly," and the other said, "I need to work out soooo bad; I'm so fat."

Amy, these girls are 10!

I always tell them that they are beautiful girls and are a healthy size.

I am wondering if this is the proper way to handle this kind of talk, or what I could possibly do to make these girls believe that they are not fat.

I do not want them to suffer the same self-esteem issues so many women (including myself) face. Wondering in Illinois

DEAR WONDERING: You are right to be concerned about this, and you are responding to these girls just as you should. You can help further by exposing them to positive girl role models, rather than the stick-insect pop tarts and cultural "icons" currently in vogue.

If your summer charges haven't yet started the "Harry Potter" books, now would be a good time to read J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (1998, Scholastic) with them. The Hermione character is one that any 10-year-old girl should emulate.

Adolescent girls should be encouraged to be smart and creative problem-solvers, not miniature workout queens.

Obviously, let a parent know what you're observing. Unfortunately, the girls might be re-creating talk that they hear at home. Emphasize that the content of their character is always going to be the most important thing to you. They're watching and learning from you all the time they're with you.  July, 2007

DEAR AMY: I am dating a medical student who has very little free time.

I have done whatever possible to make this difficult time easier for him  doing his laundry, cleaning his apartment and bringing him dinners.

He is very good to me, and I always enjoy seeing him. However, no matter what I do or what the situation, I take a back seat to his friends. I am either ignored or treated as "one of the guys" when they're around.

Though he often mentions marriage, I doubt that his friends even know that we're serious. I know that he has to make the most of his spare time, but the only time reserved for me is when he's too tired to do much else beyond lie on his couch.

Sex has become very rare and dull. Though his excuse is often that he doesn't have time to think about sex, he does have time in his study breaks to look at porn on the Internet.

Am I wasting my time? Am I asking too much? Is it worth continuing to date someone on the promise that things will improve in a few years? I, too, will be in medical school soon. I worry that once my availability decreases we will become what we're already close to being: long-distance friends. Kelli

DEAR KELLI: Do you think you'll be able to count on your boyfriend to cook and clean for you once you've started medical school?

Yeah  I didn't think so.

Between his exhausting schedule of school, friends and porn, he does seem to find the time to dangle marriage in front of you now and then. Stop listening to what he says, and start paying close attention to what he does. Notice that what he does is all about him.

People in committed relationships find ways to value and treasure their partners, even when they're exhausted. They find ways to be intimate, even when they're going through a dull patch.

It's fairly obvious that life for medical students isn't exactly like "Grey's Anatomy," but couldn't it be even the slightest bit like the popular television show, in which the busy physicians actually manage to have relationships?

Relationships seldom improve in a few years, the way you are hoping yours will  especially when only one party is committed to making an effort.

Is that what you want?

Yeah  I didn't think so.  October, 2007
On May 17, the Martin Luther College Wind Symphony, under the direction of Prof. Miles Wurster, will perform their spring tour concert at 7 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 500 Park St, West Salem.

Located in New Ulm, Minn., Martin Luther College exists to train future pastors, teachers and staff ministers for service in the churches and schools of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The Wind Symphony is an instrumental ensemble of approximately 65 musicians representing all areas of study at MLC including music, pre-seminary studies, as well as early, elementary and secondary education.
Calling silica sand a direct and indirect threat to health, community and the environment, representatives from more than a dozen organizations called for a ban on frac sand mining Monday, the eve of an industry conference in La Crosse.

Frac sand is a dangerous business on many levels, said Pat Wilson, chairman of the Coulee Region Sierra Club chapter.

The fine-grained silica sands prevalent across western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota have long been mined for industrial use, but recent advances in a gas and oil drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing created enormous demand for the sand, which is used to open cracks in underground rocks.

According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources records, there are now 129 mines and processing facilities in the state; there are at least nine in Minnesota, according to that states DNR.

In the past year, however, falling oil prices have led North Dakota drillers to idle wells, and the demand for sand has plummeted, idling many of those mines.

An industry trade magazine is hosting a two-day conference at the La Crosse Center as the industry awaits an economic rebound, but opponents are not waiting idle, planning a rally at 5 p.m. outside the conference hall.

We think the frac sand industry is destroying the Midwest, said Ken Tschumper, a member of the Houston County (Minn.) Protectors and an organizer of Mondays news conference. Were going to fight the frac sand industry every step of the way. Were no longer going to accept regulation.

Representatives of Minnesotas Land Stewardship Project cited their 2014 report that found half of the frac sand companies operating in Wisconsin violated DNR regulations, manipulated local governments, or engage in influence peddling and conflicts of interest.

We know regulations do not work in practice, Winona County resident Lynnea Pfohl said.

Eighteen organizations  ranging from local anti-mining groups to the Ho-Chunk Nation  have formed an alliance supporting silica mining bans at the local and state level across the Driftless region.

The arguments focused on both local and global impacts: the mining and processing affects local land, water and air  and bitterly divides communities; the fracking process has been linked to groundwater contamination as well as earthquakes; and burning the hard-to-reach natural gas and oil reserves releases greenhouse gasses.

Frac sand mining is aiding and abetting the fossil fuel industry in making our planet unlivable, said Kathy Allen of the Coulee Region Climate Alliance.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends that to limit global temperature increase to 2 degrees by mid-century, about three quarters of the worlds fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground.

So should frac sand, Allen said.

Others at Mondays event focused on spiritual concerns.

Carlene Roberts of First Congregational Church cited Biblical exhortations to care for the earth.

Frac sand mining is in direct conflict with these verses, on all levels, she said.

David Greendeer, who represents the 11-county District II of the Ho-Chunk Nation, quoted a saying of his grandfathers.

When God created the earth, he created everything before he created the human being, Greendeer said. So our job as human beings is to take care of the earth.

Frac sand mining is aiding and abetting the fossil fuel industry in making our planet unlivable. Kathy Allen, Coulee Region Climate Alliance
La Crosse County has a new vendor lined up for its MiniBus program, but a lot of unanswered questions remain, including how the county will deal with an expected jump in cost.

County officials dont really even know yet how much more the program will cost because the current provider, First Transit, bases its charge on an hourly rate while the new contractor to take over July 1, Abby Vans of Neillsville, will bill on a per-trip basis.

It appears clear, however, that costs will rise for the MiniBus program, which already took a financial hit this spring after First Transit gave the county notice that it would discontinue its contract at the end of April. The company exercised its option to terminate the MiniBus contract with 30 days notice after its subsidiary, First Student, lost the contract to provide busing for the La Crosse School District.

County officials negotiated a deal with First Transit to continue providing MiniBus service for 60 days to give the county time to find a new vendor, but the First Transit extension came at a high cost: a 61 percent price increase.

The MiniBus program provides low-cost rides to people 60 and older as well as disabled adults of any age. County Administrator Steve OMalley said about 60 percent of the rides provided by the program are for medical appointments, but people can call for rides for any reason, whether its to go shopping, out to eat, to the library or to church.

The countys Health and Human Services Board will consider approval of the 5.5-year MiniBus contract with Abby Vans at its meeting tonight, but there isnt much of a choice if the program is to continue. Abby Vans was the only bidder on the contract.

Before the next HHS board meeting, OMalley hopes to have more answers and some options to consider.

Audra Martine, director of the countys Aging and Disabilities Resource Center, said the county might have to consider changes in hours of operation, increased fares for users, limitations on the eligible purposes for rides or even changes in who can use the program.

There is definitely more expense here than we have in the budget, Martine said. Were going to be paying a lot more.

The county also has the option of using money in a reserve fund to cover part of the programs increased cost, and it could ask for more federal funding.

Another option would be to encourage regular users to sign up for Western Wisconsin Cares, a program that helps keep elderly people in their homes. People enrolled in Western Wisconsin Cares have their MiniBus expenses paid for through Medicare.

OMalley added there could be potential to cut MiniBus program costs by having the La Crosse Municipality Transit Utility take on more of the La Crosse trips that normally would be covered by the MiniBus program.

Its really rethinking the whole system because its a whole new provider, OMalley said. It meets a very important need for people and Im frustrated that we dont have any answers.

County board member Dave Holtze, who chairs the countys Commission on Aging, also expressed frustration about the programs financial issues.

We just keep going farther and farther in the hole, and its going to hit hard eventually, Holtze said. If we cant get money from the feds or the state and the population that we have to help is going to double, were going to have to start thinking outside the box, big-time.

The bottom line is there are a lot of moving parts to the MiniBus program and a pressing need to cut expenses, but OMalley emphasized that nothing is changing for now and that people will get plenty of notice if anything does change.

We dont want people to worry about it, OMalley said.

Donation

Hillview Health Care Center is getting a 2016 Ford Transit van with wheelchair-lift, thanks to an anonymous donors gift of $60,000. The gift more than covers the $44,292 purchase price of the new van, which replaces the county-run nursing homes 12-year-old van.

Its certainly one of the biggest donations weve ever had, Hillview administrator Pete Eide said.

The van with accessibility equipment will be purchased from A&J Mobility in Eau Claire.

Remaining money from the donation will be applied to the purchase of a small bus to serve Hillview residents, Eide said.
Jeff Rand has been judging local National History Day exhibits for more than 10 years. In June, he will get his first chance to check out the talent at the national level.

Rand, a reference librarian at the La Crosse Public Library, will travel to College Park, Md., to judge at the National History Day competition. Established in 1974, the annual event asks middle and high school students to put together exhibits, papers, websites, performances or documentaries on historical people, places or events with a theme focusing on exploration, encounters and exchanges in history.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to see the national level quality," said Rand, who will judge both high school and middle school categories. "I'm really excited about that."

Wisconsin officially began participating in National History Day in 2001, with the La Crosse Public library partnering with the educational competition in 2006. That was also the first year librarians invited school groups in for tours and help with their projects' research.

That first year, 150 students visited the library and eight of the History Day exhibits were hosted by the library. This year more than 800 students from more than six area school districts visited the library to learning about the importance of primary sources, such as newspapers and historical accounts, as well as how to access and use the library's collection of books, magazines and online resources.

Thirty-six projects created by 46 students from six local school districts, including Holmen Middle School, Blair-Taylor Middle School and La Crosse's Lincoln and Logan middle schools are on display this year throughout the first floor of the Main Street library. Librarians will judge the exhibits and visitors can vote for the "People's Choice Award" which will be announced at a public reception Sunday.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners by the library's Washburn Board and all of the exhibits will remain on display through most of the month of May.

Rand first started judging local schools' National History Day competitions in 2006. Since then, he has judged at the regional and state level, with this year being the first year he has volunteered to judge at the national competition.

Judges look at a number of factors when scoring a project, including presentation and a focus on the quality of the historical content and research. Students learn valuable skills by participating in National History Day, Rand said, from how to conduct research to ways to organize and manage their time.

"I want to improve my judging skills and see what things are like at nationals," Rand said. "I want to bring that back and help the students with pointers on ways to move their projects on."
SEYMOUR, Wis.  The superintendent of Seymour schools says a teacher is accused of child enticement and using a computer to enable a sex crime.

Superintendent Peter Ross said Monday school officials were notified of the teacher's arrest and placed him on administrative leave. No formal charges have been issued.

WLUK-TV says the teacher is expected to appear in Brown County Circuit Court later Monday.
It wasn't precisely an act of moral courage, but House Speaker Paul Ryan's comment that he's not ready to support presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump was at least ... something.

Whether it's a start or a finish remains to be revealed, but it would seem that we're witnessing the beginning of the end. To wit: A Republican friend, who has abandoned her behind-the-scenes work of getting conservatives elected, called me recently to express her condolences. "I feel sorry for you," she said, "because you (given your job) can't ignore the collapse of Western civilization."

Now a renegade from the nominating process, she is like so many others disillusioned by the Trump movement who've slipped the noose of politics in search of meaning beyond the Beltway. But Trump's triumph, though most insiders thought it impossible, should have surprised no one. He was inevitable not because he was The One but because he's a shrewd dealmaker with deep pockets and unencumbered by a moral compass. Both his platform and style were crafted to fit the findings of extensive polling he commissioned before announcing his run.

In other words, Trump didn't write a book you loved; he wrote the book you said you'd love. If people were outraged about immigration, why then he'd build a wall. If they were upset about manufacturing jobs lost overseas, well fine, he'd kill the trade agreements.

Trump was never about principle but about winning, the latter of which he kept no secret. What this means, of course, is that his supporters have no idea whom they nominated. He simply paid to read their minds and then invented a drug that would light up the circuit boards corresponding to pleasure and reward.

"Believe me," he crooned to the roaring crowed. "I'm not there right now," said the speaker, crossing himself in the sign of the cross.

Poor Ryan  a man of conscience in an unconscionable time. He wants to support the Republican nominee, but, at the end of the day, he has to answer to a higher authority. Trump, the party's standard bearer, isn't bearing the standard, Ryan said.

But what Ryan expressed as the basis for a desired meeting of the minds isn't about those standards, except the hope that Trump will behave better in the future. You know, act presidential and all that. Otherwise, Ryan is standing by the phone to hear that Trump will unify the party. How, pray tell? What would satisfy the Ryans of the party? For Trump to say, Hey, I was just kidding?

The problem, as with all relationships, is that certain words, once expressed, can't be taken back. No amount of backtracking can erase memories of what Trump really thought and said in a particular moment. It isn't only that his wildly conceived and frequently revised positions are at odds with those of leveler heads, but Trump has embarrassed those who can still be embarrassed.

Among those with either the gumption or nothing to lose by expressing no-support for Trump are both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush. Neither will endorse the Republican nominee. Laura Bush, a consistent voice of sanity, recently hinted at a "Women in the World" conference that she'd rather see Hillary Clinton as president than Trump.

This is utterly treasonous to most Republicans. Not only is Clinton a Clinton, notwithstanding her Rodham-ness, but the next president likely will select up to four Supreme Court justices. Republicans magically think that at least Trump would pick good justices.

But upon what shred of fact or fiction do they base this assumption?

Still other Republicans are expressing disapproval by vowing not to attend the party convention in July. These include the last two GOP presidential nominees, Mitt Romney and John McCain, though McCain is on record saying he'll support Trump, which can be viewed as loyal or merely sad.

The "sads" have it.

McCain seemingly has forgiven Trump's remark that he was a war hero only because he was captured. "I like people who weren't captured," said the anti-hero who managed to avoid service and once compared his navigation of the sexually risky 1960s to "sort of like the Vietnam era."

This is the man who would become commander-in-chief.

Meanwhile, we're told, the party that adopted Trump without really knowing him is suffering an identity crisis and facing a moment of truth.

Phooey. The GOP began digging its own grave years ago and dropped one foot in when McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate. With Trump's almost-certain nomination, the other foot has followed.
A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice said she fears that a spot on the state's highest court is no longer a sought-after position for highly qualified lawyers and judges.

Janine Geske, who was appointed to the court by former Gov. Tommy Thompson in 1993 and won a statewide election in 1994, said campaigning for the position takes a toll and can compromise neutrality.

"They don't want to put their families or their reputations at issue that way," Geske said in an interview on "UpFront with Mike Gousha" Sunday. "So we're losing a lot of good candidates. I'm not impugning the integrity or reputation of anybody there, but there are a lot of people that I think would be wonderful Supreme Court justices that are simply not going to put themselves or their families through that."

Geske said she now favors an appointment-based system for choosing justices, where a panel recommends a list of candidates to the governor, who chooses from among them.

"There are clearly political influences in that, but it's not the kind of process that involves these ads that are basically dredging up people's prior lives, attacking people on ethics, impugning the integrity of the court," she said.

More than $4.3 million was spent on Wisconsin's 2016 Supreme Court race, in which incumbent Justice Rebecca Bradley defeated Court of Appeals Judge JoAnne Kloppenburg for a 10-year seat on the court, according to Justice at Stake and the Brennan Center for Justice.

Geske said the money spent by special interests  and the potential for influence on the court because of it  changed her opinion on the best way to select Supreme Court justices.

"I thought, we can't continue this way," she said. "We had a court that was highly respected nationally as being the kind of court that was impartial, that carefully looked at the law. And I'm not saying our justices don't do that, but that's not the public perception anymore because of the nature of races, the money that's behind it and the kinds of ads that are really being the impetus of how we elect our justices."

Geske resigned from the Supreme Court in 1998 and Thompson appointed David Prosser to replace her. Prosser said last month that he's retiring in July, giving Gov. Scott Walker an appointment for a spot on the court that will be up for election next in 2020.

A change to the election system for the court would require a constitutional amendment, which Geske said would be a worthwhile endeavor.

"I'm hoping that both parties understand that it's not just a partisan race, which it has become, but it has damaged the court," she said. "And you look at those members of the court who have gone through those kinds of elections and they have been damaged in terms of their own personal reputation. Some of them have had ethics complaints filed against them, rightfully or wrongfully. And they are constantly under attack because of what happened during their races. I think it's time that we get the best qualified person to come through a process that's open, transparent and then the governor selects out of that group as opposed to the election process."
Join the Onalaska High School band at 7:30 p.m. May 16 in the high school auditorium as they say farewell to the 2016 seniors.The concert is free to the public, but there will be a free-will donation located at the entrance to support the purchase of mallet instruments for the program.
He was born May 12, 1928, to Carl W. and Martha M. (Hein) Salzwedel in the town of Lincoln. He was a member of the Tomah High School graduating class of 1946. On June 5, 1948, Lawrence was united in marriage to Elizabeth M. Schroeder at St. John Ev. Lutheran Church, Sparta. Together they resided in the Warrens area for most of their lives. Lawrence was a hard working man. Most of his days where filled with the labor of love work of a cranberry grower and farmer, expanding the cranberry marsh built by his father and passed on to him, growing cranberries for Ocean Spray. He took great pride and satisfaction in a hard days work and a job well done. Along with cranberry farming, Lawrence worked for over 28 years as a certified nursing assistant at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tomah. He was an avid outdoors-man and in his spare time, he enjoyed cutting wood, hunting, fishing and trapping just about any kind of animal; muskrat, beaver, fox, otter were just a few of the many. He was happiest being outdoors. Later in life he enjoyed feeding the deer and birds on the marsh. He enjoyed traveling and the fishing and hunting trips to Canada and Alaska, where just a few of Lawrences favorites. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Lawrence always cherished the opportunity to hold one of his beloved grandchildren in his arms while he rocked them gently to sleep. He was an active member in the Warrens cranberry growers community and also faithful and devoted member of St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church.
On 7 May, a Mexican federal judge approved the extradition to the US of the imprisoned drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman Loera, the head of the powerful Sinaloa/Pacifico drug trafficking organisation (DTO).Early on 8 May,just hours after the judicial ruling in favour of extradition, Guzman was transferred from the Altiplano maximum security prison in the Estado de Mexico (Edomex) to another jail in the northern state of Chihuahua close to the US border. The correlation in time of the two events fuelled speculation in the media that Guzman would shortly be extradited to the US. Authorities maintain, however, that the transfer merely complied with security protocol. Given that Mexicos credibility would be utterly shattered if Guzman were to escape from prison yet again, there is no shortage of security experts and some politicians questioning the logic of transferring him to the Cefereso prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, which is not only a less secure jail than the Altiplano but is also located in an area firmly under the influence of the Sinaloa/Pacifico DTO.

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A Myanmar government official says the country wants the U.S. Embassy to stop using the term Rohingya to refer to the nations mainly Muslim minority.

The official, Myanmars permanent secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aung Lin, spoke to VOA on Wednesday.

He said Myanmar would prefer that the U.S. Embassy no longer use the term because it is not helpful to the government. Myanmars government claims that those calling themselves Rohingya are Bengalis who entered the country illegally.

But the U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar, Scot Marciel, said during a press conference last week that the United States does not plan to stop using the term.

He said communities all over the world should be able to choose for themselves what name they are called.

The normal U.S. practice and the normal international practice is that communities anywhere have the right, or have the ability to decide what they are going to be called. And normally when that happens, we would call them what they asked to be called. Its not a political decision, its just a normal practice.

The name Rohingya was chosen by the mainly Muslim minority itself. Members are mostly based in Myanmars western Rakhine state.

Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country, has been criticized for its treatment of the Muslim minority. Many Rohingya people are not given citizenship and are denied other basic human rights.

Nationalists in Myanmar criticized the U.S. Embassy after it issued a statement of condolence for a recent accident during which as many as 40 Rohingya drowned.

The victims were killed while traveling to a market and a hospital from a camp for internally displaced people in Rakhine state.

The embassy statement linked the accident to restrictions on basic services in the state. It said the restrictions can lead community members to risk their lives in search of better living conditions.

Some foreign observers had expressed hope that the plight of the Rohingya community might improve after Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyis party took power last month.

But others noted that neither Aung San Suu Kyi nor her National League for Democracy party gave clear signs that policies would change regarding the Rohingya people.

U.N. agencies estimate one-tenth of the Rohingya population has fled Myanmar since 2012, when an outbreak of religious violence left more than 200 people dead.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Steve Herman reported on this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted this story for 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.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

practice  n. something that is regularly done, often as a habit, tradition or custom

predominantly  adv. mainly; for the most part

condolence  n. an expression of sympathy

displace  v. to force people to leave their homes, especially due to war, persecution or natural disaster

plight  n. a dangerous, difficult or unfortunate situation

outbreak  n. a sudden increase of fighting or disease
North Korea has expelled a group of BBC reporters, apparently because the country was unhappy with their reports.

The BBCs Tokyo correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, was detained Friday. His cameraman and producer were also detained as the group was about to leave North Korea.

The BBC reported that Wingfield-Hayes was interrogated by North Korean officials for eight hours and made to sign a statement. The team remained in Pyongyang before flying to Beijing on Monday.

The BBC reporters were in North Korea before the Workers Party Congress meeting in Pyongyang. They were also following a delegation of Nobel Prize winners who were visiting the country.

The team later joined about 130 other foreign reporters covering the Workers Party Congress. The event is the biggest political convention to be held in North Korea in 36 years

But the reporters covering the congress were kept away from party officials attending the meeting. The reporters also were closely monitored by North Korean representatives.

The party congress has tried to show unity and support for the policies of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Among those policies are development of both the economy and nuclear weapons.

During the congress, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared his country was a nuclear state. However, he said North Korea would not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is violated.

Kim said he is willing to consider normalizing ties with countries that have been hostile to North Korea in the past.

Experts said the North Korean leader did not offer any serious new proposals for reducing international tensions over the countrys nuclear program.

South Koreas Defense Ministry rejected Kims assertion that North Korea is a nuclear power.

It is a consistent position of us and the international community that we do not recognize North Korea as a nuclear state, said a defense ministry spokesman. He said that Seoul will continue to push efforts to make North Korea give up its nuclear program through sanctions and pressure.

The United Nations placed strong new sanctions on North Korea in March for its latest nuclear test in January and a rocket launch earlier this year.

Korea expert Bruce Bennett from the RAND Corporation told VOA the North does not need nuclear weapons for its defense.

Bennett pointed out that North Korea did not have nuclear weapons for many years after the end of the Korean War in 1953. He said during that time, it was not attacked by the United States.

He also warned that once North Korea starts with a small number of nuclear weapons, that number could keep growing.

If they have more than a few, theyre not purely defensive, theyre starting to field an offensive capability. And thats bad news for North Korea because they may eventually push the U.S. to do something about it.

Bennett added that North Korea lacks credibility on the nuclear issue because it has broken agreements and shared nuclear technology with other countries.

Another expert, Bong Young-shik from the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, doubts the commitment made by Kim Jong-Un at the congress.

I think that proposal needs to be weighed to see if it carries any significance, or it is just cover for the sake of proposing to the world that the North Korean regime might be interested in a reduction of tension.

Im Mario Ritter.

Brian Padden and Victor Beattie reported on this story for VOANews.com. Youmi Kim in Seoul also contributed to the report. Bryan Lynn adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and post on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

apparently  adv. according to what you have heard or read, or to the way something appears

interrogate  v. to ask somebody a lot of questions over a long period of time, sometimes in an aggressive way

monitor  v. to watch closely or keep track of

sovereignty  n. complete power to govern a country

assertion  n. a statement that you strongly believe something to be true

sanction n. an official order that restricts trade or contacts with a country

significance  n. the importance of something, especially when it has an impact on something in the future


In the Philippines, voters will elect a new president today. They also will elect a vice president -- the countrys second highest position.

One of the leading candidates for vice president is the son of former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is currently a member of the Philippine Senate. His political campaign has called for finding real solutions to the countrys problems.

During a recent campaign stop, the 57-year-old candidate told a crowd near Manila Bay that he takes the office of vice president very seriously.

Were not just all talk, he said. Its not just slogans. Its not just destroying and fighting with our opponents.

Marcos has also told supporters that he wants to achieve unity, for all to live as one. This is the only way I see that our people can once again feel their lives are renewed and progressing, he said.

His father, the former president, was accused of plundering billions of dollars and violating the human rights of citizens.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was ousted in a people power rebellion in 1986. At the time, his political opponents accused him of trying to steal an election from another candidate. After several days of protests, the dictator went into exile in the American state of Hawaii, where he died three years later.

Today, his son, who calls himself Bongbong, is very popular in the Philippines, even if his familys name is linked to a turbulent time.

Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has so far been at the top or tied in national opinion surveys. His strongest support has generally come from people who lived under his fathers rule.

Dennis Pareja is a cargo ship employee and a supporter of the candidate. He said the Oxford-educated Marcos would be a good choice for the countrys overseas workers.

This is not a like father, like son situation, Pareja said. Hes different from his father. Bongbong has learned the lessons and will not repeat that.

Marcos told reporters at a gathering of workers that no one can change the past. The past is the past, so we are looking to the future. Thats whats getting us the support, he said.

Marcos was asked whether his family should say it is sorry for alleged abuses committed during his fathers rule. He has repeatedly said he would not apologize for things he did not do.

Another supporter of Marcos Jr. is Roly Alvarez, who was 17 years old when the candidates father declared martial law in 1972. She said life was beautiful back then, and she longs for the days when crime was low.

Another supporter, Josh Lim of Manila, said Filipinos need to do research to find the real reasons why the countrys wealth collapsed in the 1980s.

Many people said that we are number two to Japan during Marcos time. And well, it is sad that our history, the Philippine history, was distorted by the yellow people, yellow propaganda, if youre aware of that.

Josh Lim was talking about the Aquino family. Former president Corazon Aquino made a yellow ribbon and yellow-colored clothing a sign of the restoration of democracy in 1986.

Bonifacio Ilagan is the head of a movement aimed at preventing Marcos from becoming vice president. Ilagan said he plans to keep campaigning against the candidate.

I dont think our country deserves a leader who lies, who keeps stolen money, and who cannot recognize right from wrong.

Observers say that while Marcos seems to be leading his six main vice presidential opponents, his levels of support have remained flat for the past four months.

In recent weeks, Leni Robredo, the candidate of the Liberal Party, has slowly moved up in the polls, edging past Marcos by one or two percentage points.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

Simone Orendain reported this story for VOANews.com from Manila. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

poll  n. the process of voting in an election

solution  n. the means of solving a problem or dealing with a situation

achieve v. being successfully in reaching a desired goal or objective

renew  v. to continue to an activity or event after an interruption

plunder  v. to steal goods from a place or people, usually by force

turbulent  adj. characterized by conflict, disorder or confusion

alleged  adj. said to have happened, but not yet proven

martial law  n. a law imposed by a military-backed government

restoration  n. the act of returning something to a former owner, place or condition


The United States is expressing concern about the rising political unrest in Iraq.

The Obama administration is concerned about how the unrest will affect the fight against the self-declared Islamic State group.

Recently, protesters raided the Green Zone in Baghdad. The Green Zone is the protected area of Iraqs capital where foreigners live and work.

Sheikh Sabah took part in the protests. This is what we want, he said. If there are no reforms the whole government should be replaced.

Shiite clergyman Muqtada al-Sadr sent the protesters to the Green Zone to pressure the Iraqi government. The government led by another Shiite, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

This is just one example of divisions within the country.

James Jeffrey served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq under President Barack Obama.

He says from the U.S. position, there is probably about a 60 percent chance that Iraq will stabilize, at what he calls, the same level of dysfunctionality.

The United States has supported Abadis effort to build a central government across different religious groups. The hope is that a stronger government will help Iraqi and local forces beat back Islamic State forces.

But with the rising disorder and trouble, President Obama is urging the Iraqi government to move quickly.

"It's up to the Iraqi people to determine the government that they form. We do think, however, that it is vital for the health and stability of Iraq that the cabinet and the makeup of government is finalized and stabilized. And we've been urging them to get the job done."

With a weak government, Jeffrey says, U.S. officials should not depend on the Iraqi government to successfully face the militant group. That is, unless Washington is willing to do more militarily.

Jeffrey says the U.S. should continue fighting against the IS militants. He adds, if the Iraqi government falls apart, then there other groups, like the Kurds and local Sunni tribes, which the U.S. military can turn to and train.

The Iraqi army and local forces have made gains in recent months with the help of U.S. airstrikes and military trainers.

But the growing U.S. military presence comes at a cost. A member of the U.S. armed forces was killed Tuesday near the city of Mosul. He was part of a U.S. military effort to help Christian and Kurdish fighters against IS forces.

The Obama administration has predicted that Iraq and local forces, backed by the coalition, will recapture Mosul by the end of the year.

But observers say the political unrest will not help in the fight to defeat the extremists.

While IS has lost about 40 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq, it still keeps control of large areas.

Im Anne Ball.

Mary Alice Salinas wrote this story for VOANews.com. Anne Ball wrote it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on Facebook.

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Words in This Story

stabilize  v. to be still or right; to stop going up or going down

dysfunctional  adj. having poor and unhealthy behaviors and attitudes; confused and without direction
LEXINGTON, Neb. - It was truly a moment to remember when unsuspecting Principal Fred Evans walked into the gymnasium at Pershing Elementary and was greeted by the enthusiastic applause of the student body and a rousing rendition of the great jazz standard Fat Cat, courtesy of the Lexington Middle School Jazz Band.

Evans thrilled the audience by briefly shaking a leg as he walked to the front of the gymnasium. The reason for the surprise assembly was to honor the retiring Evans for his 38-year career in education, the last 21 years of which he spent in Lexington.

Lexington Public Schools Superintendent John Hakonson said Evans has an invincible positivity in how he views the world. Despite dealing with the loss of close family members in the past year, Evans never let that interfere with his cheerful demeanor at school, Hakonson said.

Hes one of the kindest people Ive ever met, Hakonson said. He went on to praise Evans tendency for independent thought before leading the students in an impression of Evans distinctive laugh.

Its the kind of laugh you can hear two counties away if the wind is blowing right, Hakonson said.

Principal Drew Welch of Bryan Elementary told the audience he became fast friends with Evans when Welch came to Lexington 15 years ago. The pair bonded over a mutual love of music.

His level of musicianship is higher that any saxophone player Ive ever known, Welch said.

He continued that Evans passion for music was only surpassed by the passion he has for his work. Student success is a personal calling for him, Welch said, noting that both Sandoz and Pershing Elementaries benefitted greatly from Evans leadership during his time in Lexington.

Mr. Evans has been a personal and professional inspiration to me, Welch said in closing.

For his part, Evans told his students it was hard to believe 21 years have gone by since he came to Lexington. He thanked his students and teachers, both the group he has now and the ones hes had over his career, for teaching him as much as hes taught them. Education has always been a two-way street for me, Evans said.

Though he and his wife Sheila plan to move to Idaho, Evans said they hope to do a lot of traveling and will definitely visit Lexington in the future. Im sure well see each other, he said.

The student body honored Evans by singing two songs to him, and a video was played in which some students offered Evans advice on how to spend his retirement. Their suggestions ranged from taking a lot of naps and playing saxophone on the beach to taking up skydiving and becoming a comedian.

A group of Pershing teachers, performing as the Lounge Lizards, performed a fun dance routine.
Antillons Jeep rolled, coming to rest on the passenger side in the south ditch. She was partially ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Dawson County Sheriffs Office.
Lenovo and Google had already announced plans to launch the first commercially-available smartphone to use Googles Project Tango technology. Now Lenovo has set a launch date: June 9th.

Thats when the company will unveil the new phone with cameras for capturing and interacting with 3D imagery.

Its also the date of Lenovos second annual Tech World conference.

Google has been working on Project Tango for a a few years, and the company has made some limited edition phones and tablets featuring the technology available to developers. But Lenovo is the first company expected to sell a Project Tango phone to the general public.

Lenovo says applications for the technology could include navigation, gaming, and more. For example, you could use your phone to create 3D maps of your home or workplace and do some virtual re-decorating before spending money on paint or new furniture. Or you could play games where virtual aliens hide behind the real walls in your space.

The company says Tech World will also feature an announcement of new mobile technology designed by Motorola that will dramatically change the way people think about and use their most personal devices  in a snap, which sounds to me like its either a camera-related announcement, or something designed to save you time or both.

Update: It seems likely that the in a snap language refers to a new modular system that allows you to connect accessories such as battery packs or camera upgrades to the back of the phone.
Honey, dont let anyone ever make you feel bad that youre a Jew, Linda Comess father told her when she was five years old. It was 1953, and the ashes of Europe still lingered even in her distant home of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her dads message remained through her rebellious youth, and now that shes gotten older, Linda says shes felt a calling inside: I need to go back and see what Judaism is all about.

Linda is continuing her search with study partner Doba Webb, as part of JNET, the Rohr Jewish Learning Network. A member of Chabad of Plano, Texas since 2001, she was eager to learn more. She was particularly interested in discussing Daily Wisdom, an anthology of short lessons culled from the Lubavitcher Rebbes teachings. She had begun reading the book, which won the prestigious 2015 Benjamin Franklin award and suddenly found herself confronting a whole slew of questions. When Linda asked Rabbi Menachem Block to recommend a study partner, he connected her with JNET.

The organization, which matches people as study partners, celebrated its 10th anniversary at a gala dinner honoring its volunteers. Those volunteers, who commit to weekly half-hour sessions for at least three months, are the mainstay of this organization. Each month, 90 people sign up to learn together, and to date, JNet counts 260,000 study sessions since it began. While the average chavrusa partnership lasts a year, many phone-mates are beginning their second decade of distance learning together. Each week, in eight languages across 80 countries, thousands of people pick up the phone to connect with their study partners. Talk about burning up the telephone wires.

JNET finds most of its members, 8,000 and counting, through word of mouth. Chabad rabbis, like Block in Texas, send interested students, and many others join after attending a Chabad on Campus Shabbaton or after a stint at the Mayanot Institute in Jerusalem. Lawyers, handymen, inmates, professors, homemakers, soldiers: the descriptions of the people involved are as varied as the subjects they tackle. Pretty much anyone can use a little more learning, says director Rabbi Yehuda Dukes.

Relationships often go far beyond the 30-minute calls. Partners attend each others weddings and celebrations and help with professional referrals. Some buy their students their first pairs of tefillin, while others travel across the country to officiate at their weddings. Youre not just learning with people, Dukes tells his volunteers, but connecting them with the Rebbe and bringing blessings into both your lives.

Brazilian Alexander Birbrair completed his PhD in North Carolina, then moved to The Bronx to work at Albert Einstein Hospital. Along the way, the stem cell researcher married and had a child. Through it all, his study session with Yoel Chazan was constant. Over the past four years, the two have learned an hour every Sunday night. The topics they have explored, ranging from Jewish law and Talmud to Chasidic thought, mirror Alexanders current interests and phases. And when he moves to Belo Horizonte this year to accept a position as professor at a local university, Yoel will come with him. On speed-dial.

My career is like food; its like rice and beans, Alexander states. But my Jewish learning? Thats the dessert, the enjoyable bit.

For his part, Yoel says his sessions with Alexander provide him with a solid review and a much deeper understanding of the material. In order for me to discuss it, I need to understand it very thoroughly. Alexander is very serious about his learning, and it pushes me to never miss a session. After spending a Shabbat together at my house, getting on the phone with Alexander is getting on the phone with a friend. We have a very close connection.

Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos, the educational division of Chabad-Lubavitch, says that the idea of JNet was inspired by the Rebbes legacy to ensure that all Jews have access and opportunity to study. JNet transcends all distances, with partners who speak at least eight foreign languages; we are transcending language barriers as well.

Linda and Doba deepen their bond with every one of their Wednesday morning sessions. Doba, who teaches seventh-graders, says that learning with Linda is unique. She relates to our lessons on a personal level because of her life experiences. It is very inspiring.

The regard is mutual. Linda relishes her sessions with Doba. I love learning with her and learning about her life as a Chabad Jew. I am so in awe of those who follow that life. I dont know if I could ever reach those levels, or if I want to, but I have great respect for those who do and it inspires me to do more in my own life.

Im a secular Jew. Whats wonderful is that I can now relate to what Daily Wisdom is saying, and it speaks to me in words that I can understand. We are actually learning, not making things up or guessing. I want to be a better Jew and little by slow, Im getting there.
East Coast Radio, Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal have once again joined forces for Connecting Africa - an initiative aimed at driving African, and South African, trade and tourism to KwaZulu-Natal.

Now in its fifth year running, the project saw East Coast Radio hosting four radio stations in Durban from 27 April 2016 to 5 May 2016, with the aim of helping to scope the economic future of the Zulu Kingdom by promoting the province to potential investors and tourists in the continent. This year, representatives from Afro FM (Ethiopia), Phoenix FM (Zambia) and 99FM (Mozambique) joined East Coast Radio and its sister station, Jacaranda FM (Gauteng) for an unforgettable experience. The stations have a combined listenership of more than 10 million.

Connecting Africa is an exciting, unique project that brings together key stakeholders to amplify future business and tourism opportunities in Africa, says East Coast Radios General Manager, Boni Mchunu. The main objective of the project is to create destination KZN awareness in the respective markets while drawing attention to the rich, cultural fabric of our beautiful continent. This project harnesses the power of radio to strategically position KwaZulu-Natal as a premier investment, trade and tourism destination. East Coast Radio is excited to be at the forefront of this initiative.

The transcontinental team spent nine days travelling between Durban and the Midlands, immersing themselves in the tourism and trade offerings of the region before sharing their experiences with their listeners back home when they broadcast live on 2 and 3 May 2016.

The launch of a direct flight route by SA Express between Lusaka, Zambia and Durban, Ethiopian Airlines offering of direct flights between Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Durban, and SA Airlinks direct flights between Maputo, Mozambique to Durban, have opened up a whole new world of travel and trade possibilities. Connecting Africa taps into this portal and highlights the extensive travel and trade opportunities available to our neighbours on the continent.

The main objective for the Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natals involvement in the Connecting Africa 2016 edition is to expand trade linkages between the province of KwaZulu-Natal and other Africa countries, while marketing the province of KwaZulu-Natal as a competitive business destination nationally and internationally, explains Mxolisi Manyakanyaka, Executive Manager for Corporate Services at Trade & Investment KwaZulu-Natal. This is in turn will attract foreign and domestic direct investment into the province. This years focus is aimed promoting the province of KZN as a trade hub and create easy access to South African and regional market (SADC).

Connecting Africa has become an ideal vehicle for KZN to promote tourists attractions and events, and ultimately bring more visitors from these markets into the province, says Bongani Mthiyane, General Manager of Marketing at Tourism KwaZulu-Natal. Through Connecting Africa, the province has direct access to over 10 million radio listeners, to reinforce KZN as the holiday destination of choice. Furthermore, through this partnership, KZN will have an opportunity to build industry confidence by engaging directly with tour operators and agents from partner countries to package and sell KZN. KZN will further promote beach experiences and packages particularly to landlocked countries, as well as safari and cruise packages between KZN and Mozambique.

East Coast Radio presenter, Carol Ofori, hosted the visiting teams during their stay in KwaZulu-Natal. No place in South Africa comes close to what KZN has to offer! she said as she strapped on her tour-guide boots.

Connecting Africa is more than a robust initiative to promote inbound tourism and establish trade and investment networks in the continent. It is also a learning exchange programme that encourages the sharing of ideas and ideologies among the continents broadcasting peers.




Even as the statewide protests against alleged police inefficiency in the Jisha murder case swell in Kerala, stars of the Malayalam film industry too are jumping into the fray. What started off as a tweet by multilingual actor Priyamani, immediately after the incident was reported, has now become a predictable chorus.

However, what goes overlooked in this collective outrage, mostly expressly through their social media handles and pages, is that its the same stars that lend themselves to the perpetuation of misogyny in films. The senior stars such as Mammootty, Mohanlal and Prithviraj and many others have said horrendous things against women in their films, not once, but again and again.

Priyamanis tweet was something similar to what Aamir Khan said about the safety of minorities in India. On hearing about the macabre rape and murder, she wondered if India was safe anymore for women. As in the case of Aamir Khan, trolls construed it as anti-India and asked her to leave the country if she found it unsafe. She had to clarify that she didnt mean what they read, but the trolls continued with their banishment orders. In fact what Priyamani said was sensible, and it did help trigger the outrage from others.

Among the rest of the actors who followed suit, Mammooty was rhetorical. In an admittedly self-denunciating tweet in Malayalam, he implored his brothers not to be leches, but be heroes by protecting the honour of their mothers and sisters. He called on men to be protectors of every woman so that there are no more Jishas in society.

In his Facebook post, Mohanlal wrote: Lets unite and decide that we shall never let anything like this happen to women around us. If we come across any women who need help we should come forward and help them. Those who are found guilty should be given a punishment which shall set an example for other perpetrators. We all want our mothers,sisters, daughters and friends to feel safe where ever they are. Prayers to departed souls

Mammoottys son and one of the rising stars of Malayalam cinema, Dulquer Salman was brief when he tweeted: Appalled and saddened by the brutality. If our women and children are not safe from our men then what is?? He also posted a flashcard highlighting the vulnerability of every home. Prithviraj was more evocative when he said every mother, sister, wife and child is just one lonely evening away from a 1000 lit candles at Marine Drive. Close your eyes and think of not the pain..but the shame..not on them..but on us. Lessor known stars and regular talking heads also expressed their outrage.

Obviously, the #JusticeForJisha is trending among film stars, and all of them seemed to be self-reflective and seemed to have personalised the pain associated with the tragedy.

Its a no brainer that celebrity endorsement is great not just for consumer goods and services and commercial ventures, but also for social causes. However, these one-off litanies are too transient and might help only to add the predictable roundness to such outcries. Instead, to be more effective, what the stars can do is to reflect deeper and see how they can reduce their own complicity in perpetuating the anti-women attitude of Malayali society.

Malayalam films and their stars are among the biggest purveyors of misogyny in Kerala. In many of their movies, Mammotty and Mohanlal have been unashamed to mouth dialogues that stamp male dominance over women. They can certainly argue that they are just actors paid to play their parts and that these dialogues are written by somebody else, but what they cannot ignore is that it does add to and validate the crushing patriarchy in society. Prithviraj, who has been in the field for a shorter duration compared to his seniors, too has said reprehensible things against women on screen.

These dialogues that target women as subservient to men clearly betray power, sex and violence. Unfortunately, the writers who script these patently anti-women and violent lines and celebrate Malayali machismo are backed by both the stars and movie-fans. Some of them even masquerade as advocates of womens rights and have cult-followings.

In his messages even outside the movies, Mammooty still doesnt seem to have gotten the idea of treating women as women, who are equal to men. In his post-Jisha tweet, he refers to women as mothers and sisters and is exhorting men to protect them. He has said used a similar line earlier as well. This is plain patriarchy.

In fact, its this same patriarchy that in a different situation will seek to control women. What Mammootty, and probably some of his colleagues in the industry, should understand is that women are women and they dont need heroes to protect them. They need to be left alone. Men have no right over women. Instead of calling on men to protect them, he should rewrite his tweet and ask them not to trouble them and not to show any form of violence, in word or deed. Granting men the right to protect is the first step of making women powerless and vulnerable. Before everything, this idea has to be demolished.

Mohanlal probably should go back and watch some of his films, particularly those superhits in which he has acted as an upper-caste feudal rowdy with a hundred appendages of male power, and learn how misogynistic he was with his love-interests. Prithviraj should ask the producer of a movie in which he derides a girl student in a college with a repulsive sexual threat, to sanitise his part.

Its not just these three, but almost every one  the worst is a new comedy star who can be easily booked for violence against women for his sexual innuendos  thats indulging in patronising, domineering, demeaning or violent behaviour with women.

The critical element in mass communication is behaviour change. Every social change campaign seeks package messages aimed at changing the harmful behaviour of people. Using icons that engage in on screen bad behaviour for behaviour change is pointless. In other words, the stars before waxing eloquent on violence against women should change their onscreen behaviour first.
Ranveer Singh, you need to stop playing with our hearts.

No seriously. Before we continue with this piece, we urge you to take a long, hard look at the poster of Yash Raj Films' Befikre. Just take your time with it, we'll wait.

Now that you're done swooning over Ranveer Singh, here are some details. This light hearted rom-com is shot in Paris and follows Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor a la Before Sunrise. Not too many details are revealed about the film apart from this.

The duo are currently in Paris shooting for Befikre. YRF has earlier put out a poster of the two, also kissing, but this poster reveals a background and a caption: 'Those who are to love'.

Here's Ranveer's saucy reply to Vaani's tweet:

Befikre is the first movie that that will feature Vaani and Ranveer in the lead roles together, and is slated to release on 9 December.

You can stop fanning yourself now.
When it comes to Man versus Predator types of situations, it seems we simply cannot get enough. Especially if the predator in question happens to be a killer shark. A cursory Google search will present no fewer than 50 films (these include the three Jaws iterations)  all based on the premise of a shark looking for tasty human morsels. Speedboat chases, massive snapping jaws, hapless people falling overboard  these are just some of the tropes shark attack films have established as de rigueur for the genre.

So it is surprising indeed that the trailer of the new Blake Lively film The Shallows manages to hold our interest. The second trailer, released on 4 May by Sony Pictures has fleshed out more details from the plot that was unveiled in its first teaser-trailer.

Lively stars as Nancy, who is taking a break from the rigours of city life to explore an isolated beach haven called Paradise. The island is green, the sand is white, the waters an azure shade of blue. And lurking somewhere in these waters is a creature that has strayed far from its playing ground in the deep.

Livelys Nancy  attacked by this shark  finds herself stranded atop a tiny atoll. The shore is not too far away, but with the shark cruising freely in the waters between her temporary refuge and land, Nancy must find a way to outwit the predator and make her way home.

Shark movies have the inbuilt advantage of having such a compelling character at their chore  an unrivalled killing machine that you simply cannot afford to underestimate. The Deep Blue Sea further added to the villainy of the sharks by making them the subjects of a genetic experiments and giving them hyper-intelligent brains.

The Shallows has a protagonist in Blake Lively who is as compelling  if not more so  than the shark. And from the look of the trailer, its got the nail-biting quotient down pat. Need we say more?

Watch the new trailer for The Shallows here:
New Delhi: Amid a continuing debate on soaring bad loans of corporates, an SBI study on Monday sought to downplay the concerns over high debt levels of large business houses, including Adani Group, saying their aggregate borrowings were "well within the norms".

According to a report by the SBI's Economic Research Department, the aggregate debt to aggregate net worth of top 10 companies under study is "below 2x" which is well within the norms.

Global financial services major Credit Suisse recently came out with a report titled "House of Debt", which had focused on over-leveraged Indian companies.

The SBI report termed the Credit Suisse report as "misleading" and said "what is more important at the end of day is the networth, cash in hand, yearly accretion to networth, investments, market value of assets and unbundling of value of some of its subsidiaries thus overall defining its repayment capacity".

"Our estimates show that on an aggregate basis such top ten companies ratio stands at 1.93x and 1.88x respectively which is well within respected level of 2x," it added.

According to SBI, based on about 200 corporate results announced for FY16, about 60 corporates reported decline in debt levels in FY2015-16 over FY2014-15. The aggregate amount of reduction in debt levels is more than Rs 6,862 crore.

"Clearly, things are now actually looking better contrary to popular perception. Cement, fertiliser, trading, finance and transport are some of the sectors that are showing deleveraging," the SBI report said.

Interestingly, as many as 701 accounts with bad loans exceeding Rs 100 crore owed public sector banks (PSBs) Rs 1.63 lakh crore at the end of December, with State Bank of India accounting for the biggest chunk.

SBI had 85 such accounts with aggregate non-performing assets (NPAs) of Rs 23,726 crore, followed by Bank of India with 93 accounts with cumulative NPAs of Rs 21,398 crore, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha had informed the Rajya Sabha last month.

Beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines, which stopped flying more than three years ago, owe over Rs 9,000 crore to a consortium of 17 banks led by SBI.
Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), India's largest consumer goods firm, said on Monday its fourth-quarter profit rose 7 percent, beating analysts' expectations due to higher sales of its skin care, hair care, and packaged food products.

Net profit for the quarter ended March was Rs 1,090 crore ($164.06 million), compared with Rs 1,018 crore a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters estimated a profit of Rs 1,078 crore on average.
London: In the race to capture the burgeoning global smartphone market, British automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover, currently owned by Tata Motors, is all set to launch smartphones and accessories by early 2017.

For this, Land Rover has tied up with consumer electronics company Bullitt Group to develop a bespoke smartphone and range of accessories.

Incorporating iconic Land Rover design and innovative technology into the mobile phone sector with Bullitt Group presents an exciting challenge and fantastic opportunity to take the brand into a new dimension, said Lindsay Weaver, director of licensing and branded goods at Jaguar Land Rover, in a statement recently.

An engineering and design team from Jaguar Land Rover special operations will be assigned to the partnership and subsequently deliver a number of bespoke applications tailored to Land Rover brand and product values, Weaver added.

According to Bullitt Group, the firm will partner with Land Rover to define and develop a groundbreaking portfolio of mobile devices and peripherals which will take the brand into a new and exciting commercial terrain.

With a combination of durability and elegance, the new range will be designed to be an active lifestyle partner, aimed at people who like to take on new challenges and go 'above and beyond' the ordinary, said a statement.

The portfolio will launch in early 2017 and will embody the core values of the Land Rover brand, featuring some truly innovative capabilities and technology.

We are confident the new range of products will perfectly encapsulate everything that Land Rover represents, appealing to those who already love the brand and providing an introduction to those who are yet to discover it, noted Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group.

Bullitt Group has been working with various clients on their tough and rugged smartphones in the past.
New Delhi: India has been constantly taking up the US visa fee hike matter with the American authorities and the country has also raised the matter in the WTO's dispute settlement body, Parliament was informed on Monday.

The increase in H-1B and L-1 visa fee issue has been raised with the US at various levels including by the Prime Minister with the US President and recently by the Finance Minister with the US Trade Representative, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She said that the ministry has raised the issue on several occasions "highlighting the negative impact of the hike in visa fee, particularly on Indian IT companies".

In a letter to US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Deputy National Security Advisor Caroline Atkinson, "it was requested not to incorporate such discriminatory and punitive measures into legislations without due process of notice and comment, as it would seriously impede the on going efforts to take the India-US bilateral trade and investment relationship forward".

"India has also taken up the matter on US visa fee hike in the dispute settlement body of the WTO," she said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The US has informed that the visa fee hike has been done through a legislative action and the role of administration is

quite limited, she said.

On December 18, 2015, the US President signed into law, which doubled the supplemental visa fee for H-1B and L-1 visas for a period of 10 years for companies employing 50 or more employees in the US, 50 per cent of which are on these visas.

With this legislation in place, 50:50 companies would now need to pay an enhanced fee of USD 4500 for each L-1 visa and USD 4000 for each H-1B visa as compared to USD 2250 and USD 2000 previously.

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, she said the USCIS has received 124,000 H-1B visa application for 2013-14, 175,500 H-1B for 2014-15, 233,000 for 2015-16 and 236,000 for 2016-17.
Mumbai: After the bullion market remained lull for months, jewellers on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya today are hopeful of a 10 percent rise in sales.

"We are getting positive reports from across the country, and the footfalls are also good...southern region is extremely good, while in the north it seems to be similar as last year.

Overall we are expecting about 5-10 percent growth this Akshaya Tritiya," All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation Chairman Sreedhar G V told PTI. Western region markets are also doing good, he added.

"We are also noticing that the off-take on coins are much less compared to last year. This year the preference is more for the wedding jewellery, as the marriage season is still on. Consumers are also going for light weight jewellery than coins," he said.

World Gold Council Managing Director, India, Somasundaram PR said the buying behaviour of consumers is returning to normalcy following the jewellers resuming business after a month long protest over the excise duty.

"Indians mark Akshaya Tritiya as an occasion to purchase gold and the initial feedback from the trade is an increase in demand, where both wedding jewellery as well as investment products, like coins and bars, have done well."

However, in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, jewellers are worried of a possible 25-30 percent drop in business on as the model code of conduct is in force and customers can not carry large amount of cash with them.

"Since there is election here, the model code of conduct prevents carrying large amount of cash. Compared to last year, there is less amount of footfalls and we expect at least 25-30 percent drop in business," Madras Jewellery And Diamond Merchants Association President, Jayanthilal Challani said. Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will be held on May 16.

"It is a traditional belief that jewellery bought on Akshaya Tritiya day is more auspicious and jewellers are also offering discounts to boost sales... But still the response is lukewarm," he told PTI.

The jewellers had gone on an indefinite strike in a protest against

Centre's move to levy one percent excise duty on purchase of gold jewellery. They withdrew the strike in March following an assurance from the government that it will look into the matter.
How do you solve the problem of black money, given that it is not quite the show-stopper for the Modi government that it was projected to be?

Narendra Modi had led voters to believe, in multiple speeches during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, that the recovery of colossal wealth stashed overseas would quickly roll in acche din -- a golden era  for India.

However, 22 months on, the measly recoveries, in dribs and drabs  just Rs 2,428 crore so far  in spite of the enactment of a tough-talking Black Money Act may count as one of the single biggest disappointments of the public with the Narendra Modi government.

To that extent, it is worth evaluating what has contributed to emasculating the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015) beast to the point of ridicule.

Act blindsides objectives

For starters, the Act flexes muscle with its draconian provisions for Indian tax assesses caught stashing black money overseas, but has completely missed the bus in identifying those who aid and abet this process and therefore, in creating appropriate deterrents.

The black money law is distressingly myopic about two key players in the generation of black money, especially those parked overseas  the taxman (assessing officer/AO) and the tax consultants (charted accountants).

This lack of focus is suspicious, if not ludicrous. It is not as if tax assessees have the skills to register companies and operate themselves in tax havens. A notable example is the recent Panama Papers expose in which Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm, was found selling anonymous offshore companies around the world, enabling the owners of these shell companies to cover up their shady business dealings and hide their incomes from their national tax authorities.

At home, in the ongoing Agusta Westland scandal, industrialist Gautam Khaitans Delhi lawyer, implicated in the money trail, has admitted to the setting up of a shell company in Tunisia. This is a relatively new find from the better known tax havens that allow the operation of post box companies.

In the recent past, too, in the Rs 1.76 lakh crore 2G spectrum scam, the role of the governments own law officers and private law firms in advising clients on how to circumvent the law was similarly, amply highlighted.

In the Robert Vadra expose, the financial wizardry of his chartered accountants in cooking the books of his multiple firms to mask income as loans/current liabilities was amplified.

However, despite these valuable learnings, Section 53 alone, in the Black Money Act, prescribes some punishment for aiding and abetting creation of foreign black money, but with no line of sight into how this provision will be implemented to curb the robust activities of tax consultants/chartered accountants, lawyers or law firms like Mossack Fonseca.

Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance, has admitted to the role of tax consultants in generating and maintaining black money in his post-Budget interactions. Yet, collectively, the government and the Finance Ministry in particular, have made little headway in training its tax artillery on the right targets.

As for the role of the taxman, what needs to be done is explained very simply by Kaushik Basu, the chief economist of the World Bank and former chief economic adviser to the Indian government in a recent interview, where he says he had proposed that, instead of both bribe-givers and bribe-takers being held criminally responsible for their actions, only the bribe-taker should face sanctions. It is a simple change, but radically alters the relationship between the two parties. It means people who give bribes no longer have a shared interest in keeping their nefarious activity secret. Freed from the risk of prosecution, bribe-givers would have a powerful incentive to reveal corruption.

But the Black Money Act does exactly the opposite.

Not just that, the Black Money Act was left to the same tax department  which has a vested interest in its failure  to draft the law. If black money is eliminated, so will bribes be. No surprise then, that the babus have amply served their own objectives by introducing fatal flaws in its construct, rendering the Act a non-starter.

As part of the Act, a one-time, three-month compliance window was proposed for resident Indians to declare their foreign un-accounted income and escape penal provisions, including jail up to ten years. But the provisions were so muddled that at least half a dozen clarifications had to be issued for an Act passed by both Houses of Parliament and touted as the showpiece of the then newly formed government. Was this sheer incompetence or sabotage? Despite the political embarrassment that followed, no questions were asked and no heads rolled.

Again, while publicly pinning responsibility for tax terrorism and a vitiated investment environment on the tax administration, both Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley have failed to curb rampant malpractices or to make the tax department  which generates black money in order to earn a bribe in the first place  accountable.

Either the government is unwilling or yet to find its feet on cleaning the rot within  something that does not need tedious legislation. A harsher punishment for corrupt officials rather than the tax assessee should do the trick, but instead, the Act (Section 53) is softer on them.

Past experience shows that whenever a tough stand is taken on corruption (notably the Supreme Court interventions in the 2G spectrum and Coalgate scams), bureaucrats dig in their heels and say they cannot work in an environment of fear. This is a tacit admission that working is equal to taking bribes for most bureaucrats and they additionally expect insulation from the law. It is really upto the government to find a way around this.

Black modus operandi

Either way, the Act needs revisiting to make it more nuanced and effective. And it can only do so by reflecting a thorough understanding of the entire value chain of black money  domestic and foreign  rather than focussing on the mere scripting of a punishment charter.

If the government is truly serious about curbing black money, it first needs to make the tax code so simple, that even fifth or sixth grade students are able to compute and pay their parents taxes. After all, a majority of the population is still illiterate and one can hardly achieve compliance without comprehension. But hardly anyone is in a position to file their I-T returns themselves, since the I-T Act is so complex, that only a tax expert can read it, leave alone understand it. This drives tax payers into the arms of chartered accountants/tax consultants.

It is well known that the simple filing of I-T returns barely generates any real income for these consultants. So, to generate higher fees, clients are encouraged to tap loopholes to save tax. This creates a web of tax evasion in the guise of tax saving, which is impossible for the client to get out of. Now, with penal provisions, the client is even more terrified to break away from his tax consultant. Worse, he is afraid that the consultant who has access to all his past filings, may report him to the I-T Department.

The tax consultant, in turn, in order to safeguard his practice, maintains an understanding and a cut with the I-T officer who passes the assessment order. So, in effect, the I-T department and the tax consultant are both in full knowledge of all the black money generated before it is diverted to any foreign bank account. It is therefore, a no-brainer that if any income is concealed, or in other words, black money generated, it is done with the active collusion of a tax expert.

Some recent news reports on the arrest of some income-tax officials and charted accountants on charges of bribery amply illustrate this dark modus operandi.

While there is no denying a valid and legitimate need for tax consultants, shouldn't they be encouraged to guide tax payers on how to adhere to the law, rather than violating the law by acting as conduits for bribes? Considering that they are directly responsible for not disclosing income in the I-T returns, shouldn't they be held equally liable and slapped with greater penalties than the tax assessee?

Seek and ye shall find!

What is additionally curious, considering the government bogey of having its hard, eagle eyes trained on financial corruption, is that in both cases, the matter was exposed by the CBI sans any visible signs of internal departmental vigilance at play.

If you ignore the propaganda, you will find that the beefy Black Money Act will fail in a ring with the big fish since it is actually designed to bully puny defaulters with small stashes abroad. Shying away from a real fight, the Act pushes big tax evaders out of the ring, even deeper into the tangled webs of tax consultants by exempting NRIs and their foreign incomes from its ambit.

In so doing, the Act ensures that at least one member of such a family is a foreign citizen or NRI. And making one member of each family an NRI is easy to do. One can buy residency in most countries for a couple of million dollars. Some countries provide citizenship if one purchases real estate. This is small change as compared to the quantum of black money that this will help big tax evaders stash overseas.

One just has to look at how conveniently, Vijay Mallya, a sitting Rajya Sabha member, has declared that his foreign assets are insulated since neither he nor his children are Indian citizens. The purportedly draconian Black Money Act encourages the super rich to follow the Mallya way. Unsurprisingly, in 2015, 4,000 millionaires reportedly left the country.

Admittedly, tax information exchange agreements with an expanding host of countries will provide information to the Indian government in the future and make it riskier to hold undisclosed foreign bank accounts. But how is the Tax Department hoping to prove that the foreign assets are, in fact, incomes generated in India that are siphoned overseas and not the bona fide foreign incomes of the NRI, considering there are restrictions on how such information can be used?

In summary, Modi and Jaitley need not search overseas for black money. They can save themselves the trouble by looking in their own backyard: by keeping an eye on I-T officials and their tax consultant friends (who could also be holding benami properties on behalf of I-T officials).

Seek and ye shall find!
London: Tata Steel Europe announced on Monday that it has received seven expressions of interest to acquire the firm's UK ailing business.

All seven have been "immediately taken forward" to the next stage of the sale process, which involves inputs from the UK government, the firm said in a statement.

Koushik Chatterjee, group executive director (Finance and Corporate), Tata Steel Limited, said, "We are pleased with the response to the initial stage of the global sales process for Tata Steel's UK business. Today's announcement by Tata Steel Europe marks another important stage gate in this process.

"The expressions of interest received have been through a robust initial assessment process with inputs received from the UK government whose views have been considered by the board.

"We believe that the bids being taken forward offer future prospects of sustainability for the UK business as a whole. The sales process will continue as announced earlier in an expedited and robust manner to deliver greater clarity for all key stakeholders such as employees, customers and suppliers, he said.

"Whilst the sales process continues, Tata Steel's business in the UK under the new leadership team continues to focus on the business performance," he said.

The UK government has promised to put in place measures worth hundreds of millions of pounds to support any rescue deal for Tata's UK business  which could include taking a stake of up to 25 percent.

Tata Steel Europe said it is also clarifying outstanding points with a number of other parties who have submitted an expression of interest.

It said that the seven expressions of interest being taken forward fit in with the company's "primary intention" to ensure the sale of the whole of Tata Steel's UK business.

"Expressions of interest for parts of the UK business are not being taken forward at this point," the firm said.

In the next phase of the sales process the progressing interested parties will be given access to further business information and management team presentations in order for them to rapidly progress their interest to a binding stage.

Indian-origin businessman Sanjeev Gupta's Liberty House and a Excalibur Steel UK Limited, a management buyout (MBO) team of former Tata Steel staff who have the backing of the Welsh government, are among the frontrunners to acquire the Indian steel giant's UK assets.

These include the Port Talbot steel plant in south Wales, which is the UK's largest and employs around 4,000 workers as well as sites at Newport, where more than 1,300 people are employed, and Rotherham, which employs 1,200.

Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron said his government is "talking intensively" with Tata Steel and will work with it to create a shortlist of "serious" buyers of the Indian steel giant's loss making units in the UK.

"What we're doing is talking intensively with Tata to make sure they do everything they can to make sure this is a serious sales process," Cameron said while addressing the House of Commons.

"We need to work intensively with Tata and with those buyers to get that list down to those who are really seriously intending to bid for the business. It's a very short time table," he told MPs.
Recent days have witnessed yet again a political circus on the issue of farmers problems and drought in 13 of the 29 states of India. The latest act was enacted on 7 May in New Delhi when chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss what else but, drought and the help they need from the central government.

At this point it must be mentioned that inspite of Indias phenomenal growth for several years and a world-class IT sector that employs only five percent of Indians, the farm sector supports directly and indirectly over 650 million people. Millions of people get short-term employment or seasonal jobs to help with ploughing, weeding, seeding, digging water channels, spraying insecticides, harvesting, loading harvest or weeds onto carts and tractors, and many more.

With state elections underway, and politicians in Parliament trying to fool people on the issue of drought, the remarks made by the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra need special mention.

Despite the fact that chief Ministers are virtual prime ministers of their states with enormous Constitutional powers to govern, Akhilesh Yadav and Devendra Fadnavis came up with classic requests to Modi: Give us more central funds to fight drought.

PMs pathshala on drought

After the chief ministers met the Prime Minister on Saturday and shared details about the drought relief work in their states, PM Modi posted a few tweets. It seems bizarre that at a time when drought has impacted survival of tens of thousands of people and drinking water shortage has heightened misery in scorching May, the CMs had to be educated on how to tackle drought!!

Sample this from press releases shared by Press Information Bureau on its website.

Uttar Pradesh:

> Modi emphasised on the need to use of technologies like remote sensing and satellite imaging for planning of water conservation and recharge structures.

> The need to change cropping patterns based on scientific advice, use of drip and sprinkler irrigation, and fertigation for increasing water use efficiency, community participation, especially women, for better water management, was stressed.

> He said that treated urban waste water should be used for farming in adjoining areas.

> He mentioned the need to monitor delivery of water through tankers in the affected areas, using technology such as GPS.

> The meeting also discussed how best the period before the upcoming monsoon can be utilized for water conservation and recharge efforts. This includes efforts at desilting, recharging of rivers, check dams and other water storage mechanisms.

Maharashtra:

> PM Modi said that the centre, states, local bodies, NGOs and citizens have to work together to resolve the problems posed by drought.

> Importance of increasing water use efficiency through drip and sprinkler system was stressed on. PM Modi said that drip irrigation in sugarcane increases the quality of sugar.

> He also spoke of the need to adopt a judicious mix of traditional and modern water conservation and storage mechanisms. He said that a lot can be learnt from the water management practices and measures adopted by Chhatrapati Shivaji.

> Modern solid and liquid waste management practices in urban areas, \could yield enhanced water and organic fertilizer availability in adjoining rural areas, he said.

> PM emphasized crop diversification, value-addition, and broadbasing the sources of income for farmers, by connecting dairying, fishery, poultry, bee-keeping etc. He also underlined the natural hedging from vagaries of nature because of broadbasing of income.

The discussion centred on usage of latest technology, community participation and the need to effectively utilize period before monsoon for water recharge and conservation efforts  the dateline for this discussion could have been 1980s or 1990s.

Do these CMs need special classes to learn how to tackle drought? Fadnavis claimed that his government would focus more on drip irrigation. Did he have to visit Delhi to understand water conservation?

Vidarbha and World Bank

Ten years ago in 2006 when then prime minister Manmohan Singh finally visited Vidarbha amidst a similar atmosphere of drought and suicides, then agriculture minister Sharad Pawar spoke of the need to focus on better irrigation facilities and drip irrigation. Pawar later visited US and sought World Bank assistance for improvement of irrigation facilities.

A year ago, Fadnavis visited Israel and sought the assistance of Peres Foundation for drip irrigation technology and biological pesticides for farmers of Osmanabad and Yavatmal. What happened since? What was done and what could not be done since Pawar visited World Bank in 2006?

Politicians and TV anchors have particularly poor memories when it comes to issues connected with drought. That Fadnavis could get away with such statements is as much a reflection on the media as it is on him.

Fadnavis has inherited the issue of recurring drought and farmers committing suicides in dry Vidarbha and Marathwada regions. Months after the issue was deemed as an acute one, he finally found the time to discuss it with the PM, taking time away from far more pressing issues such as efforts to bypass Supreme Court order on dance bars and beef ban.

Yadav requests water tankers

Fadnavis response sounds benign when compared to the complete indifference  bordering on arrogance  of Akhilesh Yadav. With one year left to go for assembly elections in the state, Yadav made preposterous statements about the Centre's role in tackling drought. Under the Constitution, this responsibility lies with the states.

On Monday morning, two days after meeting Modi, Yadav spoke at a function in Lucknow. Yadav said he was awaiting central government help to buy water tankers. Paani ke mudde par, kendra ki shuruat ka intezar (We are waiting for the Centre to begin doing its part on the issue of water). Isnt this another shocking instance of callousness?

Bundelkhand, a particularly poor and backward region in UP, has faced drought for last five years. Vidarbha region in Maharashtra has been synonymous with rural distress and farmers suicides for years. In January 2016, reports on drought in many villages of Maharashtra became public knowledge.

According to the Union Rural Development Ministry, many of 13 drought-affected states did not use central funds for drinking water schemes. Around 1,500 crore lie unspent with the Central government.

While the states are happily passing on the responsibility of handling drought to the Centre, the Modi government had to face Supreme Court criticism on a petition against IPL matches in Maharashtra.

In the next few weeks, if monsoon comes on time as predicted, drought and drought relief will again become non-issues. Poor distraught rural communities will again be left to the mercy of their destiny. Politicians will be back in business sniping at each other on issues that do not impact a majority of the people. Until the next drought-like conditions when discussions will restart on how to tackle drought.
Criticising the opposition for jumping to conclusions in the murder of a Class 12 student in Bihar who was allegedly shot down by a politician's son for overtaking his car, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday assured that action will be taken against the culprits.

Asserting that such incidents are not uncommon, Kumar said, "These types of incidents are everywhere. They are widespread."

He slammed the opposition for blowing the case out of proportion because the alleged culprit is a JD(U) politician's son.

"Maximum crime happens in Delhi. It's the national capital for all such incidents. But be it any incident, these people give an angle to it. Who is the person behind it, they highlight that more," he said.

"It could be anybody. There's no guarantee. Nobody can guarantee about any individual," he added.

He accused the opposition of giving an angle to every case that comes to light. "That's why these people are used to giving justification. Every incident is given a route so that they get to speak on it day and night," he said.

Kumar assured that the investigation into the case will be done without any bias. "Here, the investigation is strict and our job is to see that the law does it's job. The probe should only be on the crime committed," he said.

"During the whole investigation, if another suspect comes up, the probe will also be on them," he added.

He agreed that who did it is more important and said the government will catch hold of the accused. "Kanoon ke haath lambe hai. (The law has long hands. Nobody can escape it)," he said.
New Delhi: The murder of a teenager in Bihar, allegedly by the son of a JDU leader, reverberated within and ouside parliament on Monday as the BJP attacked state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allowing the "return of jungle raj."

Union Telecom Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside parliament that Nitish Kumar nurtured the ambition to become the prime minister while letting law and order in the state slip out of his control.

"There is no vacancy for prime minister's post for long years. Mr. Nitish Kumar, please focus on governance in Bihar," Prasad said.

Several BJP members raised the issue of law and order situation in Bihar in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, particularly highlighting the killing of a teenager on Saturday by Rocky Yadav, the son of a legislator of ruling Janata Dal (United) Manorama Devi.

As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members Ashwaini Chaubey (Bhagalpur) and Janardan Singh Sigriwal (Maharajganj) raised the issue, they faced protests from members of Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

While Sigriwal cited the murder of the teenager, Chaubey said there was a rape incident lately at Sultanganj near Bhagalpur as the state is walking towards "jungle raj".

Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu) Yadav, an expelled member of RJD, also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar.

Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, was allegedly shot dead on Saturday night by Rocky Yadav on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road in an apparent case of road rage.

Rocky's father Bindi Yadav, also a JD(U) leader, was with him at the time of the incident.

The BJP on Monday called a shut-down in Gaya town to protest against the killing.
Patna: The son of a ruling party legislator accused of killing a teenager in Bihar's Gaya town was still absconding on Monday as her husband, Bindi Yadav, and his bodyguard were sent to 14 days judicial custody by a local court, police said.

Normal life was badly hit in Gaya town by a shutdown called by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest against the fatal shooting of the teen.

According to police officials, there is a rumour that accused Rocky Yadav is to surrender in the court in Gaya.

Rocky is the son of legislative council member Manorma Devi of the ruling Janata Dal (United).

Her husband, Bindi Yadav and the guard were arrested for criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused.

"Bindi Yadav and his bodyguard were sent to jail after being produced in the Gaya civil court," Gaya senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

Rocky Yadav, 30, allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Gaya police arrested Bindi Yadav and the bodyguard, who were with Rocky in the car, on Sunday.

Hundreds of slogan-shouting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers, including Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly Prem Kumar, took to the streets of Gaya district on Monday demanding the arrest of Rocky Yadav.

"Police must arrest the accused without delay and take convincing action in this case," said Prem Kumar, who represents Gaya town in the assembly.

BJP workers asked shopkeepers to down shutters, burnt tyres, blocked roads and urged people to support the shutdown.

"It is a hundred percent shutdown in Gaya town. Vehicles are not running. People are angry with what happened to Aditya and his family," Prem Kumar said.

He said the latest incident has vindicated his stand that "jungle raj" has returned to Bihar.

Police said preliminary investigation shows that Rocky flew into a fit of rage after Aditya allegedly did not let his Land Rover pass. The row resulted in the teenager being shot dead.

The accused's vehicle has been recovered from his parents' house, police said.

Bindi Yadav has a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of AK 47 cartridges was seized from him.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said that proper action would be taken against any one found guilty.

Tejaswi belongs to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a constituent of Bihar's ruling 'grand alliance' whose other two members are the JDU and the Congress.
In their war against Jawaharlal Nehru, since the BJP, RSS and their foot soldiers are so keen to wipe the former Prime Minister from history books, here is a suggestion: Why don't you start the book burning from your home?

On 27 May, 1964, around 2:30 pm, the Indian Parliament was informed that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had passed away.

Within a few hours, huge crowds started gathering outside Teen Murti House, where the PM's body was kept for the last rites. Soon, the numbers swelled to lakhs of mourners waiting for a glimpse of the departed leader.

The most moving tribute to Nehru came from a young parliamentarian from the Opposition benches. Speaking in Parliament, the young MP said with Nehru's death "a dream has remained half-fulfilled, a song has become silent, and a flame has banished into the unknown."

"The dream was of a world free of fear and hunger; the song a great epic resonant with the spirit of the Gita and as fragrant as a rose, the flame a candle which burnt all night long, showing us the way. With unity, discipline and self-confidence we must make this Republic of ours flourish. The leader has gone, but the followers remain. The sun has set, yet by the shadow of stars we must find our way. These are testing times, but we must dedicate ourselves to his great aim, so that India can become strong, capable and prosperous ..."

The speaker? Former Prime Minister and the BJP's public face for decades, Atal Behari Vajpayee.

The mark of a man's greatness is not just the number of paeans dedicated to him by friends, followers and sycophants. The best way to judge him is through the words of his rivals and competitors. And when Vajpayee, raised on the political philosophy of the RSS, spoke those immortal words in Parliament, he immediately ensured Nehru's place in the hall of great Indian icons.

If the BJP-RSS want to strip Nehru of his halo, want future generations to not even know about this architect of modern India, they must first do something to erase from public memory the encomiums to Nehru by his venerable rivals like Vajpayee.

For, to rephrase a popular slogan, Jab tak Vajpayee ka speech rahega, Nehru ka bhi naam rahega.

A visitor once had asked the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai, if Mahatma Gandhi erred in preferring Nehru over Sardar Patel. Desai, according to a journalist, who was witness to the conversation, replied Patel was a great leader and a great administrator but was not known outside India. When India became free it was not strong economically or militarily. Nehru, who was known abroad, managed to win respect for India at the international level, which would have been difficult for Patel.

Unfortunately, instead of acknowledging Nehru's contribution, some of his rivals today are keen to erase his name from history. They do not even want a discussion on him.

The Rajasthan government, according to reports, has deleted all references to the former PM from textbooks for schools. In the new textbooks, Nehru's name appears just twice, but only as a casual reference in a chapter on the Indian Constitution. He has been completely ignored in the chapter on India's freedom struggle.

This isn't the first assault on the former PM's legacy. Tweaking the narrative around Nehru is a familiar obsession of the BJP under Narendra Modi and its various governments. Over the past few years, there have been concerted efforts to sully Nehru's image through misinformation, insinuation and malicious propaganda based on fake and forged documents.

The Sangh's obsession with Nehru's legacy is understandable. The idea of Nehru  a liberal, secular and intellectual leader of masses  is in stark contrast to the conservative and communal politics of muscular majoritarianism practised by the RSS.

For decades, the Sangh has failed to produce even a single leader of repute who can tower over Nehru and present a compelling alternative to the idea of Nehru. So, it has been trying to create fake binaries between Nehru and Patel. It has been spreading canards to argue that almost all of the former PM's contemporaries Subhas Chandra Bose, BR Ambedkar, Sardar, et al  were his bitter enemies. The Sangh's theory is simple: if you can't rise to Nehru's greatness, bring him down to your own pettiness.

The idea of Nehru is entrenched so deep in the psyche of Indians that the Sangh has so far not been able to erase him from public memory. Nehru still survives in the mind, both consciously and unconsciously, of every liberal, secular and rational Indian like Vajpayee.

The strategy of making India forget Nehru by erasing his name from textbooks won't work either. The real purpose of education is the pursuit of truth. When children fed on Sangh's version of history grow up, learn to ask questions, understand the difference between fact and propaganda, they will always find their own version of Nehru.

Ironically, Vajpayee's words would continue to guide them in their quest. Like the "shadow of stars."
Cuttack: The country now requires more than 70,000 judges to clear the mounting backlog of cases, Chief Justice of India TS Thakur said on 8 May, making a fresh push for speedy appointments to the judiciary.

Continuing to express concern over the low judge-population ratio in the country, Thakur said access to justice was a fundamental right and governments cannot afford to deny it to the people.

The pending court cases, which has touched an alarming 3.14 crore, had led to an emotional outburst by the CJI in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a conference in New Delhi recently.

The CJI once again raised the backlog issue while addressing a gathering of legal luminaries here on the occasion of centennial celebrations of the circuit bench of the High Court.

"If you go by the number of people that have been added to the population, we may now require more than 70,000 judges to clear the pending cases," he said.

"While we (judiciary) remain keen to ensure that judges' appointments are made quickly, the machinery involved with the appointment of judges continue to grind very slowly," Thakur said, adding that around 170 proposals for appointment of HC judges were now pending with the government.

Noting that the matter was brought to the notice of the Prime Minister recently with a plea to make the appointments quickly, he said people cannot be denied justice.

"Access to justice is a fundamental right and the government cannot afford to deny the people their fundamental right," he said.

Shortage of judges is one of the formidable challenges the judiciary is facing in the country now, the CJI said. He added that out of some 900 sanctioned posts of judges in different High Courts of the country, there are over 450 vacancies which need to be filled up immediately.

Dwelling on the poor judge-population ratio, Thakur said that while the Law Commission of India in 1987 had suggested having 44,000 judges to effectively tackle the then number of pending cases, the country today has only 18,000 judges.

"Thirty years down the line we continue to work with depleted strength," he added.
The National Law University Death Penalty Research Project gives us lots of data we didn't have earlier, but it is seriously misdirected. Any conclusions drawn on the basis of this data will be equally seriously flawed. In fact, no conclusion should be drawn on the need for (or abolition of) the death sentence for the research does not provide any such evidence.

Any research project will give us good or bad results based on the questions we ask: If the questions to which we are seeking answers are limited, the answers will be biased. This is the case with the NLU's report. It asked itself a very limited question, and gathered data by looking for facts to support its underlying predilections  and, surprise, surprise, got it.

The NLU researchers seem to have asked themselves two basic questions: Is the administration of justice fair to those facing a potential death sentence, or those on death row? Also, is the death penalty worth keeping, given that it is about taking a human life? Not surprisingly, it has concluded that the system  long trials, long pendency of mercy petitions etc  are unfair to undertrials and convicts.

But isn't this the case with the whole of the justice system? Is it fair to anybody beyond the rich and powerful? How many of us even in the middle class can get "justice" in this system, assuming we are unfortunate enough to be caught in its pincers? Consider how many thousands spend years in jail for petty crimes like robbery just because they can't afford bail. If we conclude that the police-legal-judicial system is fundamentally bad at delivering justice to 99 percent of Indians, why focus on the death penalty alone?

In fact, large parts of the NLU data go against the stance of the "abolish death sentence" position. The politically loaded conclusion  that the poor and underprivileged are over-represented in death row  is even more flawed, as I will show using the NLU's own data. But the headlines on Saturday were all about this. 'Most on death row poor, from backward caste groups, minorities' (The Indian Express); or The Times of India's subhead: 'Why the death penalty is 'privilege' of the poor'.

There are 385 people on death row, according to stats provided by NLU's research. Is 385 in a population of 1,250,000,000 too much or two little? You do the math. It is negligible. The project has focused on something that is too minuscule to matter in the overall cause of justice. A hundred other issues need to be addressed before we look at abolishing the death penalty based on NLU's data.

Then take the trope of bias against the poor.

The death row numbers show that SC/STs form 24.5 percent of this figure, OBCs 34.6 percent, others (possibly upper castes) 24 percent and minorities (20.7 percent). Look at the numbers closely: Isn't is this almost a mirror image of India's demographics, give or take a few percentage points? If Hindus are under 80 percent of the population according to the 2011 census, more than 20 percent are minorities. So where's the skew or anti-minority bias? SC/STs form around 23-24 percent of the population. So where are they over-represented on death row? Non-OBC/non-SC-STs castes  a broad proxy for the less disadvantaged castes  are, if anything over-represented, for it is no one's case that upper castes are 24 percent of the population.

In short, the death row demographics prove that no particular group is specifically discriminated against - at least as seen from NLU data. OBCs and minorities may be over-counted since anyone claiming to be both  OBC and minority  has been added to both groups. The percentage count taking all groups is nearly 104 percent of the death row population, not 100 percent.

But the most serious problem with the NLU data is what it does not include: The lack of any data on the real victims. The research focuses on the delays and uncertainties in death penalty cases, but not the trauma of the victims and their families. In the Rajiv Gandhi case, we are told about the long periods spent in jail by three death row cases (whose sentences were commuted to life) but not about the 17 people killed by LTTE's suicide squad apart from Rajiv Gandhi. Is the trauma of the victims and their families any less than that of the criminals  the victimisers?

If length of trials  one death row convict, Navinder Singh, spent 25 years in jail and had his sentence finally commuted due to delays in deciding his mercy petition  is treated as traumatic for convicts, how much more must this agonising wait be seen as traumatising the victims and their families? If Navinder Singh spent 25 years in jail awaiting the noose, didn't his victims too suffer the same uncertainties? What if his conviction was finally overturned, and the victims got no closure? Wouldn't this be double trauma?

The NLU project makes a case for speedier justice, but only for those less deserving of compassion than those truly deserving of it  the victims and their immediate families.

The good part about the NLU project is that we now have data, but this data is flawed from the point of view of the administration of justice, for justice is not only about being fair to the accused and convicted, but to those who suffered at their hands.

The only conclusions that can be drawn are these:

One, the trial and mercy processes are too long to deliver justice to anyone. But this applies even more to non-death row cases than to death row cases.

Two, there is a case for improving jail and bail conditions for all  and not just death row inmates.

Three, there is a stronger case for ensuring that death sentences are not awarded arbitrarily, with trial courts often making no distinction between serious and extraordinary crimes. There is thus strong reason for the Supreme Court to decide what constitutes "rarest or rare" crimes that deserve a death sentence. Right now anything from a simple murder driven by passion to terrorism can get the same treatment.

The real tragedy is that the anecdotal stories of death row cases and their human stories of suffering will be used to argue in favour of abandoning the death penalty altogether. The point is, to arrive at this conclusion, you don't need a voluminous report. You can simply decide on moral grounds that the state shall not take any life, whatever the nature of the crime perpetrated.

But try telling that to the victims of heinous crimes.

The truth is justice is not being done to them, when retribution is also an important human emotion that goes to the very core of the idea of justice being seen to be done.

The NLU has got data  but its report is not quite about making the judicial system fairer to all. It is about making justice fairer to the likely criminal.
Horror stories about Indian workers who go abroad and get tortured to death are back to haunt us again. This time it's the story of a 25-year-old Hyderabadi woman who was working as a maid in Saudi Arabia.

According to News18, the woman, Asima Khatoon, was detained there illegally after her visa expired. It also added that her family claimed that she had complained about her harassment  Asima was kept in a room, denied food and assaulted. The woman had requested them, over the phone, to arrange for her return.

The News18 report also detailed the Telangana Police's request to Saudi authorities seeking details of her death. According to a police official, the woman worked in Saudi Arabia for four months, and developed some health-related problems. The official was quoted as saying that the authorities have written to the Saudi Consulate on behalf of the state government.

As per a report in The Indian Express, Asima, who went to Riyadh, in December 2015, to work as a 'house maid', was allegedly tortured to death, and later succumbed to her injuries at King Saud Hospital. The family learnt of her death through a phone call from an unknown person, it added.

The Telengana government said that it wrote to the Centre asking for help to free Asima, according to NDTV. It added that she had journeyed to Riyadh after being promised a job at a hospital by agents who supply cheap labour from India to the Middle East.

Ministry of External Affairs was quoted as saying by ANI that Indian embassy in Riyadh has sent one official to King Saud Chest disease hospital, where the woman was admitted.

Official was told by mortuary in-charge that she was admitted on 27th April & later on shifted to ICU. Death was due to natural reasons: MEA  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016
New Delhi: The Centre is considering amending a 145-year-old law that provides security to the pensioners against the attachment of pension.

There are about 58 lakh central government pensioners.

The matter to Pensions Act, 1871 has been under consideration for past some time in accordance with the policy of the central government to repeal obsolete laws.

However, this Act had to be excluded from the list of the obsolete laws to be repealed, as some of its provisions provide security to the pensioners against attachment of pension.

A meeting was recently called by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to elicit views of select ministries, on the proposal to amend the rules regulating various types of pension administered by them to ensure continuance of shield as provided under the 1871 Act, according to minutes of the meeting.

The move to call the meeting was to facilitate repealing of the old Act, it said.

The representative from Department of Financial Services (DFS) suggested that instead of amending a large number of Acts and rules to secure those pensions against attachment, the existing Pensions Act, 1871 may be amended to repeal only those provisions in the Act which have since become irrelevant or redundant.

This proposal was supported by representatives of ministries of Home, Labour, Rural Development, Defence, Ministry of Railways and Department of Personnel and Training.

Under the old law, no pension granted or continued by government on political considerations, or on account of past services, present infirmities or as a compassionate allowance, and no money due on account of any such pension or allowance, shall be liable to seizure, attachment or sequestration by process of any court at the instance of a creditor,for any demand against the pensioner, or in satisfaction of a decree or order of any such court.

It was then decided that this suggestion will be placed before the competent authority for taking a decision in the matter, the minutes read.

During the meeting, the DFS officials mentioned that the existing Pensions Act is applicable to pensions admissible under a large number of rules and Acts of Parliament.

He said that the pensions of President, Vice President, Ministers and Member of Parliament etc. are regulated by the Acts of Parliament. Similarly, the pensions of Supreme Court, High Courts Judges, Central Vigilance Commissioners, Central Information Commissioners, Members of Union Public Service Commission, etc. are also granted pension under the Acts regulating their service conditions.

These Acts of Parliament also do not contain provisions securing the pension against attachment, assignment etc, it said.

Therefore, if the Pensions Act was to be repealed, then necessary amendments would need to be made in relevant laws of Parliament along with the other rules regulating various kinds of pension like Freedom Fighter Pension etc. being administered by concerned Ministries, the minutes of the meeting said.
Mumbai: In the wake of acute water shortage in various parts of Maharashtra, the state government has informed the Bombay High Court that it would declare drought in over 29,000 villages in the state and all relief prescribed in the Drought Manual, 2009 would be provided.

The government in its reply to a batch of PILs on water shortage issue, has told the court that it would issue a corrigendum and clarify that wherever reference is made to a 'drought-like situation' and 'drought-affected areas', the same should be read as 'drought'.

The affidavit said last week the government was strictly implementing various schemes and taking various measures to mitigate the water scarcity in drought-hit areas and more particularly in Marathwada and Vidharbha regions.

The court also took note of the contention of Acting Advocate General Rohit Deoit that it would not be possible for the government to supply drinking water daily to all districts but it would be supplied on a regular basis.

Deo assured the court that potable water would be supplied to all districts affected by drought regularly till the onset of the monsoon.

The government had earlier told the high court, which is hearing the PILs, that it had declared 'drought-like situation' in over 29,000 villages in Maharashtra.

One of the petitioners, Sanjay Lakhe Patil had alleged last week that the government has failed to implement the Drought Manual of 2009 as well as the Drought Management Plan, 2005.

He had submitted that the state government has deliberately not declared drought in Maharashtra or in the

actually affected areas.

"This was done in order to ensure that additional relief which is normally given to villages which are declared as drought-hit villages is not given and these villages have been avoided," Patil had argued.

After perusing the affidavit, the court had noted, "Prima facie we are satisfied that the government has given a serious thought and has considered this issue in detail and is taking immediate steps for the purpose of ensuring that in the month of May and part of June this year all adequate measures as mentioned in the Drought Manual are being undertaken."

The court posted the petitions for hearing on 24 May to ensure that the government is implementing the provisions under the manual.
The reaction of different political parties to the molestation of a Belgian woman on Saturday night is cynical politics at its worst.

The BJP and the Congress were quick to point an accusing finger at the AAP government in Delhi, while the latter shifted the blame on unlicensed app-based taxi services. Such responses are cynical because all parties, as usual, evade the core issue  absence of any change in the women safety scenario in the capital state  and continue to use such unfortunate incidents as tools for political point-scoring.

Now, a couple of questions: Does being associated with app-based cab services make drivers more sexually aggressive? Dont similar incidents happen in autorickshaws and other taxis too? Wheres the guarantee that a cab driver with antecedents verified wont commit a crime against a woman passenger? We know the answers, as do the political parties.

This has less to do with app-based services or more with the general environment of lack of safety in Delhi. Criminals, potential or real, are confident that they can get away with their actions. True, the cab service aggregators cannot be in an all-profit, no responsibility or accountability situation all the time, but the problem goes much beyond them.

Nothing much has changed on the ground despite the hullabaloo over the 16 December, 2012 gang rape case. There have been platitudes and promises from all concerned, no real delivery. The reality is an Indian citizen is as vulnerable to sexual predators as a foreigner is even now. Good policing, efficient and visible, is the solution to the problem. Hardly any progress has been made on this front. The Delhi government does not control the police, the Union government does. It creates problems of coordination and management of a thinly-spread force. While the problem has been there for long, we are yet to see a movement forward in this regard.

Its a sorry state of affairs which makes all political parties culpable. So when they jump to blame game routine, they appear hollow. This is not a one-off incident. The government has been very lax and the number of incidents against women has gone up, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken told the media. Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta (of the BJP) said the AAP made several promises to improve the safety of women in the city, but not a single one had been implemented. Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit said women felt more unsafe now than earlier. The AAP responded by demanding a blanket ban on unlicensed app-based cab operators in the whole of NCR till they agreed to the safety regulations of the government.

On the face of it, the concern is genuine. But havent we heard all this before?

Given Delhis location on the political, administrative and geographical map of the country, its problems are in some ways, unique.

Any decision here requires the involvement of several governments. In the case of taxis, the cooperation of neighbouring states such as Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan is critical. It is important in case of combating air pollution too. To bring all of them together on any issue requires political will and sagacity. The propensity to jumping into finger-pointing among all parties reflects a lack of both.

Its cynical politics at play. And rest assured, it would lead us nowhere.
New Delhi: Hijacking of an aircraft will now entail capital punishment in the event of death of "any person" as Parliament on Monday passed a bill to provide widen the ambit of the law in dealing with this crime.

The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014, was approved by the Lok Sabha by voice vote. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha earlier.

In the earlier bill, hijackers could be tried for death penalty only in the event of death of hostages, such as flight crew, passengers and security personnel.

In the amended law, the definition has been expanded to include death of ground staff as well.

Following the amendments, the perpetrators of hijacking would now be punishable with death penalty where such an act result in the death of "any person".

Besides broadening the definition of hijacking, it also provides for an enhanced punishment to the perpetrators as well as the area of jurisdiction.

Piloting the bill, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said government was trying to deal with the problem of security of airports through a mix of technology and manpower.

Dismissing suggestions that there should be no death penalty in case of hijacking, he noted that the country had witnessed 19 hijacking incidents and one has to be practical while prescribing penalties as the lives of innocent people are involved.

Admitting that there was undue delay in enactment of anti-hijacking legislation, Raju said it was a reflection on the functioning of members.

The government, the Minister added, has developed a contingency plan to deal with hijacking.

Participating in the debate, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, said the bill was first brought by the UPA regime in 2010.

Chowdhury said that as hijackers are highly motivated persons, they cannot be deterred by death penalty. "I suggest more legal teeth in this legislation," he added.

Citing examples like the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 in 1999, the Congress member said the then government was not able to stop the plane when it landed in Amritsar. The aircraft was finally guided by the hijackers to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

He said that in view of growing civil aviation industry, vulnerabilities too have grown and "that is why we need to be vigilant".

He raised question as to how much the country is prepared to deal with such exigencies emerging out of such situation because "we failed in dealing with the hijack of Indian Airlines flight IC-814".

He said former RAW chief A S Dulat has revealed how the Centre failed to stop the flight in Amritsar and after that a blame-game had started.

"We had already witnessed hijack scenario in our country and the response that our government has displayed during that crucial time. May I know what is the crisis management infrastructure to deal with any exigencies," Chowdhury asked.

Supporting the bill, he cautioned that the security at airports is not foolproof. "Permiter walls of airports are porous," he said and cited the terror attack at Pathankot airbase as an example.

Supporting the bill, Rajesh Pandey (BJP) said a proper system should be put in place for security of airports as there are huge numbers of ground handling staff and they keep moving.

Citing example of a hijack of a plane in 1978 by two Congress workers, Pandey said it was shameful that they were made members of Parliament. A very bad precedent was set up due to this, he said.

Saugata Roy (TMC), while supporting the bill, said the hijack of IC814 was shameful case during the NDA regime when the then foreign minister escorted terrorist Masood Azhar to Kandahar for exchange with hostages.

"Why India took such a long time for such a law. Why this huge time between the international convention and the actual legislation in the country. We should take care of this," he said.

He said there is a need to deal with issues related with cyber crime and hijacking as somebody can mobilise aircraft by jamming it electronically.

Supporting the bill, Tathagata Satpathy (BJD) said there is a need for clarification on the compensation thing.

He also said that death penalty has been stressed upon in the bill but "I do not think it is a successful method and whether it will be a proper deterrent".

In rape cases, death penalty should be given, he said.

He said CISF is not trained adequately or equipped properly to deal with such exigencies.

During IC814 hijack, "our forces were incapable of stopping it at Amrtisar....CISF is not the proper force. We need to develop a special force to secure airports," he said.

Emphasising the need for ending the "VIP culture", he said everybody, be it a judge or a minister or any other VIP, should pass the security check process.

"No VIP treatment for anybody. VIP culture must end in India," Satpathy said.

Murali Mohan (TDP) said the compensation should be Rs 4 crore.

Supporting the bill, B N Goud (TRS) said proper mechanism should in place for compensation of victims. He too mentioned about the IC814 hijack.

Sankar Prasad Datta (CPIM) said the "death penalty should not be there" as it does not deter the crime.

Among others who participated in the debate include Gopal Chinayya Shetty (BJP), Arun Kumar (RLSP), YV Subba Reddy (YSR Congress Party) and Dushyant Chautala (INLD).
New Delhi: In a significant order, the Supreme Court on Monday rejected pleas of state governments and minority institutions to allow them to hold separate entrance exams for MBBS and BDS courses for the academic year 2016-17 saying only NEET provides for conducting such test for admission to these courses.

The apex court put to rest all confusion by refusing to modify its 28 April order by which it had allowed Centre and CBSE to conduct a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses through National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).

The top court had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and Medical Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for 1 May as NEET-1. Those who have not applied for AIPMT will be given opportunity to appear in NEET-II on 24 July and the combined result would be declared on 17 August so that the admission process can be completed by 30 September.

Around 6.5 lakh students took up the NEET-I test held on 1 May.

The apex court rejected the contentions of the state governments, private medical colleges and also the minority institutions like Christian Medical College Vellore and Ludhiana that they have the legislative competence to hold separate entrance tests.

"Prima facie, we do not find any infirmity in the NEET regulation on the ground that it affects the rights of the states or the private institutions. Special provisions for reservation of any category are not subject matter of the NEET nor rights of minority are in any manner affected by NEET.

"NEET only provides for conducting entrance test for eligibility for admission to the MBBS/BDS course. We thus, do not find any merit in the applications seeking modification of order dated 28 April, 2016," a bench comprising justices AR Dave, Shiva Kirti Singh and Adarsh Kumar Goel, said.

The apex court also made it clear that "the students who have either applied for NEET-I but could not appear or who appeared but could not prepare fully thinking that the preparation was to be only for 15 percent all India seats and there will be further opportunity to appear in other

examinations.

"To allay any such apprehension, we direct that all such eligible candidates who could not appear in NEET-I and those who had appeared but have apprehension that they had not prepared well, be permitted to appear in NEET-II, subject to seeking an option from the said candidates to give up their candidature for NEET-I," the bench said.

It also said that it "would be open to the respondents (Centre, CBSE) to reschedule the date of holding NEET-II, if necessary. To this extent the earlier orders stand modified.

"We may also add here that to ensure total credibility of the examination to be held by the CBSE, the Oversight Committee appointed by this court vide the aforesaid judgment dated 2 May, 2016 shall also oversee the NEET-II examination to be conducted by the CBSE. In view of the above, it is also clarified that only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies," it said.

The apex court in its order today also noted that the stand of the private medical colleges (including minorities) that conducting of entrance test by the state violated right of autonomy of the said colleges, has been rejected.

"The State law providing for conducting of entrance test was upheld, rejecting the contention that the State had no legislative competence on the subject. At the same time, it was held that the admission involved two aspects.

"First, the adoption of setting up of minimum standards of education and coordination of such standards which aspect was covered exclusively by Entry 66 of List I. The second aspect is with regard to implementation of said standards which was covered by Entry 25 of List III," the bench said.

"On the said aspect, the State could also legislate. The two entries overlap to some extent and to that extent Entry 66 of List I prevailed over the subject covered by Entry 25," the court said while disposing of all the petitions.
Recently, a friend told me that he has advised his daughter to steer clear of history as a subject of choice, when she decides what to study in college. There is every chance that the history course will be periodically distorted at whims and fancies of parties in power. In such a ridiculous situation, not studying history in a formal degree course is better than learning multiple distorted versions of it, he said.

These words came back to me on reading the latest news reports about the Rajasthan governments decision to delete the names of Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhis assassin, Nathuram Godse, from the social science textbook for Class VIII students.

Following the uproar over the removal of names, Rajasthans Education Minister Vasudev Devnani told The Indian Express that Nehru does still find mention on pages 91 and 177. But the one-line stray references to the Congress leader would only qualify as exclusion of his role in this period. For instance, according to The Indian Express, while page 91 carries a one-line mention of Nehru in the chapter Our Constitution, the only mention he finds on page 177 is for having inaugurated one of the steps in the course to Rajasthans unification.

Published by Rajasthan Rajya Pathyapustak Mandal, the contentious textbook includes leading lights of the national movement, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Lajpat Rai, Gangadhar Tilak and Veer Savarkar. However, the chapter on the national movement is conspicuously mum on other leading Congress freedom fighters like Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, and Madan Mohan Malviya. Thats not all. The chapter on post-Independence India refrains from making any mention of Nehru even as it mentions Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India, and dwells on the role of Sardar Patel in the countrys unification process. The ludicrous changes are ostensibly part of the governments curriculum restructuring exercise.

Such tampering is of course, of a kind with many other similar random deletions that we have seen of late. Earlier this month, we were informed that a well-known history textbook on modern India, Indias struggle for Independence, written by the late Bipin Chandra and historians Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee, K N Panikkar and Sucheta Mahajan, has been removed from Delhi Universitys history syllabus. The textbook had come under attack for describing Bhagat Singh as a revolutionary terrorist. Instead of initiating a discussion on the changing connotations of the word terrorism, the textbook was removed.

In her reaction to the removal as mentioned in an article in The Indian Express published on 6 May, historian Romila Thapar said: Even in todays times, almost a century after Bhagat Singh, the description of revolutionary terrorist has a very different meaning from the term terrorist.

This is not the first time that we have witnessed pedagogical perversions that convey an alarming disrespect for historic authenticity and sanctity of knowledge on the part of authors who execute them. Political parties  particularly those driven by ideology  have traditionally been known to treat the field of social science as a soft target, as their ideological preserve and a playground for their desired versions of the past. The subject of history, which is supposedly meant to provide students with a sense of the past, as well as advance their understanding of the contemporary, has become a plaything in the hands of political parties.

While the Congress and other parties have also been guilty of efforts to rewrite the past in biased ways, it can be argued that this process has, in the past few years, assumed frightening proportions. Its also reasonable to ask how modern Indian history be taught without dwelling on the contributions made by Nehru to the making of the nation Indian nation. How can students not be informed of a basic historic fact  one that is uncontested and beyond challenge  that Nehru was the first Prime Minister of Independent India?

Does his work require critical reassessment or does it have to be erased from our text books?

The BJPs aversion to Nehru is well known. But the sanctity of pedagogy requires those tasked with textbook writing  regardless of their party position  to not view historic material through the prism of a narrow ideology. Any straying from this pedagogical path tends to corrupt the historic material at hand. It leads to the meaningless exclusions of the kind we are now witnessing  deletions of historic personalities, who were defining markers of their times. Exclusions of fundamental and irreversible facts only end up denying students basic knowledge.

In fact, many independent, non-partisan scholars have suggested (though seemingly in vain) that classrooms should ideally be sites for a critical engagement between students and teachers. While Nehrus exclusion from textbooks serves no purpose in advancing any kind of critical thinking about the Congress leader and his role in history, a critical presentation of his vision in the making of modern India on the other hand, could perhaps have generated discussions around him.

But the Rajasthan government seems to have made up its mind that denying students the right to know is the best way of preventing them from going astray. Earlier this year, for instance, the BJP government scrapped works of literary giants like Thomas Hardy, John Keats, William Blake, TS Eliot, and Edward Lear, ostensibly to familiarise students with local and regional literature and culture. Why do such decisions always have to be made in an either/or frame? One does not have to make way for the other.

In the end, political parties would do well to realise that classrooms are no longer the only space where young people learn. In the fast-paced and addictive digital age, where people are exposed to multiple media and social platforms, information and even knowledge travels. Nehru may not feature in Rajasthans social science school textbook. But it would be puerile to imagine that such random exclusions can actually delete national memory and its manifestations in everyday life.
Toronto: While the full moon does not make kids hyperactive - as commonly believed - it may decrease their sleep time by five minutes on an average, says a study.

However, the clinical implication of sleeping five minutes less during full moon does not represent a considerable threat to health, the researchers pointed out.

"Overall, I think we should not be worried about the full moon. Our behaviours are largely influenced by many other factors like genes, education, income and psychosocial aspects rather than by gravitational forces," said one of the researchers, Jean-Philippe Chaput from the Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Canada.

To explore whether lunar phases somehow do affect humans, the international group of researchers studied children to see if their sleeping patterns changed or if there were any differences in their daily activities.

"We considered that performing this research on children would be particularly more relevant because they are more amenable to behaviour changes than adults and their sleep needs are greater than adults," Chaput explained.

The study was conducted on 5,812 children from five continents. The children came from a wide range of economic and socio-cultural levels, and variables such as age, sex, highest education, day of measurement, body mass index score, nocturnal sleep duration, level of physical activity and total sedentary time were considered.

Data collection took place over 28 months, which is equivalent to the same number of lunar cycles.

These were then subdivided into three lunar phases -- full moon, half-moon and new moon.

The findings obtained in the study revealed that in general, nocturnal sleep duration around full moon compared to new moon reported an average decrease of five minutes or roughly one percent less than the typical number of hours they get in ordinary nights.

No other activity behaviours were substantially modified, the findings showed.

"The only significant finding was the one percent sleep alteration in full moon, and this is largely explained by our large sample size that maximises statistical power," Chaput said.

The results were published in the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics.
New York: Climate change is likely to accelerate rates of chronic kidney disease worldwide as rising temperatures and heat stress harm kidneys.

New findings show that heat stress nephropathy  chronic kidney diseases are on the rise, especially in many rural communities in hot regions.

With rise in temperature worldwide, dehydration and heat stress are likely to take a toll on the kidneys, emerging as a major cause of poor kidney health in the near future.

"A new type of kidney disease, occurring throughout the world in hot areas, is linked with temperature and climate and may be one of the first epidemics due to global warming," said Richard Johnson, from the University of Colorado in the US.

Also, global warming and a rise in extreme heat waves have increased the risk of kidney disease, especially for the agricultural workers, who are exposed to the heat for longer duration.

Decreasing amounts of rain contribute to the growing epidemic of the chronic kidney disease consistent with heat stress -- by reducing water supplies and quality as temperatures rise, the researchers noted.

"We were able to connect increased rates of chronic kidney disease in different areas to an underlying mechanism -- heat stress and dehydration -- and to climate," Johnson said.

The findings will be detailed in forthcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).

Governments and scientists need to work together to learn more about this threat and take action to reduce the risk of climate change-linked kidney disease, the researchers said.
Hokarsar Wetland (Srinagar): The sprawling wetlands in Kashmir have long served as nature's first line of defence against an outbreak of violent floods the valley is so prone to. But the marshes are shrinking fast, increasing fears of a looming disaster similar to what it witnessed in 2014.

The decline has also robbed millions of Central Asian, Chinese and European winged visitors of their winter homes and habitat, posing an existential threat to the Valley's fragile ecosystem.

Not only that. The economic importance of these wetlands has always been highly undervalued, experts told this correspondent.

"Wetlands all around the world matter a great deal to humans. Kashmir is no exception but we often fail to recognize their importance," said Farooq Shah, a known green activist, who has been working and writing on Kashmir environment for the last nearly two decades.

"Economic and environmental benefits apart, these wetlands also help offset terrible climate change impacts," Shah said.

According to official records, the wetlands have largely fallen prey to paddy cultivation, plantation, and residential complexes. Shah attributed it to the human greed and an official apathy.

Official records reveal that nine Kashmir wetlands, despite being protected legally, have shrunk a great deal over the last 50 years.

Picture this.

Mirgund on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway towards the north of the valley had a total area of 100 acres. Some 20 acres encroached already.

Shalbugh, on the border of Srinagar and Ganderbal districts, was 250 acres. But land sharks have already grabbed 12.

Haigam in north Kashmir's Sopore was over 1,812 acres and nearly 252 have been usurped.

In Pampore, towards the south of the valley, four small wetlands had a total area of over 178 acres. But official records show only 150 have remained.

Similarly, Malgam wetland in north Kashmir Bandipore district was once spread over 1,125 acres. But today it is only 775 acres now. Thirty percent of the once vast marsh has been filled.

And this famed Hokarsar wetland was nearly 14 sq km. And today, it has shrunk to just 5-6 sq km only. According to the records, the depth of its waters has also substantially reduced from 12-14 feet to only a few inches now.

High pollution levels and blatant encroachments have wreaked havoc with its natural vegetation, leaving thousands of farmers in the lurch.

The growth of unwanted weeds, accumulation of silt, human and solid waste has drastically affected the growth of fish, water nuts and vegetables like lotus stems, officials said.

Imtiyaz Ahmad Lone, a wildlife warden, who looks after Hokarsar, blamed Jhelum flood basin for the "the devastation" because it "brings heavy volumes of silt and pollutants".

Besides, "some industry houses have also been found dumping waste" on the wetland peripheries which have become permanent grazing sites for cattle and "dumping ground for household and industrial trash", he said.

Lone noted that his department tried its "best" to restore the "lost glory" or at least preserve what is left of it.

"It needs a lot of resources, consistent government support," he said, adding the support has not been forthcoming.

The official said he personally has been persistently seeking a dredging machine to clear unwanted weeds. "I have been requesting the government to give me the machine for a few months. Got a negative response," Lone said.

He claimed the department has been acting tough against encroachers and, so far, more than 400 cases have been registered. He would not comment on a prosecution rate.

Shah, the environmentalist, said another flood in the valley would be more disastrous than in 2014 when large parts of Srinagar remained inundated for weeks together.

"We've sown the seeds of destruction and we're just reaping the bitter fruit now," he said.

"We lack a sense of ownership that largely has come from the instability in the region."
New Delhi: With Congress creating a storm in Parliament over the Prime Minister's charge that an Italian

court had named Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland case, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said Narendra Modi has done

nothing wrong and the party should wait for the inquiry to complete.

"The Prime Minister has done nothing wrong. He has addressed a public function and there he said what was already in the public domain, what was there in the court observation also," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said outside Parliament after the disruptions in Rajya Sabha over Modi's remarks in the chopper deal scam.

Congress created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing repeated adjournments in the House over Modi's allegation

at a poll rally that the Italian court had named Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

Asked whether Modi would respond over the issue, Naidu said, "What is there to answer? They (Congress) have everything to answer. Inquiry is on and let it be completed."

On the Prime Minister taking names, Naidu said, "He has not taken any name. He mentioned only those names that appeared in the part of the judgement or annexures to the

judgement."

He further said, "There is no need for clarification. The Prime Minister only said whatever was in the facts. No one

took name. If anybody has taken name then Congress member Abhishek Singhvi has taken the name. We have not taken any name."

Attacking Congress, he said, "They are trying to disrupt the House unnecessarily. Now, it has become their habit to disrupt the House somehow or other by creating obstruction and diverting the issue."

Minister of State Jitendra Singh said, "The issues which were taken up outside Parliament, cannot be taken up inside

the House. Whatever was said at the rally can be answered at rally only. They are unable to answer inside and outside that is why they are resorting to such tactics."

The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments in the first two hours because of the continued uproar and sloganeering by

Congress members, leading to washout of the Zero Hour and Question Hour.

In the Lok Sabha too, the issue generated heat soon after it assembled for the day with Congress members raising the

matter.

The Congress questioned how Modi could make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both the Houses last week.
New Delhi: Amid a debate over Prime Minister's educational degrees, BJP today wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal enclosing photocopies of the same to help clear his doubts on them.

BJP national Secretary Shrikant Sharma wrote a letter to Kejriwal enclosing photocopies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA and MA degrees and asking the Delhi Chief Minister to clear his 'confusion' on the issue.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also said that Modi would stay with the then ABVP office bearer Naresh Gaud, who went on to become MLA several times from Delhi.

Later, Gaud told reporters that Modi stayed with him in 1974 when he had come to Delhi from Gujarat to take the DU examination.

"Kejriwal is lying cent per cent," Gaud said.

BJP earlier on Monday released copies of BA and MA degrees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in response to Aam Aadmi Party's allegations questioning his degree from Delhi but AAP hit back saying the documents were "forged" and had "glaring discrepancies" in them.

In a bid to set at rest the row over the issue, BJP president Amit Shah and Jaitley jointly addressed a press conference where they released the graduation degree taken from Delhi University and the masters' degree from Gujarat University.
Thiruvananthapuram: In an emotion-choked voice, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday described herself as "the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi" and said she will die only in India.

"Yes, I was born in Italy. But in 1968 I came to India as the daughter-in-law of (then prime minister) Indira Gandhi," Gandhi told an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram.

"It is now 48 years that I have been in India. This is my home and this is my country," she told the thousands gathered to listen to her.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Sunday taunted Sonia Gandhi on her Italian origins while addressing election meetings.

Before winding up her speech, Gandhi told the crowds that she wanted to share some personal things. "It's nothing political," she said.

Gandhi said that for the past 48 years, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties had been taunting her.

"I wish to say I am very proud of my parents who have been always honest. Yes, I have relatives in Italy, I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters."

In an obvious reference to Indira Gandhi and her late husband Rajiv Gandhi, she said: "The blood of my loved ones is mingled in this country, which is also my country. It will be here that I will breathe my last and my ashes will be mingled with my loved ones here."

The Congress leader said Modi was free to go to any length to question her credentials.

"But he will never be able to take away my commitment to my country. I cannot expect Modi to understand my feelings, but not you," she said.

Gandhi arrived in Kerala on Monday evening. After addressing a rally at Thrissur, she flew to the capital city.

In her speeches, she urged the people to vote for the Oommen Chandy government which she said had done "an excellent job" and needed a second term.

The Left Democratic Front would only take Kerala back "through wrong policies", she said.
Chandigarh: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday accused the state's BJP government

of following a policy of 'badla' (revenge) and charged the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly with being hand in glove with the M L Khattar dispensation for registration of a case in reallotment of a plot to Associated Journals Limited (AJL).

Hooda also claimed that no rule was violated in the reallotment of plot to AJL.

"The BJP government is following a policy of 'badla' (revenge) and 'badli' (transfer) as the Khattar-led government has completely failed to deliver on its election promises and has done nothing for the welfare of people of Haryana," Hooda told reporters in Chandigarh.

The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau had on 5 May registered a case of cheating and corruption against Hooda and four officials of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA)for allegedly realloting a plot to AJL in Panchkula in 2005.

Hooda alleged that the BJP government registered the case against him after Leader of Opposition in Haryana Assembly wrote a letter in this regard.

"Leader of Opposition and INLD leader (Abhay Chautala), on whose letter this action (FIR) was taken, is now the main supporter of the state government," Hooda alleged.

"I want to request the state government to probe the allotment of land worth crores of rupees to 'Jan Sandesh' in Gurgaon and Devi Lal Trust in Chandigarh despite the concerned government departments raising objections in this regard," Hooda said.

"What were the terms and conditions when the plot was allotted to Jan Sandesh and what is happening now. At what rate the land was allotted to Devi Lal Trust. It should also be probed," he said.

Abhay Chautala had on 3 May sought registration of a criminal case against Trustees/Directors of M/s Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) and Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the then Chief Minister and Chairman of HUDA, for "illegal" allotment of land in Panchkula near Chandigarh.

Hooda alleged that there was a "sacred alliance" (pavitra gathbandhan) between INLD and BJP.

"The FIR was registered with vendetta in their mind. BJP government is acting against senior leaders of Congress. But I

want to tell them that nobody in the party will be scared with such moves," Hooda said, adding, "my request to the government is that if they want to avenge they should do it once and for all."

To a query about whether the state suffered any financial loss due to reallotment of the plot, Hooda claimed there was no such decision which had caused loss. "HUDA is for no profit and no loss, it is not a profit making organisation," he said.

He said plots had been reallotted in the past also, and claimed that "HUDA is an autonomous body and it is competent to do it."

Hitting out at the BJP government, Hooda said the state government has "failed to fulfil its promises" made to public before elections and indulged in such things in order to divert public attention from its "failures".

"BJP government has not done anything for public welfare. People are now asking questions about 154 promises made before elections," he said, adding "you cannot suppress my voice".

"There are several scams which took place during BJP regime like scam in paddy variety, revenue assessment and there was law and order problem in the state," he said.

On the issue of Robert Vadra's land deals, Hooda accused the BJP leaders of giving false statements in connection with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law's company Skylight.

"I had already informed the House that my government never gave a single inch to any builder," he said.

Accusing BJP of engineering violence during the recent Jat agitation, Hooda said the probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court should be conducted in connection with violence and arson during the Jat stir.

"My demand is that a sitting judge of Supreme Court and not a retired judge should probe the incidents," he said.

On the Uttarakhand issue, Hooda called the BJP a "fascist force" and accused it of "suppressing the voice of democracy".

On the issue of infighting within the state unit of Congress, Hooda refuted the charge, saying there was "no factionalism" in the party.

He said the merger of HJC-led by Kuldeep Bishnoi with Congress indicated that people were in support of Congress which was the only alternative to BJP.
On the first day of assuming office in Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, said on Monday that the demand for raising a cluster of Sainik colonies, inside the Kashmir valley, was raised by the state subjects, who are serving in the armed forces, but has not been fulfilled so far.

It was a demand made by the state subjects, however, their demand is yet to be fulfilled. No land has been allotted for the Sainik Colonies, Mehbooba told reporters, on the sidelines of a function held on the opening day of Darbar in Srinagar.

The state government led by the PDP-BJP coalition government had recently sent a fresh reminder to deputy commissioners of Srinagar and Budgam for expediting the process of identifying the land for the proposed colonies on the outskirts of Srinagar, the capital, this had raked a fresh controversy in the state.

Governor NN Vohra approved a proposal for setting up of a cluster of residential houses for serving and ex-servicemen, when the idea was floated by Rajya Sainik Board (RSB) in 2012. When the state came under governors rule, Vohra who heads the board, had fast tracked the process for granting of state land for the Sainik colony, early this year.

Mehbooba said that vested elements were trying to use the issue for the destabilizing the state, and hit out at former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for being a rumour monger, and said that the NC president was trying to vitiate the atmosphere of the state by uploading fake pictures on social media.

Mehbooba clarified that the establishment of the Sainik colonies had nothing to do with the non-state subjects.

The state government had come under harsh criticism from the Opposition and Hurriyat Conference for granting the land for these colonies in Kashmir. The proposal for setting up the colonies does not mention if the residential blocks would be only given to state subjects or non-state subjects too. This stoked a huge political uproar in valley with both the Opposition and Hurriyat Conference attacking the state government for working against the interests of the state.

National Conference working president, Omar Abdullah had said that State governments go ahead for allocating hundreds of Kanals of land in the Valley for a proposed Sainik Colony could be a ruse to settle non-State-subjects in Kashmir and hence bypass Article 370.

Abdullah, who was addressing party leaders in north Kashmirs Baramulla town on Saturday, said there are glaring contradictions on the Sainik Colony proposal

From denying that land is being provided to the Sainik Colony to the administration officially writing to concerned officers to identify land for the colony, the PDP-BJP Government of Mehbooba Mufti has come a full circle. The Chief Minister continues to be vague on this issue and it seems has been implicitly ordered to not interfere in this matter, Abdullah, told the gathering.

Is the Mehbooba Mufti Government trying to re-enact the 2008 turmoil where a PDP Government set the state on fire in violating the states special status by giving away hundreds of Kanals of land to the Shrine Board in violation of legal norms, Article 370 and various inviolable constitutional provisions? There seems to be an uncanny similarity between what PDP did in 2008 and what the PDP-BJP Government is trying to do today with the Sainik Colony proposal, he added.

The separatists had threatened to launch a 2010 like agitation against the move to provide the land for the Sanik colony.

There is no legal or moral justification in settling the former Indian army men in Kashmir, and it was an open aggression and hooliganism. To counter this aggression, Hurriyat Conference will formulate a strategy to gather a national consensus on this issue, Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said.

The octogenarian Hurriyat Conference leader said the Jammu & Kashmir state has its own constitution and this constitution also does not permit any non-local to settle here.

The establishment of the Sainik Colonies is not only a dangerous plot to influence the disputed nature of Jammu & Kashmir but it is also a deliberate attempt to end the special status of this state. He added.

Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a lone Communist MLA, too opposed the move saying the proposal needs to be vehemently opposed.

Since the plan in a way envisages to settle the non-permanent resident retired army men in J&K, it amounts to virtual scraping of the states special status covertly, Tarigami said.

One is constrained to infer that this motivated move may be the hidden item of the agenda of the alliance. It is our partys considered opinion that the move will further complicate the Kashmir imbroglio and the efforts to resolve it would be seriously jeopardized, he said.
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal shouldnt forget an old adage --"Those who live in glass houses never throw stones on others."

While, the AAP has accused Prime Minster Narendra Modi of having fake graduation and post graduation degrees, it shouldnt forget that the party in its backyard already has a number of legislators against whom there are strong allegations of possessing fake degrees. The biggest example is that of former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar, whose bogus degree issue finally led to his expulsion from the party.

The issue of Tomars bogus degree was the bone of contention during the peace-talk between the two warring groups  Arvind Kejriwals team on one side and Prashant Bhushan-Yogendra Yadav duo on the other. When, both Bhushan and Yadav were active members in AAP and were holding posts, they had raised the issue of Tomars bogus degree and fake certificate and demanded an internal inquiry.

Meanwhile, holding a press conference today, BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley furnished proofs of Modis BA and MA degrees with relevant mark sheets. The proofs show that the PM did his graduation from Delhi University and MA in Political Science from Gujarat.

However, launching a counter-offensive, the AAP conducted a back-to-back press briefing and has alleged that there are major discrepancies in the degrees and mark sheets in the form of spellings.

AAP spokesperson Ashutosh has alleged, There are several discrepancies, as the names dont match. The mark sheets have been forged. All the degrees of the PM are fake. Both Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley must apologise.

The BJP said that the common name in all the mark sheets and degrees is  Narendra Damodardas Modi, except in one or two mark sheets, where Kumar has got added.

The AAP has also alleged that there cant be any course called Entire Political Science in which the PM did his post graduation.

In response to it, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, Instead of showing the entire set of documents to the media, Ashutosh in the press conference showed documents selectively. Instead of acting like a vice chancellor, they should visit the universities to find out the truth. Its absolutely malicious.

While, Kejriwal and his AAP want to take this fake degree row of the PM on a war footing, they should not forget that throughout 2015, the party had to face embarrassing moments as cases of fake degrees of its MLAs surfaced one after the other.

Ashwini Upadhyay, Delhi BJP spokesperson said, "Arvind Kejriwal has been trying to divert the attention of the citizens from core issues by levelling malicious charges against the PM. Kejriwal shouldn't forget that in AAP there are a dozen MLAs either having charges of fake degrees and educational qualifications against them, or there are cases of corruption going on against them in courts. Now, as PM's degrees and mark sheets have been revealed in public, the AAP must display qualifications and certificates with roll numbers of every MLA on its website."

Citing a few cases, Upadhyay alleged, Among a dozen of AAP MLAs involved in fake degree cases and other corruption charges, some of the MLAs are Vishesh Ravi (Karol Bagh), Bhavna Gaur (Palam), Surinder Singh Commando (Delhi Cantt), former law minister Jitender Singh Tomar, Asim Ahmad Khan etc., who were quite prominent. Lets not forget Delhis present Water Resources Minister Kapil Mishra, was removed from the post of law minister, the very next day after he sought permission from Kejriwal to file an FIR against former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit for an alleged corruption of Rs 400 crore.

I challenge both Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia to make it public how many times they went abroad between 2004 and 2014 during the Congress regime," he said.

Fake degrees allegations against AAP legislators

Year 2015 witnessed a series of allegations related to fake or bogus degrees against AAP legislators. A few prominent cases are:

 Jitender Singh Tomar, ex-law minister in Kejriwals cabinet: Cited bogus graduation and law degrees. When the allegation was proved, he was finally expelled.

 Vishesh Ravi, Karol Bagh MLA: There was discrepancy in the affidavits he had filed in 2013 and 2014. In 2013, he listed himself as a graduate in 2013, while in his 2014 affidavit he mentioned that he had studied only till 10th standard.

 Bhavna Gaur, MLA from Palam constituency: She had mentioned her highest qualification as 12th during 2013 Assembly polls, while during the elections held in 2015, she mentioned her highest educational qualification as BA and BEd.

 Surendra Singh, AAP MLA (Delhi Cantt): Allegation against him was that he had furnished false information about his graduation degree (2012) from Sikkim University. The Delhi High Court had imposed Rs 50,000 fine on him for delay in filing his reply to an election petition of BJP leader Karan Singh Tanwar alleging that the legislator has a fake graduation degree. Later, an RTI reply of Sikkim University stated, "As per the academic record of the year 2014-15 and all the past academic years, there is no student by the name of Surender Singh.
Its rather embarrassing that our leaders would be discussing whether the educational degrees of the countrys Prime Minister are fakes. When Arvind Kejriwal made the allegation, it was expected that the BJP would laugh it off, calling it a frivolous piece of fiction concocted by a leader who has nothing worthwhile to do and is desperate for some cheap publicity. Now that no less than the party president Amit Shah and senior leader Arun Jaitley have come out with a defence for the prime minister, the matter appears to be serious.

Lets not get into a debate over whether the documents produced by both sides are genuine. As is usual in such cases, it would lead us nowhere. The truth would finally get buried in the din of claims and counterclaims. The issue would die down after running its course. The AAP points out to several discrepancies in the BA degree of Modi. When the mark-sheet shows the year 1977, how can the degree issued mention it as 1978? How come, it alleges, the names are different in the mark-sheet and the degree certificate? No Narendra Damodar Modi passed out from Delhi University in 1978, the party claims, adding that the only Narendra Modi to graduate in the year from the varsity was Narendra Mahavir Modi, a resident of Rajasthan.

The BJP, on its part, has produced the BA and MA certificates of the Prime Minister and claims them to be genuine. We dont have clear answers from the party on the discrepancies pointed out by AAP leaders, but they are expected to brush these off as clerical errors. The party would like others to believe that the allegations are pure fiction with no basis in reality. But why did it need to get into this in the first place?

Nobody was discussing the degree issue with any seriousness, but after the BJPs media conference it has assumed some gravitas. Its possible the AAP will dig out some more documents in the coming days and keep the BJP leaders on their toes. Television debates will only add to the partys discomfiture. It could have done without the unnecessary attention but given the partys natural inclination to give it back, its response is not unexpected.

Shah said AAP has taken the public discourse to a new low. He could be right, but the BJP has not exactly been the standard-bearer among political parties in this respect either. But such allegations dont seem to bother the AAP. The fact that it managed to engage the BJP on the matter is good enough. Actually, its playing the BJPs game when it comes to staying in news and putting the opposition in a situation of discomfiture. In a way what the BJP is doing to the Congress, the AAP is doing to the BJP.

Its pointless to be judgmental over a certificate or two. It wont diminish Narendra Modi. Political parties play their little games. The media is their new battle field. Here no low is low enough.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday put up a strong defence of PM Narendra Modi in the controversy over his alleged fake degrees, and demanded that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal apologise to the country.

The seriousness with which the BJP has taken this issue can be gauged by the fact that two top-rung leaders  Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley  addressed a media conference to defend the prime minister.

While stating that Modi got a BA degree from the Delhi University and an MA in political science from the Gujarat University, Shah said, "Kejriwal has damaged the reputation of India in front of the world."

"I want to request the media not to put baseless allegations in front of the people," Shah said.

Jaitley also hit out at the AAP supremo, saying, "Without checking any facts, it is public discourse at its lowest level. This comes from a political party that has several MLAs who are being prosecuted for fake degrees."

Earlier, Kejriwal wrote a letter to Information Commissioner M Shridhar Acharyulu accusing the Central Information Commission (CIC) of hiding information and urged it to reveal all the details pertaining to the prime minister's academic credentials under the Right to information Act (RTI Act). Consequently, the commission, treated his letter as an RTI application, and directed the Delhi and Gujarat universities to give proper responses on the issue.

On 4 May, three AAP leaders alleged that the DU refused to share details regarding Modi's BA degree and told them to approach the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) instead.

The issue was also raised by the Congress, with party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala saying, "If the prime minister himself is seeking to hide his educational qualifications, then how could the common man have the confidence to use the RTI as a tool to fight corruption."

However, earlier this month, Gujarat University Vice-Chancellor MN Patel said that Modi had indeed passed MA in political science with 62.3 percent marks.

Earlier, the Delhi University declined to give information related to Modi's BA degree despite RTI requests.
One may call the rape and murder of a Dalit law student in Kerala an isolated incident that is more about general security than the state of women in the southern state, but elections are when all claims of empowerment among women in the state stand exposed.

Close to 10 lakh more women than men will cast their votes on 16 May to elect a fresh set of members to the state Legislative Assembly. The state also has over 14,000 more women voters this year, as per Election Commission data. Yet only 26 more women are contesting the polls this year than in 2011. This, in a state which has 1,085 women for every 1,000 men.

Kerala has long been the land where matriarchy was followed among its influential communities and where women enjoyed property rights, and at times, the major share of it. Education among women has been a staple for nearly a century and at least 70 percent of them now have access to quality higher education. In all other parameters like health and employment too, the women in the state are way ahead.

A University of Berkeley study on women in politics in India says 23 percent women feel their vote counts in making a difference as against 39 percent of men who feel the same. But when it comes to representation of women in legislative assemblies across the country, the percentage figure is just in single digits. And Keralas story is no different.

Last Assembly election, there were just 83 women among the 971 candidates. Of this, 63 lost the poll battle. This time, 109 of the 1,203 candidates are women. Thiruvananthapuram has the highest number of women contestants (14 of the total 135) and Kasaragod, the lowest (1 of the 46). Thirty four of the women are fielded by the major fronts - the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), the Left Democratic Front (LDF), and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Things have sure improved this year, with the LDF coming up with a decision to field at least one woman candidate from each district. And, barring Kasaragod and Kottayam, the Left has fielded at least one woman candidate in all the districts.

Yet when one considers the larger picture in terms of representation, Kerala cuts a poor figure. Last Assembly had just seven women in the 140-strong house. And since the 1950s, the number of women legislators has not crossed 13.

The recent spurt in cases of violence against women and children in the state have brought forth the gender question with fresh vigour. Are women represented enough in the Assembly here? Are they part of the decision-making bodies? Why are women shunning politics when their vote share is so huge?

The gender question was never considered till about two decades ago. Globalisation brought forth a fresh set of challenges and it is frankly then that the Left parties began considering the issue. The gender question was taken up during the Peoples Planning movement of the Left government. Now, they are beginning to talk of it with greater focus. The decision to field more candidates this year is part of this move, says journalist R Parvathy Devi.

While the Left is a tad better in considering women for prime roles, the other parties still are reluctant to wake up to accepting a woman leader. The poll scene in the past has seen women of great promise contesting and even giving a tough fight without any back up of reservations. But where are they now? Women members of even mainstream parties in the state often complain about not being able to speak their mind or come out in open against issues. This time too, so many such women leaders have been denied a chance to contest, says a woman political on condition of anonymity.

T N Seema, CPMs candidate in one of the key constituencies and AIDWA state president, feels the whole issue of less participation of women in politics and decision-making reflects the attitude of the society that has tilted towards patriarchy in the last 50 years. There are women in the activities of the political parties but when it comes to decision-making, they are not included. Even within the party, growth is something that isnt very easy. Women are still considered as those inadequate in skills of governance. What the present leaders do not understand is that how to govern can be learnt only by actually governing, she says.

Growth within the party requires tremendous support of the family and often this isnt available, says Parvathy. She has to be present for the grassroot work of the party. A family may not allow that here. A womans place is still said to be at home and even her education and employment prospects are decided on the basis of how beneficial they will be to the family. The Left ideology has been able to touch most spheres of life here, but the family, even now, remains feudal.

Then there are also the insecurities involved, a reason why getting seats reserved for women to contest polls isnt a cakewalk. The 50 percent reservation for women in local body polls have sure been beneficial in helping more women enter local administration, but it has not gone down well with many, says Aysha Potty, who had won the Kottarakkara Assembly seat with a huge margin of nearly 54 percent votes in 2011. Cases like Aysha Pottys are isolated, as women are either fielded in seats where they are unlikely to win or, as widely seen in the local body polls, as a proxy to their male relatives.

A woman who tries to find her foothold in public sphere often finds slander lavished on her to curb her growth. They give in to such pressures. What is needed is a bold approach and a strong mind, says Saleena Prakkanam, chairperson of the Dalit Human Rights Movement (DHRM), who also spearheaded the Chengara land agitation.

According to her, a strict reservation policy alone can help in bringing more women to the forefront of politics. A study by Thrissur-based Jananeethi Institute and Nottingham Law School, UK, complements this view. It observes: The main reason an increased number of women have come forward to contest local body polls is due to the enactment reserving 50 percent seats for women. Without this, they wouldnt have entered politics. Thirty three percent of the contestants of local body polls were first timers. Although 85 percent of the government officials refer to the inexperience of women representatives as a stumbling block, that the women show the willingness to learn is said to be their positive attribute. Institutes like the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) design courses and workshops to train such women.

But the attitude of the society, especially the government officials, to women representatives smacks of chauvinism, says Aysha Potty. We are treated with indifference as though we are yet to learn the ropes of polity and decision making. I have faced this, but have stood up strongly against that attitude. Women should come out boldly, shunning the conventionally accepted norms that society reserves for Keralite women.

PS Sreekala, director of Kerala Sthree Padana Kendram (Womens Studies Centre), says a deep-rooted change has to effected to bring about a difference in the way society views women, only then can politics see more women coming forward to be leaders. Programmes for women like the Kudumbasree have helped a lot to bring women to the forefront. Yet what is needed is a constructive effort, which starts right from changes in school syllabi, she says.
Mumbai: In a sharp dig at BJP for targeting the Congress top brass over the chopper deal, Shiv Sena on Monday reminded its senior ally of the blunder committed by the Janata Party regime that directed all its energy against Indira Gandhi, which eventually helped her return to power.

"We have been reminded of Indira Gandhi during the Janata Party regime. It was Janata Party that had actually helped her get back to power. Despite having the mandate to govern, its leaders were after Indiraji as if their sole aim was to trouble her," the Sena said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana.

"What is the difference in today's situation? Today, the BJP has been elected to power to solve people's issues. The chaos over the AugustaWestland deal could have been avoided. Instead of an inquiry, certain people are being repeatedly targeted. This reminds us of Indiraji," it said.

Stating that the then Defence Minister AK Antony had conceded to irregularities in the deal, and had ordered an inquiry, Sena sought to know what the BJP government had done to arrive at any conclusion after it came to power.

"There is no need to show leniency to Sonia Gandhi and her partymen if they have indeed indulged in a scam. But why help the party to revive? The truth is that lessons should have been learnt from Bihar elections. Despite BJP fielding party veterans for campaigning, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav won and even the Congress' showing was good," it said.

While the government's aim appears to put Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi behind bars, problems like unemployment, corruption, blackmoney have remained unresolved, the editorial added.
Mysuru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that the much awaited reshuffle of the state cabinet will be done within this month.

"We will do it (cabinet reshuffle) within this month... Reshuffle involves dropping few and inducting few," he told reporters here. "Yardstick is giving opportunity for new people. Already three years have been completed; there are aspirants, there is need to give opportunity to them," he added.

Siddaramaiah, who had planned to reshuffle his cabinet by the end of April, had postponed it due to "severe" drought in the state.

Karnataka is reeling under "worst" drought in recent times and the government has already declared 137 taluks as "drought hit". The Chief Minister himself has embarked on a state-wide review tour to assess the situation.

He had earlier said he would go to New Delhi to discuss cabinet reshuffle, only after visiting drought-hit regions in the state, and the situation improves.

In last October, Siddaramaiah had expanded his ministry by inducting four members, including the state Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara as Home Minister.

Pressure has been mounting on the Chief Minister for the cabinet reshuffle for some time now. A section of MLAs had even petitioned the party high command in this regard and had demanded dropping of "non-performers" from the cabinet.
Nainital/New Delhi: Sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Monday got a major boost ahead of the confidence vote in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Tuesday with the High Court

dismissing the petition of nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification and the Supreme Court refusing to give any relief to them.

It is advantage Rawat as Justice UC Dhyani of the High Court dismissed two writ petitions filed by the rebel Congress MLAs against the Speaker's action, holding that by their conduct the lawmakers have "voluntarily given up membership of their political party", a ground for disqualification under the anti-defection law.

"This court, subject to scrutiny of Speaker's action on the principles of natural justice, therefore, holds that the ingredients of paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution are met against the petitioners.

"By their conduct, it has been established that they have 'voluntarily given up membership of their political party', even if they have not become members of any other political party," Justice U C Dhyani said in his 57-page judgement.

After excluding the nine disqualified MLAs, the Assembly has an effective strength of 61 members. Of that, the Congress has 27 MLAs on its own and claims the backing of six-member PDF to make the ruling side's figure of 33. Rawat needs the backing of 31 MLAs for a simple majority.

The BJP has 28 MLAs, including that of Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty is in doubt. The PDF comprises two of BSP, one of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and three Independents.

The High Court judgement referred to the joint memorandum signed by the nine MLAs along with the BJP legislators and given to the Governor on March 18 and said dissent is not defection and the Tenth Schedule while recognising dissent prohibits defection.

"The instant case is an illustration of the fact that the petitioners have not only deserted the leader and deserted the Government, but under the garb of dissent, they have, by their conduct, deserted the party, otherwise they would not have said in the joint memorandum that they voted against the Appropriation Bill, it was not passed, the Government is in minority and, therefore, the Cabinet of Harish Rawat be dismissed.

"There is a thin line of difference between deserting the Leader/Government and deserting the party. Dissent is permissible only so long as it does not tread into the realm of voluntarily relinquishing the membership of the party.

"If dissent is permitted to unfathomable limit, then it will amount to deserting the party and would also tantamount to voluntarily giving up his membership of such political party under Paragraph 2(1)(a) of the Tenth Schedule," Justice Dhyani said.

Shortly after the High Court verdict, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court challenging the order and sought an immediate relief of being allowed to participate in tomorrow's floor test in the Assembly.

"The prayer for interim relief (for stay of the HC judgement) can be considered on the date of next hearing," an apex court bench comprising Justices Dipak Mishra and Shiva Kirti Singh said while fixing the matter for hearing on 12 July. It issued notice to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, who had disqualified the MLAs.

Justice Dhyani his order will not come in the way of the affected MLAs to approach the Speaker for a review of his action.

Earlier, Counsel for the disqualified MLAs, C A Sundaram, mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India T S Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.

The bench of Justice Mishra and Justice Singh allowed the Centre's plea for modification of its Friday order appointing the Principal Secretary (Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Affairs) of Uttarakhand government to oversee conduct of the floor test on Tuesday.

Ordering a floor test on May 10 in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said "if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the President's Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 AM and 1 PM for a "single agenda" of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.
Nainital/New Delhi: In advantage to sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the confidence vote tomorrow, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday dismissed the petition of nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification by the Speaker, a decision the rebels challenged in the Supreme Court immediately.

Dismissing their petition, the single judge bench of Justice UC Dhyani said the petition stands dismissed and asked the MLAs to go back to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal seeking a review of his action if they so wished.

The judgement will make the BJP's task difficult in the confidence vote to be sought by Rawat tomorrow as it will be left with only 28 MLAs including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is in doubt. Though suspended by the BJP Arya continues to represent the party in the House.

It may give Rawat an advantage in the floor test which will now be held in the Assembly with an effective strength of 62 in which the winning side will need 31 MLAs for a majority.

Moments after the high court pronounced its order, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the MLAs C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India TS Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.

The fresh petition will be heard at 2 pm.

Meanwhile, the same bench is also expected to hear at 12:30 pm the Centre's petition seeking modification of its order on the floor test saying the official concerned has refused to act as observer on the ground that a clarification is needed on his designation.

Monday's order of the high court ensures that the disqualification of the MLAs stays and would keep the rebel MLAs out of the proceedings during the confidence vote for Rawat in the Assembly tomorrow unless overturned by the apex court.

Ordering a floor test on 10 May in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said "if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the President's Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 am and 1 pm for a "single agenda" of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.
London: BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been detained in North Korea and is to be expelled from the country over reporting.

The country's National Peace Committee told a press conference on Monday in Pyongyang that the step was taken against the correspondent for attacking the North Korean system and non-objective reporting during the filming crew's stay.

The correspondent will be banned from entering North Korea again, the committee added.
BRASILIA The impeachment process against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was annulled by the acting speaker of the lower house of Congress on Monday, but the stunning decision appeared likely to provide only a temporary reprieve for the leftist leader.

Just days before the Senate was expected to put Rousseff on trial, Waldir Maranhao said there were procedural flaws in a lower house vote on April 17 that approved the impeachment charges and the chamber would need to vote again.

His decision, which caught off-guard investors betting on a more business-friendly government taking power imminently, roiled Brazilian financial markets and plunged the impeachment process into confusion. However, markets quickly pared their losses as investors bet the move would delay rather than prevent Rousseff's removal from office.

Hours after Maranhao's decision was made public, an opposition party appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn it. Meanwhile, Senator Aecio Neves, an opposition leader who lost the 2014 election to Rousseff, called on the Senate to stick to its plan to vote this week on the president's trial.

Antonio Queiroz, head of the non-partisan Congressional research department, said Maranhao's move would not permanently derail the impeachment proceedings against Rousseff, who opponents accuse of breaking budget laws.

"It will just delay things," he told Reuters. "The Supreme Court will most likely overturn this decision by the acting speaker, or the plenary of the lower house will."

However, the development further complicated a political crisis that is fueLling Brazil's worst recession in decades.

An ongoing investigation into a massive kickback scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) has ensnared dozens of top politicians and seen CEOs from Brazil's biggest construction firms jailed for paying billions in bribes in return for bloated building contracts.

Last week, Rousseff was for the first time caught up in the Petrobras case, when the prosecutor general requested the Supreme Court's permission to investigate her for allegedly obstructing the investigation.

But Rousseff has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing in the Petrobras case or having committed any crime that would warrant her impeachment. She has vowed from the beginning of the impeachment process to fight it by all means legally possible. It was not clear whether she had any idea that Monday's stunning development was in the works.

The bombshell came from a man who took over as acting speaker just last week when his predecessor Eduardo Cunha - who launched the impeachment process - was removed by the Supreme Court on corruption charges. Maranhao had broken with his center-right Progressive Party and voted against impeachment in last month's lower house vote.

After approval by the lower house, the impeachment process was passed to the Senate, where a Senate committee recommended on Friday that the president be put on trial by the full chamber for breaking budget laws.

But in a statement on Monday, Maranhao said the impeachment process should be returned by the Senate so that the lower house can vote again. Citing irregularities such as party leaders instructing their members which way to vote, he said a new vote would take place within five sessions after the case was returned by the Senate.

Until Monday's move, it had been widely expected that the full Senate would on Wednesday vote to place Rousseff on trial, which would result in her immediate suspension for up to six months. In that case, Vice President Michel Temer would step in as interim president, remaining in the post until elections in 2018 if she were found guilty and removed permanently.

MAY BE 'JUST A DELAY'

Win Thin, global head of emerging market currency strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman in New York, said he believed Maranhao's surprise decision would not derail impeachment.

"It's just a delay," he said. "There's still plenty of votes in both houses to impeach, but it just supports what I've been warning for the last few weeks: which is that this process is not going to be fast and easy."

Rousseff, speaking at a event in the presidential palace, appeared surprised at the news of Maranhao's move, which came as she was speaking. The crowd broke out into wild cheers, but Rousseff cautioned them.

"It's not official and I do not know the consequences, so let's be cautious," she said to supporters.

Brazil's currency weakened as much as 5 percent and stocks tumbled after the announcement, before recovering much of their losses. Petrobras shares dropped as much as 12 percent, but were last trading down 6 percent.

The decision sparked rare signs of optimism in government ranks after weeks of setbacks.

Senator Humberto Costa, from Rousseff's ruling Workers Party, expressed optimism that her presidency would be saved, saying: "this is a first step towards getting the impeachment annulled permanently."

(Additional reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Brad Brooks; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Frances Kerry)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Its Europe Day on Monday, 9 May, and as the nations in the continent mark the day, a debate rages in Britain. Monday may indeed be the last time that Britain will be a part of the European Union Flag Day celebrations.

On 23 June, the nation will vote in a referendum, which will decide whether UK will stay or leave the EU, more than 40 years after joining the bloc. While David Cameron from the Conservative party is urging people to stay in the EU, other Conservatives including former London Mayor Boris Johnson want the British subjects to vote for leaving the EU. Fears of Britain exiting the EU (termed Brexit) have already compelled other nations such as the US and Japan to speak up against it.

Cameron warned on Monday that a British exit from the EU would threaten peace on the continent.

"Isolationism has never served this country well," he said in a speech at the British Museum in London. "We've always had to go back in, and always at a much higher cost."

Cameron said that while Europe had largely been at peace since the end of World War II, it was barely two decades since the Bosnian war, while the continent was facing a "newly belligerent Russia".

"The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe," he said.

"Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

"Is that a risk worth taking?...I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."

The Remain and Leave camps are neck-and-neck on 50 percent each, according to the What UK Thinks website's average of the last six opinion polls. Johnson, a key figure in the Leave campaign, is expected to make a speech later on Monday.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker warned in an interview with the German press group Funke Mediengruppe on Monday that a so-called "Brexit" would "surely have unforeseeable consequences on European cooperation, about which I absolutely do not wish to speculate about because I am convinced that Britons will make the reasonable decision."

"All Europeans want Britain to remain in the family," he said, recalling that the EU had struck a "fair deal" with Britain in February on reforms aimed at keeping it in the bloc.

Decade of uncertainty

Cameron had earlier warned on Wednesday that advocates of leaving the European Union have not thought through its economic impact, as a Brexit would spark "a decade of uncertainty." Cameron said it could take years for Britain to negotiate new trade deals with the other 27 EU members. Collectively, they account for more than 40 percent of UK trade.

Leaders of the "leave" campaign say the UK would soon forge new trade agreements, and some point to a Canada-EU trade deal as a model.

Speaking to a committee of lawmakers at a regular question-and-answer session, Cameron said the Canada deal was seven years in the making and is still not in place. It also does not apply to services, which account for a large chunk of Britain's business with the EU.

He said it was "a good deal for Canada, thousands of miles away from the continent of Europe. It's not a good deal for Britain."

While the Remain campaign leaders have repeatedly warned that a Brexit, would hurt the economy, some economists disagree, saying the British economy could benefit if freed from EU red tape.

But Cameron said he didn't want voters to wake up on 24 June and say they hadn't been warned.

"We would be potentially looking at a decade of uncertainty," Cameron said. "The 'leave' campaign have not thought this through sufficiently."

Last month, Angel Gurria, the secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned Britain that leaving the European Union would be tantamount to taxing its citizen. "Brexit is like a tax," he told the BBC. "It is the equivalent to roughly missing out on about one month's income within four years but then it carries on to 2030."

Gurria's assessment followed that made by the UK Treasury which determined that leaving the European Union would cost Britain the equivalent of $6,100 per household. The estimate was based on an analysis of the long-term costs and benefits of EU membership and its alternatives.

The ever-more dire OECD judgment came the same day that authorities reported Britain's economy slowed in the first three months of the year amid concerns about the global economy as well as the vote on EU membership.

One of the leading members of the campaign to leave the EU, Nigel Farage, dismissed the concerns and the people who made them.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah  IMF, OECD, a whole series of international organizations stuffed full of overpaid people who failed in politics mostly," he told the BBC. When asked to name organisations that backed the so-called Brexit idea, he said: "They are called markets, they are called consumers, they are called people and they are called the real world."

Dont go, say US and Japan

International leaders have also spoken up about the issue and said that they prefer Britain stays in the EU. In a BBC interview, Obama said "it could be five years from now, 10 years from now before we were able to actually get something done." The US and the 28-nation European bloc of which Britain is a member are attempting to seal a trade deal, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP. Obama said that "the UK would not be able to negotiate something with the United States faster than the EU." He added, "Our preference would be to work with this large block of countries.

However, Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the US Presidential race Trump argued that the migrant crisis rocking the European Union was in part brought on by the bloc itself. "I think the migration has been a horrible thing for Europe. A lot of that was pushed by the EU," he told Fox News. "I would say that they're better off without it, personally, but I'm not making that as a recommendation, just my feeling," Trump said.

The billionaire added: "I know Great Britain very well. ... I have a lot of investments there. I would say that they're better off without it, but I want them to make their own decision."

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday warned that Britain would become "less attractive" for Japanese investment if it votes to leave the European Union in a June referendum. Following talks with Cameron at his Downing Street office in London, Abe said many Japanese companies chose specifically to be based in Britain because they saw it as a gateway to the EU bloc.

"A vote to leave would make the UK less attractive as a destination for Japanese investment," Abe told reporters at a press conference. "British membership is also best for Japanese investors in the UK. About 1,000 Japanese companies operate in the UK, employing 140,000 people.

"Japan very clearly would prefer Britain to remain within the EU. It is better for the world that Britain remains in a strong EU," he said.

Cameron said Japanese investment in Britain totaled 38 billion ($55 billion, 48 billion euros) at the end of 2014 and had played a particularly important role in reviving British car manufacturing.

With inputs from AP and AFP
Athens: Greek lawmakers have adopted a controversial package of pension cuts and tax hikes despite mass public opposition, bowing to creditor demands in a bid to unlock the next tranche of badly-needed bailout funds.

The unpopular reforms, which saw thousands take to the streets in protest, passed thanks to the Syriza-led coalition government's slim majority in parliament, according to an AFP count.

As expected the main New Democracy opposition party voted against the bill, which will reduce Greece's highest pension payouts, merge several pension funds, increase contributions and raise taxes for those on medium and high incomes.

They are the latest reforms demanded by the European Union and International Monetary Fund in exchange for fresh funds from Greece's 86-billion-euro (USD 95-billion) bailout agreed in July, the third for the debt-laden country since 2010.

The parliamentary vote came just hours before an emergency meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels, who are racing to finalise their long-stalled first review of Greece's reform efforts so Athens can repay the European Central Bank (ECB) billions of euros in July.

The ministers from the 19 countries that use the euro  the Eurogroup  are also expected to discuss debt relief for Greece, which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has demanded as a condition for a new agreement.

In the run-up to the parliamentary debate, angry unions staged a general strike that paralysed the country's public transport for a third straight day yesterday, while some 26,000 people took to the streets of Athens and Greece's second city Thessaloniki in protest at the pensions and tax overhaul.

Brief clashes erupted outside the parliament in Athens ahead of the vote, with youths throwing Molotov cocktails and flares at riot police who responded with volleys of tear gas, AFP reporters saw.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who has said reform is needed to prevent the pension system collapsing in a few years, defended the changes in parliament earlier Sunday.

"The system requires root and branch reform that previous governments have not dared to undertake," he told lawmakers, adding that the reforms would not affect those on low incomes, something that was the result of "long and hard negotiations with creditors".
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta Canadian officials on Monday got their first glimpse of the oil sands boomtown of Fort McMurray since a wildfire hit and saw a "heartbreaking" number of destroyed homes but a largely intact downtown business area.

The fire that has ravaged some 161,000 hectares (395,000 acres) of Alberta moved far enough away from the evacuated town of 88,000 people to allow an official delegation led by the province's premier, Rachel Notley, to visit.

"Massive residential damage ... couldn't keep track of the unaffected streets. Large portions destroyed," Ward Councilor Tyran Ault said on Twitter, adding that the neighborhood of Beacon Hill was in "heartbreaking" condition.

Other parts of the city were in better condition, he added, saying, "Downtown looks great. Business unaffected! Hospital too. Burnt trees and smoldering visible across the Clearwater (River) though."

That assessment came a few hours after insurance experts revised sharply downward their estimates of the cost of damage from the blaze, which began on May 1.

Canada's largest property and casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp expects to suffer losses ranging from C$130 million to C$160 million ($100 million-$123 million) from the wildfire. Intact used satellite imagery and geocoding technology to see if buildings were a total loss or partially destroyed.

Analysts said Intact's forecast implied overall industry losses of between C$1 billion C$1.1 billion ($769 million-$846 million), much less than the earlier forecast of C$9 billion ($7 billion).

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed a multi-year commitment by the national government to rebuild Fort McMurray after the most destructive Canadian wildfire in recent memory.

"We will support and invest in rebuilding Fort McMurray in a broad range of ways in the coming days, weeks, months and yes, years," he told reporters in Ottawa, but gave no details.

Fire officials said that cooler weather had slowed the fire's spread. But its course remained unpredictable on Monday, and Alberta wildlife information officer Travis Fairweather said wind could have a big impact.

Illustrating its unpredictability, officials ordered the evacuation of two hamlets south of Fort McMurray, home to a combined population of 530 people, at midday. The orders were lifted less than an hour later.

RAIN NEEDED TO TAME 'BEAST'

Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), down from Sunday's high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius).

The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday, according to Environment Canada. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring.

"This beast is so big, we need rain to fix it," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Monday.

Government weather forecasts show the first possibility of rain on Wednesday with a 30 percent chance.

Officials said it was too early to know when the thousands of evacuees camped in nearby towns could go back to Fort McMurray, even if their homes were intact.

The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid is damaged and the water is undrinkable.

Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region. About half of its crude output, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate.

Statoil ASA said it will suspend all production at its Leismer oil sands project in northern Alberta until midstream terminals needed to transport crude oil via pipeline reopen.

Its move followed shutdowns of Nexen Energy's Long Lake facility, Suncor Energy's base plant operations, the Syncrude project and Conoco Phillips' Surmont project.

Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the fire safely, although two teenagers died in a car crash during the evacuation.

(With additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Nia Williams in Calgary and Matt Schuffman, Ethan Lou and Allison Martell in Toronto; Writing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
DUBAI Iran's minister of defence denied on Monday that the Revolutionary Guards had recently tested a medium-range ballistic missile but reiterated that Tehran had not stopped bolstering what it insists is a purely defensive arsenal.

Earlier, the Tasnim news agency quoted Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi as saying Iran had successfully tested a precision-guided missile two weeks ago with a range of 2,000 kms (1,240 miles).

The Islamic Republic has worked to improve the range and accuracy of its missiles over the past year, which it says will make them a more potent deterrent with conventional warheads against its enemy Israel.

"We haven't test-fired a missile with the range media reported," Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.

The United States and some European powers have said other recent tests violate a United Nations resolution that prohibits Iran from firing any missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Iran says the missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads, which it does not possess.

Washington has imposed new sanctions on Tehran over recent tests, even after it lifted nuclear-related sanctions in January as Tehran implemented the nuclear deal it reached with world powers last year.

Iran's top leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in March that missile development was key to the Islamic Republic's future, in order to maintain its defensive power and resist threats from its enemies.

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Writing by Sam Wilkin; editing by Richard Balmforth)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
BAGHDAD A car bomb claimed by Islamic State in the eastern Iraqi city of Baquba killed at least 16 people on Monday and wounded 54 others near a bakery close to the city centre, police and hospital sources said.

The Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said a suicide bomber had targeted Shi'ite Muslim militia fighters in the provincial capital of Diyala, a mixed Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim area bordering Iran.

The sources said many of the fatalities were children eating at a nearby restaurant.

Iraqi officials declared victory over Islamic State in Diyala more than a year ago, after security forces and Shi'ite militias drove them out of towns and villages there. But the insurgents have remained active and militia elements have been accused of abuses against Sunni residents.

The fight against Islamic State has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in Iraq, mostly between the Shi'ite majority and the Sunni minority. Bombings in Baquba and a nearby town in January set off a string of apparently retaliatory attacks against Sunnis.

Sectarian violence also threatens to undermine efforts by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite Islamist, to dislodge the militant group from areas in the north and west that they seized in 2014.

(Reporting By Stephen Kalin and Ali Abdelaty in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Pyongyang: North Korea's ruling-party congress on Monday announced a new title for Kim Jong Un, party chairman, in a move that highlights how the authoritarian country's first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader.

The news emerged Monday during the roughly 10 minutes that a small group of foreign media was allowed the watch the congress in the ornate 25 April House of Culture.

As a military band in full uniform played the welcoming song used whenever North Korea's leader enters a public place, Kim strode onto the stage, generating a long loud standing ovation from the several thousand delegates attending.

In unison the delegates shouted, "Mansae! Mansae!" wishing Kim long life.

He and other senior party members took their seats, filling several rows on a stage, below portraits of Kim's grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, and father, Kim Jong Il, the walls decked with banners of red with the ruling party's hammer sickle and pen logo embossed in gold. Kim Yong Nam, the head of the North's Parliament, stood to read a roster of top party positions  calling Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea for the first time.

Kim had already been head of the party, but with the title of first secretary.

His predecessors keep their posthumous titles. Kim Jong Il remains "eternal general secretary" and Kim Il Sung is still "eternal president."

The congress, which began on Friday, has tout Kim's successes on the nuclear front and promised economic improvements to boost the nation's standard of living. Mostly, however, the congress has put Kim himself front and center in the eyes of the people and the party as the country's sole leader.
Beijing: Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of 31 victims while seven people were still listed as missing Monday following a landslide at the site of a hydropower project in southern China after days of heavy rain, authorities said.

Rescuers aided by experts sent by the central government were searching with tools and sniffer dogs for signs of life, while mechanical diggers hauled away stones and soil, part of a 100,000-cubic-meter (3.5 million-cubic-foot) mountain of rain-saturated debris that buried an office building and a living area for construction workers early Sunday.

Continuing heavy rain in the area was hampering the rescue effort and more evacuations were being organized, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"We were asleep when the mountains began to jolt very strongly and before we knew it, sand and mud were flowing into our room," survivor Deng Chunwu told Xinhua. He and three other workers survived by huddling underneath a supporting pole.

Their room was shifted a distance of 10 meters (30 feet) by the flowing mud, Deng said.

A number of other people were being treated for bone fractures and other injures, Xinhua and state broadcaster China Central Television said.

More than 600 rescuers, including firefighters and police, were searching for the missing and attempting to clear sections of roads leading to the site that had been made impassable by mudslides and flooding, hindering efforts to get heavy machinery through.

The project in mountainous Taining county in Fujian province is an extension of the Chitan hydropower station, an affiliate of state-owned Huadian Fuxin Energy Ltd., and was expected to begin operations in August 2017, Xinhua reported.

An official at the county department, who gave only his surname, Wei, said by phone that the cause of the landslide was still unclear, but that the area had seen rainfall in the past few days.

Severe weather, mountainous topography and high population density over much of southern and eastern China make landslides a constant threat. Overdevelopment and shoddy oversight can increase the danger, as was the case in December when 74 people were left dead or missing after a man-made mountain of construction waste collapsed onto buildings in the city of Shenzhen. Police detained 11 people following that accident on suspicion of failing to prevent the disaster.

Heavy rain has affected much of southern China since Wednesday, triggering floods and landslides, disrupting transport and destroying crops.
Cape Canaveral: Stargazers will have a rare opportunity on Monday to witness Mercury fly directly across the face of the sun, a sight that unfolds once every 10 years or so, as Earth and its smaller neighboring planet come into perfect alignment.

The best vantage points to observe the celestial event, known to astronomers as a transit, are eastern North America, South America, Western Europe and Africa, assuming clouds are not obscuring the sun. In those regions, the entire transit will occur during daylight hours, according to Sky and Telescope magazine.

But Mercury is too small to see without high-powered binoculars or a telescope, and looking directly at the sun, even with sunglasses, could cause permanent eye damage.

Fortunately Nasa and astronomy organisations are providing virtual ringside seats for the show by live-streaming images of the transit in its entirety and providing expert commentary.

The tiny planet, slightly larger than Earths moon, will start off as a small black dot on the edge of the sun at 7:12 am Eastern (11:12 GMT/4:42 pm IST). Travelling 30 miles (48 km) a second, Mercury will take 7.5 hours to cross the face of the sun, which is about 864,300 miles (1.39 million km) in diameter, or about 109 times larger than Earth.

Unlike sunspots, which have irregular shapes and grayish borders, Mercurys silhouette will be black and precisely round, Sky and Telescope said in a press release.

The event will come into view in the western United States after dawn, with the transit already in progress. The show will end at sunset in parts of Europe, Africa and most of Asia.

Nasa Television, available on the Internet, will broadcast live video and images from the orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory and other telescopes. The show includes informal discussions with NASA scientists, who will answer questions submitted via Twitter using the hashtag #AskNASA.

Other options for armchair astronomers include:

- SkyandTelescope.com plans a live webcast with expert commentary, beginning at 7 a.m. EDT/1100 GMT.

- Slooh.com, which offers live telescope viewing via the Internet, will host a show on its website featuring images of Mercury taken by observatories around the globe.

- Europes Virtual Telescope, another robotic telescope network, will webcast the transit at www.virtualtelescope.eu

Scientists will take advantage of Mercurys transit for a variety of science projects, including refining techniques to look for planets beyond the solar system.

When a planet crosses in front of the sun, it causes the suns brightness to dim. Scientists can measure similar brightness dips from other stars to find planets orbiting them, Nasa said.

Mercury's last transit was in 2006 and the planet will pass between the sun and Earth again in 2019. After that, the next opportunity to witness the event will not come until 2032.
Kathmandu: Nepal has rubbished rumours of plans to expel Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae following the cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandrai's visit to New Delhi and the recall of its envoy from New Delhi.

Rumours were circulating in Kathmandu from Sunday that the government was preparing to declare Rae, who was said to have breached several diplomatic norms - including the Vienna Convention, as persona non-grata (PNG). This means his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

The rumours gained ground after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli cancelled Bhandarai's visit and recalled Nepal's Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Uphadhya apparently in retaliation of India's supposed hand in toppling his government.

After some media outlets reported that a closed door meeting at Oli's residence discussed the possibility of declaring Rae PNG, this simultaneously created turmoil in New Delhi and Kathmandu prompting Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa to issue a statement on Sunday evening saying: "Some media speculation regarding Nepal government mulling over the expulsion of Indian Ambassador Rae is baseless and is aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations."
Pyongyang: North Korea's first ruling party congress for nearly 40 years formally adopted leader Kim Jong-Un's policy of developing the country's nuclear arsenal in tandem with the economy, state media said on Sunday.

The congress, which opened on Friday, has largely been seen as an elaborate coronation for the 33-year-old Kim, securing his status as supreme leader and confirming his legacy "byungjin" doctrine of twin economic and nuclear development.

On Saturday, the thousands of delegates to what is technically North Korea's top decision-making body, adopted a decision to simultaneously push forward economic construction and "boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity."

It also enshrined a policy of not using nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is threatened by another nuclear power, and of working towards the eventual reunification of the divided Korean peninsula.

"But if the south Korean authorities opt for a war... we will turn out in the just war to mercilessly wipe out the anti-reunification forces," said the document published by the North's official KCNA news agency.

Reiterating the North's long-held argument that its push for a nuclear deterrent was forced on it by US hostility, the congress said the nuclear weapons programme would move forward "as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat."

Kim was not even born when the last congress was held in 1980 to crown his father, Kim Jong-Il, as the heir apparent to founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

When his own turn came, following the death of Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, the new young leader quickly set about cementing his power base and securing his legitimacy as the inheritor of Kim family's ruling dynasty.

One of his earliest moves was to adjust his father's "songun", or military first policy, to the "byungjin" policy of economic-nuclear development.

The nuclear half of that strategy had dominated the run-up to the party congress, starting with a fourth nuclear test in January that was followed by a long-range rocket launch and a flurry of other missile and weapons tests.

Some observers had predicted that the congress might switch the focus to the economic side of the equation, and Kim did unveil a five-year economic plan, although with few details.

But in a speech on Saturday, Kim urged all the delegates to press ahead with the byungjin policy.

"This strategic line is the most revolutionary and scientific one reflecting the lawful requirements of building a thriving socialist nation and the specific conditions of our country," he said.
Pyongyang: North Korea on Monday was expelling a BBC journalist it had detained days earlier for allegedly "insulting the dignity" of the authoritarian country, while it continued to keep other foreign media away from the first-in-decades ruling party congress they had been invited to attend.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was not among the scores of foreign media covering the Workers' Party congress; he had covered an earlier trip of Nobel laureates and had been scheduled to leave Friday. Instead, he was stopped at the airport, detained and questioned.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the North's National Peace Committee, said the journalist's news coverage distorted facts and "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country." He said Wingfield-Hayes wrote an apology, was being expelled Monday and would never be admitted into the country again.

The BBC says Wingfield-Hayes was detained Friday along with producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard, and that all were taken to the Pyongyang airport.

More than 100 foreign journalists are in the capital for North Korea's first party congress in 36 years, though they have been prevented from actually covering the proceedings and the more than 3,400 delegates. They've had to depend on reports from state media, which reports event hours later or even the next day. Officials have kept the foreign media busy with trips around Pyongyang to show them places it wants them to see.

The Korean Central News Agency said Monday that the congress was to enter its fourth day. On Sunday, the congress adopted a resolution to strive toward a more prosperous and modern economy and stressed that it will push for the peaceful reunification of Korean Peninsula, but warned that if Seoul "opts for a war" its military will mercilessly wipe out all opposition.

Also Sunday, leader Kim Jong Un delivered a three-hour speech to delegates to review the country's situation and progress since the last congress was held in 1980, before Kim was born.

In his speech, Kim announced a five-year economic plan, the first one made public since the 1980s, when his grandfather, "eternal president" and national founder Kim Il Sung, was in power.

The speech, in which he said North Korea was a responsible nuclear state that will not use its nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty was threatened, underscores Kim's dual focus on building up the military while trying to kick-start the North's economy, which has seen some growth in recent years but remains hamstrung by international sanctions over its nuclear program.

Walking a fine balance between the two, he said the North is willing to develop friendly relations even with countries that had in the past been hostile toward it  a possible overture to the United States.

But he made clear that the North has no intention of unilaterally giving up its nuclear program or bending to international pressure aimed at forcing its regime into decline or collapse.

Kim said North Korea "will sincerely fulfill its duties for the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and work to realize the denuclearization of the world," but that statement is predicated on other countries  again, mainly the United States  also giving up their weapons, a highly unlikely scenario.

On South Korea, Kim Jong Un stressed the need for talks to ease cross-border animosities and emphasized reunification under a federal system, a decades-old proposal that would largely keep the North's brand of socialism intact that has received no traction with Seoul.

"But if the South Korean authorities opt for a war, persisting in the unreasonable 'unification of social systems,' we will turn out in the just war to mercilessly wipe out the anti-reunification forces and achieve the historic cause of national reunification, long-cherished desire of all Koreans," he said.

South Korea's Unification Ministry on Monday dismissed Kim's offer for talks as "propaganda" that lacks sincerity. Spokesman Jeong Joon Hee told reporters that talks can resume only when North Korea demonstrates how sincere it's about nuclear disarmament.

Though North Korea appears to be making significant progress in developing what it calls a nuclear deterrent, its economy is still recovering from the collapse of the Soviet Union and its East bloc allies and a massive famine in the 1990s. It depends heavily on trade with China and has fallen light years behind its southern rival.

Kim identified a number of key areas, including the country's power supply, agriculture and light-manufacturing production, as critical parts of the program. Kim stressed that the country needs to increase its international trade and engagement in the global economy, but didn't announce any significant reforms or plans to adopt capitalist-style marketization.

Still remaining on the agenda of the congress, which gathers more than 3,400 delegates at the ornate April 25 House of Culture, are elections to give Kim the party's top post  he is already its first secretary, and his father posthumously holds the title of "eternal general-secretary"  and for other party leadership positions.

Though no date has been announced, and surprises can never be ruled out, the congress was expected to go on for a couple more days.

Mass rallies will likely be held to mark its conclusion in a celebratory fashion.
WASHINGTON An air strike by a U.S.-led coalition killed a senior Islamic State official in Iraq last week, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday.

The strike on May 6 killed Abu Wahib, Islamic State's chief military official in Anbar province, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. The strike was on a vehicle carrying Abu Wahib, also known as Shakir Wahib, and three other Islamic State members near the town of Rutba, Cook said.

Islamic State, a hardline Sunni Islamist group, seized large portions of Anbar province in 2014, though Iraqi security forces have since last year succeeded in winning back some towns there, including Ramadi and Hit.

The death of Abu Wahib, given his senior role in military planning in Anbar, will impede Islamic State's ability to conduct operations in the western province, Cook said. The group is also known as ISIS or ISIL.

"ISIL leadership has been hit hard by coalition efforts and this is another example of that," Cook said. "It is dangerous to be an ISIL leader in Iraq and Syria these days, and for good reason."

Abu Wahib had appeared in Islamic State execution videos and was a former member of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Cook said.

The U.S. military and allies have been conducting air strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014 targeting Islamic State leaders and infrastructure in an effort to defeat the group.

Iraqi media have in the past year published reports of Abu Wahib's death, though the Pentagon had never confirmed his death before.

Though U.S.-led air strikes have succeeded in taking out Islamic State members and some important leaders, the group is far from defeated. The group still controls much of its border-spanning "caliphate," has inspired global affiliates and is able to orchestrate deadly external attacks like those that killed 32 people in Brussels on March 22.

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Alistair Bell)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Boston: A former FBI agent accused of lying during Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger's trial is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges.

Robert Fitzpatrick is slated to appear Monday afternoon in US District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing.

The now-76-year-old is accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments during Bulger's 2013 racketeering trial.

Fitzpatrick, who had been second-in-command of the FBI's Boston division during Bulger's bloody reign in Boston, was the first witness Bulger's lawyers called during the high-profile trial.

Prosecutors say Fitzpatrick falsely claimed to be the first officer who recovered the rifle used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr in 1968.

During the 2013 trial, Assistant US Attorney Brian Kelly pressed Fitzpatrick about that claim.

"Isn't it true that three Memphis police officers found the rifle that was used to kill Martin Luther King, not Bob Fitzpatrick?" Kelly asked.

"I found the rifle along with them," Fitzpatrick replied. "They could have been there... but I'm the one that took the rifle."

Prosecutors also suggested that Fitzpatrick exaggerated claims he tried to persuade supervisors to terminate Bulger as an informant because he didn't appear to be gathering information on the Mafia. They suggested he was just trying to sell copies of a book he wrote about Bulger.

Fitzpatrick originally pleaded not guilty last April to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Bulger was convicted of a range of gangland crimes in the 1970s and 1980s, including roles in 11 murders.

He's currently serving two life sentences.
Islamabad: A feminist author hit back Monday at Pakistan for censoring her article on Muslim women and sex, saying the ban exposed the depth of gender discrimination in the deeply conservative Islamic country.

Egyptian-American Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning journalist who is a vocal public speaker on women's rights, penned a opinion column entitled "Sex Talk for Muslim Women" that ran in Friday's edition of the International New York Times.

The article was available online in Pakistan, but the newspaper version, published by the local Express Tribune, featured a blank spot in the opinion pages where Eltahawy's article had been.

Eltahawy told AFP that the decision to ban her article exposes that authorities think a woman "who claims ownership over her body is dangerous... and must be silenced".

"You can't afford to publish such controversial articles about Islam," a senior source at the Express Tribune told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked about Eltahawy's article.

In the piece, Eltahawy discussed her decision to have sex before marriage in defiance of her own upbringing and faith, and detailed her many conversations with other women of Muslim and Arab descent suffering under the "sexual straitjacket" of virginity imposed on them by men.

"Where are the stories on women's sexual frustrations and experiences?" she wrote.

"My revolution has been to develop from a 29-year-old virgin to the 49-year-old woman who now declares, on any platform I get: It is I who own my body. Not the state, the mosque, the street or my family. And it is my right to have sex whenever, and with whomever, I choose."

'Taboo and shame'

Women have fought for decades to establish rights for themselves in Pakistan, where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.

Last week a teenage girl in the country's northwest was strangled and her body set ablaze after a village council ruled she must die for helping a friend to elope. The killing sparked fresh anger from rights activists.

Eltahawy said the censorship showed "a woman who disobeys and who openly claims sexual liberation and pleasure is dangerous and must be silenced".

She cited backlash in the country to Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's Oscar win in February for a documentary about honour killings.

"So many Pakistanis attacked her for making Pakistan 'look bad' and not enough attacked what is actually making Pakistan look bad: men who are ready to kill women for daring to believe they have the right to consent and agency over their bodies."

Conversations about Muslim women and sex must be had, she said, adding she was unaware if the article had been censored in any other country.

"That sex is happening but shrouded in taboo and shame... As women of colour and women of faith, we need to see women who look like us. Sex positivity isn't the domain just of white feminism."

But, she said a recent trip to Lahore for a literary festival introduced her to "wonderful young feminists" who "keep my tenacious optimism intact".

"The more feminists such as the ones I met push, the greater the space they'll create for everyone."
Cristal Group has entered into a management agreement with HARCO Erbil, represented by Mr. Mustafa Hariri, to operate the first Emerald in Erbil. It is the group's second property in Erbil and its third in Iraq.

Making the announcement, Mr. Kamal Fakhoury, COO of Cristal Group, stated, "Emerald is our Mid market brand and we are proud to debut it in Kurdistan within the Lebanese Village development that will in fact be the first signature property to carry the Emerald flag. Erbil is an attractive hub for business as well as leisure travelers and is one of the safest destinations in Iraq. We are extremely grateful to HARCO Erbil for having given us the opportunity to manage Emerald Erbil and are confident it will be a great new addition to the existing range of accommodation options in the city."

Mr Hariri, said, "The Lebanese Village is a very significant project for us and we are pleased to work with the Cristal Group on this exciting new development. At the moment we are witnessing remarkable growth in tourism in Kurdistan that has resulted in increasing demand for quality mid-market hotels and we are confident, Emerald Erbil will establish itself as a preferred choice in the sector".

The Emerald is part of a massive 240,000 sq.m mixed use development in Erbil and will feature 196 well-appointed hotel apartment suites. On site will be four superb dining outlets, three meeting rooms, gym, Cristal Spa and a retail centre. The phase one of the hotel is expected to be ready for operation from September 1, 2016.

Cristal Group will be rolling out its budget brand further with planned developments in the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Iraq. Mr Fakhoury, said, "GCC and the Levant region remain the main focus of our expansion strategy where we have several amazing hotels in the development pipeline".

Besides an increasing number of business travellers, Erbil also attracts tourists: The city is famous for its archaeological citadel which dates back to 600 years B.C. It is said that the site is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world. Recently, the citadel was included among the 100 most endangered cultural sites in the world by the World Monument Fund.

About Cristal Group

The Cristal Group was established in the UAE in 2007 followed by the British Virgin Islands in 2012 to deliver world class hospitality consultancy, technical services, asset management and brand management. Its vision is to be the premier business and leisure hotel operator in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The company boasts a superb portfolio of hotels and a strong development pipeline. For more information visit www.cristalhospitality.com
SINGAPORE -- Swissotel Hotels & Resorts has been appointed to manage its second resort in Phuket, and fourth property in Thailand. Currently operating as dusitD2 Phuket Resort, it is scheduled to commence operation as Swissotel Phuket Patong Beach Resort in June 2016. This is the second resort that the brand will manage for owner Destination Properties; the first being the Swissotel Phuket Kamala Beach Resort, which the leading hotel group has successfully operated since 2012.

Located 45 minutes from Phuket International Airport, Swissotel Phuket Patong Beach Resort is in the Patong area of Phuket, one of the most visited parts of Phuket and famous for its nightlife. The hotel is mere minutes from Patong beach and a 15-minute leisurely walk from Bangla road, a street famous for its outdoor bars and lively atmosphere.

"This is a wonderful new addition for the Swissotel portfolio and we are very excited to be expanding our presence in Phuket," said Lilian Roten, vice president, Swissotel Brand. "Through its contemporary design and stimulating surroundings, the hotel will serve as an ideal base for guests to explore the Patong area and delight in experiences that are truly authentic to Phuket."

The hotel features 390 guestrooms, four restaurants and bars, a swimming pool and a health and kids club. It also has three meeting rooms and a new rooftop ballroom with a seating capacity of 250 that is under construction. The MICE facilities are currently expanding to accommodate more events and these new features will debut in September 2016.

Phuket is in Southern Thailand facing the Andaman Sea coastline, and is the country's largest island. It is Thailand's most prosperous province with tourism as the island's leading industry. Phuket was named one of the Top 3 Island Destinations by Conde Nast Traveler in 2013 and the island is also a year-round destination for meetings, conferences and events.

"We are delighted to deepen our relationship with Swissotel," said Gary Murray, CEO, Destination Resorts Co. Ltd. "The popularity of Phuket as an exciting destination continues to grow and our Phuket properties are ideally located for visitors to the region. Swissotel gives us the superb, professional, efficient management style that creates a consistently excellent experience for our guests."

Swissotel Phuket Patong Beach Resort will soon join the growing portfolio of Swissotel Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific, including Swissotel Nai Lert Park and Swissotel Le Concorde in Bangkok Thailand, Swissotel The Stamford and Swissotel Merchant Court in Singapore, as well as Swissotel Sydney, Australia, amongst others.

About FRHI Hotels & Resorts

FRHI Hotels & Resorts (FRHI) is a leading luxury hotel

management company that operates more than 130 hotels and branded residential offerings globally under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissotel brands. The company"s distinctive portfolio of luxury and upper upscale hotels features celebrated icons, world-class resorts and stylish city center hotels. Some notable hotels include Fairmont Dubai, Raffles Singapore, Swissotel The Bosphorus, Fairmont San Francisco and London"s The Savoy. Focused on growing its distinctive hotel brands, the company is also developing new hotels in key locations around the world including exciting projects in China, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States. The company also manages Raffles, Fairmont and Swissotel branded luxury private residence clubs, whole-ownership residences and serviced residences properties. For more information visit frhi.com.
He said that, after Mr Gao's body was stuffed inside a silver surfboard bag, it was loaded into the back of a white Ford station wagon and driven to Mr McNamara's apartment block.

When the pair had dragged the body to the floor, Mr Rogerson claimed his friend said a number of things while leaning over the deceased.

"[McNamara] said, 'He can't hurt me but his mates can and I'm very worried about my daughters, they are vulnerable.' "

Mr Rogerson said he was then asked to help load the body into Mr McNamara's boat, which was parked in the basement nearby.

"[McNamara] said I've got to distance myself from him  if his body's found with bullets in it I know his mates will come after me," he told the court.
Nearly half of voters in eight big European Union countries want to be able to vote on whether to remain members of the bloc, just as Britons will in a referendum next month, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.

Forty-five percent of more than 6,000 people surveyed in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden said they wanted their own vote, and a third would opt to leave the EU if given the chance, poll firm Ipsos-MORI said.

The size of the potential "Out" vote ranges from as high as 48 and 41 percent in Italy and France respectively to as low as 22 and 26 percent in Poland and Spain, the firm said.

"The Italians in particular hope to have their own opportunity to go to the polls on their EU membership, which lends a sense that even if the [British] vote does... stick

with the status quo in June, it will not be the end of the EU's woes," said Bobby Duffy, head of social research at Ipsos-MORI.

Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement has grown into the country's second-biggest political force, and wants an exit from the euro currency zone. France's hard-right National Front party also wants to drop the single currency.

The Ipsos-MORI online poll found that 49 percent of people in the eight countries thought Britain would vote to leave the EU on June 23, higher than the number in Britain itself, which stood at 35 percent, the survey showed.

And 51 percent said a so-called Brexit would hurt the EU's economy, while only 36 percent thought it would hurt Britain's.

British "Out" campaigners have said the country would be in a strong position in any negotiations on a new trade deal after leaving the bloc, given its standing as the world's fifth-biggest economy.

The "Out" campaign has also warned that the EU is destined few voters in Europe think that is likely.

Just over 20 percent of respondents in all nine EU countries covered by the survey, including Britain, thought there would be more integration by 2020 compared with 40 percent who thought there would be less.

Forty-eight percent of voters thought a Brexit vote next month would result in other countries also leaving the bloc, compared with 18 percent who disagreed.

The poll was conducted between March 25 and April 8.
Greek lawmakers have approved a controversial package of pension and tax reforms demanded by the country's European creditors in exchange for nearly $100 billion in bailout cash.

The latest reforms aim to reduce Greece's highest pension payouts while increasing contributions for those in medium and high income brackets. The legislation also seeks to ensure a 3.5 percent budget surplus by 2018, as demanded by Athens' two largest creditors - the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

The vote came hours ahead of an emergency meeting in Brussels of eurozone finance ministers from the 19 countries using the euro currency. They are seeking to review Greece's reform efforts and gain assurances that Athens can make a huge loan repayment in July.

Ahead of the early Monday vote, several thousand protesters took to the streets of Athens in the latest labor-backed push to scuttle the legislation, which critics say will devastate worker incomes.

Some demonstrators hurled firebombs at police guarding the parliament building, and police responded with tear gas.



Television footage showed the police response aimed at a small group of anarchists who had infiltrated a larger gathering of several thousand peaceful protesters opposed to the reform legislation.

Last year, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accepted lender terms for a third European bailout package worth $98 billion. The deal was aimed at preventing the total collapse of the Greek economy and the country's exit from the eurozone.

But terms of that bailout - the third such infusion of European cash in the past four years - have met with stiff opposition from labor groups and prompted a massive two-day labor strike that began on Friday in Athens.
A belligerent, tough-talking mayor could emerge as the next president of the Philippines after voters across the archipelago cast their ballots in Monday's election.

Rodrigo Duterte, the long-serving mayor of the southern city of Davao, is leading in public opinion polls by as much as 10 percentage points over his nearest rivals, Senator Grace Poe and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas, the preferred candidate of outgoing President Benigno Aquino.

The 71-year-old Duterte has gained support with his profanity-filled speeches pledging to combat crime and corruption - including promises to execute criminals - along with notoriety due to crude boasts of his sexual escapades, drawing comparisons to U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

But Duterte's pledge to carry out his agenda even if he had to shut down the legislature has also stirred memories of Ferdinand Marcos, the country's late dictatorial president.

About 55 million people across the archipelago's 7,000 islands are also voting for candidates in more than 18,000 federal and local offices.

Aquino, who is leaving office after a constitutionally limited single six-year term, is credited with turning the Philippines into one of Asia's most thriving economies. But his critics say most of the country's wealth is concentrated among a small number of industrialists, and that the gap between rich and poor is extraordinarily wide.
To celebrate Europe Day, the European Union Academic Program in Macau (EUAP-M) and the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM) have jointly organized a creative writing competition under the theme The European Union in 2016: Challenges and Opportunities.

The competition involved 55 EPM students from years nine to twelve.

Executive program manager of EUAP-M Rui Flores told the Times that students who presented their works showed concern about issues related to human rights, the integration of minorities, the European crisis and the democratic deficit of the European Union (EU).

I was very impressed as they showed awareness of interesting topics about human rights, Flores said. Concerns surrounding human rights were very much present in many of the works they presented, he added.

Flores suggested that the students were open-minded, because contestants also wrote on the disparity between public opinion and the decision of the EU. He implied that the students were able to express their opinions and views about the theme.

Meanwhile Manuel Machado, director of EPM, identified the importance of hosting such contests, claiming that they are beneficial to the students.

They can get to know the European Union better. Though they study [such topics] in history, geography and economics subjects, [in the competition] they are pushed to read more because they have to write about it, he said.

A piece on the topic of the democratic deficit of the EU won the creative writing competition. The essay portrayed the lack of democratic legitimacy in the European Unions governance.

Tiago Peyroteo and Kenia Nunes, the writers of the essay, stressed that the EU is also trying to protect their interests and going against fundamental human rights.

Our work was based on the EU in general but more specifically about how it claims how it is important and how it preaches democracy, stressed Peyroteo, adding that they also included the possibility of Turkey joining the EU and the current migration crisis.

When asked why they specifically addressed this topic, the winners answered: Mainly to show that everything is not always as it seems, [] I think people should know about it.

The winners of the competition were announced yesterday during the awards ceremony at the local school. The first place recipient of the contest was awarded MOP1,500, while the second and third placed students received MOP1,000 and MOP500 respectively.

The Europe Day marks a May 9 1950 speech by Robert Schuman, that is considered the birth of the EU. Staff reporter
Police in Cambodia detained eight activists, including two Westerners, who wore black clothing in a peaceful protest yesterday in support of human rights workers who were jailed last week, a rights advocacy group said.

Om Sam Ath of the group Licadho said the eight who were detained were among as many as 200 people taking part in a Black Monday campaign to show their solidarity with one former and four current officers of another human rights group, ADHOC. He said the two Westerners were a German and a Swede who worked as advisers to Licadho.

The five people jailed last week are accused of conspiring to bribe a woman to deny that she had an affair with the deputy leader Kem Sokha of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party. The arrests were widely regarded as the latest in a series by Prime Minister Hun Sens government putting legal pressure on its critics and political opponents.

The government had warned that the protest would be considered an illegal act of rebellion, describing the intended wearing of black as a color revolution. At least 100 police blocked the route to Prey Sar prison, where the marchers intended to hold a Buddhist ceremony to pray for the release of those arrested last week.

Om Sam Ath, a senior officer of Licadho, said there had been no violence during the protest.

These people have done nothing wrong and I dont know why they would be arrested, he said. It was not immediately known if police would press charges against those detained. In past similar circumstances, detainees have been released after signing a pledge not to protest again.

Phnom Penh Vice Governor Khuon Sreng he told reporters that security forces had been deployed to defend the government from being toppled by a color revolution group. We deployed the forces to protect the safety of the people from the group committing anarchy, he said. AP
German forces have invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg by air and land.

The invasion began at dawn with large numbers of aeroplanes attacking the main aerodromes and landing troops. The Dutch High Commission says more than 100 German planes were shot down by its forces.

In London, it has been announced that Winston Churchill will lead a coalition government after Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain said he was stepping aside.

Two days ago his majority plummeted in a vote of confidence in the Commons during a debate on the war and there were calls from the Tory benches for him to go.

In his broadcast tonight Mr Chamberlain said: Hitler has chosen a moment when, perhaps, it seemed to him that this country was entangled in the throes of a political crisis and he might find it divided against itself.

If he has counted upon our internal divisions to help him he has miscalculated the mind of this people.

The first news of the German invasion reached London at dawn. Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax received the Belgian Ambassador and Dutch Prime Minister at 0630 when they formally asked for Allied help.

The invasion had been expected for some time. In a proclamation issued to the German armies in the West, Hitler said: The hour has come for the decisive battle for the future of the German nation.

Reports from Holland said German troops crossed the border during the night. The Dutch destroyed bridges over the Maas and Ijssel to prevent the German advance.

There were reports of fierce fighting at Rotterdam where German troops were landed by flying-boat. Other planes landed at Waalhaven aerodrome and troops quickly seized control.

This evening German forces are occupying the Maas and Bourse railway stations in Rotterdam. There are conflicting reports about whether they are still in possession of Waalhaven airport.

German reconnaissance planes have been seen flying overhead all day.

British and French troops have moved across the Belgian frontier in response to appeals for reinforcements.

Reports from Belgium say British troops have been enthusiastically received. Their guns have been festooned with flowers and the soldiers plied with refreshments.

In Washington President Franklin Roosevelt was asked at a news conference whether he thought Germanys invasion of the Low Countries would lead to US involvement in the war. He replied that it would not.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Neville Chamberlain was forced to resign after the disastrous British campaign in Norway. Attempts to repel the Germans culminated in the loss of about 4,000 British troops and ultimately German occupation of the country.

Also, Labour leader Clement Attlee made clear his party would not work with a coalition government under Chamberlain. Lord Halifax was offered the position of prime minister but turned it down and Winston Churchill was chosen as leader.

Mr Chamberlain served briefly in Mr Churchills war cabinet as Lord President of the Council until he retired through illness in October 1940. He died of cancer the following month.

The German invasion of the Low Countries had been expected. Against 144 Allied divisions, the Germans mustered 141. The German air force had 4,020 operational aircraft, the Allies a little over 3,000. The gap in tank strength favoured the Allies: 3,383 against 2,335.

Yet in six weeks, and at a cost of only 30,000 dead, German forces had conquered the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and on 21 June forced the capitulation of France.

France remained under German occupation until August 1944. Belgium was liberated in September 1944 and Luxembourg in February 1945. Some of the southern Netherlands was liberated in autumn 1944, but most of the country remained under German occupation until the end of the war.
Women in Hong Kong will be more at risk to developing cancer over the next decade than their male counterparts, according to a report from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), which obtained the forecast in an undisclosed prediction made by the public hospitals Cancer Registry in the HKSAR.

Between men and women, the number of Hong Kong residents to be affected by the disease in 2025 is expected to rise 30 percent higher than in 2012. However, it is women who will be disproportionately affected, experiencing a 36 percent rise, compared with a 26 percent increase for men.

Across the two genders, the total number of cancer cases is expected to reach 34,980 in 2025  comprised of 17,745 females and 17,235 males  up 30 percent from the 26,758 cases in 2012.

The number of genital cancer cases is projected to rise by 56 percent, followed by a 44 percent increase in breast cancer and 26 percent in ovarian cancer.

Cases of other types of cancer are also generally expected to increase in the next decade, but those caused by infections are contrarily predicted to decrease thanks to the development of better vaccinations.

Among women in the Greater China region, the most common forms of cancer are breast, lung and bronchus, stomach colorectal and esophagus, together accounting for nearly 60 percent of all cases. Breast cancer accounts for 15 percent of all new cancers among Chinas female population.

According to the SCMP, the higher rates among women are being attributed to their longer expected lifespan as well as other reproductive and hormonal risk factors, such as receiving hormone therapy, not having children, and shorter average breastfeeding periods.

The prediction is very useful in policy making, Professor Anne Lee of the University of Hong Kongs clinical oncology department told the SCMP. Cancer is a very costly disease to treat, and 90 percent of the patients are being treated at public hospitals.

The government needs to make plans, in terms of facilities, manpower and financial budget, to cope with the demand, she added.

Macau: Cancer incidence stable

Macaus cancer incidence rate has not recorded an increasing tendency over recent years, according to data provided by the Health Bureau to the Times in 2015.

However, doctor Dulce Maia Trindade, specialist in public health mentioned that the region has a growing population and it is expected that more people will suffer from cancer.

As in Hong Kong, Macau suffers from urban pressure and the cancer incidence rate is also linked to citizens lifestyles, Trindade, told the Times in 2015. The scenario could have been different in Macau, a city with a rather small population and privileged in terms of resources, having also available a proximity healthcare network and dynamic associations that enrich Macaus quality [in terms of healthcare], she recalled.

4.3 million new cases in china

A recent report cited by the American Cancer Society estimates that only in 2015 there were 4.3 million new cancer cases in China and more than 2.8 million cancer related deaths. According to the report, lung cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in all China. Both incidence and mortality rate for all cancers is about double in men (165.9 per 100,000) than in women (88.8 per 100,000) and with a higher incidence for the disease in rural areas when compared to urban areas.
Authorities have retaken ownership of three properties in the Lai Chi Vun area, close to Coloane village, a district that previously held traditional shipyards. The Cultural Affairs Bureau president Ung Vai Meng plans to use the buildings as a means of showcasing the role that the shipyards had in Macau.

The areas reclaimed by the Marine and Water Bureau include one dockyard and two small wooden houses.

Ung said that both the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau held several meetings to discuss the usage of those properties. They will serve to launch a display of traditions, it will not be too commercial, explained Ung. Moreover, Ung asserted that research work and cooperation with shipbuilders have already started.

However, IC is not managing the three properties yet, and cant indicate the exact schedules for the reconstruction due to security issues. Nonetheless, Ung revealed that IC would be dividing the project into two phases: First, we will repair and reinforce the structures of the three buildings, and only afterwards are we going to consider whether to use them.

Ung claimed that the authorities expect to increasingly draw peoples attention to traditional shipbuilding technology by setting a good example with this program.

Earlier this month, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the MGTO, mentioned that one idea from the cultural affairs authorities is to invite masters of shipbuilding technology to help turn these houses into a new tourist spot.

Alexis Tam, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, also informed the media last month that there had been a preliminary idea envisioning these houses as hut exhibitions. Tam believed that such a project could be finished within one to two years.

Last month, some wood pillars of the dockyard were partially broken again, after the ceiling collapsed some time before.

Its not the first time that proposals to revamp Lai Chi Vun, an area of about 50,000 square meters, have surfaced. In 2012, during a meeting attended by the former Secretary for Transport and Public Works Lau Si Io, it was proposed that the citys boat-

building industry be resurrected in the form of a cultural tourism product. As part of that plan, the defunct shipyards in Coloane were to be revived with a ship-building museum showcasing boat- building tools and machinery as exhibits, as well as having on-site workshops, in order to preserve the area, culture and industry that once flourished in Macau.
The New Macau Association has announced that they will be holding a demonstration on Sunday to protest the RMB100 million that the Macau Foundation has donated to Jinan University.

The association is claiming that Chui Sai On had a conflict of interest in the donation, since he is the president of the Council of Trustees of the Macau Foundation and also a Vice Chairman of the Jinan University Council.

The government reacted yesterday through its Spokesperson Office, noting that there has been speculation and baseless accusations regarding the donation.

A statement posted on the Government Information Bureau website refused the idea that there is a case of transfer of interest, noting that Chui Sai On was invited to join the board of directors of Jinan University as vice chairperson without receiving salary or having interests in any form.

The statement reiterates the initial reaction from the government, justifying the RMB100 million donation as a way to support the building of two new dormitory facilities for students from Macau and Hong Kong with the fact that many local students have studied at Jinan University over the years and later joined the public administration.

It also mentioned that since the establishment of the MSAR, the city has achieved rapid development with the strong support from the Central Government. Hence, it is part of Macaus responsibility to contribute to the countrys development and to enhance education services in the country.

The statement also mentions that the Office of the Government Spokesperson urges the public to consider the issue in a rational manner.

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, also commented on the case yesterday, arguing that during the 1970s and 1980s, when Macau didnt have higher education institutions, Jinan University, located in Guangzhou, played a role in the formation of qualified Macau staff, since it offered educations to overseas Chinese. PB
North Koreas ruling-party congress yesterday announced a new title for Kim Jong Un, party chairman, in a move that highlights how the authoritarian countrys first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader.

Less than a third of the more than 100 foreign journalists invited for the historic congress were permitted to attend, and even they were allowed to view the proceedings in the ornate April 25 House of Culture for only about 10 minutes. Earlier, a BBC correspondent was expelled for allegedly insulting the dignity of North Korea.

As a military band in full uniform played the welcoming song used whenever North Koreas leader enters a public place, Kim strode onto the stage, generating a long, loud standing ovation from the several thousand delegates attending.

In unison the delegates shouted, Mansae! Mansae! wishing Kim long life.

He and other senior party members took their seats, filling several rows on a stage, below portraits of Kims grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, and father, Kim Jong Il. The walls were decked with banners of red with the ruling partys hammer sickle and pen logo embossed in gold.

Kim Yong Nam, the head of the Norths Parliament, stood to read a roster of top party positions  calling Kim Jong Un chairman of the Workers Party of Korea for the first time.

Kim had already been head of the party, but with the title of first secretary.

His predecessors keep their posthumous titles. Kim Jong Il remains eternal general secretary and Kim Il Sung is still eternal president.

The congress, which began Friday, has touted Kims successes on the nuclear front and promised economic improvements to boost the nations standard of living. Mostly, however, the congress has put Kim himself front and center in the eyes of the people and the party as the countrys sole leader.

The event includes what for the North is a relatively large contingent of foreign journalists, but yesterday marked the first time any of them were allowed inside the venue. Instead, officials have kept the foreign media busy with trips around Pyongyang to show them places North Korea wants them to see.

Only about 30 of the more than 100 invited journalists were allowed into the congress yesterday. Before that, the only window any of them had on the proceedings was through the lens of state media.

On Sunday Kim Jong Un delivered a three-hour speech to delegates to review the countrys situation and progress since the last congress was held in 1980, before Kim was born. He announced a five-year economic plan, the first one made public since the 1980s.

The speech, in which he said North Korea was a responsible nuclear state that will not use its nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty was threatened, underscores Kims dual focus on building up the military while trying to kick-start the Norths economy, which has seen some growth in recent years but remains hamstrung by international sanctions over its nuclear program.

Kim identified a number of areas as critical to the economy, including the countrys power supply, agriculture and light-manufacturing production. He stressed that the country needs to increase its international trade and engagement in the global economy, but didnt announce any significant reforms or plans to adopt capitalist-style marketization.

The congress was expected to go on for a couple more days, though no date has been announced, and surprises can never be ruled out.

Mass rallies will likely be held to mark its conclusion in a celebratory fashion. Eric Talmadge, Pyongyang, AP
Convicted drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, who twice pulled off brazen jailbreaks and is fighting to avoid extradition to the United States, was abruptly transferred to a prison in northern Mexico near the Texas border over the weekend.

Lawyers for Guzman, who was recaptured in January, have filed multiple appeals against their client being sent to the U.S., and Mexican officials have said it could take as long as a year to reach a final ruling. There was no immediate indication that the transfer could be a sign that the process is nearing conclusion.

Mexican government officials said the Sinaloa cartel boss was moved from the maximum-security Altiplano lockup near Mexico City to the Cefereso No. 9 prison in Ciudad Juarez, which is across from El Paso, Texas. The Interior Department said the move was due to work being done to reinforce security at Altiplano.

Mexicos National Security

Commission said in a statement that the transfer was in line with security protocols, and it has rotated more than 7,400 inmates nationwide as part of a strategy implemented last September.

Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said Guzman was moved because of security concerns. Vigil, who said he had been briefed by Mexican officials, did not specify those concerns or say whether Mexican officials had information about possible new escape plots. He also did not specify the officials with whom he spoke.

Jose Refugio Rodriguez, an attorney for Guzman, said defense lawyers had not been notified beforehand and one of them was traveling to Juarez to try to meet with their client.

I dont know what the strategy is, Refugio told The Associated Press. I cant say what the government is thinking.

He confirmed that Guzmans lawyers are still trying to block extradition.

Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope called it plausible that Guzman was moved due to upgrades being done at Altiplano, but said officials also may have feared the possibility of another jailbreak attempt.

The more he remains at a single prison, in a single cell, the more the chances that he will rebuild the conditions that led to his escape, Hope said. So this also might be a deliberate attempt to destabilize any such plans.

Hope doubted the decision had anything to do with preparations for extradition, noting that it would be just as easy to put Guzman on a plane in Mexico City as in Juarez. He added that the Cefereso No. 9 is one of Mexicos newest prisons, constructed within the last five years or so.

The surrounding environment is risky because El Chapo certainly has a lot of people in Ciudad Juarez, so it seems like a relatively odd choice, Hope said. Probably the other alternatives were not any better, whatever their objective was.

Guzman faces charges from seven separate U.S. attorneys offices, including in Chicago, New York, Miami and San Diego.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman in El Paso, Texas, referred inquiries to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which did not immediately respond to telephone and email messages. Messages left with representatives of the U.S. Attorneys Office and the U.S. Marshals Service in El Paso also were not returned immediately. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment.

El Chapo first broke out of a Mexican prison in 2001. He was recaptured in 2014, only to escape the Altiplano lockup the following year through a mile-long tunnel dug to the floor of the shower stall in his cell.

Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.

He was returned to Altiplano, where officials beefed up his security regimen. Guzman was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 40-centimeter layer of concrete. E. Eduardo Castillo & Peter Orsi, Mexico City, AP
The President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi is due to make an official visit to the Republic of China next week, with meetings scheduled with his counterpart Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials, Macauhub learned from a diplomatic source in Maputo.

This will be the first official visit by Nyusi to Beijing since he became president of Mozambique, although he met President Xi Jinping in December 2015 in Johannesburg during the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation.

During the visit, the Mozambican delegation will travel to Beijing and the provinces of Shandong and Jiangsu.

The visit of the President of Mozambique will be essentially of economic nature and diplomatic sources contacted in Maputo have noted its importance at a time when China is likely to strengthen the financial support granted to Mozambique following a retraction from other donors and international institutions.

Last year China became Mozambiques largest bilateral creditor after increasing funding to the African country by 160 percent since 2012, and providing a new loan of USD400 million in mid-2015.

Last week China and Mozambique signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement, under which African country will receive $16 million to fund drilling of 200 boreholes for drinking water, the purchase of 80 buses for public transport, construction of the China-Mozambique Cultural Centre

and other projects of social impact to be agreed between the two governments.

On signing the document, the Chinese ambassador to Mozambique, Sun Jian said that China wants to increase aid to Mozambique as a way to help the country overcome this bad time as Mozambique has been an example and one of the fastest growing economies in the region. MDT/Macauhub
CHINA 34 bodies have been found and four people were still missing following a landslide at the site of a hydropower project after days of heavy rain in southern China, authorities said.

CHINA Chinese authorities are questioning the crew of a Maltese-flagged ship that collided with a Chinese fishing boat over the weekend, killing at least two sailors and leaving 17 others missing.

NORTH KOREA expels a BBC journalist it had detained days earlier for allegedly insulting the dignity of the authoritarian country, which has invited scores of foreign media for its ongoing ruling party congress. Yesterday, the conclave elected Kim as chairman of the Workers Party.

JAPAN Auto parts maker Takata Corp. is expecting a loss instead of a profit for the fiscal year that ended in March because of ballooning costs from a massive global air-bag recall. Tokyo-based Takata said yesterday it is projecting an annual net loss of 13 billion yen.

USA Many Republican voters in conservative Utah are experiencing an acute version of the political panic attack gripping much of the party: Some cant bring themselves to vote for Donald Trump, while others say sitting out the election would amount to a vote for Hillary Clinton.

USA The heroin and painkiller crisis has pushed elected leaders from coast to coast to consider the once-unthinkable: government-sanctioned sites where heroin users can shoot up under medical supervision. While such sites have operated for years overseas, they face a long list of legal and political challenges in the U.S.

BREXIT Raising the stakes in Britains European Union membership debate, Prime Minister David Cameron said that leaving the bloc would increase the risk of war in Europe. Camerons speech on national security came as campaigning ahead of a June 23 vote on the countrys EU membership moved into its final weeks.

UK Londons newly elected Muslim mayor Sadiq Khan has joined an annual memorial to Jews slain in the Holocaust as his first public act in office.

GREECEs Parliament in a narrow vote has approved a bill reforming the debt-ridden countrys pension and tax systems. Outside, anarchists have hurled firebombs, chairs and wooden planks at riot police in brief clashes outside parliament while lawmakers were debating a controversial austerity bill.

UEFA Michel Platini will resign as UEFA president after failing to overturn his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which cut his sanction from six to four years. Platini called the verdict a deep injustice and said he will now step down from the UEFA position he has held since 2007.
HAILEY  Diane Josephy Peavey, a sheep rancher and writer from Hailey, was reelected vice chair of the American Lamb Board. The national board, with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is made up of 13 members representing all segments of the lamb industry across the United States.

Co-owner of Flat Top Sheep Co., Peavey is an outspoken advocate for lamb and the sheep ranching industry. She authored Bitterbrush Country: Living on the Edge of the Land and has written essays about ranching life, conservation and western land issues that aired weekly for 18 years on public radio.

In 1996, Peavey and her husband, John, co-founded the iconic Trailing of the Sheep Festival, which celebrates its 20th year in October. The annual event, held in the Sun Valley area, celebrates the history, culture and traditions of sheep ranching families and provides a variety of lamb culinary experiences throughout the weekend. It culminates with a parade of 1500 sheep down Main Street in front of cheering crowds.

Lamb was always my meal of choice when I was growing up and even after I left home, Peavey said. So when Idaho sheep rancher John Peavey asked me to marry him, I was overwhelmeda lifetime of lamb chops. What could be better? And, of course, John too.

When pulled into a serious discussion of lamb, I first learned that on average Americans eat only one pound of lamb a year. she said. It was hard to believe but certainly a rallying cry for me. Just think what Americans are missing.

In the last few years, chefs and adventurous millennial foodies have become serious lamb enthusiasts  part of a lamb renaissance  according to Megan Wortman, executive director of the American Lamb Board.

This growing interest in lamb is exciting and a tribute to the commitment, creativity and success of the American Lamb Board but always reminds those of us who raise sheep and love lamb there is still much to do, Peavey said.
TWIN FALLS  Natural Resources Camp has a new camp coordinator.

Sue Knoth is excited to be diving back into the world of environmental education as the NRC coordinator. She previously directed a large summer camp for the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, before moving to Genesse, Idaho.

Connecting kids to nature is where my passion lies, Knoth said. Richard Louv speaks of Nature Deficit Disorder in his book, Last Child in the Woods. Im doing my small part to combat that and get kids outside.

Natural Resources Camp is a joint effort between the University of Idaho and Idaho Association of Soil Conservation Districts. Others conservation partners include Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service.

Campers, ages 12 to 14, spend their days learning about natural resources topics in a classroom setting and then using those concepts in the field.

Knoth attended camps like NRC as a kid herself and she places a high value on making sure the kids have fun while becoming more informed natural resource citizens. Camp-wide games were always a favorite of hers.

They will be learning through some fantastic hands-on lectures, but its good to break that up a bit with some fun games, she said. A rousing game of Bear Salmon Mosquito, for example, will burn some energy off between lectures. Campers also participate in recreational activities such as hiking, archery and swimming.

Attending camps similar to NRC helped put Knoth on the path to environmental education. She is looking forward to helping show campers what experts in the field of natural resources really do while spending an week in Idahos central mountains.

Returning campers will also notice two new program coordinators, Bridget Montgomery and Brett Peterson. Both are teachers and will work closely with the cabin leaders.

Amber Moore, NRC co-director, said having teachers in those roles is great because they are comfortable working with teens and can help set the stage for a fun week for the entire camp community.

Campers will also notice a few other changes. One is that breakfast will start an hour later at 8 a.m. Another is that camp is a week later than normal. Its not the first time NRCS has been held the fourth week of June, but it occurs rarely. The 2016 camp will run from June 27 to July 2.
TWIN FALLS -- Three students are in custody after one fired a handgun inside a Robert Stuart Middle School classroom Friday afternoon. No one was injured and police are calling the incident an accidental discharge.

A 14-year-old boy had two guns inside his bag, said Joshua Palmer, spokesman for the Twin Falls Police Department. One gun was reported stolen and the other had an altered serial number.

After questioning the 14-year-old and others, two more students were arrested, Palmer said.

All three face juvenile charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, altering the serial number on a firearm, possessing a firearm on school property and unlawful discharge of a firearm. They are being held at the Snake River Juvenile Detention Center.

Palmer said its possible an adult could be charged if one gave the guns to the students or knew they would be brought to the school.

The student was in an advisory class when the gun fired into a table leg at approximately 12:45 p.m., Twin Falls School District spokeswoman Eva Craner said in a statement. The teacher in the classroom immediately called the principal and school resource officer who reported to the classroom within seconds of the incident. The student immediately turned the gun over to the principal, and other law enforcement officials reported to the building.

It was unclear how the gun was fired. Palmer said the student was either setting the bag down or reaching into the bag when it fired. The gun was not pointed at anyone and the student was not displaying it, Palmer said.

The school immediately called the parents of students who were in the class when the gun fired, Craner said. Other parents were notified about 2 p.m. by an automated phone message from Superintendent Wiley Dobbs.

The area of the school where the gun was fired was evacuated, but police directed the school not to lock down, Craner said.

(Police) determined that the situation had been contained and there was no continuing threat to students, she said.

Many of the schools 1,000 students were off campus participating in a community clean-up project. Others who were at the school had no idea anything was awry.

Parents may have known before some students, Craner said in a phone interview. We do have a safety protocol and it was followed. All of the safety procedures worked very well.

Its the first time a gun has been fired in an Idaho school since 2013 when an Idaho State University professor in Pocatello accidentally shot himself in the foot during a lecture, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun research group.

The after-school routine at Robert Stuart seemed uninterrupted about 3:15 p.m. as parents lined the roadway and parking lot to pick up students. But parents expressed concern about what happened even after receiving the message that the situation was under control.

Youre just never sure and youre worried, Arturo Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez left work early Friday to pick up his daughter, who typically takes the bus home from school.

The first thoughts that went through Martha Olszynskis mind were Columbine and Sandy Hook, said the mother of an eighth-grade daughter. Olszynski always picks up her daughter after school, but she went to the school earlier than normal Friday immediately after receiving the automated message.

You just have a million questions, she said.

The district has a strict no-gun policy and only school resource officers are allowed to carry guns, Craner said.

While we regret that one of our students chose this action, we are relieved and heartened that our staff and law enforcement worked together to a safe conclusion, Craner said in the statement.

No one with institutional knowledge can remember a gun being fired at a Twin Falls school, Palmer said. He said there have been instances of a student bringing a gun to school in the past, but officials couldnt recall one ever firing in a Twin Falls school.

Police did not release the names of the arrested students.

Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said he cannot comment on juvenile cases, but said nothing will happen before Monday and that they will not be arraigned in adult court.
TWIN FALLS | Police are seeking the publics help to identify the owner of a black sedan involved in the drive-by shooting death of 15-year-old Vason Widaman on Saturday.

Investigators have received numerous tips and leads they are pursuing and believe the shooting was the result of a dispute, Twin Falls Police Chief Craig Kingsbury said during a brief press conference Monday.

At this point in the investigation we do not believe this was a random shooting, Kingsbury said. This appears to have been a disagreement between the victim and the assailants.

Widaman was shot while riding his bicycle on North College Road near the North Pointe subdivision about 3:50 p.m. Saturday, police spokesman Joshua Palmer said. Neighbors reported hearing four or five shots, and Widaman died at the scene despite witnesses and police who performed CPR.

Investigators believe that prior to the shooting, the victim was in the area of Canyon Ridge High School where several events were being held, Kingsbury said.

There was a district softball game and league soccer games Saturday at the school, district spokeswoman Eva Craner said.

"Someone at these events may have seen something," Kingsbury said. "We're asking our citizens to revisit what they were doing just after 3 p.m. Saturday to try to remember anything that might help in the investigation.

"We're really encouraging folks at those events to contact us if they saw the victim or possible assailants," Palmer said Monday night.

Witnesses reported seeing a black car leaving the scene of the shooting, and police Monday released grainy photos of a dark sedan taken from a surveillance camera facing Parkview Drive at the Castle's Corner gas station, about a half mile from the shooting.

Did you see a dark-colored vehicle near the high school? Kingsbury asked. Did you see anything out of the ordinary around Canyon Ridge High School in the afternoon hours of Saturday?

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers or the Twin Falls police, Kingsbury said. Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward for information that leads to the arrest and successful prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the killing.

Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, will help our investigation, Kingsbury said. Oftentimes, even the smallest detail is a key to solving these types of cases.

Police have stepped up their presence around schools at the request of the Twin Falls County School District, the police chief said.

But many questions remained about the killing and the safety of the community as Kingsbury left the press conference Monday without taking questions. City Manager Travis Rothweiler, Deputy City Manager Brian Pike and Mayor Shawn Barigar stood behind Kingsbury during his statement but also left abruptly without speaking.

"The purpose of the press conference was to solicit the publics help and encourage the public to contact us," Palmer said Monday night.

He reiterated that police believe it was an isolated shooting stemming from an ongoing dispute, but he acknowledged citizens are worried about community safety. He encouraged people to be vigilant and be aware of their surroundings.

"If anything is out of the ordinary, contact police; we appreciate those tips, even if it may seem insignificant," Palmer said. "Most people have a good understanding of whats in and out of place in their neighborhood."

Police were funneling extra resources into the investigation, prompting the city to postpone a planned Monday night promotional ceremony of Sgt. Dusty Solomon, the first female sergeant in department history.

"We currently are using every available officer and resource to apprehend the suspect or suspects involved in the homicide on Saturday," Palmer said in an email Monday morning.

While police worked locally to find the killers, Widaman's body was in Boise Monday morning for an autopsy, Twin Falls County Coroner Gene Turley said.

Widaman, a freshman at Canyon Ridge High School, was adopted by his grandparents, Lynn and Alan Widaman, as a baby. A man who answered the door at the Widaman home Monday afternoon said Vason Widaman was a normal kid but asked that the family's privacy be respected. Widaman would have turned 16 on Thursday.

A woman who posted about the teens death on social media said Widaman was her brothers best friend when the boys were younger.

He was unique, Carolyn Hernandez said in an email. He was like another little brother to me. My brother and he were always partners in tae kwon do, and I was able to watch their tournaments and watch him grow as an individual.

Hernandez said Widaman was quiet at first but brought smiles to the faces of those who knew him well.

He was fun to be around and loving to everyone he met, Hernandez said. He taught me patience and kindness are something everyone deserves. He had and always will have a special place in my heart.

Just blocks away from Canyon Ridge High at the spot where Widaman was gunned down, a makeshift memorial had grown Monday to include more than two dozen flower arrangements, crosses and notes.

After school let out Monday, two of Widamans friends knelt in the gravel on the corner of North College Road and Northern Pine Drive as they tried protecting the flowers and other items from powerful wind.

He was calm, he liked to do his own thing, said Isabel Romero Karr, 15, a fellow ninth-grader at the nearby high school.

He really liked music, said Macey Harvey, 15, also a freshman at the school who said Widaman was a very close friend. He liked every type of music, especially old rap, like Tupac and Biggie. He liked Pink Floyd, too.

Widaman was quiet, especially around those he didnt know well, but could also be very funny and make people laugh, Romero Karr said.

But his friends also said that while Widaman put on a happy face at school and around friends, he often seemed sad on the inside; the girls acknowledged that he sometimes got into trouble and had a negative reputation among some fellow students.

But its not just only negative with him, Romero Karr said. He cared a lot for others.
TWIN FALLS  The 16-year-old boy gunned down Saturday afternoon was Vason Widaman, a student at Canyon Ridge High School who lived in Twin Falls with his grandparents who adopted him as a baby.

The teens body will be taken to Boise for an autopsy, County Coroner Gene Turley said.

Widaman was killed in a what police are calling a drive-by shooting just before 4 p.m. Saturday while he rode his bicycle near Canyon Ridge High School. Several witnesses reported hearing four or five shots.

Sunday, people placed colorful flowers and candles where Widamans body fell the day before.

No one has been arrested and police are still looking for suspects, Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said.

Saturday, police said they were looking for a dark-colored car and pulled over several during a city-wide search, including a black Dodge Charger near Norco on Pole Line Road. The names of the people in the car were checked and they were released.

While rumors of more shootings spread on social media Saturday night and Sunday morning, neither Twin Falls police nor Twin Falls County sheriffs deputies reported responding to any other shootings overnight.

Several people reported seeing a man held at gunpoint by police near Falls Avenue and Frontier Road. Police said no one was arrested.

Police are talking with witnesses to identify suspects.

A police statement said several leads indicate that the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the public.

The incident was the second time in as many days a gun was fired in public in Twin Falls. On Friday, a middle schooler accidentally discharged a handgun in a classroom at Robert Stuart Middle School, less than a mile from the scene of Saturdays shooting. No one was injured, and three students were arrested.

The Twin Falls School District sent a message to parents Sunday night saying the incidents weren't likely connected. Nevertheless, security is being increased Monday at Robert Stuart and Canyon Ridge. The district asked that parents who keep their children at home call in to report the absences.
TWIN FALLS  A 70-year-old man arrested earlier this year on charges of marijuana trafficking pleaded to a lesser charge and will serve 90 days in county jail.

Darrell Vulgamore pleaded guilty Thursday in Twin Falls County District Court to a felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. District Judge Randy Stoker sentenced Vulgamore to two to five years in prison but suspended the sentence and put him on three-year felony probation.

As part of his plea agreement, Vulgamore will spend 90 days in the Twin Falls County Jail and must complete 100 hours of community service.

In an unusual move, Vulgamore and his attorney asked to delay the start of his 90-day sentence for several weeks so he could get his affairs in order. Stoker granted the request.

I do this with the full expectation you understand that if you make the erroneous decision not to show up, life will not be good for you, Stoker told Vulgamore.

Sir, Ive never run away from a damn thing in my whole life, Vulgamore told the judge.

In court Thursday and in an interview Friday at his home, Vulgamore wanted to set the record straight  he never sold marijuana to anybody, he said.

I gave it to people who needed it, like cancer patients, Vulgamore said. I was giving it away for free.

That statement contradicted what he told investigators during a search of his home in February. According to court documents, Vulgamore said he was selling high-grade strains of marijuana for $300 an ounce and the lower quality strains for $250 an ounce.

Whether the truth is what he told investigators in February, what he told a reporter on Friday, or whether its somewhere in the middle, a trip to Vulgamores home leaves the impression that hes not the powerful drug trafficker court documents seemed to describe.

An American flag waved high on a flagpole above the well-manicured front lawn of Vulgamores home, and inside the one-story house on Monroe Circle, western decor and several paintings of John Wayne hung on the walls  not posters of Tony Montana or Don Corleone.

My wife was in a car accident in 1996 before we met, Vulgamore explained. From then until her death, she was in constant pain. They had her on morphine, but she didnt like that, so she started smoking marijuana.

The drug helped ease Shelly Vulgamores pain without making her sick like morphine, Vulgamore said.

Shelly and Darrell met in 2003 and married soon after, but Shelley hid the fact that she smoked pot for several years, Vulgamore said. She was the one who began bringing the drug from Oregon and giving it away to others like her, who used it treat chronic pain.

And though he knows even medical marijuana is illegal in Idaho, Vulgamore points out that his wife had a prescription from a Twin Falls doctor to buy medical marijuana in other states. He still has the laminated note dated Aug. 16, 2010.

Shelly died in December 2014 from complications from three surgeries in six days  her 35th, 36th and 37th surgeries since her crash, Vulgamore said. He was relieved his wife was finally free from her pain, but feeling bad for those like Shelly still dealing with chronic pain, he picked up where she left off, bringing the marijuana from Oregon to distribute to cancer patients and others.

I did the crime, now its time to face the time, Vulgamore said, acknowledging that what he did was illegal, even if he felt like he was helping others.

With just three speeding tickets on his record prior to his February arrest, Vulgamore has never once seen the inside of a jail cell. He said hes a little nervous ahead of his 90-day jail term, which begins June 1.

A three-tour veteran of the Vietnam war who worked as a trucker and commercial fisherman when he got out of the Marine Corps after 12 years of service, Vulgamore is adamant about setting the record straight on a few facts that appeared in initial court documents and comments that appeared online.

I never sold the pot, and I definitely didnt sell it to kids, Vulgamore said in response to one Facebook user who accused him of providing drugs to children.

He also adamantly denied one of nine guns found in his home, a shotgun, had an altered serial number.

Thats a lie, Vulgamore said.

He said all of his guns were registered except for three .22-caliber rifles that were old enough that they didnt have serial numbers.

But other than that, Vulgamore said, he had no complaints about what happened or about his sentence. He also thanked the sheriffs office for treating him well and being cordial during the search of his home.

In court documents and according to Vulgamore, part of the reason investigators were so lenient was because they agreed Vulgamore would cooperate in other drug investigations.

The sheriffs office wanted more information, Vulgamore said with a chuckle. But I didnt have any more information.
This appeared in Sunday's Washington Post.

It is a Washington truism that nothing gets done in an election year, particularly now that partisanship is as severe as ever in recent memory. But with all attention on a boisterous presidential race, members of Congress have managed to do a few things right lately.

A bipartisan group of senators announced a major criminal-justice-reform bill on April 28, bringing Congress a crucial step closer to repairing federal sentencing and prison policy. Critics point out that the bill is modest, watered-down from previous versions that would have eased penalties for more types of federal prisoners. For the senators behind the bill, however, these compromises were necessary to bring in votes for the policy, which would still do good.

Focusing on nonviolent offenders, the legislation would reduce penalties for low-level drug crimes and give judges more leeway in sentencing. Minor players in major drug rings, for example, would be eligible for lesser sentences. The bill would also allow some federal prisoners to earn early release by completing prison programs designed to curb recidivism. For better or for worse, the bill would not empty the nation's prisons, and it would not eliminate the appalling treatment of some inmates in this country, in large part because the federal government does not control state prisons, which lock up many more people. But the bill would deal with some of the excesses of the tough-on-crime attitude of previous decades.

There's been progress on other relatively unheralded reforms, too. The House overwhelmingly passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act, a measure that recognizes the threat of trade secret theft in a knowledge economy. The bill would give private people and companies the right to sue others in federal court for taking and misusing confidential, economically valuable information. States already allow these sorts of suits under their own laws, but the bill would provide another venue for parties seeking relief, with consistent, standardized national rules and resources to sort out complex disputes.

The House also passed the Email Privacy Act, a long-neglected but crucial update of electronic privacy laws. Because of a quirk about how telecommunications laws were written in the 1980s, the government does not need to get a warrant to demand email or data stored on the cloud, as long as it is more than 90 days old. Decades ago, anything left on someone else's server that long was considered abandoned. Now, practically everyone has all sorts of personal details sitting on remote servers for indefinite periods of time. This reform is very long overdue.

We are not about to break open the champagne and declare Washington fixed, particularly because lawmakers could fail to pass some of the bills that have advanced lately. The Senate still needs to find time to approve its criminal-justice bill, for example. Still, in a season of deep political rancor and dysfunction, these modest accomplishments are worth a cheer.
Theres an old saying If aint broke, dont fix it. This is the case for this years election. I have worked with Charlie Howell and Roger Morley and I can honestly say that these two Commissioners are two of the best commissioners Jerome County has had through the years. They work well together on the Commission and meet every issue with honesty, openness and a working knowledge of the laws and rules that govern our county.

Roger Morley is an insightful, dedicated commissioner. Roger supports the agriculture industry in Jerome and is driven toward improving the local job market. As Commissioner, he listens to issues, asks concise questions and makes just decisions based on circumstances and guide lines of Idaho Code. Roger is an involved Commissioner. He holds active positions on the Planning & Zoning commission, the Tri-County Weed Commission and the Southern Idaho Solid Waste Board to name a few. Roger is also an active member of this community. He has worked with a local youth program, he maintains his personal business and he dedicated himself to a 30 year career. He was born, raised and educated in Jerome and has spent most of his adult life in Jerome County.

I found Roger to be a very personable person who cares about you as an individual. He is approachable.

Charlie Howell as Commissioner Chair has displayed quality professionalism during the meetings, while maintaining order and fairness. He listens to issues and makes educated, thoughtful decisions based on facts and law. Charlie gives of himself personally to this community holding membership to benevolent organizations such as the Rotary Club and Optimist Club. For 25 years he has given his time as a volunteer with the Jerome Rural Fire Department. As a Commissioner, he serves and represents you on the 20/20 joint program, a program dedicated toward recruiting new businesses and supporting existing business. He worked tirelessly in support and development of the jail for Jerome as well as being an integral member of the committee establishing improved ambulance services throughout Jerome County.

I found Charlie to be a knowledgably, honest friend to all and is an asset to our local government.

Sheriff Doug McFall is an ethical, honest and educated sheriff. He brought to Jerome County years of law enforcement experience. He knows the laws and enforces them fairly and justly. Sheriff McFall has a strong working relationship with the other Elected Officials and his staff. He has dedicated his time toward establishing partnerships with the local schools, the cities in our county and other law enforcement agencies. Sheriff McFall was born and raised in Jerome County and cares about its citizens.

I found Sheriff Doug McFall to be an outgoing, likable person who works diligently for the people of Jerome County.

So folks, if it aint broke, then dont fix it, keep it. Commissioner Roger Morley, Commissioner Charlie Howell and Sheriff Doug McFall have served Jerome County diligently, selflessly, and honestly.

Please cast your votes on May 17th for Morley, Howell and McFall.

Mary Childers

Jerome County Treasurer, 27 years Ret.
Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly criticized the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Yair Golan on Sunday as he told the weekly cabinet meeting that although Golan is a fine officer with a great deal of merit his remarks at the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday which compared Israel with pre-war Germany is totally wrong.

Golan at the central state ceremony in Tel Yitzhak said if there is something that scares me about the memory of the Holocaust it is the identification of horrifying processes that occurred in Europe in general and Germany in particular  70, 80 and 90 years ago  and finding evidence of them here among us, today, in 2016.

Although the deputy IDF chief of staff withdrew his statements, he aroused harsh criticism, with some calling for his resignation. However, Defense Minister Moshe Yaloon defended him arguing that comments against Golan are part of a campaign to harm the IDF and its officers politically. He argued that the responsibilities of an army officer, especially a senior commander, are not limited to leading soldiers out to war, but also include charting out a path and ethical standards with the help of [his] moral compass.

Netanyahu, who has been reportedly angered by Moshe Yaloon defending Golan, told the cabinet meeting that comparing Israel to Nazi Germany of 80 years ago is outrageous and totally baseless. He said the erroneous and unacceptable comments should never have been said at any time especially during Holocaust Remembrance events because they harm the Israeli society and cheapen the Holocaust.

Golans apology in a statement presented by IDFs spokesperson unit said the remarks are an absurd and baseless comparison without any intention of drawing any sort of parallel or criticize the national leadership.

Analysts believe that Golans comparison of Israel to pre-war Nazi was probably due to the Jewish States policies in the occupied Palestinian territories which are considered as an open-air prison prisons with apartheid-liked policies imposed on the citizens.
Al-Qaeda networks leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on its Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front to continue fighting for the establishment of an Islamic State in Syria.

In a new audio tape, believed to have been released by al-Qaeda, al-Zawahiri urged the Islamist groups saying we have to want the unity of the Mujahideen in Sham (Syria) so it will be liberated from the Russians and Western crusaders. My brothers  the matter of unity is a matter of life or death for you.

In the around 10 minute long audio message, Zawahiri said it is the duty of all Muslims to defend jihad against the different conspiracies led by Western countries before attacking groups not affiliated to al-Qaeda of counterfeit because they claim to establish a regime based on Islam with secularism and nationalism. Those remarks are seemingly directed at the Islamic State and Muslim states with Islamic inspired laws.

The al-Qaeda leader revealed plans to establish an Islamic state in Syria and reminded the brave and blessed mujahideen that if they establish their Muslim government and choose an imam, then what they choose is what we choose. He said the groups mission will be accomplished when it establishes an Islamic emirate because fighters loyal to al-Qaeda are not students of power who want to rule over others but instead students of sharia judgment who want to be ruled as Muslims under Islam by a rightly guided mujahid Islamic government which would lead a return to the caliphate according to the prophetic methodology.

Al-Qaeda will be counting on the precious al-Nusra Front to make its dream a reality in a post-Assad era in Syria. Meanwhile, the group continues to fight against the pro-Assad forces backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. Some rebel groups are also attacking al-Nusra militants as well as militants of the Islamic State. Al-Qaedas aspirations could continue to be far-fetched because the group is losing ground in Syria.
Calm has returned to the Gaza Strip after Israels air force bombarded the area for three consecutive days, from Wednesday to Friday.

The shelling started after Hamas was accused of launching mortars onto Jewish territory against forces during operational defensive activities adjacent to the security fence with the Gaza Strip.

The airstrikes were not as deadly as they used to be with one Palestinian woman reported dead. Israel claimed that it targeted Hamas terror infrastructure but eye witnesses said the bombs landed in open areas east of Khan Yunis, Southern Gaza Strip and fired shells struck eastern Rafah.

Both Hamas and Israel voiced concerns over a new round of hostilities. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri stressed collateral responsibilities in that case but stressed that Israels crimes would not break the spirit of the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad movement warned that targeting civilians and bombing Gaza would push the resistance to reciprocate.

Israeli army spokesperson Peter Lerner said repeated attacks against the IDF activities to locate and destroy cross borer tunnels will not be tolerated and urged Hamas to end its diabolical plan to infiltrate Israeli communities.

Israel discovered a tunnel this week, the second since the 2014 hostilities, and Prime Minister Netanyahu said such searching operations will continue as long as necessary and no resources or efforts will be spared before adding that we are not looking for an escalation, but we will not be deterred from doing what is necessary to maintain security.

The relative peace between Hamas and Israel is still fragile and the Hamas deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh warned that they will not allow incursions or imposing facts on the ground by Israel in Gaza.

Security cooperation between Palestinian Authorities and Israel is also at risk after Amin Maqboul, secretary of Fatahs revolutionary council, said the Palestine Liberation Organization has decided to end all aspects of security coordination with Israel adding that it is very serious this time. Their cooperation has helped to foil attacks and make arrests. Maqboul admitted that relations between both sides are so complicated that halting coordination may lead to a serious crisis.
The Yemeni peace talks taking place in Kuwait could be on the verge of collapse as the UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed appealed on the warring sides to make concessions in order to strike a comprehensive peaceful solution to end a war that has dragged on for more than 13 months.

The warring parties have raised different arguments for the standstill with the head of the government delegation, Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, tweeting that we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress for the sake of peace but there is nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments.

The Houthis are claiming that despite the ceasefire declaration which began before the talks, their areas were again raided by airstrikes on Sunday.

Talks between the two groups began on April 21 and special envoy Ismail urged them to reflect on the aspirations of the Yemeni people yearning for an end to the conflict that has already killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million.

Direct talks between the groups have been suspended for the second time on Sunday but Ismail said new talks are scheduled for Monday and appealed for cooperation.

However, another conflict could emerge in the government controlled areas after pro-Hadi forces in Aden began forcing those from the north to leave the city alleging they are a security threat with reports claiming that only those undocumented are affected. There are fears that the operation could be led by southern secessionists who want to break away from Yemen after uniting in 1990.
Iranian deputy petroleum minister Amir Hossein Zamani-Nia said on Sunday the output of the country will increase by 200,000 barrels within the next months.

His comments to reporters on the last day of the International oil, gas, refinery and petrochemical industry exhibition in Tehran came a day after President Rouhani stated that oil exports will soon reach pre-sanction levels.

Oil producers and exporters have been trying to limit their output to increase oil prices, which are below $45 a barrel, but they have failed to reach an agreement especially with Iran. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and Qatar met in Doha and agreed to peg production levels at 11 January 2016 outputs but Tehran rejected the proposal. The proposal prematurely ended in mid-last month after Saudi Arabia backed out of the deal due to Tehrans refusal to join the talks.

Iran, which has been under economic and financial sanctions for years, has been trying after the sanctions were lifted to increase its production as much as it can despite the low oil prices.

Zamani-Nia said Iran will not have difficulties selling its production as he revealed that they are engaged in serious oil sale talks with foreign companies.

A host of Western sanctions against Tehran due to its controversial nuclear program had caused Irans crude production to drop by about one million barrels in recent years but with the signing of the nuclear agreement in July 2015, the country is battling to regain its share in the global market and plans are underway to renovate refineries to boost production and also increase gasoline exportation.
President Erdogan of Turkey accused European countries of betraying his country as he alleged that they have left us alone in our struggle against this organization (ISIS) which is shedding our blood both through suicide bombings and by attacks on Kilis (a border town with Syria).

He said Turkey paid a heavy price, more than any other country fighting ISIS in Syria. The outspoken Turkish president said European countries have neither mercy nor justice and accused them of practicing dictatorship and cruelty on Syrian refugees by closing their borders to them.

Turkey has been attacked on several occasions by bombings claimed by both the Islamic State and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) prompting it to push for a much tougher anti-terrorism act, which has heavily divided the parliament and attracted international criticism about the respect of human rights.

Erdogan said those who criticize us are reduced to sidelining democracy and freedoms when bombs started to explode on their soil as he defiantly stated that Ankara has no plans to relax its policies as far as the EU visa waiver which is part of an immigrant exchange deal is concerned concluding that we are going our way and you can go yours.

The indifference between the reactions to the bombs that exploded in Ankara and Istanbul and acts carried out in Paris and Brussels is nothing more than the incarnation of injustice, he lamented.

Erdogan also threw a punch at the UN Security Council for its unfair structure with five permanent members determining the fate of the world. He said that injustice is completely reinforced there and wondered why there is not a Muslim country at the Security Council considering the religions 1.7 billion strong population.

Turkey is not part of the US-led coalition that is fighting the Islamic State but had given the coalition warplanes access to one of its airbases. It says its fight against the group is only limited to securing its border and stability while the coalition wants to bring an end to the threat posed by the group in Iraq and Syria.
A prominent Angolan rapper who has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison last year for planning a rebellion against president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, has started another hunger strike to protest his transfer from the Viana district prison.

Beirao was transferred to the prison hospital of Sao Paolo in Luanda but he preferred to stay in Viana to protest the human rights violations at the prison, his sister told local media.

He has also decided to go nude as part of his protest after he was forcibly taken from the prison where he was being held.

Luaty Beirao, known for his political activism, was arrested with 14 others in June 2015 for allegedly plotting to oust long-time President Eduardo dos Santos now in power for 36 years.

The 33-year-old rapper has become a hero in his native Angola, held up as a symbol by those who oppose President Jose Eduardo dos Santoss government.

Also known as Ikonoklasta, the rapper has frequently criticized politicians during his concerts, and has been picked up by the police and detained more than once for his outspoken views.

In March 2011, following the Arab Spring, Beirao was imprisoned with a group of young people in Luanda for organizing a protest march.
The Kenyan government says it plans to close the countrys two main refugee camps, a move that would impact some 400,000 refugees.

The government is shutting down the camps because of very heavy economic, security and environmental burdens, senior Interior Ministry official Karanja Kibicho said in a statement.

Kenya, having taken into consideration its national security interests, has decided that hosting of refugees has come to an end, Kibicho said, pointing to threats, such as the terror group Al-Shabaab.

The closure of the camps will have adverse effects and the international community should collectively take responsibility for the humanitarian needs that arise, Karanja Kibicho, permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry, said.

The government had also disbanded the Department of Refugee Affairs, which works with humanitarian organizations looking after the welfare of refugees, Kibicho said.

Kenya has been hosting the refugees for nearly 25 years and it had taken its toll on the country, Kibicho said.

Dadaab in eastern Kenya is the largest camp, with more than 330,000 refugees, mainly Somalis escaping a conflict that has raged on for more than two decades.

The Kakuma camp hosts 190,000 refugees, the majority of them South Sudanese escaping civil war in their country.
(HealthDay)In a letter to the editor published online April 30 in Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, unilateral palytoxin-induced chemical keratitis is described after a coral expressed its toxin into the patient's eye.

Nadia L. Chaudhry, from the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital in the United Kingdom, and colleagues described the case of a 45-year-old Caucasian female coral farmer who presented one day after a coral (Palythoa sp) expressed a toxin directly into her left eye.

On examination, visual acuity in the affected eye was 6/5; eyelid swelling, conjunctival chemosis and injection, diffuse punctate epithelial erosions, and a circumferential marginal ulcer were seen on slit lamp examination. The researchers diagnosed the patient with unilateral chemical keratitis. Topical ofloxacin eye drops were prescribed six times per day, along with hourly preservative-free lubricants. The patient felt subjectively worse the next day and was started on prednisolone eye drops twice/day. The pain decreased three days later, but there was still a 360-degree circumferential marginal infiltrate. Prednisolone eye drops were increased to four times/day. The eye looked white and quiet with mild peripheral corneal scarring and persistent corneal vascularization four weeks later. Over three months the steroids were tapered; the clinical picture remained unchanged.

"This case draws attention to the danger of their toxins and we recommend the use of protective equipment (face mask, goggles, and gloves) whilst handling these coral," the authors write.

Explore further Alkali eye injuries secondary to airbag deployment reported

Copyright  2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
About 1.8 million Americans have celiac disease, an immune-based condition brought on by the consumption of gluten in genetically susceptible patients. Among patients diagnosed with celiac disease by small intestinal biopsy in the U.S., those from the Punjab region of India have the highest rates of disease, according to new research published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology,1 the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

"While celiac disease was previously thought to be a disease predominantly affecting Caucasian Europeans, it is now recognized as one of the most common hereditary disorders worldwide," said study author Benjamin Lebwohl, MD, Herbert Irving Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY. "Our findings help shed light on the distribution of celiac disease in the U.S. and will aid gastroenterologists in diagnosing their patients."

This research gives insights into celiac disease found in the U.S. Among patients who underwent testing for celiac disease:

Celiac disease was most common among Americans from the Punjab region of India.

Celiac disease was significantly less common among U.S. residents of South Indian, East Asian and Hispanic ancestry.

The rate of celiac disease among patients of Jewish and Middle Eastern ethnicities was similar to that of other Americans.

Men and women had similar rates of celiac disease when tested, no matter their ethnicity.

"While previous studies have suggested that celiac disease may be more common in female patients, based on our findings we recommend that physicians consider celiac disease in men as often as they consider it in women," added Dr. Lebwohl.

When a patient is having signs of celiac disease, a doctor will do a biopsy in which several small pieces of tissue are sampled from the small intestine for examination with a microscope. The doctor is looking for villous atrophy, or damage to the wall of the small intestine, a finding which most often represents celiac disease.

For this study, Dr. Lebwohl and colleagues looked at more than 400,000 intestinal biopsies from a nationwide database. They identified patients with celiac disease based on the presence of villous atrophy in the small intestine. Using a previously published algorithm based on patient names, the researchers studied celiac disease distribution across these ethnicities: North Indian, South Indian, East Asian, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Jewish and other Americans.

Explore further Increased risk of neuropathy in patients with celiac disease

More information: Anna Krigel et al, Ethnic Variations in Duodenal Villous Atrophy Consistent with Celiac Disease in the United States, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2016). Journal information: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology Anna Krigel et al, Ethnic Variations in Duodenal Villous Atrophy Consistent with Celiac Disease in the United States,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2016.04.032
At a time when a number of mental health organizations are sounding the alarm about the high incidence of suicide among middle-aged white males, new University of Michigan research finds that a sense of hopelessnessoften associated with suicidehas a greater impact on whites than African-Americans who suffer from depression.

The research led by Dr. Shervin Assari, research investigator at the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health in the U-M School of Public Health and Department of Psychiatry, found a strong reciprocal association between depressive symptoms and hopelessness among whites over the age of 65, while the association was missing among blacks of the same age.

Assari and his colleague Maryam Moghani Lankarani from the Medicine and Health Promotion Institute in Iran found that despite higher levels of depressive symptoms, African-Americans reported some level of hope, compared to whites. Their research involving nearly 1,500 people is reported in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

Among the participants, depressive symptoms and hopelessness were measured at baseline as well as three years later. When the reciprocal associations were tested based on race, the link between depression and sense of hopelessness were present among whites but not blacks.

Authors also found interactions suggesting that among white Americans, each additional symptom of depression is associated with 27 percent more hopelessness.

"Hopelessness is one of the most important predictors of outcomes as well as course of depression," Assari said. "So, the level of hopelessness of depressed individuals tells us a lot about their treatment response as well as suicide risk."

Recent statistics from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention show that white males account for 7 out of 10 suicides. The researchers said that "more hopeless depression" may explain the higher tendency for suicide among whites.

"In general, people of nonwhite cultures better maintain hope overall, even at darkest moments of their lives. Social support and religion are among the reasons," Assari said. "Not only do whites get less social support from families and friends, they are also less religious overall. We know social support and religiosity are big savers against suicide and psychopathology.

"That said, research also has shown that even when social support and religiosity are at the same levels, they are less effective for whites compared to blacks."

Assari said their research should help inform approaches to cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy, with ethnicity in mind.

"Whites who are depressed need more boost of hope as one of the ingredients of their counseling," he said.

Explore further When it comes to predicting depression, race may matter more than was thought

More information: Shervin Assari et al. Depressive Symptoms Are Associated with More Hopelessness among White than Black Older Adults, Frontiers in Public Health (2016). Shervin Assari et al. Depressive Symptoms Are Associated with More Hopelessness among White than Black Older Adults,(2016). DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00082
In-111-DTPA-octreotide scan (A) demonstrates recurrent mesenteric nodule (arrow) on the anterior view in a patient with a mid-gut carcinoid tumor resected 5 years previously, with no other tumor seen with planar or SPECT/CT (B) images. Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT anterior 3D MIP (C) and axial fused images (D) demonstrate other metastases (arrows), changing the surgical plan for resection. Findings were verified at surgery. Credit: Ronald C. Walker, MD

A recent study reported in the May issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine demonstrates that Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT scans are superior to In-111 pentetreotide scans, the current imaging standard in the United States for detecting neuroendocrine tumors (NETS), and could significantly impact treatment management.

NETS occur mostly in the respiratory and digestive tracts and are usually slow-growing. They can be difficult to diagnose, and many treatment options exist. It's therefore critical to delineate the extent of disease accurately for proper management. While the incidence of NETS is relatively low, with 2.5-5 cases per 100,000 in the United States, data from the National Cancer Institute show a five-fold increase worldwide from 1973 to 2004. NETS can be malignant and, although they comprise less than two percent of gastrointestinal cancers, they are more prevalent than stomach and pancreatic cancers combined.

Ronald C. Walker, MD, corresponding author for the study and professor of clinical radiology and radiological sciences at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, explains, "Our purpose was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT compared to In-111 pentetreotide imaging for diagnosis, staging and re-staging of pulmonary and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors." With concerns for patient safety, detailed toxicity data were also collected.

The two imaging methods were performed in 78 of 97 consecutively enrolled patients with known or suspected pulmonary or gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NETs. The study found that Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT combined with CT and/or liver MRI changed care in 28 of 78 (36 percent) patients. In addition, Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT correctly identified three patients for peptide receptor radiotherapy who had been incorrectly classified by In-111 pentetreotide. Demonstrating no significant toxicity, lower radiation exposure and improved accuracy, the study makes a strong case for the use of Ga-68 DOTATATE imaging over the current standard, where available.

While Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT is in widespread use outside of the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved its use for the diagnosis, staging and treatment management of NETS. As a result, insurance companies do not cover its use.

Walker says, "Hopefully, our investigation will provide sufficient evidence on the safety and efficacy of Ga-68 DOTATATE to the U.S. FDA to allow approval. If so, then patients throughout the United States could soon have access to a higher-quality scan, allowing better patient management decisions while also lowering radiation exposure and shortening examination time." Such approval would also open up the possibility of reimbursement for the scans by third-party payers.

These findings could have an impact on the future of nuclear medicine, as well, as Walker explains: "If our evidence results in FDA approval of Ga-68 DOTATATE imaging for routine use in the treatment management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors, it would represent the first approval of a Ga-68-labeled PET imaging radiopharmaceutical in the U.S. This could help pave the way for similar studies to allow approval in the U.S. and elsewhere of other Ga-68-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, such as Ga-68 DOTATOC and Ga-68 PSMA."

Explore further PET/CT captures hidden source of neuroendocrine cancer

More information: S. A. Deppen et al, Safety and Efficacy of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for Diagnosis, Staging, and Treatment Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors, Journal of Nuclear Medicine (2016). Journal information: Journal of Nuclear Medicine S. A. Deppen et al, Safety and Efficacy of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT for Diagnosis, Staging, and Treatment Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors,(2016). DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.115.163865
(HealthDay)In a case report published online April 30 in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology, venlafaxine-induced increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) is described in a patient with open angle glaucoma.

Verona E. Botha, M.B., Ch.B., from Waikato District Health Board in Hamilton, New Zealand, and colleagues describe a 65-year-old Caucasian male with chronic open angle glaucoma who started venlafaxine 225 mg once daily for a major depressive episode. After reporting frontal headaches shortly after treatment initiation, the initial dose was reduced to 75 mg, with complete symptom resolution.

The authors note that three months after venlafaxine initiation, at routine glaucoma follow-up, the patient's IOP had increased to 50 mm Hg in the right (OD) and 30 mm Hg in the left (OS) from a previous level of 14 mm Hg bilaterally. He was asymptomatic; no change was seen in angle morphology or indication of intraocular inflammation. Venlafaxine was discontinued immediately and topical brimonidine was commenced to both eyes; IOP improved to 13 and 11 mm Hg OD and OS, respectively. The transient IOP elevation resulted in permanent retinal nerve fiber damage, with increased optic disc cupping and visual field progression in the right eye. The patient received dothiepin, with no impact on IOP over two years.

"Awareness that IOP may rise precipitously needs to be increased, for clinicians prescribing venlafaxine, as well as those managing patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension," the authors write.

Explore further IOP spikes common after cyclophotocoagulation

Copyright  2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Legislation against the promotion of breast milk substitutes must be significantly tightened if global efforts to encourage breast feeding are to succeed, a UN report warned Monday.

It is widely recognised that breastfeeding carries huge health benefits, but countries' failure to crack down on the marketing of substitutes means far too many children are still being reared on formula, said the World Health Organization, the UN children's agency UNICEF and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN).

"There are still far too many places where mothers are inundated with incorrect and biased information through advertising and unsubstantiated health claims," warned Francesco Branca, head of WHO's Nutrition for Health and Development department.

"This can distort parents' perceptions and undermine their confidence in breastfeeding, with the result that far too many children miss out on its many benefits," he said in a statement.

Experts have long extolled the health benefits of breastfeeding, pointing out that breastfed children are healthier, perform better on intelligence tests and are less likely to be overweight or suffer from diabetes later in life.

Women who breastfeed also have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer, research shows.

A study in the Lancet medical journal earlier this year estimated that more than 800,000 child deaths and 20,000 breast cancer deaths could be averted every year if more babies were breastfed for longer.

Industry pressure

WHO and UNICEF recommend babies have nothing but breast milk for the first six months, after which they should continue to breastfeed alongside other safe and nutritionally-adequate foods until they are at least two.

But in spite of the clear advantages, only about one child in three is exclusively breastfed for the first half year of lifea rate that has not improved in two decades.

Countries have agreed to try to push that number up to at least 50 percent by 2025, but pressure from a growing breast-milk substitute industry is complicating those efforts.

The industry today rakes in sales of nearly $45 billion annuallya figure which is projected to grow to $70 billion by 2019.

Of the 194 countries studied, 135 had some form of legal measures linked to the WHO's International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.

That was a clear improvement from 103 countries in 2011, but the report showed only 39 of them covered all the Code's recommendations, including banning all advertising and sample hand-outs of breast-milk substitutes, bans on labels making nutritional or health claims and requiring products to inform consumers of the superiority of breastfeeding over formula.

'Fudging the truth'

And the world's wealthiest countries, which are often the most business-friendly, tend to have the weakest legislation.

Only six percent of European countries provide comprehensive legislation and most have just a few laws.

The United States, Australia and New Zealand meanwhile had no legal measures at all, the report said.

At the other end of the scale, a full 36 percent of countries in Southeast Asia had laws covering all the recommendations in the Code, followed by Africa at 30 percent and the Eastern Mediterranean region at 29 percent, the report showed.

"Clever marketing should not be allowed to fudge the truth that there is no equal substitute for a mother's own milk," UNICEF nutrition chief Werner Schultink said in the statement.

Explore further UN: Women in Zika countries should breastfeed their babies

 2016 AFP
via @CTeproff

James Jimmie C. Burke, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner who was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for accepting bribes in the late 1990s, was found dead Saturday in his Georgia home, his brother James J. Burke said.

Waycross police arrested Jimmie Burkes wife, Sonia Burke, 58, and charged her with murder.

According to police, Sonia Burke called 911 just after 4 p.m. Saturday to report that she was having a hard time breathing. When paramedics arrived, she pointed them to a bedroom, police said. After forcing their way in, paramedics found Jimmie Burke, 68, dead.

Sonia Burke was arrested and taken to the hospital to be treated for a possible overdose, police said. While police are still investigating, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said in a news release that it appeared Jimmie Burke died from gunshot wounds during a domestic dispute.

James J. Burke said Sunday they were having problems.

More here.
@ByKristenMClark

Another large union has endorsed Democrat Patrick Murphy in Florida's U.S. Senate race.

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced this morning it was backing the Jupiter congressman over his primary opponent, fellow U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando.

The SEIU represents over 55,000 health care professionals, public employees and property service workers in Florida and has 2.1 million members nationwide. The group praised Murphy for his support of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and his desire to increase access to affordable healthcare.

Congressman Murphy is well prepared to serve as our United States Senator and has earned the support of SEIU Florida members across the state by aggressively fighting for policy solutions that are important to Floridas working families, SEIU Florida president Monica Russo said in a statement.

Last week, Murphy met with a few homecare, hospital and childcare workers and SEIU members at a private campaign stop near Tampa -- footage from which was used to create an SEIU video explaining the union's endorsement of Murphy.

We support candidates who are willing to be a champion and a voice for working-class families who are sick and tired of being pushed aside. Patrick Murphy is one of those candidates," Russo added in the SEIU statement, which did not mention Murphy's Democratic competitor, Grayson.

Murphy has racked up union endorsements and other support from the Democratic establishment in his campaign for U.S. Senate. Grayson has also gotten some union support, yet his campaign has mostly drawn the backing of progressive groups and grassroots supporters.
Life asks not merely what you can do; it asks how much you can endure without being spoiled.  Harry Emerson Fosdick

***

The approach to the different seasons of the year has changed for ranchers. In years past, winter meant handling hay with pitchforks or bale hooks for at least five months. Our tractors were small and often not up to the task we asked of them. We were sometimes stuck for hours while the hungry cattle bawled and milled around an empty hay rack.

All of us dreaded the first snows of winter and the subsequent feeding of the cattle which began in late November or early December. There was no letup from the heavy work from the day we started in the late fall until there was enough grass to turn the cattle out to pasture  usually the first part of May.

We always expected a January thaw which gave us a week or so of respite from the cold before winter roared back for another month or two. March brought with it some genuine hope, and we knew we wouldn't be seeing any more 40-below blizzards. The winters and the work they entailed were difficult, but we always knew there would be an end to it.

Now it's the opposite. With large bales, feeding is a simple chore that requires little physical effort and less than half the time it once did. Cold weather and snow don't offer challenges any more.

It's the spring and summer that give a rancher a sense of foreboding and feeling of futility. I read once that, We owe our existence to six inches of top soil and the fact that it rains. But it doesn't rain any more.

The old timers expected 20 days of rain in June, and they usually got it. Last year I don't think we had even one day of solid rain, and the snowpack in the hills is practically nothing again.

A person knows that a winter eventually has to end and better days will follow, but a drought seems eternal. The hay and the pastures get drier with every day of sun, and our world withers away with every dry year.

Grain farmers can purchase drought or hail insurance, but the cattlemen are on their own to face the elements. The lack of decent rain means that both the summer pasture and the hay crop will be short.

Most of the wild hay is flood irrigated, which is an art in itself and can be very rewarding  if you have the water. It's an easy task with a full ditch. The irrigator can get the meadows covered in good time and be assured of a decent hay crop if he has the water.

Irrigating with just a little water is horribly frustrating. It's twice the work with only half the results. Dandelions in the meadows indicate dry ground, and serve as a constant reminder that things aren't going well. There's no solution to a drought. It affects everything.

We can sell back on the herd in order to cope with lack of rain, but that means the gross income next year will be less, bringing with it financial problems along with the dryness. It's a conundrum with no easy solution. If the drought were like winter, where a person can be sure of an end to it, the situation wouldn't be so heavy on one's shoulders.

People tell me that there's nothing that can be done, so why worry? To me it's like telling a man standing on the gallows with a noose around his neck that he shouldn't worry because nothing can be done. So I worry.

But rain or no rain, we'll muck through. Our ranch will have been in the family for 150 years in 2017, and the three generations that came before us undoubtedly saw worse times than these.

I've heard stories about dry years before transportation was available to bring hay in from long distances. They said that during one especially bad year the brush along the creeks was eaten down to the size of a man's arm before spring arrived and the cows had some grass to eat.

So, we'll survive this one. If we have to sell cows, we'll sell cows, and if we have to start feeding what little hay we have in October, we can do that, too.

And there is a chance that it might rain.

One way or another we'll endure.

And endure.
It's easy to talk about art's capacity to heal and soothe. It's rarer to see it, like Youpa Stein has.

For the past 23 years, Stein has seen that capacity at Living Art of Montana, a nonprofit she co-founded that offers free writing and art workshops for people coping with cancer, chronic illness or loss.

"No matter what's going on physically or emotionally  pain, challenge, illness  we have the capacity to be whole, and oftentimes when you're under a challenge or stress, that feeling of wholeness is diminished. It doesn't mean it's not there; it's just hard to feel it and know that sense of wholeness in yourself," Stein said.

She's seen people near the end of their lives find that feeling of wholeness in the space that Living Art offers. They come in feeling diminished but soon find a sense of well-being in creating and sharing.

"I think in an evolutionary way we're primed to get satisfaction from making, because that took us and helped us learn something new. That's the only way we can keep evolving," she said. "We get a reward for that. When you think about, how important is that to our wellness? How important is that to our health? If you're feeling really horrible, isn't that important to practice? When you share it with someone else, how does that connect you and change your relationship to the world?"

While Living Art has been around for a long time, Stein said this year the nonprofit finally came up with a slogan that properly communicates its mission: "a place to create, share and heal."

"Creating helps us see in new ways, and if we're able to share that with someone else  those new perspectives  that helps the connection to self, to others and our environment," she said.

While the work has offered both sadness and excitement, Stein is stepping down as program director at the end of June.

"We feel very fortunate to have that experience. It helps remind us daily: why are we here as humans? To have that opportunity to connect with someone else in that kind of way, is something that I treasure deeply. It has this balance of the whole range of what it means to be human. To experience that in a regular way is kind of amazing," she said.

Tracy Pohndorf, Living Art's executive director, will step into the program director role. Pohndorf, who's worked with Stein for almost five years, said it's been great to "be with the founder of an organization for that long and really get a feel of where the organization started. Carrying that forward is just an honor."

***

Living Art began in 1993 with Stein; Beth Ferris, a writer and filmmaker who was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome; Linda Swab, a friend of Stein's who had been diagnosed with cancer; and Dorrit Karasek, an art therapist.

The other three had begun meeting, writing and envisioning the project by the time Stein completed graduate school in psychology and drama therapy and returned from California and reconnected with Swab.

"They had found a way to connect that made them feel most alive under those circumstances of pain and illness and loss. They wanted to share that with others," Stein said.

The early workshops included a wide range of art forms, in addition to documentary filmmaking under the wing of Montanans for Quality Television, a predecessor of Missoula Community Access Television, and then Very Special Arts Montana. In 1998, it was spun off into its own nonprofit.

Now, it offers art and writing workshops that serve an estimated 500 people a year, and has four employees and 20-some facilitator volunteers.

After her last day in June, Stein will focus on a few different projects. She will continue helping Living Art find a larger, more permanent home and eventually wants to come back and facilitate workshops.

She's also enrolled in the Montana Artrepreneur Program, a program of the Montana Arts Council designed to teach artists how to develop the business side of their careers.

Stein has made masks, often using materials gathered in the forest. She's going to shift to using manmade materials, a change spurred by her work with Living Art.

"Our creativity and expression of it is a way to work with our emotional responses to the world, and one of the things that's very painful to me is what we're doing to our environment, especially with plastics  how it breaks down and becomes a part on the micro level of everything: in the ocean, in our bodies, in animals," she said.

She's also pursuing another medium: "Photography is a newer way to pay attention to the world and what intrigues me or captivates me," she said.

While she's sad to leave Living Art, in a way she can never leave the experience behind.

"I feel like it's woven into me," she said. "Everything I've learned, every person I've met, actually feels like it's woven into my being. So in that way, I can't lose it."
FISH CREEK  After nearly five months in recovery, a 4-year-old bald eagle launched out of her crate on Sunday, finding a perch halfway up a pine tree next to Fish Creek.

Camy Popiel and her boyfriend, John Proen, were driving along Interstate 90 between Superior and Alberton on Dec. 20 when Proen spotted something on the side of the road, a large, dark shape in stark contrast to the blanket of snow underneath.

"I think that was a bald eagle," he told Popiel.

They turned back and saw he was right: a bald eagle lay completely spread out over the snow. Surely its dead, they thought. Then the eagle lifted up its head.

"I finally got a little bit of (cellphone) coverage, and posted it on my Facebook page," Popiel said. "I asked everyone if they could get the number of someone who could help."

Ravens had started circling, but Popiel was determined this eagle was going to live, even if it meant "having to get my Montana whoop-ass out."

"No one's going to get this eagle," she said.

They called the poaching hotline, and an hour and a half later, help arrived.

"She didn't fight at all. She was ready to be rescued," Popiel said.

Popiel spoke to the eagle, comforting her the way she comforts her dog, who suffers from seizures. The eagle was completely soaked and near death. They named her Eli when they originally thought she was male, after a 4-year-old boy Popiel knows who suffers from a heart condition.

Eventually, Eli wound up at the Wild Skies Raptor Center in Missoula.

***

Eli was struck by a car, breaking her leg, said Wild Skies founder and Executive Director Brooke Tanner.

She wasnt able to stand for nearly six weeks, meaning she either had nerve damage or a pelvic fracture. Once her bones had healed, Tanner noticed that she was still knuckling her right talons. But one day, Tanner went to the enclosure and there was Eli, perched. That was a turning point, Tanner said, and ever since then Eli worked on getting her strength back.

"As far as eagles go, she was great to work with," Tanner said. "But it was touch-and-go there for awhile. The fracture was so close to the joint. We were going to try and splint it ... and we knew within a week, this isn't going to work."

They had to use external fixators on both sides of her leg to help her heal.

On Sunday, her left leg was banded with a silver U.S. Geological Survey band. If anything ever happens to Eli, or when she dies, if someone finds the band theyll be able to tell more about her and how long she lived.

Then Wild Skies gave Eli her final meal at the center: venison. They sharpened her talons and she was ready to go.

Overlooking Fish Creek on Sunday afternoon, Tanner set up Eli's crate so the opening was pointing toward the valley. The idea was that Eli would fly out, catch the breeze and head to the river. Eli had other plans, veering sharply left out of the crate and causing the small audience to duck as she stretched her 6 -foot wingspan and took off for the nearby trees.

"Go, Eli, go!" Popiel shouted. "Go, baby, go!"

She found a pine tree and perched, eyeing everything around her.

Sometimes they fly off and they keep going, other times they perch, Tanner said. I would expect her to do that (perch). And this time of year everybody is so territorial that she wants to probably sit tight. I was kind of worried about osprey being around or something, somebody being territorial and chasing her off as soon as she came out. Im just glad that didnt happen.

Two adult redtail hawks did start hovering over the tree. They werent happy Eli was there, and showed it by tucking their wings and diving sharply.

Eventually they gave up and flew away, leaving Eli alone.
On Mother's Day, I was reminded of what James Baldwin said about children and parents: Children may not listen to their parents, but they always imitate them. As I look around Missoula, I'd say that many, many people had excellent parents, whom they copy in leading their excellent lives.

Part of that excellence is helping those who have no one to help. A mother is the model worldwide of someone a child turns to for help. But what if she can only give that child one meal a day; forget schooling, shots or even safety from bombs? With no one to turn to, she needs advocates  people like us, who drew life's winning lottery tickets.

In the last 35 years, the number of mothers and children in our world dying of preventable causes has been cut by half. Such progress comes from vigilant citizen lobbying groups that give legislators the political will to devote ever greater financial support for the job. But there are still too many dying: 289,000 mothers and 5.9 million children each year. And they often die from having to deliver babies at home, not having enough to eat, not having clean water, not having the everyday vaccinations we give our children without fail.

We citizens of the United States do our helping through USAID  U.S. Aid for International Development. But that agency's mother and child programs need to be better coordinated by a permanent director, who will retain the position as administrations come and go in Washington. The Reach Every Mother and Child Act will create such a permanent director, so that more of the money Congress has allocated reaches the ground in an effective, long-term way.

To get an up-close look at the good done by USAID, consider the recollections of Dori Nielson, a longtime Missoulian who worked for USAID in Liberia and recently told me this story: During almost 20 years of on and off brutal civil war in Liberia, schools and government services were suspended and civilians hid in fear. When peace returned, so did aid programs. I evaluated the results of a USAID education project designed to condense six years of elementary education into three years, for those who had no educational opportunity during the war. Many of the students were young mothers, committed to getting math and reading skills so they could better buy and sell in the marketplace and thus provide for their families and pay for education for their children. They came to classes at night, walking through the jungles with their youngest children in tow, using flashlights and cellphones, powered by solar batteries, for light. Their commitment was evident when our school generator failed. They didnt miss a beat but simply pulled out their flashlights and cellphones and kept right on taking the test. The results of the evaluation: students in the three-year condensed program did as well or better than elementary students in the regular six-year program.

U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke have already signed on to sponsor this bill  Senate Bill 1911 and House Bill 3706. We need to ask U.S. Sen. Steve Daines to do likewise. And, since it is still awaiting action in committee, we need to let all three of them know that we want them to move it through committee and pass it into law, as soon as possible.

When our own children and grandchildren do their unconscious imitating of us, let them reach out with helping hands to all the needy mothers and children in our global village, because they first saw us doing it. And let them draw on all we've learned in the past 50 years about how to help in a smart way.
When Yellowstone National Parks iconic grizzly bear, Scarface, was killed just over the park border in Montana last month, it likely presaged the fate awaiting its fellow grizzlies should the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decide to remove the bears from Endangered Species Act protections. The delisting debate is now in full swing as support for the bears grows with scientists, tribal members and conservationists weighing in from around the world.

Scarface was well known to photographers and wildlife watchers due to the likely battle-caused disfigurement of the bears face and nose. But while cherished by so many in life, Scarfaces end was anything but noble. Debate rages over who killed the bear and why since no one has come forward to claim the kill and the carcass was simply left in the field to rot. In short, this particular bears death was a total and senseless waste.

Even worse, rumors are flying that both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Montanas Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks didnt release news of the bears demise because they feared the negative effect it would generate on the public comment period now open on delisting grizzlies. While those who covered up the killing were certainly wrong to keep the information from the public, they were right that Scarfaces death would spark an outpouring of opposition to delisting grizzlies.

Joining 58 other scientists, Jane Goodall, perhaps the most famed African researcher for her incredible 55 years of studying chimpanzees, weighed in against the hunts now being planned by Montana, Wyoming and Idaho wildlife agencies. As Goodall and her fellow scientists wrote: Their future isnt secure yet, because they face so many threats to their survival. They are right and the evidence is clear.

Grizzlies have already suffered the effects of global climate change due to white bark pine mortality. The white bark produces extremely nutritious nuts in its cones that are harvested largely by squirrels who bury large quantities in middens for future use. These shallow pits are uncovered by the grizzlies who then gorge on the nuts prior to hibernation. But without the white bark pines, there are no nuts for squirrels, birds or grizzlies.

Likewise, Yellowstones grizzlies have already lost another significant source of high-level protein thanks to the illegal introduction of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. Prior to that criminal act by some thoughtless human, the primary fish in the lake were cutthroat trout. As anyone who visited the park prior to the lake trout infestation can tell you, the rivers and streams were thick with large cutthroats that left the lake to spawn in the tributaries. There they became fairly easy game for the grizzlies, much like the spawning salmon in Alaska, simply because of their numbers in the shallow water. But that major food source is gone now, too.

Neither global climate change nor its wide-ranging impacts are slowing. In the meantime, low mountain snowpack, higher temperatures, drought and increased insect infestations are fueling wildfires across the West. Although not destroying forests as some claim, wildfires are certainly bringing changes to grizzly habitat, especially when combined with ongoing logging operations that some clueless politicians think should be increased. For those that doubt the connection, Montanas stagnant or dwindling grizzly population in the Cabinet-Yaak area demonstrates that, even with their best efforts, wildlife agencies have not been able to overcome the habitat destruction and human intrusion for this isolated population of bears.

And then theres the hunting factor. While many tout hunting as the basis of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, the fact is grizzlies are not elk, deer or antelope. Grizzlies have some of the slowest reproduction rates of any native wildlife, which makes the loss of a single female bear a significant event.

But the wildlife management agencies of the states surrounding Yellowstone are, as they have always been, subject to intense political pressure to keep large predators, such as grizzlies and wolves, held to minimum populations to avoid damages to the ubiquitous livestock grazing on public lands.

If theres any good news for the grizzlies, its that any delisting decision will immediately be challenged in court. Until then, those who believe the grizzlies deserve better than the fate of Scarface should send in comments opposing delisting and hunting. The USFWS comment period is open until May 10 at regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=FWS-R6-ES-2016-0042 and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commissions comment period is open till June 17 at fwpgen@mt.gov.
Asa'el Avraham states he has been using VA medical off and on for 45 years (letter, May 4) and is not happy with it but thinks the Veterans Choice Program is wonderful.

I have been using VA medical for only 12 years and I find it to be great. (I followed my regular doctor from civilian practice to the VA here in Missoula.)

When an outside medical procedure was called for it was set up and taken care of in two to three weeks. I received the paperwork from Fort Harrison, took it to the medical facility and the work was done. I was taken good care of and was well pleased with the results.

Now I have to use the Veterans Choice Program and it is a nightmare. I was informed in late December 2015 that I needed an eye exam. What used to take two weeks has taken seven months under the VCP. Calling their 800 number, I first reached a person in Pennsylvania. Following calls were answered in Texas and Florida.

On the last call to Florida I was told I had an appointment for July 5. I checked and found another doctor who could take me in May. I was informed that doctor was not in their system. In frustration, I told the VCP operator to look at the July 5 appointment. I had been told in the beginning (by an insider) to be sure and call back after 10 working days on every call, as the VCP operators were subpar, didnt know the system and were minimum wage.

So if U.S. Sen. Jon Tester can cancel out the Veterans Choice Program, I am all for it. Returning the medical care of veterans to the VA would be a step in the right direction. (Hell have my vote and Im a Republican.)

Roy D. LaBarrer,

Arlee
HAMILTON  The month of April wasnt kind to the Bitterroot Valleys snowpack.

At the beginning of April, snowpack levels surrounding the valley were at close to average levels for that time of year.

But then came a series of warmer-than-normal days that sometimes popped temperatures above the 80-degree mark.

Our snowpack has dropped to about 40 percent of average from the first of April until today (Friday), said Bitterroot National Forest Hydrologist Ed Snook. Its been a pretty dramatic drop. Almost all of the SNOTEL sites above 6,000 feet have zeroed out.

Thats what happens when you have an above average temperature pattern in the spring and only have an average snowpack to counter it, he said.

At this point, the snow melt is about two weeks ahead of schedule.

Right now, even at the highest elevations, temperatures arent plunging down below the freezing mark needed to slow down the melt.

Thats what is giving our river its push over the last four or five days, he said. We just saw a new peak today (Friday). It surpassed the peak we saw about three weeks ago.

As of now, Snook said the Bitterroot River was running about 30 to 40 percent higher than average.

***

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Services May 1 Water Supply Outlook Report, the runoff is expected to peak about two weeks earlier than average.

Thats fairly consistent with the pattern that weve seen over the last eight to 10 years, Snook said. Were in a long-term warming spell and the river shows it.

At this point, most of the water in the river is coming from the west side of the valley. The snowpack in the Sapphire Mountains is about gone.

And most of whats left in the Bitterroot Mountains can be found in the sheltered north aspects of the mountains.

When you drive north and look at the south sides of the peaks, it doesnt look like theres much snow left, Snook said. Turn around and drive south and youll see a lot more snow.

The quick melt in April has put the watershed on a similar course as last year.

According to the NRCS report, last year the basin peaked at 84 percent of average about 22 days early.

This year, the basins snow water equivalent peaked on March 29 at 94 percent of average. The peak came three days early.

Currently, the basin-wide snowpack is similar to what it was last year at this time. If normal weather patterns persist through May, all the snow measuring sites in the basin will be snow free by early June, which is about two weeks earlier than average.

The challenge has been a winter-long pattern that brought warmer than normal weather in between storms.

Last year was quite a dry year that impacted our river and streams, Snook said. I hate to see that happen again, but people should look toward the summer with that in mind. We may have a repeat of low flows later in the summer.

The long range forecast calls for warmer temperatures than average and about average precipitation all the way through October.

But there could be some relief in sight.

The long-range forecast suggests that we may see a reversal after October, Snook said. It may get cooler and wetter. That, at least, gives us something to look forward to. Farmers, skiers and fishermen all have to be optimists and look forward to that next season.
BILLINGS  A proposed Puget Sound shipping terminal for Montana coal is dead after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied it a permit Monday.

Citing the fishing rights of the nearby Lummi Nation, Corps Col. John Buck, determined that as currently proposed, Gateway Pacific Terminal could not be permitted.

Valued at $700 million, the port was to be located near Ferndale, Washington. Lummi Nation had cited treaty rights in January 2015 when it asked the Army Corps to reject the project.

The port was advocated by Cloud Peak Energy and the Crow Tribe of Montana. Those port proponents have an agreement for a coal mine on Crow Reservation. The coal was to be shipped from the Pacific Northwest.

Word that the Army Corps would deny the permit began circulating in February after Buck met with U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT. Zinke and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT, had countered that the Crow Tribe had a right to profit from it's coal and was losing out Lummi Nation.

The Gateway Pacific Terminal is incredibly important to Montana, the Crow, and even to the blue collar workers in Washington State because it is literally the gateway to economic prosperity and rising out of poverty, Zike said Monday in a prepared statement. Furthermore, to kill a project before an Environmental Impact Study is completed sets a terrible precedent  as an advocate of conservation, I fear for the future of our lands and resources. Its a sad day in America when even our Army Corps of Engineers can be wooed by special interests.

Daines, who advocated for the Army Corps to finish an environmental study of the port and make a decision later this year or in 2017, said Monday that no tribe had ever before been allowed to kill a project before a study was completed.

The Gateway Pacific Terminal would provide access to international markets for Montana coal and agriculture products  including Crow coal  creating much needed economic prosperity," Daines siad in a prepared statement. "Once again, the federal government is trampling on Montanans livelihoods and I will fight tooth and nail to ensure Montanans have a voice in Montanas future.
The students enrolled in the University of Montanas IBM InfoSphere Streams course are getting one-of-a-kind introduction to the groundbreaking tools being used in the quickly expanding high-tech field of big-data analytics.

The job now, according to the founders of a new Big Data Alliance being formed in Missoula, is making sure those students have somewhere to put what they learn to work after graduation. More importantly, alliance founders want that somewhere to be in Missoula.

The alliance is being organized the Missoula Economic Partnership, which is working to bring community, private sector, government and university stakeholders together to talk about how to grow all areas of big-data analytics in Missoula.

Were just saying, lets get all the parties together that play in this space and say, how? We dont want to develop an expertise in this and have no ability to capture it, grow it, said James Grunke, MEP president.

The Streams course is an interdisciplinary class that was first offered through at UMs School of Business Administration in the fall 2012 semester. It is the first undergraduate Streams course in the world and helps prepare students who want to pursue jobs in the big-data sector.

Critical to the conversation, Grunke said, is Alex Philp, whose tech companies have been doing groundbreaking work in big-data analytics for the past decade. Philps work put Missoula on the big-data map after he launched several companies, including GCS Research and TerraEchos.

The alliance can help develop the infrastructure to make sure students have a place to work and businesses like Philps can grow, Grunke said.

Its really a chicken and an egg, Grunke said. We think were trying to be both.

***

It was Philps connection to IBM that helped bring the Streams class to UM.

In 2010, Terra secured a licensing agreement with IBM. IBMs Streams software is embedded with TerraEchos Kairos system, a technology that helps package, analyze and correlate large amounts of fast-moving data in real time.

Philp is an IBM champion who lectures and blogs for the company. He worked for several years with UM and MEP to bring the Streams class to campus. In February, Philp brought high-level IBM representatives to campus to discuss how UMs partnership with IBM could be expanded.

Philp sees the Big Data Alliance as being a forum for all interested players to meet, talk and spark innovation.

When IBM representatives gathered with community members at a luncheon here in February there was an explosion of conversation about the industry. Thats what needs to happen if Missoula is going to move forward as a big-data hub, Philp said.

I want it to support innovation on all fronts. How can we use big-data technology to do it better? Better banking, better natural resource management, he said. Every single (Missoula) institution, I can tell you how theyd benefit from big data. All of this is worth discussing and learning about.

Big-data analytics is a $28 billion industry that is already facing growing workforce demand needs. The end game is to have Missoula be an internationally recognized hub for excellence in big data, Philp said.

The first Big Data Alliance meeting likely will be in late spring, Grunke said.

At least it gets people thinking about these things, he said. Theres nobody else right now, really kind of taking this approach to say, This could be ours. 
LAME DEER  An emergency room nurse at Lame Deer Health Center turned to a red box on the wall and pushed a button to call for backup.

With that, a silver web camera pointed to the top corner of the room swiveled around and down to look toward the patients bed and a nearby television flickered on to show a woman in scrubs sitting at a desk in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Avera ER, this is Carol, the distant nurse answered one recent April morning. She was ready to bring over a doctor to assist with diagnosis and monitoring, or to make calls and do paperwork so on-site staff would not have to leave a patient alone.

The clinic in the remote community two hours east of Billings is the first Indian Health Service facility in the country to bring board-certified specialists into its emergency room via teleconference. The model created in Lame Deer is planned for rollout to other reservation health centers in Montana and Wyoming starting early this summer once the Billings area office finalizes a contract.

The program reflects a broader strategy of the federal agency, which was created to fulfill the United States treaty promises to provide health care to more than 560 tribal nations in exchange for ceding most of their land. The Indian Health Service sees telemedicine as a cost-effective way to bring specialists into its hospitals and to fill gaps at rural facilities that often struggle to recruit enough medical professionals to operate at full staff.

Telemedicine is part of the future, said Dr. Jonathan Gilbert, clinical director for the Billings-area office of IHS. Its a fantastic way to bring board-certified specialists to a frontier community and to raise the bar.

Telemedicine is not new to Montana or the Indian Health Service, but technology improvements, shifting health care demands and new, more permissive laws have spurred increasing use nationwide.

For decades the costs and quality of teleconferencing often were prohibitive, particularly in a medical setting where communication must be clear, secure and reliable.

Among the first telehealth projects was a partnership between the Indian Health Service, NASA and others. From 1972 to 1975, a van packed with medical instruments and equipped with a satellite connected on-site paramedics with specialist doctors at a distant hospital using a two-way microwave radio transmission. In the early 1990s, several federal programs offered grants for hospitals to research telemedicine or to pay for the needed connectivity improvements in rural areas.

By the early 2000s, the Indian Health Service began rolling out telemedicine specialty programs and support services for some of its hospitals that are still used today. Echocardiograms, X-Rays and retinal images could be sent from isolated communities to specialists in the Phoenix-area office to be interpreted, reducing or eliminating the need to pay for those staff locally.

In 2009, the agency received $85 million to improve electronic and telehealth capabilities, including the purchase of several video conferencing units that cost more than $15,000 each.

Nowadays, other solutions are available that are software-based and can be used on existing computers, so with a nice web camera for $80 we can lower that cost bar to maybe $100, said Dr. Chris Fore, director of the IHS TeleBehavioral Health Center of Excellence, remarking on the pace of technological innovation. Were spending hundreds instead of thousands.

***

Some technical challenges remain.

Unlike a Skype chat with distant relatives, doctors must be certain their digital communications are secure enough to transmit confidential patient information. File transfers became easier once federal law required hospitals to implement electronic patient records, variations of which had been tested years earlier at some IHS facilities. Services that require video conferencing, such as psychiatric appointments, must have reliable Internet connections with sufficient bandwidth. Those improvements can be costly for rural reservations like those in Montana, but Fore, a clinical psychologist, said it is a quality benchmark that should not be compromised.

You dont want to be in the middle of a patient disclosing a sensitive, painful event and have the connection drop, he said.

Additionally, many hospitals delayed implementation of telehealth technologies because it is more difficult or impossible to bill for those services as is done for the same treatments provided in-person. Twenty states still do not have parity laws that outline rules for billing telehealth services, according to the American Telemedicine Association. Montana passed its law only three years ago.

Although the ability to bill insurance will help reduce program costs paid with federal funding, the Indian Health Service must provide care regardless of whether a patient has insurance. For decades, critics have argued that Congress has shortchanged the system, leading some IHS hospitals to limit services, prioritize referrals or delay care that would be routine in private hospitals.

Federal leaders spend less per capita to fulfill treaty promises for Indian health care than they appropriate for patients accessing care through Medicare, Medicaid, veterans programs or serving time in federal prisons, according to a periodic review of federal records by the National Congress for American Indians. In 2012, the latest year available across all programs, Congress spent an average of $2,896 per capita on IHS patients compared to $12,042 for Medicare and $6,206 for Medicaid. And that level is nearly double the amount that had been spent before a series of increases advocated by President Barack Obama and approved by Congress.

Telemedicine has been one way local IHS leaders can stretch how far their funding goes. But first, the money must be available for the initial investment.

"The truth is I don't know if they have the resources to set it up (in more facilities)," said Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana democrat who serves as vice chair of the Indian Affairs Committee. "I see plenty of examples where it's used in rural hospitals, in emergency rooms, used in the VA for mental health treatment and they're very successful, but you've got to have the infrastructure to support it. You've got to have the fiber going in and then you've got to have the people to do it and you've got to pay for the training on how to use it. All of that costs money. But it's a one-time expense."

***

Some telemedicine programs are in-house at the federal agency. Others operate through private contracts or partnerships with medical schools. Although in-house programs tend to operate more cheaply than contractors, Fore said all provide cost savings for participating clinics by leveraging regional wage differences and economies of scale.

Federal payroll records show that the Indian Health Service pays most physicians  from ER doctors to cardiologists  about $200,000 a year. Those salaries quickly eat up local operating funds at IHS hospitals and clinics even though they tend to be less than private sector pay.

A health tech, paid a fraction of the salary for an ophthalmologist, sat next to a blue-and-white retinal scanner tucked in the corner of a small room at the Crow-Northern Cheyenne Hospital one recent April afternoon. Dr. Lynelle Noisy Hawk, the hospitals clinical director and a patient, sat in front of the blue-and-white scanner for an eye exam that is part of the facilitys comprehensive diabetes screening. The tech pushed a button and the $85,000 machine hummed louder and louder as it warmed up.

As Noisy Hawk pressed her face against the scanner, the tech touched the screen to take an orange-hued photo of blood vessels snaking through the back of the eyes light-sensitive retina. The blood vessels here are the smallest in the body, making them the first place doctors can identify diabetic complications such as a loss of vision or hypertension. Although Noisy Hawk herself doesnt have diabetes, she said she is considered high-risk for developing the condition because of her family health history.

All right, lean back, the tech directed Noisy Hawk as they finished the four-minute exam. Im going to send these images down to our national reading center. From there an ophthalmologist will look at it to grade it for a specific level of diabetic retinopathy. From there, a follow up will be recommended.

That small crew of ophthalmologists at a Phoenix IHS office providing advice to local physicians and optometrists saves participating hospitals the cost of those specialty salaries.

Noisy Hawk said the technology also has made it easier to examine more patients by adding a quick scan to any visit rather than having to schedule around a doctor. Although the program is only available at about half of the agencys facilities, internal statistics show a 20 percent increase in the rate of exams conducted nationwide since 2007.

***

In nearby Lame Deer, the contract with Avera Health for its teleER services costs about $72,000 a year, which is cheaper than hiring emergency medicine physicians. Nursing Director Mardell Nichols, who spearheaded the program, said it also helps solve another persistent challenge: recruitment and retention.

The challenge with rural health care is youre not going to find a board-certified ER doctor or emergency family practitioner to work in your ER, Nichols said.

Rural facilities in particular struggle to recruit doctors as the number of primary care providers plummets and pay surges for those in specialty fields. If they do hire someone skilled, it is often not long before neighboring urban hospitals offer them a raise.

The next site expected to launch a teleER like the one in Lame Deer is the Blackfeet Community Hospital in Browning. CEO Dee Hutchison said the facility has struggled to bring emergency-medicine doctors to the small Hi-Line community, forcing family practitioners to take extra rotations through the ER that reduce their availability for primary care patients.

Fore said that while the cost efficiencies are critical in a cash-strapped system, the primary driver behind IHS' telehealth programs are to increase access to specialties that improve the quality of care.

Discussions about telemedicine really have changed, Fore said. It used to be at conferences that wed ask, Is telehealth effective? Is it as good? Now, the research shows that, in some cases, it may be better than in person.

Fore said some advantages of telemedicine can be surprising, listing examples from his experience with the agencys psychiatry program.

Patients travel to the same hospitals for a counseling appointment whether it is in-person or by video conference, yet they are 2.5 times less likely to skip a teleconference session, according to internal data from 2012. Likewise, initial internal reviews and anecdotal evidence suggest that the physical distance helps patients open up about difficult experiences more quickly than if they received therapy in-person, potentially speeding up treatment progress.

Many tribal communities are small, insular, everybody knows everything going on, Fore said of the program used at Fort Peck Indian Reservation, among others. Patients have told us they like that they wont see their provider at a gas station or at Wal-Mart. Theres a feeling that its more confidential.

Nathan Moyer, nurse ER director at Crow-Northern Cheyenne Hospital, said he is excited about the possibility of the teleER program coming to his facility.

Weird stuff happens that you dont know what to do about. Having the ability to do a quick video consult with a specialist and ask, How do you manage this? he said. We dont have a lot of resources at three oclock in the morning. When we have a multi-trauma come in, it would be great to have another set of eyes to take a look at your patient or monitor their vital signs. Simple things where you can free somebody up for 5 minutes to care for someone else.

Even when an ambulance arrives with seriously wounded patients, Nichols agreed that it helps to have a doctor available at the push of a button to issue lifesaving medical orders.

We have a doctor on call at night, but hes 30 miles away, she said, noting that delaying care even minutes can matter. Its a safety net for sure.
Community leaders looking to reinvent Missoula after the collapse of the timber industry may have found the next big thing  a small but growing network of companies rooted in big data and emerging Internet technologies.

Entrepreneurs behind Missoulas network of high-tech startups, supported by backers of a new program at the University of Montana and investors looking to sponsor the future, see potential in Missoula as a technology hub of the Northern Rockies.

On a quiet weekday afternoon, employees at TerraEchos sat before their monitors, working to predict cyber-security attacks using proprietary software. Across town, employees at GCS Research kept busy developing next-generation Geographic Information Systems and remote-sensing applications.

Both companies have grown since they were founded in Missoula, and both firms look to expand in the years ahead. But their plans for future growth may hinge upon cultivating a local pool of talented workers educated on the cutting edge of mathematics, computer science and information systems.

Its very hard to find people who have the talents we need, said Whitney Hepp, director of marketing and operations at TerraEchos. Supporting the university is like creating a pool within our community to attract these students, keep them here and grow this technology center right in Missoula.

TerraEchos is one of Missoulas fastest growing tech firms. It processes, correlates and analyzes moving data in real time, and it acts upon that data in the moment. Hepp calls it the speed of now and says the need to read large amounts of data, as it passes, is in high demand.

The company moved to its new downtown location on Spruce Street in January and now employs 11 workers. Nine of Terras 11 employees are UM graduates, or have ties to the school.

We had a three- to five-year plan to double our staff every year, said Misti James, Terras chief operating officer. We hit that target this year, going from five to 11. We plan on going from 11 to 20 next year, and 20 to 40 after that.

Alex Philp, founder and president of GCS Research, recognized the shortage of skilled workers early on. He urged UM to launch a course on IBMs InfoSphere Streams software and has been a staunch advocate for growing the program ever since.

***

Last fall and with funding in place, UM became the first university in the world to offer the IBM course at the undergraduate level. In doing so, it garnered national attention from tech bloggers and data watchdogs. It also laid the groundwork for what supporters see as Missoulas future as a tech center.

Its putting Missoula on an international map as a world leader in information technology, said Philp. If we dont stay ahead, other universities and other communities will catch up. We need to give these resources to students. Theyre hungry for this kind of stuff.

UM expanded the Streams course this spring and opened the class to new disciplines. Three departments are now looking to join forces in launching a new Big Data Program at the university, with some pushing for a full degree program.

Eric Tangedahl, director of information systems technology in the School of Business Administration, is co-teaching the Streams program this semester with Brian Steele, an associate professor of mathematics. The programs are working with other departments at UM to expand the universitys big-data offerings, and they may gear additional courses toward the subject.

Its not one person solving these problems  its a skill set coming together, said Tangedahl. Everyone is saying this is a big area. They tend to say there wont be enough people to fill these jobs.

A survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review echoed those concerns. Nearly three out of every four tech firms surveyed planned to hire in the field, but reported that finding qualified employees was challenging to very difficult.

In its own report, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics now predicts a 24 percent increase over the next eight years in the demand for professionals with data analytics skills. The Harvard survey also found that 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies, and federal tech and business leaders, had funded big-data initiatives on the horizon.

Thats not surprising given the massive amount of buzz big data has garnered, wrote Christy Maver, an IBM big-data product marketing manager. What keeps these leaders up at night is how theyre going to staff these initiatives.

Maver went on to say that big data was not a fad  its not a tech bubble waiting to burst. The big-data world is the world in which we live now, in which businesses operate. Developing the talent to fill future jobs may be the biggest challenge facing the industry.

***

While Missoula entrepreneurs say that while finding workers creates challenges for tech firms looking to grow, it also has created an opportunity local leaders are looking to capitalize on.

The Missoula Economic Partnership recently launched its new Big Data Alliance, and Clyde Neu, chief financial officer of TerraEchos, believes the community  with UM growing its curriculum to meet the needs  is one step ahead of competitors.

Neu, who served as MBA director at UM, refers to Bend, Ore., when promoting Missoulas potential as a tech hub. Bend recently was featured in Entrepreneur magazine as the next big city for new startups  one that recovered from the crash of the timber industry, its former bread and butter.

The article promoted Bends potential by naming its size, diversity and its network of successful entrepreneurs willing to mentor new startups. It lauded the citys schools, recreation and proximity to large metro areas  namely its nonstop flights to Denver, Seattle and San Francisco  as selling points.

When Neu looks at Missoula, he sees Bends sister city: same size, same past and same amenities. But theres one component missing from Bend that Missoula has, that being the educational infrastructure needed to train employees.

I looked at Missoula and realized we have that piece thats missing in Bend, said Neu. We have successful startups here that have grown, been acquired or gone public. Now we need to seize the opportunity of having a university in our community.

In his office last week, Neu spoke of venture capitalists and a growing interest among investors looking for promising new startups located in the Rocky Mountain region, including Missoula.

His own company received startup funding from Flywheel Ventures based in New Mexico. The investors also are backing Submittable, a Missoula firm that became the first tech company in Montana invited to Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley-based incubator program that helps emerging entrepreneurs fast track the development of their business.

These are the kind of business that scale very quickly, Neu said. If they take root, theyll be hiring people. Their growth is somewhat global  theres no limitations. They leverage the Internet as they expand.

Thats what excites me about the Missoula area. We also have an awful lot of small, high-tech information firms bubbling underneath the surface here, and some are rising to the top and attracting substantial funding.

***

Leonid Kalachev, chair of the mathematical sciences department at UM, said Missoulas push to emerge as a tech center gained momentum last month when Valinda Kennedy, a relationship manager with IBMs Academic Initiative, visited the school.

As Kalachev puts it, big data streams in 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It comes through social media, news media, sensors used by industry and security firms, the Internet, video cameras and more.

They are constantly streaming through the Internet, cable, phone lines and wireless connections, Kalachev said. While the total amount of data is constantly increasing, the actual portion of it thats analyzed is going down.

The old way of analyzing data required large amounts of storage and painstaking review days and months later. But the old way, Kalachev said, doesnt allow businesses to make instantaneous decisions based on data as it streams in real-time feeds.

Making sense of that information presents new algorithmic and computational challenges, and it offers unsurpassed business opportunities. UM program leaders in computer science, information systems and mathematics are now looking at the reality of the new Big Data Program.

The University of Montana is ahead of the curve compared to any other university in the chase toward the Big Data Program, Kalachev said. Many high-tech companies in the U.S., including several in Missoula, are waiting for the students currently taking the Streams course, and theyre looking for students who eventually participate in the Big Data Program to be hired to work in these new complex and exciting problems.
The University of Montana Veteran Education Transition Services Office will team up with Missoula College and TRiO to host a dinner event designed to inform veterans who are not currently attending college and their family members about the opportunities available at Missoula College.

The event is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Monday at the Missoula College East Campus, located at 909 South Ave. W. The event is free and open to the public and includes dinner and dessert. No RSVP is required.

Admission counselors, program representatives and current veteran students will be available to answer participants questions. Daryl Lee, VETS Office program coordinator and a retired U.S. Marine, also will present on the status of prior learning assessments, or the ability for veterans to gain college credit for prior learning theyve completed during active duty.

For more information, call UM VETS Office Director Shawn Grove at 243-5044 or email shawn.grove@umontana.edu.

***

In other news from the University of Montana:

Mass spectrometry is a technique used to identify the chemical makeup of a given sample, and researcher Robert Smith just earned funding that may improve the process.

Smith, a UM computer science assistant professor, was awarded a CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation. He will receive $742,000 during the next five years.

CAREER grants are the most prestigious award for junior faculty, and this is the third one presented to a UM researcher this year.

I am very excited for this award, Smith said. It provides the resources for the next phase of our research, which presents the possibility of dramatically advancing the field of mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry has a broad range of applications of societal interest, including in medicine, forensics and basic biological sciences. Smith said his research develops new analysis techniques that allow mass spectrometry data to be used in ways that are not currently possible. This may lead to advances in fields like medical diagnostics, drug development and better research into poorly understood ailments involving proteins, such as Alzheimers disease.

He said mass spectrometry plays a role in many investigations because it can quantify and identify the major components  such as proteins, lipids, metabolites  of almost any cellular system.

His research develops a fundamentally different approach to mass spectrometry output signal analysis by:

Creating a different paradigm for mass spectrometry signal processing that segments the entire output file instead of extracting subregions of interest.

Showing that current methods are insufficient through a quantitative evaluation.

Enabling future research by capturing currently excluded low-abundance molecules.

Demonstrating how this new paradigm broadens future experimental possibilities with a novel correspondence approach built on the additional information provided by the proposed segmentation techniques.

Smith said a significant part of his plan involves outreach to Seeley-Swan High School, where researchers and teachers will team up to teach students problem-solving skills using computers in subjects such as chemistry, math and biology.

***

In 2003, the School of Business Administration created its first privately funded professorship thanks to a gift from Carol Jean Byrnes in honor of her late husband, Donald. Now, a second act of generosity ensures the Donald and Carol Jean Byrnes Professorship in Finance will continue for generations to come.

With a posthumous gift of $1 million, made through the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, Carol Jean Byrnes has created an endowment for the professorship. That means the donation will be invested, and the proceeds will support the position in perpetuity.

This gift will ensure the University of Montana School of Business Administration carries on a strong tradition of building financial literacy among our students and contributing to the broader field of study, said Business School Dean Larry Gianchetta.

There have been two Byrnes Professors at SoBA since 2003: Joseph Vinso, who served from 2003 to 2007, and Keith Jakob, who joined the UM faculty in 2000 and has served as Byrnes Professor since 2007.

With private support, the Byrnes Professor can more easily pursue research and maintain a record of publication in top journals. Not only does this scholarly work benefit the field in general, it also translates to superior teaching. Jakob has taught courses at UM in corporate finance and investments, as well as financial statement analysis. He has published papers in the worlds elite finance journals, including Journal of Financial Economics, Financial Management and the Journal of Financial Research.

The Byrnes familys donations also support the Byrnes Accounting and Finance Research Seminar, which showcases internationally renowned experts and helps students deepen their knowledge and understanding of the field. Since 2003, SoBA has hosted 62 lectures on topics such as financial audits, wealth management and accounting ethics.

Carol Jean and Donald both are from Glendive and met during high school. After serving as a Navy seaman in World War II, Donald earned a bachelors degree in accounting from UM in 1949. Upon his graduation, the couple spent time in cities around the country before settling in Tampa, Florida, where Donald rose to chief executive of the Spalding and Evenflo Companies before retiring as president and chief executive of Pueblo Xtra International.

Despite the distance and a busy schedule managing multinational companies, Donald always found time to return to Missoula. His business acumen made him an oft-invited lecturer at UMs business school, but it was his willingness to share his personal experiences and interact with students that made him a class favorite. He also served on the UM Foundation board of trustees, and was vice chairman when he passed away in 1995.

Although Carol never attended college, she supported UM because of the special place it held in Donalds heart. Her first gift established a merit-based scholarship for business undergraduate and graduate students from Montana. Since it was inaugurated in 1997, the fund has helped more than 25 students attend UM. She expanded her support in 2003 by establishing the Byrnes Professorship, and now her and Donalds legacy will live on at UM forever thanks to her final act of generosity.

***

Researchers in the College of Forestry and Conservation recently earned more than $1 million in funding from the Joint Fire Science Program through four separate awards involving faculty from all three departments in the college.

Forest ecology associate professor Andrew Larson is principal investigator of a project to look at how wildfires shape vegetation and fuels in the forests of north-central Washington. His project proposal titled Landscape Evaluations and Prescriptions for Post-Fire Landscapes was awarded $384,000. Larson says he and co-investigators will develop an integrated framework for assessing post-fire landscapes that helps managers identify how and where fires achieved management objectives, or not.

Fire ecology associate professor Philip Higuera is the principal investigator of two projects: one awarded $355,000 to examine how climate variability impacts tree regeneration in low-elevation forests in the Northern Rockies and the other awarded $290,000 to study the ecological and social impacts of wildfires.

Forest landscape ecology associate professor Solomon Dobrowski, UM postdoctoral scientist Kim Taylor and UM alumnus Sean Parks, now a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, are co-principal investigators on Higueras first project titled Climate Variability and Post-Fire Forest Regeneration in the Northern Rockies.

Higuera and co-investigators will use tree rings to examine at how ponderosa pine and Douglas fir regenerated after past fires. They will create a model that can help managers predict when and where those trees will re-populate burned forests in the future.

UM research associate professor Alex Metcalf and recreation management and human dimensions of natural resources associate professor Libby Metcalf are co-principal investigators on Higueras second project, Identifying Ecological and Social Resilience in Fire-Prone Landscapes, and will investigate communities in the Northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest that have been impacted by large fires to see how they adapt to their post-fire landscape. Additional collaborators include Carol Miller from the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and Dave McWethy from Montana State University.

Additionally, Larson is co-principal investigator on a $278,000 award with University of Washington research associate Van Kane and principal investigator Utah State University associate professor James Lutz to research tree mortality after wildfire. Trees growing in crowded, high-stress environments are known to have higher probability of mortality, but current models of fire-caused tree mortality do not include local crowding.

The Joint Fire Science Program is a federally funded program that funds scientific research on wildland fire.
BRUSSELS  The Greek debt talks are entering an all-too-familiar stage, as the countrys creditors on Monday sought to overcome a standoff over whether to give new aid to Athens.

Eurozone finance ministers discussed the bailout terms and for the first time formally debated ways to possibly ease Greeces giant debt burden. But the talks here on Monday were inconclusive.

The ministers said they would meet again on May 24 in hopes of signing off on a long-delayed review of whether Athens is complying with the terms of the 86-billion-euro bailout agreed to last summer  its third financial lifeline since the crisis began seven years ago.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the head of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, told a news conference Monday evening that there could be an agreement leading to more aid for Greece at that May 24 meeting.
Sharon Nir, graduate of Tel Aviv University in Israel, will be at Page 1 Books at 6:30pm on Thursday, May 12, to talk about and sign her memoir of moving to the United States, The Opposite of Comfortable.

The book is described as such: "Sharon Nir, a young mother and successful businesswoman, is faced with the most difficult decision of her life; should she abandon her career and her place of birth, Tel Aviv, to follow her husband, who has been offered a once in a lifetime opportunitya surgical fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City? In this heart-breaking and riveting memoir, Sharon shares her difficult but extraordinary journey of discovery: from her move to New York City, where she experiences loneliness and the shock of not having a career and the traumatic events of 9/11, to her return to Israel, the difficult relocation to Jerusalem and the discovery of a challenge her son has to face, through the baffling and grueling process of legal immigration in the United States, a journey that will force Sharon to question every certitude. What does it mean to lead a full life for a woman in the 21st century? The Opposite of Comfortable seeks to answer this difficult question while celebrating the strength and resilience of the female spirit."

Nir was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. She holds a Bachelor of Art degree in Language and Literature from Tel Aviv University, and an MBA in Marketing and International Management from Northeastern University, MA. As a system analyst and marketing manager in the high tech industry, Sharon developed the first Knowledge Management system in Israel and enjoyed a successful high-tech career when at the age of 29, she decided to follow her husband as his career took him to New York City. In 2009, the family immigrated to the United States. Sharon, her husband and two children reside in Albuquerque.

Page One Books is located at 5850 Eubank NE, Suite B-41, in Albuquerque's Mountain Run Shopping Center (southeast corner of Eubank and Juan Tabo). The Nir event is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 294-2026 or visit www.page1book.com.
Butte police reports

SHOWER THEFT

Edward Vondal, 41, and Leinaala Lewis, 57, both of Butte, were arrested for misdemeanor theft of services at the Butte KOA, 1601 Kaw Ave., on Saturday night. Police say they took a shower without paying. The suspects cited the reason was due to a lack of water at their residence.

UNRULY MAN

Steven Skinner, 49, of Butte was arrested about 11 p.m. Friday after he allegedly argued and fought with police at Spud McGees, 541 S. Main St. Police say he was intoxicated and was found with marijuana and a pipe at the county jail. He is facing misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct, criminal possession of dangerous drugs, and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.

MISDEMEANOR DUI

Tyler Facincani, 21, of Butte was allegedly speeding on Montana Street about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. At a traffic stop, he failed sobriety tests and refused a Breathalyzer. A search warrant was sought for a blood draw. He was arrested for misdemeanor charges of DUI, second offense, and driving with a suspended or revoked license, third offense.
Jessica Anderson has had a busy few weeks.

The 2016 Montana Teacher of the Year landed in Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 2, and didn't get back until late Friday night. She spent the interim with 55 other award-winning educators, bouncing between White House galas, teaching events, and Vice President Joe Biden's house.

And yes, she did get to meet President Obama, who Anderson said was excited to hear she taught in a STEM  science, technology, engineering and mathematics  field.

Obama's administration has stressed the need to improve student performance in those areas and, judging by the awards and peer recognition, Anderson has more than done her part.

The 30-year-old Anaconda native started her teaching career nine years ago, in a one-room schoolhouse in Gold Creek, Montana  a classroom not entirely unlike the one her grandmother once taught in on the North Dakota plains.

She's since moved on to Powell County High School in Deer Lodge, where she teaches earth science, chemistry, and physics. She also teaches oceanography online through the Montana Digital Academy.

Anderson, who was named the state's teacher of the year in September, has won plaudits from colleagues for her hands-on approach to teaching and innovative use of technology.

She chalked up some of those accolades to #MTedchat  a well-publicized weekly online chat co-moderated by Anderson and frequented by teachers around the state.

She credited the rest her success to maintaining a "high-energy" classroom environment as well as her use of a teaching technique known as "blended learning"  a computer-assisted approach that blends digital classrooms with traditional face-to-face instruction, allowing students to "learn at their own pace."

That sometimes means doing science while learning it. Anderson's students have aided the Clark Fork Coalition's efforts to analyze the stream quality of the Clark Fork River, planting vegetation along the banks of tributaries and helping discover new bacteriophages.

The students have also collaborated with students from around the world on issues like hydraulic fracturing.

Anderson said rejecting the sometimes stuffy classroom lecture approach has been something of a mixed blessing.

"Sometimes I feel isolated," she said. "Sometimes I think it would be easier to give a traditional lecture, but I can't do that. I think it would be a disservice to the kids."

Anderson has no plans to change schools or take a new job after winning the state's top teaching honor, though she does plan to pursue a doctorate and embark on a year-long sabbatical sometime next year.

For more information on Anderson and her teaching methods, visit theclassroomblender.com.
MISSOULA  Ethan Roach's birth on Wednesday was the best early Mother's Day gift Hannah Subry could have asked for.

Four months ago, she wasn't sure he would live.

"I went in there crying 'cause I was like, 'He's going to tell me that we can't make it, that I'm going to have another stillbirth,' 'cause my first was a stillbirth," Subry, from Helena, said of her first visit to Dr. Bardett Fausett's office at Community Medical Center in Missoula. "And I went in, and he was like, 'I got this; he's going to be fine.'"

By 17 weeks, Roach's blood count was down to 9. Typically at that point, it should be between 45 and 50.

It's because Subry has Rh disease, meaning her blood is Rh-negative and her baby's blood is Rh-positive. Rh is a protein in some people's red blood cells. Essentially, it means Subry's body developed antibodies that crossed the placenta and attacked and destroyed Roach's red blood cells.

By 17 weeks, Roach was severely anemic, and his heart was failing. Fausett said had he not given an in-utero blood transfusion when he did, Roach likely would have died within a few days.

"There isn't really a good way to stop the mother from making those antibodies or to stop them from crossing the placenta," Fausett said. "The only way, really, to treat it is to give the baby blood in the womb. So that's what happened."

That's what happened  and it's likely the first time it's happened successfully in the United States.

Blood transfusions in utero before 20 weeks are rare, especially through the umbilical vein. During his research, Fausett could only find two other cases in which it had succeeded, and those were in Paris. Even in those cases, intravascular transfusion (in the fetus' umbilical vein) was only attempted after intraperitoneal transfusion (in the fetus' abdomen).

It's a risky procedure, especially that early in a pregnancy. The needle Fausett had to use, 0.5 millimeters, was the same size as the umbilical vein  the biggest vein babies have at that point.

"He definitely had someone steadying that hand for him," Subry said of Fausett. "When we did the 17-week, he told me, 'I don't know how I did it, but I did it.'"

An ultrasound guided Fausett to the umbilical vein, where it attaches to the placenta.

"It's like trying to stick a fork in a piece of spaghetti in a boiling pot of water," he said. "It's going to move away from you."

That first blood transfusion was terrifying, Subry said.

"You know, you're wondering, 'What's going to happen? How is it going to happen? Is it going to work? Is it going to help?' And luckily it did," she said. "Knowing that he was so close to not being here, and that Fausett was able to save his life, was fantastic."

Normally, if a fetus needs a blood transfusion in utero, a doctor tries intraperitoneal transfusion.

That wasn't an option in this case, because at that point Roach was hydropic (swollen).

"The only way this baby could survive is to get blood into the cord, and that's not been done, basically," Fausett said. "We tried, and we were blessed and fortunate and successful."

Subry's first baby was stillborn, and her second baby, Annabelle, also suffered from anemia at birth. Annabelle is now a spunky blonde, blue-eyed 4-year-old who lives up to her Southern belle name, Subry said.

"When I had my daughter, I had her in Great Falls, and the specialist there told me I wouldn't have another one, that it wouldn't make it," Subry said. "So when I came to Fausett, I came thinking I wasn't going to be able to have this little boy."

She tried to keep herself busy at home to take her mind off the complication. Subry came in for an ultrasound every week, which was reassuring, but she was still scared. If anything felt wrong, she went to the hospital. Every morning, her daughter would ask, "Are you going to the doctor again?"

By 34 weeks, Roach had had seven blood transfusions. The shortest was 15 minutes, and the longest was three hours  a harrowing procedure because Fausett had to move the needle right past Roach's eye to reach the umbilical vein.

Annabelle's question started switching to, "Is my brother out of your belly yet?"

Then his heart rate started to drop. Subry had a choice: another in-utero blood transfusion or a C-section. She chose the latter. Out came Roach at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday evening: 4 pounds, 5 ounces. At birth, his blood count was 33  "low, but not too low," Fausett said.

Beforehand, NICU staff tried to prep Subry for a tough road ahead, being honest with her about the complications Roach would likely face. "He'll have to be rushed away when he's born," they said. And yet, the minute he was born, Dr. Kara Arvin said, "I lied. You can hold him."

Roach had another transfusion after he was born, and he was on oxygen Wednesday night. By Thursday morning, he was off oxygen and so far hasn't needed another blood or platelets transfusion. He's nursing well.

Subry isn't sure when they'll leave the NICU. It could be six weeks; it could be next week.

"He's my little fighter," Subry said. "Both of my kids are my miracle children. They really are miracles."

Fausett is thankful the transfusions were successful.

"In little old Missoula, Montana, we're doing world-class fetal therapy," Fausett said. "I think that's pretty cool.

"It would've been a pretty tough thing to not help. My whole desire is to help him  and it's hard if you can't."

On Saturday, Subry rested in her room in the NICU. Roach snoozed on her chest, glowing blue from the bilirubin lights (light therapy used to treat jaundice).

He was eventually moved to his crib, where the nurse situated his cords and tucked him in.

Roach yawned and started to settle in  except for his tiny legs, which wouldn't stop dancing.
The Montana Human Rights Bureau found the Missoulian did not discriminate against former editor Sherry Devlin on the basis of her age or gender.

In February, Devlin filed a lawsuit in Missoula County District Court against Lee Enterprises, the Missoulian's parent company, as well as Missoulian publisher Mark Heintzelman, claiming that she was discriminated against, demoted and subject to a hostile work environment leading up to her resignation in November 2015.

The HRB's investigation report deals with a much more limited scope than the issues brought up in Devlin's lawsuit, specifically addressing if the company's treatment of Devlin discriminated against her on the basis of age or gender.

"The preponderance of the evidence shows Heintzelman set a high standard for the style of leadership he asked of the news editor, and both he and Devlin found she wasn't suited to that style of leadership," HRB investigator Dennis Unsworth wrote in his report's conclusion. "She was demoted because she wasn't able to meet Heintzelman's expectations."

Cory Laird, Devlin's attorney, said he would not be commenting on the HRB's report or the status of the lawsuit "at this time."

Devlin, 61, had been at the Missoulian for 30 years, and was the editor from 2005 until the summer of 2015, when she became features editor after the newspaper hired Matthew Bunk to be its editor in August. Bunk resigned in April.

In her lawsuit, she claims that days after Heintzelman was hired as publisher in September 2014, the two of them had a conversation in which he told her they should work on an "exit strategy" for her to leave her position. Devlin said she told Heintzelman she wished to stay as the editor.

In the HRB report, Heintzelman said he had been concerned about Devlin's performance and leadership ability after he arrived at the paper, and had been told by McGowan that she had been confrontational with him and other department heads. Heintzelman also told her the paper, which she was responsible for, "had not changed in 10 years."

After Bunk's hiring, Devlin was moved to the newly-created role of features editor. In the HRB report, the Missoulian said Devlin had recommended the new position in April 2015, asked to be the one who filled it, and set her salary, which was roughly half what she had been making as editor.

Devlin denies requesting to be made features editor.

"Devlin said by the end of March 2015, she believed her choice was either to pick a different job or be fired," the investigation said.

The HRB's investigation report includes interviews with several former and current Missoulian employees. Many of the staff members interviewed said Devlin had not mentioned that she felt she was being treated differently based on her age or gender, and that they didn't feel the company had a bias in those areas.

Among those interviewed were Jim McGowan, the former publisher who Heintzelman replaced. McGowan is also a party in a lawsuit in which the Missoulian is suing him and other previous employees after they started a marketing and advertising agency upon leaving the company.

McGowan told the investigator that two months after Heintzelman was hired, he asked McGowan if he "had any dirt" on Devlin, and that he "should have gotten rid of (Devlin) when he had the chance."

He said while he and Devlin disagreed at times, she was "probably the hardest working person I'd ever worked with," and called claims that she lacked innovation "crap." He did however say other department heads at the company had reported that she was "abrasive" to work with, a sentiment echoed by members of the company's circulation and advertising offices.

Jim Coulter, the former general manager of the Missoulian-controlled Ravalli Republic, said Heintzelman had asked him for notes and emails of past troubles with Devlin.

Former city editor Justin Grigg, who resigned in April, told the HRB investigator that while Heintzelman told the news staff Devlin had made the choice to step aside as editor, she had told him otherwise, but that she had not mentioned the concept of age or gender discrimination.
So it has come to this: Trump 2016.What first seemed a joke, then an unsettling possibility and then a troubling likelihood, became a grim certainty last week as Donald Trump, real estate developer turned reality show ringmaster turned would-be president, won an emphatic victory in Indiana's Republican primary. His last remaining rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, both dropped out within 24 hours, leaving Trump the de facto nominee of what used to be called, with some pride, the Party of Lincoln.

In response, a remarkable constellation of Republican officials and enablers have pronounced themselves unalterably opposed to the duly selected leader of their party.

"Never, ever, ever Trump" tweeted Tim Miller, a former spokesperson for Jeb Bush.

"With God as my witness," wrote GOP strategist Rick Wilson, "I will never vote for Donald Trump."

A Washington, D.C., blogger tweeted an image of his voter registration card burning. The governor of Massachusetts and the former head of the state GOP both said they will not vote for Trump.

"I have no plans of supporting either of the presumptive nominees," said Miami Rep. Carlos Curbelo.

And, the unkindest cut of all: A number of Republicans say Trump's candidacy will drive them into the arms of someone the party has long regarded as the very embodiment of evil. "I'm with her," tweeted GOP speechwriter Mark Salter, invoking the campaign slogan of the dreaded Hillary Clinton.

One is tempted to draw an analogy to rats deserting the Titanic, but that would unfairly malign the rats. After all, they didn't drive the ship into that iceberg. The Republicans, though, are very much the architects of their present misfortune.

When you spend decades stoking people's insecurities, resentment and outrage, when you devote thousands of radio and television hours to scapegoating the marginalized and demonizing the vulnerable, when you campaign on coded appeals to xenophobia, racism and misogyny, when you make facts optional and lies routine, when you prioritize expedience above integrity and embrace ignorance as somehow more authentically American, you may not credibly profess surprise when you produce a candidate who embodies all those traits.

The damage the party has done itself is manifest and may be irreversible. But the bigger concern, by far, is how much damage the party has done to this country. It's a question that has loomed for a very long time.

In pondering Election Day, then, one is reminded of the person who finally makes a doctor's appointment six months after discovering a mysterious lump. Sometimes, people behave as if avoiding knowing about the bad thing avoids the bad thing itself.

But of course, it does not. You either have cancer, or you don't. Visiting the doctor does not affect that one way or another. It simply tells you what you're dealing with.

Similarly, this country has either lost itself down a rabbit hole of ignorance and lies, fear and fury, or it has not. Certainly, the symptoms have long been obvious. From faith-based foreign policy to cynical obstructionism to economic hostage-taking to birther nonsense, right up to Donald Trump's neo-fascism, it has long been clear that something was wrong with the GOP, that it had become a fundamentally unserious haven of cranks and kooks.

Now, the party offers us its kookiest crank as president. Make no mistake: Any country that would elect Donald Trump as president deserves Donald Trump as president. But the question is: Are we that country? Are we that far gone? Whether we are or are not, it's past time we knew. So fine, let's do this.

What's coming in November is not an election. No, it's a reckoning, long overdue.

-- Leonard Pitts Jr. is a syndicated columnist. Readers may write to him at lpitts@miamiherald.com or the Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132.
I respect all who are feelin the Bern. Bernie Sanders has best articulated the challenges of the economically repressed American middle-class, helping many, including Hillary Clinton, find our voices about how badly the economic playing field is tilted to the advantage of the uber-rich and giant corporations and needs to be changed.

So, thanks, Bernie. We need to hear your message through the June 7 Montana primary all the way to the National Convention, where Democrats will need to pull together to protect progressive gains of the past and advance needed changes in the future. Post-convention unity is essential for the November election.

The historical lessons about unity are instructive, including those lessons I learned directly back in 1968.

As this nominating process plays out, I fear where Democrats might be headed. The circumstances in 2016 seem hauntingly familiar  similar to the 1968 disunity debacle that gave us Richard Nixon. Those feelin the Bern in 2016 remind me of myself in 1968, when I was strongly for Senator Eugene McCarthy, driven by my antiwar concerns as America sunk deeper into the Vietnam quagmire, and clearly at odds with the Democratic establishment. I was UM campus co-coordinator for McCarthy, felt proud and very pure about my early support for McCarthy and stuck with him through the National Convention in Chicago.

In 1968, when the Democratic Convention nominated Hubert Humphrey, I was deeply disappointed. As an anti-war Democrat, could I, in good conscience, support Humphrey in the fall? I thought about remaining pure by not voting for Humphrey or anyone, or by casting a symbolic vote for some fringe candidate.

But the Republican Party nominated Richard Nixon and the presidential election became a choice between two men with radically different views on how the government and the presidency could impact the lives of everyday American citizens.

After a few weeks I came to grips with the reality of the situation and I supported and voted for Humphrey. I tried to persuade my fellow McCarthy supporters that we should unify behind Humphrey against Nixon, as Nixons election would be bad for everything we believed in. But hundreds of thousands of them  maybe more  sat out election-day and McCarthy himself did not endorse Humphrey until a week before the election and then only tepidly.

Nixon narrowly defeated Humphrey in the popular vote by just 512,000 votes nationwide  7/10ths of one percent. And the loss of California, Ohio, Illinois and New Jersey, all of which were strong McCarthy states, helped give Nixon the Electoral College nod.

Richard Nixon then took America in directions we regret to this day as compared to where Humphrey would have led America.

So, in 2016, those feelin the Bern may face the same choice that McCarthy supporters like me had in 1968  unity or defeat. The same applies to Hillary Clinton supporters should Senator Sanders secure the Democratic nod. Regardless of whether Hillary or Bernie is nominated, supporters of neither of them should sit it out. America would be radically different under a Democratic president (and better, I premise) than what I see in Donald Trumps America, or under any of the current Republican candidates.

Elections are choices and election results matter for a long time. If for no other reason than the future of the Supreme Court for the next 30 years, Bernie and Hillary supporters need to unite for the good of America. Otherwise, too much feelin the Bern or Still for Hill could lead to Nixon redux in the form of Donald Trump  with the nation heading the wrong direction for a long time to come.

-- Evan Barrett of Butte, has spent the last 46 years at the top level of Montana economic development, government, politics and education. He is currently the Director of Business & Community Outreach and an instructor at Highlands College of Montana Tech. These are his personal views.
Last week, Governor Bullock made a campaign stop in Billings to announce his proposal to spend $200 million to address what he called the immediate needs of Montanas communities.

Republicans in the House of Representatives agree that we ought to be making significant investments in the needs of our communities, but many of us disagree with the governor about how to define needs. Bullock has spent much of the past year blaming Republicans for the failure of SB 416, the last infrastructure bill of the 2015 legislative session. I was one of the Republicans who ultimately voted against SB 416 and for good reason. Bullock claims that since the bill passed the Senate 47-3, it should have easily sailed through the House, though the House and Senate versions of the bill differed significantly.

When the bill hit the House floor, Republicans offered an amendment to ensure the Legislature made smarter, more thoughtful investments in statewide needs, not pet projects. Rather than debating the merits of SB 416 in an open, transparent process, Governor Bullocks allies finalized the bill behind closed doors with the agreement that when it came to the House floor no amendments would be allowed.

More than one-third of SB 416 was made up of two projects, a new museum in Helena and renovations at Romney Hall on the MSU campus, projects many Legislators did not consider immediate needs. In fact, a recent study on infrastructure needs in Montana rated our schools as needing the most investment followed by water and sewer projects. The amendment offered by House Republicans replaced the Governors two pet projects with more than 50 investments in statewide schools with failing roofs, heating systems and deferred maintenance issues along with more than 75 water and sewer projects across Montana.

The investments identified in our amendment were not hand-picked; these projects had already been identified by the Bullock Administration as needed infrastructure. Rather than showing a willingness to publicly debate the value of building a new museum vs. the value of making statewide investments in our schools, Bullocks political allies tried to cram SB 416 through the House.

If the Governor and his political allies would have removed either the museum or the Romney Hall renovations and instead agreed to invest in our schools or water and sewer systems, the House could have gotten the votes needed to pass the infrastructure bill. Instead, the Bullock allies spent the last five days of the legislative session trying to buy another vote.

A school in my district was one of the more than 50 schools left hanging by the Bullock Administration. I was offered funding for just the school in my district if I would change my vote on SB416. I would never bargain away my vote.

Good legislation requires support through debate and widespread consensus, not horse-trading. Unfortunately, these tactics were used on many bills during the 2015 legislative session. Bullock now uses his own version of the events to try and blame House Republicans and garner support in his 2016 reelection bid.

I guess he thought hed win either way -- get his pet projects funded or score a political issue for the 2016 election -- all while ignoring Montanas most pressing infrastructure needs. Between his veto of infrastructure funding in 2013 and his inability to build consensus in 2015, Governor Bullock has shown a gross lack of leadership on infrastructure funding. Instead, hes opted to use the issue to benefit his reelection bid while Montanas real infrastructure needs continue to build.

-- State Rep. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, House Majority Whip
In a recent letter to the editor, Marla Clark of East Helena, responding to a letter by Tom Downey, presents a bizarre thought process, likening the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) to the Montana Family Foundation (MFF). She wrongly claims both entities discriminate, a word used generally to show unfair treatment by majorities against minorities.

The KKK was formed as a secret, white supremacy, hate-group that, at one time or another since the late 1800s, terrorized African Americans, Catholics and Jews with rallies, parades and cross burnings. Members dressed in robes, masks and conical hats to hide their identity and create fear. Eventually, federal and state authorities stopped their harmful activities. The KKK history is terrorist.

MFF is a state-registered, non-profit, organization open to public inspection and dedicated to supporting, protecting and strengthening Montana families through research, education, judicial involvement, and the legislative process. It works to resolve differences of opinion within the system. This is advocacy not discrimination.

Downeys letter raised Clarks ire because he disputed an earlier ruse in a guest column that Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Greg Gianfortes charitable contributions were dangerous, including one to MFF. Downey pointed out it is a disgrace to willingly dismiss opposing convictions as unworthy of consideration in order to advance a point of view.

Clark proved Downeys point when she claimed MFF was discriminatory because its principles on didnt match her beliefs. This is a difference of opinion not discrimination.

Finally, Clark asserts falsely MFF is a political action committee (PAC). Why? Because it simply suits her to say that. A PAC mostly gathers and disburses financial contributions to help a candidates campaign. MFF doesnt do this; it is active in the public square.

-- Bruce Nye, Butte
Backers of the proposed outdoor public pool and lazy river in Butte have picked up one of the biggest endorsements they could hope for  the Butte Family YMCA.

From the day county officials put several pool or waterpark options on the table more than 14 months ago, one of the most frequently voiced concerns from residents has been a potential financial hit on the YMCA and its year-round indoor pool operations.

But a vote by the organization's board last week and statements Monday by that board's president and its chief executive officer say  in essence  "no worries."

"We feel there is no harm, and it's a good thing for our community to have such a neat, outdoor pool," said Butte YMCA CEO Phillip Borup, who agreed to do a testimonial supporting the pool.

It says in part that the YMCA is "pleased to work with BSB as a partner to make sure residents are safe and have fun in the water all summer long."

Board President Paul Babb, who was Butte-Silver Bow's chief executive from 2005 to 2012, said the board voted unanimously to back the pool last week.

Voters county-wide will decide June 7 whether to support a $7.2 million bond issue to pay most of the construction costs plus $350,000 a year in annual operating and maintenance expenses. Another $1.5 million is being raised from public and private sources to pay for amenities including slides and lazy river.

YMCA officials had initial concerns an outdoor pool and water park would jeopardize a $40,000 payment the county gives it each year so the public can use its indoor pool.

But county officials have stressed, especially in recent weeks, that the $40,000 payment will continue. They also have pledged to let the YMCA handle the hiring and management of lifeguards for the outdoor waterpark if voters approve it.

Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Matt Vincent, in an April 28 letter to Borup, put those pledges in writing and said the lifeguard arrangement would be based "on a fair market agreement of services and management between both parties."

He also committed  dependent on successful passage of the bond  to YMCA access of the outdoor pool and programming at no cost.

"This access and programming will be planned in conjunction and cooperation with Butte-Silver Bow's Parks and Recreation Division at (agreed-upon) hours," Vincent's letter said.

Babb said the programs could include such things as swim lessons or water aerobics for seniors.

Borup said he has met several times with Parks Director J.P. Gallagher, and he talked with Matt Vincent a couple of weeks ago. They just wanted to make sure YMCA officials knew it would be a partnership, he said.

"The YMCA doesn't operate on a real big surplus," Borup said. "It almost operates check to check, so any little hiccups can be problematic for us. We feel good about this."

Vincent named Borup to the county Parks and Recreation Board last week to fill a vacancy. He said the YMCA's endorsement of the outdoor pool was a "big boost for answering folks' questions and their concerns."

"We have had a good working relationship with the YMCA, and I think we want to continue that through Phil's being named to the board," Vincent said Monday. "That will run the gamut for how we support them in their existing programs and facilities and how we can expand that with or without the construction of a pool."

Babb says a private group of pool supporters called "Friends of Stodden Park" can use the YMCA in advertisements if they wish.
Before you place that phone call to save 15 percent or more, check out the cost of car insurance in every state.
The meeting will be conducted utilizing an open house format and Iowa DOT personnel will be available to individually discuss the plan. The meeting room is accessible for persons with disabilities.

To provide comments or to request special accommodations at the meeting, please contact the Iowa DOT, Office of Systems Planning, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, telephone 515-239-1004, or email Iowa.Motion@dot.iowa.gov.

The Iowa DOT will be accepting public comments on the plan through June 15, 2016. You can view the plan and related information online at: www.iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/freight.html.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  UnitedHealthcare will leave the individual under-65 health insurance market in Iowa this year.

Many local residents, and over 8,700 Iowans overall, currently have an individual health insurance plan through UnitedHealthcare and will need to find another plan before Jan. 1, 2017. If they do not find another plan, they could be without health insurance after Jan. 1, 2017 and will face a penalty for being uninsured.

Muscatine residents need to know about this announcement and spread the word to their friends and neighbors, said John Beckey of Beckey Insurance and Financial Services, Inc. If someone has an individual health insurance policy through UHC and doesnt know about this change, they could face significant penalties down the road and become uninsured.

The penalty for going without health insurance in 2017 is close to $700 per person or 2.5 percent of household income  whichever is higher.

UnitedHealthcare, the nations largest healthcare provider, has lost over $720 million by offering individual plans across the nation. They anticipate continued losses and are withdrawing from a number of other states individual markets such as Nebraska and Missouri with more states expected to be announced.

Muscatine residents should understand that their current policies can remain in effect for the remainder of the year. However, if you have an individual health insurance policy through UHC, its important to speak to a licensed professional about your options, said Beckey. They are the best asset for you during this time and can give you professional and accurate assistance.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
Before dropping out of the US presidential race, Republican hopeful John Kasich lamented the retirement of Jon Stewart as host of Comedy Centrals The Daily Show, saying Trump was lucky to escape Stewarts withering commentary.

But Stewarts replacement, South African comic Trevor Noah, got the last word on Twitter.

Noah admits stepping in to host the nightly spoof of politics, current events and the media has been a daunting task.

Under Stewart, the show became a trusted news source for millions of young, primarily left-leaning viewers.

So far Noah is getting only half of the television audience Stewart did in his last year, and the critics have not always been kind.

But Noah is taking a patient approach to building viewership  his own way.

You cant ever fill Jon Stewarts shoes, so the most important thing is not to try to fill his shoes, he said.

You just do your own thing and thats what I try to do every day, make my own show.

Global perspective

For the 32-year-old comedian from South Africa, that has meant bringing a more global perspective to the show, one that is sorely lacking in the US media landscape.

I think of myself as a global citizen, Noah explains. The show is slowly evolving into that.

That international approach and his adeptness with social media are starting to show some results.

Comedy Central says international ratings are up, driven by record viewing in his homeland, and increases in the UK, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden.

The Daily Show is now broadcast in 170 countries  compared to 163 under Stewart.

This weekend it begins airing in the Middle East for the first time ever on the OSN Network.

Noahs international appeal was obvious at a recent taping of the show which attracted audience members from South Africa, Canada and Chile.

Thobile Hans was among them, a South African journalist who says his countrymen see Noah as a trail blazer.

Nowadays we talk about US politics it is something that we never cared about before.

Insular American audience

Can this global approach win over a notoriously insular American audience trying to make sense of a presidential election that has defied all pundits predictions?

It doesnt help Noah that some of Stewarts best contributors have left to host their own shows.

Samantha Bees Full Frontal and John Olivers Last Week Tonight have been faring better in the ratings, but they only air once a week.

Sometimes Noahs lack of experience shows in his interviews with guests.

Still, culture writer Jennifer Keishin Armstrong thinks Americans will warm to Noah. After all, it took Stewart 16 years to grow his audience.

He does have this outsider, international perspective that feels right for me, she says. I think its both something people want and are more comfortable with  and also they just kind of need, whether they want it or not.

Armstrong points to a segment Noah did comparing Trump to African leaders.

A series of clips show a shocking similarity between statements made by Donald Trump and the brutal former Ugandan president Idi Amin. After showing both men bragging about how rich, smart and beloved they are, Noah quips.

Donald Trump IS presidential. He just happens to be running on the wrong continent!

Attracting millennials

Noah is also scoring wins on social media, the platform that is so difficult to monetise but so important in attracting millennials.

Comedy Central says his show generated an average of 67 million monthly streams across all digital platforms in 2016, up 22 percent over 2015.

Thats where Noah says hes in his element. At a recent junket for international media, he displayed a sharp intelligence, quick wit and humble confidence.

I remind myself to just have fun, Noah said about his approach to the show.

As the son of mixed-race parents who grew up under apartheid, whose stepfather once shot his mother in the head, he said humour has always been his coping mechanism.

His ability to relate to the common man, while parleying with political and cultural elites, is certainly something he shares with his predecessor  and could just end up being the key to his success.

AlJazeera

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Vodacom will discontinue its M-Pesa mobile money service in South Africa from 30 June 2016.

Vodacoms decision is based on the fact that the business sustainability of M-Pesa is predicated on achieving a critical mass of users, said Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub.

Based on our revised projections and high levels of financial inclusion in South Africa, there is little prospect of the M-Pesa product achieving this in its current format in the mid-term.

Vodacom said M-Pesa continues to gain traction and growth in countries where financial inclusion is limited.

Kenya and Tanzania are prime examples of this. This decision does not affect M-Pesa customers in Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique, and the DRC, where the product continues to grow.

Joosub said Vodacom will mitigate any inconvenience to clients affected by the decision, and that their funds are safe and accessible.

We remain of the opinion that opportunities exist in the financial services environment and we will continue to explore these.

More on M-Pesa

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South Africas advanced banking sector and a lack of demand are key reasons for the local failure of Vodacoms mobile money product M-Pesa, says an analyst.

On Monday, Vodacom announced that it plans to shut down its M-Pesa product in South Africa from June 30 2016 because of a lack of demand.

When M-Pesa first launched in South Africa in 2010, Vodacom targeted reaching 10 million local users.

But only 76 000 users signed up in 2015 according to the companys integrated report. This contrasts dramatically with Kenya where mobile network Safaricom has over 11 million M-Pesa users. The UKs Vodafone has stakes in both Safaricom and Vodacom.

Arthur Goldstuck, the managing director of local technology research firm World Wide Worx, told Fin24 that Vodacom should never have launched M-Pesa in South Africa in the first place.

Since the day of the launch in 2010 in South Africa, Ive questioned the viability of it in this country because of the fact that the success factors for M-Pesa in Kenya were not present in South Africa, Goldstuck told Fin24 by phone.

You could create demand but there wasnt a pressing need, in particular, the fact that we have a such a high banked population, said Goldstuck.

Around 75% of South Africas adult population  just over 27 million people  are banked with traditional financial institutions, according to a recent survey by the FinMark Trust.

Meanwhile, in Kenya, newer mobile money services are that countrys main financial inclusion driver with mobile money account ownership hovering around 60%.

The reason it took off in Kenya is that there is such little financial inclusion there, Goldstuck told Fin24.

It also came at a time of great displacement in that country as a result of election violence (in 2007/2008). So, there was massive perceived need for it at the time for people to get money to each other.

Vodacom never really listened to outside advice  they assumed that their experience in Kenya qualified them in South Africa and it was quite the opposite, Goldstuck said.

South Africa also already had a thriving money transfer market for years via retail chains such as Checkers, Goldstuck explained.

While Vodacom is set to shut down M-Pesa in South Africa, the company is still operating the product in African markets such as Tanzania, Lesotho and Mozambique, the company said on Monday.

Vodacom is fully committed to mitigating any inconvenience to customers impacted by the decision and assures all M-Pesa South Africa customers that their funds remain safe and readily accessible, said Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub in a statement.

We remain of the opinion that opportunities exist in the financial services environment and we will continue to explore these, he said.

Fin24

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Pan-African telecoms enabler SEACOM has announced that it has grown its South African base of channel partners servicing the business market to more than 65 companies of all sizes, up from 20 in October last year.

In addition, the telecom operator and its channel partners have been processing orders from business customers at a rate of around 60 a month since it formally launched its full set of business offerings to the market.

Our growth rate is exceeding the aggressive targets we set for ourselves when we soft-launched the SEACOM Business division in January 2015, says Grant Parker, head of SEACOM Business.

Weve found that there is a great deal of pent-up demand in the business market for high-speed fibre Internet access at an affordable cost. Customers are looking for a killer experience at the end of the line  the right performance and reliability at the right price, says Kevin South, SEACOM Business channel manager.

SEACOM is currently pushing around 50% of its business through channel partners.

The company plans to retain its focus on developing channel partners as it looks for more growth in South Africa and steps up its business strategy in other parts of the continent.

We remain deeply committed to channel partners because they extend the reach for our brand and services, while allowing us to remain lean and focused, says Parker.

Our current focus is on streamlining their experience with us, for example, by introducing powerful self-service tools that empower them to serve their customers faster and better.

SEACOMs key offerings for the business segment include Fibre Internet Access (FIA) with options ranging from 25Mbps up to 1Gbps.

The company is leveraging its abundant and scalable capacity on its undersea cable system and continent-wide IP-MPLS network as well as the capabilities of its Cloud services such as Security, Back-up, Mail & Archiving, CRM & Virtual Hosting to enable businesses in South Africa and East Africa to smoothly transition to the cloud.

Says Kevin South: Our strategy of diversifying our business from bringing low-cost data transmission infrastructure to other service providers in Africa towards offering a full portfolio of services to the business market is paying off.

Were seeing great adoption of our fibre connectivity as well as of our private and outsourced network solutions.

To date, SEACOM has fibred up 35 nodes and is looking to work with its connectivity partners to reach more corners of the market.

Cloud enablement forms an important part of SEACOMs business strategy, with the companys network interconnecting directly to various cloud CDN providers & OTT players.

Connectivity is no longer the inhibitor to cloud, adds South.

We are actively building the New Age Telco of tomorrow, with emphasis around automation of systems and process, SDN (Software Defined Network) and NFV (Network Function Virtualization).

These are our building blocks for streamlined acquisition of Internet based products & services for business customers, channel partners and ultimately consumers alike.

The next step for SEACOM will be to ramp up the roll out of SEACOM Business solutions in Kenya, and to start looking at growth opportunities in Uganda, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

These markets are ready for the sort of disruption we can bring, says Parker. Were excited about the opportunity to bring focused, affordable services to companies on Africas east coast.
The Southern African Federation Against Copyright Theft (SAFACT) recently announced that the first criminal prosecution against an Internet TV box seller had concluded.

AVSupply pleaded guilty to charges relating to distributing the DroidTV MXiii media device.

However, AVSupplys Jacque Hilbert said they werent guilty of the charges relating to piracy that he pled guilty to on behalf of the company.

Hilbert said he was backed into a corner when the legal advice company he had contracted, Legal Advice Office, stopped paying the legal firm that was representing him.

The prosecutor then offered him a deal: plead guilty, and he would receive a suspended sentence and no criminal record.

What about bigger fish, like Takealot?

Following the trial, Hilbert said he took issue with the fact they were a target of MultiChoice and SAFACT when other online stores sold the same devices, and sell similar devices now.

For example: South Africas largest online retailer, Takealot, sells these devices.

At the time of AVSupplys prosecution, it had an Emtec Movie Cube The TV Box listed with the following wording in its advertisement: Get some 3D MKV file on your flash drive or an HDD from a friend.

Hilbert wanted to know why this wording didnt draw MultiChoices attention, yet the product listing for the DroidTV box did.

AVSupplys description of the DroidTV MXiii said it comes with XBMC, Netflix, Hulu+, Plex, Airplay Server, and more, and that it runs smooth full HD content from local media and your favourite XBMC streaming add-ons.

It is worth noting that MultiChoice, which is a member of SAFACT, is a Naspers-owned company. Naspers also owns a 47% stake in Takealot.

Takealot was asked about the AVSupply case and its Emtec media player, but the retailer did not respond by the time of publication.

Another online retailer that sells Android-powered media boxes is Raru.

Rarus Neil Smith told MyBroadband that it never sold the DroidTV MXiii, and that they only sell ICASA-approved, Android-based, sealed media boxes.

The ICASA-approved models we have on the site include brands like Mede8er and MyGica, said Smith. MultiChoice and SAFACT have not contacted Raru regarding its media boxes.

Among the charges AVSupply pleaded guilty to was that the DroidTV MXiii came pre-installed with XBMC and add-ons called Fusion, Mashup, and Xunity.

When asked whether a box configured like this facilitates piracy, Smith said they cant comment on what end users use products for.

How piracy investigations lead to prosecutions

MultiChoice told MyBroadband it is continually scanning the environment and investigating any instances where its content is used illegally.

Any action arising from these investigations, including any possible legal action, is then handed over to SAFACT, said MultiChoice.

SAFACT said it is currently investigating several other matters, which it is not at liberty to discuss, which may include online retailers.

SAFACTs primary responsibility is to protect its members rights, in whichever format infringements happens, the federation said.

Devices offered for sale, that come pre-loaded or have pre-installed software, that allow illegal access to protected content will be investigated and SAFACT reserves the right to pursue those involved.

More on the case against AVSupply

How MultiChoice trapped South Africas first convicted pirate TV box seller

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MultiChoice and SAFACT nail pirate TV box seller in South Africa
The Film and Publication Board has published the final version of its Online Regulation Policy on its website.

It is to be submitted to the Minister of Communications for approval and publication in the Government Gazette, after which it will have legal force, said Ellipsis Regulatory Solutions.

Ellipsis said the policy is structured into four sections: online distribution of television films and games, user-generated content (UGC), complaints, and self-classification.

Ellipsis regulatory expert Dominic Cull said this redraft of the original policy document, while problematic in some respects, is a significant improvement over the previous version.

The new policy was revised with the help of Norton Rose Attorneys, and the FPB said it considered all inputs received to develop the new document.

Among the improvements was the FPBs approach to user-generated content.

User-generated content

The policy notes that the bulk of UGC is unclassified and recognises that there is an enormous quantity of such content  most of which is produced, hosted, and distributed in and from foreign jurisdictions, said Ellipsis.

As a result, the FPB does not have the necessary resources to classify UGC.

However, it will still have the discretion to regulate specific instances of UGC where:

A publication contains sexual conduct which violates or shows disrespect for the right to human dignity of any person, degrades a person, or constitutes incitement to cause harm; advocates propaganda for war; incites violence; or advocates hatred based on any identifiable group characteristic and that constitutes incitement to cause harm.

A publication which would be classified XX or Refused Classification (RC).

A film which would be classified RC, XX, or X18, or which contains a scene which may be disturbing or harmful to, or age-inappropriate for, children.

A complaint is received.

In deciding whether or not to regulate instances of UGC, the FPB will consider:

The target market.

The accessibility and extent of distribution of the UGC.

The egregious nature of the content.

The potential to cause severe harm, especially to children.

Complaints

To complain about content, a member of the public must first approach the content provider responsible for the classification decision.

From there, it can be escalated to the FPB if not satisfactorily resolved.

In response to a complaint or at its own discretion, the FPB may:

Issue the content provider or online distributor with a classify notice or a restrict access notice.

Direct the content provider or online distributor to take down offending content.

Classify content or review the original classification decision.

Lay criminal charges.

Block non-compliant online distributors at ISP level

A serious issue does remain with the policy in its current form, though.

Under the risk analysis section of the policy document, the FPB lists lack of buy-in by industry as a possible concern as it may cause reputation damage if it cant enforce the policy.

To mitigate the risk, the FPB said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with ICASA to block non-compliant online distributors at the ISP level.

ICASA was asked about the memorandum, but it did not respond by the time of publication.

More on the FPBs online regulation policy

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The latest MyBroadband speed test results show that Cybersmart and MWEB offer the lowest average latency on ADSL and VDSL lines.

MyBroadbands speed test servers make use of Ooklas platform and are hosted in Teracos vendor-neutral data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Through NapAfrica, all network operators present at its peering points are provided with a free 1Gbps connection to the MyBroadband speed test platform.

To ensure that only results from broadband connections are used, MyBroadband filters speed tests based on network information from the Internet service providers.

With over 40,000 broadband tests per month, the MyBroadband speed test platform is a popular destination for South Africans to gauge their Internet services.

Best ADSL and VDSL ISP accounts for gaming

The results show that Cybersmart had the lowest latency on ADSL at 45ms, while MWEB had the lowest VDSL latency at 37ms.

The table below show the top five ADSL and VDSL ISPs, based on average latency.

Lowest Average ADSL Latency ISP Service Download Speed (kbps) Upload Speed (kbps) Latency (ms) Cybersmart ADSL 2,984 443 45 MWEB Business ADSL 2,904 500 49 Internet Solutions ADSL 3,863 531 51 Telkom ADSL 3,029 488 54 MWEB ADSL 3,008 455 57 Afrihost ADSL 3,650 510 58 Axxess ADSL 3,858 514 68 Lowest Average VDSL Latency ISP Service Download Speed (kbps) Upload Speed (kbps) Latency (ms) MWEB VDSL 11,499 1,120 37 Afrihost VDSL 15,436 1,506 38 Internet Solutions VDSL 15,343 1,447 38 Telkom VDSL 17,345 1,708 40 Axxess VDSL 17,390 1,967 46

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Dr. Ronda Brulotte discusses the sociologically complex field of production, marketing, consumption and connoisseurship in Oaxaca.

The Albuquerque International Association will host a lecture by Dr. Ronda Brulotte, Associate Professor of Anthropology and an affiliated faculty member of the Latin American and Iberian Institute at the University of New Mexico.

Dr. Ronda Brulotte will discuss the sociologically complex field of production, marketing, consumption, and connoisseurship surrounding Oaxacan mezcal as it emerges in the global market. Not only is mezcal Oaxaca's fastest-growing rural industry, it connects the region to an emergent network of producers, brokers, and consumers across the U.S.-Mexico border and beyond. Mezcal may be joining more well-known foods of Mexican origin commonplace in U.S. markets (corn, chile, chocolate), but its circulation as a food/beverage commodity is distinctly tied to the creation of a new class of global food consumers; at the same time, its growing popularity is spurring the social and economic reorganization of producer communities.

Lecture: $15/Albuquerque International Association Members, $20/Non-Members; Students (under 26) with ID  Free. Please address checks to AIA and mail to AIA, PO Box 92995, Albuquerque, NM 87199 by May 6. You can also pay on-line with credit card or at the door (cash and check only).
There are so many ways someone would wish to go down, but masturbating is not one of them.

President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week fired a deputy minister who was caught jerking off in office.

A video of 54 year old Enock Ruberangabo Sebineza, Deputy Minister of posts, telecommunications and information technology, went viral in the country last week.

The 4 minutes 27 seconds long video caused public outrage leaving the President with no choice but to send him home.

The video was reportedly captured on his computer webcam, with the official portrait of the president and the countrys flag providing an unlikely backdrop.

Mr. Ruberangabo is seen getting out his joystick, before playing with himself for over 4 minutes and dutifully securing his produce.

It is believed his actions were driven by a co-participant on the other side of the lens.

Enock Ruberangabo is a renowned Tutsi of the Congolese Banyamulenge community. He has prominently participated in the inter-Congolese dialogue, and been national deputy in the transitional parliament (2003-2006).

His dismissal and apparent end of his political career was announced on State television on Friday evening in a statement in which he was charged with a serious breach of duty and ethics unbecoming of the dignity of senior official.

Well, get caught grabbing land get caught stealing public money, but ffs, never get caught polishing the family jewels.
To support the work of United Village Transformation, Peju Province Winery will host a pig roast with a show of Hamptons art on Friday, May 20, from 6-9 p.m.

Enjoy a pig roast, wine tasting and auction, and hear stories of efforts to enhance the education, health and well-being of students and the village families in Malawi.

Hampton donates all proceeds from his art to the dental clinic in Malawi. In addition, artist Penelope Moore will create a large-scale abstract painting to be auctioned.

Tickets are $150. Get information about UVT and buy tickets to the benefit at uvtransformation.org.

Peju Winery is at 8466 St. Helena Highway in Rutherford.
There are students the world over who, when they want to learn how to read in English, turn to a Napa-based publication, Easy English Times.

For two decades, Easy English Times has been used as an important real life resource in literacy and English programs. The eight-page newspaper is printed 10 times a year and is distributed all over the world.

The Easy English Times includes articles about current events, life skills and citizenship, and it even showcases student writing. The pieces are written at varying levels of difficulty in order to accommodate a wide array of readers.

Publisher Betty Malmgren started the newspaper along with a few others after realizing that there were English as a Second Language classes that were using outdated and expensive textbooks. Having been a journalist herself, Malmgren decided that a newspaper publication, which is easy to produce, would be a good alternative to textbooks.

The paper was used only locally at first, but it didnt take long before the Easy English Times was being requested across the country and from such overseas locations as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Easy English Times is used in several literacy programs at the Napa County Library, including an ESL class and one-on-one literacy tutoring for adults.

I use it for dictations, vocabulary, reading, pronunciation  you name it, said Yvonne Martin, who teaches an ESL class Friday mornings at the library. Martin said that the newspaper is versatile and user-friendly. It also gives the students an opportunity to submit articles, which, once printed, makes them feel like celebrities, she said.

Its very exciting and thrilling for them, Martin said. Students get to share their stories as well as receive acknowledgement and recognition. Its very powerful.

Learning tools like the Easy English Times benefit students, she said, in ways that textbooks cannot. Students like David Meza, 71, of Napa.

Meza, one of Martins ESL students, is from Mexico, but has lived in Napa for the last 30 years. He used to work in the field doing things like pruning vines and driving a tractor, he said.

Its hard to learn English, Meza said. Although he is now retired and has made many friends over the years, Meza said that he is interested in learning English so he can communicate better with more people. Simple situations like going to the airport can be difficult if he is unable to answer questions asked of him, he said.

Meza said that one of the reasons he has waited until so late in life to learn English is because, when he came to the United States, he could hardly read in Spanish. He was never taught, he said.

Adult illiteracy is a huge problem even among English speakers, according to Robin Rafael, literacy coordinator at the Napa Library. Rafael said that there are an estimated 14,000 functionally illiterate adults in Napa County. That means that they lack the literacy needed for most jobs and many everyday situations.

The literacy program at the library uses a combination of textbooks and real-life materials, including the Easy English Times. Because the newspaper covers issues that are current and interesting to adults, learners are more interested and engaged when reading it, Rafael said.

The librarys volunteer tutors like the Easy English Times because it makes students feel like theyre being treated like the adults that they are. The Easy English Times is a paper that allows my learner to have an awareness to current events that is complex enough not to insult the learner yet is easy enough to understand, said one library tutor.

Mays 20th anniversary issue includes articles on Harriet Tubman being selected to be on the $20 bill and immigrants who fought in World War I. Student contributions came from Vallejo, Santa Rosa, Calistoga, Fairfield, Santa Cruz and San Diego in California as well as Illinois and Ohio.

About 5,000 copies of the Easy English Times are printed each issue and distributed, with more readers enjoying the paper on the Web, Malmgren said. The cost of the newspaper for classrooms, which includes a teaching guide and other materials, is $1 per copy plus shipping and handling.

Its a labor of love, Malmgren said. She and her editor, Lorraine Ruston of St. Helena, do everything themselves from writing articles to packaging and mailing them. One of the most rewarding things about doing this work, though, is being able to give students a voice, Malmgren said.

The 20th Anniversary Special Edition of the Easy English Times is out this month.

For information, visit EasyEnglishTimes.com or call 707-253-9641.
To Jennifer Huffman: Our family wants to thank you for the meaningful article that you wrote and printed in the Napa Register on April 24 concerning Harvey and Dorothy Rose (Modest Napa couple bestow $1 million on charities). Harvey and Dorothy were our uncle and aunt. Our mother, Ruth Rose, was Harvey's younger sister. We were very close to them during our growing-up years in Napa. Like our Aunt Dorothy, the three of us also graduated from Napa High School.

Dorothy Jepson was born and raised in Napa. It was a town she loved, and she never left. Her parents, George and Gladys Jepson, were well-known business people of the community. Her father was over the Sunset Prune plant. Dorothy and her parents were active in Masons and Eastern Star.

When Harvey got out of the service after World War II he located in Napa, and later met Dorothy. Harvey was stationed on the USS San Francisco and was present at the bombing of Pearl Harbor. As the article stated, they lived very conservatively and yet comfortably.

Although the Roses did not have children of their own, they had many close friends and relatives. Harvey's sister and her husband, Wayne and Ruth (Rose) Wells, lived in Napa for 50 years. The two couples were close and enjoyed many activities together, including traveling. Dorothy also had a close cousin, Winnie Peterson Noah. Winnie grew up in Napa so they had a lasting relationship. Winnie's parents owned and operated the Peterson Hotel on Jefferson Street.

Again, thank you for honoring our aunt and uncle, Harvey and Dorothy Rose.

Kathryn (Kathee) Wells Jamison

Dr. Glynn M. Wells

Polly Wells Theobald
Measure H (the Napa Valley Unified School District's school bond) is the right way to ensure that generations of our kids will have safer schools. When we heard about the devastation at our school sites caused by the last earthquake, it made us nervous. Somehow our schools aren't supposed to be impacted -- we think first about our homes. The impact on school libraries, classrooms, and offices convinced us to vote Yes on Measure H.

By law, the state of California cannot take any of Measure H's funds from Napa schools. Every penny generated by Measure H must benefit our local schools. None of the Measure H funds can be used for administrator's salaries or pensions. None.

As longtime community members and educators, we understand the importance of excellent, safe and up-to-date schools for our students, and for the impact of great schools on the property values of our homes and our community. Please join us in supporting our students. Vote YES on Measure H.

Fran and Beth Chamberlain

Napa
Robert Graf, formerly of St. Helena, passed away peacefully on April 28, 2016 with his wife at his side. Robert was born and raised in Wayne, Wisconsin with his parents and brother Gerald. They moved to Tillamook, Oregon for a time, then the family headed to North Dakota, where he earned his bachelors degree at Mayville University. Robert served his country in the Army during the Korean War, and played in the 22 Army Band at Fort Mason. During his service, he met and married Jean Board, who also served in the Army.

Robert taught school in several places before landing at Saint Helena High School in 1968, where he taught concert and jazz bands for 20 years. During that time, Mr. Graf, as he was called by all his students, excelled in creating prize winning bands. He often took his jazz bands on trips to Reno, Disneyland, and even Hawaii. Not having any children of their own, the Grafs were close to many of his band members over the years, keeping in touch with and visiting quite a few. He started the successful careers of several musicians and proudly kept touch with them as they ventured beyond his classroom. The picture shown here was taken for the SHHS yearbook, the year he graduated with the class of 88.

After retiring, Robert and Jean moved to Vancouver, Washington where they could enjoy their combined love of fishing. They also loved to travel and enjoyed many trips, especially river cruises together. They were always inseparable, and he will be greatly missed by Jean and all his devoted band members and fellow teachers from all those 20 years.

Robert asked that his ashes be spread in his favorite fishing spot on the Columbia River. There will be no memorial. Jean asks that donations in his honor be made to hospice, or the SHHS band programs.
Thank you for that kind introduction. I would first like to thank State Secretary, Mrs. Bavdaz Kuret and her team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for all their work in organising this conference and for their excellent hospitality.

This is the fourth WMD conference Ive had the pleasure of opening. I keep coming back because this conference brings together the worlds leading experts on WMD, on non-proliferation and on arms control. It provides an incredible opportunity to debate important issues openly in a relaxed and  here in Ljubljana  a beautiful setting.

While this is a NATO-organised conference, it is not just for Allies. Many of you represent partner nations from around the globe, and I welcome you all. The last couple of conferences have been held in partner countries  in Switzerland and Qatar  and I look forward to that being the case in future years. This breadth of participation is essential when discussing WMD, because it is not just an issue of Euro-Atlantic security, it is an issue of global security. And our global security environment has become far less stable in recent years.

In the Euro-Atlantic area, NATO currently faces two significant challenges. The first comes from an aggressive Russia, which has illegally annexed Crimea by force and continues to violently destabilise Eastern Ukraine. Russias rhetoric, posture, lack of transparency and snap military exercises undermine trust and continually test our resilience  you may have seen the dramatic pictures of Russian fighters buzzing a US destroyer in the Baltic only last month. Worryingly, Russia is also using irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, and exercises of its nuclear forces, in an attempt to intimidate both its neighbours and the Alliance as a whole.

While we have reduced the number of our nuclear weapons, NATO will remain a nuclear Alliance. We keep them safe, secure and effective for deterrence and to preserve the peace, not for coercion or intimidation.

In recent years, Russia has proven itself highly adept at hybrid warfare: using a mix of military and non-military means to achieve its political objectives. It is engaging in propaganda campaigns, using disinformation to stir up inter-ethnic tensions, and funding populist and extremist parties across Europe in an attempt to split the Alliance. Through better early warning, improved intelligence, greater defence of critical infrastructure, of our troops and our populations, NATO is already doing a great deal to counter and defend against hybrid attacks.

The second, and different, challenge NATO faces is, of course, along our southern flank, where an arc of crisis and instability extends across much of the Middle East and North Africa. The war in Syria and the spread of terrorist groups like ISIL, or Daesh, has led to untold suffering, to the death of hundreds of thousands of people and to the displacement of millions more. All NATO Allies are part of the US-led coalition to destroy ISIL, and NATO fully supports all efforts to achieve a lasting peace and a peaceful transition to a new, democratic government, as prescribed in UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

In Syria, despite its accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the successful destruction of its declared stockpile, chemical weapons remain a grave concern; and such weapons have been used in the conflict. The first report of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, set up by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, has now been presented to the UN Security Council. It is essential that those who have used chemical weapons be apprehended and brought to justice. I expect Ahmet Uzumcu, OPCWs Director General, to say more on this, including the possible possession of chemical weapons by ISIL.

As well as fuelling the current refugee crisis in Europe, the rise of ISIL has led to a spate of murderous terrorist attacks across Europe, the United States, North Africa and the Middle East. This threat could increase as jihadi fighters return home. For some, their chosen battlefield is already the streets of Europe, and not Syria.

The attacks so far  in Paris, Brussels, Ankara, California and elsewhere  have all been designed to take as many lives as possible. The nightmare scenario is that these terrorists get their hands on CBRN materials or weapons of mass destruction. The physical, economic and psychological effects of such an attack  even one on a relatively small scale  would be devastating. Increased CBRN know-how, the spread of the appropriate technical and manufacturing expertise, and the growing capabilities of terrorist groups present a serious and growing threat. This conference is an opportunity to take the discussion further and to see what more we can do together to combat or, better, to prevent such acts of terror.

Further afield, with its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and from the Six-Party Talks, North Korea remains the biggest threat to international non-proliferation efforts. Pyongyang continues with its highly aggressive rhetoric and actions, carrying out a fourth nuclear test in January and threatening to conduct more tests. North Korea also continues to develop and test ballistic missiles in defiance of UN Security Council Resolutions.

These are just some of the challenges faced by the international community. The security environment is dynamic and evolving, but so too is the field of arms control and non-proliferation. In recent times, there have been many positive developments. The New START Treaty, which reduces the number of nuclear weapons and launchers that the United States and Russia can deploy, is one of the few international security mechanisms that Moscow still honours, and which both the US and Russia are implementing.

The series of Nuclear Security Summits, the most recent held in Washington at the end of March, have made an important contribution to combating the threat of nuclear terrorism by ingraining a culture of nuclear security. Unfortunately, Russia was notable by its absence.

Last years Iran nuclear negotiations concluded successfully with the agreement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In January, the International Atomic Energy Agency verified that Iran had implemented its nuclear-related commitments. This is a landmark agreement. It is now vital that Tehran continue to faithfully implement the provisions of the agreement and fulfil its other international obligations. Concerns remain over Irans increasingly assertive role in its neighbourhood, as well as its continued development and testing of ballistic missiles.

The threat to NATO countries posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles continues to increase; many countries have, or are acquiring, ballistic missile technology. Our ballistic missile defence is designed to defend our territory, our people and our forces against a range of threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area, and is purely defensive. NATOs missile defence is not directed against a specific country, and that includes Russia. The location and technical capabilities of our ballistic missile defence mean that the system does not and, indeed, cannot undermine Russias strategic nuclear deterrence.

With the breadth of challenges before us, it is essential that we work together to develop an ever stronger and more comprehensive approach to todays WMD and CBRN threats. The use of CBRN by states and by terrorists, as well as the potential for accidents or natural disasters such as in Fukushima, is real. Our people and our infrastructure are potentially vulnerable, so it is important that we dont wait until something happens before doing something about it. For as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We need to do everything we can to prevent the spread of WMD to state and to non-state actors. But should those efforts fail, we need to be prepared for the impact of any incident and be able to respond quickly and effectively.

NATO, for its part, takes these threats very seriously. We are enhancing our preparedness to defend against and to counter CBRN attacks. The Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence in the Czech Republic, the Combined Joint CBRN Defence Task Force, the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre in the United Kingdom, and the CBRN Protection Cluster within the Framework Nations Concept, which helps us to better leverage existing Allied capabilities, are just some of NATOs tools in this fight.

We consistently try to use the structures and mechanisms of the Alliance to support the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime. But we can do more. One of the main things we can do is to improve coordination. That is why we work closely with our partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation initiative.

Working together, we should agree on common goals before big international meetings such as this years Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention Review Conference, next years NPT Preparatory Committee, the OSCE meetings on conventional arms control, and the various UN disarmament forums and working groups. This Conference today is one of our opportunities to come to such common views. If we dont, we lose an important opportunity to influence the debate and to make progress.

These meetings are vital. Over the decades, for example, the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention Review Conference has hardened global attitudes against the use of these weapons. The very idea of using disease as a weapon of war is repugnant. While membership of the Convention is not yet universal, no nation claims that biological weapons are a legitimate means of self-defence. The meeting in November should help the international community to reach a consensus in contentious areas such as confidence-building and compliance. NATO is ready to contribute to the wide-ranging consultations ahead of the meeting.

We also work with our partners on more practical matters. One of the best examples of this is the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme. As part of this, and together with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, we are working on regional CBRN first responder training with some of our Southern Partners present here today.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While the security environment is challenging and fluid, we must do everything in our power to reduce uncertainty, combat hybrid war tactics and defeat terrorism. This is most important in the field of weapons of mass destruction. We need to be resilient, we need to be prepared and we need to be on the front foot. That is why conferences like this one today are so important. Our discussions here and elsewhere will help to ensure our collective security for decades to come.

With that, I wish you an interesting and productive conference.
Kremlin says Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents prepare to meet

Leading Party Sponsor: Conservative Party is not fit to run Britain

'From Old Memory': Drivers can't see road signs on section of North-South highway under construction in Yerevan

Russian MFA: We are sure that attempts of external forces to split Moscow and Yerevan will not succeed

Yair Lapid: Israel is deeply concerned over Russia and Iran's military ties

Another school shooting in U.S.: 3 dead, including shooter

Azerbaijani Armed Forces shell Armenian positions

Kenyan police shoot and kill prominent Pakistani journalist

OSCE representatives visit villages affected by Azerbaijani aggression in Syunik Province

US presidential adviser calls OPEC's decision to cut oil production political move

Lavrov: Russia and Iran gave comprehensive answers about alleged use of Iranian drones

Netanyahu's comeback dominates Israel's elections

Georgian president complains that she was not informed about Aliyev's visit

S&P Global Market Intelligence: Recession in Eurozone looks increasingly inevitable

Benny Gantz tells his Ukrainian colleague that Israel will not supply weapons to Kiev

Greek Armed Forces can effectively respond to any provocation by Turkey

Qatar urges to depoliticize oil and gas

General Staff of Armed Forces head discusses Ukraine with his British colleague

Zelenskyy: Russia wouldn't cooperate militarily with Iran if Israel had not denied air defense systems to Kyiv

Azerbaijan sends note in connection with 'anti-Azerbaijani statements' on Channel One

Goldman Sachs foretells European business worst year since global financial crisis

Artificial intelligence leads political party in Denmark

Aliyev says Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route should be increased

U.S. State Department official expresses support for Armenia's sovereignty

Iranian MFA: IRGC exercises on borders with Azerbaijan are not directed against any neighboring state

Pashinyan: Damage caused to country by corruption must be restored

Rishi Sunak to become UK PM

Armenia official: Defense sector expenses will increase the most, state budget allocations will increase by 160bln drams

Iranian president congratulates Xi Jinping: Tehran is determined to expand comprehensive relations with Beijing

Russian MOD: Work on Ukraine's 'dirty bomb' comes to end

Dollar drops, euro goes up in Armenia

Fly Arna planning to conduct 2 weekly flights between Yerevan and Beirut

Ilham Aliyev: Azerbaijan doubles gas and oil exports to Europe via Georgia

Two quakes hit near Tbilisi

Aliyev: Azerbaijan-Armenia agreement signing will be guarantee of peace in entire South Caucasus

Over 1.5 million light bulbs lit simultaneously in India: New Guinness World Record

Garibashvili: Georgia is ready to support peaceful neighborhood initiative in South Caucasus

Azerbaijan to export 157 GW of electric energy via Georgia

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

NYT: Israel gives Ukraine intelligence data to fight UAVs

Police detains opposition activists in Azerbaijan

Armenia, Azerbaijan deputy PMs to meet in Brussels in first week of November

Azerbaijani Defense Minister goes on working visit to Turkey

Artsakh ombudsman shows Azerbaijan destruction of Armenian cultural heritage

Naryshkin urges international community not to allow Ukraine's nuclear status

Azerbaijan president visits Georgia

Macron: Ukrainian conflict should not make us forget about Armenia, Syria, Iraq and other wars

Charles Michel: Ukraine itself must decide when to resume talks with Russia

Finance ministry: Armenia national debt will decrease in dram terms but we will borrow new debts

Man, 38, dies after being hit by car in Armenia

Partial solar eclipse set on October 25

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?

Driver dies in hospital 25 days after Armenia road accident

Gold weakly appreciates

Komsomolskaya Pravda: PM Pashinyan is handing over Karabakh in order to take Armenia to the West

Vedomosti daily: Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders to hold face-to-face talks

Russia to evade G7 plan to cap oil prices, export 90% of its oil?

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

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

US, Russia defense chiefs discuss Ukraine situation for 2nd time in last few days

Turkey plans to set up 2 more military bases in northern Syria

Germany wants to use Israel UAVs to protect its key infrastructures

UK defense secretary holds phone talk with Russia counterpart

US to attempt set Russia oil price cap above $60 per barrel?

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

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
Armenian PM Hovik Abrahamyan, who is on a working visit to Karabakh, has visited the military positions along the Line of Contact between Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces.

Abrahamyan got familiarized with the situation at the frontline and the social conditions of the servicemen, Armenian government press-service reports. A number of issues related to carrying out combat duty were also discussed. Apart from this, the PM talked to the servicemen, thanking them for fulfilling their holy duty of defending the homeland with honor.

The Armenian people are proud of you, since thanks to your heroism, as well as conscious and responsible conduct and steps, it was possible to prevent the offensive of the adversary and give a proper response. Your actions inspire all of us, since we realize that the borders are safely protected thanks to you. Your feat is priceless, Abrahamyan noted.
STEPANAKERT. - The border situation is generally under control; the borders are defended, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Minister of Defense and Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan told journalists in Stepanakert Monday.

The Minister confirmed that the adversary is amassing forces on the Line of Contact, simultaneously moving to strong defense, Armenian News  NEWS.am correspondent reports.

''If the troops accumulate, we will disseminate them. Climate of fear prevails in Azerbaijan: they have switched to defense,'' the Minister said.

To the question as to whether large-scale military actions are possible now, Mnatsakanyan said that tendency of de-escalation of tension is currently observed.
Marie Yovanovitch will become the new U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Kiev-based Day newspaper writes, citing its source.

The edition notes that Yovanovitch has been the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs since 2012. Earlier, she was the assistant to the Secretary of State and was responsible for the bilateral relations with the countries of Scandinavia, Baltic and the Central Europe.

In the period from 2001 to 2004 the American worked as the deputy ambassador to Kiev. She was also a temporary US Charge d'Affaires prior to arrival in Ukraine in 2003.

In addition, from 2008 to 2011 she was the US Ambassador to Armenia, before that, from 2005 to 2008 she worked as an ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. She has also worked in the U.S. missions to Russia, Canada, the UK and Somalia.

Journalists note that Yovanovitch is fluent in Russian.

Sources of the newspaper also emphasized that the diplomat has a good reputation.

Earlier, Greek media reported that Current Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, after three years in Ukraine, will become the new US Ambassador to Greece. It was noted that Washington has already sent the relevant documents to the government of the country which should make the decision.
YEREVAN. - There is no issue of fear, we arent afraid of anything, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian told journalists in Yerevans Victory Park Monday, referring to the recognition of Karabakh by Armenia.

In his words, the thing is that according to the governmental formulation on the initiative of two Armenian MPs to recognize Karabakh independence, this will depend on the talks between Armenia and Karabakh and also the developments on the international platform.

We must consider that these are very delicate issues, which arent decided by such sudden and emotional steps,he said.

Asked whether the Armenian authorities are afraid to recognize Karabakh, Nalbandian said: There is no issue of fear; we arent afraid of anything. This also shows that the international community shares our opinion and that our stance is in line with the position of the international community. The five statements of the presidents of [the OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairing states are indicative of this. You know that so far Azerbaijan has avoided referring to those five statements, while the latter present the international communitys position on the Karabakh conflict settlement. Id also like to recall that the U.S., France and Russia precisely mentioned that the self-determination of Karabakh is also a key issue, always being in the center of the talks. And as a result of those talks everything should certainly be done to ensure both the recognition and implementation of the Nagorno-Karabakh peoples right to self-determination.

Referring to the current stage of the talks and the three conditions advanced by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan (introduction of investigative mechanisms, targeted announcements and guarantees that Azerbaijan wont repeat new aggression and terrorism against Karabakh people), the FM said: This stage can include meetings and discussions on ways to prevent the recurrence of what Azerbaijan unleashed against Artsakh in early April. Secondly, mechanisms can in introduced, which would allow to resume the talks.
A fragment of the breaking disk was found on the runway at the Sochi airport.

All the planes which have taken off until the findings, have safely landed at airports of their destination, TASS reported quoting the press-service of the Basic Aero management company.

Basel Aero stated that a fragment of a braking disk was found at the Sochi International airport while checking the runway from 8:30 till 9:15 Moscow time. The inspection on this case is carried out. The type of the aircraft and accessory of airline is established.

According to the company, four planes took off from this runway since morning : two headed to Moscow, one to Yekaterinburg and one to Tyumen. All planes which have departed at the appointed time from Sochi have already landed.
It was necessary to go on counter-offensive actions, the deputy of parliament of Karabakh, war hero Vitaly Balasanyan stated in an interview with the Public Television of Armenia.

According to him, the nature of war has changed. Until 1994 there was a defensive and the offensive fights, then the ceasefire agreement was signed. Vitaly Balasanyan considers the document is ambiguous, wondering whether there is a difference what is caliber of arms from which the ceasefire regime is broken.

As Balasanyan noted, the recent events showed that it is impossible to trust any document.

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs do everything to prevent war, but, unfortunately, we saw that aggression continued and everything developed into a very uncertain situation. It was necessary to go on counter-offensive actions, Balasanyan believes.

As to the issue of deploying peacekeepers in the conflict zone Balasanyan answered that aggression cannot start pursuing some distant goal.

Peacekeeping forces never carry peace. Show me a country where the peacekeepers have brought peace for the last 20-30 years. Balance is maintained by the Karabakh armed forces, Balasanyan emphasized.

Concerning arms of the opponent, Balasanyan noted that we should never underestimate the enemy. Nevertheless, he is sure that, despite the quality and quantity of the arms, Azerbaijan can not achieve the solution to the issue by military means.
STEPANAKERT.  Foreign Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan on Monday met with the participants of the congress of the representatives of the Hay Dat Committees and offices, which took place in Stepanakert.

The NKR Foreign Minister briefed on the situation created in the peaceful settlement process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict as a result of the large-scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the NKR in early April.

Karen Mirzoyan touched upon the process of the international recognition of the NKR, the establishment and development of international cooperation in various fields. The NKR Foreign Minister positively assessed the consistent efforts of the Hay Dat institutions aimed at protecting and promoting the interests of Artsakh.

Later on, Karen Mirzoyan answered to the questions of the participants on foreign policy issues, regional developments and Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora cooperation.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists publishes today a searchable database that strips away the secrecy of nearly 214,000 offshore entities created in 21 jurisdictions, from Nevada to Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands.

The data, part of the Panama Papers investigation, is the largest ever release of information about offshore companies and the people behind them. This includes, when available, the names of the real owners of those opaque structures.

The database also displays information about more than 100,000 additional offshore entities ICIJ had already disclosed in its 2013 Offshore Leaks investigation.

The database contains over 30 names from Armenia, including Mihran Poghosyan, now former Head of the Compulsory Enforcement Service of Judicial Orders of the Republic of Armenia.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists studied 11 million documents of Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm, which were handed to the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung by an unknown person.

The results of the investigation have been simultaneously published in several major world outlets, such as Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the Guardian, BBC Panorama program, the Russian Novaya Gazeta.

The publications referred to offshore companies that Fonseca Mossack registered for many world leaders and their kids. In total, the publications referred to 72 leaders of the different states.
See more commencement features and stories  ______ Life Lessons from Commencement speaker William Foege William Foege structured his keynote address to Emorys 171st Commencement as 10 chapters of "Lessons I am Still Desperately Trying to Learn. Here are key points from each chapter: 1. Consciously edit your own obituary every day. Edit with care and edit with gusto. 2. Avoid making a life plan. You cannot imagine what will be invented in the future; you cannot imagine the opportunities that will be presented. A life plan will limit your future. 3. Instead of a life plan, spend your time developing a life philosophy; then you will have tools for evaluating every fork in the road. Tradition is the DNA of our beliefs. Question the bias of traditions and question the certainty of those with biases. 4. Integrate your world of knowledge. Bridge the gap between science and the humanities every day. Be a globalist and a futurist. Be good ancestors. Take seriously climate change. Because each of us can do so little, it is important that we do our part. 5. Actively seek mentors. Identify the people who have the traits, the ideas and philosophies that you want and get their help. Borrow their wisdom. 6. For all the problems in the world, there has never been a better time to be alive. Just as your life expectancy is increasing, what you can do in that lifetime continues to increase. You will pack centuries into 80 calendar years. 7. Seek equity and justice. The slavery of today is poverty. What a great thought to have graduates of Emory lead that change. 8. Seek serendipity, which can happen through learning, being in the moment, and looking for connections. 9. One measure of civilization is how people treat each other  kindness is the basic ingredient. How you treat people is a healing force in this world. Be kind to one another. 10. May this phrase stick with you forever: "Home is not where you are from; home is where you are needed." As I congratulate you on what you have done, I also hope we all find our way home.

William Foege, the renowned epidemiologist credited with creating the global strategy to eradicate smallpox, urged Emorys Class of 2016 to move forward seeking connections, equity and justice to become their own healing force in the world.

In a keynote address infused with warm, witty anecdotes about his own life experiences, the former Emory public health professor once again embraced an educators role at the Universitys 171st Commencement ceremonies Monday morning, titling his remarks Lessons I am Still Trying Desperately to Learn.

Speaking to the 4,494 graduates in the Class of 2016  among a joyful crowd of about 15,000 assembled on the Emory Quadrangle  Foege began by admitting a conflict of interest.

I love Emory and I appreciate what Emory has done for me over the years, acknowledged Foege, praising contributions such as the medical care provided President Jimmy Carter and his family, Emorys role in making global health a university-wide priority, and more recently, the Universitys leadership in the treatment of Ebola virus disease.

He then took the audience 50 years back in time. The year was 1966, and Foege was traveling to Africa with his family when he detoured to the London School of Tropical Medicine to talk to teachers.

After Foege spent 20 minutes visiting with Dr. Robert Cochrane, then the worlds foremost authority on leprosy and former dean of the Vellore Christian Medical College and Hospital in south India, Cochrane stopped him.

My conscience will not permit me to allow you to go to Africa knowing as little about leprosy as you seem to know, the dean told him.

Inviting Foege into his home, Cochrane would spend the next three days lecturing and sharing some of his 16,000 leprosy slides, Foege recalled.

I tell you, it was a thrill at first, he said, with a smile. By the third day I realized the passion to teach far surpasses the passion to learn.

And that is why we have Commencement talks, he added. The University cant stop. It tries to the end to teach.

"A better world for generations yet unborn"

Advising graduates that it had taken 80 years to write this talk, Foege went on to share a series of life lessons  or chapters  that advocated living consciously with kindness, curiosity and a sense of global connection, and facing the future with a mind open to possibilities.

Foege recalled a time, years ago, when he was asked to speak to Emorys Board of Trustees about what he hoped his son would learn as a student here. The night before, he was reading Rudyard Kiplings The Ballad of the Kings Jest" and disagreed with the part of the poem where the speaker declares that four things greater than all things are: women and horses and power and war.

So that night I had the audacity to rewrite Kipling, Foege said, offering his lines for what he hoped his son and other students would learn: "Four things treasure all else above: purpose and faith and wisdom and love."

In recognition of his humanitarian service and lifetime achievements, Foege was presented with the Emory Presidents Medal, one of the two highest honors granted by the University, by Emory President James Wagner.

Praising his heroic efforts and extraordinary success in leaving a better world for generations yet unborn, Wagner noted Foeges ability to diminish the suffering of humanity brought on by disease, through both compassionate service and science.

A class dedicated to community, caring

In his own remarks, President Wagner also praised both the academic accomplishments and the service exemplified by the Class of 2016. Reflecting upon the classs unique qualities, the description that comes to mind could be the phrase entrepreneurs of care, he said.

From student-driven initiatives such as Emory Campus Kitchens, which delivers extra food from campus dining halls to Atlanta food shelters; to Emory Seeds for Knowledge, which helps educate children in Africa; and Freedom at Emory, which advocates for access to higher education for undocumented students, Wagner described a class dedicated to community and caring.

He also recognized the ability of students to keep our attention focused on issues of justice, from your first year, when you helped to create the Campus Life Compact, to this past year and the work leading up to and continuing from our Racial Justice Retreat.

You have demonstrated something important: that compassion and justice and critical intelligence do not cancel each other out, but actually inform each other, Wagner said.

Marking his last Commencement ceremony as University president  Wagner has announced plans to retire at the end of August  he also reflected on the privilege of addressing each class for the past 13 years that has contributed to Emorys ever-improving community.

Collectively, these contributions add to the extraordinary nobility of this community  a community which demonstrates again and again that a university can, and I believe must, have a soul, Wagner said.

Emory truly endeavors to be both great  a great university  and a good university, he said. It has been my joy to be a part of it. I will graduate today with gratitude for my own education in this place.

Concluding his remarks, Wagner expressed confidence that graduates will "carry your creativity, excellence and character into the communities that await you."]

"Society needs that combination of intellectual power and wisdom and caring and joy that you have developed and exercised here," he said. "Thank you for what you have been and for what you have taught us."

Celebrating the future

The Class of 2016 represents 49 states and 75 countries, earning a total of 4,585 degrees, according to preliminary figures available on Commencement Day. For Emorys newest graduates, it was a day steeped in both sentiment and excitement  an exercise in looking at how far theyve come and also moving forward.

For Lud Habtu, graduating with a bachelors degree in religion and ethics, the next step forward will involve attending medical school in Ethiopia. I want to work with third-world countries in the future, said Habtu, who seeks to return to her family roots.

Graduating with a bachelors degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology, Joseph Schultz described plans to complete two years of post-baccalaureate work for the National Institutes of Health. Ill be working in a lab in neuro-psych research that focuses on human emotions and addiction, he said, adding that he was both relieved and nervous to be stepping out into the real world.

After earning a bachelors degree in computer science and economics, Linda Huang spoke with enthusiasm of heading for a job in London, as her parents, who traveled from China, beamed with pride.

For Irem Guney, a bachelors degree in business administration has led to a job in finance in Atlanta. For Cheryl Choice, a masters of public health graduate, the next step will be law school to pursue advocacy work, helping people secure access to health care and mental health care for juveniles.

With a bachelors degree in physics and astronomy, the next step for Simeon Bolds will be a PhD in astrophysics. But even as he pins his future to the skies, he looks back on his experience at Emory with gratitude. Its provided a series of experiences that have helped shape me into the person I am today, he said.

It was a day for nostalgia, for celebrating friendship and all that is yet to come.

Though college roommates Julia Highsmith and Elisha Pereira both received Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing, what they found in the larger campus experience was just as powerful as what they found in the classroom.

Emory has been just amazing, said Highsmith, who will be working in a hospital in her hometown of Washington, D.C. There are so many different opportunities, great professors and a beautiful campus. And so many ways to get involved.

We worked so hard to get here, she added, scanning the sea of graduates. Though our program was hard, this makes it worth all those long, late nights.

Honorary degree recipients

The ceremony also marked the presentation of university-wide honors for students and faculty for service, leadership, teaching and mentoring.

Among the honorees:

Nowmee Syeda Shehab 16C, who majored in womens, gender and sexuality studies, received the Marion Luther Brittain Service Award, the universitys highest student award for service and leadership;

Nancy Thompson 71C 77PH, professor of behavioral sciences and health education in the Rollins School of Public Health, received the United Methodist Church University Scholar/Teacher Award;

Eloise Carter 78G 83PhD, professor of biology at Oxford College, earned the Thomas Jefferson Award for significant service to the University through personal activities, influence and leadership.

Emory also conferred three honorary degrees at the Commencement ceremony:
When Nancy Thompson 71C 77MPH was called recently to the presidents office  to receive congratulations on winning this years Scholar/Teacher Award  she confided to a fellow Emory College alumna that she wasnt sure where the presidents office was, despite nearly 40 years of service to Emory.

Her classmate said, Its in the same place as when we marched on it. Perfect, said Thompson, I know just where that is.

It has been quite a road from undergraduate math whiz and social justice advocate to a place on the Commencement stage receiving one of the Universitys top honors. For her decades of path-breaking work, Thompson is the 2016 recipient of the Scholar/Teacher Award, supported by the United Methodist Church's General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

A Florida native, Thompson planned to go to Florida State; however, her impressive SAT scores convinced her guidance counselor that she should consider Emory. When Thompson came for a visit, she was still undecided, but her parents  upon learning she had been offered a scholarship on the spot by the admission dean  voted for Emory.

Coming of age during the Depression, neither had been able to attend the schools they had dreamed of. Thompson soon came round to their view. As she recalls, It was the right thing; the universe worked in my behalf. Coming to Emory helped me seek new interests.

Thompson was one of 200 women students admitted to an Emory class of 600. There was a ceiling on the number of women who could be admitted and, says Thompson, the women generally had to have SAT scores 200 points higher than the men to be accepted.

Thompson did the equivalent of a double major in psychology and math, though double majors did not exist at the time. She was studious but also wanted a part of the eras social upheaval. In addition to being a Vietnam protester, she also joined a march when Spiro Agnew dedicated the Confederate carving on Stone Mountain. As she recalls, I was involved in marches for all sorts of things. That is part of what you sort out in college.

At the end of her junior year, Thompson needed to stay in town for the summer because she was president of the Resident Womens Association at Emory and would need to welcome the new class. She resolved to walk to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and, if necessary, to the Veterans Administration to find a job. It took only the short walk to the CDC.

Following graduation, she continued working for the CDC, thereby becoming one of the many people to get into public health by accident. She became a statistician, doing everything from randomizing vials to collecting data on lab licensing across states. The CDC agreed to pay for her masters degree.

Thompson joined the first-ever Emory class of masters students in community health in 1975, a program offered through the School of Medicine. After graduating, she reapplied for her job at the CDC and was given a new title  epidemiologist.

Bridging epidemiology and psychology

For Thompson, epidemiology was a tool; psychology was her real love. The CDC tried to slot her into administrative roles, saying that her lack of a doctorate or MD dictated that path. She soon remedied that by enrolling in the doctoral program in psychology at Georgia State University.

The CDC declined to finance this phase of her education, declaring: There is no room for someone with mental health training in public health. Oddly enough, this was at the dawn of the AIDS era and when the cognitive effects of Agent Orange were first becoming known, both of which argued for the full participation of mental health experts.

Thompson meanwhile, with energy abounding, had been teaching at Emory since 1978 in addition to her employment at the CDC. A number of her MPH classmates had been out of school long enough to be rusty in aspects of math. Thompson taught tutorials and in the process discovered that she was sought after as a teacher.

In some ways, it was not unexpected. Her mother, who had a physiology background, matter-of-factly taught her daughter about the birds and bees when Thompson was 10. Thompson turned right around and taught her friends.

There is a part of me interested in sharing knowledge, Thompson says. Things excite me and I want to share them.

The MPH at Emory was created in 1983. During that year, Thompson worked at the CDC by day and taught the programs lower-level courses at night. Two years later, Thompson cut ties to the CDC and came to Emory full-time.

Forces were coalescing for a school of public health at Emory, and Thompson was in the thick of it.

It was exciting to start growing public health as a discipline," she says. "The folks like me, willing to get involved with the program at the ground level, were not terribly rule-bound; rules come with history.

"Founding mother" of public health at Emory

The Rollins School of Public Health was founded in 1990 and accredited two years later.

For the latter to happen, the school needed a Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health. Thompson and three colleagues were told to make a department. She laughs in recalling, All but one of us were untenured. Our degrees had nothing in common with one another. We made it work.

Colleen McBride  Grace Crum Rollins Professor and chair of Behavioral Sciences and Health  describes Thompson as a founding mother and curricular visionary in the School of Public Health. Currently, a revisiting of the curriculum is in the offing.

I gave my heart and soul to developing the original curriculum, Thompson says, wanting her current role to be in passing on some of the relevant history, writing some things down.

Thompson teaches without ego. To her, It is more important what my students know versus what I know. That fact is not lost on her many grateful students.

One student, who sought out Thompson when the previous chair was unable to continue, wrote: Dr. Thompson guided a lost student through the waters of graduate school and beyond.  It is an uncommon educator whose influence is so broad and yet so personal, and [she] embraces that rarity.

"She could teach a rock"

Although Thompson is delighted with the Scholar Teacher Award, she got pretty excited about a teaching award that came her way last year. When former colleague Stan Foster would travel internationally and meet Rollins alumni, he would ask who their best teacher had been. Nancy Thompson, one alumnus responded. She could teach a rock and it would absorb it.

So, Foster combined a piece of granite with a plaque on which he inscribed the words of that alumnus. The rock sits on her desk at home, but a photo of it accompanies her everywhere.

Thompsons scholarship has won acclaim equal to her teaching. She confesses to always having had an interest in what she calls underdog research projects.

Considered one of the five most influential behavioral scientists in the field of epilepsy, Thompson recently spearheaded Project UPLIFT, designed to reduce or eliminate depression in epilepsy patients based on mindfulness and cognitive therapy. The program  offered through the Epilepsy Foundation, among others  has achieved significant impact; and Thompson designed it to be extensible, with funding coming recently from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

As a scholar, Thompsons expertise ranges from asthma to organ donation to end-of-life care and beyond. She has produced more than 80 peer-reviewed articles, 10 book chapters, and a coauthored book titled Demonstrating Your Programs Worth: A Primer on Evaluation for Programs to Prevent Unintentional Injury. It won a CDC Communications Roundtable Award.

Thompson recalls once being with a laterality expert, who pronounced that she was a whole-brain thinker. It is what makes her a good teacher. As she says, I have the left brain that can take apart the puzzle and know where to lay the pieces, and the right brain that can tell a million stories and give all the color to what I am teaching.

Thompson will step down from Emory in 2019 but remain involved with Project UPLIFT through 2021. Fear not for how she will fill her days.

Like every plan Thompson has formulated, it is ambitious. She will delight in, and care for, her four grandchildren. She will write scholarly papers that have been deferred by a hectic schedule. She will play more.

Thompson also talked about hoofing it from her house to Whitefoord Elementary and offering her skills teaching mindfulness. She laughed, wondering how often itinerant teachers walk through the doors of elementary schools. Would she be accepted? As in so many other instances where she was laying new ground, Thompson is going to give it a shot.
22:01

For Donald Trump, party unity is a good thing. But he's making clear he won't change his views or soften his rhetoric to get it.

"Look, I'm going to get millions and millions of votes more than the Republicans would have gotten" without me, Trump said.

In other words, get on board or get out of the way.

It's a risky calculation for a presumptive Republican nominee who this November would likely go up against Hillary Clinton, a seasoned campaigner who is faring well in the polls and has broad support across her party.

But to Trump supporters like adviser Paul Manafort, shrugging off hostility from party insiders is something Trump can afford to do.

"The important thing to remember is the national titular head of the party is the nominee of the Republican Party," Manafort said. Trump "just won that overwhelmingly, faster than anybody in Washington thought and running as an outsider against Washington. So, his agenda is the people's agenda."

Trump moved from presidential front-runner to presumptive nominee last week when he crushed rival Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary, and Cruz dropped out of the race.

Ahead of a private meeting Thursday with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump used several televised interviews that aired Sunday to knock Ryan and other influential Republicans, along with a nomination system he says is "totally rigged."

Trump said Ryan "blindsided" him by declining to endorse him. He called South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham a "lightweight," and suggested Republicans Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush wouldn't back him because they were sore losers after their own failed presidential bids.

The New York billionaire seemed to be sending a message to party critics who are withholding support or planning to skip the convention.

"I don't think (the party) actually has to be unified" in the traditional sense, he said.
16:55

In a new low in the level of political discourse, BJP president Amit Shah lashes out against Congress president Sonia Gandhi saying, "'World knows about your love for son, National Herald."This is probably what the BJP thinks is a fitting reply to Sonia Gandhi's speech at Thiruvananthapuram yesterday. The Congress president said that India is her home and "it is here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones".

The Congress President used the election rally in Thiruvananthapuram to hit back at Modi after the prime minister raked up her Italian roots twice in the last three days while making a veiled attack on her over the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal.

Sonia's response came while concluding her speech when she said she wanted to share something personal, not politics, about the prime minister's statement "about the Congress and particularly about me".

"Yes, I was born in Italy. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I have spent 48 years of my life in India. This is my home. This is my country," Sonia said while referring to Modi's sarcastic queries to the gathering at his two poll rallies in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Friday and Sunday whether they had any relatives in Italy.

Sonia said that all her 48 years in India, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party and some other parties had always "taunted me to shame me for my birth".

"I was born to proud and honest parents. I will never be ashamed of them. Yes, I have relatives in Italy. I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters. But it is here, in my country, India, it is in this part that the blood of my loves is mingled.

"It is here that I will breathe my last. It is here that my ashes will mingle with yours and my loved ones," she said, pointing out that the sole objective of Prime Minister Modi was to "indulge in character assassination of his adversaries and spread lies."
BENGALURU: Windows is one of the widely trusted and highly used operating system. According to Microsoft, Windows 10 has 300 million users worldwide and the company has planned surprises for its users on occasion of upcoming anniversary. The company is planning to introduce various changes for its users and interestingly, one of it is the company going to put an end to free upgrade for Windows 10.

According to Microsoft, Windows 10 will be available as a service since it is going to be the last version of Windows. Though Windows 7 and 8 users still have time till 29th July to upgrade freely to Windows 10 but later on users will have to buy license to upgrade. The license to upgrade to Windows 10 will be available approximately 8000 although the OS will be sent with new devices.

In a conference, held last year, Microsoft executives said that the prior versions of OS were equipped with planned life cycles. But the latest Microsoft 10 is modeled as a service which can be updated freely once you have the license. As a token of thanks, Microsoft is planning going to introduce free upgrades for every user.

Though it is said that Windows 10 has 300 million users, the growth rate have a different story to tell. It is evident from various sources that there was a sluggish growth rate for Windows 10. It was also stated that very few people were installing Windows 10 in a month and the company was experiencing trifling returns from the OS. Meanwhile, Microsoft introduced Edge browser which witnessed 50% growth in just a quarter where Edge was developed as replacement for Internet Explorer. But remember, it is the only time for Windows 7 and Windows 8 OS users to upgrade your machine to Windows 10.

Read Also: Facebook To Face Lawsuit Over Its Face-Recognition System

NASA Releases First-Ever Global Topographic Model Of Mercury
NEW YORK: Researchers have developed a new paper-based test that can diagnose the Zika virus infection within a few hours, potentially improving current diagnosis methods that can take days or weeks to accurately detect the virus.

The test, which distinguishes Zika from the very similar dengue virus, can be stored at room temperature and read with a simple electronic reader, making it potentially practical for widespread use.

"We have a system that could be widely distributed and used in the field with low cost and very few resources," said lead researcher James Collins, professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

An outbreak of the Zika virus that began in Brazil in April 2015 has been linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly.

Many infected people experience no symptoms, and when symptoms do appear they are very similar to those of related viruses such as dengue and chikungunya.

Currently, patients are diagnosed by testing whether they have antibodies against Zika in their bloodstream, or by looking for pieces of the viral genome in a patient's blood sample, using a test known as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

However, these tests can take days or weeks to yield results, and the antibody test cannot discriminate accurately between Zika and dengue.

The new device is based on technology that the researchers previously developed to detect the Ebola virus.

In October 2014, the researchers demonstrated that they could create synthetic gene networks and embed them on small discs of paper.

These gene networks can be programmed to detect a particular genetic sequence, which causes the paper to change colour.

Upon learning about the Zika outbreak, the researchers decided to try adapting their device to diagnose Zika, which has spread to other parts of South and North America since the outbreak began in Brazil.

"In a small number of weeks, we developed and validated a relatively rapid, inexpensive Zika diagnostic platform," Collins said.

The findings appeared online in the journal Cell.

Read Also: NASA Releases First-Ever Global Topographic Model Of Mercury

11 Apps To Perfect Your Job Interview Skills
Four students earn inaugural energy scholarships

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Four scholars will receive a boost to their careers in energy this fall when they receive the first scholarships awarded by the Advanced Coal and Energy Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Two undergraduate and two graduate students will receive the scholarships for the 2016-17 academic year. Both scholarships are funded by the $4.6 million Energy Boost grant, which established ACERC and funds its mission of creating a new interdisciplinary academic unit charged with finding advanced coal and energy technology solutions while training a workforce to implement those solutions in the private sector in the future.

The undergraduate scholarship recipients are Evan Langley, who will transfer to SIU from Lakeland College in Mattoon; and Jake Warner, who will graduate this spring from Waterloo High School in Waterloo. The graduate scholarship recipients are Tajdar Ahmed, who will attend SIU after graduating from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, India; and Chinedu Obiakara, who graduated from Vaal University of Technology in South Africa.

The undergraduate award is valued at $2,500 for the fall and spring semesters, for a total value of $5,000. It is open to full-time undergraduate students enrolled and in good standing in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes.

The scholarship aims to attract local high school graduates who have been personally impacted by the contraction in the coal industry. The award can roll over each semester until the student graduates, as determined by a semi-annual review of student academic performance and/or a personal interview.

ACERC is awarding up to five such new scholarships each academic year.

The one-time, $5,000 Energy Boost Graduate Scholarship is aimed at supporting high-caliber students in SIU's professional science masters degree in advanced energy and fuels management. ACERC will fund up to five such scholarships each academic year.

To learn more about scholarship opportunities at ACERC go here.
According to the regional government, the five explosions occurred on Sunday in front of Myanmar military infantry battalion 424, police force office, near Ooru Yadana jade hill bridge and two other places in which one person was injured, Xinhua news agency reported.

The cause of the explosions is under investigation.

--IANS ksk/bg

( 81 Words)

2016-05-09-14:48:08 (IANS)
In a signal that China may soften its stand against social networking giant Facebook, the Beijing High Court has ruled in favour of the Cupertino-based company, saying that a Chinese company should not have been allowed to register the face book trademark back in 2014. The Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks Factory in southern Guangdong province that had registered the brand name face book, produces food products like potato chips and canned vegetables. Under the Chinese law, a multinational with a globally-recognised brand must prove that its trademark is also well known within China, the Financial Times reported on Monday. Along with other social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook is currently blocked to nearly 700 million internet users in China. Burt several many people are using virtual private networks (VPNs) which allow them to circumvent the Great Firewall to access the site. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been trying to break the ice with China for years. He met Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to the US last year. The Facebook founder has also met Chinas chief censor officer at his home in San Francisco and reportedly had a meeting with the head of the ruling Communist partys propaganda apparatus. In March this year, Zuckerberg was seen jogging through Tiananmen Square with the famous gate to the Forbidden City imperial palace in the background. He was in Beijing to attend the China Development Forum 2016. Zuckerberg also met Alibaba Group Holdings's executive chairman Jack Ma and discussed about innovation during the visit. Ma said Zuckerberg respected Chinese culture, adding that oriental culture and western culture should learn from each other and work collaboratively for a better future. Last week, Apple lost an appeal in China for its iPhone trademark when a lower court ruled that a Chinese company Xintong Tiandi can use the "iPhone" mark on its leather goods. "Apple is disappointed the Beijing Higher People's Court chose to allow Xintong to use the 'iPhone' mark for leather goods when we have prevailed in several other cases against Xintong," the company said in a statement. "We intend to request a retrial with the Supreme People's Court and will continue to vigorously protect our trademark rights. We work hard to make the best products in the world and want to ensure our customers' experience is not compromised by companies who try to profit from using our brand," Apple added. Apple was set to appeal against the verdict in a higher court. --IANS na/vm ( 423 Words) 2016-05-09-13:46:13 (IANS)
Acting on a tip-off, BSF troops laid an ambush near the area of Border Out Post Daulatpur in Malda border area fence.

Upon being challenged to stop, the miscreants managed to flee taking advantage of darkness leaving behind the money bag.

After a thorough search, the BSF ambush party recovered a bag containing fake currency wrapped in plastic. The seized currency has been handed over to Police for further action.

BSF South Bengal Frontier has seized fake currency of the face value of over 97 lakh rupees during this year. (ANI)
Two of Australia's biggest banks on Monday said they are investigating suspected fraud involving false declarations by a number of home loan borrowers who rely on foreign income. ANZ Banking Group and Westpac Banking Corp said the alleged fraud was discovered during internal investigations and posed no credit risk. The announcement follows moves by ANZ, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank last month to clamp down on mortgage lending to non-residents, following regulatory concerns about lax lending standards and soaring house prices driven partly by foreign investment. The alleged fraud is another headache for the country's major banks as they battle slowing earnings growth, and could fuel calls for political action to improve housing affordability with a general election looming on July 2. "When fraudulent activity is discovered we take action against those involved, including the broker, which normally results in termination," Westpac spokesman David Lording told Reuters in an email. "Our delinquency rate on foreign income loans is lower than the portfolio average, and a large proportion of these loans are ahead on repayments." ANZ and Westpac discovered they had each approved hundreds of home loans backed by fraudulent Chinese income documents, allegedly manufactured with the help of mortgage brokers, The Australian Financial Review (AFR) newspaper reported. The banks did not say whether the suspected fraud was linked to Chinese clients, some of the biggest buyers of Australian property. China has become the largest source of foreign investment in Australia, overtaking the United States, according to official figures. "We have identified issues with the income documentation of a small percentage of Australian resident borrowers who rely on foreign income," an ANZ spokesman said in an email to Reuters. "Policy changes have been made to address this and we are also reviewing a number of brokers." The AFR noted that the total value of ANZ and Westpac loans afflicted by allegedly fraudulent income information is likely to be less than A$1 billion, or 0.12 per cent of their combined A$837 billion of residential mortgages.REUTERS KU GC0746 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-722677.Xml
Oil producers and refiners braced on Monday for further supply constraints from the wildfires that have shut one half of Canada's vast oil sands capacity and forced BP and other big oil firms to warn they would not be able to deliver on some contracts.While Sunday's cooler weather, light rain and favorable winds helped control the advance of the blaze that razed neighborhoods in Alberta's oil sands boomtown, Fort McMurray, regional energy firms continued to shut facilities as a precaution, sending futures prices up 2 percent in early trading.Statoil and Husky were the latest to do so, after cutting output earlier at their regional facilities. They are among 11 production firms and three pipeline operators that have curbed activities after the week-long inferno forced more than 1 million barrels in capacity offline.Fire also caused minor damage on Sunday at the yard of CNOOC unit Nexen's facility in Long Lake, Alberta, officials said. It was the first reported damage to an energy industry asset since the crisis began.Oil prices rose 2 percent in Asian trade, with Brent rising above $46 a barrel and U.S. crude hovering at over $45. The market has risen about 75 percent since hitting 12-year lows of around $27 or lower in the first quarter, supported by falling U.S. production, unexpected supply constraints in Libya and the Americas - among others - and a weaker dollar."I'm not sure if we'll get back to $80 a barrel, but $50 and above looks likely," said Carl Larry, director of business development for oil and gas at Frost & Sullivan.Last week, Canadian crude futures rallied to their highest in months from production cuts."It is likely that the market will overreact," said Jim Williams, analyst at WTRG Economics in London, Arkansas. "My worry is if the upgrader facilities that push out the bulk of the heavy Canadian crude to the U.S. get damaged. Then you have a big problem."On Friday, BP Plc, which produces oil in Canada via a partnership with Husky, along with Suncor Energy, the largest Canadian oil producer, and U.S. refiner Phillips 66 issued warnings of "force majeure" events.A force majeure event is an unforeseen event that prevents a party from fulfilling a contract.In that case, the notices were for inability to deliver on some contracts for Canadian crude.The United States imports about 3.5 million barrels a day of Canadian crude, which is particularly important for refiners in the U.S. Midwest ranging from Ohio to the Dakotas.World oil supply remains in a glut, with an estimated oversupply of around 1.5 million bpd.Record U.S. inventories and plentiful supplies in storage in Western Canada will also offset some of the loss from the blaze. But prolonged outages in the oils sands, which has the world's third-largest crude reserves, could roil producers and traders' contracts and order books.According to Genscape, which monitors key crude storage terminals in Western Canada, including the critical locations at Edmonton and Hardisty, total inventories were 26.5 million barrels at the end of April, equivalent to less than a month of output currently offline."We are going to see this impacting flows, not necessarily right away but over the next few weeks," said Matt Smith, who tracks crude cargoes for New York-based Clipper Data. "An outage of this volume is going to have a supportive influence on the market."REUTERS AKC SV RK0959 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-722718.Xml
Hitting back at Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for alleging that he was cooking up rumours regarding the controversy surrounding the residential colonies for armed forces personnel, her predecessor Omar Abdullah on Monday revealed the copy of a document showing that land has been allotted by the state government in Jammu and Kashmir and dared her to counter his charges or file a case against him. Taking to his Twitter account, Omar posted a picture from a document regarding allotment 'of 350 kanals of land for Sainik Colony at Srinagar' and said, "If you have the guts & truly believe this image is fake file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!!" The National Conference leader added if Mehbooba does not file a case against him in the next 24 hours then the people will come to know who is lying in this matter. Earlier today, the Chief Minister had stressed on the fact that no such land had been allotted by the state government and called on Omar to stop indulging in rumour-mongering. "First of all, no such land has been allotted in the matter and secondly, the demand has been made by the soldiers who belong from Jammu and Kashmir. But until today the government has never allotted any land to them," Mufti told reporters. Asserting that Omar was repeating his mistake of churning up old facts and presenting them as new developments, she added that he should not indulge in spreading such rumours right ahead of a busy tourist season. "He should not indulge in such activities. Why is he stirring up trouble now and spreading rumours when it is tourist season? I appeal to the people not to fall for such rumours," Mufti added. Earlier, Omar had said the glaring contradiction of the PDP-BJP Government in Jammu and Kashmir on the proposal, which is in violation of Article 370, had given rise to apprehensions about their underlying political motive. "Considering their record of over the past one year, the people have serious apprehensions. It could be a ruse to settle non-state subjects in Kashmir and hence bypass Article 370," he said while addressing his party workers in Baramulla district. In April 2015, the Rajya Sainik Board (RSB), headed by Governor N N Vohra, approved establishment of a Sainik Colony in Srinagar close to the old airport. In a note to the Home department, the RSB said 173 kanals (21.6 acres) of land had been identified for the Sainik Colony and approval had been sought from then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. (ANI)
Workers of unorganised sector-- rickshaws, auto-rickshaw drivers, ASHA and Anganwadi staff-- would now be included in the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) scheme, the Lok Sabha was informed today. The pilot project will be limited to Delhi and Hyderabad initially. Responding to a question during Question Hour, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said the under the pilot project, these workers will be given full social benefits, including the Universal Account Number (UAN) of EPF. There are 93 per cent workers in unorganised sector, he added. Discussing the UAN scheme implementation, Mr Dattatreya said till now 25.8 million workers have been allotted UAN of the total 67.8 million account holders. The Minister said the redressal grievance system has also been put in place. EPFO has allotted UAN to its members for portability and consolidation of all previous accounts.UNI NY SB 1335 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0099-723008.Xml
In a major development ahead of the Floor test in the Uttrakhand assembly tomorrow, the state High Court today dismissed the petition of nine rebel MLAs, seeking to challenge their disqualification by the Speaker. The High Court ruling implies that these rebel Congress MLAs will not be able to vote in the floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly, but in a significant development soon after the rebels have sought the Supreme court intervention to set aside the High Court's court order so that they can vote.The Apex court is all set to listen their petition any time in the day today itself. The HC order was passed by Justice UC Dhyani. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and senior advocate Amit Sibal, counsel for Congress Chief Whip Indira Hridayesh, argued, stressing on the legitimacy of the disqualification. Amit Sibal said the High Court dismissed MLAs' plea stating that there was no need of interference with Speaker's action. After the Uttarakhand HC order, the Speaker has also filed a caveat in the SC, demanding that if this order was challenged in apex court, he must be heard. The Uttarakhand High Court had on Saturday reserved its verdict on the nine disqualified rebel Congress MLAs till today.The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow. The apex court had directed that the nine rebel Congress MLAs, who have challenged their disqualification by the Speaker in the High Court, will not participate in the floor test "if they have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence.Now, the effective strength of the House has been reduced from 70 to 61, in which any party mustering the support of 31 MLAs will have the majority. The rebel Congress MLAs had sided with BJP to demand a division of votes on the Appropriation Bill in the state Assembly.After having booster from the High Court, a visibly relaxed former Chief Minister Harish Rawat commented, ''We are grateful to the HC, welcome its order.'' He said they were confident of getting justice."I'm confident the people who stood with me in time of crisis, stood with Congress in last 4 years, will support us," an emotional Mr Rawat said .Soon after the verdict, celebrations erupted outside Mr Rawat's residence. He was supposed to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigaton (CBI) today in connection with a sting operation. Uttarakhand plunged into political turmoil following nine Congress legislators, including former chief minister Vijay Bahuguna, whom Harish Rawat replaced, had raised a banner of revolt . They sided with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and on March 18 when the assembly passed the Appropriation Bill by voice vote, even as the Opposition sought recorded voting and BJP and others rebels protested vociferously.State Governor K K Paul had asked Mr Rawat to prove his majority on March 28. A day before that the Centre sacked his government and clamped President's Rule. Congress leaders led by Rawat immediately went to court in response.After hard hitting observations, the Uttarakhand High Court on April 21 quashed the President's Rule in the state.Now ,all eyes are riveted towards the Supreme Court in the matter.UNI TEAM NB PR SV 1350 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-722973.Xml
The offices were closed at winter capital, Jammu on the last working day of last month after functioning from there for six winter months.

Hundreds of Congress leaders and workers, including Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir, former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, G M Saroori and Taj Mohiuddin gathered at PCC headquarter at Moulana Azad road.

Raising slogans against the alleged anti people policies of the coalition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress workers, including a good number of women , hit the main road and started march towards the Civil Secretariat.

However, a large number of security forces and state police personnel deployed in the area since morning, stopped the Congress workers and did not allow them to move ahead. Later, the demonstrators went back inside the PCC office.

Addressing media persons, Mr Mir said the protest was against the alleged anti people policies of the government.

He questioned the postponing of by-poll in Anantnag assembly segment by the ruling alliance after Election Commissioner had announced poll schedule.

There was no law and order problem in south Kashmir and still the polls were postponed as the ruling alliance was aware that people will reject them because of their alliance with a party which is non secular,'' Mr Mir said .

He said the protest was also against the Handwara incident, where five people were killed in Army firing and a minor girl was detained.

Mr Mir said implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) has deprived large number of people of ration.UNI BAS ASM SV RK1320

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Bihar road rage murder and Prime Minister's remarks on Sonia Gandhi with respect to Agusta choppers scam at an election rally rocked the Lok Sabha today with Congress staging a walkout.As soon as Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced the start of Zero Hour, the Members from ruling party and from the Congress got up and started shouting slogans.The BJP Members accosted the members from JD(U), which rules Bihar, sitting on the Congress side and raised noise loud enough to drown the voice of Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and his colleagues. Mr Kharge wanted to draw the attention of the Speaker towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at election rally in Kerala where he dared Ms Gandhi saying it was not him but an Italian court that has named her in chopper scam. Mr Modi also went on to say that none but only Ms Gandhi has relatives in Italy.Sensing opportunity, Rajesh Ranjan, who has been expelled by the RJD, a coalition partner of JD(U) in Bihar, joined BJP Members in raising din over the incident in Bihar where the son of JD(U) Member of Legislative Council shot dead a teenager for overtaking his SUV. The BJP Members chanted "return of jungle raj in Bihar" and Mr Ranjan called for dismissal of state government.Effectively out-shouted from the front by the BJP Members and the back by Mr Ranjan, Congress MPs walked out shouting slogans "Lok Tantra ki Hatya Nahi Chalegi(Will not allow murder of democracy)." Various Members continued to raise the issue of sensational murder by JD(U) politician's son of the teenager returning home after his birthday party.UNI PRA SB 1406 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-723086.Xml
Three people suspected to be involved in looting Rs 36 lakh from two ATMs in Kolkata's northern fringe on Wednesday last was arrested in Jharkhand, police here today said. The CID, Kolkata Police, which is investigating the burglaries of two ATMs,an SBI at Seven Tanks Road and Bandhan Bank on Private Road in DumDum area on May 4, said the Jharkhand police have arrested threesuspects from Pakur area. The CID in association with Jharkhand police will take charge of the three suspects for transit remand through a court in that state.CID zeroed in to trace the three youths following CCTV camera footagein two ATMs. A portion of looted money was also recovered from the three youths, the CIDofficials added.The miscreants robbed the two unmanned ATMs and fled with Rs 36 lakh by breaking the machines situated some two kms from each other in Dum Dum area.UNI PC AD SV AS1413 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0108-722969.Xml
A woman was set ablaze by her husband over property dispute at Chembur in northeast Mumbai. Police said here today that victim Heera and her husband Nisham Shaikh used to quarrel over the property documents. He would often beat her up, mother of victim told the police in her statement. Yesterday, the duo quarrelled and in a fit of anger, Nisham poured kerosen at her and set ablaze. She sustained 90 per cent burn injury. The couple has three daughters, elder one is staying with Heera's mother at Bandra. She allegedly told the police that her father Nisham tried to molest her on several occasions. But, victim always supported her (daughter). Police have registered a case. UNI ST NV SV AS1451 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-722979.Xml
"Constable S.K. Rathore of the 38th battalion shot himself with his own rifle at a SSB camp in Jamaldaha," said the official.

Rathore was deployed there for the West Bengal assembly elections.

The SSB has ordered a court of inquiry into the incident.

--IANS and/tsb/bg

( 75 Words)

2016-05-09-15:20:06 (IANS)
Cutting across the party lines, all the parties including Congress in Lok Sabha today supported the Anti-Hijacking Bill 2016 and said issues of passengers security and compensation should be given top most priority. The amendments in the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 were cleared by the Cabinet in July 2015 and passed by Rajya Sabha last week. The Bill that seeks to repeal the Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982, and gives effect to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, 1970 and its Protocol Supplementary, signed on September 10, 2010, was moved for consideration and passing by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju in the House. It provides for death penalty, where the offence results in death of hostage or security personnel; life imprisonment in all other cases and confiscation of moveable and immovable property of the accused for any acts of violence committed in connection with the hijacking. The Bill requires that sanction must be taken from the Central government before prosecuting an accused for hijacking or related offences. The Centre may confer powers of investigation, arrest and prosecution on any officer of the central government or the National Investigation Agency. An investigating officer can order seizure or attachment of property which is related to the offence, and is likely to be concealed or disposed of by the accused. Initiating discussion on the Bill, Congress Member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said there is no question of opposing this legal document as it was brought by the UPA regime. He paid tribute to Neerja Bhanot who laid her life to secure life of passengers of a hijacked plane. ''We need to be very vigilant and holistic in the approach towards the security of passengers,'' the Congress Member said. He questioned the Minister on the crisis management infrastructure in the country dealing with exigencies arising out of hijacking. While supporting the Bill, the Congress Member said more legal teeth should be provided to the legislation. AITC Member Saugata Roy said, ''As the Rajya Sabha has already passed the Bill, it gets compulsory for us as well in the interest of the country.'' Prof Roy said Airport security is under CISF and how much control aviation ministry has over CISF. BJD Member Tathagata Satpathy said the bill does not mention how compensation will be fixed. He said CISF is not proper force to handle the airport security and there is a need to have a special force trained in latest technology to deal with the security of airports. The BJD Member said CISF is not trained to handle exigencies arising after hijacking.Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP from Bhongir Dr Boora Narsiah Gaud raised serious misgiving over clause providing for extradition of the hijackers to native country. "If the hijacker turns out to be Pakistani and we extradite him to Pakistan. We can hardly expect any action as we know from the track record of the country.Dr Gaud was joined by Dr Arun Kumar(Rashtriya Lok Samta Party) on clause for compensation who said that the compensation should be irrespective of nationality of the passengers not like PanAm hijacking case where American got the compensations while Indians did not.Several members that included Dushyant Chautala(Indian National Lok Dal) and others who called for specialised forces training in anti-hijacking action should be guarding the airports. However, Members remained divided over the death penalty to hijack with some saying it would not deter the crime, the others say it was the just punishment for those who held innocents' lives to ransom.UNI NY PRA SB/AE 1643 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0384-723473.Xml
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today launched the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for the farmers at a function in Laxinarayanpur village near Pipili of Puri district, organised to celebrate the Askhya Trutiya festival here today. Development of agriculture and welfare of the farmers are the priority of the government, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said and claimed that the state government has taken several steps for the benefit farmers. The state government, he said, had made a separate agriculture budget and constituted agriculture cabinet for the betterment of the farm sector and farmers. Mr Patnaik said more funds have been allocated for agriculture in the budget and a decision has been taken to dig one lakh bore wells during the current year to provide irrigation facilities to the farmers. A decision has also been taken to constitute a Task force to look into the agriculture research and development in the state. The Chief Minister said the state government has always given importance to supply of agriculture equipments, provide irrigation facilities to farmers and to the marketing of agricultural products. This apart several steps were also taken to counter the natural calamities. Quoting the meteorology department prediction that this year the state would have a good rainfall, the Chief Minister said it would be a happy year for the farmers. Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment Minister Pradip Maharathy, Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minsiter Sanjay Das Burma were present at the function.UNI BD-DP AKM PS RJ AN1744 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-723446.Xml
The Aam Aadmi Party leader tweeted that documents in Delhi University had been sealed and the Bharatiya Janata Party had presented "farzi (fake) documents" to the media.

He demanded to know why the "real records" related to Modi's B.A. degree had been sealed.

He urged the university to implement the order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) which urged the university to put Modi's B.A. degree on its website.

Kejriwal's comments came shortly after BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented Modi's B.A. and M.A. degrees along with the marksheets and asked Kejriwal to apologize for lying.

The chief minister, however, tweeted: "Docs in DU hv been sealed. BJP presents Farzi docs in a PC n gets real records sealed? Why? Implement CIC order. Allow inspection."

--IANS am/mr

( 164 Words)

2016-05-09-18:28:06 (IANS)
A single-judge bench of Calcutta High Court today asked for rules and regulations from the state government for appointment of civic police volunteers. The ruling comes after interim stay in April on recruitment of such volunteers in 2013. Justice Sanjib Banerjee issued the order after some 10 aspiring candidates moved the court, alleging that there had been irregularities in recruitment process of civic police volunteers. They alleged that the candidates recruited for civic police volunteers in 2013 had been selected through interview only, without written examination. Records available in the High Court revealed that nearly 5,001 candidates were recruited from the district of Bankura, among a total of 1,30,000 candidates selected from all over the state. Petitioners' counsel Sudipto Dasgupta pleaded before the bench that ''The recruitment process of the civic police volunteers was done without conforming the proper procedures.'' Justice Banerjee on April 28 observed, ''Prima facie it can be understood that this could have led to a big scam.''UNI XC AKM RJ RAI1827 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0213-723767.Xml
Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy today said he had shown his gratitude to AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa by granting the Rajya Sabha member post to the party.Mr Rangasamy, who is canvassing for his party candidates undertook electioneering at Ariyankulam constituency for Speaker V Sabapathy. Speaking on the occasion Mr Rangasamy said that the Opposition was indulging in false propaganda and that the Union Territory is reeling under severe financial crisis. But Puducherry had seen development in the last five years and the N R Congress government was giving free education to students up to higher classes.N R Congress fought the last elections in alliance with the AIADMK and formed the government and as a gesture of gratitude, the party had given away the Rajya Sabha MP post to AIADMK. The party is contesting in all the 30 constituencies in this election and wanted the people to support the party to win in all the constituencies and form the government with absolute majority, he said. He claimed that in the last elections the N R Congress contested 17 seats and won 15.To form the government in Puducherry sixteen members are required and even then the N R Congress managed to form the government with fifteen members and created history by running the government for five years, he added. The Chief Minister said the N R Congress government was corrupt free and transparent and 7,000 government posts were filled up in a transparent manner without giving room for any corruption. As per the promises given during the last Assembly elections, the people of Puducherry were provided with free mixies and grinders and if the N R Congress came to power, free washing machines would be given to the people here. He said it was the Congress and not the N R Congress which permitted the Coast Guard station at Veerampatinam adding that a site for the coast guard station will be provided at Karuvadikuppam here and the station will be shifted from Veerampatinam. The Chief Minister also promised a welfare board for fishermen and houses for the left out tsunami affected fishermen. Coming down on former Minister V Narayansami, Mr Rangasamy said if he had taken initiatives, Puducherry might have got full statehood status much earlier. But he was not concerned about the development of Puducherry or the welfare of the people.UNI PAB MVR 1924 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0414-723645.Xml
This is the second biggest surrenders after 21 cadres of the GNLA had surrendered recently before Director General of Police, Rajiv Mehta last week.

Belding Ch Marak alias Rakkam, the finance secretary of the dreaded outfit, said they decided to laid down arms as they were disillusioned with the GNLA leadership Sohan D Shira.

With Meghalaya police receiving another shot in the arm, Ms Warjri said, "We are hopeful that this will sent a strong message to the others."

The Home Minister said that combing operation against the militants in Garo Hills will continue to force other militants to come out.

Meghalaya police said the surrender of Rakkam was a "critical one" and it will surely have an adverse impact on the functioning of the GNLA as he was the key person to distribute money for sustaining the cadres.

Meanwhile, the surrendered militants handed over four AK rifles, one HK rifle deposited by them include one HK rifle, one AK 56, six pistols, wireless handsets, incriminating documents. UNI RRK AKM DJK RJ NS1932

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A meeting of all political parties held here today decided to send a team to meet Central leaders to give assent to three Bills passed by the Manipur Assembly to protect the indigenous people of the state. A meeting of political parties was called by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh as the stir over the issue has derailed life in the state . In the meeting held at the CM Secretariat leaders from all political parties discussed the matter threadbare. The delegation will be going to New Delhi by May 16 to meet with the President, Prime Minister, Home Minister and other leaders. The Joint Committee of Inner Line Permit (JCILPS) has launched a stir to protest failure of the centre to give assent to three Bills passed by State Assembly. Three Bills were passed by the State Assembly on August 31 last year to protect indigenous people however the government has not given assent to the Bills. A public curfew imposed in the state to demand protection of indigenous people of Manipur had affected life on May 6 and 7. A torch rally was also taken out followed by rallies by students today. Sit in protests will be held tomorrow in most parts of the state.UNI NS BM SW BL2045 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-724118.Xml
The officer-in-charge of Basanti police station in remote South 24 Parganas was injured today when the irate villagers protesting the rape and murder of a teenager in West Bengal. Fifteen-year-old Roopa Laskar, who was missing since Saturday night, was found murdered after being raped near a bush at Sreerampur under Basanti police station, some 80 kms south of Kolkata on Sunday. The villagers in hundreds suspecting foul play in the crime today gheraoed the Basanti police station and hurled stones in which the OC was hit by a stone on his forehead. The gherao was withdrawn after the higher officials assured the villagers to arrest the suspects. Police later arrested three suspects, identified as Altaf Sardar, Yunus Sardar and Madir Bibi. The BJP leaders, including actor turned politician Locket Chatterjee visited the bereaved family members and assured them to fight against the rising crimes in the state.UNI XC-PC BM SW BL2153 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0214-724222.Xml
According to CNN, he made the remarks at the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's Seventh Congress in Pyongyang, which began the day before.

Kim also reportedly said that North Korea will faithfully fulfill its nuclear non-proliferation obligations and make an effort to realize global denuclearization.

Touting the country's weapons development, Kim said they had "elevated our respect to the world and enemies."

In January, Pyongyang announced that it had successfully tested a thermonuclear device, which, if true, would mark a significant advance in its nuclear capabilities.

Since then, several public demonstrations of its nuclear program's advancement, including rocket and submarine-based missile tests have been made.

Kim called on the country to push forward "the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity," according to KCNA.

Meanwhile, the US State Department has called on North Korea to "suspend all activities related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and to abandon them in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner." (ANI)
Canadian officials showed some optimism they were beginning to get on top of the country's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, as favorable weather helped firefighters and winds took the flames southeast, away from oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray.There was still no time line, however, for getting Fort McMurray's 88,000 inhabitants back into what remains of their town, or when energy companies would be able to restart operations at evacuated sites nearby. The wildfires have cut Canada's vast oil sands output in half."It definitely is a positive point for us, for sure," said Alberta fire official Chad Morrison in a news briefing yesterday, when asked if the fight to contain the flames had a reached a turning point."We're obviously very happy that we've held the fire better than expected," said Morrison. "This is great firefighting weather, we can really get in here and get a handle on this fire, and really get a death grip on it."The wildfire scorching through Canada's oil sands region in northeast Alberta since last Sunday night had been expected to double in size on Sunday, threatening the neighboring province of Saskatchewan.But with the fire moving into its second week, light rains and cooler temperatures helped hold it back, giving officials hope that they could soon begin assessing the damage to Fort McMurray, close to where the fire started."As more and more fire has burned out around the city and the fuel around the city starts to disappear ... we are starting to move into that second phase of securing the site and assessing the site," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley told the same media briefing.Officials said it was too early to put a time line on getting people back into the town safely.LONG TIME TO CLEAN UPThe broader wildfire, moving southeast through wooded areas away from the town, would still take a long time to "clean up," Morrison cautioned. Officials previously warned that the fire could burn for months.Alberta's government estimated on Sunday that the fire had consumed 161,000 hectares (395,000 acres). That was less than a previous estimate, but authorities warned the fire would likely grow overnight.Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region. About half of the crude output from the sands, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate.Oil prices jumped almost 2 percent in trading early on Monday, as Canada's fire contributed to tightening supply.The inferno looks set to become the costliest natural disaster in Canada's history. One analyst estimated insurance losses could exceed C9 billion dollar (7 billion dollar).Officials said on Sunday the fire had done minor damage at CNOOC unit Nexen's Long Lake facility, in the site's yard. It was the first reported damage to an energy industry asset since the fire began.Morrison said air tankers, helicopters and bulldozers had kept the blaze from reaching a Suncor Energy Inc facility, which Suncor identified as its base oil sands mining site north of Fort McMurray, and a Syncrude facility.Suncor said on Sunday it would allow employees to return to work as soon as it was safe to do so. "We are hopeful that this will be soon," the company said in a statement, adding it planned to use temporary camps for employees and was arranging for workers to commute from Calgary and Edmonton.Syncrude said its oil sands project about 35 km (22 miles) north of Fort McMurray had shut down completely on Saturday morning, the first time in its 38-year history, because of smoke from the wildfire. "We are not currently under threat from the actual fire, it's smoke that's presenting health hazards," a spokesman said.Notley is set to meet with energy executives on Tuesday to talk about the impact of the fire and how the province can help them resume operations.FORT MCMURRAY STILL OFF LIMITSEven though the fire has largely pushed through Fort McMurray, the town is still too dangerous to enter.Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the fire safely, although two people were killed in a car crash during the evacuation. The town's 160 firefighters worked nearly non-stop in the first days of the fire, even as some of them lost their own homes, said fire captain Nick Waddington.Thousands of evacuees are camped out in nearby towns but stand little chance of returning soon, even if their homes are intact. The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid is damaged and the water is undrinkable.Provincial officials said displaced people would be better off driving to cities such as Calgary, 655 km (410 miles) to the south, where health and social services were better."We are thinking about relocating in Edmonton for the time being. Maybe stay a year," said Kyle Mackay, 27, a mechanic for equipment trucking company Northern Diesel, who fled from Fort McMurray to Lac la Biche, about three hours' drive south, and is now staying with friends.His girlfriend, Sarah Smith, who left separately, is pregnant and due to be induced into labor in Lac La Biche on Monday morning. "It's really stressful, but I know we'll get through it," said Mackay.Some evacuees are keen for people to return to the place known as 'Fort Mac,' or 'Fort McMoney' for its well-paid oil jobs."I'm trying to convince people Fort McMurray is a good place to return and rebuild," said Curtis Phillips, who has worked in the media in the town, speaking at a "reception center" in Lac La Biche providing food, shelter and services for the displaced."People will return because of the high salaries and benefits," he said.Officials said on Sunday that 34 wildfires were burning, with five out of control. There are more than 500 firefighters battling the blaze in and around Fort McMurray, with 15 helicopters and 14 air tankers.REUTERS KU GC0724 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0348-722675.Xml
A stomach bug causing vomiting and diarrhea has spread to more than a quarter of the 919 passengers aboard a British cruise ship, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, as the ship docked in Maine over the weekend.It also said eight of the 520 crew on the Balmoral, operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, had also fallen ill with the bug, identified as a norovirus.The Balmoral left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before putting in at Norfolk, Virginia, where it first arrived in the United States late last month.CDC officials said at that time that 153 passengers and six crew had been infected by norovirus. Health officials and an epidemiologist boarded the ship at its next stop in Baltimore, Maryland to assess the outbreak and the response.The CDC said specimens collected and onboard tested positive for norovirus, and would be sent to CDC for additional testing.Fred. Olsen said in an April 29 statement that a "gastro-enteritis type illness" had affected a number of guests, with seven cases in isolation at that point.It said two US nationals were on board, with the majority of passengers from the United Kingdom.When the Balmoral docked at Portland, Maine, over the weekend, media reported witnesses seeing surfaces being constantly wiped down.The ship was due to stop at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, today.CDC said the cruise line had taken actions in response to the outbreak, including increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures, collecting stool specimens, daily reporting of illness and dispatching public health and sanitation managers to oversee and assist with implementation of sanitation and outbreak response.Balmoral has capacity for 1,350 passengers, and is the largest and newest ship in the cruise line's fleet.REUTERS AKC SB1131 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-722828.Xml
The death toll in a landslide in China's southeastern Fujian province has risen to 22, with 17 people still missing, state media said today.The landslide, triggered yesterday by heavy rain, hit a hydroelectric power station that was under construction in Fujian's Taining County. President Xi Jinping had demanded that local officials step up rescue efforts."As of 1 p.m., 22 bodies had been found at the scene and two people who were on the missing list had been found alive and safe," the official Xinhua news agency said, citing authorities.Persistent rain has made rescue work more difficult, Xinhua said.In December, a landslide in the southern city of Shenzhen buried 77 people. The government has blamed breaches of construction safety rules for that disaster and a number of officials have been arrested.Yesterday's landslide is the latest accident to have raised questions about China's industrial safety standards and lack of oversight over years of rapid economic growth.REUTERS AKC PS SB1550 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-723290.Xml
Syrian government forces and their allies clashed with insurgents near Aleppo today and warplanes launched more raids around a strategic town Islamist rebels seized last week, a monitoring group said.The capture of Khan Touman was a rare setback for government forces in Aleppo province in recent months, and for allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting.Warplanes continued to strike around the town today, and had carried out more than 90 raids in the area since yesterday morning, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.Al Manar television, run by Damascus's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, said troops had destroyed a tank belonging to insurgents and killed some its occupants.Khan Touman lies just southwest of Aleppo city, which is one of the biggest strategic prizes in a war now in its sixth year, and has been divided into government and rebel-held zones through much of the conflict.Russia's military intervention last September has helped President Bashar al-Assad reverse some rebel gains in the west of the country, including in Aleppo province.The Observatory said warplanes struck rebel-held areas of the city early today, and rebels fired shells into government-held neighbourhoods, despite a Russian-announced extension of a truce encompassing the city of Aleppo.French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, hosting a meeting of Assad's opponents in Paris, said Syrian government forces and their allies had bombarded hospitals and refugee camps."It is not Daesh (Islamic State) that is being attacked in Aleppo, it is the moderate opposition," he said.Ayrault said today's meeting would call on Russia to put pressure on Assad to stop the attacks, adding that humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need."Talks must resume, negotiations are the only solution," he said on radio RTL, ahead of a meeting of ministers from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Britain. Also attending was Riad Hijab, chief coordinator of the main Syrian opposition negotiating group.The surge in bloodshed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the civil war, wrecked a February "cessation of hostilities" agreement sponsored by Washington and Moscow. The deal excluded Islamic State and al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front.Peace talks in Geneva between government delegates and opposition figures, including representatives from rebel groups, broke up last month without significant progress. REUTERS RSD NS1621 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-723408.Xml
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has bowed to intense domestic pressure and announced his resignation, two weeks after his Social Democratic party (SP) suffered heavy losses in a presidential election. Faymann, chancellor since 2008, said he had lost the support of his party and would also be stepping down from his role as head of the SP. He had been facing ever louder calls to resign since the SPs defeat in the first round of the presidential race on 24 April, in which the anti-immigration, populist rightwing Freedom party (FP) made huge gains. The FP secured 36.4 percent of the vote, excluding the SP and the conservative Austrian Peoples party (VP) from the second round of voting for the first time since 1945, reports the Guardian. Announcing his decision from the chancellors office, Faymann said: This country needs a chancellor whose party is totally behind them. The government needs a fresh, forceful beginning. Anyone who doesnt have this support is not up to the job. A lot is at stake. This is about Austria, he said, adding he was very grateful to have been allowed to serve this country. Faymann, 56, also defended his controversial decision to end Austrias policy of welcoming refugees. Faymann, who until a few months ago was a staunch supporter of Angela Merkels open door policy, made a dramatic about-turn in March, when Austrian officials imposed a cap on 80 asylum applications a day and erected a fence along part of the border with Slovenia. Faymann said that although he was proud his country had achieved a lot by giving tens of thousands asylum, it would have been irresponsible to have not established our own measures. Some within the SP were angry about Faymanns tough asylum policy, while others objected to his adamant opposition to forming coalitions with the FP, whose candidate, Norbert Hofer, won the first round of the presidential vote on an anti-Islam and Eurosceptic platform. The minister for the chancellory, Josef Ostermayer, suggested on Saturday the party could cooperate with the FP on the provincial and municipal level - where much of the political power is held in federalised Austria - but keep separate at the national level. It could go in this direction: the different levels - municipalities, provinces - decide for themselves if cooperation makes sense, he told the tabloid esterreich. While president of Austria is mainly a ceremonial role, Hofer has threatened to make use of a right to dissolve parliament before the 2018 elections, warning other candidates in a TV debate that you will be surprised by what can be done [by a president]. A youthful 45-year-old who is partially paralysed after a paragliding accident, Hofer has campaigned for disability rights and is seen as having lent a friendly face to a party that balances virulently anti-immigration and Eurosceptic messages with leftist stances on welfare issues. Faymanns resignation came two days after hundreds of protesters gathered at the Brenner Pass, on the border between Austria and Italy, to demonstrate against Austrias crackdown on refugees and asylum seekers. The mayor of Vienna, Michael Hupl, a staunch supporter of Faymanns, will take over the SP leadership until the next party conference. --IANS rn/dg ( 537 Words) 2016-05-09-20:58:04 (IANS)
Learn about various programs, dual credit and financial aid at SFCC. Campus tour and light meal provided.

Santa Fe Community College will present Explore Your Options @ SFCC, a free, bilingual, informative session for prospective students and their families, on Monday, May 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Jemez Rooms on campus at 6401 Richards Ave.

Explore Your Options @ SFCC is a special event where you will have the opportunity to find out about the various programs, services and financial aid options that SFCC has to offer. Speakers will present information in both English and Spanish and will cover details about dual credit, the Santa Fe Higher Education Center, the Road to Success and New Mexico Lottery Scholarships, and more.

Along with traditional fields of study, SFCC offers a wide range of classes including those in biofuels, game design, culinary arts, greenhouse management, fashion design, entrepreneurship, filmmaking and criminal justice. Many classes are available either online or in the evening in order to accommodate the schedules of working adults.

A light meal will be provided, as well as a campus tour. If you are able to attend, please RSVP by contacting Student Admissions Counselor Daniela Gurule at 505-428-1149 or Daniela.gurule@sfcc.edu or Student Recruitment and Outreach Administrator Marcos Maez at 505-428-1779 or marcos.maez@sfcc.edu.
Sangre Grande mans hand almost chopped off

According to a police report, at about 8.30 pm, Basanta whose is an employee of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation was at his home, when he was confronted by a 33-year-old man who began arguing about a text message which Basanta allegedly sent to the mans female relative.

The argument then escalated and the 33-year-old man went to a nearby outhouse and returned with a cutlass. During a scuffle, he dealt Basanta a chop to his wrist.

The victim then armed himself with a shovel and began beating his attacker. Both men were rushed to the Sangre Grande District Hospital where they were both treated and remain warded. Up to press time it was not known if Basantas wrist, which was left hanging by threads of flesh, was reattached to his arm. A report was made to the Sangre Grande Police Station and Constables Sookdeo and Hosein of the Sangre Grande CID are continuing investigations.
Carapo woman reported missing

Lakita Mitchell also informed her mother that after boarding a taxi, at about 1 pm on Saturday, a PH (private-hire) driver of Jonathan Trace in Cunupia - who is known to her - placed a bag over her head and took her to an unknown destination.

When Mitchells mother attempted to contact her on the phone, she got no response. A report was made to the Arouca police and officers went to the Cunupia home of the man named by Mitchell and detained him. However, the man claimed that he had not seen Mitchell on Saturday and had had no contact with her. He was eventually allowed to return to his Cunupia home.

Up until yesterday, Mitchell remained unaccounted for and officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Police Cyber Crime Unit were alerted. Investigators from the Cyber Crime Unit were last night trying to ascertain the location from where Mitchell would have sent the text message and they are working along certain lines in the investigation. Officers of the AKU have also put strategies in place in a bid to locate the missing teenager. Investigations are continuing.
Man jailed 17 years for killing dad

The younger Sookradge pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility on July 29, 2015. He received the full one-third discount for his guilty plea and the ten years and two months he spent in custody awaiting trial, were deducted from the 17-year prison term, leaving a sentence of one year, three months still to be served out with hard labour.

Sookradge, who was described as a model prisoner, who obtained several CXC passes and even wrote a book of poems while in prison was represented by attorney Alexia Romero. Justice St Clair-Douglas in his sentencing address, noted that the relationship between the father and son was never one of cordiality and had deteriorated over time.

The younger Sookradge was adopted when he was eight-days- old by Sookradge and his wife. He only found out he was adopted when he turned 14-years- old, around the same time his mother died. Her death adversely affected the teenager and he was said to have suffered from depression, even up to the time of the killing.

The relationship between the father and son deteriorated further and the prisoner, according to the judge, complained of being ill treated by his adopted father.

Things got worst after the elder man began bringing women home for romantic liaisons which upset his son who felt it was an affront to his mothers memory.

Sookradges father would repeatedly threaten to put his son out of the house and told him if he didnt like it he could leave. On March 14, 2006, after the then 17-year-old returned home from school, he and his father began quarrelling. This led to blows being exchanged.

After his father fell unconscious, Sookradge ran to his aunts home and was taken to the police station where he admitted to beating his father with a hammer. The prosecution was represented by Maria Lyons.
No bail for stealing police vest

Amos appeared before Vandenburg- Bailey in the San Fernando Fourth Court, where he pleaded guilty to stealing a police vest valued $6,000, being the property of the T&T Police Service. Sgt Rawle Burke of the Southern Division, laid the charge.

The charge stated that Williams committed the act sometime between February 13, last year, and March 3 last, at the San Fernando Police Station at Harris Promenade.

Police executed a search warrant for arms and ammunition at his home at Seion Drive, Tarodale two Sundays ago where they found the vest in a room. When the magistrate enquired from Williams the reason for his act, he replied that he found it on the hill in a dump, referring to the Forres Park landfill in Claxton Bay. Magistrate Vandenburg- Bailey enquired from Williams attorney Perusha Lord, whether or not he stole the vest. After speaking with her client, the attorney told the court that Williams said a friend gave it to him. As such, Magistrate Vandenburg-Bailey noted she had no choice but to enter a not-guilty plea. Court prosecutor Sgt Lutchman noted that the accused has several matters pending.

The magistrate denied bail to Williams and ordered that he return to court on June 3.
Cops escort wife to husbands funeral

The teenager and her threemonth- old baby daughter remain in protective custody following the death of the father of four who was shot and killed on Monday night while inside his home at Train Line, West Bayshore in Marabella.

It was reported that two gunmen who entered the area via a pirogue on the nearby sea, stormed the couples home and gunned down John. The teen grabbed their baby and hid behind a wardrobe in the bedroom. Johns bullet-riddled body was found in the living room.

The couple has a two-year-old son who at the time was spending the night at his grandmothers home.

Johns funeral service, at the nearby home of a relative and his burial at the Marabella Public Cemetery were all done under the watchful eyes of heavily armed police officers who also kept an eye on the funeral proceedings of another murder victim. In a separate service also on Thursday, Johns neighbour security guard Dixon Richards, 23, who was shot and killed in the early hours of Sunday morning, was also buried.

Richards body was discovered by his mother outside the front door of their. He too was buried at the Marabella Public Cemetery. No one has been arrested in connection with the murders. Since Johns murder, relatives said the teenager and her baby have been in police
Prisons boss assures Judge

Henry has complained of a fan in the modified cell at the ECRC and says it is affecting his sinus condition. Commissioner Stewart informed Justice Norton Jack that the issue involving the fan can be resolved expediently and further explained that Henry was very fortunate to be housed at the facility while on remand. He also said there was a reason Henry was transferred from the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca but assured that his complaints will be addressed. Stewart also said prisoners who complain of health conditions are either taken for treatment at hospital or dealt with at the prison infirmary, on a daily basis. In November, Henry was transferred from Remand Section of the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca to the ECRC. In March, he was ordered to be remanded to St Anns for psychiatric evaluation, before it was alleged he and five other prisoners sawed through bars of the Forensics Ward at the mental institution.
The rebirth of Amerindian culture

Raised in Jamaica to a Jamaican father and mother from Dominican Republic, he views himself as the quintessential Caribbean man whose bloodline reflects the rich diversity of the region.

He talks about the many years he spent in Canada and the sound education he received at the University of the West Indies. But now his attention has turned to writing historical fiction.

After having written Daddy Sharpe (2008), I became fascinated with our national heroes and their roles in shaping history and defining the psyche of our people, he says.

Little had been written about our ancestral heroes.

Stories begin with Queen Nanny of the Maroons in the 18th century. However, in my research, I was able to find a wealth of information on the life and times of our earliest people who exhibited the qualities of heroism. Recently, Professor Selwyn Cudjoe published the exhaustively researched Narratives of Amerindians in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dr Kennedy welcomes this academic trend as an integral and dynamic aspect of nation building and identity. His work on Huareo also involved painstaking research on the Taino, also referred to as Arawaks. It took five years to complete, he notes.

The editing process, as with Daddy Sharpe, was an additional couple of years. During this period, the manuscript was reviewed and endorsed by archeologists, historians and prominent members of the Ta?no community. I enjoyed the process of working with artists, map makers, and researchers.

My most exciting experience was doing field research with my wife, visiting Ta?no sites in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. On the implications of his work, he raises the subject of Caribbean homogeneity, irrespective of language and culture.

For years it was believed that the Ta?no was an extinct race of people.

Recent DNA studies in Puerto Rico show that over 70 percent of that population has Ta?no ancestry. This has socio- political ramifications for modern day society.

There is a movement centered in New York by groups such as UCTP (United Confederation of Ta?no People), which are dedicated to the promotion and protection of the cultural heritage of the indigenous people of the Caribbean.

My own DNA results show a mix of Spanish, African and Ta?no. In addition to the cultural theme, Dr Kennedy believes that his material engenders a combative and unyielding spirit in readers.

Throughout, there is that overt message of conviction and steadfastness in the face of insurmountable odds. There is a sense of tragedy implicit in this struggle, but the greatness of the human spirit, as personified in Cacique Huareo, triumphs in the face of oppression. Dr Kennedy is dismissive of colonial hangovers  in particular  the belief that the Europeans were more advanced that the Amerindians.

He is passionate as he relates the debacle that befell indigenous peoples.

The Ta?no had developed a sophisticated way of life with the establishment of highly organised socio-political chiefdoms.

Historically, they were non-warlike, devoted to religion and respectful of the forces of nature.

The original Ta?no lived in peaceful communities. They were not acquisitive in any sense, they were non-aggressive with no desire to dominate or rule over other groups of people.

He continues, Through the course of history, peoples and nations have succumbed to imperial forces.

In the sixteenth century, the Ta?no confronted the Spanish conquistadors who came to be their new rulers. The conflict was catastrophic for them.

The Spanish may have colonised their land and hundreds of thousands of Ta?nos may have died from disease and been murdered, but they never lost faith in themselves and in their religion. Until this day, they have not given up the struggle to preserve their identity. I am not a believer in fate, but the will to shape our future is always there despite the greatest hurdles. Dr Kennedy is buoyed by the reception of his book in the Taino community.

Two prominent members, Roberto Borrero, president of UCTP and Jorge Est?vez, a Ta?no leader and consultant at the Smithsonian Institution, have accepted the novel with open arms and have already done their part to promote it through their own networks.

With the assistance of editors in Dominican Republic and Madrid, I have translated the novel into Spanish. I am hoping that this publication will help promote the work in the Spanish Caribbean and in Latin American communities in New York. He also mentioned the recent accolades received by Caribbean writers as encouraging and motivational for upcoming, aspiring artists.

Marlon James just won The Man Booker Prize for A Brief History of Seven Killings. We have Rachel Manley, winner of Canadas Governor Generals Award.

Theres Pam Mordecai recently recognised for her novel, Red Jacket. I think also of Colin Channer, Diana McCaulay, and Kwame Dawes.

The industry should be thriving for the region has produced so much artistic talent. Perhaps we need more literary festivals, literary prizes and funding in general. And on the commercial success of Huareo, Dr Kennedy is cautiously optimistic.

He also shows his hand, revealing plans for a sequel. After our launch in Jamaica in March, we are setting our attention on New York and Toronto in April/May. I have started my research and writing of Where the Pineapple Could Not Grow, story of the last Maroon Chief, Montague James, who came to Jamaica from West Africa as a boy in the early 18th century, joined a slave rebellion and later, one of the Maroon communities.

It is the story of his leadership in the Second Maroon War, and of his betrayal by the British who shipped him and 500 other maroons to Nova Scotia in 1796. There are Captains logs that tell the tale of how these Jamaican Maroons made their way back to Africa from Canada to settle the newly formed Freetown in Sierra Leone. He falls silent for a while before adding, This is a story of another one of the heroes of our past, and once again, a story of resistance and survival. Feedback: glenvilleashby@ gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleshby
DONT PARDON PRISONERS

Adding their voices in support of de la Bastide, are Inspector of Prisons and attorney Daniel Khan and former President of the Trinidad and Tobago Law Association Seenath Jairam SC (Senior Counsel), who have both endorsed the ex-CJs call for the State to consider granting bail to these prisoners instead of full pardons.

In an interview with Newsday, which was published last Thursday, de la Bastide warned that a proposal by Fr Harris calling on such prisoners to be pardoned, would have unwanted and undesirable effects. These would include possible effects on victims, including the erasure of their rights to forms of compensation.

This was also echoed by head of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) Bro Harrypersad Maharaj, who asked pointedly: What about the rights of the victims of crime to get redress through the courts? Instead, de la Bastide suggests the way forward could be to allow these prisoners to get bail pending trial. If the prisoners abscond, he argued, that would be due to the States fault. Many members of the legal fraternity have privately endorsed de la Bastides call.

The Inspector of Prisons told Newsday that the recommendation of the former Chief Justice would have an impact. Former Chief Justice de la Bastides suggestion to grant own bail would certainly assist in easing the over-crowding in the prison and would avoid the rigors and often oppressive nature of grating bail that needs to be approved, Khan said.

For his part, Jairam SC said the bail route was superior due to the fact that it pays due regard to the victim, while at the same time providing relief for the prisoner.

When someone commits a crime we tend to forget the victims, the senior counsel said.

That is an excellent idea and I think the former Chief Justice is correct. I will support that 100 per cent. If you grant an all-out pardon, there are other implications.

Give them bail instead and then deal with the case. Otherwise the system will keep on failing. The former President of the Law Association said the matter could be implemented by way of a statute.

They would have to get legislation to effect that, he said.

While it would depend on the details, it could be a simple majority bill in my view as you are not taking away rights. Khan stated that the delays and backlog in the justice system are what are truly causing the problems. It is cruel and unusual punishment to have presumed-innocent men awaiting trial in oppressive conditions for unnecessarily prolonged periods, the Inspector said. The unacceptable delay and backlog, while it is acknowledged by the Judiciary, the effect of the oppression on the remandees is truly felt by us in the prison system. Khan said the suggestion of the Archbishop was noteworthy, however, as it has brought to the forefront once more, the injustice of our failing, perhaps failed, criminal justice system. Attorney General Faris Al Rawi yesterday said a multi-stakeholder committee currently examining issues relating to the justice system have seen the recommendation from the former Chief Justice alongside many other recommendations.

He said a process of consultation must take place and Cabinet approval has to be obtained before any decisions are implemented.

(See Newsdays Editorial on Page 12A)
AG: Invitations warmly received

Dismissing claims from the Opposition that there was some sinister intent on the part of the Government behind its meeting with the Independent Senators, the AG said Opposition members advancing such claims live in the zone of selective memory, because the former Peoples Partnership (PP) used this approach during its five years in office.

Al Rawi, who was an Opposition Senator then, identified the Central Bank Amendment Bill (to deal with Clico) and the Soldier Bill to give soldiers powers of arrest, as two examples where Independent Senators were invited to meetings identical to the one which they are invited to today. He added those meetings, like todays and one scheduled for Opposition senators tomorrow, were held in-camera and involved technical presentations. Al Rawi recalled the then Opposition Peoples National Movement (PNM) was not invited to the meeting on the Central Bank legislation.

Explaining the purpose of the meetings is to clear up misinformation in the public domain about the SSA Bill, Al Rawi said Independent senators will be able to ask questions of the technocrats about any aspect of the legislation which they are concerned about. Identifying claims that the bill would infringe on citizens privacy is one such piece of misinformation, Al Rawi said all the legislation does is widen the scope of serious crimes on which the SSA can deal with.

He reiterated that it was the Interception of Communication Act, passed under the PP, through which surveillance is authorised. This point was supported last week by former national security minister Gary Griffith who said, The Interception of Communications Act trumps the operational directions of the SSA prior to and after the amendment (to the SSA Act) being made. While the SSA Bill only requires a simple majority for passage, Al Rawi said it was important for the Government to ensure that all the pertinent facts about the legislation are laid on the table. Saying that the Independent senators do not caucus like their Government or Opposition counterparts, the AG said they may be at a disadvantage in terms of the material available to them and todays meeting would serve to facilitate them in getting that information.

Asked whether the Opposition accepted the invitation to meet tomorrow at 11.30 am on the bill, Al Rawi said he was advised by his staff that when contacted about the meeting, Opposition Senator Wade Mark had nothing good to say. At last Thursdays post Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair- Al Rawi, Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert, Minister in the Ministry of the AG and Legal Affairs Stuart Young, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and Works and Transport Minister Fitzgerald Hinds all defended the Governments position on the SSA Bill.

Since the bill only requires a simple majority for passage, the Government is likely to win the vote in the Senate, even if it gets no support from either the Opposition or Independent benches.

The Government has 15 senators compared to the Oppositions six and the Independents nine senators. The Opposition has already signalled that it will not support the bill. During debate on the bill in the Senate on May 3, Independent Senators Dr Dhanayshar Mahabir and Melissa Ramkissoon called for the bill to be withdrawn. Two of their senatorial colleagues Hugh Russell Ian Roach and Justin Junkere- supported the bills intent but indicated their support was conditional on certain things being don
Boys still need their fathers

Janice Clarence-Quamina said that even as some single parent mothers give extra devotion to their son/s, in the hope this will compensate for the lack of a male role model in the house, the boys will still grow up with emotional scars. She made this observation at a Mothers Day service held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain. Clarence- Quamina said she saw it fit, on Mothers Day, to speak on the impact an absent father can have on the lives of children especially males, and the added burden this places on a single parent mother .

For far too long, many men have not accepted the responsibility of fatherhood but rather than encourage them, we criticize. Look at how Mothers Day is celebrated at a level that eclipses Fathers Day. Girls are doing better than boys academically .

The prison boasts a super healthy male population .

So many of our sons nowadays are dying young and in a violent manner...Our emphasis this morning is on nurturing our boys for service; for stewardship; hospitality; evangelism and I do not think that despite trying our best as mothers, we have been doing as well as we thought, she said .

The noted family attorney said that many women have no choice but to be mother and father to their offspring. She said that many single parent mothers whom she has dealt with over the years, have come to her with one main regret in their parenting...not involving the father in the child/childrens formative years of growth and development .

For all their successes as single parents, these women have one regret, that they did not allow the father to play a more significant role in their sons life. And the resultant fallout is that the son, as a grown man, is not as assertive as he should be, Clarence-Quamina said .

Some of you may ask, why on Mothers Day I am talking to you about fathers and their truly important role in a sons life? As women, we can give our sons so much but their father can give them that little extra love, for which they crave. If theyre starved of that love, how can they serve in the new wine vineyard, she asked .
Pregnant Zika victim doing well

Providing an update on the womans health after visiting mothers at Mt Hope Womens Hospital, yesterday Deyalsingh said, so far everything is good with that pregnancy. He said she has been following the clinical protocols at the hospital and there are no signs of microcephaly in the baby.

On the topic of breastfeeding, Deyalsingh shared that the Ministry was partnering with the Trinidad and Tobago Breastfeeding Association in a serious way to make all the hospitals baby friendly by not allowing the marketing of milk substitutes in the hospitals.

In addition to that, they intend on setting up cubicles for mothers to express their milk and the first one was set up at the Mt Hope Womens Hospital with plans to set up two more.

Part of the drive is to have babies breast fed as far as possible in keeping with international codes.

I support breast feeding totally because it is better for the baby. All the studies show that babies who are breast fed almost exclusively for the first six months to a year have less medical problems, their immune system is stronger, he said.

Deyalsingh visited four mothers who gave birth in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The first baby, a girl, was born at 1.56 am weighing 6.3 pounds.

The girls mother, Marina Lewis said she named her daughter Majesty. My name begins with an M and my others siblings too and I promised them that I would give her an M name and while searching through names, I came across Majesty and I didnt go any further, I knew that was what I wanted to name her, she said.

This is the first child for 28-year-old Lewis and her husband Paul Lewis. She said she intends to raise her daughter to have a spiritual background.

When you look at what is going on with children today, given all the school fights and all the wrongdoings, I want my daughter to have that spiritual background so she can be an example to other girls, she said.
Babies - the perfect Mothers Day gift

Mom Nkese Griffith, 29, said she could not ask for a better Mothers Day gift than her bouncing baby boy whom she named Messiah.

I was not expecting him for several weeks, Griffith said of her new born son, adding that he was expected on May 28. Messiah was born at 4.37am on Mothers Day. But my water-bag burst on Friday, so I knew he was coming earlier than expected, Griffith said as she gazed lovingly into the eyes of her little Messiah who lay in a glass crib next to her bed.

Messiahs father, Merrick Ram also seemed at a loss for words as he too looked down on his son who dozed in a crib, oblivious to the movement of media personnel around him. Griffith has three other children - a 12-year-old boy; a ten-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy.

However, the first baby to be born at the SFGH on Mothers Day was Karisma Paltoo, who entered the world at 12.47 am. Her mother Zalina Khan, 22, said that she too was not expecting a Mothers Day baby as her water-bag burst on Saturday morning and had expected to have her baby later that day.

I really didnt expect to have her today (Sunday), but I am glad that she came and she is healthy and strong, Khan said.

Khan, a San Francique resident, has another daughter, Kaitlin Jaggernath, seven, who seemed excited to have a baby sister while father Radesh Paltoo, shared the excitement at the San Fernando General Hospital. A third baby was also reportedly born at 2 am via C-section at the hospital. San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein, visited all three mothers and presented them with bouquets of flowers. He congratulated the mothers and wished them and their new-born babies every success in their endeavours.
Cracks, damage to houses six years later

About ten homes along the Gandhi Village road have been affected, with deep cracks in and outside their homes which the residents said, were caused by seismic surveys conducted by State-owned Petrotrin. It happened in 2010 and ever since, the cracks and breaking of the land, have pushed bedrooms and kitchens of the affected homes, in different directions.

The residents told the Newsday that they are fed-up of waiting on compensation promised by the oil company.

At these homes, the concrete yards have been cracked in many places in front and at the sides, which have left wedges that are wide enough to engulf a persons feet. At the home of one resident, Sukram Ramrattan, 60, his concrete house is cracked at the center. At the front, the concrete yard is cracked such that no member of his family are allowed to venture.

Immediately behind Ramrattans house, the land has slipped to such an extent, that his kitchen has begun to lean precariously downwards.

Ramrattan told the Newsday that the crack in his house is about four to five inches wide open. He said , We have been living like this since Petrotrin did some blasting at the back of our homes in 2010. Member of Parliament for Oropouche West Vidia Gayadeen-Gopeesingh, said that on a recent tour of the affected homes, the situation seemed to have worsen. I intend to raise this matter in Parliament, because it seems that the plight of these families have fallen on deaf ears.

Dularie Ramoutar, 57, said that due to earth movements, her backstep broke off from her house, as well as her toilet.

She said that it happened only after Petrotrin did blasting at the back of her house. Ramoutar said, I have told my daughter-inlaw, that in case you feel anything moving in the night, take your children and run out the house.

Two years now I have no toilet and step. Her son Ravi, described his house as 50ft by 45ft in dimension, but the house has sank to such an extent, that his water and cesspit tanks have shifted onto the neighbours property.

A letter from Petrotrin headed: Permitting Letter, addressed to the residents, stated that the company had wished to conduct 3D seismic survey, part of which may have traversed their properties.

The letter stated, Accordingly, Petrotrin hereby seeks your permission to allow its seismic contractor to enter your lands for the purpose of conducting the work.

Our 3D seismic survey contractor, while undertaking the work, will conduct all operations in a careful, diligent and responsible manner, observing industry best practices and all government regulations, thereby minimising any impacts to your property. The letter further went on to inform the residents that where damage is caused by the work, to crops or cultivation, Petrotrin will pay compensation accordingly.

However, the letter stated, In the unlikely event that property or structural damage occurs as a result of the work, Petrotrin will negotiate compensation to you in accordance with your legal rights. But Gayadeen-Gopeesingh told the Newsday yesterday that for the past four years, the residents have been complaining to Petrotrin but to no avail
MATT slams police over journalist attack

The Association, in a press release yesterday, called on the Police Service to accept full responsibility for Ragoonaths physical injuries and psychological well-being following the attack. On Thursday evening, Ragoonath was among a pool of photographers which included Newsday South Bureau chief photographer Lincoln Holder and a photographer from the Trinidad Express outside the courthouse, covering several cases, photo-wise.

Without warning, the murder accused who was walking past the assembled photographers with other prisoners, turned around and jump-kicked Ragoonath.

Not expecting the attack, Ragoonath was struck in the face causing lacerations near his right eye. His glasses was broken and the strap on his company camera burst leading to the equipment falling to the ground and being badly damaged. In addition, the prisoner who at this time was being held back by police officers, threatened to kill Ragoonath.

MATT in its release said it has communicated with Ragoonath as well as the Trinidad Guardians management to ensure he receives all the care and counselling following the attack.

The Association has communicated with Ag Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams who informed us that an investigation was immediately launched to determine how the prisoner was able to escape police custody to assault Mr Ragoonath. While we appreciate the Commissioners prompt action, we further call on him to ensure the investigation is expeditious and that the TTPS publicly reveal the outcome of its investigation and what action it intends to take post-investigation, the MATT release stated.

Additionally, MATT is calling on the TTPS also has to take responsibility for Mr Ragoonaths physical and psychological injuries and damage to his photographic equipment and his spectacles.

We remind the TTPS that the police was responsible for securing the prisoner at the time of the assault. It is unacceptable that thus far the TTPS has made no public statement on this matter nor has it reached out to Mr Ragoonath. MATT sees this incident as demonstrative of the poor state of prisoner security especially in the context of other breaches of security by prisoners being transported to and from court in the Southern Division. The Association takes this matter very seriously in the context of general citizen insecurity and the number of murders that reportedly have been coordinated by prisoners from inside the prisons, the release continued.
Ramesh: Pass laws to prevent over-fishing

Maharaj heads the Trinidad and Tobago Legal Network (TTLN) which invited Lucky to speak on the topic: The importance and relevance of the Law of the Sea to Caribbean Governments and the peoples of the Caribbean, on Friday night.

The event was hosted by TTLN as a dinner and lecture, held at the Prive Restaurant and Conference Centre in San Fernando.

Attending the function was Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) president Sir Dennis Byron, Chief Justice Ivor Archie, and a few judges of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago.

Lucky, who sits as a judge at the UNITLS in Hamburg, Germany, said that over-fishing was becoming such a serious problem, if not dealt with by respective governments implementing the laws of the sea, the lives of fishermen, and tourism, would suffer severely.

He said that fishing vessels from Asian countries, were invading waters of the Caribbean and over-fishing.

Sir Byron, in brief remarks, said that people, especially those in smaller Caribbean States, were not fully aware of the capabilities of the CCJ in maritime matters. He praised the work of the TTLN and its president, Maharaj, for seeking to educate people of their rights as one people of the Caribbean. Maharaj, in his remarks, said that respective Caribbean countries needed to pass legislation, so that the conventions that were ratified in relation to the law of the sea, could be implemented.

He said, The lecture by Justice Lucky, makes it clear that there is a need for Caribbean governments to implement conventions which they have ratified in relation to the law of the sea, by passing necessary legislation nationally, so that Caribbean peoples can take steps to protect an enforce their rights to the welfare and benefit of the natural resources, in, an under the sea. Saying as well that rising sea levels pose a serious threat to the future and existence of Caribbean countries, the TTLN president said that of immediate concern to the peoples of Caribbean countries, was illegal and unregulated fishing. Maharaj said, Caribbean governments must also take urgent action to prevent illegal, unreported an unregulated fishing in their waters, and they must also realise that the rising seas and climate changes, pose serious threats to the future of the existence of Caribbean countries, and their human population.
UNC MP Govt dishonest on SSA

These newly minted Government ministers are either totally uninformed about global best practices regarding intelligence gathering, or appear to be deliberately not providing us with the whole picture when it comes to proportionate safeguards to protect us against their intended significant interference with our democratic rights and freedoms, said Charles, who served as this countrys ambassador to the United Nations under the former Peoples Partnership (PP) government.

He added, One wonders why, in the face of widespread and very valid concerns expressed by well meaning and right thinking citizens across the spectrum, this PNM administration seems hell bent on trampling on our God given and Constitutionally protected rights and privileges. Attorney General Faris Al Rawi has invited Opposition senators to a meeting at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre at 11.30 am tomorrow with technocrats on the legislation.

On Saturday, Opposition Senator Wade Mark was dismissive of the invitation and described it as avery desperate reaction of the Government. Newsday understands the Opposition senators are likely to blank tomorrows meeting ahead of the 1.30 pm sitting of the Senate, where debate on the SSA Bill will resume.

The UNC holds another of its Monday Night Forums in Aranjuez tonight, 24 hours ahead of the debate.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and other speakers are expected to reiterate the partys opposition of the SSA Bill, in addition to dealing with other matters.

The bill was passed in the House of Representatives on April 15
House to debate local govt

Local government reform was one of the major campaign promises by the ruling Peoples National Movement (PNM) in last years general election campaign.

Speaking at a function at Medgar Evers College in New York last Thursday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley underscored this point.

Nationwide consultations on the promised local government reform to give these bodies greater autonomy and jurisdiction over the provision of services to their respective burgesses have just been concluded, the Prime Minister told his audience.

He added,  We move now towards drafting and amending the existing laws, as we work towards introducing these legislative proposals to the Parliament prior to the Local Government Elections which are due later this year. Rowley, who left the country on May for a 12 day trip that will take him to the United States, the United Kingdom and Ghana, will

return home on Saturday.
THA Department of Agriculture starts Tractor Pool

The Division says the vehicles, purchased at a cost $277,000 each, bring its fleet of rentable tractors to six. The fleet is used by the Division to provide subsidised and efficient land preparation services to registered farmers in Tobagos eight agricultural districts.

After an application is made to the TPD, the service is provided within a two to three day period. The TPD also provides land clearing and road cutting services. These include excavating, bulldozing and grading. At Tractor Pool, farmers can access the four-wheel tractor services of brush cutting, rowtavating, ploughing, harrowing and banking. Presently works are being carried out on a zonal basis, in an effort to alleviate the growing demand by farmers to have their lands prepared before the rainy season. The introduction of these new tractors is expected to raise the production rate at the TPD to 85 percent of their capacity, the Division said.

Secretary and Administrator of the Division, Assemblyman Godwin Adams, said having two more tractors would provide additional support to our farmers so that they can increase their yields and in turn make a positive contribution to the islands food security. The Division plans to purchase two more tractors before the end of 2016.
Kalabaisakhi in parts of Odisha

Odisha, Mon, 09 May 2016 NI Wire

Bhubaneswar

Violent thunderstorms and strong wind, locally known as Kalabaisakhi, has brought heavy rain falls in some parts of Odisha. Such torrential rainfall later on Friday (07-05-2016) evening brought respite to locals of twin city Cuttack and Bhubaneswar where scorching summer heat wave has been a major problem in the last few weeks.

The maximum temperature of Bhubaneswar had gone over 41 degrees C in the capital city until the hailstorm arrived and brought the mercury down to 30 degrees C. Even though it will not make huge changes to water shortage in the state, blistering sun in cities like Angul, Dhenkanal, Jajpur had further added to sunstroke related deaths.

In at least 15 districts the temperature has been recorded over 40 degrees C. Officially the death toll has been reported as 16 while as per local news the number is over 150. As the Odisha state government is sluggish to admit the actual number of deaths and inquire further, it is highly unlikely that any compensation would be given to the families of the victims.

While this summer the temperature in the state capital Bhubaneswar has already been recorded once at 45.7 degrees C, Western Odisha continues to suffer in the scorching summer, with Tatilagarh recording 48 degrees C, followed by Talcher at 46.8 and Sonepur at 46 degrees C.

Nevertheless, as far as relief from heat wave is concerned, at least Kalabaisakhi brought some relief to the residents of coastal and central Odisha for the next couple of days. Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Dhenkanal regions of the state have received massive rainfall, and most likely it will keep the temperature of these areas down in the weekend.

As per this writer's visit to few cities in Odisha, there is hardly any major taken on continue water supply in most rural areas, while the state-wide drinking water supply has not been very effective. Moreover, other than Govt. advice to stay indoors and early summer vacation for schools and colleges, it seems locals can hardly do anything but only to stick to their home with much difficulty.
Samsung All Set To Launch Galaxy J5 & Galaxy J7 In India Today

New Delhi, Mon, 09 May 2016 NI Wire

And the big wait is finally over - techno giant, Samsung is all set to launch its newest flagships, the most talked about Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 in the Indian market today.

Isn't it a great piece of news? Just a few days back we had updated you about Samsung planning to unveil J5 and J7, which boast of new attractive features & high-end performance. However, the company had refrained from reveling the release date. But the latest updates from the market suggest about the handsets getting launched at an event today.

For the uninitiated, Samsung in the year 2015 had released Galaxy J5 for Rs. 11, 999 and Galaxy J7 in for Rs. 14,999. If these prices are taken into count then for the 2016 models, which were earlier revealed in the Chinese market, the J5 (priced in China at a price of KRW 290,000) would likely be priced at Rs. 17,000 whereas Galaxy J7 (KRW 363, 000) would be available at a price of Rs 21,000.

It's really exciting and we're more than eager to see the two devices get unveiled today. While we'll surely get to know each minute detail about J5 and J7, but for now, let us go through the highlights these two have to offer

Features & Specifications

Both Galaxy J5 & J7 boast of amazing hardware. Not just this, the devices will carry forward Samsung's legacy and sport a striking design. J5 & J7 will have a metal frame and a polished surface. The Galaxy J7 is a bigger version of the two and hence would sport 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display backed by 402ppi pixel density. It will be supported by octa-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz. As for the storage capacity, the all new Samsung Galaxy J7 will have 3GB RAM with 16GB of internal memory. The device is designed to support microSD cards of nearly 128GB capacity.

Coming to the camera part, Galaxy J7 has 5MP front camera and 13MP back camera. Both the cameras have an f/1.9 aperture lens supported by LED flash. As for connectivity, J7 will support 4G LTE bands, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth V4.1 and NFC. Samsung Galaxy J7 weighs 170 grams and comes with a 3300mAh battery.

Moving on to Galaxy J5, though a comparatively smaller version than J7, it shares a couple of features same as that of J7. Both the devices run Android 6.0 Marshmallow and support 4G (LTE Cat. 4). Also, the camera of J5 is same like that of J7: 13-megapixel rear camera supported by f/1.9 aperture and LED flash and selfie camera of 5-megapixel that also has f/1.9 aperture.

The difference is majorly in the display, which we feel was a similar factor with their predecessors: J5 & J7. The new Galaxy J5 has a 5.2-inch HD Super AMOLED display and powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. As far as the storage is concerned, J5 has 2GB of RAM. It has 16GB of internal storage and the device even supports expandable storage throug microSD card (approximately 128GB). The handset measures 145.8x72.3x8.1mm and weighs around 158 grams with a battery of 3100mAh.

The features are indeed fascinating and for now let's wait for the launch to happen so that we can get hold of more details and decide which one of the two would be a better buy!
Samsung All Set To Roll Out New C Series With Galaxy C5

New Delhi, Mon, 09 May 2016 NI Wire

Undoubtedly one of the foremost smartphone brands across the world - Samsung is going big with its new flagships and proposals. We are aware how the giant smartphone manufacturing company is busy unveiling one device after the other.

Its J series is already in news - both Galaxy J5 (2016) and Galaxy J7 (2016) are set for a release very soon. And if reports are to be believed Samsung is working on a different and novel series, Galaxy C. Under this new flagship, Samsung will be rolling out two new lines Galaxy C5 and Galaxy C7. Well, these will just be the starters as sources report Samsung is planning to take this flagship ahead and roll out more series.

For now, Galaxy C 5 will be the first one to release and the news of its launch has already picked momentum. People are keen to see the device and look out for its exclusive features.

It is to be noted that Samsung has chosen to stay mum on this development and hasnt yet announced the existence of it novel C series. And this has made it a little difficult to predict the release date of the device.

However, the companys China unit states that Galaxy C5 and Galaxy C7 would be out somewhere in the month of May. As for the price, it is believed that both C5 and C7 would either be priced from mid range to that of Samsungs high-end variants. The Galaxy C5 device is seen with model number SM-C5000. And as is expected of all Samsung devices  the new model is also supposed to have a metal body with striking smooth finish.

So far, its only Galaxy C5 whose images have surfaced on internet which has let trade experts draw in the specifications & features of the device.

As stated, SM-C5000 C5 will have 5.2-inch screen with full HD display. The body will be sleek with an amazing finish. It is also believed that C5 will see its release outside Chinese market.

Talking of other features in the rumored Galaxy C5, the device will be backed by Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 SoC processor 1.5GHz. Like its other devices, Samsung Galaxy C5 will run on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and would possess Adreno 405 GPU supported by 4GB RAM.

Details about C7 are still unknown considering the fact that it will be C5 that would first hit the market. Reports also claim that Samsung may first want to test the first model and roll out the future flagships depending upon the user reviews & device performance.

Samsung is a game player and has rolled out high-end devices till date. Its J series is already on the verge of release and we can expect that with both C & J series would up the quotient for Samsungs market value and give a tough competition to the rivals as well.

Stay tuned to know what the two models will have in store for us.
In January, Xu Dazhe, the director of the China Atomic Energy Authority, told reporters in Beijing that China was planning to develop offshore floating nuclear energy plants, saying they must undergo a rigorous, scientific evaluation, but also linking these to Chinas desire to become a maritime power.

Mr. Xu said at the time that developing Chinas nuclear power-generating capacity was part of the countrys five-year economic development plan, which runs through 2020. China has more civilian nuclear power stations under construction than any other country.

Chinese state media said that Beijing plans to build as many as 20 floating nuclear power plants to supply power to remote locations.

That could include offshore oil drilling rigs and the sparsely inhabited islands that China has spent the past two years building up and steadily turning into military outposts.

The Chinese have been operating nuclear-powered submarines for a number of years. Its not a big leap to modify those power plants into electricity generators, said Rod Adams, who served as the engineer officer on a US nuclear sub and now publishes Atomic Insights, an industry reference.

He said there are few insurmountable challenges to deploying those reactors by 2020.

See more pic.twitter.com/xmsc2bzm71 China to develop 20 floating nuclear power plants https://t.co/SQGG1lEQDF  CCTV America (@CCTV_America) April 22, 2016

SOURCES  Twitter, Stuff New Zealand, New York Times
The US Air Force plans to arm its fleet of drones and fighter jets with high-tech laser weapons.

Air Force Research Laboratory officials have said they plan to have a program of record for air-fired laser weapons in place by 2023.

Ground testing of a laser weapon called the High Energy Laser, or HEL, was slated to take place last year at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., service officials said. The High Energy Laser test is being conducted by the Air Force Directed Energy Directorate, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.

The first airborne tests are expected to take place by 2021, Air Force officials have said.

The developmental efforts are focused on increasing the power, precision and guidance of existing laser weapon applications with the hope of moving from 10-kilowatts up to 100 kilowatts.

Much of the needed development involves engineering the size weight and power trades on an aircraft needed to accommodate an on-board laser weapon. Developing a mobile power-source small enough to integrate onto a fast-moving fighter jet remains a challenge for laser technology.

The Air Force plans to begin firing laser weapons from larger platforms such as C-17s and C-130s until the technological miniaturization efforts can configure the weapon to fire from fighter jets such as an F-15, F-16 or F-35.

Instead of flying with six or seven missiles on an aircraft, a directed energy weapons system could fire thousands of shots using a single gallon of jet fuel

SOURCE- Scout
The Islamic State terror group Sunday claimed responsibility for the death of eight Egyptian policemen killed in the Hewlan district, South of Cairo.

ISs local franchise circulated a message in Arabic calling the attack a retaliation for the pure women imprisoned by Egyptian authorities and saying that it was part of its Abi Ali Al-Anbari campaign involving a series of bombings in Iraq.

The eight policemen, among whom a Lieutenant, were killed on Sunday as they were patrolling in the district of Hewlan. The militants driving in a pick-up crossed in front of the police squad and spread their vehicle with automatic rifle fire, the interior ministry said.

Egyptian security forces have been stranded in repeated clashes with the militants for several years. Most attacks have occurred in the Sinai but the militants have also mounted attacks in cities including Cairo taking aim at authorities as well as foreigners.

In October last year, IS affiliate in the Sinai claimed credit for downing a Russian passenger jet with 224 people on board few minutes after takeoff from Sharm-el-Cheikh airport.

Interior minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar who was attending Sunday the funeral of the eight police officers vowed to bring the perpetrators to book adding that victims were heroes.

We are determined to continue our march against terror and anyone who seeks to undermine the nations stability, Abdel-Ghaffar told state television.
The Mauritanian opposition Saturday took to the streets to contest the Presidents constitutional change proposal that will allow suppression of the senate.

We are protesting today to tell Ould Abdel Aziz that the Constitution is the red line, Saleh Ould Henenna, Secretary General of FNDU, an opposition front made of 10 parties, told thousands of supporters gathered in central Nouakchott.

The opposition will not accept to take part in the dialogue whose themes have already been redefined by Ould Abdel Aziz, but in a concertation that will bear guarantees and topics adopted by all, Henenna explained.

The Mauritania President last week proposed a constitutional change through a referendum to suppress the senate which he said slows law adoption process.

He gave three to four weeks to the opposition to decide whether it will attend a national dialogue on the topic.

The Mauritanian opposition also fears that the Presidents proposal might be hiding plans to change the constitution to allow him to stand again for 2019 elections.

In March, a number of ministers and lawmakers called for a constitutional change that would allow the President to run for another term in 2019, end of his current and last mandate.

The marchers warned to stage more giant demonstrations if the regime further provokes them.

We have stopped here, in front of this building (city center) but we dont know where the demonstration will lead us next time, Henenna said in front of the protestors chanting anti-President slogans.

President Ould Abdel Aziz ascended to power in 2008 after a military coup. The former army Gen was elected in 2009 as the country president for a five-year mandate. He won a second mandate in 2014 after an outright victory.
Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni of the Tobruk-based government that used to be widely referred to as the internationally recognized government before the Libyan Political Agreement (LPA) was signed has stressed it would not hand over power to the unity government until it obtains the confidence of the House of Representatives and that of the international community.

He reiterated that his government will continue to exercise its external and domestic functions with all necessary powers and capabilities and blasted countries that sent government officials and diplomats to meet the unity government for trying to impose a new reality aimed at undermining the sovereignty of the Libyan state with actions contrary to diplomatic norms and ethics.

The Tobruk-based government had enjoyed international recognition when it was engaged in a power struggle with the Tripoli-based National Salvation Government which forced it out of the capital.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Tobruk led by Deputy Presidents of the House of Representatives (HoR,) Emhemed Shouaib and Ehmeed Homa, met with prime minister-designate of the unity government and head of the Presidency Council (PC) Fayez Serraj in Tripoli.

According to the PC, a new initiative was proposed by HoR members from southern Libya who were also part of the delegation with regards to the vote of confidence without going into details. It said the meeting was part of means to finding a mechanism to reach a high level of national consensus and means of enabling the HoR in its role as the legislative authority of the country. Observers think that the meeting showcases that the two institutions share at least a certain level of recognition for each other but formal recognition at the parliament could continue to be blocked.

The fate of Khalifa Haftar, General Commander of the Libyan National Army loyal to Tobruk, remains a major stumbling block in the approval of the LPA and the unity government. Haftar, one of the most influential people in the Tobruk-based government, has reportedly turned down a recent request by special envoy Kobler to meet him.

On Sunday, Serraj urged the UN to lift the arms embargo on Libya because, he said, it doesnt make sense that the international community supports our war against terrorism, and forbids us from arming ourselves. The Libyan people were suffering and needed both arms and assets to battle the extremist Islamic state group, he said.
No sleep till Brooklyn. Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP/Corbis

Infamous drug lord and tunnel enthusiast Joaquin El Chapo Guzman may very soon get the chance to try out prison accommodations in the United States. A Mexican federal judge gave approval Monday to extradite the drug lord across the border, where hes wanted on a slew of criminal charges, including money laundering, kidnapping, murder, and, of course, drug trafficking. Charges have been filed in a handful of cities, among them New York and Chicago.

El Chapo will probably stay in a Mexican prison for a bit longer  at least a few more weeks, and the order still needs the final okay from the Mexican foreign ministry. But CNN reports that American officials are preparing for his transfer. Yet the cartel leader did change prisons within Mexico this weekend, moving to lockup in Ciudad Juarez, close to the U.S.-Mexico border, from the maximum-security prison in Altiplano, where El Chapo had been held since his arrest in January. Guzman has already escaped from Altiplano; last summer he disappeared through his bathroom connected to a really swanky tunnel. That earned him about six months of freedom.

Some speculated that authorities relocated El Chapo to Ciudad Juarez to put him closer to the U.S. for this coming extradition. Officials denied that motive. Other reports suggested that the Mexican authorities wanted to change things up and thwart any potential Altiplano escape plans El Chapo may have been cooking up.

Yet the prison in Ciudad Juarez  while apparently very horrible  is not, like Altiplano, a maximum-security facility (though everyone knows how well that worked out). El Chapos cell in Ciudad Juarez will be in a maximum-security wing, and hell still be under 24-hour surveillance. (El Chapo complained that he was being woken up every two hours by Altiplano guards and felt like a zombie. Officials also cut his visits, conjugal and otherwise.) There is no risk of escape, the governor of the state of Chihuahua, where the jail is located, assured the public.

While El Chapo plays carceral musical chairs, the kingpins attorneys are fighting the U.S. extradition order, despite reports that Guzman had asked his attorneys to negotiate a plea deal with the U.S. so he could serve time in a medium-security prison in America.

If extradited, El Chapo will probably face prosecution in Brooklyn. Nowattorney general Loretta Lynch had filed charges against Guzman in 2009, back when she was the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. The Justice Department will ultimately make the final decision on jurisdiction, but if El Chapo does head to New York, theres an L train tunnel that could really use his expertise.
U.S. troops stationed in Iraq. Photo: Rockfinder/(c) Rockfinder

Good morning and welcome to Fresh Intelligence, our roundup of the stories, ideas, and memes youll be talking about today. In this edition, more American troops head to the Middle East, Trump wants to tax the rich, and ride-sharing services stall in Austin. Heres the rundown for Monday, May 9.

WEATHER

Itll be a tough couple of days weather-wise for much of the country, with severe storms bringing hail, possible flooding, and maybe even tornadoes to the Plains States, Midwest, and South. In New York City, the rain should let up today, and temperatures will jump to the low 70s. [Weather.com]

FRONT PAGE

U.S. Deploys Troops to Syria and Iraq

According to the Washington Post, U.S. officials say wars in Syria and Iraq are about to enter a new stage defined by more violence and a heavier American troop presence. Already there are plans for a sizable ramp-up: 450 special-forces troops will be sent to Syria and Iraq, hundreds of Marines will head to the front line in Iraq, and attack helicopters and jet bombers will join the fight as well. The growing troop numbers are an indicator of what will be a tough fight against ISIS in some of its most entrenched territory, such as its capitals in Raqqa and Mosul. [WaPo]

EARLY AND OFTEN

Trump Puts His Populist Money Where His Populist Mouth Is

Republican nomination nearly in hand, Donald Trump has begun his inevitable veer leftwards saying that he supports a higher tax on the wealthy, that he personally would be willing to pay more, and that he supports a higher minimum wage, although he thinks raising it is the job of the states and not the federal government. What a truly confusing time to be an American. [Reuters]

McCain Believes Trump Capable of Apologizing

John McCain, speaking on CNN yesterday, scolded Republican leaders for not lining up behind Donald Trump and ignoring the will of the voters. Still, McCain said he would not be willing to campaign for or fully endorse Trump until he apologized to veterans  Trump famously pretty much accused McCain of cowardice for being injured, kidnapped, and held as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for six years. [CNN]

Trump Goes After Paul Ryan 

As if the Republican convention wasnt already going to be awkward enough, presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump  will that ever not feel weird to read?  is threatening to unseat Paul Ryan from his illustrious but wholly ceremonial role as convention chairman. We believe this is what Trump refers to as unifying. [NYT]

 And Sarah Palin Backs Him Up

Its also Paul Ryan season for avid hunter Sarah Palin, who demonstrated just how much she has Trumps back when she announced yesterday she would support the speaker of the Houses challenger in the Wisconsin primary. What she actually said is that Ryan will soon be Cantored, which is a reference to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who lost his seat in 2014. [USA Today]

THE STREET, THE VALLEY

Wildfires and Saudi Maneuvering Send Oil Up

The price of oil is starting to go up just in time for summer, thanks in large part to huge and debilitating forest fires in the oil-producing region of Canada and to the appointment in Saudi Arabia of a new, more progressive energy minister. [Reuters]

Amazon Addresses Race Bias

A recent move to offer same-day shipping to the Bronx is just part of Amazons push to address accusations that the companys services unfairly benefit rich white people. Amazon has pledged it will extend services to underprivileged people in 27 cities, and from this point on, it will only roll out new services to cities where it can serve every zip code equally. [The Verge]

Karma, As They Say 

Fans of personal-action-camera company GoPro  who, judging by recent earnings reports, are relatively few  will have to wait a little longer for the companys new and much-anticipated drone. Karma, a drone aimed at professional photographers, will now be delayed until the holidays. [Gizmodo]

Uber, Lyft Cease Operations in Austin Under Threat of Background Checks

Voters in Austin, Texas, yesterday failed to pass a proposition that would stop a local law requiring all Uber and Lyft drivers to be fingerprinted and receive background checks by the city. As a result, the ride-sharing companies are making good on their threats to cease all operations in the Texas capital starting today. [CBS]

MEDIA BUBBLE

Cheddar About to Earn Its Name

Cheddar, the online video platform specializing in business news and described as the CNBC for Millennials by its ex-Buzzfeed executive founder, is moving behind a paywall. For the first time today, the service will require a $6.99-a-month subscription fee and will be powered by Vimeo. [WSJ]

Apple to Tidal: Two Can Play at This Game

These days its increasingly rare for people to actually buy music, which makes Drakes and iTunes recent coup somewhat remarkable. For the five days that Drakes latest album, Views  you know, the one with all the memes  was only available on iTunes, it sold more than a million copies. [WSJ]

Twitter Distances Itself From the U.S. Government, Promises Its Still Cool

Twitter has told U.S. intelligence agencies that they must stop using Dataminr, a service that filters through millions of tweets looking for signs of political unrest or terror attacks and alerts people mere moments after theyve happened. The move comes as Twitter is trying to distance itself from the intelligence community  what seems to be a Silicon Valley trend these days.

PHOTO OP

San Francisco on Strike

The Frisco Five hunger strike against police brutality, named for the five people who refused food for 17 days, ended over the weekend, but organizers are calling for a general strike in the city today.

'Frisco Five' hunger strike over alleged police racism in San Francisco ends after 17 dayshttps://t.co/34v8kUNm4N pic.twitter.com/fbMFWZ2yX2  BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 8, 2016

MORNING MEME

Guess Who Just Learned What Dat Boi Is

Dat boi as Kramer may be one of our favorite pop-culture mash-ups of all time. Will Seinfeld ever not be relevant?

dat boi BERST into Jery apartment pic.twitter.com/mLDoOk2nyv  Seinfeld Current Day (@Seinfeld2000) May 8, 2016

OTHER LOCAL NEWS

Surprise Lives Up to Its Name

Residents of a retirement home in Surprise, Arizona, had a startling day over the weekend when an airplane crashed into their yard just a few feet from their homes. The pilot skillfully avoided buildings and people before crash-landing; he and a passenger were both injured but are expected to survive. [AZ Family]

This Story Would Have Been So Much Better on Easter

A Florida man was, we assume, pretty surprised when the dead alligator he found in Orlando came miraculously to life, biting his hand and breaking it. Maybe we shouldnt say it was a miracle, but it would be irresponsible to rule it out. [News 6]

HAPPENING TODAY

Heres Something Convenient to Blame Your Mood On

If you have a solar filter and a pair of binoculars handy, you might want to stare at the sun today. Starting at 7:12 a.m. and continuing for seven hours, Mercury will be crossing the sun and will be visible  as a tiny black dot, but still  to the naked eye. Please do not stare at the sun through binoculars without a solar filter. [Vox]

Verdict Expected Today in Redstone Trial

The judge in the trial that will determine 92-year-old media mogul Sumner Redstones mental competency has said that he will announce his verdict today. If Redstone is found to be mentally incompetent, it could lead to a power struggle for control of his $40 billion media empire. [News 4]

North Carolina Deadline Is Here, Will Be Ignored

North Carolina governor Pat McCrory will respond to the Justice Department but will not meet its deadline  5 p.m. today  to prove he wont enforce his states anti-transgender bathroom bill. Missing the deadline could leave his state open to losing billions of dollars in federal funding. [NYT]
Trumps former rival shows theres really no limit on what can be said about the mogul before and even while endorsing him. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Youd sort of figure that of all the Republican pols who will eventually crawl their way back into the GOP tent after saying (publicly or privately) nasty things about Donald Trump, former Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal would have been last and least conspicuous  you know, maybe signaling an intention to vote for the mogul in a fine-print ad (like a legal notice) published the day before the general election.

But no: The rival who called Trump an egomaniacal madman, among other choice epithets, came out for the Donald in The Wall Street Journal about six weeks before the Republican National Convention, and close to a half-year before the general election.

To be sure, Jindal not only acknowledged but repeated some of his abuse.

I was one of the earliest and loudest critics of Mr. Trump. I mocked his appearance, demeanor, ideology and ego in the strongest language I have ever used to publicly criticize anyone in politics. I worked harder than most, with little apparent effect, to stop his ascendancy. I have not experienced a sudden epiphany and am not here to detail an evolution in my perspective.

No, its all about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who are in Jindals eyes more loathsome and dangerous than a pol hes described as psychopathic, unprincipled, and unserious. Clinton will, says the grotesquely unsuccessful Louisiana governor, continue Obamas radical policies without the triangulation that made Bill Clinton tolerable to conservatives.

Its significant that the first data point Jindal deploys is the impact of the general election on the Supreme Court:

In my lifetime, no Democrat in the White House has ever appointed a Supreme Court justice who surprised the nation by becoming more conservative, while the opposite certainly cannot be said for Republican appointments. Mr. Trump might not support a constitutionalist conservative focused on original intent and limits on the courts powers. He may be more likely to appoint Judge Judy. However, there is only a chance that a President Trump would nominate a bad justice, while Mrs. Clinton certainly would.

This is a nicely executed double-backflip: Republican presidents are constantly putting godless liberals like John Roberts on the Court; could Trump be a much greater risk? And even Judge Judy would be better than the baby-killing, Christian-hating, tyrant-enablers Hillary Clinton would nominate.

What Jindals really doing here is something we are going to see from a lot of Republicans in the very near future: an engraved invitation to Trump to reassure them with some sort of iron-clad public commitment to appoint justices that not only would blow themselves up before allowing Roe v. Wade to stand or Citizens United to fall, but who might bring the whole hog of constitutionalist conservatism to the Court, turning back the clock to the 1930s. For people like Jindal, a right-wing Supreme Court would covereth a multitude of Trumpite sins.

You might wonder who on Earth really cares what Bobby Jindal thinks about the general election. But by making his lesser of evils argument so absolute, and making it so early, hes helped create a lot of safe space for other Republicans who havent called Trump a madman to cross the boundary into the Trump camp at their convenience, preferably on a slow news day.
Steven Croman and his wife, Harriet. Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Even in a city filled with bad landlords, Steven Croman stood out. A regular on worst landlord lists, his company would buy up Manhattan apartment buildings, then push for tenants in rent-regulated apartments to leave, either by buying out their leases or, tenants said, harassing them until they left. Then, once he deregulated the rent-stabilized apartments, he would charge much higher rents. But this morning Croman was charged with 20 felonies, including grand larceny, falsifying business records, and a scheme to defraud; he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Thats not all the bad news for Croman: The Times reports that the New York state attorney generals office also sued Croman today, seeking to force him not just to give up his real-estate business, but to pay millions of dollars in restitution to tenants and penalties. In its lawsuit, the attorney generals office, which investigated Croman for nearly two years, accused him of harassing and coercing countless working-class and low-income families out of their longtime homes.

The Times details how badly Croman wanted to push tenants out of rent-controlled apartments. He was said to offer modest buyouts of no more than a few thousand dollars, and property managers who persuaded a tenant to take one could earn a bonus of up to $10,000. According to the lawsuit, Croman would walk around his office chanting buyouts, buyouts.

But when tenants didnt leave voluntarily, the lawsuit claims he would try to force them out using other methods. For instance, according to the suit, he would fail to make repairs or maintain basic services such as heat, electricity, and hot water. Cromans companies also repeatedly filed baseless lawsuits against tenants, to aggravate them.

It gets worse: Once a tenant was pushed out, Cronan would renovate the apartment to justify increasing the rent to market rate, but the attorney generals office said it found plenty of examples of illegal construction. On 175 occasions, according to the lawsuit, his companies did work without the proper permits; hed also tell his employees to ignore Department of Buildings orders to stop working. The Department of Health found lots of violations too: It detected impermissibly high levels of lead dust on more than 20 occasions, including levels more than 65 times the legal threshold. According to the suit, even when the Department of Health ordered him to address the lead hazards, he did not.

Cromans mortgage broker, Barry Swartz, 53, was also charged with 15 felonies today. Both Croman and Swartz pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
Donald woman-cherisher Trump. Photo: Mark Lyons/2016 Getty Images

Donald Trump, who eats taco bowls on top of magazine spreads of his bikini-clad ex-wife, would like to remind everyone that hes a champion for women. Trump himself has been working hard to win over women voters by telling them how easy their lives are, and on Sunday, Paul Manafort, who has all but ousted Corey Lewandowski as the head of the Trump campaign, told Fox News Sunday that Trump, Is not anti-women. Hes very pro-women  more so than [Clinton] because hes pro-women in actions, not words. Those actions, Manafort said, include female employees and  well, hiring female employees.

But although Manafort said Trump is pro-women as a whole, he was quick to point out that Trump will not stand for specific women  namely Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. [Trump] is not going to allow Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren to hide behind their sex to make cases that are hypocritical, Manafort said. And, when it comes to the general election, Hes not going to let Hillary make the case that hes against women and shes this defender of womens rights.

Because it would be totally absurd for Clinton, who was endorsed by Planned Parenthood and who has a consistent record of introducing and voting for legislation that promotes womens rights, to claim shes more pro-women than a guy who has totally hired women before and who will keep the country safe for everyone but mostly for women. Trump does really well with women! He cherishes women! Just because he calls some of them bimbos and dogs and fat pigs doesnt mean hes anti-woman! How hypocritical of his political opponents to say so.
Donald Trump in West Virginia. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

About a decade ago, it became clear to some of us that the Republican and Democratic parties were not at all alike. The two were different, not just in their beliefs but in their methods and political style. The Republican Party was ethnically, economically, and ideologically homogenous. Democrats claimed support from racial minorities along with whites, and unions, consumer advocates, and environmentalists along with business, and moderates as well as liberals, yielding a careful balance of ideas and interests. As a virtually all-white party, whose economic support came exclusively from business and which identified conservatism as its sole legitimate ideological tradition, the Republican Party operated in a very different style. Trumps capture of the Republican nomination is the most emphatic, but only the most recent, indication that the Republican Partys internal culture is a total failure.

Not long ago, a deeply ingrained conventional wisdom still saw the two parties as mirror images, one liberal and the other conservative, but otherwise structurally similar. The contrary notion that the two parties had grown asymmetrical, with the Republican Party increasingly extreme and unable to share power, was the premise of my book, a 2006 book by Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein (which they followed up in 2012), a 2006 book by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, as well as research by political scientists like Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal and, more recently, David Hopkins and Matt Grossmann.

The very different structure of the two parties produced very different internal cultures. The GOP had essentially become the political arm of the conservative movement, while the Democrats remained more of a polyglot, 20th-century-style party tugged between competing factions and philosophies. Republicans were disciplined and ideological, fervently devoted to a cult of Reagan, which reduced any dispute over party doctrine into a contest of atavistic purity. Democrats tended to be more factionalized, pragmatic, open to compromise, and deferential to the conclusions of experts. The difference spilled over from elected officials and political professionals into intellectuals and pundits  producing what some people called a hack gap between the two sides, in which far more liberal opinion journalists showed a greater willingness than conservative journalists to contradict the party line.

George W. Bush once bestrood the globe like a collosus. Photo: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Since then, the Democratic Party has slowly begun mimicking some of the characteristics of the GOP. During the Bush administration, despondent liberals consciously studied the success of the conservative movement and set out to replicate its tactics. They have not turned their party into a duplicate of the GOP, but their work has yielded results. In 2005, rather than capitulate to the Bush administrations pressure campaign to privatize Social Security, Democrats banded to together to block it. They hung together to pass health-care reform in 2010, reflecting a general increase in party discipline. There is now a progressive movement  and while it does not hold the monopoly on left-of-center discourse that the conservative movement wields on the right, it has noticeably changed the tone of liberal discourse. The old incentive for liberal pundits to break from the liberal line (reinforced by an economic structure in which rewards came in the form of jobs at prestige media outlets that cherished nonpartisanship) has been replaced by a new incentive to toe the party line (reinforced by transparent online readership metrics, which incentivize supporting readers preexisting values). The hack gap still exists, but it has narrowed.

The upside of the new liberal world is that the old spirit of reflexive contrarianism for contrarianisms sake has disappeared, as has the habit of moderate Democrats to position themselves automatically to the right of their party merely to signal independence. The downside is the appearance of at least signs of creeping dogmatism. Mainstream liberal economists are deeply concerned that the $15 minimum wage is too high and will harm low-income workers more than it helps, but Democrats have suppressed their doubts in ways that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. The progressive movement is inching toward the rigidly circumscribed rules of discourse surrounding identity developed by the p.c. left (and on display in many campuses).

The question for liberals now is whether the ethos of no-enemies-on-the-left has gone far enough. Left-wing writers like Freddie deBoer and Emmett Rensin gaze upon the culture of the Republican Party, with its relentless privileging of extremism, not with disgust but with envy. Why cant the Democrats have that, too?

As long as liberals revile those to their left and conservatives embrace those to their right, conservatism wins. https://t.co/HdgR4xodS8  Freddie deBoer (@freddiedeboer) April 27, 2016

@jonathanchait @RameshPonnuru Largely because conservatives accede to their right flank vs. incessant liberal need to neutralize their left.  Emmett Rensin (@emmettrensin) April 28, 2016

Of course, if ones goal is to build socialism, rather than mixed-economy liberalism, then obviously you would prefer to tilt the terms of discourse in radicals favor. But the suggestion here isnt just that replicating the GOPs internal culture is a sensible tactic for the far left, but for the center-left as well. The more extreme the poles of the debate, the more effectively they tug the center of discourse their way. By this reasoning, the moderation of the Democratic Party, and the liberal resistance to the far left, has only allowed the far right to prevail.

This analysis had some appeal ten years ago or so, when it was hard to conclude whether the Republican Partys greater ideological fervor amounted to an advantage or a handicap. But the Republican Party of 2016 is an odd subject for envy. Trumps nomination is simply the latest example of the Republican Partys inability to moderate its impulses or assimilate internal criticism.

Dennis Hastert in happier times. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Even by the 1990s, the partys fanaticism was driving it into cycles of overreach, failure, and then attributing every failure to a lack of ideological zeal. During the Clinton administration, right-wing activists pushed the party leadership into a series of disastrous confrontations  a shutdown, impeachment  and then cast their leaders aside as squishes. The Bush administrations contempt for empiricism seeded the collapse of its foreign and domestic policies, ultimately costing the party all of its power. On the other hand, the right had redefined the terms of public debate by sheer force of will. Once-marginal ideas, like supply-side economics, privatizing Social Security, or neoconservative foreign policy, now dominated the political discourse. Every tactical defeat for the right still seemed to yield a larger strategic victory, short-term sacrifices for the cause of a country whose politics seemed to continue marching ever rightward.

Considered from the perspective of 2016, however, the picture looks very different. The rights inability to compromise led to a series of permanent, tangible policy defeats. In 2009, and especially after Scott Browns election in 2010 deprived them of their filibuster-proof majority, Democrats in Congress were desperate to compromise on health-care reform, willing to accept meager incremental measures if they could gain bipartisan cover. Republicans held out for total victory, leading Democrats to pass a comprehensive reform. In 2011, President Obama (in another moment of political vulnerability) offered them concessions they would have had no chance of passing on their own  real cuts to retirement programs  in return for tax reform that increased revenue. They refused that deal, too. After the 2012 election  when their nominee had to run hamstrung by an unpopular orthodox right-wing platform  Republicans in Congress spurned the advice of a postelection autopsy by refusing to pass immigration reform, leaving them deeply unpopular with growing immigrant communities. Conservatives manic insistence that every failure was attributable to their fainthearted leaders selling them out was an effective way to instill fanatic party discipline, but ultimately it destroyed the party.



Trumps nomination does fly in the face of conservative dogma on some issues. But Trump also reflects the triumph of the curdled rage of the modern Republican Party. All of the constituencies of the old Republican Party that may have stopped Trump in the primaries  racial minorities, socially moderate women, college-educated whites  have been driven out by a party that has lurched right. Tax cuts for the rich, deregulating Wall Street, and cuts to retirement programs have no natural constituency, so Republicans have been left with the only voters who would be willing to support them: culturally conservative whites. Republicans aghast at Trumps wild abuse of the truth had no authority to which they could turn, having long ago instructed their supporters to ignore the mainstream media.

Trumps victory was an object lesson in the stifling failure of intra-Republican discourse. There are, of course, some intellectuals on the right who try to moderate their partys excesses. But the moral logic of movement thought places them at a hopeless disadvantage. The moderates behave like uninvited guests, politely beseeching their hosts to reconsider their views, wrapping any criticisms in elaborate expressions of sympathy, or retreating to morbid irony. The radicals shout, the moderates whisper. The rules of conservative discourse dictated that the only valid attacks against Trump could come from the right, but the party had moved so far right that his heresies  previous support for universal health care, endorsement of higher taxes on the rich, a general lack of enthusiasm for libertarian anti-government abstractions  pulled no weight with their voters. Trumps nomination was the meltdown of the Republican elite within their own ideological hothouse.
Like it or not, its now Trump and Palins GOP. Photo: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In addition to disregarding part of his tax plan on Sunday, presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump also suggested on Sunday morning that he wasnt all that concerned about the need for Republican party unity heading into the general election. Does [the party] have to be unified? Trump asked on ABCs This Week. Im very different than everybody else, perhaps, thats ever run for office. I actually dont think so. And on Meet the Press Sunday, Trump insisted he was blindsided a little bit by Speaker of the House Paul Ryans comments last week that he wasnt ready to endorse the businessmans candidacy just yet, though the pair have scheduled a meeting for this week to try and clear the air.

Meeting or not, key Trump ally Sarah Palin declared on Sunday that Ryans political career is over after he disrespected the will of the people regarding Trump. Appearing on CNNs State of the Union, she said that Ryan should thus be Cantored for his decision not to immediately back Trumps candidacy, meaning that Ryan should be kicked out of office by a primary challenger, as former congressman and GOP Establishment darling Eric Cantor was by a tea-party candidate in 2014. To that end, Palin vowed to do whatever she could to help Paul Nehlen, Ryans primary opponent this fall, in his efforts to unseat the speaker. Paul Ryan and his ilk, their problem is they have become so disconnected by the people whom they are elected to represent, Palin claimed. For his part, Trump additionally indicated on Meet the Press that he wouldnt rule out trying to remove Ryan as chair of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland if he continues to withhold his support. Theres also a mini-feud playing out between the Trump and Ryan camps over whether or not Ryan called Trump to congratulate him after his win in the New York primary.

Of course, such a demonstration of Republican disunity is just the latest turbulence within the party over Trumps impending nomination, though its been somewhat difficult to keep track of where some party heavyweights stand in their heart of hearts. For instance, Palins former running mate, Senator John McCain, was recorded saying at a fundraiser last month that, If Donald Trump is at the top of the ticket, here in Arizona, with over 30 percent of the vote being the Hispanic vote, no doubt that this may be the race of my life. But McCain seems to be following through on his promise to support whoever becomes the GOP nominee, albeit not very passionately. Also appearing on State of the Union, McCain alluded more to fearing Trump voters than respecting the man himself, noting that Republicans would be foolish to ignore the Republican rank-and-file who had chosen Trump. I think that he could be a capable leader, McCain hedged with regards to Trump, who had previously said that McCain  who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam  wasnt actually a war hero because he allowed himself to be captured. Regarding that earlier attack, McCain added on CNN that he wouldnt help Trumps campaign unless the candidate first express[ed] his appreciation for veterans, not John McCain, but veterans who were incarcerated as prisoners of war.

Nonetheless, while Trump may or may not actually value Republican party unity, he told supporters at a rally on Saturday said that former rivals Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham, who have both publicly stated that they will not vote for Trump, were not honorable people as a result of breaking their pledges to support the GOP nominee. Speaking of honor among Republicans, to recap: The last two Republican presidents (George Bush I and II) and the last Republican presidential nominee (Mitt Romney) have all rejected Trump, but the last Republican vice-president (Dick Cheney) is supporting him. The current speaker of the House and last Republican vice-presidential nominee (Ryan) is withholding support for now, while the previous vice-presidential nominee (Palin) is trying to end his political career because of that, and her running mate in 2008 (McCain) seems to be offering as lukewarm a Trump endorsement as is humanly possible. Meanwhile, crucially, the last Republican presidential candidate to face off against a Clinton, Bob Dole, is apparently all aboard the Donald Trump Express. And it hasnt even been a full week since Trump secured the nomination.
Conservatives who dont trust Donald Trump could push him to turn the Supreme Court in a dangerously radical new direction. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Its now been well over a month since the expiration of Donald Trumps self-imposed deadline for coming up with a list of candidates from which he would choose Supreme Court nominees, including the one he would name right away to fill the seat of the late Antonin Scalia. When asked about the list, Trump said he thought it would be ready to be released before the convention.

This is not a promise conservatives are going to let him ignore perpetually, and conversely, theres no particular evidence he cares enough about constitutional law to make this a serious bone of contention.

But, in fact, conservative fears about Trumps lack of fidelity to their supreme value of limited government could lead to demands for truly radical Court nominees who embrace the idea that right-wing judicial activism is needed to restrain the executive and legislative branches alike.

We are already hearing arguments from conservative legal circles that an atmosphere of lawlessness associated with the Courts failure to kill Obamacare has contributed to the frustration and extremism reflected in Trumps successful drive for the GOP presidential nomination. And some of the same critics point accusingly at Trumps long-standing support for widespread use of the power of eminent domain as showing his contempt for property rights and willingness to use government aggressively.

So its not enough to say that conservative legal activists dont trust Donald Trump any more than other conservatives do: They actually believe hes a prime example of a politician that judges need to restrain without the deference to the political branches of government that conservatives used to believe in (and that Chief Justice John Roberts exhibited in allowing Obamacare to survive).

And thus: Regular old-school judicial deference conservatives like Roberts will not be acceptable to a lot of conservative opinion leaders, particularly coming from Trump. You can expect more and more demands for Justices who share the constitutional conservative belief in absolute property rights that permanently debar Congress and the president alike from enacting or administering social-welfare programs or business regulation. This was the philosophy supported by the Court during the early-20th-century period when a chain of decisions begun by Lochner v. United States stymied progressive legislation until FDRs threat of court-packing and then turnover in justices forced its abandonment.

Theres now a powerful movement in conservative legal circles to bring back Lochner, and theres probably no quicker route to its restoration than a Trump administration trying to buy favor with those on the right who fear the Donalds tyrannical tendencies.

If and when Trump releases his SCOTUS prospect list  which hes promised he will prepare in consultation with the Heritage Foundation  there are a couple of names to look for in particular. One is Texas Supreme Court Justice Don Willet, an outspoken neo-Lochner advocate. Another is Utah Senator Mike Lee, who makes no bones about his belief that the New Deal was and is unconstitutional. And still another might be Lees best friend in the Senate, Ted Cruz, if he patches things up with Trump and decides the bench rather than the White House is his destiny.

For progressives, the thing to comprehend is that there are worse things that could come from Trump Supreme Court nominations than the expected fifth vote to restrict or overturn Roe v. Wade or to cripple public-sector unions, terrible as either of those things would be. Precisely because Trump is a loose cannon, he may be convinced to promise his new conservative friends what they really want on the Court: Justices who want to turn the clock back not just to 1972, when abortion was illegal in most states, but to the early 1930s when what we think of as the social safety net was considered a radical and unconstitutional idea.
Whoa. Photo: Pool/2016 Getty Images

The 2016 White House Correspondents Dinner was hosted by The Nightly Shows Larry Wilmore. In his speech, in keeping with the tradition of the annual roast, the comedian made many jokes. One of those involved looking at the president of the United States, Barack Obama, and saying, Yo, Barry. You did it, my nigga.

Both Wilmore and Obama are black. Typically, that reality makes saying nigga in public free from controversy, but that was not true in this case. Days later the shock of the moment still lingers  Wilmore said my nigga to the president; holy shit, Larry  but its the wide-ranging commentary that followed that proved more interesting. Especially from black people.

The takes that came out in the days afterward were a reminder about who gets to draw the lines, make the rules, and declare whats right and wrong, appropriate and disrespectful, when it comes to the use of that word. Its a moment to acknowledge the effect eight years of a black president have had  both the things that have changed and those that remain the same. A moment in which theres more black people with platforms than ever before, more ways for black opinions to be expressed aloud. A moment when you truly see the degree to which black people are not a monolith. A moment where the opinions are strong, passionate, and, in many cases, unwavering. And because of this, there are far more opportunities for black people to discuss, celebrate, and argue in public.

Black people discussing with other black people about how black people should talk to black people in front of white people. These are the moments you live for.

Jonathan Capehart, a black journalist, of the Washington Post was not amused. His piece was headlined Why Larry Wilmore Is Not My N - - - - (the dashes spell out nigga). He states, African Americans know there are things that should never be said outside the safe cultural confines of the barbershop, beauty shop, backyard barbecue or mommas house.

We do know that. And hes right.

You have CNN commentator Van Jones, also black, who tweeted, Not that Ive been asked to do so recently. But I will never appear on any program with @larrywilmore as a host. #Disgraceful #NerdProm.

Jones was clearly disgusted by it. And it makes sense why.

Theres April Ryan, the legendary black White House correspondent. Also at the Washington Post, she penned an essay titled Larry Wilmores n-word joke was an insult to black journalists. (N-word means nigga.) In the piece, she stated that Wilmore displayed his utter lack of respect, not only for the president, but for the journalists  particularly black journalists  in attendance.

Ryan went on to chronicle what has been a career of fighting for equality in the field  which includes being treated with respect at an event like the Correspondents Dinner. Shes a trailblazer. And after a lifetime of work just to gain access, I can see how Wilmores remark might make you feel exposed, just as you were beginning to blend in.

Finally, there is a woman I met just a week ago. Closer to my mothers age than my own, she and I met on a Friday, again on that Sunday, and the bond was consummated by a Facebook friend request. Checking my feed Monday morning, I noticed an update from her. The comedian who referred to the POTUS as My N-Word at the White House Correspondents Dinner was WRONG. I will pray for mercy for whatever price that he will pay for his moment of disrespect and bad judgement.

Its crazy, because all these nig black people are right. And I dont even agree with them. And Im right, too.

When I was younger, Id ride in the backseat as my mom drove the two of us around Atlanta. Not an argumentative child in the slightest, Id sometimes simply get curious about why we were doing what we were doing. Many of my sentences began with How come   When Id ask for further clarification, my mother would look in the rear-view mirror, smile, and say, Because I said so.

One of the first rules I remember having drilled into my head was respect your elders. While this exists in all pockets of society, its especially true for minority groups, because in addition to seniority, theres the reality that people paved the way so you could have a better life. There are doors open to you that would be closed had your elders not lived, fought, struggled, and succeeded. For that, they deserve all the respect, all the time.

As you get older, your relationships with your elders begins to change  while remaining true to the same founding principles. Where right and wrong were once limited to morals, now those relationships exist in the world of politics and opinions. This is especially true with the word nigga. Many younger black people treat the word casually, while others a generation above cite the negative history of the word as reason to eliminate it from the lexicon. But the more cross-generational conversations happen about the word, the clearer it is that while on the surface were arguing about nigga, were really trying to get at something much bigger.

Theres that now-classic scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin where a relatively unknown Kevin Hart appears for one scene, trying to get a deal from Jay, one of the Smart Tech employees, played by Romany Malco. Harts character is trying to get an extended warranty for the price of  on the house, but Jay isnt having it.

Hart: Dont be a negro, be my nigga, Malco: I aint nobodys nigga. Hart: Well, I mean, you somebodys nigga wearing this nigga tie.

In this one brief exchange between two black men, the word nigga is used four times, in completely different ways. My nigga is used up-front, like Wilmore to Obama, as a term of endearment and comradeship  juxtaposed with negro, which is made to seem more serious and official. Theres Malcos response, I aint nobodys nigga  a response to a put-down, a phrase of disrespect. And then Hart, simply by going from my nigga to nigga, uses it to then insult him, insinuating that hes lesser-than because he gets bossed around, told what to wear, owned.

Hart to Malco, in a fictional comedic film, is different from Wilmore to the black president of the United States in a real-life very white setting  but is it really? The argument that Obama is the president and therefore never should be addressed in such a crass way is legitimate  but cant Obama be my president and my nigga?

I find joy in believing that he can, even while acknowledging why someone else who is black would think that he cant. I also know that I shouldnt think this, and even if I do, I certainly shouldnt say it aloud. I know that, because I  like so many of my peers  was taught how to be black in front of black people, and black in front of white people. Part of that: letting your hair down and being your truest black self in black private, and presenting the most refined black version of yourself in front of white public. Its less never let them see you sweat, more never let them see you be too black.

What Wilmore did is only somewhat related to calling Obama my nigga. In reality, he hit a nerve because he went against what we were taught, challenging the understood notions of both know your place and dont fuck this up for the rest of us. Because whenever you step outside of the boundaries of respectability, theres a long-held sense that you put everyone elses future on the line. Its why the act of critiquing your black elders  this act right here  feels blasphemous. Im supposed to be doing this very act in private, never public. Because, again, it goes against everything youve been taught  its not only disrespectful, its wrong.

When Jones says hes boycotting Wilmore, youre supposed to follow him. When Ryan says its an insult to black journalists, youre supposed to feel insulted also as a black journalist. And when Capehart states that a word like nigga is only supposed to be uttered in a barbershop, beauty shop, backyard barbecue, or mommas house, youre supposed to echo that sentiment.

But generations fight different fights. Risk manifests itself in different ways. And putting yourself out there looks different, at different points in time.

The biggest generational divide isnt opinions on saying nigga; its the ability to actively, consciously, purposefully do things you know are not smart. Things that run against the idea of career advancement. Were taught that anything that could be construed as negative or taboo about yourself (or your opinions, or your actions) could  and probably will  be the thing to hold you back. Anything about you that feels less than refined, hide it. This exists because theres never been any margin of error for black people. The smallest oversight, one off day, and it could be the end. Its one thing to be loud, black, and proud  theres been a space for that. But to do things thought of as crude, unsophisticated, ignorant  thats what our black elders ingrained in us to never let surface.

Being publicly pro-nigga is an embrace of everything were taught to avoid. Theres an agreed-upon, passed-down code of respectability that surrounds language, actions, and presentation, with regard to how black people ought to behave in front of white people. Its always been important to learn these things from the black people who came before you. And with that understanding seared into the front of your head, finally, its important to know when to completely disregard the rules.
On Saturday, voters in Austin, Texas, rejected an effort by ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft to change local regulations. Proposition 1, as it was known, would have overturned rules passed by the city last December, which required, among other things, fingerprint-based background checks for drivers.

Uber and Lyft, according to The Wall Street Journal, spent $8.6 million on an aggressive local marketing campaign to push through the proposition, which flooded the city with fliers and sent robocalls and text messages to residents. The push was not well-received. Uber in particular has come under fire for lax background checks, but the company stands by their current system, which does not require finger-printing.

As such, Lyft and Uber  which is the most highly valued private technology company and which uses its glut of venture capital to steamroll through legislative barriers  have both shut down services in Austin. The move is a pressure tactic to encourage the public to complain to their local governments (Uber, as far as I know, is the only tech company that regularly emails its user base encouraging them to sign petitions and contact regulators).

An anecdotal sampling of Twitter chatter shows some wondering what will happen if Uber isnt back in time for South By Southwest next spring.

Interesting 2 see the backlash if ridesharing restrictions are still in place next year during @sxsw and tech folks can't use @Uber/@lyft  BenGolombek (@BenGolombek) May 9, 2016

imagine SXSW with no uber/lyft https://t.co/L3gUs4fKCR  Stephanie M. Lee (@stephaniemlee) May 9, 2016

At next years #SXSW in Austin you may be forced to take an actual cab.  #Uber  Brandon Lipman (@lipmanb) May 9, 2016

This is Ubers thing  it builds itself into commuters lives through brute force and then waits for legislation to catch up through not-quite-extortion stoppages. Its a game of chicken theyve played all over the country, including in Portland, Las Vegas, and Miami, and in all three cases, they got what they wanted. Austin is now the largest city without Uber. Thats only temporary.
St. Georges School in Rhode Island is one of at least eight New England private schools currently investigating alleged sexual misconduct. Photo: Steven Senne/AP Photo

In a new report, the Boston Globes Spotlight Team paints a horrifying portrait of the reality of sexual abuse in New England private schools. The report itself is an important read, providing a 25-year history of the issue and prompting a breakdown of the most sobering statistics here. Its worth noting that besides these findings, there is currently no database of allegations against private-school employees (and limited research on sex abuse in public schools).

Among 67 New England private schools, over the past 25 years, more than 200 students have accused private-school authorities of sexual abuse or sexual harassment  teachers, administrators, staff members, and (in one case) an admissions officer.

Their claims: rape, fondling, molestation, and oral sex.

At least 90 students or their families have filed lawsuits.

At least 37 school employees were fired or forced to resign because of the claims.

Nearly two dozen employees ultimately pleaded guilty or were convicted on criminal charges of abusing children or related crimes.

Of at least eight New England private schools that have started investigations of alleged sexual misconduct this year, five schools have fired or placed staff members on administrative leave: at St. Georges School in Rhode Island, the Taft School in Connecticut, Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, and Thayer Academy and Concord Academy in Massachusetts.

Eleven private-school employees who were accused of sexual misconduct found jobs at other schools. The Boston Globe called this cyclical effect an echo of the Catholic Church scandal, in which abusive priests were often moved to other parishes.

Finally, and perhaps most important, the report is a stunning but incomplete portrait of sex abuse in New England private schools: Of the 224 private schools surveyed for the Spotlight report, only 23 (about 10 percent of them) responded.

Asked about the Boston Globes findings, Peter Upham, executive director of the Association of Boarding Schools, told the New York Times: I dont think its the quantification of the problem that moves most administrators: Its the heartbreaking stories. You can listen to those stories here.
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Photo: Getty Images

New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives  with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results. This week, a divorced CMO with two kids, whose new boyfriend is short but hilarious. 40, straight, Downtown Brooklyn.

DAY ONE

9 a.m. As I wash my face, I like what I see. I havent been able to say that for ten years now. After two kids and a divorce, Ive been a haggard mess.

9:45 a.m. The subway into the city is a fucking nightmare. We live like animals here. And yet we never leave. Living in New York is Stockholm syndrome.

10:30 a.m. I work for a fashion label as their CMO. Its a high-stress, high-paying, high-fashion job. Im good at it, so I like it. I also like that the office is next door to Jasons office. Jason is the guy I met online about eight months ago. He is a comedy writer and, obviously, he makes me laugh. My ex-husband had everything but humor. Well, humor and a functional dick. I blamed my exs impotency issues on the stress of our expired marriage, but in hindsight maybe he was fucking someone else. Maybe his intern (a female Columbia student); maybe his real-estate broker (a male Brazilian sex bomb). At this point, I dont know and I dont care. BACK TO JASON  he is so funny and enjoyable to be around.

1:30 p.m. I have a Botox appointment with the famous Dr. Colbert. Dont judge. Everyone gets Botox. EVERYONE. Deal with it!

2:30 p.m. I actually make an appointment for Jason  pure rugged man  to get armpit Botox, because hes always getting sweat stains and it embarrasses him in TV pitch meetings.

7 p.m. Its Monday night and my ex has my kids, so Jason is on his way over. Im making a simple pasta. Hes bringing the wine. Typical night for us. Lovely times a million.

7:30 p.m. We kiss hello. I love kissing him. I know he smokes one cigarette a day (probably more, but Ill choose to trust him, and who cares?), and the faint taste of cigarette on his breath turns me on. Plus his tongue is magical. Jason is much shorter than anyone Id normally date (five-eight, maybe?), but Im so attracted to him. FUNNY really is the new SEXY.

10 p.m. He is rubbing my clit, in an incredible motion, as we watch CNN and spoon. I am the only woman in the world getting wet to Donald Trump tonight. I pull him on top and stick his penis inside. Jason, not Trump. His dick is medium-size, but it fits my parts perfectly. When he fucks me I have to think about PowerPoint presentations and upcoming parent-teacher conferences so that I dont come instantly.

10:30 p.m. I can only hold off so long. I want you to come! I scream. He says, Are you ready? We come together.

DAY TWO

7:30 a.m. On Tuesdays my husband gets the kids to school. The kids and I FaceTime in the morning. It breaks my heart, but I must accept it. Jason makes us breakfast while I catch up with them. The kids know about him, as does my ex, but no need to make things weird.

8 a.m. We have breakfast. The elephant in the room is that Jason wants a child of his own  and soon. Not only am I 40, but I am 40 and just feeling human again after ten years of being a full-time working mom in a loveless marriage. I hated having a nanny and never felt comfortable with it, and finally all that guilt is behind me. Aside from creating life with an incredible man, and the fact that he might leave me if not, nothing about doing it all over again entices me.

8:30 a.m. I blow Jason on my knees. On my kitchen floor. A thank-you for the scrambled eggs. I tell him to hold my head down  Gag me with your cock. He complies. Harder, I insist. I gag a little. Its hot. He comes in my mouth. I spit it in the kitchen sink. We get dressed for work.

8 p.m. Had a long day at work, played with my kids, then fed and bathed them. Its bedtime for everyone, including me.

DAY THREE

NOON Someone delivered a bunch of Russ & Daughters treats to my office, so I make a package to bring to Jason and his writing team. He doesnt seem super-psyched to see me, and I feel stupid for being so Jewish-mother about it all.

12:30 p.m. I sit at a midtown lunch place and have a glass of wine at the bar while responding to emails. It is really scary to like someone as much as I do right now. Why dont relationships ever get easier? Its like its either stagnant and sexless, or spine-tingling and terrifying. Where is the middle ground? Seriously, someone please tell me.

5 p.m. Jason hasnt texted all day, which I think is rude considering that was a really sweet gesture on my part, and also, we usually text a LOT during the day. I have a school event with my kids tonight, so Im happy to be distracted enough to not give a shit for a few hours.

8 p.m. Did Russ & Daughters kill my relationship?

9 p.m. And then  a text. Jason knows 9 p.m. is my sweet spot, because the kids are always asleep by then and my apartment is finally peaceful. Just a 9pm text-kiss to say hi, thanks for the shmear, and sorry I couldnt molest you more. The boss quit today . its been crazy AF! Ahhhhhhh. That fuckin explains it.

10 p.m. I take out my vibrator from my stationery drawer and masturbate to the image of my neighbors German au pair licking my ass while fingering me.

DAY FOUR

8:30 a.m. Kids are off to school. I have a doctors appointment with  a boob-job doc!!! Yup. Im that divorcee. At least its not vaginal reconstruction. Although 

9 a.m. Boob-Job Doc is actually HOT. He must have sex with so many of his patients. He said hes divorced too. I am embarrassed showing him my deflated jugs. He tells me I definitely need to do something about them. I mean, thats his job to say that. But also, ugh, I knew it. My tits are hideous.

10 a.m. I have a work meeting where all I think about is whose tits I want to buy. Blake Lively is the obvious one. I decide to ask Jason whose boobies he wants me to have. A fun little game 

3 p.m. Jason says a thousand times that he loves my tits as they are, BUT if there were a gun to his head: Chelsea Handler or Dolly Parton. I cant work with that.

5:30 p.m. I meet Jason for a glass of wine before we both head home  I try not to have him over when my kids are there. We sip wine and hold hands. I am always so horny for him. I love how his hands feel on me. I suggest we fuck in the bars bathroom  he is obviously game. But its not an individual bathroom, it has a bunch of stalls, so we decide against it. Instead we make out in a dark hall for a while, and with his hard cock rubbing against my dress, I come. Ive always loved a dry hump.

DAY FIVE

7 a.m. I wake up and have my period. It reminds me of the Jason-baby dilemma. Maybe I should just let him come inside me with no condom (we use condoms now)  leave it in the hands of fate. Jason, by the way, is kinda into period sex. And hes coming over tonight.

7 p.m. The kids are with their dad. Im showered; dinner is on (spaghetti with meat sauce); Jason and a bottle of Chianti are on the way.

8 p.m. We have a long, heartfelt talk about the baby stuff. Its a deal-breaker for him. I ask him to give me a few more months to get my head straight about it. I want to be together at least a year before we pull the goalie. Ill be 41 and probably still fertile. He is comfortable with this.

9 p.m. We fuck in the shower. I put my finger in his butt  easier with all the soap. He puts his in mine. It feels insanely good.

DAY SIX

8 a.m. I always have diarrhea on day two of my period. Anyone else? This has happened to me since high school. I am not a take-a-shit-in-front-of-my-boyfriend person. I am not Cameron Diaz. I tell Jason I have a stomachache and to run down to Starbucks and not come up until I text that its safe. He respects my wishes with a warm laugh. PHEW.

Noon I have stuff with my kids all day. Jason plans to join us at a 3 p.m. birthday party.

3 p.m. Among friends, I am always a little insecure about Jasons lack of in-your-face hotness. The height thing, I guess. I dont like to admit it, because its gross on my part, but here I am admitting it. That said, everyone at the party likes him. He is wonderfully easy with people. Again, the humor!

5 p.m. We all go for pizza. My kids love him too. However, I send Jason home after dinner to get the kids ready for bed.

9 p.m. Its a Saturday night and were all going to bed. Jason FaceTimes me from his bed. He had a great day with us. I feel happy as I fall asleep.

DAY SEVEN

9 a.m. My ex is insisting the kids go with him to some family thing on his side. I hate this kind of drama. But I get them ready and he picks them up downstairs. Whatevers best for the kids.

Noon I spend the day cooking and cleaning, two things I actually enjoy. Especially with a screwdriver.

3 p.m. I meet up with my best friend, whose boyfriend cant get it up  something Im very experienced with. Men need to share their penis problems more. That goes for men and infertility, too. They dont talk about this shit, so when it happens, they feel alone and like freaks. The best advice I can give my friend is to make NO BIG DEAL about it.

6:30 p.m. My kids are home and were eating a home-cooked dinner in our clean apartment. Jason texts that hes reading a book about aardvarks and is suddenly extremely horny for me. He adds a P.S.  that he thinks he might be the first man in history to sext the word aardvark. I laugh and go back to the table feeling great.

Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself.
Joyce Banda. Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Joyce Banda, the first female president of Malawi, who since leaving office in 2014 has been running the program Elect Her in Africa, had a few thoughts on the Western way of female empowerment at a conference on Sunday. Since one of the U.N.s Sustainable Development Goals is to bring women worldwide fully into all levels of life, Banda said at the Sheroes forum in Dubai that one way to accomplish that is to stop impressing Western values onto African women.

Banda described how when visiting New York she had been giving womens-leadership training and participants were told to be assertive, stand straight and look people in the eye, Reuters reports. But Banda said in her speech that this kind of practice would never work in Africa. If I had done that, for example while talking to a traditional ruler in Africa, I would have been rejected immediately, Banda said. If you want to take the western route, all you will get is rejection, frustration. Confrontation will never work. Banda also explained that she believed in equal rights for women, but in doing things the African way.

Banda said that the real power the Western world could give to African women is economic power: When you dont have the money, you cant stand for elective power, not in Africa, she said. Elect Her in Africa is Bandas initiative that encourages women to run for political office on the continent.
Emma should be in everything.





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nah... unlike meryl, she has standards

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does she? she was in that beautiful creatures movie

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King Michael Caine? That grumpy old yells-at-clouds man?

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well it's a good thing being a rich famous movie star didn't ruin your racism

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I don't think she did. I could be wrong, though!

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I don't think she said anything.

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No, she jokingly suggested killing off the old, white men that make up the Academy.

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"The Oscar membership is mainly old white men, you know? So I mean, either you wait for them all to die or you kill them off slowly" No, she didn't. Here is what she said: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/100267208.html "The Oscar membership is mainly old white men, you know? So I mean, either you wait for them all to die or you kill them off slowly"

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I think she's the only old white european lady to my memory who didn't say something stupid.

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I'm used to agreeing with Emma. I'm not used to agreeing with Caine. But in this case, I agree with both. Of course a lot of bigger budget movies that are getting made don't require someone of Oscar-caliber acting ability, but I think that's part of the problem with modern Hollywood too.

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Yea IA.

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Bad acting can really take me out of a movie tbh. I mean, for me talent is number one but then if they're not talented I would at least like the person to be super gorgeous lol.



And I remember Tyra doing a segment about kids whose parents claimed they all wanted to be in the industry. And when she asked them what they wanted to be, no one said actor or singer, they all said famous.

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I grew up watching telenovelas so I can deal with Hollywood's bad acting.

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hehe

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lmao these privileged fkers shouldn't be talking considering their bland asses has enough money to go to art school and become actors, social media has given poorer people/minorities a chance to thrive more

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Caine actually comes from very humble background. His parents were blue-collar workers.

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not being argumentative, but what POC was cast in anything based on their social media following?

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The movie stars two famous Brit YouTubers, one PoC. KSI is a huge gamer in the YouTube world. This is a relatively small film though. And I don't know how their social media status really factored in the casting but it's got to help since they have millions of YT subs.



Edited at 2016-05-09 03:36 am (UTC) The only thing I could think of was Laid in America The movie stars two famous Brit YouTubers, one PoC. KSI is a huge gamer in the YouTube world. This is a relatively small film though. And I don't know how their social media status really factored in the casting but it's got to help since they have millions of YT subs.

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social media has given poorer people/minorities a chance to thrive more



To whom?

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Literally where are these minorities and poor people you speak of? Come on now...

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The people who have thrived from social media numbers are white women. Let's not kid ourselves now.

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social media has given poorer people/minorities a chance to thrive more



This is absolutely true. Marginalized groups have been able to create their own content on SM platforms like YouTube, Vine, etc. to get their name out there and get producing/acting/commentary gigs. Issa Rae and Franchesca Ramsey are great examples of this. Edit to also add Ki Hong Lee to that list.



Edited at 2016-05-09 05:01 pm (UTC)

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is this seriously a problem, can't think of a single actor with a huge social media following landing big roles.....only ones constantly posting and exist on that medium are tv actors and formerly relevant stars

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Slightly different, but I saw The Crucible last night and Tavi Gevinson stuck out pretty sorely. She wasn't horrible, but she was noticeably weaker than the other actors. And yet, after the show, she was the only cast member hounded for autographs (and the guy from GOT a bit).



Edited at 2016-05-09 03:11 am (UTC)

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tavi's acting career is horrible. she should stick to what she's actually good at.

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Isn't Sersha a part of the cast? Or am I confusing this with another play?

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what guy from got??

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If you say "my cocaine" you're saying "Michael Caine" in a Michael Caine accent.

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I think that's more fair than casting someone just because you're friends with their father or whatever. Have either of them ever spoken on the rampant nepotism in Hollywood?

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If neither have anything to do with talent I'd say they're pretty equal lol

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I guess so but nepotism is so much more prevalent and yet they're keeping mum about it. It just rings false when they're supposedly sticking up for 'real actors' but don't address the bigger problem taking roles from 'real actors'. I guess it's just easier to point fingers at social media rather than admit that there is something fundamentally wrong with their business.

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Isn't this the same Michael Caine who is legendary for signing onto any project for the right amount of cash? He skipped the Oscars so he could be part of the prestige piece known as Jaws: The Revenge.

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hahahahhaa at the shoe gif

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ikr



Vanity Fair's young hollywood issue = MDC's girls of the moment or whatever/ O2W



sidenote: I just noticed u guys don't rank from 1-50 anymore

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I guess this is jab at the likes of Harry Styles being cast in major movie roles. Not particularly talented. Just a pretty face (debatable really!) managing to get roles because of major fan following.

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debatable really indeed!

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He was cast in the upcoming Nolan movie based on WWII.

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Justin in MB is right up there with Bristol Palin and Audrina Patridge in the bad acting department lol

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he's apparently going to be in christopher nolan's next film

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pretty face LMAO

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That's not debatable; he's ugly as sin.

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At least he apparently auditioned though.



We'll see if he's any good.

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With the market capitalization of the coal industry down 94 percent since 2011, one question has to be paramount on the minds of all investors in the space can the coal industry ever recover? The answer is that the odds dont look good, at least for current equity holders.

Coal continues to be a generally competitive source of power from an economics standpoint. The problem for the industry is that natural gas has become slightly cheaper, and perhaps more importantly, government regulation and social pressures have led to a complete halt in the construction of new coal plants. For similar reasons, many existing coal plants are being switched over to natural gas. This trend had been largely isolated to the U.S. with emerging markets still big consumers of coal. Now with the signing of the Paris Accord and increased efforts by Chinese authorities to curb endemic smog problems, even coal plants abroad appear to be endangered. Related: 50,000 Laid Off In Saudi Arabia As Oil Crisis Bites Deeper

Against this backdrop it is little wonder that major coal companies like Peabody have declared bankruptcy. Those bankruptcies carry an additional threat to the environment as well since the bankruptcy process allows coal mine operators to avoid the costs associated with pollution cleanup from shuttered mines. This in turn leaves the bill at the doorstep of tax payers or else leaves a significant ecological issue unaddressed.

Beyond that though, coal miners have simply found themselves in an untenable position, much like the dinosaurs at the onset of the ice age. Coal miners, like most mining companies, have historically used large amounts of debt to finance their operations. Debt is a cheaper source of capital than equity funding, so rationale executives looking to maximize shareholder or owner value naturally look to lower their cost of capital through additional debt financing. This is particularly appealing for miners of all stripes since they have high levels of fixed assets, which make attractive collateral for syndicated loans and bonds. Related: Why Oil Prices Will Likely Drop Below $40 Soon

As a result, many coal miners are saddled today with large amounts of debt in an environment that has suddenly become an anchor as miners look to right size and adjust to the need for lower volumes. With many mines in the Eastern U.S. closing, miners still cannot shed the debt that they need to in order to have a smaller viable business serving what remains of the coal market.

In particular, mines in the Power River Basin in Wyoming still remain viable and there is a significant and unavoidable need for thermal coal used in steel. With the steel industry starting to show some signs of a tentative rebound, the coal industry should be able to survive in a smaller and more cost-efficient state. Instead, debt in the industry is likely to wipe out nearly all of the current equity holders. Related: Shells Profits Plunge 83%

Many industries struggled to retrench and right size in the face of upheaval. Coal is not new in that respect. What makes it more unique is the fact that the industry faces a confluence of heavy debt and social disapprobation. Against these forces, the traditional coal industry will likely never regain its historical standing. Its almost impossible to come up with an industry which has shed almost 95 percent of its equity value and then regained its stature. Coal will be no different.

Yet there is still room for a smaller and more innovative coal industry that services niche applications. There is probably also room for a coal industry that services the poorest and least sophisticated third world countries such as those in Africa. The latter is unlikely to be the U.S. coal industry though. Investors in coal should look past their losses and move on to greener pastures rather than doubling down on a lost cause.

By Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Saudi Arabia revealed more details about its planned initial public offering of the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco. As part of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans vision to diversify the Saudi economy over the next decade and a half, the IPO of Aramco could raise cash while also making the company more transparent.

The Telegraph reported that Saudi Aramco plans a three-way listing, with shares listed in London, New York, and Hong Kong. Also, Aramco hopes to convince some of the oil majors, including ExxonMobil, BP and Chinas Sinopec, into taking strategic stakes in Aramco, offering them long-term access to upstream operations in return for cutting-edge technology or refinery deals, a Saudi source told The Telegraph. Related: Crisis In Venezuela  A Lesson From Saudi Arabia

The IPO is slated for 2017 or 2018, and the Deputy Crown Prince previously said that he believes Aramco is worth somewhere around $2.5 trillion. If true, that would mean the proposed privatization of 5 percent of the company would be worth roughly $100 to $150 billion. The IPO would be worth five times more than any other offering in Londons history. However, many analysts question the Princes figure. Robin Mills of Qamar Energy, for example, says Aramco is probably only worth $250 to $400 billion.

The money that is raised from the IPO could be invested in non-oil sectors of the economy, a key plank of the Princes Vision 2030, a major economic transformation strategy initially outlined in April. Related: Worlds Largest Shipping Company Preparing For Another Oil Price Crash

In another sign that the 31-year old Deputy Crown Prince is shaking up the Saudi government, over the weekend the long-time oil minister Ali al-Naimi was unceremoniously replaced by Khalid al-Falih, the head of Aramco. To be sure, the 80-year old al-Naimi was not expected to remain in his post for too much longer, but the reshuffling further cements the young Princes grip on oil policy. Mr. Naimi was overruled in Doha a few weeks ago by the Deputy Crown Prince, a sign that he was no longer the countrys most powerful voice on oil. Khalid al-Falih is a supporter of the Princes strategy to pursue oil market share and push out high-cost producers.

By Charles Kennedy of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Two hundred and thirty-one years after Joseph Bramah patented the beer-pump handle, and the oil market is looking a little frothy once more. Canadian wildfires continue to stoke supply concerns, while the appointment of a new Saudi oil minister has produced a whole host of conclusions. Hark, here are five things to consider relating to oil markets today:

1) While much uncertainty surrounds the Canadian wildfires, we do know there has been little damage to oil infrastructure in the region (only one site, CNOOCs Nexen operations, has reported minor damage). Suncor, a key player in the Alberta oil sands with ~700,000 bpd currently offline, put out a news release yesterday evening, saying there has been no damage to Suncors assets. Suncor is beginning to implement its plan for a return to operations.

To be sure, the loss of ~1 million barrels per day of production will have a big impact on flows in North America in the coming weeks, even if production starts to return. But as the worst of the disaster appears to be over in the oil-producing area, bullishness is abating.

2) From a policy standpoint, there isnt much to be made of the appointment of a new Saudi oil minister. As I said on CNBC Asia last night, Ali al-Naimi is over 80 years-old and was always due to retire at some point. Should his successor, Khaled al-Falih, be removed in short order over the next year or so, we would be concerned; otherwise, this appears a natural changing of the guard. It would appear, however, that the influence and prominence of deputy crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman continues to grow.

3) The latest bout of Chinese trade data has once again illustrated the duplicitous nature of Chinese news flow. Imports dropped by 10.9 percent YoY in April, worse than the -5 percent expected, and falling for the 18th consecutive month (eek, wow). Exports dropped again after a brief blip higher last month, falling 1.8 percent. Chinese exports to the U.S. (its largest market) fell by 9.3 percent, while EU exports rose 3.2 percent. Related: As Oil Markets Tighten, Geopolitical Events Matter Again

Offsetting this weak data has been Chinese oil imports, which rose 7.6 percent YoY in April, according to customs data. As we have been highlighting via our ClipperData, Chinese waterborne imports have been amazingly strong this year; in April we saw waterborne imports up 14 percent YoY, as teapot refiners pull in increasing volumes.

Qingdao is the port in Northern China where teapot refiners are pulling in the most crude. As our ClipperData illustrates, flows into Qingdao reached a record in March, up some 90 percent on year-ago volumes:

4) Once again we pilfer the chart below from the mighty @JKempEnergy. The latest CFTC data illustrate that net long positions have once again shuffled away from one-year highs, as long positions were closed out. Related: Self-Driving Vehicles May Be Closer Than You Think

This second consecutive drop in net long positions highlights that hedge funds are taking profits after the recent ramp up in prices. The same scenario has played out in the latest ICE data for Brent, with net-longs cut by 8 percent.

(Click to enlarge)

5) Finally, the chart below illustrates how a weaker U.S. dollar has breathed life into risk-on assets so far this year. As the US dollar has reached a one-year low versus a basket of currencies, crude oil is not the only commodity to be propelled higher. Related: Low Oil Prices Hitting Real Estate in UAE

Broad-based price appreciation has been seen across commodityland, while emerging market equities have also been filled with renewed gusto. However, just as we are seeing today, a return to strength in the U.S. dollar quickly flips the fortunes of these assets.





By Matt Smith

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
As Iraqi Kurdish leaders make a renewed and much invigorated effort to split from Iraq, boosted by unilateral oil exports and a stronger grip over oil-rich Kirkuk, Iran seems to be stepping in now to subtly quash the idea and bolster unity in Iraq.

The referendum on independence is expected to be held later this year, possibly in October, and Iraq Kurdish officials are lobbying hard.

As Masoud Barzani - Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader and president since 2005 -prepares to visit Tehran now, already heavily lobbying for the independence cause in Washington, Iran is now urging a path of unity and territorial integrity.



Related: Oil Reverses As Stronger Dollar Offsets Canadian Concerns

As it was drawn from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq is a conceptual failure, compelling peoples with little in common to share an uncertain future. It is time to acknowledge that the experiment has not worked. Iraq is a failed state, and our continued presence within it condemns us all to unending conflict and enmity, Masrour Barzani, the presidents son and chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post on 5 May.

Theres simply no more dealing with Baghdad, according to Barzani, who noted: In short, we have pulled our weight. We have tried to be inclusive. We have been patient. But economic agreements that had guaranteed us revenue streams have been repeatedly dishonored and now sit discarded. Under successive agreements, we have had duties as a component of the Iraqi state, but they have never translated into rights.



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But Iran, which has walked a careful line between Baghdad and Erbil, playing to the interests of both, now seems to be calling for caution.

Iraqs independence, unity and territorial integrity guarantees interests of the countrys people and all the regional and world states, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari told reporters in Tehran on Monday, as reported by Kurdish news agencies.

"Given the special conditions in Iraq, Iran persuades all Iraqi sides to respect the legal criteria and approaches and hold national talks to resolve their internal differences," Jaberi Ansari said.

By James Burgess of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Shell has evacuated nearly 100 essential oil personnel from a major production facility in the Niger Delta, following a series of attacks from a newly formed militant group that has vowed to renew the fight abandoned after a 2009 amnesty deal.

Some 98 Shell personnel were airlifted from the Shell-operated Eja Oml 79 oil production facility in the Niger Delta over the weekend, bringing into question the facilitys 90,000 barrel-per-day production capacity. The facility is run by Shells Nigerian subsidiary, SPDC (Shell Petroleum Development Corporation).

The evacuations come after militants of the Niger Delta Avengers attacked an offline oil platform in the Okan field facility run by Chevron late Wednesday.

"Approximately 35,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Chevron's net crude oil production in Nigeria are impacted," company spokeswoman Isabel Ordonez said in a statement late Friday.



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Late on Thursday, attackers also blew up the oil pipeline that supplies crude to Warri and Kaduna refineries, crippling Nigerias ability to refine some four million gallons of gasoline per day.

The latest attack on Thursday night also targeted an oil flow station feeding the Chevron Tank-farm in Warri South-West Government Area, Delta State. A gas line feeding Lagos and Abuja power plants was said to have been hit in what appears to be a well-coordinated renewed attack on the oil facilities in the Niger Delta.

There are fears that these attacks herald a revival of Niger Delta militancy targeting oil facilities and installations.



Related: Saudi Arabia To List Aramco Shares In New York, London, Hong Kong

Nigerian media quoted militants as vowing to cripple oil and gas supply to the country as long as government remains recalcitrant to their demands."

Niger Delta militancy largely halted after a 2009 amnesty deal, which essentially allowed militants to join in the oil corruption game for their own personal game, thereby putting an end to military and simply redirecting it into corruption. With a new government now in place, however, and a tough anti-corruption drive under way, militancy is again surfacing.

Shells staff evacuation comes days after the Nigerian government sued the Anglo-Dutch companys subsidiary over a 2011 Bonga region oil spill. The authorities are seeking the equivalent of $6.5 billion in compensation for over 285,000 people from 350 communities and satellite villages affected by the Bonga crude oil spill.

By James Burgess of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Lucky Chance quietly opened at the end of April at 6139 W. Beloit Rd., in West Allis, but there's nothing quiet about this bar now that it's open. The space, which formerly housed the heavy metal Whammy Bar and before that Smokin Joes, was completely remodeled and is now what General Manager J.J. Reiner describes as a "musicians bar."

This includes live music every Friday and Saturday, along with a "musicians club," in which members get access to the stage, instruments, a discount on food and drink and a key chain.

The grand opening is set for the weekend of May 20-21.

The remodeling of the bar included lightening up the black walls, removing the tiled floor to expose hard wood, reconfiguring the space and new tables, made of recycled wood from Whammy Bars former back bar.

There are also 12 taps now instead of four, with a focus on craft beer, and a cocktail list with, aptly, drinks named after bands and musicians. "The Prince," for example is a version of a Long Island made with blue curacao and watermelon schnapps.

"With a raspberry garnish, of course," says Reiner.

The new food menu is still a work in progress, but already features salads, burgers, flatbreads and more.

"Its not your typical bar food," says Reiner.

Beginning Sunday, May 22, Lucky Chance will host a "hangover club" with made-to-order omelets and a Bloody Bar. Theres also a happy hour with discounted drinks from 2 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Lucky Chance is owned by Scott Miller and Colleen Omer, who were also the owners during the space's Whammy Bar and Smokin Joe incarnations. Lucky Chance is a completely new concept, geared toward musicians in West Allis, Milwaukee and beyond.

"Were really excited to be a part of Milwaukee music," says Reiner. "In 10 years, when people talk about American music, I want them to list Lucky Chance in West Allis along with greats like Maxs Kansas City and the Whiskey a Go Go in Hollywood."

Lucky Chance will be open every day of the week: Sunday through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to midnight and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 a.m.

Here are five photos of Lucky Chance:

1. Beer

2. Prepping the stage for loud

3. Take a chance, get lucky

4. Ring that bell

5. Bar
Reprinted from Reader Supported News

The Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections recently announced six recommendations for changes to federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) policies that would "correct the country's overreliance on incarceration." The Congressionally-mandated task force is made up of former congressmen, former federal judges, and prison reform activists, among others, and is named after Nixon-era Watergate conspirator Charles Colson, who served seven months in a federal prison in the 1970s and then dedicated his life to prison reform. Its proposed recommendations would save the BOP $5 billion and would cut the federal prison population of 196,000 prisoners by 60,000.

The recommendations are common-sense solutions to prison overcrowding and to the draconian sentencing that has taken hold in federal courts across the country.

First, the task force said, "At sentencing, the federal system should reserve prison beds for those convicted of the most serious federal crimes.... This goal cannot be achieved without addressing mandatory minimum drug penalties -- the primary driver of BOP overcrowding and unsustainable growth."

The task force is right. The Pew Charitable Trusts found in a recent study that "nine in 10 federal offenders received prison sentences in 2014, up from less than half in 1980, as the use of probation steadily declined." Despite the ballooning number of cases in that time, 2014 saw 2,300 fewer probation sentences than 1980.

Second, the task force recommended that "the federal Bureau of Prisons should promote a culture of safety and rehabilitation and ensure that programming is allocated in accordance with individual risk and needs." Unfortunately, this is just a bad joke in the BOP. Nobody is "rehabilitated." There is no training and no education beyond a GED degree. Prison "Education" departments are nothing more than prisoners teaching other prisoners to read. There is no budget for vocational training. So when a prisoner is finally released, he goes back to his old neighborhood broke, uneducated, and untrained. This is nothing more than a recipe for failure and recidivism.

Third, the task force noted that "Throughout the prison term, correctional policies should incentivize participation in risk-reduction programming." In other words, prisoners should be encouraged to "participate in rehabilitative programs to achieve sentence credits, and a second-chance provision should be used to ensure judicious use of incarceration and encourage rehabilitation." That's great. But there is no budget for such incentives in the BOP, and nobody is receiving rehabilitation or training in anything. Even worse, there's no stomach in Congress for such a program.

Fourth, the Justice Department should "ensure successful reintegration by using evidence-based practices in supervision and support." People leaving prison need to be given the tools, services, supervision, and support necessary for successful reintegration."

When I was released after serving nearly two years in prison for blowing the whistle on the CIA's torture program, I had to spend three months reporting to a halfway house in Washington DC. This halfway house, Hope Village, colloquially known as "Hopeless Village" or "Abandon all Hope Village," was supposed to help me "reintegrate into society" and find a job, among other things. In fact, the only job posted on the "jobs board" was for a dishwasher position at Fuddruckers in Washington. And that was for something like 140 recently-released prisoners. The bottom line is that post-release help is nonexistent. And neither the Justice Department nor the Congress has the guts to do anything about it.

Fifth, the task force found that "The federal criminal justice system should enhance performance and accountability through better coordination across agencies and increased transparency." Great idea. But it made me laugh out loud. The BOP famously is a dumping ground for people who simply can't cut it in law enforcement, the military, or anywhere else in government. Indeed, Dr. Peter Moskos, a professor of criminal justice at John Jay College and a former Baltimore detective said in his book In Defense of Flogging that the BOP is little more than an employment agency for otherwise unemployable, semi-literate, rural white men. He's right. The Colson task force notwithstanding, saying that the BOP needs enhanced performance and greater accountability is stating the obvious. And it's like speaking to a wall.

Finally, the task force said, "Congress should reinvest savings to support the expansion of necessary programs, supervision, and treatment." As Prison Legal News pointed out, "It is currently difficult for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Prisons to devote sufficient resources to programming when federal prisons are overcrowded and require funds to be diverted from other DOJ agencies to the BOP."

The BOP accounts for fully a quarter of the Justice Department's budget. And without immediate reforms, it will require even more money. That's money down the drain, not money for education, rehabilitation, or preventing recidivism. Until reforms are implemented, beginning with the Colson task force reforms, the government will remain mired in a culture of overincarceration and a failure to rehabilitate anybody. But that's not up to the Justice Department. It's up to Congress. And until there is real leadership on criminal justice reform, nothing will change.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.
There is a difference in providing good education and counseling on education and poverty based on the student's capacity. It is said that the poor students globally, are dependent on government's help for their living and education. But the other hand, the world (the governments) is not doing enough to combat poverty. How much of the population attend school? In certain developing countries a lot of children in villages do not attend school or drop out of school to share family responsibilities at an young age. Would the government (world) take special steps to ensure these children get appropriate education? Worldwide, there is a tremendous increase in HIV infection and poverty rates, which can be attributed to the quality and extent of good education the young population currently receives.



I think it may be time now to throw away the puritan and conservative approach to free education that is still dominating and make information and education a central part of the school curriculum. I describe the social responses of fear, denial, and discrimination that accompany this problem.



Socioeconomic development is a combination of democracy and good education system. As long as poverty persists, students will not tire of fighting for economic and political justice. In this case, we must defeat injustice and poverty. However, it will take a long time. That is why it is important to eliminate poverty, injustice and unemployment. We know, education and economic reforms enhances one's ability to survive.



If poor students are left uneducated, they won't know too much about a possible better life. Economic reforms also must promote from the grass-root level, since many poor students have strong beliefs, that higher education is useful in work and business pursuits too. These concept will develop on science, agriculture, technologies, art, literature, history, etc. Economic disparity makes poor students more frustrated.

Social inequality stands as a major stumbling block of economic equality. We need to know that unemployment, poverty, and inequality are the explosive social problems. We can't forget how an unemployment and poverty have made this world an unsafe for trade and investment.



Development and democracy require a partnership between market and state with an appropriate division of responsibilities. We should understand how they can stimulate further growth. How integrity of tax collection can be improved. How hospitals and schools can be established. Biraj Budhathoki, civil-engineering student, argued "there is an economic issues between the students and the schools. All this subjects about 'student's rights', 'rights and equality', etc., is appropriate. All this talk about 'education', 'reforms', 'development' freedom and rights', etc., is more relevant. The main causes of the poverty is lack of money and good education. List of economic grievances of the people, whose profits were curbed by the actions.



"We need to ignore them and we should not be missing the main causes of the human poverty. To understand its causes we need to talk money and free education. The economic poverty issue of the students is mostly about money and reforms. The point is that the students believe they are being accurately, feared they would be oppressed and subjugated in the near future--and therefore claimed the right to separate from poverty," Biraj said.




See original here

The ongoing rift between Democratic elites and Bernie Sanders may come to a head at the convention in July, as the presidential hopeful has promised a "fight" if the party refuses to include "bold" progressive initiatives on the Democratic platform.

Such a move, the Vermont senator said, would be tantamount to "silencing" the "9 million voters who, during this nominating process, have indicated that they want to go beyond establishment politics and establishment economics."

"If we don't have the votes to get the nomination, were not going get the nomination. That becomes then the platform fight," Sanders told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in an interview that aired on Friday, making it clear that his determination to take his campaign all the way to the convention in Philadelphia is about more than winning the presidency.

In a letter sent to Democratic Party chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fl.) on Friday, Sanders expressed concern that the the key committees charged with laying out the party rules and platform would be "stacked" with "Clinton loyalists."

According to the letter, Wasserman Schultz chose a scant three out of 40 people that Sanders had recommended for the standing committees, while not one was chosen for the "very important" Rules Committee.

"If we are to have a unified party in the fall, no matter who wins the nomination, we cannot have a Democratic National Convention in which the views of millions of people who participated in the Democratic nominating process are unrepresented in the committee membership appointed by you, the Chair," Sanders wrote.

"That sends the very real message that the Democratic Party is not open to the millions of new people that our campaign has brought into the political process, does not want to hear new voices, and is unwilling to respect the broader base of people that this party needs to win over in November and beyond," he continued.

While a president is not bound to the party's official platform, as Sanders explained to Maddow, it is intended to reflect the ideals of the voter base.

"It does say something, it does reflect what the base of the Democratic party believes should be the future of this country, and I intend to do everything that I can to make that the most progressive document that we possibly can," he said. "And I think, by the way, that is the doc that the Democratic grassroots people really want to see."

However, the senator is concerned that party elites are already trying to sideline that point of view. In the letter, Sanders points out that the individuals tapped to lead the Platform and Rules Committees, respectively Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and former Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, have served as "aggressive attack surrogates" for Hillary Clinton throughout the campaign.

Doubting that either will "conduct committee proceeding in an even-handed manner," Sanders said that their appointment "suggests the standing committees are being established in an overtly partisan way meant to exclude the input of the voters who have supported my candidacy."

Over the course of the primary contest, the Democratic National Committee has repeatedly been accused of tipping the scales in Clinton's favor.

"It is my hope we can quickly resolve this in a fair way," the letter concludes. "If the process is set up to produce an unfair, one-sided result, we are prepared to mobilize our delegates to force as many votes as necessary to amend the platform and rules on the floor of the convention."
This is a reprint from NewsBred.

Watching the movie, "The Man Who Knew Infinity," would tell you a great deal about mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, but there's a puzzle to his life that remains a riddle. Nobody has come close to solving it. Nobody would ever, either.

Ramanujan said often that Goddess Namagiri Thayar came in his dreams and solved the theorems for him. He also saw the design of his goddess who, his superstitious mother claimed, told her in dream "not to stand between her son and the purpose of his life," by refusing him permission to go to England.

It's worth interjecting at this stage on Goddess Namagiri. Ramanujan's mother was from Erode (Tamil Nadu) and Goddess Namagiri was a deity in Salem district nearby. An equation held no meaning for Ramanujan unless it held forth the God's views.

His life is a testimony to a man without formal education matching his wits against the best of West, the world of rationality and logic, and leaving it in thrall with his often irrational and intuitive approach.

As his mentor GH Hardy was to say: "A poor and solitary Hindu putting his brains against the accumulated wisdom of Europe."

E. T. Bell, in his "Men of Mathematics", wrote:

"When a truly great one, like the Hindu Ramanujan arrives unexpectedly out of nowhere, even expert analysts hail him as a gift from heaven: his all but supernatural insight into apparently unrelated formulas reveal hidden trails leading from one territory into another."

There sure was an invisible hand guiding his rather maniacal quest for theorems and formulas. He was born to a poor clerk, Srinvasa Ayyangar, in Kumbakonam, a temple town in Thanjavur district, some 300km south of Chennai, on December 22, 1887.

The signs of his genius were visible quite early. While in sixth form, he got hold of Carr's synopsis of "Pure Mathematics." It wasn't a book of much great value but since then has been viewed as a seminal work for it stoked the imagination and hunger of Ramanujan's mind. He began solving the most difficult formulas and equations without the help of other books or teachers. Some of the methods he chose were quite inventive.

In due course, he became so immersed in mathematics that he neglected other regular subjects and failed his junior F.A examination. It was a period of wilderness and distress. When 22, he married a nine-year-old girl Janaki Ammal in 1909, a "bright-eyed wisp of a girl," after their horoscopes were matched. That forced him to look for a job, which he duly secured as a clerk with the Madras Port Trust.

Then came that monumental moment in his life. Seshu Aiyar, a professor at presidency college, Madras, asked Ramanujan to write to celebrated mathematician GH Hardy, already a fellow of the Royal Society and a lecturer at Cambridge.

Ramanujan's first letter to Hardy had about 120 theorems. This was 1913. It evoked no response. Ramanujan wrote again: "I am already a half-starving man. To preserve my brains, I want food and this is now my first consideration. Any sympathetic letter from you will be helpful to me here to get a scholarship either from the University or from government."

This intrigued Hardy. He showed this letter to his colleagues in Cambridge. He asked University of Madras to consider Ramanujan for a scholarship.

It wasn't an easy passage though. How could the University of Madras grant scholarship to one who didn't have a bachelor's degree? His numbers in maths were not spectacular either: 85 out of 150. The syndicate of university duly met on April 7, 1910, to discuss whether he could be enrolled as a researcher. Vice-chancellor P R Sundaram Iyer at this stage made a decisive say: "Did not the preamble of the act establishing the University specify that one of its functions was to promote research? And whatever the lapses of Ramanujan's education, was he not a proven mathematical researcher?"

Ramanujan was now on board, at a princely scholarship of Rs 75 a month, along with permission to access the university library for his research reports. Much of his reports found its way to Hardy, his mentor. The invitation to cross over the seven seas came in fall.

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Reprinted from Paul Craig Roberts Website

In the JFK administration I was a White House Fellow. In those days it was a much larger program than the small insider program it later became. President Kennedy's intention was to involve many young Americans in government in order to keep idealism alive as a counter to the material interests of lobby groups. I don't know if the program still exists. If it does, the idealism that was its purpose is long gone.

President John F. Kennedy was a classy president. In my lifetime there has not been another like him. Indeed, today he would be impossible.

Conservatives and Republicans did not like him, because he was thoughtful. Their favorite weapon against him was their account of his love life, which according to them involved Mafia molls and Marilyn Monroe. They must have worked themselves into fits of envy over Marilyn Monroe, the hottest woman of her time.

Unlike most presidents, Kennedy was able to break with the conventional thinking of the time. From his experience with the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Joint Chiefs' "Operaton Northwoods," Kennedy concluded that CIA Director Allen Dulles and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lemnitzer were both crazed by anti-communism and were a danger to Americans and the world.

Kennedy removed Dulles as CIA director, and he removed Lemnitzer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, thus setting in motion his own assassination. The CIA, the Joint Chiefs, and the Secret Service concluded that JFK was "soft on communism." So did the Bill Buckley conservatives.

JFK was assassinated because of anti-communist hysteria in the military and security agencies. The Warren Commission was well aware of this. The coverup was necessary because America was locked into a Cold War with the Soviet Union. To put US military, CIA, and Secret Service personnel on trial for murdering the President of the United States would have shaken the confidence of the American people in their own government.

Oswald had nothing whatsoever to do with JFK's assassination. That is why Oswald was himself assassinated inside the Dallas jail before he could be questioned.

For those of you too young to have experienced John Kennedy and those of you who have forgotten his greatness, do yourselves a favor and listen to this 5 minute, 23 second speech. Try to imagine anyone among the current dolts giving a speech like this. Look how much is said so well in less than 5 and one-half minutes.

Kennedy intended to pull the US out of Vietnam once he was reelected. He intended to break up the CIA "into one thousand pieces" and curtail the military-security complex that was exploiting the US budget.

And that is why he was murdered. The evil that resides in Washington does not only kill foreign leaders who try to do the right thing, but also its own.

Here is JFK's speech...
After launching the K5 Note and flagship Vibe X3, Lenovo is now looking at the budget smartphone market with the Vibe K5 Plus. Pegged to be the successor to the company's own A6000, the Vibe K5 Plus isn't alone and faces tough competition.

The Lenovo K5 Plus has a decent build and design. It has a lightweight aluminium casing with the back trying the mimic metal finish. It is 8 mm thick and has round edges on the corners. The front is dominated with a 5-inch full-HD display with three capacitive touch keys. Rear is basically neat with the camera module, Lenovo branding and speaker grills. Power key and volume key are placed on the right edge and the 3.5-mm jack and charging port on the top. The rear panel is removable, housing the battery and dual SIM card slots. Overall, the K5 Plus has a neat design, making it comfortable to hold.

Running on Android 5.1.1, the Vibe K5 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 processor and is paired with 2 GB of RAM. It doesn't have the vanilla Android user interface. There isn't any app tray and all the apps are placed on the home screen. Being a budget phone, it comes with 16 GB of internal storage with support for expandable memory. It is LTE enabled and other connectivity options onboard include WiFi and Bluetooth. Overall, the experience of using the K5 Plus was a pleasant one. The call clarity was good. It was able to handle YouTube video streaming and app downloads without any lag. Multi-tab browsing on the Chorme browser was smooth. It handled casual games such as Candy Crush, Temple Run, etc. without any lag but at times, it lost a few frames. The device started heating up after long sessions of streaming or gaming. It comes pre-loaded with apps such as Syncit app for backing up contacts, SMS and call logs; Shareit app for sharing files; Lenovo's companion app, Theme center and more. It also support Theatre Max technology for ANT Virtual Reality headset.

Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus packs in a 13-MP rear camera and a 5-MP front facing camera. The camera performance is just about average as it captures decent images but nothing extra-ordinary. The camera takes time to process an image and get ready for next shot. It isn't a great performer in low light either. The sound output on the K5 Plus is loud and clear, especially for its price. It is equipped with Dolby Atoms, which offers controls too in selected apps.

With a 2,750-mAh battery onboard, the Vibe K5 Plus managed to last a day with average usage.

Bag it or Junk it: Spend a bit more and get Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 for Rs 9,999

Rating: 3/5

Plus: Display, Sound

Minus: Camera
630 Million spent on PM foreign visits

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been on a foreign visits spree costing the national exchequer a staggering Rs 630 million. The expenditure on prime ministers domestic travel is equally shocking. For instance, the reports said the government spent Rs 20 million on air-conditioning, food and other arrangements when the prime minister visited Sukkur a couple of days ago to lay the foundation stone of a motorway project.



The data obtained by shows the prime minister spent more than Rs 630 million from the national exchequer on his 69 foreign trips in last years. He did not travel alone; 631 people were part of his official entourage, who enjoyed foreign delicacies at the expense of the poor people of Pakistan.



The Ministry of Foreign Affair did not provide the details of at least six foreign visits of the prime minister, saying that details of the expenditure on these visits had not been finalised yet. Data showed the prime ministers most favourite country was the United Kingdom; he visited the country 18 times. Sometimes, he used London as a transit to fly to the western hemisphere.



The prime minister spent approximately Rs 20 million on his first visit to China from July 3 to July 6 in 2013. Later, he spent Rs 2 million on his Hong Kong visit in July. In September, he visited Turkey for four days and the visit cost the kitty Rs 4 million.



Later, in 2013, he visited the United States and the United Kingdom for eight days and these visits cost the national exchequer almost Rs 90 million. He then again travelled to the United Kingdom on October 19 and spent 11 days there. This visit cost the kitty Rs 15 million. On the invitation of President Barack Obama, the prime minister travelled to the United States from October 20 to October 23, spending Rs 130 million on the visit. The prime minister flew to Sri Lanka on November 14 for four days and spent Rs 26.7 million on this visit. He visited Uzbekistan on November 28 and spent more than Rs 2.7 million. Also, in November, he visited Thailand, Myanmar and Afghanistan and the national exchequer bore the burden of more than Rs 8 million expenditure on these visits.



In 2014, the prime minister embarked on 16 foreign trips. He visited Turkey from February 12 to 15 and spent over Rs 3.1 million on this visit. He flew to Holland on March 23 and spent Rs 11.2 million on this visit. He had a stopover in the United Kingdom on his return from Holland to Pakistan that cost the kitty Rs 3.4 million. In April, the prime minister travelled to Hong Kong and this visit cost the exchequer Rs 600,000. He spent Rs 8.1 million on his China visit in April. Sharif again chose the United Kingdom for a tour and spent Rs19.9 million on this visit.



The prime minister also visited Iran, India, Tajikistan, United Kingdom, United States, China, Germany and Nepal that year and spent Rs 95.1 million on these visits. The prime minister travelled to the United Kingdom five times this year.



In 2015, the prime minister again visited various countries and spent Rs 177 million on his visits. He visited Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Norway, Belarus, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uzbekistan, Malta, France and China. He travelled to the United Kingdom many times last year.



This year the prime minister visited Saudi Arabia on January 18, Iran on January 19 and Switzerland on January 20 and these visits cost the national kitty Rs 60 million. The prime minister has travelled to the United Kingdom twice this year so far. He also visited Qatar. Details of expenditure on prime ministers medical treatment in the United Kingdom are not available so far.
Ahmed Raisani started revealing names of his facilitators

QUETTA: Balochistan former finance secretary Mushtaq Ahmed Raisani, who was arrested on Friday by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for alleged corruption, has started revealing names of his facilitators during the investigation.



NAB seized bags filled with local and foreign currency worth more than Rs 730 million from Raisanis home during the raid. The accused is in NAB custody on 14-day remand.



During the initial interrogation, Raisani has confessed to corruption charges against him and disclosed names of at least 11 close aides who were involved in the mega corruption.



Finance Advisor Khalid Lango, who resigned after Raisanis arrest, is expected to be included in the investigation process and his name is likely to be placed on the exit control list (ECL) to stop him from fleeing the country, NAB sources said.



According to sources, Raisani disclosed during the interrogation that the money recovered from his home was to be sent abroad through hundi. He reportedly told the investigators that had the NAB been late for a day, the amount would have been transferred abroad.



NAB has initiated process for the arrest of Raisanis accomplices but no arrest has been made so far. Sources said that 11 accomplices of Raisani have been identified and all of them are government officials.



Raisani, an influential bureaucrat from Balochistan, has served as finance secretary for the last few years. He was granted this key position on the recommendations of chief of National Party Mir Hasil Bazanjo.



Senior NAB officials have been investigating Raisanis involvement in embezzlement of over Rs 40 billion funds for quite some time. The former finance secretary was picked up from his residence by NAB officials on Friday and Rs730 million was seized from his home.



Following the interrogation, NAB has taken all record of development projects from the finance and local government departments as well as certain banks into the custody.



During the Fridays raid, NAB officials faced resistance from the bureaucracy in the Civil Secretariat, who tried to make the arrested secretary escape by switching off the lights of the building. The raiding team, however, kept NAB chairman Chaudhry Qamar Zaman and DG Tariq Mehmood informed about the whole situation and finally succeeded in capturing Raisani.



Sources said that NAB chairman has advised the investigation team not to take any pressure in the case and bring all culprits involved in the scandal to the book.



The government and civilian circles of Balochistan are of the view that Mushtaq Raeesani was taking 10 per cent advance on every sort of development project or any other transaction. After receiving the information, NAB Balochistan tasked its intelligence wing to collect evidences not only against Mushtaq Raeesani but also those who remained directly involved with him in his activities and facilitated him in corruption.



It has been learnt that some people who saw bags filled with Pakistani and foreign currency as well as gold ornaments at Raeesanis house informed the NAB Balochistan director general, who then ordered a raid which resulted in Raisanis arrest.



NAB Balochistan DG Tariq Mehmood following the arrest of Mushtaq Raeesani said that the volume of currency and gold seized from the accused proves that it is not the work of a single person and many other people were involved in the scandal.



Following the arrest, Balochistan former chief minister Dr Abdul Malik and finance advisor Khalid Langu have also presented themselves for accountability.
Promotion of science and technology will turn Pakistan into great economy: Ahsan Iqbal 09 May, 2016



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Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Woke Bingo LAHORE: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal has said that political stability, continuation of policies and promotion of science and technology will turn Pakistan into a strong economy.



He was addressing an Engineers Day function organised by the Institute of Engineers Pakistan (IEP) here at the Expo Centre. IEP President Ashraf Sheikh, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Chairman Javed Saleem Qureshi and organiser Jawad Haider Gillani were prominent among the engineers who attended the function.



Iqbal said that Pakistan was in dire need of political stability and continuation of policies today and those attempting to sabotage the political stability in the country were not well-wishers of Pakistan and the Pakistani nation. He said that today Pakistan was all set to take off economically, but it needed the support and contribution of the entire nation, especially the engineering fraternity. He said that negative politics by some parties was tantamount to disrupting Pakistans economic revival and discouraging the foreign investors who wanted to invest here.



The federal minister said that Pakistan had a golden chance to benefit from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as well as investment and economic opportunities being offered by China under this project. He said that Pakistan was now on way to economic development. We need political stability and continuity of the right set of economic policies to turn Pakistan into a bigger and vibrant economy, he said.



The federal minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government was taking concrete steps for infrastructure and social development by executing important projects in all sectors, especially the energy sector.



In 2013, he said, all international institutions had been considering Pakistan as the most dangerous country for investment, but today the same institutions were saying that Pakistan was now the seventh out of the eight worlds fast developing economies. He asserted that foreign investors were now eying economic and investment opportunities in Pakistan due to the right set of economic policies as well as incentives offered by the present government.



Three years ago, he mentioned, there was 18 to 20 hours of power load shedding and the present government reduced it to six to eight hours only. He said the PML-N government took energy crisis as a challenge and mobilised all available resources to end the energy crisis.



Iqbal said the government initiated work on the mega hydel projects of Diamir-Bhasha Dam and Dasu Dam and it was exploring the Thar coal reservoirs for the first time. He said that 6600 MW coal power would be added to the system in the next 10 years. He said that transmission lines were being renovated and new ones were being installed across Pakistan to transmit the increased quantum of electricity to the grids nationwide.



Iqbal said that Pakistans foreign exchange reserves had now reached up to $21 billion from mere $10 billion, stock markets were shooting up and peace returned to Karachi and Balochistan. He said that China was now making a billions of dollars investment in Pakistan under the CPEC and investors from other countries were spending their money on various projects in Pakistan. That was a clear manifestation of their confidence in the governments viable and economic/business-friendly policies.



The federal minister said that engineers could bring a revolution in a country and urged them to utilise their minds and energies on development of Pakistan.Iqbal distributed IEP shields to the selected engineers from various fields and institutions.AThree years ago, he mentioned, there was 18 to 20 hours of power load shedding and the present government reduced it to six to eight hours only. He said the PML-N government took energy crisis as a challenge and mobilised all available resources to end the energy crisis.



Iqbal said the government initiated work on the mega hydel projects of Diamir-Bhasha Dam and Dasu Dam and it was exploring the Thar coal reservoirs for the first time. He said that 6600 MW coal power would be added to the system in the next 10 years. He said that transmission lines were being renovated and new ones were being installed across Pakistan to transmit the increased quantum of electricity to the grids nationwide.



Iqbal said that Pakistans foreign exchange reserves had now reached up to $21 billion from mere $10 billion, stock markets were shooting up and peace returned to Karachi and Balochistan. He said that China was now making a billions of dollars investment in Pakistan under the CPEC and investors from other countries were spending their money on various projects in Pakistan. That was a clear manifestation of their confidence in the governments viable and economic/business-friendly policies.
These are three fin whales diving up in a lunge feeding event in the Drake Passage. Credit: ITAW/Carsten Rocholl

The Western Antarctic sector of the Southern Ocean is the regular feeding ground of a large number of fin and humpback whales of the Southern Hemisphere. Around 5,000 fin whales likely migrate to its ice-free waters during summer, along with at least 3,000 humpback whales. These estimates follow a ship-based helicopter survey of whales in Antarctic waters. A net trawl survey for krill was also conducted to see if the distribution of these whales and specific krill species are connected. The study was led by Helena Herr of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover in Germany, and is published in a special issue on "Antarctic Peninsula Shelf Biology" in Springer's journal Polar Biology.

Herr's team produced distribution maps that predict the densities in which humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) likely occur in the Bransfield Strait and Drake Passage. It was found that the two whale species do not share the same habitat or feeding grounds around the West Antarctic Peninsula. An estimated 3,024 humpback whales frequented the coastal parts of the Bransfield Strait in summer 2013, while at least 4,898 endangered fin whales were found along the shelf edge in the Drake Passage.

The krill survey shows that Euphausia superba is the most widely distributed and abundant source of food available to whales in the area. The krill type Euphausia crystallorophias occurs sporadically in smaller numbers near the coast, and Thysanoessa macrura generally beyond the shelf edge.

The relationship between whales and the krill they feed on is not a simple one. At the time of the survey, fin whales fed in an area dominated by Thysanoessa macrura. They are also known to feed on Euphausia superba. Fin whales therefore seem to opportunistically feed on whatever prey aggregates around the shelf edge.

There isn't a clear relationship between humpback whales and the presence of a particular krill species either. The whales seemed to be located in all areas of the Bransfield Strait regardless of how much krill was available. Humpback whales did however tend to occur in sectors with at least a medium concentration of Euphausia superba. Humpback whales seem to have adopted migration patterns and foraging strategies that lead them to areas likely to provide, on average, sufficient amounts of prey.

"In the light of increasing effort by the commercial krill fishery and climate change-related effects on krill biomass, dedicated surveys that target both krill and their main predators, such as baleen whales, need to be undertaken concurrently. This is to monitor and ensure that habitats in the Southern Ocean will continue to support a humpback whale population that has just touched pre-exploitation numbers," says Herr.

Efforts should also be strengthened to investigate the ecology and feeding strategies of endangered Southern Hemisphere fin whales, since little is known about their connection to and dependency on local prey stocks.

Explore further Current whale migration models are too simplified

More information: Helena Herr et al, Horizontal niche partitioning of humpback and fin whales around the West Antarctic Peninsula: evidence from a concurrent whale and krill survey, Polar Biology (2016). Helena Herr et al, Horizontal niche partitioning of humpback and fin whales around the West Antarctic Peninsula: evidence from a concurrent whale and krill survey,(2016). DOI: 10.1007/s00300-016-1927-9
Rough and smooth colony growth of Enterobacter cloacae bacteria on Tryptic Soy Broth agar. Credit: CDC

A diagnostic test used by hospitals says a recently isolated strain of bacteria is susceptible to the last resort antibiotic colistin. But the strain actually ignores treatment with colistin, causing lethal infections in animals.

Through "heteroresistance," a genetically identical subpopulation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria can lurk within a crowd of antibiotic-susceptible bacteria. The phenomenon could be causing unexplained treatment failures in the clinic and highlights the need for more sensitive diagnostic tests, researchers say.

In Nature Microbiology, scientists led by David Weiss, PhD, describe colistin-heteroresistant strains of Enterobacter cloacae, a type of bacteria that has been causing an increasing number of infections in hospitals around the world.

"Heteroresistance has been observed previously and its clinical relevance debated," Weiss says. "We were able to show that it makes a difference in an animal model of infection, and is likely to contribute to antibiotic treatment failures in humans."

Weiss is director of the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center and associate professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at Emory University School of Medicine and Emory Vaccine Center. His laboratory is based at Yerkes National Primate Research Center. The co-first authors of the paper are graduate students Victor Band and Emily Crispell.

The colistin-heteroresistant bacteria were isolated from blood or urine samples from patients at Atlanta hospitals. One strain called R/S was discovered through a collaboration with Eileen Burd, PhD, director of clinical microbiology at Emory University Hospital. A separate strain called R/S-lo was identified by Sarah Satola, PhD and Monica Farley, MD at the Georgia Emerging Infections Program.

In R/S, the colistin-resistant subpopulation made up about 5 percent of the total. This subpopulation could be detected with a standard clinical test for antibiotic resistance (Etest). R/S was also resistant to several other antibiotics.

In R/S-lo, the resistant subpopulation was only about 1 in every 10,000 bacteria, which could not be detected with Etest. Despite the tiny starting fraction of resistant bacteria, R/S-lo can withstand colistin treatment and cause a lethal infection in mice.

"We are working on more sensitive diagnostic techniques, which would be required to catch strains like this in the clinic," Weiss says.

Infectious disease experts were concerned about a November 2015 report from China of colistin resistance in another type of bacteria (E. coli), because in that case, resistance was carried on a mobile piece of DNA, known as a plasmid, which can spread to other bacteria.

Here, the resistant and susceptible subpopulations of R/S are genetically identical, the researchers report. However, the resistant subpopulation has a different pattern of gene activity, and the researchers were able to show that the bacterial gene PhoQ was critical for colistin resistance.

"We haven't tested this yet, but it suggests an add-on PhoQ inhibitor could re-sensitize some bacteria to colistin, or perhaps a less toxic relative of colistin, which other researchers are working on," Weiss says.

Colistin is viewed as a "last resort" measure for bacterial infections that are resistant to other drugs, partly because it is poisonous to the kidneys. It works by disrupting bacterial cell membranes. In the R/S strain, resistance appears to involve the bacteria modifying the lipid components of their membranes, but the precise mechanism is not clear, he says.

Experiments with mice suggest that the infected host's immune system stimulates the program of colistin resistance in the R/S bacteria. The resistant subpopulation keeps growing during colistin treatment, distinguishing heteroresistance from a related phenomenon called persistence, in which some bacteria avoid antibiotic toxicity by becoming dormant.

Explore further Resistance to last-line antibiotic makes bacteria resistant to immune system

More information: Victor I. Band et al, Antibiotic failure mediated by a resistant subpopulation in Enterobacter cloacae, Nature Microbiology (2016). Journal information: Nature Microbiology Victor I. Band et al, Antibiotic failure mediated by a resistant subpopulation in Enterobacter cloacae,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/NMICROBIOL.2016.53
Professor Lionel Page

Concern for the poor is more likely to motivate support for policies to reduce income inequality than anger over the high incomes of the wealthy, a new QUT economics study of American attitudes to inequality has found.

The study's findings, however, are pertinent in the face of the current debate raised by the US presidential race and the release of the Panama Papers, says one of the study's authors, Professor Lionel Page, from QUT's School of Economics and Finance.

Professor Page, and Dan Goldstein, from Microsoft Research, conducted a study of 800 people in the US to investigate perceptions of inequality in society, published in Social Choice and Welfare

"We asked the participants how much they thought an unskilled worker, a skilled worker, a managing director and a chairperson of a large national corporation earned," he said.

"We found people tended to underestimate the level of inequality and overestimate the average income in the country. They thought people were, on average, richer than they were.

"Americans also underestimate the number of people who are really poor in their country because they overestimate the income of the unskilled.

"They also underestimate high incomes such as a chairman's income. As a consequence they tend to underestimate the degree of inequality in the country."

Professor Page said the study gave insights into the current US presidential race and the release of 40 years of tax avoidance strategies of the world's rich.

"There are two strong contenders for the nominations for the US presidency who are opposites in terms of background and economic outlook," he said.

"Donald Trump is a billionaire who wants to decrease taxes. In contrast, Bernie Sanders is an avowed socialist who wants to increase taxes, in particular on the wealthiest members of society to reduce inequalities.

"At the same time we have the Panama Papers which has opened the financial dealings of the top one per cent to scrutiny. What has been revealed so far has seen outrage and protests at the ploys used by the rich to avoid tax, legally and illegally."

Professor Page said his research showed that when people knew how little people on the lowest incomes have to live on, they were more inclined to support lowering income inequality.

"We found people are more in favour of redistribution of wealth when they believe the poorest are really poor.

"However, the strongest influencers of attitudes to redistributive policies is not so much beliefs about inequality but the belief about whether there is social mobility in the country, giving everybody a fair chance to get high incomes, or not.

"In the US people believe in equality of opportunity  that if you try you can achieve  and thus they believe their society holds the potential for social mobility by anyone.

"People holding this view are less supportive of redistributive policies.

"There is a view that the poor are responsible for their predicament and there is less compassion for them."

Professor Page said the issue of growing income inequality had become a hotly debated topic in the US in recent years.

"In 2013, economist Thomas Piketty's book documenting the growth of inequalities in the US and the failure of wealth to trickle down the social ladder became a surprising best seller, topping the charts in Amazon sales.

"And this year, Bernie Sanders is surprisingly competitive in the primary race against Hilary Clinton. Sanders has openly declared himself a socialist and supports heavy redistributive policies."

Professor Page said that relative to the US, Australia had been a low inequality country for long time.

"However, a 2015 ACOSS report has found Australian income inequality is trending in the wrong direction," Professor Page said

"The report found that Australians in the top 20 per cent of income receive five times as much as those in the bottom 20 per cent and the wealthiest 20 per cent own 70 times as much as those in the bottom 20 per cent.

"Australia's growing inequality is likely to continue as a topic in the Australian political debate.

"This study suggests that the design and success of redistributive policies need to take into account the belief of the population about income inequalities and its origin.

"Reduction of inequality measures are likely to be better supported when the public feels they will benefit the poorest people in society or that inequalities persist when people are not able to move up the social ladder through their own work and initiatives."

Explore further Want to influence support for redistributive tax policies? Choose your words carefully

More information: Lionel Page et al. Subjective beliefs about the income distribution and preferences for redistribution, Social Choice and Welfare (2016). Lionel Page et al. Subjective beliefs about the income distribution and preferences for redistribution,(2016). DOI: 10.1007/s00355-015-0945-9
Vegetation growth in forests and shrublands of WA's global biodiversity hotspot are showing alarming declines, according to a recent study which found a quarter of the hotspot's woody vegetation had disappeared in the past 16 years.

The research also suggests we should expect the trend to continue into the future, which is likely to spell bad news for the local fauna.

The study, involving satellite imagery from 2000 to 2011, shows a fast declining rate of vegetation growth in forest and shrubland across the hotspot.

The hotspot stretches from Shark Bay in the Gascoyne to beyond Esperance in the south-east and to the south-west corner.

It is one of only 34 hotspots around the worldareas that are under threat and recognised for their incredible biodiversity and for homing plant and animal life that occurs nowhere else on the globe.

The Murdoch University research showed that 15 per cent of the woody vegetation across the hotspot study area (about 37,000 km2)an area more than half the size of Tasmanialost a quarter of its vegetation growth between 2000 and 2011.

Further study from 2011 to now indicates the trend is worsening.

Most of the observed declines are due to ever-decreasing rainfall figures across the region, Murdoch University research fellow Niels Brouwers says.

Bureau of Meteorology figures show average rainfall in the area has decreased from 5mm to 40mm every 10 years since 1970.

"There has been a persistent drop in rainfall over the past 40 to 50 years and more and more we're seeing the response to this in declines in forest health," Dr Brouwers says.

While there has been evidence of vegetation health declining at a local scale, this is the first study to examine the entire biodiversity hotspot.

Dr Brouwers drew his conclusions by examining time series satellite imagery, which detects changes in vegetation cover and productivity.

He found the declines were worst in the north-west and south-east transition zones from tree to shrub vegetation.

He says with fewer trees, less carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere and with the persistent declines in rainfall this means the area is becoming increasingly less suited for tree planting efforts as a means of combating climate change.

"Fauna that is dependent of forest habitat, like the threatened Carnaby's Black Cockatoo [Calyptorhynchus latirostris], will also suffer," he says.

"Basically the area covered by forest is getting smaller, and we should prepare ourselves for massive changes in terms of the vegetation we have," he says.

Explore further Climate change is killing our trees

More information: Niels Christiaan Brouwers et al. Decreasing Net Primary Production in forest and shrub vegetation across southwest Australia, Ecological Indicators (2016). Niels Christiaan Brouwers et al. Decreasing Net Primary Production in forest and shrub vegetation across southwest Australia,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.01.010

This article first appeared on ScienceNetwork Western Australia a science news website based at Scitech.
Credit: Tiago Fioreze / Wikipedia

A survey of 2,501 members of the public has revealed that just one in five people in Britain are aware of ocean acidification - a consequence of carbon emissions that poses serious risks to sea-life.

Furthermore, just 14% of the sample report that they have even basic knowledge about the subject.

The results of the public survey, which have been published today, 9 May, in the journal Nature Climate Change, are the first detailed assessment of the public's understanding of ocean acidification.

While public awareness of climate change is now almost universal, the study authors, from Cardiff University, conclude that the same cannot be said for this parallel environmental issue, sometimes dubbed 'the other CO2 problem'.

As more and more CO2 is put into the atmosphere as a result of burning fossil fuels, approximately a third of it is absorbed by the oceans. When CO2 dissolves in seawater it forms carbonic acid, making the oceans less alkaline and more acidic. Since the 1980s, the acidity of the oceans has increased by 30% and, if CO2 continues to be emitted at today's rate, it is set to increase by 150% by 2100. This poses a substantial risk to marine organisms and ecosystems.

To reach their conclusions, the Cardiff University researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,501 members of the British public. Although just 20% of respondents had heard of ocean acidification, the term prompted a range of negative associations among respondents, with many making an immediate connection with harm to marine organisms and ecosystems; others made incorrect associations with marine pollution from oils spills and chemical waste.

The researchers also set out to assess whether scientific reports published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) during 2013 and 2014 might have affected levels of public awareness of ocean acidification. These widely-reported assessments focussed more than ever on the role of the oceans in relation to climate change, but were found not to have raised awareness of ocean acidification among the general public in the study.

Dr Stuart Capstick, the lead author of the study from the University' School of Psychology, said: "Although we didn't expect to find high levels of awareness or understanding of ocean acidification, we were surprised at just how overlooked this topic seems to be. By now, just about everyone has heard of climate change and a majority of people understand our part in it - even if we don't all agree on what should be done - but only a small proportion of our sample said they knew anything much about ocean acidification.

"Scientific studies over the past few years have demonstrated the importance of ocean acidification for marine ecosystems and the people that depend on them, but we have barely scratched the surface in terms of bringing this issue to the attention of the public and policy-makers."

The research also examined whether the provision of some basic, technical information about ocean acidification would lead to a change in attitudes among the study participants. The researchers did indeed observe a substantial jump in stated levels of concern in response to this information.

Dr Capstick cautioned however that their findings showed that the connection between ocean acidification and climate change could be a double-edged sword for those seeking to communicate about this issue: "We provided study participants with one of two information types - either linking ocean acidification to climate change, or describing it as a stand-alone issue. When we made a direct connection between the two topics, part of our sample was less responsive to the information, perhaps due to an overriding scepticism among some people regarding climate change itself."

Given the technical nature of ocean acidification, and its complex relationship with climate change, the researchers suggest that a more fruitful approach to engaging people about this important environmental topic could be to present it in terms of a risk to ocean health as well as stressing its importance for food security in parts of the world that are most-dependent on fisheries.

More information: Public Understanding in Great Britain of Ocean Acidification, Journal information: Nature Climate Change Public Understanding in Great Britain of Ocean Acidification, DOI: 10.1038/nclimate3005
The outline of this region of the protein (which is a long chain of 994 amino acid residues and approximately 15,000 atoms in total) is shown as white and yellow features and includes detailed representations of two catalytically important amino acid residues as red and white sticks (oxygen and carbon atoms). The red spheres represent bound water molecules, and the magenta sphere a magnesium ion that coordinates the phosphorylated amino acid side chain (an aspartic acid, lower) and the vanadate mimic of the phosphate "caught in the act" of cleavage (middle) by a water molecule positioned on top. The water is activated for the reaction by another catalytically active amino acid side chain (a glutamatic acid). This active site architecture is nearly identical in all ion pumps and responsible for approximately 1/3 of the ATP energy consumption in the human body. Credit: Dr. Johannes Clausen

Researchers at Aarhus University have described one of the cell's key enzymes, the calcium pump, in its decisive momenta so-called transition state. These findings provide a very detailed picture of how one of the most energy-consuming processes in the body takes place. Calcium pumps are intimately involved in the activity of muscle, such as the heart, and therefore they are considered important targets for development of new drugs for cardiovascular diseases.

The enzyme is the calcium-pumping Ca2+-ATPase - an ion pump protein that maintains a concentration of calcium inside the cell, which is about 20,000 times lower than outside. Only, it does not pump the calcium ions out of the cell, but instead into a compartment in the cell called the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum.

Such a pumping activity requires energy - a lot of energy - which comes from a two-step cleavage of the energy-rich molecule called ATP. In fact Ca2+-ATPases and related ion pumps such as the sodium-potassium pump (Na+,K+-ATPase) spend about one-third of the ATP consumed in the body and up to 75% in the brain, since these large ion concentration gradients drive so many other processes in the cell, in fact quite similar to the electric power of a battery.

As a consequence of their vital importance, impaired activity of the ion pumps - such as by mutations or toxic compounds inhibiting them - is associated with diseases. Oppositely, the ion pumps can be targeted by medical drugs to alleviate ionic imbalances associated with disease, or they can be targeted in cancer cells or pathogenic organisms that then die. It is therefore very important to know how they work at an atomic level.

To gain such insight, the research team used X-ray crystallography after having crystallized the calcium pump in a state that mimics the last step of the ATP cleaving reaction. In this state, a phosphoenzyme middle-product is cleaved to liberate free phosphate as the final product of the ATPase reaction, and after calcium has been released into the sarco-endoplasmic reticulum store.

This step is closely mimicked by vanadate, where the phosphorus atom is replaced by vanadium and therefore produces a stable complex instead of a short-lived transition state. Like this a very accurate view of how the enzyme stabilizes the transition state and catalyzes the final step of the ATP cleavage reaction becomes available for detailed analysis.

This kind of insight is of key importance to our understanding of cellular processes of health and disease at a molecular level. Calcium pumps are intimately involved in the activity of muscle, such as the heart, and therefore they are considered important targets for development of new drugs for cardiovascular diseases. The calcium pumps are also associated with metabolism and energy consumption overall and therefore generally connected to health.

The two first authors on the paper have now moved on to new drug discovery research in the Danish biotech company Pcovery (Johannes Clausen), and as an associate professor at the University of Oxford (Maike Bublitz), respectively.

The study was published in the journal Structure: www.cell.com/structure/pdf/S09  -2126(16)00077-0.pdf

Explore further Blocking transfer of calcium to cell's powerhouse selectively kills cancer cells
NEW YORK, NY(Marketwired  May 9, 2016)  CGS, a global provider of business applications, enterprise learning and outsourcing services, today announced that the ALDO Group Inc., a leading fashion retailer specializing in the design and production of footwear and accessories, selected BlueCherry B2B eCommerce. The solution will enable ALDO to streamline global sales processes and strengthen buyer relationships across franchise and retail store locations.

With more than 2,500 points of sale and nearly 2,000 retail stores across the globe, ALDO is continually challenged to engage its large network of wholesale and franchisee retail buyers. The company was looking for an eCommerce solution with proven functionality to fully support its B2B business. After a rigorous evaluation of solutions, ALDO selected BlueCherry B2B eCommerce to engage its buyers, promote products globally in its own private marketplace and enable buyers to select assortments and receive confirmed orders virtually anywhere, anytime.

With global operations spanning nearly every continent, we knew we needed a B2B solution to enhance our wholesale sales process to keep up with consumer demand, said Lance Martel, CIO at ALDO. With CGSs extensive list of customers and knowledge, BlueCherry B2B eCommerce was the best solution to fit our growing global needs. BlueCherry will ultimately enable us to reduce costs, shorten sales cycles and increase both buyer and consumer satisfaction.

BlueCherry B2B eCommerce has also made it more convenient for ALDO buyers to view seller recommendations, obtain detailed product information including availability, and place orders online or via mobile device. This increased level of wholesale and franchise buyer support is a necessity in todays competitive retail marketplace.

With over 30 years of experience in the fashion, footwear and consumer product market, CGS understands how valuable it is to have a solution that engages buyers across the globe, said Paul Magel, president, Business Applications and Technology Outsourcing, CGS. We are proud to welcome ALDO to our BlueCherry community. We look forward to working with and helping ALDOs mission to improve global sales processes  and ultimately, improve its sales.

About The ALDO Group Inc.

The ALDO Group is a world leading creator and operator of desirable footwear and accessory brands. With 2,300 points of sale in 95 countries around the world, the company operates under two signature brands, ALDO and Call It Spring, and a multi-brand retail concept, GLOBO. Founded in 1972 by Aldo Bensadoun, The ALDO Group leads all operations from its head office in Montreal, and continues to act with its founders values of love, respect and integrity. More than 20,000 people work for The ALDO Group. For more information, visit www.aldogroup.com. Read more http://www.marketwired.com/mw/release.do?id=2122707&sourceType=3

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At a time when tensions are high in the South China Sea, Indonesia has taken tough action against foreign vessels, which it says are fishing illegally in its waters.

Captured trawlers have been publicly blown up and sunk  but that is just one part of the countrys bigger plans for its maritime sector.

Indonesia is now taking its campaign to European consumers telling them to buy Indonesian fish because its high quality and traceable.

Mark Godfrey has more from Brussels.





Nilanto Perbowo is a director general at Indonesias Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

He thinks Indonesias strong stance on what the United Nations terms, Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated, or IUU, is crucial to the countrys prosperity.

He was in Brussels last week to meet buyers and get better access for the fish that Indonesia wants to supply. I asked him how the countrys battle against illegal fishing vessels from China has improved life for the countrys own fishing sector.

According to Nilanto Perbowo, the Chinese government does not support illegal fishing. The Chinese and Indonesian governments have been in discussions regarding their shared efforts to combat illegal fishing. He believes that the rate of illegal fishing has reduced in recent years, and that there are more resources directed towards the problem.

Ady Surya is the managing director of Karya Mandiri Citramina, a tuna processing company that hopes government action against illegal fishing will give Indonesias own fishing companies an opportunity to build their markets globally.

He says the governments campaign against illegal fishing gives a chance to companies like his, which attract customers by emphasising the traceability of their products.

Karya Mandiri Citramina exports to Europe, Japan and the USA. They produce skipjack and tuna from yellow fin, and have committed to traceability. They ensure the fishing vessels, companies, and areas that they source from are legal.

Europe wants their products  and they are keen to purchase ethically.

Especially after abusive practises, such as slavery, were recently revealed in a series of investigations in the fishing sector in Southeast Asia.

Hugo Verhoeven is a Dutch trade official who has advised Indonesia on access and marketing to the EU seafood market for the past decade. He says that the EU is supporting and preparing companies to be ready to export to Europe.

Indonesia is one of the biggest producers of fishery products in the world, its an archipelago with a big sea and with many species, quite a few of them have good export possibilities," says Verhoeven.

"They are recognising more and more that they have scarce valuable resource that should be managed in a proper way that also keeps value for the future generations. I think they have realised that themselves, Hugo Verhoeven commented.

From sea to table, efforts are now underway to grant Indonesia easier access to the EUs seafood market.

According to Olvy Anrianita, an Indonesian trade diplomat based in Brussels, preparations for the negotiation of a free trade pact between the EU and Indonesia are underway.

Anrianita believes that a free trade agreement between EU and Indonesia would result in better market access, and would increase trade and investment. She sees such an agreement as beneficial to Indonesia.

We hope to soon launch the formal negotiations for a free trade pact, Anrianita said.

Protecting its waters may be key to the countrys future says Nilanto Perbowo, from Indonesias Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. He says that the Indonesian government takes serious measures to eradicate illegal fishing in their national waters.

Perbowo stated, Two thirds of the area of Indonesia is sea, so our future should be at the sea.
FORT EDWARD | A parolee who was found to illegally have two handguns at his home last fall was sentenced Friday to up to 7 years in state prison.

Kenneth A. Hayward, 27, of Granville, pleaded guilty last month to third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, in connection with an October arrest at his Aldous Road home.

He was charged after personnel from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision found that he had two handguns, a .380-caliber and .22-caliber, that he apparently purchased out of state and brought to New York for "protection."

The guns were not registered, and Hayward is a felon who was on parole for a 2013 burglary at the time, a case that was his second felony burglary conviction in less than 5 years.

Washington County Judge Kelly McKeighan sentenced him to 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison, which would be served in addition to the time he owes on the 2013 case.
FORT EDWARD | A Greenwich man who police said downloaded child pornography over the Internet pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge.

Aaron N. Minor, 22, of county Route 52, pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a sexual performance by a child in Washington County Court.

He accepted a plea deal that includes a sentence of 6 months in Washington County Jail and 10 years on probation. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

Minor was arrested last April after an investigation by State Police.
CORINTH | Corinth Elementary School has added a new team member to its counseling department.

The new employee, Maisy, has four legs and will come around and sniff you. She also is not taking a traditional salary.

Instead, she gets paid in treats, hugs and love.

Maisy is a goldendoodle  a golden retriever and poodle mix  who is in training to become a therapy dog. She was adopted by school social worker Kerry Giumarra.

Last Thursday was Maisys second day at the school. Giumarra said she and school psychologist Dee Williams are both big dog lovers and were thinking of a new way to help students at the school.

We see a tremendous mental health need for kids, Giumarra said.

They hope Maisy will bring more happiness to the building and help students develop a greater sense of community. Giumarra said they also hope the dog will help decrease students anxiety about their academics or other issues.

For example, a struggling reader may feel more comfortable reading out loud to Maisy, according to Giumarra. She said the dog also helps provide students who may struggle with absenteeism a reason to come to school. They feel invested in taking care of the dog, whether it be giving her a treat or taking her for a walk.

They feel like I need to be in school because I get Maisy her water  she said.

Giumarra said the students are learning the proper way to behave around dogs. They introduce themselves differently than people, who have a strong concept of personal space.

A goldendoodle is an appropriate breed to be a therapy dog because golden retrievers have a relaxed disposition, according to Giumarra. Also, Maisy has fur instead of hair and does not shed.

That is particularly important, Giumarra added, because students have allergies to animal dander. Two of her children are allergic.

Giumarra said she named the dog Maisy after the book series Maisy the Mouse.

Both a teacher and a student have said, You mean like Maisy the Mouse. Oh, I love that story,  she said.

Williams said Maisys presence also has a calming influence on the staff. Some teachers have spent their planning periods hanging out with the dog.

They hope Maisy will eventually help students who are having emotional issues.

Because shes new to our school, were not ready to expose her to a student thats acting out, Williams said.

Right now, Maisy is only going to the school a couple days a week, but they hope to make her a full-time employee by the fall.

Giumarra said she is modeling the schools program after one in Guilderland, which has been going on for about 12 years and has grown to include six dogs in different buildings.

The project also had to receive the proper approvals from the Board of Education, according to Giumarra.

Maisy is in training to receive therapy dog certification. She has to demonstrate she understands commands and follow obedience training. Giumarra said Maisy has to be 1 year old to take the test and she is only 9 months old. She is currently working to obtain her Canine Good Citizen certificate, which is a precursor to getting the therapy dog approval.

Lowes and Home Deport have opened their doors to canines that are in training to be therapy dogs. Giumarra also takes Maisy to Marthas Dandee Creme.

Maisy was in the school during spring break getting acclimated to the building, according to Giumarra.

She is gradually becoming more comfortable.

I feel like shes approaching kids with less hesitation than adults, Williams said.

Maisy briefly visited a kindergarten classroom on Thursday and took a treat from a student. She also spent time with three fifth-graders in the counseling room.

Shes playful, said 11-year-old Richard Burnham.

Leo Taylor, 10, said Maisy seems very mature.

She acts like shes 2. Its like she grew up more quickly, he said.

Ten-year-old Alexis Crossman said she liked having Maisy around school.

No matter what, youve got one friend in school every day, she said.
GLENS FALLS  Initially, a pay increase was the reason Beth Hogan, a radiology nurse at Glens Falls Hospital, enrolled in a bachelors of nursing degree program after 30 years in the career.

The value of the education turned out to be more than financial.

Its given me the experience and opportunity to interact with nurses across the country, said Hogan, who completed her bachelors degree in spring 2013.

Glens Falls Hospital is participating in a national initiative to increase the rate of registered nurses with bachelors degrees to 80 percent by 2020.

About 35 percent of the hospitals registered nurses now have bachelors degrees or are enrolled in bachelors degree programs, a little below the 51 percent statewide level, said Donna Kirker, the hospitals vice president of patient services and chief nursing officer.

To help achieve that goal, the hospital has partnered with Siena Colleges Baldwin Nursing Program, a new two-year program in which all of the on-campus classwork can be completed on Wednesdays.

Wednesday is the best day in the hospitals staffing schedule for nurses to take off, as it is in between weekends, Kirker said.

About two-thirds of the course work is completed at the Siena campus in Loudonville, and the rest is done online.

Its a hybrid so they have face-to-face time and a little bit of online, said Lisa Flack, director of the program.

A traditional associate degree provides basic nursing knowledge, while a bachelors provides advanced scientific understanding and liberal arts courses that improve critical thinking and leadership skills, Flack said.

The first two years of nursing school youre really honed in on caring for the patient, she said.

Studies show patients are healthier and there is less risk of patient death when patients are cared for by bachelors degree-level nurses, she said.

Hogan, who became a nurse in 1982 and enrolled in a bachelors degree program in 2012, said the education has made her more conscious of research.

For example, recently a patient asked about how long to use a cream to numb pain around where intravenous tubes and medication ports are injected in the skin.

Hogan did research and provided the patient with various expert opinions.

I probably wouldnt have done that six years ago, she said.

Glens Falls Hospital requires all newly hired registered nurses to commit to earning a bachelors degree within five years, Kirker said.

Long-standing nurses are encouraged to earn bachelors degrees.

The hospital provides tuition assistance and pays a higher wage to nurses who have a bachelors degree.

Kirker said she would not discuss specifics because of a competitive pay scale with other hospitals in the region.

Kirker, Flack and other nursing executives around the state are urging the Legislature to pass a law requiring new registered nurses to earn bachelors degrees within 10 years of licensing.

State Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, is a co-sponsor of the proposed legislation.

Hogan said she enjoyed the bachelors degree program so much that she went on to earn a masters degree in nursing.

I dont think Im done.  Its really become a passion, she said.

Her next education venture might be more in the lifelong learning field, however.

Im not sure about my doctorate, but first Im going to take some ukulele lessons, she said, explaining that a cousin recently gave her the musical instrument.
SARATOGA SPRINGS  The Saratoga Springs History Museum will open its newest exhibit, Company L Goes to War: Saratoga Springs in World War I at 6 p.m. May 19.

In 1917, the United States joined the Allies in the fight against the Central Powers led by Germany and Austria-Hungary. This exhibit explains why America became involved in the fight and how men and women from Saratoga Springs helped win the war. The exhibit discusses heroics, horrific events and sacrifices made by the men fighting and those back at home.

Curator Michael Levinson said, When America entered WWI in 1917, the Army wasnt ready for war and federalized National Guard units to build a fighting force. Company L of the 105th Infantry came from the Armory on Lake Avenue and was made up almost entirely of men from Saratoga Springs. We wanted to tell not only their story, but the story of what the community faced while they were off at war.

Admission to the event is $15 and includes hors doeuvres, music and craft beer from The Argyle Brewing Co.

The History Museum is located in the Canfield Casino and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For information, visit www.saratogahistory.org or call 584-6920.
Warren County Historical Society will present a program on the country music pioneers in Warren County at 7 p.m. May 18 at Luzerne Town Hall, 539 Lake Ave., Lake Luzerne.

Jeff Hamblin, son of fiddler Jimmy Hamblin, will share stories, photographs and memorabilia about local musicians such as his father, Smokey Green, Digger Dan Dutra and Daddy Dick Richards.

The program is open to the public free of charge.

Trails fundraiser

Bill Newman, a regional craft brewing trailblazer, will headline a fundraiser for recreational trail development at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Davidson Brothers Brewery and Restaurant at 184 Glen St. in downtown Glens Falls.

Pints of the last barrel of Newmans 35th anniversary commemorative ale will be served, with all of the proceeds going to The Feeder Canal Alliance and Parks and Trails New York, a recreational trail advocacy organization.

Newman opened the Wm. S. Newman Brewing Co. in downtown Albany in 1981.

The Pokingbrook Morris Dancers will perform.

New business

Eric Unkauf announced he and his wife will open Made Upstate NY, a store featuring products and craft items made by upstate artisans, in suite 101B of The Shirt Factory arts and healing center at 71 Lawrence St. in Glens Falls.

The shop will feature baskets, blown glass, wood, fabric and blacksmith crafts as well as products such as foods, insect repellents, natural cleaners, note cards, books, jewelry and toys.

The goal of the store is not only to retail these items made upstate, but also to showcase the artisans behind the items, Unkaupf said in a press release.

A grand opening is planned for June 25.

Art exhibit

On a visit to Crandall Public Library on Sunday, I enjoyed viewing the Art on My Own Time exhibit in the Friends Gallery on the librarys second floor.

Works of art, poetry, photography, pottery and quilts on display are by library staff and volunteers.

The caliber of work demonstrates librarians know about more than just books.

Stec praises Scouts

State Assemblyman Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, on Saturday praised members of Boy Scout Troop 16 of Queensbury that volunteered on an Eagle Scout project to plant hedges at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in Queensbury.

Free concert

The Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library spring concert series continues when Ken and Brad Kolodner appear at 7 p.m. Thursday in the community room in the library basement.

The Baltimore-based duo features Ken Kolodner on hammered dulcimer and son Brad Kolodner on clawhammer banjo, a downpicking style.

The concert is open to the public free of charge.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Book sale

The Queensbury Senior Citizens spring book sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday at Queensbury Center.

Proceeds benefit the senior center.
In a speech read on her behalf by the Director of Procurement, Protocol and Special Duties of the Ministry, Mr Edwin S. Owusu-Mensah, at a forum in Bolgatanga, organised to solicit the inputs of workers in the creative industry into the creative industry bill, she said her ministry is doing everything possible to get the needed support for the sector.

She noted that the industry has the great potential of creating multiple jobs for Ghanaians in the non-formal sector.

She also highlighted the contribution of the industry to country's Gross Domestic Product.

Agyare said a Secretariat has been opened at the ministry to help address their concerns, adding that a bill has been initiated as part of efforts to empower them to improve upon their businesses.Mr John Eugene Nyante Nyadu, the Principal State Attorney, who took the workers, made up of musicians, film makers, drummers and dancers, smock, basket and leather weavers, beauticians and tailors among others, said the passage of the bill would open up business for them.

He assured the workers that their inputs would be considered and factored into the bill before its passage.

On his part, the Upper East Regional Director of Centre for National Culture, Mr Azaanab Waksman, said the creative sector was the fasting growing industry of the world economy, urging government to put more resources to develop the sector.

He bemoaned the low publicity given to some tourist attractions sites in the country, especially those located in the Upper East Region.He appealed to the Sector Minister to impress upon the government to complete the uncompleted Regional Office Complex which had been abandoned for some years.
The President said this during a courtesy call on traditional rulers of the Denkyira Traditional Council at Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality as part of his three-day visit to the Central Region.Mr Mahama said presently there is a bill before Parliament which among others seeks to modify small scale mining laws and reiterated governments determination to make small scale mining, an alternate employment avenue for the unemployed youth in the country.The President also said the rehabilitation of roads currently underway in the Dunkwa Township would be asphalted.Government and the Ghana Cocobod have secured an amount of $ 150,000,000 US dollars for the rehabilitation of the Dunkwa, Kyekyewere, Awisem roads which have been awarded on contract under the cocoa roads rehabilitation programme to speed up progress of work, he said.

President Mahama also informed the chiefs and people that the Obuasi, Dunkwa, Ayanfuri stretch of road linking Diaso have also been awarded on contract to FACOL CONSTRUCTION WORKS.He appealed to the traditional rulers to exercise restraint as Government was determined to ensure that the projects were completed on schedule.He also urged the contractor currently working on the Obuasi/Dunkwa stretch to speed up work for the project to be completed on time.The President also reiterated Governments support to cocoa farmers with the distribution of 60,000,000 cocoa seedlings to boost the cocoa industry.He urged the youth who have attained 18 years to take advantage of the limited voter registration exercise to register at their nearest registration centres to exercise their franchise during the November 7 elections.Nana Adjei Nkyere II, the Adontenhene of Denkyira Traditional Council, thanked the President for redeeming his pledge to the traditional rulers in the area with the presentation of a 33 seater Hyundai bus he promised them about two years ago.He also commended Government for establishing two CHPS Compound structures with funding from the 10 per cent deduction from each of the government appointees monthly salary.Nana Nkyere II said currently the beneficiary communities are Kwameprakrom and Gyampo, in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality.He also thanked the President for constructing three community day Senior High Schools in the following areas - Denkyira Kyekyewere, Diaso and Twifo Hemang.Nana Nkyere appealed to the Government to rehabilitate the Dunkwa/Kyekyewere/Awisem stretch which was constructed in 1928 to ease their burden when travelling through Twifo-Ayaase  Twifo Praso to Cape Coast.
The policy was suspended following a swell of protest from the business community.

It was initially scheduled to come into force March 2016 but was suspended for further deliberations.

According to some freight forwarders, the policy has the potential of increasing cost of operations.

They have also threatened to boycott the implementation of the policy.

But Agbonlahor said in an interview with Citi FM that the policy will make things much more difficult under what is already a challenging environment.

He noted that his outfit will however abide by the policy should it be implemented.

He said authorities have been very understanding, they have seen the total picture in terms of how this could impact on the economy and industries.

Executive Director of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Samson Asaki Awingobite, told Pulse.com.gh in March that they will increase the prices of imported goods and beverages if government implement the tax stamp policy in the manner it intends to.
The students were reported to have vandalised the dormitories, school walls and sign boards of Kpando Senior High School (KPANSEC).

The Kpando Senior High School is situated directly opposite the Kpando Technical Institute in the Volta region.

There has been some rivalry between the two schools over the years.

A teacher at KPANSEC told Accra-based Joy FM that the violence occurred after some old students of KPANSEC engaged in a fight with students from KPANTECH.

"The KPANTECH boys recognized some of the boys who are old students of our school so they vented their anger on our students when they came back from town," he said.

"They tried to organize themselves again this afternoon and that was when the police and authorities came in and calmed them down," he added.
After revealing that he spends GHC 1,000 a week on bleaching, he later said he doesn't want to look black.

"I want to be red. I don't need any black in my life! Master, I want you to make red so that you see that I make fine. Look my body, all the girls see me [and they say] ei, Banku fresh! They believe me papa, Bukom girls," the proud maverick boxer told Joy TV over the weekend.
EL, as known in showbiz circles, beat competition from Stonebwoy, Sarkodie, Bisa Kdei, SP Kofi Sarpong, and VVIP for the coveted title at the biggest night on Ghanas music calender.

From the time he was announced winner, EL has been showered with congratulatory messages from many celebrities.

EL won four other categories at this 17th edition of the event held at the Accra International Conference Centre, Saturday.

Aside winning the Hiplife/Hip-pop Artiste of the Year, his song, Mi Naa Bo Po was adjudged Afro Pop Song of the Year. The same track earned him Producer of the Year while the music video for Shelele won Music Video of the Year.

Receiving the coveted plaque, EL urged all not to be discouraged but pursue their ambitions. Earlier, he had said that when he started his solo music career, he turned death ears to comments which suggested that he quit music and do something else.
Around the Fourth Industrial Revolution theme being driven by the World Economic Forum, the theme for WEFAfrica 2016 is Connecting Resources through Digital Transformation. This 26th edition of the meetings take place at Camp Kigali from May 11-13. In light of this theme, the Global Shapers Community of the World Economic Forum, which is mostly made up of millennials, is pushing an #internet4all campaign.

The campaign is to bring top-of-the-mind awareness around the provision of fast, affordable, current and terrific internet all around Africa to drive the continents transformation. Various Global Shapers, including Ghanaians, have contributed to this campaign, which has already reached millions of people on social media.

3 Ghanaians from the Global Shapers Community in Ghana, Ato Ulzen-Appiah (Accra Hub), Jorge Appiah (Kumasi Hub), and Abdul-Latif Issahaku (Tamale Hub) will be part of 50 Global Shapers attending the World Economic Forum on Africa.

Ato, Jorge and Abdul were chosen after the receipt of many high-quality applications and an extremely rigorous selection process. They join 47 other Global Shapers from various African hubs. They are 3 young trailblazers in their respective fields with local impact and global appeal. Professionally, they are neck deep in initiatives which are driving digital transformation in Ghana.

Ato Ulzen-Appiah is a member of the Global Shapers Accra Hub. He's the director at the GhanaThink Foundation which mobilizes and organizes talent for the primary benefit of Ghana. He has led GhanaThinks Barcamp Ghana program (which targets 18-35 year olds) to impact over 8000 youth, building a network of changemakers, doers and entrepreneurs in Ghana and beyond. He co-founded the creation of the Junior Camp Ghana program, providing value to high school students in Ghana primarily through career guidance and mentoring, as well as internships. Within GhanaThink as well, he co-founded the Ghana Volunteer Program, which through the National Volunteer Day, has seen thousands volunteer their skills, time, resources and effort in making Ghana better. Ato studied at MIT and Stanford in civil engineering and management disciplines, using those world-class experiences to shape his work, relations and growth. While working at Google as a program manager building sustainable tech communities in Africa, he led the creation and activity of several technology groups. Some of the people he engaged online before, during and after his time at Google, are currently Global Shapers. He worked at Rancard Solutions as product manager building new revenue services off its platform. He co-founded Museke.com -an African music website and blogs at mightyafrican.blogspot.com.

Ato Ulzen-Appiah is looking forward to engaging with Global Shapers like him from all over Africa. After attending the World Economic Forum on Africa in 2013 and the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in 2015, he expects to learn from, share and network with people who are committed to making Africa the best it can be. Im excited to visit Rwanda for the first time to experience some of the great stories Ive heard about it and build a stronger network in Rwanda.

Abdul-Latif Issahaku is the founding curator of the Global Shapers Tamale Hub. He is a passionate marketing executive leading brands to drive products and services innovation. He is fascinated about innovations in the technology space and has consistently launched and applied mobile technology solutions that address everyday problems. Since 2006, Abdul-Latif has worked for two multinational telecom companies; the Chinese giant Huawei Technologies as well as MTN, Africas leading telecom operator. In 2013, he launched the MTN Apps Challenge which provides opportunity for Ghanaian youth to use technology to solve the litany of problems in Ghana. Some 100 young software developers have taken part in the annual competition. Abdul-Latif studied at two prestigious universities in Africa and Europe  Ashesi University in Ghana and Nyenrode Business University in The Netherlands where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Masters in Business Administration respectively. He took courses at Kellogg School of Management in the USA, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in India as well as the European Commission in Brussels. He has interacted with corporate leaders in Europe and the United States from companies such as Microsoft, CISCO, IBM, Vodafone, Bavaria Breweries, Sogeti, and TNT. Abdul-Latif is described as an inspiring young leader and a member of the World Economic Forums Global Shapers Community.

Abdul-Latifs expectations for AF16: "To engage African business and political leaders on the urgent need to speed up with the requisite actions and interventions to bridge the digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world. Additionally, to explore with fellow emerging leaders ways to connect effectively and catalyze this change".

Jorge Appiah is the current curator of the Global Shapers Kumasi Hub. He is driven by passion for development and empowerment of youth as a techpreneur and innovator, Jorge is creating platforms to help promote local innovations tackling critical challenges in our communities and also to promote youth entrepreneurship. Jorge believes in local innovations and manufacturing as a way forward for developing Africa. He is the Co-founder/CEO of Kumasi Hive; a multi-space innovation place providing affordable spaces including co-working spaces, Makerspace, Training space and event space to support start-ups and the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kumasi, the first of its kind. Kumasi Hive also happens to be the only tech hub in the country that provide technical, business and financial support to hardware innovations and startups in addition to the mainstream software and social startups.

Jorge is also the founder/Executive director of Creativity Group (Cg), an interdisciplinary community of student innovators, makers, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are using innovation and technology as a tool, to solve problems in our communities and in Ghana for social interventions and sustainable development. Creativity Group currently have 5 chapters across the major universities in Ghana with over 600 memberships. Cg provide supporting platforms for students who seeks to turn their ideas into prototypes, then assist them further with business development and financial literacy training to help them create business around their skills and innovation.

On his expectations for #AF16, Jorge Appiah said: To connect and dialogue with key decision makers; policy makers, politicians and businessmen, coming from Africa and other part of the world about issues regarding readiness of Africans to partake in the digital economy and the forthcoming 4th industrial revolution.

Other Ghanaians attending the Forum include Enyo Kumahor of (a Young Global Leader), Farida Bedwei of (a Young Global Leader), Jacob Kholi (Partner of The Abraaj Group), Michael Wilson (Managing Partner of Migson Ghana), Sebastian Ashong-Katai (of Ecobank Transnational) and Kingsley Yeboah Amoako (President of African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET)).
A state luncheon would also be held in his honour in the afternoon before President Mahama accompanies the visiting premier on a guided tour of the Tema Oil Refinery and VALCO, a statement from the Flagstaff House said Sunday

Bilateral relations between the two countries have been strong and the visit of the Prime Minister is expected to strengthen the ties.

The Caribbean country has in recent times been exploring ways of collaborating with Ghana to develop the country's gas resources.
The suspect robbed a trader at gunpoint at Ohene Djan, a suburb of Abesim, near Sunyani on May 2, 2016 of a handbag containing GH2,500 and other items at about 7.30pm, Graphic reports.

Luck however eluded him when an alarm was raised by a young boy. He was subsequently chased by residents in the area and severely beaten.

Yeboah was later arrested and sent to the Sunyani hospital for treatment, where he managed to to outwit the police constable guarding him and escaped while on admission.

Husband of the victim in the robbery incident, Mr. Kweku has told the Daily Graphic that the suspect's escape puts them all at risk. He pleaded with the police to fast track moves to re-arrest the suspect.

"We are traumatised and my wife now fears to operate her business. We even fear for the life of the 18-year old boy who put his life at stake to save all of us," he added.
It is unclear what caused the fire, but it is believed to have been caused by an electrical appliance that was left on by a student in the dormitory.

Opare-Addo said The fire team has begun investigating the cause of the fire.

The dormitory which houses about 50 students was seriously destroyed by the fire.

Several other properties of the students were destroyed. The wooden windows of the dormitory were blackened and charred from where the flames had licked at them.
"Alassane Ouattara, who I am talking about, in Cote dIvoire is two years older than me. Muhammadu Buhari is three years older than me, and you see what he is doing in Nigeria," the former foreign affairs minister told the gathering."The so-called young man that we have is plunging our country into a ditch. Lets elect the so-called old man to come and take our country out of the ditch," the 72-year-old presidential candidate said.

Nana Addo was speaking at the inauguration of the South African branch of the NPP on Saturday, at Illovo in Johannesburg.

He called on party members to vote the NPP in order to change the fortunes of the country.
The Limited Voters Registration exercise which began on Thursday, April 28 and ended on Sunday, May 8, was aimed at capturing the details of Ghanaians who have turned 18 since the last election in 2012.

The development has contributed to calls for the registration exercise to be extended, with the Electoral Commission considering that option.

Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Georgina Opoku Amankwa had earlier told journalists that After the exercise we will look at it holistically and see whether it merits an extension."

However, the National Organiser of the NDC, Mr. Kofi Adams has indicated that an extension will not be ideal in the current circumstance.

"...But once again, I don't think that extending the limited voter registration exercise will help any of the parties. The best is to just allow people who were not able to register to utilise the continuous registration exercise," he told Accra-based TV3.

On the subject matter of the Supreme court asking the Electoral Commission to clean the voters register, Mr. Adams said it is imperative for the EC to hold an IPAC meeting to discuss the way forward.
Confirming the incident to Accra-based Joy FM, a technician with the EC, Moses Tibillah said the office of the Commission was broken into through the window.

According to him, the wire mesh and three louvre blades in the window behind the office had been removed.

He said they noticed the incident when he and his team had come to the office to export the data gathered to the national headquarters of the EC in Accra.

When asked what will be the fate of documents on the stolen computers detailing voter registration data, Moses Timbilla said the biometric data was backed up on USB sticks.
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ALSO READ: Tyga follows Blac Chyna on Instagram

Tyga again reached out to his former baby mama, whom he dumped to date a then 17-year-old Kylie, to congratulate her on her baby news last week before any of Rob's sisters. The rapper claims the happiness of the mother of his child is what's most important.

Well, according to our readers, Tyga could be genuinely happy for Chyna and Rob but only because its a big relief. The rapper has been slammed severally for leaving Chyna and his son to date Chyna's former BFF Kim Kardashian's sister.

Chyna has also been in constant feud with Kylie on social media over her relationship with Tyga. The model even slammed the rapper over a car he allegedly purchased for the teen claiming he couldnt afford it. "Show me receipts," she told the press then.

ALSO READ:Kris Jenner and Blac Chyna friendly in resurfaced picture

Now, ChyRob has made peace with the Kardashian-Jenner clan and everything seem to be going so well.
The New Media Conference 2016 will also feature a keynote speaker, industry experts, well moderated sessions, brand exhibitions and key takeaways. Last year Pulse Nigeria's Editor-in-chief Osagie Alonge and Entertainment Editor Princess Abumere were part of the panel. More than 300 participants are expected at this years conference.

The theme for this year is: Business Unusual: Nurturing a more Vibrant New Media industry in Nigeria, and will cover topics relevant such as Corporate branding, Digital Agency, Social Media Influence.

"This year's conference is particularly important," said conference organizer, Tosin Ajibade.

We are converging to articulate interests and inputs from stakeholders in the Nigerian online/digital media space and seeking to turn the results of that conversation to real-world uses," she added.

Following the success of the maiden edition in 2015, the organizers will be broadening and deepening the conversation in 2016. With the support and partnership of leading brands and experts, they have revealed their commitment to empowering and enlightening individuals and corporate organizations with useful information and exposure towards a more rewarding new media practice in Nigeria.
The Nation reports that the killer brother, identified as Remi Adelaja, immediately after killing his brother, Mayowa, allegedly fled the residence at 6, Adelaja Street, off Afariogun, Oshodi, on Sunday, May 8, forcing other residents to flee the compound before the police got to the scene at about 2am.

The cause of the deadly fight, according to witnesses, was as a result of a scuffle over the use of a torchlight.

It was learnt that the deceased had been looking for the torchlight and asked his younger brother about it but that Remi claimed he knew nothing about it. The denial brought about a serious quarrel which degenerated into a fight with Remi using a knife to stab his bother.

This is how a neighbour narrated how the incident played out:

Their mother, Mrs. Adelaja, is a bread seller. The suspect brought his five children to his fathers house after he lost his wife and since then, they have been staying together. Although, the deceased has been complaining about it.

But that day, the deceased was looking for a torchlight and asked his younger brother who said he knew nothing about it. The issue later resulted to a quarrel because the two of them have been having problems.

The next thing they started fighting. The elder brother used an iron rod to hit the younger one twice but the suspect ran inside, brought a knife and stabbed his older brother on the stomach.
The DSS has however denied this claim, stating that 39-year-old Eyitayo died from complication which came about when he jumped from their van.

He was given the best medical attention to help his condition, but this did not save him.

According to Punch Metro, the deceased was arrested on April 4, 2016 by the DSS in connection with an ongoing investigation regarding the cloning of phone numbers of government officers.

The Department of State Services were said to have been a look-out for a man named Rilwanu, who lives on Aje Street, Pleasure in Iyana Ipaja.

The search did not bring up any result as Rilwanu had already fled his residence when the DSS operatives arrived at his home.

They however met his wife who led them to the house of his best friend, Eyitayo. It was during the course of arrest that he sustained injuries.

According to Eyitayo's brother, Oyetunji, the deceased was preparing for his marriage set to hold in December 2016. He said he does not believe the DSS' explanation on the death of his brother.

Oyetunji said, We suspect foul play. The DSS did not inform the family until April 23. Why did they hide his death from us? Every time I went there, they said the official handling the matter was not around and I could not see Damilare (Eyitayo). His death is painful. He was set to marry in December 2016.

He was not a member of any syndicate. He was a friend to Rilwanu, and the suspect had fled knowing what he did. Damilares offence was that he was a friend to a suspect. Now, the DSS is begging us to leave everything to God.

The family, through their lawyer, Babs Animashaun, have submitted a request for a coroner inquest to the Attorney General, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, to learn details of Eyitayo's death.

Animashaun said, We were informed that the deceased was arrested because he was a friend to a suspect that the DSS was interested in arresting. We were also informed that it was the wife of the suspect, after she had been beaten by the gun-wielding officials, that told them her husband was not around and led them to the house of the deceased.

When the DSS operatives got to the deceaseds house, he was thoroughly beaten before he was taken away. We were informed that the deceased died same day in the DSS custody.

We hereby request that an inquest be conducted into the circumstances of the death of the deceased to ascertain the cause and manner of death.

Kunle Ajanaku, the DSS Director for Lagos State, stated that the agency always ensure the application of humane treatment against suspects.

The arrest of Eyitayo is in response to a directive by the Lagos State Government to arrest and prosecute suspects connected to the phone number cloning of a Governor.

Ajanaku said, It is regrettable that the man died. We do not engage in extrajudicial killing. When you talk of the best practices in terms of human rights and how we detain suspects, the DSS comes near first.

This is a syndicate that has been able to clone the phone number of a governor. The state government submitted a petition that all the suspects involved should be arrested and prosecuted.

Some of the suspects were traced to the deceaseds house. It took surveillance and technicality for weeks to trace his place. Instead of him to cooperate with officials, he resisted and turned violent. When they managed to take him into the vehicle, he struggled and escaped from the van.

He was pursued and in the process, he fell down twice. As a result of his violence, we handcuffed and chained him. When he was brought to our office here, we saw his condition and rushed him to the hospital. He died while in the hospital.

We have sent the case file to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for advice. We are ready to listen to the family. An autopsy will be conducted; we do not have anything to hide.
The robbery suspect, Teslim Mohammed, had according to the reports, been arrested while planning a robbery attack with his gang members.

Mohammed, who has reportedly blamed his return to the life of crime on the devil, has asked that the police kill him if he is ever caught again.

Speaking with Crime Guard, Mohammed opens up, saying:

"I am from Erin-Ile in Kwara State but live at Sango, Ilorin. I was a drycleaner. It was Tunde who brought a gun to me that he wanted to sell it. I knew Tunde in Ilorin; he was a carpenter. Tunde knew me as a hard guy and we used to meet at hemp joint.

"I called my friend, AZ, to cut it to size, after which we kept it beside a primary school in Ilorin. After that, we attempted to use it to rob at Gaa Akanbi area of Ilorin but we were unsuccessful. Tunde was later challenged and arrested, while we fled. One of us, Solomon, who returned to his residence at Gambari in Ogbomoso, was also challenged by his community members and he was arrested. Tunde brought police to arrest me.

"I was once remanded in prison after we robbed some students in Ilorin. I spent close to a year in prison before I was granted bail. The case is still in court. I got AZs number from a prisons inmate called Tosin. It was AZ who gave me the number of another gang member, Bayo.

"I dont understand myself; it was the devils work that made me do the job. If I am let off the hook, I will never venture into crime again. If I try to commit crime again, the police should kill me after catching me."

ALSO READ: Suspected thieves forced to walk the streets naked
Earlier reports revealed that Shonde, who had gone into hiding following his dastardly act, had been traced by the police through calls he had made to the relations of his late wife and picked up from his hideout.

But according to report, the suspect told Punch correspondent during a lengthy conversation between 7am to 2.37pm, that he had surrendered himself to the police.

The police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, had claimed that the police tracked down the suspect and arrested him, adding that he will be transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation.
Henson has always been at logger heads with people who address her as former man who went under the knife to change her identity to become a woman and has always told anyone that cares to listen that she her brain has always been a female and only undertook the a medical correction to allign her brain with her body.
Speaking during unofficial visit to the market site, the governor observed that some portions of the old market had traces of allocation by unauthorised persons.

He said the state government would deal with any land speculator found illegally selling parcels of land at the site.

He urged those residing around the land to assist government in apprehending any one found defrauding members of the public and report such person to the nearest police station.

NAN recalls that Al-makura had in April commissioned the New Marraraba Orange market and made a donation of N20 million for the provision of some needed amenities.

He also donated N30 million for the completion of the road linking the market to Abuja-Keffi highway.

The governor said the state government had earmarked the old market site for the construction of an ultra-modern primary school in Mararaba.
Kwaramba, a mother of seven, lost five to Boko Haram insurgents. Her husband is still missing following an onslaught by Boko Haram insurgents who have waged over seven years war against the Nigerian State in order to establish an Islamic caliphate.

I have resorted to frying yam and beans cake (akara), Kwaramba said with tears in her eyes.

"I went out of the community empty handed and returned empty handed. I met an empty house. My five children who were in higher institutions were killed and my husband is nowhere to be found, I can't say he is still alive or dead only God knows," Kwaramba told Pulse.

She was into beams cake business before the Boko Haram insurgents send them out of the community. The business was booming unlike now that everyone complains about serious economic hardship, she said.

Kwaramba tales pictured the agony faced by several women displaced in Michika communities of Adamawa state which have about 26 chiefdoms and 84 villages around the mountainous caves sharing boundary with Cameroon.

Houses, banks, colleges and many places of worship were destroyed by the Boko Haram members with approximately 370,000 people displaced.

At a nearby village of Mona in Michika, Laraba Emmanuel said they are starting life all over again.

I just thank God that I survived. I just thank God that I returned alive. We are farmers, we just want the peace to continue so that we can farm in this raining season, Laraba said.

We need serious support from this government, especially our governor who did not visit us since our return. Let them come and see how we are doing. We are in a pathetic situation". Laraba added.

Mrs Delilah Joseph who ran away from Borno IDP camp because of attacks by insurgents, found herself in Madagali.

Madagali was not the better safe place she yearned for. An indigene of Gwoza, in Borno State, who ran to Michika, said she saw hell on earth when Boko Haram members overrun Michika communities in Adamawa State.

My husband and two of my grown up children were slaughtered in my very eyes like chickens just because they refused to join Boko Haram, Delilah said.

"When Boko Haram over ran Gwaoza, my husband, myself and my two grown up children were cornered on our way to mountains to hide. We were blocked along the way by the insurgents shouting Allahukbar. 

The insurgents asked them to convert to Islam or they will be slaughtered and they refused. The insurgents who know us very well, slaughtered my husband and the children, she said.

"After slaughtering them like rams in my own very eyes, they took me away saying that I will be their cook. The Boko Hram members I saw were into hard drugs. They were into narcotics. After they took their nicotine and slept off, I ran out to Madagali and from Madagali to Michika, Delilah added.
The NDLF also said that the bombing of pipelines in the Niger Delta isnt over yet.

The groups comments were contained in a statement released by its spokesman, Mark Anthony, according to The Cable.

The statement reads:

We do not condemn the current bombing because when we surrendered, we told the world that bombing of pipelines was not over yet. Those bombing pipelines in Delta state should not behave like cowards if they are truly fighting the interest of Niger Delta.

They should be bold enough to come out. When we were bombing, our leader General John Togo did not hide his face. We dealt with the Nigerian army, and we were not hiding.

They should not hide their identity. Buhari is not God and they should not be scared of him. JTF should not attack and arrest innocent people in Ijaw communities, they should go for the real saboteurs.

Although, we had told former President Goodluck Jonathan that Nigerian army cannot protect pipelines in the creek. The current amnesty chairman Paul Boroh does not know the boys in Niger Delta. He is not in touch with Niger Delta major ex-agitators. Buhari should sack him immediately and appoint another chairman like Kingsley Kuku who knows the boys in the creek. This will help the current oil war.

Buhari had earlier said that his government would deal with militants the same way it had dealt with Boko Haram terrorists.

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This is contained in a statement issued by FAAN's General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mr Yakubu Dati on Sunday in Abuja.

The statement said that Dunoma gave the charge while addressing members of staff of the Department of Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services at the Kaduna Airport.

It said the managing director also charged them to imbibe the habit of maintenance culture so as to derive maximum benefits from the heavy duty vehicles and equipment.

He encouraged them to put into practice knowledge acquired at the recent training conducted by FAAN in order to justify the huge investments by the authority to enhance service delivery at airports.

It said the Dunoma and his team while being conducted around the airport, Mr Nuru Jatau of the department of Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS) enumerated some of their challenges.
Fani-Kayode arrived at the office of the EFCC in Abuja today, May 9, 2016.

The former minister had earlier denied benefitting from the fraud and also said that he was not on the run from the EFCC.

He was invited by the agency on Friday, May 6, and later raised an alarm that his house had been surrounded by EFCC agents.

The arms deal fraud was allegedly supervised by former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki who later distributed the looted funds.

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This was expected and even natural since Buhari was going against a party which had been in leadership for 16 years.

However, it is interesting to note that even the foreign media has participated in attacks against the president.

Online publication, Daily Mail, on May 8, 2016, queried Buharis war against corruption saying that the president himself owns five houses and is paying expensive fees for his children in schools abroad.

The presence of Nigerias president at David Camerons anti-corruption summit this week may surprise many in his nation  which receives vast amounts of UK aid,the report read.

Self-proclaimed Peoples President Muhammadu Buhari began a war on corruption after taking power last year, but critics allege it is a political witch-hunt.

The [UK] Government is giving nearly 250million in the coming year to oil-rich Nigeria, whose president sends his daughter to a 26,000-a-year English school. In April the opposition PDP party unearthed a ticket stub showing Hanan, 16, had flown first-class from London to Nigeria, despite her fathers ban on officials using premium travel.

The president is reported to have failed to give a full account of his worth, but even his partial admission included more than 1million in the bank, five houses and two plots of land. Supporters say 49 arrests of members of the previous regime show the anti-corruption war is genuine, but opponents say it is politically driven.

Nigeria has the highest-paid government officials in the world but is one of the largest beneficiaries of UK foreign aid, it added.

The UK Telegraph had earlier also accused Buhari of using aid gotten from Britain to persecute his political enemies.

Hundreds of millions of pounds of British foreign aid given to Nigeria to help combat Boko Haram terrorists is instead being used to fund a witch-hunt against opposition politicians, it is being claimed, it wrote on April 12.

Britain has committed to spending 860 million in foreign aid to Nigeria, which now boasts Africas largest economy, to help support the countrys efforts to crush Boko Haram terror group, which has been responsible for a spate of outrages, including the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls.

But Western officials are now raising concerns that the government of the countrys recently elected leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, is misusing the funds to persecute political opponents.

But while Mr Buharis government continues to use British aid money to target his political opponents, it is proving less effective at tackling the Islamist-run Boko Haram terrorist group, it added.

The common bone of contention in the two reports seems to be the amount of aid Nigeria is receiving from the UK, but the media cannot be so naive as to believe that Britain will give such large amounts of money to Nigeria without getting anything in return.

However, even if this were the case, theres certainly more of Nigerias money in the UK than the UKs in Nigeria and the UK does not seem to be complaining about this.

Corrupt Nigerians have bought homes in the UK and stashed stolen funds there, is the UK doing anything to stop this? Did it refuse to store the money? Did it refuse to sell houses to corrupt Nigerians? Did it deport Nigerians who were spending obviously stolen funds?

Why is the UK accepting Nigerians and Nigerian money into its universities? Why are UK schools sending representatives into Nigeria every other day to collect hard-earned Nigerian money? Why didnt UK schools refuse to educate Buharis children?

Nigeria has a corruption problem, granted, and its public officials definitely need to cut down on their spending, but it would be hypocritical of the UK to complain about giving Nigeria money for aid when it is gleefully accepting Nigerian money on a daily basis.

As for questions regarding Buharis integrity and the validity of his war against corruption, the UK media needs to present cold hard facts of wrongdoing on the presidents part and stop whipping up sentiments which make it sound like its supporting corrupt Nigerians.
Dangote disclosed this on Monday, May 8, 2016, while visiting the Dalori and Bakassi IDP camps in Borno State.

"I am here to see the IDPs by myself. This is my first time to visit IDPs in Borno but I want to assure you that it will not be the last. We shall continue to work with the State government to make sure the IDP camps are hunger free," Dangote said.

He also said that he would feed all the IDPs during the Holy month of ramadan.

"Like I said earlier when I visited the IDP camps, our partnership with Borno State aims to create jobs for our people. Also I assure you that the entire food for IDPs during Ramadan will be given by the Dangote Foundation to assist the State government," he pledged.
The officers were said to have been killed in the early hours of Monday at Okobie, Ahoada West local government area of Rivers State.

According to the state police spokesman, Ahmad Muhammad, the victims, who were attached to 30 Mobile Police Force (MPF) of the Nigerian Police, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, were on their way to Bayelsa when they were ambushed and killed.

Mohammad described the killings as sad and senseless.

We are deeply pained by the senseless and barbaric killing of our colleagues attached to 30 PMF, Yenagoa, who were ambushed in the early hours of Monday at Okobie enroute Yenagoa.

Todays tragedy again highlighted the enormous calamity we face and witness in the course of our job. We put our lives on line everyday to confront crime and violence in our communities, he said.
Vanguard reports that Fulani herdsmen reportedly attacked Coromo, Dan- Anacha and Mutum Biyu communities in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba state on Friday, May 6, 2016.

Reports say the herdsmen burnt 13 houses, killed 12 people and left 80 others seriously injured.

The killings were allegedly over a land dispute between the herdsmen and the Tivs.

According to reports, security personnel have taken over the communities to maintain law and order.

The Inspector-General of police, Solomon Arase, recently sacked the he Enugu state police commissioner, Nwodibo Ekechukwu,over attacks by Fulani herdsmen in Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area.

The killings in Enugu seems to have sparked a distrust for Northerners in the East, as an Hausa man was allegedly burnt to death for stabbing a fellow Igbo trader.

Also, the Yoruba farmers pressure group and ethnic militia, Agbekoya Farmers Association of Nigeria and the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) have threatened to retaliate any attack from the Fulani herdsmen.
This is coming on the heels of the destruction of Chevron and Shell facilities, allegedly by a new militant group, the Niger-Delta Avengers.

Reports say those in charge of the Amnesty Program in the region have also solicited for the help of former militants to fish out the culprits of the recent bombings.

Punch reports that the Chief Security Officer to the Amnesty Office, Lt. Col. Olusegun Okungbure, said The Special Adviser has sent people to the region to see if we can identify the perpetrators of this act.

Secondly, he has also condemned the attacks on all these oil platforms. He has also interfaced with the security agencies for the protection of the pipelines and security in the general area.

Even as we speak now, we just finished a form of telephone conversation with the JTF Commander, who just returned from Delta State. These are some of the things we are doing.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has indicated its readiness to dialogue with the Niger Delta militants following recent attacks on crude oil facilities in the region.
The warning was given via a statement released by the spokesman for the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, Brigadier General

The statement reads:

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) hereby warns that it will not condone any unwholesome acts by persons or group seeking to engage in acts that are capable of causing breaking down of law and order in any part of the country. Citizens are advised to refrain from taking laws into their hands and avoid actions that may cause breach to harmonious co-existence.

Individuals or groups seeking for relevance should follow the due process in accordance with the law of our land and not through acts of brigandage. The DHQ also wishes to advice the general public to ignore inciting pictures, videos and statements posted on some social media platforms which are now confirmed to be the creation of Photoshop with the intention of causing disharmony and divisions among different nationalities.

The military and the security agencies will continue to sustain the current tempo against terrorists, oil thieves, cattle rustlers and other forms of criminalities and urge all law abiding citizens to go about their normal businesses and report any suspicious persons or object to the nearest security post for prompt action.

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For today, May 9 2016:

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Dasuki paid me monthly, says OkupeA former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has revealed that his office was funded monthly by the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). READ MORE

FG to concession 2nd Niger Bridge, four airportsThe Federal Government has listed six strategic intervention areas to be covered by the 2016 budget signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday. READ MORE

Alamieyeseigha, Audu, Iboris London mansions exposedThe London mansions of deceased former Governor of Baylesa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and another dead ex-governor, Abubakar Audu of Kogi State, have been revealed by a United Kingdom-based media ahead of President Muhammadu Buharis visit to London for an anti-corruption summit. READ MORE____________________________________

THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

This budget will lift Nigerians, bring change, says MohammedWith the signing of the 2016 budget, Nigerians will now begin to feel the impact of the change agenda, the mantra upon which the All Progressives Congress (APC) government rode to power, Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said. READ MORE

Militants list terms for truce, seek action on confab reportApparently undeterred by President Muhammadu Buharis order to the military to crush them, militants under the aegis of the new group, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), yesterday demanded some conditions that should be met by the Federal Government in order to ensure peace in the Niger. READ MORE

Government suit against Shell for Bonga Spill is commendableFollowing the new twist in the Bonga oil spills of December 20, 2011, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has commended the federal government for dragging Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, claiming N1.3 trillion against the oil firm. READ MORE____________________________________

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Niger Delta Avengers: Shell evacuates staff from major facilitiesWARRIThe activities of Niger Delta Avengers, the new militant group in the oil-rich region, have forced Royal Dutch Shell to evacuate most of its staff from its production facility, Eja OML 79. READ MORE

ACourt affirms 25-yr jail term for 3 Boko Haram convictsLagosThe Court of Appeal in Lagos at the weekend affirmed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Lagos convicting and sentencing three members of the Boko Haram terror group to 25 years imprisonment each. READ MORE

Fani-Kayode meets EFCC today over N840m campaign fundsAbujaAfter many weeks of verbal exchange, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will today confront the spokesman of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathans Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, over N840 million he reportedly received a few days to the presidential election. READ MORE ____________________________________

BUSINESS DAY NEWSPAPER

Nigerian economy nears breaking point as militants add to FX woesNigerias economy is nearing breaking point as a new round of militancy in the oil rich Niger Delta, combined with FX shortages, threaten to snuff out any recovery in economic output after growth fell last year to the lowest levels since 1999. On Friday a previously unknown group of militants who call themselves the Niger READ MORE

Markets upbeat as investors react to budget consentNigerian markets turned positive Friday in reaction to the signing of the delayed 2016 budget into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, which ended weeks of wrangling with Nigerian lawmakers. The equities market which hitherto was awash with choppy deals, with more of sell-offs, suddenly rebounded with about N48billion value addition or 0.54 percent rise in READ MORE
Even though there are other aspirants said to have been favoured by the former governors of the State, Sen Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, Dr. MuhktarRamalanYero and the Senator representing Kaduna South Senatorial District, Danjuma Laah, the seven aspirants insisted in a two page document obtained by Pulse that they want an individual who will pilot the activities of the party for good outing in 2019.

According to the two page document, Hon. Allahmagani Yohanna, Hon. Yohanna Jatau,Hon. Balat Lekwot, Hon. Ado Dogo Audu, Hon. Jonathan Asake, Barrister Mark Jacob Nzamah and Hon. Ben Bako, resolved that Hyat should be the next chairman of the PDP.

The consensus document which was signed by Hon Ben Bako on May 8, 2016, said they recognize that the position of the chairman can only be occupied by one person.
Even though the former NSA has won a first round of a case he instituted at the ECOWAS court, Dasuki is also been accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets, and ammunition meant for the Nigeria's military campaign against Boko Haram.

But Dasukis family members are querying the rationale behind the continued detention of their son, saying that it is the highest peak of infringement on his fundamental human rights.

A spokesman in the Dasuki family told some selected journalists on Sunday, May 8, 2016 that keeping their brother incommunicado has compelled them to believe that his ordeal was simply transfer of aggression.

This is exactly what they are doing without respect for the constitutional provisions, the family member who doesnt want his name mentioned for security reasons said.

The world might be wondering why we kept mute over this development. However, our reasons were simply nothing else but to allow for a fair trial without interference. We believe in the supremacy of the constitution of Nigeria. We equally believed that, it should and must be binding on all and sundry, which explains why we kept mute. After all, we are of a royal lineage that any comment from us might be adjusted otherwise," he said.

The family members said their fears were not about the present but the future political implication of Dasuki's continued detention.

"And if our brother is facing any hidden act of retaliation from anybody, then, it's most unfortunate that, we don't seem to realise that Nigeria is no longer operating under decree but constitution. Nigeria is no longer under military rule but democracy. Therefore, certain fundamental rights of individuals should and must be respected, he said adding, You cannot affirm that our brother is guilty as accused because he has not been tried by the law court".
The duo will clash in a sizzling on-screen confrontation in front of millions of TV viewers across Africa, dissing each other in comic mockery.

After lip syncing (or miming) to two songs of their choice, just one of them will lift the Lip Sync Battle trophy.

ALSO READ: undefined

Commenting on his appearance in the upcoming episode, Toke said "I

Responding, Chigurl said "My fans know that mimicking is my thing, so trust me on this one because you know as usual Ill be bringing my mar-kate on Lip Sync Battle Africa and it wont be a Weist. Toke: get ready to be chewed up and spat out.

ALSO READ:

The African version of the global TV hit, Lip Sync Battle Africa is hosted by South African actress and TV presenter Pearl Thusi, alongside Nigerian superstar,

Viewers can also be part of the #LSBChallenge by uploading their own personal lip sync of Dbanjs Emergency, Davidos The Sound, and Yemi Alades Johnny on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #LSBChallenge.

Episode 3 of Lip Sync Battle Africa airs on on Saturday, May 14, at 18:00 WAT.
Leon Lee's 23-minute film titled "The Day To Choose" puts its main character, a lawyer and strong opponent of the death penalty, in the difficult position of choosing how to punish the murderers of his wife.

Lee, a student in the German language department at Soochow University, developed the film with his producer Cheng Kuang-yu, based on a script that Cheng had long wanted to realise.

"What I really want to discuss in this short film is not only the issue of capital punishment, but how much a human will stick to (his or her ideals) when faced with adversity," Lee told Reuters on the set of the film.

The picture will screen in the short film corner at the prestigious annual Cannes festival in France on May 11-22 and has already won "Best Drama Short Film" at the 2016 Universe Multicultural Film Festival in California last month.
After seven seasons, the critically acclaimed CBS Legal drama which aired its first episode on September 22, 2009, wrapped up.

Check out five things that happened in finale titled "End", and here's how Twitter reacted.

ALSO READ: undefined

1. Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who died in the fifth season of The Good Wife, returned -in Alicias imagination. "Ill love you forever, Alicia said to him.

2. Alicia helped Peter escape jail time, although he had to resign the governorship.

3. Alicia goaded Lucca into asking Diane's husband, Curt (Gary Cole), to admit to an extramarital affair.

4. Alicia ended the series single. She dropped Peter's hand at the Press Conference to chase down her new love interest, Jason (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who unfortunately failed to turn up.

5. Alicia also lost her friendship with Diane, as the later slapped her for goading Lucca into asking Kurt about the affair and humiliating the couple in court.

Check out Twitter reactions to the finale below;

ALSO READ: undefined

The show which revolved around the character Alicia Florrick, aired its first episode on September 22, 2009.

About series.

When a very public sex and political-corruption scandal lands her husband, Peter, in prison, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies ) must get past the humiliation and betrayal and assume responsibility for her family. She resumes her career as a defense attorney, shedding her persona as the embarrassed wife of a politician, and takes charge of her destiny. Years later, after Peter wins the gubernatorial election, Alicia must balance her evolving career and family responsibilities with her new position as first lady of Illinois.
Idimogu, (PDP-Oshodi/Isolo II) made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

The lawmaker said that there was the need for the elders in the party to shelve their personal and sectional interests.

According to him, all hands must be on deck to ensure the success of the party in the 2019 general elections.

"Whatever sacrifices it will take for us to build our party to make it a strong brand again must be our commitment to such now.

"For us to get back to our feet again, we must recapture our strong base in the North. It is not a bad idea if Ali-Modu Sheriff is allowed to remain the party chairman at least for now.

"If for the purpose of stability, let him be there to stabilise the party and get our bearing. Let's support him because I believe he has the experience having beeg a two-term governor and a senator.

"From the effort I see him carrying out; I think he should be supported. Our leaders should join hands together in wooing those that have left the party back.

"There should be selfless interest among our party leaders, let the interest of the PDP as a party be preferred above personal interests," the lawmaker said.

The lawmaker, who urged party stakeholders to unite in the zoning formula, said that the party was not strong enough in the South-West for the region to insist on clinching the party's chairmanship.

According to him, besides the fact that the North has 19 states, the northerners are more involved in politics than the southerners.

He, however, urged the chieftains of the party to dialogue to settle all grievances and woo disenchanted members into the party.

According to him, the opposition party needs somebody like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the ruling party.
Melaye made the comment after being conferred with an award by the Rotary Club of Ilorin, The Cable reports.

One thing I want to assure Nigerians is that the trial of Saraki will not end in the CCT, but in the Supreme Court and we are with the Senate president until we get to the last bus stop, he said.

We are with him up till Supreme Court. Our support for the senate president is total and undiluted. This is a battle of no retreat, no surrender," he added.

Senator Melaye had earlier also said that Saraki is irremovable.

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Okorocha said I have been running for the presidency until God said I should settle for the Imo governorship. And that passion to become the President of the country is not just borne out of the thirst for the position, but had arisen out of the eagerness to offer the nation and her people a strong leadership; the essence would be to build a nation of our collective dreams and aspirations.

The Imo Governor also said President Buhari came in and, within one year, Nigeria has once again got the doors of the rest of the world opened for her.

He has shown courage, confidence, maturity and strong leadership. There is now high feelings of leadership in the country. What he, therefore, needs is to be supported and encouraged.

Also, there are reports that the Imo state Governor is the richest Nigerian politician with a total estimate of $1.4billion.
The forum is an initiative of Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara which was envisioned to promote active youth inclusiveness in the democratic process.

The event would feature seminars on a wide range of issues including Role of Students in Improving the Quality of Education in Nigeria, Reviews of Laws Establishing Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, a debate on Youth Unemployment, among other activities.

The Nigerian government has been working towards empowering the youths with various ideas.

Lagos state governor, Akinwumi Ambode assured Nigerian youths that his administration will improve the quality of education in tertiary institutions owned by the state to make graduates wealth creators.
This project, which allegedly N600 billion costs is aimed at ensuring that the institution has an uninterrupted supply of electricity

According to TheNewsNigeria, the project will commence immediately and will be completed in October, 2016. This is arguable the first of its kind in the Nigerian varsities.

Chief Executive Officer of Arrow Capital Solar Company, Brian Travis, while addressing the press said, the project is driven by a private sector and is an "absolute demonstration of private sector initiative by the American company in Nigeria.

Travis also added that UNILORIN was chosen for the project because of its strategic location, pointing out that the institution is an ideal location for solar power, especially that the backbone of the electricity distribution in the country runs through the line of the institution.

He also added that his company was buoyed by President Muhammadu Buharis announcement during his official visit to America that Nigeria was highly committed to solar power.

The project is roughly N600 billion and is expected, when completed in about five months time, to produce 500 mega watts of solar energy.

 It is going to supply 10 percent of power to Nigeria; we have three major grids and with significant power we will extend to Lagos, Kano and other parts of the country. 

In response to this development, Vice Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali has said expressed his excitement for the project.

He said: We at the University of Ilorin see the project as an opportunity to contribute to the efforts of the federal government of Nigeria in terms of power generation and distribution.

 Again, we are looking at the benefits the University will derive from the whole exercise, among which is the constant power supply to our university. We cannot over emphasise the need for that because we have a lot of departments that depend on constant power supply, most especially our biomedical research. We recently commissioned a Centre for Research Laboratory and we have quite a number of research groups being encouraged to do research and we all know that we cannot carry out scientific research appropriately without constant power supply.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Yacouba Toure is suspected of supplying the arms, grenades and ammunition used in an attack near Burkina Faso's second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, in October that killed three gendarmes, Mali's Head Office of State Security said.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have all been targeted by Islamist attacks blamed on militant networks that extend beyond national borders.

Ansar Dine has claimed numerous strikes in Mali against military and U.N. targets, including a suicide and rocket attack on a U.N. base that killed six peacekeepers in February.
The Kenyan government on Friday said it had disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs, and would close Kakuma camp and Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, as soon as possible.

Dadaab in eastern Kenya is home to some 350,000 refugees, mainly Somalis who have fled drought, famine and war, while Kakuma, located in the northwest, hosts nearly 200,000 refugees - half coming from South Sudan where civil war erupted in 2013.

"(This is) due to immense security challenges such as threat of al Shabaab and other related terror groups that hosting of refugees has continued to pose to Kenya and due to slow nature of repatriation," Karanja Kibicho, principal secretary of the Kenyan interior ministry, said in a statement.

Kenyan security officials believe militants, such as the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, have used the refugee camps as bases to prepare attacks and then mingled with residents in urban areas to carry them out.

The government said it was aware the decision would affect the lives of refugees, and that the international community must take responsibility for their humanitarian needs in the future.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Monday called on the Kenyan government to reconsider its decision and to avoid actions that might be at odds with its international obligations towards people needing sanctuary from danger and persecution.

Closing the camps could put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk, said medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

"The closure (of Dadaab) would risk some 330,000 Somali lives and have extreme humanitarian consequences, forcing people to return to a war-torn country with minimal access to vital medical and humanitarian assistance," MSF said in a statement.

Amnesty International said it acknowledged that the resettlement of refugees to third countries had been slow, but urged Kenya to consider fully integrating refugees into society.

Kenya hosts the second largest number of refugees on the African continent, some having arrived as long as 25 years ago. Legally, all refugees must live in camps and they cannot work.

The government has previously announced plans to restrict Somali refugees to camps, and separately threatened to relocate them if the United Nations did not move them.

The announcement could lead to more extortion and abuse for refugees at the hands of Kenyan police and other security forces, according to the charity Refugees International.
The presidential and parliamentary polls are more than a year away but politicians are already lining up for what could be a bruising battle in a nation where violence erupted after the 2007 vote and the opposition disputed the 2013 result.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the university and the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

A few demonstrators hurled stones at police standing near the gate of the IEBC offices.

"IEBC must go," protesters shouted in the centre of Nairobi, where dozens of police with support vehicles had been mobilised.

When stone throwing began, police fired tear gas canisters and trucks shot water cannon. Protesters dispersed after that.

Members of the opposition Coalition of Reform and Democracy (CORD), which unsuccessfully sought to overturn the 2013 result, staged a street protest last month.

The 2013 vote, which brought President Uhuru Kenyatta to power, proceeded calmly despite the opposition challenge. Raila Odinga, the CORD leader who has lost previous presidential bids, accepted the court ruling. He is expected to run again.

Western diplomats say the authorities must prepare carefully to ensure another peaceful vote in a country where ethnic loyalties usually trump policy among voters. About 1,200 were killed in ethnic killing that erupted after the 2007 poll.
Attacks on Westerners are rare in the UAE, an oil exporter and tourism hub, but concern has risen after a spate of Islamist violence in other wealthy, U.S.-allied Gulf kingdoms including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Ala'a Badr Abdullah al-Hashemi, 31, fatally stabbed the teacher in the toilet of an Abu Dhabi shopping mall in December 2014. She was executed - by firing squad, UAE media said - last July after a trial in which she was also convicted of planting a bomb outside the home of an American-Egyptian doctor.

M.A.H., 34 at the time of his arrest, was accused of seeking to join Islamic State and giving money to a member of al Qaeda. The Federal Supreme Court heard that he also plotted to bomb the Yas Marina Formula 1 race track and an IKEA furniture store, according to the English-language daily The National.

The accused denied all charges and said he has been held in solitary confinement for six months and refused family visits, English language daily The National said.
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After more than a century in business, McEleney Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Toyota is selling the Clinton dealership to Billion Automotive Inc., a Sioux Falls, S.D.-based dealership chain with 21 locations, owner John McEleney confirmed Monday.

"We've signed an agreement, subject to approval by General Motors and Toyota, and we'll continue to operate until those processes are complete," said McEleney, who owns the business with his son, Drew. They are the third and fourth generation to work in the dealership, now located at 2421 Lincolnway.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to be complete in July.

This will be the second dealership McEleney has sold to Billion Auto, which purchased the McEleney Autoplex in Iowa City in 2009. Billion Auto, owned by principal David H. Billion, also is a family-owned business with 21 dealerships across the Midwest, including South Dakota and Iowa. In addition to Iowa City, its Iowa locations are in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids.

The Clinton dealership's 67 employees were informed of the sale Friday. McEleney said the sale came together "pretty quickly" in about the past 60 days.

"Our business has been profitable, but it's a career decision," said McEleney, who turns 65 this fall and plans to retire. "My son, Drew, is my partner and he has a background in information systems and computer technology and worked for IBM previously. He's planning on pursuing a career in that field."

According to McEleney, they have known the Billion family through the business for 35 years. "If you're going to sell to somebody, you want to sell to somebody who is going to take care of your employees, respect the business and support the community," he said, adding that Billion Auto has agreed to retain his employees.

McEleney, who has been very active in the auto dealership industry, is pleased to be going out "on our terms."

"The community has been very supportive of us. It will be hard to walk away, but there's a time for everything."

He got his start "like every dealer's kid  working in the parts room and washing cars." His grandfather, Leo McEleney, founded the car dealership in 1914. McEleney's father, Warren McEleney, was the second generation.

Over the years, they have owned six dealerships in Iowa, Illinois and Florida. "This has always been our home base and has been our sole operation for the last few years," he said of the Clinton store.

He predicted that when the sale is complete, he and Drew will be done in the car business. "These folks know what they're doing. They're good at what they're doing and our people know what they're doing," he said of Billion Auto.
The Bier Stube. Watermark Corners. Lagomarcino's.

All are thriving downtown Moline businesses housed in buildings that date to the 1800s, before malls and big box developments changed retailing.

But because so many of the city's old buildings still remain with repurposed uses, the downtown qualified in 2007 for listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic commercial district.

To celebrate this hard-fought preservation of the city's "built environment," the Moline Historic Preservation Advisory Commission on Saturday will roll out a new self-guided heritage walking tour of the downtown.

The tour allows people with smart phones to get information on the history of about 50 different sites via QR codes that will be available on kiosk posters, postcards and brochures. The information also is available on the city's web site, moline.il.us (click on "visitors" and "historic tour web map") or at molinecentre.org/about/history.

But that's not all.

On Saturday only, the preservation commission also will offer free, one-hour, people-guided tours from 10 a.m. to noon. Actors will recount the history of each stop. You'll hear about the printing of a Belgium newspaper at Model Printers, the confectionary business at Lagomarcino's, hand-painted china dishes painted by Mattie Poole at her former store, and the work of drummer Louie Bellson, recollected by local musician Josh Duffee.

Participants also are invited on a scavenger hunt to try to identify nine architecture features of buildings on the tour.

"Architecture is the identity of a city," said Barbara Sandberg, a long-time historic preservationist who researched and wrote much of the tour's text. "That's what makes a city different and unique."

Sandberg also wrote the National Register nomination for the downtown and was the city council member who, from 1991 to 1995, led the charge to save the Skinner Block, 1524-1532 River Drive, from scheduled demolition.

"The documents were signed to demolish," Sandberg said.

But the battle for saving old buildings wasn't over. When planning began for construction of what is now the iWireless Center, there was talk of taking other structures for parking.

"That's what started it," Sandberg said of those victories and the subsequent repurposing of old buildings into restaurants, pubs, businesses and housing.

"Then the city began to see preservation in a positive vein," she said. "We managed to turn that around. Parking lots do not return revenue or create excitement."

While researching history is time-consuming and painstaking, finding historic photos is often impossible. But the self-guided tour is rife with photos, particularly old postcard views of the city.

"Dick had most of those photos," Sandberg said, referring to her husband. "All our life, he was interested in copying old photos. I guess you would call it a hobby. He has thousands in the basement."

The work started "before we knew we were preservationists," she said with a chuckle.

Also providing research and writing for the walking tour script was Curtis C. Roseman, a Moline native who returned to the Quad-Cities after retiring as a geography professor at the University of Southern California.
Two Davenport brothers slated to be tried Monday on charges that they beat a man at a Davenport strip club last year instead pleaded guilty.

Juan D. Shelton, 32, and Kamden A. Shelton, 25, entered Alford pleas in Scott County District Court to one count of willful injury causing serious injury, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Juan Shelton pleaded as a habitual offender, which prosecutors can seek if a defendant has two prior felony convictions. He faces up to 15 years in prison and must serve at least three years of that sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Both will be sentenced June 23.

In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but concedes that prosecutors likely have enough evidence to win a conviction.

At 12:26 a.m. Oct. 15, Davenport police officers responded to a fight at Chorus Line, 4128 Brady St.

Police say the two men and a third brother, Trenton Shelton, were involved in a fight with Joshua Sutton, 39, who was knocked to the floor.

According to police, the three brothers kicked Sutton in the head and torso several times and stomped on him. The brothers then fought with others in the strip club before returning to an unconscious Sutton and kicking him some more.

Kamden Shelton was arrested the day of the incident. Juan Shelton was arrested the next day after police say he led them on a five-minute car chase from Rock Island into Davenport via the Interstate 280 bridge.

Trenton Shelton, 30, was arrested in December in Mississippi by U.S. Marshals on a federal charge of failing to register as a sex offender in federal court.

He will be tried June 20 in the federal case. He has not yet appeared in the Scott County case.
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad is pitching Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst as a possible running mate for Donald Trump  the presumptive 2016 GOP presidential nominee who. Branstad said Monday. has been underestimated and likely would shake things up in Washington if elected in November.

Branstad told reporters he has contacted New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who Trump designed Monday as his transition team chairman as he shifts toward a general-election strategy, about setting up a meeting with Trump which he would use as a platform to promote Ernsts vice presidential credentials as a swing-state senator.

When I get an opportunity to visit with Donald Trump, Ill certainly indicate that we have a senator from Iowa that could be a great asset to the country and to him, said Branstad. Trump has said hes interested in somebody with military experience, but then he thought having congressional experience would also maybe be more important. Well, shes got both, and she comes from a key state, Branstad added.

Shes the kind of candidate that I think could be a great running mate to Donald Trump and certainly could be a great asset on the ticket in this battleground state of Iowa, the Iowa governor said.

Ernst, 45, is a first-term U.S. senator from Red Oak who rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Iowa National Guard before retiring from the military last year. She also served six years as a county elected official and nearly four years in the Iowa Senate.

Sen. Ernst's focus is on serving Iowans, said her spokesperson Brook Hougesen in an email statement Monday. She is continuing her 99-county tour across the state to hear Iowans' concerns and ideas firsthand, and is working to turn that feedback into action in Washington.

Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, a close Ernst ally, said the senator told her Sunday she is focused on serving Iowans in the office she has held since January 2015. The topic of Trumps running mate did not come up, she added, telling reporters: I have a great deal of confidence in Joni and she needs to be the one that makes that decision.

Trump, a New York billionaire making his first bid for public office, has all but wrapped up the 2016 GOP presidential nomination with each of his 16 competitors suspending their campaigns. Branstad said Monday he is backing Trump after ruling him out as the presumptive winner earlier in the race.

Branstad said a lot of Republicans underestimated Trump, including himself.

Im one thats willing to say I underestimated, I didnt believe this would work, but he has now won the nomination and Im going to support him, said the six-term Iowa governor.

Ill be the very first to admit, the governor told reporters at his weekly news conference. This summer when he came to the Iowa State Fair, flew his helicopter around and all of this stuff. I thought this is not going to last. Well, I was wrong as have been most of the pundits and political people.

Branstad called Trump an unconventional candidate who has struck a chord with disaffected voters fed up with the political establishment on both sides of the aisles. He said he expects the 2016 race to feature the ultimate political insider in Democrat Hillary Clinton versus a nontraditional candidate who is not afraid to be politically incorrect in bluntly addressing domestic and international issues facing the nation.

Now, do I agree with everything hes said? Oh, by no means, Branstad noted, but the bottom line is still the American people need to choose a direction for this country. Do we want to continue the direction were going and choose the ultimate insider, which is Hillary Clinton, or do we want somebody that is going to shake things up, that might be unpredictable but certainly is a new direction for America.
MAQUOKETA, Iowa  Security upgrades at the Jackson County Courthouse have advanced with county supervisors approving new cameras and a security guard position. They also are considering keyless entries to the building.

Supervisors have finalized a quote from Security Products of Dubuque for $58,602 to provide and install security cameras and computers in the courthouse, sheriff's office and county annex.

Supervisors have been talking about additional security for the courthouse in the wake of an incident on Sept. 9, 2014, when a man threatened county officials and ultimately shot himself.

There are cameras in the courthouse that are monitored by the dispatchers at the Maquoketa Law Center. However, officials have said the existing cameras are outdated and unclear.

The new equipment will provide state-of-the-art clarity and allow designated users in the courthouse to monitor the cameras. The Law Center will no longer oversee the cameras. There are panic buttons in each office at the courthouse that are programmed to call 9-1-1 when assistance is needed.

Supervisors said they will consider an expenditure of an estimated $33,000 for keyless entry locks on several of the doors to the courthouse. Several doors are scheduled to be locked and only accessed by employees for security.

Jackson County Sheriff Chief Deputy Steve Schroeder said a security committee has been meeting for almost two years to talk about safety issues.

"The entire surveillance system is outdated. All the cameras will be replaced," he said. "This is an ongoing endeavor."

Supervisor Larry "Buck" Koos said most details of the security system plans will not be made public. The county has budgeted $100,000 for the upgrades in the upcoming fiscal year.

Supervisors also have talked with Schroeder about a security guard for the courthouse. Marleta Greve, Seventh Judicial District Chief Judge, said there should be security in the courthouse when judges are there. Currently deputies take turns walking the courthouse. As of July 1, Schroeder said the courthouse will be monitored five days a week by a full-time sheriff's employee.

Schroeder said he and Jackson County Sheriff Russ Kettmann have discussed using a full-time deputy to work solely at the courthouse. Schroeder said there is a question whether the person will need to be Law Enforcement Academy-trained or a civil service employee as are other county deputies.

"I talked with (County Attorney) Sara Davenport and she suggested a certified officer would be better because of liability," Schroeder said.

Schroeder said training costs could be between $10,000 and $12,000. He suggested a contract be signed so the deputy would be required to stay at least three years or pay back the cost of the training.

No decisions were made during last week's presentation to supervisors.

"My biggest fear is we get someone certified and a full-time officer and then they leave," Koos said.

Supervisors asked Schroeder to come up with job descriptions, a sample contract and additional information about the guard's duties and report back in a couple of weeks.
WASHINGTON, Iowa  Lucy Bonham, who will turn 89 in July, said she looks forward to her 24th RAGBRAI.

"I remember the first time I saw RAGBRAI, it came through Washington and I was so excited, I thought it looked like so much fun. I loved riding my bike. I told Jack and said Man, this would be so much fun and he turned to me and said, Well, we better get you another bike. Thats how it all started, she said.

She began riding in RAGBRAI in 1992, the year she turned 65, and said that although her husband and her daughter teased her about receiving her first Social Security check the same year she embarked on her first ride across Iowa, she loves the exhilaration that comes with the journey.

I cant express the feeling I had when we left Glenwood, which is the same town were leaving from this year. I was just going to go once, and I dipped my hind tire in the Missouri and I dipped my front tire in the Mississippi and theres Jack waiting for me and I said Honey  I want to do this again! she said.

Her husband, Jack Bonham, follows her in their van, and she said they often call each other along the route to meet for lunch, or to stop and say hi. Bonham said she debated stopping the more than 400-mile ride when she turned 70, but her husband would not have it.

At 70 I said, Oh I dont need to go again and he said Why not, you want me to go all the way across Iowa in the van by myself? Hes my support, she said.

She said she began to feel nervous about RAGBRAI when the participation grew from 5,000 when she began to over 10,000, but her husband found a way to fix that. He made her signs for the back of her bicycle, like 81 having fun or 82 ahead of you. She said that made other bicyclists pay more attention, and they either gave her space or stopped to talk.

I was pretty apprehensive when it got to be over 10,000. I ride clear over on the side because Im slower, but you know they gave me space. I think that sign has helped. I think they read that sign and say Oh gosh thats an old woman, better move over, so I felt at ease, she said.

She said she begins her outdoor training in May, and she tries to get at least 400 miles of riding in before RAGBRAI. She said that she trains alone, often going to Lake Darling and riding 10-12 miles two to three times per week.

I think 15-30 miles is enough. You dont have to get out there and go long periods in order to train your body. People keep asking me what I do in the winter months and I said well, I have an Airdyne at home and I ride that five and six times a week until its time to go out on my outside bike  biking is such a thing with me, Ive always enjoyed it, she said.

Her RAGBRAI day begins at daybreak, because it allows her to get ahead of the crowds, which leave between 7-9 a.m., and she arrives in the overnight town in the early afternoon. Her husband, however, will not let her begin her day until they have said a prayer.

Jack doesnt let me go down the road before we pray together, as soon as I get my bike out. And not only for me, his wife, hes praying for the thousands of bikers out there and the support people. His prayer is for everything that surrounds RAGBRAI, and hes not the only one saying prayers, she said.

Lucy Bonham said she always remembers feeling happy while riding across Iowa and meeting new people, especially when they tell her of their surprise at Iowas beauty.

The first memory is just the delight I get in the ride itself, because I enjoy riding, and the many, many people that I meet. I like the hills, I like the view, I like the comments that people from out of state make about Iowa. I like the surprised look when they say Iowa is so beautiful, and I like the comments that I get and the pride I take in it because Im from Iowa, she said.

She has tried different methods for staying in the overnight towns, including a camper, motorhome, staying with hosts, and, most recently, motels. The most memorable experiences, she said, were when she stayed with hosts.

We stayed in homes, and that was exciting because of the people that we met in the towns. They were so nice. We stayed everywhere from rich peoples homes, to one lady who gave up her bedroom and gave us her bed, she slept on the couch. We always felt welcome, she said.

Her husband agreed.

"The greatest thing is the hospitality and the people. All the years that we had the camp trailer and the little motor home, they would provide electricity and welcome us and try to feed us and take care of us, and when we did stay in the homes, you just couldnt ask for any better treatment than we got, he said.

Although he has not been able to ride in RAGBRAI, Jack Bonham said he loves the drive, and meeting people along the ride.

It is a wonderful experience. The things I enjoy the most are the scenery, the beauty of the country, the beauty of the farm fields. Ive seen farm fields a landscaper couldnt make any prettier, with crops planted in rows up and down  The thing is, when theyre out on the trail, everybodys the same, and any time somebody has trouble, therell be a half a dozen people around taking care of it and helping, he said.

His wife said she would not be able to do RAGBRAI without him.

If it wasnt for him sitting in the car, reading his books and waiting two or three hours while Im riding, I would never be able to do this. He just so encourages me with everything he does. I wouldnt have all this fun that Im having without him, she said.

Lucy Bonham said she would recommend to everyone to try RAGBRAI, and said the best advice she can give is to focus on every mile as it comes.

I just take it one mile at a time, she said.
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After 50 years since the first U.S. military boots hit the ground in Vietnam, Quad-City veterans of the war finally will get their welcome home parade.

The two-state Vietnam War 50th Anniversary Commemoration Parade will step off at 10:30 a.m. May 21, beginning in Rock Island and ending at Davenports Veterans Memorial Park.

The parade will feature the Great Lakes Naval Marching Band.

There also will be bands, honor guards, floats and marchers from North High School, Clinton High School, United Township High School, and Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley high schools, among others.

Boy Scout Troop 103 will be featuring a float for POWs and MIAs, said parade organizer Ed Hildebrand, of Vietnam Veterans of America Post 776, Bettendorf. Theyve really come out in support of us, he said. Im so proud of that troop.

Hy-Vee is paying its Vietnam veterans to march in the parade, he added.

When I started organizing this 15 months ago, I started with a prayer, Hildebrand said. Most of the response Ive gotten is, Its about damn time.

Hildebrand said he is still working to get some some area high schools involved so they can honor their students who fought or died in Vietnam.

It may not be the biggest parade, but it will be something people will remember, he said.

You dont forget those who died, you dont forget the POWs, you dont forget the MIAs, and certainly were not going to forget their families, Hildebrand said.

What is needed is for Vietnam vets to show up and march, he added.

Its the parade we never got, said local Vietnam War hero and three-time Silver Star recipient Bill Albracht, who is president of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 299 in Rock Island.

Guys can be proud of serving with honor and serving their country, Albracht said. Through this parade were remembering all those that now have passed, and were paying tribute to everybody that did serve in an honorable way.

Local Vietnam Veterans Associations have committed to three years of commemorative events honoring the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. This is the second year of the commemorative events. The parade will be the largest such event planned for this year.

Veterans who wish to participate in the parade, or people who wish to volunteer to help veterans are asked to contact Hildebrand at fourpaws622@yahoo.com.
If indeed the road to hell is paved with good intentions, a good example is the philanthropic funding of education reform.

The latest victims of moneyed saviors are the students and families formerly served by the North Carolina New Schools Project, which had been started 13 years ago with a five-year, $11 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

It abruptly shut down in late April due to financial problems, according to the Raleigh News & Observer, which reported that the project was begun to restructure secondary education by creating smaller high schools. It had been sustained with private foundation grants and some federal and state money after the initial Gates Foundation contribution ended.

It's unclear what the fallout of this particular closure will be -- i.e. how teacher support and student achievement will be impacted -- but it's an example of how even well-meaning interventions from rich donors can end up backfiring on the people they are intended to help.

"Free money" for schools seems like a harmless, if not a totally wonderful, windfall -- especially for districts with high needs and poor funding. But such gifts rarely prompt the questions: What really happens when this money shows up, and who really benefits?

One in-depth case study, "The Prize: Who's in Charge of America's Schools?" by Dale Russakoff, is required reading.

Released last fall, "The Prize" is a behind-the-scenes look at what happened after then-Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker, Gov. Chris Christie and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg collectively pledged $200 million in private donations to fix Newark's failing schools.

Spoiler alert: Five years later, the whole thing fell apart and everyone involved moved on to shinier objects to play with. Everyone except the schoolchildren and families of Newark, that is.

"The Prize" is, effectively, a handbook for what not to do if you have money to spend and the desire to "transform" a community's schools. Mainly: Don't swoop in from elsewhere with no knowledge of a community's residents, their past travails or their current desires for their kids' education, and start "reforming" with sticks rather than carrots.

To be sure, at the time that Zuckerberg et al. decided to save Newark's schools, the district was a textbook case of crumbling, failing schools that seemed to be in existence to serve the school's bureaucracy rather than the students.

Still, Russakoff's tense and highly detailed account of what happened illustrates how the lavish amounts of money actually let governments off the hook for ensuring sustainable resources to educate Newark's kids into the future. Plus, it starved neighborhood schools of funding in favor of installing charter schools that performed only marginally better than the local schools they replaced. All while alienating the parents and community members the "reformers" were parachuting in to help.

The best aspect of "The Prize" is that it lets no one off the hook -- not the spotlight-craving politicians, the pricey education-reform consultants, community members who cared more about saving school jobs than educating kids or, for that matter, the audiences who screamed with glee when Zuckerberg, Booker and Christie announced their Newark plans to Oprah Winfrey's adoring studio audience in 2010.

This high-visibility media hit was how most residents of Newark learned that their kids' schools were going to be improved by politically driven actors who set absurd expectations for improving academic outcomes in insanely short timeframes without either the buy-in or consent of the families who would be affected by the sweeping changes.

The disgusting and shameful details of just how traumatized the community was by the poor economy and decades of neglect, how broken Newark schools were and how callously the implementation of harsh new initiatives was handled are far too numerous to list here.

But to give you a taste: The school superintendent appointed to enact the reforms threw a party to show donors how great everything was going -- and hired bodyguards to ensure that no angry parents or community members spoiled their fun.

Russakoff's book underscores that money isn't a silver bullet. And it makes those of us who deeply want public education to be better for low-income and minority children ask ourselves a series of important questions.

What do we mean when we say we want to "save" public education? Is "free" money for improving academic achievement really free? And, perhaps most important, what happens when philanthropists' attention to improving local education wanes?
DES MOINES  Among the many features of landmark education reform passed in Iowa in 2013 was $10 million in annual funding for schools with high populations of at-risk students.

The money was to be used for programs designed to help students who come from families in poverty or for whom English is their second language. Studies have shown those students have a harder time learning and achieving at the same rate as their classmates.

So when state lawmakers and the governor crafted the 2013 education reform package, they included that $10 million in annual funding to help those students.

The money has never been delivered.

General public school funding over the past few years has become a contentious issue among Iowa state lawmakers. Generally, Democrats have decried state funding levels for education, saying districts need more to sustain staff and education programs, while Republicans have preached fiscal restraint, saying the states budget cannot afford Democrats wishes.

That heated school funding debate has left few state dollars for targeted funding, including the $10 million intended for high-needs schools and at-risk students. As a result, three years later the program remains unfunded.

As a practical matter, weve never had the money to fund it, said state Sen. Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames and an associate professor of economics at Iowa State University.

Quirmbach is a vocal advocate for education policy and funding in the Legislature. In 2013, he pushed for inclusion of the $10 million funding for high-needs schools, and in recent years, he has proposed legislation to add more funding for at-risk students by tweaking the states general school funding formula.

There are lots of needs in lots of districts, Quirmabach said. With the right kind of assistance, these kinds of kids are going to do great.  But they need some help getting going.

The annual $10 million would support programs such as extended learning time or boost staff by allowing districts to hire more instructional support, provide additional training or supplement teacher salaries in high-need schools, according to a report from the states nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

The state Department of Education said it has not yet developed guidelines that would determine which schools would receive funding, should the program ever be funded.

But officials said the most likely recipients would be schools with relatively high percentages of students who are English language learners or those who receive free or reduced-price lunches, which is the metric by which school officials make their best estimate as to how many students come from families in poverty.

The more we can do for (those students), the better, said Brad Hudson, government relations specialist for the Iowa State Education Association. They need different services than the other kids do.

The Sioux City Community School District is among the states top 10 districts in both categories, with 17.5 percent of its students classified as limited English proficiency and roughly two-thirds on free or reduced-price lunches.

Paul Gausman, the Sioux City districts superintendent, said the high-needs program funding would help the district provide, as possible examples, additional mentoring and tutoring or programs that address dropout prevention, chronic absenteeism and remediation.

Some of the resources that some people not in poverty enjoy, Gausman said. Poverty is really the driver. So the things we can do educationally to address poverty are the things that we can do to move education forward. 

Back in 2013, we were certainly supportive of the education reform but also of this greater investment in high-need schools. There have been models in our nation that have shown when you invest in schools with higher-need education, you show positive gains.

Quirmbach said his primary focus is improving general state education funding, then, if the state budget allows, boosting financial support for targeted programs such as the high-need schools funding.

One of my principles is trying to do the greatest good for the greatest number, he said.

Gausman said he understands state officials must make difficult budget decisions, but he hopes at some point the program can be funded as originally intended three years ago.

We still look forward to the day when they feel they have the funding to provide supports to those students who have greater needs, he said.
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene of a four-vehicle pileup Monday in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 near LeClaire, according to the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

According to a news release, at about 3:18 p.m., a Chevrolet Express van rear-ended a Buick Century sedan in traffic stopped near a construction zone. Two people in the Buick were killed. Their names were not being released Monday night.

The driver of the van, Christopher Roger, 27, was taken to Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport, for non-life threatening injuries.

Roger, of Park View, was cited for failure to stop within assured safe distance.

The initial collision, which occurred near mile marker 304 and blocked westbound traffic for more than an hour, sent the Buick into a Chevrolet Equinoix, which then rear-ended a Ford F-550.

No other information was available late Monday.
A pastor at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Rapid City arrived at the church Sunday morning to discover that monuments outside had been vandalized.

The pastor, whose name was not released, called Rapid City police at 8:20 a.m. Sunday to report that someone had topped over a large marble statue of the Blessed Mother.

Furthermore, the pastor reported that three Stations of the Cross plates were destroyed. The estimated loss to the church at 4500 Jackson Blvd. was about $20,000, according to a police news release.

The pastor estimated the damage had occurred between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. Anyone with information about the damage is asked to call Detective Ryan Gebhard at 605-394-4134.
Special education teachers are in such high demand across South Dakota that the state's two largest school districts, in Rapid City and Sioux Falls, are hiring teachers in the demanding field even before they are fully certified.

Sixty-one of the 364 teacher vacancies in the state  about 15 percent  are in the rigorous and challenging field of special education.

"It is a difficult position to fill," said Randall Royer, leadership development director for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota. "It also underscores the supply and demand. There's a demand and there just isn't enough of a supply."

The number of Sioux Falls students with special learning needs has grown by about 8 percent  or about 250 students  in the last five years, according to the Argus Leader newspaper.

The number of students with special learning needs has grown at a similar rate in the Rapid City school district, increasing by 9 percent, or 200 students, over the last 10 years. There are about 13,638 students in the Rapid City school district, and about 1,990 of them  or 14 percent  have special learning needs, according to Superintendent Tim Mitchell.

The Rapid City School District currently has eight special education position openings.

The position that Sioux Falls is in, its the same one were in, Mitchell said. Weve really struggled with special education.

To more quickly fill vacant positions, both the Rapid City and Sioux Falls school districts have made it a practice to hire teachers before they complete their special education certifications, encouraging them to then attain certification while employed.

Julie Large, who has taught special education in Sioux Falls for 20 years, attributes the growing need in part to an increase of students with emotional concerns, and thinks the district is being proactive in adding positions.

However, about one-fourth of those hired last year weren't fully certified at the start of the school year, and that pushes extra work onto fully trained teachers.

"It is challenging for us because they don't fill out any of the special education paperwork," teacher Sarah Henrichs said. "That relies on teachers that are certified."

Mitchell said it is difficult to fill special education slots because there are a lot of additional expectations that weigh heavy on the people in those jobs. Besides teaching, much of a special educators time is spent filing requisite paperwork and attending special compliance geared meetings.

Theres also a lot of burnout, Mitchell said. "People dealing with students with high needs sometimes are working very very hard with these students and not seeing a lot of success.
WASHINGTON | What lies behind Donald Trump's nomination victory? Received wisdom among conservatives is that he, the outsider, sensed, marshaled and came to represent a massive revolt of the Republican rank and file against the "establishment."

This is the narrative: GOP political leaders made promises of all kinds and received in return, during President Obama's years, major electoral victories that gave them the House, the Senate, 12 new governorships and 30 state houses. Yet they didn't deliver. Exit polls consistently showed that a majority of GOP primary voters (60 percent in some states) feel "betrayed" by their leaders.

Not just let down or disappointed. Betrayed. By RINOs who, corrupted by donors and lobbyists, sold out. Did they repeal Obamacare? No. Did they defund Planned Parenthood? No. Did they stop President Obama's tax-and-spend hyperliberalism? No. Whether from incompetence or venality, they let Obama walk all over them.

But then comes the paradox. If insufficient resistance to Obama's liberalism created this sense of betrayal, why in a field of 17 did Republican voters choose the least conservative candidate? A man who until yesterday was himself a liberal. Who donated money to those very same Democrats to whom the GOP establishment is said to have caved, including Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid and Hillary Clinton.

Trump has expressed sympathy for a single-payer system of socialized medicine, far to the left of Obamacare. Trump lists health care as one of the federal government's three main responsibilities (after national security); Republicans adamantly oppose federal intervention in health care. He also lists education, which Republicans believe should instead be left to the states.

As for Planned Parenthood, the very same conservatives who railed against the Republican establishment for failing to defund it now rally around a candidate who sings the praises of its good works (save for the provision of abortion).

More fundamentally, Trump has no affinity whatsoever for the central thrust of modern conservatism  a return to less and smaller government. If the establishment has insufficiently resisted Obama's Big Government policies, the beneficiary should logically have been the most consistent, indeed most radical, anti-government conservative of the bunch, Ted Cruz.

Cruz's entire career has consisted of promoting tea-party constitutionalism in revolt against party leaders who had joined "the Washington cartel." Yet when Cruz got to his one-on-one with Trump at the Indiana OK Corral, Republicans chose Trump and his nonconservative, idiosyncratic populism.

Which makes Indiana a truly historic inflection point. It marks the most radical transformation of the political philosophy of a major political party in our lifetime. The Democrats continue their trajectory of ever-expansive liberalism from the New Deal through the Great Society through Obama and Clinton today. While the GOP, the nation's conservative party, its ideology refined and crystallized by Ronald Reagan, has just gone populist.

It's an ideological earthquake. How radical a reorientation? Said Trump last week: "Folks, I'm a conservative. But at this point, who cares?"

Who cares? Wasn't caring about conservatism the very essence of the talk radio, tea party, grass-roots revolt against the so-called establishment? They cheered Cruz when he led the government shutdown in the name of conservative principles. Yet when the race came down to Cruz and Trump, these opinion-shaping conservatives who once doted on Cruz affected a studied Trump-leaning neutrality.

Trump won. True, the charismatically challenged Cruz was up against a prepackaged celebrity, an already famous showman.

True, Trump appealed to the economic anxiety of a squeezed middle class and the status anxiety of a formerly dominant white working class. But the prevailing conservative narrative  of anti-establishment fury  was different and is now exposed as a convenient fable. If Trump is a great big middle finger aimed at a Republican establishment that has abandoned its principles, isn't it curious that the party has chosen a man without any?

Trump doesn't even pretend to have any, conservative or otherwise. He lauds his own "flexibility," his freedom from political or philosophical consistency. And he elevates unpredictability to a foreign policy doctrine.

The ideological realignment is stark. On major issues  such as the central question of retaining America's global pre-eminence as leader of the free world, sustainer of Western alliances and protector of the post-World War II order  the GOP candidate stands decidedly to the left of the Democrat.

And who knows on what else. On entitlements? On health care? On taxes? We will soon find out. But as Trump himself says of being a conservative  at this point, who cares?

As of Tuesday night, certainly not the GOP.
Fred Thomas is no good

Im very disappointed to see that Fred Thomas is running for the Legislature again.

We used to have low power bills in this state. Fred Thomas changed all that when he introduced Senate Bill 390 on March 8, 1997.

The bill represents a balanced, logical transition to customer choice of competitive power supply, the Missoulian quotes Thomas on March 11.

We were paying 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour back then. Today we pay 9.6 cents.

We also lost Montana Power as they became Touch America and then shortly after that, an afterthought altogether.

Fred Thomas ruins lives. He ruins Montana.

Please do not vote for him in June or November. Montana will be better for it.

Greg Strandberg

Missoula


Kathmandu, Nepal: A writ petition has been filed at Supreme Court (SC) against the nine-point deal inked by the ruling CPN UML and UCPN (Maoist).



Advocates Anantaraj Luitel, Kedar Luitel, Manoj Khadka, Prabindra Raj Joshi and Rudra Pathak jointly filed the writ against on Monday.



The Prime Minister and CPN UML chairman KP Sharma Oli, UPCN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal including the CPN UML and UCPN (Maoist) parties are as defendants.



In the writ, the advocates have stated that the agreement signed between the CPN UML and the UCPN Maoist undermines human rights and judicial independence.



The CPN UML and the UCPN Maoist had signed in a deal, which had saved the incumbent government from the dissolution.




Myagdi, Nepal: At last five people died on the spot and five others were injured in a jeep accident at Niskot of Myagdi district on Monday afternoon.



Though the number of death is confirmed by the Police, the identities of the deceased have not been ascertained yet.



The ill-fated passenger jeep with registration number Ga 1 Ja 5106, which was heading towards Niskot from Darbang of the district, fell about 100 meters off the cliff near Bhalabisauni.



The injured people have been rushed to nearby hospital for treatment. Two persona are reported critical among he injured.




Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli



KATHMANDU, May 9: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has expressed the belief that the 2560th Buddha Jayanti and the International Buddhist Conference would be successful in clearing up confusions surrounding the Buddha.



The Prime Minister said this chairing the meeting of the 2560th Buddha Jayanti Programme and the International Buddhist Conference Celebration Main Committee held at his official residence at Baluwatar today. Prime Minister Oli is the chairman of the 501-member main committee.



"There exists some confusion about the Buddha. This is because of the lack of adequate publicity. The conference with international participation will help remove the confusion and prove that Buddha and the Buddhist philosophy started from Nepal," PM Oli said.



Stating that it was due to the wisdom derived from Buddhism that Siddhartha Gautam could renounce family, the palace and the crown all at once, he said it would not have been possible for Siddhartha Gautam to show this extraordinary courage of giving up attachment and greed without attaining this wisdom.



The Prime Minister noted that the entire country was enthusiastic to celebrate the Buddha Jayanti (birth anniversary of the Buddha) and the International Buddhist Conference, adding the politicians, government high officials and religious institutions all were one on this.



On the occasion, PM Oli also made it clear that Nepal was not only a historical place of Buddhism but all the three Buddhist sects also originated from Nepal.



Stating that the Buddha Jayanti is to be celebrated in Lumbini itself as it is the Buddha's birthplace, he said, however, the international conference would be held in Kathmandu as it would be very hot in Lumbini.



Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Prasad Pokharel also said the international conference would prove that Nepal is the source of Buddhist philosophy as Nepal alone is the birthplace and place of work of Gautam Buddha, the apostle of peace.



He said letters have been sent to the countries concerned asking them to make correction in various documents including in school textbooks that the Buddha was not born in Nepal but in some other country, and South Korea has replaced the statement that the Buddha was born in India with the statement- Buddha was born in Nepal.



The participants of the meeting attributed the confusions regarding the Buddha'sa birthplace to the lack of publicity, expressing the belief that the historic international conference would end all the confusions regarding the Buddha.



International Buddhist Conference is to be organised on May 20 and 21 in Kathmandu and the 2560th Buddha Jayanti in Lumbini on May 21 around the theme - 'Lumbini, Nepal: The Birthplace of Lord Buddha and the Origin of Buddhism'.



Committee member-secretary Bachchu Narayan Shrestha presented a working paper and briefed the meeting about the conference. He shared that the Ministers of Culture of 13 different countries are expected in the conference.



Similarly, 13 different sub-committees have been formed for the conference. It was informed at the meeting that 24 working papers, including six from Nepal, are to be presented in the conference. RSS


The Tribune - 4 May 2016

National Commission for Minorities is a drain on the exchequer

Whoas listening? The problems of minority groups are not being addressed. LETaS start with a mild teaser: it is one of Indiaas oldest and most high-profile minority welfare bodies; costs the public exchequer a that is you and me a more than Rs 70 million a year to run it; is flaunted as a symbol of Indian stateas commitment to protecting minority interests ; and yet its public image is zilch, making it a butt of jokes and prompting calls for it to be scrapped. Name the institution. Hereas a clue: it is variously referred to as a atoothless tigera , a awhite elephanta , and a asarkari puppeta . Some call it the aNational Commission for Tokenisma .

The answer in case you havenat been able to guess is the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) which has just completed 38 years amid an increasingly fraught debate about its future. Serious questions are being asked about its purpose in the light of its dismal record so far and one of its former chiefs has written a withering book on how it has been reduced to an irrelevance. Rarely do minorities, especially Muslims, agree with the BJP even when sometimes it has logic on its side (again, a rare occurrence!). But such is their level of frustration in the case of NCM that Narendra Modi might find many sensible Muslims quietly cheering him if he were to take the axe to it, as the BJP promised in its 2014 election manifesto. Few are likely to shed tears over the demise of an organisation which, despite generous resources, has done precious little to address minority concerns. And it is not just Muslims who believe they have been shortchanged. Other minority groups, as we shall see, have started to question its usefulness. They find it patronising, unhelpful a and, worse, mostly ignorant about the problems that different minority groups face. Among other things, it suffers from an acute lack of expertise in many areas, thanks to an opaque personnel policy deliberately designed to find jobs for the boys.

Institutions grow with age but NCMas journey has been one of progressive regression as successive governments in Delhi have dealt it a raw hand. They have consistently refused to grant NCM constitutional status which would have given it the autonomy and clout it needs to carry out its functions effectively. Contrast this with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes which, though set up later, was promptly handed constitutional status, putting it head and shoulders above NCM in terms of their respective powers. In fact, there are now two separate commissions for SCs and STs and both enjoy constitutional authority. NCM, on the other hand, didnat have even statutory status until 1992 when the then Congress government finally agreed to it to counter the the BJPas Ayodhya campaign.

Sure enough it ended up as a symbolic move and nothing changed on the ground. NCM continues to be treated as a glorified government department. Its recommendations are routinely rejected or simply filed away and forgotten. Those that the government of the day finds uncomfortable are even suppressed as happened with NCMas 1998-1999 report, many of whose recommendations were to figure in the much-talked-about Sachar Committee report six years later. The government sat on NCM report for seven years without offering any explanation.

Its author, Dr Tahir Mahmood, the then NCM chairman, has just published an explosive book, aMinorities Commission (1978-2015): Minor Role in Major Affairsa , on how over the years, governments of all political hues have tried to sabotage the commission because of an inherent acommunal biasa even among the so-called secular parties, including the Congress. He argues that it has been a casualty of apolitical hypocrisya across party lines. During his tenure as NCM chairman (1996-1999), he dealt with three prime ministers aHD Deve Gowda, IK Gujral and Atal Behari Vajpayee a and he found all three astonishingly aindifferenta , if not outright hostile, towards the commission. Gujral never even cared to reply to his letters. It was an aextremely stressfula experience as he constantly battled government attempts to asidestepa and marginalise the commission.

Dr Mahmood describes the commission as a government ashowpiecea which has been actively prevented by the ruling political establishment of the day from playing any meaningful role in the countryas minority affairs. It is seldom consulted even on important issues and its annual reports barely get a look-in. The commission, he writes, is in urgent need of wholesale reforms, starting with giving it more teeth and choosing the right people to run it. But there seems to be no political will to do this. Rather than strengthening it, both the UPA and NDA governments have instead setup parallel bodies which encroach on NCMas jurisdiction. In addition to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, there are nearly half a dozen commissions and committees with overlapping powers and functions to deal with minority issues. Apart from causing confusion, these multiple bodies have had the effect of undermining NCM.

aThe Babel of voices from the multiple commissions and committees has served no useful purpose... it will be far better to abolish it (NCM). At least it will save millions of taxpayersa money,a he says.

Noted jurist Jaspal Singh, a retired judge of the Delhi High Court, sees it as a perfect example of how great institutions set up with lofty ideals get amutilateda . NCM, he believes, is a casualty of a culture which thrives on apower, pelf, flunkeys and fabulous perksa . In the past, it has faced allegations of aanti-Christian biasa , with a senior church figure accusing it of acting as an ainstrument of political blackmaila .

The commission lacks transparency. Thereas no prescribed selection process for making appointments with the Cabinet Appointments Committee arbitrarily picking up names from a list suggested by the anodala ministry. The whole system has been contrived in such a way as to allow the government to appoint anyone to any post.

aAll sorts of persons, most of them having no knowledge of even the basic law on minorities, and quite often disgruntled politicians get appointed,a writes Dr Mahmood. No wonder, the commission is in the state it is in. And for all its public rhetoric, it seems unlikely that the Modi government will take the hard decisions needed to turn the commission around. All that is going to happen is that when the term of the current team runs out, the Congress lot will be replaced by the BJPas own saffron lot in the best tradition of political cronyism. Minoritiesa interests? Whatas that?

The writer Hasan Suroor is a London-based columnist
New business incubation space in the works for downtown Salina

Saline County is in the approval process for an incubator space for retail and specialty food businesses in downtown Salina.
 "Designing Plea Bargaining from the Ground Up: Accuracy and Fairness Without Trials as Backstops" | Main | "Louisianas Color-Coded Death Penalty" 

May 8, 2016

Some critical reflections on Prez Obama's clemency efforts and some ideas about what could have been

Late last week, the Washington Post had this lengthy article reviewing the various problems encoutered during President Obama's clemency push over the last few years. The piece is headlined "Lack of resources, bureaucratic tangles have bogged down Obamas clemency efforts," and it effectively summarized many of the difficulties previously reported on this blog. Here are excerpts:

In the waning months of his presidency, Obama has made commutations for nonviolent drug offenders a centerpiece of his effort to reform the countrys criminal-justice system. But behind the scenes, the administrations highly touted clemency initiative has been mired in conflict and held up by a bureaucratic process that has been slow to move prisoner petitions to the presidents desk. Obama has granted 306 commutations to federal prisoners  more than the past six presidents combined. But as of Friday, 9,115 commutation petitions were pending with little time left to review them. Of these, fewer than 2,000 appear to be eligible for the presidents clemency program, according to a Justice Department official. Thousands more are still being reviewed by outside lawyers. From the beginning, the program was beset by problems, including a lack of resources and a cumbersome, multilevel review system. The U.S. pardon attorney at the Justice Department makes recommendations that move to the deputy attorney general, who reviews the cases and sends them to the White House counsel, who considers them again before choosing which ones go to Obama. The pardon attorney became so frustrated that she quit earlier this year and wrote a scathing resignation letter to Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates. Deborah Leff said that despite her intense efforts to do her job, the Justice Department had not fulfilled its commitment to provide the resources necessary for my office to make timely and thoughtful recommendations on clemency to the president.... On Thursday, Obama commuted the sentences of 58 prisoners, his second round of clemencies in three months as the program has picked up steam. Administration officials say that they are addressing obstacles that have plagued the clemency initiative. The Justice Department has added lawyers to the pardon office. And White House Counsel Neil Eggleston has promised that many more petitions will be granted in the presidents final eight months. The President is deeply committed to the clemency initiative. That is evident not only by the historic number of commutations hes granted to date, but by his wholesale approach to revamping the way the government approaches commutations, White House spokeswoman Brandi Hoffine said in a statement. That change helped spark a long overdue conversation about reforming our criminal justice system, which we hope will result in Congressional action so that many more deserving individuals can benefit from a second chance.... An attorney who worked in the pardon office at the same time as Leff said that with petitions flooding in, it was extremely difficult with so few lawyers to sort out complicated drug cases and figure out whether they met the departments strict criteria. To get more help, Cole reached out to the private bar to set up another layer of lawyers to read applications. Outside lawyers formed an organization called Clemency Project 2014, which includes Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Bar Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. An army of about 4,000 volunteer lawyers from across the country signed up to help in what has become one of the largest pro bono efforts in the history of the American legal profession. Seventy large law firms, more than 500 small firms and solo practitioners, and 30 law schools are involved, according to Cynthia W. Roseberry, the projects manager. But it took nearly a year for the group to get organized and recruit and train lawyers, many of whom had no experience in criminal law. An overwhelming 36,000 inmates  about 17 percent of the federal prison population  filled out surveys asking for help from the Clemency Project. Even though the Justice Department had its own backlog, officials there privately complained that the outside Clemency Project lawyers, with their multiple levels of review, were taking too long to send more petitions. That in turn frustrated the Clemency Project attorneys, who said they were working carefully to locate old legal documents, contact prosecutors and judges, look at prison behavior records and try to get pre-sentencing reports and sentencing transcripts. At the same time, they have been weighing risks to public safety.... Some critics say the White House could have avoided many of these headaches by modeling the process after the way President Gerald Ford handled clemencies for Americans who had deserted the Army or failed to show up for the draft during the Vietnam War. With 600 people working on a special commission to review the cases, Ford granted 14,000 clemencies in one year. Law professor Mark Osler, co-founder of New York Universitys Clemency Resource Center, said the initiative also might have gone more smoothly if Obama had moved the pardon attorneys office into the White House rather than keeping it under career prosecutors who may find it difficult to reverse other prosecutors decisions.

This recent Fusion piece, headlined "The bold step President Obama could take to let thousands of federal inmates go free," provides a thorough discussion of the special clemency commission that President Ford had set up to deal with a massive number of Veitnam draft dodgers and desserters and which was able to process tens of thousands of clemency cases in just a year. Here is how it concludes:

If Obama had appointed a Ford-style clemency board, he could have cut down the bureaucracy to three or four steps: a review by the boards staff, a review by the board, a review by the White House counsel, a review by the president. In the last few months, Obamas advisers have been making the argument that hes granted more [clemencies] than the previous six Presidents combined. But that calculation is false, as it incorrectly ignores the clemencies granted through Fords commission. (A White House spokesperson noted that Department of Justice statistics only count the 22 non-Vietnam related clemencies that Ford granted.) For many recent presidents, clemency has been treated more like an afterthought. Until recently, Obama announced them at the end of each year, before he jets off to Hawaii with his family  a last-minute Christmas gift to a tiny handful of prisoners. With fewer than 10 months left in office, even if Obama had a change of heart and decided to create a clemency board today, it would almost surely be too late. But [clemency advocates Nkechi] Taifa and Osler say its an idea that should be picked up by the next president. This should not end with the Obama administration, Taifa said. I do not want to delay another day in resolving the dilemmas of the past, so that we may all get going on the pressing problems of the present, Ford said when he announced his clemency board. If President Obamaor the next presidentwants to resolve the past failings of our criminal justice system, then they should also take lessons from one of its rare success stories.

May 8, 2016 at 08:40 PM | Permalink

Comments

"In the waning months of his presidency, Obama has made commutations for nonviolent drug offenders a centerpiece of his effort to reform the countrys criminal-justice system."

Oh good grief--not all of these cats are non-violent because some have a violent criminal history. Why do journalists persist in peddling lies and half-truths.

Doug, why can't you simply admit---Obama is overselling this "non-violent" shtick. It's dishonest.

Posted by: federalist | May 10, 2016 11:32:50 AM

federalist, I would be very eager for you to indicate specifically how many of the 306 "cats" given commutations so far that you think are really properly considered violent offenders based on convictions for violent offenses rather than nonviolent offenders.

If you can give me, say, 15 names of such "cats" (which would still be less than 5% of the total), I would be sure to note that a small but significant percentage of those getting commutations ought to be considered violent offenders.

Posted by: Doug B. | May 10, 2016 3:16:57 PM

First of all, Doug, you're talking "convictions"--so take George Axum, who was convicted of a firearms offense--but his actions were violent in that he, a felon, threatened his daughter's boyfriend.

Second of all, I've already pointed out a bank robber, George Axum and Ernest Spiller. None of those guys "made one mistake"--so we already know Obama's selling a bill of goods.

Third of all, I don't have the time or the ability to research each and every one of these guys--so many of them have gun convictions which means they likely have priors.

We know Obama is overselling this "non-violent" thing--why can't you just admit it?

Posted by: federalist | May 11, 2016 9:27:06 AM

If you're saying violent - do you mean that they seriously injured or killed someone? "felon in possession" - Is that what you think is violent?

Posted by: beth | May 11, 2016 4:21:52 PM

Beth--unlike your president, I don't engage in sophistry. Violence is either the use of force or the threatened use of force. A felon in possession is not violent, but at least some of the priors likely are. E.g., Ernest Spiller.

Neither you or Doug (or anyone else here) can defend the "one mistake" nonsense, and then you want to get into picayune debates over what a non-violent criminal is. The bottom line, and none of you can come right out and refute it--Obama is selling a bill of goods, just like FSA, which was touted as not applying to violent criminals.

Posted by: federalist | May 12, 2016 10:15:38 AM

I guess I don't see the non-violent vs. violent as a Picayune debate. Of course, clemency doesn't demand that the recipient must meet any requirements.

Another interesting part of the entire clemency debate is that most of the "non-violent" drug offender with life sentences have shared cells with inmates sentenced for murder. Those inmates often do not have life sentences and are released at the end of a determinate sentence.

The war on drugs has changed the perception of justice.

Posted by: beth | May 12, 2016 11:13:11 AM

Post a comment


The casting announcement has just been made, and for the San Francisco touring production of the revival of the hit rock musical Hedwig & the Angry Inch, the genderqueer main character Hedwig will be portrayed by former Glee star Darren Criss  who also played the role for 12 weeks on Broadway last year. Criss was called "mesmerizing" in the role by the New York Times, after he took over after Tony winner Neil Patrick Harris finished his own stint as Hedwig. Criss will appear for the brief SHN run which will be October 4 to October 30 at the Golden Gate Theater.

Criss is notably a native son, having been born and raised in San Francisco, the son of investment banker Charles William Criss, and having been an alumnus of ACT's Young Conservatory, where he often returns to help with fundraisers.

While Hedwig, the character, is never specifically identified as transgender, many people have assumed that she is  creator and original Hedwig John Cameron Mitchell has said she is not supposed to be trans, but genderqueer. "She's more than a woman or a man," he has said. "She's a gender of one and that is accidentally so beautiful."

Criss caused a bit of a stir during his run in the show, with calls of transphobia arising from a line that he ad libbed one night. Shortly after the coming out of Caitlyn Jenner in 2015, Criss improvised a line in which he's describing the character's fragrance, "Atrocity," saying it was for "man, woman, man woman, woman man, Bruce Jenner, whatever you are."

Creator and original Hedwig John Cameron Mitchell has described the character as someone who has controversial views, and isn't meant to be politically correct. "Therere all kinds of things that [Hedwig] would say that I would never agree with, Mitchell said. Shes anti-Semitic, she lashes out at woman who sell their hair in Sri Lanka, but shes coming from a point of view of a very damaged person and everyone knows that the writing is to make a point about someone whos been pushed into that well and is flailing around at the bottom and coming out at the end, hopefully, a different person."

Tickets are on sale now for the three-week run in October.
An officer with the San Francisco Police Department was rushed to the hospital late Saturday night, after suffering chemical burns when attacked with a noxious substance.

According to the SFPD, at 11:06 Saturday night police were called to the 100 block of Hyde Street, which is between Golden Gate Avenue and Turk Street, on reports of a fight in progress.

Police say that when police arrived, a 47-year-old woman six floors above dumped bleach on the officer, causing chemical burns.

The officer was transported to the hospital for treatment of the burns, which police say are non-life-threatening. The woman was arrested for assault on a law enforcement officer, and was booked into San Francisco County Jail.
A woman flying from Chicago to San Francisco died while in transit this weekend, after her "medical emergency" forced the plane to make an unplanned stop in Montana.

According to the Billings Gazette, the United Airlines 737 left Chicago at 7 p.m. Saturday night, and was headed to San Francisco International Airport.

At 9:30 p.m., as the plane passed over South Dakota, air traffic controllers at Montana's Billings Logan International Airport were notified that the plane would be landing there due to a passenger's medical emergency.

The flight landed at 10 p.m., where it was met by emergency crews and paramedics.

When contacted by SFist, a spokesperson with the Yellowstone County Medical Examiner & Coroner says that 42-year-old passenger Tina Matthews of Antioch was pronounced dead at the scene.

Passengers on the flight deplaned while the aircraft was inspected and refueled. They then reboarded, and by midnight were back in the air. They landed at SFO at around 1:20 a.m. Sunday.

As of Monday morning, the cause of Matthews' death had not been released. According to the Coroner's spokesperson, an autopsy on her remains has been scheduled.
NEW YORK | "Empire" co-creator Lee Daniels apologized to Sean Penn in a statement made public Wednesday as part of a confidential settlement in a defamation lawsuit over comments Daniels made comparing the actor to the show's star Terrence Howard, who's been repeatedly accused of domestic violence.

As part of the settlement, Daniels also agreed to make a donation to Penn's charity, J/P Haitian Relief Organization, which the actor created after Haiti was devastated by an earthquake in 2010. The sum was not disclosed.

"I am so sorry that I have hurt you Sean," Daniels said. "Domestic violence is a very serious issue. My comments were cavalier; it was not my intention to diminish the severity of the issue, but rather to express a view regarding the disparate treatment of men of color in our national conversation."

Penn said he accepted Daniels' "heartfelt" apology and appreciated "the sincerity with which it was delivered."
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Storm Lake man is being held in jail without bond for allegedly choking his girlfriend while she held her baby as the suspects brother taunted her.

Storm Lake Police responded to a report of an assault at about 10 a.m. Saturday at 1016 Witter St.

Police met the victim, who told them she had been attacked by her boyfriend, Juan Alvarez-Castro, 26, earlier that day.

Alvarez-Castro reportedly refused to let the woman leave the home and choked her as her 1-year-old child was in her arms.

The victim alleged Alvarez-Castros brother, Jesus Alvarez-Castro, 20, was present during the assault and taunted her as she was choked.

The victim and child did not sustain any serious injuries.

At about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police found Juan Alvarez-Castro and arrested him.

He is facing charges of domestic assault-strangulation, false imprisonment and child endangerment. He was booked into the Buena Vista County Jail and is being held without bond.

Jesus Alvarez-Castro was arrested Sunday in the parking lot of the Storm Lake Wal-Mart.

He faces a charge of third-degree harassment, and was booked into jail.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man is in jail after another man told police he received meth from the suspect Friday night.

According to court documents, Kellon Bonstead, 34, of Sioux City, was arrested after Sioux City police stopped Christopher Brickey, 26, after he left Bonsteads home at about 11:20 p.m. Friday.

Brickey told police he received 5.7 grams of meth from Bonstead, who was later found and arrested for an outstanding warrant.

Bonstead was found in possession of 6.4 grams of meth when he was arrested, authorities said.

A search of Bonsteads home at 4243 Fillmore St. turned up 16.8 more grams of meth, along with a scale, syringes and plastic bags.

Bonstead is charged with multiple traffic infractions, including serious eluding, and possession of meth with intent to deliver and parole violation.

He is being held in Woodbury County Jail for $121,000 bond.

Brickey was arrested and charged with driving with possession of drug paraphernalia, among other charges. He posted bond for $500.
SIOUX CITY | The top Republican leader in the Iowa House on Monday endorsed U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, a month ahead of a June primary party battle with state Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City.

In a press release, Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer said her support of King was based on the 4th District representative's longstanding "principled conservative" ideals.

He is effective and energetic, giving his all to represent the interests of his district and Iowa as a whole. He has an unwavering commitment to life and liberty as well as renewable fuels, national security, and fiscal responsibility," Upmeyer said.

King keeps wrapping up Republican endorsements, following those by U.S. Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey.

King said he was gratified to have the support of Upmeyer, who is the first female House speaker in Iowa history.

"I admire Speaker Upmeyer for her values, her excellent skill sets and especially because she has risen through the ranks solely on merit," King said.

Bertrand has not announced any endorsements in the Iowa 4th District race. He told the Journal's editorial board last week that he anticipated Republican leaders would embrace King, a 14-year congressman.
SIOUX CITY | The Missouri River Historical Development Board has approved a $305,000 grant to The Siouxland Initiative to assist the regional economic development group in growing the local economy and workforce.

Officials with MRHD, a local nonprofit that holds the state gaming license for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sioux City, will formally present the award to The Siouxland Initiative, or TSI, at a news conference Monday afternoon.

The expenditure is MRHDs first major foray into economic development. For its first 22 years, the nonprofit contributed most of its share of gaming revenues to local charitable, civic and educational purposes.

Expanding the supply of skilled workers in the region has emerged as a top priority for both MRHD and The Siouxland Initiative, a private, not-for-profit organization affiliated with the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce.

With unemployment at a near-record low -- 3.7 percent for metro Sioux City in March, compared to the national average of 5 percent -- scores of new and expanding employers are struggling to find enough qualified candidates for openings.

MRHD is committed to economic and workforce growth and thats exactly what The Siouxland Initiative does and does very well, MRHD President Mark Monson said.

The regions workforce shortage was the top priority of the annual Chamber-led lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., last month. More than 60 local business and government leaders pushed an agenda that included expanding career academy opportunities to grow the next generation of employees.

The MRHD Development Grant will help reinforce what TSI is already doing, Monson said.

Economic development helps recruit new business while keeping current employers here, and also ensures a high quality of life, Monson said.

If youre going to recruit new people, they want to have things to do they enjoy, he said, giving examples like attractive parks and night life.

One of the other things well look to address is quality of life issues, he added.

Founded in 1988, The Siouxland Initiative is funded by public and private sector investments from entities in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.

With MRHD's share of revenues increasing since the opening of the Hard Rock, the first state-licensed land-based casino in Woodbury County, the nonprofit committed to awarding funds for business growth initiatives.

The nonprofits Development Grant Committee recommended the TSI award to its full board, which approved it at a meeting last week.

The grant brings MRHDs total contributions to non-profit organizations and governmental entities to nearly $25 million since 1994.
SIOUX CITY | The blanket of smoky haze that lingered over Siouxland for most of Saturday gave way to clearer skies and cleaner air on Mother's Day. But the sun didn't stay out for long, with storm clouds rolling in Sunday night and looking to stick around for a rainy first half to the work week.

The Environmental Protection Agency reported air quality in Siouxland returned to an acceptable range Sunday morning after a haze of smoke blown south from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota reduced air quality to unhealthy levels Saturday. Air quality maps showed those patches of unhealthy air moving south into Missouri throughout Sunday afternoon.

While the smoke clouds have dissipated in Siouxland, Monday brings the potential for severe storms. According to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, Monday's chance for precipitation is at 80 percent, with accumulation of a quarter to a half inch of rain possible. Widespread severe weather is not expected, but isolated storms producing hail and high wind gusts could develop Monday afternoon. Monday's high will be near 69 degrees.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue Monday night and early Tuesday morning. The low will be around 54 degrees.

Chances of rain will continue Tuesday into Wednesday, with highs around 70 degrees and lows in the 50s. Skies are expected to clear Wednesday night, bringing sunny and partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s for the remainder of the week.

The National Weather Service reports the minor flooding on the Little Sioux River will continue to slowly drop through the middle of this week.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | A Storm Lake woman was placed on probation Monday for possessing marijuana in the presence of her 3-year-old daughter.

Kelli Bendixen, 30, pleaded guilty Thursday in Buena Vista County District Court to misdemeanor charges of child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance.

On Monday, District Judge Patrick Carr suspended a two-year prison sentence for child endangerment and placed Bendixen on two years probation. She received a two-day jail sentence for drug possession.

Bendixen was arrested March 14 after police responded to a report that Bendixen and Alan Coleman were smoking marijuana in their apartment in the 700 block of Lake Avenue while the 3-year-old was there.

During a search of the apartment, police found an active methamphetamine lab.

Coleman, 22, has pleaded not guilty to two counts each of possession of a precursor with intent to manufacture and child endangerment and one count of possession of a controlled substance.

The child was released to grandparents.
I think the idea of putting a Ferris wheel down on the riverfront is an outstanding idea. I will be the first one in line to watch our city leaders take the inaugural ride ... and when they get to the top, pull the plug.
SIOUX CITY | Their appearance resembles a kitchen sponge. Their flavor is described as earthy, woody and slightly sweet.

Their location -- well, youll likely have to find that out yourself.

Several Siouxlanders have taken to local parks and wooded areas in recent weeks to search for the prized but elusive morel mushroom. This edible fungus is typically 2 to 8 inches in height and characterized by a hollow stalk and cone-shaped cap marked with sponge-like pits and ridges.

Julie Hlas, an advancement specialist with the Woodbury County Extension office, said morel hunting season typically lasts for a few weeks in late April and early May while soil temperatures and moisture levels are conducive to mushroom growth.

This years season seems to be wrapping up earlier than usual, she said, although it varies based on location.

Every year is different, so its just really hard to make conclusions, she said. This year, I thought they would be farther behind. Then, all of a sudden, we showed up in another park and the mushrooms were further along.

Hlas, who grew up hunting mushrooms with her Boy Scout brothers, has been going on hunts with her husband and three children for years. The family has ventured out on a couple weekends this year, Hlas said, with varying success.

When her family goes hunting for morel mushrooms, Hlas said, the first one to spot one calls everyone else over to look at it to help them find more. Thats because spotting morels can be tricky.

"They are excellent at blending into the environment, so you have to train your eyes," Hlas said. "Once you spot one, theyll magically appear."

Mark Gleason, who teaches morel certification courses through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said since mushrooms are recyclers of dying organic material, good places to look are wooded areas, where mushrooms often grow around dead or dying elm trees. Near ash trees and apple trees are also common locations to find morels.

Gleason said good morel hunting seasons are typically ones where the weather warms up slowly.

He also said while several types of mushrooms have been domesticated, taming the morel has been a challenge.

Morels have never been successfully cultivated like the mushrooms that show up on your pizza, Gleason said. They are still primarily a wild type of mushroom. We dont understand everything about their nutrition.

While decaying trees are a good bet to find morels, Brent Hoffman, a former Sioux City Council member whos been avidly hunting mushrooms for over a decade, said sometimes they grow in unpredictable places.

Everybodys got their theories for where they are, but here's the thing: They grow where theyve grown before, Hoffman said. Ive found them on cracks in sidewalks and on city streets.

The morel's elusive nature is why when hunters find a good spot, they tend to keep mum about it.

Not revealing where patches are is a big thing with mushroom hunters because it takes a great deal of time and hiking to find these locations, said Hlas, who requested that her hunting locations not be published. Nothing is worse than arriving to one of your favorite locations only to find already harvested mushroom stumps.

Gleason said every year, hunters grab mushrooms that arent real morels. These false morels, which have some marked physical differences, can cause side effects like food poisoning, liver damage, convulsion and -- at worst -- death.

Gleasons main tip for newbies: Begin hunting with an experienced hunter who knows where to look and knows the difference between real and false morels. And, he said, when in doubt, throw it out.

Definitely be sure what youve got, he said. There are some consequences to making a mistake.

To legally sell morels, hunters need to take a certification class to ensure they can property tell the difference between real and false morels. All the courses for this year are over, but Gleason said he usually announces each springs mushroom certification training dates in January.

Those who do sell morels often price them at $10 to $20 per pound, or higher depending on the demand.

Hoffman said he doesn't care for mushrooms himself, so he gives his away. The fun is in the hunt, he said, and selling them would turn it into "work."

Hlas said her family also only does it for fun. She said she enjoys cooking morels by carmelizing them in a cast-iron skillet with butter and flour.

"The butter kind of sweetens them up," she said.
President Obamas push to open trade with Cuba has many U.S. small businesses itching to plant their flag on Cuban soil. But is now the right time? Here are the pros and cons of doing business in Cuba.

Good Reasons to Do Business in Cuba

According to an article in American Express OPEN Forum, many analysts have concluded that Cuba represents a lucrative opportunity, for the following reasons:

The country has more than 11 million consumers with nearly 60 years of pent-up demand for U.S. goods and services;

The Port of Havana is less than 200 nautical miles from the Port of Miami, making trade relatively easy;

Millions of U.S. tourists will need travel-related services to vacation in Cuba;

European companies have already paved the way for foreign investment and business on the island.

Other reasons to do business in Cuba are:

Internet penetration. Cuba has agreed to increase its Internet penetration, which currently stands at a mere five percent. That will serve as a boon for the telecommunications and Internet tech sectors;

Infrastructure development. In addition to an increased Internet presence, Cubas entire infrastructure  from roads to hotels to telecommunications  is in need of a major overhaul, which could spell opportunity for many companies.

New port. The new $1 billion Port of Mariel could lead the way to significant import and export trade with the United States.;

Vintage cars. The countrys vast array of vintage automobiles is any collectors dream. Opening doors to importation could result in an influx of auto traders into the country;

Easing up on travel restrictions. The easing of travel restrictions provides plenty of incentive for companies in the travel and hospitality industries to shift their attention toward Cuba. Many are, in fact.

Barriers to Doing Business in Cuba

Although Cuba may appear to be a land of opportunity, the reality is less optimistic. Significant barriers exist politically, culturally and economically that may prevent a gold rush from taking place, at least at the moment.

That same American Express article said the government controls much of what takes place in the business sector, from manufacturing to distribution to access to capital. Dealing with a socialist regime that is used to regulating every facet of business wont be easy.

Not only that, the average wage in Cuba equates to $20 per month, which means there is little purchasing power. CPG companies may find it difficult to offload their products here. And, until tourism kicks in full-force, restaurants may find that the path to profitability is steep.

The combination of excessive government control and low wages has led Cubans to develop a unique business culture referred to as Revolver (resolve or get by), which largely involves buying and selling goods on the black market.

And although U.S. companies have done business in Cuba since 1992, demand has dropped in recent years, from a high of 711.5 million in 2008 to just 180.3 million in 2015, according to U.S. Census Bureau records.

Doing Business in Cuba Still Illegal

Despite the pros and cons, for the vast majority of American companies, doing business with Cuba remains illegal.

Transactions between the United States, or persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction, and Cuba continue to be prohibited, and Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) continues to enforce the prohibitions of the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), said a government fact sheet (PDF) regarding the trade restrictions.

That said, ahead of President Obamas recent trip to Cuba, the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Treasury announced significant amendments to the Cuba sanctions regulations, which expand the ability of Americans to visit Cuba, bolster trade and commercial opportunities, and reduce barriers to financial transactions by Cuban nationals.

Todays amendments build upon President Obamas historic actions to improve our countrys relationship with Cuba and its people, said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker in a prepared statement. These steps not only expand opportunities for economic engagement between the Cuban people and the American business community but will also improve the lives of millions of Cubas citizens.

Earlier, in October 2015, the Commerce and Treasury Departments launched the U.S.-Cuba Regulatory Dialogue, which led to several important regulatory updates that include:

Eliminating certain restrictions on payments;

Easing limits on exports to and certain imports from the Cuban private sector;

Facilitating trade in the telecommunication and agriculture sectors;

Making changes to facilitate authorized travel to the island;

Authorizing certain U.S. companies to establish and maintain a business and physical presence in Cuba.

With the Administrations new regulatory updates, the American business community is now permitted in certain areas to work directly with the Cuban private sector, empowering Cuban entrepreneurs on the island.

(Visit the U.S. Treasury Department website to see a full list of answers related to doing business in Cuba.)

Conclusion

The political, cultural and economic barriers within the country coupled with continued government restrictions may mean that, except for a few select industries, now is not the best time to do business in Cuba.

That is not to dispel the enthusiasm for an increased small business presence within the country, however. A Washington Post poll revealed that 70 percent of Cubans want to start their own business.

In his weekly radio address prior to visiting Cuba, President Obama said, Were still in the early days of our new relationship with the Cuban people. This transformation will take time. But Im focused on the future  a better future for the Cuban people, [and] a future of more freedom and more opportunity.

Perhaps the best way to approach the issue of doing business in Cuba is to adopt a wait and see attitude. Sanctions will continue to lessen, and, if Congress gets on board, the government will likely lift the embargo in its entirety. Until then, keep your eye on the southern horizon. The opportunity to do business in Cuba may come quicker than expected.

Cuba Photo via Shutterstock


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
(DV) Before Christy Matthews moved back to Dallas, she worked as a wedding planner in San Francisco. But she didnt do her first gay wedding until she returned to Texas. That wedding took place on New Years Eve, the happy couples 27th anniversary.

They never thought theyd be able to marry, Matthews said, calling their wedding one of the most joyous shes ever attended.

Matthews parents are Mark and Lisa Daly, co-presidents of Fort Worth P-FLAG. Her brother, now 30, came out at age 18, right after he graduated from high school. She said her parents were leading the P-FLAG group within a year.

So there was no question when she became a wedding planner that same-sex weddings would be a focus of her business.

Matthews moved to California for college, then stayed in San Francisco and became an actress. She worked with a small theater company that did improv. Thats where she first learned the art of event planning.

The theater company traveled a lot, she said, so we  ultimately I  had to do everything ourselves. The skills that took, she said, are very similar to ones needed in event planning  working with vendors, creating a timeline, making sure everything is in place so that things go smoothly and as planned.

Eventually, Matthews went back to school and became a certified wedding planner. The course involved reading and writing contracts, business classes and, as a final project, planning a full wedding. She said fewer than 50 percent of students pass the course.

In California, Matthews had a partner in wedding planning. Last June, when her husband was transferred to Dallas, she came back home and set up her own business, this time specializing in same-sex weddings.

Matthews said she has noticed quite a few differences between gay and straight weddings. The straight couples are very young for one thing, she said.

That means in planning a straight couples wedding, she works mostly with the parents who are the ones paying for everything. Her same-sex couples, though tend to be older and self sufficient, which means parents arent often involved in planning phase. One exception is a young lesbian couple shes working with now, who both have very supportive moms.

Same-sex couples are established and know what they want, Matthews said. While straight weddings tend to be copies of each other with little innovation, Gay weddings are more custom, she said.

Everything from venue to stationery are more individualized for same-sex couples in Matthews experience. She said one couple created their own font and drawing for their invitations and thank-you notes to better reflect who they are.

Same-sex couples are adapting some traditions and at the same time creating some new ones of their own, she said. Cocktails before the ceremony or a toast during the ceremony are becoming common in same-sex weddings, but are rarely seen in opposite-sex weddings.

Traditionally, the bride cant see the bridegroom before the wedding. What about the same-sex couple thats been together for years? Matthews said thats not a tradition transferring to gay or lesbian couples.

In straight weddings, usually the bridegroom is standing up front waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle toward him. What are same-sex couples doing? Theyre finding different ways to walk down the aisle, Matthews said.

Shes seen a variety of variations. Sometimes the couple walks down the aisle together and sometimes there are two aisles and they meet at the pulpit. Sometimes theres an altar in the middle and the couple walks toward each other.

Theres more a feeling of community with your tribe surrounding you, Matthews said of same-sex weddings. I dont know that that much thought goes into it with a straight wedding.

Same-sex couples are finding new ways of expressing their vows, too. Its more celebratory and less somber, Matthews said, celebrating not only the couple, but the idea that they can get married.

And, she continued, Engaged same-sex couples are more savvy in finding vendors who are inclusive. That stems from years of working with companies to improve their workplace policies and benefits and watching out for companies making donations to hate groups.

Matthews said she vets venues before she suggests them to clients. She said she knows many couples are looking for somewhere with a cool vibe  maybe a downtown hotel like The Joule. In her vetting, however, she makes sure the company wont just book a same-sex wedding, but wants to feature that wedding on its website.

She said if she found a venue to be anti-gay, she wouldnt send a straight couple there either. Who knows who else they really dont like?

A wedding planner can be particularly valuable the day of the event, Matthews said. Details of what happens that day can get most couples frazzled. Where do presents go? What needs to get to the hotel room and what needs to go home? Does the DJ have the names of the couple and know how to pronounce those names correctly? Who needs to be tipped? How does the couple get around on their wedding day?

While most couples know to book a venue, photographer, baker and florist, many dont think about details like parking and transportation for the couple or guests. She said parking can be a headache and warned couples to think about valets, tipping and pay parking.

Its easy to say gay weddings are not different, she said, but thats not true. Bridal shows should become wedding shows, she suggested, because same-sex weddings are changing the entire industry.
(CNN) The 1969 riots at the Stonewall Inn launched the modern gay rights movement and the annual New York City pride parade.

Now the Greenwich Village bar where many in New York gather to protest and celebrate civil rights victories is poised to become the first-ever national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

President Barack Obama is likely to approve the monument by June, which is LGBT Pride Month, administration officials told CNN.

The Stonewall Inn and surrounding areas would become a National Park Service monument, although which part of the neighborhood would be included is yet to be determined.

In the early morning of June 28, 1969, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn--a typical occurrence at gay bars in the 1960s--turned violent when patrons fought back.

Following several arrests that morning, people continued to protest outside the bar for weeks afterward, leading to the first march for gay and lesbian rights in July.

Those protests are often credited as a flashpoint for LGBT rights in the United States.

Local community members will get to comment on the proposal at a Monday night listening session, with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis and New York state and city officials in attendance.

The Monday night meeting is expected to launch the process of transferring the land to the federal government.

The world changed during the Stonewall riots, said retired New York City planner Michael Levine, who said he was on a date that night at the Stonewall Inn.

"It's not what happened inside," said Levine, 73. "Not only did gay people stand up for their rights, they stood up for them in the streets."

After Stonewall, "it was easier for me to come out because the world around me changed," Levine said.

The National Park Service, which turns 100 this year, has expanded its efforts to include sites that tell the story of the LGBT community and other diverse U.S. communities, park service director Jonathan Jarvis told CNN last month.

The new effort includes a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Heritage Initiative, launched in 2014, to identify places and events associated with the story of LGBTQ Americans for inclusion in the park service.

Nearly two years ago, the National Parks Conservation Association launched a national effort to identify potential sites for an LGBT monument, said Cortney Worrall, the association's senior northeast regional director. Its online petition has more than 13,000 signatures.

"Clearly, it was Stonewall," said Worrall.

Through NPCA's discussions with locals, "we heard a resounding 'yes. Please take this on, It's long overdue,'" Worrall said.

"This is something we think we can make happen in New York."

If Obama names Stonewall as the first LGBT monument, the park service will go through a three-year process working with the local community to determine what the park will be and how it can serve the community, Worrall said.

The Stonewall Inn was granted historic landmark status by New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission in June 2015.

CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this story.
(EDGE) Gay porn actor Denis Reed reportedly died in a motorcycle accident on May 7, according to media outlets, which cite a post on his official Facebook page. He was 31.

According to the post, the Czech actor, director and producer lost control of his bike at a sharp bend and crashed into a tree. Reed was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead prior to arrival, the post reads.



Reed, who also performed under the names Jan Velicka, Pavel Matous, Ian Voight, started his career in the adult film industry in 2004 when he was 19, according to Pink News. He went on to become one of the most well-known Eastern European porn actors after appearing in both gay and straight X-rated films.



Pink News reports that Czech newspapers say Reed left behind a wife and a young son.
Accretion disc surrounding the black hole V404 Cygni Gabriel Prez, SMM (IAC)

An international team of astrophysicists, including Professor Phil Charles from the University of Southampton, have detected an intense wind from one of the closest known black holes to the Earth.

During observations of V404 Cygni, which went into a bright and violent outburst in June 2015 after more than 25 years of quiescence, the team began taking optical measurements of the black holes accretion disc using the 10.4-meter Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC)  the biggest optical-infrared telescope in the world, situated at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafa, La Palma) in the Canary Islands.

The results, which are published today in Nature, show the presence of a wind of neutral material (un-ionized hydrogen and helium), which is formed in the outer layers of the accretion disc, regulating the accretion of material by the black hole. This wind, detected for the first time in a system of this type, has a very high velocity (3,000 kilometers per second) so that it can escape from the gravitational field around the black hole.

Professor Charles, from Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, said: Its presence allows us to explain why the outburst, in spite of being bright and very violent, with continuous changes in luminosity and ejections of mass in the form of jets, was also very brief, lasting only two weeks.

At the end of this outburst the GTC observations revealed the presence of a nebula formed from material expelled by the wind. This phenomenon, which has been observed for the first time in a black hole, also allows scientists to estimate the quantity of mass ejected into the interstellar medium.

Teo Muoz Darias, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofsica de Canarias (IAC) and the lead author of the study (and also a former Marie Curie Fellow at Southampton), said: The brightness of the source and the large collecting area of the GTC allowed us not only to detect the wind, but also to measure the variation of its properties on time-scales of minutes. The database obtained is probably the best ever observed for an object of this kind.

This outburst of V404 Cygni, because of its complexity and because of the high quantity and quality of the observations, will help us understand how black holes swallow material via their accretion discs.

We think that what we have observed with the GTC in V404 Cygni happens, at least, in other black holes with large accretion discs, concluded Professor Charles and Jorge Casares from IAC, two of the discoverers of V404 Cygni in 1992, and co-authors of the study.

V404 Cygni is a black hole within a binary system located in the constellation of Cygnus. In such systems, of which less than 50 are known, a black hole of around 10 times the mass of the Sun is swallowing material from a very nearby star, its companion star. During this process material falls onto the black hole and forms an accretion disc, whose hotter, innermost zones emit in X-rays. In the outer regions, however, we can study the disc in visible light, which is the part of the spectrum observable with the GTC.

V404 Cygni, at only 8,000 light-years away, is one of the closest known black holes to the Earth, and has a particularly large accretion disc (with a radius of about ten million kilometers), making its outbursts especially bright at all wavelengths (X-rays, visible, infrared and radio waves).

On 15 June 2015, V404 Cygni went into outburst after a quiescence of over 25 years. During this period its brightness increased one million fold in a few days, becoming the brightest X-ray source in the sky. The GTC began taking spectroscopic observations on 17 June via the activation of a target of opportunity program, designed by IAC researchers for this kind of event.

The observations were made with the OSIRIS instrument on the GTC, and were carried out during the two weeks of the outburst, in observing windows of one to two hours per night. In addition, the study included observations in X-rays by the INTEGRAL and Swift satellites, as well as data from the AMI radio-interferometer in the United Kingdom.

Nine of the series of data obtained during the night of 27 June were obtained with the GTC in the presence of His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, who attended the observations as part of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Canary Island Observatories. The King was able to observe at first hand the exceptional range of phenomena exhibited by this black hole.

The research team was led by the IAC astrophysicist Teo Muoz Darias, and included four other members of the same institute: Jorge Casares, Daniel Mata Snchez, Montserrat Armas Padilla, and Manuel Linares, as well as researchers from the universities of Oxford and Southampton in the United Kingdom, and from research institutes in Germany, France, and Japan.

Image caption: An artistic view of the accretion disc surrounding the black hole V404 Cygni, where the intense wind detected by GTC becomes evident. Credit: Gabriel Prez, SMM (IAC).

Reference: Regulation of Black-Hole Accretion by a Disk Wind During a Violent Outburst of V404 Cygni, T. Muoz-Darias, J. Casares, D. Mata Snchez, R. P. Fender, M. Armas Padilla, M. Linares, G. Ponti, P. A. Charles, K. P. Mooley & J. Rodriguez, 2016 May 9, Nature [http://www.nature.com, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature17446].

The study was funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economa y competitividad under grants AYA2013-42627 and PSR2015-00397, the Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship Grant VP2-2015-046, the International Research Fellowship program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (PE15024), the Bundesministerium fr Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWI/DLR, FKZ 50 OR 1408) and the French Research National Agencys CHAOS project ANR-12-BS05-0009.
HB2 is an astonishingly discriminatory bill in North Carolina that, among other things, limits transgender rights to use public restrooms. Like many Americans, and many North Carolinians, editors at Sprudge Media Network are appalled by the existence of HB2, which has been rightly called hateful, unconstitutional, and anti-LGBT.

Fortunately the bill will likely get thrown out, but in the meantime, North Carolinians are fighting back in all manner of ways, especially in the food and beverage industry, whose restrooms have been turned into a political space by duly elected bigots. Theres many examples of brands fighting backwell be highlighting them in a forthcoming feature on Sprudgebut today we wanted to show one very specific and inspiring example of decent, non-terrible humans taking a stand against HB2.

The sign above was created by Slingshot Coffee, a cold brewed coffee company based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Its meant as a sort of bathroom-for-all signa simple, human way of saying, Listen, you just need to use the bathroom, which is okay because were all humans here. Folks can order their own version of the sign by emailing coffeemakesyougo@gmail.com, and all profits from sign sales are being donated to Equality NC.

Fuck HB2, basically.

Jordan Michelman is a co-founder and editor at Sprudge Media Network.
As the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park continues to grow in popularity, so goes the neighborhoods coffee and dining options. A surge of independent coffee shops and restaurants has attracted even more new businesses along the once-empty stretch of Sunset Boulevard, only a stones throw from Dodger Stadium.

Winsome, however, is situated on an almost hidden road off Sunset, apart from all that nearby activity. Which means that unless youre planning on visiting, youll most likely zoom past without even noticing it. Located on the ground floor of The Elysian, one of Echo Parks newest residential developments, Winsome is filling a void in the neighborhood as a sit-down space serving good coffee and quality food.

I spoke to the busy co-owners, Med Abrous and Marc Rose, via e-mail about the inspiration behind their new venture. After successfully entering into the nightlife scene with two LA bars, Abrous and Rose felt it seemed like a natural progression for us to open a full-service restaurant. We fell in love with the rich history and culture of Echo Park and wanted to give the neighborhood a restaurant to call [its] own.

Winsomes somewhat unique in its large space: there are booths, tables, indoor and outdoor seating, a coffee bar, and stools where you can watch your food being fired up. To help develop the restaurants open and fresh layout, Abrous and Rose teamed up with LA-based firm Wendy Haworth Design. Their goal was simply creating a comfortable space, [that] was really important to us. You walk in and just feel at home.

Contributing to the homey feeling, next to the coffee counter youll find goods and provisions from local vendors, including caterer and gift service Valleybrink Road, bean-to-bar chocolate makers ChocoVivo, and nut-brittle masters Morning Glory Confections, to name a few. The coffee is exclusively from La Colombe Coffee Roasters, and is pulled from a La Marzocco Linea PB two-group espresso machine. Being East Coast natives, Abrous and Rose were familiar with La Colombe from its vast presence in places like New York, DC, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The roaster is only just beginning to make itself known in LA and on the West Coast (a location is soon to open in Silver Lake); Winsome is one of the first to offer La Colombe in the vicinity.

Also at the coffee counter are creative baked goods made by pastry chef Leslie Mialma. The vibrant choices include matcha concha, garam masala monkey bread, and buckwheat ginger oat cookies. LAs vast and varied culinary scene is the source of Mialmas inspiration, according to Abrous and Rose: Her matcha concha is a great example of this [diversity], combining the classic pan dulce of Mexican culture with matcha, a flavor distinct to the cuisine served in Little Tokyo and Chinatown down the street.

The food at Winsome is focused on breakfast and lunch. Head chef Jeremy Strubel draws on classic American favorites, populating his menu with a grilled corned-beef sandwich, a grass-fed beef burger, and a Comte-and-speck grilled-cheese sandwich. Lighter fare is also available, such as the baby gem lettuces salad and crispy-tofu plate. The large, diverse menu is a perfect fit for the food-conscious folk who frequent the cafe and restaurant.

In the very near future, Abrous and Rose plan to expand into dinner, where theyll add a full bar with great cocktails and a stellar wine and beer list. Evening hours are likely to be a hit with the burgeoning young Echo Park community looking for an alternative to the louder, divey-er bars nearby.

Why the name Winsome? They point to its meaning: attractive, appealing, and with childlike charmWe think it sets the stage for your dining experience. I think perhaps this place sets a similar stage for growthand maturityin the Echo Park food & coffee scene.

Tatiana Ernst is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and photographer. Read more Tatiana Ernst on Sprudge.
Copenhagen (Denmark) 8 May 2016 (SPS)  The Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kristian Jensen responded Thursday to various questions raised to him recently by the member of Danish Parliament, Mr. Christian Juhl from the Red-Green Alliance Party through the Parliaments Foreign Affairs Committee related to the latest developments in occupied Western Sahara including; Moroccos expulsion of 73 members of MINURSO political component, the urgency of MINURSO mandate to monitor human rights in the territory, European Justice Court annulment of EU-Morocco agriculture and fish products deal on the basis that it included occupied Western Sahara, human rights situation, Gdeim Izik group case and Moroccos illegal occupation to Western Sahara.

The Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kristian Jensen response: Western Sahara has in the UN status of non-self-governing territory.



On 29 April 2016 the UNSC adopted Resolution 2285, which extends the MINURSO mandate to 30 April 2017. The resolution regrets that MINURSO's ability to fully live up to its mandate, which has been affected since most of its civilian component including political personnel unable to perform their duties in MINURSOs area of operation. The resolution also stresses the urgent need for MINURSO to return to its full functionality.

Denmark supports the Security Council extension of MINURSO and emphasizes that the mission will be able to fulfill its mandate to the fullest.

The best opportunity to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution between the parties lies with the UN. The government supports the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy Christopher Ross continued consultations with stakeholders in the region with a view to a resumption of direct negotiations between the parties.

There has long been discussion about getting human rights incorporated as part of the UN mission (MINURSO) mandate. The Danish Government supports this proposal.







Denmark regularly raises human rights issues in the ongoing bilateral dialogue with Morocco, including the relation to Western Sahara.







The government will await the final judgment by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) before taking a position. (SPS)

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Nearly 11,000 UN peacekeepers have been deployed to the Central African Republic in 2014 to maintain a fragile peace between Islamic Seleka rebels and Christian militias.

"The national emergency declared in Executive Order 13667 of May 12, 2014, with respect to the Central African Republic is to continue in effect beyond May 12, 2016," Obama stated.

Obama noted that the Central African Republic has been caught up in sectarian tension, widespread violence and use of child soldiers in conflicts.
The crisis in Ukraine, which saw Crimea vote to join Russia and the east of the country engulfed in civil war, "provided Washington with an excuse to launch an all-out propaganda war against Russia in general and its President Vladimir Putin in particular. Hardly a day goes by when US newscasters fail to accuse Moscow of either 'invading' Ukraine or 'threatening' the Baltics."

What the anti-Russian media hysteria misses, Stryker suggests, is Europe's real existential problem. Namely, the question is: "How would spending more on NATO arms help solve Europe's real problem, which is refugees from US-led wars?"

Nearly two decades ago, the analyst recalls, liberal interventionist scholar Zbignieuw Brzezinski outlined a plan "to divide Russia into smaller, easier to control entities" in his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard.

This "led, in 2009, to an obedient Europe creating the Eastern Partnership, designed to draw former Soviet republics away from Russia. That having largely failed, in 2014, more drastic steps were taken, in the form of a 'popular' coup against Ukraine's president, backed by militias inspired by World War II fascists."

Unfortunately, the analyst warns, the most troubling question today, as tensions between Moscow and NATO continue to grow, and "Russia's air force taunts the US fleet just outside its territorial waters in the Baltic Sea," is "what will stop this phony war from becoming real?"
Unfortunately, the political scientist added, "if we say that war cannot begin as the result of rational calculation, we can say that it may flare up due to the lack of rationality. Every war in human history has been the result of the failure of human reason; people could not agree like rational beings on the sharing of some goods or piece of territory, and so began behaving like predators instead. War is an irrational atavism."

Large scale wars, Krejci emphasized, are the result of a geopolitical breaking point. "This occurs when accumulated individual problems come together to produce a synergistic effect. Someone makes the wrong calculation, thinking, for example, that they have gained impunity through missile defense, and attacks. Or they arrive at the conclusion that there is no other solution to a problem apart from war," and attack in the hope of "getting an advantage the defender will be unable to compensate."

The danger, the analyst suggested, is that "a peace which depends on the idea that politicians are always rational is a world whose peace is built in the sand. Recall how President Obama recently admitted that the decision to attack Libya was a mistake. He said that he realized his mistake on the second day of the operation. But even the first day the decision had been made, it was too late. Terribly late. Irrevocably too late."

Second World War: Russia Rises Like a Phoenix Out of the Ashes
United States House of Representatives(WASHINGTON) -- House Speaker Paul Ryan said Monday he's looking forward to a "straight conversation" with Donald Trump about the state of the Republican Party and the 2016 presidential race when the two meet on Capitol Hill Thursday, after expressing reluctance about endorsing Trump's White House bid.

Trump will also meet with Senate GOP leaders on Thursday when he visits Capitol Hill, two top Senate GOP aides confirmed to ABC News.

"We have right now a disunified Republican Party. We shouldn't sweep it under the rug without addressing it," Ryan, R-Wis., said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Monday. "That would be to our detriment in the fall."

He also told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel he would respect Trump's wishes if he wanted him to step down as co-chairman of the GOP convention.

"He's the nominee. I'll do whatever he wants with respect to the convention," Ryan said told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.



The country's two most prominent Republicans have traded blows over the past week after Trump effectively clinched the GOP presidential nomination with his win in the Indiana primary and after his two primary opponents -- Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- suspended their campaigns.



After previously promising to support his party's nominee, Ryan, who has publicly rebuked some of Trump's most controversial policy proposals, told CNN Thursday he was not ready to endorse the New York businessman unless he worked to better represent the Republican Party's values.



Trump quickly fired back, threatening to withhold support for the House GOP's election-year policy agenda.



In several television interviews that aired over the weekend, Trump appeared uninterested in bringing the Republican Party together before the November elections, and did not rule out pushing out the speaker from his traditional role as convention chairman.



Asked Monday about Trump's comments, Ryan told Wisconsin's largest newspaper he'll "do whatever he wants with respect to the convention."



Ryan, who said he doesn't know Trump well, praised his primary campaign, and said he "deserves a ton of credit" for his "very impressive victory."



"At the same time, he said, we want to make sure we don't pretend we're unified and then go into the fall at half-strength.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Members of the ISS expedition 47  Oleg Skripochka, Alexei Ovchinin and Yuri Malenchenko have recorded a video address from the space station which was later posted on the Russian space agency Roscosmos official Facebook page.

"Honorable veterans, people of Russia and all of the other countries that defeated fascism in May 1945, from aboard the ISS we congratulate you on Victory Day," the cosmonauts said.

They also added that "working in space and living a peaceful life; scientific research, dreams and achievements  all of it is only possible in a world without war."
The court of Gandevi Judicial Magistrate on Friday sentenced Rafik Illyasbhai Khalifa, 35, to three years in jail and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him ($150), while convicting him under relevant sections of Gujarat Animal Preservation Act of 2011.

According to the law, keeping, buying, selling or transporting beef is banned in the state of Gujarat.

According to the local court's rule, "Cow is associated with the religious sentiment of a community. So such a crime threatens the peace of society."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Seven people have been killed in election violence during presidential, legislative and local elections in the Republic of the Philippines, the national press reported Monday, citing police.

The victims were aboard a multi-purpose vehicle and two motorcycles when they were intercepted and fatally shot, Calabarzon administrative regional police said as cited by The Inquirer daily.

Scarce details were released, but police designated the municipality of Rosario in the province of Cavite an area of concern due to intense rivalry among political candidates there.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Rodrigo Duterte, 71, an outspoken longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao whose rabble-rousing campaign has drawn comparisons to US presidential candidate Donald Trump, has maintained a comfortable lead among five candidates throughout the campaign.

A new president of the Philippines may be declared by Wednesday, The Straits Times daily cited the electoral commission as saying. Winners for national posts are expected to be named by Thursday, it added.

The outlet attributes Dutertes cult-like popularity to public frustration with lack of economic growth, daily crime and corruption despite a return to democracy since the 1986 uprising.
He commented on last Friday's rare talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sochi, where they discussed a wide range of political, economic and international issues.

"We are glad to note a steady increase in [Russian-Japanese] bilateral contacts," the spokesman told reporters in a comment on the meeting between Putin and Abe.
The Delhi Police have their own network of CCTV cameras to monitor law and order in the capital. In fact, recently more CCTV cameras have been installed in Delhi to keep the movement of criminals under close watch. However, the criminals' methods are evolving to the chagrin of Delhi Police, and now criminals have also installed CCTV cameras around their hideouts to keep a tab on any movement of cops in their areas.

Delhi Police faced such an incident in Vasant Gaon and Sangam Vihar in South Delhi, where a gambling racket has been operating. Whenever police conducted a raid in the area, however, they found nothing. Later Delhi Police were tipped off that the criminals had installed CCTV cameras at the entrance of the area and whenever they conducted the raid at the criminal's hideout, the crooks were alerted by their own CCTV system.
A senior official told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity, "India's Finance Ministry is reluctant to release funds for external projects. Reduced allocation might impact the process of completion of ongoing projects in neighboring countries. This may lead to loss of face for India; considering China is aggressively pushing funds to these nations."

Prof. B.R. Dipak, at the Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi believes that despite the Indian government's policy of 'neighbors first,' India's weak domestic drivers are restraining its foreign policy in terms of development works.

"The problem is that our domestic drivers are not strong enough at this point of time. And also that our capabilities (are not strong) to take up mega projects, for example we want to build harbors in Sri Lanka and Maldives. And another thing is that we also do not have the capital. Not like China which has earmarked $40 billion for aid. If they want to abberate or cooperate for have these projects in these countries, they can do it easily as they have the capital, experience and expertise, which I think, we lack at this point of time."

Applying his argument to the latest strain in relationships between India and Nepal, Prof. Deepak said, "There are various other undercurrents in these countriesNepal has been swinging between China and India. It can take advantage of that situation. Our policy has not been consistent. If we antagonize neighbors, China would be willing to play a greater role. This is not a new thing. It has been there for decades; since our relations started deteriorating with China. In this front, we really need to be sensitive and magnanimous towards our neighbors."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Afghan security services killed 36 armed insurgents during military operations in the past 24 hours, Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

"In the last 24 hours, as a result of the joint clearance operations of the Afghan security and defense forces aimed to topple down the insurgents and protect the lives and property of people, 36 armed insurgents, including two of their commanders, were killed, tens were wounded," the statement reads.
The latest example is a village in the Rewari district of Haryana, where students face the threat of getting raped in a neighboring village while commuting to and from school. The girls are scared after the gang-rape of a ninth grade student on April 18 by local boys. After the unfortunate incident, most of the parents decided to stop their girls from attending school outside the village.

@PMOIndia @Manekagandhibjp 40 Haryana girls stop going to school in Rewari. Beti Bachao Beti Padao seems only a slogan in haryana.  narender Kumar (@narry13) 5 May 2016

The Human Rights Commission has been made aware of the incident and summoned Rewari Deputy Commissioner Yash Garg, asking him to submit a detailed report.

Meanwhile Haryana's State Women and Child Development minister Kavita Jain has also asked the Deputy Commissioner to conducted an immediate inquiry.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US Department of Defense is making the rules of engagement for US forces in Afghanistan as clear as possible, following the official end of combat operations in that country, Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook said on Monday.

"We are asking a lot of US forces right now, but those rules of engagement those authorities, are as clear as they can be right now for those forces," Cook stated.

On Monday, various US news outlets cited a declassified Pentagon report where service members involved in Operation Resolute Support expressed confusion over the rules of engagement with enemy forces in Afghanistan.
Last year, Xi Jinping called for action to promote "civilized behavior" on Chinas heavily controlled Internet during a speech at the Communist Party Summit.

CCTV said the move to ban live-streamed consumption of the elongated, nutrient-rich fruit applies to attractive young female presenters. The presenters have also been banned from wearing miniskirts and revealing tops.
Andrukhovych called on fellow Ukrainians to "take maximum advantage of the visa-free regime" and flee the home country in legions so as to "create a major problem for the EU".

It will take hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian migrants to push the union to accept Ukraine as a new member, the writer underlined.

"Then we'll be invited in the EU", he said in an interview to the TV channel "112 Ukraine."
In his interview for Der Spiegel, Schmidt said that the trade agreement, already sparking a decent amount of controversy, does not provide significant concessions to German food producers, offering minor concessions to the automotive sector instead.

"We won't sacrifice our high food safety standards in a barter trade for approval of European car blinkers," he said.

"One has nothing to do with the other," he said. "There won't be any such horse-trading."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Some 180 troops will take up guard posts at Belgian prisons on Monday after a strike by local wardens entered the third week, local authorities said.

Wardens in Brussels and the southern region of Wallonia have been protesting pension age rises and understaffing, which has resulted in more overtime work.

"We are currently talking about six platoons of 30 personnel each," a statement posted by the prime ministers office read Sunday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The West has been trying to pass off the Soviet Armys defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 as anything less than a key victory over evil, Serbia's President Tomislav Nikolic told Sputnik.

Russia is honoring Victory Day on May 9, a day later than its WWII allies. It coincides with Europe Day, when EU member states mark the signing of a 1950 declaration outlining the EU vision.

"They [the West] try to pass off May 9, the greatest day in modern history, as anything but a victory over then Nazi Germany or a decisive Soviet victory over the world evil," Nikolic said.
MOSCOW, May 9 (Sputnik)  Last year, Russia vetoed a UN resolution that would have recognized the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia as an act of genocide, and voted against accepting Serbias breakaway Kosovo region in UNs cultural agency UNESCO as an independent member state.

"I am grateful to Russia and President [Vladimir] Putin that the UN Security Council did not pass a resolution on Srebrenica, which would be a catastrophe for us. At my request, Moscow used its veto right, which is known to be a difficult procedure. We are also grateful for Moscows influence that led to the UNESCO denying Kosovo membership," Nikolic said.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, and has since been recognized by 108 UN member states. Belgrade considers Kosovo to be part of Serbia. Dozens more countries, including five EU nations and Russia, do not recognize Kosovo's sovereignty.
And Merkel has indeed proven to be a disaster, w refugees there openly disrespecting the law, as we've seen.  https://t.co/ziT2LJ2Kqv  A.J. Delgado (@AJDelgado13) 7  2016 .

"Now life will change for everyone. We are afraid that something will happen: an explosion or something like that. There are many Muslims here, and they cannot be tracked," he quoted one resident of Berlin as saying.

Ursula Bachhuber, a member of the right-wing, populist Eurosceptic political party Alternative for Germany, said in turn that they even do not know who is coming into their country.

"These refugees come from all over the world, including Kosovo, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Namely, we do not know who enters our country amid Daesh threats to seize Europe," she said.

According to opinion polls, the refugee crisis has already affected the popularity ratings of Chancellor Merkel and her party Christian Democratic Union (SPD), as well as the ratings of her partners in the ruling coalition.

NOT refugees NOT migrants NOT immigrants. #INVADERS Merkel thinks she can control them. Merkel is certifiable. https://t.co/HgiGXffYdf  cwllwc (@cwllwc) 7  2016 .

Andreas von Bulow of the Social Democratic Party of Germany placed the blame squarely on Merkel's migration policy, which he said may finally lead to unpredictable consequences.

"It was Chancellor Merkel who invited refugees without consulting the German government, her fellow party members or the leaders of other European countries. And now she suddenly makes an about-face, not even thinking about the implications," he pointed out.

Earlier, Merkel warned of the resurgence of nationalism in Germany, saying that "either we protect the external borders of Europe and we do it together, or we return to nationalism."

Meanwhile, Professor Peter Schulze from the University of Goettingen said that the overwhelming majority of German citizens no longer support Merkel's policy on refugees.

"The mistakes that she has made are obvious, especially when it comes to efforts to resolve the migration crisis. These steps taken by Merkel's government further undermined public confidence in the country's leadership," he said.
Asked who his "best friend" was among foreign colleagues, Nikolic replied, "Putin. At least that is my feeling."

Russia and Serbia have maintained close ties throughout the recent ups and downs in Moscows relations with Europe, marred by EU sanctions and Russia's retaliatory food imports ban.
Guided tours are being offered of areas of Copenhagen which are generally associated with trouble. Ghetto Tours is a project started by young volunteers from RCYN (Resource Centre Nrrebro District), a place where young locals can get help with homework or start their own projects, such as filmmaking or recording music, the newspaper Berlingske reported.

The idea of the project is, according to Anoir Hassouni, director of RCYN, to allow first-generation immigrant kids to openly talk about their everyday lives, their community and their ideas, and thus alleviate the segregation of the Danish society into "us" and "them."
The third bailout austerity measures have proved deeply unpopular in Greece, with many demonstrations and rising street crime. The reforms included "streamlining the VAT system and broadening the tax base to increase revenue" and "up-front measures to improve long-term sustainability of the pension system as part of a comprehensive pension reform program."

Troika Divided

There are also divisions within the Troika with the IMF refusing to take part in the third Greek bailout, saying that the terms demanded by the EU are "unsustainable" and that Greece should be allowed debt relief  the writing-off of part of its debts  in the same way as Germany was allowed it following the end of the Second World War.

Wheels up for Brussels. Eurogroup on Greece. Looking for common solutions to common problems on #EuropeDay2016.  Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) May 9, 2016

The IMF is facing a backlash from its own executive, as remaining party to the bailout program is in breach of its own policy of not lending money to insolvent governments.

However, there is also disagreement over extra reforms demanded by the IMF that could amount to another US$4 billion in cuts by Greece, over and above what it has already promised.

Interested in today's Eurogroup on Greece with the IMF and Berlin tussling over Greece's debt & fiscal targets?https://t.co/f94L5NoXVr  Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) May 9, 2016

The latest measures agreed by parliament include reducing pension spending by about two percentage points to around 15 percent of GDP by 2019; setting social security contributions at 20 percent of employees' net monthly income  with 13.3 percent coming from employers and 6.7 percent from employees; and lowering the income tax-free threshold, or personal allowance, to an average of around US$10,000 a year from around US$10,800 and making income bands narrower.
The Immortal Regiment initiative celebrating people behind the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany has taken place in dozens of cities across former Soviet republics and abroad. The first such event took place in 2012.

"We estimated that more than 30,000 people took part in the Immortal Regiment event," Igor Martynov, head of the Donetsk city administration, told reporters.
Many expats are desperate to vote because they fear that a win for the Brexit camp will mean they have to leave the EU country they currently live in or that it will seriously disrupt their lives. They say it could mean losing their status as EU citizens and they could become "resident aliens" unprotected by EU law.

There are approximately two million Britons living and working in other EU countries and will be impacted by this ruling.

Mr Shindler and Ms MacLennan's lawyers argue that this law prevents many expats from participating in this important democratic process, which may deny them the very EU rights which they rely on every day.

.@KetchumUK @TBoneGallagher We asked the British expats about #Brexit, 68% want the UK IN & this is how they feel: pic.twitter.com/EJShZSyw7O  The Expat Survey (@ExpatSurvey) May 9, 2016

The government has pledged to change the "15-year-rule" in the Queen's Speech to Parliament after the 2015 election; however these changes will not apply to the 2016 UK referendum, held on June 23.

In a recent interview, a British government spokesperson said: "The franchise for the EU referendum is based on the current franchise for UK Parliamentary elections. Currently, British citizens living abroad are entitled to be registered to vote in UK Parliamentary elections as overseas voters for up to 15 years, if they were previously registered to vote in the UK before moving overseas."
BRUSSELS (Sputnik)  Later in the day, the Eurogroup is expected to convene a meeting to discuss the "state of play of the first review of the macroeconomic adjustment programme to Greece," according to the draft agenda of the meeting.

"Athens hopes for the positive statement of the Eurogroup about the prospects of debt relief," the source said.
London has been holding its own march for the first time and the organizers are expecting a turnout of about 200 people.

Participants of the #ImmortalRegiment march gather at Trafalgar Square in London #VictoryDay pic.twitter.com/W3XC7QG5kU  Sputnik UK (@SputnikNewsUK) May 9, 2016

There are no restrictions as to who can attend, said the coordinator of the London march Tatyana Campo:

"Anyone can participate in this march, irrespective of one's nationality, citizenship, religion, political or any other views. Come with family and children; invite your friends and colleagues."

Judging by the posts on the event's Facebook page people joined the march in London from as far as Northampton and Coventry. Unlike in Russia, 9 May is not a public holiday in the UK, and many parents had been worried that they would not be able to bring their children because of classes. The organizers drafted a letter, explaining the purpose of the event, and the response from British schools was very positive.

London celebrates #VictoryDay with Immortal Regiment parade pic.twitter.com/lWruD2yEy3  Sputnik UK (@SputnikNewsUK) May 9, 2016

The participants of the march have been sharing stories of their relatives who fought in the war on social media and during the march.

"I printed my uncle's photograph for the march. He volunteered in 1941 at 14 years old having lied that he was 18. In 1943 he was injured by a Nazi landmine losing both arms and one eye. A nurse who took care of him later married him. They had a son and two grandchildren, my two cousins. Many more members of my family were killed, wounded or affected. Memory lives on!" actress Ekaterina Fields said.

World War II veterans from Russia also took part in the march. They were invited by the Cambridge Russian-speaking Society and are expected to participate in several events commemorating Victory over fascism, including a wreath laying ceremony at the Soviet War Memorial in London.

"My mum and dad had lived through three waves of occupation: German, Italian, Romanian. The whole of Europe descended on their little hamlet in Lugansk. At 14 my mum was digging trenches for the Red Army and then  burials for the tank crews that perished defending that small piece of land," Lidiya Grigoryeva.
According to the newspaper Dagbladet , a number of Norwegians (both ethnic Norwegians and Norwegians with Kurdish backgrounds) have joined the Kurdish Peshmerga militia so far.

One of them is "Mike", who was trained to be an elite soldier at the Telemark Battalion in Norway. Now, "Mike" is fighting in northern Iraq alongside several other fellow Norwegians, facing desperate Daesh terrorists in suicide bombings and sneak attacks.

"Mike" is stationed in Duhok north of the Daesh-occupied Iraqi metropolis of Mosul (which in 2008 had a population of 1.8 million people and was Iraq's second largest city). "Mike" is part of the Duhok Anti-Terror Unit, where local volunteers fight under the leadership of the Kurdish general Wahid Kolve.
The President's outburst toward the EU follows a tumultuous week in Turkish politics, in which the Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that he would be standing down for no apparent reason.

This fueled speculation that the President Erdogan may be working towards constitutional changes that would see his office gain far greater control of the executive branches of government.

Human rights campaigners have been vocal over Turkey's implementation of the so-called anti-terror laws, claiming they have been used as a means to curb free speech and dissenting journalism. The recent high profile case of journalist Can Dundar, who reported the transporting of arms from Turkey to Syria  resulting in a six years prison sentence  is increasingly representative of Turkey's attitude towards dissent.

International Human Rights lawyer Margaret Owen, told Sputnik that attacks on free speech in Turkey are worse than they've ever been.

"There are more claims against Turkey upheld in the European Court of Human Rights than any other country. They have never even implemented the determinations of the EU Court of Human Rights, and claims against particular people that have been upheld  those people are still in their jobs," Owen told Sputnik.

Visa relaxation between the EU and Turkey has often been touted as a likely precursor to the country's accession as a member state of the EU, a process over which President Erdogan has a surprising amount of leverage. This is because of Turkey's agreement to take in huge numbers of refugees fleeing to Europe. With that in mind, refusals to alter Turkey's anti-terror laws have been described as blackmail by European Council President Donald Tusk.

As Margaret Owen told Sputnik, Turkey has form on refusing to adhere to EU requirements, despite being a signatory to the EU Convention of Human rights:

"There's something called the Copenhagen Criteria, which are the conditions that states must comply with in order to be able to be accepted into the European Union, and Turkey has not complied with them."

The EU-Turkey visa deal will need to be approved by 28 member states, and is technically contingent on a number of criteria on which Turkey falls short. However, Erdogan has repeatedly threatened to rescind any obligations regarding the refugee crisis, should the promised visa relaxation not go ahead.
SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik)  Some 40,000 people took part in the Immortal Regiment march in Simferopol on Monday, making it the biggest in Crimeas capitals history, the Crimean authorities said.

"The Immortal Regiment campaign brought together over 40,000 people. This is the biggest ever campaign which was a success in the Crimean capital," Ervin Musayev, one of the organizers of the event and a spokesman for the Crimean Ministry of Internal Policies, Information and Communication told RIA Novosti.


PRAGUE (Sputnik)Czech President Milos Zeman stressed that international situation remained tense due to global terrorism. The president expressed hope that one day a moment would come when he would be able to raise his glass in honor of defeating terrorism.

Famous Czech politicians, diplomats, representatives of the business and culture sectors, as well as Czech and Russian veterans of World War II took part in the reception in the embassy.

Last year, Zeman visited Moscow on May 9, but did not attend the military parade on the Red Square.
The widespread fraud surrounds the Tory party's so-called "battlebus" which they used to transport Conservative campaigners from around the country and accommodated them in hotels.

Apparently, according to Channel 4 which investigated the alleged election fraud, Britain's ruling party failed to report up to US$288,000 spent on MPs and local candidates in 33 elections that should have been declared in the party's local spending.

hey, think I've just found the new Tory #BattleBus ~ better in pink perhaps? pic.twitter.com/nnvQ8CBUw0  Steve Fx 2016 (@bitgit) May 8, 2016

Some of the undeclared expenses included hotel bills and the cost of transporting activists in highly contested areas of the UK to help the Tory campaign. Under electoral law, breaching spending limits is a criminal offence.
ROME (Sputnik)  Many Italian cities are hosting on Monday the celebratory events commemorating the Victory Day, including the St. George Ribbon campaign to distribute black-and-orange ribbons  a symbol of the Soviet victory in World War II, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported Monday.

May 9 is widely celebrated as Victory Day over Nazi Germany in World War II in Russia and former Soviet republics.

St. George ribbons have been distributed among the residents of Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin and Merano.
He recalled how former Prime Minister Winston Churchill had argued passionately for Western Europe to come together in the post-war period, to promote free trade, and to build institutions which would endure so that our continent would "never again see such bloodshed."

Boris Johnson: "I don't think that the PM can seriously believe that leaving the EU could trigger WW3", given he said was prepared to leave  Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) May 9, 2016

"Isolationism has never served this country well. Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at a much higher cost.

"The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price that this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe. Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt? Is that a risk worth taking?" Cameron said.

Strength in Union

His comments come as the UK government released a video in which four Second World War veterans have warned that Britain "should stay in the EU or otherwise risk the stability in Europe that they fought to ensure."

Harry Leslie Smith, David Meylan, Patrick Churchill and Field Marshal Lord Bramall all represented their country during the Second World War and each insists that the future prosperity of the UK is best served by Britain retaining its EU membership.

Always found it profoundly sad that 80% of Russian Males born in same year as me 1923 didn't live to see the end of WW2 #GreatPatrioticWar  Harry Leslie Smith (@Harryslaststand) May 9, 2016

Patrick Churchill, a former Royal Marine Commando who fought at D-Day and who received the Legion d'Honneur in 2004, says in the video that if Europe "breaks or if we are not in that union then countries will fall apart. The only solution is to bind together, hold together, there we find strength."
The plan would entail establishing a list of foreign imams and other religious leaders who have encouraged or promoted terrorism or expressed anti-democratic' opinions. People on the list would be denied visas and immediately swung around should they attempt to pass through Danish border stations.

The blacklist plan was first raised in March, as Prime Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen of the Liberal Party vowed to curb the spread of Islamist extremism by barring the most notorious hatemongers.

Integration Minister Inger Stjberg told Jyllands-Posten on Monday that the blacklist was a "drastic" but necessary move.
A map from our 1916 video illustrates division of Middle East according to #SykesPicot Agreement #OTD pic.twitter.com/GZJ1PLnn6O  Epic History TV (@EpicHistoryTV) May 9, 2016

Under the deal the French were to control an area extending from Southeastern Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and parts of northern Iraq, while the British would take control of the area consisting of the majority of modern-day central and southern Iraq, as well as Jordan.

A third area, loosely based around today's Israel, was to become an Arab kingdom under a joint French-British mandate.

1916 Boundaries Slammed

Critics have since slammed the carve-up of land, saying the Sykes-Picot deal largely ignored many ethnic and political divides, with many of the borders between French and British control drawn with a ruler.

According to legend, Sykes' described his method behind the boundaries in a briefing with then British Prime Minister Herbert Asquith in 1915.

"I should like to draw a line from the 'E' in Acre to the last 'K' in Kirkuk," he is alleged to have said, while sliding his finger across a map in Downing Street.

While designed to prevent conflict between the British and French in a post-WW1 land grab, the deal has been blamed with fermenting sectarian violence across the Middle East.

Russian Scoop

Adding to the infamy of the Sykes-Picot plan was the circumstances in which the deal was revealed to the world.

Initially a secret agreement between the French and British, Russian Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Leon Trotsky, published the details of the deal in November 1917, ultimately revealing the Sykes-Picot plot.

While Russia's Tsarist government were a minor party in preliminary talks, the country's Bolshevik revolution transformed Russia's foreign policy, and Trotsky's leak was seen by many to reveal the imperial intentions of Britain and France.

As a result, the deal has also come to resemble foreign control of the Middle East, with many researchers pointing out its relevance in prevailing anti-Western sentiment throughout the region.

This was demonstrated by Daesh's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who after sweeping through large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declared: "This blessed advance will not stop until we hit the last nail in the coffin of the Sykes-Picot conspiracy."

Impact Lives on

And while the deal to divide up the Middle East has since been widely derided by experts and critics, it is clear the agreement is still having a very big impact on current events.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Multinational military exercises dubbed Platinum Lion 16-3 with the participation of NATO forces started in Bulgaria on Monday, country's defense ministry said in a statement.

"Multinational joint drills 'PLATINUM LION 16-3,' launched today on a training range "Novo Selo." It will be held on May 9-15 with the participation of some 315 soldiers," the statement reads.

It was added in the statement that among the participants there were about 90 Bulgarians, 150 US Marines, as well as 40, 25 and 11 soldiers of the British, Romanian and French armed forces respectively.
LONDON (Sputnik)  A ceremony commemorating the memory of the Soviet people killed during the World War II took place on Monday in the UK capital, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

The ceremonial event held near the Imperial War Museum started with a speech of Russia's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko, who said that no one should turn their back on history.
Soder said that there were "real differences" in the long-term union between Merkel's Christian Democrat Party (CDU) and Bavaria's Christian Socialist Party (CSU), led by Horst Seehofer, who has been particularly damning of Merkel's policies on migration

Seehofer expressed anger over Merkel's refugee policy after his state  Bavaria  became overwhelmed with the numbers arriving from Austria. He called for a cap on the total number and for border controls, which she has so far refused.

The CDU/CSU Union has been a feature of German politics for decades, with the CSU operating only in Bavaria and the CDU in the rest of Germany. Merkel's unpopularity could yet see the CSU wishing to distance itself from Merkel  and possibly even campaign for political power outside of Bavaria in next year's federal elections.
Whitehall came alive Monday (9 May) with Russian patriotic songs and Victory banners. About two thousand people carried portraits of their next of kin, who gave their lives fighting to free the world of Nazism.

The grassroots initiative to celebrate all those heroes of the "Immortal Regiment" swept through Russia like wild fire. Last year some 500,000 people gathered to march through Moscow's Red Square, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the total number of participants across the country was estimated at 12 million.

London has held its own march for the first time and the volunteers who organized it were expecting a turnout of about 200 people.
BRUSSELS (Sputnik)  Schulz also called on the European policymakers to contribute to the progress for Europe.

"We should fight for this Europe. We can not allow to be ruled by those, who against the European Union," Schulz said, speaking on the occasion of Europe Day, which is celebrated on May 9.

May 9: Day of Europe. No big ceremonies needed, neither unfounded, populist criticism. Let us think about our common future.  Marcel H. Van Herpen (@MarcelHVanHerpe) 9 May 2016

Europe Day is held on May 9 every year to mark the 1950 statement by then-French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, which outlined his plans for a united Europe. Soon after the speech, Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands and West Germany signed a treaty that established the European Coal and Steel Community, the first of the European communities, which have preceded the European Union.
LONDON (Sputnik)  Sir John Chilcots report into the United Kingdoms part in the Iraq war will be published on July 6, seven years after it was launched, a statement on the public inquirys website said Monday.

Last week, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that the report would not be published until after the national referendum on staying or leaving the European Union, which is set to be held on June 23, as it might affect the voters' decisions.

"Sir John Chilcot and the Prime Minister have agreed that the Iraq Inquirys report will be published on Wednesday 6 July 2016," the statement said.
BRUSSELS, May 9 (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, Greek lawmakers voted in a controversial reform bill that cuts future pension payments, increases value-added tax, and introduces internet, television, coffee and e-cigarette taxes.

#Greece debt: short, medium and long term debt measures to be discussed. EWG to report back to 24 May #Eurogroup 2/2  Valdis Dombrovskis (@VDombrovskis) 9 May 2016

According to Dombrovskis, work on the allocation of a new financial tranche for Greece, including an agreement on the so-called contingency mechanism, which stipulates measures to be implemented in case of Athens failing to meet the EU requirements, will be finalized in coming days.

#Eurogroup welcomes the policy package. Staff level agreement 2 be finalised in coming days, including the contingency mechanism #Greece 1/2  Valdis Dombrovskis (@VDombrovskis) 9 May 2016

Eurozone finance ministers gathered in the Belgian capital earlier on Monday for a new round of talks on the Greek debt relief, hours after the Greek parliament passed a batch of further austerity measures. The pension and tax reforms are demanded by Athens lenders to unlock the next tranche of 86 billion euros ($97.9 billion at the current exchange rates) of bailout agreed in July 2015.
Otto responded with a letter, which was attached to the auction lot, in which he expressed his appreciation for the discovery and his wish for the family to keep the book for their own daughter, in memory of Anne.

According to Boston museum founder and executive director Kenneth W. Rendell, the book will become a centerpiece of the museum's Holocaust collection, which also includes items that belonged to other members of the Frank family.

"I had everyone surrounding her on display, but nothing that had come from her own hand," he said.

Anne Frank's "The Diary of a Young Girl," which documents her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, is one of the world's most widely-read books of the 20th century, and has been the basis for several plays and films.

Anne Frank died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the age of 15.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  People from all over the United Kingdom, as well as from some other countries, including Russia, the European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States, have come to participate in London Immortal Regiment March hosted in the British capital for the first time, Campo told RIA Novosti.

Campo added that the march had been closely coordinated with the local authorities and there had been no provocations.

Earlier in the day, the UK capital hosted a ceremony commemorating the memory of the Soviet people killed during World War II. Russia's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko attended the event held near the Imperial War Museum.
In the event of a move to extradite, Guzman's defense will have 30 working days to appeal.

Guzman is currently being held in CEFERESO (Federal Center of Social Adaptation, a Mexican term for prison facility) No. 9, located along the United States border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; he was moved there from Altiplano prison, located in the outskirts of Mexico City, over the weekend. This relocation has raised eyebrows in both Mexico and the US, as CEFERESO No 9 is considered less secure than Altiplano.
The UN-backed Presidential Council moved into the Libyan capital in March after the Islamist-led General National Congress in Tripoli gave up power. Its members joined the governments advisory body while allied militants were left to roam the country freely.

"Lets not forget that militants fighting in these armed groups are Libyans, and we need their help in building government institutions, not only military onesWe want to work together with everyone," Maiteeg said, adding new authorities planned to isolate and break up these groups.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Iran's armed forces have successfully conducted a medium-range ballistic missile test, a senior military official said on Monday.

The missile had a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles), with an accuracy of about eight meters, deputy chief of the Iranian General Staff, Brig. Gen. Ali Abdullahi was cited by the ISNA news agency.

He emphasized that "the great revolution" has occurred in the country's defense, and the enemies should not dare to threaten Iran.
TEHRAN (Sputnik)  Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) is expected to discuss the situation with the country's military advisers, who have been reportedly captured by terrorists in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Monday, a source close to the SNSC told Sputnik.

On Saturday, Iranian media reported about a number of advisers captured by the terrorists from the al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front near Syria's Khan Tuman settlement, located near the city of Aleppo.

"Today, the committee will discuss what happened with the Iranian military in Khan Tuman and the ways to return the captured Iranians. The relevant decisions will be made," the source said.
BERLIN (Sputnik)  About 150 experts from a number of countries are expected to attend a June conference dedicated to the preservation of Syrian cultural heritage in Germany, the country's Foreign Office said in a statement Monday.

"On June 2-4, international experts will attend a meeting on protection and preservation of cultural heritage in Syria at the invitation of the UNESCO and Special Representative of the Federal Foreign Office for UNESCO World Heritage, UNESCO Cultural Conventions Maria Boehmer Among the 150 people, who have been invited by UNESCO and Foreign Office are renowned archaeologists, researchers of the ancient world, architects and urban specialists from all over the world," the statement reads.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia and the United States confirm their commitment to the Syrian ceasefire and intend to intensify their efforts to ensure its implementation, the two countries said in a joint statement as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG).

"We demand that parties cease any indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructure and medical facilities," the statement reads.

Moscow, which co-chairs the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) together with Washington, has pledged to work with the Syrian government "to minimize aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties to the cessation."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The European Parliament's largest political group, European People's Party (EPP), is doing its best to fulfill conditions of the EU-Turkey agreement on migrants and hopes Ankara does the same, the EPP head of press and communication told Sputnik on Monday.

"The EPP Group supports the deal with Turkey. We will do our best to fulfill its conditions within the limited competences that the European Parliament has on the different parts of the agreement and we expect the Turkish side will do the same," Pedro Lopez said, commenting on the possible implications that the recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have on the deal.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Moscow will work with Damascus to minimize the use of aviation in Syrian areas inhabited by civilians and militias that support the Syria ceasefire deal, Russia and the United States said Monday in a joint statement as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group.

"The Russian Federation will work with the Syrian authorities to minimize aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties to the cessation," the statement read.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27, but it does not apply to terrorist organizations.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US State Secretary Kerry discussed the Syria crisis Monday, with the former pointing out the need to separate terrorist groups from militias operating in the country, the Russian ministry said in a statement.

The phone conversation took place on the initiative of the US side. According to the statement, Lavrov and Kerry "exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the Victory Day and stressed importance of preserving the historic truth about World War II."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Tehran on Monday issued a protest to the Kuwaiti charge d'affaires in the city after Kuwait authorized an anti-Iran demonstration in its capital, media reported.

Earlier in the day, reports emerged in the media that hundreds of Saudi-sponsored protesters gathered in Kuwait city to protest against Iran.

An Iranian foreign ministry officially requested the Kuwaiti charge d'affairs to convey the Iranian protest to the Kuwait government, IRNA news agency reported.
Celik was arrested alongside 13 others in the Turkish city of Izmir in early April on charges of illegal gun possession. The suspect previously said that he had not shot at Peshkov but had accepted the responsibility for the killing as a commander of a militant group. Celik insisted he had repeatedly ordered his men to take the Russian pilot prisoner, and not to shoot at him.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Ankaras military operations in the southeastern provinces of Mardin and Srnak have resulted in a total of nine Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants and a Turkish army sergeant killed in the last two days, the countrys General Staff said Monday.

The sergeant was reportedly wounded and taken to a hospital in the Nusaybin district of Mardin, where he died from injuries early on Monday. Seven of the militants were reportedly killed in Nusaybin on Sunday.

In addition, a total of 16 militants of the PKK group, outlawed in Turkey, were reportedly arrested on Monday after a series of operations in the southeastern Diyarbakir province.
DUBAI (Sputnik)  Mohammed Hashemi, a UAE national, who proclaimed himself the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) terrorist group's leader in the country, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting terrorist attacks in Abu Dhabi, local media reported Monday.

According to The National newspaper, Hashemi, 34, has been sentenced by the country's Federal Supreme Court to life in prison for a number of terror offenses, including preparations to blow up Yas Marina Circuit, the venue for the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, and an Ikea shop. In addition, Hashemi was accused of plotting an assassination, making bombs and financing Al Qaeda, according to the media outlet.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  An airstrike of the US-led coalition against the Daesh has killed the terrorist groups emir for the Iraqi Anbar province, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook said in a briefing on Monday.

"On May 6, a coalition airstrike targeted Abu Waheeb, ISILs [Islamic States] military emir for Anbar province," Cook stated. "That strike was successful, killing Abu Waheeb and three other ISILs jihadists."
On Friday, the Defense Department said the US troops deployed about two weeks ago and would stay for a short term to support ongoing operations of the Yemeni and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) militaries located near the port city of Mukalla

"There is a small contingent of US forces that have been operating in a liaison with the coalition activities in Mukalla. They are still in the country, still providing that liaison role," Cook noted.
Notwithstanding the UN Security Council position, Iran has carried out multiple ballistic missile tests since the nuclear deal was adopted on October 18, 2015. In November, Iran launched a missile with a range of 1,930 kilometers (1,200 miles) and two months ago the country test-fired two more ballistic missiles with the phrase Israel must be wiped out etched onto them in Hebrew.

Military officials claim that the launches demonstrate to Israel that Jerusalem is within missile range, in a bid for increased leverage and deterrence against potential Israeli adversaries. However, some international analysts view the ballistic missile tests as flouting the 2015 nuclear deal.

The US, France, Britain and Germany each decried the launch as "destabilizing and provocative" and called for a new round of UN sanctions against Iran. A special UN committee found that the ballistic tests violate the Security Council mandate, and cautioned that Tehran may be using the 2015 nuclear deal as cover to creep toward developing ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The center also reported that the number of settlements which agree to the Syria ceasefire has increased to 95.

The ceasefire has been observed in most provinces of the Syrian Arab Republic. Within last 24 hours, 5 ceasefire violations have been registered (Damascus province  3, Hama province  2), the statement read.

The number of settlements which agreed to the Syrian ceasefire has increased to 97, the Russian center said.
The efforts of the US-coalition to change the tide of war on Daesh are so unimpressive to Iraqis that it summons beliefs that the US fights Daesh with one hand and support it with another. Many view the coalition's true intentions as "destabilizing" Iraq, providing a constant level of chaos for both oil resources control and constant demand on weapons shipment.

And now the US struggles to convince Iraqis they are the good guys. According to US Army Colonel Steve Warren, the coalition spokesman, "The Iranians have something to say every day, the Russian have something to say every day, ISIL has something to say every single day, so we need to make sure that this coalition and this Iraqi government is also saying something every day."

In their search for something to say every day, the coalition information fighters resorted to claims that US oil interests in Iraq are "rumors" and "conspiracy theory". Instead, they measure their involvement in money, with $7 billion being the number of expenditures for the operation since 2014. While this number can be impressive, there is little information about how effective these expenditures turned out, as it is very important to choose the right weapon against such an elusive enemy as Daesh (or any other militant group). There are numbers of pitiful examples when poor choice of weapons cost states dear, both in human losses and money.

Now the US must fight not only the belligerents out in the desert, they also have to spend time, money and efforts to fight bad reputation and rumors they didn't exactly strived to prevent in the first place.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Al-Nusra Front, outlawed in Russia, is one of the extremist groups that Syria government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have been fighting since 2011, in addition to fighting numerous opposition factions in the country.

Groupings of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist grouping continue warfare aimed at setting the 'Silence regime' off in Aleppo. Within last 24 hours, al-Nairab airport, Sheikh Maqsood and Amriyah city sectors have suffered shellings with multiple launch rocket systems, the statement, posted by the Russian Defense Ministry, read.

On Wednesday, Moscow and Washington agreed that the ceasefire in Syria should include the city of Aleppo. The "regime of silence" came into force on Thursday.
Between six to eight McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle aircraft and up to 100 servicemen from the US Oregon Air National Guard will take part in the joint air exercises, which include education and training operations. The exercises are organized by Karelian Air Command in Rissala (situated in eastern Finland between the cities of Joensuu and Kuopio). Units of the Oregon Air National Guard have previously been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, among others.

In Finland, the arrival of the US military has stirred mixed reactions, with a number of advocates of the time-tested non-alignment policy threatening to organize protests. Previously, the Americans' visit caused confusion among the ranks of Finland's political establishment. At a meeting of the defense committee, profile minister Jussi Niinisto was unable to explain who the initiator of joint exercises was. The situation was saved by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Timo Soini, who stated that the initiative came from the American side.
TOKYO (Sputnik)  Japan considers North Koreas status as a nuclear state unacceptable, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a daily briefing Monday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed on Sunday that "as a responsible nuclear weapons state," Pyongyang would avoid using nuclear weapons "unless its sovereignty is encroached upon." He added that North Korea would "faithfully fulfil its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for the global denuclearization."

"North Korea has to urgently implement all UN Security Council resolutions. We consider such a position unacceptable," Suga told reporters.
In an open letter, the economists have called on politicians to come to an agreement to end financial secrecy at this week's anti-corruption summit in London, where officials from 40 countries, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are expected to be in attendance.

MEDIA RELEASE: Tax havens serve no useful economic purpose; economists here join 300+ #AntiCorruptionSummit letter https://t.co/v1kzkTGryR  Oxfam Ireland (@OxfamIreland) May 9, 2016

"Territories allowing assets to be hidden in shell companies or which encourage profits to be booked by companies that do no business there are distorting the working of the global economy," the letter says.

In order to break the status quo of financial secrecy, the economists have called on governments to agree on new global rules that would require companies to publicly report taxable activities in every country they operate, and to ensure all territories disclose information about the real owners of companies and trusts.
Russia's military operation in Syria has changed the course of war in the country enabling President Assad to ease the grip over Damascus, says an article in the French daily.

And the liberation of Palmyra came as a climax to this efficient and well-coordinated ground-aerial campaign.

Russia has outperformed Washington both militarily and domestically to such an extent that major participants to the conflict now come to Moscow to probe Putins intentions and pass their messages to him.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The resignation of Austrian Chancellor and ruling Social-Democratic party (SPO) leader Werner Faymann is not enough for solving the problems experienced by the country's government, the spokesperson for the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) told Sputnik on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, Faymann announced his resignation, explaining his decision at a press briefing in Vienna by losing support of his party following the defeat of an SPO candidate in the first round of presidential elections on April 24.

It is not a solution of the problems that Mr. Faymann brought to Austria because they [the SPO] just change the people and don't change the way of politics, Alexander Hoferl, representing the largest opposition party in the local parliament, said.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told US Secretary of State John Kerry during a phone conversation that it was critical to swiftly separate Washington-oriented anti-government groups from terrorist factions.

"We [the United States] have had multiple conversations to exchange information on our views on where Nusra [Front] and the [opposition] parties are located," the official stated when asked about sharing location information with Russia.

Nusra Front is not party to the ceasefire in Syria, the US government official added, so it is permissible to take action against them, assuming measures are taken to minimize civilian casualties.
"On Monday, May 9, 2016, the President [Obama] signed into law: H.R. 1493, the Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act, which directs the President to exercise his authority to impose import restrictions with respect to archeological or ethnological material of Syria," the release said.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, fead of the Syrian Department of Antiquities and Museums, said in November that some 300 archaeological sites have been destroyed or damaged in Syria since the beginning of the civil war in 2011.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  On Friday, Putin and Abe discussed an array of bilateral and international issues at a rare meeting in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

"Continued unity among our partners including the European Union and the G7 remain vital in our approach to Russia," Trudeau stated when asked to comment on Putins meeting with Abe.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The Council of Canadians has argued that the country is likely to lose 58,000 jobs as a result of implementing the TPP deal.

"The groups will remind the trade committee, composed of MPs from three federal parties, about the growing opposition to the TPP," the press release stated.

In February, the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam signed the TPP free trade agreement.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Over 13,000 Russian troops will march as part of Strategic Missile Forces columns across the country to mark the 71st anniversary of Victory Day in World War II, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday.

"Multi-axial training trucks MAZ-7917 and MZKT-79221, BTR-80 and Tiger and Typhoon combat vehicles will ride as part of mechanized parade columns in the cities of Vladimir, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Barnaul, Omsk, Kirov, and Nizhny Tagil," the ministry said.

More than 250 pieces of military hardware and over 13,000 troops are expected to join the Strategic Missile Forces in the parades, it adds.
In Khabarovsk, over 1,600 troops took part in the parade, 100 of them soldiers of the Kamchatka Marine Regiment. Over 90 pieces of military hardware, including the legendary T-34 tank and the Katyusha multiple rocket launchers, joined the servicemen.

Residents of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy saw for the first time the S-400 Triumf and the Pantsir-S missile systems, as well as the Rubezh and Redut coastal missile systems.

Nearly 30,000 people gathered for the Immortal Regiment march immediately after the parade in Vladivostok.

Around 6,000 people marched in the procession in Khabarovsk, while a total of 130 towns and cities across the Far East joined the commemorative event. Of these, Amur Region expects over 8,000 participants, while Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk became the first city in Russia to kick off the Immortal Regiment march.

At least 1,000 will march in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy.

May 9 is widely celebrated as Victory Day over Nazi Germany in World War II in Russia and the former Soviet republics.
Later in the day, the city held a parade featuring troops, armored vehicles and a fly-over by fighter and bomber jets, followed by a march of the so-called Immortal Regiment initiative that gathered some 15,000 people carrying portraits of their heroic forebears.

Helicopters were grounded during the parade in nearby Krasnoyarsk due to low-hanging clouds, which did not prevent fighter jets from taking off for the fly-by.
"Now, Yuzho-Sakhalinsk, congratulations on Victory Day, guys!" the tweet says.

Another city in Russia's Far East, Vladivostok, saw a military parade involving 1,500 servicemen and 49 pieces of military hardware. The parade was followed by the Immortal Regiment march, which was attended by at least 30,000 participants.

"Vladivostok is ready for the Victory Day parade. Hurrah to veterans who defended our Fatherland," read the tweet.

#9 #     (@vikatolmacheva)  8 2016  6:11 PDT

During a military parade in the city of Khabarovsk, spectators saw modern weaponry alongside3 World War II-related hardware and a column of vintage cars, which has become a distinctive part of the parade.

     9  2016  71    #1941_1945 ####71   Valentina (@__v.d.__)  8 2016  7:14 PDT

Similar equipment was also displayed in the military parade in the city of Chita, which additionally saw advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile systems.

# # #9     (@taniaefanova)  8 2016  7:29 PDT

"Congratulations on Victory Day! Wishing you all a peaceful sky!!!!! And we are now at the parade, according to our annual tradition!" Ilya with his grandfather, the Instagram post says.

  !!!!!    !!!!!     !!!!    ,    !   ###9#     (@natashalobach)  8 2016  5:49 PDT

In Blagoveshchensk, the capital of the Amur region, about 1,700 people took part in a military parade, which included an air show and a simulated landing of airborne troops with a Russian flag and the Banner of Victory.

    .  @tupikov_dmitriy #9 # # # #     (@portamur)  8 2016  7:28 PDT

The Immortal Regiment processions were also held in the cities of Irkutsk and Yakutsk, and were attended by 40,000 people and 15,000 people, respectively.
Three banner-bearer groups escorted by Russian Honor Guards marched through the central square carrying the Russian national flag, a copy of the Victory Banner that was hoisted over Berlins Reichstag in 1945, and the banner of the Russian Armed Forces.

Drummers from the Moscow Military Music School signaled the beginning of the annual parade, overseen by Russias Land Forces Commander-in-Chief Col. Gen. Oleg Salyukov. The nations Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will be inspecting the parade.
According to Nikolai Zemtsov, the co-chair of the "Immortal Regiment of Russia" movement, the Moscow marches have always been the biggest, yet this year the event in Russia's St. Petersburg will be able to compete with the one in the capital.

"We shall have the French, and Americans [taking part], the Polish are expected to come," Zemtsov said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week he was not sure whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would be able to participate in the march like he did last year, yet would definitely support it.

"Indubitably, on May 9 the president will voice his support to this civic movement," Peskov told reporters.
The total number of participants reached about 180,000 in 2013 and grew to half a million on May 9, 2014, as Immortal Regiment marches took place in more cities and villages, after which this civil initiative became part of the federal program on preparations for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory in WWII.

On May 9, 2015, the march on Tverskaya Street and further to Red Square in Moscow was led by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who carried a portrait of his father, a war veteran. According to official data, over 500,000 people took part in the Immortal Regiment march in Moscow alone. The number of participants across the whole of Russia exceeded 12 million.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, the blast ripped through a checkpoint in Chechnyas capital city Grozny at around 6:15 a.m. local time (03:15 GMT). According to the Russian Interior Ministry, six police officers were injured in the explosion.

"The investigating bodies of Russias Investigative Committee for the Chechen Republic have opened the case for an attempt on the lives of law enforcement officers and illegal trafficking in firearms," the statement reads.

It was added in the statement that the attack was conducted by two unidentified individuals.
For instance, the analyst recalls, on the eve of Victory Day, publications appeared in Poland intimating that the Soviet Union only interfered in the liberation of Europe. "The Poles themselves were supposedly ready to liberate themselves, but were simply waiting for something, but then the Soviet Union began its counteroffensive against the Nazis, and became an invader itself."

"Incidentally, it's worth recalling that beginning in the middle of the War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill toyed with the idea that the Red Army must not be allowed to enter Europe, but should stay within the agreed boundaries, according to which Britain and the United States could liberate Europe and become the main victors."

Today, these ideas are once again finding traction. "Russia, from the standpoint of the US, has become a center of power that's interfering with the formation of a new world order. Therefore, the revision of history is aimed as an instrument meant to 'punish' Russia."

Moreover, Ermakov notes, the rewriting of the history of the Second World War is also part of the project to build a new European identity. "Attempts to build such an identity from scratch  to ingrain the idea that the Americans and Europeans are 'transatlantic brethren', have failed. And if this is the case, history too should be corrected  everything that does not fit into the 'transatlantic' concept should be rewritten under the new interpretation. In relation to Russia, this means that Russian warrior-liberators become warrior-invaders."

In this context, the analyst notes, the connection can be made by the ordinary Western man in the street, that 'since Russia played an aggressive and negative role during the Second World War, what it's doing now is also negative'. "How can a country of warrior-invaders do something positive in Europe, or in the Middle East, in Syria for example? Of course they can't!" the logic goes.

"The ordinary Western citizen assimilates this logic, and a negative attitude toward Russia is formed very quickly. I stress that the rewriting of history has played a catalytic role in this regard. Already, attitudes toward Russia in Western societies are very cautious. And since there is no trust, it's not a problem to build up one's military potential against Russia, or to aim missiles at this 'aggressor'."
During the war, the Soviet army routed 607 Axis divisions. The German army and its allies lost over 8.6 million military personnel on the Eastern Front, and over three-fourths of their weapons were destroyed or captured.

The Soviet Union won the war but the victory exacted a huge toll on the population, with nearly every Soviet family losing loved ones. Germany signed an Act of Unconditional Surrender in a suburb of Berlin in the late evening of May 8, 1945 (already May 9 according to Moscow Time).

It is for this reason that Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) is marked on May 8, while the Soviet Union and now Russia marks Victory Day on May 9.

On May 8, 1945, the Presidium of the Soviet Union's Supreme Soviet issued a decree according to which May 9 would be marked as "the day of national celebrations of the victorious end of the Great Patriotic War of Soviet people against Nazi occupiers and the Red Army's historical victories that led to the routing of Hitler Germany and its unconditional surrender".


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Thousands of people are currently walking through the main streets of the Russian capital, carrying portraits of their relatives who fought in World War II. Like last year, Putin is carrying a photograph of his father.

The "Immortal Regiment" is a patriotic initiative that commemorates WWII soldiers in marches held across Russia and other countries in early May. During the marches, people carry photographs of their ancestors who participated in the war. Some 12 million people have participated in the 2015 Immortal Regiment march throughout Russia.

Earlier in the day, a military parade marking 71st anniversary of the Victory over Nazi Germany in Europe took place in Moscow.
The May 9 Victory Day Parade on Moscow's Red Square saw a flyover performed by Russia's sophisticated Tu-160 and Su-34 bombers, as well as bombers such as the Tu-95, the Tu-22M3 and the Su-24.

Nicknamed the "White Swan" by its pilots, the Tu-160 is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau. Although some civil and military transport aircraft are larger in terms of their overall dimensions, the Tu-160 is the largest combat aircraft the world has ever seen.
Earlier it was reported that a fragment of a braking disc was discovered on a runway at Sochi airport during a routine inspection. This unsettling find prompted them to immediately notify the local authorities.

The press service of a company responsible for managing the airports of Russias Krasnodar Region reported that the aircraft part was found sometime between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m. local time.

However, even though the emergency services of two airports in Moscow, as well as one in Yekaterinburg and one in Tyumen, were put on high alert ahead of the impending arrival of a potentially damaged airliner, the situation was resolved without incident.
During the same period, "the Soviet Union had mutual assistance pacts, signed in 1935, with both France and Czechoslovakia; the three-sized pact was fully capable of stopping Hitler. But Paris preferred to close its eyes on its obligations, and the USSR's proposal to send troops was torpedoed by Poland, which flatly refused to let them passed through its territory."

"On September 1, 1939, the Wehrmacht invaded Poland. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany, but this was a 'phony war'," (with fighting on the western front effectively limited to a few skirmishes until Germany's invasion of France, the Netherlands and Belgium in the spring of 1940). "On September 4, 1939, France and Poland signed an agreement of mutual assistance, out of which nothing more would come."

"The Poles' requests for military support would go unanswered, and on September 9, the Polish government began negotiations for asylum in neighboring countries; on September 13, the country's gold reserves were evacuated, and the leadership fled to Romania on September 17. The same day, having ascertained that the Polish state had virtually ceased to exist, the Soviet Union began moving troops into the territory of western Ukraine and western Belarus."

Admittedly, Vzglyad notes, "before that the USSR signed a non-aggression pact, known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, with Germany. But Poland itself had signed a similar agreement with Berlin, known as the Hitler-Pilsudski Pact, in 1934."

Myth #2: 'Ample Intelligence Warnings'

Another widely held myth, the newspaper recalls, is that "Stalin knew about Nazi Germany's impending attack, having been been repeatedly warned about it by Soviet intelligence, which even provided him with the date of the attack. But the leader did not trust anyone and did nothing," with disastrous consequences.

"We can thank the birth of this myth to Nikita Khrushchev and his report to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [in 1956]. It's interesting to recall the arguments made by Khrushchev himself to substantiate his accusations. For instance, he noted that Stalin had been repeatedly warned about German preparations for war against the Soviet Union by Winston Churchill."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Twitter social media corporation blocked US intelligence from accessing its service that provides real-time information known as Dataminr after two years of cooperation, the US press reported, citing intelligence officials and people familiar with the matter.

In-Q-Tel, a venture-capital investor in high-tech companies with an annual contract with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), until recently invested in Dataminr to sift through millions of Twitter messages for information on unfolding terrorist attacks and other activities, The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday.

Twitter told the company "it didnt want to continue the relationship with intelligence agencies" when In-Q-Tels pilot program with Dataminr ended recently, the newspaper cited a person familiar with the matter as saying. The San Francisco-based social media giant owns 5 percent of Dataminrs stock.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A four-seat Piper Aircraft landed onto a roof in Pomona mid-Sunday en route to Brackett Field Airport 4 miles to the north, NBC News Los Angeles reported.

Small Plane Crash Lands on Roof: A 61-year-old pilot was airlifted to the hospital Sunday after the small fou https://t.co/jyV39Hkhax  Social In Philly (@SocialinPhilly) May 9, 2016

The plane was described as slightly wedged into the roof after the crash-landing.

The scale of the hospitalized individuals injuries is not reported, the outlet cited LA County Fire officials as saying.
The exiles have since been trying to return to their homeland. In 2000 the High Court in London ruled out that Chagos was depopulated illegally and that the indigenous population had the right to return to the islands, with the exception of Diego Garcia. However, 4 years later UK government used the royal prerogative to block the decision.

A research conducted by the KPMG audit company found that resettling of the Chagossians would cost UK 66 million.

The Diego Garcia base is of a great strategic importance due to its geographic location. For years it has been playing a significant role in organizing numerous Pentagon military operations, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The fate of the base is yet to be decided in the end of 2016. The issue was reportedly discussed during Barack Obama's recent visit to London.

"The PM raised the issue of the British Indian Overseas Territory with the President in the context of the government's ongoing review of resettlement," a Downing Street spokesman told the Daily Mail.

"Obama will not president after January and Cameron is not seeking re-election at the next election and I think it would be a good legacy for both of them to allow the right to return of these people," said member of British Parliament Conservative MP Henry Smith.

It is unclear whether US will be able to retain the base on the UK territory.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US-led coalition against the daesh carried out 25 airstrikes on Sunday in Iraq and Syria, including near the city of Palmyra, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a statement.

"In Syria, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes using ground-attack, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft against Daesh [Islamic State] targets," the statement said on Monday.
Tribune, which owns the LA Times and Chicago Tribune, has said it views the move as opportunistic and that it undervalues the publishers assets. The company has also criticized Gannetts refusal to discuss the offer privately.

The plan announced on Monday would make it difficult for Gannett to acquire more than 20 percent of Tribunes shares.

Gannett owns 108 US newspapers and corresponding digital assets as part of a newly-created USA Today Network, a nationwide news organization.
Hillary Clinton has been criticized by her left-wing opponents for her involvement with the Republican Party as a student, though in reality this is not as damning an indictment as it might seem.

Clinton came from a wealthy background, and a very conservative family  quite unlike Margaret Thatcher of course, who grew up in a small apartment above her father's grocery shop.

Margaret Thatcher is a divisive figure, and her ideological position has seen her both revered and maligned in equal measure.

In reality of course, Thatcher was a figurehead for conservative economic ideology in the 1980s, popular not just in the UK but also in the US under Ronald Reagan.

There was a powerful movement behind what became known as Thatcherism, and many commentators have since suggested that the symbolism of a powerful woman has much more to do with her legacy than policy itself.

Hillary Clinton has so such in common with Margaret Thatcher. Most of her ideals are in line with today's Conservative Party.   Steven  (@BritishBerner) May 8, 2016

The journalist and historian Tim Stanley told Sputnik that he didn't believe comparisons between Thatcher and Clinton were warranted.

"I think there's a temptation to make a comparison, simply because they are both women in politics, and they both represent a theoretical first  Margaret Thatcher for being the first female Prime Minister, Clinton being the first female President. But I think that there the similarities end in terms of philosophy, and also in terms of temperament," Stanley told Sputnik.

He added:

"Both of them have had to be strong political figures in a male dominated world. Contemporary American politics is even more masculine than European politics; it's very hard to get elected to anything as a woman. So, in that sense they will have faced the same sorts of pressures and challenges, but I do think that their philosophy and their temperament are probably very different."

Whilst there are of course similarities between the two, Hillary's conservatism is not just different to that of Thatcher's, it is of a different time entirely.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The two military police unites, which participated in the exercises, include the 160th Military Police Battalion from Tallahassee, Florida, and the 56th Military Police Company from Mesa, Arizona.

"An MP company can not only go out in the battlefield and be a force multiplier, but we can also be a quick reaction team. We can train local police and host nation police," Brown was quoted by the US Army as saying.
Bayan Zehlif, a student at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, was misnamed Isis Phillips in the photo, the name of another student.

I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this. Apparently I am "Isis" in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, let's be real, Zehlif wrote in her Facebook post.

The principal of the school quickly responded to the photo, initially calling it a typo and then a "regrettable misprint, and apologizing for the error.
"One of the big myths about World War II is that the United States won the war in Europe," Kuznick says. "The United States contributed to the Soviet victorybut it was the Soviets who did most of the fighting.

"Not only do we have different narratives, we have different chronologies for the war. The Russian war starts in 1941, [while] the American war starts really in June of 1944, three years later, [when] the Americans land at Normandy, push through the German forces, march to Berlin, and win the war."

"If you ask American students, thats the understanding they have of the war, he adds. Its part of this narrative about World War II that is so fundamentally mistaken that it really falsifies history."

After the war, the US and USSR stated their intention to work together with Britain, France and China to maintain global peace. But this alliance was quickly eroded.

"One of the tragedies is that the post-war alliance that [President Franklin] Roosevelt and Vice President Henry Wallace had envisioned was destroyed," Kuznick says.

While the European war theater ended on May 9, the Pacific war theater continued for a few more months, resulting in the controversial use of nuclear weapons against Japan in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Slavitsa, the company behind the product, has stressed that the product is not meant to offend.

"With different flavors and glazes, the ice cream symbolizes the main races of people on our planet," the company said in a statement.

"Ice cream names need to be memorable. For those with a rich imagination, various associations might arise, but this product is for children and is a long way from politics."

The statement also stressed that the inspiration for the boy featured on the packaging is a Soviet film, not President Obama.

"We just liked the name. Its so amusing," Rasilya Mustafina, the factory development director told local news.

"There are no political undertones. We certainly did not want to offend anybody."

Slavitsa currently has no plans to halt production of Obamka.
We were told that if we saw something, a news story that was on the front page of these ten sites, like CNN, the New York Times, and BBC, then we could inject the topic, said one former curator. If it looked like it had enough news sites covering the story, we could inject iteven if it wasnt naturally trending.

This was done especially in the case of breaking news, as Facebook has struggled to keep up with Twitter.

We would get yelled at if it was all over Twitter and not on Facebook, another former curator told the tech website.

This was also true for hashtags, specifically, Black Lives Matter, a movement CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally endorsed in February.

Facebook got a lot of pressure about not having a trending topic for Black Lives Matter, the individual said. They realized it was a problem, and they boosted it in the ordering. They gave it preference over other topics. When we injected it, everyone started saying, Yeah, now Im seeing it as number one.

These allegations are particularly chilling in light of Zuckerbergs public criticism of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump last month, as well as reports that a Facebook employee had submitted a question for a discussion with the CEO last month asking what responsibility the company had to prevent President Trump in 2017.


TOKYO (Sputnik)Russia and Japan have been de facto at war since 1945 when they failed to agree on the Kuril Islands ownership. Putin and Abe again touched upon the dispute at a meeting last Friday.

"This time, the two sides agreed to continue their dialogue based on new ideas, rather than old ones with an aim for a breakthrough in the ongoing negotiations," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press briefing.

Suga said that a new round of consultations would take place in Tokyo in June, adding Japans position remained unchanged. "First the return of four islands, then the signing of a peace treaty," he noted.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Serbia formally applied to join the European Union in 2009. After winning a snap election last month, the ruling Serbian party vowed to speed up the integration process, including pursuing government reforms.

"Europe knows that we will not sever relations with Russia, so it did not pressure us into imposing sanctions on Russia," Nikolic said, adding he expected EU restrictions against Moscow to be lifted soon.

Serbia and Russia continue to cherish their historically close relations despite Belgrades EU membership bid. Conversely, ties between Russia and Europe soured after the outbreak of a 2014 military conflict in Ukraine, which Brussels blamed on Russias interference, and imposed a series of economic sanctions against Moscow.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia should exert pressure on Damascus in order to stop bombings in the country allegedly carried out by the government forces, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Monday.

The US government has blamed the Syrian government for the recent attacks on hospitals in the country, but Damascus has repeatedly dismissed the claims.

"The regime of [Syrian President] Bashar Assad is hitting hospitals and refugee camps We will demand during this meeting that Russia exert pressure on Damascus to stop the strikes," Ayrault told the RTL broadcaster.
The United Nations brokered the creation of a new national unity government in the war-torn country earlier this year, after the overthrow of Libyas leader Muammar Gaddafi had plummeted it into chaos five years ago.

"We have historically strong ties, the majority of Libya's officers have studied in Russia. That's why we always call for Russia's role in the struggle against terrorism in Libya and the creation of strong army," Maiteeq said.
"This is a money-making industry in the United States, where a powerful lobby is in place to make sure that cluster munitions can continue to be sold," she added.

She also pointed the finger at the coalition for showing little concern for the lives of civilians in Yemen while staging cluster bomb strikes there.

"There is a lack of care on the side of the coalition to abide by the general principles of the laws of war when conducting such attacks. If the coalition adhered to these principles, it could dramatically reduce the number of civilians killed," she said.

According to the organization' latest report, the munitions exported to Saudi Arabia could fail to meet US export law, which provides for a "reliability rate of better that 99 percent".
Compared to other countries, Germany had the most respondents who recognized the USSR as the main force in combatting Nazism (24 percent).

Respondents in the US and France were the most reluctant to recognize the Soviet contribution to combating Nazism with 7 and 12 percent, respectively.

Srdja Trifkovic, foreign editor of the Chronicles US monthly magazine, told Radio Sputnik that that the historical revisionism surrounding WWII has become worse with the passage of time, and is being used to further an anti-Russian political agenda.

"The USSR accounted for at least four fifths of all German military losses during the war, and had it not been for the D-Day Normandy landings, many historians believe that the Red Army would have reached the English Channel by the summer of 1946," Trifkovic explained.
With only two months left before the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw, the newspaper has taken a look at the recent relationship between the Alliance and Russia, the source of its greatest concern.

Russia is always a few steps ahead of NATO, it concludes. Be it large-scale military drills, flights over NATO warships or deployment of the state-of-theart military equipment.

With its air campaign in Syria and its intentions in Ukraine, Moscow is sending two clear messages to the Alliance: firstly, it is acting a lot faster than expected, and secondly, it is ready to pursue its own interests with more determination than NATO has ever been able to foresee.
Last week, the Russian Federal Security Service announced that a group of men were detained on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in Moscow and its suburbs at the instruction of the leaders of international terrorist organizations active on the territories of Syria and Turkey.

"As a result of Russian and Tajik law enforcement agencies joint operation, a criminal group was arrested, who were members of the Islamic State terrorist organization planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Moscow and Dushanbe on May 9, the Victory Day," the ministry said in a statement, adding that a number of people were arrested in the Tajik territory also.


BAKU, (Sputnik)Moscow advocates peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan said on Monday.

"We stand for a just and peaceful settlement of the conflict based on the norms of international law and in the interest of all the people, who live in this region," Vladimir Dorokhin told reporters.

He said that Russia has repeatedly reiterated this position, which had been voiced by both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kremlin.


WASHINGTON (Sputnik)US Treasury Under Secretary for International Affairs Nathan Sheets will meet with government officials of France, Greece, and Italy during his visit to Europe this week, the Department of the Treasury announced in a release on Monday.

"On May 10 in Paris, Under Secretary Sheets will meet with government officials to discuss recent developments in the global economy and financial system," the statement said.

On Wednesday, Sheets will travel to Greece to discuss the countrys reform program.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Turkish government will develop policies necessary for EU visa exemption for Turkish citizens and implement them in line with a statement recently made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the countrys Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said Monday.

According to Bilgic, under the migrant deal with the bloc, Turkey has readmitted 386 migrants so far, while 125 Syrians have been resettled in Europe, the Daily Sabah newspaper reported.

The European Commission recommended last week for the European Parliament to vote on visa-free regime for Turkey after the country meets all 72 required benchmarks. The decision is expected in June.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  US Secretary of State John Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir met in Paris on Monday to discuss Middle East security issues and combating terrorism, the Department of State announced in a press release on Monday.

"The two ministers exchanged views on the Yemeni peace talks being held in Kuwait, and the Secretary expressed the US governments appreciation for the key role Saudi Arabia continues to play in combating terrorism and AQAP [al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] in Yemen, in particular," the release noted.
Couture told RT that the actions of the young officer have left an impression on him, and that he hoped that the award that was once issued to his father  a French combat pilot who died while fighting the invading Nazi German troops in May 1940  would at least soothe some of the pain that Prokhorenkos family has to deal with.

"I seek neither recognition nor glory. I merely follow my heart and act according to my convictions. I dont need anyone to thank me  rather it is I who wishes to thank the Russian people for their victory in that war. I only wish to express my appreciation to the Russian people and my condolences to the family of that young soldier who was recently killed in Palmyra. Who died for the sake of us all, because the people he killed in Palmyra wont be able to commit terrorist attacks on our soil," Couture said.

Senior Lieutenant Alexander Prokhorenko, 25, was killed in March during the battle to recapture the ancient Syrian city Palmyra from Daesh terrorists. While performing a reconnaissance mission he became surrounded by the enemy and instead of surrendering called in an airstrike on his position, taking down a number of enemy fighters with him.

Earlier, a couple of retired French citizens, the Mague family, also sent two WWII-era military medals belonging to their family, along with a letter of gratitude, to the Russian ambassador in France, asking him to forward the medals to the Prokhorenkos family.
Helping those in need is who we are as Canadians, here at home & around the world. Today, we reaffirm that commitment.  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 9 May 2016

The Global Fund, established in 2002, supports more than 1,000 anti-AIDS, TB and malaria programs in more than 150 countries.

This summer, Canada & the @GlobalFund will host global health leaders in the fight against AIDS, TB & Malaria: https://t.co/5OhX3oq478  Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 9 May 2016

The prime minister added that the Canadian city of Montreal will host the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund on September 16.
OBrien Award winner L A Delight surfaced on Monday (May 9) at Mohawk Racetrack and recorded the first charted line of her three-year-old campaign for trainer Bob McIntosh and driver Randy Waples.

L A Delight took to the track for Race 4 and lined up in the outside Post 8.

Waples opted for a cautious approach off the wings, as he and the daughter of Bettors Delight were charted sixth, more than seven lengths behind the leader at the :29.1 quarter pole. The duo were on the move in the second quarter of the dash. They were overland and in the lead as they clicked off the opening half-mile in :58.3.

L A Delight continued to do work on the final turn and into the stretch. She spun past the three-quarters of a mile marker in 1:26.4 and was still up on her rivals as she hit the head of the lane.

When all was said and done, L A Delight came home with a :27.4 final quarter and recorded a one and a quarter-length margin of victory in 1:54.3. The mile came over a fast track with no variant.

L A Delight was simply a dynamo last season as a two-year-old. She won 11 of her 12 starts and banked over $704,000 in purse earnings. The bay tallied victories in the Eternal Camnation, Shes A Great Lady, Champlain and Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals, to name a few of her high-profile wins.

L A Delight is a homebred of the Robert McIntosh Stable (of Windsor, Ont.), CSX Stables (Liberty Center, Ohio) and Al McIntosh Holdings (Leamington, Ont.). She took her mark of 1:51.2 last season in the Shes A Great Lady at Mohawk Racetrack, and raced back to that mark in her OSS Super Final win at Woodbine Racetrack.

A trio of three-year-olds that are eligible to the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup were also in action during the eight-race qualifying session. They each participated in Race 6.

The Mark Steacy-trained and Paul MacDonell-driven Nocturnal Bluechip emerged victorious in Race 6. The brown Bettors Delight colt left hard, worked out a pocket trip, and popped the pocket for a one and a half-length win in 1:52.4. The fractions were cut in :28.4, :57 and 1:25, and Nocturnal Bluechip closed his mile with a :27.2 final quarter.

Nocturnal Bluechip is owned by the Landmark 8 Racing Stable (Kingston, Ont.), the NLG Racing Stable (Wallkill, New York) and Jane Phair (Wasaga Beach, Ont.). The colt has been assessed as a 24-1 shot in Trot Magazines 2016 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.

Fellow Cup eligibles Arsenic and New Talent finished second and third, respectively, to Nocturnal Bluechip in the qualifier.

The other victorious horses during the qualifying session were The Land Shark (1:59.2), The Wayfaring Man (1:54.1), Rubber Duck (1:56.2), Myretirementticket (1:59.1), Derecho (1:55.1) and Warrawee Roo (2:00.2).

To view the results from the Monday morning qualifying session at Mohawk, click the following link: Monday Results  Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifying).
Trot Insider has learned that longtime horseman John McDonald, who was one of the first drivers to win a race at the track in Goulds, Newfoundland, has passed away at the age of 75.

McDonald passed away peacefully at PCU on Sunday, May 8.

John was predeceased by his parents Patrick and Lillian (Thompson) McDonald; step-mother Madeline McDonald; brothers Patrick (Gug), Harold (Howie) (Madeline), James (Jimmy), Joseph, Michael, Paul and Bill; sister Stella (Biddy) Fleming; brothers in law Gerald Fleming, Tom Rice and Eddie Woodfine. He is survived by his sisters Mary Rice, Margaret (Marge) Forward (Bob), Anne Woodfine, Patsy (Dolly) Quigley (Joey); brothers Gus Kevin (Carolyn), Donald (Ninny) (Wanda  Special Care giver); sisters in law Madge McDonald, Ruth McDonald, and Carol McDonald; special friend Dougie Raymond; also a large circle of other nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins, family and friends. The family would like to send a special thank you to the team at the PCU for their care and compassion. A very special thank you to Father Mick Fleming for returning home to attend Johns service.

As a young man, McDonald spent many hard summer days shaping the grounds at what is now referred to as the Goulds racetrack. Along with a lot of his family, he spent days picking rocks from the manmade track with hopes of someday getting the opportunity to race. On opening day in 1961, MacDonald won the second race, and it didn't take him long to find the winners circle.

It had been many years since McDonald had been an owner/trainer/driver, but he was still usually found along the rail supporting his brother and nephews.

Resting at Carnells Funeral Home, 329 Freshwater Road, on Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10 from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 p.m. Funeral service to be held from St. Teresas Church on Wednesday May 11 at 1 p.m. with interment to follow at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. Flowers gratefully accepted or donations in Johns memory may be made to the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation or to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of John McDonald.
As the date for North America Cup eliminations is just over a month away, the majority of three-year-old pacers aiming for Canadian harness racing's biggest prize have made on-track appearances and statements as they aim to displace the reigning divisional kingpins.

For the past several years, Trot Magazine's Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book has served as an initial barometer for the colts and geldings that may be in the running for the sophomore pacing set's single biggest payday.

This year's edition of the $1 million Pepsi North America Cup will be contested on Saturday, June 18 at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ontario.

Listed by the Spring Book odds as featured in the April 2016 edition of Trot Magazine, here are the horses that are still Cup-eligible as of the April 15 sustaining payment and have raced or are in-to-go as of May 9, 2016. ( indicates a horse not listed last week)

 Boston Red Rocks / 5-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished first, timed in 1:53.1

 Betting Line / 8-1 -- qualified on May 6 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first, timed in 1:52

 Big Top Hanover / 10-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished third, individually timed in 1:50.4

 Racing Hill / 15-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished second, individually timed in 1:55

 American Passport / 16-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished second, individually timed in 1:54.4

 Katies Rocker / 20-1 -- qualified on May 3 at Harrah's Philadelphia, finished first, timed in 1:56.3

 Ideal Rocky / 22-1 -- last qualified on April 30 at The Meadowlands, finished second, individually timed in 1:52.3

 Nocturnal Bluechip / 24-1 -- qualified on May 2 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:56.2; entered to qualify on May 9 at Mohawk

 Voracity / 25-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:53.4

 Im Some Graduate / 30-1 -- qualified on May 3 at Harrah's Philadelphia, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:55.4; entered to qualify on May 10 at Philly

 Pretty Boy Hill / 30-1 -- raced on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished second, individually timed in 1:51.1

 Check Six / 32-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished first, timed in 1:50.3

 All The Cookies / 35-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished first, timed in 1:54.4

& Mystical Rock / 35-1 -- qualified on May 4 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished second, individually timed in 1:54.1

 Rollaroundtheworld / 38-1 -- last raced on April 24 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:52.2

 Inspiration View / 40-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished seventh, individually timed in 1:52.3

 JDs Chancey Design / 40-1 -- last qualified on April 28 at Thunder Ridge Raceway, finished first, individually timed in 1:57.1

 Easy Lover Hanover / 40-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:54

 Magnum J / 42-1 -- last qualified on April 29 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first in 1:52.3

 Kokanee Seelster / 45-1 -- last raced on April 30 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:54.2

 The Catamount Kid / 45-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished second, individually timed in 1:51.1

 Mindtrip / 48-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:53.4

 Tom Hill / 50-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished third, individually timed in 1:55.1

 Manhattan Beach / 50-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:51.4

 Arsenic / 50-1 -- last qualified on April 29 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first in 1:55.4, entered to qualify on May 9 at Mohawk Racetrack

 New Talent / 50-1 -- qualified on May 2 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first in 1:55.4; entered to qualify on May 9 at Mohawk

 Highlandbeachycove / 55-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished first in 1:54.2

 Michaels Victory / 60-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:53.4

 Tap Into Power / 60-1 -- last qualified on April 30 at The Meadowlands, finished second, individually timed in 1:53

 Cruise Patrol / 60-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:55.2

 Dreamfair Mesa / 60-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:52.1

 Flaherty / 60-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished ninth, individually timed in 1:53.4

 Bettor Memories / 65-1 -- last raced on May 1 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished third, individually timed in 1:52.2

 Stonebridge Beach / 65-1 -- last raced April 25 at Pompano Park, finished first in 1:52.3

 Think On It / 65-1 -- last raced on April 21 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fourth, individually timed in 1:53.2

 Good Living / 65-1 -- qualified on May 3 at Harrah's Philadelphia, finished second, individually timed in 1:54.2; entered to qualify on May 10 at Philly

 Dr J Hanover / 70-1 -- qualified on May 7 at The Meadowlands, finished seventh, individually timed in 1:54.1

 Lyons Snyder / 70-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohegan Sun Pocono, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:51.2

 Some Gold / 70-1 -- raced on May 7 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished fifth, individually timed in 1:51.3

 Max Is Back / 70-1 -- last qualified on April 14 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished second, individually timed in 1:54.4

 Major Hill / 75-1 -- raced on May 5 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished third, individually timed in 1:52.1

 Sutton Seelster / 90-1 -- last raced on April 30 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished sixth, individually timed in 1:53.4; entered to race on May 9 at Western Fair

 Beast Mode / 100-1 -- raced on May 5 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished first, timed in 1:51.4

 Brookdale Sonny / 100-1 -- last raced on April 28 at Mohawk Racetrack, finished third, individually timed in 1:52.2; entered to race on May 9 at Mohawk

 Totally Great / 110-1 -- qualified on May 5 at Flamboro Downs, finished second, individually timed in 2:01
Trot Insider has learned that Ontario Standardbred racing participant Sonya Van Veen has passed away at the age of 33.

Sonya is the beloved spouse of trainer Vernon Cochrane and the daughter of owner Leonard Van Veen. Sonya passed on Saturday, May 7 surrounded by family and friends, after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer.

Sonya centered her life around her love of horses. She was an accomplished dressage rider and made her career as an equine massage therapist by focusing her talents on the rehabilitation of equine athletes in the Standardbred racing industry as well as in the worlds of dressage and hunter/jumper competition. Sonya was a proud advocate of Standardbred racing as a work performed by people who love and respect their equine partners. She saw her success as an equine massage therapist focused on the well-being and welfare of these equine athletes as proof of this.

Sonya attended University of Toronto Schools (Toronto), the University of Guelph (Guelph) and DArcy Lane Institute of Equine Massage Therapy (London) as a student, and later joined the faculty at DAL where she became a respected and beloved teacher

Sonyas family will receive friends at the Gilbert Macintyre and Son funeral home at 1099 Gordon Street, Guelph. Details regarding arrangements are available at gilbertmacintyreandson.com. A celebration of Sonyas life will be held later in the summer.

As an expression of sympathy, donations to the Hospice Wellington or the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society would be appreciated by her family. Donations may be made through the Gilbert Macintyre Funeral home. Sonyas family appreciates any donations made.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Sonya Van Veen.
New State Department Documents Reveal Clinton Top Political Operative Pushed For Hire of Pagliano at State Department

Documents Show State Department IT Concerned about Political hire

WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained Department of State emails showing that top Clinton aide Laura Pena helped push through the political appointment of former Clinton for President IT director Bryan Pagliano to a Schedule C position at the State Department in 2009. The new documents also show the involvement of Patrick Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, in Pagliano's hiring.

The emails show others in the State International Resource Management (IT division) in which Pagliano would work questioned why a political appointee was being placed in the office. And the emails reveal that a political appointee could not even report directly to a superior in the International Resource Management division, raising further questions among Pagliano's supervisors.

The new documents were obtained in response to a April 8, 2016, District Court order directing the Department of State to begin producing materials for Judicial Watch in response to a September 3, 2015 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit ( Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-01441)). The lawsuit was filed after State failed to comply with an August 5, 2015 FOIA request seeking the following:

All records concerning the hiring of Bryan Pagliano;

All time sheets, calendars, or similar records of Bryan Pagliano;

All records of travel to/from Chappaqua, NY. Such records include, but are not limited to, expense reports, reimbursement forms, and travel logs;

All records of Bryan Pagliano concerning, regarding, or relating to the maintenance of former Secretary Clinton's email server. Such records include, but are not limited to, expense reports, reimbursement forms, and maintenance logs; and

All records of communications between Bryan Pagliano and any official, officer, or employee of the Office of the Secretary concerning former Secretary Clinton's email server.

The emails obtained by Judicial Watch reveal that the political appointment of Pagliano was expedited after Clinton aide Pena sent an initial email to Patrick Kennedy on February 23, 2009:
Rutherford Institute, Wikipedia, ACLU Et Al. Rebut the Obama Administration's Claim That No Harm is Caused by the NSA's Unprecedented Mass Surveillance

RICHMOND, Va. May 9, 2016 / Standard Newswire / -- Rejecting as patently false the Obama administration's contention that its mass surveillance program has inflicted no harm on American citizens, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute, ACLU, Wikipedia, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to reinstate a First and Fourth Amendment lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA), the U.S. Department of Justice and their directors.

In advancing their arguments before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the broad coalition of educational, legal, human rights and media organizations point out that the NSA's surveillance program--which is unprecedented in its scope and intrudes on the privacy of Americans' internet communications and impairs their expressive and associational rights--has chilled lawful First Amendment expression and given rise to self-censorship. The coalition's arguments are reinforced by a recent study published by the Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly showing that knowledge of government surveillance causes people to self-censor their dissenting opinions online. A Maryland federal court had dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the coalition of national and international groups does not have standing to bring the lawsuit against the government.

"On any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears," said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead (photo), president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People . "Revelations about the NSA's spying programs only scrape the surface in revealing the lengths to which government agencies and their corporate allies will go to conduct mass surveillance on Americans' communications and transactions. Senator Ron Wyden was right when he warned, 'If we do not seize this unique moment in our constitutional history to reform our surveillance laws and practices, we are all going to live to regret it.'"

The lawsuit brought by The Rutherford Institute, the ACLU, Wikipedia, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and other educational, legal, human rights and media organizations arises from efforts by the U.S. government since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to increase the surveillance and monitoring of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Although Congress had previously authorized the issuance of orders for electronic surveillance of foreign agents for intelligence purposes under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in October 2001, President George W. Bush secretly authorized warrantless interception of emails and telephone calls involving persons within the United States if NSA personnel had a "reasonable basis" to believe one party was connected with al Qaeda. When a judge refused to authorize the continuation of this program, the Bush administration obtained amendments to FISA in 2008 authorizing the acquisition without individualized suspicion of the international communications of U.S. citizens that are with or are about foreigners who the NSA chooses to target.

In carrying out this broad authority under the 2008 law, the NSA has engaged in so-called "Upstream surveillance," which according to the complaint "involves the NSA's seizing and searching the internet communications of U.S. citizens and residents en mass as those communications travel across the internet 'backbone' in the United States--the network of high-capacity cables, switches and routers that facilitates both domestic and international communications via the internet." Upstream surveillance encompasses the copying of virtually all international text-based communications, review of the content of those communications by the NSA, and the retention of the copied communications for future use and analysis.
Hatsune Miku needs no introduction. She's played a few times in the United States as part of MIKU EXPO and Anime Expo's Mikunopolis and now she's back for her biggest tour yet. I skipped the previous tour in 2014 as it was in Los Angeles. This time San Francisco is included among the ten cities and fifteen shows that consist of the North America leg of MIKU EXPO.

The electronic diva will appear live in San Francisco on April 30 at The Warfield. It's a Saturday double-header with one show in the afternoon and another in the evening giving fans a great opportunity to see her. The concert is not the only attraction and San Francisco, or more accurately the San Francisco Bay Area, will also play host to a variety of other Miku related events.

The first tie-in events are called "MIKU EXPO Digital Stars" and will feature a variety of DJs and producers as well as special goods only available at each event. They serve as precursors to the main MIKU EXPO concerts for Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. San Francisco's Codeword will host the event on April 29th on the night before the concert.

Bookstore Barnes and Noble teams up with Crypton in presenting the "MIKU EXPO Let's Draw!" workshops. The event will include a Miku drawing workshop, an art exhibition, and free giveaways. There will be one in Emeryville on April 28th and one in San Jose on May 2nd. The reason for not holding an event in San Francisco proper is that there are unfortunately no more Barnes and Nobles in the city.

Also of note is the "MIKU EXPO Tour Sticker Hunt!" Most of these stickers will only be available at the "Let's Draw!" events and a few others will be at places like Kinokuniya bookstores. They're actually pretty cool and I wish I had the time and money to collect them all. The stickers feature Miku and the gang in various location-related motifs like Luka posing as a Starbucks mermaid for Seattle and an astronaut Miku for Houston. The two San Francisco ones include Rin with 70s-style ribbon art and an image titled "Crossroads" where all things come together under Miku. The whole list can be seen below.

A batch of short films will be available for viewing in San Francisco, Toronto, and Mexico City. Music videos, the Mikumentary, and something called "#UltraMiku Special Edition!" are counted among the clips. The total run time is 70 minutes and tickets will run you USD$10, CAD$20, or MXN$90. The San Francisco showings are all on Sunday, May 1st at Japantown's New People Cinema.

Here's your San Francisco cheat sheet:

4/28 (Th) - Emeryville, Barnes and Noble - MIKU EXPO "Let's Draw!"

4/29 (F) - San Francisco, Codeword - MIKU EXPO Digital Stars

4/30 (Sa) - San Francisco, The Warfield - MIKU EXPO concerts!

5/1 (Su) - San Francisco, New People Cinema - MIKU EXPO Short Film Festival

5/2 (M) - San Jose, Barnes and Noble - MIKU EXPO "Let's Draw!"

A solid five days of Hatsune Miku.

There's also a boatload of goods including t-shirts, hats, bags, and more. Check them out:

As is my custom I will be walking out with at least a t-shirt. I'm also looking forward to the special concert posters that are exclusive to each event.

Tickets are still available for San Francisco through Goldenvoice/AXS. They range in price from $50 for balcony to $80 for general admission floor and $150 for VIP. Each attendee will receive a free glowstick and the VIP package gets you early access, some special merch, and a VIP lanyard.

We'll be back after the dust settles for full coverage of the events! Have fun and hope to see you there!

MIKU EXPO Concert Series

4/23 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater

4/30 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield (day and night shows)

5/6 Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater

5/14 Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory

5/17 Houston, TX - NRG Arena

5/20 Toronto, ON (CA) - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts

5/25 Chicago, IL - The Chicago Theater

5/28 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom (day and night shows)

6/1 Monterrey, MX - Auditorio Banamex

6/4 Mexico City, MX - El Plaza Condesa (day and night shows)

6/5 Mexico City, MX - El Plaza Condesa (day and night shows)

MIKU EXPO Digital Stars

4/22 Seattle, WA - FRED Wildlife Refuge feat. Mark Redito, Pete Ellison, Meishi Smile, Boaconstructor, Hojo

4/29 San Francisco, CA - Codeword feat. Qrion, Airynore, Grimecraft, Seimei

5/5 Los Angeles, CA - The Lash feat. Mark Redito, Meishi Smile, rkestrate, 2ToneDisco, TDoyle, DZZ, B&L All Stars

5/27 New York, NY - Littlefield feat. Hachiojo P and others

MIKU EXPO Let's Draw!

4/24 Seattle, WA - Northgate Mall

4/26 Portland, OR - Clackamas Town Center

4/28 Emeryville, CA - Emeryville

5/2 San Jose, CA - Stevens Creek Boulevard

5/4 Los Angeles, CA - Huntington Beach

5/8 San Diego, CA - Mira Mesa

5/10 Austin, TX - Arboretum

5/12 Dallas, TX - Lincoln Park

5/15 Houston, TX - River Oaks Shopping Center

5/23 Chicago, IL - Old Orchard, Skokie (with Hachioji P)

5/27 New York, NY - Tribeca (with Hachioji P)

MIKU EXPO Short Film Festival

5/1 San Francisco, CA

5/21 Toronto, ON (CA)

6/3 Mexico City, MX
By Daisy Handfield

THE DOMINICANS United Committee has been given the okay to proceed with the paperwork to repatriate the body of murder victim Yuneiry Veras to the Dominican Republic where she will be laid to rest by her family.





The body of the young Dominican woman was discovered at about 1.04pm on Saturday, April 23, in Pirates Cove located on Tom Lightbournes Drive, in the north western area of Providenciales.





The area is very secluded and is surrounded by bushes.





Candido Moreno, president of the Dominicans United Committee, told the Weekly News in an interview that he was contacted on Thursday (May 5) by police officials.





They notified him that the committee could start proceeding with the necessary paperwork for the repatriation.





Moreno said that the body will be sent back to Dominican Republic on Wednesday, May 11.





On a similar note, the president said that employers should be more responsible for their workers.





He said that once authorities approved visas, especially for women working in bars, employers should keep an eye on them.





Especially in instances where workers have no family to support them or to report to.





He said: "If a girl is working with that person, they have to know what is going on in the night and in the day because when they sign that contract, they signed it to say that they had the responsibility.





Moreno said that women should check in with their employers on a regular basis to ensure that someone at all times knows that they are okay.





He mentioned that in an instance where employees are being threatened or feel that they are being threatened, they should report to their employers, and of course, the police.





"It is an employers duty to make sure that the employees are safe, Moreno said.





Veras was last seen on April 18 at about 2.15am at her residence in Blue Hills. She was wearing a black top and blue short skirt.





Police are seeking public assistance to find the person or people who are responsible for her murder.





Anyone with information about this murder or other crimes can contact Chalk Sound Police Station on 339-5901.





To remain anonymous, the public can call Crime Stoppers on 1-800 8477 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: www.crimestoppers.tc.




A TEAM of consultants from Gaming Lab International (GLI) have arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands to conduct a review of the Gaming Policy and Ordinance.





The visit, which is being coordinated by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment, Culture and Heritage, represents the start of legislative reform to support the policy work undertaken by the Gaming Department for the sector.





After proving to be a competent organisation during the procurement process, Gaming Lab International was chosen to provide consultancy and technical assistance in reviewing the gaming regulations and ordinance in the TCI.





GLI consultant Kevin Mullally and his team made their first official visit this week to attend a series of introductory meetings.





During their visit, the team met with the minister responsible for gaming Porsha Stubbs-Smith, representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Finance, the Attorney General Chambers and Financial Service Commission.





In addition to these meetings, the team visited local gaming establishments and the lottery operations.





GLI is the only independent gaming consultancy company that employees staff with legal, legislative, regulatory, technical audit, law enforcement and project management experience.





It provides services to more than 475 regulatory agencies worldwide and has provided expert advice to governments on six continents.





The project leader for the TCI consultancy, Mullally is GLIs vice president of government relations and general counsel, who has been involved in writing legislation and administrative rules since 1984.





Since 1994 Mullally has been involved in providing advice to nearly every new gaming jurisdiction in the US and a number of governments in Latin America and Europe.




By Olivia Rose

THE MAIN Opposition is accusing the Government of trying to hoodwink residents through the circulation of a mystery poll to determine how the voting public views potential candidates.





The Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) national chairman Douglas Parnell issued a media statement accusing the PNP of using government workers to conduct a recent survey.





He revealed that the Government is in the process of conducting the polls on the island of North Caicos under the guise of a cost of living assessment.





The Opposition party believes that the poll is aimed at misleading and deceiving residents into sharing their views on party members, more so Opposition members.





He said: "It is nothing more than a plot by the PNP political arm to gain insight into the views of the voting public ahead of a general election.





"It is very obvious that this PNP government is afraid to call a general election and it is testing the pulse of the people to see if its once faded popularity has taken further hits.





"The PNP doesnt have to take a survey to know that it has become more unpopular than ever and the recent election year gimmicks of road paving and fake ribbon cuttings are nothing more than a late attempt to try and rescue its image.





"It is shameful that civil servants would be utilised in such a political way.





"It is clearly an abuse of public funds and all plans to use civil servants for these partisan activities must be immediately halted.





The party said that the attempt by pollsters to gain insight into the views of the public on members of the PDM party is blatant partisan.





However, national chairman of the PNP Royal Robinson has since denied allegations that the polls had been generated by the Government.





He said: "It is something private; Government has nothing to do with it.





On Wednesday (May 4) the Turks and Caicos Islands Government learned of the allegations.





The Government in a release refuted accusations of involvement in a politically driven poll in the TCI.





The Government confirmed that it is not currently carrying out any survey on cost of living or on political opinions, and can further confirm that no directive to commission such a survey has been given.





Premier Rufus Ewing said: "This Government and the civil service has made tremendous efforts to improve the integrity of the service and the strengthening of legislations in recent years especially as it relates to the Integrity Commissions code of conduct, which makes it illegal for civil servants to engage in political activities and the Government therefore takes these accusations very seriously and will do what is necessary to preserve the integrity of this vital institution of government.





Still the PDM cautioned the general public to beware of the tactics.





"Do not cooperate with this poll under the pretence that it is a Government data gathering exercise for cost of living purposes.





"We call on the responsible heads of departments to ensure that civil servants are not instructed to perform duties along political party and partisan lines, the release read.




ANYONE interested in the future of Grand Turk can attend the presentation of a masterplan for the capital island next week.





The talk will take place on Wednesday, May 11, from 6pm to 8.30pm at the Dillon Hall.





It will address issues such as land use planning, site planning, tourism planning, transportation planning and historic preservation.





More information is available from Bradley Malcolm?Coalbrooke, project manager of infrastructure improvement projects in Grand Turk on 431?5111 or [email protected]




A SECURITY guard was choked and handcuffed to a cell door as 12 Haitian migrants staged a daring escape from an immigration detention centre.





The men had been aboard an illegal sloop which was intercepted by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force Marine Branch at 3.03am on Sunday (May 1) off the coast of Providenciales.





After being picked up by a coastal radar station the 32 foot boat with 108 souls on board was escorted ashore by police officers at South Dock port.





Officers from various bodies, including Border Control, transported all 108 people to the detention centre for them to be processed.





While at the centre one of the detainees began complaining of stomach pains and asked to be taken to the restroom.





As the guard began to help the man a struggle took place and the guard was choked and handcuffed to the cell door meaning that 12 male detainees were able to escape before back up arrived.




THE TCI continues to report no confirmed cases of zika, according to the Ministry of Health.





To date 35 countries in the Americas been struck with the virus but it has not yet reached TCI shores.





Zika virus is a vector-bourne viral illness which is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito.





The mosquito responsible for the spread of zika is the Aedes mosquito which is found in the Turks and Caicos Islands and throughout the Caribbean.





People with zika are often not aware that they have the illness as they may not have any symptoms.





The symptoms are similar to dengue and chikungunya and may include fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis (red eyes), muscle pain and headache.





Infection with zika usually results in a mild illness and there is no specific medication to treat it.





There are also no vaccines to prevent zika, however research is ongoing in this area.





According to a Government press release on Thursday (May 5): "The concern with zika is a growing body of evidence about the connection between infection with zika in pregnancy and microcephaly.





"Microcephaly is a condition where a babys head is smaller than expected which can be a result of poor development of the brain.





"Babies born with microcephaly may develop convulsions and suffer physical and learning disabilities as they grow older.





"In addition there has been an association with zika and other neurological complications such as Guillain-Barre syndrome.





The Ministry of Health Agriculture and Human Services has undertaken a number of activities to prepare for zika.





These include a public education campaign, vector-bourne illness workshops for key stakeholders held in Providenciales and Grand Turk, clean up campaigns, funding and technical support.





The Government is also collaborating with the Caribbean Public Health Agency for technical support and laboratory support for specimen testing.





The first Caribbean Mosquito Week is being observed next week from May 9 to 15.





"If anyone suspects they have zika, please visit your health care provider who can submit samples for testing to the National Public Health Laboratory, the release read.





"Additional advice will be given regarding supportive treatment and prevention of further mosquito bites.





"Pregnant women are being advised to take special precautions to avoid mosquito bites including sleeping under mosquito nets.





More information is available from the Health Promotion and Advocacy Department on 338-2772.




POLICE have paid tribute to a young officer who was knifed to death in front of children over a $2 entry fee to a school event.





Constable Giovanni Charles, 26, of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force was stabbed repeatedly as horrified school children looked on at the Belmont Government School, St Vincent on Monday (May 2).





Tragic officer Charles apparently confronted a man who tried to enter an event being held at the school without paying the $2 entry fee.





In the ensuing confrontation the officer sustained multiple stab wounds and later succumbed to his injuries.





A statement released by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said: "This is another example to show that a police officers life is always on the line, every day, anywhere, everywhere.





"Imagine an officer working at a school where there should be peace, laughter and happiness, but yet some individual believes he should come on compound with a weapon.





"The region has lost another law enforcer who at the time was protecting children.





"We may not have known the officer personally but he was a police officer.





"Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.





"Rest in peace, officer Charles.




By Olivia Rose

A ZERO tolerance approach will be taken as the Department of Environmental Health clamps down on eateries that are non-compliant with optimal health standards.





This is according to the Director of the Environmental Health Department, Kendrick Neely who told the Weekly News that the department is carrying out frequent inspections in an effort to maintain strict adherence to the law.





This newspaper understands that several restaurants in Providenciales were closed following inspections that were carried out two weeks ago.





One restaurant owner who declined to give his name revealed that the department upon inspection of his restaurant instructed them to provide a list of detergents being used to clean and maintain the eating space.





This list would be used as a guide for the department to approve products that are safe for use or disapprove products with hazardous chemicals.





According to Neely, more than 100 restaurants, stores and bars have been inspected so far this year.





He said inspections are also done to ensure people renew their business licences.





He noted that these checks are carried out regularly to ensure full compliance with the environmental regulations.





"When we do find persons in breach of the public and environment ordinance, or the environmental health ordinance we educate them on what they need to do to improve.





He noted that his department is also working assiduously to conduct house inspections in an effort to sensitise residents on the importance of keeping their surroundings clean.





"Also conducting educational programmes in schools and we hope to have educational programmes in the newspaper where we can let people know about what they can do to improve their environment.





"We will also educate them on the public and environmental health ordinance and the food and drug ordinance and we will be conducting other programmes such as vector control, how they could get rid of mosquito breeding sites.





This aspect of the educational programme will be aimed at preventing the entry of the dreaded zika virus to the Islands.




Today is the first Mothers Day that London Jackson will celebrate with her own child. Her son, Taven McClure, was born April 2.

Its a special day for Jayna Bohling, too, who is Jacksons mentor in a local program that helps new moms. Bohling is helping Jackson and about 20 other local mothers with advice on everything from breastfeeding to building job skills.

Its like having a best friend on call, Jackson said.

The Nurse Family Partnership managed by the Cowlitz County Health Department pairs nurses with low-income expectant women. A nurse starts visiting the mothers while theyre pregnant and keeps coming every few weeks until the child is 2 years old.

The goal of the federally funded program, which costs $374,000 per year, is to improve the health of both mothers and babies and help the moms set employment and educational goals. National studies have shown that such programs help reduce child abuse, emergency room visits and behavioral and intellectual problems in the kids when they get older.

For Jackson, 23, and her fiance, 28-year-old Kyle McClure, the program is like having a new friend whos an expert on childbirth and parenting.

McClure, whos originally from Kentucky, has lived here for 10 years.

I was an environmentalist, said McClure, who is Tavens father. I just traveled and volunteered. London moved here from Kentucky six months ago, lured by mountains and friends. The couple, who are unemployed, live in Longview.

With no extended family here, the mentorship program filled a gap. If you dont have any support, its nice to have this program, said Jackson, who heard about it at the PeaceHealth Womens Health Pavilion.

The expectant parents were paired with Bohling, who is one of two visiting nurses in the Nurse Family Partnership.

Bohling started meeting with Jackson and McClure last November.

Its very much a relationship-based program, Bohling said. Its all-encompassing, especially when you dont have family around.

Knowing what to expect as her due date neared was a lot for me to take in, Jackson said. Some people mentally and emotionally cant handle it on their own. They need to know theres nothing to fear about it.

Shes very motivated, so we talked about a lot of stuff, Bohling said: Everything from life goals to the physical part of pregnancy  just what to expect.

Its just mom stuff, Jackson said. I could just text her about breastfeeding or even bathing him. Its nice when you have that second opinion.

When you have a child youre in a vulnerable state, Jackson said. Its nice to have someone who can advocate for you. Youre just totally out of it.

With most expectant moms, there are a lot of questions about How will I feel after I have my baby and what will I be like,  Bohling said. Sometimes its, Whats going to happen when I give birth? Those are the dirty things that people dont like to talk about. A lot of girls are worried that theyll poop when they give birth. But those are normal things. Its very normal that you talk about them and get those fears out of their heads.

Bea Rush, a county health department nurse in charge of the program, said the workers help moms enlist family and friends for support during pregnancy, and they also refer them to other health services that are available.

We want mom to have the skills to take care of her baby and be healthy, Rush said. We help them with their self-sufficiency, help them with their goals like finishing school. The program currently includes 12 mothers who were referred by local high schools.

Grandmothers can participate

The program can fill a gap of knowledge in the mothers family.

Even well-intentioned older relatives may offer poor advice, Bohling said. We find that a lot of the things they did 30 years ago with babies are not the current practice. It does not take the place of having your mom or your grandmother there to help you  but it helps to connect the two.

Sometimes the new grandmother sits in, too, Bohling said. Theyre just as interested in learning these things as the girl is because its something they never were taught, she said.

Rush said some mothers decide they no longer need the program or are too busy for it after a baby is born. Theres no requirement that nurse visits continue until the baby is 2, the upper age limit. Its never forced on them, Rush said. Thats what makes it work.

Nurses meet expectant moms at their homes or at the health department. A lot of times Ill meet girls at (high) school, Bohling said. Sometimes well meet at the park or in a coffee shop.

One topic that often comes up is smoking and drug use. More than one-quarter of the mothers entering the program are smokers. Last year, 13 percent of the women were using drugs or alcohol when they were registered for the Nurse Family Partnership.

Where theres a lot of stress and low income, those folks tend to smoke, Rush said, though many of the women in program quit or cut back by the time their babies are born.

During her visits, Bohling weighs babies and checks that circumcisions and umbilical cords are healing well, though babies still need to see pediatricians for full checkups.

We can help mom communicate what the doctor is telling them and communicate with the doctor, Rush said. They may feel intimidated by the provider.

A new mom may get only five or 10 minutes with a doctor and not absorb everything, Bohling said. The doctors are in and out so fast that the amount of time you have to ask questions is very little, and medical language can be hard to understand.

McClure agreed the mentorship program is completely different from doctor visits. Its like your friend is coming over and youre just talking, he said.

Some of the programs clients have limited reading abilities and are slow learners, Rush said. We can tailor the teaching to the client, she said.

Nurses in the program take a week-long specialized training in Denver and get continued training in assessment skills.

Dads welcome, too

Though the program advertises itself mostly to women, it helps new fathers, too.

Hes just as much a part of the picture as she is, Bohling said. We love to have the dads involved. It doesnt always happen that way, but when they are, its great.

We work with dads to help them understand what Mom is going through, Rush said. Shes going through a lot of emotional changes and physical changes and her hormones are going crazy. Sometimes Dad needs to be reassured that what hes seeing is normal.

McClure, for one, is a dad whos been closely involved in the visits.

Im the second mom, McClure said. I just cant breast-feed, he said, though hes a big proponent of his girlfriend doing so for their baby.

Nowadays its cool that the father can be more nurturing and its acceptable, McClure said.

McClure is more than willing to help with diaper changes and other parenting skills hes nurtured through the program to help little Taven. Weve got to do everything we can to make sure he loves it here, McClure said.

He and Jackson are delighted that their baby is thriving at five weeks.

I cherish him, Jackson said. I cherish him every day.
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State-owned BSNL is in advanced talks with Reliance Jio and Vodafone for signing a 2G roaming agreement this month. "We are in advanced stages for signing 2G intra-circle roaming agreement with Reliance Jio and Vodafone. I believe agreement with them should be signed this month," BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava told PTI.

Under the agreement, customers of Reliance Jio and Vodafone will get access to BSNL network where there is a coverage gap. The state-run firm has deep presence in rural areas as other companies have invested very conservatively due to low return on investments. Once the agreement is finalised, BSNL customers will also have access to the networks of Reliance Jio and Vodafone. In terms of mobile base stations, BSNL stands second in the country.

It has around 1.14 lakh and is in process of installing another 21,000 mobile towers. "Soon, we will start signing 3G intra-circle roaming agreement with other players. We are working on rates for 3G roaming agreement. Being a government firm, we need to have uniform rate for all companies," Shrivastava said. With the telecom ministry objecting to the 3G-ICR among the telecom operators mainly Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, these players acquired customers using each others network in telecom circles where they did not have 3G spectrum.

The telecom tribunal TDSAT upheld the agreement signed by the private telecom operators. Shrivastava said under 3G-ICR agreement, BSNL will follow law of the land. The public sector firm also held discussion with telecom major Bharti Airtel for spectrum sharing in two circles - Rajasthan and Maharashtra. "We had discussion with Airtel for spectrum sharing in three circles - 1800, 900 and 2100 Mhz band. If talks are finalised, then we will liberalise spectrum in these circles," Shrivastava added.

With liberalised spectrum, BSNL will be able to provide 4G service to its customers through the airwaves which it is currently using for 2G services. When contacted, Airtel spokesperson said, "We have only held preliminary discussions with BSNL in the past and there is nothing ongoing or at an advanced stage. "Being a PSU, BSNL will always run a transparent process for spectrum sharing and the same will be open to all operators.

As and when that were to happen, Airtel will examine and explore possibilities of cooperation." The spectrum sharing allows companies to share burden of government levies. It also helps increase wireless bandwidth capacity for providing good quality mobile services.

PTI

Disclaimer: Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also own Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2
tech2 News Staff

Facebook is now testing a new feature for iOS and Android, dubbed "Discover", which will reportedly allow users to peruse public and private groups and see which friends are in local groups.

According to a report by International Business Times, "Discover" will be found found in the Facebook app under the "More" tab and then "Groups." The page displays more than 25 categories, including parenting, school and education and sports. Each category lists suggestions for Groups based on Facebook interests, activity and friends.

Facebook wants users to join more relevant groups, which will in turn, increase their time spent on the social media platform. The groups will be divided into categories for different interests such as parenting, networking and food respectively. In conversation with Mashable, Facebook said that only a select group of people have the feature right now and it will roll out more broadly in the near future. According to the company, Facebook had one billion users participating in groups as of January.

Recently, Facebook lost the first round in a court fight against some of its users who sued the social networking company, alleging it unlawfully collected and stored users biometric data derived from their faces in photographs. The judge presiding over the case in a California federal court turned down Facebooks motion seeking dismissal of the suit.

Facebook filed the motion arguing that the users could not file a complaint under Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) as they had agreed in their user agreement that California law would govern their disputes with the company, and that BIPA does not apply to tag suggestions. The court found that Illinois law applies and that the plaintiffs have stated a claim under BIPA.
tech2 News Staff

There have been plenty of murmurs in the rumour mill about Motorola's upcoming Moto G4 (or Moto G 4th generation) smartphone and its sibling, the G Plus. And while the handsets leaked out in plenty, few details were known about the actual specifications. With the launch approaching, Motorola India started putting up teasers about its upcoming handsets, giving plenty of hints. But now there is another big leak that gives out the complete hardware specifications down along with a few minor details such as the presence of NFC.

Twitter user Roland Quandt put out a detailed specifications sheet of the upcoming smartphone and as it turns out, there's is plenty of stuff in there as well. Adding to this is another leak that reveals some more confirmed specifications coming from another Twitter user Vaibhav Jain.

Combining both leaks, we can now expect the Motorola Moto G4 to arrive in a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 variant with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage and another model sporting a Snapdragon 617 with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The cameras would include a 13MP unit for the rear and a 5MP fixed focus unit up front. The handset is expected to arrive with dual SIM slots and will pack in a 3200mAh battery. The display is expected to be a 5.2-inch Full HD unit.

Coming to the 'Plus' version of the handset, it is expected to come with a similar 5.2-inch Full HD display with the only addition being the 16MP camera on the back. This handset may also pack in NFC and Laser autofocus as an added bonus.

Both handsets will boot to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and come with the standard splash-proof water resistance rating. The handsets are expected to be launched on May 17 in India.
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A smartphone app designed to provide security to about 3,000 schools of Pakistan's Karachi city was launched, a media report said. Sindh Rangers on Saturday announced the application will help educational institutions in the metropolis alert law enforcers in case of an emergency, Dawn online reported. "In case of any emergency or untoward situation, the head of the educational institution is advised to send a message to the system," said a senior Rangers official.

He added the message will be received at the central command (Rangers headquarters) and also the cell phones of the zone's company commander, wing commander and the sector commander. It will facilitate a rapid response. The official stated the system also allows deployment of additional personnel if necessary. Named 'Rangers School College Protection System', so far 3,000 schools have been registered with the system. Other schools can also apply for induction into the system.

"In future, we will add hospitals, shopping malls and media houses into the system," said the Rangers official. Security concerns have forced closure of many schools in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan after an attack on Bacha Khan University (BKU) earlier this year. Last month, the paramilitary force announced a WhatsApp helpline allowing the people of Karachi to send texts, videos and pictures related to any criminal or illegal activity to the force.

IANS
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Amid the growing concerns over terrorism, security and users' privacy, micro-blogging website Twitter has barred US intelligence agencies from accessing a service that sends alerts about unfolding terror attacks and political unrest, the Wall Street Journal reported. The service is provided by New York-based Dataminr, a company that analyses tweets and other information streams to create alerts for traders, news reporters and government agencies. Twitter has nearly five percent stake in Dataminr.

According to Dataminr website, it transforms the Twitter stream and other public datasets into actionable signals, discovering must-know information in real-time for clients in finance, the public sector, news, corporate security and crisis management. "Using powerful, proprietary algorithms, Dataminr instantly analyses all public tweets and other publicly available data to deliver the earliest signals for breaking news, real-world events, off the radar context and perspective, and emerging trends," the information available on the website said.

In partnership with Twitter, Dataminr developed and launched "Dataminr for News" which alerts journalists to breaking news in advance of traditional sources and is now used by hundreds of news organisations globally. Dataminr's strategic partnership with Twitter includes real-time access to all public tweets. According to the WSJ report, the analysis of Twitter and other social media platforms like Facebook is becoming important to intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

The move, however, does not affect Dataminr's service to financial industry, news media or other clients. The news brought back memories of a recent feud between Apple and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over privacy versus security. After successfully hacking into the encrypted Apple iPhone of one of the terrorists in San Bernardino, California shooting, the US Department of Justice withdrew legal action against the tech giant.

According to the media reports, a third party helped the FBI to crack the security function without erasing contents of the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook. Farook, along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, planned and executed the December 2, 2015 shooting that left 14 people dead. Apple CEO Tim Cook has reiterated the company's commitment to protect its users' data and privacy.

"We have a responsibility to help you protect your data and your privacy. We will not shrink from this responsibility. We built the iPhone for you, our customers, and for many of us it is a deeply personal device," he told the gathering during a special launch event at its Cupertino, California-based headquarters. The FBI reportedly paid more than $1 million to access San Bernardino attacker's iPhone. It is for the first time the agency has offered a possible price tag in the high-profile case.

IANS
Naina Khedekar

Finally, Apple chief Tim Cook is in India. He has begun the day by visiting the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai, and has a busy schedule lined up ahead with visits reportedly to Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Keeping global Apple iPhone sales stats and it's bad quarter aside, the year seems to have started on a good note for India's Apple fans as Cook has already announced a startup accelerator in Bangalore and development centre in Hyderabad. But, what has got everyone excited are the reports around the first exclusive retail store in the country.

We have already heard about applications and re-applications being submitted to the government, talks with brokers for plush large format stores, competitors (read: Samsung, Xiaomi) planning exclusive stores and more. While the company is yet to get a final approval, the most discussed, speculated and debated part is where or in which city Apple could possibly open its first store.

Metros and high-spenders

The most simple answer could be the region it expects the most sales. Now, Apple is known to be quite discrete when it comes to revealing India specific region-wise sales numbers which could have otherwise helped point out to a particular zone based on some number crunching.

"Mumbai and Delhi could be the first cities to get the Apple store. Personally, I think a city like Delhi would make more sense, considering it is known for high spenders, who eventually give adequate business to luxury retailers," Sanchit Vir Gogia, Chief Analyst and CEO, Greyhound Research said.

Anshul Gupta, Research Director, Gartner refused to comment on where possibly Apple could open its first store, but he did add that, "Apple is looking to offer exclusive, premium shopping experience, so it would target buyers from large metropolitan cities."

"While it may not be a good idea for Apple to take on a competitor who is large and has a diverse presence (Android dominates the Indian market), they will have to open many stores to reach the prospective buyers in locations such as South Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai (a few places), Bengaluru, Hyderabad," explains Ashutosh Sharma, Research Director, Forrester. This makes sense as the company has already announced a startup accelerator for iOS development in Bengaluru and is rumored to open a development centre in Hyderabad.

But there are other factors

While analysts believe it will be the metros or locations inundated with high spenders, some also add that a lot will also depend on other factors such as areas showing high growth rates.

"The idea is to drive a large audience to experience the premium devices, and its not about sales. It is about an experience store wherein people and come and experience the devices and the ecosystem," explains Gogia. He also points to other factors such as a city with capable tech support for Apple centres and also a city with corporate offices, again hinting at Bengaluru, which is also known as the tech hub of India.

Moreover, an ET report had also pointed out, "The company wants to set up most of the Apple Stores of over 2,000-3,000 sq ft area in India, including space for technical support and holding small workshops."

"Location is a key factor for any retail presence and Apple is no exception. Apple's retail approach has been to make their store an extension of the customer experience that their products tend to provide. This translates into characteristics such as a comparably large store format (than traditional electronics store in India), in an up-scale location, prominently visible (like a ground floor store in high end mall), and staffed by highly educated and well-trained staff," adds Sharma.

Going the China way and hurdles

Tim Cook, in the recent earnings call, said how he saw huge potential in India. He also said that India is behind China by some 6-8 years, and that probably explains why the company plans its first exclusive store in India almost 8 years after its first store in Beijings Sanlitun Village. A hip place where one will find the latest in fashion and luxury.

But Apple seemed to have been on an aggressive path as it is said to be almost on track of 40 stores by 2016. The most recent stores have been in IST Mall at Zhongshan Road in the Xuanwu District and in Guangzhou at Parc Central, Tianhe Road in Tianhe District that saw the first store. So, its quite possible the company may target popular and premium malls for its stores.

"Within these cities, it will again look for upmarket regions. For instance, in Mumbai, one expect its first exclusive store in South Mumbai, rather than the suburbs," Gupta adds.

It is also believed that Apple may plan multiple stores in India. The ET report, citing some industry sources had also claimed that "brokerage firms are looking for prime retail locations in Mumbai, the National Capital Region, Bengaluru and Pune for Apple's first phase of company-owned stores."

"Unlike China where they plan to have about 40 odd stores by the end of this year, I'm expecting them to open about a dozen stores within 18-24 months after they get approval from Indian Government," points out Sharma.

Sharma also explains that Apple can not possibly believe that it can turn the Indian market around by sparsely opening few stores. "That strategy will certainly convert some prospects into buyers but still be very limiting. Apple will have to strike a balance between their reach, brand dilution and in the end profitability."

Gupta also believes that these stores may not necessarily drive sales but will help offer a platform to experience the Apple ecosystem and devices.

The recent setback, of India rejecting Apple's plans to sell refurbished phones, could have played a huge role otherwise. It was also not aimed at driving sales but at making more people use the cheaper devices, and eventually turn to Apple for an upgrade. There are unconfirmed reports about Cook meeting Modi, and 'refurbished iPhones' could be one of the topics up for discussion. On the other hand, a Canalys report claims that despite the poor numbers, Apple showed 63 percent growth in India. With the stores, in place, it may be able to introduce users to its entire portfolio, which isn't just limited to the iPhones.

So, where do you think Apple should open its first store in India?
tech2 News Staff

Lenovo, the top personal computer seller worldwide, has launched Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group (LCIG) in China. The newly formed group will invest in core technologies that are aligned with the current technological product offerings by Lenovo. The re-structuring also involves spinning off some of Lenovo products into subsidiaries that can attract external investors for faster and more steady growth.

Technology breakthroughs are changing the way all of us live today, said He Zhiqiang, Chief Technology Officer, Lenovo. With our long-industry history and experience of driving and developing core innovations, were well-prepared to shape the future of game-changing technologies through funding and nurturing start-ups and bringing incubator projects to market.

Lenovo is known for investing in innovative technologies around the world. Lenovo has previously invested in US based Nok Nok Labs, a biometric identification and security products company. In Israel, it has invested in Canaan Partners Investments, venture capitalists who themselves fund technology startups. In China it has invested in Shopex, a shopping cart and storefront backend. In India, Lenovo has funded SmartX, biometric facial and fingerprint recognizing attendance system with push notifications and RFID implementations.

LCIG will invest in core technologies globally. The focus will be on cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, robotics and internet services. LCIG will also start incubating its own subsidiaries. This means Lenovo owned products will be open to attract investment from external sources. Currently, the clutch of these subsidiaries that stand to benefit include SHAREit, Lenovo Cloud and Lenovo Finance.
Indian Foreign Secy due Wednesday; security issue high on agenda

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar arrives here on a brief visit on Wednesday to discuss bilateral issues with high government officials, mainly the security issue. During his two-day visit, Jaishankar is likely to meet several ministers, said a diplomatic source. The Indian Foreign Secretary will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as he is apparently carrying a message from the Indian government, the source said explaining the importance of the sudden visit. The ongoing security situation in Bangladesh might get priority during his discussion in Dhaka before leaving on Thursday. Jaishankar is coming in the backdrop of recent attacks and killings that took place in Bangladesh. He will also hold a meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart Md Shahidul Haque. Earlier, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal visited Dhaka following the brutal murder of a local staff of USAID and LGBT activist Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy. -- Dhaka, May 9 (UNB)
Migrants freed from Greek detention, trapped in limbo on islands

A boy walks at a railway station at makeshift camp for refugees and migrants at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece on Monday.

Reuters, Athens :Migrants and refugees are being freed from detention centres in Greece but remain trapped on its islands until their asylum requests are processed, exposing them to dire living conditions and even the risk of people smugglers, human rights groups say.At least 1,100 people have been released from centres on three islands and more will follow as their 25-day detention limit expires, police officials said. They are forbidden from travelling to the mainland, where most state-run shelters are.Some 8,000 people, many escaping the Syrian war, have arrived on boats from Turkey since March and are held under a European Union deal with Ankara designed to seal off the main route into Europe for over a million people since 2015.Under the deal, those who do not seek asylum in Greece - and those who are rejected - will be sent back to Turkey. Asylum applications are piling up and rulings can take weeks.The United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said it was supporting government efforts to create new spaces."All parties are working very hard to meet the needs of the human beings present on Greek islands," said Chris Boian, a spokesman in Greece. Asked if those stranded on the islands were vulnerable to human traffickers offering to take them to the mainland, Boian said:"The risk does exist and that is the one reason UNHCR advocates full access to asylum and expansion of the asylum service and alternative legal entry channels (to Europe)."Human rights groups said the government was not doing enough to provide asylum seekers with shelter and medical care while they wait. On Lesbos, many head to an open, municipality-run site. Those who can afford it check into hotels. Others sleep in the open."Every country that asks people to wait in a certain place has to provide them with basic facilities. That's not done by Greece," said Amnesty International's deputy Europe director, Gauri van Gulik. "It's either - you're in prison, or you can sleep rough on an island," she told Reuters.A government spokesman, Giorgos Kyritis, said the government was doing its best to support refugees and migrants in Greece at the open reception centres, nearly all of which are on the mainland."The government cannot afford to support these people financially on an individual basis. It's doing whatever it can to support them in the context of its limited capabilities," he said.
Richa Chadha starts shooting for Love Sonia





Actress Richa Chadha began shooting for David Womarks Indo-American production titled Love Sonia in Mumbai last Friday.

I am super excited to be a part of this film. Its a challenging part and I am nervous about how I will be able to cope. But the team is very nice and I am positive, Richa said in a statement.

Directed by Tabrez Noorani, Love Sonia also features veteran actor Anupam Kher.

Love Sonia depicts the brutal realities of human trafficking across the globe and the film will also be shot in Mumbai followed by a schedule in Los Angeles.
Jamaat hartal ignored in port city

Chittagong Bureau :

The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by Jamaat-e-Islami was ignored by the people in Chittagong city and its adjacent district on Sunday.Jamaat called the countrywide shutdown protesting the upholding of the death sentence by a four-member bench of the Appellate Division to its chief Motiur Rahaman Nizami for his crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation in 1971.

The port city was largely peaceful from the early hours of the strike. No processions were brought out by supporters of hartal.

Traffic was almost normal since the morning as a good number of motorized vehicles mostly commuters' services, buses, auto rickshaws and other rickshaws were seen plying on the city streets.Any activities by pro-shutdown elements were not reported from the port city and the adjacent upazilas during the hartal, said police. Attendance in public, private offices and banks were normal and trading activities at Chaktai-Khatungonj, the prime wholesale business hub in the countr.

, was also normal, Khatungonj business association sources said.



Work in all 174 industries in Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) went on as usual and attendance there was normal. All scheduled trains to and from the port city ran, Railway and CEPZ authority sources said. Scheduled domestic and international flights took off from and landed at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport, airport sources said. Loading and unloading operations inside the port and outer anchorage were as usual but transportation of goods to and from the port remained suspended.



Security was beefed up and maintained in Chittagong and adjacent districts since Wednesday.



Law enforcers were seen deployed at almost every major street of Chittagong since early Sunday.Apart from regular law enforces, additional members of police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have also been deployed in Chittagong and some other parts of the district to avert any destructive activities during hartal.



Departures of long-distance buses from the inter-district terminals at GEC crossing, Pahartali and Bahaddarhat bus stand were less than usual due to dearth of passengers.Classes and examinations of almost all the educational institutions in the city and adjacent districts were held during the shutdown. Metropolitan and District police control room sources said there was no report of any untoward incident from any part of the city and district during the strike.



Chittagong District Police in overnight special drives, arrested 70 persons, including activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, from different areas of the district on Wednesday night. Sector Commanders' Forum brought out a procession protesting the hartal. Bangladesh Awami League (AL) and its front organizations dominated almost all the city streets by holding rallies and bringing out processions.Chittagong city unit President of AL and former mayor A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury and city Mayor A J M Nasir Uddin addressed separate series of way side rallies where he said hartal totally failed as the people of Chittagong rejected it.




6 charges framed against Kishoreganj Razakar duo

State Minister for Finance MA Mannan, along with other distinguished persons at a roundtable on \'Tobacco-Tax in Budget 2016-\'17\' organised by different organisations in CIRDAP auditorium in the city on Monday.



The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-1 on Monday indicted Kishoreganj Razakar duo Syed Mohammad Hossain and Moslem Prodhan, framing six charges of crimes against humanity.

Justice Anwarul Haque, chairman of the three-member panel of the ICT-1, passed the order, setting June 5 for submitting opening statement by the prosecution.

Earlier on December 3, 2015, senior prosecutor Tureen Afroz submitted formal charge, bringing six specific charges including the charge for war crimes against any accused in this tribunal for the first time.

"They have caused war crimes by detaining and subsequently killing two Freedom Fighters violating Geneva Convention," Tureen had said.

Earlier on July 7, now defunct ICT-2 issued arrest warrant against the duo. Police arrested Moslem the next day from his home in village Kamarhati under Nikli upazila of Kishoreganj. But Hossain is still at large and believed to be in Malaysia.

Hossain is the younger brother of death-row-convict Syed Md Hassan alias Hachen Ali, who was sentenced to death in his absence by the ICT-1 on June 9 for his heinous crimes against humanity in 1971.




Nigerian Army Chief makes courtesy call on President

Nigerian Army Chief Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai paid a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban on Monday. nPhoto: Press Wing, Bangabhaban



Visiting Chief of Army Staff of Nigeria Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai made a courtesy call on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban on Monday.

Welcoming the Nigerian Army Chief to Bangabhaban, the President underscored the need for exchange of visit of top officials of the armed forces of Bangladesh and Nigeria and said it will help increase professional skills of the forces of the two countries, President's Press Secretary Joynal Abedin told BSS.

Mentioning the ability and proficiency of military training institutions of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid urged the members of Nigerian Army to take training in Bangladesh.

A total of 98 official of Nigerian Army took training in Bangladesh since 1984.

President Hamid said Nigerian Army can invite Bangladesh Army for the courses of counterterrorism and jungle warfare in Nigeria.

Mentioning the activities of Bangladesh University of Professionals, the President said members of Nigerian Army can take admission to different courses of this university.

The President also said this visit of the Nigerian Army Chief would strengthen further the relations of the armies of the two countries.

Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai expressed his gratitude to President Hamid for giving him time for the meeting and expressed the hope that the relations of two countries in different sectors, including the army, would be strengthened further in future.

Secretaries concerned to the President were present.
Verdict read out to Nizami in jail

The full verdict of the Supreme Court, rejecting the review petition of condemned war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami, was read out to the Jamaat leader at Dhaka Central Jail on Monday evening. DIG (Prisons) Golam Haider, Senior Jail Super of the Dhaka Central Jail Jahangir Kabir, jailer Nesar Alam and deputy jailer Lavlu Miah entered the condemned cell of the jail, where Nizami has been kept, around 7:30pm with a copy of the verdict, said jail sources. Later, Jahangir Kabir read out the verdict to Nizami. Earlier, the full verdict of the Supreme Court rejecting the review petition of the condemned war criminal reached the Dhaka Central Jail in the evening. Senior Jail Super Jahangir Kabir of the Dhaka Central Jail received the copy of the verdict sent from the International Crimes Tribunal around 7:05 pm, jail sources said. Earlier in the day, the verdict travelled to the International Crimes Tribunal after the Supreme Court released the full text of its verdict rejecting the review petition of the Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, thus upholding the death penalty awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal. The written verdict was released after the four judges -- Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Hasan Foez Siddique -- of the Appellate Division bench signed the copies of the verdicts turning down the petition to review its earlier order upholding the death sentence for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971. With presidential clemency the only option left for him to avail of, a speculation is around that Nizami is set to soon meet the same fate as three of his fellow erstwhile leaders of Jamaat -- Abdul Quader Mollah, AHM Kamaruzzaman, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed -- and BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury met. Earlier, Nizami was shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur on Sunday night. Meanwhile, security in and around the Dhaka Central Jail beefed up on Monday. On May 5, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court rejected the petition of Nizami seeking review of its earlier verdict upholding the death penalty awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal. On March 15, the ICT issued a death warrant for Nizami for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971 after the apex court released the full text of its verdict upholding his death penalty. On January 6, a four-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by the Chief Justice, upheld the death sentence of the Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer. The Appellate Division upheld the ICT-1 order sentencing Nizami to death for the wartime crimes, including genocide and murder of intellectuals. The apex court upheld his death penalty on three of the four counts, while he was acquitted in one. On October 29, 2014, the ICT-1 sentenced Nizami to death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. Nizami filed an appeal with the SC on November 23, 2014 challenging the death sentence and claimed himself innocent while refuting all the charges. --Dhaka, May 9 (UNB)
When nonprofit mergers make sense

Frank Hernandez :

In an evaluation of consolidation activity, the Bridgespan Group suggested that the economic recession in 2009 should have triggered a survival instinct as charitable contributions declined - resulting in more nonprofit mergers and a reduction in the number of nonprofits.

However, the data show that more nonprofits were created, rising by over 7 percent in the period from 2007 through 2011. One reason for this surprising growth is contained in a new report by the Atlas of Giving, which finds that charitable giving in the United States rose by over 50 percent since 2009 to reach a record of almost $480 billion in 2015. Since charitable giving expanded, nonprofit survival was not in jeopardy.

In 2016, the economy continues to improve - unemployment is down, the stock market is up and the charitable giving outlook appears on track to better 2015's record level. While a positive trend in contributions is expected to continue, regional differences exist. Falling oil prices that generate disposable income for families and corporations with high transportation costs can create uncertainty and cutbacks for firms and individuals that work in the energy industry.

In Houston where I live, the local economy is more diversified than during the 1980s when the area suffered a significant recession as the price of oil fell below $10 a barrel ($22 today). Oil prices dropped to nearly $25 per barrel in January of this year, and energy-related job losses have increased. Many local charities are worried that the decline in the energy industry will adversely affect donations and volunteer support. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Sandra Miniutti, CFO for Charity Navigator, an organization that follows charities across the country, suggested that it takes about six months for an economic slowdown to affect nonprofit contributions and the second half of this year will be extremely challenging for local charities and beneficiaries.

In anticipation of declining funding, two Houston-area United Way groups agreed to merge in late February. Their merger is expected to realize efficiencies as they combine efforts and no longer compete for charitable contributions. The decision to merge was difficult because the smaller organization had existed for over 60 years and its leadership wanted assurances that the needs of its community would continue to be addressed. Indeed, local community donors were asked to approve the merger. The board of directors also recognized that pride might prevent them from merging with the larger group. In the end, "mind and heart" got aligned and the local community can expect ongoing support and services.

Successful nonprofit mergers result from the development of a shared vision that creates alignment, manages senior staff roles and responsibilities, and clarifies the combined mission. In the Houston United Way merger, the president of the smaller organization decided to step down after nineteen years heading the group. In moving forward, the new entity expects to improve services and grow programs where the smaller organization had stalled. Already, the new organization has guaranteed $4 million in each of the next two years to support the community served by the smaller entity. This funding level is almost double what was projected had the organizations remained separate.

While it is too early to know if the new larger Houston area United Way will expand support, the negotiations that resulted in the merger appear to follow the recommendations outlined by the Bridgespan Group - create alignment, define roles and blend the brands. Successful mergers require collaboration that involves the board and senior staff from the onset. Funders should also be engaged in thinking through alternatives and planning support options.

The Houston-area United Way merger represents a positive step to ensure that the local community continues to receive support and service during these uncertain times. By setting aside egos and focusing on the needs of the community, success and sustainability are more assured. The president of the local United Way put the needs of the community first and agreed to step down to enable a more efficient and productive entity. Although offered a consulting role in the new organization, she chose to leave so that the two organizations could more easily integrate.

Organizational leadership requires that we put aside personal interests for the good of the community and the organization. I hope that other nonprofits do similar soul-searching and consider mergers and efficiencies when faced with declining support. The community and our beneficiaries deserve nothing less.



(Frank Hernandez is a doctoral student in the Program in Higher Education Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin).
HC issues rule on Edn Secy Dhaka Board bosses

Staff Reporter :

The High Court [HC] division of the Supreme Court has issued a rule asking the authorities of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka as to why it did not implement the directives of HC and Appellate Division of the Supreme Court about issuance of SSC and HSC mark-sheets to the examinees.

A two-member High Court bench comprising of Justice Syed Mohammad Dastagir Hossain and Justice AKM Shahidul Hoque passed the rule on Sunday against Education Secretary, Chairman and Controller of Dhaka Education Board terming the disobeying of court orders as 'intentional and preplanned'.

The court also asked the officials concerned to explain the reasons behind 'the ignorance to the court orders' being physically present in the court within two weeks.

Earlier, the HC on April 21, 2015 and the Appellate Division on December 22, last year, had given directives to education board authorities to provide mark-sheets to the examinees of SSC, HSC and other equivalent examinations.

But the country's education boards did not implement the directives of the HC and Appellate Division, although one year has already passed.

No mark-sheet was provided to the students, whereas, results of the Secondary School Certificate [SSC] and the Higher Secondary Certificate [HSC] examinations of 2015 were published after the directives.

Meanwhile, the result of HSC is also going to be published within a few days, but the authorities are yet to provide the mark-sheets as per the court direction, the sources said.

K.M. Salahuddin Khan, an advocate of the Supreme Court, appeared to the apex court (HC) to address on the issue. He said, "The education board authorities are bound to follow the court order. But they are ignoring the HC order and, it is nothing but contempt of court."

Last year, the court had given the directives in response to a writ petition filed by an HSC examinee, M. Nafees Salman Khan of Government Nazrul College.

Explaining the reasons of the writ petition, Advocate Salahuddin Khan told the apex court, Nafees Salman Khan passed HSC in 2010 with a GPA of 4.30. But he was not satisfied with this result. He applied for his transcripts and re-examination of his answer papers.

As the board authorities did not take any initiative in this regard, Nafees moved to the apex court seeking an order for get his mark-sheet.
Swedish Justice minister due today

bdnews24.com :Morgan Johansson, Sweden's Minister of Justice and Migration, will arrive in Bangladesh on Tuesday.The main purpose of his visit is to "deepen" relations between the two countries in the key area of migration, in light of Bangladesh's chairmanship of the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the Swedish embassy has said. During his two-day visit, the minister will meet representatives of the government, as well as of civil society and the private sector. He will call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Shariar Alam, Minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Islam and Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Anisul Huq during his visit. He will also meet with officials of local and international organisations working on migration and human rights.As part of his visit, the minister will deliver a public lecture on "Emerging Global Migration and Mobility, Trends and Issues: Swedish Perspective" on Wednesday at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
BD protests Pak reaction to Nizami's review plea

UNB, Dhaka :

The government on Monday protested in its strongest term the press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan voicing concern over Supreme Court's dismissal of the review petition of war crimes convict Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Pakistan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Shuja Alam was summoned yesterday and Secretary (B & C) Mizanur Rahman handed over a note verbale to him, according to a Foreign Ministry media release. In the note verbale, it was stated that by taking the side of those Bangladesh nationals who are convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide, Pakistan has once again acknowledged its direct involvement and complicity with the crimes of mass atrocities committed during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.
3-day IDEB's confce begins tomorrow

Staff Reporter :

The 21st National Conference of Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) will be held on May 12-14 in the capital.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The slogan of the conference is selected as "Technology and proficiency will bring freedom and prosperity to working population."

The number of working population would reach 71 per cent of the total population by 2030, this was disclosed in a press conference at IDEB Bhaban ahead of its national conference on Monday.

IDEB President Engineer AKM and General Secretary Md. Shamsur Rahman spoke at the press briefing.

The conference has been divided into 13 sessions where a number of papers will be presented focusing on skill development of youth population in Bangladesh and other SAARC countries.

About 5,000 delegates, including teachers and students, from different areas of the country will participate in the two-day conference.

Besides, delegations from SAARC countries, Australia, Philippines, USA and Middle East will participate.

IDEB will reward three persons for their significant contributions to different areas. They are Engineer Md Ohidun Nabi (posthumous) for Teesta Barrage, Engineer M A Gofran for renewable energy, and Mamunur Rashid for cultural field.


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.
Guest post by Kevin Purcell

Regarding the Vivian Maier lawsuit settlement, I think Mike went hyperbolic on this one in his post last Friday. The fact that the owners of the prints and negatives and the estate have come to an agreement is good news for everyone.

The law is quite simple and, no, this case is not a distortion of copyright law. It's straightforward probate law and copyright law. The difficult bit was the genealogy. I explained that (accurately, even though I am not a lawyer) in this previous comment.

The simple version is that Vivian Maier's prints and negatives were sold before she died to clear a storage debt (that's contract law). The prints and negatives were never part of the estate and are clearly owned by John Maloof (and others who sold them on). But buying prints and negatives doesn't mean the buyer owns the copyright to them. The copyrights stayed with Vivian (whilst alive) and then with her estate (once she had died), which is administered by Cook County, Illinois, where she died. Vivian died intestate (i.e., without a will) and it's the Cook County Probate Department's duty to find her closest heirs and to transfer the property (the copyright, in this case) to them. As detailed in the New York Times article "The Heir's Not Apparent," David Deal just pointed out to Cook County that there's another heir lurking in the family tree that John Maloof didn't have a copyright agreement with.

Neither Cook County nor David Deal are the bad guys here. They are the good guys: they are finding the rightful owners of the copyright and putting them in contact with the owners of the copyrighted objects. The rest is business negotiation over filing copyright registration (which needs copies of the images).

One statement in the article goes against previous reporting: "At the center of the case is an unusual situation: A woman who died virtually penniless and without any clear heirs now has an estate potentially worth millions of dollars." They seem to take the witty title of the New York Times article cited above too literally. She apparently does have clear heirs (and there may be two first cousins once removed). The problem was they weren't clear at the beginning due to faulty genealogy. That they're "laughing heirs"i.e., they didn't know they were heirsdoesn't make them any less heirs to the estate.

John Maloof, we now know, did violate copyright in publishing her images without a license from all the heirs; but he made a deal with the one heir he found so he did attempt to clear the copyright before publication. David Deal pointed out that this wasn't the only heir (and that Maloof's genealogy had been mistaken). There was also a bit of cage rattling from Deal over "copyright infringement" to get Maloof's attention and to set the scene for negotiation. I suspect that all that this means is he pays royalties to use the images he used in his books and film under the deal which gives the estate access to the negatives and prints to allow copyright registration of all the images and films.

Everybody wins (the heirs; Maloof; and the photography establishment, for finding a new photographer) if the settlement is finalized, because we will see more of her photos being reproduced. It would be nice to see what the agreement is, but we have to wait for it to be unsealed after May 10.

Crazy copyright law? Not in this case

People who are placing the blame on the deficiencies in copyright law here aren't understanding the law. There are problems with current copyright law, but this case doesn't exhibit any of them.

The status of copyright on this work and who it resides with is unambiguous. The Estate of Vivian Maier holds the copyright on this work as it passed to it when the original copyright holder, Vivian Maier, died. She didn't publish during her lifetime so there is no chance that copyright expired earlier; only current copyright law applies.

That's the one thing that's clear about this case.

The fundamental problem is the tangible objects (the negatives, the prints and the movies) aren't owned by the estate. They were purchased by other people when Vivian Maier was alive so they aren't part of the estate created at her death.

The owners of these objects don't have to give them to the estate. They bought them when the storage facility sold them off (following the contract at the storage facility to sell items when the fees weren't paid). So the owners of the objects own them like you own your car or camera. But the owners of the objects can't make commercial use of them by making copies (i.e. prints, books, films) because they don't own the copyright. That right resides with the estate.

Cook County won't get to register copyright for the estate until an agreement is made with the people who hold the objects unless as an act of goodwill those people provide low-res copies of the images. But without the prospect of an agreement, the owners of the objects have no incentive to cooperate.



It was clear how to resolve this problem. All sides needed to negotiate a commercial contract between the estate and the owners of the objects. Then, both can make money by publishing the images and dividing the proceeds. This seems to have been donewe'll find out the details tomorrow, when the terms of the agreement are unsealed by the judge.

Copyright law isn't broken. It's working here as intended: copyrights go to the estate and will last for 70 years after Maier's death (as the current law stands).

Probate law isn't broken either. It's Cook County's job to go to bat for the estate until an heir is found or the estate ends up with the State (as do all unclaimed estates). That's what probate law does. If you don't like it, make a will, or your estate will end up in probate.

Contract law isn't broken either. That's how the objects were sold initially. If you have a storage unit you have the same sort of contract.



Moral of the story: make a will. And pay your storage fees to avoid this problem happening to you.

Kevin

2016 by Kevin Purcell, all rights reserved

Original contents copyright 2016 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

TOP's links!

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Manuel: "Allow me to put my cold lawyer's eye to this issue.

"It is important, previous to entering any discussion on copyright law, to understand the nature of the author's right as established by international agreements such as the Bern Convention. Copyrightor, more precisely, the rights that emanate from creating a legally protected workbears an important divide: there's a monetary content on one side, and on the other a moral content. So, even if the word 'copyright' is primarily used to refer to the former sense, copyright is actually two separate rights under the same umbrella. The monetary aspect includes the author's right to sell the workin which case all future profits from publishing, exhibiting or any other form of commercial exploration of the work belong to the purchaser, unless legally or contractually stated otherwise. Even in this case, though, the author keeps what is known in Rule of Law systems as the moral right over the work. This means that Mr. Maloof, by purchasing Vivian Maier's negatives, may have become the legal holder of the monetary rights, but he holds no moral rights over Vivian Maier's photographs. The latter are held by the authors themselves or their heirs. (In Vivian Maier's case, the moral rights belong to her estate until her heirs claim the heritage.)

"So, one thing is to have possession of the physical consubstantiation of the work, another is to hold authorial rights over it. They may coincide under the same holder, but not when the work is traded in any way. Let me exemplify: If I sell a photograph, I pass the physical content of my work to the purchaser, but unless agreed otherwise I am still its author and as such the purchaser needs my permission to publish, exhibit, sell prints or whatever.

"That's what this litigation is about: Vivian Maier's estate is rightfully claiming moral rights over her body of work. As Mr. Purcell correctly stated, 'Neither Cook County nor David Deal are the bad guys here.' I agree.

"I hope this casts further light on this subject brilliantly developed by Kevin Purcell. Lawunder any form and any systemis founded on general principles. The separation between monetary and moral rights is one that has been at the inception of modern copyright laws, therefore knowing this fact is essential to understand what this discussion is all about."

John Camp: "There is, of course, a difference between the administration of the law (the discovery of the heirs, the proper application of the current copyright law, the determination of who owns the physical property) and the content of the law. A lot of people think that the copyright law, as it is now, was designed by indebted politicians to protect Disney copyrights to Mickey Mouse and other cartoon characters, and not in any way to really protect authors of original material or to promote publication, as the copyright law supposedly is intended to do. How does delivering money to a large corporation for seventy years after the death of the creator really serve the public interest?"

Mike replies: The opposite situation is instructive. Ulysses S. Grant worked assiduously on his memoirs at the end of his life, despite being grievously ill with cancer and unable to walk, because he had been bilked out of his fortune by a 19th-century Bernie Madoff and he was concerned that his wife would fall into poverty after his death. After Herculean effort and great determination, he died five days after the book was completed.

It became a bestseller, and by all accounts was quite a good book to boot (I haven't read it). The Grant family made $450,000 on itmore than $10 million in today's dollarsand his widow was able to live out her life comfortably on the proceeds.

Crabby Umbo: "I don't understand why anyone thinks that the originator of intellectual property and their heirs shouldn't have the ability to earn an income off what they've created (and in fact, in 'perpetuity' as far as I'm concerned). Why is this 'insane' or 'ridiculous'?

"The only reason someone would be against this is if they are a 'stealer' of work and want the ability to profit from someones else's intellectual property solely because they bought the physical object. Moose [in the full Comments section Ed.], I think, has it exactly wrong: when you buy any physical manifestation that constitutes intellectual property, you should never think you've bought anything other than the opportunity to look at it, listen to it, or read it. And what makes you think you should have more...?

"This is where the recording industry went wrong years ago by not making it crystal clear to people that they weren't buying anything but the ability to listen to music for their own enjoyment. The industry didn't worry about it because it was a self-destructive delivery vehicle of less quality than the original.

"I've also said repeatedly that I attended and graduated from an intellectual property rights and copyright course at the dawn of digital, and the class was virtually filled with people asking to what extent they could steal items off the internet to repackage or reuse to make money on, without getting caught or prosecuted; to the total exasperation of the attorney teaching the class. I found it interesting that the class wasn't filled with creatives trying to figure out how to safeguard their work, but 'suits' trying to figure out how to steal and repackage it! Keith above says that copyright law exists to encourage publishing, but I believe this to be incorrect. It exists to keep charlatans from stealing others work and profiting from it, and it exists to safeguard the originators of intellectual property. The written word (or a photograph) is much easier to steal than your car.

"Maloof is a hero for finding and preserving the work, and for searching, within his limited abilities, to find and make a deal with an heir. He's did all he could do or afford at the time. He's not in the wrong, it just needed to hit another level of research."

adamct: "Two comments: 1. I've been waiting for the day that lawyers get to shine on T.O.P. (however briefly)! Kudos to Kevin and Manuel. 2. My company has hired a 1st year law student as an intern for this summer. I sent her an e-mail today, in advance of her 1st year law school exams, in an attempt to reduce the related levels of absurd anxiety. With regard to Property (a subject that includes rules as incomprehensible and irrational as the 'life plus 70' rule in copyrightask any lawyer about the Rule Against Perpetuities and they will run away screaming), I wrote: 'If Property doesnt make any sense to you, its because it isn't a real subject. Property is just a perennial prank that law school professors like to pull on naive young 1st years.'"

Mike replies: Maybe TOP should have a legal editor. As I did this time, I often get legal matters wrong, at least at first. At least I'm willing to stand corrected, as I was by Kevin this time....[sigh]
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Potential for severe thunderstorms. Low 49F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%.
The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now.

Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market.

In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender.

India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex.

Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted.

But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted?

Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner.

If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems.

I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

I want more variation in masturbation

I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own.

If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation.

It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms.

They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable.

Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner.

The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner.

It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past.

In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping.

Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order.

In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing.

Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome.

Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own.

But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance.

More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around.

Sextoy situation in India

Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years.

In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India.

Mumbai

Kolkata

Bangalore

Delhi

Chennai

Hyderabad

These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India.

In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well.

If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too.

If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it.

What are Sextoys for beginner?

Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms.

Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy.

I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion.

I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy.

If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma.

Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it.

Advantages of using sextoy for Indians

There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians

You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways.

Can have stimulating sex

Can develop new sexual zones

If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern.

However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways.

You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation.

Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever.

There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure.

This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it.

When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems.

It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms).

For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles

[Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou...

Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India.

Sextoy for beginner men in India

So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners.

For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men!

The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men

Masturbator

Cock rings

Love Doll

Sex Lubricants

Toys for the prostate

Lets check each one in detail.

Masturbator

The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products.

It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands.

Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands.

They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.)

Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much.

Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! !

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Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

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Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

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Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
At the annual Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce dinner in late April, officers acknowledged several businesses and individuals with awards.

Chamber officials named Gibbs Barbershop as the Business/Organization of the Year. The group also honored this year's Citizen of the Year and Student Citizen of the Year and inductee one resident into the Hall of Fame.

Paula Maloney, co-owner of Jackson County Abstract, was the recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award for her work in the community.

Tim Marston, a junior at Murphysboro High School, received the Student Citizen Award for his contributions to the community and the high school.

Mike Garlinghouse, a longtime member of the Chamber and past board member, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame. He has been a longtime supporter of the Boy Scouts, as well as a long-time volunteer to the Murphysboro Apple Festival.

Jolene Falat was recognized as the outgoing President of the Chamber. During the dinner, she passed the gavel to new President Gene Basden.

Bruce Wallace, executive director of the Chamber for the past five years, was also recognized for his service to the Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce. Wallace now has a position with Affordable Gas and Electric.

 Stephanie Esters
MARION  A Hurst man charged with first-degree murder pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing Monday in Williamson County court.

Benjamin Howell, 34, was arrested and charged April 29 with first-degree murder in the death of Chad Jones, 40, of Lockport, according to an earlier news release from Sheriff Bennie Vick.

The judge found probable cause in the preliminary hearing Monday. Howell is scheduled to return to court on June 13 for a pretrial hearing.

Howell had the right to waive his preliminary hearing Monday, but chose to follow through with the proceedings, which do not determine whether a suspect is innocent or guilty, but whether there is probable cause.

During the hearing, only one witness was called by the state  Williamson County Sheriffs Office Detective Karl Gustentine.

Gustentine said on April 29, at about 2 a.m., his office responded to a call of a person lying on the ground at 446 N. Bush St. in Hurst. He said officers found a man unresponsive, bleeding and beaten. The person was later identified as Jones. He was taken to Herrin Hospital and pronounced dead that day.

An autopsy by Williamson County Coroner Michael Junior Burke revealed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

Gustentine said an eyewitness was awakened by the sound of somebody beating on a vehicle. The detective said in court the witness saw Howell leaning on a vehicle striking Jones five to six times.

The detective said when he spoke to Howell after he was placed in custody and taken to the sheriffs office at about 8 a.m., he said he hit Jones in the face and kicked him in the head.

Alex Fine, Howell's public defender, asked Gustentine about an altercation that happened earlier in the night.

Gustentine said witness testimony said that Jones was in an altercation at the Backdoor Lounge at 109 W. McKinley Ave. in Hurst. Witnesses said Jones was involved in an altercation with Joshua James, who is in a relationship with Amy Howell, Benjamin Howells cousin, the detective said.

Gustentine said witnesses said the altercation took place in the restroom just before the bar closed at 1 a.m., where Jones could have fallen, but nobody had an account of this. Further witness testimony, according to Gustentine, said Howell offered to take Jones anywhere in his vehicle without any signs of aggression.

The detective said he was told Howell drove Jones to another residence. He walked up to home and attempted to wake somebody up, and when he returned to the passenger side of vehicle, he struck Jones five to six times.

Howell then allegedly walked to the driver side of the vehicle, when Jones grabbed his wrist, and a struggle ensued, Gustentine said. Jones fell to the ground, and that is when Howell kicked him in the head because he thought Jones was reaching for a weapon, Gustentine said, recounting Howells testimony.

Howell testified to Gustentine that the act was in self-defense, Gustentine said after answering Fines question.

The detective said there was not a gun found on Jones body nor in the vehicle after a search was completed.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. Bruce Rauner is renewing his call for a clean bill to fund elementary and secondary education next school year.

The Republicans statement comes in conjunction with a visit Monday to Lyons Township High School in west suburban La Grange and follows last weeks release of Illinois State Board of Education figures on what a Democratic proposal to overhaul the states school funding formula would mean for individual districts.

The governor has said he supports changing the way the state distributes money to school districts, but he wants to fully fund the current formula while lawmakers continue to work on those changes. If lawmakers approve his plan, itd mark the first time in seven years that districts would receive the whole amount state law says they should.

Our priority right now should be funding our schools for the upcoming school year, Rauner said in a written statement. Since day one, I have been committed to building a world-class education system in Illinois that ensures every child goes to a high-quality school and can go on to a high-paying career. Fully funding our schools is a step closer to making that a reality.

Many Democrats argue that it doesnt make sense to put more money into a system that does a bad job of distributing money to poorer districts that need it the most.

I am encouraged that the governor and Republicans recognize the current systems failings, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said in a written statement issued in response to Rauners remarks. They said they want a system that recognizes the needs of rural and low-income communities. Lucky for them, that plan is pending in the Illinois Senate and they will soon get the chance to vote for it.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, has been working for the last several years on legislation that would redirect state money to the neediest districts. In an effort to win support from both parties and all parts of the state, Manars latest version includes provisions intended to prevent any districts from losing money in the first year under the new formula.

Senate passes $454 million funding bill for higher ed SPRINGFIELD -- Democrats and Republicans in the Illinois Senate believe they've found a succ

Despite Republican statements to the contrary, figures the State Board of Education released last week show that Manars bill would do just that.

Had his formula been in place for the 2014-15 school year, the last for which the board has complete data, Lyons Townships funding wouldve been unchanged compared with the current formula.

Under Rauners plan, the district, which spends $2,700 more per student on instruction than the state average, would gain $104,000 next year compared with the current year.

Voters could see two proposed constitutional amendments in November SPRINGFIELD  Voters may get the chance to have their say on two proposed changes to the Ill

Poorer districts, meanwhile, would see substantial gains under Manars plan.

For example, the Decatur School District, which spends $2,799 less per student on instruction than the state average, wouldve seen $5.3 million more in state funding in 2014-15 had the new plan been in place. Under the Rauner plan, Decaturs funding would go up by $625,000 next year.

Figures for how districts would fare under Manars plan with the level of overall funding Rauner has proposed for next year are not yet available.

With strong backing likely from Chicago and downstate Democrats, passage of Manars plan in the Senate may hinge on additional support from suburban Democrats, some of whom represent districts that would eventually see state funding dip under the proposal, and downstate Republicans, many of whom represent districts that stand to benefit.

GOP senators, like Rauner, have been highly critical of the bill, labelling it a bailout for Chicago Public Schools.

The proposal would direct an additional $175 million to the states largest school district, and the state would begin picking up the tab for Chicago teachers pensions, something it already does for the rest of the state. Chicago would lose $74 million under Rauners plan.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, has come out in opposition of Manars plan, despite the fact that 35 school districts he represents wouldve gained an average of nearly $130,000 in 2014-15 under the new formula, according to state board figures.

This debate has to be bigger than who were winners and who were loser under a certain proposal, Righter said.

Really the issue here is, What do we want the school aid formula to achieve? he said.

From his perspective, the formula should aid districts that are doing their part through local property taxes to fund schools but still struggling to provide adequate money due to low property values.

Given its relatively low property tax rate compared with surrounding suburbs, Chicago could do more locally to fund its schools, Righter said, adding that it should also be held accountable for poor financial and academic performance.
SPRINGFIELD  As discussion over energy policy continues, state Rep. John Bradley  joined by legislative colleagues from the House and Senate  will propose what his office says is an innovative investment plan for Illinois' coal industry.

Bradley, a Democrat from Marion, will be presenting the new legislation at a Statehouse news conference Tuesday afternoon, he said.

According to PR Specialist Ryan Keith, this is the state representative's new effort, since last year's bill, to recognize jobs tied to the coal industry, and its effect on families.

"Financial well-being is tied to the success in the coal industry," Keith said. "Different mine closures and other challenges puts people in a real state of hardship, so he is hoping to offer some incentive for the industry to get on its feet."

Keith said Bradley's new legislation would also create incentives to burn Illinois coal more cleanly and use it more extensively.

Southern Illinois lawmakers, school officials push for more funding SPRINGFIELD  A group of Democratic lawmakers and school officials is calling on the General

The plan is a comprehensive approach to the production of more clean, and more reliable, energy and support jobs, he said.

"What John wants to do is to present his bill (as) a creative plan to get some life into the coal industry, and hopefully do it in a more friendly way than it has been done before," he said.
LA GRANGE  Gov. Bruce Rauner and other Republicans said Monday that bipartisan groups of Illinois lawmakers are making progress on changes Rauner has said are essential to any agreement on a long-overdue state budget. But a compromise to end a nearly year-long impasse between the GOP and majority Democrats remains elusive as the Legislature approaches a critical end-of-the-month deadline.

The governor and House GOP leader Jim Durkin said rank-and-file legislators, meeting behind closed doors, are finding common ground on how to make Illinois' workers' compensation insurance program less expensive for businesses  a key Republican priority.

They said there's also been movement on property tax relief and changing the way state and local governments buy items, which Rauner has said could save millions annually. Durkin, of Western Springs, said there could be a report "very soon" on possible workers' compensation legislation.

"All of those are alive and well right now in these last few weeks," Durkin said during a stop at Lyons Township High School in LaGrange, where he and Rauner discussed school funding.

Illinois is in its 11th month without a state budget. Rauner has said he won't approve a tax increase to close a multibillion-dollar deficit unless Democrats who control the General Assembly approve measures  such as changes to workers' compensation  that he says will make Illinois more appealing to business and create jobs.

Top Democrats have said they won't allow any changes that would hurt middle-class families or the state's vulnerable residents. Without a budget, universities and social service agencies have suffered. Schools are warning that if the impasse continues into the next school year, some of them could be forced to close.

The Legislature has until the end of May to approve a budget for this year and the new fiscal year, which starts July 1, by a simple majority. After that, it takes a three-fifths vote to pass a spending plan, making it considerably more difficult to achieve.

The lawmakers meeting without their leaders to consider solutions have been willing to offer up few specifics on the discussions.

But Republican state Rep. Patricia Bellock, of Hinsdale, said she's part of a committee that has been meeting for several hours a day to go through budget items line by line. The group, which has backing from legislative leaders and Rauner, could publicly detail areas of agreement as soon as this week, she said.

"They are full force working on trying to come up with the budget ..." Bellock told the City Club of Chicago during a panel discussion on the state budget. "I haven't seen that in a year and a half."

State Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat from Bunker Hill who is part of another group looking at issues such as school funding and workers compensation, acknowledged "general progress" and positive discussions in recent weeks, but said there's been a lack of clarity about what Rauner wants.

"If we had a better idea of what his position was, we could attempt to try and find a compromise," he said Monday after the City Club event. "The test of progress is going to be this: Is the governor going to drop his turnaround agenda in order to allow the legislature to have an honest debate about a budget?"

Manar is pushing a school funding formula overhaul he said could help lead toward a budget solution and intends to have it called for a vote this week.

Rauner on Monday repeated his criticism that the plan would hurt schools in suburban Chicago and is a "bail out" for Chicago Public Schools. Manar says that's not true, and that his plan is more fair because it treats CPS the same as other school districts by covering teacher pension costs.

Steve Brown, a spokesman for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, said the rank-and-file groups of lawmakers meet "in secret" so he can't assess their progress, but he said it was a positive sign that they continue to meet.

Lawmakers return to session in Springfield on Tuesday.
Tractor Supply showcases livestock, pet groups

Tractor Supply Company in Orangeburg at 2994 North Road will host local animal groups during an event Saturday, June 11, to encourage pet adoptions and support families raising pets and livestock.

Local animal groups will setup at Tractor Supply as part of Purina Days, an in-store event June 8-19 that highlights pets and livestock and the tools needed to properly care for animals.

The main event on June 11 will showcase live animals, expert advice and best-in-class products for raising a variety of animals, including domestic pets, as well as cattle, horses, rabbits and other livestock. The store will also host community groups and activities, including pet adoption and pet clinic and vaccinations with the Pet Vac Team from 4-5 p.m. and the SPCA from noon to 2 p.m.

Our team members understand the commitment it takes to responsibly raise pets and livestock because weve done it and we want to share the lessons weve learned with the community, said Ryan Adamski, manager of the Orangeburg Tractor Supply store. Whether youre looking for a pet or youre interested in keeping livestock as part of your familys livelihood, our team members and community partners will give you advice you can trust.

Dominion Foundation donates to Plant it Forward SC

COLUMBIA  The Dominion Foundation donated $10,000 to Plant it Forward South Carolina, an initiative by South Carolina Advocates for Agriculture.

Plant it Forward SC will provide relief funds specifically for covering a portion of seed costs for 2016, as well as hay losses livestock farmers suffered because of the flood. Total agricultural losses from Octobers flooding are approaching $600 million.

The Dominion Foundation is proud to support Plant it Forward SC and our local farmers, said Keith Windle, general manager for Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission. The long-term sustainability and recovery of South Carolinas agribusiness is vital to the health and well-being of all South Carolinians.

Dominion is one of the nations largest producers and transporters of energy. The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical, social and economic well-being of the communities served by Dominion companies, including Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission. The foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, support education and promote community vitality.
BLACKVILLE  Kudzu bugs may have met their match in one Clemson University graduate student.

The kudzu bug is an invasive soybean pest first discovered in Georgia in 2009. It has since spread to 13 states and Washington, D.C. Research by Francesca Stubbins, an entomology graduate research assistant at the Edisto Research and Education Center (REC), shows for the first time that mermithid nematodes can infect and kill the insects. Stubbins research involved collecting kudzu bugs from soybean fields. Nematodes  long, slender, parasitic worms  were found in the abdomens of some of the dissected female insects.

Nematodes enter kudzu bugs as immature nematodes and develop while inside the insect.

My overall research is based on the ecology of the kudzu bug and implications for management, Stubbins said. While doing dissections for a project to describe the population dynamics and the population structure of the kudzu bug through assessment of reproductive status, I found nematodes inside females.

Stubbins also found nematodes inside kudzu bug males and nymphs.

Not much work has been done on the Mermithidae family of nematodes so we do not know much about them, Stubbins said. We do know they live in soil for long periods of time and that they have been shown to infect different insect species.

The nematodes enter insects as immature nematodes, develop while inside the insects, emerge into the soil, develop and become adults, then lay eggs. Hatched immature nematodes find insects to infect and the cycle continues.

Once a nematode has developed, it leaves the insect and stays in the soil where it lays eggs.

This discovery adds to the list of natural enemies that infect kudzu bugs, Stubbins said. We dont know if this nematode has a significant effect in reducing kudzu bug populations as it has just been found in kudzu bugs in one field at the Edisto REC, but it does show there are natural enemies in the field that could have the capacity to reduce kudzu bug populations. This is good news for soybean growers.

The economic importance of this find to both urban and rural environments could be significant, which means more research is needed.

Insecticides are the most commonly used method for managing insects such as the kudzu bug, Stubbins said. But insects can become resistant to insecticides. The continuous threat of insecticide resistance emphasizes the need to investigate other alternatives. We believe our findings provide a basis for justified future research to examine the impact of mermithid nematodes for use as a biological control option for kudzu bugs.

This research is funded by grants from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the South Carolina Soybean Board.

The researchers also are studying other possible biological control options for kudzu bugs. One of these options is the fungus Beauveria bassiana, which was found in many South Carolina soybean fields in 2015.

We think this fungus has a significant effect at reducing kudzu bug populations as insects have been seen covered with the fungus out in the field, Stubbins said. Work will be undertaken this summer at the Edisto REC to research the effects this fungus has on kudzu bug populations.

Soybeans are an important crop in South Carolina. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 465,000 acres of soybeans are estimated to have been harvested in South Carolina in 2015, up from 440,000 acres harvested in 2014.
DENMARK -- Denmark Technical College will hold an informational session and dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 12, for companies interested in participating in a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The American Apprenticeship Initiative grant was awarded to the S.C. Technical College System for apprenticeships.

Denmark Technical College will be participating in the grant by expanding apprenticeships and providing the training.

The grant will focus on three business sectors: manufacturing, professional services and information technology.

We are excited to participate in this grant and bring this opportunity to our local businesses in our service area, DTC President Dr. Leonard A. McIntyre said.

By developing worker skills, employers benefit from increased productivity. At the same time, employees benefit by increasing their job skills and marketability. It is a win-win situation, he said.

The AAI grant will provide qualifying companies with a maximum of $2,500 per apprentice and $12,500 per location to pay for education provided by their local technical college.

In addition, South Carolina offers an additional $1,000 per apprentice offered through the states registered apprenticeship initiative, further offsetting training costs.

DTC has a number of programs that will qualify for the grant.

For more information or to register for the free information session, interested companies in the Denmark Technical College service area should contact Stephen Mason, associate vice president for economic and workforce development, at 803-793-5155 or Robert Peacock, program coordinator, at 803-793-5153.
Despite Donald Trumps shocking success in a relentless march toward the GOP presidential nomination, Republican leaders cant come to grips with political reality. That, as much as the Trump candidacy, could cost them power in Washington.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday came forth to state he cannot endorse Trump.

Im just not ready to do that at this point. Im not there right now, Ryan told CNN. This is the party of Lincoln, of Reagan, of Jack Kemp. We dont always nominate a Lincoln or a Reagan every four years, but we hope that our nominee aspires to be Lincoln and Reagan-esque and that that person advances the principles of our party and appeals to a wide vast majority of Americans.

Ryan is not alone.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the 16 presidential candidates vanquished by Trump, has been a vocal critic of the New York billionaire.

While pledging to support GOP candidates at all levels otherwise, he said Friday:

Its hard to believe that in a nation of more than 300 million Americans, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be our choices for president.

As for me, I absolutely will not support Hillary Clinton for president. She represents the third term of Barack Obama, and our nation cannot afford to continue those failed policies at home or abroad.

I also cannot in good conscience support Donald Trump because I do not believe he is a reliable Republican conservative nor has he displayed the judgment and temperament to serve as commander in chief.

After the election, regardless of who wins the presidency I will do everything I can to help our new president deal with the many challenges facing our nation. The next president will inherit a mess and will need all the help they can get.

Graham will be around in Washington to do just that because he is not on the ballot this November, but many Republicans may not be back. The GOP has more Senate seats at stake than Democrats and every House seat is up for election.

It seems Graham, Ryan and others in the GOP are convinced of a Trump loss that will cost Republicans down the ballot. It is very early to state such, though their reluctance to support the frontrunner could boost him individually and still leave prospects for other Republicans uncertain.

Trumps strength is rejecting the existing order and a belief among the record number of GOP primary voters he has attracted to date that he will not do business as usual in Washington. With Washingtons GOP establishment reluctant to back him and his Democratic opponent being the consummate Washington insider, dont bet against Trump despite what present opinion polls indicate about the November election.

One has only to look at history to know that public opinion six months from Election Day is subject to big change.

GOP leaders are failing to accept rejection of their conservatism in Washington every bit as much as the shunning of Democrats conventional big government policies. The rejection is not as much about the particular principles of either party as it is failure of government to work the way Americans believe it should.

Conservatives have been telling America for years their way will boost the economy, protect the country and mean lower taxes. Democrats say they will help the masses by elevating the poor and use bigger government to do so. Both have failed to deliver, largely because they refuse to do what is necessary in a democracy: reach compromises. Or as Trump says it, Make deals.

Trumps promises of less orthodoxy and more ad lib are what many Americans are ready to try. If the many turn into enough voters among disgruntled Republicans and Democrats to win Trump the presidency, the outcome of congressional races could produce surprises also bucking conventional Republican-Democratic lines.

That would leave Washington in the hands of leaders who see the need to work with rather than fight each other. And whether you like Trump or not, that would be a good thing.
WASHINGTON  The Republican Party is like fifth-century Rome must have been after the Visigoths stormed the citys gates. Anarchy and confusion reign, there is the sound of anguished wailing, and political leaders are making an urgent calculation: Resistance or collaboration?

The suddenness of Donald Trumps final victory over the GOP establishment was shocking. On Monday, Pollyannas were still convincing themselves that Trump could be thwarted at a contested convention. Within 48 hours, he had won the Indiana primary in a landslide and his last two opponents, Ted Cruz and John Kasich, had surrendered. Even Trump couldnt have expected it to happen so fast.

But no one should be surprised, at this point, that the result of the Republican primary process is Donald J. Trump as the partys presumptive nominee for president. He has been the clear front-runner for the better part of a year. Too many observers, both inside and outside the party, saw the race as they thought it should be, not as it actually was. They ignored the obvious fact that Trump was gaining momentum as the primaries went on. They believed it was unthinkable that he would win, so they gave too little weight to clear evidence that he was doing just that.

I mention these issues of perception only because Im now seeing a lot of analysis predicting how easy-peasy it will be for likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to wipe the floor with Trump in the fall. Anyone buying into this story line should first try to ascertain whether its based on reality or wishful thinking. As for me, Ill continue not to take anything for granted.

Republican elected officials and party leaders do not have time for such retrospective contemplation. They have a decision to make. The party belongs to Trump now, just as Rome belonged to the barbarians, and GOP politicians have to decide whether to fall in line or take up arms against the new order.

So far, GOP luminaries are mostly choosing collaboration over resistance  although many have so far declined comment and seem to be still pondering.

The biggest blows to Trumps legitimacy as the standard-bearer of the Party of Lincoln were struck by the two most recent Republican presidents. Spokesmen for George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush announced that 41 and 43 have no plans to endorse Trump  an extraordinary rebuke from the family that has defined the party since the era of Ronald Reagan.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, asked if he was ready to endorse Trump, said that Im not there right now. Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts said he will not vote for Trump  or for Clinton, a spokeswoman added. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has vehemently opposed Trump, was unbowed in a lengthy Facebook post that called for a third-party candidate to emerge.

Most of the rest of the party, however, seems to be boarding the Trump train, even if it might be heading over a cliff.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus set the tone Tuesday night just minutes after Cruzs withdrawal with a tweet announcing that Trump was the presumptive nominee and that the party should unite behind him.

The most commonly stated position of prominent Republicans who have spoken thus far is that they will support the nominee of the party. For example, this is the view of Sen. John McCain of Arizona, whom Trump cruelly ridiculed for being shot down and captured during the Vietnam War. According to Politico, McCain said at a fundraiser last month that his re-election bid may be the race of my life because of Trumps vicious rhetoric about Latino immigrants.

Some other senators facing tough battles to hold on to their seats seemed to disappear into witness protection. One who emerged, but probably shouldnt have, was Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who tried to stake out the impossible position that she would support Trump but not endorse him. Sorry, Senator, but thats not even a distinction, much less a difference. Youre on board.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also said she will support the Republican nominee for president, treating Trumps name like that of Lord Voldemort. Then she hastened to add her name to the growing list of rising GOP stars who say they are not interested in being considered as you-know-whos running mate.

What does I support the nominee buy you? Trumps allegation that Mexican immigrants are rapists. His promise to deport 11 million people living here without papers. His pledge to ban Muslims from entering the country. His misogyny. His bigotry. His willful ignorance of foreign and domestic policy. And much, much more.

The emerging Republican message: Were all Visigoths now.
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Toasted Cake 151! In which we make deals.









First appeared right here in Shimmer.





Rachael K. Jones grew up in various cities across Europe and North America, picked up (and mostly forgot) six languages, an addiction to running, and a couple degrees. Now she writes speculative fiction in Athens, Georgia, where she lives with her husband. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in many venues, including Shimmer, Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fireside Magazine, Strange Horizons, Escape Pod, InterGalactic Medicine Show, The Drabblecast, and Daily Science Fiction. She is a podcaster, a SFWA member, and a secret android. Follow her on Twitter at @RachaelKJones.












By Amina Nazarli

May 9 marks the 71st anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the bloodiest war of the mankind.

Notwithstanding the fact that Azerbaijans capital did not get the title of hero city, Baku was one of the main characters in the World War II.



During the World War II, Azerbaijan played an important role in the plans of large states because of its natural resources and favorable geographical position.

Germany sought to seize Baku oil to move to the East -- to the Iranian channel, and the Indian Ocean.

Hitler's Birthday Cake 1942--a slice of Baku.



For the Soviet Union, which also included Azerbaijan then, the war started in June 1941. Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party was set on capturing Baku's oil fields to fuel his own efforts of the war.

Hitler's plan was to attack Baku on September 25, 1942. Anticipating the upcoming victory, his generals presented him a cake of the region - Baku and the Caspian Sea. Delighted, Hitler took the choice piece for himself - Baku.

Fortunately, the attack never occurred and German forces were defeated before they could reach Baku.

Azerbaijans oil was one of the decisive factors in the Great Patriotic war. Oil production in Azerbaijan reached its peak in 1941 that made 23.5 million tons. That figure comprised 71.4 percent of all the oil produced in the USSR and up to 50 percent of the world production. Azerbaijani oil workers lifted 75 million tons of oil and 22 million tons of petrol to the country during war years.

The 416th Division formed of Azerbaijani soldiers held a valiant battle way from the Caucasus to Berlin. Ziya Bunyadov and another 20 people were awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the liberation of Poland and Czechoslovakia from the Nazis.

The first Azerbaijani Hero of the Union was Sergeant Israfil Mammadov, assistant to platoon commander of the 42nd Rifle Regiment. In December 1941, his group of fighters fought near Novgorod and repulsed four attacks by superior enemy forces. They entered the melee and hold the position.

Another prominent person was twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Hazi Aslanov. This legendary hero of World War II was promoted to the rank of the major general of tank troops in March 1944. He showed valor and bravery in many battles, including the battle of Stalingrad, the largest land battle in history.

Legendary partisan Mehdi Huseynzade, famous in Yugoslavia as Mikhailo fought against the Nazis in the Yugoslav-Italian partisans guerrilla corps after suffering severe wounds in the battle of Stalingrad and a spell in German captivity.

From 600,000 Azerbaijanis sent to the front during five years, over 300,000 dead and missed. In other words, one out of every six Azerbaijani became a victim of this war.

This was a dramatic quantity for Azerbaijan, after all, in those years Azerbaijan has a population of 3.4 million people. Thus, Azerbaijan put in the struggle against fascism as much of its citizens as France, Greece, Albania, Norway, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium taken together.
An official reception has been held at the Heydar Aliyev Center to mark the 93rd anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev and 71st anniversary of Victory over fascism.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva attended the ceremony.

President Aliyev congratulated the entire people of Azerbaijan on the Victory Day. The president said Azerbaijan made a great contribution to the Victory both on the frontline and at home.

President Aliyev expressed his respect for war veterans.
The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict requires certain efforts of the entire international community, Gennady Ahramovich, Belarusian ambassador, told reporters in Baku May 9.

"I understand the pain of Azerbaijani people," the diplomat said.

The ambassador expressed hope that the conflict will be resolved in the future by using all international mechanisms.

"As a country having close relations with Azerbaijan, Belarus as a strategic partner wants speedy and peaceful settlement of the conflict," the diplomat said. "Belarusians know about war and we do not want any nation to experience it."

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.
Iran's foreign ministry has summoned a Kuwaiti envoy to Tehran over a recent summit held in the Arab country with the participation of Iranian opposition figures, IRNA news agency reported.

Holding such conferences in Kuwait is against international principles and norms, an official with the foreign ministry of Iran told the Kuwait's envoy.

According to the reports, foreign based Iranian opposition figures who attended the summit are backed by the foreign states.

The report did not provide further information on the summit, its purposes and identity of Iranian attendees.


Deloitte, a top provider of audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services, has expanded its Aviation Centre of Excellence in the Middle East with the appointment of three senior team members.



Toby Robinson, Michael Dowds and Hassan Malik join in the team to share their extensive experience and support the ongoing commitment to airport, airline government and airport service company clients across the Mena region, a statement said.



We are committed to developing our Aviation Centre of Excellence in the Middle East to deliver first class service to our clients in the region. We are able to make this significant commitment due to the continuing support of our clients, and it comes as no surprise that the team has rapidly expanded considering the regions continued growth and capital spend, said Graham Pickett, Deloittes Global head of Aviation.



Toby Robinson joins from Deloitte UK and brings with him a wealth of aviation, transport, and infrastructure experience, advising airports and governments around the world on major infrastructure projects. I am looking forward to joining the team and working on a number of exciting mandates that are currently being delivered as well as taking advantage of the myriad of opportunities that the regions pipeline of transport Public and Private Partnerships (PPPs) presents, said Robinson.



Michael Dowds also joins from Deloitte UKs Consulting practice and has more than 10 years of experience supporting global aviation clients on their strategy, operations and business transformation projects. Having been working in the Middle East region for some time, I am very much looking forward to being permanently based in the region to be closer to our airline, airport and government clients and support them with their continuing growth ambitions, said Dowds.



Hassan Malik recently joined Deloittes aviation strategy team from one of the regions largest airlines where he worked on the airlines growth strategy over the past 5 years. My regional experience supporting a global airline to implement their organic and inorganic growth strategy provides valuable insights into what truly works in delivering sustainable airline growth, said Malik.



The continuing challenges related to financing the large scale expansion of the industry is seeing aviation clients and national governments seeking more innovative commercial strategies and financing solutions. Deloittes global aviation experience spans from working on the financing of some of the worlds largest hub airports such as Heathrow Terminal 5, airline and airport merger due diligence and execution, delivering customer transformation experience strategies for large airports, and developing digital and analytics capabilities in a number of networks.



Deloitte is the distinctive professional services firm across the globe and these are exciting times as we grow the regional aviation team to ensure we have the best-in-class capabilities to serve our existing aviation clients in the region and position ourselves for future growth, concluded Dorian Reece, Deloittes head of Airports in the UK and Middle East.  TradeArabia News Service
Raine & Horne Dubai, the leading Australian real estate franchise groups regional office, said it has been signed up by Lemon Tree Hotels, the fastest growing chain of upscale business and leisure hotels in India, for a major regional role in the GCC hospitality sector.



Raine & Horne with 133 years of experience has undertaken to support the objective of eight hotel openings across the region in three years, by identifying properties, managing the relationships, and executing the agreements, said the company in a statement.



Lemon Tree Hotels was founded in 2002 by Patu Keswani, a first generation Indian entrepreneur, who opened its first property in 2004 at Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon.



The group now boasts of three brands to meet the diverse needs of todays traveller - the upscale Lemon Tree Premier; the midscale Lemon Tree Hotels; and the economy Red Fox Hotel - which it will bring to the GCC region.



Rattan Keswani, the deputy managing director of Lemon Tree Hotels, said: "We are proud to now have 29 hotels and over 3,200 rooms in 18 cities of India, and another 11 hotels with 1,500 rooms currently under development."



Expanding within the GCC was the next logical step in the companys evolution as the fastest growing hotel company in India, he stated.



"Lemon Tree Hotels is delighted to be expanding into a region that Indian travellers are so keen to visit, and to fill the gap in the market for non 5-star hotel brands ahead of Expo 2020," noted Keswani



Dubai Tourism reported 14.2 million overnight visitors last year, and unsurprisingly due to its proximity to the UAE, India is the emirates largest source market. Dubai has seen a 17 per cent increase in the number of Indian tourists visiting the emirate, he added.



According to him, Lemon Tree Hotels Dubai foray comes at a very opportune time, in the aftermath of Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, having issued a series of directives aimed at enhancing and streamlining hotel investment and development in the emirate, including an additional year of exemption of the 10 per cent Dubai Municipality fee for all three- and four-star hotels which begin operations around June 2017.



Sanjay Chimnani, the managing director of Raine& Horne Dubai, said: "Theres a big need for the quality affordable or midscale segment hotels and serviced apartments, and they are key to the development of the region and its objective of having 20 million visitor arrivals by 2020."



"There is already a strong competition amongst peer group brands, which is a sign of maturity in the market, but we believe there are immense opportunities and gap in the market for an established brand like Lemon Tree Hotels, which boasts an aggressive distribution network across India, and a significant number of travel operators who act on their behalf internationally," noted Chimnani.



"We look forward to leveraging our regional property expertise and network of contacts to roll out the Lemon Tree brand out across the GCC," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
UAE employers are experiencing difficulty filling open positions as they struggle to find employees with the relevant skills that they need, a report said.



Only 16 per cent of companies are currently searching for new employees, according to a survey conducted by Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East and YouGov, a research and consulting agency.



From these, most demand is seen for entry-level positions, with only 3 per cent of employers surveyed currently searching for director-level candidates.



Yet, even with such limited hiring demand, it is still challenging for employers to find candidates with the required skill sets, particularly for senior positions. In fact, 57 per cent of companies in the UAE say that finding candidates for senior positions with the required skills is difficult (17 per cent say it is very difficult), and 43 per cent say that finding candidates for junior positions with the required skills is difficult (just 9 per cent say it is very difficult).



Interestingly, technical skills are often seen as posing the least challenge, while soft skills are regarded as most lacking. Indeed, critical thinking/problem solving (62 per cent), adaptability /managing multiple priorities (60 per cent) and creative thinking (59 per cent) were seen as the most difficult skills to find at a senior level.



When comparing the feedback of employers to the perception of jobseekers, the skills gap is seen even more clearly. Contrary to employer feedback, job seekers in the UAE generally regard themselves as having a high degree of competency across most skills, with those seeking senior positions being more confident regarding their skills and rating themselves higher on all skills, when compared to more junior job seekers. Despite this general positive view of their own skill level, almost six out of ten job seekers surveyed (59 per cent) say it is difficult to secure a job.



According to half of the respondents in the UAE, the best solution to tackle the skills gap crisis is by having companies provide enough training opportunities to employees.



Suhail Masri, vice president of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com, said: Our data says the skills gap is very real. It is really interesting that the skills gap in the Middle East is not one of technical skills, but of soft skills.



To add to the challenge, its much easier to assess and qualify a candidate based on his or her technical skills, as opposed to soft skills. At Bayt.com, we have been designing solutions to help employers find the most suitable talents and help job seekers highlight their non-technical skills for years, redefining the online recruitment landscape in the region.



Over the past few years, the Bayt.com Specialties platform has evidently addressed an urgent need by our users to express their skills and expertise beyond the confines of the CV document. It empowers professionals to tell the stories that go far beyond a CV, while also helping employers discover these stories, and learn what these professionals are really all about.



Often, the classic markers of competence, such as work history, education, credentials, and the like, are not the only pointers to professional leadership. It is well-thought-out, intelligent and original content related to areas of interest and expertise that can make people shine. Thats what Bayt.com Specialties is all about: helping professionals, at all career levels and in all industries and roles, to highlight their unique abilities and truly shine, he added.



In todays dynamic and ever-evolving job market, candidates need to be constantly looking for new ways to enhance their skills in order to differentiate themselves, optimize their profile and effectively navigate complex work environments, said Joao Neves, senior research director, YouGov.



Ideally, to maximize the impact of their efforts, industry leaders, educational institutions and governments should work together to provide job seekers with clear guidance on future growth areas in the region and most desirable skills to succeed.  TradeArabia News Service
The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoU) with private hospitals in Dubai in a move to strengthen its partnership with the private sector and Rashid Hospital.

The MoUs were signed by Humaid Al Qatami, chairman of the board and director general of DHA and eight Dubai hospitals that include Sulaiman Habib Hospital; Saudi German Hospital; Iranian Hospital; Prime Hospital; Medcare Hospital; Zahra Hospital; Aster Hospital; and International Modern Hospital.

Al Qatami said the MoUs would allow the exchange of expertise between the public and private sector, broadening the scope of innovation and creativity between the two.

Through the joint work between Rashid Hospital and the eight other private hospitals, the public will see collaboration between the best medical cadres to provide better services, he added.

Al Qatami said that the DHA spares no effort to elevate the private sector, whether it is by providing the needed investment environment or through collaborating with them.

Meanwhile the hospital officials said they are proud to collaborate with the authority adding that it represents a new phase that will see the delivery of quality services and exchanging expertise. TradeArabia News Service
Bristol Fire Engineering, a leading fire-fighting solutions manufacturer in the Middle East, said it was recognised with the Dubai Quality Appreciation Award from the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai, UAE, recently.



The company won the award for achieving exceptional business values and showcasing excellence in its all-round business practices in the field of manufacturing, said a statement from the company, a part of the Concorde  Corodex Group.



Held under the patronage of HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the awards include the Dubai Quality Award (DQA), the Dubai Human Development Award (DHDA) and the Dubai Business Excellence Scheme (DSES).



The company, for decades, has been supplying the UAEs police and civil defence and several other government entities with superior equipment and services. It also supplies sectors such as the oil and gas, commercial, and industrial industries within the UAE and across the globe, added the statement.



Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai International Marine Club, attended the ceremony and honoured Bristol Fire Engineering for their outstanding pursuit of excellence during 2015, said a statement from the company.



Mahmoud Awad, chairman of Concorde-Corodex Group, parent company of Bristol Fire Engineering, said: We are honoured to be recognised with the prestigious award and thank the government of Dubai for their unwavering support.



We look forward to drive our shared vision of making the UAE the safest country in the world by providing the highest standards in firefighting and fire protection solutions, he said.



Service and quality excellence are central to our companys objectives, and winning an award is a glowing endorsement of our continuous investment in developing the highest standards in our fire safety equipment, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Bahrain has launched its fourth National Telecommunications Plan (NTP), which aims to develop the telecom infrastructure with high-speed fiber-optic network and ensure providing high speed services at affordable prices, a report said.



Approved by Bahrains HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the NTP outlines the guidelines of the telecommunications sector for the next three years, reported the Bahrain News Agency (BNA).



The plan asserts that the implementation of the government's strategy and policies in the telecommunications sector build on the successes of the sector in order to maintain and upgrade the kingdom's leading status in the sector, the report said.



The NTP based on eight main themes, which include developing the infrastructure of high-speed broadband services, consolidating sustainable competition in the field of mobile telecommunications and developing networks and systems to deliver the best services, managing the frequency spectrum effectively and developing the wireless infrastructure to ensure optimal use of the spectrum for the best interests of the sector and the kingdom.



The plan also aims to strengthen the security of networks and electronic communications services and raising the consumers' awareness, improve the international connectivity of telecom networks, improving and facilitating access to Internet applications and services, as well as enhancing the Bahrains status as a regional centre for ICT through improving its ranking in international telecommunications indicators and building the local capacities in this regard.



The plan also highlights reviewing and updating the current telecommunications law to keep pace with modern developments in the sector.



The Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry shall follow up on the implementation of the NTP with the relevant sides over the next three years, the BNA report added.
Swarovski, the global leader in cut crystal and fashion jewellery, is celebrating one of the most treasured cultures in the world with an exclusive Neo-Arabia photoshoot that will feature in this month's edition of Swarovski Online Magazine.



Amid the splendor of the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara in Abu Dhabi, key fashion influencers from the Middle East modeled ravishing garments, jewellery and accessories that juxtapose the traditional with the modern, said a statement from the top jeweller.



Photographed against a timeless Arabian backdrop, eight local social media personalities - Deema Alasadi, Zahra Lyla, Mariyah Gaspacho, Fatma Husam, Salima Feerasta, Nicoleta Buru, Zarah Amira and Soraya Pena - modeled pieces from regional and international designers that merged historical Middle Eastern references with 21st-century modernity.



The location was the hauntingly beautiful dreamscape of the palatial Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, set amid the rolling sand dunes of Abu Dhabis Rub Al Khali (the Empty Quarter).



Here, a selection of stunning ensembles showcased Swarovskis founding philosophy of collaborating with designers across the world: Sparkling day looks, elegant special-occasion outfits, traditional wear, kaftans, and stunning shoes, accessories and jewellery all shimmered under the desert sky.



Having celebrated our 120th anniversary last year, for 2016 we are continuing to focus on the importance of the Middle East and South Asia as both a creative and a fashion hub, remarked Andrew Mojica, the managing director of Swarovski Middle East.



"The region is widely recognized for bringing together the traditional and modern, and Swarovski is using this marriage of old and new to demonstrate its collaboration with some of the most talented designers and influencers here and internationally," he added.



The pieces were created by a galaxy of top regional designers that included Aavva, Khaadi, Maria. B, Vinita Michael, Balu Joias and Madiso; international fashion houses were represented by Jean Paul Gaultier, Etienne Aigner and Adelina Rusu; and Rupert Sanderson, whose spectacular shoes are frequently seen on the Royals, provided footwear.



Vintage pieces also featured, including Louboutin boots encrusted with Swarovski crystals in which Beyonce once dazzled her audiences, said the company.



Swarovski has maintained a presence in the Middle East since the 1970s, opening its regional office in Dubai, UAE, in 1997.



The crystal maison has firmly established itself in the world of fashion, art and design through its collaborations with regional designers, distributors, architects and artists who use its crystals in their remarkable work throughout the Middle East and South Asia.-TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim, the leader in shopping mall and leisure development, has been awarded two prestigious awards at the Mena Digital Awards 2016 (MDA) and the Festival of Media Awards Mena 2016.



The retail pioneer won in two categories: Best Mobile App for City Centres mobile app at the MDA, as well as Best Engagement Strategy for the Corporate Sustainable Responsibility angle of the 2015 Monopoly campaign at the Festival of Media Awards Mena.



At the MDA, the Best Mobile App category recognised the best mobile app in terms of originality, how beneficial it is to its users, accessibility and efficiency, innovation in technology as well as UX and overall design.



Majid Al Futtaim also received the Bronze Award for the sustainability layer of its 2015 Monopoly campaign under the Best Engagement Strategy category at the Festival of Media Awards Mena. Majid Al Futtaim was the only shopping malls group shortlisted during the Festival of Media.



The recognition demonstrated the importance of a superior consumer experience delivered through activations paired with an innovative approach for media. The campaign successfully merged gaming with giving, creating memorable moments for all those who participated and raised more than Dh1,800, 000 ($500,000) for rebuilding houses in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake.



Mobile technology is set to grow in importance and play a vital role in the consumer shopping experience. As an industry leader, Majid Al Futtaim is always looking for new ways to innovate and offer its customers experiences that go beyond their expectations. The recognition of City Centres mobile app confirms our standpoint that using innovative technology infused with originality, and with consumer experience always top of mind is the way forward, said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, senior director  Property Management, Shopping Malls for Majid Al Futtaim properties.



In line with the companys vision to create great moments for everyone, everyday, and we will continue to deliver added-value experiences for our visitors. A perfect example of this vision brought to life is our Monopoly campaign. We brought a giant version of the world famous game to the region for the first time two years ago, and won several awards for its marketing excellence and innovation. We are very proud to have been recognised for the success of its charitable angle, as our visitors thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were able to make a difference by helping others in need at the same time, he added.



Majid Al Futtaim has also been shortlisted to win a Global Award for Not Just Special but Super campaign with Al Noor foundation at the Festival for Media Global Awards, for which is a notable acknowledgement as only four brands from the region were selected for the global award.



The Mena Digital Awards (MDA) the first awards show to promote digital innovation and media in the Mena region. MDA recognizes excellence in the use of digital technologies and media that takes the communication industry to the future.



The Festival of Media Mena Awards is the only awards dedicated to the evolution of media, celebrating the best in media thinking and communications across the Mena region. Senior level executives from the world's biggest brands, marketing and media agencies join together to network and learn about the latest trends and techniques in the industry.  TradeArabia News Service
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, chairman of the UAE-based Al Habtoor Group, was presented with state honours from the Hungarian government at a ceremony in the capital Budapest.



The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented Al Habtoor with the prestigious Officers Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary  Civil Division in recognition of his investments in Budapest and his commitment to the country.



The accolade was presented to Al Habtoor by Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.



The minister praised Al Habtoor for his devoted efforts to improve bilateral relations between the UAE and Hungary. This state award is to a great friend of Hungary, he said, in appreciation for the role he has played in helping to improve the image of Hungary.



Al Habtoor owns two five-star hotels in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Al Habtoor was in the city for the official opening ceremony of The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest, which he purchased in 2012 under the Le Meridien brand. The historic hotel was recently renovated under The Ritz-Carlton brand. The hotel consists of 170 elegant rooms and 30 suites, a luxury urban spa, indoor swimming pool, meeting rooms and a ballroom.



The Al Habtoor Group also owns the InterContinental Budapest, which was added to the international portfolio in 2014.



Al Habtoor said he was delighted to be honoured with such a highly-coveted award from the Hungarian government, Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and I am very proud of the Al Habtoor Groups investments in the country. Budapest is a vibrant and historic city that is full of culture.

The Officers Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary is given to those who have substantially contributed to the development of Hungary and the promotion of the countrys interests, who have delivered an outstanding and exemplary performance in serving Hungary, and who are endowed with universal human merits.  TradeArabia News Service


Saudi General Grains Organisation (Sago) is looking to sell a stake to a strategic buyer as part of its privatisation for which HSBC's Saudi Arabian arm has been chosen as its advisor, sources aware of the matter said.



The agency in charge of the kingdom's extensive wheat-buying programme is one of the first to appoint an advisor as the kingdom eyes the privatisation of a host of state bodies under its recently-announced Vision 2030 economic plan, a move to bridge budget shortfalls caused by lower oil prices.



This programme of privatisations will encompass a range of different acts for each situation, from corporatising government bodies, sales of stakes to strategic shareholders, to listings on the local stock market.



Sago, which handles the storage and operation of silos and production at mills, is looking to sell a stake to a partner, said one of the sources.



Sago, which was previously called the General Silos and Flour Mills Organisation (GSFMO), was not immediately available for comment. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as they were bound by confidentiality agreements.



The agency's director-general, Ahmed al-Fares, said in February that he expects Saudi Arabia to complete the privatisation of its flour mills by the first quarter of 2017, although the Public Investment Fund (PIF) determines the final timeframe.



The Saudi cabinet in November approved the establishment of four joint-stock companies to operate the flour mills. These were to be overseen by the state-owned PIF in coordination with Sago.



The PIF has assumed newfound prominence in Saudi Arabia, after the deputy crown prince announced that it would take control of some of the kingdom's most prized assets to become the world's largest sovereign wealth fund.



While a number of regional players would likely be interested in taking a stake in Sago, the Saudis would prefer bringing in a global partner, said a separate industry source.



Saudi Arabia has become a major importer of hard and soft wheat since abandoning plans for self-sufficiency in wheat in 2008, as farming in the desert drained scarce water supplies.



Sago has said that demand for wheat in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at an annual rate of 3.2 percent to reach 4.5 million tonnes a year by 2025, largely due to population growth. The state grain agency is expected to import around 3.5 million tonnes of the grain in 2016.  Reuters
The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp), a multilateral development bank, announced the completion of an innovative Sharia-compliant financing facility for Oil Recovery Services SAL (ORSsal) in Algeria.



The financing was arranged in conjunction with Paris-based oil and gas private equity firm 4D Global Energy Advisors (4D GEA).



The facility is the first of its kind for Apicorp in the Algerian market, and is dedicated to support a service contracting company working for Sonatrach.



In March 2015, ORSsal was awarded a $47.6 million in Algeria by Sonatrach for providing drilling/completion fluids, waste management and engineering services over a period of three years. The purpose of the facility is to finance part of the cost of the equipment and to cover the working capital requirements for implementing the contract. The initial $10 million financing provided by Apicorp will act as a template for the financing of several other contracts in the pipeline.



Dr Raed Al Rayes, deputy CEO and general manager of Apicorp, said: Completing this facility for ORSsal is a timely step for Apicorp, as it helps us strengthen our position in the Algerian lending market, which is consistent with Apicorps objectives to develop the energy sector in the Arab world. The facility will also help Apicorp take advantage of other attractive business opportunities available within the Algerian market for years to come.



This facility once again demonstrates Apicorps expertise in providing innovative financing solutions to meet the needs of various projects, he added.



Tighe Noonan, the founder of 4D, said: We very much appreciate the support of Apicorp. To be now working together in what we view as a strategic partnership is a source of pride and ongoing motivation both for ORSSAL and for the team at 4D Global Energy Advisors. Apicorps leadership in bringing us together to this milestone will not be forgotten.



Zaher Qattar, founder and CEO, ORSsal, said: "We must thank Apicorps Corporate Finance team for arranging this innovative financial facility. We are confident that this collaboration will help support the continuous growth of ORSsal business in Algeria, and other major international markets.



Last month, Apicorp issued its annual Mena Energy Investment Outlook Report, which stated total committed and planned energy investments in the Mena region, including Iran, will reach $900 billion over the next five years. According to the report, Algeria will invest $8bn on gas as it focuses on developing its midstream sector as part of the countrys plan to expand total pipeline-network capacity by 30 per cent.  TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways is reducing the frequency of more than a dozen regular routes from Doha because of hold-ups in the delivery of new planes from European manufacturer Airbus, an airline spokesperson said on Sunday.



The 15 affected routes include the carrier's recently launched service to Adelaide in Australia, flights to Boston, Houston and Miami in the US, and services to Copenhagen, Jakarta and Manchester.



"We are making selective flight cancellations in several markets ... due to a delay in Airbus aircraft deliveries," the spokesperson said in a statement.



"We are minimising the impact on our passengers as much as possible, and accommodating them on other flights that suit their travel needs. The flight cancellations are taking the form of one flight per week in most of the affected markets through the summer."



Chief executive Akbar Al Baker said last month that Qatar Airways was speaking to Boeing about securing aircraft to replace an order of Airbus A320neos because of problems affecting hydraulics and software.



Qatar Airways was due to receive the first of 50 A320s in December but refused to take delivery after saying the U.S Pratt & Whitney engines supplied were inadequately tested for the Gulf region's high temperatures.



A spokesman for Airbus was not immediately reachable for comment.  Reuters
National carrier Royal Jordanian has been named the sponsor of the Special Operations Forces Exhibition (Sofex), being held in Jordan, for the 11th year.



The Special Operations Forces Exhibition (Sofex) was inaugurated today (May 9) under the Royal patronage and will run till May 12.



RJ started to sponsor the Sofex exhibition and conference since it was first launched in Jordan in 1996. It offers special prices on tickets of participants who choose the RJ network to attend the largest defence exhibition in the world.



The exhibition is an important platform for building strategic partnerships that aim to boost cooperation in international security.



RJ is to provide the participants with reservation services and ticket issuance and other services in the exhibition venue - at King Abdullah I Air Base in Marka. It will also distribute promotional items that showcase the services offered passengers on board and in the air.



Over 380 companies from 37 countries will be showcasing the latest equipment used in special operations related to national security at the event this year. - TradeArabia News Service


WILSON  They first thought it was a baby turkey vulture, thin and severely dehydrated, jaw broken, eyes shut.

It was brought to the Teton Raptor Center after the Idaho Game and Fish found the nestling in late September, an odd time of year for baby birds. But when it arrived, the staff based in Wilson quickly realized it wasnt a turkey vulture.

It was a baby barn owl covered in grit.

Just like all of the rescued birds brought to the Raptor Center near Jackson, this baby barn owl needed help. The staff provided antibiotics and food, rehabilitating the bird with hopes of returning her to the wild.

The barn owl grew stronger. She passed a flight test, and before her release, she needed to prove her capability to hunt for live prey.

The staff presented a mouse.

And the mouse came over to her feet, and shed fly away, said Meghan Warren, the rehabilitation coordinator at the Teton Raptor Center.

It was odd behavior to say the least. Later that week, Warren entered the barn owls enclosure and discussed the event with another staff member. As they chatted, Warren noticed something even stranger. She had been talking and making noise for five minutes, and the barn owl was still fast asleep.

Barn owls have some of the best ears on Earth: They can hear a mouses heartbeat from 10 feet away.

And this bird hadnt even woken up with them coming in, moving around and talking, Becky Collier said, the senior avian educator at the Teton Raptor Center. Thats when (we) started saying, Wait a minute.

The barn owl was deaf. It did not matter whether she was born that way or lost her hearing via an unknown injury. Deafness is a debilitating trait for a bird that depends on hearing to survive. She could no longer be released.

Established in 1997, the Raptor Center provides veterinary care and rehabilitation for birds of prey. The nonprofit also has an educational program featuring birds that are not fit to be released into the wild. The barn owl was a perfect candidate. The center went through proper paperwork, and officially added the barn owl to their education program on April 1.

She was the latest addition to a program that features a handful of birds, including a bald eagle, a golden eagle, a red-tailed hawk, owls, a falcon and more.

Roughly 100 birds are brought to the Raptor Center every year, all for various reasons. Sometimes theyre struck by cars or electrocuted by power lines (the center avoids intervening with non-human-induced injuries). Currently, the center has five birds in rehab, receiving medication, food, a hyperbolic oxygen chamber, x-rays and more, all with hopes of returning the animal back into nature.

I think in an ideal world, if youre doing your job right, all rehab centers strive to put themselves out of business, Collier said. Because it means that people are driving slow, and making wise choices. I think the key, though, is that accidents will happen.

One of the recent accidents was a high-profile one. In March, an injured bald eagle was found on the side of the road in Jackson across from the National Elk Refuge. The eagle was rescued and brought to the center. When the staff entered the numbers listed on the eagles leg band, the computer system revealed an error message.

(The eagle) was so old that (her results) werent popping up to the top of the list, Warren said.

Thats because this wasnt an ordinary bald eagle. It was 34 years old, the oldest one ever found in the west. It hatched in a nest south of Jackson in 1982, when bald eagles were still on the Endangered Species list. Now, their populations are growing, and she is one of the reasons. A biologist estimated that this eagle probably had 35 to 45 chicks in her lifetime.

Now, she was in bad shape.

The eagle was electrocuted by power lines, an injury that primarily affects skin and blood flow. Originally, the center expected to release the eagle back into the wild, but in the coming weeks, the birds injuries became worse, enough that Warren and the center made the difficult decision to euthanize it at the end of April.

I was really looking for a silver bullet that would be a magic fix. I reached out to all of (the staff). I called a vet in Texas and one in North Carolina. I sent it out on this raptor care listserv just seeing if anyone had any ideas, Warren said. They all agreed that electrification wounds are very difficult and she probably wasnt going to be releasable, and that euthanasia was the best option.

Its one of the difficult parts of the job. But stories like the bald eagle and the deaf barn owl are important. They spread beyond the center, capturing the imagination of those in Jackson and elsewhere, which is one of the centers goals: Get people thinking.

People really care about these live birds, Warren said. Through education, they learn more about whats going on out in the wild landscape. The whole point is that we want people to leave here, get in their car, start driving down the road, look up and see a red-tailed hawk on a fence post.

Just to see more birds, and be aware.
Rene Eberhardt has been a letter carrier for 17 years. She is the president of the state letter carriers association, as well as the state food drive coordinator and Caspers food drive coordinator. She has had the same route  one of two in north Casper  for six years.

What is the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive? Its a one-day nationwide food drive (May 14), where letter carriers pick up food on our routes and deliver it to local food banks. From there it goes back to feed the hungry in our community. Last year, nationally, 70 billion pounds of food was donated and given back to communities.

How do people participate? Place a bag of food on top of, or next to, their mail box on Saturday. We ask that it be there before 8 a.m. Girl Scouts will help us pick up food and help us empty the trucks because they get so full during the day. We will be at the Food Bank of the Rockies warehouse at 12th and Beverly, and people are welcome to drop off food there, or at their post office. Between 30 and 50 hunger relief agencies here in our county will receive the food that is collected on Saturday.

What kind of foods do you recommend? Anything nonperishable, not glass, and please check for the dates. Make sure the date is still good. Peanut butter, canned tuna fish, cans are always good  vegetables, soups, things to make meals, pasta, rice, cereal, nutritional good food.

Where does the food collected in Casper go? We take it all to Food Bank of the Rockies, and they distribute it to places in the county  Joshuas Storehouse, Meals on Wheels, Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, Salvation Army, Poverty Resistance  there are too many to name but there are between 30 and 50. Volunteers from those organizations will actually be helping Food Bank of the Rockies go through and sort everything we bring in.

Why was the second Saturday in May chosen? The food drive actually started in Arizona and results were amazing. Its the second Saturday in May because at that time of year, donations from holiday food drives are starting to run low, and school is getting out at that time, so families who depend on free and reduced meals at school are looking for ways to feed kids in the summer. And then the elderly, who sometimes have to choose between buying medicine and food ... this way, all bases are covered.
It could be years before legal issues surrounding the Cole Creek fire are settled, recently filed court records suggest.

Evansville property owners who suffered damage in the October fire have until 2017 to file a governmental claim  part of the process for receiving compensation for losses that resulted from the blaze.

Casper attorney Craig Silva, who is representing the city, is asking the court to delay legal proceedings concerning liability for the fire until the statute of limitations to file a claim has run out. This would ensure all property owners have a chance to claim fire damage.

The Cole Creek Fire destroyed 14 homes and burned more than 10,000 acres. No one was hurt in the fire, but countless pets and livestock were lost.

The state fire marshal concluded the wildfire began when sparks from a wood chipper at the municipal landfill ignited a large slash pile on Oct. 10. The report did not delve into whether the fire was the result of negligence or simply an accident, or if it was the citys fault at all.

Some residents whose property was damaged in the October fire have already filed claims. Losses from the fire are in the millions, but the citys liability is capped at $500,000 under the states Governmental Claims Act.

The city has turned over the claims to its insurer, the Wyoming Association of Risk Management, a self-insurance pool of Wyoming communities and counties.

The court action, which was filed by Silva on April 22 in Natrona County District Court, is called an interpleader action. Silva is asking a judge to determine liability for the fire and then decide which property owners should receive compensation and how much.

The city of Casper is named as the plaintiff in the case. About two dozen property owners are listed as defendants. District Judge Catherine Wilking is the assigned judge.

In the court document, Silva states some property owners have already been paid by their individual insurance companies. He asks that those who have not been paid by their insurance companies be given priority for compensation once liability is determined.

Silva also wants the court to allow the city to fix a damaged grinder at the landfill and put it back into use. He said the grinder has not been fixed because it needed to be available for inspection. But since no replacement grinder has been made available for use at the dump, it must be fixed and put back into service, Silva states.
Prosecutors dropped charges against a Casper man accused of sexually assaulting three women after he was found mentally incompetent.

Authorities had alleged Dillan Scott Beach raped a woman in a downtown alley in December and attacked two female mail carriers.

Prosecutors charged Beach in December with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, one count of third-degree sexual assault and one count of attempted third-degree sexual assault.

Natrona County District Attorney Michael Blonigen said Monday that Beach was found mentally incompetent to stand trial with no likelihood of restoring competency. The case must be dismissed under Wyoming law, he said.

We have no further recourse under the criminal justice system, Blonigen said.
CHEYENNE  Patients cant find much information about their doctors by looking at the Wyoming Board of Medicine website, a Consumer Reports project concluded.

Consumer Reports rated Wyomings medical board website 27 out of 100 for information it provides about doctors disciplinary actions.

The score ranks Wyoming close to the bottom of all states. The website fails to provide easy ways to find disciplinary records, Consumer Reports said.

But Kevin Bohnenblust, executive director of the Wyoming Board of Medicine, said the website has improved.

Weve made a lot of changes in the last couple of years, he said Friday.

The website does not protect doctors or hide information, he added.

The states medical board office has limitations. For one thing, only five employees work there, and they are busy, according to Bohnenblust, who added, Its not like were not trying.

One employee focuses on licensing doctors, he said. Last year, Wyoming licensed 441 new doctors, each with extensive files.

Consumer Reports published its news release March 29; the magazine containing the information was the April issue.

While most doctors across the country have clean records, medical boards have placed some on probation for charges like sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse, or for using unprofessional methods, Consumer Reports said.

People in Wyoming would have a hard time finding such information with the current website, said Lisa McGiffert, coordinator of a recent Consumer Reports project. She is the director of its Safe Patient Project, which reviewed medical board websites in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Hospitals can discipline doctors for misconduct; law enforcement can arrest them for crimes like Medicare fraud. But those facts would be hard to find on the states website, she said.

The review of websites was done to bring attention to states with poor websites and to call for change, she said.

The Wyoming Board of Medicine website does not include information about actions hospitals may have taken against doctors, or information about disciplinary actions, she added. It has a long ways to go.

The Wyoming website scored high for its plain language explanation of how to file a complaint against a doctor, she said. Still, people cant submit claims online.

The review also found that the medical board didnt use language thats easy to understand regarding tracking down a doctors records.

Wyoming licenses many doctors who also practice out of state. A new Interstate Medical Licensure Compact the Legislature approved last session will reduce paperwork in this area, Bohnenblust said.

He added that the 10 states with the best scores in the website review are from highly populated areas. Those with the lowest scores are from smaller states.

About three years ago, another consumer watchdog group ranked Wyomings medical board as the toughest at disciplining doctors, he said.

If you do your job, either way someone will complain about it, Bohnenblust said. We would rather be weak on the webpage and discipline the doctors to protect the public.

Its terribly, terribly subjective, he said of the review.
LANDER  Ann Swift stood at the edge of a newly formed series of rapids and watched as her husband, Casey, loaded a canoe with meat from the couples freezer.

She was clad in a blue rain jacket and rain boots, too afraid to brave the muddy waters of the Little Pogo Agie River separating her from husband and home. The two-story residence had miraculously avoided a harsher fate. Next door, the powerful waters had moved a foundation.

But a woven wire fence, jammed with mud and debris, created a barrier around the Swifts home, leaving the water lapping near the porch.

He gave the thumbs up, so I know its OK, she said, expressing hope that no water had seeped inside.

The skies cleared Monday in Fremont County, revealing a world of saturated pastures riven by newly carved river channels, debris and bewildered-looking cattle. The 4 inches of rain that fell here over a 48-period turned the regions patchwork of bubbling creeks into a network of raging rivers.

Many residents spoke of flooded basements and near misses. The Lander Valley Animal Hospital moved 10 dogs from its boarding house, where sandbags had been placed by the doors. The waters had receded by Monday, preventing serious damage and allowing business to resume.

Next door at the Evangelical Free Church, the actions of a quick-thinking churchgoer were credited with saving the churchs new addition. The congregant, Jerry Olson, brought in earth-moving equipment and, with the help of other churchgoers, built a series of berms, shepherding the normally placid Baldwin Creek back to its channel.

That building could have been the poster child for this flood if not for his actions, said Matt Whitman, who battled waters at the church and his home Saturday.

But others were not so lucky. The Little Pogo Agie had yet to return to its banks by Monday morning. Water lapped at the side of two homes off Lyons Valley Road.

The Swifts, who have a 3-month-old son, were taking the crisis day by day. The couple are staying with friends but dreading the call to the insurance company. They do not have flood insurance.

We dont know what were dealing with yet, Ann said, as she watched water formed swirling channels around her home.

The Red Cross plans to establish a resource center for flooding victims at the Fremont County Fairgrounds in Riverton. The fairgrounds are located at 1010 Fairgrounds Dr.

The center will open starting Tuesday, according to the Red Cross. It will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday. In its online announcement, the organization specified that only people with flood damage to their homes should visit the resource center for help.

An evacuation center was set up at the fairgrounds for flood victims on Sunday. Lucas Murphy, a disaster program specialist with the Red Cross, said roughly 20 peopled used the center. He said he doesnt expect another evacuation center to be needed.

Areas of Fremont County received around 5 inches of rain over the weekend. The Little Wind River reached its third-highest crest on record Sunday evening. The river is now receding, but the Fremont County Sheriffs Office has asked people to stay away from the river.

In southeast Wyoming, the Laramie River has risen above flood stage in Goshen County, causing minor flooding in the Fort Laramie area.

Flooding also occurred along streams and creeks in Platte County and in the Casper area.
Some of Wyomings unemployed energy workers would now be eligible for health coverage if the state had expanded Medicaid to low-income Wyomingites, Gov. Matt Mead said.

As you see these coal miners being laid off, people in oil and gas being laid off, theres no question some of those people would have been eligible had we expanded Medicaid, Mead said Thursday evening in Casper. Were trying to do our best to find them jobs. But jobs are part of it, health care is part of it. And so I think the state missed an opportunity last time on Medicaid expansion.

Mead discussed the layoffs and decline in energy revenues, which provide 70 percent of the money to state coffers, about two weeks after announcing he was cutting state agencies by 8 percent. An April 22 report showed revenues are projected to fall $120 million short of earlier estimates for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

Mead, who will meet with each of his agency heads beginning this week to review their 8 percent plans, hopes to avoid laying off personnel, he said.

Some agencies are so small they dont have 8 percent, which means you have to look at some of the larger agencies for more than 8 percent, he said.

Mead said he chose 8 percent cuts because it was the difference between the revenue projections and actual revenues.

And thats not an exact science, either, because theres different opinions on projections, he said.

Mead has warned his administrators that cuts could worsen if revenue projection later this year show even less money flowing to the state.

The governor could call a special session of the Legislature to address falling revenues, but thats unlikely, he said.

He disagreed with portions of the two-year spending bill ultimately passed by the Legislature in March, which ignored many of his requests, including accepting federal money to extend Medicaid to some 20,000 adults under the Affordable Care Act.

You get them back in town, certainly theres an expense associated with it and Im not sure were going to find the results that are needed, he said.

Mead said the Wyoming attorney general is looking into his authority to make budget changes. He said hes limited in his ability to dip into the states $1.8 billion rainy day fund, unless a shortfall in the current fiscal year is $150 million.

But he noted that oil prices have climbed in recent weeks.

I am somewhat optimistic. Oil prices are better than they have been, he said. So thats good news. Well see if thats sustained. And, you know, it depends upon if its a hot summer, whether theres a particular weather event.

Rep. Mary Throne, the Democratic leader in the Wyoming House, believes the state could cut back on construction during lean times. She thinks some building is essential, such as a planned project at the Wyoming State Hospital in Evanston and some school construction in growing districts.

Throne, who represents Cheyenne in the Legislature, questions projects at the University of Wyoming and the plan to sock away $40 million over the next three years for a future state office building in Casper. State agencies are scattered across town in a number of buildings, some of which are in poor shape.

I guess I would also point out there might be available real estate in Casper, rather than constructing a new building, she said.

Throne opposes how the state saves money and budgets investment income through a number of accounts outside the general fund. The accounts each contain rules for how the state can tap into the money. The public and most legislators dont understand them, she said.

We set up this sort of false argument: If its not general fund money, then we cant use it for regular operations of the government, she said. Yet we dont put everything into the general fund, so we dont talk about it. Its contrived.

Casper Republican Rep. Steve Harshman, who is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he thinks all spending, including construction projects, should be on the table for potential cuts.

He disagrees that the Legislature purposely obfuscates its spending and savings. He said the process is transparent, with the public able to listen to budget hearings online.

I think everything should be looked at, but I also dont want to think you take one-time dollars, an infusion of money that wont be here one years or five years from now, and spend it on ongoing operations, he said.

Harshman said despite the Legislature eliminating all vacant state government jobs that had been open for six months or more, and despite an ongoing hiring freeze, some positions that are considered essential are open.

Theres 160 positions right now that are being actively recruited, in the midst of the hiring freeze, he said. In April, the state hired 106 people.

Harshman believes government expenses should be in line with the new revenue reality and perhaps an absolute hiring freeze is necessary. He believes the state can still offer good services at a lower level.

The Wyoming Legislature rejected for the fourth time this year Medicaid expansion. Mead, who originally opposed the ACA, now supports expansion as a way to provide health care, help hospitals and bring revenue into the state.

By tallying votes over the years, about 70 lawmakers voted against it of 90, so I think its got a ways to go yet, Harshman said.
The number of jobless Wyomingites applying for unemployment benefits grew by almost 40 percent in the past year, new data from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services shows.

In April, there were 4,274 new claims for unemployment, compared with 3,069 in April 2015.

Unsurprisingly, most of the workers came from mining and oil and gas extraction: 927 this year, compared with 575 last year, said Tom Gallagher, manager of Workforce Services Research and Planning office.

Claims were also higher for workers in industries that service the energy sector. For instance, there was a 69 percent increase in unemployment claims for workers in wholesale trade. Those are jobs in distribution centers, which hold large quantities of products for retailers such as down-hole pipe, Gallagher said.

The data comes amid a downturn in Wyomings energy-reliant economy. The states two biggest coal mines, for example, each laid off 15 percent of their workers in March. And lawmakers made sizable cuts in government services as state revenues have declined.

According to another Research and Planning report released Monday, Wyoming has been in an economic downturn since the second quarter of 2015. A downturn is defined as a period of at least two consecutive quarters when Wyoming experienced an over-the-year decrease in total wages, average monthly employment and average weekly wages.

The report compared the states current downturn with one that began in the first quarter of 2009 and ended in the first quarter of 2010.

New unemployment claims were higher in the last downturn: 41,387 in 2009 and 33,843 in 2010.

The critical difference between this downturn and the coal bed methane bust is we are not in a national recession, Gallagher said.

The last downturn occurred after a period of economic growth from 2005 to 2008.

The period between 2010 to 2014 was kind of a period of slow but steady growth, where it wasnt this rapid run-up where you have people moving into the state, like we did during the coal methane boom when you couldnt find enough people, he said.

After coal-bed methane production decreased, many workers stayed unemployed for a long time since there werent many jobs anywhere in the country. Congress allowed unemployed workers to extend their benefits beyond the 26-week maximum limit back then.

During the current downturn, Wyoming is one of only a few states that are struggling. That means workers may leave in search of opportunities elsewhere, Gallagher said.

State economists believe there is an oversupply of oil that will last for the next three or four years. They believe the demand for energy such coal and natural gas will remain unchanged in that time, he said.

We are not sure how the economy is going to respond, but we dont see anything in the economy would increase the demand for labor, he said. We dont think this problem were in is the short run.
CHEYENNE  The mountain pine beetle outbreak that spanned almost two decades is all but over locally, but dead and dying trees remain.

Since the outbreaks beginning in 1996, the pine beetle has killed thousands of mature lodgepole pine trees across Wyoming, Colorado and other Rocky Mountain states.

But as the beetle has run into fewer trees to attack, the outbreak has subsided.

The mountain pine beetle epidemic for Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests has basically run its course, said Mark Westfahl, a timber program manager for the national forests and Thunder Basin National Grassland.

Westfahl said evidence from aerial surveys shows the number of acres affected by pine beetles has decreased.

On Medicine Bow National Forest land, which covers the Laramie, Snowy and Sierra Madre ranges, Westfahl said 1,700 new acres of timber were affected by the beetle outbreak in 2015.

That compares to a total of 681,000 acres affected from 1996 through 2015.

On Routt National Forest land, which is in northern Colorado around Steamboat Springs, no new land was affected by the pine beetle in 2015, and a total of 613,000 acres have been affected since 1996.

Medicine Bow National Forest totals about 1.1 million acres, and Routt National Forest totals about 1.125 million acres.

The mountain pine beetle is native to the region and was able to have a population outbreak due to mild winters and low precipitation.

But after feasting on trees for 20 years, the insects are running out of food.

Theyve probably eaten up the trees theyre going to attack, Westfahl said.

The Forest Service has been tackling the issue of dead trees for several years, and has been clearing dead trees from roads, campgrounds and other recreation areas.

The Forest Service has also made use of stewardship contracts to clear dead trees from areas people use, Westfahl said.

We now have a landscape that has hundreds of thousands of trees on it, and those trees are beginning to fall down, he said.

Another beetle responsible for tree deaths, the spruce beetle, has subsided in Wyoming, though Colorado is still being markedly affected.

Westfahl said 750 new acres affected by spruce beetle were found on Medicine Bow National Forest land in 2015, bringing the total to 118,000 acres affected since 1996.

Meanwhile, 8,000 new acres affected by spruce beetle were found on Routt National Forest Land, bringing the total to 176,000 acres affected since 1996.

The dead trees also contribute somewhat to the potential for forest fires, though to varying degrees as they pass through the stages of death.

The fire danger goes up and down through that whole cycle, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests spokesman Aaron Voos said.

When the trees initially die, their needles dry out and turn red, known as the red phase, making the tree very flammable.

The needles then begin to fall and the tree enters a gray phase, and fire danger is reduced.

Eventually the tree will fall, increasing fire danger once more.

Its not that its more flammable, its that it would burn hot on the forest floor, Voos said.

Finally, the tree will rot, and the fire danger drops again.

Of course, fires are also strongly influenced by other factors, like dry weather and wind, and living trees can burn quickly under the right conditions.

Research as to if and how the mountain pine beetle contributes to the threat of forest fires is ongoing.

The pine beetle didnt hit the entire forest at once, creating different levels of tree death throughout the region.

Voos said that in general, the worst of the beetle outbreak chronologically moved north into Wyoming from Colorado, and the Pole Mountain Unit of the Medicine Bow National Forest was one of the last areas to get hit hard by the beetle.

Regardless, forest users need to be mindful of their surroundings when visiting the forest, Westfahl said.

Dont camp or park a car near dead trees, and be aware of their location when engaging in other activities.

Just be aware of your surroundings, Westfahl said.

The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and the University of Wyoming have collaborated to create a website, www.beyondbarkbeetles.org, for more information about the effects of the outbreak.
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta  Officials said Sunday they had reached a turning point in fighting an enormous wildfire, hoping to get a death grip on the blaze that ravaged parts of Canadas oil sands town of Fort McMurray amid cooler temperatures and light rain. Meanwhile, a massive evacuation of residents displaced by the blaze came to an end.

Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfire told a news conference hes very happy, and called it great firefighting weather.

We can really get in there and really get a handle on this fire and really get a death grip on it, said Morrison, who answered yes when asked if theyve reached a turning point.

With cooler temperatures expected in the next three or four days, he said firefighters should be able to put out hot spots. And it has allowed them to further protect fire-ravaged Fort McMurray. I feel very buoyed and happy that we are making great progress, he said.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the wildfire grew much more slowly than had been feared and it was now 397,831 acres. She said the blaze is quite a bit smaller than had been expected on Saturday, when officials expected the fire to double in size.

David Yurdiga, the member of Parliament for the area, toured Fort McMurray on Sunday and said he was optimistic.

Well be back on our feet a lot quicker than I thought we would be, he told reporters at a roadblock just south of the city. All of the key infrastructure is in place. Our hospital is standing. Our schools are standing. Our treatment plant is functioning. I toured probably every neighborhood in Fort McMurray, and 80 percent of the homes are standing. Some areas you dont even know there was a fire.

It rained on Sunday. The Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, tweeted a picture of the rainfall and wrote, It was only for a few minutes but the sight of rain has never been so good. Notley retweeted the picture and wrote Heres hoping for much more!

Officials completed the transport of 25,000 residents out of work camps north of the city. Police and military oversaw a procession of thousands of vehicles Friday and Saturday, and a mass airlift of thousands was also employed from the oil sands camps that usually house workers.

No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fire itself, but Notley mentioned two evacuees who died in a traffic accident during the evacuation.
There's nothing wrong with having your parents choose your name just because they like the name. But my guess is that those people are in the minority.

Even so, by the time we're grown most of us have stories we can tell about our names. Stories like this:

My parents are named Brooke and Terry. Brooke is my dad and Terry is my mom, but you can understand that some people reverse them when they are first introduced as a couple. These things happen with family names that are passed down.

My brother is named after our uncle. Their birthdays are one day apart. At one time they both had vacation homes on the same street. The mail carrier was not amused. When I talk to my sons about Uncle Dan, I have to say "my Uncle Dan" or "your Uncle Dan."

Here are a few stories some Arizona Daily Star staffers and friends have revealed about their names. If you read all the way to the end, you'll be rewarded with Myles Standish's story.

Tell us your story

We want to know your story. Send the story of your name to eds@tucson.com and we'll collect them and publish them online later in May. Of course, we'll need to know your first and last name, which will be published, and contact information, which will not be published, in case we have questions.

A photo is not required, but we sure would like one. Please include the name of the photographer and the names of anyone recognizable in the photo.
Weve all heard about people abusing prescription pain medication, but other Rx-related dangers lurk, especially for older people.

Geriatricians and researchers have warned for years about the potential hazards of polypharmacy, defined as taking five or more drugs concurrently. Yet it continues to rise in all age groups, achieving disturbingly high levels among older adults.

Many older adults have multiple chronic health conditions, so they take more drugs, putting them at higher risk of serious interactions. Even when taken alone, some medications have dangerous side effects, such as making a patient dizzy and more prone to fall.

Researchers say patients do not pay enough attention to how their prescriptions and even over-the-counter medications and supplements can interact  with harmful results.

If you are living with an ongoing health condition or several, you are likely taking multiple medications every day, with doses in the morning and at night. You probably have a pill box to manage your daily doses, which can help you keep track of your medications, but cant tell you which ones can cause adverse drug reactions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adverse drug reactions result in more than 700,000 visits to hospital emergency rooms each year. Many of those reactions can be prevented.

To lower the chances of overmedication and adverse drug reactions, the American Geriatrics Society recommends the following tips for safe medication use:

Check with your doctor or pharmacist about possible interactions before taking an over-the-counter (OTC) medication.

Make a list: Compile and keep updated a list of all the medications you take  including any OTC drugs, vitamins, supplements, or herbal or other remedies  their doses, and how often you take them.

Review: Once or twice a year ask your primary care health care provider to review your list of medications, vitamins and supplements.

Ask questions: Whenever you are prescribed a new medication or your dosage is changed, ask why and ask your provider or pharmacist to check any new medications in a drug interaction database, especially if youre already taking five or more medications.

Organize: Consider using a weekly medication organizer. A pill box or boxes (maybe one for morning medication and one for evening) can help. If you have vision problems, your pharmacist can put large print labels on your prescription bottles. Ask your pharmacist for tips on how to organize and keep track of your medications.

Follow directions: Take your medications exactly as directed by your health care providers. Be sure you understand how, when and for how long you should take the medication. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about bad reactions youve had to medications in the past.

Report problems: If a new health problem begins after starting a new medication, you may be having a reaction to the medication. If this happens, tell your health care provider right away.

Medication donts: Dont take medication that is not prescribed to you; dont use medication that past its expiration date; dont stop taking medications just because you feel better; and dont drink alcohol when you take medication for sleep, pain, anxiety or depression.

Some things to keep in mind:

During normal aging physical changes in body weight, circulation and metabolism alter how the body processes medications.

Not all adults have routine visits with health care providers, so they miss the opportunity to have their medications reviewed. Prescriptions can continue to be refilled with a simple phone call to the doctor when presented at the pharmacy.

Caregivers and health care providers may miss signs and symptoms of a substance use disorder; doctors may not ask the right questions when older adults get checkups.
The fate of more than 420 greyhound dogs will play out over the next several months as rescue groups as far away as Canada offer to help.

While the last day of racing at Tucson Greyhound Park has not yet been made official, legislation passed unanimously by the Arizona Senate on Saturday means Arizona could soon sound its last call to the starting gate and join 39 other states in banning the sport. The Senate followed the Arizona House in unanimously approving the measure, which will now go to Gov. Doug Ducey for his signature. Local rescue groups say they are already seeing more dogs coming out of the park for adoption, apparently as kennel owners anticipate the change.

The date for the last race will likely be set at a racing commission meeting Thursday, said Michael Racy, of Racy Associates Inc., a lobbyist for the track. The current permit requires racing to continue to the end of the year, but the commission can modify that date. Under the new legislation, Arizona must discontinue live racing by Dec. 31.

Simulcast wagering will continue, he said, but there will be some layoffs of employees who work directly with the dogs and live racing. Track manager Dale Popp declined an interview request and referred questions to Racy.

Thats one of the sad and unfortunate things, Racy said. This was the longest-running greyhound track in the United States and is the largest employer and taxpayer in South Tucson.

For some greyhound advocates, the end of racing here is news theyve been waiting to hear for years.

This legislation is something weve been working on for 10 years, and we couldnt be happier that the day has finally arrived, said Christine Dorchak, president of Grey2K USA, one of the nations largest greyhound protection organizations. She called Tucson Greyhound Park one of the worst in the United States, and a deathtrap for dogs.

During 2015, state records show at least six dogs died  either at the track or immediately following their departure  of ailments and injuries such as twisted gut, a broken back and tick fever.

Nonlethal but serious injuries have been quite common. A local greyhound rescue organization spent more than $200,000 on veterinary care since July 2013 to help 74 dogs that came off the Tucson track with significant injuries and illnesses, including broken legs and torn muscles.

Anybody with a heart for their own pet has to be celebrating this, said Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik, a longtime critic of dog racing here. Tucson Greyhound Park has been the end of the line for so many dogs, and now those of us who have advocated to get the place shut down have to work hard to make sure the kennel operators do the right thing and adopt out the animals under their care and not send them out to farms, blood banks or auction them as hunting bait.

Most rescue groups in the state maintain a neutral position on racing because, they say, taking a stand may mean not getting access to the dogs they want to help.

Jean Williams, president of Arizona Greyhound Rescue, said they are hoping to have more greyhounds trained to become service dogs through their Heartfelt Hounds program. Training is coordinated with Handi-Dogs. Foster families are needed for animals training to be service dogs and for greyhounds in general.

We look at every dog coming off the track and into our family and assess them to see if they can do service work or emotional support work, she said. People in need of this kind of dog might be a war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Others might have mobility issues, which is how Williams dog, Blaze, supports her.

Williams said donations are needed to help the dogs. The cost is about $500 to $700 per dog, she said, including spaying or neutering, dental work, microchipping, shots and deworming.

Williams and Steve Machtley, president of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption, said many of the efforts are being coordinated by Phoenix-based Greyhound Pets of Arizona.

Right now, were doing our best to pull out the dogs that are ready for adoption, said Linda Nelson, vice president of Greyhound Pets of Arizona, which handles about 150-180 adoptions per year.

Nelson said they are reaching out to groups both in Arizona and out of state, as well as Canada, and that they dont anticipate there being any kind of crisis.

I think its important to realize that these dogs are not in any danger, she said.

Racy also said the transition for the dogs will be carefully managed. Some dogs might continue racing at other tracks, or could return to the care of their owners, Racy said. Others will need adoptive homes.
Annette Reichman has been named the new superintendent of Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.

Reichmans first day will be July 25.

ASDB has been operating under interim leaders since October 2013.

Reichman has served as the director for the office of special institutions within the U.S. Department of Education for 11 years, where she monitored and oversaw federally funded special institutions. She previously served as the chief of the deafness and communicative disorders branch of the Department of Education.

Mountain View students

take honors in conference

Mountain View High School Future Business Leader students took home top honors at the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. 2016 State Leadership Conference last month.

Kyle Brendenkamp

took first place in computer problem-solving and also qualified for the national leadership conference.

Austin Pavloff

took first place in database design and applications, in FBLA principles and procedures and in introduction to parliamentary procedures. He also qualified for the national conference.

Jacob Flaim

and

Jordan Sutton

earned second place in management decision-making.

Bailey Erickson

earned second place in computer applications and also qualified for the national conference.

Marko Kreso

took fifth place in introduction to information technology and qualified for the national conference.

Riley Sutton

earned fifth place in intro to parliamentary procedures.

Caleb Shane Smith

(intro to business),

Harrison Sharp

(business law team), and

Ivana Kreso

(business calculations) will also attend the national leadership conference.

Ironwood Ridge student named semifinalist in Shakespeare event

An Ironwood Ridge High School student was named a semifinalist in the 33rd annual English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition.

Tristan Odenkirk performed a sonnet and monologue from Shakespeare on stage at the Lincoln Center in New York City on May 2 after winning the Tucson competition.

The English-Speaking Union National Shakespeare Competition is a school-based program designed to help students develop their speaking and critical thinking skills and their appreciation of literature.

New Amphi STEM school

names principal

Michael McConnell has been named principal of a new school being built in the Amphitheater School District

The K-5 school will have a focus on science, technology, engineering and math and is slated to open for the 2017-18 school year.

McConnell has spent his entire 21-year career in the Amphitheater district, serving as the principal of Lulu Walker Elementary for the past five years.

He also taught kindergarten for 11 years and has served as an instructional support assistant and an assistant principal.

Dinner to benefit

Treasures 4 Teachers

Dinner at La Cocina on Tuesday evening will benefit the Treasures 4 Teachers of Tucson organization.

As part of La Cocinas Tuesdays for Tucson program, which supports local nonprofits, 10 percent of the nights proceeds will be donated to Treasures 4 Teachers of Tucson.

The event is from 5 to 10 p.m. at 201 N. Court Ave.

Treasures 4 Teachers of Tucson provides educational supplies and creative materials to teachers, giving them tools for their students success. All resources are donated by the community and businesses for repurposing, thereby diverting materials from the landfill.

Desert Sky to hold open house

Desert Sky Community School is hosting an open house May 14.

Families with children who will be in grades kindergarten through fifth next school year are invited to visit the charter school, 1350 N. Arcadia, from 10 a.m. to noon.

To attend, RSVP by Wednesday by calling 745-3888.

Desert Skys programming is inspired by Waldorf education, which emphasizes teaching appropriate to the childs developmental level.
Leman Academy of Excellence, a charter school that opened in Marana last year, is expanding to Sierra Vista and Mesa.

Leman Academy is a tuition-free, classical charter school, which uses curricula designed around history, according to Kevin Leman, the founder and chairman of the schools board. The founder is also an author and psychologist.

The Marana location serves kindergarten through sixth grade. Next school year, the school will enroll seventh-graders and eighth grade the year after.

The two new campuses will open for the 2016-17 school year, he said. The Sierra Vista location will serve kindergarten through sixth grade and the Mesa campus most likely kindergarten through seventh.

Doors will be open and we will meet them on the curb, he said.

The opportunity to branch out came by chance, as buildings became available in Mesa and Sierra Vista, though the school has already had plans to expand into other areas, Leman said. A team is working on possibilities in Colorado as well.

Were the new guy on the block and were just trying to say this school is special, he said. Its unique.

The Sierra Vista location will occupy the former Imagine Sierra Vista school. The Mesa campus would be located in the space formerly occupied by Hillcrest Academy.

The Sierra Vista and Mesa schools have already begun attracting students, Leman said. Nearly 120 students are enrolled at the Sierra Vista location.

The goal is to expand the Mesa school to serve 1,500 students and about 400 in Sierra Vista, he said.

Eventually, Leman said he wants to put these schools all across the United States of America.

And I think I either have delusions of grandeur or Im naive enough to think that we could make a dent in American education today, he said.

When Leman Academy opened in Marana, the Marana Unified School District lost about 150 students to the charter school, according to a previous interview with the districts superintendent.

That put the district in contingency mode, which triggered a marketing campaign that highlighted the benefits of district schools.

Sierra Vista Unified School District isnt as concerned, Terri Romo, that districts assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said.

You dont know anything until next year starts, she said.

So far, there is no indication that Sierra Vista Unified would lose a large number of students to the new charter school. However, the district has invested in additional advertising for its kindergarten program, though Romo said its not specifically a reaction to Leman Academys opening in the area.

The Arizona Charter Schools Association welcomed Leman Academys expansion.

We are thrilled that they are expanding and serving more students, said Eileen Sigmund, president and CEO of the association. They started out and opened their doors right from day one. Theyre showing results that clearly allow the school to expand.
PHOENIX  Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed two measures today that could have eased water-supply requirement for developers.

"We're not going to allow bills that get in the way of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act or take away from the work of the people that have come before I came into office in protecting Arizona's water,'' Ducey told reporters.

In a separate veto letter, the governor said Arizona has "a proud and longstanding reputation as a global leader in water management.'' And he acknowledged that Sen. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, the sponsor of both measures, was concerned about the claims of the federal government to the water supply in Cochise County.

"While I appreciate the sponsor's efforts to protect Arizona from federal overreach, I'm concerned that SB 1268 and SB 1400 would encourage a patchwork of water ordinances throughout our cities and leave our water supplies in peril,'' he wrote.

"Ensuring the certainty and sustainability of Arizona water is a top priority,'' Ducey continued. "I will not sign legislation that threatens Arizona's water future.''

The actions are the second and third vetoes of the session. Ducey earlier this year rejected a measure to mandate that students be taught cursive writing, a measure that, coincidentally, also was sponsored by Griffin.

Griffin did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The decision is a slap at not only Griffin but the two other Republican lawmakers who represent Cochise County, House Speaker David Gowan and Rep. David Stevens, both of who had pushed for the changes. It also marks a defeat for a developer who had hoped to make an end-run around its legal problems that have so far thwarted its efforts to construct a 7,000-home development in Sierra Vista.

But Ducey called the two measures "some bad bills.''

One measure, SB 1400, would have required counties that have chosen to require developers to show they have an assured water supply to revisit and revote on the mandate. Only Cochise and Yuma counties fit that definition.

The more far-reaching measure would allow any city within either county to simply declare itself not subject to those county requirements.

Both have their roots in that 1980 law that has resulted in the creation of five "active management areas.''

For the Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson areas, the goal is "safe yield'' by 2025, when the amount of groundwater withdrawn is no more than recharge. Pinal and Santa Cruz have other goals.

Outside those areas, developers must get a determination from the Department of Water Resources of whether there is a 100-year assured water supply.

But the lack of that does not prevent them from building. They do, however, have to disclose that fact to initial buyers.

At issue here is a change in the law that allows counties to mandate that 100-year showing, which Cochise and Yuma counties have done.

Castle & Cooke, who is proposing the Tribute development, got such a finding from DWR. But that was overruled by a trial judge who said the state agency did not properly consider competing claims to the groundwater, including the Bureau of Land Management, which wants to protect the flow of the San Pedro River for the riparian area there.

That ruling is on appeal.

In the interim, Griffin introduced two measures designed to short-circuit the need for the developer to win the lawsuit.

SB 1400 originally would have required county supervisors to review and unanimously re-enact its water-supply requirement within two years. Facing stiff opposition, she diluted it.

It still required review. But it would take a unanimous vote of the board to scrap the mandate.

The potentially more far-reaching measure would have allowed any city in either county to simply decide it was no longer subject to the county ordinance.

There were some conditions a city would have to meet. But SB 1268 was crafted in a way to ensure that Sierra Vista could fit within the law.

The measure drew sharp criticism and calls for vetoes from many environmental interests.
This week motorists should be aware of three projects  two paving and one water main modification  that will alter traffic in the Tucson area.

Interstate 10 paving

east of Tucson

On Monday, May 9, there will be paving work done on Interstate 10 between Tucson and Benson as part of a $15.1 million project.

Travelers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and be alert for construction equipment and work crews, Arizona Department of Transportation authorities said. The project is in its final two weeks before completion.

The paving will be in the right lane of westbound I-10 between the junction with Arizona 90, Exit 302, and Mescal Road/J-Six Ranch, Exit 297.

On Tuesday, May 10, crews will work on both the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-10 between the junction with Arizona 83, Exit 281, and the Davidson Canyon Bridge, located near milepost 285.

On Wednesday, May 11, paving will be done in both directions of the interstate in the left lanes between Davidson Canyon and milepost 288, about three miles west of the Marsh Station traffic interchange.

On Thursday, May 12, crews will pave the right lanes in both directions of I-10 between Davidson Canyon and milepost 288.

On Friday, May 13, the right lane of the newly replaced Davidson Canyon bridge will be paved westbound, about 20 miles east of Tucson.

Water main modification

Also on Monday, May 9, through May 22, Tucson Water crews will be working on a segment of an 84-inch diameter water pipeline on the citys west side, said Fernando Molina, a city water department spokesman, in a news release.

The project will close the eastbound lane of West San Marcos Boulevard, and affected traffic will be rerouted to San Jacinto Drive to San Juan Trail to Mission Road for two weeks.

The segment of pipe is along a transmission main that delivers water from a reservoir near Starr Pass into eastern sections of the city. In late April, a weakened segment of pipe was detected. The pipeline carries Colorado River water that has been extracted from the Clearwater Facilities in Avra Valley, Molina said.

During the work, groundwater wells in central Tucson have been turned on to meet the demands, said Molina.

Old Spanish Trail

travel restrictions

On Tuesday, May 10, eastbound Old Spanish Trail will be closed to travel from East 22nd Street to South Houghton Road from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. for paving, said Michael Graham, a city spokesman. Westbound travel will remain open.

The citys Department of Transportation has a contract with Southern Arizona Paving crews to repave the center section of Old Spanish Trail.

The work is part of a $100-million, five-year street bond program, said Graham in a news release. The program is funded by voter-approved bonds.

Crews working the Old Spanish Trail reconstruction project will work 11-hour days during the week through the end of June, said Graham.
Help India!

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat for Twocircles.net

S. Chandra Mohans poetry reflects the brilliance of his thought process and the rebel inside him. The sheer diversity and variety of issues that he took up shows his concern for human values which transcends the boundaries of nation state, caste, class, gender and religion. In true sense only a humanist could do so.

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I had the privilege of close association with legendary Mulk Raj Anand, whose first novel Untouchable with an introduction from E M Forster created ripples internationally and exposed the hidden caste hatred including the issue of manual scavenging prevalent in our society, even when I was just a village boy from Uttarakhand as he would pronounce, where I was fortunate to have met many laureate of Indian writings who took up the issue of the marginalized but very few coming from the communities.

During the Mandals war in 1990, we saw English language media was used as a tool to spread hatred against the Dalits and marginalized. They were mocked and there were absolutely negligible numbers of writers who could pose a counter cultural question to the Brahmanically corrupted intellectual elite which looked secular in their mask yet uncomfortable to the core question of social justice but in the Mandal two, we saw the Dalit OBC students were writing their own blogs, had learnt to use social media strongly and numerous websites and journals emerged to counter the merit propaganda unleashed by the devotees of corporate culture in India who never ever saw wrong in the corrupt practices by these in

educational institutions in the name of donation.

In the following ten years after Mandal, we saw counter narratives taking bigger shapes. Alternative media grew with web portals like countercurrents.org providing space to the forces struggling against all forms of exploitation including Brahmanical cultural subjugation and capitalist onslaught on socialism and states accountability.

Magazines like Forward Press energized debates on Bahujan literature and enlightened us with stunning Bahujan cultural discourse with number of emerging young writers. With growing new young writers challenging the popular Brahmanical discourse the contempt and assault on them is also visible throughout the country. But, the Rohith Vemulas in our universities have refused to play Eklavya today and therefore consciously proving that Ambedkarism and legacy of Dalit Bahujan consciousness, which refused to be part of Brahmanical structure has finally arrived.

Forward Press initiated this debate as what is Bahujan literature and last few years they have brought wonderful collectors editions. There are various definitions for literature. One, which raises your consciousness, while for many, it must come from those who suffer and are historically exploited, neglected, subjugated socially and culturally. True, those who suffer will definitely provide a different insight than those who sympathise with their cause and are standing with them yet both are necessary.

For me the Dalit Bahujan literature cannot just be autobiographical sketches as each one of us has a different narratives but also posing ideological questions that have emerged from the heroic work of Phule Ambedkar and Periyar apart from the great humanist legacy of Raidas, Kabir, Nanak, Tukaram, Namdev, Ayyankali, Ayothidas, Narayan guru and many others who not just fought against injustice but provided a much better and humane alternative to Brahmanical caste based graded inequality as described by Baba Saheb Ambedkar where dominant castes have always suppressed the others. We must desist from compartmentalization and regimentation of diverse Dalit Bahujans thoughts, which are multicultural and multi lingual. If we try to create a monolith of it, the beauty of it would be lost.

Hence it is important to have narratives of diverse communities who built our society. A Dalit narrative cannot be just urbanized educated construct but also the story of a Dom in Varanasis ghats or Mushahars fighting for their battle or Nats, Kalandars, Kushwahas, Rajbhars, Kols, Tharus, Balmikis (and they too have diversity among themselves), Kanjars, Sansis, Banzaras, and so many others who are not known in popular discourse and are out of bound from the writers circle.

The Dalit Bahujan popular discourse must challenge the meritorious Brahmanical discourse from an alternative path and not through becoming part of that discourse which attempt to create a monolith of everything under artificial construct of Hinduism simply because they have similarities in certain things. As research have shown there were over 300 versions of Ramayanas and each different than the popular one of Tulsi Dass Ram Charit Manas which imposed a patriarchal Rama on all other version and was further popularized by Ramanand Sagars magnum opus Ramayana on Doordarshan. The counter narratives of the Dalit Bahujan discourse are as diverse as Ramayana or Mahabharata.

There are thoughts influenced by Ambedkar-Periyars ideological construct, which demolish the Brahmanical myths woven around negative and pathological characteristics of Asuras or Rakshasas and talked of a modern secular society based on rational humanist principles of French or Russian revolutions. But one has to understand that it was not merely ideological constructs of the legends that shape Bahujan-Dalit literature as various communities celebrate different festivals in diverse ways. So, every festival in India has a counter perspective but the Brahmanical mainstream in India actually suppressed these narratives and placed the upper caste Brahmanical narrative as the sole identity of cultural India.

As I mentioned young dynamic youths of the Dalit Bahujan communities are challenging the Brahmanical hegemonic narratives today. Not only are they getting empowered by the strong thoughts of Dr Ambedkar, Phule and Periyar but are taking inspirations from their friends too who have been supporting and participating in the global resistance movement against culture of monopoly and private control over the public resources.

Chandra Mohan represents a well defined modern poet who wants to stand with all forms of discrimination and has got a language which many will definitely envy. Moreover, Chandra Mohans brilliance in poetry has surpassed any one that I have come across so far in terms of variety of issues that he takes up. He has not just spoken against caste violence and untouchability but subject likes gay rights, Soni Sori, Irom Sharmila, Mujaffarnagar, unfair globalization have come under his scrutiny resulting some of the finest poetry of our time that touch the inner chord of your heart.

The whole country shouted loud for Nirbhaya and the establishment responded with a Nirbhaya Act but news of rape and murder of Dalit or tribal girls do not prick our conscience. There is no protest; no dharnas for the safety and security of the Aadivasi girls are victim of highhandedness of our security agencies in Bastar. His poem, Rape of a tribal girl exposes the duplicity of our sensitivities and the farce that our intellectuals and media play.



No newspaper carried a headline or a photo feature, No youth were roused to protests, No citys life came to a standstill, No furore in the parliament, No nations conscience was haunted, No Prime Minister addressed the nation, No TV channel discussions, No police officials were transferred or suspended, No candlelight marches, No billion women rising, A tribal girl was raped and murdered!



The pain of migration result in loss of identity and a majority of those migrate to cities are Dalit Bahujans like the blacks of Africa. One has to just feel how Chandra Mohan explain it beautifully in his poem,  Black Migratory



Birds Migratory birds most of them have dark feathers sing mostly Bhojpuri, Bengali, Odiya fly towards floating clouds lives lost in transit.



Chandra Mohan is not short of words. He possesses an extraordinary quality of weaving his narratives and ideas in shortest yet impressive ways. As a poet his worldview is as wider as possible and modern in the absolute term of Ambedkars vision of enlightened India and therefore he questions the traditions and wrongs happening in the name of traditions. We need to counter the Brahmanical narrative through questioning them and demolish the myths woven around them. Therefore, issues of Khap Panchayats and killings of innocent lovers in the name of traditions and morality come under sharp attack in his verses.



Moral Police  when lover couple hid in a hood of a tree they chanced upon love letters some of them half burned some of them centuries old along with a picture of Shoorpanaka sans her nose, ears and breasts!



Capitalism and religious fanaticism or theocracy work together and compliment each others. In India capitalism has come handy for Brahmanism to push its agenda to suck our resources and subjugate the Dalit Bahujan-aadivasis further and that comes for an excellent narrative in his poetry, A Neo-liberal Miscarriage



Every drill driven into the earth for oil punctures holes into her womb gangrenes of depletion mushrooming clouds of subatomic fury a miscarriage of neo-liberal development



Chandra Mohan has rightly termed Dalit literature as the literature of resistance and biggest movement world over and he is placing both Dalit and Bahujan literature together. Today, the Bahujans too are questioning the history and historical wrongs.

Ambedkarite scholar Rohith Vemulas institutional murder agitated all the right thinking persons in India particularly those hailing from Dalit Bahujan communities. The incident actually exposed the Brahmanical structure inside our campuses and how those who questions and want to live an independent life, live with their own understanding face obstacles at every level. Chandra Mohan deserve fullest applauds for this wonderful narration of students suicides inside our campuses in his poem, Killing the Shambookas.



Jim Crow segregated hostel rooms, Ceiling fans bear a strange fruit, Blood on books and blood on papers, A black body swinging in mute silence, Strange fruit hanging from tridents



As Bahujan magazines such as Forward Press find it difficult to sustain in the absence of solid financial and advertisement backing, the movement it has launched for a counter Bahujan perspective will continue in the greater interest of society. Chandra Mohan reflect the coming of the Ambedkarite age of articulate young Indians who will not only throw open challenge to the Brahmanical literature and their falsified constructs but will go far ahead of them in terms of quality and sincerity of the issue. One of my dear Ambedkarite friends late N.G.Uke had a favorite quote about the quality of an Ambedkarite,  We have to be better than their (Brahmanicals) best. I think this age has finally arrived with the remarkable verses of Chandra Mohan which will not just questions the wrong done to them or to any one else but also participate in all the international movement for human rights,

human values, social justice and equality.

The modern Dalit Bahujan literature need not just be reactionary but provide alternatives of a better world and respond to the crisis of our time and Chandra Mohans verses are doing that impressively. There is pain for closure of Forward Press which gave new ideas to Bahujan literature and empowered young Bahujan talents into writing and resisting the popular Brahmanical myths yet there is happiness when we see hundreds of youngsters coming up, challenging and resisting at all the levels including social media.

And this will keep the movement growing as the whole Dalit Bahujan age has arrived as the new young are taking up social media and firing through their blogs, alternative platforms and it is they who will continue to carry the torch of resistance and revolution. It is here the success of the movement. We hope these young minds will continue to revolutionise the web-world and more importantly bring voices from diverse communities, hitherto unknown to us and keep the flame of change going. Chandra Mohans poetry reflects that positive change among the youths of Dalit Bahujan communities which is definitely a great hope for future.


Help India!

By TCN News

Jeddah: Thanks to the efforts of India fraternity Forum, a social organization of NRIs of Saudi Arabia, three out of four Mangaloreans, who were jailed under STC illegal Call Routing (Hundi Calls) case, were released last week from Jeddah Jail.

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After paying negotiated fine amount to STC, honorable judge Saad Al Garni who is chairing the probe into this case ordered the release of these three prisoners. Saudi officials confirmed that accused Riyaz Bajpe and Fairoos Ullal have been deported on May 7 from Jeddah airport and another accused Nasir Bunder is waiting for his turn at the deportation center.

As per the complaint registered by STC Telecom Company in March 2003, 8 Mangaloreans had been implicated for allegedly passing and routing of illegal telephone calls and were charged with 6.7 Million Saudi Riyals fine. The family members also disclosed that these unfortunate young men were made scapegoats for anothers wrongdoings as they are unable to communicate in Arabic or English.

India Fraternity Forum had formed an ad-hoc committee in the year 2010 for the follow up of the case.

Since then IFF has been constantly in touch with Indian Consulate Jeddah and had approached lot of Indian Business men and other NRIs donors to support to raise the release fund to pay the fine imposed on these prisoners. IFF and Altaf Ullal jointly took the responsibility to raise the required fund from the generous donors from Indian Community. They have been successful in approaching and convincing the donors to provide the financial support for these three young men.

IFF had appointed lawyer Hamid Jameel to represent the accused in court. IFF Regional President Shamsuddin appreciated the extended support from Indian consulate, IFF volunteers for their hard work and the generous NRI donors in the community. The lawyer also confirmed last accused, Mohammed Shareef Kannur, is also expected to be out from the jail soon.

India Fraternity Forum has been actively involved in the area of socio-cultural, sports, and welfare activities in the KSA for over a decade.
Help India!

By Aqeel Ahmad for Twocircles.net

Since the mere mention of death penalty leads to a heated debate, it must be stated at the outset that the Death Penalty India Report is not about the arguments for the abolition (or retention) of the death penalty. The only stand that the authors of the report take is that the death penalty is a qualitatively unique punishment, incomparable to any other punishment, and this is not merely due to its irreversibility.

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The report is based on a study of all the death row inmates in Indian prisons, and seeks answers on issues such as the socio-economic profile of the convicts, their experiences with the justice system, the impact on their families, etc. all of which have remained largely unexplored until now.

Published in two volumes, volume one focuses on the empirical analysis providing aggregate data regarding the durations of incarceration, the nature of alleged crimes leading to death sentences, the socio-economic background and the quality of legal assistance. Volume two deals with qualitative aspects based on anecdotal evidence, providing samples of the experiences in custody, trial and the impact on the convicts as well as the collateral damage suffered by families.

Harshest punishments for the most vulnerable sections of society

The data on socio economic profile confirms what anyone observing judicial processes would suspect intuitively: the harshest punishment falls largely on the socially backward and the economically poor (around three-fourths of the convicts were found to be economically vulnerable).

That a very small percentage of death sentences awarded by the Sessions Court are confirmed at the end of the judicial process of appeals is well known. But this study brings in focus the horrors of being under the death sentence even if it is commuted at a later stage. The horrors are not only in terms of the mental trauma, but also in terms of the quality of life inside prison. A convict sentenced to death by the Sessions Court is treated merely as a person awaiting execution and is, therefore made to suffer solitary confinement, along with the denial of educational and work facilities that he/she may have enjoyed until then. Bringing to the fore the harsh punishment that a convict suffers as a result of being sentenced to death, even though the sentence may never be carried out or overturned may perhaps be the biggest contribution of this study.

The section on legal representation notes the pathetic quality  irrespective of whether it is legal aid or a privately hired-lawyer in many cases, even to term it representation may be misleading. On the impact of death sentences and the role played by various actors, the report takes into consideration the lawyers, judges, as also the media which at times paints the accused as a monster and the community which at times ostracises the family of the convict.

Report shows massive gaps in legal structures

The report may also read as a severe indictment of the entire judicial system. Though it is limited to convicts who have been sentenced to death, the picture that emerges could well apply to the criminal justice system in general. Lawyers who do not even care to meet their client, custodial torture with conniving magistrates, trials where the accused is never presented (he/she is kept in the court lockup instead), judges who  contrary to legal provisions  pass the sentence without a separate hearing, convicts who never receive a copy of the judgement passed on them, or if they do so, not necessarily in a language they understand  the seemingly unending list of violations of every legal safeguard at every step of the judicial process makes for a very depressing reading.

Of the 385 convicts on death row when the study was initiated, the state governments did not allow the research team to interview 17 prisoners. That the state, in spite of the enormous power it holds on the citizens should have such fear of the spoken or written word tells its own story about the insecurity of those in power.

The narratives bring out in clear detail, how the laws and the guidelines of the Supreme Court are flouted with even the Prison Rules of many states going against the SC guidelines! The principles to be followed before awarding the capital punishment as laid out by the Supreme Court in the Bachan Singh judgement continue to be a dead letter for not just the session courts and the high courts, but even for the Supreme Court itself. A blind eye is turned to the convicts ability to reform with the judicial system viewing the convict as frozen in time at the time of the commission of the offence.

Reading the report, one can almost see two distinct strands, totally unrelated to each other. The first is about the Supreme Court judgements setting legal safeguards for a fair and unprejudiced trial and confining the capital punishment to the rarest of the rare. The other strand is that beyond statements and into the world of reality, where the veneer of justice is stripped off and the true nature of dispensation of punishments masquerading as justice is laid bare. Given the evidence recorded in the report, it should not surprise us if a reader were to reach the conclusion that the judgements relating to fair procedures and the rights of under-trials are merely a mask intended to cover up the lack of any real safeguard or fair procedure.

Advocates of a strong state would probably find fault with the report for carrying one-sided narratives of convicts. (That we are force fed day in and day out with one-sided narratives from the other side; of the investigating agencies, would perhaps not occur to them.) News-anchors who are never too tired of reminding us during any discussion of a death sentence that it was awarded after due process, after providing all the legal avenues for defence (almost as a favour) and that the judgement was not awarded by a kangaroo court may  if they care to read the report  realize that the real world has no relation with the world of a few selected glitzy soundbytes.

But among the dark clouds, some silver linings can be found. There are a few narratives that reaffirm ones faith in humanity. Instances are recorded where an undertrials family receives support from the community, where solidarity among the prisoners makes life somewhat bearable, and even cases where the prison authorities co-operate towards an effort for a more humane system.

By exposing the crisis in the criminal justice system, the report (although limited to the death penalty) cries out for urgent reform. On the question of the death penalty, it brings the discussion out of the realm of philosophical questions on the right of the state to take human life (which are no doubt important) into the world of harsh reality, for as the report concludes those inhabiting worlds locked away from our sights and minds, within high impenetrable walls, have stories to tell that ask damning questions of us.

But, are those in positions of influence ready to face the damning questions?

The Death Penalty India Report: National Law University, Delhi is available in print for Rs 800 (Set of two volumes). It is also available in PDF format for free here.

The author is currently working with an NGO in Noida.
Help India!

By Amit Kumar, Twocircles.net

Delhi: In what looks like a case of religious discrimination, a Muslim girl was denied entry into the Delhi Metro while wearing a Hijab, for security reasons.

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The complainant, Humera Khan, a student in Delhi who regularly wears the Hijab was at the Mayur Vihar Station on May 6 and shared the details of the incident via Facebook. Humera said she was asked to remove her Hijab during the security check. After she had complied with the instructions, she decided to put her Hijab back on, when the security lady told her Iske sath aap board nahi kar sakte madam.

I asked her (Security lady) to call a senior person to whom I can talk. A man who looked much authoritative came, I said, Sir you can check my student id, here is my address I have been travelling in metro from past 2 years and I was never stopped at any station. Just tell me the reason and I would not bother you much. That person in a very harsh tone asked me to either leave or remove the hijab without giving any apt reason. I was left with no option except to leave, which I did, her Facebook post reads.

An official of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, on the condition of anonymity said he was unaware of any such guidelines, and added that all security guidelines are decided by the Central Industrial Security Force and the Ministry of Home Affairs. If such an incident has indeed happened, I request the person to write to us, so that we can look into the matter, he said.

In a subsequent post, Humera added that she had filed a complaint with Delhi Metro. If there exist such rule I condemn it. I have filed a complaint to DMRC. Let them revert back, let them intervene until then I would request you all to maintain peace, her post reads.

It is important to add here that Humera had no issues with the security checks; she in fact said she was happy to comply with the orders. My post is just to bring in notice about things happening around us. I have or never had any issues with security checks in fact I am kind of a person who make faces at people who fuss about security checks in the morning but to humiliate a citizen and mentally harassing him/her in the name of your duty is not cool, her post reads.

(H)ijab is a religious sentiment for a Muslim girl. If there is any rule then why they did not consider Muslim women while making such rule. If they start making such provisions then girls like me would not have accessibility to such services. Metro is a public transport made for every citizen. If they have any security issue they should upgrade their security measures instead of making such rules. Besides, they made me remove my Hijab first, checked me thoroughly and then also didnt let me in which was just so unacceptable, she added.

CISF Spokesperson Hemendra Singh said there is no bar on not wearing a Hijab, and that thousands of women wear it while commuting daily in the Metro. It is only during security check that people have to remove any veil or mask which covers their face. After that they are free to travel while wearing them. There is no guideline from us which bars a person from wearing a Hijab or a Burqa while travelling. This rule has always been in place. In the wake of Rajinder Nagar heist, since the assailants were wearing masks, these guidelines were issued once again, he told Twocircles.net.


Consolidated Communications Expands Cloud Service to Six Metro Areas in US

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By Christopher Mohr

Contributing Writer By Christopher MohrContributing Writer

Consolidated Communications (News - Alert), Inc. (CCI) recently announced that it would be expanding its business cloud services to six different U.S. market areas. Customers in the Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, and Mattoon, Illinois will have access to CCIs UC, cloud compute, data protection, and cloud WiFi (News - Alert) services. These communities range from small town to large regional metro areas.





Based in Mattoon, about 180 miles south of Chicago, CCI provides communications services to business and residential customers in 11 states. Its services include phone, digital TV, high-speed Internet, home automation, and security.

At first glance, CCIs (News - Alert) expansion seems like a good business decision. Four of the six markets (Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City) where CCI is expanding its business cloud services are ranked in the top 100 on Forbes Best Places For Business And Career. Dallas has long been the home of several major corporations and Houston is the fourth most-populated U.S. city, and has 25 companies listed in the Fortune 500 list.

Long known as a major producer of beef and center for the railroad industry, the Kansas City economy is growing in the area of international trade, and has become a center for tech startups. Pittsburgh is well-known for reinventing itself from being the center of the steel industry to a more diverse economy, including technology.

The two remaining cities receiving CCI expansion are in the not like the others category and it might seem puzzling as to why the company chose those locations. Sacramento had experienced an economic downturn, but community leaders are behind efforts to spur economic growth.

It would be easy to dismiss CCIs expansion in the Mattoon area as nothing more than a company doing business near its home base, but that would be overly simplistic. The city has seen more than its share of plant closings and economic decline; adding technological infrastructure, combined with the relatively low costs of doing business in the area would make the area more enticing to businesses looking to relocate or open a branch. Although it has a long way to go in terms of improving income, according to one source, Mattoon is ahead of national averages on unemployment rate and job growth; both future and present.

Although CCIs decision to expand its cloud services in certain locations is ultimately motivated by business, the company is playing an important, albeit limited, role in the economic reinvention in some communities by providing technological infrastructure. Having such infrastructure could make the difference between a future of prosperity or a future of boarded-up factories.
Disney promises Xi 'safe, high-quality' park Updated: 2016-05-06 06:59 By Li Xiaokun(China Daily)

An aerial photo of Shanghai Disneyland under construction on March 27, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Shanghai Disneyland will strive to ensure "safe and pleasing service of high quality" to its guests in China, the CEO of Walt Disney Co promised President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Robert Iger made the remark while meeting with Xi in Beijing, just before the start of the park's trial operation on Saturday.

"It's good to see the fruits of efforts over the years," Xi said. He congratulated Iger for the upcoming official opening of the park on June 16.

The project, the first Disney park on the Chinese mainland, was approved when Xi was working as Shanghai's Party chief in 2007. It is a joint investment by Walt Disney Co and Shanghai Shendi Group Co, and revenue will be shared.

"By working together, our two countries can accomplish some big tasks," Xi said.

He said that as China-US cooperation has a solid foundation, "it is important for both sides to expand new areas of cooperation and carry on cooperation in greater depth".

"The Chinese government is totally open to such efforts" and will provide support, Xi added.

He also expressed his wish to see a bilateral investment treaty with the United States signed at an early date.

"What the Walt Disney Co has achieved in China I think is a perfect example of cooperation, but it also came after years of understanding, years of building up deep respect for one another and appreciation for each other's interests," said Iger, also deputy chief of the US-China Business Council.

"I support many efforts to strengthen US-based companies' cooperation in China. I am particularly a supporter of the bilateral investment treaty."

Jia Xiudong, a research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies, said the park is an example of win-win cooperation between the two nations.

"It earns money, provides convenience to Chinese tourists and promotes cultural exchanges," Jia said, adding there are more such cases emerging in China-US cooperation.
Xi calls for building competitive human resource system Updated: 2016-05-06 21:50 (Xinhua)

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for reform in a bid to build a globally competitive human resource system.

Xi made the remarks in an instruction for a seminar convened Friday on implementing a guideline on reform of the human resource system.

Human resources are key to China's development, and overall national strength lies in the competitiveness of its talent, Xi said in the instruction, adding that reform efforts should be strengthened and the guideline should be fully implemented to attract global talent.

He called for breaking systemic obstacles to attracting talent and unleashing their creativity and innovative capacity.

Xi asked officials to provide better services for talent and care for them to encourage them to contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and achieving the "Chinese dream."

Zhao Leji, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, delivered Xi's instruction at the seminar.

Liu Yunshan, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said at the seminar that the reform should focus on implementing new development concepts, major projects and programs, and integrate human resources development with social and economic development.

Liu also called for more efficient management of human resources and for efforts to inspire talent's creativity and capability of innovation.

Liu asked officials to improve communication with experts and befriend talented people in all fields.

The guideline for deepening human resource development system reform was published by the CPC Central Committee on March 21. The document serves as an important guiding paper for the country's current and future human resource development.
Survivors found as dozens buried in landslide Updated: 2016-05-09 03:12 By Sun Xiaochen(China Daily)

Armed Police Force officers help evacuate stranded local people in the wake of a massive landslide which trapped more than 40 people in Sanming, Fujian province, on Sunday. ZE XIN / FOR CHINA DAILY

Rescuers have pulled thirteen people alive from a massive landslide while 41 remained missing at a hydropower construction site in Southeast China's Fujian province on Sunday following days of heavy rain.

The landslide occurred at about 5am on Sunday in Sanming, central Fujian, when 100,000 cubic meters of rocks and mud flowed downhill, burying a station office and the construction workers' dormitory at the site, according to Xinhua report.

A team that includes about 100 firefighters and professional rescuers, 60 medical personnel and more than 300 local officials and residents has been mobilized, and rescue and detection equipment is being used, local authorities said on Sunday afternoon.

After the accident, President Xi Jinping urged local governments and departments to make all-out efforts to search for the buried and missing people, as well as requiring proper treatment for the injured and condolences for relatives.

Premier Li Keqiang issued written instructions that called for strengthening monitoring and safety checks against hidden perils in surrounding areas to prevent secondary disasters.

The Ministry of Land and Resources dispatched a work team, joined by specialists from the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, to Fujian to lead and instruct the rescue work.

However, the continuing downpour, instability of mountain terrain and boulder obstacles are causing problems for the rescue efforts, said Guo Weihong, commissar of a municipal firefighting troop working on the site.

"It's difficult to transport large search and rescue machinery to the site because stones block the main road. We are clearing the road to bring in more rescue forces while searching the site," he was quoted as saying by China Central Television on Sunday afternoon.

According to the CCTV report, an 86-member team from a local garrison of the armed forces, with heavy equipment, and two expert rescue crews from Beijing and nearby Anhui province were on their way to the site Sunday evening.

The heavy downpours, which unleashed 191.6 millimeters of rain in 24 hours starting on Saturday, contributed to the landslide, according to local officials.

Heavy rain will continue to sweep South China in the next two days, the National Meteorological Center forecast on Sunday, saying torrential rain will hit the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang as well as Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Parts of those regions were to see thunderstorms or hail from Sunday to Monday morning while the rain was to spread southward without signs of relenting, the center said.

Meteorologists warned the public to stay away from mountainous areas and river valleys as floods, mudslides and rock flows are possible.

Xinhua contributed to this story
New law, blacklist target bogus professional associations Updated: 2016-05-09 08:13 (Xinhua)

BEIJING - For those who want to add glamour to career life, becoming a member of a professional society may help. But copycats have sniffed out an opportunity to make money through fake professional societies and credentials in China.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) has announced its latest list of fraudulent non-government organizations (NGOs) to help the public identify scammers, and a new law adopted in late April will close a loophole for associations registered overseas.

The ministry's blacklist, published last month, identified more than 400 such groups operating on the Chinese mainland.

With official-sounding names such as "China International Calligrapher Society," "China Feng Shui Institute" or "China Luxury Association," scammers disguise themselves as respectable government-approved associations.

The unofficial societies charge fees ranging from 300 yuan (46 U.S. dollars) to over 1,000 yuan for a membership.

More than 80 percent of the societies contain "China" or "national" in their names, and some were founded or registered overseas by Chinese nationals, according to the MCA.

These societies sometimes even use the real names of government-backed associations and copy content from their official websites to appeal to members, said Ma Qingyu, an expert on social and cultural studies with the Chinese Academy of Governance.

PYRAMID SCHEMES AND EGO BOOSTS

The illegal NGOs mainly focus on cultural industries, fine arts, food and health care services, but are also spreading to emerging industries such as mobile Internet and finance.

"Unlike legal NGOs, these fake ones exist solely to extract cash from the innocent," said Ma.

The fake organizations cheat their members and businesses, negatively impacting society, said Zhan Chengfu, director of the MCA's NGO administration bureau.

Selling memberships as part of a pyramid scheme is the most common business model. A calligrapher with the surname Su told Xinhua that after paying 1,000 yuan annually in membership fees for several consecutive years, he was "elected" deputy president of the "China Painting and Calligraphy Research Society," which is on the MCA blacklist.

Some fake NGOs make money by bestowing grandiose yet worthless titles or awards to their members for a price. For example, the "China Corporate Development Promotion Association" charges 50,000 yuan for companies to become a "council member," and even more for those wanting the title of "permanent council member."

"The individual and corporate members are not always fools to fall for the copycats. Rather, they have their own commercial desires to meet," said Liu Shanying, a research fellow in political studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Awards such as "outstanding youth," "outstanding Chinese citizens" and "most influential figure" are a great boost to an individual member's ego and can enhance their company's image, said Liu.

One copycat even pretended to be a law enforcement department to blackmail and extort companies for "product quality problems," according to the Administration of Quality and Technology Supervision of Guangdong Province in south China.

NEW LAW TO CLOSE LOOPHOLE

According to Chinese law, setting up an NGO on the mainland requires approval and registration by civil affairs departments. If words such as "China," "national" or "All-China" appear in the name, further assessment and approval from the MCA are mandatory.

Yet there was previously no explicit regulation or law governing the registration or operation of associations registered outside the Chinese mainland, which created a major loophole, said Deng Guosheng, professor with the School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University.

With new law on the books to govern overseas NGOs, that loophole is set to close.

According to the law adopted by China's top legislature on April 28, overseas NGOs must secure approval from Chinese authorities before they can set up offices and operate on the Chinese mainland.

The law, which will officially take effect on Jan. 1, 2017, will ban overseas NGOs from engaging in or sponsoring commercial and political activities.

The MCA has been making full efforts to expose fraudulent NGOs, said Zhan Chengfu. The public can visit the MCA's official website to check whether a specific association has been officially approved.
Many Taiwan suspects netted in narcotics bust Updated: 2016-05-09 14:48 By Zhou Mo In Dongguan, Guangdong(China Daily USA)

Guangdong police seized more than 700 kilograms of methamphetamine and arrested 28 suspects - more than half of them from Taiwan - in a joint operation with authorities from Fujian province and Taiwan aimed at drug smuggling.

The suspects used a fake courier company in Dongguan as a cover for storing the drugs. They had planned to smuggle the drugs to the Philippines by sea but failed, the police said. The smugglers then used cars to transfer the drugs from ports to the company, where they were caught on Feb 28.

A suspect drove a car to the company, but instead of parking it outside, as on previous occasions, the suspect parked it inside the company warehouse.

"After more than a month of investigation, and based on our judgment, we believed that the car carried drugs, so we carried out the operation immediately," a Guangdong official who participated in the raid said. He asked not to be named.

Nine guns, 1.5 million yuan ($230,000), HK$2 million ($258,000) in cash and several bank cards, as well as 11 cars were also seized in the operation.

It was the biggest drug-related operation to be foiled by the Guangdong border-control department this year.

"Drug smuggling in Guangdong province has been curbed to a large degree this year, but it still remains active," Deng Jianwei, director of drug enforcement at the Guangdong Department of Public Security, told reporters at a news conference in Dongguan on Thursday. "The anti-drug situation in the province is still serious. We have to remain vigilant."

Overseas demand for drugs has fueled illegal activity in the province, which has often been used as a base to transport drugs overseas, Deng added.

In the first quarter of this year, 3,433 suspected drug smugglers were apprehended and 4.83 metric tons of drugs were seized by Guangdong authorities, Deng said. The authorities also broke up 23 drugmaking factories and detained 26,812 drug users.

According to the Guangdong official, the courier company used in the recent case was not really engaged in the delivery business but only served as a meeting place for the suspects.

The smugglers intended to store the drugs temporarily at the fake company and transport them to overseas markets when they found an opportunity, the official said.

It is not known where the drugs were made. An investigation is ongoing.

Deng said identifying drug smugglers in Guangdong is more complicated than in other areas because many of them have international backgrounds and are engaged in cross-border business.

Last year, more than 500 drug smugglers from more than 40 countries and regions were arrested in the province. Of those, 252 came from Hong Kong and about 70 from Taiwan.

Last month, an international drug trafficking operation controlled by Hong Kong residents was broken up by Guangdong police. About 400 kilograms of cocaine from South America was confiscated.

sally@chinadailyhk.com

Guangdong police show about 717 kilograms of methamphetamine on Thursday, as well as nine guns with ammunition and cash they seized during a crackdown on drug smuggling in February.Chen Fan / For China Daily

(China Daily USA 05/09/2016 page6)
Couple detained for selling their two sons Updated: 2016-05-09 14:48 By Ma Lie In Xi'an And Zhang Yi In Beijing(China Daily USA)

A couple in Xixiang county, Shaanxi province, was detained recently for allegedly selling their children.

The county's public security bureau said its investigation showed that the husband, surnamed Li, 43, and his wife, surnamed Huang, 35, got 74,000 yuan ($11,300) from the sale of their two sons - one in 2013 and the other in 2014 - during a period in which they were migrant workers in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

According to Xu Guodong, chief of the No 1 criminal police squadron, Li came to the bureau in March to report that his wife had sold the boys. Li said she often quarreled with him and wanted a divorce, but investigators determined that in fact Li and his wife sold their sons together, Xu said.

Li and Huang went to Inner Mongolia in June 2012. When Huang became pregnant, the two discussed selling the baby after it was born, the investigation found. In April 2013 Huang gave birth to a baby boy and sold him for 34,000 yuan the same day, the police said.

Then, in June 2014, Huang gave birth to another baby boy at a Dengkou county hospital and sold him for 40,000 yuan.

Zhao Jing, a police officer involved in the investigation, told China Daily that the husband had no children before their marriage, while Huang had a child from a previous marriage.

"The couple confessed that the boy born in the hospital in Dengkou county was sold to a local resident surnamed Xiao. Following clues, we caught Xiao and his wife and took the boy back. It's been arranged for him to live with his grandfather," Zhao said.

Xiao couple was detained for buying the boy.

The Xixiang county police are continuing to search for the first boy, who was sold in 2013.

Under the Criminal Law, selling a child carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. The penalty rises with multiple children or other circumstances. In severe cases involving the death of a child, sexual abuse, selling a child overseas or other serious acts, sellers can face a life sentence or even the death penalty.

The ninth amendment to the Criminal Law enacted in November increased penalties for those who buy children. Under the modified provision, a buyer is not immune from punishment, although buyers may receive less severe penalties if they have not abused the child or attempted to hinder rescue efforts.

The amendment is a big shift from the previous situation in which those who buy children were generally not subject to criminal liability.

Contact the writers at ma-lie@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 05/09/2016 page6)
Parrot species in US cities may rival that in native Mexico Updated: 2016-05-09 14:48 By Assoclated Press in San Diego(China Daily USA)

US researchers are launching studies on Mexico's red-crowned parrot - a species that has been adapting so well to living in cities in California and Texas after escaping from the pet trade that the population may now rival that in its native country.

The research comes amid debate over whether some of the birds flew across the border into Texas and should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Parrots in US urban areas are just starting to draw attention from scientists because of their intelligence, resourcefulness and ability to adapt. There is also a growing realization that the city dwellers may offer a population that could help save certain species from extinction.

Parrots are thriving today in cities from Los Angeles to Brownsville, Texas, while in the tropics and subtropics, a third of all parrot species are at risk of going extinct because of habitat loss and the pet trade.

Most are believed to have escaped from importers or smugglers over the past half-century, when tens of thousands of parrots were brought into the United States from Latin America.

Scientists only now are starting to study them.

After doing most of his research in places like Peru, Donald Brightsmith is concentrating on the squawking birds nesting in Washingtonian palms lining avenues and roosting in the oak trees in front lawns in South Texas.

"Parrots in urban settings are of great interest to me," the Texas A&M University biologist says. "I see these as kind of future insurance policies."

Brightsmith has received a two-year grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to get an official count on the state's red-crowned parrot population and determine whether threats against them are increasing.

Raucous birds

The loud, raucous birds have been shot at by angry homeowners and their young poached from nests.

In San Diego, a $5,000 reward is being offered for information on the killings of about a half-dozen parrots found shot this year.

The research could help drive ways to maintain the population that prefers the cities and suburbs.

"It's more of an urban planning, landscape, ecology issue and not so much how do we protect an area of pristine nature," he says. Brightsmith would like to team up with scientists in California.

Researchers want to someday study the gene pool to determine whether there are still genetically pure red-crowned parrots that could replenish the flocks in their native habitat.

"We could have a free backup stock in the US," Brightsmith says.

In Mexico, biologists are working on getting an updated count. The last study in 1994 estimated the population at 3,000 to 6,500 birds, declining from more than 100,000 in the 1950s because of deforestation and raids on the nesting young to feed the pet trade.

"We suspect the population in South Texas could rival the number found in the wild in Mexico," says Karl Berg, a biologist at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley who received a grant to study the red-crowned parrot in Brownsville.

Biologists estimate the population at close to 1,000 birds in Texas and more than 2,500 in California, where they are the most common of more than a dozen parrot species.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 2011 listed it as an indigenous species because it is thought the parrots flew north across the border as lowland areas in Mexico were cleared in the 1980s for ranching and agriculture, though ornithologists debate that.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service that same year announced that the red-crowned parrot warranted federal protection because of habitat loss and poaching for the pet trade. It remains a candidate, and the agency reviews it annually.

Protection

Some in the pet trade fear that a listing under the Endangered Species Act could prevent them from breeding the birds and moving them across state lines.

Conservationists question whether any of the birds are native to Texas and should be listed when there are so many species in need of protection in the United States.

"It seems odd to me," says Kimball Garrett, a parrot expert at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. "I don't know that there is enough evidence to show the birds flew for hundreds of miles from their native range and went across the border."

Brooke Durham says the birds need more protection. Durham runs a parrot rescue center called SoCal Parrot in the town of Jamul, east of San Diego, and treats up to 100 birds a year.

Recently at her sprawling home-turned-sanctuary, dozens of birds were being nursed for broken bones and pellet gun wounds. Most were red-crowned parrots.

Animal cruelty laws offer about the only protection for the birds in California, because they are not native to the state or migratory.

"People complain about the noise, but they're just not educated about the birds," she says. "They don't realize these birds are endangered."

Parrots interact at SoCal Parrot, a parrot-rescue center, in Jamul, California. Researchers are launching studies on Mexico's red crowned parrot - a species that has been adapting so well to living in cities in California and Texas after escaping from the pet trade that the population may now rival that in its native country.Gregry Bull / Associated Press

(China Daily USA 05/09/2016 page9)
Oil spill tests on ice prove Arctic quests risky Updated: 2016-05-09 14:48 By Anne Kauranen in Tornio,Finland Agence France Presse(China Daily USA)

Stopping environmental catastrophe could require cleanup crews to face total darkness, extreme storms and dangerous sea currents

The skimmer is lowered from the rear of the icebreaker, its weight pushing massive pieces of ice under the water and forcing the spilt oil up to the surface, where the sticky black goo can be sucked up.

Luckily, this is just a test: as the world's superpowers eye the lucrative Arctic region with growing interest, unprecedented oil spill clean-up tests in icy Finnish conditions reveal just how hazardous and challenging an accident in the Arctic's pristine sea ice could be.

Emergency crews could face total darkness, extreme storms and shifting pack ice, racing against time as the oil puts endangered polar bears, seals and other wildlife at risk.

With countries and companies increasingly venturing into the polar region - the melting ice caused by global warming has opened up new shipping routes and potential oil, gas and mineral deposits - the risk of an environmental catastrophe has skyrocketed, worrying ecologists and authorities.

"If oil is spilt into the Arctic Ocean, recovering it will be a difficult, if not impossible, task," the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based nonpartisan think tank, says in a recent report.

"The challenges go beyond extreme cold, freezing spray, snow, extended periods of low light, strong winds, dense fog, sea ice, strong currents, and dangerous sea conditions to include the limited infrastructure that could support an emergency response," it says.

Fearing an oil spill in its own heavily-trafficked, ice-covered Baltic Sea, Finnish authorities are racing against the clock to develop an efficient response to an oil spill in icy conditions.

On any other day, Antti Rajaniemi, the 37-year-old captain of Finnish icebreaker "Ahto", would be clearing the way in the country's northern ports, where even the largest vessels can get trapped within hours.

But now he's on a special mission.

A thick layer of solid ice groans and crunches before giving in and breaking into pieces, as the bow of the small but forceful icebreaker forges a path.

Finland's state-owned icebreaking operator Arctia has set itself the goal of being able to recover oil in the harshest of conditions: when a lid of thick ice covers the sea.

"We have to separate the oil from the ice out on the sea since all this ice can't be taken ashore," Rune Hogstrom of Finnish oil spill response company Lamor explained to AFP, invited aboard the icebreaker in the northern Baltic Sea on a recent numbingly cold day.

"An oil spill here is a real challenge, when you think we've got half a meter of ice, and if you break the ice up then the oil just gets mixed in even more," he says.

The shallow waters here provide unique conditions for the tests, with brackish water and thick ice, Arctia said.

While Finland is not an oil producing country, it fears a leaking oil tanker could cause irreparable damage to the Baltic Sea's fragile ecosystem.

There are around 350,000 ship crossings a year in the Baltic, even though 45 percent of its surface is covered by ice an average winter.

Hindered by ice

A typical oil spill in water is usually skimmed, dispersed with chemicals, contained with booms or even burnt off.

Similar methods could be used in frozen waters, but recovering the oil is severely complicated by the black goo floating under the ice - hidden from sight - which risks mixing with the crushed ice around an icebreaker trying to locate it.

"When you recover oil mixed with ice, only one percent of it is oil and 99 percent is ice. You need to be able to sort out the ice," Rune Hogstrom explains.

As he speaks, engineers brave the mercury at minus 15 C to descend onto the ice, drilling holes to inject harmless red test liquid to mimic oil.

Hogstrom says the skimmer deployed from the rear of the vessel was capable of separating oil from ice, but more tests were needed to figure out how to use the icebreaker's propeller flows to suction the oil toward the skimmer.

Finland has been developing this technology for 20 years, and a 2015 study by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers found the method being tested now to be one of the most suitable methods for mechanical recovery.

Other technologies being developed elsewhere involve different types of skimmers to collect the oil.

In the US and Canada, research has focused on burning off the oil in open water, but that can be difficult in densely packed ice.

Environmental organizations like Greenpeace have expressed concerns about the elevated risks of Arctic ventures.

"The ice has melted so fast that oil drilling and industrial fishing are now spreading to regions where they weren't possible before and where there aren't any rules yet," head of Greenpeace Finland Sini Harkki says.

Anglo-Dutch oil group Shell abandoned its test drills in Alaska last September and Russia's Rosneft has put its own project in the Kara Sea on hold due to the plunging oil price, but Russian Gazprom Neft and Lukoil continue to drill in Russia's Arctic regions.

Clockwise from top: Marine experts in Tornio, northern Finland drill holes in the seaice and inject dye into the water to study how it flows, to model how an oil spill would behave underneath the arctic ice; the icebreaker Ahto; an oil skimmer attached to the icebreaker Ahto. Photos By Sam Kingsley / AFP

(China Daily USA 05/09/2016 page9)
Hong Kong a 'US overseas territory'? That's a joke Updated: 2016-05-09 07:29 (China Daily)

A view of Hong Kong's Central business district. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Yet another example of political hallucination masquerading as intellectual expression has emerged in Hong Kong recently in the form of a suggestion that the special administrative region should become an overseas territory of the United States.

The term "overseas territory" may remind people of Puerto Rico, the latest addition to US territories supposedly by popular choice, which many local residents are already regretting.

In Hong Kong's case, however, even Washington knows pigs don't fly.

Given the number of think tanks and the intellectual freedom in the US it would have surprised no one if some of them had thought about Hong Kong being an overseas territory back in the 1980s, when Britain was negotiating with China over the future of the city.

Since Washington has never publicly acknowledged such a scenario was even considered, those in Hong Kong who like the sound of it should sincerely ask any US strategist or foreign relations expert why that was the case.

The "dreamers" in Hong Kong may find solace in the fact that the US government will always come out in support of their freedom of expression. But, whether they like it or not, they are better off not expecting any words from Uncle Sam that even remotely fuel their fantasy.

They should accept the reality that "US interests" outweigh other "values" when it comes to decision-making in Washington.

Some people may say "never say never" and "nothing is impossible." That might be why these Hong Kong "dreamers" keep deluding themselves, but the reality is they are living in cloud cuckoo land.

Do any of them seriously believe they can go beyond merely talking about it?

If the answer is yes, they should have asked Washington to "like" and "share" this "dream" of theirs first, in which case it would have immediately become clear such a dream is simply pie in the sky.

But then even most Hong Kong residents don't share this dream.

And all that aside, it is ultimately up to the Chinese nation to decide whether such a "Hong Kong dream" will come true or not.

And we all know the answerNo!
Time Manila changed its aggressive policy Updated: 2016-05-09 08:19 By YANG DANZHI(China Daily)

A missile is fired during a Chinese navy drill in South China Sea, July 28, 2015. [Photo/CFP]

With the Philippines set to elect a new president on Monday, the international community is waiting to see whether the new government takes measures to improve Beijing-Manila ties, which have been plagued by rising tensions over the maritime dispute between the two sides in the South China Sea.

During the election campaign, all presidential candidates appeared to take a fairly hawkish stance on the South China Sea issue. Yet most of them hinted that, if elected, they would revise the China policy followed by President Benigno Aquino III, who outrageously likened China to Nazi Germany in a speech to the Japanese parliament last year. Some of the candidates even said that they would resume the high-level exchanges with China and address the bilateral disputes through peaceful negotiations.

Such a contradictory mentality, in effect, is shared by many Philippine politicians. For them, China is a neighbor which is the second-largest trade partner, largest source of imports, and the second-largest export market for their country. That clashing with China will significantly reduce the Philippines' dividends from the ongoing regional economic integration explains why Aquino has shown great interest in the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative and decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. By playing the nationalism card in the South China Sea issue, Aquino did manage to distract public attention, and achieve political stability and economic development at home, as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased in the past six years. The tactic also added weight to his government's legitimacy and the cohesion of his party's rank and file, but failed to narrow the income gap between the few haves and the huge population of have-nots.

Besides, nationalism has become part of the psyche of many have-nots, especially youths, largely "thanks to" Aquino's "accommodation" policy. That made it difficult for any candidate to challenge his "strongman" policy toward China. But since even they had no specific policies to offer, they kept appealing to public sentiments.

As a close ally of the United States, the Philippines turned to the east to contain China and endorse Washington's "rebalancing to Asia" strategy under the stewardship of Aquino. And Washington's military and economic aid, in turn, emboldened the hardliners in the Philippines to meddle with China's lawful construction on its islands in the South China Sea.

The hardliners apparently failed to see the grave dangers of triggering a possible confrontation between major powers in the region, including China, the US and Japanthe last two being the Philippines' largest and the third-largest trade partner last year. The truth is, Manila is unlikely to walk away with impunity if the situation worsens.

That said, there is little the new Philippine government can do to readjust the China policy. It may end up hedging its bets by simultaneously seeking Washington's protection and enhancing the economic and political closeness with Beijing.

As for the Manila-proposed arbitration case challenging China's territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea issue, whose outcome is expected in a few weeks, China has repeatedly said that it will neither take part in nor accept the process. Instead, it has made clear its sincerity in negotiating with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, under the spirit of the "dual-track" strategy. It is time Manila properly responded to Beijing's honest move to improve bilateral relations.

The author is a researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Massive pipe plant to boost Chinese FDI in Texas Updated: 2016-05-09 06:00 By PAUL WELITZKIN in New York(China Daily USA)

Here is the $1.3 billion plant that Tianjin Pipe Corporation (TPCO ) is building near Corpus Christi, Texas. It is expected to employ 600 and is scheduled to open by the end of this year.Provided to China Daily

By the end of this year, a $1.3 billion plant near Corpus Christi, Texas, that will make seamless pipe for the energy industry  the largest single Chinese investment in a US manufacturing facility  is expected to start production. Area economic development officials hope the facility will bring in additional Chinese and foreign investment to the area.

TPCO America, a subsidiary of Tianjin Pipe Corporation, is building the plant. It is expected to create 600 jobs and generate $2 .7 billion in economic activity for the area in a decade. Ground breaking for the facility, which is located in the town of Gregory outside of Corpus Christi, occurred in 2011.

"We've got FDI (foreign direct investment) coming to the US with this project," noted John LaRue, executive director of the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. "Everyone should be happy with the signal that this sends."

"We have talked with officials from other Chinese companies and the Tianjin Economic Development Authority and have had several trade missions to China," said Tommy Kurtz, vice-president business and strategic development for the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation. "We have also attracted investments from Austria, Italy and Mexico."

Corpus Christi is a city of 305,000 on a bay near the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas. That turned out to be one of the advantages that helped Corpus Christi secure the TPCO project.

"They wanted to be near deep water with a port," said LaRue. "They also wanted an open site and to have a plentiful supply of natural gas, which we have."

The plant is expected to supply pipe for the massive Eagle Ford Shale formation in south Texas, which energy observers think may contain as much as 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 3 billion barrels of oil. It will take scrap steel and metal and turn it into 500,000 metric tons of seamless pipe each year.

Despite the downturn in energy prices in the last two years, Kurtz said TPCO hasn't delayed or canceled the project. "They built this with a long-term perspective," he said. "One or two years of changes in prices weren't going to alter this view."

When the project was unveiled five years ago, the labor market in the area was different from now. Kurtz said there was concern at the beginning about an adequate supply of workers. Training programs were set up at the nearby Del Mar Community College and the Craft Training Center for the Coastal Bend. "With the downturn in energy prices we now have more workers available," Kurtz said.

LaRue said TPCO also hopes to use the plant to help break into the Central and South America markets.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com
'Day trip' to China Updated: 2016-05-09 06:00 By HEZI JIANG in New York(China Daily USA)

Zhang Qiyue (center), Chinese consul general in New York, shares a moment with students participating in a chopsticks competition during the Experience China Open Day on May 6 at the Chinese consulate general in New York. "I actually saw real-world applications of it, which is uncommon for eighth-grade students to do for any of their classes," said Eric Walker of Montville Township High School in New Jersey, who has been studying Chinese for four years. "I hope to be an aerospace engineer. Considering that China has one of the biggest space programs with some of the most advanced space technology, taking this language has turned out to be fairly advantageous." Walker was not alone in his passion for Mandarin. On May 6, about 200 K-12 students from 10 schools in New York and New Jersey flocked to the consulate general for the Experience China Open Day. Many have been taking Chinese for years, and some are just starting. "Welcome to China," said Consul General Zhang Qiyue to applause and cheers, acknowledging that they were standing on Chinese soil. "It's probably the only time when you can come to China first and get your [visa] later." The children laughed hard. During the short trip, students explored the culture through activities such as dumpling-making, paper-cutting, calligraphy and a chopsticks competition. Some also learned to tie the Chinese knot, bringing home a piece of luck. A demo Mandarin class was held at the event, where students studied the language through a game of Rock-paper-scissors. Zhang shared her own story of learning English as a seventh-grader studying abroad in New York City, and motivated the students to keep getting better at the language and come back to the consulate one day for their visa to China. "A language is not just about words and grammar, it's actually a bridge you're building," Zhang told the students. "I hope you all become ambassadors of friendship between China and the USA." HEZI JIANG / CHINA DAILY
Cameron fears 'World War 3' if Britain quits Europe Updated: 2016-05-09 22:45 (Xinhua)

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LONDON -- British Prime Minister David Cameron hinted in a major speech Monday at the British Museum here at the prospect of Britain's exit (Brexit) from the European Union (EU) sparking "World War 3."



When the British public votes on staying within or leaving the EU in a referendum on June 23, they will decide on the destiny of Britain for decades, perhaps a lifetime, said Cameron, adding: "This is a decision that is bigger than any individual politician or government."



Monday's speech by Cameron is being described by commentators as his most emotive speech so far in making the case for Britain to stay in the EU.



Surveys show that one of the strongest reasons among the "stay" camp is that the nations of Europe have been at peace for over 70 years.



No sooner had Cameron ended his speech, did opponents, including some members of his own Conservative Party, condemned his doom-laden message.



Brexit campaigners accused Downing Street of panicking, even though there have been "stay" interventions from Barack Obama, and other world leaders.



Former London Mayor and leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson said later: "The principle guarantor of peace and stability on our continent has been NATO, and what worries me now is that it is the European Union's pretensions to run a foreign policy and a defense policy that risk undermining NATO."



It was a point echoed by the former head of history at Cambridge University, Professor David Abulafia, who dismissed the claim that the EU had brought peace to Europe as "historically illiterate." He, and some other academics, insisted it was NATO that had kept Britain safe since 1945.



Rather than focus on the economic reasons to remain in the EU, Cameron instead concentrated on what membership meant for Britain's strength and security in the world.



"The dangerous international situation facing Britain today means that the closest possible cooperation with our European neighbors isn't an optional extra -- it is essential. Now is a time for strength in numbers," Cemeron said, citing threats to security such as that the Islamic State posed.



"For 2,000 years, our affairs have been intertwined with the affairs of Europe. For good or ill, we have written Europe's history, just as Europe has helped to write ours," he said.

The European Union, Cameron said, had helped reconcile countries which had been at each others' throats for decades.



"Britain has a fundamental national interest in maintaining a common purpose in Europe to avoid future conflict between European countries," he said.
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Thai companies are gradually acquiring major wholesale and retail companies in Viet Nam  it was Metro first, then Nguyen Kim and now Big C, all within a short period.  Photo baodatviet.vn

Compiled by Thien Ly

Thailands Central Group and its local partner Nguyen Kim Trading Company have finally won the fierce battle for ownership of Big C Vietnam after offering 920 million euros (US$1.05 billion) to Frances Casino Group.

Central Group announced its success but did not disclose details about the capital structure. Electronics and appliances retailer Nguyen Kim is 49 per cent owned by Central Group.

There were 20 suitors for Big C Vietnam, most of them big players like Aeon of Japan, Lotte of South Korea, BJC and Central Group of Thailand and Saigon Co.op and Masan of Vietnam.

Big Cs revenues last year were worth 586 million euros. It is second only to Co.opmart in terms of number of stores, meaning the acquisition of Big C Vietnam is expected to help Central Group save several years it would otherwise have spent in developing in the Vietnamese retail market.

The presence of many foreign retailers in the country, including from Thailand, will mean a wide range of high-quality goods at reasonable prices for consumers.

The flip side is that Vietnamese producers and suppliers are apprehensive. After all, despite being opened up only recently, over 50 per cent of the retail market has already been captured by foreign retailers.

Significantly, many of them have ambitious plans to produce right here in Viet Nam.

Central Groups commitment to continue using local products, maintaining strong relationships with Big C customers, employees and local authorities, and sourcing local goods for Big C stores has not allayed the apprehensions.

Thai companies are gradually acquiring major wholesale and retail companies in Viet Nam  it was Metro first, then Nguyen Kim and now Big C, all within a short period.

According to the General Statistics Office, in 2015 Viet Nam imported US$8.3 billion worth of goods from Thailand. The figure was $1.8 billion in the first quarter this year.

The General Department of Customs said Thai goods imported into Viet Nam are becoming more diverse, ranging from vegetables, fruits and consumer goods to high-value products such as automobiles.

The number of autos imported from Thailand has risen very quickly: last year Viet Nam imported 26,700 vehicles from China, 26,500 from South Korea and 25,000 from Thailand, but this year Thai auto imports have overwhelmed the others with 7,800 compared to 3,500 and 2,260 for China and Korea.

Analysts said the Vietnamese retail market, since it has opened up, cannot avoid foreign players especially since it is worth dozens of billions of dollars.

Foreign retailers like Metro and Big C not only have prime locations in cities and provinces but also have experience promoting themselves to Vietnamese consumers.

Thai enterprises, for instance, use several tricks.

Metro, though still distributing Vietnamese goods, uses the best spots in its stores to display Thai goods in addition to offering promotions on them with big discounts of 4-15 per cent.

Vietnamese suppliers, unable to sustain the competition, have to gradually reduce selling to Metro.

The problem for Vietnamese businesses is that for a long time they have focused on exports and neglected the domestic market.

The lack of co-operation between domestic businesses also makes them weak and unable to compete with foreign rivals.

Analysts also said Viet Nam still lacks a specific and transparent economic needs test (ENT) for foreign retailers to protect domestic suppliers. This, along with their deep pockets, has enabled foreigners to win prime positions.

Not only Central Group, which now has 100 stores with about 6,600 employees in Viet Nam, but also many other foreign retailers such as Ministop and Aeon of Japan, Lotte of South Korea and Auchan of France are expanding their presence in the country.

Inversely proportional to the expansion of foreign investors is the slowdown of domestic retailers such as Hapromart, Sapomart and G7 Mart. Even Saigon Co.op and Winmart have a struggle on their hands.

Vietnamese goods sold in Metro have reduced from 10 per cent of the total to 1-2 per cent now. A similar situation is expected at Big C in future.

State firm IPOs

The Governments determination to speed up equitisation of major State-owned enterprises has livened up initial public offering (IPO) activities on the securities markets.

And some of the IPOs have been an unqualified success.

The State Capital Investment Corporation, for instance, earned over VN1 trillion (US$44.8 million) by auctioning 3.65 million shares of Kim Lien Tourism Company, which primarily operates in the field of restaurants and catering.

These shares were sold for VN274,200 ($12.19), nine times the starting price of VN30,600.

Analysts said the companys biggest attraction was its 3.5ha Kim Lien Hotel in Ha Nois ao Duy Anh Street, which is seen as a golden piece of real estate.

The hotel is also close to famous tourist destinations like Thong Nhat Park, Hoa Lo Prison Museum, the Temple of Literature and Hoan Kiem Lake.

On March 7 State-run Vissan Co, Vietnams leading foodstuff processor raised VN906.84 billion ($41 million) through an initial public offering of 14 percent of its shares, beating its own projection.

Vissan sold all 11.33 million shares on offer at an average price of VN80,053 ($3.60) compared with a starting price of VN17,000.

Vissans IPO attracted a total of 142 domestic and foreign investors, who together bid for 63.59 million shares.

The huge demand for its shares was due to its outstanding business results, nationwide production chain and brand name.

Also thanks to owning prime lands, Viet Nam Book Company (Savina) saw its recent IPO attract huge strategic investors though its business results are rather modest.

In March giant property developer Vingroup had bought 65 per cent of Savina, or more than 44 million shares, at VN10,700 a share.

Vingroups presence as the major stakeholder helped Savina sell more than 16.7 million shares, or a 24.6 per cent stake, at its initial public offering on March 24 in Ha Noi.

According to Ha Noi Stock Exchange, the shares were sold for an average of VN13,072 as Savina raised VN218.7 billion ($97.2 million).

Analyst said that the participation of major investors in companies IPOs is an important factor since it improves their prestige in the market, thus attracting more investors in turn.

Stalled building crisis

Construction of the Sai Gon One Apartment Project by M&C Joint Stock Company began in 2007.

The US$200 million project near Khanh Hoi Bridge in HCM Citys District 1 was to have had a mall, international standard offices and 133 high-grade apartments. But the work stalled three years ago.

On ien Bien Phu Street, Binh Thanh District, there is a half-finished building named DB Tower by Can Vien ong Trade and Investment Ltd. Designed to rise 22 floors, its construction began in 2010 and stopped in mid-2012.

Near DB Tower is the V-Ikon building halted two years ago because of a shortage of funds. The grade A office building was designed with 26 floors.

Several incomplete projects are also seen in District 7, one of which is Kenton Residences. The 9.1ha, $300 million property was to have had nine towers and 1,640 apartments but work came to a halt in 2008.

According to the HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA), the city now has 137 buildings unfinished or abandoned due to various reasons.

According to Tran Trong Tuan, director of the city Department of Construction, they are spread over many districts and have many reasons for their half-finished state, but the most common is lack of funding. Some investors are waiting for positive signs in the estate market to resume work.

Analysts said the golden age of property in 2007-08 sparked off a mad rush to develop big projects though many did not have enough money.

They then borrowed from banks.

But soon enough the market plummeted and banks pulled the plug on funding, leaving many buildings standing as shells and developers unable to continue work. This also caused great loss for the economy.

The abandoned projects are a burden on the banks since their developers cannot repay.

For instance, the Sai Gon One Apartment Project is mortgaged to BIDV and the lender now has look for buyers to sell the project to get back its money.

Some experts said it is necessary for the city to have favourable policies to support stalled projects so that they are completed.

One of them is to allow developers to sell their projects without land-use rights certificates since many incomplete projects cannot afford to pay the fees and so do not have the certificates.  VNS
UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson has offered assistance to Viet Nam in coping with the ongoing drought and saline intrusion, which has affected two million people in the southern and south-central region. Photo VGP

HCM CITY  The UN Deputy Secretary General has offered assistance to Viet Nam in coping with the ongoing drought and saline intrusion, which has affected two million people in the southern and south-central region.

Jan Eliasson, who recently completed a fact-finding trip to Mekong Deltas BenTre Province, told local media during a press briefing last Friday that the UN would allocate a budget of US$48.5 million to support Viet Nam.

The UN and partners have called on the international community to offer emergency assistance to Viet Nam in fighting drought.

The UN official said he offer support to the efforts now being taken by the UN Secretary General to assist Viet Nam in adapting to climate change.

Visiting Ben Tre, Eliasson said that, during his fact-finding trip, he could clearly see the impact of drought and saline intrusion.

Many farms have been seriously damaged by the drought and saline intrusion.

Eliasson has asked UN officials in Viet Nam to monitor the case of a family in Ben Tre, whose 0.5 hectares of farmland face a total loss due to the historic drought.

Meeting with local residents affected by the disaster, Eliasson vowed to seek solutions to help affected farmers.

During the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit and climate change in Turkey at the end of this month, he will mention the challenge that Viet Nam is confronting and the case of the Ben Tre family.

Drought this year has seriously affected other countries, Eliasson said, adding that Viet Nam is not alone

Fresh water shortage has also become serious, not only in Viet Nam but in the world community, he added.

The UN also plans to work with Vietnamese scientists to develop solutions that would alleviate the fresh water shortage.

Rising sea levels are other serious concerns in Viet Nam.

Eliasson urged close cooperation in water use between riparian countries along the Mekong River.

He said that water demand from countries located near the upstream and downstream of the river was high, especially for agriculture. But he noted that countries need water for electricity as well.

Drought and saline intrusion has caused the Mekong Delta to lose one million tonnes of rice and more than 9,000ha of fruit orchards, while more than 200,000 households lack sufficient water.

Eliasson suggested that Viet Nam work with countries to devise a joint action plan that takes climate change into account.

Mass fish deaths

Concerning the mass fish deaths in the central region of Viet Nam, Eliasson said that the UN would assist in finding the cause of the incident if the Vietnamese government asked for help.

He said it was a serious issue that needed to be addressed, and urged the local government to promptly determine the cause of the incident.

He also said the government should stop industrial production that causes negative impact to the environment and curb other activities that disrupt natural processes.  VNS




HA NOI  A tourism photo exhibition and a Vietnamese Cuisine Week were recently held in the Colombian capital of Bogota.

Visitors enjoyed photos and videos on Viet Nams tourist destinations as well as traditional dishes, including pho (noodle soup with beef or chicken) and nem cuon (spring rolls).

The events offered a good chance for Viet Nam to introduce its culture and tourism potential to Colombians, thus promoting mutual understanding among the two peoples, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to Colombia Ngo Tien Dung.

On the occasion, culinary specialists from the Ha Noi Tourism College also held experience exchange programmes in the Latin American country. VNS
President Tran ai Quang offers incense to war heroes resting at the A1 Hill Cemetery in the locality.  VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang

Viet Nam News -IEN BIEN  President Tran ai Quang has asked the local authorities of the northwest mountainous province of ien Bien to enhance their leadership and direction for a number of key tasks, including promoting economic growth.

During his working session with the provincial authorities on Saturday, May 7, 2016, the President underlined the need for ien Bien to focus on developing agricultural production and services together with restructuring agriculture, constructing infrastructure facilities for socio-economic and culture development, effectively attracting investment and promoting new-style rural area building programmes.

The President hailed important achievements made by the local Party organisations and authorities, and residents in recent times, especially in economic growth expansion, per capita income improvement, poverty reduction and vocational training, saying that those greatly contributed to the nations development.

Tran Van Son, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee briefed the President on the local socio-economic achievements and efforts in ensuring security and defence in 2015.

The Party and local-government building work recorded positive results, he noted.

In the first months of this year, local authorities devised many solutions to promote trade and service activities, and accelerate key projects such as the programmes of rapid and sustainable poverty reduction, new-style rural area building, and resettlement and socio-economic development plans, Son reported.

In 2016, the locality will focus on fostering agricultural production and the service sector, strengthening the great national unity, improving the quality of the local political systems operations and concretising the Resolutions of the 12th National Party Congress and the 13th Congress of the provincial Party Organisation, he added.

Agreeing on targets and measures for the socio-economic goals in the 2015-20 period set at the recent 13th Congress of the local Party Organisation, President Quang made a request for better Party building and local-level political system enforcement.

The locality should pay attention to fostering tourism development, especially historical and cultural tourism, and fully tapping the sectors advantages and potential, he added.

The State leader also reminded the local authorities to enhance international integration and take more measures to ensure security and defence.

Ceremony marks ien Bien Phu victory

Also on Saturday, President Quang attended a grand ceremony celebrating the 62nd anniversary of the ien Bien Phu victory, which ended French colonial rule in the country.

In his speech at the event, Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Mua A Son recalled historical milestones of the 56-day ien Bien Phu campaign which  resounded throughout the five continents and was world-shaking.

He expressed gratitude to late President Ho Chi Minh and late General Vo Nguyen Giap, the first Commander-in-Chief of the Viet Nam Peoples Army, for their roles in the triumph at ien Bien Phu. He also offered heartfelt thanks to the war heroes who sacrificed their lives for the victory.

Son highlighted ien Biens socio-economic achievements over the 30-year oi moi (renewal) process.

According to Son, the local economy has recorded stable growth between 2010-15, with average growth hitting 9.11 per cent a year in the period. Per capita income in 2015 reached VN23.6 million (US$1,040) , up 1.89 times from 2010.

Infrastructure facilities in ien Bien have been upgraded, while the living standard of locals has been improved remarkably, he stressed, adding that the localitys political stability and security and defence are ensured.

The local authorities have also paid heed to promoting foreign relations and international integration, which are expected to help foster the localitys economic growth in the coming time, Son stressed.

On behalf of the Party and State, President Quang presented the Labour Order, first class to ien Bien Province in recognition of the local Party Organisations and authorities contributions to the bidding of the Son La hydro-power plant.

Earlier the same day, Vietnamese leaders led by President Quang offered incense to war heroes resting at the A1 Hill Cemetery in the locality.

The ien Bien Phu Victory on May 7, 1954 is considered to be a glorious golden milestone in the history of the struggle of the Vietnamese people against foreign aggressors. It marked the complete collapse of old colonialism all over the world, paving the way for the movement of rising up to struggle for national liberation in colonial countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

ien Bien Province is home to over 550,000 people from 19 ethnic groups, with 38 percent of the Thai ethnicity, and 34.8 per cent of the HMong people. It shares 401km of borders with Laos and China.  VNS
The ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials Meeting (ARF SOM) opens yesterday in Luang Prabang, Laos.  File Photo

Viet Nam News -HA NOI  Viet Nam reiterates the common responsibility and benefits of countries and the international community towards maintaining regional peace and stability, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, said.

Trung made the statement on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials Meeting (ARF SOM) yesterday in Luang Prabang, Laos attended by representatives from 27 member countries, including ten ASEAN members and the US, Russia, Japan, China, European Union.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency, Trung said the ARF SOM discussed emerging issues which threaten security, namely the East Sea, North Korea, terrorism, proliferation of mass destruction weapons, maritime security, climate change, migration, natural disaster, and epidemic diseases, among others.

Several participating countries expressed their concern over recent developments in the East Sea, he said. They called for peaceful settlement of disputes, self-restraint, not using or threatening to use force, and full compliance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), exercising self-restraint, not using or threatening to use force, striving to effectively carry out the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and pushing for a Code of Conduct in the waters (COC).

Trung said that Viet Nam reaffirmed its stance on the East Sea and abided by international law including the UNs 1982 UNCLOS, settlement of disputes through peaceful measures and not using or threatening to use force; efforts to effectively carry out DOC, and push for COC.

The ARF SOM acknowledged co-operation activities carried out over the past year in maritime security, fighting terrorism and trans-national crime, natural disaster relief, support for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament; and approved a list of ARF activities on building trust and preventive diplomacy in the 2016-17 period which are to be submitted to ARFs foreign ministers for approval when they convene for the 23rd meeting in Laos at the end of July.

In preparation for the ARFs Foreign Ministers Meeting, participating countries discussed draft ARF statements, including the one proposed by Viet Nam which calls for strengthened co-operation among maritime law enforcement agencies among ARF members.

Viet Nams proposal received positive responses from participants, to which the EU and Australia agreed to co-sponsor, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The ARF SOM also discussed issues of regional and international concern such as the situation on the Korean Peninsula, East Sea (South China Sea), Ukraine, migration, and anti-terrorism.  VNS
Seventy-seven domestic enterprises yesterday were granted the National Quality Award 2015, the countrys only prize to recognise outstanding enterprises regarding their product quality and performances. Photo enternews.vn

HA NOI  Seventy-seven domestic enterprises yesterday were granted the National Quality Award 2015, the countrys only prize to recognise outstanding enterprises regarding their product quality and performances.

Twenty companies were awarded the golden triumphs while another 57 received the silver prize in a ceremony held by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) yesterday morning in Ha Noi.

The awards are for those pioneering in applying advanced machinery and management system, achieving excellence in production and business performance which actively contributed to society, said the Partys Central Economic Commission Head Nguyen Van Binh.

The award judgment board selected the winners  all from manufacturing or services sectors  based on seven criteria regarding the companies leadership, operation strategies as well as market and customer policies.

This year also marked the 20th year of the award, which was first initiated in 1996 as a part of a national movement to promote goods quality and productivity of domestic enterprises.

Since then, the National Quality Award has gone beyond being just a movement and has become an effective means to help Vietnamese firms improve themselves by increasing their competitiveness, management capability and credibility to the customers, said Tran Viet Thanh, MoST Deputy Minister, also the National Quality Award Council Chairman.

It is also a motivation for Vietnamese firms to deepen their integration into the regional and global markets.

On occasion of the anniversary, ten enterprises were granted merits as an acknowledgement of their efforts and contributions to the award though its history.

Another three domestic enterprises which won the Global Performance Excellence Award (GPEA) 2014 were also called onto the stage at the ceremony for celebration.

The National Oil Services JSC of Viet Nam, the Thien Long Group and the Nam Duoc JSC became the latest award winners among the 37 Vietnamese companies granted the GPEA since 2010.

The GPEA is a quality award for outstanding enterprises in Pacific-rim nations or countries that border on the ocean.  VNS
NAM INH  The police of northern Nam inh Province have arrested Pham Van Tu, 26, from central Ha Tinh Province, for illegally trafficking and trading four frozen tiger cubs.

Tu admitted to the police he paid VN2 million (US$90) to buy the frozen tiger cubs from a Laotian man at a market near the Viet Nam-Laos border.

Tu was caught red-handed with the cubs, which he planned to sell for VN8 million ($360) to a man he befriended on a social networking site.

The police are investigating the case.  VNS
Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, the architect of the 2014 switch in Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) policy that's since roiled the energy market, companies and entire economies from Mexico to Nigeria, is leaving his post. An 80-year-old who rose from modest Bedouin roots, al-Naimi headed the ministry for almost 21 years, steering the world's largest crude exporter through wild price swings, regional wars, technological progress and the rise of climate change as a key policy concern.Read more from our special coverage on "OPEC"Shift in Saudi oil ...
has reached a deal to transfer to Mexico nearly 4,000 US-bound Cubans stranded on its territory, an official has said, but added the flights would not be extended to future Cuban migrants.

" will transfer some 3,800 Cubans to Mexico after an agreement with that country," the Panamanian official told AFP on condition of anonymity because details were not to be released until Sunday.

The official said that daily flights would begin on Monday from City's airport, going to Juarez, in Mexico's north near the US border.

Each planeload would carry 154 Cubans who would pay the cost of the trip themselves.

They have been blocked in Panama since March.

The next two Central American countries to the north of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, have since late last year closed their borders to Cubans trying to head north overland.

Between January and March, Costa Rica oversaw flights for thousands of Cubans to El Salvador and Mexico to clear a backlog of the migrants who had become stuck by Nicaragua's border closure.

Panama in March did likewise, organising flights to Juarez for 1,300 Cubans. Officials back then insisted the operation would not be repeated.

But since then, thousands more have arrived, aiming to get to the US, where a law dating back to the Cold War gives them privileged entry and a fast track to residency.

Many Cubans risk a perilous trip through South and Central America because the United States seeks to throw back to Cuba any found crossing by sea to Florida.

Panama's foreign minister, Isabel De Saint Malo, has called Costa Rica and Nicaragua's position "contradictory".

But as a result, she said, her country now believes it has also become necessary for it to close off access to Cubans "to discourage the flow of migrants".
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WEST DES MOINES  The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation has helped more than 3,000 Iowans who have attended one of Renew Rural Iowas 46 business mentoring and financial guidance seminars across the state, with an economic impact of $125 million, the organization reported.

Launched nine years ago, RRIA is designed to encourage business growth statewide.

We are known as a general farm organization, but what Iowans may not realize is that we have long been a proponent of rural economic sustainability, IFBF Investment Manager Adam Koppes said in a news release. Nearly 90 percent of Iowas farmers rely on off-farm income and without a growing job base, those smaller Iowa towns risk losing more of their people to urban areas; research shows 65 percent of Iowas population base lives in urban areas.

RRIAs next Journey To Your Vision entrepreneur mentoring seminar is scheduled for May 16 at the Titokna Savings Bank in Forest City. Additional seminars are scheduled throughout 2016, all around the state.
JOHNSTON  John Deere Tractor Cab Assembly Operations of Waterloo recently received special recognition with an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Iowa Chairmans Award for its outstanding achievements in meeting or exceeding the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) and fully supporting their National Guard and Reserve employees during military duty periods. The state chairmans award was recently presented at Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) Annual Award Luncheon for Outstanding Employers April 23 in Johnston.

John Deere TCAO was nominated for this award from the Department of Defense (DoD) by SFC David Wenke, a member of the Iowa National Guard and employee at John Deere.

The Department of Defense established Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain active support from all public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and Reserve. For more information about Iowa ESGR, visit www.esgr.mil/Iowa.
SHELL ROCK  Wade Goeke figures if his work meets standards set by the Beatles and Pink Floyd, it must be pretty good.

Others apparently think so, anyway.

Perhaps thats why Goekes Shell Rock-based company, Chandler Limited, which manufactures recording equipment, works with EMI Records and Abbey Road recording studios in London to develop hardware and software to recreate vintage recording equipment from the 1960s and 70s.

Goeke first signed with EMI and Abbey Road in 2004 and signed a 10-year extension two years ago, he said.

Ten years to reproduce a bunch of old designs that they used for the Beatles and Pink Floyd back in the day, Goeke said. Were putting out something new every six months.

The technology is analogue, not digital, and it has plenty of adherents. Chandler Limiteds website features an array of testimonials from recording engineers who rely on gear from the Shell Rock company.

Michael James, producer/mix engineer, is one of a number of engineers featured on the companys website.

Im drawn to Chandler products because they have a character that reflects Wade Goekes colorful personality while paying tribute to the classic designs that defined my favorite records as a kid, James said in a Chandler newsletter interview. Plus, they are bulletproof and reliable  I never need to worry about a breakdown during the mix process.

From Shell Rock to the rest of the world

Today, Chandler Limited has distributors all over the world, and the list of artists who have recorded with Chandler equipment reads like a whos who of rock and jazz  a list readily available on the companys website. In addition to record producers and engineers, artists with connections to Chandler equipment include, in part, Herbie Hancock, Paul McCartney, Lenny Kravitz, Martina McBride, Blink 182, Katy Perry, Green Day, White Stripes, Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5.

When Love, the Cirque du Soleil show featuring the music of the Beatles, hit the stage in 2006, the late legendary Beatles producer George Martin used Chandler equipment to remix the music. Paul Simon employed Chandler Limited gear for his Surprise album the same year, Goeke said.

There has been a lot of free publicity related to some of these artists and, obviously, that doesnt hurt, Chandler said. As you get older, you need to get some of these things in hand and present company in a certain way. When you do free publicity and word of mouth all the time, its one thing, but when you maximize it, its even better.

Indeed, Chandler Limited has come a long way since its founding in 2001, and that includes publicity.

We have a PR guy now full-time in-house, Goeke said.

Adam Fiori, who directs marketing and artist relations, works remotely for the company from his California home.

Martins lasting impression

On meeting Martin  whose technical wizardry in the studio earned him the nickname, the fifth Beatle  in 2006, Goeke once said, It was like meeting the John Lennon of the technical side of the story. You cant go much higher in producers.

Martin, who died in March at age 90, left a lasting impression on Goeke, he said.

The records he made is what got me interested in what things sound like and why you do things a certain way and to find out they had their owns special equipment they did, that was a big influence, Goeke said of Martin. How he used it influenced everybody.

In a sense, Goekes career has, itself, been a marriage of gizmos and guitars. He said he used to take apart and reassemble old radios as a child, trying to learn their inner workings.

He loved music, too. His parents had introduced him to the music of Pink Floyd and the Beatles when he was a child, and by middle school, he was writing songs, playing guitar and saxophone and winning songwriting competitions.

Goeke, now 45, finished high school at Waverly-Shell Rock High School early, when he was 17, and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. He got a job at Brent Averill Enterprises, a company that specializes in designing recording studio equipment. There he got involved in designing and building recording equipment from spare parts.

Goeke ultimately blended his passion for music and electronics into a career; he launched his company in 1999.

I was doing it unofficially without a company name, he said.

There wasnt much space, either, he noted.

I had a big walk-in closet and had a workshop in a house I rented with some friends, he said.

Moving back home

Goeke moved back to his hometown in 2001, bringing the business with him. By then, it had gotten a name. A short time later, he named his newborn son, Wade Chandler, after himself and his company.

Chandler and a younger brother, Gavin, also were drawn at a young age to the tricks and sounds of the studio  to a degree, Goeke said. Now, Chandler is 16 and Gavin, 12, and they still show signs of interest, Wade said.

Goeke acknowledges his musical aspirations have fallen to secondary status behind the business.

Ive always written and love that and I sing and play guitar, he said. I guess my life at this point is probably more not having the time for that, especially with our new contract. Every six months, I have to have something new. Ive got six or eight products under development at one time, so were always prepared and have options.
WATERLOO  A Denver man has waived his right to a jury trial in connection with an August shooting that left a Waterloo man dead.

Steve William Fordyce Jr., 38, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 43-year-old Donald Lee Harrington. He has pleaded not guilty, and trial is set for May 31.

On Friday, Fordyce opted to proceed with a bench trial, which will allow a judge to hear the case and decide the outcome.

Defense attorney Christopher Kragnes of Des Moines said he had discussed the pros and cons of a bench trial during a long phone call with Fordyce on Wednesday and then he gave his client a night to sleep on it. Fordyce then signed a written waiver, which was presented to the judge Friday during a brief hearing attended by Fordyces relatives.

Police said Fordyces family members had been in a dispute with Harrington. Authorities said the Aug. 14 incident started when Fordyce was visiting his sister in Waterloo and an argument began, and Harrington began screaming and moved toward Fordyce, who drew a handgun and shot.
DES MOINES -- A West Des Moines physician and manufacturing executive recently touted with Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter as an Iowa kingmaker by Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie has been appointed to join Rastetter as a regent.

Gov. Terry Branstad on Friday announced Mike Richards, 68,will replace former regent Mary Andringa, who resigned recently after serving just one year, saying she underestimated the time required to full serve in this role.

Because the governors regent appointments require Senate confirmation, Richards will begin serving immediately on an interim basis, according to Ben Hammes, a spokesman for the governors office. With the most recent Legislative session just adjourned, lawmakers wont have the opportunity to vote on Richards appointment until next January, Hammes said.

Richards is a registered Republican, as was Andringa, maintaining the current mix of five Republicans, three independents, and one Democrat on the board, which cannot have more than five members of one party.

The Board of Regents, which is comprised of nine volunteer members who serve staggered six-year terms, oversees Iowas three public universities and two special schools.

In 2011, Richards was on a five-person team of Iowa donors  along with Rastetter  to recruit New Jersey Gov. Christie to run for president. That team reunited this year to again support Christies bid for the White House, according to a campaign news release.

Iowa kingmakers who flew to New Jersey in 2011 still backing Christie for president, was the release headline.

Richards is an active philanthropist, according to Branstads office, and hes given tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions over the years  including to Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, according to the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board.

Hes also given thousands of dollars to Republicans like Christie, former New York City Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Chuck Grassley, Rep. Steve King, and Larry McKibben  who also serves on the Board of Regents.

Richards earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and a graduate degree from the UI College of Medicine before entering private practice, where he spent nearly 20 years, according to Branstads office.

Over the years, hes served as chairman of MedTec Inc., a medical technology company based in Orange City, chief medical officer of Iowa Health System, president and chief executive officer of the Iowa Health Physician Foundation, and chief executive officer of Iowa Physicians Clinic P.C.
DES MOINES  Gov. Terry Branstad says Republican Sen. Joni Ernst would make a great vice presidential running mate for Donald Trump.

Branstad said Monday the Iowa senator would be a great asset to Trump, the Republicans presumptive nominee for president. The governor said Ernsts military record and political background make her an ideal choice for the job.

Branstad said he contacted New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who Trump appointed Monday as his transition team chairman, about setting up a meeting with Trump to promote Ernsts vice presidential credentials.

Branstad noted Trump has said hes interested in somebody with military experience, but then he thought having congressional experience would also maybe be more important. Well, shes got both, and she comes from a key state, Branstad added.

Ernst, 45, is a first-term U.S. senator from Red Oak and was a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa National Guard before retiring from the military last year. She also served six years as a county elected official and nearly four years in the Iowa Senate.

Sen. Ernsts focus is on serving Iowans, her spokesperson, Brook Hougesen, said in an email statement Monday.

Trump, a New York billionaire making his first bid for public office, has all but wrapped up the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Branstad now backs Trump after ruling him out earlier in the race.
DES MOINES  Among the many features of landmark education reform passed in Iowa in 2013 was $10 million in annual funding for schools with high populations of at-risk students.

The money was to be used for programs designed to help students who come from families in poverty or for whom English is their second language. Studies have shown those students have a harder time learning and achieving at the same rate as their classmates.

So, when state lawmakers and the governor crafted the 2013 education reform package, they included that $10 million in annual funding to help those students.

The money never has been delivered.

General public school funding over the past few years has become a contentious issue among Iowa state lawmakers. Generally, Democrats have decried state funding levels for education, saying districts need more to sustain staff and education programs, while Republicans have preached fiscal restraint, saying the states budget cannot afford Democrats wishes.

That heated school funding debate has left few state dollars for targeted funding, including the $10 million intended for high-needs schools and at-risk students. As a result, three years later, the program remains unfunded.

As a practical matter, weve never had the money to fund it, said state Sen. Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames and an associate professor of economics at Iowa State University.

Quirmbach is a vocal advocate for education policy and funding in the Legislature. In 2013, he pushed for inclusion of the $10 million funding for high-needs schools, and in recent years, he has proposed legislation to add more funding for at-risk students by tweaking the states general school funding formula.

There are lots of needs in lots of districts, Quirmbach said. With the right kind of assistance, these kinds of kids are going to do great.  But they need some help getting going.

The annual $10 million would support programs such as extended learning time or boost staff by allowing districts to hire more instructional support, provide additional training or supplement teacher salaries in high-need schools, according to a report from the states nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

The state Department of Education said it has not yet developed guidelines that would determine which schools would receive funding, should the program ever be funded.

But officials said the most likely recipients would be schools with relatively high percentages of students who are English language learners or those who receive free or reduced-price lunches, which is the metric by which school officials make their best estimate as to how many students come from families in poverty.

The more we can do for (those students), the better, said Brad Hudson, government relations specialist for the Iowa State Education Association. They need different services than the other kids do.

Waterloo Community Schools has a large percentage of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. With 67.7 percent, the district is 11th-highest in the state. It doesnt rank quite as high for students classified as limited English proficiency, with 8.8 percent.

By comparison, in Cedar Falls Community Schools, 24.4 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and 1.7 percent are limited English-proficient.

The Sioux City Community School District is among the states top districts in both categories, with 17.5 percent of its students classified as limited English proficiency (13th) and roughly two-thirds on free or reduced-price lunches (10th).

Paul Gausman, the Sioux City districts superintendent, said the high-needs program funding would help the district provide, as possible examples, additional mentoring and tutoring or programs that address dropout prevention, chronic absenteeism and remediation.

Some of the resources that some people not in poverty enjoy, Gausman said. Poverty is really the driver. So, the things we can do educationally to address poverty are the things that we can do to move education forward. 

Back in 2013, we were certainly supportive of the education reform but also of this greater investment in high-need schools. There have been models in our nation that have shown when you invest in schools with higher-need education, you show positive gains.

Quirmbach said his primary focus is improving general state education funding, then, if the state budget allows, boosting financial support for targeted programs such as the high-need schools funding.

One of my principles is trying to do the greatest good for the greatest number, he said.

Gausman said he understands state officials must make difficult budget decisions, but he hopes at some point the program can be funded as originally intended three years ago.

We still look forward to the day when they feel they have the funding to provide supports to those students who have greater needs, he said.

Courier Staff Writer Andrew Wind contributed to this article.
WATERLOO  Mount Carmel Baptist Church will host three Democratic U.S. Senate candidates for a debate later this month.

The debate will be held at noon May 28 at Mount Carmel Baptist Church, 805 Adams St., in Waterloo.

Three of the four Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, who hope to take on incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the general election, plan to attend. They are Iowa Sen. Rob Hogg; former lawmaker Tom Fiegen; and former lawmaker Bob Krause.

Former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge is not expected to attend.

The debate will focus on the rise of outside expenditures on campaigns from political action committees, or what Mount Carmels pastor the Rev. Frantz Whitfield describes as a new civil rights crisis in Iowa and America.

Candidates will be asked to discuss their own relationship and history with PACs and special interest money. But the debate will also include discussion on topics from income inequality and mass incarceration. The moderators of the event will be announced at a future date.
DES MOINES  Ride-hailing services like Uber will be governed by state regulations in Iowa next year, thanks to a bill signed into law Monday by Gov. Terry Branstad.

The regulations require ride-hailing companies to get permits from the state transportation department to have drivers undergo background checks and set minimum insurance levels for drivers.

The new state regulations, which go into effect Jan. 1, establish a baseline set of requirements for ride-hailing companies like Uber, which to this point has been governed in Iowa by local ordinances.

Local governments still may pass additional regulations if they choose.

This is really a positive step forward for Iowa, Sagar Shah, general manager for Uber in Iowa, said Monday. Its real exciting for the industry, for the riders and drivers, and the economic opportunities that will be created for everyone with this uniform regulation.

Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft use an Internet-based application to pair people looking for a ride with drivers who are independently contracted by the service.

Uber operates in the Quad-Cities, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines and Ames, and has served more than 100,000 Iowans, according to a company official.

The company plans to operate in Sioux City this summer, and Shah said expansion plans include the Waterloo area.
WATERLOO  The Waterloo Downtown Rotary Club is hosting its annual Hops & Grapes event from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

The event will include wine tastings from Summerset and Engelbrecht Wineries, both local producers. Beer samples provided by United Beverage will feature Peace Tree, a Knoxville, Iowa, Brewery, along with some nationally known craft selections. Gourmet food will be presented by the Ansborough Avenue Hy-Vee Chef Chris Meyers. In addition, the event will feature a silent and live auction.

Tickets are available for $35 by calling the Rotary office at 234-1440, emailing waterloorotary@waterloorotary.com or by contacting Philip Nash at 883-0277 or Philip.d.nash@wellsfargo.com.

The event, sponsored by Boys & Girls Club, Farmers State Bank, Invision Architecture, The Mudd Group, VGM, Wells Fargo, BerganKDV and US Bank will benefit the Waterloo Rotary Clubs special service projects and the Cedar Valley Boys & Girls Club.
WATERLOO  The sounds of children reading mingled with excited barks of shelter dogs Sunday afternoon as the Cedar Bend Humane Society hosted its first Barking Book Buddies program.

Every 15 minutes, a group of children and parents picked out books and walked to a kennel room at the organizations adoption center where they read to a half dozen dogs.

Sweetie, staying in the first kennel, got to hear about the adventures of Skippyjon Jones, read by 10-year-old Jordan Grinnell.

A few doors down, Carsten Meester, age 9, read Biscuit and Mudge books to Lucy.

When the stories were finished, the readers handed the four-legged listeners a treat.

Barking Book Buddies is the brainchild of Maya Gabriele and Avanti Gulwadi, two 15-year-old Holmes Junior High students who are longtime friends and have been volunteering at the shelter.

Both of us have a passion for animals. I really love spending time around animals and just knowing that I can make a difference at a shelter is really satisfying for me, Gabriele said.

We love to walk the dogs. We come in and do that together, Gulwadi said.

The two got the idea for Barking Book Buddies after seeing an article about a reading program in at a shelter in Missouri.

So, after we read about that, we thought it would be really cool if we started a similar one here, Gabriele said.

The students began working on Barking Book Buddies in the winter and used it as part of their schools ALPHA talented and gifted class.

They received book donations and gathered more books from home.

Gulwadi said they looked for a good mix to accommodate different reading levels for the project, which is geared for children ages 6 to 12. She said the program helps children hone their reading skills by reading aloud.

Humane Society officials said the reading also helps the dogs.

Amy Anderson, marketing coordinator, said pairing with a reader helps dogs socialize with people and learn about rewards.

We usually have a radio playing, and it calms the animals. Any noise youd hear regularly, you try to get them acclimated to those sounds. So the reading is part of that, too, Anderson said.

Gabriele and Gulwadi said they would like to bring the reading program back next year and possibly expand it to other shelters in the area.

For more information about the Cedar Bend Humane Society , call 232-6887 or go to www.CedarBendHumane.org.
WATERLOO  When Stephanie Giesler was earning her degree, she didnt expect to become a public health nurse working in a school district.

I made fun of people who might do this job, she said recently while walking back to class with an Irving Elementary School student who had stopped in her office. Irving is one of the three buildings she covers in her nursing duties with Waterloo Community Schools.

A lot of people dont think were really nurses, Giesler said, noting she didnt think at the time that the job was for her. I was going to do something super exciting, like a flight nurse.

She did spend a year working in a doctors office and on the cardiac floor of a hospital. But circumstances eventually led to school nursing after Giesler, with two young children, became a single parent. She has worked at Irving and other district schools for nine years.

This just fit better with my kids schedule, she said. Then I ended up really liking this.

Janet Williams, a school nurse for 15 years, also finds the work appealing. I love my job, you can probably see that, she said recently while dealing with students at Lincoln Elementary School in Cedar Falls.

She appreciates the chance to work with kids and make a difference in their lives. It puts me in my sweet spot. Williams has worked full time in the Cedar Falls Community Schools since fall of 2010.

Both women are employed by the Black Hawk County Health Department, which contracts with each district to provide nursing services in schools. A total of five full-time registered nurses work in Waterloo Schools, each covering three schools, with another three part-time nurses also working in the schools. Cedar Falls Schools has three RNs, each covering three schools, and a part-time nurse.

Giesler also works at Hoover Middle School and Lou Henry Elementary. Williams other buildings are Cedar Falls High School and North Cedar Elementary. Additionally, every school in both districts has a health assistant who works six to seven hours per day.

Theres a lot of need here, Giesler said of Irving. Two ill students rested on chaise lounges in the corner of the room while other children briefly passed through the office with various health issues. She and health assistant Bonnie Ahlhelm were making calls on behalf of the sick students, trying to reach parents.

Typically, Giesler starts her morning at Irving and Lou Henry before moving on to the much-larger Hoover. I spend most of my time at Hoover, she said.

When nurses arent at a school, the health assistant takes care of needs and contacts the nurse via cell phone for any needed consultations. I dont know what wed do as nurses without our health assistants, said Giesler.

At Lincoln, Williams was talking to a kindergartner about gargling with salt water to help her sore throat. Meanwhile, health assistant Deb Dagit was straightening out a pair of glasses frames the girl had been wearing that were a bit crooked. Its the kind of repair Dagit learned to do when she worked at Wolfe Eye Clinic before coming to Lincoln.

When you have a team like this, you can capitalize on your individual skills, said Williams, noting the good communication between the pair. It helps to work with people that are so good at what they do.

She typically starts her day at the high school before the health assistant arrives. Williams visits Lincoln around 10 a.m. to oversee procedures for a couple of students. One of those is sixth-grader Jack Jarchow, a diabetic who needs to check his blood glucose level, which he always does before and after physical education class.

Williams often heads to North Cedar and then back to the high school before finishing her afternoon at Lincoln. When a situation arises at a school when she is elsewhere, shell do an assessment over the phone. That may happen for anything that might need a diagnosis  such as broken bones, head injuries, ear pain or rashes.

Williams said the biggest concerns she deals with at school include cardiac issues, seizures, asthma, diabetes and life-threatening allergic reactions.

Students, who are often unclear about the roles of the nurse and health assistant, at times insist Dagit is the nurse. Sometimes, when I come at the end of the day, the kids say, Wheres the nurse? Williams recounted. When Williams tells the students that she is the nurse, some children will reply, No, the real nurse, she said.

It takes little time to deal with the needs of most children, who are in and out of the nurses office quickly. Thats what I see our job is, to assist our students that have physical, mental and emotional needs and get them back to their learning environment, said Williams.
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Freelance writer Scott Cawelti is having lunch and a conversation with area leaders. This is the second installment from his lunch with Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart.

My life parallels what Waterloo went through from the 80s to now, Mayor Hart insisted during our lunch.

I was lost and down in the 80s, came back from my mistakes, learned from great teachers and mentors, figured out who I was and moved ahead.

Thats what happened to his beloved Waterloo, from the sharp downturn of the -80s, to the soul searching of the 90s, to the rebuilding of the city beginning in 2000 with the riverfront and downtown, to the current citywide revitalization.

Capital investment for January and February is up to $24 million, where in the last two years it was only $5 to $7 million, he said, with more than a touch of pride.

Pride in the city, but never a prideful ego. Hes a humble man, readily offering gratitude for his many influences, from his parents to Walter Cunningham to Bernice Richards to Michael Coleman, pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church. No trace of self-aggrandizement showed in anything he said or did.

I cant think of anything Ive done completely on my own. It was always because people supported and influenced me positively along the way. I needed that.

We talked during a Monday lunch, and I had heard his State of the City address the Friday before at the Walter Cunningham School for Excellence. That night I attended the Waterloo City Council meeting. Id call that a crash course in getting to know Waterloos first African-American mayor, whom I had never met.

I saw a man whos a natural fit for doing exactly what hes doing: leading a major Iowa city in new directions based on cooperation and collaboration.

At Harts State of the City address, I noticed Cedar Falls Mayor Jim Brown wasnt just in attendance, he was sitting on the stage with Hart. The cities new mayors hadnt met before the election. Now theyre good friends, sharing a belief in the Cedar Valley as one of the potentially most prosperous areas of Iowa. Thats their determined goal and shared vision.

When we work together, everything starts to happen, Hart insists, and from what I saw, Mayor Brown agrees completely.

I also noticed Hart seems comfortable speaking at large meetings, leading complex City Council meetings or just eating lunch offering his take on the mayors role in city government. Hes focused, confident and totally optimistic, which is infectious. And he glows with charisma.

At his speech, he had the audience of school kids and citizens in the palm of his hand, listening intently to every word. When he spoke of why we should be careful what we say about our city because our kids are listening, everyone nodded approval.

You cant improve a city with its own citizens bad-mouthing it.

At the City Council meeting, I was downright flabbergasted when he warmly introduced Justin Scott, an atheist, who had requested he give the invocation. Scott spoke about how justice and equality have nothing to do with the supernatural and offered his good wishes to the City Council without regard to religious preference. Talk about ecumenical.

Shortly thereafter, a group of Scotts fellow atheists gathered around Hart as he proclaimed May 5 to be a National Day of Reason on the same day as a National Prayer Day for believers. Equal time for all.

Hart seemed not only unfazed by all this, but downright comfortable and welcoming. That level of inclusiveness was both unusual and admirable, and much appreciated by the freethinkers. This, from a man who said grace before our lunch.

Hes a man of faith, but he takes the U.S. Constitution seriously.

Hart articulated his own vision for the city at lunch. Im working to be not just the best black mayor, but the best mayor of all the city. Its not about me  its about getting people working together to improve the community and solve problems.

He knows some Waterloo citizens might worry he would favor the black community at the expense of the white citizens. Im working for everyone, and Im familiar with our neighborhoods needs. But it wont happen overnight.

Mayor Hart listed a series of recent initiatives: transparency, meaning putting city meetings and records online; broadcasting meetings; rewarding citizens who offer bridges to connect parts of the community; undertaking serious strategic planning; appearing on a mayors show on local cable  and more. This mayor radiates positive energy.

His major challenge? Building trust. People have to learn to trust police, their government and community leaders and institutions to do the right thing. We need more hope and less apathy.

We didnt get much into race relations, but he acknowledged being aware of it and doesnt let it interfere with his optimism. Just then he looked out the window onto Sycamore street beside Newtons, where we sat. A pickup truck rolled by flying a confederate flag.

Yes, he knew the challenges.
One arrested, two to the hospital after hit-and-run crash on I-24 in Christian County
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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.

Bonus: 100% Match Bonus up to 100  Register Now

Betway: 100% Match Bonus up to 100  Claim Now

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May 9, 2016 | By Tess

Here at 3Ders, we have been following the story of Japanese feminist artist Megumi Igarashi (otherwise known as Rokudenashi-ko or Good-for-nothing girl), closely for the past couple years. The artist, who in 2014 was arrested for selling 3D printable data of her genitals to supporters of her 3D printed vagina art project, and who has since been fighting for innocence against Japanese courts, was convicted of obscenity on Monday and was fined 400,000 ($3,700), half of what the prosecutors were initially seeking. The whole case, which has centred on Igarashis 3D printed vagina artworks, has raised a number of questions not only about Japans obscenity laws, but of the contradictions inherent in Japans culture of sexual representation.

Despite being convicted of obscenity charges, Igarashi was acquitted of another charge of displaying obscene materials publicly which she incurred for having displayed a plaster vagina sculpture in a Tokyo sex shop two years ago. This last charge was dismissed because of the sculptures brightly colored finish, which made it appear less real and could be considered "pop art".

"This verdict is extremely rare, said Takashi Yamaguchi, one of her lawyers, adding that it had "high historic value".

Of this ruling, Igarashi expressed that she was "20-percent happy" the court actually recognized her work as art, though was disappointed they did not change their antiquated stance on female genitalia being obscene.

For years, Igarashi has struggled to bring attention to Japans taboo treatment of female genitalia through her 3D printed vagina inspired artworks, which include dioramas, figurines, iconographic sculptures, phone cases, and even kayaks based on her own 3D scans of her vagina. The feminist artist, who has received much support from people around the world, wants to see changes in Japanese genitalia censorship laws, as for the past 50 years, Japanese courts have continued to find any representations of female genitalia to be illegal.

Even the lucrative Japanese pornography industry, which you would imagine you depend on the clarity of genital depictions, must censor genitalia by pixelating it to stay within the law. In an interview from earlier this year, Igarashi even explains how the Japanese word for vagina, manko has remained taboo in Japanese culture saying, My dad had written a little song about penises and vaginas, but when I sang it in the street, people would look at me, horrified. I realized there was a taboo surrounding these parts of our anatomy.

What is especially perplexing about the Japanese representation norms for genitalia, and which highlights their dominant patriarchal culture, is that every year at events such as the Kanamara Matsuri festival, male genitalia, or the phallus, is celebrated and is put on display. This latter event, which features statues and many depictions of the phallus, does not fall under Japanese censorship laws as it is considered a religious festival.

Though the fact that Igarashi was acquitted of one of her charges can be seen as a big step forward for Japanese court rulings on the matter in question, the 3D printed vagina artist says she will appeal the obscenity charges in a higher court to maintain her innocence.

For more on Megumi Igarashis legal trajectory, check out the following stories:

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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by Libby Bishop

In a speech in St Petersburg, Alexander von Humboldt called for the first large-scale research project across Russia to investigate the effects of deforestation on climate. The year was 1829. This project embodied the key features of Humboldt's methods: empirical, comparative and collaborative. He was part of the Republic of Letters, an international community of scholars that exchanged the scientific ideas. Earlier, he had made a five-year voyage to the Americas where he identified 2000 new species, discovered the magnetic equator, and explored live volcanoes. Hungry for yet more knowledge, he wanted comparative data from the East as well. Despite being nearly 60 years old, Humboldt travelled 10,000 miles in six months into Russia collecting data on the climate effects of deforestation, irrigation, and silver smelting. He was even expert at data visualisation, as his Naturgemalde (painting of nature) demonstrates by showing plant names and zones on Chimboraza, a peak in the Andes that he climbed. This diagram exemplified his approach: data-driven, fusing science and art. Doggedly, he sought to unify and connect, resisting the tendency of Enlightenment science to divide and classify (Wulf 2015). By sharing his data in the belief that knowledge should advance public, not private, interests, he was ahead of his time.

Humboldt would have revelled in the volume and variety of big data available to us today. He faced dangers from jaguars, earthquakes, and altitude sickness; our challenges are of another kind. Humboldt collected data primarily about natural phenomena, and thus he did not have to worry about privacy and risks to research subjects from disclosing their data. Today, much of the data needed to further research in key areas, such as health, is about people. Protecting privacy is indeed a hard problem, but we can look to Humboldt's courage and ingenuity as a model for how to approach our data challenges. As he would have done, we must find and promote ways to deploy personal data for public good while protecting privacy. In Europe, this work will go forward under new rules recently announced governing the protection of personal data.

The General Data Protection Regulation

On 14 April 2016, the European Parliament approved the nearly final text of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), replacing the existing Data Protection Directive. The GDPR is intended to update, harmonise and strengthen data protection law across Europe and beyond. The impact will be global because entities outside the EU targeting EU consumers will be subject to this new Regulation. Moreover, unlike the previous Data Protection Directive, the GDPR takes effect as is, not mediated by national laws of implementation.

Earlier drafts of the Regulation had language that would have dramatically curtailed scientific research, but fortunately, this has been modified. In the current version, there are limitations on using data for new purposes different from those for which it was collected, butcruciallythere are exemptions for scientific and historical research. There are other changes that will affect research. The phrase sensitive personal data has been replaced with special categories of data (e.g., race, ethnicity, religion, etc.). Any processing that might reveal these categories is now also covered. Consent remains one key mechanism that can authorise the processing of personal data, so long as that consent is freely given, informed, specific and unambiguous. Consent for future research will be acceptable if it complies with recognised ethical standards for scientific research.

The GDPR protects data subjects' rights



The GDPR retains and may even strengthen the rights of data subjects regarding their personal data. These rights remain broadly the same (to access, erasure, etc.) but are more detailed, and stronger restrictions are placed on data controllers for some uses. Subjects must be informed about profiling and any consequences of being profiled, and can object to certain decisions based on automated processing. Subjects can even demand a review by a human if they have been harmed by automated decisions. Currently, controllers' legitimate interests can justify processing data for purposes different from the original ones. Under the GDPR, if subjects do not reasonably expect further processing, then their rights could prevail over the rights of data controllers. Controllers must conduct data protection impact assessmentssimilar in spirit to environmental impact assessmentsif processing entails a high risk to the rights of individuals.

The GDPR  a compromise, or compromised?

While the Regulation trumpets data subjects' fundamental rights, these rights are not absolute. The right to the protection of personal data is not an absolute right; it must be considered in relation to its function in society and be balanced with other fundamental rights, in accordance with the principle of proportionality. By harmonising national laws, one of the GDPR's main objectives is to promote economic growth, especially by facilitating the free flow of personal data within the internal market. To this end, it adopts an individualistic view of data, namely, by claiming that privacy and trust can be achieved by ensuring that natural persons should have control of their own personal data. This is a complex debate (Bishop 2016), but briefly, much personal data, such as social network and genetic data, also discloses the identities of others, making it impossible to draw an unambiguous line between personal and non-personal data (Barocas and Nissenbaum 2014).

An essential alternative

Even if the GDPR does not go as far as some privacy advocates might have wished, it warrants support because it grounds data protection in a fundamental right to privacy, which in turn is based on respect for human dignity. This differentiates itprofoundlyfrom data protection in the U.S. In fact, it was on the grounds that U.S. law compromises the essence of the fundamental right to respect for private life that the Safe Harbour agreement, which enabled U.S.-European data transfers, was invalidated in 2015. The U.S. approach is piecemeal, with different laws for medical, educational, and other data, and relies on industry self-regulation (DeCew 2013). In sharp contrast, the GDPR can impose fines up to 4% of a company's global revenues for some breaches. Even more alarming, there are growing calls in the U.S. to treat personal data as a commodity that individuals ought to be free to sell. Given recent events, we should be sceptical of yet more financialisation as a solution to complex social and economic challenges (Morozov 2015). John Muir, an admirer of Humboldt, warned: Nothing dollarable is safe, however guarded.

Innovative methods for sharing data

Biobanks, genetic databases, and data repositories are forging legal, technical and ethical systems for responsibly sharing personal data. The UK Biobank developed an Ethics and Governance Framework with extensive public consultation. The Personal Genome Project: UK takes a different approach, acknowledging that privacy and anonymity cannot be guaranteed. It asks participants to volunteer to open their genetic data based on full knowledge of possible risks. The UK Data Service provides five protocols for people, projects, settings, outputs, and datathe Five Safesto enable safe and secure access to confidential and sensitive microdata.

Humboldt resisted those who wanted to use science solely for private financial gain. When others sat on their data until their deaths, he shared his. When political leaders commanded his expeditions to seek diamonds, he collected deforestation data. Our challenge is to share his visionto see data, even personal data, for how it can enhance the public good in crucial areas of health, agriculture, the environment, and urban planning. To achieve this, we must also protect privacy, with vigilance. Failure to do so will erode the already declining trust people have in the institutions handling their data and provoke a backlash against using data for research, even research that would benefit humanity (Royal Statistical Society 2014). This emerging diverse ecosystem of techniques to enable the use of private data for public good honours and extends Humboldt's legacy.

* Quotations are from the GDPR text as of 14 April 2016.
by Hari Balasubramanian

I've lived in Massachusetts for 8 years now, and I've always been struck by the density and variety of trees here  maples, oaks, birches, beeches, chestnuts, hickories, white pines, pitch pines, hemlocks, firs. Look in any direction and your view is likely to be blocked by a tangle of trees: in the winter and early spring crisscrossing, leafless branches form a haze of brown and gray; in the summer, when the leaves have returned, there is a lush, impenetrable wall of green.

Apparently this wasn't always the case: in the mid 1800s, the naturalist and writer Henry David Thoreau, the author of Walden, was able to look out of his back door in Concord [now on the outskirts of Boston] and see all the way to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire because there were so few trees to block his view. In Natural History of Western Massachusetts, Stan Freeman writes:

in the early 1800s Massachusetts may have looked much like a farm state in the Midwest, such as Kansas and Indiana. Farm fields, barren of trees, stretched from horizon to horizon

Also consider this. In 1871, when the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) surveyed the stone fences that European farmers in the Northeast had constructed, they found 33,000 miles of such fences in Massachusetts alone! That number should make clear just how much land was put under the plough.

Things changed quickly, though. As the United States expanded westward in the 19th century, fulfilling its so called Manifest Destiny, the Midwest emerged as a major player in agriculture. Midwestern crops could be sent back east by railroad. The farmers of the New England, unable to compete, abandoned their lands. The forests grew back, hiding the thousands of miles of stone fences.

In 1893, forest land in Massachusetts was about 30% of the land area of the state. In 1998, forest land actually increased to 60%. This still holds true  see 2014 USDA map. The six million residents of Massachusetts are concentrated in a few cities and suburbs, and despite the resurgence of local farms, much of what the state needs is supplied from outside. Travel west of Boston (along I-90 or Route 2 or back roads such as MA-9) and the towns are never very big. At the edges of these towns  with their abandoned mills, red brick buildings, the odd convenience store, gas station, a church or two  are miles and miles of thick forests, winding brooks and wetlands. Even the exceptionally busy Mass pike or Interstate-90 runs through land that has simply been left alone. Driving by at 70 miles an hour, I once remember spotting a blue heron resting among cattails in a small pond.

In Amherst, which is in the western part of the state, residential areas are continuously interspersed with a patchwork of conservation lands. One of my favorite spots is called Lawrence Swamp. Much of it looks like this picture I took a couple of weeks ago. I love how still the water is! You can follow even the smallest of ripples  created, say, by an insect skimming the surface. The mound you see adjacent to the dead pine tree is an active beaver lodge. A flooded landscape with dead trees, broken stumps and floating logs  very haphazard, but to ecologists such features constitute a habitat structure, an arrangement of the physical space that allows diverse species to thrive. In March and April, red-winged blackbirds perch themselves on the stumps, punctuating the silence with their screeches. Occasionally a pileated woodpecker will knock its beak against a tree trunk, not just once but continuously creating an eerie drumming rhythm that can be heard from far.

When Thoreau was having his simple, back-to-nature Walden experience in the 19th century, many species I can easily spot now were less prevalent or even completely absent. For example, the last wild turkey in Massachusetts was shot in 1851. Now they've made a huge comeback; I see them regularly in groups of 6-10, foraging in meadows. Moose were absent then but are now around. Beavers had been eliminated in the 17th and 18th centuries thanks to the profit-driven excesses of the fur trade. In the 1930s, they were re-introduced, and have transformed the wetlands of Massachusetts, creating swamp-like habitats that benefit a host of other species. Just to give two examples: blue herons and pileated woodpeckers make use of small tree islands in these swamps; with the increase in beaver-engineered landscapes, their numbers have risen in the last century.

The return of forests, wetlands, and once-missing or threatened animals: how counterintuitive these trends are at a time when habitats and species elsewhere are being lost rapidly!

_____

References: My primary source for this piece has been Natural History of Western Massachusetts, but also David Foster's Thoreau's Country: Journey Through a Transformed Landscape. The map of the state of Massachusetts comes from this USDA report. Here's a related column on beavers I did for 3QD last year.
by Sue Hubbard

We are homesick most for the places we have never known.

 Carson McCullers

It is a truth pretty much universally acknowledged that the past is another country. But that this country, this green and pleasant land should be seen as other', experienced through foreign' eyes, provides an interesting perspective on our identity.

The power of the photograph is that it allows us to see ourselves as others see us. My goodness did I really look like that, wear those glasses, have that hair style? Don't I look young/slim/naive? Did we honestly behave like that? How odd. I had quite forgotten until now

Curated by the British photographer Martin Parr  best known for his satirical, yet affectionate technicolour images of the British enjoying their leisure in tacky seaside resorts  Strange and Familiar at the Barbican Gallery, London, includes the work of twenty-three international photographers from the 1930s onwards who have responded to the social structures, cliches and cultural changes within this sceptred isle. There's street photography, portraiture, along with architectural studies by a number of celebrated modernist photographers that reveal the diversity within this small island from the Outer Hebrides to Northern Ireland, from Welsh coal mining communities in their death throes, to boys at Eton. It also brings together an extensive photobook section of many rare and out-of-print publications.

At a time when the very notion of Great Britain is in danger of dissolution, as Scotland and Wales continue to murmur about becoming independent nations and England suffers an identity crisis while it tries to decide whether or not to leave Europe, these images hold up a mirror to reveal how others see us: both as an odd, class-ridden post-imperial little island floating in the north sea, and as a modern, culturally diverse society.

England, wrote George Orwell in 1946, resembles a family, a rather stuffy Victorian family, with not many black sheep in it but with all its cupboards bursting with skeletons. It has rich relations who have to be kow-towed to and poor relations who are horribly sat upon, and there is a deep conspiracy of silence about the source of the family income. It is a family in which the young are generally thwarted and most of the power is in the hands of irresponsible uncles and bedridden aunts. Still, it is a family. It has its private language and its common memories, and at the approach of an enemy it closes its ranks. A family with the wrong members in control  that, perhaps is as near as one can come to describing England in a phrase.

But as I arrive at the Barbican it's a sunny day and people are sitting by the waterfront chatting and drinking wine or working on their laptops sipping a latte. The contrast between this well-healed vision of contemporary London and Orwell's Britain of the 40s is enormous. Then the country was poor, dark and cheerless, with a culture of make-do-and-mend and know-your-place. The exhibition starts with Edith Tudor-Hart's images of the East End, along with those of the deprived housing in Tyneside. A black and white photograph of Gee Street, Finsbury, London, taken in 1936, shows two women  a mother and grandmother?  crammed with 6 children into the backyard of a slum dwelling. Shot from above they seem imprisoned in the tiny space. A line of tattered washing flaps overhead and a battered tin bath hangs on the soot-streaked wall. The place is mean, dirty and probably damp. Child poverty, unemployment and the sort of deprivation we now associate with the Third World marked the interwar years in these islands. So it's hardly surprising that children got sick. A 1935 black and white photograph shows toddlers  naked except for goggles, socks and sandals  arms outstretched to receive ultraviolet light treatment at the South London Hospital for Women and Children. This vision of underprivilege is in marked contrast to that of an aristocratic woman in a long Edwardian skirt and checked mackintosh sitting on a bench in Hyde Park two years later.

The exhibition takes us on a journey through a Britain that, in the 1930s, was closer to the Victorian smog-filled world of Dickens than to anything we might recognise now, through the key historic events of the 20thcentury from King George VI's 1937 coronation, to the political protest that erupted in the 1960s and marked the beginning of the sweeping cultural changes in attitudes to sex, class, drugs and music, up to the bland, post-industrial landscapes of the present day.

For many of these international photographers the unfamiliarity of Britain allowed their imaginations free reign. Born in Switzerland in 1926 Robert Frank contrasted the world of the city gent in his ubiquitous bowler hat, strolling down the street with his rolled newspaper, cane and sense of entitlement, with the black faces of Welsh miners queuing against a desolate backdrop for their wages. A black and white photo, taken in 1952-3, shows a hearse in a misty London street, which is completely empty apart form a small skipping girl, a road sweeper and a distant coal lorry. This was a world still recovering from the traumas of war.

Shinro Ohtake arrived here his 20s knowing neither the language nor any people. His coolly observed photographs taken in the 1970s  with their Lyons Maid Ice Cream booths, street markets and suburban streets  read like a stream of consciousness, a diary on British life. The outsider' status of these photographers allowed them to observe the nuanced layers of the social environments in which they found themselves. Though the London Sergio Larrain encountered during the winter of 1958-9 was already showing marked differences to the one observed by Robert Frank. Something of a flaneaur, Larrain roamed the underground and travelled on the top of buses capturing the nascent energy of the post-war recovery.

But it is essentially class, privilege and poverty that are the dominant themes of the eighty years which make up the history of this exhibition. The first real cracks appear in the rigid hierarchy during the 1960s. Garry Winograd captures the mood of revolt and sexual energy of the Swinging 60s: the young women with flowing hair, the young men dressed as Edwardian mods or wearing denim beneath bushes of unruly hair, carrying the revolutionary newspaper The Black Dwarf.

Sometime in the early 1950s, the radical American photographer, Paul Strand, heard a radio programme about the traditional songs of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides and decided to spend three months there, drawn to the islands simple, self-sufficient life that stood in contrast to the industrial re-development on the mainland. The result was a series of remarkable portraits that John Berger noted possessed an infallible eye for the quintessential'.

In 1977 the Queen visited Belfast as part of her Silver Jubilee celebrations. The tribal clashes and protests that surrounded her visit were caught by Aki Okamaru, while the French Magnum photographer, Raymond Depardon, commissioned by The Sunday Times to record images of Glasgow in the 1980s, reveals the grey poverty of the Gorbals interrupted only by a splash of colour from a red car parked outside a tenement building or a small girl's pink dress.

Concluding the exhibition is a series from the Dutch conceptual photographer Hans Eijekelboom that explores the nature of identity by illustrating the ubiquitous fashion choices of those in Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre. But it's The New York photographer Bruce Gilden's tightly cropped, stark colour photographs where he has focused his unrelenting lens on the invisible people' of Dudley, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton  places that have witnessed decades of industrial decline  that throw a harsh light on the under dogs' of contemporary Britain. His aging, peroxide blonde from Essex, her lashes laden with black mascara, the toothless, red-veined face of Peter from the Midlands and the blotchy asexual portrait of a middle aged woman having a perm in a West Bromwich Beauty Parlour are reminiscent of the dark dysfunctional imagery of the Ukraine by Boris Mikhailov. Recorded without sentimentality or comment, Gilden presents those excluded from the growing prosperity of British life and from which many might be inclined to turn away.

www.suehubbard.com

Images:

Gee Street, Finsbury, London ca. 1936

 Edith Tudor-Hart National Galleries of Scotland

Coronation of King George VI, Trafalgar Square, London

12th May 1937

 Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum photos

Street on the day after the Battle of the Bogside

Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, august 1969

 Akihiko Okamura courtesy of his estate, Japan
To err is human, goes the common saying. To blame seems to be human, too.

When one of my patients, a 70-year-old I'll call Victor, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage after falling off a ladder while cleaning rain gutters, his whole family joined in the blame game. Victor blamed his second wife, Alice, for not coming out to hold the ladder steady. His adult children from his first marriage blamed her for allowing a man of his age to attempt that dangerous chore. She blamed herself for not preventing him from drinking three beers that afternoon.

Roundly faulted, Alice felt guilty and depressed at first. She threw herself frenetically into caring for Victor to repair the damage she'd supposedly caused. But over the many months of his slow recovery, she eventually became infuriated. No matter how much she did and how many of her own health problems arose, he and his children demanded more of her. It was as if she could never dig out from under the mountain of blame heaped on her.

Human beings resort to such finger-pointing for myriad reasons: It helps us vent fears and frustrations as well as ward off unbearable guilt. It allows us to avoid feelings of grief over loss. It is also an attempt to gain control and avert repeat disaster in what may feel like a chaotic free fall.

Caregiving families are no different. Care receivers blame caregivers for inadequate care. Caregivers blame care receivers for inadequate effort. Caregivers blame other family members for failing to show up. Other family members blame caregivers for failing to share information and opportunity. Both care receivers and caregivers blame "uncaring" health care professionals  who blame them right back for being "noncompliant" to their expert instructions.

If blaming were an effective strategy for rallying people together, then caregivers would greatly benefit. But it causes most of us to feel hurt and alienated.


Gold Price Risk Mitigation

Perth, May 6, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Blackham Resources Ltd ( ASX:BLK ) is pleased to announce it has sold forward 20,000 ounces of gold at an average price of A$1,701 per ounce and has a further 20,000 ounce of puts at an exercise price of A$1,575/oz. The objective of the gold hedging is to take advantage of the recent rally in the Australian dollar gold price and create certainty over the early cash flow from the Matilda Gold Project.



The initial expiry date on the forward sale is 2 August 2016 and the gold put options 9 August 2016. It is intended as the Matilda Gold Project progresses towards commissioning the forwards will be rolled out against first 6 months production to minimise gold price risk exposure as we de-risk the operations.



Commenting on the hedging, Blackham's Managing Director, Bryan Dixon, said:



"I am pleased that Blackham has been able to secure gold price protection at near record highs prior to production commencing. This hedge provides certainty over the Matilda's revenue as it quickly transitions to 100,000ozpa production. The initial price protection is modest but greatly reduces start up risk as the Company continues development of the Matilda Gold Project."



Matilda gold production is on track for the Sept 2016 quarter.





About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd





Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMC) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.


Altech sells Exploration Licence for $2.0 Million cash

Perth, May 9, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited ( ASX:ATC ) is pleased to announce that it has executed an agreement with Dana Shipping and Trading S.A. (Dana) for the sale of exploration licence E70/3923 (excluding mining lease application M70/1334, owned by Altech) at Meckering, Western Australia for $2.0 million.



Highlights:



- Sale of surplus exploration license for $2 million



- Dispute over termination of Kaolin Mining Rights Deed with Dana settled



- Altech retains ownership of mining lease application M70/1334 for its Malaysian HPA project



- Imminent grant of M70/1334



The exploration licence is surplus to Altech's feedstock requirements for its proposed Malaysian high purity alumina (HPA) plant. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from within M70/1334 which contains an estimated ~11 million tonnes of kaolin mineral resources, representing in excess of 250 years of supply for the HPA plant. Altech continues to hold exploration licences E70/4708, E70/4716, E70/4717EL at Meckering.



Altech will receive proceeds from the sale in two tranches; Dana has already paid a non-refundable cash deposit of $250,000, the balance of $1,750,000 will be paid within 5 business days of the grant of mining lease M70/1334. The grant of M70/1334 is expected to take only a matter of months and will be progressed by the Company in accordance with standard procedures of the Department of Mines and Petroleum (WA).



Execution of the agreement also settles the dispute with Dana over the Company's termination of the Kaolin Mining Rights Deed (refer ASX announcement dated 29 March 2016 for details).



Managing Director, Iggy Tan said "the sale of E70/3923 is a win-win outcome for both parties. For Altech, it monetises the portion of the Company's Meckering kaolin deposit that is surplus to requirements for our HPA project, plus we receive a larger up-front cash injection compared to what was provided for in the Kaolin Mining Rights Deed. For Dana, the agreement delivers kaolin resources for the development of its bulk kaolin business and it removes the requirement for Dana to share M70/1334 with Altech, which was the previous arrangement".





About Altech Chemicals Ltd





Altech Chemicals Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company's 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia and shipped to Malaysia.



HPA is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. Increasingly HPA is used by lithium-ion battery manufacturers as the coating on the battery's separator, which improves performance, longevity and safety of the battery. With global HPA demand approximately 19,000t (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand will be approximately 272,000t, driven by the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the demand for HPA by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market.
Over a five-year period, a government-mandated tracking system in France showed that physicians in that country treated 1,979 patients for serious health problems associated with the use of marijuana, and nearly 2 percent of those encounters were with patients suffering from cardiovascular problems, including heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia and stroke, as well as circulation problems in the arms and legs.

In roughly a quarter of those cases, the study found, the patient died.

In the United States, when young and otherwise healthy patients show up in emergency departments with symptoms of heart attack, stroke, cardiomyopathy and cardiac arrhythmia, physicians have frequently noted in case reports that these unusual patients are regular marijuana users.

Such reporting is hardly the basis for declaring marijuana use an outright cause of cardiovascular disease.

But on Wednesday, cardiologists writing in the Journal of the American Heart Association warned that clinical evidence  suggests the potential for serious cardiovascular risks associated with marijuana use.

And with a growing movement to decriminalize marijuana use, they called for data-collection efforts capable of detecting and measuring marijuanas cardiovascular impact among American users of cannibis setiva.

There is now compelling evidence on the growing risk of marijuana-associated adverse cardiovascular effects, especially in young people, said Emilie Jouanjus, lead author of the French study, which was also published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

That evidence, Jouanjus added, should prompt cardiologists to consider marijuana use a potential cause of cardiovascular disease in patients they see.

In an editorial published Wednesday in the AHA journal, Drs. Sherief Rezkalla and Robert A. Kloner asked, Do we really know enough about the cardiovascular effects of marijuana to feel comfortable about its use in patients with known cardiovascular disease or patients with cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, sedentary behavior, high blood pressure and worrisome cholesterol numbers.

Rezkalla and Kloner combed the recent medical literature for animal experiments, observational studies and case reports linking marijuana use in close temporal proximity with cardiovascular events.

They cited evidence that marijuana use probably increases clotting factors in the blood and that heavy marijuana use may lead to significant changes in the tiny vessels carrying blood to the heart and brain, such that even after clearance of a major blockage, blood flow remains impeded.Aside from heart attacks and strokes, case studies linked recent marijuana use in patients seeking care for increased angina, ischemic ulcers and gangrene associated with blocked blood flow to extremities and transient ischemic attacks, sometimes called mini-strokes.

Notably these complaints often came from patients who were young and had no previous evidence of cardiovascular disease.

We think the time has come to stop and think about what is the best way to protect our communities from the potential danger of widespread marijuana use in the absence of safety studies, added Rezkalla, a cardiologist at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin, and Kloner, a cardiologist at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine. It is the responsibility of the medical community to determine the safety of the drug before it is widely legalized for recreational use.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

A retired three-star Air Force general joined two members of New Mexicos congressional delegation Thursday in advocating for a new multimillion-dollar building to house about 1,200 employees and contractors charged with ensuring the safety and nonproliferation of the nations nuclear weapons.

Retired Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz, undersecretary for nuclear security and administrator for the Department of Energys National Nuclear Security Administration, said the cluster of 25 buildings that make up the NNSA Albuquerque Complex on Kirtland Air Force Base are in dire need of replacement.

The facilities our NNSA and DOE (Department of Energy) employees are working in in the complex here  some of them date back to the early 1950s, Klotz told a news conference after a tour of the facilities with Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M.

In fact, some of buildings that we saw today were originally built as Air Force dormitories. As a person who spent 39 years in the Air Force, I have a certain bit of nostalgia walking through these facilities, but theyre just not the quality workspaces we need for the quality of workforce we have, Klotz said.

The complex includes 18 buildings and seven modular buildings, the latter intended as temporary buildings.

Klotz said the proposed new building would be near the bases Eubank gate.

An independent analysis of the Kirtland complex determined that the best alternative was a new building, as opposed to attempting to refurbish the existing buildings, Klotz said.

The NNSA, created by Congress in 2000, is a semiautonomous agency within the DOE that is responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. Its work is highly classified.

In New Mexico, the NNSA  responsible for designing, producing, and maintaining the militarys nuclear arsenal and for promoting international nuclear safety and nonproliferation  has oversight of Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

We had extraordinarily strong support from the New Mexico delegation as the 2016 appropriations bill was going into conference at the end of last year, and thanks to their help we were able to get some money reprogrammed so that in fiscal year 2016, which were currently in, we have $8 million to begin the process, of designing an appropriate building, Klotz said.

President Obama has requested $12.9 billion for the NNSA for fiscal year 2017  $15 million-plus of which, Klotz said, will go toward completing a final design.

NNSA will request about $50 million for construction in the fiscal year 2018 budget.

We recognize that it will probably cost more than that over the next five years or so, he said. In the interim, NNSA will develop very, very solid numbers in projecting the buildings final cost.

The project, which Heinrich said has been an on-again, off-again undertaking for several years, is very long overdue.

But, he said, its an exciting prospect for 1,200 employees who work for an agency that is responsible for a very 21st-century mission.

These are buildings that were never meant to harbor the people in charge of our nuclear deterrence, Heinrich said.

Lujan Grisham echoed Heinrichs comments, saying that replacing the old buildings with a new one will help ensure the NNSAs missions will be met  and provide a boost to the local economy.

Klotz later said the new building will help NNSA attract the brightest students and retain the best scientists to continue the agencys important work.

Building new facilities and demolishing old unusable ones, he said, is one way to address the $3.7 billion in deferred maintenance facing the NNSA overall.
Recently, I had business meetings throughout southeastern New Mexico.

Over the course of a few days, I traveled from Roswell, south to Artesia, east to Lovington, down to Hobbs and finally ending with a stop in Carlsbad.

During the stretch from Artesia to Hobbs, I took N.M. 82, a rural, two-lane road, through the heart of the regions oil patch. I dont remember being on this road previously, and I think I would because the huge concentration of oil rigs (pump jacks) dotting the landscape cast a memorable picture. Hundreds of pump jacks are perched in draws, on top of hills and right along the road  more pump jacks exist in this part of the country than trees.

Along my journey, crews in trucks that service the oil fields passed in the opposite direction. This part of my trip impressed upon me how many people depend on petroleum for their livelihoods and how vulnerable they are to swings in world prices. At times, New Mexicos Eddy County is the most productive crude producer in the nation and seeing the proliferation of pump jacks made me realize why.

The Permian Basin, which stretches from southeastern New Mexico to West Texas, is rich in petroleum. Colleagues of mine in the business tell me that, if you have to be involved in petroleum during these difficult days, the Permian Basin, because of its efficiency in extracting crude, is the place to be. Other oil-producing regions, such as the Bakken Basin in North Dakota and the Eagle Ford Basin farther south in Texas, are less competitive in terms of their efficiencies and costs in extracting the black gold.

The Permian Basin, like the others, is feeling the economic effects of the drop in world oil prices. As I drove to Hobbs, I observed that approximately one out of four pump jacks was bobbing. The others stood frozen as if they were asleep or paralyzed. Texas exports to the world were down by nearly 13 percent in 2015 as oil and oil-related exports fell as a percentage of the total. New Mexicos overall exports were down by only 1 percent in 2015, but the money that the state has available in its budget has shrunk dramatically.

In my job, I see how drops in oil prices affect the capital that states like New Mexico and Texas have available for expenditures on infrastructure, such as roads and water projects. There is a human element in the petroleum industry that we generally dont read in reports or see first-hand like I did on my trip  even in the sense that it was easy to find a reasonably priced hotel room in Hobbs, which would have been difficult a year ago. I imagine that, even in the lodging industry, people have been laid off or have had their hours cut.

During my trip, I sat down with businesspeople, government officials and economic development professionals to get a sense of how they are handling the economic downturn in a region so heavily dependent on world oil prices. To their credit, government officials have set aside money to keep their operations running during economic troughs. Economic development groups have bolstered the reserve line items in their budgets, anticipating the cyclical nature of the petroleum industry, or a rainy day, which is now upon them.

In every economic crisis, there is opportunity, and the oil patch is no exception. Almost every company I met with that depends heavily on petroleum production is hungry to diversify their business to smooth out the swings in oil prices. A lot of these businesses manufacture products or offer services that can be used in other industries, and now might be the ideal time to explore new markets. When petroleum prices go back up and the industry is healthy again, their diversification will better allow them to handle future economic downturns.

There are also opportunities within the petroleum industry itself. Weaker companies become prime targets for stronger companies to economically acquire them. Most of my petroleum contacts also are telling me that it is very cheap to start new drilling projects as the petroleum service sector is extremely eager for work in order to maintain workers. Companies that have the wherewithal to invest, based on the premise that oil prices will again rise to attractive levels in the future, can see tremendous benefits if they have the staying power.

States that have petroleum reserves are blessed, due to the demand of this resource and the economic multiplier effect it has on local economies. They are also cursed in the sense that communities in the middle of oil patches are subject to factors on world markets that are beyond their control. Saving for the inevitable rainy day and diversification are the keys in weathering the cycle of boom and bust for these communities.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.
An Albuquerque man found stumbling around a local park while carrying a baby, whom he said he wanted to sell, was arrested on drug and child abuse charges Saturday morning, according to court documents.

Police were dispatched to Coronado Park, on Second Street just south of Interstate 40, shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday after a caller reported that a man she believed was intoxicated was wearing a baby in a carrier on his chest.

The caller told police that she heard the man say that he wanted to sell the baby and that he wanted to get rid of the baby, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

When officers arrived to the park, which is a common gathering place for transient people, they saw James Dingman, 39, with the baby swinging around in the carrier strapped to Dingmans chest. They say they saw Dingman stumble as he attempted to stand up, and they approached him because they believed he might fall forward onto the baby.

Police said Dingmans pupils were dilated and his speech slurred. He told officers that hed gone to the methadone clinic that morning.

He said he didnt believe he was putting his son in danger, and added that he was wobbly because he has bad joints and because the baby was heavy, according to the complaint.

When police searched Dingman after handcuffing him, they say they found a container with 15 small, individually wrapped packages of heroin, according to the complaint. Dingman told police that he found the container and didnt throw it away because he was an addict for 25 years.

He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on charges of child abuse, possession of a controlled substance and trafficking.

The complaint did not say what happened to the child after Dingmans arrest or where the babys mother or other caregivers were at the time of the incident.
By now, youve most probably heard of the American Family Associations boycott against retail giant Target.

The conservative Christian advocacy organization is promoting a boycott of the store, saying it has crossed the line by intentionally exposing women and girls to voyeurs and sexual predators with their restroom and dressing room policy.

Please dont think of this article as a condemnation or endorsement of the AFA boycott, but a plea to think about the simple question posted by Pastor Carlos Rodriguez in a recent article: If we keep boycotting each other, then when are we going to engage each other?

Despite that, there are apparently over 1 million people who have signed the petition to avoid the store.

The petition reads in part, Targets policy is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims. And with Target publicly boasting that men can enter womens bathrooms, where do you think predators are going to go? Clearly, Targets dangerous new policy poses a danger to wives and daughters.

However, research by a CBS affiliate didnt back up that contention. The station was unable to find even one recorded case in the United States of a predator posing as a transgender person committing a bathroom assault.

However, there was one 2014 case in Canada. According to reports, a man there pretended to be transgender and assaulted two females at a womens shelter. He was later confined indefinitely to a security hospital as a dangerous, mentally ill sex offender.

According to The Street, Target is not the first company to be caught in AFAs crosshairs.

Its had run-ins with a number of companies in the past, including Walmart. In 2006, the association told shoppers to boycott Walmarts post-Thanksgiving sales because of its outreach to some gay-rights organizations.

More recently, the association encouraged consumers to stop using PayPal after it withdrew its expansion plans in Charlotte, N.C.

It even does a naughty or nice list.

So while were busy flooding social media with anti-Target comments, could we be using our resources more profitably? All of us only have a limited amount of time and discretionary funds, so could we make better use of those resources?

If youre in New Mexico, remember that in a 2015 report, we were at 21.3 percent and 50th for the percentage of people who had incomes below the poverty line ($23,834 for a family of four) in 2014.

Then there was a 2016 newspaper article which reported that New Mexico has the highest rate of child poverty in the United States, according to a new study by New Mexico Voices for Children, an Albuquerque-based advocacy group.

Oh and dont forget that according to the New Mexico Association of Food Banks, nearly 70,000 New Mexicans seek food assistance weekly. Thats the equivalent of a city the size of Santa Fe needing emergency assistance every week.

Between 30 percent and 40 percent of the members of households seeking food assistance are children under the age of 18. Twenty-one percent of the people seeking food assistance in New Mexico are senior citizens.

Sixty-one percent of households report that in the previous year they had to choose between paying utilities or buying food. Of this group, 33 percent reported that they have to make this tough choice every month.

Forty-eight percent of households report having to choose between paying their rent or mortgage or buying food. Nineteen percent of this group are forced to make this choice every month.

With that in mind, where are your resources going? Its worth a thought.

To quote again from Carlos Rodriguez, As a believer of Jesus I choose not to join the righteous noise of boycotting, but rather to talk about God with those who have no access.

When it comes to those in poverty, there are more and more of them.

At Joy Junction were providing over 16,000 meals a month and sheltering as many as 300 people a night  and its on the increase.

Will you join me to help boycott and target homelessness and hunger?
When I read a recent newspaper article about a Los Alamos team visiting Japan to gain perspective on atomic bombings, my first reaction was anger. Anger that the Los Alamos team can spend tens of thousands of dollars to travel to Japan to find out how the Japanese feel about us bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki 71 years ago, but cant even mention the 1945 atomic blast at the Trinity site, or how our own New Mexico downwinders feel about that fateful event.

Judith Stauber, director of the Los Alamos Historical Museum, states, New Mexico residents dont hear a lot about the Japanese perspective.

She, along with the museum registrar and a 16-year-old high school student were traveling this April throughout Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They happily blogged about sampling Japans yummy foods, lovely scenery, cultures and customs, complete with photo ops to send back home, while ostensibly conducting research for a new exhibit that will explore connections created through World War II and the Manhattan Project.

A noble endeavor indeed.

Perhaps when her group returns the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium, of which Tina Cordova is the co-founder, will welcome them with open arms to New Mexican towns such as Tularosa, San Antonio, Carrizozo, and Mescalero country to learn of the locals perspective on Trinity bombs harmful effects on their lives and communities. Seventy-one years later.

To quote Tina, We were unwilling, unknowing, and uncompensated participants in the worlds largest science experiment. Basically, guinea pigs at the hands of our own federal government, which in 1945 dropped the first nuclear bomb on this planet in the middle of a human population numbering nearly 50,000 at the time  and then walked away.

Bo Jacobs, a researcher at the Hiroshima Peace Institute, states in one of the articles that the history of atomic energy is told very differently in Japan; instead of a proud celebration of technology and nuclear science, it is a story understood through people who were killed, who lost family members, who were injured. The innovation of the bomb is expressed only in its human toll.

The Japanese are only statistics in the U.S. story of innovation and military science.

Jacobs goes on to state that the differences between the U.S. and Japanese narratives of the attack  they couldnt be more different. Seventy-one years later.

But I beg to differ. The nuclear bomb survivors living in and around the Tularosa basin feel much the same way the Japanese survivors do.

We know, because we have talked with Japanese survivors and journalists ourselves. We know, because compared to the rest of the United States, the higher morbidity and mortality statistics in many counties surrounding the Trinity site bear out the facts of 71 years of toxic exposure affecting generations.

If the Los Alamos historical group wishes to discover the facts for themselves, I would welcomes them to begin their real research right here at home, where they will find the locals stories to be eerily similar to the Japanese stories.

The one main difference is when Trinity was detonated at ground zero, it didnt kill people outright as did Fat Man and Little Boy. But the lingering death and destruction aftereffects are all very much the same. Seventy-one years later.

New Mexicos downwinders have been written out of the history books, including Los Alamos National Laboratorys museums and carefully crafted stories of the Manhattan Project.

As a physician advocate and active member of Physicians for Social Responsibility, I am angry because a grievous wrong has yet to be righted. The people of New Mexico, the United States, and indeed the world, including Japan, deserve the full truth.

We demand equal time. And that time is now. Seventy-one years later.
Every week, the White House sends members of Congress key points on the national economy, predictably touting the steady recovery from the Great Recession. President Obama has every reason to celebrate the fact that American businesses have added 14.4 million new jobs. But the first thing that comes to my mind every time I read those economic highlights is how did New Mexico get left behind?

As we celebrate National Small Business Week, it is important to note that small businesses are responsible for creating many, if not most, of the jobs that pulled the nation out of the recession.

Conversely, here in New Mexico, small businesses feel the brunt of the impact when government cuts spending, oil rigs are shuttered and banks are reluctant to loan money in a risky environment. Without bold investments, New Mexico will remain stuck in a vicious economic cycle that permanently blocks growth.

We must invest in our priorities, including specific job-creation programs as well as public and private efforts to eradicate poverty, improve our schools, and make quality health care more affordable.

Can you imagine the signal we would send to employers if they saw real progress being made in each of those areas, resulting in a trained and productive workforce?

Everybody agrees we need to diversify the economy. But how? Clearly, the governors policies have not resulted in economic growth. Instead, we have less tax revenue for state government and few options to make the investments we need in this state.

I have a business advisory council, and some members argue that its the job of the private sector and entrepreneurs, not the government, to grow the private-sector economy. The thinking is that business leaders have to adapt to the market and decide whether and when to take risks. That makes sense to me. But I still believe government has a supporting role, even if the private sector takes the lead.

For example, the Department of Energy will soon consider competitive bids to maintain and operate Sandia National Laboratories. I see this contracting process as an opportunity to encourage new ideas to expand Sandias economic footprint in New Mexico.

Last year, Sandia paid nearly $259 million to contracts with New Mexico small businesses. We appreciate those opportunities, but its still just about half of the total ($519 million) that Sandia contracted with all small businesses, including those outside of the state.

I recently wrote to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and asked him to consider, as a starting point, using the management and operating contract for Los Alamos National Laboratory as a model for Sandias next contract. In particular, I am interested in LANLs Regional Purchasing Program provision that incentivizes the use of local and regional subcontractors.

I also participated in a recent roundtable discussion at Sandia to explore ways for women to spur innovation and economic development in New Mexico. About 20 women small-business owners, along with lab and DOE leadership, attended the roundtable discussion, where I outlined my vision to reshape and expand Sandias economic footprint.

We agreed to work together  with a sense of urgency  to improve the economy and create jobs. We can fight for another $200 million in Sandia contracts with New Mexico small businesses.

Those additional investments not only help small businesses in New Mexico; they help put us in a more productive economic cycle. By keeping more money in the state, we have more opportunities to make those needed investments in schools and efforts to address the underlying poverty in our communities.

The ultimate result is more jobs and more opportunities for New Mexico workers.

We dont need to choose between taking small steps and making major policy reforms. We should do both to put New Mexico in a position to create a stable economic future.

Lets bring back our hustle factor and work together with small businesses to rebuild New Mexicos economy.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton said she sees a great role for Bernie Sanders and his supporters in a unified party, even as she said she welcomed Republicans who are not supporting presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Days after Trumps remaining Republican competitors exited the race, the former secretary of state continues to battle for her partys nomination against the Vermont senator, who has taken several positions to her left on economic issues.

Obviously, Im reaching out to Democrats, Republicans, independents, all voters who want a candidate who is running a campaign based on issues, Clinton said Sunday.

Clinton said she and Sanders have similar views on issues, including raising the minimum wage and reining in bad actors on Wall Street and in corporate America. She said she wants to unify Democrats around those issues.

I see a great role and opportunity for him and his supporters to be part of that unified party to move into not just November to win the election against Donald Trump, but to then govern based on the progressive goals that he and I share, she said.

Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver, in a May 6 interview with Bloomberg, warned Clinton against moving back to the middle  a common tactic by presidential nominees from both parties as they pivot from the primary season to the general election. Many Sanders supporters would just sit home, frankly in November if Clinton shifted toward the center on important issues, Weaver said. While working to not alienate the partys left wing, Clinton said shed communicated with members of the Republican Party who werent getting behind Trump, whom she said take their vote seriously and who really see this as a crossroads kind of election.

I am asking people to come join this campaign, and Ive had a lot of outreach on Republicans in the last days who say that they are interested in talking about that, she said.

Clinton didnt say who shed spoken with. Several prominent Republicans, including Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush as well as House Speaker Paul Ryan, who will chair the Republican National Convention in July, have said they did not yet or could not support the real estate developer turned politician.

Asked about the high unfavorable ratings associated with both her and Trump, Clinton said shes not going to run an ugly race.

I dont feel like Im running against Donald Trump. I feel like Im running for my vision of what our country can be, Clinton said.

Polls show Clinton is viewed unfavorably by 55 percent of voters, with Trump viewed unfavorably by 65 percent, according to compilations by RealClearPolitics.

Clinton also said she had not been contacted by the FBI for its investigation into the security of a private email server she used during her time as the nations top diplomat.

She was asked about a report that her top aides had been interviewed in the probe. I say what Ive said now for many, many months. Its a security inquiry. I always took classified material seriously, Clinton said.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump says hes all for bringing together the Republican Party, but the many GOP officials hes branded losers and lightweights will have to fall in line because the voters have spoken.

Trumps strident rhetoric, in television interviews and campaign rallies over the weekend, are characteristic of his outsider campaign. But his latest verbal lashings, after moving from presidential front-runner to presumptive nominee last week, also suggest a candidate increasingly isolated from the very leaders he might need to support him ahead of a tough November election.

And if elected, Trump would need their helping in pushing his agenda through Congress.

For now, Trump is brushing off rejections by influential GOP officials and saying the party doesnt have to be unified in the traditional sense.

Look, Im going to get millions and millions of votes more than the Republicans would have gotten without me, he said.

At the same time, Trump complained that he was blindsided by House Speaker Paul Ryans refusal to endorse him. Trump said Ryan, R-Wis., had called him three weeks ago, after winning the New York primary on April 19, to congratulate him and that the two had a friendly exchange.

A Ryan spokesman said that phone call never happened. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said Ryan disputed the time of the call, not the call itself. She added, I believe this took place in late March.

Trump and Ryan plan to meet in Washington on Thursday. Ryan is on tap to be chairman of the GOP convention in Cleveland in July and would be considered by most politicians as a crucial ally.

Trump said his message to Ryan will be simple: Im going to say, Look, this is what the people want. 

The billionaire businessman is sending a clear message about party critics who are withholding support or planning to skip the convention.

He used the term lightweight to describe Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., once in the presidential race, and suggested former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another former rival, was still licking his wounds from the vicious campaign.

The partys 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, Trump said, blew the election that year and never even thanked Trump for his work on Romneys behalf.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 nominee, said it would take a lot for him to ever stand on stage next to Trump, even though McCain has agreed to support the partys nominee. Last July, Trump said McCain  a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War who was captured after his plane was shot down and was held for more than five years  was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured.

Sen. Jeff Flake, a Trump critic, said Republicans must figure out something fast because Trumps ability to win primary contests by relying on hard-line policies such as banning Muslims from entering the United States might not translate into general election success against the Democrats.

If Republicans want to win, and we do, then weve got to change the approach because were not going to win taking these positions, said Flake, R-Ariz.

Trump adviser Paul Manafort suggested that the Republican establishment was surprised by the candidates rapid rise and therefore has been slow to rally behind him.

Theres a lot that unites the leadership in the Congress as well as Donald Trump, Manafort said. But the important thing to remember is the national titular head of the party is the nominee of the Republican Party. He just won that overwhelmingly, faster than anybody in Washington thought and running as an outsider against Washington.

Trump supporter Sarah Palin said she would do whatever she can to help Ryans primary challenger in Wisconsin, small businessman Paul Nehlen, because the speaker has so disrespected the will of the people by failing to embrace Trump.
New Mexico Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn is proposing changes in his departments penalty process to avoid abuses he contends occurred during Gov. Bill Richardsons administration.

Flynn said that, during that time, penalties imposed on violators of air quality regulations were sometimes used to fund pet political projects or benefit personal acquaintances instead of being directed at environmental improvements in New Mexico communities.

We want businesses to grow and thrive in New Mexico, Flynn said during a recent interview. But when they pollute, we fine them. With these reforms, our department will be better able to hold air polluters accountable, while doing more to address the needs of communities affected when bad actors break the rules.

Proposed changes to the Environment Departments Air Quality Bureau Civil Penalty Policy will be open to public comment starting today and ending June 10. The changes are related to AQB penalties known as Supplemental Environmental Projects or SEPs.

A SEP is a project a violator agrees to take on in a settlement of an enforcement action. Usually done in addition to the payment of a fine, the project is intended to benefit the community affected by the air quality violation and is supposed to be related to the violation itself. An example would be the paving of a road when the violation concerns dust pollution.

But Flynn said that in 2008 the Environment Department under the Richardson administration directed more than half a million dollars in SEP penalties paid by DCP Midstream L.P., an energy company, toward a donation to the Western Governors Association, which used the money to fund the Western Climate Initiative. He said another $20,000 went to a nongovernmental organization called the Climate Registry.

In 2005, Flynn said Helena Chemical Co., a seed and fertilizer company in Mesquite, 12 miles south of Las Cruces, paid SEP fines in the form of donations  $35,000 to the Mesquite Elementary School, $65,000 to the Mesquite Fire Department and $25,000 to the Mesquite Community Center.

He said concerns about the chemical company were raised by Cynthia Nava, who was then the state senator representing District 31, which includes Mesquite.

He said Nava at the time was dating Ron Curry, who was environment secretary in the Richardson administration. Curry and Nava have since married.

Flynn said the way payments are made and to whom can raise questions about the penalty process.

Your motives start to be questioned. Are you doing this because I am doing something wrong or because you are looking to fund a pet project? Flynn said.

In an email forwarded to the Journal by his media representative, Richardson said, I dont respond to absurd allegations by a political hack like Ryan Flynn.

Curry is now the administrator for the Environmental Protection Agencys South Central Region, which includes New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and 66 tribal nations.

A request for comment sent to Currys office was not immediately answered. Nava could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Changes to the AQB Civil Penalty Policy proposed by Flynn includes a sentence stating, No member of the New Mexico Environment Department, including any members of AQB, may propose a Supplemental Environment Project.

Another change states, The project does not involve any donation or gift of any kind to any individual or entity, including a nonprofit organization or a federal state or local government entity.

Starting today, the public can review the proposed policy changes by going to http://bit.ly/1SKC8wK (Download PDF).

I dont really care about the past other than learning from it and making sure I dont make the same mistakes, Flynn said. We still use SEPs, but we make sure they have a direct benefit to the community. We have to make sure that we dont betray the public trust. You cannot have political or personal objectives driving your enforcement activities.
A few days after President Barack Obamas historic March visit to Cuba, a group of Albuquerque high school students also made a trek to the island nation long closed to the U.S.

It was an eye-opening experience for the 11 teens, who got a glimpse of Cubans daily lives through visits to a medical school, mechanics shop and artist studio during the March 24 to April 1 trip organized by New Mexico Human Rights Projects.

They also took in cultural sights like Ernest Hemingways home; the Old Havana arts and crafts market; Museum of the Revolution; and the Christopher Colon Cemetery, one of the oldest in Latin America.

The way of life there was really memorable, said Daniel Gugliotta, a Manzano High School senior. The way people live in the communities and the landscapes, the old cars  its really something I had never seen before. There is nowhere else like it.

Gugliotta read about Cuban history before the trip to get perspective on the incredible transition the country is experiencing as the United States eases travel restrictions.

Under the new rules, announced March 15 by the Obama administration, educational groups can tour independently around Cuba if they have a full itinerary of activities that result in a meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba, according to a news release from the U.S. Office of Public Affairs. Commercial air service from Miami to Cuba was also reinstated, though currently the only available flights are charters.

Amali Gordon-Buxbaum, a Sandia Preparatory School junior, said she felt very lucky to be one of the first New Mexicans to take advantage of the changes.

A veteran traveler who has visited Israel, Ecuador, Benin, Vietnam and Egypt, Gordon-Buxbaum went to Cuba from Mexico in 2003 with her family but cant remember much of it.

I was only 3 then, she said. I should have taken pictures from that trip to see if we went to any of the same places.

The budding journalist particularly enjoyed watching children paint at a cultural arts center and was generally impressed by the Cubans friendliness to Americans.

Regina Turner, founder and executive director of New Mexico Human Rights Projects, agreed that the country seems eager to open up to new opportunities.

She recalled meeting a 16 year-old Cuban girl who dreams about studying in the United States.

It is the younger generation, the ages of the students we took on the trip, who want the changes and who will be involved in the changes, said Turner, one of five chaperones who went on the trip.

They all have smartphones  you can see them hanging out across the street from the tourist hotels so they can connect to Wi-Fi. On the Internet, they see whats happening in the rest of the world and they want it, too.
Albuquerque police on Sunday arrested one of three suspected gang members who remained at large following a federal task force operation in April targeting the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico prison gang.

In April, Fisher announced that federal, state and local law enforcement officers executed 22 arrest warrants and took a total of 19 people into custody. But three people, Paul Enrique Rivera, Shauna Gutierrez and Leroy Torrez remained at large.

Fisher said that Albuquerque police arrested Rivera, 44, of Los Lunas, on Sunday on a federal warrant for a conspiracy to murder or attempt to commit murder charge.

Rivera was charged as part of a Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering and Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act indictment, Fisher said.
NEW YORK  The thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations has many small and medium-sized companies thinking about doing business with the nation that has largely been off-limits for more than half a century. Most companies, however, will have to wait.

The Obama administration has taken steps that allow companies in the travel and telecommunications industries to work with Cuba, but most exports and other business contacts remain prohibited under an embargo Congress passed in 1960 in response to communist rule in Cuba. Because of the embargo, the U.S. exported only $180 million in goods to Cuba last year, most of it agricultural products and medicine. By comparison, exports to nearby El Salvador totaled nearly $3.3 billion. Only Congress can lift the embargo and its not known when that might happen  some lawmakers are against ending it because of charges of human rights violations by the Castro government.

Greg Geronemus travel company, smarTours, expects to run 45 tours to Cuba this year, most of them leaving from Miami. He began planning to increase his Cuba business two years ago, when he ran 15; Geronemus anticipated that the administration was moving toward a normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations.

There is an unbelievable appetite for travel, says Geronemus, whose company is based in New York.

Because of the embargo, Geronemus works with a Cuba-based company, HavanaTur, and an intermediary company in Europe to handle reservations, itineraries and payments. Trips to Cuba must be highly structured under U.S. government regulations, with itineraries that show substantial interactions with Cubans. For example: a visit with an artist or a tour of a community revitalization project.

It is still so cumbersome and it will be for a while, Geronemus says.

Another unknown is what requirements the Cuban government, which controls most of the businesses in the country, might impose on U.S. companies that want to sell goods and services. Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, found during a recent visit to Cuba that officials and business leaders are interested in building a relationship with U.S. companies, but they also want Americans to understand that Cuba, which doesnt have a free market, has a different culture and a different way of doing business.

Theres this great desire, but also some apprehension. And, to some extent, theyre overwhelmed by the U.S., Contreras-Sweet says.

Small and medium-sized businesses will be competing with big U.S. companies that want to trade with Cuba, but Contreras-Sweet expects smaller players will find opportunities with Cuban counterparts. In recent years, Cuba has started allowing people such as small restaurant owners, real estate agents, house painters and homebuilders to work independently of the government.

As relations between the U.S. and the Castro government expand, the Cuban people are expected to demand a better standard of living and that can create opportunities for American businesses, says Ronald Recardo, managing partner with Catalyst Consulting Group in Shelton, Conn. His company hopes to do business with Cuban companies.

Theres a lot of people clamoring for something beyond a subsistence level for their families, Recardo says.

Companies that the U.S. government already allows to sell to Cuba include technology and telecom businesses whose products can improve communications to, from and inside the country. Revel Systems, the maker of software for retailers and restaurants, has started selling its products to small Cuban customers.

Theyre dying for technology, says Chris Ciabarra, a co-founder of the San Francisco-based company.

Revel makes software that allows tablet computers to be used as cash registers. The company has sold its products to a dozen Cuban customers who found Revel by searching the Internet. Revel delivered the software to them using an app.

Ciabarra expects Revels Cuban business to grow because the company tends to get new customers through referrals from existing clients.

It is going to be an up-and-coming market, he says.

Cuba already has a tech-savvy workforce that wants to work with U.S. companies, says Faquiry Diaz Cala, the CEO of Tres Mares Group, a private equity firm based in Miami. These workers are well educated in areas like Web development and programming, Diaz says.

Lori Hirons believes that, when the U.S. embargo is lifted, shell find strong demand for her resort clothing among Cuban women. Ninety percent of sales for her company, Island Contessa, come from other Caribbean markets, including St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin islands, where she is located.

As I read about Cuba, the people have interest in all things American, Hirons says.

While she waits to see what Congress does, shes learning everything she can about Cuba. One unknown that concerns her is regulations Cuba might impose that could make trade difficult, and perhaps impossible, for her.

Its going to depend on how many hurdles there are, she says.

One company already dealing with Cuban government restrictions is Global Rescue, a medical evacuation company that helps people who become ill during overseas trips. The medevac planes the company uses must get clearance from Cuba officials to fly over the country for rescues in a nearby country, says Dan Richards, CEO of the Boston-based company.

We often have to avoid Cuban airspace entirely, Richards says. Were certainly hoping that the Cuban government changes its stand.
President Barack Obamas late-winter globetrotting cannot be written off as an attempt to cover up a foreign policy on life support.

The world, to be sure, has not gone in the direction Obama sought when he took office eight years ago.

The idea of his much-hailed 2009 speech in Cairo, in which he foretold a more constructive relationship with the Muslim world, now rings hollow with the emergence of the Islamic State and continuing Sunni-Shia conflict.

Obama now is adding U.S. troops in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan  precisely the opposite of what he had hoped to do. Israelis and Palestinians are no closer to peace than they were in 2009.

To be sure, Obama inherited a bad set of circumstances. Iraq in 2009 was already destabilized by the ill-advised Bush administration intervention of 2003 that ignited a Shia-Sunni conflict that has not only enveloped Iraq but that now pits Iran against Saudi Arabia throughout the region.

Despite these challenges, Obamas recent trips have been more than window dressing. His venture to Cuba was aimed at accelerating the evolution of a relationship that could see an end to our economic blockade of the island.

His stop in Argentina after leaving Cuba was focused on fostering a close relationship with a major South American country that has just experienced a major change in leadership.

Obamas stop in Germany came in the midst of the immigration crisis that is in part a spillover from the conflicts in the Middle East that we have spawned. Obama is in a tight spot on that issue because Congress opposes allowing any significant influx of refugees from those conflicts into the United States.

The stay in Saudi Arabia was aimed at encouraging Saudi King Salman to curb his disastrous bombing campaign in Yemen that has come about because of the Saudi contention with Iran, which backs one of the Yemeni factions. The Saudi bombing in Yemen has only prolonged a civil conflict and has killed thousands of Yemeni civilians.

One aspect of the Saudi foray is that Obama is trying to keep Congress from passing a statute that would strip Saudi Arabia of immunity from civil suits now filed against it in the United States over allegations that it was behind the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Saudi Arabia may withdraw billions in investments in the United States if the statute passes, because the statute would let victims get at those assets. The proposed statute would erode a basic principle of law that governments are not subject to suit in the courts of other countries.

That is a principle that often works to the benefit of the United States. It protects the United States from being sued abroad, for example, by victims of our unfortunate bombing last year of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan.

Obama might have done more on some issues. He could have joined Europe to make a coordinated effort at peace between Palestine and Israel. Success on that conflict might have blunted the anti-Americanism that spawns anti-American terrorism.

But the president continues to protect Israel at the United Nations by threatening vetoes in the security council on anti-Israel resolutions. He keeps Palestine out of the U.N. He has kept up, even increased, financial aid to Israel. We continue to be viewed in the Middle East as Israels godfather.

Obama could have ignored the ill-framed advice in 2011 of his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, who advocated intervening in Libya. That intervention destabilized not only Libya but much of North Africa. The chaos in Libya has given the Islamic State a foothold there.

Overall, however, Obama has shown restraint. If he is succeeded by Hillary Clinton, who is more inclined to shoot without considering consequences, we might wish we had him back.

John B. Quigley is a distinguished professor of law at the Ohio State University. He is the author of 11 books on various aspects of international law. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
President Barack Obama has put more than a few miles on the Air Force One odometer. But travel is no guarantee of foreign policy success. Indeed, Obama is winging his way toward one of the worst foreign policy records compiled by a U.S. president.

Undaunted, Obama has charted an ambitious international itinerary for his last year in office. So far, he has jetted to Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe.

There are more trips ahead, including this months G-7 meeting in Japan, Julys NATO summit in Poland, Septembers G-20 meeting in China and Novembers Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.

And hes still eyeing some history-making add-ons. Lately, for example, he has been signaling that hed like to take a tour of Tehran.

At first blush, theres nothing unusual about taking long breaks from the Oval Office during the last year of a presidency. Given the distractions of a national election, little happens in Washington.

This leads lame-duck presidents to feel they have a better chance at making a final mark on foreign affairs rather than on domestic issues. While those in Washington may be focused on winning re-election and getting their partys standard-bearer into the White House, the rest of the globe remains more than willing to host the head of the worlds most powerful country.

Yet Obamas end-of-term world tour looks like anything but a victory lap. His recent visit to Saudi Arabia, for example, was more than uncomfortable.

Violence and instability has welled up in the Middle East over the course of his presidency. On every front, conditions are worse than when he took office.

Yet Obama tried to pretend that this has not seriously strained relations with most of Americas friends and allies in the region.

To counter all the bad news, he still trumpets the Iran deal  which looks increasingly insecure. Iran continues long-range missile tests and gripes about not getting enough economic benefits. Meanwhile, the Islamic State remains active and deadly in Syria and Iraq, forcing the White House to up its military commitments to the region.

From the Middle East, it was on to Europe. In Britain, he lectured the country against voting to exit the European Union. That advice won him no friends.

A subsequent poll in Britain found only 4 percent of respondents thought he offered the advice because he cares about Britain.

His future world travels are unlikely to meet greater success. In Japan, for example, he will have to talk around the fact that the trade deal he negotiated  the Trans-Pacific Partnership  stands virtually no chance of being ratified before he leaves office.

At the NATO summit, he will have to keep backing sanctions on Russia. It will be a painful acknowledgment that the much-ballyhooed foreign policy achievement of his first term  the Russian reset  has been an abject failure.

Indeed, as the age of Obama winds down, the best our president can hope for is that foreign affairs dont get appreciably worse.

This administration thought it could bring peace and stability in the world by backing off and giving space to accommodate others. But the Obama doctrine has largely proved a dud. Our foes and competitors have taken every place where he has given  and then theyve looked for more.

The Cuban regime, for example, has tightened its control over the country since the U.S. liberalized relations. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have rebuffed efforts for a negotiated peace. Meanwhile, China continues to expand its presence in the South China Sea; Russia has digested Crimea and is foraging for more, and North Korea is as angry as ever.

Obama has traveled widely, yet accomplished little. It takes more than a massive carbon footprint to make friends, influence people and advance American interests overseas.

A vice president of The Heritage Foundation, James Jay Carafano directs the think tanks national security and foreign policy research program. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
LAS CRUCES  Francisca Lares Ralios, chained at the ankle and wrist, shuffled up to the podium in federal court.

She wore a loose braid in her black hair and stood barely taller than the waist of her 6-foot-2-inch public defender. She was second-to-last in a long line of defendants earlier this month facing sentencing by U.S. Judge Kenneth Gonzales for felony illegal re-entry  meaning she had crossed the border illegally more than once.

It took a moment longer than usual to get the proceedings going since Lares Ralios  like an increasing number of the undocumented immigrants criminally prosecuted in the Las Cruces federal court  speaks almost no Spanish. She speaks Kiche, also spelled Quiche, a Mayan language native to the highlands of Guatemala.

Indigenous communities throughout Mexico and Central America have long sustained patterns of migration to the U.S. But the federal court in Las Cruces only recently began seeing a variety of languages for which it previously had no ready interpreter, defense attorneys say.

The increased flow of migrants from Central America over the past two years has subtly shifted the linguistic makeup of the newcomers at the Southwest border.

Mam  a Mayan language spoken by more than half a million people in Guatemala  last year displaced French as one of the top 10 languages spoken in the U.S. immigration court system, according to the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review. Kiche ranked No. 11.

An assistant to the court dialed a phone number over a broadcast system, and a womans voice came on the line. She spoke English to the courtroom and Kiche to Lares Ralios, who was so soft-spoken the interpreter had to ask her to repeat herself several times.

Before issuing her sentence, Gonzales asked Lares Ralios if there was anything she would like to say. The interpreter translated the judges words, then Lares Ralios spoke. The interpreter translated her words for the judge: I would like to go home and go along with my family.

Last fiscal year, 44 percent of the more than 331,000 immigrants apprehended by Border Patrol at the Southwest border came from Central America. Guatemala alone is home to at least 25 indigenous languages, according to Ethnologue, an online catalogue of the worlds known living languages.

The linguistic variety recently seen in the Las Cruces court  including Mexican indigenous languages, such as Nahuatl, Mixteco and Triqui  has presented challenges for the attorneys tasked with representing the speakers and for the court, which is required by the Department of Justice to provide translation.

Thats the hard part with these cases, said Andre Poissant, the federal public defender who represented Lares Ralios. We often dont have access to interpreters until an hour before a hearing.

Gonzales sentenced Lares Ralios to 35 days in jail: the time she had already served. He recommended she be reunited with a young son and nephew who were in the care of Child Protective Services  they had crossed the border illegally together, her attorney said  with the intention that they might be deported to Guatemala together.
CHICAGO  If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, a good example is the philanthropic funding of education reform.

The latest victims of moneyed saviors are the students and families formerly served by the North Carolina New Schools Project, which had been started 13 years ago with a five-year, $11 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

It abruptly shut down in late April due to financial problems, according to the Raleigh News & Observer, which reported that the project was begun to restructure secondary education by creating smaller high schools. It had been sustained with private foundation grants and some federal and state money after the initial Gates Foundation contribution ended.

Its unclear what the fallout of this particular closure will be  i.e. how teacher support and student achievement will be impacted  but its an example of how even well-meaning interventions from rich donors can end up backfiring on the people they are intended to help.

Free money for schools seems like a harmless, if not a totally wonderful, windfall  especially for districts with high needs and poor funding. But such gifts rarely prompt the questions: What really happens when this money shows up, and who really benefits?

One in-depth case study, The Prize: Whos in Charge of Americas Schools? by Dale Russakoff, is required reading. Released last fall, The Prize is a behind-the-scenes look at what happened after then-Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, Gov. Chris Christie and Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg collectively pledged $200 million in private donations to fix Newarks failing schools.

Spoiler alert: Five years later, the whole thing fell apart and everyone involved moved on to shinier objects to play with. Everyone except the schoolchildren and families of Newark, that is. The Prize is, effectively, a handbook for what not to do if you have money to spend and the desire to transform a communitys schools.

Mainly: Dont swoop in from elsewhere with no knowledge of a communitys residents, their past travails or their current desires for their kids education, and start reforming with sticks rather than carrots.

To be sure, at the time Zuckerberg et al. decided to save Newarks schools, the district was a textbook case of crumbling, failing schools that seemed to be in existence to serve the bureaucracy rather than the students.

Still, Russakoffs tense and highly detailed account of what happened illustrates how the lavish amounts of money actually let governments off the hook for ensuring sustainable resources to educate Newarks kids into the future. Plus, it starved neighborhood schools of funding in favor of installing charter schools that performed only marginally better than the local schools they replaced. All while alienating the parents and community members the reformers were parachuting in to help.

The best aspect of The Prize is that it lets no one off the hook  not the spotlight-craving politicians, the pricey education-reform consultants, community members who cared more about saving school jobs than educating kids or, for that matter, the audiences who screamed with glee when Zuckerberg, Booker and Christie announced their Newark plans to Oprah Winfreys adoring studio audience in 2010.

This high-visibility media hit was how most residents of Newark learned that their kids schools were going to be improved by politically driven actors who set absurd expectations for improving academic outcomes in insanely short timeframes without the buy-in or consent of the families who would be affected by the sweeping changes.

The disgusting and shameful details of just how traumatized the community was by the poor economy and decades of neglect, how broken Newark schools were and how callously the implementation of harsh new initiatives was handled are far too numerous to list here.

But to give you a taste: The school superintendent appointed to enact the reforms threw a party to show donors how great everything was going  and hired bodyguards to ensure no angry parents spoiled their fun.

Russakoffs book underscores that money isnt a silver bullet. And it makes those of us who deeply want public education to be better for low-income and minority children ask ourselves a series of important questions.

What do we mean when we say we want to save public education? Is free money for improving academic achievement really free? And, perhaps most important, what happens when philanthropists attention to improving local education wanes?
The same things that make New Mexicos Bootheel attractive to illegal border crossers and drug mules  its remoteness, rugged terrain and lack of roads  make it just as unattractive to the men and women assigned to work there by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Understaffing is a chronic problem for the agencys El Paso Sector. The sectors Lordsburg station, for example, is budgeted for about 280 agents, but is staffed with only about 230. Meanwhile, ranchers and others in the region say the border is anything but secure, despite what many legislators might think.

Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., recently spent a weekend in the Bootheel meeting with ranchers and Border Patrol agents. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., was down there in March to meet with ranchers and to carry their concerns to Customs and Border Protection.

And, last month, Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., sent Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske a letter detailing what appear to be very reasonable requests for additional resources for the 86-mile stretch of border for which the Lordsburg station is responsible.

One request, for additional horses to patrol the region, is already being addressed. But equally important resources, such as all-terrain vehicles and a sufficient number of night-vision devices, are in limbo.

But the most pressing need  financial and other incentives to attract and retain agents to the Bootheel  should take priority because, without boots on the ground, night-vision goggles and horses are useless.

New Mexicos congressional delegates should turn the heat up on Customs and Border Protection to increase security on the Bootheels border with Mexico.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

FOR THE RECORD: This story identified Democratic Bernalillo District Attorney candidate Edmund Perea as a former prosecutor. He works on contract as a special prosecutor in the 13th Judicial District, covering Valencia, Sandoval and Cibola counties.

In 2012, a federal judge accused an up-and-coming assistant U.S. attorney in New Mexico of trying to unfairly alter a transcript of a recorded encounter between drug agents and an Amtrak train passenger suspected of carrying a stash of crack cocaine.

Weeks later, in an unusual action, the U.S. Attorneys Office asked the judge to withdraw her negative written comments about prosecutor Raul Torrez, contending her findings could lead to an internal U.S. Justice Department inquiry and possible disciplinary action.

The U.S. Attorneys Office denied that Torrez acted in bad faith but acknowledged in a court filing that there were imperfections in how the evidence was prepared and presented for a pretrial hearing on whether the search of train passenger Billie Tiea Vaughn was illegal.

Torrez, who left the U.S. Attorneys Office in 2013, is a candidate in the June 7 primary election for the Democratic nomination for state district attorney for Bernalillo County.

Torrez said in a recent interview that he regrets there was a misunderstanding of a transcript he initially offered at the October 2011 hearing on a defense motion to suppress the evidence. He said he never intentionally tried to mislead anyone.

In her final ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo found that Vaughn had been coerced into submitting to the search by two drug agents. But heeding the U.S. Attorneys Office request, she removed this paragraph that appeared in her original order:

Based on the foregoing, the Court finds that the Government attempted to unfairly alter the content of the official transcript and thus the substance of what is purported to be represented on the audio recording in the case. Specifically, the Court finds that the Government attempted to take advantage of the obviously poor quality of the audio recording and the chaotic environment in the train car by having its witnesses  make substantive changes to the official transcription of the recording in a manner that favored the governments case.

She also deleted other language that faulted the testimony of the two drug agents during the suppression hearing as being colored or influenced by the governments efforts.

The day after Armijo filed her amended ruling in January 2013, prosecutors dismissed the felony drug possession case against Vaughn.

Torrez resigned six months later to work as a civil attorney in private practice in Albuquerque.

Torrez said he was never disciplined or asked to leave the U.S. Attorneys Office and said his departure was unrelated to the Vaughn case. He spent about 2 years as a federal prosecutor.

In hindsight, Torrez told the Journal, he wouldnt have used any transcript in the Vaughn case  and would have relied on the audio recording, which was unintelligible at times, and on the testimony of the two agents who arrested Vaughn on April 18, 2011.

I could have done a better job  but I had no idea there were going to be any kind of findings (from the judge), Torrez said. As for the problems in preparing the evidence, Torrez noted he had 50 other cases going on (at the time).

I was pretty surprised and upset (at the judges initial ruling), Torrez told the Journal. Im pretty protective of my professional reputation. Ive worked extremely hard both in school and my professional life. And the idea that I would jeopardize all of that, and my law license, for a drug case? That, frankly  doesnt make any sense.

Judge Armijo didnt respond to a request for comment about the Vaughn case. The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment, saying it was a personnel matter.

Kenneth Gonzales, who was U.S. attorney in New Mexico at the time of the case and is now a U.S. district judge, referred the Journal to the publicly-filed briefs and the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Steve Yarbrough, who was first assistant U.S. attorney and signed the court motion asking the judge to withdraw her remarks about Torrez, declined to comment. He is now a U.S. magistrate.

Torrez, 39, said he left the U.S. Attorneys Office to broaden his legal experience, which previously included a one-year stint as a White House fellow and working as a prosecutor in the Valencia County District Attorneys Office and the state Attorney Generals Office. He has been a lawyer for 11 years.

Torrez faces special prosecutor and retired Albuquerque Police Department officer Edmund Perea in the Democratic primary for district attorney.

Search consent

Torrez characterized the Vaughn prosecution as a run-of-the-mill train case. When Amtrak trains stop in Albuquerque, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration routinely checks passenger train ticket stubs for signs of drug couriers or traffickers.

Vaughn and her cousin, both from Connecticut, had purchased one-way tickets from Los Angeles to Chicago with cash on the same day the train departed.

That raised red flags for DEA Agent Jarrell Perry, he later testified, so he approached the two women on the train to ask if they would allow their bags to be searched. Working with Perry was APD officer Jeannette Tate, who was on hand to conduct pat-downs of female suspects.

During Tates search of Vaughn, she found 43 grams of crack cocaine inside the womans sweatpants.

At issue in the October 2011 suppression hearing was whether Vaughn gave full, knowing consent to the search.

Perry wore a recorder on his belt to document such encounters, but Torrez told the judge at the hearing that an initial transcript of Perrys recording by a professional court reporting service left questions about who was saying what.

So before the hearing, Torrez said, he asked both Perry and Tate to review that transcript and make changes based on their recollection of what occurred.

Torrez made a new transcript that combined their changes and informed the judge during the hearing that he wasnt offering it as evidence but an aid for listening to the recording.

Defense attorney Cliff McIntrye objected, telling the judge, Theyre trying to make an illegal search legal by making changes in the transcript.

Torrez ultimately withdrew the revised transcript from consideration.

Defendant coerced

Judge Armijo concluded Vaughn was too distracted, in part by being on her cellphone, to have unequivocally given consent to the search.

Both the defendant and DEA Agent Perry testified at the suppression hearing that Vaughn was talking on the phone when Perry asked her whether she would agree to a pat-down.

He made the request after an earlier search of the cousins luggage turned up no contraband.

Perry had also identified Vaughn as the unidentified woman heard on the audio recording saying, Can I call you back?

But the revised transcript presented by Torrez showed that APD officer Tate, not the defendant, asked the question, Can I call you back?

At the hearing, Tate also testified that Vaughn wasnt on her cellphone when Perry asked for her consent.

Tate had been elsewhere on the train when Perry went to find her so she could perform a pat-down of Vaughn and her cousin.

Tate testified she got a call from her office during the time I was following agent Perry to meet  talk with the females.

Later in the hearing, however, Torrez told the judge he understood Tates testimony was that she received the phone call probably when the pat-downs happening.

At one point in the hearing, defense attorney McIntyre interjected, Its just clearly unreasonable to think that (Tate) was talking on her cellphone while she was searching somebody.

He argued that Tates version of events would save the day for the government, which could argue Vaughn wasnt distracted by the phone and therefore could understand that Perry asked for her consent to search.

After the judge pressed the issue at the hearing, Torrez said, Theyre both on the phone.

Well, why didnt the tape recording then pick up both phone calls? Armijo asked, according to a 202-page transcript of the pretrial hearing.

Torrez eventually stipulated that the defendant was on the telephone. But he dismissed the issue as irrelevant, telling the judge that even if Vaughn was on the phone, she can clearly understand whats going on.

Torrez told the Journal that he changed the transcript before the suppression hearing because Tate had reviewed the audio recording and identified herself as the woman on the phone. She knows what her voice sounds like  so I changed that, he said.

Tate, who couldnt be reached for comment, retired from APD in 2014. Perry didnt return a phone call seeking comment.

In ruling the search illegal in November 2012, Armijo found that Vaughn couldnt have freely consented because she was distracted not only by being on her cellphone, but by the multiple overlapping conversations occurring at the same time and the train noise.

Vaughn did say yes when Perry asked her about the pat-down, the judge noted. But without any break in her speech, Vaughn then inquired why she and her cousin were being singled out. The yes was an acknowledgment that Perry had spoken to her, rather than an affirmative consent to submit to a search, the judge wrote in her ruling.

Agent Perry also never clarified that the defendant didnt have to consent to the search, the ruling also said. The judge concluded the drug agent initially misrepresented his reason for the search, telling the cousins he was looking for passengers carrying weapons or explosive devices.

Thus the official misconduct was significant, the judge wrote.
The U.S. Attorneys Office in New Mexico, in support of then-assistant U.S. attorney Raul Torrez, asked a federal judge to remove three paragraphs from a ruling in which she suppressed the evidence in the crack cocaine case of Billie Tiea Vaughn in 2012.

Noting there may be significant career implications with regard to the government attorney in this case, the U.S. Attorneys Office contended there were no unfair or misleading changes made by the government in a transcript of a recording of a Drug Enforcement Administration search of Vaughn and asked the judge to review a transcript Torrez had previously withdrawn.

In response, Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo on Jan. 7, 2013, amended her written ruling.

Both the original and final rulings are in the public file at the U.S. District Court Clerks Office in Albuquerque.

Torrez, now running for state district attorney for Bernalillo County, told the Journal his supervisors in the U.S. Attorneys Office did an exhaustive review of what happened in the Vaughn case and found he acted in good faith. He said he had nothing to do with writing the motion asking the judge to reconsider her comment.

The motion said in part, Any infirmities  did not result from a conscious effort to present a transcript and testimony that failed to accurately reflect the events that led to Defendants arrest. An AUSA (assistant U.S. attorney) should not be indelibly stained with the stigma of wrongdoing unless the accusations against that AUSA are thoroughly reviewed and determined to be well founded.

If not withdrawn, the judges finding could result in a referral to the Office of Professional Responsibility, the motion added. That Washington, D.C., agency, which reports directly to the U.S. attorney general, investigates allegations of professional misconduct made against Justice Department attorneys.

The agencys website says that supervisors in a U.S. Attorneys Office are required to report to the Office of Professional Responsibility any evidence or nonfrivolous allegation of serious misconduct involving a staff attorney, including any judicial finding of misconduct. Torrez said the Office of Professional Responsibility never investigated the matter.
OAK CREEK CANYON, Ariz.  Authorities say a rescue team has found the body of an Arizona State University professor who had been reported missing from a northern Arizona campground.

Coconino County Sheriffs officials say in a news release the body of 59-year-old Debra Ann Schwartz was found about 11:10 a.m. Sunday in an unnamed slot canyon. She was about a half-mile from her camping spot in the Pine Flat Campground in Oak Creek Canyon.

The sheriffs office received a call from the campground about 9 a.m. Friday when Schwartz failed to check out as scheduled.

Search teams had to rappel to reach Schwartzs body. Sheriffs officials say she was found in extremely rough terrain.

A cause and manner of death have not been determined. Schwartz, of Tempe, taught English at ASU.
A series of tornadoes swept across eastern Colorado, causing several minor injuries and damaging motorhomes and buildings. Another spring storm brought deadly driving conditions to northern Arizona.

The National Weather Service said at least four tornadoes hit in Yuma County Saturday, about 100 miles east of Denver, near Colorados borders with Nebraska and Kansas.

One of those twisters struck just north of the town of Wray about 6 p.m. MDT, and left five people with minor injuries, according to NWS Science and Operations officer Jeremy Martin.

Speaking in a telephone interview from his office in Goodland, Kan., Martin said that tornado also damaged some buildings and other structures.

Storm chasers reported that it traveled for about 10 miles on the ground.

We had at least four tornadoes in Yuma, Martin told The Associated Press. Were still trying to get an exact number.

He said that a survey team will travel to the area after daylight Sunday to get a better assessment of the storm and its damage.

There were no immediate reports of injury or damage from the other three confirmed tornadoes in the area.

Earlier in the day, officials said a tornado in Morgan County damaged about a dozen motorhomes and caused some minor injuries.

Bernie Meier, a meteorologist in the NWS office in Boulder, Colo., said the twister near the community of Wiggins, about 65 miles northeast of Denver, was one of at least two in Morgan County.

County Sheriff James Crone told The Denver Post most of the Colorado camper vehicles were unoccupied when the tornado hit, and everyone refused medical care.

The NWS had issued alerts for people to take shelter from large hail and severe thunderstorms as the storms moved through the Front Range toward the Nebraska border.

Forecaster said that the bad weather had eased by mid-evening but severe weather was possible further east in Kansas and northern Oklahoma Sunday.

Meanwhile, two people died and six others were injured in a series of weather-related traffic crashes in northern Arizona.

Around 10 a.m., a vehicle rolled due to icy roads and hail on Interstate 40 near the community of Ash Fork. Two people tried to help the occupants and were struck and killed by a commercial vehicle, authorities said.

Those wrecks caused a chain reaction of at least three more crashes. Six people were taken to Flagstaff Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

A stretch of I-40 was shut down as troopers investigated, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

Elsewhere, a storm that pounded parts of Central and Southern California with heavy rain  causing streets to flood and closing key freeways for a time  continued to bring scattered showers Saturday. The rain was heavy at times, prompting weather forecasters to leave flash-flood warnings in effect.

Rain and thunderstorms could continue in the area into Sunday, forecasters said. The storm rolled in Friday.

Flash-flood warnings remained in effect for the mountain areas of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, as well as the Antelope Valley on the northern edge of Los Angeles County and Central Californias Cuyama Valley.

An unseasonably moist and unstable air mass will bring the potential for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms to the Antelope and Cuyama valleys and all the mountain areas from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara counties, excluding the Santa Monica range, the National Weather Service said in a statement warning travelers to avoid taking roads filled with swift moving water.

Turn around, dont drown, Saturdays statement concluded.

The California Highway Patrol temporarily shut down northbound lanes of Interstate 5 at the Grapevine mountain pass Friday evening due to flash flooding. The closure caused traffic on the freeway  the main route connecting Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area  to back up for miles.

Also Friday, a fast-moving thunderstorm dropped heavy rain on the Southern California cities of Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, stranding drivers who got caught on flooded streets. The roof of a warehouse in the area collapsed under the weight of accumulated rain water.
RALEIGH, N.C.  Digging in Monday in his fight with the federal government, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory sued the U.S. Justice Department to preserve the states new law restricting the use of public bathrooms by transgender people.

This is not a North Carolina issue. It is now a national issue, McCrory, a Republican who is up for re-election in November, declared at a news conference.

The move sets up a potentially epic standoff with the Obama administration, with billions in federal aid at stake. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was expected later Monday to announce law enforcement action against North Carolina.

At issue is a fiercely disputed North Carolina law that says transgender people must use the restroom corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate. The law, which took effect in March, also excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from state anti-discrimination protection and bars local governments from adopting their own anti-bias measures.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department said the law amounts to illegal sex discrimination against transgender people and gave McCrory until Monday to say he would refuse to enforce it.

McCrory instead doubled down with a lawsuit arguing that the North Carolina law is a commonsense privacy policy and that the Justice Departments position is baseless and blatant overreach.

The governor accused the Obama administration of unilaterally rewriting federal civil rights law to protect transgender peoples access to bathrooms, locker rooms and showers across the country.

I do not agree with their interpretation of federal law. That is why this morning I have asked a federal court to clarify what the law actually is, McCrory said. He added that Congress should ultimately clarify the reach of the nations civil rights laws.

The North Carolina law has set off protests by gay rights groups and triggered cancellations and boycotts, with stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam calling off shows. PayPal abandoned a planned 400-employee operation center in Charlotte, and Deutsche Bank froze expansion plans near Raleigh.

Nearly 200 corporate leaders from across the country, including Charlotte-based Bank of America, have urged the laws repeal, arguing it is bad for business because it makes recruiting talented employees more difficult.

Several other states have proposed similar laws in recent months limiting protections for gay, bisexual and transgender people. On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi sued that state over a law that will allow workers to cite their religious objections to gay marriage to deny services to people.

In their warning letters to North Carolina, federal civil rights enforcement attorneys focused on the bathroom provision. The letters were sent to McCrory, leaders of the 17-campus University of North Carolina system, and the states public safety agency.

The Justice Department noted a ruling last month by a federal appeals court that a transgender Virginia high school student has a right to use bathrooms that correspond with his new identity. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is binding on five states, including North Carolina. Virginia is seeking a re-hearing by the entire appeals court.

Defenders of the North Carolina law have argued that it necessary to protect the safety and privacy of people in bathrooms. But opponents have argued that the danger of a transgender person molesting someone in a restroom is all but imaginary.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat running against McCrory for governor, has refused to defend the law, which was passed in reaction to a Charlotte ordinance allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity.

The U.S. Education Department and other federal agencies could try to cut off money to North Carolina to force compliance.

The government is acting as funder, not just enforcing federal laws, and they provide that money on the condition that it not be spent in a discriminatory manner, said Brad Sears, executive director of the Williams Institute, a LGBT-issues think tank based at UCLAs School of Law.

The state university system was expected to issue a separate response to the warning letter. The universitys governing board scheduled a meeting for Tuesday to receive a private legal briefing from its top staff attorney.

The UNC system risks losing more than $1.4 billion in federal funds. An additional $800 million in federally backed loans for students who attend the public universities could also be at risk.
Gov. Susana Martinez reiterated her calls this morning for higher education institutions to do more to graduate more students with greater efficiency.

Among her calls during a speech at the National Hispanic Cultural Center was for the number of credit hours for the states programs to be set at 120 credit hours. Currently, a little more than 30 percent of programs fit that bill, but she said she wants to see more than 50 percent of programs reach that mark by next fall.

Well work together to find ways to do it without endangering accreditation or compromising on the quality of our degrees, she told a gathering of New Mexico college and university administrators.

Martinez also called for more uniform course offerings to make transferring credits between state institutions easier for students, as well as for colleges to adopt tuition incentives to encourage students to graduate in four years.

UNM currently offers the final semester free to undergraduate students who are able to graduate in four years. Martinez said its key to get students to graduate more quickly to save them money and to better benefit the states economy.

Statewide, colleges and universities suffered a roughly $20 million loss in state funding during the last legislative session. UNM lost $8 million, and the university has since cut vacant positions and raised tuition among other measures to address the shortfall.
FOR THE RECORD: Michelle Carlino-Websters name has been corrected in this story.

While 40 uniformed police and sheriffs officers and a bench full of federal prosecutors looked on, Davon Lymon pleaded guilty Monday morning in federal court to two counts of heroin dealing and one count of selling a firearm to an undercover officer of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

In a front row was Michelle Carlino-Webster, the widow of the man law enforcement believes Lymon shot and killed during a traffic stop.

Lymon, a tall man with a full beard, is a suspect in the October 2015 shooting of Albuquerque police officer Daniel Webster, but at this point he faces no state charges directly related to the fatal shooting.

Instead, the 35-year-old Lymon has resolved one of two federal cases against him that the state wants to be over before it takes the Webster shooting before a grand jury. He is being prosecuted under the U.S. Attorney Offices worst of the worst anti-violence program.

Webster was shot in Southeast Albuquerque on Oct. 21, 2015. Lymon allegedly fired six rounds as the officer attempted to handcuff him. Webster died eight days later from injuries sustained in that stop.

The heroin distribution case was to have gone to trial before a Las Cruces jury next month, but the plea resolves that issue.

Chief U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo asked Lymon, flanked by federal public defenders Marc Robert and Kari Converse, a series of questions about the voluntary nature of the plea before he answered guilty to the three charges.

He was charged with knowing distribution of heroin and illegal possession of a firearm he sold to a federal undercover agent. He could not legally own a gun because of prior convictions for voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily harm, fraud and forgery.

Part of the indictment was forfeiture of money he is alleged to have made in the sales of heroin to an undercover agent  $2,200 on Sept. 11, 2015, and $4,000 on Oct. 2, 2015, the date he also sold a gun to the agent for $300.

Lymon said he was aware of the potential time he faces on the indictment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jake Wishard said that would be 50 years if the court sentences him to serve them consecutively.

Lymon told Armijo he was born in Boston, completed a GED degree, some college prerequisites in English, history and science, and that he had not served in the military. He said he obtained certification in fiber optics while serving an earlier sentence at the Los Lunas Correctional Facility.

In a second federal case, also before Armijo, Lymon is charged with four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The first three counts are unrelated to either the heroin trafficking or the Webster shooting, but the fourth charges him with possessing the gun with which Webster was shot. Separate trials are scheduled on the Webster-related firearm possession and the other three counts.

Armijo ordered a pre-sentence report, which usually requires 70 days, but the defense already had asked the federal probation office to prepare its calculation of the time Lymon faces under federal sentencing guidelines, which could speed the process.

David Waymire, violent crimes supervisor in the 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office, said that because of case dismissals under the new local rule, state prosecutors opted to wait and see what his federal sentence would be before seeking a homicide indictment. The process of obtaining the writ to get someone out of federal custody and into state custody is time-consuming, he said.

We will go forward with the murder charges  were just deciding on the best timing, Waymire said.

Jeff Rein, an attorney in the capital crimes unit of the Law Office of the Public Defender who will be involved in the state court case, was among those in court Monday for Lymons plea.
The Navajo Nations president has reacted to concerns raised by the abduction and death of an 11-year-old girl by setting a 60-day goal for establishing a new tribal alert system to provide notifications of abductions and other emergencies.

Tribal President Russell Begaye announced Monday he has created a task force headed by the tribes telecommunication director and the director of the Department of Public Safety.

Its time for us to put our foot down and get all the respective agencies on the same page to implement an alert system that will effectively notify the Navajo people of any abductions or other crises that affect their communities, Begaye said from tribal offices in Window Rock, Ariz.

Eight hours passed between the initial missing persons report made the evening of May 2 by the family of Ashlynne Mike to tribal police and the issuance early on the morning of May 3 of an Amber Alert by New Mexico State Police, at the FBIs request.

A search began the evening the girl was reported missing. Her body was found the next day.

Tribal police have said the delay before the Amber Alert was issued stemmed from a lack of information on the abduction and the suspect, and from the time it took to notify outside authorities.

Begaye said last week in a statement issued the day after the abduction that the tribe needs to implement an effective response system in which modern technology is utilized more effectively.

He said Monday that tribal officials will consult with telephone companies and are testing a text-message alert system.

We need to come up with something formal. We need to identify areas of technology, specifically cellphone technology, that we can use to implement an alert system on the Navajo Nation, said Jesse Delmar, the public safety director. It needs to be done immediately.

A 27-year-old Navajo man who lives in the general area where the girls family lived has been arrested in the case.
DENVER  New limits on solitary confinement for Colorados juvenile offenders are headed to the governors desk.

Lawmakers agreed Monday on a measure to make it harder to use solitary confinement in state-run juvenile facilities.

The bill limits the use of solitary confinement to four hours without approval of the head of the state Division of Youth Corrections. The practice could be used more than eight hours only if theres a court order. Staff must check on the youth every 15 minutes.

The bill also requires juvenile facilities to track the race, age and gender of youths held in solitary.

President Barack Obama in January called for a ban on putting juveniles housed in the federal prison system in solitary confinement.

___

Online:

House Bill 16-1328: http://goo.gl/BCDz4b
Intrepid Potash Inc., which employs about 800 people at mines and processing facilities in and around Carlsbad, announced Monday that it will idle one of its mines there, potentially impacting 300 employees.

Low world prices for potash and declining revenue has forced the company to cut production costs, said Intrepid executive chairman and CEO Bob Jornayvaz in a statement Monday to announce company earnings for first-quarter 2016.

Intrepid reported an $18.4 million net loss for the quarter, compared with $6.5 million in positive net income during the same period last year. The company received about $216 per ton on average for its potash during the first three months of this year, down about 40 percent from last year, and about 22 percent from fourth-quarter 2015.

In the quarter, we continued to be significantly impacted by declines in potash pricing and general oversupply in the U.S. markets, Jornayvaz said. In response to this challenging environment, we are taking actions to lower our overall production costs and optimize our mine portfolio. Accordingly, today we announced the difficult, but necessary, decision to idle the West facility.

The company also said it accelerated the process of transitioning its East facility from a high-cost potash production operation to a lower-cost facility focused exclusively on making specialty fertilizer called Trio. Its unclear if that transition, completed in April, will affect workers there. Company officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Local officials said its still unclear how many of the 300 West facility workers will be impacted in July when the plant is idled. City officials will meet with Intrepid representatives this evening, said Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway.

Theyre a hard-working bunch of people, Janway said of the Intrepid employees. It is through no fault of their own that the industry is experiencing a historically low sales price due to worldwide production, and we want to do whatever we can to help them by creating additional opportunities in the area. Were hopeful the downturn will be short-lived.

City administrator Steve McCutcheon said it appears most Intrepid workers will remain employed at the companys other facilities, which include a solar-operated mine and flotation plant and a compaction plant, in addition to the East and West mines.

Employment levels have historically been around 800 people, McCutcheon said. Depending on how many we lose at the West mine, well still have about 500 people working out there.

But given the current slump in the oil and gas industry, any new mining-related job losses would be hard for the local community to absorb, said Eddy County Commissioner Stella Davis. As of March, the county unemployment rate reached 5.5 percent, up from 4.8 percent a year ago, according to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions.

This couldnt come at a worse time with oil and gas production down, Davis said. A lot of people are already out of work. Its devastating.

New Mexico is the nations No. 1 producer of potash, which is primarily used as a fertilizer for a variety of agricultural crops. As of 2015, potash ranked as New Mexicos most-valuable mineral mining commodity, generating just over $1 billion in revenue last year, according to the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.
The nations only Latina governor says she will be attending the Republican National Convention amid anxiety within the party over the presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez said Monday that she has a responsibility to attend the convention since she is the head of the Republican Governors Association. But she says she is concerned about the discord in the party over Trump.

The second-term Republican governor has criticized Trumps proposal to build a bigger wall along the U.S.-Mexico border as a threat to international trade relations.

Martinez is a prominent Republican fundraiser in New Mexico and nationwide as chairwoman of the RGA, a fundraising arm of the GOP.

Martinezs announcement comes as other high-profile Republicans say they are considering skipping the convention.
Easterly Government Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, said Monday it acquired the 71,000-square-foot Immigration and Customs and Enforcement building in Mesa del Sol for $34 million.

The company, which is focused on buying buildings that are leased to government tenants, disclosed the amount it paid for the facility it closed on in late February in its first-quarter 2016 results. Easterly, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, said the ICE Albuquerque transaction was the companys eighth acquisition since its initial public offering a year ago, and its first transaction in 2016.

An Easterly spokeswoman would not identify the seller of the building, which was built in 2011. At that time, the Journal reported that construction was underway on a two-story, 33,000-square-foot office building at Mesa del Sol for the Drug Enforcement Administration, with construction expected on a second, larger 71,000-square-foot building for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The two buildings, which had a combined construction cost of close to $10 million, were build-to-suit projects under the auspices of the U.S. General Services Administration, which was secretive about them, the Journal reported.

Forest City Covington, the developer of the 12,900-acre Mesa del Sol master-planned community, also declined to provide details at the time.

Easterly first entered the Albuquerque market in 2011 when it acquired the 191,000-square-foot U.S. Forest Service campus in Journal Center for $51.5 million. Albuquerques Titan Development was the developer and seller of the two-building campus.

The ICE building, at 5441 Watson Drive SE, is leased to the GSA until January 2027. The property was built with crash-barrier-grade perimeter fencing, a guardhouse, holding cell and a forensics lab.

We continue to mine our pipeline of opportunities and remain focused on our target of mission-critical properties, said Easterly CEO William Trimble in a prepared statement.

Easterlys recent deal is the second high-profile commercial real estate transaction in recent months at Mesa del Sol.

In February, SC3 International, the Denver company that has a stake in the WisePies pizza chain and other Albuquerque companies, purchased the Aperture Center at Mesa del Sol. SC3 acquired the nearly 80,000-square-foot Aperture building from Mesa Town Center Building 1 LLC, owned by Forest City Enterprises, for an undisclosed price.

The three-story, Class A office building reportedly was on the market a few years ago for $4.5 million.
Various fundraisers will be held in Albuquerque and on the Navajo Nation this week to raise money for the family of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, who was kidnapped and murdered near Shiprock last Monday.

In Albuquerque, the police department will take cash donations at their Coffee with a Cop event at the Southwest Substation Tuesday morning.

The devastating death of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike who was murdered last week in Shiprock has shaken everyone in our state, said Celina Espinoza, an APD spokeswoman. For our officers who investigate difficult crimes daily, it has been especially hard.

The officers hope to fill a giant doughnut with cash for the family, Espinoza said.

Pizza 9 locations in Gallup and Farmington will donate 100 percent of profits made Tuesday to Ashlynnes family, according to Karina Rodriguez, a marketing assistant for the business. She said other locations in New Mexico and Texas will also be accepting cash donations for the family.

Go Fund Me pages have also cropped up in the wake of the tragedy, but in a Facebook post, Ashlynnes mother Pamela Foster asked people to donate directly to a fund set up at the bank instead.

There have been several donation started and although some may have been well intended, we haven not give authorization to them, Foster wrote. The only approved fund is through the Wells Fargo: Ashlynne Mike Memorial Benefit Fund.
BlumShapiro Consulting - a division of New England advisory firm BlumShapiro - announced on Monday their participation inMicrosoft CityNext, a "partner-led initiative that empowers cities to be more sustainable, prosperous, and economically competitive with a simplified approach," per Microsoft's website.

As part of CityNext, BlumShapiro will work with Microsoft to connect technology with city governments, businesses and citizens in order to help bring innovation to the every-day life of city dwellers.

BlumShapiro Consulting is proud to partner with Microsoft CityNext to further help cities transform government infrastructure, deliver new citizen services and address important challenges like sustainability and economic development, said Brian Renstrom, partner, BlumShapiro Consulting, in a statement. Our companys thought leadership, expertise and experience will integrate perfectly with Microsoft CityNext to implement new processes and systems to support our clients. As a member of the Microsoft Partner Network, we will further enhance our laser sharp focus on customer service and their potential to succeed.

Were thrilled to partner with BlumShapiro Consulting on Microsoft CityNext. Microsoft prioritizes a people- and partner-first approach across all our initiatives, and Microsoft CityNext is no different, stated Rob Bernard, chief environmental and cities strategist, Microsoft Worldwide Public Sector. While cities are feeling the strain from economic challenges, Microsoft CityNext ushers in innovative technology solutions to create opportunities for cities and their citizens, enabling them to accomplish what they never thought possible. Were inspired by our diverse partner ecosystem and know that working together we can help cities realize their full potential.

BkumShapiro represents the largest business advisory firm based in New England, with offices in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The firm's approximately 400 staff members specialize in accounting, auditing, tax and business advisory services.

For more on BlumShapiro Consulting, head to theirsite here.
(Bloomberg) A new accounting rule that will force banks to set aside provisions for bad loans long before they sour could cannibalize profits and eat into capital at U.S. lenders.

It all depends on how the economy is doing when the standard goes into effect in 2020. The rule, approved by the Financial Accounting Standards Board last week, would have a negligible impact on profits or capital at U.S. banks under current credit conditions. If the economy is in a recession or coming out of one, the amount banks need to set aside could surge.

For the four largest U.S. lenders, the difference could be eightfold, based on a comparison of 2015 estimates of the rules impact and those based on data from 2011, when loans were going bad at a higher rate. At JPMorgan Chase & Co., the biggest U.S. bank, that difference could amount to $12 billion and at Bank of America Corp. almost $16 billion. Spokesmen for all four banks declined to comment.

Its very hard to guess where the economic cycle will be by the time the rule comes into effect, said Christopher Wolfe, a bank analyst at Fitch Ratings. If the rule were adopted today, in the current economic environment, the hit to capital would be easily manageable. But it could be significantly different in a few years. We just dont know.

Future Performance

The new standard, which requires banks to provision for losses on all loans when theyre made, based on expectations about future performance, came about in response to criticism during the 2008 financial crisis that lenders were slow to record losses on souring debt. It aims to speed up that process and keep a certain level of reserves so losses dont jump in times of stress. That means there will be a one-time increase in provisions when the rule goes into effectand that increase could vary by billions of dollars depending on where in the credit cycle the nations economy is.

Any increase in reserves reduces a banks net income, and that means a slower accumulation of capital through retained earnings. If theres a loss as a result of higher credit costs, capital is reduced by that amount.

The final version of the rule will be published in June after FASB staff rewrites the latest draft incorporating the boards decisions over the years. Last week the board voted to give banks an additional year and smaller lenders even more time to comply. Community banks also won incremental disclosure requirements on legacy loans.

The efforts to change how banks account for potential bad loans go back to 2010. FASBs first proposal called for marking all loans to market values, which would have been even harsher in forcing recognition of deteriorating economic conditions.

Push Back

Banks pushed back, arguing that the typical industry model isnt based on selling loans but on holding them until maturity and writing off the bad apples along the way. FASB came up with a revised version in 2012, which focused on faster recognition of bad loans. That concept remains intact in the latest draft FASB distributed at an April 1 meeting with banks and auditing firms.

When FASB released its 2012 version, then-chairman Leslie Seidman said the biggest U.S. banks were estimating their reserves could jump by about 50 percent. A subsequent study by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency using 2011 data provided by lenders predicted the increase would range from 30 percent to 50 percent for U.S. banks, according to people briefed at the time. The OCC never made the study public.

In 2011, when the economy was still recovering from the 2008 crisis, nonperforming loans made up about 3 percent of lending at U.S. banks with assets greater than $500 million. Last year the figure was about 1 percent. The makeup of loan portfolios has also changed. Some banks have reduced mortgage lending, while others have expanded into home loans. That could affect the rules initial impact in a future stressed environment.

Based on todays more benign credit environment, investment bank Keefe, Bruyette & Woods estimates reserves at the four largest U.S. banks would increase by 13 percent on average if the rule were to go into effect this year. In a recession, the OCCs estimate of a 30 percent to 50 percent jump would be more relevant, according to Brian Kleinhanzl, a KBW analyst.

Who knows how bad the next recession will be? Kleinhanzl said. We could have those rates back again or even worse next time.

Convergence Effort

If such a recession coincides with the adoption of the accounting standard, reserves could already be elevated as loans go bad faster. That would require banks to increase their expectations for future losses, leading to a much bigger one-time charge on earnings. Banks can adopt the rule earlier than required but not before 2019.

Initially, FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board, which sets accounting rules for most of the rest of the world, aimed to revise loan-impairment standards together as part of an effort to converge U.S. and international accounting regimes. They ended up going in different directions, as they have on other issues.

The international standard, which was approved in 2014 and goes into effect in 2018, asks banks to consider potential losses only for the next 12 months at the time a loan is made. If they see further deterioration in credit quality, theyre required to estimate losses over the lifetime of the loan. That means upfront provisions would be much smaller than the U.S. standard given the same economic conditions, analysts estimate.

But economic conditions arent the same. In the euro area, still recovering from a 2012-13 recession, nonperforming loan ratios are higher than in the U.S. European banks would need to set aside more reserves initially to comply with their new rule if it were adopted now. KBWs European analysts estimate the initial hit to capital to be 0.47 percentage points on average under current conditions. That compares with 0.17 percentage points for U.S. banks if the FASB rule went into effect today. Europe could be in a different part of the credit cycle by 2018.

Compliance Costs

Banks have complained that the new rules will increase costs as calculating loan-loss reserves becomes more cumbersome. Especially in the U.S., where lifetime losses are required to be estimated on day one, industry opposition has been loud.

FASB clarified in its latest draft that it wouldnt require smaller firms to build new complicated models to forecast loan losses but would let them use existing methods. Banks will still struggle to estimate losses and may end up spending a lot on new systems, said Michael Gullette, vice president of accounting at the American Bankers Association, an industry group.

Looking at the examples included in the draft rule, you might think its very simple to just add on a few basis points of losses when the economy isnt doing so well, but its not that simple, Gullette said. You need to show auditors some math on how you got to those specific basis points.

Others say the new rules will hinder credit growth as banks are required to record losses on loans from the outset. Even for European banks, the upfront cost of a loan will be difficult for undercapitalized banks to shoulder, according to Hari Sivakumaran, a London-based KBW analyst. Under stable economic conditions, each 1 percent of growth in lending would have a negative impact of 0.1 percent on earnings and capital, he estimates.

Cookie Jar

Almost everyone agrees the rules will increase subjectivity. Guessing future losses, even by using past experience as a yardstick or sophisticated models, is an inexact science.

A rise in subjectivity would mark a swinging back of the pendulum. In the 1990s, regulators warned banks not to use loan-loss reserves as a cookie jar to smooth earnings performance. In 1998, SunTrust Banks Inc. was forced to restate earnings after being accused of dipping into the cookie jar too much.

Now subjectivity in calculating reserves is making a comeback with the tacit approval of regulators and standard-setters.

The regulatory approach has reversed with a focus on having sufficient buffers going into a crisis, said Fitchs Wolfe. Looking into the future, theres always going to be some subjectivity.
(Bloomberg) Donald Trump made a break from conservative orthodoxy on Sunday when he backed away from proposing large tax cuts for wealthy Americans.

On my plan they're going down. But by the time it's negotiated, they'll go up, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said on ABC's This Week. I am willing to pay more, he said. And you know what? The wealthy are willing to pay more. We've had a very good run.

The remarks departed from the tax plan Trump unveiled in September, which proposed to lower the rate paid by the highest earners from 39.6 percent to 25 percent. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimated the plan would cost $9.5 trillion over a decade and lavish the top 0.1 percent of income earners with a tax break of $1.3 million on average in 2017 alonea 19-percent gain on after-tax income, or four times as much as middle-income households would get.

Trump on Sunday stuck to other aspects of his tax plan, saying he'd make sure the middle class gets good tax breaks. But for upper incomes, he said he expected that the taxes for the rich will go up somewhat. On NBC's Meet the Press, Trump described his plan as a floor for negotiations with Congress. The middle class has to be protected, he said.

The shift added to a list of conservative policy heresies ranging from slashing legal, skilled immigration to rejecting free-trade agreements to refusing to commit to cutting safety-net programs like Social Security as Trump seeks to remake the Republican Party in his image.

Still, the populist billionaire has been famously fickle when it comes to his proposals. In April he abruptly abandoned a three-week-old proposal to eliminate the national debt during his presidency. In March, he took three positions on abortion in the span of three hours. During his interview on ABC on Sunday, Trump also acknowledged softening his opposition to a higher minimum wage after saying U.S. wages were too high during a November debate. I'm allowed to change. You need flexibility, he said.

On Monday, he said his comments about tax rates for the wealthy had been misunderstood.

If I increase it on the wealthy that means they're still going to be paying less than they pay now, Trump said on CNN. I'm not talking about increasing from this point. I'm talking about increasing from my tax proposal.

Big Deal

James Pethokoukis, a policy writer with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, described Trump's Sunday comments as a big deal for the Republican Party.

Ronald Reagan's tax cuts were a generation ago. The economy boomed even with the Clinton tax increases and tanked after the Bush tax cuts. Whatever the accuracy of that causality, that sequence plus rising inequality has increased voter skepticism about tax cuts, Pethokoukis said in an e-mail. The public clearly sees the GOP as the party of the rich, and it needs to re-establish trust with the middle and working class. Imagine a future Republican presidential primary where it isn't always 1980, where GOP candidates don't feel compelled to mimic Reagan and offer fantasy tax plans as the price of admission.

Trump's Sunday comments on taxes come less than a week after he eliminated his last two remaining Republican rivals with a crushing win in Indiana, to become the party's presumptive nominee. If sustained, they would mark a departure from Republican candidates dating back to Reagan, who embraced across-the-board tax breaks, a litmus-test plank for conservative activists and some major donors. Democrats, who defeated Mitt Romney in 2012 by painting him as a candidate interested in serving the rich at the expense of the middle class, have been gearing up to make a similar case against Trump in November.

Trump offered a big tax cut in the primaries in what now looks like a transparent ruse to win over the supply-side wing of the party, Pethokoukis said. But seeing as those tax cuts aren't popular, he is shifting away from them.

Norm Ornstein, a political scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, attributed Trump's Sunday shift to three factors. First, Ornstein argued, Trump has no anchors in conservative ideology and thus is not wedded to that orthodoxy. Second, he's sending a signal to House Speaker Paul Ryan about who's in charge, as Ryan withholds his endorsement of Trump. If you were playing by normal politics, the Speaker would have some leverage here. And Trump is basically telling him No you don't, Ornstein said. Third, he said, the end of the Republican primary contest gives Trump more freedom to say what he wants to.

General-Election Makeover

Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign dismissed Trump's Sunday remarks.

Don't believe Donald Trump's weak attempts at a general election makeover for even a second, Clinton spokeswoman Christina Reynolds said in an e-mailed statement. Trump's economic plans take direct aim at working Americanshis proposal to cut trillions in taxes for the top one percent would almost certainly come at the expense of working and middle class families. Americans just can't afford Trump's economic plans.

Polling indicates that proposing lower taxes on already very wealthy Americans is not a winning general-election strategy. According to Gallup tracking surveys in April, six in 10 Americans believe upper-income people pay too little in taxes, while just 15 percent say they pay too much. A 2015 YouGov survey found that by a 45 percent to 29 percent margin, Americans reject the trickle-down economics theory that reducing taxes on wealthy groups and individuals stimulates the economy and leads to shared prosperity. (Notably, Republicans agreed with that position by a margin of 50 percent to 30 percent.)

Dan Pfeiffer, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said of Trump's Sunday tax comments that flip-flopping is never great, but flipping to the more popular position is better than the opposite.

I'm one that believes the path to victory for Clinton requires a very different message than the one we used against Romney in 2012, Pfeiffer said in an e-mail. Romney's tax cut was a problem because it reinforced what voters thought about him. Trump's tax cut plan is pretty far down his voluminous list of vulnerabilities.

Ryan Rejection

Trump's weekend comments could loom large on Thursday, when he's scheduled to meet with Ryan, the Republican Party's chief policy visionary and gatekeeper. Ryan said last week he's just not ready to support Trump, because what Republicans want to see is that we have a standard bearer that bears our standards. Trump's departures on the benefits of free-trade deals, cutting entitlement spending and now upper-income tax cuts are a de facto rejection of the ideas that Ryan has fought for throughout his career.

From his time on the powerful House Ways and Means and Budget committees to his rise as speaker, Ryan has worked to build consensus around policies such as lowering taxes across the board, inking trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership accord, permitting more high-skilled immigrants to the U.S., and cutting programs like Medicare and Social Security. These positions are shared by many Republican leaders, donors and elites. But Trump has crafted a winning campaign around a vastly different agenda: an emphatic rejection of horrible trade deals like TPP and NAFTA, an immigration crackdown with cutbacks to H-1B skilled guest worker visas, and a promise not to touch Social Security.

After vanquishing establishment-backed candidates including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who styled himself after Reagan, Trump feels empowered. I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda, he said in a statement after Ryan rebuked him. And Sunday, Trump reminded his party that millions of Americansmore than 10.6 million so farhad voted for him.

I have to say true to my principles also, he said on ABC. And I'm a conservative, but don't forget, this is called the Republican Party. It's not called the Conservative Party.

Trump's runaway win in the primary race exposes the yawning gap between Republican leaders and many of their voters. The divisions are profounda variety of conservative politicians, policy wonks and opinion-makers say they'll refuse to support Trumpand raise questions about the extent to which the brash New Yorker's nomination will reshape the party beyond 2016.

This is a going to be a very significant ongoing struggle that is partly over ideology, and partly over power, Ornstein said. Who's going to control the party? There is an anti-leadership, populist, Trumpist wing that's not going away, even if he loses.
After working in special-education law for more than 30 years, I have found that schools dont always follow the letter and spirit of the law when providing accommodations and special education services for children protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, the law governing special education) and Section 504. If your child with special needs doesnt receive some or all of the educational assistance he deserves and is legally entitled to, he may find school hard, and he may even fail.

Here are 10 common myths about ADHD special-education laws that some schools purvey, either through ignorance or in an attempt to discourage parents from requesting the help they should legally receive. Knowledge is power.

Myth 1: Attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) is not a real disorder and does not qualify as a disability.

ADHD is among the most thoroughly medically-researched and documented psychiatric disorders. ADHD qualifies as a disability under the Other Health Impairment (OHI) category of special-education law and as a disability under Section 504.

Myth 2: Students with ADHD who are getting passing grades or adequate achievement scores qualify only for a Section 504 Plan, not an IEP.

[Quiz: How Well Do You Know 504 and IEP Laws?]

Students with passing grades may qualify for an IEP, as well as for a 504 Plan, if their behavior is adversely affecting their performance at school, socially or academically.

Myth 3: To qualify for eligibility under IDEA or Section 504, a student has to be diagnosed by a physician.

While best-practice evaluations of ADHD recognize the importance of comprehensive medical and psychological evaluations, the Department of Education issued a policy statement stating that, if the IEP team includes persons the school believes are qualified to diagnose the condition, a medical evaluation is not legally required.

Myth 4: Schools may require a medical diagnosis of ADHD at a parents expense prior to proceeding with an evaluation for special education or a 504 Plan.

[Free Download: The Special Education Laws That Protect Your Child]

If a school requires or recommends a medical, psychiatric, or neurological evaluation as part of an evaluation to determine eligibility for special education or a 504 Plan, the evaluation must be at no cost to the parent. The school must pay for it.

Myth 5: Schools may require that students with ADHD receive stimulant medication in order to qualify for special education or for other services or activities.

Schools cant require a student to take medication as a condition for his being eligible for special education or any school activity. Taking medication is a decision to be made by the family and their doctor. If the student has ADHD and qualifies for special education or a 504 Plan, the school must develop appropriate academic and behavioral supports to meet his needs, whether that student takes medication or not.

Myth 6: Teachers may decide whether or not they will implement an IEP or 504 Plan, or even whether they will teach a student with a disability, such as ADHD.

If a student has an IEP or a 504 Plan, the school staff is required to implement it. Further, teachers may not refuse to have a student with a disability in their class. It is illegal, just as it would be for them to refuse to teach a student based on race, gender, or religion.

Myth 7: Schools may require parents to sign a waiver of liability before agreeing to administer medication at school.

Schools may require a doctors order confirming a prescription and the need to provide meds at school, but cannot make the provision of administering medication conditional on the parents signing a waiver of liability.

Myth 8: Students with ADHD may qualify for a positive behavior support plan only if they are exhibiting disruptive or inappropriate behavior toward others.

Under IDEA and Section 504, positive behavior supports can be included in the plan to address academic problems, such as timeliness, work completion, and on-task behavior, as well as to address negative ADD behaviors in the classroom.

Myth 9: Students with ADHD who have a 504 Plan are only entitled to accommodations, like preferential seating or untimed tests, not services.

Under Section 504, students with ADHD (and other disabilities) are entitled to accommodations and may also be entitled to specialized educational services (such as individual instruction or tutoring) and related services (such as counseling).

Myth 10: Students with ADHD do not qualify for one-on-one aides, bus transportation, or other more intensive or expensive services in the classroom.

Students with ADHD are entitled to any services or supports necessary for them to benefit from their education under IDEA, and to have equal access to educational opportunities under Section 504. Any blanket policy limiting access based on a diagnosis or disability label is suspect.

[Every 504 Plan Should Include These Accommodations]

Matthew D. Cohen, J.D., is a member of ADDitudes ADHD Medical Review Panel.
Digital broadcast network and gency Qyuki, driven by a unique strategy of partnering with creators versus an aggregation or owned and operated channel approach, recently surpassed over 5 billion views across YouTube and Facebook.

With a creator DNA in the founding team of Shekhar Kapur and AR Rahman and digital entrepreneur Samir Bangara, the company has created a clear leadership position in the market as a home for creators across the genres of Music, Pranks and Auto blogs while making headway in other popular genres.

The strategy has been vindicated by YouTubes recent listof top ten fastest growing channels in the country that ranked Qyuki partners Sanam Band (Music) and FunkYou (Pranks) No.1 and No.3 respectively. The genre based focus of the company has also helped bring on board celebrated Bollywood and indie artists like Salim-Sulaiman, Clinton Cerejo, DhruvGhanekar and most recently Rabbi Shergill.

Its differentiated approach and successful track record in the space led to a recently announced partnership with YouTube to create one of the biggest digital properties in India called Jammin. Jammin will bring together some of the best Bollywood composers with the biggest YouTube stars of music. The show begins online and finishes offline with a massive live performance.

Beyond music the Company is home to some of the biggest Prank channels, a genre that is very popular with the 13-34 millennial audiences, with FunkYou emerging as the largest prank channel in the country across Facebook and YouTube. The group of four 19 year old boys has grown 1000 times on Facebook with more than 5.6 million fans amassed over the last 10 months and a following across the world with Cairo, Metro Manila, Lahore and Karachi forming part of their top ten cities of viewership.

While content is king, Qyuki believes that in the digital space technology can serve as a very successful kingmaker. Therefore it has built proprietary tools to spot and effectively market creators to their respective communities. The mix of technology, deep understanding in content, and marketing has helped win the confidence of several brands like Coca-Cola, Olx, VW, Moneycontrol and Mercedes, amongst others, to invest significantly with the company on branded content or as sponsors for Qyuki properties.
To celebrate the spirit of youth and to cater holistically to its big need for being always connected, Vodafone India has rolled out Vodafone U  a lifestyle proposition designed especially for young Indians.

Targeted at the socially active, rapidly growing and increasingly demanding Indian youth, Vodafone U aims to be the Connector, Enabler and Entertainer by offering a wide array benefits, delivered digitally and accessible via the mobile to stay always connected with friends, fun and the Internet.

Commenting on the launch, Sandeep Kataria, Director  Commercial, Vodafone India, said, Indias 200 million strong youth are optimistic, vocal, trendsetting and very social media savvy. Brought up in an ever connecting world courtesy the mobile revolution, todays youth is extremely comfortable with technology. The mobile phone plays a central role in their life, both as a command center as well as a companion. Vodafone U is thus designed to facilitate better this unique relationship between the youth and their mobile in a seamless and enriching way.

Arvind Nevatia, National Head - Consumer Marketing, Vodafone India, added here, We have combined the best of Vodafones global experience with deep understanding of India to resonate #FunwithU. On offer is a bundle of benefits that will keep the young patrons of Vodafone U always connected with friends and fun via the world of Internet, voice, music plus exciting digital offers and experiences.

Meanwhile, Vodafone has roped in three youth icons  Kanan Gill, Raftaar and TVF (The Viral Fever)  for a high impact brand and marketing campaign to experience Vodafone U. The video, titled #FunWithU  TVFs CUTE Vol. 1 ft. Raftaar & Kanan, can be seen on TVFs YouTube channel.





Exclusive and unique digital assets have also been deeply integrated with the MyVodafone App to make the user experience richer.

Launch products under Vodafone U start with prepaid plans that offer five benefits  namely, Internet (Data quotas), Calls (Special Buddy Call rates), Music (Access to the Vodafone Music Library to download songs), Experiences and others (Exclusive app experience with deals and more).
In a world where we are glued to our smartphones, WhatsApping for work, WhatsApping for fun, Tweeting our takes on everything under the sun, living our lives on Facebook more than we live in the real world, we often forget to pause for just a moment and acknowledge all that our mothers do to ensure our every happiness. While all of us say we have only two hands and do limited things, mothers have multiple hands and an unending will to keep doing things for their child despite all hardships. And yet, we often forget to spend quality time with our mothers and express our heartfelt gratitude for their unconditional love.

So this Mothers Day, Zee TV sets out to make it special by showcasing a three hour star-studded special show - Shukriya Maa, where celebrities from Bollywood and Television will pay a loving tribute to their mothers and thank them in their own unique, special ways. The show will feature Soha Ali Khan surprising mother Sharmila Tagore by travelling to Delhi and presenting her with a Kindle since she's a voracious reader. The gorgeous mother-daughter duo will be seen sharing interesting anecdotes from their lives.

Farah Khan, will be seen taking her mother out for lunch and in her trademark style, indulging in playful banter with her. Adding to the fun, Farahs triplets will make a surprise visit, making their grandmother beam with joy. Gorgeous Karishma Kapoor will share her innermost feelings and lesser known facts about her mother Babita and how her kids are quite like their granny and that the values she has passed on are the ones she has imbibed from her mother.

Bollywoods adorable brother-sister duo Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem will speak candidly about their chemistry with each other and their mother. Huma has apparently always harbored dreams of taking her mother on Hajj and Saqib calls his mother every single day before sleeping. Not one to be left behind in surprising her kids, Huma's mother landed at the shoot bringing along gifts that these two have given her as kids on Mothers Day, and shared how she has kept all their first things safe with her even today! Actress Jacqueline Fernandes, who has been missing her mother, will reconnect with maternal affection by giving a sweet surprise to little kids as she plans to visit an orphanage.

On the other hand, our small screen brigade is just as inventive when it comes to making this day memorable for their mothers. They will bring the house down with their special performances dedicated to their mothers. And as a surprise to them, their mothers will spill the beans about their star kidscatch television heartthrob Karanvir Bohra get caught off guard when his mom reveals what a naughty boy he was right from his younger days and how he would always suck his thumb and was poor in studies. And how she got to know about Karanvir dating a girl on national television and the girl in question was Teejay Sidhu, whom he went on to marry later!

Karan Tackers mother shares that he has always been the 'good' boy all his life and has remained humble and the most important thing she loves about Karan is that even today when he comes late from shoots he comes and meets them and then only he goes back to his room. Actor Mouny Roy, who will be seen dancing on Ma Teri Chunar and Teri Galiyan, got emotional as she requested her mother to not leave her like Baba did, leaving everyone on the sets with a lump in their throat!

The vivacious Ragini Khanna will have everyone in splits as she shares that coming from a filmy family, her mother is super filmy and even dances on Baby Doll main sone di. Ragini adds that her mother has lost considerable weight just so that she can attack Raginis wardrobe from time to time! The beautiful trio of Sayantani Ghosh, Shiny and Anita Hassanandani will be seen performing on Agar Tum Saath Ho and Bolna Mahi Bolna, expressing gratitude towards their mothers for their unflinching love and support through thick and thin.

The evening will be hosted by Shakti Arora and Ragini Khanna. Thats not all, there will be several other endearing acts by your favourite stars who will make this Mothers Day special for you.

This Mothers Day appreciate the superwomen in your life with Zee TVs Shukriya Maa on Sunday, May 8, at 5.30 pm.




One pilots landing, lack of comprehensive braking and flight path deconfliction, combined with a second pilots delayed transition to the correct side of the runway led to the collision of two F-16C aircraft on the Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, runway Aug. 15, 2015, according to an Accident Investigation Board report released today.



The mishap occurred during landing procedures following an orientation flight in association with a large-force exercise held at Nellis AFB.

One pilot sustained life-threatening injuries, but survived. The second pilot in the mishap was uninjured. One aircraft, valued damages at approximately $64M and considered destroyed and the second aircraft sustained approximately $5.4M in damages. Total loss to the U.S. Government is nearly $71M.



According to the Accident Investigation Board President, rescue personnel responded to the mishap in approximately one minute. The first responders freed the injured pilot, who had sustained life-threatening injuries.



Both pilots and aircraft were assigned to the 457th Fighter Squadron, 301st Fighter Wing, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas.



For more information, contact Air Combat Command Public Affairs at (757) 764-5007 or via e-mail at accpa.operations@us.af.mil.
Belgium on Monday began the trial of seven alleged jihadists accused of links to the terror cell behind the Paris and Brussels attacks.

The men were arrested after a deadly raid in the Belgian town of Verviers in January 2015 which exposed an alleged plan to kill police officers.

A further nine people who are still at large are being tried in their absence by the court in Brussels.

Police believe Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of November`s Paris attacks, was giving orders to the Verviers cell by phone from Greece.

Abaaoud, who was killed in a shootout in Paris days after the attacks, also had close links to the cell behind the March 22 Brussels airport and metro attacks.

French President Francois Hollande has said the same terror cell was behind the Paris massacre, in which gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people, and the Brussels attacks in which 32 people died.

Both attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

The theory in which Verviers is at the heart of the Paris attacks is among those being probed by French legal authorities, a source close to the investigation told the French newspaper Le Monde.

The main suspect at the trial of the Verviers cell is Marouane El Bali, who is accused of attempted murder for firing at police during the gunfight, during which two suspected jihadists were killed.

He denies the charges.

He was a small player and was absolutely not aware of any planned attacks, his lawyer Sebastien Courtoy told Belga news agency.

Belgian police said at the time the cell was planning to kill and kidnap police officers under orders from Islamic State.
Custodial deaths never end in India. The lack of action against the criminals in khakhi is to be blamed for the recurrence of such incidents. The very men who are supposed to uphold the laws are routinely found misusing their powers and do not respect the laws of the country. Custodial violence including torture and death in police lock-ups strike a blow at the rule of law, which demands that the powers of the executive should not only be derived from law but also that the same should be limited by law. It is therefore, for the government and the legislature to give a serious thought to their commendation of the Law Commission and National Human Rights Commission and bring about appropriate changes in the law, both to curb custodial crimes and also to ensure that the guilty are punished.

Jubel DCruz

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Sharad Pawar says that if Bhujbal is proved innocent then the state government will have to pay heavy price for it.





Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar attacked the BJP government for misusing power to arrest NCP leader and former deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. Pawar added that NCP will remain unaffected despite the arrest of Bhujbal and the party remains strong in the state.

If Bhujbal is found guilty in the Maharashtra Sadan scam then he will have to undergo severe punishment for it. On the other hand, if he is proved innocent then the state government will have to pay heavy price for it. By arresting Bhujbal the BJP government is only indulging in politics of vendetta, said Pawar.

Pawar had said these statements on the occasion of Rayat Educational Institutions founder Karamveer Bhaurao Patils death anniversary.

Two months back, Bhujbal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the money laundering scam pertaining to the construction of Maharashtra Sadan. Bhujbal who is sporting a beard after being hospitalised has surprised everyone as his photo has gone viral on social networking sites. After Bhujbals arrest politicians are shying away from investing in the real estate sector as huge black money is involved in this segment.

Speaking about granting statehood to Vidarbha, Pawar said, Its the demand of the local politicians and not of people. I am in favour of a strong and united Maharashtra and oppose the states bifurcation.

Pawar also took a jibe at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by saying that he is only bothered about the drought crisis prevailing in Vidarbha and Marathwada and is overlooking the problems faced by other regions of the state. He said that Fadnavis should concentrate on the overall development of the state instead of focussing on a particular region. Pawar also added that it will be difficult for the BJP to win elections in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam and Pondicherry. He praised the work done by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the development of the state.

The ACB had in June last year registered two FIRs against Bhujbal. The first one was related to alleged irregularities in allotment of a prime plot at Kalina in Mumbai to a developer.

The second case was for alleged rampant corruption and large-scale irregularities in the construction of the new Maharashtra Sadan, the state governments guest house in New Delhi. The Public Works Department under Bhujbal had then allegedly awarded sub-contracts to firms, in blatant violation of rules, in the Maharashtra Sadan case.
The BJP government in Rajasthan has made all the lows in politics by removing Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrus name from new textbooks for classes sixth to eight in Rajasthan. People are disappointed with BJP and its cheap politics. They gave mandate to the party trusting on the development mantra and sabka saath sabka vikas promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, he failed to deliver his election promises and to divert the peoples attention from this; his party is creating unwanted controversies. What Congress leaders have contributed to the freedom of this country cant be sidelined and Nehru is one of the prominent leaders who were close to many hearts.

Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India and a central figure in Indian politics before and after independence. He emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi and ruled India from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death in 1964. He is considered to be the architect of the modern Indian nation-state: a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. He was also known as Pandit Nehru due to his roots with Kashmiri Pandit community while many Indian children knew him as Uncle Nehru (Chacha Nehru). The textbook, Samajik Vigyan, makes no mention of Nehru as a freedom fighter or as a leader of Independent India. It does not even mention Mahatma Gandhis assassination at the hands of Nathuram Godse. This is absolutely unacceptable that the BJP is working in a vindictive manner by not even mentioning Indias first prime minister in the textbooks. Nehrus contribution to the freedom struggle and as the first prime minister of independent India is enshrined in history. The BJP can change textbooks but it cant rewrite history.

As per reports, the new Social Science textbook for Class VIII in schools of Rajasthan has erased Nehru from the pages of history. The textbook, which is still not available in the market but has been uploaded on the website of publisher Rajasthan Rajya Pathyapustak Mandal, features Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose, Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and revolutionary Hemu Kalani. But other Indian National Congress leaders, including Sarojini Naidu and Madan Mohan Malaviya, are not mentioned in the history section of the textbook, written by senior teachers and principals from government schools.

Nehru was one of the first nationalist leaders to realise the sufferings of the people in the states ruled by Indian Princes. He suffered imprisonment in Nabha, a princely state, when he went there to see the struggle that was being waged by the Sikhs against the corrupt Mahants. The nationalist movement had been confined to the territories under direct British rule. He helped to make the struggle of the people in the princely states as a part of the nationalist movement for independence. The All India states peoples conference was formed in 1927. Nehru who had been supporting the cause of the people of the princely states for many years was made the President of the conference in 1935. He opened up its ranks to membership from across the political spectrum. The body would play an important role during the political integration of India, helping Indian leaders Vallabhbhai Patel and V.P. Menon (to whom Nehru had delegated the task of integrating the princely states into India) negotiate with hundreds of princes.

In July 1946, Nehru pointedly observed that no princely state could prevail militarily against the army of independent India. In January 1947, he said that independent India would not accept the Divine Right of Kings, and in May 1947, he declared that any princely state which refused to join the Constituent Assembly would be treated as an enemy state. During the drafting of the Indian constitution, many Indian leaders (except Nehru) of that time were in favour of allowing each Princely state or Covenanting State to be independent as a federal state along the lines suggested originally by the Government of India act (1935). But as the drafting of the constitution progressed and the idea of forming a republic took concrete shape (because of the efforts of Nehru), it was decided that all the Princely states/Covenanting States would merge with the Indian republic. Nehrus daughter, Indira Gandhi, de-recognised all the rulers by a presidential order in 1969. However, this was struck down by the Supreme Court of India. Eventually, the government by the 26th Amendment to the constitution was successful in abolishing the Princely states of India. The process began by Nehru was finally completed by his daughter by the end of 1971. Nehru was one of the first leaders to demand that the Congress Party should resolve to make a complete and explicit break from all ties with the British Empire. He introduced a resolution demanding complete national independence in 1927, which was rejected because of Gandhis opposition.

In 1928, Gandhi agreed to Nehrus demands and proposed a resolution that called for the British to grant dominion status to India within two years. If the British failed to meet the deadline, the Congress would call upon all Indians to fight for complete independence. Nehru was one of the leaders who objected to the time given to the British  he pressed Gandhi to demand immediate actions from the British. Gandhi broke a further compromise by reducing the time given from two years to one. Nehru agreed to vote for the new resolution.

Nehru was luminary, most educated and learned man, no leader in present government is of his stature. Motor mouth leaders like Subramaniam Swamy of BJP is a gossip mongers who assassinated the character of Nehru. BJP will go berserk if such low continues. The future of the party seems in the dark if such kind of politics continues.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Excerpted from Dr. David Brownstein's blog. Read the full post Congress Should Be Shamed The Vaccine Crises Continues.



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I just returned from watching the movie, Vaxxed, From Cover-Up to Catastrophe. The movie is upsetting and infuriating. If you have not seen the movie, I highly recommend that you go see it.

This movie chronicles the controversy about the CDC whistleblower (Dr. William Thompson) who claims that the CDC altered, hid, and destroyed data that showed a link between childhood autism and vaccines. I have been writing about this controversy since August, 2014. (You can access the first post here.) In August, 2014, Dr. William Thompson, a senior CDC scientist who co-authored 10-year-old studies that exonerated vaccines from causing autism came forward and claimed that the studies he co-authored were fraudulent. Dr. Thompsons allegations are chronicled in this movie and in my previous blog posts.

Every parent, physician, and thinking human being should see this movie.

Whether Dr. Thompsons claims hold true or not, Congress needs to investigate why our children are given more and more vaccines and yet, have become sicker and sicker.

Since 1997, autism rates have skyrocketed in the U.S. and the Western world. In the U.S., the latest (2015) statistics show that one in forty-five children are estimated to have autism. (1) In 1995, it was estimated that autism was prevalent in one in five hundred children. That is an increase of 1,100%! If the autism rate continues to climb at its present level, some have estimated that one of every two U.S. children will be diagnosed with autism by 2025.

Folks, this is serious stuff. In medical school, I was taught that vaccines were one of the miracles of medicine. I was not taught much about the science behind vaccines, rather I was indoctrinated into the idea that vaccines have been well studied and the proof of their efficacy is beyond questioning.








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The essence of friendship can never ever be overlooked. From the moment humans came into existence, having friendly relationships with other people has always been a very essential part of the world and how long the human race lasts. It is therefore not very surprising to find a lot of activities being organized periodically all over the world to help foster such friendships.

Within the boundaries of Canada, there are numerous associations that have the sole objective of helping to expand friendships through the various activities that they do organize. One of such an organization is the Ottawa Restaurant Goers which has been for some time now supporting social networking activities among people. Ottawa Restaurant Goers have been helping residents based in the capital of Canada to expand friendships through the organization of fun-filled and highly interactive restaurant get-togethers.

The merits of having such an association that seeks to ensure that people are always given the platform to socialize and expand their friendships are numerous to both the individual and the society as a whole. Some of these merits of the activities of groups like the Ottawa Restaurant Goers include the following;

A stress relief mechanism: There are a lot of people out in the world who suffer from all kinds of stress-related problems. When such problems are not swiftly attended to and the appropriate solutions found, those affected end up doing things that affects them and others around them very negatively. Through the various activities organized by Ottawa Restaurant Goers, people with a lot of stress are provided with some of the best ways to get rid of the stress.

Broadens support for people: Humans are always dependent on each other, which simply helps in proving that no single human is self sufficient. With the activities that Ottawa Restaurant Goers undertakes, they help in ensuring that people are able to expand their friendship relations. By so doing, such people can easily seek for the assistance of their new found friends whenever the need arises.

Socialization: These restaurant get-togethers that they organize are also an effective way of helping people to get involved in socializing with others. Residents who participate in any of the activities organized by Ottawa Restaurant Goers are given the quality time to socialize with other residents in a very safe and secured environment.

Friendship activities in the best environment: Each of the activities organized by Ottawa Restaurant Goers is held at venues that boast of the best in terms of security. They make sure that all those who get the chance to attend their programmes are presented with the perfect environment within which to carry out their individual social networking activities.

These are just some of the benefits that the Ottawa Restaurant Goers provides to each and every Canadian resident who gets the chance to attend their meetings.

Analyzing things from the perspective of Ottawa Restaurant Goers simply allows an individual to understand that a lot of very important things can be achieved at the various restaurants all over town. This helps in changing the misconception that places such as the restaurants are only made for people to come and eat and have some drinks. They are helping to have a very positive impact on the lives of residents in Ottawa through get-together activities organized at selected restaurants from time to time.

A look at the various exciting and fun-filled activities that are held periodically by the Ottawa Restaurant Goers simply makes it very easy to understand why you also need to be a part of what they do.
WASHINGTON, May 8, 2016 - Donald Trump tries to win over congressional Republicans as lawmakers return to work this week facing some major unfinished business, including negotiations on biotech food labeling.

With Trump having disposed of his remaining GOP challengers last week, Republicans now face questions about whether and how closely to align themselves with Trump and how to address sharp policy differences on trade and other issues.

Trump has meetings planned Thursday with the House GOP leadership and then separately with Speaker Paul Ryan and the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus. The meetings are intended to begin a discussion about the kind of Republican principles and ideas that can win the support of the American people this November, according to Ryans office.

Even without the distraction of the presidential race, a tight legislative schedule between now and the political conventions in July, plus the August recess, already leaves lawmakers with major scheduling challenges.

Food companies are lobbying leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee to hurry up and cut a deal on legislation to preempt state GMO labeling laws before Vermonts takes effect July 1. The industrys lead lobbyist Randy Russell, would say only that the closely held talks are making progress.

Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., told Agri-Pulse last week that he thought animal products would likely be exempted from any kind of disclosure requirement.

He said Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and ranking member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., are working right now, we hope, to put an agreement together. Ninety percent of it is stuff that we all agree on, and I think theyre bouncing around the last 10 percent.

Other sources said the single toughest issue appeared to be still unresolved last week, whether to require food companies to put some kind of wording or symbol on food labels to alert consumers of the presence of biotech ingredients.

Progress on other major issues remains uncertain. The appropriations process has bogged down on both sides of Capitol Hill. In the Senate, Democrats blocked passage of a relatively noncontroversial Energy-Water spending bill before last weeks break. House Republicans have been unable to pass a budget because of demands from hard-line conservatives for new cuts to entitlement spending.

As of Sunday, the Senate Appropriations Committee hasnt scheduled any additional action on fiscal 2017 bills, and the House committee has only scheduled a markup this week of its defense measure.

The Trump-Ryan dance will keep Washington riveted. Trump said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday that he was blindsided by Ryans statement last week that he wasnt ready to support Trump.

Some key farm-state Republicans have indicated they will support Trump, including Roberts and Senate GOP Conference Chairman John Thune, R-S.D. Roberts issued a one-sentence statement saying he would support the party nominee.

Others appear to be edging that way, including the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Jerry Moran. But Moran said in a statement that Trump must first address the serious concerns many conservatives  myself included  have about some of his positions and comments.

House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, hasnt taken a position on Trump.

Did you know Agri-Pulse subscribers get our Daily Harvest email and Daybreak audio Monday through Friday mornings, a 16-page newsletter on Wednesdays, and access to premium content on our ag and rural policy website? Sign up for your four-week free trial Agri-Pulse subscription.





Agribusiness lobbyist Tyson Redpath offered a preview of a possible Trump administration at last weeks Animal Agriculture Alliance conference. Redpath, senior vice president of The Russell Group, said Trump would likely reduce what he called White House micromanagement and make some unconventional cabinet picks. Imagine a secretary of agriculture that develops an agenda and is able to pursue that with vigor, Redpath said.

He said a Hillary Clinton administration would be something we in this town are more accustomed to.

USDAs National Agricultural Statistics Service will release results on Thursday of a new survey of beekeepers. The report, which will cover 2015 and the first quarter of 2016, will include state-level estimates on number of colonies, colonies lost and added, and colony health.

Its the first time USDA has asked beekeepers about the health of their colonies. The surveys are part of an Obama administration strategy to improve the health of pollinator populations.

Heres a list of agriculture- or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere:

Monday, May 9

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is in New Hampshire through Tuesday. He hosts a roundtable discussion with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., at the Nashua Drug Court on a program to fight drug addiction. Later, he tours the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Center for Telehealth in Lebanon.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman holds a roundtable with Business Executives for National Security.

4 p.m. - USDA releases Crop Progress report.

Tuesday, May 10

Vilsack speaks at the New Hampshire Governors Summit on Substance Misuse in Manchester.

Noon - USDA releases monthly WASDE and Crop Production reports.

Wednesday, May 11

Agricultural trade negotiator Darci Vetter speaks to the Western Growers Association.

Froman travels to Rwanda for the World Economic Forum Africa, through Saturday.

All day - Food Waste Summit, Pew Conference Center, 901 E St NW

10 a.m. - Senate Finance Committee hearing on U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 215 Dirksen.

2:45 p.m. - Vilsack speaks at Food Waste Summit

Thursday, May 12

8:30 a.m. - USDA releases Weekly Export Sales report.

10 a.m. - House Agriculture Committee hearing, The Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: The Retailer Perspectives, 1300 Longworth.

10 a.m. - Center for American Progress forum, Enhancing Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry in the United States, with keynote address by Vilsack, 1333 H St. NW,

2 p.m. - House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing, Local and State Perspectives on BLM Draft Planning 2.0, 1324 Longworth.

3 p.m. - USDA releases new Honey Bee Colonies report.

Friday, May 13

No events currently scheduled.

#30

For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
Dutch Delegation Visits North Iraq, Raises Issue of Kurdish Encroachment on Assyrian Lands

(AINA) -- The Foreign Affairs Committee of The Netherlands (PVV) recently visited Dutch soldiers who stationed in North Iraq. During their they spoke with representatives of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). Before their departure, the committee was briefed on the latest developments in northern Iraq, particularly the rise of violence in area.

The PVV invited the Assyrian Federation Netherlands for an extensive interview on the situation of Assyrians and other minorities in the region. The PVV and the Assyrian Federation Netherlands discussed in length recent events and the future of Assyrians in Iraq.

Human Rights Watch has reported on multiple occasions that Assyrians do not feel safe under Kurdish control. Encroachment on Assyrian lands (AINA 2016-04-14) is ongoing and perpetuated by powerful Kurdish clans affiliated with the KRG. The judiciary gives them no equal treatment even with clear documents proving the land is theirs. On several occasions the land expropriation has gone hand in hand with violence and threats.

Assyrian politician Johnny Givargis (Assyrian Democratic Movement), a member of the KRG, has expressed his concern and has called this an act of "genocide," saying that land dispossession, discrimination, violence, and fraud in elections is a policy aimed at changing the demographics of the area.

In their talks with members of the Kurdish Parliament and other representatives the PVV raised the issue of the violence and injustice against the Assyrians and other minorities. MP R. de Roon raised these issues personally during his conversations with Barzani and other representatives, specifically addressing the issues of the Kurdish encroachment in Nahla (AINA 2016-04-14), infringements on the right to demonstrate and the worsening relationship between the Kurds and Assyrians.
UPS has formed a partnership with medical alliance Gavi and robotics firm Zipline to explore the use of unmanned aircraft to deliver vaccines to remote locations in Rwanda.

The UPS Foundation has awarded an $800,000 grant to support the launch of the Gavi and Zipline initiative, with the belief that the model could be applicable in other areas of the world.

In February, Zipline launched the project as a partnership with the Rwandan government to deliver vital medical aid to remote locations. Tests are due to start in August.

Public-private partnerships are the key to solving many of the worlds challenges, with each partner contributing its unique expertise, said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS.

UPS is always exploring innovative ways to enhance humanitarian logistics to help save lives, and were proud to partner with Gavi and Zipline as we explore ways to extend the Rwandan governments innovations at a global scale.

UPS said the public-private partnership combines a century of global logistics expertise, cold chain and healthcare delivery from UPS with Ziplines national drone delivery network and Gavis experience in developing countries focused on saving lives and protecting health in the most remote places of the world.

This will be the first time in human civilization that autonomous or self-driving vehicles will be used to deliver medical products, said Zipline chief executive Keller Rinaudo.

It will be the first time ever that these vehicles are integrated into an existing public health supply and finally, it will be the first time this technology is actually commercialised.



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May 9, 2016

Egypts parliament hotly debated the governments policy agenda before it was approved on April 20. During the sessions, several parliament members made scathing comments against statements released by the government and some ministers. They were answered in a warning by parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal, who described their words as offensive and abusive to the government and the Egyptian state.

During the debate on the governments program, Abdel Aal said that he would use all of his strength to prevent any abuse against the government. He noted that Egypt is going through a tough period, and In tough times there is no [individual] legislative or executive authorities. Rather, all of them should act as a single authority.

According to Abdel Khabir Ata, a political science professor at Assiut University, Abdel Aals statement is a clear violation of the constitution and parliaments internal regulations, stressing that the constitution guarantees the legislative branch's independence, granting it powers to monitor the governments performance.

Article 5 of Egypt's current constitution bases the political system on political and partisan pluralism, a peaceful rotation of power, a separation and balance between powers, the responsibility that comes with power and respect for human rights and freedoms.

Moreover, Article 101 of the constitution stipulates that parliament holds the legislative power, with the right to pass the general policies of the state, the general plan for economic and social development and the states general budget, and shall also exercise control over the executive.

Ata told Al-Monitor that even times of crisis should not be an excuse for states to neglect the separation of powers, stressing that during such times, perhaps emergency ministries could be formed upon parliament's approval rather than combining the powers of all branches in the hand of one or prohibiting criticism of the executive.

He warned against what he called the domination of the executive power over the legislative and judiciary in the absence of parliamentary oversight.

The executive branch is seeking to control the powers of the parliament and the judiciary. This can be considered political corruption, amounts to collapse of the state and neglects the peoples right to a legislature and supervision of the governments performance, said Ata.

He also stressed that failing to apply and abide by the constitution will not only undermine Egypt's stability, but lead to the complete collapse of its institutions, including the executive branch.

Ramadan Battikh, a professor of constitutional law at Ain Shams University, does not see Abdel Aals statements as a violation of the constitution. He explained that the parliament speaker was talking about the need for the state institutions to work together and be integrated to work toward the common good. He stressed in his statements to Al-Monitor that the survival of the state is more important than strictly applying the constitution and the law. Should the state be in real danger, all authorities should come under one banner, a custom he believes is in line with others adopted by most of the worlds constitutions.

Since its first session in January, the current parliament has been preoccupied with passing laws for the transitional phase and internal regulations, as well as forming higher presidential committees and bodies. Therefore, the parliament did not fulfill its monitoring role over the government's performance, Battikh said.

Yasser al-Hudaybi, another constitutional law professor at Ain Shams University, told Al-Monitor, The current Egyptian constitution has granted the parliament new powers that did not exist before, whereby the parliament has become stronger than the president and the prime minister. The people and their representatives at parliament are considered to be above all the states authorities.

On Sept. 13, during the inauguration of Youth Week at Suez Canal University, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said, The current Egyptian constitution has been drafted in good faith, but states are not built on good faith, a statement observers believed was an implicit declaration of his intention to amend the constitution.

Hudaybi stressed the potential for conflict between the three authorities, noting that Egypt's constitution provided for the separation of powers in order to promote integration among state institutions and ensure the state functions smoothly.

Although he acknowledged that the Egyptian state is suffering from major internal and external pressure, Hudaybi warned against losing sight of the meaning of the parliament speakers attempt to dissuade parliament members from criticizing the government. He stressed that the speaker has no right to deny parliament one of its inherent powers in a clear violation of the constitution.

The authorities should make better use of what is guaranteed by the constitution to ensure the stability of the political system on which the state is based and managed, Hudaybi said. He warned against undermining the role of the parliament in monitoring the government and against the legislative control of parliamentary powers, as mixing the powers of the three branches would adversely affect all the states institutions.

He also said that parliament members are bound to maintain the parliamentary powers granted to them by the constitution, noting that voters have the right to hold parliament members accountable should they fail to achieve the tasks they were elected to perform.

Parliamentarian Haitham al-Hariri believes that Abdel Aals statements could be interpreted in two ways. First, they could be interpreted as meaning that the legislative, judiciary and executive branches are all responsible for making the necessary decisions and taking measures to extract Egypt from its crises. Another interpretation is that he was dissuading parliament members from criticizing the government while the state is plagued with crises.

Even in a time of crisis, the parliaments role is to set forth the governments policies and monitor its performance, Hariri told Al-Monitor. The parliaments role and right to monitor the governments performance does not conflict with the states endeavors and efforts to get out of the crises, he added, stressing that the state institutions' work should be integrated to better run Egypts affairs.

He also stressed the parliament members efforts to preserve their role in monitoring the government aim to uphold the peoples right to run their state. He talked about what could be described as a honeymoon between the government and parliament, a period that could negatively affect the parliaments role in monitoring the government's performance and holding it accountable.

He added, The constitution requires that the parliament take specific actions  such as briefing requests and questioning  against the government officials, should their performance and general policies not be approved by parliament.
May 9, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Hamas and other armed Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip refer to the attack tunnels they dig toward Israeli settlements and military positions as a "strategic weapon" designed for any future confrontation.

On April 18, the Israeli army announced it had discovered two of the newest Hamas tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. One tunnel was found near the Eshkol settlement east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. This tunnel, Israel said, extended under Israeli borders about 150 meters (164 yards). The second tunnel was found May 5 near the Sofa crossing east of the province. Israel said its army infiltrated and destroyed the 200-meter-long tunnel.

Since 2004, the Israeli army has devoted $250 million toward detecting Palestinian tunnels. According to Israeli reports, the army found and destroyed 30 tunnels during the 2014 war in Gaza.

Palestinian factions warned that if Israel continues to destroy the tunnels, it could lead to a new military confrontation in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel warned the factions of the same outcome if they continue to build tunnels. Several ministers, including Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, and opposition leaders such as Avigdor Liberman have called on Israel to launch an attack on Gaza and destroy the tunnels before the Palestinian factions can use them against Israel.

Israeli military experts warn that a confrontation over the tunnels would turn into a war more brutal than the 2014 conflict.

For the first time since that war ended, Palestinian militants on May 4 used mortars and roadside bombs to attack several Israeli military vehicles searching for tunnels in the southern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army responded immediately by targeting Palestinian control points with artillery fire, raising the state of alert along the border and declaring the Nahal Oz area in the east a closed military zone.

The mutual shelling lasted four days, killing a Palestinian woman, a farmer. The shelling stopped after Egyptian efforts led to a truce, and Israel withdrew its tunnel-seeking vehicles.

Mujahedeen Brigades spokesman Abu Anas told Al-Monitor, "The Palestinian resistance will not stand idly against Israeli attacks, including the destruction of tunnels dug by the resistance and used to defend the Palestinian people."

He said the resistance will retaliate for any Israeli attack by launching a corresponding field attack. "The resistance is ready for all options. If Israel wants an open war, it will be surprised by the numerous military plans we have up our sleeves," he said.

Abu Mujahed, a military spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committee, which uses the tunnels in their military operations, said, "The Israeli army's continued destruction of the Palestinian resistance tunnels will ignite a new war. The resistance cannot remain silent to the Israeli army's destruction of one of its most important military weapons, which it has been equipping for years. The resistance will do everything in its power to protect all of its military achievements."

Abu Mujahed told Al-Monitor, "The Israeli army is exaggerating stories about resistance tunnels to mobilize international public opinion to justify any potential Israeli aggression."

Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had issued an official statement April 18 saying, "The announcement by the Israeli army of the discovery of a resistance tunnel is nothing but a drop in the ocean of what is being prepared by the resistance to defend its people and liberate its sacred sites, territories and prisoners."

In an odd public disparity, Israel announced April 20 that it had blown up a tunnel it discovered in east Rafah, but that claim appeared to be discounted when, on May 3, several top Israeli officials visited that very tunnel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and army chiefs visited the site, then Netanyahu held a closed-door military and security meeting to discuss the security situation and find ways to reassure the Israeli settlers who are living in a state of fear because of these tunnels.

The tunnels were used for the first time in 2001, when Hamas fighters blew up the Israeli military Termit post on the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip.

The tunnels were extensively used during the 2014 war by the resistance, allowing fighters to move easily, access Israeli army positions and hide from Israeli aircraft surveillance.

The Israeli army has announced on more than one occasion that it is conducting intensive drills to fight armed Palestinians in the tunnels in the event of a new confrontation. The Israeli army acknowledged after the 2014 war that the tunnels caused the highest number of casualties among its ranks, though Israel released no figures.

Palestinian military expert and retired Brig. Gen. Yousef Sharqawi told Al-Monitor that Hamas is unlikely to launch an attack against Israel and that its weapons are intended to protect Gaza residents.

"Hamas' weapons, including rockets and tunnels, are deterring any new Israeli aggression against Gaza. Hamas is threatening to hit Israel with these weapons, pushing it to think twice before launching any aggression," he said. "The Israeli settlers surrounding Gaza were seriously thinking of leaving their homes, fearing the tunnels dug by Hamas toward Israel. This pushed the Israeli army to intensify its search for those tunnels."

Sharqawi pointed out that Israel, funded by the United States, is building an underground "iron dome" to prevent the tunnels from reaching its territory.

Al-Majd website, which specializes in security issues and is close to the Palestinian resistance, said the resistance has been targeting Israeli military vehicles to keep Israel from detecting the tunnels and to end Israeli military incursions into the Gaza Strip.

"The fire opened by the Palestinian resistance represents a shift in the confrontation equation with the Israeli army. The confrontation is still at its early stages and most likely will not lead to the outbreak of an open military confrontation, but the predictions remain subject to developments on the field that may fall beyond the control of the parties at any moment," the group posted on its website.
May 9, 2016

With the newly elected Iranian parliamentarians set to take their seats by the end of May, more than 100 members of the current conservative-led parliament took one last shot at President Hassan Rouhanis comprehensive nuclear agreement with the six world powers. In a written warning to the president, the members of parliament said the United States had not fulfilled its promises and asked Rouhani to set a deadline for reconsidering the voluntary steps Iran took in reducing its nuclear program.

The statement by the members of parliament said that while Iran has fulfilled all of its commitments in the nuclear agreement, it accused the United States of bad promises, sabotage and obstruction in fulfilling their end of the agreement, specifically in the case of removing sanctions, banking transactions and blocking money. While the US has lifted the nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, a number of European and Asian banks have been advised against doing business with Iranian banks due to the remaining US sanctions. US Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to meet with British banks this week to resolve misunderstandings over banking issues. The reference to blocking money in the statement refers to a US courts $2 billion judgment against Iran for the victims of a terrorist bombing in Beirut.

The statement by the members of parliament also read that the nuclear deal until now has not had any economic achievements for Iran and asked that if the United States is not able to live up to its fulfillments, Iran should resume its previous nuclear activities within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Some of the steps Iran took as part of the nuclear deal were reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium by 98%, reducing its number of centrifuges by two-thirds to approximately 5,000 and removing the core of its heavy water reactor at Arak.

With pro-Rouhani candidates soon to have the most seats in the newly elected parliament, the statement does not pose a problem for the comprehensive nuclear deal. However, the statement does reflect that Rouhani continues to face economic challenges, and since the January implementation of the nuclear deal, and despite oil exports having increased, Iranians are still waiting to see the economic results of the deal.

Conservative newspapers that were opposed to the nuclear deal have now turned their focus to poor economic news. A May 9 article in Vatan-e-Emrooz reported that despite the lifting of sanctions on Iran and the hopes of the administration, major energy corporations did not attend the recent international oil, gas and petrochemical exhibition in Iran. A front-page May 9 article in Kayhan newspaper was headlined, You filled the country with imported goods then speak of production?! The article was in reference to comments by Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli about how smuggled goods was adding to the unemployment problem facing the country.

Even Reformist media, which has supported the nuclear deal and Rouhanis other policies, concedes that there are still no tangible effects of the nuclear deal. In a May 9 defense of the nuclear deal, an article in Arman Daily reported, The outcomes of the nuclear deal may not be tangible in the lives of people, but it has increased the hope of the people for the future. The article, which addressed the concerns that Iran would be attacked by the United States or Israel, added that the nuclear deal has also eliminated the environment of conflict in society and has eliminated the hostilities against Iran which had peaked under the previous administration.
May 9, 2016

Gen. Khalifa Hifter's star appears to be rising once again in Libya, and it is only a matter of time before we see him become a figurehead in a country that is lacking any but is eager to have one.

His enemies in Misrata and Tripoli have always questioned his motives and intentions, but it remains to be seen if he will be a uniting leader for a fragmented country or a divisive politician pushing Libya toward even more fragmentation.

During March, Hifter almost completely liberated Benghazi and started moving his troops to retake Sirte in western Libya, where the Islamic State (IS) has been in control for almost two years. Hifter's troops are surrounding the city, awaiting his orders to attack IS, which has launched battles west and southwest of the city, taking more territories and small villages such as Abu Grain and Zamzim.

Hifter's declared aim is to liberate Libya from Islamists, but it is unclear what his next step will be if he takes Sirte. The next big city on the way to Tripoli is Misrata, which has the most powerful local militia in Libya. Misrata is already an enemy of Hifter, which means attacking it will trigger longer, more devastating war in the country.

So who is this man who has been on and off the Libyan political scene for the last 40 years, shifting positions as his fortune changed from a Moammar Gadhafi loyalist to a prisoner of war to Gadhafi's sworn enemy and  most recently  as chief of staff of the Libyan army under the internationally recognized government in Tobruk?

Born to a big clan in the even-larger al-Firjan tribe, dominant in both Ajdabiya and Sirte, Hifter was recruited as a young officer by the late Gadhafi to join the Free Unionist Officers movement inspired by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. The movement was secretly founded by Gadhafi in the 1960s and used to topple King Idris I of Libya in September 1969 and take power.

Hifter attained the rank of colonel in 1986 and became the commanding officer of Libyan ground troops in Chad's civil war. He was captured in 1987 when his base was overrun by Chadian forces, and he was taken to Chad. Gadhafi, denying that he had any troops in Chad, disowned Hifter and left him, along with 300 of his troops, at the hands of Chadian authorities. Under pressure from the West, particularly France, which supported counter-Chadian factions, Gadhafi never admitted that he had any troops in Chad.

The United States, having already attempted many times to remove Gadhafi from power  including bombing his residence in April 1986 after accusing him of supporting terrorism  came to Hifter's rescue with the hope of enlisting his aid against Gadhafi.

In return for his freedom from Chadian jail, Hifter was asked to join the newly formed opposition group, the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, which enjoyed US military and financial support. Hifter, already angry from being left hopeless in a Chadian jail, joined the front and was flown into the United States by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with troops willing to join him.

Hifter lived comfortably in Virginia, relatively close to CIA headquarters, from the earlier 1990s to 2011. He apparently even became a US citizen, but he never forgot his grudges against Gadhafi.

It is not clear what kind of relations he had with the CIA. Many aspects of his life in suburban Washington are hard to explain  for example, how he supported himself and his family. It is assumed that he became the CIA's man against Gadhafi. He maintained ties with Libyan opposition groups in exile and organized military opposition to Gadhafi from abroad, but without any success until the revolt against Gadhafi erupted in 2011.

Sensing his time had come to settle scores with Gadhafi, Hifter arrived back in eastern Libya in March 2011 and played a role in leading the rebels fighting the regime under NATO air cover.

After the regime was toppled, Hifter faded into obscurity again, only to surface in October 2012 for a brief time when the new government decided to invade Bani Walid, a town southwest of Tripoli accused of harboring former regime officials. There are no confirmed reports of him taking part in actual fighting.

Hifter disappeared again until February 2014, when he suddenly appeared on TV, making a statement resembling an announcement by a military leader taking over power. In the announcement, he launched "Operation Dignity" against Islamist militias in Benghazi; however, no one took Hifter seriously at the time since he had neither an official military role nor a loyal militia to fight with him. It turned out that he was still preparing his military capabilities.

Hifter again disappeared from the scene, spending the next few months moving between al-Marj and Benghazi and trying to organize former military officers into a fighting force, counting on old loyalties among the remnants of the Libyan army and his tribal connections. He managed to cultivate political support within the internally recognized government based in Tobruk, which named him chief of staff of its infant army in March 2015.

After he gained political and military legitimacy, Hifter concentrated on fighting Islamists in Benghazi, though with little initial success. His most sworn enemy was Ansar al-Sharia, the dominant terror group in Benghazi at the time, which the United States had already declared a terrorist organization after it was accused of killing the US ambassador in 2012.

Hifter relied heavily on his tribal connections in eastern Libya and capitalized on the bad security situation in Benghazi. By May 2015, he believed he had enough force to declare war on terror throughout Libya, not just Benghazi, where hundreds of former security officials, army officers and civil and political activists had been assassinated. In a way he was defending himself since he knew that he could be next on the death list.

His offensive in Benghazi stalled for a while since the army fragments he managed to reorganize were few in numbers and lacked training and equipment. Above all, many former professional officers did not join him because neither his motives nor his objectives were clear.

However, that changed in late 2015 and early this year. In March 2016, Hifter established contact with a group of former professional officers and politicians exiled in Egypt. Al-Monitor has learned that two former high-ranking regime politicians visited him and agreed to provide him with more former army officers with certain know-how, including mine expertise and maintenance technicians for military airplanes.

The agreement included unconditional return for any former official or army officer wishing to return to Libya without being prosecuted or threatened. At least one former high-profile politician has already been welcomed back to Libya. Tyeb al-Safi, a former minister and close aid to Gadhafi, returned to eastern Libya under the protection of his own tribe.

While Hifter's definitive military plans are unknown after Sirte, his political intentions also are not clear. He has repeatedly distanced himself from politics, but his increasing popularity, particularly in eastern Libya, might well develop into a nationwide phenomenom pushing him to take some political role or even run for president in the next elections. In eastern Libya today, Hifter is the de facto chieftain as he tries to extend his leadership role westward. Forces loyal to him already control parts of western and southern Libya.

One thing, however, is certain: Hifter is here to stay, and he will play a role in shaping Libya's political scene within the Government of National Accord and beyond.
May 9, 2016

Turkey's imam-hatip schools are vocational schools that educate state-employed imams and preachers. These schools offer primary school graduates the traditional secondary school curriculum in addition to vocational courses related to Islamic theology. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has been working hard to increase the number of imam-hatip schools. Over the past 13 years, the number of these schools went up from 450 in 2003 to 940 today, and the number of students rose from 70,000 to more than 500,000 in the same period.

The activities of the imam-hatip schools have been receiving more extensive coverage of late. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is an imam-hatip graduate along with his children, called these schools, "The hope of Turkey and the entire Muslim nation."

Imam-hatip graduates can go to any university they want and become a police officer, doctor, lawyer, engineer or bureaucrat. But there is only one career that is off-limits to these students: the military. Military training regulations stipulate that imam-hatip graduates are not allowed to enroll in military academies to train as officers and noncommissioned officers.

In fact, the military academies that train officers for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) do not accept graduates of the imam-hatip schools, or any technical or medical schools.

The pro-AKP media, however, has undertaken an intensive campaign to promote the enrollment of imam-hatip graduates in vocational schools that train noncommissioned officers.

According to pro-AKP commentators, the current ban is illegal and reminiscent of the military era; many Turks believe this discriminatory policy has to be terminated.

The latest incident took place about a month ago, when imam-hatip graduates who passed the initial entry exams of the Gendarmerie Noncommissioned Vocational School were not allowed to take the advanced exam in health and physical education.

One student told pro-AKP daily Yeni Akit that he was not allowed to take the advanced exams. "Because I'm an imam-hatip graduate I cannot achieve my lifelong dream of becoming a noncommissioned officer. They didn't allow me take the advanced exams although I passed the written tests. If they were not going to allow me to take the final exams, then why did they allow me to sit for the written tests? Imam-hatip graduates can become president of the republic but not noncommissioned officers in the TSK. We want an end to this secularist discrimination," he said.

Ecevit Oksuz, chairman of Turkey's Imam Hatip Graduates Foundation, told Al-Monitor, "Not allowing imam-hatip graduates into military schools is an ugly heritage from a foregone era. The enrollment in the military of our children who are imam-hatip graduates will strengthen our army. Just as the students of other schools are children of this nation, so are the students of imam-hatip schools whose parents are dignified members of this country. Just as our graduates could serve as judges, deputies, prosecutors, prime ministers and even presidents, they should also be able to serve as captains, majors and generals."

But TSK's upper echelons still maintain their firm opposition to accept imam-hatip graduates. In 2012, when Vatan newspaper published an article with the headline "Imam-hatip officers are coming," the TSK chief of general staff issued a denial within minutes. Behind this rigid stance is the concern that enrolling imam-hatip graduates in military schools would be perceived as a major blow to the perception that the military is the defender of secularism in Turkey, as well as pave the way to spread religion in the TSK ranks.

On the other hand, the TSK has softened its firm stand on headscarves and now accepts women wearing a headscarf to enter military institutions.

The question now raised is why the TSK cannot ease its ban on the enrollment of imam-hatip graduates in the military, at least for noncommissioned officers. The pro-AKP media appears to be pursuing this stance, which eventually could put political pressure on the TSK.

How much longer can the TSK maintain its position on defending secularism? The answer lies in Turkey's focus on the current security issues related to the Syrian crisis, the increasing clashes with the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Islamic State and the public perceptions of close relations between the TSK, Erdogan and the AKP bureaucracy in general. There are those who fear that allowing imam-hatip graduates to enter military schools could force the TSK to make a choice between this close cooperation and secularism.

The question whether the TSK high command still continues to treat secular principles as vital or whether it will at least ease the restrictions on imam-hatip graduates' entry into the vocational schools that train noncommissioned officers for the sake of preserving good relations with the government may seem like a technicality. But in Turkey this is actually a question related to the future of the country. As long as the ban continues, for many it reflects the persisting sensitivity of the TSK to issues of secularism; rescinding the ban means the erosion of this sensitivity.

It will be interesting to see how the TSK command will navigate this minefield.
May 9, 2016

The second international halal tourism conference took place in Konya, Turkey, May 3-5. The first conference was held in Spain in 2014. The choice of Konya, the city of Rumi, was not by accident. In December 2015, the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers designated Konya the capital of Islamic tourism for 2016.

Among the more than 1,000 participants were tour operators, official visitors, travel agents, artists, academics, investors and representatives from the hotel, food, airline and retailer sectors. There were 25 international speakers. The conference gave Turkey the opportunity to invest more and improve its performance in the ever-growing Muslim travel market.

The Arabic word halal, meaning permissible, is typically applied to food, but the concept is related to any product compliant with Islamic law. In August 2015, CrescentRating, the worlds leading authority on halal travel, published the eBook Muslim/Halal Travel Market: Basic Concepts, Terms and Definitions. According to the publication, halal tourism is practiced by Muslim travellers who do not wish to compromise their faith-based needs while travelling. The website of the halal tourism conference states, Halal Tourism is a form of tourism for Muslims who prefer to utilize services, facilities and activities compliant with Islamic principles.

In short, halal tourism means that transportation and visits are arranged in accordance with Islamic beliefs. For example, no alcohol is served, and only halal food is offered at meals, that is, meat is slaughtered in the name of Allah, and there are no pork products. Moreover, special attention is given to prayer facilities, with arrows indicating the direction of Mecca in rooms equipped with prayer mats.

Separate recreational facilities, including beaches, are provided for men and women. Beds and toilets are positioned not to face toward Mecca, and bidets are featured in bathrooms. Also characteristic of Islamic hotels, the predominantly Muslim staff wears conservative dress, and there are no nightclubs or non-halal activities. Everything, from logistics to finance, is done according to the rules of Islam.

According to State of the Global Islamic Economy 2015/16, a report by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard, global Muslim spending on outbound travel reached $142 billion in 2014, excluding the hajj and umrah. This represents a 6.3% increase from the previous year and 11% of the global expenditure. Muslim outbound tourism expenditure is expected to grow to $233 billion by 2020.

Turkey currently ranks seventh out of 73 select countries in the Thomson Reuters report for the best developed Islamic economy for Muslim travel. As the report explains, the so-called Halal Travel Indicator evaluates countries on the relative strength of the ecosystem they have for the development of the sector, not the overall size of a country in the sector. The rankings are based on metrics like inbound Muslim tourists relative to the countrys size, governance (halal-friendly ecosystem), awareness (number of related news articles and events) and travel sector contribution to employment. Malaysia holds the No. 1 spot because of excellent performance in all of the categories. But if Turkey increases its currently low awareness on the topic, it could reap high profits from the growing demand for Muslim-friendly resorts. In this light, although five new halal resorts opened in 2015 in Antalya  a Turkish town on the southern coast known primarily for its beautiful beaches and resorts visited by German and Russian tourists  the Thomson Reuters report still cites an investment gap and an opportunity for investors in halal resorts. There are around 15 halal-friendly resorts in Antalya, and some 50-70 in Turkey overall.

Another report, the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2016, which covers 130 destinations, rates Turkey as the third most popular destination on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's list of destinations in the global Muslim travel market, behind only Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

Taking all this into consideration, it seems that the Turkish government and business sector have decided to pursue a bigger slice of the halal pie. At the conference opening in Konya, Culture and Tourism Minister Mahir Unal said Turkey will speed up work to develop halal tourism. Ramazan Cokcevik, deputy general director in charge of promotion at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated at a press conference on May 4, that of around 300 halal-friendly hotels in the world, half of them are in Turkey.

Akin Arikan, director of the Halal tourism conference in Turkey, said that halal tourism has become increasingly popular as a Muslim-friendly travel trend in the last several years. Therefore ambiguity remains in terms of acceptable standards for the halal tourism industry, as there is still no global halal tourism certification system. The Thomson Reuters report mentions that the Turkish Standards Institute began issuing halal hotel certifications in June 2014, and the first hotel to acquire one was the Bera Hotel in Antalya. Meanwhile, the World Halal Union, based in Malaysia, issued a halal certificate to the Adenya Hotel and Resort in Antalya.

In addition to there being opportunities in the halal travel sector, there are also a number of challenges. Among those cited by the Thomson Reuters report are marketing to Muslim travelers without alienating non-Muslims, raising financing for this form of tourism and a lack of standardized concepts of what Muslim-friendly means across all countries. Challenges aside, Turkey will likely strive for more leadership in the halal tourism sector.

Considering the shaky security situation in Turkey and the resulting sharp decrease in the number of tourists in the past several months, tourism revenue might continue to drop for the remainder of 2016. Tourists from the Middle East and North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council countries represent only 3% of the global Muslim population, but 37% of total Muslim travel spending. Luring these tourists would be of paramount importance in diversifying the Turkish tourism market. In addition, Turkey has great potential for faith-based tourism beyond Islam, given its vast and diverse heritage, including Christian pilgrimage and archaeological sites.
May 9, 2016

ZURICH  Since a landmark nuclear deal went into effect in January, US officials have conducted roundtables with banking officials in more than 15 countries, but failed to reassure major foreign banks that it is OK for them to return to Iran, Al-Monitor has learned.

A business source briefed on the issue told Al-Monitor at a May 3-4 business conference in Zurich on condition of anonymity that two Swiss banks  Credit Suisse and UBS  were among those approached by officials from the US Department of State and the US Treasury. Most big foreign banks have so far rejected a return to Iran for a host of reasons, including heavy fines paid to the US government for past sanctions violations and concerns that the sanctions environment could change again for the worse.

Gregg Rosenberg, a spokesman for UBS, told Al-Monitor that his bank was not going to handle Iran business. At this time there are no changes to our global sanctions policy, which restricts business activity with or involving Iran, including client activity such as payments or trading that involves Iran," Rosenberg said in an email.

A Credit Suisse spokeswoman had a similar reply: As a global bank Credit Suisse complies with various national and international sanctions programs. While the international community has recently lifted a part of the sanctions against Iran, other Iran sanctions that impact our Banks international operations remain in place. Credit Suisse maintains its general policy to abstain from conducting business with or involving Iran. We continue to closely monitor the situation.

UBS suspended Iran business in 2005 after paying a $100 million fine to the US government for providing new US banknotes to the Islamic Republic.

In 2009, Credit Suisse agreed to pay $536 million for concealing the identity of Iranian clients it did transactions for, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Aerospace Industries Organization. Both were blacklisted by the United States for nuclear-related activities.

Iranian businessmen have expressed frustration that US reassurances are failing to persuade large European banks that they may legally finance trade with and invest in entities in Iran that do not face sanctions.

Mostafa Beheshti Rouy, an executive board member and director of international affairs for Bank Pasargad, Irans largest bank, told Al-Monitor that only third-tier European banks have shown any willingness to re-enter the Iranian market.

Since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was implemented Jan. 16, the Obama administration has sent officials to explain the situation to Switzerland, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong, Al-Monitor has learned. In addition, US officials have held video conferences with bankers from other countries, including Afghanistan, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Before meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New York on April 22, Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters that the United States has no objection and we do not stand in the way of foreign banks engaging with Iranian banks and companies, obviously as long as those banks and companies are not on our sanctions list for non-nuclear reasons.

Kerry added that these banks shouldnt assume that activities still prohibited by the primary [US] embargo are also prohibited for foreign actors and that his message was, when in doubt, ask.

In addition, a spokesman for the Obama administration told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Iran has kept its end of the deal, and we have upheld ours and are committed to continuing to do so. The official added, Iran is already seeing real benefits from the sanctions lifting that occurred in January  nearly doubling its oil sales, beginning to access funds abroad and starting to reconnect to the international banking sector.

The official acknowledged, however, that questions remain about what foreign companies can and cannot do, which is why Treasury and State officials have traveled worldwide to meet with government and private sector partners to provide clarity on our sanctions.  While we are committed to providing clarity on the sanctions issues that are within our control, the reality is that there are factors beyond our control that also continue to slow Irans economic engagement  including corruption and lack of transparency in its financial and business sectors. These are issues that have nothing to do with sanctions, and Iran has its own work to do to address these and earn the confidence of international companies and financial institutions.

Iran has acknowledged that it needs to do more to clean up its banking sector, which was saddled with nonperforming loans and other unorthodox transactions under the administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Visiting Washington in April for the biannual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the governor of the Iranian Central Bank, Valiollah Seif, told Al-Monitor that Iran has held meetings with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international intergovernmental body based in Paris, to show the steps Iran has taken to counter abuses that FATF cited in designating Iran a high-risk jurisdiction for money laundering and noncooperative in countering financial terrorism.

The record of the last few months shows that it is far harder to unwind financial sanctions than to impose them.

George Kleinfeld, a sanctions expert at the law firm Clifford Chance, told the Zurich conference that there remains a primal fear of Iran on the part of Western banks because of years of hyperactive enforcement of sanctions by the US government.

In addition, there is uncertainty surrounding the future of sanctions because of US presidential elections.

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called the JCPOA incompetent and disgusting, while Hillary Clinton, his likely Democratic opponent, has urged stringent actions to counter other Iranian policies disliked by the United States.

Concerns are growing among Iranians who want a better relationship with the United States and Europe that without more tangible economic benefits, support for the Iran deal  and for the government of President Hassan Rouhani  will wane.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who allowed the JCPOA to go forward, has taken an increasingly hostile tone toward Washington in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Rouhanis predecessor, Ahmadinejad, has been hinting that he will try to run again when Rouhani seeks re-election in 2017.

Kleinfeld said it was up to European countries to defend their economic interests and make clear that they would not accept new sanctions or a snapback of old US secondary sanctions if Iran continues to abide by its nuclear obligations.

Where are the European voices saying there is no way we will allow Congress to reimpose sanctions? Kleinfeld asked.
May 9, 2016

RAMALLAH, West Bank  At the foot of a mountain in Bethlehem's Kidron Valley lies the Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified, also known as Mar Saba Monastery, the most famous monastery in Palestine. Built 1,500 years ago by Mar Saba and 5,000 other monks, it has recently been nominated for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Mar Saba Monastery is one of 13 Palestinian sites included on UNESCO's tentative lists. Three Palestinian sites have already been classified among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, following the admission of Palestine to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2011. These three sites are Battir's terraced landscape, which joined the list in 2014, and the Church of the Nativity and the pilgrimage route in Bethlehem, included in 2012. Mar Saba Monastery awaits registration, along with several other sites like the ancient cities of Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, Mount Gerizim in Nablus, the Qumran caves and Tell Umm Amer.

The official in charge of the World Heritage list at the Ministry of Tourism and Archeology, Ahmad al-Rajoub, told Al-Monitor, "Mar Saba Monastery has a cultural, religious and humanitarian value that qualifies it for inclusion on the World Heritage Site list, as it is one of the oldest monasteries in Palestine and is linked to Saint Sabbas, who established the monastic order in Palestine, which still maintains many of its ancient traditions after 1,500 years. This is in addition to its specific architectural style, which lies in harmony with its surrounding Kidron Valley."

Rajoub added, "The Palestinian National Commission [for Education, Culture and Science  PNCECS] included the monastery on UNESCO's tentative list. This a necessary step that precedes its registration on the World Heritage Site list." He explained, however, that the decision to submit the monastery for consideration has not yet been made.

Rajoub noted that the PNCECS chooses the sites to be submitted for registration on the World Heritage Site list according to certain criteria, to protect them from Israel and prevent them from being Judaized like the old city of Hebron. UNESCO only receives two applications a year at most, but the inclusion of Mar Saba Monastery on the tentative list is a first step toward including it later on the World Heritage Site list.

He added that preparations for submitting the application would require two years, after which it shall be submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Center to be registered within a year and a half.

On the criteria for inclusion, Rajoub said, "The political and cultural circumstances of the location are taken into consideration. Therefore, work is now in progress to register the old city of Hebron on the list. Preparations are also underway for submitting the application of the Cremisan Monastery in Beit Jala."

Murad al-Sudani, head of the PNCECS, told Al-Monitor that the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO is cooperating with the Ministry of Tourism, the PNCECS and other institutions, looking for Palestinian heritage sites that Israel is trying to tarnish or distort. The delegation wants these sites to be included on the list of World Heritage Sites to be preserved and protected.

Sudani added, "Mar Saba Monastery was nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage list. We will do everything necessary to register it on the heritage list after preparing the file because it has a Christian national and cultural value for us and represents the national identity that unites both Muslims and Christians."

The monastery has an important religious and cultural value, and at first glance appears to be directly carved into the stone of the surrounding hillside. Today, the monastic order still applies specific religious and monastic laws dating back 1,500 years that guide an extremely ascetic life. Women are forbidden from entering. It is forbidden to eat apples on the site, and only olive and lemon trees are planted there.

The monastery, which was plundered by the Persians in 614 CE, is both a tourist and a religious destination. It houses the relics of Mar Saba and features an ancient church built into a marvelous cave in the rock, dedicated to Saint Nicholas and called in Arabic the "Church Built by God." The monastery's graveyard contains the relics of many monks and clerics who were killed by the Persians in 614 and barbarians in 796.

Osama al-Issa, a journalist who writes about Palestinian antiquities and natural sites, told Al-Monitor, "Mar Saba Monastery is the only one remaining among 80 monasteries and hermitages from the Byzantine era in the Dead Sea that were totally ruined, such as Saint Chariton's Monastery to the southeast of Bethlehem."

Issa added, "Mar Saba Monastery stood its ground despite tough circumstances throughout history. Monks were slaughtered when the Abbasids took over the rule from the Umayyads. When the Crusaders arrived to Palestine, they carried off Saint Sabbas' body to Saint Peter's Church in Venice, and it was restituted in 1965 following the agreement between Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch."

He added that the monastery contains the oldest known biblical translations into Arabic, dating back to 885 CE. Many famous Palestinian monks lived there, including Theodore Abu Qurrah, who was one of the first to translate theological texts, which were limited to Greek and Syriac, into Arabic. Estfan al-Ramli, whose Arabic translations of the Bible are considered among the oldest, also lived there. John of Damascus was among the most famous monks who lived in the monastery after serving as the minister of tax collection in the Umayyad Caliphate.

Saleh Tawafsha, the director-general for the protection of antiquities at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Al-Monitor, "The monastery is located in Area C and is completely under Israeli control. This hampers many service programs."

He added, "The main challenges that the ministry is facing in offering its services to the monastery are due to Israel's obstruction of the ministry staff's work and its impediment of any improvement of the place's infrastructure. After all, Palestinians do not have privileges in these regions."
Telecommunications giant AT&T says it will hire an additional 10,000 veterans across the U.S. within this decade.

At a White House Joining Forces event last week with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the company confirmed it will double its military hiring commitment by employing 20,000 veterans by 2020.

"Military experience is great preparation for a successful career at AT&T," said said Randall Stephenson, chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T. "Veterans' leadership, integrity and commitment to service make them outstanding employees."

The jobs announcement was AT&T's second since 2013 when the company said it would hire 10,000 vets in five years. AT&T met the goal well ahead of schedule at the end of 2015.

It is not known how many of the new hires will be in Alabama as there is no firm commitment or goal per state. You can view job openings here.

"We'd love to hire as many as are interested and qualified for posted positions, and the fact we hit our first/initial 10,000 goal almost three years early is really exciting," said AT&T spokesman Lance Skelly.

AT&T, which offers an employee resource group for its veteran workforce, will host several virtual military career events in May and June. Click here for details.
Remington RM380

This small semiautomatic handgun is the first gun off the line at Remington's new plant in Huntsville. Company officials confirmed April 10, 2015 that the plant is up and operating. (Lee Roop/LRoop@al.com)

Few details are known about how the Remington plant closure in Kentucky will affect employment at its newest facility in Huntsville.

The North Carolina gunmaker said Friday it will shut down its 20-year-old Mayfield, Ky., firearms facility. Work there will be moved to Remington's Huntsville site, which makes modular sniper rifles, handguns and AAC silencers.

Jessica Kallam, spokeswoman for Remington, said it is not yet known how many of the Kentucky plant's 200 positions will be moved to Alabama as it works to become more "organizationally focused and competitive."

"At this time, we know we have impacted 200 jobs at our Kentucky facility and would expect fewer jobs to open at our Huntsville facility as part of this action is to improve our competitive position in the market," she told AL.com.

The company, which is celebrating 200 years in business, said its decision to consolidate was based on three factors: logistical proximity and freight synergies, organizational synergy and focus with engineering, sales and marketing, and facility overhead leverage and streamlining.

Kallam said employees will have a chance to apply for open positions within the company. They will also receive severance pay and outplacement services as the plant closes and operations transition to Huntsville in the coming months.

Remington did not say when it will close the Kentucky location, which produces Remington models 783, 770 and 597, as well as the Marlin 60, 795 and XT line of rifles.

Remington currently has more than 350 employees in Huntsville and is still hiring. You can view available job openings here.

A report from the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County in March said the firearm manufacturer had 324 employees as of Aug. 31, 2015 with an average hourly wage nearly $10 higher than stated in the development agreement between the company, City of Huntsville and state.

The company plans to ramp up hiring in Huntsville through the next decade:

680 employees by the end of 2016

1,018 employees by 2017

1,258 employees by 2018

1,498 employees by 2019

1,698 employees by 2020
Obit Schallert_Gray.jpg

In an Oct. 14, 1979 file photo, actor Gregory Peck, left, points out someone to actor William Schallert, formerly of the Patty Duke Show, during the Girls Friday of Show Business 1979 Celebrity Benefit Ball in Los Angeles, Calif. Schallert, who played Patty Duke's father and uncle in her '60s sitcom and led a long, contentious strike for actors, died Sunday, May 8, 2016, at his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., said his son, Edwin. He was 93.(AP Photo, File)

William Schallert, perhaps best known for portraying Patty Duke's father -- and uncle -- has died.

Schallert died Sunday at his home in Pacific Palisades, California, said his son, Edwin. He was 93.

Though usually seen in secondary roles, Schallert's lean, friendly face was familiar to baby boomers for roles in two classic sitcoms -- as a teacher to Dwayne Hickman and his pals in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" and as the dad in "The Patty Duke Show."

"The Patty Duke Show" (1963-1966) was challenging for Duke, who had already achieved stardom on Broadway as the young Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker" and repeated the role in the film, winning her a supporting actress Oscar. (Duke died in March at age 69.)

In the television series she played a double role, as Patty Lane, a typical American teenager, and as her cultured cousin, Cathy, who lives with Patty's family. Cathy was newly arrived from overseas, where, the theme song told viewers, she "adores a minuet, the Ballets Russes and crepes suzette." Patty just likes rock 'n' roll and hot dogs.

Schallert was cast as Patty's harried father (and Cathy's uncle), who was confused by the lookalike girls.

He was similarly frustrated as English teacher Mr. Pomfritt on "Dobie Gillis." The show, which ran from 1959 to 1963, starred Hickman as a teenager comically yearning for the perfect girl, and a strong supporting cast including Bob Denver as his beatnik pal, Maynard. "You ready, my young barbarians?" Mr. Pomfritt would ask his students, comically pining for the days of corporal punishment in the classroom.

In 1979, Schallert was elected president of the 46,000-member Screen Actors Guild, an honor held at one time or another by James Cagney, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston and other screen notables. Most of them had little to do but conduct meetings and issue statements. With Schallert it was different.

In 1980 he led the union as it staged a 13-week strike over such issues as actors' pay for films made for the then-new cable television industry.

He told the Los Angeles Times his message to actors was that "we have to respect ourselves as artists" and recalled the pre-union days when actors were sometimes expected to work until midnight and be back at work six hours later.

Schallert was defeated in his bid for a second two-year term as SAG president in 1981 by "Lou Grant" star Ed Asner, who had strongly criticized the agreement the union had reached to end the strike. Asner ran into his own controversies as SAG chief by taking stands critical of U.S. foreign policy, and he decided not to seek a third term in 1985. He was succeeded by none other than Schallert's former screen daughter, Duke.

Schallert said in 2008 that his greatest accomplishment as SAG president was the formation of a committee for performers with disabilities.

"We had established committees for all of the various ethnic minorities, women and seniors. I'm a big beneficiary of that right now because I'm 85 and I still work."

Among his later TV roles were guest shots on "Desperate Housewives" and "True Blood." In 2008, he played Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in "Recount," HBO's Emmy-winning dramatization of the 2000 presidential election.

In all, Schallert appeared in hundreds of movies, television series and specials, playing characters and walk-ons. He was a messenger in "Singin' in the Rain," a Union soldier in "The Red Badge of Courage" and an admiral in "Get Smart." In addition to Justice Stevens, he played such real-life figures such as Gen. Mark Clark in "The War Years" and Gen. Robert E. Lee in "North and South Book II."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1966, Schallert lamented being cast as "the second man through the door," or supporting player.

"I did come close to a lead once," he said. "This was a pilot I made for a series named 'Filbert.' But when the producers calculated the series would cost $75,000 per episode, they figured a top name would be needed in the lead to assure success. So they gave up the project. It was a hard pill to swallow."

William Joseph Schallert was born in 1922, in Los Angeles. His father, Edwin, was drama editor of the Los Angeles Times from 1919 to 1958.

William spent his high school years in a seminary. After military service he graduated from UCLA and went to England on a Fulbright scholarship in 1952. He studied repertory theater and lectured on American theater at Oxford University.

In his early years he was a founding member of the Circle Theater in Hollywood. The director was Charlie Chaplin, whose son Sydney was a cast member.

Schallert recalled that after a preview performance Chaplin would suggest a couple of things to correct. "When it was about five or six in the morning," Schallert said, "Oona (Chaplin's wife) would say 'Come on, Charlie, let them go home. They've got a performance to do tonight.'"
Over 80,000 Fort McMurray residents have been forced to flee their houses and nobody knows what they will come back to.

Fort McMurray, Canadas oil capital, is a ghost town today.

More than 80,000 residents of the city and its environs have fled a gargantuan wildfire that leapt over rivers and roads and marched into their neighbourhoods.

Oil workers, store clerks, business owners, teachers, medical personnel and children are now scattered around evacuee centres in the nearby cities of Edmonton and Calgary, and across Canada.

They have become a diaspora.

The fire that drove them away is gradually burning its way into uninhabited forest, where few, if any people live.

Cooler weather and showers have slowed its advance and plans are being drawn up to send damage-assessment teams into the exclusion zone.





But what of that diaspora? Who are they and when might they return?

Last week, at the main evacuation centre in Edmonton, I walked through the halls and tried to count the number of languages I was hearing: Somali, Swahili, Kurdish, Hausa, Spanish, Serbo-Croat, Turkish, Romanian, Albanian, Arabic and Italian.

I lost count after 30.

Fort McMurray was a huge magnet for immigrants to Canada. It had jobs, opportunities and was welcoming to newcomers.

I spoke to Susan, who was from Kenya. She stood outside a set of glass doors with her three-year-old daughter, Sarah.

We have us: My husband, me and her, she told me, smiling and gesturing towards the little girl.

Everything else is gone. Our house, our possessions, everything we worked for. All burned.

Behind the smile, her eyes betrayed deep concern for a future far from clear.

Sarah spotted someone in a clown suit, tying balloons into shapes and surrounded by happy kids.

She tugged her mothers hand and the two walked away.

Ahmed from Somalia was an oil worker. He had been in Fort McMurray for several years and was sending money back to Toronto where his family lived.

READ MORE: State of emergency as fire engulfs Canadian city

I didnt live in a house, I had an apartment and I dont think it got burned down, he said.

But I dont know about my job. No one can tell me when I can go back to work. I might go back to Toronto.

He had left Canadas largest city because the jobs there didnt pay enough. Generous salaries in the oil patch went a long way for his family of four, 2,600km away.

Fort McMurray drew in people from all across Canada, especially the economically challenged Atlantic province of Newfoundland.

They speak with a distinct accent, a bit of Ireland, a bit of the west of England. North America meets Europes Celtic fringe.

Twenty years. Twenty years, its been, said a man who didnt want his name used in press coverage while his insurance claims were being prepared.

I watched Fort Mac grow and now Ive seen it burn.

He was using the citys nickname. Some use it affectionately, like the man from Newfoundland.

To others, it was a pejorative, a putdown of a place perceived as a boomtown, with economy driven by the dirty oil dug from the tar sands of the Athabasca River valley.

The narrative outside of the community might best be summed up in a country and western song called Old Fort Mac.

Aint goin back

To Old Fort Mac

No matter how much they pay

You can live and work in Old Fort Mac

But there nowhere to stay, aint nowhere to stay

In other verses, the song says you can make a lot of money there but theres nothing to spend it on except drugs, alcohol and prostitution. Its funny but mean.

Thats the image of Fort McMurray put across in many media portraits. Expensive, full of young men with pockets full of gold, living the high life between shifts digging carbon from the soil.

It may once have been true. But new Fort Mac, before the fire, was a different sort of place: full of families, comfortably multicultural and, thanks to lower oil prices, a lot less expensive than it used to be.

Soon, officials promise, theyll work out when people can return to their homes, or sift through rubble and see if anything remains.

The local MP, an ebullient Conservative called David Yurdiga, says things may not be as bad as they seem.

He was allowed across police lines several days after the evacuation.

Id say 80 percent of the town looks OK, he said. Our infrastructure, our schools, the hospital, major buildings, theyre all untouched. If you stand in downtown, you cant tell theres been a major fire in other places.

Among the diaspora, those words were well-received.

I relayed them to Peter from Taiwan, who has lived with his parents in Fort McMurray for five years. We were having dinner in an evacuee camp 200km away. Peter had fled there after convincing his 80-year-old father not to stay behind as the flames reached the end of their street.

The old man wanted to guard their possessions from looters.

I spent two hours getting him to come with us. It was hot, so hot. But then he came. I dont know what happened after that. But maybe, just maybe, we still have a house. It must be OK, he said before turning away to look out of the window.

All diasporas are the same, it seems. Hope is what you cling on to.
In a city where Rolls-Royces roam the roads, about one third of residents aged over 65 live in poverty.

Hong Kong, China  In shadows cast by streetlights in the pre-dawn hours, a diminutive figure shuffles along, hunched over a cart.

She stoops to pick up a discarded piece of cardboard. Other peoples rubbish is much-needed income for her.

This is how Fok Po Po starts the day, seven days a week, in Hong Kongs stifling humidity, torrential rain and epic thunderstorms.

Fok Po Po  or grandma in Cantonese  is 66. Shes worked hard all her life and invested in a retirement fund.

But in Hong Kong, one of the worlds most expensive cities, Fok Po Po is one of a growing number of elderly people resorting to collecting rubbish to survive.

In this city of seven million people, where more Rolls-Royces roam the roads than anywhere else on earth, about one third of residents aged over 65 live in poverty.

They are the face of Hong Kongs silver tsunami  as people live longer and the workforce shrinks, the ranks of the elderly poor are growing, putting more pressure on the government and families to care for them.

Many old folks face this money problem where welfare doesnt keep up with rising living costs . Its considered normal, Fok tells Al Jazeera.

In one of the worlds leading finance hubs, elderly residents can apply for several different types of government benefits.

But community advocates say the existing benefits are not enough to cover living expenses, and that its difficult for people with children to obtain welfare.

Workers and their employers must contribute to a compulsory retirement fund but this system began only 16 years ago.

Ng Wai Tung, a community organiser from the Society for Community Organisation, a non-profit group, says this means many elderly residents do not have enough savings to support themselves in their old age.

He cites the case of a woman who worked as a cleaner. When she turned 65, she had only about $6,400 in her retirement fund.

This amount meant she could not afford to live in Hong Kong for more than one year, due to the expensive rent . Now she needs to pick up cardboard and work as an illegal hawker at night, he says.

Respect the elderly is only a slogan

Hong Kong has some of the worlds most expensive rental properties, and older people often struggle to find a home they can afford.

Many rent tiny rooms in small apartments that have been sub-divided in order to cram in more residents. Some places are so small and claustrophobic that they are nicknamed coffin homes.

The Society for Community Organisation believes introducing a universal pension would help to ensure that the elderly have a better standard of living.

While Chinese culture has a long tradition of taking care of the elderly, Ng says low-income earners often cannot afford to support their parents. He believes it is the governments responsibility to provide for them.

But not everyone agrees.

Dominic Lee is a young politician from the right-wing Liberal Party who opposes a universal pension.

Resources should not be just a handout, should not be an entitlement, he says. People have to be accountable for themselves and for their own family.

Educated in the US, Lee is the son of entrepreneurs who built their family company from scratch.

He says Hong Kongs low tax rates help attract vital foreign investment. Raising taxes to provide more elderly people with welfare benefits would drive big businesses away, he argues.

I think this level of tax is going to discourage a lot of corporations from coming to Hong Kong, he says. We are facing tremendous competition from other countries such as Shanghai and Singapore and we are losing this battle when corporations look at where they place their business.

Many of Lees constituents are elderly and his office is close to the poor neighbourhood of Sham Shui Po, where residents such as Fok Po Po collect rubbish to make ends meet.

On a personal level, I sympathise with them a lot because the government needs to do a lot of things to help them, he says. But on a policy level  we shouldnt let things on an emotional level affect our decision because resources that we use to help one person could be used to help other people.

On a recent afternoon in Sham Shui Po, people hurried past electronics stores selling the latest mobile phones, seemingly oblivious to the old man scavenging through a garbage can.

Ng says the poor are often ignored in Hong Kong because the education system emphasises the need to be self-sufficient.

Usually Respect the Elderly is only a slogan. It doesnt have any real or deep meaning in this society, he says.

Too poor to get by

Fok Po Po, who served in the Chinese army and came to Hong Kong from the mainland in 1999, says she never wanted to have to rely on the government.

But her retirement savings lasted only a year.

The monthly rent for her small sub-divided flat, which she shares with her two sons and granddaughter, costs $540 but she gets only $300 in government welfare.

I have to support them because they dont earn enough to stay on their own, she says of her children.

Collecting cardboard helps pay for food and the medication she needs to treat a back injury she suffered while working as a government street sweeper.

But with the ranks of the elderly growing, competition for cardboard to sell is tough.

Often we really have to fight for it and you have to guard your territory and the area where you want to collect, she says. Theres lots of competition and a lot of old ladies like me who work until the middle of the night because we dont have enough funds to live.

They may toil beneath glittering lights in a city awash in designer handbags and luxury brands, but for many residents, growing old in Hong Kong is a lonely and desperate battle.

From the 101 East documentary, Hong Kong: Aged and Abandoned. Watch the full film here.

Follow Drew Ambrose on Twitter: @drewambrose

Follow Liz Gooch on Twitter: @liz_gooch
Tabbasum Adnan explains how she went from being an abused child bride to an acclaimed human rights defender.

Bogota, Colombia  Tabbasum Adnan was married at the age of 13. By the time she was 20, she had three children. At 33, after suffering years of domestic abuse, she was able to get a divorce.

But she was left homeless and without custody of her children.

Five years later, and the woman from the town of Mingora in Pakistans Swat Valley is a celebrated human rights defender.

It all started in 2013, when Adnan established Pakistans first women-led council  called the Khwendo Jirga, or Sisters Council  to represent women in her community.

An independent all-woman group, the Sisters Council began pressuring police and the courts to take action on previously ignored rape, honour killing and acid attack cases and started providing legal assistance to survivors who had no one else to turn to.

Last week, in the Colombian capital of Bogota, Adnan received the coveted Nelson Mandela-Graca Machel Innovation Award for her work. Organisers called it inspiring, brave and pioneering.

Adnan dedicated the award to all women and mothers in Pakistan and everywhere.

Al Jazeera spoke to her about her personal journey to activism and the ongoing issues facing women in the Swat Valley.

Al Jazeera: You created the first Sisters Council in Pakistan. How did you do it?

Tabassum Adnan: The whole idea of creating the Sisters Council came about because all existing councils excluded women.

I came across a story of a woman whose very young daughter was attacked with acid. We went to a lot of councils but nobody wanted to support us.

Initially they said they would help us, but nothing ever happened. I thought why not just create one for women? And thats how the Sisters Council started.

We were 10 to 12 members [at first] but then we became 25 to 50, and now we are across the entire region. There are almost 1,000 women who come from different regions with their issues and problems, and we try to resolve them between ourselves.

Al Jazeera: Do men listen to the council?

TA: They listen to us and actually they have to listen to us. We give them no choice now.

There were a lot of objections because our work challenged the status quo. The men had issues that the women were now sitting together making decisions and solving problems.

They actually used to say these women must be smashed and beaten up. But the situation has changed.

Al Jazeera: How did you get them to take you seriously?

TA: When you actually take it upon yourself and take up a challenge, and decide that nothing can stop you then you overcome that fear.

I can actually look into their eyes and fight because these are our rights. And if you know you are working for the right thing and your direction is right, I think it brings out a lot of confidence, a lot of power within yourself.

And then you feel like nothing can stop you.

Al Jazeera: You were married at 13 and getting to this point has been a major struggle.

TA: I never experienced my childhood. I never experienced my teen years, because by the time I was 20 I was already a mother of three.

Even my married life was full of torture. It was full of domestic violence, full of things impossible for me to bear. I found no support at my parents house.

After 20 years, I made the very hard decision to divorce that man. I faced struggles during that process as well. My own brother threatened to kill me. My father told me its better for you to eat poison rather than get divorced. Even my own mother, although she knew everything that what was happening in my life, wanted me to die rather than get divorced. But I took the decision despite them.

I had to give up my kids to him. I could not get any assets or the money due to me.

After the divorce, I joined a very small organisation for women, where we used to talk about peace-building and where we spoke about forgiveness.

One day, while I was talking and sharing how important peace is and how important forgiveness is in life, one woman stood up and questioned me. She said, What if a man attacks your own daughter with acid? Are you going to forgive that man too?

The question left me speechless.

And that is how I started assisting a family whose child had been involved in an acid attack. Her attackers were roaming free.

We protested because the councils were not doing anything. With our involvement, the government was forced to listen and put all those people in jail.

This incident gave us confidence that we could take up other issues. And thats how the entire platform started.

Al Jazeera: Does the council receive any financial or legal support?

TA: There is nobody who supports us right now.

We have some people who offer legal advice voluntarily. But everything is restricted to when people have time to help.

When we seek help from some legal advisers and advocacy groups, they help and then take all the credit for the cases.

Al Jazeera: What is life like for women and girls in the Swat Valley?

TA: There are issues in my area. There are a lot of issues like honour killings, trafficking, rape, land disputes.

There are problems like some families sending their daughters to other homes in return for solving an issue [a dispute between the families]. So there are issues.

Of course, these types of issues exist everywhere, but I would say because of the cultural taboos, the issues are higher in our area. For example, Im sitting right now [talking to you] and Im showing my face. This is a taboo for the people back in my area.

So, for the women in my area to express themselves, to talk about their issues, its a big problem for them. Its not very easy to express their feelings.

There are fathers who bring their daughters to our council and feel very secure that their daughter can share issues and problems with a woman. So its very comfortable for them and its a very good thing for us that we are able to provide that type of comfort and platform.

Al Jazeera: Does the acknowledgement youve received outside Pakistan help or hinder your work at home?

TA: It gets difficult because when I received the International Courage of Women award, I started getting a lot of threats and even now Im here to receive an award I know that before I reach my country or my region there will be threats ready for me.

They start believing that I am getting a lot of funding or that I am an agent.

But we have so little support from anyone. I am still trying to find someone to help write proposals for us. We cant even get that. Access to justice is also essential to our work. And we are still battling for that.

So the outside recognition hasnt changed much for us materially. But people in Pakistan think that I am confident because of the outside support.

Al Jazeera: You are from Mingora, which is also Malala Yousafzais home town. Has access to education for girls improved since the Taliban attacked her in 2012?

TA: Its not as if there was no education for girls in our region. It was always there. The generation before me, like my parents and my grandparents, were all educated. They were actually very well educated. And one can only be educated if education is available and if there is a presence.

But, of course, if a war starts, nobody would want their children going to school and if I know there are bullets here and there and everywhere I would not tell my child to go study.

Of course, things have changed, the situation has changed and the entire education system will improve.

Its a very global thing. If things are changing around you, in the country, then the circumstances in your region will change also. I dont think I can give credit to any particular person for those changes.

Al Jazeera: How do you navigate the difficulties of life in the Swat Valley, while also working to raise the living standards of women?

TA: I think the first and primary thing that we are trying to address is the awareness within our community.

Its very important for the people who are living here to be aware, to have a good education. Being educated is empowering.

It allows people to know when religion is being wrongly used. It also allows people to know their rights. Most people dont know their rights.

Its not possible to suddenly change a place, and it will come gradually. But for that to happen, its very important for women to know their rights and about the things they can fight for.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
How can Ashraf Ghani wage an effective military campaign in Afghanistan if the origin of the threat is in Pakistan?

Aimal Faizi is an Afghan journalist and former spokesperson for former Afghan President Hamid Karzai from 2011-2014.

Suffering from a frenzied response to the increasing terrorist threats emanating from Pakistan, President Ashraf Ghani has hardened his position on war and peace in Afghanistan.

Under a recent presidential directive, the Afghan security forces are ordered to use an unprecedented level of force against the Taliban in the country.

But Ghanis ill-advised war policy is trapping the Afghan national armed forces in an enduring foreign war, which itself has become a more fearsome enemy to Afghans than the terrorists it is supposed to fight.





Intensifying military operations in Afghanistan against enemies who are based in and operating from Pakistan, and who are motivated to die as martyrs, is not the solution to the problem.

It has become the problem. It is imperative for Ghani to urge Washington to end its inaction against the long-existing problem of sanctuaries for the Taliban and the Haqqani group in Pakistan. The US must fix or capture the Taliban leadership in Pakistan.

Owning a foreign war

Since its establishment, the Afghan national unity government has owned the US military strategy by doing everything in its power to Afghanise the US unending so-called war on terror in Afghanistan.

READ MORE: Afghanistan War must end but not at any cost

According to Ghani, over the past 13 months Afghan national security and defence forces have conducted more than 40,000 military operations and more than 16,000 resolute operations within the country.

Under Ghani's national unity government, the US forces have a total free hand in conducting their military operations in Afghanistan, from drone strikes to unlawful house search. by

It is about 100 combat operations and 40 resolute operations every day, all carried out on Afghan soil.

Since the escalation of fighting, from 2015 onwards, there have been reportedly around 4,000 Afghan detainees held in Bagram prison without any legal process, despite concerns raised by the human rights organisations.

Ghani signed a decree last year which, according to international human rights groups, allows the detention without trial of Afghans suspected of planning acts of terrorism and attempts to end-run the legal system.

Under Ghanis national unity government, the US forces have a totally free hand in conducting their military operations in Afghanistan, from drone strikes to unlawful house searches.

US designs

But implementing all these US designs has not helped Ghani to improve the deteriorating security situation in the country. Rather, it has been counterproductive.

The violence and the suffering of the Afghan people continue to linger on more than ever before.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, the war in Afghanistan has caused around 2,000 casualties in the first three months of 2016. There were more than 11,000 civilian casualties, including 3,500 deaths in 2015. The figures are the highest of the past decade.

In his symbolic speech to a joint session of the houses of parliament on April 25, after a deadly terrorist attack in Kabul, Ghani pointed a finger at Peshawar and Quetta from where, he said, the enemies send terrorists to shed blood and destroy the people of Afghanistan.

Although Ghani mentioned the Haqqani group and some Taliban as the enemies of Afghanistan, he fell short of naming the enablers and those who nurture them in Pakistan.

He asked Islamabad (for the third time publicly since becoming president) to take military action against Talibans centres inside Pakistan and whose leaders are residing inside Pakistan. The demand was not new.

READ MORE: Afghanistan  Stop calling for more wars

Last August and earlier this year, after some deadly terrorist attacks in Kabul, Ghani made similar calls, pointing out that Afghanistan no longer wanted Pakistan to bring the Taliban to the peace talks, but rather wanted it to eliminate their sanctuaries on Pakistani soil.

But the problem is that Ghani wants to stand against the Haqqani group and the Taliban militarily in Afghanistan.

How can Ghani and his strategic ally, Washington, have an effective military campaign in Afghanistan if the origins of the terrorists threats and the sanctuaries are in Pakistan?

The answer is simple: any military efforts to eliminate the enemy militarily in Afghanistan will have no effect.

War will go on

Secondly, if there is a continued reluctance by the US to genuinely pressure Pakistans military establishment and to address the political dimensions of terrorism in the region, why would Pakistan give up on its strategic assets, the Haqqani group and the Taliban?

The 18-month-old rapprochement between Ghani and the Pakistani military leadership proved to be one-sided. by

The war will certainly go on. War as a formally declared state of affairs is a thing of the past. Therefore, as Ghani has echoed in the past, Pakistan is in a state of undeclared war with Afghanistan.

In this undeclared war, as Rudyard Kipling once said, the odds are on the cheaper man and Pakistan has no shortage of the cheaper man. The Taliban and the Haqqani group are low-cost and easily available tools of foreign policy for the Pakistani military establishment.

The 18-month-old rapprochement between Ghani and the Pakistani military leadership proved to be one-sided.

As Frud Bezhan, a Kabul-based journalist, puts it: Ghani banked nearly all his political capital on his controversial outreach to and appeasement of Pakistan  who many in Afghanistan and the West see as the driving force behind the Taliban insurgency. Not only has the president got nothing to show for his misguided efforts, but also he has wasted months of costly diplomacy during which time the Taliban have made gains and thousands of Afghan civilians have been killed.

The prime minister of Pakistan again signalled cooperation on the peace process after Ghanis April 25 speech by sending an envoy and a message to Kabul. But Afghans believe that the situation in Pakistan does not allow the civilian governments to hit upon an independent Afghan policy.

Its intention is to carry on inflicting massive damage to Afghanistan and intimidate Kabul for its political objectives in the region year in and year out.

Afghanistan is caught in the nets of a foreign-imposed war, in which the more it strives for fighting it, the more entangled it becomes. Therefore Ghani should break all vicious circles in the war on terror.

As the former Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the national unity government in a recent statement, Ghani must direct all resources towards the foreign drivers of the war. Otherwise inciting hatred and violence within Afghanistan will only make the country slide further into an endless conflict.

Aimal Faizi is an Afghan journalist and former spokesman for former Afghan President Hamid Karzai from 2011 to 2014.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Associate Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.

Reeling from accusations of mass killings and mass arrests in the autumn of 2013, the Egyptian government hired a Washington-based public relations firm, Glover Park Group, to help improve its international image. By all accounts, the public relations efforts havent worked.

In fact, Egypts image crisis has grown worse over the past two-and-a-half years, culminating in a recent stretch that has been especially woeful. The Egyptian governments public relations failures may not be the fault of Glover Park Group or any of the governments other public relations advisers, however.





News broke last Tuesday that Egypts Interior Ministry had accidentally sent confidential instructions meant for Interior Ministry officials to Egyptian news outlets.

The instructions reportedly offered guidance on how to address ongoing protests being staged by journalists at the Egyptian Syndicate of Journalists, and how to best deflect attention away from Interior Ministry abuses.

The instructions also suggested that Egypts Prosecutor General issue a gag order on the murder investigation of Giulio Regeni, an Italian graduate student who was tortured and killed in Cairo in January.

Glaring incompetence

Last weeks leaked memo highlights the governments glaring incompetence. The fact that an internal memo detailing a plan to restrict the news media could be sent directly to the news media would be remarkable, except that it isnt  the Egyptian government has, on numerous other occasions, done and said things that reflect a more general, systemic incompetence.

READ MORE: Egypt has become an international laughing stock

Within the past week, the Egyptian government has also carried out an elaborate raid of the Syndicate of Journalists, prevented commemorative International Workers Day protests, and put 237 activists on trial for illegal protests against President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. None of these actions are likely to gain Egypt much favour in international diplomatic circles or with the Egyptian public.

If we are willing to turn the clock back a few months, much more evidence of incompetence emerges. In February, Egypts judiciary sentenced a three-year old boy to life in prison for crimes the toddler was alleged to have committed when he was 17 months old.

Rather than own up to the mistake, the government downplayed the court ruling and denied some of the realities of the case.

After ISIL (also known as ISIS) shot down a Russian passenger jet at the end of October, the Egyptian government denied that their air space had been compromised by terrorists and complained that the incident was part of a Western conspiracy against Egypt.

After Regeni was brutally tortured and murdered  most likely by Egyptian police  Egyptian government officials alternatively blamed his death on a car accident, gang violence, and an elaborate political conspiracy to undermine President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

Rather than own up to human rights atrocities ... and seek corrective action, the government has downplayed or denied transgressions, and, perhaps more importantly, continued to make image-damaging gaffes. by

All of these recent incidents follow absurd mass death sentences issued in 2014  in one sentence, after a court hearing that lasted less than two hours, more than 500 Egyptians were sentenced to death over the alleged killing of a single police officer.

Death sentence

Another mass death sentence was issued against more than 600 Egyptians, including people who were either already dead or in jail at the time alleged crimes were carried out.

Also, in a case that gained significant international traction in 2014, Egypt sentenced Al Jazeera journalists to multi-year prison sentences on terrorism-related charges.

During that trial, the government presented bizarre evidence of guilt, including videos of one journalists European family vacation and a seemingly unrelated news report about Somalia.

Also in 2014, the Egyptian government claimed that an Egyptian military doctor had developed a cure for Aids, Cancer and Hepatitis C with a device that resembled a staple gun.

In a press conference attended by high-ranking Egyptian officials, including Sisi, Dr Ibrahim Abdel-Atti said he planned to take Aids from the patient, and feed the patient a skewer of beef I take the disease, and I give it to him as food.

Although the government appeared to subsequently distance itself from Abdel-Atti, a recent advertisement in state-owned EgyptAir magazine seemed to double-down on the cure. The ad read, Hepatitis C cure is just a flight away.

READ MORE: The Arab media paradox

This abridged list should make the point clear  the Egyptian government has been its own worst enemy.

Rather than own up to human rights atrocities and other mistakes and seek corrective action, the government has downplayed or denied transgressions, and, perhaps more importantly, continued to make image-damaging gaffes.

It is fair to question Glover Park Groups decision to represent a government that has shown itself to be opposed to the most basic of human rights.

But to blame the public relations firm for Egypts image crisis would be misguided. No amount of public relations manoeuvring could have saved Egypts government from itself.

Mohamad Elmasry is an assistant professor in the Department of Communications at the University of North Alabama.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Zakho, Iraq  The midnight sky above the sea was clear. Shamo Sabro, 35, could see stars over the Mediterranean. Even though the sea was calm, he was filled with fear, having never been on a boat before.

But Sabros anxiety was no match for his determination to leave Iraq for good.

Throughout the hour-long crossing from Turkey to Greece, which cost $5,000 in smuggler fees, Sabro never once doubted that he would begin a new life  a rebirth  in Germany with his wife and three children, who accompanied him on the trip. He could not have imagined then that within three months, he would return to Iraq and the predominantly Yazidi refugee camp that he fled last November.

At that point, I was still completely confident in the decision to leave, Sabro told Al Jazeera from his tent in the Chamisku refugee camp outside Zakho, in northern Iraq.

READ MORE: In five years there wont be any Yazidis left here

Sabro and his family are among a small number of Yazidis who have returned to northern Iraq after escaping the warring country illegally to seek refuge in Europe. They were displaced from their home in August 2014, when fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group overran the area.

According to Yazda, a Yazidi advocacy group, ISILs assault and occupation of the region led to the displacement of more than 90 percent of Iraqs Yazidi population. The organisation estimates that around one-fifth of Iraqs Yazidis, or 120,000 people, have relocated to Europe. Only a handful have since returned to Iraq, said Jameel Ghanim, Yazdas operations manager.

I'm telling people the truth about my experience, but they aren't listening. Germany is a good place, but it's not our home. by Shamo Sabro, Iraqi Yazidi who fled to Germany but later returned to Iraq

For Sabro, though, life in Germany was not what he expected. He recalled living in a former chicken factory in the city of Oldenberg with hundreds of other refugees and migrants from around the world, and says he struggled to find anything to fill his days.

I knew nobody, he said. I had no friends.

The 510 euros ($580) he received monthly from the German government was sufficient to make ends meet, Sabro said, and a local NGO provided the family with three meals a day. However, Sabro said he was uncomfortable sharing a living space with some Iraqis and Syrians who he feared might be ISIL sympathisers.

Murad Suliman, 31, is another of the small number of Yazidis who have chosen to leave Europe and return to Iraq.

A farmer in Sinjar before the city and its surrounding villages fell to ISIL, Suliman travelled to Germany illegally with his extended family last December at a cost of $10,000. But he recently returned to Zakho from Hamburg with his wife and three children.

We thought that anything would be better than Iraq, Suliman told Al Jazeera. But had we known what the situation would be like, and that we would suffer so much, we would not have gone.

Suliman said his family stayed in seven locations in Germany, where he cited cramped and poor living conditions. However, it was the feeling of separation from other Yazidis that ultimately drew him back to northern Iraq.

Before going to Germany, we heard that there was a future for the next generation of Yazidis, Suliman said.

Diler Ahmed, the manager of Iraqs Chamisku refugee camp, estimated that between 40 and 50 Yazidi families had left the camp for Germany or elsewhere. Eighty percent of the camps more than 4,300 families are Yazidi, while the rest are mostly Muslims from Sinjar, Ahmed said.

Conditions inside the camp are not ideal, Ahmed said, citing poor road infrastructure, electricity shortages and few employment opportunities.

When there is rain, its impossible to move around the camp, Sabro said. There is a serious shortage of electricity. Even in our homes, we can smell the toilets outside. But, you know, all that is not worse than being separated from your family.

READ MORE: ISIL is out of Sinjar, but Yazidis are still fearful

Although Sabro has returned to Iraq, he said he cannot yet return to his home. Since Sinjar was liberated from ISIL last November, much rubble remains to be cleared, and the city still lacks running water, electricity and a viable security presence. Yazda estimates that more than 70 percent of the Yazidi population may refuse to return to their homes [in Sinjar] because of chronic insecurity and the incapacity of government protection.

Peshmerga commanders estimate that 15 percent of the Sinjar region remains under ISIL control, citing daily mortar fire from ISIL-held villages around the city. Without the presence of a permanent international protection force in Sinjar, few residents will return, Sabro speculated.

Since returning to the Chamisku camp, Sabro said he has convinced a few friends not to make the journey to Europe. But every day, smugglers show up at the camp, and people continue to leave. Im telling people the truth about my experience, but they arent listening, he said. Germany is a good place, but its not our home.

Some of Sabros relatives told Al Jazeera that even they still planned to make the expensive and dangerous journey, despite his feedback  as do other Yazidis from Iraq.

Salah Bakarat, a Yazidi who has lived in the Chamisku camp with his family since ISIL overran Sinjar in 2014, already has one brother in Germany and is determined to reach Europe himself.

I want to live in peace, and I dont trust the government here any more, Barakat said. Regardless of the difficulties in moving to Europe, Im hoping for a peaceful life, free of murder and treason. Most Yazidis want to leave Iraq.

Bakarat, who says he does not look forward to the journey, also does not believe he has any other choice: Sabro was wrong to come back. He talked about the difficulties, but I dont care about that.

Additional reporting by Andrea DiCenzo

Follow Jonathan Brown on Twitter: @jonathaneebrown
Paris-based group wants order that led to closure of office rescinded on grounds of media pluralism and media freedom.

Reporters Without Borders, the international organisation which promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press, has called on Iraq to revoke its decision of suspending Al Jazeeras licence that resulted in the closure of its Baghdad bureau last month.

The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission (CMC) shut down the bureau and banned Al Jazeeras journalists from reporting in the country, saying it was withdrawing the licence because of violations of the official codes of conduct and broadcasting rules and regulations.

An arbitrary decision has been taken against Al Jazeeras Baghdad bureau, said Alexandra El Khazen, head of the Middle East desk of RSF, whose head office is in Paris.





We call on the authorities to rescind this decision on the grounds of media pluralism and media freedom, which are guaranteed by the constitution. The TV channels staff must be allowed to resume working.

The network denied any violations of professional journalism standards in its news coverage and programming, saying that it was shocked and bewildered by the decision, and promised to continue its coverage of Iraq for its audience there and around the world.

Al Jazeera is committed to its editorial principles in the coverage of current affairs in Iraq. It abides by its code of ethics in its coverage and programming, and by the highest global standards of professionalism, and has been doing so since its launch, Al Jazeera said in a statement.

The networks Baghdad bureau chief Waleed Ibrahim Mahmood told RSF that the Iraqi authorities had taken a very radical decision against the Doha-based broadcaster because they did not like its programmes and editorial policies.

READ MORE: Press freedom around the world worsening, says watchdog

He said unidentified armed men have also repeatedly threatened the bureau.

While the Iraqi authorities accused Al Jazeera of inciting violence and sectarianism, Ziad Ajili, head of Iraqs Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO), defended the professionalism of the networks reporting in Iraq, according to the RSF.

Iraq, along with Syria, is the most dangerous places for journalists, the RSF said in a published report last year.

A total of 110 journalists were killed around the world in 2015, with 11 deaths taking place in Iraq.

Baquba bombing

The casualty figure reflects the highly unstable nature of the country where some 165,000 civilians have died from direct war-related violence caused by the US, its allies, the Iraqi military and police, and opposition forces from the time of the invasion through April 2015.

In the latest incident, a car bomb claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in the eastern city of Baquba killed at least 16 people on Monday and wounded 54 others, police and hospital sources said.

The Amaq news agency, which supports ISIL, said a suicide bomber had targeted Shia fighters in the provincial capital of Diyala.

The sources said many of the fatalities were children eating at a nearby restaurant.
Victory for Beirutis List led by Jamal Itani in elections in Lebanons capital would be setback for Beirut Madinati.

A list of candidates backed by former prime minister Saad al-Hariris Future Movement has won Beiruts municipality elections, according to its leader.

Local media reported a decisive victory for the Beirutis List, headed by Jamal Itani, after his announcement based on initial results.

The victory for the Beirutis List would be a major setback for the Beirut Madinati grassroots campaign that had aimed to take on Lebanons paralysed political system and the ongoing so-called trash crisis.

Beirut has a 24-member municipal council.

The municipal elections that got under way on Sunday mark the first vote in Lebanon in six years.

Political instability

Parliamentary elections that were due to be held in 2013 have been postponed twice due to political instability exacerbated by the Syrian conflict.

Elections are due to be held across the country for the next two weeks.

Turnout in Beirut on Sunday was around 20 percent, local media said.

Authorities are expected to announce later on Monday the official results of the elections in Beirut and two provinces in the Bekaa region.

In eastern Lebanon, Sheikh Naim Kassem, deputy leader of Hezbollah, said the Shia groups candidates and allies won a vast majority of seats in areas in which they competed.

Hezbollah and its allies ran in 80 municipalities out of 143 where voting took place the previous day in the Bekaa Valley and won almost all the seats.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the mandate of Michel Sleiman expired, because the countrys Christian, Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim and Druze communities have not been able to agree on a candidate.

The countrys political scene is sharply polarised, with the government split roughly between a bloc led by Hezbollah and another headed by Hariri.

The rival blocs however banded together in Beirut to support the same list against Beirut Madinati.
Nazareth  There is no bigger taboo in Israel than comparing the state of Israel to Nazi Germany. And yet that is precisely what Yair Golan, the deputy head of the Israeli military, did last week during a speech to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

If theres something that frightens me about Holocaust remembrance, its the recognition of the revolting processes that occurred in Europe  and particularly in Germany  70, 80 and 90 years ago, and finding signs of them here among us today in 2016. Golan called for national soul-searching, adding: There is nothing easier than hating the stranger, nothing easier than to stir fears and intimidate. There is nothing easier than to behave like an animal and to act sanctimoniously.

It was a moment of extreme self-recrimination rare among Israels political and military leadership. The political backlash was not long coming. The same day Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, demanded a retraction in an angry telephone call to Moshe Yaalon, the defence minister.

READ MORE: Israel is a terrorist state

Golan dutifully backtracked, with a clarification that equating Israel and Nazi Germany was absurd and baseless, and that he had not intended to criticise the political leadership. Nonetheless, at Sundays weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu directed his fire at Golan again, calling his speech outrageous. Such comments, he added, shouldnt be said at any time.

All by Neve

are now furiously going after him.]

Other ministers were equally indignant. Science Minister Afir Okunis said the comparison would cause massive harm to Israeli public diplomacy all over the world. Miri Regev, the culture minister and a former military spokeswoman, called on Golan to resign.

Earlier, Naftali Bennett, the education minister and leader of the far-right settlers party Jewish Home, tweeted that our soldiers will be compared to Nazis, God forbid, with legitimisation from high above.

Neve Gordon, a political scientist at Ben Gurion University in Beersheva, said the political fallout underscored the significance of Golans comments. All camps in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict want to be able to claim exclusive ownership of victimhood, he told Al Jazeera. Golans offence was to dare to identify Israelis as the oppressors. Thats why [government politicians] are now furiously going after him.

Golan is a war hero, and for that reason he may  just  survive this incident. Though extremely uncommon, such comparisons have been made before by Israeli public figures, though never before by someone of Golans standing. Shortly after the occupation began in 1967, the late Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a renowned scientist and philosopher, began warning that Israel was in danger of succumbing to what he termed Judeo-Nazism.

A similar argument has been made by Avraham Burg, a former Speaker of the Israeli parliament. In the words of a prominent critic, his 2007 book Defeating Hitler argues that Israel has no moral core and has become a brutal Sparta, fast sliding towards Nazism.

And only last month Haneen Zoabi, a politician from Israels large Palestinian minority, rejected an invitation to a Holocaust Memorial Day event, noting alarming similarities between Israel and Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

Analysis: Why Israel wants a religious war over al-Aqsa

Despite the outrage in Israel that greeted Golan, Burg and Zoabis remarks, none went so far as to suggest that Israel is committing a Nazi-style genocide of the Palestinians. They referred instead to Germany in the 1930s, when the Nazis came to power and started creating a structure of racist laws. This period was a prelude to the Holocaust, which began several years later.





Golan has found some very limited support. An editorial in Israels leading liberal newspaper, Haaretz, saluted him for his brave words. It added: One of the most important lessons of the Holocaust was ignoring the early signs that brought the Nazi regime to where it ended up.

Golans comparison is likely to register as more significant with Israelis  even if it is no more popular  than Zoabi and Burgs. Zoabis statement was chalked up to Palestinian anti-Semitism, while Burg is widely dismissed as a leftist intellectual.

The reasons for Golans decision to speak out are complex and relate to fears prompted by a growing fault line both within Israeli politics and the military that does not strictly adhere to the usual left-right divide.

READ MORE  Israeli Rabbi to paramedics: Leave Palestinians to die

Yaalon, the defence minister, also a leading member of Netanyahus Likud party, came to Golans aid too, even while distancing himself from the Nazi Germany comparison. He argued that the general was calling for the military leadership to serve as a compass and a conscience for Israeli society.

Michel Warschawski, a founder of the Alternative Information Centre, a joint Israeli-Palestinian advocacy group, told Al Jazeera: The heads of the military-security apparatus are genuinely fearful for Israels future. They think the right is driving Israel into a wall.





Golan and the others understand that Netanyahu has already lost global public opinion and now they see that in time the right will drive away Western states. Eventually Israel will be left in total isolation.

Notably, Netanyahu used his Holocaust speech not to promote the universal values highlighted by Golan but to focus on what he claimed to be the continuing dangers faced by Jews. Anti-Semitism and the lies didnt die with Hitler in the bunker in Berlin, he said. The targets of his attack ranged from the Arab and Muslim worlds to Swedish government ministers, British MPs and the United Nations.

The danger of this kind of tribalism was underscored last month by the furore that greeted the armys decision to put on trial for manslaughter Elor Azaria, an army medic filmed executing a Palestinian in Hebron as he lay he severely wounded on the ground.

Polls have shown a majority of Israelis  including those drafted into the military  believe no action should be taken against Azaria. Some call him a hero. Golan alluded to the Hebron incident several times in his speech. There seems to be a palpable fear among army commanders like Golan that they are losing control over their soldiers  and with it any hope of holding on to their much-cherished claim to be the most moral army in the world.

Outside the very top echelon, the Israeli army is now controlled by people who are affiliated with the settler movement, Gordon said. That raises an uncomfortable argument about the place of religion in the military. Who gives the orders  God or the generals?

Columnist Asher Schechter observed at the weekend that there was no little hypocrisy in Golan and Yaalons efforts to preach morality to the rest of Israeli society. Golan, for example, was disciplined in 2007 for using Palestinians as human shields, two years after Israels supreme court outlawed the practice.

The irony is that the [Israeli army] had more than a hand in nurturing the kind of right-wing zealousness and disregard for human life that now worries its highest-ranking officers, he wrote.

Journalist Gideon Levy concurred, arguing that army commanders like Golan would do well to examine their roles in the moral decline of the country and of the army, and question what they are doing now in their high positions to institute change.
Police use tear gas and water cannon to break up rally urging resignation of supervising body in run-up to 2017 vote.

Kenyan police have fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters who had gathered to demand the resignation of a body supervising next years presidential elections.

Hundreds demonstrated on Monday in Nairobi near the office of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

They were demanding the resignation of the electoral body, saying it would rig the 2017 presidential elections.

Al Jazeeras Catherine Soi, reporting from Nairobi, said security was tight in the Kenyan capital after the protesters  who have pledged to gather every Monday  were dispersed.





The protesters, led by opposition leader Raila Odinga, were demanding the resignation of the electoral commission as they believe there is already a plan to rig next years general elections in favour of the ruling party, she said.

The claims have been denied by the electoral body, which has described them as mere allegations and challenged the opposition to provide evidence.

IEBC must go, the protesters shouted as dozens of police with support vehicles were mobilised on Monday in Nairobi.

Kenyas presidential and parliamentary polls are more than a year away but politicians are already lining up for what could be a bruising battle.

Violence erupted after the 2007 vote in Kenya, and the opposition disputed the 2013 election results.

According to the protesters, the resignation process will take a long time, which is why they are protesting a year in advance to pressure them to disband, Al Jazeeras Soi said.

Members of the opposition Coalition of Reform and Democracy (CORD), which unsuccessfully sought to overturn the 2013 election results, staged a street protest last month.

The 2013 vote, which brought President Uhuru Kenyatta to power, proceeded calmly despite the opposition challenge.

READ MORE: Kenyas Odinga  I wont run if commission not reformed

Authorities face pressure to prepare carefully to ensure a peaceful vote in a country where ethnic loyalties often trump policy among voters.

About 1,200 people were killed in ethnic killing that erupted after the 2007 elections.

Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, were on opposing sides in 2007 but, in 2013, they united in a coalition.

They were both charged by the Geneva-based International Criminal Court (ICC) with fomenting the post-election violence.

Both denied the charges, which were later dropped by the ICC.
Leading public figure says she received tip-off that hitmen are being contracted to kill her.

South Africas top anti-corruption official says she fears for her life after learning from an informant that hitmen are being contracted to kill her, her spokeswoman has said.

Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is a leading public figure who scored a major victory when South Africas top court ruled on March 31 that President Jacob Zuma had violated the constitution by ignoring her instructions to pay back some of the $16m of state money spent upgrading his private home.

The Western Cape province has a reputation for gangsterism and organised crime but her spokeswoman said Madonsela did not know who wanted to kill her.

On April 1 she received a text message from an informant, and that informant warned her to be careful. That person said a top gangster in the Western Cape was paid to get a hit man to kill her, said spokeswoman Kgalalelo Masibi, confirming a report in the Sunday Times newspaper.

She is concerned about her safety and security, Masibi said, adding that Madonsela knew the informant personally.

READ MORE: Has Zuma lost his grip on South Africa?

Masibi said Madonsela had immediately alerted South Africas VIP protection service to the threat and that her security had initially been beefed up, but had since been scaled down.

Security Services say that 95 percent of the time the informant is incorrect. But what if this falls under the five percent? Masibi said.

Hangwani Mulaudzi, a police spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that the South African police services (SAPS) were taking the allegations very seriously.

The situation is very urgent. And we are investigating the claims [] we need to make sure from a police point of view that we get to the bottom of this, Hangwani said.

Hangwani added that the national police commissioner would decide based on his findings if Madonsela needed more security. Hangwani said he was unable to provide a timeline for when this decision would be made.

Opposition party demand answers

Madonsela was quoted in the Sunday Times as saying she had stopped jogging and had become cautious about her movements.

Mzilikazi wa Afrika, one of the writers who broke the story, told Al Jazeera that given the sensitive nature of Madonselas work, it was only a matter of time before she became a target.

If you stand for the truth, some people dont want to hear it, he said.

Madonselas office, which has a constitutional mandate, probes misconduct and abuse in state affairs and can have several investigations on the go at any time.

Since her appointment as Public Protector in 2009, Madonsela has become known as a fearless anti-corruption official, with a steely resolve to tackle some of the most controversial issues in the country. In 2010, her office revealed a series of irregularities in the leasing of accommodation to the South African Police Services.

In 2014, Time Magazine included Madonsela on their Time 100 list, describing her as an inspirational example of what African public officers need to be. She was also a recipient of the Transparency International integrity award in 2014.
Announcement comes as Turkish military says it killed up to 55 ISIL fighters in northern Syria on Saturday.

The Turkish government has made the unusual move of confirming that its special forces entered Syria on Saturday, on what it called a reconnaissance mission.

Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Gaziantep near the Turkish-Syrian border, said it was highly unusual for the Turkish government to announce a special forces operation conducted outside the countrys borders.

Perhaps they were trying to give a message by announcing something so secretive, she said.

She said the operation was probably an attempt to stop the almost daily attacks on Kilis, a Turkish border province which has been hit by rockets from areas in Syria controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Separately, the Turkish military said it killed up to 55 ISIL fighters in the Baragitah area of northern Syria on Saturday.

According to Turkish media reports, three vehicles and three rocket launchers that belonged to ISIL were also destroyed.

READ MORE: Rockets from Syria kill four Syrians in Turkeys Kilis

More than 20 people have been killed and scores more wounded in attacks blamed on ISIL since the beginning of this year. Over the past two weeks rockets have been falling on the city every day.

There is a lot of fear, frustration and concern in Kilis, Dekker said. I think the Turkish government is sending a message to the residents of Kilis with this operation. They are saying that they are actually trying to do something to make it stop.

We are dying

One day before the Turkish special forces operation, several prominent Kilis-based NGOs published an open letter in national newspapers, asking the Turkish state to take action.

Rockets are falling on our houses, shells are raining on us. We are being killed on the streets, we are being killed in our houses, the letter said.

We are Turkish citizens, we want to feel safe. Please hear our call, please respond. We know you did not forget us. We know you are trying to help, the letter continued. But please be quick, we are dying. Kilis is under attack. Homeland is under attack.

Kilis lies just across the border from an area controlled by ISIL.

It is the only province in Turkey where refugees from the war in Syria  about 110,000  now outnumber Turkish locals.

People who have been displaced internally in Syria over the course of this war are now in Turkey thinking that they can be safe, Dekker said, Yet rockets are falling on their homes.

Turkey is currently facing several security threats. As part of a US-led coalition, it is fighting ISIL in neighbouring Syria and Iraq as well as Kurdish fighters in its own southeast and northern Iraq.
Protesters gather once again in Hanoi accusing Taiwanese company of causing mass fish deaths.

Vietnamese police have detained dozens of protesters in the capital, where demonstrators gathered for the second time in a week to denounce a Taiwanese company they accuse of causing fish deaths in central coastal provinces.

A group of protesters sat on the bank of a big lake in Hanoi on Sunday before police shepherded them on to a waiting bus, witnesses told the Reuters news agency. Demonstrators were also put on buses at a square in front of the nearby Hanoi Opera House.

The fish mass deaths emerged a month ago in the central province of Ha Tinh, where the Taiwanese Formosa company runs a steel plant. Fish were also washed ashore in three other provinces along a stretch of 200km.

An initial official investigation did not blame the fish deaths on Formosas $10.6bn coastal steel plant and Formosa denies any wrongdoing.

As the scandal unfolded in April a Formosa communications official was sacked after he said Vietnam needed to choose whether to catch fish and shrimp or to build a state-of-the-art steel mill.

You cannot have both, the official said.

The company later apologised for the comments and has launched its own inquiry but public anger is growing.

Rare demonstrations

Never has the Vietnamese sea been this badly polluted, army veteran Nguyen Manh Trung, 68, told the AFP news agency.

Last week, hundreds took to the streets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnams second-largest city, to vent their anger.

Demonstrations are rare in Vietnam and are often quickly suppressed by uniformed and plain-clothes police. State-controlled media has not reported any of the demonstrations.

The government has invited experts from Germany, Japan, the US and Israel to inspect the Ha Tinh site in an attempt to find the cause of the fish deaths.

The inspectors have yet to announce their findings.

The governments initial investigation said the cause could be red tide, when algae blooms and produces toxins, or a release of toxic chemicals by human beings.

Vietnams central provinces are heavily dependent on seafood, including farmed shrimp, catfish and wild-caught tuna.

Last year the country earned $6.6bn from seafood exports.
Aaron Parks GroupSOUTH Jazz KitchenPhiladelphia, PAMay 4, 2016I apologize in advance if the following descriptions come off as grandiose. But regarding the Aaron Parks Group, anything that doesn't walk the line of hyperbole feels like an undersell. They were one of the most exciting acts I've had the pleasure of witnessing, and I don't mean interesting or hope inspiring, but rather the type of excitement you feel after injecting a shot of adrenaline straight into your bloodstream. By the end of their gripping 75-minute set it felt like only a half hour had passed.Aaron Parks is difficult to put a finger on because his signature traits as a pianist and improviser are overshadowed by the incredible stylistic diversity of his genre-wandering career. His most recent release, Groovements (Stunt Records), is a modern spin on the straight-ahead, easy-swinging piano trio format, but he has explored terrain from Rock Fusion to the avant-garde edges of Post-Bop. Parks came to notoriety in 2008 with his Blue Note debut, Invisible Cinema, an acoustic fusion record flaunting the groove-based hipness that is now standard for the label. Blue Note dropped him during the economic crisis, but in 2013 he rebounded with the Jarrett-esque solo ECM album, Arborescence, (a fair right of passage for any former child-prodigy who wants to be taken seriously as a grown artist.) Overall, his playing is marked by lyricism, cinematic drama, and dynamic control.During the concert, Parks' Blue Note catchiness and his ECM experimentalism coalesced into a bold flavor of Post-Bop that alluded to contemporary styles while still evoking its roots in Hard-Bop and Swing. The group was modern and intellectually stimulating with regard to harmony, rhythm, and song-form, but this cerebral edge paled in comparison to their utter nastiness. The five musicians swung with levels of passion, cohesion and flare that their discographies don't begin to reflect.Joining Parks' current working band of, and, on bass, drums, and tenor, respectively, was 21-year-old vibraphonist, who is currently touring with Parks in a mentorship program sponsored by The Jazz Gallery. It's unsurprising that the pianist would accept a mentee, given the degree to which his own musical development was catalyzed by his involvement withat the ripe age of 19.But Ross' precocious creativity, facility, and confidence were downright shocking. His style is so unique and developed that it changed my image of the vibraphone itself. Though his musicality shown through brightly, I was most impressed by the revolutionary way in which he approached the physicality of the instrument, reworking classic limitations as creative allowances. In contrast to the metallic sustain of players like, Ross' tone was brittle, percussive and woody; instead of letting his notes ring out and wash over each other indefinitely he exploited the relatively sharp decay of each hit. This allowed him to throw down precise flurries while sounding neither muddy nor blunted. In an introduction to' "Airegin," he joined Parks in a flirtatious duet, answering the pianist's Monk-like, staccato lines (think "Trinkle, Tinkle") with equally speedy riffs of his own.On's "A Life Unfolds," Ross showed taste and restraint in addition to his rabid displays of virtuosity. Parks waded into the tune with the billowing romanticism of a Chopin interpreter, humming along to himself as if ten keyboard voices weren't enough. The vibraphonist patiently sprinkled accents throughout before developing a delicate, transfixing solo. Ross' impeccable timing, combined with the timbral uniformity of each hit, made his swift patterns seem surreally computerized, like the digital pattering of rain. Throughout the display Ellis held an expression like he'd just gotten slapped in the face.It was the type of solo that seemed impossible to follow, but Parks and Marshall tackled it together, trading licks and egging each other on. Marshall's overall performance was staggeringcertainly in the same league as Parks' go-to drummer,(though with noticeably less restraint.) He reached his climax on a heavy-hitting rendition of's "Sonnet For Stevie" that the band cast in shades of Mingus. Marshall's cymbal-heavy fills drowned the stage in a frenzied wash of treble, with snare hits escaping from underneath. Instead of winding down at the end of his solo, he settled in to the beat he had built up to, cueing the band to return with a heightened level of urgency (a move favored bywith theTrio.)That being said, Marshall was equally impressive in a supportive role. His unswung accuracy and liberal use of triplets made each groove feel like a computerized beat come to life. He brought out the Hip-Hop undertones even further by adopting a focused swagger, pulling off subtle pyrotechnics with the casualness of a swing drummer keeping time. I was most struck by Marshall's use of the drum set's dynamic range. He would not only switch between light and heavy grooves, but also mold the intensity of each hit within a phrase, using timbre and dynamics the way a tonal instrument uses pitch, and thus adding a whole new dimension to the expressive potential of his instrument.Ellis shone on his own composition, "Little Giggles." On his 2006 record By A Thread the smooth tune comes off rather empty, like a Sunday morning NPR interlude, but the Aaron Parks Group rocked it with such gusto that it felt joyous and triumphant instead. Ellis solos in the school of Coltrane, rapidly slipping around sharp melodic curves with the ease and fluency of step-wise motion, and often ending phrases with a melodic hook downward. In the vein of, he also favored legato runs, in which he squeaked and groaned out as many pitches as possible before stopping to breathe.Parks himself was also a formidable soloist, but the group's excellence came mainly from its cohesion. Groove-centric jazz sometimes feels stoic and mechanical because even if the soloist has free rein the rhythm section is often locked down to a specific pattern. The Aaron Parks Group, however, demonstrated the ability to spontaneously slip into new grooves. In these moments of collective discovery they acted with chameleonic flexibility while preserving the overarching feel and character of the song.Crafting a sound that was instantly gratifying yet rife for critical listening, this current iteration of the Aaron Parks Group meshed better than any of his other ensembles on record. Being of the generation accustomed to universal access, I've been frustrated by my inability to find an online recording of the group. The only way to experience this fierce, mesmerizing band is to see them in person, and if you come in skeptical (as I did) you may very well be a fan by the end.
A retrospective look at the sixty-year career of Cecil Taylor, in progress at the Whitney Museum of American Art, incorporates the museum's unobstructed spaces and impressive views of New York City with multimedia documentation of the great composer/pianist's sixty years of creative invention. That openness is emblematic of Taylor's own absence of artistic boundaries. He has worked with dancers, poets, filmmakers and playwrights all while creating the most innovative avant-garde music that modern jazz has to offer. Throughout his career he has been the author of arguably the most challenging free jazz produced, some of which is incomprehensible to an average listener, but still, his music is impossible to ignore.Live in the Black Forest was originally released in 1978 on the MPS label. The live album consists of two, twenty-five minute pieces that had been recorded earlier that year for a German radio station but had never before been released in a digital format. The German label, Edel, acquired the tapes and the quality of this recording is excellent. Though they were not yet billed as such, the sextet here would later be known as the "Cecil Taylor New Unit" and included trumpeteron alto saxophone, Ramsey Ameen on violin, bassist(Norris Jones) and drummer. This collective, however, was short lived and the earlier ..."Unit," a highly regarded version of the ensemble that appeared on Unit Structures (Blue Note, 1966), included only Lyons from this group."The Eel Pot" is harmonically unimpeded creativeness and demonstrates why Taylor favored his long association with Lyons who immerses himself in this dynamic improvisation with the acrobatic skill necessary for a live collaboration with Taylor. Malik's commanding, vibrato flashes are a preternatural melange of warmth and unruliness punctuating Taylor's snippets of melody and torrents of notes. "Sperichill On Calling" opens with a briefly melodic piano solo joined by Lyons for a bluesy into to an intense collective jam. Jackson aggressively precipitates frantically fast paced hyper-activity that briefly slows with Ameen's searching solo. He and Taylor command the remaining ten minutes of the performance as the piece shifts in tempo, Lyons and Malik and Sirone abruptly moving in and out of focus.Even among his fan base, Taylor has been the quintessential riddle wrapped in an enigma. His music is dense and sometimes overwhelming and though Live in the Black Forest is sometimes cited as a more accessible Taylor primer, it is no less complex than the body of his work. Taylor has always had critical detractors but often for no more than the irritating inability to explain his music. Live in the Black Forest is for Taylor fans, particularly those who favor the pianist outside his preferred solo formation. Like most everything Taylor has recorded, this once hard-to-find recording requires patience and open ears.
           2005     ..        
Dear Editor



Sub:- Without taking $ ~ 15 Trillion to-be-recovered tax money in reckoning, any foreign policy of USA (leader of free world) for India is merely a farce.



--- This refers to interview of former US ambassador to India, Frank G Wisner to The Times of India published on May 9, 2016 in which in addition to other matters Wisner strongly recommended for India to join Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). This in view of the fact that some US Congressmen (Matt Salmon, Ami Bera, Ed Royce, Eliot Engel, Brad Sherman, George Holding, Derek Kilmer, Dana Rohrabacher, Scott Des Jarlais) have introduced a legislation last fortnight, asking the Obama administration to help India join the APEC forum.

How much Wisner is severed from reality is evident from his argument that [Its about finding a balance. If there is a scale and you have a heavy weight at one end, you need a heavy weight at other end  so if India, the US, Japan, the Philippines, etc are all in that balance then therell be less reason for any power, China included, to upset the balance]



What can be a more pertinent example of not only USA severed from reality about India but also legally / morally degenerate and farcical policy of USA towards India? Where USA is still trying to use India as counter balance to China but USA (as leader of free world despite UN Convention against corruption and black money) is doing nothing to constrain government of India (GOI) to recover Rs. ~ 1,000 Trillion Income Tax out of black money from tax evaders as explained at :-



http://www.alwihdainfo.com/Now-India-bound-to-get-Rs--1000-Trillion-income-tax-as-Delhi-Police-steps-in_a31456.html



The USA should understand that with this $ ~ 15 Trillion tax money India will be so powerful (economically) that on the scale (which Wisner is referring to) India on one side cannot be balanced by China, the US, Japan, the Philippines etc all put together on other side. Hence Wisner and said Congressmen in particular and the USA in general should stop envisaging / continuing US foreign policy towards India considering India to be eternally economically-humble country.



The USA as leader of free world and as a special permanent member of UN (having UN head-office on US soil), is morally and legally responsible under UN Convention against corruption, to ensure that GOI recovers said $ ~ 15 Trillion tax money.



Otherwise USA should not be considered as friend of India and whatever is talked about India by Wisner and said Congressmen in particular and the USA in general is nothing more than a farce played by USA on ~ 1.3 Billion people of India [who are facing myriad easily-avoidable (through this $ ~ 15 Trillion tax money) problems due to present economic hardship].



[It is charitably hoped that USA is not doing anything to constrain GOI to recover $ ~ 15 Trillion tax money not because USA is envious of India becoming economically most powerful country of the World]



Regards



Hem Raj Jain



(Author of Betrayal of Americanism)



Bengaluru, India






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DON'T KNOCK ON MY DOOR by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- I wish I could feel delight in my poet's mansion being like Grand Central Station all the time, but I can't. And I wish my place was such a place that someone would one day write: "Her door was always open and she always made you feel all fuzzy and warm in her presence. She could make a cup of coffee seem like a banquet." [MORE] Reporting: Panama

PANAMA'S VIOLENT LABOR UNREST INTENSIFIES Mark Scheinbaum PANAMA CITY, Panama, Feb, 15, 2008 -- After just one day of relative calm, wildcat construction strikes by some members of Panama's largest union flared up again Friday morning, four days after a police sniper shot one worker. More than 140 demonstrators have been injured and at least 500 arrested, authorities say. [MORE] Brasch Words

TO STIMULATE ECONOMY, BUY A CHINESE-MADE U.S. FLAG by Walter Brasch BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- Walking down Main Street, pushing a grocery cart loaded with clothes, toys, and appliances was Marshbaum. Fastened to the right front corner of the cart was an American flag tied onto a three-foot ruler. [MORE] Make My Day

THE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- To commemorate the death of noted shark exploder Roy Scheider, and the "Jaws" movies that resulted in Erik never setting foot in the ocean again, we are reprinting this column from 2003. Shark Experts 0, Sharks 1 [MORE] Momentum

THE WINTER OF MY DISCONTENT by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. - As I write this, it's raining ice. Maybe a half a foot of snow and ice has already landed up here in the woods of Dummerston. Our cars are encased in it, and the door to the house is blocked. The satellite dish that brings in our Internet service quit about 20 minutes ago - frozen solid. [MORE] The Willies

AMERICA TO HILLARY: GET OUT! by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 13, 2008 -- Sen. Hillary Clinton has adopted the Rudy Giuliani strategy, and it's working - for Sen. Barack Obama. It turns out to be the strategy all Democrats are seeking - an exit strategy. But it's not for Iraq. It's for her exit from the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. [MORE] Constance

CONFESSIONS OF A DISAPPOINTED VOTER by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- A week ago at just about this time, I completed an article and was about to submit it as scheduled to The American Reporter. I was feeling rather elated, ready to show up on Super Tuesday morning, firmly touch the X next to Rudy Giuliani's name and get on with my day. He was my choice; he would get my vote. [MORE] Reporting: Florida

SIERRA CLUB SET TO SUSPEND FLA. CHAPTER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 10, 2008 -- The national Sierra Club is set to suspend its Florida chapter after years of divisive infighting, the president of the national club told Florida members in a letter delivered to some this weekend. It is the first time in its 116-year history that such a step has been considered by the club, according to news reports. [MORE] One Woman's World

PLANT A NEW WORLD THIS SPRING by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- For a little while, the men will just have to toss and turn in their fear-free-women beds. For a small space of time Hillary Clinton will just have to trudge on toward the White House without my faint applause in the background. [MORE] On Native Ground

VERMONT AND THE 5 STAGES OF CONSERVATIVE GRIEF by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- First, Vermont tried to convince the nation to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney. [MORE] Make My Day

REBEL WITHOUT A TONGUE by Erik Deckers INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Kids' brains work in amazing ways. At times, they can grasp complex concepts and make impressive discoveries. Other times, you have to wonder how we ever survived as a species. [MORE] The Willies

FOR DEMOCRATS, NOW IT'S ABOUT RACE, INCOME AND GENDER by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Feb. 6, 2008 -- It's not a good time to be a Democrat. As the Super Tuesday results demonstrated, the presidential race between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has divided the partly along clear racial, income and gender lines - the very distinctions the party has sought to erase in principle but has emphasized in its pursuit of diversity. [MORE] Momentum

SUPER TUESDAY BLUES by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt. -- Super Tuesday has come and gone and I still can't get excited about the upcoming presidential elections. [MORE] The Willies

ON THE BRINK OF HISTORY, YOUR PUSH IS NEEDED by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Feb. 5. 2008 -- I'm expecting a sea change tonight. I believe that for the first time in this nation's history we will once and forever banish racism as the deciding factor in the destiny of African-Americans, and indeed adopt diversity as our path to the future. [MORE] Campaign 2008

AT 88, EVERY VOTE REALLY COUNTS by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 5, 2008 -- Pearl Turner will caucus for Mitt Romney tonight in Denver. [MORE] One Woman's World

STAND BY YOUR WOMAN by Elizabeth T. Andrews CARTERSVILLE, Ga. -- The black vote. The gay vote. The fundamentalist vote. The Hispanic vote. [MORE] An AR Special

SUSPECTS IN BENAZIR ASSASSINATION HAVE TIES TO MUSHARRAF by Ahmar Mustikhan WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Gordon Brown this past Monday feted coup-leader-turned-President Pervez Musharraf at 10 Downing Street, Britain's new prime minister probably didn't ask the Pakistani dictator a question that is now on many minds: Did you order the murder of Benazir Bhutto? [MORE] Momentum

TO THE VERMONT DELEGATION: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR US LATELY? by Joyce Marcel DUMMERSTON, Vt.  Back when President George W. Bush and Dick Vice President Dick Cheney were building up to their loathsome war in Iraq, very few people were brave enough to call the bullies' bluff. [MORE] On Native Ground

IF BUSH HAS HIS WAY, WE'LL NEVER LEAVE IRAQ by Randolph T. Holhut DUMMERSTON, Vt. - In his final State of the Union address on Jan. 28, President Bush cautioned against accelerating U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, saying that it would endanger the process that has been made over the past year. [MORE] Campaign 2008

CLASH OF COMMENTS AND PROTESTORS AT CLINTON, OBAMA RALLIES IN DENVER by Ted Manna DENVER, Feb. 1, 2008 -- At least four presidential campaigns of both partiers rolled into in Denver this week ahead of the Feb. 5 "Super Tuesday" primaries in 22 states, but it was the Democratic presidential contenders who drew the big crowds and duked it out Wednesday. If sheer numbers are any indication, Sen. Barack Obama - preceded by a buoyant and beautiful Caroline Kennedy - won the round handily. He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Colorado primary next Tuesday. [MORE] The Willies

WHY THE FLORIDA PRIMARY STINKS by Joe Shea BRADENTON, Fla., Jan. 30, 2008 -- I was with my wife and daughter driving the back way from Miami home to Bradenton when we stopped at a McDonald's in Clewiston, the only big town along the vast shore of Lake Okeechobee, the state's precious freshwater reservoir. The McDonald's had three televisions at a central seating area, each tuned to a different network, and our table was in front of CNN as the very first election results started to pour in around 7:30PM. With them, almost as counterpoint, suddenly came such an overwhelming odor of cow plop that my wife started to throw up as we all ran to the parking lot. [MORE] Passings: Suharto

DEATH OF A KEMUSU THUG by Andreas Harsono JAKARTA - A few minutes after hearing that former president Suharto had died in his hospital bed, Marco, a militia leader in downtown Jakarta, raced to Suhartos house, wearing his jungle camouflage and began guarding the Suhartos residence on Cendana Street. [MORE] Constance

I REMEMBER YOU by Constance Daley ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga.. -- It seems to be more often lately that the sentiment is spoken but it's always been out there: "You never get over the death of your child." This is true. But the heartfelt expressions come from some who cannot fathom the notion of losing a child; their own child is who is in their mind, not another mother's child. [MORE]
As head of research and development at the largest retail bank in Ukraine, Alexander Vityaz grappled with a problem faced by banks around the globe: old, inefficient IT systems that hindered data processing and product innovation.

The solution he came up with  a core platform run entirely in the cloud  worked well enough for PrivatBank to send him to Silicon Valley to try to sell the technology to the U.S. banking industry.

Corezoid, the vendor spun off from PrivatBank, officially opened for business last week with a sales pitch that might have been a nonstarter a few years ago but sounds plausible today as banks race to keep up with customers' expectations.

"If there are 30,000 banks in the world, they're all trying to create 30,000 different Internet banks, 30,000 antifraud systems, and so on," Vityaz said. "Ninety-nine percent of business operations in the bank are the same standard. These operations need to be commoditized and moved to the cloud."

U.S. banks' reticence to use cloud services for core functions will soon be a thing of the past, some observers predicted.

"Typically there have been the twin concerns of security and protecting customer data and regulatory compliance" discouraging banks from using the cloud, said Jim O'Neill, an analyst at Celent. "I think security concerns will soon vanish; you saw the same thing in the early days of mobile banking, and now every bank offers it. And I think the regulatory fears are based on presumption. I don't see anything in the FFIEC guidelines that calls out cloud computing as not acceptable for banking services."

Also, the current practice of adding application layers on top of those old systems will soon prove impractical, said Julien Courbe, a financial services and technology analyst at PwC.

"Adding digital integration layers is a bit of an awkward workaround," he said. "The evolution in cloud-based solutions will make [cloud] a more appealing solution to banks."

Corezoid, though a bit different in what it does, joins other vendors aiming to sell banks on putting core processes in the cloud. These include Nymbus, a cloud-based core processing vendor based in Miami Beach, Fla., and Wilmington, N.C.-based nCino (which was also originally part of a bank). Also, longtime financial technology vendor Misys announced last month that it would move its full product suite  including core systems  to the cloud.

Like many institutions, PrivatBank, based in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine's third-largest city, required enormous computing capabilities to power the millions of financial transactions conducted per day at the bank. This hurt operating efficiency (when the bank needed a quarterly report, a server couldn't quickly process the huge amounts of information necessary) as well as customer experience (systems couldn't process data quickly enough to offer a customer a real-time view of their account balance).

To solve these issues, Vityaz  with a $3 million budget  created what is now Corezoid in 2013. He started by compiling a list of all the kinds of banking account calculations that might ever be necessary, then developing algorithms to handle each of these.

Essentially, he said, this cuts out the hardcoding needed to create banking services, instead mixing and matching application programming interfaces, or APIs, to customized algorithmic processes.

If-this-then-that formulas are matched to customers' needs and situations at a given moment. The result is a new "digital core" enabling banks to use a single cloud platform for all of their processes, said Vityaz, who spoke through a translator.

Further, Vityaz said Corezoid acts as a kind of "Krazy Glue" for banking APIs. "Right now, each bank has an IT department inefficiently reinventing the same bank-specific solutions," Vityaz said. "With Corezoid, banks can instead use ready-made processes  simply by connecting the APIs they need. That's the promise that cloud banking has to offer."

So, account and deposit processing are now performed at PrivatBank through Corezoid's cloud operating system. Once a customer makes any change in their account  like adding or removing funds  that operation is sent through Corezoid's algorithm-based process engine, which finds in its system a predefined process associated with this account and type of transaction, and completes the necessary calculations instantly. If Corezoid doesn't find the necessary account template in the system, it automatically creates a new process, Vityaz said.

In addition to PrivatBank, Corezoid recently picked up its second client: Western Union is using Corezoid as the back end of its new online money transfer service in Ukraine. Corezoid is now a separate company from PrivatBank, though the latter is an investor in it. Including Vityaz, the company has 20 employees, all of whom previously worked at the bank.

As Corezoid decided to look for a permanent headquarters and begin offering services on a larger scale, it chose Silicon Valley (Redwood City, Calif., to be precise) in part to be able to reach the U.S. banking industry.

"We needed to talk directly to this market," Vityaz said. "The problem is that American banks are trying to be IT companies. They would be much happier if they could concentrate on the main banking business instead of being IT companies."

Corezoid's offering is perhaps not so much a traditional core banking platform per se, but something more akin to a Swiss army knife allowing banks to potentially solve specific problems, O'Neill said.

"It seems like a general-purpose toolkit for building workflows  a platform for building custom apps," he said. "A bank might have some data and processing issues and effectively use this kind of service to build an app to solve these issues."

Core banking itself will be a driver of cloud adoption among banks, O'Neill said.

"For banks, their typical tools are mainframe-based," he said. "Now, they are very good at what they do, to scale to millions of transactions, and that's what they have been using for over the last 50 years. But they're not very agile in terms of creating new products and services and having [the ability] to adapt to new business models on the fly."


A big investor in Banc of California is proposing that the Irvine company adopt majority rather than plurality voting for the election of directors.

PL Capital, which is well known for being an activist investor, submitted a nonbinding proposal for shareholders to consider during the $9.6 billion-asset company's annual meeting. The proposal requests that the board take "the actions necessary" to switch to majority voting, arguing that a plurality standard lets directors be elected even if a majority of shares vote against a nominee.

"A majority voting standard would give Banc of California stockholders a real say in the election of directors," Richard Lashley, a PL Capital principal, said in a press release issued last week. "In our view, and in the view of most corporate governance experts, the majority voting standard is the best method to elect corporate directors."

More than 80% of companies in the S&P 500 index use majority voting, the release claimed.

PL Capital, one of Banc of California's biggest shareholders, with a 5.9% stake, has battled it in the past. In December it requested that the company's lead director disclose details about Chairman and Chief Executive Steven Sugarman's involvement with an investment fund that violated securities laws. In June 2014, Lashley sent a letter to Sugarman that described a heated exchange between the two men at an investor meeting.

Banc of California's annual meeting is set for Friday.


For years -- arguably even decades -- the craven Republican establishment, often called the GOPe, has submitted to the Democrats and betrayed its own conservative voters in the process. Many of those conservative voters have concluded, based on no small evidence, that the GOPe is either too stupid to understand the nature and stakes of the battle it and this nation are in -- a to-the-death battle with the statist Left -- or it is complicit in the nations betrayal. In either case, Donald Trump emerged to fill a leadership vacuum at the top and attracted a following large enough to kick the buggers blocking the Freedom Road the hell out of the way.

Some significant numbers of conventional Republican voters have already made it clear that they intend to defect from Trump either to vote for Hillary or some unknown third-party or write-in candidate, or not to vote at all. There is no implicit by-your-leave to any of this; it is simply a self-regarding act of what they deem to be virtue, for which they congratulate themselves for either ignoring or not even seeing the drain around which we in this nation are circling.

Meanwhile, as the Republican cohorts carry on the clanging show -- a reality show, be it noted -- the Democrats already in control of the government are carrying on with their un- and anti-Constitutional subterfuge, at least some of which is carried out through making receipt of appropriated federal funds contingent upon obedience to the impositions. They do it not quite in secret, but below much of the media radars notice. Here are three examples from among many action fronts:

(1) States and U.S. Territories attorneys-general -- in the event, under the leadership of the U.S Virgin Islands attorney-general -- are preparing to prosecute organizations, businesses, and individuals who are both skeptical of the global warming phenomenon and the fraudulent science behind it. This action is being undertaken to silence criticism of the international environmental movements efforts to control activities said to produce such warming. There is no law mandating this action, and it is almost certainly in violation of the First Amendments free speech clause.

(2) The U.S. Justice Department has given the governor and other officials of North Carolina until May 9, 2016 to pledge that they will no longer enforce the states legitimately passed law requiring people to use public restrooms in accordance with their biological genders. This action is being undertaken under the guise of stopping a purported violation of the 51-year-old 1964 federal Civil Rights Act.

(3) In July of 2015, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development began working aggressively to impose the Obama Administrations Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule. This rule is designed to impose massive social engineering on American suburban neighborhoods, irrespective of either private ownership or primary state and local government-level jurisdiction. HUD claims its authority from the 47-year-old Fair Housing Act of 1968.

Those are just three examples of many tyrannical moves the federal bureaucracies, currently under Democrat executive control, are making in the absence of legitimate Congressional laws stipulating their imposition or enforcement. The vacuum at the top of the Republican leadership into which Donald Trump has moved has failed to aggressively and loudly counter any of them.

Most members of the anti-Trump cohorts unite in calling his supporters low-information and impugn their motives, their methods, and their high-profile visibility. The anti-Trump cohorts are particularly vehement that Trumps supporters are too stupid to know what they are doing.

But heres the thing: First of all, these people are not stupid. They are at a minimum smart enough, and many are well enough educated, to recognize that their interests are being belittled and smashed without any defense from, and in some cases with the help of, the people they charged via their votes to represent those interests.

Second, every one of us should note well and remember long that this government was designed with the intention of having it affect the lives of citizens in a minimal fashion. The American people were not supposed to have to pay attention to every move they made in constant evaluations of those moves legalities. Reformed Trombonist, a commenter at the Instapundit blog, recently had this to say on the matter:

Before government was the 500-lb gorilla in the middle of every aspect of American life, your neighbors politics didnt really matter that much. When business, family, and church mattered more than politics, we minded our own business. But now that government has seeped its way into every aspect of human existence, when you cant eat a Twinkie or let your kid play in his own backyard by himself without providing probable cause to the Gestapo, then politics matters more and people care more. You like governments overweening size, power, and expense, or you hate it. Theres no mystery here.

Now, I leave it to the reader to consider whether or not the imposition examples cited above match some key words from the Declaration of Independence. When recalling the Declaration of Independence, most Americans -- particularly those whose formal educations have focused on only the two opening, and then the final, paragraphs -- turn to the self-evident truths, the unalienable rights, and the free and independent states that the Declaration affirms the original colonies have become. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are specified as being among the certain unalienable rights within the Declarations framework, suggesting that there remain undetailed others.

The second paragraph of the Declaration contains a less-frequently cited but nevertheless indispensable pair of sentences. These sentences find implicit application in many contemporary political conditions in the United States of America. They describe the circumstantial context and perspective from which a putative revolution might be expected to arise, and provide its simultaneous justification.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shown, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security.

These two sentences itemize, among other things, the fact that stability and custom comprise most peoples preferred condition. People will lie down for a good deal of abuse before they will rouse themselves to reject any of it forcefully. But there is a limit. The limit is reached when abuses multiply, and when the tyrannical forces imposing them are motivated by the evidently oppressive, controlling, and singular goal of despotism. In such a case, these two sentences in the Declaration prescribe action that can be distilled down to a single word: revolt

As matters are now, a great many of the American people have, at long last, been roused to stand on their own behalf. The propriety of selecting Donald Trump as a new guard for their future security can be argued, and the question will be answered in due course. But the fact that they have, at that same long last, been so roused is by itself significant. They may not be ready to settle back into stability and custom immediately. For if Donald Trump does not answer to their demands, they may well be sufficiently roused to replace him with someone else who will. They are about to be in command now, and they will be watching quite closely.
Ken Livingstone, the former Labour Party Mayor of London, is one of the most, perhaps the very most, nauseating figures in British politics. It is welcome news that he has been suspended from the party for his ongoing disgraceful and ignorant remarks about Jews and the State of Israel. However, inadvertently he raised the issue of Jews, the victims of the Holocaust, being blamed for their own victimization.

A generation ago, a more serious figure, the political philosopher Hannah Arendt, in her controversial book Eichmann in Jerusalem, wrote unkindly about the Jewish Councils or Judenrat that were organized by Nazi Germany to enforce Nazi orders affecting Jews in occupied countries. Arendts notorious comment was that wherever Jews lived, there were recognized Jewish leaders, and these leaders almost without exception cooperated in one way or another, for one reason or another, with the Nazis. The great Jewish scholar, mentor and friend, Gershom Scholem rebuked her for her harshness about those who were compelled to make terrible decisions in circumstances that we cannot even begin to reproduce or reconstruct.

Livingstone is not living in similar dire circumstances as the Nazi era but he repeatedly blames the Jews for their predicament. He has said on a number of occasions that Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing 6 million Jews. He asserted that when Hitler won the German elections in 1932, which in fact he did not, and that when he came to power, his policy was not directed towards killing the Jews.

Livingstone tells us that Hitler wanted to deport all the Zionists (sic) to Israel. This ignorant statement is a surprise, since 1932 was sixteen years before the State of Israel was created. Nazi Germany had expelled Polish and stateless Jews from Germany to Poland in October 1938. Of course, various proposals, lacking in seriousness, were made by different European countries for the transfer of Jews to overseas colonies of their countries: Mauritania, a French colony, was always high on the list.

Yet the reality was clear at the international conference at the French resort of Evian-les-Bains in July 1938, called supposedly to promote the emigration of Austrian and German Jews, that was attended by delegates from 32 countries.

The issue of Jewish emigration was an immediate one after the Anschluss, the German takeover of Austria, on March 12, 1938. Yet it is all too clear that President Franklin D. Roosevelt suggested the conference and used it to save face and evade action in view of domestic and political opposition. No high level U.S. official attended: the U.S. representative was Myron Taylor, a businessman and friend of Roosevelt, not a diplomat.

Livingstone would do well to read the commentary on Evian given by Golda Meir in her autobiography, My Life. For her, it was a terrible experience hearing the delegates hypocritically explain how much they wanted to take in substantial numbers of refugees, and how unfortunate it was they were unable to do so. In fact, as the Nazis well knew, the Dominican Republic was the only country that agreed to accept any Jewish refugees.

Livingstone is not only a bigot in his concentration on the evils of one country in the world, but also a masochist who has deprived himself of a delicious product. He has advocated an international boycott on Israeli goods, and said he would never buy Israeli goods. He explained, I like dates, but I dont buy dates that come from Israel.

Livingstones comments on world affairs are imaginative even if they lack sense. He believes that the failure -- an Israeli failure only -- to resolve the Palestinian problem fuels terrorist attacks. In blaming the victim he believes that ISIS terrorism and the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels are connected with Israel.

Livingstone needs lessons in history as well as in political judgment and civility of expression. He had already swallowed the fallacious Palestinian Narrative of History by telling us that the creation of Israel was a great catastrophe and fundamentally wrong because there had been a Palestinian community there for 2000 years. At a moment in history when the civil war has led to the deaths of thousands of Arabs and millions of migrants, Livingstone attributed the mass expulsion of Jews in the Arab world to the creation of Israel. As a consequence of this creation, all the Israeli (sic) communities in the Arab world were deported to Israel.

Livingstone tells us that prior to the creation of Israel in 1948, there were large Jewish communities that never suffered threats or attacks they lived in peace alongside their Arab neighbors. He should have known that not only prior to 1948 but prior to the First Zionist Congress held in 1897, Jews were persecuted in Arab lands: Aleppo, 1850, 1875; Damascus 1840, 1848, 1890; Beirut 1862, 1874; Jaffa, 1876; Jerusalem 1847, 1870, 1895; Cairo, 1844, 1890; and in Alexandria 1871, 1873, 1877, and 1891.

While Livingstons absurdities have outraged even the leaders of the British Labour Party, he did inadvertently touch on a controversial issue that is a reminder of the World War II problem, the dilemma for Jews in fighting evil and the threat of persecution.

This particular issue concerns the Haavara (transfer) Agreement made in August 1933 between Nazi Germany one side and the Zionist Federation of Germany and the Anglo-Palestinian Bank, to facilitate Jewish migration into the area of British Mandate Palestine. By it, some German Jews would be able to sell their properties in Germany in exchange for funds that would allow them to buy property and German goods in Palestine. Also, German Zionists would not participate in the boycott of Germany.

Was this Jewish collaboration with Hitler? The agreement was a success and brought resources to the Yishuv in Palestine to which 60,000 Jews immigrated, mostly well educated, and bringing with them 1,000 each. This was not an example of Hitlers support for Zionism, but part of his policy to rid Germany of Jews, as well as deal with the practical problem of the end of the Jewish boycott of Germany. The Holocaust put an end to it.

Livingstons remark that Hitler supported Zionism is a pernicious distortion of the Nazi consistent hatred of Jews. It may be true, and the historical argument continues, that Hitler may not at first have wanted the extermination of all Jews. It is certainly true that he wanted them removed from Germany and elsewhere in one way or another. But he was no Zionist. Jews had to make the terrible decision of how to survive, even if it meant at times that Nazis benefitted financially or practically. Like everyone else, whether hostile to the State of Israel or not, Livingstone should take the advice of Gershom Scholem, and not presume to judge the Jewish people in the effort to save themselves from extermination.
Western Civilizations worst fear is nuclear terrorism in the form of bombs, dirty and otherwise, detonated in populated European, Russian, American or Israeli cities by Jihadi terrorists.

The idea that Middle Eastern Arab terrorists like those of Al Qaeda and/or ISIS or rebel Chechens stealing or buying black-market radioactive material -- Uranium or Plutonium  with which to build bombs frightens the political leadership of the entire West, Russia and Israel. Books and movies about such scenarios fill our bookshelves and television programming and they are not pure fition.

The Reuters News Agency on April 18 reported that the nation of Georgia has detained six Georgian and Armenian citizens who were trying to sell $200 million worth of uranium-238. That information alone is not enough.

Since the second largest nuclear power, the Soviet Union, broke up in 1991, the West has been concerned about the Soviet nuclear arsenal and how it was secured.

"The members of the group were planning to sell the nuclear material, uranium-238, for $200 million when they were detained," Reuters reported.

New information has surfaced, it is that the three Armenians were employees of the "Metsamor" Nuclear Power Plant, the Soviet Era Armenian nuclear energy plant that is almost 50 years old. We can only assume the material came from Metsamor. Was it stolen or was it given over to the three by the Armenian nuclear agency for a share of the $200 million the material was expected to bring on the black-market?

Armenia and its government are so insolvent observers note that only Russian cash in the form of rent paid on the Russian Armys sprawling base in Armenia and the facts that Russia pays for Armenias border guards and national air defenses keep the Armenian government in business.

As of this report, Georgia State Security has not detected who the prospective buyer or buyers were but a process of deduction and the prospective sale price of $200 million eliminates Israel, the Arab Sunni states, Turkey, Cypress or even Shia Iran. That leaves what is left of Al-Qaeda and the Caliphate of ISIS or ISEL. What we do know is that the April 18 report of the arrests did not mention that the nuclear smugglers were arrested in a stingoperation in which Georgian Security officers presented themselves as buyers from Middle Eastern terrorist organizations. That report originated in Armenia and appeared in the The WorldPost (the Huffington Post in an article written by Armine Sahakyan who is a human rights activist and correspondent for the Post based in Armenia.

Sahakyan reports that this arrest is not a new experience involving Armenians. Attempts by Armenians to smuggle black-market-bound nuclear material occurred in 2003, 2010 and 2014. This episode is the latest. This time the three smugglers were employees of the national Armenian nuclear plant, Metsamor. In 2014 one of the smugglers apprehended was a scientist at the Yerevan Institute of Physics. Yerevan is the capital of Armenia.

For the moment, potential target cities and populations in Israel, Europe and the United States can relax and be thankful that the $50 million dollars the United States granted the nation of Georgia to buy and use sophisticated nuclear/radiation detection equipment has worked well. Armenian attempts to smuggle nuclear material through Georgia are necessary because Armenia is land-locked and Georgia has ports on the Black Sea that enable smugglers to move contraband to the world.

If the Georgian Security people pulled off their sting by posing as Middle Eastern Arab terrorist buyers, isnt that an indication that there are real Arab terrorist buyers in the market to buy contraband nuclear material, the material needed to build bombs, dirty and otherwise? Where there are sellers, there are buyers.
Donald Trump all but clinched the Republican Party nomination after his decisive win in Indiana. The post mortems have begun. Blame, recrimination, and threats, particularly from those who failed to secure the nomination for themselves or their favored candidate.

The headline of the week has been the death of the Grand Old Party. The Atlantic proclaimed, The Day the Republican Party Died. Perhaps Don McLean can be plucked from the shelves of the Rock and Roll Museum, dusted off, and tasked with writing a new song. The three men I admired most, Jeb, Ted, and Mitt, caught the last #NeverTrump train for the coast. Mr. McLean can work on the rhyming bit.

RIP, GOP wrote the Boston Globe. As did the NY Daily News, pronouncing the GOP dead in 2016. You get the idea. Did the Republican Party truly drop dead on the first Tuesday of May 2016? Or has the party suffered a long, terminal illness, sustained by extraordinary life support measures for the past few years, only to have Republican voters finally pull the plug during this election cycle?

I contend that the Republican Party was diagnosed with a terminal disease way back in 1988, almost thirty years ago. One might argue that when Ronald Reagan, on his last day in office, boarded his last train for the coast, was the day the GOPs music died.

Think of other chronic medical diseases, such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons, or cancer. The mind or body slowly fail, not typically in a linear fashion, but always in a long term unrelenting downward trajectory. There are improvements along the way, providing hope to those afflicted and their loved ones, but the hope is short lived, and the disease, despite a short pause, picks up where it left off.

The first sign of illness post Reagan was George HW Bush, in his acceptance speech at the RNC convention, calling for a kinder and gentler nation. Kinder and gentler than what? Obviously a repudiation of Reagans brand of conservatism, which candidate Bush once called voodoo economics. Perhaps HW looked back on eight years of Reagan and said to himself, Bad news on the doorstep, I couldnt take one more step.

Next was George HW Bushs famous pledge, Read my lips. No new taxes. Right out of the Republican Party playbook. Music to conservative ears. Cancer in remission. Until he turned his back on his pledge and raised taxes. Kicking the Republican Party in the teeth.

This paved the way for eight years of Bill and Hillary Clinton. While the king was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown. King George HW Bush looked down with contempt at the Republican base and Bubba the jester not only stole the crown, but used Bushs no new taxes words against him in the 1992 presidential campaign.

The patient was not dead however. Signs of life appeared as Newt Gingrichs Contract with America in 1994 infused the GOP with lifesaving doses of accountability, responsibility, and opportunity. New life, GOP control of Congress, and hope that the demise of the Republican Party had been arrested.

Enter a new era for the Republican Party in 2002 with George W Bush and his promise of compassionate conservatism. Just as with his father before him, more compassionate than what? Reagans conservatism? Newts Contract with America? Did this help or hurt the Republican Party?

I went down to the sacred store, where I'd heard the music years before. But the man there said the music wouldn't play. Republicans heard the music of Reagan years before but Bush proclaimed the song was over. No conservative was George W Bush. Foolhardy and misguided military follies in the Middle East. Expansion of the federal education bureaucracy with Ted Kennedy via No Child Left Behind. Medicare Part D expansion increasing government control of healthcare. Promotion of open borders via amnesty. And a massive increase in government spending.

Enough to make voters wonder whether President George W Bush was a Republican or a Democrat. Republican voters sang dirges in the dark, staying home in 2006, handing Congress back to the Democrats. Quite the legacy for Bush and another turn for the worse in the health of the GOP.

In 2008, a generation lost in space saw the Republican Party on life support and voted for President Hope and Change. And change is what we got. But not for the better. In 2010 the GOP cancer went into remission, again in 2014, with two landslide midterm elections handing control of the House and Senate back to Republicans.

Was this the road to recovery for the Republican Party or just a brief pause in the GOP death rattle? Republican voters asked their party for some happy news, but she just smiled and turned away. The GOP-controlled Congress turned abruptly from its campaign promises. Spending continues unabated. Obamacare and Planned Parenthood remain fully funded. The IRS remains unpunished. Executive amnesty proceeds according to Obamas wishes. Iran got its nuke deal. Endless executive orders mocking the separation of powers. Everything playing out as if Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi were still in charge.

The EKG showed the Republican Party with a flat line, no pulse, no blood pressure, and no brain activity. The day the music died.

Along came Donald Trump. Not a conservative. Not even a politician. But a pragmatist able to identify the disease killing the Republican Party, offering a brash, politically incorrect, yet popular set of solutions for injecting life back into the party. Sixteen other candidates, all extremely accomplished in their own right, methodically destroyed and removed from the nomination race. The media and the GOP elites unable to respond or stop the Trump train. No angel born in Hell could break that Satan's spell.

The candidates and the entire Republican establishment were perplexed and frustrated. Oh and as I watched him on the stage, my hands were clenched in fists of rage. They said #NeverTrump and promised to either vote for Hillary Clinton or sit out the presidential election entirely. The same party elites who told us to hold our noses and vote for McCain and Romney for the sake of party unity are now kicking sand and running home with all of their toys.

Yet they blame Donald Trump for the demise of the Republican Party, not realizing that all Trump did was act as the coroner, examining the GOP corpse, declaring it dead, and signing the death certificate. The Republican Party elites are, Them good ole boys drinking whiskey and rye, singin' this'll be the day that I die. Not realizing that they died decades ago.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based retina surgeon, radio personality, and writer. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
There's a movement percolating among some segments of the Republican party, known by the hashtag #NeverTrump.

Essentially, this group believes that a vote for Trump represents a step over that "line which must not be crossed"  a violation of principle, if you will, that will have a more corrosive effect than the election of Hillary Clinton.

While I am no supporter of Donald Trump, I am a realist. If this man is the nominee of the only party with sufficient infrastructure and support to successfully oppose the creature known as Hillary Clinton, then this man will have my vote.

The alternative is unthinkable, the consequences to our nation unbearable.

The primary concern about Trump (one I share) is that he is not a conservative at all, but rather will lean toward the same sort of progressivist authoritarianism as Hillary, and her former boss, Obama. This is a real possibility, given the history of Donald Trump, and his demonstrated lack of understanding regarding constitutional principles.

Nebraska senator Ben Sasse has been an early and appealing face for the #NeverTrump movement, advocating for an alternative candidacy  essentially a third-party insurrection from within the Republican Party itself. He has written a lengthy post on his Facebook page that is generating a great deal of concern among both his supporters and his detractors.

As much as I have come to admire our junior senator (I backed a different candidate during that primary), I must challenge his thinking on this issue. Aside from the logistical hurdles such a late insurgent candidacy would face, there is the simple fact that a challenge from the "mainstream" would be yet another blunder from the leadership of the party that refuses to accept that their "mainstream" is precisely what the voters of this cycle have soundly rejected.

The people of our nation are gasping for air under a thick blanket of faux outrage and stifling political correctness that have been the hallmark of the post-Reagan political landscape. The left has successfully enforced a narrative of permissible opposition to its aims that has been given legitimacy via the supine acceptance of the Republican leadership.

When your opponent makes the rules, you have no hope of victory if you play by them. That has been our lot in every election cycle until now.

America doesn't need an alternative candidate to Trump and Hillary. America needs a candidate who will fight for the people against the regulatory, political, and social morass created by the left and enforced by innumerable bureaucracies of government. Trump claims to be that candidate. Hillary is the antithesis of such a candidate.

It seems safe to conclude that while Hillary can be relied upon to do the wrong thing every time, Trump holds out the possibility of doing the right thing at least some of the time, which by any standard of measure is infinitely better than the alternative.

But let's drill down a little deeper. Let's say Trump is in fact absolutely not at all different from Hillary  or, as some have posited, worse. Which candidate, as president, would prove more difficult to oppose in his nefarious (or simply stupid) policy initiatives?

Hillary Clinton? The preferred candidate of the media?

How successful will we be when every shred of opposition to a President Hillary will be mercilessly cast as "misogyny" and "the scurrilous politics of personal destruction," by the media and their allies in popular culture?

Those of us who have been paying attention realize that this woman is one of the most corrupt individuals ever to hold office, if not the most corrupt. Yet, despite mountains of evidence sufficient to convict nearly anyone else a thousand times over, she not only enjoys life outside of prison, but is a favorite to win the presidency.

Clearly, the protective shield that has surrounded her will not magically disappear should she attain the Oval Office. If anything, it will become virtually impenetrable.

However, it is my studied assertion that a President Trump, a man elected under the banner of our own Republican Party, who enjoys far less "protected status" than does Ms. Clinton, will be much more successfully opposed should he prove to be as misguided and corrupt as she.

Given the stakes  the Supreme Court nominations, the gathering threats to our national security and myriad other concerns, both known and yet to appear  is it responsible behavior to permit distaste for Trump to outweigh the known danger of his opponent?

This year, we should reverse the aphorism that says "better the devil we know..."

In this case, both may be devils, but one certainly fits that description. The hashtag must be changed. #NeverHillary.
If you've been following this story about how the CENTCOM intelligence office cooked the books to downplay the growth and threat represented by the Islamic State, the latest on the scandal takes on a surreal quality.

Carolyn Stewart, an army officer who helped identify ISIS targets, was fired for cursing twice in the course of a year. Stewart was one of the intelligence officers who helped expose CENTCOM's effort to alter intelligence reports to match public statements on ISIS coming from the White House.

At the center of the controversy is the top civilian in CENTCOM intelligence whom the army inspector general is looking at as one of the primary culprits in the scandal.

Daily Beast:

The woman at the center of the case makes a now-familiar allegation: that the same military officials who cherry-picked information about the ISIS war and downplayed the terror groups rising threat also selectively picked information about her. The Pentagon inspector general now is investigating whether CENTCOM officials, including Ryckman, watered down assessments on the rising jihadist threat to comport with the White House. The woman at the center of the controversy in this case, Carolyn Stewart, is a small person with a big voice. The Army veteran seemingly is demure at first glance, with shoulder-length light brown hair. But as soon as she speaks, it is clear she is not afraid to say exactly what she thinks. She repeatedly prodded her lawyer throughout the day-long hearing about which questions to ask, which evidence to present, and which details to point out in her favor. The hearing was a window into how allegations of toxic work environments, faulty reports, and bad leadership consumed the office tasked with leading CENTCOMs intelligence gathering. At issue during the hours-long hearing was whether Stewart cursed at CENTCOM, and if she did curse, whether that created a hostile work environment. I went to other action officers to avoid Ms. Stewart, one witness explained to the judge, in support of the decision to reassign her. The hearing, held through a teleconference connecting DIA lawyers in Washington with a judge in Atlanta and the complainant in Tampa, had all the markings of a proper trial. Someone wore a robe and lawyers yelled out objections. But one couldnt help thinking it was like an episode of The Office. Those charged with helping target ISIS terrorists were instead obsessed with things like who bitched out whom. The government claimed she said it to another woman. Another witnesses said someone else said those words to Stewart. It is worth noting that such debates were occupying a command post tasked with leading the war on ISIS. And yet the key issue of the time was how precisely Stewart handled a colleague telling her he would not adjust a target order.

This is a command problem of the first order. The commanding general and his top aides are directly responsible for creating a work environment conducive to the gathering of intelligence and writing good analyses. That they failed in that task, and if not encouraged, then ignored the enormous pressure being put on whistleblowers, is very disturbing.

The I.G. is still in the process of investigating, and no final report is expected until the summer. Meanwhile, the targeting office where Stewart supposedly contributed to a "hostile work environment" continues its work  apparently free of the pain of listening to profanity.
President Obamas hometown is a war zone. The horrendous violence on the streets there has escalated. With warm summer-like weather, gang-bangers were especially active, easily surpassing 2015s Mothers Day carnage (3 killed, 25 wounded) and 2014s (5 killed, 19 wounded).

Meanwhile, the president of the United States ignores the battlefield conditions in the hometown he adopted as his political base.

Nearly all of the violence is among young black males, making the rate of death in that particular demographic segment comparable to a serous war zone. A map of the violence this year to date from heyjackass.com shows where the war zone is: in minority neighborhoods.

And the attitude of the mainstream media continues to be move along, nothing to see here.
Saudi Arabia looks increasingly desperate, as the fall in oil prices has diminished the ability of the thousands-strong royal family to buy off potential opponents and subsidize the lifestyles of its subjects. With an ailing king, a 31-year-old prince, Mohammed bin Salman  officially the deputy crown prince but considered the de facto ruler  is proposing dramatic plans to shake up the financial foundations of the kingdom. At best, they are optimistic; at worst, foolish.

Over the weekend, veteran oil minister Ali al-Naimi was fired, a signal of big changes coming. In the interim, Aramco chief Khalid al-Falih replaces him. No immediate changes in Saudi policy toward OPEC, the oil cartel that has lost control over the worlds oil supply, thanks largely to fracking, are anticipated.

But it is Aramco, which accounts for 11% of the worlds total oil production, that may be next for dramatic changes.

The UK Telegraph:

Saudi Arabia is planning a three-way foreign listing in London, Hong Kong, and New York for the record-smashing privatisation of its $2.5 trillion oil giant Aramco, anchored on a triad of interlocking ties with three foreign energy companies. The Saudi authorities hope to entice ExxonMobil, Chinas Sinopec, and potentially BP, into taking strategic stakes, offering them long-term access to upstream operations in return for cutting-edge technology or refinery deals, according to sources close to Saudi thinking.

The $2.5-trillion valuation is a phantom based on a plan to sell 5% of Aramco at $100 to 150 billion. Because Saudi Arabia finances its government via extracting royalties and taxes from Aramco, and doesnt use Western accounting standards, there is every reason to suspect that Aramco would never throw off sufficient cash to justify a valuation anywhere close to that figure.

Robin Mills from Qamar Energy said the market value of Aramco is probably just $250bn to $400bn, given that the state creams off a royalty rate of 20pc and tax of 85pc. Saudi officials insist that a fair deal could be found for shareholder dividends, even though the Saudi constitution stipulates that Aramco's 260bn barrels of estimated reserves belong to the kingdom. In a sense, any purchase of Aramco is an option play on a future oil boom. At current prices there would be no money for dividends: the Saudi state is consuming all the revenue, and burning through more than $100bn a year in foreign exchange.

Then there is the little matter of sovereign risk, what with Aramcos reserves concentrated in Shia-dominated Eastern Saudi, coveted by Iran and potentially rebellious against the Sunni monarchy.

Prince Mohammed seems like a brave modernizer, anxious to wean Saudi Arabia from its dependence on its oil reserves, which are steadily depleting at a rate of 2 to 4% a year, depending on whom you believe.

The vast IPO is the spearhead of his 2030 Vision to break the countrys addiction to oil and diversify, using the proceeds for an investment spree covering everything from car plants to weapons production, petrochemicals, and tourism. We will not allow our country ever to be at the mercy of commodity price volatility, he says.

Based on every conversation I have ever had with expatriates who have worked in Saudi Arabia, this plan is a cruel fantasy. Saudis simply do not have a work ethic, having grown up in a society where all difficult jobs are handed to foreigners. The idea that Saudi workers would be capable of competing with South Korean, Chinese, and other automobile manufacturers seems highly improbable. In many ways, fabulous oil wealth has spoiled Saudi Arabia.

The Vision 2030 plan is said to be based on a consulting study by McKinsey & Company. I wonder how diplomatically the high-priced consultants treated the matter of work ethic, education, and other issues relevant to the quality of the workforce and its ability to sustain itself minus oil wealth.

I am having a hard time coming up with a vision of a long-term future for the Saudi foyal family, unless it is based on residence in the South of France, Thailand, or some other pleasant foreign refuge, financed by billions or trillions appropriated from the treasury. Unfortunately, the alternatives to the royals seem to be even worse: the mullahs of Iran or the Wahhabi clergy.

I wish Prince Mohammed a lot of luck. Hes got the right plan for a country that hasnt been ruined by decades of easy wealth and adherence to a seventh-century comprehensive design of poltics, society, and religion.
I cant top Open Blogger at Ace of Spades HQ, who calls this [k]arma, or a reasonable facsimile of it. The U.K. Daily Mail reports:

The first cruise ship to Cuba in decades set sail on its historic voyage a week ago  but it has returned to Florida with a suspected norovirus outbreak on board.

Carnival Corporation's Fathom Line ship Adonia left Miami for Havana with just over 700 passengers on board on May 1.

The ship returned to Miami a week later - around 6.30am on Sunday  but on its journey back to the United States, there were reports that several passengers had fallen ill, CBS News reports.

Carnival confirmed to the station that 14 passengers were recovering from stomach-related symptoms.

It is believed that the passengers in question had norovirus, CBS reports, but the cruise line has not elaborated.
You may not have heard of Julian Castro, currently secretary of housing and urban development, but you will. Hillary Clinton has him near the top of her list for the veep slot on her ticket. It makes sense: hes Hispanic, hard left, and the product of an elite education (Stanford, Harvard Law). So serious is the possibility that Page Six reports of him (and his brother Joaquin):

Surprisingly, they dont speak Spanish, one insider told me. They are cramming with Rosetta Stone. (A spokesman for Julian denies he is studying Spanish.)

Julian was mayor of San Antonio before he became secretary of HUD, which makes him a highly experienced chief executive, adding to his veep luster, especially since Hillary is not exactly in the prime of health. His presence on the Dem ticket could really drive Hispanic turnout.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Castro has big plans already. Paul Sperry reports in the New York Post:

Hillarys rumored running mate, Housing Secretary Julian Castro, is cooking up a scheme to reallocate funding for Section 8 housing to punish suburbs for being too white and too wealthy. The scheme involves super-sizing vouchers to help urban poor afford higher rents in pricey areas, such as Westchester County, while assigning them government real-estate agents called mobility counselors to secure housing in the exurbs. Castro plans to launch the Section 8 reboot this fall, even though a similar program tested a few years ago in Dallas has been blamed for shifting violent crime to affluent neighborhoods. Its all part of a grand scheme to forcibly desegregate inner cities and integrate the outer suburbs.

Understand that this means that fewer people will be taken out of truly horrible housing, because money will be directed to enable people to locate in upper-class suburbs, where most of the housing is luxury-class. The fact that people work hard, earn money, and locate in enclaves of wealth, safety, and privacy is intolerable to the likes of Obama and Castro. They must be forced to have neighbors who on their own could not afford such digs.

Castro is bringing down the hammer to smash resistance:

Anticipating NIMBY resistance, Castro last month threatened to sue suburban landlords for discrimination if they refuse even Section 8 tenants with criminal records. And last year, he implemented a powerful new regulation  Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing  that pressures all suburban counties taking federal grant money to change local zoning laws to build more low-income housing (landlords of such properties are required to accept Section 8 vouchers).

The rationales for this program are ludicrous:

The document argues that larger vouchers will allow poor urban families to move into areas that potentially have better access to jobs, transportation, services and educational opportunities. In other words, offering them more money to move to more expensive neighborhoods will improve their situation.

Rich suburbs typically have very little public transit, and few jobs (other than for maids and yard maintenance). The type of employers who hire low- and semi-skilled labor do not locate in Scarsdale, Beverly Hills, or Palo Alto. This type of program is a proven failure:

President Bill Clinton started a similar program in 1994 called Moving to Opportunity Initiative, which moved thousands of mostly African-American families from government projects to higher quality homes in safer and less racially segregated neighborhoods in several counties across the country. The 15-year experiment bombed. A 2011 study sponsored by HUD found that adults using more generous Section 8 vouchers did not get better jobs or get off welfare. In fact, more went on food stamps. And their children did not do better in their new schools. Worse, crime simply followed them to their safer neighborhoods, ruining the quality of life for existing residents. Maleswere arrested more often than those in the control group, primarily for property crimes, the study found.

It is all a scheme to punish the wealthy by moving into their neighborhoods the type of people they worked hard to escape.

The kicker:

Ironically, Hillarys own hometown of Chappaqua is fighting Section 8 housing because of links to drugs and crime and other problems.

Castro does not need congressional action to implement his plans. Thats another scandal  the congressional delegation of power to federal bureaucrats. But my guess is that Castro may restrain himself, lest his program become an election issue. Trumps the kind of guy who would not be cowed into silence over fears of being called racist.
The Voice of America (VOA) is the official broadcaster for the U.S. government, and in 2016, its taxpayer-funded budget request was $207 million.

According to its mandate, the VOA "broadcasts accurate, balanced, and comprehensive news and information to an international audience." The VOA Charter, signed into law by President Gerald Ford, requires the following:

1. VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive. 2. VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions. 3. VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussions and opinion on these policies. (Public Law 94-350) ... The accuracy, quality, and credibility of the Voice of America are its most important assets, and they rest on listeners' perception of VOA as an objective source of world, regional, and U.S. news and information... VOA employees recognize that their conduct both on and off the job can reflect on the work of the Voice of America community. They adhere to the highest standards of journalistic professionalism and integrity. They work to foster teamwork, goodwill, and civil discourse in the workplace and with their colleagues everywhere in the world, all to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the Voice of America.

One of VOA's flagship programs is Issues in the News, where "[p]rominent Washington correspondents discuss topics making headlines around the world."

The regular moderators on the program include Fred Barnes, the executive editor of The Weekly Standard, and Barbara Slavin, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center and Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor.com.

During the GOP primaries, the program has repeatedly focused on the Republican nomination race, and in particular on Donald Trump. To say the coverage and discussion of Trump has been less than flattering would be an understatement.

Of course, Barnes's position at The Weekly Standard falls under that of Bill Kristol, the outlet's founder and editor and a rabid Trump opponent who is still trying to find an independent candidate to run against Trump. Consequently, it is hard to see how VOA avoids either a real or apparent conflict of interest and a potential violation of its charter by having such an individual regularly moderate and speak on the Trump candidacy, given his direct connections to one of the leading anti-Trump media outlets and #NeverTrump ringleaders.

Even more egregious is the situation of Slavin. Her regular moderation of the program when discussing Trump can be contextualized by a cursory examination of her Twitter feed, which contains a littany of personal attacks on Trump.

For example, on August 7, 2015, Slavin sent the following to another Twitter user: ""#Trump is the pig and hard to imagine any woman in her right mind voting for him."

Then, on February 27, 2016, she recommended sending Trump to Iran.

About a month later, she mocked Trump for an apparent loan he received from his father: "Poor #trump his daddy loaned him only $1 million."

Just a few days ago, she expressed her view that Trump is not likely fluent in the pronunciation of French pastries: "doubt Trump can pronounce croissant."

Other postings by Slavin refer to Trump's purported misogynistic nature, among other negative and subjective views of his candidacy.

Well, this certainly sounds like a VOA representative who is "accurate" and "objective," presenting a "balanced projection of significant American thought," holding "responsible opinions" and "adhering to the highest standards of professionalism" while "fostering goodwill," as are required under the VOA Charter.

Were this a private broadcaster, there would be no issues. But as a public broadcaster, VOA is legally obligated to avoid any perceptions of bias. Consequently, not only does Trump need to look at either shutting down VOA or substantially reforming it if he becomes president, but formal complaints should be lodged in the interim to ensure that all VOA coverage of his campaign is conducted by truly fair and balanced individuals.
It's a good thing Donald Trump thinks he doesn't need a unified Republican Party to win in November.

Judging by his statements on those who refuse to endorse him, he isn't going to get it.

New York Times:

Donald J. Trump said he would not rule out an effort to remove Representative Paul D. Ryan as chairman of the Republican National Convention if he did not endorse Mr. Trumps candidacy.

Mr. Trump stopped short of calling for Mr. Ryan, the speaker of the House, to step down from his convention role. But in an interview that aired Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press, Mr. Trump said there could be consequences in the event that Mr. Ryan continued withholding his support.

I will give you a very solid answer, if that happens, about one minute after that happens, O.K.? Mr. Trump said. Theres no reason to give it right now, but Ill be very quick with the answer.

Mr. Trump has shown little interest over the last few days in placating his critics inside the party, including Mr. Ryan. Mr. Ryan, a representative from Wisconsin, said on Thursday that he was not ready to endorse Mr. Trump , citing reservations about his political style and policy agenda. The two men are scheduled to meet privately in Washington next week.

But on Meet the Press, Mr. Trump struck a dismissive tone toward Mr. Ryan and responded with outright hostility to other Republican critics who have refused to back his campaign.

Jeb Bush , he said, was not honorable for breaking his promise to endorse the partys nominee. Mitt Romney, he said, was ungrateful for the help Mr. Trump gave him in the 2012 election. Mr. Trump referred to Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator who said Friday he would never vote for Mr. Trump, as this lightweight.

Of Mr. Ryan, he said: Id like to have his support. But if he doesnt want to support me, thats fine, and we have to go about it.

Asked about Mr. Trumps remarks on the convention, Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Mr. Ryan, replied, The speaker looks forward to meeting with Mr. Trump on Thursday.

Other allies of Mr. Trump have gone further in criticizing Mr. Ryan for declining to issue an immediate endorsement.
Before 2000, Vicente Fox was a very successful business executive in Mexico. He graduated with a Harvard MBA and was a natural to run for president in 2000. Fox, who is the grandson of an American who moved to Mexico, beat the ruling party (PRI) and was supported by most conservatives in the U.S. His presidency ran into some of those realities that come with governing. In other words, it's always easier to talk about change than to actually change things. (Are you listening, Mr. Trump?)

Fox left office in 2006 and has been hiding for much of the last ten years. It's completely natural for Mexican presidents to hide after office. It's part of the deal  i.e., you get your six years, and then you go away!

Suddenly, former president Fox has decided to lead the "south of the border brigade" against Mr. Trump. We've gone from I'm not building that "F-wall" to even more statements:

Fox, a rancher and former Coca-Cola executive who served as Mexicos leader from 2000 to 2006, has long identified with the Republican Party. But in this election, he supports the candidacy of a Democrat: Hillary Clinton. What choice do I have? he told the Los Angeles Times this week. Like many Mexicans, he sees in Trumps aggressive rhetoric an alarming xenophobia that could prove disastrous to relations between the countries and harm both their economies. He and other prominent Mexican figures, including former President Felipe Calderon, have been making a concerted effort in recent weeks to promote the benefits of migration and free trade.

Along the way, he also said Trump's supporters are lazy.

First of all, Vicente Fox should talk to President Obama about sticking your nose in another country's politics. Obama got burned in the U.K., and Fox will just end up helping Trump with these comments.

Second, Fox's sudden support of Mrs Clinton overlooks the Democrats' failure to pass immigration reform when they had majorities or to improve the lives of Hispanics living in those blue districts.

So here is my advice to Mr. Fox: "callate," or Spanish for "shut up." Mr. Fox's comments, I repeat, are not welcomed.

So here is my advice to Mr. Trump: accept Mr. Fox's invitation, and travel to Mexico. Give a speech, and ask the Mexican political class a simple question: "What does Mexico do with illegal immigrants"?

Trump was not my first choice, but he will be the nominee. It makes me angry to see Vicente Fox sticking his "nariz" in our politics.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Russia is emerging as the dominant player in the Middle East, despite the fact that U.S. military assets in the region far outstrip Russia's.

We have far more troops and planes in the region, as well as being more capable of projecting our power. But Russia possesses a key ingredient that has leaders in the region making pilgrimages to Moscow to meet Putin and not Washington to meet with Obama.

Politico:

The Russian military intervention turned the tide in Syria and, contrary to Obamas view, has put the Russians in a stronger position without imposing any meaningful costs on them. Not only are they not being penalized for their Syrian intervention, but the president himself is now calling Vladimir Putin and seeking his help to pressure Assadeffectively recognizing who has leverage. Middle Eastern leaders recognize it as well and realize they need to be talking to the Russians if they are to safeguard their interests. No doubt, it would be better if the rest of the world defined the nature of power the way Obama does. It would be better if, internationally, Putin were seen to be losing. But he is not. This does not mean that we are weak and Russia is strong. Objectively, Russia is declining economically and low oil prices spell increasing financial troublesa fact that may explain, at least in part, Putins desire to play up Russias role on the world stage and his exercise of power in the Middle East. But Obamas recent trip to Saudi Arabia did not alter the perception of American weakness and our reluctance to affect the balance of power in the region. The Arab Gulf states fear growing Iranian strength more than they fear the Islamic Stateand they are convinced that the administration is ready to acquiesce in Irans pursuit of regional hegemony. Immediately after the presidents meeting at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit, Abdulrahman al-Rashed, a journalist very well connected to Saudi leaders, wrote: Washington cannot open up doors to Iran allowing it to threaten regional countries  while asking the afflicted countries to settle silently.

At every turn, President Obama's policies have been ignored or contradicted by Russian action. Obama's reading of the situation has been a combination of myopia and wishful thinking. He has had at least three separate plans over the last four years to deal with ISIS, and no specific policy to assist the rebels in taking down President Assad.

Putin, on the other hand, has gone in firing both barrels. His boldness has saved Assad and impressed the rest of the Middle East. President Obama's halfhearted efforts to combat ISIS, as well as his disastrous outreach to Iran, have strengthened our enemies and frightened our friends.

There's a changing of the guard in the Middle East, with America on the way out and Russian influence growing. No doubt some would cheer this development. But losing influence in a region we've dominated since the end of World War II, largely to keep Russia out, cannot be good for American interests or the future of the Middle East.
At the Harold Washington Library in Chicago is a new art installation called Above and Beyond featuring over 58,000 replica dog tags  one for each American soldier killed in the Vietnam War. The dog tags, each hung one inch apart, are suspended from the ceiling from a 410-square-foot rectangle. Each dog tag lists the soldiers name, military branch and date of death. Nearby is a touch panel display that allows visitors to look up a veteran's name and find generally where the soldier's dog tag is hanging. It is the only memorial other than The Wall in Washington, D.C., that lists every individual killed in Vietnam.

Photo credit: CNN

Above and Beyond was created by artists Ned Broderick, Rick Steinbock, Joe Fornelli, and Mike Helbing, back in 2001 and originally hung at the National Veterans Art Museum, in Chicago. When the art museum moved to Portage Park in 2012, the installation stayed behind in the South Loop building until renovation at the building forced the installation to come down in May 2013. For the next four years the dog tags remain boxed because the museum couldnt find an appropriate location where the display could go up again.

The search for a spot for "Above and Beyond" was complicated by the size and weight of the piece, not to mention it is viewed best in natural light so the sun can play off the tags, wrote Annie Sweeney on Chicago Tribune. Viewing it from all sides also enhances the experience.

Locations that were considered included the city airports, Navy Pier and the South Shore Cultural Center. Finally the Harold Washington Library was chosen. The art piece now hangs from the ceiling above the main escalator. There is a wall of windows and viewing space from all sides on the third floor.

"Above and Beyond" will stay at the Library Center until 2020.

Photo credit: news.artnet.com

Photo credit: news.medill.northwestern.edu

Photo credit: Pinterest

Photo credit: www.polkcounty.org

Photo credit: news.artnet.com

Photo credit: www.legion.org
There is a critical security vulnerability present in some Android devices based around a piece of Qualcomm code that has existed from at least 2011 and now referred to as CVE-2016-2060. The vulnerability was discovered by FireEyes security research team and is associated with the ability for malicious code to exploit a local privilege escalation bug associated with the built-in user radio. This means that an attacker could look through sensitive device information and modify important settings on the handset. Qualcomms software package is available from the Code Aurora Forum and has been incorporated into the Android Open Source Project, often known as AOSP. Qualcomm introduced the vulnerability when they incorporated a suite of new APIs, application programmable interfaces, as part of additional tethering functionality incorporated into Android. Qualcomm modified the netd daemon, which in turn modifies a number of the services that will be running on an Android device. The vulnerability allows an unsanitised command to be executed, which could be used to inject malicious code into sensitive parts of the device as well as a number of permissions not available to third party applications, including the ability to act as the Bluetooth administrator, change the APN settings and disable the lock screen. This means that if the device is compromised, there is no indication to the end-user that theres an issue.

Unfortunately, it is not known how many Android devices could be impacted by this critical vulnerability. Many manufacturers of many devices have used either the Qualcomm code or a Qualcomm chipset in their devices. Android 2.3 Gingerbread was originally released in 2011 and FireEye have identified the critical weakness present in at least Android Lollipop (5.0), KitKat (4.4) and Jellybean (4.3) versions. Any fork of Android that includes the Qualcomm-modified netd daemon could be potentially at risk, which includes CyanogenMod. Qualcomm were informed of the weakness back in January 2016 and worked in conjunction with FireEye to fix it, providing a fix for the issue in March 2016. The patch for the issue has been included in the May 2016 security fix patch as released by Google. From Android 4.4 KitKat and later, Android includes a number of security enhancements designed to restrict access to sensitive parts of the device and will help contain the potential damage from compromised devices. Google have stated that no Nexus device was or is at risk of the vulnerability but the FireEye team explain in their technical blog that manufacturers adjust how their devices operate at a detailed level and it is difficult to know what a malicious application could do to a device.

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Its encouraging to see that Google acted on the changes implemented into Android, although it has taken over four months for the patch to reach the market. Unfortunately, a great many devices with this vulnerability are unlikely to receive the security patch. And until we have a widespread attack on Android devices, manufacturers and carriers are unlikely to patch older devices with the latest security updates.
Facebook has made extensive use of artificial intelligence in recent years, including the ability to automatically store and recognize users likenesses, and enabling automated facial tagging. While it may be convenient for quickly sharing a picture with many friends, the feature obviously raises some privacy concerns. In Illinois, for example, a law that goes by the name of the Biometric Information Privacy Act says, in essence, that peoples biometric information, especially that which could be used for authentication, is protected by law. Three Facebook users in Illinois, Nimesh Patel, Adam Pizen and Carlo Licata, have decided that scans of their facial features that the service normally takes and stores automatically, although the feature can be opted out of, violate this law. The case wound up on Facebooks doorstep in California as a class action lawsuit, where a judge ruled that Facebook would have to answer to it.

Facebook argued, once the case hit California courts, that the company was governed by California law and thus exempt from compliance with BIPA. The judge that presided, however, stated that Illinois law did apply here, since the users were in Illinois, and that the definitions outlined in BIPA ambiguously state that facial recognition of the sort that Facebook conducts could be included in the law. The act also states that if such data on users is to be kept, informed consent must be made and the users must be given the option to deny consent prior to data collection starting. Although opting out deletes the facial data on file, its still quite possible for the data to have already been compromised by then.

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At the center of the case is a concern over the nature of biometrics. Complex facial recognition technologies, like what Facebook uses, collect more than enough information to fully reconstruct a users face from the data. Naturally, this presents a serious risk of identity theft, should the data fall into the wrong hands. With biometric data at their disposal, hackers could have a better chance at scoring users other records and gaining access to confidential information and assets, while the user will have less power to fight back and mitigate the damage done. At this time, no court date is set for the matter, but a California judge did assert that the plaintiffs have more than enough cause to justify arguing their case in court.
Whats in a name is something that a lot of us ask ourselves regularly, but for big corporations all over the globe, a lot of money rests in a name. After all, a unique name, trademark and branding is one of the easiest and most important ways to separate your product offerings from someone elses. Big consumer electronics brands like Apple and Samsung could arguably trade on their name alone, but theres no denying that their brand presence and recognition play a massive part in their success. In the West, trademarks and trade dress are well protected  and as the two previously mentioned names can attest to  fiercely defended using litigation. In China however, things arent quite as regulated or tightly controlled.

This is what makes Facebooks recent win in China so important. A drinks company in 2011 filed a trademark application to brand certain drinks face book, and the Beijing Municipal High Peoples Court has now found this invalid. The application, made by Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks has been deemed an act of copying and reasoned that it could harm fair competition. This is interesting for a few reasons, not least of all because Facebook is currently blocked by the Great Firewall of China, but also because Apple recently suffered a loss over their iPhone trademark. In that particular case, the Chinese authorities sided with the leather accessory manufacturer, allowing them to name certain products IPHONE. Facebook was founded back in 2004 in the United States, and expanded to the rest of the would over the following years, but the service is currently blocked in China. The trademark application from the drinks company was for face book which is a similar technicality to IPHONE vs iPhone, but the Chinese authorities sided with Facebook this time around.

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Its an interesting case, but one that will no doubt be pleasing to Facebook, which allows them to defend their brand identity. Its possible that this case was decided in Facebooks favor due to the low-profile nature of the case and that the trademark in question was about an entire companys name, not just a single product as with the iPhone case. Regardless, Facebook have been handed a small win by the Chinese courts, and this could be a sign of more positive things to come.
The subject of security is one which permeates most industries. In spite of this having always been a topic that is widely debated in the mobile realm, recently the debate has been ignited due to the ongoing and continued reports coming through on the state of mobile security, its weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Especially, when it comes to the Android side of mobile-related devices. In fact, the latest on this is that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have now announced they will be looking at this issue in much closer detail.

Today, the FCC and the FTC released a joint announcement on the matter and one which notes they have decided to look closer at how security procedures are implemented on mobile devices. Specifically, how manufacturers and carriers currently release security updates to their devices and in general, how security patches are distributed. All with a view to better understand, and ultimately to improve, the security of mobile devices. The announcement details that the joint investigation has now sent letters to fourteen companies in total. Six of which are carriers who have been contacted by the FCC and the remaining eight companies being manufacturers, who have now been contacted by the FTC. The purpose of these letters is for those companies to provide further information on their security updating procedure. Companies confirmed to have been contacted include Alphabet, Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, HTC, Microsoft, Motorola, Sprint, Verizon and Samsung.

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While the announcement does not go into too many specifics, it does raise the point that they have noted an increase in the number of vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems and specifically does name-drop the Stagefright issue that has repeatedly hit the headlines as an issue affecting Android mobile devices. While it is common now for most of the big manufacturers and carriers to push out monthly updates to fix the most commonly known and newer vulnerabilities, the FCC and FTC announcement seems to suggest it will be focusing very much on the time-frame of delivery for these fixes, with the announcement detailing, significant delays in delivering patches to actual devicesand that older devices may never be patched. Those interested can read the full announcement by heading through the source link below.
9-year-old Hilde Lysiak runs a local news website for her area called the Orange Street News. After she reported on a murder in her area, the world of journalism looked to her for various reasons, with some saying that she was too young to report on such heavy news. For her devotion to free speech and journalism, however, Google invited her to visit the Googleplex in Mountain View on May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day. If this article is your first time hearing the story of Hilde Lysiak, it shouldnt come as much of a shock. In this day and age, even if you lived in the community she lived in, you may not have heard of the story because most news sources these days cater to user-centric news within their categories, or large national and international stories. Google is looking to change that, at least in their own news app.

Viewers of Google News on the web, as well as users of Googles News and Weather app for Android and iOS will notice a bit of a change when viewing major stories. As seen below, stories that break nationwide or internationally will now be shown alongside local sources, allowing those local sources the chance to be heard over the din of wider coverage and bolstering Googles goal with their news app of getting a wide range of perspectives to viewers on each issue and story so that they can interpret and infer in their own way from the widest possible range of facts and opinions.

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The local sources shown will not only be coverage of the story or event at hand, but will also show local stories and other national sources. This will give more context to news stories and give viewers a wider scope of the effects of a storys events, as well as helping local sources coverage to be more widely heard. The CNN editorial about the Detroit teacher strike and the article about schools in New Jersey staying open despite an ongoing manhunt are good examples of this. According to Googles blog post, the changes are already live and should be viewable by all users of both the web interface and the apps.
Lenovo is a company that specializes in all kinds of technology, including smartphones, and although their Lenovo-branded devices dont really make it to the U.S. much, they now own Motorola which sees plenty of U.S. distribution. Today Lenovo has just announced details of their upcoming Tech World 2016 conference which happens June 9th, and at the event, they aim to unveil new mobile technology from Motorola which they state will dramatically change how people think about and use their most personal devices. Lenovo gives no real specific details on what this technology may be, but they do follow that statement up with the words in a snap which may suggest that it has something to do with cameras, or that whatever it will be delivering a fast and snappy experience. Also to be shown off at the conference is the Lenovo Project Tango smartphone.

Project Tango has been one of many different projects that Google has dreamt up over the years, and earlier this year, they officially unveiled that they would be launching a consumer-based Project Tango smartphone in partnership with Lenovo. Whats more is that they stated that it would be coming this Summer while the Lenovo CEO had mentioned that July would be the release date, but according to details from Lenovo this morning about their upcoming Tech World conference, the very first consumer-facing Project Tango smartphone will be coming this June instead. More specifically, June 9th which is the day that Lenovos Tech World Conference begins.

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The Project Tango smartphone was announced back at CES this year and since then its just been a waiting game, but things have apparently been going smoothly in its development process as Lenovo and Google now look to launch it earlier than what was announced before. For those that are unaware, Project Tango harnesses the power of augmented reality and integrates the technology into the smartphone, making it capable of being used in a number of different ways including gaming, mapping environments, and navigation which are just a few examples given by Lenovo in their recent statement about the Tech World conference. Lenovo will also show off new and exciting technology concepts that are a team effort between Lenovo and Motorola engineers, designers, and developers. Lenovo also plans to live stream the keynote beginning at 10AM PST on June 9th. Alongside this news about Tech World 2016, a rumor from earlier this morning states that Lenovo may be looking to take a modular route with the Motorola Moto X4 device.
Motorola is now owned by Lenovo, as most of you know. This company has introduced three smartphones back in August, the Moto G (3rd-gen), Moto X Play and Moto X Pure / Style. The company was expected to introduce their successors in August this year, but it seems like they might unveil at least one smartphone sooner than that. Motorola has already scheduled an event in India on May 17th, and the reports claim the company might unveil the rumored Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus smartphones at that event. It is unlikely well see the Moto X introduced at that event, but who knows.

That being said, the Moto X4 and the new DROID renders surfaced recently, and judging by those images, and the Moto G4 / G4 Plus leaks, the whole Moto line of devices is in for a major redesign. It seems like the company will include a physical home button below the display, or at least a non-clickable touchpad fingerprint scanner, similar to the ones weve seen included in OnePlus 2 and HTC 10. Now, following the Moto X4 render leaks, a new image surfaced, and this time around we get to see the real life image of Motorolas upcoming flagship (its back side, that is). If you take a look at the provided image, youll get to see a phone which is identical to the one showcased by the recently leaked render. The huge camera circle is placed in the upper portion of the phones back, and it includes the camera sensor itself, and the dual-LED flash. The Motorola branding is included below the camera, and the dimple which was included in previous models is gone altogether, which will probably upset many Motorola fans. Judging by this image, the Moto X4 will sport three physical keys on its right-hand side, and were guessing those are the power / lock key and volume rocker keys, though theyre interestingly placed. Judging by the placement of the physical keys, we guess this phone wont be that big, it will probably sport a 5-inch or 5.2-inch display. It is also hard not to notice a number of POGO pins included in the lower portion of the phones back, were guessing these will be used for charging on some sort of a dock, and for accessory usage.

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That is more or less it, we really dont have any spec info to share with you when it comes to the Moto X4, but judging by this image, the phone wont be that big, and it will be made out of metal. The Snapdragon 820 will probably fuel this device, and you can expect the company to include at least 4GB of RAM. Android 6.0 Marshmallow is expected to ship out of the box, and well see what else is the company planning, stay tuned.
The Rossio railway station, Lisbon, is the site of a famous statue of Dom Sebastiao, the young Portuguese king killed in battle in Morocco in 1578. His body was never identified, which gave rise to a legend that he would return to Portugal to rescue the country in times of trouble. Unfortunately, the king never returned in person but instead his story was immortalised in the form of the statue, which sat between two arches at the station and was completed in 1890. This station is a protected monument, which means no interference from the public although photographs are acceptable. And certainly no climbing, damaging or painting the monument. Last week a would-be photographer decided that he would ignore the no climbing rule and clambered up to take a selfie.

This would not be news if the story ended here, but unfortunately there were disastrous consequences: the statue fell from the pedestal and shattered. The selfie-taker attempted to flee the scene but was caught by local police officers and will appear in court at some point in the not too distant future: the government department responsible for the statue, Infraestruturas de Portugal, are planning on pressing charges against the unnamed 24-year old man.

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The selfie is one part of how people forget manners, respect or even considering the consequences when using technology. Pedestrians walk through cities and cross streets, barely raising their eyes from the small screen a few inches from their face. Its banned in some cities. Drivers ignore road signs when following their navigation system and then there are selfies  pictures taken by oneself including oneself. These might be considered a modern day plague and the trend has spawned a number of traits, such as duck-faced poses using an iPhones rear camera and a mirror, handsets such as the HTC Desire Eye including a flash and respectable front facing camera, the amusing photobomb, the deliberately inappropriate and those taken under circumstances that are dangerous or damaging to life or property. This includes historic monuments: in 2015, two Californian women carved their initials into the Roman Colosseum with a coin, and last week the toppling of the Dom Sebastiao statue. Perhaps its time front facing camera-equipped device manufacturers start to include a disclaimer when launching the camera, as car manufacturers do with built-in navigation systems.
Samsung and LG are two South Korean companies that go head-to-head in most sectors theyre present in. While both companies have varied business interests across a wide spectrum of industries, the companies are best known globally for their electronics businesses. While both Samsung and LG make some of the best televisions, refrigerators and other household products, it is their smartphone businesses that have kept them in the public eye over the last few years. However, with the smartphone market showing signs of saturation in the two largest markets, both companies have turned their attention to virtual reality (VR), which many believe will deliver high growth and better margins over the next decade. That being the case, both Samsung and LG have been moving full-steam ahead creating content for their respective VR hardware.

While Samsung has long sold VR headsets as part of its Gear VR line, LG recently unveiled its own offering in the space  the LG 360 VR. Meanwhile, the two companies have also each released 360-degree panoramic VR cameras, with LG calling its device the LG 360 Cam, whereas Samsung calls its own VR camera, the Gear 360. Having introduced its first-generation VR offering, LG is now concentrating on creating a content ecosystem for its hardware, and towards that end, has reportedly tied-up with Red Bull to produce 360-degree breakdancing and Taekwondo videos using its VR camera and uploaded them to YouTube. The company reportedly hired Korean dance team Jin-jo Crew and Brazilian band Rapurcussion to feature in the video.

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Not to be left behind, Samsung Electronics has joined forces with Facebook and with South Koreas largest theme-park  Everland. Facebook, of course, owns Oculus VR, the company behind Oculus Rift, and whose software powers Samsungs Gear VR headsets. Meanwhile, with its partnership with the Everland resort finalized, Samsung Electronics, on April 24th, held an event for VR enthusiasts at the theme-park that allowed users to experience a couple of popular rides with images recorded by the companys Gear 360 VR camera. The company had announced its tie-up with Facebook at the Mobile World Congress trade show held in the Spanish capital of Barcelona in February this year and recently gave away the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Gear VR to 2,500 developers who attended Facebooks F8 2016 developer conference last month in San Francisco, California.
2015s introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S6 was interesting for a few reasons. One is that it marked a change in direction of Samsungs Galaxy S line of flagship Android devices: the S6 was metal built, did not include a MicroSD card slot and the battery was not user replaceable. Samsung stuffed the Galaxy S6 with a number of new technologies aiming to have the best handset in the market such as fast charging, wireless charging and their very own System-on-Chip, the Exynos 7420. This particular chipset is notable as it is built on a 14nm process size rather than the more normal 20nm or 28nm process size at the time as well as being designed and built by Samsung themselves. The industry has made steps to catch up, but other than Intel there are very few mobile chipset manufacturers designing chips at this small a size let alone capable of building it.

These developments have supported Samsungs chipset foundry business  that is, the factories and plants producing the semiconductors. For 2015, IC Insights and Gartner have announced that Samsung was the fourth largest manufacturer in the world. The largest foundry remains the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (or TSMC), followed by American business Globalfoundries, which has been boosted by acquiring IBMs foundry business. Third place belongs to the UMC, a Taiwan business. Fourth we see Samsung Electronics and fifth is Chinese foundry, SMIC. However, whilst Samsung is ranked fourth, in terms of numbers it is some way behind the number one foundry. TSMCs sales were close to $20 billion, almost 55% of the market. This compares with Samsung Electronics $3.4 billion giving them 5.3% market share.

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Going forwards, Samsung have been working hard to promote their chipset foundry business. Samsung have approached a number of companies requiring chips, such as Apple, touting for business. Samsung is aiming to position itself as a technological market leader, which it may well be depending on how one calculates the technology edge that the business has. Samsung build the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, which is being used for a number of flagship Android devices, as well as winning deals with major market players such as Apple. As for their own chipsets, the company has plans to introduced a flagship chip built at the 10nm process size, with a second generation 10nm chipset under development. The company is also working on a revised, lower manufacturing process for 16nm chipsets.
T-Mobile is a company that knows how to stay in the limelight one way or another. Its marketing strategies may not be to everyones taste, but its difficult to argue with the companys growth story in an industry where its major rivals are struggling with high attrition and customer churn. Led by its charismatic, outspoken and often-controversial CEO, Mr. John Legere, the company has already become the third-largest carrier in the US, having gone past Sprint last year. Although the company has a long way to go before it can catch up with its older and bigger competitors, Verizon and AT&T, Mr. Legere and his team have been trying every little trick in the book to get one up on their more well-entrenched rivals.

According to reports, T-Mobile recently paid $21,800 at an auction to earn the rights to place a sponsored message on the right shoulder of world 800 meters silver medalist and Olympic hopeful, Mr. Nick Symmonds, in the form of a temporary tattoo. Having secured the rights to Mr. Symmonds shoulder, Mr. Legere summoned his legions of followers on Twitter to express their views on the most suitable message to adorn the prime advertising real estate. Apparently, the leading choice turned out to be an emoji of Mr. Legere with a profane reference to AT&T. While neither Mr. Legere nor the T-Mobile marketing team are yet to announce their decision publicly, it is unlikely that the company will indeed go that route, but given Mr. Legeres propensity to attract controversies, all bets are off.

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Reports indicate that according to the contract signed between the two parties, Mr. Symmonds is obligated to carry the temporary tattoo for at least six events, including races in the Olympic Games, should he qualify. It would indeed be interesting to see which way Mr. Legere goes eventually, especially because AT&T has been the official telecommunications partner of the U.S. Olympic Committee for over three decades now. Of course, all this is conjecture right now, seeing as Mr. Symmonds is yet to officially qualify for the main event to be held in Rio de Janeiro in less than three months time, but given his credentials, it would be a surprise if he doesnt.
Met Police in Greenwich monster the homeless in classic display of stupidity

Idiotic police alert in West Greenwich, London. The Mets SAFER NEIGHBOURHOODS gang  LOCAL POLICE, LOCAL KNOWLEDGE  are asking a question: Should you give money to homeless people?

Your own money: yes. Do what you like with that. But the police are not listening. They never do. They are telling, which is all they every do. Listen up:

There is overwhelming evidence from charitys like

CHARITYS.

Stupid is as stupid does

Anorak

Posted: 9th, May 2016 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
BRUSSELS "The Commission has a Plan A and it's to make the EU-Turkey agreement work". That, from a European Commission spokesperson following news from German daily Bild that several countries are allegedly working on a "Plan B" in the event of a failure on the migrant agreement, whose carrying out has been put more at risk by the resignation of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.



Regarding relations with Ankara, Brussels is sticking to the line given by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday in Rome and reiterated on Saturday in an interview with Funke Mediengruppe: "We negotiated with the Turkish government. We have the Turkish government's word and we will continue to work with the Turkish government".

Brussels maintains that the agreement up to now has produced results, in that the number of migrant arrivals in Greece has significantly decreased, and continues to do so, with just 75 arrivals from Turkey to Greek islands on Monday.



EU: Erdogan, accession is Turkey's strategic objective. 'But on terrorism a more decisive position than Brussels'

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ISTANBUL - "The accession to the EU is a strategic objective of Turkey," said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, in a message on the occasion of Europe Day. The hope is that the liberalisation of visas can "remove in part the fatigue derived from the fact that Turkey has been left waiting at the EU's door for more than 50 years," Erdogan said.

"In Turkey we think that the fight against terrorism must take a more decisive position than that of the EU," Erdogan said, referring to Brussels's request to modify Ankara's anti-terrorism laws in the context of criteria to obtain the liberalisation of visas. Last week, Erdogan had already marked the distance on this point, which could cause a delay in the path towards visa-free travel.
Jewish families settle in Jerusalem's Muslim quarter State gives Palestinian land to pro-settlers organisation

(ANSAmed) - Tel Aviv, May 9 - Tension rose in Jerusalem on Monday after six Jewish families settled in a house in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.



Settlers' radio station Channel Seven said the property comprising six apartments had been correctly purchased in a deal managed by the Ateret Cohanim organisation. However, Palestinian sources explained the tension by the vicinity of the property to the Temple Mount. The first Israeli families took up residence during the night, reciting a prayer of thanksgiving before television cameras. Also on Monday Haaretz described in detail the expropriation of land from a Palestinian family in the Sheikh Jarrah district in East Jerusalem. The Israeli land authority took part in the transaction, the paper said. The offices of Amana', an association promoting Jewish settlement in the Territories, are to be built on the land. Separately on Monday, Palestinian media revealed plans to extend the Jewish quarter of Ramot in East Jerusalem in the direction of land once hosting the Palestinian villages of Lifta and Beit Iksa. Meanwhile the Israeli police said security has been tightened particularly in Jerusalem in view of Independence day starting on Wednesday evening. (ANSAmed).




Italy supports Serraj alongside Tunisia  Gentiloni 'The Libyan government will decide on role for Haftar'

(ANSAmed) - ROME, MAY 9 - Italy and Tunisia are for historical, political and geographical reasons "very interested" in the positive evolution of the Libyan crisis, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Monday. Gentiloni added that this came up in discussion during a meeting with his Tunisian counterpart Khemaies Jhinaoui.



"We talked about this, we share the same point of view, namely support to the government led by (premier-designate) Serraj, the drive for this government to be ever stronger and more able to represent the entire Libyan nation," he said. The Libyan crisis was also on the agenda of talks with President of the Republic Beji Caid Essebsi.



"It will be for the Sarraj government to decide what role the Libyan general Khalifa Haftar is to play," Gentiloni said.



The starting point must be recognition of the Sarraj government and a role for Haftar will be possible within this framework, he added. The relationship between Italy and Tunisia also involves a "collaboration on security, in the common fight against terrorism, against the Daesh," Gentiloni continued.



This means "guarding the frontiers and collaborating at all levels to ensure the terrorist threat is overcome", he concluded, confirming the invitation to Tunisia to attend the meeting of foreign ministers in Vienna. (ANSAmed).




TEL AVIV - Tension rose in Jerusalem on Monday after six Jewish families settled in a house in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.



Settlers' radio station Channel Seven said the property comprising six apartments had been correctly purchased in a deal managed by the Ateret Cohanim organisation. However, Palestinian sources explained the tension by the vicinity of the property to the Temple Mount.

The first Israeli families took up residence during the night, reciting a prayer of thanksgiving before television cameras. Also on Monday Haaretz described in detail the expropriation of land from a Palestinian family in the Sheikh Jarrah district in East Jerusalem. The Israeli land authority took part in the transaction, the paper said.

The offices of Amana', an association promoting Jewish settlement in the Territories, are to be built on the land. Separately on Monday, Palestinian media revealed plans to extend the Jewish quarter of Ramot in East Jerusalem in the direction of land once hosting the Palestinian villages of Lifta and Beit Iksa.

Meanwhile the Israeli police said security has been tightened particularly in Jerusalem in view of Independence day starting on Wednesday evening.
Libya: media, tribes prepare for return of Gaddafi's widow Safia is in Oman, wants names of assassins and burial site

(ANSAmed) - CAIRO, MAY 9 - Even though Muammar Gaddafi's widow Safia Farkash hasn't yet reacted to the announcement of the possibility of her coming back, tribes in eastern Libya are "preparing the way" for the return of Farkash, who had seven children with Gaddafi, to the deceased Libyan leader's birthplace, according to Alwasat.



Last week the Council of Wise Men of Beida accepted the return of 64-year-old Farkash and her grandchildren "in the context of attempts for national reconciliation" said the website, adding that Farkash "didn't react, in that she's still dedicated to the search of the circumstances surrounding the killing of her husband and son" Mutassim.



Gaddafi died October 20, 2011, under circumstances that are still unclear, after having been captured by rebels in Sirte.



The same thing happened to his son Mutassim with the same unclear circumstances surrounding his death. The widow is asking the international community to reveal the place where they are buried and to give them a proper burial.



Farkash, who has Hungarian origins, lives in Oman, and "is trying to activate channels of contact with her children detained in Libya" said Alwasat, referring to sons Saif al Islam and Saadi.



The dictator's only daughter, Aisha, is also supposedly in Oman, having followed her mother in escape in 2011 passing through Algeria.(ANSAmed).




Middle East: Hamdallah to EU, aid to stop Israel occupation PNA prime minister on Europe Day in Ramallah

(ANSAmed) - RAMALLAH, MAY 9 - "We're asking the EU to maintain efforts to end the Israeli occupation and formally recognise the Palestinian State with sovereignty in the 1967 borders and east Jerusalem as capital," said Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on the occasion of Monday's Europe Day celebrations in Ramallah.



Representatives of consulates and humanitarian aid and development groups working in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip participated in the event.



At the Italian stand there were Palestinian dairy products and artisan crafts from the activities of the NGOs and Italian consulate.



"We're celebrating this day with our Palestinian partners to say that human rights are a priority," EU representative Ralph Tarraf told the journalists present.



Hundreds of people visited the various European stands at the event, with a particular focus on the booth for Eupol Coops, a European military and police task force that has been training PNA security forces for the past ten years. (ANSAmed).




Migrants: EU, there's no Plan B in accord with Turkey Juncker line, continue to work with Ankara, accord works

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, MAY 9 - "The Commission has a Plan A and it's to make the EU-Turkey agreement work". That, from a European Commission spokesperson following news from German daily Bild that several countries are allegedly working on a "Plan B" in the event of a failure on the migrant agreement, whose carrying out has been put more at risk by the resignation of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.



Regarding relations with Ankara, Brussels is sticking to the line given by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday in Rome and reiterated on Saturday in an interview with Funke Mediengruppe: "We negotiated with the Turkish government.



We have the Turkish government's word and we will continue to work with the Turkish government".



Brussels maintains that the agreement up to now has produced results, in that the number of migrant arrivals in Greece has significantly decreased, and continues to do so, with just 75 arrivals from Turkey to Greek islands on Monday. (ANSAmed).




Two Romanian troops were killed and a third was injured in an incident occurred this Saturday at 10:45 hrs near Kandahar city, during a mission for the training of Afghan police, the National Defence Ministry informs in a release.

Following the incident, the three wounded troops of the special operations forces were given first aid on the spot and were immediately taken to the nearest military hospital.

Sadly, Sergeant first class Iulian Dumitrescu and Sergeant Adrian Vizireanu did not survive, while the third wounded soldier, whose condition is stable, will be transferred to a hospital in Germany, the Ministry said.

According to the cited source, the victims' families were announced and a military commission is investigating the incident.

The leadership of the Ministry of National Defence convey on behalf of all staff the most compassionate condolences to the bereaved families and will attentively follow the developments in the condition of the wounded serviceman.

"It is with deep grief that I learned about the troops killed in the line of duty today, while performing a mission in Afghanistan. On behalf of myself and of all Romanian troops, I offer condolences to the bereaved families, their friends and brothers in arms. May God rest these brave soldiers and good Romanians," is Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc's message, as cited in the release.

Credit: Agerpres.ro.
To raise awareness of the potential for mobile technology to enable small businesses, APEC has launched a mobile video competition inviting small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs to share their stories about how they have used mobile internet technologies to develop and grow commercial ideas.

Encouraging the engagement of small businesses in international trade is high on APEC's agenda, said APEC Secretariat Executive Director Alan Bollard. Mobile technology is a powerful tool to support the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises which make up more than 97 per cent of all businesses in the Asia-Pacific.

The creator of the winning one-minute mobile video submission will be awarded a trip to Lima, Peru to meet with CEOs at the APEC CEO Summit on 17-19 November and their video will be screened during APEC Economic Leaders Week.

For many people in the region, mobiles are their one and only computer, said Barbara Navarro, director of policy strategy and operations for the region at Google, which is partnering with APEC to support the initiative. Mobiles have changed the way we live our lives  and they are also helping small businesses in the region to find new customers and grow, she concluded.

To participate in the APEC Video Contest, visit http://www.apec.org/Videocontest2016.aspx

Submissions close on 15 July 2016, 23:59 Singapore time

# # #

For additional information, please contact:

Ma. Lizbeth Barona-Edra +65 9452 8344 at [email protected]

Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at [email protected]

More on APEC meetings, events, projects, and publications can be found on www.apec.org. You can also follow APEC on Twitter and join us on Facebook and LinkedIn.




Air Arabia reported a net profit of AED114 million for the three months ending March 31, 2016, 34 percent higher than the corresponding 2015 figure of AED85 million. In the same period, the airline posted a turnover of AED946 million, an increase of 7 percent on AED886 million in the first quarter of last year.

The airline flew more than 2.1 million passengers between January and March 2016, up 17 percent on the corresponding period of last year. The airlines average seat load factor  or passengers carried as a percentage of available seats  during the first three months of 2016 stood at an impressive 81 per cent.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, chairman of Air Arabia, said: Air Arabia has made an excellent start to 2016, maintaining the momentum we established last year and attracting new customers to our brand. Our operational efficiency allied to the success of our route expansion strategy and the popularity of our value-add service proposition, leaves Air Arabia well placed to navigate the current macroeconomic challenges and benefit from the many opportunities in the regions aviation sector.

Analyst Saj Ahmad commented: A rise in profits to AED114m over the same period a year ago highlights the robustness and vibrancy of the low cost travel market that has centred in the UAE for the wider GCC - as one of the first low cost airlines, Air Arabia has managed to leverage the strength of its Sharjah hub to lure in most cost-savvy fliers which in turn has fed load factors to over 81% across its fleet and network.

Air Arabia's continued expansion into central Europe has allowed the airline to tap into new growth markets and connect new city pairs that previously didn't exist and also helps mitigate against fluctuations in regional demand, which in some markets has been strained or challenging given the active theatres in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and disruptive development in other areas like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Ahmad added: It's a brilliant start to the year for Air Arabia, notwithstanding the benefit of a lower fuel price environment - however airline will soon have make choice between the 737MAX and A320neo if it wants to maintain its growth trajectory and not fall behind flydubai, which already has orders in place for up to 100 737 MAX 8s.
Reed Exhibitions, the organisers for the show, expect more than 7,000 aviation industry professionals to attend the show, which will be spread over 15,000 square metres of gross exhibition space in Zabeel Halls 4, 5 and 6, this year.

The worlds top-league airport industry B2B event has the 4th edition of the Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF) and 3rd edition of World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo Middle East (WTCEME) as co-located events.

The 16th edition of the Airport Show is supported by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Dubai Airports, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans), dnata and Women in Aviation Middle East Chapter, amongst a host of leading regional and international associations backing the event.

Strong backing has come from companies and trade bodies like German Airport Technology and Equipment (GATE), Danish Airport Group, British Aviation Group, British Airport Services and Equipment Association, Swiss Airport Suppliers, Swiss Aerospace Cluster, SACE, Netherlands Aerospace Group, UBIFRANCE, UAE Contractors Association and Supply Chain and Logistics Group (SCLG) of Middle East.

The gold sponsors include emaratech and Bond Group, while other major sponsors include NEC, Boeing, DTP and Strata.

Sheikh Ahmed said: We are pleased to welcome the highest ever number of exhibitors from all around the world to the Airport Show this year. The Airport Show continues to grow year after year as leading industry players from across the world seek to tap into the tremendous opportunities offered by the Middle Easts thriving aviation sector. The growing interest in this show is a clear indication of its value to exhibitors and visitors alike. I am confident the event will be a resounding success.

Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director, Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of Airport Show, said: The Airport Show 2016 will be the strongest on several fronts, it will showcase worlds latest technologies in aviation, facilitate knowledge-sharing, in addition to being a unique meeting point for global experts. The tremendous response from international aviation industry players to participate in the Airport Show clearly reflects their keenness to tap into the growing opportunities in the Middle East and meets the requirements of regional decision-makers to source their requirements at their doorsteps.

The show has recorded a 30 per cent growth in participants for the Business Connect programme with an all-time high participation of 154 buyers. The Business Connect progrmame, which has a track record of delivering unparalleled business opportunities for international suppliers through a number of dedicated pre-scheduled meetings programmes, has been showing consistent growth each passing year.

Airport Show 2015 hosted 2,900 pre-arranged meetings between hosted buyers and exhibitors and this year we are confident of breaking the record with over 3,500 pre-scheduled on site meetings, added Qureshi.

The Business Connect programme this year will feature Airport Business Connect, a unique matchmaking programme facilitating over 2,000 pre-scheduled meetings for exhibitors with key officials from regional airport authorities and contractors of mega airport developments across the Middle East; Africa Business Connect, dedicated to African aviation officials, from over 15 countries, to meet with Airport Show exhibitors and source suppliers for the African continents most ambitious airport developments and Air traffic Control Business Connect, which will host over 50 officials from regional Civil Aviation Authorities and ANSPs  facilitating business for exhibitors through over 500 pre-scheduled meetings with key Air Traffic Management officials during the event.

This years show will see buyers from Algeria, Armenia, Bahrain, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the host country, UAE.

The 16th edition of the Airport Show will have a strong international representation with six dedicated country pavilions, with around 100 exhibitors, for global participants to showcase and launch their products, services and solutions.

Germany will have the largest participation with more than 40 exhibitors showcasing in the exclusive Germany Pavilion, in addition to five pavilions dedicated to aviation players from France, Switzerland, UK, China and North America. The Germany Pavilion will be the biggest in terms of exhibitors  a total of 40 companies including 7 new ones. The French Pavilion, which made its first appearance at the Airport Show eight years ago, will feature 14 exhibitors, the Swiss and UK pavilions will have 12 exhibitors each this year while there will be eight exhibitors in the North America Pavilion and six in the China Pavilion.

Among the key attractions will be the free to attend Innovation Podium wherein more than 35 seminars will be conducted by industry experts on a variety of latest technologies and innovations as well as exclusive insights into some of the regions airport developments. The Podium provides companies the opportunity to launch products, demonstrate their capabilities, offer system solutions and share best practices.

As a co-located event, the 4th edition of Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF), which will be held on May 10 and 11, will have more than 40 renowned international aviation leaders and experts sharing their professional insights, experiences and future perspectives on the aviation industry and its challenges.

The forum will witness brain storming sessions on key industry issues such as open skies, oil price volatility, how the industry will develop over the next decade, next generation passengers, safety and security issues, strategies to enhance passenger capacity, market overcrowding, new project reviews and opportunities, securing ongoing finance and investment for expansion, developing the low cost carrier market and also present aviation trends overview, a review of major airport projects in KSA, opportunities in aviation with a focus on the UAE and economic outlook and strategies to help stakeholders effectively deal with the rising number of passengers, estimated to cross 7 billion by 2034.

In its 3rd edition, the World Travel Catering and Onboard Services Expo Middle East (WTCEME), will have exhibitors from the UAE, Spain, UK, India, China, Srilanka, Bahrain, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, France, Malaysia, Turkey, Egypt and The Netherlands, who will showcase a wide range of travel catering services and solutions, including food, snacks, beverages, food packaging, processing, preparation and preservation equipment, tableware and chinaware, accessories, toiletries and travel amenities.

50 buyers from 14 countries representing 23 authorities will participate in WTCEMEs Hosted Buyers Programme this year, designed to facilitate meetings between key regional buyers and exhibitors at the show.

The newly branded WCTEME expects over 1,500 trade visitors this year from all the major airlines, airports and related aviation catering businesses in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.
The new service will supplement the two current daily flights between the two cities to meet growing demand on the route, and offer outbound and inbound travellers even more convenience and choice.

Operated by Emirates popular Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, flight EK 778 will depart Dubai at 1050hrs and arrive in Cape Town at 1830hrs. The return flight, EK 779 will depart Cape Town at 2005hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0730hrs the following morning. The timing of the flights will give Cape Town customers and those from across Emirates global network, greater flexibility in their travel plans and offer convenient transit times to connecting flights through the airlines modern hub, Dubai.
The $1 billion transaction has facilitated the delivery and sale and leaseback of four A380-800s, the worlds largest passenger jet, to Dubai-headquartered Emirates over the past four months. The aircraft involved are of 2013 and 2016 vintages. Investec has acquired the 2013 vintages aircraft from Stellwagen Finance, the holding company for Aviation Finance Company (AFC). The 2016 deliveries are new deliveries direct from Airbus.



Investec acted as the sole arranger for both the financing and leasing elements of this transaction. Financings are provided by banks and institutional investors across Middle East, Europe and Asia. Investec has also put in place Islamic financing on two of the deliveries.



Investec is recognised as one of the leading aviation banks worldwide, and this deal establishes Investec as a foremost provider of A380 operating leases to one of the worlds top commercial airlines.



Aircraft financing is seen by many as an attractive investment opportunity in the current low yield environment, supported by the low price of oil, air passenger growth and demand for aircraft. Investecs deal with Emirates offers exposure for investors for a 12 year period on brand new aircraft with top tier credit.



Nirmal Govindadas, Senior Vice President Corporate Treasury for Emirates, commented: Emirates clear long-term financing strategy and our solid reputation in the financial community enables us to secure funding in the global market to grow our fleet of wide-bodied aircraft. We are pleased to close the sale and lease back agreement for four A380s with Investec Aviation Finance, and we will continue to tap into innovative funding opportunities, maintaining our well-diversified financing portfolio to support our growing fleet.



Alok Wadhawan, co-head of Investec Aviation Finance, commented: The past 12 months has seen Investec Aviation achieve a number of important milestones. The closing of the $1 billion A380 aircraft deal with Emirates highlights our expertise and deep sector knowledge, and the quality and range of financing products and bespoke solutions we can provide to airlines and lessors. Top-tier credit for a 10/12 year period demonstrates how attractive aircraft financing is for both investors and companies seeking financing.



Investec is an active lender and lessor in the aviation market with a balance sheet available to a global client base. Investec Aviation Finance has c. $5bn of aircraft assets under management through its own balance sheet and managed funds. In addition, Investec owns a 20% stake in Dublin-based Goshawk, along with Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and NWS Holdings. Goshawk is a joint venture leasing platform set up by Investec in 2013, with an owned or committed portfolio of 75 young, in-production aircraft, valued at approximately $3.2 billion.
The Routes Europe strategy Summit had many intuitive panel discussions; some of which addressed important air service development issues affecting commercial aviation across Europe. Discussions were brought together by top leading aviation experts; such as Juha Jarvinen CCO, Finnair and Micha Nowak, director of strategy and innovation department, LOT Polish Airlines.

The commercial operation team booked significant face to face meetings with possible targeted airline network managers, discussing potential possibilities in adding new frequencies or implementing new routes to Oman Airports, including Muscat, Salalah, Sohar and Duqm airports. According to Kimmo Ruotsalainen, Head of Sales and Marketing, face to face meetings consisted of European South Asian markets, as well as further connecting European and Far East in the future. The Airline Marketing teams focus here at Routes Europe is to enhance the relationship with existing airlines, and to grow relations with European carriers for new possible business. The long term goal is to connect Africa and Asia (specifically China) as well as Asia and Europe.

Traffic growth in Muscat International Airport in March was 20% YoY reaching 812 438 passengers, cumulative growth percentage Jan-Mar 20% reaching nearly 2.5 million passengers. The Flight movements increased double digits i.e. Muscat International Airport by 10% in March and by 11% during Q1/16 representing 8 458 movements in March and 24 698 movements in Q1/16 respectively. During the first three months, Jet Airways started to operate between Delhi and Muscat, Shaheen started on a route between Islamabad and Muscat as well as new airline Regent Airways started to between Dhaka/ Chittagong and Muscat operating 4 times a week by a Boeing 737-800.

Traffic growth in Salalah exceeded 81 000 passengers in March representing 14% growth and 255 921 passengers representing the cumulative growth of 18% since beginning of the year despite a slight decline in civil aircraft movements compared to 2015. New tour operator business Hydrotour, has charter flight Travel Service Slovakia (6D) that operates from Bratislava Airport (BTS) and will be operating one weekly flight each Sunday on every March, April, May, June, and September to Salalah.

Oman is working on building non-stop routes with European carriers and partner with Oman Air to boost the Muscat hub connectivity. Oman Airports aims to have new airlines to start operating to MCT during this year and more is planned to commence in 2017. Both Oman Airports and Oman Air have a close relationship and are working together to strengthen the transfer traffic via Muscat hub. Routes Europe in Poland opened doors for new development, and to boost new networking opportunities, making it accessible in reaching the target goal. The Airline Marketing team will also be attending World Routes in China, eager to create more opportunities in route development.
iStock/Thinkstock(FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta) -- Fire officials say cooler weather forecasted in the coming days will help emergency crews battle the massive wildfire that forced residents of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada out of their homes.

"We're hoping over the next three to four days that we're going to have some great opportunity for firefighters to get on the ground and continue to put out hot spots in the interior," Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfire said at a news conference Sunday.

While the weather will help emergency workers in the city's interiors, officials said it could take months to put out the fire in forested areas.

"We expect to be out there for months continuing to put the fire out," Morrison said. "We could see some growth if we get another week or two of hot and dry weather."

There is so far no timetable of when residents will be able to return to their homes, according to officials, and no idea of the extent of the fire damage. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said her main focus was to protect Fort MacMurray residents and the community.

"The focus has been protecting not counting...so we really can't speculate on damages," she said Sunday.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
by Victoria Ma

His faithful describe him as the image of the "Good Shepherd". He was ordained underground bishop in 1981. In 2004 he was recognized by the government, but managed to decline joining the Patriotic Association. Under his leadership, the diocese has grown. To date there are 31 priests, 120 nuns, 50 thousand faithful. The Church is involved in evangelization and in providing medical care to the population.

Anyang (AsiaNews) - The diocese of Anyang (Weihui, Henan), has announced the death of its bishop, Msgr. Thomas Zhang Huaixin, yesterday at 12:10. The Bishop was 91 years of age.

About a year ago, on August 4, he ordained Msgr. Giuseppe Zhang Yinlin coadjutor bishop, who will now follow the late prelate as pastor of the diocese.

Believers describe Msgr. Thomas Zhang as a much loved pastor, who managed to keep the faith and fidelity to the Pope, while trying to deal with the government, leaving no room for the machinations of the Patriotic Association.

Under his leadership, the diocese has grown both in ordained (31 priests and 120 nuns) and in evangelization. The diocese of 50 thousand faithful provides medical care to the population, especially ophthalmic with at least 11 clinics, a hospital, a kindergarten. There is also a very strong commitment in catechesis, with a catechetical center and one for spiritual retreats.

Long queues of worshipers, priests and nuns have been forming at the cathedral since yesterday to honor the late bishop and participate in the Masses. The funeral will be held on May 14 at 8.30. Many people describe the late bishop as a "good shepherd". On the internet, the comments speak of his "deep faith".

Even the Patriotic Association and the Council of Chinese Bishops issued a message of condolence today to participate in mourning for the death of Msgr. Zhang Huaixin and praise his faith and his "support for the leadership of the communist authorities". The message also expresses the hope that Msgr. Zhang Yinlin will lead the diocese so it may continue to contribute to the good of society.

Msgr. Thomas Zhang was born into a devout Catholic family on May 23, 1925. In 1934 he entered the minor seminary of Weihui and then the major seminary in Kaifeng. He was ordained a priest in 1950. From 1958 to 1966 he was sentenced to the forced labor camps having been judged to be "right-wing" in one of the many purges of the Maoist period.

Later, during the Cultural Revolution, he returned home where he worked as a farmer. He only returned to Anyang on 1981. On 19 October 1981 he was ordained a bishop (underground) by Msgr. Julius Jia Zhiguo, bishop of Zhengding.

In 2004, he was recognized by the government, but before being recognized, he discussed the choice with his faithful and priests, and wanted to make it clear that despite having a relationship with the government, he did not subscribe to the principles of independence (from the Holy See ) promoted by the Patriotic Association.

A long time observer of the Church in China, who had contact with Msgr. Thomas Zhang remembers him thus: "He was a faith filled and pragmatic bishop: he always tried to do good for his community of faithful. He never got embroiled in theoretical questions about the diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican, but always looked exclusively to evangelization. He was also a great supporter of new charisms, helping the birth of Christian art in China".



The diocese of Anyang (Weihui) had been entrusted to the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) since 1882. The last PIME bishop to lead the diocese was Msgr. Mario Civelli exiled with the advent of Mao Zedong. The last PIME missionary to leave the diocese was the brother Raffaele Comotti, who was expelled in June 1954 after being subjected to a lengthy interrogation lasting days.
by Nirmala Carvalho

Jisha was a 28-year law student. She was raped, stabbed 38 times and then killed. The the Indian Bishops' Conference Office for Women joins protests of civil society. Catholic physician: "The life of women is considered less important than that of men. Their exploitation starts even before birth, with sex-selective abortion; then continues with the industry of wombs for rent ".

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The Catholic Bishops' Conference has strongly condemned the rape and murder of a young dalit law student of 28 years of age. The rape and murder took place last April 28 in the Ernakulam district, Kerala.

The CBCI (Catholic Bishops' Conference of India) Council for Women issued a statement saying: "We condemn this barbarous and horrific act against a woman and expresses its deep concern for the life and dignity of women in the country. It appears ironic that a woman is taunted, molested and abused at every walk of life and she is not safe even in her own house and arises questions as to how far women are safe and secure today in India. It is more vulnerable in the case of women from economically and socially backward sections".



The Indian bishops have joined the condemnation of the civil society, which has been protesting the savage aggression against the girl. Jisha was raped and murdered on the evening of April 28. Doctors report that they found 38 wounds on her body.



Indian press are calling the case "Keralas Nirbhaya ", since Jishas case closely resembles another case of violence that became famous around the world: that of Nirbhaya, the nursing student raped on a Delhi bus in 2012. On that occasion, the girl died several days later in a hospital in Singapore, after terrible suffering.

Dr. Pascoal Carvalho, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, told AsiaNews: " Violence against women is not only the most widespread example of a human rights violation ,Gender bias is all too prevalent in India, causing grave concerns for womens safety in India. This horrific and brutal assault on the young women is another shame on the safety of our women and also a blot on the way we treat our women in India".



According to the doctor, The patriarchal society and patriarchal mind-set of the people is a big concern and linked to these heinous crimes against women both inside as well as outside the home or working place are increasing domestic abuse, violent victimization, dowry deaths,, and molestations are regrettably not uncommon in our country.

Dr. Carvalho, who is also a member of the Diocesan Commission for Life (DHLC), argues that the attacks against women ". However, the attack against women begin even before her birth, the anti-Life mentality against the girl child -the practice of sex-selective abortion is the result of cultural norms that value male children over female children, additionally, female foeticide are all attacks against the very Life of the girl child According to report by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a crime against a woman is committed every three minutes".



"Even the surrogacy is another form of exploitation - concludes the doctor - which is a thriving industry in India, which is estimated to be over billion. Surrogacy business not only reinforces the gender stereotype that women are commodities, but also leads to the exploitation of surrogates who often do not understand what they are signing up for ."
The Workers' Party of Korea is holding its first congress in 36 years. Dressed in tie and suit to honour his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the countrys young dictator rejects international demands, and asserts that North Korea is a responsible nuclear power. He also reasserts the regimes principles of Juche and Songun, adding byungjin or dual-track approach to nuclear development.

Seoul (AsiaNews)  Kim Jong-un is using the first congress of North Koreas ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in 36 years to bury his father Kim Jong-ils legacy, whilst reviving that of his grandfather Kim Il-sung. He is also using it as a platform to warn the international community about the countrys nuclear capabilities.

Wearing a suit and a tie like his ancestor, not the Mao shirts his father liked to wear, Kim laid out his new policy orientation, suggesting that the purges of the political and military leadership were over.

Kim spoke to some 3,000 delegates, formally elected but in fact handpicked, in the 25 April House of Culture in Pyongyang for some three and half hours. His recorded speech was broadcast on North Korean television.

The dictator read his text, South Koreas conservative daily Chosun Ilbo, wrote, and took breaks, which state TV did not show, because he lacks the sheer verbal stamina of fellow dictator Fidel Castro, who would bore audiences to sleep with speeches lasting up to six or eight hours. [. . .] Towards the end he showed visible signs of fatigue.

Our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes, the Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying.

However, There is no way the international community will accept North Korea (as a nuclear state) talking about its responsibility as a nuclear state or global denuclearization. It must present a resolution for denuclearization and dispel its illusions about nuclear weapons, said Jeong Joon-hee, spokesman for South Koreas Unification Ministry.

Still the long speech had two important items. Kim emphasized his so-called byungjin policy, a dual-track emphasis on both economic improvement and nuclear weapon development. He also announced the completion of the renewal process in the party and the Armed Forces, signalling an end to purges.

His dual-track policy would safeguard the nations interests, and provide a guarantee against imperialists and the US. It is not a temporary policy track but a strategic one that should be sustained eternally for the sake of the revolution with nuclear deterrent as the bedrock of our military defence, Kim said.

This means continuity with his fathers songun or military-first doctrine, it a fundamental principle of socialism that would bolster revolution with the armed forces at the centre of the drive.

North Korea will also continue to be based on the principles of Juche, i.e. "self-reliance", as the official political ideology laid out by Kim Il-sung when he founded the regime with the support the Soviet Union and China.

In his speech, the grandson made it clear that North Korea does not need favours from other nations, be they big or small. What he wants is to see the climate of confrontation caused by North Koreas enemies eliminated, a reference to South Korea, which Kim blames for the deterioration of inter-Korean relations.

Nevertheless, "North Korea's confirmation that it will pursue nuclear arms will prevent the country from removing current difficulties and even deepen its isolation," said Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University.
Sonam Tso is the second person to self-immolate since the beginning of 2016, bringing the number to 145 in total. She was walking with her husband near a monastery when she asked to be left alone and carried out her protest. A monk who tried to save her is arrested.

Dharamsala (AsiaNews) - Sonam Tso, a mother of five children, set herself on fire in county Dzoege to protest against Chinese rule in Tibet. Her self-immolation is the second in the region since early 2016, and brings to 145 the total number of those who set themselves on fire against the presence of Beijing in Tibet.



Sonam died on March 23, but the news only emerged on May 7 because of the restrictions imposed by the communist authorities on communication channels to and from the plateau region. The protest took place near the Sera monastery. Sonam was with her husband, Kalsang Gyaltsen, and was walking near the place of worship.



At one point, she asked her husband to leave her alone for a moment: she walked away and set herself on fire, demanding the return of the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet. A monk who saw her called for help: her husband and another monk - Tsultrim, Sonams uncle - put out the flames and rushed her to the hospital. But the woman was already dead before leaving the monastery.



Immediately after the self-immolation, the police arrest Tsultrim on charges of "sharing information" about

Sonam Tsos act. The Monk was released eight days after his arrest, but his phone and documents were seized. Even the victim's husband was questioned several times by police.



This death brings to 145 the number of people who have self-immolated since 2009 in protest against Chinese policy in the region. For his part, the Dalai Lama has repeatedly urged his followers not to sacrifice their lives life but to "find other forms of protest." However, Beijing accuses the religious leaders of fomenting these acts "for his personal gain."
by Nirmala Carvalho

Abraham Biswas Surin was the pastor of the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in Khunti, Jharkhand. His mutilated body was found in Odisha. The incident remains murky since the pastor was supposed to attend a meeting in another city. CCTV cameras show him in the company of an unknown man.

Rourkela (AsiaNews)  Rev Abraham Biswas Surin, a pastor with the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church (GEL) in Khunti (Jharkhand), was found dead with his throat cut and several wounds to his body, in the state of Odisha.

The incident remains a riddle since the clergyman was supposed to take part a meeting in Ranchi (Jharkhand), but was found in the neighbouring state. Investigators have ruled out robbery, since all his personal effects were found.

"The murder of Rev A B Surin is a mystery, Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), told AsiaNews. He was found with his throat slashed, his body showing injuries to the head and stomach. The GCIC will pray for the pastors soul and asks God to bring consolation to the widow and family."

Biswas Surin Abraham, 64, was an Adivasi. On 5 May, he left his home in Khunti district, on his way to Ranchi.

We are shocked by the murder, said GEL Secretary General Eliazer Topno. Perhaps the pastor was killed for circumstantial reasons. We asked the Lutheran Evangelical Christians of Rajgangpur to take the matter to the police and the government of Orissa (Odisha)."

He said he is in dark as to why the incident took place since no GEL meeting was scheduled in Ranchi. "I do not understand, he said, because the pastor had informed his family that he was going to Ranchi, when his body was found in Rourkela, 215 km from that city."

Police found the murder weapon near the body, an axe with a long handle. They also recovered his personal items, like a ring, wallet, and mobile phone. This rules out robbery as a motive.

Some witnesses said they saw Rev Surin for the last time on 5 May near the Rourkela railway station, around 10 pm. Apparently, he had arrived by train from Hatia, Jharkhand.

Witnesses said he was in the company of a man, as CCTV cameras also show. Relatives were shown the video, but no one could identify him.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - In this week of preparation for Pentecost it would do us all good to reflect on what the Holy Spirit  who moves the Church  does in our life, if he brings us back to the reality of Christianity, our encounter with Jesus, said the Pope in the Mass celebrated this morning in Casa Santa Marta, drawing inspiration from the dialogue among the first disciples in Ephesus who, while believing in Jesus, did not know who the Holy Spirit was.



Even today, noted Francis, for many Christians, the Holy Spirit is a stranger or even "a luxury prisoner." This is something, he said, that happens today as well as many who believe in Jesus do not know the Holy Spirit. Many, he said, say they have learnt through Catechism that the Holy Spirit is in the Trinity but they do not know anything more and they wonder what the Spirit does: "The Holy Spirit is the one who moves the Church, he said, the one who works in the Church and in our hearts making each Christian unique and yet, together with other Christians, a unit. The Holy Spirit, the Pope continued, opens the doors and invites us to bear witness to Jesus. At the beginning of Mass we heard the words: you will receive the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses in the world. The Holy Spirit is the one who moves us to praise God, to pray the Lord, the one who is within us and teaches us to see the Father and to call him Father. The Holy Spirit frees us from this orphan-like condition which the spirit of the world wants to put us in".



The Holy Spirit, he said, is "s the protagonist of the living Church and he warned against the danger of not living up to this mission of the Holy Spirit thereby reducing faith to "morals and ethics. It is not enough, he said, to just respect the Commandments and do nothing more": "this can be done, this cannot be done; this far, yes, until there no! and from there to the series and to a cold moral".



Christian life, Francis reiterated, is not just an ethical life: it is an encounter with Jesus Christ. And it is thanks to the Holy Spirit that this encounter takes place:

"But we keep the Holy Spirit as a luxury prisoner in our hearts: we do not allow the Spirit to push us forward, to move us. The Sprit does everything, knows everything, reminds us what Jesus said, can explain all about Jesus. There is only one thing the Holy Spirit cant do: make us parlour Christians () The Holy Spirit cannot make us virtual Christians who are not virtuous. The Holy Spirit makes real Christians. The Spirit takes life as it is and prophetically reads the signs of the times pushing us forward (), the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity".



This week "it would do us good to reflect on what the Holy Spirit means in my life" and ask whether we "have learned the path to freedom." The Holy Spirit, who dwells in me, he added, "urges me to go out: Do I fear? Am I courageous, what does the Holy Spirit give to me, so I can come out of myself, to bear witness to Jesus? ". And again, "How patient am I in trials? Because the Holy Spirit is the one who gives me patience". "In this week of preparation for the Feast of Pentecost, we should reflect on this: 'Do I really believe the Holy Spirit has something to say to me?'. And we should try to talk to him and say: 'I know that You are in my heart, that You're in the heart of the Church, that You carry forward the Church, that You make unity between us, but we are all different '... tell him all these things and ask for the grace to learn - but practically, in my life - what He does. And for the grace of obedience to Him: be docile to the Holy Spirit. This week we should do this: we should think of the Spirit, and talk to him".
by Maria Yuan

Retiring Mgr Zhu Weifang, 90, ordains three new priests who plan to focus on families, vocations, seniors, the sick, and reach out to non-Christians.

Wenzhou (AsiaNews)  The diocese of Wenzhou (Zhejiang) has three new priests whose pastoral work will centre on new vocations, helping families, and reaching out to those do not believe.

Elderly Bishop Zhu Weifang led the ordination ceremony of Cai Zhengyou, Lin Yi and Song Shanxun on 30 April. More than 4,000 people attended the service, including representatives of the diocese.

Mgr Zhu and his priests have often spoken out against the campaign of destruction of the crosses and churches in Zhejiang.

Fr Ma Xianshi, the vicar general, and Fr Lin Shenli assisted the bishop in the liturgy, concelebrated by at least 35 priests. On 23 March, Mgr Zhu, 90, announced his retirement and delegated Church affairs to Fr Ma.

The new priests preparation followed a tortuous path. They began their studies in Tailaiqiao, on the outskirts of Shanghai, and then entered the regional seminary in Sheshan.

However, after the ordination of Mgr Thaddeus Ma Daqin and his resignation from the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the Sheshan seminary was closed, until further notice.

For this reason, the new priests had to continue their studies at the Hebei seminary until 2015. In all, their training lasted 11 years.

Still, Today is a day of glory and the start of a mission with a heavy cross, said newly ordained Fr Song. For this reason, he asked the faithful to pray for them and show care and support as they set off on their path of pastoral work.

Fr Lin said that his focus will be on families, who face great challenges in society, and married couples, providing counselling and pastoral outreach.

Fr Cai said that he wants to centre his work on hospice care and bereavement, especially among non-Catholics, to help people cope with such difficult moment.

All three new priests are from old Catholic families, and their faith was passed on from their parents and ancestors. This has made them very conscious of the need to foster priestly vocations. Indeed, the seeds of vocation were sown in their hearts early on in their life under the guidance of priests.

Their spiritual director from Wenzhou diocese, and their teachers at Sheshan and Hebei seminaries attended the ordination liturgy, happy to express their joy at their students ordination.
United Nations special envoy, Jan Kubi, speaks of "evidence of heinous crimes" committed by jihadi militias. Daesh cannot be just "militarily" eradicated, instead "the root causes" of violence needs to be addressed. Humanitarian crisis in the country worsens with at least 10 million people depending on aid.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies)  More than 50 mass graves have been found so far in various parts of Iraq that were taken from Islamic State (IS). The most recent ones were uncovered in April in Ramadi, about 110km west of Baghdad, and contain up to 40 bodies.

The grim news was revealed by UN special envoy Jan Kubis who, in his report to the United Nations Security Council, spoke of "evidence of heinous crimes" committed by jihadi militias.

The mass graves have emerged in recent months in the territories wrested from Daesh [Arabic acronym for the Islamic State] during the Iraqi army advance. At the height of their expansion, IS had taken control of almost half of Iraq.

Reporting to the Security Council, Kubis stressed that the international community should "take all necessary measures" to ensure that militiamen jihadists are held to account for the crimes committed.

The Iraqi army won Ramadi from IS control in December 2015; the city was in the hands of the Sunni Islamic fundamentalist movement since May of that year. Some outbreaks of violence continued until February 2016, when the area returned totality under government control.

Other graves have emerged in the past in Sinjar in northern Iraq, near Anbar in the west and in Tikrit, in the north, the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The victims buried in mass graves include tribal, Iraqi soldiers, women and members of the Yazidi minority, the most persecuted by jihadists.

Not only in Iraq but also in Syria, there are traces of mass graves in areas controlled by the IS.

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms the continued killings, kidnapping, rape and torture of Iraqis by ISIL (IS), which may constitute crimes against humanity, war crimes and even genocide". And despite the "substantial" military progress on the ground in Iraq [and Syria], Daesh still remains "formidable and determined enemy that constantly adjusts its tactics and attack patterns". He said the group would not be defeated by military means alone, and called for action to address "the root causes of violent extremism".

From the humanitarian point of view, the crisis triggered by the rise of IS in Iraq [and in neighboring Syria] remains "one of the worst in the world", with over 10 million people - more than a third of the population - in need of international aid. However, only a quarter of the 861 million dollars needed to respond to the emergency has been allocated to date and the amount is insufficient.
15-Year-Old Boy Discovers Hidden Mayan City

Trending News: How Did A Teen Discover A Hidden Mayan City On His Own?

Why Is This Important?

Because the world still contains some undiscovered wonders.

Long Story Short

A 15-year-old boy from Quebec used Mayan star charts and satellite imagery to find an abandoned Mayan city in Belize.

Long Story

William Gadoury has been fascinated by the Mayans ever since the claim that the world was going to end in 2012 (remember that?). So much so that he spent his free time analyzing the location of over 100 known Mayan cities and the constellations that he believed the ancient civilization used for city planning.

I couldnt understand why the Mayans built their cities far from rivers, on land that wasnt very fertile or mountainous, he told the Journal de Montreal.

He believed that the Mayans built their cities based on the locations of stars in almost two dozen constellations. So when he overlayed a star chart on a map of the Yucatan peninsula, covering parts of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, his hypothesis was proved correct: the biggest Mayan cities corresponded to the brightest stars in those constellations.

Google

But Gadoury noticed something was missing.

There was no corresponding city where a star in one constellation indicated there should have been. Gadoury came to the discovery when he correlated the position of 117 Mayan cities to the stars in 23 constellations. But he realized that one three-star constellation only had two corresponding cities, and deduced there must be one city still undiscovered. According to his calculations, the missing city should be somewhere in Belize.

And so, using imagery from NASA, the Japanese space agency JAXA, the Canadian Space Agency and Google Earth, Gadoury found evidence of a pyramid and some 30 or so other structures. Thats no small find: its believed it may be among the five biggest Mayan cities of all time.

The boy has called the site Kaak Chi, Mouth of Fire. It has yet to be explored on land  these things take time and money to do properly  but the Mexican archaeologists Gadoury contacted about his discovery have promised to take him with them when they do eventually investigate it. That would be the culmination of three years of work and my lifes dream, he told the newspaper.

UPDATE:

Archaeologists say "Lost Maya City", found by teen using Star Maps online, is just an old cornfield. A for effort https://t.co/Lfjq13uzCF  Jan McGirk (@jmcgirk) May 11, 2016

We'll wait for the final verdict, however, when archaeologists visit the site.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Isnt it amazing what a kid with brains, drive and imagination can do?

Disrupt Your Feed: Whats the over/under on when this kid get his Ph.D?

Drop This Fact: The Mayan civilization flourished from the mid-3rd century to about the 10th, after which it suffered a terminal decline due, its believed, by constant internal warfare, drought and overpopulation.
Scientists 3D Map Pyramids Using Cosmic Rays

Trending News: 3D Maps Of Egyptian Pyramids Might Reveal Their Ancient Secrets

Why Is This Important?

Because this could unlock the ancient mysteries of the pyramids.

Long Story Short

Archaeologists have been able to make 3D maps of an ancient pyramid for the first time using cosmic ray detectors, sort of like an X-ray. The findings could reveal never before seen caverns and help us figure out how the hell these wonders were made in the first place.

Long Story

The ancient Egyptian pyramids have baffled scientists for centuries, but now a team in Egypt have found a new strategy to reveal more about these incredible structures than they ever could before.

Archaeologists used high-tech scanners to create a 3D map of the 4,500-year-old Bent pyramid 25 miles south of Cairo, reports Discovery. With this technology, we'll potentially be able to find hidden caverns we never thought we'd find without the help of Harrison Ford. Even more exciting, we could find answers to how the pyramids were originally made (my guess is aliens).

"For the construction of the pyramids, there is no single theory that is 100 per cent proven or checked. They are all theories and hypotheses," said Hany Helal, vice president of the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, as quoted by The Daily Mail. "What we are trying to do with the new technology, we would like to either confirm or change or upgrade or modify the hypotheses that we have on how the pyramids were constructed."

And how the archaeologists were able to make this breakthrough sounds like something from a Marvel comic. What they did was built special detector to find cosmic rays that bounce around in the pyramid.

Cosmic rays, you ask. I thought that was what gave The Fantastic Four their superpowers?

That may be true, in fiction-land, but in reality muon particles from cosmic rays fall from the atmosphere and are slowed or stopped by solid objects, like pyramid blocks. By detecting the cosmic rays, the scientists can find all the nooks and crannies within the pyramids where air can pass through.

The scientists working on these scans also have plans to use infrared cameras and lasers to map out other ancient pyramids, such as two pyramids in Giza and two in Dahshur.

The ancient pharaohs might have been clever, but no way they'd have predicted us coming at their secrets with heat sensors, laser beams and cosmic ray detectors. Modern Humanity 1 - Ancient Civilization 0.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Will these maps lead to the discovery of more more ancient mummies?

Disrupt Your Feed

We could finally get proof that the aliens built the pyramids!

Drop This Fact

The Bent pyramid is called that because of the bent slope of its two sides, giving it an appearance of being bent.
Bronwyn Lincoln has been hired by Corrs Chambers Westgarth , the seventh new partner appointment so far this year. Lincoln joins the firms litigation and dispute resolution practice from Herbert Smith Freehills and will be based in Melbourne.Allen & Overy has promoted 35 lawyers to counsel across its international offices. In Asia-Pacific there are seven new counsel: Sarah Wilson (banking) in Beijing; Benjamin Crawford (corporate) and Jaclyn Yeap (ICM) in Hong Kong; Frederic Draps and Desi Dwitiasrini (both banking) in Jakarta; James Mythen (corporate) in Singapore; and Tokutaka Ito (corporate) in Tokyo.Another international law firm has opened an office in Iran. Swiss-based firm Python & Peter, which also has an office in Tokyo, has expanded into Tehran following the lifting of sanctions. CMS opened an office in Iran earlier this year and Asia-based firm Colibri Law opened an office in association with local firm Gheidi & Associates last month.Lawyers solve problems but at one major telecoms company that can be a very hands-on role. US firm Verizon has been hit by a workers strike which has left it with a severely diminished engineering team. The solution? Training other employees to step in to the breach  and that includes the legal team.According to Quartz.com lawyers are joining accountants, marketers and HR specialists in carrying out customer-facing roles including installations. A spokesman for Verizon said that the lawyers are doing a good job given the circumstances.Millions of Facebook users use its photo-tagging feature to highlight those who appear in images they post, but a lawsuit claims that its illegal. A judge in Illinois has dismissed a petition from Facebook to have the case thrown out.The lawsuit claims that a persons faceprint is protected under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act and may not be collected without the persons consent.Facebook argues that its data policy covers the use of photo-tagging but Verve.com reports that it is not clear whether the disclosure amounts to consent for legal purposes.
Stephen Burley SC will commence in the Sydney registry, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Annabelle Bennett AO.Burley graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney in 1985 and Master of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1989. He was appointed senior counsel in 2007.He has worked as a barrister at 5 Wentworth Chambers since 1993, practising intellectual property, administrative law, competition and trade practices.Shane Gill has been appointed to the Family Court in Canberra, commencing 16 May.Gill is currently the president of the Australian Capital Territory Bar Association and a director of the Australian Bar Association and the Law Council of Australia He was admitted to practice as a barrister in the High Court of Australia and a barrister and solicitor in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory in 1992, and was called to the Bar in 2003.Two appointments to the Federal Circuit Court were also announced on Friday, Alister McNab in the Melbourne registry and Brana Obradovic in Parramatta. Both appointments will fill vacancies.McNab was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1988 and signed the Bar Roll in 1990. His areas of practice are commercial law, discrimination law, employment and industrial law.Obradovic graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology Sydney in 1997 and Master of Laws (International Law) from the University of New South Wales in 2005. She was called to the Bar in 1998.Ms Obradovic commenced practising as a barrister with Lachlan Macquarie Chambers in 1998. She was a casual lecturer at the University of Western Sydney from 2000 to 2008, and a senior associate with Harmers Workplace Lawyers from 2003 to 2005.Her areas of practice are bankruptcy, civil and human rights, discrimination, commercial law, equity law, family law, industrial and employment law, international law and workplace health and safety.We welcome these appointments and are confident that they will build on the strong legacies of those they have replaced, said Law Council president Stuart Clark Seventy-six reappointments and appointments have also been made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.The Law Council welcomes these appointments which will go some way to address the extraordinary case load carried by these courts and the tribunal, Mr Clark said.
A joint investigation by TVNZ, RNZ and journalist Nicky Hager has revealed the involvement of Auckland accountant and lawyer Roger Thompson in the Panama Papers scandal.



Thompsons accountancy firm, Bentleys is an ordinary office on Queen Street, where nobody would look and where it's only inside the computer files and the filing cabinet that you would realise that that is the centre of all kinds of tax haven activity in our country, Hager said.



But the investigation, undertaken in conjunction with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, found that the firm is a New Zealand agent for Mossack Fonseca.



According to a report by TVNZ, the firm creates trusts for wealthy foreigners for around $4000, using NZs limited disclosure rules to stay anonymous. New Zealand law does not require foreign trusts pay tax.



Thompson, who briefly worked at Inland Revenue in the 80s, then charges $3000 a year to send a one-page form to the department. Hager claimed that Inland Revenue never knows who is behind the trusts: they never get to see the accounts. They never get to see what business they're doing.



Clients deliberately avoid linking their trusts with countries where New Zealand has deals to share tax information, TVNZ reported.



While Bentleys has a dominant role in the industry, similar deals and structures are being constructed by accountants and lawyers throughout the country, the investigation noted.



Thompson was listed in more than 4500 of the leaked Panama Papers documents, Bentleys was listed more than 3500 times.



In an interview with RNZ, Thompson denied the trusts and companies were set up to avoid taxes.



I don't see NZ is a tax haven. I would describe it as a high quality jurisdiction for trusts with a benign tax system in certain circumstances, Thompson said.



I think the assumption that all NZ foreign trusts are being used for illegitimate purposes is unfounded and based largely on ignorance.



Prime Minister John Key has continued to deny New Zealand was used as a tax haven, even after the last revelations, but did say an independent review would look at the disclosure rules, Stuff reported.



New Zealand has disclosure rules, what seems to be challenged here is are New Zealand's disclosure rules tight enough, strong enough, broad enough? he said.



We have over a hundred information sharing agreements or double tax agreements with over a hundred companies. We have complied with every request that's ever been made of New Zealand.




Airports around Australia have welcomed the decision to introduce fast track immigration services for those willing to pay a premium to avoid queues.The premium border security service is aimed at business travellers, wealthier passengers and those who can afford a fee for a faster immigration clearance.The Department if Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) said that the move will also help to attract more people to Australia and said it will be introduced first at airports in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne.Under the plan airports will pay the government fee to offer the premium service which would then be passed on to the airlines and eventually the passengers seeking a faster alternative.A spokesperson for the DIBP explained that the "premium traveller facilitation service" would not allow passengers to skip the security process, but it would be significantly faster than what is currently available."The services would be on a user-pay basis and travellers using these services will be processed under established clearance procedure. They would not be exempt from customs, immigration, biosecurity or aviation security screening," the spokesman added.The airports and tourism officials pointed out that similar services are available at international airports around the world and it was about time that Australia introduced a fee paying fast track system.Tourism and Transport Forum Australia chief executive Margy Osmond said that the system would appeal to wealthy visitors coming to Australia. "It is no different to an aeroplane having economy, business and first class," she said."Australia must cater to the needs for all traveller demographics. For a growing number of Asian travellers, which is Australia's key growth market, premium border facilitation is an integral component of the travel experience," she pointed out.The fee that passengers would pay for the premium service has not yet been confirmed. When asked, a spokesman replied that this was "due to commercial confidentiality".Osmond also called for political parties to get behind Australia's visitor economy because it has been one of the great economic success stories. "The challenge for all our political leaders is to back up their strong words of support for the tourism sector. We need to see positive policies that will allow the industry to reach its full potential as an economic wealth and jobs generator for Australia," she explained."This is an area that we have continued to see a gulf between words and action in recent times. Now is the time for political parties to get real about support for the visitor economy sectors and the jobs and opportunities they can generate," she pointed out."Tourism is now generating $47.5 billion or 3% of the nation's GDP and at 5.3% it is growing three times faster than the total Australian economy," she added.
Thank you all for the answers. I've been trying to reach Australian Border Defense these couple of days, but it seems literally impossible. They claim that their phone lines are busy all the time, no matter what time of the day you call them.

And I wont be able to find their phone number on their website either, it's like they don't want people to contact them. So I sent them email to obtain my file (I didn't know they do that), but it will take probably 2 weeks to get an answer, if I get it.



So to be more specific about my deportation. I was on my way back from holiday in Taiwan on 8th of April. I was arrested in Melbourne airport by BP officer. I breached my visa condition by not being enrolled for any studies for past 9 months. My visa was cancelled on the spot by Migration Act 1958 S116. After that I was sent to detention center for ~36hours where I waited for my flight that was supposed to take me back home. During interrogation I was informed that it's up to airline to decide where they will take me and they don't know where will I be deported to.

Right before my flight I was informed that I will be deported back to Taiwan, with no money and chance to book my ticket back to Estonia (but that's irrelevant right now)



Thank you for your time,

Risto
Until now, Tatas big bets have not paid off, but the winds seem to be changing. Will the Nexon be its trump card?

Like the proverbial cat that fights hardest when its back is up against a wall, desperate times at Tata Motors have got the companys creative juices flowing to produce a torrent of brilliant new designs. That Tata Motors has upped its design and styling ante was clearly evident at this years Auto Expo, and the Nexon was arguably the show stopper which got the general public swooning over the car manufacturers first shot at a compact SUV. The questions werent the typical How much will it cost? but instead When can I buy it? and for both, Tata Motors had no real answers but, well get to that later. Also giving credence to the Nexon was the competition that quietly admitted that Tata just maybe onto something big.

The Nexon is the culmination of a radical shift in thinking that began just before the 2014 Auto Expo. For many years now, Tata Motors has been struggling to appeal to trendy, new-age buyers for whom a Tata car is as cool as square-toed shoes. Unlike Maruti, which prefers to be square (the Vitara Brezza) and play safe to avoid any risk of alienating its massive customer base, Tata had to come up with something dramatic to get back on the customers radar. And why not with a compact SUV? Its a segment that has a strong pull in the market which makes the battle that much easier.

Tata Motors wanted to break convention from a segment that inherently has boxy forms. If you look at an SUV under four metres, they are basically scaled-down versions of larger SUVs and somewhere, I felt the paradigm had to change because the compact segment itself is large enough to define an aesthetic of its own, said Pratap Bose, head of design, Tata Motors.

However, breaking the mould also has its risks. Customers associate SUVs with space, an upright stance and not a coupe.Which is why Tata decided to the test the concept of an SUV Coupe with well, a concept.

Solid Identity

The Nexon concept was first unveiled at the 2014 Auto Expo and the response was overwhelmingly positive. The response to the show car was amazing, something we couldnt ignore and we knew we were on the right track. So when the vehicle was green-lighted for production, we didnt want to lose the initial impact of the design created, said Bose.

But thats easier said than done because making a one-off concept look good under spotlights is one thing, but developing the tools and dies to stamp out complex body panels for production is a different ball game.

To retain the muscular lines, especially around the wheel arches was critical to maintain the stance of the car which meant drawing or stretching the sheet metal in the stamping process beyond what Tata Motors had ever done before. Also, the tapering roofline and the multiple layers in the C-pillar area proved to be pretty complex to translate into production and pushed the boundaries of Tata Motors manufacturing capabilities.

When we develop the tooling, it had to be done hand-in-glove with the designers themselves as they are finalising the surface of the car, said Tim Leverton, president and head  Advanced Product Engineering, who sees the Nexon as a new manufacturing benchmark for Tata Motors.

Its certainly a new styling benchmark too and the design is going to be the single biggest reason to buy it. Look at the Nexon from any angle and its drop-dead gorgeous. The front sports a stretched grille thats underscored with a ceramic-finish highlight thats also used to good effect in the fog lamp surrounds, window line and at the rear, to break down the bulk of the car. The projector headlights are nicely detailed with the indicators sitting unusually on top of a horizontal strip that divides the housing.

In side profile, the Nexon looks distinctly like a coupe with a roof that sharply tapers towards the

rear. The overlay of the C-pillar, where it meets the body is an interesting design element but

its the interplay of four different shades in this swooping roofline and rising beltline that is a superb bit of detailing.

From the back, the Nexons small rear screen and narrow black strip gives it a pinched look but again, the ceramic strip which straddles the diamond-shaped rear tail-lights gives the car a unique identity.

The pinched rear has quite a distinctive look.

An SUV needs big wheels and the Nexon comes with 16-inch alloys and generous 215/60 R 16 neatly packaged into large wheel housings. However, its not just the wheels and tyres that give the Nexon its tall stance, but also the X1 platform which is inherently high-riding. In fact, the X1 platforms high cowl position and overall height maybe undesirable for a sedan (which is why the Zest looks so jacked up), but for an SUV, its ideal and works very well for the Nexon.

With this high stance, getting in and out of the Nexon is quite easy, well not entirely. While you dont have to crouch low to place yourself on the high-set seats, you do have to mind your head when you enter given the low roofline. Once youre seated, the space on offer comes as a surprise for a car with a coupe profile. Theres decent headroom and even better legroom which places the Nexon a notch above both the Vitara Brezza and the EcoSport in the rear seat. However, Tata has configured the Nexon to be more of a four-seater with the sculpted cushions making it inconvenient for a middle passenger. Tatas logic in maximising space for four passengers instead of five is because the Nexons personality makes it more appealing to individuals rather than large families.

Legroom and headroom is surprisingly generous, though the middle seat is not.

Tata likes to demonstrate the practical side of the Nexon with its ability to carry a washing machine according to Leverton; a claim made by Ford too, for the EcoSport. However, for large loads, the rear seats have to be flipped down but quite frankly, the overall luggage space is nothing exceptional and pretty much par for the course.

There are lots of practical touches in the interiors with decent storage in the central console and a large glovebox which has a classy Nexon-embossed release button instead of a cheap flap-type release. The door pockets, however, are average-sized. Another time-honoured X1 platform drawback, the crammed footwell, though, has been addressed with the freeing up of space and addition of a dead pedal.

The front seats are superbly shaped with lots of thigh support and generous bolstering. You sit pretty high up too, with an uninterrupted view over the chunky dashboard which gets a fixed 6.5-inch Harman-sourced ConnectNext infotainment screen on the top. In fact, the interior design is pretty straightforward and functional and Bose justifies this by saying that dont forget that the U in SUV stands for utility and whilst we can be more emotional with the exterior, for someone who has to live with the car for 5-6 years, the interiors of the car should really work.

The interior, with its focus on practicality, is not as dramatic as the exterior.

The instrument binnacle with a multi-info display between the dials looks pretty standard while the small buttons and knobs on the dashboard are from previous Tata cars. The standout feature, however, is the controller for multi-drive modes which isnt a small button as in other Tata cars, but a nice, chunky knob, similar to the one in the Hexa and in keeping with the SUV theme. But since theres no four-wheel drive on the Nexon, the multi-drive functions are limited to Eco City and Sport modes, and other than changing the performance and fuel economy parameters, its only the ABS and traction control settings (to optimise grip on different surfaces) that can be altered. However, this again will be the first in its segment and certainly a selling point in showrooms.

Up The Power Game

Tata hasnt officially announced the engine line-up for the Nexon, but according to company sources, it will get more powerful variants of the new family of in-house petrol and diesel engines that debuted in the Tiago hatchback. The ubiquitous 89bhp Fiat 1.3 Multijet diesel was deemed underpowered for a compact SUV, and instead, the Nexon will get a newly developed 1.5-litre diesel developing around 110bhp. This motor is essentially a scaled-up or four-cylinder version of the Tiagos 1.05-litre, three-cylinder unit, which makes it easy to produce on a common production line.

The Nexons petrol engine will be a turbo-charged version of the Tiagos three-cylinder, 1.2-litre all-aluminium unit which boosts power to a healthy 110bhp. It follows a trend started by the EcoSports brilliant 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine which showed that compact, turbo-petrols are best suited to meet the packaging, performance and fuel efficiency requirements of compact SUVs. The Vitara Brezza too is likely to get Suzukis 1.0, three-cylinder Boosterjet turbo-petrol. The only challenge will be to achieve the right fuel economy which, in a turbo- petrol, varies wildly depending on driving style and traffic conditions.

The drive mode selector is a nice, chunky knob, instead of a tiny button; we like.

An all-new six-speed gearbox to cope with the higher torque has been developed along with an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). Hence, it is likely that both the petrol and diesel Nexons will be offered with an automatic option at launch.

Under the sheet metal, the Nexon uses similar mechanicals to the Zest and Bolt. The suspension is the same dual-path independent McPherson strut with coil spring and anti-roll bar up front and twist beam with coil spring at the back. However, suspension has been completely retuned to match the larger and heavier wheels as well as the increased ground clearance, which is a substantial 200mm. The Zest and Bolt are benchmarks in their class for ride comfort and we expect the Nexon to raise the bar even higher.

A Matter Of Time

Now the question on everyones mind is When?, considering the fact that Tata has a history of losing the plot by coming to market often a half-lifecycle too late. A lot of validation and testing still needs to be done before the Nexon can be launched and it is unlikely the car will reach showrooms before February or March 2017.

Tata will no doubt price the Nexon pretty aggressively  it has to if it wants to steal customers away from the Vitara Brezza which is set to be a runaway success. However, if the price doesnt win people over, the styling surely will. In this segment, nothing looks anywhere near as dramatic as the Nexon and if Tata gets the quality right, this is one product that can pull the carmaker back from the brink.


Dont mind the fact that Google Maps insists on a course that spans over 1,963 miles (3,159 km), not 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers). The bigger problem is that the route printed on the card crosses the Baltic Sea to northern Germany or Denmark, then descends to Lord knows where.The bottom line is that the starting point and finish line on the card are far, far away from one another, something that doesnt reflect in reality. In terms of longitude, theres a difference of 1 between Riga, Latvia, and Mykonos, Greece (24 E versus 25 E). As such, the printed route is erroneous.Whats more, we dont know the location of the overnight checkpoints. Other than the thorny Polizei in Germany, the second biggest boo and hiss of the 2016 Gumball 3000 is that the participants havent had the chance to drive on the Transfagarasan , a small bit of tarmac described by Jeremy Clarkson as being the best road in the world. The lesser-known Transalpina is another great road that's worthy of that title.As things stand at the present moment, the route of the 2017 Gumball 3000 rally is open to speculation. I will be betting my two cents on the following countries: Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece. As for the most important cities of the proposed route, these would be Riga, Vilnius, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Belgrade, Skopje, Thessaloniki, Athens, and Mykonos, the latter being a little Greek island that spans over an area of 33 square miles (85.5 square kilometers).Watch this space for more information on the 2017 Gumball 3000 rally as we get it.
Even though Michael fought his disease for a long time, it was only in 2013 that the road racing world became aware of his condition. Back then, Michael announced that he would not take part in the electric race at the Isle of Man TT with his MotoCzysz team and their amazing E1pc bike . Michael would stay in Portland to undergo medical investigations and treatment.The name of Michael Czysz will forever be tied to the world of electric road racing, as he was not only a visionary but also a successful designer and team manager.He set out to build his first MotoGP bike, the C1, which was later transformed into the E1pc machine that would win no less than four consecutive races between 2010 and 2013. Czysz' epic Isle of Man TT streak also inspired film producer Mark Neale to make the "Charge" documentary. Likewise, the C1 inspired Discovery Channel to make another documentary in 2007, called "Birth of a Racer."Alongside the C1 MotoGP prototype and the E1pc electric superbike, Michael Czysz was also involved in other engineering projects and patented multiple other innovations, such as the dual-clutch slipper clutch, a new type of front suspension, electric drive systems for retrofitting in traditional cars, and many others.Michael Czysz will also be remembered thanks to his architectural and interior design work with Architropolis, the company he operated prior to becoming fully involved with the electric motorbike scene. Architropolis was involved in high-end building design for the rich and famous.There is no news on how MotoCzysz will continue after the demise of its central figure, but as Michael was working very closely with his father, we might expect that his legacy carries on. Also, we might see the TT Zero Challenge at this year's Isle of Man TT homaging Michael Czsysz. Our condolences to his family and friends.
Given the fact that the fairings on the naked roadster Eva are significantly skimpier than the full bodywork of the Ego, we might believe that the latter model will be favored.Either way, Energica prepared multiple other good things for their customers. One of the items that are now becoming a part of the standard trim for Energica's electric motorcycles is the integrated Fast Charge preparation.This way, customers no longer have to pay for a fast charging system when they purchase their bike. Should they decide to get one later, they will be able to simply install and use it without any fuss, as their bikes are already wired and prepared to accommodate it.At the same time, with the Fast Charge pre-wiring , the resale value of the Energica bikes will be higher when it's time to let one go, the Italian manufacturer adds.Energica adds Ohlins suspension on the options list for both bikes. The Ego full-faired superbike can be ordered now with 43mm Ohlins forks with adjustable rebound, compression, damping, and spring preload, while its naked sibling Eva has a longer list of options to choose from.In addition to the forks, Energica Eva customers will be able to order a matching Ohlins rear monoshock, OZ forged aluminum wheels, bar-end and bolt made from ergal in blue, red, gold, silver, or black color, quick-release saddlebags, a Eva Tech sea, and a carbon kit that includes the front mudguard, side fairings, rear mudguard, chain guard, and front air duct.For prices and availability, get in contact with Energica or one of their dealers. And remember that Energica already has a dealer in the US, too, and recently, they've also entered the UK market We also take time to honor one of the electric motorcycle visionaries who recently passed away, Michael Czysz of MotoCzysz fame.
This time, instead of launching new models in a rush, the South Korean premium brand wants to introduce plug-in hybrids. After these models gain enough traction on the market, Genesis will also consider hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but electrics were not mentioned.The news comes from Dave Zuchowski, the CEO of Hyundai Motor America, in an interview with Automotive News Mr. Zuchowski believes that alternative propulsion solutions are the future of the automotive industry, and the luxury market will concentrate on these more than the mainstream manufacturers.While Hyundai does have a set of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and even a hydrogen fuel cell car, the newly-founded Genesis brand does not have cars of this type.This situation will not stay for long like this, even if BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Audi have a multitude of hybrids and plug-in hybrids in their offerings.Hyundais Genesis brand looks determined to tackle all the key segments of the premium market, and the plug-in hybrid niche is part of its plans. The first vehicle of the Genesis range to go on sale is the G90, also available in a long wheelbase version , followed by the G80. Next up, the G70 will be the last sedan confirmed for introduction in this brands portfolio.According to the boss of Hyundai USA, by the end of the decade, Genesis will launch a pair of crossovers. These models might also follow the plug-in hybrid trend, but the executive refused to name the cars which will be available with the new drivetrain option.Mr. Zuchowski considers plug-in hybrid models a wonderful midterm strategy. He explained that they provide a lot of the benefits of electric vehicles, but with a safety net. The safety net described by Hyundai Motor Companys USA boss is the internal combustion engine of the plug-in hybrid models, which comes to life once the electric motors run out of energy from their batteries.
The patent was then published on Japans Patent Office website, but it is no longer accessible. Fortunately, the guys at Autoguide managed to snatch it before it was concealed for several more years, until Honda officially unveils something based on it.So, lets get to business. The idea behind this new engine design is to implement a variable displacement using the same bore, but a different stroke. Since nobody has invented an electronically-controllable piston rod, Hondas engineers came up with an innovative crankshaft design.The new concept allows engineers to build an engine with different cylinder capacities, an unmatched feat in the automotive industry. Instead, variable displacement engines have been used before and are available on production cars, but they work by turning off cylinders.Honda looks like it will also employ cylinder deactivation, but the combination of cylinder capacities will allow the Japanese automaker to provide multiple displacement combinations depending on the chambers it will operate for every combustion cycle.If you are not impressed yet, Hondas latest engine design patent works both on inline engines and on V6 units (or other V-type configurations). Thanks to this innovation, Honda might employ a V4, V6, or V8 unit with a variable displacement, all with the same technology that it can use on its inline-four or inline-three engines.Lets remember that Honda also builds motorcycles, where both V-Twin and V4 configurations are used, while inline-two and inline-four configurations have been employed over the years. Having owned an inline-four Honda motorcycle with an impressive power-to-output ratio, I can only dream of what they could build with this technology.Honda did not disclose the purpose of this new engine design, but we suspect it will be used to increase efficiency and fuel economy. It might be Hondas answer to downsizing , and the automaker could employ naturally aspirated units for these new power plants.
SUV

That means the Skoda 4x4 and the town of Kodiak are going to be connected forever. To celebrate that fact, they've asked the local mayor to add a Q to the end of the town's name. And for whatever reason, she agreed, asking all the citizens to cover up their K's for one day. It all happened last Friday as part of the Czech car manufacturer's marketing campaign. However, nobody told the bears yet.There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the new Skoda model, with some people saying it's called the Yeti. But the name of a bear species is perfect for a big and powerfulwith a protective nature and a high degree of outdoor expertise. So Skoda has chosen well.While Kodiaq will be readily available to customers starting in the second half of 2016, the Kodiak is more elusive. You'll have to fly at least 10 hours from any major European airport to Anchorage, and from there it is another 650 km to the island in the Gulf of Alaska. Skoda claims it has "extensively researched life on Kodiak Island and the language of the native people, the Alutiiq. They call the Kodiak bear Taq uka 'aq - the letter 'q' at the end is typical for the names of animals."So that's why they've changed the name of the SUV and subsequently the town as well. The video they've released is kind of funny, featuring weirdly dressed locals and people trying out their best bear impersonations. But even the local's can't spell Kodiak with a Q at the end, so don't ask us to try it or we'll get saliva all over our computer screens.It's worth noting that the SUV will only become available in early 2017, leaving us plenty of time to count all the 3,500 wild Kodiak bears and give them names. Come on Skoda, get a move on!
"He could have bought a real race car with that kind of money" is the inevitable second, and you could be right (he certainly could have gotten himself a regular one, because he says so himself at the beginning of the video). But whatever the man does with his money is his business, as long as he's not funding terrorists or paying for child pornography.Finally, after two failed ones, a thought worth having springs to mind: "I wish I had one of these things myself." Don't we all? Even if you do own a racing car, it's not like you can drive it every night before you get to bed, right? Thanks to many hours of work and possibly some financial efforts, Shane can get as close as it is humanly possible to driving a car on a circuit without leaving the comfort of your own work.On March 20, he uploaded a video that shows the amazing level of detail that went into making his crazy rig. It's so vast, it's even hard to figure out where to begin. The video lasts for 12 minutes, so there's another indicator of the complexity that is to be expected.We're not crazy about everything he's done with it (we don't particularly like the checkered theme nor the blue lighting, for example, but those are just subjective aspects), but on a technical level, it's damn right impressive.He's got four curved Samsung LED 32-inch displays, tons of BOSE speakers, a mammoth of a PC, a real NASCAR steering wheel, more buttons than a spaceship and a real, analog speedometer. He's also made good use of another advantage a simulator such as this has over actual driving by installing a cup-holder for the beer bottle.
SUV

The sister model of the Lamborghini Huracan is not as sexy, yet some independent tests have shown that it leaves the line a little faster. In most regards, we are dealing with the same sort of V10-powered machine, but the Germans have customized it in an entirely different way.We think it's pretty obvious that this R8 is painted in Yellow Mango, a color that seems very similar to Vegas Yellow which has been getting a lot of attention since appearing on the TTS and S1 supermini. Unless we are mistaken, Neckarsulm also hosted a Vegas Yellow R8 V10 last March The one significant difference is that the Spyder model has silver paint on the windshield frame, the same kind of color you see in the gas filler cap. We also notice that the carbon fiber mirror option has been used.From the back, we see that this is a regular V10 model, since it has no fixed rear wing. Unfortunately, you also can't check out the jewel that is the 5.2-liter engine because the engine cover is not made of glass any more. But that's a problem you also get with the 488 GTB and 650S Spider models, so we can't blame Audi too much.With the roof out of the way, we have a much better view of the interior. The Virtual Cockpit system has been around for several years now, but it hasn't gotten old. Of course, it's flanked by Alcantara and carbon fiber trim, something Audi has offered even on the new TT-RS.So we want to know, if you had the money to buy one, would you get the R8 as a coupe or convertible? Or would you get the TT RS and save the rest for the family
Propane vehicles are displacing about 1 million gallons of gasoline and 1,600 cubic-feet of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the Seattle area. (PHOTO: Joanne Tucker)

The same Ford F-150 that broke records at this years Work Truck Show as the fasted propane-autogas-converted vehicle is now making its way throughout the country. The propane-autogas-powered pickup has so far traveled from Kansas, made stops in Colorado and Utah, and now sits briefly in Seattle before heading on  all to demonstrate and serve as a testament to how quickly and easily a vehicle can be converted to propane, and run on it.

The tour has now reached the West Coast (see photo) and is on it's way to the East Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.).

Its about awareness, said Darren Engle, director of government relations at Blue Star Gas, a sponsor of the event. He noted that Alliance Autogas and the propane industry have made some significant achievements.

According to Engle, who works in Blue Star Gas office just outside downtown Seattle, propane vehicles are displacing about 1 million gallons of gasoline and 1,600 cubic-feet of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the Seattle area. Were affecting the health of our children  no one can argue with that, he added.

Throughout Washington, Engle says that fleet propane autogas customers have grown from just a few to now hundreds, ranging from Seattle Childrens, the first propane autogas customer there, to SuperShuttle and DHL. Its really not that hard to convert, and thats what we want to show to fleets, he said. Theres a great ROI.

The propane-autogas-powered pickup has so far traveled from Kansas, made stops in Colorado and Utah, and now sits briefly in Seattle. (PHOTO: Joanne Tucker)

Western Washington Clean Cities (WWCC) was also at the event in support of alternative fuels. WWCC Coordinator Scott DeWees explained how if all the gas consumed annually in the U.S. were lined up in supertankers, it would line the coast from Seattle to Redding, Calif.  about a 10-hour drive. Were beginning to hit a critical mass on alternative fuels, so we need to celebrate the ease in which fleets can convert to propane autogas, he said.

For more information about the tour, please visit www.allianceautogas.com/resources/coast-to-coast-clean-air-ride/.
Canadian authorities are investigating an incident that could potentially affect the airworthiness of thousands of Piper Cherokees. Manitoba flight instructor Tom Larkin was on short final with a student when the control column broke off in his hands. Somewhere below 50 feet as I eased back on the control column to assist the student with his landing, we heard a loud snap and the control column went limp, said Larkin. As I always have the student trim for hands-free flight there was no change in aircraft pitch and the aircraft continued to land normally, Larkin said. There was no control of the aircrafts lateral or longitudinal axis. The control columns moved independently for both roll and pitch with no movement of the control surfaces. A mechanic looked at it immediately and found the t-bar control assembly had broken.

Larkin contacted Transport Canada and the broken part was sent to the Transportation Safety Board and both have issued preliminary reports but its not clear what, if any, further action will be taken. Meanwhile Larkin and some local maintenance engineers removed the control column from an unflyable Cherokee of similar vintage and found a crack in the same place using magnetic particle imaging. Larkin said that indicates to him there might be a problem with all older Cherokees and hes concerned about what he perceives as foot-dragging by the authorities.
Hydrogen fuel cells have long been discussed as a potential power source for vehicles, including aircraft, and researchers at the German aerospace center, the DLR, believe that technical barriers can be overcome in the near term to make hydrogen a practical fuel source. Speaking at the first annual Sustainable Aviation Foundation symposium in Redwood City, California, this week, the DLRs Josef Kallo told attendees that research on practical hydrogen cells is much further along than many people realize. In this exclusive AVweb podcast, Kallo explained some of the DLRs research projects. Listen to a podcast interview here.

Our first goal now is to show that the functionality of the fuel cell can be used for aircraft propulsion and our next project, HY4, will show that its possible to have four people on board and travel with hydrogen in an airplane, Kallo said. As for obtaining hydrogen, Kallo says DLRs work suggests it can be economically reformed from abundant natural gas or from electrolysis of water.

Kallo said hydrogen cells in use now are capable of about 50 to 52 percent efficiency and that this will improve with coming generations of cells. Energy density of research cells is about 450 wh/kg, more than twice what the best lithium-ion batteries are capable of. One of the interesting projects Kallo described was a fuel-cell powered nosewheel taxi motor for an Airbus A320, which was demonstrated in 2012. The goal was to save fuel by taxiing under hydrogen power to the runway before starting less-efficient turbofan engines. Kallo said the DLR believes hydrogen fuel is practical for small aircraft now and could be for airplanes up to 19 seats within 10 years.
Two companies, Tailwind and Cape Air, are working to secure FAA approval to fly seaplanes out of Boston Harbor, providing service to Manhattan, the Boston Globe reported today. Both companies plan to fly nine-passenger Cessna Caravans on floats. Both also promise 90-minute service, direct from downtown to downtown, substantially beating the current options  train, commuter plane or automobile  all of which take at least three to four hours. Both Tailwind and Cape Air say seaplane tickets would run about $1,000 round-trip.

Cape Air CEO Dan Wolf said he thinks demand is going to be strong. Siting the service will be a challenge  airplanes must compete with a lot of traffic in the harbor already, especially in the summer, when sailboats, ferries and pleasure craft are abundant. The area also is close to the busy Logan Airport traffic. The companies have been working with the FAA to create new designated landing sites with docks and easy access. They will be conducting flight tests in the harbor this week. Boston city officials also are actively looking for a site for a downtown helipad, according to the Globe.
9 May 2016 09:25 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani serviceman Ali Heydarov was killed May 8 as a result of shootout on the line of contact between the troops of Azerbaijan and Armenia, said the message of the Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry.

The ministry has extended condolences to the family and friends of the killed soldier.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 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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9 May 2016 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Folake Olayinka

In February in Addis Ababa, African health ministers signed a widely celebrated declaration of their commitment to keeping immunization at the forefront of efforts to save the continents children from death and disease. Fulfilling that commitment will be no easy feat. Immunization is not just a health issue; it is also an economic challenge.

The case for vaccination is strong. Globally, an estimated 2-3 million child deaths and 600,000 adult deaths are prevented annually through immunization. Moreover, immunization is considered one of the most cost-effective public-health interventions for reducing child morbidity, mortality, and disability. A recent study estimates that every dollar spent on vaccination will save $16 in costs of illnesses averted. Accounting for the value individuals place on longer and healthier lives, net returns on investments in immunization soar to some 44 times the cost. And net returns exceed costs for all vaccines.

Significant progress has been made. In 2014, 86% of children were immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, compared to less than 5% in 1974. And there have been extraordinary advances in the number and kinds of vaccines that are available.

Yet, worldwide, an estimated 18.7 million infants are not being reached by routine immunization services. The problem, of course, is access.

Detailed analysis of immunization in African countries reveals significant disparities within and across countries. More than 60% of the non-immunized infants live in just ten countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Uganda, and South Africa.

Routine immunization coverage remains particularly low in Africa; indeed, it has stagnated over the last three years, against a backdrop of weak and under-resourced health systems. As a result, one in five African children still do not receive lifesaving vaccination. In 2014, an estimated 42% of all global deaths from measles were in Africa.

Most of Africas under-immunized children live in Nigeria, Ethiopia, the DRC, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Guinea. Poor people, those living in rural areas, and families with lower education levels comprise the majority of those who are not reached.

Clearly, money is a leading factor shaping immunization outcomes. Beyond inadequately financed health systems, which remain weak and inefficient, especially in rural areas, African countries face challenges in affording new, more expensive vaccines.

New vaccines should be enabling us to save more lives. Yet Medecins Sans Frontieres estimates that the introduction of new vaccines made it 68 times more expensive to vaccinate a child in 2014 than in 2001 in most African countries. Another study showed that in 2001, the total cost of the original set of six World Health Organization-recommended vaccines was less than one dollar. In 2014, the number of WHO-recommended vaccines had risen to 11  and the cost had reached about $21 for boys and $35 for girls. The added costs of delivery, currently estimated at about $25 per child, bring the total cost of fully immunizing a child today to $50-60.

That same study found that, in many low- and middle-income countries, immunization budgets are currently insufficient to sustain vaccination programs, much less incorporate the new costlier vaccines. As several health ministers pointed out in Addis Ababa, high vaccine prices force poor countries governments to make tough choices about which deadly diseases they can afford to prevent.

For some countries, the situation is about to get worse, as Gavi, the international group which has helped to finance the dramatic global expansion of new vaccines, phases out support for countries deemed to have graduated from assistance. Without eligibility for the lower prices obtained by Gavi, many of these countries may not be able to afford newer vaccines.

In order to cope with this challenge, African political leaders have committed to invest in the continents capacity to develop and produce its own vaccines. But this is a long-term strategy that will require coordinated regional investment planning, market development, and stronger regulatory capabilities. In the short to medium term, African countries would do well to look into the power of collective bargaining to strike better deals for needed vaccines.

While Africa can and should do more to improve vaccination, the global community also has a responsibility to make a concerted effort to bring down vaccine costs. The recently announced reduction in the price of pneumococcal vaccine is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. Without collective action, equitable and sustained access to immunization in Africa will remain a major problem  and childrens lives will continue to be lost.

Copyright: Project Syndicate:Africas Vaccination Test

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9 May 2016 13:42 (UTC+04:00)

The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict requires certain efforts of the entire international community, Gennady Ahramovich, Belarusian ambassador, told reporters in Baku May 9.

"I understand the pain of Azerbaijani people," the diplomat said.

The ambassador expressed hope that the conflict will be resolved in the future by using all international mechanisms.

"As a country having close relations with Azerbaijan, Belarus as a strategic partner wants speedy and peaceful settlement of the conflict," the diplomat said. "Belarusians know about war and we do not want any nation to experience it."

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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9 May 2016 13:46 (UTC+04:00)

Russia's President Vladimir Putin congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the victory in Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

"I sincerely congratulate you on the 71st anniversary of the victory in Great Patriotic War," said Putin's message to President Ilham Aliyev.

May 9 is the glorious date of the common history of Russia and Azerbaijan, Putin said.

"This day will forever remain as a symbol of unity and unprecedented heroism of our peoples, who fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism on the battlefields and worked selflessly in the rear for the sake of victory," added the president.

"I am confident that the time-tested ties of friendship will continue to serve as a solid basis for the strengthening of the Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership," said Putin.

Putin also requested to convey all veterans living in Azerbaijan the most sincere words of gratitude, wishes for health, happiness and long life.

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9 May 2016 14:28 (UTC+04:00)

Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and representatives of the Azerbaijani community are visiting the grave of the Hero of the Soviet Union Hazi Aslanov on May 9 in connection with the 71st anniversary of the victory over fascism in the World War II.

Azerbaijan made a valuable contribution to the historical victory over fascism. Azerbaijani people sent more than 600,000 of its sons and daughters to the front and almost half of them didn't return from battlefield.

For the heroism shown in the war more than 130 Azerbaijani citizens were awarded with the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, more than 170,000 soldiers and officers were awarded with orders and medals. The 77th, 223rd, 336th, 402nd and 416th National Infantry Divisions that were formed of conscripts and volunteers passed a glorious path from the Caucasus to Berlin.

The heroic sons of the Azerbaijani people fought bravely for Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Stalingrad, Simferopol, Odessa and for other small and large settlements.

Our compatriots actively participated in the liberation of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and other countries from the fascist invaders.

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9 May 2016 16:30 (UTC+04:00)

An official reception has been held at the Heydar Aliyev Center to mark the 93rd anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev and 71st anniversary of Victory over fascism.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and his wife Mehriban Aliyeva attended the ceremony.

President Aliyev congratulated the entire people of Azerbaijan on the Victory Day. The president said Azerbaijan made a great contribution to the Victory both on the frontline and at home.

President Aliyev expressed his respect for war veterans.

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Perrin Swanlund putters through a maze of apartment complexes across from West High School in his quest for votes. He looks a little unsure of
Staff from the Aberdare-based gluten-free bakery have walked 10k to raise money for Coeliac UK.

The eight members of staff have marked Coeliac UK Awareness Week by taking part in the Coeliac UK Brecon Awareness Week Walk.

The 10k walk around the Usk Valley took place last weekend (7 May). As part of the circular walk, the fundraisers endured a 200m climb to the top of Pen-y-crug.

Samuel Davies, head of fundraising at Coeliac UK, said: It is wonderful to have the support of Welsh Hills Bakery for the charitys Awareness Week walks, which we run in partnership with HF Holidays.

These walks help to generate the funds and awareness that is so important in helping to find thousands of people in the UK struggling with undiagnosed coeliac disease.

Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease, is hosting its first gluten-free networking event for food industry professionals who wish to benefit from the growing gluten-free market. The event will take place on 14 June at the British Motor Museum, Warwickshire.
The East Lake Fire & Rescue Department is looking for some community support to help keep a holiday tradition alive.

Antique 1961 fire engine used for "Santa Program" for 20 years

Major repairs are needed to keep the fire engine going

For nearly 20 years, the department has used an antique, 1961 fire engine for their "Santa Program." During the holiday season, firefighters team up with Santa and deliver presents to children and families in the East Lake community.



"Families make it a tradition every year to have parties at their house and make sure we come over," said East Lake Fire & Rescue's Claudia Faiola. "All the kids get a chance to meet Santa, get a present, get a picture with Santa."



The vintage truck has suffered a lot of wear and tear, and is now in desperate need of repairs. It needs a new engine, a new transmission, brakes and other mechanical upgrades.



To raise the money for the repairs, the department has set up a GoFundMe page.



Deputy Chief Jason Gennaro said they hope to raise enough money to repair the truck before the start of the holiday season.



"The joy that it brings, having us bring gifts to their house and having Santa is unbelievable," said Gennaro. "It is such an important program for the community and we absolutely love it. We want to keep it going."



If youd like to help, visit https://www.gofundme.com/eastlakefirerescue.

This Gofundme.com site is not managed by Bay News 9. For more information on how the site works and the rules visit http://www.gofundme.com/safety.
A 59-year-old woman was shot Sunday night while she and her friends drove home from a church concert in St. Petersburg.



According to St. Petersburg Police Department, Lagloria Johnson was struck in the arm by a bullet just after 9:30 p.m. as a group of friends was driving her home from the concert.

Lagloria Johnson was on her way home from church concert when she was shot

Shooting happened near 15th Avenue South and 42nd Street



Police say they have no suspects, motive

We were just driving along, minding our business, driver Patricia Upson said.

Upson said she didnt even realize Johnson had been hit until she pulled the car over a short while later to call 9-1-1.

The shooting happened near 15th Avenue South and 42nd Street.

Johnson has non life-threatening injuries and was treated at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg.

No one else in the vehicle was injured and police say they have no motive or suspects.

An investigation is ongoing.
A Bay area community is rallying to reopen a popular Hillsborough county park and BMX racing track.

Sinkhole closed Lake Park in Lutz in December 2015

Unclear how long the park will remain closed

Because of lease negotiations (park is owned by City of St. Pete) and sinkhole repairs, park unlikely to open this summer



Lake Park in Lutz closed in December 2015 after a sinkhole opened on the property. The Tampa BMX racing track is inside that park.

All the land is owned by the City of St. Petersburg.

St. Pete officials are negotiating with Hillsborough leaders on a new lease for Lake Park along with who will pay to repair the sinkhole.

One major sticking point is the cost. The city of St. Petersburg wants to charge Hillsborough County $3,000 a month to lease Lake Park. The previous lease, which was signed in 1984, charged the county $1 a year.

But it's been five months. Lake Park-goers said it's too long to wait for their park back.

"I thought it was going to open sooner, but it's just getting longer, longer and longer," BMX racer Ian Beilfuss said.



"They've been going back and forth on it for some time," Debi Dixon of Tampa BMX said. "And I really feel they need to go into a room and not come out until they come to an agreeable lease agreement."



The group, Tampa BMX, started a petition to re-open the park. They have mailed a petition with 600 signatures to county commissioners along with leaders in St. Petersburg.

"I understand their frustration," said Forest Turbiville, Hillsborough County Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Director. "We're just as frustrated."

St. Pete has owned Lake Park since the 1960s. They acquired it as a well field to supplement the city's water supply.

It's unclear how long the park will remain closed. Because of lease negotiations and the sinkhole repairs, it's unlikely to open this summer.
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Sam's Southern Eatery, a franchise that offers Louisiana-style cuisine, recently opened a second Southeast Texas location.

The new lunch and dinner spot - located at 2401 Memorial, Suite 200, Port Arthur - had a grand opening last Wednesday.

Sam's menu includes fried and grilled seafood, po'boys, burgers and sandwiches.

Sam Gazawaneh opened the first Sam's in Shreveport in 2008. Since then, the chain has expanded to 43 locations in seven states.

Southeast Texas diners can eat at the Sam's in Port Arthur or at the Sam's in the Mars shopping center in Beaumont on College and Fourth streets.

All of the franchises use Sam's Gazawaneh's recipes, including his recipe for "Sam's special sauce," which is Gazawaneh's version of tartar sauce.

More: samssoutherneatery.com

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Doctors Express, 3195 Dowlen Road, Suite 105, is now AFC (American Family Care) Urgent Care.

The company announced late last month on its Facebook page that "while our name and look have changed, everything you trust is still the same."

More: afcurgentcarebeaumont.com

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Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas and the Spindletop Center opened a new Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) earlier this month on the third floor of the Baptist Behavioral Health Center, 3250 Fannin St.

The new unit is "an emergency behavioral healthcare alternative" for people with "acute psychiatric or addiction disorders," according to a news release from the Spindletop Center.

More: bhset.net; stmhmr.org

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Anthony Tran, general manager of Paul Davis Emergency Services of Beaumont, has opened a new franchise office at 4849A Lafin Drive in Beaumont.

The company assists residential and commercial customers with fire, water and mold damage restoration, according to a news release from Paul Davis Restoration.

The franchise provides service 24 hours a day and responds to emergencies within two hours, the release said.

More: beaumont.pauldavis.com

Have an In the Works tip? Email LocalNews@BeaumontEnterprise.com
Members of a Beaumont family who prosecutors say dealt crack cocaine for more than a decade are facing federal distribution charges after a grand jury last week indicted 13 people linked to the alleged conspiracy.

Eleven of the defendants are in custody with arrests last week and police are still searching for two others, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced Monday. The arrests come following a 10-month investigation into crack cocaine distribution in Beaumont, Bales said.
Here are seven updates:

39 physicians push 'Medicare for all' plan

A working group comprised of 39 physicians published a "Medicare for all" proposal in American Journal of Public Health. So far, more than 2,200 other physicians and medical students signed the proposal, which would entail the government entirely funding the single payer system.

AmSurg net revenues reach $724.7M

AmSurg net revenues reached $724.7 million during the first quarter of 2016, a 27 percent increase from $570.4 million for the same quarter of 2015.

Midmark closes Versus Technology acquisition

Midmark closed on the Versus Technology acquisition today after announcing the intent in April. The merger was unanimously approved and recommended to the Versus Board of Directors.

Humana considers leaving ACA marketplaces

Humana recently gave notice it may leave some Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2017. In an email, a Humana spokesperson wrote, "We do not take these changes lightly. We are striving to avoid unnecessary coverage disruption whenever possible." The payer did not delve into detailed changes for 2017.

The Joint Commission allows providers to text patient care orders

The Joint Commission is now permitting physicians to text patient care orders if the text meets specific criteria. To comply with the set regulations, healthcare organizations will need to specify how providers will date, time, confirm and authenticate texted patient care orders.

CMS grants deeming status to Institute for Medical Quality for ASC accreditation

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services granted the Institute for Medical Quality deeming status as a national accrediting organization for ambulatory surgery centers participating in Medicare or Medicaid.

Physician charged with stealing $177k worth of medical equipment from NorthShore

A physician charged with stealing $177,022 worth of medical equipment from Evanston, Ill.-based NorthShore University HealthSystem turned himself into police last week. The physician is accused of stealing an ultrasound machine, two ultrasound probes, a video printer, a video storage device, infusion and compression pumps, an automated external defibrillator, a suction machine and a bladder scanner.

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With Wyoming legislators rejecting Medicaid expansion, hospitals in the state are exploring ways to offset nearly $117 million in uncompensated care costs.

Wyoming Hospital Association President Eric Boley told the Wyoming Business Report that uncompensated care costs at Wyoming hospitals are increasing about 3 percent annually. "States that have adopted expansion are seeing a 63 percent decrease in uncompensated care at their hospitals," he said.

Hospitals in Wyoming will likely see their uncompensated care rates go up in coming months, as layoffs recently hit the state's coal mines, according to the report.

To offset the rise in uncompensated care costs, Wyoming hospitals will have to make internal changes like service cuts, Mr. Boley told the Wyoming Business Report.

Wyoming Medical Center President and CEO Vickie Diamond told the Wyoming Business Report that the Casper-based hospital's bottom line is stable for now, but if uncompensated care costs keep growing it may have to explore scaling back services.

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As part of its transition to Epic's EHR, St. Charles Health System in Bend, Ore., plans to hire approximately 100 analysts by Sept. 1, according to The Bend Bulletin.

Chad Cagnolatti, the hospital's Epic project director, said the analysts will help tailor Epic to specific areas within the health system to prepare for the planned go-live in early 2018.

Many of the positions will be internal hires, according to the report, and Mr. Cagnolatti said such candidates could be office managers, nurses, medical assistants and even physicians. "They would be successful because those folks really know the workflow that goes into caring for the patients," he told The Bulletin.

St. Charles announced last week its plan to adopt Epic's EHR, but contract negotiations are ongoing. The hospital board plans to vote on a five-year implementation budget in June, according to the report.

More articles on Epic:

24 hospitals, health systems seeking Cerner, MEDITECH, Epic talent

City of Verona to close Epic's campus TIF district, will collect $21.2M

What's in Mayo Clinic's Epic implementation name?
Frank Cracolici, RN, didn't take the helm at any old hospital this spring. He's the new president and CEO of St. Vincent Medical Center, the first hospital established in Los Angeles.

St. Vincent was established by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in 1856 and is now part of Redwood City, Calif.-based Verity Health System, which operates six hospitals in northern and southern California. With 366 licensed beds and more than 1,300 employees, St. Vincent continues to offer care to the residents of downtown Los Angeles today.

A trained nurse with a background in critical care, Mr. Cracolici began his tenure at St. Vincent on April 4. Prior to his appointment at the medical center, he served as vice president and general manager for the west region of Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health, a healthcare supply chain company. He also worked for New York City-based Mount Sinai Health Care System/Continuum Health Partners for 19 years, serving in roles such as president, CEO, executive vice president and COO.

Here Mr. Cracolici talks about his vision for St. Vincent, his leadership style and why he loves working on the provider side.

Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: What is one trait of the best boss you ever had?

Frank Cracolici: The first thing that comes to my mind is authenticity. One particular individual for whom I had the opportunity to work was an honest character. I never felt I was working for someone other than the person I signed up to work for. I found authenticity an important and influencing characteristic in him. From early on, I admired that he was candid, authentic and true.

Q: How does your nursing background affect your leadership style?

FC: One of the first things clinicians learn is how to be non-judgmental. Recognizing the humanness in individuals is an important lesson. In my mind, nursing helped that. The patient is the center of everything we do [at St. Vincent], and when you have a clinical background, you walk the walk and talk the talk. I've sat with patients who were critically ill or dying, and it helps me humanize everything that happens within the walls of this hospital. [My background has] helped me understand the importance of nursing and where the focus needs to be, and that's around the patient experience.

Q: As you begin your time as president and CEO, what is your vision for St. Vincent Medical Center?

FC: Revitalization. When I took the job, it was very clear what the work in front of me was going to be. Like many other organizations, it's faced difficulties. It's a roller coaster, but my role is to lead it at a local level and support the individuals on the ground. There's an enormous amount of talent on the ground, including strong medical and associate staff, and part of my role is listening to what their needs are. Separate from that, there's the agenda of strengthening our financial stability and operational improvement.

Q: How does St. Vincent's rich history impact your vision for it?

FC: To this day, St. Vincent has a very strong reputation in the clinical community. Prior to relocating to LA, I was talking to people in northern California, who reminded me that it's not only the first hospital [in LA], but it's a fantastic organization with a reputation that's continued through the years.

Reputations like this can be lost over time and get worn. As I set the vision for St. Vincent, it's to remind the community of the rich, rich history the organization has and how much it's contributed to the internal community and the external whole of Los Angeles at large. There's nothing more rewarding than serving an underserved population. I want to remind folks that we're going to continue and build on the good service we've provided.

Q: Thus far, how has your time at St. Vincent differed from your tenures at Cardinal Health and Mount Sinai Health Care/Continuum Health Partners?

FC: My position in New York was not dissimilar to the St. Vincent experience  it was just a much larger scale. When I think of differences, they're hard to define. Interestingly, the culture of the organizations I came to is similar to where I came from. You tend to be drawn to what you're familiar with and what you like.

Cardinal Health was different and was an interesting peek behind the curtain. They, like St. Vincent and Mount Sinai Health Care, devoted a lot of physical capital into their people. That's another common thread I saw between the organizations.

A difference was that I had a chance to sit on the other side of the table. But quite frankly, I missed the provider side. This is not a job to me; it's a vocation. I spent 40 years of my life devoted to patients. Taking a break from it was nice, but ... once you're in the vibrancy of a hospital and used to working with clinicians, it's an energy that's surpassed by very little that I've experienced.
Hospital and health system executives work hard to create an environment that fosters the healing process. That said, many believe the best way for an executive to do this is to ensure that they themselves are in a healthy place  not just physically, but spiritually.

Three healthcare leaders  Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Catholic Health Association; Ed Fry, president of executive search firm FaithSearch Partners; and Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, president and CEO of St. Louis-based Ascension agree that spiritual health oftentimes goes beyond religion alone.

For many healthcare executives, nurturing their sense of spirituality might include creating time each day for reflection, meditation, community service or various other activities. Although it might be easy to right off such tasks as low on the priority list, spiritual health is actually an important business strategy administrators and executives can use to become well-rounded individuals and better leaders.

"We describe the compassionate and personalized care that we provide at Ascension as 'holistic,' meaning that we treat the whole person  body, mind and spirit," says Dr. Tersigni. "We encourage our caregivers to think about their own health and well-being in a similarly holistic fashion and attend to the needs of their own body, mind and spirit."

Mr. Fry, as well as the FaithSearch Partners' philosophy, support this ideology of holistic care.

"I've always been a proponent of the idea that a well-rounded person is healthy," says Mr. Fry. "To be rounded out and healthy, there is a spiritual component that requires nurturing in a proactive, intentional way."

Nurturing the soul

Healthcare leaders looking to nurture their spiritual health should start by reflecting upon their values, philosophies and priorities in life  be it prioritizing the dignity of others above all, focusing attention on one's own family or emphasizing care for the less fortunate  according to Sister Keehan.

"Personally, I nourish my spirit through my Catholic faith, but for some people it's through their Jewish, Muslim or nondenominational faith," says Sister Keehan. "Others still find nourishment through a more humanistic perspective that's based on the dignity of human beings. In the end, what's important is to have an idea of what's worth living and what's worth dying for."

The next step is incorporating everyday changes that support those values, according to Mr. Fry. He suggests healthcare leaders incorporate spiritual discipline into their daily routine.

"Spiritual disciplines can include daily prayer, devotional time, meditation, scriptural study or other activities," says Mr. Fry. "Many people practice these disciplines every day until it becomes a part of their DNA and, if they miss it, they can feel the difference."

As the leader of Ascension, Dr. Tersigni sets an example for his fellow executives and the organization's caregivers by eating healthily and being physically active, as well as taking time for prayer, reflection and community service. These activities help him to feel recharged.

Some hospitals and health systems whether religiously affiliated or secular  offer executives the opportunity for sabbaticals every few years. Mr. Fry encourages executives to take advantage of this benefit if made available.

"Sabbaticals allow executives to take time off to do something totally different, which allows them to return to work with more clarity," he says. "This perk can also help ward off burnout, so leaders are operating in a much more effective way than if they are feeling spiritually drained."

The place where spirituality and healthcare leadership meet

Spirituality is frequently associated with religion or worship. That said, the topic often arises when it comes to working with  or leading a religiously affiliated or secular healthcare organization. How does personal spirituality affect running a hospital tied to a particular faith?

According to Mr. Fry, some religiously affiliated organizations look for leaders who ascribe to their specific belief system, while others are more flexible and require only that leaders support the general goals of the organization. Even though Ascension is one of the largest nonprofit and religiously affiliated health systems in the country, Dr. Tersigni describes it as flexible when it comes to spirituality and leadership.

"We ask an important question to those who wish to serve in Ascension's healthcare ministry: 'Can you support our mission, vision and values?' Just as you don't have to be Catholic to receive care at an Ascension facility, you don't have to be Catholic to serve with us," says Dr. Tersigni. "We have leaders from a number of faith traditions who appreciate our unique and special calling. Their diverse perspectives are welcome in executive leadership roles, [but] we must be unified in our mutual commitment to Ascension's mission, vision and values."

In addition to helping leaders guide a hospital or health system, spirituality serves as a way to cope with stress or burnout. Executives in any industry would argue that they experience a unique level of and type of stress, including in healthcare, according to Mr. Fry.

"The difference in healthcare is executives are dealing with decisions that may affect life or death or, at the very least, people's quality of life. Sure, this stress may be felt a bit more acutely on the physician or clinician side, but hospital and health system leaders create the environments in which providers can do their job," he notes.

Sister Keehan shared examples of how the stress of healthcare can weigh on industry leaders.

"Leaders are frequently asked to tighten a hospital's financial belt and cut jobs without jeopardizing safety. They oversee the organization's instrument sterilization rules to prevent infections and they are held responsible if a worker who was hired turns out to be addicted to drugs or is selling drugs to patients in the facility," says Sister Keehan. "These are the types of things that can keep a CEO up at night."

Taking care of the spirit can help leaders handle tough situations like these and focus on the good in healthcare. Ultimately, spiritual wellness in any shape or form can help leaders better inspire others.

"People want to see leaders who are comfortable in their own skin, who have a sense of mission and values in life and who, quite frankly, have a sense of joy and a sense of humor," says Sister Keehan. "In the end, these factors and elements of spiritual health can go a long way in helping people deal with the very real stresses of healthcare leadership."
The following healthcare mergers, acquisitions and general partnerships took place or were announced in the past week.

1. UPMC, Jameson Health System finalize merger

Jameson Health System, a single hospital system in New Castle, Pa., merged with Pittsburgh-based UPMC and changed its name to UPMC Jameson.

2. CHS completes 38-hospital spinoff

Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems completed its previously announced spinoff of Quorum Health Corp., which includes 38 hospitals across 16 states as well as CHS' hospital management and consulting business.

3. UHS buys out minority owner in 6 Nevada hospitals

King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services agreed to purchase the minority ownership interests held by a third-party in its six Nevada hospitals for $445 million.

4. Capella, RegionalCare merge into $1.7B company

Brentwood, Tenn.-based RegionalCare Hospital Partners and Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Healthcare merged to create a combined company with 18 hospital campuses in 12 states.

5. Prime Healthcare expands reach in New Jersey

Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare Services completed its acquisition of bankrupt Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, N.J.

6. Southcoast, Care New England to merge and create $2B health network

Providence, R.I.-based Care New England Health System and New Bedford, Mass.-based Southcoast Health System plan to join together under a new corporate entity.

7. Hospital Sisters Health System acquires Greenville Regional Hospital

Greenville (Ill.) Regional Hospital joined Springfield, Ill.-based Hospital Sisters Health System to become HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville.

8. Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics joins CHRISTUS Health: 6 things to know

Tyler, Texas-based Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics and Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health finalized a merger agreement, creating CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System.

9. UPMC and Susquehanna Health strike partnership

Susquehanna Health in Williamsport, Pa., and Pittsburgh-based UPMC signed a letter of intent to pursue an affiliation agreement.

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Morehouse General Hospital in Bastrop, La., has entered into negotiations for a management agreement with Plano, Texas-based Community Hospital Corp., according to The News Star.

The hospital previously entered negotiations with IASIS Healthcare, a hospital chain based in Franklin, Tenn. However, IASIS ended talks after determining it would not be financially beneficial to move forward with lease agreement, according to the report.

At a recent Louisiana Fiscal Review Committee meeting, Morehouse General Hospital CEO and CFO Jim Albritton said the hospital wants to sign an agreement with CHC with an effective date of May 26.

Morehouse General is seeking a partnership due to financial troubles, which Mr. Albritton said are primarily due to a decline in patient volume, according to the report.

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9 recent hospital transactions and partnerships

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America's health system relies on safety-net hospitals to provide care for millions of vulnerable, uninsured patients who endure economic hardships. The hospitals also serve many Medicaid beneficiaries and patients that require special services.

Despite the integral role they play in their communities, they are rarely recognized for the essential services they provide.

Here are five safety-net hospitals in major U.S. cities to know, listed in alphabetical order.

Boston Medical Center. BMC is a private, nonprofit, 496-bed academic medical center and the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. BMC is the largest safety-net hospital and busiest trauma and emergency services center in New England. BMC is led by Kate Walsh, who serves as president and CEO. She received both her bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public health from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. Prior to joining BMC, Ms. Walsh served as executive vice president and COO of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston for five years.

Cook County Health and Hospitals System (Chicago). CCHHS provides safety-net healthcare to residents of Chicago and suburban Oak Forest, Ill. Many of its clinicians have been locally and nationally recognized for excellence. The system is led by CEO John Jay Shannon, MD. After earning his medical degree from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Dr. Shannon gained experience in the safety-net space on the medical staff of John H. Stroger, Jr., Hospital of Cook County and as executive vice president and CMO of Dallas' safety-net system, Parkland Health & Hospital System.

Norwegian American Hospital (Chicago). NAH has served residents of the Near Northwest Side of Chicago for 120 years. This 200-bed acute care facility provides its community with a myriad of services including inpatient and same-day surgery, outpatient pharmacy, radiology department, intensive care unit, pediatrics unit, emergency department and a multitude of women's healthcare programs including a midwife program. President and CEO Jose R. Sanchez has more than three decades of experience as a healthcare executive. Mr. Sanchez is the architect of an annual national health forum  extant since 2001  that brings together more than 300 healthcare providers to focus on the disparities in care for minority populations and strategies to eliminate these inequities.

Sinai Health System (Chicago). Sinai is a four-hospital safety-net health system that operates under the tagline "Making Lives Better." The system got its start in 1919 with the opening of Mount Sinai Hospital. In the beginning, the hospital was a 60-bed facility created to serve Eastern European Jewish immigrants in need and to educate Jewish physicians that were being denied scholastic access elsewhere. Today, the hospital serves communities that are predominately African-American and Latino, and the Sinai system has grown to incorporate seven separate facilities that deliver a full range of high-quality care to Chicago communities on the South and Southwest side. The four hospitals in the system are Mount Sinai Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Sinai Children's Hospital and Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital. Under the tenure of President and CEO Karen Teitelbaum, SHS has garnered national recognition in quality and significantly reduced costs due to greater efficiency and management of population health.

St. Bernard Hospital (Chicago). SBH's history began more than a century ago, and the hospital has evolved alongside the community over the years. Of the four hospitals that once served the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, SBH is the only that remains. The organization is committed to providing quality healthcare and promoting community wellness in the South Side of Chicago. Charles Holland, the president and CEO of SBH, began working in senior leadership roles at the hospital in 1998. As the executive director of the hospital's nonprofit housing development operation, he oversaw work on Bernard Place, the hospital's affordable housing project, which received the prestigious Richard H. Driehaus Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Neighborhood Real Estate Project in 2004.

Do you know a safety-net system that should be profiled on our next safety-net hospitals and health systems list? Email Brian Zimmerman at bzimmerman@beckershealthcare.com and it could be included in a new installation on this list.
After putting an entire neighborhood on lockdown, police arrested a man for robbing a New York hospital at gunpoint early Saturday morning.

Local resident 24-year-old Adam Kibler was charged for first-degree robbery of Lockport, N.Y.-based Eastern Niagara Hospital, according to local news report from WGRZ. Mr. Kibler allegedly entered the hospital's emergency department at 4:45 a.m. Saturday morning demanding drugs, according to the report. He had two rifles and claimed to have a bomb.

Police arrived at the scene and fired two shots at Mr. Kibler as he fled, according to the report. He dropped his weapons and his backpack in his escape. A bomb squad later determined the device in the backpack was safe, according to the report.

Mr. Kibler was arrested and the lockdown of the hospital and surrounding neighborhood was lifted before noon Saturday, according to the report. Mr. Kibler will be arraigned Monday and is held on $500,000 bail, according to the report.

In a statement provided to WGRZ, the hospital said the actions of its ED staff were commendable. "ENH confirms the ED staff provided the man, who was armed, with a limited amount of drugs. There were no shots fired in the hospital facility. The hospital wishes to convey to the public that all patients and staff at the facility are safe," the statement read, according to the report.

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Humana will not sell Affordable Care Act plans in Alabama and Virginia in 2017, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

The Louisville, Ky.-based health insurer is exiting state exchanges to stem financial losses. Once it pulls out of the Alabama exchange, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama will be the only choice on the state's individual ACA market.

Although Humana hasn't released the full list of state markets it plans to leave, Scott Fidel, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG, said in a research note that Humana is expected to "significantly reduce its overall exposure to the struggling public exchange marketplace."

Humana isn't the only insurer to reconsider the ACA exchanges. Last month, Minnetonka, Minn.-based UnitedHealth Group announced plans to exit all but a "handful" of ACA marketplaces next year.

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A Co Tyrone baby food firm boss has landed a 2m deal to supply her organic products to three of the UK's biggest supermarkets.

Shauna McCarney-Blair, who has just given birth to her fourth child Lily, launched her company Heavenly Tasty Organics after searching - without success - for food to cater for her kids' allergies.

After landing several other deals to sell her product into UK markets, as well as selling a small range of snacks to Spain, the Augher-based business has now secured its biggest contract to date.

It will sell in to 1,100 stores including 500 Tesco outlets and hundreds of Waitrose and Morrisons supermarkets.

The company now has orders from 14 countries.

"It's a big one for us. There is a lot of hard work, knocking doors and persistence," she said.

"The process involves a lot of liaising and hard work over the last couple of years."

The major supermarket deal had been around a year in the works.

Heavenly Tasty Organics is a team of four, with another staff member in the pipeline.

And Ms McCarney-Blair is hopeful of creating more jobs down the line on the back of the contracts.

"We are bringing in another employee and, looking forward, there will definitely be more opportunities coming up. This is a huge one for us, and it's going to grow massively over the next few years," she explained.

"It's a huge opportunity for us. The visibility in the UK alone is going to be a big door-opener. For us, it will bring a lot more people in."

Heavenly' Tasty Organic snacks - featuring "superfoods" like kale, spinach, coconut milk and buckwheat - are now available in around 100 supermarkets across Spain.

Ms McCarney-Blair has four children: newborn Lily, Elsa (2), Cara (10) and Joe (11).

Her husband James is part of the ever-booming baby food business, working as operations director.

"It's busy and there's no such thing as maternity leave when you have your own business," she said.

"There is a great deal of managing and juggling your personal life. It's hectic.

"I had a month or two off here, but I was still working from home.

"He (James) has been running everything while I was off, he's been working all the time.

"We launched into the Republic of Ireland in Tesco, and that was a big step forward. We have procedures in place to prepare for this new contract, and we have been wanting it for a long time.

"But it's still very scary, and there's a lot of work involved, and preparation."

The baby food products are produced by third-party suppliers across Europe. But Ms McCarney-Blair says the firm will always look at the possibility of bringing some manufacturing to Northern Ireland, if the opportunity arises.

The company was born after Ms McCarney-Blair spotted a gap in the market.
Dawn Wood spent years educating students on microbiology, but her public persona as a scientist masked a woman who had always been drawn to the more artistic side of life, right back to when she was a little girl growing up in Omagh.

Indeed, the young woman whose career path was set by her father after he spotted a microbiology course in the prospectus for Queens University in Belfast and suggested she give it a go, has now quit her job as a lecturer to devote herself to writing, painting and working as a hypnotherapist.

Now 52, Dawn laughs when she recalls how she ended up studying microbiology at university alongside her identical twin sister Beth. I was equally good at all subjects and back then people were saying that science was the direction to go in and that there were lots of jobs in it. One day my dad was reading the Queens prospectus and came across the page for the microbiology course. He said he thought that would be a good thing to study and I wanted to please him, so thats what I did.

After completing a Masters in molecular biology Dawn found herself lecturing at Abertay University in Dundee. She married and had three children, Marianne, Adam and Ali, who are now all in their 20s, before she divorced.

While her job as a lecturer paid the bills, Dawn never quite abandoned her artistic side, continuing to paint.

My sister Beth and I had always sketched and drew pictures when we were younger, as all children do. Most children eventually stop, of course, but we just kept going, says Dawn, whose most recent art includes a stunning series of butterflies in cathedrals.

And then, one day, she started to write poetry, too. I didnt know much about literature or poetry but I was having a particularly hard year at one point and all of a sudden words started to come out on to a page instead of images, she says.

I got hooked on the idea that you craft these words and make something beautiful out of them. I started reading a lot more about poetry and a lot more about the techniques used in creating it.

Dawns introduction to poetry, however, was a slow and self-taught one. She began to read all she could about poetry and how to write it. It was 10 years before she published her first collection, Quarry, in 2008, which was nominated for the prestigious Adleburgh First Collection prize. Since then she has gone on to publish several poetry collections.

She also tried to bridge the gap between her two passions  poetry and science  through her work for a PhD. Her thesis was titled Making A Third Place: The Science And The Poetry Of Husbandry.

Part of it was to speak to both scientists and farmers who worked with animals about the relationships that came out of their work with those animals, she explains. I wanted to gather the stories that werent getting talked about or being published in scientific research  the interactions between human and animal. The way for me to do that was to write poetry about it.

One of the subjects of Dawns poetry was actually something of a celebrity. Thanks to her scientific background she was friendly with Bill Ritchie, one of the technicians who helped create the cloned sheep, Dolly. Bill provided Dawn with photographs of genetically engineered animals and she created poems based on the photos.

Two years ago, though, Dawn took the decision to call time on her academic career and strike out on a new venture.

In 2014, I took a voluntary severance package from Abertay University, she says.

I think life is short and I want to fill mind with as many experiences as I can. I didnt want to do the same thing for the rest of my life, she admits.

Using some of her redundancy cash, she retrained as a hypnotherapist.

My interest in hypnotherapy seemed to many people to come out of the blue  including me, explains Dawn. What I know now is that I have always been interested in the intuitive connection that we can sometimes have with each other and that connection can be subconscious.

Ive since realised that a lot of things I did beforehand were relevant to hypnotherapy, such as tapping into the senses and the instincts that human beings share with animals.

Dawn adds: A few generations ago, hypnotherapy didnt fall under the remit of science at all but its much more accepted now as so much research has been done into it. Were now talking openly about things like depression and anxiety when before we were just expected to hide from those things and hope they would go away.

People now come in for help and if they really want to make a change then hypnotherapy will really work for them.

And how do her friends in the scientific community react to her newfound career?

She laughs: Most people tell me it was a very brave thing to do first of all ... and then they start asking me about hypnosis.
First Minister Arlene Foster at the election count in Omagh with the Belfast Telegraph coverage

Arlene Foster has today revealed that her only regret after the Stormont election is her father was not alive to see her become First Minister "in my own right".

In an article for the Belfast Telegraph, the DUP leader said it would have been "special" had he been able to be there when the new Assembly meets this Thursday.

Mrs Foster was aged just eight when the man she has called "darling daddy" - John Kelly, a farmer and RUC man - was shot and wounded by IRA gunmen. Mr Kelly died more than four years ago, aged 81.

"When I am re-elected First Minister of this great country on Thursday afternoon my only regret is that my father will not be there to see me elected as First Minister in my own right," writes Mrs Foster.

"I know he was proud of everything that all his children and grandchildren have done and achieved, but it would have been special for him to be here to see it."

Mrs Foster also writes about how she intends to be a First Minister for everyone.

"I will work with other parties to get things done. We still live in a divided society in many respects but I believe that in the coming days we can agree a Programme for Government that can deliver our priorities for everyone in Northern Ireland," she writes.

The DUP emerged as the largest party with 38 seats, while Sinn Fein slipped one to 28, and the Ulster Unionists regained seats they had lost through three resignations to make them the third largest party with 16 seats.

The SDLP sustained most damage, losing two MLAs to leave it ith 12, while Alliance remained stuck on eight.

MLAs are expected to gather at Stormont today, mainly for party meetings. The first main plenary of the new session will be on Thursday when Martin McGuinness will also be reappointed as Deputy First Minister.

The DUP appears set to secure the Speaker's position again, with speculation it will be the East Belfast MP Robin Newton.

The biggest surprise of the election was the success of People Before Profit, who won two seats.

The five main parties now have to agree a blueprint for the next five years.

Both the UUP and SDLP have said they will consider going into Opposition if the Programme for Government does not sufficiently reflect their policies.

The first main topic on the agenda is believed to be health, with both the DUP and Sinn Fein having suggested an extra 1bn for the health service.

But there have already been warnings that a cash injection of that size would mean significant cuts across the other, new departments.
A record-breaking number of female MLAs were returned to Stormont in last week's Assembly election - 30 compared to just 20 in the 2011 poll.

That's a 50% rise in female representation.

It's also the highest number of women to take seats in Parliament Buildings since the political institutions were established under the Good Friday Agreement.

Female MLAs will now make up 28% of the Assembly compared to 19% in 2011. In the first Assembly election in 1998, only 14 women were returned - comprising just 13% of the chamber.

And women made up 27% of candidates in last week's election, compared to just 17% in 2011.

The figures have been compiled by Danielle Roberts, a PhD student at the Ulster University and a member of the Belfast Feminist Network.

The new Assembly will have 10 Sinn Fein women, eight DUP, four UUP, three SDLP, three Alliance, one Green MLA, Clare Bailey, and Independent unionist Claire Sugden.

Even with these increases, Stormont still lags behind the other devolved institutions in the UK, which had their elections on the same day. Women make up 48% of the Welsh Assembly and 35% of the Scottish Parliament.

However, the Northern Ireland Assembly has overtaken Dail Eireann - only 22% of TDs returned in February's election in the Republic were women.

Ms Roberts said that while the rise in women MLAs was to be welcomed, no openly LGBT candidates had been elected. "The Assembly is still overwhelmingly white and straight," she said.

Of the five largest parties, Alliance had the highest proportion of female MLAs in its ranks, 37.5%, closely followed by Sinn Fein on 36%. Women made up 25% of SDLP and UUP MLAs. Equal representation was lowest within the DUP with 21% of its Assembly team female.

South Belfast was the constituency leading the way in female representation - four of its six MLAs are women. But in Foyle, North Antrim, East Antrim and North Down, not one female candidate was elected.

In Foyle, Sinn Fein's Maeve McLaughlin lost her seat. In his acceptance speech, newly elected People Before Profit MLA, Eamonn McCann, noted the absence of female representatives going to Stormont from the constituency and stressed that the men elected in Foyle must do their utmost to champion women's rights.

Ms Roberts said that her research proved that female candidates were clearly popular. "I don't think that people are voting just for women because they're women. They're voting for women because they're good candidates," she said.

The DUP ran eight female candidates in the Assembly election. All of them were elected with three topping the poll and another three receiving the highest first preference votes of any DUP candidate in their constituency.

Four of the seven women candidates ran by the Ulster Unionists were elected. In Upper Bann, Jo-Anne Dobson received the highest number of first preference votes of any UUP candidate.

Former DUP councillor and whistle-blower Jenny Palmer, was elected in Lagan Valley as a UUP MLA where the DUP lost a seat.

In Newry and Armagh, in her first time running for the Assembly, 24-year-old Megan Fearon of Sinn Fein topped her party's vote in the constituency.

Michelle Gildernew, who was not initially picked by a Sinn Fein selection convention, did the same in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.

In terms of candidate selection of all the parties who returned MLAs to Stormont, the Green Party was the best with half of its candidates women. Sinn Fein came next with 38% female candidates followed by Alliance 35%, the SDLP 33%, and People Before Profit 33%.
DUP councillor Tommy Jeffers told of his joy after becoming a dad again aged 73.

Tommy and 45-year-old wife Catherine welcomed baby David into the world last week.

Everyones doing fine  were very happy, the father-of-three told Sunday Life.

The couple tied the knot in a low-key ceremony three years ago and Tommy revealed that they couldnt be happier with their new arrival.

Weve called him David Samuel because we both liked the names but there are bits and pieces of family names in there too, said the two-time Mayor of Castlereagh.

Theres some members of Catherines family and some of mine who have the names David and Samuel so its not directly after anyone in particular, but there are some family links in there.

Baby David was born at The Ulster Hospital, close to the familys Dundonald home, weighing in at a healthy six pounds and two ounces.

The staff in the maternity ward at The Ulster were fantastic, they couldnt have done more for us, said semi-retired Tommy who turns 74 next month.

The midwives made sure we had everything we needed and looked after Catherine and the baby so well. They were under pressure but they were absolutely fantastic.

Of course I was glad to have Catherine and the baby home but they were well looked after while they were in hospital.

Catherine had a C-section so she has been told she has to rest but other than that, were all doing well.

Im trying to get her to behave herself. She wants to be up and about but with the C-section, she has to be careful.

Ive been looking after her as best I can but I keep telling her she has to take it easy but she doesnt listen. I would need to invest in some rope or a chain to make her rest!

Granddad Tommy already has two grown-up children from his first marriage to Jean, who sadly passed away seven years ago.

His 49-year-old son Stephen Jeffers is one of Northern Irelands best known chefs who runs Belfast Cookery School, part of the Mourne Seafood Bar group. Up until 2012, he ran the award-winning Jeffers By The Marina on Bangors Grays Hill with wife Lisa.

My children and the rest of the family have been great  they are all delighted, said Tommy, who has spent more than 20 years in local politics.

They just couldnt wait to meet him.

A self-confessed older dad, Tommy isnt letting his age get in the way of enjoying his precious moments with new son David.

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He said: Its fantastic to be able to have a bit more time to spend with him while hes a baby.

I suppose many younger dads are straight out to work, like I was before, but Im only part-time now working for the council, so I actually have a bit more time to spend with him and Catherine that I maybe wouldnt have had before.

A lot was made of it when people first found out that we were expecting but we couldnt be happier.

Were all just delighted with the new arrival and Im so pleased and relieved that both Catherine and the baby are healthy, thats the main thing.

Just days after baby David was born, the Lisburn and Castlereagh councillor was showing his support for local elected east Belfast DUP representatives Sammy Douglas, Robin Newtown and Joanne Bunting at the Stormont elections last Thursday.

I finished canvassing the week David was born so its been a busy couple of weeks, said Tommy.

The DUP did very well in the elections so we were all delighted.

Its been a great week.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has waded back into the row over his use of the N-word after writing a blog post in which he frames himself as a civil rights activist.

The Louth TD's use of the N-word while watching Quentin Tarantino's film Django Unchained drew widespread condemnation.

Despite being forced to apologise for the controversial tweet last week, Mr Adams has continued to defend his comparison of the treatment of Northern Irish nationalists to African-Americans.

In a further tweet yesterday, Mr Adams shared a blog entitled "parallels in struggle".

He went on to claim in the lengthy post that there was no difference between the struggles of African-Americans and Irish nationalists.

He wrote: "What is the difference between the attacks on black civil rights marchers walking to Selma and white civil rights marchers walking to Derry?

"What is the difference between African Americans being killed because of their colour or 11 people in Ballymurphy being shot dead by British troops because they were Irish and nationalist?

"There is none. The struggle in Ireland is about rights. The civil rights struggle in the USA was about rights. The struggles in many other places around the globe are about rights. Sharing in solidarity is what we do."

However, his blog post came under fire from an academic.

Limerick historian Liam Hogan, who is researching slavery, described post from Mr Adams as "nonsense" and said that by writing it he was "damaging both histories".

Mr Adams also wrote that "in January 1967 I participated in the meeting that formally established the Civil Rights Association".

"It was inspired by the American Civil Rights Movement and consciously fashioned itself on it.

"Irish rights activists identified with the plight of African Americans," he wrote.

It comes after a host of political activists, commentators and senior figures in the civil rights movement lined up to dispute Mr Adams' claim last week that he was a founding member.
The gay blood ban, put in place during the 1980s AIDS threat, was lifted in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2011.

A gay man is to take his legal challenge to the ban on homosexual blood donations in Northern Ireland to the UK's highest court.

Earlier this year former Health Minister Edwin Poots won his appeal against findings that his prohibition was irrational and infected by apparent bias.

Senior judges in Belfast also held there was no basis for concluding that the decision was predetermined by his Christian beliefs.

They further ruled that it was up to Stormont, rather than the British Health Secretary, to decide when gay men can give blood.

But their verdict is now to be scrutinised by the Supreme Court in London.

The case is being continued by a gay man who launched proceedings against the ban on donations from men who have sex with men four years ago.

Granted anonymity in the case, his legal team returned to the Court of Appeal today seeking permission to take their case further.

Although Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan refused leave, he indicated the Supreme Court may nevertheless identify points it would want to explore.

On that basis lawyers are to petition judges in London for a hearing.

A solicitor for the gay man confirmed: "We believe there are arguable points of law of general public importance which should be considered by the UK Supreme Court.

"We will be making an application directly for permission to appeal."

The gay blood ban, put in place during the 1980s AIDS threat, was lifted in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2011.

It was replaced by new rules which allow blood from men whose last sexual contact with another man was more than a year ago.

But Mr Poots maintained the prohibition in Northern Ireland on the basis of ensuring public safety.

Findings were originally made against him in a judicial review sought by the homosexual man referred to as JR65.

A High Court judge held that the Democratic Unionist MLA did not have the power to keep the lifetime ban.

Appeals to the verdict were continued by Mr Poots' DUP ministerial successors and the British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Attorney General John Larkin QC, representing the Department of Health, had argued that JR65 has no personal interest in the case because he was paid for sex.

Questioning the man's legal standing in the case, Mr Larkin contended that he would be barred anyway because of the cash transaction and a further failure to comply with a 12-month celibacy rule.

Mr Poots was entitled to go against the rest of the UK on the issue, with devolved powers giving Stormont ministers the right to take a different view, he argued.

Counsel for JR65 claimed, based on evidence, that lifting the total ban would increase the risk of a contaminated donation getting through just once every 15,000 years.

According to their case Mr Poots' acted irrationally in maintaining the prohibition because the threat was "infinitesimal".

They argued that his decision was a "knee-jerk reaction" which went against the advice of his officials and experts.

In March the Court of Appeal rejected the assessment that Mr Poots' stance was irrational, based on apparent bias or predetermined by his Christian beliefs.

Judges also concluded by a 2-1 majority that the current maintenance of the lifetime prohibition was not disproportionate or contrary to EU law.

Sir Declan held that Mr Poots' maintenance of the permanent ban for a period of years after receiving advice from a blood safety advisory committee was unlawful.

But his two judicial colleagues disagreed with his view, concluding that it was a situation where a decision has not yet been made by the Minister.

Now, however, the case is set to be considered by the Supreme Court.

It was also confirmed that the Department of Health is to be awarded costs in the proceedings.
A group of Scottish loyalists are set to make regular visits from Glasgow to join at the protest camp at Twaddell, it can be revealed.

The 'Regimental Blues' took up a residency at the camp on the north Belfast interface for a week in March in the run-up to the 1,000th day of protest.

Now they have revealed plans to return for a week on May 27, and after that they hope to run the camp for a week every two months.

Group spokesman Kris McGurk told the Belfast Telegraph that they had lots of positive engagement with the community on their first visit and felt that regularly helping man the camp would be the best way to support the Twaddell protesters.

However, with the exception of visiting the shops in Ardoyne during their stay in March, Mr McGurk said they had not engaged with the nationalist community at the flashpoint.

He said "that is the job of the politicians".

The protest at Twaddell has been running since July 2013 when the PSNI enforced a Parades Commission decision to bar an Orange parade from passing Ardoyne on the Crumlin Road. Protesters have stated they will continue their protest until the parade is allowed to formally complete its route up the Crumlin Road to return to Ligoniel.

A number of groups, including Orange lodges, community groups and political parties, all do shifts to ensure the camp is regularly manned.

The camp was originally manned 24 hours a day and included band parades in the area every evening, but almost three years later there is a much lower level of protest.

The Regimental Blues have come out in support of the camp's aim. Based in Glasgow, they describe themselves as supporters of the loyalist community in Scotland, and say they use various techniques when campaigning, including the internet and the "boots of our regiment on the street".

Membership has grown to the extent where they can now mobilise two teams - one in Glasgow and one that can travel to Belfast once every eight weeks to help run the camp at Twaddell.

Mr McGurk said he believes Twaddell should be a high priority for the new MLAs returning to Stormont today as they enter two weeks of negotiations to form a new executive.

"This time when we come over will be different," he said. "The first time was introductions and meeting people. Now our eyes and ears are open so we will be engaging more formally with the politicians," he said.
The leader of Ukip in Northern Ireland has called for the Army to be sent in to patrol the Irish border if voters back the UK's exit from the European Union.

Former Strangford MLA David McNarry said "jihadis" could copy the IRA and travel from the Republic to Britain via Northern Ireland.

He also said leaving the 310-mile border without armed patrols after a Brexit would leave the UK open to an influx of migrants, people traffickers and drug smugglers.

Outspoken Mr McNarry, who holds no elected office after he decided not to stand for Stormont, was Ukip's only Assembly Member.

"I see a porous border as a national security threat," he told the Express newspaper.

"We have almost erased our border in terms of drawing a line but everyone is so laidback about it. What is scary is that it is the UK's only land border.

"Cameron needs to spell out to the people of the UK how they will be protected from smugglers, drug dealers and people traffickers."

The controversial politician said leaving the EU would mean the Republic could be used as a back door into the UK.

He argued that drug and people smugglers would land in the sparsely populated west coast of Ireland, before crossing the border. From there, it would just be a ferry ride to Britain.

Mr McNarry, whose party failed to have any candidates elected to Stormont last week, said the Prime Minister should start military border patrols in advance of the June 23 referendum.

"I support patrols, active patrols. We need to have the Army asserting our sovereignty," he told the Express.

"It's a hell of a job to ask anybody to do, but if you leave it then it's wide open for migration, for the clever traffickers, for the criminals.

"They need to see that we're here and we'll do everything we can to stop people who wish us harm crossing the border."

Mr McNarry said using Northern Ireland to reach Britain from the Republic was not new.

"We know the IRA did it successfully," he said.

"It could happen again with dissidents, or jihadis copying them.

"It is very easy to get into the Republic and make their way to Northern Ireland and across into Scotland.

"Neither the Irish nor ourselves operate in Schengen but it is open for the Turks to exploit.

"There's no way they won't see the access and get around the loopholes and into the UK."
The police forensic team investigate the scene after a soldier died on his way to hospital having been found found injured and unconscious in the town centre on May 08, 2016 in Brecon, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

A second man has been arrested after the death of a soldier in a Welsh town centre.

Pte Matthew Boyd, from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, was found injured and unconscious on Lion Street in Brecon, Powys, at about 1am on Sunday.

Pte Boyd was originally from Co Antrim and some of his relatives still live in Carrickfergus.

Dyfed-Powys Police said on Monday a 22-year-old man had been detained in connection with the death. A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Sunday.

Both men remain in custody.

A police spokesman said: "Detectives investigating the murder of a serving member of the Armed Forces in Brecon confirm that they have arrested a further male, aged 22 years, in connection with this offence.

"The first male, aged 23 years, remains in police custody."

Expand Close A police forensic officer investigates the scene after a soldier died on his way to hospital having been found injured and unconscious in the town centre on May 08, 2016 in Brecon, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images) Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A police forensic officer investigates the scene after a soldier died on his way to hospital having been found injured and unconscious in the town centre on May 08, 2016 in Brecon, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said on Sunday: "It is with great sadness and regret that the MoD can confirm a soldier from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment died in Brecon in the early hours of this morning.

"Dyfed-Powys Police are currently investigating and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further on the circumstances. Our thoughts are with his family and friends and the regiment asks that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesman said: "Today in Brecon a 23-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the death of a man who was a serving member of the armed forces.

Expand Close A police forensic officer investigates the scene after a soldier died on his way to hospital having been found injured and unconscious in the town centre on May 08, 2016 in Brecon, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images) Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A police forensic officer investigates the scene after a soldier died on his way to hospital having been found injured and unconscious in the town centre on May 08, 2016 in Brecon, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

"He is being held in custody on suspicion of murder and the investigation is ongoing."

The area in Brecon town centre was cordoned off as police investigated the incident.

Police are appealing for anyone who was in the Lion Street, Bethel Square, Tredegar Street and High Street areas between 12.30am and 1.30am to get in touch.

Kirsty Williams, the Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, described the incident as "shocking".

She tweeted: "Clearly very shocking incident unfolding in Brecon town centre this morning. Will be keeping in touch with local police."
Warnings that Britain leaving the EU would damage Western security have been backed by former Nato chiefs and senior Washington figures - in a boost to David Cameron.

Pro-Brexit campaigners led by Boris Johnson dismissed the Prime Minister's claim that peace in Europe could be threatened by a Leave vote - arguing Nato, not Brussels, had been the key to security.

In a concerted pitch to voters to back continued membership, five former secretaries general of the transatlantic alliance said pulling out would "give succour to the West's enemies".

And 13 former US secretaries of state and defence and national security advisers said Europe would be "dangerously weakened" and cautioned Britain not to believe its close ties with Washington would compensate.

In a speech setting out the "patriotic" case for a Remain vote, Mr Cameron said the 28-nation bloc had reconciled warring nations and was playing a crucial role in the fight against Islamic State (IS) and dealing with a "newly belligerent" Russia.

But former London mayor Mr Johnson said it was Nato which had been the protector of Europe's peace since the Second World War, and that the EU was "a force for instability and alienation".

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, the former Nato chiefs said: "At a time of such global instability, and when Nato is trying to reinforce its role in Eastern Europe, it would be very troubling if the UK ended its membership of the European Union.

"While the decision is one for the British people, Brexit would undoubtedly lead to a loss of British influence, undermine Nato and give succour to the West's enemies just when we need to stand shoulder to shoulder across the Euro-Atlantic community against common threats, including on our doorstep."

The signatories were Lord Carrington, a decorated Second World War veteran who served as foreign and defence secretaries, ex-defence secretary Lord Robertson, Javier Solana, Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

"Given the scale and range of challenges to peace and stability we collectively face, the Euro-Atlantic community needs an active and engaged United Kingdom," they said.

The concerns were echoed in a separate letter to The Times, signed by 13 former Washington officials representing every White House administration, Democrat and Republican, for the last 40 years.

"In our globalised environment it is critical to have size and weight in order to be heard," the group said.

Ronald Reagan's secretary of state George Shultz, ex-CIA chief and defence secretary Leon Panetta and Madeleine Albright, who served as secretary of state under Bill Clinton, were among those making the warning.

"The special relationship between our countries would not compensate for the loss of influence and clout that the UK would suffer if it was no longer part of the EU," they said.

"This would be true in foreign policy, defence policy and international trade matters, and other areas where the EU is indeed a significant voice."

Mr Cameron argued that while Nato remains the "cornerstone" of national defence, "top military opinion" was clear that the EU is a "vital" reinforcement to the organisation, he said.

Vote Leave said "c laims that leaving the EU and taking back control would somehow lead to war smack of desperation" and insisted the safe option was to quit.

Mr Johnson - who gave his own speech in favour of Brexit little more than an hour after the PM's intervention - questioned the sincerity of Mr Cameron's warnings.

He was in turn criticised for appearing to blame the EU for Russia's annexation of Crimea - leading to accusations he was an "apologist" for Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Conservative former defence secretary Liam Fox said the warnings were out of date.

"A lot of those people are from a very different era to the one we are in now," he told BBC2's Newsnight.

"I can understand why they would have thought that then but I think we are entering into a very different period in terms of global security structures.

"The United Kingdom outside of the European Union would actually give an impetus to the political aspect of Nato, which I think has been long neglected, and give a bit of a kick to some of those countries who seem to believe that we can do the hard lifting in terms of hard power and they can do the soft power elements,"

He added: "My worry is that you have far too few European countries pulling their weight inside Nato, seeing the EU as some sort of soft option for them in terms of defence."
Negotiations between doctors' leaders and the Government have entered a second day as officials bid to break the deadlock over the controversial contract for junior medics.

The British Medical Association (BMA) and Department of Health officials began fresh talks yesterday and continued negotiations into the night.

The talks, held at the conciliation service Acas, began after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt agreed to a five-day pause in the imposition of the new junior doctors' contract.

Around 90% of the contract had previously been agreed, but the main bone of contention was over whether Saturdays should attract extra "unsocial" payments, among other issues.

But Mr Hunt said on Thursday that he wanted "written agreement" from the BMA's junior doctors committee that discussions over the contentious issue of unsocial hours and Saturday pay would be held in "good faith".

The Department of Health has once again turned to hospital boss Sir David Dalton to lead the Government's negotiations.

Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, has said that any contract - whether agreed or not - should be put to a referendum of junior doctors.

Medics will be convening in London this weekend for the BMA's junior doctor conference.

The agreement to resume talks follows a wave of industrial action launched by junior doctors in recent months, which saw thousands of operations cancelled after negotiations reached an impasse, with Mr Hunt threatening to impose the controversial contract.

The resumption of negotiations has been brokered by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in an effort to end the dispute.

Mr Hunt has insisted that discussions should not concern the issues already agreed but should focus instead on outstanding contractual issues.

Junior doctors stopped providing emergency care for the first time in NHS history during their most recent walkout, which went on for two days last week.

More than 125,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and will need to be rearranged, on top of almost 25,000 procedures cancelled during previous action.

The dispute began when the Government took steps to introduce its manifesto commitment of a seven-day NHS.

Mr Hunt wants to change what constitutes "unsocial" hours for which junior doctors can claim extra pay, turning 7am to 5pm on Saturday into a normal working day. Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors.

The Government proposed to offset this change with a hike in basic pay of 13.5%, but the BMA rejected these plans.

The imposed contract, due to come into force in August, will still allow premium rates for Saturday evenings and all of Sunday.
Three Spanish freelance journalists held captive in Syria for nearly 10 months returned home on Sunday, tearfully hugging relatives as they got off a military jet sent to Turkey to bring them back.

Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre shook hands with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria on the tarmac of the Torrejon de Ardoz air force base on the outskirts of Madrid. They then smiled and cried as relatives ran to hug them.

Images on Spain's state-owned TVE television channel showed their arrival but reporters were kept outside the base and away from the three journalists, only catching sight of a dark blue van carrying them from the base.

Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy posted a photograph of the journalists descending from the aircraft with a caption saying "Welcome!" on his official Twitter account.

"Allied and friendly" countries had assisted in ensuring the journalists' release, his office said in a statement late on Saturday.

It highlighted Turkey and Qatar, saying they had helped out "especially in the final phase" of the journalists' liberation.

It provided no information on the captors and how they were convinced to give up the journalists.

The three journalists went missing on July 12, near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria. At the time, the region was under the control of al-Qaida's branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said the journalists left Turkey from the southeastern city of Hatay after their release.

"This adventure has ended happily," Mr Garcia-Margallo said.

TVE said in its afternoon news broadcast that the journalists, after arriving at the base, went to a Madrid cafeteria with friends and relatives, where they received a phone call from King Felipe VI. They told journalists that they did not know where they had been held in Syria.

The broadcaster said Mr Lopez explained that the three had been incarcerated together for the first three months, after which Mr Pampliega was taken away and not seen again until just before the flight home.

Mr Pampliega's mother, Maria del Mar Rodriguez, told the Reporters Without Borders organisation that it was "marvellous" to speak with her son.

"He had the same voice he's always had, since he was a boy, and he continually asked my forgiveness for what he'd put me through," she said. "I'm going to prepare him a plate of spinach in bechamel sauce, his favourite dish."

Spain's political leaders, campaigning for a general election on June 26, expressed relief and joy at the captives' release.

"I join in with the happiness felt by their families, colleagues and friends," Mr Rajoy said in another tweet.

The journalists, who provided reports to various media outlets, went to Syria to report on the war that started in 2011.

All three had worked in Syria previously and knew what precautions to take before entering the country, said Elsa Gonzalez, president of Spain's federation of journalists.

Three other Spanish journalists were released in March 2014 after being held hostage by Syrian extremists for months.

The Spanish government has never given details of how it secured their release.
Ryanair has been given permission by a Los Angeles court to force US communications giants Sprint and Verizon to divulge records as the airline hunts down anonymous Twitter users who threatened to blow up its aircraft and demanded $50m.

Ryanair has been pursuing the unknown individuals since earlier this year, and launched a lawsuit against them in Los Angeles as Twitter is based in California.

The airline is seeking punitive damages, special damages and costs, but has not put a ceiling on how much it will seek. However, since launching the lawsuit against as many as 100 unknown individuals in February, Ryanair has been unable to ascertain their actual identities.

In February, Ryanair won permission to serve a subpoena on Twitter requesting subscriber information. The responses led to another subpoena being served on Google.

"IP (internet protocol) addresses belonging to the defendants were produced by Twitter and Google," Ryanair's lawyer added in newly-filed court documents. Some of the IP addresses are hosted by both Verizon and Sprint.

The court has now granted permission to Ryanair to serve subpoenas on both telecoms giants in an effort to trace the individuals who made the threats against it.

The judge in charge of the case approved the order, saying there was "good cause" to grant Ryanair's application.

Some of the IP addresses appear to trace back to Pittsburgh in the United States.

Irish Independent
This morning I am deeply humbled to be returning to Stormont as First Minister of Northern Ireland.

I sincerely thank all those who voted for the Democratic Unionist Party and again made us the largest party in this country. I, and my colleagues, pledge ourselves to be servants of the people as we endeavour to move our country forward.

Over these last four months I have travelled all across Northern Ireland speaking to people and listening to them about their hopes, and concerns for the future.

It has been the most demanding and yet the most rewarding campaign of my political life.

I have been encouraged and inspired and I return to Government more determined than every to make life better for the people of Northern Ireland.

Back in January, my first event as First Minister was at Pond Park Primary School in Lisburn.

As I listened to the children speak about the issues that mattered to them I was inspired and motivated. I felt an enormous sense of responsibility. These children were relying on me to build a safer and more stable Northern Ireland for them in future.

From January I have travelled to every part of Northern Ireland as part of my election tour.

From Belfast to Ballymoney, from Lurgan to Lisburn and Rathfriland to Rathlin Island people want us to succeed in building a stronger, more prosperous Northern Ireland.

They want a party in government that will be on their side and understands their lives.

Wherever I travelled, people would hug me or shake my hand and then whisper a word of encouragement. Today I say 'thank you' to the electorate. For the first time since 2007 the DUP polled over 200,000 first preference votes at the Assembly election. We are now the largest unionist party in each of the 18 constituencies, outpolling the Ulster Unionist Party in every area.

The Ulster Unionist Party had its lowest share of the vote in its history.In Belfast we are now the largest party with eight MLAs in the new Assembly.

Yet again unionist turnout across Northern Ireland was up. The nationalist share of the overall vote has fallen to its lowest point since 1993.

Foolishly during the election some claimed that it did not matter who won the election or who was First Minister. That was always wrong and an insult to the electorate whose votes we were seeking.

It does matter. It always has.

I hope as a result of last Thursday's vote Northern Ireland can look forward to a period of political stability in the run in to our country's centenary in 2021.

Calls for a border poll have been defeated and unionism has been strengthened. As a result of this election there will be a unionist First Minister and in the new Assembly there will be fewer nationalist MLAs than at any point since the Assembly was created in 1998.

This tremendous result was a culmination of work at all levels in the party. Yes, as leader of the party I was in the TV studios and on the campaign trail but I must thank the team of candidates and scores of staff and party workers who knocked the doors and encouraged people to support my plan.

In particular, I thank my deputy leader and director of elections Nigel Dodds MP who worked night and day in planning and spearheading our campaign. His efforts and determination have paid dividends and I pay tribute to his service for our cause.

Few people, myself included, believed that we could emulate Peter Robinson's outstanding achievement of 38 seats in 2011.

I pay tribute to Peter for the foundations he laid for us, including the Fresh Start Agreement that provided a solid basis for devolved government to continue. Politics is a tough game and I want to thank all of those who make democracy work by putting themselves forward for election whether or not they succeed.

Six of my colleagues were not elected and I thank them for all that they have achieved to date and have no doubt they will continue to contribute in other ways. Having secured 38 seats across Northern Ireland, I understand that voters have entrusted us to build for the future with the vision and plan we promoted during the last five weeks.

I fought this election on the basis of my five-point plan and I intend to govern on the basis of our five-point plan.

I believe that this plan is the basis for a stronger and safer Northern Ireland.

It will be the cornerstones of my work for the next five years. I will work with other parties to get things done.

We still live in a divided society in many respects but I believe that in the coming days we can agree a Programme for Government that can deliver our priorities for everyone in Northern Ireland

Make no mistake, though it received little attention during the campaign, with the challenging public expenditure position we will face in the coming years we will all need to be pulling together to make Northern Ireland work.

When I am re-elected First Minister of this great country on Thursday afternoon my only regret is that my father will not be there to see me elected as First Minister in my own right.

I know he was proud of everything that all his children and grandchildren have done and achieved but it would have been special for him to be here to see it.
The EU was born of a Europe wounded and exhausted in the wake of the Second World War. Back then, as the dust settled, the need to march towards peace rather than into battle was clearer than it had ever been

The EU was born of a Europe wounded and exhausted in the wake of the Second World War. Back then, as the dust settled, the need to march towards peace rather than into battle was clearer than it had ever been. And it was Winston Churchill who saw the way, telling Europe in his own inimitable style, that: "We cannot aim at anything less than the union of Europe as a whole."

His vision was of a people from different backgrounds and of different cultures standing together and moving towards a safer, stronger, more prosperous future. Who in Northern Ireland can fail to appreciate those aspirations? They are our own.

In this part of the world we know we are safer, stronger and more prosperous when we find accord and work together.

Let me say this. I am proud of Northern Ireland. I am proud of everything it has achieved over the last few years. I am proud of the way we are growing and moving forwards, welcoming foreign investors, attracting new trade and helping our hard-working home to stand up and claim its place on the world stage as a safe and strong economy.

But I believe our bright future is under threat. And we must now protect everything we have fought for from the shadow of a dark and wholly uncertain risk.

Leaving the EU promises to deal a heavy blow to our businesses, our agriculture, our jobs, our rights and our hard-won peace.

Why? Because while the EU is not perfect - it isn't - and while there is work to be done - there is - we can look at an ocean of simple, transparent facts and come to only one conclusion: that we are all safer, stronger and more prosperous as part of the European Union.

Everyone wants to live in a world where any man and any woman can go out and find a job that pays a decent wage and offers them the security and respect they deserve. Leave campaigners will tell you that the EU hasn't given Northern Ireland those things.

They'll tell you that an independent UK would uphold workers' rights and increase funding for public services and consolidate subsidies for farmers. That there is a secret band of benevolent MPs and ministers in Westminster, just desperate to make decisions in Northern Ireland's best interests. That they have some kind of magic economic formula hidden up their sleeve which will cause the concerns of the world's most prominent voices to merely drift away. History teaches us otherwise.

Imagine it's the morning after the night before. We have two short years to agree our exit and find a way to organise a vast tangle of legislation.

New trade agreements, bargaining from a point of weakness with an economic superpower in which we once played a leading role. New legislation for UK citizens living and working in the Republic of Ireland. New legislation for people from the Republic living and working in the North.

It is at best naive and at worst disingenuous to say this vast mess cold be untangled in two years. As the PWC-Ireland report stated only last month, the negotiation of a potential exit in itself will take many years. The implications of a Brexit for our relationship with the Republic are a real concern. It will be hard to focus the minds in Westminster on Irish trade deals when it's having to negotiate from a point of weakness with other, larger economies. What then for our two tightly-knit economies?

And what for our shared security and peace? Our countries work closely on intelligence sharing and cross-border policing. Arguably the greatest risk the Republic has faced in the last five decades is the instability in Northern Ireland, and now our precious accord is in genuine danger.

Meanwhile, the EU is set to spend 118m (93.35m) on Peace programme funding up to 2020, and its absolute dedication to peace in Northern Ireland was shown recently on the announcement of another 190m to support peace and reconciliation. It's hard to imagine that such funding could be matched without the EU's help.

The Oxford Economics Group carried out a study specifically on Northern Ireland and explained that we stand to lose more from leaving the EU than any other part of the UK. The EU is the UK's biggest trading partner, taking 44% of our exports, but in Northern Ireland the figure is even more significant.

We exported 3.6bn worth of goods to the EU in 2014. That was 61% of total goods exports. And yet here we are preparing for a referendum on whether or not we should maintain our link with the EU. It's like cutting off your face to spite your nose.

Let's look at the border question. Leave campaigners promise a crackdown on immigration, hoping to bring a points-based system to the UK. Yet, they haven't managed to agree on what that would mean for us. Any kind of barrier on the border will represent not just an economic shock, but also a symbolic one.

The anatomy of Northern Ireland's economy makes it particularly vulnerable to a Brexit. Our industry already struggles to compete with global competitors and it's vital they're not faced with new export tariffs.

Our farmers are particularly exposed, because they would lose subsidies and lose trade with the Republic. Eighty-seven per cent of farm income in Northern Ireland comes from EU subsidies and even the slightest drop in support would put farms out of business.

The truth about the Leave campaign is that it's offering us the once-in-a-lifetime chance to knock the legs from under Northern Ireland just as it begins to stand. To have the same border controls as we have now, but without billions of inward investment, without farming subsidies, without millions pumped into peace and reconciliation, without the security of shared intelligence and without any say whatsoever in the future of Europe.

I believe most people here today can appreciate that leaving the EU is a dangerous leap in the dark for Northern Ireland. But still there are those who claim the EU has been "bad for business". Again we hear the word "meddling" and we wonder: what does that mean?

For some it means workers' rights. Businesses will sometimes claim they are hobbled by EU rules imposed by autocrats in Brussels. In fact, the rules introduced by the EU come as simple minimum standards, with a caveat: that they should be introduced "according to national rules and standards". In fact, what very often happens is that the Government in Westminster will impose stricter rules than are demanded by the EU and then pretend that Brussels gave it no choice.

Have a think about this extraordinary fact. According to the OECD, there is less so-called red tape in the UK than any other EU country. The OECD looked at the strictness of employment protection for individual and collective dismissals in regular contracts and found that the UK has less red tape than the Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Chile, Latvia, Slovenia, Mexico and... Korea! Far from being over-regulated, it could be argued the UK still has some catching up to do on workers' rights.

But what rights has the EU given to workers in the UK? It has given people protection from dangerous machinery, chemicals and other risks to health. It has guaranteed us a minimum of 28 days of paid leave a year. It has limited the hours we can be forced to work to 48 hours a week and 13 hours a day, unless we wish to do more. It has given the same fundamental rights to employees, whether they be full-time, part-time, temporary or permanent, in-house or agency. It has made sure that men and women must be paid the same wage for doing the same job. It has enforced statutory maternity and paternity leave. It has protected us from discrimination on age, gender, race, sexual orientation or disability. It has protected us from healthcare costs if you become ill in any EU country.

And - for any Leave campaigner who thinks a Brexit would allow businesses to be free to hire and fire or discriminate or set gruelling working hours as they please - they're almost certainly... wrong. Just as with border controls, any trade deal done with the EU post-Brexit would require that the UK signed up to the same laws the Leave campaign promises we could walk away from.

Northern Ireland and each worker in Northern Ireland is safer, stronger and more prosperous in the European Union. We have to protect everything we have fought for from this threat to our economy, to our rights and to our lasting peace. We must be proud of Northern Ireland. We must look at what we have achieved already and think about what we can still achieve.

Vote for investment. Vote for an open border with the Republic. Vote for workers' rights. Vote for a future built on a cross-community accord, pulling down walls, rather than creating new barriers. Vote for security, prosperity and strength. Vote Remain.

This is an edited version of a speech given by Dr Len O'Hagan at the Irish Bank Officials Association conference in Dublin on Saturday. The full version is available here.
When asked whether or not Irish accounts had been compromised, Google said it is "still investigating" and had no further comment to make. Image: Shutterstock.com

At least 42,000 Irish emails with ".ie" domains are included in a massive data breach that has seen both logins and passwords traded among criminals in Russia.

The accounts are part of an enormous hack that includes the credentials of 272.3 million email accounts across the world.

The breach was uncovered by US information security firm Hold Security, which said it has returned the credentials to its rightful owners.

Hold Security chief information security officer Alex Holden said there may be more than just the 42,000 emails addresses from Ireland.

"There are over 42,000 credentials from the .ie domain in the recovered data," Mr Holden told the Irish Independent.

"However, please keep in mind that some of the users of popular email services (ie, Gmail, Yahoo) may not be easy to identify by country," Mr Holden added.

When asked whether or not Irish accounts had been compromised, Google said it is "still investigating" and had no further comment to make.

Hold Security said that it recovered the credentials from a "kid from a small town in Russia".

The information Hold received was delivered in a 10 gigabyte file and included 917 million records that were consistent with western and corporate domains.

Irish Independent
Sajid Ahmads mother, Amna Begum (left) and his sister, Mahazabi, discuss the night of his arrest while sitting outside their home in east Delhi, May 8, 2016.

Updated at 6:40 p.m. ET on 2016-05-09

Delhi police are challenging claims by the family of a suspected Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militant in custody that officers fabricated evidence against him.

Sajid Ahmad, 19, who was arrested in east Delhi on May 4, was the kingpin of a JeM cell whose members include Sameer Ahmad, also from Delhi and Shakir Ansari from Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, that was planning attacks in the Indian capital, police said last week. Sajid and the two others have their day in court on Saturday.

Police also detained 10 other men  four of whom were released on Saturday and the remaining six on Sunday for lack of direct involvement.

Police said they recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs), timers and gun powder from Ahmads house. His family said more than a dozen officers, armed with AK-47 rifles, swooped into the two-story house around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

His family said Ahmad was taken into custody from a mosque near their house where he had gone to pray. They said police broke open the doors of a ground-floor room where he operated his small workshop where he stitched womens undergarments.

They terrorized us and confined us to the first-floor room. They even misbehaved with the women of the house. They crushed Quran Sharif and other literature books under their feet, Ahmads 17-year-old sister, Mahazabi, told BenarNews.

Suddenly, they brought something from the workshop, saying that it is a bomb. We were surprised, she added.

Delhi police, meanwhile, said they were questioning Ahmad and others in custody and were retrieving encrypted messages that the suspects had sent via WhatsApp to see whether they could gather information about alleged links to Islamic militant groups.

It is clear that Sajid was inclined toward Jaish-e-Muhammad and was in direct [contact] with Pakistan. There is lot of evidence to show this, Special Commissioner of Police Arvind Deep told BenarNews.

Police sources claim Ahmad and Ansari were in touch with Maulana Talah Saif, believed to be the brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, founder of the Pakistan- based JeM.

Azhar is wanted by India in connection with an attack on parliament in 2001 and an attack on the Pathankot Indian air base base in January 2016.

Familys account of arrest

Relatives of Ahmad on Monday questioned the police account of his arrest.

They said he injured his left hand while [a] bomb exploded. Had the bomb exploded in his room, at least the plaster of the walls would have come down. Some clothes also would have burned. There would have been an explosion, and we would have been injured. But everything is intact, his sister-in-law, Reema, told BenarNews.

His hand was injured during a scuffle between me and him. I was there in the kitchen two days back when he scolded me for my dupatta slipping off my head. When he tried to push me, I poured some hot milk over him, injuring his left hand, said his younger sister, Mahazabi.

Reema accused the authorities of harassing them because they were members of Indias Muslim minority.

Why are Hindus not picked up? They are picking up children like this from the mosque, Reema said.

The police are not allowing us to meet him. Sajid is too traumatized, she added.

Minority rights activist Shakir Ali echoed Reemas complaint.

In the name of national security, the poor and uneducated Muslims are victimized while the actual terrorists who operate from outside are not dared to be touched. Indian Muslims are true Muslims and owe allegiance to India.

The Modi government targets such Muslims to appease a class of majority who had voted for them, just to show that they are doing very good for the national security, he told BenarNews.

Ahmad, who left school after grade 10 over financial issues at home, had no friends and was always at work or in the mosque, according to family. His only concern, according to close relatives, was to see his sister marry and tend after his mother, a heart patient.

I never imagined this would happen to my son, Ahmads mother, Amna Begum, told BenarNews.
Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan (center) speaks with relatives of victims of the 1965 mass killings, at his Jakarta office, May 9, 2016.

Activists pressing for a full accounting of the killings in Indonesia in 1965-66 on Monday handed the government a list of 122 mass graves, asking that the sites and witnesses to those deaths be protected.

The list delivered by the Foundation for the Research of 1965/66 Massacre (YPKP 65) included sites in Java and Sumatra but not other regions where killings occurred, such as Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.

YPKP 65 officially handed over a summary of records of mass graves that exist in Indonesia. We have found 122 mass graves and believe they contain 1,999 bodies. These mass graves are located in Sumatra and Java, said Bedjo Untung, head of YPKP 65.

The handover took place in a meeting with top security minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. In late April, he demanded that civil society groups reveal the locations of alleged mass graves so that the number of people killed in the anti-communist purge could be confirmed.

All this time, for decades, we have been force-fed the information that several hundred people died. Yet until now we have not seen one mass grave, Luhut told reporters at the time.

Confession session

In October 1965, following an attempted military coup in which six generals were killed, the Indonesian government gave free rein to soldiers and civilian militias to kill anyone they considered a communist.

At least 500,000 people died over the next few months, activists say. The victims included members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), ethnic Chinese, trade unionists, teachers, activists, and artists, according to Human Rights Watch.

Last month, in an unprecedented move, the government hosted a two-day seminar in which people involved in the purges were invited to speak about their experiences.

Activists campaigning for victim rehabilitation and compensation dismissed the event as a mere confession session.

NGOs involved in collecting data on the killings initially declined to disclose the locations of graves, saying the government should first guarantee legal protection of the sites and people who know about them.

Still under surveillance

In the meeting Monday, Luhut guaranteed that security, according to Bedjo of YPKP 65.

This is a great country and therefore safety will be guaranteed. I will order it and telephone military command, he quoted Luhut, who is coordinating minister for politics, legal, and security affairs, as saying.

Bedjo urged the government to guard the graves from being destroyed by those who would prevent a full accounting of the tragedy that unfolded during the transition between Sukarno, Indonesias first president, and Suharto, its second.

I requested that YPKP 65 and witnesses from both sides be guaranteed safety in order to show the mass graves, Bedjo said.

Some members of his victims organization in Central Java are still being monitored as they carry out their daily activities, he added.

Team formed

Luhut said the meeting with YPKP was a starting point for clarifying data for the purposes of reconcilation.

We already formed a team at this ministry that is gathering information abut the mass graves. Im not convinced the tally of victims will reach 200,000, he told BenarNews.

Asked if the investigation could lead to legal proceedings, he answered: Well wait for the outcome of the investigation. The spirit of this is reconciliation. Lets forget the past and walk forward together towards the future.

He said the team staffed by members of his ministry and the national human rights commission, Komnas HAM, would go to Pati and Wonosobo in Central Java to take samples, then proceed to other locations.

Asked if he would request the United States to open its files pertaining to the atrocities 50 years ago, Luhut said he would gladly receive any evidence shared with his government.

He further said he did not agree with discrimination against descendants of former PKI members, who for years have been subject to social stigmatization and denied government jobs.

In my opinion, this is no longer relevant currently. It is unjust that the grandchildren still have to bear responsibilitiy for what their parents or grandparents did.

Human rights activist Reza Muharam, who participated in the meeting, said he hoped the truth of 1965-66 could finally be told.

Komnas HAM has data, the Indonesian military has data, history institutes also have data on victims. I hope the truth-seeking institutions look at all this data so that the number of victims can be clarified, Reza said.
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For Immediate Release, May 9, 2016 Contact: Wendy Park, (510) 844-7138, wpark@biologicaldiversity.org Interior Secretary Asked to Revoke Oklahoma Oil, Gas Leases New Video Shows Spike in Earthquakes From Fracking, Injection Wells OKLAHOMA CITY The Center for Biological Diversity today requested that the Bureau of Land Management pull 11 public fossil fuel leases sold last month in Oklahoma and Kansas over concerns that fracking and underground injection of oil wastewater could increase the risk of earthquakes in these areas, threatening the physical safety and homes of tens of thousands of residents. In todays letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, the conservation group called on the BLM to withdraw the leases, covering more than 2,300 acres of federal oil and gas reserves in Oklahoma and Kansas, that were auctioned off April 20 in Santa Fe, N.M. Despite scientific evidence of skyrocketing injection-induced earthquakes in Oklahoma in recent years, the group points out, the BLM failed even to mention the problem of increased risk of human caused earthquakes in its Environmental Assessment for the lease auction, which violates the National Environmental Policy Act and could put people and property in harms way. A new video posted on the Centers website illustrates the recent spike in oil wastewater-induced earthquakes in Oklahoma on a statewide map. Initially, small circles representing seismic activity pop up sporadically, but then rapidly explode all over central and northern Oklahoma with increasing speed and size. A ticker counting the earthquakes also accelerates with time, tallying a total count of 6,116 earthquakes between May 2005 and April 2016. Its clear that these man-made practices are increasing the amount of earthquake activity near and around drilling sites, said Wendy Park of the Center. Lets not wait for an event that damages property or risks lives before acting to protect Oklahoma and Kansas residents. These dangerous seismic risks to communities are yet another reason for keeping dirty federal fossil fuels in the ground. Scientists say injections of oil wastewater can lubricate faults, triggering damaging earthquakes. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the risk of damage from both natural and induced earthquakes in Oklahoma and other states, and the results show a startling rise in seismic activity since the regions fracking boom began. The agencys assessment suggests that there is a 5 percent to 10 percent chance of damaging shaking from mainly induced earthquakes in a swath of Oklahoma and Kansas. According to the letter, Lake Heyburn, Canton Lake  water supplies for Creek County and Oklahoma City, respectively  would also be at risk from fracking and wastewater injection if the BLM issues the oil and gas leases. A new study of a dam in North Texas, by the Army Corps of Engineers, recommends a five-mile setback for wastewater injections to prevent damage to the dam from induced seismicity. Another study found that seismic activity can be triggered by injections from as far away as 21 miles. The two parcels near Heyburn and Canton lakes are only within a few miles of the Army-Corps-managed dams and are directly upstream of these drinking-water supplies, the letter notes, and calls on the Army Corps to withdraw the two parcels from leasing, based on concerns for the dams integrity and water contamination risks. The BLM previously withdrew several parcels in Texas from the same auction after the public raised concerns over risks associated with oil and gas extraction near dams that serve millions of residents in Dallas, Corpus Christi and Brenham. Despite skyrocketing injection-induced earthquakes in Oklahoma in recent years, the BLM failed to even mention the problem of induced seismicity in its assessment for the lease auction, said Park. The agencys disregard for this issue is irresponsible and wrong, and adds insult to injury for the communities at risk. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with 1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Children who live on farms -- where they are exposed to sources of environmental bacteria such as livestock and dusty barns -- are less likely to develop asthma.

Efforts to improve the health of children at increased risk for asthma will receive a major boost with the launch of a new University of Arizona Health Sciences-led, federally funded national clinical study. For Fernando D. Martinez, MD, and his colleagues at the UA Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, this study follows 30 years of research to prevent and cure this chronic disease.

Titled, "Oral Bacterial Extracts (ORBEX): Primary Prevention of Asthma and Wheezing in Children," the study is funded by a $27 million cooperative agreement grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (U01HL130045). Taking part in the study will be seven other prestigious research institutions across the United States: Columbia University Medical Center, Emory University School of Medicine, George Washington University/Children's National Health System, Harvard University/Boston Children's Hospital, Penn State University College of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"Asthma is a disease that affects 10 percent of all children in the U.S., significantly impacting their ability to thrive," said Dr. Martinez, who will lead the nationwide research effort. "With this new study, we have the opportunity to identify children at the earliest stages of life who are at highest risk for disease and initiate early therapies to minimize respiratory tract illness. Following these children during the preschool years will further enhance our understanding of the disease, provide additional precision approaches to therapy and lead to optimal prevention strategies, and - hopefully - a cure."

Based at the UA Health Sciences' Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, the study will enroll more than 1,000 babies, 6 to 18 months old, who are considered at high risk for developing asthma. High-risk factors include having a parent with asthma or a diagnosis of eczema, or both.

Infants will be randomly assigned to a treatment group that receives the preventive medicine - a bacterial extract - or a control group that gets a non-active placebo treatment. The medicine will be administered over two years. In the third year, researchers will document whether the babies who received the medicine have fewer asthma symptoms than those who received the placebo.

Years of research by Dr. Martinez and colleagues have shown that exposure to environmental bacteria in children under the age of 6 actually can strengthen the child's immune system and reduce the child's risk of developing asthma. Other studies compared asthma rates in children who live in relatively microbe-depleted urban homes to those who live on farms, where they are exposed to livestock and dusty barns. Those children are much less likely to develop asthma than their urban counterparts.

Dr. Martinez became familiar with a naturopathic powder developed in the 1970s in Switzerland. A study had shown the powder, mixed with juice and given to preschool children, decreased wheezing illnesses, which often are the first manifestation of asthma in early life.

"If we could prevent those illnesses, we may be able to prevent the alterations in the lung that predispose children for a lifetime of chronic asthma. The product also has a very good safety profile after decades of use in children as young as 6 months of age," Dr. Martinez said. "This could be transformational. For the first time this could give us hope that we can prevent this disease."

Understanding the genetic and environmental factors that cause asthma, and finding a way to cure or prevent the disease, has been the primary focus of Dr. Martinez's internationally respected research career. Growing up in Santiago, Chile, Dr. Martinez remembers when he was 3 years old watching his mother struggle to breathe during a severe asthma attack. His mother's attacks continued, and so did his fear of losing her to the disease that made it so hard for her to breathe.

"I remember vividly, it's kind of ingrained in my brain, that I promised to myself that I would cure this disease one day, or better yet, find a way to keep it from happening in the first place," Dr. Martinez said.

Said pediatric pulmonologist Wayne Morgan, MD, principal investigator for the UA portion of the study: "Researchers across the world have tried to prevent the development of wheezing illness and asthma for decades. However, studies either reducing or increasing exposures to allergens early in life or using probiotics such as lactobacillus have had disappointing results and likely are not the way forward. Our current study seeks to stimulate the immune system in a safe manner in early life to prevent wheezing illness and, hopefully, the later development of asthma."

UA President Ann Weaver Hart, PhD, said, "the University of Arizona is laser focused on research that creates positive impact by bringing the best minds and the latest technology to bear on curing disease and improving health around the world. The work of Dr. Martinez and his colleagues is a wonderful example of how the creativity and insight of UA scientists spans across continents and disciplines, and I am so proud that they are working to better understand and - we hope - find a cure for a debilitating disease."

Joe G.N. "Skip" Garcia, MD, UA senior vice president for health sciences, said, "the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center team is going to catapult our understanding of the disease, including the genetic and environmental factors that cause asthma. Dr. Martinez and his colleagues have the scientific expertise and the personal passion to end asthma in our lifetime. This study and the national scope of the clinical trial moves us toward a population health perspective in asthma research."
To address long standing design weaknesses and improve market entry of the region's leather and leather products in a sustainable manner, the Commonwealth Secretariat's Trade Competitiveness Section in partnership with COMESA-Leather and Leather Products Institute (COMESA/LLPI) have embarked on an ambitious project to establish a Regional Design Studio (RDS).

Micheal Habumugisha of Musanze in his workshop. Source: COMESA

The launch of the project and the Training Workshop in Creative and Technical Design will be held at Mombasa Continental Resort, Mombasa, Kenya this week, 9-12 May, 2016.

The Regional Design Studio will address some of the design challenges facing the leather sector such as: lack of mechanism to enhance the development of designing capacity at regional level, a lack of database of existing designers at the regional level; inadequate institutionalised framework for supporting the designers and commercialisation of their work to enhance exports.

The regional design leather studio once established, will provide enterprises in the COMESA Region with the ability to use design strategically to open and transform new opportunities within a continually changing business landscape.

The partners are hopeful that ultimately the studio will boost design capacity in exports of leather products at the regional and global levels. A common platform of bridging the gap between top global players and designers in the leather sector will be attained through already established MoUs premier Institutions in Turkey, Italy, India, China and Korea.

Competitiveness

It will also help create more inclusive economic growth and sustainable development, effective policy mechanisms for integration and participation in the global trading system, capacity building for improved market access, countrys informed decisions for improving their trade competitiveness and industrialisation efforts.

The executive director for COMESA/LLPI; Prof Mwinyikione Mwinyihija stressed the importance of the Regional Design Studio by saying that the leather sector in eastern and southern Africa has great potential to deliver the much needed linkages into global value chains (GVC) and huge trickling down effect of our rural and pastoral communities.

Currently, the region is the largest source of basic raw material. Studies show that linking into GVC at lower levels by relying on export of raw materials can be counterproductive as countries fail to explore on existing opportunities towards value addition and thusly, realize gains in terms of growth, development, productivity and competitiveness.

The launch event will be followed by a design training workshop led by experts leather designers of global repute and formation of a regional designers platform for continued engagement of the RDS objectives.

The designers training workshop will bring together more than 50 designers and other stakeholders representing national, regional and international partners in the leather sector from 11 Eastern and Southern Africa countries namely Swaziland, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Rwanda; COMSEC, COMESA/LLPI and a leading design firm from Canada.
Despite the considerable progress made to deliver quality healthcare to all South Africans, the country's medical policies and legislation are still being hamstrung by red tape.

In the 19th edition of the South African Health Review (published by Health Systems Trust), Andy Gray and Professor Yousuf Vawda from the University of KwaZulu-Natal unpick whats really happening in terms of South Africas healthcare laws.

NHI White Paper

They point out that although the long-awaited National Health Insurance (NHI) White Paper was released, related funding and policy issues lack detail and finalisation.

The health policy and legislation arena has been dominated in 2015/2016 by the release, after much delay, of the White Paper on NHI. Although a White Paper is expected to provide finality on a policy in a manner which is ready for implementation, including the development of any necessary legislation, the NHI document leaves many questions unanswered, they say.

The need for major changes to existing legislation is signalled in the White Paper, but few details are provided on exactly how those changes might be made. In addition to changes to the National Health Act and the Medical Schemes Act, and perhaps even the Constitution, the possibility of a new NHI Act is also flighted.

Medicines and related substances

They also say secondary (regulations) and tertiary (guidelines) legislation for the Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Acts of 2008 and 2015 still needs to be developed for promulgation.

Health Products Regulatory Authority

The Office of Health Standards Compliance and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority are yet to be fully operationalised, with the latter not expected to come into operation before 2017. When it does, it will face not only the backlog in registration applications for medicines that is the legacy of the Medicines Control Council, but will also have to complete and entrench the effective regulation of complementary medicines and medical devices.

National Health Laboratory Service Act

They also note that while draft bills to amend the National Health Laboratory Service Act and to create a new National Public Health Institute of South Africa have been prepared, neither has yet been tabled in Parliament.

Health Professions Council of South Africa

While there have been strident calls for a fundamental redesign of the Health Professions Council of South Africa in order to create an independent, self-regulatory council for the medical and dental professions, it is unclear whether these calls will be heeded.

Medical Innovation Bill

The Medical Innovation Bill, one of the few private members bills to be tabled - by late IFP MP, Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, to among other things legalise marijuana for medicinal purposes - still languishes in parliament.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) officially opened a fourth clinic in Swaziland in partnership with the country's ministry of health and private company, Peak Timbers.

Realisation of 90.90.90 goal

The launch of the fourth clinic is part of the AHFs contribution towards the realisation of the 90.90.90 goal adopted by the Swazi nation in its fight against the HIV epidemic and the AHFs global campaign, 20X20, This urges stakeholders in the HIV sector to scale up treatment uptake, with the goal of getting 20m people on treatment by the year 2020, says Terri Ford, AHF chief of global advocacy and policy.

Terri Ford, AHF chief of global advocacy and policy

Bouquet of integrated services

The clinic was created specifically for the timber plantation workers, their families and the surrounding communities. Their location and work schedules revealed limited access to HIV and sexual reproductive health (SRH) services. The plantations are considered private properties; hence, there are not so many government-run services in the area, making access to services in the surrounding communities difficult.

The clinic will serve all the residents in the Piggs Peak area (Northern Hhohho). It will act as the central point where outreach activities to the different plantations and communities will commence. With a bouquet of fully integrated services; including but not limited to screening and treatment of other chronic illnesses (TB, sexually reproductive health and non-communicable diseases), services in the clinic will be provided free of charge.

Encouraging public private partnerships

It is encouraging to see such private public partnerships, where profit-making organisations like Peak Timbers are concerned about the welfare of their workers and surrounding communities, and also make an effort to see that health services are available to them. This should be replicated by all private sector companies for the benefit of the people and communities, says Dr Penninah lutung, AHF Africa bureau chief.

In this partnership, Peak Timbers  through the Global Environmental Fund  provided the building facility and vehicle; the ministry of health provides the ARV drugs, laboratory services and overall mentorship; and the AHF-Swaziland covers the operations (HR, furniture equipment and supplements).

The AHF is the largest non-profit HIV/Aids organisation in the world. It provides healthcare to more than 600,000 patients in 36 countries, including the US, throughout Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Europe and Asia. In Swaziland, it is better known as Lamvese and has been operating in the country since 2007 when its first clinic was opened in Manzini.
The measure of a journalist is in "how ruthless their reporting can be about" the African National Congress (ANC) government, Communications Minister Faith Muthambi says.

She used her budget vote speech on Friday to hit out at the media for focusing on "scandalising government even if that means not getting all the facts right".

"To some media houses their main mission is simply to paint this government as corrupt, hapless and inept, it has now become common cause that the independence and professionalism of many journalists are now measured on how ruthless their reporting can be about this ANC-led government," she said.

The ANC has said previously that media should be regulated and could not be allowed to do as they pleased.

The party has been pushing for the establishment of a media appeals tribunal, arguing that self-regulation is not enough to hold the media accountable. At its national general council last year, the party resuscitated the idea of forming a media appeals tribunal - a decision initially taken at the party's Polokwane conference in 2007.

"There is a huge disconnect between the expectations of both government and media on what exactly the role of the media should be. On the one hand government has taken a view that media is a partner and consequently lined up a whole strategy and delivery mechanism on this false premise," Muthambi said.

She said every fortnight since President Jacob Zuma took office in 2009, the government has held post-Cabinet briefings with video conferencing facilities to link up both Cape Town and Pretoria.

"At any given media briefings, the Cabinet statements are generally no less than 10 pages of insightful content that covers current affairs, Cabinet decisions, Presidential engagements, national achievements, conferences and commitments of ministers both locally and internationally.

"The release also contains pertinent details of progress reports in terms of the outcomes as per the delivery contracts between the President and ministers.

Faith Muthambi

"Notwithstanding these, our media would rather focus on scandalising government even if that means not getting all the facts right. It could also be argued that racist tendencies also play a role in the unrelenting attempts aimed at stigmatising a black government led by the ANC."

Muthambi said print media transformation was her department's flagship project for the 2016-17 financial year.

The department sought to address not only print media ownership, but also the ownership of printing press, the measurement of circulation, distribution channels and the assessment of regulatory instruments to regulate the affairs of media practitioners.

"We will during the second quarter of the financial year host a colloquium on print media transformation with all role players including the public," said Muthambi.

'Pressure at polls'

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP and communications spokeswoman Phumzile van Damme said because the ANC was under pressure at the polls and stood to lose support in a number of major municipalities, "it now, like the government before it, seeks total control over SA's public print and broadcast media".

"Over the last year, Faith Muthambi, the Minister of Communications, or rather, the minister of propaganda has embarked on a state capture project to once again ensure that government has total control over public broadcasting, in particular," said Van Damme, citing among others the Broadcasting Amendment Bill removing Parliament's role in the appointment of the SABC's nonexecutive board members, and giving the minister and the president, members of the executive, the power to do so.

Digital migration

Muthambi also provided an update on the digital migration project. SA already lags behind much of Africa on migration and missed last year's June International Telecommunications Union deadline to switch its broadcast signal to digital. Muthambi said the government would announce the analogue signal switch-off date when more than 80% of the TV households have been migrated to digital TV.

"To make digital migration a success, we will work with the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services and the National Treasury to come up with a mechanism on how (state-owned signal distributor) Sentech can be assisted in maintaining two networks system (dual illumination) costs (of both analogue and digital signals)."

Muthambi, however, bemoaned the lack of funding for some of the digital migration projects such as education and awareness campaigns.

The department's total budget for the 2016-17 financial year amounts to just more than R1.3bn, of which R899m comprises transfers to the entities.

"As indicated to the portfolio committee, this skewed allocation is a clear indication that the department is not adequately funded to fully discharge its mandate as pronounced by President Jacob Zuma in May 2014," said Muthambi.

Source: BDpro
Chocolate bars, taxi ranks, building entrepreneurs and giving back to the community all formed part of Starcom MediaVest Group SA's (SMG) strategy to launch Cadbury Lunch Bar's new look.

The key message for this campaign is that the quality that consumers have known and loved for the past 50 years remains the same, but with a great new look, said SMGs head of outdoor Africa and SA, Kirsty Carlson. We also want to ensure that trust and loyalty in the brand remain strong and continue to grow; drive sales and reward some of most loyal consumers.

The campaign had a strong community focus, especially towards young entrepreneurial black men. The strategy was to initiate a wrapper rewards and collection programme while attracting the interest of young entrepreneurial men and uplifting the local community, she said.

Loyalty cards were created and could be collected by consumers at four key taxi ranks: Alexandra, Randburg, Baragwaneth and Bree Street.

Incredible elements

Hayley van Niekerk, chocolate senior brand manager of Mondelez South Africa added: This campaign has a very special place in my heart. Firstly, because it rewards our largest and most loyal consumer group; secondly because it has so many incredible elements that fit together beautifully, forming a very integrated and impactful campaign. And, lastly, the campaign gives back and supports South Africans who are making their dreams a reality. This is a perfect campaign for a proudly South African brand and a true icon that is Lunch Bar!

Each wrapper collected provided its owner with one sticker. After nine wrappers were collected, loyalty cards were handed in, in exchange for an instant prize. Each persons loyalty card goes into a final draw where a hungry hustler business starter kit to the value of R200,000 can be won.

A leader board has been created at each taxi rank, collating the number of Lunch Bar wrappers collected at each rank. These are being flighted on Massiv TVs taxi and rank TV screens. The rank that collects the most wrappers wins a rank upliftment sponsorship to the value of R100,000.

Artwork to be created

To add further credence to the campaign, all collected Lunch Bar wrappers are being given to a local artist, John Vusi Mfupi, who will create a piece of artwork from them. Its a great way for Cadbury to support a local entrepreneur while providing community upliftment, said Carlson. The artwork will be auctioned off at the end of the campaign at the Candice Berman Fine Art Gallery and proceeds will be given to a selected charity.

The remaining chocolate wrappers will be given to Thamba Tabvuma, a local supplier who recycles and re-purposes household rubbish into items like handbags, wallets and jewellery. Thambas efforts will also provide items like umbrellas, which will be donated to the ranks, said Carlson.

For any campaign to run smoothly, partnerships are of key imprtance. MediaReign very effectively provided and applied branding for the campaign onto taxi rank towers and managed the interior and exterior taxi branding. Continental Outdoor was another vital wheel in the cog, providing 19 large landscape billboards throughout South Africa to drive awareness of the new packaging.

SMG also worked closely with Massiv TV, which provided leader boards and flighted the Lunch Bar TVC on 780 screens throughout its platforms.

Its still early days in the campaign, but early indications are so positive. Within two days of the campaign breaking at the Randburg taxi rank, vendors had already run out of Lunch Bar stock, which our client quickly and gladly re-stocked.

We cant wait to see the results of this campaign, the impact on the local community, final artwork by John, the handover of the final Hungry Hustler Business starter kit and the winning rank upliftment handover, she said.

The competition element of the campaign began flighting at the beginning of April and runs until the end of May. Certain media branding will continue until the end of July 2016.

Follow SMG South Africa on Twitter @SMG_SouthAfrica or connect on Facebook (SMG South Africa).
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Australia's corporate regulator on Thursday, 5 May 2016, approved brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev's buyout of rival SABMiller, which is now awaiting the go-ahead from authorities in other key markets including Europe.

The Belgium-based group's US$122-billion acquisition, which was announced in November, would be the third largest in history if it clears all regulatory hurdles.

"The ACCC found that the proposed acquisition would not significantly change the current market structure," the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said.

It added that the deal was "unlikely to result in higher beer prices for consumers".

To ease the ACCC's competition concerns, AB InBev is terminating its agreements with Australian brewer Lion, which is fully owned by Japanese giant Kirin, for the distribution of AB InBev brands such as Corona.

AB InBev, which approached the ACCC to ensure the deal did not breach competition laws, uses Lion as its main distributor in Australia.

SABMiller is the second largest supplier of beer Down Under, behind Lion.

The green-light came a day after AB InBev confirmed the acquisition was on track to be completed this year, as it reported first quarter profits fell 10% to US$9.4 billion due to weakness in the Brazilian market.

AB InBev, which also has brands such as Stella Artois and Budweiser, sees the buyout of SABMiller as a key way to counterweight falling beer demand in big markets by building its presence in Africa and other regions where sales are going up.

The new combined company would produce one in three beers sold globally, according to market research group Euromonitor International.

The deal comes at a time of growing pressure for consolidation in the brewing industry where craft beers made by smaller independent firms are increasingly popular.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
With generators powering most of the telecom sites in Africa and other developing regions, diesel is the number one factor driving operational cost. Obvious questions result: How much diesel is any given site actually consuming? When is it time to refill? Is fuel consumption in line with the expected performance of your installed power solution? Is there an issue with theft? And are you benefiting from your investment in hybrid power systems in terms of overall fuel consumption?

Mattias Karlsson

These are clearly critical questions. But fuel monitoring is a complex process with a great number of factors affecting performance, reliability and accuracy and until recently diesel consumption has been the single most difficult factor to accurately measure at telecom sites. The good news is that reliable fuel monitoring systems are now available, but before you invest here are some key areas to discuss with any potential vendor:

Design

Any fuel monitoring system should be able to detect what is actually happening to the diesel, but without careful design its almost impossible to distinguish between legitimate fuel use or whether diesel is being stolen or if the tank is leaking. The system should be able to identify when a sensor is faulty or has been tampered with. Beyond the monitoring system itself, the design of the fuel tank setup on site can also introduce complications if, for example, fuel is moved between multiple tanks. And the design should also be able to make allowances for local temperature variations that will impact fuel measurements.

Installation and maintenance

Even the most advanced system in the world will not provide useful or accurate data if it has not been installed correctly. The greater the installation complexity or sensor calibrations required, the greater the risk of errors and unreliable data, so the installation process needs to be as simple and straightforward as possible  especially as most telecom sites requiring a hybrid power system will likely be in remote and/or extreme environments. Post-installation maintenance requirements also need to be kept to a minimum as tampering with sensors or cables  even if it has not been done maliciously  can result in data inaccuracies on an ongoing basis.

Accuracy

A competent fuel monitoring system clearly needs to be accurate, but accurate about what? Is it necessary to know exactly how many decilitres there are in the tank? Is that even feasible given that fluctuations in tank dimensions, external temperature and diesel density will all significantly affect a fuel reading? Rather than knowing the volume of diesel in a tank at any given moment in time, it is far more important to accurately know how much diesel has been consumed over time; how much has been refilled; whether any has been stolen; and most importantly  how many days worth of diesel is left at each site so that refuelling trips can be scheduled appropriately.

Reliability

Of course it goes without saying that any remote monitoring system needs to be reliable. Ideally though there should be an additional level of intelligence in the system, with smart software that is able to recognise patterns of behaviour at each site, such that educated decisions can be made as to whether an anomalous reading is a result of a real issue or whether it is more likely a sensor malfunction. In this way alarms can be prioritised and responded to with a greater measure of efficiency and control.

Remote monitoring

There are obvious impracticalities in a system that requires local data collection by an engineer, especially when there are tens, hundreds or perhaps even thousands of sites involved. And with fuel planning in particular, any system which only allows sensor interrogation at a local level will obviously not be able to inform on issues that require immediate response such as increased diesel use due to a fuel leak or generator fault.

The ability to remotely monitor each and every site is therefore a given. Sophisticated hybrid power systems have fully integrated management tools that enable an engineer sitting in the NOC to compile accurate data and create real-time reports to make sense of fuel consumption (and myriad other data points) from an unlimited number of sites.

With a well-designed, accurate and reliable fuel monitoring system in place, meaningful performance improvements and operational cost reductions can be achieved. Network outages due to lack of fuel can be entirely eliminated. Site refuelling and generator maintenance can be scheduled far more efficiently. The analysis of fuel consumption versus generated electricity will allow the detection of low-performing gensets and provide the required data for a repair/replacement decision. And rather than being limited to simply evaluating site performance based on genset runtime, the overall efficiency of your hybrid power systems can be evaluated against the return on investment originally promised by the system vendor.

The benefits of understanding fuel use on a site-by-site basis are therefore clear. When multiplying those benefits across an entire network of hundreds or even thousands of telecom sites, the operational improvements and cost savings can be transformative to a business.
African Energy Resources has confirmed that two of its 100%-owned Botswana projects - Mmamabula West and Mmamantswe - are being developed to supply South Africa with coal-based power through the latter's cross-border independent power producer (IPP) programme.

Development deals signed

At Mmamantswe, African Energy has entered an agreement where TM Consulting (TMC) will acquire the project for US$20m, subject to achieving certain milestones, principally the financial close of a 600MW integrated power project. TM Consulting is funding all development costs on the project.

In February, African Energy signed a nonbinding term sheet with an experienced South African developer to jointly develop the Mmamabula West Project into an integrated coal mine and 600MW thermal power station for the supply of power in the southern African market.

DoE increases IPP capacity

The agreements seem to be in anticipation of the gazette issued in April by the South African department of energy setting out terms for the countrys coal baseload crossborder Independent IPP programme.

The terms included that 3,750MW of coal-generated power shall be procured through one or more IPP programmes from cross-border projects. This is an increase from the initial 2,500 MW allocation proposed in December 2014.

It also allows the department of energy to commence direct negotiation with one or more project developers in addition to a tendering process, and specifies that IPPs aim to connect to the grid for new generation capacity as soon as reasonably possible.
The Newton Fund and National Research Foundation (NRF) UK-SA Bilateral Research Chair initiative (SARChi) aims to provide a boost in food security research in South Africa.

Professor Thandi Mgwebi, director of Research at the University of the Western Cape, introducing the SARChI in Social Protection for Food Security

Food insecurity is not caused by lack of food at national level, but by a lack of access to food at the individual level, mainly due to poverty, says Dr Stephen Devereux, the SARChi in Social Protection for Food Security. Dr Devereux is also a research fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK.

One response to food insecurity is social protection, which improves access to food for the poor, either by giving them food or by raising their income, adds Dr Devereux. Yet, despite South Africas extensive and expanded social protection system, food insecurity and malnutrition remain highly prevalent, with an estimated one in four South Africans being food insecure.

Strengthening research and innovation

The SARChi aims to address questions on why food insecurity in South Africa remains so high, despite the comprehensive social protection system and; how can the impact of social protection on hunger be improved? The UK-SA Bilateral Research Chair initiative is a National Research Foundation (NRF) joint programme implemented through the British Council. The initiative aims to help strengthen research and innovation capacities in SA and the UK and to promote international exchange and cooperation.

Front row: Professor Thandi Mgwebi, director of Research at the University of the Western Cape, Minister Naledi Pandor, Dame Judith McGregor. Back row: DVC Frans Swanepoel, Dr Stephen Devereux and other SA-UK SARChIs, and members of the British Council.

Dr Devereux will be based at the University of the Western Capes (UWC) Institute for Social Development, and affiliated to the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS). The CoE-FSs network spans 12 local universities, seven international partners, and two research councils. This SARChi presents an opportunity to further widen our network and create new linkages to expand the reach of the centre. Specifically, this initiative symbolises the importance of international collaborations as a key ingredient to responding to global socio-economic challenges, says Professor Julian May, director of the CoE-FS.
The 2016 Sun International CEO SleepOut will take place on Thursday, 28 July, on the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg. CEOs are asked to rise to the challenge and spend a night on the streets, mobilising future generations to commit to fighting poverty and homelessness.

Originating from The Vinnies Sleepout event held in Sydney, Australia in 2006, the inaugural South Africa CEO SleepOut in 2015 saw 247 CEOs and business leaders trade their Porches for the pavement, and spend the night outdoors on Gwen Lane in Sandton. The event raised more than R26m overnight for Girls & Boys Town. In 2015, CEOs from the likes of ABSA, Mutual and Federal, Discovery and many more took part.

This year, the Sun International CEO SleepOut will focus on education and its role in helping to reduce homelessness.

How it works:

The 4Leaders 4Change

Company CEOs and C-Suite members can register to take part in The CEO SleepOut. This year, as these business leaders spend the night on the street, they will pay forward the idea of social entrepreneurship to three future leaders; bringing with them a colleague, a student and a matric learner with notable leadership qualities. Together, they will make up the 4Leaders 4Change.

Kevin Fine, MD of Jacaranda FM who are one of the media sponsors.

CEO and C-suite members may also challenge other business leaders to take part, driving a national call to action.

The pledge

In order to participate in The CEO SleepOut, the business leaders must commit to raising R160,000 for beneficiary partners. The funds will be raised in the spirit of paying it forward:

Step one: the CEO pledges R100,000 to participate in the event, which is paid forward to their designated colleague nominee.

Step two: the designated colleague participant then commits to assist in raising the R50,000 required by the student nominee.

Step three: the student assists the matric learner to raise R10,000.

The total of R160,000 will then be allocated by The CEO SleepOut Trust to the appointed 2016 educational beneficiary partners who work to educate youth as a means to end the cycle of homelessness. The 2016 CEO SleepOut beneficiary partners are The ASHA Trust, Columba Leadership, and The Steve Biko Foundation.

Participating CEOs and C-suite members may also be sponsored to SleepOut as supporters can back their chosen CEO with a financial pledge, which will be added to the CEOs final pledge tally.

For more info, go to www.theceosleepoutza.co.za.
During a presentation at World Farmer's Organisation's General Assembly held in Zambia, Omri van Zyl, Agri SA executive director, shared South African farmers' situation regarding farm attacks and murders with the international community including delegates from the United Nations and the Food and Agricultural Organisation. South African farmers have suffered more than 8,065 farm attacks and more than 924 farm murders over the past 15 years.

Nuno Miguel da Costa Pacheco Fonseca via 123RF

"This is clearly an unacceptable statistic in any part of the world", Van Zyl remarked. We cannot allow members of farming communities to be murdered and fear installed  this situation has reached extreme proportions in South Africa. Most of the provinces in South Africa are affected by these atrocities. Human Rights and the right to life and liberty enshrined in the South African constitution, is imperative to the future of our country. Clearly, we still have a long way to go to adhere to this noble principle.

The levels of violence and criminality remains unacceptably high. Of great concern to Agri SA, is the brutal nature of farm murders. Farmers are also subjected to house robberies, aggravated assault, malicious damage to property, theft of crops, farm produce as well as livestock. Approximately 55,000 head of cattle and 85,000 sheep gets stolen each year  clearly this has become an endemic problem for farmers and rural communities alike.

Safety and security a priority

Agri SA, has always had a constructive relationship with the South African Police Service, especially in relation to matters of safety and security. A good example of this relationship is Agri SAs involvement with the implementation of the Rural Protection Plan since 1997 when farm attacks were firstly prioritise by government and the police and, more recently, the National Rural Safety Strategy since July 2011.

Agri SA also played a role in finalising the revised reservist policy. The re-confirmation by the acting National Commissioner of Police that farm murders and attacks will still receive priority status, is welcomed. Agri SA will continue to participate with the police in developing the necessary action plans and processes to deal with the rural crime situation.

The Agri Securitas Trust Fund has made a big difference to the security situation at farm level by investing in security equipment, telecommunication infrastructure, funding of provincial security desks, counselling sessions, etc. We still need to do a lot more at farm level to protect our farmers, farm workers and their families, and to this end we need funds and expertise from all spheres, said Van Zyl in closure.
Holiday season water shortages could be a thing of the past in Port Alfred after construction began on an R85m reverse osmosis plant that will also make the town's supply more drinkable.

Ndlambe municipal spokesman Khulukile Mbolekwa said on Wednesday, 4 May, the new plant was a short-term solution that formed part of a bigger master plan to improve water supply and quality on the Sunshine Coast.

"It is expected to be connected soon and things will improve," he said.

Mbolekwa said cleaner water from the reverse osmosis plant would be blended with existing sources to reduce the salinity in tap water.

For years, residents have complained that the tap water is undrinkable because of high salt levels.

While the more affluent have been able to buy reverse osmosis water from shops or use rainwater tanks, the majority of township residents have not been as fortunate.

Nelson Mandela Township single mother Khululwa Mudinga said she was counting the days until she no longer had to lug five-litre bottles of rainwater home from her employer's gutter tanks.

"The tap water is often very dirty; it also tastes and smells bad," she said.

"I will be very happy if it improves as I have a small child and a sick mother to care for and do not want to risk their health drinking tap water."

She said she hoped water shortages would become a thing of the past and residents would not have to queue for hours waiting for tankers when it ran out.

The existing water supply has also been blamed for the faster deterioration of appliances like electric geysers and kettles because of the high salt content causing corrosion and damage.

Plumber Jacques Krige said on Wednesday removing all minerals from the water supply would definitely improve the life of geysers and other household appliances that use water.

"The reverse osmosis plant will take all the rubbish out of the water. Minerals in our water cause oxidation that damages appliances," he said.

Mbolekwa said although the water "was a bit salty at the moment", things would improve drastically once the plant was connected to water supply lines.

He said poorer households without gutter tanks would benefit through better-tasting water and improved availability.

"Port Alfred has been hard hit by water shortages, especially over the festive season. This is a short-term project that will bring relief during season."

Source: Herald
Thirty measures are detailed as part of a construction industry "transformation framework" in a new report compiled by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Shaping the Future of Construction: A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology describes and promotes the effort needed from all stakeholders for the industry to fully realise its potential for change.

The construction industry has been slower than most to adopt technological innovations, and wary of modernising strategies and processes. In the US, labour productivity in construction has actually fallen during the last 40 years. These facts are particularly surprising because of the industrys central role in everyones daily life and its powerful impact on other industries, the environment, and the economy as a whole. The construction sector now accounts for 6% of global GDP, and about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to buildings. Given the industrys size and weight, even small improvements in performance would generate huge benefits for the world.

Shaping the Future of Construction: A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology covers, among other things, the use of innovative technologies, enhancements in operations and processes, adjustments to business and HR strategies, industry cooperation, and, crucially, optimisation of public policy. Citing numerous best practices and case studies, it applies not only to construction companies but also to design companies, suppliers of technology and building materials or equipment, and others on the value chain, as well as to the industry as a whole and governments.

For many in the industry, the approach described in the report is a new and possibly radical one, but it is the path to a more innovative, productive and socially responsible future, said John M. Beck, executive chairman of Aecon, who introduced the report.

Already within reach

Change is already under way, headed by the construction firms themselves with the support of innovative processes and products. Emerging digital technologies will boost productivity, enhance the quality of buildings, and improve on-site safety and environmental compatibility: 3D models for guidance, robots for the dangerous work, and drones and embedded sensors to check on progress, for instance.

Individual companies have serious transformative opportunities now, by exploiting new technologies and materials, said Santiago Castagnino, a partner and construction expert at BCG and co-author of the report. If you also optimise the planning and the processes, you could easily end up cutting costs by 15% and reducing the completion time by as much as 30%.

Such scenarios are not futuristic. Leading-edge technologies already affect all sub-sectors and all stages of a building assets life cycle  from planning and design through operations and maintenance. But their adoption is still sparse and uneven. Only when the various advances have been adopted pervasively will the industry really be able to boast of a transformation  that is the clear message of the report. In the words of Pedro Rodrigues de Almeida, head of Basic Industries and a member of the executive committee at the World Economic Forum, The report provides a preview of the upcoming changes in the industry, and a way of accelerating their realisation. It offers a toolkit for success, but it also serves as a necessary rallying call.

Collaboration and beyond

The industry is extremely fragmented. To unlock its full potential, companies along the value chain will need to collaborate far more than they do now, and industry organisations will need to make their presence felt more strongly  in defining common goals and standards, engaging local communities and prospective employees, and advocating with public agencies.

Governments are key contributors to the industrys evolution. A government is often not just the regulator but also the owner and a major client of infrastructure assets. By speeding regulatory and environmental approvals, it can reduce project delays. It can improve competitiveness by inviting foreign bidders to tender. By supporting academic and corporate R&D, it can promote technological innovation. It can impose environmental standards and weed out corruption in procurement practices.

In general, governments can create a fertile environment for the industrys transformation, said Dr. Philipp Gerbert, a senior partner at BCG and another of the reports authors. And they contribute more directly to the transformation by commissioning or co-sponsoring seriously ambitious projects. When you look at high-profile projects, such as Crossrail in London, you see how public actions can have a strong impact in spreading the adoption of new technologies throughout the industry.

A new era

Consider just one of the mega trends shaking up the construction industry: an increase in the population of the worlds urban areas by 200,000 people a day, all of them needing affordable housing plus social, transportation, and utility infrastructure. With challenges like this, the industry is almost under a moral obligation to change. Its transformation will affect the wider society, by reducing construction costs; the environment, by improving the use of scarce materials or making buildings more eco-efficient over time; and the economy, by narrowing the global infrastructure gap and boosting economic development in general.
Executive remuneration has come under scrutiny in recent years, with company boards having to justify the attractive packages paid to CEOs and other senior management.

Shareholder activists, journalists and other interested parties go over annual reports with a fine-tooth comb looking for the highest-paid executives. But it is hard to compare their pay packages just by adding up the "total remuneration" column in an annual report.

If the remuneration tables between the big four banks, for example, were simply compared, you would be forgiven for thinking Nedbank's Mike Brown is the highest-paid CEO. The issue is more complex than that, as each of the four banks award shares that vest over a lengthy period, some within a year, others in three years.

Whether the shares are paid out eventually, depends on the performance of the company and the individual CEO.

For instance, in 2012, Barclays Africa CEO Maria Ramos was awarded long-term incentives that could have potentially paid out R32m after three years. But of this R32m, she will receive only R6.2m, with half having been paid out in the 2015 financial year, and the remainder this year.

Like Ramos, many of Brown's shares awarded in 2012 lapsed, according to Nedbank's remuneration report. Of 64,862 shares awarded to him at a value of R5.3m, he received 44,723 last year, although share price gains meant their value surged to R11.3m by last year.

Cash-performance incentives awarded to him in 2012, but delivered in shares last year, reached R7.3m.

The art of deciphering remuneration reports

"It is indeed vexing to decipher and somewhat of an art," says remuneration expert Mark Bussin, chairman of 21st Century Pay Solutions, of the banks' remuneration reports. "King IV is coming out strongly in favour of more transparent and simpler reporting."

A draft of the King IV code on corporate governance released in March proposes a remuneration "disclosure benchmark" that enables comparative analyses among firms within the same peer group.

The problem appears to be that share options awarded during the year (which vest in later periods) as part of long-term incentive schemes are included in remuneration tables that are silent on the actual number of share options awarded. Some do not specify vesting periods.

"Reporting on guaranteed remuneration and bonus awards including deferrals, is relatively consistent," says Clinton Rodgers, Nedbank's executive head for reward.

"It is the reporting on long-term incentive awards that makes the comparisons more challenging," Rodgers says.

Difference in disclosure tables

Nedbank includes all remuneration elements in a single disclosure table, using the rand value of the different awards, while some of its peers reported long-term incentives separately, he says.

"This then results in readers potentially making comparisons that are not like for like, and, therefore, drawing incorrect conclusions on the relativity of remuneration levels," Rodgers says.

To get past these disparities in reporting, remuneration experts have suggested using an actual "realised compensation" model for comparisons. This includes the guaranteed package paid and cash component of the bonus paid to executives during the financial year, with the value of any share awards that vested during the year.

For example, a simple comparison of the remuneration reports published by Standard Bank and Barclays Africa would show that joint CEOs Sim Tshabalala and Ben Kruger earned just R2m more than Ramos, whose total remuneration was reported at R28.2m last year.

But this is not an accurate picture. In fact, Standard Bank awarded Tshabalala and Kruger R11.8m each in deferred awards - which investor relations head David Kinsey says will be released in three equal tranches only over 18, 30 and 42 months from March 2015 - while Ramos was granted shares worth R8.2m, to be released in three years.

"The final value of the award is dependent on the share price at the time of vesting," Kinsey observes.

"Benefits derived"

Standard Bank says it reports the release of these shares under "benefits derived" further down in its remuneration report, showing Tshabalala enjoyed R8.1m in vested shares, while Kruger obtained the right to exercise shares worth nearly R6m.

Kinsey says these awards are not conditional on group performance, so only movements in the share price would affect how much the joint CEOs received at the date of vesting.

FirstRand's 2015 remuneration report shows the banking group's former CEO Sizwe Nxasana made R33.4m in total remuneration last year. But this amount included share awards vesting in two years.

Stripping out these awards, and including shares that vested in line with the realised compensation model, Nxasana was the best-rewarded banking CEO last year, pocketing R35.1m from shares granted as part of FirstRand's long-term incentive programmes.

This excludes R75m gained from participating in FirstRand's black non-executive directors scheme and the FirstRand black employee scheme.

FirstRand spokeswoman Sam Moss argues that the long-term incentives should be stripped out of the realised compensation model, as they were awarded in 2011.

"Market value appreciation would be accrued over the period," she says. "Proper comparisons are very difficult, and personally, I believe that the different performance criteria used by the banks are a valid reason not to include (long-term incentives) in the year they vest because the vesting values should be properly contextualised against... performance targets."

Moss says shareholder value-creation is also different, and long-term incentives are at risk over the vesting period - meaning that they could be lost due to failure to meet performance goals. They could also lose their value.

Source: Business Day via I-Net Bridge
Intelligence quotient (IQ) is often used to determine a potential candidate's ability to perform in the workplace but is being intelligent enough when it comes to working with other people, in teams, or for a manager? A particular level of emotional intelligence (EQ) is required to work with others and in certain instances, a high level of EQ is a much greater asset in a staff member than a high IQ.

According to the book Emotional Intelligence, by psychologist Daniel Goleman, EQ can be broken down into five segments, each of which encompasses the ability to deal with certain emotions. From self-awareness to self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills, a high level of EQ will serve employees well in the workplace  perhaps even more so than a high IQ.

Developing employees understanding of their own emotional intelligence is crucial to workplace synergy. IQ will help employees get the job done, EQ will help them get the job done as a cohesive team, breaking down silos and creating an organisation that moves forward as one unit.

South Africas corporate culture is one that focuses on physical health in employee engagement, assuming an employee that has a high IQ and is physically healthy will perform at optimum. This is not true. An employee that is physically healthy, but unhappy emotionally  whether due to working conditions, clashing with his/her manager, or issues arising outside of the workplace  will be distracted, demotivated and unproductive.

In an article published in the HR Professionals Magazine, American HR expert Judy Bell confirms that teams have a collective emotional quotient and this must be fostered to ensure a collaborative effort.

Bell mentions various elements that employees should consider in developing their own EQ  but we believe that these elements should be a focus of employee engagement and development, from a management level.

To foster happiness in the workplace, management must recognise employees emotions, understand the cause of their feelings and explore with them the difference between having a feeling and acting on it. By exploring employees actions and being aware of their frustration tolerance, management can encourage staff to express anger appropriately, eliminate self-destructive behaviour and nurture positivity in the workplace.
WASHINGTON, USA: A federal judge has said Hillary Clinton may be required to testify about her private email system while secretary of state as part of a freedom of information act lawsuit brought by a conservative watchdog group.

It was the latest twist in a long-running email saga that continues to dog Clinton as she runs for president as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Judge Emmet Sullivan on Wednesday, 4 May 2016, gave the go ahead for Judicial Watch to take testimony from several of Clinton's close aides when she was secretary of state.

"Based on information learned during discovery, the deposition of Mrs Clinton may be necessary," Sullivan said in an order granting Judicial Watch discovery.

The order authorizes depositions of seven former State Department officials about the private email system Clinton used for much of her electronic correspondence while secretary of state.

They include Cheryl Mills, who was Clinton's chief of staff at the State Department; Huma Abedin, her former deputy chief of staff; and Bryan Pagliano, the State Department employee who reportedly set up the email system.

Clinton's use of a private server for both official and private correspondence first came to light in 2015 during Republican-led congressional investigations into her handling of a militant attack on the US mission in Bengazi, Libya.

The assault in 2012 left the US ambassador and three other Americans dead.

The FBI has since launched a criminal investigation amid Republican charges that use of the unsecured system endangered national security.

Judicial Watch's tie-in to the controversy is a freedom of information act it had filed in 2013 seeking information about Abedin's employment by the State Department under a special status that allowed her to work for others outside the department while serving as Clinton's adviser.

It dropped the suit a year later after receiving assurances from the State Department that it had searched for the requested records.

But after learning of Clinton's private email server, Judicial Watch reopened the suit, alleging that the State Department had not acted in good faith because its records search did not include the secretary's emails.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
The government's goal of attracting more black suppliers of components to the motor industry is not an attempt to impose "uncompetitive rent-seekers" on the sector, says Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.

Hongqi Zhang via 123RF

Davies said that although manufacturers had worked hard to raise the level of local content in their vehicles, there was still a lack of black involvement in the segment and the industry as a whole had to work harder to solve the problem. The minister was in Uitenhage at an inaugural Volkswagen SA (VWSA) event to identify potential black suppliers.

From more than 500 applicants, 46 companies from around SA were invited to display their products and demonstrate their ability to supply. Davies said the search for black automotive suppliers was part of a broader government initiative to develop black industrialists across the economy. Government departments had set aside more than R20bn to make this happen. However, Davies said, the private sector also had to contribute.

The VWSA event, which was also supported by the Automotive Industry Development Centre, was an example of what could be achieved through industry co-operation. Davies said that companies hoping to take advantage of incentives offered by the Automotive Production and Development Programme had to prove their commitment to supplier- and entrepreneur-development.

VWSA MD Thomas Schaefer said new suppliers needed economies of scale and, therefore, more than one customer for the initiative to work. Some SA motor companies boast more than 70% local content, but the industry average is less than 50%. In a review of automotive policy last year, Davies said that although support strategies had broadly been successful in the past 20 years, the biggest failing had been the inability to attract more black participants.

Vehicle manufacturers based in SA are all foreign-owned, as are most of their direct suppliers. The main opportunity for black suppliers is for sub-components - the parts that go into the main components. Schaefer said there was no shortage of potential black business partners but, as part of global manufacturing chains, South African motor companies had to choose suppliers based on cost, quality and reliability. There was no room for sentiment.

Schaefer said motor-industry support for black industrialists had been mostly uncoordinated until now. "There is a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit out there," he said.

"As an industry, we have to harness it. As VWSA, we want to act as a match-maker, as a dating agency."

Source: Business Day
Monash South Africa (MSA) is launching a professional Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree that is designed to offer maximum study flexibility for part-time students seeking better career enhancement prospects.

Dr Ludi Koekemoer, programme manager for the MBA

Professionals can enrol in the MBA anytime during the year - subjects are offered in five-week blocks, one subject at a time.

If a student finishes a subject and then anticipates a time-sensitive project at work or a major family event, they can simply skip the next five-week block and resume as needed, says Dr Ludi Koekemoer, programme manager for the MBA within MSAs School of Business and Economics. The degree can therefore be completed in 18, 24, or 36 months.

Innovation is key

The MSA MBA is underpinned by a use it now concept, where students are taught how to apply all their learnings immediately in their jobs. This way, students become innovative and creative leaders in dynamic corporate environments. Innovation is key to our MBA, says Koekemoer, and it is one reason why, instead of a standard dissertation at the end of programme, we ask for an Innovation Project that incorporates both business theory and the application of practical creative intelligence that is taught throughout the course, helping students discover their own creative potential and applying it in real world situations.

Blended learning approach

The course uses a blended learning approach that includes online self-study with online voice chats using VoIP technology, in addition to email support, and face-to-face contact sessions with peers and lecturers on selected Saturdays. The result is less frequent, but more focused, trips to the MSA campus in Ruimsig, Roodepoort.

The MSA MBA is a fully accredited NQF level nine degree with the South African Qualification Authority. To qualify for admission, prospective students must possess an HEQSF level eight qualification, for example a four-year degree, a postgraduate diploma, or an honours degree. Alternatively, if students have an NQF level seven qualification, relevant work experience and other credentials, they can apply to enter via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

For more info, go to www.msa.ac.za.
Alana James has been appointed as the college council chairperson for 2016 at Northlink College. Her appointment followed the conclusion of the term of the previous chairperson, Guy Harris, in 2015. James accepted the appointment and will head up all decisions relating to college matters.

L-R: Leon Beech (Northlink College principal), Alana James (college council chairperson), Guy Harris (college council member)

The council, management and staff believe that she is the best person for the position and have expressed their satisfaction with the process. She has significant knowledge and experience, garnered by working or participating at board level at a range of top companies and institutions, such as The Sunflower Fund, where she is currently CEO, as well as the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

She explains: In order to succeed as chairperson, having a sound knowledge of the following is important: knowledge of the TVET sector, the role of the colleges that fall under the jurisdiction of the TVET sector; the overall post-school sector, as envisaged by the Green Paper on Post School Education in South Africa; experience in strategic planning and decision-making, and understanding the programme qualification mix (PQM) and how the right PQM can support employability, to name but a few. I also think you need a positive attitude, the ability to think holistically, to work in a team and to support conflict resolution.

Northlink College is delighted that with the appointment: We wish Alana much success in her great task, and envisage that she takes the college to greater heights during her term as the official chairperson of Northlink College, said Leon Beech, CEO of Northlink College.
#FeesMustFall supporters have criticised the president of the Wits University Students' Representative Council, Nompendulo Mkatshwa, for speaking on behalf of the movement.

An interview with Mkatshwa was broadcast on eNCA's current affairs show Checkpoint on Tuesday, 3 May 2016. Mkatshwa was asked for her thoughts on #FeesMustFall, about criticism of her and about the ramifications of the march to the Union Buildings in October.

Leaders of the movement say she should not have agreed to the interview.

MJ wa Azania, leader of the Occupy Higher Education campaign and of #FeesMustFall, said the media kept giving Mkatshwa the wrong platform.

"We have reprimanded her before to not speak on our behalf. Next time we are simply going to get an interdict against her."

Wa Azania, who denied that there were divisions in the #FeesMustFall movement, said that Mkatshwa's reaction to questions about the EFF and the ANC reduced the significance of their "struggle".

University of Cape Town political activist Chumani Maxwele said Mkatshwa had not initially been involved in #FeesMustFall.

"Her views in the interview are just that - her views. She is an SRC president, not the leader of the movement, let alone the appropriate person to speak to.

"There are students being suspended and arrested in the name of #FeesMustFall. What is she doing about that if she is the leader?"

Source: The Times
In less than 15 years it is hoped tourist figures will rise from 56 million to 136 million in Africa. However, Ambassador Abba Omar, Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection believes the continent can do better.

Image courtesy of INDABA via Reg Caldecott

He was addressing delegates, including the South African Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Tokozile Xasa as well as a number of ministers and delegates from African countries at the Ministerial Session, held at Moyo Restaurant, uShaka Marine World on the eve of the Tourism Indaba in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

We must make Africa work

The event examined how Africa could realise its tourism potential, and also hosted presentations from Dr Christopher Rodrigues, Chairperson Visit Britain and Thebe ikalafeng, Thebe Ikalafeng, founder and Chairman, Brand Leadership Group.

We must make Africa work and to do this we have to break out of the box of low growth over a long period. We must ask ourselves are we doing enough? So we need to look at positioning our continent globally and the tourism ministers need to work together to achieve this, he says.

Promote Africa to Africans

The other part of the strategy is to promote Africa internally. Intra-Africa trade is at 11%, which is very low when you compare it to Intra-Asia trade at 50% and Intra-Europe trade at 70%. African governments need to be convinced of the high Return on Investment (ROI) that intra-tourism can provide. Tourism specific taxes and tariffs need to be removed and closer cooperation with the private sector encouraged. There needs to be investment around tourism to promote Africa to Africans, especially the rising middle class.

Currently, Africa has six visitors per 100 people he says while the world average is 22 visitors per 100 people. I suggest we aim for at least the world average. While this is a stretch, lets find out how we can accomplish it. By the same token, while Africa takes in five percent of worldwide arrivals, it only has a three percent share in tourism receipts. Again I suggest we stretch ourselves and set our goal as five percent, instead of three.

Tourism matters

Tourism matters, says Dr Rodrigues. Every 40 visitors equal one job which equates to 25,000 jobs if you have one million visitors. But it is not always that simple.

Government sees tourism differently to how we do he explains. Government talks about jobs, tax and foreign exchange revenues and regeneration while we talk about bottoms in seats and heads in bed. We need to talk the language of the government. It is also about cooperation. Firstly with government, and then between government and the private sector. This is followed by the need to collaborate internationally, he says.

Building a compelling brand

Countries are about perceptions. We are in the business to encourage others to travel to our continent. So how do we build the nation brand? A brand is not a logo it is only an entry point to the country. A nation is a brand because it fights for a share of the wallet. How do we that? asks Ikalafeng, founder and chairman, Brand Leadership Group.

Firstly with clarity. Be clear in what you stand for. What is your competitive advantage? Find that one unique thing to compete on and do it well. Second is creativity. This is not about beautiful words and images but focusing your brand on what people believe. It must be compelling. Common identity and national pride is nation building and national branding campaigns provide a country with this, he says.

Third is cohesive, which is about working with other players. Last but not least, he adds, is leadership and this is key in building this brand.
South Africa is on a long journey with every day taking us closer to our dream of being a truly non-racial, non-sexist society and to our final destination of freedom, equality and prosperity. The South African Minister of Tourism, Derek Hanekom officially opened the Tourism INDABA on Saturday, 7 May quoting these words of late former President Nelson Mandela.

Image courtesy of INDABA via Reg Caldecott

He emphasised this point further by quoting Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosas who, earlier this week, described the South African story of new and re-shaped lives, new hopes, new dreams, new opportunities and new adventures for millions of our people. It is the story of a new South African.

While there are challenges to overcome, Hanekom said tourism could achieve this for the country. In South Africa we are investing in our key sites, and training our people to enhance the visitor experience at these destinations. We have started fitting selected attractions with solar energy to reduce their reliance on the national grid and reduce their operational costs.

He added that the country was also strengthening and adjusting its marketing efforts to keep pace with global trends.

Intrinsically linked to the continent

South Africa is intrinsically linked to the continent and if tourism succeeds then the continent succeeds. Minister Hanekom described Africa as a vibrant melting pot for tourism: the diverse cultures, customs and traditions of our people, merged with the endless variety of our landscapes, blended with our unique biodiversity, tempered by our historical legacy, and fired by the spirit of freedom and equality.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation projects international tourist arrivals in Africa to grow by 4% worldwide in 2016, with tourist arrivals in Africa estimated to reach 130 million by 2030 - more than double the 50 million current arrivals.

Investment in tourism across Africa is making the tourism sector a key economic driver for many destinations. Emerging economies are shifting from their reliance on commodities and moving towards innovation and the services sector. Increasingly, tourism and hospitality are being recognised as huge contributors to growth, he said.

However, he noted that if we are to be successful, everyone needs to pay more attention to the image and reputation of Africa. Not only through effective marketing, but by putting on a really great show when tourists arrive. Their word of mouth will do our marketing for us when they return home.

Across the continent, he said, we face similar challenges. We also share similar potential for sustainable growth. We all stand to benefit from working together, instead of competing with each other.

Indaba the ideal platform, expresses the soul of Africa

The Indaba provides the ideal platform to do this. A successful Indaba contributes to the success of tourism in all our countries, says Minister Hanekom. The opening was attended by the Ministers of Tourism from our continent: from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Lesotho, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and to the MECs for Tourism from our provinces. The Indaba also boasts the highest number of African exhibitors - 18 in total  for any one event.

The Indaba is the premier African travel and tourism show in the world and expresses what the soul of Africa is all about says the Minister. This is what it means to share what we have, and to work together to get what we want. This is how we exist, through the existence of those around us. We are bound together by our common past, and our future is intertwined.

Indaba links every person in this room to each other. We feel a powerful sense of belonging when we come together to move tourism forward he said.

Central to the success of the INDABA is the interaction between exhibitors and buyers. This year, buyers have been sourced from key global markets, including the UK, USA, Germany, France, Netherlands, India, Japan, China, Australia, Canada, Kenya, Nigeria and Brazil. During the next few days, business partnerships will be forged between product owners and buyers. And after the stands have been packed away, it will be about how our governments throughout the continent partner with industry and communities, and how we join forces to receive the next wave of tourists.

The Minister also thanked South African Tourism (SA Tourism) and their partners. The opening was also addressed by the Mayor of Durban, the MEC for KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Michael Mabuyakhulu.
SAN FRANCISCO - Online retail colossus Amazon on Thursday boosted its fledgling air cargo service as it moves to gain more independence from freight firms for delivery of online purchases.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings will provide air cargo services to Amazon, which also obtained an option to buy a stake in the New York-based company, the companies said in a joint release.

"We are excited to begin a strategic long-term relationship with Amazon to support the continuing expansion of its e-commerce business and to enhance its customer delivery capabilities," said Atlas Air chief executive William Flynn.

The agreement will include Atlas Air operating of 20 B767-300 converted freighters for Amazon. Operations were to begin in the second half of this year and ramp to full service through 2018.

"We are excited to welcome a great provider, Atlas Air, to support package delivery to the rapidly growing number of Prime members who love ultra-fast delivery, great prices and vast selection from Amazon," said Amazon senior vice president of worldwide operations Dave Clark.

The deal included Amazon getting warrants allowing it to acquire as much as 20 percent of Atlas Air common stock shares at a price of $37.50 over a five-year period, according to the companies.

"The natural step for Amazon is controlling more of its own transportation and logistics, including additional air cargo and other transportation operations, as these are almost a necessity to continue the rapid expansion of Prime and Prime Now," Baird Equity Research said in a note to investors.

Amazon last month started up its own air cargo service, laying down a challenge to companies like Fedex and UPS, which deliver much of its goods.

Aircraft leasing firm Air Transport Services Group said Amazon's Fulfillment Services unit will lease 20 Boeing 767 freighters, to be operated by ATSG, to serve Amazon customers in the United States.

The move was to "ensure air cargo capacity to support one and two-day delivery for customers," according to Clark.

It could boost Amazon's standing with customers, especially during the heavy shopping of the end-of-the-year Christmas period.

Over the past two years both UPS and Fedex struggled with the high volume of goods ordered online to meet delivery commitments.

"We continue to believe that Amazon is in the early stages of building out larger-scale transportation and logistics operations to add capacity beyond existing providers, to lower logistics expenses, and ultimately, to offer specialized services to third parties," Baird said.

Source: AFP
Africa's first Sustainable Brands conference will be held at the Century City Conference Centre in Cape Town from 14-17 May 2016. Sustainable Brands will hold it in association with the National Business Initiative (NBI), MCI South Africa and the Change Agent Collective, with Procter and Gamble as the headline sponsor.

The four-day conference, called SB16 Cape Town, features a line-up of over 80 speakers who will lead discussions into how to innovate your brand for sustainability now. Leading sustainability practitioners will host interactive discussion groups, breakout sessions, plenary presentations and networking activities for the business delegates, creative minds and the countrys future leaders.

Sustainable Brands is the premier global community of brand innovators who are shaping the future of commerce worldwide. Since 2006, its mission has been to inspire, engage and equip todays business and brand leaders to prosper for the near and long term by leading the way to a better future. Digitally published news articles and issues-focused conversation topics, internationally known conferences and regional events, a robust e-learning library and peer-to-peer membership groups all facilitate community learning and engagement throughout the year.

The group was recently crowned among the top influencers and brands on social media, according to a study conducted by social network analysis site Onalytica, measuring user engagement with influencers and brands on Twitter in order to determine the global leaders in the sustainability conversation. To access the full Onalytica report, click here.

Conference speakers, topics

 Mohamed Samir, president: India, Middle East and Africa, Procter and Gamble  P&Gs best brand stories from Africa where growth and social development have become inseparable  Seapei Mafoyane, CEO, Shanduka Black Umbrellas  Enterprise development and how innovation and entrepreneurship are key to social and economic transformation

 Jason Drew, African Innovations Foundation Prize winner and mastermind behind the award-winning AgriProtein business  The Environmental Capitalist - how innovation is transforming energy and food security

 Saint-Francis Tohlang, South Africas leading young business mind and trends analyst - New pathways to development and how brands can emulate human qualities in creatively contributing to social and environmental solutions that will lead to new developmental pathways in emerging markets

 Dr David North, former UK Head: Corporate Affairs, TESCO, and now group executive: strategy and corporate affairs, Pick n Pay - How the food retailing industry has adapted to meet the new demands of managing food security and supply chains

 David Schwartz, sustainability entrepreneur, designer and researcher from the US  Examining how design and development can influence entrepreneurs, policymakers and all others dedicated to the pursuit of social impact

 Dr Anthony Turton, hydrology expert and conflict resolution specialist  The Coming Age of water - the impacts of the water crises on mining and the economy

 Chris Coulter, president, Globescan  The latest research into developing road maps for regeneration

 Cormac Cullinan, environmental advocate and author of Wild Law  Wild Law  a discussion on issues relating to environmental governance and the shifting landscape of compliance in relation to policy

 Christelle Marais, procurement and sustainability specialist for Africa, SAB Miller  Better Business - insights into how SAB Miller is developing and implementing responsible sourcing and building authentic relationships within supply chains

 Carla Tavares, programme marketing manager, The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC International)  How certification can develop trusted brand recognition and verifiable supply chains

 Dr Jaisheila Rajput, value chain specialist and CEO, TOMA  NOW (Tomorrow Matters Now)  Mapping and developing value chains  looking at how companies that have their house in order can look forward to sustained growth and adapt to new market challenges and opportunities

 Andrea Ferry, sustainability consultant - The role of organisational change agents and how their influence enables brands to shift direction to face the new challenges within the economy and brand development

 Claire Janisch, biomimicry expert  How to develop strategies for abundance by exploring lifes principles and emulating natures success strategies from the perspective of the pioneer species within mature ecosystems

 Dr Geoff Kendall, CEO and Co-founder, Future Fit  Entrepreneurship and innovation

 David Katz, founder, The Plastic Bank  Recycling and its impacts on innovation and poverty alleviation

 Davide Stronati, head: strategy, Mott Macdonald (global engineering, management and development consultants)  Strategy and leadership across countries in the developing world

 Ingun Berget, former CEO, Amer Sports Norway  Renewable energy and how it impacts the innovation and entrepreneur landscapes

 Jeff King, senior director for sustainability, CSR and social innovation, The Hershey Company  Hersheys Energise Learning programme in Ghana

 Joanne Yawitch, CEO, The National Business Initiative  Socio-economic sustainability and governance

 Jonathon Hanks, CEO and founder, Incite  Leadership, shared value and transparency and its implications for new business leaders tackling the ever-changing business landscape

 Justin Smith, group head: Sustainability, Woolworths  A Perfect Storm: Food Security, Affordability and Drought as South Africa is in the grips of a water and food crisis

 Kevin James, CEO and founder, Global Carbon Exchange Africa  Corporate approaches to the economic, social and environmental imperatives and how risk and opportunity are flipsides of the same coin  Lisa Parkes  project manager, Cape Craft and Design Institute  The Appreciative Enquiry model utilised in The Better Living Challenge (BLC), a five-year project that implements design solutions and the commercialisation of these solutions for low-income housing to improve living conditions

For more information, go to http://events.sustainablebrands.com/sb16ct.
Whether you're eating out or preparing a Thai dish at home, here are some top tips to ensure you enjoy the authentic tastes of Thailand - known as the 'Kitchen of the World'.

Consistently ranked as a top global food destination, Thailand is witnessing renewed global interest in its cuisine, thanks to its focus on fresh, healthy ingredients married with exotic herbs and spices to create colourful dishes that look as good as they taste.

Thai food is characterised by its beautiful colours, exotic ingredients and its fusions of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavours. The wisdom of the value of plants, fruits and vegetables, and their proper use, especially in cooking, is a priceless heritage that belongs to the people of Thailand, and indeed to the world. It is for this reason that Thailand has become recognised as the Kitchen of the World.

Thai chefs infuse their dishes of the finest quality meat and vegetables with the distinctive flavours of lemon grass, chilli, coconut, peanut, galangal ginger, tamarind and more, but it can be challenging to ensure your next meal of Tom Kha soup, Thai Green Curry or Pad Kra Pow stir fry served up in South Africa lives up to the high standards of Thailands internationally renowned chefs.

Thai Select status

One way to ensure youre being served authentic Thai cuisine is to eat at Thai Select accredited restaurants. This accreditation, endorsed by the Department of International Trade Promotion Thailand (DITP), guarantees the authenticity of the Thai food being served. Thai Select status is awarded to three- or four-star restaurants serving fine, authentic Thai foods; while the highest Thai Select Premium status is awarded to establishments whose degree of excellence is of five-star or higher quality.

The Royal Thai Embassy Office of Commercial Affairs in Pretoria recommends that if youre preparing a Thai dish at home, you start by seeking out authentic Thai ingredients and only the freshest vegetables. Top supermarkets will stock most of the necessary ingredients, including Thai Green Curry paste, jasmine rice, coconut milk and lemon grass, but if youre unable to source certain rare ingredients, you will probably find them at a Thai specialty supermarket. Its important to check that the ingredients have been sourced in Thailand, to ensure authentic Thai flavour.

Dr Chakarin Komolsiri, Trade Commissioner of the Thai Embassy, notes that the countrys foodstuffs are renowned for their quality around the world: From its long history of growing, processing and developing its agricultural and food production industries, Thailand has developed into a nation of food experts - from farmers and food manufacturers, to food exporters and acclaimed chefs. This is why Thai food products are in such high demand on the world market, and why Thai restaurants are taking root in so many countries around the world.

Get the basics right

The basics can make or break the dish, notes Kun Bank, celebrated chef at the Thai Select Premium Padbok Thai Restaurant in Pretoria. His top tips for preparing Thai food at home are:

When preparing Thai Curry, start by warming the instant curry paste in cooking oil over a low heat until it is fragrant. Then add the coconut milk.



Stir-fried dishes can be ruined by over-cooking. Blanch thicker vegetables, such as broccoli, in boiling water for one minute before adding them to the finely chopped vegetables to be stir fried. Two minutes of stir frying is enough to ensure crunchy vegetables that retain their nutrients.



Rice noodles should be soaked for 10 minutes in water at room temperature before draining them and using them in a dish. Soaking them in hot water will result in soggy noodles. Non-rice noodles should be prepared in the same way as pasta is, and cooked only until they are al dente.



Jasmine rice is best prepared in a specialised rice cooker. At a push, it can also be prepared in a pressure cooker or steamed. Follow the package instructions carefully to ensure that the rice is not too sticky and not under-cooked. Serve the rice and curry separately, topping the rice with spoonfuls of curry as you eat.

Chef Bank of the Padbok Thai demonstrated traditional Thai cooking techniques during a reception hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy Office of Commercial Affairs in Pretoria during the inaugural Food & Hospitality Africa Show 2016. The event showcased fine Thai ingredients from leading food producers and exporters, including Alpha Food and Product Co., exporter of canned fruits vegetables and coconut milk; Bangkok Ranch, manufacturer of duck products; the Q Plus Concept Co., manufacturer of dried herbs and spices for dishes such as red curry and traditional Thai curry; TPM Trading Co., exporter of a variety of rice products, canned pineapple and lychees, basil seed drinks and more; and Wealthy Grain Co., exporters of Thai rice products.
Redefine Properties says it already sees prospects for expansion in its first venture into eastern Europe. This comes after it recently snapped up a portfolio of assets in Poland for nearly R20bn.

Speaking on Thursday, 5 May, at the company's Rosebank offices following the release of half-year results, CE Andrew Konig said Poland ticked a lot of boxes in terms of growth potential.

"It's a game changer. It has the kind of scale we require; we have found local partners with aligned interests; there are expansion possibilities; and Poland is seeing continuous gross domestic product growth way in excess of SA's," he said.

Through its investment in Poland, Redefine is gaining exposure to 10 shopping centres and various offices. The deal is being administered through a share purchase and subscription agreement with Echo Investment and Echo Prime Properties (EPP). Redefine is acquiring 75% plus one share of the issued share capital of EPP, which indirectly owns a portfolio of prime real estate assets in Poland.

Already, the benefits of the Polish deal are being felt.

Redefine increased its interim distribution 6.9%, to 41.7c per share.

Old Mutual Investment Group's head of listed property, Evan Robins, said the interim dividend exceeded expectations marginally. "The dividend outlook is better than expected, and this was due to the impact of the Polish deal, which is very cash-generative. Some South African property-operating metrics were disappointing," he said.

Konig said that although Poland was an important investment area for the group, it was not losing focus on its local assets. "Without Poland, we are still growing. We have successfully recycled capital domestically to fund development, as well as new acquisitions."

In the six months to end-February, Redefine's domestic strategy was centred on existing properties and servicing its development pipeline. It also disposed of its government-tenanted office portfolio.

Redefine said the domestic property scene had been challenging, especially because of the uncertain political climate.

"Nenegate was a hit from hell," Konig said. "Our foreign shareholding fell to 19% after the December 9 debacle, from 22%. But by March, it had recovered," he said.

Other domestic challenges included the electricity price, illiquid capital markets and the effects of the drought.

Redefine manages a diversified property asset platform with a value of R67.8bn. On February 29, its domestic property portfolio was valued at R54.3bn.

The group's international real estate investments provide geographic diversification into UK, German and Australian property markets.

Stanlib head of listed property funds Keillen Ndlovu said Redefine's results had been expected.

"The outlook looks better, thanks to the acquisition of the Poland assets and (re)development opportunities in SA.

"Redefine continues to be busy with a number of projects and transactions. Hopefully, this will translate to superior growth going forward," he said.

The share price fell more than 2% on Thursday. Shares were trading at about R11.70, valuing the company at about R58.3bn.

Source: Business Day
Sovereign Food Investments, the Uitenhage-based poultry group, looks determined to galvanise shareholder support against a possible takeover bid after issuing a fulsome trading statement for the year to end-February.

But Sovereign's shares declined 2.11% to close at R6.95 after the release of the trading statement on Friday, with market watchers pointing out that the firm appeared to have endured torrid trading in the second half.

The company - rumoured to be firmly in the sights of rival poultry group Country Bird Holdings (CBH) - issued a wide-ranging earnings forecast, pencilling in a bottom-line number of between 88c per share and 114c per share. This would mean that earnings could be 15% lower or 10% higher on the year to end-February 2015 earnings of 103c per share.

The trading update follows Sovereign's unsuccessful attempt in the High Court in Port Elizabeth last month to stymie efforts by dissenting shareholders to delay a controversial empowerment scheme. The trading update also coincides with rumours that CBH has approached Sovereign's board with proposals around a possible transaction. CBH already owns about 10% of Sovereign and is widely expected to pitch a takeover offer for the business.

Vunani Securities small- to mid-cap analyst Anthony Clark commended Sovereign for the trading update, saying the company seemed to have risen above the travails besetting the local poultry industry. "In the past, good hedging policies played out for them as well as mix changes away from low-margin IQF (individually quick frozen) portions."

Sovereign paid a 34c a share dividend last year. Given the current attention of CBH possibly towards Sovereign, it is probably no surprise that CEO Chris Coombes and his feisty board would pull out all the stops and stuff earnings with a better-than-expected result to keep suitors on the hop and curry favour with its big shareholders," Clark said.

Minority shareholder slams trading update

However, Opportune Investments' Chris Logan - a minority shareholder in Sovereign - slammed the trading update as "shocking". He said it appeared Sovereign, after earning 90c a share in the interim period to end August, would earn only about 10c per share in the second half compared with 75c in the second half of last year.

"What's more, Sovereign's return on equity for 2016 will only be around 10% - way below their published target of between 14% and 16% of their annual report." Logan said it was baffling that Sovereign offered an earnings range rather than an actual number since it was well past the end-February financial year. "Sovereign need to spend more time on the business and less time losing court cases."

Increased national sales footprint

In the trading update, Coombes said the company continued to execute on its product mix strategy - noting that in the second half of the year, sales of value-added portions (mainly to supermarket chain Spar) increased to 11% (last year 7%) of sales volume.

Coombes said the recently acquired Hartbeespoort abattoir had increased Sovereign's national sales footprint - adding that 81% of the company's total sales volume was from outside the Eastern Cape in the last quarter of the financial year.

Sovereign took operational control of Hartbeespoort from Quantum Foods in mid-October last year. The abattoir processes 280,000 birds a week and is expected, on an annualised basis, to increase the number of birds processed by Sovereign by 31% to about 1.2-million birds per week. He said the strategy for Hartbeespoort would ensure a material proportion of the abattoir's output was fresh portions. "These to a large extent are not affected by the high volume of frozen imports or by any amendments to the brining regulations."

Source: Business Day
With a majority of African nations diversifying from traditional sources of income, entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a key to economic growth. So far, entrepreneurship has yielded huge returns for entrepreneurs, and according to experts, there lies great untapped potential to drive the African continent into its next phase of development.

Image by 123RF

A study released in June 2015 by Approved Index, a UK-based business networking group, ranked Africa as among the top of the entrepreneurship chart. As a testimony of the continents rising star, the Entrepreneurship around the World report listed Uganda, Angola, Cameroon and Botswana among the top 10 on the entrepreneurship list.

The group sees entrepreneurship as a necessity at a time of high employment, saying: When unemployment is high and the economy is weaker, people are forced to start small businesses to provide for themselves and their families.

Today, entrepreneurship is seen as one of the most sustainable job generation tools in Africa. Roselyn Vusia, a human rights advocate, points out that Ugandas youth unemployment estimated to be 83% according to the African Development Banks 2014 report, is one of the highest in Africa.

Unemployment around the continent is also worrying. A 2013 study by Brookings Institution, a Washington DC-based think tank, found that African youth (15-24 years) constitute about 37% of the working age population. The same age group, however, accounts for about 60% of jobless people in Africa.

Kwame Owino of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a think tank based in Nairobi, says: High youth population, poor policy choices and a lack of comprehensive employment plans in many African nations precipitate the high rates of unemployment.

Vusia comments on one proactive approach: The government of Uganda has implemented an entrepreneurship strategy that is focused on skills development, resource provision and access to markets. This seems to be bearing fruit, she says.

 Report listed Uganda, Angola, Cameroon and Botswana among the top 10 on the entrepreneurship list

The importance of entrepreneurship was underscored at the July 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, attended by US President Barack Obama, entrepreneurs from over 100 countries and a group of American investors, among others.

Speaking at the summit, President Obama lauded entrepreneurship for its promise for Africa with participants at the GES agreeing with him that entrepreneurship is one of the key ingredients in the toolbox to address youth unemployment in Africa, the region with the youngest population in the world.

Entrepreneurship creates new jobs and new businesses, new ways to deliver basic services, new ways of seeing the world  it is the spark of prosperity, Obama told the summit.

According to Evans Wadongo, listed by Forbes Africa as one of the most promising young African entrepreneurs, many African governments have not been keen on developing policies that would avert unemployment among the youth in a big way.

Governments are not doing enough. The private sector is trying, but most goods brought into the African market are from China. This denies the youth the much needed manufacturing jobs, which are more labour intensive, he says.

Success breeds success

Kenyas cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development, Adan Mohammed, however, defends the policies of most African governments, saying that their efforts have been spurring confidence in the continent and are enabling more young people to turn toward entrepreneurship.

Success breeds success  as many entrepreneurs make headway, others get on board. Also, technology-based inventions are pulling entrepreneurs, says Mohammed. The mindset has changed and many young people now think as employers. Many African governments have created opportunities in terms of finance and access to markets.

Commenting on the increase in foreign investment and economic growth in Africa, Ugandan Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, said his governments efforts to promote entrepreneurial culture have produced remarkable results. For instance, the state-run Youth Venture Capital Fund trains and provides money to young people with good business ideas. The government also

helps young entrepreneurs to market their products.

Most importantly, with youth comprising more than 75% of its population, Uganda has remodeled its education system to include entrepreneurship as one of the subjects of instruction in secondary schools and colleges. Also, with the help of the private sector and development agencies, the government has established information, communication and technology innovation hubs which help entrepreneurs to launch successful start-ups.

Creating an enabling environment

In Kenya, Eric Kinoti, the group managing director at Safisana Home Services, a company that provides cleaning services, hopes the government will follow Ugandas example by creating an enabling environment to support entrepreneurship that could create jobs for youth.

Many financial institutions in Kenya expect young people to provide collateral, yet only a few investors are ready to invest in young peoples ideas, notes Kinoti, who mentors other young entrepreneurs and is listed among Forbes Top 30 under 30 in Africa.

Lack of access to working capital has hampered entrepreneurship in Kenya. Even though the government has created the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) and Uwezo Fund to support youth entrepreneurship, budgetary constraints limit their impact.

Entrepreneurship, if well managed, can create more jobs on the continent and increase the middle class which is essential in sustaining economic growth. There is need to integrate entrepreneurship training in formal education in Africa to prepare the youth for the future, says Wadongo.

In Cameroon, Olivia Mukami, the president and founder of Harambe-Cameroon, a social entrepreneurship organization, insists that Africa needs to prioritize youth unemployment: African countries are sitting on a powder keg and if they dont change, it is going to explode.

Mukami says that in addition contributing to job creation, entrepreneurship can also help the continent to solve some of the social problems that undermine progress. I am encouraged that the government of Cameroon has prioritized entrepreneurship as a key pillar of Cameroon Vision 2035, she said.

Andrew Wujung, a lecturer of Economics at University of Bamenda in Cameroon, attributes the countrys entrepreneurship effort to its unique poverty reduction strategy. Unlike other countries in Africa, Cameroons poverty alleviation strategy is linked to entrepreneurship. Moreover, the government is organizing robust skill acquisition and training programmes for entrepreneurs and making credit facility easily accessible to people with innovative technological and business ideas.

Facing challenges

For entrepreneurship to strongly impact Africas economy, governments must tackle some of the greatest challenges that impede its progress, including lack of funds, relevant mentorship and poor government policies. In addition, African governments should consider giving the private sector incentives through tax relief to create more jobs. Laws and regulations should favour entrepreneurs.

Mohammed says Africa is on the right path. But to reap the fruits of entrepreneurship, effective strategies and policies are required to create more employment opportunities within small and medium enterprises.

*Source: Africa Renewal
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The first annual Youth Business Expo (YBE) whose core objectives are to expose youth entrepreneurs to networking and create a marketing platform for their products will be held in Gaborone from 24th - 29th May.

In an Interview Policy Specialist at the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture (MYSC) Lawrence Ookeditse said that YBE is meant to expose youth entrepreneurs to new business trends as well as to give the youth an opportunity to network and come up with sustainable linkages. Ookeditse stated that the theme of the Expo - Where Young People strive for success, - augurs well with YBEs goals.

He said the theme sums up what their initiatives are about which is the success of young entrepreneurs. We are all about youth development. They (youth) would also be at an advantage of meeting up different investors and we will also have testimonies from people who have made it so that they encourage them, said Ookeditse The Youth Business Expo is expected to bring 300 different young entrepreneurs under the age of 35.





The interested entrepreneurs are to register at MYSC offices and booking a stall is free. The expected sectors to exhibit are tourism, manufacturing and agriculture among many others. The weeklong expo will include seminars and conferences to educate youth entrepreneurs on branding, penetrating regional and international markets.
Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) Lobatse has not yet factored how much it could have lost due to the recent suspension of beef exports resulting from the incursion of a buffalo in Zone 11.

Government has now lifted the suspension on movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their products following the outcome of the results that showed the buffalo was Foot and Mouth disease free. In an interview with Botswana Guardian, Brian Dioka

Corporate Communications & Public Relations Manager at BMC said putting a figure to the slaughter/export suspension is still premature.

He said they havent factored in  whether there is need to increase slaughter-days or not - and also how much production deficit exists and how it will be addressed. Dioka explained that BMC often produces as per customers requests. When we are faced by such an incident and suspend production, we often alert such customers beforehand and propose for deferment of deliveries/supplies. Possible increases in production overheads would mostly be on engagement of labour for extended periods, he said.





BMC Lobatse slaughters 600 cattle a day, on a five (5) day shift (from Monday to Friday). Management is still reviewing if extra days would be needed to make-up for lost time (which is 11 days), and how much that will impact the business financially. There is a likelihood that overtime would be required, but that still remains a discussion between BMC and affected staff-members, he said. BMC Lobatse resumed slaughter as of last week Thursday. Dioka stated that although export of beef products which were produced earlier than 11th April 2016 was still on-going. He said the recent announcement by government means that even production of 11 April 2016 going forward will be resumed and sent to respective markets.

He said their Cattle Procurement Practitioners have started contacting all cattle-suppliers to activate buying of their cattle for slaughter, and advising them on best returns achievable through direct supplying of cattle to the BMC Sunnyside Farm near Lobatse and the recently EU registered Dibete farm.

He said as BMC they remain the best and largest off-taker of cattle in Botswana- both communal and commercial, and are normally a price-setter for all involved in the beef-trade. Dioka revealed that their products are globally certified and are part of an elite few (3-4%) with British Retail Consortium (BRC) A-graded facilities in the whole world. This is a guarantor of best service to both consumers and suppliers of cattle to BMC.

Therefore the resumption of service can only serve as motivation to continue our efforts of turning BMC around, which is already bearing fruits. We also urge farmers to exploit the opportunity of selling cattle to Sunnyside and Dibete farms, for increased returns, he said.
United States Government has pledged to continue to raise the issue of a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act with the Government of Botswana.

U.S Embassy Charged D Affairs, Timothy Smith said this week that it remains their hope that Botswana will soon adopt a FOI Bill that ensures greater openness, transparency and access to information for the people of Botswana. He stated that government will continue with this issue because in 2015, Freedom House rated Botswana only partly free when it assessed freedom of the press.

Botswana Government has for years now promised to bring to Parliament FOI Bill through the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration. Smith who was speaking during the commemoration of the World Press Freedom Day in Gaborone this week said his government is particularly proud of the important work their media partners in Botswana are doing every day.





I want to recognise the INK Centre for Investigative Journalism, which was launched by two U.S. Government media exchange alumni in 2015, the Editors Forum, composed of representation from public and private press and Media Institute of Southern Africa. Our support to Botswanas media groups will continue, he said.

Smith said in Botswana their ongoing engagement and direct partnerships reflect the two countries shared values and commitment to democracys fundamental principles, especially a robust and independent civil society and free press. The U.S official stated that the media in Botswana is doing an admirable job of keeping the nation informed and at the same time holding people accountable. Democracy, he said needs this type of strong, diverse and vibrant media to thrive.

He explained that the U.S Embassys support for the media encompasses a spectrum of programming and outreach. This includes professional development training, journalists exchange and advocacy for access to information, he said. The U.S also values freedom of the press as an essential component of democratic governance, said Smith.

Democratic societies, he said are not infallible, but they are accountable, and the exchange of ideas is the foundation for accountable governance. In the U.S and in many places around the world, the press fosters active debate, provides investigative reporting, and serves as a forum to express different points of views. This is done particularly on behalf of those who are marginalised in society. The U.S commends journalists around the world for the role they play, and for their commitment to the free exchange of ideas, Smith stated.

He revealed that the U.S Department of State recently launched its fifth annual Free the Press campaign as part of its efforts to mark the importance of a free and independent media in the days leading up to World Press Freedom Day. This year, the fifth anniversary of the campaign, the Department highlights journalists and the media outlets that we have identified in previous years that were censored, attacked, threatened, imprisoned or otherwise oppressed because of their reporting whose situations have not yet improved, said Smith, adding we will also highlight troubling trends in the persecution of journalists worldwide.
Illicit trafficking of cultural properties ranks third after trafficking of minerals and drugs, warns principal curator at National Museum & Art Gallery, Winani Kgwatalala.

She is an ethno historian with 25-years work experience in the ethnology division of the museum and is also reading for her PhD on the same subject. Much of our cultural objects like Basarwas bow and arrows and clothes and lately rhino horns and elephants tusks among many others, were misappropriated during three distinct periods - first contact with Europeans; colonial period and post-colonial period to foreign lands where they are currently held in museums and are generating huge revenues and incomes for their countries.

This phenomenon, says Kgwatalala, has engendered what is now known as the migrated museum whereby cultural objects are found in foreign museums. In fact Kgwatalala makes an astonishing claim that the worlds known largest meteorites  fragments of natural rocks or metals that reaches the earths surface from outer space  were found at Kuke in Botswana and then stolen by the Germans during the colonial period and are currently being kept in German museums.

For these reasons, the ethno historian advises Batswana going for studies outside, especially in Europe and the Americas, to make it a habit to visit museums there so they can get to see the large collections of our cultural heritage that were stolen and trafficked to the Diaspora.





These objects and artefacts found their way outside through various forms of manipulation and deceit. In some cases the colonial masters and some of their subjects collected these objects under the guise of research; through excavations or outright looting to keep as private collections or to sell to museums in their countries of origin. The looting continues to this day, aided and abetted in most cases, by conditions of war and conflict in Africa.Kgwatalala says that the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have since developed various legal instruments (Conventions) to respond to these challenges although sadly, not many African countries have ratified them. Botswana is working around the clock to ratify these conventions so that she can recover her cultural heritage in the Diaspora or at least have access to it for purposes of research and knowledge sharing.

The instruments include the 1970 Convention on Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Properties, which according to Kgwatalala gives member states leverage to open dialogue with those that have appropriated the cultural heritage; the 1954 Convention on Protection of Cultural Property, which safeguards cultural heritage in cases of armed conflict. Here, Kgwatalala cautions that terrorists often target museums for bombing in times of conflict, so as to loot the museums of their vast cultural properties and sell them for millions to finance their wars.

The convention also extends to assist during natural disasters such as earth quakes and floods by providing and mobilising international experts to salvage cultural properties for safekeeping. These two conventions says Kgwatalala, are hosted by UNESCO which is based in Geneva, Switzerland. She says the UN organisation gave them funds to do awareness campaigns about these conventions and to set on train the process of domesticating them. The last instrument is the UNIDROIT (Institute for the Unification of Private Law) Convention which is hosted in Italy but works with UNESCO, as it compliment the 1970 convention on illicit trafficking of cultural properties. Kgwatalala says UNIDROIT provides for legal experts to argue cases for the restitution of cultural properties.

Botswana is almost through with the process of ratification of these conventions. Kgwatalala says they have done community awareness about these conventions by addressing kgotla meetings and council meetings; engaged an expert attorney on cultural heritage in Africa from Senegal to align the conventions with existing laws such as the Monuments and Relics Act; formed a national reference committee composed of all critical stakeholders and have been to the inter-ministerial committee on conventions and protocols which gave them the go ahead.

We are just waiting for a cabinet memo, and then the process of domestication will be complete, says Kgwatalala. Once ratified, it is hoped Botswana will then embark on the onerous and often painstaking process of reclaiming her cultural properties from the Diaspora- a process that will hark back to the restitution of El-Negro. But Kgwatalala is confident that where there is a will there is a way. As for the meteorites, she says that they know that they are in Germany but dont yet know the exact museums where they are being kept. However, cooperation by member states that have acceded to these UNESCO conventions will make their work much easier to reclaim what rightfully belongs to them. However, the convention for the restitution of cultural heritage has an inhibiting clause that exempts cultural properties stolen or trafficked before colonial periods from being reclaimed.Asked if they are aware of the existence of these magnificent stones, officials of the Botswana Geo-Science Institute (formerly department of geological surveys) Mojaboswa Koketso and Dr. Gomotsang Tshoso expressed surprise. While they did not know about these rare stones, they knew about the incident in the Tuli Block area where not so long ago, there were reports from Stellenbosch University that meteorites would fall there.

We did send our team to the area to look for remains after reports that people in the area had witnessed magnificent lighting in the sky, but they did not find anything, said Koketso.Dr Tshoso said the meteorites are fragments of rocks that fall from space as a result of activity in the stratosphere and may cause natural disasters like fires, earthquakes, depression or even wipe out a whole town, depending on their size. Meteorites are those shining stars that frequently shoot across the galaxy like burning balls, but what eventually falls to the earth surface are fragments of the iron rich rocks.

Koketso added that the benefits of meteorites are that they attract geologists, scientists and thereby promote tourism in the area they have fallen. Kgwatalala makes a link between cultural heritage and intellectual property, saying there are certain properties and artefacts that fall with the spiritual realm and cannot be allowed to remain outside their places of origin.
Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Kitso Mokaila will on May 10 meet with members of the Botswana Mine Workers Union - BCL branch to respond to a petition they handed him recently.

Mokaila confirmed the meeting in an interview with Botswana Guardian but could not go into details. The situation at the BCL mine, which employs close to 5000 people, compelled miners to protest to Mokaila last week. They told this paper that the situation has gradually deteriorated and requires major changes in the shortest time.

The productivity and profitability of the company, safety standards together with employees morale declined drastically following the departure of the then general manager Montwedi Mphathi, reads the petition.

In addition to the job losses, below are issues that the union wants Mokaila to address:



Pay structure

The union wants the minister to find out why BCL pay structure is top-heavy, that is, pays management from MP1 level a lot more than it does to the rest of the workforce below, especially union members. Average monthly salary is currently P1 450, having gained a P50 increment and P90 per month as underground allowance since the last petition in 2014. These are people who dig copper but earn peanuts. They work in the most risky areas of the mine and suffer many fatal accidents, it says.

Housing allowance





The union wants to know why the housing allowance for its members is at P388, which is far below the market rate, citing the P2 200 rental for low cost Botswana Housing Corporation houses as an example. The problem, they say, is that allocation of company houses at BCL is selective and discriminatory in favour of managers with some of the union members having waited to get a house for more than 20 years.



Apartheid style living conditions

Mokaila is also tasked with explaining why management of BCL is dragging its feet in converting hostels into studio type single accommodation as per an agreement signed by the two parties in 2014. This form of accommodation was used by apartheid masters but BCL still uses it to house more than 800 employees who are deprived a chance to stay with their families against their will.

Transportation of Shaft workers

In addition, the minister will respond to why transportation of employees at No. 1 and 3 shafts is not being done to the extent that employees have to hire public transport or walk to work. Further, why medical boarding package is equivalent to six months worth of salary despite that in a majority of cases medical boarding arises from work related causes.



Unsafe mining methods

BCL unionists also want Mokaila to investigate methods used for mining and lack of compliance with mining regulations, use of fixed term contract employees and lack of training, which compromises mine safety, resulting in frequent fatal accidents witnessed at the mine. A total of seven fatal accidents and 89 lost time injuries were recorded between January and February 2015. 15 mine workers died on duty underground at BCL in the last five years.



Withdraw business reorganisation

The unions position is that the current business reorganisation must be withdrawn pending finding of the commission, adding that they see it as a plot by management to cover up their costly failures at the expense of employees and the company. They want the minister to examine viability of the BCL Polaris II as a strategic business diversification initiative and possible depletion of cash reserves.
President Dr. Ian Khamas government has come under heavy criticism for its deafening silence over the Panama leaks which continue to link local businesspeople to involvement in offshore accounts.

The scathing attacks were made by the former Speaker of Parliament Dr. Margaret Nasha recently in Francistown. Nasha, who dumped Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in favour of its offspring Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) said that since the Panama leaks, Khama has preferred remained tight lipped even though some local businessmen have been fingered in the alleged dirty tax evasion deal. She pointed out that while other countries have taken measures against their citizens involvement in Panama, Khamas regime has preferred to remain mum in the process leaving the public with more questions than answers.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron was at one point under pressure as citizens wanted him to step down since he benefited from the Panama offshore accounts held by his father. This is a clear sign that the countrys powers that be are gravely concerned to the extent of knowing the truth about these offshore accounts. Khamas silence on this issue is questionable as it leaves a lot of questions than answers, she explained.





Her sentiments follow hard on recent revelations that President of the Court of Appeal Ian Kirby and Farouk Ismail, a major shareholder in Choppies, are also linked to the Panama leaks. Nasha said that people should start asking themselves questions as to why Khama is silent this time around. She suspects that a good number of influential figures of the country are connected to the leaks.

Go ka se didimalwe jaana. Tjingwenyana tji yapo, she added in Kalanga to the amusement of the crowd. Nasha is also disappointed that the current government is run without a National Development Plan which she said is like a budget. Her other worry is that running a country without a budget breeds fertile ground for money laundering by leaders.

Corruption cases involving high ranking government officers are not brought before the court and this a laughable matter as these guys are hiding something. When rot was smelt at Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), we advised that an investigation be carried out to salvage the BMC only for the president to refuse until BMC went on its knees. When we tried to investigate Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) on their glass manufacturing plant in Palapye, Khama refused until the project collapsed and it will never stand up again. We have plenty of salt but the president doesnt see the need to package it locally in the process creating employment, she added.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Francistown East Buti Billy will start introducing a home improvement housing scheme in partnership with Building Materials Supplies (BMS) to help underprivileged people living in this constituency.

During a recent interview with Northern Extra, Billy explained that after he realised that the Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) building and materials loans did not benefit everybody, he approached BMS which has a post-dated account in operation to help his constituents improve their homes. He told Northern Extra that during the tour of his constituency starting this week, he will have BMS staff to come and address people concerning their scheme.

I approached BMS and asked them to extend a helping hand by giving my qualifying constituents short term loans which can help them to build structures in their plots or to make any improvements they need to carry out. Under the current scheme, a customer has two options to benefit from the loan as the first option regarding the loan is for someone to be given goods whose value is paid over a period of six months without any interest. The other option is for an individual to open an account with BMS and deposit money monthly until the value of the goods required is reached before collection, he explained.





When quizzed as to whether the scheme wont clash with the SHHA scheme, Buti said that the BMS deal covers a very short period of time as it gives beneficiaries less time to finish the debt unlike a bank loan and SHHA scheme, which are serviced over years in the process wasting money through interests. BMS credit controller Precious Mmusi admitted that Billy has approached them to introduce their post-dated account among his constituents so that they can improve their homes without any hassles.

We have long introduced the PD account over the past years and only a few people were aware of the scheme and we are very grateful when MPs approach us to help their constituents as this is a clear sign that they care. Currently we assist every Motswana citizen who has a permanent job irrespective of their salary as a single individual will always want to purchase materials in the value of their budget. I can confirm that we will be embarking on a tour of Francistown East to garner support for the initiative which most people are in the dark about, she said.

She added that it isnt surprising that a lot of citizens are not aware of the initiative as Batswana prefer to keep good initiatives to themselves rather than sharing it with their neighbours and friends. She explained that part of their qualifications is that, one has to deposit a post-dated cheque or initiate a bank stop order authorising the debiting of his account to credit BMS monthly as agreed. Finally, Mmusi said that BMS is not prepared to help those working in the mines since their risk of losing a job is very high.




NEW DELHI (BNS): Airbus Defence and Space, the world's second largest space company, will lead the project TeSeR (Technology for Self-Removal of Spacecraft) team to develop technology to reduce the risk of spacecraft colliding with debris in space.



Together with its ten European partners, the company will develop a prototype for a cost-efficient and highly reliable module to ensure that future spacecraft don't present a collision risk once they reach the end of their nominal operational lifetimes or suffer an in-service failure.



The module will also function as a removal back-up in the case of a loss of control over a spacecraft.



Airbus Defence and Space will act as the coordinator of the consortium and will be responsible for project management, technical coordination and the development of innovative attitude control systems.



Under Grant Agreement No 687295, part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the TeSeR study programme will receive EU funding of more than euro 2.8 million and will run through 2018.



Orbital space is becoming increasingly congested. Space debris threatens space-based infrastructures which are vital for life on Earth. Disused spacecraft are a potentially dangerous source of space debris, a Company statement said.



The TeSeR project develops technologies that will ensure a sustainable space environment for future generations.






NEW DELHI (BNS): The US Navy has awarded Austal Limited a US$11,794,802 contract to provide engineering and management services for the Littoral Combat Ship Montgomery (LCS 8).



The cost-plus-award-fee order is against the previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) N00024-15-G-2304 for the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship programme.



Austal will provide design, planning, and material support services for the vessel, including programme management, advance planning, engineering, design, material kitting, liaison, and scheduling.



Austal has delivered three Independence-variant LCS to the US Navy; two as subcontractor (LCS 2 and LCS 4) and one as prime contractor (LCS 6) under a separate 10 vessel, US$3.5 billion contract awarded by the US Navy in 2010. The programme grew to 13 vessels when the US Navy funded an additional ship, LCS 26, to Austal in April 2016.



Austal has seven LCS under construction at its US shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, with Montgomery (LCS 8) scheduled for delivery later in the year.



Austal is constructing ten 103-metre Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessels under a $1.6 billion contract from the US Navy, with six already delivered and the remaining vessels under construction at Austal's US shipyard, a Company statement said.


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This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobas new justice minister, Heather Stefanson, stopped in Brandon over the weekend to meet with the citys chief of police and several local politicians.

The Saturday morning meeting took place at the Brandon Police Service headquarters and included BPS Chief Ian Grant, Mayor Rick Chrest, Brandon West Progressive Conservative MLA Reg Helwer and Brandon East Tory MLA Len Isleifson.

Stefanson remained tight-lipped about details of the meeting.

Colin Corneau /The Brandon Sun Justice Minister Heather Stefanson speaks outside the Brandon Police Service headquarters on Victoria Avenue on Saturday after meeting with BPS Chief Ian Grant, Mayor Rick Chrest as well as Brandon East Progressive Conservative MLA Len Isleifson and Brandon West Tory MLA Reg Helwer.

We had some good discussions around some of the challenges that the police force is facing, she said. Well keep the meeting in confidence, but I think that it was very productive.

BPS is the first law enforcement branch Stefanson has visited since being sworn in as a cabinet minister and deputy premier last week.

Brandon is a very significant part of our province and our community and  I wanted to send a message that we very much care about Brandon, she said.

Stefanson did announce that a joint cabinet meeting with Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister will take place in Brandon this fall.

Its to discuss various issues that sort of cross borders, likely some water issues and U.S. partnership, these types of things we need to start working together as provinces in western Canada, she said.

Mayor Chrest says he is pleased that the meeting will be held in the Wheat City.

I suppose geographically Brandon makes a bunch of sense, he said. Its a great idea  and whatever role they need us for, to host them and show some hospitality, well certainly do that.

 The Brandon Sun
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Four pickup trucks, three enclosed trailers and one flatbed truck departed from Brandon Sunday morning loaded with donations for Fort McMurray evacuees.

The special convoy en route to Edmonton, was the result of an eight-hour rally held by community members on Saturday in a parking lot on the corner of 34th Street and Victoria Avenue.

There was never a lull today, there was constant traffic and some people drove in from out of town just to donate, organizer Sarah-Jane Speers said after the dust had settled on Saturday.

Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun More than 40 practitioners take part in an outdoor yoga session organized by the Zen Zone in Princess Park on Sunday afternoon. Participants left donations to the Canadian Red Cross to aid victims of the Fort McMurray wildfires.

Speers was inspired to do something locally after hearing what friends from Fort McMurray were going through and she turned to Facebook last week to spread the word.

The Fort Mac Support Rally event page quickly filled up with comments from people wondering what they could give to help  on Saturday, those social media queries turned into blankets, clothes, cell phone chargers, pet food and baby items.

I think it just shows the humanity that Brandon has  even if its not here were definitely willing to help out, Speers said. The more people you talk to, the more they say that they know somebody thats been affected by this.

During the rally, Ashley Taron and her husband Sean were busy unloading donation items from the back of their SUV.

We actually have really close friends that are in Fort Mac and my daughters best friend just moved out there a couple years ago, so its really close to us, Ashley said. Even if we didnt have friends there  if I have something to give, I want to give it.

The rally attracted support from local businesses that donated items and cash for evacuees and food for the volunteers. Justice Minister Heather Stefanson, Brandon MLAs Reg Helwer and Len Isleifson and Mayor Rick Chrest also stopped by the rally with donations of bottled water.

At the end of the day, Speers says roughly 8,000 pounds of bottled water and more than $4,500 was raised for the relief effort.

Im so grateful for everyone that helped  we had a five-year-old all the way up to a 65-year-old volunteer, it was awesome, she said.

Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Sarah Jane Speers helps gather donations to go to victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire on Saturday morning at 34 Street and Victoria Avenue. Speers and a group of volunteers organized the effort after feeling compelled to help from seeing news reports of the disaster. They set out to drive the items to Edmonton over the weekend. Further donations of household items, toiletries, pet food and more can be left at several local depots including at the Royal Oak Inn, while monetary help can be donated to the Canadian Red Cross.

Speers and her crew of nine volunteer drivers left Brandon at 6 a.m. and were expected to arrive in Edmonton by Sunday night where they would be stopping at several Edmonton Emergency Relief Services donation drop-off spots in the city.

Locally, Speers says she and other event organizers are still accepting donations and she plans to post a list of drop-off locations in Brandon and surrounding communities on the Fort Mac Support Rally event page.

We still have people who are dropping off donations and I cant say no if theres a lot of stuff coming, Ive got a trailer that I can take again next weekend, she said.

On Sunday afternoon, a goup of 40 Brandonites gathered on yoga mats in Princess Park to add some good karma to their workout.

The Zen Zone owner, Carmen Fisher, organized the outdoor yoga class and Fort McMurray fundraiser after watching videos of two friends fleeing the wildfire last week.

I was pretty shook up about it, Fisher said getting choked up. I thought, you know what Ive got this great yoga community who would love to come out and weve got this beautiful weekend.

Zen Zone member Brittany Thou attended the class with friends and has several family members who were forced to evacuate Fort McMurray.

Coming out for this was a no-brainer, Thou said. I think its amazing  even though its little, its something we can do to help.

Colin Corneau/Brandon Sun Ray, who preferred to go by the name Road Dog, gives Speers a hug on Saturday while lending a hand to sort items donated for victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire.

Class attendees brought in $865 and the Zen Zone is going to top it up to $1,000. All of the proceeds are going to the Canadian Red Cross and Fisher says she is thinking about hosting another class next weekend.

Red Cross booths were spotted at several events over the weekend, including at Westman Place during the Wheat Kings WHL finals games. On Friday, the Red Cross announced Canadians had already donated $30 million to the Fort McMurray relief effort.

 ewasney@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @evawasney
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Two Brandon firefighters are among the Manitoba emergency responders expected to arrive in Fort McMurray, Alta., today to help with wildfire fighting efforts in the region.

The province announced Saturday that 22 members of Manitobas Urban Search and Rescue Team, Canada Task Force 4 (CAN-TF4), will be deployed after a request for assistance from the Alberta government.

"Were sending 100-plus members to help out, (22) members being deployed this weekend," justice minister Heather Stefanson said during a stop in the city on Saturday. "Some of those members are from here in Brandon as well, which I think is a tribute to Brandon and how people within this community care about our neighbours."

Colin Corneau/The Brandon Sun Justice Minister Heather Stefanson looks on as Tobin Praznik of Canada Task Force 4 speaks after Saturdays announcement that 20 members of Manitobas Urban Search and Rescue team, including two local firefighters, will be joining the battle against wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta.

The Manitoba crew is going to be stationed in Fort McMurray for one week to provide relief to responders and support the local emergency operations centre. After seven days, the wildfire situation will be reassessed and CAN-TF4 may send in more members.

The conditions arent great, CAN-TF4 team leader Tobin Praznik said. One of the reasons why theyre asking for the relief is they dont want to put anyone in more than a week due to the air quality.

CAN-TF4 is operated by the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) and is made up of 120 specially trained emergency reponders from a number of agencies across the province  including RCMP, Manitoba Hydro and various regional health authorities. While the primary focus of the team is to help search collapsed buildings, it can respond to a wide range of emergencies and can be mobilized within hours.

Its very diverse and thats what enables us to adapt to whatever situation we might need, Praznik said, adding that other chapters of the national disaster task force are located in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto.

Praznik has been a member of Manitoba team since its inception 12 years ago and is one of several Brandonites also travelling to Fort McMurray from the local branch of the OFC.

This mission is the first time CAN-TF4 has been called out-of-province.

Were looking forward to the opportunity, theres been a lot of work put in, and hopefully we can bring some support to wherever they need, Praznik said.

When news started spreading about the dire situation in Fort McMurray last week, Praznik says the OFC started preparing for possible deployment.

Its part of our nature  When theres something right across Canada that could be an issue, we already start getting prepared, he said. We start doing staff checks with our membership to find out whos available and how quick they can respond.

Members from as far away as The Pas have joined the mission and Praznik says the team has been briefed on what to expect while staying in a school gymnasium near the Fort McMurray International Airport.

It will be cots and sleeping bags for the most part  we did find out that we can get a shower every once in a while  but for the most part the normal luxuries  might not be there for us, he said.

On Friday, eight CAN-TF4 members were sent to the eastern side of the province to assist with a wildfire burning east of Caddy Lake near the Manitoba-Ontario border.

Mayor Rick Chrest says his office got news of the request to deploy the Brandon firefighters to Alberta early Friday morning.

The request came through to the city and without hesitation we seconded our two members to join the (Urban Search and Rescue) team that will be going to Fort McMurray, Chrest said. Its kind of what we do as Canadians, everyone contributes what they can.

Brandon Fire and Emergency Services Capt. Marv Janzen couldnt disclose the names of the firefighters over the weekend, but said the local fire department is happy to help with the disaster relief.

It feels great, thats why were in the service that we are  to help people, Janzen said. To be able to have someone that you know go, thatll be interesting to hear what details they have when they come back.

 ewasney@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @evawasney
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OTTAWA  Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says Canada will be changing its position on the UNs Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in New York on Tuesday to remove its status as a permanent objector.

Here are five things to know about the declaration:

1. Its history:

UNDRIP was adopted by the United Nations in September 2007 to spell out rights constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world. The document was crafted after more than two decades of deliberation.

2. What it says:

One of the central articles in the declaration recognizes the right to self-determination.

It also says indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired and that they shall not be forcibly removed.

No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of return, it said.

3. What the declaration means:

The declaration, which is not considered legally binding, establishes the rights of indigenous peoples around the globe, including on issues such as identity, health, education and language.

In 2007, Canada was one of four countries  Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. were the others  that voted against the declaration when it was passed.

Bennett said Monday that embracing the declaration will help close the gaps on health, education, and economic outcomes.

4. Whats next:

Indigenous groups see Canadas new approach as a strong signal to the world on human rights and the declarations role as an international instrument.

The Assembly of First Nations has stressed the need to fully adopt and implement the declaration as a global tool.

Conservative indigenous affairs critic Cathy McLeod said Monday there are still several unanswered questions as Canada looks to reposition itself on the declaration.

The Liberal government has not unpacked it  so they have not looked at article by article and what does each article mean and  the issue around free, prior and informed consent, she said. They have a huge job ahead.

5. What it could mean:

Bennett said embracing the declaration provides a way forward on reconciliation efforts in Canada.

Adopting and implementing the document was recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It probed Canadas residential school legacy and went on to release 94 sweeping calls to action.

The NDPs intergovernmental indigenous affairs critic, Romeo Saganash, has been pushing to ensure a legislative framework in place moving forward.

He is hopeful the Liberal government will back his private members bill that has been praised by members of the indigenous community including former TRC chairman Murray Sinclair.

In a statement last month, the newly appointed senator noted many Canadian laws have been tainted by rationales, terminology and intent that have beenfundamentally racist.

In many ways, Canada waged war against indigenous peoples through law, and many of todays laws reflect that intent. The Indian Act is the leading example, but it is not alone, Sinclair said.

The full adoption and implementation of the UNs Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will not undo the war of law, but it will begin to address that wars legacies.
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WINNIPEG  Manitobas Liberal party is searching for a new leader  likely one from outside the caucus  following the surprise announcement by Rana Bokhari that she is stepping down.

Bokhari announced her plan to resign in a written statement Saturday evening, days after telling reporters she was intending to stay on and possibly run in a byelection to gain a legislature seat.

It was the leaders decision to make and we, as a team, were going to be fully supporting her, Cindy Lamoureux, one of three Liberal candidates who won seats in the April 19 election, said Monday.

Bokhari has been under pressure to step down after leading a campaign that featured several gaffes and missteps. The Liberals had only one seat in the legislature prior to the election, but had high hopes based on strong polling numbers and the popularity of the federal Liberals.

A handful of candidates were disqualified by Elections Manitoba for improper paperwork. The Liberal platform failed to include the cost of party promises in its budget plans, and some Liberal policies, such as creating a government-run grocery superstore in downtown Winnipeg, left some observers scratching their heads.

Some of their policy pledges were off the mark, said Karine Levasseur, who teaches political studies at the University of Manitoba.

Bokhari, a former lawyer who has never held public office, failed to gain a legislature seat and finished third in the Fort Rouge constituency.

Bokharis staff declined an interview request Monday. She told radio station CJOB that she announced her resignation Saturday evening because someone had leaked word that her resignation was imminent.

The announcement came nine hours after The Canadian Press asked Bokharis communications director, Mike Brown, about rumours that Bokhari was about to resign. Brown replied Saturday morning that there was no truth to the rumours.

Bokhari is staying on as interim leader until a replacement is chosen. The partys council will meet in the coming weeks to plan a timeline.

The three Liberals who now hold legislature seats  Lamoureux, former leader Jon Gerrard and Judy Klassen  all ruled out a run for the leadership Monday. That means the party, which has already struggled financially to pay Bokhari a salary as leader, may have to find money to pay a replacement as well.

Levasseur said the Liberals will have to work hard to raise money and hire experienced staff to help whoever succeeds Bokhari.

The Liberal party as a whole really needs to take a good hard look at what kind of supports it is providing to its leader so that he or she can be better prepared to work with the media and articulate policy, she said.

I dont think all hope is lost for the Liberal party, but it will certainly be a tough four years (until the next election).
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REGINA  The Fort McMurray wildfire and another blaze in northern Alberta are moving towards Saskatchewan, but have not crossed the provincial boundary as quickly as initially feared.

Steve Roberts, executive director of Saskatchewan wildfire management, said the fire that devastated Fort McMurray was 30 kilometres away and another large fire was 15 kilometres from crossing into the province on Monday.

And that puts them more than 50 kilometres from any Saskatchewan community, either of the fires, so no imminent threat from these fires, Roberts said.

Roberts said fire officials in Saskatchewan were preparing for the fires and also working with Alberta to share data.

The good news for us is that fire behaviour has dropped dramatically. They are also under a cooler, moister trend, he said.

The wildfire did not grow to the size that was expected over the weekend.

Roberts said there was no timeline on when the fire might cross into Saskatchewan. Fire specialists look at weather, fire behaviour and the fuel in front of fires to make projections about where the fire could go in a worst-case scenario.

We have not seen any of that behaviour, he said.

The closest communities would be places such as La Loche or Buffalo Narrows. The communities have been under special air-quality advisories from Environment Canada because winds have spread smoke from Alberta into northwestern Saskatchewan.

Roberts also said that fires in parts of northern Saskatchewan last summer may help the situation this year. Some of those fires burned out large tracts between the provincial boundary and Saskatchewan communities, which means there is no fuel for the Fort McMurray fire if it moves east.

What happened in 2015 has actually created a fire barrier from some of these Fort McMurray fires, should they come across the border.

Roberts says there have been 137 wildfires in Saskatchewan so far this year. Seventeen were active, but all were contained or under assessment.

The wildfire risk remained high or extreme in parts of Saskatchewan on Monday, but eased off in some areas as much needed rain finally fell.

Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning Monday for southwestern Saskatchewan, forecasting that a low pressure system would bring 50 to 80 millimetres of rain to much of southern Saskatchewan over a 48-hour period.

Without a doubt, across the province, we have cooler temperatures everywhere and higher humidity everywhere, which will moderate our fire hazard and our fire behaviour, said Roberts.

There was no provincewide fire ban, as there is in Alberta. However, there is a ban in northern Saskatchewan, many provincial parks and local municipalities.

Emergency management commissioner Duane McKay said people should still be very vigilant in how they use fire, noting that most of the fires have been caused by people.

Respect the fire bans where theyre in place and where theyre not in place, do not fire unless absolutely necessary. Take the proper precautions for recreational use, campfires and so on to ensure that you dont cause an incident that would put other people in harms way, said McKay.
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OTTAWA  Some facts about the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria:

Founded: The idea of the fund was discussed at a G8 summit in Okinawa, Japan, in 2000. In January 2002, the fund was established in Geneva to raise, manage and invest money to fight the three diseases, which were killing more than six million people a year.

Beginnings: In December 2002, the first disbursement of $1 million US was made. Pledges from national donors eventually climbed into the billions.

Disbursements: The fund has distributed more than $27 billion in grants in 151 countries.

New target: The fund has set a target for raising $13 billion US.

Canadian efforts: Canada has committed more than $2.1 billion to the fund since 2002 and plans to give another $785 million over 2017-19.

Accomplishments: At the end of 2015, 8.6 million people were getting anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS. Among other projects, the fund had detected and treated 15 million new cases of infectious tuberculosis and distributed 600 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to protect people from malaria.

(Sources: Global Fund, Global Affairs Canada)
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CALGARY  When energy company executives meet Tuesday with Premier Rachel Notley, they should urge the Alberta government to do whatever it can to facilitate the return of their employees in the wake of the wildfire that has devastated Fort McMurray, observers say.

CEO Mark Ward of Syncrude Canada and Steve Laut, president of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., will be among those meeting Notley in Edmonton to discuss how to get the oilsands industry back on track following the evacuation of 80,000 people from the city.

Warren Mabee, director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy at Queens University, said he thinks the companies will be anxious to see people allowed back into Fort McMurray as soon as possible because a stable workforce is critical to their operations.

A giant fireball is seen as a wildfire rips through the forest 16 kilometres south of Fort McMurray, Alta. on Highway 63 Saturday, May 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

I would be looking for a better update on whats happening on the ground, he said. The oilsands can continue to operate  as we said, they havent really lost a lot of their critical infrastructure  but what they have lost, right now, is the support mechanism that the whole city represented and that is significant.

Without that, their costs go through the roof. Its essential to those companies that the city gets up and running even if all the neighbourhoods arent inhabited, even if all of it isnt back where it was.

Mabee said an extended period of downtime due to infrastructure or staffing issues could lead to the industry requesting financial help through bailouts or tax incentives.

Asked about the issue on Monday, Notley said the main issue is ensuring the safety of the employees and that there is logistical support for them.

That and other issues will be discussed with the key leaders (in the oilpatch) but were hopeful that we will be able to move in a relatively expedited way, she said.

Rob Bedin, a 30-year engineer and director at Calgary-based consultancy RS Energy Group, said he doesnt think the industry will ask for money but agreed that staffing is one of the biggest questions it is facing before the production of an estimated one million barrels per day of raw and upgraded bitumen can resume.

The fact that it was an organized shutdown, thats positive in regards to the speed at which it will come back, Bedin said.

One concern for the sector is water quality. Oilsands mines that draw water from the Athabasca River or have open storage ponds could be exposed to ash contamination. Bedin said producers who have been able to keep their water heating systems warm will have an easier time getting their plants running again.

Jackie Forrest, vice-president of energy research at ARC Financial in Calgary, pointed out the oil sector was back in business within two weeks after wildfires that had closed thermal operations south of Fort McMurray were extinguished last spring.

Although this is much more serious, once the fires were out, the operators were in there fairly quickly and getting their production back on line, she said. Assuming theres no damage to the actual facilities, that will happen quite quickly.

Imperial Oil Ltd. said Monday that it had shut down its Kearl operations due to the uncertainty of the situation. Imperial said the plant and other assets were unaffected by fire, and there was no form timeline for operations to resume.

Earlier Monday, the Canadian subsidiary of Norwegian energy giant Statoil ASA said it had closed its Leismer demonstration oil project, which had been producing about 20,000 barrels of bitumen a day. It was shut down after the precautionary closure of an Enbridge pipeline that supplies light oil to the Leismer site, Statoil ASA said.

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Opinion

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The last vestiges of the old Manitoba Telephone System will disappear if BCE Inc.s bid to buy MTS is approved by federal regulators. Despite efforts to keep up the appearance of stiff competition, the deal will actually reduce it. While some Manitobans may long for the days of good government jobs and local development, the private-sector juggernaut in telecommunications has proved to be relentless and unstoppable.

MTS president Jay Forbes said it himself when he noted last Monday the deal was too good to be turned down  by shareholders. Whether the proposed sale of Manitoba Telecom Services to BCE Inc. (or Bell) for

$3.9 billion is good for Manitobans in general, and customers in particular, remains to be seen.

The usual suspects have lined up with opposing opinions and facts. Unifor, the union representing telecom workers, says if history is a guide, BCE will move quickly to consolidate operations and reduce the workforce. Makes sense.

For its part, Bell says it will invest in infrastructure in Manitoba and improve service. Makes sense, too. And what about prices?

Manitoba and Saskatchewan have enjoyed some of the lowest rates in Canada because of the strong local competition provided by MTS and SaskTel. In Manitoba, those days are coming to an end, despite Bells decision to sell one-third of its new Manitoba holdings to Telus in an effort to retain a competitive market.

The fact is the market will be less competitive without MTS. The field will now be dominated by Bell, with Rogers and Telus in pursuit.

The federal government has wanted a more competitive wireless market for obvious reasons  better service, better pricing, better technology  but the collapse of MTS for the sake of shareholder wealth means it will have to play a more aggressive role in regulation.

Indeed, the CRTC has had to intervene repeatedly in recent years to ensure fairness and transparency in the industry. Even something as simple as a Wireless Code to make it easier for individuals and businesses to understand their contracts was necessary because the telecom giants wouldnt do it on their own.

In other fallout from the deal, Winnipeg will lose its status as a telecom headquarters and instead become the western Canadian HQ for Bell. The name MTS will be dropped, the last act in a story that began in 1908 when the Manitoba government bought Bell Canadas Manitoba telephone operations.

Its also the fulfilment of a warning from then-Opposition leader Gary Doer, who argued in 1996 the Tory governments decision to privatize MTS would result in the companys head office disappearing from Manitoba, along with jobs and local development.

Exactly 20 years later, Mr. Doer was proved to be right on that score, although it is far less clear that his opposition to the privatization of MTS was valid.

He believed the government should have held on to MTS for as long as possible, but the world was changing rapidly even then. Ultimately, a small government monopoly could not compete with modern telecoms. SaskTel might be an example to the contrary, but, if so, it is a very solitary example and one that is also unlikely to survive in the long term.

The Saskatchewan Crown corporation also benefited from a special federal arrangement that blocked telecom competition in the province for more than five years in the 1990s, ensuring its profitability and success. A similar deal was never sought in Manitoba.

In any event, the time to mourn for MTS ended a long time ago.

For now, the new Tory government in Manitoba should use whatever influence it possesses to urge the regulator to encourage more competition in a bid to retain and create jobs.

It would be a fitting final irony for MTS to be mourned by the party that did it in.

 Winnipeg Free Press
Opinion

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WINNIPEG  It has been said those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. We are at the beginning of a new Progressive Conservative majority government in Manitoba. One of the most pressing issues for our province and our country is reconciliation with the indigenous nations that have shared this land with us.

According to Statistics Canada, First Nations, Metis and Inuit people make up 17 per cent of the population living within Manitobas borders. These indigenous populations are the fastest-growing demographic, are younger than non-indigenous populations and experience much poorer standards of living and health outcomes than non-indigenous people. Couple these facts with recent media attention to the alarming number of suicides in indigenous communities, the number of indigenous children that are removed from their families by Child and Family Services and Winnipegs unflattering distinction as the most racist city in Canada, and it is clear public policy related to indigenous people ought to be a high priority for Manitobas government.

Any indigenous policy approach must be aimed at reconciliation and rooted in an understanding of colonialism, including the negative impacts of past colonial policies and the current ongoing colonial practices that undermine indigenous self-determination and well-being.

We already have a number of key guideposts in place to help as we undertake this transition: our Constitution explicitly protects aboriginal and treaty rights, the federal government has publicly committed to enacting the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission  including a commitment to the principles set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples  and, during the final days of the previous administration, Manitobas legislature passed the Path to Reconciliation Act, which echoes the federal commitments to the TRC and the UN declaration.

This overarching policy context brings to the fore key issues such as indigenous sovereignty, nationhood, and even citizenship, all of which urge us to face the fact, uncomfortable for some, that indigenous peoples are not like other Canadians and hold rights typical Canadian citizens do not.

It is not easy to assess a new government with no track record of governing. Official platforms and previous public statements must suffice. In this regard, it is not clear the new Pallister government demonstrates an understanding of the relevance of the current context.

The PCs conspicuous silence on this is troubling. Indeed, the official party platform does not mention reconciliation at all. Further, the fact Premier Brian Pallisters party has given the Path to Reconciliation Act a cool reception, even blocking the vote temporarily, exacerbates this concern.

As we know, new governments are often eager to undo the work of their predecessors. If Manitoba is to maintain a provincial commitment to a meaningful approach to reconciliation, it may be up to Manitobans to maintain pressure on our new government to ensure the act remains in force.

Where the Conservatives platform does mention indigenous peoples, there is a clear emphasis on inclusion and economic development. Of course, no one would dispute that these are worthy aims. But if these are pursued out of context  that is, without the parameters set by the TRC and the UN declaration that recognize indigenous peoples rights to choose their political affiliation and identity, to their traditional territories, and to govern themselves through their own institutions  we undermine reconciliation and reinforce damaging colonial practices that lead to marginalization and poverty to begin with.

We have a long history of past and ongoing promises of economic prosperity that result in the destruction of indigenous lands and communities. Similarly, the promise of inclusion has long been a colonial tool to assimilate indigenous peoples into the mainstream body politic, extinguishing indigenous legal, political, and cultural distinctiveness.

Indeed, the move to combine indigenous and municipality issues under one portfolio  indigenous and municipal relations  led by municipalities and economic-development expert Eileen Clarke, reflects no appreciation of this distinctiveness at all. If we fail to appreciate how colonialism functions and how indigenous people continue to resist it, the solutions simply become colonialism in different clothes.

The world is watching as we attempt to move forward. Although it is early, it is not clear that this new government knows of, or wishes to learn from, our colonial past and present. However, as this is our government, it is up to us to hold our elected officials feet to the fire, as it were, to educate them when necessary, and to push for meaningful reconciliation. Insisting that we remain committed to the TRC calls to action and the UN declaration, as outlined in the Path to Reconciliation Act, is only a start.

 Derek Kornelsen is an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba with a research focus of aboriginal health. This is an excerpt from Understanding the Manitoba Election 2016 (University of Manitoba Press), available for download at uofmpress.ca/election2016. This excerpt also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 09/05/2016 (2359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASHINGTON  American politics is now witnessing the spectacle of a presidential platform made out of Play-Doh: perpetually malleable, offering different things to different people, and difficult to attack because its shape keeps shifting.

Donald Trumps a tough guy to pin down.

Few candidates for high office describe key platform planks as adjustable. But thats what hes done these last few days, when media have pressed the presumptive Republican nominee for details.

He says his tax policy could change. His position is flexible on the minimum wage. Hes never actually provided details for how hed ban Muslims from the U.S. And his central campaign promise to deport millions of illegal migrants  thats also in flux.

I have no illusions, Trump told a weekend show on NBC.

I dont think thats going to be (my) final (tax) plan, because they are going to come to me, including the Democrats and everybody else, theyre going to come to me, theyre going to want to negotiate.

Thats a floor. Thats where were starting.

The host was trying to ask Trump about his tax-cut plan, which appears to disproportionately favour the wealthy. Isnt that a contradiction for a campaign aimed at a disgruntled working class?

The details are negotiable, Trump replied.

Its true that tax rates are set in Congress  so Trump is correct that anything he proposes would get hashed out in complex negotiations involving different constituencies of two parties in two legislative chambers. But its rare for a presidential candidate to be so blunt in declaring that his plan isnt really, well, his plan.

He had a similarly amorphous message on minimum wage.

Hed opposed an increase during the Republican primaries. But now that hes apparently won the nomination, he said the current rate of $7.25 should go up because its impossible to live on.

Yet hes not calling for a national increase. He says it should be left to the states.

The stage is set for a nasty, smear-driven campaign about personality. As one political analyst observed Monday, it will be difficult to have a detailed debate about policy.

I think (Hillary) Clintons attacks on Trump are going to be more about his social issues controversies and his general preparedness  or lack thereof  to be president, said Kyle Kondik, an analyst at a politics publication at the University of Virginia.

Tackling Trump on the issues will be tricky because he just changes his positions all the time.

The first week of the unofficial general election illustrated that.

Clintons campaign put out two ads  both about Trumps general character.

The first showed famous Republicans describing him in unflattering terms: A con-artist, phoney, know-nothing, bullying, vulgar, narcissistic, race-baiting, xenophobic bigot who mocked one reporters disability and anothers menstrual cycle.

The ad ends with Jeb Bush saying: He needs therapy.

The second ad has Trump, in his own words. One part has him passing on an opportunity to condemn a Ku Klux Klansman; in other parts he talks about punching protesters or punishing women for abortions.

Trump has hit back at Clintons personality. Hes suggested she was complicit in the 1990s in her husbands sexual mistreatment of women.

There is one more substantive issue hes campaigning on. Its been a constant theme of his interventions in politics spanning the last three decades: the U.S. is getting ripped off by foreigners.

Trump first took out political newspaper ads in 1987 complaining about all the money the U.S. was wasting to defend other countries. He was also complaining about trade back then.

In those days, the object of his ire was Japan.

Its an embarrassment, he elaborated in a Playboy interview in 1990. I give great credit to the Japanese and their leaders because they have made our leaders look totally second rate.

Today, his frustration extends to Mexico. Hes slamming Clinton for backing past free-trade deals, including her connection to NAFTA, which passed while her husband was president.

How would he reverse the tide of globalization?

Hes proposed a 35 per cent tax on companies that ship jobs overseas. Trump also wants other NATO countries to boost defence spending and rely less on the U.S.
Ireland's new Fine Gael-led Government will need to act quickly if it wants to float AIB during this year.

The Irish Times reports that a flotation in mid-November is being considered, but to pass through the planning process this would require a decision soon.
Millions of files from the so-called Panama Papers have been published online this evening.

The files, relating to thousands of offshore companies, were leaked from the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca.

A number of Irish people are said to be named in the files.

Anyone in the world will now be able to search through the details of around 200,000 companies, trusts and funds to see who has placed their wealth in tax havens.

The Revenue Commissioners have indicated they will be studying the contents of the files.

The development charity Oxfam said that the publication is a significant blow against tax dodgers

Governments from about 40 countries are meeting in London this week to discuss ways of tackling the issue.

Oxfam Ireland chief executive is Jim Clarken said: "Well, there are over 200 companies in Ireland identified.

"Now it's not exactly clear who owns them yet, so that's why we want the Irish Government hopefully attending this global anti-corruption conference, which is happening later this week, to commit to this important transparency that's required to ensure that there isn't an opportunity for companies or individuals to hide their wealth offshore."
Dublin teenager Abbey had her dream come true as she got to meet her idol reality TV star Khloe Kardashian recently.

It all came together thanks to charity Make-A-Wish Ireland.

Make-A-Wish Ireland grant wishes to children living with life-threatening medical conditions aged between three and 17. Since the charitys foundation in 1992 they have set up more than 1,800 wishes to children living in Ireland.

On Friday the charitys Facebook page posted pictures and the story of Abbeys epic trip to Los Angeles.

Khloe Kardashian with Abbey. Picture: Make-A-Wish Ireland

After landing in the city 14-year-old Abbey, her mother and her brother did some sightseeing before being collected in a fancy limousine to meet one of the biggest reality stars in television history.

Khloe, who stars with her family in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, treated the Irish family to some donuts, cup cakes and iced tea as she answered all of Abbeys questions.

Abbey and her mother with Khloe. Picture: Make-A-Wish Ireland

The star then signed autographs for Abbey and all of her friends.

Abbey was delighted her wish came true and rating it on a scale of one to 10 she told Make-A-Wish Ireland it was 1,000.

You can get more information on Make-A-Wish Ireland here.
Eight food businesses were ordered to close last month for breaches in food safety legislation.

Five of them, all in Dublin, were issued orders under the Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act.
Update 4.45pm: The jurors in the murder trial of an Offaly man have retired to consider one of three verdicts open to them.

Ross Allen of Kilmonaghan Lodge in Clara has pleaded not guilty to murdering Christy Daly, whose body was found in a ditch in January 2014.

Earlier:

The jurors in the trial of an Offaly man accused of murder have been told they can consider the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Ross Allen of Kilmonaghan Lodge in Clara is accused of playing a part in the murder of Christy Daly in January 2014.

Christy Dalys body was found in a drain near his home outside Clara. He had been beaten and shot several times.

A burnt out car was found at a nearby quarry a few days beforehand. It contained 9mm bullets similar to some spent bullets found at the scene.

His caravan and two cars were also burnt out near where his body was discovered.

Ross Allen is not accused of pulling the trigger but it is the prosecution case that he played a role in getting two Dublin assassins involved after a bag containing 30k worth of drugs went missing.

He allegedly left it in a laneway near Mr Dalys caravan and suspected him of stealing it when he returned to retrieve it on December 29, 2013.

The jurors will soon begin their deliberations and they have been told they have three options open to them: guilty of murder, not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter or not guilty.

Last week, the DPP dropped the murder charge against Matthew Gralton of Mount Prospect in Co. Roscommon.
Gardai investigating the death of a man in Co Cork are examining whether he may have fallen from an upstairs window.

The man's body was found outside the Manor Mills complex in Rathcormac this morning.
Nurses have been protesting outside Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda over severe staff shortages.

They say there are 103 vacant posts at the Co Louth Hospital, which means every ward is short-staffed.
Update May 9, 2016 :Paul Long has been found safe and well.

Earlier: A teenager has gone missing from his home in Dublin.

Gardai are seeking the public's help in tracing 17-year-old Paul Long, who has been missing from his home on Colepark Road, Ballyfermot since Sunday, May 1.

Paul was last seen at about 7pm that evening and is described as being six feet one inch tall, of medium build, and with blue eyes and short blonde hair.

When last seen he was wearing a black North Face jacket with black track suit bottoms and yellow adiddas runners.

Gardai are concerned for Paul's welfare and anyone with information are asked to contact Ballyfermot Garda Station on 01 - 6667200, The Garda Confidential Line, 1800 666111 or any Garda Station.
A foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor many compare to Donald Trump is the man to beat in the Philippines presidential election as voters weary of poverty, corruption and uprisings in the hinterlands look for a radical change at the top.

Rodrigo Duterte, mayor of the southern Davao city, has led in voter-preference surveys, with a bold promise to wipe out crime and corruption in three to six months if he wins.

That has resonated among voters but also sparked alarm and doubts about electing someone with no national political experience and a tendency to make inflammatory remarks.

"All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you," Mr Duterte told a huge cheering crowd on Saturday in his final campaign rally in Manila. "I have no patience, I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots."

It is remarks such as these that have won him favour among the masses, and opprobrium among the political elite. Outgoing President Benigno Aquino called Mr Duterte a threat to democracy as he campaigned for his candidate, former interior secretary Mar Roxas.

Three other candidates are vying to succeed Mr Aquino in one of Asia's liveliest democracies and more than 45,000 candidates are contesting 18,000 national, congressional and local positions in elections that have traditionally been tainted by violence and accusations of cheating, especially in far-flung rural areas.

At least 15 people have been killed in elections-related violence and more than 4,000 arrested for violating a gun ban, according to police.

"Let us show the world that despite our deep passion and support for our candidates, we can hold elections that are peaceful and orderly and reflect the spirit of democracy," said Mr Aquino, who cast his ballot after standing in line for more than an hour with other voters in a Manila constituency.

Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista said no major glitches were expected in the voting despite the massive logistical challenges.

About 55 million Filipinos have registered to vote in 36,000 voting centers across the archipelago of more than 7,100 islands, including in a small fishing village in a Philippine-occupied island in the disputed South China Sea.

The brash Mr Duterte, who has been compared to US Republican front-runner Donald Trump for his propensity for provocative statements, has threatened to close down congress and form a revolutionary government if he wins and faces stonewalling legislators.

A critical senator has also threatened to file an impeachment complaint against Mr Duterte, accusing him of large-scale corruption and hiding questionable funds in secret joint bank accounts with his daughter. Mr Duterte denies the allegations.

In final campaigning on Saturday, Mr Aquino warned voters that Mr Duterte could be a dictator in the making and urged them not to support him. He cited the rise of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as an example of how a despotic leader can gain power and hold on to it without public resistance.

Filipinos have been hypersensitive to potential threats to democracy since they rose in a 1986 "people power" revolt that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who faced allegations of plundering the poor country and condoning widespread human rights violations by state forces. In 2001, a similar uprising forced Joseph Estrada from the presidency over alleged large-scale corruption.
Under heavy security, a trial has begun in Belgium of a suspected extremist cell linked to the ringleader of last year's terror attacks in Paris.

Sixteen defendants, including nine who are still at large, are accused of involvement in what Belgian authorities say was a terrorist plot being mounted in the eastern city of Verviers.
The US Mint will feature an Asian American on its currency for the first time when it issues a coin next week...
NEW YORK: Gold prices rose more than 1% on Friday, on track for a weekly rise, as the dollar turned negative, with...
MANILA: The use of LNG imports for power generation in the Philippines next year should not be a disincentive for...
NEW YORK: Earnings reports from the four biggest US companies by market capitalization in the coming week may test a...
LONDON: Penny Mordaunt, one of two candidates to be Britains next prime minister, is still in the leadership race...
TEHRAN: Iran has once again rejected allegations that it has supplied Russia with weapons "to be used in the war in...
A Canberra man with a hoarding disorder and a predilection for guns has been forced to relinquish a stash of rifles, a pistol and a shotgun seized from his home after he was convicted of firearms offences.

John Edward Mitchell last year pleaded guilty to numerous crimes after 133 items, including guns, ammunition and gun parts, were seized under a court-issued abatement order designed to manage the unsanitary conditions caused by the items he amassed at his property.

Rifles, pistols and revolvers were among guns the judge said must be forfeited.

Mitchell, a long-time shooter, was last month handed a suspended jail sentence and ordered to serve a four-year good behaviour order.

The matter returned to the ACT Supreme Court this week after prosecutors moved to have the guns confiscated as criminal assets.
"This is my son, I don't get that back," Mrs Catanzariti said. Kay Catanzariti leaves the Magistrates Court holding her sons ashes. Credit:Jay Cronan "And I can't bring Ben back, I know that. But I guarantee there will be another death in the ACT because charges have been dropped." Schwing Australia Pty Ltd and NSW engineer Phillip James O'Rourke were responsible for maintaining the concrete pump that collapsed on July 21, 2012, killing Mr Catanzariti and seriously injuring two others. Ben Catanzariti with his mother Kay.

It had been alleged that the pump had only recently been serviced and that bolts were incorrectly tightened, and then not checked properly. The case was beset by delay after delay, but reached a shocking finality when it came to court on Monday, where prosecutors said they had no evidence to offer. A new expert report, commissioned by Schwing, had found the failure of the bolts was not due to incorrect tightening, but due to a "metallurgical phenomenon" called hydrogen embrittlement. WorkSafe ACT got its own report, which came to the conclusion that the bolts failed due to stress corrosion cracking. Both reports dealt significant blows to the prosecution's theory pinning responsibility to Schwing and Mr O'Rourke.

The CFMEU, who formed a guard of honour for Mrs Catanzariti as she walked into court, say the case raises serious questions about the abilities and expertise of WorkSafe ACT and the Director of Public Prosecutions in handling complex, expensive work safety cases, particularly when they are pitted against wealthy multinationals. Mrs Catanzariti said she felt abused by the process, and failed by those who told her they were there to help. "I now realise that Australia's legal system has little to offer ordinary people like us," she said in a written statement. "Justice only exists for those cloaked in money and power." CFMEU ACT secretary Dean Hall called for an investigation into the failed prosecution.

He said the case would make the ACT look weak on work safety, particularly in the eyes of the construction industry. "This has been one of the most high-profile cases in the history of the ACT as an industrial death," Mr Hall said. "To come out of that court and be in a situation where it's embarrassing that the DPP stood to her feet and said that they tender no evidence." "It's an absolute disgrace, it's something as a society, as a community, we need to reflect upon." The death is likely to return to the ACT Coroners Court for the continuation of an inquest.

Mrs Catanzariti and the CFMEU have called for that to be conducted swiftly. WorkSafe ACT, who gathered the evidence against Schwing and the engineer, issued its own statement quickly after the court appearance on Monday. Work Safety Commissioner Brett Phillips said the new evidence was unforeseen and that the DPP had now concluded it could not prove its case to the high standard required. "The decision was considered carefully and not taken lightly," Mr Phillips said. "Mr Catanzariti's death remains keenly felt and WorkSafe will continue to support the Catanzariti family in any way it can."
The boss of the world's biggest explosives maker, Orica, says it is impossible to say when a "deteriorating" mining industry will start to improve after the company's half-year profit tumbled 33 per cent and it halved its interim dividend.

Speaking a week after former Rio Tinto head, Tom Albanese, called the bottom of the commodities cycle, Orica chief executive Alberto Calderon said there was too much uncertainty to give an accurate forecast.

Orica chief executive Alberto Calderon says the future for commodity markets remains uncertain. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

Mr Calderon's comments came after Orica's net profit for the six months to March 31 fell to $149 million. This compares with $222 million for the same period last year.

Revenue, meanwhile, plunged 22 per cent to $2.6 billion. Mr Calderon, a former BHP Billiton executive, said commodity markets worsened more than expected, particularly in January and February, and would remain "challenged for the foreseeable future".
New Zealand's Todd Corporation has close to doubled its takeover bid for Flinders Mines, winning the support of the junior iron ore hopeful's board.

In March, a mining-focused subsidiary of the billionaire Todd family's investment vehicle offered Flinders shareholders 1.3 cash per share.

Todd corporation's takeover play for Flinders Mines is designed to secure it the large Pilbara Iron Ore Project. Credit:Bloomberg

On Monday, the private corporation announced an increased best and final offer of 2.5 per share, valuing the junior at $73.8 million. Shares in Flinders jumped on the news, up 66.7 per cent to 2.5 at 2pmAEST.

After recommending shareholders reject the initial bid, Flinders' directors unanimously recommended shareholders accept the improved offer.
Peter Helliar and Kitty Flanagan make a fine couple There was comic mileage to be had from the fact two of The Panel's three regular hosts had been nominated for the night's top prize  or, to put it another way, one of the three had not been. "My name is Peter Helliar, otherwise known as the one from The Project who wasn't nominated for the Gold Logie," he said, pinching back the tears. "But you know what they say: it's an honour just to be asked to throw to a nomination package." Helliar invited his nominated colleagues, Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore, to swing by his table up the back of the room some time. "I don't mean to brag, but I am sitting with some of the highest-selling newsagents in rural Australia," he said. Flanagan had a lovely bit about the little-known alternative route to becoming a chef. "I feel dreadful. I see all these people on MasterChef, My Kitchen Rules, saying 'cooking has always been my dream'," she said. "I wish someone had told them about TAFE."

Go on: you know you've thought the same thing. Noni Hazlehurst launches the Positivity Channel Noni Hazlehurst became just the second woman to be inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame (or should that be Shame?), and used her speech to deliver a rousing call to lay down arms. "With the explosion of technology and the proliferation of screens, we can't escape exposure to bad news and violent images, they're everywhere," she said, drawing a link between what is on TV and increasing rates of depression. "We're all living under a heavy and constant cloud of negativity  I think it's because we're surrounded by bad news and examples of our basest human behaviour. I fear that our hearts are growing cold."

It was stirring stuff, followed by what she called her pitch. "I'd love a channel that features nothing but stories that inspire us and reassure us, and our children, that there are good things happening and good people in the world. At the very least, a show ... that counters bad news with good, encourages optimism not pessimism, restores our empathy and love for our fellow human beings and the Earth, that redefines reality, that heals our hearts. And by the way, I'm available." Everyone loves Noni, and her heart is clearly in the right place, but I'm not sure she wasn't a little clouded in her thinking by all the hoopla around Play School turning 50. If kids are being exposed to bad stuff on telly the answer, surely, is to change the channel, not to create a new one. Last time I looked, there wasn't an awful lot of plague and pestilence on ABC Kids. Then again, if someone really does launch a Good News channel, you'll know where they got the idea. Black Australia finds its voice  and almost has it cut off The speeches were interminable. Waleed Aly's clocked in at about 12 minutes; Noni Hazlehurst equalled that, and her speech which was preceded by another 13 minutes of tributes. Tim Minchin got a mere 80 seconds for his peer-voted supporting actor speech, but that was a pre-record from LA; he used it to signal his intent to move back to Australia next year, and to make the point that telling difficult stories about our country (like The Secret River, for which he won) was essential. "Saying, 'let's get over it and move on' doesn't cut it, and never has, in any culture in the history of the world," he said to whoops from the audience.

How shoddy, then, that the producers, director and cast of Ready For This, the indigenous-focused series that won Most Outstanding Children's Program, had barely taken the stage when the get-off music began to play. "Seriously?" asked an incredulous Darren Dale, one of the show's creators. The audience booed, the orchestra backed off, and Dale and his co-recipients  including fired-up actor Madeleine Madden  grabbed the moment. In a night that made great show of embracing diversity and acknowledging the validity of indigenous storytelling, it was a thoughtless and blundering misstep, equalled only by Shane Jacobson's uncomfortable-bordering-on-disastrous interview with Lee Lin Chin. Julia Morris brings the house down There were live performances from Conrad Sewell, Delta Goodrem and Jimmy Barnes but the biggest musical moment of the night belonged to Julia Morris, who revisited her television debut as a 17-year-old contestant singing Holding Out For a Hero on New Faces in 1985. "Seventy-five years in the business, you see," she joked to Jacobson, who introduced the clip he claimed to have found on the internet.

Morris said she tied for first place, but lost the tie-break to a girls marching band, "so I never got to sing the song again in the grand final." But, she quickly added, "I'll get it out for you again now". Jacobson looked appalled. "I have never heard the word 'no' said so fast and so often in my ear," he said. But 40 minutes or so later he was back, claiming social media had demanded she be allowed to sing the song, and promising that John Foreman, the musical director of the show, "sort of knew the music". Half an hour after that, Morris was on stage, performing a truncated version of Bonnie Tyler's 1984 song (originally recorded for the soundtrack to Footloose), with the note-perfect accompaniment of the 30 or so members of the Logies orchestra, who had apparently learnt the score, without practicing, in less than an hour. Hmmm. Morris's twirl-and-fall routine earlier in the night had obviously been a rehearsed bit of slapstick, but the song played at first glance like a genuinely spontaneous moment, fed by audience demand and the pluck of this most avowedly ordinary of performers. But watching it again in the cold light of day, it seems far more likely that it was in fact a cleverly worked three-part sting. Nor was there much evidence of a social-media clamour.

Whatever. The fact that it was almost certainly faked doesn't make it any less fun. Truth or just a dare, it was one of the two undisputed highlights of the night. The other being Waleed Aly's acceptance speech, of course. Yes, we all knew it was coming, and we all knew it would be uncommonly thoughtful for a night that has never before been treated or taken all that seriously by anyone. But it was still a moment to treasure. Aly thanked his wife, academic Susan Carland, with eloquence, generosity, warmth and sincerity, but the main thrust of his speech was the undeniable fact that a non-white person had just been voted the most popular personality on Australian television. "Do not adjust your sets," he said. "There is nothing wrong with this picture." Of course, you only need to read the comments posted beneath any story about Aly to know not everyone in Australia agrees with that assessment. But still...

"This is happening, it's true," he continued, pointing to the watershed moment. "Finally, a male presenter on commercial TV has won the Gold Logie!" Of course, what was really happening was that the industry was being forced to acknowledge that the world is far more colourful than you might guess from the white-bread version it has long persisted in serving up to Australian commercial television audiences. "If tonight means anything  it's that the Australian public, our audience, as far as they're concerned, there is absolutely no reason why that can't change," said Aly. At times, the 2016 Logie Awards were frivolous, tiresome and predictable, like they have been pretty much every year. But they were also occasionally very funny, moving and even a little bit meaningful. Let's hope that a year from now we will look back and see that they marked the start of something, a will to change, rather than the end after a brief dalliance.
And that's it from me for the day. What happened?

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made three stops in Brisbane;

made three stops in Brisbane; he spoke of the Coalition's economic plans and its new policy on internships ;

and its ; Labor leader Bill Shorten has just arrived in Cairns;

has just arrived in Cairns; Mr Shorten will visit a school as he emphasises Labor's education policies ;

will visit a school as he emphasises ; immigration has already become an issue with one Labor candidate criticising the party's policy ;

has already become an issue with ; this gave Immigration Minister Peter Dutton an easy attack line as he urged people to remember the Coalition's track record on border protection.

I'm signing off to work a new project - a campaign newsletter that will be sent out every afternoon. I will not be blogging every day of the campaign. I did in 2013 and some days were, shall we say, easier than others. But I will be with you for campaign launches, debates, election day and other major events.

You can also follow me on Facebook for regular updates throughout the day.

Andrew Meares, Alex Ellinghausen and I will be back soon. See you on the hustings.
The email, sent in the early hours of Monday morning from an organisation called Menzies Group, claimed "some members have been heard at Canberra Liberals functions openly talking about their desire to see the incumbent lose the seat".

A leaked email sent to Liberal Party supporters in Canberra and in the neighbouring NSW seat of Eden-Monaro suggests some Coalition supporters want Peter Hendy to lose his seat because of his role in plotting to remove former Prime Minster Tony Abbott.

Mr Abbott was ousted two years after returning the Coalition to office. His successor, Malcolm Turnbull, is now campaigning to win his first election as prime minister.

Eden-Monaro MP Peter Hendy appears to have been the target of a fake text-message marketing campaign. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Mr Hendy was one of the key plotters in the coup, hosting the final meeting of MPs including Liberal senators Mitch Fifield, James McGrath, Scott Ryan and Arthur Sinodinos, all of whom were promoted by Mr Turnbull after his own elevation.

The Menzies Group is a small group, formed initially as a protest against the sitting Liberal Senator for the ACT, Zed Seselja, after he successfully challenged Gary Humphries for preselection in 2013.

The email claimed the Canberra Liberals had withdrawn "support" for Mr Hendy's campaign in the crucial seat.
Cabinet minister Steve Ciobo has defended the appointment of a former Greens candidate and social activist to one of the Australian bureaucracy's highest positions, saying it was not the prime minister's decision.

Lin Hatfield Dodds, who contested the Senate for the Greens in the ACT at the 2010 election, has been named the new deputy secretary of social policy within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C).

She was most recently the head of social sector group UnitingCare Australia, and is a former president of the Australian Council of Social Services.
It's known as the Sunshine State but in politics, it is definitely the swing state.

There are a host of seats in play in Queensland, which is why Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten both flew north to begin their campaigns on Monday.

Importantly, Queensland voters have been prepared to use their votes in anger, making the state a graveyard for many a political leader.
If Isabella Blow were alive today she would most likely be on tour with Lady Gaga.

"She preceded Lady Gaga by 20 years. She would have hated her at first but then loved her. They'd be touring together. It might have been Gaga's tour but it would've been Isabella on show," milliner and close friend Philip Treacy told Fairfax Media.

To many in the fashion industry, Blow was a mentor and a visionary. As a stylist and fashion director of society tome Tatler she discovered and launched the careers of designers like Treacy and Alexander McQueen as well as models Stella Tennant and Sophie Dahl.

Her friendship with McQueen was legendary. For his first show for Givenchy in 1997 she had the horns cut off the rams from her flock of rare breed sheep, Treacy then sprayed them gold and Naomi Campbell wore them as a hat on the runway.
Union officials have launched an extraordinary attack on the Australian Federal Police, accusing the force of adopting an "unbalanced and aggressive" approach to union activities and executing the Turnbull government's union-busting ambitions.

Sparking a flare-up of simmering tensions this week, a Victorian union safety officer has become the subject of a criminal investigation after he tested the stability of a guard rail during a site visit and it immediately collapsed.

A letter from the AFP, seen by Fairfax Media, details the allegation of property damage against the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union's Peter Clarke. The union said the case was "bizarre" and added to serious concerns that police were responding to political pressure to become more heavily involved in industrial relations matters.

"This is a bizarre use of AFP resources that ought to be used to deal with the serious criminality that goes on in the community," union secretary Dave Noonan said.
So you think you can design ... A statewide event that demonstrates the strength of design teaching in Victorian secondary schools has announced its 10 student finalists for its Wood, Metal & Plastics 2016 competition. The Design and Technology Teachers Association (DATTA) of Victoria runs the So You Think You Can Design competition twice a year. In May, students designing in wood, metal and plastics are assessed and in December it is textiles students. Two students from each of St Michael's Grammar, Northcote High, Dromana College, Mornington Secondary and Simonds Catholic College have reached the finals, and the ultimate winner will be decided at the STEAMpunk Conference to be held on May 13 and 14 at Harvester Technical College in Sunshine. All the finalists will be able to take part in a Discover Design Program at Swinburne University's Advanced Manufacturing & Design Centre. Conference details

Higher education not always road to riches A report probing the link between disadvantage and graduate outcomes finds that patterns of disadvantage  such as low socio-economic status, disability, being Indigenous and living in regional Australia  persist when students complete university. 'Investigating the Relationship between Equity and Graduate Outcomes' also concludes that undertaking paid work in the final year of study strongly predicts whether a graduate will be employed. However graduates who do this are more likely to earn less than those who do not and many hold the same positions as they held while they were studying. The study was headed by Dr Sarah Richardson of the Australian Council for Educational Research. Read more



Tapping into the message of clean water Victoria's schools are participating in an international collaboration to promote the message of clean, healthy water for people and the environment. The iEARN Water is Life project brings together students in 24 schools from 10 nations to carry out research and community action on United Nations sustainability goals for the health of the world's water. The schools are: Leongatha, Cardross, Canterbury and Swan Reach Primary Schools and Warringa Park School; and Officer and Mirboo North Secondary Schools. http://www.iearn.org.au

Seeking answers on autism More than 600 delegates gathered at last week's Autism in Education Conference in Melbourne to grapple with the challenge of improving outcomes for children and young people on the autism spectrum in schools and further education. The delegates represented students and young people on the spectrum, their families, educators, researchers, service providers and practitioners from across Australia, the US, UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, China and New Zealand. About 81,000 school-aged children in Australia are estimated to have a diagnosis of autism. http://autismineducation.org.au
Centrelink's top boss has conceded that internal mistakes led to the huge Youth Allowance debacle of recent months that had hundreds of thousands of young people denied their benefits for up to four months.

The acting chief of the giant Department of Human Services, which runs the welfare agency, gave a frank account to a Senate committee of what went wrong, accepted responsibility and vowed to do better.

Unhappy: Senator Doug Cameron says the "stuff-up" is "unacceptable". Credit:Jazmine Thom

The evidence of acting departmental secretary Grant Tidswell marked a dramatic departure from the line previously maintained by DHS and its minister, that an unforeseen surge in applications for Youth Allowance caused the system to break down.
The water is still against the rocks on the north-western rim of Lake Illawarra as volunteer teams hang off shore, in search of a man presumed missing since Saturday's pre-dawn.

The search was suspended after two full days spent looking from above, atop, and below the water's surface, but on Monday a report of a washed-up body revives Marine Rescue's activity.

A Marine Rescue boat retreats from Hooka Creek Point Monday morning after crew investigated a report of a washed-up body. Credit:Robert Peet

There is no body. The suspect object is just a log.

And so it continues  the mystery of the capsized, unmanned kayak, laden with properly rigged fishing gear and last seen  about 2.30am Saturday  with its headlight-wearing and now disappeared fisher safely aboard.
New LNP leader Tim Nicholls has announced the team he hopes will take the opposition to the government benches, with elevations for supporters - and some key omissions.

After dripping out appointments at the weekend  which included moving former leader Lawrence Springborg off the frontbench to the chair of the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee, one of the most influential and powerful oversight committees in Queensland, Mr Nicholls announced his full bench on Tuesday.

His "new team to get Queensland moving" sees Dale Last promoted to Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Christian Rowan moved from the backbench to the Environment portfolio and Michael Hart picked to take on Mark Bailey in Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply.

Jarrod Bleijie has moved out of the law and order space for the first time in his parliamentary career, as shadow minister for Employment, Industrial Relations, Skills and Training and Fair Trading. That's aimed at the new jobs focus Mr Nicholls hopes to challenge the Palaszczuk Government on, with Mr Bleijie's portfolios not mirroring a particular minister in government, but rather, taking in a few.
A Queensland Police Union representative has hit out at the service's Ethical Standards Unit and Crime and Corruption Commission for their treatment of officers under investigation while calling for a Royal Commission into the "systemic managerial corruption within the QPS".

South East region representative Phil Notaro, who covers a region that stretches from Logan to the state border with New South Wales, accused the police watchdogs of "unfair" and "disgusting" treatment while investigating QPS officers, as part of a "noble cause corruption" culture he said was "alive and well" within the ESU and CCC.

A Queensland Police Union representative has blasted the leadership of the force and the performance of the Ethical Standards Command. Credit:Tom Threadingham

"The standard of practice requires police to treat their clients with dignity and respect," Senior Sergeant Notaro wrote in the April Queensland Police Union journal.

"It should be irrelevant if a client is also a police officer. But some of those at ESC and CCC act as if that standard of practice does not apply to them.
The LG G5. Credit:LG It's a compelling ploy, but unfortunately LG hasn't executed it in a way that makes you want to go out and buy its latest phone. The G5 feels like it was hatched prematurely. Modules are clunky LG designed a new type of removable battery, but it has its flaws. Credit:Hannah Francis Switching a module on the G5 requires sliding the bottom edge of the phone out like a drawer to reveal the battery, then snapping the battery off forcefully. The plastic parts feel like they're going to break  and I wouldn't be surprised if after long-term use that's exactly what they do.

You then snap the battery into place on the module, and slide the module into the phone. You need to give it a good bang to lock it in, as I discovered the hard way when testing the CAM PLUS module and it kept slipping out in my bag and making the phone turn off. The CAM PLUS module. Credit:Hannah Francis There are currently two modules on the market: the aforementioned camera extension, and a Bang & Olufsen DAC audio player. I tested the CAM PLUS and, honestly, if I were given this thing free with the phone, I don't think I'd use it. You can clearly see the gaps at the edges where the bottom connects to the main body. Credit:Hannah Francis

It's essentially a clunky case that covers half the phone. It has a not-so-smooth zoom dial and a couple of buttons on top for taking snaps and video. Just like a proper camera! Except it's not a proper camera. It's an average 16 megapixel smartphone camera, and the shots it takes pale in comparison to the latest iPhone and Galaxy cameras. I was able to gently pull the bottom part on my review device this far out - without pressing the release button on the side. Credit:Hannah Francis One clear bonus with the G5 is its second 135-degree wide-angle lens. This expands an everyday photographer's horizons  pardon the pun  considerably, giving you creative options for framing shots. It's a lot of fun. However, the second lens only sports 8MP. If the quality of the photos isn't up to scratch in the first place, it's not an ideal trade-off. You don't need the module to use the wide-angle lens though. In fact, the module adds next to no extra functionality to the phone's camera at all.

The bottom piece of the G5, top, looks like metal. The main part, bottom, looks and feels like plastic. Credit:Hannah Francis So aside from the ergonomics of having something to grip onto when taking shots  something I personally don't see the point of; we're all used to taking photos with smartphones by now  that leaves you with a decent battery charger. The CAM PLUS adds an extra 1200mAh battery capacity to the G5, bringing its total chops to an impressive 4000mAh. Photographs taken with the G5's regular megapixel camera, top, and the 8MP wide angle lens, bottom. Credit:Hannah Francis But it's even uglier than that the smart battery case Apple released (and got ridiculed for) last year. It's also even less nice to hold for everyday phone use, and you won't be able to fit a phone case over the top.

Friends are better LG has released a bevy of "friends" alongside the modules. Its first virtual reality headset, the 360 VR, is an underwhelming experience compared to rivals. However LG hasn't yet announced whether it's even coming to Australia. There's its cute Rolling Bot  a bizarre toy apparently aimed at cat owners  and the 360 CAM. There are a few affordable 360 degree cameras coming out on the market this year, including one by Samsung which we're told is on its way soon. LG's offering is intuitive to use and produces decent quality 360 stills and video, which can be played back in the app and shared instantly via social channels. It might take a while for your friends and family to catch on to the format but the trend towards 360 and virtual reality video is only going to grow.

To my mind LG has done a better job with its accessories, not least because they are complete and intact, as opposed to the modules. Design let-down LG's marketing schtick is all about fun: "Life's good when you play more." Sadly, there's little joy in the modular add-ons unless you like gimmickry for its own sake. If we strip them away, what are we left with? LG says its modular design solved the problem of how to make an all-metal phone with a removable battery. But there's probably a reason other manufacturers haven't gone down this path: it feels flimsy.

When the battery is removed, it's obvious how bendable (and plastic-looking) the hollow chassis is. Down where the bottom part connects to the main body, there's a disconcerting gap. The gap gets bigger when you add a module. Then there's that question mark over the "all metal" claim. LG hit back at critics of the G5's finish with a press release assuring us it was indeed made of aluminium alloy, but with a coating. That may be so. But it still feels like plastic. And it scratches easily. What is the point of using a precarious modular design for an all-metal body when it doesn't even feel like an all-metal body?

There's poor attention to detail elsewhere, too. Around the edges where the screen meets the metal, it's imperfections galore.The shiny silver groove that runs around the back edge is broken up in parts where it has to make way for the antenna. There's nothing expressly terrible about the G5. It's a decent phone. It's fast, it has a nice screen, it's easy to hold. LG's user experience is not my favourite  the keyboard in particular I don't love  but it's basic and predictable, which some users will want. But it's a hell of a convoluted way to go about making a phone. And the poor Frankenchild just isn't that pretty.

LG G5 Price: $1099

Screen: 5.3 inches, 2560 x 1440/554ppi resolution

Camera: 16MP rear; 8MP wide and front

Processor: Snapdragon 820

Battery: 2800mAh

Memory: 4GB RAM, 32GB storage plus microSD slot (up to 2 terabytes)

Operating system: Android 6.0 Marshmallow CAM PLUS Price: $129

Battery: 1200mAh extra capacity

Buttons: Power, shutter, record, zoom

Other features: Auto focus, exposure lock 360 CAM
A judge has warned a Supreme Court jury that a man accused of discussing making a bomb to start a bushfire as part of a terrorist plot was the one on trial, not Islam.

Justice John Dixon on Monday said the jury had a duty to decide the case against Adnan Karabegovic on the evidence and nothing more.

Adnan Karabegovic outside the Melbourne Magistrates' Court in 2013. Credit:Michael Clayton-Jones

"In particular, you should dismiss any feeling of sympathy or prejudice that you may have, whether it is sympathy for or prejudice against the accused or anyone else," Justice Dixon said.

"Most importantly, religion, particularly Islam, is not on trial here."
A woman was dancing alone at a music festival in Bendigo when she was grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted by a man who had one arm in a sling.

Police are investigating the attack, which ended when another festival goer saw the woman in distress and came to her aid as the offender fled the scene.

A likeness of the man police want to speak to.

The 20-year-old woman was dancing at the Groovin the Moo festival on Saturday afternoon, April 30, when she was attacked just after 4pm.

Sexual Crime Squad detectives are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the attack on Holmes Road.



Investigators have released a facial composite of a man they believe can help them. He is believed to be around 18-years-old with a slim build, blue eyes and light coloured hair. He was wearing a white shirt with 'Premiers' written on the back and had an injured arm in a red sling, police said.



Anyone who has information can contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Kabul, Afghanistan: More than 50 people were killed on Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan's Ghazni province when two buses collided with a fuel truck, which then exploded, officials said. Scores of others were injured, many of them critically.

The crash in Ghazni was bad even by the standards of Afghanistan's notoriously dangerous mountain highways. A total of 111 people were either killed or injured, said Hamidullah Nawroz, head of Ghazni's provincial council, but because the victims were taken to many hospitals in different cities, many died on the way and the number of fatalities was hard to determine.

Nawroz said that a bus full of passengers tried to pass a slow-moving fuel tanker on a narrow highway in Mukur District around 6am on Sunday, and crashed head-on into another fully loaded bus coming from the opposite direction. Both buses then collided with the fuel tanker, which exploded and engulfed all three vehicles in flames.

Estimates of the number of fatalities ranged from 50 to 76, amid fears the death toll could be even higher. Ismail Kawusi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Ministry of Health, said that there were 140 passengers on the buses but that rescue workers had identified only 50 bodies so far. Many of the remains were badly burned and body parts were scattered around the accident site.
Karachi: Unidentified gunmen have killed a Pakistani rights activist known for campaigning against both religious extremism and the head cleric of a radical Sunni mosque, police said.

The drive-by shooting took place late on Saturday night in the southern port city of Karachi. Four men, riding two motorbikes, sprayed bullets at the activist, Khurram Zaki, according to Muqadas Haider, a senior Karachi police official. Zaki was having dinner at a roadside cafe with a journalist friend, Rao Khalid. Khalid and a bystander were wounded.

Mourners carry the coffin of slain activist Khurram Zaki in Karachi. Credit:AP

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has rejected allegations the country is a tax haven after the release of new documents relating to the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

The documents, which reference New Zealand 61,000 times, were handed to Radio NZ, One News and investigative journalist Nicky Hager and released on Monday.

John Key said that if a review recommended changes then they would be made and Inland Revenue would also look through the database to check if local companies were avoiding tax. Credit:Bloomberg

They show a New Zealand accountancy firm, Bentley's in Auckland, is the registered office of Mossack Fonseca NZ, and it helped set up foreign trusts and companies here.
Senator Ted Cruz's supporters are mounting an effort to seize control of the Republican platform and the rules governing the party's July convention, the first indication that Mr. Cruz will not simply hand his delegates over to Donald Trump.

In an email sent Sunday to pro-Cruz convention delegates, a top aide to the Texas senator wrote that it was "still possible to advance a conservative agenda at the convention."

"To do that, it is imperative that we fill the Rules and Platform Committees with strong conservative voices like yours," wrote Ken Cuccinelli, who was the campaign's former delegate wrangler and a former attorney general of Virginia. "That means you need to come to the national convention and support others in coming, too!"
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A Bristol man has admitted raping and stabbing a teenage girl to death nearly 32 years ago.

On the morning Christopher Hampton was due to stand trial, the 64-year-old changed his plea.

Melanie Road was murdered after she walked home from a night out with friends from a nightclub in Bath in June 1984.

She had been raped and stabbed more than 25 times.

Prosecutor Kate Brenner QC told the court that Hampton inflicted a lengthy and brutal attack on Melanie for his own sexual gratification.

Despite a major murder enquiry being launched her killer was never found and her heartbroken family spent more than 30 years not knowing the identity of her killer.

Detectives in Bristol's cold case team never gave up over the years and after a DNA break through arrested Hampton from Staple Hill Road in Fishponds last year.

Melanie's family have been waiting for justice ever since the A-student's body was found in Lansdown, Bath, more than 30 years ago.

Her family including mum Jean, now aged 81, shed tears as Hampton finally admitted the crime, while others held their heads in their hands.

The court heard how Hampton had been linked to the murder through DNA from his daughter. He had no previous criminal record.

The Bath High School student had been on a night out with friends at the now-closed Beau Nash nightclub in Kingston Road on Friday, June 8, 1984.

Her body was found early the following morning by a milkman and his young son close to a block of garages in nearby St Stephen's Court.

She had been sexually assaulted and stabbed repeatedly in the chest and back.

Hampton, a married father-of-four had voluntarily given officers a DNA swab  as had more than 1,000 people - in June of last year.

The painter and decorater remained silent in police interview, merely telling officers he had not raped or killed Melanie.

At what was supposed to be the start of a two week trial on Monday, May 9, the painter and decorator, who lived on Melanie's route home at the time of the murder, finally admitted his guilt.

He is expected to be sentenced later this afternoon.

Over the years some 94 people had been arrested on suspicion of Melanie's murder.

More than 1,000 people had given DNA swabs in a bid to exclude themselves from the investigation.

The crime had also featured on Crimewatch and 2,500 people had been forensically excluded from the enquiry.
Latest News Westpac's second-half profit takes $824 million blow from unit sale The bank's fiscal 2022 results will be out in November

Banking Code of Compliance Committee welcomes moves to boost transparency Changes supported by ABA will hold banks to account, says BCCC chair

ASIC has permanently banned a fifth broker from Perth-based finance brokerage, Get Approved Finance.The regulator has banned Grant Aaron Parker after an investigation found that Parker engaged in misleading conduct when brokering motor vehicle financing for four clients in 2012.At the time, Parker was employed as a finance broker for Get Approved Finance of Victoria Park in Western Australia. He is the fifth broker from Get Approved Finance to be banned by ASIC.According to the regulator, Parker misled vulnerable clients with poor credit histories to believe they would be approved for vehicle finance if their loan applications were supported by guarantors. He then dishonestly prepared loan applications solely in the names of the proposed guarantors without those persons' knowledge or consent.ASIC also found that Parker facilitated the issuing of financial products in his clients' name and inflated loan amounts by selling and financing insurance and warranty products without his clients' knowledge or consent.ASIC deputy chairman Peter Kell said the banning reinforces the strong message to any broker considering engaging in misleading conduct.ASIC will not hesitate to permanently remove those who engage in misleading conduct from the industry, Kell said.
Latest News Westpac's second-half profit takes $824 million blow from unit sale The bank's fiscal 2022 results will be out in November

Banking Code of Compliance Committee welcomes moves to boost transparency Changes supported by ABA will hold banks to account, says BCCC chair

The Finance Brokers Association of Australia ( FBAA ) has unveiled an online marketing toolkit for brokers.The toolkit, which the FBAA describes as a virtual one stop shop, houses an enormous amount of marketing collateral brokers can use to update their websites, send to clients or advertise their business.The FBAAs Peter White said he is most excited by the video content the association has produced for its members in partnership with an external marketing company.Brokers can actually have video content already done for them, White told Australian Broker.They can put it on their website free as it is or they can modify it slightly or put their brand on it before putting it live on their website. It is a great promotional tool that not everybody has access to  to create video content that is relevant to their business and to the industry.In addition to marketing collateral such as videos, brochures, client checklists and flyers, the toolkit also includes the FBAAs $99-per-year calculators. According to White, everything in the toolkit can be individually branded, however, branding will incur a cost.[The toolkit] is in our members area so members can log in and pick and choose the things they want to use for their business.It is free unless you are paying for the calculators and/or unless brokers would like to brand something with their own business logo. However, all the generic stuff is free.White says it is important for brokers to distinguish themselves in an increasingly competitive market.It is all about distinguishing yourself in the marketplace, he told Australian Broker.According to ASIC, as of April, there are 19,438 credit reps in Australia  that is credit reps, not ACLs. There are a lot of people in our industry.Brokers need to distinguish themselves and they need to show to potential borrowers and their clients how they can help them.Information is king. Informing borrowers and being transparent with everything is what is king in this marketplace today. That to me is what 2016 is all about.
Chinese demand for Australian residential property should increase through the remainder of 2016, despite buyers from the Asian superpower facing hurdles hear and in their home country.A recent survey of 150 Chinese member agent companies of Australian based business-to-business off the plan marketing firm Investorist has revealed that Chinese demand for residential property across the globe is set to increase in 2016, with Australia identified as the most popular option.Globally demand is going to increase and the demand in Australia should increase, Investorist founder and chief executive officer Jon Ellis told Australian Broker's sister publication, Your Investment Property (YIP).The popularity of Australia as an investment location is strengthening in China and the number of businesses that are making Australian property available to Chinese consumers are growing.According to the Investorist survey, there are four drivers behind the demand for offshore residential property among Chinese buyers; Investment (41.8%), Education (26.7%), Migration (19.3%) and Lifestyle (12.2%).Sixty per cent of the respondents identified Australia as the number one market for Chinese residential buyers, though Ellis said recent changes could jeopardise that.He said a recent crackdown by Australian banks on lending to foreign buyers and the decisions by the Victorian government to hit foreign buyers with higher land tax and stamp duty charges could impact how Chinese buyers view Australia.We do domestically have some challenges with things like banking and the state government of Victoria making some fairly unfavourable new pieces of legislation, Ellis said.I still say based on an economics point of view the [Victorian] decision is still not a bucket of cold water. But is a clear message and its a clear message at a time when Australian banks are saying no foreign purchases and then youve got a state government saying were going to penalise you again. I think its crazy.According to Ellis, the Victorian decision will likely see Brisbane become the chief target for Chinese buyers in the near future.I think it will take the focus of Melbourne and certainly put it onto Brisbane. Sydney mechanically doesnt have the market mechanics of Melbourne or Brisbane, the sales focus there are much more locally orientated, so Sydney has to do a bit of pivoting for it to become a global investment hotspot, he told YIP.I think it will send more focus on to Brisbane, which weve already been seeing over the last six months anyway. This year Brisbanes has really increased it favourability.Conditions in China could also impact demand, with Ellis saying the Chinese governments efforts to stop capital leaving the country are something that needs to be monitored.Its increasing. There was a range of banks, depending on who you speak to some people call them illegal banks and others call them private banks, who were helping Chinese people expatriate funds, now there are only two registered financial institutions that are helping Chinese people expatriate funds , which are Standard Chartered and HSBC.Bank of China and some of the other Chinese banks have got various different schemes to assist people, but its something thats certainly caught the eye of regulators in China and its certainly something that people need to keep an eye on.According to the Investorist survey, apartments (58%) are the most popular dwelling type among Chines buyers, followed by townhouses (24%), houses (16%) and house and land packages (2%)While apartments are the popular choice among Chinese buyers, their attention has moved away from micro and one-bedroom apartments as they look to replicate how Australian investors approach property.Your first time purchaser of property will look very much at price, the first decision you make is around price and dipping your toe in the water. Your second and third time investors that have dipped their toe in the water and have realised that its ok starts to look at fundamentally what makes a good long term investment, Ellis toldYIP.The Australian property market is about capital growth. The mindset of a property investor here is very different to other parts of the world.In Australia, yields are not as important and yields of 3% or 4% are considered acceptable and anything above that is considered good and Chinese investors here are not playing the yield game, theyre playing the long term buy and hold and capital growth game.
Latest News Westpac's second-half profit takes $824 million blow from unit sale The bank's fiscal 2022 results will be out in November

Banking Code of Compliance Committee welcomes moves to boost transparency Changes supported by ABA will hold banks to account, says BCCC chair

The superannuation shake-up in the 2016 Federal Budget presents an enormous opportunity for peer-to-peer (P2P) lenders, according to one global P2P lender.The clampdown on contributions and transfers to superannuation will mean lower returns for investors, however peer to business lending is an alternative to low yielding shares and bank interest, the CEO of ThinCats Australia, Sunil Aranha, said.Aranha says the tax cut to 27.5% for businesses with turnover of up to $10 million will also play into the hands of P2P lenders.I expect this measure will provide a boost to peer to business lending as the owners will be seeking to supplement the funds freed up by the tax cut with borrowings to finance more staff and equipment.The CEO of the Council of Small Business Australia, Peter Strong, is praising the Federal Budget for offering more opportunities to P2P lenders.Peer to peer lenders like ThinCats are providing a viable alternative to the banks in supporting small businesses in Australia, Strong said.The Federal Budget should spur on interest amongst the 2.1 million small businesses in Australia to access this form of lending.ThinCats Australia expects to significantly grow the number of lenders on its platform from the current 300 over the next year as a result of the tax measures announced in the Budget.
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Salam, he likes em!

Borough President Adams honored Brooklyns outstanding Arab Americans at a ceremony at Borough Hall on April 28, including celebrated Bay Ridge restaurateur and chef Rawia Bishara, owner of Third Avenues Tanoreen. Bishara plans to frame the citation and proudly hang it in her restaurant, but the true honor is that Brooklynites line up to dine at her table, she said.

I feel very proud and its a honor to get it from the borough president, she said. We have also been honored for 17 years by our customers  this is the big honor.

Bisharas culinary roots go back to Nazareth in northern Israel, where she grew up eating  and learning to prepare  her mothers creative takes on traditional local dishes. She moved to Bay Ridge in the mid-1970s and took her moms cookbook with her, first serving dishes to family and friends before opening Tanoreen with a handful of tables and a small menu in 1998.

Word quickly spread of Bisharas prowess though and soon she regularly had lines of hungry patrons out the door, including Borough President Adams predecessor Marty Markowitz, she said. She moved Tanoreen to its current home on 76th Street in 2009 and released her first cookbook, Olives, Lemons, & Zaatar: The Best Middle Eastern Home Cooking, in 2014.

And attendees got to try Bisharas famous eats  the restaurateur served lamb kibbeh, spinach pies, and hummus during the party alongside fare from Brooklyn eateries Le Sajj, Damascus Bakeries, Karam Restaurant, Oriental Pastry and Grocery, Yemen Cafe, and Li-lac Chocolates.

The Beep also honored Lebanese percussionist and composer Michel Merhej Baklouk and Arab American Family Support Center board treasurer Assad Jebara. Comedian Dean Obeidallah gave a keynote speech and Egyptian ambassador Ahmed Farouk closed out the night.
In this episode of Quantico, Closure, Alex is once again the subject of a manhunt as her friends and foes try to track her down before the bomb goes off. One week before graduation, Shelbys mother reaches out, Raina has second thoughts and Alex learns the truth about her father.

Alex is again on the run. This time, shes in Ryans truck with a nasty bomb riding shotgun. Drew has the trucks GPS wired to his tablet, so if Alex deviates off course, BOOM! As she navigates NYC traffic pretty speedily, Alex tries to engage Drew in a heart-to-heart convo, but even though he didnt graduate from the Academy, Drew recognizes that Alex is pulling something straight out of the classroom  trying to establish a connection in a crisis situation.

Quantico Recap: Who is The Voice? >>>





Bombs Away

It also turns out that Drew is still a little bitter  make that a lot bitter  about her getting him booted from Quantico, so her charms are lost on him anyway. She warns him that everybody  Ryan, Miranda and Nimah  saw everything and are probably tracking her as they speak. Drew says hes counting on it.

Back at the field office, Ryan and Nimah figure out what Alex was uploading onto Ryans computer  the schematics for a nuclear bomb. Miranda gets footage from CCTV in the parking garage that gives a clear shot of the bomb in Ryans truck. Miranda starts shouting out instructions, which is mainly a whole lot of acronyms (FEMA, WMD, NYPD, etc.). She also orders that Ryan be put into holding with Caleb. He swears hes being framed, a common occurrence on Quantico, but since the bomb was in his truck and the plans were on his computer, Miranda has to bench the golden boy until she figures things out.

One Week Until Graduation

Liam gives Alex back her fathers ID. He tells her how proud her father would be that shes at the top of her class. He also apologizes for all of his earlier shady behavior and lets her know hed be honored to work with her in the field one day.

The trainees receive their field assignments, except for Iris, who cant go anywhere until she gets that pesky security clearance. She questions why they would bother to graduate her, and I tend to agree. In fact, I wonder why they let her in at all.

Shelby is very upset, leading Iris to ask if shed been assigned to Tampa, but Shelby isnt looking at her assignment. Shes gotten a letter from her parents saying theyre sorry they havent been in touch. Shelby pounds on Calebs door and tells him if he keeps forging letters from her parents, shell report him. But Caleb swears to Iris that this correspondence isnt his handiwork.

Shelby is also still in cahoots with Clayton Haas to take down her parents, and he warns her that once she goes down this path, theres no turning back.

The former Southern belle also confides in Alex about her parents and how the gruesome twosome were just looking for a handout. She also tells her friend how Caleb was the one writing the letters.

Coombs informs the twins that they are going to work in 24 hours. They have a window of opportunity to infiltrate a terrorist cell. No graduation ceremony for these two.

50 Shades of Gray

This episodes lesson is about what happens in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Agents who worked cases give the class a firsthand account of how traumatic these attacks can be. Also on hand is Senator Haas.

Alex asks Liam if she can work the Omaha case, but he tells her that no trainee can work a case that they have a personal connection to.

The trainees get access to the FBIs Forensic Science Research and Training Center, the premier crime lab in the US. Theyve all been given key cards to evidence libraries pertaining to their particular cases.

Shelby gets a call from her mother who is just frantic to see her daughter. Shes far enough away to be safe but close enough to wish she was closer (Canada). Shelbys mother says shes made a horrible mistake and asks if theres any way Shelby could come to her. Shelby questions if her parents would come out of hiding if she could get them an immunity deal. Her mother says they would, so Shelby now has a way to lure her parents in.

Shelby also happens to be working the Omaha case, and she finds something she thinks will interest Alex  journals kept by her father while he was working undercover. He gave one to his handler every week. The two swap evidence cards.

It just so happens that Alexs dads handler is hanging around that day. She admits to him that she knows shes not supposed to work the case, but one of her friends pointed out the logbooks. Alex calls to his attention that one book is missing. He writes it off as some kind of clerical error.

In spite of being in the middle of the busiest crime lab in the world, Alex is able to do some covert snooping. She goes back to the handler and accuses him of lying to her. She thinks she has a right to know what happened, so they scamper off to a secluded hallway. He explains that sometimes undercover agents have to give the bad guys a push to get them to act, and you have to hope you catch them before anything bad happens. Apparently, that was the case in Omaha, with Liam and Alexs dad, and we know how that turned out. The handler burned the logbook to cover everybodys asses.

Iris goes to Caleb and tells him that Shelby just stole the Department of Justice file her team is supposed to be working with: statutes, transcripts and redacted immunity agreements. Iris warns Caleb that Shelby is going to get caught.

Caleb and Iris, aka Spy-ris, confront Alex and ask if she gave Shelby her key card for the 9/11 evidence. Alex says yes, and they tell her that Shelby used it to steal a witness immunity agreement. Iris thinks Shelby is using it to set up her parents. Alex points out that that would be entrapment, and if EAD finds out, Shelbys career is finished.

Alex confronts Shelby, and she admits that shes setting up her parents. Alex gets that Shelby wants her parents to pay for what they did, but breaking the law is not the way to do it. Shelby sees it as bringing to justice two people who have been defrauding the government for years. That is her job.

Alex says that shes obligated to report Shelby, who tells her that sometimes the world is gray. Alex argues that theres a difference between vengeance and justice. Shelby throws Alex out of her room and warns her to stay out of her way.

Alex goes to Ryan for advice but is interrupted by Liam. He got an e-mail from one of her classmates accusing her of taking evidence from the Omaha case file. Alex questions if that classmate was Shelby, but before Liam can answer, Alex narcs Shelby out.

Caleb manages to track down Shelbys mom. He warns her that the deal is a fake and questions why she came back at all. She says that after they saw Shelby, all those maternal feelings came flooding back. She seems genuine, stating that she regretted everything the minute she left. Caleb says if thats true, she should turn herself in; its the only way shell have a genuine relationship with Shelby. He warns her that shes got minutes before HRT busts through the door.

Quantico Recap: What is the Terrorists Endgame? >>>

You Cant Handle the Truth

Ryan demands to know from Liam what happened in Omaha. He tells him that he and Alexs father had infiltrated a militia group. After six months of just talk, Michael and Liam were told to expedite things by giving them the blueprints to the federal building in Omaha. The agents were in over their heads, and before they knew what happened, it was too late. Ryan says that he thought Chicago was a mistake, but it was a pattern. Liam finds the shortcuts, and other people pay the price. He decides not to accompany Liam to DC.

Shelby returns and tells Alex that her mother was gone. She resents Alexs interference and tells her she regrets ever meeting her.

Raina is having second thoughts. Unlike her sister, shes just not as committed to the cause. Ryan encourages her to find an anchor, someone to keep her grounded. Raina calls Simon, who tells her it isnt too late to back out. Simon assures Raina that she can do good without being an FBI agent. The two are spotted by Nimah.

Raina tells her sister that Kouri is a monster and theyre supposed to live with him, echo his beliefs and even pray with them. Nimah tells Raina that life is full of hard choices. Raina cant do this for her sister; she has to want to do it herself. Either way, Nimah will figure it out and support Rainas decision.

Iris gets her clearance thanks to Caleb and his mom. Shelby makes plans with Clayton to continue to pursue her parents after graduation, and the twins assignment gets pushed back a week.

The Search for Alex

Shelby tries to call Alex, who answers her phone but doesnt say anything. Shelby can hear everything going on between Drew and Alex in the truck. Shelby tracks down Claire Haas. As the former mistress of the Senators husband, Claires minions arent eager to arrange a meet and greet, especially with the election just a day away. Shelby warns them that if they dont let her talk to Claire, there might not be an election.

Claire storms into the field office and tells Miranda that Alex is no terrorist; shes under Drews control. Shelby plays Miranda a recording she made of Alex and Drew. When are these people going to learn that Alex is never guilty?

Claire demands that Caleb be released. She insists that he and Shelby could be the key to stopping the madness before its too late. While shes at it, Miranda lets Raina and Ryan go as well.

Miranda has eyes in the sky following 11 blue trucks, but none of the plates match Ryans. Claire points out that the terrorists must have replaced them. Miranda is running checks, but they have to be sure they approach the right truck because if its not, Drew could find out and get spooked. Claire agrees that they have to be discreet or chaos will ensue. Unfortunately, somebody leaked the garage footage to the media, so the word is out that theres a nuclear bomb floating around NYC.

Nimah suggests to Miranda that Drew could be using a landline. Caleb wants to use DITU to match the sounds they hear to narrow down their location. Miranda reinstates them for the day. This sets Ryan off. Caleb is still in withdrawals, and Raina hasnt been in the Bureau for months. Miranda points out that this is her investigation and then puts him in charge while she supposedly heads off to a briefing.

Caleb may be a junkie, but hes still got mad skills. He narrows down Drews possible location and finds a rental under the name of Alicia Landon, Drews ex-fiancee.

Fun and Games

Cut to an abandoned apartment with a laptop. Also in the room are Drew and Simon. They are tethered together, and neither man knows how they got there. So while its Drew talking to Alex, it isnt actually Drew. Simon notices that the door is rigged to blow if it opens.

Alex has finally come to a stop. It appears as if shes surrounded. The person posing as Drew tells her she needs to fight her impulse to run and let what happens happen. Alex has to stay put, and it will all be over soon. But Alex isnt who they are after. They are making their way to the apartment.

Drew and Simon get loose, and Simon climbs out a window, hoping to get to Alex. Drew stays behind and tries to warn her using the computer.

The team of agents, led by Ryan, kicks down the door to the apartment, triggering a huge explosion. I think its safe to say Drew is dead. Ryan is fine except some ringing in the ears. He grabs a phone and calls Alex just as the truck is swarmed by agents. Ryan tells her there was an explosion, and Drew is dead. Alex is frantically trying to get the agents to not open any doors when she spots Simon trying to come through a barricade.

Theres a flashback to Simon sitting in his car. Nimah gets in and tells him that Raina isnt coming. Shes choosing their mission, to fight a world that looks at every Muslim with hate and suspicion. Raina may care about him, but Simon isnt ready for her. Nimah says Simon is asking her sister to choose between her heart and her faith, which is a losing proposition. He thinks Nimah will say anything to get what she wants, but Nimah points out that Raina is exercising her own free will.

Simon tells Alex to get out of the truck. The WMD team has swept the vehicle, and the bomb isnt hardwired to anything; its all just theatrics. She questions if hes wrong, and shes hysterical. He reminds her about that day in the hotel room, and he would never let her make the same mistake he did. She claims it was her mistake, and she wont let anyone else get hurt. Simon finally convinces her to get out.

The Terrorists True Identity is Revealed

Back at the office, everyone questions the terrorists endgame. Alex receives high praise from Claire. But their relief is short-lived. The bomb, which was very real, goes missing. The team realizes that only the high-ranking official would have known where it was taken, and in the New York office, that would be Miranda  who has also gone missing.

Miranda is following up on her own suspicions, and she comes face to face with the mastermind, Liam. He shoots her once, and it looks like hes about to finish the job, but first, Miranda asks for his motive. Liam says, To make things right.

Quantico airs Sundays at 10pm on ABC.

(Image courtesy of ABC)
The House of Lords has blocked the government's efforts to scrap the zero carbon homes standard. The governments decision not to proceed with the scheme was announced in July 2015, but was met industry-wide concern.

In response to its cancellation an amendment was tabled at report stage of the Housing and Planning Bill 2105-16 in the House of Lords. The House of Lords voted 237 to 203 in favour of the amendment, which would introduce a carbon compliance standard for new homes built after 1 April.

Julie Hirigoyen, CEO of the UK Green Building Council, said: "During the ten years prior to July 2015, the leading players spanning the housebuilding industry got behind Zero Carbon Homes, investing heavily and innovating to make it a reality. The unexpected and unwanted scrapping of the policy made a mockery of the government's green credentials, and demonstrated complete disdain for the quality of the nation's new homes and the industry's investment.

Having supported the Paris climate agreement with much fanfare, cutting carbon from new homes and buildings will be vital to achieving our commitments. Re-introducing the zero carbon homes standard would be a clear next step on this journey, and would provide the certainty the industry needs to continue investing in new skills and technologies."
Travis Perkins has been fined 2m following the death of a customer at its Old Wolverton branch in Milton Keynes. The company pleaded guilty at Amersham Crown Court to two offences under the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974.

The merchant was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of 114,812.76.

The customer, Mark John Pointer, 44, from Leighton Buzzard, was loading planks of wood onto the roof rack of his Land Rover when one of the cargo straps he was using snapped. He fell to the ground, where he was run over by a Travis Perkins vehicle that was operating in the yard. Mr Poynter died from crushing injuries after the accident, which took place in November 2012.

Judge Justin Cole, who sits at Aylesbury and Amersham Crown Courts, said it "was an accident waiting to happen".

Milton Keynes Council, which investigated the case, said the company had "failed to ensure loading and unloading activities were undertaken in a safe manner in a safe area".

John Carter, chief executive of Travis Perkins, said: "It's with deep regret that we acknowledge the conclusion of the court hearing regarding the tragic incident that occurred in 2012. Our thoughts continue to be with the family of Mr Pointer.

"Minimising the risks for everyone working in and visiting our challenging environment is my responsibility, and I take it very seriously. Safety will remain at the top of our agenda; we will continue to apply the lessons learnt from this terrible event with the aim of ensuring that an accident such as this never occurs again."
Norbord has been praised by a local politician for its apprenticeship programme. Norbord welcomed David Stewart, Labour list MSP for Highlands and Islands, to meet with apprentices at its Morayhill plant.

The company recently took on five apprentices, continuing a commitment to training local talent which stretches back throughout its 30-year plus history in the area.

Norbord also announced a 95m investment in the plant, which makes SterlingOSB, securing the long-term future of its 130 employees and hundreds of other jobs supported by its supply chain. The expansion will almost double capacity and is further supported by a 15m (11.8m) development grant from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Mr Stewart, who visited as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week, which celebrates the benefits apprenticeships bring to businesses, individuals and the economy, said: Apprenticeship programmes such as Norbords are an investment in the local economy as well as the countrys future. We need more companies to follow Norbord and train young people to fill the skills gap that exists.
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.
The high court here on Friday appointed senior advocate Atul Rajadhyaksha as sole arbitrator to decide on the dispute between the Mansukhani brothers, promoters of Man Industries.

Hearing the case filed for arbitration by Jagdishchandra Mansukhani against Rameshchandra Mansukhani, Judge S J Kathawalla observed, By consent of the parties, Rajadhyaksha is appointed as the sole arbitrator to decide the disputes between the parties relating to the deed of family settlement dated September 11, 2013.



The learned arbitrator shall treat this petition under Section 17 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, and dispose of the same at the earliest, the judge added.

Under Section 17 of the Act, the case needs to be disposed of within one year.

The court kept all contentions of both brothers for arbitration open. The cost of arbitration would be shared by both brothers equally, the court ordered.

The Man Industries promoters have been in a dispute since 2009 over distribution of assets. Under supervision of the Bombay High Court, the deed of family settlement was finalised on September 11, 2013.

Rameshchandra Mansukhani was to take full control of Man Industries pipes business and the infrastructure business was to be hived off into a separate company, Man Infraprojects, which was to go to Jagdishchandra Mansukhani. Assets worth Rs 100 crore were to be allotted to Man Infraprojects at various locations.

The scheme of demerger was approved by the Bombay High Court and the Securities and Exchange Board of India. It was also decided that Man Industries shareholders would receive one share in Man Infraprojects for every share held in Man Industries



We found a shortfall in the value of the properties on evaluation and thus we claimed the deficit of Rs 55 crore to be met, which was rejected. Later, Rameshchandra Mansukhani agreed to pay Rs 25 crore, which was unacceptable to me, said Jagdishchandra Mansukhani.

Following the differences in valuation, the Bombay High Court appointed JC Barua as a mediator. A few weeks ago the mediator submitted a report that he could not arrive at a solution.

Because of the differences between the brothers, 20,000 shareholders of Man Industries are yet to be allotted shares in Man Infraprojects. Man Industries has not declared the record date for implementation of the scheme of demerger.

Responding to a query, a Man Industries spokesperson said, As regards implementation of the scheme of demerger, the matter is sub judice in the Bombay High Court.
The Competition Appellate Tribunal (Compat) on Monday accepted Dalmia Cements application for withdrawal of a challenge to the proposed merger of Lafarge and Holcim in India. Dalmia had challenged an approval given by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to the proposed merger.

In February 2016, CCI had allowed the Lafarge-Holcim merger for a second time, provided Lafarge sell all its Indian assets. CCI had first approved the merger between the two in March 2015, on the stipulation that Lafarge sell two of its plants in the open market.

Lafarge could not complete the sale due to passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, which barred transfer of limestone mines attached with its cement plants.

Thereafter, Lafarge and Holcim approached CCI again to request sanctioning of the merger on revised terms. The re-approval was challenged in Compat by on the ground that CCI did not have the power  under Section 31 of the Competition Act, 2002  to approve a merger for a second time when the terms of the first approval had not been complied with.

After hearing the initial arguments made by Dalmia Cements, represented by the law firm Luthra & Luthra, the COMPAT on April 13 stayed the CCI approval of the merger.

In an interesting twist, instead of pressing the matter further today, made an application for withdrawal of the appeal citing recent developments in the Mines and Minerals Act and existent uncertainties in the legislation in relation to mining and prospecting licenses, making the appeal unwarranted.

The Senior Advocate representing the CCI did not object to the withdrawal but instead implored the tribunal to impose costs. "From the very beginning, this has been a frivolous appeal. The CCI has spent sufficient time in dealing with it" the CCI counsel said.

After considering the pleas, the tribunal allowed the withdrawal but abstained from imposing costs upon the appellant considering the far-reaching implications of such a step to future challenges of CCI orders. "We refrain from awarding costs as judicial propriety will seriously be hampered (for the future)" the bench comprising of Chairperson G S Singhvi and Member Rajeev Kher said. The dismissal of the appeal finally clears the path for the Larfarge-Holcim merger as per the February 2016 CCI order.
For premier management institutes' students, it's back to the basics when they make a career choice as start-ups fail to offer lucrative deals like a few years ago.

As global investors become more cautious about investments, e-commerce players and start-ups in the country have to tighten their purse strings while hiring.

So, students at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, Indian Institute of Management Technology-Ghaziabad, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) and others are choosing jobs in core sectors rather than in start-ups.

For instance, at the Pune-based SIBM, the highest salary offered by a start-up was rejected by students.

"It is an interesting trend. The highest package which a student at SIBM accepted this year was Rs 21.5 lakh annually. But, the highest package offered by a start-up (Rs 27.25 lakh) was rejected," said R Raman, director, SIBM.

He added: "The three or four offers from start-ups were all rejected. The students want a stable organisation to start their careers, and are willing to take a cut of Rs 5-6 lakh."



Raman said many core sector firms were returning to campus hiring. Similar trends are visible everywhere. At IMT-Ghaziabad, start-ups are getting fewer applications from students than they did previously - unless they are big brands.

The institute has a one-offer policy - a student has to take what they are offered. Many of the applicants are choosing core sectors.

"A number of e-commerce companies and start-ups have been coming. But when students have the option of signing up for the interviews, they often choose the core sector - despite lesser salaries," said Vishal Goyal, group head, corporate relations, IMT-Ghaziabad and -Dubai.

"The students are looking for stability," he added. "So they choose a start-up only if it is a big brand." Goyal also said for the past two years, about five per cent of the passouts got placed with start-ups and e-commerce companies. "This has not increased."



At IIM-Bangalore, it is a mixed bag of sorts. Sapna Agarwal, chairperson, career development services, IIM-B, said unless a start-up had an adequate funding, had the institute's alumni on board, or had been in operation for a while, students were reluctant to opt for them.

"In the past two or three years, start-ups, especially e-commerce ones, were offering good packages, but it seems to be slowing down. Therefore, we see a good mix of students opting for core sectors as well," she added.

A similar trend was confirmed by Savita Mohanty, faculty coordinator, placements, Xavier's Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. "We try to get start-ups and encourage students to opt for them. But students have often chosen core sectors over start-ups," she said.
India today rolled out the first vehicle, Chevrolet Beat meant for export to Argentina. With this, Argentina will be the sixth major export market for India. GM India already exports the left hand drive Beat to countries including Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean Countries (CAC), Uruguay and now Argentina. The first shipment will leave for Argentina next month.

GMs Beat recorded the highest growth for any passenger vehicle exported from India and became the sixth most exported passenger vehicle out of India during financial year 2015-16, with a total of 37,082 units.

The new export market is a testimony to our commitment to provide the highest quality standards to global customers from the Talegaon plant. Whether its in India or anywhere else in the world, follows the highest quality standards in its manufacturing processes providing same high quality vehicles that customers in India and around the world expect and deserve, said Kaher Kazem, president and managing director, GM India.

The Beat, badged the Spark outside India, is available in more than 70 markets worldwide and has sold over one million units.

The Beat is being produced at GM Indias manufacturing facility in Talegaon, near Pune which has a base capacity of manufacturing 130,000 vehicles every year. GM India began vehicle exports from India to Chile in September 2014.

In 2016, we plan to export over 50,000 vehicles, compared with 21,000 vehicles last calendar year, reinforcing our commitment to the Indian market and our strong local supplier base. This is part of GMs strategy to make India an export hub for global markets and will help increase capacity utilization at our Talegaon plant. We expect to identify additional export markets going forward, Kazem added.

The Talegaon facility exports around 30% of its annual production planned for overseas markets.
InnoNano Research (INR), a clean company incubated at IIT Madras, announced the finalising of an agreement with NanoHoldings (NH), an energy and water investment specialist firm, to set-up a global company with an investment plan of $18 million.

This is perhaps first-of-its-kind global expansion programme for academia-born Indian material technologies in India.

The company is set out to develop its global footprint, according to company's statement.

Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthy, Director, IIT Madras announced the finalising of agreement with NanoHoldings (NH).

With an aim to make India an exporter of water technologies, and to support the Make in India efforts of the government, the company plans to set up a manufacturing facility, a research laboratory and technology delivery offices across North America, Asia and Africa, he said.

NanoHoldings is a US-based energy and water investment specialist firm has supported global patenting activity for the team and IIT Madras for the past four years.

These technologies are destined to change the world in a significant way said Justin Hall-Tipping, CEO of NH in a statement.

Nano Mission is looking forward to more such efforts concerning the basic needs of people and we are ready to support them, said Dr Rajiv Sharma, Director, Nano Mission of the DST.

This is perhaps first of its kind global expansion programme for academia-born Indian material technologies in India.

Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director of IIT Madras said "we are making continuous efforts in core technology areas and our mission is to make technology relevant locally", he said.
Ahmedabad-based Networks Private Limited has launched dedicated digital platform www. .com to supply machinery spare parts to various industries. The company claimed that it's a first of it kind digital platform in India that aims to bring the buyers and sellers of machinery parts on a single platform and promises delivery at doorstep.

The basic idea of launching the digital platform is to create smooth supply chain in the industry which is currently missing. "This was the need of the hour and through this platform we want to help the Indian Industry to smoothly source the machinery spares with minimum machinery downtime. The industry is plagued with a serious problem of sourcing machinery spares on a timely and a cost effective basis since several decades," said Pinkal shekhaliya, founder director of www. .com.

As on date, indusrty mostly depends on imported machinery. Supply of the parts of these machineries is the biggest issue at this time which needs to be addressed.

Vishal Ganju, founder director said, "The Indian Industry sources almost 70% of its machinery needs from overseas.

Unless adequately addressed, the concerns about smooth availability of machinery spares parts by several key industries like textiles, plastics processing, printing, automobiles and pneumatics and others will become worse going forward, especially at a time when the mantra is Make in India."

As it is new initiative, the company is aiming to strengthen its base by associating maximum suppliers across India. Currently it has over 100 suppliers and of it almost 75% are from Gujarat. The platform offering more than 10,000 different products of engineering goods in price range of Rs 200 to Rs 150,000.

Ganju said, "We are currently focusing on to increase our product range to 500,000. For that we are aiming to collaborate with over 3,000 suppliers in next one year." To serve better the company is joining hands with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and to promote the platform it will also planning to associate with trade bodies of various states.
With NTPC asking Reliance Infrastructure-promoted BSES to clear power purchase dues, the latter has approached the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) for a road map for amortisation of its regulatory assets.

We have reiterated on several occasions that once a clear plan for amortisation of even the approved and undisputed regulatory assets of Rs 16,000 crore is provided by DERC, it will facilitate in arranging suitable loans with the support of the government of Delhi so that the entire dues can be discharged and the sector in Delhi restored to a healthy situation free from the threats of regulation, etc, said the letter by BSES to the chairman of DERC.

This, the company said, could help raise finances for paying the dues to NTPC. BSES has two power distribution utilities operating in Delhi  BSES Rajdhani Power (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power (BYPL). NTPC had issued notice to BRPL and BYPL last week for non-payment of dues totalling Rs 1,300 crore. The company also threatened to nip the power supply if dues are not paid by May 10.

BSES in its letter dated May 9 has also asked DERC to allow tariff hike as soon as possible. It may not be out of place to mention that due to lack of a cost-reflective tariff, these regulatory assets have been growing year-on-year. We respectfully pray to the Commission to determine the cost-reflective tariff for FY17 and allow complete pass-through of any variation in power purchase cost by way of an appropriate PPAC (power purchase adjustment charges) formula, the letter noted.
Chinas Leshi Internet Information & Technology, better known as LeEco, is on a high. Within five months of its entry into the Indian smartphone market, LeEco has sold over 400,000 handsets and received 2 million registrations. And barely three months after venturing into Indian, LeEco commanded a 1.6 per cent share in the January-March 2016 quarter  a feat that was unthinkable even two years ago.

LeEcos impressive start in India reflects a new trend  value added services offered through smartphones is silently becoming a key determinant for consumer preferences in choosing handsets.

This is true even if in terms of maturity the Indian market is years behind China, a 470 million-unit per annum market where LeEco is a dominant player with its reliance on additional services like exclusive video contents and service offerings.

According to Atul Jain, chief executive officer of LeEco in India, services bundled with hardware now play a major role for smartphone brands in China. The strategy of offering special services such as utility payments and video contents is increasingly becoming vital for the Indian smartphone market as consumers, just like in China, are opting for smart devices which come with additional benefits.

As a strategy, LeEco sells its devices at par with its manufacturing cost in China and generates additional revenue by providing contents and services on its screens. Jain wishes to replicate this in India, too. The issue is no less important for other players in the market.

In what is the fastest growing major handsets market, fierce competition among some 160 smartphone brands has created a situation where superior hardware is no more a differentiator. And mobile handset manufacturers are now forced to offer value added services to stay competitive, experts say. This is forcing various brands such as Samsung, Micromax and Xiaomi, which were traditionally in the business of making handsets, to rely on additional offerings.



ALSO READ: Promising a better Android experience

Micromax has been working on developing a smartphone ecosystem. In the last year and a half, the company has tied up with 10 service providers. It offers customers information related to travel, tourism, health and mobile payment services. The initiative was undertaken due to an emerging trend in the market and to stay ahead of the curve, says Rahul Sharma, co-founder, MicromaxWe live in a world where better features and superior hardware like bigger screen size and higher RAM are no more a differentiator. Companies now need to distinguish themselves by what they offer to consumers and the entire experience that users get on those devices, says Faisal Kawoosa, GM, telecoms and semitronics, CMR.is a full range player with a series of devices in all price segments. Sharma believes that besides providing value-for-money handsets at all levels, it is important to have additional offerings in todays world.

In what is the fastest growing major handsets market, fierce competition among some 160 smartphone brands has created a situation where superior hardware is no more a differentiator. And mobile handset manufacturers are now forced to offer value added services to stay competitive, experts say. This is forcing various brands such as Samsung, Micromax and Xiaomi, which were traditionally in the business of making handsets, to rely on additional offerings.

Micromax has been working on developing a smartphone ecosystem. In the last year and a half, the Indian handset major has tied up with nearly 10 service providers. It now offers its customers exclusive information related to travel, tourism, health and mobile payment services among others. The initiative was undertaken due to an emerging trend in the market and to stay ahead of the curve, says Rahul Sharma, co-founder of the second largest handset company in India.

We live in a world where better features and superior hardware like bigger screen size and higher RAM are no more a differentiator. Companies now need to distinguish themselves by what they offer to consumers and the entire experience that users get on those devices, says Faisal Kawoosa, general manager, telecoms and semitronics, CMR.

According to Tarun Pathak, senior telecom analyst, Counterpoint Research, increasing pressure from the Chinese peers is leading companies in India to work more on content and services. The focus has shifted to value added services now, he says.
The Kolkata Knight Riders is among the profitable franchisees in the Indian Premier League. Its co-owner,, is not far behind when it comes to his personal fortune. The actor was ranked first on the 2015 Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. He made Rs 258 crore via films and brand endorsements last year. In a conversation with T E Narasimhan, Khan discusses if an endorser can be held responsible for a company's actions and the role of social media. Edited excerpts:Most of the brands I work with are responsible. You can swear by them. At a personal level, my view is that you have to be clear about what you are marketing. If you find yourself trolled on social media, it is best to clarify your position and tell them where you stand.

But isn't the role of brand ambassadors changing with the evolution of social media?



Social duties and responsibilities of a brand ambassador are increasing thanks to social media. This is partly due to the speed with which information spreads on social media. Today, things go viral on social media far more than on TV or posters. Nothing escapes the consumer, putting pressure on all stakeholders to be socially responsible. But if there are pros, there are cons, too. If you can separate the noise from the voice, I think you can survive being trolled or held responsible for a brand's actions on social media.

You've had some of the longest associations with brands. A classic case being Hyundai, with whom you signed up 20 years ago. Has it been easy maintaining such a long association?



When Hyundai came to India, they took a huge risk by coming to a market dominated by one brand. I saw it as an opportunity to associate with an international product. I didn't know this association would last 20 years. What gives me the confidence to continue being with them is their work culture and ethic. They are genuine believers in innovation. I find that fascinating. Whenever I am nervous about a project or business I undertake, I make it a point to visit a Hyundai factory, just to see for myself how these guys execute their projects. It is massive, from creating a vehicle to manufacturing and marketing it. That gives me confidence.

For a star who's been around so long, how do you stay relevant?



Relevance comes with your work and how good you are at your core job. Nobody is going to keep me as a brand ambassador if I am failing at my core job.

Do you see brands having long associations with endorsers in this day and age?



It is difficult. This has nothing to do with the personal equation of the endorser and the marketer, but the reality that exists around you. Things are moving fast today. Earlier, were happy running one or two big TV campaigns. That is no longer the case. Social media is compelling a marketer to act fast, to change ads and even brand ambassadors quickly. A brand today can no longer stick to a single face. Social media demands variety.
In late March, after its refurbished portal had received a flurry of complaints, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) Secretary Tapan Ray wrote a mail to Vishal Sikka, the CEO and MD of Infosys, the service provider for the project, to fix the snags.

Ray got a reply immediately, in which Sikka committed that Infosys would do everything possible to ensure that the technical glitches do not cause any inconvenience to the users. He also assured that he would get his best people to fix it.

Though India is a small fraction (around 3 per cent) of Infosys' overall revenues, the quick action shows that the business is important for the company-important enough for the corner office to swing into action.

While both MCA as well as Infosys claim that the system has more or less returned to normalcy, the contract has brought to the fore many pressing issues that IT vendors usually face while serving the government.

None (or quite rarely) of the tech contracts from the government bodies is profitable. Most of the times, the project's scope and mandate are not well defined. Once signed, the project takes long to start. And during the course of the project, the service provider deals with a plethora of stakeholders at the ground level which often delays the process of knowledge and data transfer.

Besides, payments getting delayed are common. This sometimes aggravates the situation as the service provider, which often works as a system integrator, is required to pay up-front its vendors for hardware, software and other technology requirements.

"Another big issue with the Indian government clients is that building consensus among their various stakeholders is a bit challenging since they don't have processes, compared to multinational clients," says Sunil Padmanabh, independent advisor and thought leader, Digital Transformation and Enterprise Applications.

The love for govt contracts

Still, IT companies, large and small, fight bitterly to win government contracts, which are awarded to the lowest bidder, and are often decided by a wafer-thin margin.

That's perhaps because government contracts are considered a great branding tool for companies: they can take credit for playing a part in the digital transformation of India, impacting over a billion lives. It looks good on their CVs.

Take the case of Mindtree. In July 2010, the Bengaluru-based company won a contract from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to develop and maintain applications for the project. Even though it was quite small in size - worth just a few crores-, the company said it was more than just a contract for it.

Another factor, industry experts believe, that makes IT go after government contracts is that no other country in the world except China (not a market for Indian companies) can give the scale which can test the robustness of any system. That's the reason why India of late is often becoming the testing ground for many global as well as domestic technology .

GOVT CONTRACTS: THE TWO SIDES The upside Gives a huge user base to vendors to test the ruggedness of their products and services

Provides an excellent branding exercise for technology through association with prestigious projects with a national resonance

These are fresh projects that require companies to build new IT platforms altogether. This means companies dont have to grapple with legacy systems

Given the government's focus on Digital India and Make in India, there is a lot of business to be had in the sector

Even as these projects aren't lucrative from a revenue perspective, they can be used to engage the benched staff of IT companies and de-risk revenues The downside Government contracts aren't profitable

Lead time to freeze contracts is longer; getting the projects off the ground is often delayed

Requires vendors to work as system integrators, meaning they have to take end-to-end responsibility and invest up-front in procuring hardware and software from others

Receivables for large Indian government clients never happen on time even if the delivery schedule is met

Competition between players is intense as contract have to be bid for

Ambiguity on project definition, tendency to change project terms during the course of the project add to complexity

In comparison to many other large Indian and global IT services companies, Infosys started focusing on the domestic market quite late: it set up a separate business unit for it only in 2008. Since then, the company has bagged many marquee deals in the country both in the government sector and the private sector, though the balance tilts towards the government. Currently, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and IBM have the largest share of the domestic IT market.

Infosys, however, is fast catching up. In the government space, the Bengaluru-based company has executed many projects including the contract to set up and manage the central processing centre of the Income Tax Department and a contract from India Post to enable it to offer banking services. Infosys has also bagged a five-year contract of around Rs 1,380 crore to build and maintain the technology network for implementing the proposed goods and services tax in the country.

The MCA project came to Infosys in 2012 when the government decided to replace the original vendor, TCS. The five-year contract, worth around $50 million, required Infosys to fully automate all processes related to enforcement and compliance of the legal requirements under the Companies Act.

Infosys came in the line of fire after it came to light that the users were finding it difficult to do online registration or were facing inordinate delays. Infosys, however, said that the issue cropped up just immediately after the launch of the new portal for a few days and it has since then addressed it.

According to sources in the company, the problem happened primarily because of the lack of proper coordination between officials at various levels. "As is the case with most government contracts, whenever there is a change in the management, there is always resistance at the lower level, as happened in this case," say sources who do not want to be named.

In this case, the new system was meant to challenge the authority of the Registrars of Companies which had been enjoying unbridled power as the primary regulator for company-related matters.

"In my view, whether in the public sector or the private sector, if the customer application developed by one vendor is taken over completely and revamped by another vendor, some transition challenges can crop up. But to call it a failure is very harsh," says Neel Ratan, Regional Managing Partner (north & management consulting and government leader), Price Waterhouse.

Some experts, however, say that Infosys could have been more diligent on the execution side and the problems that surfaced could easily have been avoided by following some standard technicalities like performance testing or load testing.
Adding to the list of names associated with the Panama Papers, HSBC Indias CEO is said to have held shares in two Panama-based entities, The Indian Express reported on Monday.

Stuart Paterson Milne, chief executive officer (CEO), HSBC India held shares in Walton Investments SA and Robaco Incorporated. These shares were transferred to Milne in December 2014, the report said. These were transferred the very next day to another entity.

On May 27, 1983, Robaco issued two Bearer share certificates, with a face value of $1, each representing 5,000 shares. Walton Investments issued the same on October 8, 1985.

A bearer share is a kind of share, allowed by Panama tax jurisdiction, where the owners name(s) are not written in the share certificate. It means that physical possession of the shares can make one the owner.

Shares of both these entities were transferred to Milne in December 2014. The very next day, Milne transferred these shares to Fortress International Services as trustees of Robscot Family Trust.

These companies were established some years ago by my late father. All of my tax affairs are declared in full to the Indian tax authorities in line with their requirements, Milne told the newspaper.
A section of police belonging to the Jat community in Haryana had deserted their posts and ignored orders during the violent agitation that took place in the state in February, The Indian Express reported on Monday.

The fact-finding probe panel, led by Prakash Singh, found that 60-70 policemen had deserted their posts in each district when mobs went berserk by burning shops and houses. Maximum of the deserters were in the worst-affected Jhajjar and Rohtak districts.

In fact, the desertions were seen as the reason behind state governments move to seek help of the paramilitary forces and the Army, senior officials told the newspaper.

The panel, which comprises Additional Chief Secretary Vijay Vardhan and new DGP KP Singh, apart from Prakash Singh, has made a list of these policemen with their details like names, rank,, belt numbers and the days for which they remained absent from their posts. It is set to recommend strict action against them which could lead to their dismissal.

How it happened?

Nearly 3,000 witnesses were examined by the panel, which recorded their statements in camera and in writing.

It was found by the panel that many policemen simply refused to obey orders and openly showed solidarity with the members of their community.

Interestingly, there were instances when personnel were absent from their posts for six-seven days. Later, many of these missing policemen had rejoined their posts, as if they had simply taken a leave, the Express reported.

Haryana had witnessed violence during the agitation by the Jat community who were seeking a quota. During the days that the state suffered, shops were burnt and houses were set on fire. In fact, protestors had broken the gates of Munak Canal, which supplies water to New Delhi, thereby hampering the supply in the capital.
In a boost to sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat, the High Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by nine Congress MLAs against their disqualification, a decision that will bar them from participating in a crucial floor test in the Assembly tomorrow.

Justice U C Dhyani pronounced his order on the petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision disqualifying them after they joined hands with the BJP during proceedings on the Appropriation Bill on March 18.

"We are grateful to HC, welcome HC's order," Chief Minister Harish Rawat said following the court's verdict. "Justice has been done with us today, I'm confident justice will be done with us tomorrow and in future."





There will be debate in SC at 2 PM. Lets see what the decision will be: Vijay Bahuguna, rebel MLA #uttarakhandcrisis pic.twitter.com/mGQjWEejdx  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

Today's order of the high court ensures that their disqualification stays and will keep the rebel MLAs out of the proceedings during the confidence vote for Rawat in the Assembly tomorrow ordered by the Supreme Court last week.

The rebel MLAs, meanwhile, have now decided to approach the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing against the HC's order. The apex court is likely to hear the issue today at 2 PM.

What is happening in #Uttarakhand is 'naya loktantra' followed by 'kutantra' of the Congress party: Venkaiah Naidu pic.twitter.com/9JCcPtrdtX  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

has witnessed a political and legal turmoil after President's rule was imposed in the state, citing a sting operation which shows acceptance of bribes by senior leaders in the Congress. After a huge uproar over the issue, Congress approached the Uttarakhand HC, which went on to quash the President's rule in the state.

Interestingly, the chief justice of Uttarakhand High Court, KM Joseph, was transferred later last week to the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Hyderabad.
The emergence of a new in southern Andhra Pradesh, mainly in the integrated business region, 'SriCity', is posing a new challenge for the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. For OEMs, in the backdrop of proposed GST implementation, it will be strategic and cost-effective location, says experts.

AP's Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, seen as an industry-friendly leader, is going all out to sell the zone, especially SriCity. The business region is around 55 kilometers from Chennai, and was established during the previous Congress government by SriCity (P) Ltd.

Last week, Japan-based Isuzu Motors inaugurated its Rs 3,000 crore facility at SriCity. Hero MotoCorp will be laying the foundation stone for its Rs 3,000 crore facility, adjacent to SriCity, this month. Crane manufacturer Kobleco and dozens of Japanese auto component makers have set up units in SriCity.

Advantage Andhra Access to administration including CM and bureaucrats is easier Land is cheaper by 50-75 % in SriCity; in Hero's case it was given almost free Connectivity to four ports (Krishnapatanam, Vizag, Ennore, Chennai); in contrast, congestion, strikes at port have been a huge challenge for OEMs in and around Chennai Located on NH-5, SriCity is well connected to other parts of the country Uninterrupted and cheaper power and water for both OEMs and suppliers. In TN, OEMs get power supply round the clock, but suppliers face power cuts Incentives offered to OEMs are extended to suppliers

Kartikeya Misra, director Industries, Andhra Pradesh Government said another around Rs 12,000 crore worth of investments will materialise in the next 12-18 months. In 10 years, AP wants to create a strong auto cluster in this region and become a hub and export gateway for south India, said Misra.

Driving force



Masanori Katayama, president and representative director, Isuzu Motors Japan said he was impressed with the motivated bureaucrats in the state. Hiroyasu Miura, chairman, Isuzu Motors India said infrastructure, connectivity and management of SriCity, and hassle-free environment are key reasons that led Isuzu to choose AP.

During Isuzu's plant inauguration, when Naidu was asked to consider road tax exemption for Isuzu vehicles in the state, he readily agreed. He also extended the incentives available to Isuzu, to its suppliers.

In contrast, one complaint against TN has been the difficulty approaching the state administration.

Misra said auto is one of the eight focus sectors for AP for its huge employment generation potential, and added that apart from incentives, a key factor attracting OEMs is ease of doing business.

He claimed that the World Bank ranked AP as number two in India for ease of doing business, way ahead of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. He added that other factors favouring the state include land cost, quality power for OEMs and suppliers, water, ready made infrastructure, port and airport connectivity and peaceful labour environment.

Land cost in SriCity is lower by 50-75 per cent than the cost in auto clusters of Sriperumbudur, Oragadam and Mahindra World City, in and around Chennai.

While Chennai and Tirupati airports are in close prximity, ports of Krishnapatnam, Ennore and Chennai are just few hours drive. SriCity is located on NH-5 and is close to rail network.

Kumar Kandaswami, senior director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India. said once the GST in force the cross border issue will become irrelevant. OEMs will not only be in a location where land is cheaper, but will also be part of an eco-system within 40-50 km from the auto components hub in Chennai.

The challenge for Andhra, however, will be attracting talent and building social infrastructure, whivh may happen over a period of time.

On whether it will hurt TN, Misra said at some stage companies intend to look for the second and third option for brownfield expansion as part of their de-risking strategies, while still seeking to be close to customers.

He said there are over 70 criteria that a company looks into while evaluating a site.

Tamil Nadu has a lot of catching up to do in terms of power availability to suppliers of OEMs. Andhra Pradesh offers a subsidy of 75 paise a unit of electricity consumed by industry. Experts say Tamil Nadu, though it is a power-surplus state currently, cannot afford to slash prices due to the poor state of its discoms.

Many say AP is doing to Tamil Nadu what the latter did to Karnataka in the 1980s. By aggressively marketing its new business district of Hosur just across the border from Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu managed to stop investments headed for Karnataka, just short of its borders.

TVS Motor, Ashok Leyland and several other companies pumped in hundreds of crores into Hosur during the decade, turning the area into a manufacturing hub.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd's Managing Director, Young Key Koo, said Tamil Nadu is blessed with investor-friendly and consistent policies along with superior ports, a peaceful industrial environment and talented and hardworking people. HMIL has invested $3.1 billion in India and is recognised as a model investor that played a significant role in transforming TN into the Detroit of India, said Koo.
The Union government has accepted Gujarat's proposal to reserve about 100 million tonnes for state mining major Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC). The stock, whose market price is estimated to be around Rs 10,000 crore, will be reserved from Valia mine in Bharuch district of the state.

"We proposed to the Centre to reserve to meet the demand of the state and it has been accepted. GMDC will get about 80 to 100 million tonnes of lignite. Because of this decision, industries will get lignite at reasonable rates and supply time will also reduce," said Saurabh Patel, energy minister of Gujarat.

About 2,900 million tonnes of lignite stock is available in Bharuch, Surat, Kutch and Bhavnagar districts of Gujarat and state produces about 10-11 million tonnes every year from these mines.

Industries such as ceramic, bricks manufacturers, textile and chemical industry use lignite in Gujarat. GMDC also supplies lignite to Akarimota Lignite Power plant and Thermal Power station in Kutch district.

Patel said, "Gujarat is far behind as compared to West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh in coal mining. In this condition, the state depends on lignite for fuel. "

According to state government estimate, demand for lignite will increase to 30-35 million tonnes a year in future. To meet this requirement, Gujarat needs to open new lignite mines.

The Minister said, "This is not only beneficial for industries but it will create new employment in Valia area once mining will start from there."
The finance ministry plans to bring out detailed income tax (I-T) data annually, in response to criticism by economist Thomas Piketty over lack of public I-T statistics in India.

After almost 16 years, the revenue department last week made public three sets of data related to direct taxes, including time series data since 2001-02. The detailed analysis of I-T statistics, based on returns filed, was for 2011-12 alone.

Piketty, economist and author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century, told Business Standard the data released by the government were too limited to draw significant inferences. "The government released detailed data by income range only for 2012-2013 (assessment year). To study the evolution of income distribution, we would need detailed data by income range for all years. I am looking forward to see this data," he said in an emailed response.

The finance ministry is set to update the income range data by releasing it for assessment years 2013-14 and 2014-15 by June-end.

Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told Business Standard: "There are three different portions of the I-T data placed in the public domain. The third section covers detailed analysis of the I-T statistics for 2012-13. We hope to bring out detailed statistics for another two years subsequent to this as early as possible."



The data showed top 2.5 per cent of the individuals filing returns earned 20 per cent of the total salary income, which suggest inequality in the country. Besides, over half of those who filed returns paid no tax in 2011-12. Of the 31.1 million who filed returns, 55.6 per cent paid no tax, as their taxable income was below the threshold.

Earlier, the government used to come out with a publication, All India Income Tax Statistics, which was discontinued in 2001. Many academicians, including Piketty, had requested the tax administration to resume publishing the data.

A government official said: "It is quite cumbersome to collate enormous data for several years. We are in the process of updating it to assessment year 2015-16 in a month or two. From the next financial year, we plan to make it an annual affair. The data we release now are based on actual filings against the earlier ones, which were based on sampling."



The earlier set of data were quite erroneous, therefore, we discontinued them."


The number of foreign tourists visiting Goa on charter flights has remained flat this year, signalling weak demand from its main source market  Russia.

The state received 783 international flights between October 2015 and April 2016  the lowest in five years. This is 11 per cent lower than 862 flights it received in the last season (between October 2014 and May 2015).

This season, 161,343 tourists visited Goa via charter flights. During the last season, the figure was 159,497, compared with around 260,000 each in the two previous seasons.

It has been a lean season for tour operators in Goa. There has been a drop in Russian tourists because of the impact of a weak rouble. The international business is down almost 30 per cent, but domestic arrivals are showing strong growth. We need to develop new markets, said Aloo Gomes Pereira, chief operating officer (charters), Trail Blazer Tours India.

Russia and Britain are the top source markets for Goa contributing to around 60 per cent of foreign tourist arrivals. In 2014, Russian tourists accounted for 29 per cent of all foreign tourist arrivals in Goa, down from 33 per cent in two preceding years. In the last season, depreciation in rouble and closure of two tour operators  Labirint and Neva  had impacted the arrivals. The weakness of the Russian economy continued to impact the demand, but tensions in Russia-Egypt relations following an air crash and suspension of Russian flights to Egypt benefited Goa.

The Egyptian crisis has been a blessing in disguise for Goa. The decline in tourists in Goa would have been sharper, but the crisis in Egypt led to several Russian tourists cancelling trips to Egypt and opting for Goa, said Bharat Atree, managing director of Caper Travels, which handles Russian charters.

Atree pointed out that a majority of Russians visiting Goa this year were budget travellers and the arrivals did not boost the business of five star hotels in the state.
The has invited an Expression of Interest (EoI) from companies for redevelopment of Surat railway station in Gujarat as part of a larger drive to give a facelift to more than 400 major stations across the country announced in last year's rail budget.Indian Railways Station Development Corporation (IRSDC), an arm of the rail ministry, plans to develop a multi-modal transportation hub at Surat railway station through the creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) on Design, Build, Own, Finance and Transfer (DBOFT) basis. The transport hub will be developed by IRSDC along with Gujarat State Road Transport Corp (GSRTC) and Surat Municipal Corporation."The components of the project include redevelopment of railway station, redevelopment of the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) bus depot, providing east-west road connectivity, development of common facilities and commercials along the project integration activities and operation and maintenance of station and bus depot," IRSDC said in a notice to prospective bidders.The Union cabinet had in July last year approved a proposal for redevelopment of railway stations on "as is where is" basis by inviting open bids from interested parties, who will submit their designs and business ideas. As part of the proposal, zonal railways concerned will permit commercial development of real estate including land and air space in and around the stations to enable their redevelopment.The idea was encourage innovative ideas from interested parties at no cost to the Railways.

A1 and A category of stations are generally located in metros, major cities, pilgrimage centers and important tourist destinations across the country. Apart from Surat, IRSDC is currently working on six projects including Anand Vihar, Bijwasan, Chandigarh, Habibganj, Shivaji Nagar and Mohali.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had in December last year said the ambitious project to re-develop 400 stations, through private investment would be among the largest PPP projects in the world, without sharing the cost estimates. As part of the project, railways will conduct online bidding of stations and companies will earn revenue through commercial exploitation of real estate.
To spruce medical care facilities in Uttar Pradesh, the state government is upgrading district hospitals into medical colleges.

In this regard, the state is upgrading district hospitals of Basti, Faizabad, Firozabad, Shahjahanpur and Bahraich.

Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan on Monday directed officials to complete all formalities and take action on priority to provide additional land for the purpose.

There are over a dozen medical colleges in at present and the plan is to open about a dozen more to provide better medical care facilities to the people.

Besides, there are three super specialty hospitals in UP viz. King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow; Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), Lucknow; and UP Rural Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Saifai (Etawah district).

Apart from under-construction medical colleges at Badaun and Jaunpur districts, medical colleges are also proposed at Chandauli and Najibabad (Bijnore district), for which the budget of Rs 40 crore and Rs 19 crore respectively had already been allocated.

Ranjan directed that equipment be purchased for the proposed medical colleges at the earliest by utilising the allocated budget. He directed to utilise funds for setting up laboratories for the treatment of swine-flu in a transparent manner.

He was reviewing the affairs of the state medical & health and medical education departments. He informed Rs 24 crore had been allocated for the operation for medical services in the medical colleges.

Besides, the chief secretary directed for recruitment on the vacant posts of medical professors in the medical colleges. Meanwhile, Ranjan said necessary action be taken for installing solar power plant at the Saifai Institute.
The former blue-eyed boy of chief minister Tarun Gogoi, Himanta Biswa Sarma, led a rebellion against Gogois leadership and in July, 2014, as he resigned from his post as state education minister. Following his exit, Sarma joined BJP in August 2015.
Dont fret so much about the issue of bad loans at Indian banks, says veteran banker .

The issue has been overblown and the processes of economic growth and asset resolution will take care of the challenge, said the former chairman of ICICI Bank and now head of the Shanghai-headquartered multilateral New Development Bank (NDB), set up by the BRICS bloc of nations.

China about 13 years earlier, said Kamath, had non-performing assets (NPAs) of $500 billion, about half the size of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Indias NPAs were then only five to 10 per cent of GDP, the same proportion as of now.

I do not know what is the noise about (NPAs). We have to work on solutions, he said at a media interaction event on India-China relations, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here.

Kamath said resolution of problems and investment in the roads and power sectors would give a fillip to growth. The Indian economy will grow at about 7.5 per cent this year, though the aim should be to grow at double-digits.

Where the assets are non-productive, these should be written off. The quicker the better; cleaning up should not frighten us. The aim should be to look at solutions, he counselled.

He parried question on how public sector (PSBs) should address these problems. Last month, global rating agency Moodys had cautioned that a prolonged worsening in asset quality at PSBs was the main threat to India's sovereign credit profile. It made a case for the government bearing some of the cost of cleaning bank balance sheets.

The main threat to the sovereign credit profile would be via a significant and prolonged worsening in asset quality at state-owned banks, beyond the recognition of bad loans currently under way, that causes contingent liabilities to crystallise on the governments balance sheet, it had said.

Last week, Kamaths NDB chose his former organisation, ICICI, for its first tie-up with any bank in India, to explore opportunities around bond issuance, co-financing, treasury management and human resources.
Indian companies are deleveraging in a meaningful manner and the perception that they are highly leveraged might not be the right one, says a research report by State Bank of India (SBI).According to the report, authored by SBIs chief economist Soumya Kanti Ghosh, domestic companies, particularly those in the cement, fertiliser, trading, finance and transport (airlines) sector, are deleveraging, or are now less dependent on debt.Top-rated companies are prepaying debt mostly from cash accruals. Cement, for instance, is one such case. However, some of them would be building a war chest for acquisition and may also resort to debt later at fine price, said Ghosh.Out of the 200 companies for which the research was done, 60 reported fall in debt levels in 2015-16 over 2014-15. The aggregate decline in debt levels, according to the report, was Rs 6,862 crore.Clearly, things are now looking better, contrary to popular perception, the report said.According to the report, focusing more on interest cover and the debt servicing ratios of the top 10 Indian companies to drive home the extent of corporate indebtedness is misleading, because whats more important is net worth, cash in hand, yearly accretion to net worth, investments, market value of assets and unbundling of value of some subsidiaries, thus, overall defining its repayment capacity.The overall indebtedness and debt-to-market capitalisation of such companies should be the right criterion.

In that sense, SBIs estimates show that on an aggregate basis, the top 10 companies ratios stood at 1.93x and 1.88x, respectively, which were well within (the) respected level of 2x. Most of the ratings of these top 10 firms were above investment grade. While rating agencies' uniformity in applying rating parameters to various companies has also been inconsistent across continents, one nevertheless considers, as a matter of no choice, this as benchmark in raising debt. The investment grade companies... have been always able to raise resources at competitive rates, the report said.

In listed companies, three finance companies -- Shriram Transport Finance, Cholamandalam Investment Finance and Motilal Oswal Finance, are reporting lower overall debt levels in FY16.

In fertilizer, Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers Co Ltd (GNFC) reported loss to profit in FY16.

According to SBI, the fertiliser sector is also seeing a silent revolution, probably for the first time in 25 years.

Government's new investor policy is encouraging setting up of gas based urea plants in country. Already, there are three plants being set up in Kota (Chambal Fertlisers), Ramagundam (EIL and National Fertilisers Limited) and RCF. Additionally, with an aim to encourage setting up urea based plants in eastern part of country, government has directed NTPC, Coal India and ONGC to help set up plants at Sindhri, Gorakhpur and Barauni for facilitating Jagdishpur to Haldia gas pipeline being laid by GAIL.

SBI lauded UltraTech Cement Ltd for reporting lower long term indebtedness, but said the company needed to be watched more closely if it acquires Jaypee group's cement business.

Companies such as Maruti Suzuki and Essel Propack have also consistently brought down debt levels in last four years or so, the report said.

Among top five entities that deleveraged between fiscal 2016 and 2015, UltraTech Cement brought down debt by Rs 1,682 crore, Ushdev International by Rs 753 crore, GNFC by 711 crore, Interglobe Aviation by 639 crore and Shriram Transport by 632 crore, according to the report.
Lt Gen Hanut Singh Memorial Lecture was held at Kothari Auditorium, DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi today. The General passed away last year on 11 Apr 2015 and as a tribute this memorial lecture was held for the first time. It has been organized by Centre for Joint Warfare Studies. Honourable Raksha Mantri Shri Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Guest on the occasion. .

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Lt Gen Hanut Singh popularly known as the Doyen of Mechanised Warfare in India and Soldier Saint was an archetypal Indian Warrior in the classical, heroic mould of Indian history. He is better known for his heroics in epic tank battle at Basantar during 1971 Indo Pak War during which almost 50 Pakistani tanks were destroyed as against loss of only 13 tanks of Poona Horse of Indian Army. The Pakistanis themselves called Poona Horse Fakr e Hind-the Pride of India ; a compliment from the vanquished enemy. .

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Raksha Mantri during his inaugural address stated that military leaders of the stature of Lt Gen Hanut Singh are remembered for the leadership that they provide during important battles. He was a charismatic and clear thinking General who exhibited sound leadership qualities and out of box thinking which should be emulated by young soldiers and future generation of leaders. .

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Lt Gen AK Singh (Retd), Lt Governor, Andaman & Nicobar Islands delivered the memorial lecture on Leadership in the Future Networked Battlefield". He highlighted the challenges for higher military leadership in 21st century and suggested ways to overcome them, suggesting a roadmap for future. Lt Gen Ajay Singh (Retd), former Governor of Assam also delivered a lecture on General Hanut Singh - the Doyen of Mechanised Warfare in India. He highlighted his leadership attributes through battle accounts in Battle of Basantar during 1971 Operations. .

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A short film on life & times of Lt Gen Hanut Singh was also screened. .

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Col Rohan Anand, SM .

PRO (Army)
As a part of 475th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Maharana Pratap Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma released a Commemorative coin of Rs. 100/- and a Circulation coin of Rs. 10/- in New Delhi today. .

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A brave warrior, successful organizer and ingenious strategist, Maharana Pratap, fearlessly fought the Mughals and protected his people until his death. The stories of Maharana Pratap who fought fearlessly to regain the prestige for his nation and people still inspire the present generation to do brave deeds for the honour of their motherland. .

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Ministry of Culture has been celebrating the 475th Birth Anniversary of Maharana Pratap during 2015-16 in association with the State Government of Rajasthan. A Conference and Special Lecture on Maharana Pratap was organized by Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) in the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur on March 04, 2016. This was fully financed by the Ministry of Culture. The Government of India and the State Government of Rajasthan have decided to create a multi-purpose indoor stadium at Khel Gaon, Udaipur in his memory. Ministry of Culture has agreed to give a sum of Rs. 9.50 crore to the State Government for this purpose .

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The three-day landmark meeting of SAARC Countries on protection of Children begins in New Delhi .

The three-day Technical Meeting & 4th Ministerial Meeting of South Asian Initiative to end Violence against Children (SAIEVAC) began in New Delhi today. Delegates from the governments and civil society organizations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have assembled to assess progress and developments of the past decade of regional effort, set strategies, agree on commitments and identify priorities for SAIEVAC for the next five years. .

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The landmark Ministerial meeting on 11th May is being preceded by a two day technical consultation focusing on critical issues of child protection and violence in the region. Day one of the technical meeting included an inaugural and various business sessions. .

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In his keynote address, Shri V Somasundaran, Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development set the objectives for the next two days of deliberation. While emphasizing on child participation, he stated that ending Violence against Children is a priority and a common goal and commitment of the region. .

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Welcoming the delegates Dr. Rinchen Chopel, Director General, SAIEVAC, thanked the Government of India for hosting this meeting that also marks a decade of SAIEVACs initiatives to counter violence against children.

This meeting lays the ground for future advocacy initiatives in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, he said. .

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Ms. Stuti Narain Kacker, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), highlighted the need for all member countries to act in a concerted, cooperative, coordinated and comprehensive manner to identify and address areas of priority such as cross border trafficking, documentation& sharing of good practices. .

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Closing the inaugural session, Ms Rashmi Saxena Sahni, Joint Secretary, WCD and Governing Board member thanked everyone for the focus on the needs of children which cannot be postponed at any cost. She shared her desire to see doable and impactful recommendations emerge for the 4th Ministerial meeting which was to follow. .

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The technical sessions began with an overview of SAIEVACs progress in the last decade. This was followed by several technical input sessions based on Governing Board recommendations,on Child Sexual Abuse, travelling sex offenders, regional project on cross border trafficking/MCA, TrackChild, the online system of tracking missing children in India and Khoya Paaya, a citizen portal for reporting missing and found children. Presentations were also made on Indias safety net for Children, CHILDLINE 1098 and the legislation covering Child Sexual Abuse in India i.e. POCSO. .

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The delegates were introduced to the editorial team of Balaknama, a unique newspaper written for and by Street Children.

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The day ended with a puppet show by Enactus, a project of Sreeram College of Commerce, depicting the journey of a victim of child sexual abuse and his parents fight for justice. .

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Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti launched nine projects for rural sanitation initiatives under Namami Gange Programme for conservation of river Ganga in Sahibganj, Jharkhand today. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said the entire 83 Km. stretch of Ganga in Jharkhand will be covered under this programme. She said the project will focus on three significant interventions; Promotion of safe, individual hygiene practices to ensure open defecation free status of all 78 villages along the river Ganga, Promotion of cost-effective, appropriate local, low cost, easy to manage technologies using local resources to ensure improved access, sustained use and maintenance of infrastructure created for effective management of solid and liquid waste and strengthening of local institutions including panchayats, village level sanitation committees and self-help groups to effectively manage, enhance and maintain facilities established for improved sanitation in the villages and an integrated and a holistic livelihood approach. .

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The Minister said the main aim of the projects is to improve the health and quality of life of around 45,000 households located in these 78 villages of the Ganga River basin in Jharkhand through improved sanitation practices, while also improving the quality of waste water and storm water runoff flowing from the villages into the river Ganga. Sushri Bharti said 78 units will be established in project villages for collection, storage and composting of degradable solid waste and for setting up small enterprises for non-biodegradable material. She informed that 5,460 households will be supported for adoption of composting facilities using vermin composting for productive use of animal and agro-waste and 1,860 households will be supported for adoption of biogas plants to facilitate safe disposal of animal waste. The Minister said that eight village level crematoriums and 32 bathing Ghats will be constructed along with 40 community toilets. She said that more than 10,000 soak pits will be constructed through community participation to safely contain and dispose surplus and waste water emerging from households and community managed hand pumps. The Minister informed that community-led construction of 152,000 meters of open channel drains in project villages to ensure speedy and safe disposal of domestic waste and storm water runoff and construction and refurbishment of 92 community ponds to enable bio-treatment and safe disposal of domestic waste and storm water runoff will also be taken up. .

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The entire project will be carried out under the overall guidance of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with the support from UNDP, community organizations and NGOs. Project initiatives will contribute to improved, sustainable solid and liquid waste management in the identified villages and will reduce contamination in the Ganga from rural sources including agriculture. UNDP will provide technical and implementation support. .

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Samir/jk
Raging forest fires that prompted the evacuation of an entire Canadian city were advancing more slowly thanks to a change in the weather and oil facilities have escaped major damage, officials have said.

In other good news, the amount of land charred was less than originally feared. And the last of 25,000 people trapped north of Fort McMurray in Alberta province have now been evacuated in road convoys through the ruined oil city.

Alberta premier Rachel Notley and other officials said the fires raging for days around Fort McMurray were moving "much, much more slowly" thanks to a bit of rain and cooler temperatures.

Authorities had expressed fear the fire could spread east to Saskatchewan province. But Notley said the worst fears from Saturday had not been realised, at least not yet.

The fire's eastern edge was still 40 kilometres Saskatchewan and estimates of the area destroyed have been lowered from 2,000 square kilometres to about 1,600.

The ruthless blaze, fanned by high winds and fueled by tinder-dry conditions, devastated Fort McMurray and the region around it. The city was home to 100,000 until it was evacuated last week as flames burned homes to the ground amid scenes of panic and mass exodus.

Chad Morrison, senior wildfire manager for Alberta, said yesterday that "with a little help from mother nature and a bit of a break in the weather," along with the hard work of some 500 firefighters, most fire lines in Fort McMurray had been contained.

The threat to oil-sand mines north of the city had also diminished, at least for now, he said.

Morrison said fire lines had moved away from the work sites of Nexen, a unit of the Chinese group CNOOC, after inflicting only minor damage.

Work sites of the Suncor petroleum group had also been spared.

Morrison said firefighters hoped that rains and cooler temperatures predicted for today and winds from the west, gusting up to 60 kilometres per hour (35 mph) should help keep the flames away from the petroleum work camps in coming days.

Even as fellow Canadians rally to provide them succor and support, thousands of evacuees who fled the fire are coming to grips with the likelihood that they will be unable to see their homes anytime soon -- assuming the dwellings are still standing at all.

Hundreds of firefighters, exhausted and demoralised after days vainly battling a blaze they grimly refer to as "the beast," acknowledged that they will probably have to wait for the fire to burn itself out.

The Alberta oil sands are a vital part of the regional economy.

With huge swathes of forest and brush, as well as whole neighbourhoods of the city, turned to ash -- an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg -- firefighters battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure, including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Bill Gross, the former manager of the biggest bond fund, said policy makers may act at their next meeting in June. Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor at Allianz SE, said the Fed may move twice this year. Mark Kiesel at Pacific Investment Management Co and New York Fed President William Dudley echoed the comments. Gross and his colleagues are warning investors not to count out the Fed after the Labor Department reported US employers added 160,000 workers last month, short of the 200,000 positions projected by a Bloomberg survey of economists. Fed Chair Janet Yellen is also examining ...
has warded off a threat by a Chinese firm to use its famous name for a refreshing beverage after a Beijing court ruled in favour of the US social networking giant in a rare trademark case.

The court saidthe local firm had "violated moral principles" with "obvious intention to duplicate and copy from another high-profile trademark", BBC reported.

Zhongshan-based Zhujiang Beverage, which sells products like milk-flavored drinks and porridge, said it registered its trademark "face book" in 2011. The company faced objections from Facebook, but gained approval from the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board the country's trademark authority in 2014 to use it.

is blocked in China since 2009 but its founder Mark Zuckerberg who is married to a Chinese has recently gone on a charm offensive to access the Chinese market.

The court judgement was a reprieve of sorts for the as Apple last week lost itstrademark fight in Chinato a handbag firm which won legal case to retain the name Iphone.

The court ruling in favour of Facebook has led Chinese local media to speculate whether Beijing's hard stance against Facebook might soften.

During a recent visit to China, Zuckerberg met with China's propaganda chief Liu Yunshan as well as fellow media guru Jack Ma.

In whatcritics described as a publicity stuntto win China's favour, he also went for a run on Beijing's Tiananmen Square despite heavy pollution and also achieved celebrity status by making speeches in Mandarin.
Jewellery sales growth was somewhat tepid on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, one of the most auspicious occasions for buying gold.

Most organised retailers saw increased footfalls on Monday and estimated a 10-15 per cent increase in jewellery sales as compared to the occasion last year. They felt buying sentiment was weaker than expected, especially after the trade's 42-day strike against the new excise levy.

Also, the past two years have not been so good because of the restriction on gold import in 2014 and overall subdued sentiment last year around Akshaya Tritiya.

Ashok Minawala, Director, All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation, said the 10-15 per cent rise in jewellery sales was "similar to our expections.

Sharp volatility in gold prices was another factor which hit consumer sentiment. It rose Rs 85 per 10g from its previous close to settle at Rs 29,855 per 10g on Monday.

Sales growth is not comparable this year due to bad weather and also Akshaya Tritiya falling on a Monday, first day of the week. Gold prices are high but, otherwise, we are doing well, said Sandeep Kulhalli, vice-president (marketing), Tanishq.

Compared to last year on the day, gold prices have risen 11 per cent. And, drought in many states hit the purchasing power of many.

While footfalls are almost similar to last year, grammage of purchase was low due to high prices, said R K Sharma, chief executive at Delhi-based PC Jewellers.

However, the buying behaviour of consumers is returning to normalcy after the anti-excise strike. Initial feedback from the trade is of an increase in demand. Consumers have reconciled to the fact that the increase in gold prices in the past four months is not a blip and is here to stay, said Somasundaram P R, the India managing director for the World Gold Council.
National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), India's leading agri-centric commodity exchange, today announced that it will pay money as per an announced formula to those who were net sellers when castor seed contracts were suspended in January last. The exchange today announced the close out price for castor seeds for those who were having net short positions across contract and also having castor seeds stock deposited in exchange-accredited warehouses at the time of suspension. Such sell positions supported by stock are also known as hedging positions. Protecting investors by paying them money is first such move by any commodity derivative exchange.

The exchange had suspended castor seed contracts on 27 January this year, when some players were unable to pay margins following a fall in prices.

A RECAP Jan 27 : Suspension of castor seed contracts

Suspension of castor seed contracts Jan 29: Settlement price for open positions announced

Settlement price for open positions announced Feb 17: Constitution of cell for redressal of castor participants' grievances

Constitution of cell for redressal of castor participants' grievances Feb 18: NCDEX offeres NeML platform to sell castor stocks

NCDEX offeres NeML platform to sell castor stocks Mar 2: Sebi issues restraining order against trading members and their defaulting clients

Sebi issues restraining order against trading members and their defaulting clients May 6: Exchange announces close-out price for participants

Later, the exchange declared a final settlement price of Rs 3,051, at which all deals were settled.

It also allowed those holding stock in NCDEX warehouses to dispose it off on the exchange's e-market platform, which is a spot trading facility. However, contracts were suspended as prices fell, and since those holding sell positions had to incur losses, NCDEX took a first-of-its-kind initiative in exchange-traded derivatives to pay the losers money. It was for this purpose that the close out price was declared.

Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), also advised the exchange to protect the interest of genuine hedgers/investors who lost money due to suspension of castor seed contract.

"Sebi has been very strongly driving investor protection and upholding the rights of investors. NCDEX continues to echo the same philosophy and has therefore declared the close out to redress the grievances of participants affected by the suspension of the castor seed contracts." said Samir Shah, MD & CEO, NCDEX

The close out price declared is Rs 2,931, which is Rs 120 lower than the final settlement price at which the positions were squared off after suspension. This means that eligible investors of castor seeds will get Rs 120 per quintal from the exchange.

NCDEX is now preparing operational guidelines, but the note issued by it says, "The close out price has been computed in a transparent and fair manner, taking into account the Agmarket prices prevailing in Deesa, Kadi, Palanpur and Patan from January 28, 2016 till February 19, 2016, the cost of transportation, storage, brokerage and other incidental expenses."

At present, the exchange has announced that the claims of the registered Members and constituents of the Exchange (other than the defaulting members), who had net short positions in the Castor seed contracts traded on the Exchange platform and also correspondingly held valid deliverable stocks in the warehouses approved by the Exchange, as on January 27, 2016, shall be admissible as per the terms of the close-out.
Ask any common man and he'll say he is angry about pulses prices showing no signs of remission but not about sugar prices touching Rs 40 a kg. Some varieties of pulses now cost close to Rs 200 a kg, leaving a big hole in the common man's household budget. One wonders if New Delhi's showing concern about sugar becoming expensive is an attempt to deflect attention from the runaway rises in prices of pulses, which families must have with two principal meals. Both sugar and pulses are highly globally-traded commodities and their world prices will at all times have a bearing on local . At the same time, India being the world's largest user of both, the size of domestic production will impact prices in a major way.

Let's consider pulses first. According to the second official advance estimate of production of major crops during 2015-16 released in mid-February, pulses output is put at 17 million tonnes (mt). For the second year in a row, pulses production, a victim of extreme dry weather will be less than the normal of 19-20 mt. The responsibility for pulses prices rising rapidly will be laid at the government door. Had New Delhi been armed with a sufficiently large buffer stock of pulses, it could have successfully intervened in the market to tame prices.

According to Ashok Gulati, former chairman of Agricultural Costs & Prices, successful market intervention demands government agencies to hold "stocks equalling to 10 per cent of demand." Against this, the government has decided to build a pulses buffer of 150,000 tonnes only. No wonder, then, that imports of 5.5 mt in 2015-16 and action against hoardings failed to make the desired impact. The government, irrespective of the coalition heading it, is given to knee-jerk reaction when a crisis of the kind now found in pulses happens. Instead, it should take seriously the observation in the 2016-17 Economic Survey that the "central challenge of Indian agriculture is low productivity, evident in modest average yields, especially in pulses", an important source of protein for the masses. In the key pulses producing state Madhya Pradesh, the yield of 938 kg a hectare is barely three-fifths of 1,550 kg a hectare in China. So, along with building a sufficiently large buffer and facilitating high levels of imports, the government should have a robust productivity improvement programme.

In the meantime, contradictory statements by central Cabinet ministers on sugar costs and prices are made at a time when the industry after three excruciating seasons has started earning some surplus.

This is essential as sugar factories are yet to settle dues for the cane received from growers amounting to Rs 15,000 crore. How can sugarcane be described as a cash crop if market prices of sugar restrict factory capacity to clear dues? Hasn't a senior minister said earlier this year that the sugar production cost is between Rs 3,300 and Rs 3,400 a quintal? Production cost varies from state to state depending on whether cane is procured on fair and remunerative price or state advised price, and also the rates of recovery of sugar. If ex-factory prices of sugar are now allowing factories to recover cost, then the sweetener selling at Rs 40 a kg at retail point is a given. Branded sugar sold in packets, however, commands a premium of Rs 5-6 a kg over the loose variety. But, that sugar is for a select group.

From where does the principal demand for sugar originate in the country? Bulk buyers such as makers of beverages and sweetmeat account for nearly 80 per cent of the sugar sold here. Expect them to be resentful of sugar price improvements since January. What matters to them is that there is more money in the hands of sugar factories, enabling them to clear the cane bills accumulated over the past many months, says industry official O P Dhanuka.

Reports of sugar supply squeeze here and also in China and Thailand and the forecast of global deficit in the current season climbing to 7.5 mt from the earlier estimate by 2.5 mt have infused bullishness in the world sugar market.

New York ICE futures for raw sugar are, therefore, trading at a high of 17.40 cents a pound. In the meantime, dry weather in some major cane-growing centres will likely restrict India's sugar production in the next season to 23.5 mt. But, since the 2016-17 season will open with stocks of 7.5 mt, at no point should supply be a problem. In the next season, stocks will still be 5.5 mt after fully meeting domestic demand from local production.
The Bangladesh government today handed over a 'strongly-worded' protest letter to Pakistan's envoy over Islamabad's statement on the former's Supreme Court verdict dismissing the review plea of condemned war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Pakistan High Commissioner in Bangladesh Shuja Alam was summoned by the Bangladesh foreign ministry this afternoon and handed over a formal protest letter over the statement issued by Pakistan Foreign Office on May 6, reports the Daily Star.

Alam met Bangladesh Foreign Secretary (Bilateral) Mizanur Rahman at the ministry at 3 p.m.

During the 15-minute meeting, Mr. Rahman conveyed his government's dissatisfaction over the Pakistan Foreign Office statement.

"The statement issued by Pakistan Foreign Office is totally unacceptable," the Daily Star quoted Rahman, as saying after the meeting.

The Pakistan envoy on receiving the note verbale, said he would convey the message to his government.

The Pakistan Foreign Office in its May 6 statement, said, "We have noted with deep concern and anguish the dismissal of the review application on the death sentence by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh for Mr Motiur Rahman Nizami, the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami."

Referring to Tripartite agreement of April 1974, the statement said, "There is a need for reconciliation in Bangladesh in accordance with the spirit of the tripartite agreement of April 1974 which calls for a forward looking approach in matters relating to the events of 1971."

Following the statement, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam yesterday expressed disappointment and asked Islamabad to stop interfering in Bangladesh's internal affairs.

Alam asked Islamabad to stop misleading the people with reference to the agreement between Pakistan, India and Bangladesh on April 9, 1974, in which the three countries agreed not to proceed with the trial of 195 prisoners of war repatriated to Pakistan.

He pressed the agreement never implied that the masterminds and perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity would continue to enjoy impunity.
The Foreign Ministry has summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner in Bangladesh Shuja Alam this afternoon to lodge a formal protest over Islamabad's statement on the former's Supreme Court verdict that dismissed review plea of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Foreign Secretary (bilateral) Mizanur Rahman has summoned the High Commissioner at the ministry between 3-4 p.m., reports the Daily Star.

Bangladesh in a stern note had previously asked Pakistan to stop interfering in its internal affairs.

The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan in a statement issued on Friday expressed "deep concern and anguish" over the Bangladesh Supreme Court's dismissal of the review petition of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Nizami.

Responding to Islamabad's statement, Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, said those being tried for their crimes against humanity are Bangladeshi citizens but Pakistan was sad for them.

Alam asked Islamabad to stop misleading the people with reference to the agreement between Pakistan, India and Bangladesh on April 9, 1974, in which the three countries agreed not to proceed with the trial of 195 prisoners of war repatriated to Pakistan.

He pressed the agreement never implied that the masterminds and perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity would continue to enjoy impunity.
Amitabh Bachchan celebrates eight years of his horror comedy flick 'Bhootnath.'

The 73-year-old actor took to his Twitter handle to share his happiness saying "its raining years of my films these days."

"Its raining years of my films these days .. NOW .. 8 years of 'Bhoothnath' .. what delightful film !!," he tweeted.

Directed by Vivek Sharma, the film is an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde's short story 'The Canterville Ghost.'

Other than Big-B, 'Bhootnath' also starred Juhi Chawla, Aman Siddiqui, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Rajpal Yadav in lead roles and featured Shah Rukh Khan in a supporting role.

According to the 'Wazir' actor's tweet, it is 'raining years' for his films indeed.

Yesterday was the first year of his 'National Award' winning film 'Piku' and 24 years of legendary film 'Khuda Gawah.'

The veteran actor, along with wife Jaya Bachchan had a busy Sunday with store opening of a jewellery brand at three locations in Kolkata.

"Kolkata in the morning .. store openings at 3 locations .. back now .. via thunder clouds and a MI loss !!" he tweeted.

On work ground, Big-B will be coming up with Ribhu Dasgupta directed and Sujoy Ghosh produced 'TE3N' on 10 June 2016.

He has even wrapped up shooting for 'PINK' directed by Bengali filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and produced by Shoojit Sircar.
As a part of 475th birth anniversary celebrations of Maharana Pratap, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma released a commemorative coin of Rs. 100/- and a circulation coin of Rs. 10/- in New Delhi today.

A brave warrior, successful organizer and ingenious strategist, Maharana Pratap, fearlessly fought the Mughals and protected his people until his death. The stories of Maharana Pratap who fought fearlessly to regain the prestige for his nation and people still inspire the present generation to do brave deeds for the honour of their motherland.

The Ministry of Culture has been celebrating the 475th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap during 2015-16 in association with the Rajasthan government.

A conference and special lecture on Maharana Pratap was organized by the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur on March 4, 2016.

This was fully financed by the Ministry of Culture. The Centre and the Rajasthan government have decided to create a multi-purpose indoor stadium at Khel Gaon, Udaipur, in his memory.

The Ministry of Culture has agreed to give a sum of Rs. 9.50 crore to the Rajasthan government for this purpose.
Congress vice-president on Monday received a death threat following which senior party leaders will meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at 3 p.m.

According to reports, Puducherry Congress received a letter threatening the life of today.

The Congress leaders will take up the matter with Rajnath, asking him to step up the security for s Rahul.



The Congress vice-president's grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was killed by her two Sikh bodyguards in 1984.



In 1991, his father was assassinated by a suicide bomber belonging to the LTTE terror group that had been agitating for a separate Eelam in Sri Lanka.



(Details awaited)




Facing dissent within his own party, GOP(Grand Old Party) presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has said that he does not need the Republican unity to win the US elections in November this year.

"I think it would be better if it were unified. And I think there would be something good about it. But I don't think it actually has to be," Trump said in an interview on NBC's Meet the Press broadcast programme.

The billionaire leader reflected on uniting the country which is diverse and divided in so many ways.

"This country, which is divided in so many ways, is going to become one beautiful, loving country," Trump said after winning in Indiana this week.

Meanwhile, Trump's lack of support within the Republican party, especially from elected officials has come as a striking rebuke to his candidacy, the Guardian reports.

Republican House speaker Paul Ryan has recently said that he couldn't lend his support to Donald Trump, the party's presumptive presidential nominee.

"I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now," he told CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" in an interview.

Also global leaders are already beginning to consider the impact of a Donald Trump presidency, with some analysing what it would mean for relations with the U.S.
Educational Initiatives (EI), one of India's leaders in the education space, has recently announced the results of its national-level annual scholastic test - ASSET Talent Search (ATS) for the academic year 2015-16.

The Talent Search has recognised 725 students in the age group of 11 to 14 years as the best and the brightest ASSET Talent Scholars from 25 cities across India and UAE. Amongst all cities, the largest number of Scholars (176) is from Bangalore, followed by Mumbai (83) and Delhi (81).

Launched in August 2014, ATS is a revolutionary talent recognition programme. It identifies the finest scholastic talents across India in Mathematics, Science and English through a national-level annual scholastic test. The selected Scholars are provided an opportunity to undergo university-level learning workshops and qualify for globally recognised gifted-children programmes in US Universities. Some of the programmes are Northwestern University CTD, Renzulli Creativity Program, NSGT's Summer Institute for the gifted (SIG) and GERI STAR Program of Purdue University.

Speaking about the achievers, Srini Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer, Educational Initiatives Pvt. Ltd. said: "This year, we have received great participation for the Talent Search. I commend all the participants for their hard work and congratulate all the Scholars. At a selection ratio of 1:430 nationally, being a Scholar is a great achievement indeed. We look forward to a great future for these bright sparks."

The ASSET Talent Search programme is an extension of ASSET (Assessment of Scholastic Skills through Educational Testing) from EI. ASSET is a scientifically designed diagnostic test, which identifies strengths and weaknesses of individual students in subjects such as English, Maths and Science. Students in the 90th percentile and above are offered to appear for ASSET Talent Search - an advanced-level test.

This year, more than 80 Scholars across India and UAE have registered for the ASSET Summer Program. Starting from 8th May 2016, this is a 21-day residential, academic enrichment program for advanced learning, designed to provide students with a balance of an educational, cultural and recreational experience. The courses of the programme are carefully curated by a team of professionals to expose students to a university-style learning model through many exceptional subjects such as Light/LED/Stars, Neuroscience, Science - Evolution and Genetics, Engineering, and Global Politics and Foreign Policy.

Educational Initiatives (EI) provides technology-based solutions to enable children to learn with understanding through Assessments, Benchmarking and Adaptive Learning. EI products - ASSET, Mindspark and Detailed Assessment, have been appreciated by over 2.5 million students from 3000 schools in India and abroad.

Additionally, EI partners with Corporate CSR bodies, International Foundations and Governments to conduct large scale projects on learning outcomes, capacity creation and educational research. EI participates in various national policy advisory boards and has received multiple national and international awards on innovation in education.
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will hold a special discussion with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his short visit to India next week.

Sirisena, who is set to leave for London on May 1 to attend the Anti-Corruption Summit organized by the British Government, is scheduled to visit India on his return on May 13 on an invitation extended by the Indian Prime Minister, reports the Colombo Page.

According to reports, India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has officially invited Sirisena to take part in a Hindu religious ceremony in Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh state.

British Prime Minister David Cameron will host the landmark international summit in London on May 12. He had extended an invitation to President Sirisena when the two leaders met at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Malta last year.
LYCOS, the global Internet brand on Monday announced the appointment of Y. Ramesh Reddy as the Group Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director (Finance) for the entire LYCOS group.

Ramesh brings more than 25 years of experience to LYCOS, including an extensive background working with public companies, corporate finance, operations management, financial planning and analysis, mergers and acquisitions, and investor relation.

Ramesh Reddy was the Group CFO of Cambridge Energy Resources (CER), a company focused on providing 'Green Energy management as a service to Telecom Towers, Group CFO of Cambridge Technology Enterprise and Prior to joining CTE, he was with Virinchi, where he played a key role as the Head of the Product Development and Chief Functional Architect. Ramesh has a B. Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT, Chennai and MBA in Finance & Marketing from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Ramesh will report to the Chairman and CEO, Suresh Reddy and will oversee corporate finance, financial strategy, investor relations and reporting for LYCOS. He will work closely with regional and global financial teams to raise the bar further on strengthening the financial foundation and fiscal discipline of the company.

"Ramesh has witnessed the trajectory of the company as a director on the board for the last eight years. We are thrilled to see him take up an executive role with LYCOS. His acute acumen and solid experience in finance will be a big plus to the company," said Suresh Reddy, Chairman and CEO of LYCOS.

LYCOS is working on a meaningful and widespread reorganisation of the group. These changes are designed to simplify the way LYCOS interacts with customers, partners, investors and the world at large.

LYCOS is one of the original and most widely known Internet brands in the world, evolving from pioneering search on the web, into a family of three units covering digital media, marketing, and Internet of Things (IoT).

LYCOS Life is the new consumer products division focused on IoT. LYCOS Life is dedicated to the future of communication and information management in which everyday objects will be connected to the internet, also known as the 'Internet of Things' (IoT).

LYCOS employs around 450 people working out of 24 offices worldwide, across the US, Israel, India, Western Europe, Australia and Latin America.
The Nepal government has made a fresh call to the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) to return to the negotiating table, as the latter announced the launch of an aggressive protest.

Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, who leads the dialogue committee, sent a formal invitation yesterday to the Morcha for talks, reports the Kathmandu Post.

After consultation with the interlocutors of the participating parties, the date for a meeting would be decided.

Ever since the Thapa-led political mechanism was formed in February 18, there have been no talks between the government and the Madhesi-based parties.

The committee is yet to take shape as the Madhesi parties and the Nepali Congress, the largest party in Parliament, refused to send their representatives to it.

Thapa in a letter informed that the government was committed in addressing the concerns of the agitating parties through dialogue.

Asserting that there was no alternative to resolving the outstanding differences through discussion, he urged the Madhesi parties to send their representatives to the panel tasked with working out the details for redrawing the boundaries of the provinces.

The Madhesi based parties, however, are in no mood to readily accept the call for dialogue and instead charge that the government is not serious about resolving the crisis.

Madhesis demand prior assurance of at least two provinces in the plains and statutory status to the political mechanism. The request government declines as preconditions to dialogue.
With due focus on implementing the new Constitution, carrying out post-earthquake reconstruction and holding local elections, Nepal's President Bidhya Devi Bhandari presented the government's policies and programmes for the upcoming fiscal year at the Legislature-Parliament.

"The upcoming fiscal will be marked as the year of Constitution implementation and of journey towards prosperity," Kathmandu Post quoted President Bhandari as saying while presenting the document yesterday.

However, with the absence of a deal with the Madhesi parties, who have opposed several provisions of the new Constitution, the implementation seems to be difficult.

The politico-economic document has focused on formulation of new laws and regulations in line with the new Constitution and restructuring of local bodies and administrative units under the seven provinces. The top priority has been given to the passing of 138 new laws, which is essential for enforcing the charter.

The document vowed to address "genuine demands" of the Madhesis, but laid out no roadmap.

Lawmakers affiliated with the Madhesi Morcha boycotted the address citing the government's "lack of interest" in addressing the grievances of the Madhesi people.

The 32-page document described the economic loss the country faced due to the devastating earthquakes last year, followed by months of agitation in the plains and a blockade of the southern border at length. The document, however, was short on detailed plans for recovery.

The document also highlighted the signing of historic trade and transit agreement with China, and amendment to 193 laws as major achievements of the government in the past seven months.

Apart from commencement of the distribution of the first installment of grants for reconstruction of houses, formal beginning of the reconstruction of heritage sites and public property were also mentioned.

Plans to implement the agreements signed with India and China during the official visits of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli were also highlighted.

The policy to be discussed in Parliament today has set a timeline to complete the reconstruction of all the earthquake-damaged structures within five years.

The government has announced to hold elections at the local bodies, which have been without elected representatives for the last 14 years, in November-December.

The government has announced development plans for each of the seven provinces besides laying emphasis on compulsory and free education to be realised gradually up to the twelfth grade.
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief Senator Sirajul Haq has criticized the Pakistan Government for its failure and silence over extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh on the pretext of so-called war crimes.

Speaking at a protest rally here yesterday, he urged the international community to play its due role in stopping the Bangladesh Government from politically victimising and persecuting the opposition leaders.

The protesters were seen carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans against 'injustices' of the Bangladesh Government.

The Jamaat-i-Islami chief asserted that Dhaka was executing its political rivals through a controversial tribunal.

He also claimed that the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Government was betraying those who supported the then united Pakistan.

Expressing grief over the government's behavior, Sirajul said his party leaders have approached several government high-ups to discuss the issue, but none were ready to take any step in this regard.

He said that his party had also contacted several diplomatic missions for the release of political prisoners in Bangladesh, but all were of the view that nothing could be done without the active role of the Pakistani Government as it was also a part of the pact in 1971 under which it was decided that no cases would be filed against anyone.

The Jamaat-i-Islami chief expressed that it was a matter of great shame for the nation that even the elected government "did not dare" to take up the issue.

His remarks come in the wake of condemned war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami's dismissal of review petition by Bangladesh's Supreme Court.
Expressing confidence that the verdict in the case of the nine rebel MLAs participating in the floor test won't matter to the party, Uttarakhand Congress chief Kishore Upadhyay on Monday said it has the support of the People's Democratic Front (PDF), adding that the guilty would be punished.

"The floor test won't matter to us much. PDF is with us. If the nine MLAs leave or stay, it matters a lot. So we have to see the Supreme Court's decision on the matter. Those who have committed crimes will be punished," Upadhyay told ANI.

"I am not happy with the rebel MLAs. The Supreme Court has taken cognizance of the anti-defection law. I hope even the High Court will give respect to the decision of the chairman of the Legislative Assembly and carry on the judgment," he added.

The Uttarakhand High Court will today pronounce its order on the petition filed by nine rebel Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification under the anti-defection law by the Speaker.

The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10.

The President's rule will temporarily be lifted on Tuesday and former chief minister Harish Rawat will seek the confidence vote in the house.

An apex court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra had on April 27 directed the continuation of President's rule in Uttarakhand.

The Centre had imposed President's rule in the state on March 27.
After the Supreme Court on Monday barred nine disqualified Congress MLAs from participating in the floor test of the Harish Rawat government in the Uttarakhand assembly on Tuesday, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said it was not a setback to the Bharatiya Janata Party as his party has nothing to do with it.

"They are Congress' MLAs and they have got nothing to do with the BJP. They are disqualified. There will a floor test as directed by the Supreme Court," he said, adding that there will be an election next year and all these things will be discussed then.

"The BJP has not gone to the court, it is the Attorney General, because a notice was issued to us. He is representing the Government of India. We have only said that there is a constitutional requirement that vote should be taken on the Appropriation Bill, but the court said it doesn't matter, these MLAs cannot vote, and furthermore, there should be a floor test, we are ready for it."

In a major blow to the BJP-led Centre, the SC in an interim order on Monday refused to allow the nine rebel Uttarakhand Congress MLAs to participate in the floor test on Tuesday.

The apex court, which said voting in floor test shall take place tomorrow as directed, will hear the matter next on July 12.

The nine rebel Congress MLAs had earlier approached the apex court for an urgent hearing against the Uttarakhand High Court's order dismissing their plea which challenged their disqualification.

The rebel MLAs moved the apex court this morning after Justice U.C. Dhyani of the Uttarakhand High Court pronounced his order dismissing their petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision to disqualify them.

The nine Congress MLAs had stood against their party on March 18 and supported the BJP by asking for a division of votes on the Appropriation Bill, after which the Speaker had disqualified them.

Earlier, the apex court had said the disqualified MLAs would not be able to cast their vote as long as their disqualification remained.

Excluding the nine disqualified Congress 'rebel' MLAs, the floor test will involve 27 Congress MLAs, 28 BJP MLAs, six PDF members and one nominated member.

The total members to vote being 62, Harish Rawat will need 32 votes to be reinstated as the chief minister of Uttarakhand.
Emerging risks and destabilizers as diverse as widening income inequality, slower growth, and climate change are reshaping Asia's economic landscape so rapidly that governments must build far greater resilience into their national plans, says the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Independent Evaluation Department.

The urgency for countries to adapt to the new environment is growing, concluded Independent Evaluation's 2016 Annual Evaluation Review (AER).

Countries in Asia and the Pacific are already grappling with slower economic expansion and falling international trade, and need to find new growth drivers while maximizing the contributions of existing industries. The region's economic prospects are increasingly linked to the ability of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and India to address their economic, environmental, and climate challenges. Asia today is also more exposed to external shocks through the closer integration of global markets.

As observed by one panelist at the seminar, external shocksirrespective of their originquickly push vulnerable people below the poverty line and the poor even deeper into poverty.

The AER highlighted the scale of this challenge. Latest data put the number of people living in extreme poverty in Asia and the Pacificbased on a person living on less than $1.90 a day in 2011 purchasing power parity termsat just over 450 million. More than 1.3 billion people living on less than $3.10 a day are at high risk of falling back into poverty due to vulnerability to shocks and the proximity of their incomes to the poverty line.

Meanwhile, inequality is rising in a number of the region's more populous countries, such as the PRC, India, and Indonesia.

In response, the panel agreed that countries must vigorously promote social inclusion and environmental sustainability, both involving private sector solutions, to ensure that Asia's economic growth does not peter out.

Likewise, the panel concurred with the AER's message that development gains can be eroded by the rising frequency and ferocity of natural disasters and the degradation of the natural environment. For the Pacific Island states in particular, as observed by one panelist, the effects of climate change are immediate and devastating. The benefits and costs of Asia's growth are becoming increasingly clear in its cities. The region already has 13 or the world's 23 megacities, and its urban population is expected to nearly double from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 3 billion by 2050. These trends highlight the vital importance of addressing urban issues such as water supply, sanitation, and, arguably most important of all, pollution.

In the face of growing inequalities, the realities of continued environmental degradation, and runaway climate change, the region's key challenge is to generate innovative ways of sustaining progress, the panel concluded.

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Water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change, could cost some regions up to 6 percent of their GDP, spur migration, and spark conflict, according to a new World Bank report.*

High and Dry: Climate Change, Water and the Economy, says the combined effects of growing populations, rising incomes, and expanding cities will see demand for water rising exponentially, while supply becomes more erratic and uncertain.

Unless action is taken soon, the report says, water will become scarce in regions where it is currently abundant - such as Central Africa and East Asia - and scarcity will greatly worsen in regions where water is already in short supply - such as the Middle East and the Sahel in Africa. These regions could see their growth rates decline by as much as 6 percent of GDP by 2050 due to water related impacts on agriculture, health, and incomes.

The report also warns that reduced freshwater availability and competition from other uses - such as energy and agriculture - could reduce water availability in cities by as much as two thirds by 2050, compared to 2015 levels.

Water insecurity could multiply the risk of conflict, the report adds. Food price spikes caused by droughts can inflame latent conflicts and drive migration. Where economic growth is impacted by rainfall, episodes of droughts and floods have generated waves of migration and spikes in violence within countries, it says.

Water scarcity is a major threat to economic growth and stability around the world, and climate change is making the problem worse, said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim. If countries do not take action to better manage water resources, our analysis shows that some regions with large populations could be living with long periods of negative economic growth. But countries can enact policies now that will help them manage water sustainably for the years ahead.

The negative impacts of climate change on water could be neutralized with better policy decisions, the report says, with some regions standing to improve their growth rates by up to 6 percent with better water resource management.

There is a silver lining, said the report's author and a World Bank Lead Economist Richard Damania.

When governments respond to water shortages by boosting efficiency and allocating even 25 percent of water to more highly-valued uses, losses decline dramatically and for some regions may even vanish. Improved water stewardship pays high economic dividends.

In the world's extremely dry regions, more far-reaching policies are needed to avoid inefficient water use. Stronger policies and reforms are needed to cope with deepening climate stresses, the report says.

It outlines policies and investments that can help lead countries to more water secure and climate-resilient economies. This includes better planning for water resource allocation, adoption of incentives to increase water efficiency, and investments in infrastructure for more secure water supplies and availability.

The report follows the appointment last month of 10 heads of government to a High Level Panel chaired by the UN and World Bank to mobilize effective action to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for everyone.

During the recent COP21 in Paris, the World Bank announced a significant boost in funding for water programs in India, the Niger River Basin, Morocco and Kenya to help tackle water challenges.

*The 6 percent figure represents a median across the various scenarios considered under business-as-usual water policies. In general the numbers inform us under business-as-usual water policies, GDP is 6 percent lower than what it would have been without climate change pressures. It is also worth noting there is a lot of variation across regions, so there are no major effects on Western Europe but more severe effects on warmer, drier parts of the world, which are also typically poorer.

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Catalyse Make in India to Build India said Mr Anand Kumar, MD, NHIDC, Ministry of Roads, Transport & Highways. Though cement Industry has issues in term of pricing, fuel, logistics and other, constant dialogue amongst stakeholders and time bound solutions can help the industry to survive and grow.

The proportion of Cement usage in new roads and maintenance of existing roads is set to increase. Several innovate measures such as cement roads can help in increasing the demand of the most indigenous product. The mindful growth of the industry in holistic manner can take the industry on the upward trajectory. The Cement industry aims to achieve a production capacity of 550 MTPA by 2025, India cement production was 270 MT in 2015.

Cement industry is unique in terms of ample supply and limited demand. To address this on sustainable basis, Central Government has taken several initiatives such as Make in India, Smart Cities, Housing for all, commercial construction and industrial construction to fuel the demand of Cement in the country. Housing sector itself amounts to 67 % of demand.

While, there is a demand of 3 million houses in rural areas, there is a similar excess in urban areas. Mr Ajay Kapur, MD& CEO, Ambuja Cements ltd felt that a good monsoon season can spur the demand in rural areas.

Demand for cement is expected to rise, cement companies are expected to scale up production by 56 MT in the next 3 years. Government has also allowed 100 % FDI in the sector, set up PCPIRs and increased focus on R& Ds.

While the potential is high, cement industry is facing challenges in terms of high taxes next to luxury good. Logistics is also an important issue for the industry. While railways and roads are biggest carrier, alternate transport solutions such as waterways can reduce time and cost and make industry more competitive. The use of Alternate Fuel Resources can address the issue of rising fuel prices and energy efficiency.

Propagating the Hon'ble Prime Minister's agenda of Zero Effect Zero Defect, the industry experts focused on adopting mechanism of re-using cement plant hazardous wastes. Members felt that instead of setting up new plants, cement waste needs to be utilized for developing alternate products. An organized system of waste management can make the industry sustainable globally.

Indian cement industry being the 2nd largest in the world with one of the most technologically advanced plants with minimum CO2 emission levels is providing direct employment to approx. 150,000 and indirect employment to approx. 500,000 people, anticipates steep growth in the coming decade.

The CII Cement Industry Division is working closely with the key stakeholders to create a sustainable growth environment for the Indian cement industry.

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Moody's Investors Service says that its Asian Liquidity Stress Index (LSI) increased to 34.2% in April from 32.2% in April reaching its highest level since March 2009.

The number of rated high-yield companies with the weakest speculative-grade liquidity score of SGL-4 increased to 41 from 39 while the net number of rated high-yield companies dropped to 120 from 121.

The index measures the percentage of high-yield companies with SGL-4 scores and increases when speculative-grade liquidity appears to deteriorate.

"The reading has been weakening since 2015 and is now approaching the record high of 37.0% reached in December 2008 amid the global financial crisis," says Brian Grieser, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst.

"The index is also higher than the trailing 12-month average highlighting the weakening trends in corporate liquidity across Asia," adds Grieser.

The liquidity stress sub-index for North Asian high-yield issuers jumped to 36.8% in April, compared to 33.3% in March, which is also highest level since Moody's began tracking the index in September 2010.

Within this portfolio, the Chinese sub-index rose to 37.9% from 33.8% in April, the Chinese high-yield property sub-index increased to 28.9% from 23.7%. and the Chinese high-yield industrial sub-index increased to 50.0% from 48.1%.

The liquidity stress sub-index for South & Southeast Asian high-yield issuers decreased to 29.5% from 30.4% while the Indonesian sub-index decreased to 20.0% from 23.8% in April.

In April, Moody's downgraded eight high-yield issuers and upgraded one issuer, closing out the month with a downgrade/updated ratio of 8.0x.

Across Moody's portfolio of 120 rated high-yield issuers, the percentage of negative leaning outlooks - meaning ratings with either a negative outlook or on review for downgrade -- increased to 39.2% in April from 38.0% in March, the highest tally since September 2010.

Rated high-yield bond issuance picked up in April after minimal recorded issuance in 1Q 2016.

Three bond deals closed during the month, raising a total $1,250 million. Despite these deals, Asian high-yield bond issuance was the lowest seen in the past five years.

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NRRI is carrying out researches on doubled haploid- Shri Singh

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh said that initiatives taken by the Central Government for the welfare of farmers have started showing positive results. The Minister said this in a public meeting at Kandarpur, Cuttack, Odisha today. Shri Singh said that agriculture scientists are working hard to improve the conditions of farming and farmers in the country. He further added that countless people have been already been saved from starvation through the use of sophisticated agricultural techniques. Minister further said that the scientists of NRRI, Cuttack have developed CR Paddy 310 for the first time in the world which contains 11% protein while other species of rice generally contain protein only 6-7%.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister stated that NRRI is carrying out researches on Doubled Haploid. He added that they are developing a technique which after having been successful will lead the farmers not to purchase the seed of hybrid rice species from the market. Through this technique the properties of hybrid rice will be transferred to other rice species. Minister further added that National Rice Research Institute continuously trying to make the rice farming beneficial and lasting.

Shri Singh told the gathering that after having formed the Government in May, 2014, a number of programmes had been launched for the welfare of the farmers which resulted in positive changes in the lives of farmers. He mentioned the following schemes in this respect:

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana has been launched to provide relief to the farmers due to poor monsoon. Under this scheme emphasis are being put on water to each and every farm that is to say to provide facilities of irrigation to each and every farmer along with enhancement of water conservation skill.

Government of India is committed to encourage investment in the field of irrigation on water conservation and regional level along with the management concerned. Under assured irrigation scheme, emphasis is being laid on cultivable land, improvement in the skill of water conservation on the field, precision irrigation encouragement to the sophisticated technology to save water, to enhance the potentiality of aquifer, to use the waste water of Municipal Corporation etc., through this process irrigation projects are being promoted through private investment.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yoaja: To promote bio-farming in the country, NDA Government launched an initiative in 2015. According to the scheme, the farmers are being encouraged to adopt bio-farming by making clusters in the country. To be benefited from this scheme at least a cluster of 50 farmers is required along with an area of land with 50 acre. Under this scheme, every farmer will be provided Rs. 20,000/- per acre for the span of three year. Farmers will utilize this amount for the purchase of bio-seeds, harvesting and to transport the agricultural products to the local market.

Soil Health Card Scheme: Government has initiated Soil Health Card scheme to provide farmers Soil Health Card in a mission mode. This card will contain the knowhow of the new trend in the soil and accordingly the required quantity of fertilizers. Through that farmers will be capable enough to obtain more products on their farms. Through this card, the farmers will know the fertility of their fields. The expert will sort out the problem concerned with soil. Though this card the farmers will monitor the change of quality related to the soil after prolong use of the farms in agriculture process and they will benefit from the soil card to maintain the health of the soil.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna: Government of India has launched Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna to provide relief to the farmers inflicted with the loss of crop damage. This is truly a farmer welfare scheme. Under this scheme, the burden of premium will be reduced and their cases will be sorted out expeditiously. Apart from the losses inflicted by crop damage, the provision has been made with this scheme to relieve the farmers from the losses in harvesting aftermath scenario. This scheme provides assessment of local calamities along with a list on unseasonal rain form, land slide and floods. Under this scheme the farmers are supposed to pay 2% for Kharif and 1.5% for Rabi.. Rest of the premium will be deposited by the Government. The Government has not prescribed any extent for subsidy. The remaining premium is 90% that will be paid by the Government. Under this scheme, remote sensing, smart phone and drone use is mandatory for the expeditious assessment of the crop damage.

National Agriculture Market (e-NAM): National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is all India electronic trading portal which aims at to form a unified national market for agricultural products by making a network for the markets related to the existing Agricultural Product Marketing Committee (APMC). The government made up its mind to develop a National Agriculture Market so as to transport the agricultural product from one market to another in a smooth way, to save the producers from a number of market duties and to provide agricultural product to the consumers on a fair price. By September, 2016 eNAM will cover more than 200 agricultural market and by March, 2018 such methodology will be developed for 585 markets which will facilitate the transportation of agricultural products to the market. At present the farmers sell out their products through the Mandis or Bazar Committees which levy a number of duties on their products. Now, there will be only one license for the whole State and duty will be levied only on one point. Electronic auction will be conducted to know about the prices. It will facilitate the way to convert the whole state to one market. The farmers will obtain more alternative to sell out their products. The transparency will be increased due to online platform and farmers will get better return.

Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister said that digital technology will facilitate us to be linked with the others and to share our thoughts on different points. Hon'ble Prime Minister, Mr. Modi treats digital technology to provide employment to all the nationals and to change the national scenario. Mr. Modi desires to impart the benefits of digital India on farmers for which a virtual platform is being prepared as National Agriculture Market. Simultaneously a provision has been made for soil testing laboratories nearby selected mandis in the vicinity which will facilitate the farmers for soil testing.

India emergence campaign through village emergence: Government of India has launched a campaign named as India emergence through village emergence so as to improve the means of livelihood amongst the rural, to accelerate rural development process to strengthen Panchayati Raj across the country to establish social equality to create awareness about the agricultural schemes.

My Village My Pride: A new scheme has been initiated to provide the methodology of scientific farming and a new technology to every village. For this purpose, all the experts of Agriculture University and ICAR Institutes spreads all over the country have been invited. Under this Scheme, 20,000 agriculture scientists have been engaged to adopt a village which is also involved to pay awareness to adopt the ways of sophisticated scientific farming and their implementation. 78 scientist of NRRI are in touch with farmers after having selected almost 92 villages. They are providing multi dimensional information and sophisticated benefits to the farmers within prescribed time frame.

Achievements of National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack: Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister said that this premium institute has celebrated its 70th foundation day on last 23rd April. On 23rd April, 1946 Central Rice Research Institute was set up. Minister said that while keeping in view the achievements of CRRI it has been elevated as National Rice Research Institute by imparting its status as National Institute. This Institute has developed 114 rice species for different agriculture climate condition. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister thanked all the scientists of NRRI, Cuttack who have developed a very important mobile app named as rice expert through which farmers will get information about the different pests inflicting loss to their paddy farmers, new trends, nimetode, diseases related to paddy, different species of rice under different rice, agricultural devices and different activities after harvesting on their fields.

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Receives bids for 2.56 crore shares

The initial public offer (IPO) of Parag Milk Foods received bids for a total of 2.56 crore shares on the fourth day of bidding for the IPO today, 9 May 2016, as per data from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) website at 16:00 IST. The IPO was subscribed 1.32 times. The IPO of Parag Milk Foods which was slated to end on Friday, 6 May 2016, was extended till Wednesday, 11 May 2016. The company has also revised the price band of the issue to Rs 215 - Rs 227 per share from Rs 220 - Rs 227 per share earlier. The IPO opened for bidding on 4 May 2016.

The company raised Rs 342.85 crore by selling 1.51 crore shares to a total of 17 anchor investors ahead of the opening of the IPO. The shares were allotted to the anchor investors at Rs 227 per share, the top end of the Rs 220 to Rs 227 per share price band for the IPO.

The IPO of Parag Milk Foods, one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of dairy-based branded foods in India, 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 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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Shri Kalraj Mishra Appreciates JK Govt for PMEGP

Appreciating the work of State Government in Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) during 2015-16, the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Shri Kalraj Mishra on Sunday said that 23,140 people of Jammu and Kashmir were employed in 3,772 PMEGP units across the state.

The minister added that a record sum of approximately Rs 38 crores was utilised in past two years for assisting a record number of more than 2200 PMEGP units in Jammu and Kashmir. During the last two years more than 6,80,000 persons were employed by setting up of 92,508 PMEGP units in whole of India. Out of which 23,140 persons were employed in 3,772 units in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Mishra said.

He said his ministry vide its Gazette Notification, dated 29th May, 2015, notified framework for revival and rehabilitation of micro, small and medium enterprises which is the simpler and fastest mechanism to facilitate the protection and development of MSMEs. My ministry has developed a transparent system of grievances redressal and attends all the grievances on Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS), Shri Mishra said.

He added that under Technology Centre System Programme 15 new technology centres with the help and assistance from World Bank will be set up in various parts of the country. One such centre is being set up in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, he said, adding that to facilitate the enterprises to get benefits of various schemes of the ministry, a web-based application module, namely MY MSME, which is to be converted into mobile app.

Shri Mishra said that the ministry of MSME was always there to ease the lives of stake holders. More than 6,50,000 units have already got registered on Ydyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM) and 15 new technology centres at a cost of Rs 2200 crores are coming up in various states of the country one of which will now be located in IGC Samba as proposed by the state government, he said.

The Union Minister, however, desired that J&K was not making much use of various schemes of the Ministry and asked the state government to come up with more proposals so that more assistance could be given. He even expressed his preparedness to look into assistance of more industrial states, even in one district, provided the proposal is good for the development of MSMEs.

The Minister stated that it has always been the endeavour of the NDA Government to bring all sections of society into the mainstream, especially the ones who are militancy affected. Earlier, while interacting with the representatives of Khadi Federation, the minister assured them for early reease of MDA. He added that for the first time Rs 155 crores of MDA has already been released in the first months of financial year.

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Shares of diagnostic chain operator Thyrocare Technologies were trading at Rs 623.35 at 10:54 IST on BSE, a premium of 39.76% over the initial public offer price of Rs 446.

The stock debuted at Rs 662, a premium of 48.43% to the initial public offer (IPO) price. So far the stock hit a high of Rs 665.40 and low of Rs 606. On BSE, 14.24 lakh shares were traded on the counter.

The IPO ended on 29 April 2016. It received bids for a total of 55.31 crore shares and it was subscribed 73.55 times. The company had priced the IPO at the top end of the Rs 420 to Rs 446 per share price band. 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 raised Rs 143.76 crore by selling 32.23 lakh shares to anchor investors ahead of the opening of the 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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Diagnostic chain operator Thyrocare Technologies debuts on the secondary equity market today, 9 May 2016. The company had priced the initial public offer (IPO) at the top end of the Rs 420 to Rs 446 per share price band. The IPO ended on 29 April 2016. It received bids for a total of 55.31 crore shares and it 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.

Net profit of Reliance Capital rose 1.97% to Rs 415 crore on 11.2% rise in total income to Rs 2828 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015. Net profit rose 9.99% to Rs 1101 crore on 12% rise in total income to Rs 9998 crore in the year ended March 2016 over the year ended March 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 6 May 2016.

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) will announce its Q4 results on today, 9 May 2016.

ITC announced on Sunday, 8 May 2016, that the cigarette factories are commencing production progressively. ITC had announced on 5 May 2016 that the company had to shut its cigarette factories from 4 May 2016 until it is in a position to comply with the interim requirements pending hearing in the Karnataka High Court after Supreme Court on 4 May 2016 passed an order transferring to the Karnataka High Court all writ petitions pending in various courts challenging the rules prescribing 85% pictorial warnings on packages of tobacco products. The Supreme Court observed that all parties should endeavour to follow the rules.

Metal stocks may decline as China's exports unexpectedly fell in April as weak demand continued to weigh on the world's second-largest economy. Exports declined 1.8% in April in dollar terms, reversing an increase of 11.5% the previous month, the General Administration of Customs said Sunday, 8 May 2016. Imports in April fell by a sharper-than-expected 10.9% from a year earlier, compared with a 7.6% drop in March. China's trade surplus widened more than expected last month to $45.56 billion from $29.86 billion in March. China is the world's largest consumer of steel, copper and aluminum.

Siemens' net profit rose 9.61% to Rs 177.42 crore on 4.76% increase in total income to Rs 2810.59 crore in Q2 March 2016 over Q2 March 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 6 May 2016.

Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC) reported a net loss of Rs 9.58 crore in Q4 March 2016 compared with the net loss of Rs 9.40 crore in Q4 March 2015. Total income rose 0.83% to Rs 43.49 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

SPARC reported a net loss of Rs 69.99 crore in the year ended March 2016 compared with the net loss of Rs 39.52 crore in the year ended March 2015. Total income rose 3.43% to Rs 164.22 crore in the year ended March 2016 over the year ended March 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 6 May 2016.

Net profit of Titan Company declined 14.40% to Rs 184.11 crore on 1.51% decline in net sales to Rs 2437.15 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015. Net profit declined 14.24% to Rs 705.85 crore on 5.21% decline in net sales to Rs 11176.90 crore in the year ended March 2016 over the year ended March 2015. The result was announced after market hours on Friday, 6 May 2016.

Titan said in a statement that Q4 March 2016 and the year ended March 2016 was an extremely challenging one for the company. The challenges faced were both on account of weak market conditions for all businesses and new regulatory restrictions for the jewellery business. The performance came in the backdrop of an environment where the consumer sentiment did not pick up as expected. The strength of the company's brands was tested in an environment of subdued sales across all retail formats of the company as well as related categories. Weak consumer sentiment had an impact on retail sales across all businesses, the company said.

The watches business of the company recorded an income of Rs 1953.55 crore, a growth of 1.7%. This was achieved through planning and execution of various initiatives including new products and campaigns. The key highlight of the year was Titan's entry into the world of smart watches through launch of 'Titan Juxt'. The income from Jewellery segment saw a decline of 7.6% at Rs 8717.40 crore. The absence of revenues from the Golden Harvest scheme for the first eight months of the current fiscal and the disruption caused by the industry-wide strike in the last quarter contributed significantly to the decline in revenue. The year saw launch of many successful collections in jewellery as well as an effective wedding campaign. The income from Eyewear business was Rs 371.58 crore, recording a healthy growth of 11.8% on the bock of an aggressive network expansion strategy. Other businesses of the company comprising precision engineering business, accessories and fragrances recorded a sale of Rs 235.17 crore, a growth of 1.3%.

The year witnessed aggressive expansion of its retail network with a net addition of 82 stores by watches, jewellery and eyewear businesses. As on 31 March 2016, the company had 1283 stores, with over 1.7 million square feet of retail space delivering a retail turnover in excess of Rs 11,010 crore, the company added.

Meanwhile, Titan Company said that its board approved acquisition of majority stake in Chennai-based Carat Lane Trading, a leading online jewellery brand. It sells its products through its website Caratlane.com. The company has also developed omni-channel capabilities and has currently 13 stores across the country with plans to ramp up the retail stores significantly in the future. The financial details of the acquisition will be furnished after the conclusion of the accounting due diligence of the target. Acquisition is expected to be completed on or before mid June 2016. The proposed acquisition does not fall within related party transaction and the promoters of Titan Company have no interest in the entity proposed to be acquired. Mr. Bhaskar Bhat, Managing Director of the Company stated that for Titan, the acquisition brings significant capabilities in the e-commerce space along with a brand, a customer segment and an exciting business model.

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UltraTech Cement rose 2.05% to Rs 3,164.50 at 11:42 IST on BSE after the company said its board approved a proposal for raising foreign investment limit in the firm.

The announcement was made during trading hours today, 9 May 2016.

Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was up 357.59 points, or 1.42%, to 25,586.09 .

On BSE, so far 6,285 shares were traded in the counter, compared with an average volume of 25,323 shares in the past one quarter. The stock hit a high of Rs 3,175.40 and a low of Rs 3,110 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 3,452.95 on 20 April 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 2,581.15 on 18 January 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 6 May 2016, falling 2.84% compared with 1.32% rise in the Sensex. The scrip had, however, outperformed the market in past one quarter, rising 9.08% as against Sensex's 2.48% rise.

The large-cap company has an equity capital of Rs 274.43 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

The board of UltraTech Cement has approved a proposal for increasing investment limits by Registered Foreign Portfolio Investors (RFPIs), including Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), upto 30% of the paid-up equity share capital of the company from the existing 24% of the paid-up equity share capital.

The increase in the limits is subject to the approval of the company's shareholders at the ensuing annual general meeting of the company to be held in July 2016.

UltraTech Cement's consolidated net profit rose 10% to Rs 723 crore on 5.1% growth in net sales to Rs 6850 crore in Q4 March 2016 over Q4 March 2015.

UltraTech Cement is a leading cement manufacturer in India. It is a part of the Aditya Birla Group.

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Karnataka's animal husbandry department would cull 1.3 lakh hens Avian flu-hit on Tuesday at a private poultry farm here to contain the deadly H5N1 virus from spreading to other bird farms in the state, an official said.

"Preparations are underway to start the culling operation from early Tuesday in the poultry farm of Ramesh Gupta at Melakera village, 7 km from Humnabad," deputy director B. Govind told IANS.

Culling the remaining stock of birds in Gupta's farm was decided after the National Institute of Animal Diseases at Bhopal tested and confirmed that they were affected by the flu, as evident from the death of about 20,000 hens in last three weeks in the midst of a sizzling summer.

"Gupta came to us on Saturday with the carcass of a few birds to find out the cause for their death with other hens in his 14-acre farm, one of the largest in the district," Govind said.

Declaring an high alert against the outbreak of the bird flu, Animal Husbandry Minister A. Manju directed the officials to prevent its spread to other farms in Bidar and other districts across the state to minimise the damage and spike fears.

"The farm has been sealed and a huge pit has been dug up in it to bury the culled birds, destroy poultry feed, and quarantine it for a week," Govind said.

The department has rushed 50 teams of five members each to clear the area of 1 km around the farm with protective gear and cull the chickens in lots of 2,800 and bury them in the pit.

"Each member will wring necks of the birds to cull and bury them in the pit near the farm gate. Unsold hens in a few hundreds have already been culled and their eggs destroyed to prevent their sale and consumption," Govind added.

In a related development, Bidar Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tiwari banned sale and transport of chicken within 1-km radius of the infected farm and sent teams to check sending them across the state into neighbouring Telangana or Maharashtra.

Besides Gupta's farm and Vasu's farm near Basavakalyan in this district, which has about 1.20-lakh birds, all small and medium farms in the state have been directed to inspect their birds, including their behaviour, consumption and quality of eggs they lay before transporting them for sale.

--IANS

fb/vd
Another 14 rebels of the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) on Monday surrendered to Meghalaya Home Minister Roshan Warjri along with a huge cache of arms and ammunition.

A police spokesman said among those who laid down their arms was Belding Ch. Marak alias Rakkam, the "Finance Secretary" of the outfit and "Area Commander" Mathew Ch. Marak alias Sacheng of Chokpot bordering Bangladesh.

"I wanted to live a normal life after facing the hardships in the jungles and disunity among GNLA cadres," Rakkam, who led the others to surrender, said at the State Police headquarters here.

The rebels deposited four AK and one HK rifles, pistols, grenade, 144 rounds of ammunition, four wireless hand sets and incriminating documents.

"The surrender of the finance secretary will have an adverse impact on the functioning of the GNLA as he is the key person to distribute money for sustaining his cadres," Meghalaya police chief Rajiv Mehta told the media.

Mehta said they expected more GNLA rebels to surrender in the days to come in the wake of the ongoing counter-insurgency code-named "Hill Storm-3" in the insurgency-ridden districts of Garo Hills.

He said the operation to nab Sohan D.Shira, the military chief of GNLA, was on.

Home Minster Warjri said the surrenders on Monday would send "a strong message to other rebels".

--IANS

rrk/mr
Unidentified assailants abducted 15 coal miners from Afghanistan's Baghlan province, an official said on Monday.

"A group of unidentified assailants stormed the office of the coal miners in Karkar area n Sunday and after destroying office items, they took the 15 miners," the official said.

The assailants also took away 11 vehicles, Xinhua news agency reported.

Spokesman for Baghlan provincial government Mahmoud Hakmal confirmed the incident and without providing further details, said "Efforts and search operations are underway to locate and ensure safe release of the abductees."

--IANS

ksk
As many as 36 animal and plant species in Gujarat have been categorized as endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar said on Monday.

In reply to a question by Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani, the minister stated that 20 species of animals and 16 of plants are endangered in Gujarat.

The animal species include Black Mahseer, Golden Mahaseer, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, Indian White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Greater Adjutant-Stork, Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Sociable Lapwing, Spotted Greenshank, Forest Spotted Owlet, Dhole, Caracal, Blue Whale, Fin Whale and Indian Wild Ass.

Quoting IUCN's studies, Javadekar stated that the number of endangered fauna species in the country had increased from 648 in 2013 to 665 in 2015.

Similarly, the number of endangered mammals had risen from 95 to 98, birds from 80 to 88, reptiles from 52 to 53, amphibians from 74 to 75, fishes from 213 to 216 and molluses from six to seven in the last two years.

Nathwani wanted to know about rhw increase in the number of endangered species during the last two years and if wildlife habitats were being destroyed due to mining and whether the government was making efforts to prevent this.

Indicating that mining activities might not be endangering the flora and fauna, the minister said the Supreme Court had prohibited mining within national parks and sanctuaries and in a radius of one kilometer from these regions.

The minister said that according to the data available with the Botanical Survey of India, out of 19,156 species of vascular plants (angiosperms, gymnosperms, Pteridophytes) recorded in the country, 1,236 species belong to different threatened categories like Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable.

They are threatened due to various anthropogenic and natural factors, Javadekar said.

--IANS

desai/mr
At least 77 people suffered from smoke inhalation when a massive fire broke out on Monday in an old hotel in the busy central Cairo neighborhood of al-Ataba and spread quickly to a nearby market.

The spokesman for the Egyptian ministry of health, Khalid Mujahid, told EFE that 36 of the injured were taken to hospital, while the rest received treatment on the spot.

The fire started in a six-storey hotel, which was evacuated and cordoned off, security officials told EFE.

Rescue teams managed to control the fire, while security forces were yet to determine the cause of the fire.

--IANS

lok/dg
Two Afghan interpreters who risked their lives working for British forces have lost their High Court challenge to gain access to a government assistance scheme.

Ruling judges, according to RT online, said the policy, which denies the pair access to the scheme, is lawful. They also refused to grant them permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Lawyers for the Afghan interpreters told the High Court in March that "AL", who was still in hiding in Kabul, and Mohammed Rafi Hottak, both gave "principled and brave service."

Hottak has been granted asylum in Britain, but still has family in Afghanistan.

They said their clients were being treated differently from Iraqi interpreters, who were all given government assistance when their lives became endangered due to their work with British forces.

In deciding the case, Lady Justice Arden, Lord Justice David Richards and Sir Colin Rimer said the "territorial reach" of the Equality Act 2010 is not such "as to include the claimants' circumstances" and that there is no direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of nationality.

Lawyer Rosa Curling, from the firm Leigh Day, said: "Our clients are very disappointed. We hope that the Supreme Court will allow us to take this legal fight forwards on behalf of these brave men.

"The recent reported suicide of the former interpreter Nangyalai Dawoodzai highlights again how the current policies are failing. Afghan interpreters must be treated equally to those who served in Iraq for the brave service they gave to this country and its Armed Forces."

One of the two interpreters involved in the lawsuit said: "We are disappointed by today's judgment, and we hope to be granted permission to appeal.

"The campaign for the men who risked their lives for British soldiers in Afghanistan continues. We must be allowed to live in safety, free of threats from the Taliban and now the Islamic State."

--IANS

ahm/
Actor Ali Fazal helped a fan, who had reached out to him via Twitter, to propose to his childhood friend. And the actor is elated that the social media helped him turn into a love guru.

Shabbir, one of Ali's fans, had reached out to him from Dubai with a request to help him to propose.

Ali was surprised at the request but instantly offered to help. He personally shot a video and sent it to the girl on social media requesting her to accept Shabbir's proposal.

"It is really amazing the kind of things internet can do. I got one random message from Shabbir which I saw and I realised he reached out to me sincerely for my help," Ali said in a statement.

The "Fukrey" star added: "He (Shabbir) wanted to propose to his childhood friend and I certainly wanted to do something to help. I'm happy it all worked out."

On the professional front, Ali is busy with "Happy Bhaag Jayegi" and Prakash Raj's directorial "Tadka".

--IANS

sug/nn/bg
In the race to capture the burgeoning global smartphone market, British automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover, currently owned by Tata Motors, is all set to launch smartphones and accessories by early 2017.

For this, Land Rover has tied up with consumer electronics company Bullitt Group to develop a bespoke smartphone and range of accessories.

"Incorporating iconic Land Rover design and innovative technology into the mobile phone sector with Bullitt Group presents an exciting challenge and fantastic opportunity to take the brand into a new dimension," said Lindsay Weaver, director of licensing and branded goods at Jaguar Land Rover, in a statement recently.

"An engineering and design team from Jaguar Land Rover special operations will be assigned to the partnership and subsequently deliver a number of bespoke applications tailored to Land Rover brand and product values," Weaver added.

According to Bullitt Group, the firm will partner with Land Rover to define and develop a groundbreaking portfolio of mobile devices and peripherals which will take the brand into a new and exciting commercial terrain.

"With a combination of durability and elegance, the new range will be designed to be an active lifestyle partner, aimed at people who like to take on new challenges and go 'above and beyond' the ordinary," said a statement.

The portfolio will launch in early 2017 and will embody the core values of the Land Rover brand, featuring some truly innovative capabilities and technology.

"We are confident the new range of products will perfectly encapsulate everything that Land Rover represents, appealing to those who already love the brand and providing an introduction to those who are yet to discover it," noted Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group.

Bullitt Group has been working with various clients on their tough and rugged smartphones in the past.

--IANS

na/ksk
Bangladesh on Monday summoned Pakistan's High Commissioner Shuja Alam after Islamabad expressed concern over the death penalty given to Jamaat-e-Islami president Motiur Rahman Nizami over "war crimes".

A Bangladesh apex court verdict paves the way for Nizami's execution over his involvement in the crimes committed during the 1971 war that led to Bangladesh's independence.

Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Mizanur Rahman summoned Alam. A Foreign Ministry official told Xinhua that a "protest note" was handed over to the Pakistan envoy.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry expressed "deep concern" over the dismissal of Nizami's final review petition against his death sentence by Bangladesh's Supreme Court.

The Islamist party chief now only has the option of seeking the president's mercy to stall his imminent execution.

Nizami was indicted in 2012 with 16 charges of crimes against humanity, including looting, mass killings, arson, rape and forcefully converting people to Muslims during the 1971 war.

--IANS

lok/mr
The murder of a teenager in Bihar, allegedly by the son of a JD-U leader, reverberated within and ouside parliament on Monday as the BJP attacked state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allowing the "return of jungle raj."

Union Telecom Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside parliament that Nitish Kumar nurtured the ambition to become the prime minister while letting law and order in the state slip out of his control.

"There is no vacancy for prime minister's post for long years. Mr. Nitish Kumar, please focus on governance in Bihar," Prasad said.

Several BJP members raised the issue of law and order situation in Bihar in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, particularly highlighting the killing of a teenager on Saturday by Rocky Yadav, the son of a legislator of ruling Janata Dal (United) Manorama Devi.

As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members Ashwaini Chaubey (Bhagalpur) and Janardan Singh Sigriwal (Maharajganj) raised the issue, they faced protests from members of Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

While Sigriwal cited the murder of the teenager, Chaubey said there was a rape incident lately at Sultanganj near Bhagalpur as the state is walking towards "jungle raj".

Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu) Yadav, an expelled member of RJD, also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar.

Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, was allegedly shot dead on Saturday night by Rocky Yadav on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road in an apparent case of road rage.

Rocky's father Bindi Yadav, also a JD(U) leader, was with him at the time of the incident.

The BJP on Monday called a shut-down in Gaya town to protest against the killing.

--IANS

nd/kb/vm
A teenager's murder in Bihar's Gaya town, allegedly by the son of a ruling JD-U legislator, reverberated within and outside parliament on Monday as the BJP attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allowing the "return of jungle raj".

Taking a dig at Nitish Kumar, Telecom Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside parliament that the chief minister nurtured the ambition to become the prime minister but was letting law and order in Bihar slip out of control.

"There is no vacancy for the prime minister's post for many years. Nitish Kumar, please focus on governance in Bihar," Prasad said.

Several Bharatiya Janata Party members raised the issue of law and order in Bihar in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour, particularly highlighting the killing of Aditya Sachdeva on Saturday by Rocky Yadav, the son of ruling Janata Dal-United's legislator Manorama Devi.

As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members Ashwini Choubey (Bhagalpur) and Janardan Singh Sigriwal (Maharajganj) raised the issue, they faced protests from members of the Nitish Kumar-led JD-U and Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

While Sigriwal cited Aditya's murder, Choubey said there was a rape incident lately at Sultanganj near Bhagalpur as the state is moving towards "jungle raj".

"Since the formation of this government, crime is increasing every day. Recent example is of Gaya, where a teenager was killed for just overtaking (the SUV of accused Rocky Yadav). The law and order is at its worst in the state," Sigriwal said while raising the issue during Zero Hour.

Choubey said: "A few days back, supporters of an RJD MP robbed in Sultangunj and an attempt was made to rape a woman. Her father was shot at. Jungle raj is back in the state. Political murders are occurring."

Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu) Yadav, an expelled RJD member, also expressed concern over what he said was the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar.

He demanded that the state government be dismissed.

"In Nalanda, the home district of Nitish Kumar, an 8-year-old child was kidnapped. Criminal incidents have reached a new high ever since this government took over. This government must be dismissed to save Bihar," he said.

Aditya, the teenaged son of a businessman, was shot dead on Saturday allegedly by Rocky Yadav, 30, for overtaking the latter's sport utility vehicle on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Rocky's father Bindi Yadav, a criminal-turned-politician, was with him in the SUV along with a bodyguard when the shooting took place.

While Rocky is absconding, his father and the bodyguard were arrested. They were remanded in judicial custody by a local court on Monday.

The BJP on Monday called for a shutdown in Gaya to protest against the killing.

--IANS

bns/tsb/bg
The BJP on Monday made public Prime Minister Narendra Modi's B.A. and M.A. degrees and accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of lying over the issue. But Kejriwal insisted he was right while the AAP picked holes in Modi's marksheets.

BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley countered Kejriwal's allegations that Modi did not have valid B.A. and M.A. degrees and that he had lied about his educational qualifications.

"Before making such baseless allegations about someone's personal life, one should have verified the facts. I am very ashamed that such a day would come that I'll have to make public the prime minister's degrees," said Shah.

Holding aloft the Bachelor of Arts degree issued by Delhi University and the Masters of Arts degree of Gujarat University at a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Shah said Kejriwal should now apologize to the country.

"By raising this issue without any substantial proof, Kejriwal has lowered the level of politics. He has committed a sin ('paap') to defame the nation," he added.

Jaitley taunted Kejriwal and said the allegations against the prime minister come from the party whose "legislators are being prosecuted for disclosing fake degrees".

He was referring to AAP's Jitender Singh Tomar who lost his job as a Delhi minister after his arrest over his fake degree. Another AAP legislator is under scanner over her educational qualification.

But Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) continued to rake up the issue, saying the certificates displayed by Shah and Jaitley were forged.

AAP spokesperson Ashutosh pointed out the Modi's first year B.A. marksheet of 1975 had his name as "Narendrakumar Damodardas Modi", the second year has "Narendra Damoderdas Mody" and the third year has his name as "Narendra Kumar Damodar Das Mody".

Similarly, the first year M.A. marksheet from Gujarat University has the prime minister's name as "Modi Narendra Kumar Damoderdas" while the second year marksheet names him "Modi Narendra Damoderdas".

"Where is the affidavit where his name was changed?" Ashutosh asked, demanding to know how his surname could change from "Modi" to "Mody".

"His M.A. degree says he had done his post-graduation in 'Entire Political Science'. Is that even possible? There are a lot of glaring discrepancies in the certificates," he said.

In his tweet later, Kejriwal insisted that the Bharatiya Janata Party had presented "fake" documents at the Shah-Jaitley press conference and got the "real records sealed".

"Why? Implement CIC order. Allow inspection," he said, referring to Central Information Commission's ruling that Kejriwal's letter seeking Modi's original certificates be "deemed" as an RTI application.

Jaitley said Modi completed his studies in difficult circumstances and used to travel from Gujarat to give his B.A. examinations in Delhi, where he would stay at the ABVP office.

"Those who claim to be common men should at least praise the prime minister. 'Isse bada aam admi ka koi aur udahran nahi ho sakta'," Jaitley said.

Modi enrolled as a B.A. (Pass) student with the College of Correspondence Courses of Delhi University in 1975. This was the year Emergency rule was imposed, which Modi campaigned against.

The AAP has been asking Modi to show his degree certificates, saying the issue was not about his qualification but that of "fake" certificates and how the prime minister "lied" to the people.

The Congress, which was initially silent on the issue, said the certificates released by the BJP raised more doubts than clearing any. The prime minister has not commented on the row.

--IANS

mak-ruwa/sar/mr
Six police officers were wounded in a suicide bombing at a checkpoint in Russia's Chechnya region on Monday, authorities said.

The blast ripped through a checkpoint in Chechnya's capital city Grozny at around 07:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT), Xinhua news agency reported.

"Today, police officers prevented two armed men carrying grenades and explosives from entering through Checkpoint No.138 on the Grozny outskirts," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Chechnya's Interior Ministry as saying.

The ministry added that six officers were wounded, with several of them in a grave condition.

--IANS

lok/dg
The Rajya Sabha witnessed several adjournments on Monday following noisy scenes as the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying and using the AgustaWestland row as an election issue.

A little after the house met, Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted a newspaper report from an election rally addressed by Modi in Kerala and said the government was using the VVIP helicopter deal to malign the Congress.

"We discussed AgustaWestland in both houses. In neither house did anyone say that UPA leaders took money. Neither has the (Italian) court said that UPA leaders took money," Azad said.

"We have been saying from the beginning that the purpose (behind the Agusta row) is not to discuss the issue inside the house, but to use it outside the house and use it in the elections to malign the Congress leadership. It is similar to what happened in the 1980s with Bofors," said Azad.

"The issue is being raised because it is being used against the Congress in the elections," Azad said.

He read out a newspaper report which quoted Modi as saying at an election rally that a United Progressive Alliance (UPA) leader took money in the purchase of the helicopters.

"Why didn't the prime minister speak in either house? When it was decided that there should be action, why is he making it an election issue?"

Azad also wondered if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the issue, will be influenced by what the prime minister says.

"The CBI comes under the PM. if he is using this language, the CBI will be affected."

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi repeated the government's stand that guilty in the AgustaWestland case would be punished.

"Those who have given bribe are in jail, those who have taken bribe will be in jail very soon," Naqvi said.

Congress leader Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to give a clarification in the house.

"The PM must substantiate the statement he has made. He has said that the court has indicted Congress leaders," he said.

Congress members then trooped near the Chairman's podium raising slogans against Modi, calling him a liar.

In the ruckus, the house was briefly adjourned.

When the house reassembled, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said the chair cannot take cognisance of what has been said outside the house.

Sharma then said: "The prime minister has contradicted his defence minister. He is pre-empting a decision."

Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, meanwhile, asked the chair to expel the disrupting Congress members from the house. Roy was last week asked to withdraw from the house under Rule 255 by Chairman M. Hamid Ansari, and on Monday he wanted the same rule applied to the Congress members.

Congress members again trooped near the Chairman's podium, forcing another adjournment up to 12 noon.

Question Hour was no different, and despite Chairman Ansari's pleas for peace in the house, Congress members raised slogans against Prime Minister Modi, though they did not approach the Chairman's podium during Question Hour.

The house was adjourned first for half an hour, and then till 2 p.m.

Post-lunch, the disruptions continued and the Congress members first questioned how the government listed the Uttarakhand budget without getting the proclamation on President's rule in Uttarakhand ratified by parliament.

Kurien told the members that the issue should be taken up when the house takes up the item, and asked them to proceed with the appropriation and finance bills.

As the ruckus continued the house was adjourned till 3 p.m.

--IANS

ao/rn/dg
A Bihar court on Monday rejected the bail plea of jailed RJD legislator Raj Ballabh Yadav, accused of raping a schoolgirl, police said.

A court in Biharsharief, the district headquarters of Nalanda, rejected the bail plea of Yadav on the ground that he would influence the probe if he got bail, a district police official said.

Police in Nalanda filed a 205-page chargesheet last month against Yadav and other accused in the rape of the minor girl in February in Biharsharief.

Police said they have appealed to the court for speedy trial. The main accused, Yadav surrendered in the court on March 10.

Yadav was absconding for many days after the victim filed a police complaint accusing him of raping her. While on the run, he was petitioning courts to give him anticipatory bail.

Earlier, the legislator's two houses, one each in Nawada and Patna, were attached in compliance with a court order.

Yadav's 13 bank accounts have been sealed. The police also said it has started the process of auctioning his plots at different places. The licences of his three firearms have been suspended.

According to police, a woman, Sulekha Devi, took the girl to an undisclosed location in Nalanda and forced her to have liquor, after which she was raped by a man, later identified as Yadav.

After she was raped, the girl said the woman gave her Rs.30,000.

--IANS

ik/mr
In another strong year for British television, historical drama "Wolf Hall" was declared the best drama series and actor Mark Rylance received the leading actor honour at the BAFTA Television Awards here.

The ceremony, which was hosted by Graham Norton at the Royal Festival Hall here on Sunday, also saw Shane Meadows' "This Is England '90" and "Peter Kay's Car Share" win awards, reports variety.com.

"This Is England '90", the latest instalment in Shane Meadows' Sheffield-set drama, nabbed awards for best miniseries, beating out "Doctor Foster," Working Title's "London Spy" and Sky's "The Enfield Haunting" as well as best supporting actress for Chanel Cresswell. It was nominated for three awards going into the event.

British comedian Peter Kay snapped up the award for best male comedy performance for "Peter Kay's Car Share" as well as the BAFTA for scripted comedy.

Suranne Jones won in the leading actress category for her portrayal of a wife betrayed by her husband's infidelity in "Doctor Foster" while Tom Courtenay's performance in "Unforgotten" earned him the award for supporting actor, his third BAFTA in total.

Amazon Studios' dramedy "Transparent", which sees a transgender parent coming out to her family, snapped up the award for best international program, beating out "The Good Wife," "Narcos" and "Spiral".

Comedy writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were honoured with a BAFTA fellowship.

"Poldark," based on the Winston Graham tomes and adapted by Debbie Horsfield, snapped up the Radio Times Audience Award, the only award of the ceremony voted by members of the public.

The Special Award in Honour of Alan Clarke was presented to comedian Lenny Henry in recognition of his outstanding contribution to television during a career that has so far spanned 40 years.

The star-studded event saw the likes of Idris Elba, Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Tom Hiddleston, Josh Hartnett and Hugh Bonneville grace the red carpet on a markedly sunny evening here.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Leading actor

Mark Rylance - "Wolf Hall"

Leading actress

Suranne Jones - "Doctor Foster"

Drama series

"Wolf Hall" (BBC2)

Entertainment program

"Strictly Come Dancing"

Female Performance in a Comedy Program

Michaela Coel - "Chewing Gum"

International

"Transparent"

Male performance in a comedy program

Peter Kay - "Peter Kay's Car Share"

Single drama

"Don't Take My Baby"

Radio Times audience award (voted for by members of the public)

"Poldark"

Supporting actor

Tom Courtenay - "Unforgotten"

Reality and constructed factual

"First Dates"

Supporting actress

Chanel Cresswell - "This is England '90"

Comedy and comedy entertainment program

"Have I Got News for You"

Specialist factual

"Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners"

Soap and continuing drama

"EastEnders"

Features

"The Great British Bake Off"

Scripted comedy

"Peter Kay's Car Share"

Entertainment performance

Leigh Francis - "Celebrity Juice"

--IANS

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Ten more states have approached the union government for additional funds in the form of drought relief packages sanctioned to Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Rajasthan is the latest entry to the lot and submitted a memorandum on Monday asking for central assistance of around Rs.1,800 crore to tackle the drought situation in the state, an official from the union agriculture ministry told IANS.

Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana and Jharkhand are the other states that have asked for additional funds to compensate their drought hit farmers, the official said declining to be named.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned Rs.1,540 crore for Karnataka and Rs.934.32 crore for Uttar Pradesh when he met the respective chief ministers on Saturday. These sanctioned amounts are in addition to the funds released by the Centre as part of the National Disaster Response Fund for the two states.

Modi also met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take stock of the drought situation in the state. The amount sanctioned to the state has not been made official yet.

Over 27,000 of the total 43,000 villages in Maharashtra are reeling under drought of varying severity this year, while in Odisha, 27 out of the total 30 districts have been officially declared drought hit.

The Telangana government has also declared 231 of its 443 administrative blocks as drought-affected. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is also expected to meet the prime minister later this week and apprise him about the situation in his state, agriculture ministry officials said.

Andhra Pradesh has declared that 359 of its 670 mandals have been affected by drought.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary P.K. Sinha has told the chief secretaries of all 29 states and seven union territories to make ample arrangements to preserve rain water this monsoon season.

In a letter to them, Sinha has stressed that the states must get all the ponds or water storage facilities de-silted through MGNREGA before the monsoon season approaches.

"India has 5,20,000 irrigation tanks or ponds with the storage capacity of 3,000 crore cubic meters. De-silting can be a cost effective way of improving water storage capacity and MGNREGA funds can be used for this activity," Sinha said in his letter.

He also requested the states to complete digging 8.77 lakh farm ponds, already approved by the union government before the onset of the monsoon season.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by NGO Swaraj Abhiyan of activist Yogendra Yadav has reflected on the gravity of the drought that has hit Bundelkhand area -- straddling the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

"Forty percent villages of Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna and Datia of Madhya Pradesh have only one to two functional hand pumps in each village," the survey released by the NGO on Monday said, adding that the situation is worse that three months ago.

Contrary to government claims, the survey says only 20 percent hand pumps have been repaired or re-installed in Madhya Pradesh in the last three months.

The report has also insisted that the much talked about tank water ferried by 'water trains' has reached a mere four percent of Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand villages, and two percent of the area falling in Madhya Pradesh.

It also said that 71 percent of UP Bundelkhand villages have seen abnormally high cattle deaths due to shortage of fodder. The number in MP's Bundelkhand area is 53 percent.

On Friday, the central government released around Rs.392 crore to drought hit states to mitigate the fodder crisis.

(Vinayak Dutt can be contacted at vinayak.d@ians.in)

--IANS

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The world's largest IT storage company is in the race for developing smart cities in India, offering their services to the central and state governments, according to senior officials of the company.

"We have already completed a health project for a state government to make hospitals smart and to provide real time information to the government for taking appropriate decision," Rajesh Janey, President, EMC India and Saarc, told visiting Indian journalists to the EMC world annual conference here.

The project was done for Telengana, the newest state in India. "We are talking to the central governments as well as state authorities to offer the hardware and software to make cities smart," Janey said.

The Narendra Modi government had announced an initiative to develop 100 smart cities in India, with initial funds of Rs.7,000 crore being allocated for the project by the central government, though very little was actually spent. The project would be implemented by state governments or city councils.

EMC and Dell had announced a $67 billion merger in October, making it the largest tech marriage in history. The EMC World conference at the casino capital of the world was told by Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell, on Monday that the merged entity would be called Dell Technologies while the enterprise company would be named Dell-EMC.

The merger is awaiting some regulatory approvals and is likely to be completed between June and October, according to the team set up to work out the logistics of two tech giants coming together.

EMC has over 5,000 employees in India, largely in the engineering section, with offices in Bengaluru, Hyderbad, Delhi NCR and some tier-two towns. It provides storage hardware and software to companies and did about $350 million (Rs.2,400 crore) business last year. The $25 billion EMC employs around 70,000 employees globally.

EMC has set up a division on smart cities, whereby they are offering services for collating all data from health services, traffic, police, power infrastructure, municipalities, weather division, transport and government services collating data and bringing forth significant information which needed decisions. Also, the interface with citizens and those who seek services would become much easier, officials say.

According to Rob Silverberg, Director and Chief Technology Officer, Enterprise Application Architecture for State, Local Government and Education at EMC California, the company is focussing on smart cities because it's the world of future.

"We are talking to several cities and towns across the US to adopt what we have to offer," said Silverberg, adding it would help city officials do their job more effectively and efficiently. He said the Indian section of EMC was following up on the smart cities in India. EMC is competing in smart cities business in the US and other countries with IBM.

Silverberg said that already a huge amount of data was being collected every day and every minute whether in crime tackling, traffic regulation or policing and other activities. "The data has to be stored and made intelligible for everyone so that right decisions are made fast."

Silverberg said the EMC smart cities project could even help track crimes and prepare evidence for courts whether it's through video monitoring data already been collected across the country or other methods. "Essential everything is data, and we are the experts who can help store and make sense of it," he said.

According to Janey, the basic modules which the global company is now projecting to cities in various parts of the world, including Dubai, was made in Bengaluru by Indian software engineers. Janey said that EMC International had thrown up demand and the engineers in India came up with an effective solution which was adopted by the multinational.

(Hardev Sanotra was in Las Vegas at the invitation of EMC. He can be contacted at hardev.sanotra@ians.in)

--IANS

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Abu Dhabi, May 9 (IANS/WAM) United Arab Emirates' flag carrier Etihad Airways on Monday opened its new premium Lounge at Melbourne Airport, offering guests a place to relax, re-energise, dine, work or be entertained pre-flight.

With a seating capacity for up to 133 guests, it is the airline's largest premium lounge outside Abu Dhabi.

With the commencement of A380 services from June 1, guests in 'The Residence' will enjoy the exclusivity of a private lounge discreetly located adjacent to the main lounge entry.

Shane O'Hare, Etihad Airways' senior vice president for marketing, said "The new lounge at Melbourne Airport is in a class of its own."

"The opening of this remarkable new facility and the launch of our flagship A380 services on June 1, offer travellers on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route our most compelling guest experience proposition ever."

The new facility adds to the airline's expanding portfolio of premium lounges in Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Dublin, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Manchester, Paris, Washington and New York. A new First Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airport and a new First and Business Class Lounge at Los Angeles will follow in the coming months.

--IANS/WAM

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The CBI on Monday questioned former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi along with the chairman and the chief executive officer (CEO) of two private companies in connection with the alleged payoffs in the Rs.3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

Tyagi was questioned for around four hours at the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Delhi while the chairman of IDS Infotech Ltd (India), Pratap Kumar Aggarwal, and the CEO of Aeromatrix Info Solution Pvt Ltd, Praveen Bakshi, were quizzed for over nine hours.

Aggarwal and Bakshi have been called for questioning again on Tuesday along with a city-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan, who was questioned from Wednesday-Saturday last week, CBI sources said.

The sources said that Tyagi, who was questioned for three consecutive days from Monday last week, was quizzed on Monday to cross check the revelations by his three cousin brothers -- Sanjeev, Rajiv and Sandeep -- last week. He was also questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday.

On the questioning of Aggarwal and Bakshi, the CBI sources said the two were asked about the nature of services their companies provided to AgustaWestland.

Firms Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland, IDS Infotech Ltd (India) and Aeromatrix India are the accused companies booked by the CBI in the First Information Report (FIR) lodged in March 2013 in connection with the AgustaWestland case.

S.P. Tyagi and 13 others, including his cousins and European middlemen, have also been named in the FIR.

The former IAF chief has been accused in Italy and India of helping AgustaWestland win the chopper contract by reducing the flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000 metres to 4,500 metres (15,000 feet).

He, however, has denied the allegations and said the decision was reportedly taken in consultation with officials of the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Prime Minister's Office. Twelve helicopters were to be bought by India.

The chopper deal, which was cancelled in January 2013, resurfaced after an Italian court last month purportedly referred to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, among others, in connection with the chopper deal but gave no details of any wrongdoing by the two leaders.

--IANS

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Four Indian-Americans have been indicted for hatching a plot to commit H-1B visa fraud, use of false documents and mail fraud among other offences, the US federal prosecutors said in an official statement.

The couple Sunitha Guntipally and Venkat Guntipally, Pratap "Bob" Kondamoori and Sandhya Ramireddi, allegedly used three California corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of more than 100 H-1B specialty-occupation work visa applications, said the statement from the US Attorney's Office Northern District of California.

In a 33-count indictment filed last weekend, all the four are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, false statements, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering and aiding and abetting these offences.

The defendants submitted to the government, or caused to be submitted, H-1B visa application materials stating that the foreign workers named in the applications would be placed at specific companies in the US, the statement read.

However, those companies either did not exist or never intended to receive the foreign workers named in the defendants' applications.

The indictment alleges that through their ownership, direction and control of two companies -- DS Soft Tech and Equinett -- the Guntipallys generated net profits of about $3.3 million and gross profits of approximately $17 million from 2010-2014.

According to the indictment, the husband-wife team founded and owned DS Soft Tech and Equinett where Venkat served as president and Sunitha as vice president of both the firms.

Kondamoori from Nevada is alleged to be the founder and owner of SISL Networks and Kondamoori's sister, Ramireddi from Pleasanton, is alleged to have been the human resources manager and operations manager of all three companies.

In addition, Kondamoori, Sunitha Guntipally and Ramireddi are charged in connection with alleged efforts to conceal the defendants' conduct.

--IANS

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Veteran freedom fighter and former Communist leader Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao died here on Monday after prolonged illness. He was 93.

He breathed his last at a private hospital at the early hours, family sources said. He is survived by three daughters and a son.

Rao was a member of the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly for five times from Karimnagar district.

He actively participated in the Quit India Movement and in the armed struggle against the Nizam of Hyderabad. He had gone underground along with other leaders while fighting the Nizam's army.

A former member of central council of the Communist Party of India (CPI), he was first elected to the Andhra Pradesh assembly in 1976 from Sircilla constituency. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 1978, 1985 and 1994.

After his long association with the Communist movement spanning over five decades, Rao joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1999 but lost the election from Sircilla. He, however, was elected on TDP ticket in the 2004 election.

When the movement for a separate Telangana state intensified, he joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) but later retired from active .

His son Chennamaneni Ramesh is a member of the Telangana assembly.

Maharashtra governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao and economist Chennamaneni Hanumantha Rao are the brothers of Rajeswara Rao.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu and leaders of various political parties have condoled the death of Rajeswara Rao.

--IANS

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The son of a ruling party legislator accused of killing a teenager in Bihar's Gaya town was still absconding on Monday as her husband, Bindi Yadav, and his bodyguard were sent to 14 days judicial custody by a local court, police said.

Normal life was badly hit in Gaya town by a shutdown called by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest against the fatal shooting of the teen.

According to police officials, there is a rumour that accused Rocky Yadav is to surrender in the court in Gaya.

Rocky is the son of legislative council member Manorma Devi of the ruling Janata Dal (United) (JD-U).

Her husband, Bindi Yadav and the guard were arrested for criminal conspiracy and harbouring the accused.

"Bindi Yadav and his bodyguard were sent to jail after being produced in the Gaya civil court," Gaya senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

Rocky Yadav, 30, allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Gaya police arrested Bindi Yadav and the bodyguard, who were with Rocky in the car, on Sunday.

Hundreds of slogan-shouting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers, including Leader of Opposition in the Bihar assembly Prem Kumar, took to the streets of Gaya district on Monday demanding the arrest of Rocky Yadav.

"Police must arrest the accused without delay and take convincing action in this case," said Prem Kumar, who represents Gaya town in the assembly.

BJP workers asked shopkeepers to down shutters, burnt tyres, blocked roads and urged people to support the shutdown.

"It is a hundred percent shutdown in Gaya town. Vehicles are not running. People are angry with what happened to Aditya and his family," Prem Kumar said.

He said the latest incident has vindicated his stand that "jungle raj" has returned to Bihar.

Police said preliminary investigation shows that Rocky flew into a fit of rage after Aditya allegedly did not let his Land Rover pass. The row resulted in the teenager being shot dead.

The accused's vehicle has been recovered from his parents' house, police said.

Bindi Yadav has a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of AK 47 cartridges was seized from him.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said that proper action would be taken against any one found guilty.

Tejaswi belongs to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a constituent of Bihar's ruling 'grand alliance' whose other two members are the JD-U and the Congress.

--IANS

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The government on Monday assured Congress leaders that it had asked the security agencies to take maximum precautions for party vice president Rahul Gandhi's security following an anonymous threat letter.

Sources said the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau(IB) have been asked to take maximum precautions for his security.

The government assurance came after a Congress delegation, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel, treasurer Motilal Vora and Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Monday and apprised him about the threat to Rahul's life.

The letter was received by senior Congress leader V. Narayanasamy on May 5 at an election meeting in Puducherry.

Rahul is likely to address a rally of the Congress-DMK alliance on Tuesday at Karaikal in Puducherry.

Narayanasamy told IANS that the letter blamed the Congress for "closure of industries in Puducherry" and threatened to attack him and Gandhi.

"You and your former prime pinister's son will be blasted while attending the Karaikal meeting," the letter said, according to Narayanasamy.

According to sources, union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi directed the Special Protection Group -- which provides primary security cover to the Congress vice president -- and the IB to extra cautious regarding Gandhi's security.

Rahul Gandhi's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu while campaigning for his party during the Lok Sabha elections in 1991.

--IANS

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The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the defence ministry on a plea seeking direction to declare unconstitutional the eligibility conditions barring entry of married woman law graduate candidates in the army's judge advocate general (JAG) branch.

A division bench of Chief Justice G.Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath asked the central government and army's directorate general of recruiting to file their responses by August 10.

The petition said that not recruiting married female candidates in JAG is "discrimination against females".

The government recruits both married and unmarried males and only unmarried females in JAG, said the plea, adding that due to this "institutionalised discrimination", married female candidates who are law graduates are being "deprived of their right to serve in JAG department of Indian Army".

"This discrimination on grounds of gender is violative of fundamental right of equality before law, right not to be discriminated on the ground of sex, equality of opportunity in matters of public employment, fundamental right to practice any profession and occupation and human rights of the women," said the plea filed by Kush Kalra.

--IANS

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In an emotion-choked voice, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday described herself as "the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi" and said she will die only in India.

"Yes, I was born in Italy. But in 1968 I came to India as the daughter-in-law of (then prime minister) Indira Gandhi," Gandhi told an election rally here.

"It is now 48 years that I have been in India. This is my home and this is my country," she told the thousands gathered to listen to her.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Sunday taunted Sonia Gandhi on her Italian origins while addressing election meetings.

Before winding up her speech, Gandhi told the crowds that she wanted to share some personal things. "It's nothing political," she said.

Gandhi said that for the past 48 years, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other parties had been taunting her.

"I wish to say I am very proud of my parents who have been always honest. Yes, I have relatives in Italy, I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters."

In an obvious reference to Indira Gandhi and her late husband Rajiv Gandhi, she said: "The blood of my loved ones is mingled in this country, which is also my country. It will be here that I will breathe my last and my ashes will be mingled with my loved ones here."

The Congress leader said Modi was free to go to any length to question her credentials.

"But he will never be able to take away my commitment to my country. I cannot expect Modi to understand my feelings, but not you," she said.

Gandhi arrived in Kerala on Monday evening. After addressing a rally at Thrissur, she flew to the capital city.

In her speeches, she urged the people to vote for the Oommen Chandy government which she said had done "an excellent job" and needed a second term.

The Left Democratic Front would only take Kerala back "through wrong policies", she said.

--IANS

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Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday said the recent killing of Iranian military advisers in Syria shows that militants fighting the Syrian government are not committed to the ceasefire.

"In recent developments, some of Iranian military advisers to Syria were martyred. This is the sign of lack of precise mechanisms for the fulfilment of the ceasefire," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari told reporters.

On Saturday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said 13 of its military advisers had been killed in Syrian clashes in the town of Khan Tuman, south of the Syrian province of Aleppo, reported Xinhua news agency.

In a statement, the IRGC said that 21 other Iranians were also wounded in the clashes.

A party to the truce is the Syrian government that is accountable for its commitments, the Iranian spokesman said.

However, he added, the Syrian opposition is not homogeneous and that some groups are terrorists who control parts of Syrian territory.

The terrorist groups are not bound with any international agreement and are seeking their own interests by creating crisis, Ansari told a weekly press briefing.

If any ceasefire in Syria can serve as a means for the terrorists to gather their forces, then it will be endangered and the peace process will be hindered, he added.

Rebels from the Nusra Front, branded as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, attacked the town of Khan Tuman in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday and Friday, succeeding eventually in taking control of the town.

Aleppo, Syria's second largest city and once an economic hub, has been carved out between the government in the western part of the city and the rebels in the east.

Iran, a major regional ally of the Syrian government in its fight against the militant groups, earlier announced the presence of its military advisers in Syria.

--IANS

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Buyers started trickling in from the morning to various jewellery shops across the country on Monday to usher in good luck in their lives on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya. Jewellers expect tepid surge in sales as the gold price has shot up in the last few weeks following global cues.

"I am expecting only 10-12 percent sales growth in value terms and not in volume terms as prices have shot up quite a bit in the last two months, and today it is hovering over Rs.30,000 per 10 grams in the national capital," P.C. Jeweller managing director Balram Garg told IANS in Delhi.

He mentioned that the price of the yellow metal was around Rs.26,000 per 10 grams only two months back. But as the price of the precious yellow metal has gone up in the international market it has shot up in India as well.

Akshaya Tritiya is a holy day for Hindus and the Jains and it is believed to bring good luck and success. It is considered to be an auspicious day to bring home gold.

"We expect gold sales to pick up by around 20 percent on Akshaya Tritiya this year. The only concern is the higher price of gold. Last year on the auspicious day, the price was in the range of Rs.27,000 per 10 gm of 24 karat gold, while this year, it is over Rs.30,300. Consumers are expected to buy lesser quantity of gold due to higher prices," Bachhraj Bamalwa, past chairman All India Gem and Jewellery Federation, told IANS.

The story was the same in Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

"We opened the shops earlier than usual so as to enable customers to buy in the morning as it is a working day. We expect sales to be brisk in the evening. The walk-ins are there. Since the election commission flying squads are doing random checking of the vehicles, people may be reluctant to carry heavy cash to jewellery shops," N. Anantha Padmanabhan, managing director of NAC Jewellers, in Chennai, told IANS.

The Tamil Nadu assembly elections are on May 16.

"Gold coin sales today is brisk. Sales of five gram gold coins (price Rs.16,625 taxes extra) are good today while the 10 grams coins (Rs.32,935) are fine. The 20 gram coin (Rs.64,710) sales is bit slow owing to the price. It is our customers who largely buy the gold coins. Weekly our sales average around 150 grams," an Indian Overseas Bank official at the bank's Cathedral Road branch in Chennai told IANS.

Sahil Chhabira, director - operations I Love Diamonds, in Bengaluru, said the consumer sentiment in 2016 has been low owing to the mandatory PAN Card number submission for purchases beyond Rs.2 lakh.

"We are seeing that people are switching over to small ticket purchases and rushing to online portals as they get to access a wider variety unlike visiting a retail jewellery store. Our latest feature on the website 'Pickup At Store' has been well accepted by the audience, we have seen quite a few bookings online and the deliveries are scheduled to happen at our Trust Stores on Akshaya Tritiya," Chhabria told IANS.

"We have been witnessing a steady surge in sales during Akshaya Tritiya each year. Customer response has been remarkable over the last few days with sales peaking on the day of Akshaya Tritiya. There has been a strong shift in jewellery buying behaviour as more and more people are now exploring the online channel as a trustworthy option for fine jewellery," online portal Bluestone.com's chief operating officer Arvind Singhal told IANS.

"Last year on Akshaya Tritiya, jewellers reported more than 20 percent growth in sales over the previous year. This year, the market has been on a disturbing phase following a 45 day strike. It will be good enough if the gold sales trend follows the last year's trend given the higher price of gold we have on Monday,' Suvro Chandra, joint managing director, P.C. Chandra Jewellers told IANS in Kolkata.

--IANS

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Media frenzy prevailed here Monday morning when Deepa, the sister of murdered Dalit law student Jisha, was asked to accompany a police team for questioning before being let off.

Scotching rumours that police were looking for her friend, a migrant labourer, Deepa, who has been attending on her ailing mother in hospital, later said: "They (police) took me because I wanted to take a few clothes and my bank pass book. It was safe to go with the women police officers. I don't know why the media is speculating."

The development came 12 days after Jisha's mutilated body was found by her mother Rajeshwari. The murder of the 27-year-old law student led to widespread public outrage, with claims that she was sexually assaulted.

Police have been looking into Deepa's phone call list. There have been reports that she had made several phone calls, as was confirmed by her uncle who was also questioned by the police.

Over two dozen people have been questioned by the police till date. While the police have been claiming that they are all set to crack the murder mystery, so far no one has been arrested.

The police are now looking for a migrant labourer known as 'Bhaya'.

According to police, Jisha was murdered around 5.45 p.m. on April 28 after she was sexually assaulted. Her mutilated body was later found by her mother.

The incident has been compared with the 2012 brutal rape and murder of a paramedical student in Delhi.

Amid massive media outcry, top political leaders have been making a beeline to visit Jisha's traumatised mother Rajeshwari who has been admitted in a hospital.

In poll-bound Kerala, Jisha's murder has become a major issue, with the opposition parties accusing the government and the police of inaction. The ruling Congress-led government has announced compensation for Jisha's family. But that has so far failed to address public outrage.

It now remains to be seen whether the issue is taken up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well who will be in Kerala on Wednesday. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi too will be in the state in a few days and he too may wade in, say political observers.

--IANS

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Post the gripping act in "Kahaani", actress Vidya Balan will be back on the silver screen with the second part of the film - "Kahaani 2". The sequel will release on November 25.

The actress, who floored one and all with her act as a pregnant woman on a mission to find her husband in the movie, also asked her fans and followers on Twitter to brace for "another mother of a story".

Vidya took to Twitter to share the news via a 20-second video. "Kahaani 2" is co-written and directed by Sujoy Ghosh.

The "Paa" star captioned the video: "Another mother of a story", which also is the tagline of the film.

The sequel, which went on the floors in March, also stars Arjun Rampal.

"Kahaani" revolved around a pregnant woman named Vidya Bagchi, who came to Kolkata from London in search of a man.

The 2012 film also featured Parambrata Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indraneil Sengupta, Dhritiman Chatterjee and Saswata Chatterjee among others.

--IANS

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US-led coalition airstrike killed a senior military leader of the Islamic State in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Monday.

"On May 6th, a coalition airstrike targeted Abu Waheeb, IS's military emir for Anbar Province and a former member of Al Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in IS execution videos," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook here at a briefing, referring to another acronym of the group.

The strike was successful and three other IS fighters were killed, Cook added.

"We think this is a significant member of the leadership team (of IS), particularly in a critical area (of Anbar Province)," said Cook.

Iraqi troops and allied militias have been fighting for months to retake control of key cities and towns in Anbar, Iraq's largest province, from IS militants, who previously seized most of Anbar and tried to advance toward Baghdad.

--IANS

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said his government will not spare anyone found guilty of the killing of a teenager in Gaya, allegedly by a JD-U legislator's son, as no one is above the rule of law.

"Any one found guilty will not be spared; the law will take its course and a manhunt is on for the accused," he told the media in his reaction to the killing of the teenager in Gaya town.

Nitish Kumar said no one can stop criminal incidents but action has been taken against people found guilty of them in Bihar. "This is the real rule of law... when action taken against criminals," he said.

He said nobody can be allowed to take the law in their hands. "We have directed police officials concerned to take strict action and nobody can escape the law, whoever he or she may be."

Rocky Yadav, 30, allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

The son of legislative council member Manorma Devi of the ruling Janata Dal (United), he is absconding after the incident.

His father Bindi Yadav, a criminal-turned-politician, and his bodyguard were with Rocky in the car.

--IANS

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Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday defended his government's decision to re-allot prime land in Sector 6 of Panchkula to Congress-linked Associated Journals Limited (AJL).

The senior Congress leader also accused the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) of acting like a "sahyogi dal" (alliance partner) of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rather than playing the role of the opposition party.

"There is nothing wrong in the decision to re-allot land to AJL. There was no loss to the government or any agency. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is a 'no-profit-no-loss' organisation," Hooda told mediapersons here on Monday.

On May 5, the vigilance bureau registered a case of cheating, breach of trust and corruption against Hooda, who was also the HUDA chairman in his capacity as the state's chief minister. Officials of HUDA and office-bearers of AJL -- the promoters of 'The National Herald' newspaper -- were also charged with illegal re-allotment of the plot to the AJL in 2005.

The AJL is also linked to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

On May 3, Leader of Opposition in Haryana assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala, had in a letter to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar demanded registration of a criminal case against Congress-linked AJL and Hooda in the case.

On Monday, Hooda slammed the INLD and the BJP on the issue, terming the case against him and others as "revenge politics" by the incumbent Khattar government.

"I appeal to the (Haryana) government to investigate and register all cases in one go. The allotment of land to the Devi Lal Trust (linked to the INLD) should also be investigated," Hooda said.

"The BJP is not doing anything for welfare of the people. They are only working to take revenge against political opponents. The attempt is to frame Congress leaders in different cases. We will not get scared," Hooda said.

But Chief Minister Khattar defended the registration of the vigilance case against Hooda.

"We had said earlier that action would be taken against whosoever is involved in wrongdoing. We had also said that those who are investigated would complain that we are seeking revenge," Khattar said in Faridabad on Monday.

INLD leader Chautala, in his letter, had demanded that the trustees and directors of the AJL and former chief minister Hooda should be booked under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.

Referring to media reports regarding plot number C-17 at Sector 6 in Panchkula, he said the 3,360 square-metre-land was re-allotted to AJL on June 29, 2005. The plot was allotted to AJL in 1982 but taken back in 1996 after the company failed to construct a building on it.

"No sooner was the Congress voted to power in 2005, the then chief minister Hooda initiated the process of restoring the plot to AJL on a representation made on the firm's behalf by one of the trustees," Chautala said in the letter.

Documents revealed that Haryana's joint legal remembrancer Jagdeep Jain had on August 17, 2005, strongly opposed the plot's re-allotment. However, Hooda then overruled Jain's note.

On his part, Hooda defended his action, saying there was "no wrongdoing and that everything was done as per the procedure".

After the re-allotment, the AJL completed the construction on the plot. However, the proposed 'Navjivan' newspaper has yet to see the light of the day.

--IANS

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Over 10,000 military personnel on Monday took part in a parade in Moscow's Red Square to mark the victory of the erstwhile Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Russian aerospace forces of the National Guard took part for the first time in the 71st anniversary parade marking the defeat of the Nazis, EFE news reported.

Russia celebrates this anniversary on May 9 each year to honour the 26 million Soviet people who lost their lives during the six-year-long war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the parade, said the fight against the Nazis was similar to the new challenge of international terrorism that faces the world.

"Today our civilisation faces brutality and violence ... terrorism has become a global threat," the Russian leader said.

"We must defeat this evil, and Russia is open to join forces with all countries and is ready to work on the creation of a modern, non-aligned system of international security," Putin added.

The participants observed a minute's silence in memory of the World War II martyrs.

--IANS

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Pakistan authorities are set to hang two murder convicts on Tuesday, whose execution was deferred last month.

The hanging of retired Zaffar Iqbal was postponed twice last month. On April 25, his execution was delayed on the directives of the sessions court after a petition was filed with the court stating that his family had reached a settlement with the heirs of the victims, Dawn online reported.

Iqbal was sentenced to death for killing 11 members of his family in Rawalpindi on January 10, 1994.

Zaffar Iqbal had killed six members of his relative Sarwar Shaheed's family in the Arya Mohallah and later gunned down five other members of the family in the Sangori village.

The second murder convict, Mirza Sarfaraz Ahmed, was arrested in August 1993 in a murder case and later sentenced to death. On April 24, his hanging was deferred to April 27 after his counsel filed a petition with the Lahore High Court (LHC), claiming that the convict was a juvenile at the time of the crime.

The two will be hanged in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail.

Since the government lifted the moratorium on executions in the wake of the Army Public School attack in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, over 250 convicts, some of them involved in terrorism-related cases, have been hanged across the country.

--IANS

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The cross-border trade between India and Myanmar at Moreh in Manipur has come to a grinding halt due to a 24-hour general strike called to protest "government apathy" in solving the case of two missing Muslims.

There was no vehicular movement due to the strike.

Hundreds of tourists and traders were stranded at Moreh, and cross-border trade with Namphalong in Myanmar was severely hit.

However, schools and the college at Moreh functioned normally and there was no obstruction to essential services.

The communities of the Meiteis, Kukis, Tamils, Muslims and others called for the general strike protesting against government apathy in solving the case of the two missing Muslims from Moreh ward No.5 since May 2.

The two were identified as Mohammad Jalanuddin, 30, son of Mohammad Junab Ali, and Mohammad Kheiruddin, 24, son of Mohammad Fujibur Rahman. They left Moreh on May 2 morning ostensibly for fishing in Myanmar where trouts are abundant in the mountain streams. But they never returned.

Moreh residents learned from their Myanmarese counterparts that two bullet-riddled bodies suspected to be of the two men were seen at Wukshu village in Myanmar.

But when some village elders crossed over for confirmation the bodies had "disappeared".

The district administration has been in touch with its counterpart in Myanmar.

The officials from Myanmar told the district administration of Moreh that nothing definite is known and promised to share any information.

At a meeting of community leaders, it was felt that the Manipur government was not doing enough to ascertain the fate of the two missing persons.

As a first step, a 24-hour shutdown was called by the civil organisations at Moreh.

There was no report of any untoward incident during the shutdown.

Police told IANS that the two missing persons had no known occupation at Moreh but appeared to be daily wage earners.

Hundreds of tourists and traders venture deep inside Myanmar up to Tamu everyday and there is no report of any missing person.

In case of arrest, the information is passed on to the district administration.

Meanwhile, many people fear the worst about the two missing persons.

--IANS

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Actress Radhika Apte has started shooting for the short film titled "Oysters".

She took to Twitter where shared that the shoot has started on a "summer night".

"'Oysters' shoot begins on a summer night! Oysters, Short, London summer," Radhika tweeted on Monday.

"Oysters", directed by Pratyusha Gupta and written by Sharmila Chauhan, is commissioned by Film London as part of London Calling Plus.

Film London is London's screen industries agency. They connect ideas, talent and finance to develop a pioneering creative culture in the city that delivers success in film, television, animation, games and beyond.

London Calling, an annual short film scheme, is built on over a decade of experience. It will produce 20 new short films this year. It supports new and emerging filmmaking teams, with 15 short films awarded up to 4,000 pounds.

The London Calling Plus strand supports BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) writers and directors with previous experience, with five short films awarded up to 15,000.

The "Badlapur" star will next be seen in Pawan Kriplani-directed thriller "Phobia", which is slated to release on May 27.

--IANS

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The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered that the marks of the Delhi Judicial Services (DJS) 2015 preliminary examination be recomputed after deleting four questions, which had more than one correct answer.

A division bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Najmi Wazri asked the court registry to fix the cutoff marks for the recomputed preliminary papers and to come out with fresh list of selected candidates for the main examination.

The high court registry will also have to announcement fresh date of the main examination.

The exam for DJS is held in two stages - preliminary examination, which contains objective type questions and the main written exam. Selected candidates move on to viva voice.

The court's direction came on petitions filed by law graduates Sumit Kumar and Manish Gupta, with regard to ambiguity in some of the questions and the answers provided for it. Advocate Prashant Manchanda appearing for one of the petitioners had contended that the question paper contained many questions which were not properly phrased or were outside the syllabus.

He said several questions have more than one correct answer whereas the answer shows only one of them to be correct, and his client could not clear the cut-off mark for appearing in the main exam because of the ambiguity in the question paper.

--IANS

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The Indian Navy (IN) will bid farewell to its carrier-borne jump-jet the Sea Harrier on May 11 in Goa. It will be a nostalgic moment for those who were associated with this very distinctive fighter aircraft.

When the navy's elegant, first-generation Sea Hawk fighter grew old and weary in the late 1970s, having proved its mettle in the 1971 war for Bangladesh, a search was mounted for a suitable replacement. Since most of the contemporary fighters were either unsuitable or unavailable, the future of naval aviation, and of our sole carrier INS Vikrant, looked bleak. Coincidentally, the Royal Navy (RN) was in a similar plight, having lost its aircraft-carriers and surrendered its aircraft to the Royal Air Force (RAF).

It was the Harrier which miraculously came to the rescue of Britain's as well as our own naval air arms. Cold War psychosis had led the RAF to believe that runways in Central Europe would be rapidly destroyed by early Warsaw Pact strikes, and it keenly sought a fighter with the attributes of a helicopter, capable of operating from jungle hideouts.

Using the revolutionary Pegasus engine, with its four swivelling exhaust nozzles, the Hawker Aircraft Co produced the Kestrel, which showed that vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) operations were a practical proposition. By the early 1970s, the experimental Kestrel mutated into the Harrier ground-attack fighter, acquired by the RAF and US Marine Corps, and eventually into the Sea Harrier version for the RN.

The IN lost no time in placing an order for the Sea Harrier; initially for a batch of eight aircraft, followed by two more, bringing the total to 28, including four trainers. Vikrant and our naval aviation had earned a reprieve.

In early 1982, an IN team of pilots and maintenance personnel belonging to IN Air Squadron 300 (nom de guerre 'White Tigers') arrived in the UK to commence training. As the Squadron Commander designate, I vividly remember my first day in the RAF Harrier Conversion Unit. Addressing the mixed audience of Indian, Spanish and British student-pilots, an instructor announced: "Gentlemen, only astronauts and Harrier pilots fly on jet-thrust. But never forget that the cold, clammy hand of the Harrier, for ever, rests between your legs. One mistake and you'll go - Ouch!" We soon learnt the reason for these earthy words of warning.

Conventional aircraft fly on the aerodynamic 'lift' generated by air that flows at high speed, over the wings. This lift also enables the pilot to control the aircraft. The Harrier's wings, on the other hand, when it slows down for a vertical-landing, rapidly lose lift; and once below about 100 knots, it is as airworthy as a 'brick'. Since the aircraft is now totally dependent on thrust to stay airborne, and since its flying controls are also powered by the exhaust, even small mistakes in the 'jet-borne' phase can lead to disaster.

However, once we mastered the Harrier's versatile 'vectored thrust', it was easy to become a fan of the amazing 'Jump Jet'. You could take off and land at any speed from zero to 160 knots. While others 'landed and then stopped', Harrier pilots had the luxury of 'first stopping and then landing'! In the Falklands War, the British claimed a kill ratio of 21:1 for the Harrier, against Argentine Mirages and Skyhawks.

The 'White Tigers' spent 1983 in taking delivery and re-equipping the squadron with new Sea Harriers at the RN Air Station, Yeovilton. While the pilots learnt to exploit the Sea Harrier's weapons and sensors, our technicians gained experience in maintaining and repairing the complex machine. By mid-December 1983, we were ready to ferry the first batch of three Sea Harriers from Yeovilton to INS Hansa in Goa. Our 5,400 mile ferry flight, via Malta, Luxor and Dubai, took three days, and we were delighted to be welcomed home, on December 16, by the IN's sole surviving Sea Hawk.

Five days later, when we landed on INS Vikrant, two unpleasant surprises awaited us. Since the ship was not (yet) equipped with a ski-jump, we would exit from the deck at just 40 feet, or less, above the sea. High ambient temperatures, in Indian operating conditions, led to loss of engine thrust, which meant that one had to return to the ship with less fuel - and therefore land very quickly.

Minor teething problems apart, induction of the Sea Harrier brought with it not just a significant enhancement of defensive and offensive capabilities but also a quantum jump in technology for the IN. Its advanced avionics, navigation and weapon aiming computers and complex engine were all representative of third generation state-of-the art.

At that juncture, the main threat to our carrier task force emanated from Pakistan Navy's maritime patrol aircraft as well as PAF Mirage fighters, armed with anti-ship missiles. The fleet's defences were limited and it had to be deployed with due caution.

With its multi-mode Blue Fox radar and a weapon suite that included air-air and anti-ship guided missiles, the Sea Harrier ensured protection of the fleet against airborne and surface threats. Its radar and electronic-warfare suite also became the fleet's 'eyes in the sky'. The arrival of the Sea Harrier enhanced the self-confidence of our men at sea and expanded the Fleet Commanders' options.

An event of note needs brief mention before I conclude this elegy. In 1985, eager to show off the navy's new acquisition, NHQ mooted Sea Harrier participation in the Republic Day fly-past. Considered an IAF preserve, the defence ministry refused to permit us entry into this event, but eventually allowed a brief display before the Beating Retreat ceremony. On January 29, a Vic of three Sea Harriers made a high-speed pass down Rajpath, and after executing a 'bomb-burst' over Vijay Chowk, the Leader looped back to hover in front of the assembled dignitaries.

On May 11, 2016, a lone Sea Harrier will lead a formation of MiG-29K supersonic jets; its replacement in the 'White Tiger' squadron. The MiGs are a generation ahead and will enable the IN to look every other navy and air force in the eye. But the unique 'Jump Jet' made an extraordinary contribution to our maritime capability for 33 years and its passing will leave many of us with heavy hearts.

(Admiral Arun Prakash is a former Indian Navy chief. A decorated fighter pilot, he oversaw the successful induction of the Sea Harrier into the navy. He can be reached on arunp2810@yahoo.com. The views experssed are personal.)

--IANS

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Richa Chadha, known for playing non-conventional roles, feels "Cabaret" is her "first typical commercial outing". The actress says she is nervous about it but "in a good way".

"Cabaret" unfolds the story of a girl who begins her journey from a small village in Jharkhand and wants to make it big in the world of dance. Along with dance, the movie will also present a dose of love and romance.

The actress said she decided to be a part of "Cabaret" for the "love of song and dance".

"'Cabaret' is my first typical commercial outing and I did it for the love of song and dance and as an experiment. I am nervous about it, in a good way," Richa told IANS in an email interview.

Directed by Kaustav Narayan Niyogi and co-produced by Pooja Bhatt and Bhushan Kumar under the banner of Fisheye Network Private Limited, "Cabaret" will release on May 27.

Richa, known for movies like "Fukrey", "Masaan", "Gangs of Wasseypur" and "Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela", will soon be seen in Omung Kumar's biopic "Sarbjit".

"Sarbjit" is based on the life Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of charges of terrorism and spying in Pakistan and was sentenced to death. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be seen essaying the role of Dalbir Kaur Singh in the film while Randeep Hooda plays the title role.

Richa essays the role of Sarabjit's wife in the film, set to release on May 20.

The actress feels lucky to be a film dealing with such a "sensitive subject".

She added: "I think all actors want to be able to play diverse roles, hence I feel lucky. 'Sarbjit' is a sensitive subject, and deals with the life of a real person. I got an opportunity to again perform a challenging character and even though it was a serious film, I had fun during the filming and made great friends."

Richa has already begun shooting for David Womark's Indo-American production titled "Love Sonia".

Post the film, the actress plans to take a break.

She said: "After 'Love Sonia', I am going to take a month-long break because I have been working non-stop since November. And that's before I get back to 'Fukrey 2' with my favourite team."

--IANS

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Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday ordered an inquiry into the death of a class nine student of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya.

"Delhi government has ordered an enquiry - by SDM (sub-divisional magistrate) Saraswati Vihar - into the death of a Class 9 student of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Wazirpur," Sisodia, who also holds the education portfolio, said in a statement.

The 14-year-old girl died here at Hindu Rao hospital on Sunday evening.

According to sources, the girl, resident of Wazirpur in north Delhi, had allegedly consumed 10-12 tablets of folic iron on May 4, after which she complained of stomach ache. She was later sent to her home with a woman school guard.

After her condition deteriorated, she was admitted in Hindu Rao hospital where she died.

A case was registered at Bharat Nagar police station.

According to police officers, no external injury marks were found on the girl's body and her viscera has been preserved for forensic examination.

However, her parents accused the school administration of negligence and sought to know did she get excess tablets.

--IANS

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The Centre will collaborate with the Rajasthan government to build a multi-purpose indoor stadium at Udaipur in the memory of Maharana Pratap, said Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma on Monday.

Releasing a commemorative coin of Rs.100 and a circulation coin of Rs.10 as part of the Rajput king's 475th birth anniversary celebrations, the minister said the ministry of culture will contribute Rs.9.50 crore to the state for this purpose.

On the occasion, the minister said Maharana Pratap was a brave warrior, successful organiser and ingenious strategist who fearlessly fought the Mughals and protected his people until his death.

"The stories of Maharana Pratap, who fought fearlessly to regain the prestige of his nation, still inspire the present generation to do brave deeds for the honour of their motherland," he added.

A conference and special Lecture on Maharana Pratap were organised by Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in University of Rajasthan.

--IANS

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The will pass an interim order at 4 pm on Monday on nine Congress MLAs, who were disqualified by the Uttarakhand assembly speaker, challenging a state high court order dismissing their plea against disqualification.

The rebel Congress MLAs urged the apex court to stay the operation of the Uttarakhand High Court order that came earlier on Monday.

They urged the to permit them to exercise their vote during the confidence vote being sought by ousted Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Tuesday.
Three militants were killed in a premature explosion in Afghanistan's Kunduz province, police said on Monday.

"Six militants tried to destroy a bridge along a main road by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the suburbs of provincial capital Kunduz city on Sunday night. The device went off by accident, leaving three militants killed and three others injured," a senior police offcial told Xinhua news agency.

However, the bridge located in Pul-e-Barakzai locality of the city was damaged by the blast, the official added.

--IANS

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Twitter has banned the US intelligence agencies from using a service called Dataminr, which searches through real-time tweets to detect newsworthy events, including terror attacks and protests.

Dataminr reportedly said that Twitter does not want the intelligence agencies to continue using the service for the fear of the "optics", since it could be perceived as being too close to the intelligence arm of the government, according to a source cited by the The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The company told RT online it had no comment on the WSJ report.

The US government has been using the Dataminr for about two years. Meanwhile, Dataminr's contract with the US Department of Homeland Security worth $255,000 was still reportedly intact.

Twitter said in a statement that "data is largely public and the US government may review public accounts on its own, like any user could."

According to the company's policy, a third-party user of public tweets, such as Dataminr, cannot sell their product to the government for surveillance purposes.

Dataminr is very popular among new media and the financial industry because its software searches through millions of tweets and detects patters that would point to potentially vital events, such as attacks, protests, earthquakes, etc.

The US intelligence community finds the tool very useful to track events in real-time and hopes that the Twitter decision will be reversed.

"If Twitter continues to sell this [data] to the private sector, but denies the government, that's hypocritical," John C. Inglis, a former deputy director of the National Security Agency (NSA), told the WSJ. "I think it's a bad sign of a lack of appropriate cooperation between a private-sector organization and the government."

Dataminr is the only firm authorized by Twitter to use its real-time stream of public tweets and sell the product to clients. Twitter actually has a 5 percent stake in the company.

Twitter's move to distance itself from the US intelligence community comes amid a larger conflict that is brewing between technology companies and the US government.

--IANS

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Authorities have suspended and revoked the licenses of two pilots with the state-run China Eastern airline over an aborted landing that could have caused a crash, officials said on Monday.

On May 1, China Eastern's domestic flight MU 5443 between Chengdu and Kangding cities in Sichuan province cancelled a landing at the last minute for which it was fined some $7,600, EFE news reported.

The Airbus A-319 suffered damage to its tail and undercarriage when it attempted to land too fast and too abruptly in bad weather conditions at the Kangding airport, located at an altitude of 4,200 meters.

The impact forced the pilots to take off again immediately.

The plane did not attempt to land again, and flew back to Chengdu where it had departed from, around 325 km away.

According to inspectors, the harsh impact could have triggered a crash.

The pilots, who initially lied to investigators, made several mistakes while "the crew also violated aviation regulations when they failed to tell passengers to use their oxygen masks when the aircraft was flying at an altitude of over three kilometres," informed sources said.

Moreover, only one of the two captains was reportedly in the cockpit at the time of the failed landing. The co-pilot was resting and substituted by the assistant captain, who was not qualified to land on high-altitude runways.

--IANS

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country would not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached by "invasive hostile forces with nuclear weapons," according to the country's state news agency KCNA.

He made the remarks Saturday at the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's Seventh Congress in Pyongyang, which began the day before.

Kim also reportedly said North Korea will faithfully fulfil its nuclear nonproliferation obligations and make an effort to realize global denuclearisation.

In his 15-minute opening speech on Friday, Kim touted the country's weapons development, saying they had "elevated our respect to the world and enemies."

In January, Pyongyang announced that it had successfully tested a thermonuclear device, which, if true, would mark a significant advance in its nuclear capabilities.

It has since made a number of public demonstrations of its nuclear program's advancement, including rocket and submarine-based missile tests. It also announced it had miniaturized a warhead in early March.

Kim called on the country to push forward "the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity," according to KCNA.

Kim also said that the congress would review the party's "brilliant successes" and put together tasks to "keep ushering in a great golden age of socialist construction."

The country's provocative nuclear stance has triggered some of the harshest UN sanctions imposed against North Korea and irritated his most powerful ally, China.

The sole remaining symbol of cooperation with South Korea -- the Kaesong Industrial Complex near the demilitarized zone -- has also shut down during his tenure.

Details of the gathering had been kept secret from the foreign press and the North Korean public until a Friday evening news bulletin.

The previous one, in 1980, marked the naming of Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, as successor to his own father, North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung, as leader of the reclusive nation.

--IANS

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Last fortnight, the Opposition ferociously attacked the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government for "kowtowing" to China by withdrawing the visas of anti-Beijing activists who were travelling to India for an unprecedented dissident gathering in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala. Counter-attacking last week, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched an equally intemperate attack on the Congress party for alleged corruption in buying 12 helicopters from Anglo-Italian firm, AgustaWestland - a contract the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had signed in 2010, but which had already been shaped by decisions the previous NDA government had made in 2003-2004. In both instances - the Dharamsala conference and the AgustaWestland contract - the Opposition and government abandoned integrity, logic and restraint, calculating that shrill name-calling, howsoever unfounded, might discredit the other in voters' eyes. Given the vital importance of India's relationship with China, this column revisits the Dharamsala conference, looking beyond the noise and slander.
The annual chief justices' conference ended recently after passing 21 resolutions, the last two appreciating the initiative taken by the government for setting up commercial courts. It appointed various committees and cells, which are par for the course. Among the mundane decisions, it adopted a judicial committee report on parity of wages for domestic help of retired judge. The conference hit the headlines only for its lachrymose finale.
The ban on sale and consumption of liquor in Bihar enforced by Chief Minister has led to varied reactions from different sections of society. While some are unabashed in their criticism, women, in general, seem happy about it. On Sunday, Kumar was invited by a group of women from Maharashtra to advise them on effective enforcement of prohibition in some districts of their state. A delegation of Chandrapur Shramik Elgar Group, led by its president Paromita Goswami, met Kumar at his official residence. She later said Kumar has accepted the invitation to visit Maharashtra. The Bihar chief minister has already received invitations from Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh to campaign against liquor in those states.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned again amidst protests on Monday, as the Congress party objected vociferously to suggestions from members of the ruling party that its president, Sonia Gandhi, was involved in the controversial AgustaWestland helicopter deal. Much has been discussed and revealed of the minutiae of the deal. But it is unlikely, given the evidence available and the state of India's investigative and judicial apparatus, that a definitive legal answer will be found to this, and other similar questions of corruption, any time soon. So the real question is this: how does this reconfigure India's national political landscape?



Certainly, the Congress, which appeared resurgent a few short months ago, is now on the back foot. It faces the possible loss of power in two of the few remaining large states it rules - Kerala and Assam - when the election results there are declared later this month. In neither Tamil Nadu nor West Bengal is it leading an alliance, and in neither states is the alliance of which it is part considered to be the favourite.
"He came with his own China shop" was how a thoughtful insider of the Morarji Desai government described Raj Narain, who humbled Indira Gandhi first in courts in 1975 and later at the hustings in 1977. He might as well be describing Donald Trump, who this week became the Republican nominee-presumptive in this year's election to the presidency of the United States.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has recently issued draft regulations for private operations of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones. This is long overdue. The UAV industry is a thriving, high-growth and high-technology segment and a large number of security and safety concerns are centred on the proliferation of drones. However, the draft regulations seem to be overly complicated and restrictive, and may be hard to enforce in practice. The regulations envisage that every privately owned drone should have a Unique Identification Number (UIN), and be equipped with Radio Frequency Identity tags and Subscriber Identification Modules. Every owner must be an Indian citizen (aged 13 years or older), or an Indian-registered body corporate with "substantial ownership and control vested in Indian nationals". The UAV operator must be over 18 years of age and must be issued a permit, if the vehicle is to be flown at more than 200 feet above the ground level. Drones must conform to safety regulations and carry appropriate insurance to cover liability. Micro drones weighing less than two kilograms have less onerous regulatory requirements but these must not be flown except through visual line of sight. Drones should not be used in controlled airspace reserved for the Air Traffic Control of manned aircraft.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday fielded its topmost leaders to make public the graduation and postgraduation degrees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP President Amit Shah demanded a public apology from Delhi Chief Minister for terming the PMs degrees fake, while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was indulging in of adventurism as a substitute to of governance.

The AAP persisted with its allegations that the degrees were not genuine, but the PM received support from an unlikely quarter. For me these (questions on PMs degrees) are non issues, said Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. BJP President Shah said the PM was unlikely to file a case of defamation against Kejriwal. The AAP plans to send a team to Delhi University to verify the documents made public by BJP leaders. Shah and Jaitley released copies of Modis bachelors and masters degrees.

According to the document, the PM graduated from the Delhi University as an external candidate in 1978. He had enrolled in the BA (Pass) course in 1974 and passed it in third division four years later. They also released his BA mark sheets. AAP leader Ashutosh alleged there were discrepancies in the documents, including how the PMs name was spelt differently in the BA degree and the mark sheets as Modi as well as Mody.

In some places, it is Narendra Kumar Damoderdas and in others Narendra Damoderdas, he said.

AAP leaders also alleged there were discrepancies in totalling of the marks.

Jaitley said he remembered Modi visiting Delhi in post-Emergency years to appear for his exams. The Finance Minister berated AAP for raising the issue. Jaitley said the PM comes from a humble background and completed his schooling and college studies while being involved in social work. The AAP, since it claims to represent aspirations of the common man, should have applauded the PM. Instead, they have levelled unverified allegations without checking facts. They have brought public discourse to the lowest level, Jaitley said.

Jaitley pointed out the allegations came from a party which has legislators who have been prosecuted for fake degrees. In this case, the threat to federal polity comes from a Union territory, he said. The PM passed his MA in first division from the Gujarat University in 1983, he added.

Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi said he has not issued any orders to seal the university records. I have not issued any such orders and if the university department dealing with RTIs has done it in its own capacity, I am not updated about it, Tyagi told PTI.

Asked about the veracity of the degrees, copies of which were released by BJP President Amit Shah, Tyagi did not comment. We have received an order from the Central Information Commission (CIC) and we will respond to it after checking our records, he said.

Delhi Chief Minister took to Twitter, alleging DU has sealed the records. Docs in DU hv been sealed. BJP presents Farzi docs in a PC n gets real records sealed? Why? Implement CIC order. Allow inspection, he said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday made Prime Minister Narendra Modi's college degrees available in public domain and demanded an apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Saying that it was unfortunate that a clarification was required on the prime minister's qualifications, BJP President Amit Shah, along with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, addressed the media and accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal of trying to create confusion by turning a lie into the truth.

Shah told the media that the party was putting both of Modi's degrees  Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University (DU), Masters from Gujarat University  in public domain.

Kejriwal has caused embarrassment, said Shah, adding that the Delhi chief minister should apologise for "baseless allegations".

Earlier this month, Kejriwal had alleged that Modi did not have a BA degree from DU.

"DU refuses to show records of prime minister's degree. Why? My info  he did not do BA from DU," the AAP chief had said.

Before that, last last month, the Central Information Commission had directed DU and Gujarat University to search for and provide information on degrees earned by the prime minister to Kejriwal.

Jaitley, for his part, said that Kejriwal's behaviour was destabilising the Centre-state relationship, adding that making such allegations without proof was "public discourse at its lowest".
Supreme Court has upheld the Uttarakhand High court's Monday morning ruling that prevents the 9 rebel Congress MLAs from voting in the trust vote that Harish Rawat will seek on Tuesday morning. The nine Congress members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) challenged the decision of the Uttarakhand High Court which has dismissed their petition against their disqualification by Assembly speaker.

This decision comes as a huge advantage for Harish Rawat in the trust vote he will seek in the Uttarakhand assembly tomorrow.

He will now have to prove the support of only 31 MLAs. At present, in the 70-member assembly, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress has 27, BSP has 02, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker. Nine Congress MLAs are disqualified and one is a BJP rebel.

Moments after Justice U C Dhyani of the high court pronounced his order on the petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision disqualifying them after they joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during proceedings on the Appropriation Bill on March 18, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the MLAs C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India (CJI) T S Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.

Ordering a floor test on May 10 in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said "if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

A specially convened two-hour-long session, during which the President's Rule will be kept in abeyance, will be held between 11 am and 1 pm for a "single agenda" of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.

The apex court had said, "However, our observation in praesenti will not cause any kind of prejudice to the merits of the case of disqualified Members of Legislative Assembly, which is sub-judice before the High Court."
A day before the floor test in Uttarakhand's legislative assembly, the issue reverberated in Delhi, after the high court in Nainital refused to stay the disqualification of nine rebel Congress MLAs and then the Supreme Court (SC) agreeing with this.The nine will not be allowed to take part in Tuesday's confidence vote, much to the relief of the Congress, whose government whose ousted after they revolted, with the Centre imposing President's rule (on March 27).The Lok Sabha, meanwhile, discussed and passed the state's Budget for 2016-17 (President's rule is in force). In the Rajya Sabha, opposition parties did not allow the matter to be taken up, arguing the assembly would itself be deciding the fate of ex-Congress chief minister Harish Rawat in a day. The Congress walked out of the Lok Sabha.The floor test on Tuesday, will take place under detailed guidelines stipulated by the apex court. Presidents rule will be kept in abeyance from 10.30 am to 1 pm and a video record of the proceedings will subsequently be placed before the SC. Voting is to be done through the raising of hands.Security in and around the has been strengthened. The media will not be allowed to witness the floor test, said Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal.In the charged atmosphere, the Congress looked confident of winning the trust vote, claiming all the 27 party MLAs and those of its ally, the six-member Progressive Democratic Front (PDF), in the 61-member House (excluding the nine rebels). We are confident that all our 27 and the six of the PDF will vote for us, state Congress chief Kishore Upadhayay said Rawat exuded similar confidence.One more MLA is a nominated one, from the Congress, and is also eligible to vote. The number required for a win is 31.

Former chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said Rawat would not be able to prove a majority. You see what will happen tomorrow," he said. Political observers say four of the six-member PDF, mostly independents, should be voting for Rawat, apart from the 27 of the Congress. Two MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj party, also part of the PDF, say they'll vote as directed by the party's national head, Mayawati. After the court verdicts, the BJP camp is left with 28 MLAs, including a Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is in doubt. In Parliament, the Lok Sabha passed the state Budget amid a Congress walkout. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Budget's passage was a constitutional requirement, as "there was a serious doubt" on whether it had been approved by the state assembly on March 18, the day when various developments led to the Rawat government's dismissal by the Centre. Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge in the Lok Sabha questioned the government's hurry, when the assembly was to meet within less than 24 hours. The Biju Janata Dals Kalikesh Narayana Singh Deo moved a resolution that argued the Centre's move was unconstitutional, as Parliament could take up the state Budget only after the Centres proclamation of Presidents Rule was ratified by Parliament. Jaitley, who moved the Bill, said the Speaker of the state assembly had on March 18 converted a minority into a majority, which brought about the constitutional crisis. The remedy was President's rule and the appropriation ordinance for the state Budget needed to be approved, whether now or after the floor test. In the Rajya Sabha, deputy leader of the opposition Anand Sharma objected to the Budget being taken up even as the decision for President's Rule not having been placed before the House. Due to repeated disruption from the Congress benches, larger in numbers than the ruling coalition, the House had to adjourned for the day.

Meanwhile, the security in and around the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha has been beefed up. The media will not be allowed to witness the floor test, Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal said.

Numbers' chart

Effective strength of assembly 62 ; Majority needed 31

Congress claiming support of :

Congress MLAs 27 and Progress Democratic Front (PDF) four Independents (2 BSP still undecided)

(Inputs by Kavita Chowdhury & Archis Mohan)
The "removal" of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's name from new textbooks for classes sixth to eight in Rajasthan elicited a strong reaction from the Congress even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied any wrongdoing.

The textbook, according to an Indian Express report, has been written "following a year-long curriculum restructuring exercise".

According to a NDTV report, the textbook, "Samajik Vigyan", makes no mention of Nehru as a freedom fighter or as "a leader of Independent India".

The report adds that the textbook does not mention Mahatma Gandhi's assassination at the hands of Nathuram Godse.

The Rajasthan unit of the Congress on Sunday reacted strongly to the move.

State Congress chief Sachin Pilot told IANS on phone: "It's absolutely unacceptable that the BJP is working in a vindictive manner by not even mentioning India's first prime minister in the textbooks."

Pilot said that the party will agitate on the issue and approach the Union government as well as the governor and might even seek legal opinion.

"We will not allow this sort of deliberate elimination and deletion of (the names of) big leaders from textbooks as it is unbecoming of any elected government," he added.

Hitting out at the ruling BJP, Pilot said that they have proven that they are taking to a lower level.

The Congress leader added that Nehru's contribution to the freedom struggle and as the first prime minister of independent India is enshrined in history.

"The BJP can change textbooks but it can't rewrite history. We condemn this act. The Congress will oppose the Rajasthan government's move and ensure that these kind of things are not allowed as it shows a clear vindictive nature of the BJP," Pilot said.

The BJP, for its part, has denied any intention of omitting Nehru's name.

According to the Indian Express, state Education Minister Vasudev Devnani on Sunday said that Nehrus name has not been omitted but was still there on page 91 and page 177.

It shouldn't matter which chapters mentioned him as long as he was mentioned, Devnani added.

Page 91, according to the report, has just a one-line mention of the Nehru "presenting the objectives resolution in the chapter Our Constitution".

The report adds that on page 177, the only reference to Nehru is of him "having 'inaugurated' one of the steps on the course to Rajasthans unification".

Compared to older versions of the textbook, the report says, the mention of Nehru is "drastically" shorter even in the chapter dealing with the Constitution.

Earlier, Devnani, according to the Indian Express, had said that the government did not have a role in the new curriculum and that it was framed by the State Institute of Education and Training, an independent body.

Speaking to the Indian Express, Professor K S Gupta, former head of the department of history at Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, denied any deliberate attempt to sideline Nehru and said: "We received instructions from the government to include certain aspects, but nothing on excluding anything.

Gupta, the report adds, is the chief patron of the Chittor wing of a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliated project on history called the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana.

These books, uploaded on publisher Rajasthan Rajya Pathyapustak Mandal's website, are used by schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education.
Congress today created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing two adjournments in the pre-noon session over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation during an election rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

They asked how could the Prime Minister make such allegations when the Defence Minister had not mentioned such information in his reply to debates on the controversy in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha last week. They also sought to know which court was Modi quoting.

Congress members trooped into the Well of the Upper House shouting slogans like "Pradhan Mantri jhoota hai (Prime Minister is liar)" and demanded an apology from him. They also forced Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to first adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes and then till 1200 hours.

Party members said when the government, during their reply to debate on the controversy in both Houses, did not draw any reference to Gandhi, how could the Prime Minister make a such a statement outside, and that too when Parliament was in session.

Raising the issue, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress) said no member in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha during the debate on AgustaWestland deal said the UPA leadership took money.

Maintaining that the Congress had demanded stringent action against any leader or officer found guilty in the bribery case, he said Modi had during poll rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu said that it was not his statement but an Italian court has said that Gandhi was guilty in the case.

He asked why did Modi not intervene in the debates on the issue in either of the House and say this. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply, Azad said.

CBI, which is conducting an inquiry in the case, falls directly under the Prime Minister, he said and asked will the investigating agency not be influenced by such statements.

Anand Sharma (Congress) said the Prime Minister should come to the House and substantiate the statement he has made.

As Kurien ruled out Sharma's notice under rule 267 to suspend business to take up the issue, Congress members trooped in the Well raising slogans against the PM.

Kurien said what is being attributed to the Prime Minister was said outside the House and the Congress party can reply to that outside as well.

"The Chair cannot take cognizance of it," he said, adding "I cannot do anything."



"Is Chair responsible for political speeches," he asked as he urged members to return to their places and allow Zero Hour to be taken up.

Anand Sharma asked if the Prime Minister was pre-empting the CBI investigation since the probe agency comes under him.

Modi, he said, has made a statement which contradicts what the Defence Minister had said on the floor of the House. He went on to state that Prime Minister's statement was violative of norms and dignity of the house.

Kurien however said the Chair cannot ask the Prime Minister to come and make a statement on the issue.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while no one guilty in the deal will be spared, no innocent will be touched.

As the Congress members shouted slogans against Prime Minister, Naqvi asked Chair to rein them in saying the BJP was also capable of shouting slogans.

According to him, Modi had said "what the world is talking and what the Italian court has said."



Prime Minister did not make any policy announcement outside the House and so has not violated any rule. "It was an election rally speech," he said.

As the din continued, Kurien adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

When the members re-assembled, Pramod Tiwari (Congress) raised a point of order saying when the House was in session, whatever Modi has said is the statement of the government.

He said the Prime Minister's statement contradicts what the Defence Minister has said in Parliament. "Either the Prime Minister is lying or the Minister of Defence is lying," Tiwari said.

On Tiwari's point of order, Kurien said, "Chair does not take cognizance of what has been said (outside the House) and reported by newsapers. I don't take congnizance".
At least 10 people died across the Philippines in election day violence today, as gunmen attacked polling stations, ambushed vehicles and stole vote counting machines, police said.

However authorities described the violence as isolated incidents and that the overall conduct of the elections -- which will see tens of millions of people cast their votes for president and 18,000 other positions -- was peaceful.

In the worst attack, seven people were shot dead in an ambush before dawn in Rosario, a town just outside of Manila known for political violence, Chief Inspector Jonathan del Rosario, spokesman for a national police election monitoring task force, told AFP.

In Guindulungan, a small impoverished town in the strife-torn southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, where warlord-politicians have their own private armies, a voter was shot dead inside a polling station, police said.

A bystander was also killed when a grenade was launched at a market in Cotabato, a major city in the south that neighbours Maguindanao, as people were casting their votes, police said.

In the nearby town of Sultan Kudarat, a stronghold of the nation's biggest Muslim rebel group, 20 men forced their way into a voting centre and carted away voting machines, police chief Senior Inspector Esmael Madin said.

In the northern province of Abra, infamous for politicians killing each other, armed supporters of rival mayoral candidates shot at each other, leaving one person dead and two wounded, provincial police spokeswoman Marcy Grace Marron told AFP by telephone.

Police arrested two men and two women with guns after the fighting in the mountainous town of Lagayan, 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of Manila, Marron added.

Still, elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon said the violence would not impact the result, noting they had taken place in known "hot spots" where extra security forces were in place.

Military spokesman Colonel Noel Detoyato also voiced little alarm.

"There are isolated incidents. (They) had minimal effect on the conduct of the elections," he told AFP.

Fifteen people had been confirmed killed in pre-election violence since the start of the year, according to the national police poll monitoring taskforce.

Political violence is a longstanding problem in the Philippines, fuelled by lax gun laws, corrupt security forces and political "dynasties" that often have their security forces.
As many as 149 people of divided families of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir today crossed the Line of Control in a weekly bus service via Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point here.

Of these, 78 people crossed over to PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) from Jammu and Kashmir side, while 71 travelled to the Indian side from PoK via the Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing point, officials said.

From the Jammu and Kashmir side, there was one new traveller while the remaining 77 were PoK returnees who were going back after staying here with their relatives, they said.

From the PoK side, 70 were freshers while one was an Indian returnee, the officials said.

Officials from both sides monitored the crossover exercise at Chakan-Da-Bagh, they added.
Some 19 highway projects being developed under the public-private partnership model are languishing, Parliament was informed today.

"At present, there are 19 languishing projects under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). These languishing projects are under the public-private partnership (PPP) pattern of infrastructure development," Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Pon Radhakrishnan said in the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

The government has allowed one-time funds infusion to revive and physically complete languishing BOT projects and rationalised compensation to the concessionaire for any highway project running behind schedule in case the delays are not attributable to the concessionaire.

The government has also taken steps like "streamlining of land acquisition and regulatory clearances, close coordination with other ministries, revamped dispute resolution mechanism, securitisation of future cash flows, deferment of premium in stressed highway projects and 100 per cent equity divestment after two years of construction of all highway projects in PPP mode, among others".
Twenty five people including 11 policemen were injured when protesters objecting to the alleged blackout of a television channel clashed with police and tried to enter the office of a cable TV provider here today.

The demonstrators, led by independent MLAs and brothers Balwinder and Simarjit Singh Bains, were protesting against the alleged blackout of a Punjabi channel by the cable company.

Twenty five persons, including 11 policemen were injured in the clash in which stones were pelted, police said.

Stones were pelted at police and also at vehicles parked outside the office by demonstrators. Some vehicles were damaged, police said.

Unruly protesters also tried to enter the office of the company at Ferozepur road here, prompting police to cane charge them.

Simarjit and 14 others were arrested under various sections of the IPC, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Balkar Singh said.

Police also allegedly manhandled a correspondent of a newspaper.

Local journalists demanded action and registration of a case against the police officer responsible for the episode.
Delegates from the governments and civil society organisations of several South Asian countries including India and Nepal today held a discussion to set strategies and identify priorities to end violence against children ahead of the 4th SAIEVAC Ministerial Meeting here.

Organised by Ministry of Women and Child Development, the three-day 'Technical Meeting and 4th Ministerial Meeting of South Asian Initiative' to end Violence against Children (SAIEVAC)' seeks to assess the progress and developments in the past decade.

The 4th SAIEVAC Ministerial Meeting is being held here on May 11. The Ministerial Meeting is being preceded by Technical Preparatory Meeting on May 9 and 10.

The other countries participating in the event included Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"Day one of the technical meeting included an inaugural and various business sessions," an official statement from the ministry said.

Emphasising on child participation, V Somasundaran, Secretary, WCD said, ending violence against children is a priority and a common goal and commitment of the region.

Stuti Narain Kacker, Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, highlighted the need for all member countries to act in a concerted, cooperative, coordinated and comprehensive manner to identify and address areas of priority such as cross border trafficking, documentation& sharing of good practices.

The members also discussed regional efforts and agreed on commitments and to identify priorities for SAIEVAC for the next five years.
China's new two child policy framed to tackle the deepening demographic crisis has evoked poor response with nearly 60 per cent of the working mothers in the world's most populous nation saying they do not want to have a second child.

According to the report, released ahead of Mother's Day yesterday by Chinese job recruitment site Zhaopin.Com, nearly 60 per cent of working mothers in China don't want to have a second child.

The report also found that of the 29.39 per cent of women who had not given birth, 20.48 per cent said they don't want a child, state-run 'China Daily' quoted the report.

A total of 14,290 career women were questioned by the site on their work and life choices.

Asked why they did not want to have a child, more than 56 per cent of interviewees cited upbringing cost as a concern.

The second concern was the amount of time, energy and attention involved. Other concerns included career risks, the pain of childbirth and little faith in their marriages.

More than 70 per cent said they would not consider leaving their jobs to become mothers, while only 18.53 per cent said they would take this into account.

Wang Yixin, a senior consultant at Zhaopin, said most career women think it is impossible to live solely on their husbands' pay checks.

"Other reasons involve their own ambitions. They fear that if they stop working, they will become isolated from a dynamic society and lose their career prospects," Wang said.

The ageing population will swell from 16.1 to 25.2 per cent which could seriously test China's social and economic development, said a new data provided by the Population and Development Studies Centre at the Renmin University of China.

In a bid to shore up the numbers of the younger population,China, the world's most populous country with a total population of 1.35 billion, this year ended its three-decades old one child policy and replaced it with two child as the demographic crisis deepened with sharp rise in the population of old people.

"My mother has urged me to have a child before I'm 30. However, raising a child in Beijing is a huge financial burden," said Peng Xi, 29, a marketing employee who has been married for two years and is still undecided whether to have a child.

(REOPENS FGN 11)



Peng said she is worried about losing promotion opportunities, a concern shared by many women worldwide.

"Chinese women shoulder more family responsibility. It is not just about maternity leave - a female employee might only get back to work three to five years after having her first child. If a job requires frequent business trips, extra work and more attention to work instead of to the family, a capable male candidate would be more suitable," said Feng Lijuan, a senior expert on human resources at a job-finding platform.

"It is not about gender choice - I would say this is a market choice," Feng said.

A study last month said China will face severe demographic challenges in the next 25 years as its working-age population is predicted to shrink to 56.9 per cent of the total population by 2030.
A nine-year-old was allegedly raped and murdered in the Sundarbans in South 24 Parganas district, leading to stone pelting on a police station by a mob today which demanded that the accused be handed over to them.

The officer-in-charge of Basanti police station Koushik Kundu was injured when a stone thrown by the mob hit him on the head, police said.

He was rushed to the hospital bleeding. There were, however, no arrests.

The nine-year-old had gone missing after she left her home at Kumirmari to buy some provisions on Saturday evening. There was a thunderstorm and she did not return.

Her body was found rolled in a cloth later that night in a room in a youth's home during a search by her family members. Her father lodged a complaint with the police accusing four persons the next day, police said.

Police early today arrested three of the accused - the youth, his father and his sister-in-law, while his mother, the fourth accused, is absconding.

Trouble erupted when the arrested were being taken to Alipore court in Kolkata. The police station was gheraoed by the mob who demanded that the three be handed over to them.

They threw stones and injured Kundu. Later, however, the police persuaded them to withdraw.

The three were produced before the court which remanded them to seven days in police custody.
Rejecting BJP's claims about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degrees and marksheets, AAP and its leader Arvind Kejriwal today claimed the documents had "glaring discrepancies" and stuck to the charge that the documents had been forged.

Hours after BJP President Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley released Modi's BA and MA degrees, Kejriwal claimed documents relating to the Prime Minister's graduation have been sealed by the Delhi University and wondered why it was not implementing the CIC order in the matter.

"Docs in DU have been sealed. BJP presents Farzi docs in a PC n gets real records sealed? Why? Implement CIC order. Allow inspection," Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, AAP leader Ashutosh said Modi's name does not match with what has been mentioned in the BA marksheet and the MA degree and claimed there were discrepancies in the year of passing as well.

"Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki zarurat hai (One needs brains even to copy). The BA marksheet is dated 1978 while the degree is of the year 1979. His name in the BA marksheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in Masters degree, it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi," said the AAP leader.

He further said, "1975 marksheet has the PM's name as Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi, the 1976 one spells it as Narendra Damoderdas Modi and the 1977 one spells it as Narendra Damodardas Mody.

"Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley are not Gods. Instead of demanding Kejriwal's apology they should say sorry to the nation for committing such a crime of presenting forged documents. The entire country knows about Amit Shah and Modi's past."



The BJP called the discrepancies clerical errors.

Ashutosh said striking off the part of one's name was not possible without an affidavit and asked Jaitley and Shah to produce copy of the affidavit.

"His MA degree says he had done his post-graduation in 'Entire Political Science'. Is that even possible ? There are a lot of glaring discrepancies in his degrees and masters' degree," said Ashutosh.

AAP also issued a statement in which it raised several



questions.

"If degree is of the same student, why did the name and the roll no. Change from 1977 to 1978? Was there a change of name executed? Why was there a change of roll no.?" it asked.

It also alleged that the roll number was missing from the MA certificate.

"The degree in 1983 appears to have been prepared by someone who doesn't usually do the task; missing roll no. And use of extraneous 'Entire' is glaring," it said.

The AAP said its leaders will visit Delhi university's Chief Public Information Officer's office tomorrow to get details of Modi's BA degree and even asked Shah and Jaitley to join them.

The AAP leader Ashutosh also claimed Modi had failed once in BA.

He said he has filed an RTI application seeking copies of enrolment register and convocation register from Delhi University.

Earlier in the day, BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley displayed Modi's degrees at a press conference and demanded an apology from Kejriwal accusing him of defaming the Prime Minister.

The CIC had asked the DU and Gujarat University to provide information on Modi's degrees based on a letter by Kejriwal.
A truce in Aleppo in northern between regime forces and rebels that was due to expire has been extended by 48 hours, the army command said.

"The 'regime of silence' in Aleppo and its province has been extended by 48 hours from Tuesday 01:00 a.m (local time) to midnight on Wednesday," a statement said yesterday.

The temporary truce, initially for two days and then prolonged until today at 00:01 a.m, was decided after fighting killed nearly 300 people since April 22 in Aleppo, where some areas are held by rebels and by government forces.

The announcement came as Russia and the United States agreed to boost efforts to find a political solution to Syria's five-year war which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

The two powers also agreed to extend a truce across the whole of the country.

"The Russian Federation and United States are determined to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement of the Syrian conflict," according to a joint US-Russian statement published by the Russian foreign ministry.

To this end, Russia "will work with the Syrian authorities to minimise aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties" to the ceasefire, it said.

The two powers brokered a February 27 ceasefire between regime forces and the armed opposition that did not, however, include jihadist fighters such as the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda's affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels fired rockets into a regime-held district of Aleppo, killing five civilians including two children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitor also reported 10 civilians killed yesterday by regime bombardment in the northwestern province of Idlib which is controlled by Al-Nusra Front.
Andhra Pradesh government today asked a world-renowned Japanese architectural firmto come up with an "improved concept" or develop a new one for designing various government buildings to be built in the state's new capital Amaravati.

Maki and Associates, which designed some of the world-famous iconic structures like the United Nations Consolidation Building (New York), Tower 4 of World Trade Centre Redevelopment (New York), Media Corp (Singapore), Bihar Museum (India) and Shenzen Sea World Cultural Arts Centre (China), had submitted a set of designs to AP Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) on March 25 for the proposed government buildings.

But, its design of the Legislature complex in particular drew widespread criticism as the structures resembled the "cooling towers" of a thermal power station.

Besides, it looked similar to the Chandigarh Legislature building, prompting netizens to ridicule Maki's designs.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who initially heaped praise on Maki over the designs, later said the government was "yet to approve" the designs following public criticism.

State Municipal Administration Minister P Narayana held a meeting with the in-house architectural consultants of the CRDA here today to review the designs.

"We told Maki to come up with an improved concept or develop a new one and submit the new designs within three weeks. The designs should be in tune with the aspirations of the people of the state and reflect the Telugu culture," Narayana told reporters after the meeting.

"We will finalise the designs by this month-end or early next month," he added.

Makiwas chosen by a jury of six renowned architects from the three shortlisted firms --Makiand Associates (Japan), Richard Rogers (England) and DV Joshi Architects (India) -- who submitted their designs for a contest conducted by the Andhra Pradesh government.

Makiwas expected to design the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat, Legislature Complex, High Court, Raj Bhavan and other important government buildings in the capital Amaravati.

Of these, the Legislature Complex and the High Court were proposed to be built as "iconic structures".

The buildings and the residential complexes for government officers and staff will come up in 900 acres in the capital region.
Amid the government's big thrust on 'ease of doing business', Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said he felt "ashamed" that his own ministry had to wait nine months to get approvals for a 'simple automated parking lot'.

Gadkari, who has been very keen on this project, expressed anguish over this delay at its foundation laying ceremony at Transport Bhawan near Parliament House, prompting his colleague and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu to promise a one-month cap on grant of all such permissions.

Naidu said the ease of approvals is equally important to translate "ease of doing business" into reality and the government is very serious in this direction.

Gadkari said the automated parking plaza will most likely be inaugurated by Prime Minister and added that he felt ashamed whenever Prime Minister wanted to know the progress as despite being a government agency, it took nine months for the Highways Ministry to get approvals from different ministries.

"It took nine months for just clearance to a project, construction will take another nine months. On the one side, you are talking about ease of doing business and on the other ease of approvals is another important aspect. We had a couple of meetings (with different ministries) and at the end of it now we have come out with a plan that entire permission has to be given in 30 days," Naidu said.

He further said congestion is a major problem in Delhi and Gadkari's innovative idea should inspire other ministries including the Railways Ministry to work in this direction.

Naidu further said Railway Ministry should follow this example because they are wasting a lot of public space.

"Prime Minister stresses to transform India...Make In India, Skill India, Digital India, Clean India, Start Up Stand Up so many initiatives are there...Prime Minister wants entire secretariat complex in one building," Naidu said and stressed that there was urgent need to work to simplify procedures.

"Putting into action is an important aspect... The initiative by Gadkari will serve as a light house for other ministries... That will be a model for other ministries and other agencies also. They should learn how to make use of land," he said.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange today tweeted a picture of his new companion, a 10-week-old kitten, presented to him by his children to keep him company in his Ecuadorean embassy where he has been holed up since 2012.

The 44-year-old intends to keep the world updated on his yet-unnamed companion via Twitter using the handle @EmbassyCat.

"New home! I've arrived!" his tweet read, along with a picture of him cuddling the kitten.

The female kitten, a descendant of the original European wildcat, sleeps in a top hat during the day and prowls the embassy at night.

Assange, who is under diplomatic asylum at the embassy, is wanted for questioning in Sweden over a sex allegation, which he denies. He believes if he leaves the embassy he will be extradited to the US to be questioned over the activities of WikiLeaks.

A European arrest warrant remains in place, and he has now been living in the Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012, with the fourth anniversary of his refuge nearing next month.

In February, a United Nations' working group found that Sweden and the UK were violating his rights and should release him and award compensation for detaining him without charge.

Assange's lawyers have made an application to the courts in Sweden to enforce the UN group's finding and are filing arguments again today. They have asked for an oral hearing, which if accepted could happen by the end of May.

The UK government had announced that it would formally contest the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Assangeis a victim of arbitrary detention.

A statement said: "JulianAssangehas never been arbitrarily detained by the UK. The opinion of the UN Working Group ignores the facts and the well-recognised protections of the British legal system. He is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorean embassy.

"An allegation of rape is still outstanding and a European Arrest Warrant in place, so the UK continues to have a legal obligation to extradite him to Sweden. As the UK is not a party to the Caracas Convention, we do not recognise 'diplomatic asylum'.

"We are deeply frustrated that this unacceptable situation is still being allowed to continue. Ecuador must engage with Sweden in good faith to bring it to an end. Americas Minister Hugo Swire made this clear to the Ecuadorean Ambassador in November, and we continue to raise the matter in Quito.
Three persons were arrested from the neighbouring Jharkhand in connection with their alleged involvement in last week's ATM robbery in Dumdum area.

While investigating the case, sleuths found alleged involvement of the three - Manjit Gupta, Sakwat Alam and Upendra Shah - all residents of Jharkhand's Pakur district, a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said.

"Faces on the CCTV footages have similarity with these trio whom our team has arrested late last night. We are bringing them to the city," he said.

According to senior police officers, the trio were part of a five or seven-member gang who were robbing unmanned ATMs in and around the city.

"Going by the nature of their crime it seems that a same gang is responsible for all these loot. We have gathered sufficient evidence against them... We will soon grab the entire gang," he said.

Over Rs 36 lakh were looted by miscreants cutting open two unguarded ATMs, both in Dumdum area last week.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann quit today, bowing to intense pressure two weeks after the opposition anti-immigration far-right dealt his coalition a historic blow in the first round of presidential elections.

The centre-left Faymann, 56, chancellor since 2008, said in a statement that he no longer had "strong backing" in his party, the Social Democrats (SPOe).

"As a result of this insufficient support I am drawing the consequences and resign my functions as party leader and chancellor, effective today," he said.

The SPOe and its coalition partner since 2008, the centre-right People's Party (OeVP), have dominated Austrian politics since World War II but their support has been sliding in recent years.

At the last general election, in 2013, they only just scratched together a majority, and polls suggest doing so again at the next scheduled vote in 2018 will be difficult.

Mirroring similar trends across Europe, the two main parties have been bleeding support to fringe groups, in Austria's case in particular to the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), the former party of the controversial, late Joerg Haider.

The far-right has tapped into growing unease about immigration after Austria last year saw 90,000 people claim asylum, and around 10 times that number pass through at the high point of Europe's migrant crisis.

But the two parties have also presided over a rise in unemployment, with Austria losing its crown as the EU member with the lowest unemployment. The coalition has also squabbled over structural reforms.

The FPOe is leading national opinion polls and on April 24, in the first round of elections to the largely ceremonial post of president, the FPOe's Norbert Hofer came a clear first with 35 percent.

Hofer, 45, who presents himself as the friendly and reasonable face of the FPOe, will now face Alexander van der Bellen, a former head of the Greens who came second, in a runoff on May 22.

The two hapless candidates from the ruling coalition parties were relegated into distant fourth and fifth places, failing to make it through to the runoff with just 11 percent of the vote each.

This historic failure means that for the first time since 1945, there will not be a president from within these two parties in Vienna's Hofburg palace.

This in turn could mean that the new president might make use of some of the considerable powers afforded to the head of state under Austria's constitution that until now have been not been used.

In theory the Austrian president can fire the government -- as Hofer has threatened to do if elected -- or dissolve parliament.
Fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami's execution seemed imminent after jail officials tonight received the Supreme Court ruling reconfirming his death penalty for war crimes committed during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

"The jail authorities have received the court verdict for further action," an official, who carried the apex court's verdict wrapped in a red coloured folder, told reporters.

The development came nearly two hours after Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha-led four judges bench signed the full text of the judgment, dismissing Nizami's final review plea.

73-year-old Nizami's final appeal against his death sentence for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan was rejected by the apex court on May 5.

The Supreme Court officials immediately sent copies of the final judgment to Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, which originally handed down the death penalty.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam said Nizami, the leader of Bangladesh's largest Islamic party, could now be hanged anytime unless he seeks presidential clemency.

"He will have to be given a reasonable time to take the decision...But if the answer is 'no', the government could hang him anytime," he said.

Jamaat on Saturday, however, said: "question doesn't arise at all to seek mercy to anybody else except Allah".

Nizami's his eldest son and lawyer Najib Momen supplemented the party statement, saying "he (Nizami) will not seek clemency to the President".

President Abdul Hamid has earlier rejected two such appeals by 1971 war crimes convicts, including Nizami's top aide then Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who were subsequently executed last year.

Authorities last night shifted Nizami to Central Jail from a suburban prison, signalling his imminent execution.

Meanwhile, elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces overnight joined the police in riot gears to enforce a tight vigil around the Central Jail, where the officials said the noose was ready for him to be hanged.

"I can't tell you when his (Nizami's) death sentence will be executed but I want to say that the verdict will be carried out after exhausting all legal procedures," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal told PTI.

A former minister in ex-premier Khaleda Zia's BNP-led four-party coalition government, Nizami has been in jail since 2010, when he was arrested to be tried 1971 war crimes.

He was given capital punishment in October 2014 by the tribunal after being convicted of "superior responsibility" as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr militia forces in 1971.

He was particularly found guilty of systematic killings of over 450 people alone in his own village.

Nizami appears to be the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity as Bangladesh so far executed four war criminals since the trial process began six years ago.
Bangladesh today summoned the Pakistani high commissioner here to lodge a protest over Islamabad's reaction to a Supreme Court judgment that confirmed the death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami chief and 1971 war crimes convict Motiur Rahman Nizami.

"The statement issued (earlier) by Pakistan Foreign Office is totally unacceptable," secretary of bilateral affairs in Bangladesh foreign office Mizanur Rahman said.

During the meeting, Rahman handed over a note verbale to Pakistan's high commissioner Shuja Alam.

Officials familiar with the meeting said the envoy met Rahman for 15 minutes as Dhaka conveyed its distress over the Pakistan foreign office's statement on May 6 that expressed "deep concern" over the dismissal of Nizami's review petition by the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

They said Alam told Rahman that he would convey the protest to Islamabad.

The envoy was summoned a day after Bangladesh's junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said "We are disappointed with Pakistan's reaction. We never welcome anyone interfering in our internal issues".

"I find this a serious issue, as these war criminals are trying to assure future generations with the notion that Pakistan as a state will be by their side. Otherwise why would Pakistan be so saddened by Nizami's death penalty?" he said.

The Pakistani statement had said "there is a need for reconciliation in Bangladesh in accordance with the spirit of tripartite agreement of April 1974 which calls for a forward looking approach in matters relating to the events of 1971".

"We (Islamabad) have also been following the reaction of the international community and human rights organisations to the 'controversial' trials in Bangladesh, related to events of 1971," it said.
A Belgian terror cell with links to the Paris and Brussels attacks had acquired bomb-making chemicals before it was smashed by police last year, a judge said today at the opening of the trial of the cell's members.

Seven men who went on trial today in a Brussels court were arrested after a deadly raid in the Belgian town of Verviers in January 2015 which exposed an alleged plot to kill police officers.

Nine suspects who are still at large are being tried in their absence.

The presiding judge, Pierre Hendrickx, said the police who raided the Verviers hideout discovered weapons, munitions and chemical products that could have been used to make four kilograms (8.8 pounds) of TATP.

TATP is the highly volatile homemade explosives that Islamic State jihadists used in both the November 13 Paris attacks and the March 22 Brussels bombings.

Hendrickx listed the chemicals as five litres (1.3 gallons) of bleach, 15 litres of acetone and 12 litres of hydrogen peroxide. He said police also found an electrical item that could have been used as a detonator.

The judge said the police, backed by French GIGN paramilitary officers, also seized three AK-47 assault rifles, four handguns, hundreds of cartridges and material that could have made police uniforms.

Police believe Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected ringleader of November's Paris attacks, was giving orders to the Verviers cell by phone from Greece using the name of "Omar."



Abaaoud, who was killed in a shootout in Paris days after the attacks, also had close links to the cell behind the Brussels airport and metro attacks.

French President Francois Hollande has said the same terror cell was behind the Paris massacre, in which gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people, and the Brussels attacks in which 32 people died.

Both attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar today accused BJP of "misusing power" to investigate the corruption charges against senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal.

Speaking to reporters at Satara in western Maharashtra, Pawar also made it clear that Bhujbal's arrest would not have "any effect on the NCP's strength".

"If he (Bhujbal) is indeed guilty of the charges against him, then he will duly have to suffer punishment...But if he is proven innocent, they (BJP) will have to pay for pressurising the enforcement agencies," Pawar said.

Bhujbal, a former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with multi-crore graft cases lodged against him in March this year.

Senior NCP leaders Ajit Pawar and Sunil Tatkare are under the Anti-Corruption Bureau's (ACB) scanner for their alleged involvement in the irrigation scam.
BJP MLA Ravinder Raina today hit out at National Conference and the separatists for raking up the controversial Sainik Colony issue, saying that there was nothing wrong with allotting land to kin of ex-servicemen in Jammu and Kashmir.

"National Conference and separatists are raking up Sainik colony issue to befool people of Kashmir.If former chief minister Omar Abdullah can own properties in Delhi and other parts of the country, why cannot the kin of the martyred soldiers live in Jammu and Kashmir," he told reporters.

"J&K is an integral part of India and every Indian has the birth right to come and stay in the state," he said.

The Sainik Colony housing project issue in the Valley has been in focus in the past.

BJP demands grant of plots to the families of martyrs of the Army and paramilitary forces who laid down their lives defending Jammu and Kashmir, Raina said.

"I will write to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister in this regard," he said.
Leading transportation company Bombardier plans to invest Rs 230 crore in its manufacturing unit at Savli near Vadodara to meet the growing demand for metro cars in the country.

Bomardier Transportation's Global President Laurent Trogger said this during his meeting with Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu here today.

The response of the transport major, maker of metro cars and planes, comes after Naidu urged Trogger to scale up the company's participation in 'Make In India' drive, an official statement said.

In addition to supplying metro cars to Delhi Metro, Trogger said Bombardier was also exporting commuter cars to Australia and bogie components to Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Australia from their Savli metro car manufacturing and assembly unit.

About 70 per cent of products delivered to Delhi Metro are indigenous, he said.

Trogger also discussed issues relating to expansion of metro services in India with Naidu.
Senior advocate of Bombay High Court Atma Ram Nadkarni was today appointed as Additional Solicitor General.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Nadkarni as Additional Solicitor General in Supreme Court for a period of three years, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training said.

An Additional Solicitor General acts as law officer to advice the Central government on various legal matters. Solicitor General and Additional Solicitor Generals assist the government's top legal adviser Attorney General.
The impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was thrown into confusion today when the speaker of the lower house of Congress annulled an April vote by lawmakers that launched the process.

Just days before the Senate seemed near certain to suspend Rousseff for six months and open an impeachment trial, the new leader of the lower house threw a spanner in the works by cancelling the vote that had got the entire process underway.

Waldir Maranhao, the interim speaker, wrote in an order seen by AFP that a new vote in the lower house should take place on whether to impeach Rousseff in five sessions time.

The cancellation of the vote was ordered in response to a request by Rousseff's solicitor general, who had challenged the legitimacy of the lower house vote.

However, it was not immediately clear how the chaotic new developments would unfold and whether pro-impeachment leaders would appeal to the Supreme Court to try and keep the process going.

The Senate had been due to start its own voting process on Wednesday, with a majority expected to back suspension of Rousseff. Once suspended she would face a trial lasting months, with a two thirds majority needed eventually to eject her from office.

In her first reaction, Rousseff interrupted a speech to supporters to say that she'd just got unconfirmed of her impeachment hitting a roadblock.

"I don't know the consequences. Please be cautious," she said, calling on her backers to "defend democracy."



The impeachment battle has taken so many unexpected twists that Brazilians refer to it as a real life version of the Netflix political drama "House of Cards."



Rousseff, from the leftist Workers' Party, is accused of illegally manipulating government budget accounts during her 2014 reelection battle to mask the seriousness of economic problems. But she says the process has been twisted into a coup by rightwingers in the second year of her second term.

Her removal had been looking increasingly certain after the lower house voted in mid-April by an overwhelming majority to send her case to the Senate for trial.

In the Senate, around 50 of the 81 senators have said they planned to vote in favor of an impeachment trial, well over the simple majority needed to open the process.

The vote result had been expected on Thursday, followed shortly after by Rousseff's departure from the presidential offices. Ministers have reportedly already been clearing their desks.

Adding to the confusion, Maranhao, the man at the center of the latest episode, is little-known to most Brazilians.
As the Brexit referendum campaign gained momentum, Prime Minister David Cameron today warned that Britain's exit from the EU could descend Europe into conflict and put peace at risk.

Cameron said the European Union had helped maintain peace on the continent and Britain should vote to remain a part of the 28-member economic bloc in the June 23 referendum.

"The European Union has helped reconcile countries which were at each others' throats for decades. Britain has a fundamental national interest in maintaining common purpose in Europe to avoid future conflict between European countries. And that requires British leadership, and for Britain to remain a member," he said in a speech at the British Museum here.

"Europe is our immediate neighbourhood. The stronger we are in our neighbourhood, the stronger we are in the world," he said, posing questions in the event of a Brexit: "Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt? Is that a risk worth taking? I would never be so rash as to make that assumption."



He ranked 2016 alongside other major events in European history, including the Spanish Armada in 1588, the battles of Blenheim and Waterloo in 1704 and 1815 respectively, the two World Wars, as well as the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"The truth is this: what happens in our neighbourhood matters to Britain. That was true in 1914, in 1940 and in 1989. Or, you could add 1588, 1704 and 1815... And if things go wrong in Europe, let's not pretend we can be immune from the consequences," he said.

Today's major speech came as the referendum campaign heats up with just over six weeks to go.

The opposing Vote Leave campaign immediately attacked back, saying: "During the renegotiation the PM said he 'ruled nothing out'. Now he thinks leaving the EU would lead to war. What changed?"



Polls showed the two campaigns were neck-and-neck.

Former London mayor Boris Johnson, a leading voice in the Vote Leave camp, gave a rival speech claiming "we would be mad not to take this once in a lifetime chance".

HeaccusedCameron of "corroding" trust in British politics by saying he will cut netimmigration to tens of thousands and failing.

"It isdeeply corrosive of popular trust in politics that every year people in power say they can cut immigration to tens of thousands and then fail. We have absolutely no power to control the number of people coming. I am in favour of immigration but also in favour of control," he said.
In line with the Centre's efforts to conserve Ganga, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti today launched a series of initiatives to check pollution in the river and improve sanitation practices among villagers staying along its stretch in Jharkhand.

Speaking at an event here, she said nine initiatives have been taken for effective management of solid and liquid waste and participation of local governing agencies in the same.

Bharti, according to an official statement, said eight village-level crematoriums, 32 bathing ghats and 40 community toilets will be constructed along the 83-km stretch of the river in the state.

She stated that more than 10,000 soak pits will be constructed through community participation to contain and dispose surplus waste water emerging from households and community-managed hand pumps of the villages.

The government will undertake community-led construction of 1.52 lakh meters of open channel drains in the project villages to ensure "speedy and safe" disposal of domestic waste, she said.

The BJP leader emphasised that improving health and quality of life of 45,000 households from 78 villages located along Ganga River basin in the state, as the "main aim" of the projects.

Bharti said 78 units will be established in the hamlets for collection, storage and composting of degradable solid waste and for setting up small enterprises for non-biodegradable material.

The minister stated that 5,460 households will be supported for adoption of composting facilities using vermin composting for productive use of animal and agro-waste and 1,860 will be supported for adoption of biogas plants to facilitate safe disposal of animal waste.

The entire project will be carried out under the Ministry's guidance with support from United National Development Programme (UNDP), community organisations and NGOs, Bharti added.
Announcing the Centre's plan to build a modern cold storage in Odisha's port town of Paradip, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said it will facilitate export of farm produce as well as ensure their safe storage.

"Lack of cold storage has emerged as a major problem for farmers in Odisha. It is essential to address the worries of the peasants at the earliest," Pradhan said at a function held at the National Rice Research Institute (NRRI) in Cuttack.

Though the farmers were producing a wide variety of agriculture items, the state lacks adequate number of cold storages for storage of the perishables, he said adding only 27 of the 108 cold storage in the state are functional.

Noting that only five of these cold storages are in the government sector, the Union Minister said though the state government has been sending many proposals and demands through letters to the Centre, there has been no concrete proposal relating to cold storage facilities.

Pradhan said if the state government sends proposals in this regard, he would take up the matter with the ministry concerned and try to get the work done.

A public sector enterprise under the petroleum ministry has been directed to conduct a survey, Pradhan said.

"The Petroleum Ministry is planning to construct a huge cold storage in Paradip. It will ensure safe storage of agriculture produces, besides facilitating export of the commodities," he said.

Voicing concern over reports about dairy farmers in Odisha throwing away milk, he said this was not a good sign in a state, hit by malnutrition and poverty.

Recalling that the Prime Minister had recently visited the gulf region, the Minister said these countries showed keen interest in farm produces from India.

While Arab countries were producing huge quantities of oil, Indian farmers were producing many other products, mainly paddy.

Stating that Arab countries were keen to import high quality rice from India, Pradhan said the scientists of NRRI should develop high quality rice which can meet the requirement.

Claiming that NRRI had been neglected for many years, Pradhan said the prestigious institute has seen tremendous transformation during the Narendra Modi government which was giving proper attention for its development.
A delegation of top Congress leaders today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him beef up security of in the wake of an alleged threat to his life.

The team, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Treasurer Motilal Vohra, Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, met Singh and apprised him about the alleged threat to the Congress Vice President's life.

"The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.

A Home Ministry official said that Singh, after the meeting, asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to take up the issue seriously and ensure propection to Rahul.

Sharma said the Congress delegation also raised issue of proposed "en mass shifting" of around 400 officers of SPG and bringing in new people to replace them.

"SPG requires rigorous training. Its personnel are brought from CISF, CRPF, BSF and central agencies. So its a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel," he said.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediately family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children -- Rahul and Priyanka -- are SPG protectees.

The threat has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Pondicherry on May 4. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in Puducherry tomorrow, for a public meeting.

The letter was reportedly sent to V Narayanswamy, who was Minister for PMO in the UPA government. The letter has allegedly claimed Congress has been responsible for "closure of industries in Pondicherry" and has threatened that Gandhi will be "blasted" when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.
Congress MP Shantaram Naik today gave notice of breach of privilege against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikkar to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on a day Congress created a ruckus in Parliament against Modi's comments in an election rally against Sonia Gandhi on the VVIP chopper deal.

Giving a notice under Rule 187 and 188 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Council of States, Naik said that the Prime Minister has made a "wild charge" against UPA leaders alleging that they had taken money in the purchase of helicopters.

Addressing an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram, Modi had said,"Madam Soniaji, "Aap ki Ye himmat. You and Congress leaders are making statements that false allegations are being made against you. Did Modi or Modi government in the last two years even once take the name of Congress in the helicopter deal?



"We have never used any name even once. Investigation agencies were doing their jobs. Nobody in Hindustan gave the name. The name has come from Italy."



Latching on to it, Naik said according Modi it is not his Government that has named UPA leaders but it is a court in Italy which has done so.

The Congress leader said even though Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar read out a long statement in the Rajya Sabha on May 5, he did not say that the UPA leaders had taken money in purchase of helicopter nor did he say court in Italy has done so.

"It is, therefore, clear that the Prime Minister has contradicted the Defence Minister. If the Defence Minister had any proof that UPA leaders had taken money in helicopter deal, why is it that the Defence Minister did not make any statement to that effect in the House.

"Was he trying and to misguide the House by reading out a long prepared statement making wild charges to be used by PM during his election rally? Naik asked.

"Defence minister has, therefore, committed a breach of privilege of the House and of the members since his statement differs from that of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has behaved most irresponsibly and misused his position to issue defamatory statement on helicopter deal insulting the institution of Parliament," he said.

Naid requested the Rajya Sabh Chairman that his notice be admitted and it should be referred to the Privilege Committee for appropriate action against the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.
Cooler temperatures and light rain have officials optimistic they've reached a turning point on getting a handle on a massive wildfire that has devastated parts of Canada's oil sands town of Fort McMurray.

Alberta Premier Notley said the battle against the fire has stabilized to the point where she can visit and begin the next phase of the government's operation to determine what must be done to eventually allow people to return to the city.

A massive evacuation of 25,000 residents displaced by the blaze also came to an end. More than 80,000 people have left Fort McMurray in the heart of Canada' oil sands, where the fire has torched 1,600 homes and other buildings.

Gas has been turned off, the power grid is damaged and water is not drinkable. Officials said there is no timeline to return residents to the city, but the provincial government is sending in a team to do preliminary planning.

David Yurdiga, the member of Parliament for the area, toured Fort McMurray yesterday and said he was now more optimistic.

"We'll be back on our feet a lot quicker than I thought we would be," he told reporters at the roadblock just south of the city. "All of the key infrastructure is in place. Our hospital is standing. Our schools are standing. Our treatment plant is functioning."



"I toured probably every neighborhood in Fort McMurray and 80 percent of the homes are standing," he said. "Some areas you don't even know there was a fire."



With cooler temperatures forecast for the next three or four days, Alberta fire official Chad Morrison said firefighters should be able to put out hot spots.

And it has allowed them to further protect Fort McMurray. He said he was very buoyed and happy that they are making great progress.

"It definitely is a positive point for us, for sure," said Morrison, who answered yes when asked if the fight to contain the flames had a reached a turning point.

"We're obviously very happy that we've held the fire better than expected," he said. "This is great firefighting weather. We can really get in here and get a handle on this fire, and really get a death grip on it."



Notley said the wildfire grew much more slowly than was feared and was now 161,000 hectares in size. She said the blaze was quite a bit smaller than had been expected on Saturday, when officials expected it to double in size. She added the city was safe for first responders.

It rained yesterday, and the municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, tweeted a picture of the rainfall and wrote: "It was only for a few minutes but the sight of rain has never been so good.
A man has been held guilty of sexually harassing a woman on board a train by a Delhi court which said incidents of violence are committed against women because of their gender.

Metropolitan Magistrate Manu Vedwan relied on testimonies of the complainant woman and her husband and said they were firm throughout the case and their deposition cannot be discarded.

"Offences against women are basically those offences which are gender based meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women expressly because they are women.

"The United Nations Declaration on Elimination of Violence against Women states that violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men," the court said.

The court is likely to pass later this week its order on sentence in the case.

The court convicted Manoj Kumar Singh, a native of Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, for the offences under sections 354A (sexual harassment by way of unwelcome physical contact or making sexually coloured remarks) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman) of the IPC.

According to the prosecution, a complaint was lodged at New Delhi Railway Station Police Station against Singh on the allegation that he had assaulted the woman on board the Poorva Express in March 2013, when she was returning from Mugalsarai to Delhi after taking her examination.

She had said that near Aligarh, some men boarded the train and started nuisance throughout the way to Delhi by using abusive language and making obscene gestures.

Singh, while deboarding the train, assaulted the complainant and thereafter, the woman's husband complained to police officials at the station and the accused was caught.

The other co-accused had fled and could not be nabbed.

During the trial, Singh claimed he was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case.

The court, in its judgement, said there was no reason to disbelieve the testimonies of the woman and her husband who may be called interested witnesses but their depositions were clear, unambiguous.
Dalmia Cement has withdrawn the appeal filed before the competition tribunal against transfer of Lafarge's assets as approved by the Competition Commission, clearing the way for the merger of Lafarge and Holcim in India.

Last month, the Competition Appellate Tribunal had stayed the divestment of certain assets of Lafarge to address anti-competitive concerns for completion of deal with Holcim. The stay came on a plea filed by Dalmia Cement.

In the wake of the amended Mines & Mineral (Development & Regulation) Act, Dalmia Cement today said it is withdrawing the appeal filed before the tribunal.

The company said various industry associations represented to the government, seeking further amendment in the Act to allow transfer of at least captive mineral concessions -- both Prospecting Licenses & Mining Leases -- for business continuity.

"However, the Act passed by Parliament recently allows only transfer of Mining Leases used for captive purposes. It does not enable Prospecting Licenses to be transferred which we had hoped would be permitted.

"Accordingly, in many cases, it is not commercially prudent to make efforts to acquire assets without such prospecting licenses of limestone. Therefore, we have withdrawn from our appeal before the Competition Appellate Tribunal regarding our opposition to the transfer of Lafarge assets," the company said in a statement.

The request has been granted by the tribunal today, it added.

Swiss major Holcim and French entity Lafarge had merged their operations globally but for India, CCI had called for divestment of certain assets to address anti-competition issues.

In this regard, CCI had passed an order in March 2015 and later in February this year, it cleared a revised divestment proposal of LafargeHolcim. Following an appeal by Dalmia Cement against the February order, Compat had stayed implementation of the same in April.

According to the statement, the Indian mineral sector is guided by the Mines & Mineral (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957. An amendment in 2015 introduced the process of auctioning for natural resources, creating District Mineral Funds and National Mineral Exploration Trust.

"However, this restricted the mergers and acquisition activities of mineral based industries, as it barred the transfer of mineral concession not acquired through the auction process," it added.

The eight selected teams include companies that have plans



of building a sustainable community marketplace that connects urban India to rural Bharat by solving food and water crisis, another one that is a customized logistic solutions provider for merchants, a third one that offers a network of clinics that provide technology-enabled healthcare services to patients, at the same time helping increase revenues for the doctors. Others include those offering offline recharges and bill payments, mobile marketing, solar panels and digital bus depots.

About Dalmia Bharat Group:



Dalmia Bharat Group is a prominent player in India's core manufacturing sector. With a turnover of over 7000 crore, it has a strong and growing presence in Cement, Sugar, Refractories and Power since 1939. A leader in the specialty cements space and the country's largest producer of slag cement, Dalmia Bharat has a significant presence in generic sugar, with a nationwide presence. It caters to an enduring and growing customer base in refractories and has interests in sustainable power/energy.

Visit us at http://www.Dalmiabharat.Com



Media Contact:



Pooja Bharadwaj



Bharadwaj.Pooja@dalmiabharat.Com



+91-9560166999



Sr. Manager-Corporate Communications



Dalmia Bharat Group



Photo: http://photos.Prnewswire.
Police today said the death of a 21-year-old engineering student here last Sunday was "due to injuries" in a road mishap contrary to allegations of murder made by her father.

The mishap had occurred last Sunday when K Devi Reddy was travelling in a car, driven by her friend Soma Bharath Simha Reddy, in which she had gone to attend a party.

Bharath had survived with minor injuries.

In his complaint lodged with Jubilee Hills Police Station, the girl's father, Katkuri Niranjan Reddy had sought necessary legal action against the driver of the car.

However, in another complaint lodged on May 3, he alleged that his daughter's death might not be accidental and that she could have been subjected to sexual assault and then murdered. Katkuri cited an eye witness in his complaint.

"In view of the apprehensions expressed by the complainant, a comprehensive investigation has been carried out in the case to bring out all facts and circumstances leading to the death of the victim and there by establish truth. Six Special teams were constituted to work out the clues in this case," Hyderabad Police Commissioner M Mahendar Reddy told reporters.

He said the physical scientific evidence collected during the course of investigation has clearly established that "it was an accident occurred at the crime scene as injuries sustained by the deceased, the impact marks on the car and tree trunk corroborated with each other adequately beyond doubt".

The top cop said Devi's postmortem report clearly established that she died due to multiple injuries caused during accident.

"The medical evidence further suggested there were no symptoms of sexual assault. The medical evidence further indicated that external and internal injuries mentioned in PME report were accidental in nature," the police commissioner claimed.

"No corroborative evidence was found to substantiate the statement of the witness, Ramulu cited by the complainant in his second complaint, in which it was alleged that the witness saw a fight between two individuals (male and female and she was put in the back seat of the car)," Reddy said.

He said further efforts will be made to collect corroborative evidence, if any, to establish truth in this regard during the course of investigation.

"The act of accused (Bharath Simha Reddy) in driving the car under intoxication leading to the death of the victim in a fatal road accident amounts to culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Therefore, the accused is liable to prosecution for an offence under section 304 (part-II) IPC. He shall be arrested and sent to judicial custody accordingly," the police commissioner added.
A delegation from Sikkim today urged the Centre to increase the strength of the state Assembly to 40 and provide reserved seats to Limboo/ Tamang community.

In a memorandum to Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh, the delegation said the reservation for Limboo/ Tamang may be considered out of 17 unreserved Assembly seats.

The team also demanded that the strength of the state legislature be increased to 40 from present 32, an official release said.

In their meeting with the Minister, the team suggested that in the event of any new community being declared as Scheduled Tribe in future, they may be accommodated within the proposed overall increased size of 40.

The delegation from Sikkim was led by social activist Shyamal Pal.

The Minister appreciated the self-discipline and hard work with which the people of Sikkim have achieved exemplary literacy and growth rate.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Sikkim, Singh said this only authenticated the high priority that the Prime Minister attaches to the state.

He also lauded Sikkim's progress as the most developed state of the country in the field of organic farming and said the union budget has allocated exclusive funds for organic farming which in years to come may become a very important option for young entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Delhi BJP leaders today held demonstrations outside the DJB headquarters and its offices, protesting AAP government's "silence" over the alleged Rs 400-crore tanker scam during Sheila Dikshit rule.

"What is preventing action against the accused in water tanker scam even after the report of the inquiry committee formed by Water Minister Kapil Mishra?" said Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay who led the protesters at Delhi Jal Board headquarters Varunalaya.

"People want to know why Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is silent on the arrest of the persons involved in the scam which took place during Sheila Dikshit's rule," he said.

Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Vijender Gupta asked the government to call a special assembly session to discuss the issue.

"The government should answer what was the danger to it which Mishra mentioned in his letter. Which is the power which could cause the fall of Kejriwal government if action was taken against the corruption of then Congress government?" he said.

Party's National secretary Sardar R P Singh "challenged" Kejriwal to tell whether his government has ordered investigation in even a single case of alleged corruption committed during Sheila Dikshit rule.

During the protests, BJP workers burnt effigies of Kejriwal.

DJB chief Mishra had in August last year highlighted the alleged scam in hiring water tankers, which caused a loss of Rs 400 crore to the state exchequer.
Delhi Police will soon have its own "deradicalisation" centre and a monitoring team to track down youths being radicalised through social media and provide them with right counselling.

The decision came after the police's anti-terrorism unit Special Cell detained 10 youths for their alleged ideological leaning towards banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and later let them off, failing to gather adequate evidence.

However, six of them were summoned and questioned at the Special Cell office for a few hours today, after which the investigators let them off again.

They were confronted with evidence which the agency has acquired from a pen drive recovered from one of the three arrested accused and the decoded input obtained from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

CERT-In is government of India's nodal agency that deals with cyber security threats, which Delhi Police had approached for help in the case.

"The idea of a deradicalisation centre has been approved by the Police Commissioner. The centre will have counselling facilities and a social network monitoring team to track down youths who are radicalised through social media and are in the early stages," Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said.

He further said "once tracked, the youths will be counselled by experts, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and community leaders, in the right way and within the right time."



While four of the 10 youths who were released on Saturday have been given a clean chit, the police had arranged for them counselling sessions with a clinical psychologist, the other six will be summoned on and off for questioning at the Special Cell office in Lodhi Colony here.

"Their guardians have given undertaking that they will make sure the boys lead their lives in the right path in future," Deep said.

Delhi Police had picked up 13 youths for alleged links with Pakistan-based terror group JeM after a late night operation on Tuesday and later arrested three Sajid, Sameer Ahmed and Shakir Ansari.

Officials privy to the investigation said that they have recovered videos of Osama Bin Laden from the trio and suspect that they were influenced by his ideas too.

The investigators had earlier claimed that the trio were initially inspired by dreaded ISIS and later shifted their ideological leaning.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi today launched her election campaign in Kerala hitting out at the Narendra Modi regime, saying democratically elected governments were being toppled through "unconstitutional and other underhand dealings."



She also lashed out at the CPI-M-led LDF and said they were 'anti-development' and follow the "politics of violence."



Addressing an election meeting at the Thekinkadu maidan here this evening, Gandhi said "Our democratically elected governments like in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are being toppled through unconstitutional and other underhand dealings."



Alleging that the BJP government was a threat to the universities, judiciary, NGOs and civil society, she said, "Universities have been put on notice, judiciary is being threatened, NGOs and civil societies are being silenced."



She said minorities, dalits, women and tribals were also being troubled and political parties and other sections who oppose the government polices were being treated as "traitors."



"The Prime Minister has plenty of time for his grand shows. When it comes to farmers' sufferings, he just looked away," she said while referring to the crisis faced by the agrarian sector.

Coconut farmers suffered after the Centre refused to put restrictions on the import of palmolein and also declined to release money for Price Stablisation Fund, she said.

She also accused the Modi government of reducing funds for various schemes started by the previous UPA government like the MNREGA, and for self-help groups like Kudumbashree.

The closing down of the Overseas affairs ministry, set up the previous UPA government, had caused difficulties to expatriates, especially from Kerala.

She said Kerala was a shinning example of secularism and was a progressive state, but was facing a 'systematic attack' from BJP and RSS. There is need to "stand up and defend the values together," she said.

Touching upon the rape and murder of a dalit law student at Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, she said justice will be meted out to her and the guilty will be punished as per law.

Slamming the CPI-M led LDF, she said they were 'anti-development' and follow the "politics of violence".

The ideology of the Left Front does not take into account the state's special needs, she said.
The HRD ministry today said a committee of subject experts had concluded that CBSE's mathematics question paper for Class X Board examination 2016 was based on syllabus.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, HRD minister Smriti Irani said the reports that the paper was tough had come to the notice of the government.

" had placed the matter before Committee of Subject Experts who concluded that the question papers were based on the curriculum, syllabus and sample question papers prescribed by the Board," Irani said in her reply.

In a written reply to another question, she said that there were newspaper reports related to leakage of Class XII question papers.

"There have been newspaper reports on the issue during the Board exam of 2016. A committee of subject experts was constituted to enquire into this issue, and the committee concluded that there was no leakage of question paper," Irani said.

Earlier, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has termed as "baseless" reports about question paper leak of Class XII Mathematics examination, that held on March 14.

" would like to assert that the reports are baseless. There has been no such leakage of question paper of any kind but only two questions matched with only one question paper set. But that is a co-incidence as these two questions are also from the NCERT textbook," it had said in a statement.

The statement referred to news reports that the class XII Mathematics question paper in Ranchi and Dhanabad was available on WhatsApp and that touts were selling 51 questions and answers near examination centres.

In March, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also written to Irani to order a probe into reported "leak" of mathematics paper.
The only "realistic solution" to the Kashmir dispute is "autonomy" to its areas administered by India as well as Pakistan, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah said today.

"Autonomy to both sides of Jammu and Kashmir is the only viable and realistic solution to nearly seven decade problem that has cast dark shadows over the generations," he said while addressing National Conference workers in Budhal area of Rajouri district today.

"We owe peace and a dignified life to posterity, and that can be achieved only by converting the present dividing line between the two neighbouring countries into line of peace," he said.

Abdullah said hostilities of past nearly seventy years had "retarded" the growth of people on both sides of the Line of Control and time has come when India and Pakistan should take a bold initiative by calling a spade a spade.

"Denial of autonomy has brought Jammu and Kashmir to present morass, which if ignored anymore can prove detrimental to larger interests of the state.

The resolution passed by the Legislative Assembly over a decade and half ago, was reflective of the urges and aspirations of the regions and sub-regions of the state", he said.

He referred to the wars of the past and continued border skirmishes, saying these have only added to the miseries of people of Kashmir, who have faced the brunt of turmoil during the past two-and-half decades.

"The soft borders would open up vistas of economic opportunities besides enabling hassle free exchange of people, which in turn will be a major dividend to peace and tranquillity in the region", the National Conference President said, and hoped good sense would prevail upon all stakeholders.

Abdullah also spoke about the "fall-out of divisive policies being pursued by the present dispensation at the Centre" and said politics of hate and intolerance is against the very idea of India.

He said the country was abode of people belonging to different faiths and they cannot be brought eye-ball to eye-ball for furthering any "definite political agenda".

Referring to the implementation of National Food Security Act, the former Chief Minister said this has harmed the interest of poor rationees in the state and deprived many of much-needed food support.

He said the National Conference-led government did not implement the Act because of its "anti-poor" nature.

He sought immediate rollback of the NFSA and release of rations to consumers on previous scale.
General Motors India today rolled out the first unit of its hatchback Beat, meant for export to Argentina, making the Latin American nation sixth major export market for the model.

The first shipment will leave for Argentina next month. The company aims to export a total of 50,000 units of the model this year, over two-fold increase from last year.

"In keeping with our commitment to the Make in India programme, we are proud to celebrate the roll-out of the first vehicle for Argentina," GM India President and Managing Director Kaher Kazem said in a statement.

The new export market is a testimony to the company's commitment to providing the highest quality standards to global customers from the Talegaon plant, he added.

"Whether it is in India or anywhere else in the world, General Motors follows the highest quality standards in its manufacturing processes providing same high quality vehicles that customers in India and around the world expect and deserve," Kazem said.

GM India already exports the left-hand drive Beat to countries like Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean Countries (CAC), Uruguay and now Argentina.

The Chevrolet Beat recorded the highest growth for any passenger vehicle exported from India and became the sixth most exported passenger vehicle during 2015-16 fiscal, with a total of 37,082 units.

The Beat, badged as Spark outside India, is available in more than 70 markets worldwide and has sold over 1 million units. The model is produced at GM India's manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra, which has a base capacity of 1,30,000 vehicles.

"In 2016, we plan to export over 50,000 vehicles, compared with 21,000 vehicles last calendar year, reinforcing our commitment to the Indian market and our strong local supplier base," Kazem said.

This is part of GM's strategy to make India an export hub for global markets and help increase capacity utilisation at the Talegaon plant, he added.

"We expect to identify additional export markets going forward," Kazem said.

The Talegaon facility will become a global export hub for GM, with around 30 per cent of its annual production planned for markets outside India, he added.
The Special Protection Group(SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau(IB) were today ordered by the Government to take maximum precautions for Rahul Gandhi's security after an anonymous letter threatening to kill him surfaced.

The unsigned letter in Tamil threatening to kill the Congress Vice President at an election meeting in Puducherry was received by a senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on May 5. Rahul is scheduled to address a rally of the Congress-DMK alliance tomorrow at Karaikal in Puducherry.

Acting swiftly, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi directed the SPG, responsible for the protection of the Congress Vice President, and the IB to take all necessary precautionary measures in this regard.

Mehrishi's missive to the two agencies came soon after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked him to take up the issue seriously and ensure protection to Rahul, official sources said.

Earlier, a delegation of top Congress leaders met the Home Minister and asked him to beef up Rahul's security following the assassination threat.

The team, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; Treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma met Singh and apprised him about the threat to the Congress Vice President's life.

"The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.

Narayanasamy, an AICC General Secretary and a former Union Minister, told PTI from Karaikal over phone that he had received an 'unsigned letter' at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi.

He said the letter written in Tamil stated that "your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former Prime Minister's son and will be blasted while attending the Karaikal meeting."



Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command.

The SPG guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children -- Rahul and Priyanka -- are SPG protectees.

Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.
The government is exploring ways for a "satisfactory resolution" of the Kohinoor issue with the UK government, Lok Sabha was informed today.

"The Ministry of External Affairs is exploring ways and means for obtaining a satisfactory resolution to this issue with the UK government," Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

To a query on legal and technical hurdles in bringing back antique items, including the Kohinoor, Sharma said, "The objects taken away from the country prior to Independence including Kohinoor do not fall under the purview of Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972."



The issue of bringing back the Kohinoor was in after the government, in response to a PIL, said on April 18 that the precious diamond was neither stolen nor "forcibly" taken by the British but gifted to the East India Company by the erstwhile rulers of Punjab 167 years back.

However, after receiving flak for its stand, the government had said all efforts would be made to get back the diamond estimated to cost over USD 200 million.

Kohinoor, meaning mountain of light, is a large, colourless diamond that was found in southern India in early 14th century.

The 108-carat gem, which landed in British hands during the colonial era, is the subject of a historic ownership dispute and has been claimed by at least four countries, including India.
Amid opposition resistance, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today moved in the Lok Sabha the Uttarakhand budget for discussion, saying its passage was a constitutional requirement as "there was a serious doubt and cloud" whether the budget was approved by the state assembly on March 18.

The development came even as Uttarakhand is set to have a vote of confidence tomorrow to determine whether Congress leader Harish Rawat has enough numbers to retain power in the state that is currently under the President's Rule.

Moving the Appropriation Bill in the Lok Sabha, Jaitley said its passage will not have any bearing on the Vote of Confidence which will take place in the assembly tomorrow.

The Vote of Confidence in the state assembly can either restore the existing government, establish a new government or result in continuation of the President's rule, he said.

Jaitley said the state government, current or a new one, would be free to come out with its own budget as the Appropriation Bill seeks funds for only four months of the current fiscal.

Responding to objections over moving the bill, Jaitley said the state Governor had not given its approval to the budget and in absence of the approval, it could not be deemed to have been passed by the House on March 18.

Under the order of the Supreme Court, the President Rule will be suspended for two hours tomorrow in Uttarakhand to allow Harish Rawat government to seek vote of confidence in the state assembly.

Jaitley said the President's Rule was imposed in the



state as there was a constitutional crisis in the state with the Speaker approving the passage of the Budget rejecting the demand of division.

He said there is "serious doubt and cloud" on whether the Budget was passed on March 18 as majority of them members opposed its passage and demanded voting which was not accepted by the speaker.

Had the Central government not taken appropriate action by authorising the state to withdraw funds from consolidated fund of the state, there would have been the constitutional crisis, he said.

Responding to the criticism by Trinamool member Saugata Roy that the opinion of Uttarakhand Speaker should be final, Jaitley admitted that it cannot be questioned in the court of law but Centre under Article 356 could take action in case the government of a state fails to function in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

He said the Uttarakhand Speaker got the arithmetic wrong and declared the Budget as passed though the majority of members were against it and had also communicated the same to the Governor.

Opposing the passage of the Appropriation Bill, Gaurav Gogoi (Congress) said whatever has happened in the state is the "murder of the democracy" and questioned why the Appropriation Bill was brought a day before the floor testing in the assembly.

This government says it favours cooperative federalism but in fact it has been working for 'Congress-mukt Bharat' (Congress-free India), Gogoi said.

BJP-led government at the Centre is working to unseat democratically-elected governments in smaller states, he said.

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (BJP), former Uttarakhand Chief Minister, hit back at Congress for criticising the Modi government as he recalled that in 1992, it had imposed President's Rule in four states in one stroke.

He also cited the example of Madhu Koda government and Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand which were dismissed by the Congress government.

"Those who sit in glass houses should refrain from throwing stones on houses of others," he said.

Favouring the passage of the Bill on March 18, Nishank said whatever happened in the state assembly was unconstitutional.

He demanded that schemes which were there before 2010 should be implemented again and Vision 2020 of the previous government should also be put to effect.
Delhi government has ordered a magisterial enquiry into the unnatural death of a Class IX girl student of Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya in Wazirpur.

According to officials of its Education department, the girl complained of stomach ache on May 5, a day after she was given Iron Folic acid tablet.

School authorities had sent her home thinking "it was menstrual pain", the official said. The Delhi Police has initiated an inquest proceeding into the matter under Section 174 of CrPC.

"Parents took her to a local doctor who administered glucose. But after swelling was reported, she was shifted to Hindu Rao hospital where she died yesterday. The government has ordered an enquiry by SDM Saraswati Vihar into the death," said the official.

A senior police official said no complaint has been received so far in connection with the incident but police, treating it as a case of unnatural death, have initiated inquest proceeding under Section 174 of CrPC.

The postmortem report of the deceased is awaited, police said.
Greek lawmakers adopted a controversial package of pension cuts and tax hikes as euro zone finance ministers geared up for an emergency meeting to hammer out fresh reforms for Athens to stave off another euro zone crisis.

The ministers are expected to complete a long-stalled first review of Greece's massive EU-IMF bailout. There will be a discussion on new debt relief measures at a crunch meeting on Monday in Brussels. The meeting follows mass public opposition to the newly adopted measures in the cash-strapped country.

The talks have already suffered months of delay. Greece wants to wrap up the talks so that it can unlock the next tranche of its 86-billion-euro (US $ 95 bn) bailout ahead of a huge European Central Bank payment due in July.

In its official agenda the ministers from the 19 countries that use the euro said they would discuss the "progress achieved" by Greek and creditor officials in recent days on the reforms, "with a view to conclude them as soon as possible".

It added that it would "also discuss possible debt relief measures aiming at ensuring that Greece's gross financing needs remain at a sustainable level, with a view to reach a political agreement."

The meeting follows days of protests in Greece, where tens of thousands took to the streets to slam the unpopular reforms adopted yesterday.

The measures were passed thanks to the Syriza-led government's slim majority in the 300-seat parliament, with the 153 MPs of the far-left Syriza and the Independent Greeks coalition voting in favour of the measures.

As expected all the opposition parties voted against the bill, which will reduce Greece's highest pension payouts, merge several pension funds, increase contributions and raise taxes for those on medium and high incomes.

In the run-up to the parliamentary debate, angry unions staged a general strike that paralysed public transport for a third straight day on Aundy, while some 26,000 people took to the streets of Athens and Greece's second city Thessaloniki in protest at the pensions and tax overhaul.

Brief clashes erupted outside the parliament in Athens ahead of the vote, with youths throwing Molotov cocktails and flares at riot police who responded with volleys of tear gas.

"People are tired and disappointed by the leftist government in power. The rallies have not had the scale we had expected," said Maria, a private sector employee in her fifties who claims to be owed 30,000 euros (US $ 34,000) in back pay from her employer.
Maharashtra government has postponed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea scheduled for this month to September-end, citing prevailing drought in the state.

The grand memorial which, among other things, will consist of a record-breaking tall statue of the warrior king mounted on a horse and wielding a sword, has been planned in the sea off the Girgaum Chowpatty coast.

The government's move has invited criticism from the Opposition Congress and NCP, which have alleged the BJP-led ruling coalition is not serious about the issue and is merely playing politics in the name of Shivaji.

"The ceremony for Shivaji Maharaj memorial had been planned keeping in mind his stature. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even given an assurance of his presence on May 22 when the ground-breaking ceremony was to be performed," Vinayak Mete, Chairman of Shiv Smarak Samiti, told PTI.

The Samiti is overseeing the Maharashtra government's ambitious project.

The Wankhede Stadium in South Mumbai was chosen as the venue for a grand celebration after the foundation laying ceremony and invitation cards, too, were distributed, he said.

However, given the prevailing drought, it would not be appropriate to organise a grand celebration, Mete said.

"The drought condition in the State is only getting severe by the day. In such a situation, it would not be proper for us to hold grand celebrations in the name of Shivaji Maharaj. Keeping in mind the severe drought, we have decided to postpone it to September-end. The exact date will be finalised based on the PM's availability," said Mete, an MLC.

Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Al- Nasser Zakaria said the government is adopting delaying tactics as it is not ready with a definite plan.

"The BJP-led government is only interested in playing politics in the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji. They are deliberately delaying the ground-breaking ceremony as they do not have a definite plan for the memorial. The government recently organised a three-day Sindhudurg festival. Did the government not think of water scarcity then?" he asked.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said, "This government had used slogans in the name of Shivaji Maharaj while campaigning for the elections. They could have done a small programme and at least commenced work on the memorial. Not doing so only shows the government's lackadaisical attitude over the issue."



The government has already made a provision of Rs 100 crore for the memorial, which is to be completed by 2019.
A military dog has been hailed a hero after saving a team of British special forces from a group of 50 ISIS fighters who ambushed them in northern Iraq.

It is believed that the SAS soldiers were returning from a 10-day training programme for Peshmerga fighters.

The Alsatian, thought to have been trained by the US Army, was travelling with the group of British soldiers in a convoy of four vehicles.

The unsuspecting troops were caught unawares when they were trapped by a group of jihadis last month on the Kurdish border.

The convoy was hit by a homemade bomb as around 50 ISIS fighters attacked.

When the British forces attempted to move out, jihadis attacked them from behind.

A US soldier travelling with the convoy let the heroic dog off the leash.

The angry dog ran snarling towards the ISIS fighters. The first jihadi was bitten on the neck and face. The dog then slashed at the second fighter's arm and leg.

The two ISIS fighters ran away in terror after being savaged by the Alsatian.

The dog escaped the battle unhurt and has been hailed a hero by troops after saving the British team's lives, British media reported.

"When the dog was unleashed it went after the greatest threat without consideration for its own safety - this is what they are trained to do," Daily Star Sunday quoted a source as saying.

"A snarling Alsatian running at you is very frightening and probably not something the jihadis had encountered. The dog did its job and returned to its handler with its tail wagging," the source said.

It is thought that this is the first time that an attack dog has been used to directly save soldiers' lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, the reports said.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday said that it has completed Rs 4.77-crore Kumudvathi river rejuvenation project near Nelamangala in Bengaluru rural district.

Chief Managing Director (CMD) T Suvarna Raju has handed-over the project to the beneficiary village panchayats of Nelamangala taluk, the company said in a release.

It said the beneficiary villages from the project are Doddabele, Kalalghatta, Kodigehalli, Thyamagondlu, Hasurahalli, Budihal, Kuluvanahalli and Shivgange.

spent Rs 4.77 crore in the past two years on this project under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by joining hands with International Association for Human Values (IAHV), a sister organisation of the Art of Living to rejuvenate Kumudvathi river, a tributary of river Arkavathi that originates from Shivagange hills in Nelamangala Taluk of Bengaluru rural district.

The river once catered to 30 per cent of Bengaluru's water needs.

"Our efforts, we hope, gives a new lease of life to the natural habitat of the region and we will continue to support such ventures," Suvarna Raju said.

said it sponsored the work for Tavarekere (2014-15); Thymagondlu and Mondigere mini watersheds (2015-16) that included re-charging of wells (202), boulder checks (202), Injection Borewells (27), Water-pools (35) and planting of saplings (15,000).

Post three rain-cycles at the entire river basin, the expected results include revival of defunct borewells and open wells, protection of drinking water sources, rejuvenation of irrigation tanks leading to agro - horticulture developments, increase in natural vegetation and eco-restoration, it added.
Haldighati in Rajasthan, where Maharana Pratap fought the famous battle with Mughal Emperor Akbar, will be developed as a tourist destination, the Centre announced today as it released a commemorative coin to mark the 475th birth anniversary of the doughty ruler of Mewar.

The Centre will also provide Rs 9.50 crore to Rajasthan government for the construction of a multi-purpose indoor stadium at Khel Gaon in Udaipur in the memory of Maharana Pratap, besides developing a museum there named after him, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said.

"Maharana Pratap is known for his fearless fight to protect his people. He inspires us to continue our struggle till we attain the success. The Centre along with Rajasthan government will develop Haldighati as the tourist centre in memory of Maharana," Sharma said.

"A museum will also be developed and named after him in Udaipur," he added.

Maharana Pratap was the eldest son of Maharani Jaiwanta Bai and Udai Singh II, founder of Udaipur.

Renowned as a fearless warrior and an ingenious combat strategist, Pratap protected the Mewar region against repeated onslaughts from the Mughals and safeguarded his people until his death.

Ministry of Culture is celebrating the 475th Birth Anniversary year of Maharana Pratap during 2015-16 in association with Rajasthan government.

As part of the birth anniversary celebrations, Sharma released a commemorative coin of Rs 100 and a circulation coin of Rs 10 here.
Haryana government today said it has targeted to bring at least one-fourth of the total 36 lakh hectares of cultivable land under horticultural crops within the next 10 years.

This is aimed to increase income of farmers by making them break out of the wheat-paddy cycle.

Stating this here today, Agriculture Minister O P Dhankar, said this had been done in deference to the demands of the people of Delhi and of the National Capital Region (NCR).

A meeting in this regard would be held with the Union Agriculture Minister, Radha Mohan Singh, on May 11.

The Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar would also be present at the meeting which would be attended by senior officers of Agriculture, Cooperation, Animal Husbandry and Horticulture Departments and the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board.

He said peri-urban agriculture, to be promoted on the pattern of Beijing in China, would help in meeting the demand for milk and milk products, vegetables, fruits, flowers and poultry products in the NCR.

Other food products could be brought in from other states but it would be inconvenient and expensive to bring daily necessities from other states, he said.

Dhankar said since peri-urban agriculture involved higher capital investment as compared to the traditional agriculture, the state would seek financial assistance from National Capital Region Planning Board and the Union Ministry of Agriculture.

It necessitates setting up of a planned system of poly houses, steady market, crop management and distribution system.

E-Mandi would also be linked to peri-urban agriculture, he said.

Presently, only 4.9 lakh hectares of total cultivable land in Haryana is covered under horticultural crops.

Target has been set to double the land under horticulture in the next 10 years.

All departments have been asked to set yearly targets and work out schemes. Micro and drip irrigation system would be promoted, he added.

The Agriculture Department aims at increasing its reach in the Delhi and NCR markets through peri-urban agriculture.

Presently, Delhi depends on West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra for fruits and vegetables and Andhra Pradesh for poultry products.

Special emphasis is being laid on the production of mushroom in Sonepat district. A Special Purpose Vehicle has been set up for international fruit and vegetable market being set up in Ganaur for which a detailed project report is being prepared, he added.
Government has launched a health insurance mechanism for forest guards of Kaziranga Tiger reserve and also approved a revolving fund for it, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in a written reply said that despite several reminders to Assam authorities, the latter is yet to constitute the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF).

"Yes Sir. A revolving fund with a corpus of Rs 20 lakh has been approved by the government which shall be recouped on a case to case basis and has been institutionalized as a health insurance mechanism for forest guards of the Kaziranga Tiger reserve," he said.

He said that the Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam had submitted a proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for raising a Rhino Protection Force Battalion and not a Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF).

In September 2014, Environment Minister during his visit to the Kaziranga Tiger reserve took six decisions which included the constitution of a STPF comprising of 112 personnel which included one assistant conservator of forest, three range officers and 108 forest guards with 100 per cent central assistance of Rs 3.72 crore at that point of time.

This included a one time assistance of Rs 1.85 crore for raising new establishment including infrastructure and vehicles



and a perpetual assistance of Rs 1.87 crore for salaries of the personnel and recurring maintenance cost.

"The said decision was followed by a letter to the Assam Chief Minister by the Union Environment Minister in November 2014. Subsequently the NTCA has sent several reminders to the state authorities despite which the state is yet to constitute the said force," Javadekar said.
Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group and its allies won a vast majority of seats in areas where they ran in local elections in eastern Lebanon, the group's deputy leader said today, a day after the vote took place.

Judicial officials and election observers meanwhile were still counting ballots in Beirut, where a list of outsider candidates has challenged a unified political coalition for control of the municipality council.

A judge inside the ballot counting center, where all tallies were being completed by hand, said he and other officials had not slept in over 24 hours.

"We are short-staffed, and we've had to help each other out," the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri declared victory for the "Beirutis" coalition list before official results were announced.

The coalition is headed by Jamal Itani and is backed by groups from across the party spectrum, including Hariri's Saudi-backed Future Movement, the Iran-backed Amal group and the country's three main Christian parties.

Officials from a competing list, Beirut Madinati __ Arabic for "Beirut, My City" __ said they would not make any statements until official results were known. Madinati's candidates, who have portrayed themselves as non-affiliated technocrats, have vowed to clean up the capital's streets and politics in the wake of a monthslong trash crisis.

Local media reported that Madinati was leading in one of the capital's three districts.

The municipal elections held yesterday in only two areas of the country, the capital, Beirut, and the eastern Bekaa Valley region were the first vote in Lebanon since 2010.

The government has postponed parliamentary elections, citing security concerns linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria. Lebanon's parliament has failed to elect a president since May 2014 because of lack of quorum amid political disagreements.

Perhaps reflecting urban disillusionment with the political limbo, the turnout was low in Beirut, only 20 per cent, just slightly higher than the 18 percent who voted in 2010.

The Lebanese capital has seen low turnout in the past, in part because many eligible voters live outside the city. Many in Beirut assumed the vote would be delayed, like other elections.
The Madras High Court has dismissed the bail petitions of the parents of a girl and another accused in a case relating to the alleged honour killing of a Dalit youth at Udumalpet in March.

Vacation Judge P. Kalaiyarasan dismissed the criminal original petitions from the parents--Chinnasamy, Annalakshmi-- and V.Prasanna Kumar, observing that it was not conducive to free the petitioners on bail "under the present circumstances."



The matter relates to the March 14 attack on a couple by a gang using lethal weapons, in which Dalit youth Shankar (22) died and his caste Hindu wife Kausalya survived with grievous injuries.

Five persons, including the girl's parents, were arrested in connection with the case.

Declining to grant the bail, the judge in his order said "the fact remains that Kausalya belonging to Thevar community being a major married Sankar who belongs to SC community."



".... Considering all the aspects such as the release of the petitioners which will have its own impact on society where there are divisions and classes and the possibility of the petitioners tampering with evidence, it is not conducive to enlarge the petitioners on bail, not only in the interest of the petitioners and de facto complainant, but also in the interest of society," the judge said.
It is his all-time favourite part but Indian-origin star Kal Penn revealed that he almost lost the role of Gogol in Mira Nair's "The Namesake" due to his comedic image from "Harold & Kumar".

The 39-year-old actor said he had loved Jhumpa Lahiri's novel and even tried to buy the rights but Nair, who he credits for being one of the few people to have inspired him to join films, already had the rights with her.

Penn said he began an aggressive campaign to land the part but despite several calls and messages by him, his agent and manager, he failed to get any response from the director.

"I finally decided to write her a letter and tell her that she is one of the reasons that I am an actor... I told her that you have to audition me. Nothing happened for two weeks but then I got a call that Mira Nair wants to talk to me," Penn, 39, said at an event here.

The actor, however, was crestfallen after Nair told him that the role was already cast.

"When I met her, she said the role has already been cast and my 12-year-old son is a huge fan of 'Harold & Kumar'.

"She said, 'The biggest reason you are here is because my son and his friend have been telling me to audition you for the last six months. And I considered it until they dragged me to the computer to show me 'Harold & Kumar' and I knew you are absolutely the wrong choice'," Penn said while recalling his meeting with the director.

Penn said Nair had a change of heart after meeting him in person and luckily for him things did not work out with the other actor.

Comparing the story of "The Namesake" with the great American novel "The Catcher in the Rye", the actor said he could greatly identify with the part.

Also starring Irrfan and Tabu, "The Namesake" released in 2006 and went on to become a huge critical success.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is documenting history of sickle cell disease, a common hereditary disorder of blood, present in many tribes of India, in order to develop a better understanding of the disease.

Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen throughout the body. It causes red blood cells to form into a crescent shape, like a sickle, which clump together and stick to the walls of blood vessels, blocking blood flow. In it cells break apart easily, causing anemia.

A team of ICMR doctors have collected samples of blood from newborn children from mostly tribal population here with the help of NGO Seva Rural, and a total 104 such blood samples have been collected to include them in the study, Dr Yazdi Italia, chairman, Indian Society of Blood Transfusion & Immunohaematology (ISBTI) - West Zone, who is a part of the study, told PTI.

Some of these blood samples have been taken from newborn children from Jagadia in Madhya Pradesh to include them in the study, Italia said.

"All these children were diagnosed with sickle cell disease at the time of their birth through the hill prick blood samples taken on filter paper. These dry blood samples are processed at Valsad by HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography) technique," Italia said.

Modern techniques are being used to sample the blood, and sickle disease families of the newborn in the area are being provided with mobile phones by ICMR to monitor their case better, he said.

Doctors from National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH) are also assisting the study.

"Although sickle cell disease is the oldest abnormality known in medical history, natural history of the disease has never been documented before.

"So far, 8,517 dry blood samples of newborn babies were investigated of which 1,341 were found to be with sickle traits, and 104 were of sickle disease. All 104 sickle disease children were included in this project during the last three years," he said. A majority of patients are from poor background, he said.

The damaged sickle red blood cells also clump together and stick to the walls of blood vessels, blocking blood flow. This can cause severe pain and permanent damage to the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, bones, and spleen.
The administration of Mamit district on the Mizoram-Bangladesh border today issued an order prohibiting import of chicken, bird, duck and eggs from Bangladesh and Tripura.

Mamit district magistrate Lalbiaksangi issued the prohibitory order after it was learned that a bird flu outbreak had been recently reported in Bangladesh.

She also issued an order prohibiting transportation of pig and cow from other districts of Mizoram and also neighbouring Tripura and Bangladesh.

In some Mizoram districts, there is an outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Foot and Mouth Disease among the cattle.

At least 2,300 pigs have died due to PRRS in Champhai district on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, according to H Lalrinzuala, general secretary of the Champhai Area Vawk Vulh Association today.

Lalrinzuala told PTI over phone that there might be a number of pig deaths which went unreported.

The cause of deaths of pigs in south Mizoram's Lunglei and Lawngtlai districts were yet to be determined as the samples of the dead and sick pigs were being sent for tests to the laboratories.
India today denied any involvement in the internal political developments in Nepal which it described as purely political including Kathmandu's decision to recall its ambassador here.

"It is easy to blame external factors for your internal political issues. India has no role in the political happenings in Nepal. Even Nepal's decision to recall its envoy is purely political as he is a senior leader of Nepali Congress," a government source said here.

His remarks come in the wake of the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepal's envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay by the Nepalese government.

Upadhyay continued to stay put in his post here, after his country's government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the K P Oli dispensation back home.

Nepal has also dismissed rumours that it was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as "baseless" and aimed at damaging bilateral ties.

Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Rae's expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding the recall of Upadhyay.

Nepal had on Saturday cancelled the visit of Bhandari to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepal's unhappiness with India over the latter's alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.
An Indian scientist from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur city has been awarded a grant of SGD 3 million (about Rs 14.7 crore) by National Research Foundation to research in congenital and adult cardiovascular diseases.

The NRF, a department within the Prime Minister's Office, Singapore is responsible for developing strategies, policies and plans for research, innovation and enterprise.

Dr Manvendra K Singh, who is working as an assistant professor in the cardiovascular and metabolic disorders programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, said he that is among the seven young scientists from across the world to be endowed with the Singapore NRF fellowship to carry out cutting-edge research this year.

He has been awarded the fellowship to pursue research in the field of congenital and adult cardiovascular diseases.

Singh said his research interest is to study congenital and adult heart diseases, which are the leading causes of mortality worldwide. In Singapore, cardiovascular disease accounted for 30 per cent of the total deaths in 2014.

"Our laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms that regulate cardiovascular development, homeostasis and disease. Our goal is to understand how signaling pathways and transcriptional networks regulate cardiovascular cell lineages differentiation and their interaction during heart morphogenesis.

"Our work aims for better understanding of congenital human diseases of the heart by establishing mouse models for these disorders and delineating the molecular changes associated with them," he said.

Singh, also an adjunct assistant professor at National Heart Research Institute Singapore and Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

He did MSc Biotechnology from Madurai Kamaraj University before joining MD/PhD program in Molecular Medicine at Hannover Medical School, Germany.

Singh further said he has also been awarded PhD prize from Hannover Biomedical Research School, Germany for his PhD thesis, excellent performance as an international student and for his social and cultural engagement.

"Our long-term goal is to apply lessons learned from our developmental studies to better understand and treat cardiovascular diseases," he added.
Traders in Jammu and Kashmir have threatened to suspend business with their counterparts in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir alleging that they are resorting to monopoly.

The traders from both sides held a meeting at Chakan-da-Bagh crossing point in the district in which the Indian traders conveyed that Pakistan side must allow all the items agreed upon by both the sides to be traded from Chakan Da Bagh crossing point as well.

"There are several items which are traded from Uri in Kashmir, but the Pakistan side does not trade those items here,"



"The Pakistani traders also resort to unfair practices as they keep our fruit laden trucks for several days and then return the rotten fruits," Arun Kumar, an Indian trader said.
India has advised its nationals residing in Kuwait to comply with local residency and visa laws as a number of expatriates have been arrested for overstaying and other violations.

"Some expatriates have been arrested in Kuwait due to overstaying their residence visas and for other violations. Furthermore, there are reports about expatriates holding domestic worker visa being arrested as they were working in construction/private sectors, in violation of residency/visa rules," the Indian Embassy in Kuwait said in a statement.

"It is, therefore, incumbent upon all those holding Kuwaiti employment visa not to violate rules and regulations of Kuwait to stay legally in the country," the embassy statement said.

The Indian embassy in Kuwait has also advised Indians to keep their Civil ID (or Passport) with them for showing to the security officials during security checks.

According to the embassy, it will continue to issue travel documents (Emergency Certificates) to Indians facing deportation, particularly to those whose passport could not be retrieved from their sponsors.

"During the last four months (January - April 2016), a total of 2,220 Emergency Certificates (Travel Documents) were issued by the Indian Embassy to facilitate repatriation of Indian nationals in detention in Kuwait.

The Embassy would continue to assist Indian nationals overstaying in Kuwait for their repatriation by issuing travel documents (Emergency Certificates)," the statement said.

The number of Indians living legally in Kuwait has crossed 800,000, the largest expatriate community in the Arab country, according to the figures released by the Indian embassy last year.
A youth was apprehended today after he crossed over to the Indian side from across the border along the International Border in Jammu district.

The 22-year-old youth was arrested for inadvertently crossing in the belt, a BSF officer said.

This is the second such case in R S Pura Sector in past two days.

On Saturday, Sahanulla (38), a resident of Wajid Wali village in Chawinda in Sialkot district of Pakistan, was arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) when he crossed into the Indian side in Pindi area of the sector.
Bangladesh today began countdown for the execution of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami as he was shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from a suburban prison even as the Supreme Court released its full judgement reconfirming his death penalty for 1971 war crimes.

"Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and the three-other judges of the bench have signed the judgment dismissing his (Nizami's) review plea... We have released the full text of the judgment" required for its execution, a Supreme Court spokesman told reporters here.

He said the copies of the final judgment were being sent to Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), which originally handed down the death penalty. The trial court would send the documents to Dhaka's district magistrate and the prison department for "subsequent actions".

The full judgement was released hours after the 73-year- old convict was move to Central Jail from a suburban prison, signalling that his execution was imminent.

Meanwhile, elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces overnight joined the police in riot gears to enforce a tight vigil around the Central Jail, where the officials said the noose was ready for him to be hanged.

"I can't tell you when his (Nizami's) death sentence will be executed but I want to say that the verdict will be carried out after exhausting all legal procedures," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal told PTI.

Nizami's final appeal against his death sentence for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan was rejected by the Supreme Court on May 5.

"He (Nizami) heard himself the that the Supreme Court has rejected his final review petition (seeking reversal of its own previous judgment) as he has been provided with a one-band radio at his (prison) cell," a prison official said.

He said prison authorities were ready to execute the apex court verdict soon after the copy of the court judgment reached them but the procedure required them to ask the death row convict if he wanted to seek presidential clemency.

Jamaat on Saturday, however, said: "question doesn't arise at all to seek mercy to anybody else except Allah".

Nizami's his eldest son and lawyer Najib Momen supplemented the party statement, saying "he (Nizami) will not seek clemency to the President".

Momen's comments came after Nizami's family members including his wife saw him in Kashimpur jail on May 6 when they were allowed to meet him for 40 minutes.

President Abdul Hamid has earlier rejected two such prayers by 1971 war crimes convicts, including Nizami's top aide then, who were subsequently executed late last year.

A former minister in ex-premier Khaleda Zia's BNP-led four-party coalition government, Nizami has been in jail since 2010, when he was arrested to be tried 1971 war crimes.

He was given capital punishment in October 2014 by the tribunal after being convicted of "superior responsibility" as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr militia forces in 1971.

He was particularly found guilty of systematic killings of over 450 people alone in his own village. Four politicians have so far been hanged for war crimes since 2010.
A District Reserve Group (DRG) jawan was today injured inapressureIED blast, allegedly set off by Naxals, in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said.

The incident occurred at around 11.45 AM under Maraiguda police station limits on the under construction Maraiguda-Golapalli road, when a joint team of CRPF and DRG was patrolling in the area to provide security to the construction workers, a senior police official told PTI.

A composite squad of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and DRG was carrying out its operations in the region, located around 450 km from Raipur, he said.

Assistant constable Madkam Joga, belonging to DRG, inadvertently stepped over thepressurelandmine, triggering the explosion, the official said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured was evacuated to Bhadrachalam (Telangana), where he was admitted to a hospital, he said.

A combing operation was launched in the region to nab the ultras, police said.
The son of a JD(U) MLC in Bihar remained absconding two days after he allegedly shot dead a 20-year-old youth in a road rage incident even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today asserted that the accused cannot escape the "long arm of the law".

A bandh was observed in Gaya town in protest against the incident which gave ammunition to the NDA parties to hit out at the Nitish Kumar government with Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan even saying it is time to impose President's rule in the state.

Aditya Sachdeva was shot dead allegedly by JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi's son Rakesh Ranjan Yadav alias Rocky Kumar Yadav for overtaking his vehicle near police lines in Gaya district on Saturday night.

Raids are being conducted at several places for tracing Rocky who has been absconding since the incident, Magadh Zone DIG Saurabh Kumar said.

Rocky's father Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav alias Bindi Yadav, known in the area for his muscle and money power, and Manorama Devi's bodyguard Rajesh Kumar were arrested yesterday for allegedly helping the accused escape.

A Gaya court today remanded both--Bindi Yadav and Rajesh Kumar--to a 14-day judicial custody in connection with the case.

Shops and business establishments in Gaya remained shut in view of the bandh called by the BJP and some social and political outfits in protest against the incident.

Talking to reporters after the 'Janata ke Darbar me Mukhya Mantri' programme in Patna, Nitish Kumar rejected the opposition barb of "return of jungle raj" in the wake of the youth's murder.

"...(the jungle raj barb) is a subjective approach of the BJP. For them the person committing a crime is more important. But for me the incident is more significant irrespective of the person or his family's standing," Kumar said.

"An SIT has been constituted and the police is on hot pursuit of the fugitive offender....The police is working independently without any influence from any quarter," he said.

Kumar was reacting to a question on BJP observing a bandh in Gaya today to protest against "return of jungle raj".

Asked if action would be initiated also against Manorama Devi, the Chief Minister did not give a categorical answer but said "a thorough probe is on in the incident and nobody would be spared."



"How long can one run away from the long arm of law ?" the CM asked.

Protesters, led by the Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar, took out a procession near Kotwali police station raising slogans against the state government and demanding arrest of the culprits. They were later detained by the police.

"This is the right time to impose President's rule in Bihar," Paswan told reporters in Patna.

Union minister Uma Bharti came down heavily on the Nitish Kumar government for the "deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar" and said the Gaya incident showed that people belonging to the ruling alliance were drunk with power.
Superstar Johnny Depp has mocked his Australian dog drama by apologising for "not smuggling" his pets into the UK for his press tour.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star and his wife Amber Heard were mocked in April for making a public apology video to make amends to the Australian government after she failed to file the correct paperwork when she brought their dogs Pistol and Boo into Australia last year, reported BBC online.

The actress pleaded guilty to one count of falsifying quarantine documents, while two charges of illegal importation of an animal were dropped, and she escaped conviction and was ordered to pay a 700 pound fine.

Depp poked fun at the scandal at the London press conference for "Alice Through the Looking Glass", the sequel to 2010's "Alice in Wonderland" by making a public statement as host Edith Bowman wrapped up the event.

"I'm going to do this everywhere I go," he said.
The National Commission for Women today urged the Election Commission to order a "fair" probe into the rape and murder of a 30-year-old Dalit woman in poll-bound Kerala, saying "electoral considerations" were affecting the police investigation in the case.

A three-member NCW delegation led by Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam met the Chief Election Commissioner and apprised him of the "administrative apathy" in probing the incident.

"There is a probability that the probe is not being conducted as rigorously as possible due to electoral considerations . As Kerala is going to polls, it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to take serious note of the issue that can easily escalate to a serious law and order problem.

"Therefore, I request your office to take immediate cognizance of the matter and ensure a fair probe into it," Kumaramangalam said in an NCW report submitted to the EC.

She said NCW had taken suo moto cognizance of the incident and set up an inquiry committee which found several lapses.

"NCW found that there were several gaping holes in the investigation. All avenues of the matter were not explored and it seemed that the administration was merely searching for a scapegoat rather than conducting the inquiry in a fair and impartial manner.

"It was also observed that police conducted the probe in a lackadaisical and apathetic manner. For example, postmortem was allegedly conducted by a post-graduate student and the crime scene was compromised," the report alleged.
Union minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot, who recently visited Kerala and met the family of the Dalit woman who was brutally raped and killed in Ernakulam district, today tabled a report in Parliament alleging laxity and delay in the police probe into the case.

"It is not clear exactly when the District Collector was informed of the incident. The initial probe started with the charge of murder. Relevant sections of rape were added later. The postmortem report was available after four days of the incident. Evidence from the crime scene could have been lost in between.

"Since the deceased was from the SC community, a senior police officer of the level of Deputy SP should have been entrusted with the investigation at the outset without waiting for the apprehension of the accused," the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment said in the report.

Considering the "severity and sensisivity" of the crime, an SIT should have been formed at the very outset, he said and questioned why an FIR in the case was not lodged by the victim's mother, despite her being present at the crime scene, but by a panchayat member.

The postmortem did not specifically mention rape. However, Section 376 of IPC was added to it on April 29. Also, there was a delay of four days in submitting the report to court which was not adequately explained, Gehlot said.

"Despite all efforts, the suspected accused persons have not been apprehended and this is a matter of great anxiety and concern. The relative isolation of the family, unwillingness of the neighbor immediately after the incident to disclose facts relating to the occurrence and withdrawal of the deceased's sister into silence have deprived the investigation team of vital information," he said.

Gehlot said he brought these aspects to the notice of the Dictrict Collector and the SP at a meeting and asked them to ensure that they are taken into account in the process of investigation.

The minister said he had met the woman's mother and also interacted with a medical officer about the treatment being given to her.

"The mother was psychologically affected by the tragic incident. She was disturbed and disconsolate. I consoled her and promised her that justice to the victim would be ensured and all appropriate assistance to the family would be given," he said.

"It is reported that the woman belonged to Scheduled Caste as her father belonged to Scheduled Caste. The mother is reportedly from Backward Class. She was a student of law and a dancer. The family appears to be extremely poor with the daughter earning and partly and occasionally supporting the family," he said in his report.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs.10 lakhs to the victim's family and promised a job for her sister which is pending clearance by the Election Commission. Under Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) rules 2016, the family will be entitled to further compensation of Rs. 8.25 lakhs, he said.

"Also, under Dr Ambedkar National Relief scheme for Scheduled Caste Victims of Atrocities, the family will be entitled to one-time aid of Rs 5 lakhs for murder and Rs 2 lakhs for rape on the forwarding of the report by the District Collector and the state government. The amount will be released by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment," Gehlot said.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today denied Bhupinder Singh Hooda's accusation that the state government was "taking revenge" against him by registering a case in reallotment of a plot to AJL.

Khattar said it was Hooda himself who had, during the Vidhan Sabha session, demanded that irregularities committed in any area should be investigated in a fair manner and action should be taken against the guilty.

Hooda had even said that if found guilty, action should be taken against him as well, Khattar said.

The Haryana CM was reacting to Hooda's accusation that state government was following a policy of 'badla'.

Khattar said the issue has been investigated by the Vigilance Bureau, which is taking action against those who have been found guilty in the investigation.

He said the BJP was not acting out of a feeling of revenge, adding that Hooda was now becoming restless.

State government had announced a zero-tolerance policy for corruption and staying true to its promise, was investigating such issues without bias, he said adding that action would be taken against those indulging in corrupt practices, regardless of their political affiliation.

Replying to a question over allotment of plots in Gurgaon on first come, first served basis, he said Dhingra Commission has been constituted to investigate the issue and whosoever would be found guilty in the investigation, would face stern action.
Police have rescued a two-year-old boy kidnapped from the city over the weekend and arrested the abductor from Surat.

Arnav Patil was abducted from his aunt's house allegedly by Shyam Mandal (25) in suburban Malad on Saturday, police said today.

According to the victim's mother, she used to work with Shyam at a hospital in Goregaon five years back, where they became friends, a police officer said.

However, she broke friendship with Shyam over some dispute and also blocked his mobile number about 15 days back, he said.

On Saturday, Shyam went to the toddler's mother's house and had a heated argument with her, the official said, adding later that evening, the boy was kidnapped from his aunt's house.

Acting on a complaint filed by the victim's mother, police launched a manhunt for Shyam.

During investigation it came to the fore that he had fled to Surat. A team of Malwani Police, where the complaint was filed, went to the diamond city and tracked down Shyam yesterday, the officer said.

The policemen rescued Arnav from the abductor's clutches and reunited him with his mother later in the day.

The accused was arrested and booked for kidnapping, he said, adding a probe was on to find out the motive behind the crime.
The third edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale, to be held from December 12 this year to March 29, 2017, will feature internationally-reputed writers, musicians and theatre personalities along with a host of visual artistes from across India and the world.

Iconic Chilean poet Raul Zurita, who was announced as the first artist at KMB'16 on December 15, 2015, would be among them, they said.

"The upcoming Biennale will host works by artists working across a range of media - in keeping with its mandate to broaden and blur the labels and lines attributed to art," said KMB'16 curator Sudarshan Shetty.

Shetty was unanimously chosen as curator by an Artistic Advisory Committee appointed by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), which organises the Biennale.

KMB'16 will be Shetty's first curatorial project.

Claimed to be the largest event of its kind in South Asia, KMB'16 will run for 108 days from December 12, 2016, to March 29, 2017, and will comprise the main art exhibition and an ancillary programme of talks, seminars, workshops, film screenings, and music sessions across a range of venues in Fort Kochi and Ernakulam.
Kuwait has imposed a ban on imports of poultry products from India in the wake of bird flu outbreak in Tripura on January 4, Parliament was informed today.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that information is being shared to sensitise the importing countries that establishment based compartmentalisation is possible in India and the same may be considered for import of the products from India.

"In the wake of incidence of outbreak of bird flu in Tripura on January 4, Kuwait has imposed a ban on imports of poultry products from India," she said.

The export of poultry products to Kuwait during December 2015 was USD 0.05 million (Rs 0.33 crore) and in January and February 2016 it was Rs 0.65 crore and Rs 0.17 crore, respectively.

Replying to a separate question, she said the government has "not" given any licence for import of Chinese fireworks so far.

All the chief ministers of states have been asked to direct the concerned authorities to keep a close vigil on clandestine imports and its sale, she said.

"Advertisements were also published in various national and regional newspapers across the country to sensitise public against using illegally imported fireworks and their harmful effects," she added.

Department of Revenue Intelligence and customs authorities have also been sensitised to confiscate clandestinely imported fireworks and taking appropriate action against illegal importers and sellers.

In 2015-16, 12.7 tonnes of fireworks have been exported from India. In the same fiscal, 1,19,972 tonnes of fireworks have been produced in and around Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lee Daniels has exited the long-gestating movie about legendary comic Richard Pryor due to his busy schedule.

The Weinstein Co, which is behind the film, is said to have declined to wait further for Daniels' schedule to clear up.

He is an executive producer on Fox's smash television drama "Empire", and he has another project at the network, Star, that is requiring a significant time commitment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Weinstein Co, which declined to comment, currently is searching for another helmer and made initial overtures to several filmmakers this weekend.

"Richard Pryor: Is It Something I Said?", from a script by Bill Condon, chronicles the life of the groundbreaking comedian, who rose to prominence in the 1970s before enjoying a film and television career and succumbing to Parkinson's disease.

The project has been in development in various incarnations for more than a decade (Pryor himself had a hand in it before his death in 2005).

The current version has a star-studded cast set, including Mike Epps as Pryor, Oprah Winfrey as his grandmother and Kate Hudson as Pryor's widow Jennifer Lee Pryor.

It's unclear if any castmembers will exit with Daniels or if a new filmmaker will want revisions to the script.
Lok Sabha today remembered Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am air hostess who died saving passengers on a hijacked flight in 1986, during a discussion on the Anti-Hijacking Bill 2016.

Participating in the debate over the bill, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said she gave her life while securing the passengers.

Saugata Roy (TMC) said she was a courageous lady and a film was also made on her recently.

Supporting the bill, B N Goud (TRS) said that proper mechanism should in place for compensating the victims.

Remembering Bhanot, he said Pan Am was a US-based company and they had not provided any compensation to Indian crew members.

Bhanot, the senior-most flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, was shot dead by terrorists who had hijacked the flight in Karachi on September 5, 1986, during her courageous bid to save the lives of passengers.

She became the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime military award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra.
On the eve of floor test in Uttarakhand, the Lok Sabha today passed the four-month budget for the state with the government insisting that it was a constitutional requirement even as several opposition parties questioned the "haste" in view of tomorrow's action.

Piloting the Appropriation Bill, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Parliament has to pass the bill "irrespective of what happens tomorrow" as it had made provisions for expenditure in the state since April 1.

Congress, whose government led by Harish Rawat had been dismissed in March, staged a walkout to protest the government action of piloting the bill. The bill was passed by voice vote in its absence.

The development came even as Uttarakhand is set to have a vote of confidence tomorrow to determine whether Congress leader Harish Rawat has enough numbers to retain power in the state that is currently under the President's Rule.

Responding to criticism by various parties for imposing the President's Rule in Uttarakhand, Jaitley put up a strong defence, arguing that the state would have otherwise plunged into a constitutional crisis.

Though he agreed with views of several members that the decisions of Speakers could not be a subject of judicial approval, he wondered what will happen if a Speaker declared the majority as minority and vice-versa as was done by, according to him, by the Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker.

"There was a serious doubt and cloud" whether the budget was approved by the state assembly on March 18, he said.

"The rule is floor test. What if a Speaker refuses to test the floor? What if a Speaker says I will change the characteristic of the floor and then test it?... The majority failed the budget but the Speaker passed," he said defending the imposition of the President's rule.

"Constitution envisages the rule by majority not rule by manipulative majority," he said and then later wondered if democracy will be held to ransom by such a a malafide.

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge accused the government of "murdering" democracy and the constitution as he led a walkout by his party.

Kalikesh Singh Deo (BJD) also opposed the imposition of Section 356, under which a state government is dismissed and the President's rule imposed, saying it has its roots in the British raj and has often been misused.

Jaitley said there are several judicial decisions,



including the Bommai judgement, and that courts have shown tendencies to be "carried by times".

While moving the Appropriation Bill for consideration, Jaitley said its passage will not have any bearing on the Vote of Confidence which will take place in the assembly tomorrow.

The Vote of Confidence in the state assembly can either restore the existing government, establish a new government or result in continuation of the President's rule, he said.

Jaitley said the state government, current or a new one, would be free to come out with its own budget as the Appropriation Bill seeks funds for only four months of the current fiscal.

Responding to objections over moving the bill, Jaitley said the state Governor had not given its approval to the budget and in absence of the approval, it could not be deemed to have been passed by the House on March 18.

Under the order of the Supreme Court, the President Rule will be suspended for two hours tomorrow in Uttarakhand to allow Harish Rawat government to seek vote of confidence in the state assembly.
In the wake of acute water shortage in various parts of Maharashtra, state government has informed Bombay High Court it would declare in over 29,000 villages in the state and all relief prescribed in the Manual, 2009 would be provided.

The government in its reply to a batch of PILs on water shortage issue, has told the court that it would issue a corrigendum and clarify that wherever reference is made to a 'drought-like situation' and 'drought-affected areas', the same should be read as 'drought'.

The affidavit said last week the government was strictly implementing various schemes and taking various measures to mitigate the water scarcity in drought-hit areas and more particularly in Marathwada and Vidharbha regions.

The court also took note of the contention of Acting Advocate General Rohit Deoit that it would not be possible for the government to supply drinking water daily to all districts but it would be supplied on a regular basis.

Deo assured the court that potable water would be supplied to all districts affected by regularly till the onset of the monsoon.

The government had earlier told the high court, which is hearing the PILs, that it had declared 'drought-like situation' in over 29,000 villages in Maharashtra.

One of the petitioners, Sanjay Lakhe Patil had alleged last week that the government has failed to implement the Drought Manual of 2009 as well as the Drought Management Plan, 2005.

He had submitted that the state government has deliberately not declared drought in Maharashtra or in the actually affected areas.

"This was done in order to ensure that additional relief which is normally given to villages which are declared as drought-hit villages is not given and these villages have been avoided," Patil had argued.

After perusing the affidavit, the court had noted, "Prima facie we are satisfied that the government has given a serious thought and has considered this issue in detail and is taking immediate steps for the purpose of ensuring that in the month of May and part of June this year all adequate measures as mentioned in the Drought Manual are being undertaken."



The court posted the petitions for hearing on May 24 to ensure that the government is implementing the provisions under the manual.
Mark Rylance is celebrating once more after scoring the leading actor prize at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) TV Awards.

The 56-year-old earned both an Oscar and BAFTA Film award for his role in "Bridge of Spies", and he locked up another accolade at the London ceremony for his work in acclaimed series "Wolf Hall", reported Daily Mirror.

Surprisingly, Rylance admitted winning the TV trophy was actually more nerve wracking than the other high-profile prizegivings he's attended this year.

"I'm so much more nervous at this ceremony tonight than I've (been)... Because I've been rather celebrated this year, more than is good for any man!



"(I've been) at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, and Australian Academy Awards, but this - the quality of the talent here, and the wit and everything tonight, it makes you want to stay home and watch television. But I was more nervous than I've ever been than any of those other things."



The historical miniseries, which also stars Damian Lewis, was also given the drama series trophy, beating out the likes of "Humans", "The Last Panthers", and "No Offence".

New mother Suranne Jones was named leading actress for her role in "Doctor Foster", while other acting nods went to supporting actor Tom Courtenay for "Unforgotten", and supporting actress Chanel Cresswell for "This Is England '90", which also won the miniseries trophy.

Another double winner was Peter Kay's "Car Share", earning the Scripted Comedy prize as Kay landed the Male Performance in a Comedy Programme award.

Other winners included "Transparent" (International Series), "EastEnders" (Soap and Continuing Drama), Michaela Coel (Female Performance In A Comedy Program, Chewing Gum), and "The Great British Bake Off" (Features).

Lenny Henry was also presented with the Alan Clarke prize, named in honour of the late TV director, for his outstanding contribution to television.
The Supreme Court today hinted that it may consider relaxing its order banning registration of new diesel luxury cars and SUVs with an engine capacity of over 2000 cc in Delhi and National Capital Region.

"Primarily, we are of the view that diesel vehicles cause more pollution than other vehicles. We may be right, we may be wrong. We are open to modifying it," a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur said.

The court also asked Delhi government, Environment Pollution Control Authority and taxi owners association to give a concrete road map for phasing out diesel taxis from NCR.

The apex court also indicated that all diesel cars, depending on their price and engine capacity, must pay one-time environment cess which would be determined after deliberations.

"We may start a symbolic cess on any person who is buying a diesel vehicle which would be a one-time cess. What should be the scale, price, engine capacity is the thing to be deliberated upon. There has to be a rational basis to decide that," the bench, also comprising Justices R Banumathi and A K Sikri, said.

The observation came after Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said that diesel was not the only "evil" responsible for the pollution and other fuels like CNG and petrol also pollute the environment.

He said that petrol emits carbon monoxide, CNG vehicles release oxides of nitrogen while diesel emits particulate matters all of which are polluting agents.

He further said the Centre has initiated "Make-in-India" policy and automobile sector cannot be held responsible for pollution.

"If any automobile manufacturer is carrying out his business as per laws of the country, then putting any restrictions beyond those in law would not help in any way. Manufacturers cannot be held responsible for pollution in the environment," he said.

Referring to the 2015 IIT-Kanpur study, the Solicitor General said that other sources of pollution like dust, stubble burning etc cannot be undermined which contribute significantly to the pollution in the environment.

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The Solicitor General said there are emission standards specified under Motor Vehicles Rules. Elaborating on the steps taken by the union government to reduce pollution, he said the Centre has imposed a ban on 15-year-old petrol vehicles besides a ban on 10-year-old diesel vehicles.

"We have also enforced the ban on registration of new diesel luxury cars and SUVs with an engine capacity of over 2000 cc. A notification was also issued in December 2015 declaring a ban on burning of stubble," he said.

The bench then asked "how are you enforcing these rules? Laws are there but the real problem is of enforcement. Ban is imposed in Delhi. What have you done to enforce similar ban in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan etc. You always say that you have launched a drive. Why don't you enforce ban in these areas?



"There is a problem of enforcement in this country. As a central government, what is your concern that you have for pollution? The reduction in stubble burning is not because of you, it is because there is no stubble. Have you prosecuted people for stubble burning? Why did you not issue a notification on stubble before December last year," the bench said.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for IT industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), told the court that restriction on plying of diesel run taxis in Delhi and NCR has crippled the transportation of BPO staff as there is paucity of cabs.

Sibal said the order has crippled their business and he requested the court to allow cabs that ferry BPO employees to be exempted from the ban order.

"Our global business will suffer. Lift the ban temporarily and give us some time. Otherwise, the whole business will go outside the country," he said adding the sector employees of 2,50,000 people in NCR are ferried mostly by diesel cabs.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today watched a rare celestial event, Mercury's transit of the Sun, at the University of Kashmir (KU) here.

Because of cloudy weather, she watched the event through live transmission.

President, Astronomical Society of India, Prof Ajit Kembhari, explained the spectacle to the Chief Minister, which occurs only when the Sun, the Mercury and the Earth are lined up in one plane.

This occurs only a dozen or so times in a century and will occur next in 2032, Kembhari said.

The Chief Minister was also briefed about the need to set up a centre of astrophysics in Kashmir University for popularising the culture of exploration and inculcating scientific thinking among aspiring students, an official spokesperson said.

Education Minister Naeem Akhter floated the idea of introducing astrophysics as a subject at undergraduate level while Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Khursheed Iqbal Andrabi, underlined the need for setting up an observatory in Kashmir to help promote astronomy as a subject, he said.

Mufti presented a telescope to a group of young girl students.

Director of Indian Institute of Astrophysics Prof Sree Kumaar, Secretary ASI Prof D Banerjee, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Farooq Ahmed Lone and Director School Education Shah Faisal were also present on the occasion.
Australian model Miranda Kerr is moving in with her billionaire boyfriend Evan Spiegel after purchasing their first home together.

The couple, which began dating in June 2015, sealed the deal on a four-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion in Brentwood, California, reported TMZ.

The property, designed by famed architect Gerard Colcord, had been on the market for USD 12.5 million, but Kerr, 33, and Snapchat co-founder Spiegel reportedly snagged the pad at a slight discount, paying USD 12 million instead.

The main house also boasts a pool and a home gym.

The emerges three months after Kerr and her 25-year-old boyfriend made their red carpet debut together at a pre-Grammy Awards party in February.

The model also shared her first photos of the couple's romance on social media in March, when she posted a number of sweet shots from their trip to Washington, DC on Instagram.
Indian-American star Kal Penn, best known for his roles in "Harold & Kumar" and "The Namesake", says most Americans don't agree with controversial presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's racist views.

Trump has emerged as the front-runner to the alarm of many Americans who oppose the billionaire's controversial comments on racism, foreign policy and immigration. He is poised to clash with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in November.

"Most Americans do not agree with Donald Trump's racist, anti-women, anti-LGBT practice. We are not that country. Hopefully, that will prove itself," Penn, 39, said during an event here.

Penn, who campaigned extensively for President Barack Obama during the 2008 elections and served as Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, said there are many who still did not vote for Trump despite him emerging as a front-runner.

Talking about the time he spent campaigning for the current President, Penn said he heard Obama in one of the closed door events and was really impressed with what he had to say.

Penn said he did not have a lot of work as there was a strike by Hollywood scriptwriters in 2007-08 so he decided to go to Iowa for a weekend trip but ended up spending more than two months.

The actor said it was not "weird" to work in the Obama administration as "it is an honour to serve your country".

Penn took his role seriously as he was worried about messing up things and being criticised in the papers.
A 34-year-old woman from here was tortured to death by her employer in Saudi Arabia, her mother has alleged.

A complaint was received by Reinbazar police from Ghousia Khtoom, a resident of Chadarghat, alleging that her daughter, who left for Saudi Arabia last December, was tortured by her master, which subsequently led to her death.

"Khtoom alleged that she received a call on May 2 from Saudi Arabia saying her daughter had some chest complaint and was admitted to a hospital and died on the same day," police inspector G Ramesh told PTI today.

"Through the Telangana government, police have requested the Indian Embassy (in Saudi Arabia) there to help bring her body here. Khtoom alleged that her daughter died due to the torture meted out to her," the officer said.

A case has been registered and investigations are underway, he said.
A 16-year-old Catholic girl who converted to Islam has been banned from attending a school in France for wearing a long skirt that was deemed an "ostentatious religious symbol" by the headmaster.

The skirt -- popular among some Muslim women -- reached beyond her knees and down to her sneakers, the Nouvel Obs newspaper reported.

The headmaster of the Seine-et-Marne school, in the outer suburbs of Paris, reportedly deemed that the skirt "conspicuously" showed religious affiliation, which is banned in schools by France's strict secularity laws.

According to the 2004 law that governs secularity in schools, veils, the Jewish kippa or large Christian crosses are all banned in educational establishments, but "discreet religious signs" are allowed.

The mother of the teenage girl has lodged her complaint with the school authorities, The Local France reported.

A meeting is to be held at the school with the girl's parents to try to resolve the dispute.

"Yes, my daughter, who is Franco-Portuguese and from a Catholic family, has converted to Islam," Marie-Christine de Sousa was quoted as saying.

"I've always supported her choices and decisions. Earlier this year, I allowed her to wear the veil, which she takes off before going into the school. She wears long dresses for school," she said.

The family of the girl is already planning legal action, the paper reported.

France was rocked by a similar case in April last year when a girl with a long skirt was also barred from class.

"Wearing a long skirt is nothing ostentatious. This is more due to mass hysteria," Abdallah Zekri, president of the National Observatory against Islamophobia, had said at the time.
Chinese state-run media today played down North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's pledge not to use nuclear weapons unless his country's sovereignty is threatened, saying that his pursuit of atomic arms remained dangerous.

Beijing is Pyongyang's main diplomatic protector and source of trade and aid, but relations between them have become increasingly strained by the North's nuclear ambitions, and Kim has yet to visit his neighbour.

The North's first ruling party congress in nearly 40 years formally endorsed Kim's policy of expanding the country's nuclear arsenal, after he said it would not use the weapons unless attacked, and would work for global denuclearisation.

But the international community and the United Nations have long demanded an end to the North's nuclear and missile programmes.

Kim's declaration "was made from the perspective that North Korea is now a nuclear state", China's Global Times newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist party, said in an editorial.

As such, it said, its "attitude has not changed, and neither has its biggest contradiction with the outside world been resolved".

"Major countries will not change their stance to recognise North Korea as a nuclear state," it added. "As long as Pyongyang resists giving up its nuclear weapons, normalising relations with the outside world will be highly unlikely."



China's foreign ministry said that Beijing's position on the nuclear question "remains unchanged" following the weekend's events.

"We maintain that all resolutions of the UN Security Council related to the issue should be applied by all the parties," spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular briefing.

There were no Chinese representatives at the Workers' Party gathering, the Global Times reported last week, although a large delegation attended the previous congress in 1980 headed by Li Xiannian, later China's official head of state.

Beijing has been reluctant to take measures against the North, fearing that a crisis could send floods of refugees into its territory. It also views as anathema the prospect of US troops on its border in a reunified Korea.

The North's nuclear programme had been a factor in the US and South Korea "constantly upgrading their military preparation for strikes against Pyongyang", the newspaper said.

"The crazy logic of contemporary international politics has become a game of who will blink first," it added.
A Navi Mumbai-based builder today allegedly attempted suicide by shooting himself with his revolver at his residence in Sandapa, police said.

Raj Khanderi tried to end his life by shooting himself in the head at around 2.30 PM while he was in his bedroom, an official of Navi Mumbai police said.

The builder, who sustained injuries, was rushed to the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital, the officer said.

Police suspect that the builder was under depression.

His condition is said to be critical, police said, adding investigations are underway.

On October 7 last year, Thane-based builder Suraj Parmar had allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself, apparently because he was fed up with government's regulations and problems being faced by realty developers.

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44-year-old Khanderi, had come home as usual for lunch



and when his maid was about to serve him, he went inside his bedroom and shot himself, police said.

At the time of the incident, his mother and the maid were present in the house, they said.

Police refused to give details on whether the builder had left any suicide note or not.

"We will record statements of the family members and other people concerned and are checking the call detail records of Khanderi to know who he was in touch with and whether he had received any threat calls," police added.
has dismissed rumours that the government was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as "baseless" and aimed at damaging bilateral ties.

Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Rae's expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepal's envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay by the Nepalese government.

Media reports had suggested that the government was preparing to declare Rae persona non-grata, meaning his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

However, the Nepalese government rubbished such rumours with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa terming them as "baseless".

"Some media speculation regarding govt mulling expulsion of Indian Ambassador Rae is baseless and aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations," Thapa tweeted.

Nepal's Ambassador to India Upadhyay has continued to stay put in his post in New Delhi, two days after his country's government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the K P Oli dispensation back home.

had on Friday cancelled the visit of its president to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepal's unhappiness with India over the latter's alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.
The new Superintendent of Police of Visakhapatnam Rural, who took charge today, said curbing the Maoist menace, checking ganja smuggling and illegal sand mining are his top priorities.

Rahul Dev Sharma, who succeeded Koya Praveen as the new SP, said he will continue the policing initiatives started by his predecessor.

After assuming charge, the 2010-batch IPS officer told the media his top priorities would be to curb the Maoist menace in Visakhapatnam Agency (which houses mainly tribal communities), check ganja smuggling and illegal sand mining.

Sharma said he will focus on implementing people- friendly policing in the district.

On the Maoist problem, he said besides Visakhapatnam, its neighbouring districts of Vizianagaram and East Godavari, too, are affected by Naxalism.

"I have some understanding of Left-Wing Extremism since I worked as ASP (Assistant SP) of Parvathipuram in Vizianagaram district. I will visit the affected areas of Vizag Agency for a better understanding of the issue."



The SP promised to take steps to reduce road accidents on the NH-16 stretch passing through the district.

The IPS officer earlier worked in Vizianagaram, Kadapa districts and also as SP (CID).
The NIA is likely to file its charge sheet in the 2008 Malegaon bombings by alleged Hindu terror outfit Abhinav Bharat this month, the anti-terror probe agency said today, days after the Supreme Court asked it to complete the investigation at the earliest.

NIA Director General Sharad Kumar said the probe in the case has been completed and a charge sheet would be filed before the competent court in Mumbai "most probably within this month".

He denied there was any deliberate delay in submitting the charge sheet and said several accused arrested by Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad had filed cases in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court.

"Once the courts cleared all the litigations, we expedited our process of filing the charge sheet in the case," Kumar told PTI here.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has listed 14 persons including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit as accused in the blasts in Malegaon town in Nashik district of Maharashtra on September 29, 2008 in which seven people were killed when two bombs planted on a motorcycle exploded.

The probe was initially conducted by the Maharashtra ATS and later handed over to the NIA.

Besides Purohit, Pragya Singh Thakur, Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Shyam Sahu, Ramesh Upadhya, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay, Rakesh Dhawade, Jagdish Mhatre, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Pravin Takalki have been arrested.

Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, who are accused in 2007 Samjhuata train blast also, have been named as absconders in this case.

Malegaon 2008 blasts changed the course of many probes including the one in Samjhauta train blast case in which 68 people had been killed. It was for the first time that the role of a Hindu right wing group had come to light in a terror attack. The case was investigated initially by Joint Commissioner of Mumbai's ATS Hemant Karkare who was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai attack.

Before the NIA took over the case in 2011, Maharashtra ATS had booked 16 people but filed charge sheets on January 20, 2009 and April 21, 2011 against 14 accused in a Mumbai court.

Purohit and Pragya had moved several applications before Bombay High Court and Supreme Court challenging the charge sheet and applicability of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.

The accused have denied any involvement in the twin blasts that rocked Malegaon on September 29, 2008 that left seven dead and several wounded. They have also refuted being co-conspirators in any organised crime syndicate.
Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) President Nitish Kumar today termed the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualification as a "non-issue".

"For me these are non-issues," he said replying to a question by media on BJP President Amit Shah and Union Minister Arun Jaitley seeking a public apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for kicking off the controversy.

"First they (BJP) should express regret for uttering filth during Bihar (assembly) polls (held last year)," he said.

He was apparently hinting at the "DNA" comments made by Modi against him and other barbs by BJP ministers and leaders during the Bihar assembly poll.

On Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Vice-president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leading a march in Delhi recently against the NDA government, Kumar said "They (BJP) are more interested in hitting at a person rather than discussing policy."



"They applied the same tactics on me too by making personal attacks in place of highlighting the short-comings of my government's policies," Kumar said.

On his proposed visit to Dhanbad in Jharkhand tomorrow to take part in a programme against prohibition and receiving congratulatory messages from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan for imposing a complete ban on alcohol in Bihar, Kumar said, "Bihar has started a social revolution by imposing liquor ban. Wherever I am called for a programme on prohibition, I will accept it."



Kumar said he had not yet received any communication from the External Affairs ministry about any invitation to him from Nepal government for a visit to Lumbini on May 21 to take part in a Buddha Purnima programme along with the Prime Minister.

The security was tight at the 'Janata ke Darbar me Mukhya Mantri' programme at the One Anne Marg residence-cum-office of the Chief Minister today, in view of the incident on Monday last week when a youth hurled a slipper at him.
Fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief and 1971 war crimes convict Motiur Rahman Nizami has been shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from a suburban prison as his execution seemed imminent.

"He (Nizami) has been brought here (Dhaka Jail) last night as part of the process to execute the Supreme Court verdict. We are prepared to carry out the process in Dhaka Central Jail," a senior prison official said.

He said the 73-year-old top leader of Bangladesh's biggest Islamist party was kept in an isolated cell in the prison "as per procedure".

Prison authorities, however, were still waiting for the copy of the Supreme Court judgement.

"I can't tell you when the death sentence will be executed but what I want to say is that the verdict will be carried out after exhausting all legal procedures," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal told PTI.

Nizami's final appeal against his death sentence for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan was rejected by the Supreme Court on May 5.

He was brought to the capital in a special prison van escorted by a number of police vehicles from the Kashimpur Central Jail.

According to witnesses, security vigil was intensified overnight around the prison in the old part of Dhaka with elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces deployed along with police in riot gear.

He was given capital punishment in October 2014 after being convicted of "superior responsibility" as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr militia forces in 1971.

Nizami lost exhausted his legal options on May 5 when the Court reconfirmed his death penalty, upholding its previous judgement that had confirmed his death sentence.

Family members met him the next day at suburban Kashimpur Central Jail.

Nizami, a former lawmaker and minister in ex-prime minister Khaleda Zia's cabinet, has been in jail since 2010, when he was arrested to be tried 1971 war crimes in the ICT-BD which handed him down death penalty on October 29, 2014 on charges of mass murder, arson, loot and rape.
A 55-year-old woman was today killed and 30 pilgrims injured when a bus they were travelling in plunged into a valley in the deep forest area of Maredumilli in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

The mishap occurred in Rampachodavaram division of the district around 5 AM. The bus carrying 35 devotees from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was returning after a pilgrimage to a Rama temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana, Maredumilli police station Sub-inspector D Ramesh Babu said.

The victims were proceeding to take a holy dip in Pushkar ghat of Godavari here when the mishap occurred.

When the bus reached Tiger Camp in Maredumilli forest area, the driver of the vehicle tried to negotiate a narrow curve and lost control over it, after which it fell into the valley, the sub-inspector said.

He said 30 injured have been rushed to Rampachodavaram government hospital.

The body has been sent for postmortem while four others escaped unhurt, he added.

Being a thick forest area, rescue teams took time to reach the spot and begin work, police said.

(REOP CAL2)



The death toll is likely to mount as the condition of



some of the injured persons is stated to be critical, officials said adding while 14 persons died on the spot, the rest succumbed to injuries during treatment at hospital.

The DGP said steps were being taken to ensure survival of the injured persons.

While some injured persons were being shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack, some others were taken to the district headquarters hospital at Angul.

Soon after getting information about the mishap, police and fire brigade rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operation.

The bus was badly damaged in the accident as it fell from a height of about 40 feet, police said.
Investigators interrogating the three youths arrested for their suspected links with banned terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) today said that one of them had contacted a JeM operative who is believed to be an associate of a man believed to be one of the handlers in the Pathankot airbase attack.

The prime accused, Sajid, had allegedly contacted one Rashid Awan, who police said is an active JeM operative, and Awan is an associate of one Qasib Jan who is suspected to be one of the handlers in the Pathankot incident, an official privy to the investigation said.

Sleuths of Special Cell are digging into more details to gather more evidence on the matter.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police today said that it will soon have its own "deradicalisation" centre and a monitoring team to track down youths getting radicalised over social media and provide them with the right counselling.

The decision came after the force's anti-terrorism unit Special Cell detained 10 youths for their alleged ideological leaning towards JeM and later let them off, failing to gather adequate evidence.

The three arrested ones, being interogated at the Special Cell office, are Sajid, Sameer Ahmed and Shakir Ansari. All 13 youths were picked up after late night raids on Tuesday.
The decision to bury the bodies of four JeM terrorists, slain during the IAF base assault, was taken after Islamabad dismissed NIA's claims about their identity as "unverifiable".

Official sources said Pakistan had been provided with "all relevant information", including their addresses and parentage, but the authorities there said the information shared by India "could not be verified and it could be treated as unverifiable".

Following this, the NIA, after consultations with the government, decided to bury the bodies at an undisclosed location in the garrison city.

The bodies had been kept in the mortuary of the Civil Hospital since January three. The four were killed after an 80-hour gunbattle which began on the intervening night of January 1 and 2.

NIA had shared swabs of the four terrorists with the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) from Pakistan that had visited India in March-April this year. The anti-terror probe agency, which has preserved their DNA samples, had asked Pakistan to collect and send such samples of the people residing in places linked to the slain terrorists whose addresses had been shared with JIT.

The NIA had told the JIT about the identities of the terrorists and later sent supplementary information about their parentage and residential addresses.

One of the terrorists was identified as Nasir Hussain who stayed at Vehari, a town 100 km from Multan in Punjab province of Pakistan. He was the son of Mohd Mansa who lived in house number WB-89, Mohalla Chak in the town.

Hussain was also identified as Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist who had called up his mother Khayyam Babbar minutes before the terror group launched the suicide attack on the IAF base.

Another terrorist was identified as Hafiz Abu Bakar, son of Mohammed Fazil and resident of Gujranwala in Pakistan.

Umer Farooq was stated to be son of Abdul Samad of Madni Road, Mohalla Madisah, Shahdadpur in Sindh province of Pakistan, while the fourth terrorist Abdul Qayum was son of Mohamed Amin, a resident of Chachar, Tehsil Pano Akil, district Sukkur also in Sindh.
Around 30 Congress activists were detained today ahead of their march to gherao the residence of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Parkash for his alleged links with a drug racketeer, police said.

The activists, who were protesting against Parkash for allegedly patronising a BJP drug racketeer, were stopped at Hargobindnar road and National highway 1, SP Ajinder Singh said.

Those who were detained included Punjab Youth Congress President Amarpreet Singh Lally, PPCC General Secretary and former Punjab minister Joginder Singh Mann, party state Secretary Jagjit Bittu, its Phagwara Block (urban and rural) Presidents Sanjeev Bugga and Daljit Raju, among others, he said.

The protesters alleged that the SAD-BJP government was "promoting and patronising" drug mafia with the help of police for the last nine years.

"Now when their own leaders have started exposing the state government, they got unnerved as they know that Congress will take them to task after forming government in 2017," Lally said.

The Congress leaders alleged that Amritsar district Akali Dal President, Upkar Singh Sandhu and Kapurthala district BJP General Secretary, Gurdeep Singh Deepa, had openly accused state minister Bikram Majithia and local MLA Som Parkash of patronising drug mafia in SAD and BJP.

The detained leaders were released later, police said.

After their release, senior Congress leaders Amarpreet Singh Lally and Joginder Singh Mann, while talking to media, flayed police "high-handedness" in forcibly preventing them from proceeding towards Parkash's residence.
The government on Monday said there are plans to introduce as many as 500 free courses in 10 languages through open and distance learning mode this year.

The government along with the University Grants Commission (UGC) are also examining the regulations pertaining to Open and Distance Learning (ODL), HRD Minister said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha.



The major streams offered in ODL education include humanities, social sciences and general science.

The HRD Minister said there are plans to introduce 500 courses in 10 languages in open and distance learning mode this year. These are proposed to be provided through online and mobile applications and would be offered free of cost, she noted.

"The regulations for Open Distance Learning need introspection... In conjunction with the University Grants Commission (UGC), we are introspecting," Irani said.

Currently, there is one central university -- Indira Gandhi Open University -- and 14 public-funded State Open Universities offering programmes in the ODL field.

Besides, Distance Education Institutions (DEIs) of conventional universities and deemed universities provide such programmes.

As part of efforts to improve the overall curriculum, Irani said discussions are on with various global entities.

Irani said the government is discussing with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on improving the curriculum offered at Institute of Technology (NITs). Besides, talks are also going on with Stanford University aimed at increasing the educational output at engineering colleges, she added.

To another question, Irani said the government plans to open Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in 62 districts, which do not have one, this year.
Hotel owners' associations, including Hotel Association of India (HAI), has requested the government to consider conducting various courses of cooking in vegetarian food only, Lok Sabha was informed today.

Currently, the students follow a common curriculum which includes preparations for both the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian cuisine.

"The Ministry of Tourism has received some requests from Hotel associations including the Hotel Association of India (HAI) for considering degree/diploma courses in vegetarian/vegan cooking," Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

HAI has membership of about 300 hotels across the country.

Sharma said currently there are 21 Central Institutes of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, 21 State Institutes of Hotel Management and 10 Food Craft Institutes in the country.

Students are inducted in these institutes on the basis of Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) conducted by National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Noida, every year, he added.

To a separate query, Sharma said the government has sanctioned Rs 97.92 crores for setting up Indian Culinary Institute at Tirupati and Rs 90 crores for setting up Indian Culinary Institute in Noida.

Construction has started at both the locations and the projects would be implemented in two years, he added.
Islamic jihadists killed three police officers in a bomb and gun attack on a police station in the Somali capital today, city authorities said.

A suicide car bomber and a gunman also died, as did two civilians, apparently shot by police responding to the attack claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-aligned Shebab. Other civilians were also wounded.

"The attack involved two Shebab members, one of them driving a car loaded with explosives, and another tried to storm the police headquarters but was shot dead. We have lost three policemen," said Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu city administration.

He added that two civilians were also shot dead.

"Two other civilians were shot dead separately at a nearby street," Halane said, adding that the police believed to be responsible had been arrested.

The Shebab militants are fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, and launch regular attacks in the city.
The police today raided the house of JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi and questioned her to find the whereabouts of her son, who is accused of killing a youth for overtaking his SUV, police said.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Gaya City Superintendent of Police Awkash Kumar went to Manorama Devi's house and after a three-hour long search, questioned her about the whereabouts of his son Rocky Yadav, absconding since the incident here last night.

Inspector General of Police (Patna Zone) N H Khan, had instructed the SIT to go with a detailed questionnaire to the MLC's house to seek relevant details.

Earlier, Devi had said that the police were conducting a probe and truth would come out. She said if the court seeks presence of her son he would go there.

Asked where her son was, Devi said she does not know.

Rocky Yadav is absconding since the death of Aditya Sachdeva, son of a Gaya businessman, allegedly due to bullet he had fired from his pistol at the car that had overtaken his SUV on the way to Gaya from Bodhgaya last night.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Magadh Range) Suarabh Kumar said the Gaya Police were finding out from where Rocky got license of his pistol.

The police would also approach External Affairs Ministry to prevent Rocky from leaving the country, he said.

Rocky's father, RJD leader Bindi Yadav, has been arrested and was sent to 14 days in judicial custody today by a Gaya court.
A jawan of border guarding force SSB, deployed for election duties in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal, today allegedly committed suicide after shooting himself from his service rifle.

Officials said the incident occurred early in the morning when constable Sonu K Rathore fired two rounds on himself from his INSAS rifle at a forces' camp duty area in the district.

They said Rathore's unit, Sashastra Seema Bal's 38th battalion, was on election duty in Cooch Behar.

Local police officials and senior SSB officers reached the spot. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to go into the reasons as to why Rathore took the extreme step, officials said.

Rathore, a resident of Aligarh district in Uttar Pradesh, joined SSB in 2012. The force is tasked to guard Indian borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
A Parliementary panel has pulled up the Environment Ministry for its "poor peformance" in controlling pollution and using its fund, and recommended it to take necessary measures to ensure targets are met in the future and funds optimally utilised.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forest in its 283rd report of Demands for Grants (2016-17) of Environment Ministry said the ministry also could not achieve the physical targets relating to Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations and new noise monitoring stations.

The committee chaired by Ashwani Kumar said that whether it was air, water or noise pollution, it has gone beyond permissible limits during the last few years and has serious consequences for health and well-being of the citizens.

"The committee finds that the performace of the Ministry and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in a scheme relating to providing assistance for abatement of pollution is not impressive at all.

"The ministry could not achieve the physical targets relating to Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations and new noise monitoring stations while other targets set have been stated to be under process," the committee said.

It said that the ministry could only utilise 35 per cent of the allocation upto December 2015 which too reflects "very poorly" on the performance under the scheme.

"The committee therefore, recommends that the ministry should take a serious note of its performance under this scheme (assistance for abatement of pollution) and take all necessary measures to ensure that the targets under the scheme are achieved in future and funds allocated are optimally utilized," it said.

The committee said that growing urbanisation, rapid industrialisation and increasing population during the last few years have also tremendously impacted the environmental concerns of the country.

"In such a scenario, the measures taken by Environment Ministry for prevention and control of pollution and maintaining ecological balance have not been commensurate with the magnitude of the problem," the committee said.

The panel also noted that the budgetary allocation of the



ministry is considerably "low" compared to the projections made by the ministry for the 12th Plan period.

"However the ministry is not even able to fully utilise the funds which are made available to it and also falls short of achieving the physical targets set or otherwise," it said.

It noted that the ministry needs to be adequately funded for taking all necessary steps in pursuit of the discharge of its mandate which includes ensuring better environment management and preservation of biodiversity including wildlife.

"The committee recommends that the ministry on its part must prepare a long-term plan, put forth futuristic projections and ensure that the allocated outlays are fully utilised and tragets achieved," it said.
A BJP MP in Lok Sabha today demanded that smaller denomination notes should be printed more as compared to larger denomination to help curb corruption and counterfeiting of currency.

Of the total notes printed, 90 per cent were of larger denomination. This leads to counterfeiting of notes and evasion of tax, Rodmal Nagar said during Zero Hour, adding that developed nations printed more notes of smaller denominations.

BJP member from Andaman and Nicobar island Bishnupada Ray made a demand to bring a new land law, replacing the old British law in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Ninong Ering (Congress) raised objections over imposition of AFPSA in three districts of Arunchal Pradesh and demanded its revoking.

Jayashreeben Patel (BJP) demanded setting up of a seperate corporation to look into the issues of salt workers.

Anupriya Patek (Apna Dal) made a strong plea for conferring Bharat Ratna poshthmously to social reformers Jyotiba and Savitribai Phule for their pioneering work for dalits and women's education.

Santok Singh Chaudhary (Cong) alleged the "blacking-out" of Zee Punjabi and ABP television channels in Punjab by a cable network owned by the Deputy Chief Minister, saying the issue concerned freedom of press.

Bhagwant Mann (AAP) also made a strong plea for regulating the school free structure in Punjab as he claimed was effectively done by the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi.
A project, which received a funding assistance of USD 80,000 from Japanese government, for expansion of vocational training centre for persons with intellectual disabilities was inaugurated here today.

Under the project, two vocational training classrooms and one bakery unit have been handed over by the Government of Japan to Damian, an NGO working in Delhi for the cause of mentally challenged, multiply disabled and autistic.

"These facilities will greatly benefit the persons with disability. The Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP) was started in 1989 to address a wide range of development needs of developing countries," Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan said at the inauguration.

"Through this project, funding assistance of which amounts to USD 81,005, two vocational training classrooms and a bakery unit have been constructed for children and youth with intellectual disabilities with the aim to enhance their skills and increase the prospects of employability," he added.

Tamana, the recipient organization of the project, established in 1984, is running 3 special schools in Vasant Vihar area and provides special education and vocational training to mentally challenged and autistic children and youth based on their age as well as the degree and kind of disability.
In the second weather-related mishap in the past four days at the ongoing Kumbh fair, three persons were injured today when a tree fell on them at Badnagar area as hailstorm and squall coupled with rain played spoilsport at the second 'shahi snan' (royal bath).

On May 5, seven persons were killed and around 90 injured when heavy rains accompanied by lightning and squall flattened and uprooted makeshift tents of pilgrims in and around the site of the Kumbh Mela.

"Three persons, possibly devotees, were injured in Badnagar area of the Simhastha Mela when a tree fell on them following a squall that hit the religious fair. Besides three camps were also damaged in Mangalnath area," Ujjain SP Manohar Varma told PTI.

A large number of devotees were seen scurrying for cover as weather turned hostile around 3 PM.

"No death or major loss to property has been reported," Ujjain district collector Kavindra Kiyawat said.

"We are gathering information. Some places had been hit by the hailstorm," he added.

The collector said around 30 lakh people had taken the holy dip in Shipra river before the weather became rough.

Meanwhile, in a gesture of social harmony, Muslims threw open doors of a mosque to accommodate devotees who ran helter skelter following inclement weather.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan left for Ujjain from Bhopal by road to take stock of the situation after the squall hit the mela, a senior government official said.

Rain continued for several hours at this ancient city where lakhs of devotees from various parts of the country have converged to take holy dip on a day that coincides with auspicious Akashya Tritiya.

Though rain subsided by evening, intermittent showers continued.

This morning, the second 'Shahi Snan' began with Naga sadhus of Juna Akhara venturing into the Shipra chanting 'Har Har Mahadev'.

The bath began with Juna Akhara pontiff Hari Giri offering puja at Ramghat.

The Simhastha mela is being held here after a gap of 12 years.

This time, transgenders have also set up their akhara in the mela area and took out a procession in the city, which was accorded a grand welcome.

Though the transgenders had announced that would take 'shahi snan' today, they said this has been postponed to May 12 now.
About Rs 43,000 crore is lying in inoperative Employees' Provident Fund accounts and interest would be credited to such accounts, government said on Monday.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Bandaru Dattatreya told Lok Sabha that 118.66 lakh claims were settled by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in 2015-16, adding that 98 per cent of them were settled within 20 days.

"There is around Rs 43,000 crore in inoperative (EPF) accounts," Dattatreya said during Question Hour.

Listing the steps taken, the Minister said it has been recently decided to credit interest to the inoperative accounts.

Emphasising that there is a lot of confusion about inoperative and unclaimed accounts, he said that the government has launched the initiative for one member, one EPF account.

has allotted Universal Account Number (UAN) for portability and consolidation of all previous accounts.

In 2015-16, 118.66 lakh claims were settled by the while the numbers stood at Rs 130.21 lakh and Rs 123.36 lakh in 2014-15 and 2013-14, respectively.

According to the Minister, Rs 1.18 lakh claims were pending for settlement in 2015-16.

He also said that prosecution would be initiated against those violating norms.

Responding to supplementaries regarding the unorganised sector, Dattatreya said that the government has given priority to construction workers in this segment. They would be given UAN so that they can avail the benefits, he added.

Besides, pilot projects would be started in Delhi and Hyderabad for auto-rickshaw drivers and rickshaw pullers, the Minister said.

Dattatreya said that the priority would be for anganwadi, mid-day meal scheme and Aasha workers.

He said Online Transfer Claim Portal has also been introduced.

Further, Dattatreya said employees whose Aadhaar or Permanent Account Number (PAN) have been seeded in their UAN and activated by their employers, may submit claim forms directly to the EPFO without attestation of their employers.
Saudi security forces today shot dead a suspected jihadist in the western province of Taif a day after a policeman was killed in a shootout, the interior ministry said.

The gunman was killed after refusing to surrender to security forces hunting him over his suspected involvement in an attempt to infiltrate a police station parking area in the province on Sunday, a ministry statement said.

It identified him as Mohammed al-Maliki, adding that he had threatened in a video message to attack police and had been involved in a previous attack in which a policeman was killed.

The past week has seen a rise in such incidents in the kingdom, where the Islamic State group (IS) has previously claimed bombings and other attacks targeting security forces.

On Thursday, a police officer was shot dead after four suspected jihadists died during a raid in the area between Taif and the region of Mecca, home to Islam's holiest sites.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has called Saudi Arabia's rulers "apostate tyrants" and called on Saudis to rise up against them.
North Korea's secretive ruling party briefly opened up to the world's media today, as a confident-looking Kim Jong-Un took centre stage at its rare top-level gathering.

Foreign journalists invited to cover the Workers' Party congress - the first for 36 years - had previously got no closer than 200 metres from the April 25 Palace, where some 3,400 delegates began meeting last Friday.

Today some of the 130 reporters invited to North Korea specifically to cover the event actually made it into the meeting, albeit for just five minutes.

The media invitation was not unique - journalists were allowed into the last congress in 1980, before Kim was born - but still rare for a nation which opens up only selectively.

The spectacle inside the palace was gripping political theatre.

Thousands of serious-looking men - plus the occasional woman - in sober suits, along with servicemen weighed down by chests-full of medals, occupied row after row of red seats in the cavernous hall.

As music blasted out, they rose to their feet in unison and began a round of thunderous applause when Kim, flanked by other top officials, strode onto the stage.

He waved to delegates as the clapping echoed around the hall.

The official head of state, Kim Yong-Nam, then announced senior posts in the party - including a new position of party chairman for leader Kim, seen as further bolstering his authority.

Journalists were ushered out after five minutes but the preparations for their brief visit had taken hours.

Security was intensely strict. Reporters who assembled at a nearby venue were patted down and checked minutely with a hand-held wand.

Cellphones and all potentially suspicious items, even metal ballpoint pens, were confiscated till after the meeting. Photographers' stepladders were banned.

Security staff made three further checks with hand-held wands at the April 25 Palace and equipment was scanned again.

Inside, a gleaming reception hall with marble columns and chandeliers featured a massive red carpet and a 50-metre-long backdrop with images of late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, the current ruler's grandfather and father.

Long rows of congratulatory bouquets lined the opposite wall.

Before entering the congress hall, journalists were told not to photograph or film the notes which each delegate assiduously made of proceedings.
Donald Trump wants to make America great again but 'Sikh Captain America' feels the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is making America hate again.

"Donald Trump has certainly been a candidate whose words have been alarming for someone like me, who happens to be at the front lines of bigotry in post-9/11 America," said Vishavjit Singh, a Washington-born Sikh artist-activist in his mid-40s who occasionally transforms into 'Sikh Captain America'.

Singh, who is a political cartoonist, on occasions transforms into 'Sikh Captain America', a costumed soldier with a turban who fights bigotry and champions cultural understanding through public appearances and talks.

As the film "Captain America: Civil War" plays at theatres, Singh drew a stark contrast between Trump and Captain America's alter ego, Steve Rogers -- two iconic New York characters born in the 1940s.

"Captain America as a character would stand in complete opposition to Donald Trump and his candidacy. Today, besides ISIS, the festering of extreme right-wing and supremacist forces at home will be targets for Captain America's wrath," he was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

The artist also creates cartoon campaigns, such as the 'Send Sikh Note To Trump' postcard campaign, in which he and some of his fans send Trump a postcard every day "with a message focused on processing our anger inspired by his jingoistic madness into small kernels of humour and compassion."



"He might be full of himself, overstuffed with his achievements with a towering skyscraper of an ego, but even deep inside him resides seeds of benevolence," Singh said.

"I wish him well; I wish him compassion; I wish him to realise the violence of his words; I wish him a landslide loss in the elections for his own good," he said.

Captain America was born in New York during World War II, from the minds of Jewish creators and future comic-book legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who introduced their super-soldier by having him deliver a haymaker to the jaw of a reeling Hitler.

'Sikh Captain America' was also born in the Big Apple for socio-political reasons, as Singh was planning to attend his first New York Comic-Con as an exhibitor in the fall of 2011.

"Some of my art is informed by my own experience on the streets of America and being targeted as an outsider -- at times as a threat just based on my looks," Singh said. "So I had this vision of an American superhero fighting hate and intolerance."



"No other superhero seemed better placed for this task -- I don't think I would have selected Superman or Batman," Singh said.
Taking serious note of shortage of water in her constituency, Congress president has asked the district magistrate (DM) to prepare a plan for resolving the issue.

In view of serious shortage of potable and irrigation water, all efforts should be made like setting up new hand pumps and re-boring of the old ones on priority, she said in a letter sent to the DM on April 20.

"I have been told that the farmers, specially of Saraini, Shivgarh and Uchahar area, are facing immense problems because of shortage of water in the canals," the local MP said.

Read more from our special coverage on "SONIA GANDHI"

"In view of the above, my request is to prepare a work plan to observe the present fiscal as 'year of water'... Funds for the same be made available through all resources including my own MPLAD," the Congress president said.

"Our effort should be to ensure that all resources are focused on this... From my side too all efforts will be made at the state and central government level", she said in the letter dated April 20 and released by district Congress spokesperson Vinay Dwivedi on Sunday.

Stressing that the areas facing problem of fluoride in water be included in this plan, she said, adding inputs of all representatives be invited in the next meeting of district vigilance and monitoring committee for positive discussion.

The Congress president also said her office will continuously remain in touch with the DM in this regard.
Setting up skill development centres, old-age homes and space for female entrepreneurs in municipal markets are some of the key provisions for the betterment of women which are part of the civic body's revised draft redevelopment plan for Mumbai.

The 20-year plan has all the elements for the betterment of women and special provisions have been made for them, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said today.

"The draft policy of redevelopment plan of the city has given special attention to the betterment and empowerment of women. To meet this, provisions of multi-purpose housing, reserved vending area and skill centres for women as well as old-age homes in each ward have been made," it said in a statement.

"Each of the 24 administrative wards would have a hostel and skill development centre. Besides, space would be reserved for women entrepreneurs in municipal markets," it said.

The revised draft plan comes ahead of the civic election slated for early next year. The BMC, India's richest municipal body, is currently ruled by Shiv Sena-BJP alliance.

BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta presented the draft plan on April 27 and termed it as the road map for the "betterment of the mega city".

The revised plan (2014-34) has tried to prioritise the issue of women entrepreneurship. This is why it has proposed to reserve 1,000 sq metres of space in each ward for multi- purpose housing for working Women, the statement said.

Multi-purpose housing would allow women to live and work in the same administrative ward.

"Out of this, 500 sq metres space would be reserved to develop Mahila Aadhar Kendra and skill development centre for the needy women in each ward," it said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said the much awaited reshuffle of the state cabinet will be done within this month.

"We will do it (cabinet reshuffle) within this month... Reshuffle involves dropping few and inducting few," he told reporters here.

"Yardstick is giving opportunity for new people. Already three years have been completed, there are aspirants, there is need to give opportunity to them," he added.

Siddaramiah, who had planned to reshuffle his cabinet by the end of April, had postponed it due to "severe" drought in the state.

Karnataka is reeling under "worst" drought in recent times and the government has already declared 137 taluks as "drought hit".

The Chief Minister himself has embarked on a state-wide review tour to assess the situation.

He had earlier said he would go to New Delhi to discuss cabinet reshuffle, only after visiting drought-hit regions in the state, and the situation improves.

In October last, Siddaramaiah had expanded his ministry by inducting four members, including the state Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara as Home Minister.

Pressure has been mounting on the Chief Minister for the cabinet reshuffle for some time now. A section of MLAs had even petitioned the party high command in this regard and had demanded dropping of "non-performers" from the cabinet.
Body of a class XII student, who had allegedly committed suicide by jumping into river Chenab, was returned by Pakistani Rangers to BSF after it washed away across the border.

18-year-old Neeraj Dogra alias Bony had committed suicide by jumping into river Chenab from a new bridge on April 28 and his body was washed away to Pakistani side, a BSF officer said.

On receiving the request from police, BSF approached the Pakistani Rangers to search the body, the officer said.

Last evening, a Commandant-level meeting was conducted at Pargal area in which the Rangers handed over the boy's body to his family members in presence of BSF and police, he said.
Col Jasjit Singh, the suspended Commandant of the 39th battalion of the Assam Rifles and one of the main accused the in highway robbery of gold allegedly committed by Assam Rifles personnel, was today remanded to police custody for two days by a local court.

Police today sought five days custody of Singh at the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court, while Singh's counsel pleaded for a day's remand and the court granted two days police remand.

Singh was arrested on May 5 in the Aizawl district court premises by the members of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to investigate the alleged dacoity of smuggled gold bars on December 14 last year.

He was remanded to three days police custody by the CJM's court on May 6 and was being grilled by the investigators.

An FIR submitted at Kulikawn Police Station in Aizawl on April 21 by C Lalnunfela alleged that he was waylaid by a group of Assam Rifles personnel armed with sophisticated weapons on southern outskirts of Aizawl and the armed group decamped with 52 gold bars worth around Rs 14.5 crore concealed in the gear box of his SUV.

Five person, including a former student leader and a prominent businessman, were arrested in this connection after which eight Assam Rifles personnel, accused of participating in the dacoity, were also arrested.
Former Leader of the Opposition in the Tripura Assembly, Sudip Roy Burman, who was suspended by the Congress, is likely to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) along with his followers.

"I have met TMC general secretary Mukul Roy in Kolkata to discuss the political situation in Tripura. Everything would be finalized after the West Bengal poll results are out," Burman told PTI over phone from Kolkata.

Burman and 14 others were suspended by the AICC for "publicly maligning" the image of the Congress and "anti-party" activity last Saturday.

The former Leader of Opposition, former Youth Congress president Sushanta Chowdhury and MLA (Congress) Asish Saha are now camping in Kolkata since yesterday.

Meanwhile, two district presidents of the opposition Congress in Tripura have resigned from their posts in protest against their party's decision to tie up with the Left Front in the West Bengal Assembly polls.

Congress West Tripura district president Balai Goswami and South Tripura district President Amal Mallik, also a former MLA, yesterday said they wanted to strengthen anti-Left movement in the state, which was not "possible" by the Congress as it tied up with the CPI-M.

Burman had resigned from the post of the Leader of the Opposition on April 7 and on the same day in a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi he had said, "I am extremely shocked and depressed to find that there has been a dramatic and drastic change in our party's policy."



"......In spite of your understanding of the CPI-M's unpredictable character, its treacherous role in the past, anti-national thinking and activities and immense barbaric atrocities upon Congressmen in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, you have given a nod to this so-called alliance/seat adjustment/tactical understanding," he had written.

In the 60-member House, opposition Congress has 10 seats and the rest belongs to the Left Front.
The Madras High Court has directed police to produce before it next month all records pertaining to a case regarding the suspicious death of a 12-year-old boy in 2015.

The order to produce the records on June 11 was given by Justice R Mala on a petition by the deceased boy's mother R Selvi, a flower vendor, recently.

Selvi, a widow, submitted that when she was away, some persons entered her house and took away Rs 50,000 after threatening her son at knife point on July 8, 2012.

She submitted that though her son identified all the accused, the Pallikaranai police, though registered a case, did not arrest anyone.

The accused persons later threatened the boy with dire consequences following which she made a representation to the Commissioner of Police stating that they were living under dangerous conditions and those involved in the theft may might attack them.

Two and half years later on January 10, 2015, her son who went to school did not return home.

Two days later police traced his body from a lake.

The woman submitted that even after lodging a police complaint, no action was taken following which a representation was submitted to the State Human Rights Commission which ordered the Joint Commissioner of Police to inquire the matter and take necessary action.

However, since there was no progress in the police probe, she approached the high court seeking transfer of the investigation to some other agencies like CB-CID.

When the matter came up for hearing recently, the Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) submitted that the entire records regarding the case was with the SHRC, the judge directed the police to produce it on June 6 before the court.
China today reached out to the Indian industry, saying bilateral cooperation between the two will benefit the entire world.

"At present, India is an important country and our mutual cooperation will benefit not just the two countries but the entire world... Co-operation is the only way to success," Han Zheng, a member of the political bureau of the Chinese Communist party and party secretary of Shanghai, told an industry gathering here this evening.

"We are looking at how Shanghai can partner with the Indian industry in science and technology, innovation, financial and IT services and contribute towards greater Indo-China economic engagement."



Han was accompanied by a high-level government and business delegation.

Addressing the CII event, Han said the world is following two economies (China and India) and both have contributed immensely to the world's growth.

He noted that at present, 50 per cent of Indian merchandise coming to China comes through Shanghai, which signifies the strength of the bilateral trade. In 2014, Mumbai and Shanghai were teamed as sister cities.

"Today, India and China are deeply integrated with the world economy and we have much in common and both nations can benefit out of it," he stressed.

Han referred to Shanghai as one of the five prosperous cities in the world, which showcases socialist development path of China.

Addressing the gathering, state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he did not want to change the character of Mumbai to Shanghai, but "we need to learn how to transform the city in such a short time as Shanghai did".

He said Mumbai is embarking on projects of USD 15 billion in 2016 and and the state alone has the capacity to provide work to the Chinese for a decade.

"That is the capacity at which our state consume and fortunately Chinese companies are already entering the state. Every week I meet a new Chinese company willing to invest and I am very happy to welcome them," Fadnavis said.

During the session on 'China & India Strengthening Partnership', an MoU was signed between the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and the Confederation of Indian Industry for establishing economic and trade partnership.

Earlier, CII's new President Naushad Forbes said that given the economic growth drivers and risk factors, the country's medium term outlook looks positive.

India is expected to remain the fastest-growing large economy of the world. With this background, CII expects GDP growth of around 8 per cent in 2016-17, he said.
Voicing concern over alleged failure of the authorities to control the drug menace in Jammu region, an organisation campaigning against it has asked political parties to act in concert to tackle the problem.

"We are concerned over the failure of the authorities to keep a check on the drug mafia in Jammu region. We ask the political parties to reach a consensus on taking effective steps to eradicate this menace so as to liberate the younger generation from the death trap," chairman of Team Jammu Zorawar Singh Jamwal told reporters here today.

"All political parties are duty-bound to evolve a mechanism to deal with the menace because the state is virtually slipping into the tight grip of the drug mafia. Parents are helplessly watching their teenage children dying a slow death due to the failure of the authorities to crack down on the mafia, well connected with some corrupt politicians and cops," Zorawar said.

He appealed to the political parties to adopt a resolution in the Assembly to slap sedition charges on the drug mafia.

"On one hand, terrorism is playing with the lives of the common people, while on the other, the drug mafia is spoiling the youth of the state," Zorawar said, adding, "those involved in supplying drugs to the youth too are anti-nationals and they too should be booked under sedition charges."



"The forthcoming budget session of the Assembly will provide an opportunity to the political parties to take an initiative in this direction," he said and hoped that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, will take the lead in the battle against the drug mafia.

Maintaining that the problem of drug addiction among



the youth warranted immediate attention, he said it was high time concrete steps were taken to put an end to this menace.

"Drug addiction is not confined to boys. It has also gripped girls as cases of females consuming drugs have increased manifold," he said.

Zorawar said Team Jammu has decided to organise an anti-drug rally at Samba on May 15. It would be the fourth successive anti-drug rally to educate the youth about the menace which has been slowly gripping them.

Earlier, rallies were taken out at Jammu, Rajouri, and Katra. Team Jammu has young professionals, social activists, sportsmen, doctors, journalists, educationists, technocrats, retired army and police officers and intellectuals in its fold.

"The way people, especially the youth, are coming forward in our campaign has encouraged us," said Zorawar, affirming the commitment of Team Jammu to liberate the youth from the evil of drugs.
Thane Rural Police today claimed to have busted an interstate gang of robbers with the arrest of two of its members and seized a huge cache of arms from their possession.

The duo, identified as Deva Anna alias Devasish Tarapad Bank alias Asish Sandeep Gungun alias Asish Divakar Ganguli, and his accomplice Shankar alias Ramesh Kanchan Das, both 39-year-old, hailing from West Bengal, were yesterday arrested, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, police nabbed the duo from Titwala town, Thane SP (Rural) Rajesh Pradhan told reporters.

They were members of the interstate gang, which was operating in Maharashtra and Gujarat, he said.

The SP claimed that the two admitted to have committing 13 robberies, he said.

Two pistols of USA and Italy make, two country-made firearms, 52 live cartridges, two magazines, one fake revolver, a pair of handcuffs, three khanjir (a small sword), three sickles, one axe, handgloves, face mask, a motor cycle, etc were recovered from their possession, he said, adding the total value of the arms cache was about Rs two lakh.

A third member of the gang is on the run, the SP said, adding efforts are on to nab him.

He said Anna was in 2008 arrested in a house-breaking and theft case, and after serving three years in jail, where he met Shankar, he took to other ways of robbing people in connivance with the latter.

The modus operandi of the accused differed in each act, he said.

The offences perpetrated by the accused included six in rural Thane, besides those in Raigad, Neral, Karjat, Palghar, Dungri, Valsad and Navsari, he said, adding, they had opened fire at the victims in 10 of the cases.

The police is trying to ascertain if the gang members were involved in more crimes, he said.

Anna owned three PAN cards on different names, and as many as seven bank accounts, including those in West Bengal and Bihar, the officer said.

Anna, who had worked with a goldsmith before and hence had knowledge of handling gold ornaments, had mortgaged gold with a private lender, he added.
A three member committee has been formed by the Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari to frame policy including taxi operators case, which will be put before the Supreme Court that has banned diesel taxis in the national capital, said BJP leader Vijender Gupta.

The Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly leading a delegation of taxi operators today met Gadkari at his residence.

"The Transport minister gave this information after meeting with the delegation of the taxi operators. The committee will be headed by Union Road Transport secretary, Sanjay Mitra. Joint secretary Road Transport, Abhey Dambley and Delhi Government's Transport commissioner Sanjay Kumar will be its members," Gupta said.

Gadkari also expressed his sympathy with taxi operators and their families which were hit by the ban on diesel taxis, he said.

The Transport minister had on earlier occasion said that the government will request the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on the ban on diesel taxis.

"The government has decided to request the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on ban. The ban has created an unprecedented situation of thousands of taxis getting off road and people facing severe hardships," he had said.

The Supreme Court on April 30 refused to extend the deadline (April 30) fixed for conversion of diesel cabs into less-polluting CNG mode for plying on city roads, sending off-road thousands of diesel taxis.
Indian Angel Network (IAN) today said it has co-invested Rs 3 crore in Bengaluru-based TOKO Innovation Studios.

This round has been co-led by Rajasthan Angel Investor Network, who will be represented on the board by Ajay Data.

Roopak Saluja and Vishal Khare led this round on behalf of IAN and Saluja will join the board of the company, IAN said in a statement.

Founded in February 2014 by Aditya Mukherjee (CEO), Arnav Mukherjee (Content Head) and Ajitsen Surendran (CTO), TOKO will use the funding for product development, user growth and content partnerships.

******



* Infosys Foundation to offer scholarships at IISER-Pune



Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.

Under the partnership, the Foundation will provide opportunities for economically weaker students to pursue high quality science education and research through scholarships, fellowships and travel awards, it said in a statement.

As part of the MoU, the corpus fund of INR 5 crore called 'The Infosys Foundation Endowment Fund' will continue in perpetuity to benefit a minimum of 50 students annually, it added.

******



* Ola, Neev Finance to help educate driver-partners' children



Ola today said it has partnered Neev Finance to provide school education for children of its driver-partners as part of its reward-oriented program for its driver-partners, Ola Stars.

The initiative allows loan options for driver-partners to cover the education expenses through affordable monthly installments, Ola said in a statement.

Ola and Neev Finance are aiming to support education of over 50,000 children of driver-partners over the next one year, it added.

Loans up to a value of 1 lakh can be availed from Neev Finance by any Ola driver-partner who has been associated with the company for a minimum period of 6 months.

******



* Freecharge partners Cleartrip for online bookings



Digital payments platform Freecharge today said it has partnered Cleartrip to allow customers to pay for tickets and hotel bookings using Freecharge wallet.

"With this tie-up, Freecharge will provide consumers with a means to complete their transactions on the-the-go, at a lightning speed," Freecharge Chief Operating Officer Govind Rajan said.
Top Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)leaders today sought to put an end to the escalating row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualifications by going public with his degrees and demanded an apology from Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of spreading lies on the issue.

BJP President, Amit Shah and the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, addressed a press conference during which they launched a blistering attack on Kejriwal, alleging that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief was lowering the public discourse by spreading lies on the issue of Modi's degrees and substituting governance with politics of adventurism.

Releasing Modi's graduation degree taken from Delhi University and masters degree from Gujarat University, both Shah and Jaitley alleged that Kejriwal has tried to turn a lie into truth by running a campaign to mislead the people of the country.

Jaitley even said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against Modi threatens federal polity in the country when a Union Territory (UT) indulges in irresponsible behavior to attack the prime minister. They challenged the Delhi Chief Minister to verify his claims.

"Arvind Kejriwal has been spreading lies about the Prime Minister's credentials. He has committed the sin of defaming the country. It is very unfortunate that we have to hold a press conference about the Prime Minister's educational qualification.

When you do not have any proof, how can you spread allegations. He should apologise to the entire nation," said Shah, adding he will also write a letter to Kejriwal to satisfy his queries.

When asked about the authenticity of Modi's BA degree, Shah told a reporter to check it with the Delhi University.

Jaitley said it was ironical that such a charge has come from a political party, several of whose MLAs are being prosecuted for having fake degrees.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on monday released copies of BA and MA degrees of prime minister Narendra Modi in response to Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) allegations that questioned his degree from Delhi University (DU). AAP hit back saying the documents were forged and had glaring discrepancies in them.

In a bid to set an end to the row over Modi's educational qualifications, BJP president Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley, addressed a press conference where they released the copy of graduation degree taken from DU and the masters degree from Gujarat University.

The two leaders launched a blistering attack on AAP leader and chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of lowering the public discourse by spreading lies and substituting governance with of adventurism. They demanded an apology from him.

Shah and Jaitley alleged that Kejriwal has tried to turn a lie into a truth by running a campaign to mislead the people of the country.

Jaitley said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against Modi, threatens the federal polity in the country when a Union Territory (UT) indulges in irresponsible behaviour to attack the Prime Minister. They challenged the Delhi Chief Minister to verify his claims.

"Arvind Kejriwal has been spreading lies about the prime minister's credentials. He has committed the sin of defaming the country. It is very unfortunate that we have to hold a press conference about the prime minister's educational qualification. When you do not have any proof, how can you spread allegations. He should apologise to the entire nation," said Shah, adding he will also write a letter to Kejriwal to satisfy his queries.

When asked about the authenticity of Modi's BA degree, Shah told a reporter to check it with the Delhi University.

Jaitley said it was ironical that such a charge has come from a political party several of whose MLAs are being prosecuted for having fake degrees.

Kejriwal has been alleging that the Prime Minister's BA degree is fake and that it was obtained by a namesake of him from Alwar.

Shortly later, however, an unfazed AAP continued to persist with its claims on the issue.

AAP leader Ashutosh addressed a press conference in which he claimed Modi's name does not match in the BA mark sheet and that of the MA degree. He even claimed that there were discrepancies in the year of passing as well.

"Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki zaroorat hai (One needs brain even to copy). The BA mark sheet is dated 1978 while the degree is of the year 1979. His name in the BA mark sheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in Masters degree, it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi," said the AAP leader.

Even in BA mark sheet, another AAP leader Dilip Pandey said,"surname is spelt "Modi" in one case while it changes to "Mody" in another."
Tribal rights activist Gladson Dungdung was offloaded from a London-bound Air India flight here today morning even as the national carrier sought to distance itself from the incident saying he was offloaded by "government authority".

In a Facebook post today, Dungdung said he was offloaded by Air India from Delhi-London flight AI 115.

"The reason told to me is that my passport had been impounded in 2013, therefore, they will send it back to RTO, Ranchi for verification. The fact is that my passport was impounded in 2013 and returned to me after proper verification in 2014," he said.

Thereafter, he said he had attended a couple of international conferences in Denmark and London in 2014 and 2015 subsequently but there was no issue at all.

In a statement, Air India said it dissociates itself from the issue as "Dungdung was offloaded by Immigration/Government Authority".

Last year too, a major controversy had erupted when Priya Pillai, a Greenpeace activist, was offloaded from a flight to the UK.

According to Dungdung's post, he was going to attend the Workshop on Environmental History and Politics of South Asia to be held in the University of Sussex, UK on May 10.

"I am sure that this is a clear impact of my book 'Mission Saranda: A War for Natural Resources in India'. Defaulters of millions of INR like Vijay Malaya can't be offloaded but activists like me are bound to be offloaded," Dungdung said in the post.

"My fight for the Adivasis' ownership rights over the natural resources, adivasi identity, human rights, ecology and against unjust development processes will continue till they take away my right to life forever," he wrote.
Five leading Indian-owned businesses in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) will invest over $3.68 billion in infrastructure and industrial development initiatives in after an MoU was signed in this regard during an investment forum held here.

The move comes after UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had launched an ambitious programme to boost all-round development of the state by attracting NRI investments from across the globe, especially from the Middle East.

The UAE-based Indian companies signed a MoU with the state government, which was represented by a high-level delegation of officials who visited the UAE on Thursday.

The names of the investors will be announced by the UP government in the coming weeks.

The companies pledged to invest in the state's upcoming manufacturing, utilities and healthcare initiatives.

The annoucement was made at the Investment Forum, supported by Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC), which was organised to promote trade, investment and economic cooperation between UP and the Middle East by offering investment opportunities in major sectors, including manufacturing (especially food processing), infrastructure, energy, power and healthcare.

In recent months, UP has taken a slew of measures in improving overall infrastructure & logistical facilities, including launching mega road projects, such as the 1047 km long, 8-lane Ganga Expressway along the course of the river Ganga, joining far east with national capital.

Numerous developmental projects in power, metro-rails, transport, education, health and urban rejuvenation are at different stages of implementation and there are many more in pipeline, reconfirming the state's commitment to commercial opportunities for stability and growth.

Earlier this year, the Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group announced that it would be investing Rs 1,000 crore to set up a shopping mall, convention centre and five-star hotel in .

Lulu's initiative is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs once the project is completed.

"I believe that along with the opportunities in the region, there is also a perfect opportunity to invest back home in India, the first stop in the UAE's 'Look East' policy. The UAE is keen to innovate and build a knowledge economy. Indian expertise could transform the next phase of development here, while India could gain from UAE investments for its Make in India campaign," said Kulwant Singh, president of IBPC.
An Emirati court today ordered a self-proclaimed local leader of the Islamic State group jailed for life for plotting a series of attacks, media reported.

The court in Abu Dhabi convicted Emirati Mohammed al-Hashemi, 34, of plotting attacks on the city's Formula 1 circuit and its branch of Swedish furniture chain Ikea, as well as planning to assassinate an unspecified Emirati leader, daily The National reported.

Hashemi's wife, also an Emirati, was executed in July for the jihadist-inspired December 2014 murder of an American school teacher in an Abu Dhabi shopping mall, one month after her husband's arrest.

The National quoted a witness as telling the court that Hashemi had "appointed himself" an "emir" of the jihadist group and had also, according to prosecution documents, donated some 80,000 dirhams (USD 21,800) to Al-Qaeda.

With his wife, he had "planned terrorist attacks in the country in retaliation for the UAE's stance against ISIL," the newspaper quoted prosecutors as saying, using another name for IS.

The United Arab Emirates is a member of the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS since mid-2014 in parts of Syria and Iraq under its control.

The couple had performed a "symbolic ceremony to pledge allegiance" to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a witness said, according to the daily.

International media are not allowed access such trials.
A new UN plan to tackle the worst refugee crisis since World War II would aim to resettle at least 10 percent of refugees annually, piling pressure on countries to open up their doors to those fleeing wars and disasters.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined the proposal for a new "global compact on responsibility-sharing" today to address the crisis from the 60 million refugees and displaced people worldwide.

The United Nations hopes that new deal will lift some of the burden on developing countries in the refugee crisis, which has been fueled by the five-year war in Syria and other conflicts.

The proposal calls for resettling at least 10 percent of the global refugee population of 19.6 million annually under a scheme that would be negotiated at the United Nations.

"With equitable responsiblity sharing, there would be no crisis for host countries," Ban said.

"We can afford to help, and we know what we need to do," but too often fear, ignorance and xenophobia get in the way, he said.

The UN plan was put forward as the European Union has been bogged down in disputes over how to deal with its refugee crisis.

An EU deal with Turkey, which has agreed to take back migrants in exchange for a string of concessions, has run into hurdles and the bloc has been haggling over how to share out the burden of resettlements.

More than 184,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea already this year, up from nearly 49,000 for the same four-month period last year as the refugee crisis rages on.

The global compact on refugees is expected to be adopted at a UN summit on September 19, that will be followed on September 20 by a US pledging conference.

President Barack Obama will host that conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting to ask countries to come forward and announce the number of refugees they are willing to take in along with any other support they can offer.
Fostering the growth of Urdu and encouraging its connect with the new generation lies with lovers of the language, who must take steps to ensure it does not die out, says noted poet Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi.

Qasmi, a poet from Pakistan was among acclaimed writers and poets participating in the fifth edition of the Jashn-e-Adab festival held here last evening.

The recipient of this year's Shahanshah-e-Tanz-o-Mizah award said that it was possible to restore the language to its earlier heights as its roots are deeply ingrained in both India and Pakistan.

"Urdu is a very strong language. Its foundations are very strong and in order to restore its beauty it is required that Urdu lovers retain and keep the connection of the language with the new generation," the 73-year-old poet said.

Meanwhile, veteran Indian filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who also participated in the festival expressed his concern over films not allowing the time and space to bring linguistic finesse to the audience.

"Cinema has to be close to reality which brings us to the question if aesthetics is bigger than character or vice versa. We are going against the wind but we should not lose hope over the future of Urdu," Ali said.

"If you properly embed tehzeeb, it could be presented in any language," he said.

Another noted poet Asghar Nadeem Syed commented on the deteriorating condition of Urdu language in cinema adding that "since society is the reflection of the language of cinema, cinema shows what society wants to see."



Qasmi and Syed were among other prominent Urdu poets like Rakshanda Jalil, Gopaldas Neeraj, Bekal Utsahi, Anwar Shaoor, Mahmood Shaam, Asghar nadeem Syed and Uzzair Ahmad, Shariq Kaifi, Manish Shukla, Fayyaaz Farroqi, Neena Kumar, Moein Shadab and Vishal Bagh who recited poetry at the festival.

The event also saw a satirical prose recital by Qasmi. In the times where the art of satire seems to have lost to comedy, Qasmi's recital was a refreshing change which may help in bringing the culture of satire back to mainstream.

There was a detailed discussion on famous Urdu poet Intizaar Hussain and his contribution towards Urdu literature.

Hussain, who authored many books like 'The Seventh Door', 'Leaves' and 'Basti' passed away this year.

The day came to close with dastaangoi, the age old art of conventional story telling, with practicioners Darain Shahidi and Mahmod Farooqi mesmerised the audience with their craft.
Delhi High Court today sought the Income Tax department's response on Vodafone's plea challenging an order directing special audit of its accounts for assessment year 2012-13.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vibhu Bakhru issued notice to the IT department and asked it to file its reply by July 28 on Vodafone's plea.

The telecom major has challenged the department's March 31 order directing special audit of its accounts for the assessment year 2012-13.

It alleged before the court that the order has been passed to "buy more time".

Advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the department, refuted the allegation.

The company had earlier moved the high court in March this year challenging the department's show cause notice to it on why special audit be not carried out.

The plea was later disposed of by the court after the company agreed to file a reply to the show cause notice of March 11.

had made the submission two days after the court, in a subtle warning, had told the company that it would be taking a risk if it did not file a reply to the IT department's show cause notice.

The government had earlier told the court that by not responding to the notice, the company was trying to delay the assessment process beyond the March 31 deadline.

In its notice, the department had asked the company to show cause why its 2011-12 financial records should not be subjected to special audit to arrive at the total income for assessment year 2012-13.

In its show cause notice, the department had said that "during course of assessment proceeding, the information and details asked vide various questionnaire have not been submitted till date and you yourself submitting the reasons that due to extreme voluminous of records the specific information cannot be furnished or requesting to grant some more time to furnish details which itself is concrete evidence that records of assessee are voluminous and accordingly need thorough investigation by special audit.
A feminist author hit back today at Pakistan for censoring her article on Muslim women and sex, saying the ban exposed the depth of gender discrimination in the deeply conservative Islamic country.

Egyptian-American Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning journalist who is a vocal public speaker on women's rights, penned a opinion column entitled "Sex Talk for Muslim Women" that ran in Friday's edition of the International New York Times.

The article was available online in Pakistan, but the newspaper version, published by the local Express Tribune, featured a blank spot in the opinion pages where Eltahawy's article had been.

Eltahawy told AFP that the decision to ban her article exposes that authorities think a woman "who claims ownership over her body is dangerous... And must be silenced".

"You can't afford to publish such controversial articles about Islam," a senior source at the Express Tribune told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked about Eltahawy's article.

In the piece, Eltahawy discussed her decision to have sex before marriage in defiance of her own upbringing and faith, and detailed her many conversations with other women of Muslim and Arab descent suffering under the "sexual straitjacket" of virginity imposed on them by men.

"Where are the stories on women's sexual frustrations and experiences?" she wrote.

"My revolution has been to develop from a 29-year-old virgin to the 49-year-old woman who now declares, on any platform I get: It is I who own my body. Not the state, the mosque, the street or my family. And it is my right to have sex whenever, and with whomever, I choose.
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), India's largest consumer goods firm, expects a sequential improvement in first-quarter volume growth, its chief financial officer said on Monday, after the firm's fourth-quarter results beat expectations.

Volumes in the January-March quarter rose 4 percent, less than the company estimated, but are expected to improve in the next quarter, CFO P.B. Balaji told reporters on a conference call on Monday.

The Indian unit of Anglo-Dutch consumer group Unilever reported a fourth-quarter profit above estimates, mainly helped by higher sales of its packaged food and hair and skin care products.

Net profit for the quarter stood at 10.90 billion rupees ($164.06 million), up from 10.18 billion rupees a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson estimated a profit of 10.78 billion rupees on average.

HUL's sales have been hurt in recent quarters due to weak demand in India's countryside, which accounts for about 35 percent of the company's revenue.

Drought in the last two years took a toll on consumer sentiment in Asia's third-largest economy. But the country's weather office has estimated a better monsoon for this year, leading analysts to expect demand will bounce back in fiscal 2017.

HUL's Balaji said demand so far remains subdued, especially in rural areas, and a good monsoon would be a "welcome tailwind."

The company, which sells everything from soaps and detergents to tea and coffee, has had to cut prices in the past year because of slack demand. But raw material prices are going up, and HUL is considering options including price increases, Balaji said.

($1 = 66.4400 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in Mumbai; Editing by Sunil Nair)
At the time cops from different states are troubled with cracking banking fraud calls coming from Jamtara district in Jharkhand, security agencies claim that mushrooming fake call centres in Delhi and NCR areas are more alarming. These fake call centres are involved in high-tech fraud ranging from offering fake jobs, insurance, holiday packages to siphoning money from bank accounts.

According to an estimate, many fake call centres with professional and technical staff are functioning in the national Capital and neighbouring Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Haryana.

Police claim that scamsters in the Capital are becoming high-tech to sound more professional and also to remain out of the police net. While Jamtara consist of cluster of villages from where youths are making random fake calls from fields and forest posing as bank employees trying to get debit/credit card details.

This month in a joint operation with the Chattisgarh police, the Delhi police arrested six youths who were involved in fraud on the pretext of installing mobile tower.

"The gang's call centre was based in Rohini area. The mobile phone numbers, through which the calls were made, were procured on fake identity. All the bank accounts were also opened on fake identity.

Scamsters used to communicate through e-mails which were found ported through IP addresses of different countries like China and Sweden, making it difficult to track them," said a Crime Branch officer, who claims that arrest came after a month-long investigation.

A team of Vadodara, Trivandrum, Hyderabad, Pune, Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai police conducted recent raids in Delhi in connection with several cases of online frauds done by gangs active here.

New syndicates are getting more organised and well-planned by creating dedicated team for every work like procuring fake documents, arranging logistics like SIMs, phone connection, office on rent, computers, furniture and most importantly, data of gullible customers.

While those working in Jamtara district are working in small teams and are running card fraud racket using their mobile and computer. "Fraudulent calls coming from Jamtara is worrying. But, professional call centres in Delhi and NCR is the real worry as they have English-speaking staff with technical knowledge. They are trained in creating fake websites, fake documents to appear genuine and also posses latest computerised technology which are used by banks," said Triveni Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police, UP-STF.

Cops have also found that Jamtara scamsters used to work in various call centres of Delhi from where they learned technical know-how.

(In association with Mail Today Bureau)
Diversified group ITC on Sunday said there is "progressive resumption" of production at its cigarette factories, which was suspended from May 4 over the large pictorial warning issue.

"The cigarette factories are commencing production progressively," ITC said in a BSE filing.

On May 5, ITC had said it has shut down its production till the time it is able to comply with "interim requirements" of 85 per cent pictorial warnings.

On May 4, the Supreme Court had directed tobacco companies to implement the rule mandating larger pictorial warnings and refused the manufacturers' plea to stay the implementation of new cigarette packaging rules introduced from April 1.

The apex court said the tobacco companies have to follow the rules till Karnataka High Court, where all the petitions from various high courts are being transferred, pronounced its final order.

"In the meantime, the company has had to shut its cigarette factories from May 4, 2016, until the company is in a position to comply with the interim requirements pending hearing in the Karnataka High Court," ITC had said in a BSE filing on May 5.

Last month, the company had resumed manufacturing of cigarettes at its factories, which it had suspended from April 1, in protest against the larger pictorial warnings issue.

The Kolkata-headquartered firm had suspended manufacturing at all its five factories saying there was a lack of clarity in policy regarding printing of larger pictorial warnings on the packets. All other cigarette manufacturers had taken similar decisions.

A notification by the Health Ministry on September 24, 2015, for implementation of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Amendment Rules, 2014, had come into force on April 1, 2016.

It prescribed larger pictorial warnings, covering 85 per cent of packets on tobacco products.

ITC manufactures a range of brands, including India Kings, Classic, Gold Flake, Navy Cut, Capstan, Bristol, Flake, Silk Cut, which are manufactured at plants in Bengaluru, Munger, Saharanpur, Kolkata and Pune.

In 2014-15, ITC had a consolidated sales of Rs 17,765.99 crore from cigarettes, which accounted for 46.22 per cent of its net sales of Rs 38,433.31 crore.


Two-wheeler major Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has set a target of over 20 per cent sales growth this fiscal as it hopes to banish the long waiting period for its flagship Activa scooter with the commissioning of the second line at its Gujarat facility.

"We hope to sell over 20 per cent more units this year.

The second assembly line in Gujarat, with a capacity of 0.6 million by the end of this quarter, should help us end the near six-month waiting for the Activa now.

"We hope from the Diwali season one can drive away an Activa over the counter," the company's Senior Vice-President for Sales and Marketing Yadvinder Singh Guleria told PTI.

The Japanese company got off to a stellar start this fiscal, with April sales zooming 26.51 per cent to 4,31,011 units, while rival Hero MotoCorp, which saw sales falling in 2015-16, witnessed a 15 per cent spurt in sales to 6,12,739 units.

Third-placed Bajaj saw volume falling 2 per cent to 3,30,109 units.

For the full fiscal 2015-16, as per SIAM data, while two-wheeler sales inched down 0.24 per cent to 1,07,00,466 units, Honda sales rose to 44,83,459 units from 44,52,005 units, out of which domestic sales stood at 42,83,345 units, up from 42,63,746 units earlier.

"For the first time, we will be able to cross the 5 million sales mark this year," Guleria said, adding that the 1.2 million scooters-only Gujarat plant will help in reaching the target.

With the second line in Gujarat going on-stream, Honda's total capacity will touch 5.8 million from the present 4.6 million from its four plants.

"FY17 is going to be our most definitive year here. Our priorities will be strengthening our connect with the youth, make all our models BS-IV compliant at the earliest while continue to aggressively make inroads into rural markets, which now contributes around 35 per cent of total sales," Guleria said.

Honda opened the 6-lakh unit first line in Gujarat ahead of schedule in February and a similar capacity second line will be on-stream next month, Guleria said.

The Japanese auto major had a whopping 56 per cent share of the scooters market in 2015-16 and expects it rise further with more supplies from the Gujarat plant.

The Rs 1,100-crore plant at Vithalapur near Ahmedabad is the world's largest scooter factory. Since its entry, Honda has invested over Rs 7,800 crore and employs around 20,000 people, including the 3,000 people at the Gujarat plant.

Honda began independent operations (after split with Hero) in 2001 with a 1.65 million units plant at Manesar in Haryana.

In 2011, it launched the second plant at Tapukara in Rajasthan with 1.2 million capacity. It opened the third plant at Narsapura in Karnataka in 2013 with 1.8 million units, making it Honda's largest two-wheeler plant in the world.

Honda India President and Chief Executive Keita Muramatsu had told PTI earlier that by end 2016, India will be the largest market for Honda globally. Currently, with 4.65 million units, Indonesia is the largest market, while India was worth 4.60 million units in 2015.

The two-wheeler market is on course to touch the 20 million mark by 2020 from 16 million in FY15, but the industry is worried about the new emission and safety norms.

Muramatsu said scooters will continue to be the growth driver for the company, though bikes' volume should also improve as the company will be producing more bikes at the Rajasthan plant.

He said for Honda, the volume will be mostly driven by Activa in the near future.

A recent research report by the Swiss brokerage Credit Suisse had said scooters will continue to drive two-wheeler sales in the country till FY20, when its market share will jump to 40 per cent.

The report had also said that Honda will drive the scooters market, where it is already the leader with over 56 per cent market share.

When asked how the newest launch -- the India-specific Navi (priced at Rs 39,500) -- is doing, Guleria said the response has been overwhelming, with over 2,000 bookings from four cities in two weeks since the launch.

Honda has doubled its dealerships in the past two years from 1,950 outlets in FY13 to 3,750 outlets in FY15 and 4,300 outlets by March, adding over 800 new touch-points in 2015-16.
Behind the numbers: 5% of Greek bailout went to citizens

Published on May 9, 2016

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Cutbacks in public spending, increased taxes, reforms to pension and unemployment policies  these are just some of the effects that austerity measures have had on the Greek people. Since 2010, the country has received 215.9 billion euros in bailouts. Where did all that money go?

In the continuing back and forth between the Greek Government and the leaders of the EU, IMF and European Central bank, there are many different players in the process of finding a solution to Greek credit debt.

On the one hand, there are those creditors who lent money to Greece, and at any moment could demand to get it back. On the other hand sits the Greek Government led by Alexis Tsipras, in search of the perfect negotiation. Somewhere in the middle, there are Greek citizens paying the price of the extreme social situation they're living through.

Since 2010, the Hellenic country has received 215.9 billion euros that, nevertheless, seem not to have solved their problems. Instead, the difficulties that the population faces are becoming more and more evident.

But how have those funds been distributed? In the sea of numbers, one figure stands out: 5%. According to a study carried out by the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) based in Berlin  titled Where did the Greek bailout money go? this percentage, amounting to 9.7 billion euros, is the total proportion of the bailout that went on the Greek fiscal budget (and therefore citizens).

The rest is divided into three categories: 64% (139.2 billion) was used to repay existing debts and to pay for investments, 17% (37.3 billions) went to Greek banks, and the remaining 14% (29.7 billions) was used as incentives for private investment. The study backs up a regular accusation that the priority of the bailout was to save banks and private creditors, not the State and its citizens.

Between meetings of the Eurogroup, some political leaders, including Angela Merkel and Pierre Moscovici, discussed the best way to settle Greek debts. If the objective of such aid packages is to allow Greece to once again stand on its own two feet, shouldn't we be turning this number on its head?

----

This article is part of our Behind the Numbers series, illustrating newsworthy stats with artistic design and a brief analysis.

Story by Ana Valiente Spanish freelance journalist based in Madrid. Currently exploring the boundless world of documentary filmmaking.

Translated from El 5% del rescate griego
What to expect from Spain's next round of elections

Published on May 9, 2016

Story by Lucas TRIPOTEAU Translation by: Oriana HENRY

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Though King Felipe VI called for a new round of elections on June 26th, the political situation in Spain remains more than uncertain.

On Tuesday the 3rd of May, at 9:37 am, the King of Spain signed a decree calling for new legislative elections aimed at pulling Spain out of the political deadlock it's been stuck in since the end of 2015.

These new elections will take place on June 26th  more than 6 months after the last round took place on the 20th of December  which led to the Congress of Deputies (Spain's lower parliamentary house) being unable to form a new government.

As a reminder, the historic legislative elections in 2015 led to major political upheaval. The two traditional parties, el Partido Popular (PP, on the political right)  led by former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy  and the Partido socialista obrero espanol (PSOE, on the political left) were met by the rise of two new contenders rooted in citizen movements. Both Ciudadanos (centre-right) and Podemos (radical left) gained major support.

PP led the pack claiming 123 seats (28.7% of votes), ahead of PSOE with 90 seats (22%), Podemos with 69 seats (20.6%) and Ciudadanos with 40 seats (13.9%).

Thus, in order to govern, a coalition between PP and PSOE, or else between three parties, was necessary to obtain parliamentary majority. But PSOE refused to support PP, and Pablo Iglesias's Podemos refused to support Ciudadanos. After months of negotiations, no possible government could be formed. That's when King Felipe VI decided to call new elections for June.

An undoubtedly similar outcome

Here's the major issue: a new ballot would not necessarily result in radical changes. Congress still might not have the majority required to form a government by this summer. Indeed, Metroscopia  a famous Spanish survey institute  recently predicted only minor changes. Their forecast points to a victory for PP with 29% of votes, just ahead of Pedro Sanchez's PSOE with 20.3% of votes. Podemos stands to win 18.1%, Ciudadanos 16.9% and Izquierda Unida 6.6%. That's with a turnout of at least 70%.

In this case, the newspaper El Mundo suggests that if the parties gain more or less the same number of seats as they did in December, a coalition between PP and PSOE, or between three parties, would once again be necessary to form a government.

Yet the leaders of these parties are still no nearer to a greater compromise than they were a few months ago. Albert Rivera  the leader of Ciudadanos  was in favour of supporting a government led by Mariano Rajoy back in December. He even added on Tuesday the 3rd of May that he wanted "a new government for Spain", before putting to bed disucssing of a potential deal with the sitting Prime Minister: "When I talk about a new government, what I mean is obvious..." The formation of a new government in the months to come seems compromised.

A failing proportional system in the face of the economic crisis?

Looking at past results, as well as future predictions, the relevance of a proportional ballot must nowadays be questioned. The first-past-the-post system only gives seats to candidates who finish top of the table in the various constituencies, whereas the proportional ballot used in Spain faithfully represents the voice of each citizen, as it allocates seats according to voting percentage using a list system.

If the current method has the perks of being more democratic, first-past-the-post aids larger parties and leads to less volatility and risk when it comes to forming a government. Up until the latest elections, PSOE and PP took turns in power and shared most of the seats in Congress. The proportional system was not as inconvenient then as it seems to be now, as the biggest parties were sure to get an absolute majority if they won legislative elections.

But the economic and social crisis, the growing mistrust towards politicians, and the rise of social networks and new citizen-based movements have completely changed the story. Many voters turned to candidates not specifically trained to be politicians, but who nevertheless had good communication skills, especially when denouncing politicians corruption and malfunctioning institutions.

Thus, it's not surprising that the proportional system gave birth to a Congress without a majority and unable to form a government. The same system exists in other countries, as well as for European elections. Though it's not as dogmatic in the European Parliament and political parties often agree to vote along the same legislative lines. In the case of Spanish Congress, the ideological and cultural disagreements between the four leading parties are such that a coalition between three of them seems very unlikely to happen.

In this context, we can ask (again) if a proportional system is relevant. Even though it's more democratic, it's totally inefficient. Yet, finding a government that will engage in concrete economic measures seems necessary for the Spanish people. On Tuesday the 3rd of May, the European Commission published its spring economic forecast for the whole Union, including the southern kingdom. It estimates that by the end of this year, public deficit will reach 3.9% and the unemployment rate will climb to 20% (falling to 18.1% in 2017). The Commission also suggests that a "decrease in the economic growth forecast" is to be feared "because of the uncertainty around the formation of a new government". As the economic situation seems so unstable; it's vitally necessary to form a government.

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This article was published by our local team at cafebabel Brussels.

Story by Lucas TRIPOTEAU

Translated from Nouvelles elections en Espagne : et maintenant ?
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MONDAY

OUTDOORS: The Padre Island National Seashore will host its Junior Ranger Program daily through May 31. All participants will earn a junior ranger badge upon completion of the program. Information: 361-949-8068.

TUESDAY

CLASS: Wilton Cake Decorating Building Buttercream Skills will be from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday taught by Wray Nell Mosier at Hobby Lobby, 5425 S. Padre Island Drive. Cost: $35 per class. Information: 361-991-3641.

MILITARY: The Counseling and Training Clinic at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is facilitating free and confidential support for the military, including active duty, reserves, guard and veterans. The group is designed to help participants who suffer from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, sexual assault and traumatic experiences. The group meets from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday in room 2014 of the Natural Resource Center. Information: 361-825-3995.

ART: The Port Aransas Art Center will host its Drop In & Draw Class by Pat Donohue from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Learn to draw or improve your skills. Cost:$20, nonmembers; $18, members. Information: 361-749-7334.
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By Beatriz Alvarado of the Caller-Times

The Corpus Christi ISD board of trustees today will make headway in its 2016-17 budget preparations and vote on the purchase of 14 new school buses.

The meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. Monday in the board room of the district's administration building at 801 Leopard St.

CCISD's Chief Administrative Officer Xavier Gonzalez will present a 14-page report detailing the district's available revenue, its expenditures on programs like special and bilingual education, among other programs and data relevant to the finalization of the budget.

Trustees also will continue an April discussion about the implications a $40,000 probe of its pay system will have on the 2016-17 budget. The study, conducted by the Texas Association of School Boards, recommends a $9.4 million investment be made in employee salaries and a restructuring of its pay system. The last time CCISD funded a similar study was about 10 years ago, Gonzalez said Monday. The changes are meant to better align the pay system to the employee market.

The study recommends an increase to the starting teacher salary  from $47,000 to $48,150  and a $1,350 pay increase for continuing teachers, along with a $70,000 salary cap for teachers. Other recommendations include raising the hourly wage for auxiliary staff to $10. The pay for the staff, which includes custodians, cafeteria workers and grounds keepers, ranges from $8.36 to $9.03.

After the study was discussed during an April 25 board meeting, labor leaders asked there be further discussion inclusive of employees.

Susie Luna-Saldana, president of the Corpus Christi Association of United School Employees, said a meeting with CCISD Superintendent Roland Hernandez took place since the April meeting, during which Hernandez and Luna-Saldana discussed member concerns. She feel confident employee voices are being heard, she said Monday.

Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers Nancy Vera said her organization had not been tapped for input by district officials since the April meeting.

"We plan on (reaching out) this week," Vera said Monday.

The board also will vote on the purchase of 14 new school buses. The expenditure totals $1.3 million. Seven of the buses will be for students with special needs.

Twitter: @CallerBetty

Tweets by @CallerBetty
| BY Ricki Green |

Marketing, advertising and business experts Lauren Fried (left) and Toby Ralph (right) have joined forces to help businesses in Australia boom by setting up the countrys first Advisory Board Institute.

Fried, Pulse Marketing founder and MD, and Ralph, whos run advertising agencies and worked on more than 40 election campaigns, were passionate about creating the much-needed resource and service which will set up expert independent advisory boards for small and medium-sized businesses.

The initiative follows prime minister Malcolm Turnbulls Innovation Statement late last year saying he wanted to drive an ideas boom. A key focus of the Federal Governments plan is around strengthening ties between the business community and thought leaders. The Federal Government also on March 15 unveiled their very own advisory board to consult on the issues at hand and create policies.

Says Fried who started Pulse Marketing 13 years ago and has learned some valuable lessons about business along the way: Its a known fact that business owners who feel isolated or operate without advisors have thwarted growth while their business is building up operational, marketing and customer issues they dont even know about.

We wanted to provide expert independent advisory boards to small businesses, in order that their deep experience can be brought to bear on the issues, problems and opportunities that exist.

Long-time friends and regular panelists on ABC show Gruen, Fried and Ralph both sit on several boards and have used them for their own businesses and purposes. They know first hand the benefits of having access to expertise outside of the management team and from a range of different areas.

Ralph said research from the University of Chicago showed 75 per cent of small business owners do not want to grow, and fewer than 8 per cent engage in innovation activities.

The same could be said for Australia, had we even the research into this very important area and hence the federal governments move to try to spark more innovation and collaboration in this country.

The executives we place are typically not available to small business, but their skills and experience can be leveraged as an advisory board, which is a fantastic resource for a management team to tap into.

An advisory board could be useful in a variety of scenarios, and help answer business goals and questions such as:

Growth  Can the business grow profit without volume? How will competitors respond?

Operations  How can the business people become more effective?

Financing and structuring  Are the business structures optimised for a future sale?

Exits  What should be fixed before the sale process begins?

The Advisory Board Institute can also advise in areas such as sales and marketing, exit strategies, outsourcing, structuring, governance, new business and new product development, pricing, promotion, legal disputes, takeovers and mergers, government liaison, debt management and distribution.
| BY Lynchy |

Campaign Brief, Photoplay + Nylon

End of Judging Cocktails

Thursday June 23 from 5pm

Campaign Brief, Photoplay and Nylon will be hosting a special end of judging cocktail party on Thursday June 23rd from 5pm. Come and join the celebrations and soak in the sun, sea and company of your fellow delegates from Australia and NZ.

If you havent already done so Contact Lynchy now or text him on +61412960753 to grab your invite.

***

LBB & Friends are back on the beach for Cannes 2016  and LBB member agencies + production companies from Australia and NZ* are invited

Every year Little Black Book hosts one of the most fun, relaxed, and productive events at the Cannes Lions  the LBB & Friends Beach, opposite the Miramar on La Croisette. And youre invited to hang out there from Tuesday thru to Saturday if you work for a LBB member agency or production company in Australia or New Zealand*.

For some of you it has become your annual home and sanctuary for the week, the physical embodiment of LBBonline. A real community, getting together to share ideas and forge new partnerships. This is its seventh year, and each time it has been bigger and better, with an amazing line-up of co-hosts who make it a diverse and interactive experience for everyone. From Tuesday to Saturday of Cannes week there is a daily free happy hour, as well as massages, musical guests, and goodie bags stuffed with treats from all of your hosts. But mostly it is a lovely free space in which to unwind, take a meeting, or just enjoy the sun on a lounger.

*LBB member agencies in Australasia

BMF, BWM Dentsu, Cheil, Clemenger BBDO, Colenso BBDO, Core, Cummins & Partners, DDB, Disciple, Core, GPY&R, The Hallway, Havas, Host, Innocean, J Walter Thompson, KWP!, Leo Burnett, Marcel, Matterhorn, M&C Saatchi, McCann, The Monkeys, Ogilvy, Reborn, Saatchi & Saatchi, Special Group, 303 Mullen Lowe, Sugar & Partners, Whybin\TBWA, VCCP, WiTH Collective, The Works and Y&R New Zealand.

*LBB member production companies in Australasia

Airbag, Alt.VFX, Cirkus, Curious, Cutting Edge, Engine, Exit Films, Film Construction, Filmgraphics, Finch, Flying Fish, Goodoil, Heckler, The Jacky Winter Group, Jungle, Mighty Nice, Moth Projects, Motionlab, Noise International, The Otto Empire, Passion Pictures, Photoplay, Plaza Films, Rapid Films, Red Engine, Revolver, Robbers Dog, Song Zu, The Sweet Shop, Tazer, Uncanny Valley and XYZ Studios.
| BY Ricki Green |

Digital food delivery platform Menulog has launched its new brand positioning by asking one simple question: What do you feel like? via M&C Saatchi, Sydney.

The new positioning reflects the extensive number of restaurant options on the Menulog platform making them a pioneer brand in the category.

The platform taps into a simple cultural truth about food, said M&C Saatchi executive creative director, Michael Canning: When it comes to food, people ask each other What do you feel like? everyday. As one of the worlds fastest growing digital food ordering services, this new platform positions Menulog as the answer, whatever you feel like.

The agency worked with Menulog to develop the new integrated brand platform that drives to an optimised online app and website. The platform includes film, OOH, digital, social, PR, ambient media and radio.

The 60 second launch film was directed by Joel Kefali, an acclaimed international director who is best known for the creation of music videos for many of the worlds biggest names including Katy Perry (This Is How We Do) and Lorde (Royals), in addition to Aussie acts Tame Impala and The Presets. The film features music by Pharrell Williams.

Says Kim Russell, director of marketing, Menulog: This relaunch represents an exciting new direction for the Menulog brand in Australia. We are proud to offer customers more choice of restaurants and cuisines and a better user experience than ever before. This is just the beginning.

Says Mark Echo, client director, Match Media: The online food ordering space is heating up in Australia and to relaunch the Menulog brand and cement their leadership position, we have partnered with the biggest properties in the country in a truly integrated way. The launch campaign will create a strong platform for the brand and will make Menulog part of the Australian vernacular.

Client: Menulog

Barnaby Dawe  Just Eat Global CMO

Kim Russell  Director of Marketing ANZ

Tasman Page  Head of Marketing

M&C Saatchi  Agency

Andy DiLallo  Chief Creative Officer

Michael Canning  Executive Creative Director

Bjoern Ingenleuf  Associate Creative Director

Stuart Tobin  Associate Creative Director

Sophia Tubby  Producer

Goodoil Films  Production Company

Joel Kefali  Director

Juliet Bishop  Executive Producer

Amber Easby  Producer

Andrew Stroud  Director of Photography

Bruce Everard  Production Designer

Levi Beamish  Editor

Mat Elin (Palace)  Visual Effects

Media: Match
This panini turns leftover roast chicken (or turkey) into a quick lunch or light dinner. Serve with crudit?s or a tossed salad to complement the richness of the cheese. No panini press? No problem. Cook in a grill pan over medium heat, pressing and turning once.



Portion size 1 serving

Credits : Canadian Living
Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 9:37PM

Theres been a resurgence of interest in podcasts lately and Apple knows they have to take advantage of its popularity. What the tech giant did is talk to the top podcast producers about the issues they have with Apple when it comes with the format. The exact details werent disclosed but things like how iTunes has fallen behind to supporting the medium were talked about. These include how producers arent able to earn revenue from subscription downloads or the lack of data and analytic tools when it comes to number of listeners and duration of plays. There are also poor sharing and promotion features for social media and the producers only have a single employee to contact when it comes to solving issues or working on promotions with iTunes.

Apple hasnt made any promises for the podcast creators to hold them on but the representatives who were at that meeting then talked to iTunes chief Eddy Cue afterwards to relay the feedback. Cue said in a statement to the NY Times, We have more people than ever focused on podcasting, including engineers, editors and programmers. Podcasts hold a special place with us at Apple. We may or may not see changes soon. Well just have to wait.

Source: New York Times | Via: SlashGear
Sunday, May 8, 2016 at 10:51PM

Radioheads ninth studio album A Moon Shaped Pool has officially been released digitally. Its now available on iTunes and Amazon and its streaming on Tidal and Apple Music. Before the online release of the 11-track album, the songs Burn the Witch and Daydreaming were released earlier this week. For those who want physical copies of the album, you have to wait to get them until June 17th but you can pre-order now. The band will kick off its world tour on May 20th in The Netherlands. They will be playing at the Osheaga Music and Arts Festival in Montreal, which is happening on July 29 to 31.

Source: Associated Press via Business Insider
"If you own a pub or a club, you've got as big a social responsibility as doctors do and one of the things we can do is sit down as a group and look at other ways.
The CFMEU, who formed a guard of honour for Mrs Catanzariti as she walked into court, say the case raises serious questions about the abilities and expertise of WorkSafe ACT and the Director of Public Prosecutions in handling complex, expensive work safety cases, particularly when they are pitted against wealthy multinationals.
"The presence of any additional [outlaw motorcycle gangs] who are potentially in conflict with each other does raise a concern for community safety and it would be naive to advise there is no risk to members of the public should any conflict escalate into physical violence," she said.
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Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

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Jadavpur University (JU), Kolkata has invited applications for admission to Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) programme.

Admissions are opened in departments of Bengali, Comparative Literature, Economics, English, Film Studies, History, International Relations, Library & Information Science, Philosophy, Physical Education and Sanskrit for the academic session July 2016.

Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates, who are interested to apply should visit Jadavpur university's official website to get complete information about eligibility criteria.

How to Apply?

Candidates should apply online

Application form should be submitted along with a draft of Rs 500/- (drawn in favour of The Registrar, Jadavpur University, payable at Kolkata) to the office of the Dean and Secretary, Faculty of Arts (UG Arts Building, Ground floor, Jadavpur University Main campus, Kolkata 700032)

Selection Procedure:

Admisssion to Jadavapur University will be offered to candidates based on their performance in the written test and interview, conducted by the concerned department

Candidate who holds M.Phil (Regular two year course) degree and admitted to the M.Phil programme through a written test or have qualified NET/SET shall be entitled to get exemption from written admission test and shall be called directly for an interview

Important Dates:

Last date to submit applications: May 13, 2016

Date of written admission test: June 06, 2016 to June 09, 2016

Also Read:


COMED-K 2016 Test Debuts Online Amid Chaos

The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMED-K) introduced online test for aspiring engineering students and it debuted on 08 May 2016 at 172 cities in India and 27 cities in Karnataka, 697 centres in India out of which Karnataka had 152 centres and Bangalore had 78 centres. Close to 55, 000 students took the online test.

How Did The Test Go?

This the first time that COMED-K conducted Under Graduate Entrance Test (UGET) online for students aspiring to study engineering courses. Keeping pace with the dynamic nature of exams is always welcome; COMED-K did the same through its online test for admissions to engineering courses. Such changes depend upon technology and demand smooth operation to avoid any inconveniences to candidates taking the test. In some of the centres in Bangalore, candidates had to face a lot of difficulties during the test due to errors in biometric devices which marked the attendance of candidates.

Candidates had to wait for nearly an hour to attempt the questions as they could not login because of server problems.

If engineering aspirants had to face problems while taking test due to technical errors, the medical aspirants too had to face problem since they did not have an idea that their exams had been canceled as per the instructions of the Supreme Court. The candidates who had come to the centres to take online medical test asked for refund of their exam fees which the authorities denied since there was no provision for refund.
New Delhi: About 22 fake universities are functioning in the country against whom the states have been asked to initiate action, the government told Rajya Sabha.

There are maximum of 9 fake universities in Uttar Pradesh and 5 in Delhi. HRD Minister Smriti Irani stated that the ministry is drafting a letter to Ministry of External Affairs asking to list out all fake universities/ institutions abroad in order to act on injustices meted out to our students.

"As per information available with the UGC, there are 22 universities (in the country) which have been listed in the UGC list of fake universities and are functioning in contravention or violation of the UGC Act, 1956 in different parts of the country," Irani said.

"Besides UP and Delhi, there are two in West Bengal and one each in Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha," minister added.

UGC asks Varsities to Set Up Students Counseling System

Replying to questions, whether centre is taking action against fake universities universities Smiti Irani said that the government had fulfilled the duties of informing the state government and it is up to the concerned government to act against them.

"Law and order is a state issue and only states can take action as per federal structure. No state government has so far said it is not taking action against such universities and have instead shown inclination of taking action," she said.

"KnowYourCollege'', portal provides details about college

Irani said the regulator on its part has started a portal "KnowYourCollege" and a mobileApp providing details about universities and colleges so that gullible students are not duped such fake institutions.

"We are also making attempts to have direct interaction with students besides this 'KnowYourCollege' portal to help students identify fake universities," she said.

Irani said there are universities abroad which try to mislead Indian students and "We are in the process of writing to MEA to ensure that all missions are appealed to give us a list of fake universities or institutions overseas so that we can appropriately inform our states to help students not get duped by such institutions."

Speaking about foreign tie-ups and off-campus centres, she said, "Many universities have tried to set up off-campus centres which are unauthorised and UGC has taken cognisance of this fact and ordered shutdown of illegal off-campus centres."

Also Read:

No support for proposal for pursuing two degrees together: UGC

India Rankings 2016 - NIRF: Top 10 Universities

Inputs from PTI
Last year BMW was the top dog Stateside in the luxury segment, yet in 2016 it languishes in third place.



A 9.4 percent drop in sales means it is currently almost 20,000 vehicles short of new leader Mercedes-bENZ and even trails a resurgent Lexus. The situation is made worse by the fact that, as a whole, the US market grew by 3.3 percent in the first four months of the year.

Could it be that Munich seriously misjudged the situation last year in its effort to outdo its rivals and now, as dealers complain, there are lots of 3-Series waiting, and depreciating, in US showrooms?

BMW North America spokesman Alexander Bigleri replied, via email, to Autonews that all luxury brands had slower sales this year, caused by energy industry problems.

Affluent customers generally ride out recessions OK, but specific market volatilities can directly affect the premium vehicle market, and thats what were experiencing right now, was his explanation, adding that the expansion of the Spartanburg plant and increase in SUV production will help rectify this situation.

As early as January, AutoNation, the countrys largest new-car retailer, had reported a big inventory of unsold cars, especially from luxury brands.

BMW conceded that the strong dollar enticed it to reallocate its production in order to offset the loss of the slowing Chinese market, but wouldnt comment on its current supply. Instead, CFO Friedrich Eichiner said that, in light of rising demand, the company is adjusting production plans and reallocating more SUVs to the US.

Photo Gallery
In a world where automakers keep spending more and more money on advertising, Hyundai, like Audi, have aligned themselves with the Marvel Universe in order to reach the people they otherwise couldnt.



In 2015, Hyundai signed a two-year deal with Marvel and Netflix, purchasing product-placement rights in popular hero franchise shows such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones, but also the upcoming Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

The deal, as reported by Autonews, is valid through 2017 when the four previously mentioned heroes will join forces in a new Netflix series called The Defenders.

Those of you whove seen Daredevil may have noticed how the Sonata Hybrid and Genesis sedan kept showing up throughout the series, with the latter also ending up starring in Jessica Jones.

Furthermore, both the Sonata Hybrid as well as the Genesis sedan (now known as the Genesis G80) will make their way to Netflix Luke Cage when the series launches in September.

Consumers are much more difficult to find these days with the proliferation of digital, said Monique Kumpis, Hyundais senior manager of advertising. Not everybody is watching linear television, and even when they are, our competitors there are outspending us, so we always have to be on the lookout for smarter ways to reach these audiences.

PHOTO GALLERY
The new Genesis brand is planning to launch plug-in hybrid versions of its models in the near future to compete with other premium car makers.



The PHEV models are an intermediate step before hydrogen fuel cell cars become the norm in the coming decades, according to Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America CEO, who spoke to AutoNews.

Some of those [plug-in hybrids] will take the form of the Genesis side of our business, Zuchowski said. We believe alternative-propulsion engines are going to be really important  even more important in the luxury market than they are in the mainstream market.

The Korean manufacturer will adopt the same approach with BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo and Cadillac, which offer plug-in hybrid version of their existing models.

Genesis PHEV plan is part of its parent Hyundai to launch several plug-in models in the near future. The new premium brand will initially offer two models, the G90 luxury flagship which replaces the Equus, and the G80, the successor of the Hyundai Genesis. The brand also plans a smaller G70 executive saloon that will compete with the likes of the BMW 3-Series and was previewed by the New York concept.

You get a lot of the benefits of electric vehicles but with a safety net, Zuchowski said. We think thats a wonderful midterm strategy.

PHOTO GALLERY
Why did Turkey cross Elon Musk? Because itll stuff his EVs, thats why! No disrespect to the country, but one cant resist the joke  not when it goes on the record saying its upcoming Pehlivan electric car will be better than a Tesla.



Turkish Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Isk did actually make that statement, according to a Hurriyet Daily News report.

Our car will be better and safer than Teslas car, said Isik. While they need to establish charging stations, we will integrate the charging station into the car thanks to a developed engine which extends the cars range.

The Pehlivan (thats Turkish for wrestler) is the winning design of a competition that was sponsored by the Turkish government and was co-developed with TUBITAK, the countrys Scientific and Technical Research Council.

Having just completed a two-week tour of the Balkans at Sarajevo, Serbia, the project is part of Turkeys initiative of developing its homebuilt EV. Last October, it sealed a deal with Saab owner NEVS and acquired the electric Saab 9-3 intellectual rights, though not its name as it will be sold under a new, Turkish brand.

One of the worlds largest battery manufacturers offered us to make production jointly. We have already built cooperation with Bosch in the framework of our car project, Isik added.

We want to produce the range extender conventional engine in Turkey by the end of 2018 with having the intellectual property rights of the technology. We are also in talks with several companies for further cooperation. The two-cylindrical gasoline-powered engine with a 1 liter capacity, which will also serve as a generator, will work with high productivity at around 35 percent.

So, this is going to be an EV with a range extender. Nothing weve seen before, right? Mr. Musk, youd better brace yourself  or not

Video
Photo: Viktor Gladkov

Ever wondered how the financial institution or mortgage broker determines if you qualify for a mortgage? There are five key elements that most lenders use. These are often called the five cs of credit to make it easier to remember.

Here are the five different factors that are examined before you get an approval for the mortgage on the home you would like to buy. They are listed in the order generally verified by the lender.

CHARACTER

This is a look at the borrower to determine if they are of good character. The lender looks at thing such as assets and liabilities which will show the borrowers ability to save money, and whether they rely too heavily on credit.

Length of employment is used to determine whether the applicant is able to hold a job for a reasonable period of time and stability.

Time at residence will show stability, and the current rent will also be a factor in affordability.

CAPACITY

This involves looking at the sources of income and nature of the borrowers payments to determine their debt servicing. There are two ratios that the lender calculates.

Gross Debt Service (GDS) looks at monthly mortgage payment + property taxes + heating costs divided by the monthly income. This ratio is generally less than 32%.

The second ratio is Total Debt Service (TDS) which adds to the GDS and total monthly payments of the borrower. This should be close to 40%. Rent is looked at to determine if the mortgage payment is reasonable in comparison to the rent the applicant is accustomed to paying.

CAPITAL

Does the borrower have enough money for a downpayment? The ability to show that a mortgagor can save over the required 5% minimum downpayment will greatly strengthen the deal. Sometimes First Time Buyers will get a gift from family for the downpayment, and this will only work if the other cs are good to excellent.

CREDIT

The lender or mortgage broker will often pull a credit bureau report from either Transunion or, more commonly in BC, Equifax.

The credit bureau gives a snapshot in time of the borrowers ability to handle credit. It will show the outstanding balances, limits, payments, and the past repayment record of the borrower. The credit report will also show whether the applicant has ever had any collections or bills they refused to pay.

Many factors are used by the credit bureau to give the applicant a credit score. Many lenders use a minimum score of 620-650 for mortgages.

COLLATERAL

The collateral is usually the last to be confirmed. This refers to the property. In general, the lender wants to lend on a property that is in good condition, in a good location, and something that would appeal to other buyers should the lender ever have to foreclose and sell the property to recover the mortgage.

The application process is like a puzzle that the lender or broker tries to fit together to approve the loan. If one area of the client's application is weak, than it is important to point out and emphasize the strengths so that they compensate for the weaknesses. For example, if the borrower has no downpayment and it will come in the form of a gift, their strengths may be longevity in their employment (capacity) and very few loans (credit).

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Contributed

The town of Oliver will host to the annual BC volunteer firefighters spring training seminar next week.

More than 350 volunteer firefighters from across the province are expected to attend, for a weekend of practical skills training on May 14 and 15.

"Every second year, the Oliver Fire Department's experience and history of exceptional training standards is partnered with various organizations including FortisBC, RCMP and many other fire rescue training companies," said spokesperson Rob Graham. "These partnerships ensure the most up-to-date equipment and training is available to attending firefighters."

The department's social media boasts that last year they blew up a bus, and asks "What will we do this year?"

Over the weekend, the public is invited to watch firefighters practicing skills in live fire training, vehicle extrication, high-angle ladder rescue and swift-water rescue techniques in 26, one-hour sessions.

The community is also invited to join visiting firefighters at an after-party, at the outdoor band shell with live music and locally produced beer, wine and spirits, on Saturday evening.

As an active community organization, the OFD returns funds to various community-based charities and purchases life-saving or training equipment.

More information is available on the Oliver Fire Dept. Facebook page.
Photo: Contributed

The family of a missing Penticton man are getting worried as he has not been heard from in days.

Kees Van Egmond has been out of contact since April 29.

The 76 year old has type 1 diabetes and requires insulin.

The family said the last record of Van Egmond was at a Penticton gas station May 2.

He is described as 5'6 tall and weighs 110 pounds.

He drives a gold 2010 Jeep Patriot, license plate number AA5 47A.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Van Egmond is asked to call police.
Photo: David Ogilvie

UPDATE: 10:05 p.m.

A woman contacted Castanet Sunday night and said it was her husband and friend who were capsized.

"It was my husband and his good friend out for a little jaunt on their boats. The wind took over and capsized his boat," she said.

"He wasn't able to right his boat and his friend tried to help him with no success. They were going to 'swim for it' but I am so grateful to the people who called for help! They were way out there and the water is still so frigid."

She said she's thankful to the rescuers.

"Thank you to our awesome concerned townspeople, and thank you to Peachland Fire Department for rescuing them from the water!"

 with files from Darren Handschuh

UPDATE 7:57 P.M.

It appears to be a false alarm.

Witnesses are telling Castanet marine rescue officials towed two small sail boats back to the dock in Peachland.

It would seem the boats were empty and it is believed no one is in the water.

Reports of a boater in distress are coming out of Peachland.

Witnesses are telling Castanet a boater has gone into the water between Princeton and Lipsett avenues.

A marine rescue is currently in progress.

Castanet will have more details as soon as they become available.

Sent your pictures and information to [email protected].
The claims made by Dermod Travis that there was a conflict of interest when BC Hydro awarded Corix the contract to install smart meters are untrue and irresponsible. His facts on the cost of our new meters are also untrue.

BC Hydros procurement policies are structured to be fair, open and transparent. All of BC Hydros smart metering contracts were awarded through a transparent, market-driven, competitive process to ensure the best value for our customers.

After an extensive, competitive procurement process, BC Hydro determined that Corix offered the best proposal. They are an experienced deployment vendor and have worked on several major smart meter projects for utilities like Southern California Edison, FortisAlberta and Oklahoma Gas & Electric.

A disciplined, detailed and rigorous protocol is in place to ensure that neither BC Hydro board members nor staff are ever in a position of perceived or real conflict of interest. BC Hydro board member Tracey McVicars involvement was entirely consistent and respectful of the boards Code of Conduct. She declared her potential conflict of interest and did not vote on the decision to award the contract to Corix.

As for cost, if you compare apples to apples and compare the elements of BC Hydros program with similar elements to the Hydro Quebec or Ontario programs, the cost of our meters works out to be similar  about $200 each. This figure includes the meter, its installation and the data management system.

Since 2011, BC Hydro has installed 1.93 million meters. The project was completed at the end of 2015 as planned and more than $150 million under budget.

Keith Anderson

Vice-President, Customer Service

BC Hydro
Indonesia: cement sales up 5% in 1Q16

09 May 2016

Indonesia's domestic cement sales rose to 14.43Mt in 1Q16, up five per cent from the same period last year of 13.84Mt.



The rise appears to be driven partly by the development of government infrastructure projects, power plants and smelter projects.



The Head of Indonesia Cement Association (ASI), Widodo Santoso, was quoted by Investor Daily as saying that the rise of cement sales was as expected by ASI. We hope the sales will increase in the coming months.

Published under
iStock/Thinkstock(JERUSALEM) -- Israel is speaking out after Iran says it carried out another ballistic missile test two weeks ago.



The missile had a range of over 1,200 miles, meaning it can reach Tel Aviv.



"Iran's launch of its ballistic missiles is in flagrant violation of its international obligations," David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told ABC News.



Back in March, the United States called Iran's ballistic missile tests that month "inconsistent" with a United Nations resolution.



Israel wants a tougher stand.



"The prime minister has repeatedly made it clear to the international community that Iran's feet need to be held to the fire," Keyes said.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Laptop computer users operating their devices on their laps will be familiar with the heat they generate, which comes from electrical resistance converting waste energy to heat. Scientists dream of creating electronic devices with little or no resistance to the flow of electricity, in order to reduce heat output, save energy, and extend device capabilities. In the last several years theorists and experimentalists have been trying to achieve this goal using extremely thin materials with special physical properties, called topological insulators (TIs). Recently there has been a breakthrough towards this goal: Dissipationless flow of current has been achieved in TIs when it enters a quantum state without any external magnetic fields  although, as of now, only at extremely low temperatures, its potential can be significant if the operating temperature could be raised.

Topological insulators allow the free flow of electrons only on their surface while blocking the flow of electrons through their bulk. MIT postdoc Cui-Zu Chang, then a doctoral student at Tsinghua University in China, and colleagues at Chinese Academy of Sciences-Institute of Physics, Tsinghua, and Stanford University, reported the experimental demonstration of electrons flowing only along the edge of a topological insulator film circuit, driven by an internal magnetic field, which physicists call the quantum anomalous Hall effect. To provide internal magnetism for their circuit, they added chromium to their material, which was composed of bismuth, antimony, and tellurium. However, the Tsinghua system still showed remnants of electrical resistance to the edge current, frustratingly close to zero resistance.

Dissipationless transport

Improving upon his earlier work, Chang and colleagues in the group of Jagadeesh Moodera , along with collaborators from Penn State, Stanford and Northeastern University, achieved robust quantum anomalous Hall state and near dissipationless electron transport in topological insulators. Chang and colleagues at MIT replaced chromium with vanadium to obtain atomically thin layers of their magnetic topological insulators. They stacked sample films of this material on a base of strontium titanate. They reported early results of this work in Nature Materials in May 2015, achieving very slight resistance to current flowing lengthwise along their sample.

Via local and nonlocal measurements, Chang and colleagues at MIT and Penn State University with further optimization achieved zero resistance to current flowing lengthwise along the edge of their sample circuit at the extremely low temperature of 25 millikelvins (0.025 kelvins), a state physicists call dissipationless chiral edge transport. This lack of resistance is independent of length, they say in a Physical Review Letters paper published in July 2015. Mooderas group is part of the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory and MIT Department of Physics.

In this system, there is a very special edge channel, Chang explains. The bulk is insulating but the chiral edge channel is metallic and spin polarized, so its very useful for the next generation electronics and spintronics with low power consumption.

A signal entering this system can propagate a long distance without losing any of its energy. While presently it can only be realized at very low temperatures, there are indications that this can be raised, Chang says. Observing this kind of quantum anomalous Hall state below 1 kelvin requires a special piece of equipment called a cryostat, so work continues to produce this effect at a higher temperature.

Vanadium advantages

Adding an extra element such as chromium or vanadium to introduce a special property (such as magnetism) to a material is known as doping. The vanadium-doped system showed three distinct advantages over the chromium-doped system:

twofold increase in the temperature above which the material loses magnetism (its Curie temperature), allowing the vanadium system to operate at zero resistance at a slightly higher but still very cold temperature;

10 times increase in the stability of its intrinsic magnetism (its coercive field); and

one-half reduction in its carrier density.

The vanadium system spontaneously shows magnetism at below about 23 kelvins. Results show this quantum anomalous Hall state can survive in a vanadium-doped system up to 5 kelvins (-450 degrees Fahrenheit). However, above 5 kelvins, the effect disappears and the normal resistance of the bulk material appears.

While their sample film is still extremely thin  about 4 nanometers  the device studied is about 1 mm long by 0.4 mm wide, which is relatively large compared with other studies of quantum spintronic phenomena. We make this kind of sample so big to preserve the delicate properties of the film. These films are very sensitive to water and air, which degrades the film properties, Chang explains.

Chang worked for five years in his doctoral studies at Tsinghua University searching for the quantum anomalous Hall effect, which was predicted in 1988 by F. Duncan M. Haldane at Princeton, he notes. In a recent theoretical paper, no quantum anomalous Hall effect was predicted in a vanadium-doped topological insulator, whereas we experimentally showed the opposite is true, that this system is better for observing quantum anomalous Hall effect! Chang says.

Three conditions needed

The 2006 discovery of topological insulators made the realization of quantum anomalous Hall effect practical. Chang cites three conditions to realize this effect: atomically flat thin TI film; introducing magnetism into the TI film; and tuning the chemical potential (Fermi level) into the gap induced by magnetism. After an intense search, Chang first observed the quantum anomalous Hall state in Oct. 9, 2012, in a sample of chromium-doped bismuth antimony, simultaneously showing a noticeable decrease in longitudinal resistance, according to a report on the evolution of their work published Feb. 26 in the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. Separately, a group at Tokyo University which included Joseph Checkelsky , now assistant professor of physics at MIT, confirmed the Tsinghua work and also observed the quantum anomalous Hall effect in the same system, Chang says.

If you can realize this effect at room temperature, it will significantly change our life. You can use this kind of effect to develop quantum electronics including the quantum computer, Chang says. In this kind of computer, there is minimal heating effect; the current flow is completely dissipationless; and you can also communicate over very long distance.

Although a superconductor can also reach zero resistance at low temperature, it is not spin-polarized, so it can transfer only electrical information but not spin information, Chang explains. The advantage of the quantum anomalous Hall effect, or topological edge state, is that the edge current is spin-polarized and robust, so it can be used to transfer information.
Shatter cones (pyramid-like structures) formed from the shock wave of the impact, and can be seen as that wave migrated through the rock from the bottom up.

New research suggests that the very oldest pieces of rock on Earth -- zircon crystals -- are likely to have formed in the craters left by violent asteroid impacts that peppered our nascent planet, rather than via plate tectonics as was previously believed.

Rocks that formed over the course of Earth's history allow geologists to infer things such as when water first appeared on the planet, how our climate has varied, and even where life came from. However, we can only go back in time so far, as the only material we have from the very early Earth comes in the form of tiny, naturally occurring zircon crystals.

Naturally then, the origin of these crystals, which are approximately the width of a human hair and more than four billion years old (the Earth being just over four and a half billion years old), has become a matter of major debate. Fifteen years ago these crystals first made headlines when they revealed the presence of water on the surface of the Earth (thought to be a key ingredient for the origin of life) when they were forming.

Ten years ago, a team of researchers in the US1 argued that the ancient zircon crystals probably formed when tectonic plates moving around on the Earth's surface collided with each other in a similar fashion to the disruption taking place in the Andes Mountains today, where the ocean floor under the Pacific Ocean is plunging under South America.

However, current evidence suggests that plate tectonics -- as we know it today -- was not occurring on the early Earth. So, the question remained: Where did the crystals come from?

Recently, geologists suggested these grains may have formed in huge impact craters produced as chunks of rock from space, up to several kilometres in diameter, slammed into a young Earth. To test this idea, researchers from Trinity College Dublin decided to study a much younger impact crater to see if zircon crystals similar to the very old ones could possibly have formed in these violent settings.

In the summer of 2014, with the support of the Irish Reseach Council (IRC) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the team collected thousands of zircons from the Sudbury impact crater, Ontario, Canada - the best preserved large impact crater on Earth and the planet's second oldest confirmed crater at almost two billion years old.

After analysing these crystals at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, they discovered that the crystal compositions were indistinguishable from the ancient set.

PhD Researcher in Trinity's School of Natural Sciences, Gavin Kenny, is first author of the article which explains these findings.

He said: "What we found was quite surprising. Many people thought the very ancient zircon crystals couldn't have formed in impact craters, but we now know they could have. There's a lot we still don't fully understand about these little guys but it looks like we may now be able to form a more coherent story of Earth's early years -- one which fits with the idea that our planet suffered far more frequent bombardment from asteroids early on than it has in relatively recent times."

Gavin Kenny recently travelled to the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) in Houston, Texas, to present these findings to the space science community.

He added: "There was a lot of enthusiasm for our findings. Just two years ago a group2 had studied the likely timing of impacts on the early Earth and they suggested that these impacts might explain the ages of the ancient zircons. They were understandably very happy to see that the chemistry of the zircons from the Canadian impact crater matched the oldest crystals known to man."
SPRINGFIELD  It wasnt exactly what they wanted.

But advocates of a law to prevent police from questioning juveniles who dont have lawyers said a pared-down, Senate-passed version is still a positive step forward.

Senate Bill 2370, sponsored by Sen. Patricia Van Pelt, a Chicago Democrat, would prevent police interrogations of juveniles under 15 in homicide and some sex offense cases if they dont have a lawyer present. Children under 13 are already afforded that protection under Illinois law.

The compromise legislation, which would also require all custodial interrogations of teens 17 and under in all felony and misdemeanor sex offense cases to be videotaped, is now headed for the House of Representatives after passage without opposition last week in the Senate.

I think many people were shocked that children dont automatically have lawyers, particularly in homicide investigations, said Elizabeth E. Clarke, founder and president of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, one of the bills main supporters. But I think its all part of an educational process. And as President (Barack) Obama just reminded graduates at Howard University the other day  change comes gradually.

On the Senate floor Thursday, Van Pelt lamented that her original idea to prevent juveniles in any case from waiving their Miranda rights did not go forward.

To me that was a simple, simple request, because a child 13 to 17 cant even go to the Museum of Science and Industry without his parents consent, she told colleagues. So why would we want them to be able to be interrogated and maybe charged for something thats going to impact them for the rest of their lives without their parent being there, without any attorney there, all by themselves?

Still, she said, this bill represents hope deferred, because it does move us down the road.

The measure also contains a requirement for a simplified Miranda warning for minors. It would state: You have the right to remain silent. That means you do not have to say anything. Anything you do say can be used against you in court. You have the right to get help from a lawyer. If you cannot pay for a lawyer, the court will get you one for free. You can ask for a lawyer at any time. You have the right to stop this interview at any time.

After being read continuously, an official would ask the minor, Do you want to have a lawyer? and Do you want to talk to me? and wait for replies to each question.

Matthew P. Jones, top lobbyist for the States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutors office, said the group supports the amended measure. He said both the expanded videotaping provision and the simplified warning, which is modeled on a similar proposal in New York, will help eliminate the possibility of coerced confessions.

No one believes that we ought to be using statements that are not knowingly and voluntarily made, Jones said. So the simplified Miranda goes to the issue of knowingly and the videotape goes to both knowingly and voluntarily made. Because if theres some question of coercion or lack of understanding, the videotape is going to speak to that.

Supporters of the original bill had hoped the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Courts Miranda v. Arizona decision this year and the popularity of the Netflix documentary Making a Murderer, which partly revolved around an intellectually disabled 16-year-olds confession to police, would shine a light on juvenile interrogations.

Additionally, multiple Illinois Supreme Court cases in the last few years have upheld the validity of evidence gathered during police interviews with minors who did not have a lawyer present.

But the compromise is still terribly significant, said Clarke, the Juvenile Justice Initiative founder.

Its an extraordinary and really hopeful move forward, she said. Not just on this issue, but for all of criminal justice reform.

The House sponsor of the legislation is Barbara Flynn Currie, a Chicago Democrat. The measure passed the Senate by a 56-0 tally.
Groupon is firing back against IBM two months after the computing giant accused it of patent infringement, filing a countersuit and calling the company "a dial-up-era dinosaur."

"IBM, a relic of once-great 20th Century technology firms, has now resorted to usurping the intellectual property of companies born this millennium," Groupon's lawyers wrote in the complaint, filed Monday in Illinois district court.

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Groupon claims that IBM infringed on a patent issued in 2010 for a "System for Providing a Service to Venues where People Aggregate." The suit says IBM's WebSphere Commerce product, which allows businesses to use customers' real-time locations to send them targeted marketing messages, violates a Groupon patent.

"Unfortunately, IBM is trying to shed its status as a dial-up-era dinosaur by infringing on the intellectual property rights of current technology companies, like Groupon," spokesman Bill Roberts said in an emailed statement. "We look forward to having this matter considered."

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IBM filed suit against Groupon in early March, alleging that the Chicago-based online marketplace infringed on four of its patents. Two of those relate to Prodigy, a late-1980s online service created by IBM and others.

IBM has sparred with Twitter, Amazon, Priceline and others over similar claims.

Groupon's lawyers wrote that it is seeking royalties on "the billions of dollars in revenue that IBM has received based on its unlawful use of Groupon's patented technology." They said IBM knew of the patent violation at least as early as June 2015, a claim IBM said was "categorically false."

"We believe that this counter suit is totally without merit," IBM spokesman Doug Shelton said in an emailed statement. "Over the past three years, IBM has attempted to conclude a fair and reasonable patent license agreement with Groupon, and we are disappointed that Groupon is seeking to divert attention from its patent infringement by suing IBM."

Shelton added that he hopes for a "fair conclusion" in which Groupon compensates IBM for using its patented technology.

aelahi@tribpub.com

Twitter @aminamania
Brian Lesko and Dan Sherman hate the idea of driverless cars, but for very different reasons.

Lesko, 46, a business-development executive in Atlanta, doesn't trust a robot to keep him out of harm's way. "It scares the bejeebers out of me," he says.

Sherman, 21, a mechanical-engineering student at the University of Minnesota trusts the technology and sees these vehicles eventually taking over the road. But he dreads the change because his passion is working on cars to make them faster.

"It's something I've loved to do my entire life and it's kind of on its way out," he says. "That's the sad truth."

The driverless revolution is racing forward, as inventors overcome technical challenges such as navigating at night and regulators craft new rules. Yet the rush to robot cars faces a big roadblock: People aren't ready to give up the wheel. Recent surveys by J.D. Power, consulting company EY, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Canadian Automobile Association, researcher Kelley Blue Book and auto supplier Robert Bosch all show that half to three-quarters of respondents don't want anything to do with these models.

"Technologically, we will be ready for automated driving within this decade," said Kay Stepper, a vice president and head of the automated driving unit at Bosch, which supplies components to the world's leading manufacturers. "But it will take well into the next decade to convince consumers."

Automakers and tech giants including Alphabet Inc.'s Google unit have high hopes for a rapid rollout of autonomous vehicles, which they say will radically reduce traffic deaths and cure congestion in big cities. Google, which announced plans on Tuesday to expand its test fleet with 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans, predicts people will be tooling around in robot models by 2020. Boston Consulting Group says the market for autonomous technology will grow to $42 billion by 2025, and self-driving cars may account for a quarter of global sales by 2035.

All of this depends on people buying something they don't currently want. In the Kelley Blue Book study, 75 percent of the 2,076 people surveyed said they don't think they'll ever own a self-driving car. In the EY study, just 40 percent could imagine engaging the autopilot, a feature already available on Tesla's sport utility vehicle and sedan and coming soon on models from Audi, Volvo, Mercedes and Cadillac.

In a recently released survey, J.D. Power found that just 23 percent of Baby Boomers would trust self-driving technology. Acceptance improves with younger cohorts, but it's not overwhelming. Less than half of Gen Xers (41 percent) would trust robot cars, while 56 percent of Gen Y and 55 percent of Gen Z are comfortable with the concept.

"It's a little overwhelming for most people," said Kristin Schondorf, executive director of automotive and transportation mobility at EY and a former engineer at Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. "For certain generations who like to drive, that is going to be difficult to give up."

The biggest obstacle is fear. Consumers who've endured computer crashes as part of their everyday existence are wary of trusting software to keep them safe.

"We're putting a machine  a robot on four wheels  in control of driving us down the road," Stepper said. "Their main concern is that the technology could fail at any point in time. And then what is going to happen? It's this big unknown."

Experience will assuage those apprehensions. But experience is hard to come by right now: Only engineers are testing cars that require no input from humans.

Consumers are getting their first exposure through semi-autonomous features such as automatic brakes, systems that steer a drifting car back into its lane and adaptive cruise control that operates the brake and accelerator to stay a set distance from vehicles ahead. Luxury makers such as Mercedes and Audi soon will introduce traffic-jam assist that takes over in stop-and-go situations.

Relinquishing complete control is a much greater leap. Drivers' willingness to allow an autopilot to steer their car improves to 66 percent from 40 percent if they have the option of taking over the wheel in an emergency, based on the EY study. But safety regulators blame human error for more than 90 percent of crashes, so it's actually not best to override the robot in a stressful situation, according to Schondorf.

"There might be a reason the driverless car is doing something that you don't even understand because you can't see what the cameras and sensors see," Schondorf said. "If you take control, that could be the thing that harms you."

Still, humans will need to feel they're part of the process. Bosch's Stepper recommends outfitting autonomous autos with multiple screens that tell drivers in advance which decisions the master computer is making and what route the car is taking. These could be supplemented with audible explanations of actions, akin to station announcements a commuter might hear on a train.

First, though, consumers will need to try out robot cars in a safe environment. And that will require the government and companies to provide test drives. Government authorities also could create autonomous highway lanes, protected from other traffic, to help inspire confidence. In Europe, tests already are under way, including automated vans that take passengers around a fixed course in urban areas and tourist destinations.

Trust "is a big issue that will go away as people become more experienced with the technology," said Johanna Zmud, senior research scientist with the Texas A&M institute.

Engineering student Sherman, who has studied autonomous sensors and software, understands better than most how driverless cars will make roads safer. But he laments that soulless machines won't make them more fun.

"I'm going to have to find some way to cope," Sherman said. "I hope there will still be communities of people like me who like to control the vehicle. But we might not be able to drive that car on the street."
Chicago director Kimberly Senior will receive a special non-Equity Jeff Award at this year's ceremony, it was announced Monday.

Senior was nominated in a letter co-signed by 73 members of the Chicago theater community for "outstanding achievement in the non-Equity arena." The letter noted that "Kimberly's most important and most lasting legacy in Chicago is the way she has tirelessly championed and fought for many careers other than her own."

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Senior has spent 21 years working in Chicago theater (garnerning multiple non-Equity and Equity Jeff nominations), beginning with a temporary summer post at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she later worked for 10 years as an administrator and resident artist for the Steppenwolf for Young Adults program. Before helming the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Disgraced," she was a founder of Collaboraction, spent a decade as an associate artist at Strawdog Theatre Company and was the first board president of The Hypocrites. She is currently an associate artist at Timeline, a resident director at Writers Theatre and an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College, where she received the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award.

The non-Equity Jeff Awards will be held June 6 at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave.

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Theo Ubique leads non-Equity Jeff Award nominations

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Ben Sasse addresses supporters in Lincoln, Neb., in November 2014, after winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. (Nati Harnik / Associated Press)

Reporting from Washington  Nebraska's new senator spent his first year as fresh arrivals to Capitol Hill are supposed to: head down, hard at work, zero speeches.

No more.

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The rise of Donald Trump to GOP presidential nomination turned the senator, Republican Ben Sasse, into one of Trump's most outspoken opponents in Congress, and Sasse's pronouncement that he will not back Trump ahead of Tuesday's Nebraska primary brought him an onslaught of attention. But he's been at it since long before House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and others piled on against Trump last week.

For months, Sasse has sketched out his philosophical underpinnings late at night on social media, and he is seriously floating the need for a third option in the presidential race.

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Though many would like Sasse, the former president of a small Lutheran liberal arts college, to lead such a ticket, he prefers instead to sit by the Platte River late into the night after his kids are asleep and tweet questions and comments to, and about, Trump.

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"Ignored my phone most of today. Voicemail is now overflowing with GOP politicos telling me 'Sure, Trump is terrible, but '" he wrote after Trump all but clinched the GOP nomination last week. But we 'have to' support him,' because the only choice is Trump or Hillary.' ummm, WHY? #Neither."

Sasse released an open letter on Facebook last week  a follow-up to one he wrote in February  sketching out why he would be supporting neither Trump nor Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

"This letter is for the majority of Americans who wonder why the nation that put a man on the moon can't find a healthy leader who can take us forward together," he wrote. "Our founders didn't want entrenched political parties. So why should we accept this terrible choice?"

The senator's musings are being met with mixed response. Trump is expected to do well in the state  Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts is on board, as are other GOP leaders. Attacking the front-runner has exposed Sasse, who had never held public office until becoming a senator in 2015, to criticism.

"Before the Never Trump part, he was a rock star," said Jon Tucker, chairman of the Republican Party in Douglas County, where Omaha is located.

Tucker said Republicans in Nebraska still like Sasse, but he had an eye-opening moment while passing the hat for $1 donations during debate watch parties and voters wouldn't give to the GOP because of what Sasse was up to.

"I don't see people with draft Sasse T-shirts walking around Nebraska," he said.

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But Mark Fahleson, who nudged Sasse to run for Senate and recently took in an Alan Jackson concert with Sasse and both their families, sees in his friend a thoughtful politician who is just trying to the influence the debate.

"Do I think he will run for president this cycle? No," Fahleson said. "My guess is he's not done this cycle speaking out."

At 44, the Harvard- and Yale-educated Sasse has had a robust and varied career  working initially as a corporate turnaround specialist, but eventually returning to academia and then pursuing government jobs in President George W. Bush's administration. He also worked briefly as the chief of staff to a Nebraska congressman, and was a tutor and proctor for the House page program.

More recently, he was the president of Midland College in his hometown of Fremont, when he launched a 16-month bus tour to win the Republican nomination to replace a retiring senator.

Some say Sasse has talked about running for president since he was young, and they view his third-party musings as simply political positioning for an inevitable candidacy.

But those familiar with the senator's thinking dismissed that as inaccurate. His office said he has zero interest, at the moment, in the White House. The very conservative father of young home-schooled children, he is focused on his family and job, his aides said.

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"The answer is no. Sen. Sasse has been clear when asked this before: He has three little kids and the only callings he wants  raising them and serving Nebraskans," a spokesman said. The senator declined a request for an interview.

In many ways, those who have watched Sasse's short congressional career see an arc. Rather than becoming the next rabble-rouser, as headlines predicted, in the mode of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, he instead used his maiden speech late last year to urge his peers to do the "hard work" of debating issues beyond partisan soundbites. He became a spokesman for a more elevated civic discourse.

"Conservatives will need to find a third option," he wrote back in February. "Mr. Trump's relentless focus is on dividing Americans, and on tearing down rather than building back up this glorious nation."

Days before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1, Sasse stayed up late one night trolling Trump with personal and policy questions on Twitter. In one, he said Trump brags about affairs with married women and asked whether he repented or whether he thinks it matters.

Trump responded a few days later that Sasse looked "like a gym rat."

"How the hell did he ever get elected?" Trump asked.

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Sasse's Facebook posting last week, though, caught more widespread attention

"Most Americans can still be for limited government again  if they were given a winsome candidate who wanted Washington to focus on a small number of really important, urgent things  in a way that tried to bring people together instead of driving us apart," he wrote.

"I think there is room  an appetite  for such a candidate."

Washington perked up, envisioning Sasse as a white-knight savior for a GOP in turmoil. Breathless commentary ensued; conservative writer William Kristol tweeted over the weekend about his outreach to Sasse as well as to former nominee Mitt Romney.

Back home, though, talk of a President Sasse was met with a pragmatic Midwestern shrug.

"He's very much his own person, and I think Nebraskans respect that," said Phil Young, a former executive director of the Nebraska GOP. "It just kind of depends on how far he wants to take this."

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lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter @LisaMascaro

UPDATES:

8:15 p.m.: This story was updated with background on Sasse's first speech from the Senate floor.

This story was originally published at 12:39 p.m.
The following items were taken from Glenview Police Department reports and press releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

THEFT

A Chicago resident reported April 29 that someone made an unauthorized withdrawal from their bank account at an ATM in the 3300 block of Glenview Road. The reported loss is $500.

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A resident of the 1800 block of Westleigh Drive reported April 29 that someone called posing as a relative in trouble asking for money. The reported loss is more than $300.

A resident of the 900 block of Windsor Drive reported that someone took items from the house without permission on April 29. The reported loss is more than $500.

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An employee in the 3200 block of Glenview Road reported April 30 that someone stole merchandise from the store. The reported loss is more than $500.

An employee at a Glen Tower Center store in the 1900 block of Tower Drive reported May 1 that three juveniles took merchandise from the store. There is no loss.

An employee in the 2200 block of Willow Road reported May 2 that someone took merchandise from the shelf and left without paying for it. The reported loss is $535.

BATTERY

Xaing Yang, 52, of the 1800 block of Linneman Street, Glenview, was charged May 2 with domestic battery in the 1800 block of Linneman Street. He posted $1,000 bond and was assigned a court date of May 16.

Christopher Boyd, 25, of the 9900 block of Linda Lane, Des Plaines, was charged May 4 with domestic battery after pushing his girlfriend to the ground outside Motel 6 at 1535 Milwaukee Avenue. His bond was set at $5,000, and he was assigned a court date of May 16.

ALCOHOL

Vladmir Bekerman, 62, of the 400 block of Beverly Drive, Wilmette, was charged May 1 with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol and improper lane usage in the 1100 block of Waukegan Road. Bekerman's wife, Irene Aronov-Bekerman, 52, was charged with obstructing a peace officer on May 1 after she interfered with the officer's investigation of her husband. They each posted $1,000 bonds and were assigned court dates of May 26.

TRAFFIC

Jose Gilberto Torres-Arteaga, 50, of the 2600 block of West 21st Street, Chicago, was charged April 29 with driving without a valid driver's license in the 3600 block of East Lake Avenue. He posted $1,500 bond and was assigned a court date of May 26.

Shanell Hodges, 27, of the 1500 block of East 53rd Street, Chicago, was charged with driving with a suspended driver's license in the 3300 block of Milwaukee Avenue. She posted $1,500 bond and was assigned a court date of May 26.

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CRIMINAL DAMAGE

An employee in the 2200 block of Tanglewood Drive reported April 29 that someone scratched their vehicle. The reported loss is $200.

A resident of the 2000 block of Avalon Court reported April 29 that someone damaged their vehicle in the driveway. The reported loss is $200.

A resident of the 900 block of Huckleberry Lane reported May 1 that someone damaged lawn ornaments. The reported loss is $100.

An employee in the 1800 block of Wagner Road reported May 1 that someone broke lights in the parking lot. The reported loss is $500.
A CTA bus was involved in a traffic crash near 82nd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue that injured eight people May 9, 2016. (WGN-TV) (Chicago Tribune)

Eight people were injured in a traffic crash involving a CTA bus about 8:45 a.m. Monday on the city's South Side, according to authorities.

The crash happened near 82nd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue. Engine 82 called for an EMS plan 1, which call for five additional ambulances, shortly after arriving to the scene, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

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Two adults were taken in fair-to-serious condition to the University of Chicago Hospital, one adult in fair-to-serious condition to Jackson Park Hospital, two in fair-to-serious to Advocate Trinity Hospital, two in fair-to-serious condition to South Shore Hospital and one in serious-to-critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

The bus was driving south at 81st and Cottage when it was hit by a car going north that crossed into its path. The bus operator and at least four others on the bus were injured, according to Jeff Tolman, spokesman for the CTA.

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The Chicago Police Department had no information about the crash.
Chicago police shot and killed a man suspected of robbing his second bank in three days Monday after authorities say he pointed a gun at an officer who was chasing him on the Southwest Side.

The shooting in the Archer Heights neighborhood was the second by a Chicago police officer since last week.

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Chicago Lawn District officers responded to a holdup alarm just after 10:30 a.m. at Byline Bank, 4970 S. Archer Ave., as a security guard chased the armed suspect out of the bank, according to Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

The man was later identified as Michael D. Johnson, 26, of the 5500 block of West 63rd Street. He was pronounced dead at 11:37 a.m. at Mount Sinai. An autopsy Tuesday determined he died from multiple gunshot wounds.

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The officers chased the suspect about a block across Pulaski Road and into the 4900 block of South Karlov Avenue, Johnson said. Officers ran into a gangway between buildings, and the robber turned around with a gun and an officer shot and killed him, the superintendent said.

The suspect was taken by ambulance from 4949 S. Karlov to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. No officers were injured.

Johnson said a gun was found at the scene and taken into evidence. It was not clear how much money was taken.

The shooting happened behind a home in the 4900 block of South Karlov, a block lined with bungalows and other single-family homes. Police cordoned off 50th Street for about a block west of Komensky Avenue.

There was a large police presence  many plainclothes officers wearing bulletproof vests  in the alley and in the front of the home on Karlov.

The man who was shot was a suspect in the robbery of another Byline Bank branch at 6257 S. Austin Ave. about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Johnson said.

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"The description is the same," Johnson said, flanked by other police officials as he addressed the media at 50th Street and Karlov. "He has distinctive shoes that he had on today. So we think the same individual committed a bank robbery a few days ago."

In that robbery, the man threatened workers, saying he had a weapon but not showing one, an FBI spokesman said Saturday. After taking money, the robber fled north through an alley.

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The Independent Police Review Authority was investigating Monday's shooting by police. As is routine, the officer involved will be placed on administrative duties for 30 days.

The last shooting involving a Chicago police officer was on Friday morning in the West Pullman neighborhood on the Far South Side.

An officer with a federal task force shot a man wanted for robbery after the suspect pointed a gun at officers during a foot chase in the 11800 block of South Sangamon Street, authorities said. A loaded Bersa .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun was confiscated by police at that scene.

jgorner@tribpub.com

pnickeas@tribpub.com
Immigration attorney Robert DeKelaita (right) leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after being indicted on charges of falsifying requests for asylum for several clients. (Phil Velasquez, Chicago Tribune)

A north suburban immigration lawyer known for advocating on behalf of Iraqi Christians was convicted by a federal jury Monday of falsifying paperwork in a bid to help clients win asylum in the United States on bogus claims of torture and religious persecution.

After a three-week trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, the jury deliberated about eight hours beginning Friday before finding Robert DeKelaita guilty of four counts of immigration fraud and suborning perjury. He was acquitted on a fifth fraud count.

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DeKelaita's trial was attended every day by dozens of family members and friends who filled U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly's courtroom, prompting court officials to set up an overflow room on another floor that piped in audio from the trial.

As court adjourned Monday, a grim-faced DeKelaita wrapped an arm around his wife and walked into the hallway to talk to supporters, some sobbing at the news.

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DeKelaita, 53, was charged in September 2014 with accepting fees to submit false information on behalf of clients who were foreign nationals and coaching them on how to lie during interviews with the Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency.

Seeking to win asylum for clients, DeKelaita used false applicant names, religions, dates of entry into the U.S., birthdays and family histories and wrote up phony accounts of rape, murder and other religious persecution at the hands of reputed Islamic extremists in Iraq, prosecutors said.

In one case, DeKelaita helped a client identified in court records as "S.H." fill out an application for asylum in 2002. In the application, S.H. falsely stated he was arrested by Iraqi security forces in May 2000, held at the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, and beaten and tortured for months, prosecutors alleged.

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"None of this is true," prosecutors said in a court filing last year. "In fact, S.H. was in Germany when these events purportedly occurred."

Two interpreters who worked with DeKelaita  Adam Benjamin and Yousif Yousif  were also charged in the case. They were accused of intentionally mistranslating answers given by clients and adding testimony they had not given in an effort to secure asylum on their behalf.

Benjamin, 63, pleaded guilty in April 2015 to one count of fraud and was sentenced to six months in prison, records show. Yousif is awaiting trial.

DeKelaita, himself a Christian born in Iraq, has won asylum for hundreds of Iraqi Christians facing potential deportation, according to a 2008 Los Angeles Times story. He's been a prominent local advocate for Christians in Iraq, speaking publicly and writing articles posted online about their persecution.

An attorney since 1997, DeKelaita was reprimanded following a 2005 complaint that he abandoned an appeal filed with the federal appeals court in Chicago involving an asylum case, Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission records show.

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jmeisner@tribpub.com

Twitter @jmetr22b
Johnetta Coley, 22, is charged with aggravated battery of a transit employee and unlawful use of a weapon in a Saturday incident on a CTA bus. (Chicago police photo )

A West Chatham woman was ordered held in lieu of $100,000 bail Sunday after prosecutors say she pepper-sprayed a man and a CTA bus driver.

Johnetta Coley, 22, of the 7900 block of South Lafayette Avenue, was a passenger on the CTA bus in the 7900 block of South Throop Street in the Gresham neighborhood at about 5:36 p.m. Saturday, when she pulled out a handgun and pointed it at a 26-year-old man, said Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Matt Howroyd.

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The bus driver pulled over and everyone got off, Howroyd said, but then he allowed everyone to get back on. The driver asked the man to get back on the bus and Coley also came on the bus, spraying the male passenger with pepper spray, which also hit the bus driver, Howroyd said.

The police were called to the scene and saw Coley walking away from the bus and throwing a dark object into the grass, according to Howroyd and court documents.

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Soon after, police found a loaded .22-caliber Taurus handgun with four live rounds, according to court documents. The bus driver and another passenger identified Coley, who had a pink Vipertek stun gun and pepper spray in her purse, court documents said.

She was charged with aggravated battery of a transit employee, unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, authorities said.

Coley appeared in bond court at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Sunday, when Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered her held in lieu of $100,000.

At the time of her arrest, Coley had an active warrant for trespassing.

Her next court appearance was scheduled for Friday.
Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield.

Topspin

A Republican state senator from the suburbs is teeing off on Mayor Rahm Emanuel's request for a Chicago Public Schools bailout, suggesting there are 100 more schools that are "adult employment centers" that could be shuttered to save money.



Emanuel and CPS CEO Forrest Claypool have been pressing the idea that Chicago gets the short end of the stick on state school pension funding as they try to get lawmakers to change the school funding formula -- or provide any help to CPS, really -- in the waning weeks of spring session. But Sen. Matt Murphy of Palatine contended that the city gets more than its share of state tax revenue, and called on Emanuel to tighten the belt further at CPS.

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"Suburbanites don't want to bail out Chicago, but that doesn't mean we don't want to see Chicago succeed," Murphy said. "And if there's a way to make our education funding system better, we're open to that. But understand, part of the reason Chicago is getting less money than last year is that they have fewer students. You know, when we talk about closing schools, (Emanuel) did close 50 schools and I give him credit for standing up and fighting to do that. I think he did the right thing when he tried to do that last time. But they have 100 more that are really, you know, adult employment centers serving as schools. They need to do more in that regard."

Murphy is resurrecting the kind of scorched-earth rhetoric from a quarter-century ago at the Capitol, when the city-versus-suburbs dynamic raged mightily. Then-Republican Senate Minority Leader James "Pate" Philip of Wood Dale famously likened the flow of state money to CPS to pouring "money down a rat hole."

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For Murphy, Emanuel's argument doesn't hold water in light of the Democrats' long-held control of the legislature.



"Ask yourself, do you really think this system is set up to be to the detriment of Chicago, when Chicago Democrats have run Illinois for years? It just doesn't pass the smell test," Murphy told WLS-890 AM reporter Bill Cameron on the "Connected to Chicago" program that aired Sunday and can be listened to here.



Last week, Emanuel singled out the new 10-year teachers contract in Palatine, saying the northwest suburb could only make that kind of deal because the state is going to pick up their teacher pension payments while Chicago taxpayers kick in to both the Chicago teachers pension plan (directly through property taxes) and the pension systems of other school districts around the state (indirectly, through state income and sales taxes).



"It's a complete red herring," Murphy said.



"(Emanuel) has to go get it from somewhere, and he's turning right west and right north to the suburbs and saying you guys have -- even though you're already subsidizing us, you're going to have to bail us out some more," he said. "And you know what? The suburbs and Downstate aren't of a mind to bail out Chicago." (John Byrne)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public schedule.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner will talk about education funding at high schools in Lake Villa and Lyons.

*The week ahead: State lawmakers return to Capitol on Tuesday. City Club of Chicago hosts a state budget roundtable on Monday and city Planning Department Commissioner David Reifman speaks on Thursday. City Council committee meetings include Transportation on Wednesday and Traffic Safety on Thursday. The Cook County Board meets Wednesday.

What we're writing

*Rauner mum on Trump endorsement snub.

*Rauner's State Board of Education says CPS doesn't warrant financial takeover.

*Chicago State leader bemoans "survival mode," says can't rely on public funding anymore.

*Chicago State's graduation rate? Down to 11 percent.

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*Mel Reynolds writes jailhouse plea for halfway house transfer.

*O'Hare suburbs OK plan to spread out jet noise.

*Who are the 'friends' in Friends of the Parks, anyway?

*Ousted CPS principal/Emanuel critic posts epic rant.

*Emanuel opens Northerly Island park, closes it for repairs less than year later.

What we're reading



*Chicago cops rarely punished when judges find testimony false, questionable.

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*Sheriff Tom Dart, still playing Hamlet after all these years.

*NYT does poll on Chicago.

*Repeat customer pays $9.25 a night to stay at Palmer House (plus presumably all the city hotel taxes).

From the notebook

*Rauner's dough: Gov. Rauner's campaign fund salted the Illinois Republican Party with a $5 million contribution on Friday afternoon, a day after the governor's aides indicated he wouldn't be joining the GOP delegation at the party's national convention in Cleveland this summer.



Rauner, a former private equity investor, has made it clear he plans to use his personal wealth to try to erode the Democratic supermajorities in the House and Senate by helping Republican legislative candidates who support his agenda.



But Rauner's task may have become more complicated by Donald Trump emerging as the Republican presidential front-runner. Rauner won't talk about Trump and the controversial businessman and former reality TV star's effects on the fall ballot, but he may try to let his money do the talking for him.



Also a donor to the state GOP Friday was Todd Ricketts, a director and co-owner of the Chicago Cubs. Ricketts gave $10,800 to the state party. Ricketts' parents have been major donors of the anti-Trump Our Principles super political action committee, though his brother, Pete Ricketts, the governor of Nebraska, endorsed Trump on Friday. (Rick Pearson)

*Kirk doubles down on Trump: In addition to Gov. Rauner, Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk also is skipping the national convention but is reiterating his support for Trump.

In an interview with CNN last week that was released Friday, Kirk indicated Trump might help the Republican Party.

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"Donald Trump is kind of a riverboat gamble," Kirk said. "He won the Illinois primary, in this case we have seen the Republican vote up and the Democratic vote down, so it looks like it's a net benefit."

Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, whose campaign has sought to tie Kirk to Trump, had a quick response.

"I think that Donald Trump is such a polarizing figure and it's really amazing to me that Mark Kirk has said he will support Donald Trump and that has been helpful, honestly," Duckworth told CNN. (Rick Pearson)

*We got ourselves a convoy: A 36-foot-long truck containing tens of thousands of petitions pulled up to an office for the Illinois State Board of Elections in Springfield on Friday, the result of months of work from a group seeking to amend the state constitution to change the way legislative districts are drawn.



With more than 65,000 petitions containing nearly 600,000 signatures, the Independent Maps coalition is submitting more than double the required 290,216 to get on the ballot in November. Signatures must come from voters registered in Illinois, and the board will now vet the submissions. For the constitution to be changed, 60 percent of voters will have to approve the proposal come fall -- if the question ends up on the ballot.



A similar attempt to place a proposed remapping amendment before voters two years ago was rejected as unconstitutional amid questions of whether it had enough valid petition signatures to make the ballot. Supporters of the current drive are much better financed and made changes to the amendment's language to try to meet constitutional guidelines learned from the previous court ruling.



Former Tribune Co. CEO Dennis FitzSimons, chair of the Independent Maps coalition, said given that 67 percent of this year's legislative races are uncontested, too many voters feel like there's no point in hitting the polls.



"A big part of that is because the maps are drawn by politicians, for politicians," FitzSimons said. "And it discourages competition, it discourages people from voting because they don't think their votes count.



"The voters will have a chance to impact the system that has clearly not worked for them," he added.



Lawmakers attempted to pass their own redistricting amendments this week, but their efforts stalled before the deadline to submit proposed changes. (Celeste Bott)

*With friends like these: The national group U.S. Term Limits last week announced it "praised" James Marter for signing its congressional term limits pledge.



Who is James Marter? He was the unsuccessful GOP challenger to U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk in the March 15 Illinois Republican primary.



The term limits group notified the media that its May 3 announcement was "for immediate release" even though Marter signed the group's pledge on Feb. 8. (Rick Pearson)

*The Sunday Spin: On this week's show, Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests were Democratic consultant Tom Bowen on the Donald Trump effect on the ballot; Christopher Mooney, director of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, on the presidential race and the Springfield impasse; and Tom Weitzel, chief of police in suburban Riverside, on the effect of the budget stalemate on programs affecting high-risk youths. Listen to the full show here.

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Follow the money

*The Illinois Sunshine Project looked at how much was transferred between political accounts in the primary.

*Track campaign contribution reports in real time with this Tribune Twitter account: https://twitter.com/ILCampaignCash

Beyond Chicago

*Presidential race, Republican side: Trump vs. Ryan continues over convention chair spot.

*Presidential race, Democratic side: Hillary Clinton says the FBI hasn't contacted her.

*War against ISIS hits hurdles just as U.S. military gears up.

*North Korean dictator announces five-year economic plan.
Delrish Moss speaks during an interview Monday, May 9, 2016, in Ferguson, Mo. Moss is to be sworn in Monday afternoon as Ferguson's first black police chief and says he hopes to diversify the mostly white department as it rebounds from the fallout of months of unrest that followed the fatal 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown. (Jeff Roberson / AP)

FERGUSON, Mo.  Ferguson's new police chief was ready to wrap up a long career with retirement and life as a "beach bum." Instead, he felt called to help turn around a department that has come under intense scrutiny since the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.

Delrish Moss, 51, was sworn in Monday as Ferguson's first permanent black police chief, just weeks after a federal judge approved the St. Louis County town's agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that seeks to resolve racial bias in the criminal justice system.

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It wasn't supposed to be this way. Moss spent his entire 32-year career in Miami, where he grew up.

"My plan was to retire in September and actually spend a lot of time just hanging out on the beach, be a beach bum, because I've had responsibility all my life," Moss said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But there was something about Ferguson that sort of harkened back to the days in Miami when I was a kid living in a riot-torn neighborhood and when I was a young police officer dealing with civil unrest.

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"There was something that called to me and said, 'You have to get up. You can't sit on the couch. You've got to get out there and offer your perspective," Moss said.

Moss was selected as the new chief in March from among 54 applicants.

Brown's death on Aug. 9, 2014, at the hands of officer Darren Wilson thrust the otherwise non-descript suburb into the spotlight and was a catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. The black 18-year-old was unarmed when the white officer fatally shot him. Wilson told a St. Louis County grand jury that Brown, 6-foot-5 and nearly 300 pounds, was moving menacingly toward him.

The grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice cleared Wilson of wrongdoing, and he resigned in November 2014. But the shooting prompted months of protests. The unrest shed light on the strained relationship between black residents in Ferguson and the mostly-white police force. About two-thirds of Ferguson's 20,000 residents are black.

In March 2015, the Justice Department released a report critical of Ferguson police for racial bias and profiling, and a municipal court that generated profits off of court fines and legal fees. Within days of the report, Ferguson's city manager, municipal judge and Police Chief Tom Jackson resigned.

Andre Anderson, a black police veteran from Glendale, Arizona, took over as six-month interim chief in July, but left early on Dec. 2.

Moss grew up in Miami's inner-city Overtown neighborhood, where a friend was killed by police. Around the age of 14, Moss was thrown against a wall and frisked by an officer for no apparent reason. About a year later, another officer pulled up and used a racial slur. He was a teenager when rioting broke out in 1980 after white police officers fatally beat a black motorcyclist.

Still, he decided to become a police officer and joined the Miami force in 1984.

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"I've been on the receiving end of police officers hurling racial slurs at you." Moss said. "I understand how it feels."

In Miami, Moss rose through the ranks working in different departments, including homicide. He was named public information officer 20 years ago, and was promoted to the position of major in 2011.

Ferguson City Manager De'Carlon Seewood said Moss was a perfect fit for the job.

"He knows how to talk to citizens, talk to the press, and get them informed about changes," Seewood said. "We haven't done a good job of talking about the reforms that are being put in place."

Ferguson officials have already made several changes since the shooting, including municipal court reforms aimed at lessening the financial burden of those accused of mostly minor crimes. Change in leadership was evident at Moss' swearing-in ceremony: The municipal judge who administered the oath is black, as is the new city manager and three members who have joined the city council since April 2015.

Some residents said they were anxious to see what Moss brings.

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"I don't think the race matters," said David Evans, a 74-year-old black Ferguson resident who attended the swearing-in ceremony. "It's about doing the right thing. Being fair and equal is what it's all about."

Moss, speaking at the ceremony, made it clear to officers in his department: Those who step out of line will be dealt harshly.

"The police profession has been assailed because people have decided there's no longer nobility in police work," Moss said. He said it is the job of police to earn the respect of the community.

Associated Press
For American high school students, prom is a rite of passage, an affair full of pomp and hormones and clumsy dancing. The eagerly awaited event is often dangled in front of mischievous students as a reward for staying out of trouble until the end of the school year.



A suspension means no prom, some schools might decide. Or, a failing grade, too many missed classes, a snarky retort at a teacher.



In the case of one student at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa., the indiscretion was sartorial.



Aniya Wolf, who has attended the private Catholic school for the past three years, told WHTM that she had been looking forward to the prom for a long time. Her plans were disrupted when she and her mother received an email stating that all girls must wear dresses to the event, Aniya said.



While Bishop McDevitt requires its students to adhere to a uniform, Wolf said she has always worn a shirt and pants, which are allowed for girls under the everyday dress code.



She had been planning to do the same for the prom, going out with her mother to purchase a brand new suit. "I think my daughter is beautiful in a suit," Carolyn Wolf said.



But as it turned out, the prom dress code was different. It required girls to wear formal dresses.



Though the school's email had said as much, Aniya so yearned to participate that she arrived at the event last Friday night anyway, clad in a black suit jacket, bow tie and light pink dress shirt underneath. On her chest, she pinned a small boutonniere flower.



The school was true to its word, Aniya recounted to WHTM and CNN. Upon seeing her outfit, a school official took her by the arm and threatened to call the police.



With that, Aniya left.



She told CNN that she is a girl who has always felt more comfortable in boys' clothing. "I've just always been like this, ever since I was little," she said. "I was always more masculine. You wouldn't catch me playing with any Barbie dolls I'll tell you that right now."



Aniya said she is a lesbian.



In a statement posted to the Bishop McDevitt website, the school noted that the full dress code policy was sent to parents three months ago, followed by a reminder March 6.



"On Friday afternoon, when it was brought to the attention of the school administration that a female student was wearing a tuxedo, we contacted her mother in hopes we could resolve the situation," the statement said. "It's important to note that students who haven't adhered to the dress code in past years haven't been admitted to the prom."



The statement concluded: "Bishop McDevitt will continue to practice acceptance and love for all of our students. ... We simply ask that they follow the rules that we have put into place."



Commenters on the Bishop McDevitt Facebook page accused the school of homophobia, while others thought arcane notions of femininity were being imposed on the students.



"Please do not patronize us by trying to hide your bigotry behind a dress code," one user said.



Another wrote: "Your entire defense seems to rest on the dress code having been established in advance. As if the dress code itself is in any way logical. Women wear pants, get over it and stop discriminating!"



Aniya's supporters may be reassured to learn that she will have a prom to attend after all.



On Sunday, the principal of William Penn High School in Philadelphia invited Aniya to the school's prom later this month. Wolf told WHTM that she gladly accepted.
The Army Special Forces unit that fought its way into the Afghan city of Kunduz after it was seized by the Taliban in October initially did so without proper maps, according to recently declassified documents.

The documents, released last month, were part of a heavily redacted report on the Oct. 3, 2015 bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital that killed between 30 and 42 civilians. The investigation, aside from piecing together why an American AC-130U gunship targeted and destroyed a medical facility, revealed a host of issues that beset a small team of Army Special Forces soldiers and their Afghan counterparts as they pushed into a city held by a large Taliban force.

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On Sept. 28, the Taliban, after a series of concerted attacks, seized Kunduz from Afghan security forces. Roughly a day later, and with just 12 hours of planning, a dozen-man Army Special Forces team, known as an Operational Detachment-Alpha or ODA, began pushing into the city alongside its Afghan allies. According to the investigation documents, the team was using a "single" 1:50,000 scale map to "plan and conduct operations in the city."

According to the report, "technological issues" prevented the production of further "graphics" prior to the start of the operation. U.S. military doctrine holds that large scale military maps, such as the type used by the ODA team at the start of the Kunduz operation, do not have enough detail for a ground unit to accurately analyze urban areas. To remedy this, units often produce their own maps at much smaller scales -- often just labeling satellite imagery with roads and building numbers -- to help ground forces navigate. These smaller maps are likely the reference to "graphics."

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Although the unit did not have the right maps, it is likely they had additional capabilities to understand the situation on the battlefield, likely including mapping software known as FalconView, GPS receivers and video feeds broadcast from drones circling overhead.

It wasn't until Oct. 1 that the Green Berets "discovered a comprehensive 1:10,000 map that apparently had been left behind or given to the Special Forces soldiers by a unit responsible for public works projects. Prior to the team stumbling upon the new map, it had seen heavy fighting and was responsible for calling in more than a dozen airstrikes airstrikes over the course of the day.

The German military was responsible for the city and the surrounding area, known as Regional Command-North. The U.S. Army and Army National Guard also had a significant presence in the city from 2009 to 2012. Army Special Forces also maintained a small base just outside the city, and had done so continuously for some time.

According to Adrian Bonenberger, an Army company commander who was deployed in Kunduz in 2011, his unit had detailed maps and satellite imagery of the city. Bonenberger believes those maps weren't properly handed over to Army Special Forces when regular Army units pulled out in 2012.

"This is indicative of how the United States fights its wars," Bonenberger said. "It's a profound flaw in the 'deployment' system, that encourages unit compartmentalization and limits cross-communication."

In a witness statement, one Green Beret, whose name and rank were redacted, decried his command's ambivalence towards the situation on the ground, stating that the enemies of the operation were not the Taliban but "a profound lack of strategy."

The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.

The Washington Post
The yearbook photo showed a young woman in hijab, the speckled headscarf framing her smiling face in front of a sunny schoolyard. Underneath, a caption read: "Isis Phillips, 11th."

For years, Isis has been among the 700 most popular girls' names in the United States, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. It is inspired by the ancient Egyptian goddess of the same appellation, an important deity worshiped for her healing powers and her maternal prowess.

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I guess I'm Isis in the yearbook... pic.twitter.com/hMc0dVu8dM  Bayan (@BayanZehlif) May 7, 2016

But the problem was, the name of the girl in the photo isn't Isis or Phillips. Not even close.

When Bayan Zehlif, a senior at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., saw the moniker under her picture, she recoiled. Affixing that name to someone in a hijab could not have been an accident, she thought.

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"I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this," Zehlif wrote on Facebook on Saturday. "Apparently I am 'Isis' in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, let's be real."

This was the connotation that emerged in Zehlif's mind when she saw the page. Trevor Santellan, a student on the yearbook team, told KABC that "Isis Phillips" is the real name of an 11th-grade student who formerly attended Los Osos. She transferred earlier in the year.

In a message to the New York Daily News, Santellan said: "If anything, [Zehlif] is being racist against herself because she misinterpreted it."

Recently, "Isis" has been more frequently associated with the Islamic State than with age-old mythology. The jihadist group that has taken responsibility for terrorist attacks around the world is frequently referred to as ISIS, an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

(Other names include ISIL, for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Daesh. The matter has been up for debate.)

School officials are investigating.

"If they find that a student acted irresponsibly and intentionally, administration will take appropriate actions," Mat Holton, Chaffey Joint Union High School District superintendent, told the Los Angeles Times. "The school will assure students, staff and the community that this regrettable incident in no way represents the values, or beliefs, of Los Osos High School."

The school's principal, Susan Petrocelli, tweeted an apology.

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Also, "We should have checked each name carefully in the book and we had no intention to create this misunderstanding," the yearbook team said in a statement. "It is our fault and this is absolutely inexcusable on our part."

A statement from the Council of American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles noted that approximately 200 yearbooks have already been distributed, and that "this may not be the first Islamophobic event to have occurred recently at the school."

More than 3,200 students attend Los Osos. Zehlif will likely not return until things are resolved, CAIR said.

"We join with the family in their concern about a possible bias motive for this incident and in the deep concern for their daughter's safety as a result of being falsely labeled as a member of a terrorist group," Hussam Ayloush, the chapter's executive director, said in the statement.

Ayloush added: "No student should have to face the humiliation of being associated with a group as reprehensible as ISIS."

Fellow students are encouraging their classmates with copies of the yearbook to correct the error themselves.
PARIS  The United States tried Monday to move past localized, short-term cease-fires in Syria by announcing that an enduring, nationwide truce would be restored. Yet that new approach was immediately called into doubt as Syria's military extended only a local cease-fire, in the hard-hit area of Aleppo, by 48 hours.

The chaos surrounding the latest bout of diplomacy, with the U.S. and Syria offering what seemed like conflicting versions of events, underscored the profound difficulty in getting the warring parties to even agree on what they've agreed on, much less lay down arms for good. The announcements came as world leaders meeting in Paris struggled to get faltering Syria peace talks back on track.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, announcing a new U.S.-Russia agreement, said it would "reinstate a nationwide cessation of hostilities," diplomatic-speak for the collapsed cease-fire the U.S. and Russia brokered in February. He said Russia had also committed to limiting the Syrian government's ability to fly over civilian areas where President Bashar Assad's military has been accused of violating the cease-fire.

But Kerry cautioned that the agreement itself meant little if it was not backed up by the parties on the ground.

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"These are words on a piece of paper. They are not actions," Kerry said after a meeting that included the head of the High Negotiations Committee, an umbrella group of Assad's Western-backed opponents. "It is going to be up to the commanders in the field and the interested parties  which includes us."

In Damascus, Syria's military said a five-day cease-fire in Aleppo and its rural areas, set to expire for midnight, would instead be extended two more days, raising the prospect that additional, piecemeal cease-fires would continue to be announced. Brutal violence in Aleppo has killed nearly 300 civilians in recent days, and airstrikes hit several areas there Monday even as Kerry was discussing the cease-fire in Paris.

The U.S. and Russia have been working to put the broader truce back together through a series of short-term cease-fires in cities where heavy violence has broken out, including Aleppo, Syria's largest city. The hope is that quelling the fighting, along with a renewed show of global support, will clear the way for the parties to resume the indirect, U.N.-led talks.

Yet enforcing any cease-fire has been made nearly impossible by an exception built into the original cease-fire: Attacks are still allowed against the Islamic State and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. Those groups are common enemies of the U.S., many of the opposition groups and Assad, but they are fighting in the same areas, making it difficult to distinguish which strikes violate the cease-fire and which ones don't. The confusion has fueled accusations that Syrian and Russian forces are using the Nusra Front as an excuse to ignore the cease-fire and bomb opposition-held areas.

In their statement, the U.S. and Russia committed to developing a "shared understanding" of where the Islamic State and the Nusra Front hold territory. Clarifying which areas are fair game and which are off limits is seen as a key step toward eventually reviving the peace talks.

Ahmed Saoud, a top commander of a U.S.-backed rebel faction from the Free Syrian Army, said his group supports restoring the nationwide cease-fire but cast doubt that Assad would respect it. He said his group and other FSA units were bombed Monday by Assad's warplanes in the northern Idlib province, near Aleppo, where the Nusra Front is also strong.

"We are hoping for the best," Saoud said by telephone. "But we don't trust the regime."

The U.S. attempt to revive a nationwide truce came as nations worked to get Syria's government and opposition groups back to the table next week in Vienna, where negotiations to secure a political transition sputtered last month. The High Negotiations Committee essentially left the talks after accusing Assad's forces of violating the truce and blocking aid to hard-hit areas.

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The next round of talks "should take place next week," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said as he emerged from a meeting with Kerry, the head of the opposition coalition and leaders from other nations backing the opposition. Diplomats have floated May 17 as a possible start date.

Ayrault added that Iran, an Assad ally, should be involved. In a nod to past commitments made and broken, he said he hoped the new U.S.-Russia agreement was "not just yet another declaration."

"It must be respected," Ayrault said.

There are still no indications the parties are any closer to agreement about whether Assad can be part of the future government, long the chief sticking point in Syria's civil war.

While in Paris, Kerry also met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, a U.S. ally eager to help Syria's opposition by bolstering their military capability. The State Department said Kerry and al-Jubeir "stressed the importance of all sides fully respecting the cessation of hostilities" and also consulted on the U.S.-led fight against IS.

Associated Press
Fighters from the Iraqi pro-government forces hold up an Islamic State group flag and flash the V-sign during a military operation against IS near Amriyat al-Fallujah, west of the capital Baghdad in the Anbar province, on May 5, 2016 (MOADH AL-DULAIMI / AFP/Getty Images)

BEIRUT  After months of unexpectedly swift advances, the U.S.-led war against the Islamic State is running into hurdles on and off the battlefield that call into question whether the pace of recent gains can be sustained.

Chaos in Baghdad, the fraying of the cease-fire in Syria and political turmoil in Turkey are among some of the potential obstacles that have emerged in recent weeks to complicate the prospects for progress. Others include small setbacks for U.S.-allied forces on front lines in northern Iraq and Syria, which have come as a reminder that a strategy heavily reliant on local armed groups of varying proficiency who are often at odds with one another won't always work.

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When President Obama first ordered U.S. warplanes into action against the extremists sweeping through Iraq and Syria in 2014, U.S. officials put a three- to five-year timeline on a battle they predicted would be hard. After a rocky start, officials say they are gratified by the progress made, especially over the past six months.

Since the recapture of the northern Iraqi town of Baiji last October, Islamic State defenses have crumbled rapidly across a wide arc of territory. In Syria, the important hub of Shadadi was recaptured with little resistance in February, while in Iraq, Sinjar, Ramadi, Hit and, most recently, the town of Bashir have fallen in quick succession, lending hope that the militants are on the path to defeat.

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"So far in terms of what we had hoped to do, we are pretty much on track," said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive subjects. "We're actually a little bit ahead of where we wanted to be."

The fight, however, is entering what Pentagon officials have called a new and potentially harder phase, one that will entail a deeper level of U.S. involvement but also tougher targets.

In an attempt to ramp up the tempo of the war, the U.S. military is escalating its engagement, dispatching an additional 450 Special Operations forces and other troops to Syria and Iraq, deploying hundreds of Marines close to the front lines in Iraq and bringing Apache attack helicopters and B-52s into service for the air campaign.

The extra resources are an acknowledgment, U.S. officials say, that the war can't be won without a greater level of American involvement. The targets that lie ahead are those that are most important to the militants' self-proclaimed caliphate, including their twin capitals of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq and, to a lesser extent, Fallujah, a key concern because of its proximity to Baghdad.

The Islamic State will have occupied those cities for well over two years before the offensives begin, far longer than any of those it has lost so far. The battle for Mosul, long a Pentagon priority, has already been delayed by at least a year, in part because of the Islamic State's seizure a year ago of the city of Ramadi in the province of Anbar. Ramadi was recaptured in December, but only after a significant diversion of resources and time.

"The defenses that they have there are much more developed than what they had the ability to do in Ramadi, so it's going to get harder the closer we get to Mosul, there's no doubt about it," said Major Gen. Gary J. Volesky, who commands the land forces component of the U.S.-led coalition out of Baghdad.

After being caught unprepared by the Ramadi upset, he and other U.S. officials now decline to put a time frame on the Mosul offensive. An early attempt to sever one supply route to the city in March did not go well, with two newly trained Iraqi army brigades forced to retreat under intense Islamic State fire from the small but strategically important village of Al-Nasr, about 40 miles to the south. It was a reminder, said Col. Steve Warren, a U.S. military spokesman, that "we've got a foot on his neck but he's still got some fight in him."

As the war cuts deeper into the militants' core territories, the pace will inevitably slow, officials say. "Now we're organizing Mosul and we are going to organize some other things too, so there will be a natural pause, which isn't necessarily a strategic setback," said the U.S. official. "We have to pause, reset a bit and do some things."

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The deepening U.S. military engagement won't, however, untangle the web of political complexities that appears to be tightening around a strategy critics long have charged is too focused on short-term military gains.

While scoring some significant advances on the ground, the strategy has not yet found answers to the wider political disputes that helped fuel the rise of the Islamic State and could yet undermine the long-term sustainability of military gains, said Robert Ford, the last U.S. ambassador to Syria, who is now with the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

"The Americans are so happy every time a village falls, they lose sight of the forest while looking at all the trees," he said.

The dramatic storming of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone by supporters of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr this month offered one example of the kind of conflicts that could erupt in Iraq well before the militants are defeated, he said.

"The problem in Baghdad underlines how tenuous the government situation is," Ford said. "This isn't something Apaches and F-16s can fix. You must deal with the politics as much as you deal with the military."

U.S. officials say they have seen no fallout yet from the fracas in Baghdad, but don't rule out that there could be one if the political instability continues.

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Of greater immediate concern, they say, is the upheaval in Turkey, where Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last week announced his intention to step down after losing out in a feud with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Davutoglu has long worked closely with U.S. officials and had been seen as a moderating influence on the more unpredictable Erdogan, who frequently lashes out with criticisms of his American allies and has displayed fluctuating levels of enthusiasm for the Islamic State fight.

One major effort for which the United States needs Turkish engagement is a faltering offensive against the Islamic State in the northern Syrian countryside of Aleppo province, bordering Turkey. A force of Turkish and U.S.-backed rebels swiftly advanced last month into the key Islamic State town of Al-Rai then was equally swiftly pushed back.

It was an early test of the fraught effort to train and equip a force of moderate Syrian rebels to take on the militants in northern Syria, which has now mostly been sub-contracted to Turkey. Officials acknowledge that they were disappointed with the poor rebel performance, ascribed by both Syrians and U.S. officials more to divisions within the ranks of the rebels than any external factors.

Cutting the Islamic State's vital supply route to Turkey is considered an essential prerequisite for any eventual offensive to retake Raqqa. The 250 Special Operations troops dispatched to Syria last month are charged with training an Arab force to lead the Raqqa offensive - but there won't be a Raqqa offensive until the northern Aleppo part of the puzzle has been solved, U.S. officials say.

The recent resumption of fighting around the nearby city of Aleppo has come as a fresh reminder that the war in Syria will continue to draw resources away from the Islamic State fight. Peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the conflict have deadlocked, eroding hopes that a political solution is in sight.

Russia, though not part of the U.S.-led coalition, had contributed to the building of pressure on the Islamic State by supporting the Syrian government's recapture in March of the ancient city of Palmyra. But Russia has diverted its military resources from the Islamic State front toward Aleppo, considered a greater priority for the government than the Islamic State-held territories to the east, according to a person familiar with the discussions between Syria and its allies Iran, Hezbollah and Russia over military operations.

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As a Russian orchestra played Bach and Prokofiev in celebration of the Palmyra victory at the city's Roman amphitheater last week, Islamic State fighters overran the nearby gas field of Shaer, their first conquest in many months.

One concern is that any hiatus in the fight could give the Islamic State a chance to regroup, refresh and revive its badly dented image of invincibility by launching new assaults, such as the one last week that killed U.S. Navy SEAL Charles H. Keating IV. Warren characterized the attack as an effort to "detract from the beat-down they've taken everywhere else."

It was repelled, however, only with the help of intense U.S. airstrikes, underscoring the vital role the United States plays in securing recaptured territory.

"In the short term, as long as the Americans are there, I don't think they're going to rampage like they did in 2013 and 2014," Ford said of the militants. "But were you to remove that air power and the capabilities the Americans bring, I could imagine them making gains again on the ground."

Loveday Morris in Baghdad contributed to this report.
I know the polls say Donald Trump cannot win. But what if we are looking at the wrong poll question?

What if Trump's overwhelming negatives don't matter? Or, to put it another way, what if the country's negatives matter more?

Right now, about 6 in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view of Trump, and only 36 percent view him positively.

But the country is faring even worse. In the most recent average of polls calculated by RealClearPolitics, 26.9 percent of Americans think the nation is headed in the right direction and 64.9 percent think we are heading down the wrong track.

So what if even voters who respect Hillary Clinton's competence reject her as the embodiment of business as usual? And what if even voters who do not like Trump's bigotry or bluster care more that he will, in their view, shake things up?

Sure, these voters might tell themselves, he may be crude, or inconsistent, or ill-informed. He may insult women and Hispanics and other groups. But it's part of a shtick. He probably doesn't mean half of it. He's just an entertainer. The desire to send a message of disgust or disapproval, in other words, could lead voters to overlook, discount, wish away or excuse many Trump sins.

Meanwhile, Clinton cannot shake free of the status quo. You may remember how this bedeviled Al Gore when he asked voters to give the Democratic Party a third straight presidential term in 2000. The vice president managed to achieve the worst of both worlds, alienating Bill Clinton and his most ardent supporters without establishing himself as an entirely new brand.

Unlike Gore, Hillary Clinton is not an incumbent. But she is no less associated with the establishment, having served as first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state over the past quarter-century. Even if she were inclined to do so, she could not afford to distance herself from President Barack Obama, whose backers she will need to turn out in large numbers.

I know there is an element of irrationality in these fears. I understand that not every dissatisfied American will vote for Trump.

About two-thirds of the country may think we are on the wrong track, after all, but Obama's approval rating is 51 percent and rising.

Meanwhile, only 4.7 percent of eligible voters have actually cast a ballot for Trump in the party nomination process so far, as an analysis by FairVote shows. Many of the remaining 95.3 percent, no matter how unhappy most are with the performance of their government, will take their responsibility seriously enough that they will not vote for someone who casually threatens the faith and credit of the United States, breezily posits the merits of nuclear proliferation and cheerfully espouses torture as an instrument of U.S. policy.

Republicans are divided, the economy is improving, the demographics are increasingly in Democrats' favor. The likeliest result of a Trump nomination is a Republican washout up and down the ballot.

I do get all that.

Still, when I hear smart people explaining why Trump cannot win, all I can think is: Aren't you the ones who told us that he couldn't top 30 percent, and then 40 percent, and then 50 percent in the Republican primaries? Weren't you confident that he was finished after he called Mexicans rapists, and insulted prisoners of war, and dished out a menstruation insult?

Did you predict his nomination? If not, we don't want to hear your certainty about his November defeat.

Nor is it reassuring to read how happy the Clinton camp must be to be facing such a weak opponent. They need to be running scared  smart, but scared  now and for the next six months.

I do have faith in the American voter, I really do. But when two-thirds of the country is unhappy, a rational outcome can't be taken for granted.
When you set foot on the campus of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Glenview, you enter a place unlike any other  a vibrant 21st century Catholic school in an idyllic eight-building campus filled with 3- to 14-year-olds.

OLPH School invites you to discover the distinction that makes the school an extraordinary place of learning. When you select OLPH School, you join a community bound by a mission of faith, with families passionate about education, students fully engaged in their learning and teachers committed to their practice as caring professionals.

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Explore the website. Tour the school. Ask questions. Or Become a part of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School: "A Premier Private Education in the Finest Catholic Tradition."

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School is located at 1123 Church St., in Glenview. For more information, call 847-724-6990 or visit olph-il.org.
2014 National Blue Ribbon School

Rooted in a Catholic value system, Saints Faith, Hope & Charity School offers a superior academic education for children starting in prekindergarten through 8th grade.

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World language, music, art, technology and physical education enhance the core curriculum of language arts, mathematics, religion, social studies and science. Executive Functioning and Social Emotional curriculum are integrated into children's learning.

Competitive and intramural sports, band and choir are offered. Weekly all-school mass and community service allow students to live their faith. A speech therapist, social worker, learning specialists, a gifted and talented coordinator and nurse augment the staff.

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Schedule a tour today by calling 847-446-0031. Saints Faith, Hope & Charity School is located at 180 Ridge Ave. in Winnetka.
Erica Kuzera with her newborn son, Cameron, and her husband Anthony, in one of Highland Park Hospital's new birthing suites. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press)

All things considered, Erika and Tony Kuzera spent a comfortable night together in their suite at NorthShore Highland Park Hospital.

It was their first one together as a family following the arrival of son Cameron Anthony at 3:26 a.m. on May 3.

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Between Cameron's wake-up calls for feedings, Tony Kuzera grabbed some sleep on a couch that converts to a plush twin bed or dinette set.

"I flipped the couch up, and the mattress down and it was very comfortable," he said. "The lack of sleep was not due to the mattress."

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Highland Park Hospital is the only one of NorthShore University HealthSystem's four hospitals to use an LDRP model, which keeps mothers and fathers in one room for labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum care unless a Caesarean section is required. It's typically a two-night stay.

"The model is very convenient for the mom and the dad," said Karen Plewe, clinical nurse manager of the maternity unit at Highland Park Hospital. "They come in, they deliver, they recover and they go home from there. There is no confusion."

A "luxury" bathroom in a new birthing suite at Highland Park Hospital. Some include a jacuzzi-style bathtub. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press)

Plewe said the model also provides continuity of care from familiar staff members.

"The delivery nurse might be the same nurse the next day," Plewe said. "Or staff members who've been involved with the patient can just stop by and say, 'Hey, you delivered yesterday. How are you doing? I'm just down the hall.'"

She said there also are many staff members available to respond to an emergency.

The hospital is currently modernizing 21 birthing rooms as part of a larger renovation project. All 21 rooms are expected to be completed by March 2017.

The Kuzeras of Grayslake were among the first parents to stay in one of the seven rooms that have been refurbished to date.

Erika Kuzera, a science teacher at Lake Forest High School, and Tony Kuzera, a middle school teacher in Mundelein, found the suite spacious and inviting enough to accommodate the visitors who'd stopped by to share in their joy.

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During the construction project, the hospital is creating a separate maternity entrance and waiting area for family members that is expected to be ready by June of 2017.

The all-purpose, labor-delivery-recovery rooms are equipped with lighting up to operating-room standards for infant deliveries. But they also have soft, home-like lighting for the restful portion of the stay.

The refurbished suites were planned down to the smallest detail with coordinated furnishings and wallpaper more suggestive of a hotel room than a health care institution.

In its petition last year to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, the hospital said it had reversed a decline in obstetrics admissions, which were up 15 percent in 2014 over the prior year.

The hospital said the increase in admissions was due to the addition of obstetricians to the hospital's medical staff as well as demographic changes, notably an increase in the number of 20- to 39-year-olds within the area.

While the construction project is underway, the hospital is not using its completed suites for labor and delivery, but is moving mothers, fathers and newborns into the updated rooms after the baby is born.

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Erica Kuzera, of Grayslake, with her newborn son Cameron, in a new birthing suite at Highland Park Hospital. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Pioneer Press)

Karina Portnoy and her husband Alex, who welcomed their daughter Talia the afternoon of May 3, said they were pleased with the large size and comfort of their room.

The Portnoys, who live in Mount Prospect, were enjoying some quiet May 4 while Talia slept soundly in a warming bed inside the room.

"We really promote rooming in, which means the baby stays with the mother 24/7," Plewe said. "It promotes a mom's breast-feeding activities. It promotes getting to know a baby's habits. Babies are born with personalities when they come into this world, and you only get to know their personalities if you are with them 24/7."

kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com

@KarenABerkowitz
By David Rutter

Marcia Yockey has been gone from this world for 16 years, and I often wonder what she would make of the perfectly coiffed, Botox-infused, software-algorithm readers that pass for TV weather forecasters now.

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But I can guess. In two words: Not much.

She was a first-generation TV forecaster of my Indiana youth and eventually a friend. She evinced a wild, bouncing ponytail, flying black magic marker and national weather maps so crammed with data that they seemed more Egyptian hieroglyphics.

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She had been a flier and National Weather Service forecaster for 10 years before she debuted on local Evansville, Ind., TV in 1953. She stayed there for 35 years.

You'd have to wait every night to the very end of a 10-minute scientific meteorological, climatic exposition to find if it would rain tomorrow. She talked in probabilities and trends.

She built her detailed forecast as if we'd all be climbing into flimsy single-engine Piper Cubs and hurling ourselves into the sky.

For fliers  she was a pioneer aviator when there weren't many women pilots  the test of forecasting was not how cute or smooth the forecaster was. She examined weather as if someone's life depended on accuracy, because pilots flew under that exact condition not so long ago.

Marcia was a professional scientist and a naturally effusive television dynamo second. She loved shtick. She was a ham. But, first and most, she was climate scientist who developed an experience-driven sense of how unpredictable climate can be.

But suddenly TV weather became mostly showbiz, and there was no room for her.

If you have watched Chicago's version of her craft, you should wonder if those practitioners actually know anything other than how to read computer software, which you can also access on the Internet.

They sell their affable scientific competence. But is it real? Do they know what is causing so many catastrophic hurricanes? Or multiple droughts? Or the melting polar icecaps? Or the rapidly increasing pace of animal extinctions?

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What about climate change as news, and the potential for the planet's death? Local TV's weather industry shrivels up when that topic arises.

But that daily missed educational opportunity is one failure more profound than weatherbots erring on snow forecasts.

Blithering blather usually masks larger flaws, as this one does.

Do local TV weathercasters  even ones at big city network affiliates  know enough science to understand real weather, much less climate change?

I once read a book about quantum physics and retained the concepts for about 30 minutes. But it did not make me a physicist.

The 170,000 actually trained meteorological and climate scientists set up the watchdog site at www.climatetruth.org to monitor and measure what TV forecasters claim as dependable truth, and they are not impressed.

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That's because a high percentage of local weather forecasters don't believe in climate change or understand it. They "do weather," which is one superficial aspect of human environment. Weather is only a component of climate, though TV forecasters often intermix the two ideas as if they were one.

Rolling Stone magazine massively assessed such matters a few years ago, and found that a quarter of local TV weather forecasters openly call climate change a "scam."

Example? CBS put its Miami affiliate's meteorologist David Bernard on the national airwaves as a rising star. He's an acknowledged and aggressive climate change denier.

"It's like CBS deciding to cover a public health crisis by relying on a doctor who doesn't believe in germs," Climatetruth's Daniel Souweine told reporters.

The affection for non-science fed by $1 billion a year in energy company cash  plus intellectual laziness  has infected national politics and leached onto local TV forecasting, too. It makes all of us dumber by disconnecting cause and effect.

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

TV weather forecasting has become slicker but even dumber than it once was.

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That's because most TV weathercasters are not scientists at all, though they slyly imply that trained skill.

They largely rely on off-the-shelf weather forecasting computer software. Only half of on-air weathercasters have advanced credentials  often in "broadcast meteorology," a dumbed-down, made-for-TV version of the academic degree, Rolling Stone says. The rest are just TV personalities.

When you watch local TV weather forecasts from now on, don't be miffed if they miss tomorrow's rain total. It's the least of what they miss.

As a consumer, you should consider how much they didn't know and never will. Show biz with good hair is not science.

As Marcia Yockey once proved, valid science requires more than good makeup.

David.Rutter@live.com
The Illinois Secretary of State's Office is considering opening a driver's license facility at Deerpath Commons Retail Center in Lake Zurich, as it weighs whether or not to replace the office's Libertyville facility.

After a short "courtesy review" of the proposed development on May 2, Lake Zurich Village Board sent the Fidelity Group to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing set for May 18.

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Lake Zurich-based commercial developer Fidelity Group wants to land the facility, which would be limited to providing driver tests and licenses, at a 9,638-square-foot space at 951 S. Rand Road, according to a report presented to the board. Although the proposal would require a zoning amendment for the property, Lake Zurich officials expressed support for the idea, which they said could bring residents of other area communities into the village.

"This will be a great opportunity for Lake Zurich," Trustee Jeff Halen said. "It will provide an opportunity while someone is here to stop in our stores and restaurants. I think it will be a win-win for Lake Zurich."

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When the village sought feedback on the proposal on its website, residents appeared to support the idea by a margin of 2-to-1, Village President Tom Poynton said.

The biggest concern residents raised about the proposal was the possibility of additional traffic at the shopping center, said John Sfire, owner of Fidelity Group.

"While traffic is certainly a challenge, anything that goes into the property is going to be a challenge," Sfire said. "I feel it would be a good benefit for the village from the perspective of drawing more people to the village, spending more dollars, which will certainly generate more tax dollars for the village."

Sfire said on May 2 that Lake Zurich has a 99 percent chance of landing the facility over Antioch, which also is competing for the possible replacement to the Libertyville facility.

Dave Druker, a spokesman for the secretary of state, said on May 9 that the office hasn't formally decided to close the Libertyville facility or formally selected either of the Antioch or Lake Zurich sites, even though Fidelity Group has heard differently from state officials.

"I don't want to boost people's feelings," Druker said. "I think (Lake Zurich) is a good location, but there a couple of spots were looking at. We're not going to eliminate anything at this point."

Sfire said state officials already told Fidelity Group that they are planning to close the Libertyville facility.

"It's too old, doesn't function properly," he said.

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Druker said state officials still are negotiating to keep open the Libertyville facility, a location where the Secretary of State's Office has fallen behind on rent payments because of the state budget standoff.

"The Libertyville people said they do not want to renew their lease until there is a state budget and they are paid," he said. "We're accumulating more debt everyday on these facilities. By and large, they've been extremely patient. We're still in discussion with them. To be prudent, we want to look at other locations and have options, if need be. We have our eyes open for other options, but nothing is definitive."

Sfire said Fidelity Group has been negotiating the proposal with state officials for a "long time."

"They've been doing research on this for almost two years," he said. "We've been talking to them at great length."

Phil Rockrohr is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health Dean Dr. Paul Brandt-Rauf accepts the village's sixth annual Public Health Partners of Excellence Award at a recent Skokie Village Board meeting. (Mike Isaacs / Pioneer Press)

The University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health stands miles away from Skokie, but there has been a close connection for years.

Since 2009, Skokie Director of Health Dr. Catherine Counard said, 17 graduate students have worked on a variety of projects inside the village.

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The village's health department and its Board of Health recently recognized the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health with a Public Health Partners of Excellence Award, the sixth year the village has handed out the award.

Counard said the UIC students have worked on projects ranging from rodent control and increasing access to health care to strengthening the village's tuberculosis testing program and completing the health department's state re-certification process.

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She called UIC Dean Dr. Paul Brandt-Rauf and his wife, Professor Sherry Brandt-Rauf, long-time Skokie residents, "tremendous partners."

"Each year, the Skokie Health Department and Board of Health give this award to individuals or entities that have provided exceptional assistance to the health department and our community," Counard said.

In addition to myriad student projects tied to Skokie, Counard said, Sherry Brandt-Rauf assigned her environmental policy students the task of researching municipal environmental sustainability best practices for Skokie.

"The students also interviewed members of the Sustainable Environmental Advisory Commission and conducted a survey of Skokie residents during the 2015 Spring Greening event as part of their assigned course work," she said.

Counard called the students who worked in Skokie over the years "energetic, enthusiastic, dedicated and well prepared."

"They've made meaningful contributions to furthering public health initiatives in Skokie  work that, quite honestly, we would have been hard-pressed to complete without their help," she said. "We have benefited not only from the cutting edge ideas and skills that these students have brought to the department, but it's been a lot of fun."

Dr. Paul Brandt-Rauf called the partnership with Skokie "a great example of how universities and external agencies  institutions like the village of Skokie and its health department  can make a difference in the world better than we can do it individually."

"Academics like to sit in the ivory tower and think lofty thoughts, but that doesn't always change the world, and in many cases that really doesn't change the world," he said. "The way we change the world is by working with out partners."

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Other universities can learn a lesson from the partnership the school has forged with Skokie, he said.

Brandt-Rauf accepted the award at a Skokie Village Board meeting earlier this month.

"We're giving this award to thank you  the faculty and especially the Master of Public Health students  who have assisted us with many critical projects over the years," Counard said.

misaacs@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @SKReview_Mike
Once home to Duffy's Cocktail Lounge at 8014 Lincoln Ave. in Skokie, this piece of property is now the subject of eminent domain proceedings by the village. (Mike Isaacs / Pioneer Press)

Skokie is moving forward with eminent domain proceedings to try to acquire what it considers a key piece of property in revitalizing downtown Skokie near Oakton Street and Lincoln Avenue.

Once home to Duffy's Cocktail Lounge, the property at 8014 Lincoln Ave. abuts the empty northwest corner property now owned by the village and once home to the Desiree restaurant.

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Once the village acquired that property several years ago, it tore down the abandoned restaurant and has been looking to redevelop the high-profile site ever since then.

The Skokie Village Board earlier this month voted to move forward with eminent domain proceedings. Skokie Corporation Counsel Michael Lorge listed the reason for the village wanting to acquire the property as "urban redevelopment."

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The property falls within the Downtown Science and Technology Redevelopment Project Area, said Lorge. "The development of that area is in the public interest and is actually critical to the revitalization of downtown Skokie," he said.

Lorge acknowledged that the location of the Duffy's property makes it an "impediment" to developing the larger next door site on the corner at 8000 Lincoln, which is what sparked efforts to acquire it, he said.

"The village and the owner of the property have not been able to reach an agreement on the purchase of the property," Lorge said.

The property owner could not be reached for comment, and the building remains locked up. On the other side of the property is the Cigar King owned by Jordan Hirsh, who has addressed the Village Board a couple times about the eminent domain vote.

Hirsh asked if there was a public road or building or a private enterprise going into the location. He said the owner doesn't want to move.

"A specific decision is in negotiations but none has been made as of yet," said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen. "This is the stumbling block."

Lorge later said that negotiations over redevelopment can consistently change until a deal is made. With or without a specific project in mind for that site, he said, it remains critical for redevelopment.

"Everyone knows that the village has been actively marketing that site for a year or more," Lorge said about the corner of Oakton and Lincoln. "The village and the elected officials are very patient to make sure that we get the right project in there."

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Village officials more recently told Hirsh the village was not looking to acquire his property for any project. Lorge late last week said the village had not yet filed the eminent domain suit but was still looking to move forward to try to acquire the property.

Van Dusen for the first time late last year predicted that a redevelopment project would at least be lined up for Oakton and Lincoln by the end of 2016. The Independent Merchants of Downtown Skokie also said it was a top priority to encourage the village to make progress with developing the site. President Randy Miles earlier said IMODS wanted to play a role in trying to bring a business like a boutique hotel with retail to the corner.

misaacs@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @SKReview_Mike
Seal of the State of Illinois on a door at the Illinois State Capitol building, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Springfield. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Along with the village of Skokie, several Skokie school districts and the Skokie Park District will have to pay back money that was overpaid to them through a "misallocation," according to the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Taxing districts across the state are impacted by the error, the state says, and will have to make up the tab. In total, according to the state, an estimated $168 million is owed by some 6,500 taxing districts in Illinois.

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The error came from a miscalculation from the personal property replacement tax that occurred under the administration of Gov. Pat Quinn, according to the state. In a released statement, the Illinois Department of Revenue said it recently uncovered the misallocation in the tax through an upgrade in the tax system.

Personal property replacement taxes are revenues collected by the state and disbursed to local governments after 1970 to make up for money they lost when no longer allowed to tax corporations, partnerships and other business entities, according to the state.

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For nearly 5,300 of the taxing districts impacted, the state said, the overpayment was less than $10,000. But in the case of Skokie taxing bodies, the amount is more, based on figures released by the Illinois Department of Revenue.

The village must pay back more than $197,752, Fairview South School District 72 more than $105,700, Skokie School District 69 more than $63,000, Skokie School District 73.5 more than $58,300 and the Skokie Park District nearly $43,910.

Niles Township High School District 219 was hit with the highest overpayment tab in the area at nearly $577,895, state numbers show.

"According to the Illinois Department of Revenue website, recoupment of overpaid funds will begin no early than January, 2017," said the district's assistant superintendent for business, Eric Timberger, in an email. "District 219 will incorporate the repayment into next year's budget as more information becomes available. Some budget adjustments may be necessary; however, we do not see this as having any impact programs offered for our students."

According to Skokie Finance Director George Van Geem, the disparity in the amount owed among taxing bodies is based on past reliance on these taxes before they were disallowed.

Taxing bodies with higher amounts owed imposed higher personal property taxes on corporations, partnerships and other business entities when that was allowable before 1970, Van Geem said.

"When they locked in a formula for the replacement tax," he said, "it was based on that. It's not done per capita. It's based on how much you collected before."

Notice of the mistake comes at a time when many taxing bodies are already concerned about potential declines in state funding and ramifications of the state budget crisis.

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Illinois Department of Revenue officials, however, say that the state is taking into account the impact of paying back the money. Repayment is likely to be spread out over time although details are still being worked out, they said.

"We are certainly sensitive to the impact recouping these funds will have on some of our taxing districts," said Illinois Department of Revenue Director Connie Beard in a released statement. "We will be working with the impacted taxing districts to establish a plan to recapture the funds over an extended period of time."

At a recent Skokie budget hearing, Van Geem said many people likely never heard of this tax, which was in place until 1970. Replacement funding from the tax has been around for more than 45 years, he said.

Skokie, he said, owes the most among municipalities that are part of the Northwest Municipal Conference.

"We were availing ourselves of this tax back in the 1960s, and to a greater extent than any other municipality in the Northwest Municipal Conference area," he explained.

He said he expects the $197,752 to be recouped over time from future payments to Skokie.

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But Van Geem said the village will not take the state's word on how much it owes. "We're going to organize as a conference," he said.

The Skokie Public Library receives about 22 percent of replacement tax funding that comes back to the village, which means it will contribute to paying the bill, he said.

"This won't cause any significant financial problem for the village," Van Geem said, even though he acknowledged it wasn't good news. "I wouldn't call it a financial crisis."

This seemed to echo the view of representatives of many local taxing bodies who will now have to repay funds.

"To put it in perspective, it's the salary of a teacher," said Skokie School District 73.5 Chief Business School Official Cindy Cohen."It's not like we're going to let a teacher go because of this, but that's the reality."

But Cohen said she also recognizes that the matter is out of the district's control.

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"If it was an overpayment, I guess we got the money already and I guess we have to give it back," she said. "You can look at it that way. We got the money and we got to use it. Nobody likes to refund money, but if it's not ours, there's not a lot we can do."

Like many, Skokie Park District Superintendent of Business Services William Schmidt said the notice of the overpayment came as a surprise.

"It's $45,000, but what are you going to do?" he said, adding that he'll immediately adjust revenue expectations to take the repayment into account.

"I'll take the hit this year and whenever I pay it back, I'll pay it back," he said.

Schmidt and others said they never remember having to make a repayment of this kind because of a state mistake, and the news comes at a difficult time..

"School districts are already under a lot of hardship and this adds to it," Cohen said. "On the other hand, if somebody made a mistake and we have money that we're not supposed to have, then I guess it needs to be returned."

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misaacs@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @SKReview_Mike
With the scope and penalties of Chinas social credit system being further clarified in 2021, legal and regulatory compliance has become more important than...
Editor's Note: Since China put forward the proposal in 2013 that the Asian Infrastructrure Investment Bank be established, there have been speculation that AIIB will menace the existing roles of the Asian Development Bank and other international financial institutions. A prudent and cooperative approach, however, has proved to be an effective way for AIIB to achieve a solid footing on the regional and international arena.

For a new financial institution, no asset can be more valuable than prudence and professionalism, just as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is trying to showcase.

AIIB's choice of its first batch of investment projects represented an intention to work together with, rather than to challenge, the world's existing system of multilateral development banks.

AIIB's announcement of a cofinancing project with the Asian Development Bank, a motorway in Pakistan, at first sight might offer perfect vindication of the long-held suspicion that the China-led multilateral development bank is serving as a convenient instrument for Beijing's diplomatic priorities and its "One Belt, One Road" initiative: Pakistan is a strong ally of China and the two sides are implementing a $46 billion "economic corridor" vision.

However, a closer look suggests otherwise. The Pakistan project is just one of a series of projects expected to be cofinanced by AIIB and ADB. As ADB President Takehiko Nakao said, it pops up among a flurry of projects "by chance".

In fact, the Pakistan project initially appeared on ADB's list. To accommodate AIIB, ADB revised its project's terms to allow AIIB to participate: Under its guidelines, AIIB can only fund projects open to companies from all countries, while ADB restricts participation to bidders from its member nations.

The $300 million project is still led by ADB, which will administer it on behalf of the other co-financiers: AIIB and the UK Department for International Development.

[By Cai Meng / China Daily]

Besides ADB, a number of AIIB's cofinancing projects are expected to emerge in the coming days. The bank has signed memorandums of understanding with the World Bank and ADB, and will do so with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. According to a Financial Times report, projects in the pipeline include a road in Tajikistan and a ring road in Almaty. All projects are selected and screened by the multilateral development banks first.

AIIB's multilateral approach carries obvious benefits. First, as summarized by the Financial Times, "by initially focusing on projects led by other multilateral development banks, the AIIB can build up an investment portfolio far more quickly than would be possible if it acted on its own".

What is less talked about is that AIIB also chose this approach to overcome its capital restraintwith $20 billion of paid-in capital each year for the first five years, the finance that the bank can leverage in its first year of operation is small, compared with its established peers. By partnering with these peers AIIB can maximize its capacity in the early stages.

Through cooperation, rather than stand-alone lending, AIIB could also share risks, as its president Jin Liqun noted, "infrastructure projects by nature involve greater risk".

"Infrastructure projects are very large. It's not a very good idea for a single bank to spend $2 billion or $3 billion on one project," Jin said at a recent gathering in Washington.

AIIB can also draw on other multilateral development banks' decades of experience and expertise, and demonstrate its willingness to adhere to the same lending standards.

Cofinancing is also a win for established multilateral development banks, as they can tap into AIIB's $100 billion in capital while saving their own money for additional projects.

For example, ADB has established its "finance++" strategy: the first plus standing for knowledge and the second for leverage. AIIB's demand for cooperation aligns perfectly with ADB's "leverage" strategy of boosting lending capacity by partnering with other multilateral development banks and the private sector.

What's more important is that by standing side-by-side with the new trend, established multilateral development banks have a chance to refashion their image as institutions willing to reform.
China's exports rose sharply slower while imports fell by a wider margin in April month on month amid a still weak recovery momentum.

Exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 4.1 percent year on year last month to 1.13 trillion yuan (US$174 million), slower than the 18.7 percent jump in March, data from the General Administration of Customs showed yesterday.

Imports fell 5.7 percent year on year to 827.5 billion yuan, falling for the 18th straight month and the drop widened from the 1.7 percent decrease in March.

But China's trade surplus grew to 298 billion yuan in April, up from 194.6 billion yuan in March.

Year on year foreign trade dipped 0.3 percent to 1.95 trillion yuan last month and slipped 4.4 percent to 7.17 trillion yuan in the first four months of the year.

"The April exports data weakened significantly from March, but it improved from the first quarter's performance. Imports continued to drop quickly, reflecting weak domestic demand, and the weakness may extend in the near future," China International Capital Corp said in a note.

"In the medium term, recovery in the world's major economies will be weak and so will global trade," the note added.

Exports to the European Union, China's largest trade partner, rose 1.3 percent year on year in the first four months, while exports to the US and the Association for Southeast Asian Nations, China's second- and third-largest trade partners, both shed 3.5 percent, the data showed.

Growth in exports is expected to be flat in May while imports may rise due to expansionary domestic monetary and fiscal policies, analysts at the Bank of Communications said in a report.

The latest trade data, however, echoed the generally weak manufacturing and services activity data released last week that pointed to the country's weak economic recovery.

The official Purchasing Managers' Index showed manufacturing dipped to 50.1 in April from 50.2 in March although it stayed in the expansionary territory for the second straight month.

The official non-manufacturing PMI dipped to 53.5 in April from the previous month's 53.8.

China's economy rose 6.7 percent year on year in the first quarter, the slowest in seven years, official data showed.
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China will strengthen regulations on real estate agencies after they became a major source of customer complaints due to misleading information.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development is working with related departments on policies to regulate housing listings of agencies and strengthen management of brokers, Vice Minister Lu Kehua said on Friday.

The ministry also promised to improve credit information systems in the sector and boost supervision over real estate agency practices.

Fabricating housing listings and charging irregular fees are among the usual complaints filed by clients.

A survey done in 2014 showed that 43.8 percent of 30,000 people in Beijing said they had encountered "bad behavior" from real estate agents when renting apartments.

Last month Shanghai regulators fined six real estate agencies between 130,000 yuan (US$20,000) and 200,000 yuan for false advertising.
Termination of the Chinese military's commercial activities will strongly lessen incentives for military-related corruption while consolidating the PLA's combat capability, military experts said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected the Central Military Commission (CMC) joint battle command center in Beijing on April 20, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

"Some commercial fields engaged in by the People's Liberation Army units are actually prone to corruption and other misconduct. The corruption case of Gu Junshan and those of other senior officers were closely connected to their involvement in businesses," said Senior Colonel Gong Fangbin, a political education researcher at PLA National Defense University, referring to Gu, former deputy head of the PLA's logistics authority, imprisoned in a embezzlement and bribery case.

"The military's involvement in the commercial sector has also aroused suspicion about whether it properly uses defense funds," he added. "Moreover, there have been concerns that the PLA would use its advantages in a race for profits and overpower civilian competitors."

The closure of the PLA's businesses would focus all of its concentration on honing combat readiness, he said.

On Saturday, the PLA and the Armed Police Force selected 17 units to be the first to close their commercial activities such as housing rentals, medical services and hospitality.

The move came after the death of Wei Zexi, a young university student who received experimental cancer treatment at a military hospital in Beijing, triggering a huge public outcry.

General Zhao Keshi, head of the Central Military Commission's Logistical Support Department, said on Saturday that the chosen units are tasked with exploring effective ways to shut down businesses.

In March, the Central Military Commission ordered the PLA and the APF to end all commercial activities within three years. It told units to stop signing new contracts and to negotiate with civilian clients to try to cancel existing ones.

Gong said commercial activities usually exist in military hospitals, performance groups and publishing houses, major targets of the ongoing troop cuts announced by President Xi Jinping in September.
Nearly 60 percent of working mothers in China don't want to have a second child, according to a report on the nation's career women.

A boy with his younger brother. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

It comes as Sunday marked the first Mother's Day following the relaxation of the four-decade family planning policy in January to allow all couples to have a second child.

The report, released ahead of Mother's Day by Chinese job recruitment site Zhaopin.com, also found that of 29.39 percent of women who have not given birth, 20.48 percent said they don't want a child.

Zhaopin questioned 14,290 career women on their work and life choices.

Asked why they don't want to have a child, more than 56 percent of interviewees cited the cost. The second concern was the amount of time, energy and attention involved. Other concerns included career risks, the pain of childbirth and little faith in their marriages.

More than 70 percent said they would not consider leaving their jobs to become mothers, while only 18.53 percent said they would take this into account.

Wang Yixin, a senior consultant at Zhaopin, said most career women think it is impossible to live solely on their husbands' paychecks.

"Other reasons involve their own ambitions. They fear that if they stop working, they will become isolated from a dynamic society and lose their career prospects," Wang said.

Peng Xi, 29, a marketing employee for a pharmaceutical company, has been married for two years and still hasn't decided whether to have a child.

"My mother has urged me to have a child before I'm 30. However, raising a child in Beijing is a huge financial burden," she said.

Peng is also worried about losing promotion opportunities, a concern shared by many women worldwide.

Feng Lijuan, a senior expert on human resources at Chinese job-finding platform 51job.com, said, "Taking the economic situation into consideration, it is not realistic to require companies, especially fast-growing startups, to provide absolute equality when choosing their employees.

"Chinese women shoulder more family responsibility. It is not just about maternity leave  a female employee might only get back to work three to five years after having her first child.

"If a job requires frequent business trips, extra work and more attention to work instead of to the family, a capable male candidate would be more suitable," Feng added. "It is not about gender choice  I would say this is a market choice."
Releasing what are perceived to be captive animals into the wild is a Buddhist practice with a long history in China, and one that is now mired in controversy.

Micro-blogger "cora liebo" regularly posts a list of animals "released" in the southwestern province of Yunnan that has jaws dropping all over China.

One such posting in April listed bedbugs among the creatures released, along with 58 kilograms of snakes.

These releases have been going on for some years and have included many bizarre species that are alien to Yunnan, including the notoriously invasive apple snail, which has caused severe damage to rice crops across Asia.

Rao Dingqi, an entomologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, described how alien species could damage Yunnan's fragile ecosystem.

"Taking golden apple snails as an example. It is a species from South America that has strong adaptive and reproductive capacity. It will damage paddy field ecology, affect the growth of crops and will reduce the population of native species, perhaps even to extinction," he said.

The forest public security bureau in the provincial capital Kunming are investigating the case.

Releasing animals into the wild dates back to the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). The practice is thought to cultivate kindness, compassion and benevolence, and became popular when Buddhism was introduced to China.

A media report last month said that more than 300 foxes and raccoon dogs had been released in a suburban area of Beijing without authorization. Local people complained that the foxes had attacked their chickens.

According to Chinese law, freeing wild animals requires authorization, and the environment must be suitable for the animals' survival.

All the foxes and raccoon dogs were raised in captivity. The bureau recovered more than 100 foxes, many already dead, presumably from starvation as the animals were not equipped to survive in the wild.

Rao said, "Releasing animals cannot be done blindly. It is important to know about the animals' habitat and biological nature, and release them only in a place where they can survive."
Residential communities specially designed for China's younger generation are popping up in China's big cities, offering a place to live, start a business, and make friends.

You+ International Youth Community is considered one of the first companies to offer this type of accommodation service to renters across China.

Graffiti adorns walls around the community, and the rental rooms are all tastefully decorated and equipped with all the trappings of modern life. More than 400 young people live and work at one of the You+ communities in downtown Beijing.

Its founder and chairman Liu Yang has lived and worked in six cities around the country.

"I understand the 'transient' and 'precarious' feeling of living in an unknown city," Liu, 42, said. His own experience inspired him to provide young people with a real "home," and somewhere they can kickstart their career.

Young people do not often communicate with their neighbors since they are busy working so hard, Liu said.

"People are uncomfortable in an unfamiliar environment," he said. "Thus, safety comes in numbers."

"Home means warm, safe and stable," Liu said. "Our You+ community is grounded in these concepts."

Liu raised eight million yuan (US$1.23 million) in 2011 and opened his first youth community in Guangzhou in south China's Guangdong Province.

"Young people do not necessarily need a very big bedroom, they prefer communal recreational spaces," Liu said. "We assign spaces for cafes, KTV rooms, cinemas, billiards and gyms."

The maximum age for residents of the community is 35 years old, and no children are allowed. Rent ranges from 1,500 to 6,000 yuan a month.

The youth communities pride themselves on being a place to live, rather than somewhere to stay. "We are pushing strangers to become acquaintances by living in the community," Liu said. "It's just like neighbors in the village."

The community is also an industrial incubator where private companies could be registered.

Many of Liu's renters start their own business at the community. Some of them are busy day and night. "They do not need to jam into the subway and go to the office to the other side of the city," Liu explained.

Wei Jialin, 26, used to live at the You+ community in 2015. She said that the biggest difference between a private apartment and the youth community is being able to make friends. "I don't want to sit in front of a computer all day and night," she said. "It's not what young people should be doing."

Wei works on an overseas study program service now. She met her boss and colleagues at the same youth community. "Most are outstanding entrepreneurs who helped my career a lot," Wei said.

Liu Yang believes that his community is safe. "Any unfamiliar face is recognizable," he said. "All the door-entrance buttons are hidden; only members know."

There are around 10 maintenance and communication workers in each You community.

One resident had an angina attack. "Many members rushed to his aid."

By the time the ambulance arrived, the ill resident was out of danger, thanks to his friends. According to Liu, all the residents are unique and can make their own contribution.

You+ has 16 communities in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Fuzhou.
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China's first Confucius classroom in a prison opened in East China's Shandong province on Saturday.

The classroom opened in Luzhong Prison in central Shandong as part of a charity program funded by the China Confucius Foundation.

Lin Guojun, deputy head of the provincial prison management bureau, said that Luzhong Prison will pilot a series of changes, including classroom and library design, training prison instructors in Confucian teachings and family activities in order to improve the prison's cultural atmosphere.

He said that the classroom will encourage the traditional teaching methods of handwriting, reading classics and moral education.

Named after the ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius schools and classrooms are generally run as non-profit public institutions to help foreigners understand China through language and culture classes at overseas universities. The first such institute was established in 2004.
Health authorities in east China are investigating a local hospital after a man claimed that his kidney was missing after surgeries.

Health authorities in east China are investigating a local hospital after a man claimed that his kidney was missing after surgeries.

Local media reported that last June, Liu Yongwei was in a traffic accident and underwent a surgery in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College in east China's Jiangsu Province. During the surgery, the doctor examined Liu's kidney and told him it was put back to the right place.

Two months later, when Liu was discharged from the Xuzhou hospital, he went to a hospital in Shandong Province for further treatment. However, the Shandong hospital couldn't find his right kidney in a CT scan and refused to admit him.

Liu then returned to Jiangsu Province to consult a military hospital, which also failed to find his right kidney. Liu asked the Xuzhou hospital to make an explanation, but received no reply.

In response to the report, the Xuzhou hospital released a statement on Thursday afternoon, saying the report was misleading. The hospital provided CT scan photos of Liu's body taken the first day and the fifth day after the surgery, which showed his right kidney in his body.

Xu Kai, a radiologist of the Xuzhou hospital, said that Liu's right kidney might atrophy gradually, a long-term result of the traffic accident, which explained why the other two hospitals failed to see the kidney during CT scans.

The Health and Family Planning Commission of Xuzhou City has sent an investigation team composed of medical experts and officials to the hospital. A third-party medical institution has been hired to conduct a thorough examination of Liu's body.

The credibility of Chinese hospitals has been greatly undermined after a massive medical scandal broke earlier this month. Wei Zexi, a 21-year-old college student, died from a rare cancer after receiving treatment in a private clinic affiliated to a military hospital.
China has detained 20 crew members from a Maltese bulk carrier that allegedly collided with a Chinese fishing boat, leaving two dead and 17 crew members missing as rescuers continued to look for survivors on Sunday.

The detained crew members from the Catalina include the captain. They have been placed under investigation by border control and maritime authorities after being detained in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, China National Radio reported.

Meanwhile, rescue ships from the maritime authorities, the Donghai Fleet of the Chinese Navy and other vessels in nearby waters have been searching for survivors.

China Central Television reported that the rescue effort, which includes six Navy vessels, was being hampered by volatile weather conditions, which caused poor visibility.

The fishing vessel, Lu Rong Yu 58398 from Rongcheng, Shandong province, capsized after it collided with the Maltese freighter in coastal waters about 80 nautical miles from Ningbo, Qilu Evening News reported. The report said the Maltese freighter was initially suspected of attempting to flee the scene.

Two fishermen from the vessel were pulled from the water but failed to survive.

A spokesman for Transport Malta said the authority was aware of the alleged incident and was investigating, the Times of Malta reported on Saturday.

Data from Marine Traffic, a website that provides real-time information about the movements of ships and the locations of those in port, indicates the freighter is currently docked near Ningbo.

The freighter, which was built in 2005, has a gross tonnage of 40,485. Its home port is Valletta, the capital of Malta, according to the website.

Meanwhile, rescuers were also trying to reach another 14 mariners from two fishing vessels that had gone missing in coastal waters near Haiyang Island, which is located near Dalian, Liaoning province.

The Dalian Maritime Search and Rescue Center said on Sunday that a squad of rescuers had managed to find and board one of the vessels, which had capsized.

In another development, marine rescuers saved the 22 crew members of a container vessel that caught fire after colliding with a Liberian boat off East China.

The container vessel from Hong Kong, the Safmarine Maru, and the Liberian vessel Northern Jasper collided in waters 15 nautical miles southeast of the Langgang Mountain Islets around 1 am on Sunday.

Marine authorities have advised boats traveling in the region to exercise caution to avoid accidents.
The Global Poverty Reduction & Inclusive Growth Portal (GPIG) is launched at the 2016 China Poverty Reduction International Forum held in Beijing on May 8, 2016. [Photo by Xu Lin / China.org.cn]

A new portal, the Global Poverty Reduction & Inclusive Growth Portal (GPIG), was launched at the 2016 China Poverty Reduction International Forum held in Beijing on Sunday, aimed at sharing the knowledge and best practices of poverty reduction in China and around the world.

In his opening remarks at the forum, Fang Zhenghui, vice president of the China International Publishing Group, said that 2016 is the first year of the 13th Five-year plan and one of the goals of the plan is to achieve a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The Chinese government has created a series of measures, including the precise poverty alleviation scheme, to battle against poverty and lift 55.75 million impoverished people out of poverty in the next five years.

"We are here today, to discuss ways to achieve the poverty relief targets under the Sustainable Development Goals, share China's experience with the rest of the world, boost international exchange in poverty alleviation, and contribute wisdom to help end extreme poverty globally by 2030," Fang added.

Guo Weimin, vice minister of the State Council Information Office, highlighted that poverty reduction is the common duty of the entire world. In China, there are lots of touching stories of people and villages that have shaken off poverty. Their practices can be shared worldwide and the GPIG will serve as a platform for this.

Bert Hofman, the World Bank Country Director for China, Mongolia and Korea, pointed out the following three points that can help China continue to be successful in poverty alleviation. First, China needs to continue to have moderate economic growth, not necessarily as fast as in recent years. Second, China's industries are shifting more to the high-tech and service industries, and these kinds of investments will create more jobs. Third, China must improve productivity through innovation.

Introduced by the Program Poverty Think Tanks Coordinator Gladys H. Morales, the portal aims to become a platform to share knowledge on the policies of poverty reduction and the best practices in China, in Asia and around the world. The portal offers information on the latest research in the fields of poverty reduction and inclusive growth, experts opinions, events, and news on trends and further opportunities for research and training as well as knowledge sharing initiatives available to partners, policy makers and the general public.

Initiated by the World Bank and supported by the Asian Development Bank, this website is operated by the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and the China Development Gateway (CnDG). About 80 officials, experts and international organizations attended the forum. Think tanks from Asia, Africa and South America were also invited to contribute their wisdom.

To find more information, please visit the portal: http://www.iprcc.org.cn/South/Index/index.html.
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Turkish warplanes conducted an air operation on Sunday targeting the positions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, local media reported.

F-16 and F-4 2020 warplanes destroyed shelters, ammunition stores and weapon pits belonging to the PKK in the regions of Qandil, Metina, Zap and Gara in northern Iraq early Sunday, according to local NTV news broadcaster.

The warplanes returned to their bases in Turkey after hitting the PKK targets, said the report.

Meanwhile, two soldiers of the Turkish security forces were killed on Sunday in an explosion in the Nusaybin town of the southeastern province of Mardin, where operations by the Turkish troops are being carried out against the PKK militants, local Daily News reported.

A hand-made explosive planted by the PKK militants in a house in the Firat neighborhood of Nusaybin exploded while security forces were conducting searches inside.

Since a two-year cease-fire between the government and the PKK disintegrated last July, Turkish security forces have launched a major campaign against the PKK in southeast Turkey, leaving over 400 government soldiers and over 3,700 PKK members dead.

The PKK, waging a separatist war against Turkey since 1984, is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
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Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav, in jail for rape and other sexual offenses, has asked for pardon, the current president's office said Sunday.

The request was received on Sunday and was transferred for legal evaluation, part of the regular procedure in clemency requests, President Reuven Rivlin's office said in a statement.

An earlier clemency request by Katsav's family was denied in 2012.

The new request, coming only a month after a parole board rejected Katsav's appeal for early release, triggered public criticism, with women organizations calling on Rivlin not to approve the clemency.

On April 6, Katsav, 70, asked to be released early after serving approximately two-thirds of his seven-year sentence.

In its 20-page-long decision, the parole board noted that Katzav never assumed responsibility for his crimes or agree to undergo rehabilitation. "He never expressed remorse or empathy for his victims," the panel said. Rather, he "perceives himself as the victim, and he is engaged in blaming others for his condition."

The panel also explained that his refusal to admit his crimes, even after the court's decision, impedes his ability "to avoid the same risk" of sexually assaulting more women.

Katsav served as Israel's eighth president between 2000 and 2007. In 2011, he was convicted of two counts of rape of women subordinates, as well as sexual harassment of others, and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, which he is serving in a jailhouse in central Israel.
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A total of 18 Islamic State (IS) militants, including four suicide bombers, were killed on Sunday in U.S.-led coalition airstrike and a suicide car bomb attack in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.

International warplanes carried out an airstrike on IS positions in south of the IS-held city of Fallujah, some 50 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving 14 IS militants killed, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The warplanes also destroyed three car bombs and killed their suicide bombers as they were trying to attack the Iraqi security forces in the same area near Fallujah, the source said.

The air attack near Fallujah came as Iraqi security forces allied paramilitary Sunni tribal units have carried out an offensive designed to recapture villages in south of Fallujah aiming at tightening the noose on the extremist militants inside the city.

Meanwhile, five soldiers were killed and eight others wounded, including an officer, when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into their military base and detonated it in Jerieshi area in north of the provincial capital Ramadi, the source added.

Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units have been battling IS militants for re-control of large territories in northern and western Iraq that was seized by the IS since June 2014.
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Armed militants shot dead eight Egyptian policemen in Cairo's southern district of Helwan Sunday, in an assault whose responsibility was claimed by Islamic State (IS) militants, according to the Interior Ministry.

Apparently, four assailants in a pickup truck intercepted the policemen in their minivan and opened fire with their automatic rifles against them, added the ministry.

The dead include a lieutenant and seven lower ranking policemen who were patrolling the area south of the capital, it added.

Attacks against security forces have escalated following the 2003 removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from power by the army in response to mass protest against his rule.

The IS circulated a statement on social media networks stating "The Helwan attack is part of our Abi Ali Al-Anbari campaign, and we claim responsibility for a series of bombings and other attacks in Iraq."

An IS Caliphate soldiers squad fired against the police van, later confiscating their weapons, the statement said.

"The statement said the attack was in retaliation for women imprisoned in Egyptian jails," it added.

This is not the first time Helwan was targeted. Militants killed a policeman standing guard outside a museum there in June 2015.

The eight bodies were transferred to Helwan's hospital morgue as security personnel still comb surrounding areas looking for militants who escaped the scene, the interior ministry added.

The IS's flag was hoisted upon the assailants' pickup truck, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to the independent Youm7 news website.

Following the attacks, the hashtag "#Egyptianpolicemenarebrave" trended on twitter.

"May the Lord have mercy upon our martyrs killed by treacherous hands," "We will avenge our heroes' deaths," people tweeted.

The Al Azhar institute in Cairo, Sunni Islam's most prestigious learning center, condemned the attacks as "terrorist acts contradictory to the teachings of Islam."

Al Azhar expressed its support in a statement towards the efforts undertaken by Egypt's security forces towards eradicating terrorism.

Britain's ambassador to Egypt, John Casson, tweeted, "We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the policemen killed in Helwan."

He reaffirmed his country's support of Egypt during its fight against terrorism, "Together, we will beat terrorism."

Militants established parts of Sinai's restive Peninsula as an operations center, as other attacks targeted the Capitol and other cities, killing hundreds of police and army men.

Most frequently, militants often claim their attacks are in retaliation to a bloody police crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters, claiming police forces killed hundreds of protesters and incarcerated thousands.

Ansar Beit Al-Maqdes, a Sinai-based IS affiliate, has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks.
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An Israeli Muslim leader started Sunday his nine-month term in jail for "inciting" riots in East Jerusalem's al-Aqsa compound in 2007, Israel's Prison Service said.

Arab-Israeli Sheikh Raed Salah (L), the leader of the northern wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel, bids farewell to his mother Laqia as he arrives at the Eshel prison in the southern Israeli city of Beer Sheba to begin a nine-month prison sentence for incitement to violence, May 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Accompanied by dozens of supporters, Raed Salah arrived at the Ohaley Keidar Prison in southern Israel, where he will serve his sentence.

"I enter (prison) relaxed," he was quoted as saying by the Ynet Hebrew news site. He vowed to continue the struggle against Israel's attempts to undermine Muslim sovereignty at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

"If the day comes in which we are to choose between prison and to give up on Jerusalem and al-Aqsa, we will welcome prison. We will sacrifice our lives for al-Aqsa," he said.

Salah, 58, is the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, which was outlawed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet in November 2015 for "inciting violence."

Netanyahu accused the movement of encouraging a wave of violent Palestinian uprising, which began in mid-September 2015 and has claimed the lives of at least 203 Palestinians and 28 Israelis.

Last month, Israel's Supreme Court rejected Salah's appeal against his conviction but reduced his sentence from 11 to nine months in prison.

His term follows a 2013 conviction for "inciting violence" and "inciting racism" during a rally against Israeli construction near the al-Aqsa compound in 2007.

In the rally, he called on "all Muslims and Arabs to start an uprising in support of holy Jerusalem and the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque."

In ensuing clashes with the police, several officers were wounded.

The clashes were triggered by fears that Israel is seeking to lift a long-held ban on Jewish prays at the compound. The hill-top site is holy to both Muslims and Jews, though Jews are allowed to visit there but not to pray.

This is not the first time his hardline Islamist and anti-occupation stances placed Salah in trouble with the Israeli authorities.

In 2010, he was sentenced to ten months in prison on charges of rioting and assaulting a police officer. In 2003, he was convicted amid a plea bargain for contacting a foreign agent and providing services to the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that Israel will not be deterred to hit Gaza in its pursue to eliminate Hamas "terror" tunnel.

"We are not seeking escalation, but we will not be deterred from doing whatever is necessary to maintain security," Netanyahu told his ministers at the start of their weekly cabinet meeting.

Addressing last week's uncovering of a cross-border tunnel built by Hamas, the Islamist organization which controls Gaza, Netanyahu vowed to "continue to act as necessary to uncover and counter the threat of tunnels."

"We will spare no resources and means in providing security to the residents of the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip," he said.

The border was reported to be quiet on Sunday morning after four days of fire exchanges, the worst since Israel concluded its 51-day offensive in the Palestinian enclave in the summer of 2014.

Since Wednesday, Gaza militants fired 12 mortar rounds at Israeli soldiers and heavy machinery who were operating at the border to uncover tunnels extending from Gaza into Israeli territory. The fire caused no injuries or fatalities.

In response, Israel launched several artillery attacks and airstrikes. On Thursday, a tank shell killed a Palestinian woman in her home in Khan Yunis.
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Greek parliament approved on early Monday a contentious law overhauling the social security and tax system, just hours ahead of an extraordinary Eurogroup meeting in Brussels set to clear the way for the release of further bailout loans to Athens and start talk on debt relief.

Members of the trade union PAME shout slogans during a 48-hour nationwide general strike against tax and pension reform bills that the government promotes in exchange of further aid by international lenders, in Athens, Greece, May 7, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

The legislation, which has sparked fierce reactions by opposition parties and trade unions, passed with the 153 votes in favor of all MPs of the two-partite ruling coalition, while 143 lawmakers voted against. A total of 296 legislators participated in the roll call vote held Sunday night and four were absent.

The controversial bill introduces a new round of pension cuts and increases in contributions to social security funds and taxes.

According to the Left-led government, the measures will ensure the sustainability of the pension system and support wider efforts to restore stability and economic growth after six years of austerity and deep recession.

During a speech before the plenary shortly before the vote, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that the government intended to fairly distribute burdens.

"The bill we put to vote tonight aims to ensure the sustainability of the pension system and promote social justice," the Greek premier said.

However, critics of the new law claimed that over taxation through direct and indirect taxes and hikes in payments to funds will "strangle" the poorest and middle income earners.

The vote in parliament followed a long string of massive protests organized by umbrella trade unions of public and private sector employees, the self-employed, farmers and other professionals outside the parliament building in Athens and major cities nationwide throughout Sunday.

Over the past six months labor unions have staged several strikes and demonstrations against the "destructive" reforms.

Addressing the parliament on Sunday evening, main opposition New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused the government of wasting time, bringing forward proposals bound to fail and leading the country off the rails. He repeated a call for new general elections.

On his part, Tsipras responded that he saw no credible, better alternative proposals on the table, and argued that such reforms open the way for the disbursement of the next bailout tranche to Athens and the start of the much-delayed discussion on debt relief measures.

The Left-led government accelerated procedures for the ratification of the bill before Monday's Eurogroup meeting to show willingness to bring change and boost its bargaining position, cabinet ministers have explained.

The pension and tax reforms are key parts of the first 5.4 billion euro worth package of measures international creditors requested since autumn in the context of the first review of the third Greek bailout sealed in July 2015.

In the official agenda for Monday's meeting, the Eurogroup said it would assess the progress made to conclude the review.

Addressing the parliament during the debate Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said that on Monday's meeting he will present Athens' proposal for a safety mechanism to address any shortfalls from the goal to achieve 3.5 percent of GDP primary surplus in 2018.

Greece rejects the International Monetary Fund's request for the immediate legislation of extra contingency measures worth 3.6 billion euros to cover for gaps should Greeks fail to meet the 2018 goals. (1 euro=1.14 U.S. dollars)
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A BBC journalist has been expelled from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for his attacking of the DPRK system and non-objective reporting during his stay in the country, an official with the DPRK National Peace Committee said on Monday.

During his stay with a BBC filming crew who visited Pyongyang from April 29 to May 6 to cover the visit of three Nobel laureates to the DPRK, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes disrespected local customs, spoke ill of the leadership and assaulted the country's system, the official told a press conference held here.

The three Nobel laureates -- Richard J. Roberts from Britain, Finn E. Kydland from Norway, and Aaron Ciechanover from Israel -- visited the DPRK for exchanges with local college students. Their trip was co-sponsored by the International Peace Foundation and the DPRK National Peace Committee.

Wingfield-Hayes, a BBC correspondent based in Tokyo, made threatening remarks against customs officials at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, the official said.

As a professional journalist, he should have reported the stories in a correct and objective way, instead of making biased reports about the country, the official said.

The reporter, in a written statement, has made an apology to the DPRK and its people for his improper behavior, the official said.

"We will never permit him to enter the DPRK again for any reporting," the official said.
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South Korea and the international community will never accept Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a nuclear-armed state, Seoul's Ministry of National Defense said on Monday.

"It has been our and international community's consistent position that (we) will never accept the DPRK as a nuclear-armed state," spokesman Moon Sang-gyun said during a regular press briefing.

"The government will continue to make efforts to push the DPRK to give up its nuclear ambitions through strong sanctions and pressure," he added.

The ministry also rejected DPRK leader Kim Jong-un's proposal for bilateral military talks as "insincere," urging DPRK to stop its provocative behavior and choose the way toward its denuclearization.
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Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann on Monday announced his resignation, the Federal Chancellery confirmed to Xinhua.
On the outskirts of Nairobi along Limuru Road, an upcoming mall that is under construction is an architectural beauty that will automatically raise Kiambu County's ratings once complete.

Its appearance is reason enough for tourists to troop in to have a piece of it. The mall, which is conveniently perched right at the heart of Runda, has brought both poor and rich together for a course.

James Gitau, 27, a school dropout from Gachie village in Kiambu County, is one of the young men who will go into history as having played part in giving Kenya such a prestigious mall.

Gitau is the first born in a family of six and having lost his dad when he was 17, he assumed his role as the head of his family.

"My mum was struggling a lot, so I had to drop out of school to help her. At least I had a chance to go up to Form Three. If I didn't do what I did may be my sisters and brothers wouldn't be in school, I thank God just about that time, this project kicked off and I was lucky I got a chance as a worker," he said.

The mall, which will be known as Two Rivers Mall is estimated to cost close to 15.1 billion shillings (about $150 million) and will be built in phases by Aviation Industry Corporation of China, which is the main contractor.

Avic is among other Chinese companies that have given Kenyan youth a chance to rewrite their life stories.

Ngure Njoroge, 32, also from Gachie in Kiambu County says he is still alive, thanks to this project.

"I had engaged in lots of bad things before due to job scarcity but I thank God now I have a clean job," he said.

Ngure and Gitau's stories are proof that Chinese firms operating in Kenya hire more locals compared to foreigners in contrast to popular belief that the opposite is true.

Kenya currently hosts around 400 Chinese firms spread across every sector.
The front row at the opening show of the 2016 Fall/Winter Shanghai Fashion Week on April 8 was graced by some very influential people in the global fashion scene, an indication that the annual event has grown much in stature since its inception in 2003.

But instead of the typical personalities like supermodels or A-listers, among those seated were Pascal Morand, executive president of the French Federation of Fashion, Carlo Capasa, chairman of the Italian National Fashion Chamber, Sara Maino, senior editor of Vogue Italy, and Gemma Williams, British fashion columnist and the author of Fashion China. "These are industry veterans who are just as influential, if not more, as fashion designers, stylists and celebrities in the industry," said Du Wenxia, a member of the Shanghai Fashion Week organizing committee.

Ever since the first SFW, the government-sponsored event has strived to narrow the gap with the Big Four - London, Milan, Paris and New York - by inviting famous designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld to reproduce their shows in Shanghai.

The committee had also decided in recent years to shift the focus away from the glamorous side of the event and instead concentrate on "experiences and lessons", according to Chen Ying, vice-president of Shangtex Group, the State-owned company that organizes SFW every year.

After reaching a long-term and strategic cooperation agreement with the British Fashion Council last year, the company has further expanded its European connections this year by signing collaboration deals with the French Fashion Federation and the Italian National Fashion Chamber.

At the news conference on the morning after the opening show, Chen noted that these collaborative deals connect what could be the world's largest consumer market for fashion to a highly established and reliable supply for fashion, as well as "encourage dialogue between young designers and share information among the world's leading fashion manufacturers".

Raymond Tan, a Malaysian fashion photographer who has lived and worked in London for 10 years, said that Shanghai's fashion industry is now the best place in the world to work in.

"The growth of the industry here is amazing and to be a part of the industry when it's growing is what excites me," said Tan, who recently relocated to Shanghai to further his photography career.

"Just look at the sheer number of Chinese graduates in London. Many of them are coming back to China afterwards, and they are the future of not only fashion but also the creative industry here," he added.

But while Shanghai's fashion scene has grown considerably through the years, the industry experts in attendance at SFW noted that there is still much to be done before Shanghai can be considered the world's fifth fashion capital.

"The products are of course important, but that is just one spectrum of the fashion system," said Capasa after the news conference.

"What is missing here in Shanghai is the image of fashion. Image is what aspires women to walk into the store and pay for a dress even though they already have a full wardrobe of it," he added.

In order to achieve this, Capasa said that Shanghai needs to be more open to international collaboration with photographers, stylists and artists.

"Creating image is hard work. It's not something you can walk into a store and ask to buy one kilogram of. Chinese investors are very generous when it comes to buying machines to produce clothes, but what the market needs are masterpieces," said Capasa.

On the other hand, Sara Maino believes that it is the lack of sales technique and the high prices of Chinese creations that have been hindering the progress of China's young fashion designers.

For years, small-scale production, the rising cost of labor in the domestic market and the lack of support have pushed many Chinese designers to set their prices at almost the same level as global luxury brands, and this has in turn isolated them from customers.

Lin Jian, one of China's most celebrated fashion commentators, attributed this to the fact that Chinese designers have been overly obsessed with being "independent". He noted that there is usually a misconception among domestic designers that being independent equates to being successful and stylish. "People often ask when China will produce its own Alexander McQueen or Coco Chanel. I have no answer to that. However, young designers need to face the realities first," said Lin.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn

Facts and figures of this year's Shanghai Fashion Week

49 fashion shows in nine days

Held across four locations: The black tent at Xintiandi (for independent designers and commercial brands), Shanghai Exhibition Center (for international brands such as DIESEL and Dirk Bikkembergs), Labelhood on the Bund for still presentation, and 800 Show in Jing'an for graduates and kids wear.

There were more than 1,500 visitors at the opening day of trade show MODE Showroom, up 30 percent from last season. More than 500 buyers and distributors from around the world attended the four-day event.
The Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect slated to launch sometime later this year will make China's equity market more accessible to global investors seeking exposure to China's fast-growing companies.

The stock connect to the bourse in the southern Chinese boomtown Shenzhen offers global investors an opportunity to diversify into China's tech and service companies, which has proved much more resilient to slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy.

"The Shenzhen exchange has a far more diverse mix of companies that reflects China's new consumer and tech-driven growth prospects," said Gao Ting, chief of China equities strategist at UBS Securities.

Most of the stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange have a market capitalization of less than $2 billion, but have posted faster earnings growth than their large-cap peers listed in Shanghai.

Once the stock connect is launched, the investible market capitalization for global investors from information technology and consumer discretionary to healthcare will expand, adding opportunities for them to diversify Chinese equity holdings away from financial and manufacturing firms.

Earnings growth for Chinese mainland-listed companies in IT, healthcare and consumer discretionary stood at 35.1, 24.4 and 12.9 percent in the first three quarters of 2015, compared with 3.4 percent for manufacturing, and a decline of 64.1 percent and 55.5 percent for energy and materials respectively, according to data compiled by researchers at Wind.

Average earnings growth for listed companies on the Chinese mainland has moderated from 14.3 percent in 2013 to 3.2 percent in the first three quarters of 2015 along with China's slowing economic growth.

The Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect launched in 2014 has already provided investors in Hong Kong with a daily quota of 13 billion yuan ($2 billion) to invest in shares listed in Shanghai.

Other than that, overseas institutional investors can invest in China's onshore capital markets through the qualified foreign institutional investors program and a similar scheme using Chinese yuan raised offshore, called RQFII.

The free float market capitalizaiton at the Shenzhen bourse is smaller than that in Shanghai but trading has been much more active as domestic investors prefer small-cap stocks.

But such preference has also buoyed share prices. Companies in Shenzhen currently trade at about 39 times their estimated earnings, compared with 15 times for those traded in Shanghai.

Analysts say such high valuation could keep global investors on the sidelines when the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connect is launched.

"They will compare stocks in Shenzhen with those in other markets across the region and think some of them are just too expensive," Gao said.

He added that global investors are still looking for growth stories in the Shenzhen market, but only stocks with a reasonable price-to-earnings ratio.

"The stock connect is a good opportunity for offshore investors to diversify into China's consumer and IT sectors but capital inflow from Hong Kong could remain subdued at first as investors balk at stocks' high valuations," he said.
A woman talks with a salesman at a property market fair in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.[Photo/China Daily]

Inventories of China's 137 real estate companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen bourses exceeded 3 trillion yuan ($461.3 billion) in 2015, according to statistics from Wind, a financial data provider.

Of them, the top five listed real estate companies by market value took up 42 percent of the total inventories.

Excluding Greenland Holdings which debuted on the A-share market last August, the remaining 136 listed companies had total inventories of 2.64 billion yuan, an increase of 328.1 billion yuan or 14.21 percent from 2014.

Greenland Holdings posted 397.06 billion yuan of inventory, outpacing the country's largest residential developer China Vanke Co Ltd, which saw inventory up 15 percent from 2014 to 368.1 billion yuan in 2015.

The inventories data were higher than that for the areas or value of homes for sale, the Securities Daily quoted Yan Yue, director of the think tank center of Shanghai-based E-house China R&D Institute, as saying.

Inventories, as listed in property developers' financial statement, cover many items, including housing inventory, land reserves, and projects under construction, he said.

That said, housing inventory remains a large item, he noted, adding that the inventories data tally with the phenomena that some real estate developers, especially those mid-sized ones, bid for land actively last year.

Inventory turnover, an indicator for a company's ability to manage inventory and pay off short-term debts, varied largely among different companies.

China Vanke, for instance, shortened inventory turnover days from 1,139 in 2014 to 893 in 2015, while Shanghai Capital Development Co Ltd prolonged inventory turnover days to 2,100.
A Chinese customer tries out smartphones in front of logos of (from left) China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom at a mobile phone store in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province, January 13, 2016.[Photo/IC]

Beijing News

Measures taken by telecom operators to improve internet speed and lower prices saved subscribers 40 billion yuan ($6.15 billion) in 2015, thereported on Monday citing an official with the telecom regulator.

In reply to many consumers complaining that they have not seen any change either in speed or cost, Wen Ku, director of the telecom development department under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said that since there are many subscribers, every user only saves 2.6 yuan per month. So they are unable to feel the change.

Wen added people should evaluate the effect from the perspective of longer period.

Last April, Premier Li Keqiang made it clear that the country's internet services were "too slow" and that they cost "too much". His comments prompted the MIIT, the sector's regulator, to announce plans to cut mobile data charges by a third before this year.

"Besides lowering the overall fee, users should see the obvious decline in unit price," Wen said. In 2015, the unit price of mobile broadband was reduced by 60 percent, meanwhile, mobile data traffic that people used increased by multi-fold.

Wen also predicted that users of fiber broadband will account for 80 percent of total broadband users in 2016, ranking first in the world.

On August 1, 2013, the State Council issued the "Broadband China" Strategy and Implementation Plan, aiming at strengthening the strategic guidance and systematic deployment and pushing forward the rapid and healthy development of China's broadband infrastructure.

According to the plan, half of the Chinese households are expected to use fixed broadband, and fiber-to-home services will cover all urban areas by 2015. The penetration rate of fixed broadband will reach 70 percent by 2020.
He may have taken many photos of some of the world's most high profile celebrities in his lifetime, but ask British photographer Jason Bell which image ranks as his best and he'll tell you that he has yet to shoot it.

An Oxford University graduate who studied politics, economics and philosophy, Bell is renowned for his images of personalities such as Paul McCartney, Johnny Depp, Scarlett Johansson and David Beckham.

He was also the person chosen to photograph Prince George's christening in 2013. "I am proud of that. I can go anywhere in the world and people would say that they know the photo of Prince George. But I don't know if it's my best work.

"I think it's always the next picture that gets me excited the most," the 47-year-old Londoner told China Daily in Shanghai where he was working as the guest photographer for the Shanghai Fashion Week's closing show by Belgium fashion designer Dirk Bikkembergs.

Fame and glamour aside, Bell said it's always people that interest him the most.

"Even as a kid, I was interested in people's faces. Fashion is interesting to me as an expression of the person, not the other way around," he said at the backstage area for Bikkembergs' show, one of the most popular events at SFW this year.

"I photograph writers, actors and politicians as well. I am interested in a bigger conversation, rather than just the conversation about fashion."

Bell remembered how he started taking pictures at the tender age of five and was by 13 already learning about developing and printing his own pictures. However, it was not until his college years that he decided to make photography a career.

Having witnessed the many changes in the fashion industry over the decades, Bell said that the biggest change to the industry was brought about by the internet and social networks like Instagram.

"The big change is the speed at which we get access to images and information and how people today can exert greater influences via these mediums. It's interesting how the opinions of well-known fashion bloggers in the front row matter today," he said.

Bell, who usually divides his time between London and New York, believes that now is a particularly interesting time to be in China as people around the world are talking about how important fashion is becoming in the country.

While he acknowledges that much of this conversation is centered on China's spending prowess instead of talent for fashion design, Bell believes more creative ideas will nonetheless be conceived as a result.

"I don't really want to be here just for commercial reasons. For me it's more about the culture that's excited by fashion. I think it's important and great that China develops its own fashion week, as it has now developed itself as a market," he said.

Asked if he managed to get any good shots from the Dirk Bikkembergs show, he noted that there was a moment when all the models were just standing around clothed in nothing but their underpants.

"I think that one might be a winner," said Bell.

xujunqian@chinadaily.com.cn
A Chinese investor walks past an electronic display showing prices of shares at a stock brokerage house in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province, May 9, 2016. [Photo/IC]

China stocks fell sharply again on Monday, reaching eight-month lows, as investors saw hopes for a strong economic recovery fade and worried about fresh regulatory curbs on speculation.

Following the market's nearly 3 percent slump on Friday, China's blue-chip CSI300 index fell 2.1 percent, to 3,065.62, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 2.8 percent, to 2,832.11 points.

China April trade data, released on Sunday, doused investor hopes of a sustainable economic recovery, with both exports and imports falling more than expected.

Recovery hopes were further dimmed by an article on Monday in the official People's Daily. It cited an "authoritative source" saying China's economic trend will be "L-shaped", rather than "U-shaped", and definitely not "V-shaped", but the government will not use excessive investment or rapid credit expansion to stimulate growth.

Shares fell across the board, but selling concentrated in relatively expensive small caps amid fears of fresh regulatory crackdown on speculation.

China's securities regulator said on Friday that the valuation gap between the domestic and overseas market and speculation on "shell" companies - firms used for backdoor listings - merited attention.

An index tracking raw material shares tumbled nearly 5 percent as China's commodity prices continued to fall amid a government crackdown on speculative trading.
A technician at a 4s dealership in Pingdingshan, Henan province, works on a car. HE JINWEN/CHINA DAILY

China's quality watchdog is showing more initiative in recalling vehicles after a record number of defective cars were reported in the country last year.

Twenty-eight automakers recalled 1.86 million cars through the first quarter of 2016, of which 1 million cars were recalled after the top quality watchdog's investigations, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a report on its website on April 28.

The report said more than 260,000 recalled cars were imported, involving both volume brands like Volkswagen, Hyundai, Toyota and GM and premium marques including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Maserati.

The administration said the media has helped in prompting carmakers to recall faulty cars. Noticing reports that Volkswagen and Porsche recalled cars overseas, the administration contacted the two carmakers and discovered that a number of their SUVs sold in China had problematic brake systems.

The watchdog said it immediately issued the notice to alert the public and talked to management from the two carmakers, urging them to recall cars affected.

The move resulted in their recalls on April 18 of 103,569 Touaregs and 108,910 Cayennes made between 2010 and this year and possible replacement of a circlip that could come loose and prevent the car from braking properly or cause the pedal bearing to break.

Automakers recalled 5.54 million cars in 2015, though a great proportion of them were the result of faulty Takata airbags, hitting a record high since the recall system was introduced in 2004 in the country.

In late 2015, the general administration vowed to further tighten its supervision and released a detailed regulation on car recalls that took effect from Jan 1.

The 43-article regulation covers six aspects ranging from information management and investigation to recalls and penalties.

Zhang Zhiyong, an independent auto analyst in Beijing, said the regulation is a positive sign but added that it should have included more punitive measures. A fine up to merely 30,000 yuan ($4,617) is not an effective deterrent to carmakers, he said.

John Zeng, managing director at consultancy LMC Automotive Shanghai, said it is good that the watchdog is making it easier for people to file complaints about problems with their vehicles. Investigations are conducted once a number of people complain about the same problem.

He said it would be more efficient if there was a separate agency dedicated to car quality supervision, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the United States, because China's quality watchdog has to supervise many industries.

In addition to official supervision, he said Chinese customers' growing awareness of quality is helping the watchdog to solicit more information and prompt carmakers and dealers to recall faulty cars.

Young customers know more about cars and they are more demanding and willing to defend their rights than their parents, said Zeng.
A little girl holds on to her mother while waiting in line to go through customs to travel overseas at an airport in Qingdao, Shandong province, Feb 3, 2016. [Photo/IC]

A sharp increase in cases of consular protection and assistance last year shows a strong need for Chinese people and businesses abroad to enhance their awareness of self-protection, according to experts.

Such cases taken up last year by Chinese embassies and consulates as well as the Foreign Ministry's Center for Consular Assistance and Protection reached nearly 87,000.

They involved about 96,000 Chinese citizens and 1,928 deaths, the ministry said in a report, adding that the security situation for Chinese abroad is still "complicated and severe".

The figures show a significant increase from 2014, when about 60,000 cases were reported, involving some 73,000 Chinese.

There was also an increase in the number of Chinese students abroad in such caseswith 6,000 involved last year, compared with just 932 in 2014.

More than 523,000 Chinese studied abroad last year, an increase of about 14 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Education.

Ren Yuanzhe, associate professor in the Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management at China Foreign Affairs University, said cases of Chinese students being deceived, injured or even killed abroad require such students to be vigilant over their safety, while Chinese embassies and consulates should provide better services for them.

The Foreign Ministry said the safety of Chinese people in Africa needs to be watched, as more and more Chinese businesses are setting up there.

Yang Guang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of West Asian and African Studies, said the number of Chinese doing business in Africa is growing fast, while the governance of some African countries is too weak to provide a safe environment.

"Chinese workers should get safety training before going there. Chinese embassies and consulates should improve their service, and companies should prepare themselves with emergency plans, so that they won't be caught off guard," he said.

Yang added that Chinese companies in Africa should develop relations with local communities by contributing to community development.

Asia contributed to more than half of the cases last year, with 37 percent of all the cases reported from Thailand, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Singaporecountries that have increasing numbers of Chinese tourists.

The largest proportion of cases involved those in which people were barred from entry or exit, followed by cases concerning security, and business and labor disputes.

Chinese mainland residents last year made a record 128 million visits abroad, the Foreign Ministry said.

Ren said the increase in consular protection and assistance cases is a natural reflection of the rapid growth in Chinese going abroad and their stronger need for improved and diversified consular services.

"It shows that Chinese citizens are more aware of protecting their rights abroad and are more aware of turning to consular services for help," Ren said.
Guangzhou citizens take part in a candlelight vigil on Saturday for Chen Zhongwei, a doctor who died on Saturday of a multiple stabbing by one of his former patients.[Photo by Chen Jimin/China Daily]

The need to ensure the safety of medical staff has again come to the fore as a retired doctor repeatedly stabbed at his home by a former patient in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, died on Saturday after remaining in intensive care for 43 hours.

Chen Zhongwei, 60, the recently retired director of the executive department of stomatology (oral health) of Guangdong General Hospital, was attacked at home on Thursday by a patient he had treated 25 years ago.

The 47-year-old suspect surnamed Liu followed Chen home, attacked him and then committed suicide by jumping off a balcony at Chen's home, according to the police.

Chen's colleagues told Beijing Times that the assailant stabbed the doctor more than 30 times.

In April, the attacker had stopped Chen at the entrance to the residential compound for the hospital's staff, demanding compensation for tooth discoloration after surgery Chen had conducted 25 years ago, according to a statement by the hospital.

The provincial commission of health and family planning issued an urgent notice on Friday to strengthen security at hospitals and surrounding areas, especially at living quarters.

The commission is requiring hospitals to immediately go through their lists of medical disputes and make a timely report to local health authorities and police of those in which complainants may have demonstrated an inclination toward attacking doctors.

Hundreds of people spontaneously gathered at a plaza near Guangdong General Hospital on Saturday night to mourn Chen with candles and flowers.

"The incident does cast heavy shadows over medical staff, whose desire for a safe working environment is growing stronger and stronger," said Liao Xinbo, an inspector with the provincial commission of health and family planning, who was at the event.

"But medical staff and most people with a conscience in the general public maintain a rational attitude toward the incident, calling for the maintenance of justice and punishment of violence.

"The false values that equate medical services with consumption have intensified the tensions between doctors and patients," Liao said.

"The government must enhance public education to correct people's view that they are paying for a guaranteed cure."

A student pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical medicine who declined to give her name said the incident did make her worry about personal safety, though she said she is still passionate about working as a doctor to help those in need.

"It will be sad to see doctors make personal safety a priority rather than trying every possible way to cure patients during treatment, which will worsen the relationship between doctors and patients," said the Guangzhou-based medical student.

"I hope that the government will improve the laws and regulations that protect medical staff and the accountability system that punishes medical dispute profiteers."
A man who said his right kidney was stolen at a hospital in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, during surgery to deal with injuries from a tractor rollover, got a new medical checkup in Nanjing after he sued for compensation of 2 million yuan ($307,800).

The man, Liu Yongwei, was checked at Nanjing General Hospital in the provincial capital. A panel of experts was invited to analyze the results, and a conclusion will be drawn soon.

Liu, whose right lung, right kidney, liver and bones were injured when his tractor turned over in June, was sent to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College for treatment.

This year, his left kidney became infected, and he had it looked at in April. That's when he was informed that his right kidney was missing.

Liu's story attracted nationwide attention after he was interviewed by Xin'an Evening News in Anhui province in early May.

Yang Yu, director of the Xuzhou hospital's medical affairs office, said Liu's renal function was good when he was discharged.

"It's possible that the left kidney functioned well and concealed the fact that the right kidney had begun to atrophy," Yang said.

"It's possible that a damaged normal-sized kidney can atrophy to the size that cannot be shown on CT scan film or other medical check films. Similar cases have been reported."

Hu Bo, the doctor who operated on Liu, told Modern Express, a Jiangsu newspaper, that Liu told him he wanted to sell his left kidney when he consulted him in January.

"He said he wanted to know if I was involved in human organ trafficking," Hu was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

"I told him immediately that human organ trafficking is against the law. He never mentioned to me that other hospitals had told him that his right kidney was missing."

Liu denied the doctor's account.

"What I want is not money but fairness. I just want to know what happened to my right kidney," he said.

According to Nanjing General Hospital, the latest examination results will be released soon, and workers at the Xuzhou Health and Family Planning Commission will provide the results to Liu.
The right to life and development are fundamental human rights that have been protected and promoted by the Chinese government since the founding of modern China in 1949, attendees at a human rights seminar agreed in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Saturday.

Luo Haocai, chairman of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, which sponsored the gathering, said in his keynote address that researchers should conduct more studies on the internet's role in serving those rights in developing countries.

Another key speaker, Cui Yuying, deputy director of the State Council Information Office, urged scholars to strengthen their systematic and theoretical studies on China's human rights practices, looking ahead to serve the country in the future and helping the country's human rights cause become better understood in the world.

The seminar marked the 30th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development in 1986. The declaration defines the right to development as "an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized".

It imposes obligations on countries to ensure equal and adequate access to essential resources, and on the international community to promote fair development policies and international cooperation.

"That China has lifted nearly 700 million people out of poverty over more than 60 years is a testimony to the country's contribution to the protection of the right to development," said Li Buyun, director of the Human Rights Studies Center at Guangzhou University. "The Chinese people are not only participants in their country's development but also beneficiaries of the fruits of development."

Luo, the society's chairman, lauded the efforts of President Xi Jinping.

"Xi's five development concepts - innovation, coordination, green, open and share - will not only guide China's future development, but also be of great significance to the enrichment of the right to development."

Despite China's notable achievements, some scholars have asked the government to face up to the challenges. Liu Hainian, director of Human Rights Studies Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the country still needs to solve some practical problems appearing in its fast development.

"The government needs to transform its commitment to the rule of law into actions to ensure social justice and fairness at home," Liu said.

More than 60 top Chinese human rights researchers attended the event, which was hosted by the Wuhan University School of Law.
Tang Kai arrives at Mianyang railway station in Mianyang, Sichuan province, May 7, 2016, in the company of volunteers. [Photo/VCG]

How to celebrate the reunion with a son who was kidnapped and trafficked 25 years ago? For the lucky family in Southwest China's Sichuan province the answer was a belated wedding, although the son is married and has a son and a daughter.

Tang Kai, 29, was kidnapped when he was four in the winter of 1991 from a village in Santai county, Mianyang city in Sichuan province, when he was playing alone near a kindergarten. Tang was sold about 1,500 km away in Zaozhuang in East China's Shandong province and given a new name, Liu Cunzhu.

Tang registered at baobeihuijia.com, a non-profit website that helps people find their lost family members, on Sept 10, 2015, trying to find his biological parents with his sketchy memories of the surroundings when he was kidnapped.

Based on the information and DNA tests, Tang finally found his parents in April.

After finding out that Tang had got married but did not have a ceremony, Tang's father decided to hold an event, however late, for his son.
The view of Qingyan town. [Photo by Liu Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

Six centuries old Qingyan town in southwestern China's Guizhou province is preparing to be ranked as one of the most important national scenic spots.

Qingyan town, a small ancient town in southwest China, is on top of must-see list that Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, has promoted since the province launched plan to make tourism a strong part of local economic development.

As one of the four oldest towns in Guizhou province, Qingyan was acknowledged and awarded for its history and culture nationwide in 2005.

It joined the club of AAAA-level national scenic spots in 20101A is the lowest and 5A is the highestand now it is going all out to upgrade its tourism facilities and capabilities to welcome growing number of tourists.

Qingyan is famous for its Zhuangyuan house, a house where lived the winner of the annual imperial examination in 1887 during Qing Dynasty ( 1644-1911).

The whole town was proud of him as he was the first winner born in Guizhou province since the imperial exam system began in Sui Dynasty ( AD 581-618).

To show their sense of pride, the locals even named their famous dish stewed pig feet, as zhuangyuan pig feet, aka winner pig feet, expressing their good wish for being a winner after eating it.

The signature menu of this historical town doesn't stop at the pig feet. It has fudges containing eatable roses, hot chili chicken nuggets, all kinds of fried chill snacks, sour sweet turnip slices and more.

The town is located in Huaxi district on the south of the provincial capital, 29 kilometers away. The 222-square-km district has 38 minority ethnic groups, a characteristic that has given birth to diverse culture and traditions.

But it's not just culture. In this small town, there is not a monopoly of one religion. Different religions, such as Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity, have existed in harmony.

Qingyan has received about 723 million yuan ($111 million) to upgrade 65 infrastructure programs, including transportation, scenic spot management and promotion.


Doctors transplant the heart from a donor in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, to a patient in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province on May 8, 2016. [Photo/IC]



A heart donated by a patient in east China's Hangzhou city has been successfully transplanted to the recipient in Wuhan city about 700 km away.

As the first human organ transfer using the new "Green Passage" system, it only took four hours and 16 minutes for the heart to reach the patient after removed from the donator in another city.

The Green Passage system, jointly established by China's health, police and transportation authorities, aims to shorten transportation times and reduce damage or the waste of human organs, as many become unusable or dysfunctional if stored for more than 12 hours.

Using the channel, the police and transportation department work together to ensure a smooth and quick ride for ambulances; airlines allow planes carrying human organs to depart first when necessary; and if taken by train, the escort can buy tickets after boarding under emergency circumstances.

For the latest operation, the heart was removed from the donor after surgery lasting 30-minutes in Hangzhou. It was transported by an ambulance to the airport, where the organ and its escort from the Wuhan hospital enjoyed fast security, check-in, and boarding.

After landing, Wuhan assigned patrol vehicles to accompany the ambulance carrying the heart. The traffic police also used the smart control system of the street signal lights, so that the ambulance could avoid red lights each time it reached an intersection.

The transplant surgery itself started at 9 pm on Sunday less than half an hour after it arrived at the hospital.

China's Organ Procurement Organization, a group made up of doctors and nurses, is responsible for applying to the authorities for the Green Passage, after medically assessing potential donations.

It also has to ensure the safety of the transfer, and the maintenance and functioning of donated organs.

Though ranking third globally in terms of the number of organs donated, China still has a serious lack of human organs. Some patients are forced to wait for several years for transplant surgery, and many don't survive long enough to receive a new organ.

In 2015, 2,766 people donated major organs after death, almost double that in 2014.


Graduates from normal universities in Hunan province interact with their potential employers at a job fair in Hengyang in March. More than 4,000 graduates participated in the event.[Peng Bin/For China Daily]

The number of university graduates reached 7.65 million in 2016, hitting a new historic high, the Beijing News reported. Plus, the number of students graduating from secondary vocational schools hit 4.35 million, bringing the total figure to 12 million.

Promoting employment should be prioritized, said Premier Li Keqiang at a meeting organized by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Friday.

According to a research report on 2016 graduates released by 51 job.com, a leading job hunting platform in China, 52.11 percent of graduates found employment or started their own business.

The study was based on 3,095 questionnaires from 2016 graduates and 1,661 questionnaires from employers across the country.

China's employment situation is generally stable in the first quarter of 2016, said Li Zhong, Spokesman of the Ministry, adding that the economic downturn and structural reform, however, make employment more difficult.

A report from the ministry showed that employers recruited 5.2 million workers through public employment service agencies in the first quarter, dropping 229,000, or 4.5 percent, from the previous year.

Traditional industry cooling while 'new economy' heating

Traditional industries such as machinery and equipment, construction and building material, are hiring less, while labor demand from "new economy" such as service industry, and especially IT and ecommerce, are employing more.

The report from 51 job.com showed that 32 percent of employers are from hi-tech industry, the largest number in the market.

The demand from IT and ecommerce industry surged 39 percent in the first quarter from the previous year, according to a report from China Institute for Employment Research.

The first-tier cities most alluring with Shanghai paying most

The 2016 graduates' report showed that the first-tier cities are still the most popular employment locations, with Shanghai ranking at the top as it gives the highest average monthly salary of 4,441 yuan ($683), followed by Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Beijing.

In other cities, graduates prefer cities in Yangtze River Delta regions such as Suzhou and Hangzhou, whose salary level are right behind first-tier cities, and capital cities in Central and Western regions such as Wuhan and Chengdu.
A senior Chinese information official has urged media from Asia and Europe to further expand their exchanges and cooperation in the months ahead.

This will help promote mutual understanding between countries, according to Guo Weimin, deputy minister of the State Council Information Office.

He made the remarks at the opening ceremony of Asem Media Dialogue on Connectivity in Guangzhou on Monday.

"Media cooperation is a win-win deal that contributes to mutual stability, development, peace and prosperity in Asia and Europe," Guo said.

"This event will help build a good platform for media from Asia and Europe to expand their exchanges and cooperation in the future.

"The State Council Information Office has always encouraged an open and tolerant attitude toward cooperation and exchanges between Chinese and foreign media."

Joint coverage of major events and hot topics has already been actively organized by Guo's office in recent years, he said, adding that foreign journalists are welcome to visit China while Chinese reporters will be encouraged to go abroad to cover more major international events.

Qian Hongshan, assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, said the expansion of media exchanges would help further advance cooperation between Asia and Europe in the future.

Wang Hao, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, described the media an important channel to increase mutual understanding and cultural exchanges between nations and regions in Asia and Europe.

"On the principle of voluntary participation, media from Asia and Europe should organize more joint cooperation in covering major events and hot issues involving the two continents in the future," he said.

"While increasing the number of mutual visits of senior media executives and exchange of journalists, media from Asia and Europe should jointly establish their data banks and expert banks to share media resources.

"Media from Asia and Europe should share and exchange their news clues, information products and pictures involving major events taking place in the two continents," Wang added.

Alessandra Spalletta, an Italian reporter, said expanding exchange and cooperation between media in Asia and Europe would help the industry to upgrade and improve its competitiveness.

More than 200 media representatives, business executives and officials from 51 nations and regions attended the event on Monday, which was jointly organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Council Information Office.
[Cartoon by Li Feng/China Daily]

BEIJING -- China's education authorities have launched a campaign to curb school bullying.

The campaign will last until December and targets elementary, middle and secondary vocational schools nationwide, according to a circular issued by the education supervision committee under the State Council, China's cabinet.

The campaign will focus on legal and mental health education for students. Police and judicial staff will be invited to schools, sources with the Ministry of Education said Monday.

The circular defines bullying as physical or verbal abuse, or abuse online.

Schools are asked to improve measures for preventing and handling bullying and establish an emergency plan for serious incidents.

They should operate a hotline for reporting of bullying, report to police any cases involving crimes.

There have been frequent media reports on school bullying in recent years. In late April, a video went viral showing a schoolgirl being slapped more than 30 times by a group of older girls. Police detained some of the perpetrators.

Last year, a boy in a junior high school jumped from the fourth floor of a teaching building in a suicide attempt as he "just could not tolerate a life of being bullied everyday any longer," according to China Central Television.
BEIJING -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will pay an official visit to Qatar and attend the seventh ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum on Thursday, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Lu Kang said at a regular press briefing on Monday that Wang will discuss with his Arab counterparts and the secretary-general of the Arab League how to jointly advance the Belt and Road Initiative and deepen Sino-Arab strategic cooperation, and exchange views on international and regional issues of common concern.

The attendants will also settle on cooperation plans for the coming two years, Lu added.

He said the meeting, the first high-level political dialogue between China and the Arab countries since President Xi Jinping's visit to the Middle East earlier this year, will "boost dialogue and cooperation, and facilitate forum building."

This year is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Arab world.

Wang will also pay an official visit to Tunisia on Friday and Saturday.
BEIJING -- Premier Li Keqiang on Monday vowed to advance government reform and improve public services to support economic restructuring.

The government should remove policy barriers to contribute to the development of a new economy, mass entrepreneurship and innovation, Li told a national conference on government reform.

"We should be clearly aware that the government is still engaged in things that it should not be," the premier said.

The government has not fully retreated from certain areas as designated, he said.

There are weak points in public service and huge room to improve efficiency, Li said.

He stressed that the government's reform should be measured by quantitative indicators such as how much time is saved for a company to register itself with the commerce department or for a project to get through government approvals.

The priorities of simplifying administrative procedure and delegating power include:

-- The central government will continue to cut items that need its approvals and delegate more power to governments at lower levels.

-- More approval requirements will be removed before a commercial project starts and unnecessary certificates will be canceled.

-- The government will review fees charged to enterprises and notably reduce them.

-- Colleges and research institutes will have more autonomy over their research and development projects.

-- The power and duty of central government departments and agencies will be further clarified.

The reform of government regulatory networks will also be important. One priority is to reduce the overlapping duties of different regulators and excess inspections caused by this problem.

The government will be careful about putting new business models under tight scrutiny, Li said, adding that it aims to strike a balance between nurturing innovation and exercising reasonable regulation.

The government will continue to streamline its service for startup firms and expand its cooperation with private sectors.

Internet technology will be introduced in administrative work so that the public and enterprises will have easier access.

The premier urged governments of all levels to keep in mind the bigger picture and restrain their own power for the sake of society and market dynamics.

The conference was chaired by Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.
BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Monday that efforts to streamline government administration, transform government functions and boost efficiency will be redoubled to spur economic vitality and attract overseas investment.



The premier set out the goals at a national teleconference at the State Council in Beijing.



"Basically, our economic structural reform is to establish a proper relationship between the government and the market, allowing the market to play an essential role in allocating resources," said Li, adding that the key of such a reform is to transform government functions.



One of the government's key objectives through such efforts is to realize market potential and ensure sustainable economic development.



Since 2013, 618 items of State Council agencies have been canceled, or delegated to lower approval levels, easily meeting, by more than a third, the target for cutting the number of items requiring administrative approval.



Yet Li noted that work remains to be done.



"The government is still involved in areas that it should not be responsible for," he said.



Li stressed that the efforts to streamline administration and scale back government control are being made to meet the requirements for another round of opening up and improve China's global competitiveness.



"We used to rely on our demographic dividend, yet today, in order to boost investment, we need to rely more on human resources and innovation," he said.



Several officials from both the central and local governments have also introduced their achievements in streamlining administration in the past three years during Monday's meeting.



The city of Shanghai has applied for its Free Trade Zone, a much reduced negative list for foreign investment which has cut special administrative measures by more than one third.



Consequently, foreign investment programs that are not on the negative list can be filed immediately.



The Shanghai government has also explored new business registration policies, which has slashed company registration time from 29 days to less than four. It has also made great strides in systematic innovation, in terms of trade supervision.



In the city's free trade zone, more than 100 new measures were implemented and international trade was given its own exclusive channel. The time taken for customs clearance procedures was cut by 40 percent.



Also in recent years, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce unified three types of business licenses, shortening the registration process for enterprises by two to three days, which has resulted in greater convenience for enterprises.



The National Development and Reform Commission carried out its efforts in streamlining administration through two lists, four platforms as well as further delegation of power to lower levels.



The State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform will re-examine previous reforms and tackle any improper delegation of power. Its work will also improve once it comes under a more unified standard as will online administration and consultation.



Making information available on items concerning approval, specifying responsibilities, and deepening reforms will also be enhanced.



Enterprises have already benefited from implemented measures and market vitality has increased.



The measures undertaken are already making a difference. China's business environment has greatly improved in recent years, Li said, and market access has been further opened up.



According to the World Bank, China has risen six places over the year to 84th in terms of the convenience of conducting business out of 189 economies. Up until now, more than 95 percent of foreign invested projects, and more than 98 percent of overseas invested projects, are regulated online.



Yet China's conventional advantages in the global economy started to show weaknesses in recent years, while both foreign trade growth and utilization of overseas investment have been declining.



This has something to do both with weakening international demand and China's business environment per se.



"We need to optimize the business environment for both foreign and private investors to unleash market vitality and improve our overall competence," Li said, adding that China's employment could also be affected.



For the past three years annually, China managed to create more than 13 million new jobs in cities. Efforts to streamline power also include reforms in professional qualifications, technology transfer and other social undertakings.



These measures are crucial for China to move forward its supply-side structural reform.



"Governance transparency is fundamental for modern governance, something that we also want to achieve through transforming government functions," Li said, adding that this is also part of an effort to unleash market vitality and boost the economy.



"We need to make governance transparency a normal thing for the public," he said.



The premier also urged transforming government functions to improve social equality and justice and stronger supervision to tackle illegal activities, also a requirement for transforming government functions.



He also stressed that the government should optimize services and increase efficiency to improve people's livelihood.
Rescuers remove bodies from the scene of a fatal landslide that hit a hydropower construction site in Fujian province on Sunday. XIA DAPENG/ FOR CHINA DAILY

Rescuers have found 34 bodies but four people remain missing after a massive landslide hit a hydropower construction site in Fujian province on Sunday.

The bodies were recovered as floods triggered by rainstorms hit a number of southern and central areas of China on Monday.

The landslide, which happened at about 5 am on Sunday in mountainous Taining county, unleashed about 100,000 cubic meters of mud and rocks, burying a temporary shed at the construction site and damaging offices.

The China Meteorological Administration warned that Taining county could be hit by more rainstorms on Tuesday. Days of heavy rain have already hampered rescue efforts.

Thirteen injured people rescued after the landslide are being treated at a hospital. All are in stable condition.

A mudslide in Nanping, Fujian province, struck two residential buildings, trapping five people early on Monday. Four were found dead by rescuers in the afternoon, Fujian Daily reported.

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters warned that water levels of rivers in Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region could continue to rise in the next few days after rainstorms.

Huang Qiyu, commander of the Fujian Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, told Xinhua News Agency at the landslide site that a plan to increase the flood discharge from a reservoir had been postponed.

"We are trying our best to devote more time to the rescue," he said, adding that accelerating flood discharge would pose a threat of flooding to the rescue site.

The State flood control authority has issued flooding alerts for eight rivers in Fujian, including the upper reaches of the Minjiang.

In Hunan province, floods triggered by rainstorms killed two people and affected more than 615,000, leaving urban areas in Yongzhou and Chenzhou under water.

In the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, flooding forced the closure of schools and all scenic spots in Yangshuo county.

The China Meteorological Administration said on Monday evening that some areas of Guangdong, Fujian and Guangxi could be hit by more rainstorms on Tuesday.

Zhang Li in Nanning, Wen Xinzheng in Changsha and Yang Jun in Guiyang contributed to this story.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING -- At least nine people have died and another three are missing after heavy rain pounded South China for days, disrupting traffic and affecting millions in the region.

The rain started last week in Chongqing, Fujian, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan,and Jiangxi and continued through Monday, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC)

In Hunan, two people died - one in a lightning strike - and a total of 6,555 people have been relocated. The rain has caused floods, power cuts and landslides.

In Hubei, rain, hail and gales left one dead and two missing. Direct economic losses are estimated at about 45 million yuan ($7 million).

In Jiangxi, heavy rain has led to three deaths and the relocation of 14,000 residents. About 500 houses were destroyed by the rain and direct economic losses are estimated at 740 million yuan.

In Guangxi, one person died and another is missing after heavy rain battered seven cities. A total of 12,200 people were relocated. The rain damaged over 1,000 houses and causes direct economic losses estimated at 278 million yuan.

Rivers in the affected provinces are swollen and flood warnings have been issued.

The NMC on Monday warned people in the northwest and south of the country to be alert to the possibility of mountain torrents, mud-rock flows and landslides as rain continues to lash these regions.

Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will see up to 150 mm of precipitation from Monday to Tuesday, the NMC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, heavy rain is expected in the northwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to the forecasts.

The NMC issued a yellow alert on Sunday afternoon for rainstorms in south and southeast China, and the alert was renewed on Monday.
HOHHOT -- Top Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang has urged companies to obey the food safety law and told government organs to fulfill their supervisory duties, vowing to deal harshly with crimes in the field.

Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, made the remarks during a visit to North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region between May 7 and 9, to investigate how the law has been implemented.

During the inspection, Zhang inquired after quality control at livestock raising facilities as well as farming and herding co-ops, urging leading agricultural companies and co-ops to strengthen supervision and management of food products, with special focus on feedstuffs, additives and pesticides.

Zhang urged food-makers and sellers to follow all required procedures on raw materials and finished products, while keeping clear sales records as part of a food safety liability backtracking system.

Calling on agricultural academies and food inspection centers to improve examination and quarantine procedures, Zhang stressed that the dairy companies should give priority to quality and safety in their development.
Poster of 69th Cannes International Film Festival. [Photo/www.festival-cannes.com]

Mexico is set to have a high profile at this year's Cannes Film Festival with the participation of Mexican films, actors and judges.

This year's Cannes on May 11-22 will see the screening of Mexican short film Las Razones del Mundo (The Reasons in the World) in the festival's Cinefondation section, which presents works by film students.

Las Razones del Mundo is one of only 18 school productions chosen at the festival out of some 2,300 submissions.

The film directed by Ernesto Martinez Bucio, a student at Mexico's Center for Cinematographic Training, tells the story of kidnapping from the point of view of a woman who is a member of the criminal ring behind the crime, and who begins to feel remorse when the latest victim turns out to be a young boy.

Apart from the high-profile short film, Mexican actor and director Diego Luna has been selected to serve on the jury of the festival's Un Certain Regard competition, which is designed to promote young talent and unique cinematic styles.

Meanwhile, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal will appear in the Chilean film Neruda, which will be screened in the festival's Director's Fortnight section.

Mexico will appear again at Cannes Classics, with a restored copy of the 1966 film Tiempo de Morir (Time to Die) by filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, three of whose films have been nominated for the coveted Palme d'Or prize.

The Guanajuato International Film Festival and the Los Cabos International Film Festival in Mexico will also contribute to this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Mexico's international festival of horror films, known as Morbido Fest, will travel to the French riviera with six of Latin America's best films in the genre.

Morbido's Mexican pick is Tenemos la Carne (We Have the Flesh), the story of a brother and sister surviving in a post-apocalyptic Mexico.

Related:

Feng Xiaogang and Bai Baihe win big at 23rd Beijing College Student Film Festival
The 12 finalists returns to stage after the first round. [Photo by Ruan Fan/chinadaily.com.cn]

A junior from Communication University of China walked away with the top prize at the finals of the sixth Beijing Universities Host Competition held at Beijing Foreign Studies University on May 8.

"Before I arrived tonight, I even thought about quitting the competition, because everyone else is so competitive, with their different backgrounds and hosting skills," Chen Jiaoyi told China Daily website after the competition, adding that she felt lucky to have won.

The 12 finalists, who came from eight universities, took part in the three-hour competition that included a live performance aided by video clips in the background, debate, story-telling and finally live hosting.

Contestants floored the judges with their witty talk and quick thinking, and their carefully prepared creative talent shows were quite a delight for the audience.

The competition turned red-hot during the debate round, when Jia Hao from Renmin University of China and Zhong Zhiyao from China Women's University argued whether university students' innovative undertaking should be encouraged.

The audience got emotional when Jia beat Zhong with a single vote, crying out for both contestants to go into the third round.

Xu Jinqi, one of the judging panel members and a senior producer and journalist from China Central Television, calmed the audience down saying that this was just a competition, not the end of the world.
[Photo/Xinhua]

Tycoons of the global bookstore industry, authors and scholars, as well as artists gathered in Chengdu on May 6 for the 2016 International Bookstore Forum. Those attending the event at Fang Suo Commune shared their views on the design of public spaces in cities and the current operation modes and future trends of physical bookstores. Traditional brick and mortar stores are confronted with ever-increasing challenges from booming online booksellers.

Also invited to the 3-day forum were representatives from the worlds most prestigious and beautiful bookstores, including Shakespeare and Company from France, Waterstones, the UKs largest bookseller and Boekhandel Dominicanen, the "paradise bookstore" from Holland.
People visit the "Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road" exhibition at Getty Center in Los Angeles, the United States on May 6, 2016. The exhibition "Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road" opened to public on Saturday. The exhibition will last until September, offering visitors the chance to learn about the art and history of the Mogao Grottoes, which thrived as a Buddhist center in China from the 4th to the 14th centuries. [Photo/Xinhua]
On Thursday, the State Council, China's Cabinet, announced a plan to reform the country's salt industry, in a bid to shake up the State monopoly of the production and sale of table salt, dismantling a system that has been in place for more than 2,000 years.

The State control over the salt sector reportedly began around the seventh century BC.

Under the current system, Chinese companies are licensed to produce and distribute table salt under a national quota system.

According to Thursday's statement, the reform will allow salt producers to determine their own production scale and market their salt directly, rather than selling only to State distributors, while the price controls will be scraped from 2017.

It said the government will not approve new producers and wholesalers in the business, but encourage existent entities to reorganize through mergers and acquisitions, drawing in private capital.

Experts said the reform is conducive to releasing market dynamics and increasing the competitiveness of enterprises.

It is expected that there will be fluctuations in salt prices for a long time after the reform takes effect, and therefore there should be an effective mechanism to monitor and stabilize salt prices.
A view of Hong Kong's Central business district. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Yet another example of political hallucination masquerading as intellectual expression has emerged in Hong Kong recently in the form of a suggestion that the special administrative region should become an overseas territory of the United States.

The term "overseas territory" may remind people of Puerto Rico, the latest addition to US territories supposedly by popular choice, which many local residents are already regretting.

In Hong Kong's case, however, even Washington knows pigs don't fly.

Given the number of think tanks and the intellectual freedom in the US it would have surprised no one if some of them had thought about Hong Kong being an overseas territory back in the 1980s, when Britain was negotiating with China over the future of the city.

Since Washington has never publicly acknowledged such a scenario was even considered, those in Hong Kong who like the sound of it should sincerely ask any US strategist or foreign relations expert why that was the case.

The "dreamers" in Hong Kong may find solace in the fact that the US government will always come out in support of their freedom of expression. But, whether they like it or not, they are better off not expecting any words from Uncle Sam that even remotely fuel their fantasy.

They should accept the reality that "US interests" outweigh other "values" when it comes to decision-making in Washington.

Some people may say "never say never" and "nothing is impossible." That might be why these Hong Kong "dreamers" keep deluding themselves, but the reality is they are living in cloud cuckoo land.

Do any of them seriously believe they can go beyond merely talking about it?

If the answer is yes, they should have asked Washington to "like" and "share" this "dream" of theirs first, in which case it would have immediately become clear such a dream is simply pie in the sky.

But then even most Hong Kong residents don't share this dream.

And all that aside, it is ultimately up to the Chinese nation to decide whether such a "Hong Kong dream" will come true or not.

And we all know the answerNo!
High-speed train CRH380A lined up at Qingdao, Shandong province. Provided to China Daily

A COLLEGE GIRL in Southwest China's Sichuan province was criticized for not offering her seat on a train to an 80-year-old woman who had a standing only ticket. Southern Metropolis Daily commented on Saturday:

It is inappropriate to blame the college student for not sharing her seat with the old woman, or the old woman's daughter who made a mountain out of a molehill.

True, it has become a consensus that the seats on buses and subways should be offered to those in need, including senior citizens. But seats on bullet trains are reserved by passengers who book their tickets in advance, and therefore passengers have the right to use their seat or offer it to a standing passenger as they choose. If someone is warm-hearted enough to offer his or her seat to the person in need, it should be encouraged.

However, the old woman who failed to claim a seat beforehand did need a seat. To efficiently encourage more people to give up their seats to those in need, measures should be taken to reward their good deeds.

For example, train passengers who offer their seats to the disabled or the elderly can be kept on record as "the exemplary passengers" and be offered favorable policies for future trips. When a standing passenger in need applies for a seat, stewards should negotiate with all seated passengers, not just the youngsters, for their help.
Photo taken on Jan 1, 2015 shows an apartment project in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Xinhua]

LAND OWNED BY THE STATE-OWNED Guangzhou iron and Steel Enterprises Group in South China's Guangdong province, which has been sold to local property developers for more than 27.7 billion yuan ($4.2 billion), reportedly still contains heavy metal pollutants in the soil. Beijing News commented on Saturday:

Despite the rehabilitation of the "tainted" land of Guangzhou Iron and Steel Enterprises Group, which is only expected to be completed in July, local real estate enterprises had already started construction on it last year, claiming that they have all the required paperwork including an environmental impact assessment.

The truth is, even a legitimate environmental impact assessment does not guarantee that the land, which is still recovering from heavy metal pollution, is free of health risks. Whether the land will be decontaminated remains unknown, because it is fairly difficult to get rid of all embedded heavy metals, which have polluted the ground for years.

That, to a point, explains why some local governments and property developers tend not to carry out the full rehabilitation of the land as required. In some cases, environmental officials have been discouraged from investigating the pollution of land to be used for the construction of affordable housing, simply because it would increase the costs.

As a result, heavily polluted land is often exempt from a full environmental impact assessment and swiftly made available for building urban residences.

Of course, the local governments, the environmental departments, and real estate agents, are all to blame for this state of affairs and should all be held accountable. In addition, the lack of land rehabilitation standards and inefficient information disclosure also contribute to the disregard of pollution in land earmarked for development.

That the rehabilitation of polluted land in developed economies is trusted by most citizens, has a lot to do with the fact that it is strictly carried out according to tough regulations. These cover not only the soil but also the underground water, which is rarely the case in China.

The central government should introduce comprehensive regulations to make sure all polluted land is rehabilitated properly.
The scenery of provincial roads in Zhangbei, a small country in North China's Hebei province. [Photo/IC]

ZHANGBEI, a small county in North China's Hebei province, recently began charging 50 yuan ($7.7) per person for using a provincial road that connects several local attractions. The cost of using the road may well be more than the toll to use an expressway, as everyone in a car will have to pay. Beijing News commented on Sunday:

China's provincial roads such as the one in Zhangbei should be free of charge, according to the relevant regulations. It is thus a surprise that the Zhangbei government is charging people for using the road claiming they are buying "tickets to enter scenic spots".

In fact, the county government proposed to charge 80 yuan per person last year, but had to give up the idea due to the widespread opposition.

Such a charge is scarcely convincing, because unlike Fenghuang Ancient Town, a famous attraction in Central China's Hunan province jointly run by the local government and private companies, the road in Zhangbei was built using taxpayers' money.

Besides, it is the provincial price bureau, not the Zhangbei county government, that has the authority to decide the "ticket price" of the province's tourist attractions, even if the provincial road can be counted as one.

A bigger question is that whether the road services provided by the local government, ranging from the maintenance of public toilets and road signs to security, will improve after the charge is levied.

It is, to some extent, understandable that the poverty-stricken Zhangbei county wants to exploit its unique tourism resources to develop the local economy. However, it is not supposed to charge people for their use of public roads. Instead, the Zhangbei authorities should put more effort into exploiting the local tourism resources and offering better services to attract tourists.
Local residents gathered in Guangzhou's Hero Square to mourn doctor Chen Zhongwei on Saturday and express their anger at such violence. [Photo/IC]

The killing of a dentist by his patient on Friday in Guangzhou, South China, is intolerable, and many local residents gathered in the city's Hero Square to mourn him on Saturday and express their anger at such violence.

Worryingly, this extreme case is just the latest in an increasing number of disputes between medical staff and their patients, in which doctors or nurses have been verbally or physically abused by patients. In some instances when a patient has died, doctors have been coerced to kneel and mourn the patient by relatives and friends of the deceased.

Strict enforcement of the law is urgently needed to protect medical workers from being abused by their patients and patients' relatives in any form. A desirable mechanism also needs to be put in place to strictly assess how much responsibility a doctor has to bear in a dispute.

Thanks to the lack of a safe working environment and lack of understanding from patients, the number of students applying to enroll in medical schools is declining and the proportion of top-notch ones applying for medical majors has dropped sharply in recent years.

It is common sense that doctors are not magicians and cannot cure all diseases, and there is no operation that bears no risk. Those, who turn a blind eye to this reality and maltreat medical workers when they fail to get what they expect from doctors, are actually harming this country's healthcare environment.

Of course, that some hospitals charge patients for overmedication and unnecessary treatment, such as the deliberate prescription of expensive drugs or excessive medical checks, only for the sake of their profits has also added to the mistrust between medical workers and patients. This should be addressed by medical reform.

However, a crackdown should show no leniency toward those who physically abuse medical workers or seek to blackmail hospitals by disrupting the order in hospitals.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at Abe's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, January 28, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

In advance of the G7 summit, which the island nation will host this month, Japan is increasing its efforts to interfere in the South China Sea issue.

The issue was raised by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida during their trips to Europe and Southeast Asia.

In talks with the leaders of Italy, France, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom, Abe never forgot to refer to the South China Sea.

Kishida also sought support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In his speech in Bangkok, Thailand on May 2, Kishida spoke of the "rule of law", shared values and "maritime security" in the South China Sea.

Playing at being the spokesman of ASEAN, Kishida called for the early conclusion of a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

Japan, which has no territorial claims in the waters, has been mounting a campaign against China.

Like the United States, it is both fueling and exploiting the tensions in the disputed waters to advance its own economic and strategic interests in Southeast Asia.

Japan is expanding its partnerships and coalition-building in Southeast Asia in what has been called its "maritime pivot" to Southeast Asia.

Both Abe and Kishida have toured all 10 ASEAN countries-Abe is the first Japanese prime minister who has visited all while in office. They have put priority on security issues during their trips, with the goal of containing China.

After meeting with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok, Kishida said at a press conference that it is important for ASEAN to be united in responding to China's "assertiveness" in the South China Sea.

Kishida also told Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith about Tokyo's desire to work closely with the landlocked country to reduce tensions over the South China Sea issue.

Laos is this year's chair of ASEAN, and Sisoulith has been invited to visit Japan for an outreach session of the G7.

Japan's Defense Ministry announced in January that it would reroute military aircraft returning from anti-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa. Instead of refueling in Singapore and Thailand as they have done previously, Japan's two P-3 Orion maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft will land in places such as Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The aircraft carry highly sophisticated equipment designed to monitor and track vessels, including submarines. It is believed that the rescheduled refueling stopovers are part of Japan's broader plan to establish a more permanent presence in the region.

And Japan has increased the number of joint bilateral and trilateral military exercises, patrolling and port visits to maritime countries in Southeast Asia.

In January 2013 Abe listed five principles of a new "doctrine" including the maintenance of political norms and civic rights, rule of law at sea, and free and open economies. The doctrine is widely viewed as implicitly targeting China, and as a sign of the geopolitical game Japan wants to play.

With these strategic calculations, Japan is loudly "returning" to the region and has been busy trying to drive a wedge between China and ASEAN countries.

The author is China Daily Tokyo bureau chief. caihong@chinadaily.com.cn
Philippines' President Benigno Aquino deliver a statement during a national address at the presidential palace in Manila February 6, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

With the Philippines set to elect a new president on Monday, the international community is waiting to see whether the new government takes measures to improve Beijing-Manila ties, which have been plagued by rising tensions over the maritime dispute between the two sides in the South China Sea.

During the election campaign, all presidential candidates appeared to take a fairly hawkish stance on the South China Sea issue. Yet most of them hinted that, if elected, they would revise the China policy followed by President Benigno Aquino III, who outrageously likened China to Nazi Germany in a speech to the Japanese parliament last year. Some of the candidates even said that they would resume the high-level exchanges with China and address the bilateral disputes through peaceful negotiations.

Such a contradictory mentality, in effect, is shared by many Philippine politicians. For them, China is a neighbor which is the second-largest trade partner, largest source of imports, and the second-largest export market for their country. That clashing with China will significantly reduce the Philippines' dividends from the ongoing regional economic integration explains why Aquino has shown great interest in the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative and decided to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. By playing the nationalism card in the South China Sea issue, Aquino did manage to distract public attention, and achieve political stability and economic development at home, as foreign investment in the Philippines has increased in the past six years. The tactic also added weight to his government's legitimacy and the cohesion of his party's rank and file, but failed to narrow the income gap between the few haves and the huge population of have-nots.

Besides, nationalism has become part of the psyche of many have-nots, especially youths, largely "thanks to" Aquino's "accommodation" policy. That made it difficult for any candidate to challenge his "strongman" policy toward China. But since even they had no specific policies to offer, they kept appealing to public sentiments.

As a close ally of the United States, the Philippines turned to the east to contain China and endorse Washington's "rebalancing to Asia" strategy under the stewardship of Aquino. And Washington's military and economic aid, in turn, emboldened the hardliners in the Philippines to meddle with China's lawful construction on its islands in the South China Sea.

The hardliners apparently failed to see the grave dangers of triggering a possible confrontation between major powers in the region, including China, the US and Japanthe last two being the Philippines' largest and the third-largest trade partner last year. The truth is, Manila is unlikely to walk away with impunity if the situation worsens.

That said, there is little the new Philippine government can do to readjust the China policy. It may end up hedging its bets by simultaneously seeking Washington's protection and enhancing the economic and political closeness with Beijing.

As for the Manila-proposed arbitration case challenging China's territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea issue, whose outcome is expected in a few weeks, China has repeatedly said that it will neither take part in nor accept the process. Instead, it has made clear its sincerity in negotiating with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, under the spirit of the "dual-track" strategy. It is time Manila properly responded to Beijing's honest move to improve bilateral relations.

The author is a researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
A car model stands at her booth at the Gansu International Automobile Trade Fair.[Photo/Xinhua]

The six-day Gansu International Automobile Trade Fair was proved profitable this year with 17,563 vehicles reserved for purchase, at a value of 1.75 billion yuan ($269.3 million). The yearly event was held at the Gansu International Convention and Exhibition Center in Lanzhou city, Gansu province on May 4.

With more than 1,000 automobiles on display, the exhibition area covered 50,000 square meters occupying the first and second floors of the exhibition center.
Water. Leonardo da Vinci called it "the elixir of life". Yet worldwide, at least a billion people live with no nearby source, according to the World Health Organization, and of the remaining 6 billion people, only 42 percent have either running water in their homes or at least a tap in their yard.

A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that things could get even more stressed out in parts of Asia by 2050.

It's a perfect storm of the mixed blessings of economic and population growth in tandem with climate change that modeling says could lead to serious water shortages across a broad swath of Asia.

The study grinded out what researchers think is a full range of possible what-if's of water availability and use down the road. Their conclusion: There's a "high risk of severe water stress" in a large part of an area that about half of humanity calls home.

Based on their numbers, a billion more people could be "water stressed" in the next 35 years compared to today.

"It's not just a climate change issue," said senior research scientist Adam Schlosser, deputy director at MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change and a co-author of the study.

"We simply cannot ignore that economic and population growth in society can have a very strong influence on our demand for resources and how we manage them. And climate, on top of that, can lead to substantial magnifications to those stresses," he said.

The paper, Projections of Water Stress Based on an Ensemble of Socioeconomic Growth and Climate Change Scenarios: A Case Study in Asia, was published last month in the journal PLOS One.

To build their study, the team used a tool previously developed at MIT called the Integrated Global Systems Model (IGSM) that takes advantage of high-powered computer muscle to take into account layers of parameters like the probability of projected population growth, economic growth, climate changes, and carbon emissions from human activity. It also takes into account the wonderfully phrased "cascading uncertainties", which we all know the real world is full of.

Into this crucible they fed the available data on water use for the large portion of Asia that encompasses China, India and many of Mainland Southeast Asia's smaller nations.

With the program booted up, they then asked about a range of different scenarios. In the Just Growth run through, they held climate conditions constant and watched how just the effects of economic and population growth would affect water supply. In the Just Climate script, they held growth constant and sized up climate-change effects alone. And in the Climate and Growth set-up, they could see the effects of all three.

Schlosser explained that this approach gives us the "unique ability to tease out the human and environmental" factors leading to water shortages and to assess their relative significance.

"For China, it looks like industrial growth [has the greatest impact] as people get wealthier," said lead author Charles Fant, a researcher at the Joint Program. "In India, population growth has a huge effect. It varies by region."

The study shows that evaluating the future of any area's water supply is not as simple as adding the effects of economic growth and climate change, as much depends on the networked water supply into and out of that area. As Schlosser put it: "What happens upstream affects downstream basins."

If climate change lowers the amount of rainfall near upstream basins while the population grows everywhere, then basins farther away from the initial water shortage would be affected more acutely.

The authors say their study "results do not necessarily imply an insurmountable future for this region" and stress the need for more research, which they are already working on.

But it drives home the findings of an earlier MIT study in Morocco looking into how much access to clean water really means to people.

Nearly 70 percent of those questioned said they would take out loans and pay double what they paid for water every month to have clean water pumped into their homes.

We don't have to go any further than Flint, Michigan to back that up.

Contact the writer at chrisdavis@chinadailyusa.com.
A strawberry fi eld in California, the state that produces threequarters of the US crop. California Strawberry Commission

It may have taken two Olympic quadrennials, but it looks like California strawberries will be shipping off to China this summer.

Officials from China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine last month announced the initiation of a draft protocol for the export of California fresh strawberries to China.

The agreement caps a process that began with the special market access China granted for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, when participating athletes requested the juicy red fruit.

"We are honored that the Chinese have allowed California to be the first location in the world to ship strawberries to China," said Rick Tomlinson, president of the California Strawberry Commission.

Chinese officials still have to do their final inspection, "inspect the fields, shipping facilities", Christine B. Christian, the commission's senior vice-president, told China Daily.

"We are hopeful that shipments will start sometime late in the summer," she said. "We're initiating some market research" such as consumer preferences.

"We've been trying to gain access (to China's markets) since 2006," Christian said. "Typically, Asian markets have good pricing and value for our shippers. Certainly, there is a premium that is received for exports to Asia."

China leads the world in strawberry production, but its growing season usually ends in May, when California is reaching peak production.

"Essentially, Chinese strawberries are available in the winter through early spring," Christian said.

"More and more Chinese farmers are growing varieties that were developed in California by the University of California," said Christian, but each strawberry is unique based on its growing conditions.

"There may be some similarities in the variety, but there are going to be differences in the flavor and texture simply based on the growing region," she said.

The two countries produced 56.2 percent of the world's strawberry crop in 2013, according to data from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT). China accounted for 38.7 percent of that total, while the US had 17.5 percent. No other nation was in double digits.

California, with its long growing season, is the strawberry king in the United States, controlling 75 percent of the export market.

Strawberries are the fifth most consumed fresh fruit in the US, after bananas, apples, oranges and grapes, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

Per capita consumption of strawberries grew from 2.9 pounds to 6.1 pounds in 2006, according to the statistical website top5ofanything.com.

Fresh consumption made up 60 percent of consumption in the 1970s, the site said. By 2003, it accounted for more than 80 percent. Strawberries rank fourth in the US in production value after grapes, oranges and apples, the site said.

One factor attributed to China's demand for strawberries is its rising middle class income.

China is also involved in the strawberry export business, particularly frozen strawberries, and has surpassed the US as the largest supplier of frozen strawberries to Japan.

Imports of frozen strawberries from China to the US and Canada have surged this decade while US frozen strawberry exports have fallen.

The strawberry page on Alibaba.com's website turns up 9,333 results, mostly vendors of frozen strawberries selling 5 to 20 metric-ton lots.

On the right side of the page are "premium related products", such as "fulvic acid for strawberry fertilizer" for farmers, bone china cups with strawberry design and a teddy bear holding a chocolate-covered strawberry.

Contact the writer at williamhennelly@chinadailyusa.com.
DPRK's leader Kim Jong-un speaks during the first congress of the country's ruling Workers' Party in 36 years, in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, May 6, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

PYONGYANG - The state TV of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday aired the recorded work report of the central committee of the ruling party delivered by Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the country, at the 7th party congress.

Kim started the three-hour speech by reviewing and lauding the past achievements of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) accomplished under the leadership of two late leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, in building a thriving country and in the development of the military.

He laid out tasks for the ruling party in terms of completing the socialist undertakings, improving people's livelihood, independent reunification of the Korean Peninsula as well as further strengthening of the party.

In the speech, Kim mapped out a five-year plan for national economic development from 2016 to 2020, and emphasized that it was imperative to fully implement the five-year strategy for growing the national economy.

Kim said the objectives of the economic development plan are to vitalize the people's economic growth in all aspects, ensure balanced development between various economic departments, and lay the foundation for sustainable economic growth.

The nation's top priority should be given to efforts to rid the country of electricity shortage, he said, adding that the targets for electricity output set by the party must be met during the five-year period.

He then instructed that epoch-making progress should be made in the production of coal, metals and railway transportation.

On the development of national defense and nuclear power, Kim described the DPRK as a responsible nuclear weapons state, saying it will strive for world denuclearization and faithfully fulfill obligations of nuclear non-proliferation.

The DPRK, as it has already made clear, will not resort to nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes, Kim said.

The DPRK will in the long run hold fast to the strategic line of "Byungjin," or the parallel development of nuclear weapons and the national economy, Kim said, as long as the nuclear threat posed by imperialists continues.

The WPK has worked hard for the implementation of the strategic line of pushing forward economic growth and nuclear development at the same time, which was required by the prevailing situation and the revolutionary cause, he added.
Prince Harry (L) of Britain reacts during his visit to the Friends of Jesus Foundation, in Santiago, capital of Chile, on June 29, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

LONDON - He's the world's most eligible bachelor, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II and son of the late Princess Diana, and he spoke candidly Sunday of his struggle to combine his role as a British royal with a job and a private life.

Prince Harry, younger brother of future king Prince William, was speaking on the day the Invictus Games for military personnel injured in action gets under way in Florida.

A thirtysomething single with no full-time "proper" job, Prince Harry has followed in the footsteps of his mother by engaging in charity work, promoting causes dear to Princess Diana's heart, such as HIV and mental illness.

"I don't specifically channel myself down certain avenues because I think mum would be proud. But she sure as hell would be proud of me, hopefully, that I am doing it," he says in an interview today with the Sunday Times.

His 10-year service in the military helped shrug off the image in some sections of the media of him being a playboy prince.

Harry talks candidly of the "massive paranoia that sits inside me" about any girl he speaks to in public must endure.

"If and when I do find a girlfriend I will do my upmost to ensure me and her can get to the point where we're actually comfortable with each other before the massive invasion that is inevitably to happen into her privacy.

"The other concern is that even if I talk to a girl, that girl is suddenly my wife, and people go knocking on her door."

Speaking of the kind of life most people take for granted Harry says: "When people finish work in the City or wherever work is, if you want to have a bit of down time, you might go to the pub with your mates. I do that less because it's not downtime for me. I don't know who I am going to bump into, I don't know if someone's going to try and grab a 'selfie'. I don't know who's going to be waiting outside. So there is very little private life."

His late mother was pursued relentlessly by the media paparazzi.

Talking about his future, Harry adds: "I'm not putting work before the idea of a family, marriage and all that kind of stuff. To be fair I haven't had that many opportunities to get out there and meet people. At the moment my focus is very much on work. But if someone slips into my life then that's absolutely fantastic."

He is also acutely aware of the image of the so-called young royals and the parts they play in society.

"I don't get any satisfaction from sitting at home on my arse, and that's a body part by the way not a swear word."

The difficulty he has with job hunting, is finding work that can combine with his duties as a leading royal, he adds.

"The reality is that most of the areas I looked at just simply weren't going to work. Some jobs are simply not on the table."

As fifth in line to the British throne, Harry is also aware that as his 90-year old grandmother starts to slow down, there will be more royal duties for him.

He recognizes he needs to earn more respect from a lot more people, but adds: "What you see is what you get with me. It's genuine. I will always try and bring an element of fun and happiness to everything I do. That probably is subconsciously very much part of my mother, trying to fill that void. Trying to fill an unbelievable pair of boots, whether it's her (Princess Diana) or especially the Queen. It's a hard thing to do."
The Barack Obama administration's provocative policy in the Pacific is gunboat diplomacy in disguise and may lead to war in the region if not quickly reversed, a US journal warned on May 6.

The article Prelude to War in the Pacific, published on the latest issue of Executive Intelligence Review, provided a detailed analysis on why the provocative meddling in the Pacific region by the United States is dangerous, why China's territorial claims of the Nansha and Xisha Islands are legitimate, and how the United States is sabotaging the amicable resolution of the regional conflict.

Bylined by the Washington Bureau Chief of the publication William Jones, the article noted that Washington did not sign the UN Law of the Sea Convention, but elaborated its unilateral "freedom of navigation policy" out of the country's own selfish interests.

The policy effectively allows the US Navy to sail wherever and whenever it wants, unimpeded by any treaty, which essentially making US military vessels a modern form of "gunboat diplomacy", wrote Jones.

It denounced Western media for depicting China's claims to the Nansha and Xisha Islands as a Chinese "power grab", arguing that for most of China's history, these claims have never been contested.

Throughout the region's history, extensive activities by Chinese on the islands were present, including fishing and planting, and some Chinese even lived on the islands for years. Many Chinese relics and remains have been found there, including the remains of temples, the article said.

Jones also argued that Chinese possession of the islands would have a beneficial effect on navigation in the region.

"Already China has constructed two lighthouses on Huayang Reef in the Nanshas, and emergency rescue facilities have been established on the Nanshas and Xishas."

The article made an accurate analogy to display the hypocrisy of the US rhetoric.

"Remember that the United States in 1872 sent General John Schofield to the then independent kingdom of Hawaii to investigate those islands for the purpose of eventually putting US military facilities on an advanced perimeter in the Pacific," said the article.

"But the Hawaiian Islands are 2,390 miles from the coast of California, while the Nansha Islands are 500 miles from the Chinese coast and the Xisha only 180 miles.

"And while the United States had no claim to the Hawaiian Islands (but would soon annex them in rather murky circumstances), China does have such a claim, a claim which was once universally recognized," Jones argued.

Jones believed that countries in the region had a path to peaceful resolution to the conflicts of their territorial claims, but Washington was actively sabotaging the efforts.

"China is clearly aware of the conflicts that have arisen with its neighbors over its attempt to make good on its claims," said Jones in the article.

"It is also concerned to maintain amicable relations with its neighbors, and is therefore engaged in coming to agreements with the various claimants through a process of bilateral negotiations."

The article highlighted the agreements between the countries of the region, encapsulated in the 2012 Declaration of Conduct signed by the members of ASEAN and the government of China.
A Chinese-Mexican partnership is set to invest some $200 million to build two wind farms, the first on a windswept stretch of the Gulf of Mexico.

Mexican energy developer Vive Energia and Chinese turbine manufacturer Envision Energy have joined forces to work on the green energy projects in Mexico's booming southeast Yucatan Peninsula, through their joint venture firm Renewable Energy of the Peninsula (Energia Renovable de la Peninsula).

The first wind farm is to be built, with an investment of $120 million, in Progreso, a Yucatan port on the Gulf of Mexico.

Its 36 120-meter-high wind turbines will churn out 90 megawatts (MW) of energy, with most of it (85 MW) to be sold to the state-run Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and the remainder to the private sector.

"This project represents the largest investment ever by any Chinese company in Mexico's wind energy sector," said Rafael Valdez, Envision Energy's director for Latin America.

The project is one of 16 wind farms and solar plants that 11 firms from five different countries will be building in different parts of Mexico after winning the rights at a federal government auction held in late March, Mexico's daily Milenio reported at the time.

In this way, Mexico's CFE aims to boost electricity to the national grid through renewable energy sources.

"We are very pleased, because out of the many investments we have seen in Latin America by the Asian country ... most have been in the extractive sector, in natural resources projects," Valdez said.

In contrast, this project represents "capital, technology and infrastructure that comes to Mexico to stay", Valdez said.

In addition, he said, the project will generate clean energy that will promote productivity on the peninsula, create jobs and boost revenue.

Construction is expected to get underway in the second half of 2016 and be completed sometime next year, before the March 2018 deadline set by the government for starting operations.

Valdez said the joint venture firm is in talks with multinational development banks and financial institutions in the two countries to drum up financing for the project, the only one in the auction that proposed a hybrid scheme to supply energy to both the CFE and the private sector.

Envision Energy, China's third-largest producer of wind turbines and among the top 10 in the world, plans to bring the 36 turbines, each measuring 110 meters in diameter and capable of generating 2.5 MW of energy, over from China, while the steel towers they are mounted on will be made in Mexico.

Along with the wind farm in Progreso, the joint venture is set to begin building a second wind farm in 2016 in Dzilam de Bravo, a coastal town located just more than 80 kilometers east of Progreso.

This $80 million wind farm will have 70 MW in installed capacity via 28 2.5 MW wind turbines and supply energy to various companies on the peninsula, which is home to the states of Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche.

The head of Viva Energia, Jose Antonio Aguilar, said the decision to build the plants in the Yucatan Peninsula was based on the growing demand for electricity in the region's cities and tourist resorts, among them Cancun and the Riviera Maya, on the Caribbean coast.

(China Daily USA 05/09/2016 page2)
By the end of this year, a $1.3 billion plant near Corpus Christi, Texas, which will make seamless pipe for the energy industry - the largest single Chinese investment in a US manufacturing facility - is expected to start production. Area economic development officials said they hope the facility will bring in additional Chinese and foreign investment to the area.

TPCO America, a subsidiary of Tianjin Pipe Corporation, is building the plant. It is expected to create 600 jobs and generate $2 .7 billion in economic activity for the area in a decade. Ground breaking for the facility, which is located in the town of Gregory outside of Corpus Christi, occurred in 2011.

"We've got FDI (foreign direct investment) coming to the US with this project," noted John LaRue, executive director of the Port of Corpus Christi Authority. "Everyone should be happy with the signal that this sends."

"We have talked with officials from other Chinese companies and the Tianjin Economic Development Authority and have had several trade missions to China," said Tommy Kurtz, vice-president business and strategic development for the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation. "We have also attracted investments from Austria, Italy and Mexico."

Corpus Christi is a city of 305,000 on a bay near the Gulf of Mexico in southern Texas. That turned out to be one of the advantages that helped Corpus Christi secure the TPCO project.

"They wanted to be near deep water with a port," said LaRue. "They also wanted an open site and to have a plentiful supply of natural gas, which we have."

The plant is expected to supply pipe for the massive Eagle Ford Shale formation in south Texas, which energy observers think may contain as much as 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 3 billion barrels of oil. It will take scrap steel and metal and turn it into 500,000 metric tons of seamless pipe each year.

Despite the downturn in energy prices in the last two years, Kurtz said TPCO hasn't delayed or canceled the project. "They built this with a long-term perspective," he said. "One or two years of changes in prices weren't going to alter this view."

When the project was unveiled five years ago, the labor market in the area was different from now. Kurtz said there was concern at the beginning about an adequate supply of workers. Training programs were set up at the nearby Del Mar Community College and the Craft Training Center for the Coastal Bend. "With the downturn in energy prices we now have more workers available," Kurtz said.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com

Here is the $1.3 billion plant that Tianjin Pipe Corporation (TPCO ) is building near Corpus Christi, Texas. It is expected to employ 600 and is scheduled to open by the end of this year. Provided to China Daily

(China Daily USA 05/09/2016 page1)
BBC correspondent expelled from DPRK for assaults on system, non-objective (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-05-09 16:06

PYONGYANG - A BBC journalist has been expelled from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for his attacking of the DPRK system and non-objective reporting during his stay in the country, an official with the DPRK National Peace Committee said on Monday.



During his stay with a BBC filming crew who visited Pyongyang from April 29 to May 6 to cover the visit of three Nobel laureates to the DPRK, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes disrespected local customs, spoke ill of the leadership and assaulted the country's system, the official told a press conference held here.



The three Nobel laureates -- Richard J. Roberts from Britain, Finn E. Kydland from Norway, and Aaron Ciechanover from Israel -- visited the DPRK for exchanges with local college students. Their trip was co-sponsored by the International Peace Foundation and the DPRK National Peace Committee.



Wingfield-Hayes, a BBC correspondent based in Tokyo, made threatening remarks against customs officials at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, the official said.



As a professional journalist, he should have reported the stories in a correct and objective way, instead of making biased reports about the country, the official said.



The reporter, in a written statement, has made an apology to the DPRK and its people for his improper behavior, the official said.



"We will never permit him to enter the DPRK again for any reporting," the official said.
A policeman from the Administration Police, a department of Kenya Police Service, keeps the crowds from the mother hippo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Mother's Day for a hippo and her one-day-old calf took on a new meaning Sunday by the life-saving intervention of China Roads and Bridge Corp (CRBC), reports Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation.

The dramatic rescue operation saw the Chinese firm, the builder of the 472 kilometer Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway quickly respond to calls from Kenya Wildlife Services to rescue the duo, who were stuck in the mud in the Athi River, about 30 kilometers from downtown Nairobi.

Rangers from the wildlife protection and conservation agency were notified about the incident by traffic officers who were having trouble managing a traffic jam at the scene. The growing crowd was preparing to pounce and slaughter the mother and baby.

According to the newspaper's story, the senior warden at the scene decided to seek help from CRBC for equipment to rescue the animals and salvage a situation that was quickly deteriorating as the crowd became restless.

"The hippo is an adult female about seven-years-old and it would be tragic to lose her. I knew the crane (from CRBC) would arrive faster than ours. We called them and in under 20 minutes, they had arrived," said Erasus Kanga, a senior assistant director at Kenya Wildlife Service

Reports indicate that the hippo gave birth on the banks of the Athi River and refused to return to the water without her calf, despite the growing danger. Mark Zhang, CRBC liaison officer, said the company is aware of the country's strong conservation efforts and this has been stressed in the company's policies.

Nairobi and its environs have been experiencing flooding triggered by the onset of heavy rains over the last three weeks.
A technician checks steel plates at a Han-Steel Co Ltd unit in Handan, Hebei province. [Hao Qunying/For China Daily]

Leading European economists urged the European Union not to be too reliant on protectionist measures against China's competitive steel exports, warning that escalated anti-dumping moves may lead to retaliation from Beijing and damage the bilateral relationship.

They said both sides have already set an excellent example in solving solar panel disputes and consultation has brought the relationship back on track; the method should be used to find solutions over excess steel capacity, which they say is a "global phenomena."

Europe's steelmakers are facing closure or a drastic reduction in jobs, with trade unions blaming China for dumping cheaper steel products on the open market.

Since last year, the European Union has repeatedly resorted to defensive trade measures, seeking to impose punitive tariffs against China's various competitive steel products, though such products have helped reduce the cost of business in Europe amid economic stagnation.

A solution "very much depends on whether the EU is prepared to intensify negotiations with China and its companies on best accounting practices and cost measurement," said Rolf Langhammer, vice-president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany from 1997-2012.

Referring to the consultations in the solar panel dispute in 2012-13, Langhammer, who is still a professor at Kiel, said there have been examples in the past in which Chinese companies constructively cooperated with the EU Commission and thus prevented anti-dumping duties being imposed on their exports.

"This would be a good way to go," he said.

Langhammer insisted that bilateral relationship would strongly benefit from a clear policy of the Chinese government to abstain from any trade-distorting subsidization policies in favor of their steel plants.

Beijing rejects the allegation that China has offered incentives and subsidies to encourage steel producers to export. Spokesman of Ministry of Commerce Shen Danyang ruled it out at press conference last month, saying "China has not injected export subsidies for the steel companies."

Men Jing, professor at the College of Europe, also expressed her concern over Brussels' actions of imposing excessive trade protection measures against China's steel exports and its time-consuming decision-making process of granting China market economy status, which European Parliament will debate on Tuesday.

"I have sensed that, if two sides could not cope with the two headaches properly, the tit-for-tat actions, which I don't expect, may bring trouble for the bilateral relationship between China and EU, which just celebrated their 40th anniversary last year," said Men.

"However, I don't think the relationships between China and the EU member states, between China and Central and Eastern European countries, will be affected," said Men. "Their relationships have gathered sound momentum."

Fredrik Erixon, Director of the European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE), a world-economy think tank in Brussels, said trade disputes were never welcome, but both sides know that they would be damaged if such disputes were allowed to spiral out of control and lead to trade wars.

"The important thing is to prevent escalating trade defense measures and to keep up the pace on concluding the bilateral investment treaty between China and the EU," said Erixon.

"The political reaction is likely to be highly critical, perhaps leading to retaliation by the Chinese government on European exports."

"As long as global growth remains muted, the demand for steel will be below capacity, and forecasts suggest overcapacity will remain a problem for several years," Erixon said.

Langhammer said overcapacity in steel is a global phenomenon which can be primarily explained by declining demand for raw steel in many emerging markets, including China, and by difficulties in rapidly adjusting supply volumes.

China is responding by closing steel plants, but this will not decisively cure the problem. "Nor will Brussels anti-dumping measures be of permanent help," said Langhammer.

To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
On 9 May, the Financial Times and its website published a signed article by Ambassador Liu Xiaoming entitled " Who is really behind the tensions in the South China Sea? ". The full text is as follows:

Sir, Senator John McCain made ungrounded accusations about China's policies and actions with regard to the South China Sea in his op-ed "America needs more than symbolism in the South China Sea"(April 13). His comment pays no regard to facts and reflects prejudice and hostility against China.

Who is "militarising" the South China Sea? Senator McCain points at China, but the US has been intentionally flexing its muscles in the region with its forward-deployed military forces.

In recent years, US military jets and warships in the South China Sea have conducted frequent close-in reconnaissance in the adjacent waters and air space of China's islands and reefs. This has been accompanied by targeted joint military drills which have significantly raised tension in the South China Sea.

Senator McCain urges the US to launch a robust "freedom of the seas campaign", as if the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea had been under immediate threat.

The reality is that more than 100,000 vessels pass through the South China Sea every year. In no single case has freedom of navigation been affected. The freedom of navigation is in fact the "freedom" for the US to assert its maritime dominance in the South China Sea and challenge the sovereignty, security and maritime rights of others.

This is in fact a licence for the US to do whatever it wants. Such a licence poses the biggest threat to regional peace and stability as well as the real freedom of navigation in this region.

Who is challenging the international law? Senator McCain appeals to his government to work with regional allies and partners to "counter Chinese behaviour that is in violation of international law". Senator McCain needs to specify which clauses in the international laws China has violated.

China has kept a strong commitment to international law. After years of negotiation and consultation, China has signed border treaties with 12 of its 14 neighbours on land, and has completed maritime delimitation of the Beibu Bay with Vietnam.

International law allows China the right to reject and choose not to participate in the South China Sea Arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines. Back in 2006, China made a declaration in accordance with Article 298 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), excluding disputes such as those on maritime delimitation from compulsory arbitration. More than 30 other countries, including the UK, have made similar declarations.

China's decision is also consistent with a series of bilateral agreements with the Philippines and Article 4 of the DOC, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed in 2002 between China and 10 Asean nations. Since Senator McCain places stress on complying with international law, perhaps he can explain why the US has chosen not to join UNCLOS?

As a sovereign state, China has the legitimate right, as empowered in the UN Charter, to carry out construction in its own islands in the South China Sea and fulfil its international obligations. Ironically, the US is still refusing to sign the UNCLOS and hides behind the rhetoric of safeguarding international law.

As an old Chinese adage goes, the offender complains first. There is also the quotation: "A lie gets halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." This is the danger that springs from articles such as that authored by Senator McCain.

China is a responsible country and a staunch force for world and regional peace. China will work with all other countries, as it has always done, to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, a sea of friendship and a sea of co-operation.




A formation of the Nanhai Fleet of China's Navy on Saturday finished a three-day patrol of the Nansha islands in the South China Sea. [Photo/Xinhua]

The next government in the Philippines might change its policy and exercise more restraint over the South China Sea, according to Chinese observers.

The observers, who said Manila's current policy had hurt both its own interests and regional security, were commenting as the Philippines presidential election took place on Monday.

The final result is expected on May 25, and the new president will serve a six-year term.

But the observers also warned that meddling by the United States in relations between China and the Philippines will cast a shadow over the newly elected administration's decision-making.

Unlike outgoing Philippine President Benigno Aquino, who adopted a confrontational policy toward China, all three front-runners in the poll have said they are willing to seek diplomatic solutions to solving the country's maritime dispute with Beijing.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said last week that China hopes the new Philippine government can "properly handle the South China Sea dispute" and "improve China-Philippine relations with practical action".

He was commenting after Philippine presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte said he would, if elected, hold bilateral talks with China to resolve the dispute if current multilateral discussions don't bear fruit within two years.

Xu Liping, a senior researcher of Southeast Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said, "The Philippine government will adjust its policy on the South China Sea issue no matter which candidate is elected, because the policy of the Aquino administration runs counter to the country's interests and threatens regional security."

Xu said Manila could benefit by returning to the negotiating table to solve the maritime dispute.

For example, it could undertake joint sea explorations with China or join the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative.

Jia Duqiang, who also researches Southeast Asian studies at the academy, said, "If changes do happen, it is possible that the new president will exercise restraint."

Chen Qinghong, a researcher of South China Sea issues at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said "stirring up" of tensions by the United States in relations between China and the Philippines will limit the new administration's room to maneuver on the South China Sea issue.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn
Due diligence is an investigation of a business or person prior to entering a contract. It often involves a comprehensive appraisal to establish assets and liabilities or to evaluate commercial potential. Though due diligence is important anywhere, it is doubly important when dealing with companies in countries where things are often not what they seem and where the legal system is less than ideal.

Failing to undertake foreign company due diligence is usually a factor, if not the decisive factor, in losses suffered by companies doing business internationally. My firms international lawyers regularly encounter contracts signed with non-existent foreign companies. We see deals with companies that are not owned or controlled by the people who handled the negotiations or made the promises. We see deals with companies that can never lawfully do what they promised to do. All these problems could have been avoided with foreign company due diligence research. By the time they came to light it was too late to fix them.

Pre-Deal Due Diligence is Key

Foreign company due diligence reports are an important part of due diligence. They can confirm whether the company exists and, if so, whether it is in good standing with all its annual filings up to date. Critically for enforceable contract formation, search reports confirm the full name and registered address of a company. A company search report will identify the individuals with effective control over the management and operations of the company. It will identify the stockholders. It will confirm the business scope, i.e., the business activities in which the company may lawfully engage. Depending on the relevant industry or business activity, lawful operations may require a number of other permits or licenses. It can often reveal whether the company pays its taxes.

Most importantly, properly conducted due diligence can usually provide a good sense of the assets owned by the company with which you are contemplating doing business. Is that foreign company a start-up with no assets or a big company with ten different properties and 43 trademarks and 14 patents? Clearly your financial risk will vary as between these two sorts of companies. You would be surprised  or maybe not  how often companies are shocked by what they find. Sometimes our due diligence even reveals there is actually no company at all on the other side and the whole thing is a scam.

So when things go wrong, dont blame your foreign country counter-party if you never bothered to check things out.
(Photo : Kevin Lee/Getty Images) Authorities have launched a campaign to crack down on hospital-related crimes, and are taking measures to prevent such from happening.

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Authorities in south Chinas Guangdong province have launched a campaign in an attempt to crack down on hospital-related crimes, news reports say.



The campaign also aims to crack down on those who attack and injure hospital personnel, reports CRIEnglish. This was launched following the Thursday attack on Chen Zhongwei, the former director of stomatology in Guangdong General Hospital. Chen was stabbed by a former patient, and was taken to hospital to be treated for his serious injuries sustained from the assault.



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Health authorities and police said they have a zero-tolerance approach in regards to similar cases, adding that they will take measures to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. Police said they are planning to "red-flag those who are considered dangerous to medical personnel.



Hospitals and medical institutions are now required to keep records of disputes or cases between doctors and their patients. Hospitals will also have 24-hour surveillance cameras installed for safety measures.



Victim Dead



Meanwhile, Chen, the doctor who was attacked, has passed away, reports Xinhua. He died at 12:39 pm Saturday after falling into a coma.



He was stabbed by one of his male patients at about 5:20 p.m. Thursday. After the attack, Chen was taken to the hospital to be treated for his life-threatening injuries. He was attended by dozens of medical experts.



The suspect, on the other hand, jumped from Chens balcony to commit suicide, police said. Chens wife was also injured in the attack.



Guangdong General Hospital confirmed that the suspect had received medical treatment from Chen 25 years ago. It added that he had a history of mental problems.



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TagsChen Zhongwei, Guangdong General Hospital, coma, stab, hospital-related crime, Guangdong
(Photo : Reuters) Major graphics card manufacturer Nvidia is betting big in the future of virtual reality.

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The California-based technology company Nvidia, mostly known for its GPU designs for the gaming market, just recently introduced its Pascal-based GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 in Austin. With the introduction of both GPUs, Nvidia just made the virtual reality more powerful yet more affordable.



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It is said that Nvidia's GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080 are worth the wait, as it will definitely replace and take down the current high-end GPUs of Nvidia - GTX 970 and GTX 980. An unnamed source from Nvidia even revealed that the already striking Titan X may also lag behind if compared to the recently unveiled GeForce GTX 1070 or GeForce GTX 1080.



Nvidia made sure that GeForce GTX 1080 and GeForce GTX 1070 will not disappoint, as the company made some exciting improvements on both video cards that includes graphic abilities, power efficiency and their physical size. GeForce GTX 1080 is slated to be officially launched on May 27, while its GeForce GTX 1070 sibling will be officially launched on June 10.



Meanwhile, comparing both GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce GTX 1080, the latter will definitely standout though more expensive with a $220 price difference, as the former is priced at $380 and the latter is priced at $600.



Since the GeForce GTX 1080 is packed with advanced features than its sibling, it will definitely bring impressive performance improvement to the table, and may possibly be powerful than Nvidia's own GTX Titan X.



Furthermore, aside from the possibility of its double performance against the $1,000 GTX Titan X, GeForce GTX 1080 is said to be more powerful than a pair of GTX 980s running SLI. Nvidia founder Jen-Hsun Huang even said during its event that GeForce GTX 1080 is insane.



"It's insane. The 1080 is insane, It's almost irresponsible amounts of performance," Huang said.



Since GTX 1080 is already listed for pre-order, fans should expect that it will soon be available for purchase.



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TagsGeForce GTX 1070, GeForce GTX 1080, Nvidia, GeFore, Pascal GPU, Nvidia Graphic Cards, Nvidia Latest GPU, Titan X, GTX 1080 vs Titan X, GTX 1070 vs Titan X
(Photo : Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images) US marines and various military quipment is seen inside their bivouac on April 14, 2016 in Crow Valley, Tarlac province, Philippines. The Philippines is locked in a dispute with China over islets in the South China Sea which Beijing regards as its territory.



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Amid the South China Sea dispute among different countries, particularly between China and the Philippines, several Chinese fishermen from Hainan Island are reportedly gearing up for their trip to Scarborough Shoal.



According to ABC News, these fishermen are set to carry out their "most important mission yet," to "occupy and build islands in the area, which is only 200 kilometers from the Philippines.



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While this is already the reported plan of the China, it was noted that the Philippine government is trying to stop it via an international court action. However, the former appeared to be keen about not letting it happen.



"China's position is very consistent and firm and they will not accept or participate in the arbitration case," China's National Institute for the South China Sea deputy director Ms Yan Yan commented relative to the dispute.



Meanwhile, Huang Xin Biao, a 50-year veteran of fishing and conflict in the South China Sea, shared that his country is not giving up.



"The Philippines thinks it's their territory and sometimes they beat us and steal from us," he said. "But, it's our territory, our ancestors fished there for generations. "



"My father died at sea," he added when it comes to the on-going South China Sea dispute. "We've sacrificed a lot for it."



In the meantime, the report revealed that the forward guards composed of fishermen gets supplies and being trained by the government.



And once their mission in Scarborough Shoal is done, China will be able to complete its "iron triangle" already and have "complete control" over South China Sea, the subject of dispute among different countries.



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TagsSouth China Seas Dispute, South China Sea, china, Philippines
(Photo : Getty Images) Rodrigo Duterte is leading big as Filipinos head to the polls to vote in a new president today.

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Controversial presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte maintains a significant lead as Filipinos head to the polls today. With a projected 35% of the vote, Duterte has a 12-point lead over his closest competition, senator Grace Poe.



Duterte will cast his vote between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Until then, he is keeping a low profile, according to a campaign spokesperson.



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"He sleeps at daytime," said the spokesperson. "He will show up when he comes to the polling precinct...partly due to security reason[s]."



The popular candidate rose to prominence as Mayor of Davao City. Duterte cleaned up crime in the city, which is now known as the safest city in the Philippines.



On the campaign trail, the 71-year-old former prosecutor has attracted attention with profanity-riddled speeches and brash claims regarding foreign policy. As a result, he has been dubbed the "Donald Trump of Asia" by the media.



On Saturday in Manila, Duterte continued his line of rhetoric, promising a crowd of supporters, "All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you. I have no patience; I have no middle ground. Either you kill me or I will kill you idiots."



Duterte also raised eyebrows with remarks about Australian missionary Jacqueline Hamill, who was gang-raped and murdered in Davao City in 1989. Duterte said he "should have been first" to assault Hamill.



Regarding foreign policy, Duterte has revealed an aggressive stance. He threatened to ride a jet ski and plant the Philippine flag on a disputed island in the South China Sea.



Opponents warned that if Duterte wins, he will be a dictator, pointing to his questionable methods for fighting crime in Davao City. Critics accused Duterte of deploying "death squads" to execute around 700 people.



Duterte questioned the accuracy of the accusation, bragging that the total of executions was actually 1,700.



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TagsPhilippines, Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine election, South China Sea, Trump of Asia, donald trump, Manila, Davao City
(Photo : Getty Images) Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh. China's President Xi has sent an envoy to Djibouti to attend the inauguration of its president as construction of China's first overseas military base is ongoing in the small African nation

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President Xi Jinping has sent a special envoy to the small African nation, Djibouti, where Beijing's first overseas military base is currently being constructed.



Xi has instructed Yan Junqi, deputy head of the National People's Congress, to attend the inauguration of Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh and President Yoweri Museveni in nearby Uganda.



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The state-run news agency, Xinhua, reported on Saturday that although it is unclear whether Yan would visit the construction site for the base, Yan's attendance at the inauguration shows the importance of the African nation's political, economic, and military positions to Beijing.



Watchful eye



Foreign militaries and the international community have cast a watchful eye on Beijing's plan to build a base in Djibouti since the United States and France have already established military outposts in the country.



China says the military base will serve as a logistic center that will support a host of missions such as anti-piracy patrols, humanitarian efforts, and peacekeeping operations in African nations.



China's defense ministry said the base will provide support for its troops on UN peacekeeping missions and will expedite humanitarian efforts for those in need of help.



As a logistic center, China said the base will also provide help to distressed ships and will allow easier refueling and replenishing for vessels.



Medical help



Part of the services that will be provided by the base include medical help, as well as planning support, rest and recreation for the Chinese troops, the defense ministry said.



Military experts have noted that China's new military base will provide the People's Liberation Army (PLA) with wider coverage for its mission and enhance its ability to protect Chinese interests in Africa.



The defense ministry refused to give any more details about its first overseas military base. Until now, Beijing has been upholding its long-time policy of not establishing military alliances or a permanent overseas military presence.



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TagsDjibouti, Chinese President Xi jinping, African nations, military base, international community, United States, china
(Photo : Getty Images) Taiwan's incoming government on Sunday said that China's interference in the World Health Organization (WHO) is simply unacceptable.

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The incoming Taiwanese government has accused China of 'political interference' in the World Health Organization (WHO). The accusation follows after a top Chinese official raised doubts last week over the island nation's ability to keep its observer status at the WHO.



On Friday, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office, said that Taiwan's involvement in the WHO is a conditional arrangement based on its allegiance to the "one China" principle. This conditional arrangement could cease to exist "should the political foundation of cross-Strait ties be destabilized in the future," Ma noted.



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The Incoming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-Yuan on Sunday strongly criticized Ma's comments, saying that China's stance on the WHO issue is simply unacceptable.



"We believe this is political interference in our participation in the WHO. We cannot accept this and express our solemn protest," Tung said at a press conference. "Taiwan people's health and their right to fully participate in the international community must not be constrained by any political framework."



Tung told reporters that the incoming Taiwanese government will send its Minister of Health Lin Tzuo-yien to the United Nations to hold negotiations on the issue. A UN meeting is scheduled later this month in Geneva.



Taiwan's new government led by pro-independent leader Tsai Ing-wen will be sworn into office on May 20. Tsai's pro=independence views helped in securing her a landslide victory in Taiwan's presidential elections in January, but this has made her a political villain in China.



Since Tsai's landslide victory, China has been continuously warning Taiwan against any secessionist movement that seeks to see the island break away from China. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang have expressly stated that the diplomatic relation between two countries depends on Taiwan's willingness to accept the "one China principle."



China considers Taiwan as a wayward province that is waiting for unification. However, some Taiwanese insist that the island is a sovereign country and considers China as an aggressor. Taiwan ceded from China in 1949 following a civil unrest.



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Tagschina, Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, China and Taiwan
(Photo : Getty Images) Facebook has won a infringement case against a Chinese beverage company known as "face book."

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Facebook won a copyright infringement case late last month against a Chinese beverage company with the registered brand name "face book" or "lian shu."



The Beijing High Court favored the US-based social media giant Facebook against Guangdong-based Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks. In 2011, the Chinese company registered its label, despite facing an objection from Facebook. The company was approved in 2014 by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board, China's trademark authority.



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The Beijing court has revoked the approval given by the trademark authority and regulators now have the choice of whether they should review the decision.



Even though the verdict was issued last month, it has only captured netizens' attention. "Lian shu is something very Chinese," Liu Hongqun, Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks' marketing manager, told the Wall Street Journal.



"If it was illegal for us to register, why were we allowed to do so in the first place?" Liu told CNBC. "If Facebook has such an influential brand globally, why can't Chinese consumers access its website?"



Facebook has refused to comment on the issue.



According to China's laws, a globally-known foreign company should be able to prove that its brand is famous within China to file a case.



Although Facebook has been banned in China since 2009, it still helping Chinese companies sell their products abroad. Furthermore, the social networking site and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg are popular in the country, with some internet users allegedly breaching China's "Great Firewall" just to access the site.



This latest victory for Facebook is an indication of China's improving system on intellectual property protections.



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TagsFacebook, face book, lian shu, copyright infringement, intellectual property, Copyright
(Photo : Getty Images) China is luring foreign pilots, particularly Koreans, with swelling paychecks.

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China is seducing international commercial pilots with swelling paychecks to fill-up the shortage of local pilots in the country.



According to aircraft manufacturer Boeing, China's commercial planes are expected to triple to more than 7,200 fleets in the next two decades. To cope with the increase, the country is in dire need of 100,000 professional pilots, which is about 50 percent of the pilots across Asia-Pacific and about 25 percent in the world.



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Korean captains are allegedly the most lured by the offer since they receive below the global average in their country and have not seen any pay raise for nearly a decade, the Korea Times reported.



In fact, according to a data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, China has become the top destination of Korean pilots, toppling the United States.



There were reportedly more than 500 foreign pilots in China in 2015.



According to these international captains, factors that make China attractive include fat paychecks, light workload and fast career promotions. For instance, an A320 pilot in China receives an after-tax pay of $20,000 per month, which is bigger that Korean Air's annual salary of $16,000 excluding welfare benefits.



In January, Korean pilots went on strike after Korean Air refused to agree to their demand for a 37 percent raise, instead they were only offered 1.9 percent over 2015 levels.



"A 37% increase would be equivalent to $41,000 - which is around the average salary of a normal employee in Korea and the request is unacceptable," Nathan Cho, Korean Air Corporate Communications manager, told CNN.



About 140 pilots left Korean Air in 2015, and 40 of them opted to work for a Chinese company, Seo Sang-won from the Korean Pilot Union said.



The Korean government has taken steps to curb this trend as it could lead to talent drain.



"A lack of pilots could result in a rise in flight hours and this will eventually compromise the safety of passengers," Park Soo-hyn, an opposition lawyer, told Yonhap news agency. "It is a major factor that could hurt not just the competitiveness of commercial airlines but also that of the whole nation."



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Tagschina, Korean pilots, aviation industry, China Airlines, Civil Aviation Administration of China
(Photo : Getty Images.) China has called on Chinese companies abroad to respect the local laws of the countries they are operating in.

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Following last week's labor unrest in the Letpadaung mine in Myanmar, China on Monday said that Chinese companies operating abroad must respect local laws and fulfill them.



"The Chinese government has consistently demanded that Chinese companies investing abroad respect the laws and rules of the host nation, and fulfill their responsibility and obligation to society, including paying attention to protecting the environment," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.



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Last week, workers at a copper mine in Letpadaung operated jointly by a Chinese company and the Myanmar government staged protests. The protesting workers alleged that the company had indulged in land grab and offered poor financial compensation to workers.



According to local media reports, the protest gathered stem on Wednesday when several demonstrators broke police barriers and entered the mining site. Since then, the number of protesting workers has swelled.



This is the first major labor unrest facing Suu Kyi's government, which came into power last year after a landslide victory in the polls in 2015. Last week's labor unrest also comes shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Myanmar last month.



One of the main agendas of Wang's visit was to resolve a host of business disagreements that recently started taking a toll on the Sino-Myanmar relationship.



Letpadaung Copper Mine Has History of Labor unrest



Letpadaung Copper Mine has been dogged by labor protest against Chinese mining companies for several years now. The first major protest took place in 2012 when workers accused Chinese companies of land grab and poor financial compensation.



Labor unrest had also flared up in a Letpadaung Copper Mine in 2014. The constant labor protest in Letpadaung region has stroked anti-Chinese sentiments in Myanmar over the years.



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TagsMyanmar, china, China and Myanmar, Letpadaung Copper mine, Letpadaung Mine Protest
(Photo : Planetary Resources) The asteroid mining business

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Asteroid mining, a business venture derided as kooky science when it first surfaced, has just gotten respectable with Luxembourg's announcement it plans to start its own asteroid mining operation over the next five years.



Luxembourg or the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is that quaint European nation known more as a tax haven and a haven for castles (it's got one castle per square mile). Its citizens are called Luxembourgers and the national tongue is called Luxembourgish. Luxembourg is also the least populated country in the European Union.



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Luxembourg is now working on joint missions with two U.S. asteroid mining companies to prospect for water and minerals in asteroids using robotic spacecraft that will identify, scan and mine these mineral laden rocks.



Etienne Schneider, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy, Minister of Internal Security, Minister of Defense, said his country intends to become a global center for asteroid mining. Luxembourg is devoting huge financial resources to develop asteroid mining through its national investment bank and government research and development grants.



Partnering with Luxembourg are the American companies, Deep Space Industries and Planetary Resources, Inc. that both have announced their intentions to mine near-Earth asteroids.



Deep Space Industries is developing spacecraft technologies needed for asteroid mining and is selling satellites using these technologies. It plans to make in-space materials extracted from asteroids commercially available in the early 2020s. Its headquarters in is California.



Based in Washington State, Planetary Resources was formed in November 2010 to expand Earth's natural resource base by developing and deploying technologies for asteroid mining. Key investors in this company are Google co-founder Larry Page; Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google's parent company, Alphabet; director James Cameron and Ross Perot, Jr., son of former U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot.



Luxembourg and Deep Space Industries are working to build Prospector-X, a small and experimental spacecraft that will test technologies to be used to send robotic explorers to investigate asteroids after 2020. Prospector-X will also test the ability of sensitive electronic components to withstand the destructive radiation flooding outer space.



Prospector-X will be built in Luxembourg. Included in its payload is a 3D imaging and navigation system developed at the University of Luxembourg.



Luxembourg is also in the final stages of negotiations with Planetary Resources for using the latter's asteroid mining technologies.



Water will be the first resource to be mined on asteroids. This because water is essential for astronauts and also because water can be converted into rocket fuel aboard spacecraft.



"Luxembourg makes a huge difference by stepping in," said DSI chairman Rick Tumlinson. "It immediately shatters the myths that asteroid mining is either the fantasy of a wealthy Silicon Valley cabal or an imperialist American plot to take over the solar system."



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TagsLuxembourg, asteroid mining, Etienne Schneider, Deep Space Industries, Planetary Resources, Inc., Prospector-X
N.C. governor sues Justice Department over bathroom law, urges congress to get involved 09 May, 2016 by Tobin Perry , |

RALEIGH, N.C. (Christian Examiner)The state of North Carolina filed suit against the U.S. Justice Department on Monday after the federal government challenged the state's new law requiring residents to use public restrooms corresponding to their biological sex.

This is now a national issue and an issue which imposes new law on every private sector employer in America with over 15 employees.

The suit comes in response to a letter sent by the Justice Department last week warning the state that they could lose millions of dollars in funding, including funds set aside for education.

The department based its actions on the Civil Rights Act, a 1964 law that was designed to end discrimination of minorities in public places. North Carolina had been given until Monday to respondjust three working days.

In a Monday afternoon press conference North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said that Justice Department told him on Friday the state could have more time to make the needed adjustmentsan additional weekif he was willing to agree with the department's interpretation of key provisions of the Civil Rights Act that were in question.

The governor said he could not do so.

"That is why this morning I have asked a federal court to clarify what the law actually is," McCrory said at the press conference. "Now I anticipate our own legislature, other private entities from throughout the United States and possibly other states to join us in seeking this clarification because this is not just a North Carolina issue. This is now a national issue and an issue which imposes new law on every private sector employer in America with over 15 employees."

McCrory then suggestedand repeated himself twice in doing sothat the U.S. Congress needs to step in and "bring clarity to our national anti-discrimination provisions under Title XII and Title IX."

Title XII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin, according to an editor's note on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's website. The U.S. Department of Education says Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs.

McCrory added his belief that the Obama Administration had tried to sidestep congressional action by acting through the U.S. Justice Department.

According to the federal suit, North Carolina calls the Justice Department's position both a "radical reinterpretation" of the Civil Rights Act and an overreach into state matters. North Carolina leaders have also quarreled with the short time the state had been given to respond.

"The Department's position is a baseless and blatant overreach," the suit said. "This is an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long-established federal civil rights laws in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the intent of Congress and disregards decades of statutory interpretation by the Courts."

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory called the federal government "bullies" in a Sunday Fox News interview.

"The Justice Department is making law for the federal government as opposed to enforcing it," McCrory said in the Fox News interview.
Trump claims Southern Baptist leader 'a nasty guy' 09 May, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

NEW YORK (Christian Examiner)  Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump doesn't like Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. That much is clear.

In a tweet from the New York billionaire's Twitter account at 3:05 a.m. May 9, Trump swiped at the denominational leader for his insistence that evangelicals pull back from supporting the Donald's campaign. The tweet was fired broadside "@drmoore."

"Russell Moore is truly a terrible representative of Evangelicals and all of the good they stand for. A nasty guy with no heart!" Trump said. Since then, the comment has been retweeted nearly 1,500 times and liked 5,000 times.

The undeniable truth is that Russell Moore has been serving as a prophet of God to both believers and unbelievers in the political arena. My hat thus comes off to honor him in his early, continuing, and proper critique of both Republicans and Democrats in this presidential election cycle. Sadly, the Donald's guttural twitter response only reinforces the truthfulness of Dr. Moore's criticisms.

On CBS's Face the Nation Sunday, Moore compared Trump's rise to power in the Republican Party to "reality television moral sewage."

"One of the key aspects of conservatism is to say 'character matters' in public office and in the citizenry, and that virtue has role to play in our culture and in our politics. And now we have a Republican Party that seems not only to surrender in the culture wars but to join the other side," Moore said.

"What we have in the Donald Trump phenomenon, as well as in the Hillary Clinton phenomenon, is an embrace of the very kind of moral and cultural decadence that conservatives have been saying for a long time is the problem."

The SBC leader, who openly criticized Trump's speech at Liberty University, calling him a "golden calf"  a reference to Old Testament idolatry  said conservatives were wrong to support Trump. He also said the effort to support Trump is a betrayal of decades of conservative, principled opposition to social changes pushed by liberals.

"Conservatives who previously said we have too much awful cultural rot on television now want to put it on C-span for the next four years ... really with either [Trump or Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton]. That isn't what we believe in," Moore said.

Moore said he believed most evangelicals are debating what to do in the upcoming election. He said many evangelicals will consider writing in a candidate or voting third party, while others will still vote for Trump in the belief that his future U.S. Supreme Court nominees will be more conservative than those Clinton would nominate if elected president. Many also might simply stay home, he said.

Moore has also been vocal about Trump's willingness to divide Americans by race and religion. In a New York Times editorial May 6, Moore said the candidate was presenting American Christians with "some scary realities that will have implications for years to come."

"This election has cast light on the darkness of pent-up nativism and bigotry all over the country. There are not-so-coded messages denouncing African-Americans and immigrants; concern about racial justice and national unity is ridiculed as 'political correctness.' Religious minorities are scapegoated for the sins of others, with basic religious freedoms for them called into question. Many of those who have criticized Mr. Trump's vision for America have faced threats and intimidation from the 'alt-right' of white supremacists and nativists who hide behind avatars on social media."

Several Southern Baptist pastors and theologians have come to Moore's defense on his Twitter page. One of those, Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Farmersville, Texas, and a trustee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, said the insult from Trump was a badge of honor.

"I've long thought that one of the better measures of the health of the Southern Baptist Convention is the nature of the people who attack us and protest against us," Barber later told Christian Examiner.

Malcolm Yarnell, director of the Center for Theological Research at Southwestern Seminary, also told Christian Examiner Moore's critique of Trump is driven by two primary concerns:

"The first is preserving the integrity of evangelical witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The second is promoting Christian virtue. While I have sometimes differed with Dr. Moore over tactics and rhetoric (mostly in private), I have no doubt that we are operating from the same conservative Christian purposes."

"The undeniable truth is that Russell Moore has been serving as a prophet of God to both believers and unbelievers in the political arena. My hat thus comes off to honor him in his early, continuing, and proper critique of both Republicans and Democrats in this presidential election cycle. Sadly, the Donald's guttural twitter response only reinforces the truthfulness of Dr. Moore's criticisms."

Moore himself responded at 6:21 a.m. He posted only a selection of Bible verses: 1 Kings 18:17-19.

The passage reads:

"When he saw Elijah, [Ahab] said to him, 'Is that you, you troubler of Israel?" And he answered, 'I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father's house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. Now, therefore, send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

The message is likely one most conservative evangelicals will understand.
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was ousted from office thirteen years ago over his refusal to remove Ten Commandment display from the state judicial building, has been suspended from his office and faces a hearing before state's Court of Judiciary for telling probate judges to comply with the state's same-sex marriage ban rather than the US Supreme Court ruling which legalized same-sex marriages across the country.

Moore's instructions to the probate judges on same-sex marriage ban resulted from months-long complex legal battle in Alabama, when in his capacity as chief justice, he asked them to uphold state's earlier law to end "confusion and uncertainty."

"Confusion and uncertainty exist among the probate judges of this State as to the effect of Obergefell on the 'existing orders'," he wrote. "Many probate judges are issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in accordance with Obergefell; others are issuing marriage licenses only to couples of the opposite gender or have ceased issuing all marriage licenses. This disparity affects the administration of justice in this State."

The state's Judicial Inquiry Commission charged Moore with six counts of violating judicial ethics and suspended him for acting in opposition to the Supreme Court's order to validate same-sex marriages. Moore maintained that the federal court's decision only pertained to the four states that were involved in the legal battle over this matter. He argued that issuing same-sex marriage licenses would violate the Alabama Constitution.

"By issuing his unilateral order of January 6, 2016, Chief Justice Moore flagrantly disregarded a fundamental constitutional right guaranteed in all states as declared by the United States Court in Obergefell," the Judicial Inquiry Commission wrote in its 32-page report.

The Court of Judiciary will assess the charges against Moore which cite violation of judicial ethics, and if found guilty, he could face further action including removal from office.

In his response, Moore said he did not ask probate judges to reject federal court order, but told them that the Alabama Supreme Court order of same-sex marriage ban remained in force.

"There is nothing in writing that you will find that I told anybody to disobey a federal court order. That's not what I said," he said last month.

Moore said that the commission had no authority to preside over his administrative orders given to probate judges, and that the issue can be resolved in Supreme Court only. His attorney Matt Staver also said that Alabama court's decision regarding same-sex marriage ban was "a disagreement between state and federal courts on an issue."

"We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail," Moore said in a statement.

This is the second time a complaint has been filed against Moore. In 2003, he was removed from his position as chief justice by the JIC after he defied federal court orders to remove a two-ton Ten Commandment monument from court building. He was voted back into the office in 2012.
UN Event Will Celebrate the Family Open to the Public Contact: Wendy Wright, 212-754-5948, wendy@c-fam.org NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- In celebration of the International Day of Families, the Group of Friends of the Family, a new collaboration of 24 countries at the UN, will host Uniting Nations for a Family Friendly World. Along with over 50 civil society organizations, policy experts and an array of religious leaders, this high-level event will celebrate the family, its irreplaceable role as society's most important institution and explore policies to ensure the stability and vitality of the family for the flourishing of each person and the wellbeing of society. The event will present best international practices to safeguard and empower the family. Speakers include religious leaders Imam Shamsi Ali; Fr. Shenan Boquet; Pas. Jim Garlow; Bishop John O'Hara; and experts Helen Alvare; Sherif Girgis; David Crawford; Susan Yoshihara What: High-Level Event on the Family: Uniting Nations for a Family Friendly World When: May 16, 2016, 10a.m-1p.m. Passes required to attend. RSVP by May 11 at unitingnationsforthefamily.org Where: ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York Who: The Group of Friends of the Family with co-sponsors: Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam) Foreign Service Fellowship Family Watch International And over 50 organizations including Family Research Council, HLI, CitizenGo

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Rutherford Institute, Wikipedia, ACLU Et Al. Rebut the Obama Administration's Claim That No Harm is Caused by the NSA's Unprecedented Mass Surveillance Contact: Nisha Whitehead, 434-978-3888 ext. 604, nisha@rutherford.org RICHMOND, Va. May 9, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- Rejecting as patently false the Obama administration's contention that its mass surveillance program has inflicted no harm on American citizens, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute, ACLU, Wikipedia, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to reinstate a First and Fourth Amendment lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA), the U.S. Department of Justice and their directors. In advancing their arguments before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the broad coalition of educational, legal, human rights and media organizations point out that the NSA's surveillance program--which is unprecedented in its scope and intrudes on the privacy of Americans' internet communications and impairs their expressive and associational rights--has chilled lawful First Amendment expression and given rise to self-censorship. The coalition's arguments are reinforced by a recent study published by the Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly showing that knowledge of government surveillance causes people to self-censor their dissenting opinions online. A Maryland federal court had dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the coalition of national and international groups does not have standing to bring the lawsuit against the government. "On any given day, the average American going about his daily business will be monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways, by both government and corporate eyes and ears," said constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead (photo), president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People . "Revelations about the NSA's spying programs only scrape the surface in revealing the lengths to which government agencies and their corporate allies will go to conduct mass surveillance on Americans' communications and transactions. Senator Ron Wyden was right when he warned, 'If we do not seize this unique moment in our constitutional history to reform our surveillance laws and practices, we are all going to live to regret it.'" The lawsuit brought by The Rutherford Institute, the ACLU, Wikipedia, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and other educational, legal, human rights and media organizations arises from efforts by the U.S. government since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to increase the surveillance and monitoring of U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Although Congress had previously authorized the issuance of orders for electronic surveillance of foreign agents for intelligence purposes under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in October 2001, President George W. Bush secretly authorized warrantless interception of emails and telephone calls involving persons within the United States if NSA personnel had a "reasonable basis" to believe one party was connected with al Qaeda. When a judge refused to authorize the continuation of this program, the Bush administration obtained amendments to FISA in 2008 authorizing the acquisition without individualized suspicion of the international communications of U.S. citizens that are with or are about foreigners who the NSA chooses to target. In carrying out this broad authority under the 2008 law, the NSA has engaged in so-called "Upstream surveillance," which according to the complaint "involves the NSA's seizing and searching the internet communications of U.S. citizens and residents en mass as those communications travel across the internet 'backbone' in the United States--the network of high-capacity cables, switches and routers that facilitates both domestic and international communications via the internet." Upstream surveillance encompasses the copying of virtually all international text-based communications, review of the content of those communications by the NSA, and the retention of the copied communications for future use and analysis. Case History

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home US Alabama chief justice could be removed because of anti-gay marriage stance

Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama is at risk of being removed from the bench once again, this time because of his views on same-sex marriage.

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission has filed an ethics complaint against the chief justice on May 6. It says that Moore has, among other things, abused "his authority as chief admistrative office of the state's court system." He is currently under suspension, and a trial, according to NJToday, is being set up at the Alabama Court of the Judiciary.

"The JIC has chosen to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organizations which support their agenda," Moore said on Friday, as quoted by the Associated Press. "We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail."

Even though the U.S. Supreme Court has already legalized same-sex marriage in the country, Moore has been trying to block such unions in the state. The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a judicial ethics complaint against Moore, which has led to the charges, as he reportedly "urged state and local officials to violate a binding court order" and he is said to have repeatedly given comments on pending cases.

"Moore has disgraced his office for far too long," SPLC president Richard Cohen said. "He's such a religious zealot, such an egomaniac that he thinks he doesn't have to follow federal court rulings he disagrees with. For the good of the state, he should be kicked out of office."

According to the initial complaint filed in January 2015, Moore has urged Alabama's governor as well as its judges to violate federal law and impose the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

The third supplement for the complaint dated Jan. 6 says, "Chief Justice Moore has today issued an administrative order to all Alabama probate judges advising them that they have a 'duty' to continue to enforce Alabama's law prohibiting same-sex marriage in direct contravention of a federal injunction instructing them to do the opposite."

The first time that Moore was removed from the bench was in 2003 when he refused to follow a federal court order that says the Ten Commandments monument at the state judicial building should be removed. He was re-elected in 2012.
home World Massive Exodus of Syria Christians, says priest as two-thirds of Christians flee Aleppo

Franciscan priest in Aleppo Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh has been working in northern Syria for two years now and has witnessed the worsening state of the country's war. He says the conditions in Aleppo has just gone from bad to worst, describing the eerie silence of the streets where almost everyone who were able to already left.

The priest told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) and described the worsened conditions caused by the ongoing Syrian war. He said that so many rockets and bombs have fallen on churches, mosques, schools, and hospitals that structures have been partially or entirely destroyed and so many people killed or severely injured.

"Whoever can escape, does so. On Sunday the roads out of the city were packed with refugees," he explained about the deafening silence on the streets. "Those who remain behind are the poorest of all, the ones who cannot even afford to look for a place of safety," he added.

In a report from Catholic Post, Chaldean Catholic Bishop Antoine Audo told reporters that Christians in Aleppo are now estimated to be only at 500,000, down from 1.5 million Christians in 2011. The war-torn country is besieged on all sides by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, Islamic militants, and even by the Islamic State terrorists.

Alsabagh observed that incidences of nervous breakdown are on the rise and that the war has caused so many psychological illnesses. He also noted that through ACN's assistance, the Church has been able to provide food, clothing, medicine, personal hygiene items, and other things to those affected by the civil war. He then appealed, "But now we really need any outside help we can get. We are in the greatest of need."

The Franciscan priest draws strength by comparing the situation in Aleppo with that of St. Paul in the Acts of the Apostles. He referred to the biblical story wherein Paul and Silas were imprisoned because of their faith and escaped prison because of their prayers. Alsabagh thinks that's why he must remain in Aleppo a so that he can give a Christian witness. "My faith and my priestly vocation have grown here in Aleppo. I pray a great deal before the Tabernacle, that the Lord will support us," he told ACN.
home World Ancient handwriting on 2,600-year-old pottery proves the Bible is true, say researchers

Some pieces of pottery have been discovered containing the "shopping list" of the ancient soldiers of Judah, giving evidence that the Bible is true, according to researchers.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University have been studying the inscriptions they found on shards of 2,600-year-old pottery referred to as "ostraca."

They discovered that the inscriptions, which simply listed some supplies that the soldiers wanted to take to a certain fortress, were written with accuracy even though they were probably done by low-ranking soldiers. This suggested a high level of literacy among Israelites at the time a not only among the royalty or priests or scribes, but even the common people.

"Scripture implies that literacy would be a necessity, even among the general populace," Avery Foley of Answers in Genesis wrote.

The Bible is filled with stories of Israelites putting things into writing, such as writing down God's commands on their doorposts. In the book of Joshua, Joshua sent three men to survey the land that was allotted for seven tribes and told them to write what they observed in a book. In the book of Genesis, one of the oldest books in the Bible, there was mention of the "book of the generations of Adam."

For the researchers, the inscriptions found on the pottery shards give evidence against the argument that most of the books in the Bible were not written until 586 B.C. This argument cites illiteracy among the Israelites and stands on the idea that the Israelites became literate only after they were taken as captives by the Babylonians, who supposedly educated them.

However, many Bible scholars believe that the books were authored by the persons specified in them and that they were written during the time period described in them. They believe, for example, that the Book of Isaiah was written by the prophet himself during the reign of four different kings a Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah.

Foley stated that the inscriptions giving proof of Israel's high level of literacy shows that God's word is accurate.

"This new study supports the accuracy of God's Word. It demonstrates that Israel was more literate than many scholars believe," Foley said. "This means that prophetsaeven prophets who were common folk such as Amos, a shepherd a could have been literate and able to pen their writings."
home World China dismisses US report accusing it of religious freedom violations, claims Chinese have 'freedom of belief'

China protested the findings of a U.S. report saying it belongs to a list of countries in which violations of religious freedom are categorized as "severe."

Hong Lei, a spokesman for Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday, May 5 that although religious freedom is respected in China, the U.S. keeps accusing the Chinese government of abusing people's freedom to practice their religion.

"China is resolutely opposed to this and has already lodged stern representations with the U.S. side," Hong said, according to Reuters.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its 2016 Annual Report on May 2. In it, the commission recommended that China be re-designated as a "country of particular concern," along with eight other countries including Burma, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia and North Korea.

"While the Chinese government sought to further assert itself on the global stage, at home it pursued policies to diminish the voices of individuals and organizations advocating for human rights and genuine rule of law," the report said.

The report cited forcible removal of crosses and demolition of churches as examples of religious freedom violation in China. Other abuses include the detention of human rights advocates and the ongoing crackdown on the minority groups Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims.

Hong strongly opposed the findings, saying the report ignored and twisted the facts.

"We demand the U.S. side objectively and justly view China's religious policy and Chinese citizens' freedom of belief and stop using the religious issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," Hong said, adding that the U.S. should just focus on its internal problems and should not "gesticulate about other countries."

Last month, the Congressional Executive Committee on China investigated the Chinese government's practice of torturing prisoners to force the confession of crimes or to make them renounce their faith.

Some of the torture methods discovered in the investigation included beatings, the use of electric shocks and administering drugs that had adverse effects on the body, Christian Times previously reported.
home Life 'Get Them Married' retreat cancelled; organizer 'appreciates' so-called anti-Christian sites' Biblical commentary

The controversial "Get Them Married" retreat, initially slated to take place in Kansas, was cancelled because of the outcry against the premise behind the event. Those behind the retreat have reportedly called it Christian persecution.

A report by Raw Story revealed that Vaughn Ohlman, an adherent of Quiverfull, a conservative fundamentalist Christian couples movement that advocates large families, was to run the retreat. There, parents could reportedly arrange marriages for their very young daughters without the need to get their consent. During the weekend event, fathers would reportedly select suitable underage brides for their likewise underage sons.

"Well our main blog and my daughter-in-law's blog have been picked up by Raw Story, Free Jinger, and a dozen or so more left wing and anti-Christian sites," Ohlman said, as quoted by Inquistr. "Words cannot describe how much we appreciate their well thought out, pleasantly written, Biblical commentary on our various posts. They are especially impressed with our proposed 'Get Them Married' retreat idea."

Raw Story said in their report that a family could join the three-day event for a hefty sum of $1,200, and they could "network" with like-minded individuals who, among other things, believe that kids should be isolated and indoctrinated into believing that early marriage is Biblical, and that women should be "submissive baby-makers." On top of this, men should be in control of everything.

According to Ohlman, girls should be married as soon as possible -- when she has "breasts who promise enjoyment for her husband"; when she can bear children; and when she's ready for sexual union, as "her desire is for her husband, and she is ready to rejoice in him physically."

Moreover, they cite scripture as the source of their belief that the father of a boy takes a wife for his son, while the father of a girl gives her as bride. Moreover, the groom gives the girl's father a "bride price," which the father allegedly keeps for his daughter in case the husband abandons her.

The Salvation Army, the organization that owns the premises in Wichita that the "Get Them Married" retreat organizers rented, does not agree with the group's plans and has denied them use of the property.

"The Salvation Army has denied a request by the Let Them Marry organization to conduct its event at Camp Hiawatha," the organization said in a statement. "Our decision is based upon our long-standing concern for the welfare of children. At The Salvation Army, we work every single day to provide a safe, caring place for children, many of whom have been left vulnerable due to the actions of adults. We remain steadfastly focused on our mission of advocating for and protecting children."

Ohlman, according to Christian Today, has denied that the retreat was for arranging marriages and said that he opposes child marriages.
home US 'Jesus Lunch' organizers hopeful after school district decides to end lease of park

The people behind "Jesus Lunch" were able to breathe a sigh of relief when officials of Middleton High School announced they will end their lease of the park where the daily lunches were held, a move that could end the disagreement between the lunch organizers and the school district.

The disagreement began when "Jesus Lunch" faced the threat of being stopped after Middleton High School Principal Steve Plank and District Administrator Don Johnson instructed the lunch organizers to cease their activities at Fireman's Park.

In a letter addressed to the students' parents, the school officials said the activity is a violation of school policies because the organizers are not official visitors of the school. They added that the lunches were being held at a park that was leased to the school, giving the school jurisdiction over the activity.

The organizers, however, remained unfazed and pressed for their First Amendment right to continue the lunches. They said the lease did not make the park private property.

"Although the school district contends that it is school grounds because they have a lease, the public still has a right to use the park during school hours," "Jesus Lunch" organizers said in a statement.

The issue has caused division among the parents of Middleton students, according to Johnson. He said the parents who hosted the lunches had a dialogue with Plank but would not consider alternatives.

"We have both in writing and verbally asked to meet with [them], their response has been 'talk to our attorney,'" Johnson said.

To end the controversy and to avoid the necessity of going to court, the school administrator pushed for the termination of the school's lease of Fireman's Park.

"City attorney Matt Fleming has indicated that the city believes the District's authority to enforce school rules in Fireman's Park is questionable, and that the city has no interest in litigation to resolve the ambiguities in the language," he said in a statement.

The "Jesus Lunch" organizers received the announcement with hope that it will end the controversy and allow them to continue hosting the lunches.

"Our intention all along was to have it at a public place and so the school wouldn't have to be part of it and so we're glad that has been alleviated," Beth Williams, one of the moms involved in the activity, said.

"Jesus lunch" started in 2014 as an initiative of some moms to provide free lunches to Middleton students and share Biblical principles to them.
home World Mass baptism of new Christian converts held in Germany

Dozens of migrants in Hamburg took part in a mass baptism and communion on May 5, sealing their conversion from Islam to Christianity. However, some expressed doubt on their motives.

"That's ridiculous, who are they trying to fool here?" Breitbart quotes one elderly woman as saying. She is apparently not convinced that the converts are sincere.

Converting to Christianity is viewed as a way to get asylum. Since apostasy is punished gravely in the Middle East, converts are at risk if they are sent back to their countries. Thus, some surmise that they have embraced a new religion merely for sake of being allowed to stay.

However, the pastor who officiated the baptisms said that he follows strict guidelines in order to determine and be certain that only those who are sincere are baptized. He said that had come across a good number of migrants who just wanted baptism for the purpose of asylum.

"If I have the impression that someone does not believe from the heart, then I do not baptize him," said Pastor Babajan. "Whoever does not believe will not baptized."

However, converts also fear reprisal from Muslims. Some new Christians were reportedly forced to flee asylum centers due to violence or threats that they received because of their decision. There have reportedly been cases of bullying and intimidation, and an Orthodox priest, according to a January report on Christian Today, wrote a letter to Peter Altmaier, the Federal Minister for Special Affairs and Head of the German Federal Chancellery, to look into this "brutal harassment." He also mentioned a suggestion to have Muslims and Christians be housed separately.

"It has been shown that we can not openly profess Christianity ourselves in Germany," said one woman who was baptized on Thursday. "Here the Muslims are stronger than the Christians. It is this Islam we fled."

According to Stern, some 80 men and women who have migrated from Iran and Afghanistan were baptized on Germany's Father's Day, which coincides with Christianity's day of Ascension.
home US Missouri abortion fight: House debates declaring the unborn as 'persons'

The Missouri House of Representatives has advanced a state constitutional amendment that would allow the unborn to be declared as persons.

Rep. Rick Brattin said the proposed amendment, or House Joint Resolution 98, could be a way to control or stop the "epidemic of abortion."

"We're killing kids so fast it is insane," Brattin said. "The epidemic of abortion is so out of control. It is time we do something to put a stop to it."

On Tuesday, May 2, members of the House gave their initial approval to the legislation with a vote of 112-36 in favor of the amendment.

The legislation's Republican backers said it is a necessary measure to protect the life of the unborn. On the other hand, the Democratic opponents said they were concerned that the legislation could ban the use of contraceptives. They said it could possibly ban abortion altogether even in cases of sexual abuse.

"Do you believe that it's just or compassionate to force a woman who's been raped to have the child of the man who raped her?" Rep. Lauren Arthur asked.

Rep. Tila Hubrecht countered that even if bad things like rape happen to women, having a child can become a "silver lining" throughout the ordeal.

If the amendment would be passed, the House would let the voters decide if they want to add "unborn human children at every stage of biological development" to the state constitution.

"This state recognizes the right to life of every unborn human child at every stage of biological development and shall protect such life from deprivation by the state or private action to the extent permitted by the federal Constitution," the resolution reads.

According to Rep. Jay Barnes, if the legislation is passed, it would make Missouri "the most pro-life state in the country" within the bounds of the federal constitution.

The legislation needs to pass a second approval on or before Friday, May 13 so it can move to the Senate.
home US Boycott Chick-fil-A, says New York mayor Bill de Blasio

Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based fast food chain run by devout Christians and reputedly the only major fast food chain that closes on Sundays drawing from its Christian values, has announced that they're opening another branch at Queens Center Mall this fall after a series of branches were put up in Manhattan. The announcement prompted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Queens Councilman Danny Dromm to urge New Yorkers to boycott the soon-to-open chicken restaurant.

In an unrelated press conference last Tuesday, de Blasio said Chick-fil-A has its legal right to do business in Queens, New York but reiterated his disdain toward the fast-food chain's CEO and President Dan Cathy's stance on traditional marriage in 2012.

"What the ownership of Chick-fil-A has said is wrong," de Blasio was quoted. "I'm certainly not going to patronize them and I wouldn't urge any other New Yorker to patronize them."

Dromm, who's also the founder of Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee and who organized the first Queens Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade and Festival is another one with a strong aversion to Chick-fil-A, accusing the fast-food chain of being anti-LGBT.

"This group imparts a strong anti-LGBT message by forcing their employees and volunteers to adhere to a policy that prohibits same-sex love," Dromm said in a statement. "It is outrageous that Chick-fil-A is quietly spreading its message of hate by funding these types of organizations."

Dromm also noted that Chick-fil-A continues to give 25% of their charitable contributions to anti-LGBT organizations including over $1 million to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has asked the management of the Queens Center Mall to reconsider giving Chick-fil-A a lease on their property and urges those who perceive themselves as believers in equality to boycott those "purveyors of hate."

Chick-fil-A responded by releasing a simple statement saying that the restaurant's culture and service tradition is geared on the values of honor, dignity, and respect no matter the person's beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation, or gender.
home World Sotsukon: Japan married couples are shunning divorce to 'live separately & pursue lifelong dreams' apart from one another

An arrangement between Japanese married couples in which the husband and the wife both agree to separate in pursuit of other things is becoming more widespread.

The practice is called "sotsukon," and couples mutually decide to live separately from each other so they can pursue their lifelong dreams, which, for some reason, they would not be able to fulfill if they are together.

Although the arrangement is similar to that of divorce, couples who practice "sotsukon" do not legally separate because they still profess to be in love with each other. Thus, they claim they merely "graduate from marriage," a report from CNN stated.

The term "sotsukon" came from "sotsugo," which means graduation, and "kekkon," which means marriage. It was coined by author Yumiko Sugiyama who wrote about the concept in her 2004 book, "Sotsukon no Susume" ("Recommending the Graduation from Marriage").

Sugiyama said many Japanese households still follow the traditional setup in which the husband is the primary income earner and the wife supports him at home and depends on him financially.

"I wondered, what if each member of the married couple could obtain more freedom to do what they want without getting divorced?" Sugiyama said.

The idea appealed greatly to Japanese couples, especially to the women. More wives request "sotsukon" than husbands, who are often intimidated by the idea.

"My husband wants to return to his hometown to take care of his parents, but I don't want to go," one woman said. "I would like to travel and spend more time with my friends."

The population of Japan shrunk by 0.7 percent from 128.1 million in 2010 to 127.1 million as of last year. Researchers claim that one reason for this is that Japanese couples are becoming less interested in marriage or sex.

A study showed that about half of the country's married couples no longer have sex. The men who participated in the study said they are too tired when they get home from work, while the women said they found sex "bothersome," according to CBN News.

With "sotsukon" becoming more popular, Japan's population could shrink further in the coming years.
home World UN envoy calls on Christians to condemn UNESCO resolution that ignores Jewish connection to Temple Mount and Western Wall

The United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization has adopted a resolution in April that apparently ignores Jewish claim to the Temple Mount and Western Wall. In response, a Christian representative to the United Nations is asking Christians to condemn the resolution.

"By deliberately ignoring the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, UNESCO violates the human rights of Jews everywhere, as well as those of Christianity, whose beliefs and heritage include the spiritual and historical connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem and all of Israel," U.N. special envoy Laurie Cardoza-Moore said Thursday, as quoted by Breaking Israel News. "UNESCO is also obligated to promote and educate about religious tolerance."

The resolution, explained BIN, refers to the Temple Mount as Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and the Western Wall as Al-Buraq Plaza, which is taken as deliberately disregarding Israel's ties to the holy places. It also repeatedly calls Israel as "the Occupying Power."

"The Executive Board ... Calls on Israel, the Occupying Power, to allow for the restoration of the historic Status Quo, that prevailed until September 2000, under which the Jordanian Awqaf (Religious Foundation) Department exercised exclusive authority on Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, and its mandate extended to all affairs relating to the unimpeded administration of Al Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, including maintenance, restoration, and regulating access," the resolution reads in part.

The board also "Strongly condemns the Israeli aggressions and illegal measures against the freedom of worship and Muslims' access to their Holy Site Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al Sharif, and requests Israel, the Occupying Power, to respect the historic Status Quo and to immediately stop these measures."

Cardoza-Moore, the UN Special Envoy for the World Council of Independent Christian Churchs and President of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations, said that UNESCO "vicariously supports a radical ideology that denies the Jewish connection to the land of Israel and its holy sites." She said that any prospect of peace is harmed by this resolution.

She acknowledged that Christians recognize this Jewish connection to Biblical sites in Israel, including Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, and if this connection is not defended, Christians, too, will lose their historic connection.

"We are calling on all Christians to contact UNESCO and condemn this attempt to re-write biblical history and replace it with political propaganda," she said.
Nepal, the home of the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest, has gained another distinction.

The landlocked South Asia country of 31 million people has now become one of the fastest-growing Christian communities in the world. Christians in the Hindu-majority nation now number more than 300,000, and the numbers are still rising, CBN News reports.

Recent studies have shown that more and more Hindu Nepalese are embracing Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

They say one reason for this phenomenon is the adoption of a new Constitution in September 2015, which turned the country from an official Hindu kingdom into a secular state.

Although the new Nepalese government under President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has allowed freedom of religion, proselytising is still punishable by law. Christians in Nepal continue to suffer from inequality and persecution, according to CBN News.

But despite this, Nepalese are turning to Christianity because of the love shown to them by Christians, according to Evelyn Martin, a Filipino missionary.

Martin said she and her daughter Sam are "trying to bring salvation in a country where they worship 330 million gods."

"Our goal is to empower and to affect other churches as well," she said. "Young people are the ones who are open to the Gospel and the young people are also on fire and they share this to their classmates, to their family members, and they have become bold."

Hinduism is the religion of 80 percent of Nepal's population, according to government sources.

Recently, more than 3 million Hindus from all over the world gathered in Nepal to celebrate Sheva Ratri, one of their biggest festivals.

Haary Pandey is one of the former Hindus who converted to Christianity.

"When I was in the Hindu religion, I had no faith in the God of that religion, but I was worshiping the gods and idols and photos," he told CBN News.

Haary said he had hoped that by following rituals, the Hindu gods could solve his personal problems. Unfortunately, his problems became worse, and he was forced to leave Nepal to live with his uncle in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he continued his studies.

"When I was in UAE, I heard about Jesus Christ. My friends ... encouraged me to read the Bible, to read the Word of God," he said.

Five years later, Haary went back to Nepal. A friend brought him to an annual youth camp organised by Martin.

In that youth camp Haary had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

"I couldn't believe that the Holy Spirit came inside me. From that time my faith grow bigger and bigger and I keep saying, 'Wow! God is alive. God is alive.'"

Jesus freed Haary from depression and "demonic oppression."

"Some of my uncles are witchdoctors and it's very hard for me to tell them I got saved, I've become a Christian," he said. "I am praying that all my family will be saved like me."
111 United Methodist Church clergy come out as gay ahead of general conference

More than 100 United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy have come out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and inter-sex ahead of the Church's General Conference this week.

A letter published on Monday by the 111 clergy accused the UMC of forcing clergy to hide their sexual identity.

"While we have sought to remain faithful to our call and covenant, you have not always remained faithful to us," the letter said.

"You have required that we not bring our full selves to ministry, that we hide from view our sexual orientations and gender identities.

"As long as we did this, you gladly affirmed our gifts and graces and used us to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world in the varied places you sent us."

It urged the UMC to welcome clergy of all sexual identities in its policies. "You cannot legislate against God's call," the letter added.

"The 'LGBTQI issue' is not one that can be resolved through restrictive legislation but instead by seeing that all persons are made in the image of God and welcomed into the community of faith."

The letter also urged unity in the midst of division. "Dear church, our prayers are with you, with all of us, in the coming days. May we all be surprised by the Spirit who continues to breathe new life in unexpected ways. May we find the body of Christ stronger at the end of our time together, not weaker or more deeply harmed. May we provide a powerful witness of finding unity even in our differences to a world fractured by fear and mistrust."

The letter was posted on the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN) website, which crashed soon afterwards.

It comes a day before the UMC's four-yearly conference meets in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday.

The UMC currently does not allow "self-avowed practising" gay people to be ordained, or same-sex marriages, and activists have been gearing up to promote the advancement of LGBTQ rights at the conference.

They want what they consider "discriminatory language" in the Book of Discipline  the law and doctrine of the UMC updated every four years  to be removed, for gay and lesbian ministers to be ordained, and for same-sex weddings to be performed in UMC churches.

Rev David Meredith, an elder in the UMC in West Ohio, married his long-term partner Jim Schlachter at Broad Street United Methodist Church in Columbus this weekend. There have been calls for his suspension.

Speaking to Christian Today, executive director of RMN, Matt Berryman, said the clergy who came out "are speaking to make themselves visible, and to shine a light on the injustice of this whole situation, and a Church that would utilise and benefit from the talent, skills and gifts of all people, but not allow them to be their full selves."

He said: "Being self-avowed and practicing as a gay person in the UMC is against policy  you can be removed from your job and lose your salary, so it's an act of courage and we hope that this act itself will affect a kind of change; it's an act of courage to break the system".

Berryman went on to describe the letter as "classic civil obedience", and said that recent surveys have shown the majority of UMC members are in support of same-sex marriage. RNM has seen more growth in the last four years than ever before, he said, and there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of churches that are inclusive.

"The system is breaking down," he said. "The powers that be will need to come together to figure out a way to revise the present system to create new room for people to live and move and have their being in the Church."

The UMC is at a "point of crisis", he added. "The Church can't go on like this".

In a statement sent to Christian Today, president of the UMC Council of Bishops, Bishop Warner Brown Jr., said: "The United Methodist Church affirms that all people are of sacred worth and welcomes all people into its congregations. Legislation before General Conference will consider the denomination's stance on the ordination of clergy who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other orientations.

"Any complaints about an individual clergy member are handled at the local annual conference level following procedures in the Book of Discipline."
Anglican chief counters accusations of 'Lusaka six'

Further Anglican divisions have emerged after six delegates to a recent influential meeting last month of church leaders denied that they had either endorsed or affirmed the actions of the Anglican Communion primates in January.

Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, rejected criticism from six delegates to the Anglican Consultative Council's meeting in Lusaka, Zambia.

The six outgoing members of the council and its insisted their meeting had "neither endorsed nor affirmed" the consequences contained in the primates' communique from their meeting at Canterbury cathedral.

Christian Today was among the news outlets that reported the Anglican Consultative Council had unanimously backed the primates in outlining "consequences" to the decision by The Episcopal Church to back gay marriage. The primates had voted to limit participation of The Episcopal Church for three years.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also stated in a post on Facebook that the consequences had been "fully implemented". Two provinces, Uganda and Nigeria, boycotted the meeting because of the attendance of delegates from The Episcopal Church.

Archbishop Idowu-Fearon countered the accusations of the "Lusaka six", who include Canon Elizabeth Paver of the Church of England and Helen Biggin of the Church in Wales.

He said: "The signatories of the statement have served the Anglican Communion tirelessly over many years. Their prayerful presence and wisdom has been an enormous blessing and has enriched the Communion immeasurably. They are entitled to express a view but I simply do not agree with their interpretation here. The response of the ACC was clear and its support for the Primates was clearly expressed."

Since the Lusaka meeting, delegates have continued to meet in small groups.

Archbishop Idowu-Fearon said: "The theme that emerges is a desire for people to walk together, to acknowledge differences where they exist but to rejoice in our shared faith. Groups spoke of staying in mutual submission with each other for the sake of the kingdom and the gospel of Christ and of mutual respect for diversity. There were many other positive responses to the report which showed a strong degree of unity across ACC."
Chief Justice Roy Moore suspended for opposition to gay marriage licenses

A senior judge has been suspended over he told local judges not to grant marriage licenses to gay couples.

Roy Moore, Chief Justice in Alabama's Supreme Court, is an outspoken critic of same-sex marriages and is accused of violating the state's ethics laws by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission.

Moore faces charges before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary and a potential removal from office.

The US Supreme Court ruled in June 2015 that gay couples had the right to marry under the US constitution. After this decision, last year a federal judge ruled same-sex marriage was legal in Alabama.

Despite these two rulings, Moore issued an administrative order to state probate judges that they should not issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) filed a complaint with the Judicial Inquiry Commission which then forwarded the case to the Court of the Judiciary.

"Chief Justice Moore flagrantly disregarded and abused his authority," read the complaint. "Moore knowingly ordered (probate judges) to commit violations...knowingly subjecting them to potential prosecution and removal from office."

Richard Cohen, president of the SPLC, said Moore had disgraced his office, according to Al.com.

"He is such an egomaniac and such a religious zealot that he thinks he can ignore court orders with impunity," said Cohen. "For the sake of our state, he should be kicked out of office."

Moore said in a statement that the commission had no authority over administrative orders or the court's ability to prohibit probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses. "We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail."

Moore alleged the US Supreme Court ruling was at odds with a decision in March 2015 by the Alabama Supreme Court that instructed probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The conflicting opinions had resulted in "confusion and uncertainty," Moore said, with many probate judges issuing marriage licenses to gay couples while others refused to do so.

This is not the first time Moore has faced charged before the Court of the Judiciary. In 2003, he was removed from office after a federal judge ruled he was placing himself above the law by refusing to take down a Ten Commandments monument he had installed in the state judicial building in Montgomery.
Christian and Muslim leaders meet in Rome and pledge 'solidarity' with the poor and needy

A top-level meeting of Catholic and Muslim leaders has endorsed the "humanising and civilising" role of both religions.

The Vatican interfaith colloquium did not gloss over differences or "particularities". But delegates chose to focus on what they have in common, especially when working with the most deprived people in society.

The fourth meeting of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies in Rome looked at Christian and Muslim perspectives, shared values and how both faiths reach out to the needy and the vulnerable.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the council, presided over the Catholic delegation and Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, chairman of the Royal Institute, headed the Muslim delegation.

Both delegations were received by Pope Francis while in Rome for the council meeting.

Pope Francis said: "Dialogue is going out of ourselves, with a word to hear the word of the other. The two words meet, two thoughts meet. It is the first step of a journey. Following this meeting of the word, hearts meet and begin a dialogue of friendship which ends with holding hands. Word, hearts, hands. It's simple. A little child knows how to do it."

At the end of the colloquium, the delegates said in a statement: "We share beliefs and moral values. Our commonalities are much more than our particularities, and they constitute a solid basis peacefully and fruitfully living together, also with persons of good will who do not profess a particular religion."

They said both faiths were humanising and civilising "when their followers adhere to their principles of worshipping God and loving and caring for the other."

They pledged "solidarity" with the needy and also said help to the poor should be offered out of compassion and for the sake of God's favour. "It should never be used to proselytise," they said.
Cultivating monsters: the problem of leader idolatry

Christian television provides a revealing window into the church. Of course it has its fair share of charlatans, men (usually) offering a 70-fold blessing in return for your 'seed' gift, and promises of 'miracle money' for those who purchase 'miraculous spring water.' It also features an eclectic mix of other programming  from documentaries on Israel and the End Times, to long-running Christian drama serial 7th Street Theatre, which would surely be a cult classic if I wasn't its only fan. But it seems to me (from extensive and slightly compulsive research) that the majority of airtime on Christian TV channels is made up of 'ministry' broadcasts by large churches. Men standing on platforms, preaching to large crowds. And as I say, it's all very revealing.

The point and popularity of these broadcasts is understandable: they provide spiritual input from trained and trusted Bible teachers; they're well produced and often communicate some brilliant truth. They also communicate something else though: the dangerously high esteem in which these leaders are held by their followers.

For a start, the crowds are always adoring. From all the whooping, cheering and vigorous nodding as they speak, you'd think they were making some sort of perpetual Best Man's speech. Their word is taken as gospel; and while of course we should trust our leaders, we shouldn't get lazy about processing what they say. Then in the commercial breaks, we learn something else; almost all of these leaders are also accomplished authors, churning out a steady stream of self-help books. Some of them sing and release albums too; I haven't come across one who claims he can dance, but it's surely only a matter of a time.

There's more: these leaders are also regular speakers on the global conference circuit. One might imagine they're paid for doing so; one might also assume from anecdotal evidence that they don't travel in economy, but that's not the point. In doing so, they create even more content for Christian television, which broadcasts it complete with fundraising asks for both the ministry and the media, and the wheel turns again.

All of which might feel a bit grisly and unpleasant when put so starkly, but is it really a problem? A different view would argue that all these things are simply by-products of success; that if a leader grows a church to 20,000 people, he's going to attract media coverage, book deals and conference invites. So while my own perspective is not quite that generous, I don't want to focus on the big Christian leaders themselves, but their followers. Us.

We're cultivating monsters

Popular leaders only become so because of the people who attend their churches, buy their books and pay to hear them at conferences. If their egos swell (and from 15 years in Christian media I can safely report that they do), then we share some of the responsibility. Yes, James and Paul both dish out warnings to those who would wish to act as elders, to watch their conduct, but when Jesus addresses the subject of leaders, he takes the same warning to everyone.

In Matthew 23:8 Jesus says "but you are not to be called 'Rabbi', for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers." And two verses later he restates the point: "Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah." In other words, the church shouldn't elevate individuals into a place of lofty esteem, where they begin to act as a proxy or High Priest between the people and their God. Is Jesus suggesting that there shouldn't be any leaders in the church? Paul and the rest of the early church certainly don't seem to interpret him that way. But he is making a profound and provocative statement about the danger of idolising leaders.

It's a good thing to like and respect your church leader. And it's no bad thing to enjoy the preaching, writing, podcasts or TV broadcasts of 'big name' speakers and leaders who help you to understand the Bible and draw closer to God. The problem which Jesus is alluding to in Matthew 23 is one of replacement, or at least interruption, where our relationship with God becomes a triangle instead of a straight line. Leaders should always point us directly to Jesus, and never to themselves. But it's very difficult to attain that degree of submission and humility.

The very worst examples of Christian leadership have usually been enabled by the support of loyal followers. I once heard of a church which, when its disgraced pastor was released from prison, made every member of the congregation come to the front and swear allegiance to him over the 'lies' of the justice system. And part of the reason that the deeply flawed and abusive setup at Mars Hill Seattle was able to flourish for so long was the esteem in which the main leader was held, and the largely unaccountable way in which he was enabled to lead. Of course, in both situations, the chief antagonist is the main leader himself, but they only had power because of the army of passive henchmen behind them.

How do we cope when leaders fall?

If our faith in Jesus becomes intertwined with our love of a leader, then the consequences if that leader 'falls' can be catastrophic. When Christian leaders suffer some sort of moral failure, we inevitably hear about the people who've walked away from the faith as a result. And while our natural compulsion is to pour even more scorn on the leader for doing so, the fact that someone's faith in Jesus hinged on the behaviour of one of his followers is problematic. Of course, this is exactly why James writes that "we who teach will be judged more strictly"; he knows the catastrophic effects of hypocrisy on those who feel betrayed by it.

For our part though, we should try to ensure that we're not practising leader idolatry: placing a leader in that High Priest position that Jesus should rightly occupy. It's great to be encouraged and inspired by leaders, writers and speakers, but our everyday decision to follow Jesus should be rooted directly in him.

Who is really worth our devotion?

Let's be brutally honest: the problem with following Jesus is that he's invisible. That's why leader idolatry is so naturally compelling to us; we're drawn to physically present leaders who make sense of the world and help us to live a Christian life. Ultimately though, they're only men and women; fallible, imperfect, and as experience demonstrates time and again, corruptible.

The only person worthy of our total devotion is God himself. He might be invisible, but he's also entirely good, entirely trustworthy; completely infallible. That's easy to say, and just as easy to 'Amen' to; of course in practice it's not always quite that easy. Here though, is one useful check that can help us keep our priorities in the right order: let's not make idols of our leaders. Their job is to point us to Jesus, not to themselves. And we have a role to play in making that happen.

Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. You can follow him on Twitter: @martinsaunders
Franklin Graham denounces Obama plan to create 'monument to sin'

Evangelical Christian leader Franklin Graham has denounced President Barack Obama's decision to create a new national monument to recognise the gay rights movement.

Graham said it would amount to a "monument to sin".

The new national monument is expected to honour the area of Greenwich Village which for decades has been the heart of gay life in New York and which is remembered for the 1969 protests after police raided the Stonewall Inn.

In 1969 it was illegal to serve alcohol to gay people, or for gay people to dance together.

The Inn still operates out of the same space although it is smaller than it was then.

Writing on Facebook, Graham, who heads the charity Samaritan's Purse, said: "A monument to sin? That's unbelievable. War heroes deserve a monument, our nation's founding fathers deserve a monument, people who have helped to make America strong deserve a monument  but a monument to sin?"

He intervened after the Washington Post reported that President Obama is poised to declare the first-ever national monument in New York recognising "the struggle for gay rights".

Graham added: "It's no surprise that the three officials who represent the area and support the monument are all openly gay. I can't believe how far our country has digressed. I hope that the president will reconsider. Flaunting sin is a dangerous move. God's Word tells us, 'Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people' (Proverbs 14:34)."
Is Christianity homophobic?

The bookstore in Glasgow was packed. The talk on science and the Christian faith went well. The time came for questions. The bookstore manager was desperate to be first  "What do you think about homosexuality?".

"Why are you asking me that?" I replied. "This is a discussion on science and faith. Are you really interested in what I think, or are you just making an accusation  'why are you such a homophobe?'" The bookstore manager smiled ruefully and agreed that it was the latter. It is an experience I have had up and down the country. No matter the subject or the age group, the question is probably one of the top three I am asked. It is clearly one that is a stumbling block to many people, and is used as a 'shibboleth' issue in our culture. If there is anything that proves that Christianity is regressive, then surely this is it?

Given that only 1-2 per cent of the population are homosexual, why has this question become so important? Is it because the Church is so sex obsessed? All that Catholic guilt, Calvinist angst and fundamentalist hypocrisy? Sometimes it might seem as though the Anglicans, Catholics, Church of Scotland et al, have nothing else on their agenda. The truth is that while there are some Christians who seem to have an unhealthy interest in this issue, the vast majority of Christians and churches are not constantly talking about sex and sexuality. I think in 30 years preaching I may have preached on the subject four times, out of at least 3,000 sermons! It hardly amounts to obsession. The truth is that it is our culture that is obsessed with sex and sexuality. Attitudes to homosexuality have become the touchstone issue. Government funded lobby groups ensure that the 'gay agenda' is kept to the forefront. Every potential politician is vetted by the LGBTI activists to find out if they are gay friendly. Companies are investigated, schools assessed, journalists vetoed. It takes a brave person to stand against such an overwhelming tide.

Capitulation: One way for the Church to deal with this is just to go with the flow. Although the Bible's teaching is actually quite clear  sex is to be within the context of marriage and marriage is between a man and a woman  there are those Christians who want to suggest that it is not. They engage in a kind of theological/linguistic gymnastics that leave one gasping at its ingenuity, bored at its constant 'expert' repetitions and amazed that once again humanity falls for the devil's oldest trick, 'did God really say?'.

Having removed or at least caused doubt about their biggest problem (what God has revealed) they then play their strongest card. Surely as an act of love and compassion, we should be supportive of those in same-sex relationships? After all love is love and God is Love. They seem pretty sure about the love thing... it's just that they are not so sure about the God bit, and therefore prefer to define God by their understanding of love, rather than let love be defined by the biblical understanding of God.

As I write this I have just read that the former evangelical, Steve Chalke, and his Oasis church are now to offer gay marriages. This hardly comes as a surprise but it does indicate how far some sections of the Church have moved in such a short time. Although to be honest, it is not that short. When I was a student at Edinburgh University 30 years ago, the main gay activism took place within the Anglican chaplaincy and the Church overall was a fairly welcoming place to those homosexuals who did not particularly want to join the gay club scene.

Confrontation: Perhaps as a response to this, there are sections of the Church which have accepted that this is the crucial issue. After all, do we not need to be fighting where the devil is attacking? And so we have the culture wars, where some Christian groups accept the challenge of Queer theory, recognise that it wants to change the basic human roots of sexuality, marriage and gender, and fight in every last ditch to every last man. I think the main problem with this is that it seems to be fighting a spiritual battle with carnal weapons. It also means that while those who capitulate are following the culture, those who confront, end up chasing the culture. I don't think either are helpful to the cause. Is there a third way?

Compassion: Those who argue for capitulation are in one sense right. God is Love. Human beings are broken people in a broken world. Although by nature we hate God and are his enemies, he loves his enemies. The gospel is that there is good news for everyone, good news which does not depend upon sexuality. But the confrontationalists are right too. God created us male and female. He created us as sexual beings, but he gave us the instructions. And there is where compassion kicks in. To go against the Maker's instructions means that we will end up damaged, delusional and ultimately destroyed. It is not compassionate to affirm people in their sin. It is not compassionate to encourage people to walk down a path that ultimately leads them further away from God. It is not compassionate to encourage our society to turn away from God and into a darkness that can only harm us all, but especially the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. Equally, it is not compassionate to write off any human being because of their sexuality. Of all places the Church should be welcoming to sinners.

Therefore when we are asked these questions we need to answer them only in the broader context. Before we can talk about specific sexual relationships we need to talk about what human beings are, whether it is even right to use sexuality as a means of identity and what our purpose is in life. As Christians we must not be homophobes. We have no reason to be phobic about homosexuality or homosexuals. We see all people as human beings made in the image of God, sinners in need of salvation that is freely offered to us all. And our response to gay pride marches is surely not to have Christian pride marches, but rather to act with the humility of the person who knows that they are the chief of sinners.

This does not mean that we do not engage in the narrower cultural conversation, but when we do so it must always be in the light of the gospel background.

Many Christians are impressed with what I call the Lady Gaga 'Born this way' philosophy. The argument is that if people are born homosexual, is it not then cruel for anyone to deny them the expression of that sexuality? There are two basic responses to that. First of all it is perfectly possible to live a fulfilled, holistic, happy life without sex, just as it is possible to live a shallow, narrow, miserable life with it. The myth that sex is the be all and end all is one that we need to disparage, without turning into prudes! Second, there is no scientific evidence of a gay gene. One gay activist told me that this fact delighted him because for him being gay was a conscious choice and he wanted it to be that way. Most scientific studies have shown that homosexuality is not genetic.

This is not to say that genetics, as well as upbringing, culture and other factors, do not play a part. We are complex beings! Those who argue that people are just 'born that way' are as wrong as those who argue that homosexuality is always a simple choice of lifestyle.

I have debated these issues with many people over the years  both in large public forums and in personal private conversations. One of the highlights for me was this debate with Peter Tatchell.

Thatchell is a fascinating character, from an evangelical Pentecostal background but now a committed atheist and gay activist. His view of sexuality is actually very close to the biblical view, at least in some respects: "Overcoming homophobia will result in more people having gay sex but fewer people claiming gay identity. The medieval Catholic Church, despite all its obscurantism and intolerance, got one thing right. Homosexuality is not, it suggested, the special sin of a unique class people but a temptation to which any mortal might succumb.

"It now seems fairly certain, in the light of modern research, that most people are born with a sexual desire that is, to varying degrees, capable of both heterosexual and homosexual attraction. Once homophobia declines, we are bound to witness the emergence of a homosexuality that is quite different from the homosexuality we know today. With the strictures on queerness removed, and same-sex relationships normalised and accepted, more people will have gay sex but, paradoxically, less of them will identify as gay. This is because, in the absence of homophobia, the need to assert gayness becomes redundant. Gay identity is the product of anti-gay repression. When homosexuality is disparaged and victimised, gay people understandably feel they have to affirm their desires and lifestyle. However, if prejudice is vanquished, and if one sexuality is not privileged over another, defining oneself as gay (or straight) will cease to be necessary and have no social significance. The need to maintain sexual differences and boundaries disappears with the demise of straight supremacism. Homosexuality as a separate, exclusive, clearly demarcated orientation and identity will then begin to fade (as will its mirror opposite, heterosexuality). Instead, the vast majority of people will be open to the possibility of both opposite-sex and same-sex relations They won't feel the need to label themselves (or others) as gay or straight because, in a non-homophobic culture, no one will give a damn about who loves and lusts after who."

This is why we are seeing a move from people describing themselves as homosexual, to bi-sexual. The whole gender fluidity philosophy is going to make this even more confusing. Marriage fluidity has led to sexual fluidity (or is it the other way round?) and now we are on to gender fluidity.

I think the most fascinating and helpful material I have read on all of this comes from a former lecturer in Queer studies, Rosaria Butterfield, now a Reformed pastor's wife. Her books Tales of an Unlikely Convert and the even better Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ are this weeks books of the week. She has also produced some excellent video talks.

In summary then, we answer this question by having an understanding of the bigger picture, the Christian worldview. We have a love for the individual and all the complex issues they are facing. We love the Lord and his word, and we never move from it or rearrange it to suit the current zeitgeist. And in all things our aim is not to defend ourselves, or accuse others, it is simply to point them to the only one who can bring the fulfillment, forgiveness and joy that we all desire. Our aim is not to change their perceived sexual identity. Our aim is to give them a whole new identity in Christ.

David Robertson is the moderator of the Free Church of Scotland and director of Solas CPC, Dundee. Follow him on Twitter @theweeflea.
Israel accused of 'aggression and intimidation' to World Council of Churches delegates

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has called on Israel for an apology after delegates to a conference on climate change were treated with an "unprecedented" level of aggression and intimidation.

WCC staff and partners were detained or deported at Ben Gurion airport last week in a manner general secretary Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit described as intolerable.

According to the WCC, several participants were detained in prison-like conditions for up to three days before being deported to their countries of origin. It said: "Others were ultimately admitted to Israel after exceptionally long and confrontational interrogation. All reported aggressive, accusatory and abusive questioning, threats and intimidation above and beyond what the WCC is prepared to consider tolerable."

The statement says: "The WCC strongly protests the excessive, unreasonable and wholly unwarranted treatment by the Israeli authorities."

The conference was to have been hosted by WCC member churches in Israel.

The statement refers to the WCC's concern for peace and a two-state solution to the problems of the region. It continues: "The WCC finds it deeply regrettable  and symptomatic of the current situation  that the Israeli authorities behaved in this manner toward church people from around the world who came to Israel in a spirit of ecumenical solidarity to address shared challenges in responding to global climate change."

Tveit said: "We react in different ways emotionally to experiences like this. For all of them, I think it was totally unexpected and very disturbing, for most of them shocking, as they have never experienced anything like this before."

Although there have been small incidents in the past, there has been nothing approaching this level of intimidation, he added.

As well as calling for an apology, the WCC called for the government of Israel to cease its aggressive behaviour toward WCC member churches and staff in the future.

"We believe that it is also in the interest of the government of Israel to address these very unpleasant incidents for future visitors to this country, and to prevent their recurrence," said Tveit, adding: "We are ready to meet and discuss these issues."

The WCC has been a frequent critic of Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people. It sponsors the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, which observes interaction between Israelis and Palestinians, including breaches of human rights.

The Israeli Embassy has been asked to comment on this story.
No hands? No problem for 7-year-old Christian girl who wins excellence in penmanship award

Seven-year-old first grader Anaya Ellick, who was born without hands, won in the recent U.S. national penmanship contest participated by around 300,000 students from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Anaya, who is from Chesapeake, Virginia and uses her forearms to write, beat 50 other competitors to win the special-needs category prize at the National Handwriting Contest. The category rewards students with intellectual, physical and developmental disability, reports CBN News.

"She does not let anything get in the way of doing what she has set out to do,'' Tracy Cox, Ellick's principal from Greenbrier Christian Academy, told ABC News.

"She is a hard worker and has some of the best handwriting in her class,'' added Cox.

Anaya's penmanship was reportedly submitted in the category that encourages the participation of students with cognitive delays, or intellectual, physical or developmental disabilities and judged by a team of occupational therapists. The competition had very strict guidelines. Judges, for instance, looked at how far Anaya was spacing her letters out, according to the report.

"We looked at her writing and were just stunned to see how well her handwriting was, considering she writes without hands," competition director Kathleen Wright told ABC News. "Her writing sample was comparable to someone who had hands."

Ron H. White Greenbrier, founder and superintendent of Greenbrier Christian Academy, told ABC News that Anaya's peers treat her no differently than other students, and she keeps up with them. "I don't think Anaya thinks of it as an obstacle,'' he said.

Wright said the winner of the handwriting competition is awarded the Nicholas Maxim Special Award for Excellence in Penmanship.

Sponsors of the contest Zaner-Bloser said they planned to award each student $1,000 (690), BBC reports.

Anaya's mother, Bianca Middleton, expressed belief that while her daughter may be different or may be going through some hard and rough times, she will "persevere.''

In 2013, 30-year-old pilot Jessica Cox who is also handless, brought inspiration to physically handicapped people when she reportedly drove a car, flew an plane and played piano using her feet.
Peace in our time? Warnings exchanged over EU Referendum

David Cameron issued a warning about the dire consequences of a vote to leave the European Union on Monday as the referendum gathered pace after Thursday's local elections.

The Prime Minister warned peace in Europe could be at risk if voters opted for Brexit on June 23.

Boris Johnson responded with equivalent warnings about the dire consequences of a vote to remain in the European Union. The former Mayor of London said the EU's "anti-democratic tendencies" were "a force for instability and alienation".

Away from the spotlight of the main campaigns, Christians on both sides of the debate have also been issuing claim and counter-claim.

Two rival groups, Christians for Britain and Christians for Europe engaged in an online spat on Sunday over whether Jesus' words can be appropriated for either side ahead of the June 23 referendum.

It began with a tweet from Michael Sadgrove, the founder of the Christians for Europe blog. Christians for Britain, chaired by the unlikely duo of Giles Fraser and Adrian Hilton, were not too happy with this interpretation.

John 17:21 is now being appropriated by Remainers. This is theological illiteracy. Don't be fooled (Lk 12:51-53). pic.twitter.com/Rf7iVmH5X4  Christians4Britain (@Xtians4Britain) May 8, 2016

They accused Sadgrove of "theological illiteracy" and quoted Luke 12: 51-53 where Jesus said:

"Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three.They will be divided,father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Sadgrove took the bait:

.@Xtians4Britain You don't agree. Fine. We theologise differently. The judgment of "theological illiteracy" is unworthy of you. @Xians4EU  Michael Sadgrove (@Sadgrovem) May 8, 2016

And so it went on.

Please, don't be pious. If Jn 17:21 may be appropriated for UK membership of the EU, where does Lk 9:5 fit in? https://t.co/OjYBg03gaX  Christians4Britain (@Xtians4Britain) May 8, 2016

To save you the trouble, in Luke 9:5 Jesus says:

"And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that townshake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

Not pious to ask for a respectful exchange. Alleging "theological illiteracy" is ultra vires. https://t.co/cpIs19LfgV  Michael Sadgrove (@Sadgrovem) May 8, 2016

@Xtians4Britain Very careful to say that Jesus was *not* praying for the EU. Couldn't be clearer! Then drew an inference abt common life.  Michael Sadgrove (@Sadgrovem) May 8, 2016

.@Xtians4Britain *Not* appropriating. No Bible text is "about" #EU. Drawing inference re God's vision for our life together. Cf #Bonhoeffer.  Michael Sadgrove (@Sadgrovem) May 8, 2016

@Sadgrovem You support the EU because i) it is like marriage; ii) it is loving one's neighbour; iii) it is like Church unity. Hermeneutics.  Christians4Britain (@Xtians4Britain) May 8, 2016

By this time it was approaching 10.30pm and the foes had obviously decided they had had enough. Brexiteers had the last word and everyone went off for an early night.

This is not the first time the Bible has been dragged into the debate over the European Union. Perhaps the most entertaining usage was this on a wall in Northern Ireland:

Revelation 18:4 says:

"Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues'."
Samaritan's Purse appeals for volunteers to help in Fort McMurray

"Hell on earth  that is how one evacuated resident described the massive fire burning in Fort McMurray, Canada," wrote Franklin Graham this week.

"It's a raging fire that is 25 per cent larger than all of New York City. Some 100,000 people have been evacuated and over 1600 homes and buildings have already been destroyed. Over 600 square miles have been consumed, and officials say it could be months before it is totally brought under control. It's so large there are even reports that you can see the smoke from as far away as Florida. Many families had to evacuate at a moment's notice not knowing if their home or neighborhood would still be standing when they returned."

Graham, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, announced on his Facebook page that Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are being sent to minister and pray with individuals.

Samaritan's Purse Canada will also be deploying disaster response teams and volunteers to help residents with clean-up as soon as people are allowed back into the areas.

"Pray for the all those whose lives have been turned upside down and those who have lost everything. And join me in asking God to protect the heroic firefighters battling this dangerous blaze," Graham wrote.

Samaritan's Purse is appealing for volunteers and is liaising with local churches to be ready to help as soon as the fires are brought under control and the evacuation order is lifted.

The charity helped in 2011 after similar forest fires in Slave Lake, Alberta destroyed more than one-third of the town.

Work needing to be done includes sifting through the ashes of destroyed or badly damaged homes, searching for personal items and what can be salvaged and removing debris.

In Salve Lake, the charity helped remove and empty fridges and freezers that had no electricity for several days, and well as pressure-washed homes to remove soot and ash or fire-suppressant stains.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada has been invited to be part of the team offering emotional and spiritual care at two of Calgary's reception centres which are providing shelter to displaced Fort McMurray residents. Brent Davis, Samaritan's Purse Disaster Response manager, says a response team will be on the ground in Fort McMurray as soon as it is possible to enter the city, said: "We know the entire community of Fort McMurray is going to be impacted by this fire, physically emotionally and spiritually for months and years to come."
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced specs leak: under-the-hood specs revealed in leaked PDF document

While Samsung continues to expand its smartphone lineup, speculations suggest that the South Korea-based tech giant is also looking to develop its tablet iterations. Reportedly, there is a new iteration in the works, dubbed the Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced.

The rumor seems to be true, as what is deemed to be the specs sheet of the upcoming slate has started circulating online. According to Phandroid, an alleged PDF document details the under-the-hood specs of the new tablet, and the specs sheet is similar to the leaks that appeared previously on different benchmark sites. Much like its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab 4, the Advanced edition is another 10.1-inch display slate with 1280 x 800 resolution. Under the hood, it features an octa-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM, with 32GB of storage expandable up to 128GB via microSD support. The upcoming Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced has a 5MP main camera on the back, and a 1.3-MP selfie shooter. The battery is listed to have a 6,800 mAh capacity, and the slate runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow right out of the box.

The Verge says that while the specs sheet reads like a mid-range slate, the Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced can still be considered top-of-the-line among Samsung tablet lineups. Of course, the upcoming Advanced edition doesn't compare to above-average types like the Galaxy Tab S series, but the Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced will be able to hold its own against mid-range slates from competitors.

Aside from the upcoming Galaxy Tab 4 Advanced, Samsung is also looking to greatly expand its tablet lineups with other iterations. Earlier this year, the company quietly updated its Galaxy Tab A lineup with the 2016 edition of the Galaxy Tab A 7.0. Just recently, reports of the Galaxy Tab S3 lineup surfaced online, stating that Samsung will be unveiling two new iterations in the lineup soon.
Should Christians be offended by 'Praise Allah' bus ads?

Buses adorned with slogan "Subhan Allah", which means "praise Allah", will appear around the UK over Ramadan next month.

The campaign by the UK's biggest Muslim charity, Islamic Relief, is aimed at British Muslims at a time when many fast during daylight hours and give money to charity.

Comparisons have immediately been made by a number of Christian commentators to the Church of England's 'Just Pray' advert, which was banned by a number of the UK's biggest cinema chains.

Former Conservative MP and chair of the pro-Brexit group Christians for Britain, Ann Widdecombe, said: "If other religions are allowed to put their religious banners up, then so should Christians."

Andrea Williams, director of Christian Concern, said the discrepency between allowing Muslim adverts while banning Christian ones highlighted the absurdity of political correctness.

She said: "Britain is a Christian country and we Christians need to find our voice.

"If we are allowing these adverts for Islam, then we need to give the Christians far more freedom to express themselves."

But it's not a simple dichotomy. Christian Today spoke to Martin Cottingham, the head of communications at Islamic Relief. Cottingham is also a Christian.

He told Christian Today: "not one of my Muslim colleagues said they were offended by the [Lord's Prayer] ad".

He added: "Some welcomed advertising about the importance of prayer, and did not believe the ad should be banned."

Asked about the "praise Allah" bus campaign, Cottingham said he saw parallels with Christian-based charities running campaigns at Christmas time.

"This is a fundraising appeal aimed at the Islamic community at a time when Muslims are particularly generous," he said. Islamic Relief aims to raise more than 11 million this year, up to half of which is expected to be raised around Ramadan.

Cottingham told Christian Today that as a faith based organisation, its aim was to help those who are less fortunate.

"It is a common thread within all Abrahamic faiths," he said.

"Although the organisation is inspired by Islam, its practices are humanitarian. It is not a proselytising organisation, it is a humanitarian one that seeks to help people without discrimination to faith."

The bus advertisement campaign will launch on May 23 with posters on 180 buses in London for two weeks, ahead of Ramadan's start on June 7. It will then return for the last two weeks of the fast on June 20 with 180 buses in London and 460 more in Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and Bradford.

The decision to ban the Lord's Prayer advert was made by the cinema chains because of its religious content. However Transport for London has responsibility for adverts in London. It chooses to ban slogans linked to a "political party or political cause" but does not ban religious advertising.
Frozen 2 plot rumors: Twitter users demanding Disney turn Elsa into a lesbian princess

The LGBT community appears to be growing bolder and bolder, and now they're even demanding that Disney's beloved ice princess Elsa from "Frozen" be turned into a lesbian.

The idea stemmed from a tweet made by 17-year-old activist Alexis Isabel (@lexi4prez) last Saturday. She said, "I hope Disney makes Elsa a lesbian princess. Imagine how iconic that would be." She then added the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend.

Disney is now working on "Frozen 2," and some fans thought that it would be the perfect time for Elsa of Arendelle to fall in love with a woman. Thousands of people tweeted using the hashtag and expressed their agreement to place Elsa in a homosexual relationship.

"Because little girls watching should know you can be a princess and love another princess," a Twitter user commented.

Another added: "Queer relationships are not any more sexual or extreme or anything more than a non-queer relationship."

Someone even suggested that Elsa should hook up with Princess Leia from "Star Wars."

Some said they already thought Elsa was gay to begin with.

Then, quoting the "Love Is An Open Door" song from "Frozen," one fan said, "Love is an open door. That door should be open to everyone, not just straight people."

Anticipating that there will be Christian groups that will oppose the requests to #GiveElsaAGirlfriend, some netizens said it would be good for queer kids to have a positive role model to look up to. "Disney, you have no idea how many little girls (and all little kids) you could help accept and love themselves [by giving Elsa a girlfriend]," a fan pleaded.

"Making a kid's movie with a queer character won't make your kids gay. [It] will teach them that love comes in many forms," another one wrote.

As for Elsa's younger sister Anna, she has already fallen in love twice in the first film. She initially gave her heart out to Prince Hans, only to be deceived by him. She then fell for her good friend Kristoff. Fans are anticipating that the two will tie the knot in the Disney sequel.
U.S., North Carolina battle over transgender rights, firing off lawsuits against each other

The U.S. federal government and North Carolina are now in direct conflict after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil rights lawsuit over the state's bathroom privacy law in response to the lawsuits filed by state officials earlier on Monday against the DOJ's directive to stop the implementation of the controversial legislation.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the North Carolina legislature and Gov. Pat McCrory have put their state in "direct opposition to federal laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity," CNN reports.

"More to the point, they created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security, a right taken for granted by most of us," Lynch added.

She said the action being taken by the federal government is "about a great deal more than bathrooms," adding that "this is about the dignity and the respect that we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we as a people and as a country have enacted to protect them."

In a Monday news conference, McCrory slammed the DOJ's "radical reinterpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act" in filing the lawsuit.

The governor also blamed the city of Charlotte for raising the issue of gender identity and public restrooms. The matter was not on the state's agenda, he said, until the city imposed a mandate that "caused major privacy concerns about males entering female facilities and females entering male facilities."

He said the bathroom dispute has now become a national issue that could affect every U.S. company. He called on Congress to revisit the anti-discrimination provisions under Titles VII and IX.

McCrory said the federal government was trying to tell every government agency and company employing more than 15 people "that men should be allowed to use a women's locker room, restroom or shower facility."

The North Carolina lawsuit states that no one is facing discrimination because the law applies equally to everyone.

"All state employees are required to use the bathroom and changing facilities assigned to person of their same biological sex, regardless of gender identity, or transgender status," it says.

McCrory said the Obama administration has not only staked out its position for North Carolina, but for all states, universities and most employers in the U.S. "The right and expectation of privacy in one of the most private areas of our personal lives is now in jeopardy," he warned.

North Carolina could lose millions of dollars in federal education funding by rejecting the DOJ's demand for the state to stop implementing the bathroom law.

People who support HB 2 said the law protects the privacy and safety of individuals.

More than 90 leaders have called on North Carolina to repeal the law including Starbucks, Accenture and Google Ventures, according to the Catholic News Agency (CNA).

Ryan Anderson of The Heritage Foundation said the backlash against the law is "cultural cronyism" where businesses and government collude to have their way.

"In this instance, big business is trying to get the government to impose its cultural values and its definition of sexuality," he said.

He earlier told CNA that anti-discrimination ordinances including sexual orientation and gender identity are being passed "so that anyone who does not comply will be accused of discrimination. It is a way to eliminate dissent."

A poll by Survey USA showed that in North Carolina, 69 percent favoured the repeal of the Charlotte ordinance.

"The American people are in favour of laws that protect their religious freedom and the safety of women and children in restrooms," Anderson said. "It is the elites that are not. Public officials will need courage not to be bullied into submission  whether it is by corporate elites, media elites or Hollywood elite  to enact policies that preserve the common good."
United Methodists row over gay marriage as general conference begins

Evangelical leaders are calling for the suspension of an elder in the United Methodist Church in the US after he married his male partner.

Rev David Meredith, an elder in the United Methodist Church in West Ohio, married his long-term partner Jim Schlachter at Broad Street United Methodist Church in Columbus.

After a report appeared in the Columbus Dispatch and some public letters of support from progressive Methodists appeared online, the Evangelical Fellowship of West Ohio said the ceremony violated a "high view of scripture" and went against the traditional "Wesleyan expression of historic, orthodox Christianity".

Fellowship president Jeff Greenway said it was with "great sadness" that he found the ceremony to be a "clear act of disobedience to the spirit and letter of our covenant".

He called for Meredith to be suspended from his appointment as an elder.

He said: "The use of the Broad Street United Methodist Church for a same sex union worship service is a clear act of disobedience of the spirit and letter of our covenant as outlined in the Book of Discipline in paragraph 341.6."

He also called for two other ministers involved in the ceremony to be suspended and warned of "division and potential rancour" at a time when the Church's general conference is meeting in Oregon.

Meredith defended his actions. "I am completely aware that there are consequences, but I am not afraid," he told BuzzFeed in a phone call before the ceremony. He said he could be defrocked, removed from his congregation in Cincinnati and lose his income.

He also admitted the timing with the conference was deliberate.

Rev Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, a professor of theology at the Chicago Theological Seminary, told BuzzFeed: "This is a very important moment for the United Methodist Church. I think the wedding can inspire empathy among the delegates, because you have a Methodist pastor  this is one of the leaders of the church. This is someone they have ordained, and that is important to other church leaders. The church is at a boiling point."

The United Methodist Church is the largest Protestant church in the United States with about seven million members.
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Playing now at theaters near you, "The Family Fang," a tragicomedy directed by and starring Jason Bateman.

I haven't seen the film yet, but I will, because it's based on one of the best books of the past 5 years, Kevin's Wilson's odd, comedic and moving first novel of the same name -- published in 2011 by Ecco.

Caleb and Camille Fang are performance artists who have spent decades creating public spectacles, often at shopping malls in the American south. The shoppers, of course, have no idea what's happening  and that's the point. The Fangs receive awards, grants and headlines for their stunts, which usually end in some sort of mayhem. They'll do anything for their art. Anything. Cajoling their young son to enter the Little Miss Crimson Clover pageant is mild, by their standards.

The kids, Annie and Buster Fang, are unwitting and, later, unwilling participants in their parents' art. To mom, dad and the art world, they are Child A and Child B. It's hard to say if their parents love them or simply love the art the family produces. Luckily, the siblings have each other and their own artistic urges. Annie grows up to be a brilliant, troubled actress; Buster becomes a brilliant, frustrated writer.

The novel is almost a mash-up of "The Addams Family" and "The Man Who Loved Children," Christina Stead's sharp, unblinking look at the politics of a cataclysmically broken family.

It's Addamsian in the sense that the parents delight in the unsettling, macabre moments they create. They've got the world on a string because they're pulling all the strings. Somehow, Wilson balances the comedy with quiet, intermittent horror.

But boy oh boy, there are those Steadean moments when readers will shake their heads and say: This is child abuse. Isn't it?

In the film, the grown Fang children team up after their parents disappear. But is their disappearance another stunt for the sake or art, or not?

Jason Bateman and Nicole Kidman star as the grown children in the film version of the story, with Christopher Walken as the father and Maryann Plunkett as the mother.

If you don't catch the movie, for God's sake go read the book.
Two and a half weeks after heavy rainstorms swept through the Greater Houston area, damaging about 600 homes in Montgomery County, piles of water-damaged belongings still lined the streets of the Timber Lakes-Timber Ridge subdivision, waiting to be cleaned up.

The neighborhood just south of The Woodlands was one of the hardest hit parts of the county, with about 130 homes suffering severe flood damage.

On a sunny Wednesday morning in early May, officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were beginning the damage assessment process required for the county to qualify for financial aid from the federal government.

And on Monday, President Barack Obama declared the April 18 flooding a disaster in Montgomery County, bringing the number of Texas counties with federal disaster declarations up to 12.

More Information Want to help? What: Interfaith of The Woodlands is accepting monetary donations, as well as donations of new undergarments and socks, nonperishable food (canned pasta, apple sauce cups, fruit cups, easy-open canned tuna, chicken, and vegetables), bottled water, diapers, wipes, household and cleaning items. Where: All donations can be brought to Interfaith Central at 4242 Interfaith Way, The Woodlands. An additional drop-off location for undergarments, socks, shoes and household items is the Interfaith Hand Me Up Shop at 25018 Spring Ridge Drive. What: To donate $10 to the Montgomery County Food Bank, text MCFB to 45777. To volunteer, emailvolunteers@mcfoodbank.org. By the numbers 15: inches of rain the county received the week of April 18 600: flooded homes in the county 130: severely flooded homes in the Timber Lakes-Timber Ridge subdivision just south of The Woodlands $3.8 million: in county-wide damage assessments See More Collapse

On May 4, before the disaster declaration, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, and Montgomery County officials rode along with FEMA inspectors on a brief tour of the Timber Lakes-Timber Ridge neighborhood to show their support for a disaster declaration.

At the time, residents and officials were frustrated that Montgomery County's disaster declaration had not yet come, while Harris and other counties had been declared disasters more than a week earlier.

"Our residents have seen other areas declared (a disaster) before us and think that we're inactive or they're being ignored," said Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack on May 4. "It's taking more time than any of us would have liked to have FEMA on the ground."

Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal said that other counties were assessed sooner because the water receded faster there than it did in Montgomery County.

One resident of Timber Lakes-Timber Ridge, Sean Thompson, allowed the officials into his one-story home to see how the flooding had impacted his family.

With the bottom two feet of gypsum wallboard torn from the home and carpeting ripped up, the house was riddled with the remains of Thompson's possessions. He said the flood had claimed his family pictures and video collection. Just to rent the fans to dry out his home and prevent it from molding had cost him $2,000 out-of-pocket, he said. He estimates that full recovery could cost him tens of thousands of dollars. And his home was not one of the hardest hit, he added.

Montgomery County Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Darren Hess said that FEMA's initial evaluations of the areas the inspectors had visited is estimated at $3.8 million in damages. FEMA is still working to inspect all of the damaged property county-wide, he said.

"Everyone just lost so much," Thompson said of his neighbors.

Brady said his goal was to secure financial assistance for the victims of the flood to help them get back on their feet, but also to find the funds to do what is necessary to mitigate damage from any future natural disasters.

"Having these counties added to the federal disaster declaration for individual assistance is another important step in providing much-needed resources to the families and businesses who were impacted by the storms," Brady said in a release following the disaster declaration Monday.

FEMA will set up Disaster Recovery Centers in the county for victims to apply for aid.

On Tuesday, the Montgomery County Commissioners Court decided to move forward with applying for a FEMA grant that would help the county buy out a number of the severely damaged homes in the areas that have been repeatedly hit by flooding.

In the meantime, local community groups have taken the lead in offering assistance. Interfaith of The Woodlands, a local nonprofit organization is one of the groups coordinating assistance by providing those affected by the storm with clothing, food, water, and, in some cases, temporary housing and financial assistance.

Interfaith is accepting monetary donations as well as new undergarments, socks, shoes, non-perishable food, bottled water, baby and personal hygiene care items and household and cleaning supplies.

Montgomery County officials are asking those affected by the storm to register with FEMA at disasterassistance.gov or 1-800-621-FEMA.
The Dallas Police Department is on the lookout for a 25-year-old man in the wake of a shooting death.

Police say Jose Matilde Reyes shot a man to death in the 2400 block of Grafton Avenue at approximately 11:10 p.m. Saturday.

Reyes' arrest warrant states he got into a physical altercation with an unidentified man, and a witness tried to break up the fight. According to the report, Reyes shot the man and then shot at the witness.

The witness told police that he and the victim then escaped in the victim's car, stopping near 1400 S. Hampton Road, where the witness flagged down a nearby Dallas Independent School District police officer.

The victim, who was transported to a hospital by the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, died from injuries sustained in the shooting, according to Reyes' arrest warrant.

Police were still working Monday to identify the victim.

Investigators returned to the crime scene and found cartridge casings and blood spots in the driveway.

Residents at the Grafton Avenue site identified Reyes from his photo, but he was not at the house after officers obtained consent to search it, records state.

Dallas police are asking anyone with information on Reyes' whereabouts to call the department's Homicide Unit at 214-671-3661. Tips can anonymously be called into crime stoppers at 214-373-8477.
A Houston woman accused of killing a motorcyclist in a car crash on the South Loop Saturday was detained by the occupants of two cars she allegedly sideswiped before the fatal wreck, prosecutors said Monday.

Arnesia Washington was arrested on a charge of felony murder after rear-ending the motorcyclist around noon Saturday.

Investigators performing field sobriety tests concluded that she was under the influence of pharmaceutical drugs. They found hydrocodone, a prescription painkiller in her pocket, and toxicology results from a blood test are pending, officials said.

RELATED GALLERY: When are crimes reported in Houston?

The 30-year-old wept and sniffled Monday as she made her initial appearance in front of state District Judge Katherine Cabaniss.

In court, Assistant Harris County District Attorney Alison Baimbridge said Washington wrecked into drivers at Kirby and again at Stella Link while driving on 610 toward Bellaire.

They followed her in an effort to get her information as it related to their hit and run crashes, Baimbridge said. As a result, they became witnesses to the fatality crash and ultimately helped apprehend her.

As those drivers followed Washington in effort to get her to stop, they saw her allegedly knock Steven Rudoff from his motorcycle, fatally injuring him. Washington apparently tried to flee that scene as well, but was stopped by the other drivers.

One of the witnesses, a nurse, performed CPR on Rudoff, but he died at the scene. Baimbridge said Washington had two small children, a 2-year-old and a 7-month old, in her vehicle as she drove.

She was charged with the felony of driving while intoxicated with a child under the age of 15 in the car. Because of that underlying allegation, she was charged with felony murder, which means causing a death during the commission of a felony. If convicted, she faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

She remains in the Harris County jail in lieu of bail set at $50,000.
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Raymond Jacik clung for his life on the twisted remains of a gas platform that poked above the surface of Galveston Bay as waves pounded him against jagged pipes.

For two days, Jacik held on to the platform deformed long ago by Hurricane Ike. His fishing buddy, Michael Watkins, was on another small platform hundreds of yards away. Both were cold and miserable.

"Please don't let it rain," Jacik prayed as he watched a storm gathering on the horizon. Moments later, temperatures dropped and huge waves began threatening to tear him away from his perch.

The friends had met two days earlier at Watkins' house in San Leon. Watkins had the trailer carrying his 20-foot Larson outboard already hooked to the back of his Suburban when Jacik, who lived about a mile away near Dickinson Bay, arrived about 8 a.m. April 25.

Jacik followed in his pickup, and they drove a few blocks to Bayshore Park on Galveston Bay. The two friends, both clad in shorts and T-shirts, put the Larson in the water, started the 200-horsepower Suzuki outboard and headed into the bay for what appeared to be a good day for fishing.

For Watkins, 51, a retired construction worker, and Jacik, 49, a truck driver forced to retire after a severe injury, this fishing trip seemed no different than hundreds of others they had made into the bay, which was tranquil on this clear, slightly breezy day.

They set out for a small gas platform about 4 miles offshore that they had fished near many times before. Watkins knew how dangerous the bay could turn. He forbade alcohol on his boat because a clear head was needed while on the bay. He kept his spark plugs clean and the Suzuki in top condition because a small boat with a dead motor could be sucked into the wake of one of the giant tankers that plied the Houston Ship Channel. They both donned life jackets.

By 8:30 a.m., they were anchored about 30 yards from the platform. Oil and gas platforms are favorite spots for fishermen because sea life tends to cluster around them. They could see the San Leon shoreline as they cast toward the small platform, about 4 feet wide with a pipe studded with valves rising several feet above it. They shed their life vests as they began fishing, as they had always done, a move they would come to regret.

They caught a stingray, a gafftop and a few hardheads during the first 20 minutes, then the anchor began to slide along the bottom. They tried to haul it up, and the line broke. Watkins eased the boat next to the platform, and they tied a line to it and allowed the boat to drift away so they could continue fishing.

'No time to react'

They started to drift out when a swell seemed to come out of nowhere and dump water in the boat. Another followed within seconds, filling the stern with water. Then a wave struck the side and the boat went over, dumping Watkins and Jacik in the water.

Watkins was a poor swimmer, but an Igloo cooler smacked him in the face as he floundered and he grabbed its handles. The cooler kept him afloat and saved him from drowning.

"It was so fast, there was no time to react," Jacik recalled.

Watkins still finds it hard to grasp.

"Who would have thought something like that could happen?" he said.

Watkins and Jacik made it to the platform, which barely had room for both of them on the flat metal lattice. The bay was suddenly turbulent, and the wind had risen.

They could see ships passing, and they waved their shirts at them. They saw dozens of vessels, but no one seemed to notice.

All day, they stood watching helplessly as boats passed, water surging up through the lattice and swells breaking over the platform. They were wet and chilled by wind.

They could see a large platform about a mile away that had two buildings on it. If they could make it to the big platform, perhaps they could find a radio, flares or at least a place to get out of the wind. The current seemed to be running toward the big platform. They could both hang on to the cooler and float there. Watkins was reluctant because it was risky. If they missed the platform, they could be swept into the bay with nothing but the ice chest to keep them afloat.

They considered it until late in the day and finally agreed to try it. They leaped together into the swells, each grasping a handle on the cooler. Watkins panicked. The water seemed to push against his chest, and he felt he couldn't breathe.

He let go of the ice chest and flailed back to the platform. Watkins pulled himself back on top and watched Jacik and the ice chest drift out of sight.

Families in turmoil

By 8 p.m., Sherry Watkins knew something was wrong. Her husband should have returned from fishing an hour earlier.

"I didn't sleep at all that night," she recalled.

Early the next morning she phoned a family friend, who advised her to call the Galveston County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's Cpl. Chris Bryant arrived and stayed with her Tuesday until the U.S. Coast Guard took over search operations.

Sherry Watkins always believed her husband would be found.

"I never allowed myself to give up," she said.

Deputies were uncertain who was with Watkins until they found the Suburban and the pickup at the boat launch. From the pickup license plate number, deputies determined that Jacik was with Watkins, and they were able to get his phone number.

Jacik lived alone with his 14-year-old daughter, Mahlea, who was worried when her father failed to return Monday evening.

"I just had the worst thoughts in my head," she said. "You just don't know. It's so scary."

Tuesday morning, a neighbor sent a text message saying a search was underway for her father. A sheriff's deputy called about 9 a.m., telling her "that the possibility of finding him was not good and he was probably dead and I should prepare myself," Mahlea recalled.

While the call plunged her into a deep sadness, a call from another deputy brightened her mood. He assured her that her father was tough and probably still alive.

'Waiting for a shark'

Jacik tried to steer the cooler toward the big platform, but the current pushed him in the wrong direction. He tried to get to a smaller platform but was swept past it. Jacik feared he would be swept up in the bay. He saw a tangle of pipes poking above the water, his last chance. As he kicked toward the remains of the gas platform, he felt a sudden pain in his chest. He couldn't breathe. Later, he would learn that he had suffered a heart attack. Despite the pain, he lunged for the platform and grabbed a pipe. He held on until the pain subsided. The ice chest floated away.

The pipes were rusted and jagged and the swells kept pushing him against them, cutting his back and his legs.

"I kept waiting for a shark to tear my leg off, there was so much blood in the water," he said.

He stayed there all night, mostly thinking about his daughter. He wondered if he would ever see her again but remained determined.

"I would have held onto that pipe for a month if I had to," Jacik said. "I remember saying to myself and God, 'We've made it this far; I've got to make it.' "

Watkins, while cold and uncomfortable, felt secure on the platform and never doubted that he would be rescued.

"I was getting disgusted that I wasn't found," he said.

Despite their resolve, fear was ever present.

"Yeah, I was scared," Jacik said. "You would be an idiot if you weren't scared."

Watkins put an arm through a T-shirt sleeve and waved it at passing ships all day Tuesday. Jacik, out of sight on the other platform, took his T-shirt off and waved it fruitlessly.

A Coast Guard helicopter found their boat floating bottom up Tuesday afternoon about 4.5 miles from where it overturned. Helicopters began flying search legs of 9 miles, each leg 400 yards apart, using the spot where the boat was found as a reference.

As darkness fell, Jacik could see the lights of searching vessels on the horizon. Then the storm struck.

Jacik found a rope hanging from the jumble of pipes and tied himself to a pipe just below the water. As the storm grew in intensity and the waves battered him, he turned to face the platform and curled his head toward his chest, shivering with cold.

Watkins wrapped himself around the standpipe, grasping valves.

The storm subsided by the next morning with Watkins and Jacik still clinging to life.

'Thank God you're here'

An MH-65D Dolphin with a four-member crew was running low on fuel as it made its last 9-mile pass before heading back to base at Ellington Field. By this time, all they expected to find were bodies. The overturned boat suggested the worst.

Lt. Joshua Scritchfield, co-pilot, was scanning from the left seat about 10:30 a.m. and saw something flapping on an oil platform.

"It didn't look right to me," he said.

Jacik watched the helicopter fly by and waved his soggy T-shirt furiously. He felt despair as it seemed to head away, but then it returned.

Lt. Zach Gross veered the helicopter to the left, and they came into a hover over Watkins. Gross kept his eye on the fuel gauge.

"There wasn't enough time to mess around," Gross said. "We had to be really efficient."

Flight mechanic Nikki Moore secured rescue swimmer Jesse Weaver to a winch cable and lowered him to the water. Jumping was too risky because of the possibility of pipes or metal objects in the water.

Weaver unhooked and turned to Watkins.

"My name is Jesse, and I'm going to be your rescue swimmer today," Weaver said. He told Watkins to jump, then swam him away from the platform. Moore lowered a basket, and Watkins was lifted to helicopter.

The helicopter moved to Jacik's platform, where he had climbed onto the pipes.

"Thank God you're here, man. What do you want me to do?" Jacik said to Weaver.

In a few minutes, he was aboard the helicopter for the 10-minute flight to the Coast Guard base where ambulances were waiting. One took Watkins to Bay Area Regional Hospital; another took Jacik to Clear Lake Regional Hospital.

Finally reunited

Sherry Watkins got a call from the Coast Guard: "I have some really good news for you. We found them and they are OK." She rushed to the hospital and found her husband.

"I walked in the room where he was and I just grabbed him," she said.

The call to Jacik's family went to Mahlea's grandparents, who phoned her with the news. The family hurried to the hospital.

"He wasn't supposed to get up, but he sat up and I hugged him," Mahlea said.

On Thursday, Jacik and Watkins were invited to the Igloo Products Corp. plant in Katy where coolers like the one that saved their lives are manufactured. Each was given a cooler to replace the one they lost.

On Friday, they visited the Coast Guard base at Ellington Field to be reunited with the air crew who rescued them and the planners who coordinated the search. The fishermen hugged each of the Coast Guard men and women involved and invited them to a celebratory barbecue at the American Legion Post 291 in San Leon.
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Though Texas' overall violent crime rate has dipped, according to the FBI's newest data, cartels still have people on the Texas-Mexico border living in fear. But some of the most dangerous cities in Texas aren't even close to the border.

RELATED: See the FBI's newest data on violent crime in Texas metro areas

The Darrow Law Firm in Houston examined data to find the most dangerous cities across the state. The firm analyzed key factors such a violent crime rate, police presence and investment in departments, along with community socioeconomic factors.

The FBI defines a violent crime as murder and non-negligent manslaughter (or homicide), rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

It's no surprise larger metro cities landed near the top of the list, but so did cities like Mesquite, Killeen and Abilene.

>> Click the gallery above to see the most dangerous cities in Texas, according to Darrow Law Firm.
-- THE LATEST on Prop 1 this morning, per the Statesmans Nolan Hick and Katie Urbaszewski. Lyft appears to have fulfilled its pledge to suspend operations in Austin on Monday after voters rejected a ballot measure Saturday that would have repealed fingerprinting requirements for drivers of Lyft and other ride-hailing companies.

Uber is still operating, though the company has said it will stop operations in Austin at 8 a.m. Monday. According to Lyfts app, as of 5 a.m. Monday the company was no longer picking up passengers in the city limits of Austin, though Lyft drivers will pick up passengers outside the city limits of Austin if their destination is also outside the city limits.

-- The Lege warning shot on ridesharing, by the Chrons Brian Rosenthal. The regulations, which will be considered in next year's legislative session, will aim to be consistent and predictable for the companies, said Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, a rideshare supporter. It has become increasingly clear that Texas ridesharing companies can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anti-competitive regulations, Schwertner said. As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition.

>> Read the Statesmans Ben Wear: Prop 1 undone by campaigns underlying motive, threatening tone

-- DONT MISS THIS from the Express-News David Rauf: For the past 20 years, state lawmakers could rely on a Texas statute to thwart political opponents from using video and audio recorded on the House and Senate floor in attack ads.

That could soon change.

A tea party House candidate challenging one of Speaker Joe Straus' lieutenants in a runoff is suing the Texas Ethics Commission to strike down a law barring the use of footage produced by the Legislature in political ads. That includes archived audio and video from the floor of the House and Senate, along with committee hearings.

Ethics experts and lawyers say the statute appears to violate the First Amendment and is likely to be shot down in the courts since taxpayers pick up the tab to record and store the footage from the Legislature. The former and current chairmen of the ethics commission have also cast doubt on the law's validity.

-- Preparing for this weeks state Republican convention, by the Star-Telegrams Anna Tinsley. Now the question of who can go into which public restroom, which at least one state official has said could come up in the Texas Legislature next year, might be among the hot-button issues the Texas GOP tackles this week.

Thousands of Republicans will gather in Dallas this week for their every-other-year state convention and work to hammer out a guide for their party that could include issues such as the bathroom movement, secession, immigration, reparative therapy, property taxes and more.

Issues come from the grassroots, said state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, who will be a delegate at the convention. This is the base of the party telling elected officials what their concerns are and what they hope we will address in the Legislature.

>> Trump has yet to ask Texas supporters to put up money for his campaign, but donors in the state have already given $330,130 , Federal Election Commission records show. Texas contributions to the campaign make up 12 percent of donations, second only to California. Texans gave an additional $156,500 to pro-Trump PACs, from The Dallas Morning News Christine Ayala.

-- Ted Cruz returns to the Senate at a crossroads, by the NYTs Jennifer Steinhauer. Now the man who helped create an outsider movement in national politics, only to have it eat him alive by the co-opter of that idea, must decide which group among his fellow lawmakers to join. Will he stand with the hold-your-nose set, as Mr. Paul has done, and support Mr. Trump? Or join forces with Never Trump, as Senator Graham did on Friday, and publicly decline to get on board? Or will he take the route of Mr. Rubio, in effect giving a non-endorsement endorsement, saying he will support any Republican nominee, but not explicitly name Mr. Trump?

-- Trump anxiety spurs Latino voter registration, by the Chrons Lomi Kriel. Since last summer, when Trump ignited a furor by labeling Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug dealers, average monthly citizenship applications nationwide spiked nearly 15 percent to about 64,800 between August and January compared to the same period the year before.

Such an uptick in naturalizations doesn't bode well for Trump, or Republicans in general, because nearly half of all new Americans are Latinos, who in polls overwhelmingly express disapproval of the candidate at the top of the ticket, political analysts say. In all, about 730,000 immigrants became citizens last year, a 12 percent increase from 2014. In Texas, the number of new Americans grew by a quarter in 2015 to 66,000.

SPEED READ

Bills coming due for troubled foster care system, Texas Tribune

Runoff ahead in District 120 race to replaced McClendon, Express-News

Dem activist towered in local politics, Houston Chronicle

Will Hurd keeping distance from Trump, The Dallas Morning News

Trumps primary success along the border tells us nothing, San Antonio Express-News

Portrait of Perry minus glasses now hangs in the Capitol, San Antonio Express-News

Perry calls his criticism of Trump just politics, Houston Chronicle

UT System regents unlikely to change campus carry rules much, Austin American-Statesman

What makes Texas Texas, The New York Times

Mosquito season brings no urgency for money to fight Zika, Associated Press

Turner gets slow but steady start as mayor, Houston Chronicle

Evangelicals feel abandoned by GOP after Trumps ascent, The Washington Post

Palin raps Ryan for withholding support for Trump, Associated Press

McConnell faces tough decision on criminal justice bill, The Hill

McKinney residents vote for new stadium, The Dallas Morning News

RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

-- Stunned Trump foes face diminished options at GOP convention, by the APs Alan Fram. Many Trump opponents see the Republican platform, the party's statement of ideals and policy goals, as a place for a stand in Cleveland. The convention's 2,472 delegates must approve the platform before formally anointing the presidential nominee.

All  including those chosen to support Trump  can vote however they want on the platform. Many conservatives say they will use that vote to keep Trump from reshaping GOP dogma against abortion, for free trade and on other issues. While it seems likely Trump would prevail, a showdown could be an embarrassment he'd seek to avoid by not pushing divisive changes.

-- Trumps empty administration, by Politicos Darren Samuelsohn and Ben White. Top Republican political leaders arent the only ones shunning their partys presidential nominee  a vast number of highly skilled managers and policy experts, veterans of recent GOP administrations who would normally be expected to fill key positions for a new White House, are also vowing to sit out a Donald Trump presidency. And while the failure of the two Presidents Bush or House Speaker Paul Ryan to endorse the presumptive nominee carries political consequences, the absence of policy veterans in a new administration would have a substantive effect on the running of government.

-- Fault lines: GOP civil war deepens, by CNNs Steve Sloan and Rachel Smolkin. Will they unite behind their party's standard-bearer? Will they sit out the 2016 campaign? Or will they fight on, in a quixotic quest to undermine Trump? Trump's opponents are still sorting through the wreckage of the GOP primary season for a path forward. But it has become painfully clear over the past five days that party unification will be tough to come by, if it happens at all.
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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Wolverines end season at West Bend-Mallard WEST BEND - The South OBrien volleyball team traveled to face West Bend-Mallard in the first round of the regional...

Warriors suffer 44-14 loss to Gehlen Catholic ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia football team hosted Gehlen Catholic on Friday evening, but lost the game 44-14. The Warriors struck...

Warriors take down Raiders to finish regular season ALTA - The Alta-Aurelia volleyball team hosted East Sac County on Thursday evening and took down the Raiders 3-1 to...

Braves go 3-6 at Heelan Invite SIOUX CITY - Cherokee's volleyball team, 23-9, worked on fine tuning its skills here Saturday in a 12-team Sioux City...
At least five investigations are underway concerning corruption in or around New York City mayor Bill de Blasios administration. So far, the investigations have revealed that two members of the mayors inaugural committee gave lavish gifts to top NYPD brass in exchange for favors, including the opportunity to hang around in police circles and get speedy access to gun permits. A lobbyist with close ties to de Blasio was involved in a shady real estate deal that leveraged city approval to make millions for inside investors. Next, it emerged that the mayors closest advisors had asked major donors to funnel money through county political committees to Democratic candidates for state senate in 2014. This kind of fundraising is against the law if the donations are coordinated. Investigators are also looking into coordination between the mayors 2013 campaign, his political nonprofit organization the Campaign for One New York, and the operations of anti-horse-carriage group NYCLASS, which was organized as an independent campaign group. Finally, authorities are examining allegations that straw donors contributed large sums to de Blasios mayoral campaign.

A range of entities are investigating these overlapping charges, including the office of Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance; the New York State Board of Elections; New York States Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE); and U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, among others. In sum, every law enforcement agency with oversight over New York City government is asserting shared jurisdiction and examining some piece of what is shaping up to be one of the largest municipal political scandals in history.

In response, Mayor de Blasio has taken a page from his former boss Hillary Clintons playbook and claimed that the whole thing is a frame-up orchestrated by his political enemies. In a letter to JCOPE last week, Leonard Laufer, the attorney for the Campaign for One New York, stated that the nonprofit will no longer cooperate with the commissions investigations, claiming that its inquiry is a blatantly political exercise by an agency whose very independence is deeply in question. The implication is that Governor Andrew Cuomoa fellow Democrat but otherwise no friend of de Blasiosis directing JCOPEs probe. JCOPE is a legally constituted state commission empowered to investigate matters pertaining to ethics and lobbying; no provision exists by which officials can opt out of its investigations. And the idea that Bharara is taking his marching orders from Albany is ludicrous: there is every reason to assume that Cuomo himself may be in Bhararas sights.

De Blasio suggests that he has been targeted on ideological grounds, because he has spoken so much truth to power. Standing with Al Sharpton at a National Action Network rally this weekend, the mayor reminisced about his radical past, exhorting the crowd never to be surprised by opposition. Opposition is part of our lives when you make change. I saw that long ago when I was a student activist. I saw it when I was fighting to get the United States out of Central America in military intervention there. Going further to burnish his revolutionary credentials and solidify his support among African-American voters, de Blasio praised the election of Sadiq Khan (this ray of light) as mayor of London. A lot of people in this room have studied history and know something about colonialism and imperialism, he said. How wonderfulyes, a bit ironicbut more important a statement of progress that the place that used to be the capital of colonialism has elected a Muslim man as its mayor.

In radio interviews, de Blasio has complained about unfair double standards. There are massive conflicts of interest going on every day in this country that go fully unexamined, he told WNYCs Brian Lehrer last Friday. What we are doing is doing the peoples business, and theres a lot of examination of the work were doing. . . . Im really concerned about a double standard here where we do everything to the letter of the law, disclose everything, are open about it, do not let it affect our decisionsmeanwhile, a lot of people are doing a lot worse and not getting much examination. On Hot 97, a popular hip-hop radio station, he lamented: Look, this is not even close to a level playing field. Youre talking about corporations and wealthy individuals who spend millions and millions and millions of dollars anytime they want. We dont have anything like that to respond with. . . . Yeah, there are a lot of powerful interests who dont necessarily want to see all of this succeed, but were going to keep fighting and were going to keep bringing it to the people.

Perhaps trying to rally progressives and divert attention from his proliferating scandals, de Blasio renewed calls for a boycott of fast-food restaurant Chick-Fil-A, whose owner reportedly opposes same-sex marriage. De Blasio is years late to this party. Several Chick-Fil-A franchises operate in Manhattan, and more are scheduled to open; protests were originally organized against the restaurant in New York City in 2012, prior to its expansion here. The mayors sudden championing of this already-lost cause looks like obvious pandering.

As investigations and allegations of the mayors corruption continue to mount, expect him to continue blaming others, making vainglorious noises about his commitment to righteousness, and practicing clumsy legerdemain to divert attention from his problems. It has always been clear that de Blasio is not an effective manager of the city; whats also becoming apparent is that he is not even good at managing his own image.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images
New York City has been a Big Data pioneer for decades. In the early 1990s, the city launched the CompStat data-driven policing system, so that, in the words of former NYPD department chief Lou Anemone, officers could stop just running around answering 911 calls and start analyzing patterns to prevent crime. Thanks in part to CompStat, major crimes in the city have since fallen by 80 percent. During the Michael Bloomberg mayoral years, the city used data to pinpoint dangerous intersections and driving habits, cutting traffic deaths by nearly a third. Today, thanks to advances in data-storage capacity as well as the ubiquity of smartphones and broadband access, New York has an unprecedented number of facts to analyze and act upon, CompStat-style, across all areas of governmentfrom building inspection to noise reduction. But while it can shine a brighter light on problems and give citizens and government new tools with which to understand them, Big Data cant solve the problems themselves. For that, we still need old-fashioned political will.

Cities are in the middle of what Daniel Doctoroff, a Bloomberg-era deputy mayor, calls their fourth modern revolution. In the eighteenth century, cities got the first: the steam engine, which made possible the industrial age. In the nineteenth century, electricity gave cities the subways and elevators they needed to fit more people into small spaces. In the twentieth century, the automobile made it easier for residents and workers to leave dense urban areas. And now, in the twenty-first century, cities are getting the networked revolution of large-scale data collection, both human and automated, as well as continuous connectivity to transmit and store those data.

And with better transparency laws, much of this Big Data becomes open data: information that everyone can see and use. Consider how one area of data reporting and collection has exploded in just a decade: New Yorkers complaints, questions, and observations about their city. Last year, more than 30 million people called or went online to 311, the citys information and complaint system. Thats nearly four times the citys population, and four times the number of people who called in 2003, the first year that New York offered the service. Every call or click makes a point of data for the city or for outside observerswho can easily access much of this informationto follow.

During the Bloomberg years, the city began using these data to figure out, CompStat-style, where and when to send officials outnot to prevent crimes but to address other issues. Mike Flowers, chief analytics officer at the data-technology firm Enigma, served during Bloombergs third term as New Yorks first-ever data-analytics chief. Bloomberg built his fortune in the private sector de-fragging intelligence, Flowers says, and the mayor applied the same techniques to government. One basic problem of even highly functional cities, Flowers notes, is too big a body, too little blanket, and the traditional answer to that problem, he says, is let me hire more people.

Instead, Flowers used data to help him perform a critical task: protecting New Yorkers from firetraps. We were getting 20,000 complaints a year, he says, many via 311, about illegal [apartment] conversionsthat is, landlords or tenants subdividing their properties, creating dangerous conditions for poor tenants. But building inspectors, treat[ing] the Empire State Building the same as a small apartment building, regarded all buildings equally, deploying resources unwisely. Working with the fire department and buildings department to analyze historical information, Flowerss team discovered which buildings were more likely to have critical violations resulting in destruction and deathand made it a priority to inspect those buildings. What we basically did is reconstruct the inspection experience to be risk-based, he says. Now, every building gets a risk grade, which inspectors use as guides. Fire deaths and injuries have never been so low.

Another success during the Bloomberg years: end-to-end 911 analysis, that is, integrating different city agencies systems to learn how long it takes for ambulances to respond to 911 calls and if response times could be improved. Previously, city departments had tracked such data only at the points in which their own resources were involved. The fire department, for example, measured how long it took to send out an ambulance after it received a transferred call from the police department, not how long it took for the police department to transfer that call. Yet both pieces of data are valuable, says Flowers. The fire department shouldnt be accountable for a dispatching delay, and vice versa, but seeing all the data, the city can now figure out whether the problem involves dispatching or ambulance availabilityor both. Officials can rely on this information in scheduling shifts more efficiently.

Flowerss experience also shows that data cant act on their own: they require officials to exert political will. He couldnt have done his job, he points out, were it not for the third-term Bloomberg administrations willingness to annoy the fire-department unions, which sued me over and over regarding the more efficient inspections, even though these practices didnt violate collective bargaining agreements. The algorithmic stuff is really the easy piece, he saysgetting different city agencies to work together to boost efficiency was the heavier lift.

Cascading problems help explain why data alone arent the solution to urban woes. When the city used its more efficient analysis procedures to shut down a firetrap, for example, it also made several families newly homeless, creating a concern for another government agency. But, Flowers notes, he always kept in mind that his job was to use data to pursue the mission of [a government] agency, not to protect the bureaucracy.

Open data can be used to improve government and to help businesses cope with the agencies that regulate them.

New Yorks worst natural disaster in recent memorySuperstorm Sandystruck during the Bloomberg administration, spurring the city not only to use data more aggressively but also to improve the quality of those data. Noel Hidalgo heads BetaNYC, a civic hacking organization that relies on open data to try to help government perform better. Hidalgo notes that after Sandy in 2012, the Bloomberg administration grasped how bad some of the citys information was: single locations had multiple different addresses, for instance; and the buildings department had no idea what the fire department knew about a particular building. The tragedy of Sandy created an environment where the city recognized the value of data sharing, says Hidalgo. The Bloomberg administration then made sure that every location in the city has a single, consistent address, now available to the public. Interagency cooperation on address location is fundamental to a city as dense as New York, Hidalgo says. As data quality and sharing improve, firefighters responding at a particular address could someday receive a warning that police have gone to the home multiple times for domestic-violence incidents, or see that the buildings landlord had violations at other buildings for dividing them into illegal and unsafe apartmentsand that the landlord might have been doing the same thing with the burning building.

Half a decade ago, the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority started making data feeds available for the publics use. Private-sector entrepreneurs have drawn on them to create dozens of apps to help New Yorkers do everything from find out when the next bus is coming to learn about the piece of artwork in a particular train station. The MTA is exploring other applications; it held a hackathon in early March so that volunteers vying for $2,000 in prizes could crunch data to help the authority speed up Staten Island bus times. Using open data, citizens have prompted reforms in other transportation areas as well. Ben Wellington, a Pratt professor who runs the I Quant NY blog, learned through open data that just half of the citys cab fleet included tolls to calculate the suggested tip for a cab ride. Now, the fleet has a consistent policy (in favor of the higher tips).

Open data can be deployed not only to improve government but also to help business owners cope with the government agencies that regulate them. Aileen Gemma Smith, a local entrepreneur, saw that after Sandy, small-business owners wanted to know such things as when a certain street would reopen. She noted that this lack of information, though more acute after a disaster, was chronic even in normal times. Business owners showing up for work would be surprised that the city had closed their street for repairsmeaning lost customers and thus lost revenue. I went to shopkeepers and said, Im building this for you, talk to me about whats important,  she says. The app she launched, called Mind My Business, crawls through hundreds of the citys data sets to give subscribers practical information: the MTA is closing the subway stop near your store this weekend, or the city is repairing the sidewalk that goes by your shop this week, or the previous owner of the restaurant space you own got fined four times for the following violations. Data arent just for privileged folks doing research, Smith says. Open data is how I help the local bodega guy, how I help the diner thats been there for 25 years. Mind My Business has 2,000 local subscribers.

Amateurs can mine Big Data to improve the quality of life in the city, too, even if they know nothing about software coding. Paul Vogel, a Prospect Heights resident, got a camera for his bike a few years back because he had a couple of bad run-ins with reckless car and truck drivers, and Im really bad at remembering license plates. When he gets home after a ride, he sends pictures of taxis and other for-hire cars whose drivers have violated various laws to 311. I was surprised that the 311 system for [taxi complaints] is so efficient . . . that I could get someone fined, he says. Over a year or so, his self-described hobby has earned the city about $30,000 in revenue. More important, he may have saved some lives, by deterring drivers he got fined from parking in bike lanes or running red lights again. Vogel tweets his successes. Putting it out on social media has raised awareness a little bit, he says. Several other people have contacted him to let him know that theyve done the same thing.

At some point, though, Big Data and open data run into an old-fashioned problem: the city knows what the information suggests that it should dobut it wont do it. For years now, residents of Battery Park City and the rest of the lower Hudson waterfront have suffered from incessant noise from tourist helicopters, says John Dellapontas of Stop the Chop, a residents advocacy group. We have flight data that we got from FOIL, he notesreferring to the freedom-of-information law (see box) by which his group has petitioned the city and state to reveal how many helicopter flights take off from a city-owned helipad. He could show round trips, one every minute, flying by residents apartment windows. Yet the company that runs helicopter tours used the lack of 311 data to say that residents didnt mind the flights. That is true, but meaningless, Dellapontas says. We started doing 311, [but] wed get a form response saying that its perfectly legal, which it is. Instead, Stop the Chop circumvented the 311 system and had 5,000 members e-mail blast local politicians. We basically created a more effective 311 system. Stop the Chop won the data battle but lost the war. The compromise that the mayor came up with reduced flights to every two minutes, from every one minuteand extended the tour-helicopter companys lease.

Midtown residents have had similar difficulty in getting the city to rezone land so that developers cant build 1,000-foot-plus condominium towers that cast large shadows across public spaces. The sunshine task force of Manhattans Community Board 5, the arm of local government that is supposed to be closest to citizens needs, has spent more than two years amassing and analyzing property-records data, zoning rules, and building permits, and working with other nonprofits to show the consequences of poorly conceived construction. The first problem that local residents have run into is that data released by the city are often difficult to understand and analyze. When sharing information on, say, the property-rights transfers necessary to build super-tall towers, the city doesnt put out a simple weekly list of all such transfers. Residents looking to learn about such activity in their neighborhoods must crawl online through hundreds of individual property records to see what activity occurred at those properties. The way the information is buried, it becomes unusable, says Layla Law-Gisiko, chairperson of the task force.

Second, even when residents are able to do the difficult work of presenting incontrovertible, easy-to-understand data, its still easy for the city council and the mayor to ignore those data. The sunshine task force and the Municipal Art Society have compiled and publicized maps that show clearly how shadows from planned buildings would affect Central Park, one of the citys most treasured public spaces. But the city council has responded by promising only to study the issue. Meantime, the towers are going up. It really makes no sense, says Law-Gisiko. Its really putting our democratic system in jeopardy.

On the plus side, datas role in public decision making has become increasingly hard to ignore. Even in New Yorks city council, which often makes headlines for greenlighting poorly considered ideas, at least some proposals go down to defeat when theyre not backed by sufficient information. Consider the horse saga. During his first two years in office, Mayor de Blasio fought to rid New York of Central Parks horse carriages. A horse-free New York was the top priority of some of his major donors. Yet the citys paucity of data to back the mayors case was striking. At a January 2016 hearing, Mindy Tarlow, the mayors director of operations, attempted to convince the city council that it was dangerous for horses to ride in traffic and for pedicab drivers and horses to coexist in Central Park. Yet she had no data map of crashes between horses and pedicabs and no graphic showing how horse deaths on city streets had increased (if they had even occurred). We shouldnt burden an entire industry without any statistics, Council Member Margaret Chin said. In the end, the horse-carriage drivers prevailed.

In some cases, however, government finds itself outgunned by private-sector firms that manipulate data to circumvent laws meant to protect New Yorkers quality of life. Take the example of Airbnb, which allows New Yorkers to turn their apartments into hotel rooms for paying guests. Airbnbs most lucrative service allows New Yorkers to rent out entire empty apartments to strangers. This business is illegal under state and city law: New Yorkers do not want their apartment buildings to become hotels or youth hostels. Enforcing the law, though, is difficult. The city must rely on 311 callers to report illegal apartment rentals; then it must dispatch enforcers who wait, sometimes for hours, to spot illegal activity. The city expends taxpayer resources to find out something that Airbnb already knows, from its internal databases: which rentals are illegal and which are not. Before releasing select data to reporters in December 2015, Airbnb scrubbed its listing of at least 1,000 illegal rentals, in order to make the data look better to journalists. Airbnb knows where and when its hosts are breaking the law; the city does not.

Despite many advances, we still need more dataand better datato improve New Yorks quality of life. Take a common scenario: a resident calls to complain that construction plates over underground work in the street arent secured properly. The website says that inspectors found nothing wrong. You wonder, did they ever inspect it? You dont know, says John Kaehny, cochair of the New York City Transparency Working Group, a coalition of government watchdogs. The city should let the public see specific details of government agencies responses to such complaints. The city should also allow people to continue a 311 complaint when they think that the city hasnt resolved it successfully, rather than force them to open new complaints. Doing this involves overcoming two political hurdles. The police department responds to many complaints, but police unions dont want GPS data tracking cruisers movements, and providing such specific data might prove what complainants suspect: that officers and inspectors are often too overwhelmed to respond.

The future of data, though, isnt more 311 calls, but sensors. This year, a private vendor is erecting free Wi-Fi kiosks around the city to let New Yorkers access high-speed Internet as they walk along the street. The city could work with the vendor to outfit these kiosks with sensors to monitor everything from noise-pollution levels to carbon monoxide, one person familiar with the project noted. High levels of carbon monoxide could direct traffic agents to a congested street with double-parked trucks. The city could also combine human reporting with sensor enforcement, forcing a building site with a long history of noise violations, say, to deploy a permanent sensor at its site. The city could also learn when a garbage can is full and needs emptying, or count how many people walk through a particular intersection at particular times, or count how many people, precisely, get into a subway carand use that information to provide better services. Sensors could count how many cars and trucks are in Manhattanand prohibit other vehicles from coming in until some leave.

And New Yorkers, of course, have urban problems that data wont solve. On many subway lines now, riders can look at countdown clocks to see when the next train will arrivebut knowing that the Lexington Avenue line train is coming in two minutes doesnt change the fact that not everyone waiting on the platform will fit onto that train. New Yorkers dont need Big Data to tell them that the subways are too crowded. Without better, smarter investment in the assets that our second modern urban revolutionelectricitygave us, we cant fully capitalize on Big Datas potential.

Top Photo: Using data to identify dangerous intersections and reckless driving habits, New York City has cut traffic deaths by nearly one-third. (FRANCES M. ROBERTS/THE IMAGE WORKS)
Weve written about the overuse of dashes in text, how a dash is not a hyphen, how to use a semicolon and how to use a colon, and ad nauseam about commas.

We havent talked about what to do when punctuation marks collide. But the opportunity arose in a query from a friend wondering how to punctuate a sentence like this:

His question How do I get enough to eat? does not have a simple answer.

The choices the friend offered were these:

His question, How do I get enough to eat?, does not have a simple answer.

His question, How do I get enough to eat?, does not have a simple answer.

Which is correct? Or is there another choice?

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Actually, this is going to be a two-part discussion. And, by now, you should know that most of the time the answer is it depends.

Weve made passing reference to the fact that commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, at least in American English. So logic would say the second choice is correct. But doesnt that look awful? And if you put the comma outside the quotation marks, isnt that violating the rule that commas always go inside the quotation marks?

To discuss part of this, we have to introduce the concept of the attributive tag. These happen in journalism a lot, since we attribute a lot. In the sentence  This plan will cause our taxes to go up, he said, the phrase he said is the attributive tag, and its supposed to be set off with a comma, which, in this case, comes before the quotation mark. But turn that phrase into a question, and youve got trouble: Does  Will this plan cause our taxes to go up? he said need a comma, since he said is still an attributive tag? (And can we possibly use more quotation marks, singles and doubles, in a single paragraph?)

In most style guides, no comma is needed or wanted when a question mark in a quotation precedes an attributive tag. The Associated Press Stylebook says: The question mark supersedes the comma that normally is used when supplying attribution for a quotation: Who is there? she asked.

Here comes one of the buts.

But if what follows the question mark is not attributive, that comma might be needed for other grammatical reasons. The Chicago Manual of Style specifies that if the question mark (or exclamation point) is part of a title, a comma should be used as it would be ordinarily:

Are You a Doctor?, the fifth story in Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, treats modern love.

Of course, Chicago puts many titles in italics. The Associated Press version would be:

Are You a Doctor?, the fifth story in Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?, treats modern love.

And yes, it sure does look ugly.

But what if the sentence doesnt have a title or an attributive tag? Our friends example doesnt.

Well tackle that next week. You can quote us on that.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Merrill Perlman managed copy desks across the newsroom at the New York Times, where she worked for twenty-five years. Follow her on Twitter at @meperl.
The federal government on Thursday announced sweeping new regulations for electronic cigarettes that could upend the multibillion-dollar industry and for the first time require e-cigarette makers to submit their products for a safety review.

Before brands are allowed to stay in the market, regulators would have to check the ingredients, design and flavor of the fast-growing devices, which have found a foothold with teenagers.

Millions of kids are being introduced to nicotine every year, a new generation hooked on a highly addictive chemical Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said. We cannot let the enormous progress weve made toward a tobacco-free generation be undermined by products that impact our health and economy in this way.

The rules issued by the Food and Drug Administration would also extend long-standing restrictions on traditional cigarettes to a host of other products, including e-cigarettes, hookah, pipe tobacco and nicotine gels. Minors would be banned from buying the products.

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that turn liquid nicotine into an inhalable vapor. Though nicotine can be addictive, e-cigarettes lack the chemicals and tars of burning tobacco. Yet the devices have not been extensively studied, and theres no scientific consensus on any potential benefits or harms from vaping.

More than 15 percent of high school students report using e-cigarettes, up more than 900 percent over the last five years, according to federal figures. High school boys smoke cigars at the same rates as regular cigarettes.

Beginning in August, retailers will be prohibited from selling the tobacco products to those under 18, placing them in vending machines or distributing free samples. While nearly all states already ban sales of e-cigarettes to minors, federal officials said they will be able to impose stiffer penalties and deploy more resources to enforce the law.

The FDA action comes five years after the agency first announced its intent to regulate e-cigarettes and more than two years after it floated its initial proposal.

Public health advocates applauded the decision.

Ending the tobacco epidemic is more urgent than ever, and can only happen if the FDA acts aggressively and broadly to protect all Americans from all tobacco products, said Harold Wimmer, president of the American Lung Association.

The vaping industry says the lengthy federal reviews would be time-consuming and costly and could put many smaller companies out of business.

The regulations will cause a modern-day prohibition of products that are recognized worldwide as far less hazardous than cigarettes, said Gregory Conley, president of the American Vaping Association. If the FDAs rule is not changed by Congress or the courts, thousands of small businesses will close in two to three years.

The agency has stumbled before in its efforts to regulate the space. In 2010, a federal appeals court threw out the agencys plan to treat e-cigarettes as drug-delivery devices rather than tobacco products.

House Republicans are already pushing back. A House spending committee last month approved industry-backed legislation that would prohibit the FDA from requiring retroactive safety reviews of e-cigarettes that are already on the market and exempt some premium and large cigars from those same regulations. E-cigarette products introduced in the future would still undergo the safety reviews.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have long enjoyed a close relationship with the tobacco industry, which has already given more than $1.8 million to members of Congress this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The FDA first gained authority to regulate some aspects of cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products under a 2009 law. But since e-cigarettes do not actually contain tobacco, they were not covered by the original law.

The FDA spent more than two years finalizing its proposal for regulating nontraditional tobacco products, delayed for months by industry resistance.

Some smokers use e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking tobacco or to cut down. However, theres not much scientific evidence supporting those claims, though officials said they are working on that research.

In the meantime, we know there are many other proven cessation tools available, Burwell said.

E-cigarettes sales grew to an estimated $3.5 billion in 2015, according to Wells Fargo. After ballooning over several years, sales have recently begun to slow due to negative publicity and questions about safety. Retail sales are dominated by a handful of traditional tobacco companies, including Reynolds Americans Vuse and Imperial Tobaccos blu brands. Those products are sold nationwide at convenience stores and gas stations.

Hundreds of smaller companies sell more specialized products  often with refillable tanks and customized flavors  at vape shops and over the Internet. That space alone may be worth $2 billion in sales, according to estimates, though precise figures are not available.

(Associated Press Writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this story.)

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A federal judge who ruled last year that the federal government is responsible for some of the flooding that hit the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina and other storms granted class-action status in the case Wednesday, meaning numerous property owners  not just the handful in the original 2005 lawsuit  could be in line for compensation.

How much money and how many properties could eventually be involved wasnt immediately clear. And the ruling made clear that nothing is imminent, pending an appeal court review.

The case centers on flooding in New Orleans Ninth Ward and neighboring St. Bernard Parish blamed on the now-closed Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

The lawsuit said the construction, dredging and operation of the navigation canal, known in south Louisiana as Mr. Go, contributed to conditions that led to catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Hurricane Rita weeks later and other storms. In effect, the suit argued, the flood damage caused by the canal was an illegal taking of private property by the federal government without adequate compensation.

Judge Susan Braden of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims agreed. She ruled last May that the Corps construction, expansions, operation and failure to maintain the MR-GO led to storm surge and flooding that amounted to a temporary taking under the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Her Wednesday order had some specifics, spelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars in storm-related costs and lost rent on specific properties and saying the city of New Orleans should recoup real estate taxes, currently estimated at $2.5 million.

However, Braden stressed that the ruling dealt with what she referred to as test properties in the case. She said an appellate review of her finding will likely take at least a year.

Meanwhile, Braden said, she expects to soon begin issuing orders to the St. Bernard and New Orleans governments so that the court will be in a position to proceed promptly to issue a final money judgment as to all class members, if the appellate court affirms this courts decisions.

The Justice Department declined comment Wednesday. Attorneys for plaintiffs in the case had not returned requests for comment Wednesday evening.

The MRGO was authorized by Congress in 1956 as a shortcut from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and was completed years later. It was shut down in 2009.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The legal immunity provided physicians by Arizonas medical marijuana law for certifying patients to use pot only applies to the medical certifications, not other conduct such as making false statements in documents, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The high courts unanimous ruling overturns a lower courts decision that upheld dismissal of forgery and fraud charges against a physician on grounds that he was protected under the immunity provision of the pot law.

Dr. Robert Gear was charged in Navajo County in 2013 after being accused of signing a medical marijuana certification for a police informant based on a physical exam but before receiving a years worth of the patients records.

Officials say the state-required form completed by Gear in September 2012 said he had reviewed the records.

Gears lawyer argued that the immunity provision applied to any conduct related to certification, but the state Supreme Court said that went too far and could lead to troublesome outcomes that would be difficult to square with the wording and intent of the law.

For example, such an interpretation could extend immunity to theft or sexual assault committed during a physical exam for certification, Justice Clint Bolick wrote in the ruling.

The ruling also brushed away a defense argument that allowing Gear to be prosecuted by narrowly interpreting the immunity provision would chill doctors willingness to participate in the medical marijuana program and make it harder for patients to obtain certifications.

Physicians are trained and relied upon to be scrupulous, Bolick wrote.

The ruling noted that a 2008 California Supreme Court decision similarly limited immunity from prosecution in a case involving medical marijuana caregivers.

With the ruling Friday, the charges against Gear were reinstated and his case will return to trial court for further proceedings.

The opinion was the first authored by Bolick, the courts newest member. He was appointed in January to fill a retirement vacancy.

A call to Gear for comment on the courts ruling wasnt immediately returned Friday.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Marcus Price verdict.JPG

A jury found Marcus Price not guilty in the 2015 shooting death of Ahmed Crim-Hill.

(Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com)

AKRON, Ohio -- A jury on Monday acquitted an Akron man in connection with the fatal shooting of his 17-year-old friend.

Marcus Price, 19, was found not guilty of aggravated murder and murder in the Feb. 15, 2015 shooting death of Ahmed Crim-Hill.

A jury of seven women and five men found Price guilty of tampering with evidence. Price will remain in custody until Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tammy O'Brien sentences him May 18.

The jury deliberated about three hours before reaching the verdict. Crim-Hill's mother, Vickie Hill, screamed as she left O'Brien's courtroom immediately after the not-guilty verdicts.

She collapsed in the hallway next to another courtroom while crying and yelling: "I can't believe it."

She was followed out of the courtroom by uncles, aunts and Crim-Hill's grandmother, Gia Hatcher, who traveled to Akron from North Carolina for the trial. Hatcher's birthday was Monday.

Hill after the hearing said she felt let down by the jury's verdict.

"He murdered my baby," Hill said. "I don't know how someone who admitted to at least being part of a murder scheme can be not guilty."

Price remained stoic through much of the hearing. He briefly put his head in his hands.

Defense attorney Adam Van Ho said Price maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

Price testified during the trial that he, Crim-Hill, David Quarterman and several other friends hung out at his home on Westwood Place the night before the shooting.

Price, Crim-Hill and Quarterman woke up the next day and decided to go buy marijuana and Black and Mild cigars. Price testified that he was walking in front of the other two when they cut down an alley off Colfax Place.

He said he heard a gunshot, turned around and saw Crim-Hill drop to the ground without trying to catch himself. He also saw Quarterman with a gun. Price said that Quarterman walked up to Crim-Hill and shot him in the head a close range.

Price said Quarterman pointed the gun at him and handed him the gun. He said he cried and Quarterman threatened to kill him if he told anyone.

Price said that the two went to a friend's house where Quarterman forced him to scrub his hands with bleach and change his clothes.

Prosecutors said during closing arguments that Price became wary of Crim-Hill after reading a suspicious text message on his phone. Two people, including Quarterman, testified that Price spoke of killing Crim-Hill later in the day.

"I hold both of them equally responsible," Crim-Hill's mother said. "He washed his hands of with bleach. He watched my Ahmed fall to the ground. He watched him take his last breath."

Quarterman previously pleaded guilty to complicity to commit voluntary manslaughter in exchange for testifying against Price.

He also pleaded guilty to committing an unrelated armed home invasion with his younger brother.

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tammy O'Brien will sentence Quarterman May 19.

Defense attorney Adam Van Ho said he thought the crucial piece of evidence presented at the trial was Quarterman's plea agreement.

"I've been doing this for 15 years and that was the best sweetheart deal I've ever seen for a murder case," Van Ho said.

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Akron police 4

Akron police arrested a woman Saturday in connection with a stabbing.

(File photo)

AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron woman is accused of stabbing a man during an argument late Friday.

Kimberly Robinson, 56, is charged with felonious assault.

Robinson and a 48-year-old man argued about 10 p.m. Friday at Robinson's home in the 900 block of Sherman Street.

Robinson grabbed a knife and stabbed the man in the left hand and stomach. She drove away from the home in a 1995 Chevy Astrovan.

The man was taken to an area hospital, where he was rushed into surgery because of the seriousness of his injuries, according to court records.

Akron police arrested Johnson about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the 900 block of Johnston Street.

If you wish to discuss or comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
Marcus Price testify

Marcus Price, 19, testified at his murder trial on Friday.

(Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com)

AKRON, Ohio -- A Summit County jury is deliberating in the trial of an Akron man charged in the execution-style killing of a 17-year-old friend.

Marcus Price, 19, is charged with aggravated murder, murder and tampering with evidence. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tammy O'Brien also allowed the jury to consider an option of complicity to aggravated murder.

Summit County Prosecutors and defense attorney Adam Van Ho on Monday told the jury that their main concern is to decide whether Price or co-defendant David Quarterman delivered the most credible testimony.

Quarterman previously pleaded guilty to complicity to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the Feb. 15, 2015 shooting of Ahmed Crim-Hill.

Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Jennie Shuki said during her closing argument that Quarterman's testimony was backed up by several other witnesses who testified.

Quarterman and others testified that on Feb. 14, 2015, a group of friends hung out, smoked marijuana and stayed the night at Price's home. Price found a text message on Crim-Hill's phone that made him suspicious.

Several people testified that Crim-Hill shot someone during a robbery of a card game earlier that night. Price told Quarterman and one other person at the home that he needed to hurt or kill Crim-Hill based on the text message that he saw, Shuki said.

The next morning, Price told Crim-Hill that he and Quarterman were going to buy marijuana. He told Crim-Hill they wouldn't let him smoke unless he came with them, Shuki said.

Once they got into an alley off Colfax Place, Price pulled out the same handgun Crim-Hill used in the previous day's robbery and shot him twice, once in the back of the head from about six feet away and another time in the head after he fell to the ground, Shuki said.

Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Kevin Mayer told the jury that it had enough evidence to convict Price without using Quarterman's testimony.

Mayer also pointed out that other witnesses said that Price was the only person to wash his hands with bleach after the shooting. Price testified that Quarterman also used bleach. No other witnesses saw him use it and two other witnesses said that Price, not Quarterman, smelled of bleach that day.

Mayer also said Quarterman's account of what happened never changed. He said Price gave five different accounts of what happened in the alley.

"No one corroborated anything that Price said on the stand," Mayer said. "Even if you take Quarterman's story completely out of the picture, Price is still guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Price testified Friday that he watched Quarterman shoot Crim-Hill and that Quarterman threatened to kill him if he talked to police. Van Ho said that Quarterman used a deal from prosecutors to get a lesser sentence in this case and an unrelated armed robbery that he committed with his younger brother. The deal also included lesser time for his brother.

Quarterman has not yet been sentenced in either case.

Van Ho also said that the prosecutor's account makes no sense. He said Price had no motive to kill Crim-Hill, who Price described as one of his best friends.

He said that Quarterman lied about being involved in the shooting on the stand, despite pleading guilty to complicity. Van Ho said that Quarterman was twice seen with the 9mm handgun that was used to kill Crim-Hill.

The gun was never found.

Van Ho also attacked the testimony of 16-year-old Mikhale Brown. Brown testified Friday that she heard Price describe how he committed the murder and that she saw Price and Quarterman laugh about it later in the day.

Van Ho said Brown lied to police in order to protect Quarterman, who was her boyfriend at the time. He said that Quarterman's motive for shooting Crim-Hill was because he wanted to retaliate for shooting a friend at the card game the night before.

"He has no motive to kill," Van Ho said. "The prosecutor's don't have to prove motive, but don't you think there should be one? Marcus doesn't have a real reason to put a bullet in Ahmed Hill's head. Quarterman does have a motive."

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Andria Hickey and Will Brown

Andria Hickey and Will Brown are joining MOCA Cleveland's curatorial team.

(Courtesy Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland on Monday announced the appointments of Andria Hickey as senior curator and A. Will Brown as assistant curator.

The appointments, which will bring a pair of rising curatorial stars to Cleveland, fill two important openings.

They also complete MOCA's curatorial staff following a brief period of turnover that occurred four years after the museum moved to its architecturally impressive permanent home in University Circle's Uptown development.

Hickey has earned national attention for her work as curator of New York's Public Art Fund, for which she organized numerous outdoor at exhibitions in New York City between 2011 and her MOCA appointment, which takes effect in September.

Brown, who begins his work at MOCA in July, served as curatorial assistant for contemporary art at the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, and has also authored numerous articles about contemporary art and artists.

The museum described Brown as "a regular contributor of artist interviews, exhibition reviews and scholarly texts for 'Daily Serving,' 'Hyperallergic,' 'Art Practical,' the RISD Museum's 'Manual Magazine,' and 'Studio International.' "

Hickey and Brown will join MOCA after the recent departures of assistant curator and publications manager Rose Bouthillier and curatorial assistant Laura Ziewitz.

Bouthillier left MOCA to become curator of exhibitions at the Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan in Canada, and Ziewitz recently joined the Cleveland Museum of Art as assistant registrar for special exhibitions.

"It was fortuitous that both positions vacated within a few months. and it gave us the tremendous opportunity to hire a complementary team," Jill Snyder, MOCA director, said Monday afternoon.

"With Andria and Will, we have fantastic skill,sets," she said. "Both of them have experiences that are very diverse in different parts of the country. They have a lot of exposure to the contemporary art world around the country, and Andria in particular has real global strengths."

Snyder said that Hickey "has worked at the center of the art world in New York within a very powerful arts institution, the Public Art Fund," where she commissioned outdoor installations by leading contemporary artists.

"She brings an unusual depth of experience and focus on how the public responds to contemporary art and how contemporary art can advance a civic dialogue and engage the public," Snyder said.

Reached by phone at a conference at Fogo Island in her native Newfoundland, Hickey said she's "extremely excited" about coming to MOCA from New York.

"The idea of working in a place that is off center in terms of the New York spotlight means a great deal of opportunity to do risk-taking programs and really taking a position as an institution that has a lot of dexterity and history and connections to the community," Hickey said.

Of Brown, Snyder said: "He has a super wry sense of humor, he's really delightful. Will is an emerging curator, and he brings very strong writing skills and is particularly conversant in the arena of film and video."

MOCA's senior management team includes deputy director Megan Lykins Reich, who heads the museum's programs and engagement team, and who has also curated shows, including last year's "How to Remain Human," co-organized with Bouthillier.

Snyder said that the completion of MOCA's curatorial team will allow it to advance a key strategic goal - that of advancing a global vision for its exhibition program.

"For us, this is the ambitious goal over the next few years as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2019," she said.

Note: This story has been updated with a direct quote from Hickey
Because the calculations involved in determining the amount to save are very intricate, often people turn to others who have the applicable skills to help. For a portion of the population, that expertise is obtained from a financial advisor who uses sophisticated tools to help guide us.

However, for a majority of households, that professional help may not be readily available or, for a variety of reasons, may not be used. So it seems only natural to turn to the internet for free tools that may help with retirement planning. Finding a good tool to help you prepare for such an important phase in your life is a very smart move.

But finding a good online tool to work with may not be as clear-cut as you think.
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann on Monday stepped down as leader of the centrist coalition government and as head of his Social Democratic Party (SPO), two weeks after the SPO suffered a disastrous result in presidential elections.

Faymann, chancellor since 2008, had been under pressure from some in his party over his tough asylum policy and from others for wanting to keep a ban on forming coalitions with the anti-immigration and eurosceptic Freedom Party (FPO), which is leading opinion polls.

"To have a majority (in the party) is not enough," a spokeswoman for Faymann quoted him as saying at a hastily convened news conference. A Reuters photographer at the event said Faymann had announced he was stepping down.

The SPO, which rules neutral Austria in a coalition with the centre-right People's Party (OVP), suffered a major defeat last month in first-round voting for the next president when both parties scraped together just 23 percent.

The candidate for the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), running on an anti-Islam and eurosceptic platform, won more than a third of the votes, sending him into a run-off for the largely ceremonial role with a former Green Party leader on May 22.
Shares of Baidu closed down more than 2 percent Monday after Chinese regulators announced limits on the company's lucrative health care advertisements.

The restrictions came in response to public outcry over the death of a student who underwent experimental cancer treatment he found through the search engine's ads.

Twenty-one-year-old Wei Zexi was treated at the Second Hospital of Beijing Armed Police Corps but the treatment failed, Reuters reported. Before he died in mid-April, Wei used social media to accuse the hospital of making misleading claims about the effectiveness of its treatments and Baidu of promoting false medical claims.
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Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders used a Monday speech in Atlantic City, New Jersey to attack presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and Carl Icahn, one of his most vocal supporters. In response, the billionaire investor said the senator from Vermont was wrong about his personal attack  but generally right on his overall message. "We need to tell the Carl Icahns of the world that that greed is not acceptable," Sanders said in his speech, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sanders spoke out against Icahn's involvement in stripping some Trump Taj Mahal workers' benefits when he took control of the casino during bankruptcy, the report said.

In his response, Icahn criticized Sanders for not "even bothering to give me a call to hear my views and the real facts." Those facts, he said, include that "few would disagree that the Taj would have closed with thousands of job losses if I hadn't come in and provided tens of millions in capital to save it and save those jobs." Icahn also criticized the casino workers' union, which has endorsed Sanders. And then Icahn  the vocal Trump supporter, who has called his candidate a "no-brainer"  said he agreed with Sanders.
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Gap 's sales bleed continued in the first quarter. The specialty chain warned Monday first-quarter revenue and profits would fall short of Wall Street's expectations, and issued a forecast for the period that reflected the slower traffic it saw in its stores, which led to more discounting. After the market closed, Gap said it achieved $3.44 billion in net sales during the first quarter. That compares with consensus estimates from Thomas Reuters calling for $3.54 billion, and the $3.66 billion in sales it posted during the prior-year period.



An exterior view of fashion retailer Gap's Oxford Street store on February 11, 2016 in London. Getty Images

Meanwhile, the parent of the Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy chains said it expects diluted earnings per share during the quarter of 31 cents to 32 cents, well below analysts' expectations of 44 cents a share.

In a press release, the company said it is "identifying opportunities to streamline its operating model to be more efficient and flexible, while more fully exploiting its scale advantage." The retailer is also evaluating the overseas footprints of its Old Navy and Banana Republic chains, by looking for ways to "sharpen its focus on geographies with the greatest potential."

"We are committed to better positioning the business to recapture market share in North America and to capitalizing on strategic international regions where there is a strong runway for growth," CEO Art Peck said.

The company will share additional details when it announces first-quarter earnings May 19.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday backtracked on his remarks about raising taxes on wealthy Americans, saying the rich might simply get a smaller tax cut than he originally proposed.

On Sunday, Trump had said taxes on the wealthy would "go up a little bit" once his broad tax policy proposals, which include tax cuts for rich Americans, were negotiated with Congress  an apparent break with traditional Republican support for lower taxes in all income brackets.

"The thing I'm going to do is make sure the middle class gets good tax breaks," the presumptive GOP presidential nominee told NBC's "Meet the Press." "For the wealthy, I think, frankly, it's going to go up. And you know what, it really should go up."



But on Monday, Trump denied that he meant to imply he was willing to raise taxes for people in higher income brackets from their current level, saying he had been referring to potential adjustments to his own tax policy proposal.

"I may have to increase it on the wealthy. I'm not going to allow it to be increased on the middle class," Trump said on CNN. "Now, if I increase it on the wealthy, that means they're still going to be paying less than they are paying now. I'm talking about increasing it from my tax proposal."

The proposal, released in September, included broad tax breaks for businesses and households, with the highest income tax rate reduced to 25 percent from the current 39.6 percent rate.

Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, said on Monday that lowering taxes on the middle class and businesses was his priority.

"I'm not talking about a tax increase. I'm talking about a tremendous tax decrease, OK?" Trump said on the Fox Business Network, saying proposals always change in negotiations with Congress but that he was committed to cutting taxes.

"I'm not talking a raise from where they are now; I'm talking about a raise from my low proposal," he said.

Before Trump's clarification, anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist, who has backed Trump's promised across-the-board tax cut, endorsed the plan Monday.

"Some people who organize their lives around tax credits and tax deductions might see some increase," Norquist told CNBC's "Squawk Box."
HCP , a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on health care, said it would spin off its skilled nursing and assisted living properties into a publicly traded REIT.

HCP said the spinoff would allow it to focus on its core businesses  senior housing, life science properties and medical offices  and give it flexibility to invest in assets with limited dependency on government reimbursement.

Skilled nursing facilities provide long-term care for patients who have difficulty in regular day-to-day activities. These services are covered under Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The electoral triumph of Malaysia's ruling coalition in the country's largest state may be a well-needed confidence boost for Prime Minister Najib Razak as he battles a high-profile corruption scandal.

Sarawak, located in the island of Borneo, held its 11th state elections on Saturday, with the Barisan Nasional (BN) party securing 72 out of 82 seats.

The results effectively allow Najib to maintain the status quo and contain political risks from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, explained Trinh Nguyen, an economist at Natixis.

Last June, the 62-year old leader was accused of receiving $681 million in his bank account from 1MDB, a debt-laden state investment fund that is now under investigation in Malaysia and six other countries. In March this year, the Wall Street Journal, who first broke the scandal, updated that figure to more than $1 billion. Najib has denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by the country's attorney general in January, who attributed the initial $681 million to a legal political donation from the Saudi royal family that was mostly returned.

The country's finance ministry, the sole shareholder of 1MDB, recently dissolved the fund's board of advisers and said it would take over the remaining assets following 1MDB's failure to pay a $50.3 million coupon on a $1.75 billion bond in late April. Should 1MDB go into default, the government will have to assume 1MDB's obligations. But that may be a risky burden for Kuala Lumpur to bear, with state finances already hit by low oil pricesMalaysia is the world's second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.

As of January, 1MDB's debt stood at $12.5 billion, according to Reuters.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now assuming effective control over Saudi oil policy, has stated that the country could increase output to 11.5 million barrels a day immediately and go to 12.5 million in six to nine months. The prince has asserted that the kingdom could elect to increase investment in its oil industry and raise production to 20 million barrels a day within a few years.

As ever, having a clear view of Saudi intentions would be enormously helpful to the oil community. An annual increase of 300,000 barrels per day would not greatly influence market expectations of balances and prices. However, were the country to embark on a serious, continued ramping to keep oil prices suppressed and Iran tight on cash, then the entire complexion of the oil business would change.

If the kingdom added 700,000 barrels per day to world supply, OPEC supply growth, when including Iran and Iraq, could be sufficient to cover incremental global demand by itself. In such an event, international oil companies like Shell and BP would be facing hard times indeed. Therefore, one desirable reform would be the clarification of Saudi production intentions. This is unlikely, but it would be helpful.
Shares of Apple are coming off of Friday's new 52-week low as investors worry about slow growth, especially abroad. But some portfolio managers say Apple is set to bear more fruit than the Street may realize.

"Things aren't as bad as everybody thinks," Dan Morgan, senior portfolio manager at Synovus Trust told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" Monday. "They have a tremendous amount of room to grow."

Apple is facing negative headwinds after its first quarterly sales drop in more than a decade. Shares of the tech company have fallen almost 12 percent since April 26, when the company reported earnings and revenue that missed analyst expectations, as well as lowered guidance.

In particular, Morgan acknowledged trouble for Apple in China, calling it an "icy path" for the company. "But that also means there's tremendous room to grow," he said. "If they can go from 13 percent to 20 percent market share, that would be huge."

With a dividend yield above 2 percent, Morgan said he's happy to wait for Apple to bounce back, especially while the 10-year treasury note yield are around 1.8 percent.
"Firing a young CEO and installing a much more experienced one looks like leadership. Firing two CEOs in a month looks like chaos."

Having been in venture capital for over 42 years and in over 450 companies, we see this situation pop up in our portfolio often. While the reactions may not be as dramatic as in the show, the emotions still run deep in real life.

The core conflict is driven because the CEO or sales team is laser-focused on short-term revenue, while the CTO and engineers are focused on the purity and technical elegance of what they are building. The show's resolution to this conflict is a "skunkworks" project, where the team acts like it is going to build the product the CEO wants but really builds the product they want.
John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe, started the company with his brother, Patrick, because they were frustrated with how difficult it was to set up online payments for their previous start-ups.

"The tools and the infrastructure for building web products were getting better at a very fast rate, but when it came to running an internet business and the services available for that, entrepreneurs were really, really stuck," he told CNBC.

"They were left dealing with a 1970s banking system that hadn't been updated for the internet. There were very significant gatekeepers that kept people out of the online economy," Collison said.

This frustration is something Stripe's 25-year-old president sees as a source of inspiration for many entrepreneurs.

"I think an important force that drives entrepreneurship is a productive dissatisfaction with the way the world works. ... There are so many places where clearly a better service or a better business [could exist], or there's some opportunity to fix an inefficiency in the world," Collison said.
ZIP codes with the biggest booms

Joe Sohm | Visions of America | Getty Images

In America's younger days, "boom town" was used to describe a location showing a rapid expansion of residents in pursuit of the local valuable resource, like gold, timber or oil. What constitutes a boom town in 2016? In absence of a modern gold rush, the indicators are less obvious, and the attracting industry is likely technology or a service rather than a product or precious resource. This ranking of booming ZIP codes, provided by Realtor.com, was based on job growth, household formation and housing starts.

Each of the following 10 ZIP codes has seen one to five times the average job growth of the top 100 counties in the country, one to seven times the average growth of households and one to six times the average growth of housing starts. The continued growth in households over the next five years for each of these markets is projected to be 9 to 19 percent.

By Colleen Kane, special to CNBC.com

Posted 2016 May 9



10. 30363 Atlanta

Michael Dunn | EyeEm | Getty Image

2016 Projections: 10,000 new housing starts, 12,000 new jobs. Median house price: $275,800

The Atlantic Station community, centrally located in Georgia's capital city, was created from the former Atlantic Steel Mill. Once a neglected brownfield site, it was developed to be an energy efficient urban neighborhood, including many LEED-certified buildings. The resulting walkable midtown area has condominiums, townhomes, lofts, retail shops and restaurants, as well as 11 acres of public park space.

Over the next five years, households are projected to grow by 15.7 percent. In terms of jobs, Atlanta is home to media giants like CNN and Turner Broadcasting, as well as its legacy railroad industry, and IT provides a major source of local employment. A condo priced under the median at $254,900 in Atlantic Station is 1,263 square feet with new wood floors, granite counters, two bedrooms and two bathrooms.





9. 60603, Chicago

Evening picture from Chicago riverwalk Izzet Keribar | Getty Images

2016 projections: 6,000-plus new housing starts and more than 38,000 more jobs. Median house price: $700,000

Right in the Windy City's downtown area is The Loop, a central business district consisting of cultural institutions like the Art Institute, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Cultural Center, bars and restaurants concentrated in the West Loop, as well as the beaches of Lake Michigan, Grant Park and the Chicago Riverwalk.

Some local employers that you may have heard of include Google, Uber and Twitter. There's also work in finance (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) aviation (United, Boeing) and universities like Northwestern and Loyola. This median-priced high rise apartment is 1,342 square feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows offering park, lake and city views. Households in 60603 are expected to grow by 18.9 percent over the next five years.





8. 11249, Brooklyn, NY

South Williamsburg streetscape, Brooklyn Sascha Kilmer | Getty Images

2016 projections: More than 8,000 housing starts and 18,000 additional jobs.

Median house price: $1,340,000

In New York City's most populous borough of Brooklyn, the once-industrial urban wasteland of Williamsburg has come to epitomize a gentrification success story (for those who can afford it). It's now populated with galleries and music venues, shops, restaurants and bars, luxury lofts and condos and sidewalks packed with tourists.

Over the next few years, the number of households is projected to rise by 9.2 percent. Residents may be employed in greater Brooklyn and easily accessed Manhattan, in industries such as finance, tech, media, construction and services. This local condo, priced around the ZIP code's median at $1.295 million, is 1,175 square feet with two bedrooms, two baths and views of the Williamsburg Bridge and Manhattan.





7. 27571, Rolesville, NC

Source: Town of Rolesville, NC

2016 projections: More than 10,000 new housing starts and 12,000 added jobs. Median house price: $325,457

This thriving ZIP code about 30 minutes from Raleigh encompasses the suburban subdivisions of Rolesville, Carlton Pointe and Cedar Lakes. It has a mild climate, well-rated schools, and wealth of commutable employment as its main draws.

It's half an hour to the more than 150 companies headquartered in Research Triangle Park, and the nearby universities of North Carolina State, Duke and University of North Carolina provide more employment opportunities. A newly built house priced at just about the median of homes in this ZIP ($327,500) is nearly 2,800 square feet with four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a two-story foyer. The number of local households is expected to expand by 12.1 percent over the next five years.





6. 98121, Seattle

Belltown, Seattle neighborhood Richard Cummins | Getty Images

2016 projections: More than 13,000 new housing starts and 21,000 new jobs. Median house price: $675,000

This downtown Seattle ZIP code has experienced a 12 percent population boom since 2010, and over the next five years it's expected to expand households by another 11.9 percent. It's also the location of Seattle's largest retail zone, and its largest neighborhood of Belltown, is a hip walkable area of restaurants, shopping, galleries and warehouses.

Potential employers of new residents include Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, which all have headquarters nearby, as well as the Art Institute of Seattle, Antioch University and other educational institutions. This corner unit apartment, which is priced at the median for this ZIP code, has 1,522 square feet of space with two bedrooms and two baths, and offers views of the Space Needle, Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.





5. 89179, Las Vegas

Mountain's Edge, Nevada mountainsedge.com

2016 projections: More than 14,000 new housing starts and 23,000 new jobs. Median house price: $289,450

The master planned community Mountain's Edge, which makes up most of 89179, has maintained outstanding sales since 2004. Part of its appeal is attributed to its community parks, trails and its numerous schools, shopping centers and office space.

This ZIP code is 15 miles from the Strip, with all the service industry and tourism employment that entails.

This local house, priced a hair above the median at $290,000, is 1,836 square feet with an open plan, wood and tile floors, three bedrooms and two full baths. In the next five years, the number of households is forecast to increase by 19.4 percent.



4. 33132, Miami

Seaport in Miami, Florida Getty Images

2016 projections: 13,000 new housing starts and an increase of 44,000 jobs. Median house price: $449,250

This bustling ZIP encompasses Miami's downtown, midtown and Seaport areas, which have become more lively by night with a recent influx of development and residents. The forthcoming Miami Worldcenter development will feature outdoor "high street" style retail shopping, as well as a hotel, convention center and restaurants.

Local industries walkable for residents include finance, culture and the arts, media and entertainment. This apartment in a condo tower, priced just over the local median at $450,000, is 989-square-feet with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and marble floors throughout, and comes fully furnished and decorated. The number of households in this ZIP is expected to climb by 14.9 percent in the next five years.



3. 75201, Dallas

Dallas, Texas in farmer's market Jeremy Woodhouse | Getty Images

2016 projections: 16,000 new housing starts and 40,000 jobs created. Median house price: $937,000

This thriving ZIP of condos, lofts, and townhome residences includes downtown, uptown, the Farmers Market neighborhood, and more. The Dallas Trinity River Project of the early aughts brought in parks (including the 10,000-acre Great Trinity Forest) biking and hiking trails, as well as nature centers like the Audubon Center. Those outdoor recreational opportunities, paired the area's walkability to workplaces, shopping, and dining, helped attract new residents including millennials. Another appealing feature of the area: the Arts District has the Dallas Museum of Art and the Dallas Theater Center, among numerous other cultural institutions.

One local employer is Baylor University Medical Center, and major employers abound in Dallas, with AT&T, Dean Foods, and Texas Instruments, as well as many other corporate headquarters. This 1,726-square-foot apartment in the Azure tower, priced near the zip code's median at $925,000, has two bedrooms, two and a half baths, floor-to-ceiling windows, a gas fireplace, and a covered terrace. Households in 75201 are predicted to increase by 14.9 percent over the coming five years.





2. 90012, Los Angeles

Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

2016 projections: More than 22,000 new housing starts and 65,000 new jobs. Median house price: $596,500

This central Los Angeles ZIP code including the neighborhoods of Elysian Park, Mission Junction and Chinatown, has recently seen an uptick in wealthy residents. It has the Museum of Contemporary Art, several parks and both the Little Tokyo and Los Angeles Plaza historic districts. It also has the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Many residents are employed in finance, media, and entertainment. This 1,348-square-foot condo in the Promenade West building, priced just over the local median at $599,000, has two bedrooms, two baths, hardwood floors and a terrace with automatic awnings. The number of households in 90012 is set to increase by 8.8 percent over the next five years.





1. 85297, Gilbert, Ariz

New homes are under construction at a housing development Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Former Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke used his blog to weigh in on the recently announced currency overhaul. Bernanke, who was one the of first to object to the possible removal of Alexander Hamilton from the $10 note, called Treasury Secretary Jack Lews decision a good one. He said it was very much in line with what I had recommended last summer.

In that June blog he said he was appalled at anyone messing with Hamilton. Bernanke said that Harriet Tubman was an excellent choice for the $20 note but reserved most of his admiration for Hamilton. He feels that no one has a better claim to be on U.S. paper currency than Americas first Treasury secretary, who did so much to help establish the nations economic system.

He also made a proposal. He called the high level of interest over the design change a good thing because it made Americans reflect on their history. He attributed the intensity of the debate to the fact that the people who are on U.S. currency change so infrequently. He then said Acknowledging the technical difficulties in modifying bills too often, perhaps the Treasury should consider moving in the direction of the U.S. Postal Service, which frequently changes the images on postage stamps. Occasional changes to bill design would give us more space and flexibility to honor the past; and, if done at reasonable intervals, could coincide with necessary security improvements as well.

As revolutionary as this may sound at first, in reality it is no different from what happens in most of the rest of the world.

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The 1757 Quaker or Treaty of Easton Indian peace medal shows a Quaker and a Native American sharing a peace pipe around a campfire. First struck by the Quaker Party of Pennsylvania in 1757, the U.S. Mint struck examples from original and copy dies for over a century thereafter.

Those of the Proprietary Party, which was more dominant in central and western Pennsylvania, would have rather exterminated the Native Americans than make money trading with them like the pacifist Quakers. This political struggle manifested itself numismatically with the 1757 Quaker peace medal.

Colonial America column from May 23, 2026, Weekly issue of Coin World:

Elections were entirely local issues in Colonial times. As long as you were a white male Anglican adult landowner, you could cast votes for any number of local offices, including representation in Colonial assemblies and town councils. Some Colonies allowed members of dissenting faiths to vote (Pennsylvania, for instance, which was long dominated by Quakers), and the requirements to own land fell by the wayside in some areas in later decades. Those who ran tended to be wealthy and well known, either of aristocratic stock or from the merchant class.

Elected assemblies had little practical power in many colonies, serving as rubber stamps for governors appointed by England.

Pennsylvanias governor was chosen by the descendants of the colonys original proprietor, William Penn.

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Those who favored the policies of the proprietor, who by the mid-18th century was Anglican instead of Quaker, became known as the Proprietary Party, while the dominant opposition party was the Quaker or Anti-Proprietary Party.

The battles between the Pennsylvania parties became vicious in the 1740s and 1750s, coming to a head during the French and Indian War.

The Quakers, who tended to be wealthy men from Philadelphia and its environs, took a much more commercial and pacifist approach to the conflict, while those of the Proprietary Party, which was more dominant in central and western Pennsylvania, would have rather exterminated the Native Americans than make money trading with them. This political struggle manifested itself numismatically with the 1757 Quaker peace medal.

Struck in Philadelphia at the behest of the Quaker Party, the medal was only the second struck in what would become the United States, crafted from dies by the clockmaker Edward Duffield and struck in the shop of the Quaker silversmith and politician Joseph Richardson.

The medals were presented at the signing of the Treaty of Easton in 1757, where the Quaker Party met with Pennsylvania Indians to renounce the warlike posture the Proprietary Party had established against them.

As the Quakers made a great deal of money from the Indians, it was easy to stick to pacifist principals when money was at stake. It is ironic but unsurprising that the only earlier American medal was the Kittanning Destroyed medal, coined by the same team of Duffield and Richardson, to celebrate the destruction of an Indian village in 1756.
May 9, 2016

 A new one dollar U.S. coin would honor the memory of "Teacher in Space" Christa McAuliffe while carrying on her mission of inspiring "a new generation of dreamers and innovators," according to legislation recently introduced in Congress.



The "Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2016," co-authored by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), would require the U.S. Treasury to mint a coin in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger tragedy and in honor of the fallen social studies teacher from Concord, New Hampshire.



Proceeds from the sale of the uncirculated and proof coins would support FIRST, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, programs that engage children to pursue opportunities in science, math and engineering.



"McAuliffe's quest for knowledge and discovery has served as an inspiration to Granite Staters and people across the nation," said Shaheen in a statement released with Ayotte. "Engraving her image on a coin and using the proceeds to encourage young people's interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through FIRST Robotics is a fitting tribute."







Sharon Christa McAuliffe, STS-51L teacher in space, trains in zero- gravity during a flight on board NASA's KC-135 aircraft. (NASA)

"FIRST will serve as a natural recipient of the funds that will be generated through the sale of the Christa McAuliffe commemorative coins," added Ayotte. "In New Hampshire, we're proud to be the home of FIRST, which continues to inspire a growing number of young people to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams."



Chosen as the first participant in NASA's Teacher in Space program, McAuliffe launched as a member of the STS-51L crew aboard Challenger on Jan. 28, 1986. The astronauts were lost when the space shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into flight, the result of a faulty booster seal.



Three years later, inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen founded FIRST to involve kids in kindergarten through high school in research and robotics programs. More than one million children from the U.S. and more than 86 countries now participate in a FIRST program each year, making it the leading, not-for-profit STEM engagement program for young people worldwide.



"McAuliffe embodied the spirit of curiosity and desire for education that FIRST seeks to spread throughout our state and nation," stated Kamen. "It would be an honor to have these coins minted to help ensure that every student in America can participate in FIRST."







Christa McAuliffe coin concept rendering by Jack Kamen. (FIRST)
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
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.
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By Ted Evanoff of The Commercial Appeal

Here's a look at recent business developments in Memphis and the Mid-South:

Resurrection Health to merge with Knoxville group

Resurrection Health of Memphis said it will merge with Knoxville-based Cherokee Health Systems, Tennessees largest network of community health centers.

The merger will take place in June, the health care providers said.

Clinics in Whitehaven, Frayser and Parkway Village will continue to do business as Resurrection Health. Potential expansions into other areas have yet to be determined.

Resurrection, which says it excels at recruiting, training and retaining top-tier physicians, is a faith-based health care provider for adult and pediatric primary and inpatient care.

Together, Resurrection and Cherokee will be able to provide our Memphis patients with an even higher quality of care, Resurrection Health chief executive Rick Donlon said in a statement released by the organization.

Cherokee Health Systems operates primary care and behavioral health services in 45 clinics in Knoxville, Chattanooga and 12 East Tennessee counties.

Trampoline fund raiser planned for St. Jude

Sky Zone Trampoline Park said it will host 80 teams Thursday in a fund raiser for St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis.

The indoor recreation site, located in southeast Memphis, said the $300 team registration fee will go to St. Jude.

The trampoline park is a franchisee of Sky Zone Franchise Group LLC of Chesterfield, Missouri.

Auto dealers saluted by Carnival Memphis

Carnival Memphis will salute the Mid-South Automotive Industry on Tuesday during the 30th annual Business & Industry Salute. The luncheon is scheduled to begin at noon in the Hilton Memphis.

Proceeds of the luncheon will benefit Best Buddies, Exchange Club Family Center and Stax Music Academy. Tickets are available at 901-458-2500.

Carnival Memphis, a civic group founded in 1931, said it has raised more than $2 million for childrens charities since 1999.

Memphis auto dealer Jim Keras, president of Jim Keras Automotive Group, will receive the Cook Halle Award for outstanding contribution to the Mid-South community.

Also being saluted are Bud Davis Cadillac, Chuck Hutton Chevrolet and Toyota, Gossett Motor Cars, Homer Skelton Auto Sales, Inc., Jim Keras Automotive Group, Landers Automotive Group, Lexus of Memphis, Roadshow BMW/Mini, Sunrise Automotive Group and Volvo of Memphis.

Hooks Center plans open house

The Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks Job Corp Center has scheduled an open house 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The Hooks Center is located at 1555 McAlister Drive in Memphis.

The center offers academic and career technical training for people 16 to 24 in fields including accounting, carpentry, computer service, industrial electronics, material distribution, medical office support and clinical medical assistant.

Memphis Stone opens Southaven plant

Memphis Stone & Gravel Co. has opened a plant in Southaven at 3745 U.S. 51.

The stone and gravel supplier currently operates nine facilities in West Tennessee and North Mississippi. The new plant is on a 25-acre site.

Memphis Stone, founded in 1910 by Sante Fe Railroad construction contractors, became affiliated in 1971 with Memphis aggregate, asphalt and cement supplier Lehman Roberts Co.

Autism therapists open Germantown clinic

Memphis therapist Heidi Hosick Joyce has cofounded Team Autism Memphis, a clinic at 2018 Exeter Road in Germantown. A second clinic is planned in East Memphis.

The clinic will rely on referrals from physicians, parents, schools and the general public for clients.
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By Jody Callahan of The Commercial Appeal

Memphis police are investigating after two separate shootings left three people in critical condition early Sunday morning.

The first incident happened around 12:35 a.m. when police responded to the Regional Medical Center. Officers found a man who had been driving on Watkins when someone driving a white Hyundai Sonata pulled in front of him. The victim then tried to enter Interstate 40 when the same suspect pulled beside and opened fire. The 24-year-old victim was in the passengers seat; he is in extremely critical condition at the Med.

Then, about an hour later, police spotted a white Nissan Maxima driving the wrong way on Second south of Beale. When police approached the car, both the driver and the passenger got out and said they had been shot while they were driving near the Happy Mexican at 385 S. Second. Both men were taken to the Med in critical condition.

The victims told police that the suspects were in a black four-door car, which was last seen heading south on Second.

No arrests have been made in either case.
January 04, 2016 - Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland (right) and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell

(Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

The Workforce Investment Network (WIN) will work with college admissions testing company ACT to certify 2,821 Memphis workers as "work ready" over the next two years, WIN Director Kevin Wood said Monday.

WIN will work with local schools as part of ACT's Work Ready Communities initiative to help workers earn a National Career Readiness Certificate, which lets employers know that if they create new jobs, the city's workforce has the skills to fill them.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who attended an announcement about the initiative Monday, said they're hopeful the new program will improve the area's economic development prospects.
FILE - In this May 3, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

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By The Tennessean

The CA's Nashville reporter Richard Locker joined our colleagues at The Tennessean in Nashville for the latest edition of their Music City Politics podcast. Here's what they talked about:

- Tennessee GOP leaders are getting behind Donald Trump now that he is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

What do Tennessee Democrats think about Trump? The party had their big Jackson Day fundraiser Saturday night.

- Plus, were waiting to see what Gov. Bill Haslam does on bills stripping the University of Tennessee of diversity funding and a cut in the Hall tax.
SHARE Thomas Busler/The Commercial Appeal files Sam Bielich, better known to Memphis sports fans as the Medicine Man, gets the crowd riled up and on their feet on May 9, 1980, during a Memphis Chicks game. A self-appointed cheerleader, Bielich who later changed his name to Sam Ayers to pursue an acting career, became a celebrity of sorts in the 1980s after he began donning faux Native American garb and stirring up the crowds at Memphis Chicks baseball games and later at Memphis Tigers football and basketball contests.

May 9

25 years ago: 1991

A severe school budget crisis has some city school board members talking again about consolidation, a politically explosive issue a year ago. Last year, a proposal to consolidate city and county schools touched off a firestorm of opposition that caused several suburbs to threaten to secede from the county. A proposed city schools budget that's $35 million in the red has prompted renewed discussion of the plan for the school board to surrender its charter. State law would then force the Shelby County school board to take over the 105,000-student city school district.

50 years ago: 1966

Some Broadway buffs could get the idea this week that the Music Man has hit the jackpot with the 32nd Cotton Carnival. There will be 131 bands from high schools and colleges in 10 states participating in concerts, serenades, parades and the Great River Pageant. Official dates for the Carnival are tomorrow through Saturday, but many events have already begun.

75 years ago: 1941

Dr. Louis Levy of 1639 Peabody, a major in the Medical Reserve, was elected president of the Memphis Chapter, Reserve Officers' Association, yesterday at Lowenstein's. He succeeds Dr. Lawrence Busby Jr.

100 years ago: 1916

WASHINGTON  Surgeon-General Blue of the United States Public Health Service yesterday discussed with Senator Shields, Representative McKellar and Robert Galloway, Dr. William Krauss, Dr. B.F. Turner, Dr. Marcus Haase and Dr. E.C. Ellett of Memphis the establishing of a research hospital in that city.

125 years ago: 1891

WASHINGTON  The superintendent of the census yesterday made public a bulletin in which are given statistics of asylums in the United States. The total number of insane persons treated in both public and private institutions during the year 1889 was 97,535, while during the year 1881 there were 56,205 treated, an increase of 73.53 per cent.
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The new Downtown marker commemorating the 1866 Memphis Massacre is a necessary reminder of a significant event in the history of this city and the United States.

For those who know the back story of how it came to be erected, it also reinforces the need for constant vigilance against efforts to cover up or revise history to suit current perceptions.

What started out as an effort to mark the "Memphis Race Riot" now reflects what really happened in early May of that year when more than 200 white Memphians furiously sought vengeance for perceived grievances by the local African-American community, raping black women, plundering black neighborhoods and murdering at least 40 people.

According to Dr. Stephen V. Ash, professor emeritus in history at the University of Tennessee, testimony from hundreds of eyewitnesses was collected during three federal investigations into the event, by Congress, the Army and the Freedmen's Bureau.

Congress ultimately blamed the violence on "the intense hatred of the freed people by the city's whites, especially the Irish  a hatred stoked by the Rebel newspapers," Ash told The Commercial Appeal.

It's a sad commentary that it required an aggressive campaign by the Memphis NAACP to effect changes in the marker to correct misperceptions about the massacre  that, 150 years after the event itself, it was still being branded as a "Memphis race riot."

We are, as a society, certainly not past, and perhaps never will be past, the need for organizations such as the NAACP to remain active in the quest not just for equal opportunity and justice, but historical accuracy, as well.

Thanks to the organization's efforts, along with the insistence on accuracy among historians who have studied the Reconstruction period, those who died in the massacre are now being remembered as victims of a brutal, unprovoked assault.

A ceremony on May 1  at the site of the marker in Army Park  sought to atone for the community's failure for so many years to recognize the event for what it really was.

The attack, which will be discussed at a May 20-21 academic symposium at the University of Memphis that will feature top historians from across the country, was instrumental in the decision by Congress to enact sweeping changes to federal policies.

Yet it quickly disappeared into the background of local historical commemorations and has through today remained a story largely untold because of the embarrassment and shame its memory engendered.

But it would be hard to find a better reason to study local history than the 1866 Memphis Massacre. It goes a long way toward explaining this city's lack of progress in racial relations through the ensuing decades.

Only if the record of such events is set straight can we truly understand where we got to where we are today.
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By Catherine Rampell

According to a new report from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, the most fiscally conservative presidential contender is ... Hillary Clinton. Seriously.

You're probably used to thinking of Clinton as just another spendthrift liberal, oblivious to fiscal restraint. And it is true that she wants to expand the footprint of the federal government. By a lot.

Consider her "New College Compact," which would substantially reduce higher-ed costs for new students and lower debt for past ones. She also plans to expand the Affordable Care Act.

Her proposed expansions and investments in clean energy, early-childhood education, family leave, veterans' services and infrastructure look pretty costly, too.

On the other hand, Clinton also proposes a lot of tax changes and other policies that would raise revenue or save money.

These include imposing a surtax on personal income over $5 million; raising rates on medium-term capital gains; limiting the value of tax breaks; changing the immigration system; taxing carried interest as ordinary income; raising the estate tax rate; imposing a risk fee on large financial institutions; and some vague, as-yet-unspecified changes to the corporate tax code.

Here's the bottom line for the nation's bottom line: Clinton's spending increases and other proposals that cost money have a total price tag of about $1.8 trillion over the next decade. But her offsets, which come mostly from tax hikes, would save an estimated $1.9 trillion over that same period (or closer to $1.6 trillion if you don't count those as-yet-unspecified business tax proposals).

The net fiscal impact of her plans, then, is pretty close to zero.

To be clear, she's not likely to reduce the federal debt. That presumably would be a more attractive outcome for the strictest of fiscal conservatives  including the number-crunchers at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, who based their estimates partly on existing analyses from the Congressional Budget Office, Tax Policy Center and other outside research groups.

"While Secretary Clinton would not worsen the fiscal situation, she also unfortunately does not offer concrete proposals for improving it," laments the organization's report. "With debt at post-war record-high levels and projected to grow unsustainably, simply remaining on our current course is not enough," it adds.

Still, contrast Clinton's plan with those offered by her Democratic rival, and by her presumptive foe in the general election. Both would blow multitrillion-dollar holes in the budget.

Bernie Sanders proposes to expand the reach of the federal government far more than Clinton would, and he promises to offset his spending increases with commensurate tax hikes. Many of the underlying assumptions his campaign used to get these numbers to add up, however, are way too optimistic.

An earlier Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget analysis estimated that the net budget shortfall resulting from all of Sanders' proposals would add somewhere between $2 trillion and $14.8 trillion to the federal debt over the next decade.

On the Republican side  the party allegedly devoted to fiscal responsibility  things look just as bad. Donald Trump (as did the two rivals he dispatched last week in Indiana) offers massive, across-the-board tax cuts he doesn't even attempt to pay for.

Trump would cut tax revenue dramatically, while simultaneously raising spending on programs such as veterans' health care. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget ballparks the total cost of his proposals at $11.7 trillion to $15.1 trillion over the next decade. Ludicrous levels of economic growth are claimed as cover for budgetary shortfalls. As I've observed before: The more growth a politician promises, the worse their economic plan tends to be.

Maybe when (if) voters start to notice this, Clinton will finally receive the praise she's been due, from arithmetic fans and fiscal conservatives alike.

Contact Catherine Rampell at crampell@washpost.com.
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By Noah Feldman

My 10-year old put it best: "First you said Trump wouldn't win any primaries. Then you said he wouldn't win the nomination. So why exactly are you so sure he won't become president?" Given this reasonable question, it's time to start asking: Is the Constitution in danger from a Donald Trump presidency? How far can he push the envelope of our constitutional structure and traditions?

To be clear, I'm not talking about who Trump would nominate to the Supreme Court. Though it's worth noting that, unlike potential running mates who so far seem wary of a poisoned chalice, judicial nominees would probably be glad to serve if named by Trump. He'd already be president; and once confirmed, they'd no longer be beholden to the man who named them.

The real threat seems to be that the candidate who has made it this far by throwing out the election rulebook would be inclined to do the same with the rules of governance. I think we can usefully break up the question into domestic policy and foreign policy components. In each instance, there are practical limits. Yet Trump could credibly push the system to places it hasn't yet been.

Start with the home front. It seems likely that Trump would have a hard time passing domestic legislation, since he may face a Democrat-controlled Senate and a House full of hostile Republicans.

But to Trump, that might be an invitation to action rather than a constraint. He'd start with unilateral executive action, which certainly is his style.

As President Barack Obama has demonstrated with his immigration initiative, an executive order can go pretty far if it's framed as prosecutorial discretion. Trump could announce, for example, that he wants the IRS to stop auditing people. He's been audited enough himself that this seems plausible.

Democrats would find themselves in an awkward position if that happened. They've been arguing that Obama's discretionary authority allows him to exempt a large class of undocumented people from deportation. It would be tricky now to say that the constitutional requirement that the president "take care" that the laws be faithfully executed restricts Trump where it doesn't restrict Obama.

The Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel, traditionally independent-minded, could tell Trump that a given executive action goes too far and is unlawful. But the same office told George W. Bush that the CIA could waterboard captives. And it told Obama he could target and kill a U.S. citizen abroad without a trial. So it's subject to political vicissitudes. And Trump would be sure to appoint a head with strong pro-executive power views.

One limit to selective prosecution would be the equal protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment. If a defendant could show that prosecution decisions were being made on the basis of, say, race, then a court could potentially intervene. The standard of proof is very high, however. Implicit racism isn't sufficient, nor is statistical evidence showing a generic racial disparity.

The Supreme Court has said, in the 1999 case of Reno v. Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, that targeting foreign nationals for deportation on the basis of their views wouldn't count as selective prosecution, provided they are otherwise eligible to be deported.

As for U.S. nationals, there's a strong tradition against selective auditing or prosecution on the basis of politics. But as a matter of constitutional law, criminal or civil prosecutions can be made at least partly on the basis of political judgment so long as it isn't demonstrably driven by animosity. A prosecutor could go after big-wigs because she just doesn't like them, or because she thinks convicting them would send a good message.

Trump could therefore potentially appoint U.S. attorneys and direct them to prosecute people he doesn't like. Again, there's a tradition of U.S. attorney independence  but it's a tradition, not a law. If Trump doesn't like how a U.S. attorney is doing the job, he can fire that person.

The international sphere gives Trump still more space to maneuver. In theory, he would need congressional authority to go to war. But Obama is fighting Islamic State without any express authorization. The president claimed that bombing Libya didn't count as hostilities for purposes of the War Powers Act. And Congress hasn't done anything about it.

It follows that about all Congress could do to block Trump from various hostilities would be to deny funding for his operations.

The same would likely be true of a wall on the Mexican border. The president likely has enforcement authority to build the wall. He just needs money.

Of course, Trump has famously said he will make Mexico pay for the wall. That might let him get around Congress. As president, he can meet world leaders and try to make them do what he wants  and the Constitution is behind him.

Some of Trump's ideas for the military would violate international humanitarian law. No doubt some or (one hopes) many military personnel would refuse to follow illegal and immoral orders; for example, to kill terrorists' family members.

But it's worth noting that the Constitution as usually interpreted doesn't bind the U.S. to follow international law, including the Geneva Conventions. Some provisions of international law can be found in statutes, which would bind the president and the armed forces. But not all international law violations are domestic crimes.

Last to consider is trade. Trump can't impose tariffs on his own without Congress. But many trade laws give the president executive authority to make determinations about whether other countries are in compliance. That gives the president discretion again.

Expect Trump to use that discretion  and expect the legal system to let him.

Noah Feldman, a Bloomberg View columnist, is a professor of constitutional and international law at Harvard.
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Smart contact lenses sound like science fiction. But there's already a race to develop technology for the contact lenses of the future  ones that will give you super-human vision and will offer heads-up displays, video cameras, medical sensors and much more. In fact, these products are already being developed.

Sounds unreal, right? But it turns out that eyeballs are the perfect place to put technology.

Smart contact lenses are like implants but they don't require surgery and can usually be removed or inserted by the user. They're neither on nor under the skin full time. They're exposed to both air and the body's internal chemistry.

Contact lenses sit on the eye, and so can enhance vision. They're exposed to both light and the mechanical movement of blinking, so they can harvest energy.

What you need to know is that smart contact lenses are inevitable for all these reasons. Here's what you're going to see, and sooner than you think.

Verily, I say unto you: Google wants to own your iris

The company that has been the most aggressive about bringing electronics to contact lenses is Verily. (You may know Verily better as Google, which split up last year into many companies under the Alphabet umbrella. Verily Life Sciences is the Alphabet independent subsidiary that's developing advanced contact lenses.)

The latest Verily smart contact lens is actually injected into the eyeball, according to a recently published patent. So it's less of a contact lens and more of a surgical implant.

The process is vaguely gruesome: Your natural lens is removed from your eyeball. A fluid is then injected into the eye, and that fluid fuses with the eye's lens capsule as it solidifies. Inside this new, artificial lens lives storage, battery, sensors, a radio and other electronics. The artificial lens would take over the job of focusing light onto the retina, improving vision in numerous ways without glasses, but in a flexible, interactive way.

Verily is headed by Andrew Jason Conrad, who is also the inventor of the lens.

Verily is also working with Swiss drug maker Novartis to make and sell smart contact lenses to help people with diabetes track their blood glucose levels. Verily also been awarded a patent for a solar-powered contact lens technology.

Super vision without supervision

One of the coolest applications for smart contact lenses is the improvement of vision without glasses.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, have invented a smart contact lens that can instantly focus the eye. It's under development as a future product for an Israeli company called Deep Optics. The idea is based on the eye function of the elephant nose fish. The lens uses electronic circuits and light sensors, which are powered by a solar cell, all built into the contact lens. When the sensors determine that the eye needs to focus, the chips command a small electrical current, which changes the focal length of the lens in a fraction of a second. The lens is designed to treat farsightedness, which affects nearly 1 billion people. The researchers say the technology is at least five years away.

University of Michigan scientists are building a contact lens that can give soldiers and others the ability to see in the dark using thermal imaging. The technology uses graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, to pick up the full spectrum of light, including ultraviolet light. The graphene was integrated with silicon microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). As you might expect, there's some U.S. military funding behind the project.

Google Glass without Google Glass

The ability to see augmented and mixed reality content or to take photos and videos (or both) with Google Glass was a great idea. But everybody slammed the nerdy look of wearing all that gear on your face. What if all that functionality were shrunk into a contact lens?

Sony applied for a patent for a smart contact lens that can record video. You control it by blinking your eyes.

According to Sony's patent, sensors in the lens can tell the difference between voluntary and involuntary blinks. (This was a feature of Google's Glass prototype, which could take a photo when you winked.) When it detects a deliberate blink, it records a video. Sony's contact lens would be powered by piezoelectric sensors that convert eye movement into electrical power. It would involve extremely small versions of all the parts of a modern digital camera -- an auto-focusing lens, a CPU, an antenna and even on-lens storage.

Samsung has been granted a patent in Korea for technology that functions like a tiny, smart contact lens version of Google Glass. It's got a miniature display that projects video directly into your eyes. The experience would be something like mixed reality, such as Microsoft's Hololens or Magic Leap. Like the Sony lens, it has a built-in camera and is controlled by blinking. Unlike the Sony camera, however, the Samsung invention zaps content wirelessly to a smartphone for storage and processing, rather than storing it on the contact lens.

Speaking of Magic Leap, a secretive mixed-reality startup backed by Google that has raised more than $1 billion, the company has also filed a patent application for a smart contact lens. Its patent is similar in concept to Samsung's. Magic Leap is already building a bulky, mixed-reality headset comparable to Microsoft's HoloLens, which appears to the user to inject computer-generated images into the real-world field of view. Magic Leap's new patent describes contact lenses that do something similar, but without the bulky headset. The Magic Leap patent describes two processes, both working in tandem. One puts an image on the contact lenses to create the appearance of a virtual object floating in the real world, and other tells light how to appear "focused" on a specific focal point in space.

A contact lens all day keeps the doctor away

Other companies are working on smart contact lenses that are designed to help with various medical conditions.

Columbia University Medical Center researchers are working on smart contact lenses that can tell if a patient's glaucoma is progressing especially quickly. By having a patient wear the lens for just 24 hours and constantly monitoring the curvature of the patient's eye lens during that time, doctors can get a much better handle on the progression of the disease.

A startup called Medella is working on glucose-measuring smart contact lenses, which use sensors and tiny chips in the lens to monitor glucose levels and then use an antenna to zap the data to the users' smartphone via Bluetooth, a concept similar to Verily's project.

These medical sensor contact lenses will probably be the first on the market, possibly within two years.

However long the time frame may be, ever-shrinking electronics are as inevitable as death and taxes. That inevitable shrinkage will inspire all kinds of ideas for electronic smart contact lenses, including many that we haven't heard of yet.

We can also look forward to smart contact lenses working in tandem with other wearables, including (and especially) hearable computing devices, which will give us most of the benefits of smartwatches or smartphones but without any visible electronic gadget.

And it's all coming sooner than you think.

Don't blink, or you'll miss the smart contact lens revolution.
Apples Siri has a fantastic yet little-understood feature that brings a little artificial intelligence into every iOS users life. Here is how to use it.

What is it?

Apple calls this feature Proactive and makes it mainly available through Siri.

Proactive is context-based artificial intelligence solution the company intends will become more powerful than Google Now and more private than any other solution out there  even Royalty should be able to use it without being spied upon (and, by extension, anyone should enjoy equal levels of privacy).

You access it using Siri and it can do things like show you photos you took last month to reminding you to do things when you get into or out of your car. You also see these suggestions, including people, places, suggested apps and news and current events, on your search screen.

Two places you see this feature in action include:

If you receive a call from an unknown number Siri recognizes as having appeared in an email you previously received, youll be told who the caller potentially is.

When you receive emails with event details, iOS 9 can create a calendar event for you. And if an event includes locations it will even warn you when its time to go on the basis of traffic reports to your destination.

If you call your partner as you leave work every evening youll eventually find their contact file already available when you swipe right on the Home screen and access the Spotlight menu. Thats because Siri will know you usually call them around that time of day  suggestions will be different at other times if you call others regularly then.

In future you can expect Siri to become more virtually sentient, more contextually aware and more tapped into big data and virtual intelligence. It should become a supercomputer for the rest of us.

How to use it

As you can see, Apple has elected to make these contextually useful tools available to you in a non-invasive way  those recommendations on the search screen dont really get in the way, and you can switch them off if you wish (Settings>General>Spotlight Search Toggle Siri Suggestions to off).

You can also customize what shows up on the Siri Suggestions section on Spotlight search in Settings>General>Spotlight Search. Scroll down beneath the Siri Suggestions toggle and youll find controls for multiple apps under Search Results. You can enable and disable each of the sections (Contacts, apps, nearby, news) if you wish. You may find some apps you dont recognize or barely use listed here, you should switch those off (you can always toggle activate them again later on).

Reminders

Where this feature really comes into its own is its use as a vehicle for setting Reminders. This great feature is available whenever the screen is displaying something you might want reminding about later on. Whats on display can be an email, iMessage, Website, Web page.

To set the reminder just tell Siri, Remind me about this later, or specify a time Remind me about this later, [tomorrow, next month] at 7.30am, whenever you like. Siri will immediately create a useful Reminder for you in the Reminders app, and when you tap that reminder youll be returned to the original page, message or other onscreen item.

What makes this feature even more useful is that it is available across multiple apps, including Calendar, Clock, Contacts, iBooks, Health, Mail, Maps, Messages, Notes, Numbers, Pages, Phone, Podcasts, Reminders and Safari.

Each app has a slightly different behavior  so in iBooks you can ask Siri to remind you of your place in a book while in Notes it will remember the note you are reading and where you happen to be in that note. (A little more depth on this is available here).

Google+? If you use social media and happen to be a Google+ user, why not join AppleHolic's Kool Aid Corner community and join the conversation as we pursue the spirit of the New Model Apple?

Apple TV? If you want to learn how to get the very best out of your Apple TV, please visit my Apple TV website.

Got a story? Drop me a line via Twitter or in comments below and let me know. I'd like it if you chose to follow me on Twitter so I can let you know when fresh items are published here first on Computerworld.
Windows Update has been around a long time. Its mission on Windows 7 hasn't changed much from Vista and XP. Yet, despite this, it has a lot of problems, as we shall see.

Last time, I wrote about the latest Windows Update flaw to get a lot of attention, its running for hours, and suggested fixes from both Ed Bott and Woody Leonhard. It's a problem that others have written about too.

Shortly after writing the previous blog, I had an opportunity to test these fixes to Windows Update on a Windows 7 SP1 system that was years behind on patches.

Bott and Leonhard each suggest two patches that should be installed prior to letting Windows Update check for missing bug fixes. I installed all four of them, in time sequence. That is, I first installed the October 2015 fix (KB3083710) that Bott suggested, then his November 2015 fix (KB3102810). Each required a system restart.

Manually installing a single bug fix

Next, I installed the March 2016 bug fix (KB3138612) from Woody Leonhard and rebooted again. Finally, I installed Woody's suggested April 2016 bug fix (KB3145739) and rebooted yet again.

The four suggested patches to speed up Windows Update on Windows 7

I am glad to report that the four fixes worked, Windows Update ran at a normal, reasonable speed. The first check for updates took just under 20 minutes to find 181 missing patches.

So, this blog was going to be a short and sweet thank-you to Ed Bott and Woody Leonhard for their time saving tips. But, as I worked though the missing bug fixes, I ran into a host of other problems with Windows Update.

The first quirk showed up in the initial list of missing patches. Among the 181 fixes was Windows 7 Service Pack 1. Say what? SP1 was already installed. Service Pack 1 was released back in February 2011 and the patch calling itself SP1, KB976932, was dated February 12, 2015.

After some online searching, I dug up a Microsoft page, Description of Software Update Services and Windows Server Update Services changes in content for 2015, describing their 2015 bug fixes. In the February 12, 2015 section it says this about KB976932: "Metadata has changed. Binaries have not changed. This update does not have to be reinstalled." Well, that explains that.

The 181 missing patches illustrated another issue with Windows Update. It was about to install both a cumulative update to Internet Explorer version 8 (I said the system was old) and Internet Explorer 11. Why update version 8, if you are going to install version 11?

Then too, there is a problem that has been so long-standing, that it is considered a feature rather than bug: Windows Update often fails to do the whole job. That is, it installs some of the missing bug fixes, but not all of them. The Defensive Computing thing to do, is to run it, reboot and run it again until it finds nothing new to install.

I did so, and the second check for missing fixes took 15 minutes to find 15 patches.

This list of 15 bug fixes, illustrated yet another issue with Windows Update: it installs old buggy software.

Just after installing Internet Explorer version 11, Windows Update needed to patch it. Why not install the patched version the first time around? That's not the way Microsoft does things. Never has been.

I recall first seeing this with Internet Explorer version 7. On a fully patched system running IE6, I installed IE7, rebooted and ran Windows Update. Back then, I was shocked that there were missing fixes to the just-installed browser. I'm not shocked any more. This too, is a feature, not a bug.

Windows Update experienced an "unknown error"

As I proceeded to install different rounds of bug fixes, I ran into another problem: an unknown error.

Unknown errors are, frankly, impossible. For an error to be truly unknown, the OS or the application would have to terminate in such a way that the application never got a chance to process any error information. If Windows Update can say that it had an unknown error, then it didn't.

And, the example above shows a Code 643 error, so something is obviously known about the error.

I have experienced more than my fair share of "unknown errors" from Windows Update. There is typically a link for more information about the error, but that's a scam. Not once has it provided any additional information, which is disappointing, considering that there is a ton of information available. Windows update creates a log file in plain text. I have opened it for other supposedly unknown errors and found oodles of log messages. Nothing was unknown.

Windows Update errors are often transient. Besides, we have to continue running it until there are no more fixes to install. My final check for bug fixes took four minutes to find four more patches.

This check too, raised an issue. Two of the four patches were unchecked, meaning they would not be installed. Why does Windows Update detect missing patches but then not want to install them? Beats me, and it goes without saying, that Microsoft doesn't explain this.

When Windows Update was finally all done, I ran my favorite defrag program (Defraggler from Piriform) to check up on the file system. Windows Update often leaves behind a bunch of .NET files in desperate need of a defrag. The file system had been defragged not long before installing the missing bug fixes, afterwards however, it was a mess.

A defrag after running Windows Update

As you can see in the screen shot above, there were two dump files, each roughly 2.7 gigabytes, in more than 42,400 fragments. Considering that the C disk partition had roughly 417GB of freespace, this seems like an awful lot of fragmentation. And, as usual, the C:\Windows\Temp folder had a lot of leftover .NET Framework files, roughly 346MB worth. My experience has been that they can be deleted.

More importantly, I was surprised by the number of application crashes. Folder

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue

had 35 sub-folders, each representing a crash of some type. In all, the ReportQueue folder was 3.2 gigabytes. Clearly, the system experienced lots of problems while installing the bug fixes.

When most people denigrate Windows Update, it is for the way Microsoft abuses it to install Windows 10. Clearly, in the trenches, there are quite a few other problems as well.

Microsoft can blame the decline in PC sales on Apple, Google, smartphones and tablets all it wants to. It should, however, look in a mirror.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Update: May 10, 2016. To be clear, individual Windows 7 patches can be downloaded and installed without the involvement of Windows Update. Each of the four suggested fixes in this article are links, and the patches can be downloaded from these links. If a patch is already installed, you will see a message like: Update for Windows (KBxxxxxx) is already installed on this computer.

Update: May 15, 2016. For more on this, see my next blog Windows Update on Windows 7 is still a problem.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission have opened parallel inquiries into the way smartphone security updates are issued and handled by major mobile carriers and device makers.

The two agencies say they are responding to the growing amount of personal information held in smartphones and a recent rise in the attacks on the security of that information.

The FCC has sent letters to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular asking for information on their processes for reviewing and releasing security updates for mobile devices. The FTC has asked for similar information from Apple, Blackberry, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, and Samsung.

The companies, which control the vast majority of mobile contracts and smartphone handsets sold in the U.S., have 45 days to respond, at which time the two agencies will analyze the responses and share data with each other.

The inquiries haven't risen to the level of a formal investigation or rulemaking, but they could depending on what is discovered.

"We're attempting to get an assessment on the state of what carriers do to push out patches for device vulnerabilities, how quickly they do it, and what are some of the barriers and challenges they have," said Neil Grace, a spokesman for the FCC.

As part of its inquiry, the FTC is asking for information about when device makers learn of vulnerabilities from software and chip vendors and when or if they issue security updates.

Because cellular carriers customize the software on their devices, it's often not possible for operating system vendors like Google to push updates directly to consumers. The updates have to be submitted to carriers and then work through the carrier's own control process before being released.

Part of the motivation for the inquiry was the Stagefright vulnerability that hit hundreds of millions of Android phones last year. Stagefright left phones vulnerable if a user clicked on a specially formatted MMS message.

Google provided a fix but had to wait until cellular carriers pushed the update to customers. On older phones, some consumers might not have received the update at all.
Wireless networking device manufacturer Aruba Networks has fixed multiple vulnerabilities in its software that could, under certain circumstances, allow attackers to compromise devices.

The vulnerabilities were discovered by Sven Blumenstein from the Google Security Team and affect ArubaOS, Aruba's AirWave Management Platform (AMP) and Aruba Instant (IAP).

There are 26 different issues, ranging from privileged remote code execution to information disclosure, insecure updating mechanism and insecure storage of credentials and private keys. However, Aruba combined them all under two CVE-tracking IDs: CVE-2016-2031 and CVE-2016-2032.

Common issues that are shared by all of the affected software packages have to do with design flaws in an Aruba proprietary management and control protocol dubbed PAPI.

"The PAPI protocol contains a number of unremediated flaws, including: MD5 message digests are not properly validated upon receipt, PAPI encryption protocol is weak; all Aruba devices use a common static key for message validation," Aruba said in an advisory.

The impact of these issues vary depending on the network configuration, but the company, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise subsidiary, plans to fix them in Aruba Instant and AirWave Management Platform later this year.

The planned update will change PAPI so that it operates within a secure channel such as DTLS or IPsec, the company said. Until then, customers can apply the recommendations included in the "Control Plane Security Best Practices" document that was published on the company's support portal.

Most of the other flaws were fixed in IAP 4.1.3.0 and 4.2.3.1 and AMP 8.2.0.

There are two issues in IAP that Aruba does not consider security vulnerabilities, but because they're not in line with industry best practices the company will fix them in a future update.

One of them stems from the use of a static password for an engineering support mode that provides additional configuration and diagnostic capabilities, the misuse of which could result in physical damage to the AP hardware. This mode can only be accessed from an authenticated administrative session so potential attackers would already need to have access to administrative credentials.

The other issue stems from the use of a static key to encrypt all passwords stored in the IAP configuration file. If such a file is stolen, an attacker could reverse engineer the platform's code to extract the key and decrypt the passwords.
On the Internet, "nobody knows you're a dog," as the old meme goes, and today, the same can increasingly be said of robots.

There are already scheduling robots that are virtually indistinguishable from humans, and recently students at the Georgia Institute of Technology learned that "Jill Watson" -- a teaching assistant they had relied upon all semester -- was in fact artificially intelligent.

The world is full of online classes, and theyre plagued with low retention rates, said Ashok Goel, a Georgia Tech professor who teaches a class entitled Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence. One of the main reasons many students drop out is because they dont receive enough teaching support. We created Jill as a way to provide faster answers and feedback.

The class is a core requirement of Georgia Techs online masters program in computer science, and it tends to draw a lot of questions from students. It's offered every semester, and each time, the 300 or so students enrolled post roughly 10,000 messages in the course's online forums, Goel estimates.

That volume has often overwhelmed Goel and his eight teaching assistants, so this time, he added a ninth: Jill.

Jill is a virtual TA, and -- as her name suggests -- she's implemented on IBMs Watson platform. Goel and his team of graduate students started to build Jill last year, including training her on the roughly 40,000 questions that had been asked in the KBAI class since it was first offered in fall 2014.

One of the secrets of online classes is that the number of questions increases if you have more students, but the number of different questions doesnt really go up, Goel said. Students tend to ask the same questions over and over again.

Jill started work as a TA in January, but she wasnt very good for the first few weeks, often giving odd and irrelevant answers. Her responses were posted in a forum that wasnt visible to students.

Initially her answers weren't good enough because she would get stuck on keywords, said Lalith Polepeddi, one of the graduate students who co-developed the virtual TA.

For example, on one occasion, a student asked about organizing a meet-up to go over video lessons with others, and Jill gave an answer referencing a textbook that could supplement the video lessons: same keywords, but different context.

Further tweaking ensued, and today Jill can answer questions with 97 percent certainty. Initially, the human TAs would upload her successful responses to the students, but by the end of March, Jill didnt need any assistance: She wrote to the class directly if she was 97 percent positive her answer was correct.

The big reveal didn't happen until late April, when Goel informed his AI students that they had actually been interacting with a bot all semester. One reportedly said her mind was "blown." Since then some students have organized an alumni forum to learn about new developments with Jill after the class ends; another group has launched an open-source project to replicate her.

Next semester, Jill will return with a new name and a new goal: to answer 40 percent of all class questions by the end of the year.
Some people will go to great lengths to get into medical school as was recently proven when students were caught using a seriously high-tech method to cheat.

Arthit Ourairat, dean and president of Rangsit University in Thailand, posted pictures on Facebook of smart glasses and smartwatches used to cheat on admissions tests, held May 7 and 8, for its College of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Pharmacy. This was the most high-tech exam cheating system Ive ever seen, Ourairat told the Manager.

The team did it real-time, AFP reported. The team consisted of three students wearing glasses with unusually thick earpiece frames which had a tiny wireless spy camera embedded in the frame. There are conflicting reports as to whether the glasses were livestreaming the exam questions or capturing the questions, but the exam was sent to a group of tutors. The tutors would then supply the correct answers to students wearing smartwatches.

According to the Bangkok Post, proxies, who were paid to take the exams, wore camera-equipped glasses to capture the exam questions. The proxies stayed 45 minutes, the minimum time allowed to take the tests, before leaving the test center. The proxies met another person waiting outside to download the tests and email them to one or more tutorial schools. The maximum time to take the exam was three hours, so the tutorial schools sent the correct answers written in code back to students wearing smartwatches.

The cheating scheme was uncovered after an instructor seized a smartwatch during the Saturday morning session and another in the afternoon session. Instructors allegedly became suspicious over the thick-framed glasses as well as three people leaving at the same time after the 45-minute minimum testing time requirement. Two glasses and another watch were seized on Sunday. The tri-exam reportedly covered math, English and biology.

Cost to use high-tech cheating

RSU vice-rector Nares Pantaratorn said the smartwatches were provided to the cheaters by a private tutoring institute located near the campus. One of the cheating students admitted to paying 50,000 baht, about $1,420, as a deposit and was supposed to pay another 800,000 baht, about $22,714, after passing the test. The people wearing the spy glasses admitted to being paid 6,000 baht, about $170, for each job. One student admitted to taking the tests after reading an advertisement which guaranteed a 100% pass in the entrance exams to RSU-medicine-related faculties.

The three students caught cheating via smartwatches have been blacklisted and wont be allowed to apply at Rangsit University. Authorities are reportedly investigating to determine if one tutoring school was involved or if there was a network of tutors behind the cheating scheme. The university intends to file both civil and criminal charges. From here on out, students will only be allowed to take pencils into the exam room; glasses will be carefully checked for cameras before being allowed.

The cheating has been compared to something cooked up for Mission Impossible.

3,000 potential university students were testing for 130 spots in Rangsit Universitys medical program. After discovering there were at least three people cheating, the preliminary tests were disqualified for cheating carried out by a well-organized syndicate and the use of electronic devices; potential students who took the entrance exams will have to retake the tests which have been rescheduled for May 31 and June 1.
For McClatchy Company IT employees who will lose their jobs once their work is moved to India, there are fury and questions.

As many as 150 IT employees at the chain, which runs some 30 newspapers, will be losing their jobs. (See: "Newspaper chain sending IT jobs overseas.")

A government form, called the Labor Condition Application (LCA), is being posted on bulletin boards at the offices of various newspapers in the chain. This form alerts workers that at least one H-1B worker is being used.

Photographs of some of these notices, posted at the Miami Herald, one of the newspapers owned by McClatchy, were sent to Computerworld.

The top part of a Labor Condition Application posted at the office of the Miami Herald.

"The are basically firing me and hiring a foreign worker to do my job at less than half the rate they were paying me," said one IT employee. "They really couldn't find American workers to do this job? Seriously? I am angry as hell."

"I feel the same way the Disney employees must have felt last year when this exact same thing happened to them," said this IT employee.

On the form an employer must indicate whether they are H-1B dependent. If H-1B workers comprise 15% or more of an employer's workforce, the employer is classified as "H-1B dependent" by the U.S. government and subject to additional requirements.

H-1B dependent firms are required take "good-faith steps to recruit U.S. workers" and not displace workers. But there's a loophole. If these employers pay more than $60,000 to a visa holder, or that person has a master's degree, the nondisplacement provisions do not apply.

A second McClatchy IT employee said it's difficult to understand how an employer can use foreign workers to send their jobs overseas.

"There is something wrong with the system and the laws that allow these kind of things," said the second IT worker. "I understand that cutting costs is important for a company in deep trouble like McClatchy, but bringing underpaid workers from India to replace American workers is just crossing the line."

A McClatchy spokeswoman said the firm would not be commenting.
Global market strategies

Trustee Fritz Folts 82 participated in a roundtable discussion about ETF strategies hosted by the financial magazine Barrons. In the article, The Pros Pick 20 ETFs for Todays Market, Folts is one of four panelists offering investment strategies for todays confounding global market.

Folts graduated from Connecticut College with a bachelors degree in government and earned a masters degree in business from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa, a bilingual English/Spanish program in Barcelona, Spain. He currently serves on the College's Board of Trustees.

May 9, 2016
John Bald is a former Ofsted inspector and has written two books on the teaching of reading and spelling.

As bad weeks go, it could have been worse, and I mean for us and not Corbyn. Big mistakes and U-turns from central government  tax credits, disability allowances, compulsory academisation and the content of the spelling and grammar test  did too much to give people good reasons for voting against us, not to mention the impact of generation rent in London. The win in Peterborough, as the BBC noted, was due to changes in boundaries rather than voting, but it was a win, and we benefited from tactical voting in Scotland. Our opponent Michael Rosen, of whom more in a moment, did not succeed in generating a mass boycott of primary school tests.



Still, we did not make the progress we hoped for  either in my sister-in-laws council at Milton Keynes, or here in Linton, Cambridgeshire, where my wife lost a district council contest despite intensive efforts from our local and constituency association, MP and MEP, and a good deal of cross-party support for her practical work in improving flood defences and village amenities, and fighting some crazy and deceitful planning applications. We did not, she said, connect with the young vote, and the LibDems did. The PM and Chancellor need to take serious notice.



The Academies fiasco, with the Secretary of States embarrassingly weak performances at two union conferences and the select committee, was a prime example of how not to make and present policy. As far as I can make out, nobody with any serious involvement in education was consulted at all, and its only public advocate, Jonathan Simons, was protected from comment on the Telegraph website after I skewered the idea on this one.

The government is getting too much of its advice from people with little or no understanding and practical experience, either of the processes involved in learning, or of how schools actually work. This began with the impulsive Dominic Cummings, and continues with advisers, official or not, who either know and care too little about the operation of the state system, or who have a vested interest in one point of view. Too many of these advisers know less about education than the ministers they are advising. We are lucky this week that these errors were counterbalanced by some of Labours.



Michael Rosen, in discussions with my alter ego, Quaestor, in The Guardians comments threads, emerged as an unlikely white knight for Nick Gibb. The minister had, according to a gleeful BBC, mistaken a preposition for a subordinating conjunction in the expression, After Id eaten my dinner. According to Dr Rosen, who cited an unidentified professor of linguistics from Edinburgh, this was a distinction without a difference.

After in after dinner is clearly a preposition, and to suggest its function is somehow different just because an expression contains a verb is a triviality rather than an error. Indeed it is, and Dr Rosens thoughts on the very idea of subordination in English grammar are interesting. The concept derives from Latin, and the only benefit I can see from it is that it prevents us from including two main clauses in the same sentence. Sometimes the subordinate is more important than the idea in the main clause, as, perhaps, in After the ball was over



Parents may not have walked out of the grammar test, but that does not mean they approved of it. Ive been helping children prepare for it, and some of the ideas, notably the subjunctive and fronted adverbial  or starter, as in Early one morning, just as the sun was rising  are baffling and unnecessary. Do children really need all of this grammar? was one question from a very well-informed parent, and we can be sure that nearly every other parent was thinking the same thing.



The source of advice in this case was highly informed about linguistics, but not at all about education, and did not understand the need to present ideas clearly to children, in terms that were easy for them to understand. Terms like fronted adverbial bring butchery, rather than beauty, to the teaching of English, and we need something more transparent and helpful.



Michael Rosen said, at the end of our discussion, that, There are some right answers. There are some wrong answers. There are some answers that are neither right nor wrong. I agree and next years test should reflect this.
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Castes In India: Their Mechanism, Genesis And Development

By Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Paper presented by Dr, B. R. Ambedkar in the Anthropology Seminar of Dr. A. A. Goldenweizer at The Columbia University, New York, U.S.A. on 9th May 1916 - Source: Indian Antiquary, May 1917, Vol. XLI

On the 100th anniversary of the presentation of Dr. Ambedkar's seminal paper "Castes In India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development" we are republishing it as a tribute to him.

Many of us, I dare say, have witnessed local, national or international expositions of material objects that make up the sum total of human civilization. But few can entertain the idea of there being such a thing as an exposition of human institutions. Exhibition of human institutions is a strange idea; some might call it the wildest of ideas. But as students of Ethnology I hope you will not be hard on this innovation, for it is not so, and to you at least it should not be strange.

You all have visited, I believe, some historic place like the ruins of Pompeii, and listened with curiosity to the history of the remains as it flowed from the glib tongue of the guide. In my opinion a student of Ethnology, in one sense at least, is much like the guide. Like his prototype, he holds up (perhaps with more seriousness and desire of self-instruction) the social institutions to view, with all the objectiveness humanly possible, and inquires into their origin and function.

Most of our fellow students in this Seminar, which concerns itself with primitive versus modern society, have ably acquitted themselves along these lines by giving lucid expositions of the various institutions, modern or primitive, in which they are interested. It is my turn now, this evening, to entertain you, as best I can, with a paper on " Castes in India: Their mechanism, genesis and development "

I need hardly remind you of the complexity of the subject I intend to handle. Subtler minds and abler pens than mine have been brought to the task of unravelling the mysteries of Caste; but unfortunately it still, remains in the domain of the " unexplained ", not to say of the " un-understood " I am quite alive to the complex intricacies of a hoary institution like Caste, but I am not so pessimistic as to relegate it to the region of the unknowable, for I believe it can be known. The caste problem is a vast one, both theoretically and practically. Practically, it is an institution that portends tremendous consequences. It is a local problem, but one capable of much wider mischief, for " as long as caste in India does exist, Hindus will hardly intermarry or have any social intercourse with outsiders ; and if Hindus migrate to other regions on earth, Indian caste would become a world problem." [f.1] Theoretically, it has defied a great many scholars who have taken upon themselves, as a labour of love, to dig into its origin. Such being the case, I cannot treat the problem in its entirety. Time, space and acumen, I am afraid, would all fail me, if I attempted to do otherwise than limit myself to a phase of it, namely, the genesis, mechanism and spread of the caste system. I will strictly observe this rule, and will dwell on extraneous matters only when it is necessary to clarify or support a point in my thesis.

To proceed with the subject. According to well-known ethnologists, the population of India is a mixture of Aryans, Dravidians, Mongolians and Scythians. All these stocks of people came into India from various directions and with various cultures, centuries ago, when they were in a tribal state. They all in turn elbowed their entry into the country by fighting with their predecessors, and after a stomachful of it settled down as peaceful neighbours. Through constant contact and mutual intercourse they evolved a common culture that superseded their distinctive cultures. It may be granted that there has not been a thorough amalgamation of the various stocks that make up the peoples of India, and to a traveller from within the boundaries of India the East presents a marked contrast in physique and even in colour to the West, as does the South to the North. But amalgamation can never be the sole criterion of homogeneity as predicated of any people. Ethnically all people are heterogeneous. It is the unity of culture that is the basis of homogeneity. Taking this for granted, I venture to say that there is no country that can rival the Indian Peninsula with respect to the unity of its culture. It has not only a geographic unity, but it has over and above all a deeper and a much more fundamental unitythe indubitable cultural unity that covers the land from end to end. But it is because of this homogeneity that Caste becomes a problem so difficult to be explained. If the Hindu Society were a mere federation of mutually exclusive units, the matter would be simple enough. But Caste is a parcelling of an already homogeneous unit, and the explanation of the genesis of Caste is the explanation of this process of parcelling.

Before launching into our field of enquiry, it is better to advise ourselves regarding the nature of a caste. I will therefore draw upon a few of the best students of caste for their definitions of it :

(1) Mr. Senart, a French authority, defines a caste as " a close corporation, in theory at any rate rigorously hereditary : equipped with a certain traditional and independent organisation, including a chief and a council, meeting on occasion in assemblies of more or less plenary authority and joining together at certain festivals : bound together by common occupations, which relate more particularly to marriage and to food and to questions of ceremonial pollution, and ruling its members by the exercise of jurisdiction, the extent of which varies, but which succeeds in making the authority of the community more felt by the sanction of detrain penalties and, above all, by final irrevocable exclusion from the group ".

(2) Mr. Nesfield defines a caste as "a class of the community which disowns any connection with any other class and can neither intermarry nor eat nor drink with any but persons of their own community ".

(3) According to Sir H. Risley, " a caste may be defined as a collection of families or groups of families bearing a common name which usually denotes or is associated with specific occupation, claiming common descent from a mythical ancestor, human or divine, professing to follow the same professional callings and are regarded by those who are competent to give an opinion as forming a single homogeneous community ".

(4) Dr. Ketkar defines caste as " a social group having two characteristics : (i) membership is confined to those who are born of members and includes all persons so born; (ii) the members are forbidden by an inexorable social law to marry outside the group ".

To review these definitions is of great importance for our purpose. It will be noticed that taken individually the definitions of three of the writers include too much or too little : none is complete or correct by itself and all have missed the central point in the mechanism of the Caste system. Their mistake lies in trying to define caste as an isolated unit by itself, and not as a group within, and with definite relations to, the system of caste as a whole. Yet collectively all of them are complementary to one another, each one emphasising what has been obscured in the other. By way of criticism, therefore, I will take only those points common to all Castes in each of the above definitions which are regarded as peculiarities of Caste and evaluate them as such.

To start with Mr. Senart. He draws attention to the " idea of pollution " as a characteristic of Caste. With regard to this point it may be safely said that it is by no means a peculiarity of Caste as such. It usually originates in priestly ceremonialism and is a particular case of the general belief in purity. Consequently its necessary connection with Caste may be completely denied without damaging the working of Caste. The " idea of pollution " has been attached to the institution of Caste, only because the Caste that enjoys the highest rank is the priestly Caste : while we know that priest and purity are old associates. We may therefore conclude that the "idea of pollution" is a characteristic of Caste only in so far as Caste has a religious flavour.

Mr. Nesfield in his way dwells on the absence of messing with those outside the Caste as one of its characteristics. In spite of the newness of the point we must say that Mr. Nesfield has mistaken the effect for the cause. Caste, being a self-enclosed unit naturally limits social intercourse, including messing etc. to members within it. Consequently this absence of messing with outsiders is not due to positive prohibition, but is a natural result of Caste, i.e. exclusiveness. No doubt this absence of messing originally due to exclusiveness, acquired the prohibitory character of a religious injunction, but it may be regarded as a later growth. Sir H. Risley, makes no new point deserving of special attention.

We now pass on to the definition of Dr. Ketkar who has done much for the elucidation of the subject. Not only is he a native, but he has also brought a critical acumen and an open mind to bear on his study of Caste. His definition merits consideration, for he has defined Caste in its relation to a system of Castes, and has concentrated his attention only on those characteristics which are absolutely necessary for the existence of a Caste within a system, rightly excluding all others as being secondary or derivative in character. With respect to his definition it must, however, be said that in it there is a slight confusion of thought, lucid and clear as otherwise it is. He speaks of Prohibition of Intermarriage and Membership by Autogeny as the two characteristics of Caste. I submit that these are but two aspects of one and the same thing, and not two different things as Dr. Ketkar supposes them to be. If you prohibit intermarriage the result is that you limit membership. to those born within the group. Thus the two are the obverse and the reverse sides of the same medal.

This critical evaluation of the various characteristics of Caste leave no doubt that prohibition, or rather the absence of intermarriageendogamy, to be conciseis the only one that can be called the essence of Caste when rightly understood. But some may deny this on abstract anthropological grounds, for there exist endogamous groups without giving rise to the problem of Caste. In a general way this may be true, as endogamous societies, culturally different, making their abode in localities more or less removed, and having little to do with each other are a physical reality. The Negroes and the Whites and the various tribal groups that go by name of American Indians in the United States may be cited as more or less appropriate illustrations in support of this view. But we must not confuse matters, for in India the situation is different. As pointed out before, the peoples of India form a homogeneous whole. The various races of India occupying definite territories have more or less fused into one another and do possess cultural unity, which is the only criterion of a homogeneous population. Given this homogeneity as a basis, Caste becomes a problem altogether new in character and wholly absent in the situation constituted by the mere propinquity of endogamous social or tribal groups. Caste in India means an artificial chopping off of the population into fixed and definite units, each one prevented from fusing into another through the custom of endogamy. Thus the conclusion is inevitable that Endogamy is the only characteristic that is peculiar to caste, and if we succeed in showing how endogamy is maintained, we shall practically have proved the genesis and also the mechanism of Caste.

It may not be quite easy for you to anticipate why I regard endogamy as a key to the mystery of the Caste system. Not to strain your imagination too much, I will proceed to give you my reasons for it. It may not also be out of place to emphasize at this moment that no civilized society of today presents more survivals of primitive times than does the Indian society. Its religion is essentially primitive and its tribal code, in spite of the advance of time and civilization, operates in all its pristine vigour even today. One of these primitive survivals, to which I wish particularly to draw your attention is the Custom of Exogamy. The prevalence of exogamy in the primitive worlds is a fact too well-known to need any explanation. With the growth of history, however, exogamy has lost its efficacy, and excepting the nearest blood-kins, there is usually no social bar restricting the field of marriage. But regarding the peoples of India the law of exogamy is a positive injunction even today. Indian society still savours of the clan system, even though there are no clans; and this can be easily seen from the law of matrimony which centres round the principle of exogamy, for it is not that Sapindas (blood-kins) cannot marry, but a marriage even between Sagotras (of the same class) is regarded as a sacrilege.

Nothing is therefore more important for you to remember than the fact that endogamy is foreign to the people of India. The various Gotras of India are and have been exogamous : so are the other groups with totemic organization. It is no exaggeration to say that with the people of India exogamy is a creed and none dare infringe it, so much so that, in spite of the endogamy of the Castes within them, exogamy is strictly observed and that there are more rigorous penalties for violating exogamy than there are for violating endogamy. You will, therefore, readily see that with exogamy as the rule there could be no Caste, for exogamy means fusion. But we have castes ; consequently in the final analysis creation of Castes, so far as India is concerned, means the superposition of endogamy on exogamy. However, in an originally exogamous population an easy working out of endogamy (which is equivalent to the creation of Caste) is a grave problem, and it is in the consideration of the means utilized for the preservation of endogamy against exogamy that we may hope to find the solution of our problem.

Thus the superposition of endogamy on exogamy means the creation of caste. But this is not an easy affair. Let us take an imaginary group that desires to make itself into a Caste and analyse what means it will have to adopt to make itself endogamous. If a group desires to make itself endogamous a formal injunction against intermarriage with outside groups will be of no avail, especially if prior to the introduction of endogamy, exogamy had been the rule in all matrimonial relations. Again, there is a tendency in all groups lying in close contact with one another to assimilate and amalgamate, and thus consolidate into a homogeneous society. If this tendency is to be strongly counteracted in the interest of Caste formation, it is absolutely necessary to circumscribe a circle outside which people should not contract marriages.

Nevertheless, this encircling to prevent marriages from without creates problems from within which are not very easy of solution. Roughly speaking, in a normal group the two sexes are more or less evenly distributed, and generally speaking there is an equality between those of the same age. The equality is, however, never quite realized in actual societies. At the same time to the group that is desirous of making itself into a caste the maintenance of equality between the sexes becomes the ultimate goal, for without it endogamy can no longer subsist. In other words, if endogamy is to be preserved conjugal rights from within have to be provided for, otherwise members of the group will be driven out of the circle to take care of themselves in any way they can. But in order that the conjugal rights be provided for from within, it is absolutely necessary to maintain a numerical equality between the marriageable units of the two sexes within the group desirous of making itself into a Caste. It is only through the maintenance of such an equality that the necessary endogamy of the group can be kept intact, and a very large disparity is sure to break it.

The problem of Caste, then, ultimately resolves itself into one of repairing the disparity between the marriageable units of the two sexes within it. Left to nature, the much needed parity between the units can be realized only when a couple dies simultaneously. But this is a rare contingency. The husband may die before the wife and create a surplus woman, who must be disposed of, else through intermarriage she will violate the endogamy of the group. In like manner the husband may survive, his wife and be surplus man, whom the group, while it may sympathise with him for the sad bereavement, has to dispose of, else he will marry outside the Caste and will break the endogamy. Thus both the surplus man and the surplus woman constitute a menace to the Caste if not taken care of, for not finding suitable partners inside their prescribed circle (and left to themselves they cannot find any, for if the matter be not regulated there can only be just enough pairs to go round) very likely they will transgress the boundary, marry outside and import offspring that is foreign to the Caste.

Let us see what our imaginary group is likely to do with this surplus man and surplus woman. We will first take up the case of the surplus woman. She can be disposed of in two different ways so as to preserve the endogamy of the Caste.

First : burn her on the funeral pyre of her deceased husband and get rid of her. This, however, is rather an impracticable way of solving the problem of sex disparity. In some cases it may work, in others it may not. Consequently every surplus woman cannot thus be disposed of, because it is an easy solution but a hard realization. And so the surplus woman (= widow), if not disposed of, remains in the group : but in her very existence lies a double danger. She may marry outside the Caste and violate endogamy, or she may marry within the Caste and through competition encroach upon the chances of marriage that must be reserved for the potential brides in the Caste. She is therefore a menace in any case, and something must be done to her if she cannot be burned along with her deceased husband.

The second remedy is to enforce widowhood on her for the rest of her life. So far as the objective results are concerned, burning is a better solution than enforcing widowhood. Burning the widow eliminates all the three evils that a surplus woman is fraught with. Being dead and gone she creates no problem of remarriage either inside or outside the Caste. But compulsory widowhood is superior to burning because it is more practicable. Besides being comparatively humane it also guards against the evils of remarriage as does burning; but it fails to guard the morals of the group. No doubt under compulsory widowhood the woman remains, and just because she is deprived of her natural right of being a legitimate wife in future, the incentive to immoral conduct is increased. But this is by no means an insuperable difficulty. She can be degraded to a condition in which she is no longer a source of allurement.

The problem of surplus man (= widower) is much more important and much more difficult than that of the surplus woman in a group that desires to make itself into a Caste. From time immemorial man as compared with woman has had the upper hand. He is a dominant figure in every group and of the two sexes has greater prestige. With this traditional superiority of man over woman his wishes have always been consulted. Woman, on the other hand, has been an easy prey to all kinds of iniquitous injunctions, religious, social or economic. But man as a maker of injunctions is most often above them all. Such being the case, you cannot accord the same kind of treatment to a surplus man as you can to a surplus woman in a Caste.

The project of burning him with his deceased wife is hazardous in two ways : first of all it cannot be done, simply because he is a man. Secondly, if done, a sturdy soul is lost to the Caste. There remain then only two solutions which can conveniently dispose of him. I say conveniently, because he is an asset to the group.

Important as he is to the group, endogamy is still more important, and the solution must assure both these ends. Under these circumstances he may be forced or I should say induced, after the manner of the widow, to remain a widower for the rest of his life. This solution is not altogether difficult, for without any compulsion some are so disposed as to enjoy self-imposed celibacy, or even to take a further step of their own accord and renounce the world and its joys. But, given human nature as it is, this solution can hardly be expected to be realized. On the other hand, as is very likely to be the case, if the surplus man remains in the group as an active participator in group activities, he is a danger to the morals of the group. Looked at from a different point of view celibacy, though easy in cases where it succeeds, is not so advantageous even then to the material prospects of the Caste. If he observes genuine celibacy and renounces the world, he would not be a menace to the preservation of Caste endogamy or Caste morals as he undoubtedly would be if he remained a secular person. But as an ascetic celibate he is as good as burned, so far as the material wellbeing of his Caste is concerned. A Caste, in order that it may be large enough to afford a vigorous communal life, must be maintained at a certain numerical strength. But to hope for this and to proclaim celibacy is the same as trying to cure atrophy by bleeding.

Imposing celibacy on the surplus man in the group, therefore, fails both theoretically and practically. It is in the interest of the Caste to keep him as a Grahastha (one who raises a family), to use a Sanskrit technical term. But the problem is to provide him with a wife from within the Caste. At the outset this is not possible, for the ruling ratio in a caste has to be one man to one woman and none can have two chances of marriage, for in a Caste thoroughly self-enclosed there are always just enough marriageable women to go round for the marriageable men. Under these circumstances the surplus man can be provided with a wife only by recruiting a bride from the ranks of those not yet marriageable in order to tie him down to the group. This is certainly the best of the possible solutions in the case of the surplus man. By this, he is kept within the Caste. By this means numerical depletion through constant outflow is guarded against, and by this endogamy morals are preserved.

It will now be seen that the four means by which numerical disparity between the two sexes is conveniently maintained are : (1) burning the widow with her deceased husband ; (2) compulsory widowhooda milder form of burning ; (3) imposing celibacy on the widower and (4) wedding him to a girl not yet marriageable. Though, as I said above, burning the widow and imposing celibacy on the widower are of doubtful service to the group in its endeavour to preserve its endogamy, all of them operate as means. But means, as forces, when liberated or set in motion create an end. What then is the end that these means create? They create and perpetuate endogamy, while caste and endogamy, according to our analysis of the various definitions of caste, are one and the same thing. Thus the existence of these means is identical with caste and caste involves these means.

This, in my opinion, is the general mechanism of a caste in a system of castes. Let us now turn from these high generalities to the castes in Hindu Society and inquire into their mechanism. I need hardly premise that there are a great many pitfalls in the path of those who try to unfold the past, and caste in India to be sure is a very ancient institution. This is especially true where there exist no authentic or written records or where the people, like the Hindus, are so constituted that to them writing history is a folly, for the world is an illusion. But institutions do live, though for a long time they may remain unrecorded and as often as not customs and morals are like fossils that tell their own history. If this is true, our task will be amply rewarded if we scrutinize the solution the Hindus arrived at to meet the problems of the surplus man and surplus woman.

Complex though it be in its general working the Hindu Society, even to a superficial observer, presents three singular uxorial customs, namely : (i) Sati or the burning of the widow on the funeral pyre of her deceased husband. (ii) Enforced widowhood by which a widow is not allowed to remarry. (iii) Girl marriage.

In addition, one also notes a great hankering after Sannyasa (renunciation) on the part of the widower, but this may in some cases be due purely to psychic disposition.

So far as I know, no scientific explanation of the origin of these customs is forthcoming even today. We have plenty of philosophy to tell us why these customs were honoured, but nothing to tell us the causes of their origin and existence. Sati has been honoured (Cf. A. K. Coomaraswamy, Sati: A Defence of the Eastern Woman in the British Sociological Review, Vol. VI, 1913) because it is a" proof of the perfect unity of body and soul " between husband and wife and of " devotion beyond the grave ", because it embodied the ideal of wifehood, which is well expressed by Uma when she said, " Devotion to her Lord is woman's honour, it is her eternal heaven : and 0 Maheshvara ", she adds with a most touching human cry, " I desire not paradise itself if thou are not satisfied with me ! " Why compulsory widowhood is honoured I know not, nor have I yet met with any one who sang in praise of it, though there are a great many who adhere to it. The eulogy in honour of girl marriage is reported by Dr. Ketkar to be as follows : " A really faithful man or woman ought not to feel affection for a woman or a man other than the one with whom he or she is united. Such purity is compulsory not only after marriage, but even before marriage, for that is the only correct ideal of chastity. No maiden could be considered pure if she feels love for a man other than the one to whom she might be married. As she does not know to whom she is going to be married, she must not feel affection, for any man at all before marriage. If she does so, it is a sin. So it is better for a girl to know whom she has to love before any sexual consciousness has been awakened in her" [f.2] . Hence girl marriage.

This high-flown and ingenious sophistry indicates why these institutions were honoured, but does not tell us why they were practiced. My own interpretation is that they were honoured because they were practiced. Any one slightly acquainted with rise of individualism in the 18th century will appreciate my remark. At all times, it is the movement that is most important; and the philosophies grow around it long afterwards to justify it and give it a moral support. In like manner I urge that the very fact that these customs were so highly eulogized proves that they needed eulogy for their prevalence. Regarding the question as to why they arose, I submit that they were needed to create the structure of caste and the philosophies in honour of them were intended to popularise them, or to gild the pill, as we might say, for they must have been so abominable and shocking to the moral sense of the unsophisticated that they needed a great deal of sweetening. These customs are essentially of the nature of means, though they are represented as ideals. But this should not blind us from understanding the results that flow from them. One might safely say that idealization of means is necessary and in this particular case was perhaps motivated to endow them with greater efficacy. Calling a means an end does no harm, except that it disguises its real character; but it does not deprive it of its real nature, that of a means. You may pass a law that all cats are dogs, just as you can call a means an end. But you can no more change the nature of means thereby than you can turn cats into dogs ; consequently I am justified in holding that, whether regarded as ends or as means, Sati, enforced widowhood and girl marriage are customs that were primarily intended to solve the problem of the surplus man and surplus woman in a caste and to maintain its endogamy. Strict endogamy could not be preserved without these customs, while caste without endogamy is a fake.

Having explained the mechanism of the creation and preservation of Caste in India, the further question as to its genesis naturally arises. The question or origin is always an annoying question and in the study of Caste it is sadly neglected; some have connived at it, while others have dodged it. Some are puzzled as to whether there could be such a thing as the origin of caste and suggest that " if we cannot control our fondness for the word ' origin ', we should better use the plural form, viz. ' origins of caste ' ". As for myself I do not feel puzzled by the Origin of Caste in India for, as I have established before, endogamy is the only characteristic of Caste and when I say Origin of Caste I mean The Origin of the Mechanism for Endogamy.

The atomistic conception of individuals in a Society so greatly popularised I was about to say vulgarisedin political orations is the greatest humbug. To say that individuals make up society is trivial ; society is always composed of classes. It may be an exaggeration to assert the theory of class-conflict, but the existence of definite classes in a society is a fact. Their basis may differ. They may be economic or intellectual or social, but an individual in a society is always a member of a class. This is a universal fact and early Hindu society could not have been an exception to this rule, and, as a matter of fact, we know it was not. If we bear this generalization in mind, our study of the genesis of caste would be very much facilitated, for we have only to determine what was the class that first made itself into a caste, for class and caste, so to say, are next door neighbours, and it is only a span that separates the two. A Caste is an Enclosed Class.

The study of the origin of caste must furnish us with an answer to the questionwhat is the class that raised this " enclosure " around itself ? The question may seem too inquisitorial, but it is pertinent, and an answer to this will serve us to elucidate the mystery of the growth and development of castes all over India- Unfortunately a direct answer to this question is not within my power. I can answer it only indirectly. I said just above that the customs in question were current in the Hindu society. To be true to facts it is necessary to qualify the statement, as it connotes universality of their prevalence. These customs in all their strictness are obtainable only in one caste, namely the Brahmins, who occupy the highest place in the social hierarchy of the Hindu society ; and as their prevalence in non-Brahmin castes is derivative of their observance is neither strict nor complete. This important fact can serve as a basis of an important observation. If the prevalence of these customs in the non-Brahmin Castes is derivative, as can be shown very easily, then it needs no argument to prove what class is the father of the institution of caste. Why the Brahmin class should have enclosed itself into a caste is a different question, which may be left as an employment for another occasion. But the strict observance of these customs and the social superiority arrogated by the priestly class in all ancient civilizations are sufficient to prove that they were the originators of this " unnatural institution " founded and maintained through these unnatural means.

I now come to the third part of my paper regarding the question of the growth and spread of the caste system all over India. The question I have to answer is : How did the institution of caste spread among the rest of the non-Brahmin population of the country ? The question of the spread of the castes all over India has suffered a worse fate than the question of genesis. And the main cause, as it seems to me, is that the two questions of spread and of origin are not separated. This is because of the common belief among scholars that the caste system has either been imposed upon the docile population of India by a law-giver as a divine dispensation, or that it has grown according to some law of social growth peculiar to the Indian people.

I first propose to handle the law-giver of India. Every country has its law-giver, who arises as an incarnation (avatar) in times of emergency to set right a sinning humanity and give it the laws of justice and morality. Manu, the law-giver of India, if he did exist, was certainly an audacious person. If the story that he gave the law of caste be credited, then Manu must have been a dare-devil fellow and the humanity that accepted his dispensation must be a humanity quite different from the one we are acquainted with. It is unimaginable that the law of caste was given. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that Manu could not have outlived his law, for what is that class that can submit to be degraded to the status of brutes by the pen of a man, and suffer him to raise another class to the pinnacle ? Unless he was a tyrant who held all the population in subjection it cannot be imagined that he could have been allowed to dispense his patronage in this grossly unjust manner, as may be easily seen by a mere glance at his " Institutes ". I may seem hard on Manu, but I am sure my force is not strong enough to kill his ghost. He lives, like a disembodied spirit and is appealed to, and I am afraid will yet live long. One thing I want to impress upon you is that Manu did not give the law of Caste and that he could not do so. Caste existed long before Manu. He was an upholder of it and therefore philosophised about it, but certainly he did not and could not ordain the present order of Hindu Society. His work ended with the codification of existing caste rules and the preaching of Caste Dharma. The spread and growth of the Caste system is too gigantic a task to be achieved by the power or cunning of an individual or of a class. Similar in argument is the theory that the Brahmins created the Caste. After what I have said regarding Manu, I need hardly say anything more, except to point out that it is incorrect in thought and malicious in intent. The Brahmins may have been guilty of many things, and I dare say they were, but the imposing of the caste system on the non-Brahmin population was beyond their mettle. They may have helped the process by their glib philosophy, but they certainly could not have pushed their scheme beyond their own confines. To fashion society after one's own pattern ! How glorious ! How hard ! One can take pleasure and eulogize its furtherance; but cannot further it very far. The vehemence of my attack may seem to be unnecessary ; but I can assure you that it is not uncalled for. There is a strong belief in the mind of orthodox Hindus that the Hindu Society was somehow moulded into the framework of the Caste System and that it is an organization consciously created by the Shastras. Not only does this belief exist, but it is being justified on the ground that it cannot but be good, because it is ordained by the Shastras and the Shastras cannot be wrong. I have urged so much on the adverse side of this attitude, not because the religious sanctity is grounded on scientific basis, nor to help those reformers who are preaching against it. Preaching did not make the caste system neither will it unmake it. My aim is to show the falsity of the attitude that has exalted religious sanction to the position of a scientific explanation.

Thus the great man theory does not help us very far in solving the spread of castes in India. Western scholars, probably not much given to hero-worship, have attempted other explanations. The nuclei, round which have " formed " the various castes in India, are, according to them: (1) occupation; (2) survivals of tribal organization etc.; (3) the rise of new belief; (4) cross-breeding and (5) migration.

The question may be asked whether these nuclei do not exist in other societies and whether they are peculiar to India. If they are not peculiar to India, but are common to the world, why is it that they did not " form " caste on other parts of this planet ? Is it because those parts are holier than the land of the Vedas, or that the professors are mistaken ? I am afraid that the latter is the truth.

In spite of the high theoretic value claimed by the several authors for their respective theories based on one or other of the above nuclei, one regrets to say that on close examination they are nothing more than filling illustrations what Matthew Arnold means by " the grand name without the grand thing in it ". Such are the various theories of caste advanced by Sir Denzil lbbetson, Mr. Nesfield, Mr. Senart and Sir H. Risley. To criticise them in a lump would be to say that they are a disguised form of the Petitio Principii of formal logic. To illustrate : Mr. Nesfield says that " function and function only. . . was the foundation upon which the whole system of Castes in India was built up ". But he may rightly be reminded that he does not very much advance our thought by making the above statement, which practically amounts to saying that castes in India are functional or occupational, which is a very poor discovery ! We have yet to know from Mr. Nesfield why is it that an occupational group turned into an occupational caste ? I would very cheerfully have undertaken the task of dwelling on the theories of other ethnologists, had it not been for the fact that Mr. Nesfield's is a typical one.

Without stopping to criticize those theories that explain the caste system as a natural phenomenon occurring in obedience to the law of disintegration, as explained by Herbert Spencer in his formula of evolution, or as natural as " the structural differentiation within an organism "to employ the phraseology of orthodox apologists, or as an early attempt to test the laws of eugenicsas all belonging to the same class of fallacy which regards the caste system as inevitable, or as being consciously imposed in anticipation of these laws on a helpless and humble population, I will now lay before you my own view on the subject.

We shall be well advised to recall at the outset that the Hindu society, in common with other societies, was composed of classes and the earliest known are the (1) Brahmins or the priestly class; (2) the Kshatriya, or the military class ; (3) the Vaishya, or the merchant class and (4) the Shudra, or the artisan and menial class. Particular attention has to be paid to the fact that this was essentially a class system, in which individuals, when qualified, could change their class, and therefore classes did change their personnel. At some time in the history of the Hindus, the priestly class socially detached itself from the rest of the body of people and through a closed-door policy became a caste by itself . The other classes being subject to the law of social division of labour underwent differentiation, some into large, others into very minute groups. The Vaishya and Shudra classes were the original inchoate plasm, which formed the sources of the numerous castes of today. As the military occupation does not very easily lend itself to very minute sub-division, the Kshatriya class could have differentiated into soldiers and administrators.

This sub-division of a society is quite natural. But the unnatural thing about these sub-divisions is that they have lost the open-door character of the class system and have become self-enclosed units called castes. The question is: were they compelled to close their doors and become endogamous, of did they close them of their own accord ? I submit that there is a double line of answer: Some closed the door : Others found it closed against them. The one is a psychological interpretation and the other is mechanistic, but they are complementary and both are necessary to explain the phenomena of caste-formation in its entirety.

I will first take up the psychological interpretation. The question we have to answer in this connection is: Why did these sub-divisions or classes, if you please, industrial, religious or otherwise, become self-enclosed or endogamous ? My answer is because the Brahmins were so. Endogamy or the closed-door system, was a fashion in the Hindu society, and as it had originated from the Brahmin caste it was whole-heartedly imitated by all the non-Brahmin sub-divisions or classes, who, in their turn, became endogamous castes. It is " the infection of imitation " that caught all these sub-divisions on their onward march of differentiation and has turned them into castes. The propensity to imitate is a deep-seated one in the human mind and need not be deemed an inadequate explanation for the formation of the various castes in India. It is so deep-seated that Walter Bagehot argues that, " We must not think of . . . imitation as voluntary, or even conscious. On the contrary it has its seat mainly in very obscure parts of the mind, whose notions, so far from being consciously produced, are hardly felt to exist; so far from being conceived beforehand, are not even felt at the time. The main seat of the imitative part of our nature is our belief, and the causes predisposing us to believe this or disinclining us to believe that are among the obscurest parts of our nature. But as to the imitative nature of credulity there can be no doubt." [f.3] This propensity to imitate has been made the subject of a scientific study by Gabriel Tarde, who lays down three laws of imitation. One of his three laws is that imitation flows from the higher to the lower or, to quote his own words, "Given the opportunity, a nobility will always and everywhere imitate its leaders, its kings or sovereigns, and the people likewise, given the opportunity, its nobility." [f.4] Another of Tarde's laws of imitation is : that the extent or intensity of imitation varies inversely in proportion to distance, or in his own words " The thing that is most imitated is the most superior one of those that are nearest- In fact, the influence of the model's example is efficacious inversely to its distance as well as directly to its superiority. Distance is understood here in its sociological meaning. However distant in space a stranger may be, he is close by, from this point of view, if we have numerous and daily relations with him and if we have every facility to satisfy our desire to imitate him. This law of the imitation of the nearest, of the least distant, explains the gradual and consecutive character of the spread of an example that has been set by the higher social ranks." [f.5]

In order to prove my thesiswhich really needs no proofthat some castes were formed by imitation, the best way, it seems to me, is to find out whether or not the vital conditions for the formation of castes by imitation exist in the Hindu Society. The conditions for imitation, according to this standard authority are: (1) that the source of imitation must enjoy prestige in the group and (2) that there must be " numerous and daily relations " among members of a group. That these conditions were present in India there is little reason to doubt. The Brahmin is a semi-god and very nearly a demi-god. He sets up a mode and moulds the rest- His prestige is unquestionable and is the fountain-head of bliss and good. Can such a being, idolised by scriptures and venerated by the priest-ridden multitude, fail to project his personality on the suppliant humanity ? Why, if the story be true, he is believed to be the very end of creation. Such a creature is worthy of more than mere imitation, but at least of imitation ; and if he lives in an endogamous enclosure, should not the rest follow his example ? Frail humanity! Be it embodied in a grave philosopher or a frivolous housemaid, it succumbs. It cannot be otherwise. Imitation is easy and invention is difficult.

Yet another way of demonstrating the play of imitation in the formation of castes is to understand the attitude of non-Brahmin classes towards those customs which supported the structure of caste in its nascent days until, in the course of history, it became embedded in the Hindu mind and hangs there to this day without any supportfor now it needs no prop but belief-like a weed on the surface of a pond. In a way, but only in a way, the status of a caste in the Hindu Society varies directly with the extent of the observance of the customs of Sati, enforced widowhood, and girl marriage. But observance of these customs varies directly with the distance (I am using the word in the Tardian sense) that separates the caste. Those castes that are nearest to the Brahmins have imitated all the three customs and insist on the strict observance thereof. Those that are less near have imitated enforced widowhood and girl marriage; others, a little further off, have only girl marriage and those furthest off have imitated only the belief in the caste principle. This imperfect imitation, I dare say, is due partly to what Tarde calls " distance " and partly to the barbarous character of these customs. This phenomenon is a complete illustration of Tarde's law and leaves no doubt that the whole process of caste-formation in India is a process of imitation of the higher by the lower. At this juncture I will turn back to support a former conclusion of mine, which might have appeared to you as too sudden or unsupported. I said that the Brahmin class first raised the structure of caste by the help of those three customs in question. My reason for that conclusion was that their existence in other classes was derivative. After what I have said regarding the role of imitation in the spread of these customs among the non-Brahmin castes, as means or as ideals, though the imitators have not been aware of it, they exist among them as derivatives ; and, if they are derived, there must have been prevalent one original caste that was high enough to have served as a pattern for the rest. But in a theocratic society, who could be the pattern but the servant of God?

This completes the story of those that were weak enough to close their doors. Let us now see how others were closed in as a result of being closed out. This I call the mechanistic process of the formation of caste. It is mechanistic because it is inevitable. That this line of approach, as well as the psychological one, to the explanation of the subject has escaped my predecessors is entirely due to the fact that they have conceived caste as a unit by itself and not as one within a System of Caste. The result of this oversight or lack of sight has been very detrimental to the proper understanding of the subject matter and therefore its correct explanation. I will proceed to offer my own explanation by making one remark which I will urge you to bear constantly in mind. It is this : that caste in the singular number is an unreality. Castes exist only in the plural number. There is no such thing as a caste : There are always castes. To illustrate my meaning: while making themselves into a caste, the Brahmins, by virtue of this, created non-Brahmin caste; or, to express it in my own way, while closing themselves in they closed others out. I will clear my point by taking another illustration. Take India as a whole with its various communities designated by the various creeds to which they owe allegiance, to wit, the Hindus, Mohammedans, Jews, Christians and Parsis. Now, barring the Hindus, the rest within themselves are non-caste communities.

But with respect to each other they are castes. Again, if the first four enclose themselves, the Parsis are directly closed out, but are indirectly closed in. Symbolically, if Group A wants to be endogamous, Group B has to be so by sheer force of circumstances.

Now apply the same logic to the Hindu society and you have another explanation of the " fissiparous " character of caste, as a consequence of the virtue of self-duplication that is inherent in it. Any innovation that seriously antagonises the ethical, religious and social code of the Caste is not likely to be tolerated by the Caste, and the recalcitrant members of a Caste are in danger of being thrown out of the Caste, and left to their own fate without having the alternative of being admitted into or absorbed by other Castes. Caste rules are inexorable and they do not wait to make nice distinctions between kinds of offence. Innovation may be of any kind, but all kinds will suffer the same penalty. A novel way of thinking will create a new Caste for the old ones will not tolerate it. The noxious thinker respectfully called Guru (Prophet) suffers the same fate as the sinners in illegitimate love. The former creates a caste of the nature of a religious sect and the latter a type of mixed caste. Castes have no mercy for a sinner who has the courage to violate the code. The penalty is excommunication and the result is a new caste. It is not peculiar Hindu psychology that induces the excommunicated to form themselves into a caste 5; far from it. On the contrary, very often they have been quite willing to be humble members of some caste (higher by preference) if they could be admitted within its fold. But castes are enclosed units and it is their conspiracy with clear conscience that compels the excommunicated to make themselves into a caste. The logic of this obdurate circumstance is merciless, and it is in obedience to its force that some unfortunate groups find themselves enclosed, because others in enclosing, themselves have closed them out, with the result that new groups (formed on any basis obnoxious to the caste rules) by a mechanical law are constantly being converted into castes to a bewildering multiplicity. Thus is told the second tale in the process of Caste formation in India.

Now to summarise the main points of my thesis. In my opinion there have been several mistakes committed by the students of Caste, which have misled them in their investigations. European students of Caste have unduly emphasised the role of colour in the Caste system. Themselves impregnated by colour prejudices, they very readily imagined it to be the chief factor in the Caste problem. But nothing can be farther from the truth, and Dr. Ketkar is correct when he insists that " All the princes whether they belonged to the so-called Aryan race, or the so-called Dravidian race, were Aryas. Whether a tribe or a family was racially Aryan or Dravidian was a question which never troubled the people of India, until foreign scholars came in and began to draw the line. The colour of the skin had long ceased to be a matter of importance." [f.6] Again, they have mistaken mere descriptions for explanation and fought over them as though they were theories of origin. There are occupational, religious etc., castes, it is true, but it is by no means an explanation of the origin of Caste. We have yet to find out why occupational groups are castes ; but this question has never even been raised. Lastly they have taken Caste very lightly as though a breath had made it. On the contrary. Caste, as I have explained it, is almost impossible to be sustained : for the difficulties that it involves are tremendous. It is true that Caste rests on belief, but before belief comes to be the foundation of an institution, the institution itself needs to be perpetuated and fortified.

My study of the Caste problem involves four main points : ( 1 ) that in spite of the composite make-up of the Hindu population, there is a deep cultural unity; (2) that caste is a parcelling into bits of a larger cultural unit; (3) that there was one caste to start with and (4) that classes have become Castes through imitation and excommunication-peculiar interest attaches to the problem of Caste in India today; as persistent attempts are being made to do away with this unnatural institution. Such attempts at reform, however, have aroused a great deal of controversy regarding its origin, as to whether it is due to the conscious command of a Supreme Authority, or is an unconscious growth in the life of a human society under peculiar circumstances. Those who hold the latter view will, I hope, find some food for thought in the standpoint adopted in this paper. Apart from its practical importance the subject of Caste is an all absorbing problem and the interest aroused in me regarding its theoretic foundations has moved me to put before you some of the conclusions, which seem to me well founded, and the grounds upon which they may be supported. I am not, however, so presumptuous as to think them in any way final, or anything more than a contribution to a discussion of the subject. It seems to me that the car has been shunted on wrong lines, and the primary object of the paper is to indicate what I regard to be the right path of investigation, with a view to arrive at a serviceable truth. We must, however, guard against approaching the subject with a bias. Sentiment must be outlawed from the domain of science and things should be judged from an objective standpoint. For myself I shall find as much pleasure in a positive destruction of my own ideology, as in a rational disagreement on a topic, which, notwithstanding many learned disquisitions is likely to remain controversial forever. To conclude, while I am ambitious to advance a Theory of Caste, if it can be shown to be untenable I shall be equally willing to give it up.

Notes:



[f.1]Ketkar, Caste, p-4.

[f.2]History of Caste in India. 1909, pp. 2-33.

[f.3]Physics and Politics, 1915, p. 60.



[f.4]Laws of Imitation. Tr. by E.C. Parsons, 2nd edition, p. 217.



[f.5]Ibid., p. 224.



[f.6]History of Caste, p. 82. I I

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar popularly known as Babasaheb, was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement and campaigned against social discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits), while also supporting the rights of women and labour. He was Independent India's first law minister and the principal architect of the Constitution of India










Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan In Madhya Pradesh Demands Distributive Justice In Land Rights

By National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Organisations

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Thousand of Dalits Adivasi of Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan, a movement of landless Dalits Adivasis promoted by National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) met the district administration of Umriya district in Madhya Pradesh on 3rd March and demanded five acres of land for every rural landless Dalit and Adivasi family. Thousands of Dalit and Adivasi leaders from interior pockets of Umriya district participated in this march to assert their rights over land. On this day, the leaders of Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan pledged to continue their struggle to fulfil their vision that every Dalit and Adivasi household will have cultivable land.

Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan which has been advocating on on distributive justice for land rights and building the capacity of organisations, strengthening the federation of the organisation and movement and Dalit groups for land rights, dignity, food ,nutrition and habitat security for Dalits and Indigenous communities. Bhoomi Adhikar Yatras are being organised across the state of Madhya Pradesh. In Madhya Pradesh, Yatra started from Rewa on January 1, 2013 where land statistics that show that 60% land is owned by 10% and 30 percent of people do not have land for burying their dead. The movement has generated impact. Even World Bank is now cognizant of the issue recommending for addressing the issue of distributive justice for land rights for removing the inequity. NACDAOR believe that15-20% wasteland could be given to landless among Dalits and believes that results for land rights movements would be visible in five-seven years if the issues were raised sustainably. The NACDAOR executive committee decided for land rights expecting results in 5-7 years. The organisation has been working for Dalits who are victims of usurpation and victimisation in the Land title related cases. NACDAOR believes that Centre would not require having food security programmes if all the landless were to be given land.

The movement has generated leaders and there are leaders like Sanjay Bhai and Chotulal Kol. In four year, 5 acre land has become a national slogan of Dalits. Now, people have been greeting each other with Jai Bheem Panch Acre Zameen. The special feature of this Yatra is that it is completely locally supported -non sponsored and non-supported Yatra. Bhoomi Adhikar Yatra in 2013 covered 800 villages-1200 villages. The slogan of Jai Bheem,Paanch Acre has been resonating across the villages. The campaign has generated many women leaders. Now, there are women leaders taking the movement to a new level of stridency. Interestingly, the land rights movement organised Dalit Mahasabha is raising issues related to education, nutrition, food security as well. Shiksha Adhikar Yaatra was also organised during the process with data collection on critical queries related to education, health and livelihoods.

Ram Prashad one of the leaders of Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan reveals that a series of public Actions have been planned by Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan to create pressure upon government for realising of The Sustainable Development Goal no 17 says about protection and sustainable management of land. Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan believes that transferring the land ownership to Dalit and Adivasi would contribute to reduce poverty, resource inequality and would ensure dignity to Dalits. It demands that the government should demonstrate their willingness to uplift Dalits and Adivasis out of poverty by ensuring land to landless Dalits. State as the eminent domain should exercise its responsibility of arresting the growing inequality in the country. It should take away the surplus land from landlords and religious institutions having huge acres of land and should give it to landless people in the country for reducing poverty in rural India.

Redistribution of land among Dalits and Adivasi is inevitable as Adivasis and Dalits are the most deprived among rural households in India suffer from multiple forms of deprivation due to landlessness. According to the results of the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011, nearly 79 per cent of rural Adivasi households are considered deprived. This is higher than the 61 per cent for all rural households, the 55 per cent for non-SC/STs, and the 73 per cent for Dalits. Despite being a large chunk of India's population, Dalit are 16.6% and Adivasis are 8.6%, more than half continue to remain landless. It has been 68 years since India's independence, the economy has boomed, urban areas have developed but Dalits and Adivasis continue to live in turmoil. Although Dalits constitute a strong 16.6% of the total population, they own only 8 per cent of land assets. Their social and economic situation still remains weak as a large number of them work as agricultural labourers, depending on wages that are not even sufficient for their household expenses.



In this backdrop, Bhoomi Adhikar Andolan is considering a combination of strategies needs to be taken up for realisation of the rights to land for all who have been historically forced to remain landless due to application of Varnashram based restrictions. It is committed to fight for the land rights of Dalits and Adivasis in India and demands redistribution of land resources in the country. Considering the importance of land resources as renewable resource for food and nutrition security, shelter and dignity for historically marginalised and oppressed Dalits and such other marginalised groups and nomadic tribes , NACDAOR has been adopting best strategies out of the following which are necessary for realizing land rights for historically and contemporarily marginalised among Dalits.

1. Accelerated advocacy for computerization of records: Land records computerization would enable availability of data based on ownership of land. This would enable all access to land ownerships in order to have better decisions on redistribution.

2. Redistribution of surplus land: Implementation for land reform need to be done with the facilitation of land rights appeals and its sustained follow up with the assistance of civil society organisations , since land less Dalits are not empowered for taking up the application process and following up sustainably.

3. Integrating Land Right of Dalits in the national agenda of Action: Civil society network need to continue the movement through diverse networks and independently in order to realize the vision of land rights for all.

4. Formation of Women led groups for land rights: Considering the migration of mens folk in search of livelihoods from among Dalit household, it is important to form women led group for working with government structures at the lower level responsible for implementation of land reforms.

5. Making Ownership of Land by Dalits integral to food, nutrition and renewable energy security: Considering the sustainability challenges for non renewable resource based livelihoods in the urban areas, it is important to ensure land rights for all in order to secure nutrition and food security through agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry which is possible through land entitlements.

6. Created limited stake in Forest Areas for land less living in the Forest Areas: Forest village where tribes and Dalits are should have access to cultivable land in order to grow food and nutrition for all. C

7. Food and Nutrition Cooperatives of Dalits and Adivasies across the religions: Cooperative movement has benefitted many but this movement needs to deepen its impact for small produce of the forest and most importantly the cooperatives for food and nutrition security is needed for low population forest village and other villages where access to land for Dalits and Adivasis remains a challenge and they have been forced to work as farm labourers for castes having larger tracts of land due to their proximity to government and their dominance in the governance structures. Lands cultivated by Dalits and Adivasis need to be granted ownership titles.

8. Community Forestry: Dalits and tribes have some rights in the community forestry. Government of Madhya Pradsesh for example has created stake for people through forming committees and created provisions for share in bamboo plantations. It is important to assess the impact on income and find out more about enhancing the same.

9. Mass Mobilization: In order to use the democratic space where votes count, mass mobilization for the desired policies and programmes in necessary and therefore this needs to pursued for realizing land redistribution goals in the favour of landless among Dalits and Tribes across the religions.

10. Political sensitisation: In order to ensure social cohesion, food security and nutrition security, it is important to sensitise to political parties on the redistribution of land for securing survival of the landless in the age of industrialization and mechanization which would not last due to limits to the reserves of non-renewable resources.

11. Communication of Post carbon futures for habitats: Communication of post carbon age habitats is important for ensuring development of vision for survival equations of the masses of landless. With the initiative for mitigating climate change, it is important to also envision post carbon future since fossil fuels would not be part of humanity endowments for all the time to come. Considering this, masses of landless would require renewable resource based survival equations and therefore, redistribution of land building renewable resource based livelihoods is the most wise strategy. Agriculture, horticulture, poultry, fisheries and cattle rearing thus remains vital means of survival for majority as was the norm before the discovery of fossil fuels.

12. Communication of Equity, identity, distributive justice for renewable resources and giving: It is important to establish the linkage for social cohesion as realized by Gandhians like Vinoba Bhave who collected donation of land from across the states of India. There is a need to re-establish the need for giving land by the state seeking progressive actions in this regard.

13. Distributive Justice for renewable resources, a national and global imperative: It is important to establish that distributive justice for renewable resources would remain the most critical demand since these are linked to survival of landless and historically marginalized. Identities are invoked due to perception of relative deprivation. It is important to understand the dynamics of invocation of identities and how these need to be managed through ensuring distributive justice for renewable resource.

14. Ecological Audit of distribution patterns: In order to let the state learn on difference between distributive justices for renewable and non-renewbale resources. Here, examining the movements for land rights, it is clear tribes and Dalits are not seeking large estates. All are seeking just enough land for feeding families and therefore state must find a way for this.

15.Politics of survival equation vs. politics of identities: It is important to orient Indian politics with the critical question of survival equations for masses of landless among Dalits and Tribes which was aimed by the Gandhians but could not be realized. Cohesive India is possible through securing survival of all rather than securing privileges for some group of people invoking some identities at the cost of deprivation of large section of society. At this stage, it is important to secure survival of landless among Dalit in the age of rampant liberalisation favouring large industrial houses .Balance has to be achieved in pursuing the inclusive and environmentally sustainable development agenda for securing justice for all in terms of securing water, food, nutrition, health, sanitation security through grant of land rights.

16. Corruption free Governance with distributive justice for land rights: It is important to secure corruption free governance recalling the ideals of independence movement in which justice was the prime concern for all social groups. Distributive justice for land could not secure due to beaucractic resistance and pro-corporate policies in some states despite land of land ceiling. Surplus land could not be distributed. Even land pooled through Bhoodan Andolan could not be distributed to all. Thus it is important to continue support for parties delivering best be corruption free inclusive governance with distributive justice and representational justice to all in business, employment and governance.

17. Integration perspective with inclusive justice and distributive justice in land ownerships: Noting the importance of invocation of identities generating conflict, it is important to support the agenda of national integration trough securing distributive justice in land ownerships at least for amount of land which is held by Dalits and Adivasis. Regularization of ownership needs to be actively considered considering movements land Bhoomi Haqq Andolan in Ahmad Nagar.

18. State as agency for redistributive justice not for capitalist accumulation creating mass distress in post carbon age with struggle for ownerships and tenancy rights: A nation like India with large population to feed needs to proactively engage with the scenarios in post carbon age when skyscraper laden urban habitats may not have means of all food, nutrition and water support. This is one the important reason for securing land rights for landless which would be critical in the post carbon age, in case, renewable energy security is not realised at the scale non-renewable energy provides for energy intensive transport systems where burning of fossil fuel is the most important source of energy generation. Land redistribution for land less securing food, nutrition and water security becomes important considering such a scenario as well. It is then important to explain this scenario to the state in order to arrest policy development where land acquisition is favored for industrial houses while distribution of surplus land and regularization of government land held by Dalits and Adivasi is not receiving attention by the successive governments.

19. Unity perspective for granting equity for all in land rights: It is important to highlight the national unity perspective through securing distribution of land among landless progressing on the laws and accelerating the distribution of land to landless.

20. Corporate Envisioning for distributive justice in post carbon age: Instruments of workshops, civil society interface with corporate and industry leaders is needed for envisioning distributive justice .Discussing the strategies for post carbon habitats with distributive justice would be enable creation of strong policy thrust for distributive justice for land.



Mr. Sukanta Chandra Behera

General Secretary

National Confederation of Dalit Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR)

M-3/22, Model Town-III, Delhi 110009 INDIA

website: www.nacdaor.org










Postcard From The End Of America: Brooklyn

By Linh Dinh

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

I spent a week in New York with a handful of Japanese writers and editors. They were in the States to promote Monkey Business, a Tokyo-based literary journal. That Friday, we had a reading in Brooklyn, so I decided to spend the entire day there.

I first heard of Brooklyn through Welcome Back, Kotter. It was 1975 and I was learning American culture mostly through a black and white television. I became very fond of Shirley Temple, Jimmy Snuka, Donny and Marie Osmond, Bugs Bunny and The Beaver. Since this was Tacoma, Washington, I also started to worship Slick Watts.

Welcome Back, Kotter featured a Jewish teacher and his wife, and among the students, there were a black, an Italian, a Puerto Rican Jew and another kid, Horshack, who was likely Jewish. This ethnic mix meant nothing to me, for I had no experience of American types nor knowledge of stereotypes. All three Tacoma schools I went to were majority white, with just a few blacks.

I visited New York for the first time in 1979, then went there somewhat regularly after settling in Philadelphia in 1982. As a wannabe painter, I was drawn to the Soho galleries. Most of my more ambitious friends also moved to NYC. One, Phong Bui, became the publisher of the Brooklyn Rail.

Phongs parents had a lunch truck selling hoagies and cheesesteaks at UPenn. He was so broke at the University of the Arts, he slept on a cot in a classroom, with a hot plate next to him. Since Phong was a popular star student, the college looked the other way.

Though knowing no one in NYC, Phong was determined to go there, so a small group of us sent him off at a Lebanese restaurant with belly dancers. It was 1985, and Phong and I had just finished our summer jobs teaching art to inner city kids. Next thing I knew, Phong was hanging out with Meyer Shapiro, Willem de Kooning and Francesco Clemente, etc.

Now that he has some cash, Phongs always buying everyone food and drinks, and before he got married recently, hed yield his bed to any visiting friend and sleep on the couch. Phong is always attentive to your needs. At the Brooklyn Ale House in 1995, he introduced me to my fiction publisher, Dan Simon.

Whether an immigrant or native-born, there are those who try their best to fit in, those who resist integration but bother no one, and those who dont give a flying rats ass.

Crossing the Williamsburg Bridge, I kept pace with two Hasidic men, then saw many more in Brooklyn. In Philly, Ive never spotted anyone with sidelocks or a shtreimel. Save for the constantly expanding Chinatown, the Dominican-dominated Washington Heights, central Harlem and still smallish Koreatown, Manhattans ethnic enclaves are history. Brooklyn is more heterogeneous.

In Williamsburg, the invasion of yuppies and hipsters are driving the Hasids half mad, but these newcomers only got in because Hadids themselves were selling real estate to cash in on the skyrocketing prices. One of the weirder battles between old and new involves bike lanes, for the Hasids object to so much female flesh rolling through their outwardly chaste neighborhood. Hasidic women are not supposed to show their hair and legs, much less cleavage.

Oi, just think of all the wondrous Old World traditions and mores one must give up to fit into the United States of America! Everything from honor killing, to female genital mutilation, to cockfighting, to dog eating, to thinking that male and female are distinct genders! Brit milah is fine, for it hurts no one to suck blood from a babys penis right after circumcision. If a mohel has herpes, however, he can give it to the newborn and even kill him. It has happened.

Those who think borders shouldnt matter ignore the fact that in all American cities, borders are constantly being maintained, guarded and renegotiated, if not, literally, fought over. This is only natural, for every individual, everywhere, is always making decisions about who he wants as his neighbors. Where should I eat? Drink? Send my kids to school? Everyone is always drawing borders.

In Williamsburg, Hasidic Jews have a 50-men shomrim police patrol, as well as a hatzolah ambulance fleet. In 2010, a black teen attacked three Hasids over a two week period, leaving one with a broken face, including a broken eye socket. In 2013, at least five Hasids jumped a gay black man at 5AM after he had gotten off a party bus. They punched, kicked and stomped until he was permanently blinded in one eye. Across New York, blacks have assaulted Hasids in knockout games.

Walking south, I soon crossed into Bedford-Stuyvesant. It is 53% black, down from 70.1% of just six years ago. On its sidewalks were many African, Middle-Eastern, South Asian and Latin American immigrants, and no Hasids. I saw a bunch of men under a taqiyah, several cheerful women in colorful hijabs, and one shrouded in a black burqa. I strolled past Jamuna Bangladeshi grocery store, Alis Trinidad Roti, Original Soldier Jamaican restaurant, Le Paris Dakar bakery, a Korean-owned fried fish takeout, several Vietnamese nail salons and the decaying Slave Theater.

Suddenly, I heard a Muslim prayer call, which made me think of my recent trip to Istanbul. Its source was the Masjid At-Taqwa, where the imam, Siraj Wahhaj, was the first to intone an Islamic prayer to open a U.S. Congress session. Founded in 1981 with just 25 members, all native-born blacks, Masjid At-Taqwa now has over 1,300 worshippers each Friday, with at least two thirds immigrants. It can also boast of eliminating 15 crack houses from the area.

I grimaced at a baffling sign for a body guard service, Natures Finest Security, then perused a poster in a dirty shop window, A Community Discussion. The Way Forward REPARATIONS AND THE PLEBISCITE. Real Choices in 2016. Chairman Fred Hampton, 10th Point of BLACK PANTHER PARTY 10 POINT PROGRAM We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. And as our major political objective, a United Nations-supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate, for the purpose of determining the will of black people as to their national destiny.

On Nostrand, I chanced upon Davids Brisket House. Though serving mostly Jewish sandwiches, as its name implies, its run by a Yemeni Muslim. A sign said the owner was at Friday prayer, and would be back at 2PM. When I returned just after 2, however, all I saw was an impatient group of customers, all black, frowning on the sidewalk. An old man sighed, Hes often late. Bypassing Bombay Curry, I ended up eating pork stew with rice and beans at a Dominican joint down the street.

Heading west, I stopped for three pints at Outpost in Clinton Hill. Here, I entered yet another world. Hot drinks included tangerine sencha and mate, Ommegang and Krombacher were on tap, and the light fixture behind bar was cleverly crafted from drain pipes. Each patron was trim and smartly dressed in an offhanded way, and the music was Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong singing Gershwin. Having not heard that in decades, I was actually moved to tears, and who cares if the bartender found me ridiculous. Its striking how far this culture has sunk from such elegance and beauty. Just look around you, all we have left is rage and sneering idiocy.

Though our president is a mere figurehead for the entrenched military banking complex, it would be more than apt should the crass Trump become our next public face.

Linh Dinh is the author of two books of stories, five of poems, and a novel, Love Like Hate. Hes tracking our deteriorating socialscape through his frequently updated photo blog, Postcards from the End of America.














Iranian Regime Introduces European Languages In School

But Denies Minorities Right To Learn In Their Own Language

By Rahim Hamid

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

These are the 'school' conditions for many Ahwazi Arab children in rural areas, who are denied the most basic education facilities unlike Persian children

While tens of millions of Iranian citizens from various ethnic minorities are denied the right to education in their mother language, the regime has now announced the introduction of a new compulsory language syllabus in five European languages.

A few days after President Hassan Rouhani emphasized the need for education in foreign languages, Ahmad Abedini,the deputy of the regimes Supreme Council of Educationand Training announced that education in five languages - German, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian  will now be mandatory in Irans schools.

The regimes newfound enthusiasm for education in languages other than Farsi doesnt extend, however, to the native languages of many of its citizens, with Arabs in Ahwaz, Kurds in East Kurdistan, and Turks in South Azerbaijan denied the right to education in their mother tongues and brutally persecuted for using their own languages. This policy is strictly maintained despite the fact that Articles 15 and 19 of the Iranian constitution specifically state respectively that ethnic literature should be available to pupils in all schools and that all of Irans non-Persian ethnic minorities have the right to education in their native languages. Farsi remains the official state language and the only one used throughout the education system despite the fact that it is the native tongue of less than half of Irans population.

The theocratic regimes discriminatory and supremacist policies towards the countrys ethnic minorities are a continuation of those practiced by the secular monarchy, overthrown in the 1979 revolution.

Although the publication of material in other languages is tolerated (barely) by the Iranian leadership, the regimes vilification of those ethnic groups using non-Farsi languages is systemic and relentless. A recent and typical example of this was the Persian-Iranian primary school teacher in Ahwaz who forced two Ahwazi Arab pupils to wash out their mouths with soap and water for speaking in their Arabic mother tongue. The teacher at a school in the Amaniyeh neighbourhood of the Arab regions capital also warned other pupils that they would face the same punishment if he heard them speaking Arabic or if they were reported to have done so in his absence.

This incident sparked further outrage and resentment amongst Ahwazi people who already face extensive apartheid-style discrimination and legislation outlawing their Arab language, dress and culture.

The regime has acknowledged none of its blatant discrimination towards Irans ethnic minorities in its new language education program. Indeed, Rouhani has called on other cultural institutions to allocate funds for language education and training  for English and the other aforementioned European languages adding that a proposal to prioritise the teaching of these languages has been put forward to the Supreme Revolutionary Cultural Council.

While the regime president has argued that the teaching of English should be prioritised since its the principal language of science and technology internationally, the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is less convinced, criticising any insistence on the promotion exclusively of English, adding The language of science is not just English I dont mean to shut down the teaching of English from tomorrow, but we ought to know what we are doing.

Rouhani, who believes that the teaching of English should be the first priority for Irans advancement, had said, "You see the Indian subcontinent; because of the huge population most are almost fluent in English. Look at what they have done in information technology and how greatly the subcontinent has gained. We must teach the language that would be best for scientific progress, creating more jobs for the younger generation and facilitating the future of our communication economy with the world. "

The presidents praise for Indias adoption of English as an example was quickly criticised, with state media organ Tasnim quotingSepehrKhalaji, the director of the Ayatollahs Public Relations office, as writing in a statement published on Instagram, Due to British colonial domination of India and a planned erasure of its peoples cultural identity to force them into compliance, India was forced into learning English. This is precisely the effects of colonialism that, as a first step, removes the signs of cultural and national identity in an effort to destroy the spirit of independent-mindedness among the populace. So this colonialist method of learning a language is not an honourable one to cite as an example.

The official did not seem to recognise the irony of such criticism coming from a representative of a regime which pursues the colonialist policies of its predecessors who forcibly annexed and colonised Ahwazi Arabs lands with British support in 1925 and have ever since enforced Farsi as the dominant language, refusing the people their right to education in their own language in an effort to crush the spirit of independent-mindedness among its populace.

It should also be mentioned that linguistic justice is a principle enshrined in international law, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which criminalises discrimination in the areas of language, ethnicity or religion, three of the areas in which the Islamic Republics regime discriminates openly and brutally against millions of its own citizens

Rahim Hamid is an Ahwazi Arab writer










Twenty-Four Hour Banality: The Australian Election Campaign Begins

By Dr. Binoy Kampmark

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Big fan of LBJ, me mum, said Chris Uhlmann, journalist for the ABCs Twenty-Four hour television news network. And that, perhaps, was the only thing of any interest in what must be regarded as one of the most boring exhibitions of television in decades. The topic? Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls journey to seek the Governor Generals permission to dissolve both houses of parliament. An election looms.

A twenty-four hour news station on a Sunday is bound to be desperate for material, and in a country where nothing much happens of global significance, apart of a desire to intervene in distant theatres at Washingtons behest, journalists tend to clutch at straws of commentary. The camera becomes, in that sense, the accessory to the dull speech and observation, a colluding agent in a spectacle of the dreary.

The ABCs media chopper had been commissioned to supply dull aerial pictures of the drive in from the Canberra airport of Australias Governor General, representative of Australias de jure head, the Queen of England. ABC journalists embroidered the pictures with the obvious. That is the Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, coming off the plane. Who else could it have been? Nothing as exciting as a conspirator inspired by a coup detat.

Why Cosgrove has been bothered on this cold, rainy Sunday is that Prime Minister Turnbull has sought to push through legislation and failed because of an obstructionist senate, notably the bill that would create the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). By in large, the budget has also been opposed by the Australian Labor Party.

In the twenty-four live scram for information, commenting journalists struggle to find fun facts. Uhlmann reminds Australians of the visit by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1966, designed, he inventively interprets, solely fur the purpose of shoring up Prime Minister Harold Holts electoral chances. Australians were fighting the good war against communist yellow hordes, and needed reassurance they had backed, and packed, the right horse.

The US President seemed to be relaxed enough, and got whammed during dinner at The Lodge. The giant felt boisterously home. Australian puritans, ever concerned about how leaders should behave, have since commented that it was troubling for the Leader of the Free World, his finger on nuclear triggers, to be a man who has the balance of his mind disturbed by the demon drink (Canberra Times, Jun 11, 2012).

More inconsequential commentary. The motorcade is turning into Kings Avenue. You might be able to see Parliament. In truth, there is little to see, with heavy rain and fog enshrouding some of the journey. The Governor Generals residence seems to hover in Gothic darkness, with various individuals visible only as silhouettes.

Desperation is palpable amongst the rambling observers, and updates showing journalists in the miserable rain suggest they would rather be somewhere else. (The remote Australian capital can be rather miserable as the winter commences.)

Unnecessary questions, mostly of the unanswerable type, follow in what becomes an echo chamber of uncertainty. Will the PM spend ten to fifteen minutes with the Governor General? What will be worn? This is democracy (to be exact, constitutional monarchy) in gradual atrophy: a discussion about the clothing attire of a de facto head-of-state, in conversation with a de jure representative of a monarch, governance by bauble.

Sir Peter seems to travel light. Another observation about why the GG might be carrying his own bag. Surely such bags are heavy, and for that reason, require a retinue to assist? And just to try to make things more interesting, the commentary team give viewers another fun fact: Sir Peter was one of the last grand experiments of ceremony by the previous, now deposed Prime Minister, Tony Abbott. Finding the knighting system irresistibly chic, Abbott decided to add the Governor General to the ranks by advising the Queen, through the GG, to accept it himself. Sir Peter, rise!

Another aside from Uhlmann et al follows, and we get a few remarks about those death cap mushrooms which have shown their fungal power in Canberra. The thing with dead caps is that they can occur anywhere there are established oak trees, noted the ACT chief health officer Paul Kelly (ABC News, Feb 3). The signs for the political motorcade heading through the city were unmistakably frank: Warning. Do not eat deadly death cap mushrooms. Finally, something sensible.

There is less disagreement about what is in store for the Australians worn out electorate, who will be going to the polls on July 2. We are seeing the longest election campaign in election history, remarks another ABC anchor. This will strain concentration, and expenditures for the major political parties.

For eight weeks, Australia, an overly electioneered country, will be bombarded with advertisements, the detritus of dead trees and electronic warfare in an effort that is likely to lead to the re-election of the incumbent government.

By no means is that a foregone conclusion. Long election campaigns provide room for slips and space for tripping. Elections, writes Mike Steketee with trite obviousness, can throw up many imponderables and the longer the campaign runs the more likely they are to do so (The Drum, Mar 25).

The 1984 campaign, for instance, was even shorter than what is about to take place in Australia, and saw Prime Minister Bob Hawkes confidence deflated by conservative opposition leader Andrew Peacock. Peacock ceased being a political afterthought.

Whether it is a dull union functionary or a former high flying lawyer who makes the cut is, to a large extent, of little consequence. We are guaranteed to a show of the banal  and more twenty-four hour television.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com








The Unpeople Rohingya: Expose The Duplicity Of Aung San Suu Kyi

By Mary Scully

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

Aung San Suu Kyi has finally laid her cards on the table. No more bewilderment about why the holder of the Nobel Peace Prize (a worthless honorific most often awarded war criminals), the democracy icon known as "the Mandela of Asia," the holder of dozens of international honorifics as a champion of human rights has remained dead silent on the genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Media reports the conflict as primarily a religious one between Muslims & Buddhists but Rohingya have been subject for decades to violent state-sponsored persecution & discrimination conducted by the military, including denial of citizenship (though they have lived in the region for decades), religious persecution, forced labor, land confiscations, arbitrary taxation & various forms of extortion, forced eviction & house destruction, restrictions on travel for health & work, restrictions on marriage, education, & trade. The violence is so extreme & sustained going back decades that hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas flee for asylum to Malaysia & to squalid refugee camps in Thailand & Bangladesh. Myanmar now has forced nearly 150,000 to live in concentration camps.

For years, Suu Kyi dummied up when reporters asked her about the genocide or answered in platitudes urging people to get along with each other or evasions calling for rule of law. Her evasions were taken as diplomacy even though it's really hard to be a champion of human rights if diplomacy is your schtick. Usually daring & fearlessness are essential qualities of such champions, not cowardice or talking with marbles in your mouth.

But now Suu Kyi is the head of state in what is called (without a hint of sarcasm) " Myanmars first democratically elected government since 1962." She won that election through a loathsome compromise with the military junta & by supporting their neoliberal policies bringing in foreign investment & mining projects at the expense of farmers & rural workers. Some of those farmers & villagers were way ahead of the rest of the world in understanding her betrayals when they booed her out of town for saying the expropriations of their lands & destruction of the environment were "for the greater good."

Now the NY Times reports that in a recent meeting, Suu Kyi advised the US ambassador against using the term "Rohingya" to describe the Muslim people of Myanmar because her government does not recognize them as citizens. Using the same kind of marble-mouthed deceits she used to blither to reporters, her representative told the ambassador, We wont use the term Rohingya because Rohingya are not recognized as among the 135 official ethnic groups. He added, Our position is that using the controversial term does not support the national reconciliation process & solving problems.

The US government is hardly the champion of human rights in all this. Hillary Clinton & Obama have both made high profile visits to Myanmar & paid homage to Suu Kyi as a human rights advocate. US multinationals are pouring billions of investment into Myanmar. If the US ambassador expresses any concern about genocide against Rohingya, it is only that the genocide not come back to interfere with those investments.

Solidarity with Rohingya Muslims against genocide & for justice means educating about their struggle against genocide & part of that education requires exposing the murderous duplicity & collusion of Suu Kyi.

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.














Violence As A Spectacle: The Dalit Question

By Parvin Sultana

09 May, 2016

Countercurrents.org

While many have been euphoric that our great nation has moved beyond caste, frequent cases of caste violence prove otherwise. Dalits who were made to bear the brunt of untouchability are placed at the lowest rung of the social ladder and are often victims of the worst kind of atrocities. While formal laws banning untouchability and prevention of atrocities have been passed to stop such acts, they continue to be pervasive pointing to deep rooted casteism. After so many decades, India continues to fail Babasaheb Ambedkar so far as the caste question goes.

Keeping in mind the multiple facets of violence that Dalits face on an everyday basis, Dalit women being unequal both by caste and gender are the victims of the worst kind of violence. While women across the board face the constant threat of sexual violence, Khairlanji, Gujarat, Kandhamal, Chattisgarh and recently Kerala works as a painful reminder that a large number of women face such violence on an everyday basis without a recourse to redressal or even acknowledgement of being wronged because they were dalit, minority or adivasi.

There is a process of double marginalization and victimization of women from vulnerable groups. While the conviction rate for rape cases is as low as 26%, a study of rape cases filed by Dalit victims show a conviction rate as low as 2%. The administration fails the victims on a regular basis. When families of Dalit girls who have been abducted approach Police there is a callous attitude on the part of the police administration to not take their complaints seriously. The administration sits back voyeuristically making a spectacle of grief and fear. The public nature of violence inflicted upon these women points out to the blatant fact that not merely crippled by their gender, these womens vulnerability is accentuated by their group identity which happens to be that of Dalits while perpetrators often act with impunity.

Caste violence is also marked by the use of crude violence and then making a spectacle of it. Rape is never only about sexual violence, rather it points to the unequal power relationship between the rapist and the victim embodied in a patriarchal society. And rapes of Dalit women are first and foremost tools of caste oppression. Dalit women have not only been raped but also mutilated, burned, paraded naked through villages and forced to eat human faeces.

Other simple transgressions have also been met brutally. Dalit bridegroom pelted with stones for riding a horse, the fingers of a Dalit girl chopped for stealing some vegetables point to a deep rooted feudal mentality. Upper castes and those at the middle rung of the social ladder see such transgressions as questioning and subverting the age old caste system and hence challenging the hegemony of higher castes and upsetting the social hierarchy. Making a spectacle of violence is aimed to send a message that Dalits dare not raise their heads.

While caste atrocities and violence have shamefully become commonplace, a close look at three recent and not so recent incidents will bring forth certain difficult questions that our society needs to grapple with. In 2006, in Maharashtras Khairlanji, four members of the Bhotmange family were murdered in cold blood. The Bhotmanges opposed the use of their land as a passage for the tractors of the land owning Jat Community. As a result of this assertion by the Bhotmanges who were Dalits, the repression that came was inhumane. While all four members were brutally attacked, the women of the family were raped and paraded naked before being murdered. The sole survivor Bhaiyalal Bhotmange witnessed helplessly his entire family being lynched by the crowd. The entire village jeered at the spectacle while no one tried to stop the massacre. The police, media tried to do a cover up initially but were forced to acknowledge it as a caste violence after constant protests by Dalit activists.

The second incident that I want to mention is the Bhagana Rape Case. In March, 2014 four Dalit girls went to the nearby wheat fields to relieve themselves, they were abducted by men of the Jat Community, sedated and raped. They came to senses 90 miles away from Bhagana. The incident goes back to 2012 when the elected village council was given a plot of land to divide among the community free of cost. But the unelected khap panchayat of Jat elders insisted that the land be divided only among Jats and Dalits should be charged money for giving any land. There was a ploy to deny Dalits access to land. The mounting hostilities between the two communities with regard to land often manifested itself through violence against Dalit women. Harassment in school forced many Dalit students to drop out and the Bhagana rape seems to be an extension of such prevalent attitude which aims at systemic exclusion.

The third gruesome incident is the recent rape of two Dalit girls in the Badaun village of Uttar Pradesh. Two Dalit girls who happen to be cousins went out to relieve themselves. They were abducted, gang raped by five men then killed. In a grissly twist, their bodies were left hanging in a mango tree. While all five rape accused belong to the Yadav Community, two of them happen to be police constables. As a result the police administration tried to take a callous attitude towards registering an FIR.

Another eye raising issue with regard to the Badaun rape case was the circulation of the photographs of this grissly act on social media. While Dalit activists have said that such lapses on the part of Journalists are common when the victim is a Dalit, for many the aim is to awaken a complacent society which is reticient to regular rapes that happen far away from the metros. As a journalist puts itcrimes committed by the poor against the poor seems far too common for the precious resources of national outrage. But can such circulation give a background to caste violence? Also such circulation tend to accentuate the use of Dalit victims bodies as a spectacle, the same way the perpetrator aims to.

The latest act in similar line is the rape and murder of a law student in Kerala. The gruesome nature of her murder brings will make anyone shudder. Pulling out a part of ones intestine, stabbing her body 30 times will make one wonder about what the rapist aimed at. It definitely cannot be mere sexual gratification. Rape of a Dalit woman is always related to her Dalitness as well as her womanness. The brutalization which accompanies is aimed to show the community their place. While the Kerala law student's rape was similar to Nirbhaya, the silence in this case is deafening. If such inhuman brutality does not anger us as a community, it points to a tacit acceptance of the fact that Dalit bodies are more available for such torture.

Dalit women are often treated as subhuman and their dehumanization acts as a precursor to rape and other kinds of violence. They are denied human dignity when their bodies become the playground where politics of caste hierarchies are played out. The dalit law student in Kerala was brutalized and killed in the safety of her home. The apathy of her neighbours to this incident is shocking. It shows that Dalit lives matter a little less.

The common thread that runs through all kind of caste atrocities is a deep rooted feudal opposition to any kind of social mobility of Dalits. Those who have been systemically pushed behind margins for ages, tried to take advantage of policies like MGNREGA, tried to get access to education and break out of traditional and feudal bonded labour systems. The backlash from powerful land owning castes has been extremely violent and desperately tried to push them back.

While these incidents point to extremely tragic realitiesDalits not having access to basic amenities like sanitation, drinking water, being forced to live outside the villages, not allowed to own land, the rapes of Dalit women must be acknowledged as caste violence and not only sexual violence because their bruised and mutilated bodies are used as exemplars to carry the threat of not subverting caste hierarchy and embedded power relationship. Not acknowledging it will deny both justice and dignity to the victims. Justice for the dalit law student of Kerala must begin with acknowledging the intersectionality of caste and gender as one kind of oppression cannot be opposed without acknowledging the other.

Parvin Sultana is an Assistant Professor in P B College of Assam. Her research interest includes Muslims in Assam, development and northeast, gender etc. She can be reached at parvin.jnu@gmail.com








Gladson Dungdung

"Offloaded" remark on Dungdung's ticket

Priya Pillai



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Click HERE to download Dungdungs book Mission Saranda He added, "Many civil right activists believe that they have the right, as citizens, to bring to the notice of the state the incongruity in the developmental policies of the state. The state may not accept the views of the civil right activists, but that by itself, cannot be a good enough reason to do away with dissent.---

In a second controversial incident of offloading at the Delhi International Airport, young tribal human rights defender, Gladson Dungdung, who happens to be general secretary, Jharkhand Human Rights Movement (JHRM), Ranchi, was on Monday morning not allowed to board the Air India Delhi-London Flight AI 115. One of the most activist tribal human rights activists in his region, Dungdung was going to London to attend the Workshop on Environmental History and Politics of South Asia, which was to be held in the University of Sussex, UK on May 10.The officials at the airport, according to Dungdung, told him that since his passport had been impounded in 2013, hence they would need to send it to the regional passport office, Ranchi, for verification, before being allowed to fly abroad.However, Dungdung suspected the reason lay elsewhere, He said, The fact is that my passport was impounded in 2013 and returned to me after proper verification in 2014. Thereafter, he attended a couple of international conferences in Denmark and London in 2014 and 2015 subsequently, but there was no issue at all.Therefore, he pointed out, I am sure, this is a clear impact of my book Mission Saranda: A War for Natural Resources in India.The book, it is well known, is based on Dungdungs travel to the so-called Red Corridor of India, offering a plethora of evidence to prove that the state-sponsored effort to curb Naxalism in Jharkhand is actually a war against the Adivasis to snatch their resources  lands, forests, water, hills and minerals  in one of the densest forests of India, rich in its biodiversity with an extraordinary variety of wildlife.In a Facebook post , Dungdung said, The centre of the war is mineral resources, which I am able to establish through my mission to Saranda forest, adding, While defaulters of millions of rupees like Vijay Mallya cannot be offloaded, activists like me are bound to be offloaded.However, my fight for the adivasis' ownership rights over the Natural resources, Adivasi identity, human rights, ecology, and against unjust development processes will continue till they take away my right to life forever Jai Adivasi, he concluded.In January 2015, senior Greenpeace India campaigner Priya Pillai was offloaded at Delhi airport from a flight to London where she was scheduled to make a presentation before British MPs regarding alleged human rights violation in the Mahan region of Madhya Pradesh, where coalmining is rampant.Pillai was told by the immigration officer that he couldnt fly out of the country, even though she had a valid six-month visa. When she sought the reason, a senior officer at the airport told her that she was on a database issued by the Government of India of individuals who cant fly out of the country.Later, in March 2015, the Delhi High Court ordered to expunge the offloadremark from the passport of Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai, and remove her name from a database and allow her to travel abroad.Stating that the right of free speech and expression necessarily includes the right to criticise and dissent, Justice Rajiv Shakdher, in a 39-page order, said: Criticism, by an individual, may not be palatable; even so, it cannot be muzzled."
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Time Motors has signed on as a neighborhood dealer with U-Haul Company of Indiana, Inc. i.

The car dealer, at 2524 E. Morgan Ave. in Evansville, will offer U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, support rental items and in-store pick-up for boxes.

Hours of operation for U-Haul rentals are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. After-hours drop-off is available.
We all have done it.

Knowing that visitors were headed to our home, whether it be family from out of town or a co-worker or simply a new friend, we worry about what impression we'll make.

The floors are swept. Weeds are pulled. Counters are polished. The kids are told to behave, or else, or, more likely, are bribed into their best behavior.

And, generally speaking, when the guests arrive all goes well  mainly because their expectations aren't nearly as high as we place upon ourselves.

That's kind of how I've felt for the past couple of weeks, with presidential hopefuls and their accompanying national media pulling in and out of Evansville day after day.

We first saw Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi, and father, Rafael. Then came Bill Clinton. Then came Ted Cruz himself. Then came Donald Trump, with Bob Knight in tow. Then came Cruz, again. Then came Bernie Sanders. Then came, again, Cruz.

They worked all the angles. Speaking to thousands at the Old National Events Plaza. Speaking to dozens at a union hall, a coffee shop, a restaurant (that, Sen. Cruz learned, sells pies, not pizza) and a barbecue spot (though, even for me, it was a bit early for baby back ribs).

They were cheered, booed, welcomed and told good riddance  one, or at least one's supporters, with an unfortunate trouser-dropping moon shot.

In short, we had Democracy at work.

Indiana, of course, was thrilled with the attention. As the "Crossroads of America," we're both a fly-over and drive-through state. You can get across us, east-to-west, without even stopping for gas, if you time it right, and it often seems that's exactly what the nation does.

Not that living in the shadows is necessarily a bad thing.

Would we really want Donald Trump, or Ted Cruz or either of the Clintons hanging around all the time? Do we really want to be forced away from our own restaurants, to deal with protesters (and traffic jams) trying to get back to work after lunch, to have our airtime filled with hateful views of those candidates with opposing views?

Not me, so much.

All in all, it seems, we were treated fairly by the national media.

We had to convince them it is OK to call us Hoosiers and not OK to call us Indianans.

We had to show them that not all of us live on a farm, that not all of us attend a Bible-thumping church, that not all of us supported moves the Religious Freedom Restoration Act or taking the T our of the rights for our LGBT neighbors, that not all of us feel betrayed by the system or in support of giving away everything from education to smartphones with no effort from those in receipt.

What I hope the nation learned, from our reaction to all these visits, is that Indiana is as diverse and welcoming as any state.

We're part of the Rust Belt, particularly on the northern end of the state, and part of the Corn Belt, particularly in these environs, but we also have technical skills and great universities and people who care about where the nation is going.

We have plenty who Feel the Bern, plenty (we learned) who want a president who they believe Can Make America Great Again, plenty who place their religious beliefs above all, and plenty who are hankering to see us elect a president who happens to be a woman.

National viewers got glimpses of tenderloin sandwiches and barbecue and strawberry pie and lemon shake-ups, and we should be proud. That's a menu I'd serve visitors in my own home, after pulling out the good china, of course.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Violinist Mazz Swift will perform at the May 14 concert to honor the life of Paul Johannes Tillich. The event is free to the public. A bust of Paul Tillich at Tillich Park in New Harmony. Photo by Janet Lorence Tillich Park in New Harmony. photo by Janet Lorence A memorial stone in Tillich Park in New Harmony. Photo by Janet Lorence

By Sara Anne Corrigan

May 14 will mark the 50th anniversary of the interment of Paul Johannes Tillich in the park that bears his name in New Harmony.

A lecture and concert to commemorate it is at 7 that evening in the Athenaeum.

Tillich is considered to be among the most important theologians of the 20th century. His book, "The Courage to Be," published in 1952, has since become a classic of contemporary theological thought and study.

Connie Weinzapfel, director of Historic New Harmony, noted that although Tillich Park  a small, tree-lined meditation space  does not attract a lot of local attention, "when I talk to people who are visiting New Harmony because of its history and they find out Tillich is interred here, they get very excited  he has meant a great deal to a great many people."

Weinzapfel said, the late Jane Owen, spoke of him as her mentor.

In 1963, Owen commissioned a small park to be built in Tillich's honor behind the then-nascent Red Geranium restaurant and across the street from the Roofless Church, itself but 3 years old at the time.

Tillich visited Owen in New Harmony for the dedication of that park.

When Tillich died in 1965, his widow requested his ashes be interred there.

In the 1966 season of Pentecost, services were held there to celebrate Tillich's life and legacy. It is the anniversary of that commemorative event that will be celebrated May 14.

To help the public understand why he was  and is  so important a figure in contemporary theological thought, Stephen Butler Murray  president and professor of systematic theology and preaching at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, and renowned Tillich scholar  will present "A Tribute to Paul Tillich," a lecture "that should enlighten us on Tillich's place in 20th-century theology," Weinzapfel said.

The concert that follows will feature Mazz Swift and Angelus, the latter an a cappella choir from Mount Vernon High School.

The all-female choir was organized in 2008 by director Dana Taylor and currently has seven members. The girls maintain a performance schedule that, last month, took them to Lincoln Center in New York City. In June they will leave for New England as part of an eight-concert summer tour, Taylor said.

Swift, who performs internationally, is based in New York City. She has been coming to New Harmony for the past four summers and was among the first to teach and perform during the community's New Harmony Music Festival and School.

Swift was commissioned this year by the Robert Lee Blaffer Foundation to create a new musical piece for this concert.

The commissioned work, written this month in New Harmony, has been influenced by Swift's listening to Angelus. "The way they sing  I hear very pure, clear voices and harmonies," she said.

Swift will be playing violin throughout the performance, which will also include recorded quotes from the works of Tillich, she said.

The music itself will be formatted in a style that Swift describes as "the American tradition," "Black American music," "classical and jazz and very spiritual."
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NAMI Evansville and The Department of Veterans Affairs: celebrate National Mental Health Month with a free showing of "Call Me Crazy," 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at 410 Mulberry St. Contact Diane at 812-423-4333.

NAMI Connection support group for all mental illness disorders: Meeting from 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Mary's Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center, third floor, rehab building. Information: 812-897-1694.

Alzheimer's Association Memory Cafe: for people with memory loss and their loved ones, 2-3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Alzheimer's Association, 701 N. Weinbach Ave. Registration required by calling 800-272-3900.

Alzheimer's Association Program: "Legal and Financial Planning for Alzheimer's disease," 6-8 p.m. May 17 at the Newburgh Senior Center, 529 Jefferson St. ($5 donation suggested). Registration required by calling 800-272-3900.

Welcome to Medicare Seminar: 4 p.m. May 18 at St. Mary's Senior Connection, 951 S. Hebron Ave., Suite C (between Bellemeade and Washington avenues) adjacent to the Senior Connection Office. The seminar will be presented by Gina Downs, director of St. Mary's Senior Connection. It is free but registration is required. Call St. Mary's Senior Connection at 812-473-7271 or toll-free at 800-258-7610 for reservations and directions.

FA (Families Anonymous): a 12-step fellowship for the family and friends of those individuals with drug, alcohol or related behavioral issues. Meetings are at 10 a.m. Saturdays at Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Ave. Use the Kelsey Avenue entrance, second floor. Information: 812-550-5777.

Bereavement support group: Meeting 5:30-7 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month in the large group meeting room, second floor of Central Library, 200 SE MLK Blvd.

Men's bereavement support group: Meeting 9-10:30 a.m. the second Monday of each month in Room 204 at Deaconess VNA Plus, 610 E. Walnut St.

Support group for bipolar/manic-depressive disorder: Meeting 7 p.m. the first and third Wednesday of each month, Kempf Bipolar Wellness Center, third floor of St. Mary's Rehabilitation Institute, 3700 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-4934.

Survivors of Suicide support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the first and third Monday of each month, Methodist Temple, 2109 Lincoln Ave. Information: Mental Health America at 812-426-2640.

Mending Hearts pregnancy loss support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, Gift Conference Room, off the lobby of St. Mary's Hospital for Women & Children, 3700 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-4204.

Men's cancer support group: Meeting 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, St. Mary's Epworth Crossing Community Conference Room, 100 St. Mary's Epworth Crossing, Newburgh. Information: 812-485-5725.

Stroke support group: Meeting 10 a.m. the fourth Wednesday of each month, St. Mary's Community Education Room at Washington Square Mall, 5011 Washington Ave. Information: 812-485-5607.

ALS support group: Meeting 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Meeting Room E, Deaconess Gateway Hospital. The support group is for patients, caregivers and survivors who have lost someone to Lou Gehrig's disease.

Women's cancer support group: Meeting 5:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month, St. Mary's Epworth Crossing Community Conference Room. Information: 812-485-5725.

Pulmonary fibrosis support group: Meeting 4 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Room 1420, Deaconess Hospital, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com/calendar.

COPD/asthma support group: Meeting 4 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month, Room 1420, Deaconess Hospital, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com/calendar.

Parkinson's support group: Meeting at 5:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, Room 350, Deaconess Physician Center, 600 Mary St. Information: 812-450-6000 or deaconess.com/calendar.

Tri-State Multiple Sclerosis Association support group meetings: 10 a.m. the second Saturday of each month, Tri-State MS Association Office, 971 S. Kenmore Drive, Evansville (contact Nita Ruxer at 812-479-3544 or Sharon Omer at 270-333-4701); 10 a.m. the fourth Saturday of each month, Gibson General Hospital, fifth floor, first room on the right, 1808 Sherman Drive, Princeton, Indiana (contact Alice Burkhart at 812-782-3735); 11 a.m. the second Tuesday of each month, Twilight Towers, in the cafeteria, 1648 10th St., Tell City (contact Terri Hasty at 812-649-4013 or Gayle Taylor 812-719-2417); 10 a.m. the third Saturday of each month, Daviess Community Hospital, Washington, Indiana (contact Cindy Kalberer at 812-254-6735 or Fran Neal at 812-259-1565); 10 a.m. the first Saturday of each month, Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 2360 Green River Road, Henderson, Kentucky, (contact Meg Burnley at 270-826-9507 or Debbie Whittington at 270-827-8298); 6 p.m. the second Monday of each month, Owensboro Health Healthpark, 1006 Ford Ave, Owensboro, Kentucky; and 11 a.m. the first Saturday of each month, Fairfield Memorial Hospital in the board room of Horizon Clinic, 303 NW 11th St., Fairfield, Illinois (contact Kathie Hill at 618-847-8452).

Compiled by Leah Ward,

leah.ward@courierpress.com.
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By Jeremy Brown, Special to the Courier & Press

Some say that the current generation of youth struggle with interpersonal communication due to their immersion in technology.

While there may be truth in that, 16-year-old Landon Eisenhut is showing his community peers and adults that technology is a powerful tool in learning how to communicate and connect with others.

Eisenhut, Youth Resources' April Youth of the Month, is the founder of the nonprofit organization iSENIOR. Inspired by his experience educating his grandfather on how to use an iPad, Eisenhut started iSENIOR fresh out of eighth grade to bridge the gap between senior citizens and technology.

Two years later, the soon-to-be junior swimmer at Castle has a volunteer base of over 30 community youth who regularly visit nursing and retirement homes. iSENIOR recently partnered with Walgreens to ensure its customers are educated with its app, and Eisenhut said that partnership may expand iSENIOR's reach as far as Louisville.

"We use phones, tablets and everything all the time," said Eisenhut. "We want to give back and share our knowledge with our community."

Eisenhut is hopeful that his volunteer base continues to grow so that more seniors can be reached. Those interested in volunteering or receiving iSENIOR's free services can visit senior.biz and contact Eisenhut directly. He and his team of volunteers are next presenting at SWIRCA Thursday at 6 p.m.

"Our volunteers get life-changing experiences. You're not only gaining communication skills but you connect with senior citizens in the community."

His passion for connecting with and educating seniors led to multiple accolades last month. He was a Bronze Finalist for the 2016 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in Indiana and received a signed letter from President Barack Obama as part of his President's Volunteer Service Award.

It is not about the accolades for Eisenhunt, however, it is about the connections and experiences. His fondest memory of serving seniors was helping an elderly couple see their great-granddaughter for the first time via the FaceTime app.

"Connecting them with their families and their friends is my favorite part," said Eisenhut. "When they first get on FaceTime they are all excited. They may otherwise isolated if it wasn't for us exposing them to the technological world."

Eisenhut's recognition qualifies him as the first finalist for Youth Resources' 2016-17 Youth of the Year award, which will be announced at YR's 23rd Annual Hall of Fame Celebration in April 2017.

To nominate a student (5-18) for Youth of the Month, visit youth-resources.org.

Jeremy Brown is the communications coordinator for Youth Resources.
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By Len Wells of the Courier and Press

A mandatory evacuation of a large portion of Mount Carmel, Illinois, ended Monday afternoon after a leak of chlorine gas at the city's wastewater treatment facility.

Mount Carmel Fire Department Capt. Mark Seaton said an investigation revealed that a small amount of chlorine leaked when a gasket failed to seal after a tank was changed.

"There was a small amount of vapor that escaped," Seaton said. "The company that supplies the chlorine said the tank was still showing full."

A hazardous materials team from Mount Vernon, Illinois, entered the structure to assess the problem.

An employee at the plant discovered the leakabout 7:15 a.m. Monday and alerted authorities. The immediate area around the plant on Division Street was evacuated. Later in the morning, the evacuation expanded to include anything within a half-mile of the source.

The mandatory evacuation was lifted shortly after noon.

South Elementary School was evacuated as a precaution, and students were bussed to a nearby church. Children were released to their parents at 10:15 a.m.

No injuries have been reported.
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Data breaches are always a horrible thing when you are on the side that has been tasked with defending the realm from invaders. When you get that email from someone that says, Oh wow, check out ghostbin only to discover that your information is on there. To be fair Ive not lived through that experience but, I have worked at a company in the past where we had a Wordpress instance that was popped.

Shocker I know. In that particular situation we had been told several months prior that said Wordpress system had in fact been retired and taken offline. Where we fell down rather badly was that we had trusted the support team to have done what they said that they had accomplished.

There are numerous other examples of organizations that get compromised because of something that goes wrong at some point in their digital supply chain. Be it an interconnect or a third party provider, the chance for something to go wrong grows with each additional connection back to your own enterprise. Sometimes, things fail.

Unfortunately, that can happen to anyone. Starting today Google will start sending out notifications to employees about a data breach that occurred at a third party company that they do business with for their benefit management services. In this case a document was sent from that company to the benefits manager at another company according to the breach disclosure notice filed in California. The short story, not Google. An unfortunate turn of events but, as innocent as a mistake like this may be the chances for cascade failures is real.

Some good news in this case is that recipient realized that they werent the intended for that particular document and deleted the data and responded back the to benefits company. Lucky for Google as this sort of behavior isnt all that common and should be commended. Years ago I worked for a firm where an unnamed/unknown party was so disgruntled with the company that they copied all of the source code for a major product release and sent in the mail to the competition. Other than to cause pain I really have no idea what the motivation was in that case. That was a case of malice which dont occur as often as the whoops factor.

How many times have you almost sent an email to the wrong recipient because you and autocomplete enabled in your email client? Think long and hard, Id hazard everyone has had that at least once. I know I have.

In the Google case, the whoops factor was curtailed and the damage was limited. There were names and Social Insurance Numbers in the document in question but, that didnt leak beyond that immediate parties according to the breach notification letter which is due out today. Free advice, disable autocomplete in your email clients. I'm not saying that was the case in this instance but, Occam's razor comes to mind.

Even though the issue was contained, Google is providing credit monitoring for affected parties. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and the whoops factor emails are good for the layer of stone underneath the paving stones.
The founder of now defunct virtual currency Liberty Reserve has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for using his company to run a huge money laundering scheme catering to cybercriminals.

Arthur Budovsky, 42, was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, with Judge Denise Cote also ordering him to pay a US $500,000 fine.

In January, Budovsky pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit money laundering. During sentencing, Cote noted Budovsky ran an "extraordinarily successful" and "large-scale international money laundering operation."

The long sentence shows that "money laundering through the use of virtual currencies is still money laundering, and that online crime is still crime," Leslie Caldwell, assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, said in a press release.

Liberty Reserve, launched in 2006 in Costa Rica, billed itself as the Internet's "largest payment processor and money transfer system and allowed people all over the world to send and receive payments using virtual currency, according to an indictment. The DOJ accused Budovsky of being aware that the digital currencies were used by online criminals.

Liberty Reserve grew to become a financial hub for the criminal proceeds of Ponzi schemes, credit card trafficking, stolen identity information, and computer hacking, the DOJ said.

In May 2013, when government investigators shut the company down, Liberty Reserve had more than 5.5 million user accounts and had processed more than 78 million financial transactions, with a total value of more than $8 billion. The largest group were U.S. users, with about 600,000 accounts, who generated between $1 billion and $1.8 billion of the transactions, the DOJ said.

Four co-defendants, Vladimir Kats, Azzeddine El Amine, Mark Marmilev and Maxim Chukharev, have already pleaded guilty in the long-running investigation. Marmilev and Chukharev were sentenced to five years and three years in prison, respectively. Cote is expected to sentence Kats and El Amine this week.

Charges are pending against Liberty Reserve and two individual defendants who are fugitives.
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General Electric is moving its headquarters to Boston, but most of the 800 jobs at its longtime home in Fairfield will not leave the state.

Anywhere from 500 to 600 jobs will move a few miles south to the companys current GE Capital office at 801 and 901 Main Ave. in Norwalk, said Susan Bishop, a GE spokeswoman.

About 200 jobs will go from Fairfield to Boston, she added. Up to 100 jobs in Connecticut could be eliminated.

Eventually, another 600 jobs from other locations and divisions nationwide would also move to Boston.

Bishop couldnt say whether some of the jobs moved to Norwalk would eventually go to the new headquarters, but she said the Norwalk jobs are not meant to be temporary.

Local officials said they were pleased.

Im not surprised, said state Rep. Fred Wilms, R-Norwalk. Norwalk is a wonderful place to do business. We had expected there would be some movement.

Since the company, which has roughly 4,000 jobs in Connecticut, announced in January its plans to relocate its massive headquarters, officials throughout the state have been waiting to learn the actual impact of that move.

Its bittersweet, said Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling. We lost GE to Boston but the fact is it could have been a lot worse. We can breathe a sigh of relief.

State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said he was glad GE decided to make Norwalk home.

Hopefully, over time, well see a greater expansion from them, said Duff, the Senates majority leader.

GE has alerted the state Department of Labor that up to 100 positions at its Fairfield location would be eliminated altogether. We actually expect itll be less, Bishop said.

The layoffs will become effective July 8, although Bishop said employees are already being notified.

The eliminated positions are a combination of those directly tied to the Fairfield facility, those held by people who are choosing not to relocate and a byproduct of business restructuring, Bishop said.

Elizabeth Stocker, economic development director in Norwalk, said she was relieved the majority of jobs in Fairfield would remain in the state.

They have a significant presence here already, she said. Its welcome news that these jobs will be maintained here. It means that 500 to 600 people will not be losing their jobs. Its certainly welcome news.

State Rep. Brenda Kupchick, R-Fairfield, was also glad to hear the majority of jobs lost by Fairfield would remain in Connecticut.

Obviously its encouraging as a Connecticut resident to have the jobs staying here, she said. What concerns me is the long term. Companies are looking for some predictability from the state of Connecticut.

She said theres no stopping GE, or any other company, from taking jobs out of state if Connecticut doesnt become more business friendly.

ktorres@hearstmediact.com; 203-330-6227
Bridgeport  It looks like Bassick High School is getting another new principal.

The city school board will get a recommendation when it meets Monday evening to name Tomas E. Ramirez, 56, to the job on a permanent basis.

According to his resume, the Cranston, Rhode Island resident worked for the Providence Public School District in a number of capacities from 1986 up until last year. He was a high school science teacher, middle school principal, central office administrator and at one point, interim superintendent.

Since 2015 he was a consultant on leadership assessment for Education Leadership Associates.

Ramirez got his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 2007, UConn officials confirmed Monday.

Interim Schools Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz said Ramirez was both the top pick of the Bassick School Governance Council and the school boards personnel committee.

Ramirez would start in August and make $141,561 a year. This year, the job has been held on an interim basis by Peggy Moore, a retired New Haven school administrator.

She follows a year when the district put four administrators in charge of the school of roughly 1,000 students, one for each grade. Counting those four, Bassick has had eight principals since 2010 and remains one of the lowest performing high schools in the state.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; @lclambeck
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STRATFORD  The letter arrived just after Christmas at the homes of hundreds of retired Avco-Lycoming employees.

It was from the Honeywell Corp., now the owner of the company that for decades built turbine helicopter and tank engines in the sprawling, now shuttered, plant in Stratfords South End.
HARTFORD  Hours before the state Republican Party gathered to select candidates for Congress on Monday, Chairman J.R. Romano relented, reversing his Friday decision to prohibit a Hearst Connecticut Media reporter from the partys nominating convention.

Neil Vigdor, political reporter for Hearst, was escorted to a VIP-credential table in the Connecticut Convention Center shortly before 5 p.m. and given his press ID for the statewide convention to nominate Republican challengers to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and the five Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Romano announced in a Facebook video Monday that Vigdor, whom he had charged on Friday with unfair reporting about the Republican State Central Committee, was welcome after all.

By early evening, Romano stood at the podium and referred to his three-day ban of Vigdor as a little hubbub that he did not regret.

Im always the type of person who will stand up for the Republican Party when I believe were being mistreated, said Romano, who after informing Vigdor on Friday that he would not be allowed into the convention, sent out a fundraising email asking for contributions and for state Republicans to join in the criticism of the reporter, whom he referred to as an anti-Republican blogger.

Shortly after noon on Monday, Romano posted a video Welcoming all media and delegates to tonight's convention! on the Connecticut Republican Partys Facebook page.

Barbara T. Roessner, executive editor of the Hearst Connecticut Media Group, said denying Vigdor a media credential would not have prevented Hearst from reporting on the convention.

We proceeded with our convention coverage as planned, regardless of Mr. Romanos actions and accusations, Roessner said. Reporter Neil Vigdor simply did his job. He provided fair, independent news and analysis to our readers  and he will continue to do so.

Romanos reversal came amid criticism from party members and leaders that the first-term chairman had possibly overreacted.

I sincerely believe we need more transparency in politics today, not less, said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby, in a statement. Banning a member of the press because you may disagree with coverage is not a wise move.

Since Friday, Democrats had seized the opportunity to take shots at Romano.

Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, in a Democratic Party conference call on Monday that focused on attacking presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, blasted what she characterized as an attempt to intimidate the news media.

We open up our partys convention to any of the press, yet the Republicans seek to manage the message by denying access, Osten said.
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No one wants to lose a lighthouse.

Thats what Norwalk health department director Timothy Callahan has learned in the roughly eight years that the city has used its current system for rating restaurants based on how they fare in their health inspections. Each of the citys nearly 600 food establishments gets assigned a lighthouse rating, which ranges from three lighthouses for the restaurants with the highest scores and no serious violations, to one lighthouse for those with scores lower than 80 or two or more of the most severe violations.

The ratings are published on the health department web site, and Callahan the system has been a useful tool in getting restaurants and other food service providers to run a tight ship. Its a competitive environment, he said. We publish the ratings, and people go and look for them. When a place fails, they lose their lighthouse. And most of the time, they try to get it back as soon as possible.

Good, bad and rebounding

That doesnt mean that all of its restaurants stay on the straight and narrow. In 2015, 13 of the citys class three and class four establishments  defined as establishments that serve hot food  received a score of 80 or lower, and Callahan said there were likely others that scored well, but had at least one violation serious enough that they failed inspection.

Still, that same year, 34 Norwalk food establishments received perfect scores of 100 during their inspection. These included restaurants, such as Dolce, 32 Weed Ave., and Burger Bar and Bistro on North Main Street, buas well establishments that serve food, but not as their primary purpose. The latter category includes Norwalk High School, West Rocks School and the Norwalk Senior Center.

More Information Is it clean? Below are the 13 Norwalk restaurants that received a restaurant inspection score of 80 or below - which is failing - at some point in 2015. Note: At least one - Mi Casita Restaurant and Bakery - received a perfect score upon reinspection, and health department officials said most restaurants do fix violations at re-inspection. 1. Johnny Utah's, 80 Washington St. Inspection date: March 11 Score: 79 Score at most recent inspection: 89 2. El Mexicano, 22 Wall St. Inspection date: April 9 Score: 79 Score at most recent inspection: 86 3. Cafe Madrid, 120 New Canaan Ave. Inspection date: June 19 Score: 79 Score at most recent inspection: 97 4. Crespo, 160 S. Main St. Inspection date: July 15 Score: 79 Score at most recent inspection: 87 5. Little Tokyo Japanese Restaurant, 120 New Canaan Ave. Inspection date: Aug. 5 Score: 79 Score at most recent inspection: 94 6. New Jade Lee, 81 N. Main St. Inspection date: Aug. 12 Score: 76 Score at most recent inspection: 90 7. La Bamba, 21 N. Main St. Inspection date: Aug. 13 Score: 78 Score at most recent inspection: 92 8. Mi Casita Restaurant and Bakery, 177 Main St. Inspection date: Aug. 14 Score: 78 (received perfect score of 100 at inspection on Sept. 23) Score at most recent inspection: 84 9. Sun Wok, 73-75 Main St. Inspection date: Sept. 3 Score: 80 Score at most recent inspection: 88 10. Paradise Biryani, 280 Connecticut Ave. Inspection date: Sept. 29 Score: 74 (also failed re-inspection on Oct. 20, with score of 78) Score at most recent inspection: 94 11. Wild Rice, 370 Main Ave. Inspection date: Oct. 9 Score: 79 Score at most recent inspection: 90 12. Golden Million Inc., 82 Fort Point St. Inspection date: Nov. 18 Score: 76 Score at most recent inspection: 87 13. Kazu Japanese Restaurant Inspection date: Nov. 30 Score: 80 Score at most recent inspection: 92 Top scorers Thirty-four Norwalk food establishments receive perfect scores of 100 during their inspection in 2015. Those include: Mariott Courtyard, 474 Main Ave. Norwalk High School, 55 County St. Norwalk Senior Center, 11 Allen Road West Rocks School, 81 West Rocks Road Subway, 7 Winfield St. Dolce, 32 Weed Ave. Domenick's Deli, 454 Main Ave. Chiu Fai Garden, 48 Westport Ave. Burger Bar and Bistro, 58-60 N. Main St. Most common violations These were the top five most common health violations at Norwalk restaurants in 2015. 1. Food contact surfaces of utensils and equipment not clean 2. Thermometers, adequate facilities to maintain product temperature not provided 3. Non-food contact surfaces of equipment and utensils not clean 4. Suitable hand cleaner or sanitary towls or approved hand-drying devices not provided 5. Floor covering not installed or constructed as required, in disrepair or unclean See More Collapse

At least one restaurant that failed - Mi Casita Restaurant and Bakery at 177 Main St.  was re-inspected a little more than a month later and received a perfect score. Staff at that restaurant declined to comment, but Tom Closter, director of environmental services for the health department, said its not unheard of for restaurants to bounce back from a failure.

Indeed, all of the restaurants that failed last year received passing grades at their most recent inspections. Two of the restaurants  Crespo, 160 S. Main St., and Sun Wok, 73-75 Main St.  had violations that technically would have had them fail, but Closter said both addressed the issues at the time of inspection and ended up passing. Sometimes, they just might be having a bad day on the day of the inspection, Closter said.

How it works

Norwalks health department inspects its food establishments based largely on the criteria outlined in the Connecticut Department of Public Health code. That means, among other things, the frequency with which restaurants are inspected is determined by the type of establishment they are.

For instance, a class one establishment - such as a convenience store or vending machine, which only carries commercially prepackaged foods and/or hot or cold beverages - is inspected once a year. By comparison, class four establishments  such as restaurants, caterers, and hospitals - are inspected four times a year. Only the lighthouse ratings for class three and class four establishments are posted online.

When reviewing restaurants, Connecticut uses a 62-item inspection sheet with a maximum of 100 points. Nine of the items are considered risk factor violations, including not having clean wiping cloths and having inadequate facilities to maintain temp. Ten of the items are critical four-point violation items, including inadequate toilet facilities and improper hand-washing facilities. These violations require re-inspection after two weeks.

In Norwalk, there is a $100 re-inspection fee, which Callahan said was put in place about six years ago.

Keeping it clean

Callahan said if a restaurant fails, they have two weeks to correct their issues, or theyre subject to closure. The most common violation among Norwalk facilities inspected in 2015 was unclean food contact surfaces of utensils and equipment. Eight of last years 101 violations were for this infraction, which carries a penalty of two points. Other common violations included not having thermometers or adequate facilities to maintain product temperature (seven such violations in 2015) and not having suitable hand cleaner, towels or approved hand-drying devices (six such violations in 2015).

Most restaurant owners are pretty good about staying on top of their cleanliness, Closter said  but there are exceptions. There are places that do great all the time, he said. But then there are place that are always a battle.

Match, 98 Washington St., didnt receive a score of 100 last year, but the eaterys chef owner, Matt Storch, said he typically does well and hasnt failed an inspection. Indeed, at its last inspection in March, Match earned a three lighthouse rating and, within the past year, the restaurant has vacillated between a two and three lighthouse rating. Maintaining a safe restaurant is mostly common sense, Storch said.

You keep it clean, he said. You keep it organized. You dont want to make anybody sick.
Allyson Downey was a newly minted Columbia University MBA graduate when she landed a job in the wealth management department of Credit Suisse in New York City. She was, thanks to her previous professional experience raising money from billionaires in politics, doing extremely well right out of the gate. Her managers were praising her and she was on the verge of bringing in a major client. And then she got pregnant.

Downey, then 31, had spent years dealing with fertility issues, a struggle she wrote openly about in a post on Medium. Midway through the pregnancy, she had complications that required her to be off of her feet. Despite Downeys strategic planning for a contingency plan such that she could continue to complete her work from home, Downeys attempts to communicate with management were repeatedly ignored. When Downey did finally hear back from Credit Suisse, it was with a phone number for human resources. They would help her process her disability leave, she was told.

Downey never returned to work on Wall Street.

After having her baby, Downey took a job raising money for a nonprofit. It was mind-numbingly easy for her, and she got bored quickly. It was in that time when Downey was largely unstimulated professionally that she had the idea for weeSpring, a platform where new parents can find reviews of products from friends, peers and other trusted voices in their networks. Launched in Jan. 2013, Downey went through the Techstars program in the spring of 2013. The company is headquartered in Boulder, Colo., and her team of five are distributed across the country and work virtually. She doesnt share revenue or profit figures, but says that weeSpring is indeed in the black.

Image credit: Allison Hooban

Related: Secrets to Being Both an Executive and a Mom

Downey is now 36 and has two children: Logan turns 5 in August and Caroline turns 2 in June.

Learning how to be both a business owner and a mom was not easy for Downey. Finding answers to her questions was often frustrating. I was Googling, pregnancy discrimination and finding these sketchy looking websites with blinking Call now buttons, and that was the extent of what I was able to find out, Downey says during a phone conversation with Entrepreneur.

So Downey set out to write the book that she wished had been there for her. The result, launching today, is Heres The Plan. Your Practical, Tactical Guide to Advancing Your Career During Pregnancy and Parenting (Seal Press). For the book, Downey interviewed nearly 75 professional moms and culled through survey data. Its a comprehensive, straight-shooting guide to all of the questions that new moms are too afraid to ask or too naive to even know they need to ask.

Image credit: Allyson Downey

Here are five of the lessons that Downey learned from her own experience and research.

1. Speak up and communicate clearly about what you want.

Often, colleagues and managers make assumptions about what they think a pregnant woman or new mom prefers. While their intentions may be good, they may inadvertently be short circuiting a womans professional ambitions. Downey calls this benevolent discrimination. Whether you want to work from home part time or you want to be sure your boss knows that you still want that promotion even though you have just had a baby, Downey says that women need to be ready to communicate often and clearly.

We tend to assume that people know what we are thinking and very rarely do they actually know what we are thinking, she says. The onus really is on the woman to be crystal clear and vocal. She recommends women set quarterly reminders for themselves to proactively communicate with managers both what they want to do and how they will accomplish their goals.



Related: Reality Check: You Need to Care About More Than Your Business



2. Build up your network.

Its always important to develop your contact list, but its especially important to keep the networking going when a woman is pregnant, on maternity leave or taking care of young children. Its often one of the first things to go when they are having children because they think that they dont have time anymore to go out and go to networking cocktail events or show up for an industry breakfast, says Downey. Men, however, dont have the same compulsions.

Dont forget to lean on partners and caregivers so that you can attend those professional mixers, advises Downey. Also, there are ways to network from your computer, too, she says. Proactively make email connections that dont necessarily have an immediate impact. Finding those ways to be helpful and constructive of two people with one introduction is going to get you those favors in the favor bank that, even without you having to go proactively cash in on them, wind up coming back to you, says Downey. You get the benefits of networking without having to put in the face-to-face time.

3. Arbitrage your time.

You cant be everywhere at once. Pay people to do things for you. Instacart your grocery delivery, drop off your laundry and TaskRabbit the rest of your chore list. Take your annual salary and reverse engineer your hourly rate and when you can afford it, pay people to have tasks done that are less than what you make per hour.

I know that people dont have endless resources, but people also dont have endless time," she says.

4. Create a paper trail of your achievements.

This isnt just in case you find yourself the victim of pregnancy discrimination, either. Women need to keep a dossier of their successes, says Downey. Every Friday afternoon, take 15 minutes to document your successes. Put in writing conversations that commend your work. That way, when its time for you to meet with your manager for a review, you have a detailed list of everything that you have done well.

Rather than thinking about a document of your accomplishments for potential defense, think about it as an offensive strategy. As women, we tend to spend a lot of time berating ourselves for what we didnt have time to do and what we didnt finish and what we didnt get done and rarely do we take time to celebrate what we did do, says Downey.

Related: Great Entrepreneur, Lousy Lover?

5. Change the way you think about having kids and a career.

You cant be both leading a meeting in the board room and changing your babys diaper in the nursery at the same time. So switch how you feel about that reality. Everyone feels torn all the time. I do not know anyone who doesnt suffer from working mom guilt. That is an absolute truism. And I dont know anyone who does not experience that, says Downey.

But there is a way to reframe how you feel about being pulled in two directions. If you are someone who enjoys work and loves work and you are home with a baby all day long for two years of your life," she says, "it is not going to be good for you and it is not going to be good for your relationship with your kid. To be sure, many mothers prefer to stay at home full time with their children, and thats perfectly honorable, but if you are someone who is happier being engaged in your career, then it will be good for you and your kid for you to be at work, says Downey.

Related:

5 Crucial Business Skills I Could Only Learn Through Motherhood

Secrets to Being Both an Executive and a Mom

5 Essential Skills New Working Moms Need to Know to Keep Their Career in High Gear



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Pa. is about to vote. Here's what to know about voting and ballot access in 2022

Elections
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.
The power suit has moved out of the office and onto the street in a variety of colours with the celebrity support of Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett.

by Damien Woolnough
In an extraordinary escalation of Project Fear, David Cameron warns today that Europe risks sliding back into war and genocide if Britain dares to leave the EU.

One question: if he honestly believes the dangers are so great, why on Earth did he call the referendum in the first place?

This paper had hoped that with the local elections out of the way, and the big guns free to concentrate on this vital campaign, there might be an improvement in the quality of the debate.

David Cameron warns that Europe risks sliding back into war and genocide if Britain dares to leave the EU

Todays wild scaremongering by the PM suggests we hoped in vain.

In a hugely muddled speech, invoking the Spanish Armada, Trafalgar, Waterloo and the dead of two World Wars, he fails to explain why cutting loose from the EU bureaucracy would jeopardise peace.

Indeed, many argue that peace since 1945 owes far more to Nato and collective memories of the horrors of 1939-1945 than to any initiative from Brussels.

Depressingly, Mr Camerons intervention caps a bumper crop of overblown scare stories from the Remain camp. This weekend alone, weve been treated to warnings of supposed threats posed by withdrawal to everything from house prices and wage rates to national security, the Scotch whisky industry and access to new medicines.

Meanwhile, Downing Street stands accused of trying to sabotage TV referendum debates by refusing to put up the Prime Minister against Boris Johnson or Michael Gove, the most eloquent advocates of withdrawal.

With 45 days to go, is it too much to hope that Mr Cameron will tone down the rhetoric, stop pretending hes secured a game-changing deal for Britain  and start treating the electorate like adults?

Child pot-pushers

The number of children convicted of cannabis dealing has risen by nearly 50 per cent in 10 years

What a disturbing sign of the times! The Mail reveals today that the number of children convicted of cannabis dealing has risen by 46 per cent in only ten years.

Aged between ten and 17, they are at a time of life when earlier generations earned pocket-money by doing newspaper rounds or chores at home.

Yet the 193 convicted in 2014  the tip of an iceberg of juvenile peddlers  made cash instead by selling this increasingly dangerous drug to schoolmates.

Meanwhile, the number of youngsters needing NHS treatment because of cannabis abuse has climbed steadily, while successive studies have proved a terrifying link between new strains of the drug and severe personality disorders.

Yet as evidence of the dangers mounts, police show increasing leniency towards users of cannabis, while even peddlers are let off lightly in the courts.

Indeed, of the juveniles convicted of intent to supply in 2014, only seven were jailed. As for users caught with small quantities for personal consumption, many police forces take no action at all, turning a blind eye while cannabis is smoked openly on the streets.

Isnt it Parliaments job to make the law  and the responsibility of the police and courts to enforce it?

How many more lives must be wrecked by this mind-destroying drug before the authorities wake up to their duty?

Religious intolerance

Over Christmas, cinemas banned a one-minute advert featuring the Lords Prayer on the grounds that movie-goers might find it offensive.

Yet as the Muslim month of Ramadan approaches, hundreds of buses across the country will carry an Arabic slogan meaning glory to Allah.
The Department of Health is about to approve a scheme designed to bring about a world in which people like my youngest daughter will cease to exist.

In January, the National Screening Committee cleared a new blood test for expectant mothers, said to be almost 99 per cent effective in detecting if an unborn child has Down's syndrome. Ever since then, those behind the test have been lobbying Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to authorise its use throughout the NHS.

Unlike amniocentesis, the method of extracting amniotic fluid through a needle into the womb, this new process detects the composition of the unborn child's DNA in the mother's own blood.

Exuberant joy in life: Domenica Lawson, with her father Dominic

This does not entail the risk of miscarriage roughly 1 per cent  present in current invasive procedures, which has led to many babies without Down's syndrome being 'accidentally terminated'.

One newspaper put it exuberantly: 'Hundreds of babies could be saved each year.' Another spoke enthusiastically of 'the eradication of Down's syndrome'.

In fact, the new method, known as Non-Invasive Pre-natal Testing or NIPT, is not a complete alternative to amniocentesis. That would still be required before the NHS will carry out a termination on grounds of disability, since NIPT only gives a much more accurate estimate of the probability of the baby having Down's than previous non-invasive blood tests: it is diagnostic, not definitive.

The purpose of the medical campaign, however, is clear: it is to encourage more expectant mothers to undergo the screening process, on the grounds that it has been made less risky. But there is also a hidden agenda, which can properly be described as state-sponsored eugenics.

I first got a sense of this after my daughter, Domenica, was born, almost 21 years ago on June 1, 1995 and I made public the fact that she had Down's syndrome.

The immensely popular ex-NHS nurse and agony aunt Claire Rayner wrote an article criticising us for not undergoing pre-natal screening. She declared 'the Lawsons will not be paying the full price of their choice', and that society would have to bear the burden of the 'misery' of our daughter's life.

But this was, I'm afraid, exactly the sort of argument used by the German academic Karl Binding, whose book Permitting The Destruction Of Life Unworthy Of Life was hugely influential in preparing the ground for the Nazis' later programme of compulsory euthanasia of the mentally disabled.

Of course, the NHS is not proposing to terminate the disabled unborn without the full consent of the parents. But there is an insidious pressure to 'do the responsible thing'.

This became clear when the BBC ran a selection of comments on ante-natal screening from the public. One, from 'Heather, in Livingstone', is worth reprinting: 'I was told that my daughter had Down's when I was about 12 weeks pregnant and every doctor and gynaecologist I saw tried to convince me that termination was the best option. I was still offered this at 26 weeks!

'One reason given to me by a cold-hearted consultant was that 'these babies put a strain on the NHS'.'

If you think about it that way, the abortions are indeed necessary to justify the cost to the NHS of such a nationwide screening programme. Children with Down's will also be a debit on the household profit-and-loss account.

In this respect, the termination of Down's babies is identical in its motivation to the sex-selective abortions in India  which have been described as 'gendercide'.

The overriding reason for this practice is that in most Indian states females are seen as an economic burden. Only the most menial jobs are available for them and the dowry system adds to the debit column for the parents of females.

Yet, in this country, we regard the selective abortion of females as abhorrent. For this reason, the NHS refuses to carry out abortions on grounds of gender and will also not carry out screening solely for the purpose of identifying the child's sex.

But in justifying its own screening and termination of Down's babies, is it behaving any differently to practices we regard as wicked when carried out in the subcontinent?

Ah, say our oh-so-civilised medics, the difference is that people 'suffer from Down's syndrome', but no one suffers from being female. Really? I wonder if the National Screening Committee even attempted to discover if people with Down's are 'suffering' because they have three copies of the 21st chromosome rather than the normal two. There was no one on the committee who has a child with Down's, nor was there a representative of those who have.

If the committee had done some research on this vital point, it would have come across a paper published in the American Journal of Medicine in 2011, entitled 'Self-perceptions from people with Down's syndrome'. Based on a survey of almost 300 with the condition, aged 12 and over, its authors concluded that 'nearly 99 per cent of people with DS indicated that they were happy with their lives, 97 per cent liked who they were and 96 per cent liked how they look'.

You would not get nearly such a positive outlook on life from the rest of the population. It's a strange thing, but generally it is the most intelligent people who are the most miserable and who are the most subject to depression. They certainly don't tend to say, as Domenica often does: 'I love my life!'

It used to annoy me, when I told people I had a child with Down's, that I would get the response: 'Oh, they are so happy, aren't they?', as if remarking on a particular breed of dog.

But this is one generalisation which has some validity. Of course, Domenica has her moods, as we all do. But I am constantly energised by her own sheer enthusiasm for life, not to mention her unfailing ability to see the comic side of almost everything.

Actress Sally Phillips said the nurse 'actually cried' when a doctor said her son Ollie had Down's syndrome

It is a far cry from the gloomy prognoses given to us by the medics after she was born. Well, you might say, that was over 20 years ago: surely, parents are given more encouraging advice now? I don't think so.

And I certainly recall the actress Sally Phillips  when she and her husband visited us along with their little baby with Down's about ten years ago  recounting how 'the nurse actually cried when the doctor said that Ollie had Down's syndrome'. The doctor himself just told Sally 'I'm sorry'  as if he were revealing their child's imminent death.

Indeed, as Sally told the BBC Today programme last week, what the medics tell the mother of a child identified with Down's is 'only about morbidities. For example, that they have a higher chance of getting leukaemia. But it affects only one in a thousand people with Down's'.

It's true that people with Down's have a lower life expectancy  about 60 years in the UK  around 20 years shorter than the population average. But if doctors, the moment every child was born, listed all the possible causes of its future death to the new parents, the maternity wards would hardly be full of joy.

Yet doctors insist, quite wrongly, on talking about Down's syndrome as if it were a disease, like cancer  when in fact it is just a different way of life. Thus Professor Alan Cameron, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, has welcomed the new ante-natal tests for Down's as 'the safest way of detecting diseases'.

I don't know how to put this more clearly, Professor: my daughter does not have a disease, contagious or otherwise. But she does when she has a cold. Why is this so difficult for intelligent people to understand?

Perhaps this is just part of the campaign to rid the world of people with Down's  to 'eradicate' the condition, as that newspaper cheerfully put it. But it is not the condition which would be eradicated. It would still occur with exactly the same frequency among unborn children: it is just that they will not be allowed to emerge to join the rest of humanity.

Indeed, when the Dutch geneticist Hans Galjaard was asked about the reasons for the new form of non-invasive screening: 'If it were made possible, do you think Down's syndrome should disappear from society?' he replied, 'Yes, that was one of my motivations.'
Theres a rather effective poster doing the rounds on social media at the moment that compares those world leaders who support Britain staying in the EU with those who want us to leave.

On the Remain side are Barack Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Angela Merkel, Xi Jinping, Narendra Modi of India, Matteo Renzi of Italy, Japans Shinzo Abe, plus Malcolm Turnbull and John Key of, respectively, Australia and New Zealand. East, West, Commonwealth ouch.

On the Stronger Out side are just two names: Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen. You might add in Vladimir Putin, for good measure.

U.S President Barack Obama is one of the world leaders backing the UK to stay in the European Union

Ive never regarded myself as any kind of ardent Europhile. There are criticisms made by the Brexiteers with which I wholeheartedly agree. The European Union is an infuriating institution, full of people from elsewhere telling us what to do and who refuse to do the things we ask them to do.

It is corrupt, wasteful, unaccountable and painfully slow to embrace much-needed reforms. It is, in short, something of a basket case  a bit like every other big bureaucracy, in my experience.

Unconvincing

I have sat through a number of Brexit debates now and have listened carefully to people whose views I respect make the very best case they can for leaving.

They often have some excellent points. They speak with passion, if sometimes at a level of intensity that cannot be good for their blood pressure. But my settled view is this: the strength of their critique is never matched by the strength of their alternative. The case against the EU is well made. The case for leaving is quite preposterously weak.

It is based on unconvincing, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey guesswork, stentorian, moustachioed assertion and dodgy stats. That is why I believe the Out side will lose this referendum  and will deserve to.

Republican Presidential candidate and billionaire Donald Trump has put his support behind a Brexit

Its quite something that what Brexiteers viewed as their most attractive argument has actually turned out to be their Achilles heel. The brave new era of an independent Britain cutting a global dash as it signs advantageous trade deals with everyone from the Chinese to the US to the, um, EU, has been exposed as a fiction.

Barack Obamas back of the queue quote reduced even normally sensible Outers to tear-stained apoplexy because it hit them where it hurts  the most powerful man in the world turned their case to rubble in four syllables.

It was the equivalent of the UK Government ruling out a currency union in the event of Scottish independence, which drew a similar vein-popping reaction from Nats. Well, they can scweam and scweam until theyre sick but the words will not be unsaid, nor will they go unheard.

And when youre reduced to approvingly quoting Ted Cruz or Trump in response, youre really only making matters worse.

At a lecture last month I listened to the former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva talk with some incredulity about the prospect of Brexit. He described how ASEAN, the economic and political organisation for Southeast Asian countries, is looking to the EU model as it attempts to deepen integration between its members.

The future, said Mr Abhisit, is one of big blocs trading with other big blocs.

With their economic argument exposed as little more than a reckless roll of the dice, it hasnt helped that the Outers supposed star witness, Michael Gove, has displayed all the judgment and deftness of Frank Spencer, whether in comparing a post-Brexit Britain to Albania or insisting that a grateful EU would be delighted to strike favourable terms with Britain should it vote to leave.

If Boris Johnson exploded any remaining personal credibility in the shockingly cynical way he announced his plan to campaign for Brexit, Mr Gove now seems intent on damaging his own brand every time he is put in front of a microphone.

As we draw closer to decision day on June 23, my bet is that the Out campaign will drift away from economics, where it is being thumped, towards a much more insidious topic: immigration. The dog-whistle politics deployed by Zac Goldsmith and team during his appalling and thankfully failed bid to become Mayor of London are likely to return in spades.

Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith ran an appalling and thankfully failed bid to become Mayor of London

The capitals population includes a large, multi-ethnic, socially liberal element and was the wrong territory for such a sinister approach. In the wider nation, where millions vote for Ukip and where many put immigration near the top of their list of priorities (whether it affects them or not) the Outers must fancy their chances.

Weve already seen the word Turkey start to pop up. This claim that the EU is about to bring in the Turks as a new member simply isnt true, but the mere mention is intended to raise the prospect of a wave of Muslims and terrorists pouring unconstrained into the UK. Its a cheap tactic that demeans our democracy and poisons the well of debate.

Shrillness

Funnily enough, Im not immune to the argument that it might suit the UK to leave the EU at some point. But that institution would have to be in much greater crisis than it is now, or the relationship between the eurozone and the rest have unravelled to an unworkable extent.

Were demonstrably not there yet  and its in the EUs interests for us never to reach that point. I take the increasing shrillness and sourness of the Brexit campaign as a sign theyre losing and I cant feel sorry about that.

The David Cameron administration has had a stinker of a few months since the Budget, performing U-turn after U-turn

The past two years, which, politically, have revolved around two hugely important referendums, have shown the propensity of the model to push people to extreme positions.

We all become passionately committed to whichever side weve decided to back. We all fall victim to confirmation bias, believing any argument that seems to support our choice.

And in the meantime, we pay little attention to politics-as-usual  the basic governance of the country.

It strikes me that the Cameron administration has had a stinker of a few months since the Budget, performing U-turn after U-turn.

But theyre getting away with it because no ones really watching. Hence, George Osborne, whose stock should be witheringly low at the moment, appeared on TV yesterday grinning from ear to ear, as if he didnt have a care in the world. A proposal: after June 23, lets give referendums a miss for a while, eh?
After her coronation as First Minister in 2014, Nicola Surgeon had inherited the bullish attitude of her predecessor, Alex Salmond

Hopes the loss of its Holyrood majority might make the SNP less dogmatic are fading already.

After her coronation as First Minister in 2014, Nicola Surgeon had clearly inherited the bullish attitude of her predecessor, Alex Salmond.

He famously declared that the SNP did not have a monopoly on wisdom  and then proceeded to act as though the Nationalists were both all-knowing and infallible.

Miss Sturgeon used the Holyrood majority he bequeathed to bludgeon through her agenda while never admitting to even a single mistake.

While Thursdays election puts Miss Sturgeon back in Bute House, it has stripped the SNP leader of that all-important majority.

Bang went her plan to bounce the country into another independence referendum. Observers hoped, too, that time spent reflecting on big gains by the Tories and swings away from the Nationalists might alter her opinion on controversial legislation the SNP is so insistent on.

To hear Miss Sturgeon yesterday  Its a ridiculous notion to say that because the Conservatives managed to get scarcely over 20 per cent of the vote that somehow the case for independence has taken a step back  it is clear she thinks the next five years will be business as usual.

It most certainly will not be.

Leading a rejuvenated Scottish Conservative party with a cohort of 30 Tory MSPs behind her, Ruth Davidson is the new leader of the opposition in the Scottish parliament.

She is already mapping out the key ground on which she will tackle the Nationalists.

These include the SNP bid to reduce Air Passenger Duty by 50 per cent and anti-sectarian laws that are widely discredited.

But the biggest test is arguably the proposed Named Person legislation.

The deeply flawed plan to foist a state guardian on every child in the land could see the authority of parents undermined and genuinely at-risk children put in further danger as scant social work resources are deployed to chase up trivial issues with capable families.

Genuine fears about the plans from across the spectrum have been brushed aside by the SNP.

It insists all warnings are just so much politically motivated sniping  a senior SNP figure reached for the big box of politicians cliches on Friday and tried to say the media were somehow authors of complaints about the project.

Leading a rejuvenated Scottish Conservative party Ruth Davidson is the new leader of the opposition in the Scottish parliament

With a startling lack of shame, the party spin doctors have even tried to say that state snoopers will be akin to school guidance teachers. No teacher was ever empowered to poke their nose into family life in the way Named Persons will.

Miss Sturgeon herself has said concerns  from parents and professionals  about the intrusive legislation are unfounded.

And in a display of the same petulance that dogged her first two years as First Minister, she declared she was not going to be thwarted in my determination to govern in the interests of the country as a whole.

It was that arrogant assumption that she speaks for all of Scotland when so very many voted against her that cost her so dearly at the ballot box.

The contrast with Miss Davidson could not be clearer. Instead of bombastic declarations of war, the Tory leader has said: I fully understand that I am being put on probation by an awful lot of people who have never voted Conservative before.

There speaks a woman who realises she has been given a mandate by a broad section of Scots who want to see the worst excesses of a rampant SNP pegged back.
There are very few people that actually find the prospect of cleaning the house exciting.

But these inventive hacks could make your least favourite chores a whole lot easier - or more fun, at the very least.

Fellow slackers have been taking to social media to share their favourite cleaning tricks, ranging from the clever to the downright bizarre - not to mention disgusting.

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While sellotape is more commonly used to wrap up presents, it also doubles up as an inventive way to dust

Those fluffy socks you got at Christmas can double up as dusters. Just pop them on your feet and walk around your kitchen

While sellotape is more commonly used to wrap up presents, it also doubles up as an inventive way to dust.

Simply stick a piece of tape onto the surface and pull it off. Voila, just like that the dust is removed.

Those fluffy socks you got at Christmas but have never worn could also be put into good use with this trick.

Just pop them on your feet, walk around your kitchen and you've cleaned the floor. It's as easy as that, according to one groundbreaking pioneer.

One person showed how their children's toy Stormtroopers could be washed along with all their cutlery

Putting the metal gas rings inside a sealed plastic bag with a quarter cup of ammonia could make all the difference

Meanwhile, do not underestimate the power of the dishwasher. One person showed how their children's toy Stormtroopers could be washed along with all their cutlery.

If you have the tendency to be lazy when it comes to cleaning, your kitchen hobs probably do not get the attention they need.

But putting the metal gas rings inside a sealed plastic bag along with a quarter cup of ammonia could make all the difference. Leave overnight and simply wipe away the grease with a sponge.

In fact, doing as little cleaning as possible appears to be a common theme.

To clean your blender, simply put in some soap and water and turn it on

You can upgrade this method by putting one part vinegar and one part water in your coffeemaker

While blenders are fantastic for whipping up a healthy smoothie, it's always a chore having to wash it up afterwards.

But instead of using your own elbow grease, it's possible to use the power of the blender to let it clean itself.

Simply put some soap and water into the kitchen appliance and turn it on.

You can upgrade this method by putting one part vinegar and one part water in your coffeemaker, and get it to churn it out afterwards.

If you cover your fridge with cling film, you can easily remove and replace it with another layer after any spills

Similarly, if you always use tin foil when grilling your potatoes you can avoid any unnecessary washing up

Using food packaging as a bowl is one way to get out of doing the washing up, as shown by this snacker

If you cover your fridge with cling film, you can easily remove and replace it with another layer after any spills.

Similarly, if you always use tin foil when grilling your sandwiches you can avoid any unnecessary washing up. The only snag is that throwing away all that foil is not great for the environment.

Using food packaging as a bowl is one way to get out of doing the washing up, as shown by this snacker who poured milk into her pack of cookies.

According to one life hacker, microwaving a damp sponge or cloth on high heat will help kill the bacteria hiding on it.

According to one post, microwaving a damp sponge or cloth on high heat will help kill the bacteria hiding on it

One person found that furniture polish really is multi-purpose - making their metallic fridge extra shiny

Keep your toilet brush clean by making sure you have cleaning product in the bottom of the pan

This might not be the safest trick though - so perhaps get advice before trying this one at home.

Another says it's easy to keep your toilet brush clean by making sure you have a little bleach in the bottom of the pan - as long as you change it regularly.

Meanwhile, one person found that furniture polish really is multi-purpose - making their metallic fridge extra shiny.

Tumble dryer sheets can also double up for other chores. One post advises you put a sheet over your air conditioning unit to make sure your room smells nice.

Another says you can soak it in a baking dish to remove any food that refuses to budge.

One post advises you put a tumble dryer sheet over your air conditioning unit to make your room smell nice

Another says you can soak it in a baking dish to remove any food that refuses to budge

A large bottle of Coca Cola poured down the loo will leave your cistern shiny and clean, according to one

Can't budge the stains in the bottom of your toilet bowl? One social media user advises pouring a whole bottle of Coca Cola down the loo and leaving overnight. In the morning your pan will be pearly white with no elbow grease invested.

Struggling to get the biro stains out of your children's school shirts? The solution is in your fridge, according to one social media user, who advises dabbing pen stains with milk.

'It works as I tried it on my daughter's T-shirt the other day!' she writes.

Is your oven straining under layers of cooked-on grime? Mix vinegar with baking soda, lather it liberally on the inside and leave for several hours, according to one social media user. You can remove the dirt easily later with kitchen roll. Job done.

One social media user keeps her whites bright by using milk to remove biro stains

Store cupboard items vinegar and baking soda can apparently be used to clean the inside of your oven

The humble spud provides an easy way to clean your cheese grater - and save your fingers from injury

Fed up with catching your fingers on the cheese grater when you're doing the washing up? One cleaning hacker advises pealing a potato and grating it to remove any stickiness, leaving your utensil looking clean - and providing the wherewithal for mashed potato at the same time.

Why bother with a duster when you have one of those sticky lint rollers to hand? Use them to dust everything from your night stand to picking up cobwebs and the dust bunnies under your bed, according to one crafty social media user.

Another top tip is using coffee filters to dust TV monitors and other screens as they grab dirt easily without scratching.

If your refrigerator smells but you don't want to clean it out you can place some sheets of newspaper inside it to absorb the odour, according to social media users

Why bother scrubbing when you can let your microwave do all the work?

Don't put your dog in the dishwasher but cleaning hackers suggest washing children's toys and other hardy materials in here if you can't be bothered to do them by hand

The laziest household hackers have discovered that the solution to a stinky fridge is placing sheets of newspaper inside it. This apparently absorbs smells, catches grime and can be easily replaced.

Another favourite life hack published on social media is to place an oven-proof jug of water with two lemons cut in half inside your microwave. Simply turn it on high for four minutes and your microwave will have been steamed clean.

A further suggestion for letting machinery do the work for is to put literally everything grubby in the dishwasher. Your old toothbrush? Other bathroom stuff? So long as it isn't too delicate, bung it in the machine and it'll come out clean and sterile.
At times it must seem like Jack Burgess is allergic to the world.

The eight-year-old, from the Hunter Valley in Australia, can't even play outside on the grass or where certain clothing without being covered in welts.

He has mild spectrum cystic fibrosis, is asthmatic and also allergic to dust, dairy, eggs and even polyester, which restricts the type of clothes he can wear.

Poor bub: Jack Burgess is allergic to grass, dust, dairy eggs and polyester. He also has cystic fibrosis and asthma

Fighter: Jack is now eight but has been sick since he was a baby, and has been a regular in hospital his entire life

According to his mum Kristine, Jack has been unwell essentially his entire life.

'Just after he was born he developed quite a lot of allergies when we were feeding him,' Mrs Burgess told Daily Mail Australia.

'When he was 10 weeks old he got a strep and staph infection and was covered in eczema. So for the last seven and a half years weve been coming down to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.'

Then when he was 18 months old Jack was diagnosed with a rare form of cystic fibrosis. All of this has meant years of medication and therapy to try and control the little fighter's symptoms.

Cutie: Mum Kristine says that even though Jack constantly has to have medication and tests, he doesn't let it slow him down

'Hes pretty energetic': Despite being allergic to grass, Jack still plays rugby even though it gives him welts

Now Jack and his mum and dad are at the hospital every four to six weeks for more tests and checks up, an exhausting process for both parents and child.

But Jack doesn't let his conditions slow him down.

'He plays rugby even though he gets welts all over him from the grass,' Mrs Burgess said. 'He just likes to join him, he does cross country running and hes pretty energetic.'

Making it fun: Jack's mum says that one of the things that has gotten him through the hospital visits the the Starlight Foundation

'You dont think that youre in the hospital, its about fun and laughter': The Starlight Foundation works with sick kids all over the country

There's one thing mum Kristie says makes it all a bit easier- the Starlight Children's room at the hospital.

The room is a place where kids can forget they're at the hospital. The Captain Starlight attendants come to wards too and visit kids.

'Once youre in the room you dont think that youre in the hospital, its about fun and laughter,' she said. 'Its hard enough being in here for the kids and if you can put a bit of fun in makes them forget the poking and prodding.'
The other day I heard someone's account of a half-term break to Madeira. There were no children or teenagers - or even young adults - anywhere. It was all elderly, white-haired hotel guests looking contentedly at the view, strolling or playing cards. No nursery age children, no teenage disco, no skateboards, no one making chaotic attempts at kite-surfing and banana-riding.

It was ElderWorld. Elsewhere, we hear wild tales of holidays in YouthWorld: all-night parties in Magaluf, stag night chaos in Prague, romantic couples holding hands at exclusive beach resorts, would-be romancers signing up for singles holidays.

Or else (so my daughter's generation reports) you can find troops of fretful young, single women doing the downward dog on yoga holidays or learning tantric vegan meditation alongside kindred spirits.

Mixed generation holiday means free babysitting, plus brownie points for letting Granny and Grandad get to know the grandchildren better

And good luck to them - we all need a holiday, whatever form it takes. But what really warms my heart is the recent news of what the travel industry calls the 'genervacation'.

In the age of high rents and saving for deposits, not only are some twentysomethings moving back in with their parents, but even more are holidaying with them.

What is more, when this generation has children of its own, the idea of piling into a joint family holiday with the parents becomes even rosier.

You get free babysitting, plus brownie points for letting Granny and Grandad get to know the grandchildren better.

Libby Purves carried on family holidays right into her children's adulthood and after losing her son at only 23 took several trips to the mountains and Ireland in which she rounded up siblings, in-laws, cousins and friends

Some may shake their heads and scoff, regarding this as another example of kidults depending for too long on comfortably off baby-boomer parents. But I think it's tremendous.

There is nothing more merrily bonding, warts and all, than a big multi-generation family holiday. Even a multilateral one, involving in-laws and herds of cousins.

I always rather admired the married MPs Virginia and Peter Bottomley for talking about their enormous tribal gatherings on the Isle of Wight, with traditional gruelling Easter walks that everyone took part in.

We carried on family holidays right into our children's adulthood, and after losing our son at only 23 we took several trips to the mountains and Ireland in which we rounded up siblings, in-laws, cousins and friends.

The joint trips cement together parents and children and siblings, in-laws and cousins and grandparents (stock pic)

In my youth, I would not have dreamt of skipping the long family summer in a cottage in the West of Ireland, which at times became so overcrowded (two bedrooms, parents, four adult children, random friends) that some of us had to move out into tents on the farmer's field.

We all fought over the one shared bathroom and loo and raided the fridge, with abrasive results.

Of course we had different trajectories through the day and night, and sometimes they clashed.

Emerging from the local pub one night, after my shift behind the bar, I joined in a gang outside the other pub, and around 11pm was arm- in-arm, singing something with the young local police officer, whose shift was also over, though he was still in uniform.

Young adults are accepting their parents as human beings, and mothers and fathers have the sense to stop being disapproving, bossy killjoys (stock pic)

My parents emerged from a quiet dinner with friends to see this, and two things happened.

Dad assumed I was under arrest and started saying 'Officer, this is my daughter, I'm sure there's been some mistake. I can take her home', while the poor officer - impressed by Dad's smart jacket and tie - simultaneously assumed he was an outraged protective parent and began to babble his own excuses. It took a while to sort it out.

Even then, it seems that we liked being on holiday with our parents, though they were of a more staid generation than my own baby-boomer lot has become.

Things have changed: we have lost that huge gap between a serious-minded wartime generation and us children of the Swinging Sixties, and relationships between parents and adult children have evolved.

Libby says as summer looms into sight, gather your tribe and book something. It doesn't matter what or where

Many voices will, like me, be delighted to know that grown-up families often holiday together and don't think it odd.

It's a sign that the modern world is saner and happier than the old one; the generation gap is closing; young adults are accepting their parents as human beings, and mothers and fathers have the sense to stop being disapproving, bossy killjoys.

This new feeling goes across every class and income. One large Suffolk family of three generations, from Granny and Grandad to the newest baby, are at this moment booking up a row of chalets in Pontins for an old-fashioned fortnight of whoopee, giggles and storing up some memories to roar with laughter about at Christmas.

Way upmarket, other tribes book into sprawling French or Italian villas, with the elderly moving in first and everyone else piling in when their holiday starts.

Mixed ages can holiday happily together, with a bit of give and take, and the cost of family holidays is the money you'll never regret spending (stock pic)

And perhaps leaving the children for a bit longer than the thirtysomething working parents can manage.

Mixed ages can holiday happily together, with a bit of give and take.

Some years ago, we wanted to go back to a village in Switzerland that I remembered from childhood holidays, and decided to take my newly widowed mother along.

It made sense to scoop up my mother-in-law as well, since she had rarely been abroad and had never seen the mountains.

They kept one another company, and having our young children around kept us all civil, even in the inevitable scratchy bits.

Indeed, when my mother-in-law flatly refused to go on the airport escalator, it was four-year-old Rose who dragged her onto it, saying: 'Nanna, come ON! Don't be silly!'

On holiday great memories are made, and because they are shared between generations they cement us together in a mental album of pleasures - and sometimes small disasters, too

Different ages are meant to mix and, in the challenge and excitement of a new place, relationships of all kinds are forged.

I fondly remember a sophisticated friend of my children, in a Swiss hotel, trying to instruct their younger teenage cousins in the correct way to flirt with bar staff. And where better for such lessons to be learnt than with the parent generation quietly laughing in the background?

On holiday great memories are made, and because they are shared between generations they cement us together in a mental album of pleasures - and sometimes small disasters, too.

You sit round tables together on a (hopefully) warm evening, exchanging stories of the day just as you did in the kitchen when the children were young.

You get new shared jokes, like the time Paul dropped a bottle of water from a top bunk on the six-berth Venice sleeper onto a nice young couple in the bottom bunks.

Or - gloss over this one - the wild-water rapids inflatable that tipped over, bounding us all down a frightening Turkish river.

The great joke emerging from that is that my son and daughter were mortified that I kept saying to the guide as we flailed around among the rocks: 'Save my children! Get the children!' Or there was the sacred memory of Colorado.

That trip is a favourite example of why, of all the money you ever 'waste' on fun, the cost of family holidays is the money you'll never regret spending.

It was our last holiday with my son Nicholas, before we lost him to suicide in 2006.

It was a very happy trip, complete with small setbacks (I got altitude sickness and ended up with an oxygen tube up my nose all night) and triumphs, both over the massive breakfast burritos and the mastering of a few elegant turns on the slopes.

Nicholas skied high and thrillingly, made great friends with his instructor, joked with American kids on the ski-lifts and made fun of us nursery-slope flailers.

We tried dog-sledding, and sat all together one night round a fire, eating pork and beans cowboy-style. And we saw eagles. How could we not be glad?

I wrote about that ten years ago, one of the first columns I felt able to produce after Nicholas's death, because I was so annoyed at critics of the Queen's decision to organise a family holiday on a converted car ferry in the Hebrides.

People said they would dread such a holiday, what with Camilla smoking, the corgis biting people and the Duke losing his temper.

I thought they were all miseries, because HM had got it exactly right: mixing it up was the way to go. I wrote: 'I have a message to all who have ears to hear. Family holidays are the stuff of life.'

Of course, young adults must learn to travel alone. Both mine did. Nicholas crossed the Pacific as a deckhand on a square-rigged ship, about which he wrote in his book The Silence At The Song's End. Rose crossed Europe and America on trains.

But the joint trips are precious. They cement parents and children and siblings, in-laws and cousins and grandparents.
And there are some luxury good which are

A Hermes Birkin bag is the ultimate status symbol, carried only by a select group of A-listers.

As a Mail investigation recently revealed, it is almost impossible for an ordinary woman to buy one, even if she can afford the 6,000-plus price.

With no waiting list, no ordering system and no way of knowing when the next bag will be available, the Birkin is so elusive that only those who are deemed high-profile enough have a hope of snapping one up.

But handbags arent the only luxury product that money cant buy.

Here, we reveal other treats available only to the lucky elite...

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The most exclusive fitness class on the planet

The Skinny Bitch Collective: Non-celebs need not apply for the latest range of elite fitness classes, which are coming to Britain

Non-celebs need not apply for the latest range of elite fitness classes, spreading to Britain from the U.S., where coveted slots are reserved for household names.

Waiting lists for the Skinny Bitch Collective class, beloved by most of the worlds top models, are so long that you have to sign up to an email group just to be notified when the UK list is accepting new names.

The exclusive class has been described by one attendee as the workout for women who look like girlfriends past, present and future of Leonardo DiCaprio.

Perhaps this exclusivity is because the women - only classes involve getting pretty hands-on with fellow attendees.

One move involves jumping over your partner while they hold a press-up position, another involves doing an arm press on their knees as they squat down  so organisers dont want just anyone sullying celebrity flesh.

Other fitness advice offered by the Collective includes having sex every morning, never missing breakfast and avoiding airplane food  they call it packaged death.

Bags that sell in six seconds flat

Actress Sienna Miller had no problem getting her hands on the Mansur Gavriel bag

If youre bored of your Birkin, there is another sought-after bag owned only by the elite  for a knock-down price.

Shame youll never be able to get your hands on one.

Since its inception in 2012, New York label Mansur Gavriel has been the A-list accessory producer of choice  its iconic 395 bucket bag sold out within hours of going on sale.

Thanks to its sensible price, it became known as the first post- recession It bag, and its subtle styling suggests taste rather than bling.

Now, Mansur Gavriel bags can sell out in six seconds.

Thats because for every bag that becomes available, there are 300 prospective buyers, meaning ordinary shoppers simply cant get their hands on one.

The scarcity of these bags is no accident  the brand works with only one factory, which means tiny production runs.

Despite the scarcity, however, certain celebrities  including actresses Sienna Miller and Kirsten Dunst  seem to have had no trouble getting one.

Perhaps thats not surprising, as the Mansur Gavriel designers have said they have Excel spreadsheets working out where their bags are best placed.

Private club founded for Walt Disney

There is a discreet door in Disneyland, California, marked with the number 33 that you are almost certain never to get behind.

Thats because it leads to Club 33  an exclusive members club founded by Walt Disney himself, with a 14-year waiting list to get in.

The private club: There is a discreet door in Disneyland, California, marked with the number 33 that you are almost certain never to get behind

If you are given the nod, it will cost you 16,287 to join, then annual fees of 6,500  but you will get to rub shoulders with regulars Jack Nicholson and Tom Hanks.

Club 33 officially opened in May 1967. It had been intended as a place for Walt Disney to entertain visiting VIPs, though the great man died months before it was completed.

The restaurant serves a six-course tasting menu of French food (including poached lobster and pumpkin gnocchi) and is the only place in Disneyland that serves alcohol.

The decor is classic Disney  bright colours and cartoon-like furnishings  and unsurprisingly for California, the dress code is relaxed.

Tank tops and sandals are banned, but jeans are acceptable.

VIP hotel suite

The Royal Suite at the Lanesborough Hotel in London (14,000 a night) is usually occupied by a celebrity  Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jim Carrey have all stayed there.

The Royal Suite at the Lanesborough Hotel in London costs 14,000 a night and is usually occupied by a celebrity

And no wonder. The 4,800 sq ft suite has seven bedrooms and bathrooms, two living rooms and a dining room.

If you do want to go out, the hotels chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce Phantom is available as a complimentary service.

Breakfast isnt cheap: a full English is 28, and a crumpet with mushrooms and bacon is 22.

Jet that's only for very high-fliers

For the A-lister who likes to splurge, the G650 Gulfstream jet ticks all the boxes.

There are only 40 in the world, each costing 40 million, and theres a three-year waiting list with 160 VIP hopefuls on it, including chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

For the A-lister who likes to splurge, the G650 Gulfstream jet ticks all the boxes - but it will set them back a cool 40million

Only the creme de la creme get to the top.

Another elite preserve is art. With more and more celebrity collectors, including Madonna and the Beckhams, works by leading artists may be impossible to come by if youre not a household name.

An art world source says: Its set up to make people feel like outsiders unless they have a connection or can demonstrate fame and influence.

Restaurant that's not had a table to book in 38 years

You cant simply book a table at 120-year-old Raos restaurant in New York  there hasnt been one available in 38 years.

Even top food critics cant get in: the last review of the Italian restaurant was more than 35 years ago (the critic raved about it).

Perhaps this privacy is why tiny Raos is a favourite among celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna and Liza Minnelli.

The Italian restaurant: Raos restaurant in New York - where there hasnt been a table available in 38 years

Its ten tables are owned on a timeshare basis by their secretive but wealthy owners, and they pass on reservations to their A-list guests.

But the food is far from snobby and exclusive: its classic Italian (giant meatballs is a favourite) and the prices are reasonable.

Insiders say the Italian family who own Rao still run through the menu at the table, and it doesnt take credit cards.

Most nights the whole place bursts into song (or does the conga) while the owner plays the piano  the atmosphere has been likened to an Italian wedding reception.

When the Mail called Raos last night, an answering machine told us reservations were closed and it was pointless to leave a message as we cannot honour them.

In fact, the only way to get a glimpse inside is to watch the film The Wolf Of Wall Street  Raos is where amoral banker Leonardo DiCaprio takes his lawyer.

British watch that takes a VERY long time to get hold of

An RW Smith watch costs between 100,000 and 500,000

If you want to tell the time like a star, you need a RW Smith watch.

Theres just one problem: the coveted timepieces, made by award-winning watchmaker Roger Smith (a former repairman for Ratners), from the Isle of Man, cost more than most supercars  100,000 to 500,000  and they are impossible to get hold of.

Each watch takes 11 months to make and there is a four-year waiting list, with only VIPs able to skip to the front.

At present, about 50 people in the world own one. Mr Smiths corporate mantra is No one makes fewer.

The watches are made using the Daniels method, where one man designs and makes the entire product (from raw materials, not machine-made parts) rather than specialising in a single component.

This means becoming a master craftsman of 32 separate trades, from engraving the hands to making the screws that hold it all together.

Only a handful of people worldwide can do it. The good news? Each watch will last more than 200 years.

In fact, these watches are so rare, you cant even find them second-hand  only one has come up for sale in the past decade. It went for 115,000.

Jeweller who only sells to the stars

Bespoke jewellery is the only way to make sure your gems are unique  and celebrities have been turning to New York jeweller Jacob Arabo for decades.

Victoria Beckham (pictured) has graced the red carpet in his 790,000 earrings, model Miranda Kerr frequently flaunts his 245,000 emerald flower ring, and pop star Rihanna wowed at the 2014 Met Ball wearing his 752,400 18-carat white gold choker necklace.

The jeweller to the stars: Celebrities, including Victoria Beckham, have been turning to New York jeweller Jacob Arabo for decades

But not just anybody can get their hands on his jewellery  even if theyve got the funds to copy their favourite celebrities.

Because Jacob, 50, only designs for VIPs.

Celebrities come to me for daring, one-of-a-kind pieces that arent available within other brands, he explains.

20,500 manicure you simply can't get your hands on

You dont stand a chance of seeing A-list manicurist Leighton Denny unless youre Joan Collins or Kate Moss.

The nail artist, whose treatments cost up to 20,500, has been known to make a Saudi Arabian princess wait for his services  and as many as 200 others are in the queue.

Leighton Denny: The A-list manicurist charges up to up to 20,500 for his treatments, and has an extensive waiting list

If you fancy hair like Nigellas, Gwyneths or Angelinas, then book an appointment at Jo Hansfords Mayfair salon  but dont expect to be seen by Jo herself.

Technically, clients can book a session with the eponymous founder for 500, but with a list of starry regulars longer than Rapunzels locks, she will never get around to the likes of you. Id like to see everyone, but I cant, she says.

The same is true of Nichola Joss, celebrity facialist, who soothes the skin of Cate Blanchett, Scarlett Johansson and Gisele.
According to NSW minister, Stuart Ayres: 'Ballet Under The Stars will be a spectacular cultural event'

People who attend the event will have the opportunity to bring a picnic and meet the dancers

The event will take place on Saturday November 5 and will see the dancers perform Swan Lake and a Pas de Deux

Ballet Under The Stars is an upcoming outdoor programme in Penrith Lakes by the Australian Ballet

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They're usually seen on the stage at the Sydney Opera House, but a lakeside setting played host to the Australian Ballet to officially launch its upcoming outdoor programme for the year.

In a stunning performance set against the backdrop of the Penrith Lakes in Western Sydney, Australia's top ballerinas were en pointe in honour of the announcement for a special event later in November called Ballet Under The Stars.

The free event will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre on Saturday, November 5, and is set to be an incredible occasion where families can picnic from 4pm, as well as meet the dancers and learn a few steps.

Natural setting: They might be more regularly seen at the Sydney Opera House, but the Australian Ballet officially launched its outdoor season at Penrith Lakes in Western Sydney last week

Not their usual home: The Australian Ballet are more regularly seen at the Sydney Opera House

Special occasion: In a stunning performance set against the backdrop of the lakes, ballerinas shimmered and pirouetted in honour of the announcement for a special event later in November, Ballet Under The Stars

What to expect: The event will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre on Saturday, November 5

Marker set: This preview marked the announcement of the occasion

As the company's 39th outdoor performance in its 53-year history, the Ballet will later perform an act from the sold-out Sydney run of Swan Lake.

They will also exclusively preview the world-famous Pas de Deux - a dance for two performers - from the ballet, Spartacus.

It will be choreographed by dance and theatre director Lucas Jervies.

Special set: Ballet Under The Stars looks set to be an incredible occasion where families can picnic from 4pm, as well as meet the dancers and learn a few steps themselves from the experts

Beautiful birds: As the company's 39th outdoor performance in its 53-year history, the Ballet will later perform an act from the sold-out Sydney run of Swan Lake

Special treat: They will also exclusively preview the world-famous Pas de Deux - a dance for two performers - from the ballet, Spartacus

Brand mission: The Australian Ballet exists with a purpose and mission to inspire, delight and challenge audiences through the power of its performances

Acclaimed dancers: Its dancers are acclaimed and world famous thanks to their incredible skills

Excitement builds: The announcement last week was met with a preview of what ballet goers can expect in November

Beautiful outfits: The dancers showed off their beautiful white tutus and ballet shoes

The announcement last week was met with a preview of what ballet fans can expect in November.

The dancers performed a special sequence beside the lakes, where swans and cygnets delicately folded into one another and showed off their demi-plies, intricate skills and incredible core strength.

'Performed against the backdrop of Penrith Lakes and the surrounding parklands, Ballet Under The Stars will be a spectacular cultural event that will attract visitors and showcase the Penrith region,' the New South Wales Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said.

Brilliantly beautiful: The dancers performed a special sequence beside the lakes, where swans and cygnets delicately folded into one another and showed off their demi-plies, intricate skills and incredible core strength

Cultural approval: 'Performed against the backdrop of Penrith Lakes and the surrounding parklands, Ballet Under The Stars will be a spectacular cultural event,' the New South Wales Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events, Stuart Ayres, said

Tourism draw: 'This community performance is a major highlight of The Australian Ballets annual calendar and will be a major drawcard for visitors who are expected to inject over $1.3 million into the local visitor economy during the next three years'

'This community performance is a major highlight of The Australian Ballets annual calendar and will be a major drawcard for visitors who are expected to inject over $1.3 million into the local visitor economy during the next three years.'

If the gorgeous preview, where the ballet dancers' silhouettes reflected in the water as they danced, is anything to go by, November 5 is set to be a rather special night.

Head to the Australian Ballet's website in order to secure your free tickets.

Special evening: This gorgeous preview suggests ballet visitors are set to witness an incredible evening on November 5

For all the ages: Suitable for all age groups, the event is also free

Preview performance: In the preview, the ballerinas reflected beautifully in the sparkling lakes of Penrith

Floating fun: They also posed beautifully on a floating barge in the lakes

Major commitment: The Australian Ballet has a commitment to reaching audiences across all parts of Australia

Tutus a-flutter: The ballet dancers posed after their performance with Stuart Ayres and Australian Ballet Executive Director Libby Christie

Upcoming times: The upcoming programme will be presented exclusively in Western Sydney over the next three years

Posing pretty: The dancers looped hands beside the lake towards the end of their preview
An unorthodox way of sleeping promises to make you a more effective sleeper.

The polyphasic method involves breaking up your sleep into chunks and doing things in between, instead of going to bed for one long sleep.

The most common way to adopt polyphasic sleep is to sleep for around four and a half hours, wake up and do something like read a book, then go back to bed for a couple of hours.

Ahhh, bed: Polyphastic asleep involved breaking your sleep into chunks instead of resting for one long eight hour period

Careful now: Converts of the technique supposedly included Napoleon (above). People who practice polyphasic sleep say it makes them more productive, but one writer said it felt like she was on LSD

The break doesn't have to occur in the middle of the night, but as sleep cycles tend to be in one and a half hour segments, waking up during a sleep cycle and not in between one can make it harder to get up.

Converts claim that it makes them more productive, as they're getting better quality sleep than they were before. But some, like Luvina Jean-Charles, claims it made her feel like she was on LSD.

'My walk home is equally surreal, with undulating brick walls and proportions out of whack: I feel like Im on LSD,' she wrote about her experience trying the sleep pattern.

Catching some zzzs: Professor Dorothy Bruck says that sleep is more flexible than a lot of people realise

'Sleep is a very flexible phenomena': Professor Bruck said that if polyphasic sleep works for you, then there's no harm in doing it

Professor Dorothy Bruck, a sleep psychologist and member of the Australian Sleep Health Foundation, said that sleep is actually less rigid than we're led to believe, so polyphasic sleep can work.

'Sleep is a very flexible phenomena,' Professor Bruck told Daily Mail Australia. 'If we find that polyphasic sleep works for us, then there's no issue with it.'

She does warn, however, that watching a screen during the break in your sleep can be harmful as the blue light will decrease your melatonin and make it difficult to get back to sleep.

No phones or TV: However she does warn that using devices or watching a screen in your sleep break could mean you can't get back to sleep after waking up

Used for centuries: Leonardo Da Vinci (above) was also a fan of polyphasic sleep. The practice was very common in Europe prior to the invention of electricity

It may seem new and exciting, but has actually been used for centuries. Some people claim that famous historical figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Napoleon were polyphastic sleepers, but this hasn't been confirmed.

It's rooted in history too, with recent discoveries suggesting that prior to the invention of electricity, people would wake up in the middle of the night for a couple of hours then go back to sleep.
The past year has seen adorable cats become the stars of Instagram, from Smoothie - 'the world's most photogenic cat', to impossibly fluffy Sky the Ragdoll, and blue-eyed Coby... and of course Sir Winston Smushface.

But Persian siblings Marcel and Poppy, are giving them all a run for their money - amassing 42,300 followers on Instagram.

Owner Judith Wright, 25, from the Gold Coast, Queensland told Daily Mail Australia she never expected her pets to become so famous.

Purrfect: Marcel is described as shy, cheeky, needy and 'very much a mama's boy' by owner Judith Wright

Miss Independent: Ms Wright likened Poppy to Michonne from The Walking Dead

Best furry friends: Marcel (in the back) and Poppy (in the front) have over 42,000 more followers on Instagram

The psychology honours student at Griffith University said she met Marcel in late 2014 after the death of two of her cats, one from old age and the other from a sudden heart condition.

From there she began to document his life and sharing the pictures on Instagram: 'It's literally just a photographic journal of my cats lives,' she said.

'I don't promote or endorse anything. I dont know about other people, but I love my pets and Im not going to sell them out. The most Ill do to generate users is hash-tagging.'

Ms Wright described Marcel the fluffy cream exotic short hair as shy, cheeky, needy and 'very much a mama's boy'.

'He's quite aloof but loves his food and spends most of his time sleeping next to the food bowl so he never misses a meal time and is the first one there,' she said.

Ms Wright said of all the cats Poppy was the most independent, 'she likes to do things on her own terms'.

'I liken Poppy to Michonne (from The Walking Dead) works alone for the most, is quite secretive but opens up to those she's close to occasionally but on her terms.'

Study buddy: Claude pictured sitting on top of Judith's textbooks and study notes

Ms Wright: 'I love my pets and Im not going to sell them out. The most Ill do to generate users is hash-tagging'

Cuteness overload: Recent additions Alma and Claude have had thousands of likes on the Instagram page

The recent additions of kittens Alma and Claude to the brood have added to the thousands of likes from fans on the posts.

Ms Wright said the followers have reached out to her and said the video and photos have helped them through their depression and bad days.

'Given that I'm a psychology student, it means a lot to me that it's having such a positive impact in a few people's lives so it's enough for me to make sure I keep posting every day,' she said.
A little girl whose father secretly gave her cannabis oil to alleviate her pain while she suffered from cancer has died.

In a Facebook post on his page dedicated to helping his daughter Rumer, three, Queensland man Adam Koessler wrote: 'It is with heavy hearts and many tears that we bring you this update. Beautiful little Rumer Rose has been called home, passing peacefully in the early hours of this morning, Monday 9th May.'

Koessler, who is separated from Rumer's mother, Sacha Maujean, was given a two-year good behaviour bond and fined $500 after he secretly added cannabis oil to her food in a bid to decrease her suffering, The Courier Mail reported.

A little girl (right) whose father, Adam Koessler (left), secretly gave her cannabis oil to alleviate her pain while she suffered from cancer has died

He was not convicted of a crime for his actions, which were noticed by Ms Maujean when she noticed a strange smell in Rumer's food in late 2014, just before she was to begin chemotherapy for Neuroblastoma.

The Facebook post about Rumer's death said: 'We are sure that Rumer came to this earth knowing that she had a monumental battle to fight, and she fought it with everything she had.'

'Now the time has come for this little warrior princess and her beautiful smile to shine down on us from the stars above.'

It was Christmas Eve 2014, when Ms Maujean was told Rumer had high-risk Neuroblastoma cancer and a 50 per cent chance of survival.

'Beautiful little Rumer Rose has been called home, passing peacefully in the early hours of this morning, Monday 9th May,' the young girl's father said on Monday
They have previously spoken about the challenges of caring for their young brood

The Tucci's already have two daughters together, and Kim has a nine-year-old son from previous marriage

photos of her gorgeous babies, sleeping swaddled in soft wraps

She has shared the first

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Proud parents to five new born babies have shared heart-warming photos of the quintuplets for the first time.

Kim and Vaughn Tucci from Perth, Western Australia, welcomed five healthy babies in January  a son, Keith, and four daughters  Ali, Penelope, Tiffany and Beatrix.

Ms Tucci, who also has a nine-year-old son from a previous marriage and two young daughters with her husband, has shared the at times overwhelming task of caring for her precious bundles.

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Kim Tucci, from Perth in Western Australia, gave birth to quintuplets in January (Ms Tucci pictured with quintuplets)

She and husband Vaughn welcomed five healthy babies in January  a son, Keith, and four daughters  Ali, Penelope, Tiffany and Beatrix (babies pictured)

The married couple have shared heart-warming professional photographs by Erin Elizabeth of the babies

But one look at the babies' adorable faces is enough to know the sleepless nights are worth it.

The photos show a glowing 26-year-old Ms Tucci cradling her five babies, their tiny bodies swaddled in soft pastel wraps.

While the couple has shared photos of their children before, this is the first time the babies have featured in a professional shoot.

The adorable pictures capture the sleeping quintuplets in what must be a rare moment of peace.

One of four girls - Ali, Penelope, Tiffany and Beatrix - is pictured swathed in a soft pastel wrap

While the couple has shared photos of their children before, this is the first time the babies have featured in a professional shoot

The adorable pictures capture the sleeping quintuplets in what must be a rare moment of peace

Keith (pictured), the only boy amongst the quintuplets, has four twin girls from the rare birth in January

The logistical challenges the family face on a daily basis have been taking their toll on the young mother, with Ms Tucci recently telling Channel Nine's 60 Minutes she sometimes 'locks herself in the bathroom and cries on the floor' as she adapts to life with seven children all under five years of age.

You just gotta do it. We haven't got a choice. Kim Tucci, 26

The couple change 350 dirty nappies a week and feed each infant eight times a day.

Although are 'overwhelmed' by the momentous job, they are the 'happiest they have ever been in their life'.

'No-one thought I could do it, and I did, I showed everyone in my life. So, I think it's the first time that I've actually been proud of myself,' Ms Tucci told the television show.

The chance all babies would survive and be healthy was incredibly low.

Precious cargo: The babies were recently taken to a medical appointment, and Ms Tucci shared the effort that went in to getting them ready

But over a gruelling 27 weeks, Ms Tucci's body grew to accommodate each infant - each weighing more than a kilogram by the time she gave birth.

Her obstetrician, Professor Jan Dickinson, managed to deliver each healthy baby in under two minutes and said Ms Tucci had a 'super womb'.

The quintuplets were rushed to intensive care and were monitored for 24 hours a day for six weeks until they grew strong enough to return home.

The couple get daily help from family and volunteers to care for the quintuplets and use feeding changing and sleeping charts to monitor each infant.

'You just gotta do it. We haven't got a choice,' Ms Tucci said.

During her pregnancy, Ms Tucci wrote about her intense struggles with back pain, 12 bathroom trips a night and consuming the recommended 6,000 calories a day to feed her five babies.

'I'm struggling to eat and force feed myself leaving me with reflux for hours,' she wrote on her blog Surprised With Five.

'I can't tolerate a lot of dairy and I can't keep protein drinks down, I'm starting to lose weight when I really need to be gaining it.'

Her online posts about dealing with pain, nausea, changes to her body and going to the bathroom 12 times a night, amassed a following of more than 123,000 people  most of them mums who share their own personal stories.

At 24 weeks along, photographer Erin Elizabeth took photos of the expecting mum to commemorate her journey.

The images became a hit on Ms Tucci's website and Ms Elizabeth's social media.

A Go Fund Me page has been started to help the Tuccis buy a nine-seater car so they can safely get out and about as a family.

Precious faces: Seeing her babies in intensive care was the hardest part for Ms Tucci
An Indian woman who says she was treated as 'ugly' because of her body hair has written a heartfelt Facebook poem revealing why she now doubts a man who calls her beautiful.

Naina Kataria, from New Delhi, said she was 'always the girl with the moustache' in high school, and now goes through 'excruciating pain' to wax and defluff.

In her post, which has been liked 41,000 times, Naina wanted to share how much grooming women hide from men - sparking stories from other women about they have been treated because of their hair.

Naina Kataria, from New Delhi, India, wanted to share how much women hide from men and the pains they go to in order to remove body hair

Naina posted a picture of her leg with stubble to illustrate her point along with a poignant poem describing the 'tortuous miracles' women do to get rid of hair

Naina posted the poem on her Facebook blog page called Infinite Entropy, which now has more than 19,000 followers.

She wrote: 'When a man tells me Im beautiful, I dont believe him.

'Instead, I relive my days in high school when no matter how good I was, I was always the girl with a moustache.'

Naina explained how hair removal is seen as integral to women's femininity by many. She continued: 'He doesnt know of the world that tells you to "be yourself" and sells you a fair and lovely shade card in the same f***** breath.

'He doesnt know of the hot wax and the laser whose only purpose is to replace your innocent skin with its own brand of womanhood.'

She explained the hair removal creams and bleach weren't seen by men but sarcastically said they were used by women 'in the name of hygiene.'

Naina posted the poem after being inspired by a date when she was called 'too feminist' because she felt women shouldn't have to shave

Naina continued: 'He doesnt know how unruly eyebrows are tamed and how uni brows die a silent death

'All to preserve beauty.'

She finished by explaining when men offer compliments: 'I dare him to wait till my hair grows back.'

Naina told Buzzfeed she came up with the idea when she went to a film with a date.

When an ad for razors came on, she told the website 'I remarked that celebrities shouldnt endorse such products because it sends out a message that one HAS to buy them to look beautiful.

'He replied by saying, OMG youre too much of a feminist".'

Naina then thought over what this means for women and how the high standards of beauty are the norm.

She told the website, it 'hit me was how much we hide all these things from men. Women go through excruciating amounts of pain to look merely presentable and men dont even have an idea of what its like.'

Women shared their own stories, one revealed she was bullied for her facial hair but has now realised it's not her problem

The poem has sparked debate over the post with women sharing their own stories. Melissa Gomez wrote: 'I get bullied about my hair. People always comment on how thick my upper lip hair is and my eyebrows. My body hair is so much that I wear long sleeves even in the summer to cover my hair.

'Despite trying everything from shaving, threading and waxing, my hair grows in less than a week.

'This has kind of made me realise that I should not care what they say, why should I cry over silly people like them?'

Susan Whyborn agreed that it's difficult to be a woman with 'excessive' body hair.

She posted: 'It's something that can't be understand unless you have had to deal with what society views as excessive facial or body hair.

One woman disagreed with Naina's message and liked to groom herself while a man weighed in and said body hair is natural

'You don't feel feminine and attractive because society says it's ugly.'

While Barfi Malik argued that it was down to your own personal perception. She posted: 'I've never shaved a single hair on my body and still get compliments. No one thinks that a woman is ugly because of body hair, it is our thinking. Girls nowadays want to look like models and Hollywood actresses and that's why they do what they do.'

But Leitizia Galletta disagreed with the poem and said 'new-wave feminism is now targeting women who want to groom themselves. I love having smooth legs and armpits and spending time on my appearance, for myself.'

She also blamed such an attitude on 'insecurities' rather than society.

While some men also weighed in on the issue.

Mukund Nair commented: 'It's totally natural, love your body as it is.'
She has already been named as one of Tatler's most important people in Britain - beating her mother the Duchess of Cambridge and even her great-grandmother the Queen to the top spot.

And now Princess Charlotte has firmly cemented her status as one of the country's greatest style icons after sparking a massive surge in baby clothing sales.

From her very first public appearance on the steps of St Mary's Hospital in London, swathed in a merino shawl from GH Hurt & Sons, to her pink fleecy ski boots, it's no secret she knows how to push a product.

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Princess Charlotte has cemented her status as one of the country's greatest style icons after sparking a massive surge in baby clothing sales, according to a firm that specialises in brand valuation

Her very first fashion moment: When a newborn Charlotte was snapped in her GH Hurt & Sons merino shawl as she left St. Mary's Hospital, London in May 2015, the firm saw a huge surge in traffic

And now it has been revealed that the little princess is worth billions to the UK economy.

Brand Finance, a firm that specialises in brand valuation, has reported that the so-called 'Charlotte effect' will bring a huge surge to the UK economy - with a staggering 'net present value' of 3.2 billion, according to WWD.

This is compared to a paltry 2.4 billion from Charlotte's older brother Prince George, say their marketing and communications director Robert Haigh.

In March, a UK company selling soft booties 'almost identical' to the ones worn by Charlotte on her first winter holiday reported a huge spike in sales.

My1styears.com said they normally sell just five pairs of the fleecy shoe in a day, but they experienced a dramatic surge in sales after photos of William and Kate with Prince George and Prince Charlotte were released wearing ski gear on holiday in February.

Not the first time: In March, a UK company selling soft booties 'almost identical' to the ones worn by Charlotte on her first winter holiday reported a huge spike in sales

The day after the photos were published, the company said they sold 259 pairs of the 25 booty, a 97 per cent increase on what they'd usually sell.

And in the weeks afterwards, the company saw two sizes of the range sell out completely.

The founder of the online retailer told FEMAIL that the Princess Charlotte effect was almost immediate.

He said: 'We usually sell around 40 pairs of the pink fleece slipper booties in a week, but within 24 hours of the Princess Charlotte photo being released 259 pairs had been bought.'

According to Brand Finance, the 'Charlotte effect' will bring a huge surge to the UK economy with a 'net present value' of 3.2 billion, compared to Prince George whose value is estimated to be around 2.4 million

Earlier this year, Princess Charlotte was named as one of Tatler's most influential people in Britain - beating her mother the Duchess of Cambridge, and even her great-grandmother the Queen, to the top spot

'These booties have been among our bestsellers since we launched the company back in 2010 but we've have seen a dramatic spike in sales since the release of this image in the press.'

The actual booties Charlotte was wearing are from Emu Australia and were a gift to Princess Charlotte when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Australia last year.

Emu Australia told Femail that sales of the 30 shoe are doing 'really well' and the company has seen a 'positive uplift' in sales with at least a 50 per cent increase - as well as a 67 per cent increase in website traffic to the UK.
She shared pictures from the occasion which she pointed out included 'four generations' of her family

It was a busy weekend for Bristol, who celebrated Mother's Day with a big family gathering, including her mother Sarah

It follows a bitter custody battle between the mother-of-two and her ex-fiance over their daughter who was born on December 23

Bristol Palin, 25, posted the picture of the former couple in Alaska holding their child together on Instagram with the caption '#coparenting'

Bristol Palin indicated that her and former fiance Dakota Meyer may have put their differences aside as proud co-parents of their four-month-old daughter Sailor Grace.

The 25-year-old shared a picture on Instagram of the former couple standing side by side holding their daughter - the first photo of them together with their child - in Alaska following their custody battle.

But the biggest statement of intent was perhaps in the mother-of-two's caption which read '#coparenting'.

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Cooperation: Bristol Palin, 25, posted the picture of herself and ex-fiance Dakota Meyer, 27, holding their child together on Instagram with the caption '#coparenting'

Celebration: Bristol, from Alaska, who also shared pictures from Mother's Day with 'four generations' of her family, endured a bitter custody battle with her ex-fiance over their daughter who was born on December 23

United: It was a busy weekend for Bristol, who was surrounded by many members of her family for their Mother's Day festivities - her first as a mother-of-two

The couple underwent a bitter custody battle following their split but in recent weeks they appear to have been making progress on building a new relationship as co-parents.

After Dakota's first official visit to see his daughter, she posted a picture on Instagram of the former Marine and Sailor Grace.

It comes after a judge ruled that the ex-couple must share legal and physical custody of the child and that Dakota, who lives in Kentucky, could visit his daughter twice a month for four consecutive days.

Bristol celebrated Mother's Day yesterday with her mother Sarah and other female members of the family. She shared pictures from the gathering which she said covered 'four generations'.

Feeling cranky: Last week, Bristol took to Instagram to share this hilarious snapshot of her little girl glaring at the camera, clearly furious about the fact that her photo was being taken

Sisterly love: Bristol, left, recently posted this photo of herself posed in the car with her sister Piper, 15, captioning the image with the hashtag, '#bestfriends'

The former Alaska Governor also shared pictures from the day, writing on Facebook: 'Happy Mother's Day from some favorite moms and daughters way up North who love their families and their country oh-so-much. We're with the ones still proudly clinging to God, guns, and our Constitution!'

Bristol recently shared an amusing picture of Sailor Grace with an unimpressed expression.

She captioned the photo with the crown emoji, suggesting that her only daughter is a bit of a princess.

'Exactly how I feel about Monday mornings,' one person wrote, while another added: 'That sums up how I feel about going to work this morning!'

Bristol celebrated Sailor, her only child with her ex-fiance Dakota Meyer, turning four months old by sharing a throwback photo of her little girl on the day she brought her home from the hospital.

Big brother: Bristol recently shared this sweet throwback photo of her seven-year-old son Tripp kissing her infant daughter Sailor Grace on the day she came home from the hospital

Not impressed: The mother-of-two proudly posted this hilarious snapshot of her son Tripp when he was seven months old in March

The mother-of-two posted a snapshot of her seven-year-old son Tripp holding newborn Sailor while giving her a tender kiss on the forehead.

'The day we brought Gracie home from the hospital, cannot believe she's four months already #icouldcry #myworld,' Bristol captioned the sweet picture that sees Sailor when she is only a couple of days old.

While Tripp protectively cuddles his baby sister, Sailor looks like she is ready for bed as she curls in her brother's arms.

Sailor may get her penchant for making funny faces from her older brother. Last month Bristol shared an old photo of Tripp making an adorable expression as an infant that would undoubtedly make a fantastic meme.

Family first: Bristol paid homage to her brother Trig, who has Down syndrome, on his eighth birthday on April 18 by sharing this photo of him wearing a blue Reeve's Tees hoodie that reads: 'Homie with an extra chromie'

Doting daughter: Bristol posted this black and white snapshot of her father Todd, 51, holding his granddaughter Sailor to assure fans that his recovering is going well after his serious snowmobile accident in March

In the snapshot, Tripp is squinting in eyes and frowning in a way that makes it appear as though he is not at all impressed by whatever he is looking at.

In addition to sharing photos of her children with her 107,000 Instagram followers, Bristol also posts numerous pictures of her little brother Trig, who is less than a year older than her son with her ex-fiance Levi Johnston.

On April 18, Bristol paid tribute to Trig on his eighth birthday by sharing a photo of him sitting on what looks like his sister Piper's lap.

'Happy 8th Birthday Trig Paxson Van Palin! You light up our world #theluckyfew,' she captioned the photo, which sees the little boy wearing a blue Reeve's Tees hoodie that reads: 'Homie with an extra chromie'.

Happy mother: Bristol's children are clearly enamored with each other, and last month, the mom posted this adorable black and white photo of them holding hands

Doting dad: Bristol shared this image of her ex-fiance Dakota Meyer with their daughter Sailor Grace on her Instagram account in March in what appeared to be a gesture of goodwill following their custody battle

Strong message: Bristol shared this photo of herself with Sailor and Tripp in February as she explained that she will never keep her children from having a 'positive relationship with their fathers'

Trig was born with Down syndrome, a chromosome disorder  in which a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21  that is characterized by developmental and intellectual delays.

Although he is Bristol's little brother, Trig often spends time playing with her children Tripp and Sailor.

In March, the Palin family had a scare after Bristol's father Todd suffered a serious snowmobile injury that left him with multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung.

After Todd spent time recovering in an Alaskan hospital, Bristol took to Instagram nearly a month after the accident to assure her 107,000 followers that her father is recuperating.

Sharing a touching black and white photo of Todd holding his granddaughter Sailor, Bristol wrote that the little girl 'loves her papa'.
Lauren Bush Lauren celebrated her first Mother's Day as a mom herself this Sunday, over five months after welcoming her little son into the world.

The 31-year-old founder of FEED was thrilled for the occasion, sharing a loving snapshot of herself excitedly smiling with baby James in her lap.

'I am one blessed mama today and all days!' she captioned the Instagram photo, adding the hashtag #mothersday.

Happy occasion! Lauren Bush Lauren, 31, celebrated her first Mother's Day with her baby, James, this weekend

In the image, Lauren is looking down at James, holding his hand as she gives a wide smile to his upturned face.

The adorable tot  who celebrated his five-month birthday two weeks ago  is seen wearing a tidy blue button-down and a chunky gray sweater.

James looks quite comfortable in his mom's lap, his chubby cheeks stealing all the focus is the photo.

'I am still adjusting to the magic of becoming a mom to my sweet baby James. Im blessed to have the privilege of soaking in many sweet moments with him,' Lauren told the Miami Herald last month.

Mother's Day was already Lauren's second milestone occasion this month, as the first-time mom also celebrated her 12-year anniversary last week at the Met Gala.

Getting big: David and Lauren's son, James, just celebrated his five-month birthday

She met her husband David, 44, at the fashionable event in 2004, and on May 2 they celebrated in style, leaving James home with a sitter for the night.

'Celebrating the #MetBall and 12 yrs of knowing this sweet man [sic],' Lauren captioned an Instagram photo from the big ball, which sees her and her husband with their cheeks pressed together as they pose in front of a bouquet of roses.

Lauren paid tribute to her designer father-in-law, Ralph Lauren, by donning an elegant black tuxedo-inspired gown that featured a white collar and cuffs and a black bow around her neck.

The mother-of-one left her caramel-colored hair in lose waves around her shoulders and wore minimal make-up that highlighted her natural beauty.

Meanwhile, David, who was also wearing Ralph Lauren, opted for an edgier look to celebrate the night's theme, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.

So in love: Lauren and her husband David celebrated the 12-year anniversary of their first meeting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit on May 2

Love story: Lauren took to Instagram to share a selfie from the event, which she captioned: 'Celebrating the #MetBall and 12 yrs of knowing this sweet man [sic]'

Edgy look: David, who wore Ralph Lauren, paired a double-breated tuxedo jacket and bow tie with studded leather pants to celebrate the Met Gala's theme, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

The executive vice president of the Ralph Lauren Corporation sported a traditional double-breasted tuxedo jacket and bow tie, but paired them with studded leather pants.

After meeting at the Met Gala in 2004 when Lauren was just 19 years old, the two have returned to the high-profile social event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year since to celebrate the anniversary of their first meeting.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is such a special place for the couple that when it came time to propose to his lady love in 2010 he chose that very spot.

David suggested that they meet at the MET to look at some new pictures before attending a dinner nearby, bur when Lauren arrived at the venue she was surprised that no one else was there but Davidand the art work he wanted her to see was a series of photographs from their seven years together.

'I created our own exhibition of our life together,' David told Vogue in 2011. 'And I got down on my knee and proposed.

American royalty: On Easter, the couple took James to meet President Obama at the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll

Political family: Lauren and David also posed for pictures by themselves during their trip to Washington, D.C.

Happy times: Happy couple David and Lauren are pictured enjoying a walk in New York City just a week after the birth of their son

'Then we went outside and took a carriage ride with a clarinetist and a saxophonist following us.'

Instead of saying 'I do' in their home city of New York, the couple wed at the Lauren family's 17,000-acre Double RL ranch in Ridgway, Colorado, over Labor Day weekend in 2011.

Four years later, David and Lauren welcomed their first child James on November 21, and the proud mom often shares photos of her family with her 67,000 Instagram followers.

The week before the Met Gala, Lauren paid tribute to her son's five-month birthday by sharing a cute picture of him posed in a light blue cardigan with blocks that proclaimed his age.

'Happy 5 months to my handsome baby James [sic[,' she captioned the photo.

In March, the happy family headed to Washington, D.C. for the White House's annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn where they posed for a photo with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle.

Afterward, Lauren shared a photo of herself with David and James inside the historical building.
She says her son is normally shy with people he does not know

A mother has shared a touching video that shows the moment her autistic two-year-old son 'fell in love' with Snow White.

Amanda Coley, from North Carolina, says she cried after watching the joyful encounter between her son Jack Jack and the fairytale character during a trip to Disney World in Florida.

She says the toddler is non-verbal, meaning he has difficulty speaking, and is normally shy with people he does not know.

A touching video shows the moment an autistic two-year-old boy 'fell in love' with Snow White

Amanda Coley, from North Carolina, shared the emotional video of her son Jack Jack on Facebook

But that all changed when Jack Jack met Snow White, and he broke into a huge smile while talking to her.

The video, which has been watched more than six million times, shows how the toddler, dressed in an adorable Pinocchio costume, rests his head tenderly on her shoulder.

He gazes up at her lovingly before putting his head on her lap, clearly feeling completely relaxed in her presence.

His photographer mother Amanda posted on Facebook: 'This is my 2 year old - Jack Jack. He was having nothing to do with any of the characters on our Disney vacation in November.

The toddler, dressed in a Pinocchio costume, smiles as Snow White talks to him at Disney World in Florida

He even rests his head on her lap, clearly feeling completely relaxed in her presence

The video , which has been watched more than six million times, also shows how the toddler rests his head tenderly on her shoulder

'You see, he has autism and is non-verbal. He is on the shy side with people he does not know.

'THEN... he met Snow White. I must have cried 1000 tears watching his interaction with her. He was in love.'

The video has captured hearts across the world, with the video being shared nearly 7,000 times.

Amanda, who has two autistic sons, has now set up a page called Disney Adventures & Autism following the incredible reaction to the video.

Jack Jack is normally shy with people he does not know, showing little interest in the characters at first

But he seemed at ease with Snow White, cuddling up to her affectionately. His mother says she cried after watching the clip

The toddler, who has difficulty using spoken language, showed his playful side during the encounter

On the page, she explains: 'Disney World is our happy place! Everyone that knows us will tell you that in a heartbeat.

'Having two boys with autism does not make every trip the easiest in the world. They each have their challenges but Disney goes above and beyond to make sure they are happy and are made to feel just like every other kid.

'I'd love to share our adventures with you all in hopes of at least bringing a smile to your face or showing you that Disney can be an amazing place, even for a child with disabilities.'

Amanda, who has two autistic sons, has now set up a page called Disney Adventures & Autism following the incredible reaction to the video

She says that 'Disney World is our happy place' explaining how the family go to the resort in Florida every year
A teenage boy who survived an operation to remove a childhood tumor took his mother to prom after she missed her own because she was pregnant with him.

Jah'Vontae Smith, from Muskegon, Michigan, said he 'couldn't have shared this experience with anyone better' after inviting his mother Joy Bridges to be his prom date - and even selected and paid for her dress.

The teenager, who had a 50 per cent chance of survival when he underwent surgery to remove a tumor in the back of his head when he was five years old, paid tribute to his mother, telling WXMI: 'She loves her kids, she loves us all. Never leaves our side.'

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Matching: Jah'Vontae Smith, from Muskegon, Michigan, invited his mother Joy Bridges, pictured with her son, to be his prom date and even bought her dress

Second chance: Joy, pictured with Jah'Vontae, was unable to attend her own prom because she was pregnant with her son which meant her dress did not fit

They attended prom together wearing coordinated red outfits but Joy insisted on leaving before the dancing started because she wanted her son to have an opportunity to enjoy it alone.

Jah'Vontae told afterwards how taking his mother as his date was the 'best feeling in the world'.

He wrote on Facebook: 'I couldn't have shared this experience with anyone better my mother never went to her senior prom because she was pregnant with me at the time but 17yrs later I gave her mines, better yet I shared it with her this day I will always remember. Thanks for being my date #2k16 [sic]'.

Joy - who skipped her own prom because she could not fit into her dress because she was pregnant - said she was 'nervous' beforehand, fearing she was 'too old' for prom, but said afterwards she was overjoyed to have attended.

She told WXMI: 'When Jah'Vontae was five years old, they found a tumor in the back of his head...I was blessed to have him here with me walking, talking and taking me to prom.'

Once Jah'Vontae had bought her the dress, the single mother said: 'I couldn't say no'.

Fortunate: Jah'Vontae, pictured with his mother, survived an operation to remove a tumor from his head when he was five years old after being given 50 per cent chance of survival

Mother and son: Joy said she was initially 'nervous' about going to prom and thought she was 'too old' but afterwards said she loved the experience

'I got pregnant with Jah'Vontae when I was in high school,' she said. 'I had intentions of going to my prom but by the time my prom came around, the dress that I had purchased it was way to small, it would not even pull up...

'I was kind of nervous, I'm too old to go to prom...I'm still on cloud ten, I'm past nine, I've raised an incredible young man by myself.'

Jah'Vontae said she looked 'amazing' and even got text messages from people asking who his 'cute date' was.

He told MLive.com: 'She's always going to be by my side. My high school prom, I'm always going to look back at that and remember that I went with my mom. I would have turned anybody down for her...
A photograph of a ginger cat has the internet scratching its head as users struggle to tell whether the dark shape next to it is a shadow or another feline altogether

In the picture, which was shared on Imgur by Natural_Distortion on Saturday, the ginger cat sits in the sun while the black shape next to it adopts the exact same pose.

And while hundreds of people debated which animal was real and which wasn't, others pointed out another oddity in the image.

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A photography of a ginger cat sat on a porch has sent the Internet into a frenzy as it tries to guess whether it is accompanied by another cat or just its shadow

But the intriguing image has captured the internet's imagination and received more than 800,000 views since its upload as viewers struggle to make sense of the photograph.

Commenting on the photo user Pentagalon wrote: 'I am so confused right now. Is that a black cat or the orange cat has a weird ass shadow with eyes? WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?'

Although the major giveaway to the second shape being a real, live cat rather than a shadow is its glowing eyes, other users were more sceptical.

BrewSwillis adding: 'I think this is photoshopped since the cat on the left is casting a shadow whereas the black one is not.'

Natural_Distortion reveals on Reddit that there are in fact two cats Pete (left) and Sully (right) who is given away by his glowing eyes

In an effort to prove there are in fact two cats, Natural_Distortion revealed in a Reddit thread that the black cat is called: 'Sully. And the ginger is a female, named Pete. (SO thought she was a male at first) Brother and sister.'

He didn't attempt to explain the lack of shadow on the black cat, however.

This optical illusion is the latest in a line of mindbending photographs that have captivated users on social media.

Last month Savannah Root from Lamar, Missouri, shared an outline drawn with black ink on Facebook and thousands of people shared it as they tried to work what on earth it represented.

In the post, she wrote: 'I stared at this picture for an hour trying to figure out what it was.'

Savannah Root from Lamar, Missouri, shared the black and white drawing on Facebook last week and since then the image has had 26,000 likes, 4,500 shares and nearly 8,500 comments

She then invited others to post below about what they thought the image represented.

While some managed to spot the hidden silhouette of a cowboy straight away, many were left entirely stumped and thought the painting looked like a bat.

More obscure suggestions included a rat hanging upside down with wings, a bird carrying a baby and a penguin doing a wee.

Samantha JH wrote: 'Omg, so creepy! I was staring and staring at it thinking it was a bat upside down then turned away and looked back and BAM I see the man's face in a cowboy hat, half white, half black.'

Meanwhile, Stephen Foley asked: 'Is it a penguin doing a pee (male, obviously and licking his lips?'

Samuel Rea also guessed wrong: 'Bird carrying a baby.'

Many were left stumped by the image after it was posted on Facebook and 9,000 people have commented

But Louis Jones simply wrote: 'It looks like a black mess.'

Others were left frustrated by the image having not been able to work out what it was.

Victoria MacRae wrote: 'I note that Savannah said not to say what it is once you got it but I'm so grateful for those who did. As interesting as this is, I don't have an hour to spend staring at one Facebook post, I really don't. So, thank you!'

The red lines in this picture showed people who couldn't work out the image the correct way of viewing it

Some people spotted the cowboy straight away including Nathan Preshous, who said he spent half-an-hour staring at it as he wasn't expecting it to be so easy

Jennifer Alexander said: 'I never would have seen it. I had to check the comments.'

And some people spotted it straight away, leaving them wondering what all the fuss was about.

Nathan Preshous said: 'Saw a cowboy straight away and spent half an hour looking for what it was supposed it be, turned out to be a cowboy.'

With the image causing such a stir online, a number of people started offering tips for those who were unable to see the figure in the drawing.

Barbara Topping wrote: 'Close your eyes and squint at it and it becomes clear.'

Some people were left really frustrated by the image and others sought to offer tips on spotting the cowboy

Holly Spanjer suggested another technique: 'Place your hand over the dark side, you should be able to see it.'

Another brain teaser had the web stumped as people were asked to describe the colours of two hearts. One appeared purple while the other seemed bright red.

But in fact both answers are wrong. The hearts are, in fact, exactly the same hue - a vivid pink.

These two hearts in the image appear to be totally different colours. One appears purple while the other is a bright orangey red

In fact it is the placement of the geometric stripes that fools our brains into seeing something which isn't really there.

The narrator on the video from Bite Size Psych explains: 'If you zoom in on the picture you find that the striped bars aren't actually the same colour.

'These surrounding blue bars make the heart seem purple while these surrounding green bars make the heart seem orange.'

This gives us a vital clue to how our vision works. It suggests that we perceive an object's colour based on its proximity and contrast with surrounding shades.

The narrator on the video from Bite Size Psych explains: 'If you zoom in on the picture you find that the striped bars aren't actually the same colour'

These surrounding blue bars make the heart seem purple while these surrounding green bars make the heart appear orange

Meanwhile Tim Urban and Andrew Finn of the website butwaitwhy.com have created a fiendishly difficult puzzle based around three jelly beans.

The premise of the brain teaser is that you have to choose to eat one of three jelly beans laid out on a stump, two of which are poisonous.

'Two of the jelly beans on the stump are poisonous - youll die within 30 seconds of eating either one of them,' the riddle explains.

'But one of the jelly beans isnt poisonous and wont harm you at all. All three of the jelly beans are delicious. The situation works like this: You pick one of the jelly beans and eat it, and if you happen to pick the non-poisonous one, youre free to go.'

This gives us a vital clue to how our vision works. It suggests that we perceive an objects colour not based on its actual colour but on how it compares to the surrounding colours

Three jelly beans are laid on a stump and you have to choose one to eat, but two of them are poisonous and will kill you

According to the riddle, you decide to pick up the green jelly bean.

But just before you eat it, a man takes away the blue jelly bean explaining that it's definitely poisonous.

That leaves the red one on the stump and the green one still in your hand. You get one last chance to change your mind about which one to take.

You take the green jelly bean, leaving the red and blue

Solving the riddle involves choosing between the red and green jelly beans - one of which is definitely poisonous.

You might think that now it's down to two jelly beans that there's a 50-50 chance you have the poisonous one and decide to stick with green.

In fact, it's twice as likely to be poisonous and the red jelly bean is two thirds more likely to be safe.

'When you initially picked the green jelly bean, there was a 1/3 chance that it was the safe one to eat, and a 2/3 chance that it was poisonous and the safe one was still on the stump,' Tim Urban of Wait But Why explained.

'When the man removed a poisonous blue jelly bean from the stump, it told you no new info about the green jelly bean in your handthat still had a 1/3 chance of being safe.

The blue jelly bean is taken away and you're told it's definitely poisonous. Should you swap with the red sweet or stick with the green?

'But removing the blue jelly bean told you a lot about the red jelly bean - it told you that if the safe jelly bean had been on the stump, the red one is safe.

'Put another way, if you picked a poisonous jelly bean - which you would do two-thirds of the time - then choosing to switch after he removes one will save you every time.

'If you picked the safe one to start off with - which happens one-third of the time - then switching will kill you. So switching is a good choice two-thirds of the time.'

Recently, puzzlers were also challenged to find a hidden picture inside a red circle,

The brain teaser was said to test the internet's vision with people able to see everything from a detailed image to just an outline, while others struggled to spot anything at all.

Is your eyesight good enough to see the hidden picture inside this red circle? The brain teaser has appeared online quizzing internet users about whether they can see another shape hidden inside the red blob, above

While some claimed they could see the whole image in perfect detail, others were left scratching their heads in confusion.

When the dot is flipped you can clearly see a detailed sketch of a horse complete with a mane and tail, saddle and bridle and grass around its feet.

Some people can only see the outline of the image before the red spot is flipped, while others say they can see much more. Try the test below to see how you get on.

While some claim they can see the whole image perfectly, others are completely baffled by the image. When the dot is flipped, right, you can clearly see a detailed sketch of a horse complete with a mane and tail

The online teaser shows how some people only see the outline of the horse rather than the other details in the picture such as the grass, mane, tail and saddle

An image of an iPhone screen became an internet sensation recently as thousands of people deliberated over the photo, which was widely shared along with the question: 'How many threes can you see in this picture?'

Social networkers came up with the most common answers of either 15, 19 or 21. But which answer is correct?

There are in fact 19 number threes pictured in the image, but there could be 21 depending on how you interpret the question.

Can you count how many threes are on the iPhone screen? If you see 15, 19 or 21 number threes, you have arrived at the same conclusion as the majority of social networkers... but what's the correct answer?

Apart from the eight threes in the phone number, there are two threes on the key pad as the number eight button has been replaced.

At 3.33pm, the time also contains three number threes and the battery power at 33 per cent contains another two.

That totals 15, the answer many social networkers have come to. On closer inspection, however, there are a further four hidden digits, totaling 19.

Three of the letters in the contact's name have been replaced with threes and the letter 'I' on the number four key has also been replaced.

But many online posts give the answer to be 21, with people seeming convinced that there are a further two threes in the image. The differing opinions come down to the interpretation of the question. Many users have included the bar signal and the wifi signal, both of which show three bars. But whether 19 or 21 is the correct answer is a matter of opinion

But many online posts give the answer to be 21, with people seeming convinced that there are a further two threes in the image.

The differing opinions come down to the interpretation of the question. The images has been widely shared on Facebook and Twitter with the message. 'How many threes do you see in this picture?'

Many users have included the network bar and WiFi signal, both of which show three bars. But whether 19 or 21 is the correct answer is a matter of opinion.

The puzzle, which has been widely shared on Facebook and Twitter after resurfacing again online, has instigated heated debate - with many left flummoxed at how others arrive at a different answer.

Twitter user Dani posted: 'This thing annoyed the hell out of me when someone said 21. I was like no there's 18 until I looked again properly haha.'

How many threes can you see? Apart from the eight threes in the phone number, there are two threes on the key pad as the number eight button has been replaced. At 3.33pm, the time also contains three number threes and the battery power at 33 per cent contains another two. Three of the letters in the contact's name have been replaced with threes and the letter 'I' on the number four key has also been replaced

Facebook Ravi Vidyadhar Pathak came to a grander total and said: '28 if it's saying to count everything that resembles to 3 including the network signal which is 3 dots the page info on left which is 3 the buttons having 3 letters ABC.'

Another philosophical Facebook user Marc Joseph posted: 'I see only 2....and technically am correct cause you never asked how many 3's are there in the pic.'

Athene Whitfield finally concluded the answer was 19 but had made so many previous guesses she posted: 'I got to that in the end but thought - I can't send an answer through again!!? Was getting embarrassed!'

One user by the name of Sarah was so involved in the problem she posted a mock-up of the screen with the potential answers highlighted in purple.

When a friend posted 'Not sure where you get 20 from' she posted: 'Now I'm not sure.'

It followed an optical illusion poster featuring tigers and asking viewers to guess how many animals it featured.

On close inspection the picture has the big cats hiding in the bushes, bark and even the sky.

The image, which appears to have been produced as a poster, has two adults tigers and their two cubs in the foreground.

After that it becomes trickier to track down the felines in the picture but there are 12 other tiger faces hidden.

The image appears to have been used as a poster but has resurfaced on the internet

The puzzle has the big cats hidden in foliage, trees and even the ground with all 16 very difficult to find

In the foliage to the right of the tigers, there's a fern in the shape of a tiger's face, with two hiding in the dirt beneath the tigers' feet.

In the top of the picture, there are five feline faces hidden within the branches of the trees.

While another two are seen in the wide trunk of the tree on the left of the picture and another tiger is face is seen on the left behind it and the last one is hidden in the soil below.

The poster, which features 16 in total, appears to be aimed at children, like many of the logic puzzles which have stormed the internet recently.

Another recent brain teaser appeared to be a simple children's picture with tourists at a holiday campsite and challenged them to answer a list of nine questions.

The image is thought to be from an old children's magazine, according to The Independent, but the tough questions are likely to also leave adults baffled.

A recent challenge which baffled the internet is a logic puzzle from an old children's magazine that involves studying a picture of tourists at a holiday camp site and answering a list of nine questions

A series of clues is provided by the apparently calm scene involving boys at a campsite

The black and white drawing showed three people at the campsite. One is standing by the cooking pot with a ladle, another is rifling through his backpack, and a third is taking photos.

A sign nailed to a tree states said: 'On duty. Colin, 7. Peter, 8. James, 9'. The final name is obscured, but the number 10 is visible.

CAN YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE BY ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS? 1. How many tourists are staying at this camp? 2. When did they arrive: today or a few days ago? 3. How did they get here? 4. Is there a town nearby? 5. Where does the wind blow from: north or south? 6. What time of day is it? 7. Where did Alex go? 8. Who was on duty yesterday? 9. What date is it today? *Scroll down for answers

A picnic blanket with four plates, four spoons and a watermelon is laid out on the ground and a hen is scratching in the grass nearby.

Nearby, a tent is pitched and a spider has built a cobweb between the edge of the tent and a nearby tree.

The first question asks how many people are staying at the camp.

They must also figure out whether they arrived that day or a few days earlier, how they got there and how far away the closest town is.

In addition, they are asked whether the wind is blowing from north or south and what time of day it is.

The next question is to state where someone called Alex went.

Finally, they must figure out who was on duty yesterday and what day of the week it is.

Unlike the many cartoons that have swept the web in recent months challenging users to spot figures hidden in a sea animals or Star Wars characters, this puzzle relies on deduction.

The answer to how many tourists there are is relatively easy to figure out.

As there are four spoons and plates on the blanket and four names on the duty list, the answer is quite obvious.

Hungarian cartoonist Gergely Dudas, also known as Dudolf, posted his latest puzzle a few days ago to celebrate Easter, challenging fans to find an egg cleverly disguised alongside a group of bunnies

The egg is cunningly disguised between a pair of white rabbit ears in the second row on the left hand side

The cobweb gives a clue to when the group arrived as it must have been a few days earlier to give the spider time to build it.

An oar leaning up against the tree is the key to figuring out how they got there - by boat.

The hen indicates that the nearest town is not far away as it's managed to wander into the campsite.

A flag on the tent, known as a windsock, shows that the wind is blowing from the south, but to figure this out you need to be aware that branches on the southern side of trees in the UK get more sun and grow more densely.

ANSWERS TO THE CAMP RIDDLE 1. There are four tourists four spoons on the picnic blanket and four names on the duty list. 2. They arrived a few days ago A spider's web has appeared between their tent and a tree in that time. 3. They got there by boat Note the oars by the tree. 4. No, a village is not far ..because there's a chicken wandering around. 5. The wind is blowing from the south A flag that shows the wind direction is on top of the tent. (To tell which direction is which, look at the branches - they're normally bigger on the southern side of trees - if you're in the Northern Hemisphere.) 6. Its morning Take the answer from question five to figure out east and west then work out the time based on the shadows. 7. Alex is catching butterflies His net is behind the tent. 8. Colin was on duty yesterday Colin is rummaging through his backpack (marked with a 'c'); Alex is catching butterflies; James is taking photos as his tripod can be seen sticking out of his bag. This leaves Peter - then, according to the list, that means Colin was on duty yesterday. 9. Today is August 8th... According to the list, Peter is on duty, and there is a watermelon - which ripen in August - on the ground.

To figure out the time, you need to use the previous answer which tells you south from north to figure out where is east and west and deduce the time based on shadows.

The answer is that it's morning because the boy by the cook pot's shadow extends to the west.

Because we're asked where Alex went, we can assume he's not visible in the picture. However a butterfly net can be seen behind the tent. So the answer is that he's gone to catch butterflies.

To figure out who was on duty yesterday first consider that Colin, Peter, James and Alex are staying at the camp.

Gergley's original spot the panda puzzle left the internet baffled at Christmas 2015

The original Where's Wally-style snowmen picture was liked by 42,000 people and shared 100,000 times within days, with many struggling to find the panda at all

Dudolf followed up the panda puzzle days later with another picture posted online, this time of a cat hidden among dozens of brightly coloured owls

He planted a few red herrings in the owl picture like a colourful bow tie and festive hats, but the owl's facial features make it particularly difficult to spot the cat

We know that Alex is catching butterflies and the person taking photos must be James, as there's a tripod sticking out of the bag marked J.

The person looking through the backpack is Colin as it's marked with a C.

That means Peter must be the one standing by the cooking pot. If Peter is on duty today, then according to the list on the tree Colin was on duty yesterday.

Figuring out the day of the month isn't too tricky as according to the duty list it's the 8th of the month.

But establishing what month it is may prove rather more difficult. The solution lies in the watermelon on the picnic blanket.

The answer is August 8, but you would have to be aware that it's the month in which watermelons ripen to find the correct answer.

Its long list of questions makes the puzzle even more baffling than a challenge by Gergely Dudas who first drove the internet mad trying to find a panda among a group of snowmen, and a cat blended into rows of owls.

The Hungarian cartoonist posted his latest puzzle a few days ago to celebrate Easter, challenging fans to find an egg cleverly disguised alongside a group of bunnies.

The panda craze was followed up by Reddit contributor, with the username Oneste, who created a mind-boggling puzzle in which he hid a panda amongst rows and rows of Stormtroopers - and TIE fighter pilots
A few didn't include computer technology in the pictures at all, but spotlighted it more indirectly by showing its impact on society

Others juxtaposed cell phones and tablets with unexpected backdrops, like forests and churches

Some showed a dependence on technology and the impulse to document everything

For this year's Student Focus Award, the Sony World Photography Awards asked student photographers to submit pictures about millennials

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Over half of millennials would prefer to give up their sense of smell than their computers and smartphones  but there is much more to the generation than a dependence on technology.

For Sony World Photography Awardss Student Focus Award this year, student photographers were asked to submit images that depicted what they thought it meant to be a millennial.

While plenty of top pictures in the competition featured 20-somethings engaging with technology, some focused on nature, relationships, poverty, and social interactions  and each offered a different perspective on what it means to be millennial in 2016.

Photo contest: The shortlist for Sony World Photography Awards' Student Focus Award included images depicting millennials' relationship to technology, like this picture by Matilda Fraser

He's busy: Russian student Anastasia Safronova, who took this image, said she wasn't sure what this boy was doing on his tablet in church

Contrast: Felipe Romero Beltran, from Argentina, took this picture of an Orthodox Jew on a cell phone interacting with a chicken in Jerusalem

Changes: While some images show a dependence on cell phones, others are less obviously about technology; the photographer behind the picture on the right said new clothing technology has contributed to fewer pieces in Japan being passed down generations

The shortlist of the top ten images was narrowed down by photo editors at Mother Jones and BuzzFeed, representing both the journalistic and millennial sides of the competition.

The student photographers were all given a brief on the topic of millennials to steer their imagery, including the statistic that 53 per cent of the generation would prefer giving up their ability to smell over their technology.

The competition saw a record number of entries from students spanning five continents and attending 400 schools worldwide.

Several of the images show the way modern technology has infiltrated everything millennials do, and how there is a constant impulse to document everything .

'The impulse to record ones presence in a place becomes more pressing than looking into it,' explained New Zealand's Matilda Fraser, who attends the Elam School of Fine Arts at University of Auckland.

Immersed: Adam Zadlo, from Poland, said millennials are 'the generation with technology in their hands'

Quick decisions: Australian Joshua Thomas explained that this image was taken on a 'Flash Day event at a local tattoo parlor, 'in which a selection of pre-made designs were sold and tattooed that day to the public'

Deep: 'The construction of identity remains the main future challenge for young people from the millennial generation, in the midst of an ever insufficient education system' said Mexican photographer Daisy Reza

Perspectives: Sofia Jern said, 'These clothes that we throw away get shipped into Africa and are sold for cents' (left); Lei Cheong said, 'Millennials when injured are cured by medical and/or artificial technology' (right)

Her photo shows the view from a car of Castle Hill in Canterbury High Country, New Zealand. The hands of a young woman who is enjoying the scenery through the window can be seen as she takes a photo on her phone.

Julie Hrncirova, a French student at Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Photographie, also captured the way millennials like to capture every moment. Her subject, a young man, is seen taking a selfie with his phone in a wooded area. He has used a leafy branch to hold up his cell phone case for a better image.

'Nowadays, we dont look around ourselves enough, not even at each other. We are almost unable to have a conversation without looking at our smartphones and laptops,' she said. We are absorbed by this virtual world, which makes us more isolated. Because of that, we are progressively moving away from the reality; but also from our roots and from nature more than ever.'

An image by Adam Zadlo, from Poland, also features technology in the middle of nature. His subject is looking at the glowing screen of a tablet while standing in the middle of a forest, paying little attention to the sheep milling about.

All for show: 'Many claim that millennials have a forever expanding circle of friends and contacts. What is less heard is how lonely this world can be when these people exist behind a screen,' said Hattie Collins

Ideas: 'The world today seems to be one of puzzle parts: Some can be real, some might be only in our imagination. Virtual and real worlds collide today. Finding the truth of self can be the adventure of our time,' explained Francu Catalina of this picture

Blocking the view: Jasmine Farling also reflected on technology in daily life

'Raised on The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Longing for a fairy tale. The generation with technology in their hands,' he explained.

Another youngster, a teenager, is also so absorbed in his tablet that he is oblivious to what is happening around him. In a picture by Anastasia Safronova, from Russia, the boy is staring at the handheld computer in church as a service goes on.

'Recently, I met a boy in a church. He stared at a digital tablet. Maybe he read a prayer. Maybe he was in the social networks. Maybe However the light emitted from the digital tablet gives me a hope for the best,' Anastasia said.

However, not every photo spotlights a millennial made a slave to technology. An image by Finnish student Anna Tervahartiala shows two lifelong friends hugging, with no phones or computers in sight.

'Even though technology has changed the way people interact and are among each other, it has not changed what it feels like to lean towards a friend and feel the warmth of the human body,' Anna said.

Passed-down problems: Igor Ilic explained that millennials 'are reflection of the generation before them

Thoughts: The image on the left depicts a 'social smile'; the right, by Nolita Sinayhakh, is called 'What is Beauty'

Global society: Chinese photographer Qiong Yao said millennials in China have not only grown up whit technology, but also'all the material pleasures available,'

Photographer Dan Saracut noted: 'The passage into the new millennium can often impose a problem to the creation of art. Thus, the ideal side of a visual content tends to be replaced by the aesthetics, removing background. The artist is put into the edge of the universe in the form of a distorted simple human in a world of lost because of the inspirational impasse.'

A few of the photos seem to have little to do with technology at all. A self-portrait by Japanese student Yui Takahashi sees the photographer in a closet that once belonged to her mother, who died four years ago. She is wearing her mom's clothes, but laments that the old Japanese practice of passing down clothes each generation is fading away.

'Japan has a culture of wearing kimonos, which are a type of sustainable clothing. They are made with the intention of being passed down through generations, and are even constructed with extra fabric inside to mend them when they get damaged,' she said.

'As Japan made the transition to wearing more Western clothing, the tradition of handing down clothes to future generations became less prevalent.'
Dementia sufferer Margaret 'Nellie' Smart, 93 (above), was allegedly drugged and denied food and fluid for almost two weeks leading up to her death

The elderly and dementia sufferers are being failed by the NHS at the end of their lives, the health watchdog has warned.

They are being 'left out in the cold' and 'marginalised' by staff reserving the best care for cancer patients.

Some hospices are even refusing to look after dementia patients in their final days if they are not 'able to co-operate', in case they are too difficult to care for.

A major review by the Care Quality Commission found that thousands of patients dying from illnesses other than cancer are being denied proper end-of-life care.

The first audit of its kind  which examined NHS hospitals, hospices and GP surgeries  also uncovered how:

One in four patients with illnesses other than cancer had not spoken to GPs about the fact they were dying;

Doctors are leaving relatives to 'work out' loved ones are dying;

Four in ten hospitals are only rated as 'inadequate' or 'requires improvement' for end of life care;

One in four health trusts do not offer proper end-of-life training.

Only six weeks ago, a Royal College of Physicians report exposed how hospitals were neglecting the terminally ill and denying them food, fluid and pain relief.

The CQC has now found that staff often fail to recognise that patients with dementia, chronic heart disease or lung conditions are terminally ill. It means they are denied proper end-of-life care offered to cancer patients including pain relief, comfort or even the choice of dying at home.

Recent concerns over the treatment of dying patients centred on the Liverpool Care Pathway, a procedure under which food, fluid and medication is withdrawn from patients in their final hours  supposedly to reduce suffering.

It was abolished in 2014 after a review following a Daily Mail campaign. NHS staff have since been issued with new guidelines.

But experts say hospitals are still failing to prioritise end-of-life care. In one case, dementia sufferer Margaret 'Nellie' Smart, 93, was allegedly drugged and denied food and fluid for almost two weeks leading up to her death. Her family believe she was secretly placed on the Pathway at Warrington General Hospital in Cheshire in October 2014  after it had been abolished.

It emerged as a major review by the Care Quality Commission found that thousands of patients dying from illnesses other than cancer are being denied proper end-of-life care (file picture, posed by models)

She was admitted after doctors suspected a stroke before diagnosing her with pneumonia. One of her daughters Mary Carver said: 'We didn't need somebody to kill her for us. At the very least, she was heavily neglected.'

HOW HOSPITALS NEGLECT THOSE WHO DIE AT NIGHT Hospitals are failing to provide adequate care for dying patients out-of-hours, experts have claimed. Staff have been warned against 'walking away from dying patients at night' and 'making excuses'. The Royal College of Physicians recently found that only one in ten hospitals employ specialist end-of-life doctors and nurses round the clock. And now a letter from charities and professional groups including the RCP, Marie Curie and the Association of Palliative Medicine has stated: 'There are nowhere near enough palliative care doctors and nurses to provide a 24/7 service across the UK. We only have one palliative care consultant and five palliative care nurses per 1,000 beds.' Professor Sam Ahmedzai, an end-of-life care specialist who signed the letter, said: 'I'm really concerned about the services which don't have this available 24/7 or even seven days a week. I hear excuses but we cannot walk away from our dying patients at night.'

Mrs Carver, who lived with Mrs Smart in Antrobus, near Northwich, lodged a complaint against Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It denied putting her mother on the Pathway and insisted she received expert care.

On the report, Professor Steve Field, chief inspector of general practice at the CQC, said: 'Family members that we spoke to told us they felt marginalised because their loved ones did not have the same level of access to services, or felt like they were treated differently to other people receiving end-of-life care.'

Simon Chapman, director of policy and external affairs for the National Council for Palliative Care, said: 'This report makes clear that NHS leaders are too often neglecting the needs of dying people.'

The CQC examined end-of-life services from a sample of 44 Clinical Commissioning Groups' health boards, out of 211 in England.

It found that 24 per cent did not offer training on how to look after terminally ill patients with illnesses other than cancer.

In a poll, one carer said that patients dying from the other illnesses 'seem left out in the cold'.

The review also found that other vulnerable groups including ethnic minorities and gay people were more likely to suffer worse care.
Fresh talks aiming to end the dispute between junior doctors and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt over a new contract will begin today

Fresh talks aiming to end the dispute between junior doctors and the Government over a new contract will begin today.

The British Medical Association (BMA) and the Department of Health will try to resolve sticking points in the new deal, including Saturday pay and unsocial hours.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt agreed to pause the introduction of the new contract - due to come into force in August - for five days so the talks could go ahead.

And the BMA has suspended its threat of industrial action while the negotiations last - following five rounds of strikes which saw junior doctors in England walk out of hospitals.

Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said he hoped 'real progress can now be made to ending this dispute'.

But he said that any contract - whether agreed or not - should be put to a referendum of junior doctors.

This latest round of talks will be mediated by conciliation service Acas.

Hospital boss Sir David Dalton will lead the Government's negotiations - someone from whom Dr Malawana has previously welcomed involvement.

In a statement released yesterday, the DoH said: 'We look forward to the talks starting tomorrow, which will be held under the auspices of Acas - and the Secretary of State will suspend the introduction of the new contract for a five-day period to facilitate this.

'We are very pleased that Sir David Dalton, a highly respected independent NHS leader, will be returning to lead the Government's negotiating team on the small number of outstanding issues that separated both parties in February.'

Dr Malawana wrote on Twitter that he would 'welcome' working with Sir David again and would 'try and find a solution for junior doctors'.

He added: 'Will be tough week but juniors want talks.'

An Acas spokesman said: 'After consultations with both parties in recent days, both the BMA and Government representatives accepted an invitation from the chair of Acas, Sir Brendan Barber, to take part in five days of intensive talks to seek to resolve outstanding differences in the current junior doctors' dispute.'

EXTENDING SERVICES AT WEEKENDS 'WON'T SAVE LIVES', STUDY FINDS The dispute between Jeremy Hunt and junior doctors began when the Government took steps to introduce its manifesto commitment of a seven-day NHS. Mr Hunt has repeatedly asserted that understaffing at hospitals during the weekend is causing 11,000 excess deaths every year - and a key factor in why the Government claims a new contract is necessary. However, two studies have disputed the so-called 'weekend effect' exists. A University of Oxford study said research showing higher mortality rates is down to differences in the way deaths are recorded - or 'coded'. The lead author, Professor Peter Rothwell, said that if these differences were stripped out, the weekend effect disappeared completely. The findings echo a University of Manchester paper which suggests hospital death rates are only higher at weekends because the most sick patients are admitted. Some patients may be admitted unnecessarily during the week, heaping pressure on already over-stretched services, researchers said. Professor Matt Sutton, who led the research looking at deaths in hospital within 30 days of admission, told MailOnline there was no issue with weekend care. He said the Government policy of extending services at weekends is 'not going to save lives' and that the real issue was caused by daily admission rates. 'If you seek emergency care at A&E on a weekend, there is no change in the risk to your mortality,' he told MailOnline. 'This policy of extending services at weekends will lead to more people being admitted - and that will increase pressure on the NHS - but it is unlikely to save lives. 'Everybody has assumed that once you have been admitted, you get poorer quality care at the weekend (leading to a higher death rate). 'I think our study shows it's unlikely to be that, what is important is what your chances of being admitted are. 'We don't really know what the right level of admission is. That is the question we are really raising.'

Both parties agreed to return to the negotiating table last week, but Mr Hunt demanded a 'written agreement' from the BMA's junior doctors committee that discussions over the contentious issue of unsocial hours and Saturday pay would be held in 'good faith'.

Dr Malawana said: 'The BMA has agreed to re-enter talks with the Government on outstanding issues in this dispute, which include, but are not limited to, unsocial hours.

'Junior doctors' concerns extend far beyond pay, and our principle in talks will be to deliver a fair contract that does not discriminate against women or any other group, one which addresses the recruitment and retention crisis in the NHS and which provides the basis for delivering a world-class health service.

'The BMA will also call for any contract offer - agreed or not - to be put to a referendum of junior doctors, as is usual following a contract negotiation.

'We hope that with both parties back around the negotiating table, real progress can now be made to ending this dispute through talks.'

A Department of Health spokesperson said: 'We welcome the BMA's decision to return to talks, and have always been clear that we want to see a negotiated solution to this dispute that delivers the seven-day NHS we promised the British people in last year's election.

'From Monday we will be looking for resolution on the small number of outstanding issues that separated both parties in February, principally Saturday pay, but also other issues that affect the motivation, recruitment and retention of junior doctors.'

The agreement to resume talks follows a wave of industrial action launched by junior doctors in recent months.

It saw thousands of operations cancelled after negotiations reached an impasse, with Mr Hunt threatening to impose the controversial contract.

The resumption of negotiations has been brokered by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, leading doctors who campaign on medical standards and education, in an effort to end the dispute.

Mr Hunt has insisted that discussions should not concern 90 per cent of the issues already agreed but should focus instead on outstanding contractual issues.

Junior doctors stopped providing emergency care for the first time in NHS history during their most recent walkout, which went on for two days last week.

More than 125,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and will need to be rearranged, on top of almost 25,000 procedures cancelled during previous action.

Last week the Government agreed to pause the introduction of the new contract for five days if the British Medical Association agreed to return to negotiations

The dispute began when the Government took steps to introduce its manifesto commitment of a seven-day NHS.

Mr Hunt wants to change what constitutes 'unsocial' hours for which junior doctors can claim extra pay, turning 7am to 5pm on Saturday into a normal working day.

Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors.

Despite the Government offsetting this change with a hike in basic pay of 13.5 per cent, it has proved to be a sticking point with the BMA.
Higher death rates at the weekend have been central to Jeremy Hunt's argument for a contract reform. But a new study suggests the argument is based on 'flawed data'

A second study in less than a week has claimed that the so-called 'weekend effect' on death rates in hospital is based on flawed data.

The theory is that patients admitted at weekends are more likely to die than those brought in during the week.

The so-called 'weekend effect' has been one of the key arguments the Government has used to justify its push for a seven-day NHS - and a new contract for junior doctors.

However, research by Oxford University found that the discrepancies in death rates is down to differences in the way deaths are recorded - or 'coded'.

The lead author, Professor Peter Rothwell, said that when these inaccuracies are stripped out, the weekend effect disappears completely.

This is the second study in a week to dispute the claim that mortality rates are higher on weekends - after a University of Manchester study found rates are higher at weekends only because the most sick patients are admitted.

Professor Rothwell's new research claims the weekend effect is an illusion.

He explained that studies concluding there is a 'weekend effect' have used hospital administrative data.

But this information - which records what a patient is suffering with and their treatment after they are admitted to hospital - is extracted from medical records at a later date by non-clinical clerical staff.

This data is accurate for some things - such as surgical procedures or specific chronic diseases like motor neuron disease, he said.

But the information is much less reliable for acute conditions such as stroke, infections and other heart problems.

His analysis found on weekdays, pre-planned admissions for stroke rehabilitation - which is not likely to result in death - were misrecorded as an 'acute stroke' - which has a much higher risk of mortality.

In the paper, he wrote: 'These low risk admissions dont usually happen at the weekend and so the outcome for weekend admissions looked worse  but it was an illusion created by poor quality data.

'If data quality did differ between weekday vs. weekend admissions then that could completely skew any analysis of "weekend effects" for a whole range of acute conditions.

'If you were going to re-organise a health service on the basis of the results, you really would want to do at least that single basic data check, but nobody has.'

Mr Hunt has repeatedly asserted that understaffing at hospitals during the weekend is causing 11,000 excess deaths every year - and a key factor in why the Government claims a new contract is necessary.

This claim had already been widely refuted by medical professionals and this latest study is likely reignite claims the Government got it wrong.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Professor Rothwell said: 'What you'd really need to do to study this - the basic due diligence - would be to make sure that there isn't a difference in the coding of data between the weekend and weekday admissions, but nobody had done that.

'It turns out there are quite big differences between the accuracy of diagnostic coding for weekend admissions versus weekday admissions.

Medical professionals have gone on a series of strikes against the new contract which is set to be imposed in summer. A University of Oxford suggests death rates at weekends are only worse due to the way data is recorded - when these differences are stripped out the so-called 'weekend effect' disappears completely

He continued: 'There are several biases but the main one is that there are a lot of admissions during the week for routine care - for pre-planned rehabilitation after stroke, for example.

'Or, investigations which are miscoded subsequently as being acute strokes - and of course those patients have a low mortality during the week and so that gives you the illusion of a higher mortality during the weekend.

'From a clinical point of view we just don't see a problem for emergency admissions at the weekend and the data don't support there being a problem.'

The study comes as fresh talks aiming to end the dispute between junior doctors and the Government over a new contract will begin today.

From a clinical point of view we just don't see a problem for emergency admissions at the weekend and the data don't support there being a problem Professor Peter Rothwell, University of Oxford

The British Medical Association (BMA) and the Department of Health will try to resolve sticking points in the new deal, including Saturday pay and unsocial hours.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt agreed to pause the introduction of the new contract - due to come into force in August - for five days so the talks could go ahead.

And the BMA has suspended its threat of industrial action while the negotiations last - following five rounds of strikes which saw junior doctors in England walk out of hospitals.

The findings of the new study echo similar research published last week by the University of Manchester.

Researchers found hospital death rates were higher at weekends - but only because the most sick patients are admitted, a study claims.

Although similar numbers of patients attended A&E each day at weekends and weekdays, hospitals admitted 7 per cent fewer patients at the weekend.

The research suggests that some patients may be admitted unnecessarily during the week, heaping pressure on already over-stretched services.

The so-called 'weekend effect' has been one of the key arguments the Government has used to justify its push for a seven-day NHS - and a new contract for junior doctors. This latest study is likely reignite claims the Government got it wrong

At the weekend, only the sickest patients are admitted and more likely to die regardless of the quality of care they receive, the study found.

Professor Matt Sutton, who led the research looking at deaths in hospital within 30 days of admission, told MailOnline there was no issue with weekend care.

He said the Government policy of extending services at weekends is 'not going to save lives' and that the real issue was caused by daily admission rates.

'If you seek emergency care at A&E on a weekend, there is no change in the risk to your mortality,' he told MailOnline.

'This policy of extending services at weekends will lead to more people being admitted - and that will increase pressure on the NHS - but it is unlikely to save lives.

The study comes as fresh talks aiming to end the dispute between junior doctors and the Government over a new contract will begin today. Jeremy Hunt agreed to pause the introduction of the new contract for five days so the talks could go ahead and the BMA will lift the threat of industrial action

'Everybody has assumed that once you have been admitted, you get poorer quality care at the weekend (leading to a higher death rate).

'I think our study shows it's unlikely to be that, what is important is what your chances of being admitted are.

'We don't really know what the right level of admission is. That is the question we are really raising.'

Hospitals apply a higher severity threshold when choosing which patients to admit to hospital at weekends, he said.

Patients with non-serious illnesses are not admitted, so those who are admitted at the weekend are on average sicker than during the week and more likely to die regardless of the quality of care they receive, the study found.

Comparing the two leads to 'skewed' results, the researchers said.




A woman whose weight plummeted from 20 stone to just 6 stone in a year claims doctors misdiagnosed her Crohn's disease as anorexia.

Kirsty Watson, 20, lost 10 stone in three months after suffering from agonising stomach cramps, fatigue and being violently sick up to ten times a day.

Despite having a family history of Crohn's disease, she was astonished when doctors referred her to an eating disorder clinic.

Miss Watson, from St Helens, Merseyside, claims they suggested she had anorexia and was deliberately losing weight before she was eventually diagnosed with the inflammatory digestive condition.

Kirsty Watson lost 10 stone in three months leading doctors to send her to an eating disorder clinic despite her suffering the classic symptoms of Crohn's and having a history of the disease in her family

'It was terrifying. Every time I tried to eat, I was sick. It got to the point where I could only eat one meal per day,' she said.

'All of my friends and family were scared. I was literally shrinking.

'In just three months, I lost half of my body weight. My bones were poking out and my skin was grey.

'But instead of exploring other options, doctors referred me to an eating disorder clinic. I felt like they didn't believe me when I said I wasn't anorexic.'

Overweight as a child, Miss Watson weighed 20 stone and was a size 22 by the age of 17.

At first, I was pleased that I was losing weight. But it soon became clear that something wasn't right. I just couldn't stop being sick Kirsty Watson, 20

After her GP advised her to lose weight, she began to eat healthily.

But in March 2014, she started to experience stomach cramps and vomiting episodes - causing her to lose half of her body weight in just three months.

'At first, I was pleased that I was losing weight. I'd always been ''the fat one'' in my group of friends,' she said.

'But it soon became clear that something wasn't right. I just couldn't stop being sick.'

Concerned about her deteriorating health, Miss Watson and her mother, shop assistant Cheryl Ratcliffe, 44, made repeated visits to a local medical centre.

Kirsty Watson weighed 19 stone in this picture with her mother Cheryl Radcliffe when she was 17

Miss Watson complained of extreme weight loss, sickness and fatigue - all common symptoms of the inflammatory digestive condition, Crohn's disease

While doctors noted a vitamin B12 deficiency - which causes fatigue - and gastritis - inflammation of the stomach lining - she was still referred to an eating disorder clinic in November 2014.

'I was furious. I felt like no-one was listening to me. I knew that I wasn't anorexic and I told the doctors about my family history of Crohn's, but my pleas fell on deaf ears.'

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF CROHN'S DISEASE? The symptoms of Crohn's disease vary, depending on which part of the digestive system is inflamed. Common symptoms include: recurring diarrhoea

abdominal pain and cramping, which is usually worse after eating

extreme tiredness (fatigue)

unintended weight loss

blood and mucus in the faeces (stools) Less common symptoms include a high temperature, nausea and vomiting, joint pain and swelling, irritation of the eyes, areas of painful and swollen skin, and mouth ulcers. Some people experience severe symptoms, but others only have mild problems. There may be long periods, lasting for weeks or months, where a sufferer has very mild or no symptoms (known as remission), followed by periods where the symptoms are particularly troublesome (known as flare-ups or relapses). Children with Crohn's disease may grow at a slower rate than expected, because the inflammation can prevent the body absorbing nutrients from food. Crohn's sometimes causes additional health problems, which may be in the gut itself or can involve other parts of the body. Complications in the gut may include strictures, perforations and fistulas Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

By December, she had lost a further 4st and at 5ft 6in weighed just 6st - taking her total weight loss to 14st in less than a year.

After being referred to the gastroenterology department at St Helens Hospital later that month, Miss Watson claims she was told by specialists that her organs had started to fail.

A colonoscopy - an examination of the large intestine - later confirmed that she did indeed have Crohn's disease.

She said: 'Finally, I could get the treatment I needed. I'd said all along that I didn't have an eating disorder, and now I had the proof.'

After being released from hospital on Christmas Eve 2014, Miss Watson began an intensive course of steroids and now weighs 8st.

She said: 'It's been a long, hard journey but I'm finally getting back on track.

'I still have to take eight tablets a day and I'm currently unable to work, but I'm feeling positive about my future.

'I'm sharing my story so other people don't have to go through this.

'Don't give up. If you know something is wrong, keep fighting until you get an answer. If I hadn't, I might not be here today.'

Miss Watson's mother said her daughter's ordeal had been 'devastating for the entire family'.

'Watching your daughter's health deteriorate like that is horrendous, and worst of all it could have been avoided if she'd been diagnosed earlier.'

Following an investigation into Miss Watson's case, NHS England (Cheshire & Merseyside) issued a report which acknowledged doctors struggled to establish a diagnosis for Miss condition.

It also confirmed that doctors did not investigate the cause of the B12 deficiency, or record her family history of Crohn's.

Miss Watson's 10st weight loss and referral to an eating disorder clinic is also documented, although the report concludes her treatment was 'reasonable and appropriate'.

Miss Watson, pictured here with her father Muchael weighing 17 stone aged 15, struggled with her weight while she was growing up. She lost half of her body weight due to Crohn's disease

Isobel Mason, IBD Nursing Development Manager at Crohn's and Colitis UK, said:

'Every 30 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis - the two main forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). This means that one in 210 people are living with these life-long and potentially life-threatening conditions.

'Weight loss is a key symptom, although it's not always as dramatic as in this situation. Other symptoms can include diarrhoea (often with blood), severe pain, extreme fatigue and depression.

'As the national charity for those affected by IBD, Crohn's and Colitis UK aim to better educate doctors and healthcare professionals to hopefully avoid misdiagnosis like in this case.'
An NHS Trust which leaked the email addresses of 781 people using a HIV service has been fined 180,000 for the blunder.

The 56 Dean Street clinic in London's Soho sent out a newsletter last year to patients on a group email, rather than to individuals.

It meant patients who had attended clinics there were able to read the names and email addresses of other patients.

A small number of people who received the newsletter did not have HIV - but had signed up to the newsletter.

The 56 Dean Street clinic (pictured behind the green car) in London's Soho sent a newsletter to about 780 patients on a group email, rather than to individuals, revealing the names of many

The clinic and others in the trust's network make up Europe's biggest sexual health service.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the clinic, has been fined 180,000.

In total 730 of the 781 email addresses contained people's full name.

At the time of the incident in September last year, a Trust spokesman said the mistake was caused by 'human error'.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt described the data breach as 'completely unacceptable'.

It is the second time the Trust has made such an error, an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found.

In March 2010, a staff member in the pharmacy department sent a questionnaire to 17 patients about their HIV treatment, and mistakenly put the addresses in the 'to' field instead of the 'bcc' field which hides addresses from other recipients.

At the time, the clinic tried to rectify its mistake by using Microsoft Outlook's recall feature - and urged anyone who had the message in their inbox to 'delete it immediately'. Today it was fined 180,000 for the 'human error'

The recall was followed by an email apology from Dr Alan McOwan, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital trust's director for sexual health

The ICO said some measures had been put in place following that incident but 'there was no specific training implemented'.

Announcing the fine today, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: 'People's use of a specialist service at a sexual health clinic is clearly sensitive personal data.

'The law demands this type of information is handled with particular care following clear rules, and put simply, this did not happen.

It is clear that this breach caused a great deal of upset to the people affected Christopher Graham, Information Commissioner's Office

'It is clear that this breach caused a great deal of upset to the people affected.

'The clinic served a small area of London, and we know that people recognised other names on the list, and feared their own name would be recognised too.

'That our investigation found this wasn't the first mistake of this type by the Trust only adds to what was a serious breach of the law.'

He added: 'The Trust was quick to apologise for their mistake, and has undertaken substantial remedial work since the breach.

'Nevertheless, it is crucial that the senior managers at NHS Trusts understand the requirements of data protection law, and the serious consequences that follow when that law is broken.'

A lawyer acting for more than 20 of the patients affected said the data breach is one of the most serious he has come across in the past two decades.

The Dean Street clinic is part of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Today, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), fined the clinic 180,000 for the blunder, adding: 'It is crucial that the senior managers at NHS Trusts understand the requirements of data protection law, and the serious consequences that follow when that law is broken'

Sean Humber said the Trust may have been able to prevent last year's incident had they taken the necessary measures following the breach in 2010.

Mr Humber, from Leigh Day, said: 'While I have acted in a succession of claims for patients relating to the unauthorised disclosure of confidential medical information over the last 20 years, this disclosure is by far the most serious, both in terms of the number of people affected and the extremely sensitive nature of the information disclosed.

'The Information Commissioner has rightly recognised that the breach has caused a great deal of upset to the people affected. This is reflected in the heavy fine.

I reiterate my apology to all those that were affected by this incident Zoe Penn, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

'What makes the incident even more unacceptable is that the Trust failed to learn the lessons from a similar smaller-scale incident, also investigated by the Information Commissioner, that occurred in 2010.

'Had the Trust taken the necessary remedial measures then it is likely that this later, more serious breach, would not have occurred.'

Shaun Griffin, executive director of external affairs at Terrence Higgins said the case illustrated the importance of safeguards but urged patients not to let it put them off being tested for HIV.

'Today's ruling reiterates that, no matter how big or small an organisation is, when dealing with sensitive patient information, it is vital that policy, procedure, training, and supervision are in place to reduce the probability of human error occurring.

'Incidences such as these are rare, and it should not put anybody off getting a test for HIV. Nearly one in six people with HIV do not realise they have it, so by not getting tested, they are putting their own health at risk and HIV could unknowingly be passed on.'

Zoe Penn, medical director of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, apologised to the patients affected.

She said: 'We fully accept the ruling of the ICO for what was a serious breach and we have worked to ensure that it can never happen again.

'I reiterate my apology to all those that were affected by this incident.'
use is falling but more

It has been linked to schizophrenia and some say it is a gateway to harder drugs.

But others argue cannabis could be used as an effective treatment for people with chronic pain conditions.

The debate over whether it should be legalised has raged for decades - and two experts now say it should be decriminalised - and the government should start producing the drug and regulating its sales itself.

Ian Hamilton, a mental health lecturer at the University of York and Dr Mark Monaghan, a lecturer in crimimology and social policy at Loughborough University, admit cannabis use is falling overall.

But people are smoking more potent strains than ever, increasing their risk of psychosis and other health problems, they said.

If the government sold marijuana itself it could control the strength of the drug - taking production out of the hands of organised criminal gangs and reducing the health risks.

Below, writing for The Conversation, they explain their view...

Ian Hamilton, a mental health lecturer at the University of York and Dr Mark Monaghan, a lecturer in criminology and social policy at Loughborough University, argue cannabis should be legalised and the government should start producing and selling it - so they could control its strength and minimise health risks

A number of countries have decriminalised cannabis for personal use.

None of them have descended into anarchy, so whats preventing the UK government from following suit?

The Conservative government claims to be in favour of evidence-based policies  in rhetoric, at least.

Yet, successive UK governments have signed up to the United Nations international drug convention, a convention based on prohibition and the 'war on drugs', neither of which have any evidence of working.

But does signing up to UN drug conventions matter when agreements can be sidestepped by individual states?

Portugals decision to decriminalise all psychoactive substances in 2001 being a case in point.

And Portugal is not alone. It is now 25 years since the Czech Republic effectively decriminalised the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use.

And in 1994, Switzerland introduced heroin-assisted treatment, a form of state-sanctioned heroin supply for certain users.

But it is with cannabis that the most significant developments have occurred.

Cannabis use has fallen in recent decades - but projections show it would take a further five decades before the government's aim of eliminating the drug is achieved. Graph shows the percentage of people who reported they used marijuana in the past year (vertical axis) against the year (horizontal axis)

In late 2013, Uruguay took the decision to legalise the recreational use of cannabis (as opposed to 'decriminalise' where possession can lead to a fine, but not a criminal record).

It was the first country to do so since the global drug prohibition framework was established by the United Nations in 1961.

Uruguay demonstrates that policy alternatives are possible without any international enforcement.

Several US states have followed Uruguay, extending liberalisation to recreational as well as medical cannabis users.

But the UK remains steadfast in its resolve, maintaining that current policy is working.

FALSE LOGIC

The UK is looking increasingly out of step with many other countries when it comes to its approach to drugs in general and cannabis in particular.

In the aftermath of changes in the US, polling suggests increasing numbers of UK citizens are also in favour of a change in the law.

The Home Office acknowledges that there is no 'obvious relationship between the toughness of a countrys enforcement against drug possession, and levels of drug use in that country'.

An increasing number of young people are accessing drug treatment services as a result of using potent strains of cannabis, the researchers said (file photo)

Convictions relating to cannabis use have reduced by 46 per cent over the last five years.

This could suggest that cannabis has been quietly and partially decriminalised.

Yet the government maintains its outdated and dogmatic tough approach to drugs when making public statements about cannabis.

The government claims that prohibition works because cannabis use has declined in the UK in recent years.

This decline in use may account for some of the fall in cannabis conviction rates.

But if we follow the governments false logic in relation to prohibition and simply wait for cannabis use to fall further, assuming it does (a very big assumption), then it would take a further five decades before their aim of eliminating cannabis use is achieved.

But such simplistic interpretation of the data is clearly wrong.

Although cannabis use has fallen it ignores what is happening with certain sub-groups of cannabis users.

Convictions relating to cannabis use have reduced by 46 per cent over the last five years - suggesting the drug has been quietly and partially decriminalised, Mr Hamilton and Dr Monaghan claim (file photo)

For example, an increasing number of young people are accessing drug treatment services as a result of using potent strains of cannabis.

Individual and covert commercial growers have used advances in seed technology and access to hydroponic growing equipment to cultivate more potent varieties of cannabis.

There is little doubt that stronger strains of cannabis elevate the risk of developing a range of health problems such as psychosis.

Increasing potency is a compelling reason to change the current legal position, not one that endorses it.

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

Although the drugs debate is commonly framed as a debate of two extremes  legalise or criminalise  there are actually many options.

For example, Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center suggests an incremental approach to regulation.

This proposal could inform a new policy which has the potential to enhance the population's health.

Introducing state regulation would provide users with cannabis that has been tested for potency and supplied without the risk of harmful additives.

Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center suggests an incremental approach to regulation. The extreme options - from prohibition to legalisation - are shown in black. Other 'middle ground' policy options including allowing adults to grow their own or the government controlling supply are showin in light and darker grey

It would also generate revenue, adding to our collective wealth.

Evidence supporting such a change is accumulating across the world thanks to those jurisdictions that have moved beyond an ideological commitment to the drug war.

The governments duty is to protect the people it serves.

With cannabis it fails to meet this obligation in two ways.

First, it outsources the production and supply of a widely used product to organised crime, meaning that there is no quality control or regulated standards of production.

This leaves people who use cannabis conducting daily experiments with their health.

Second, by publicly endorsing prohibition yet quietly allowing its agencies to do the opposite, it lacks credibility.
Shows gateway to alcohol abuse is 'more varied than previously thought'

Deprived backgrounds made people more likely to drink above guidelines

Female students found to be more likely to drink heavily after university

Study looked at the drinking habits of 30,000 people across Britain

Teenage smokers are more likely to drink heavily, a study has found

Young people - particularly women - are more likely to drink heavily if they went to university or became a smoker in their teenage years, new research has revealed.

The study looked at how smoking while young and further education affected alcohol consumption.

It found the gateway to alcohol abuse was more varied than previously believed.

Researchers found those from a more deprived background were more likely to smoke and less likely to enter higher education.

Teenage smokers were also more likely to drink weekly at that age and more heavily in early adulthood.

But those who went to college or university were also more likely to drink heavily in early adulthood, researchers from the University of Glasgow found.

More independence - being free from parental control - combined with being other young people - could be to blame, the researchers suggest.

'What this study shows are the different pathways - smoking and higher education - into heavy drinking, depending on young people's socioeconomic backgrounds, said Dr Michael Green.

'These opposing pathways might help explain why previous research on inequalities in young people's drinking has had inconsistent results.

'It appears heavy drinking in early adulthood is more likely for both adolescent smokers and those who go to university or college.

'That would suggest the pathways to heavy drinking are more varied and opposing than had been previously thought.'

The study of about 30,000 people examined the link between socio-economic background and alcohol consumption.

Heavy drinking was measured as more than 14 units a week for women or 21 for men.

Students - particularly females - were found to be heavy drinkers, a study of 30,000 people has revealed

This is the equivalent of about a bottle-and-a-half of wine or seven pints of beer respectively.

Dr Green said drinking alcohol could be a response to the transition of going to university and how much students see their peers drinking could affect what they perceived as 'normal'.

Researchers believe the study may have implications for how drinking concerns are targeted and tackled in young people.

Dr Green said: 'Currently interventions focused only on heavy drinking in universities/colleges are targeting a more advantaged population and may neglect more disadvantaged drinkers.

'There may be common causes affecting disadvantaged young people that lead to both smoking and heavy drinking. If we can identify and understand these it may be easier to intervene to prevent both.'
Can you imagine an incurable disease that makes even everyday tasks, such as standing or sitting, agony? That seems to strike at random and, without warning, causing boils that can swell from the size of a pea to the size of a grapefruit overnight?

A disease that, once it takes hold, spreads under the skin until entire areas of the body are covered with abscesses and scars?

It might sound like some medieval affliction, but hidradenitis suppurativa, or HS, affects an estimated 1 to 2 per cent of the population - that's as many as 1.3 million people, with three times as many women affected as men.

Lorraine McPhail, 34, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, says she is trying to lose weight, but HS makes it difficult. 'If I exercise, I sweat more, and the more I sweat, the more chance I stand of developing more boils'

Yet despite it being almost as common as psoriasis, HS is a condition few know about. As Dr Anton Alexandroff, of the British Association of Dermatologists, says: 'That's partly because people don't seek help for it, because though it's painful, they find it embarrassing.'

Their embarrassment is understandable: HS is characterised by recurrent boils in areas where the skin naturally folds, such as under the breast, around the groin, in the armpit and in the back passage.

'Because it is under-recognised by patients and doctors, there are very few studies into HS,' says Dr Alexandroff.

'As a result, there is not a huge amount of understanding about what causes it and how to treat it.

'We do know, however, there is no link between the disease and poor hygiene, or excess sweating.'

In fact, HS is thought to be an auto-immune disease, where the immune system is more switched on than usual, causing the body to over-react to normal skin bacteria and send large numbers of white blood cells to the area, forming pus and a boil.

The pus can form a channel under the skin (known as a sinus tract), which can subsequently lead to the inflammation spreading, creating another boil.

She found that long-term antibiotics helped initially, but they stopped being effective after a couple of years

Because HS can run in families it indicates there may be a genetic cause. It is most commonly diagnosed in people aged between 20 and 40.

'This may be because there is a hormonal aspect to the disease as some women find symptoms get worse around their period and ease after the menopause,' says Dr Alexandroff.

The condition is linked to lifestyle factors, such as being overweight and smoking.

'I'd estimate 90 per cent of HS patients were smokers when they started displaying symptoms of the disease,' says Dr Alexandroff.

Unfortunately, when patients do seek help they're often misdiagnosed with acne, an ingrown hair or some other infection - the difference is that HS patients often have scarring from previous episodes and a history of boils.

In milder cases, patients may have a flare-up with one or two boils that will then settle for a few months, before they suffer from another episode.

'But in the most severe cases, as a group of boils subsides, another group arises straight away - some patients just don't heal at all,' says Dr Alexandroff.

She tried drug therapy with medication used to treat TB and another antibiotic, but it made her feel awful

And unfortunately, as with conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, there is no cure.

'Patients will go through times of apparent remission and flare-ups, but the majority can find treatments that adequately keep their condition under control.'

These include long-term courses of antibiotics - oral and topical - for anything from three months to six months, maybe even longer.

'In the case of HS, we don't think antibiotics work through their effect on bacteria, but through their anti-inflammatory effect, which dampens down the over- reaction of white cells.'

Losing weight and stopping smoking can improve the condition.

Isotretinoin (brand name Roaccutane), the drug often prescribed for acne, can be used to help prevent the skin from over-reacting, though concerns have been raised about serious side-effects.

And in women where HS seems to coincide with the monthly cycle, the Pill may help.

These treatments are usually used in conjunction with antiseptic washes, applied all over the face and body - specifically in the affected areas - to reduce the build-up of bacteria and lessen the chance of an auto-immune reaction. In more severe cases, the patient may be prescribed immuno- suppressive medicines, such as steroids, as tablets or injections.

Some may be given injections of drugs, such as infliximab, more commonly used to treat Crohn's disease and arthritis.

In very severe cases, doctors may recommend surgery to remove the affected skin.

Compared to how it has been in the past, it's a lot better, but it makes me self-conscious. Even when I don't have any active abscesses, I have terrible scars

The boils can be associated with blocked sweat glands, and surgery to remove these may also be considered.

Less drastically, if blocked hair follicles are thought to be to blame, killing these with laser hair removal can be an effective treatment, says Dr Alexandroff.

But the physical side of the disease is just one part of it.

'There's a huge emotional aspect,' he says.

'It's closely associated with anxiety and depression and it can affect intimate relationships and every aspect of social communication.

'Not only is it embarrassing, but it's also excruciatingly painful: imagine ulcers that mean you can't walk, sit or move without pain.

'Psoriasis or eczema may be unsightly, but they don't tend to cause constant pain like HS.'

This is something that Julie Bullock, 35, from Runcorn, Cheshire, is all too aware of. She was 16 when a pea-shaped lump appeared on her groin. Her GP said it was just a spot, but overnight it grew ten times larger and by that afternoon had doubled in size again.

'It was agony,' says Julie. Eventually she went to A&E to have it lanced. Over the following years, she would have three or four flare-ups a year, with her groin, armpits, breasts, stomach and bottom affected.

However, it wasn't until she was 24 that HS was diagnosed.

'Sometimes I'd wake up and there would be something the size of an egg. Other times, they would grow gradually over weeks,' says Julie.

She manages her condition with padded dressings so clothes don't rub and a repeat prescription for an antiseptic lotion, Dermol 500

'You can almost feel your skin being stretched and torn apart. And if the bumps burst internally it feels like a chemical burn under your skin.'

'I've had gallstones and they're not as painful as an HS flare-up. I take morphine and tramadol [another strong painkiller] when it's really bad, but I don't want to rely on them.

'It's a very isolating disease. If you can't go out because you can't move without pain, your social life goes, then your job goes and you're left wondering what to do with your life.'

'Over the years I've lost three jobs as a result of the disease.

'I can't blame the companies for letting me go: how do you run a business when every so often one of your employees rings up and says they can't come in?

'Sometimes it would be just a couple of days I was off. Other times, if I'd had an abscess cut out, leaving a large, open wound, it could be up to six weeks.

'I'm a product development chemist by trade, but I'm training to start my own business as a candle maker so I don't have to worry about taking time off.'

Julie manages her condition by bathing daily in antiseptic washes and taking antibiotics when she needs them.

'On a good day, I have restricted movement in my arms because of the pain from the abscesses, but on a bad day I just have to lie in bed and even then it's agony.'

She gave up smoking, but found it did not make a difference, and is trying to lose weight so she can have a skin graft to treat one of her armpits. However, like many sufferers, the pain makes this difficult. A size 10 in her teens, she's now a size 22.

Lorraine McPhail, 34, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, has had similar problems.

'I'm 15 st and 5 ft 3 in. I'm trying to lose weight, but HS is made worse by excessive sweating - so if I exercise, I sweat more, and the more I sweat, the more chance I stand of developing more boils.'

Lorraine, who has had the disease since she was 16, found that long-term antibiotics helped initially, but they stopped being effective after a couple of years.

'I tried a combination drug therapy with medication used to treat TB and another antibiotic, but it made me feel so awful that I had to stop.'

She manages her condition with padded dressings so clothes don't rub and a repeat prescription for an antiseptic lotion, Dermol 500.

'Compared to how it has been in the past, it's a lot better, but it makes me self-conscious. Even when I don't have any active abscesses, I have terrible scars.'

Lorraine and Julie are keen to raise awareness of the condition.

'The sooner it's treated, the better it can be managed,' says Julie. 'And that makes such a difference to your quality of life.
Strictly speaking, actor Ian Liston shouldn't be alive. Twelve years ago he was told that the prostate cancer he'd been battling for almost two years had spread to his shoulder blade, ribs and hip.

'The consultant uttered the words: "There have been significant advances of late in end-of-life palliative care," ' recalls Ian, 67, who is married to Vivien, 64, and lives in Bolney, West Sussex.

'In other words, he was handing me a death sentence.

Ian Liston, 67, with his wife Vivian, of Bolny, West Sussex. Ian was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2003

'Vivien and I drove to a quiet part of the beach in nearby Brighton, sat on a bench and just held hands without saying anything. We were both numb.'

Ian paid to see a private consultant for a second opinion - but the doctor agreed that as the original cancer had spread to the bones, there was no other treatment available.

'I told him I couldn't accept that there was nothing else available, and the doctor paused and added: "If you go to the Royal Marsden in Sutton, they may have a drug trial for new treatments," ' says Ian, who has had parts in everything from Crossroads to Coronation Street and Star Wars (he was an Alliance pilot, Wes Janson, in The Empire Strikes Back).

It was a lifeline which Ian grabbed with both hands.

The consultant referred him to the Royal Marsden and two weeks later Ian was being seen there.

'By then I had researched advanced prostate cancer and discovered I had, at best, five years - but more likely a matter of months to live.

Ian's father had died from the disease in 1983. In Ian's case, the cancer had spread and Ian was told there was nothing further the doctors could do. He was essentially handed a death sentence

'As soon as I was ushered into the clinic, I asked if there were any trials I could join.'

The consultant took his details and, Ian says: 'Days later, I had a phone call to say a new trial was about to start.'

Twelve years, and seven drug trials later, he is fit and well and finally free from cancer. But without his persistence, things could have turned out very differently.

'If Ian hadn't have gone on those drug trials, he wouldn't be alive today,' says Professor Johann de Bono, head of drug development at The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who led many of the trials in which Ian participated.

'A lot of the drugs Ian trialled have become standard treatment now.'

According to Cancer Research UK's database, there are 56 clinical trials for prostate cancer recruiting in Britain at the moment, and more than 510 trials for other types of cancer.

I wasn't scared because if I didn't take the risk, I was going to lose my life

However there are strict criteria that determine who gets on them.

'You may have to have a certain sub-type of cancer, stage of cancer, or be at a particular point in your cancer management,' explains Dr Emma Hall, deputy director of the clinical trials and statistics unit at the Institute of Cancer Research.

Ian's cancer was diagnosed after he went to his GP in February 2003 because he had been getting up at night to go to the loo with increasing regularity.

Then 55, Ian was given a blood test to measure his level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

An elevated level of this protein can be a sign of cancer. A PSA test he'd had four years earlier showed normal levels of 3 ng/ml. But this time the reading was 72.6.

A biopsy and scans revealed he had prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.

'Vivien was by my side when the consultant confirmed it was advanced prostate cancer, and it was a terrible shock,' says Ian.

He was treated with the hormone bicalutamide, which blocks the hormone testosterone that 'feeds' cancer cells.

But Ian immediately investigated drug trials, and started a series at Royal Marsden which shrunk the tumours

For just over a year it stopped the cancer from growing, although side-effects were a loss of libido, breast swelling and tenderness.

However when Ian's PSA level started to rise in November 2004, he was told that the cancer had stopped responding to the treatment.

Surgery was not an option because the cancer had spread beyond the prostate, and radiotherapy was too risky because the original tumour was too large, putting surrounding organs at risk of damage.

It was then the consultant who told him there was nothing more that could be done.

'My shock turned to anger,' admits Ian.

But three weeks later he received the phone call from the Royal Marsden saying there was a suitable trial.

'I wasn't scared because if I didn't take the risk, I was going to lose my life,' he says.

The benefit of being on any medical trial is you are rushed to the hospital where the trial is being carried out, and all your treatment takes place there

The trial he began in April 2005 involved a combination of the chemotherapy drug docetaxel - to kill the rapidly dividing cancer cells - and an antibody to block the receptors on the surface of cancer cells which help the tumour grow.

The treatment helped Ian's tumour shrink and reduced his PSA levels, but overall the trial found the combination of drugs to be ineffective.

'The side-effects of the chemotherapy were pretty awful,' he says.

'I flew to Indianapolis for a Star Wars convention, and when I woke in the morning, my hair was on the pillow. 'I had a shower and it came out in clumps. But my PSA levels went right down to just 1-2 ng/ml.'

In March 2006, Ian's PSA levels were starting to rise again, and he began a trial on another type of chemotherapy, eribulin - a drug now used to treat breast cancer. But this didn't work.

'You have to accept with trials that results can be hit and miss,' he says pragmatically.

In September 2006, Ian took part in another trial, for Radium 223 - a radioactive injection which 'homes' in on cancer cells to deliver a high-energy blast of targeted radiation to treat cancer in the bones.

'I was one of the first people to try the drug in the UK, but in those early days it could only be developed in Norway and had a shelf life of just 72 hours, so my treatment was coordinated with military-style precision.'

The injections had an almost immediate effect. 'I could see the tumours shrinking on my bone scans,' says Ian.

This allowed him to have radiotherapy in 2013

The trial found that the treatment gave men with late-stage prostate cancer an extra 15 weeks of good-quality life.

Three months later, Ian was put on a trial for abiraterone - a pill which stops the production of the hormone testosterone. The treatment ran simultaneously with the Radium 223 trial. The study found that 70 per cent of men with advanced prostate cancer showed benefits for an average of eight months, with tumours shrinking and PSA levels falling.

In Ian's case, the tumours in his bones shrank even further and his PSA dropped.

It was almost four years before Ian's PSA levels started to rise again in 2010. 'I went to the funeral of a cousin in autumn 2010 who I hadn't seen for years,' he says.

'Afterwards, I heard that he had died from prostate cancer, along with his brother.'

Ian's father, John, had also died of the disease when he was 72.

'I happened to mention all this to a nurse at the Marsden during a routine check-up, and she said: "There could be a family link."

'The chance remark happened to save my life, because she referred me for a genetic test.' The test cost 20,000 and was funded by the drug company backing the medical trial in which Ian was then involved.

He says: 'Now, the same test can be done in the UK in just five hours flat, costing less than 500.

'But back then, the only place which could conduct the genetic sequencing was in America, so they took a blood test and flew it over to the American lab. The results took five weeks.'

He was found to have the faulty BRCA2 gene which can increase the risk of different cancers in both men and women. 'In September 2010 I started a trial for the drug olaparib, which is aimed at cells with BRCA genetic mutations.'

The trial eventually revealed that the drug benefited a third of patients with prostate cancer.

By February 2013, the olaparib had begun to lose effectiveness for Ian but the tumours in his prostate had shrunk enough for him to receive radiotherapy.

After 36 sessions it had to be stopped in July, the same year as he had a rare complication - a fracture of the sacrum.

618,000 Number of people who participated in clinical trials in England last year

'The benefit of being on any medical trial is you are rushed to the hospital where the trial is being carried out, and all your treatment takes place there,' he says.

'I was in agony, and with my immune system low I suffered frequent urinary tract infections.

'It was the bleakest time of my life - but I never once felt like giving up.'

Last year his PSA level began to rise, so in September he had precautionary 'CyberKnife' radiotherapy - as part of another trial - which delivered high-dose radiation to the small areas of tumour with extreme accuracy.

This January MRI and CT scans and blood tests showed an all-clear for prostate cancer and the secondary cancer in his bones.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a man given just months to live.

Although Ian stresses he suffered few side-effects from his treatment, there are some - experts and patients alike - who say pursuing all options, at a cost to a patient's quality of life, is not worth it.

But Professor de Bono is clear that when it comes to advanced prostate cancer: 'While there is risk of side-effects or of the treatment making no difference at all, I think that as a doctor, doing nothing and not helping these patients is far worse.'

And Ian is understandably thrilled at his outcome: 'As a patient advocate for Prostate Cancer UK, I visit scientists and joke: "I was probably one of the slides under your microscope once." '
A single shot of radiotherapy during surgery could save 20,000 breast cancer patients weeks of gruelling treatments, according to experts (file photo)

A single shot of radiotherapy given during surgery could save 20,000 breast cancer patients weeks of gruelling treatments, according to experts.

High powered intrabeam radiotherapy, delivered during surgery while a patient is still under anaesthetic, takes as little as 20 minutes.

Yet it would save women up to six weeks of daily trips to hospital to receive repeated bouts of lower-strength conventional radiotherapy.

Some 50,000 women in Britain are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

Around 75 per cent of these women undergo surgery to remove the tumour - and afterwards receive radiotherapy to make sure the cancer does not return.

Currently, this involves daily trips for between three and six weeks, each time undergoing treatment which irradiates the whole breast.

The alternative method - single dose targeted intraoperative radiotherapy, or TARGIT for short - is delivered directly into the breast tissue during surgery, avoiding the need for the follow-up treatments.

A trial of 485 patients, led by experts at Great Western Hospitals in Swindon found that this would save the average patient 305 miles of travelling, including those in London. For patients outside London the travel distance rose to 753 miles.

NHS rationing watchdog NICE last year refused an application for the TARGIT system to be used in English hospitals, despite international data which showed it was at least as good as conventional radiotherapy.

They are awaiting the results of further trials to prove that breast cancer will not return later.

The authors of the new report, published last night in the journal BMJ Open, called for officials to bear in mind the practical impact on patients, when they eventually come to make their final decision.

They calculated that if TARGIT became widely available across the UK, it could save 5 million miles in journeys, 170,000 hours of travel time, and 1200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to a forest of 100 hectaresevery single year.

They wrote: The management of breast cancer has changed over the decades. However, the requirement of patients to travel to receive these specialist services is often forgotten by policy-makers.

Introducing TARGIT as an option for appropriate patients in the UK will contribute significantly to saving patients time, cost, fuel and CO2 emissions.

High powered intrabeam radiotherapy, delivered during surgery while a patient is still under anaesthetic, takes as little as 20 minutes

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: While this study suggests intraoperative radiotherapy could be more cost-effective for patients and the environment, what we really need is greater evidence of its clinical effectiveness.

If intraoperative radiotherapy was actually proven to work, it could allow some patients to be safely spared multiple cycles of radiotherapy after surgery.

'As such, delivering targeted radiotherapy during surgery  instead of after  could help minimise the impacts of unnecessary travel to and from specialist hospitals for patients.

This technology is currently undergoing appraisal by NICE.

However, with current uncertainties in the clinical evidence, NICE reported in November that more research is needed before it can be considered for use on the NHS. We now await further results from clinical trials.

Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care, added: These fascinating findings add further weight to the benefits of a single dose of radiotherapy during surgery, instead of treatment over several weeks.

For some women with breast cancer this innovative treatment offers a winning combination. It can dramatically reduce the number of hospital visits, and the stressful travel often involved, while being just as effective as traditional radiotherapy.
The BJP was in fightback mode on Monday over the controversies surrounding Prime Minister Modi's educational qualifications.

The party went as far as releasing copies of his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees to settle the debate instigated by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

BJP president Amit Shah, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley by his side, sought an apology from the Delhi chief minister for maligning the prime ministers image by raising a fabricated issue.

BJP president Amit Shah, pictured with a copy of the PM's Delhi University degree, said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal should apologise to Modi and the entire nation.

The BJP had hoped that producing the prime ministers degrees would give a sound burial to the controversy - but the AAP hit back, pricking holes in the ruling party's documents and raising doubts about their legitimacy.

Arvind Kejriwal has been spreading lies about the Prime Minister. He has tried to defame the PM. He should apologise not only to the PM but the entire nation, said Amit Shah, holding up what he claimed were the PMs degrees.

Union minister Arun Jaitley, a former DU student, came all prepared sharing his memories of Modi coming to Delhi for his exams.

Jaitley also introduced former BJP MLA Naresh Gaur, saying Modi shared accommodation with him during his examinations in Delhi.

He said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against the prime minister threaten federal polity in the country, and such attempts should be defeated. He then challenged the Delhi chief minister to verify his claims.

Senior AAP leader Ashutosh told a press conference that the PM's degrees, supposedly displayed by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley, are "fake and forged".

In a reference to Kejriwal, Jaitley said the politics of adventurism is being treated as a substitute for governance.

Hours later, Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that records at the Delhi University had been "sealed".

PM Modi has faced allegations that his BA and MA degrees are not genuine.

Docs in DU hv been sealed. BJP presents Farzi docs in a PC n gets real records sealed? Why? Implement CIC order. Allow inspection, he tweeted.

DU VC not confirming the degree, he added.

Earlier, AAP leader Ashutosh addressed a press conference in which he claimed Modi's name does not match in the BA marksheet and that of the MA degree, and even claimed that there were discrepancies in the year of passing as well.

Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki zaroorat hai (One needs brains even to copy). The BA marksheet is dated 1978, while the degree is of the year 1979. His name in the BA marksheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in Masters degree it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi, said the AAP leader.

Amid the allegations that Delhi University has sealed its records following the controversy over Modi's degrees, vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi said he has not issued any such order.

Asked about the authenticity of the degrees, copies of which were released by the BJP, Tyagi did not comment.
The Bihar Police have launched a massive manhunt to arrest Rocky Yadav, the son of Janata Dal-United legislator Manorama Devi, who has been on the run since becoming a suspect in the killing of 19-year-old Aditya Kumar Sachdeva.

Aditya was shot dead in a case of road rage in Gaya district on Saturday night.

The police conducted multiple raids in a bid to trace Rocky, but have been unsuccessful so far.

Rocky Yadav (left), the son of Janata Dal-United legislator Manorama Devi, is a suspect in the killing of Aditya Kumar Sachdeva (right). The 19-year-old was shot dead in Bihar's Gaya district in a road rage incident.

Rockys father Bindi Yadav, and Rajesh Kumar - Manorama Devi's official bodyguard who was with Rocky during the shooting - were sent to 14 days' judicial custody after being produced in the Gaya court.

Bindi, who has earned the reputation of a bahubali (politician-cum-gangster) over the years, said that he would have produced his son within 24 hours if he had not been in custody.

The Gaya bandh call given by the National Democratic Alliance and the local traders body drew a good response, with the majority of business establishments keeping their shutters down in protest against the killing.

In Patna, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the law would take its own course regardless of who was involved in the incident.

What is important is as to what has happened? The guilty will not be spared. This is called the rule of the law, he said, speaking on the sidelines of the weekly Janata Durbar.

Rocky had allegedly killed Aditya Sachdeva after the car in which the latter was travelling with his friends overtook Rocky's vehicle. The killing has sparked outrage in Bihar.

Students hold a candlelight march demanding justice for Aditya Sachdeva in Gaya

Meanwhile, Union Minister Uma Bharti attacked the Nitish Kumar government over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar, saying that the road rage incident in Gaya showed that people from the ruling dispensation in the state were drunk with power.

Kumar is reforming people addicted to liquor through prohibition and he should take action against those drunk with power, she said, adding that there will be Jungle Raj in the country if he becomes the prime minister.
The deaths of 16 spotted deer at the Delhi Zoo over the past three months have flummoxed authorities, prompting calls from activists for a sweeping review of animal care procedures.

Officials suspect the chital died of rabies triggered by mongoose bites, but have found little evidence so far.

According to sources, the spate of deaths began in February but administrators swung into action only after the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), a regulatory body for zoos under the government of India, asked for a report.

The Central Zoo Authority has accused Delhi Zoo of failing to take action despite the "epidemic" of deer deaths

The CZA called the deaths an epidemic, but zoo representatives say the situation is under control and preventive measures have been taken.

We have been monitoring the situation as there has been some mortality. Rabies has been detected as the cause of death, the zoos director, Amitabh Agnihotri, told Mail Today.

We are vaccinating the animals and all preventive actions have been taken. Death due to rabies is common phenomena among mammals.

The incidents have prompted concerns that something is wrong at the showcase zoo, which houses over a thousand animals, reptiles and birds. It was previously in the news two years ago when a young man was mauled to death by a white tiger after he jumped into the big cats enclosure.

Zoo's failure

As per law, it is the zoos responsibility to protect animals, but it has failed to do so. The loss of 16 deer is irreparable, said animal rights activist Naresh Kadyan.

The zoo has around 120 spotted deer. Following the deaths, 20 have been vaccinated and separated from the herd.

Officials say the outbreak surfaced on February 14 after drain water swamped the deer enclosure. When two of the animals died, officials assumed they drank contaminated water. But soon other deer started falling ill, with at least one of them frothing at the mouth.

Samples were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Izatnagar, Bareilly, said a zoo official.

Dr AK Sharma, principal scientist at the IVRI, confirmed to Mail Today that 13 of the 16 specimens tested positive for rabies.

Even sambar deer were earlier detected with the virus, he said.

Zoo authorities have started vaccinating other animals, though the CZA alleges that they failed to act promptly.

Hushing up

No official communication was sent to the CZA as zoo officials tried to hush up the matter. But as the situation was alarming, the CZA instructed the Delhi zoo to take immediate action and submit a report. Loss of 16 deer in such a short span of time indicates negligence in handling epidemic, said a senior official associated with the matter.

The zoo is part of conservation breeding programmes of the Central Zoo Authority for the Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian rhinoceros, swamp deer, Asiatic lion, brow-antlered deer, and red jungle fowl.

According to a senior official, mongoose bites could be the reason behind the deaths.

We have found some outlets and holes from where they could have entered the spotted deer enclosure. We have filled those gaps to check the entry of mongoose and a team has been formed to capture them, said the official, adding that no traces of any dogs were found inside the park.

However, authorities are unsure why only the spotted deer were infected as their enclosure is very close to those of other deer.

We are ensuring no more casualties take place and animals are being vaccinated and kept in separate areas so that the complete herd is treated. So far, close to 20 deer have been vaccinated and the entire process will take a few months, said a member of the zoos veterinary department.

Vaccination

Along with animals, zookeepers are also being vaccinated.
The floor test in Uttarakhand, slated for Tuesday, has turned into a mouth-watering contest.

Taking no chances to avoid poaching, the Congress has kept its MLAs and legislators from its ally the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) in a luxurious resort in Kanatal, 20 km from Mussoorie.

Though both the Congress and BJP say they are confident about their chances, the Supreme Court ruled that nine rebel Congress legislators will stay disqualified on Monday - which is good news for ousted Congress chief minister Harish Rawat.

The floor test in Uttarakhand is a chance for ousted Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove he has a majority in the state Assembly

Since the effective strength of the 70-member House will be 61, he can prove his majority with the support of only 31 lawmakers.

The Rawat government plunged into crisis on March 18, after the dissidents sided with the BJP during a debate over the budget. The Centre used the opportunity to impose Presidents rule in the state, an action that drew widespread criticism from opposition parties.

Barring the rebels, the Congress has 27 MLAs and is banking on support from the PDF  comprising two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators, one from Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), and three Independents.

However, the situation became more interesting after one Congress legislator, Rekha Arya, went missing amid speculation that she might vote against the party.

Two BSP MLAs - Sarbat Karim Ansari and Haridas - are not in touch with the Congress.

The BJP has 28 members in the House.

The upscale resort on the outskirts of Mussorie where Congress MLAs have been housed in a bid to ensure their loyalty

Rawat has said throughout the process that he fully expects to win the floor test - but so do his opponents

We had won yesterday, won today, and will win tomorrow, Rawat said after the top courts decision.

Tuesday saw hectic political activity in Dehradun. Supporters of Harish Rawat were present in big numbers at his official residence, Bijapur guesthouse. They also cheered the Supreme Court verdict against the nine rebel party leaders.

The BJP, on the other hand, maintained a calm approach. Its leader, Kailash Vijayvargiya, is heading to Kedarnath to seek divine intervention.

The party is making an emotional appeal by asking legislators to listen to their inner voice before casting their votes.

Tight security will be in place for the floor test, and the media is barred from entering the assembly. No vehicle will be allowed on the premises, and the speaker, staff, and MLAs will have to leave their vehicles outside. No one will be allowed to carry mobile phones or any electronic gadgets.

Senior Congress leaders including Ambika Soni and Gulam Nabi Azad have arrived in Dehradun.

BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and Shyam Jaju had a secret meeting with BJP leaders at JSR Continental in the evening.

The Congress and PDF MLAs, who were enjoying the hospitality of the Terraces resort in Kanatal, were expected to move to Dehradun late at night.

The BJP has kept all its MLAs near the state assembly at the JSR Continental hotel.

Though Rawat has been saying throughout that he has the majority and will prove this, his situation is not comfortable. The ousted CM had had to approach many angry Congress MLAs who feel they were disrespected during his rule.

Rawat also had to withdraw some of his close aides, who were allegedly insulting other party members.

Two days before a trust vote was supposed to take place on March 26, a sting purportedly showed Rawat inking a deal to lure back some of the dissidents. The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is probing the case, summoned the deposed chief minister before it on Monday, but he sought more time.

Sources say the BJP has managed to seal a deal with the Bahujan Samajwadi Party in New Delhi. The two BSP members will remain absent during the floor test.

Analysts say the Uttarakhand crisis should act as a wake-up call for the Congress and its top brass should focus on ending the rift within.

Sources say the dissident MLAs decided to take the extreme step as people close to Rawat hinted that they would not get tickets in the next assembly election.

Rawat and BJP hinge their hopes on small players

By Kumar Vikram in New Delhi

Harish Rawat will walk into the Assembly in Dehradun on Tuesday on a confident note to face the floor test, after the Uttarakhand High Court and the Supreme Court refused to give relief to nine Congress MLAs who have been barred from voting in the show of strength.

The BJP, which had hoped to turn the tables with the help of the Congress rebels, has not lost all hope of getting the magic figure to form the government, however.

After excluding the nine disqualified MLAs, the 70-member Assembly has an effective strength of 61.

Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad and the party's Uttarakhand in-charge Ambika Soni after a meeting with the party MLAs in Dehradun

The Congress has 27 MLAs and claims the backing of the six-member Progressive Democratic Front (PDF), taking its tally to 33. Rawat needs 31 MLAs to secure a majority.

The BJP has 28 MLAs, including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty is in doubt.

The PDF comprises two BSP loyalists, three Independents and one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal member.

According to party insiders, the BJP is hopeful it may break the PDF, which has been a vocal supporter of Rawat, if the two BSP members help give it the desired number. The reason for this optimism is that these two MLAs skipped a lunch hosted by Rawat on March 22.

Sources said that BSP chief Mayawati summoned the two MLAs - Haridas and Sarbat Karim Ansari - on Monday to discuss the strategy.

Even if Mayawati decides to go with the Congress, the BJP will be able to manage the support of at least one BSP MLA.

Sources said it is hard to predict the actions of the BSP MLAs as Mayawati had suspended them for anti-party activities in 2014.

Rawat, however, is confident that the three Independents will support him.

The lone Uttarakhand Kranti Dal MLA, Pritam Singh Panwar, has also not made his position clear yet.

BJP sources said party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has been camping in Uttarakhand for over a week and he and his team are leaving no stone unturned to create favourable conditions for the party.
Several real estate firms, rich socialites and hospitality companies have come under the income tax (I-T) departments scanner after claiming exemption on annual farm incomes ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 9 crore.

A senior finance ministry official told Mail Today that information received from the field formations of the I-T Department shows that real estate companies with large land-banks have filed incomes of Rs 5 crore - Rs 9 crore as "agricultural".

The I-T department is now investigating these declarations to see whether such huge sums have been declared.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has stepped up the war to remove black money from the economy

Farm income can be used to evade taxes and convert black money into white as agricultural income does not fall under the tax net.

Hospitality companies running luxurious holiday resorts have declared incomes of Rs 4 crore or more as agricultural income, claiming their ventures to be farm and holiday resorts.

Interestingly, some socialites have also been declaring farm incomes of above Rs 1 crore in their I-T returns. Farm incomes are exempted from tax, but are then available to the person for investing in other ventures.

According to agricultural experts, the figures appear to be highly inflated as farms do not yield such high earnings.

The finance ministry official refused to divulge further details of these entities as such disclosures are not permitted under the I-T Act.

The nationwide data collected by I-T officials shows that while some of these entities have been declaring the farm incomes regularly over the last five years, there are others whose tax returns show farm incomes suddenly appearing in the last two years of the 2004-2013 period.

According to sources, the Rs 2 lakh crore figure for the declaration of farm income estimated on the basis of a Right to Information Act reply appears to be exaggerated, as the large-scale errors in the filing of these farm incomes has surfaced.

Data operators who feed the figures into the I-T departments computers have in many cases punched the same number more than once leading to highly inflated figures, an official told Mail Today.

For instance, a farm income figure of Rs 65,000 has been fed as 6500065000, which has ended up converting Rs 65,000 into Rs 650 crore, the official explained.

There are also figures for farm incomes of more than Rs 1 crore per annum that appear genuine, in the case of companies which supply high-yielding varieties of seeds to farmers nationwide and grow these across large tracts of land.

Similarly, there are several cases of land acquired by the National Highways Authority of India or the Railways for infrastructure projects that have generated income in excess of Rs 1 crore for land owners.

The issue pertaining to the farm route being used to evade taxes or converting black money into white is being investigated thoroughly and the government will not leave any stone unturned to get to the bottom of the matter, the finance ministry official said.
While social media celebrated Mothers Day, residents in many old-age homes in the city continued to suffer.

Dumped by their families, hundreds of women in the autumn of their lives prayed for solace and a loving touch.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chairperson Swati Maliwal visited the Bindapur Old Age Home in west Delhi and reportedly found conditions to be appalling.

DCW chief Swati Maliwal during a surprise inspection of the Bindapur Old Age Home, where she tweeted about the "appalling" conditions

An official said: She conducted a surprise inspection at this home run by the Social Welfare Department. Along with DCW members Promila Gupta and Sarika Chaudhary, she found it in a very bad state.

The Commission is saddened to note several shortcomings in the operation and management of the government-run home and is issuing a notice to the secretary, social welfare, he added.

Maliwal also tweeted: Met many mothers dumped in Bindapur old-age home by sons after getting rights over their property. Still mothers praying for happiness of children.

She added: Seeking reply on problems from the department of women and child development.

The home has a total of 72 inmates, of whom 54 are women and 18 men.

There is an acute shortage of staff here. The chairperson was appalled to see that mentally-ill women were packed like sardines in one hall. It had minimal facilities, an official said.

It was evident that the mentally-ill were not being cared for properly. The sanitation in the home was extremely poor, to the extent that some rooms had a nauseating odour. The situation was particularly grim in the case of mentally-ill women who are not able to take care of themselves, he added.

An 80-year-old woman from Janakpuri said her husband had died a few years back. Soon after, her sons got her husbands will and turned it in their favour legally. They then threw her out on the streets, and she has been living here ever since.

Meanwhile, a 90-year-old man claimed he had a residential plot of 60 yards in Laxmi Nagar. His wife prodded him into transferring it into their sons name. After she died, the sons spent all their money on alcohol, and fights ensued daily.

I left willingly and I dont want them to even touch my body after I die, he asserted.

DCW officials said: There were complaints of poor food quality from the inmates. There is no drinking water connection in the home, and the residents are dependent on one tanker for meeting all their water requirements.

"There is no facility for providing cold water to the residents. There are no CCTV systems in the campus too.

Many women informed the commission that they were not being given their old-age pension. They also pointed out the need for activities within the home premises which would keep them busy and let them use their time fruitfully.
Jawaharlal Nehru University formed a four-member committee on Monday to look into the demands of student hunger strikers.

The students are protesting against the punishments meted out in connection with the controversial February 9 memorial for terrorist Afzal Guru.

The decision to constitute a panel came after three more students ended their fasts due to health concerns.

The four-member panel formed by JNU will talk with the striking students. Student leader Kanhaiya Kumar (top left) was hospitalised recently as his health deteriorated due to hunger.

The vice-chancellor has decided to form a team consisting of Rector-1, Rector-II, Dean of Students and Registrar to discuss issues related to students and teachers who have been on a hunger strike, read the statement issued by the university.

Solutions can be found only through peaceful dialogue and discussions and not through measures that can have a long-term impact on health and adversely affect the academic life in the campus.

"The administration yet again appeals the students to end their strike and come forward to discuss their demands, it added.

The students' union is yet to take a decision on whether to enter into negotiations with the administration or not.

Meanwhile, three students - Umar Khalid, Pratim Ghosal and Parthipan - discontinued their fasts after their health deteriorated.
Former Air Force Chief SP Tyagi is denying allegations of corruption

Former Air Force Chief SP Tyagi was again grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over alleged foreign payments relating to the AgustaWestland deal in 2009.

The payments came two years after Tyagi retired and coincide with his visits to Italy.

CBI officials say they are looking at these issues with a new perspective after the Milan Court of Appeals order which concluded that bribes were allegedly paid to clinch the deal.

Sources said he was asked about the source of these funds as the agency confronted him with account statements and sought an explanation, but the CBI refused to reveal the amount.

In the past the CBI has questioned Tyagi about his meetings with officials of Finmeccanica, the parent firm of AgustaWestland.

The Italian court verdict names Tyagi in mentions of the meetings and interactions with alleged European middlemen and officials of Finmeccanica.

Tyagi has denied all allegations of corruption.

The agency also questioned Praveen Bakshi, the CEO of Aeromatrix Infosolutions Pvt Limited on Monday, and Pratap Aggarwal, managing director of IDS Infotech. The pair are under the scanner for allegedly helping with the routing of the bribe amount from AgustaWestland to various suspected Indian beneficiaries.

They claimed they were questioned about services provided by their companies to AgustaWestland.

The CBI had registered a case against SP Tyagi along with 13 others, including his cousins, Bakshi, Aggarwal, and European middlemen - Guido Haschke, Carlo Gerosa and Chritian Michel.

The allegation against SP Tyagi is that he reduced the flying ceiling of the helicopter from 6,000m to 4,500m (15,000ft), which put AgustaWestland helicopters in the race for the deal - without which its choppers were not even qualified for the submission of bids.

Tyagi has denied allegations against him and said the change of specifications, which brought AgustaWestland into contention, was a collective decision in which senior officers of the Indian Air Force, SPG and other departments were involved.

Meanwhile, a team of ED officials may soon travel to assorted countries, including Singapore, and seek to hasten the replies to judicial requests issued in the case.
The debate over mercy killing may soon end, as the Union Health Ministry has prepared legislation on the contentious issue of euthanasia.

The Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill patients (protection of patients and medical practitioners) Bill is up for public debate.

Based on the recommendations of the Law Commission, and after examination of the draft Bill in Health Ministry, we are contemplating to enact a law on passive euthanasia, said Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services (DGHS).

A scene from the movie Guzaarish, where the character played by Hrithik Roshan appeals to a court for the right to die

For taking an informed decision in this matter, we have solicited public opinion and comments on the subject. After we get the comments and views from the public, we will implement it, Prasad said.

Passive euthanasia involves withholding common treatments such as antibiotics from terminally ill patients, when they are necessary for the continuance of life.

Active euthanasia involves the use of lethal substances or forces, such as injections to kill, and is the most controversial form.

Active euthanasia has not been recommended in The Medical Treatment of Terminally Ill patients (protection of patients and medical practitioners) Bill. Active Euthanasia is not being considered by Health Ministry as it is more likely to be misused by unscrupulous individuals to attain their ulterior motives, said Prasad.

The draft Bill, proposed in the 241st report of the Law Commission, deals with passive euthanasia and the living will, a document in which a person states his or her desire to accept or reject extraordinary life-prolonging measures. These are techniques used when it is not possible for a patient to recover from a terminal condition.

If the law is approved, the Medical Council of India (MCI) will have an active role in it.

The MCI would prepare and issue guidelines for medical practitioners in the matter of withholding or withdrawing medical treatment from competent or incompetent patients suffering from terminal illnesses.

The issue of euthanasia has risen to prominence after several noteworthy cases including that of Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse who spent 42 years in a vegetative state as a result of a violent sexual assault.

Recently the Supreme Court heard a public interest litigation filed in 2005 by NGO Common Cause, which said that when a medical expert opines that the person afflicted with a terminal disease has reached a point of no return, then he or she should be given the right to refuse life support as it would only prolong their pain.

Two years ago the Supreme Court issued notices to states and Union Territories on the issue.

The Centre had also strongly opposed the petition earlier, saying it is a form of suicide.

The possibility of a law on euthanasia was examined by the Health Ministry in 2006, based on the 196th report of the Law Commission of India, in consultation with experts.
Katie Holmes broke up with Tom Cruise because she feared she would end up like Nicole Kidman - with a daughter who Scientology turned against her, Daily Mail Online can reveal.

Their six-year marriage was doomed once church members moved into their Los Angeles home so they could cater to Cruises every whim.

That caused Holmes to freak out, fearing that daughter Suri could end up cutting off all contact with her under Scientologys disconnection policy, the father of church leader David Miscavige revealed in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online.

Its a toxic policy that ruins lives, said Ron Miscavige, 80, whose scathing memoir about his son, Ruthless, was published last week. Katie just didnt want that to happen so she left.

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Katie Holmes (pictured in 2012) left husband Tom Cruise because she didn't want to lose her daughter Suri to the church, the father of Scientology leader David Miscavige, Ron, claims

Cruise and Holmes' six-year marriage came to an end as she feared Suri could end up cutting off all contact with her under Scientologys disconnection policy

Cruise's former wife, Nicole Kidman (pictured in 2004), was disconnected from her children (Connor, left, and Bella, right) after she stepped away from Scientology. Bella didn't even invite Kidman to her wedding last year, even thought they were in the same city at the time

The Church of Scientology has vehemently objected to the book and its claims against David Miscavige, who has threatened to sue. In a statement the Church has said: Ronald Miscavige is seeking to make money on the name of his famous son.'

Under the disconnection policy, Ron Miscavige explains, Scientologists cut off contact with any family member who leaves the church. It happened to Ron, not only with son David, but also with his two daughters, Denise and Lori, as well.

He only speaks to one of his four children, Ron Jr, who left the controversial religion in 2001. Ron Sr escaped the church with his second wife Becky in 2012. They now live in West Allis, Wisconsin.

Ron Miscavige says members of the churchs staff, known as Sea Org, moved in with Cruise and Holmes, to make sure the churchs most valuable celebrity was being properly taken care of.

That didnt sit so well with Katie, of course, and it hurt the marriage, he told Daily Mail Online. She and Tom had big differences about the way life should be lived.

The big issue really was raising Suri as a Scientologist. If that happened, some day it was a possibility that she would disconnect from Katie.

But the biggest issue was Holmess fear that Suri, now ten, might one day disconnect from her if they continued to raise her as a Scientologist and if Katie ever fell foul of or leave the church.

The big issue really was raising Suri as a Scientologist, Ron said. If that happened, some day it was a possibility that she would disconnect from Katie.

Ultimately this is what has happened to me.

It also happened to Cruises second wife Nicole Kidman. Her daughter, Bella, didnt even invite her to her wedding last year in London - even though Kidman was appearing on stage in the British capital at the time.

Miscavige said Kidman dabbled in Scientology but was never fully trusted by church leaders because her father Antony, who died in 2014, was a psychologist.

L Ron Hubbard who founded the church was against psychologists and psychiatry especially, he said. She did get auditing and some other high level things but she was never solidly into the church.

I remember when Nicole came up to the Gold Base in California, the churchs HQ, with Tom. I met her several times when she was up there. I thought she was a very nice lady, very affectionate.

At the time, she did not appear stressed or uncomfortable being there.

Neither Kidman nor Holmes now has anything to do with Scientology, which goes out of its way to attract celebrities because they are opinion leaders, said Ron.

Cruise was first introduced to Scientology by his first wife Mimi Rogers, and he and Scientology leader David Miscavige (right) soon became very close. Miscavige was Cruise's best man in his weddings to Kidman and Holmes

From left to right, siblings David, Denise, Ronnie and Lori Miscavige in 1975, five months before David moved to Florida to join the Sea Organization

David (left with brother Ronnie in an undated photo of a family vacation) quit high school and joined Scientology when he was just 16 years old

Its roster of famous members includes actors John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Jenna Elfman, Elisabeth Moss, Ann Archer and Giovanni Ribisi as well as Fox Newss Greta Van Susteren.

But none are as important as Cruise. David Miscavige was best man when the Mission Impossible star married both Kidman and Holmes.

However, inside the church, Cruise plays second fiddle to Miscavige.

Tom looks up to David as the top spiritual being on the planet, an immortal being, a Thetan, a being walking around in a human body, Ron said.

He idolizes him. Tom runs whatever decision he has to make through David - not the other way round.

My son was speaking at an event in Saint Hill Manor in England once about Tom and he said, He is the most dedicated Scientologist I know.

That didnt sit right with a lot of Scientologists, especially those in the Sea Org who are working 16 hours a day and more for the church.

David also ordered everyone to call him Mr Cruise, never Tom, as a sign of respect. He was put on a pedestal by David and the other members of the church had to worship him like they worship David.

All that said, David is very much the leader and nobody, including Tom, disobeys him.

But there was a time in the mid-1990s when Cruise and Miscaviges friendship seemed to be slipping away.

Cruise and Kidman were in London filming the sexually charged movie Eyes Wide Shut, directed by Stanley Kubrick.

That was a time when Tom was not active in the church. If he and David ever had a falling out it would have been then, said Miscavige Sr.

It was because he was away filming in the UK and away from the influence of David. Tom became very enamored with Kubrick, who died just after the film was finished.

But once the movie was over and Cruise returned to the United States, Scientology launched an all-out effort to get him back in the fold, said Ron Miscavige - and their efforts succeeded.

Cruise was first introduced to Scientology by his first wife Mimi Rogers. Rogerss father Phil Spickler was a senior member of the church.

Ron Miscavige says Cruise 'idolizes' his son David (pictured) and 'looks up to David as the top spiritual being on the planet'

Miscavige says like Kidman, his children disowned him when he left the church in 2012. His son, David, and his two daughters, Denise and Lori, disowned him when he left Scientology

He used to visit under his real name, Thomas Mapother, Ron Miscavige revealed. Thats where he got auditing, counseling.

When David heard about it, he ordered his people, Lets get this guy solidly in, and it was done with a vengeance. David made sure that Tom wanted for nothing and he and David became close friends.

In his book, Ron Miscavige reveals that his son visited Cruise on the set of Days of Thunder and even went skydiving with him in a bid to bond.

Ron Miscavige confirmed longstanding rumors that Scientology went through a selection process to pick a new partner for Cruise - and Holmes, who had a picture of the superstar on her bedroom wall as a child - was chosen.

The church organized interviews to find Tom a new girlfriend and Katie was picked. I know the people who set it up, he said.

I think it was a case of be careful what you wish for when they married.

Katie tried to get into Scientology but Tom was very domineering, I heard. Every little thing had to be his way.

Even before Rons book was released, Scientology leaders have been attempting to debunk it and paint their leaders father as someone whose misconduct and transgressions over the years have been a source of extremely serious concern.

They claim Ron and David have had no meaningful relationship since David quit high school and joined Scientology as a 16-year-old, and that Ron was not in a position to know of many of the things he writes about.

I know she [Lisa Marie] did not like the way people were treated, especially the policy of disconnection - she did not like that at all.

But Ron told Daily Mail Online that he has had great support from Lisa Marie Presley, one of a group of celebrities who has now left Scientology. They have known each other for nearly 30 years, he says, since they met on the maiden voyage of Scientologys cruise ship The Freewinds.

We hit it off right away, Ron told Daily Mail Online. Through the years Id see her at the Gold Base and when I left I got in contact and we keep in contact.

She has left the church and was very supportive of my new book.

I know she did not like the way people were treated, especially the policy of disconnection  she did not like that at all.

As far as I know her mother Priscilla is still a church member.

Explaining the churchs fascination with celebrities, Ron said it was all down to the churchs founder.

Hubbard is the one who really wanted the celebrities to be involved. Its because celebrities are looked up to as opinion leaders. You see a celebrity and find out they are a Scientologist, you want to be like him.

They are a magnet, a draw for other people to come in.

Being associated with famous people and to be seen in public with them gives you power.

Once David had a taste of celebrity power he loved it. Once youve had prime rib you dont go for barreled meat.

Rons said he was concerned about his daughter-in-law, Davids wife Shelly, who hasnt been seen in public in nearly a decade.

King of Queens actress Leah Remini even reported her as a missing person when she left the church in 2013. Police say they have contacted Shelly who does not want to make a complaint.

Ron believes she is holed up in a Scientology compound in Big Bear, California. I think I last saw her in 2005, he said.

Her birthday is January 18, mine is January 19. So every year before that Id send her a gift and get a response and a happy birthday the next day.

Scientology leaders claim that Ron Miscavige and son David (pictured center with brother Ronnie, left, and their uncle-in-law Smitty in the late 1960s) have had no meaningful relationship and that Ron's claims about Scientology are false

David and Denise Miscavige celebrate on their second birthday in 1962 at the family's house in Willingboro, New Jersey

In 2005 I sent her a gift and didnt get a response for three days at least. That was the first indication something was wrong.

I never saw her at the Gold Base again, he said, referring to Scientologys international headquarters in Hemet, California.

And all the years afterwards when Id send her a gift it would be days and days before I got a response.

Since I left the church I have gotten to know a guy who worked at the churchs Religious Technology Centre who would monitor letters from members, he added. Her letters would have to go to Big Bear to be checked and thats where I think she is.

Im sure she is perceived as a problem. I wish she would come to her senses and do what I did and walk out of there.

It was Ron who first introduced his son to Scientology when David was just nine years old.

The entire family left their home in suburban Philadelphia to study at the churchs global headquarters in East Grinstead, England.

L Ron Hubbard used to keep a tape recorder next to his bed to record his thoughts. He also had messengers to follow him around who would write down his thoughts.

But when he died in 1986 there was no message left behind appointing David leader of the church.

David pushed people out of the way, to put it graciously, to keep stepping up a little further to take the top job.

He said David came to admire Hubbard. He was not just a father figure, he was a god who he wanted to emulate, he explained.

David's mother Loretta (right) poses with her mother and father - David Miscavige's grandparents - and her two sisters (left and second left). Loretta died in 2004

David got a taste of power and it was like a drug.

But he believes there is no line of succession in place for when his son dies. I dont think theres anyone in line for that job.

Describing how David lives as head of the church, Ron said: My son likes to be right about everything.

These days he is surrounded by sycophants who pump him up all day long. They tell him all the time he can do no wrong.

He has a personal chef, refrigerators at Scientology bases just for him packed with Kobe beef and caviar.

A guy in England buys him $200 shirts hed wear one time.

My son likes to be right about everything.

He once boasted to me about some shoes he had bought in England that were worth $1,500 a pair. At the time I was getting $30 in the Sea Org.

Hed also have bodyguards at events he would attend. They were always private investigators, not ex-military.

I havent heard about him being attacked but I have heard there have been threats on his life.

Ron regrets that his relationship with his son has turned so toxic. I just wish he wasnt the way he is, he said. I have no malice.

He said his son was delightful as a child. When David was a little kid, he and I got on great.

He was lovable, very bright, had a great sense of humor. Once I dressed him up in Speedos, hunting boots and a cape, my first wifes wig holding a toilet plunger. We called the pic Super Geek.

He would love to go along with things like that.

But he turned from that into what he is today. Its like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

He said he believes David will read his book. But he wont talk to me about it.

He has the power to take the church in a different direction away from the disconnecting and the things that tears families apart.

But will he do it? I wouldnt bet on it.
Day was former Republican state senator and Pima County supervisor

Barnes has been charged with manslaughter and driving under influence

A truck then rear-ended Day, who died in Tuscon hospital an hour later

He had been driving erratically and crossed the median in oncoming traffic

Ann Day's Prius was hit head on by Jarrad Barnes' car at 7.40am Saturday

The sister of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was killed in a car crash in Arizona on Saturday.

Ann Day, 77, suffered fatal injuries after her vehicle was struck by two other cars in the Tucson area, Pima County sheriff's spokesman Ryan Inglett said.

Jarrad Barnes, 24, has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to the sheriff's office.

Day was a former Arizona Republican state senator and Pima County supervisor.

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Ann Day, 77, suffered fatal injuries after Jarrad Barnes drove through a median and hit Day's car head on in Tuscon, Arizona. He has been charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence, according to the sheriff's office

Paramedics transported the 77-year-old to Banner University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 8.37am

Day was driving eastbound at 7.40am Saturday when Barnes crossed the median in oncoming traffic and hit Day's Toyota Prius head on, Inglett said.

A truck then rear-ended Day, who was alone in the vehicle.

Paramedics transported the 77-year-old to Banner University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 8.37am.

The other two drivers, both male, were hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

'It's just sad because here's this lady in her mid-to-late 70s, early in the morning, probably just driving home, and you just can't prevent that. There's nothing she could do,' Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told Tuscon.com.

Nanos added Barnes was seen 'bouncing off of curbs and driving at a high rate of speed in excess of 80 mph' before the crash, the local news website reported.

Inglett said the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.

Courtesy Tucson News Now

Day (far left), a former Arizona Republican state senator and Pima County supervisor, was the younger sister of former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 86 (center, right)

Condolences poured in from Arizona political figures.

US Senator John McCain said: 'With Ann's tragic death, our state has lost a tireless advocate who dedicated her life to public service  as a teacher, state senator and Pima County supervisor.

'Cindy and my prayers are with Ann's family and loved ones, as well as the entire Arizona community, during this difficult time.'

Members of Day's family were not immediately available for comment.

Day, the younger sister of O'Connor, often described herself as a 'cowgirl from the Lazy B,' referring to the southeastern Arizona ranch her grandfather established.

She served in the Arizona Senate for a decade and as a Pima County supervisor for 12 years, the Arizona Daily Star reported.

Day was known for being politically moderate and for advocating for cancer patients' rights to clinical trials and reforms in the HMO industry.
Israel's Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu has hit out at one his top military chiefs for suggesting that the country's society was showing signs of Nazi-like behaviour.

On the eve of Holocaust remembrance day, Major-General Yair Golan highlighted the 'nauseating processes' that unfolded in Nazi Germany - before comparing them with aspects of Israeli society.

But his comments have since been condemned as 'outrageous' by Netanyahu, who said the remarks 'wrong Israeli society and cheapen the Holocaust.'

On the eve of Holocaust remembrance day, Major-General Yair Golan highlighted the 'nauseating processes' that unfolded in Nazi Germany - before comparing them with aspects of Israeli society

The rare public rebuke of a serving general was the latest example of Netanyahu taking action that appeared to put him at odds with top brass in a national debate on moral conduct in the conflict with the Palestinians.

In a speech, Golan had evoked a dark time in the history of the Jewish people in calling on Israelis to engage in soul-searching.

'If there's something that frightens me about Holocaustremembrance it's the recognition of the nauseating processesthat occurred in Europe in general, and particularly in Germany,back then - 70, 80 and 90 years ago - and finding signs of themhere among us today in 2016.

'There is, after all, nothing easier and simpler than hating the foreigner... arousing fears and terrifying.'

Golan's comments were widely interpreted as comparingbehaviour of some in Israel with that of the Nazis, who killedsix million Jews in the Holocaust of World War Two.

In hisspeech the general made reference to a soldier who shot andkilled a wounded Palestinian assailant, who was lying on theground, in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, in March.

Far-right members of Netanyahu's governing coalitiondemanded that Golan recant and accused him of dishonouring thedead.

The prime minister, himself, made no public reference tothe speech - until the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) has hit out at one his top military chiefs for suggesting that the country's society was showing signs of Nazi-like behaviour

'The comparison that arose from the deputy chief of staff'scomments on the processes that characterised Nazi Germany 80years ago is outrageous,' Netanyahu said. 'They wrong Israelisociety and cheapen the Holocaust.'

Netanyahu has not commented on the general's future, butMiri Regev, a cabinet minister from his right-wing Likud party,called on Golan to resign.

In rebuking Golan, Netanyahu echoed criticism by far-rightcoalition partners, while distancing himself from DefenceMinister Moshe Yaalon of Likud, who issued a statement onThursday expressing his 'total confidence' in the officer andpraising commanders who provide a moral compass.

Political opponents have accused Netanyahu of not beingsupportive of the military over its court-martial of the soldierin the Hebron incident.

After the shooting, Israel's military chief, Gadi Eisenkot,publicly cautioned troops to use only 'measured and consideredforce' against a wave of Palestinian street attacks and saidthose who deviate from orders would face punishment.
A former DEA official pointed out Juarez is in Sinaloa cartel territory

The new prison, Cefereso No. 9, was ranked the worst of Mexico's 21 federal prisons for inmate conditions

The northern prison where authorities suddenly transferred convicted drug lord Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is rated as the worst in Mexico's federal penitentiary system for inmate conditions, according to the government's own reporting.

The Cefereso No. 9 facility on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas, did score well on 'conditions of governability', perhaps an indication that authorities believe they can control Guzman's environment there and limit the risk of him pulling off a third brazen jailbreak.

But Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, questioned the logic of sending Guzman to a less-secure prison that is in territory firmly controlled by his Sinaloa cartel.

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Mexican federal police guard a road leading to the Cefereso No. 9 federal prison in Ciudad Juarez, Saturday. Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, who twice pulled off jailbreaks and is fighting to avoid extradition to the United States, was abruptly transferred to the prison in northern Mexico near the Texas border

In this January 8, 2016 file photo, 'El Chapo' is escorted by army soldiers to a helicopter, at a federal hangar in Mexico City, after he was recaptured from breaking out of a maximum security prison in Mexico

'It just doesn't make any sense,' Vigil said Sunday. 'He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape.'

Some Mexican media have speculated the transfer was a prelude to imminent extradition to the U.S., where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions. But authorities denied that.

A Mexican security official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the matter, said Guzman is still in the middle of the extradition process. The Foreign Relations Department has the final say, and Guzman's lawyers still have opportunities to appeal.

A lawyer for Guzman confirmed Saturday that his defense continues to fight the drug lord being sent to the U.S., and officials have said it could take up to a year to reach a final ruling.

Multiple analysts told The Associated Press that there was no sign of a link between the prison switch and extradition.

'In the past, when they're going to extradite people, they just put them on a plane and they just fly them into the United States,' Vigil said. 'They don't pre-position people... He was not pre-positioned in Juarez to get kicked across the border.

Cefereso No. 9 is just off the Pan-American highway about 14 miles south of downtown Juarez, which borders El Paso, Texas

This picture shows a general view of the Cefereso No. 9 facility on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez. A 2015 report ranked it the worst of Mexico's 21 federal prisons

The Cefereso No. 9 facility, pictured, is located in the middle of the barren, scorching Chihuahuan Desert

A 2015 report by the governmental National Human Rights Commission gave the Juarez prison an overall 6.63 rating on a scale of 0 to 10, the lowest for any of Mexico's 21 federal prisons.

By comparison, the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where Guzman had been confined was 10th best, with a rating of 7.32.

Altiplano is considered the country's highest-security prison, and many had thought it to be unescapable. That belief was shattered in July 2015 when Guzman fled the facility through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that accomplices dug to the shower in his cell, complete with a motorcycle modified to run on rails laid down in the passage.

Cefereso No. 9 is just off the Pan-American highway about 14 miles south of downtown Juarez, in the middle of the barren, scorching Chihuahuan Desert. Other than a university campus about 2 miles (3 kilometers) to the east, there is hardly anything else for miles in any direction.

Gov. Cesar Duarte of Chihuahua state, where Juarez is, bragged about the facility's ability to hold Guzman, saying at a news conference that the transfer posed no risk for his state and was a sign of its improvements on security matters.

'There will be no escape,' Duarte told local media. 'If he was brought here from Altiplano it's because the security conditions are way above those of Altiplano, that's what the federal government settled on.'

A federal police officer stands guard near 'El Chapo's new home, the Cefereso No. 9 facility on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez

The Mexican security official who insisted on anonymity in talking about Guzman, acknowledged that general security at Cefereso No. 9 is not the best. But the official said Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

Guzman was moved in the pre-dawn hours Saturday in a surprise, high-security operation.

Authorities said the move was due to security upgrades at Altiplano and also part of a routine policy to rotate inmates for security reasons. Analysts said officials may also have wanted to shake up his confinement to thwart any escape plans that could have been in the works.

Vigil said Guzman should not be jailed in Juarez for an extended period.

'If they keep him there for a prolonged period of time, the Mexican government certainly is risking that he escapes,' Vigil said. 'And if he escapes, it would just completely decimate the credibility of the Mexican government.'

According to the rights commission's report, Cefereso No. 9 got low marks for guaranteeing a 'dignified' stay and for handling inmates with special requirements. It got middling scores for guaranteeing prisoners' safety and well-being, and for rehabilitation.

It was also listed as somewhat overcrowded, with 1,012 inmates living in a facility designed to hold 848. Authorities acknowledge overcrowding is a widespread problem throughout Mexico's penitentiary system.

Overall, Cefereso No. 9 got a 'yellow' evaluation for 2015 on the report's stoplight-style rating system. That was improved from 'red' in 2014, even if its numerical score was still the country's lowest.

'Governability' was the only area where the prison received a 'green,' or good, rating. Altiplano also got a 'green' rating for governability conditions.

'El Chapo' first broke out of prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the world's most-wanted fugitives.

He was recaptured in 2014, only to escape the following year. Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.
More than 250 passengers on board a cruise ship which has docked in Portland, Maine, may have norovirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 27 percent of the passengers aboard the Balmoral, operated by the Fred Olsen Cruises, have gotten sick since the cruise began April 16.

The CDC reported that 252 of the 919 passengers on the Balmoral have fallen ill, as well as eight members of the 502-member crew. It is the first cruise ship to dock in Portland this season.

The Balmoral left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before putting in at Norfolk, Virginia (pictured) just days after the worst of the illness had passed

Bent Ivar Gangdal, the Balmoral's captain, briefs media on the norovirus sickness after arriving in Norfolk, Virginia on April 29

The 34-day 'Old England to New England' cruise (illustrated) departed Southampton on April 16 but was struck with norovirus just a few days into the cruise. It is due to return to Southampton in 11 days

Symptoms of norovirus include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

The CDC said the ship has increased its cleaning and disinfection procedures. Two CDC health officers and an epidemiologist boarded the ship during its stop in Baltimore, Maryland, last week.

Jessica Grondin, a spokesperson for Portland City, told the Portland Press Herald: 'The reality is that many of the ships that come into port have cases of the norovirus, some more severe than others. It just doesn't often get reported.'

Mayor Ethan Strimling told the paper that he learned about the outbreak just before boarding the ship for a tour on Sunday morning.

'I could see there were people wiping things down constantly,' Strimling said. 'We got onto the elevators and they wiped the elevators down.'

The ship was due to stop at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, on Monday.

The Balmoral departed Portland Harbor at 4 p.m. Sunday and is headed to Saint John, New Brunswick, the Press Herald reported.

The Balmoral left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before putting in at Norfolk, Virginia, where it first arrived in the United States late last month.

It is due to return to the UK on May 20. Balmoral has capacity for 1,350 passengers, and is the largest and newest ship in the cruise line's fleet.

The ship is due to arrive in Saint John, New Brunswick, today after it was inspected by health authorities in the U.S. Pictured is captain Bent Ivar Gangdal

The CDC issued a statement on the outbreak, although Fred. Olsen has since downplayed it by claiming that there were just seven guests in isolation, out of a total of 1,434 guests and crew.

It also dismissed reports the ship, which left the UK on April 16, had been quarantined.

The statement said: 'A gastro-enteritis type illness has affected a number of guests on board...

'There are currently just seven guests in isolation, out of a total of 1,434 guests and crew on board, and the incidences have substantially reduced.

Norovirus outbreaks happen when many people are in a small area, including places such as nursing homes, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and cruise ships (file photo)

'There are two US nationals on board this cruise, with the majority of guests being from the UK.'

Passenger Robert Bruce, who lives in northern England, told the Virginian-Pilot that he and his wife have enjoyed the cruise despite the incident. He told the paper the reports of illness spiked on April 20.

According to Fred. Olsen, it is believed the highly-contagious gastric illness was brought onto the ship. It is spread by person-to-person  or surface-to-surface  contact.

'Fred Olsen has been undertaking extensive sanitisation measures and cleaning of the ship, following the company's strict illness containment and prevention plan.

'It is believed that the highly-contagious gastric illness was brought onto the ship, and is spread by person-to-person  or surface-to-surface  contact.'

'Fred. Olsen's cruise ships meet, at all times, the highest safety, hygiene and health standards, and comply fully with the strict requirements and inspections of their Flag State, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and other relevant authorities.'

Norovirus outbreaks happen when many people are in a small area, including places such as nursing homes, restaurants, hotels, hospitals and cruise ships.
Washington National Guard soldier, First Lt. David A. Bauders, 25, has died while stationed in Iraq

A Washington National Guard soldier has died in Iraq.

First Lt. David A. Bauders, 25, who was a state trooper in his civilian life, died Friday on the Al Asad Air Base in what defense officials have described as a noncombat related incident.

He was assigned to the Washington State National Guard's 176th Engineer Company of Snohomish, Washington, the Defense Department said.

Capt. Joseph Siemandel of the Washington National Guard said his unit constructed buildings and other structures.

They had been deployed in Kuwait and Iraq since April.

Siemandel says the cause of Bauders' death is still being investigated.

Maj. Gen. Bret Daugherty, adjutant general of Washington National Guard, noted that Bauders devoted his time to better both the state and the nation.

'That is how we will remember him  a selfless soldier willing to put others first,' Daugherty said in a statement.

Bauders was sworn in as a state trooper in March 2014 and patrolled North Seattle and King County.

He joined the state patrol in 2013, as a trooper cadet assigned to the property management division and entered the academy in 2014, according to Chief John Batiste.

'Although early into his career with us, David was a very well-liked and highly respected member of the agency's District 2 family,' Batiste said in a statement.

Bauders (with his sister), who was a state trooper in his civilian life, died Friday on the Al Asad Air Base in what defense officials have described as a noncombat related incident

Bauders was born in Watertown, New York., and graduated from high school in Forest Grove, Oregon.

He earned a bachelor's degree, with a major in sociology and a minor in psychology, from the University of Portland.

He was single and did not have any children.

Last week, Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV was killed during a firefight with 100 ISIS fighters.

He was advising the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters when the militants broke through enemy lines and attacked a unit.

Keating, the son of disgraced 1980s financier Charles Keating, was drafted in to help in the battle, but the car he was travelling in took a direct hit from the enemy.
This is the man wanted by police after a woman was sexually assaulted when she was dancing at a popular music festival.

The 20-year-old woman was at the Groovin the Moo festival in Bendigo, 150km north-west of Melbourne on Saturday April 30.

She was dancing alone when an 18-year-old man, who had an injured arm in a sling, allegedly grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her.

This is the 18-year-old man wanted by police after a woman, 20, was sexually assaulted when she was dancing alone at the Groovin' the Moo festival in Bendigo, Victoria

A passer-by saw the woman in distress and came to her aid before the offender fled the scene.

Sexual Crime Squad detectives, who have released a facial composite of the alleged attacker, are appealing for public information.

He is between 180 and 183cm tall, has a slim build and blue eyes, light coloured hair and a pale complexion.

The 20-year-old woman was allegedly grabbed by the man, who had an injured arm in a sling, before he fled the scene

Groovin' the Moo is a six-date music festival which tours regional Australian cities and Canberra

The festival featured Sydney-based DJ Alison Wonderland, American rapper Danny Brown and New South Wales indie-rock band the Rubens

He was wearing a white shirt with Premiers written on the back and had a suspected broken arm in a red sling.

Anyone who has information about the incident or the mans identity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Groovin' the Moo is a six-date music festival which tours regional Australian cities and Canberra.

It featured Sydney-based DJ Alison Wonderland, American rapper Danny Brown and New South Wales indie-rock band the Rubens.
A 14-year-old girl and two 17-year-old boys were threatened with a knife and gun at a fast food restaurant by a robber who climbed through the drive-thru window.

The teenagers were at Red Rooster in Ashmore, Queensland, on Sunday evening when the robber arrived shortly before 8pm.

Armed with a gun and a knife, he threatened one of the boys before leaving with a bag full of cash. None of the teenagers were injured in the incident.

Both boys were working at the restaurant, police confirmed. It is not clear whether the girl was a customer or employee.

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Three teenagers were held up at a Red Rooster in Ashmore, Queensland on Sunday by a robber who climbed through the drive-thru window. Above, an employee speaks to police at the scene after the incident

A manager at the branch declined to comment on Monday when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

Queensland Police revealed the man arrived on foot at around 7.50pm, walking up the drive-thru entrance to let himself in through the open window.

Once inside he demanded cash of the three youngsters and threatened one of the boys with his knife.

'Around 7.50pm a man walked through the drive-thru area of the Cotlew Street business, opened and climbed through the window,' a force spokesman said in a statement.

The robber climbed through the drive-thru window of the restaurant (above) before demanding cash of the youngsters

Police are still investigating the incident which occurred on Sunday night. Above, officers and a sniffer dog work at the scene

'The man produced a knife and a firearm before making demands for money from three employees inside.

'He then threatened a male employee with the knife and again demanded money.

'The man grabbed a bag containing a sum of cash and climbed back through the window before fleeing on foot.

'No one was physically injured. Investigations are continuing.' No one has been arrested on connection with the incident.
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Damaging winds, flash flooding and rain has set in across the country, with Adelaide and Melbourne recording gusts of winds up to 80km/h - bringing down trees and leaving thousands of homes without power.

A huge ironbark tree collapsed on The Parade's median strip in Norwood, Adelaide's east on Monday afternoon, crushing a car and shop awning, while reports emerged a flash flood caused part of Melbourne's Princes Freeway to be blocked.

While forecasters stressed it would be a 'miserable, gloomy and rainy day,' across Sydney, the solid downpour greatly improved the 'air quality' after a blanket of smoke from 50 controlled fires across the state engulfed the city on Saturday.

Damaging winds, flash flooding and rain has set in across the country, with Adelaide and Melbourne recording gusts of winds up to 80km/h - bringing down trees (pictured in Norwood) and leaving thousands of homes without power

While forecasters stressed it would be a 'miserable, gloomy and rainy day,' across Sydney, the solid downpour greatly improved the 'air quality' across after a blanket of smoke from 50 controlled fires across the state engulfed the city on Saturday

'During the afternoon the rain should get heavy enough to improve the air quality as it's been very smoky,' Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutschke told Daily Mail Australia.

Monday's rain and cloud will clear across New South Wales by the evening and there is a good chance the stars will be visible overnight.

No one was injured after the massive tree collapsed onto the street and Bath Hotel owner Tony Franzon said it was 'unfortunate'.

'[The trees are] pretty high up and if you have a look around, they'd hit most of the facades of the buildings (if they fell),' he said, The Advertiser reported.

More than 3000 homes in the state's south were left without power by the late afternoon.

A flash flood reportedly left traffic at a halt on the Princes Freeway between Melbourne and Geelong and wind gusts in alpine areas exceeded 100km/h, The Herald Sun reported.

Commuters across Sydney uploaded photos to social media of hordes of people donning raincoats and holding umbrellas as they waited to board a bus at Central station and escape the downpour.

A 'few chillier nights and mornings' are forecast across the state from Tuesday through to Monday next week, but the weather during the day is set to be 'fairly mild'.

'The coolest day will be Wednesday, with a front crossing the region,' Mr Dutschke said.

Although the temperature is still above average for the month of May, Sydneysiders are expected to feel the chill on Wednesday especially, with a maximum of 20 degrees forecast in the city and 21 degrees in the western suburbs.

A huge ironbark tree collapsed on The Parade's median strip in Norwood, Adelaide's east on Monday afternoon, crushing a car and shop awning

A petrol station in Adelaide was left worse for wear after the ceiling caved in, leaving a enormous sheet of metal dangling above the petrol pumps

A flooded street in Melbourne's southeast suburb of Parkdale forced a cyclist to bide his time undercover as the water gushed past

A P-plater decided to power through after a street in Broadmeadows in Melbourne became victim to a flash flood

This little dog sought solace by standing undercover in Melbourne on Monday morning in his raincoat until a rain break

Commuters across Sydney uploaded photos to social media of hordes of people donning raincoats and holding umbrellas as they waited to board a bus at Central Station and escape the downpour

While showers will ease by Thursday across Melbourne, the coming weekend is set to be pleasant with a top of 22 degrees on Saturday

A flash flood reportedly left traffic at a halt on the Princes Freeway between Melbourne and Geelong and wind gusts in alpine areas exceeded 100km/h

Broken Hill in New South Wales recorded a few flash floods and NSW SES put out a warning for locals to stay alert

The skies in Hobart were ominous on Monday morning as the rain began to increase

'Mr Seal' managed to bask on the steps at Sydney Opera House during a brief break from the rain

In Melbourne, many work opted to stay indoors by the fire - the city has forecast a minimum of 13 and top of 21 for the rest of Monday

The South Australian SES travelled through Port Adelaide and Holdfast Bay on Monday to provide residents with 10,000 sandbags to prevent flood waters entering their home.

Westerly winds will sweep across the state for the next few days and be strongest on Tuesday. The SES posted a warning for the south west and far west of New South Wales overnight on Sunday. Broken Hill in the far west outback recorded some flash floods.

The rain also hit Melbourne on Monday morning with storms gathering in the west.

Damaging winds are expected in the north east, west and south and east Gippsland districts for the rest of the day with gusts of up to 100km/h forecast for alpine areas, the Bureau of Meteorology says.

Thunderstorms and heavy rain which may lead to flash flooding are forecast for the northern country, north central, north east, south west and central forecast districts and parts of the Mallee and Wimmera.

While showers will ease by Thursday across Melbourne, the coming weekend is set to be pleasant with a top of 22 degrees on Saturday.

A low pressure system moved east across South Australia on Sunday night and Monday morning, bringing squally rain and gusts of up to 90km/h.

Sydneysiders donned raincoats at a downpour at Newtown station (pictured) left many waiting for transport in the rain

Western Australia police issued a warning on Facebook after two workmen became bogged on a remote road near the the Yulumbu Community in the Kimberley region

Winds of up to 100km/h and flash flooding is forecast for much of Victoria and Melbourne CBD (pictured) had a decent downpour in the morning

Adelaide was battered with winds of up to 90km/h on Monday morning, leaving residents struggling to secure some of their outdoor belongings

The rain hit Melbourne on Monday morning with storms gathering in the west

Hobart has a maximum of 20 degrees forecast for Monday and one local snapped a photo of a boat wharf and captioned the photo: 'I found winter!'

Brisbane city was barely visible on Monday morning with a fog covering the skyscrapers and parts of the river

Parts of Canberra were an autumn vision of red and orange leaves on Monday morning and showers swept through the city

The weather bureau has issued a severe weather warning for areas including Ceduna, Port Lincoln, Cleve, Maitland, Port Pirie and Adelaide.

Other parts of SA remain on flood watch, after up to 80mm of rain fell on the far northeastern corner of the state on Monday.

Adelaide's rainy weather will clear by the weekend, but residents can expect showers and maximum temperatures of 22 degrees throughout the working week.

Western Australia police issued a warning on Facebook after two workmen became bogged on a remote road near the the Yulumbu Community in the Kimberley region.

'Due to recent rain the area they were in could not be accessed by road and a helicopter had to be sent in to search for them,' they wrote.

Some drought-stricken outback Queensland towns also received more than four times their monthly rainfall, with a trough covering much of central Australia.

Birdsville was drenched with 50 millimetres overnight - the town's wettest May day since 1981 - but the Bureau of Meteorology predicts the rain will dissipate quickly as it heads east.

'It will have a short life cycle and will be replaced by very dry air for the next week,' BOM forecaster Adam Blazak said.

A fog appeared over Sydney Harbour (pictured) on Sunday for Mother's Day, but lifted overnight as the rain set in

One young man on Instagram joked 'nothing to see here' after snapping this foggy picture on Monday morning in the southern Mount Lofty ranges, 15 kilometres east of Adelaide CBD

The SES posted a warning for the south west and far west of New South Wales overnight on Sunday after expected 'local flooding'

Health warnings were issued in Sydney on Saturday after smoke came from the Blue Mountains and settled on the city (pictured), after two days of hazard reduction burning

One Melbourne cyclist snapped this picture of the city just visible in the distance as they pedalled over the Yarra River in the rain

In Grosevale, north-west of Sydney, one woman shared a picture of a light fog blanketing a local park, setting an autumn scene

FORECAST: WHAT THE WEATHER LOOKS LIKE AROUND AUSTRALIA SYDNEY Monday : Min 14, Max 22. Rain Tuesday : Min 16, Max 24. Mostly sunny Wednesday : Min 13, Max 21. Mostly sunny Thursday : Min 13, Max 23. Sunny BRISBANE: Monday : Min 16, Max 29. Partly cloudy Tuesday: Min 19, Max 30. Partly cloudy Wednesday : Min 17, Max 26. Partly cloudy Thursday : Min 13, Max 27. Sunny ADELAIDE Monday : Min 13, Max 19. Showers, windy Tuesday: Min 12, Max 19. Shower or two Wednesday : Min 12, Max 20. Possible shower Thursday: Min 14, Max 21. Possible shower DARWIN Monday : Min 25, Max 32. Shower or two, possible storm Tuesday: Min 25, Max 33. Shower or two, possible storm Wednesday : Min 24, Max 33. Possible early storm Thursday: Min 23, Max 33. Sunny MELBOURNE Monday : Min 13, Max 21. Rain, possible storm Tuesday :Min 14, Max 17. Showers easing Wednesday : Min 11, Max 17. Showers easing Thursday: Min 12, Max 20. Possible shower CANBERRA Monday : Min 6, Max 17. Rain Tuesday: Min 9, Max 17. Possible shower, windy Wednesday : Min 3, Max 15. Partly cloudy Thursday: Min 6, Max 18. Cloudy PERTH Monday : Min 13, Max 20. Partly cloudy Tuesday : Min 7, Max 23. Mostly sunny Wednesday : Min 9, Max 24. Sunny Thursday: Min 9, Max 24. Sunny HOBART Monday : Min 12, Max 20. Rain increasing Tuesday: Min 11, Max 17. Showers, windy Wednesday : Min 10, Max 17. Showers Thursday: Min 9, Max 19. Shower or two. Becoming windy

The gloomy weather comes after a stint of 'unusually warm' weather with the mercury hitting at least 20 degrees for almost 118 days in a row across Sydney.

Most of the country enjoyed a pleasant weekend, with Melbourne just a few degrees cooler than Sydney on Saturday and Sunday.

Health warnings were issued in Sydney after smoke came from the Blue Mountains, west of the city, after two days of hazard reduction burning, where areas of bush are burned out to provide a 'stop' area to prevent major bush fires.

Last week, parts of Tasmania had an unexpected early snow season, with a light blanket falling in Launceston on Wednesday.

While snow can fall at any time in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania, the snow season is typically July to September where the minimum temperature can reach minus 10 degrees.

Great Lake in the central northern region recorded a light blanket of snow on Wednesday, which brought much needed water into the lake.

Brisbane will be cloudy for the coming three days, but the sun will be in full force on Thursday with a top of 27

Showers will continue across Hobart (pictured) until the weekend with maximums of 21 expected

'Went all the way up to the summit of Mt Wellington to see the view over Hobart and the harbour, turns out it's just a little bit foggy,' the person who uploaded this image to Instagram wrote

Health warnings were issued in Sydney after smoke came from the Blue Mountains, west of the city, after two days of hazard reduction burning, where areas of bush are burned out to provide a 'stop' area to prevent major bush fires

Last week, parts of Tasmania had an unexpected early snow season, with a light blanket falling in Launceston on Wednesday
Men have long been considered the more competitive sex.

But women actually trump them if it benefits their children, research suggests.

Mothers will be more competitive than fathers if the welfare of their youngsters is at stake, a study has found.

An experiment found women were more likely than men to win in a contest if their children benefited at the end.

Inner tiger: Mothers will be more competitive than fathers if the welfare of their youngsters is at stake

The conclusion challenges the widely held belief that women are more empathetic and nurturing but do not necessarily fight for their children.

But researchers said women should be careful when asserting themselves, especially at work, as conditioning meant they may face a backlash.

Competitive mothers have been labelled Tiger Mums.

Amy Chua, a Chinese American, wrote a book on how parents should follow the Chinese model and drive their children hard to be the best they can. The US researchers asked 185 mothers and 173 fathers living in Shanghai with children aged 11 to 18 to complete arithmetic tasks.

Each round had a small reward  either around 20p in cash or a voucher to buy books for their children.

Parents also had the option of playing against an opponent to double their winnings, but if they lost they got nothing.

When the cash prize was at stake, 26 per cent of mothers chose to go up against an opponent compared with 36 per cent of fathers.

However, the same number of mothers and fathers, 31 per cent, decided to go double or nothing for the book voucher.

Hold back: Researchers said women should be careful when asserting themselves, especially at work

In this situation, women were more likely to win, with a 53 per cent chance of getting the voucher. But when the prize was cash they won just 45 per cent of the time.

Alessandra Cassar, a professor of economics at the University of San Francisco, and lead author of the study, said that the results showed women worry about how they are perceived.

She said: 'For women, we always have to manage our image. We don't want to be seen as bossy but we can compete for children or other people because that does not lower our image'.

Professor Cassar said if the findings, published in journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were applied to the workplace it could revolutionise the office.

Women could shun high-powered, well-paid jobs for those offering scholarships for their children or on-site childcare. She said: '[Employers should] be creative so women will compete and high-ability women will take over, and overall the economy will be better off, not just because we would have the diversity but also because there would be more ability'.

Emily Amanatullah, of Georgetown University's women's leadership institute, said 'social constraints' rather than biological differences were the reason women were not as competitive, but she warned they should be careful when breaking the mould.

She said: 'When we see women fulfilling the role of supporter, aggressive behaviour is accepted and there is no social backlash whatsoever, like a mum storming into a principal's office to fight for her child.
Two suspects were never prosecuted over a woman's brutally violent death, prompting criticism over the handling of the case.

Mother-of-seven Lynette Daley, 33, was found naked, bloodied and bruised on Ten Mile Beach in northern NSW in January 2011.

An autopsy found she died from blunt force genital tract trauma after allegedly being subject to a violent sex act by a man assumed to be her boyfriend Adrian Attwater, reported in an episode of ABC's Four Corners that will air tonight.

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Pictured: Lynette Daley was allegedly subject to violent sex acts by two men during a camping trip on Ten Mile Beach in northern NSW

Mr Attwater and his friend, Paul Maris, took Ms Daley to Ten Mile Beach for a camping and fishing trip the day before she was allegedly assaulted.

The two men, who were known to police at the time, allegedly forced Ms Daley to perform a series of sex acts in the back of Mr Maris' four-wheel-drive while she was heavily inebriated.

Experts told Four Corners that Ms Daley was highly intoxicated, with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.352.

Mr Maris told police he destroyed key pieces of evidence such as the blood-soaked mattress and Ms Daley's underwear before law enforcement arrived at the scene.

NSW coroner Michael Barnes said Mr Attwater and Mr Maris' accounts of what they subjected Ms Daley to were 'inconceivable and dishonest' following an inquest in 2014.

Mr Attwater was charged with manslaughter and Mr Maris was charged with manslaughter accessory after the fact.

Adrian Attwater (pictured), believed to be Ms Daley's boyfriend, was charged with manslaughter but never prosecuted

Ms Daley's family, the police and NSW coroner have urged the NSW DPP to prosecute the two men including Mr Attwater's friend Paul Maris (pictured)

But the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute either man despite mounting pressure from the police and NSW coroner, leaving Ms Daley's family deeply shocked and frustrated.

Ms Daley's stepfather told Four Corners the system did not care about her.

'She was just a statistic with the DPP and with them. You know, it was just another Indigenous girl, we'll sweep it under the carpet. You know, they're a dime a dozen, this happens all the time, we'll let it go.

Ms Daley's sister, Pauline, told Four Corners that her life felt empty since her death in 2011.

'We don't celebrate birthdays, Christmas anymore. Life is not the same. It's never going to be the same,' Pauline said.

The interior of Mr Maris' four-wheel-drive vehicle where Ms Daley was allegedly sexually assaulted
Downing Street has been accused of trying deliberately to scupper referendum debates on TV by refusing to involve the Prime Minister.

Both the BBC and ITV want to hold major events in the days leading up to the June 23 vote featuring the biggest hitters from the In and Out campaigns.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are lined up to lead the charge for Leave but No 10 strategists refuse to sanction so-called blue on blue clashes with David Cameron.

Best of enemies: Boris Johnson and David Cameron horsing around at a Paralympic event in 2012. No 10 is blocking any referendum TV debate between them

Yesterday, George Osborne refused repeatedly to say the PM would be prepared to face Mr Gove or Mr Johnson.

He told ITVs Robert Peston: On the Leave side youve got some Conservatives and Ukip. On the remain side youve got the Conservative leadership, the Labour Party, the trade union movement, the Green Party.

Asked why they could not have a head-to-head debate, the Chancellor replied: I know everyone wants to turn it into a Tory soap opera but its more important than that.

Organisers of the BBC event at Wembley Arena are said to be in negotiations for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to lead the In team after both Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne ruled themselves out.

The plan has led to anger among In strategists. One said: The BBC needs to behave like big boys and think long and hard about whether this entire event is going to work.

On June 15, David Dimbleby is to host a special edition of BBCs Question Time, featuring a senior spokesman from each side.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove (pictured) are lined up to lead the charge for Leave but No 10 strategists refuse to sanction so-called blue on blue clashes with David Cameron

This will be followed on June 21 by the corporations biggest ever campaign event at Wembley, when both sides are due to have two advocates each.

ITV is also holding a debate. The broadcaster is said to be desperate to secure Mr Cameron.

However, sources close to the negotiations insist that No 10 is playing hardball.

On Wednesday, Gordon Brown is due to make his first big intervention on behalf of the Remain campaign. The In camp hopes he will help to persuade wavering Scots.
Sadiq Khan has savaged Jeremy Corbyn for obsessing over Left-wing causes while ignoring swathes of the electorate.

In a sign of a growing rift between the two, Londons new mayor also revealed he had not met his party leader since being elected on Friday.

Mr Khan said Labour needed to stop talking about ourselves and start talking to citizens about the issues that matter to them and accused Mr Corbyn and his allies of focusing on internal party issues instead of winning back voters.

Mr Khans first act as Mayor of London was to visit the Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony in Barnet, North London

Mr Corbyn (left) was not at the party and travelled to Bristol on Saturday in support of new Labour mayor, Marvin Rees (right)

Mr Khan held a victory party on Friday night after defeating Zac Goldsmith, before being sworn in at the capitals Southwark Cathedral on Saturday.

Mr Corbyn was not at the party and travelled to Bristol on Saturday in support of new Labour mayor, Marvin Rees.

Mr Khan, who distanced himself from Mr Corbyn during the Mayoral contest, said yesterday: I think were seeing each other tomorrow. But Ive been really busy.

This contradicted Mr Corbyn, who claimed on Saturday he would meet Mr Khan over the weekend, adding: Were getting on fine.

Asked on BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show what contribution Mr Corbyn had made to his election, Mr Khan replied: Success has many parents and I think whats important is the victory on Thursday was a victory for London because ... London chose hope over fear and unity over division.

In a separate newspaper article, Mr Khan said it was vital for Labour to be a big tent as squabbles over internal party structures meant nothing to most voters.

Mr Khan was asked on BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show what contribution Mr Corbyn had made to his election

Mr Khans first act as Mayor of London was to visit the Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony in Barnet, North London, alongside chief rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. Labours defence spokesman Emily Thornberry told Sky Newss Dermot Murnaghan that Mr Corbyn would agree with Mr Khans call for Labour to be a big tent. She said party members needed to stop talking amongst ourselves, about ourselves.

Labour MPs are at odds over last weeks election results, which saw the party finish third behind the Tories in Scotland and lose 18 council seats in England. Former Labour minister for Europe Caroline Flint said: [Shadow chancellor] John McDonnell said in the run up to these elections, Were looking to hang on.

Looking to hang on isnt enough. This is the worst result for an opposition party after a General Election in 30 years.

But Mr McDonnell attacked Mrs Flint on Twitter last night, saying he had not used the words looking to hang on and asking her to publicly correct her claims.
This is one cool cooler. Two men are crediting their cooler for saving their lives after their boat sank in the Galveston Bay and they managed to cling onto it for a day.

They then used the their Igloo cooler as a flotation device to get them to the remnants of a gas platform, and clung onto that for another two days.

Raymond Jacik, 49, and Michael Watkins, 51, were in their fishing boat off San Leon, Texas on April 25 when a rogue wave hit the boat and flipped it over, causing the men to be tossed into the bay.

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Michael Watkins (left), 51, and Raymond Jacik (right), 49, survived three days in the Galveston Bay thanks to their trusty cooler (above)

Jacik (right) suffered a heart attack while fighting to stay afloat in the water, both came away alive but with injuries

Jacik explained how the Igloo cooler bobbed up from the water after their boat overturned, hitting him the face - the expelled pair were then able to grab onto the handles to stay afloat

The pair were not wearing life jackets nor had any emergency equipment.

That's when Watkins says an Igloo cooler that had sank with the boat popped up from the water, and he was able to grab onto it.

'One of the coolers we had actually came up and hit me in the face, and that's when I grabbed the handle,' Watkins told CW39 NewsFix Houston. 'I made sure that the top stayed up and tried to swim.'

After clinging to the cooler for a day, the frightened friends found a small gas pipe platform and grasped on to that - but when ships kept passing them by without seeing them, they decided to try to swim with the cooler to a bigger platform.

The pair were finally spotted by the Coast Guard after clinging to a cooler and then the remains of a gas rig for three days in the turbulent bay - above, Watkins is placed in the rescue basket and hauled to safety

Raymond Jacik, above, suffered a heart attack while clinging to a cooler and fighting the waves while stranded at sea for three days

Watkins got battered back by waves, and returned to the first platform, while Jacik drifted off with the cooler. Eventually, he was able to grab onto the jagged pipes of a gas platform destroyed by Hurricane Ike.

At this point, the cooler floated away.

The buddies survived turbulent waves and a lightning storm, though just barely. Jacik suffered a heart attack during the ordeal and both suffered injuries, according to their GoFundMe page.

On the third day, the pair were finally spotted by a rescue helicopter.

Watkins (left) and Jacik (right) are above reunited with the Coast Guard members who saved their lives

After being reunited with their families, the duo put in a call to Igloo, thanking the CEO of the company for the product that saved their lives.

'We're humble that you're here to express your gratitude,' said Igloo CEO Mark A. Parrish at a fundraiser for the pair. 'But we're also obligated by who we are and what we stand for in our communities to help us where we can.'

The company donated several coolers for auction to help the survivors with medical expenses, and also kicked in $1,000 to their fundraiser page. It also, of course, replaced the coolers the survivors had lost at sea.

The buddies now consider Igloo employees part of their extended family.
Now beer is going on sale in pubs with eye-watering prices, with many buying vintage ales as an investment

At 250.80 a bottle, it could be Britains most expensive pint.

Vintage wines have long been an attraction to wealthy connoisseurs with sophisticated palates.

But now beer, often seen as a drink for the man in the street, is going on sale in pubs with eye-watering prices, with many buying vintage ales as an investment.

The most expensive is the 1997 Fullers vintage ale, which costs 250.80 and can be bought online or at Fullers pubs across South England.

Based on this years prices  the Fullers vintage 2016 ale sells for 4.09 a bottle  this means its price has gone up by 6032 per cent.

It has fared better than the 1999 vintage, which sells for 111.20, but that is still a staggering 2736 per cent rise in value.

The second-most expensive vintage is the 1998 edition, at 237.60, followed by the 2000 ale which is selling for 211.20.

The different prices are due to age and rarity but also because of the fact that each ale is brewed with different hops every year, meaning the quality varies.

Experts say more people are buying vintage beer as an investment, with older, more rarer ones now commanding a large price.

A pub in Kings Cross station in London, the Parcel Yard, is one of a number of select bars with a range of Fullers Vintage Ales on sale.

A barman at the pub  a former parcel sorting office at the station - said that the high price is not putting people off: People do order it (the 211.20 vintage ale). I have sold a few but its really rare. I have tasted it, its nice, its quite strong.

Other pubs selling the ales include the Admiralty in Trafalgar Square or Londons Pride in Heathrows Terminal 2.

While once real ale was dismissed by some as a cranky fad as lager dominated our pubs and bars, under its new guise of craft beer it has become the tipple of choice for many a fashionable twenty and thirty-somethings. It seems that eye-watering prices for aged beers form part of the new trend.

John Keeling, head brewer at Fullers, said: We have been producing a Vintage Ale every year since 1997  and the older, rarer ones are now commanding a large price.

There is a lot of interest in beer at the moment  and we are even seeing people looking to buy beer as an investment.

Our Vintage Ale can be stored or savoured here and now and uses the best malt and hops the growers have to offer each year.

He added: We suggest you buy at least three bottles  drink one now, drink one in three years and save the other for a very rainy day when the value has increased  and just hope that everyone else hasnt had the same idea.

The most expensive is the 1997 Fullers vintage ale, which costs 250.80 and can be bought online or at Fullers pubs across South England

Patrick Dawson, advises in his book Vintage Beers that only strong beers  more than 8 per cent ABV  will age well although smoked or sour beers with lower alcohol content may work.

Beers need to be kept in the dark at low temperatures  around 12C (55F).

Mr Dawson, who lives in Vicenza, Italy said: The vast majority of beers should not be aged. Ninety-nine per cent of beers should be drunk immediately.

But he explains that when ageing works, the results can be delicious as the beer becomes smoother and loses rough edges.

As an analogy, the difference between sherry and young wine is the difference between vintage beer and pilsener.

The purpose of ageing is to develop unique flavours youd never find in a young wine.

The sorts of flavours that can develop are often on the dry-fruit side  such as figs, raisins, or candied plums and candied pineapple.

The different prices are due to age and rarity but also because of the fact that each ale is brewed with different hops every year, meaning the quality varies

Other flavours, with beers such as stouts, are more like molasses, dark chocolate and amaretto and with lighter beers its more likely to be treacle, golden syrup, and maple syrup, he said.

Mr Dawson said he wrote the book on ageing beers as he had carried out attempts to age beers at home with mixed results.

As beers age, they tend to become thinner and more fruity flavours are lost over time.

Brewers are increasingly catering to the vintage beer market and releasing beers with a best after date  say 2020  instead of a best before date, he said.

Mr Dawson said he would not pay 200+ for the Fullers Vintage ale, although he has paid a similar price for a 1968 Thomas Hardy ale brewed by now-defunct British brewer Eldridge Pope, based in Dorchester.

Eldridge Pope named the beer after the novelist, after Hardy wrote an ode to the beer in his novel the Trumpet Major. The beer, which was brewed with live yeast, was advertised as being intended to ferment in the bottle for 25 years.

In his tasting notes for specialist brewing website Draft, Mr Dawson wrote: One drink transports you to a cozy English parlor with aspects like tobacco, leather and wood all mingling with dried fruit, molasses and sherry flavors; you can almost hear Churchill orating in the distance.

The ale has thinned considerably which makes the lack of carbonation a non-issue. Its one of those brews you wish would never end: a masterpiece, with each sip being a delicious, new experience.
Footage of incident was captured on dashcam and

The driver was returning from Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains

Dramatic footage captures the moment a driver turned around a blind corner before he narrowly missed a head-on collision with an overtaking car.

The video recorded on a dashcam shows the driver as he travels around a bend in the road before a Mercedes overtakes on double yellow lines.

The recording of the near-miss was captured on their dash cam and uploaded to Dash Cam Owners Australia's Facebook page on Sunday.

The driver of a red car, who wishes to remain anonymous was returning from Mount Wilson in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney when the incident occurred.

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Dramatic footage captures the moment a driver turned around a blind corner before he narrowly missed a head-on collision with an overtaking car

The video shows the driver travelling down a narrow road with double lines at 80 kilometres per hour.

Either side of the road is covered in trees and shrubs making it impossible for the driver to see around each corner.

After turning another blind corner a silver Mercedes and a white Subaru appear on either side of the road travelling at dangerous speeds towards the red car.

The driver reacted quickly by slamming on the brakes, giving the Mercedes just enough time to overtake the Subaru.

'Came around a corner to find another car overtaking over double white lines,' the driver of the red car posted on Facebook.

The video has amassed over 150,000 views and a number of comments condemning the dangerous behaviour of the driver of the silver Mercedes.

'Wow what an idiot to overtake there. Dash cam driver did very well to stop that quickly,' one user wrote.

The video shows the driver travelling down a narrow road with double lines at 80 kilometres per hour (pictured)

After turning another blind corner a silver Mercedes (pictured) and a white Subaru appear on either side of the road travelling at dangerous speeds towards the red car
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found battered to death at a flat in Rochdale.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police had been called to reports of concern for welfare at a property on Oldham Road shortly after 10am on Sunday.

The victim was named locally as Anne-Marie Nield, 44, who lived at the address.

Investigation underway: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found battered to death at a flat in Rochdale. Forensics teams are pictured at the scene on Sunday

A 41-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

Officers received a call to attend a flat above the AA Arnold electrics store, where they found the woman's body. It is believed Ms Nield had suffered multiple injuries.

On Sunday morning there remained a large police presence outside the building, located above a parade of shops.

Forensics officers could be seen combing the area while police tape surrounded the building.

Police were also carrying out door-to-door enquiries.

A staff member at the nearby Eagle Hotel pub said Ms Nield was 'very friendly', adding the news had shocked workers and customers.

Police tape: Officers from Greater Manchester Police had been called to reports of concern for welfare at a property on Oldham Road shortly after 10am on Sunday. The victim was named locally as Anne-Marie Nield, 44

Arrest: A 41-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody

She said: 'It is upsetting. It has thrown us all this morning.'

A workman said: 'There have been four police vans around since 12pm today. Then police were stood outside.

'I didn't even realise people lived there. It is just really horrible.'

Another resident said there were always lots of people coming and going from the flat.

He added the people 'kept themselves to themselves'.

Police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with further information to get in touch.

Tests: Forensics officers could be seen combing the area (pictured) while police tape surrounded the building

Grim discovery: Officers received a call to attend a flat above the AA Arnold electrics store (pictured), where they found the woman's body. It is believed Ms Nield had suffered multiple injuries

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts from Greater Manchester Police said: 'This is a tragic situation and my thoughts are with the family and friends of this poor lady. Our specially trained officers are with them and offering our support at this sad time.

'We arrested a man at the scene on suspicion of murder. We are now investigating and trying to get a full understanding of what happened.
Ikea could be set to open its first stores on the high street after it registered an interest in taking on some of BHSs shops.

The Swedish giant has been in talks with BHSs administrator and will act if the retailer fails to find a buyer for the whole business, The Times reported last night.

Daniel Lundholm, spokesman for Ikea UK and Ireland, said: I can confirm that we have not and will not be bidding to buy the BHS business out of administration.

Swedish giant Ikea is in talks with BHSs administrator and will act if the retailer fails to find a buyer for the whole business

However, we are exploring a number of potential locations across the UK for more order and collection points.

Ikea currently has 18 stores but all are in out of town locations.

It has one additional order and collection store, at a retail park in Norwich, but wants to expand the new format.

BHS, which started trading in 1928, collapsed last month just over a year after Sir Philip Green sold the chain for 1 to a consortium led by a twice-bankrupt entrepreneur.

The business failure  described as the unacceptable face of capitalism by Conservative backbencher Richard Fuller  has placed about 11,000 jobs at risk.

And Sir Philip has come under intense scrutiny as it emerged BHS pensions fund deficit has risen to 571million while he and his family were paid more than 300million in dividends.

Retail tycoon Sir Philip Green was widely criticised after BHS collapsed a year after he sold it for 1

But the intervention of Ikea could save some key premises for the chain, and see the furniture manufacturer move into city centre premises with unprecedented potential footfall.

Since its foundation 73 years ago, Ikea has become the worlds largest furniture manufacturer.

Its success is in stark contrast to the fortunes of BHS, which was acquired by Sir Philip for 840million in 2002.

In 2005, his wife Tina Green received a 1.2billion dividend but last year it was sold to little-known consortium Retail Acquisitions, led by Dominic Chappell, for 1.

News of Ikeas interest comes as a parliamentary probe into BHS collapse gets underway, where a panel of experts will examine the chains demise.

It is claimed that Sir Philip asset stripped the declining BHS and dumped it with a 571 million pension deficit

MPs from the work and pensions and business, innovations and skills committees will pour over the circumstances leading to the collapse.

Alan Rubenstein, the chief executive of the Pension Protection Fund, which is a taxpayer-backed cushion for retirement schemes linked to failed companies, has said it could cost 300million to cover pension costs.
A marriage celebrant who wed a couple just three months ago will now help bury the bride.

The 37-year-old recently married woman was murdered in Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday.

Police were called to a property in the city about 7.30pm and arrested another 37-year-old woman after finding the victim's body, Stuff.co.nz reported.

The second woman was charged with murder and appeared in Wellington District Court on Saturday morning.

Police were called to a property on Tannadyce Street (pictured) in Wellington, New Zealand, on Friday evening, where they found the body of a 37-year-old woman. They arrested another 37-year-old woman at the scene and charged her with murder

The woman charged with murder appeared in the Wellington District Court on Saturday and her lawyer sought a mental health assessment for her

Her lawyer said he was seeking a mental health assessment for her.

She was described as a 'professional' who had a young child, according to Stuff.

The victim and her husband were described as a quiet couple.

People who said they lived in the area were discussing the murder on social media and described hearing gunshots on Friday evening.

Police wouldn't comment on what was found at scene or if a weapon had been used.

They also would not comment on the relationship between the victim and accused.

New Zealand police would not comment on what was found at the scene, if a weapon had been used, or the relationship between the murder accused and victim (stock image)

A post-mortem was being conducted on Sunday.

On Sunday the victim's family and husband were too distraught to comment and a vigil was underway at the property.

Stuff.co.nz reported that the victim and her husband had only been married three months ago, and the celebrant who married them would now officiate at her funeral.

Both victim and accused have interim name suppression, according to Stuff.co.nz.
to be sparked by a malfunction of a ceiling fan

A 90-year-old war veteran was treated for smoke inhalation and 10 others were evacuated after a fire ripped through a resident's bathroom.

Firefighters were called to the Returned and Services League nursing home in Menora, a northern suburb of Perth, at around 4am on Monday.

They found a bedroom engulfed in smoke and a fire, believed to be caused by a ceiling fan in the adjoining bathroom.

A 90-year-old war veteran was treated for smoke inhalation and 10 others were evacuated after a fire ripped through a resident's bathroom at the RSL nursing home in Menora, Perth

Sprinklers were activated to reduce the blaze and 11 people were evacuated from rooms near the fire.

Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman Melissa Cooper praised nursing home staff for their quick response.

'There was a malfunction of a fan in a resident's bathroom,' she told the ABC.

Fire crews found a bedroom engulfed in smoke and a fire in the adjoining bathroom, which is believed to have been caused by a ceiling fan

'The staff here quickly responded to the alarm going off. They've removed the occupant, they've shut the door and they've evacuated most of the people in the area to an adjacent area of the building, so their response was very quick.

'These are elderly residents, they are RSL residents, so they needed to be assisted. The staff here did a fantastic job. They put their fire management plan into action and moved eleven residents to an adjacent part of the building.'
He famously turned up to work drunk in 2009 after a few too many at the Logies.

And on Monday as Karl Stefanovic nursed his bleary head after another wild night at the awards ceremony, his fragile state became the butt of jokes throughout The Today Show.

Political commentator Laurie Oakes joked that he was the 'only sober' person on television during an interview with Stefanovic who had already enjoyed a plate of Nasi Goreng at around 7.30am.

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Political commentator Laurie Oakes (right) joked he was the 'only sober' person on television during a live interview with Today Show host Karl Stefanovic (left) the morning after the Logies

The 72-year-old appeared during a live cross to the show's pop-up studio in Melbourne's Crown hotel where Stefanovic and co-hosts Sylvia Jeffreys and Lisa Wilkinson stayed the night before after the awards.

After discussing the forthcoming double dissolution election, Stefanovic thanked Mr Oakes for his comments and described him as 'the only sane person on Australian television the morning after the Logies.'

Laughing, the political expert responded: 'Thanks Karl. I don't know about sane but sober.'

Stefanovic, who sat hunched over and bearing a wide grin throughout the breakfast show, laughed off his comments, adding: 'That too.'

The 41-year-old presenter hosted the Channel Nine breakfast show from Melbourne's Crown hotel where he and his co-hosts stayed the night before

Stefanovic initiated the joke with his guest, describing him as the 'only sane person' on air the morning after the event

Mr Oakes, 72. had been invited on to the show to discuss the forthcoming double dissolution election

Five years ago the presenter apologised after arriving to host the show with Lisa Wilkinson after a wild night at the event.

'It wasnt any different to any other year  we all get smashed at the Logies and go to work the next day; wed done it for years and years,' he said in a YouTube video later.

'But this was the first Logies when stuff really started working on the internet. I remember seeing it on Today Tonight and going "Oh god." I really was drunk, or at least I certainly looked and sounded drunk.'.

In 2009 Stefanovic hosted the show with co-presenter Lisa Wilkinson while he was still drunk (above)

On Sunday evening the presenter appeared in a string of raucous social media posts from the star-studded event. Above, he sits slumped over a spilled glass of wine in a snap shared by Sylvia Jeffreys

In another image shared from the party he appeared to be in high spirits

On Sunday the 41-year-old took to Twitter to describe the event as 'the best' he could remember after a night of drinking and dancing.

He appeared in several animated social media posts throughout the night, one of which showed him slumped over a spilled glass of red wine with one hand to his head.

On Monday the presenter indulged in a restorative Nasi Goreng on air.

His co-host Richard Wilkins made no attempt to hide his condition, appearing on the show with a pair of sunglasses and slumped on the sofa.
Joseph Daul (pictured), who is president of the biggest political grouping in the chamber, said a combined military force was essential

An EU army is the only way to protect the lives of its citizens, one of the most senior members of the European Parliament has claimed.

Joseph Daul, who is president of the biggest political grouping in the chamber, said a combined military force was essential.

The Frenchmans remarks were seized on by armed forces minister Penny Mordaunt, a leading Leave campaigner, as evidence that Britain was being asked to surrender its national defence to the EU.

To mark Europe Day today, Mr Daul issued a statement saying: Today more than ever, the peace of our continent cannot be safeguarded without a common and functional security union, including a European army.

EU countries must come together and commit to further cooperation, information exchange and counter-radicalisation efforts. This is the only way to defend our core values and defend the lives of EU citizens. The EU should protect its citizens.

The leader of European Peoples Party grouping also called for further economic integration and social harmonisation.

He said: We must secure a more social Europe and make sure no one is left behind. A single country cannot tackle our current challenges, such as the migration crisis and the fight against terrorism, on its own.

Only by working together we can find successful solutions and keep working for the future of next generations.

Mr Dauls remarks come after a German policy paper leaked last week showed that plans to establish an EU army are being revived. Miss Mordaunt said: This is proof of the European Unions plan to create a Euro army  and it is dishonest for the In campaign to claim otherwise.

I find it deeply concerning that the campaign to stay in the EU is lobbying the British people to agree to something that will involve downgrading our capability, and surrendering control over our national defence to a Euro army.

Defence of the realm is one of Governments most basic duties. The prospect of having our security policy dictated by Brussels is a huge concern  and makes a mockery of the claim Britain is stronger in the EU.

The idea of creating an EU Army, once thought to be off the table, has been revived, although supporters wanted to publicise it after Britain holds its in-out referendum on June 23.

The Frenchmans remarks were seized on by armed forces minister Penny Mordaunt (pictured), a leading Leave campaigner, as evidence that Britain was being asked to surrender its national defence to the EU

Supporters call for the use of all possibilities under EU treaties to establish deeper cooperation between willing member states.

They would create a joint civil-military headquarters for EU operations, a council of defence ministers and cooperate more on the use and manufacturing of military equipment.

The leaked document also highlights how Germany wants to throw off its reputation from the Second World War to emerge as a trusted military power in Europe.

The paper noted: Germany is willing to join early, decisively and substantially as a driving force in international debates... to take responsibility and assume leadership.

This would controversially require the removal of restrictions on army operations by the Germans.

The German and Dutch militaries have already started merging. The countries are sharing Hollands largest ship, the Karel Doorman and their navies have started to integrate.
The toddler was not left with any permanent damage from the incident

The team at Roma Street Fire station had to remove the bath tub altogether

The rescue operation was complex due to the old style of

A toddler has spent seven hours with her hand stuck in the drain of a bath tub before being freed by emergency services.

Queensland Fire and Rescue services had to remove the bathtub to free 15-month-old Olivia from Brisbane, who was having a normal bath time before she got stuck.

The rescue operation took five hours, which according to Jason Lawler, Area Commander at Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, was unusual.

Brisbane toddler, Olivia had her fingers stuck in a bathtub train for seven hours before she was rescused by emergency services

Jason Lawler, Area Commander at Queensland Fire and Emergency Services said the rescue operation took so long because of complications due to the old style of bath and drain.

Commander Lawler told Daily Mail Australia: 'All the normal ways didnt work in this situation, there were complications which is why the rescue took so long.'

'The team had to partially destroy the bathroom. It was an old style type of bath, grate and pipe which meant we couldn't just pop the thing out.'

The Technical team at Roma Street Fire station ended up having to drill through the roof of another apartment in order to remove the bath.

'The guys and girls did a fantastic job going through their safest options, until the point they decided to remove the bath,' said Commander Lawler.

'Mum and dad were very appreciative of the teams efforts and fortunately the young girl was not left with any permanent damage.'

The Technical team at Roma Street Fire station ended up having to drill through the roof another apartment in order to remove the bath

Incidents like this are not uncommon, though the length of time taken to rescue Olivia was unusual. The toddler was not left with any permanent damage

The toddlers mum Kiara Hampton told 9News it was a normal bath time until she tried to pick Olivia up and her hand was stuck.

'I got liquid soap and was squirting down the drain to try and pull her fingers out, after that didnt work I knew that I needed an ambulance.'

The ambulance came along with the fire brigade and a plumber, at the height of it there were six fire fighters plus paramedics at the scene.

Olivia's dad Tim Austin told said if it wasn't for the efforts of the emergency services, they would have never have gotten close to getting the toddler out and that she could have lost or broken her fingers.
A woman who survived cancer over a decade ago thanks to her own father's stem cell research is once again battling the disease.

Last year Dr Danielle Tindle was diagnosed with a rare form of neuroendocrine carcinoma, which doctors believe may be due to treatment she received for Hodgkin's lymphoma 12 years ago.

According to her father, a retired Professor of Immunology, and some doctors, her latest tumor could have been caused by the harsh treatments such as chemotherapy used in her 20s.

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Dr Danielle Tindle, 36, survived Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer 12 years ago primarily due to her father's stem cell research

Robert Tindle told Australian Story he believes his daughter's tumor: 'is almost entirely the result of the draconian treatment she had 12 years ago for Hodgkin's lymphoma'.

Dr Tindle's father was the one who helped cure his daughter's previous cancer due to groundbreaking stem cell research.

However he, and other doctors, firmly believe the way Dr Tindle's Hodgkin's lymphoma was treated 12 years ago has contributed to the development of her current tumor.

'Certainly chemotherapy can cause genetic alterations and there is that chance of developing other tumours,' Dr Margie McGrath, medical oncologist at Greenslopes Private Hospital in Brisbane, said.

Halfway through her PhD titled: 'Creating Meaning: The cancer survivorship experiences of young adults in Australia, England and the United States' she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer

Now she is battling a rare form of neuroendocrine carcinoma in the form of a tumor

'But generally, neuroendocrine tumours are extremely rare,' she added.

The treatment she is receiving for her current tumor is costing her $5000 a fortnight, despite it being available to a melanoma patients for just $6.20 on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS).

'[The melanoma patient] is receiving it at a PBS subsidised rate, while I'm paying thousands of dollars', Dr Tindle told ABC'S Australian Story in an episode to air on Monday evening.

Dr Tindle has to pay $5000 a fortnight for cancer treatment that's available to other suffers for $6.20

In the years following her first diagnosis the 26-year-old spent her time telling her story and helping others

He father Professor Robert Tindle believes his daughter's second cancer is due to the treatment of her first

The treatment is an immunotherapy shot administered every fortnight, and has the potential to save the 36-year-old's life.

Since last June Dr Tingle has spent $80,000 on immunotherapy drugs and a scan later this month will determine whether it has been effective in shrinking her tumor.
Britain's biggest building society is increasing the age limit on home loans from 75 to 85 as lenders move to fight accusations of age discrimination.

The Nationwides limit is the oldest someone can be when their mortgage matures  so customers of 80 will be able to have a home loan with a maximum term of five years.

It is the highest of any major high street lender, and comes days after Halifax raised its limit from 75 to 80.

Britain's biggest building society is increasing the age limit on home loans from 75 to 85 as lenders move to fight accusations of age discrimination

Experts last night said the move will put pressure on other major lenders, including Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest and HSBC, to follow suit.

Nationwide said it was adapting to growing demand from customers, who want to be able to borrow until later in life but were previously frozen out of the mortgage market.

It is exploring other options, including increasing the existing 75-year age limit for new customers. Henry Jordan, its head of mortgages, said: We are taking a series of steps to meet a growing demand from customers to be able to borrow in later life.

'These customers are often asset rich, with significant equity in their home, and they wish to have the flexibility to borrow against it.

Older people wanting to remortgage could include those wanting to take cash out of their home to pay for an extension, or make modifications to the home for a disabled spouse.

Nationwide customers who want to borrow until they are 85 need an income in retirement, such as a pension, which must be able to cover the cost of the mortgage.

They will also need a deposit of at least a 40 per cent, and can only borrow up to 150,0000.

The move by Halifax and Nationwide marks a major turning point for high street lenders, which have faced accusations of discriminating against older borrowers after tougher affordability checks introduced in April 2014 made banks wary of lending to customers borrowing into retirement.

The rules were introduced in the wake of the financial crisis, which followed years of reckless lending. But banks have been criticised for going too far the other way in an attempt to appease regulators.

The Nationwides limit is the oldest someone can be when their mortgage matures  so customers of 80 will be able to have a home loan with a maximum term of five years

This led to customers in their forties being turned down for mortgages, which typically have 25-year terms. There have also been reports of customers in their late thirties being turned down for increasingly popular 35-year deals.

Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest  which is part of RBS  have age limits of 70.

The Financial Conduct Authority has already warned banks to avoid a computer says no attitude when dealing with older borrowers and apply more discretion.

But while 22 smaller building societies have decided to lend to customers into their eighties, the big banks have dragged their feet.

David Hollingworth, from the mortgage broker London & Country, said: This is a definite step forward. Once someone like Halifax opens the door others will inevitably follow.

The mood in the industry has changed and there is now more desire to help older borrowers.
The Salvation Army has barred a fundamentalist Christian movement from planning a retreat for fathers looking to marry off their children.

The event, dubbed Get Them Married, was going to take place in November at Camp Hiawatha in Wichita, Kansas, Raw Story reported.

But reports of the event surfaced, causing the Salvation Army, which owns Camp Hiawatha, to refuse to let it take place.

Let Them Marry, the ministry behind the retreats, began with Vaughn Ohlman, a member of the anti-birth control Quiverfull movement who organized his son's marriage in 2013.

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The retreat, dubbed Get Them Married, was going to take place in November at the Salvation Army's Camp Hiawatha in Wichita, Kansas (pictured)

The ministry's website currently says the November event has been cancelled.

Meanwhile the Salvation Army in Wichita tweeted that it had denied a request from Let Them Marry to host the retreat at its camp.

'Our decision is based upon our long-standing concern for the welfare of children,' the organization told Raw Story in a statement.

'At The Salvation Army, we work every single day to provide a safe, caring place for children, many of whom have been left vulnerable due to the actions of adults.'

Ohlman found a wife for his son Joshua and secured his marriage before the young man met his bride-to-be according to a story published on a non-defunct section of Let Them Marry's website.

He connected with a man named Andrew Camp, who lived in Michigan, by email.

Let Them Marry, the ministry behind the retreats, began with Vaughn Ohlman (pictured), a member of the anti-birth control Quiverfull movement who organized his son's marriage in 2013

Soon, the two men decided that Joshua and Camp's daughter would get married and organized a betrothal ceremony, during which the two pledged to become husband and wife.

'I put their hands together for the first time that they have ever touched,' Camp said in a summary of the day.

'After the ceremony began a very pleasant time, as the rest of the party got to watch the newly betrothed husband and wife begin to get to know each other sitting, holding hands, and grinning foolishly much as every young couple since the world began,' the rest of the story states.

The Quiverfull movement has been associated with the Duggar family although they have denied belonging to it.

Let Them Marry's website currently states: 'We have never met the Duggars and are not affiliated with them.'

Most of the information on Let Them Marry's website has disappeared.

'Much of the content on our site was written with the discerning Christian in mind and was intended to help get Christians thinking about what the bible has to say about the path to marriage, and was not written to provide bite-sized summaries of what we believe,' a message now reads.

The website previously provided more information about Let Them Marry and the belief of the ministry.

The Salvation Army refused to let the event take place after reports surfaced in the media, saying the decision was based on concern for the welfare of children

'In much of our materials, we focus primarily on the marriage between a virgin young man to a virgin young woman,' one sentence stated.

'We do this not because we believe that this is the only right kind of marriage but because, right now, that is the area where our churches are hurting so badly.'

Another section, addressing what a woman should do if she cannot find a suitor, read: 'First of all, the woman should be going to her father and letting him know, unequivocally, that she is ready to be a wife and mother.

'She should let her father find her a husband. Give the job to him. No veto, no holding back, no qualifications.'
A returning soldier father had a heartwarming surprise for his deaf teen daughter when he showed up unexpectedly at her school for the deaf on Wednesday.

Tech Sgt. David Opperman of Glenolden, Pennsylvania was chatting with his 13-year-old daughter via Skype while she was attending classes at Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

Opperman, who had been deployed since October, signed off with his daughter, Amber, and closed the Skype session - only to appear in the door to her classroom, much to her shock and delight.

Returning soldier David Opperman was having a Skype session with his 13-year-old daughter Amber at her school for the deaf in Pennsylvania - he shocked her by walking in the door

Opperman signed at his daughter that she had promised to give him a big hug - she was happy to oblige

Amber was so shocked at her dad's appearance that she started hyperventilating, said her mom, Yvet

After a short tearful break from hugging, Amber went into for another one from her dad

Amber's mother says that her daughter's deafness has made it even more difficult for her to be separated from her dad.

'Especially for Amber being deaf - that's her first actual separation that she's known of since she's been born,' Yvet Opperman told ABC News.

Amber was under the impression that she was going to bring her mom into the video to surprise her dad, but the tables were turned when it was her father who waltzed in the door and greeted her.

Seemingly unable to believe he was really there, Amber looks a bit paralyzed for a moment - but then she jumps up and hugs her dad, all while crying and smiling.

'She's basically saying [in the video], "I can't believe you're here. I missed you so much",' Yvet said, translating her daughter's sign language. 'Me, I was teary eyed. I almost couldn't control myself. It was an emotional day, overall.'

Tech Sgt. David Opperman and his wife, Yvet, staged a surprise for daughter Amber (middle) when he stunned her by arriving at her school from deployment without notice

Yvet said her daughter has asthma, and she was so excited to see her dad she started hyperventilating.

Appropriately, David had signed off the Skype session by saying 'You owe me a big hug,' according to Inside Edition.

When he saw Amber on the other side of the wall, the first thing he signed was, 'You told me you were going to give me a big hug, so where is it?'
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While George W. Bush was widely criticized for his response to the September 11 terrorist attacks, newly released photos shed light on the former president's immediate reaction on that fateful morning.

Taken by Bush's personal photographer Eric Draper, the photo series captures the president on his visit to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, where he was reading to a second grade class when an adviser discreetly informed him the country was under attack.

Bush's calm demeanor in the classroom was slammed after video footage of the moment appeared in Michael Moore's Farenheit 9/11 in 2004.

But Draper's photos, released by the George W Bush Presidential Library and Museum, paint a humanizing portrait of Bush - from the initial moments to his address later that night vowing to 'find those responsible and bring them to justice'.

In a 2015 interview, Draper said: 'Capturing that story was difficult. I had to focus on being in the right place at the right time and push back the emotions that I was feeling to truly capture the story.

'Everyone did their job that day and I knew my job was to have a crystal clear focus to document what was in front of me, for others to place it into history.'

George W Bush was visiting Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, where he was reading to a second grade class on the morning of September 11, 2001 when an adviser discreetly informed him a second plane had crashed into the World Trade Center

Bush, who continued reading to the kids until he excused himself minutes later, told National Geographic his initial reaction was 'either the weather was bad or something extraordinary happened to the pilot'. Pictured, Bush preparing to address the nation

Bush's calm demeanor in the classroom was slammed after video footage of the moment appeared in Michael Moore's Farenheit 9/11 in 2004, but photographer Eric Draper painted a humanizing portrait. Pictured, the president watching TV coverage on Air Force One

Bush flew to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisana, where he addressed the country and said: 'Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward. And freedom will be defended'

He went on to say: 'Make no mistake, the United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts.' Pictured, with senior adviser Karl Rove, right

Chief of Staff Andrew Card (right), was the one who whispered in Bush's ear that morning. In a 2009 interview, revealed to NBC he told the president: 'A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack'

A third plane flew into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, at 9:37 a.m. and Bush's administration struggled to gather information in the midst of the attacks as estimated numbers of casualties floated around. Pictured, Lieutenant Colonel Cindy Wright consoling Bush

Bush returned to the White House, flanked by Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, and Laura Bush (right) who has recounted learning about 9/11 while she was with Ted Kennedy in Washington DC. She questioned whether the senator's 'steady stream of small talk' was his way of coping

Bush reviewed his speech before addressing the nation from the Oval Office, where he said: 'Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America'

He continued: 'America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world'
A woman is suing a theme park for $500,000 after falling off of a flowerbed she had climbed to get a better view of a New Year's Day parade.

Helena Geragotelis claims staff at Movie World on the Gold Coast should have warned her of the dangers involved when she stepped on to the flower bed in January 2014.

The 26-year-old is suing the theme park for $514,714 in damages, claiming 'cervical' and 'spinal' injuries she suffered after falling off the bed have prevented her from working.

A 26-year-old woman is suing Movie World on The Gold Coast (above) after falling from a flowerbed she had climbed to gain a better view of a parade on New Year's Day

The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that the woman claims she was unable to hop down from the flowerbed by surrounding crowds.

In her claim she said she fell backwards to the ground and suffered a concussion and injured wrist as a result, the newspaper reports.

She had been trying to gain a better view of one of the theme park's Loony Tunes parade in which staff dressed as characters from Warner Bros films walk down the park's Main Street.

Village Roadshow Theme Parks, the company which owns the attraction park, did not respond to Daily Mail Australia's request for comment on the matter.

It is understood the claim was filed at Brisbane's District Court on Friday.

It is not the first time the theme park has been the target of such lawsuits. In 2010 a paperboy sued the same company for $60,000 in lost earnings after breaking his wrist.

The woman was attempting to gain a better view of one of the park's Loony Tunes Parade (above) in which staff walk down its 'Main Street' dressed as characters from Warner Bros films

Corey Cross was 14 when he he claimed he was pushed over by a stampede of students during a school trip, The Courier Mail said at the time.

He accused an employee at the park of prompting the group to rush by him by exciting them with information about the park inside.

The Warner Bros parade, which Ms Geragotelis claims she was hoping to watch when she climbed the flowerbed, is one of the park's key attractions.

Adult tickets for the park start at $79 for one day.
A NSW police officer has been charged with high-range drink driving, accused of being behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.

Police said the off-duty officer from the North West Metropolitan Region was taken to Campbelltown Police Station in Sydney's south-west on Saturday afternoon.

The female officer returned a positive roadside breath test on Appin Road just before 3pm.

A NSW police officer from the North West Metropolitan Region has been charged with high-range drink driving after she allegedly returned a reading of 0.186 - well above the high-range threshold (stock image)

A breath analysis at the station allegedly returned a reading of 0.186 - well above the high-range threshold.

The officer was given a court attendance notice for high-range prescribed concentration of alcohol and is due to appear in the Campbelltown Local Court on June 20.

Police said her duties were being reviewed.

High-range drink driving offences carry a maximum fine of $3,300 and up to 18 months jail.

Drink driving is a factor in about 20 per cent of fatal crashed in NSW.
Four people, including one staff member, have been hospitalised

Video has captured passengers jumping into the ocean as the boat burns

A New Zealand woman described the moment she had to jump overboard

After huge flames enveloped the boat it sank at Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

It was jump or die for holidaymakers on board a cruise ship engulfed in flames, one of its passengers says.

New Zealand woman Cathy Kewish was one of more than 40 people aboard an Aphrodite Cruises ship when it caught fire in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, on Friday.

'You just know you had to do it because the flames were that close. If you didn't you were going to die,' she told the New Zealand Herald.

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People can be seen leaping from a wooden cruise ship in an image taken from dramatic video of the blaze which occurred in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

A person (next to flames billowing from a window) can be seen plummeting from an upper deck into the water

A passenger wearing a green top jumps from the ship as flames tear through its wooden structure

New Zealand woman Cathy Kewish, who was aboard the ship as it burned, described the terrifying scenes as people tried to escape from the vessel

As she and husband Barry made their escape during the 'very, very scary' ordeal, a woman paralysed with fear blocked her path.

'I told her you have to get off. Then suddenly there was an explosion and flames shot out so I pushed her.'

Despite an alarm going off earlier, passengers had been told it was the engine overheating.

But eventually the smell of smoke spread and flames broke out and passengers assembled at an emergency meeting point on the top floor of the wooden ship - where many had to jump from.

The ship burst into flames after a two-day trip around Ha Long Bay on Friday, and sunk after being ablaze for about 90 minutes

The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen, before quickly spreading to other parts of the wooden boat

Ms Kewish told the NZ Herald no order was given to get off so people made their own decision.

After escaping to safety, her only injuries were a few scratches and bruises.

Another passenger on board told the NZ Herald he was one of those that had jumped into the water.

'I climbed over the front balcony down two decks by just dropping and hoping for the best,' he said.

The moment passengers jumped from the ship was captured in shocking video as growing flames, believed to have started in the kitchen, quickly engulf the boat.

They appear to have then been rescued by other boats on the harbour as crowds gather on the shore.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: 'Following reports of a cruise ship sinking off the coast of Vietnam, Australian consular staff made enquiries with local authorities and were advised that there were no Australians on board.'

Four people were hospitalised after the boat fire forced passengers to jump for their lives

The cruise line has made considerable efforts to apologise to their guests, and those who were not injured were transported to Hanoi

Vietnamese news service, VN Express, reported that the ship sank after ninety minutes.

According to the cruise line's Facebook page, four people have minor injuries, including one crew member. The rest of the passengers have been taken to Hanoi.

The company say they will compensate passengers for treatment and the loss of their belongings.

The cruise line will not be allowed to operate until all of its boats have been inspected.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, and deputy director of Quang Ninh Provincial Police, Colonel Vu Van Duong, said there was a chance the fire could have been caused in the kitchen or by a careless smoker.

Mr Duong said the lack of an automatic firefighting system on the wooden boat was responsible for the quick spread of the fire.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Le Quang Tung said there are currently 533 tourist ships operating in the area, 81 per cent of which are wooden ships.

Quang Ninh aim to have no wooden ships operating in Ha Long Bay by 2030.
a career in acting while showing off her flexibility through Instagram postings

With Jean Claude Van Damme as her father - potential suitors may want to think carefully about approaching this pretty brunette.

25-year-old Bianca Van Varenberg (her father's original name), and known professionally as Bianca Bree is the daughter of Van Damme and ex-bodybuilder and fitness competitor Gladys Portugues.

Five years ago she appeared alongside her father at a film premier, but since that time has been largely silent, until now.

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Family ties: Pictured in June 2012 Jean-Claude Van Damme and his daughter Bianca Brigitte Van Damme

High kick! Bianca, 25, is now proving herself to be just as tough as her dad, revealing that she wants to prove that it is possible to be tough and feminine

Finding her way: Growing up, Bianca wanted to figure skate in the Olympics but an injury crushed her dreams

Finding her feet: For a time, she went by Bianca Bree, unsure whether to shun or embrace the family name

In 2012, she had said that she wanted to make it on her own and not use her father's last name, but four years on, her views appear to have completely changed and she now appears happy to embrace the perks that name-recognition affords.

'I don't want to be a shadow of my dad. That's what these celebrity kids are, really  shadows of their parents. I'd rather go through struggles than have it easy. I'm going for auditions,' she told Metro a couple of year ago.

'It's complicated,' she says. 'I always have people coming up and telling me how much they love my dad. It's nice to hear, but it's likewhat does that have to do with me?' she said in a recent interview.

Dad and director Jean-Claude is best for his martial arts skill and roles in films like Bloodsport and Timecop, but his daughter Bianca is also an aspiring actress, having appeared in some of her father's films.

Stretch! The brunette showed off her impressive physique and enviable flexibility in a recent photoshoot

Up high: Bianca, whose mother was a bodybuilding champion, says that she grew up 'hating' martial arts

Feeling fine: These days she can be found working out in the gym practicing some kick-ass moves like her dad

Aiming high: The 25-year-old is now looking to become an actress and film producer in her own right

Teenage: Growing up, Bianca told her parents that she 'hated' martial arts. She has since eaten her words!

Family business: She has co-starred in six of Jean-Claude's films and even co-produced some

His name did not always mean success however. In the 1990s, Jean-Claude admitted he was hooked on a drug habit taking 10 grams of cocaine a day.

There were fights with paparazzi and he was reportedly in a huge amount of debt.

He underwent several rounds of rehab and was diagnosed as bipolar before finally getting clean.

Bree meanwhile, stayed out of the limelight until she appeared on the big screen alongside her dad in 2008 for The Shepherd: Border Patrol as the daughter of Van Damme's character, Jacques Robideaux. She has since also held roles in 2012's Soldiers and 2011's Assassination Games as Anna Flint.

In 2011, for the reality series, Jean-Claude Van Damme: Behind Closed Doors, Bree spoke about how growing up with a famous father has impacted her life.

'I shy away from a lot of people because I don't want them to know my life and personal issues. I just have a couple friends who are close and that is it', she said.

Bree fell into acting by accident however when she was on set with her father and a kid was needed for a scene.

'It just happened. I did a few films with my father then the director of UFO saw me on my father's reality show and cast me. I just went along with it. My first role was in a film my father was doing. They needed a kid, I was on set, so they gave it to me,' she said in 2012.

Looking forward: Bianca's now using her dad's stage name professionally, even as she's signed on to make some films without him

Bianca started acting, and eventually doing martial arts, alongside her dad, in 2008's The Shepherd: Border Patrol. She is now hoping to have more of a hands-on approach when it comes to taking on future projects

Getting along: 'Our relationship definitely had its ups and downs, but now we're cool. We talk and we hang out, We'll go to the gym and kick and stuff.'

Bonds: Jean-Claude burned his way into pop-culture consciousness in martial-arts action movies like Bloodsport, Kickboxer and Street Fighter, providing a comfortable life for Bianca and her brother Kristopher, now 28

She's since co-starred in six of Jean-Claude's films and even co-produced a couple of them.

These days she can be seen showing off her flexible body - an ability she inherited from both of her parents.

'I want to show little girls and little boys that you can be physical and feminine. That you can cross your legs at the dinner table and then kick ass in a nice, feminine way,' she told the New York Post. 'Kind of like how my father brought martial arts to the mainstream for my generation  I want to continue that legacy.'

It's an interesting u-turn for the pretty brunette considering she spent her childhood telling her dad, who was known as 'the Muscles from Brussels,' and her mom who was a bodybuilding champion, that she 'hated' martial arts.

The Van Dammes have had their own ups and downs however. The Bloodsport actor was previously divorced from Gladys back in 1992 before they remarried seven years later; then in March of last year she filed for their second divorce, but then appeared to call it off.

During an interview in 2015, the actor suggested things were back on track, citing 'love' and family obligations for inspiring a reconciliation with the mother of his two children.

'The JCVD family is still strong,' the film action hero said. 'The kids are strong, the wife is strong. There's so much divorce around the world and it's very bad for the children.'

Bianca, who now lives in New York's West Village used to dream of being a speed-skater and to take part in the Olympics, but an injury forced her to reconsider.

Nonetheless, Bianca appears to have inherited some of the skills that made her father infamous with incredible flexibility and crazy flying kicks.

Speaking of her relationship with her dad these days, she admits that it has had its ups and downs, but that things are now going well.
She is in serious condition in the hospital

Her scalp was ripped off in the horrific accident in Nebraska

A little girl had her scalp ripped off of her head when her hair got caught in a carnival ride at a Cinco de Mayo festival in Nebraska.

The girl, identified as Elizabeth Gilreath, 11, got her bright red hair caught in a spinning ride called the King's Crown at the festival South 24th and N streets in Omaha on Saturday, according to WOWT.

According to witnesses, the ride had just started when the girl's red curls were caught in a mechanism, and she began screaming.

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A little red-haired girl, Elizabeth Gilreath, 11, was videotaped by her friend right before her scalp was ripped off by the King's Crown ride she was on at the Cinco de Mayo festival in Omaha

Little Elizabeth Gilreath, 11, above, is in the hospital after her scalp was torn from her head while she was on a carnival ride for Cinco de Mayo in Omaha

A mother who stopped the ride says that Elizabeth, known as Lulu, asked 'Where's my pretty hair?' before she fell unconscious on the ride

The ride (above) spins around and it's unclear how the girl's hair could have been caught in it - the ride is now shut down while the carnival investigates

Courtesy WOWT

'There's nothing we could do and so I stood up and I was like yelling, I was like, "Stop the ride. Stop the freaking ride," said Elizabeth's friend, Aushanay Allen, who took video of her pal just before her horrifying ordeal.

Surveillance video of the park show's the ride's conductor running off to get help, but one mom who was standing nearby says the ride was still moving despite the girl's screams.

'It was still spinning,' Jolene Cisneros told the outlet. 'I had to stop it with my hands and turn it to the point where it was to the platform. I was like, "you're going to be okay" and she's just like, "where's my pretty hair?'''

Cisneros says that Elizabeth was bleeding and then lost consciousness. The horrified mom said she thought the little girl might die right in front of her.

A crowd gathered at the horrific scene as the little girl lay bleeding and unconscious on the floor of the ride

Elizabeth suffered a fractured skull and is in Nebraska Medicine hospital, according to KETV.

It's unclear if her parents were at the festival when it happened, but they rushed to the hospital when she was brought there.

'I drove there to find my daughter's scalp had been totally removed,' said devastated dad Timothy Gilreath. 'I whispered to her, 'Baby, you're a Gilreath. You're tough.''

Her mother, Virginia Cooksey, told KETV, 'I'll ask her questions... She'll squeeze my hand in response to let me know she understands.'

On Facebook, Cooksey posted photos of her gravely injured daughter, nicknamed Lulu, asking for prayers. 'Lulu is such an amazing and out going little girl she has to make it through this, she wants to be a senator when she grows up. She loves to read and learn. She loves her family dearly. Please family and friends keep Lulu in your thoughts and prays on this Mother's Day. No mother should have to go threw what I'm going through.'

She added that she wanted the man who refused to stop the ride to be punished, but it's unclear exactly what happened or whom she is referring to. 'She fell on a carnival ride yesterday, told the guy to stop and he ignored and her scalp got ripped off,' she wrote.

One of the mother's Facebook friends said that Elizabeth's scalp had to be reattached.

'It's scary, because if you have little kids,' another eyewitness, Jessica Contreres, told the outlet. 'I mean what's the possibility of that happening to a kid that you know or a family member or something.'

The rides are furnished by Thomas Shows. Spokesperson Katie Weddleton said: 'Safety is our top priority - one hundred percent,' according to WOWT.
A former FBI agent played by Adam Scott in the Johnny Depp film Black Mass has pleaded guilty to lying on the stand during Whitey Bulger's trial.

Robert Fitzpatrick, 76, was accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments during Bulger's 2013 racketeering trial.

On Monday he pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Fitzpatrick, who had been second-in-command of the FBI's Boston division during Bulger's bloody reign, was the first witness Bulger's lawyers called during the high-profile trial.

Robert Fitzpatrick, of Charlestown, Rhode Island, has pleaded guilty to lying on the stand during Whitey Bulger's trial. He is seen walking from from federal court in Boston with his wife Jane in April

Fitzgerald was played by Adam Scott in the 2015 film Black Mass, which is based on Bulger's reign of terror in Boston in the 1970s and 80s

Prosecutors say Fitzpatrick falsely claimed to be the first officer who recovered the rifle used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

During the 2013 trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kelly pressed Fitzpatrick about that claim.

'Isn't it true that three Memphis police officers found the rifle that was used to kill Martin Luther King, not Bob Fitzpatrick?' Kelly asked.

'I found the rifle along with them,' Fitzpatrick replied. 'They could have been there ... but I'm the one that took the rifle.'

Prosecutors also suggested that Fitzpatrick exaggerated claims he tried to persuade supervisors to terminate Bulger as an informant because he didn't appear to be gathering information on the Mafia.

They suggested he was just trying to sell copies of a book he wrote about Bulger.

The prosecution and defense have agreed to a sentence of two years of probation. Sentencing is August 5.

Bulger was convicted of a range of gangland crimes in the 1970s and '80s, including roles in 11 murders. He's currently serving two life sentences.

Fitzpatrick, who had been second-in-command of the FBI's Boston division during Bulger's bloody reign, was the first witness Bulger's lawyers called during the high-profile trial. He was accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments

Bulger (pictured left in 1959 at Alcatraz and right in 2011) was convicted of a range of gangland crimes in the 1970s and '80s, including roles in 11 murders. He's currently serving two life sentences

Scott (left) is seen playing Fitzgerald in a scene from the film alongside Kevin Bacon (middle) and David Harbour (right)
A prostitute found murdered in a hotel room was bashed with her own stiletto before having her throat slashed with a razor, a court has heard.

Ting Fang's body was discovered wrapped in bed sheets in Adelaide's Hotel Grand Chancellor on January 1 2015.

The 25-year-old had been working out of the hotel room over the festive period when she was killed.

Chungaung Piao, a 28-year-old married father from Adelaide, denies murdering her.

Ting Fang (above), a prostitute whose body was found dead in an Adelaide hotel room in 2015, was beaten with her own stiletto before being killed, it has been claimed

The Supreme Court of South Australia heard on Monday that Piao, a Chinese national, beat Ms Fang with her shoe causing severe injuries to her head before killing her.

Prosecutor Tim Preston told the court the sex worker suffered two V-shaped cuts to her head which had likely been inflicted by her footwear, according to Adelaide Now.

She also had two slash marks to the throat which severed her windpipe and arteries.

It was previously heard how a razor found wrapped in baby wipes in the hotel bathroom matched those bought by Piao, a cleaner, in the weeks before her death.

The prosecution allege that Piao made an appointment with Miss Fang through the escort agency she was working for December 31 at 10pm.

After meeting her in the hotel he is accused of extending their meeting from one-hour to last the entire evening.

Chungaung Piao, a 28-year-old married father from Adelaide, denies murdering her. He is seen above last year

Miss Tang's body was found wrapped in a bed sheet in Adelaide's Hotel Grand Chancellor (above) on January 1 2015

The 25-year-old had been working as an escort out of the hotel room over the 2014-2015 festive period when she was killed

On January 1, Miss Fang is said to have told her agency via text message that she planned to accompany the man to retrieve $2100 in cash as her payment.

'While he was in the room with the deceased he extended his booking with her, first for another hour and then overnight, he told her he would leave about 6am,' Mr Preston said.

He alleged the man was being threatened over a $3,000 debt himself at the time. CCTV allegedly showed him leaving the hotel on New Year's Day.

Miss Fang was due to return to Sydney, where she lived, on New Year's Day on a 9am flight.

South Australia Police were called to the hotel after management received a complaint that the room had flooded.

A bath filled with water and bloody sheets had been left with the tap running, it was claimed.

The trial at the Supreme Court of South Australia continues.
could help identify woman found on roadside on Monday

A distinctive rose tattoo could help identify a mystery woman after she was found in a critical condition on the side of a road.

A member of the public found her with life-threatening head injuries on Waiwhiu Road, in Dome Valley, north of Auckland, in New Zealand, at 7am on Monday morning.

She was flown to Auckland City Hospital where she will undergo surgery.

The tattoo is of a cross with a red rose in the centre and contains the words 'mum' and 'dad' (pictured)

The unidentified woman is believed to be aged between 20 and 30 and of medium build with short brown hair.

In a bid to identify the woman and the cause of her injuries, police have released a photograph of a distinctive tattoo on her left calf.

The tattoo is of a cross with a red rose in the centre and contains the words 'mum' and 'dad'.

A member of the public found a woman with life-threatening head injuries on Waiwhiu Road, in Dome Valley, north of Auckland, in New Zealand, at 7am on Monday morning (stock photo)

The woman is currently unable to communicate with police due to the severity of her injuries.

Rodney Area Commander Inspector Mark Fergus has urged anyone who may know the woman to contact police.

'We want to assure the public we are doing everything we can to identify the victim and to establish what has happened,' he said.

'If anyone has information to assist the investigation team, we ask that they contact detective senior sergeant Kim Libby at Orewa Police Station on 09 426 4555.'

'Alternatively you contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.'
Three BBC journalists who were detained in North Korea for 'disrespectful' reporting have been released.

Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were held at Pyongyang Airport on Friday.

They were released on Monday evening and arrived in Beijing Capital International Airport surrounded by reporters and photographers.

Wingfield-Hayes emerged from Terminal 3 at around 7.20 pm (local time) and did not stop for the dense pack of reporters and cameras waiting for him.

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BBC reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was detained in North Korea and was expelled from the country

BBC journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes is surrounded by reporters upon his arrival at Beijing Capital International Airport after being expelled from North Korea

Wingfield-Hayes' producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were also detained and expelled

BBC producer Maria Byrne tweeted that the team were 'very' happy' when they arrived in Beijing Capital International Airport, China

'We are not making any statement now or interviews. Obviously I am glad to be out. We are going to talk to our bosses now,' he said.

His colleagues did not speak but Maria tweeted at about 7pm local time: 'We are very happy to be back in Beijing'.

Over the weekend Wingfield-Hayes was questioned for eight hours and made to sign a statement, BBC News reported.

He was accused of inappropriately describing North Korea's dictator Kim Jong-un in a report for BBC News.

Wingfield-Hayes was in North Korea for the country's Workers' Party congress - the first in 36 years.

The BBC said they were 'very disappointed' that Wingfield-Hayes and his team had been detained.

North Korea did not reveal which of the team's reports it was upset with, but in one of the segments, North Korean officials are seen arguing with Wingfield-Hayes over video shot in front of a statue of national founder Kim Il Sung.

'They clearly felt that we said stuff that was not respectful to the great leader,' Wingfield-Hayes said in the recording.

He said they were ordered to delete the footage or they would not be allowed to leave the university campus where they were filming.

Another segment included a tour of a modern-looking hospital that Wingfield-Hayes expressed doubts about.

'The children we're shown look remarkably well, and there isn't a doctor in sight. ... Everything we see looks like a setup,' he said.

China's Xinhua news agency confirmed that North Korea's National Peace Committee held a press conference on Monday, during which it was stated Wingfield-Hayes had been expelled

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme this morning, the BBC's Seoul Correspondent Steve Evans - himself in Pyongyang - detailed the encounter the team had experienced

More than 100 foreign journalists are in the capital for North Korea's first party congress in 36 years, though they have largely been prevented from actually covering the proceedings and the more than 3,400 delegates.

Officials have kept the foreign media busy with trips around Pyongyang to show them the places it most wants them to see - a maternity hospital with seemingly state-of-the-art equipment, a wire-making factory where managers say salaries and production are both going up, and the humble birthplace of national founder Kim Il Sung, which has been converted into a sort of museum-park with a large 'funfair' right next door.

About 30 of the journalists finally got a peek at the congress on Monday, for about 10 minutes.

China's Xinhua news agency confirmed that North Korea's National Peace Committee held a press conference on Monday, during which it was stated Wingfield-Hayes had been expelled for 'attacking the DPRK system and non-objective reporting'.

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme this morning, the BBC's Seoul Correspondent Steve Evans - himself in Pyongyang - detailed the encounter the team had experienced.

He said: 'They are, as I understand it just now, in the airport at Pyongyang waiting to get on a flight.

'What happened was they'd been in the country for a week and were due to leave last Friday. The three of them went through security, went through immigration, and just as they were about to board the flight Rupert was held back.

'He was then taken to a hotel - a separate hotel from the one where we are - and was interrogated for eight hours.

Wingfield-Hayes was questioned for eight hours and made to sign a statement, BBC News reported.

It is believed he was questioned over two reports - one about a hospital visit by VIPs and one about pictures of North Korea's founder Kim II Sung

'The chief interrogator introduced himself by saying: 'I'm the man who prosecuted Kenneth Bae.' Kenneth Bae was a missionary who was given 15 years hard labour.

'Over the next eight hours, Rupert was interrogated by teams of interrogators, always one person in the room as they changed. He was told that he had to sign a confession that his reports had been inaccurate.

'The regime was and perhaps is displeased about particular reports he did for television and for online.

'Two reports stand out - one where he questioned whether a visit to a hospital by VIPs hadn't been staged to make the hospital look much better than it really was, and also some pictures of the North Korean founder, Kim Il Sung, where he was made to delete - or the camera man was made to delete - all the images.

'So the whole week was a tense week. At one stage our minders marched into our rooms and gave us each a piece of their mind and marched out. But Rupert's reports were singled out. Rupert was the one they interrogated and his team are now at the airport waiting to board a flight but they're not out until they're out.'

After four years of top-level reshuffles, purges and executions, Kim will formally cement his unassailable status as North Korea's supreme leader at the landmark ruling party congress.

The nation's leader wasn't even born when the last congress was held in 1980 to crown his father as the heir apparent to founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

When his own turn came, following the death of Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, there were numerous doubters who suggested the Swiss finishing school graduate lacked the survival skills needed for the Machiavellian world of North Korean power politics.
She was told to pay legal costs of $60,000 at Melbourne Magistrates Court

The 61-year-old admitted claiming to be a registered medical practitioner

Certificates in waiting room suggested she was still a registered doctor

She continued to work at CDC clinics in Melbourne between 2014 and 2015

A disgraced plastic surgeon has walked free from court despite continuing to work at a clinic years after giving up her medical licence.

Cynthia Weinstein was fined $60,000 on Monday at Melbourne's Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to claiming to be a registered medical practitioner.

The 61-year-old had been working at CDC clinic in Armadale, Victoria, despite giving up her licence in 2010.

Cynthia Weinstein faced court on charges of continuing to practice five years after surrendering her medical license

The 61-year-old continued to work at CDC in Armadale, Victoria, where certificates hung in the waiting room gave the impression she was still a registered doctor

The woman was spared a prison sentenced, but given a hefty $60,000 fine

She admitted certificates hung in the waiting room at the clinic gave the impression she was still a registered doctor but was spared a prison sentence and fined instead.

She must now pay $35,000 in legal costs herself while the clinic, which she owns, is liable for an additional $25,000.

Prosecutor Russ Hamill told the court she referred to herself as a doctor when greeting clients at the clinic between 2014 and 2015.

Weinstein would refer to herself as a doctor when greeting patients at the CDC clinic, which she owns

She plead guilty to claiming to be a registered medical practitioner on Monday

'The certificates were such as to give the impression she was a registered medical practitioner.

'She conducted assessments, made recommendations regarding treatment and, in some cases, gave treatments,' he said, according to Channel Nine.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Jelena Popovic recorded no conviction, however, instead handing her a two-and-a-half year adjourned undertaking not to commit further offences.

The Herald Sun reported Weinstein's lawyer, David Galbally, said she accepted she had 'crossed the line'.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Jelena Popovic recorded no conviction at Melbourne's Magistrates Court

In 2008, she surrendered her licence and asked to be removed from the medical register, agreeing at the time not to apply to be reinstated.

In January 2016 the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency charged Weinstein with claiming to be a registered medical practitioner after it was claimed she had been working at the clinic in Armadale.

It is not clear whether she carried out any procedures herself at the clinic which offers laser treatment and fat removal procedures.

Defence lawyers for Weinstein say their client knew she had crossed a line
Social media company has received nearly triple the number of information requests from the US government between 2013 and 2015

Twitter has barred US Intelligence agencies from their Dataminr service, which analyzes the entirety of its social media posts and notifies clients of significant and breaking events in real time.

Dataminr trawls through public Twitter feeds and claims to have picked up on the terror attacks in Brussels 10 minutes before any news outlet.

Twitter, which owns about five percent of the company, was worried it would appear too close to US intelligence, according to an official who confirmed the move with the Wall Street Journal.

Twitter has barred US Intelligence agencies from their Dataminr service, which analyzes the entirety of its social media posts and notifies clients of significant and breaking events in real time

Dataminr trawls through public Twitter feeds and claims to have picked up on the terror attacks in Brussels 10 minutes before any news outlet

According to the company's website, Dataminr is a 'leading real-time information discovery company' that utilizes key words, geotags, and patterns of proliferation to helps clients identify the most relevant information.

In 2013, the service was used to scan for potential threats to Obama's second-term inauguration.

A US intelligence official called Dataminr 'an extremely valuable tool', which has also tracked political unrest in Brazil, the Paris terror attacks, and ISIS' gain on Libyan oil-rich land.

The WSJ reported Twitter's policy prohibits the sale of its data to government agencies for surveillance, so it is unclear how Dataminr provided its service to the US in the first place.

According to a WSJ source, In-Q-Tel, the US intelligence community's venture-capital sector invested in Dataminr.

Sources told the newspaper Twitter was behind Dataminr's decision to cut the government off after the trial with In-Q-Tel ended.

Although the social media site only owns a five percent stake in Dataminr, it is inextricably tied to the analytics service's ability to function.

In 2013, the service was used to scan for potential threats to Obama's second-term inauguration (pictured)

In Twitter's transparency report, the US government has ramped up its information requests from the company over the years, tripling from 2013 to 2015

Law professor and data privacy expert Peter Swire told the WSJ: 'Post-Snowden, American-based information technology companies don't want to be seen as an arm of the U.S. intelligence community.'

Twitter may be wary of the US' reach, especially after the privacy stand-off with Apple following the San Bernardino shootings.

In Twitter's transparency report, the US government has ramped up its information requests from the company over the years, tripling from 2013 to 2015.

In 2015, it received a total of 5,109 requests, compared to 2,879 in 2014, and 1,717 in 2013.

Former deputy director of the National Security Agency called Twitter's decision 'hypocritical' while the COO of a consulting firm said it could have 'grave consequences' in the face of counter-terrorism.

In a statement to the WSJ, Twitter said: 'Data is largely public and the US government may review public accounts on its own, like any user could.'
It was fashion PR Roxy Jacenko's last weekend before the moment she and husband Oliver Curtis have been dreading for years and it provided a bittersweet moment as the power couple celebrated their son Hunter's second birthday.

While Hunter is videoed by his parents joyfully running with balloons and pretending to drive Roxy's white Porsche, posted with a cheeky comment from the two-year-old, the reality was more sobering.

Hanging over the 'perfect' life presented on Instagram by Jacenko through her account and those of her social media star daughter Pixie, and more recently Hunter, has been a date with destiny.

Accompanying the adorable videos on Hunter Curtis's Instagram account were a message by Jacenko saying 'Such a joy my little boy ' and another from 'Hunter' posted with the car video saying, 'It was time for me to have my own wheels, I mean I am 2'.

But despite the light-hearted mood for the little boy's birthday, the date Curtis and his glamorous and successful wife have been avoiding has arrived.

Last week the 30-year-old entered a plea of not guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit insider trading and on Wednesday he will stand trial before Justice Lucy McCallum in the NSW Supreme Court.

For the next three weeks, the former private schoolboy and high flying young investment banker's alleged involvement in an insider trading scheme will be examined in the court room. Investigators claim his alleged role netted Curtis and his former friend, John Hartman, $1.4m between 2007 and 2008.

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Oliver Curtis, pictured with son Hunter who celebrated his second birthday was last weekend, will stand trial for insider trading on Thursday for alleged involvement in an illegal scheme with former private school friend John Hartman

Roxy Jacenko wrote on her son's Instagram account last weekend 'Such a joy my little boy' when she and husband Oliver Curtis shared their boy's second birthday ahead of Curtis's court trial this Thursday

Hunter Curtis and his big sister Pixie who blows out the candles on his 2nd birthday cupcakes as the family celebrated ahead of Dad, Oliver Curtis's Supreme court trial which starts on Thursday

Oliver Curtis, pictured following a court appearance, was a high flying investment banker in his early 20s, years before he met and married Roxy Jacenko, but he now faces charge of alleged insider trading in the NSW Supreme Court

Star witness in the box for the prosecution is Hartman. It is unclear whether Jacenko, 35, who runs the busy glamour high end PR business Sweaty Betty, will attend the court to support her husband as he give evidence and his former exclusive private school friend testifies.

Hartman is the Australian Securities & Investments Commission's (ASIC) principal witness against Curtis.

Crown prosecutor in the case, David Staehil, SC, said Hartman would give evidence over several days,The Australian reported.

The trial would also hear evidence of 30 recorded phone calls between Curtis and his stockbroker.

It has been a long time coming for the trial, which has been continually postponed. During this time Jacenko and Curtis sold their lavish Woollahra mansion for $8.5m.

Crown witness: John Hartman was Oliver Curtis's childhood friend and as wealthy and privileged 23-year-olds they lived the high life of luxury cars and beautiful women but it all came crashing down

Birthday joy: Two-year-old Hunter Curtis, the younger child of fashion PR Roxy Jacenko and her former investment banker husband Oliver Curtis, runs with birthday balloons in the air last weekend

Hunter Curtis appears to drive his Mum Roxy Jacenko's Porsche in a video posted on his Instagram account with the words 'It was time for me to have my own wheels, I mean I am 2'

Roxy Jacenko posted on Instagram 'Happy Birthday little Hunty' on the day of her son Hunter Curtis's second birthday which he celebrated with his big sister Pixie and his parents

In the past, Jacenko has dismissed out of hand that she worries about husband Oliver Curtis's criminal charge for alleged insider trading that has been hanging over the couple for three years.

'I don't ever think anything about it,' she said in 2013 and said she 'had never once discussed it' with her husband.

The illegal trading scheme allegedly involving Curtis occurred several years before his relationship with Jacenko, who married in March 2012.

Curtis and Hartman were in their early 20s when the alleged scheme took place, but they were longtime friends.

Bot had been private schoolboys at the exclusive Catholic school Riverview and came from wealthy and privileged backgrounds in the rich North Shore Sydney suburb of Mosman.

Curtis is the son of a mining magnate and financier, Nick Curtis, a founding partner of Riverstone Advisory and the former executive chairman of rare earths miner Lynas Corp.

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Looking like the perfect family, Roxy Jacenko (right) smiles with husband Oliver Curtisand their daughter Pixie, but the date hanging over the couple has finally arrived with Mr Curtis finally going to trial this Thursday on an insider trading charge

Roxy Jacenko (pictured with daughter Pixie) married Oliver Curtis in 2012 and the couple, who have two children together, have been in a holding pattern leading up to Curtis's insider trading trial this week

John Hartman's father is Sydney North Shore obstetrician Keith Hartman, who delivered James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch and has an Order of Australia for services to obstetrics and gynaecology.

After leaving school, Oliver Curtis and John Hartman became investment bankers and flatmates in an apartment overlooking Bondi Beach.

By the age of just 22, they were driving luxury cars, dating beautiful women and taking expensive holidays. They 'lived the dream' of a high-powered working life and social success.

Until seven years ago the pair appeared to have the world at their feet, sharing an extravagant three years of wild spending and a luxury lifestyle.

That was the year that Curtis was a finalist in the Cleo Magazine Bachelor of the Year contest.

He was dating socialite and Lara Bingle's best friend Hermione Underwood, and holidaying in Lake Como, on the ski fields of Whistler in Canada and in the casinos of Las Vegas.

John Hartman had studied economics at Sydney University, while working as a bookie's assistant at Randwick racecourse. On graduation, he became an equity dealer at Orion Asset Management.

Oliver Curtis landed an investment banker role before he could complete his degree, later setting up Riverstone Corporate Advisory.

High flying fashion PR Roxy Jacenko (pictured) is married to former investment banker Oliver Curtis who will stand trial on Thursday for an alleged $1.4m insider trading scheme with a former school friend, John Hartman

Oliver Curtis and Roxy Jacenko's daughter Pixie (above) is a star on Instagram and the couple look to lead a perfect existence but Curtis goes on trial this Thursday in the Supreme Court for alleged insider trading

In 2013, Curtis was charged with the alleged crime which means he may face up to five years jail.

Ms Jacenko's fashion PR agency Sweaty Betty boasts more than 70 clients, with luxury brands Dolce & Gabbana and Le Coq Sportif and Australian supermarket giant, Coles.

She also has written three gossip novels, Strictly Confidential, The Spotlight and The Rumour Mill and is currently developing a luxury office space in Paddingon in Sydney's East.

By the age of just 23, Oliver Curtis (pictured with daughter Pixie) and his friend John Hartman were driving luxury cars, dating beautiful women and taking expensive holidays

Fashion PR Roxy Jacenko (pictured) has a successful agency with luxury clients including Peugeot, Dolce & Gabbana and Le Coq Sportif but 2016 could prove a nightmare year for her

Take a bow: Pixie Curtis has a children's hair ribbon business called Pixie's Bows, but her presence on Instagram at the tender age of four has drawn criticism
Two former interpreters who risked their lives working for British forces in Afghanistan today lost their challenge to a High Court ruling on a Government assistance scheme.

The High Court had said the policy was lawful despite the pair being denied access. They claimed it is unfair and unlawful because, with certain exceptions, assistance is not available to staff who left British employment before December 2012.

In March, their lawyers told the Court of Appeal that AL - who remains in hiding in Kabul - and Mohammed Rafi Hottak, who has now been granted asylum but still has family in Afghanistan, both gave 'principled and brave' service.

Former Afghan military interpreters (not pictured) who worked with UK and other coalition forces were today refused an appeal against a High Court judgement they had not been discriminated against

AL and Mr Hottak told the court they were being discriminated against and treated differently from Iraqi interpreters, who were all given assistance when their lives became endangered through assisting the British in the Iraq war.

But on Monday, Lady Justice Arden, Lord Justice David Richards and Sir Colin Rimer rejected their case and refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Daily Mail's Betrayal of the Brave campaign has highlighted the plight of former frontline translators who remained in Afghanistan after UK forces left and have been targeted by the Taliban because of their service.

The campaign  supported by a petition signed by nearly 180,000 people, including military chiefs, soldiers and MPs  has revealed how interpreters have been shot dead or beaten. Their homes have been attacked and their children kidnapped and murdered.

In today's case, the interpreters wanted the Afghan scheme to cover 'locally engaged staff' employed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in Afghanistan before the 2012 cut-off date.

The High Court ruled that the 'territorial reach' of the Equality Act 2010 was not such 'as to include the claimants' circumstances' and there was no direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of nationality.

There had been a Government failure to have regard to relevant equality duty matters under the 2010 Act when formulating the Afghan assistance scheme, but it was a procedural issue and did not entitle the Afghans to any relief, they declared.

The appeal judges said that the High Court's decision to do no more than grant declaratory relief was an exercise of its discretion that could not be faulted.

There are thought to be hundreds of interpreters who do not qualify for a relocation in the UK (file photo of British soldier). Others want access to an assistance scheme run by the Government for former interpreters

One of the men taking the legal action said: 'We are disappointed by today's judgment, and we hope to be granted permission to appeal.

MEN WHO HELPED SAVE BRITISH LIVES, BUT NOW CAN'T GET ASYLUM Fazel Dijilane Britain has faced a string of claims from former interpreters who applied for asylum in the UK after serving alongside our troops. They included: Fazel Dijilane, 23, who was injured by a bomb while working for the British Army in Afghanistan, was revealed to be sleeping rough in the Calais Jungle in January.

An Afghan interpreter known only as Ahmed had his asylum claim rejected after a judge ruled it was safe for him to go back to Kabul.

Another Afghan military interpreter known as Popal by British troops was executed as he tried to reach the West after he was denied refuge by Britain.

Interpreter Aslam Yousaf Zai was refused asylum despite believing that the Taliban would murder him and his family if he returned to Afghanistan.

A 26-year-old interpreter known as 'Chris' by British troops was targeted by Taliban hitmen after he was refused asylum in Britain. He and his two-year-old son were shot but survived.

'The campaign for the men who risked their lives for British soldiers in Afghanistan continues.

'We must be allowed to live in safety, free of threats from the Taliban and now the Islamic State.'

Rosa Curling from law firm Leigh Day said: 'Our clients are very disappointed.

'We hope that the Supreme Court will allow us to take this legal fight forwards on behalf of these brave men.

'The recent reported suicide of the former interpreter Nangyalai Dawoodzai highl ights again how the current policies are failing.

'Afghan interpreters must be treated equally to those who served in Iraq for the brave service they gave to this country and its Armed Forces.'

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who has campaigned on the issue, said: 'These brave men have put themselves and their families at risk in their efforts to aid our armed forces in Afghanistan.

'We are demanding that the current scheme be reviewed, and where necessary it should cover locally engaged staff employed by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Afghanistan who left employment before the 2012 cut-off date.

94 percent of Afghan interpreters have received death threats. Britain owes these people a massive debt of gratitude and the government must step up and help those in need.
A Japanese artist who makes objects shaped like her vagina has been convicted of obscenity after distributing code for her fans to recreate her genitals in a 3D printer.

Megumi Igarashi, 43, was arrested in 2014 after she used 3D printing technology to scan her vagina and create a full-sized kayak.

The Tokyo District Court handed Igarashi a 400,000 yen (2,585) fine for distribution of obscene materials relating to the 3D data of her genitals sent to her fans.

Megumi Igarashi, 43, has been fined 2,585 for distribution of obscene materials after sending data from a 3D scan of her vagina to her fans, so they could recreate her genitals in a 3D printer

Offensive: Igarashi used online crowdfunding to raise money for her 2014 vagina kayak project, and sent the data of her 3D genital scan to her supporters as a thank you

Igarashi, who works under the pseudonym Rokudenashiko - slang that loosely translates as 'reprobate child' - got the idea for the 'vagina kayak' in 2014.

She raised money for the project through crowdfunding, and sent the 3D data of her vagina to her supporters to show her appreciation for their donations.

She was arrested in July 2014, but released days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her freedom.

However, several months on, Tokyo police arrested her again for distributing 'obscene' items - displaying decorated plaster figures moulded in the shape of her genitals and sending and selling CDs containing the computer code.

On Monday, Tokyo District Court convicted Igarashi for distributing material that was deemed obscene, however only asking for half of the 800,000 yen fine called for by prosecutors.

The Tokyo District Court slapped Megumi Igarashi with a 400,000 yen fine, but the penalty was half what prosecutors had demanded as she was also cleared of one of several charges

Feminist art: Igarashi (right), also known as Rokudenashiko has also created a cartoon vagina named Manko-chan, which is Japanese for 'Miss P***y'

Artistic expression: When she first started making vagina art, Rokudenashiko took molds of her genitals to make whimsical dioramas including this creation

Vagina art: Other creations using her own genitals include iconography and mobile phone cases

She had initially been charged over both the kayak itself, and the distribution of the data, but a Tokyo court cleared her of the former and found her guilty of obscenity relating to the latter.

The controversial feminist artist and her supporters scoffed at the fact her genitals were the focus of a court case.

'I am innocent because neither the data for female genitals nor my art works shaped like female genitals are obscene,' she told the court last year.

While it is up to Japanese courts to decide what constitutes obscenity, they have consistently ruled that the depiction of genitals in any medium is illegal for the past 50 years.

Controversial: The decision to convict 43-year-old Igarashi is likely to reignite accusations of heavy-handed censorship in Japan

As a result, the country's flourishing porn industry only always pixellates the actors' genitals, or blocks them out behind black censorship bars.

However once not displayed in a medium, the Japanese attitude to depictions of genitalia in public can be the complete opposite.

The annual Festival of the Steel Phallus features massive statues of penises, yet is still considered a family friendly event.

The festival, celebrated last month, sees revellers giant phalluses through the streets of Kawasaki, near Tokyo, to worship the penis and pray for fertility.
Vote Leave campaigners have accused Downing Street of desperation as polls still neck and neck with 45 days to go

The Tory war over the EU escalated last night with Boris Johnson accusing David Cameron of corroding public trust in politics by failing to curb mass immigration.

On the most frenzied day of the campaign so far, the rival camps clashed over a warning from the Prime Minister that Brexit could make war in Europe more likely.

Mr Johnson said this was wholly bogus  and claimed that far from keeping the peace, the EU had stoked tensions in Ukraine.

The Tory leadership contender also hammered Mr Cameron for his failure to get a grip on immigration  which he said was impossible while Britain was an EU member.

The Prime Minister makes his point on the EU during the keynote address in London this morning, but Boris Johnson hit back within hours

He said: It is deeply corrosive of popular trust in democracy that every year UK politicians tell the public that they can cut immigration to the tens of thousands  and then find that they miss their targets by hundreds of thousands.

Mr Johnson also said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine proves the EUs pretensions to a defence policy has caused real trouble. However supporters of the Remain campaign hit back at his comments  branding him a Putin apologist.

The response came after the premier used a keynote speech to deliver the most dramatic warnings so far about the consequences of leaving the EU.

Mr Cameron insisted it would be harder to keep terrorists off the streets of London if we gave up membership after the ballot on June 23, and even raised the prospect of the continent sliding back into conflict.

Flanked by Labour's former foreign secretary David Miliband in the latest example of how the battle is blurring party loyalties, Mr Cameron invoked Winston Churchill and the sacrifice of British soldiers during the Second World War.

He took a brutal swipe at his Justice Secretary Michael Gove and other Brexit campaigners for 'toying' with the livelihoods of the public by demanding we get out of the EU without any serious plan for what happens afterwards.

BOJO ON DAVE AND HOW THE PRIME MINISTER CHANGED HIS TUNE On his promise to cut migration: It is deeply corrosive of popular trust in democracy that every year politicians tell the public they can cut immigration to the tens of thousands  and then miss their targets by hundreds of thousands. On the PMs deal with Brussels: There has been not a single change to the treaty, nothing on agriculture, nothing on the role of the court, nothing of any substance on borders  nothing remotely resembling the agenda for change that was promised in 2013. On the PMs warning of war: It is very, very curious that the Prime Minister is warning us that World War Three is about to break out unless we vote to remain. I think that is not the most powerful argument Ive heard. And what Mr Cameron thought about Brexit in February: I will never argue that Britain couldnt survive outside the European Union Let me say again, if we cant secure these changes, I rule nothing out. Advertisement

But Tory MP Mr Johnson responded within hours, telling a Vote Leave event: 'I dont think the prime minister can seriously believe that leaving the EU would trigger war on the European continent given that he was prepared only a few months ago to urge that people should vote leave if they failed to get a substantially reformed European Union.

The former London Mayor dismissed the 'peace-in-Europe' argument that the UK needed to stay in 'to prevent German tanks crossing the French border'.

Mr Johnson insisted Nato was the reason why peace had been largely preserved in Europe since the Second World War, describing the claims as 'very very curious'.

The MP, who will tomorrow launch a UK bus tour, also cited a speech given by Mr Cameron at Bloomberg in 2013.

He noted that Mr Cameron said he was willing to campaign to leave if he did not achieve real reform and treaty change, adding: And that is frankly what the Government should now be doing ... There has been not a single change to EU competences, not a single change to the treaty, nothing on agriculture, nothing on the role of the court, nothing of any substance on borders.

In other signs that the EU debate is gathering pace:

Mr Cameron cited 'newly belligerent Russia' as a reason to stay in the EU

He pleaded with voters not to make the ballot a verdict on his own future amid fears Labour activists could be swayed by trying to kick him out

Downing Street was accused of trying to scupper TV debates by refusing to allow Tories to go head-to-head

The former head of MI5 was dragged into a row over whether British citizens are safer inside the EU

Environment Secretary Liz Truss claimed 40,000 jobs in the Scottish industry would be put at risk

At one point Mr Johnson even delivered a snatch of Beethoven's Ode to Joy as he dismissed accusations that Leave campaigners are 'Little Englanders'.

'I find if offensive, insulting, irrelevant and positively cretinous to be told  sometimes by people who can barely speak a foreign language  that I belong to a group of small-minded xenophobes,' he said. 'Because the truth is it is Brexit that is now the great project of European liberalism, and I am afraid that it is the EU  for all the high ideals with which it began, that now represents the ancien regime.'

Downing Street later admitted that despite the dire warnings about war, no government officials are currently making contingency plans.

'The Government has a position that we should vote to remain and we are not contingency planning for leaving,' a spokesman for the Prime Minister said.

One of Mr Cameron's most shocking claims was about the impact on the UK's ability to tackle Isis outside the EU.

'It takes a network to defeat a network and European measures are a key weapon,' he said.

'I don't argue that if we left we would lose any ability to co-operate with our neighbours on a bilateral basis, or even potentially through some EU mechanisms.

'But it's clear that leaving the EU would make co-operation more legally complex and make our access to vital information much slower and more difficult.'

Mr Cameron said warnings by two former spy chiefs - Lord Evans of Weardale, former director-general of MI5, and ex-MI6 chief Sir John Sawers - that Brexit could harm the country's ability to fight terrorism were 'unmistakable'.

The Paris and Brussels attacks were a reminder that 'we face this threat together and will only succeed in overcoming it by working much more closely together'.

David Cameron delivers his speech on the EU referendum at the British Museum in central London this morning

He said the rise of a 'newly belligerent' Russia, the fight against Isis, and the migration crisis required 'unity of purpose'.

He conceded that the Nato alliance was the 'cornerstone' of national defence - but argued that 'top military opinion' was clear that the EU is a 'vital' reinforcement to the organisation.

Mr Cameron attacked those who want the EU to collapse and claimed if Britain triggered such a move it would be an 'act of supreme irresponsibility'.

'Now is a time for strength in numbers. Now is the worst possible time for Britain to put that at risk. Only our adversaries will benefit.'

There was also controversy last night over Mr Camerons speech being declared a Government event. Britain Stronger In Europe helped to publicise the talk, but by stating it was arranged by the Cabinet Office it does not count towards official referendum spending limits.

Despite Mr Camerons doom-laden warnings that Brexit could lead to war, a No 10 spokesman said: We are not doing any contingency planning because we have a policy position that we should remain within the EU.

They also slapped down Mr Johnsons comments on Ukraine, saying: The illegal annexation of Crimea was brought about by Russia alone, and the EU sanctions are having a positive effect.

POLITICAL CROSS-DRESSING AS DAVID MILIBAND INTRODUCES CAMERON AT PRO-EU SPEECH The former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband (pictured introducing David Cameron this morning) jetted across the Atlantic to help out the Prime Minister's bid to keep Britain in the EU Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to share a platform with David Cameron during the EU campaign but that didnt stop David Miliband  the man who wanted both their jobs  jetting across the Atlantic to help out the Prime Minister this morning. The former Labour foreign secretary said he was fully aware that many will poke fun at our unusual and temporary alliance as he introduced the Prime Minister ahead of his key EU speech at the British Museum. But he said it was a mark of the stakes that they had come together and their partnership was a sober reflection of how serious the threat of Brexit posed. Mr Miliband fled to the United States after losing out to his brother Ed in the 2010 Labour leadership election and now pockets 400,000-a-year in charge of the International Rescue Committee in New York. Defending the show of political cross-dressing this morning, Mr Miliband said: There is a centre-left case for Britain's membership of the EU. 'There is a centre-right case for Britain's membership. Together they add up to a compelling national case, and they need to be brought together in a way that is positive, patriotic and effective. He went on to warn that quitting the EU would be political suicide and would be the greatest voluntary redundancy of political power by any country in modern times. Joking about the likely ridicule the picture of him and Mr Miliband would generate, Mr Cameron joked: I look forward to the Private Eye cover with trepidation. To hammer home the cross-party message of the event this morning, the In campaign wheeled out another former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, as well as a host of Tory MPs, ministers, who sat alongside an audience of foreign ambassadors in the lobby of the British Museum in central London. Advertisement

Brexit campaigners have accused Downing Street panicking with the polls neck and neck despite the intervention of Barack Obama and a series of dire warnings about the risks of leaving.

Chancellor George Osborne warned yesterday that house prices could collapse following a vote to quit the union.

In his speech, described as his biggest of the campaign so far with just 45 days until the nation goes to the polls, Mr Cameron said he thought of the sacrifice of British forces during the war whenever he went to EU summits.

He said Churchill had 'never wanted' the UK to be alone and 'argued passionately' after the Second World for Europe to cooperate more closely.

'Isolationism has never served this country well,' Mr Cameron said. 'Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at much higher cost.'

'Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

'Is that a risk worth taking? I would never be so rash as to make that assumption. It's barely been 20 years since war in the Balkans and genocide in Srebrenica.

He claimed that 'the serried rows of white headstones in lovingly tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe'.

'In the last few years, we have seen tanks rolling into Georgia and Ukraine. And of this I am completely sure. The European Union has helped reconcile countries which were at each others' throats for decades.

'Britain has a fundamental national interest in maintaining common purpose in Europe to avoid future conflict between European countries. And that requires British leadership, and for Britain to remain a member.'

Mr Cameron also cited the threats to Britain from the Spanish Armada and in the Napoleonic Wars.

'We know that to be a global power and a European power are not mutually exclusive. And the moments of which we are rightly most proud in our national story include pivotal moments in European history  Blenheim, Trafalgar, Waterloo,' he said.

'Our country's heroism in the Great War. And most of all our lone stand in 1940, when Britain stood as a bulwark against a new dark age of tyranny and oppression.

'But it wasn't through choice that we were alone.

'Churchill never wanted that. He spent the months before the Battle of Britain began trying to keep our French allies in the war, and then after France fell, he spent the next 18 months persuading the United States to come to our aid.

'And in the post-war period he argued passionately for Western Europe to come together, to promote free trade, and to build institutions which would endure so that our continent would never again see such bloodshed.

'The truth is this: what happens in our neighbourhood matters to Britain. Either we influence Europe, or it influences us.

'And if things go wrong in Europe, let's not pretend we can be immune from the consequences.'

Former London Mayor Mr Johnson said the claims by the Prime Minister were 'very curious'

Mr Cameron built on warnings from security experts yesterday to claim Brexit would make Britain more vulnerable to terrorists.

He even cited 'newly belligerent Russia' as a reason we need to stay in the EU as well as the threat of ISIS and the instability caused by the migration crisis hat has engulfed Europe.

THE QUESTIONS HE'LL ASK THE PM How can you possibly control immigration into this country when you are bound by rules on free movement? How will you ensure the national living wage will not act as a pull to more migrants? How can we stop the European Court of Justice from interfering on immigration, human rights and asylum  most of which have nothing to do with the single market? Why did the Government give up the UK veto on further moves towards fiscal and political union? How can Britain stop itself from being dragged into an ever-closer union and picking up the bill for bailouts of struggling members? Advertisement

He said UK authorities' access to vital intelligence on jihadists would be 'much slower and more difficult' outside the EU.

'When people are trying to kill and maim people on British streets, the closest possible security cooperation is far more important than sovereignty in its purest theoretical form,' he said.

Mr Cameron warned that the security threat had grown since he entered Downing Street in 2010, adding: 'The threat level is now at severe, which means a terror attack is highly likely. Indeed, such an attack could happen at any time.'

Asked what his priorities will be when Britain takes over the rotating presidency of the EU next year, Mr Cameron said he would seek to finalise trade deals with the likes of Japan and the US and concentrate on fighting terrorism.

Asked how he would unite the party after making such strong attacks on his Cabinet colleagues, he said: 'Well we're working in cabinet today.

'I think it is an unprecedented - unprecedented in 40 years - act to come out and allow people to campaign in a personal capacity but this issue is so big, opinions are so strongly held, I think it's he right thing to do.

'The fact is we are running a government and making decisions right now.'

Mr Cameron with Labour's former foreign secretary David Miliband after the Prime Minister delivered a pro-EU speech at the British Museum in London

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, a Remain supporter, was seemingly attempting to play down Mr Cameron's words on European war earlier.

'What hes doing is pointing out that although we in Britain have enjoyed peace and stability for many, many years, not all parts of the European continent have been that fortunate,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'Not all parts have the deep and long democratic traditions that we have and not all parts are as stable as we are. And hes pointing out as well that the European Union is one of the institutions that ensures peace, stability and security in our continent.'

PM DODGES TV SHOWDOWN WITH BREXIT BACKER BORIS JOHNSON Downing Street has been accused of trying deliberately to scupper referendum debates on TV by refusing to involve the Prime Minister. Both the BBC and ITV want to hold major events in the days leading up to the June 23 vote featuring the biggest hitters from the In and Out campaigns. Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are lined up to lead the charge for Leave but No 10 strategists refuse to sanction so-called 'blue on blue' clashes with David Cameron. Yesterday, George Osborne refused repeatedly to say the PM would be prepared to face Mr Gove or Mr Johnson. He told ITV's Robert Peston: 'On the Leave side you've got some Conservatives and Ukip. On the remain side you've got the Conservative leadership, the Labour Party, the trade union movement, the Green Party.' Asked why they could not have a head-to-head debate, the Chancellor replied: 'I know everyone wants to turn it into a Tory soap opera but it's more important than that.' Organisers of the BBC event at Wembley Arena are said to be in negotiations for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to lead the In team after both Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne ruled themselves out. Advertisement

Mr Johnson, is due to embark on a nationwide bus tour starting on Wednesday, said: 'I think it is very, very curious that the prime minister is now calling this referendum and warning us that world war three is about to break out unless we vote to remain. I think that is not the most powerful argument Ive heard.'

Warning that 'scare stories' from the Remain campaign risked damaging the UK, he said: 'The biggest single threat that I can see is that people on the Remain camp will continue to run scare stories about world war three, or bubonic plague, or whatever it happens to be, and they may in the end inadvertently do material damage to peoples confidence about this country.'

Leading historians, including the former head of history at Cambridge University, Professor David Abulafia, have dismissed the claim that the EU has brought peace to Europe as 'historically illiterate'.

They say it is Nato that has kept us safe since 1945.

It was also the Nato alliance that managed Europe's defence against the Soviet Union in the Cold War and which organised European action after 9/11, it is argued.

But to ram home the PM's point, the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign will release a video in which four war heroes will make the 'patriotic case' for the EU.

Harry Leslie Smith, David Meyland, Patrick Churchill and Field Marshal Lord Bramall will all make their arguments for staying in the EU over the 'isolationism' that would be foisted on Britain.

Lord Bramall, a former chief of the defence staff, says: 'We would be going backwards not forwards in what we set out to cure after the terrible tragedies of the Second World War.'

BORIS BRANDED 'PUTIN APOLOGIST' OVER BLAMING EU FOR UKRAINE CRISIS Boris Johnson has been accused of being an 'apologist' for Vladimir Putin after he suggested the EU was to blame for the Ukraine crisis. The former London Mayor suggested that Brussels was responsible for the face-off that saw Russia annex Crimea and fuel unrest in the rest of Ukraine. 'If you want an example of EU foreign policy making on the hoof, and the EUs pretensions to running a defence policy that have caused real trouble, then look at what has happened in Ukraine,' Mr Johnson said at a Vote Leave event in London today. 'What worries me now is that it is the European Unions pretensions to run a foreign policy and a defence policy that risk undermining Nato. Labour MP Chuka Umunna hit out at Mr Johnson's comments on Twitter 'We saw what happened in Bosnia. Weve seen what happened in the Ukraine ... All the EU can do in this question is cause confusion and, as weve seen in the Balkans ... and in the Ukraine things went wrong as well.' But Labour's former foreign secretary Jack Straw said: 'Boris Johnson has plumbed new depths today by joining the likes of Farage, Le Pen and Wilders in blaming the EU, rather than Vladimir Putin, for what has happened in Ukraine. 'If further evidence were needed about the careless disregard for our security demonstrated by Leave campaigners, by being a Putin apologist, Johnson has provided it.' Labour MP Chuka Umunna posted on Twitter: 'So Pres Putin annexes Crimea,which is recognised by the world to be part of Ukraine, and Boris suggests that's the EU's fault. Extraordinary.' Advertisement

Lone stand: David Cameron said that Britain stood as a bulwark against a new dark age of tyranny and oppression in 1940. Pictured, Hitler's SA officers on an exercise outside Munich

Brexit will aid enemies, say Nato chiefs

Backing Cameron: Lord Carrington, pictured, was one of five Nato chiefs who signed an open letter

Five former Nato secretaries-general last night backed the Prime Minister's stance that Britain being in the EU makes Europe safer.

An open letter published in The Daily Telegraph was signed by Lord Carrington, Javier Solana, Lord Robertson, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

They said the European Union was a 'key partner' for Nato and helped to 'stave off instability' on the continent and wider region.

'At a time of global instability, and when Nato is trying to reinforce its role in Eastern Europe, it would be very troubling if the UK ended its membership of the EU.

'While the decision is one for the British people, Brexit would undoubtedly lead to a loss of British influence, undermine Nato and give succour to the West's enemies.'

In a letter to The Times, 13 former US secretaries of state and defence, and security advisers, also warned Brexit would 'diminish' Britain's 'place and influence' in the world and leave Europe 'dangerously weakened'. Signatories included former defence secretary Leon Panetta and former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and George Shultz.

But in an excoriating attack, war heroes who served in Bomber Command accused David Cameron of 'insulting the dead' and said the freedom they fought for was being 'eroded' by the EU. They said an 'unelected body that imposed control' was not what they had risked their lives for when they went into battle against the Nazis in 1939.

The dramatic interventions came after Mr Cameron warned that Europe risked sliding back into war if Britain voted to leave the EU. He evoked Winston Churchill, the Second World War and the graves of the fallen and said 'isolationism has never served this country well'.

But Wing Commander John Bell, 93, who served in the 617 'Dambusters' squadron, said Mr Cameron's comments were 'disgusting'.

Taking a stand: Former Nato secretaries-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, left, and Lord Robertson, right

He added: 'We fought for freedom during World War Two and the EU has eroded our freedom. The EU is an unelected body that imposes control on its member states and this was not the freedom that we fought for.'

David Fellowes, 92, who also served in Bomber Command, said: 'I've got one word  tripe. Mr Cameron's comments were complete and utter nonsense. Myself and others fought a war between 1939 and 1945 to save Europe from being run under the Nazis.

'We fought for our freedom, our independence, and we lost a lot of men and now he (Mr Cameron) wants to throw it all away.'

Better together: Javier Solana, left, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, right, both spoke out against Brexit

Colonel Richard Kemp, an Afghanistan veteran, said: 'I believe that if we stay in, we will be part of an EU army. An EU army would undermine deterrence and cripple Nato, weakening European defences when we face increasing threats from Russia, Middle East and radical Islam.'

Joe Lancaster, 97, who served in Bomber Command, added: 'David Cameron is away with the fairies. The EU is one great gravy train. We didn't fight for the European Union, it is no good. I don't see any logic in what Mr Cameron says.' Mr Lancaster, who is helping to build a Bomber Command education centre in Lincolnshire, added: 'It is not the EU that has stopped us going to war again.'

Mike Brundle, who served in the RAF for more than 25 years, and whose father Bert served in Bomber Command, said Mr Cameron's comments were 'an insult to those who lost their lives'.

Don't make this referendum about me, pleads Cameron

David Cameron delivers his pro-EU speech today

David Cameron insisted the battle over Britain's EU membership is 'bigger than any politician' today amid fears voters could use the referendum as an opportunity to kick him out.

The Prime Minister said told the audience at the British Museum in central London that he understood why many people - including some in his own Cabinet - were 'wrestling' with the decision.

But he insisted that the UK would suffer an 'immediate economic shock' and be 'permanently poorer' afterwards.

The ballot on June 23 was not just an ordinary election like last week's for councils and devolved assemblies, the premier argued.

'In 45 days' time, British people will go to polling stations across our islands and cast their ballots in the way we've done in this country for generations,' he said.

'They will as usual weigh up the arguments, reflect on them quietly, discuss them with friends and family and then calmly, without fuss take their decision.

'But this time their decision will not be for a parliament or even two; they will decide the destiny of our country  not for five years or for ten  but in all probability for decades, perhaps a lifetime. This is a decision that is bigger than any individual politician or government.

'It will have real, permanent and direct consequences for this country and every person living in it. Should we continue to forge our future as a proud, independent nation while remaining a member of the European Union as we have for the last 43 years or should we abandon it?'

Mr Cameron warned that it would have a major impact on the future of the country that would last for generations to come.

Mr Cameron has repeatedly denied that he will quit if the UK votes to leave the EU against his advice.

But Tory big beasts including Europhile Ken Clarke have made clear the PM could not last 'five minutes' after a Brexit vote.

The Remain camp is concerned that Labour voters, generally thought to be more in favour of staying in, may be swayed by the prospect of evicting Mr Cameron from Downing Street.

PM's brutal slapdown to Justice Secretary Michael Gove for 'toying with livelihoods'

David Cameron has launched a blistering attack on his close friend Michael Gove after he said yesterday that a Brexit vote would mean leaving the single market.

The Prime Minister said it was 'reckless' and 'irresponsible' to suggest the UK would be better off outside the market and in a remarkable broadside on his Justice Secretary, he added: 'These are people's livelihoods being toyed with.'

Mr Cameron also claimed that if Boris Johnson and Mr Gove lead us out of the EU it would be an 'abject act of retreat' for the first time in our country's history.

Asked why he called the referendum if he believed it risked causing another world war, Mr Cameron said: 'You shouldn't hold an independent and sovereign nation in an organisation against its will and this is a great act of national sovereignty.'

'The EU is one of the institutions that has helped bring peace to our continent... There is no doubt the EU has helped.'
will be given eggs, castor oil and milk to aid breaking wind

The 37-year-old to award cash prizes to person making the loudest noises

A DJ's plan to win the war on drugs in South Africa is to make people break wind.

Thabo Mahlare, 37, has called on teenagers to take part in an inaugural competition involving the taboo.

He has started the contest because the DJ, also known as 'Behind Bars', is so concerned about the level of drug abuse in Pretoria.

Participants will be given eggs, castor oil and milk to help them produce the loudest sounds.

Thabo Mahlare, 37, (pictured) has started an inaugural competition involving the breaking wind

Amazingly organisers will also be handing out diapers to anyone at risk of making a mess. So far only 11 people have signed up to the contest.

Mr Mahlare told the Daily Sun he came up with the idea when he heard people in his area 'farting a lot'.

'When we are just chilling, someone will just fart loudly,' he added.

A microphone will be placed near the contestants' rears to determine who is best at breaking wind.

Mr Mahlare now wants sponsors to come forward and support him.

Speaking to SowetanLive, he said: 'I'm hoping people take this seriously enough to want to sponsor it so that we can send these kids to go compete internationally.

'Some people don't realise that farting is a talent and can you realise how different their lives could be if they were given the platform to try out their talents.'

The kwaito artist is offering cash prizes of R87,000 to the winner of the breaking wind competition.

He wants action to curb the prevalence of the street drug nyaope, the primary ingredient of which is heroin.

Kabelo Sathekge, who is participating in the contests, has been smoking nyaope for 16 years despite trying to quit three times.

Entrance to the competition is free and open to all age groups. Anyone interested in entering should visit the Mahube Complex in Mamelodi (pictured is Pretoria)

He said rehab hadn't worked as there was peer pressure to continue smoking and a lack of job opportunities.

Mr Sathekge also criticised drug clinics for not doing enough to support users.

'If you could go in there today and they attended to you at the same time then it would make the situation better but this thing of being sent back and asked to come back another day doesn't work because I need the medication [methadone] now', he said.

Entrance to the competition is free and open to all age groups. Anyone interested in entering should visit the Mahube Complex in Mamelodi.
A man who stabbed his flatmate in the heart after 'she refused to have sex with him' has been jailed for a minimum of 17 years for her murder.

Gary Stevenson killed 25-year-old Katy Rourke at the flat they had shared for just two weeks in Govan, Glasgow, in December last year after the pair had been drinking.

The pair had sex but when the 27-year-old wanted to sleep with her again and she refused, he 'totally lost control' and repeatedly punched Ms Rourke before getting a kitchen knife and stabbing her three times.

He pleaded guilty to the murder last month and the case had been adjourned for background reports.

Jailing him for life at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday, judge Lady Rae said he should reflect on having 'needlessly and brutally' taken Ms Rourke's life.

Gary Stevenson, 27, left, was jailed for a minimum of 17 years for murdering Katy Rourke, right

The 25-year-old, left and right, was stabbed in the heart before Stevenson fled out of a window

Stevenson flew into a rage after Ms Rourke, pictured, turned him down for sex, punching and stabbing her

Defending, Donald Findlay QC told Lady Rae that Stevenson thought Katy was an 'intelligent, good person' who did not 'deserve to die.'

Reading out a statement written by the former hospital worker, Mr Findlay said: 'She did nothing wrong. She was a good intelligent person. She had her whole life in front of her and I robbed her of that.

'I cannot imagine the pain and suffering that I have caused. I cannot begin to imagine it.

'If I could go back and change things I would. If I could go back and give my own life I would.

'I was like a pressure cooker and the pressure had been building up for a long, long time.

'The wheels were coming off in so many areas of my personal life. I had been drinking in a stupid attempt to self medicate instead of seeking help.

'Katy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when I finally cracked. It was not her fault and I regret it every day.

'I'm not going to make any excuses. I have lost everything.. I deserve every second of the long dark road which rises in front of me.

'I'm filled with regret every day. I wish I could wake up and know everything is okay. But it's not a dream.

'It's a wide awake living nightmare.'

However, Lady Rae said she had no other option but to send Stevenson to prison.

She said: 'I note too with some concern that the social worker detected no victim empathy or remorse on your part.

Glasgow High Court heard Stevenson later gave himself up so the family of Ms Rourke, left and right, could have 'justice'

'You should reflect on the fact that you have needlessly and brutally destroyed a young life and from my reading of the victim impact statements from Miss Rourke's parents and her sisters, you have devastated her family.

'You killed Miss Rourke because she rejected your sexual advances and because she refused to engage in sexual intercourse.

'You were simply on this occasion not prepared to take 'no' for an answer and you deliberately killed her.'

The court heard Stevenson told investigators: 'I lost control. I didn't think about the consequence of my actions. Once it started it just took off.

'IT'S A WIDE AWAKE NIGHTMARE' In a statement read out in court, Stevenson said he 'robbed' Ms Rourke of her life and that he 'deserved' the 'long, dark road ahead of him'. He said: 'She did nothing wrong. She was a good intelligent person. She had her whole life in front of her and I robbed her of that. 'I cannot imagine the pain and suffering that I have caused. I cannot begin to imagine it. 'If I could go back and change things I would. If I could go back and give my own life I would. 'I was like a pressure cooker and the pressure had been building up for a long, long time. 'The wheels were coming off in so many areas of my personal life. I had been drinking in a stupid attempt to self medicate instead of seeking help. 'Katy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when I finally cracked. It was not her fault and I regret it every day. 'I'm not going to make any excuses. I have lost everything. I deserve every second of the long dark, road which rises in front of me. 'I'm filled with regret every day. I wish I could wake up and know everything is okay. But it's not a dream. 'It's a wide awake living nightmare.'

'She started kicking and stuff so I started punching her in the face. I tried to stop her moving but then she started shouting for help and stuff. I went into the kitchen to get a knife.'

Glasgow High Court had previously been told Stevenson drank half a bottle of Buckfast fortified wine before he and Ms Rourke shared a bottle of vodka that evening.

A post-mortem examination revealed a stab wound to Ms Rourke's chest had gone through her heart.

The court heard Stevenson left a note in the flat saying he wanted to be cremated and travelled to North Berwick, East Lothian, where he attempted to take his own life, before calling police.

He later told officers he needed to face up to what he did and 'give Katy's family justice'.

Bruce Erroch, for the prosecution, asked the judge to consider placing Stevenson on the Sex Offenders Register. On Monday, Lady Rae agreed that there was enough evidence to place Stevenson on the register.

The judge said she placed Stevenson on the register because there 'was a significant sexual element' in the events leading up to the murder.

Earlier, Mr Findlay told the court that his client had suffered from depression in the weeks leading up to the murder.

Mr Findlay also said that Stevenson had been drinking heavily.

He added: 'Alcohol and depression are cruel companions. He was hanging onto his job by a very thin thread and he was brooding on life.'

He said that Stevenson was unable to cope with repeated 'rebuffs' in his personal life. When Katy refused to have sex with him, Stevenson snapped and stabbed her.

Lady Rae added: 'Gary Stevenson you have pleaded guilty to the murder of a young woman by repeatedly stabbing her.

'The reason you have given for having done so is her rejection of her sexual advances. You did not accept that decision and as a result you started to assault her.

'When she tried to fight back and shout for help you struck her to quieten her, then took the time to go into the kitchen to retrieve a knife which you used to kill her.

The court, pictured, heard Stevenson told investigators he 'lost control' and 'didn't think about his actions'

'Although you have admitted your crime from the outset and you have pleaded guilty at an early stage thus avoiding a trial, it is the view of the social worker who carried out the criminal justice social work report for this court that you do not truly accept responsibility in the sense that you blame your alcohol intake then fact that deceased rejected you.

'Neither of these reasons is an excuse for, nor are those reasons mitigatory of your actions.'

Ms Rourke was described as a young woman 'with every expectation of a bright future ahead of her', and said her parents and sisters had been devastated by her murder.

He pleaded guilty to murder at the High Court in Glasgow in April and the case was continued for background reports.

'If it wasn't her it would have been someone else': Chilling words of murderer who had 'no moral boundaries' in his life

When he was arrested and returned to Glasgow, Stevenson told police during the car journey: 'If it wasn't her, it would be someone else.

'I just want to tell the truth for the sake of the family. I need to give Katy's family a chance to seek justice.'

He added: 'I've never been in trouble for violence. But when I did lose control, it just felt like there was nothing to stop me. There were no moral boundaries left in my life.'

The court heard that after killing his flatmate, he escaped through a rear window and climbed down the drainpipe, travelling 80 miles to the town of North Berwick where he tried to kill himself.

Miss Rourke, left and right, was described as a 'bright, popular young woman with her whole life ahead of her'

Her friends became worried when she failed to turn up for work at a clothing shop, and launched an appeal to find her on Facebook.

When they turned up at her flat and could not get in, they stopped two passing police officers who broke in and found her dead body in her bedroom.

Speaking in April after Stevenson's guilty plea, Detective Inspector Margaret-Ann May, a senior investigating officer in the case, said what her family had endured in the months since her killing was 'incomprehensible'.

She said: 'I must thank them for their strength and courage during this very difficult time.

'This was a very distressing case culminating in the death of a bright, popular young woman with her whole life ahead of her.

'A diligent and through investigation by the major investigation team lead to Gary Stevenson admitting his guilt today, and I am glad that this has spared the family the trauma of a trial.'

'Creepy' hospital worker who stabbed his Gumtree flatmate to death because she wouldn't have sex with him terrified other women who turned him down

University friends of Stevenson revealed the killer had a long history of turning on women when they rejected his advances, breaking one student's iPhone and locking himself in another's bedroom.

Former friends of the defendant from Stirling University, where he studied for a term before dropping out, suggesting that those who had known him 'saw it coming' because of his furious temper.

One source told the Daily Record that Stevenson was 'really forceful' and made girls 'scared to say no' when he came on to them.

He is said to have slept with 15 women during his short time at the university, and infected several of them with the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, which can leave women infertile.

Police pictured at the scene after they were called in by friends of Miss Rourke who became concerned when she did not turn up for work

The court heard Stevenson fled the flat after the murder and travelled 80 miles to North Berwick where he called 999 before trying to kill himself

A female friend said that the 'really creepy' Stevenson locked himself in her room and stood over the bed, asking why she would not have a relationship with him.

She told the Record: 'I said, 'It's not happening.' He stared at me, went to the sink and used my toothbrush, then knelt beside me and said: 'It is happening.''

Sources also said that he led drinking binges which lasted all night and through to noon the next day, and would secretly top up other people's drinks with vodka if they had not drunk enough.

Stevenson joined Stirling University as a 23-year-old biology student, but left in March 2013 after spending much of his time at the university drunk.
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Britains companies are counting the multi-million pound cost of the early heatwave today as workers head for parks and beaches instead of the office.

And many of those not bunking off are expected to take longer lunch breaks or leave work early as the unseasonably warm weather continues.

Experts say employees take an average of two days off in summer when there is nothing wrong with them  costing the economy 125million a year.

More warm weather is on the way over the next few days after the UK basked in the hottest day of the year, but spirits will be dampened by rain.

Temperatures in the low 20s are expected in many areas this week after Britain had its warmest day since August yesterday, with London hitting 27.1C.

Great day to sit outside: City workers enjoy sunshine and warm weather on their lunch breaks near City Hall in London today

Warm weather continues: Visitors to Granary Square today rest on steps by the Regents Canal towpath in King's Cross, London

Having a chat: City workers enjoy the sunshine in London. There is no suggestion anyone pictured in this story has bunked off work today

Lovely day: A group of workers enjoy sitting outside in the sunshine on their lunch breaks in Potters Fields Park in London

Sunglasses at the ready: Men sit eating their lunch on the south bank of the River Thames with the Tower of London visible behind them

Temperatures staying high: People enjoy the warm weather at Lower Grosvenor Gardens in Central London following a sweltering weekend

Speaking during a heatwave last year, University of Southampton economist Alessandro Mennuni said: People get distracted by good weather.

More sick days could happen in the next two days. Even a 30-minute reduction in working time costs the economy.

While yesterday's 2016 UK high of 27.1C still stands today, it's been Scotland's warmest day of the year after 26.1C was recorded on the Isle of Skye.

The unseasonal heat has seen bookmakers slash the odds on 2016 being the hottest year on record and that Mays record high of 32.8C will be broken.

But over the next few days, while there will be no need to bring your winter coat back out just yet, it might be worth keeping your umbrella handy.

Today will see dry weather in the North of England but southern areas will have cloud and rain spread in, bringing the risk of thunderstorms.

Sparkling water: Swimmers and sunbathers enjoy the hot weather at Gourock Outdoor Pool, a heated salt water lido in Renfrewshire

Shoes and shirt off: A man enjoys the sunshine today at Strathclyde Park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire

Clip clop: Alice (left) and Ginevra from Hyde Park Stables hack through London's Hyde Park as temperatures stay high in Britain

Spectacular scenery: People make the most of the hot weather in Scotland at Gourock Outdoor Pool in Renfrewshire, near Glasgow

Just one Cornetto, give it to me: Ice cream man Mario serves refreshments in London's Hyde Park today as the warm weather continues

Then tomorrow it looks set to be an unsettled day for much of England and Wales with showery rain, locally heavy and thundery.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for rain for parts of the South West and southern Wales, where rainfall could exceed 1.2in (30mm).

On Wednesday, much of the rain will become confined to northern England and Northern Ireland with a few sunny intervals developing elsewhere.

There will be a mixture of sunny spells and showers across the South on Thursday but other areas look set to remain largely dry with sun and cloud.

Wednesday and Thursday should see temperatures above average, before dipping on Friday to be much cooler and mostly around the mid-teens.

Met Office forecaster Ellie Creed said the North and East were set to enjoy a pleasant day today but the South would not be so lucky.

Sunny day: Friends Jennifer McKechnie (left) and Louise Stevenson (right) enjoy the warm weather at Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow today

Stunning: A beautiful scene across Thornwick Bay near Bridlington in East Yorkshire today as temperatures stayed high in Britain

Summery weather: Miss Stevenson and Miss McKechnie walk in the park in Glasgow (left) while another man performs a handstand (right)

Impressive: People enjoy the view of Canary Wharf from the top of Greenwich Park in South East London today

Delicious: Roshni Karki, six, enjoys her ice cream on Blackpool Promenade in Lancashire on a hot and sunny day

Cover: A man and woman shielded from the sun under umbrellas - or perhaps prepared for rain later - on Primrose Hill in North London

Soaking wet: A dog chases a ball through a pond in the grounds of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh

Nice day for an ice cream: Visitors to Green Park in London make the most of the temperatures as the good weather continues in Britain

There will be clear skies in the North and East. In the South there will be outbreaks of rain and through the day that will progress East and North.

'For the rest of Tuesday, it will be a similar story with the best of the weather in the North and West with rain continuing in the South.

The weather starts to become a bit more messy by Thursday with rain growing more patchy.

By the time we reach Friday there will be more patchy rain in the South West, Wales and central England. Elsewhere, there will be cloudy skies.

Meanwhile air pollution levels remain moderate for many parts of Britain today, with the highest levels expected in West Wales.

And there are seven flood warnings and 20 alerts in place in England and Wales this morning, with most located in the South West.

Going for a dip: Finley Hensby, two, and Eloise Bentley, four, cool off in the mirror pool at a park in Bradford, West Yorkshire

Getting a tan: People enjoy summer weather in the Botanic Gardens in Glasgow as temperatures remain in the 20s today

Pretty flowers: Visitors to the Georgian country house museum Canon Hall near Barnsley in South Yorkshire enjoy the warm weather today

Exercising: A woman using walking sticks drags a car tyre from her waist along The Mall in London this morning on another warm day

Warm morning: A small crowd gathers outside City Hall in London, on Sadiq Khan's first day as Mayor of London today

Morning view: These Met Office graphics show a cloudy and damp start across the South West today, but a dry and sunny day elsewhere

Sweeping in: Air pollution levels remain moderate for many parts of Britain today, with Saharan dust (in pale pink) arriving in Britain

Clustered in the South West: There are seven flood warnings (in red) and 20 alerts (in orange) in place in England and Wales this morning

Beaches were packed with sunseekers yesterday on the hottest day in May for four years, with 27.1C recorded at St Jamess Park in London.

Bookmakers are now offering 3-1 odds that 2016 will be the hottest year on record and 2-1 that the record May high is broken this month.

Yesterdays high in Scotland was 22.5C at Kirkcudbrightshire while Aberporth in Wales reached 24.3C and Killowen in Northern Ireland got to 18C.

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill added: The weekend is looking mostly dry but cooler than the weekend just gone for most.

'Temperatures [will be] around or a little below the average for the time of year. But it should still be pretty pleasant in the sunshine.
Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on July 24, 1991, after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents

A team of British police officers is heading for the Greek island of Kos to look for new witnesses in the search for Ben Needham, who went missing almost 25 years ago.

Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on July 24, 1991, after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents.

Over the years there have been a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to the youngster, who would now be aged 26.

Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police announced that they had received extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search.

Now, the official campaign to find Ben, headed by his mother, Kerry, confirmed that a team of officers will fly to Kos on Tuesday.

In a statement, Help Find Ben Needham said 10 officers were travelling to the island hoping to 'find new witnesses as they urge islanders to come forward with any information which might help the case'.

He had been taken to the site, in Irakles, by his grandmother, Christine Needham, to visit his grandfather, who was helping to renovate the run-down building.

Ms Needham said: 'We believe someone on Kos does know something - and if they do please come forward. It doesn't matter how insignificant they think it is - if they have information let the police know.'

In January last year, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings secured 700,000 of special funding from the Home Office to allow South Yorkshire Police to commit further resources to the investigation into Ben's disappearance.

This year, a further 450,000 was approved by the Home Secretary.

The Home Office backed a South Yorkshire Police operation in 2012 when land was excavated on Kos, near the farmhouse from where Ben went missing. No trace of the little boy was found.

In 2014, South Yorkshire Police asked the Home Office for the Special Grant Funding to follow up information the family believed had never been properly investigated.

In May last year, Ben's mother, sister and grandmother travelled to Greece with South Yorkshire Police detectives to make a direct appeal on a Greek television show about missing people.

British officers and two sniffer dogs visited the Greek Island of Kos to excavate and search for remains of Ben at the farmhouse where he went missing in 2012

Police have investigated a number of new lines of inquiry as a result of the programme and the ongoing investigation into the toddler's disappearance.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed the team will hold a press conference at the farmhouse on Tuesday.

A spokesman said the detectives will be 'actively progressing lines of inquiry, distributing leaflets and posters, and carrying out house-to-house visits in Iraklis in Kos, where Ben was last seen'.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said: 'The lives of Ben Needham's family were ripped apart when he disappeared more than twenty years ago and their determination to find him has not diminished. They are more desperate than ever to find answers about what happened to him.

'It is likely that someone out there knows what happened to him and we will be appealing to people in Kos who have information to come forward and tell us what they know. The force is working closely with the Greek authorities to ensure a number of lines of existing inquiry are explored.

'We are also hoping that the offer of a Crimestoppers' reward of up to 10,000 could be an incentive for someone to finally come forward after all these years - it is not too late to tell us what happened and finally allow us to unearth the truth.'
Protesters in Colombia were inventive with their smoking on Saturday, filling fruits with cannbis roll-ups as part of the Global Marijuana March.

Marijuana-lovers took to the streets in Bogota and Medellin in the South American country, where their impressive efforts were put on display.

Some smoked the drug through fruit like apples, others crafted bongs from larger tropical fruits such as watermelons and pineapples.

Attendees at Colombia's Global Marijuana Marches in Bogota and Medellin put lots of effort into they cannabis smoking at the event

Saturday's march saw protestors take a stand over the legalisation of marijuana by smoking the drug out of intricate fruit devices

Others, like this man in Medellin, took turns on giant joints which they made for the event

The march, which took place in more than 100 cities across the world on Saturday, was to call for a relaxation of drugs laws.

Proponents believe that the use of marijuana should be allowed for both medical and recreational use.

Thousands of people turned out to both marches, with many wearing cannabis-leaf themed clothing.

Others committed to the cause by shaving marijuana imagery into their hair, while some smoked three-foot long hand-rolled spliffs made especially for the marches.

Colombians are allowed to grow marijuana, but this is limited to a maximum of 20 plants at once

Colombia has much more lenient cannabis laws than other countries where marches were happening.

There is no limit on how much a person can be of possession of if it is for medicinal or scientific purposes and licensed by the country's National Anti-Narcotics Council.

A person can be in possession of up to 22 grams for personal use without facing persecution.

Selling and transporting the plant-based drugs, however, is only legal for scientific and medical purposes.

Colombians are allowed to grow marijuana, but this is limited to a maximum of 20 plants at once.

This man, who chose a marijuana leaf-print hat for the day, made a smoking device out of a watermelon and two apples

Some protesters went the extra mile for the cause, this woman shaved a cannabis leaf into the side of her head

Over 100 separate protests took place on Saturday. Pictured is a woman in a flower crown lighting a roll-up in the Rio de Janeiro event

Protesters hit the street not just in Colombia but all over the world in the annual event.

In South Africa, thousands took to the streets of Cape Town on Saturday demanding a relaxation of drugs laws.

Possessing any marijuana is illegal in South Africa and punishable by prosecution - it is, however, widely available.

Around 3,000 protesters took part in the march, some smoking cannabis and others carrying placards or cannabis plants growing in portable containers.

Possession of marijuana is legal up to 22 grams in Colombia, and in both cities demonstrators were smoking the drug on the streets

This watermelon probably won't be being served as desert, after Medellin protesters turned it into a makeshift bong

A man can be seen defiantly holding up a giant marijuana roll-up at the Medellin rally

'We were marching for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in South Africa,' lead organiser Johannes Berkhout said.

'There is more than enough evidence around the world about the medicinal benefits of cannabis,' he said, adding that legalisation would create a 'safer and much more controllable' use of the drug.

Use of cannabis and medicinal marijuana is gaining popularity in some parts of the world to ease suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV and AIDS, and other serious conditions.

But opponents fear crime connected to drug abuse and users graduating to harder drugs
A British man who was approached in an apparent Facebook scam decided to wind up the fraudster in a series of hilarious messages.

James Stanley, from Gateshead, played along with the con after someone approached him claiming to be a woman from the Philippines and needing money for a 'new phone'.

Despite telling the suitor he had a harem of four wives and giving her a series of bizarre addresses, she continued to ask him to wire her some money.

James Stanley strung along a suspected scammer who contacted him through Facebook last week

Mr Stanley, 25, was first contacted by the woman last Wednesday. He said he frequently receives messages from people in the Philippines because he previously spent time there while in the Merchant Navy.

He replied to the woman's first message with a tongue-in-cheek response, but when she seemed not to realise it was a joke, he continued his prank.

He jokingly asked the woman to marry him and be the fifth wife in his imaginary 'harem', but the conversation quickly turned to money.

The scammer first asked him for 5,000 Philippine Peso - 73.50 in sterling - before James upped the offer to 10,000 to see what her reaction would be.

Screengrabs of his responses to the suitor have now racked up nearly 6,000 likes and shares.

He shared screengrabs of his conversation on Facebook and has now amassed thousands of 'likes'

Friends threw him a 'stag party' to celebrate. Left Amy Henwood, top Maxine Johnstone and right Toni Fleck

The demolition worker said: 'When the message came through I had the day off work and thought I would see how far I could take it, for a laugh.

'She kept coming back. She must think I am a complete gullible idiot, or she is just not very good at this scamming game.

He joked: 'Now it seems I'm engaged, soon to be married! 'My mum is really pleased for me - she's already picking out a dress and hat. But my brother is disappointed, he has lost his wing man.'

The full exchange: How British demolition worker strung along the con artist who wanted money
Sickening new pictures have emerged of a new form of ISIS execution - stabbing prisoners directly in the heart to kill them for their 'crimes against the caliphate'.

Images show a heavily-built executioner holding a knife against the chest of a man dressed in an orange jumpsuit in the terror group's Syrian stronghold, Raqqa.

The man, named by the news agency ABNA as Abdulhadi Essa al-Salem, was knifed in the heart before a shot was fired into his head.

Images show a heavily-built executioner holding a knife against the chest of a man dressed in an orange jump suit in the terror group's Syrian stronghold, Raqqa

The man, named as Abdulhadi Essa al-Salem, was knifed in the heart before a shot was fired into his head

Shocking photos - posted on Twitter by Syrian activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently - then show the victim being crucified in public.

According to ABNA, he had been accused of co-operating with the US-led coalition.

It is the latest gruesome method of execution carried out by ISIS extremists.

Yesterday, pictures emerged of another barbaric killing of a man for allegedly being homosexual.

The unidentified young man had been accused of 'sodomy', according to local sources, and was punished for this supposed 'crime' by being thrown off a five-storey building in Manbij, Aleppo province.

Pictures released by ISIS show the young man fall to his death in front of a large crowd, including dozens of children.

The victim, named as Abdulhadi Essa al-Salem, had been accused of co-operating with the US-led coalition

Shocking photos - posted on Twitter by Syrian activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently - then show the victim being crucified in public

ISIS is known for its brutal beheading of captives but has also shown prisoners being burned to death in cages and being drowned and blown up with explosives.

Meanwhile, stonings have become commonplace in areas controlled by the fanatics as they seek to impose their brutal form of sharia law.

RUMOURS OF BOY BEING EXECUTED FOR SWEARING 'NOT TRUE' Activists have dismissed rumours ISIS have executed a seven-year-old boy for swearing at a football match. Reports claimed the child was shot dead in front of a crowd in Raqqa for 'cursing divinity'. But activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently said the reports are 'not true'.

Adultery is a common accusation levelled at those killed by the jihadis - a crime punishable by stoning.

In front of gathered crowds, the victims are usually pelted by rocks until they're dead.

Town square beheadings and the severance of the limbs of those accused of stealing are also commonplace.
Sadiq Khan seems to have struck up an unexpected friendship with Captain Kirk in the wake of his historic victory in the London Mayor election.

The Labour MP has been hailed by Star Trek star William Shatner, who deployed one of his most famous lines in a bizarre tribute.

Posting on Twitter after a wave of requests from fans, Shatner wrote: '@SadiqKhan Khaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn!! Congratulations Mr Mayor! Bill'

He then appeared overjoyed later when the new London Mayor followed him on Twitter. 'Go to Red Alert!' he posted. 'Khan followed!'

The quote comes from 1980s Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan, about genetically-enhanced baddie Khan Noonien Singh who tries to take revenge on Captain Kirk.

William Shatner, left, who played Captain James T Kirk, tweeted his congratulations to Sadiq Khan after the Laboour candidate's landslide victory in Thursday's election

Sadiq Khan comfortably defeated Tory rival Zac Goldsmith in the mayoral elections last week after a bitter battle during which he was repeatedly accused of having links to extremists.

A series of senior Tory figures and even Mr Goldsmith's sister Jemima have criticised the way the campaign was conducted.

While Mr Khan appears to have welcomed the endorsement from Shatner, he has seemed less willing to be seen with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

In an interview yesterday he savaged Mr Corbyn for obsessing over Left-wing causes while ignoring swathes of the electorate.

In a sign of a growing rift between the two, Londons new mayor also revealed he had not met his party leader since being elected on Friday.

Mr Khan said Labour needed to stop talking about ourselves and start talking to citizens about the issues that matter to them and accused Mr Corbyn and his allies of focusing on internal party issues instead of winning back voters.

Mr Khan held a victory party on Friday night after defeating Zac Goldsmith, before being sworn in at the capitals Southwark Cathedral on Saturday.

William Shatner offered his congratulations to London's new Mayor Sadiq Khan by recalling one of his most famous Star Trek moments

Mr Shatner got even more excited when the Tweet convinced Mr Khan to follow him back on Twitter - quipping 'red alert!'

Mr Corbyn was not at the party and travelled to Bristol on Saturday in support of new Labour mayor, Marvin Rees.

Mr Khan, who distanced himself from Mr Corbyn during the Mayoral contest, said yesterday: I think were seeing each other tomorrow. But Ive been really busy.

This contradicted Mr Corbyn, who claimed on Saturday he would meet Mr Khan over the weekend, adding: Were getting on fine.

Asked on BBC Ones Andrew Marr Show what contribution Mr Corbyn had made to his election, Mr Khan replied: Success has many parents and I think whats important is the victory on Thursday was a victory for London because ... London chose hope over fear and unity over division.
Al-Qaeda is starting its own rival Islamic state in a direct challenge to ISIS in war-torn Syria

The terror group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has backed a plan to create its own 'caliphate' in the country as a direct challenge to ISIS.

Although it has lost land in both Syria and Iraq, ISIS still holds large parts of the two countries where as many 10 million people live under their control.

Osama bin Laden's successor, al-Zawahiri, announced the plan in a speech posted online.

There have been reports that Al-Qaeda commanders have been sent to north-west Syria to begin their operation.

The terror group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has backed a plan to create its own 'caliphate' in the country as a direct challenge to ISIS

Saif al-Adel, a veteran Egyptian jihadist, seen as his deputy and operational field commander, is one of the men who has been sent.

He was reported as being held under house arrest in Iran until he was released late last year.

The Jabhat al-Nusra terror group, which is allied to Al-Qaeda, would be responsible for the plan to take territory in Syria.

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi set up the group but it split from him in 2013. It is known for being particularly brutal in enforcing Sharia Law.

The US and its allies are concerned it could use Syria to launch attacks on the West like bin Laden did in Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda has been concerned Jabhat al-Nusra could be persuaded by Gulf states like Qatar to sever ties with them and disband in return for aid.

Zawahiri said he was 'proud' of Jabhat al-Nusra and its link to al-Qaeda in the video.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he said: 'If they create their government, and choose their emir, what they choose is our choice.'

He criticised ISIS and compared them to a centuries old Islamic group, Khawarij, which was brutal against fellow Muslims.

'The Islamic nation in Greater Syria has backed [al-Nusra], realising the difference between the correctness of its methods and the methods of the new Khawarij,' he said.

Thousands of people have died in the Syrian civil war which has been going on for five years




only the windscreen seems to suffer any damage

A group of men enjoying an afternoon of rock crawling got a shock when a Toyota back-flipped and crashed onto their car.

The large black vehicle can be seen mounting huge boulders on the shores of Lake Tahoe as two guys in a neighbouring car look on and film.

However the climbing 4x4 appears to get stuck as its wheels churn vainly again against the rock face and soil.

Taking on the challenge: The large black vehicle can be seen mounting huge boulders on the shores of Lake Tahoe as two guys in a neighbouring car look on and film

Rock crawling: However the climbing 4x4 appears to get stuck as its wheels churn vainly again against the rock face and soil

The men chortle as they watch. 'He's trying to go past it,' one observes, as music blares out of the speakers.

But seconds later the Toyota slowly lurches back away from the rock until it's vertical in the air, the contents of the pick-up truck tumbling out as it falls.

The car then slams to the ground upside down before flipping itself upright again.

But as it spins it becomes clear that the huge vehicle is heading straight for the waiting men.

'Oh s**t!' one of them cries as the car smashes down on top of theirs, completely shattering the windscreen.

'Oh f**k!' one yells, while another says, 'That was f**king gnarly'.

The glass, while utterly smashed, remains in place and can be heard crackling threateningly as though the shards are going to collapse on the men at any point.

Going backwards: But seconds later the Toyota slowly lurches back away from the rock

Falling: It fall back until it's vertical in the air, the contents of the pick-up truck tumbling out as it falls

Tipping over: The car then slams down upside down before flipping itself upright again

'F**k dog,' one says says to their approaching friends, 'We're chillin' but this is f**ked.'

Eventually the Toyota drives off their bonnet and falls to its four wheels, upright once again, as the men climb out to assess the damage.

The aim of rock crawling is to overcome the largest, most difficult obstacles - from boulders to cliff faces - using highly modified 4x4s.

Competitions can range from local events to national series and consist of obstacle courses that are about 100-200 yards long. Each obstacle is set up with gates, similar to a ski course.

Flipping: But as it spins it becomes clear that the huge vehicle is heading straight for the waiting men.

Crash: 'Oh s**t!' one of them cries as the car smashes down on top of theirs, completely shattering the windscreen. 'Oh f**k!' one yells while another says, 'That was f**king gnarly'

In pieces: The glass, while utterly smashed remains in place and can be heard crackling threateningly as though the shards are going to collapse on the men at any point
A birthday boy got his face stuck in a leprechaun head-in-the-hole photo booth while his friends rolled around laughing in a video seen by three million people.

'Big headed' Danny Melody, from Middlewich, Cheshire, was celebrating his birthday on a weekend trip to Dublin with friends when he got into difficulties.

Danny and his two friends Marc Russell, 23 and Jordan Kelly, 20, spent 5 each to get some funny pictures taken as leprechauns playing fiddles.

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'Big headed' Danny Melody, from Middlewich, Cheshire, was celebrating his birthday on a weekend trip to Dublin with friends when he got into difficulties

Pictured (centre) is Danny with friends Marc Russell (right) and Jordan Kelly (left) at the booth

However the luck of the Irish failed to rub off on Danny when his head got jammed in the carnival cut out.

The construction worker admitted the more he pulled to free his rapidly swelling head, the harder it became as his ears were caught on the wooden stand.

The struggle lasted for seven minutes, but eventually he was freed by the photographer who was the first to help as his friends stood back and laughed.

Danny's ears had to be forced through the wooden cut-out one by one, leaving them bright red for the remainder of the holiday.

He said: 'People have always taken the mick out of me and called me a big head, so it is nothing new really - now I just get called swell head instead.

'My friends were all laughing at me and taking photos, but loads of people walking past started to do it as well - it was as if I was a freak show.

'I was quite drunk at the time so I wasn't that embarrassed, but I am now looking back at it.'

Danny (pictured right) admitted the more he pulled to free his rapidly swelling head, the harder it became as his ears were caught on the wooden stand

The struggle lasted for seven minutes, but eventually he was freed by the photographer who was the first to help as his friends stood back and laughed (Danny far right pictured with friends on the trip)

Danny admitted that he was worried that he would never get freed.

He added: 'I honestly thought that someone would have to come and cut me out. I was only trapped for seven minutes but it felt like so much longer.

'It did really hurt when my ears had to be squashed through, the board was tight and they started to really swell up, my face was going red.

The unlucky 21-year-old said his friends considered it the highlight of their holiday.

'None of my friends were worried about me at all - they all just laughed at me. The only person that cared was the man who we were paying for the photo.

'It's not really going to stop me doing silly things, this kind of thing happens to me all the time.'

However, Danny's despair turned to joy after he was given the pictures free of charge.

After the incident, which happened on Saturday, April 30, he headed straight to the pub to help calm his nerves.

The video has since gone viral online, with almost three million people witnessing Danny's painful ordeal.
Hundreds of home loan borrowers are being investigated by two of Australia's biggest banks over allegedly fraudulent Chinese income declarations.

ANZ and Westpac announced the investigation on Monday after they discovered the suspected fraud during internal investigations, Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Both banks discovered hundreds of brokers had helped manufacture fraudulent Chinese income documents to acquire home loans.

ANZ and Westpac are investigating hundreds of home loan borrowers over suspected fraud for allegedly manufacturing Chinese income declarations with the help of brokers

ANZ spokesman Stephen Ries confirmed the investigation to Daily Mail Australia.

'We have identified issues with the income documentation of a small percentage of Australian resident borrowers who rely on foreign income,' the spokesman said.

'Policy changes have been made to address this and we are also reviewing a number of brokers.

'Of the relatively small number of existing borrowers where we believe there are issues with income documentation, these are generally genuine owner-occupiers who have LVRs less than 80% and the loans are performing better the portfolio average.

'All our analysis to date indicates the issue is relatively small and there is no material credit risk issue involved,' the spokesman said.

Westpac spokesman David Lording also confirmed they were investigating 'an issue with some loans that rely on foreign income'.

Westpac spokesman David Lording told the paper they would 'take action against those involved, including the broker, which normally results in termination'

'We take any allegation of fraud very seriously. Any potential fraud is thoroughly investigated. This will involve contacting customers to seek further information and to verify the information they have provided in their application. We also liaise with the appropriate regulator and the police as required.

'We have no tolerance for fraud. When fraudulent activity is discovered we take action against those involved, including the broker, which normally results in termination.

'It is important to note that Westpac undertake incomes verification for foreign income including obtaining payslips and bank statements in both the relevant foreign language as well as getting those documents translated.

'Our delinquency rate on foreign income loans is lower than the portfolio average, and a large proportion of these loans are ahead on repayments. Overseas borrowers are also well secured. It is important to note that LVRs on these loans are 70 per cent,' the Westpac spokesman said.

It is not clear whether the allegedly fraudulent clients were Chinese.

Last month, ANZ, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank announced they would crack down on home loans to foreign investors.
Rolling a classic car out of the garage after lovingly restoring it to its former glory would be a satisfying feeling for any enthusiast.

But it was short-lived for one man, who was then forced to watch his 1970 Chevrolet El Camino plunge into a canal after he tried to stop it but failed on Saturday morning.

And to add insult to injury, the proud owner suffered a broken leg when he was knocked over as he tried to get into the vehicle and stop it before it careered down a hill and into the Roza Canal near Moxee, Washington.

Yakima County Sheriff's Office released this picture of a fully restored 1970 Chevrolet El Camino which rolled out of a man's garage, over his leg - breaking it - and into the Roza Canal

The model had been fully restored and pristine versions of the classic Chevrolet El Camino can fetch more than $100,000

The local Yakima County Sheriff's department tweeted a picture of the vehicle after it was totally submerged in the water.

The 73-year-old owner had been pushing the fully restored model - which can fetch in excess of $100,000 - out of his garage on Saturday morning to do some extra work when it happened.

But the vehicle gained too much speed and as he chased it to get inside and put the brakes on, he was knocked to the ground.

Despite his injuries, the man - who was not identified by police - was still able to walk up the road and got into an all-terrain vehicle to drive to his neighbor's home for help.
The heartbroken parents of a baby girl who died after she was wrongly diagnosed at a hospital say they hope no other people go through the pain they suffered.

Angela and Matthew Ebbage told the Melbourne Coroner's Court they endured 'a fate we hope no other parent will have to' when their 18-month-old daughter, Audrey, died in December 2014, the Herald Sun reports.

Audrey's parents rushed her to the Northern Hospital on December 11, 2014, where she was treated for a respiratory virus, however it was later revealed she was suffering from a heart condition.

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The heartbroken parents of a baby girl (pictured) who died after she was wrongly diagnosed at a hospital say they hope no other people go through the pain they suffered

Ms Ebbage said staff at the hospital 'dismissed' their concerns about their young daughter's 'extreme lethargy'.

Three days later, Audrey was taken to the Royal Children's Hospital after her condition took a turn for the worse.

She died the next day.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Ms Ebbage said she did not blame the hospital, and wanted to 'prevent this from happening again to another family'.

Angela and Matthew Ebbage told the Melbourne Coroner's Court they endured 'a fate we hope no other parent will have to' when their 18-month-old daughter, Audrey (pictured), died in December 2014

'We want Audrey's little friends and soon to be little brother to be safe,' she said.

'We never felt heard.' Ms Ebbage added that hearing the hospital's legal team say it would make some changes in the wake of Audrey's death was a small solace.

According to the Herald Sun, Northern Health made five 'concessions' about what should have been done differently when Audrey was admitted.

Ms Ebbage (right) said staff at the hospital 'dismissed' their concerns about their young daughter's 'extreme lethargy'

'We want Audrey's little friends and soon to be little brother to be safe,' Ms Ebbage said. 'We never felt heard'

Lawyer Sean Cash said hospital staff should have checked Audrey's blood pressure and had a paediatrician assess her.

Mr Cash also said on December 13 a 'different diagnosis' should have been considered, and that an emergency call should have been made later that day when her condition worsened.

The laywer added Mr and Ms Ebbage should have been spoken to the by hospital after Audrey died.

Coroner Jacqui Hawkins said she was able to reach a ruling over the death without further hearings.

A hearing has been held in Audrey's death at the Coroner's Court in Melbourne, Victoria
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Vladimir Putin has issued a warning to the West and Nato over their 'double standards' as Russia displayed its military might in a Victory Day parade.

The Russian president spoke out during an hour-long parade in which huge tanks and rocket launchers were driven through Red Square in Moscow.

Thousands of male and female military personnel marched through the square during the event, which concluded with a flyover by dozens of aircraft.

During a short speech at the parade this morning, Putin said he wanted to help build an international security system that transcended military blocs as part of a moves to combat global terrorism.

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Thousands of military personnel marched through the square during the event, which concluded with a flyover by dozens of aircraft

Both male and female military personnel marched through Red Square this morning as part of the country's Victory Day parade celebrations

The parade concluded with a fly-past by helicopters, long-range bombers and Su-35 fighter jets used in Russia's campaign in Syria

Military might: A Russian Yars RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missile system drives through Red Square during the Victory Day parade

He also warned against 'unacceptable double standards that shortsightedly indulge those who are nurturing new criminal plans.'

He made no specific accusations - but both the accusation of double standards and the call for a 'non-bloc system of international security' echo Russia's frequent criticism of the West and the NATO alliance.

The parade saw military equipment including the advanced Armata tank and the Yars ICBM launcher lumbered across the square, before helicopters, long-range bombers and Su-35 fighter jets used in Russia's Syria campaign flew overhead.

Vladimir Putin (pictured) issued a warning to the West and Nato over their 'double standards' during a speech at the Victory Day parade

Power: The Russian army also showcased its enormous S-400 Triumph medium-range and long-range surface-to-air missile systems

Proud: Part of the display saw these huge Russian T-14 tanks trundle through Red Square in front of president Vladimir Putin

Some 10,000 troops, tanks and nuclear missile systems swept across Red Square's cobblestones in front of President Vladimir Putin, senior officials and a handful of war veterans

Putin addressed the troops, congratulating them on a holiday that traditionally unites Russians across political divides

Russian servicewomen march at Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow to mark the 71st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany

Russian soldiers march during the Victory Day military parade marking 71 years after the victory in WWII in Red Square in Moscow

A Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled tracked howitzer rolls down Moscow's Red Square during a Victory Day military parade in Moscow

The event was part of nationwide celebrations to mark 71 years since the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Some 10,000 troops, tanks and nuclear missile systems swept across Red Square's cobblestones in front of Putin, senior officials and a handful of war veterans.

Putin also addressed the troops, congratulating them on a holiday that traditionally unites Russians across political divides.

A smaller-scale parade was held on Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria, where Moscow is conducting air strikes it says are aimed at extremist groups like ISIS. May 9 festivities also took place in some former Soviet republics.

Display: The parade on Red Square also saw military aircraft, including Su-35 fighter jets Russia uses in its bombing campaign in war-torn Syria, swoop over Moscow in a resounding fly-by

A Russian Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter and Mi-8 military helicopters fly in formation during the Victory Day parade

The military parade through Moscow's Red Square was part of nationwide celebrations to mark 71 years since the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. Russian Buk-M2 missile systems are shown above

An estimated 27million of the former Soviet Union's soldiers and civilians were killed in the Second World War and the Red Army's triumph is viewed as a huge source of pride in Russia

Russian servicemen stand atop T-90A main battle tanks as the country demonstrated its military power in a display this morning

Putin (pictured) also warned against 'unacceptable double standards that shortsightedly indulge those who are nurturing new criminal plans'

Participants hold portraits of Second World War veterans during the parade of young heirs at the Victory Square in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) holds a photograph of his father in a naval uniform, as he walks with people carrying portraits of relatives who fought in the Second World War. A Russian serviceman is pictured right during a Victory Day military parade

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev sat beside Putin at the Moscow parade, but other foreign leaders were not among the honoured guests.

Western leaders last year snubbed invitations to attend the 70th anniversary celebrations over the Ukraine crisis, leaving Putin to mark the day in the company of the leaders of China, Cuba and other Moscow-friendly figures.

An estimated 27million of the former Soviet Union's soldiers and civilians were killed in the Second World War and the Red Army's triumph is viewed as a huge source of pride in Russia.

The parade included as many as 10,000 servicemen and women who marched across the cobbled square during the celebrations

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is pictured saluting as he is driven through Red Square during a review of the troops

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev sat beside Putin at the Moscow parade, but other foreign leaders were not among the honoured guests

Fire power: Western leaders last year snubbed invitations to attend the 70th anniversary celebrations over the Ukraine crisis, leaving Putin to mark the day in the company of the leaders of China, Cuba and other Moscow-friendly figures

There was high security at the event and military snipers were seen on the Kremlin wall during the Victory Day celebrations today
A manhunt is underway for the driver of a car who fled after a seven-year-old boy was hit by a car in front of a primary school.

The boy was taken to hospital after he was struck by a car in front of Campbelltown East Public School, in Sydney's south-west, at 3pm on Monday.

He was treated at the scene for before being taken to Campbelltown Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

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A manhunt is underway for the driver of a car who fled after a seven-year-old boy was hit by a car in front of a primary school

The boy was taken to hospital after he was struck by a car in front of Campbelltown East Public School, in Sydney's south-west, at 3pm on Monday

Witnesses told police the female driver of the car stopped briefly on Valley Rd, did not offer assistance and fled the scene.

Police would like to speak to the driver of the red Mitsubishi Mirage who may be able to assist with their inquiries.

The woman is described as being of Caucasian appearance with an olive complexion and long brown hair.

Anyone with information or witnessed the incident is urged to come forward and contact Campbelltown Police Station on 4620 1199 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Roger Rogerson was 'shot to pieces' with grief as he helped lug the body of murdered drug dealer Jamie Gao into Glen McNamara's garage, a jury has heard.

The two former policemen are on trial in the NSW Supreme Court, accused of the shooting murder of 20-year-old drug dealer and Triad gang associate Jamie Gao in May 2014.

On Monday Rogerson told the jury that, on the day Mr Gao was killed, he and McNamara stowed the body in boat inside McNamara's garage in Cronulla, Sydney.

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Roger Rogerson, 75, is accused of the murder of 20-year-old university student Jamie Gao and of stealing over 2kgs of the drug ice

He said McNamara leaned over the body and said: 'This a***hole nearly killed me.'

'I said, "Are you all right mate?" and he said, "As best as I can be in the circumstances ... He can't hurt me, but his friends can, and I am very worried about my daughters".'

The 75-year-old said McNamara asked him for a hand loading Mr Gao's body into his boat so he could 'take him away' the following morning.

Mr Gao's body was found lifeless in the ocean off Cronulla, NSW, six days after he was shot

'That is my only chance,' McNamara is said to have told Rogerson, before adding: 'If the body's found with bullets in it, I know his mates will come after me.'

Rogerson denied McNamara's evidence that he'd been on the boat and talked about stabbing the student's body the day it was dumped.

He also said he had not seen the chain allegedly used to weigh down Gao's remains before court proceedings.

Rogerson alleges he was standing guard for his friend, as McNamara interviewed Mr Gao for a book he was writing on Chinese triads

'I was not on the boat, I wouldn't have got on that boat,' he said.

Rogerson has previously told the trial a panicked McNamara told him Mr Gao had shot himself in the chest with his own gun during a struggle after the young student tried to carjack him at a Padstow storage shed.

McNamara alleges it was Rogerson who shot Mr Gao over a botched drug deal.

Rogerson and his co-accused McNamara, above, have both pleaded not guilty to the charges, and allege that the other was responsible for the murder

On Monday, Rogerson said he had to ask McNamara who the dead man was after arriving at the storage shed, and that McNamara spelled Mr Gao's name out for him.

'I was basically shot to pieces myself,' he said.

'I was starting to realise the whole enormity of what had happened and I didn't know what to think really.'

It has been alleged that Rogerson commented on McNamara's 'lovely, lovely daughters' as he patted a black object in his pocket.

On Monday he denied repeatedly threatening the family and said he cannot recall talking with his co-accused about the gun McNamara says was used to kill Mr Gao while the pair were in jail together.

He also denied trying to influence McNamara's defence in documents shared between the pair after they were charged.

Rogerson said the pair had discussed the contents of a document, in which McNamara said he thought Mr Gao was on ice on the day he died.

'He said, 'Roger, he was so full of ice on that day.'
And he tells the PM: 'You're wrong to put around this scaremongering'

He says the group of four are

But veterans react angrily, saying the soldiers in the film are 'simply wrong'

He said: 'We would be going backwards not forwards in what we set out to cure after the terrible tragedies of the Second World War'

Falklands veterans are among ex-servicemen who have turned on David Cameron for his 'horrific' decision to wheel out Second World War heroes to make the case for staying in the EU.

A campaign video for the Prime Minister's pro-EU campaign shows four veterans who fought the Nazis making an emotional appeal to voters, saying Brexit would risk the security they fought to protect.

But Major-General Julian Thompson, who led British forces in the recapture of Port Stanley in the Falklands capital, said they were 'simply wrong' because the world is 'totally different' now, while fellow veterans dismissed it as an 'inaccurate propaganda video'.

I respect them hugely, theyre the guys who bought our freedom, they fought for us and we should respect what they think, but I'm afraid theyre wrong because the worlds moved on,' he told MailOnline.

Richard Kemp, who commanded forces in Afghanistan, accused the In campaign of 'putting words in their mouths' and said the views in the video are 'very unrepresentative' of ex-servicemen.

Major-General Julian Thompson (pictured right in 2007), who led British forces in the recapture of Port Stanley in the Falklands capital (pictured with a pipe, left, in 1982) said the Second World War veterans in the Britain Stronger In campaign video who urged voters to stay in the EU were 'simply wrong' because they world had 'moved on'

Expressing anger at the Prime Minister for giving his backing of the video and claiming Brexit would leave Britain isolated from the rest of the world, General Thompson added: 'I think Cameron is wrong to put around this scaremongering.

'He talks about isolationism [but] Britain was not isolationist before the Second World War  we joined a French and Russian alliance and fought the Germans and we joined it 10 years before the First World War started.

'Im afraid Cameron has forgotten his history or was fast asleep getting his history lessons,' he said.

The group of four veterans in the 'Britain is stronger in Europe' video, which includes Lord Brammall, 92, the former head of the Armed Forces, says that a vote to leave on June 23 would jeopardise the sacrifices of the dead.

Big hitter: Lord Bramall, Britain's most decorated living soldier, right in the Second World War, says a Brexit would send Britain backwards not forwards in a new campaign film

Emotive: Harry Leslie Smith, left, who served in the RAF and then was part of occupying force in Hamburg, right, says 'Britain is stronger in Europe'

Meanwhile Harry Leslie Smith, who served in the RAF and then was part of occupying force in Hamburg, says in the video: 'At the age of eighteen I joined the RAF to do my bit for Britain. For me, Britain is stronger in Europe because it reflects the values my generation fought for in Europe during the Second World War.'

But Mr Kemp, who served in the Armed Forces from 1977-2006, told MailOnline: 'I was quite surprised to hear these men talking about how theyd fought for the union.

'I dont remember any union existing when they were fighting or even being considered when they were fighting.

Escalation: Mr Cameron, pictured today, said a Brexit risks sliding back into conflict and genocide

It looks to me as though they have had words put in their mouths, which I think is a shame because theyre all highly distinguished soldiers who we owe a huge amount to so I was surprised to see them put in that position.'

He added: 'I think the majority of soldiers today do not believe they are fighting for the European Union and would be horrified by the might idea they be asked to fight for the European Union.

'They signed up  as those men did in the Second World War  to fight for their country, which is not the EU.'

'Ive spoken to a number of people who have fought in previous conflicts  the Second World War and since and they all have very different views, they all say that they did not fight for a Europe that is dominated by Germany; they fought for the opposite of that and they did not fight for the country to be governed by undemocratic processes by abroad.

'I would say they are very unrepresentative among people who have served in the forces  either in the Second World War or since.'

A spokesman for the pro-Brexit group Veterans for Britain also reacted angrily to the film and suggested the In campaign had failed to fully explain to the veterans what they were signing up to.

He said: I do think its horrific that people who served their country are being wheeled out and the question is: Do they know fully that they are signing up to a project that undermines the autonomy of the UKs Armed Forces? My suspicion is they dont and thats why I think it is horrific.

If theyre going to be involving people senior in age, then they need to make clear what theyre signing them up to because what weve found quite regularly is when people are aware of the full picture, they dont like it.

He said the EU was moving closer and closer towards a common defence policy, which would inevitably lead to an EU army.

The warning comes on the same day as Joseph Daul, president of the biggest political grouping in the European Parliament, said a combined military force in the EU was essential.

To mark Europe Day today, Mr Daul issued a statement saying: Today more than ever, the peace of our continent cannot be safeguarded without a common and functional security union, including a European army.'

Mr Cameron ramped up his own rhetoric on the EU this morning and warned in a speech that quitting the European Union would put peace and stability at risk and hamper the fight against terror.

Backing the In campaign: David Meylan, left, who served in the RAF wrote to Britain Stronger In Europe to offer his support, while Patrick Churchill, right, a former Royal Marine Commando who fought at D-Day received the Legion d'Honneur in 2004

In an extraordinary escalation of the referendum battle, he also invoked Winston Churchill and the graves of the Second World War fallen.

To ram home the PM's point, the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign released the film of four war heroes made the 'patriotic case' for the EU.

Field Marshal Lord Bramall, former Chief of the Defence Staff and Britain's most decorated living soldier says on the film: 'We would be going backwards not forwards in what we set out to cure after the terrible tragedies of the Second World War.'

Patrick Churchill, a former Royal Marine Commando who fought at D-Day and who received the Legion d'Honneur in 2004, says in the video that if Europe 'breaks or if we are not in that union then countries will fall apart. The only solution is to bind together, hold together, there we find strength.'

And David Meylan, who served in the RAF and wrote to Britain Stronger In Europe to offer his support, said: 'We sacrificed many, many men in both world wars and this was to establish a peaceful and a prosperous union. We can't sacrifice that now.'

It also included a video from Mr Smith, who is a well-known Labour supporter who has accused the Tories of being racist.

Only last week he tweeted: 'David Cameron has so much blood on his hands since he became PM he could get a job as village butcher after he retires'.

Striking back: Boris Johnson (pictured this morning) spoke three hours after the PM and accused the Tory leader of not believing his own words by warning that Brexit could trigger war in Europe

Lone stand: David Cameron will say that Britain stood as a bulwark against a new dark age of tyranny and oppression in 1940. Pictured, Hitler's SA officers on an exercise outside Munich

David Cameron said today that Europe risks sliding back into conflict and genocide if Britain votes to leave the EU.

The Prime Minister warned that quitting the European Union would put peace and stability at risk and hamper the fight against terror.

In a speech setting out the 'patriotic' case for a Remain vote, he said the bloc had reconciled warring nations. The Prime Minister also warned that peace could be jeopardised by Brexit.

He insisted there is 'strength in numbers' as he argued that staying in the 28-member bloc was crucial in the fight against Islamic State (IS) and dealing with a 'newly belligerent' Russia.

POLITICAL CROSS-DRESSING AS DAVID MILIBAND INTRODUCES CAMERON AT PRO-EU SPEECH The former Labour foreign secretary David Miliband (pictured introducing David Cameron this morning) jetted across the Atlantic to help out the Prime Minister's bid to keep Britain in the EU Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has refused to share a platform with David Cameron during the EU campaign but that didnt stop David Miliband  the man who wanted both their jobs  jetting across the Atlantic to help out the Prime Minister this morning. The former Labour foreign secretary said he was fully aware that many will poke fun at our unusual and temporary alliance as he introduced the Prime Minister ahead of his key EU speech at the British Museum. But he said it was a mark of the stakes that they had come together and their partnership was a sober reflection of how serious the threat of Brexit posed. Mr Miliband fled to the United States after losing out to his brother Ed in the 2010 Labour leadership election and now pockets 400,000-a-year in charge of the International Rescue Committee in New York. Defending the show of political cross-dressing this morning, Mr Miliband said: There is a centre-left case for Britain's membership of the EU. There is a centre-right case for Britain's membership. Together they add up to a compelling national case, and they need to be brought together in a way that is positive, patriotic and effective. He went on to warn that quitting the EU would be political suicide and would be the greatest voluntary redundancy of political power by any country in modern times. Joking about the likely ridicule the picture of him and Mr Miliband would generate, Mr Cameron joked: I look forward to the Private Eye cover with trepidation. To hammer home the cross-party message of the event this morning, the In campaign wheeled out another former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, as well as a host of Tory MPs, ministers, who sat alongside an audience of foreign ambassadors in the lobby of the British Museum in central London.

Vote Leave said 'claims that leaving the EU and taking back control would somehow lead to war smack of desperation' and insisted the safe option was to quit.

Asked if there was a danger voters would think he was 'crying wolf', Mr Cameron said: 'I would just say look at the speech, look at what I've said, consider the arguments. No-one can doubt that Europe has had a violent and turbulent history.

'These are facts. I am not arguing that the EU alone has kept the peace in Europe these last 70 years because, of course, Nato played a key role.'

Britain must be strong in Europe if it wants to be strong in the world, the Prime Minister insisted during the speech at the British Museum.

'The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe,' he said.

'Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

'Is that a risk worth taking?

'I would never be so rash as to make that assumption.'

Out campaigners have accused Downing Street, which yesterday claimed house prices would collapse following a vote to leave, of desperation.

They say No 10 is panicking with the polls neck and neck despite the intervention of Barack Obama and a series of dire warnings about the risks of Brexit.

Historians have dismissed the suggestion that the EU had kept the peace in Europe, citing instead the crucial role of Nato.

The Prime Minister's speech, described as his biggest of the campaign so far, claimed that 'the serried rows of white headstones in Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe'.

Mr Cameron's intervention came three hours before Boris Johnson, a biographer of Churchill, delivered a major speech for the Leave campaign.

He struck back against the Prime Minister and accused him of seeking to 'debunk and destroy the myth that the EU single market has ever done anything useful'.

And he ridiculed Mr Cameron for claiming that Brexit could trigger war in Europe, accusing the Prime Minister of not believing his own words.

As the EU referendum battle turned nasty with 45 days to go, the former London Mayor said the idea of German tanks 'rolling into France' because the UK had left the union was 'very curious'.

He also warned that the over-the-top rhetoric from Mr Cameron and Remain supporters risked harming the UK.

'I don't think the Prime Minister really believes that leaving the EU would would trigger war in Europe continent,' he said in a speech - also in central London today.

At one point Mr Johnson even delivered a snatch of Beethoven's Ode to Joy as he dismissed accusations that Leave campaigners are 'Little Englanders'.

'I find if offensive, insulting, irrelevant and positively cretinous to be told  sometimes by people who can barely speak a foreign language  that I belong to a group of small-minded xenophobes,' he said. 'Because the truth is it is Brexit that is now the great project of European liberalism, and I am afraid that it is the EU  for all the high ideals with which it began, that now represents the ancien regime.'

The former London mayor will embark on a nationwide bus tour starting on Wednesday.

Leading historians, including the former head of history at Cambridge University, Professor David Abulafia, have dismissed the claim that the EU has brought peace to Europe as 'historically illiterate'.
Are you a UK National from a black, Asian, or non-white ethnic minority?

Then I have some great news for you. You are #BAME (British. Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) and youve got the job!

I completely understand. You have no qualifications. That doesnt matter  school isnt for everyone. Have a sticker for effort.

The role of Production Management Assistant Internship  BBC Current Affairs is ONLY open to UK Nationals who are black, Asian or of non-white ethnic minority

You arent legally disadvantaged? You arent adopted from care or on free school meals?

No problem. Weve made up our own special definition of disadvantaged to include nearly everyone who can say they are BAME.

This very modern form of job discrimination boils down to something very simple which no one can bring themselves to put down in print. It doesnt help to be white.

And if you are white and hard-working, or fortunate enough to live in a stable home, as Obama would say, you are at the very back of the queue, my friend.

The internship's application deadline is May 10, if you are interested in the 12-month post with a bursary of 16,881

And this is reflected in the stories in my inbox, from hundreds who have been discriminated against not because of their colour, but because of their lack of it.

Parents have been so disheartened seeing their pale-faced kids rejected on the grounds of lack of colour they have tried to have their story heard. But no one is interested because its not very BBC to talk about it.

One girl wrote to me about her experiences trying to get a job in the media industry. Every time she reached interview, she realised she was the lone pale face and knew she might as well turn around and walk out the door.

Another gentleman recounted his work in a call centre, fielding calls from people looking for a job with large public-sector organisations, reading scripted replies from a screen.

He recalls handling recruitment calls for the Metropolitan Police. If the caller said they were from an ethnic minority, a screen would come up for him to read  telling the candidate how to apply.

If they were unfortunate enough to be white, they were told there are no vacancies at this time. Imagine being that caller and not knowing another script was available if only you were black.

Another girl desperately wants to get into Law but opportunities are closed to her because she is white. Imagine - she says - if there was a City Law for White People. I have been interviewed under caution thanks to the Society for Black Lawyers so I'd like to see some balance too.

When I chanced upon an advert for an internship at the BBC, I thought it sounded like an excellent job for the young people I help when I can.

The role is based in Salford. And Salford has about as much personality as Katherine Jenkins

Production Management Assistant Internship  BBC Current Affairs. A 12-month post with a bursary of 16,881. The application deadline is May 10, if you are interested.

One caveat, however: the role is ONLY open to UK Nationals who are black, Asian or of non-white ethnic minority.

Well, a caveat and a snag, actually: the role is based in Salford. And Salford has about as much personality as Katherine Jenkins.

By chance, the founder of Creative Access is also Chris Evanss agent. Curiouser and curiouser

But therein lies another curiosity. When I spoke to the founder of Creative Access, the charity operating this discriminatory racket, he quoted endless figures about the under-representation of BAME candidates in media companies in the capital. In London 42 per cent of graduates are non-white. Yet minority representation in the Creative Industries is just 5.4 per cent.

However, if you take a step back from these handpicked figures, in the UK as a whole our population is 86 per cent white and 14 per cent BAME.

Only a small percentage of this 14 per cent would wish to be involved in an industry so perpetually self-obsessed and narcissistic as the media, as Chris Evans evidences so splendidly.

By chance, the founder of Creative Access is also Chris Evanss agent. Curiouser and curiouser.

Many of the 14 per cent BAME individuals in the UK are far smarter than media studies courses require and aim far higher - as the diversity amongst NHS consultants testifies.

The founder of Creative Access was concerned I might write about the work of his business  sorry, charity  in a negative light.

And I do respect the fact many interns have secured places entirely because they have the support of an agency and the 30 per cent contribution to the employer for the wages of the intern they take.

But whatever the positive outcomes for a minority, and despite the names of journalists and worthies clamouring to be acknowledged as members of the board, I think these practices are fundamentally wrong.

Another girl desperately wants to get into Law but opportunities are closed to her because she is white. Imagine - she says - if there was a City Law for White People

Firstly, as a taxpayer. Charities like this spring up around government-funding like ticks on a dog, and Creative Access is no exception.

Despite berating nepotism in the City, the charitys founder has managed to access government cash via his own relationship with Danny Finkelstein, whose paths crossed many years ago. Mates rates much?

And though this funding (EOS2) dries out in June 2016, the charity is re-organising itself to lay claim to the next pot of funds it has in its sights  the Apprenticeship Levy, available in 2017.

Black power seems to have gone to everyones heads and racism has spun 180 degrees. That doesnt make it any less racist

Given the amount of tax I put into these coffers, bled dry by charities founded to capitalise on their connections and easy cash on offer, it galls me that my children  any white children  do not have access to the same opportunities, just because they are white.

I also have a right to an opinion as a mother. Because I work hard to send my children to private school, encourage them to study and test them on their spellings every night, they are not sufficiently disadvantaged to be considered for these roles. But what is the lesson in that? Hard work doesnt pay? Bunk school and youre in? Act poor and prosper?

But mostly, I still have a right to an opinion - even though I am white.

Refusing applications from individuals because they are white is discrimination. I dont care what the Equalities Act might fabricate to counter my views.

Black power seems to have gone to everyones heads and racism has spun 180 degrees. That doesnt make it any less racist.

Whatever happened to the pragmatic commercial realities I believe in, where you are recruited on merit, paid on performance and rewarded on results?
She already cares for the couple's other two children but the parents say they want the child adopted by a British couple in the UK

They never visit him and made it clear they do not want contact with him

Baby boy given English name and dumped in a hospital by Latvian parents

A baby boy was dumped at a British hospital by his Latvian parents because they do not want him to be brought up in their homeland, a High Court hearing was told.

The child was given a 'classic' English first name to give him 'the best chance of integrating', before being left in a special care baby unit after being born prematurely at home.

His parents never came to visit the baby, who is now eight months old, and have made it clear that they do not want any contact with him.

Leeds Crown Court (pictured) heard that the couple said they wanted the boy to be adopted in the UK and were opposed to him being taken to Latvia and being brought up by a grandparent

The couple said they wanted the boy to be adopted in the UK and were opposed to him being taken to Latvia and being brought up by a grandparent.

The court, sitting in Leeds, West Yorkshire, heard that the couple already had two children, who lived with a grandmother and another child would be 'too heavy a burden'.

The baby is currently living with foster parents. His parents had lived in the UK for seven years but have now separated.

Mr Justice Cobb said Latvian authorities were against the boy being adopted in the UK.

Latvian officials are worried the boy's right to respect for family and private life could be violated if he is adopted by a British couple.

The boy's maternal grandmother has expressed interest in raising him in Latvia, and the judge has asked the Latvian authorities to assess whether the grandmother would be a suitable carer for the boy.

During the preliminary ruling, Mr Justice Cobb said: '[He] is eight months old; he was born prematurely, at home.

'[His] parents took him straight to hospital where they left him; they did not return to visit him, and have not seen him since.

'[His] mother and father are Latvian citizens but have lived in England since 2009; they have never married. They separated while the mother was pregnant with [him].

'[He] has two full siblings who live with the mother, and who have contact with their father.

'The mother and father believe that raising another child within the family would impose upon them too heavy a burden, financially and otherwise. They have indicated that they do not wish to have any form of contact with [the little boy].

'[The little boy] has Latvian nationality. He may well have British nationality too.

'[His] forename is a classic English name chosen specifically because his parents want him to have the best chance of integrating here.'
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been given a kitten by his young children to keep him company as he approaches his fourth year living at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

The unnamed ten-week old female kitten, which descended from the original European wildcat, is said to sleep in a top hat for most of the day and prowl the embassy at night.

Australian Assange, 44, has been taking refuge since June 2012 at the embassy in Knightsbridge, West London, and will now be joined by his pet, who will be tweeting at @EmbassyCat.

Pet: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been given a kitten by his young children to keep him company

Cute: The unnamed female kitten, which descended from the original European wildcat, will live in West London

On patrol: Australian Assange will now be joined by his new pet, who will be tweeting at @EmbassyCat

Assange revealed last October that the wall of his room was plastered with letters from children outlining 'well-drawn' and 'very well detailed escape plans' of him on a flying fox over to Harrods.

But the identifies of his children are something of a mystery. The only major clue, given by an ex-colleague in 2011, is that he has at least four who live in Australia, with the youngest aged five.

Most is known about his eldest son, who is believed to be a software designer in his mid-20s named Daniel. Assange is said to have fathered him in his teens with his then 17-year-old girlfriend.

WikiLeaks said the kitten's name would be chosen by the public and announced next month.

Adorable eyes: The ten-week-old kitten is sleep in a top hat for most of the day and prowl the embassy at night

London hideout: Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge for almost four years

Assange has been granted political asylum by Ecuador's government. He is wanted for questioning in Sweden over sex assault allegations against two women, which he has always denied.

Assange's eldest son, who is believed to be a software designer in his mid-20s named Daniel

He fears being transported to the US to be quizzed over the activities of WikiLeaks if he goes to Sweden. But he has said in the past that he would welcome questioning at the embassy.

Last October police stopped standing guard outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for the first time in more than three years.

Scotland Yard said that it had removed the permanent guard of officers who have been stationed outside ready to arrest Assange since 2012 - at a total cost of 12.6million.

The Metropolitan Police previously said that while they were removing the 24/7 guard outside the embassy they will still do their best to arrest the WikiLeaks founder.

The former hacker still faces immediate arrest should he emerge from the embassy, with police assuring 'every effort' would be made to detain him in order that he can be extradited.

In February, a United Nations working group found that Sweden and Britain were violating Assanges rights and should release him and award compensation for detaining him without charge.
Police have now arrested another man, 22, in connection with the death

A 23-year-old man has now been arrested on

Private Matthew Boyd, 20, (pictured) who served with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, was killed in Brecon, in Mid Wales, on Saturday after leaving a pub to make the short journey back to his barracks

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a soldier was battered to death after leaving a pub on Saturday night.

Private Matthew Boyd, 20, who served with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, was killed in Brecon, in Mid Wales, on Saturday after leaving a pub to make the short journey back to his barracks.

He was found unconscious and and injured in the street at about 1am on Sunday morning by police, who performed CPR on him until an ambulance arrived but died on his way to hospital.

His regiment were using the Infantry Battle School in the town as a training base.

Last night a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and police have confirmed he is not a serving soldier.

This afternoon Dyfed Powys Police said they have now arrested another man, aged 22, also on suspicion of murder.

Both men remain in custody at this time.

Heartbroken family and friends paid tribute Private Boyd, whose family are originally from Northern Ireland but now live in Gibraltar.

His brother Darren, who lives in Gibraltar, wrote on Facebook: 'Broke my heart when I woke up and heard you were gone.

'You will always be in my heart. I just want you here with me.'

His grandmother Maureen Boyd, who lives in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, said: 'We are a broken family today. Senseless. No words for that heartache we feeling.'

Friend Danielle Savage said: 'Can't believe the devastating news I've woke up to this morning such a wee gentleman you were, my hearts actually broke.

'You were just the best, never met a fella like ya - you were a true wee legend and taken far to soon from us and I will never forget you R.I.P.'

Family friend Elaine Mawhirk said: 'Matthew Ian Boyd had an amazing young life in such a short time. He is with us all and always will be xx'

Heartbroken family and friends have taken to social media to pay tribute to Private Boyd (pictured left)

A spokeswoman for Dyfed Powys Police said: 'A 23-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the death of a man who was a serving member of the Armed Forces.

Private Boyd was not in uniform when he was killed

'He is being held in custody on suspicion of murder and the investigation is on-going.

'Police in Brecon are appealing for anyone who was in the vicinity of Lion Street, Bethel Square, Tredegar Street and High Street between 12.30am and 01.30am or has any information that could assist with the inquiry to call police.'

Detectives investigating the murder said there was no indication he was killed because he was in the army.

Inspector Jacqui Lovatt, said: 'There is nothing to suggest that Matthew Boyd being a soldier was a motivation for this assault, nor is there anything to indicate any links to terrorism.

'We would very much like to thank the Military Personnel and local community for all their continued support during this investigation and what is a truly tragic circumstance.

'Our thoughts go out to Matthew's family, friends and regiment.

'The military are very much a part of the Brecon community and we will continue working together to maintain this.'

Private Boyd was not in military uniform when he was killed.

An Army spokesman said: 'We are aware of an incident involving the death of a soldier in Brecon.

'Dyfed-Powys Police are investigating and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.'
Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann has resigned, citing lack of support for him in his Social Democratic party.

Faymann's resignation means he steps down as leader of the centrist coalitiongovernment and as head of his party.

Faymann, who headed a coalition government of the Social Democrats and the centre-right People's Party (OVP), had been under pressure to cooperate with the anti-immigration far right.

Quitting: Chancellor Werner Faymann announced that he is stepping down as head of the Austrian government at a news conference in Vienna on Monday

In addition, he had been criticized by trade unionists and his party's youth wing for theparty's poor performance in a presidential election two weeksago.

'To have majority (in the party) is not enough,' aspokeswoman for Faymann quoted him as saying at a hastilyconvened news conference.

The Social Democrats suffered a major defeat lastmonth in first-round voting for the next president when both coalition parties scraped together only 23 per cent.

The candidate for the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), runningon an anti-Islam and eurosceptic platform, won more than a thirdof the votes, heading into a run-off for the largely ceremonialrole with a former Green Party leader on May 22.

The FPO regularly attracts more than 30 percent in opinionpolls for parliamentary elections, ahead of the ruling centristparties, whose term as a coalition is set to run out in 2018 atthe latest.

Such polls suggest the Social Democrats and OVP might only be able tostay in power if they switch to working with the FPO.

Faymann resigned on Monday in the wake of a devastating defeat in last month's first-round of the presidential elections, with the Social Democrats and the People's Party scraping together only 23 per cent

Officially, the Social Democrats in 2014 ruled out any coalition with theFPO. But when the Social Democrats' governor of Burgenland province, HansNiessl, broke this taboo last year, Faymann merely repeated suchcooperation would not happen on the federal level.

'In cities, municipalities and provinces...there is goodcooperation between red (SPO) and blue (FPO), while on thefederal level they always say 'no go'. The only people whobenefit from this 'no-go' are the OVP,' Niessl told newspaperOesterreich.

'To demand the immediate integration of asylum seekers intothe workplace in times when 420,000 Austrians are unemployed tome - as a social democrat - means to further weaken the weak.'

Union leaders are meeting on Monday ahead of Faymann talkingto the Social Democrats's provincial leaders and President Heinz Fischer, anda session of the 70-member Social Democrats party directorate.

Faymann was booed at an Social Democrats May Day rally after thethrashing in the presidential vote.

Some Social Democrats members from the unions, party youth and localofficials in urban centres Salzburg and Vienna are more or lesscalling openly for him to resign over the weak results and theparty's flip-flopping on topics such as asylum.

'We need a decision about which direction to take, a new Social Democrats, which doesn't dither, zig-zags around, and tries to pleaseeveryone. It's a mistake to politically exclude the FPO,' Social Democrats lawmaker and unionist, Josef Muchitsch, told Profil magazine.

But others, such as Vienna's influential mayor MichaelHaeupl, cabinet members and Niessl, have supported Faymann.

Faymann's minister for the Chancellory Josef Ostermayer onSaturday suggested an opening to the FPO on the provincial andmunicipal level -- where much of the political power is held infederalised Austria.
A light aircraft was forced to make an crash landing on the roof of an office block in southern California close to a busy freeway after the plane lost power.

The single-engine Piper PA-28, came down on the top of a state parole building in Pomona, east of Los Angeles yesterday afternoon punching a hole in the roof.

Pictures from the scene showed the plane lying across the roof of the building with the tail in the air but there was no sign of fire or smoke.

The light aircraft, after it crash landed on the roof of an office block in southern California, close to a freeway

It is understood that the plane was heading to Brackett Field Airport in the nearby city of La Verne when it crashed.

Melanie Flores, a supervising dispatcher with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, says one person was aboard the plane they were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

She also added that the pilot missed crashing through the building by just 50 feet.

Eyewtinesses who saw the plane from 57 Freeway said it was flying extremely low before it crash landed.

Kelly Vela told ABC News: 'We saw it hit an it kind of bounced. I was waiting to see an explosion or something but nothing happened. It was kind of just a hard hit and a bounce.'

While Eduardo Ramirez told the channel he climbed a tree to get on top of the building to help the pilot.

It is understood that the plane was heading to Brackett Field Airport in the nearby city of La Verne when it crashed

He added: 'As soon as I got onto the roof and saw the plane I thought he was dead

'When I talked to him he said that he had a broken ankle. So he just wanted to wait a little bit, he was in shock, he just wanted to wait a little bit and relax. So I was just there with him trying to keep him calm.'

The pilot is now recovering in hospital from minor injuries and told paramedics he only hit his head and his legs from the force of the impact.
Sadiq Khan today held his first meetings as London mayor after winning the election by a landslide last week.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe was among the first due to meet with Mr Khan as he settles into his new office at City Hall today.

Mr Khan tonight met Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at Parliament and briefed the party's MPs at the regular Parliamentary Labour Party meeting.

Mr Khan told MPs: 'If this election tells us anything, it is that it is so important Labour wins elections - when we win we can change lives for the better. There is no such thing as glorious defeat.'

No 10 today confirmed Prime Minister David Cameron had called Mr Khan to congratulate him on his victory yesterday, insisting they had a 'positive discussion'.

Sadiq Khan and Jeremy Corbyn tonight met for the first time since Thursday's elections, which saw the party reclaim City Hall after eight years of Boris Johnson rule

But pressed on whether Mr Cameron would apologise for the controversial Tory campaign which suggested London would be in more danger from extremists with Mr Khan in charge, the spokesman said only the pair had talked about working together for London.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon also dodged the question about London being at greater risk under Mr Khan in a BBC interview on Saturday.

Mr Cameron's official spokesman today said: 'They spoke yesterday. They had a positive discussion and it was constructive.'

Asked if Mr Cameron had apologised, the spokesman said: 'He congratulated him.'

Pressed on Tory claims about extremists and London being in danger, he added: 'This was addressed over the weekend by the Defence Secretary and the Chancellor and I don't have anything to add to that.'

In a BBC interview on Saturday morning, Mr Fallon said: 'I'm hoping we can work with Sadiq Khan.

'Stuff gets said during elections, questions get posed.'

Pressed several times on the issue, Mr Fallon eventually conceded: 'London is safe with a Conservative government working with the new mayor of London.'

Mr Khan, who won by more than 315,000 votes in Thursday's election, today met with London commuters at London Bridge station as he headed to City Hall for the first time as mayor.

Sadiq Khan arrived at City Hall, right, on the banks of the River Thames today for his first day as Mayor of London. Among his first meetings is talks with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe

Mr Khan took the tube to work and met with commuters at London Bridge station, pictured, before arriving at City Hall today

As he arrived today, he told the Standard he wanted to work with ministers to get things done.

He said: 'That's how I mean to go along, to make sure I work with whoever to get the best deal for Londoners.'

He added: 'The mandate on Thursday was massive, the point is to use that to serve this city. You can't do that by being tribal, by being partisan.

'There are people who in the past have never voted Labour, may never vote Labour, but they love this city. I want to work with them.'

Mr Khan waved to supporters as he arrived at City Hall as London's third mayor. He took over from Boris Johnson after beating Tory rival Zac Goldsmith by more than 315,000 votes

He attended a function with Citizens UK this morning and was also due to meet with Mike Brown, the boss of Transport for London.

Mr Khan tonight headed back to Westminster for a meeting with Mr Corbyn.

He received a minute's applause at the regular Parliamentary Labour Party meeting in Westminster, which he addressed as Mayor for the first time.

Mr Khan's result was a rare bright spot for Labour amid grim results at Thursday's elections, as the party became the first opposition to lose English council seats in decades, fell to third place in Scotland for the first time in a century and lost overall control of the Welsh Assembly.

Mr Khan's win appeared to come in spite of the Labour leader and Mr Corbyn has been noticeably absent from celebrations over the weekend - choosing instead to appear with the less high profile new mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees.

Mr Khan tonight 'quit' his role as Tooting MP by being appointed to an archaic office known as the Three Hundreds of Chiltern which disqualified him from the Commons.
Police have a new suspect in the unsolved case of a 16-year-old girl who was found strangled and dumped in a garbage bag in Brooklyn 10 years ago.

Veron Primus was friends with victim Chanel Petro-Nixon, who went missing on Father's Day in 2006 and was later found murdered in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in New York.

Officers have visited a jail to question Primus, now 29, in his native St Vincent, where he is facing kidnapping and murder charges.

Police have a new suspect in the murder of Chanel Petro-Nixon (pictured, left), who was found killed and dumped in a garbage bag on the sidewalk in 2006. Veron Primus (right) was a high school friend

Officers have visited a jail to question Primus (left), now 29, in his native St Vincent, where he is facing charges of kidnapping ex-girlfriend Mewanah Hadaway and murdering real-estate agent Sharleen Greaves (right)

The news comes as the suspect's ex-girlfriend, Mewanah Hadaway, shared the harrowing tale of how she was allegedly kept captivity in a crude wooden enclosure for three and a half months.

She escaped after putting a note in a medical container, which the housekeeper found then went to the police, Miss Hadaway explains in an interview on Crime Watch Daily due to air today.

In a special CWDaily investigation, veteran PIX11 reporter Mary Murphy travels to the island of St. Vincent to look into a possible connection between the murder of Miss Petro-Nixon and the kidnapping case on the small island in the Caribbean.

Police uncovered evidence that he murdered a St Vincent real estate agent while investigating the kidnapping, the investigation found.

Miss Hadaway claimed he showed her clippings about the case and admitted killing the girl while she was held captive.

She claims that Primus, who repeatedly assaulted her, even had a cell phone video of a grave that he dug and threatened to put Miss Petro-Nixon in.

Officers also believe that Miss Petro-Nixon was held captive after disappearing on June 18, 2006, before she was found four days later dumped on the sidewalk.

The teen told her mother she was going to meet Primus to fill out job applications at Applebees on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, although he later told a friend she had stood him up, according to PIX11.

The pair knew each other from school and the Seventh Day Adventist Church, where their families both went, the report claims.

She went missing from her apartment on Kingston Avenue (pictured) in 2006 and was found in a garbage bag four days later. Police believe she was also held captive

The straight-A student was also found with a chemical scar on her leg which some investigators believe may have been from the bleach that was used to kill her.

NYPD cops interviewed Miss Hadaway in April and returned to the island last week to question Primus, talking to him for 45 minutes before he requested a lawyer.

They described the interview as 'fruitful' but he did not confess to the crime.

A pimp had been previously linked to her death, but this was dismissed, and the murder has since become one of the most infamous cold cases in the city.
A British husband has pleaded for Iran to free his wife after detaining her without charge for five weeks and separating her from her 22-month-old daughter.

Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was at the airport preparing to fly home to Britain after a holiday visiting her family when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The 37-year-old, from West Hampstead, London, has reportedly been transferred to an unknown location in Kerman Province, 620 miles south of the capital Tehran, and is being held in solitary confinement.

Richard Ratcliffe has pleaded for Iran to free his Nazanin after detaining her without charge for five weeks and separating her from her 22-month-old daughter

She has not been able to call out of the country to speak to her British husband, Richard Ratcliffe, while The Red Cross have not been able to make contact.

Her 22-month-old daughter Gabriella Ratcliffe, who only has British citizenship, has had her passport confiscated, her family say, and is stranded in Iran with her grandparents.

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has dual British-Iranian nationality, has not been allowed to access to a lawyer or her daughter since she was detained at the check-in desks of Imam Khomeini International Airport on April 3, her family say.

There have been no charges and she has reportedly informed her family that she has been ordered to sign a confession under duress - its content unknown.

Her family say they have been told that the investigation relates to an issue of 'national security'.

Mr Ratcliffe, 41, said he has been advised not to travel to Iran and does not have a visa.

He said: 'It is hard to understand how a young mother and her small child on holiday could be considered an issue of national security. She has been over to visit her family regularly since making Britain her home.'

Charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was at the airport preparing to fly home to Britain after a holiday visiting her family when she was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who currently works as a project manager for the Thomson-Reuters Foundation, has now been in solitary confinement for 36 days

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe currently works as a project manager for the Thomson-Reuters Foundation which delivers charitable projects around the world. The organisation does not work in Iran.

She has now been in solitary confinement for 36 days.

Accountant Mr Ratcliffe said today: 'The cruelty of the situation seems both outrageous and arbitrary  that a young mum and baby can be treated as some national security threat is absurd, far outside any reality our family was familiar with.

'But it is also very real. In its isolation and pressures on her, it is a cruelty that is clearly deliberate and designed. And I have been powerless to stop it.'

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born in Tehran and studied English literature at university, moving to the UK in September 2007 to do her Masters in Communications management.

The 37-year-old, from West Hampstead, London, has been transferred to an unknown location in Kerman Province, 620 miles south of the capital Tehran, and is being held in solitary confinement

The charity worker has not been able to call out of the country to speak to her British husband, Richard Ratcliffe, while The Red Cross have not been able to make contact

She met her husband when they were students in 2007 and they married in Winchester in 2009.

Mr Ratcliffe said his family had decided to go public after 36 days against the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 'in the hope that with others and with public pressure that might change.'

'Nazanin is a kind, caring and sociable person, who would do anything for her family,' he said.

'It will be torturing her to be stuck in solitary confinement, away from her baby and all her family, thinking about all the worry that they are going through and whether she will be able to see them again. I have not been able to reach her at all, or speak to her to remind her that she has done nothing wrong.

'It is now nearly two months since I saw or held my little girl, I am watching her grow up online, away from her mother and father, and where she has had to suddenly learn a whole new language. And I cannot get her back  her passport is confiscated, I have no visa; and I have been advised not to try and go to Iran.'

Mr Ratcliffe added: 'I am pleading to the British authorities, now that delegations are traveling between the two countries to improve trade and understanding that all efforts are made to bring my wife and daughter home as quickly as possible, and to get Nazanin out of solitary confinement immediately.'

He has also set up a petition to encourage the UK government to 'do what it can to Free Nazanin'.

An FCO spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'We have been providing support to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes family we were first informed of her arrest, and will continue to do so.'




Charges were dropped on the mother and television crew after two weeks

The Brisbane mother's contact with them has been cut off by father

The mother at the centre of the 60 Minutes botched child abduction has said she will get the children back to her despite being blocked from having contact with them.

Sally Faulkner's children Lahela, five, and Noah, three, remain in Lebanon with their 32-year-old father Ali Elamine after the Brisbane mother returned home to Brisbane almost three weeks ago.

In an open letter about 'the hardest struggle' of her life, Ms Faulkner has revealed her 'promise' to bring to bring them 'home' in Australia, she wrote for Mamamia.

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Sally Faulkner (left) has revealed her promise to bring her daughter Lahela, five, and Noah, three, back to Australia after the 60 Minutes botched child recovery operation in Beirut, Lebanon

Following the bungled kidnapping attempt in Lebanon Mr Elamine forced Ms Faulkner to exchange her right to the children for the charges to be dropped

She had enjoyed ice-cream with the youngsters in Beirut before she boarded a flight home with Tara Brown and the Nine Network's 60 Minutes crew.

'I made a promise to them in that last conversation: 'Mummy will find a way to bring you back to Australia, everything will be okay don't cry',' Ms Faulkner wrote.

'Failures can be expected, but I will never accept that I cannot keep my promise to my children,' she wrote.

'My fight will carry on long after the media coverage is gone and I guarantee you one thing. I will bring my children home.'

The children, five-year-old Lahela (right) and three-year-old Noah (left), are now living in Beirut, Lebanon, with their 32-year-old Ali Elamine (centre)

32-year-old Ali Elamine with five-year-old Lahela (right) and three-year-old Noah (left)

Ms Faulkner said Lahela had told her in their final meeting: 'Mummy, I want to come back but Daddy won't let me'.

She said she then told the children Beirut would be 'just a fun holiday with Daddy, and Mummy will come and bring you both home very soon'.

Ms Faulkner thanked all those who 'cried tears with my children'.

She is collecting letters from strangers to 'explain their perspective on my mission' for the children to read when they are old enough 'to fully understand how hard I fought and that their mummy never, EVER gave them up or wanted this'.

Ms Faulkner spent two weeks in the Lebanese prison alongside Tara Brown and the 60 Minutes crew after the kidnapping attempt before she was released and returned to Brisbane (pictured after release in Beirut)

In exchange for the charges against her being dropped Ms Faulkner was forced to sign over the custodial rights of their children (Mr Elamine pictured)

Last week, a family source said Mr Elamine had kept their children from contacting Ms Faulkner.

'No Skype, no photos, blocked on Whatsapp ... and (Mr Elamine) is not answering phone calls from her,' the source said.

Ms Faulkner spent two weeks in the Lebanese prison alongside Tara Brown and the 60 Minutes crew after the kidnapping attempt before she was released.

In exchange for the charges against her being dropped Ms Faulkner was forced to sign over the custodial rights of their children.

At the time Mr Elamine insisted Ms Faulkner would be allowed to visit her children in Lebanon.

Ms Faulkner said Lahela had told her in their final meeting: 'Mummy, I want to come back but Daddy won't let me'

Tara Brown (pictured) and her crew spent time in a Beirut prison following the bungled kidnapping

The Brisbane mother returned to Australia without the children after her botched attempted at getting them back

Sally Faulkner (pictured) was released on bail after relinquishing custodial rights to the children
A father accused of murdering his six-year-old daughter 'lost it' and stormed out of the dock today after accusing a pathologist of cremating her behind our back to hide evidence.

Ben Butler, 36, was told to 'restrain himself' after he yelled at Andreas Marnerides, a pathologist from St Thomas Hospital, as he gave evidence at the Old Bailey about Ellies post mortem examination.

Ellies mother Jennie Gray, 36, who is accused of child cruelty, also yelled as her husband ranted over the cremation of their child, who died in 2013.

On trial: Ben Butler, who is accused of beating his daughter Ellie (pictured together with wife Jennie ), to death today walked out of the dock after shouting at doctor Andreas Marnerides (right) as he gave evidence

Butler's barrister Di Middleton asked Mr Marnerides if the little girl's cremation was carried out in consultation with Mr Butler's solicitors.

The murder suspect began screaming: No no no no it wasnt' and continued: How dare you. You took samples and cremated her behind our back.

Butler stormed out of the dock shouting: You hid evidence... yeah yeah yeah, you hid evidence.

His wife Gray also shouted: How dare you.

Butler's barrister Ms Middleton then told Mr Justice Wilkie: I apologise on behalf of Mr Butler, its a particularly sensitive subject.

The judge replied: He lost it for a reason you have explained and absented himself.

Butler, who denies murdering Ellie at their home in Sutton, south London, came back into the dock within two minutes and was told by Mr Justice Wilkie: Mr Butler, Im perfectly happy for you to remain in court and I understand that some issues may be very sensitive for you, but you must try to restrain yourself.

He continued: If you feel something very strongly, obviously you have the facility to send a note which will be delivered and i you feel that things are getting to the point where you would rather stop and take a break then you may communicate that, do you understand?

Mr Marnerides' response to the question was inaudible during Butler's rant.

Earlier the doctor had admitted that samples from Ellie's skull had been mislabelled on an electronic registry.

Ms Middleton said that it wasn't clear what was in the registry as recently as April, adding: 'The misidentification only came to light, didn't it, because the defence legal team for Mr Butler wrote to pathologist with a question that had been written by a defence expert.'

But Mr Marnerides rejected any failure on his part and said that it 'wasn't pertinent to what we were examining', because Ellie's fatal brain injury was clearly the cause of her death.

Using a 3D model of Ellie's skull to demonstrate, Mr Marnerides said: 'In this case when the skull was opened it essentially separated into two parts like this.'

He added: 'The brain injury could be seen with the naked eye.'

Ellie's mother Jennie Gray (left outside court) is accused of child cruelty. Butler (right, with Ellie) denies murder - both yelled at the hospital doctor today

The pathologist said that they had found fractures to the six-year-old's head estimated to have occurred two-to-four weeks before her death. Ellie suffered catastrophic head injuries similar to those caused by a high-speed car crash on 28 October 2013, the Old Bailey has heard.

Butler is also accused of child cruelty over an untreated shoulder fracture caused in the weeks leading up to Ellies death.

Gray also denies child cruelty but has admitted perverting the course of justice by allegedly attempting to cover up for Butler by destroying evidence and lying to police about what happened.

Butler was convicted of assaulting Ellie after she was taken to hospital with serious head injuries in 2007 when she was just six weeks old.

His conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal on 17 June 2010 but by then Ellie had been fostered.

Last week his lawyers suggested that the devastating injuries the schoolgirl suffered may have been caused by her jumping on her bed.

Cross-examining pathologist Professor Anthony Risdon, Icah Peart QC put forward the idea that Peppa Pig fan Ellie may have died in an accident.

He asked: 'Have you heard of Peppa Pig?'

Prof Risdon replied: 'Yes.'

On whether he watched the cartoons or heard any of the nursery rhymes, he said: 'I am a little old for that... my children are in their middle ages now.'

The lawyer went on: 'In particular I am interested in a nursery rhyme that goes as follows: Five little Peppa Pigs jumping on the bed. One jumped off and bumped her head. Mummy called the doctor and the doctor said 'Don't let Peppa Pig jump on the bed'.'

Gray and Butler appeared on ITV's This Morning after his conviction for assaulting his then-baby daughter Ellie was overturned by the Court of Appeal in 2010

The lawyer continued: 'Did you know Ellie was a Peppa Pig fan? It was on the DVD in her room.

'There are Peppa Pig artefacts around about her room.

'What I am talking about is someone jumping up and down on the bed and, as Peppa Pig does, jumps over backwards, falls down and hits her head on the concrete floor.

'That's the kind of momentum I am talking about. Is that the sort of thing that might possibly result in the kind of injuries you saw?'

Prof Risdon replied: 'I have seen a large number of head injuries in children. I have never come across a scenario like that and I have never come across a short distance fall that results in a similar injury. It's completely outside of my experience, which is not inconsiderable.'

Butler and Gray launched legal proceedings to have Ellie returned to their care and she was returned in November 2012 after a successful battle in the High Court.

Butler, formerly of Sutton, denies murder and child cruelty. Gray admits perverting the course of justice but denies child cruelty.
The Project's co-hosts Waleed Aly and Carrie Bickmore congratulated each other on their acclaimed Gold Logie acceptance speeches, after Aly took home the award on Sunday night.

Bickmore opened the show on Monday by heaping praise on Aly for his triumph the night before, while also singling out his 'incredible speech'.

'We should say a big congratulations to Waleed Aly... such an incredible speech as well,' she said.

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The Project's co-hosts Waleed Aly (left) and Carrie Bickmore (right) congratulated each other on their acclaimed Gold Logie acceptance speeches, after Aly took home the award on Sunday night

Aly interrupted, saying to Bickmore, 'You don't get to say incredible speech,' in reference to her own a year earlier.

Bickmore replied: 'I do actually - you smashed it out of the park.'

Aly humbly responded: 'Thank you, that's very kind of you to say.'

Panelist Steve Price then chimed in, saying to Bickmore: 'We should say, two incredible speeches two years running - your beanie speech last year and then Waleed.'

'We should say a big congratulations to Waleed Aly (pictured)... such an incredible speech as well,' Carrie Bickmore said on The Project

Aly's (pictured) speech after winning the Gold Logie on Sunday night was widely praised, with the award-winning host using the stage to call out a lack of diversity in the media and television industry

Aly's speech on Sunday night was widely praised, with the award-winning host using the stage to call out a lack of diversity in the media and television industry.

'Someone who is in this room - and I'm not going to use the name they use in the industry - came up to me, introduced themselves and said to me: "I really hope you win. My name is Mustafa. But I can't use that name because I won't get a job",' Aly said.

At the start of his speech, Channel Ten presenter addressed the controversy surrounding the diverse nominees, telling viewers 'do not adjust your sets there's nothing wrong with the picture', adding: 'If you are in the room I'm sure there's an Instagram filter to return things to normal.'

Bickmore (right) opened the show on Monday by heaping praise on Aly (left) for his triumph the night before, while also singling out his speech for extra acclaim

Waleed Aly (pictured) poses with his Gold Logie at the 2016 Logie Awards in Melbourne

Aly also mentioned a man named Dimitri who came up to him a week ago and 'commanded' the Channel Ten presenter to win the Gold Logie.

He said his win mattered to people like Mustafa and Dimitri, and thanked people from different backgrounds for their support.

'To Dimitri and Mustafa and to everyone else with an unpronounceable name like I don't know, Waleed.

Carrie Bickmore was praised for her emotional speech after winning the Gold Logie in 2015

Bickmore dedicated her win to late-husband Greg Lange, using her two-minute speech to highlight brain cancer, the disease from which he died

'I really just want to say one thing and it's that I am incredibly humbled that you would even think to invest in me that way,' Aly said.

'But I'm also incredibly saddened by it because the truth is you deserve more numerous and more worthy avatars than that and I don't know if and when that's going to happen.

'If tonight means anything and I don't know if it means anything, but if tonight means anything it's that the Australian public, our audience  as far as they are concerned there is absolutely no reason why that can't change.'

Carrie Bickmore poses with the Silver Logie on Sunday night after The Project was named 'Best News Panel or Current Affairs Program'

Carrie Bickmore (centre), Waleed Aly (left) and Peter Helliar from The Project win the Best News Panel Or Current Affairs Program award at the 2016 Logie Awards

A year earlier, Bickmore dedicated her win to late-husband Greg Lange, using her two-minute speech to highlight brain cancer, the disease from which he died.

Her voice cracking, The Project co-host paid an emotional tribute to Lange, who lost his fight in 2010.

Barely able to hold back the tears, Bickmore - who also won a Logie for most popular presenter - said: 'He [Greg] was a great father and great husband. He wore lots of hats to hide his scars and I would tell him "don't be embarrassed".'

Carrie Bickmore arrives at the 58th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium in Melbourne on May 8

Waleed Aly (pictured) poses with his Gold Logie and Silver Logie at the 2016 Logie Awards in Melbourne

Waleed Aly and wife Susan Carland arrive at the 58th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium on May 8, 2016 in Melbourne

Addressing the crowd, the Adelaide-born star said: 'Brain cancer is something very close to my heart.

'In 2010 my husband Greg was one of the unlucky ones. After a long, long, long battle, he died of brain cancer.

Steeling herself, she went on: 'Over ten years I watched him suffer multiple seizures a day, lose feeling down one side of his body, saw his three-year-old push him in his wheelchair because he couldn't walk anymore.'
An Army veteran running for the West Virginia state senate was brutally beaten at a cookout on Sunday in what appears to be a premeditated attack two days before the primary vote.

Democrat Richard Ojeda, 45, says a man he has known since childhood, 41-year-old Jonathan Stuart Porter, showed up uninvited to a barbecue in Logan County, West Virginia yesterday and asked him for an 'Ojeda for Senate' bumper sticker.

Ojeda says the last thing he remembers is reaching down to place the sticker on the front grill when Porter attacked and knocked him unconscious.

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Richard Ojeda (left), a 45-year-old Army veteran running for the West Virginia state senate as a Democrat, was brutally beaten on Sunday by a man he has known since childhood, 41-year-old Jonathan Porter (right)

'That's all I remember,' Ojeda told NBC News. 'When I woke up, my head was on a tree stump covered in blood. Everyone was looking at me.'

Though he doesn't remember the assault, witnesses told Ojeda that Porter attacked him - punching him several times in the head - before getting in his truck and positioning himself to run over Porter.

But bystanders intervened, stepping in between Porter's vehicle and Ojeda.

Two other witnesses also got into ATVs and tried to block Porter from escaping the scene. But he rammed the ATVs several times until he eventually was able to run over the vehicles and flee.

Video courtesy WSAZ

Ojeda says he was beaten by Porter at a barbecue and that Porter nearly ran him over with his truck. Ojeda pictured above at the hospital on Sunday

Witnesses also told Ojeda that Porter used brass knuckles to beat him - something that Porter later denied and that police say they found no evidence of.

Ojeda was taken to the hospital in Charleston, West Virginia where he was treated for eight bone fractures and three lacerations to his face, as well as exterior swelling to his head.

Doctors recommended surgery, but he is putting off the procedure until after the primary vote on Tuesday. He plans to return to his home on Monday.

Ojeda (left and right) is postponing surgery until after the primary vote on Tuesday. Porter has since been arrested on charges of assault and destruction of property

While Porter initially drove away from the scene, he turned himself into police without incident just six hours later.

He is currently being held on suspicious of malicious assault, malicious attempted assault and felony destruction of property. He has so far been uncooperative with the police investigation, leaving investigators struggling to explain the surprise attack.

However, Ojeda and his family believe the attack may have been politically motivated.

Ojeda said the region is plagued by intense poverty, corruption and nepotism and that he is 'challenging the powers that be'.

'The moment you start asking questions, you become public enemy number one,' he said.

His wife Kelly Ojeda added to the Charleston Gazette-Mail: 'If you stand up to run against people who have controlled this state for decades this is what you get.'

When Ojeda's opponent, Senator Art Kirkendoll, found out about the beating on Sunday, he issued a statement saying he was praying for Ojeda.
John McCain has said he will endorse Donald Trump for the GOP nomination if the billionaire apologizes for his comments about POW veterans.

Trump caused fury among veterans in July last year when he said McCain was only a war hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War.

McCain, a Republican senator, was captured by North Vietnamese while conducting a bombing raid over Hanoi in 1967.

Arizona senator John McCain has said he would endorse Donald Trump for the Republican nomination if he apologized for his remark that McCain is only a war hero because he was captured

Walking wounded: McCain's torture left him disfigured and permanently disabled. Here he is pictured being greeted by then-President Richard Nixon upon his release in 1973

For the next five years he was held captive in a prisoner of war camp in the city, during which he was tortured and left with lifelong physical injuries.

He received the a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Trump got student and medical deferments and never served in uniform.

At a Family Leader Summit in Ames, Iowa, Trump originally stated: 'He is not a war hero. He is a war hero because he was captured.

I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you.'

Seemingly aware of the massive gaffe, moments later he added: 'I believe perhaps he is a war hero.'

However, the damage was done and marked a particularly nasty point in the billionaire's feud with McCain.

The Arizona senator and 2008 Republican nominee says it would take a lot to ever stand on stage next to him after Trump's comments, CNN reported.

He said Trump owes all military veterans an apology and 'a lot of things would have to happen' in order for Trump to get his support.

'There's always wounds in spirited political campaigns. But frankly, I have never seen the personalization of a campaign like this one, where people's integrity and character are questioned.

'I think it's important for Donald Trump to express his appreciation for veterans, not John McCain, but veterans who were incarcerated as prisoners of war.

'I'd like to see him retract that statement. Not about me, but about the others.'

The billionaire's tussle with McCain began after he drew a reported 15,000 people to a campaign event in Phoenix to talk about illegal immigration.

McCain, a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform, called his audience 'crazies.' Trump responded that the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee was a 'dummy.'
Eustache Dauger likely never wore iron, instead a mask of black velvet

The Man in the Iron Mask's likely identity has been revealed in a book by University of California professor Paul Sonnino

Though the Man in the Iron Mask's name has long been known, the mystery of why he was imprisoned has been plaguing historians for centuries.

But now, one expert believes he has unravelled the truth behind Eustache Dauger's 30-year incarceration in a French prison.

Paul Sonnino, a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has detailed his findings after three decades of digging in his new book 'The Search for the Man in the Iron Mask: A Historical Detective Story'.

The author claims to have determined that Mr Dauger was a valet for the treasurer to the corrupt Cardinal Mazarin - the Chief Minister of the French king from 1642.

'Serious historians have long ago discounted the legend popularized by Voltaire and Dumas that he was the twin brother of Louis XIV.

They are pretty much in agreement that his name was Eustache Dauger, that he only occasionally wore the mask, and that when he did wear a mask, it was velvet, not iron,'

Prof Sonnino said. 'They are also quite sure that he was a valet.

'What they have not been able to figure out is whose valet he was, and for what possible reason he was held under tight security for over 30 years.'

Mr Dauger's boss the Cardinal Marazin had accumulated a huge wealth through illegal means - he was even thought to have ripped off the British royal family.

Prof Sonnino details in his book that Mr Dauger likely confessed the cardinal's misdoings - an action for which he ended up in jail.

'Dauger must have blabbed at the wrong time. He was informed, when arrested, that if he revealed his identity to anyone, he would immediately be killed.'

As for why the Man in the Iron Mask's identity has remained veiled throughout history, Sonnino said the blame lies with historians, who 'insist on making it antiseptic, moralistic, sensible.'

'The Search for the Man in the Iron Mask: A Historical Detective Story' details the story of Eustache Dauger, who was imprisoned more than 350 years ago in France. His life has been made into a film several times (pictured, 1998)

Window of a dungeon in the 16th century Cheateau d'If, made famous by the Alexandre Dumas novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. It was here that the Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned before being moved to Bastille in Paris

'Life does not make sense,' Prof Sonnino continued. 'Humans are much more complicated than that.'

The mysterious man was imprisoned in Pignerol before 1681, and was moved around France until finally being moved to the Bastille prison in Paris on September 18, 1698.

He died there on November 19, 1703 and is thought to have been around 45 years old. He was buried the next day in the parish cemetery of Saint-Paul, he was registered there under the name of 'Marchioly'.

Despite his plight being made into several successful films, including one starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 1998, the Man in the Iron Mask is largely thought never to have worn metal on his face.

Instead, historical reports point towards the political prisoner wearing a black velvet mask to hide his identity.

The Man in the Iron Mask is largely thought never to have worn metal on his face. Instead, historical reports point towards the political prisoner wearing a black velvet mask to hide his identity
He was given 140 hours unpaid work by the judge at the Old Bailey

Harry Hendron, 35, avoided jail for drugs offences after admitting buying 1,000 Mephedrone and GBL that caused the death of his boyfriend Miguel Jimenez, 18

A celebrity barrister who bought the designer 'chemsex' drugs that killed his teenage boyfriend has been spared jail.

Henry Hendron, 35, bought 1,000 of Mephedrone and GBL from BBC producer Alexander Parkin, 41, to take to parties and sell on to friends.

He gave detailed instructions to his Colombian boyfriend Miguel Jimenez, 18, on how to use and package the drugs, to which Miguel replied: 'Blimey, and I'm the Colombian.'

But on the morning of January 20 last year Hendron woke up to find Miguel lying dead next to him in bed at his exclusive flat in London's Temple, the collection of chambers where Britain's top lawyers and judges are based.

The distressed Hendron dialled 999 but the teenager had suffered a lethal overdose of a combination of Mephedrone, known as 'meow meow', and GBL.

Police discovered Hendron's fingerprints on the jars and envelopes containing the drugs at his flat.

Hendron's conviction may mark the end of a glittering career for the Tory lawyer once tipped to lead the party.

As a 17-year-old schoolboy Hendron addressed the 1998 Conservative Party conference calling for the re-introduction of corporal punishment.

He acted for Tory MP Nadine Dorries when she was accused of smearing a rival during the 2015 election campaign and other clients include the Earl of Cardigan and The Apprentice winner Stella English.

He stood in the dock at the Old Bailey as Judge Richard Marks QC sentenced him to a community order with 18 months supervision and 140 hours unpaid work.

In a statement, he said: 'I have today been sentenced in respect of events which lead to the death of my partner Miguel Jimanez in January 2015, and I respect the decision of the Judge.

'I am deeply grateful for the support of my friends, my family but above all else, the love, understanding and support offered to me over the past 15 months by those who have lost the most - Miguel's family.

'Their letter to the Judge on my behalf, and their presence at court today, have demonstrated that at the worst of times it is the best of human nature which often stands out.

'It is testament to their humanity that in losing Miguel, I have not lost them as well. Miguel's death is something I will always blame myself for.

'It was tragic and unintended, but with hindsight, all too foreseeable. It has profoundly affected my life and the life of both mine and Miguel's family.'

He said his boyfriend died because of 'choices we made together' which Hendron should have resisted.

Hendron said: 'I want my experiences to be a profound warning that above all else, drug use is an act of deep selfishness.

'Because whilst the 'highs' are something the user alone enjoys, the misery which drug abuse causes is shared far and wide, and inflicted mostly upon the user's friends, family and loved-ones.

'Miguel's life was lost and my life ruined because of choices we made together, choices which I should have resisted, but did not.

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The Old Bailey heard Hendron woke up to find his lover, right, had accidentally taken a 'lethal overdose'

'I hope others learn from our mistakes and that society finds a way to tackle the current drugs epidemic which is causing havoc in the gay community - a silent, unseen, secret killer.

Parkin, an Oxford graduate who won nine Sony awards for his work with the BBC but has now lost his job, was sentenced to a community order with 200 hours unpaid work.

The judge told them: 'I am not sentencing either of you for any criminal offence in connection with the tragic death.

'There was never any evidential justification for any such charge. Had it been the case your sentences would have been measured in years.'

Judge Marks told Hendron: 'I bear in mind the anguish you feel over the death of your partner and the very moving letter from his mother in which far from wanting you to be punished she stands by you.'

Hendron admitted he bought the drugs for himself and his partner and also to sell on to friends at cost price.

In mitigation for Hendron, barrister Timothy Cray said: 'Whatever harsh words anyone may have for the defendant and his actions, they will not be as harsh as the words he has said to himself.'

Judge Richard Marks QC told the court Mr Jimenez's, left, mother had written a letter asking for Hendron, right, not to be punished

Prosecutor Martyn Bowyer said: 'Both these drugs are commonly used in the gay chemsex scene.

'Such a combination, particularly if alcohol and cocaine are involved, has a medically proven effect on the heart rate and blood pressure.

'The tragic death of Miguel Jimenez goes only to highlight the dangers of abusing them.'

GBL, which induces feelings of wellbeing and intensifies sexual arousal, is used legitimately as an alloy cleaner and solvent and 'was never intended for human consumption', said Mr Bowyer.

Mephedrone is a synthetic drug with similar effects to amphetamines and like GBL stimulates the heart and can increase blood pressure.

Police found a total of 82g of Methodrone in plastic bags inside envelopes in a cupboard and 482ml of GBL in jars after being called to Hendron's flat.

Hendron, who charges up to 1,750 per day for his legal services, at first denied buying and supplying the drugs but admitted using them with Miguel, who he met in August 2014.

He told police that after a day at court he spent the evening of 19 January with Miguel and a friend at his flat.

Hendron claimed he warned Miguel about his drug use before they went to bed.

'When he awoke their friend had left and he became aware Miguel was not moving,' said Mr Bowyer.

'He saw blood and vomit around his face and dialled 999.

'He was highly distressed and stated he had discovered the apparently lifeless body of his partner with whom he lived.

'Paramedics attended the scene and pronounced him dead.

'A postmortem concluded he had died of a lethal combination of drugs including GBL and Mephedrone.'

Hendron claimed he could not remember the passcode to his iPhone but his computer contained a backup of messages referring to the use and purchase of drugs.

The lawyer gave specific instructions to Miguel on the dangers of using too much and how the drugs should be decanted and packaged.

In one text Miguel replied: 'Blimey and I'm the Colombian.'

Former BBC producer Alexander Parkin, left, who supplied the drugs, and Hendron, right, were sentenced to 200 and 140 hours unpaid work respectively

Further messages revealed contact between Hendron and Parkin in the days leading up to the purchase of the drugs.

Hendron then admitted in a further interview in April 2015 that he bought the drugs in bulk.

On his arrest Parkin claimed he bought the drugs from a Brazilian man in the Harrow Road, keeping 250ml of GBL for himself and selling another litre to Hendron.

'He later admitted to officers he was struggling with addiction to drugs,' said Mr Bowyer.

Parkin, who has a previous caution for possession of Mephedrone, presented references from the controller of BBC Radio 3 and the British Embassy in Dubai to the court.

His barrister, Dominic Bell, said that since losing his job he 'is devoting all his attention to DIY'.

Mr Bell highlighted letters in support of Parkin, including from the Controller of BBC Radio 3 and presenter Max Reinhardt from the radio station's Late Junction show.

On the defendants' lifestyle, he said: 'It is quite a close-knit scene and you have to be known to be a member of that scene.

Both offenders pleaded guilty to the drugs offences at the Old Bailey, pictured, in London

'It's much like a more conventional party if people turn up with a bottle of wine.'

However, Judge Richard Marks QC remarked that it was in his view 'not the same thing'.

Hendron has three previous convictions for drink driving.

His barrister Timothy Cray said: 'He is well aware that public opinion and his professional body may well take a far wider view of his personal responsibility for events that led to the death of Miguel.'

Hendron, of Temple, City of London, admitted possession of the Class B drug Methedrone and the Class C drug Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with intent to supply.

Parkin, of Manchester Street, Westminster, admitted supplying the Class B drug Methedrone and the Class C drug Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).

Both were ordered to pay 500 towards prosecution costs.

Judge Marks said: 'The background to this tragic case is that on the morning of January 20 last year, you Hendron stayed over night at your flat in Temple with your partner Miguel Jimenez, awakened to discover that he was lifeless next to you.

'You immediately contacted the emergency services that attended but sadly Mr Jimenez was dead, death having been occasioned by the lethal combination of GBL and mephedrone which he had taken the previous night - drugs that he and you were wont to take together which you did pursuant to your involvement with what has been described as the gay chemsex scene.

'It is often said in court and elsewhere how very dangerous unlawful drugs can be. You Hendron, and to a lesser extent Parkin, more than most have experienced this at close quarters with the tragic and untimely death of your partner Miguel Jimenez who was only 18 years of age.'

In a BBC radio interview after he pleaded guilty Mr Hendron said: 'Every day that goes past I feel responsible.

'I was older. I should have known better, I was 34 then, he was only 18. It should have been me saying 'we're not going to do this'.

'I didn't make that call when I should have done, and for that reason, and that reason alone, I put his tragic death on my shoulders.'

Hendron said that, at the end of a normal day, the couple would drink some wine and take GHB, before going to sleep.

He said: 'I woke up and he was dead, next to me.

'I'd never seen a dead person before but when I turned him over, he was non-responsive, he was purple in the face and his face was frozen.

'All of a sudden, my whole world had collapsed from being happy and healthy and being in a loving relationship, to one which had this big question mark.'

He gave a strong warning about drug use, which he said was growing on the gay scene.

Hendron said: 'There are a large number of men, in their 30s and 40s, who've come to drugs late and are now doing it regularly.

'Drugs in the gay scene have really taken off. Recent studies show that gay people are three times more likely to take drugs than their straight counterparts.

'It seems to be the acceptable face now of recreation in the gay community.
A call centre worker who uploaded footage of his girlfriend's dog doing a Nazi salute and jumping when it heard 'gas the Jews' has been arrested.

Markus Meechan, 28, of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, spent the night behind bars after police arrived at his home and arrested him on suspicion of a hate crime.

The video, which received almost a million views, showed Meechan's girlfriend's pet pug Buddha responding to anti-semitic phrases and jumping up on hearing the words: 'Gas the Jews.'

Call centre worker Markus Meechan, 28, of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, spent the night behind bars after he uploaded a video which showed his girlfriend's pet pug Buddha responding to anti-semitic phrases

He was later released and a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal in relation to an alleged breach of the electronic communications act of 2003.

Meechan also filmed the two-year-old dog watching speeches made by Hitler from the Leni Riefenstahl directed film 'Olympia' which documented the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

On another occasion he filmed it lifting its paw on hearing the words: 'Sieg Heil.'

The dog belongs to his girlfriend Suzanne Kelly, 28.

Police said the arrest should be a warning that videos which cause offence will not be tolerated.

Detective Inspector David Cockburn said: 'This clip was shared online and has been viewed almost one million times.

The video, which received almost a million views, showed Meechan's girlfriend's pet pug Buddha responding to anti-semitic phrases and jumping up on hearing the words: 'Gas the Jews'

'I would ask anyone who has had the misfortune to have viewed it to think about the pain and hurt the narrative has caused a minority of people in our community.

'The clip is deeply offensive and no reasonable person can possibly find the content acceptable in today's society.'

He added: 'This arrest should serve as a warning to anyone posting such material online, or in any other capacity, that such views will not be tolerated.

'This clip has been shared and viewed online, which ultimately has caused offence and hurt to many people in our community.

Salute: The dog could be seen in the video doing a Nazi salute whenever Mr Meechan said 'sieg heil'

'There is no place for hate crime in Scotland and police take all reports of incidents seriously.'

Despite the trouble the two minute and 23 seconds clip has caused Meechan, the video remains available on YouTube and has been viewed more than 938,000 times.

Last month call centre worker Meechan apologised to the Jewish community for the video, which he said was made to annoy his girlfriend.

He said: 'I am not a racist at all, anybody who knows me could tell you that.

'I'm freaked out because everyone's going to actually think that I hate Jews now and I don't at all. I'm kind of panicked about it.

'Honestly, I don't hate anyone, the whole purpose of this was just to annoy my girlfriend.

'I just want everyone to know that I don't wish any ill-will on any race or anything, it's just how shock comedy works.

Vile: Buddha was also filmed pressing up against the television while a film of Hitler giving a speech was on

'It was strictly made to annoy my girlfriend and give my friends something to laugh at.

'I am so sorry to the Jewish community for any offence I have caused them. This was never my intention and I apologise.'

Mr Meechan declined to comment when approached yesterday(Mon).

Jonathan Sacerdoti, Director of Communications at the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: 'There is nothing remotely funny about this video.

'Mocking the death of over six million Jews - about a third of the entire Jewish people - demonstrates the dangers of ignoring antisemitism, denigrating the Holocaust through false comparisons and failing to educate the next generation.'

Mr Meechan was arrested on April 28 and kept in custody overnight before being released on bail from Airdrie Sheriff Court the next morning but the arrest has only just come to light.
But the firm's boss Michael McGowan will not be prosecuted over deaths

A construction firm today admitted causing the deaths of a police officer and his boyfriend who fell into a building site while having a late-night argument.

PC Gavin Brewer and his partner Stuart Meads, a television producer, died from their injuries when they fell through hoardings in North London in October 2013.

Now Monavon Construction Limited, which was responsible for the half-built basement flat, has pleaded guilty to two counts of corporate manslaughter.

The firm further admitted a charge of failing to discharge its duty to persons other than employees in breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 during a hearing at the Old Bailey.

Tragic: Gavin Brewer, left, and Stuart Meads, right, died when they fell into a building site in October 2013

Company boss Michael McGowan, 49, denied a further charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act, which was left to lie on file.

Prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC said: 'The families have been informed of the decision, they are disappointed that a part of the case is not bring proceeded with, but they recognise a decision has been taken and are content with that.'

Mr Brewer, 32, worked for the British Transport Police while Mr Meads, 34, was employed on the BBC show The Weakest Link.

The couple had been arguing on the night of their deaths, and fell through the hoarding during a physical fight.

At an earlier hearing Mr Glasgow said: 'It's a fall through a light-well in the pavement, two men returning home walking past a hoarding on a building site.

Memorial: Friends of the couple left flowers at the scene of their death in North London

Scene: The couple apparently fell through this hoarding surrounding a basement which was being excavated

'They were involved in some form of dispute and while in a struggle they fell against the barrier intended to provide protection.

'They then fell into the basement. The barrier gave way and they fell through the opening into the basement and to their deaths below.'

He added that the incident had been caught on CCTV thanks to the surrounding surveillance cameras.

Monavon Construction will be sentenced later this month and is likely to face a heavy fine.

At the time of the couple's death, Mr Meads's friend Stephen Baker said the incident appeared to be a 'freak accident'.

He added: 'They were a wonderful couple. They clearly cared for each other a great deal. They had just come back from a tour of Europe. They were very happy and in love, by all accounts.'
Donald Trump continued steamrolling Hillary Clinton on Monday morning over her inaction as America's first lady in the face of President Bill Clinton's repeated infidelities.

During an interview on CNN's 'New Day' program he complained that the Democratic presidential front-runner has been 'playing the woman's card to the hilt' by complaining that 'Donald Trump raised his voice, and you know  it's all nonsense.'

In 'retribution for what she said,' he explained, he has made calling her an 'enabler' of her husband's infamous Lothario ways part of his stump speech.

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MORE FIREWORKS: Donald Trump insisted on Monday morning that he will continue to take the fight to Hillary Clinton because she stood by wile her husband 'abused' woman as president

Bill Clinton 'was the biggest abuser of women ... as a politician, in the history of our country,' Trump said. 'He was impeached. He was impeached. And then he lied about it.'

'He said nothing happened with Monica Lewinsky, and then he said, "Uh, sorry folks, it actually did happen." And the guy was impeached for lying.'

Trump said Saturday during a rally in Spokane, Washington that Hillary shared responsibility with Bill for ruining his conquests' reputations.

'She treated these women horribly ... and some of these women were destroyed  not by him, but by the way that Hillary Clinton treated them after everything went down,' he said.

In the face of that flavor of criticism in the past week, Clinton has responded by renewing her insistence that playing 'the woman's card' means advocating for policies on the legislative shopping lists of feminist groups and other progressive lobbies  and by blasting Trump for not following suit.

That, Trump says, is a dodge.

'Women understand it better than anybody,' he said Monday. 'Watch how well I do with women, when it counts, when the election comes. Watch how well.'con'Because women want to see strong security, they want to see strong military, they want to see borders where people just can't come crossing, walking across a border like it's Swiss cheese.'

'She can't talk about me,' he added later, 'because nobody respects women more than Donald Trump. And I'm going to take care  I will be better for women, by a big factor, than Hillary Clinton who frankly, I don't even think will be good to women.'

BIG WAGER: Trump is staking his reputation among female votes on the gamble that they care more about jobs and national security than about feminist issues

Trump also continued clobbering Clinton over her highly publicized reversal last week after she pledged to eliminate jobs in coal country  and then claimed during a visit there that she 'misspoke.'

'She spoke a few weeks ago, and she said, "I'm gonna put the miners and the companies out of business." Then she went to West Virginia and she tried to pretend she didn't make the statement,' Trump recalled on CNN.
Mrs Moles said she had to protect her family

An 80-year-old great grandmother shot and killed an intruder in her home after he stabbed her husband and hit him with a crowbar.

Barb Moles, a grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of three, had been at her home in Seattle with her husband John and their adult son when she heard an altercation at the front of the house.

When she went into the kitchen to check the noise, she discovered her husband, John, lying in a pool of blood.

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Barb Moles, pictured with her husband John, shot dead an intruder in her home in Seattle. Mrs Moles said: 'You know how mothers are with their kids. That's the way I am with my husband. I just protect his back. I'm not just the typical granny  in case you haven't noticed'

Shot dead: Steven Sheppard was killed by Mrs Moles after he attacked her husband in a botched home invasion. Mrs Moles said she 'just did what I had to do' but she feels sorry for Sheppard's family

He told her he had been stabbed and without a second's thought, Mrs Moles raced to her bedroom to retrieve a .38 caliber gun before confronting the intruder, named as Steven N. Sheppard, in the hallway.

She fired the weapon four times, with three of her shots hitting the 25-year-old intruder who was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Mrs Moles said she had to protect her family.

She told KOMO: 'You know how mothers are with their kids. That's the way I am with my husband. I just protect his back. I'm not just the typical granny  in case you haven't noticed.

'I felt like if I hadn't, my son and I might both be dead and my husband might have bled to death on the kitchen floor. You know, never in my whole life did I ever anticipate having to take another life  especially at age 80.'

Authorities investigating the case believe Sheppard may have been looking for prescription drugs to steal when he was disturbed by Mr Moles.

Mr Moles is currently recovering from stab wounds at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after being airflifted there from his home

The Snohomish County Sheriff are yet to send the case to the prosecuting attorney, so it is unclear if any charges will be filed.

Mrs Moles added: 'I just did what I had to do and I'm so sorry for [the intruder's] family. I just feel badly for his family.'

After the incident Mr Moles, a former Boeing employee, was airlifted to hospital, where he is still being treated.
The Robertson family paid a heartbroken farewell to their beloved two-year-old son Christopher on Monday, after a two-car crash in Sydney last month led to his death.

They paid their respects to Christopher in a fitting way, ensuring that the boy who always dreamed of being a superhero would get to achieve exactly that.

The Daily Telegraph reported the Robertsons had donated their sons dark brown eyes to a person who was going blind.

Christopher Robertson, 2, was killed by a car which spun out of control in Granville last year

The Tarago drove straight in to Christopher's stroller, crushing him against an apartment wall

Anyone who knew him knew that he wanted to be a superhero, his father told the paper.

We are just glad he could donate his eyes so he could help another.

Christopher was sitting in his stroller when a car in Granville was T-boned, sending it straight in to his stroller and crushing him against the wall of an apartment building.

Emergency services did everything they could to save the toddlers life, but he died in Westmead Childrens Hospital the next day.

His funeral service, held at South Rookwood Crematorium ended with the release of ten superhero balloons, to celebrate the child who wanted to save the world.

So far, no charges have been laid in relation to Christophers death, though police have told Daily Mail Australia that enquiries are ongoing.

His family are heartbroken, and held a solemn memorial service for him on Monday
Teen victim's mother said the restaurant manager also took pictures from her Facebook page and superimposed them onto pornographic images

Victim and former colleague Nikki Elliott, 25, said: 'It's outrageous they let him go. He needs to be sectioned because he's mentally disturbed'

Victims of a pervert who posted their pictures on a degrading pornography website reacted with fury today after he was let off with a caution.

Olly Whiting published explicit pictures of an ex-girlfriend and encouraged viewers to rape her because 'she deserves it'.

The restaurant manager also allegedly put pictures of a 15-year-old girl on the site, superimposing them with explicit sexual imagery.

The 36-year-old even posted a picture of his sister taken in her school uniform when she was 16 and asked users of the site how much they would pay to rape her.

Pervert: Olly Whiting, 36 (right), posted pictures of women on a degrading pornography website where twisted people share their disgusting fantasies, including faked images of a teenage girl. Pictures of Nikki Elliott, 25 (left), a former colleague of Whiting, also appeared on the site alongside obscene messages from men

Whiting, a father of one from Eastbourne, East Sussex, was arrested by police two weeks ago after four women complained. But officers decided not to prosecute him after he admitted the offences and expressed remorse.

Instead, they gave him a caution for one offence of revenge porn and three counts of sending offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing messages.

The maximum sentence for revenge porn is two years and the maximum for sending offensive messages is six months.

His victims have now accused police of failing to take their complaints seriously and said a caution amounted to no more than a slap on the wrist. His sister Charley Hough, who found out about the images while she was heavily pregnant with her first child, said she was 'honestly disgusted with the police'.

The 21-year-old from Cardiff said: 'Just the thought of Olly still walking around people having indecent thoughts makes me sick. I never want to see him again. He is evil.'

Pictures of Whiting's ex-girlfriend Charlotte White, a care worker, were posted on the website with a message which read: '100 to rape her  20 to make her miscarry'.

The message was particularly cruel as Miss White previously told Whiting that she had miscarried twice in the past 18 months. The 23-year-old, from Eastbourne, said: 'What Olly did makes me feel sick and violated.

'They told me it doesn't count as harassment because it wasn't done directly to me, just through a website, but it still hurts.'

Let off: Whiting, a labourer, was arrested after four women complained about him, but was given just a caution after admitting that he had posted the pictures

Pictures of Nikki Elliott, 25, a former colleague of Whiting, also appeared on the site alongside obscene messages from men. In one image she is holding her two-year-old daughter, Olivia.

Miss Elliott, also from Eastbourne, said: 'It's outrageous they let him go. He needs to be sectioned because he's mentally disturbed.'

Pictures of the women were taken from their Facebook profiles and put on the American website. Police have asked the site's owners to take the images down  but they have no power to order removal.

Officers are now investigating allegations made by a fifth victim which was initially recorded as 'no crime'. There are fears Whiting has posted pictures of as many as 13 girls.

A mother told how her 15-year-old daughter started receiving sexual text messages from Whiting after he found her phone number on her Facebook page. He then allegedly uploaded an image of the girl.

She said: 'My daughter reported it to the police. Then she told me that he had been given a caution I think it's absolutely disgusting.' Police said they were not investigating claims relating to a 15-year-old girl.

Inspector Rachel Barrow, from Sussex Police, said her force decided to issue Whiting with a caution because of his 'remorse, the nature of the offences, and the likelihood of the caution being effective in preventing re-offending'.
Oswald Jones was caught stealing a blue and white sparkly $6.99 Mother's Day card

A homeless man who has been arrested 92 times was jailed again - this time because he wanted to show his mom how much he loved her.

Oswald Jones was caught stealing a blue and white sparkly $6.99 Mother's Day card from Jay's Hallmark shop inside Port Authority Bus Terminal, Manhattan, Saturday afternoon.

It read: 'You've been a lifesaver more than you know'.

Jones, 56, was charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.

Store workers caught him with the card - which is the only thing he took - when he tried to stroll out of the shop with it hidden in a clear plastic bag, according to the New York Post.

The manager spotted him and told him he would let him go if he gave the card back.

A store employee named Gopal told the Post that Jones tried to keep the gift for his mom, telling the manager that it was 'just a card'.

But the manager insisted that he couldn't keep it, after which Jones got upset and starting shouting expletives, said Gopal.

The police were called and he was taken into custody, where he was later overheard saying 'I really love my mom', according to a source.

Jones was let off after he spent a night in jail and was released just in time for Mother's Day.

Jones took the from Jay's Hallmark shop inside Port Authority Bus Terminal (pictured) Saturday afternoon. He was later arrested and spent the night in jail

The 56-year-old was interviewed by Reuters just last year, talking about his struggle on the streets.

He said that he was finding his first winter on the streets tough and was unable to land a job because of a criminal record and a bout of drug use.

Sat in the same Port Authority Bus Terminal he explained to reporters: 'I come from a family with a home. I'm not used to this.

'I'm tired. I can't sleep. I don't have nowhere to stay. I have people giving me stupid looks.'

To survive, he said he usually slept in the bus terminal's basement until police force him to leave.

Then he said he seeks the warmth of a subway train and rides all night.
Ms Brader was able to see them all with the help of her driver boyfriend

She needed to attend the graduations of her children Tracy, Bill and Kristy

Sue Brader, from Chapel Hill, attended three ceremonies on the same day

The graduation days of your children are supposed to be moments to cherish, filled with pride and joy - and should almost certainly be stress-free.

But one North Carolina supermom faced a rather testing few hours when she attended three of her children's graduations all on the same day.

With the help of her boyfriend, Sue Brader, from Chapel Hill, was thrilled to be able to witness the ceremonies to support her children.

Supermom Sue Brader (pictured) managed to attend all three of her children's graduation ceremonies in North Carolina - despite them being on the same day

Her boyfriend Greg Leighton (pictured) helped by driving her between the ceremonies, which took place in Chapel Hill and Raleigh

She began the day with a message to her children, ABC11 reported.

'Congratulations Tracy, Kristy, and Bill. I'm so proud of all three of you and I can't wait to share this special day with you.'

First up was her daughter Tracy's graduation from medical school at the University of North Carolina, according to the broadcaster.

Starting at 10am, Ms Brader was driven to the event by her boyfriend Greg Leighton, who doubled as her chauffuer for the day.

After watching what she could of Tracy's graduation, she then had to race to North Carolina State University some 35 miles away.

Here her other daughter Kristy had officially completed her undergraduate degree.

With the ceremony kicking off at 12, she made it just in time to see 'part of' the event and then race back to Chapel Hill.

The third ceremony was for her son Bill, who had finished his undergraduate degree at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Kristy said: 'I was stressed just trying to make it to my graduation. So the fact that she's doing three graduations, she's just a saint.'
No details on the cause of death have been released

Police were alerted of disappearance after she didn't check out campsite

Arizona State University professor was camping when she

The body of a missing Arizona State University English professor was found a half-mile from her camp site.

Debra Schwartz, 59, was found dead in an unnamed slot canyon below the rim of Oak Creek Canyon, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office said.

Authorities had been searching for Schwartz, who had been camping at Pine Flat Campgrounds in Oak Creek Canyon, since Friday, according to the Arizona Republic.

Arizona State University professor, Debra Schwartz (pictured), 59, was found dead in an unnamed slot canyon below the rim of Oak Creek Canyon, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office said

Police were alerted of her disappearance on Friday by campground staff, who said the English professor, who had been camping alone, failed to check out of her camping space. Schwartz (left) was scheduled to stay at Pine Flat from Tuesday to Thursday

Police were alerted of her disappearance on Friday by campground staff who said Schwartz, who had been camping alone, failed to check out of her camping space.

Schwartz was scheduled to stay at Pine Flat from Tuesday to Thursday, according to officials.

In a statement released by the university, Mark Searle, ASU executive vice president and provost said: 'We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Debra Schwartz, who devoted her career to helping others find the joy of new-found knowledge and creative ability.'

'Her dedication was reflected in one of her last conversations, words of encouragement to a student from this past semester and an offer to stay in touch over the summer.

'Our hearts go out to Debra's family, and to them we offer the comfort of knowing that she helped enable so many to learn and understand the world a little better.'

A three-member technical rescue team completed two rope rappels into the canyon to a spot where they were able to see Schwartz's body

The Coconino County Sheriff's Office located Schwartz's abandoned campsite, including her car, tent and camping gear.

Authorities said it appeared Schwartz had left her campsite and failed to return as scheduled.

Search-and-rescue teams were deployed on Friday to do an intensive ground search aided by a helicopter crew.

And more than 40 officials broke out into search-and-rescue teams from Coconino and Yavapai sheriff's departments on Saturday.

Eight of the searchers were equipped with search dogs.

A three-member technical rescue team completed two rope rappels to make their way into the canyon to a spot where they were able to see the body.

And then the team made a third rappel to actually reach the body, according to Coconino County officials.

The team found Schwartz just after 11am on Sunday.

The area had been briefly searched in previous days, but steep inclines, rough terrain and thick underbrush made conditions unsafe for traditional ground searches.

Coconino County is working with the medical examiner's office to determine the cause of death, the Sheriff's Office said.
A young couple took a prom picture thats a little different from the norm  theres a massive tornado in the background.

Ali Marintzer, a freshman at Wray High School in Wray, Colorado, remained determined to attend her prom with boyfriend Charlie Bator despite the tornadoes making their way across the Eastern Plains on Saturday afternoon.

The tornado in their prom picture was a small funnel cloud at first  but then soon developed into a bigger twister, Alis mother Heidi Marintzer told The Denver Channel.

Scroll down for video

Ali Marintzer and her boyfriend Cahrlie Bator took an epic prom photo with a massive tornado in the background on Saturday

But when she was sure the tornado was too far away to pose a danger to her family  around three miles from their home, Marintzer quickly snapped the picture.

With the dramatic backdrop and the teenage couple dressed in their formal wear, it certainly made their prom night a memorable one.

And like many teenagers, Ali couldn't resist taking a Snapchat selfie with the tornado as well.

The twister, which stretched half a mile wide, struck just north of the town of Wray about 6pm on Saturday, causing minor injuries to five people, according to NWS Science and Operations officer Jeremy Martin.

But despite the stormy weather and at least several other tornadoes reported across Colorado on Saturday, the prom at Wray High School went on.

However, the school delayed the start by around 45 minutes to make sure everyone was able to arrive safely, her mother added.

Like many teenagers, Ali couldn't resist taking a Snapchat selfie as well captioned: 'Selfie ft. Tornado'

Meanwhile, forecasters say severe storms are likely to hit in parts of the Southern and Great Plains states on Monday  with tornadoes and large hail a possibility in some areas.

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says the greatest risk for bad weather is in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

But forecasters say the storms could stretch into parts of Missouri and western Illinois, where isolated tornadoes can't be ruled out.

In all, about 41 million people from Houston to Des Moines, Iowa, are at risk for some type of stormy weather Monday.

The twister (pictured) seen in the background of Marintzer, which stretched half a mile wide, struck just north of the town of Wray in Colorado about 6pm on Saturday

The tornado (pictured) which struck just north of the town of Wray, Colorado, and injured five people

A day earlier, tornadoes, hail and strong winds hit parts of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, but no major damage was reported.

But on Saturday, a series of tornadoes swept across eastern Colorado, causing several minor injuries and damaging motorhomes and buildings. Another spring storm brought deadly driving conditions to northern Arizona.

The National Weather Service said at least four tornadoes hit in Yuma County, about 100 miles east of Denver, near Colorado's borders with Nebraska and Kansas.

Debris lies on damaged vehicles after a tornado was reported in Weld County outside Wiggins on Saturday

A pole barn is shown after it was damaged by a tornado as it passed through the northeastern plains community of Wiggins, Colorado

The twister which struck just north of the town of Wray left five people with minor injuries, Martin said.

Speaking in a telephone interview from his office in Goodland, Kansas, Martin said that tornado also damaged some buildings and other structures.
Boris Johnson burst into song today as he dismissed 'insulting' claims that Brexit supporters are 'Little Englanders'.

The former London Mayor delivered a snatch of Beethoven's Ode to Joy to prove the potency of his language skills.

The bizarre antics came as he made a keynote speech on why we should leave the EU, just hours after Prime Minister David Cameron set out his own arguments for staying in.

The referendum battle is heating up with just 45 days to go until voters make a decision that could define the fate of the country for generations.

Former London Mayor Boris Johnson surprised the audience by breaking into song during his EU referendum speech

According to the text of his speech - given at Vote Leave's HQ in London - Mr Johnson had only been due to threaten to sing Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

But he appeared to get carried away as he dismissed accusations that Leave campaigners are 'Little Englanders'.

After delivering a line in German, he said: 'I find it offensive, insulting, irrelevant and positively cretinous to be told  sometimes by people who can barely speak a foreign language  that I belong to a group of small-minded xenophobes.

'Because the truth is it is Brexit that is now the great project of European liberalism, and I am afraid that it is the EU  for all the high ideals with which it began, that now represents the ancien regime.'

Speaking at the British Museum in central London earlier, Mr Cameron insisted it would be harder to keep terrorists off the streets of London if we gave up membership and even raised the prospect of the continent sliding back into conflict.

Flanked by Labour's former foreign secretary David Miliband in the latest example of how the battle is blurring party loyalties, Mr Cameron invoked Winston Churchill and the sacrifice of British soldiers during the Second World War.

'It takes a network to defeat a network and European measures are a key weapon,' he said.

'I don't argue that if we left we would lose any ability to co-operate with our neighbours on a bilateral basis, or even potentially through some EU mechanisms.

'But it's clear that leaving the EU would make co-operation more legally complex and make our access to vital information much slower and more difficult.'

David Cameron, left, and former London Mayor Boris Johnson have clashed with 45 days to go until the EU referendum on June 23

Mr Cameron said warnings by two former spy chiefs - Lord Evans of Weardale, former director-general of MI5, and ex-MI6 chief Sir John Sawers - that Brexit could harm the country's ability to fight terrorism were 'unmistakable'.

The Paris and Brussels attacks were a reminder that 'we face this threat together and will only succeed in overcoming it by working much more closely together'.

He said the rise of a 'newly belligerent' Russia, the fight against Isis, and the migration crisis required 'unity of purpose'.

He conceded that the Nato alliance was the 'cornerstone' of national defence - but argued that 'top military opinion' was clear that the EU is a 'vital' reinforcement to the organisation.

But Mr Johnson, speaking at Vote Leave's HQ in London, said the idea of German tanks 'rolling into France' because the UK had left the union was 'very curious'.

He also warned that the over-the-top rhetoric from Mr Cameron and Remain supporters risked harming the UK.

The words of Ode to Joy were written in the 1780s by German poet Friedrich Schiller.

But Beethoven famously set his own slightly reworked version to music for the final movement of his rousing Ninth Symphony.

BEETHOVEN'S ODE TO JOY: THE GERMAN LYRICS AND ENGLISH MEANING Freude, schoner Gotterfunken Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Bruder, Wo dein sanfter Flugel weilt. Joy, beautiful spark of divinity, Daughter from Elysium, We enter, burning with fervour, heavenly being, your sanctuary! Your magic brings together what fashion has sternly divided. All men shall become brothers, wherever your gentle wings hover. Advertisement

David Cameron delivering his speech at the British Museum in London this morning
A disgraced former Miami commissioner who spent 21 months in federal prison for his part in a corruption scandal has been found dead in his home, and his wife has been charged with his murder.

The body of James 'Jimmie' C. Burke, who was convicted of accepting bribes in the 1990s, was discovered in the bungalow in Waycross, Georgia, he shared with Sonia Burke, 58, on Saturday.

Mrs Burke called 911 on Saturday afternoon saying she was having difficulty breathing, according to multiple reports.

When paramedics arrived, she was sitting on a couch and pointed them to a locked room.

Disgraced former Miami commissioner James 'Jimmie' Burke (left), who was convicted of accepting bribes in the 1990s, was found dead in the bungalow in Waycross, Georgia, he shared with wife Sonia Burke, 58. She has since been arrested and charged with his murder

They then found Mr Burke, 68, on the bed with gunshot wounds. Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said there had been a 'domestic dispute'.

Mrs Burke was then arrested and taken to hospital to be treated for a possible overdose, according to News 4 Jax.

Mr Burke had been married seven times and had six children.

Mrs Burke called 911 on Saturday afternoon saying she was having difficulty breathing, according to multiple reports. When paramedics arrived, she was sitting on a couch and pointed them to a locked room

Burke was first elected Miami-Dade County Commission in 1993 and served in the House of Representatives before becoming a commissioner.

He was caught in a public corruption scandal that rocked Miami in the late 1990s, but always maintained he didn't do anything wrong.

The politician was charged with bribery and money laundering and removed from office after he was caught on tape accepting a bribe.

After he was sentenced, he told the court: 'I believe God has something planned for me. I know Ive lost the trust of the people I represented.

'I lost the respect of people who watched me through over 20 years of public service. Im not blaming anyone else.

'Im here because of what I did and I dont want anyone else to think anyone did anything to me . . . I sincerely regret my part in the events that brought us here today.'

A judge sentenced him to 27 months behind bars, but he was freed after serving 21.

Burke, who had six children, was married seven times. He married Sonia Burke in 2014, according to her Facebook page.

On September 28, 2014, she posted: 'I married a most amazing man. He appeared suddenly, stated his case and swept me off of my feet. We are two parts of one and I love him very much.'

Burke had been living in Waycross, where he was born and raised, since 2007. According to the Miami Herald he had spent some time editing a community newspaper.

They then found Mr Burke, 68, on the bed with gunshot wounds. Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said there had been a 'domestic dispute' (their home with signs backing political candidates is pictured)

Mr Burke (left in an earlier picture and right recently) had been married seven times and had six children. He was first elected Miami-Dade County Commission in 1993 and served in the House of Representatives before becoming a commissioner
Crown didn't accept plea and she is on trial at Bradford Crown Court

She has admitted killings and previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter

Lupidi told police 'she was scared partner Carl Weaver, 31, would kill her'

Girls were found at a women's refuge with nine chest stab wounds each

A mother who stabbed her two young daughters to death said afterwards: 'If I can't have them, he can't have them either', a jury has heard.

Samira Lupidi, 24, sobbed in the dock as she went on trial accused of murdering 17-month-old Jasmine Weaver and three-year-old Evelyn Lupidi at a women's refuge.

At one point, Lupidi was so upset she had to leave the courtroom as prosecutors outlined how the girls were found in their beds, each with nine stab wounds to the chest.

Samira Lupidi, left and right, 24, is on trial at Bradford Crown Court accused of murdering her daughters

Evelyn Lupidi, left, three and Jasmine Weaver, right, one, were found stabbed to death at a women's refuge

Lupidi, pictured with her daughters, wanted to stab herself after the killings but could not go through with it, the court heard

Peter Moulson, QC, prosecuting, told the jury at Bradford Crown Court how Italian-born Lupidi and her two girls had ended up in the refuge on November 17 last year, after she called police to her home in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire.

Mr Moulson said the defendant had told officers that the girls' father - her partner, Carl Weaver, 31 - had slapped her twice the night before and she was scared he was going to kill her.

The prosecutor described how, the morning after she was admitted, staff at the refuge found Lupidi running out of the flat she had been allocated and shouting that she had 'killed the children'.

He said the worker noted her hands were smeared with blood.

Mr Moulson said Lupidi told another member of staff: 'It's his fault. Now he has a reason to kill me. If I can't have them, he can't have them either. He was coming to get me. I had to do this.'

The prosecutor said a 14in kitchen knife with a 10in blade was found on one of the children's beds.

He said that after Lupidi was arrested, she said: 'I know what I have done. My life is nothing now.'

The jury heard Lupidi told police that Mr Weaver was 'psychologically and financially controlling', that he deprived her of money and he restricted her contact with family in Italy.

On 16 November, last year, whilst Mr Weaver was at work Lupidi called the police to their home in Church Lane, Heckmondwike, and alleged he had hit her on the arm and leg the previous evening.

Mr Moulson told the jury Lupidi believed Mr Weaver wanted rid of her after the baptism of the girls on the coming weekend.

PC Kirsty Wright, who took Lupidi to the refuge after responding to the allegation of domestic abuse at Lupidi's home, said in a statement read to the court that Jasmine and Evelyn were due to be baptised on November 21 and Lupidi feared that Mr Weaver would use the occasion to leave her and take the girls with him.

The jury heard Lupidi, pictured with her daughters, feared her partner would leave her after their baptism

Carl Weaver, left, with Jasmine, and right, was said to be 'devastated' after the girls' deaths

Lupidi, of West Yorkshire, pictured with Evelyn, told staff at the refuge she feared her partner Carl Weaver would kill her and 'if she couldn't have her children, he couldn't either', the court heard

PC Wright said: 'She was scared what Carl was going to do with her and that she wanted to move back to Italy.'

Lupidi had told officers that she had heard Mr Weaver say in conversation with his brother Chris Weaver, and brother's girlfriend, Amy Sutton, that Mr Weaver was going to abandon her.

Mr Weaver is alleged to have said: 'On Saturday someone won't come back with us.'

PC Wright's statement added: 'He said he would take her in the car and leave her so 'some paedo' will find her.

'She said Mr Weaver had said the children would be 'better off without her'.'

In another statement, an unidentified refuge worker said Lupidi had told her that her partner was planning to 'get rid of her' after the girls' planned baptism.

She said the defendant told her: 'He's going to do something bad to me.'

The refuge worker also explained how she later found the girls lying stabbed on the bed after she was called by a colleague.

Lupidi, pictured with Evelyn, told police her partner had attacked her and was scared he would leave her

She said she had only seen Lupidi a short time before, carrying Jasmine.

Another refuge worker, said in a statement that Lupidi said after the killings: 'He said I'm a bad mother. I am now.'

The refuge worker said: 'She kept saying she loved her kids.'

'I COULDN'T LOOK AT HER': REFUGE WORKER TELLS HARROWING TALE OF HOW SHE FOUND DEAD CHILDREN A worker at the refuge where the two children were killed described how she 'couldn't look at' the mother when she realised what she had done. The refuge worker who witnessed the aftermath of the killings, told the court how she found Samira Lupidi in her pyjamas with bloodstained hands. When she walked into the flat, she found the children covered in stab wounds, she said. The refuge worker said: 'As I entered the flat I could see Jasmine lying there in her nappy and vest. 'I could see blood by her head. Her whole chest looked open with gashes in it. 'She [Lupidi] didn't seem to have a lot of blood on her. She was wearing a pair of pyjamas. 'She said she had told her mum and the girls' dad what she had done. 'I couldn't look at her because of what she had done. 'She told me in broken English that she thought her boyfriend would do something bad after that. 'She thought her boyfriend, his brother and his brother's girlfriend were all plotting against her.'

Lupidi had wanted to stab herself after killing her daughters but was unable to go through with it, the court heard.

She was said to be pacing around the refuge office in an agitated state and constantly on her mobile to her mother in Italy as staff called emergency services.

The refuge's manager said: 'Samira was saything something about her beautiful babies but I could not understand her.

'She said that he [Mr Weaver] had said to her that morning he was coming to get her babies.

'She said: 'Him and his family can now say that I'm a bad mum and I killed my babies'.

'She said that she was going to strangle them [the girls] but couldn't do it and was going to kill herself.'

Mr Moulson explained to the jury that Lupidi admits killing the children and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

He said the defendant denies two counts of murder, and much of the case will revolve around her mental state at the time of the killings.

Mr Moulson said the jury they must set aside feelings of 'revulsion, anger and sympathy'.

The court heard Lupidi met Mr Weaver via the internet when he was visiting his grandma in Italy.

After giving birth to Evelyn in 2012 they moved to Yorkshire where Jasmine was born in 2014.

Lupidi had wanted to stab herself after killing her daughters but was unable to go through with it, the court heard.

Lupidi was pacing around the refuge office in an agitated state and constantly on her mobile to her mother in Italy as staff called emergency services.

Lupidi, pictured, admitted killing the girls and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but the Crown rejected it and she is now on trial for murder at Bradford Crown Court

Wearing black trousers, a white shirt and a grey cardigan, and with her long dark hair tied back, Lupidi sat in the dock with two security guards and an interpreter, clearly upset for the entirety of the prosecution opening statement.

Three police vans attended the scene of the deaths, and the area was cordoned off for several hours as forensic officers searched for evidence.

Mr Weaver, 31, was described as 'devastated' over the deaths of his daughters, according to relatives, who were in the public gallery today.

Speaking in the wake of their deaths , his aunt Julie Britton said: 'He's just absolutely devastated. It's like a bomb has gone off in the middle of our family.'
Police are searching for Camiah Tylequis Walker (pictured), who is suspected of killing two women and kidnapping a third in North Carolina

Police are searching for a man suspected of killing two women and kidnapping a third in North Carolina.

The bodies of 45-year-old Sherry Burford and 20-year-old Bridgette Burford were found Saturday inside a home in Yanceyville, North Carolina.

Authorities were called to the scene around 4.15am.

Deputies at the scene found the two victims inside the residence unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot wounds

Firefighters treated them, but they were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Burlington Times-News.

A third victim, Courtney Lunsford was kidnapped by the suspect.

Authorities issued two first-degree murder warrants for 24-year-old Camiah Tylequis Walker, whom they suspect in connection with the shootings and kidnapping.

Caswell County sheriff's deputies said Walker should be considered armed and dangerous.

The bodies of 45-year-old Sherry Burford (left) and 20-year-old Bridgette Burford (right) were found Saturday inside a home in Yanceyville, North Carolina. Both women had been shot to death and were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Sherry was Bridgette's mother

All three women lived in the same home. Investigators said that Lunsford (left) was taken against her will at the time of the shooting. Lunsford was later found unharmed by the Thomasville Police Department. Lunsford and Walker (right) have a daughter together but it's unclear if they were dating at the time of the shootings

All three women lived in the same home (pictured). Sherry was Lunsford's aunt and Bridgette was Lunsford's cousin

All three women lived in the same home. Investigators said that Lunsford was taken against her will at the time of the shooting.

Lunsford was later found unharmed by the Thomasville Police Department.

Captain Frank Rose with the Caswell Count Sheriffs Office told WFMY that Walker kidnapped Lunsford, who is the mother of his daughter and shot and killed Sherry Burford, who was the mother of Bridgette Burford.

Sherry was Lunsford's aunt and Bridgette was Lunsford's cousin.

The daughter of Lunsford and Walker was present in the house during the shootings and kidnapping, authorities told WFMY.

Walker has prior arrest records including, possession of drugs, possession of drugs with intent to sell and breaking and entering.

Captain Frank Rose with the Caswell County Sheriffs Office said Walker (right) kidnapped Lunsford (left and right), who is the mother of his daughter (right)
Says she was misled about allegations made against Ms Aubrey, 54

A chief constable 'flipped' when she was told her force's legal boss had disclosed confidential information about a predecessor who allegedly had an affair with a colleague and was punched at a barbecue, a tribunal heard today.

Sue Sim, former head of Northumbria Police, said she had initially felt betrayed when she learned Denise Aubrey had been gossiping about the alleged affair between another ex-chief constable Mike Craik and his assistant chief constable Carolyn Peacock.

However, Mrs Sim - who led the Raoul Moat manhunt - said she no longer believes the allegation against Ms Aubrey, 54, and is backing the lawyer's claim against the force after she was sacked for gross misconduct in 2014.

Former chief constable Sue Sim (left) 'flipped' when she was told Northumbria Police's legal boss Denise Aubrey (right) had disclosed confidential information about a predecessor who allegedly had an affair with a colleague and was punched at a barbecue, a tribunal heard today

The employment tribunal at North Shields, North Tyneside, has heard how Mr Craik was accused of lying to cover up an alleged affair he had with Mrs Peacock, but was accosted by her chief superintendent husband, Jim, and punched at a barbecue.

The police were called to deal with the altercation, but the record of this was then said to have been deleted and officers told not to look for it.

Ms Aubrey was said to have advised Mr Craik, who has retired, about libel at the time.

During an investigation into Ms Aubrey's conduct, Mrs Sim, who retired in June last year after 30 years in policing, was told the senior lawyer had breached Mr Craik's confidence by gossiping about the alleged affair.

Ms Aubrey was accused of gossiping about the alleged affair between ex-chief constable Mike Craik (left) and his assistant chief constable Carolyn Peacock (right)

THE FORMER TOP COP WHO LED THE HUNT FOR RAOUL MOAT Northumbria Police's former chief constable Sue Sim is best known for leading the hunt for gunman Raoul Moat in 2010. She had joined Merseyside Police in 1985 as a graduate entrant and rose through the ranks in both uniform and CID roles before joining Northumbria in 2004 as an Assistant Chief Constable. In 2008 she was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable, and became Temporary Chief Constable of in April 2010 following Mike Craiks retirement. Sue Sim (left) is best known for leading the hunt for gunman Raoul Moat (right) in 2010. She is pictured at a police press conference as officers searched for the killer But within months of taking charge of the force Mrs Sim found her force at the centre of the search for former bouner Moat, who on Saturday July 3, 2010, had shot his love rival Chris Brown, 29, and left his his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart fighting for her life. Less than 24 hours later he shot PC David Rathband in the face, blinding the office, who took his own life in 2012. A desperate manhunt for Moat ended with the gunman shooting himself after a standoff with officers as they tried to negotiate with him. During the operation, Mrs Sim found herself ridiculed by members of the public, who went online to mock the chief constable's wavy hair and features, likening her to Margaret Beckett and a Wallace and Gromit character, Lady Lady Tottington. She retired in June last year after 30 years of service amid allegations from officers serving beneath her about her professional conduct. Her relationship with her old force has been strained since she was accused last year of bullying male colleagues by giving them Alex Ferguson-style hairdryer treatments. Mrs Sim was cleared of misconduct but chose to retire to spend more time with her family. She later accused male officers of treating her differently because she is a woman  but says her complaint has been dismissed by Northumbria Police.

At the hearing, Mrs Sim said: 'I was told Ms Aubrey had breached the personal confidence of the former chief constable by relating a conversation that was personal to her and to Mr Craik, and that was an absolute breach of confidence, and if you want to know, I flipped.'

Mrs Sim said she was 'devastated' by the allegation against Ms Aubrey, a trusted colleague.

'It was horrendous,' she said. 'I'm not going to refute that when I was told that, I wanted her sacked.'

She felt the 'betrayal' was like her GP discussing her medical notes with a neighbour.

But Mrs Sim was now backing Ms Aubrey, claiming she was misled about the allegations against the lawyer.

In her written statement to the tribunal, Mrs Sim said she had now seen all the evidence against Ms Aubrey and concluded: 'I do not believe what the claimant allegedly said came close to what I was being told, or to breaching confidentiality.'

The hearing has previously heard how the alleged tryst between Mr Craik and Mrs Peacock ended in a punch-up, when Mr Peacock, now 60, turned up at Mr Craik's home during a summer barbecue and allegedly assaulted him.

The tribunal was told how Mr Craik's wife Sharon pressed a panic alarm, leading to armed officers to storm the property.

Mr Craik allegedly become angry when he discovered flirtatious messages between ex-Assistant Chief Constable Greg Vant and PA Juliet Bains. The pair are pictured together today

But it is alleged that the incident was later wiped from the police log, amid fears it would be leaked to the Press.

Last week, the tribunal was also told how Mr Craik seconded a colleague to another post, despite fears of sexual harassment against his secretary, in a move which 'smacked of covering up allegations.'

Mr Craik had allegedly become angry when he discovered flirtatious messages between former Assistant Chief Constable Greg Vant and PA Juliet Bains while they were both working at Northumbria Police.

The messages - which the tribunal heard Ms Aubrey had deemed to be 'banter' between two consenting adults - involved suggestions of hula hoops, nipples with tassels and groin-stroking, the hearing was told.

Their relationship caused a row within the force, the tribunal heard, with Mr Craik accusing Mr Vant of sexually harassing Mrs Bains, who was Mr Craiks secretary at the time.

However, Ms Aubrey said these messages had now gone missing, along with any specific mention of the investigation and the fact that Mr Vant was sent on secondment.

Miss Aubrey was dismissed when she was accused of gossiping to colleagues about Mr Craiks relationship with Mrs Peacock.

Jim Peacock (pictured), chief superintendent at Northumbria Police, allegedly attacked Mr Craik after finding out that he was having an alleged affair with his wife

She is also said to have disclosed confidential information by telling other lawyers that she had spent two weeks giving advice on what action should be taken against Mr Vant.

She now accuses her former bosses of 'unfair dismissal following a protected disclosure, sex discrimination, disability discrimination, victimisation and harassment'.

He took up the second-in-command post at Northumbria in 2000, after 23 years with the Met Police in London. He was promoted to the top of the force in 2005, before resigning five years later.

Ms Aubrey is now acting for Mrs Sim in the former chief's ongoing legal battle with her successor as chief constable, Steve Ashman, who was sat 15ft away from her in the tribunal room, listening to the evidence.

Mrs Sim was reminded by the tribunal judge not to make irrelevant comments about Mr Ashman in her evidence.

She said: 'I am sure he is an excellent chief constable. I'm not being facetious.

'It's a fact, it's a force I loved. I'm not being facetious about the Chief Constable.'

Angus Moon QC, for the respondent, asked Mrs Sim if she was lying in her evidence to help her friend Ms Aubrey.

'I'm not lying and she's not my friend,' Mrs Sim said.

She had been accused of going drinking in Newcastle with her former head of legal services - a question she scoffed at, saying she was actually with another woman.

Mrs Sim referred to recent police scandals when she explained she agreed to be a witness for Ms Aubrey.

'The reason I put myself forward for this is when chief constables get it wrong, they should admit it,' she said.

'That has been seen over the previous few weeks on quite a few occasions.

'I got it wrong because I had been misled that she had described a private and confidential conversation."

Mr Moon was not allowed to ask Mrs Sim about accusations of sexism on the force following a ruling by the judge, but he did state: "The allegations that Northumbria Police was a boys' club, that there was an institutional sexism or there was a general discriminatory ill-treatment of women is disputed by the force.'

The tribunal was adjourned and continues tomorrow.
There are some human attributes robots could never replace - or at least that's what you might hope.

But one university has brought that into question by replacing one of their teaching assistants with a machine.

And none of the students realized.

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Students at the Georgia Institute of Technology had no idea one of their TAs, Jill Watson, was a robot

DID STUDENTS SPOT THE BOT? Student Tyson Bailey began to wonder if Jill was a computer and posted his suspicions on Piazza. 'We were taking an AI course, so I had to imagine that it was possible there might be an AI lurking around,' said Bailey, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 'Then again, I asked Dr. Goel if he was a computer in one of my first email interactions with him. 'I think it's a great idea and hope that they continue to improve it.'

Jill Watson, an IBM-designed bot, has been helping graduate students at Georgia Institute of Technology solve problems with their design projects since January.

Responding to questions over email and posted on forums, Jill had a casual, colloquial tone, and was able to offer nuanced and accurate responses within minutes.

Her replies included 'yep!' and 'we'd love to'.

The students had no idea until they were told - and many were shocked.

Tyson Bailey began to wonder if Jill was a computer and posted his suspicions on Piazza.

'We were taking an AI course, so I had to imagine that it was possible there might be an AI lurking around,' said Bailey, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

'Then again, I asked Dr. Goel if he was a computer in one of my first email interactions with him. I think it's a great idea and hope that they continue to improve it.'

'It seemed very much like a normal conversation with a human being,' Jennifer Gavin, one of the students, told the Wall Street Journal.

Another student, Petr Bela, told the newspaper: 'Just when I wanted to nominate Jill Watson as an outstanding TA.'

The bot was named Jill Watson after the IBM Watson analytics system that all her responses come from - essentially her brain.

She was trained by Georgia Tech researchers before being thrown into the mix with nine other TAs.

Some students were suspicious at how swiftly she responded.

And once she used the word 'design' instead of 'project'.

But none actually suspected she was a bot.

In fact, some looked her up online and found LinkedIn and Facebook accounts that could correspond with their prompt TA.

And they said many of the TAs are sharp, impersonal, and quick to respond anyway.

The experiment sent shockwaves through the tech industry, with many questioning the ethics of covertly inserting artificial intelligence into real-life situations.

But Ashok Goel, the computer science professor who designed the project, insisted it was a worthwhile experiment - and Jill performed a necessary task.

HOW THE SAME BOT BEAT HUMANS AT JEOPARDY In February 2011, Watson appeared alongside two other contestants to compete for the cash prize. During the show, clues are given to contestants that 'require analysis and understanding of subtle meaning, irony, riddles and other language complexities' that humans can perform naturally but computers, traditionally, do not. Watson had to be programmed to make decisions and conclusions in this way by a team of experts at IBM. Watson was given clues as electronic texts, as they were also asked to the human contestants. Former JEOPARDY! Champion contestants during the final day of sparring sessions against Watson, at IBM's TJ Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY. The bot then parsed the clues into different keywords and sentence fragments in order to find 'statistically related phrases'. The more algorithms that find the same answer independently the more likely Watson was to be correct. Once Watson had a number of potential solutions, it was able to check against its database to make sure the answers made sense. Watson then evaluated the response and determined whether to virtually press the buzzer. The bot would then speak with an electronic voice synthesized from recordings that actor Jeff Woodman made for an IBM text-to-speech program in 2004.

Students posted upwards of 10,000 messages on forums, taking up professors' time with routine responses.

'The world is full of online classes, and they're plagued with low retention rates,' Goel said.

'One of the main reasons many students drop out is because they don't receive enough teaching support.

'We created Jill as a way to provide faster answers and feedback.'

'One of the secrets of online classes is that the number of questions increases if you have more students, but the number of questions doesn't really go up,' Goel said.

'Students tend to ask the same questions over and over again.'

Watson's cognitive computing system can be run on a single Power 750 server using Linux, which turns it from the size of a master bedroom to the size of four pizza boxes.

The bot has helped medical research teams diagnose illnesses in patients.

The bot was named Jill Watson after the IBM Watson analytics system that all her responses come from

And in 2013 it took on the role of customer service manager.

Companies were be able to sign up to IBM's service and its customers could then ring a helpline and complain or get help from the Question Answering (QA) machine.

According to Goel, Jill Watson's capabilities were far more nuanced than that. She answers only to questions that she is 97 per cent certain of the answer to.

One of the first high-profile tests of Watson's capabilities came during a game of Jeopardy, the televised quiz show.

In February 2011, Watson appeared alongside two other contestants to compete for the cash prize.

During the show, clues are given to contestants that 'require analysis and understanding of subtle meaning, irony, riddles and other language complexities' that humans can perform naturally but computers, traditionally, do not.

IS YOUR JOB UNDER THREAT FROM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE? Claims made by an expert in artificial intelligence predict that in less than five years, office jobs will disappear completely to the point where machines will replace humans. The idea that robots will one day be able to do all low-skilled jobs is not new, but Andrew Anderson from artificial intelligence company, Celaton, said the pace of advance is much faster than originally thought. AI, for example, can carry out labour intensive clerical tasks quickly and automatically, while the latest models are also capable of making decisions traditionally made by humans. 'The fact that a machine can not only carry out these tasks, but constantly learn how to do it better and faster, means clerical workers are no longer needed in the vast quantities they once were,' Mr Anderson said. For example, a machine can recognize duplicate insurance claims by knowing it has seen a phone number or an address before.

Watson had to be programmed to make decisions and conclusions in this way by a team of experts at IBM.

Watson was given clues as electronic texts, as they were also asked to the human contestants.

The bot then parsed the clues into different keywords and sentence fragments in order to find 'statistically related phrases'.

The more algorithms that find the same answer independently the more likely Watson was to be correct.

Once Watson had a number of potential solutions, it was able to check against its database to make sure the answers made sense.

Watson then evaluated the response and determined whether to virtually press the buzzer.
Relatives of notorious Nazis have come together to film new documentary

The niece of Hitler's deputy Hermann Goering has revealed she had herself sterilised rather than risk giving birth to 'a monster'.

Bettina Goering, who now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a great niece of Goering, who founded the Gestapo secret police, organised the Holocaust and ordered the Blitz on Britain.

The 60-year-old, who practices herbal medicine, is one of a number of relatives of infamous Nazis who have revealed how their family ties have affected them.

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Bettina Goering (left), who now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a great niece of Hermann Goering (right), who founded the Gestapo secret police, organised the Holocaust and ordered the Blitz on Britain

She has revealed how both she and her brother were voluntarily sterilised.

'I had my tubes tied at the age of 30 because I feared I would create another monster,' she said.

'I look like him, for a start - the eyes, the cheekbones, the profile. I look more like him than his own daughter.'

Her comments came as part of a documentary about the forgotten children of the Third Reich whose parents and uncles were responsible for some of the worst atrocities in history.

They banded together in a documentary screened on the MDR channel called 'My Family, the Nazis and Me' to bear witness to a terrible past that haunts their lives.

The programme about the children of leading Nazis took three years to complete. For those who took part it was the first time they peeled back the layers of shame abd guilt to speak about living with the memory of their relatives' crimes.

Katrin Himmler, the great niece of SS chief Heinrich Himmler - second only to Hitler and in charge of the extermination programme - married an Israeli Jew and ponders how 'one day, I will tell the story to my son about his great-uncle Heinrich'.

Katrin Himmler (left) is the great niece of SS chief Heinrich Himmler (right) - second only to Hitler and in charge of the extermination programme

She said: 'I don't believe I inherited his 'badness'. But I live with his name. When I was 11 the TV series Holocaust was shown in Germany. I sat at my desk, crying because, of course, the name Himmler was repeated again and again. I realise he was the worst mass murderer of modern times. But I am not responsible.'

Other participants include Monika Hertwig, daughter of Nazi death camp commandant Amon Goeth.

Goeth was played in the Holocaust classic Schindler's List by Ralph Fiennes as a ruthless enforcer who shot prisoners from the balcony of his house within the grounds of the camp.

She describes what it is like to be related to a man who also shot babies for 'sport'.

Another participant is Niklas Frank, the son of Hans Frank, Hitler's brutal governor of occupied Poland who was directly responsible for the extermination camp programme there that killed six million Jews.

Frank was hanged by the Allies after the war, but Mr Frank says he was 'condemned to a living death because of the slime-hole of a Hitler fanatic I had for a father'.

Israeli Chanoch Zeevi, director, said he found 'fascinating similarities' between the emotions of those related to Holocaust perpetrators and those of survivors, some of whom meet the children of their tormentors in the programme.

Another participant is Niklas Frank (left), the son of Hans Frank (right), Hitler's brutal governor of occupied Poland who was directly responsible for the extermination camp programme there that killed six million Jews

'I have made a powerful dialogue between the children of the perpetrators and the children of the survivors,' he said. 'Both live out the Holocaust daily, unable to move forward with their lives.'

Adolf Hitler had no children, while those of his propaganda chief Josef Goebbels died with him in the same bunker in which their Fuhrer killed himself.

But many others at the heart of the Reich had families - something that was encouraged by Hitler, who idolised youth as the bedrock of his empire meant to last 1,000 years.

Some of the children can remember being patted on the head by Hitler as they visited his mountaintop home in Berchtesgaden with their parents. Niklas Frank remembers seeing concentration camp prisoners tormented as his father chuckled.

'Thin men were mounted on to a wild donkey and the donkey bucked and the men fell off, and they could only pick themselves up again very slowly, and they didn't find it as funny as I did,' he said.

'And again and again they got back on and the donkey was given a slap and again they fell off and they tried to help each other; it was a fantastic afternoon. Then we had cocoa. These are the s****y images I carry around of my father.

Other participants include Monika Hertwig (right), daughter of Nazi death camp commandant Amon Goeth (left)

'I dream of the piles of corpses in the camps: my country will never be rid of that history. It is a story that is still not over.'

Mr Frank lectures about his infamous father to young people in former east Germany, in an attempt to keep them from straying into the neo-Nazi scene that preys on the young, unemployed and desperate.

'I have never managed in my life to get rid of the memory of him,' he said. 'I live with this deep shame about what he did.'

Ms Goering said her father, Heinz, was adopted by his uncle after his own father died, and became a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. Heinz was shot down over the Soviet Union and returned from captivity in 1952 to find that his two brothers had killed themselves because of their shame, and the family's fortune was gone.

Hermann Goering was sentenced to death along with 11 others at the Nuremberg trials in 1946, but he committed suicide by swallowing a poison pill in his cell the night before his scheduled execution.

Ms Goering said her father, who died in 1981, never spoke about the Holocaust, nor about his notorious uncle. 'But my grandmother was less evasive - she adored him,' she said.

'Another hard part for us is that they thought they were the descendants of heroes. And they were not. We are now the descendants of criminals and mass murderers.'

Monika Hertwig cannot accept anything about her own father. As commandant of the Auschwitz sub-camp of Plaszow, he was hanged in 1946 for the murder of tens of thousands of people, 500 of them by his own hands.

'He liked to shoot women with babies in their arms from the balcony of his house, to see if one bullet could kill two,' she said. 'How far do you separate the murderer from the father? How much of the murderer is in me? These are the things that torment me.'
A grieving Florida mom's attempt to 'live her daughter's dream' by attending her school's graduation prom has ended in disaster after the school's request for her to leave the ballroom led to a backlash from the local community.

Noricia Talabert, 17, was killed last October after being trapped in gang crossfire. An academic achiever, she had been looking forward to saying goodbye to South Dade Senior High School and going to college.

So when State Rep. Kionne McGhee asked her mom, Regina Talabert, to the prom just hours before it was to start Friday, she seized the chance - not expecting the fallout that would follow.

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Prom: On Friday Regina Talabert (far left) went to the high-school prom of daughter Noricia (right), 17, killed in October. But her date, State Rep. Kionne McGhee (left, with Talabert), was told they had to leave the ballroom

Devastated: Talabert's daughter was caught in the crossfire of gang violence. The school asked McGhee to take her from the ballroom to an area reserved for parents, as per the school's prom policy

At first everything seemed to go wonderfully, the Miami Herald reported: McGhee said he'd cleared the prom date with the school, and Talabert donned the beautiful necklace Noricia wore in her graduation photo.

As the pair entered the vestibule outside the ballroom, assistant principal J.C. DeArmas - a friend of Talabert's - gave her a hug and kissed the photo of Noricia that she had brought along.

Then they entered the ballroom. Talabert happily danced with McGhee and chatted with her daughter's former classmates, unaware of the trouble brewing.

That night Talabert's friend, anti-gun activist Tangela Sears, posted up photos of the couple with the message: '[Miami-Dade County Public Schools] asked them to leave the Prom. Yes, they put them out. Shame on You MDCPS.'

She added: 'To experience this on the weekend of Mothers' Day is Embarrassing, Painful for this Mom and Totally Disrespectful to our State Rep.'

The request for them to leave had been made by the school to McGhee, so Talabert had no idea until she read the post Saturday morning - and was devastated.

'It really hurts me to know they wanted us to leave,' Talabert told the Miami Herald. 'We weren't causing any problems.'

She added: 'I don't see why it should be a problem for me to live out her dreams. That's all I have, is her memories.'

Appalled: Talabert's friend posted the incident on Facebook, and most of the hundreds of commenters expressed their disapproval with the school's decision

Heartless: Many people said the school board was heartless for the decision. However, acting principal J.C. DeArmas said it was his decision alone - and that he had given Talabert some time to dance out of respect

Her feelings were echoed by the hundreds who commented on Spears' Facebook post.

One said, 'Not surprising when it comes to the school board. They don't care about our children.'

Another said, 'There's more policy and procedures in the DCPS than there is compassion.'

J.C. DeArmas, who has been the acting principal since the current principal was injured in a car crash on April 29, said that the call to ask them to leave came from him alone, not the MDCPS.

He said McGhee had tried to blame people higher up the chain of command, but took full responsibility.

He also said that he never got a call from McGhee's office to clear the visit, and that he didn't know Talabert and McGhee were going to go into the ballroom with the kids.

'There's a rule - parents don't come into the ballroom,' he told the paper.

He said he'd let them continue dancing there out of respect for Talabert until McGhee asked the DJ to give her a shout-out, breaking the South Dade prom's 'no shout-outs' policy. DeArmas said that's when he asked McGhee to take Talabert out.

He said he saw them in the ballroom again about an hour later, and asked them to leave again so that Talabert wouldn't be upset at seeing the new Prom Queen crowned shortly afterward.

The acting principal added that he was hurt by comments that the school didn't care about parents.

'People are saying we have no heart, we don't care and that's a problem,' he said. 'To work in these schools you have to have heart. You have to love what you do, otherwise why would you do it?'

But Sears said DeArmas's decisions contradicted a previous decision in 2013, Miami Heat star Dwayne Wade was invited to prom, and made a guest appearance for around 45 minutes.

'Everybody thought that was a great thing,' Sears said.
Rapper Azealia Banks endorsed Donald Trump over the weekend going as far to say Hillary Clinton shouldn't be president because she 'talks to black people as if we're children or pets.'

Banks took to Twitter to express her political views, starting out with a tweet Saturday that said, 'I REALLY want Donald Trump to win the election.'

The Harlem-bred rapper explained that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 'didn't have the clout' and Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, was too establishment for her taste.

Rapper Azealia Banks (left) took to Twitter over the weekend to express her support for presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump (right) who she preferred over Hillary Clinton

Azealia Banks felt that Hillary Clinton (pictured) was too establishment for her taste and even went as far to say that the former secretary of state 'talks to black people as if we're children or pets'

'I told you all he wasn't going to be the nominee,' she said of Sanders before turning her attention to Clinton.

'Hillary has been GROOMED for the presidency. she's another one of the establishments robots here to carry out an agenda,' the songstress said of the Democratic frontrunner.

For the musician 'establishment' is code for 'white supremacy. culturally, economically, literally and figuratively.'

Trump, on the other hand, she said was an 'a**hole,' but he's not part of the 'establishment.'

'Trump just wants the U.S to be lavish.... for all of us. I can f*** with that,' she explained.

She then expressed that Clinton, 'talks to black people as if we're children or pets.'

'I can't stand herrrrrrr,' the rapper added.

When fans pointed out that Trump was 'blatantly racist,' Banks responded by saying that she was racist too.

'Racism/Racialism is sewn into the fabric of our nation,' she replied. 'It's just who the f*** we are.'

Azealiz Banks brought up the 1994 crime bill too and talked about black Americans being disappointed by Democrats in government

'And trying to be all PC and pretending as if we aren't racial/racist is not good for culture,' she continued.

'Censorship is boring,' she added.

But the endorsement ricocheted around Twitter pretty quickly, with Banks having to defend her support of Trump tweet after tweet.

In one, she blamed 'the Liberal media' for branding Trump as a 'symbol of hatred.'

In another, she mocked Clinton for her husband's passage of the 1994 crime bill, which many point to as the piece of legislation that led to mass incarceration of black men in the United States.

'OK thanks for proving your ignorance she's admitted crime bill had issues,' tweeted a Joseph Kapsch at Banks. 'Stop living in past this election is about future.'

Banks tweeted back a reply.

'Right, black folks having been voting democrat for the last 70 years and we don't have s*** to show for it,' Banks said.

By this morning Banks was still dealing with the onslaught of tweets aimed at her for expressing her pro-Trump views as she called Clinton an 'megalomaniac' and explained to disappointed Sanders supporters why she couldn't support him instead.
The latest data to be leaked in connection with the Panama Papers scandal reveals the names and details of thousands of offshore companies in easily searchable online databases.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has made 200,000 entities available on its website today, based on the massive trove of information discovered on the finances of the rich and powerful.

The latest files to be released contain basic corporate information about companies, trusts and foundations set up in 21 jurisdictions including Hong Kong and the U.S. state of Nevada. The data was obtained from Panamanian law firm Mossack Foneca, which said it was hacked.

The latest data to be leaked in connection with the Panama Papers scandal will reveal the names and details of thousands of offshore companies in searchable online databases. Pictured: Law firm Mossack Foneca

Users can search the data and see the networks involving the offshore companies, including - where available - Mossack Fonseca's internal records of the true owners.

It doesn't include the full cache of data commonly known as the Panama Papers, since the database will exclude information and documents on bank accounts, phone numbers and emails.

The ICIJ said it was putting the information online 'in the public interest' as 'a careful release of basic corporate information' as it builds on an earlier database of offshore entities.

Setting up an offshore company is not by itself illegal or evidence of illegal conduct, and Mossack Fonseca said it observed rules requiring it to identify its clients.

But anti-poverty campaigners say shell companies can be used by the wealthy and powerful to shield money from taxation, or to launder the gains from bribery, embezzlement and other forms of corruption.

The Group of 20 most powerful economies has agreed that individual governments should make sure authorities can tell who really owns companies, but implementation in national law has lagged.

The data cache, first leaked to Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, showed offshore holdings of 12 current and former world leaders.

Reports based on the documents quickly led to the resignation of Iceland's Prime Minister David Gunnlaugson after it was revealed he and his wife had set up a company in the British Virgin Islands that had holdings in Iceland's failed banks.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who had campaigned for financial transparency, faced questions about shares he once held in an offshore trust set up by his father.

The ICIJ reported that associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin moved some $2 billion through such companies. Putin's spokesman dismissed the report.

Hundreds of economists urged world leaders Monday to end the era of tax havens, arguing they only benefit rich individuals and multinational corporations and serve to increase inequality.

The 300 economists, in a letter coordinated by activist group Oxfam, say poorer countries are hit hardest by tax dodging.

'As the Panama Papers and other recent exposes have revealed, the secrecy provided by tax havens fuels corruption and undermines countries' ability to collect their fair share of taxes,' the letter said.

'While all countries are hit by tax dodging, poor countries are proportionately the biggest losers, missing out on at least $170 (billion) of taxes annually as a result.'

The letter comes days before an anti-corruption summit in London, featuring politicians from 40 countries as well as representatives from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Iran claims to have successfully tested 2,000km-range missiles capable of hitting Israel - which opponents say can carry nuclear warheads.

Tehran military chiefs hailed the accuracy of the weapon, claiming it can leave the Earth's atmosphere before hitting its target 'without error'.

It is the latest ballistic missile to be test-fired in defiance of the West.

Iran claims to have successfully tested 2,000km-range missiles capable of hitting Israel - which opponents say can carry nuclear warheads. An Iranian missile launch in March is pictured above

Tehran military chiefs hailed the accuracy of the weapon, claiming it can leave the Earth's atmosphere before hitting its target 'without error'

'A missile with a 2,000-kilometre range was tested two weeks ago,' said General Ali Abdolahi, adding that it has a negligible margin of error of just eight metres (yards).

'We can guide this ballistic missile. It leaves the Earth's atmosphere, re-enters it and hits the target without error,' the armed forces deputy chief-of-staff said, quoted by the website of state broadcaster IRINN.

In early March, Iran carried out several short, medium and long-range (300 to 2,000 kilometres) precision missile tests across its territory, mostly from underground bases.

The series of tests have come in for criticism from the United State, Britain, France and Germany.

They say the tests violate United Nations resolutions, and they have called on the Security Council to address them.

President Hassan Rouhani (pictured) and senior Iranian military officials have said in recent months that ballistic missiles must be enhanced in order to boost Iran's deterrent power

Opponents of the programme say the weapons are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, an argument categorically denied by Tehran's political and military authorities.

Tehran's ballistic missile tests in late 2015 brought new sanctions by the US against Iran on January 17.

The punitive measures were announced a day after international sanctions were lifted following the entry into force of a July 2015 nuclear agreement.

Iran's parliament, whose mandate expires at the end of May, passed new legislation this month that raises the country's ballistic capability.

President Hassan Rouhani and senior Iranian military officials have also said in recent months that ballistic missiles must be enhanced in order to boost Iran's deterrent power.




A senior judge has today agreed four students falsely accused of gang rape can pursue 221,000 costs as he criticised police for 'cherry-picking' evidence to help the complainant.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC told Gloucester Crown Court that Detective Constable Ben Lewis, who is still on active duty, got too close to the woman and did not understand his job properly.

Thady Duff, Leo Mahon and Patrick Foster, all 22, and James Martin, 20, were arrested after a group sex session at a summer ball at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.

The case against the students fell apart before trial after it emerged the woman, who cannot be named, had given 'different accounts' as a witness in another rape case.

Texts she sent on the night were not revealed and the court heard there were suggestions she had previously shown an interest in group sex.

Cleared: Leo Mahon, Patrick Foster, Thady Duff and James Martin (all pictured left to right) were found not guilty of rape after a botched prosecution - they can now pursue their 221,000 costs

The students have been left with legal bills totalling 221,000 after hiring three QCs to lead the fight to clear their names.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC said DC Lewis failed to disclose 'game changing' evidence and made 'stark and very serious omissions'.

It emerged last month he is still working on serious crimes and has not been disciplined and James Martin's QC Edward Henry said the police officer had 'vandalised' the case.

Damning: Judge Jamie Tabor QC said Detective Constable Ben Lewis got too close to her and did not understand his job properly

The officer now faces an inquiry by Gloucestershire Police's professional standards department and could face disciplinary action.

Judge Tabor said that had Thady Duff, Leo Mahon and Patrick Foster, all 22, and James Martin, 20, been found guilty and this evidence later emerged he was certain the Court of Appeal would have found the convictions unsafe.

The four men had been accused of the gang rape of a young woman at an annual college ball at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire in May 2014.

She claimed she was subjected to violence, including strangulation, and some of it had been filmed and then sent by Mr Duff to his friends via Snapchat.

The trial was due to begin at Gloucester Crown Court in March but after delays due to the late disclosure of evidence and a review of the case, the prosecution offered no evidence and the four defendants were cleared.

Afterwards the defendants' barristers criticised Det Con Lewis for 'cherry picking' supportive evidence and 'airbrushing out of the picture' anything that could have helped the men.

This included text messages sent by the complainant in the hours after the alleged incident and a conversation with a friend about what would happen if the video became common knowledge.

The mobile telephone evidence was only recovered when experts instructed for the defence carried a full examination of the device.

It also emerged as the trial was due to begin that police failed to disclose that the complainant was a witness to an alleged rape on an army base in October 2014 and that there were inconsistencies in her evidence. The alleged rapist was a soldier but he was later cleared.

Three of the defendants, Mr Duff, Mr Mahon and Mr Foster, returned to court last month to apply for a proportion of their legal costs to be paid by the prosecution. Mr Martin received legal aid in the case.

The group were accused of raping the alleged victim at the end-of-year ball at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, Gloucestershire (pictured)

Judge Tabor, The Recorder of Gloucester, granted the application and sent the case to a costs judge to determine the final figures payable.

He criticised DC Lewis for his shortcomings in examining the complainant's mobile phone and said he had a 'limited grasp of responsibilities' as disclosure officer.

THE WORLD-RENOWNED ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY The University's annual Summer Ball is held in late May to mark end-of-year exams. The Royal Agricultural University is known as the 'Oxbridge of the Countryside' and the sons and daughters of many of Britain's biggest landowners are among its 1,200 students. The patron is Prince Charles and one of its former students is Captain Mark Phillips, former husband of Princess Anne. Around 1,200 students attend the RAU, which became the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world in 1845 when it was granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria. Former students include political commentator Jonathan Dimbleby, Princess Anne's ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips and the late champion horse trainer Sir Henry Cecil. Her descendants have always been Patrons of the institution which stands in a beautiful 25-acre campus on the edge of Cirencester, Gloucestershire. Since 2008, it has seen a 49 per cent rise in applications and is ranked top in the UK for investing in campus facilities. The internationally renowned university, which until 2013 was known as the Royal Agricultural College, is rated the Oxbridge of agricultural studies. Founded in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English-speaking world.

'Aware as he was, not only of his duties, but the character of the complainant, Det Con Lewis should have investigated the download from the telephone in far greater detail than he did,' he said.

Three days before the trial was due to start, Det Con Lewis told the Crown Prosecution Service that 'nothing of relevance had emerged' from a search of the telephone.

'This was a truly startling state of affairs,' the judge said.

'Had not the applicants carried out a thorough investigation of the telephone a much skewed picture would have been presented to the jury.'

He also criticised the detective for getting too close to the complainant, failing to properly record his dealings with her, and for a lack of training.

'The lack of training for the role of disclosure officer and identifying too closely with the complainant very nearly led to the applicants conducting their trial with one hand tied behind their back,' he said.

'His omissions in relation to the disclosure of the telephone evidence were stark and very serious. His failure to adequately record meetings and conversations with the complainant was also a serious omission.

'If ever there was a case where the role of disclosure officer was separated from that of Officer in the Case, this was it.'

The judge also blasted the Crown Prosecution Service for failing to obtain from the Royal Military Police the files of the case in which the complainant was a witness.

'I appreciate that hindsight can make great sages of us all but the failure to check what Det Con Lewis had carried out with regard to the downloaded material, and more importantly to do nothing about the Royal Military Police file for months was stark and wrong.

'But for that short entry in Det Con Lewis's notebook of October 20 2014 the defence would not have known about this at all.

Anger: James Martin with his father Andy after the case was dropped. Mr Martin's barrister has said there needed to be a review into the handling of the case against his client

'I have no doubt that Det Con Lewis's conduct in relation to the failure to examine the downloaded material amounted to improper act or omission.

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY RAPE TRIAL: A TIMELINE OCTOBER 2013: Thady Duff was accused of a further sexual assault involving the same alleged victim, which allegedly took place in October 2013. MAY 2014: Leo Mahon, 22, Patrick Foster, 22, James Martin, 20, and Thady Duff, 22, had been accused of subjecting a woman to a rape ordeal on the night of the annual May Ball in 2014. JULY 2015: All four men were charged by the Crown Prosecution Service in July 2015. MARCH 29, 2016: A jury of six men and six women were sworn in on March 29 to hear the case but were discharged a week later not having heard any evidence. The group appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on March 29 to deny all charges against them. MARCH 30, 2016: Their trial had been due to start APRIL 2016: The case had been reviewed last week and a decision not to offer any evidence against the four defendants had been made. APRIL 11, 2016: All charges were dropped save for one of possession of extreme pornography against Mr Duff.

'Other than the video clips, the prosecution's decision to offer no evidence was entirely as a result of the information uncovered by the defendants' investigation into the download of the complainant's telephone and their insistence that the Royal Military Police material be properly examined.

'The Crown Prosecution Service and Det Con Lewis must bear joint responsibility for the failure to properly disclose this game changing material.'

Mr Duff, of Blunsdon, Swindon; Mr Foster, of Colchester, Essex and Mr Mahon, of Cirencester, Gloucestershire were not present in court.

A police spokesman said the force took 'very seriously' the judge's findings.

'We accept the judge's findings and are now reviewing his comments in conjunction with the CPS to learn the lessons of this case and to improve how we investigate such cases,' he said.

'It is of course the case that although the judge has identified failings in relation to the disclosure process it is right to note that Det Con Lewis has not been found to have acted in bad faith in any way.

'Further the officer was available and willing to give evidence at the costs hearing but was never provided with any opportunity to do so to answer any of the allegations made against him.

'The force shall refer the judge's findings to the its professional standards department who shall consider whether or not any conduct issues have been identified in relation to any officers and these will be assessed in conjunction with the Independent Police Complaints Commission if necessary.

'Even if no misconduct is found to have occurred the performance of individual officers may still require scrutiny under relevant force procedures.'
A group of teenage schoolchildren on a train have been filmed mocking, imitating and laughing at a highly distressed passenger who appears to have a mental disability.

It's believed the run-in happened on the South Coast line of a Sydney train on Tuesday afternoon, and continued until the tormented man got off at his stop in Hurstville.

The woman who filmed the disturbing incident uploaded the footage to Facebook, where it racked up over 200,000 views in a matter of hours and sparked a search to identify the alleged bullies.

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A group of schoolkids have been filmed mocking and imitating a man who appears to have a mental disability

The woman who filmed the incident claims the schoolkids were on a Sydney train and allegedly bullied the passenger until he got off at Hurstville

'I am FUMING. How DARE these disrespectful pigs mock and taunt a disabled passenger,' the woman captioned the video.

'If anyone recognises the people in this video please let me know. I am absolutely disgusted by what just happened.'

The woman claims that once the group of children spotted her filming they threatened to hit her.

'There was a disabled man standing on the train when all of the school kids got on board,' she wrote.

'It was quite obvious that the disabled man was anxious about getting to his stop on time, which is what gave away his disability.'

'Immediately the guys in the video started copying him ... shouting in his face, mocking his clothing, ganging up on him and making the poor man extremely uncomfortable.'

'Once they noticed I was filming they threatened to hit me, I was with my mum and didn't want to risk putting either of us in any kind of danger - which is why I didn't go down and sort it out myself.'

'Immediately the guys in the video started copying him ... shouting in his face, mocking his clothing, ganging up on him and making the poor man extremely uncomfortable,' the woman who filmed the incident wrote online

A number of people have since expressed outrage that no one stepped in to help the man allegedly being bullied (right)

'The man pulled out his phone to try to escape the harrassment but the bullying continued until they got off at Hurstville,' she added.

A number of people have since expressed outrage that the alleged bullying carried on without anyone stepping in.

One former student from the school the pupils were believed to have attended said he was 'disgusted' and would be calling up his old principal.

Daily Mail Australia has approached Sydney Trains and NSW Police for comment.
The cancer is Stage 4, his father says, but doctors are still working to determine the type

growths on the bone around his eye, his hip and cheek

A seven-year-old boy who spent two years growing out his hair to donate to cancer patients has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease himself.

Vinny Desautels, of Roseville, California, was happy to grow his blond hair to 13 inches to help someone battling cancer  despite being teased by other children.

But in cruel twist of fate, shortly after completing his mission and chopping off his long ponytail, Vinny and his family found out that he had stage 4 cancer.

Doctors are still trying to figure out the kind of cancer Vinny has after they discovered growths around his hip, in the bone around his eye and on his right cheek, his father Jason told Fox40.

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Seven-year-old Vinny Desautels, who spent two years growing out his hair to donate to cancer victims (above, before and after cutting his hair in March), has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer

Vinny came home from school recently complaining of knee pain and his parents later found a lump on his right hip.

They took him to the emergency room, where doctors identified a growth on his pelvic bone.

Shortly afterwards, the youngster had an appointment to check out his swollen eye that had initially been attributed to allergies, but had steadily gotten worse.

Vinny's parents became concerned that the two things may be linked  and doctors agreed. Doctors also identified a malignant growth on his eye.

Meanwhile, despite his young age, Vinny is trying to understand his diagnosis too  and the selfless youngster is glad that have helped others facing the battle he now faces.

'I want to help people, so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer,' Vinny told the news station.

Vinny (pictured with his mother) said his eye became 'heavy' - and doctors found a growth in his eye, hip and cheek and are still trying to determine the exact type of cancer he has

His father Jason added: 'During that time, he was mistaken for a girl many times, but Vinny took it like a champ and was like, 'Nah, I'm a boy'.'

Vinny mother Amanda cut off his hair in March, writing on Facebook at the time: 'I am so proud to call this little man my son.

'He has been growing out his hair for the past two years and I had the privilege of being the one to cut it for him.

'He's been teased and mistaken for a girl several times, but he stuck with it because he knew it was for a good cause.'

Now, Vinny and his parents Jason, a combat veteran, and Amanda, who is expecting a baby soon, are facing many tests and lengthy hospital stays in their future.

Vinny's grandparents Sue and Ron Desautels set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help the family with medical expenses and everyday costs during this time.

In a post on the page, they described their grandson as 'tender-hearted' and 'loving.'

Vinny (pictured with his father Jason, a combat veteran) said he was happy to grow his hair because he wanted to 'help people'

Vinny, who is in second grade, grew his hair to 13 inches over two years, to donate to a child with cancer

'Our precious grandson, Vinny Desautels, is fighting a battle that no child should have to fight - the fight against cancer,' they wrote.

'He recently donated his hair to 'wigs for kids with cancer'. Even though he was teased throughout the 2 years of growing his hair out, it didn't deter him from his mission to help a child in need.'

They added: 'There are many more tests ahead and they're in the hospital for an undetermined amount of time.

'Over the next days, weeks, and months ahead they will need to be at countless doctor appointments, hospital stays and surgeries.

'As you can imagine the normal costs of everyday living such as rent, food, gas, car, etc the medical costs can be astronomical.

'This will enable Vinny's parents be able to concentrate on Vinny getting well and fighting this wicked disease called cancer.'

In a post on Facebook, Sue Desautels said: 'We were heartbroken to get this diagnosis. With that said, I would like to humbly thank everyone for their kind words of encouragement.'
A man has died competing in Japan's most dangerous festival after he fell more than 40 feet from a tree onto machinery.

Yukihiro Kusakabe, 41, lost his grip on the tree which was being raised in the grounds of Nagano Prefecture, northern Japan.

He fell after trying to release a rope being used to raise a pillar at the Onbashira Festival in Suwa.

Police arrive at the scene at the Suwa Taisha shrine on Thursday in Suwa, Nagano Japan

Mr Kusakabe, who was from the festival town, did not wear a safety harness despite new rules being introduced after previous fatalities.

The festival is known for the number of people who are injured or die by taking part. For any participant dying is viewed as a honourable death.

Back in 2010, two men died after they also fell from a tree trunk that was being raised, according to The Daily Telegraph.

And in 2004, two men drowned when one of the huge trees was being carried across a dangerous river.

The two-month long festival is held every six years and has been in existence for more than 1,200 years.

Once the trees, which can weigh as much as 10 tons, have been lowered the men then need to drag them down steep hillsides into a valley below.

The trees are dragged to a shrine in Nagano Prefecture where a Shinto priest performs a purification ceremony.

The local men, in a ceremony known as 'kiotoshi', then finally climb onto the tree trunks and have to try and hang on as they slide down the slopes.
The student was arrested and has been charged with

Paul Gusman, 22, who has been arrested for punching Father Jon-Stephen Hedges in the face more than 30 times at his home

A half-naked college student has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a pastor by punching him more than 30 times in the face.

Paul Gusman, 22, is accused of attacking Father Jon-Stephen Hedges after knocking on the front door of his home in Santa Barbara and forcing his way into the house.

According to police, Father Hedges, a pastor at St Athanasius Orthodox Church, only opened the door because he feared someone was in trouble as they were pleading for help.

During the attack, the pastor was hit more than 30 times in the face while his wife was struck on her right hand.

According to the Los Angeles Times, she managed to call 911 and when police arrived, they found Gusman, who studies at the UC Santa Barbara, standing in the front yard.

Authorities say that he appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and was possibly drunk.

They also add that they believe it was a random attack as Gusman did not know the pastor.

After being arrested, Gusman was taken to hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries sustained during the attack.

He was then booked into Santa Barbara County Jail and is facing charges of assault, residential burglary, elder abuse and dissuading a witness/victim.

He is being held on a $500,000 bail and is due to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Meanwhile Father Hedges has now been released from hospital and is continuing to recover from his injuries at home.

The pastor, who is also a grandfather of three, is also a former UC Santa Barbara student and has lived in Isla Vista since 1968.

He is currently an assistant pastor at the church and is also a volunteer chaplain with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
Harrowing footage shows a Taliban executioner shooting her in the head

She was sentenced to death after being accused of murdering her husband

This is the moment a woman was forced to her knees and blasted in the head with an AK-47 as 'punishment' after she was accused of killing her husband in Afghanistan.

The woman, dressed in a blue burka, was dragged before a Taliban court in northern Afghanistan's Khanaqa district before being sentenced to death.

Footage shows her on the ground surrounded by a crowd of shouting men - including members of her husband's family - who were calling for her to be executed.

A woman was forced to her knees and blasted in the head with an AK-47 as 'punishment' after she was accused of killing her husband in Afghanistan

The woman, dressed in a blue burka, was dragged before a Taliban court in northern Afghanistan's Khanaqa district before being sentenced to death

The harrowing video shows the crowd then spreading out as a masked executioner steps forward with a machine gun.

The gunman takes aim - only to pause momentarily and move closer to the prisoner.

Seconds later, he opens fire before the woman falls to the ground and dies.

The harrowing video shows the crowd then spreading out as a masked executioner steps forward with a machine gun

The gunman takes aim - only to pause momentarily and move closer to the prisoner. Seconds later, he opens fire before the woman falls to the ground and dies

There are reports that the execution took place four months ago, but that the footage has only just emerged.

Abdul Hafeez, deputy police chief of Jowzjan Province, said the identity of the woman is not yet known - but authorities believe the video to be genuine.

There are also reports that the masked executioner was the Taliban commander in the area.




Police making life-changing decisions about how to deal with the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney had absolutely no way of seeing inside the building for ten hours.

Even when a portable monitor was set up in the makeshift Command Centre, it could only provide vision from inside the Channel 7 building, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The inquest into the police response on December 15, 2014 heard that by then, daylight had disappeared and the camera provided little vision to the police and tactical operations unit.

The Superintendent told the court he was not aware of hostages who escaped during the day until much later

The makeshift Operations Centre was not able to obtain vision of inside the cafe, even though the Police Operations Centre further in to the city had access to CCTV cameras and Channel 7 footage

This Command Centre was where the decision was made as to if and when police would storm the cafe to take down gunman Man Monis.

Police, including those negotiating over the phone with Monis, were acting while quite literally in the dark regarding the events unfolding inside the cafe.

The Superintendent who was in charge of the command centre for most of the daylight hours of the siege told the court they had no access to any vision, including that coming from City of Sydney CCTV cameras and Channel 7 footage.

This vision was available at the main Police Operations Centre, further away in the city. However, no crucial decisions were made in that centre.

Tori Johnson was shot by gunman Man Monis before police made the decision to storm the cafe, where Katrina Johnson was killed in gunfire

Police negotiating with Man Monis on the phone were also unable to see inside the building

He said while there had been technical difficulties, there had also been no written plan as to what would be available to the team at the scene, who were close to the Lindt Cafe but had no direct view of the area.

The Superintendent also noted that he had not been aware of the hostages that escaped during the afternoon, but was later told about them.

He maintains that the escape would not have triggered the emergency action plan, which was executed after Monis shot cafe manager Tory Johnson.

The inquest will continue throughout the week.
Dramatic police dashcam footage has captured the moment a white utility truck burst into flames and rolled 100 metres down a hill into the wall of a single storey apartment block.

ACT Police responded to a call of a vehicle fire in Gordon, Canberra, on Saturday night, but did not anticipate the burning vehicle would engulf in flames and fly down a hill towards residential housing.

Police say the immense heat caused the hand break cable to snap, sending flames over five metres into the air and sending the parked car down the gradual downhill slope.

Dashcam footage has captured the dramatic moment a white utility truck burst into flames

ACT Police fled the scene as the blazing vehicle began rolling down the hill towards residential housing

Luckily, the fire and rescue squad were able to quickly extinguish the fire, which was contained to just the main bedroom of the affected unit.

No one was injured in the incident, and police deemed the fire non-suspicious.

At one point in the footage, an officer can be seen sprinting away from the car as it begins creeping down the hill, out of control and spitting out fire.

After closing nearby streets and creating a 50 metre evacuation zone, police were able to douse the flames at the bottom of the hill.

Police say the immense heat caused the hand break cable to snap, sending flames over five metres into the air

Luckily, the fire and rescue squad were able to quickly extinguish the fire, which was contained to just the main bedroom of the affected unit

They observed a number of fuel 'jerry' cans in the back of the burnt-out vehicle, a detail that some social media users claimed suggested that the fire could have been suspicious.

'Nothing more non suspicious then a random car on fire with a number of jerry cans in the back,' one man wrote on the ACT Police Facebook page.

Other users jumped to the defence of the authorities, writing that it was perfectly reasonable for a driver to have jerry cans inside his or her car.

'There are plenty of reasons to be transporting multiple jerry cans. Doesn't make it suspicious,' wrote one man.
Boris Johnson was accused of being an 'apologist' for Russian president Vladimir Putin today after he accused the EU of sharing the blame for the war in Ukraine.

No 10 slapped down the former London Mayor and insisted Russia was the only nation to blame for triggering the fighting with an illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Former Labour foreign secretary Jack Straw claimed the Tory MP had 'plumbed new depths' with his claims, in a major speech on behalf of Brexit campaign today.

Criticism of Mr Johnson spread across Europe as politicians from Sweden to Poland slammed him for excusing Russian aggression in Europe.

Boris Johnson, pictured at today's speech, made the controversial claim today that voters should 'look at what has happened in Ukraine' as evidence for his case Britain would be safer outside the EU

Mr Johnson triggered the row when he said: 'The European Union, as you will remember, exacerbated the problems by the premature decision to recognise Croatia.

'And if you want an example of EU foreign policy making on the hoof, and the EUs pretensions to running a defence policy that have caused real trouble, then look at what has happened in Ukraine.

'I think it is very, very important that we dont muddle up the role of the EU with the role of Nato.'

He added: 'What worries me now is that it is the European Unions pretensions to run a foreign policy and a defence policy that risk undermining Nato.

'We saw what happened in Bosnia. Weve seen what happened in the Ukraine.'

Mr Johnson's argument echoes similar controversial claims made by Ukip leader Boris Johnson.

Downing Street this afternoon firmly dismissed Mr Johnson's claims.

David Cameron's official spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister could not be clearer. The illegal annexation of the Crimea was brought about by Russian action alone.

'It is EU sanctions that are having a positive effect.'

In a statement issued by the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign, Mr Straw said: 'Boris Johnson has plumbed new depths today by joining the likes of Farage, Le Pen and Wilders in blaming the EU, rather than Vladimir Putin, for what has happened in Ukraine.

'If further evidence were needed about the careless disregard for our security demonstrated by Leave campaigners, by being a Putin apologist, Johnson has provided it.'

He added: 'Flamboyant rhetoric is no substitute for a plan for our country. Today was further proof that leaving is a leap in to the dark that is too big a risk to take.'

Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt led criticism of Mr Johnson and said the former London mayor was 'totally ignorant of the facts on Ukraine'

Mr Johnson was accused of being 'desperate and dangerous' by Belgium's former premier Guy Verhofstadt, who added the 'Kremlin will be pleased'

Ex-Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Mr Johnson had to choose whether he backed Barack Obama or Vladimir Putin on the EU question

Senior Labour backbencher Chuka Umunna added: 'The EU referendum campaign has brought out the worst in the former mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

'First there was his nonsense about President Obamas Kenyan ancestry. Now hes become an apologist for President Putin. And this is the man who wants to become our next prime minister.

Former Swedish PM Carl Bildt tweeted: 'Boris Johnson is totally ignorant of the facts on Ukraine, EU and Russia.

'Apologist for Putin.'

Guy Verhofsradt, the former Belgian premier, added: 'Desperate and dangerous from Boris Johnson.

'The Kremlin will be pleased.'

Former Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said: 'Boris, old boy, time to make a decision. Are you, on EU, with Potis, or with Pres. Putin?'
SWAT teams surrounded the building and took Ward into custody on an

The writer and director of a critically-acclaimed indie movie was arrested on Saturday, after a three-hour stand-off with police in a poor neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia.

Curtis Ward, who also goes by the name Curtis Snow, barricaded himself in a women's restroom at the Higher Ground Empowerment Church during his 94-year-old grandfather's funeral around 3pm.

SWAT teams responded to the scene when there were reports that Ward may be armed.

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Curtis Ward was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police inside a church in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday

Ward, who also goes by the last name of Snow, directed and starred in the 2011 indie film Snow on tha Bluff (movie poster, left). He was booked in Fulton County Jail on Saturday on an unrelated outstanding warrant (mugshot, right)

He was taken into custody three hours later, and booked on an unrelated outstanding warrant. It's unclear if police found any weapons on Ward.

Witnesses at the funeral say Ward got into a fight with someone else at the funeral, and when he learned that police were on the way, he locked himself in the restroom.

Several streets in the area were closed for hours as SWAT teams responded to the situation.

The neighborhood where the church is located is called The Bluff, and it is known as a poorer area with high rates of prostitution and drug crimes.

Ward captured life in the area himself, in his 2011 film Snow on tha Bluff, about a drug-dealer who steals a camera from a group of college students and proceeds to document life with it back in his neighborhood.

The film was shown at a few film festivals and caught the attention of actor Michael K. Williams, a star of The Wire, who signed on as an executive producer and worked to repackage the film for wider release on Amazon and Netflix.
Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten will go head to head in their first debate on the campaign trail since the Double Dissolution election was officially announced on Sunday.

The party leaders will face off on Friday night at a people's forum in Windsor, in the western Sydney electorate of Macquarie, which is held by Liberal backbencher Louise Markus.

All questions debated on the night will come from audience members, comprised of undecided voters chosen by Galaxy Research, Sydney Morning Herald reports.

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The Prime Minister got his photo opportunities at the Brisbane Produce Market in the marginal seat of Moreton and tucked into some watermelon in a high-visibility vest

Mr Turnbull made sure to tell the workers at the produce market, and on Twitter, that he once loaded watermelons for his first job

The people's forum will be hosted by Sky News political editor David Speers, organised by the television network and the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

It will broadcast live on Sky from 6pm.

Mr Turnbull and Mr Shorten both spent Monday on the campaign trail in Queensland.

The Prime Minister got his photo opportunities at the Brisbane Produce Market in the marginal seat of Moreton and tucked into some watermelon in a high-visibility vest.

Mr Turnbull (centre) speaks to students at the Northlakes community centre in the seat of Petrie in Brisbane on Monday

'Oh come on, have a try,' a fruit vendor called to the PM, who had stopped at the stall to inspect some melons.

At the markets, in a seat held by Labor's Graham Perrett since 2007, Mr Turnbull told workers about his first job where he once stacked watermelons onto trucks.

'I started work with a banana merchant and ended up working for a watermelon guy carting watermelons on and off trucks certainly builds your arms up,' he said.

The early-morning, hour-long visit to the market had been well received.

When he moved on to the Liberal marginal seat of Petrie, Mr Turnbull defended his decision not to mention climate change in his opening re-election pitch.

Bill Shorten poses with his campaign bus on Monday in Cairns, Queensland, on the campaign trail

Mr Shorten visited the Cairns West State School in the Liberal-Nationals seat of Leichhardt in Cairns on Monday

'Climate change is very important. We have a good climate change policy. We are meeting our targets,' he told reporters on Monday.

He later visited the Liberal marginal seat of Bonner.

Mr Shorten kick-started his campaign discussing education at a Cairns school in the Liberal-Nationals seat of Leichhardt.

He was later headed to Townsville, centre of the LNP electorate Herbet.

The latest Newspoll has Labor ahead of the Coalition 51-49 per cent after preferences, while a Fairfax-Ipsos poll has them 50-50.

Both polls show Mr Turnbull is still the preferred Prime Minister with voters.

Mr Shorten spoke with Beaconsfield Mine survivors Todd Russell and Brant Webb at the Waterfront Hotel during a visit to Beauty Point in Tasmania on Sunday when the election was announced

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten poses with his campaign bus after visiting Cairns West State School in the Liberal-Nationals seat of Leichhardt in Cairns on Monday
Voyeur: A teacher used a video camera to film young girls getting changed at the school where he worked (file photo)

A science teacher has been jailed for setting up a camera in the changing room of his primary school to film young children getting undressed.

The 45-year-old man set up a video recorder and left it running while girls as young as nine were getting changed.

He then categorised and stored the videos and moving images at home, Southwark Crown Court heard.

The teacher from North London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 16 months.

The court heard that he recorded two separate videos of 20 girls in Years Five and Six at the school in West London where he worked in March 2015.

In total he was caught with 90 child porn videos in his possession, of which 46 were the most serious Category A, and 450 photos, of which 161 were Category A.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent photos and one of voyeurism.

Judge Debra Taylor told the man: 'School policy was that you left the children while they got changed.

'You did that but you left a camera running in the room where they were getting changed.

'It is clear you are on the autistic spectrum but it is not the case that this was responsible for your offending.

'You were aware of what you were doing was wrong. The categorization and storage was clear and in patterns.

Case: The man was sentenced to 16 months in prison by a judge at Southwark Crown Court, pictured

'I have taken into account the admissions you made at an early stage but there is no doubt that you have minimised your sexual attachment to children.'

Judge Taylor said there was no doubt that the voyeurism was sexually motivated.

'There had been significant planning in place,' she added. 'The effect on the 20 pupils is important.

'As are the camera in the changing room, the images recorded of girls and the abuse of trust in a school where you worked.'
Donald Trump's presidential campaign is shooting down a report that the expected Republican presidential nominee is planning an overseas tour right after the Republican Convention this summer.

'Not true,' Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks told DailyMail.com, asked about the report, in Israel's Maariv, a leading Hebrew language paper.

The report stated that Trump would go to Israel, Russia and Germany after the Republican convention in July.

Trump is seeking to burnish his foreign policy credentials, after taking flack from numerous members of the foreign policy establishment as well as world leaders for some of his statements and positions.

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Next year in Jerusalem: Trump campaign says a report of a summer Holy land trip isn't true

He had been scheduled to travel to Israel late last year, with a meeting with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the works.

But Netanyahu said he wouldn't meet with Trump, after Trump's comments about a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. stirred up trouble.

Members of the Israeli Knesset condemned Netanyahu for planning to meet with Trump, and the prime minister's office condemned Trump's comments in an official statement.

"I have decided to postpone my trip to Israel and to schedule my meeting with @Netanyahu at a later date after I become President of the U.S.," Trump tweeted in December.

Images of Trump's famous 757 touching down overseas would be certain to generate headlines around the world, but also would take the candidate away from an election where he has to worry about defections from top Republicans and a challenging electoral college map.

Trump made waves during the GOP debates with repeated statements that he could get along with Russians president Vladimir Putin and that U.S.-Russia relations would improve under his administration.

Ich bin ein politician: Obama took flack from John McCain for his 2008 world tour ...

But he enthralled crowds in German on his global junket.

Trump told CBS in October: 'I think that I would probably get along with [Putin] very well. And I don't think you'd be having the kind of problems that you're having right now."

He also spoke favorably of Russia's decision to intervene in Syria, even though the Obama administration blasted the effort as helping Bashar al-Assad and countering U.S. efforts to back rebels.

'And as far as him attacking ISIS, I'm all for it. If he wants to be bombing the hell out of ISIS, which he's starting to do, if he wants to be bombing ISIS, let him bomb them ... Let him bomb them. I think we probably work together much more so than right now,' Trump said.

Any top level meetings in Germany could get awkward. Trump blasted German Chancellor Angela Merkel over Germany's refugee policy, speaking in an interview with Breitbart News in February.

Cell phone friends: Barack Obama met Angela Merkel in 2008. Trump called her a 'catastrophic leader.'

You know, what Merkel has done is incredible, its actually mind boggling. Everyone thought she was a really great leader and now shes turned out to be this catastrophic leader. And shell be out if they dont have a revolution,' Trump said.

During the 2008 election, Barack Obama took a world tour including stops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Israel, Germany, France, and Great Britain, drawing criticism from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

Obama spoke to a massive crowd in Germany, and the trip helped Obama manage the foreign policy experience gap relative to McCain.

A group of Republican-leaning foreign policy leaders issued an open letter to Trump in March, calling him 'fundamentally dishonest' and blasting him for his positions on trade and borders.

'His admiration for foreign dictators such as Vladimir Putin is unacceptable for the leader of the worlds greatest democracy,' wrote the national security experts, who were organized by former State Department official Eliot Cohen and defense consultant Bryan McGrath.
Donald Trump's social media director Dan Scavino is making the Republicans' 2012 presidential nominee eat his words after Mitt Romney, again, said he would not be supporting The Donald.

Scavino posted a clip from an interview that Romney gave on CNN's State of the Union in October, in which the former Massachusetts governor said, 'I would vote for the nominee of the Republican party, and I dont believe thats going to be Donald Trump.'

'Mitt Romney - presumptive nominee of the Republican Party is Donald Trump,' Scavino tweeted. 'Thank you for your support. #VoteTrump.'

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Donald Trump's social media director Dan Scavino sent out this tweet today, reminding voters that Romney had once pledged to support the GOP nominee, though had said he didn't believe it would be Donald Trump

Dan Scavino, Donald Trump's social media director, mocked Mitt Romney and said 'thank you for your support,' as the former GOP nominee has been anything bu supportive toward Trump's presidential bid

Romney has been a thorn in The Donald's side for months, as the former GOP nominee has spoken out publicly against a Trump presidency.

In an unprecedented move, Romney took the stage at the University of Utah to deliver a state of the 2016 race in early March, before the trio of more mainstream Republican candidates dropped out, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio being the first to go just 12 days later.

'Let me put it plainly, if we Republicans choose Donald Trump as our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished,' Romney proclaimed.

The businessman warned of a 'prolonged recession' over Trump's economic plans and suggested that 'Trump's bombast' would spell trouble abroad.

'He inherited his business, he didn't create it,' Romney reminded his audience.

'And what ever happened to Trump Airlines? How about Trump University? And then there's Trump Magazine and Trump Vodka and Trump Steaks, and Trump Mortgage? A business genius he is not,' Romney said, ticking off a number of failed Trump-branded ventures.

He mocked Trump for his use of basic adjectives.

'Donald Trump tells us that he is very, very smart,' Romney said. 'I'm afraid that when it comes to foreign policy he is very, very not smart.'

And ripped on his personality traits.

In March, Mitt Romney delivered a speech at the University of Utah warning of a a 'prolonged recession' over Trump's economic plans

Donald Trump called Mitt Romney 'ungrateful' as the billionaire had helped the 2012 presidential hopeful during the primaries that year

'Think of Donald Trump's personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics,' Romney began.

'We have long referred to him as "The Donald." He is the only person in America to whom we have added an article before his name,' Romney continued.

'It wasn't because he had attributes we admired,' Romney added.

What the former nominee didn't do when so publicly blasting Trump was pick another horse in the race, instead suggesting that Florida voters go for Rubio, to cut off Trump's supply of delegates in Florida.

Romney said Ohio voters should pick their governor, John Kasich, for president, while voters should select Texas Sen. Ted Cruz whenever he might be the strongest in a state.

However, the plan to siphon off delegates from the longtime frontrunner didn't work, with Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and Rhode Island giving Trump such large margins of victory last month, it looked like he wasn't even going to need Indiana, where Cruz looked competitive, to win.

By the time Indiana voters headed to the polls last Tuesday, they gave Trump the final victory that he needed, forcing the last two GOP contenders, Cruz and Kasich, out of the race.

On Thursday night at a gala in Washington, D.C., Romney said he had no plans to support Trump.

'I see way too much demagoguery and populism on both sides of the aisle and I only hope and aspire that we'll see more greatness,' Romney said, according to the Washington Examiner.

Reacting to some of Romney's actions on this weekend's Meet the Press, Trump reminded host Chuck Todd that he had helped that candidate out with fundraising during the 2012 Republican primary.

'Well, here's the story. I helped Mitt a lot. I raised a lot of money for him. I ruined the carpet in my apartments, I had so many people come,' Trump said.

'He was ungrateful. Which is OK. A lot of people are ungrateful. But he was ungrateful. They did not respond accordingly. And that's OK,' the presumptive Republican nominee added.




Brokaw, who undergoes chemotherapy every day, has been suffering from

Tom Brokaw spoke about his battle with incurable blood cancer in an emotional interview on Today Monday morning and how it has made him appreciate life more and brought him closer to some new friends.

Brokaw, 76, said he had met some incredible people also suffering from cancer, including a younger family friend who passed away last year.

'He had a much more serious form of cancer than I did, but I was witness to his bravery and his optimism,' said Brokaw.

'Michael and I would talk about fatigue and how no one could understand. He didn't make it. The bravest guy I've ever met at that age, and I'll miss him every day, and that's the consequence of cancer.'

He said earlier in the interview how difficult his struggle had been at times, especially with his daily chemotherapy treatments.

'It never goes away. It is an incurable but highly treatable form of cancer. And I count on the treatable part of it,' said Brokaw, who then spoke about how just a week prior he got bronchitis due to the fact that he is prone to infection because of his weakened system.

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Opening up: Tom Brokaw spoke about his battle with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood disease, on Today Monday morning

New group: Brokaw said he had meet some incredible people also suffering from cancer, including a younger family friend who passed away last year (above with wife Meredith)

Brokaw, who was promoting the paperback release of his book 'A Lucky Life, Interrupted,' also spoke about what a big role his daughter Jennifer played after he was diagnosed with the disease.

'She was invaluable to me because she knew what questions to ask, what research to look for, how to get on the phone with me,' said Brokaw.

'I say to cancer patients, find a friend who's a doctor, and don't make them part of your treatment team, make him your consigliere, your ombudsman. They'll know what questions to ask. They'll tell you what the translation may be about the information that you're getting.'

He later added; 'If you have cancer, in a way your whole family gets cancer because they're involved in it,'' he said. "If you don't have cancer, you can be sympathetic, but you really can't understand it until you get to it yourself.'

Brokaw was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in August 2013 and, in an essay for NBC News, he recalled the surprisingly calm moment he received the news.

'Odd thing is, I guess I didn't know enough about it at that time, because my heart didn't accelerate,' he said. 'I didn't go into a meltdown of some kind. I was very cool about it... I didn't know what I was in for.'

Speaking to Dateline, he added that it never once crossed his mind that he would pass away - despite doctors telling him statistics showed he had around five years to live.

'That's the conceit of an anchorman, that we'll live forever, I suppose,' he said.

The former NBC Nightly News anchor initially kept the news of the cancer, which affects the plasma cells in bone marrow, just between himself and his wife of more than 50 years, Meredith.

But they were forced to tell their three daughters after Brokaw suddenly collapsed just four days after the diagnosis.

Brokaw, who had been fishing near his Montana ranch, was taken for emergency treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

He said he was in so much pain that he was unaware of what was happening around him.

During his time in hospital, he also underwent treatment for compression fractures in his spine, which cost him two inches - sending him from 5ft11 to 5ft9, he told Dateline.

As the family banded together Jennifer was able to translate the medical jargon for him, while the others were there to organize and offer their support.

Benefit: Brokaw also said he had help after he was diagnosed in August 2013 from his daughter Jennifer, an ER doctor (Jennifer far right with Brokaw and Meredith)

Book: Brokaw was on Today promoting the paperback release of his book 'A Lucky Life, Interrupted' (hosts Willie Geist and Savannah Guthrie above)

'This experience, they told me, brought them even closer together,' he told Dateline. 'What they did realize is that I'm not going to be around forever.'

He went on: 'I think all of us objectively understand that we're coming to the ends of our lives. But subjectively, it's really hard to come to grips with.'

Still, he doesn't plan on going anywhere yet, he said.

'I'm going to be around,' he said. 'The last line of the book is "Life, what next? Bring it on." That's how I feel.'

He continued to work as he underwent treatment; he said he was apprehensive to tell the network about the cancer because he did not want any pity. Then in December, he announced his cancer was in remission.

He said that he hopes the book will help other people battling the rare cancer, which affects about 27,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society.

The book will be released on May 12.
David Cameron has pleaded with the newly-elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan to help him win June's EU referendum.

The new Labour mayor revealed today he had accepted Mr Cameron's request to 'use the influence' of his emphatic victory over Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith to make sure Londoners turn out to vote.

It is a sign the Prime Minister is attempting to mend fences with the new Labour mayor, who accused Mr Cameron of using tactics 'straight out of the Donald Trump playbook' in the London mayoral race by focussing on his Muslim faith and attacking him for his alleged links to extremists.

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David Cameron (pictured giving a major pro-EU speech today at the British Museum in central London) has pleaded with the newly-elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan to help him win June's EU referendum

Sadiq Khan (pictured arriving at City Hall in London on his first day as Mayor of London) revealed today he had accepted David Cameron's request to 'use the influence' of his emphatic victory over Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith to make sure Londoners turn out to vote

Research has shown Londoners are more likely than other areas in the UK to back Britain staying in the EU, with polls showing two thirds of voters in the capital support the EU.

But the Prime Minister and fellow In campaigners are becoming increasingly concerned that low turnout could result in a Brexit vote and have stepped up efforts to maximise turnout - particularly among young voters.

Mr Cameron wants to capitalise on the record high turnout of 45.6 per cent in the mayoral election last week.

Mr Khan confirmed today that he had agreed to work with the Prime Minister to win the referendum.

The reach-out to Sadiq Khan is a sign the Prime Minister (pictured with Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith and Boris Johnson last week) is attempting to mend fences with the new Labour mayor, who accused Mr Cameron of using tactics 'straight out of the Donald Trump playbook' in the London mayoral race by focussing on his Muslim faith and attacking him for his alleged links to extremists

It is another example of Mr Khan's differences with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has vowed not to share a platform with Mr Cameron during the EU campaign because they are 'not on the same side of the argument'.

Mr Khan today repeated his criticism of the Tory London mayoral campaign, saying Londoners had chosen 'hope over fear and unity over division'.

KHAAAANNN! CAPTAIN KIRK TWEETS HIS CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW LONDON MAYOR William Shatner, left, who played Captain James T Kirk, tweeted his congratulations to Sadiq Khan after the Laboour candidate's landslide victory in Thursday's election Sadiq Khan seems to have struck up an unexpected friendship with Captain Kirk in the wake of his historic victory in the London Mayor election. The Labour MP has been hailed by Star Trek star William Shatner, who deployed one of his most famous lines in a bizarre tribute. Posting on Twitter after a wave of requests from fans, Shatner wrote: '@SadiqKhan Khaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn!! Congratulations Mr Mayor! Bill' He then appeared overjoyed later when the new London Mayor followed him on Twitter. 'Go to Red Alert!' he posted. 'Khan followed!' The quote comes from 1980s Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan, about genetically-enhanced baddie Khan Noonien Singh who tries to take revenge on Captain Kirk. Sadiq Khan comfortably defeated Tory rival Zac Goldsmith in the mayoral elections last week after a bitter battle during which he was repeatedly accused of having links to extremists. Advertisement

He also revealed that Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith did not shake his hand after the result was announced in the early hours of Saturday morning. 'I was thoroughly disappointed,' Mr Khan said.

Yesterday Mr Khan accused the Tories of deploying 'nasty' and 'divisive' tactics in the election campaign, which he easily won by a 14-point margin.

He claimed the Conservative campaign of trying to divide the capital's ethnic communities against each other in the campaign for City Hall instead of focussing on policies.

In signs of increasing panic in Downing Street over the outcome of the EU vote on June 23, Mr Cameron made an extraordinary warning this morning that Brexit could bring war back to Europe.

In the most dramatic warning of the campaign so far about the consequences of leaving the EU, the Prime Minister claimed Britain's exit could even trigger a repeat of the Srebrenica genocide in 1995.

'Isolationism has never served this country well,' Mr Cameron said in a speech at the British Museum earlier today.

'Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at much higher cost.'

'Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt?

'Is that a risk worth taking? I would never be so rash as to make that assumption. It's barely been 20 years since war in the Balkans and genocide in Srebrenica.'

Looking back at his bitter campaign against Mr Goldsmith, Mr Khan yesterday expressed anger at that he was forced to defend himself against allegations of links to Muslim extremists.

He said the Conservative's campaign had distracted attention from debating London's housing policy, the transport network and the NHS.

And he compared the Tory campaign tactics to those used by Donald Trump, who has attacked Mexican immigrants and pledged to ban Muslims from entering the United States until the country's authorities can 'find out what's going on'.

Mr Trump, who has secured the Republican nomination in the presidential race, has also claimed parts of London were 'so radicalised' that police were 'afraid for their own lives'.

'But David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith chose to set out to divide London's communities in an attempt to win votes in some areas and suppress voters in other parts of the city,' he wrote in today's Observer newspaper.

'They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other  something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope it's something the Conservative party will never try to repeat.'

Sadiq Khan meets with Met Police chief on his first day as mayor but No 10 refuses to say if London is now more dangerous with him in charge

Sadiq Khan was today holding his first meetings as London mayor after winning the election by a landslide last week.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe was among the first due to meet with Mr Khan as he settles into his new office at City Hall today.

Mr Khan will meet Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at Parliament later before briefing his party's MPs at the regular Parliamentary Labour Party meeting tonight.

No 10 today confirmed Prime Minister David Cameron had called Mr Khan to congratulate him on his victory yesterday, insisting they had a 'positive discussion'.

But pressed on whether Mr Cameron would apologise for the controversial Tory campaign which suggested London would be in more danger from extremists with Mr Khan in charge, the spokesman said only the pair had talked about working together for London.

Sadiq Khan arrived at City Hall, right, on the banks of the River Thames today for his first day as Mayor of London. Among his first meetings is talks with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe

Mr Khan took the tube to work and met with commuters at London Bridge station, pictured, before arriving at City Hall today

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon also dodged the question about London being at greater risk under Mr Khan in a BBC interview on Saturday.

Mr Cameron's official spokesman today said: 'They spoke yesterday. They had a positive discussion and it was constructive.'

Asked if Mr Cameron had apologised, the spokesman said: 'He congratulated him.'

Pressed on Tory claims about extremists and London being in danger, he added: 'This was addressed over the weekend by the Defence Secretary and the Chancellor and I don't have anything to add to that.'

In a BBC interview on Saturday morning, Mr Fallon said: 'I'm hoping we can work with Sadiq Khan.

'Stuff gets said during elections, questions get posed.'

Pressed several times on the issue, Mr Fallon eventually conceded: 'London is safe with a Conservative government working with the new mayor of London.'

Mr Khan, who won by more than 315,000 votes in Thursday's election, today met with London commuters at London Bridge station as he headed to City Hall for the first time as mayor.

Mr Khan waved to supporters as he arrived at City Hall as London's third mayor. He took over from Boris Johnson after beating Tory rival Zac Goldsmith by more than 315,000 votes

The Labour mayor addressed supporters on the bank of the Thames as he arrived at City Hall today

As he arrived today, he told the Standard he wanted to work with ministers to get things done.

He said: 'That's how I mean to go along, to make sure I work with whoever to get the best deal for Londoners.'

He added: 'The mandate on Thursday was massive, the point is to use that to serve this city. You can't do that by being tribal, by being partisan.

'There are people who in the past have never voted Labour, may never vote Labour, but they love this city. I want to work with them.'

He attended a function with Citizens UK this morning and was also due to meet with Mike Brown, the boss of Transport for London.

Mr Khan will head back to Westminster later today for a meeting with Mr Corbyn.

Tonight, he will attempt to rally Labour MPs at the regular party meeting in Westminster.

Mr Khan's result was a rare bright spot for Labour amid grim results at Thursday's elections, as the party became the first opposition to lose English council seats in decades, fell to third place in Scotland for the first time in a century and lost overall control of the Welsh Assembly.

Mr Khan's win appeared to come in spite of the Labour leader and Mr Corbyn has been noticeably absent from celebrations over the weekend - choosing instead to appear with the less high profile new mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees.
The contractor who took the blame for accidentally starting a 2011 Christmas Day house fire in Connecticut that killed his girlfriend's three children and her parents now says it was his girlfriend who started it.

Michael Borcina told attorneys during a lawsuit deposition that he lied to police about how the deadly blaze was sparked because he wanted to protect Madonna Badger.

Borcina had initially told authorities he put ashes from a recently-lit fire inside a mudroom, starting the fire that killed seven-year-old twins Grace and Sarah Badger, nine-year-old Lily Badger, and their maternal grandparents, Lomer and Pauline Johnson.

He later agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit, but documents suggest he has since changed his story.

The pair have since split, with Badger marrying long-time friend Bill Duke in 2014, even though she struggled for a long time to come to terms with the death of her young children.

Borcina said in the deposition he hasn't spoken to Badger since six months after the crash.

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Michael Borcina (right), who took the blame for accidentally starting a 2011 Christmas Day house fire in Connecticut that killed his girlfriend Madonna Badger's (left) three children and her parents now says it was the mother who started it. The pair are pictured arriving for the funeral of the three children in January 2012

The deadly blaze in Stamford killed seven-year-old twins Sarah and Grace Badger (pictured right), and nine-year-old Lily (left)

According to the filings, seen by the Hartford Courant, he said he fabricated the tale as he wanted to 'spare her from carrying the burden that maybe she had done something to hurt her family.'

Borcina and Badger, who were dating at the time, escaped the fire in Stamford.

The deposition is part of one of several lawsuits filed by the children's father, Matthew Badger.

Badger's claims against several subcontractors and their insurance carriers remain active, and the deposition was part of those lawsuits. Matthew Badger and Madonna Badger also still have separate lawsuits pending against the city.

Neither he nor Madonna Badger immediately returned calls Monday seeking comment.

Authorities said the fire began after Borcina left a cardboard box of fireplace ashes, which were still smoldering, in the property's mudroom. The building was torn down a day after the blaze ripped through it.

Borcina, who was renovating the $1.7 million Victorian home, was accused in the lawsuit of contributing with other defendants to make the house a 'firetrap,' including failing to install a smoke detection system during the construction.

A state prosecutor concluded in 2012 that no criminal charges should be filed.

Madonna Badger has said that Borcina ran his hands over the ashes to make sure they were out before putting the bag in the bin in the mudroom, just before they went to sleep after wrapping presents early on Christmas morning.

Madonna Badger, an advertising executive in New York, also is suing the city, alleging Stamford officials intentionally destroyed evidence when they demolished Badger's home without notice shortly after the fire. City officials denied that.

Borcina had initially told authorities he put ashes from a recently-lit fire inside a mudroom within the $1.7million Victorian mansion. But comments in recent depositions appear to show he has changed his story (The waterfront house is pictured the day of the fire)

The girls (left) pictured with their maternal grandparents, Lomar and Pauline Johnson, who also died in the house fire

In the aftermath, the parents struggled with their incomprehensible loss.

Matthew Badger set up a charity named the Lily Sarah Grace Fund to raise money for arts projects in schools, as his three girls had been dyslexic and loved art.

In an interview in October 2014 with Oprah Winfrey, the then 50-year-old Madonna Badger described her horror on Christmas morning three years ago when she woke up to thick smoke in the house and despite her desperate attempts, was not able to save any of her children.

In the aftermath of the blaze, it was revealed that Mr Borcino was leading two of the girls out of the house when both bolted back into the flames to their deaths.

After an investigation, Connecticut officials ruled the house had caught fire after Mr Borcino swept up embers in one of the home's fireplaces and placed them while they were still smoldering in the mud room.

The grieving mother told Oprah that she doesn't believe that's what started the fire - since she saw a nearby electrical box spew sparks in the middle of the fire.

'Something really major happened,' Badger said. 'I don't know what happened but I think someone does.

'I think there's got to be someone out there who knows what happened...and my prayer is that they are going to come forth and tell the truth.'

'It does help a lot,' Badgers said. 'It gives me purpose and makes me feel good about what I'm doing.'

Mr Badger received a $5million settlement from Borcina in December 2014. In the aftermath of their deaths, he set up a charity named the Lily Sarah Grace Fund to raise money for arts projects in schools, as his three girls had been dyslexic and loved art
Petra Ecclestone has oincreased the number of security guards stationed at her 68million home after she and her husband were targeted in a 'jealousy-fuelled' petrol bomb attack.

The F1 heiress, 27, and her businessman husband James Stunt, 34, are said to be 'really alarmed' by the attack, which saw the bomb land next to Petra's Range Rover at their West London home.

The couple, who have three young children, were not home during the attack on April 24 - but two men were spotted on CCTV running from the home shortly after the incident.

Petra Ecclestone, 27, and her husband James Stunt, 34 (pictured together above), have been the victims of a terrifying attack at their 66million home in west London, after a lit petrol bomb was thrown into the property

A neighbour in the exclusive street said she was 'unsettled' by the attack, which saw the petrol bomb land in the courtyard outside the ten bedroom house.

The woman in her 50s who declined to be named said: 'I knew absolutely nothing about the attack but they've upped the number of security guards recently. It's pretty unsettling, I have to say.'

Ausra Valinciene, 33, a housekeeper working in a house opposite the Chelsea mansion said: 'Security guards told us what happened. Everybody around here is talking about it.

'They have new security guards and I was also talking to one was chatting with one and he told me about it. The family must be worried.'

A lit petrol bomb was thrown into the property owned by Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt in London (above)

The Molotov cocktail launched may have been retribution for the family's 'show-off lifestyle', according to one neighbour who declined to be named.

He said: 'They have these six-car shopping trips to Harrods where they end up blocking the entire road. They think they own the whole street. It's ridiculous.

'Their security guards come and walk up and down, smoking cigarettes right next to our property.

'I'm not saying that the bomb had anything to with it, but you've got to say it's possible.'

Vanessa Evans, 22, a student who lives nearby added: 'They block the street every time the leave the house. When they moved in they blocked it all up.

'I don't know them, but I know someone who does and he said they're nice.'

A spokesman for Petra's husband James Stunt said: 'As had been extensively reported in the media, Mr Stunt and his family were not in the country when the attack occurred.

'It was a minor incident and no damage was done. Although Mr Stunt's security people reported it to the police they are not taking it seriously.

Petra and her husband James Stunt were the victims of a terrifying attack at their 66million home in London

'It is thought to be the action of a disaffected member of the public who disapproves of the Stunts' lifestyle.'

A spokesperson from the Met Police said: 'Police were called at approximately 17:25hrs on Sunday, 24 April to reports of a fire outside a residential property in Kensington and Chelsea.

'Officers and the London Fire Brigade (LFB) attended the scene. The fire was dealt with by London Fire Brigade.

'No reports of anyone injured. Detectives from Kensington and Chelsea are investigating. No arrests and enquiries into the circumstances continue.'

Socialite, model and fashion designer, Petra is the daughter of F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and former Armani model Slavica Ecclestone.

She married Stunt in Rome in 2011 wearing an 80,000 Vera Wang dress and the wedding cost a reported 12million.

The couple have three children: three-year-old Lavinia Stunt and 11-month old twin sons James Robert Fredrick Stunt Jr and Andrew Kulbir Stunt.

Police are now investigating why anyone would want to attack Petra or her husband, who runs a complicated web of companies involved in gold trading.

Bernie, 85, admitted he had looked into Stunt's background and finances before Petra married the businessman in a lavish Italian ceremony in 2011, but nothing he found gave him cause for concern.

The motor racing tycoon once criticised Petra, 27, and her 31-year-old sister Tamara for squandering his estimated 2.5 billion fortune on fast cars, mansions and designer clothing.

Stunt, 34, took delivery of a 3.1 million Lamborghini in March, to add to his cavalcade of Rolls-Royce Phantoms and Bentleys, which he uses for his regular shopping trips to Harrods
A vicar allegedly told a woman he saw on the street 'I've got eight inches for you' before pushing her into an alley and sexually assaulting her, a court heard.

The bespectacled Reverend Andrew Chalkley tried to force his tongue into her mouth and touched her breast as she tried to lean away from his kisses, the jury was told.

Moments beforehand he had told his victim 'you're the most beautiful woman in the world' after driving past in his car, getting out and charging towards her.

The bespectacled Reverend Andrew Chalkley (centre) tried to force his tongue into her mouth and touched her breast as she tried to lean away from his kisses, a jury was told today

The vicar, who is responsible for a number of churches in the area around Frome, Somerset, then told the 58-year-old victim that they should 'seize the day', and the remarks turned sexual.

Prosecutor William Hunter told the jury at his trial at Taunton Crown Court that the married vicar, who is in his late 50s, denies a charge of sexual assault on in April 2015 in Cheddar, Somerset.

Prosecutor William Hunter told the jury at Taunton Crown Court (pictured) that the married vicar, in his late 50s, denies the sexual assault charge

Mr Hunter said the complainant was 'approached by a man who made sexual comments to her and sexually assaulted her by touching her breast and putting his tongue into her mouth and kissed her'.

The incident was caught on CCTV from a shop on the other side of the road which showed the vicar and the victim together in a doorway before moving to an alleyway.

Mr Hunter admitted the four-minute long CCTV was 'not particularly clear or the best quality' as pedestrians walked by and crossed the road as traffic roared past.

He said it showed something of a meeting taking place but he admitted 'it does not show exactly what happened or what was actually said'.

He said the victim had been on her lunch break when she saw a car pass by and the driver was 'staring at her'.

As she headed back to work, Chalkley, from Beckington, Somerset, approached her, running up from behind.

The Crown said he went in front of her and said: 'I have just passed you in my car. I just want to tell you that you are the most beautiful woman in the world. I had to come and find you to tell you.

'She was a little flattered by that.'

But he said she felt uncomfortable when Chalkley then said: 'We must seize the day. I have eight inches for you. I would really like you to play with me.'

She had thought he was joking around but then he asked her 'if he could kiss me' - to which she said no, the court heard.

It is alleged that Chalkley then moved her into the alleyway where he put his tongue into her mouth and touched her breast.

The alleged assault happened in Cheddar, Somerset (pictured), and it was captured on CCTV although the prosecution admitted that it wasn't clear exactly what was happening from the footage

The jury heard he then put her hand to his chest so she could 'feel his heart pounding'.

She then walked off and reported the incident to the police who later arrested the cleric.

I saw a pretty face and I'm ashamed that I chatted her up Andrew Chalkley told police in interview

The court heard eye witnesses saw the victim and said she tried to move her head to 'avoid the kisses'.

In police interview Chalkley said he 'saw a pretty face' and felt ashamed 'that he chatted her up'.

He claimed she was 'whooping with laughter' and they held hands.

But he said he was not 'proud of himself' and could see in her eyes that she was uncomfortable and he took a step back.

Mr Hunter said: 'She has no reason to lie. She did not know the defendant. She reported it soon after it happened.'
Mystery: Terri 'Missy' Bevers (pictured) was found dead in a Texas church last month

The mother-in-law of the fitness instructor found in a church last month has written an open letter to her killer.

Terry 'Missy' Bevers was found dead with puncture wounds to her head and chest at the Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas, in April as she set up an exercise class.

Surveillance footage capture a suspect carrying tools consistent with Bevers' injuries walking through the church, but no arrests have been made in the case.

On Saturday, Marsha Essary Tucker, mother of Bevers' widower Brandon, took to Facebook imploring the attacker to turn themselves in.

'Are you getting a bit nervous, shaking in your "boots that look too big?" You should be! It's just a matter of time now,' Tucker writes.

'Things would be a lot easier on you to just go ahead and turn yourself in. I'm sure the officials will take that into account.

'Go ahead and clear your conscience, you will feel better.

'No sense in having your family witness you being picked up by the police and leaving that lasting vision on their minds forever! We are all waiting! It's one way or the other!!'

Her message comes after search warrants released on Thursday revealed that just days before her murder, Bevers received a creepy and strange message from an unknown man on LinkedIn.

Messages recovered on phones owned by Bevers and her husband Brandon Bevers reveal that they were having problems in their marriage and had been enduring ongoing financial problems, NBCDFW reports.

One arrest warrant said that messages from confirmed to authorities that as well as ongoing financial and marital struggle, there was evidence of intimate/personal relationship(s) external to the marriage.

Authorities have identified potential persons of interest in the case, using target numbers, based on the communication  which includes texts, photographs, videos and deleted messages that were recovered.

The target numbers references in the warrant identified nine people linked to 11 phone numbers.

However, police said they are not considered suspects at this time.

According to the affidavit, the killer may have used a cellphone to record the slaying, the Dallas Morning News reports.

We dont have information that indicates the killer talked to any target numbers, nor do we have specific information to believe the killed video recorded the murder, Midlothian Assistant Police Chief Kevin Johnson said, according to NBC.

Plea: This screengrab shows part of the message Bevers' mother-in-law Marsha Essary Tucker has penned to the killer urging them to turn themselves in before police find them

Bevers (pictured) received a creepy and strange message from an unknown man on LinkedIn three days before her death

He added that as with any case where a specific suspect is not found immediately, family and friends were initially the focus of the investigation.

Detectives did identify another man who confirmed to police that he had been messaging Bevers on LinkedIn from January until her death.

He said that the messages began on the social network and ultimately became flirtatious and familiar.

Police recovered evidence from his phone and Bevers phone that showed their interactions were intimate and that their conversations had been deleted.

In another warrant, investigators said that a friend of Bevers told them that she had showed her a private message she received on LinkedIn less than three days before she was killed.

Neither of them knew the man who sent it, but the friend said both she and Bevers found it creepy and strange.

However, during a police interview, the friend was unable to recall the name of the man who sent the message.

In a third search warrant, investigators are requesting cellphone date from around the time Bevers was killed.

They hope that if her killer was carrying a phone, it could have pinged a tower near the church where she was found, according to NBC.

Meanwhile, Brandon Bevers has spoken out about his wifes death  and said is continuing to co-operate with police and has found strength in this difficult time by turning to God.

'If it wasn't for me leaning on God as heavily as I am right now, OK, there is no way  I would be melted just into this asphalt, he told NBC.

'There is no way the Brandon Bevers before this would be standing here today without me leaning on God, and His word and His direction, like, I find peace in it. It's very comforting. I obtain wisdom from it.'

He also added he had been to visit police officers working on the case as he often likes to talk what he has on his mind.

He also added he had refused to read any reports detailing the injuries his wife sustained before she died.

Bevers was found with puncture wounds to her head and chest at the Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian last month as she set up an exercise class

Police released CCTV footage from inside the church showing the suspect wearing a SWAT uniform

I haven't even read it, so don't divulge. I haven't even read the story. I saw it and I was unwilling to even...and I'm not even there so don't tell me anything.

Terri Bevers was found dead by one of her boot camp participants at the church at around 5am on April 18.

Authorities have said they found evidence of forced entry at the church and believe Mrs Bevan may have walked in on a robbery while preparing for her Camp Gladiator fitness class.

They also claimed someone tried to clean up the crime scene.

Her father-in-law Randy (above) took a bloody T-shirt to the dry cleaners just days after she was killed

Police have asked the public to watch the video of surveillance closely to see if they can recognize the walk of the individual and are offering $10,000 for any information about the alleged crime.

Meanwhile, it was revealed last week that her father-in-law took a bloody T-shirt to the dry cleaners just days after she was killed.

Randy Bevers took the stained clothing into the Dry Clean Super Center in Midlothian, Texas, on Friday, insisting the blood belonged to his injured Chihuahua.

He arrived on Friday, four days after his daughter-in-law was killed in the church.

According to an affidavit seen by CBS Dallas/Fort Worth , Midlothian police seized a woman's white shirt in a size XXL.

They also obtained a copy of a receipt for the shirt which claims to have 'animal blood all over' it.

Workers from the store contacted police that day, telling authorities that Randy Bevers told them the stains were animal blood.

He told the news station he'd taken his chihuahua to the hospital after it had gotten into a fight with another dog.

There is nothing to suggest the blood came from a human being, but authorities are still waiting for the results from a DNA test.
Christian bakers who refused to bake a 'pro-gay marriage' cake are appealing against a ruling that they broke the law.

Daniel McArthur, and his wife Karen, who run Ashers Baking Company, in Belfast, said it would be a 'sin' to create the treat which had been ordered by LGBT activist Gareth Lee.

Mr Lee wanted the cake, featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie with the phrase 'Support Gay Marriage', for a private function marking the International Day Against Homophobia.

Christian bakers Colin and Karen McArthur say their case may have implications for the freedom of expression of others

The born again Christians, whose shop has the slogan 'Come along inside. We'll see if teas and buns can make the world a better place', took the order but then decided not to supply the cake as it was against their beliefs.

Once the decision exploded onto social media it aroused the attention of the Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which launched legal proceedings.

Talking at a high profile hearing at Belfast County Court last March, Mr Lee told how he paid 36.50 for the cake but was telephoned two days later and told the company could not fulfil his demand.

In evidence Mrs McArthur said she knew in her heart she could not make the cake but had taken the order to avoid a confrontation in the shop.

Mr McArthur also told the court his family could not compromise their religious beliefs, despite the legal ramifications.

Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocacy group Queer Space, was upset by the ordeal and said the incident had made him feel like a 'lesser person'.

The Ashers' owners were ordered to pay 500 damages after a County Court judge ruled they directly discriminated against Mr Lee and said religious beliefs could not dictate the law.

Gareth Lee (right) was told he could not have the cake (left) made because it was against the beliefs of the McArthurs who are born again Christians

The bakers are now battling to overturn the judgement and claim that the case has implications for the freedom of expression across the UK.

Family barrister David Scoffield QC said: 'They could not in conscience provide a product with a message that was inconsistent with their deeply-held religious beliefs in circumstances where the evidence was clear that they believed that to do so would be sinful.'

Mr Scoffield said the alleged discrimination was not against Mr Lee, it was against the message, but the law only covered harm caused to an individual.

He said: 'Discrimination must be against the person, not against an idea or an object. A cake cannot have a political opinion or a religious belief, it is a person who can do so.'

Pictured, Ashers is a name with biblical connotations and the bakery has six branches across Northern Ireland

Ashers, a name with biblical connotations, has six branches in Northern Ireland.

The firm's barrister said it was not contractually obliged to provide the cake, but added: 'This was not a refusal to sell a cake, it was about the refusal to sell this particular cake.'

He told the three senior judges the crucial question was why the order was not fulfilled.

He said: 'This case is an important case. It raises, we submit, an issue of principle.

'The issue is the extent to which those who hold such religious convictions can be required by the law to act in a manner inconsistent with their convictions.'

He added: 'It makes it extremely difficult for any business such as a printer or someone who, as we have seen in this case, creates T-shirts or creates cakes, to run any kind of bespoke service if faced with the position that someone could come through your door and order something which is clearly objectionable.'
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman is one step closer to being extradited to the US, where he has been indicted on charges of drugs and arms trafficking, money laundering and murder.

A federal judge in Mexico ruled Guzman's extradition can move forward, although the Foreign Relations Department still has 20 days to approve the decision, which can be blocked by his attorneys.

The decision comes just two days after the Sonaloa cartel boss was moved from a maximum-security prison near Mexico City to a one in Ciudad Juarez.

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Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (center) is one step closer to being extradited to the US, where he has been indicted on charges of drugs and arms trafficking, money laundering and murder

Mexico's Judicial Council said the judge, who it did not name, had agreed that the legal requirements laid out in the extradition treaty between the two countries had been met.

The Foreign Relations Department has 20 days to decide whether to approve Guzman's extradition, although his attorneys can request a delay or stop the process altogether if the decision is appealed.

Guzman was moved Saturday from a prison outside Mexico City to one in Ciudad Juarez near the US border.

Mexico's National Security Commission said the transfer was in line with security protocols, and it has rotated more than 7,400 inmates nationwide as part of a security strategy implemented last September.

Questions have arisen on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate the convicted drug lord to a region that is one of his cartel's strongholds.

One Mexican security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity acknowledged Sunday that the sudden transfer was to a less-secure prison.

The official said the Cefereso No. 9 prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the Altiplano facility near Mexico City, considered the country's highest-security prison.

The official said that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing, however, where the same protocols are being enforced, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

Guzman was moved Saturday from a prison outside Mexico City to one in Ciudad Juarez near the US border (pictured)

'El Chapo' first broke out of another prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the world's most-wanted fugitives.

He was recaptured in 2014, but slipped out of Altiplano, which many previously had thought was inescapable, in July 2015 by fleeing through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that went up into the shower in his cell.

Mexican marines recaptured him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.

He was returned to Altiplano, where he was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 16-inch (40-centimeter) layer of concrete.

Some Mexican media speculated the move signaled an imminent extradition to the US, where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions.

But authorities denied the claims, and multiple analysts said there was no sign of a link between the prison switch and extradition.

Questions have arisen on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate the convicted drug lord to a region that is one of his cartel's strongholds (pictured, army and police at a checkpoint close to Ciudad Jaurez, where El Chapo was transferred on Saturday)

Guzman was notified of the judge's decision on Sunday evening, a judicial authority speaking on condition of anonymity said. The official was not authorized to be identified.

The drug lord's attorney Jose Refugio Rodriguez said he would continue trying to block the extradition.

He said that if the Foreign Department approves extradition, the defense will have 30 working days to seek a court order blocking a move to take his client to the U.S. to be prosecuted on drug charges.
A Florida man was caught with alligator parts in his car after an officer noticed a scaly foot sticking out of his dashboard.

Raymond John Fettig, 18, was stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers to check for his day-use pass in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, Loxahatchee.

But when they did, they noticed alligator parts scattered throughout the cab of the truck.

Fettig told officers that the parts were from a gator he caught a few years back with his uncle, according to a police report obtained by DailyMail.com.

A Florida man was caught trying to smuggle alligator parts in his car after an officer noticed a gator foot sticking out of his dashboard (pictured)

Raymond John Fettig, 18, (pictured) was stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers to check for his day-use pass in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, Loxahatchee

But when they did, they noticed alligator parts scattered throughout the cab of the truck (pictured)

But the officer noticed what appeared to be dried blood under a gator hide that was sitting on the dashboard.

The officer then smelt a strong odor from the car as if something was 'dead or decaying', according to the document.

After a search of the the bed of the truck, the officer found another alligator foot 'in plain view', which appeared to still have the meat inside of it.

Fettig then told officers that a few nights prior, he had met a friend who had 'found the gator and had wanted to shoot it'.

He claimed his newly acquainted friend shot the gator and he helped him dismantle it. He was unable to give the name of his friend.

Fettig admitted that all the parts scattered around the vehicle were from the alligator that had been illegally harvested a few nights prior. He said the alligator meat was in his freezer at home.

The other passenger, Jonathon Poche, 17, corroborated the story.

Police also obtained a photo of the alligator whole, from Fettig's phone.

He was issued a property receipt and cited for a second degree misdemeanor of state.

To hunt such an animal in Florida a Statewide Alligator Hunt Permit is required, which allows the holder to participate in the Statewide Alligator Harvest Program.

The event is the FWC's most popular limited entry hunts, according to the site, and more than ten thousand applicants will apply for about five thousand permits.

After a search of the the bed of the truck, he then found another an alligator foot 'in plain view', which appeared to still have the meat inside of it

Picture of the alligator taken from Fettig's phone by officers and included in the report

Fetter (pictured) claimed a newly acquainted friend shot the gator and he helped him dismantle it. He was unable to give the name of his friend

The officer smelt a strong odor from the car as if something was 'dead or decaying', said the report

Each alligator hunting permit includes two cites tags, authorizing the holder to harvest two alligators.

The harvest areas and hunt dates are specific for each permit, and the permits specify the boundaries or limitations of the harvest area.

The statewide alligator hunting season begins on August 15 and ends on the morning of November 1.

Florida state is home to over one million wild alligators with over a quarter million more on farms.

The dense population means that alligators are often getting into hot - or cold - water in the region.

Authorities today reported a Florida man was bitten by an alligator after he mistook it for dead.

Orlando television station WESH reported Sunday that 41-year-old Bryan Rohm was bitten on the thumb and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officers stopped the truck to check for the driver's day-use pass in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, Loxahatchee (pictured)

The Lake County Sheriff's Office says Rohm and his son were on a boat Saturday and had a permit to hunt alligators. They shot an alligator twice with a specialized firearm known as a 'bang stick' and thought it was dead. But the alligator bit Rohm as he tried to get it in the boat.

The alligator then jumped back into the water.

And two months ago, a Florida family discovered a 300-lb alligator taking a dip in their backyard swimming pool after the reptile ripped through their patio screen before making a splash.

Craig Lear of Lakeland said he went to let his family's cats out on the patio in March when he saw bubbles coming to the surface of the pool.

The Lears called a trapper to remove the alligator, who was caught on video wrestling with the feisty reptile as it struggled to come out of the pool.
Fraud: Former UKIP MEP Ashley Mote, 80, who fleeced the European Parliament out of 500,000 while boasting of clearing up corruption has been ordered to pay back less than half of the money

A former UKIP MEP who fleeced the European Parliament out of 500,000 while boasting of clearing up corruption has been ordered to pay back less than half of the money.

Ashley Mote, 80, is serving a five year sentence for 'milking the cash cow to the limit' by making fraudulent claims for Parliamentary Assistance Allowance.

Mote was previously jailed for nine months at Portsmouth Crown Court following a separate 65,000 benefit fraud in 2007.

A confiscation hearing at Southwark Crown Court today found that Mote had made a benefit of 533,972.77 from his activities.

Judge Alistair McCreath ordered that Mote pay back 204,944 within the next three months or face an additional two years in jail.

The judge said: 'Subject to him buying a winning lottery ticket there is not much prospect of him making up the shortfall.'

The money will go directly to the European Parliament in compensation.

It comes just weeks after former Labour MEP Peter Skinner was also jailed for mis-spending his parliamentary expenses on his personal life including snorkelling equipment and the gearbox on his ex-wife's Land Rover.

A similar hearing for Skinner is scheduled to take place at the same court on October 3.

Mote, who admitted bending the rules 'slightly in my favour from time to time', used the European Parliament cash to fund a loan, mortgage and legal costs relating to his dole fraud case.

He also used 67,000 of it to pay back the cash he had stolen in benefits.

'It's a bit double-edged for a person to go trumpeting loud about how they are going to clear up corruption in the European Parliament and while fleecing it as hard as he could,' said Mr Justice Stuart Smith when sentencing Mote last year.

'I have wondered long and hard about what he thought he was doing and I didn't get any answers out of the trial because of the nature of the defence.'

The jury found the shamed politician guilty of four counts of obtaining money transfers by deception, three counts of false accounting and two counts of fraud in July last year.

Mote was further found guilty of one charge of acquiring criminal property, one charge of concealing criminal property and a further count of theft after just one hour and 42 minutes of deliberation.

Judge Alistair McCreath ordered that Mote pay back 204,944 within the next three months or face an additional two years in jail. The money will go directly to the European Parliament (pictured) in compensation

Justice Smith said: 'You lied, protested, lied and lied again about the monies you had fraudulently claimed as expenses whilst serving your constituents and your country as an MEP.

'During that period 2004 to 2009 you corruptly fiddled over 400,000 in expenses.

'Your greed and dishonesty was matched only by your hypocrisy because whilst this was going on you carried out a high-profile campaign condemning corruption and the improper use of money from the very institution you were leeching.'

Days before his trial at Southwark Crown Court, Mote was heard boasting to the dock officer.

'I am here solely because the European Union wants to damage my credibility,' he bragged.

Mote (pictured), who admitted bending the rules 'slightly in my favour from time to time', used the European Parliament cash to fund a loan, mortgage and legal costs relating to his dole fraud case

'I am an author, I have written several books about the EU, most of which are extremely critical.

He modestly added: 'I have to admit, I am something of an expert.'

Mote protested he used the cash for constituents and added that he 'did not have time' to keep up with the constant rule changes at the European Parliament.

'It was none of their business what we did with the money and I used it to pursue the objectives I set myself and which had become possible when I was elected.

'I was far from being the only one that might have bent them [the rules] slightly in my favour from time to time.'

The former politician told jurors he had been instrumental in stopping European legislation affecting Portsmouth from being passed for five years - his 'one and only success'.

UKIP candidate Mote was elected as a member of the European Parliament for south east England in June 2004.

But soon after the election he was thrown out of Nigel Farage's party after they discovered he being prosecuted by the Department of Work and Pensions for benefit fraud.

The 2007 trial heard Mote had failed to stop his income support payments and benefits when he began working again in 1996.

He raked in 65,506 between February 1996 and September 2002.

Despite being convicted, Mote continued to sit as an MEP and to claim a 'variety of expenses and allowances'.

Between 2004 and 2009 Mote abused the allowances by submitting payments for work which he claimed was done by organisations working on his behalf.

Mote falsely claimed thousands of pounds for work allegedly done by BOOF (Better Off Out Fund) and DARTT (Direction Action Resistance To Tyranny).

He had control of both organisations' bank accounts and netted the funds for himself.

But 'no work was undertaken' and the companies were merely a 'front' for the fraud.

Mote also falsely claimed for work done by Estonian-based group ICOS (Information Centrum Owned State).

He further arranged for allowance payments to Edward Hayes solicitors for 'advice in relation to his duties as an MEP' but instead used the cash to fund his defence against the benefit fraud.

Mote, of Binstead, Alton, Hampshire, was ordered to pay back 204,944 of his 533,972.77 benefit.

The figure was agreed upon by Mote's representative Aska Fujita and prosecutor Paul Sharkey outside court.
Legal highs have been linked to the deaths of at least 39 prisoners in just two years, new figures showed today.

They reveal that the number of fatalities behind bars in which the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) may have played a part has risen.

The latest figures cover deaths between June 2013 and June 2015, where the prisoner was known or 'strongly suspected' to have been using NPS.

Legal highs have been linked to the deaths of at least 39 prisoners in just two years, new figures showed today

A previous report published last year recorded 19 deaths between April 2012 and September 2014 in which it was suspected the drugs may have been a factor.

Out of the 39 deaths linked to legal highs, two were the result of drug poisoning, one involved a homicide in which a prisoner suspected of smoking legal highs had killed another prisoner involved with the substances, six were the result of natural causes in which legal highs may have played a part and two had no causes of death.

The remaining 28 were self-inflicted, with some involving psychotic episodes probably resulting from NPS, while for others the drugs 'appeared to exacerbate vulnerability'.

The disclosure was made by prisons and probation ombudsman Nigel Newcomen.

In a speech to the Reform think-tank he said: 'The links to the deaths were not necessarily causal, but nor can they be discounted.'

He warned that staff and other prisoners may also be at risk from users 'reacting violently' to the effects of new psychoactive substances.

'There are even cases of prisoners being given 'spiked' cigarettes by others who wanted to test new batches of NPS, as a way of gauging the effect before taking it themselves,' he said.

Official figures revealed that 290 people died in prison custody in the last 12 months - a rise of more than 50 per cent. An alarming 100 people took their own lives - nearly double the number who committed suicide in prisons three years ago, while the number of murders in UK jails rose from four to six in the year to March

'In other cases, prisoners have been used as unwitting NPS guinea pigs, just for the amusement of others.'

He identified three types of risk associated with the drugs: to physical health, mental health and associated problems of debt and bullying.

The availability and use of legal highs have been linked to rising levels of violence across the prison estate.

Last year, former chief inspector of prisons Nick Hardwick described new psychoactive substances as the most serious threat to the safety and security of jails.

There were also warnings that the rampant use of the drugs in prisons was placing local ambulance services under strain as paramedics are increasingly called out to tend to inmates who have used them.

WHEN WILL LEGAL HIGHS BE BANNED? Deaths linked to so-called 'legal highs' more than tripled in two years, an official report has found The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 makes it an offence to produce, supply, import or export psychoactive substances. That includes any substance intended for human consumption that is capable of producing a psychoactive effect. The maximum sentence will be 7 years' imprisonment. The law excludes legitimate substances, such as food, alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, caffeine and medical products as well as controlled drugs. It was due to come into effect on April 6  but it has now been pushed out while officials work out exact details of what the law will prohibit. For example, it was recently announced it would not cover poppers  room fresheners that are inhaled to induce a 'high'. It is now expected the law will come into effect no earlier than May 1.

New laws have been introduced to target smugglers attempting to sneak the substances into prisons, while a new testing regime is being rolled out.

Mr Newcomen commended prison and health care services for beginning to act.

'We must hope that these efforts have an effect,' he said. 'But there is a long, long way to go.'

Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: 'We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in our prisons and use sniffer dogs, cell searches and mandatory drugs tests to find them.

'We have already legislated to make smuggling new psychoactive substances into prison illegal, and those caught trying to throw packages over prison walls can now face up to two years in jail.

'However we must do more, which is why we are investing 1.3 billion to transform the prison estate, to better support rehabilitation and tackle bullying, violence and drugs.'

Today's figures come days after Ministry of Justice figures revealed that the rate of suicides and murders in Britain's jails had hit their highest rates in more than 25 years.

Legal highs were blamed for the rise, with official figures showing that 290 people died in prison custody in the last 12 months - a rise of more than 50 per cent.

An alarming 100 people took their own lives - nearly double the number who committed suicide in prisons three years ago.

Meanwhile the number of murders in UK jails rose from four to six in the year to March. In March 2007 there were no homicides recorded.

The growing 'prevalence of new psychoactive substances' - known as 'legal highs' - has been blamed as a major reason for the growing violence in Britain's penal system by prison inspectors.

The rising incidents of deaths and violence came despite the prison population remaining at a consistent level of 85,600 - the same as six years ago.

Figures for the first three months for this year signal the death rate will be even higher for 2016, with 99 deaths recorded in jails - an average of one per day.

Cases of self-harmrrose by 25 per cent in a year - from 25,843 to 32,313, while assaults also soared - from 16,219 to 20,518.

These figures - published by the Ministry of Justice - included attacks on prison staff, which rose by 36 per cent - from 3,640 to 4,963.

In the HM Inspectorate of Prisons' report of his unannounced inspection of HMP Leeds, he stated: 'Levels of violence at the prison had increased significantly since the last inspection and were now double what we typically see in local prisons.

A total of 76 deaths related to legal highs were recorded between 2004 and 2013 in England and Wales (yellow line). Over the same 10-year period there were more than 100 times as many deaths involving heroin or morphine (blue line) and more than 20 times as many deaths involving cocaine (red line)

'The prevalence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) was a major factor in this increase and despite some robust action being taken to address the challenges this presented, it was having a pervasive and destabilising effect across the prison.'

Warnings of legal highs in prisons came as other official figures published yesterday revealed that deaths linked to the substances have more than tripled in two years.

Men in their 20s are most likely to fall victim to potentially deadly legal highs and experts said the number of overall fatalities caused by the substances has increased over a ten-year period from 2004, with a total of 76 recorded during that time frame in England and Wales.

There was a 'marked' rise between 2011 and 2013 when cases jumped from seven to 23.

The analysis by the Office for National Statistics - which comes as the Government prepares to introduce a crackdown on the drugs - found that men in their 20s were most at risk.

Its study said the average age for deaths involving legal highs is 28, ten years younger than the average for illegal drugs.

The youngest person to die after taking a legal high was aged 18, and nine teenagers have died between 2004 and 2013.

Vanessa Fearn, mortality researcher at the ONS, said: 'Some people think that because these drugs are or were legal until recently, they are safe.

'Forensic testing has shown that a single tablet or powder can contain a mixture of different substances, and even 'traditional' illegal drugs, which may explain why the majority of deaths involving legal highs involved more than one drug.'

The number of deaths involving legal highs remains 'very small' compared with those linked to illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

Over the same 10-year period there were more than 100 times as many deaths involving heroin or morphine (7,748) and more than 20 times as many deaths involving cocaine (1,752).

Legal highs - officially referred to as new psychoactive substances - saw an explosion in popularity on the drug scene in around 2008 and 2009.

They contain substances which mimic the effects of 'traditional' illegal drugs like cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy.

There is no officially agreed list showing which substances are classed as legal highs, but it includes strains of drugs which act as stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogenic drugs and synthetic cannabis.

Researchers examined the impact of the controlling of mephedrone - also known as 'meow meow' - which was outlawed as a Class B substance in April 2010.

The first death involving mephedrone occurred in 2009, and deaths continued to rise for several years following the ban, peaking at 22 deaths in 2012, before falling to 12 deaths in 2013, according to the report.

When a class of drugs called piperazines - which mimic the effects of ecstasy - and another class called cathionines - which includes mephedrone - were banned, deaths dropped. The blue line on the graph shows the number of deaths, the red lines indicate the years when these drugs were made illegal

It added: 'This suggests that banning mephedrone did not immediately reduce the number of mephedrone-related deaths.

'However, it is possible that mephedrone use would have increased and deaths would have been even higher, had it not been banned.'

The researchers also noted a trend of people taking legal highs along with other 'traditional' drugs.

Some people think that because these drugs are (or were recently) legal, they are safe, but this isn't the case, the report said.

Short-term effects of the substances include agitation, paranoia, psychosis, delirium, fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, chest pain, seizures and a rising temperature.

Overdoses of legal highs may require emergency hospital treatment.

Aside from the immediate health effects, legal highs can impact on people's employment and education, it added.

A blanket ban on the production, distribution, sale and supply of new psychoactive substances is scheduled to be rolled out within weeks, with sellers facing up to seven years in prison.

The measures had been expected to come into force earlier this month but the start date was pushed back.

The ONS analysis focused on substances that were not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 on the day the person died, and analysed drug-related deaths cases in which a death certificate mentioned a legal high.

Other drugs or alcohol may also have been mentioned, so the legal high may not have been the primary cause of death in all 76 cases.

University students are given access to cheap drug-testing kits to check whether the illegal substances they are taking are dangerous or not

University students are being given access to cheap kits which can test exactly what the drugs they are taking contain, and if they are dangerous or not.

Newcastle University ditched its zero-tolerance stance on drugs last year and now its student union is providing the 3 kits so potential users can quickly see what adulterants may have been added.

The initiative, part of a new campaign from Students for Sensible Drug Policy's (SSDP) Newcastle chapter called Test Your Drugs, Not Yourself, is thought to be the first of its kind, and aims to help people make more informed choices when it comes to drug taking.

Students at Newcastle University are being given access to 3 kits (pictured) which can test exactly what the drugs they are taking contain, and if they are dangerous. Pictued are members of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy's Newcastle chapter, including president Holly Mae Robinson (second from left) with the kits

Newcastle University ditched its zero-tolerance stance on drugs last year and now its student union is providing the 3 kits (pictured) so potential users can quickly see what adulterants may have been added

University bosses say the provision of the kits does not mean it is condoning illegal activity, but instead is trying to keep those who do choose to take drugs safer.

Holly Mae Robinson, president of SSDP Newcastle, said the drug-testing kits campaign was the next step in a more progressive approach to drugs after the change to the zero-tolerance stance.

'The idea behind the campaign, while obviously about drugs, at its core is about health and well-being,' she said.

'We are not promoting drug use. It's trying to avoid the harm of people that are going to use them. People are always going to use drugs and we just want to make it safer.

The testing kits work on chemical reactions with different substances turning different colours. Campaigners says this process allows people to see what adulterants might be in their drugs so students can make a more informed choice about exactly what they taking

'As far as we know we are the first university that you can find anywhere in the world that has made [the kits] available to students.'

The testing kits work on chemical reactions with different substances turning different colours.

SSDP says this process allows people to see what adulterants might be in their drugs so students can make a more informed choice about exactly what they taking.

Zoe Carre, founder of SSDP Newcastle, who oversees all national projects for SSDP UK, said Newcastle University and its students are leading the way in progressive harm reduction for students.

University bosses say the provision of the kits does not mean it is condoning illegal activity, but instead is trying to keep those who do choose to take drugs safer

'The campaign aims to allow students to make a more informed choice about their own substance use, through the provision of drug-testing kits alongside evidence-based information. The overall objective is to prevent serious harm from adulterated substances and save students' lives,' she

said.

'Students across the UK and globally would benefit from expanded access to such interventions.'

Earlier this month 17-year-old Faye Allen, of Liverpool, died after taking an ecstasy pill known as MasterCard at the Victoria Warehouse in Trafford.

Police fear the batch contained a double dose of MDMA.

Luke Allison, the student union's welfare and equality officer, welcomed the SSDP's work on educating students on drug use. 'The SSDP are the ones leading the project but we're very happy that we're supporting them,' he said.

'Our approach to drug policy is that the safest way to take drugs is not to take them at all.

'But students still do and I think if you don't acknowledge that students take drugs or that anyone in society takes drugs, then you're ignoring them and if you're ignoring them their problem is going to continue.'

'Staying away from drugs is obviously the best way to reduce your harm to drugs.

'But if you're acknowledging that students will still take drugs then we need to try to promote other ways to reduce harm to those people.'

A Newcastle University spokesperson said: 'The university does not condone any illegal activity, and students who are found to be using or possessing drugs or other illegal substances are subject to robust disciplinary procedures.
A teenager turned into a virtual sex slave by a sadistic online blackmailer flew over from America to confront her tormentor as he was jailed.

Once internet predator Daniel Howarth had nude images of his victim, he was able to control her - even though she lived in Georgia, USA, and he lived in north Manchester.

The court heard he made two victims, including a young boy, perform 'bizarre and degrading acts' and film them on a web cam.

Daniel Howarth, 18, was jailed for four years and must remain on licence until 2021 following his campiagn of abuse against two young victims

His 15-year-old female victim suffered from depression, and had just started a new school when the campaign of domination and abuse began.

Despite suffering a mental breakdown because of his threats, she found the courage to confront Howarth face-to-face in court as he was sent down for offences against her and a 15-year-old boy he also groomed online.

Both victims were made to perform extremely degrading and bizarre acts on a camera, over the internet, at Howarth's instruction.

As he was sentenced, the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, described her ordeal in a victim impact statement she read in court, telling him: 'Look at me when I'm talking to you', when he refused to meet her eye.

She concluded by telling him: 'God forgives you - and I forgive you.'

Howarth, 18, of Grange Park Road, Blackley, was sentenced to four years in prison, and will remain on licence until 2024.

The judge said the female victim had been 'utterly trapped' by him and 'completely overwhelmed'.

In a disturbing twist, police learnt Howarth had actually set up an online mental health and self-harm support forum, which would have given him access to a pool of vulnerable victims.

However it was on the popular social networking site Kik that Howarth found his two victims. On November 1, 2014, the girl entered into a private chat with him on the app, which lasted all night and resulted in them swapping intimate photos.

He promised her support and friendship, but days later became angry when she hesitated to send him more explicit pictures, which led to her giving in and sending more.

Once he had the images, Howarth threatened to send the photographs to her school if she did not obey him.

Over the next three months he ordered her not to shower, to become 'nocturnal', to eat coffee and her own hair, and to drink her own urine.

He forced her to send him images of herself performing sex acts and writing abusive phrases across her body.

At one stage he even manipulated her into contacting other men online, and pretend she liked them, before ridiculing them.

He threatened to fly to the US and 'beat and rape' her in front of her family - and once made her take 100 pictures of herself in one night as a 'punishment'.

At Manchester Crown Court (pictured) Judge Richard Mansell QC sentenced Howarth to four years in prison, and to remain on licence until 2024

Howarth was traced by police via his IP address after the girl finally broke down and confided in a friend and a teacher.

When police went to Howarth's home they found an iPhone containing child and extreme pornography, and an iPad which revealed his abuse of the 15-year-old boy over the web in March 2015.

The male victim had been made to perform a number of degrading sex acts, and had been coaxed by Howarth into drinking his own urine, filling his mouth with toilet paper, and eating his own faeces and smearing it over his face.

He also injured himself with wire and knives at Howarth's instruction.

His American victim has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and has been forced to drop out of school. Her 'devastated' mother has also been forced to quit her job to care for her daughter.

Sentencing Howarth, who admitted inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, inciting a child to engage in pornography, possessing indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images, Judge Richard Mansell QC described him as an 'extremely troubled young man'.

A psychological report revealed he'd had a raft of mental health difficulties for some time, including a long-standing sleep disorder, depression and severe social anxiety.

The judge told Howarth: 'A number of factors are present in this case indicative of you presenting a serious risk of causing serious harm from further offences.

'The degree of planning, the manner in which you groomed each child with friendly behaviour which very soon turned to sexualised aggression, humiliation and victimisation.

'The fact there was more than one victim, the length of time over which the offences were committed, the sado-masochistic nature of some of your demands.
Despite looking shocked at first, Goma did his best answering questions

He was mistaken for a technology expert and questioned on live television

In 2006 business grad Guy Goma went to BBC studios for a job interview

It may be 10 years since a man was mistaken for the wrong person and interviewed on live TV - but the internet never forgets such moments of awkward hilarity.

Back in 2006 a business graduate named Guy Goma arrived at the BBC studios in London to be interviewed for a job in the IT department.

Meanwhile British technology expert Guy Kewney was in the reception area preparing for a live interview on the court case between Apple computers and the Apple Corps record company.

Puzzled: Business graduate Guy Goma arrived at the BBC studios to be interviewed for a job in the IT department but found himself being mistaken for someone else and interview on live TV

Whoops: After appearing to want to tell presenter Karen Bowerman who he actually is, Goma literally bites his lip and has a go at answering the difficult questions

The producer selected the wrong Guy from the wrong reception area and brought the business grad in for what he believed to be his job interview.

But moments later Goma found himself being asked difficult questions with a camera in his face.

Hoping to do a professional job and impress his potential employers, Goma decided to have a good go at answering the questions put to him and captured the hearts of the nation.

10 years on, Twitter users have taken to the social media platform to remember the interview and heap praise on one of the original viral heroes.

One user wrote: 'It took something special to be an internet sensation before Twitter and YouTube. Happy 10 years Guy Goma.'

While another tweeted: 'Guy Goma for Prime Minister,' and a third simply said: 'Happy Guy Goma Day!'

Other have remembered the moment by sharing the infamous clip, which shows Goma sitting alongside Karen Bowerman and being introduced as Guy Kewney.

Remember: 10 years on, Twitter users took to the social media platform to remember the hilariously awkward moment

Anniversary: One Twitter user called for Goma to be named Prime Minister 10 years on from his interview

Blunder: The producer picked the wrong Guy from the wrong reception area and brought Goma in for what he believed to be his job interview

Confusion: Goma attempted to try and explain to Ms Bowerman that he was the wrong person with a subtle hint in his answer to the first question

The camera cuts to Goma, who looks absolutely terrified and appears to consider interrupting the broadcast to correct the presenter, before thinking better of it.

Goma literally bites his lip and listens hard to the question: 'Were you surprised by this verdict today?'

Looking back in utter bewilderment, Goma replies by making a subtle hint that he is not the person she thinks he is while maintaining his professionalism.

He says: 'I am very surprised to see...this verdict to come on me, because I was not expecting that.

'When I came, they told me something else and I am coming. 'You got an interview,' that's all. So a big surprise anyway.

Ms Bowerman, who appeared to be expecting a slightly more detailed answer, continues: 'With regards to the cost that's involved, do you think now more people will be downloading online?'

Before his time: Many social media users pointed out that Goma was one of the first to become a viral sensation

Always on my mind: Despite being 10 years old, the video was shared online by a number of amused Twitter users

Take a chance: After his initial shock, Goma goes for broke and decides to completely adopt the character of Mr Kewney

It is at this point that Goma goes for broke and decides to completely adopt the character of Mr Kewney and have a go at answering the question.

And remarkably - looking back retrospectively - he is pretty accurate in stating that there will be an increase in people downloading music online.

Since his infamous live interview, Goma has made appearances on GMTV, ITV and Channel 4 News, where he was jokingly interviewed as a lawyer and a doctor.

He has also featured as a mystery guest on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, and has been interviewed by BBC News 24 about his bizarre experience.

Goma was later given the opportunity to interview for the job he turned up for but was not offered the position. It is not known what he currently does.

Found fame: Since the infamous live interview, Goma went on to make appearances on GMTV, ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC
An Arkansas judge who allegedly coerced male defendants into having sex with him in exchange for sentence reductions has resigned after thousands of photos showing naked young men in his home, some being paddled, were found by investigators.

Part-time Cross County District Judge Joe Boeckmann resigned Monday, authorities said, adding that he had promised never to return to public office. In doing so, the investigation was closed.

The move came after David Sachar, executive director of the commission investigating the judge, told Boeckmann and his attorney that investigators had found around 4,550 photos on his PCs, KARK News reported.

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Resigned: Cross County District Judge Joe Boeckmann resigned Monday after an investigation uncovered 4,550 photos on his PCs, some showing naked young men inside his home - some of them being paddled

Letter: Boeckmann, who had been under investigation since Nov, said that his resignation should end the investigation. However, the head of the investigating commission has passed info to cops for a criminal case

According to documents filed by the commission, which has been investigating Boeckmann since November, the photos show naked young men inside and outside the judge's home, some of whom had been paddled.

The judge has been told not to destroy the paddle seen in the pictures.

Further allegations say that the judge had paid the men seen in the photos while they were on his docket.

It is alleged that the judge had offered to pay defendants' attorney fees in exchange for sex, The Associated Press said.

Sachar told Boeckmann that around 1,050 images from his computers had been provided to investigators in the first instance, and that a further 3,400 were expected to follow.

And, KARK wrote, documents filed Friday say investigators believe that the judge's dubious acts stretched back to 30 years ago, when he was a deputy prosecuting attorney and private attorney in Arkansas

Accused: Boeckmann was accused, among other things, of making male defendants take part in sexual acts in order to have their sentences reduced or to have their attorneys' fees paid

Several teens were quoted in the documents saying their charges were dismissed after Broeckmann, then the deputy prosecuting attorney, had taken photographs of them.

One alleged victim claimed he had been made to strip and wear handcuffs in the courtroom while Boeckmann took photos of him. At the end of the shoot, he says, Boeckmann told him 'Case dismissed.'

In his letter to Boeckmann and his lawyer, Sachar gave the judge the opportunity to resign, which he duly took. In his resignation letter, the judge also promised never to work for the state of Arkansas again.

'I further promise to never seek employment as a local, county or state employee or public servant in the State of Arkansas,' he wrote. 'I understand the [commission] will use all legal power it finds necessary to enforce this agreement.'

Boeckmann also wrote that the resignation should result in the dismissal of the commission's investigation.

However, Sachar previously said he had turned part of the investigation file over to prosecutors to determine if Boeckmann would be criminally charged.

And KARK confirmed that a federal investigation is underway, although a gag order placed by Circuit Judge Chris Morledge in August 2015 means that those involved are forbidden to speak to the media on the matter.

History: Investigators claimed Boeckmann had been committing the acts as long as 30 years ago, when he was a deputy prosecuting attorney. A number of teens were quoted as saying he photographed them

Feds: A federal investigation is underway, according to one news station, although a gagging order made in August last year stops anyone from speaking to the media about the case

The original civil investigation, which began in November last year, said Boeckmann showed preferential treatment to white men and allowed sentencing not recorded on court dockets, including picking up trash at his home.

It also accused him of taking inappropriate photographs of defendants during those punishments and later coercing some of them into sexual acts in return for paying their attorney fees.

He's also accused of promising to reduce sentences in exchange for sex, ABC 7 said.

The investigation began after an Arkansas Department of Human Services investigator alleged that Boeckmann had reduced the bond against a defendant while he was in a long-term relationship with her male relative.

Sachar said that the Arkansas Supreme Court had appointed a special judge to hear Boeckmann's cases during the investigation.

Jeff Rosenzweig, Boeckmann's attorney, says he will not make any further comments beyond his resignation letter to the commission.
Two Los Angeles police officers who pulled over a speeding car on Mother's Day were surprised to find a woman about to give birth and a frantic man behind the wheel.

Officers Maraea Toomalatai and Brian Armendariz safely escorted the couple to a downtown hospital Sunday after realizing new mom, Sasha Murphy, was in labor with their first child.

'I saw her legs propped up on the dash and I just saw a lot of blood. My whole face was just focused on her eyes and she was just in shock. At that moment I knew what we were dealing with,' Toomalatai told ABC 7.

The officers told the father, Mohammed Tindley, who was driving, to follow them.

Los Angeles officers Maraea Toomalatai (right) and Brian Armendariz (left) safely escorted couple, Mohammed Tindley (center right) and Sasha Murphy (center holding newborn), 20, who was in labor, to a local hospital on Mother's Day

When they arrived, one officer alerted the medical staff. But before doctors could get to the mother-to-be inside the car, she gave birth to a healthy boy with the assistance of the other officer

'The husband was screaming out the car, "Baby, baby!" We're like, "No, stay in the car. Wait, wait." We ran back to the car and said, "Hey follow us."

'And we hit the sirens all the way to the hospital and got them here safely,' Armendariz told ABC.

When they arrived, one officer alerted the medical staff. But before doctors could get to the mother-to-be inside the car, she gave birth to a healthy boy with the assistance of the other officer, according to KTLA.

Officers spotted the car speeding around 5am on Sunday when they pulled the couple over.

Murphy, 20, told ABC 7 that Tindley was 'driving fast, trying to make it here' and ends up running 'a couple of red lights', which is when they were pulled over by the officers.

'They pull us over and see the baby. They start saying, "We have a 2-13, we have a 2-13! We have to escort you guys." Then they escorted us to the hospital,' Murphy told ABC 7.

In a statement, police said, 'Messiah Tindley was born on Mother's Day, inside the vehicle escorted by LAPD officers.'

Toomalatai and Armendariz escorted the vehicle to Dignity Health California Medical Center on South Hope Street.

Murphy and her baby boy, who was born weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces, are both healthy and doing well, according to the news station.

She said the entire incident was 'a good experience for all of us' adding that she'll never forget the 'priceless' faces of the officers.

Murphy and her son (pictured), who was born weighing 7 pounds and 10 ounces, are both doing well
House Speaker Paul Ryan won't get in Donald Trump's way if Trump wants to fire him as the formal chair of the Republican convention, the powerful lawmaker said Monday.

'He's the nominee. I'll do whatever he wants with respect to the convention,' Ryan told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel when asked about Trump's suggestion he might get rid of Ryan as formal chair of the convention if the Wisconsin Republican decides not to endorse Trump.

Trump came to the verge of threatening to dump Ryan from his convention post when he got asked about it on NBC's 'Meet the Press' Sunday  following Ryan's explosive statement last week that he's 'not ready' to back Trump.

'I don't want to mention now. I'll see after,' Trump said Sunday. 'I will give you a very solid answer, if that happens, about one minute after that happens. Okay?' Trump told the program. 'But there's no reason to give it right now, but I'll be very quick with the answer. Let's see what happens.'

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Have gavel will travel: Ryan will chair the GOP convention  unless Trump says 'you're fired'

Trump said Sunday he was 'blindsided' by Ryan's statement he wasn't ready to support him

The top-ranking House Republican typically chairs the party convention. But there is 'nothing in the rules' explicitly making it so, a party official told DailyMail.com.

Instead, the committee on permanent organization puts forward a name, which gets voted on by the full convention on the floor.

Ryan didn't sound like he wanted to pick another fight with Trump Monday, after Trump hit back at him for saying he wasn't ready to back the presumed nominee.

'I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda,' Trump responded in a statement last week.

Ryan explained in the latest interview: 'I just want to get to know the guy. We just don't know each other.'

Continuing to try to defuse the situation, he added: 'I never said never. I just said (not) at this point. I wish I had more time to get to know him before this happened. We just didn't.'

Ryan, who served as Mitt Romney's 2012 running mate, said it would be a 'disaster for our party' if someone mounted a conservative third-party challenge.

As for his own ambitions: 'I would not have become speaker of the House if I had 2020 aspirations. If I really wanted to run for president, I could have run in 2012 and 2016. The speaker is not exactly a good stepping stone for president. I think people who know me know that is not my aspiration,' Ryan said.

The two men sit down Thursday at Republican National Committee headquarters in D.C. for a high-stakes confab that could affect whether more Republicans bolt from Trump.

'He has a bunch riding on this meeting on Thursday. He's a different person I think in private and may be able to nuance things with Paul Ryan,' one former congressional leadership aide told DailyMail.com

As for Ryan's play: 'He just wants him to come his way some. That would be a a productive thing for [Trump] to come a little bit more Paul's way.'

Ryan also spoke to the split in the GOP, with former president's George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush both skipping the convention.

'We have right now a dis-unified Republican Party. We shouldn't sweep it under the rug without addressing it. That would be to our detriment in the fall,' said Ryan said in an interview the paper said had been scheduled before the blowup.

Ryan also threw some flattery Trump's way. 'I don't want to have a conversation with Donald Trump through the media. I want to have a straight conversation with Donald Trump on behalf of the party (and) myself, too. Let me say this, the man deserves a ton of credit for an amazing achievement, which is to bring millions of people into this party and to have a very impressive victory.'

'At the same time we want to make sure we don't pretend we're unified and then go into the fall at half strength,' he added.

The Republican National Committee didn't even hint at the drama in an official statement: 'The convention officers are elected through the adoption of the report of the committee on permanent organization. While the duties of the officers are not detailed in the rules, the role of the convention chairman is to preside over the convention,' said the RNC.

Further roiling the situation, Trump has begun to stray further from party orthodoxy, saying people at the bottom income levels need an increase in the minimum wage and even suggesting top earners would ultimately see their taxes go up  at least compared to the tax cut in his campaign plan.

'I represent a very important group of people and a powerful group of people,' Trump told CNN Monday. 'These people have to be treated with respect.'

Palin says Ryan could get 'Cantored' and lose his seat in a primary

Paul Nehlen is running an uphill primary race against Ryan

Sarah Palin, John McCain's 2008 running mate and a Trump supporter, hit Ryan for failing to endorse on Sunday. She told CNN his political career is over, but for a miracle.

She added: I think Paul Ryan is soon to be Cantored, as in Eric Cantor, in reference to the former No. 2 Republican who lost his seat in a primary in 2014. She promised to do all she could for Ryan's Tea Party-alligned primary opponent, businessman Paul Nehlen.
A New Jersey woman managed to catch a pair of thieves ransacking her house while she wasn't home using a surveillance system linked up to her phone, and then scared the robbers off by yelling at them over the PA.

The two men, Joshua Robinson, 32, and Eric Gilch, 28, broke into the home in Upper Pittsgrove Township on April 12.

However the homeowner saw the pair on her surveillance system as they gathered up her jewelry.

According to a police Facebook announcement, the woman 'wove a tapestry of obscenities' at the two.

Caught: The two men, Joshua Robinson, 32, and Eric Gilch, 28, broke into the home in Upper Pittsgrove Township, but were caught by the homeowner using a surveillance system synced to her phone

The burglars were caught on surveillance video fleeing from a New Jersey home after being startled when they received a messaged broadcast remotely from the homeowner

The men can be seen quite clearly in the footage. Police released the tape in the hope of finding them, but ended up using some stolen lottery tickets

'Startled, our fearful burglars can be seen high-tailing it out of her house, abruptly ending their ill-fated plundering,' the post said.

The woman took the footage to police and reported what happened.

She explained to the officers that, among the things that were stolen were 10 New Jersey Lottery tickets.

Three of the tickets were $2 winners.

After some investigating, the cops worked out that Robinson had actually cashed in the tickets 45 minutes after the burglary at a liquor store in Camden.

Police were then able to identify Gilch as the other man that was involved.

Eric Gilch, 28 (left), and Joshua Robinson, 32, allegedly broke into the home in Upper Pittsgrove Township on April 12

'As our detectives were searching for Robinson in Camden, they found Gilch walking in the area of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Broadway,' the police said.

Detectives were able to link that stolen jewelry to burglaries in Collingswood and Haddon Townships.

The jewelry was later identified and returned to the victim, which included an inscribed, heirloom wedding band.

Gilch was charged with burglary and theft and lodged at Salem County Jail in lieu of $75,000 cash bail.

Robinson was charged with burglary and theft, however he remains on the lamb.

'If you all we be so kind as to like and share this post, we would really appreciate it,' the police posted online.

Loot: The stolen jewelry recovered from the pair has since been returned to its owner, police said

During the burglary video, the men are seen bursting through the door and entering what appears to be a living room and kitchen area before encountering the homeowner's dogs.

After the dogs sniff them and walk off, the men are seen heading to a different part of the house out of view of the camera while wearing blue gloves.

Eventually they reappear in the living room area, with one opening a suitcase before quickly closing it.
The Brazilian president's impeachment has been annulled on a technicality in a 'surreal' twist just weeks after she was set to be suspended over claims of fiddling government finances.

Even Dilma Rousseff herself was surprised by the decision, after it was claimed by Waldir Maranhao, the interim speaker in the lower house of Congress, that the original vote by deputies had 'prejudged' her and denied her 'the right to a full defence.'

Rousseff, from the leftist Workers' Party, is accused of illegally manipulating government budget accounts during her 2014 re-election battle to mask the seriousness of economic problems.

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Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, from the leftist Workers' Party, is accused of illegally manipulating government budget accounts during her 2014 re-election battle

However, she says the process has been twisted into a coup by right-wingers in the second year of her second term.

The impeachment battle, waged during Brazil's worst recession since the 1930s, has divided the country of 200 million people more deeply than at any time since the end of its military dictatorship in 1985.

When it was ordered that she was to be impeached last month, the floor of the lower house was a sea of Brazilian flagsand pumping fists as dozens of lawmakers carried the deputy whocast the decisive 342nd vote in their arms.

In Brazil's largestcities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, fireworks lit up thenight sky and cars honked their horns in celebration after thevote.

Maranhao, has now ordered that a new vote in the lower house should take place on whether to impeach Rousseff in the coming days, following five official sessions in the chamber.

The cancellation of the lower house vote was ordered in response to a request by Rousseff's solicitor general, who had challenged its legitimacy.

Demonstrators wearing costumes of Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, and Rousseff march inside mock jail cells, during a protest demanding Rousseff's impeachment in Sao Paulo

The Senate had been due to start its own voting process on Wednesday, with a majority expected to back suspension of Rousseff.

Once suspended, she would face a trial lasting months, with a two-thirds majority needed eventually to eject her from office.

Early signs were that the Senate would ignore Maranhao's order, possibly prompting a decisive battle in the Supreme Court.

The head of the chamber's impeachment committee, Raimundo Lira, said that the vote would go ahead as planned, regardless of Maranhao.

Thousands of pro and anti-impeachment protesters demonstrated outside Congress, when impeachment proceedings were launched last month

However, there was no immediate word from the powerful Senate president, Renan Calheiros, who was reported to be meeting with party leaders.

A delighted-looking Rousseff interrupted a speech to supporters to say that she'd just got unconfirmed news of the impeachment drive hitting a roadblock.

'I don't know the consequences. Please be cautious,' she said, calling on her backers to 'defend democracy.'

Andrei Perfeito from Gradual Investimentos financial consultants called the development 'surreal.'
Richard Diaz-Garcia., who has been arrested and deported four times, has been arrested again after being caught with a bag of cash in New Jersey

A man from the Dominican Republic  who has already been deported four times after four arrests in Delaware  has been arrested again after being caught with a big bag of cash in New Jersey.

Richard Diaz-Garcia has been caught and deported from the United States and returned to his native county four times since 2000, according to a report by the FBI.

But he was arrested again in February and police officers seized $5,000 that Diaz-Garcia was carrying in a black bag, as well as $393 in his pockets, in Newark, New Jersey, the News-Journal reports.

Wilmington police in Delaware suspected that Diaz-Garcia was in the U.S. illegally.

According to court documents, they contacted Immigration and Custom Enforcement after Diaz-Garcias arrest and he was taken into federal custody.

FBI spokesman David Fitz did not elaborate about the circumstances of the arrest, but told the News-Journal the office has been extremely busy.

Daily Mail Online has contacted the office for further comment.

Diaz-Garcias criminal record in Delaware dates back to 1999, when he was arrested on drug charges.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine as well as resisting arrest. He was deported to the Dominican Republic in 2010.

But a similar scenario played out with Diaz-Garcia three more times.

Two years later, he was detained in the state again. He was charged in October 2002 with resisting arrest and possession of cocaine.

He was deported in December of that year.

In 2007, he pleaded guilty to re-entry after deportation by an aggravated felon and was sentenced to time served  and deported.

He was back in the U.S. less than a year later  and arrested again, this time for shoplifting mens cologne in a Sears department store on Kirkwood Highway.

Once again, he was deported.

His attorneys said in 2008 that Diaz-Garcia kept returning to Delaware because he has a girlfriend and two children in the state.
Schoolgirl Shazel Zaman, 13, suffered a severe headache, vomiting and dizziness after having the HPV jab but was sent home from Bury's Fairfield Hospital after doctors said she had a stomach bug

A teenage girl has died just five days after being given the cervical cancer jab after doctors dismissed her illness as a stomach bug and even branded her a 'lazy child' before sending her home.

Shazel Zaman, 13, was suffering with a severe headache, vomiting and dizziness after having the HPV vaccine and her symptoms became so severe that her family took her to Fairfield Hospital in Bury.

But the family claim that a doctor dismissed her condition was linked to the cervical cancer jab and sent her home citing a stomach bug.

She was found collapsed and unconscious with no pulse an hour later at her home in Bury, and died in hospital four hours later.

Now Pennine Acute NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, has launched an investigation into the standard of care Shazel received at the hospital.

Her family believe her death is linked directly to the cervical cancer jab.

Shazel had been given her second course of the HPV vaccine at Derby High School in Bury on April 13, and fell ill just hours later. Her condition rapidly worsened and she died on April 17.

Her sister, Maham Hussain, 19, said: 'She had the injection on the Wednesday. On Friday she was complaining of a sore arm - no swelling just redness.

'On the Saturday she complained of a severe headache, and by the evening she was throwing up. Come Sunday she was very pale, and my aunt took her to Fairfield.

'Whilst she was there she was in and out of consciousness. My aunt had to get a wheelchair for her.

'She had a blood test, and her heart rate checked, and everything was said to be normal.

'She was asked to provide a urine test and when my aunt took her to the toilet she fell to the floor, she was so drowsy.

'My aunt took her back to the doctor and that's when the doctor made the comment that Shazel "came across as a lazy child".

Shazel's aunt, Saimah Naseem, who took her to Fairfield, said she was 'shocked' at the comment.

She said: 'That was a horrible thing to say. One of the nurses also made the comment "she's fine".'

Shazel's sister Maham Hussain, 19, (pictured) said the family strongly believe the teenager's death was linked to the HPV vaccine jab which she received just five days before she collapsed at home in Bury and later died

Maham said: 'I was at home when Shazel returned. She was in a really bad state. As soon as she came home my aunt put her to bed.

'My aunt gave her water so she wouldn't dehydrate. My aunt and grandmother kept checking on her.

'An hour later she went blue. She had no pulse. The paramedics were here in seven minutes but she was not responding.

'At hospital it was just the machines that were keeping her alive.'

The family said that following her death she underwent a CT scan but it was unable to find a cause.

The family strongly believe that there is a link between her death and the vaccination. I don't think the hospital took her seriously Shazel's sister Maham Hussain

They then paid 670 for an MRI scan at Oldham Royal Hospital. That too was inconclusive and an autopsy has now been carried out. However, the results will not be available for several months.

Mahan said: 'The family strongly believe that there is a link between her death and the vaccination.

'Before that she was perfectly normal, and active. Our own GP was really shocked that she had passed away. The reason we are speaking out is to raise awareness of what might happen.

'I don't think the hospital took her seriously. If they had done more tests they could have picked something up.'

The family have praised staff from St Luke's C of E Primary School, where Shazel was a former pupil, for their support.

Maham said: 'Shazel had lots of friends. The support from St Luke's for our family has been fantastic, especially the headteacher. The whole community is shocked by Shazel's sudden death.'

Shazel leaves another sister, Amaima, eight, and two brothers, Aman, 11, and Zain, seven.

Pennine Acute NHS Trust has launched an investigation into the standard of care Shazel received at Fairfield General Hospital in Bury (pictured) after she was sent home with a 'stomach bug' just hours before collapsing

Investigations have been launched into Shazel's treatment at hospital and whether her death was linked to the HPV (human papilloma virus) jab.

In a letter to her mother, Rob Barrow, Assistant Directorate Manager at Pennine Acute NHS Trust, which runs Fairfield Hospital, said: 'In line with national and Trust policy, we will be undertaking an investigation looking at the care and treatment of your daughter whilst under the care of the Trust.

'I know there are questions you may wish to raise to be considered as part of the investigation.'

In a statement Gill Harris, Chief Nurse at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'Our thoughts are with the family and we offer them our sincere condolences for their tragic loss.

'We have started a full clinical review to examine the circumstances surrounding Shazel Zaman's death to understand what happened following her attendance at our A&E department in April.

The family claim that a doctor dismissed Shazel's condition was linked to the cervical cancer jab and sent her home citing a stomach bug. Above: Maham

'We intend to share the findings from our review with the family, with the Coroner' office, as well as with our own staff.'

Deputy Bury Coroner Lisa Hashmi said she has also commenced an investigation but will assess evidence before deciding whether to have a full inquest if she deems Shazel's death 'unnatural'.

A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said more than three million girls have been vaccinated so far in the UK with the HPV vaccine, and tens of millions more have been vaccinated globally.

'As with all vaccines, safety remains under continual review, and HPV vaccine has a very good safety record,' she said.

'We are aware of the tragic death of a young girl, and our thoughts are with her family. As with any serious adverse events, we will establish the facts, but there has been no suggestion from safety monitoring so far that the vaccine has been responsible for any deaths.'

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at Public Health England, added: 'PHE continues to encourage all girls aged 12 to 13 to take up HPV vaccination when offered as part of the NHS childhood vaccination programme.

'The vaccine protects against cervical cancer, the most common cancer among women aged 15 to 34 years. There are 3064 new cervical cancer diagnoses each year in the UK, sadly causing death in around 919 of these cases according to latest figures.

'Fortunately, HPV vaccine uptake rates in England are amongst the highest in the world, with latest figures showing that around 87 per cent of eligible girls are fully immunised.

'We expect the major benefit of the vaccination programme - a decrease in cervical cancer, which peaks in women between 25 and 50 - will be seen in some years' time.
A wealthy New York City landlord faces 25 years in jail as he is charged with fraud and intimidation.

Steve Croman, 49, gradually snapped up 140 buildings in Manhattan's gentrifying areas over the last few years.

The lucrative portfolio pushed him into the upper echelons of New York's social circuit, mingling with the elite in the Hamptons.

But on Monday his success streak came to a grinding halt as he was arrested at dawn then sat handcuffed in court to be charged with 20 felonies.

He is accused of deliberately driving 'countless working-class and low-income families out of their longtime homes' while lying to authorities to amass a million-dollar fortune.

Charged: Steve Croman faces 25 years in jail for allegedly lying about his income and driving working-class tenants out of their homes. He is pictured (center) sat next to his employee Barry Swartz, who is also charged

Croman's lucrative portfolio pushed him into the upper echelons of New York's social circuit, mingling with the elite in the Hamptons. He is pictured with his wife Harriet at a pre-Art Basel event in Miami last year

Facing 25 years in jail: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman branded Croman 'unscrupulous'

A grand jury found Croman and an employee Barry Swartz, a 53-year-old mortgage broker, had inflated their rent income between 2012 to 2014 to land $45 million in fraudulent loans.

Croman was also slapped with a civil lawsuit, accused of paying a police officer-turned-PI Anthony Falconite to intimidate tenants into leaving their rent-controlled apartments.

Under New York City law, a landlord can only raise the rent on a rent-controlled apartment if the tenants willfully leave and the property requires substantial renovations.

Residents in the once-gritty, now-gentrified Lower East Side and uptown's Spanish Harlem have been pressured to move out of their homes for small cash pay-offs, authorities claim.

There is even a website and a support group for the thousands of affected tenants, with a complete list of all Croman's properties.

Croman was released from police custody on Monday afternoon after each posting $500,000 cash bail.

Swartz, who is charged with 15 felonies, posted $250,000 bail.

It comes less than two months after Croman's son made headline news for abusing an Uber driver.

Addressing the landlord case on Monday, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman slammed Croman as 'unscrupulous'.

'My message to unscrupulous landlords is simple: if you put your own profits over your tenants legal protections, we will investigate you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,' Schneiderman said in a statement.

On Monday his success streak came to a halt as he was arrested at dawn then sat handcuffed in court

Croman was released from police custody on Monday afternoon after each posting $500,000 cash bail

The charges: The attorney general displayed the charges against Croman as a warning on Monday

'Paid a cop': Croman (left) was also slapped with a civil lawsuit, accused of paying a police officer-turned-PI Anthony Falconite (right) to intimidate tenants into leaving their rent-controlled apartments

Residents in the once-gritty, now-gentrified Lower East Side have been pressured to move out of their homes for small cash pay-offs, authorities claim. Pictured: 134 Orchard Street, one of Croman's properties

'My office will not tolerate anyone who attempts to line their own pockets by gaming the system.

'No one is above the law  no matter how rich or powerful.'

Croman and Swartz have both pleaded not guilty.

Falconite's lawyer says his client acted legally.

Croman's son Jake Croman, a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon chapter at the University of Michigan, sparked controversy after abusing an Uber driver in March.

He was recorded calling Artur Zawada, 50, a 'minimum wage f*****' and mocking him because he had to work during a confrontation near the campus in Ann Arbor on March 20.

The former student at the $45,000-a-year Columbia Prep school in New York was seen launching into a foul-mouthed tirade after the driver turned down their fare.

In the footage, the vitriolic student, tells him: 'They [Uber] don't give a s*** about you. They don't give two f****. There are fifty of you, and there is one of me, who spends the most money, you little f***.'

His father did not comment on the case.
Therese Gunn, 53, was arrested on Friday after allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with one of her students

A former high school teacher in Atlanta, Georgia has been arrested for allegedly having sex with one of her students, as well as letting that 17-year-old boy and two female students smoke marijuana at her house.

Therese Gunn, 53, was arrested on Friday and charged with one count of sexual assault and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The former South Gwinnett High School teacher resigned from her job on April 19, and the next day the alleged victim's mother called police to inform the of the inappropriate relationship.

The mother told investigators that her son told her that he started sleeping with Gunn in March, but that the relationship had since ended.

The two allegedly met up for sex at school, at Gunn's home and at Lenora Park.

During the course of the police investigation, cops learned that Gunn also held a party at her house in Grayson and that she let the boy and two female students smoke marijuana under her direct supervision.

Gunn also reported smoked marijuana during that party.

Gunn was arrested after turning herself into authorities on Friday.

She spent just a few hours in jail, bonding out early Saturday morning on $21,700 bail.

This is the fourth time this school year that a Gwinnett County Public Schools teacher has been arrested for sex-related charges.

'We take allegations like this very seriously, the safety of our students is a priority,' Gwinnett County Public Schools spokesman Bernard Watson said in a statement on Monday. 'When we learned about the allegations against Ms. Gunn, we investigated them immediately. During the course of that investigation, Ms. Gunn resigned. The matter is now in the hands of police and prosecutors and we are confident that the case will be handled in the appropriate manner.'

The two allegedly met up for sex at school, at Gunn's home (pictured) and at Lenora Park. The relationship reportedly started in March but ended something a month later
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says he doesn't even want to be considered as Donald Trump's running mate, in just the latest snub to the presumed Republican nominee  although it was a job he was unlikely to get.

'While Republican voters have chosen Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee, my previously stated reservations about his campaign and concerns with many of his policies remain unchanged,' Rubio wrote on Facebook Monday.

'He will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign,' Rubio continued, before crafting his own Shermanesque statement.

'As such, I have never sought, will not seek and do not want to be considered for Vice President. Instead, I will focus my attention on representing the people of Florida, retaining a conservative majority in the Senate and electing principled conservatives across the country,' he added.

Rubio gently cited 'previously stated reservations' about Trump's campaign in saying he won't be VP

Trump taunted Rubio repeatedly during the campaign as 'little Marco' and diminished his role as a first-term senator and 'politician.'

On Monday, the Trump campaign announced that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would be heading up Trump's transition team, elevating a politician who mercilessly went after Rubio during a presidential debate that helped kill Rubio's presidential campaign.

Even after he dropped out after losing Florida, Rubio loomed as a potential power-broker if the campaign ended without a majority winner. Rubio won 172 delegates, and wasn't releasing them  a move that prompted speculation he might try to make a deal with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz if Trump failed to win on a first ballot.

He had obvious appeal as a running mate. Rubio is telegenic, conversant in foreign policy, and is a Hispanic who could help Trump reach out to voters he alienated with his own rhetoric about Mexian 'rapists' streaming into the country.

He also hails from a pivotal state, although one where he failed to stay competitive with Trump. Rubio aide Alex Burgos told MSNBC in March the candidate 'wants to give voters a chance to stop Trump.'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who helped destroy Christie's campaign, is a top Trump advisor

Tag team: Trump blasted Rubio's attendance while Christie slammed his experience

As he moved from top-tier candidate beloved by the establishment and covered breathlessly by the media to a long-shot, Rubio went full bore after Trump. In one angry exchange at a Fox News debate, he ripped Trump's business acumen.

'Ever heard of Trump steak or Trump vodka? Take a look at Trump steaks. Trump steaks is gone. You have ruined these companies,' Rubio said.

'I have a policy question for you, sir,' moderator Chris Wallace then told Trump.

'Let's see if he answers it,' said Rubio.

'I will. Don't worry about it, Marco. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it, little Marco, I will.'

At the CNN debate in late February, Rubio hit Trump where it hurts. 'If he hadnt inherited $200 million, you know where Donald Trump would be? Selling watches in Manhattan, Rubio said.

Gifted campaigner: D.C. politicos considered Rubio the best talker among the GOP field

At the New Hampshire debate on ABC, Christie went straight at Rubio as he got hung up repeatedly on his own talking points.

'You have not been involved in a consequential decision where you had to be held accountable. You just simply haven't,' Christie said.

When Rubio offered bromides about President Obama, Christie slammed him for 'the memorized 25 second speech that is exactly what his advisors gave him.'
A high profile terrorist trial focusing on the Paris and Brussels attacks descended into farce yesterday after a prisoner officers' strike prevented lawyers speaking to defendants.

Seven suspected jihadists were due in the Palais de Justice in the Belgium capital, accused of being part of the group that murdered 162 people with suicide bombs and machine gun fire.

All were thought to be part of a cell run by the late Islamic State killer Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a ringleader of the November 13th attack on Paris.

The seven suspected jihadists due in Palais de Justice were thought to be part of a cell run by the late Islamic State killer Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a ringleader of the November 13th attack on Paris (pictured)

Although 16 suspects have been charged with various terrorist offences in connection with the cell, nine of them are still on the run.

This morning, there were further problems for prosecutors when lawyers said they had lost track of their clients in prison.

They included Marouan El Bali, 26 and the only survivor of the police raid on a house in Verviers, eastern Belgium, in January 2015.

It led to two Isis terrorists  Khalid Ben Larbi and Sofiane Amghar  being blasted to death by police. But Didier de Quevy, El Bali's barrister, said: 'I've not seen my client for days. How am I going to defend him if I can't speak with him?'

Referring to a strike that has brought chaos to Belgium prisons, Mr De Quevy said: 'Over the last few days I've not been able to get into Saint-Gilles prison, where Mr El Bali was transferred on Friday.'

Despite the problems, security was at the highest possible level for the opening of the trial, as Pierre Hendrickx, the President of the Court, opened the case.

He described how a cache of explosives was known to be in the Verviers building the month before the attack.

Security was at the highest possible level for the opening of the trial and pictured, armed officers on the streets in Brussels

Phone taps had picked up a suspect saying: 'I have everything. Everything is hidden in the store'. This gave the police the authority to launch the Verviers raid, which came a week after terrorists attacked the offices of Paris satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people.

Prosecutors claim the cell intended to kidnap and murder a high-ranking police officer or judge, and that Abaaoud was directing operations by telephone from Greece.

Four of those appearing in court on Monday - El Bali, Souhaib El Abdi, Mohamed Arshad and Omar Damache - have been held in custody, while three others have been on bail.
A man from Juarez, Mexico, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after he shot his friend dead, then fed the deceased man's penis to a dog.

Mario Alberto Lizalde Reyes, 25, was walking with his childhood friend Mario Hernandez Banda, 24, after the two had been drinking.

They began to argue and Reyes claimed Banda 'tried to touch him in a sexual way', the New York Daily News reported.

Reyes then pulled out a revolver and shot his friend in the head, El Paso Times wrote.

Mario Alberto Lizalde Reyes (pictured), 25, was sentenced to eight years in prison for shooting his friend in the head and then feeding the dead man's penis to his pet dog before turning himself in to police the following day

In a confession Reyes wrote:

'After pushing him off, he went to urinate in an alley, so I followed him, pulled out my gun and shot him in the head.

'I then took his knife off him and chopped off his penis as punishment and put it in a bag.'

Reyes noticed his dog was sniffing the bag and decided to feed the dog the severed penis.

The dog ate it and Reyes finished walking his pet before going home, leaving Banda's body slumped in an alleyway.

Nearly two years after the murder, on Friday a judge sentenced Reyes to eight years in prison for the killing

The incident took place on September 27, 2014, according to El Paso Times.

The following day, Reyes' conscious got the better of him and he turned himself in to police.

'He came in covered in cuts and bruises, and said he had fought with his stepfather when he told him what he had done.

'He then admitting killing his best friend and said that although his friend had tried sexually assaulting him, he was still a human being and didn't deserve to die,' according to police spokesman.
Police said Heidi McKinney (pictured in a mugshot), 26, touched a woman's breasts and genitals without consent during an Alaska Airlines flight on Sunday

An Oregon woman was charged with molesting a female passenger on a flight from Las Vegas to Portland.

Police said Heidi McKinney, 26, touched the woman's breasts and genitals without consent during flight 621 on Alaska Airlines on Sunday.

They arrested her at Portland's PDX airport after the plane touched down, according to an investigation report published by The Smoking Gun.

The alleged unwanted contacts happened while the plane was in Oregon airspace, the document states.

Police spoke with the other woman after the flight landed and later arrested McKinney.

The 26-year-old, of Banks, Oregon, was charged with misdemeanor third-degree sex abuse.

She was booked into the Multnomah County jail on Sunday and her bail was set at $2,500 according to The Smoking Gun.

Authorities released McKinney on Monday and a 'no complaint' disposition was filed in the afternoon according to KGW.

McKinney (pictured during an earlier trip to Hawaii), of Banks, Oregon, was charged with misdemeanor third-degree sex abuse. She was taken into custody on Sunday and released the following day
Trevor Phillips says the failure to allay fears about the changing face of the UK is fuelling community tensions

Britain risks sleepwalking into catastrophe and a wave of racial unrest unless it addresses concerns over immigration, the former head of the equalities watchdog has warned.

In a devastating analysis, Trevor Phillips insisted the failure to allay fears about the rapidly changing face of the UK is fuelling growing community tensions.

He called anti-immigrant sentiment a smouldering tinderbox that could ignite at any time, stoked by people who had felt unable to speak out for fear of being branded white racists.

The former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission accused senior figures of a deafening silence when confronted with issues linked to race, ethnicity and culture.

Mr Phillips, 62, said the dangerously misguided liberal elite were unwilling to acknowledge that some communities resist integration and a minority are actively opposed to British values and behaviour.

His analysis came two months after he expressed concern at the chasm between British Muslims and their compatriots on issues such as marriage, segregation, freedom of speech and violence in defence of religion.

Mr Phillips said: Britain is changing at an extraordinary pace. In a country used to stability and gradual change, frictions generated by our increasing diversity threaten tranquillity.

His 61-page essay warns that these tensions threaten to erupt at any time.

He said there was no shortage of public condemnation of racism in Britain. But he warned of public unease over the appearance of non-English names above shopfronts; the odd decision to provide only halal meat in some schools; evidence of corruption in municipal politics dominated by one ethnic group.

He added: Rome may not yet be in flames, but I think I can smell smouldering whilst we hum to the music of liberal self-delusion.

Phillips warned the UK is risking 'sleepwalking into a catastrophe' by not tackling issues surrounding diversity

Mr Phillips, whose essay Race and Faith: The Deafening Silence was published by think-tank Civitas, was a central figure in the retreat from multiculturalism  the Left-wing doctrine adopted by Tony Blair.

He warned: Squeamishness about addressing diversity risks allowing our country to sleepwalk to a catastrophe that will set community against community ... and undermine the democracy that has served this country so well for so long.
A rare whale shark has been killed just a few hours after being seen near an offshore oilfield in south-west China, according to Chinese media.

The gigantic animal was spotted off the coast of Behai, China's Guangxi province, on May 5.

Just hours later, the shark was found killed and hung in the city's harbour, reports the People's Daily Online.

Stunning: The whale shark was seen last week near an oil platform off the coast of Behai, south-west China

Horrifying: Just hours later the whale shark was seen, it was found dead and hung up in the city's harbour

Anger at the killing: The images of before and after have caused outrage on China's social media sites

The pictures were first shared on Chinese social media by 'Beihai fa bu', the official account of the Beihai city office.

The post, which appeared on May 7, read: 'Yesterday, social media users widely shared the pictures of a whale shark spotted next to an oilfield.

'The scene of the marine mammal swimming freely made people happy.'

The post then went on saying: 'Today however, there is news saying the whale shark has been caught and killed. There are pictures showing the animal being lifted up in the harbour.

'Because it's hard to identify the exact location and date, we hope people with information to come forward.'

According to the Beihai Aquatic Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau, they are currently investigating the case to see if it is definitely the same fish spotted one day earlier.

Rare animal: Whale sharks are considered to be threatened according to the World Wildlife Fund

Shocking: The Beihai Aquatic Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau are still investigating the case

The images have been shared online and have outraged Chinese internet users.

On Facebook, Lee An wrote: 'Why did they kill the shark? Barbarians.'

While Ed D Vash said: 'So what happened to the fishermen who illegally killed this gentle giant.'

While on China's Twitter like Weibo people have been upset about the capture of the animal.

'Li Ziyan 49014' said: 'This looks like a baby shark by its size. Human beings are too cruel. '

While 'Yu luo chi tang 2' commented: 'I feel so sad to see it killed. Why do we have to slaughter it in such a cruel way?

'Every time when I read reports like this, I don't want to keep reading. The more we kill, the closer we are to the end of the world.'

Sad case: Unfortunately this isn't the first case of whale sharks being captured and killed in China

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the whale shark is the biggest fish and shark in the world.

They are usually found wandering the oceans alone.

These giant fish are considered to be vulnerable.

Whale sharks are in demand for their meat and fins worldwide, according to World Wildlife Fund.

They are often caught accidentally by those using large fishing nets.

This isn't the first case of giant whale sharks being captured and killed in China.

In August 2015, sickening footage emerged of a Whale Shark in China being slowly sawed into pieces while it was still alive.

It's unclear where exactly in China it took place, however the Weibo user who posted the video online told reporters from Thepaper.cn that he witnessed the scene in Yangjiang in southern China's Guangdong province.
You've treated yourself to a takeaway dinner and get home only to find that you've been given something extra than what you've ordered. A rat.

This was exactly the case for a student at Hengyang Normal University, China's Hunan province, who discovered a rat in her canteen takeaway meal on May 7, reports Huanqiu, affiliated with the People's Daily Online.

A chef and his assistant ha been fired after the woman posted photos to her social media accounts.

Disgusting: A student tucked into her meal to find a rat in her takeaway box at her university's canteen

The student claimed she ordered a meal box in the evening from the canteen which included wood ear fungus which helped to hide the rat.

She wrote on her post on China's Twitter-like Weibo on Saturday that she thought the mystery object was a piece of pig's trotter.

She said in the post: 'I took it out, oh my god, it was a whole rat. I felt sick. I had a breakdown.

'From now on I won't touch the food from the school's canteen.

Her post was popular on social media with many people commenting and sharing the post.

On May 8, Hengyang Normal University launched an investigation and confirmed the authenticity of the student's post.

The school said in an official statement yesterday that the chef and his serving assistant were at fault for the incident.

The two employees have been sacked and will also not receive payment for this month.

The school also said in the statement that it will tighten the control of the purchasing and the storing of the food ingredients.

In addition, the school authority vowed to 'increase the frequency of its rat hunting, from once to three times a month'.

However the university have not confirmed how the rat ended up in the food.

I definitely didn't order that: The student posted images on her social media accounts to show the rodent

On Chinese news site iFeng.com, there were mixed comments about the incident.

'Wang chuan' said: 'Why dismiss the chef, but not the manager of the canteen?'

While 'Xing su' commented: 'All the school canteens are the same. Only that you didn't know [their hygiene].'

'Twenty-Nine02' asked: 'What about those who didn't see the rat but ate the same dish?'

This isn't the first incident of rodents being reported in the university's canteen.
Hallways needn't be neglected, cluttered thoroughfares. They can often be statement spaces decorated with a flair that harks back to the days when they were considered the heart of the home.

In the distant 1400s, the hallway was where the family dined, along with assorted guests and even passing travellers.

Grand entrance: Hallways can create good first impressions if they are well lit, tidy and beautifully turned out

Great houses played host to itinerant bands of actors who regaled them with poetry music and dance.

The fashion for hallways being treated as rooms in their own right continued well into the 1700s with grand houses, such as Petworth House in Sussex and Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, featuring marble columns, sculptures, intricately patterned floor tiling and portraits of gilded forebears.

Most of us will relate better to George Bernard Shaw's more relaxed approach.The hallway at his house in Hertfordshire remains much as he left it, strewn with gaiters, shoes, walking sticks and an eccentric collection of hats.

Top interior designers would be horrified. Here, they offer some tips on how to tidy up your hallway act.

Set the tone

Lighting is key. Too harsh and it feels like a supermarket aisle. Too dim and dinginess sets in. Get the lighting right and you can create a cosy welcoming feel.

Katey Korzenietz, at Homerestyler.co.uk, an interior design company based in Exeter, suggests getting rid of fabric lampshades and trying softer, glass pendant shades.

Plush pendant: Large lights, such as this chandelier, make arresting hallway features

'Glass, pendants, lanterns, even chandeliers, work well in hallways because they disperse light evenly. Tall console lamps sitting elegantly in pairs can look dramatic on a slim hall table without cutting into the space,' says Sophie Amini, creative director at London lighting specialist Pooky.

Wild Walls

Helen Bygraves, co-founder of designers Hill House Interiors, says you can go wild with hallways.

'It's all in the detail, doorknobs finished in leather or mother of pearl, staircases in wrought iron or bronze, the hallway is your chance to make a lasting first impression,' she says.

Here, you can embrace bold wall patterns or dark paint shades. Washed Denim by Mini Moderns will make the dullest hallway feel richly luxurious (2.5L 30, minimoderns.com).

Cole & Son offer some classic, graphic designs guaranteed to smarten up such a space like Parterre, Folie and the still popular Woods (76 a roll, cole-and-son.com).

Or, if you're not quite brave enough for a room full of Timorous Beasties' arresting patterns, try them here. Their Grand Thistle hand-print wallpaper would make quite an entrance (264 per roll, timorousbeasties.com).

Winning walls: These two wallpapers - Woods and Parterre - by Cole and Son are popular for hallways

Minimal look

Make furniture count. 'A console table works well even in smaller spaces. It allows you to display a few well-chosen ornaments, plus giving additional storage,' says interior designer Nina Campbell.

Storage in hallways is at a premium, as it's the place to keep coats, bags, bikes and buggies. So, if you possibly can, find room for a cupboard, under the stairs or cleverly recessed into the wall. One with mirrored doors will bounce the light around, too.

Alternatively, stylish pegs help minimise clutter. Katey Korzenietz recommends Hem for their quirky coat pegs and punched metal hooks, hem.com.

Smart accessories: The Ercol loveseat is narrow enough to suit most hallways

Nina Campbell suggests hunting out Victorian brass or china hooks at antique fairs and mounting them on a board on the wall.

Reclamation yard Lassco, lassco.co.uk, also offers rows of vintage hooks from French coat hooks to brass schoolroom versions.

Most hallways will benefit from a mirror. The bigger the better, according to Katey Korzenietz.

And for somewhere to perch while your pulling off your wellies? Try an Ercol love seat which works well even in the narrowest of hallways. Heals sells them in a range of finishes including a dip-dyed mandarin orange for 820, heals.com.

Totally floored

For smaller hallways, Emma Brindley, interior design manager for Redrow Homes, suggests keeping it simple and laying flooring so that it runs lengthways with your eye-line.

'In larger spaces, patterns work well. Try different coloured tiles blending into one another,' says Brindley. 'Wood and tiles are traditional and won't date.'

Nina Campbell suggests adding a patterned runner to muffle sound.

Cool radiators

Radiator covers are a useful tool for covering up unsightly radiators inexpensively.

'A cover transforms something plain into a thing of beauty,' says Korzenietz. And they provide a handy ledge for storing keys and glasses. Try coolradiators covered.com.
Some 65 million years ago, a giant asteroid collided with Earth and, some claim, wiped out the dinosaurs.

Now, after weeks of drilling deep at the impact site, scientists have finally reached rocks from the catastrophic event that wiped out 75% of life on Earth.

They say the analysis of them, about to begin in a German lab, could finally explain what caused one of the most catastrophic mass extinction's in the planet's history.

Some 65 million years ago, a giant asteroid collided with Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs. Now, after weeks of drilling, scientists have reached rocks left over from the catastrophic event. Hidden in the crater was a 'peak ring', a ring of mountains left behind that shows the post-impact world

WHAT DOES THE 'PEAK RING' SHOW? The 'peak ring' gives researchers clues about the post-impact world, all the way into the Eocene times - between 50 and 55 million years ago. It also contains fossils showing how things evolved from what survived the impact. When the team reached the top of the peek ring this week, they found a thick layer of broken, melted rock beneath a layer of lime stone that could be suggests a massive tsunami formed when the asteroid struck.

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Hidden in the crater was a 'peak ring', a ring of mountains left behind that shows the post-impact world and fossils showing how things evolved from what survived the impact.

'This was probably the most important event in the last 100 million years,' Joanna Morgan, a geophysicist at Imperial College in London and a leader of the expedition and part of the European Consortium for Ocean Researcher Drilling, told NPR.

The impact site near the present-day Yucatan Peninsula is not a new discovery, as it has been on record since the 1980s.

But what was found in the 125 mile across crater, Chixculub, could be a scientific breakthrough.

Chixculub has been studied many times before, but the European Consortium for Ocean Researcher Drilling went after an area that has been overlooked.

The 'peak ring', which is a ring of mountains left by the asteroid holds clues to what actually happened the day the asteroid fell into Earth and paint a picture of a post-impact world.

During the weeks of drilling, the team pulled layers of rock out that were linked to a part of our planet's history.

'We went through a remarkable amount of the post-impact world.

'All the way into the Eocene times  so between 50 and 55 million years ago,' said Sean Gulick, a geophysicist at the University of Texas at Austin, who co-leads the team with Morgan.

The first impact of the asteroid caused an explosion so large, it put a nuclear bomb to shame.

The researchers will sail 18 miles (29km) off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to drill into the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater (illustrated) The impact site near the present-day Yucatan Peninsula is not a new discovery, as it has been on record since the 1980s. But what was found in the 125 mile across crater is

Heat from the collisions was so intense, it rolled through the forests creating wildfires hundreds of miles away from the crash siteall of which was followed by an unexpected winter.

'I think it was a bad few months, really,' Morgan says.

WHAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS? While there have been many theories for what killed off the dinosaurs - from an asteroid strike to massive volcanic eruptions - recent research suggests it may have been a combination of disasters. The creatures' 160 million year long reign is thought to have been ended by a double-whammy when the shockwave from the meteor impact caused a storm of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes around the world. Much of the planet would also have been blanketed in dust, meaning plant life could have struggled for years, having a widespread impact on the food chain. Researchers recently announced they had found evidence that a string of volcanoes in a region of India known as the Deccan Traps doubled their activity around 50,000 years after the Chicxulub impact. They blanketing the Earth with sulphurous gas and dust. Together, the impact and volcanism caused a dramatic change in climate as the sun's rays were blanketed out in a version of the 'nuclear winter' predicted to follow a global nuclear war. Advertisement

But most experts believe 75 percent of life on the planet went extinct after doomsday on Earth  including the dinosaurs.

The rocks pulled from the peak ring tell a story of how life recovered after the catastrophic event.

'We've got all these limestones and rocks that contain the fossils from the world after the impact, all the things that evolved from the few organisms that survived,' said Gulick.

During the weeks of drilling, the team pulled layers of rock out that were linked to a part of our planet's history- as the reached thousands of feet below the surface. The rocks pulled from the peak ring tell a story of how life recovered after the catastrophic even

And when the team reached the top of the peek ring this week, they found a thick layer of broken, melted rock beneath a layer of lime stone that could be suggests a massive tsunami formed when the asteroid struck.

Gulick says if any microscopic organisms survived near the impact site, the fossils might be in these samples.

And when the team reached the top of the peak ring this week, they found a thick layer of broken, melted rock beneath a layer of lime stone that could be suggests a massive tsunami formed when the asteroid struck Chicxulub was discovered after crater after gravity maps revealed an anomaly just off the coast of Mexico

THE CHICXULUB DRILLING PLAN The Chicxulub asteroid is thought to have been more than nine miles (14.5km) across and left a crater more than 124 miles (200km) across and 1 mile (1.5km) deep. It was discovered when oil prospectors were searching for possible locations for drilling during the 1960s, although it was not made public until 1981. At about the same time, scientists had discovered a thin layer of iridium appears to have fallen around the world - a material that can come from asteroids  at the end of the Cretaceous period. A specially equipped drilling platform will be sailed to a point 18 miles (29km) off the shore of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to begin drilling down to the crater. It will have to pass through limestone which has been deposited since the impact before drilling down a further 3,280 feet (1km). Each 10ft-long (3-metre) core sample will be analysed for changes in rock type and searched for tiny fossils, and perhaps even DNA, trapped the rock. Advertisement

The team is sending the core of the rock to a lab in Germany for future analysis this June.

The asteroid strike marked the end of an era.

But the creatures that made it through that catastrophe went on to shape the world again, says Morgan.

'The mammals survived,' she says.

'And that led on to our own evolution.'

Peak rings are commonly seen in craters on the Moon but the Chicxulub is the only one known on Earth where the impact ring, which sits inside the main impact crater, still remains.

The Chicxulub asteroid is estimated to have been more than nine miles (14.5km) across.

The initial crater would have formed within a few seconds, creating a hole 60 miles (100km) wide and more than 18 miles (30km) deep.

In the minutes following the impact, this would have then collapsed to form a final crater more than 124 miles (200km) wide and 1 mile (1.5km) deep.

It was discovered when oil prospectors were searching for possible locations for drilling during the 1960s, although it was not made public until 1981.

At about the same time scientists had discovered a thin layer of iridium appear to have fallen around the world - a material that can come from asteroids  at the end of the Cretaceous period.

Researchers say if any microscopic organisms survived near the impact site, the fossils might be in the samples found in the peak ring it found while drilling off an oil platform (pictured)

It has led to a widespread acceptance an asteroid impact was responsible for killing off the dinosaurs.

But exactly how life on the planet recovered, and how quickly, from the disaster has remained mired in mystery.

The researchers hope the rock samples they obtained from the impact crater could provide some clues about what followed the impact and what enabled some life to survive.

They say that around 2,130ft to 2,630ft (650-800 metres) down, they expect to see fewer and fewer shell producing animals fossilised in the limestone as life was still recovering from the impact.

Some scientists believe the impact could have caused the oceans to become acidified by releasing carbon dioxide, so they also plan to look at whether the species that did survive were more tolerant of water with higher acidification.

It is also thought the fractured rocks at the bottom of the crater could also have become a hotspot for life shortly after the impact.

The crater (illustrated) was discovered when oil prospectors were searching for drilling locations during the 1960s, although it was not made public until 1981. At the same time scientists discovered a thin layer of iridium appears to have fallen around the world - a material that can come from asteroids  in the Cretaceous period
The picturesque azure waters of the Pacific Ocean are threatening the homes of islanders off the coast of Australia, and offer a window into the potential fates of other low-lying island nations.

A study carried out by researchers in Australia has shown five islands have already disappeared in the Pacific's Solomon Islands due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion.

Researchers found a further six reef islands have been severely eroded in the remote area of the Solomons, with one experiencing 10 houses being swept into the sea between 2011 and 2014.

At least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands (pictured) have either totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing severe erosion, an Australian study shows

According to scientists, the study could provide insights for future research and offers a 'valuable window into the future impacts of global sea-level rise'.

'At least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands have either totally disappeared over recent decades or are currently experiencing severe erosion,' wrote the authors of the study, which was published this month in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

'Shoreline recession at two sites has destroyed villages that have existed since at least 1935, leading to community relocations.'

The scientists said the five that had vanished were all vegetated reef islands up to five hectares (12 acres) that were occasionally used by fishermen, but not populated.

Five islands have disappeared due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. Researchers believe the submergence of a number of smaller islands is due to a combination of rising seas and coastal erosion, caused by the action of waves. Ranongga in the Solomon Islands is under threat

RISING WATER LEVELS The latest Australian study reveals low-lying Pacific island nations are already feeling the effects of rising sea levels. The Solomon Islands are of key scientific interest as they lie in a 'hotspot', with sea levels rising higher than the global average. While the global average is said to be approximately 3mm per year, the Solomon Islands have experienced between 7 to 10mm per year. Scientists believe the combination of rising seas and coastal erosion, caused by the action of waves, has caused a number of small islands to become submerged. Researchers are highlighting the need to work with islanders to assess environmental impacts and to incorporate local knowledge in order to plan effectively.

'They were not just little sand islands,' leader author Dr Simon Albert told news agency AFP.

It is feared the rise in sea levels will cause widespread erosion and inundation of low-lying atolls in the Pacific.

Dr Albert, a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland, said the Solomons was considered a sea-level hotspot because rises there are almost three times higher than the global average.

The researchers looked at 33 islands using aerial and satellite imagery from 1947 to 2014, combined with historical insight from local knowledge.

They found that rates of shoreline recession were substantially higher in areas exposed to high wave energy, indicating a 'synergistic interaction' between sea-level rise and waves, which Albert said could prove useful for future study.

Those islands which were exposed to higher wave energy - in addition to sea-level rise - were found to have a greatly accelerated loss compared with the more sheltered islands.

'This provides a bit of an insight into the future,' he said.

'There's these global trends that are happening but the local responses can be very, very localised.'

The Solomon Islands is an island nations composed of hundreds of small islands in the Pacific (pictured), off the coast of Australia and Papua New Guinea (pictured on map). The region is of key scientific interest as it lies in a 'hotspot', with sea levels rising higher than the global average

For now, some communities in the Solomons are already adapting to the changed conditions.

'In addition to these village relocations, Taro, the capital of Choiseul Province is set to become the first provincial capital globally to relocate residents and services due to the threat of sea-level rise,' the study continued..

Writing in an article published by The Conversation, Dr Albert explains how communities of up to 200 people have fractured into smaller groups and moved inland, as rising waters reclaim the land.

The article detail's how the 94-year-old chief of the Paurata tribe, Sirilo Sutaroti, recently abandoned his village, explaining: 'The sea has started to come inland, it forced us to move up to the hilltop and rebuild our village there away from the sea.'

Dr Albert also highlights the importance of integrating local assessments with traditional knowledge in order to effectively plan for sea-level rise and climate change.

Scientists fear the rise in sea levels will cause widespread erosion and inundation of low-lying atolls in the Pacific. They add that while some communities are adapting to the change, the islands offer a 'valuable window into the future impacts of global sea-level rise'

The Solomon Islands recently joined with a number of other Pacific Island nations adding their signatures in support of the Paris climate agreements.

Sea level rise remains a thorny issue, with uncertainty around the impact, funding and best course of action.

Recent studies warned that previous estimates may have underestimated, with levels potentially rising twice as high as previously thought.

As part of climate negotiations over the past decades, wealthy nations around the world have pledged billions of dollars to help island nations, but the funds are yet to materialise.

The UK government has pledged more than 7bn ($10.3bn) to help poorer nations combat climate change, while the US has pledged $5.7bn (4bn).
The mystery around whether or not there are hidden chambers in King Tut's tomb took a turn at the weekend.

At a conference discussing the claims, archaeologists sitting on each side of the fence clashed over the controversial theory and plans to drill a hole in the wall.

Experts even disagreed about how the search for the chambers was handled with the former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass claiming the project lacked any real science.

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At a conference discussing claims there are hidden chambers in Tutankhamun's tomb (pictured), archaeologists sitting on each side of the fence clashed over the controversial theory and plans to drill a hole in the wall. Experts even disagreed about how the search for the chambers was handled

Speaking at the conference, the famed Egyptologist Hawass rejected the theory undiscovered chambers lie behind the tomb and likely contain the tomb of Queen Nefertiti, one of pharaonic Egypt's most famous figures.

This theory has prompted new exploration and it has been extensively scanned by radar.

'In all my career ... I have never come across any discovery in Egypt due to radar scans,' Hawass said, suggesting the technology would be better used to examine existing tombs that are known to contain sealed-off chambers.

British Egyptologist Nicolas Reeves meanwhile defended the theory he put forward last year.

Preliminary results of successive scans suggest the tomb contains two open spaces, with signs of metal and organic matter lying behind its western and northern walls.

'I was looking for the evidence that would tell me that my initial reading was wrong,' he said.

'But I didn't find any evidence to suggest that. I just found more and more indicators that there is something extra going on in Tutankhamun's tomb.'

Researchers believe there is a 90% chance King Tutankhamun's tomb contains at least one, if not two, hidden chambers. The announcement followed recent infrared thermography tests (shown) that revealed one area of the northern wall was a different temperature to others (marked). Pictured here is the interior of the tomb

British Egyptologist, Dr Nicholas Reeves has previously said King Tut's tomb seems too small for a pharaoh and may have been repurposed for when he died suddenly. It lies in the Valley of the Kings (shown on map)

GHOST DOORS TO THE CHAMBER After analysing high-resolution scans of the walls of Tutankhamun's grave complex in the Valley of the Kings, Dr Nicholas Reeves spotted what appeared to be a secret entrance. They feature very straight lines that are 90 degrees to the ground, positioned so as to correspond with other features within the tomb. Dr Nicholas Reeves recently claimed to have found evidence for the bricked up entrances. These include the burial chamber for Queen Nefertiti, who Dr Reeves claims was the boy-kings co-regent and may even have been his mother, and a new hidden storage room, as shown above He uncovered the 'ghosts' of two portals that tomb builders blocked up, one of which is believed to be a storage room. The other, on the north side of Tutankhamun's tomb, contains 'the undisturbed burial of the tomb's original owner - Nefertiti', Dr Reeves argued. These features are difficult to capture with the naked eye, he said. Reeves said the plastered walls could conceal two unexplored doorways, one of which perhaps leads to Nefertiti's tomb. He also argues the design of the tomb suggests it was built for a queen, rather than a king. The dark blue border shows the walls that were scanned. The area alongside the antechamber is believed to be empty, while Area 1 contains metal and organic material, and Area 2 contains just organic material. This organic material could be human remains In particular, he believes these chambers are behind the northerns and western walls of tomb and that one contains the remains of queen Nefertiti, the chief wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten and mother to six of his children, who is Tutankhamun's mother.

The conference aims to bring broader scientific rigor to what so far have only been tantalising clues in recent explorations of the tomb.

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anani, who attended the conference, said scans of the tomb would continue in line with the group's recommendations, but that no physical exploration would be allowed unless he was '100 per cent sure there is a cavity behind the wall.'

He also said new technology is needed to determine whether Tutankhamun's tomb contains hidden chambers which a British archaeologist believes may hide queen Nefertiti's remains.

The conference aims to bring broader scientific rigor to what so far have only been tantalising clues in recent explorations of the tomb. Experts believe Tutankhamun's tomb was in fact Nefertiti's, and when the boy king died unexpectedly at a young age, he was rushed into her tomb's outer chamber in Luxor's Valley of Kings

Crouched by King Tut's stone sarcophagus, National Geographic technicians Eric Berkenpas and Alan Turchik prepare the radar unit to scan the tomb's walls. Experts have disagreed over how the search for the chambers was handled with the former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass claiming the project lacked any real science

Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anani (centre), who attended the conference, said scans of the tomb would continue in line with the group's recommendations, but that no physical exploration would be allowed unless he was '100 per cent sure there is a cavity behind the wall'

THE BIZARRE BURIAL RITUALS OF KING TUTANKHAMUN Researchers from the American University in Cairo believe the king's appendage was embalmed at a 90-degree angle to make the young pharaoh appear as Osiris, the god of the underworld. The angling of the penis was a feature worn by 'corn-mummies', created in honour of Osiris. The mummy was also covered in black liquid to resemble Osiris' skin. Elsewhere, Tutankhamun's heart was missing when the tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Religious texts claimed Osiris' heart was similarly removed by his brother Seth.On the outside of the tomb, decorations depicted Tutankhamun as Osiris.

Anani spoke to archaeologists and reporters at a conference in Cairo dedicated to King Tutankhamun and his world-famous golden funerary mask.

The mood at Sunday's conference was sceptical months after former minister Mamduh Damati said the secret chambers probably existed, raising expectations of another historical find.

Damati inspected the tomb last September with the theory's proponent, Reeves.

His theory and the attention paid to it came as Egypt struggles to revive its key tourism industry after years of political turmoil.

However, experts disagreed on Sunday over how the search for the chambers was handled.

'Handling the project wasn't done scientifically at all,' said former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass.

Damati himself said more tests were needed.

'The infrared scan said we need to repeat it because we have something that we cannot be sure what it is exactly,' he said.

Damati had said in March that there was a '90 per cent chance' the tomb had two hidden chambers containing organic material.

The mood at Sunday's conference was sceptical months after former minister Mamduh Damati (pictured) said the secret chambers probably existed, raising expectations of another historical find. Damati inspected the tomb last September with the theory's proponent, British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves

Two leading experts recently suggested King Tut's tomb may have been built for a woman, based upon the layout of the chamber. The gold death mask (pictured) could also hold clues. The face was originally separate from the headdress and they were welded together, while pharaohs' masks were usually made in one piece

Reeves theorised Tutankhamun's tomb was in fact Nefertiti's, and when the boy king died unexpectedly at a young age, he was rushed into her tomb's outer chamber in Luxor's Valley of Kings in southern Egypt.

Hawass suggested the current antiquities minister hire an autonomous committee of experts to handle the investigation.

'We have to stop this media presence, because there is nothing to publish,' he said.

Nefertiti was famed for her beauty as depicted in the famous bust now in Berlin.

She, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten ruled during a turbulent time, and were one of ancient Egypt's most controversial ruling families.

Nefertiti was married to Akhenaten, who tried and failed to force Egypt to convert to monotheism.

DNA evidence has shown that Akhenaten was Tutankhamun's father, but Egyptologists do not agree on who his mother was.

Egyptologists rely on a mix of DNA evidence as well as information documented in ruins and historical calculations to map the pharaohs' family tree.
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Mercury grabbed the world's attention yesterday during its seven and a half hour journey across the face of the sun.

This rare astronomical phenomenon, called the Transit of Mercury, only occurs 13 or 14 times every century, and the next time we will be able to see it is in 2019.

For those who missed the show, Nasa and Esa have released two stunning timelapse videos of the event, showing the transit in all its glory.

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Mercury grabbed the world's attention yesterday during its seven and a half hour journey across the face of the sun. Now Nasa has released a stunning timelapse of the event. Mercury is the tiny black dot that begins center left and travels right

'As the smallest planet in the solar system crossed the face of the sun on Monday 9 May, one of Esa's smallest satellites was watching,' the European Space Agency wrote.

'Proba-2, smaller than a cubic metre, monitors the sun from Earth orbit with an extreme ultraviolet telescope called Swap.

'It was able to spot Mercury's transit of the sun as a small black disk roughly four pixels in diameter.'

Nasa's video, meanwhile, shows several different views from the Solar Dynamics Observatory was launched in 2010 to study the suns solar atmosphere.

It studies the sun in a number of different wavelengths, which Nasa has included in the timelapse.

Different wavelengths convey information about different components of the sun's surface and atmosphere, so scientists use them to paint a full picture of our constantly changing and varying star.

Yellow light, for example, generally emanates from material of about 10,000 degrees F (5700 degrees C), which represents the surface of the sun.

Extreme ultraviolet light of 94 Angstroms, which is typically colorized in green in SDO images, comes from atoms that are about 11 million degrees F (6,300,000 degrees C) and is a good wavelength for looking at solar flares, which can reach such high temperatures.

Mercury appears as a black shadow passing across the edge of the sun's corona in this stunning image released by Nasa. The full transit across the sun took less than eight hours to complete

Shortly after midday today, at 12.12pm (BST) precisely, the tiny planet Mercury started crossing the face of the sun. This rare astronomical phenomenon is called the Transit of Mercury, and only occurs 13 or 14 times every century. It offers an extraordinary chance to look at the smallest planet in our solar system. This shot was captured by Terry Harris from Fery Meadows, Peterborough

Mercury is seen in silhouette, lower center of image, as it transits across the face of the sun as viewed from Boyertown, Pennsylvania

In the left-hand image, taken using a telescope in Germany, Mercury is shown on the left-hand edge of the sun. The right-hand image, taken as the transit occurred over Pennsylvania, is bottom left. The location of the planet varies depending on the timezone as the sun's angle and orbit is different, and it appears in a different portion of the sky

This shot, captured by the Queen Mary University of London Observatory in East London, shows the planet as a small black dot in the bottom left-hand region of the sun (ringed)

On the right an American flag is silhouetted as the planet Mercury is seen, lower left quadrant, transiting across the face of the sun in Las Vegas. On the left the top of the Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas is silhouetted as the Mercury is seen, lower left quadrant

Skywatchers were warned against looking at Mercury with with the naked eye or binoculars, but astronomy groups worldwide offered the chance view it through telescopes.

Images from around the world show Mercury as a tiny black circle slowly moving across the sun's giant yellow disc.

Although Mercury - which is the planet closest to the sun - passes between the Earth and the sun every 116 days, it normally does so at the wrong angle for us to see it.

In essence, the sun is being eclipsed, although only very partially, as the diameter of Mercury is 158 times smaller than that of the Sun. Which is why it shows up as nothing more than a black pinprick.

The first person to predict the Transit of Mercury was the renowned German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, who informed the world that it would take place on November 7, 1631. Unfortunately, Kepler died in 1630, and so he was never able to witness it.

The first person to see the planet pass in front of the sun in that 1631 transit was instead a French astronomer called Pierre Gassendi, from his observatory in Paris.

Gassendi almost missed the event because the sun was obscured by mist and clouds. However, at around 9 o'clock that morning they cleared and he saw it. The next transit would not be seen for another 20 years.

Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, observing transits of Mercury - and indeed transits of Venus  was vital in measuring the distance between the Earth and the sun, and also in establishing the size of the sun itself.

A jet airliner leaves a vapor trail as the planet Mercury is seen, lower left quadrant, transiting across the face of the sun in Las Vegas

An image taken with special foil mounted to the front of a 700-mm tele lens shows the planet Mercury as a tiny black spot (bottom centre) on the sun and the silhouette of a plane with its contrails passing, exhaust as seen from Frankfurt/Oder, Germany

The planet Mercury is seen in silhouette, lower left, as it transits across the face of the sun from Nasa Headquarters in Washington, DC

Mark Duwe from Flamsteed Astronomy Society looks through a telescope at Mercury moving across the face of the sun at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich

The first part of the transit was captured in this video clip from Nasa, showing the inner most planet passing in front of its parent star

This shot, captured by amateur astronomer Christopher Kennedy, shows Mercury as a small black dot on the very edge of the sun on the left-hand side. The space enthusiast tweeted: 'We certainly have contact'

Mercury is seen towards the right-hand side of the sun, almost in line with the sunspot to the slight left of centre, in this image captured by Queen Mary University London observatory at 13:58 BST

The next time we will just about be able to see it is in 2019, but the next really clearly visible transit for in Britain will not happen until 7 May 2049

So if today is not too cloudy when it is happening, you should seize your chance to witness this highly unusual celestial wonder

The mathematics is somewhat tricky, but the same sorts of measurements are used by astronomers today.

During the last Transit of Mercury in 2006, scientists from Brazil, California and Hawaii measured the size of the sun with immense accuracy by establishing precisely how long the planet - which travels at 30 miles a second - took to pass across it.

The team established that the sun's diameter is 865,374 miles, compared to the Earth's 7,918 miles.

THE BEST LOCATIONS TO HAVE SEEN MERCURY'S TRANSIT ACROSS THE SUN London Transit begins: 12:12 BST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 15:56 BST Transit ends: 19:40 BST Paris Transit begins: 13:12 CEST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 16:56 CEST Transit ends: 20:40 CEST Madrid Transit begins: 13:12 CEST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 16:56 CEST Transit ends: 20:40 CEST New York City Transit begins: 07:13 EDT Mercury reaches sun's centre: 10:58 EDT Transit ends: 14:41 EDT Rio de Janeiro Transit begins: 08:13 BRST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 11:58 BRST Transit ends: 15:42 BRST Buenos Aires Transit begins: 08:13 ART Mercury reaches sun's centre: 11:58 ART Transit ends: 15:42 ART Casablanca Transit begins: 12:12 BST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 15:56 BST Transit ends: 19:40 BST Ottawa Transit begins: 07:13 EDT Mercury reaches sun's centre: 10:58 EDT Transit ends: 14:41 EDT Oslo Transit begins: 13:12 CEST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 16:56 CEST Transit ends: 20:40 CEST Reykjavik Transit begins: 11:12 CEST Mercury reaches sun's centre: 14:56 CEST Transit ends: 18:40 CEST The event will also be streamed at Space Answers. More details about the transit are available from Nasa

People gathered at The Royal Astronomical Society in London to watch the transit of Mercury across the sun, safely observing the event using telescopes with solar filters as well as casting shadows on paper using a pair of binoculars (pictured right)

The main bodies of the solar system, the sun, Mercury, Venus, the Earth, from left in foreground, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, from left in background. The Moon, the Earth's natural satellite, is seen at right in foreground, as the relative size of the orbits of the planets is not respected

Stunning images captured by a Nasa probe show the reflective properties of the planet, with darker regions showing lower rate of reflectance (pictured)

Sumitra Sri Bhashyam from Flamsteed Astronomy Society looks through protective glasses at Mercury moving across the face of the sun at the Royal Observatory

As Mercury is a relatively small planet, with a diameter of just 3,032 miles, it shows up as a very tiny speck against the surface of the massive sun.

Indeed, when Gassendi first saw the 1631 transit, he thought that the speck was merely a sunspot - a dark irregular patch on the sun's surface - because astronomers in the 17th century reckoned that Mercury was ten times larger than it is.

It was only when the 'sunspot' appeared to move that he realised that he was looking at Mercury  just as Kepler had predicted.

It's important to remember that the Transit of Mercury is not as spectacular as when the sun is eclipsed or partially eclipsed by the Moon, as happened over the UK in March last year.

Surface details of Mercury have been captured by a handful of probes, revealing the pits and blemishes on the planet's surface, including the 'magic eye' (pictured)

Nasa scientists have combined data from the Messenger probe to create the first topographical map of Mercury, showing the highs and lows of the closest planet to the sun
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People across the US - and almost all of the world - will get a chance to see Mercury on Monday as the tiny planet takes a trek across the face of the sun.

This rare astronomical phenomenon, called the Transit of Mercury, only occurs 13 or 14 times every century. It will begin around 7.12 am EDT and finish 7.5 hours later, around 2.42pm.

Everyone across the US will get a chance to spot it as a small black speck against the surface of the sun. The Transit of Mercury will be visible all around the world except from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan and the eastern tip of Asia.

But Mercury has a diameter of 3,032 miles - more than 285 smaller than that of the sun. Thus, Nasa recommends using a telescope with a solar filter to better spot the tiny planet.

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Mercury will journey across the sun on Monday for about 7.5 hours, which only occurs 13 or 14 times every century. The phenomenon (pictured in 2003), called the Transit of Mercury, will be visible across the US

The next Transit of Mercury is expected to happen in 2019. Those willing to catch a sight of the phenomenon on Monday should absolutely not look directly at the sun, Nasa said.

Instead, they can use certified eclipse glasses. But because Mercury might appear as a tiny dot compared to the much bigger sun, another safe bet is to watch an online stream.

Nasa will have one on its channel, Nasa TV, and on its Facebook page.

The Transit of Mercury will appear Monday before sunrise for the westernmost part of the US, some of Canada and the eastern tip of Russia, according to a map published by EclipseWise.

It will be entirely visible at the east of the country and in most of South America, as well as the extreme west of Europe and Africa.

Mercury's journey will continue during sunset for the rest of Africa and Europe as well as the western part of Asia.

Although Mercury - which is the planet closest to the Sun - passes between the Earth and the Sun every 116 days, it normally does so at the wrong angle for us to see it.

Everyone across the US will get a chance to spot Mercury on Monday. The transit will be visible all around the world except from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan and the eastern tip of Asia as shown in the map above

The Transit of Mercury will appear Monday before sunrise for the westernmost part of the US, some of Canada and the eastern tip of Russia. It will be entirely visible at the east of the country and in most of South America, as well as the extreme west of Europe and Africa

Mercury's journey will continue during sunset for the rest of Africa and Europe as well as the western part of Asia. Nasa recommends using a telescope with a solar filter to spot it

In essence, the sun is being eclipsed, although only very partially, as the diameter of Mercury is 285 times smaller than that of the sun. Which is why it shows up as nothing more than a black pinprick.

Renowned German astronomer Johannes Kepler became the first person to predict the Transit of Mercury when he informed the world that it would take place on November 7, 1631. Unfortunately, Kepler died in 1630, and so he was never able to witness it.

The first person to see the planet pass in front of the Sun in that 1631 transit was instead a French astronomer called Pierre Gassendi, from his observatory in Paris.

Gassendi almost missed the event because the Sun was obscured by mist and clouds. However, at around 9 oclock that morning they cleared and he saw it. The next transit would not be seen for another 20 years.

Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, observing transits of Mercury  and indeed transits of Venus  was vital in measuring the distance between the earth and the sun, and also in establishing the size of the sun itself.

The mathematics is somewhat tricky, but the same sorts of measurements are used by astronomers today.

During the last Transit of Mercury in 2006, scientists from Brazil, California and Hawaii measured the size of the Sun with immense accuracy by establishing precisely how long the planet - which travels at 30 miles a second - took to pass across it.

The team established that the Suns diameter is 865,374 miles, compared to the Earths 7,918 miles.

As Mercury is a relatively small planet, with a diameter of just 3,032 miles, it shows up as a very tiny speck against the surface of the massive Sun.

Indeed, when Gassendi first saw the 1631 transit, he thought that the speck was merely a sunspot - a dark irregular patch on the suns surface - because astronomers in the 17th century reckoned that Mercury was ten times larger than it is.

It was only when the sunspot appeared to move that he realized that he was looking at Mercury  just as Kepler had predicted.

Its important to remember that the Transit of Mercury is not as spectacular as when the sun is eclipsed or partially eclipsed by the Moon, as happened over the UK in March last year.
Archaeologists believe they have uncovered a camp used by George Washington during the Revolutionary war - just miles from Newark Airport.

Now, the teenage son of a historian has made a series of finds that could reroute the history books.

An archaeological survey last week conducted on an unspoiled swath of land about 15 miles west of Newark Liberty International Airport produced several dozen items including metal buckles, a knob from a desk drawer, a shard from a clay pot and a partial pipe bowl.

Kevin Bradley, left, and Donald Purdon, project archaeologists with Commonwealth Heritage Group, a Michigan-based firm that specializes in archaeological surveying, look at some items found by William Styple, right, at a site in Chatham, N.J.

A CRUCIAL WINTER The winter of 1777 was a crucial juncture during the Revolutionary War as the Continental Army was gradually developing into the force that would emerge from Valley Forge the following year, said Wade Catts, West Chester, Pennsylvania-based regional director of Commonwealth Heritage Group, the firm that conducted the archaeological survey.

William Styple, an author and editor of numerous American history books, believes those artifacts are proof that Gen. George Washington's army made camp there for several months in the winter of 1777, a year before the ragtag group hunkered down at its more well-known refuge at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

'We know they ate here, we know they smoked here, we know they unstrapped their gear here,' he said.

If Styple is right, it could add a chapter to the historical record of the Revolutionary War that has been hinted at but never fully explored.

Compared with Valley Forge, considerably less is known about the 1777 encampment, which closely followed Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware River and the battles of Princeton and Trenton.

That there is virtually no contemporaneous written record of the camp casts some uncertainty over the site's location, however, said Eric Olsen, park ranger and historian at nearby Morristown National Historical Park, site of Washington's army's camp in the winter of 1780.

'It could be an encampment during the war, possibly '77,' Olsen said.

'But armies constantly marched through here through the entire American Revolution, and bits of armies were camping as they passed through.'

It was Styple's research over the last year, with a key assist from his son, that led him to the largely pristine land that had been used as farmland before it became part of the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge estate for much of the 20th century.

William Styple holds an old farm implement that he unearthed while looking for artifacts in Chatham. They may be the best evidence yet, that this unspoiled swath of land about 15 miles west of Newark Liberty International Airport hosted Gen. George Washington's army in the winter of 1777, a year before the ragtag group hunkered down at its more well-known refuge at Valley Forge, Pa.

One the two portraits by Gilbert Stuart of George Washington, painted in 1797 while Washington was serving his second term as President of the United States.

Fortuitously, and unbeknownst to Styple at the time, Chatham officials had purchased the land late in 2014 and earmarked it for open space.

Styple had come across an 1855 newspaper article that reprinted a speech by the Rev. Samuel Tuttle, who allegedly interviewed people who were old enough to have witnessed the camp.

On a visit to a library in Morristown, Brad Styple, a high school junior who shares his father's keen interest in history, located two photographs from 1890 that showed a mansion that stands on the same spot today.

A marking on one of the photos was described as the location where the camp's flagpole flew the Grand Union, the forerunner to the Stars and Stripes.

'It is really cool to be able to find your own piece of history,' Brad Styple said last week.

The newspaper article described the first troops arriving in early January 1777.

For the next several months they ate, slept, performed daily drills, got drunk on whiskey from local peddlers and did their best to stave off the winter's cold.

It was a harsh existence: Many soldiers died from smallpox, and some deserters were punished by hanging or by running a gauntlet manned by soldiers wielding whips cut from nearby trees, according to Tuttle.

Olsen is skeptical of some of Tuttle's claims, primarily due to the lack of supporting documentation.

LIFE IN THE CAMP Researchers spotted an 1855 newspaper article that reprinted a speech by the Rev. Samuel Tuttle, who allegedly interviewed people who were old enough to have witnessed the camp. The newspaper article described the first troops arriving in early January 1777. For the next several months they ate, slept, performed daily drills, got drunk on whiskey from local peddlers and did their best to stave off the winter's cold. It was a harsh existence: Many soldiers died from smallpox, and some deserters were punished by hanging or by running a gauntlet manned by soldiers wielding whips cut from nearby trees, according to Tuttle. In this May 5, 2016, photo, Kevin Bradley, project archeologists with Commonwealth Heritage Group, a Michigan-based firm that specializes in archaeological surveying, examines a spoon (left) and a button (right) and unearthed while looking for artifacts

'I've looked at everything Washington wrote about the 1777 encampment and there's nothing that says, 'Go build a log cabin encampment'' at the Chatham site, he said.

'The first time it comes up in print is when Tuttle writes about it.'

The winter of 1777 was a crucial juncture during the Revolutionary War as the Continental Army was gradually developing into the force that would emerge from Valley Forge the following year, said Wade Catts, West Chester, Pennsylvania-based regional director of Commonwealth Heritage Group, the firm that conducted the archaeological survey.

. Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts from a site in northern New Jersey where American soldiers likely camped during the early part of the Revolutionary War.

The site is part of a 165-acre parcel of land the town bought for $14 million.

The money came from a state open space grant and public and private donations, Chatham Deputy Mayor Kevin Sullivan said.

Commonwealth's survey was paid with private donations raised by the Chatham Township Historical Society.

Everyone approached the project understanding the potential for disappointment.

In this May 5, 2016, photo, a replica of the Grand Union flag, the forerunner to the Stars and Stripes, flies nearby as William Styple watches his son Brad Styple, works with a metal detector to search for artifacts.

In this Thursday, May 5, 2016, photo, a pink colored marker flags show where a crew of archeologists from Commonwealth Heritage Group, a Michigan-based firm that specializes in archaeological surveying, are looking for artifacts in Chatham, N.J. Archaeologists have uncovered artifacts from a site in northern New Jersey where American soldiers likely camped during the early part of the Revolutionary War. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

The town may seek a national historic designation for the site.

The goal would be to create a walking tour and reproduce the flagpole to commemorate the soldiers and the hardships they endured.

'They sacrificed themselves for that idea of the freedom that we all enjoy but often take for granted,' Styple said.
They have helped to guide the moral compass - for better and for worse - of millions of humans for around 2,000 years.

But the world's major religions are set to disappear according to recent research that examines how they emerged in the first place.

Scientists suggest moralising religions - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism - emerged due to growing differences between wealthy elites and poorer general populations.

Moralising religions such as Christianity (Stefan Lochner's Last Judgement pictured), Islam, Judaism and Hinduism may have emerged as a way to help the wealthy elite compete with a more sexually promiscuous and aggressive general populous, but this may also lead to the downfall of such religions, scientists claim

By setting out a moral framework for people to live by, these religions helped to level the evolutionary playing field as people's lifestyles changed.

According to evolutionary psychologist Dr Nicolas Baumard, at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, affluence causes humans to switch to a slower lifestyle where they have babies later and fewer children.

THE GROWTH OF MODERN RELIGION Dismissed as pagan beliefs, the old religions that emerged in the first few thousand years of recorded history tended to centre around nature. They were largely based on rituals and short-term rewards  if you wanted rain or a good harvest you would make an offering to gods. But around 500BC, there was a major change as new religions emerged in Europe and Asia. These instead focused on morality, temperament and self-discipline. For example in the early days of Ancient Greece it was largely believed that no matter how people behaved during life they went to Hades. But from the fifth century BC, Greeks started to believe that after they died there were judged according to their deeds in life. This growing morality also later became entrenched in the belief systems of the Roman Empire. Other religions such as Stoicism, Jainism and Buddhism emerged in other parts of the world, evolving into the religions we recognise today.

Around 2,500 years ago it was just the elite members of the Egyptian and Sumerian civilisations that emerged in the eastern Mediterranean who adopted this lifestyle.

The rest of the population, however, continued to live fast and die young, which left the wealthier people at a competitive disadvantage from an evolutionary perspective, explained Dr Baumard.

As a result the elite promoted moralising gods as a way to ensure the more sexually active and aggressive general populous did not usurp them.

But now, as affluence becomes more ubiquitous around the world, this could ultimately lead to the downfall of moralising religions too, Dr Baumard wrote in New Scientist.

He said: 'As more and more people become affluent and adopt a slow strategy, the need to morally condemn fast strategies decreases, and with it the benefit of holding religious beliefs that justify doing so.

'If this is true, and our environment continues to improve, then like the Greco-Roman religions before them, Christianity and other moralising religions could eventually vanish.'

Most anthropologists have suggested moralising religions emerged as a way to help groups of humans co-operate together on large scales by providing a set of rules they could abide by.

They argue this social glue helped to ensure everyone pulled their weight and did not cheat.

But many scientists have been puzzled as to why these moralising religions emerged relatively late in human evolution  long after the rise of large civilisations in Egypt and Sumeria.

By enforcing a moral framework (woman being punished under Sharia law pictured), modern religions have allowed people to adopt a slower lifestyle that would be a disadvantage from an evolutionary standpoint. But as more people adopt this lifestyle due to growing wealth, it is driving a decline in belief in moralising gods

Instead Dr Baumard and his colleagues argue one of the key predictors of the emergence of moralising religions was the amount of energy people were consuming each day.

They argue that when individuals had access to more than 20,000 kilocalories a day, it promoted a switch in people's behaviour and so their psychological outlook.

When this happened society became more stable and predictable while those who did not have access to this calorie intake, continued to live a faster way of life.

Dr Baumard said: 'You are clearly at a disadvantage if you follow a slow strategy when others follow a faster strategy - if you are faithful when others grab sexual opportunities, if you forgive when others avenge, if you work when others have fun.

'This disadvantage incentivised the elite to morally condemn fast behaviours, in part by adopting and promoting the new religions that legitimised and reinforced a slow morality and promised punishment for trangressors.
It was a painful procedure that could prove fatal.

But Bronze Age surgeons in southwest Russia drilled holes in the back of people's skulls to fulfill ritual needs, rather than for medical reasons, a new study suggests.

While experts can't guess what the gruesome ritual may have been 6,000 to 4,000-years ago, they found most who had the painful procedure were of high social standing - and often survived.

Ancient surgeons in southwest Russia drilled holes in the back of people's skulls (example shown)to fulfil ritual needs, rather than for medical reasons, a new study suggests

Archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Ministry of Culture of the Stavropol Region and Moscow State University, studied the skulls of 13 people buried at seven ancient sites in southwest Russia.

They all have holes or marks on their skulls in the same place  the middle of the back of the head  which is a particularly dangerous place to have surgery.

The researchers wrote: 'In these crania an operationwas performed in the identical location, the midline, furthermore in one of the most dangerous places, on the obelion.

'No evidence for traumatic or other pathological reasons for performing the operations was observable.

The study, published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, explained the holes were drilled in a different place to ancient trepanations performed 11,000 years ago in West Asia.

Archaeologists from the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Ministry of Culture of the Stavropol Region and Moscow State University, studied the skulls of 13 people buried at seven ancient sites in southwest Russia (marked on the map above)

They all have holes or marks on their skulls in the same place  the middle of the back of the head  which is a particularly dangerous place to have surgery. This diagram shows the location and sizes of different trepanation holes found on the skulls

WHAT IS TREPANATION? Trepanation involves the removal of a piece of bone from the skull, and it has been performed since prehistoric times. Cave paintings indicate that people believed the practice would cure epileptic seizures, headaches and mental disorders. The oldest samples of skulls with bore holes drilled into them were found in a burial site in France dating back to 6500 BC. But it was also used by the Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, Romans, Greeks and the early Mesoamerican civilizations. Even the 'father of medicine' Hippocrates advocated the process in his 400 BC tome 'On Injuries of the Head'. Modern exponents say it increases blood flow in the brain, increasing lucidity and heightening brain function.

'There may have been an original medical purpose for these trepanations, which over time changed to a symbolic treatment,' Julia Gresky of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin told Science News.

X-rays, CT scans and close analysis of the surface of the skulls produced no evidence of injuries or brain tumours that might have required surgery.

Previous studies have shown trepanations were used to relive pressure on the side of the head near fractures.

It is impossible to tell whether the surgery was intended to treat persistent headaches or epilepsy, for example, or mental health problems, though.

Maria Mednikova of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who was not involved in the study, agreed the skulls likely show ritual trepanation was used.

The practice of drilling holes in people's skulls may have been a rite of passage for individuals taking on important social roles.

But she added: 'We don't know the myths and religions of tribes that lived there 6,000 years ago.'

Dr Gresky added that many of the people were buried according to special customs, suggesting they were of high social status.

Maria Mednikova of the Russian Academy of Sciences agrees the skulls likely show ritual trepanation was used and the practice of drilling holes in people's skulls may have been a rite of passage for individuals taking on important social roles. A ritualistic example is shown

Of seven skulls unearthed at one site, five bear the marks of trepanation (two examples shown above), while another shows the mark of a partial trepanation, which may have had a different kind of cultural significance

RITUAL VERSUS MEDICAL REASONS X-rays, CT scans and close analysis of the surface of the skulls produced no evidence of injuries or brain tumours that might have required surgery. Previous studies have shown trepanations were used to relive pressure on the side of the head near fractures. It is impossible to tell whether the surgery was intended to treat persistent headaches or epilepsy, for example, or mental health problems, though. Despite the risks, 11 of the 13 skulls show signs of healing and bone re-growth, showing individuals survived the operation, in some cases, for years. The majority died between the ages of 20 and 40, but one skull belonging to a girl 14 to 16 years of age, indicates she survived the procedure when she was just 10.

For example, seven of the skulls discovered in one pit had been carefully placed together near a display of limb bones, bearing cut marks, showing the bodies were pulled apart after death before being buried.

Of these seven skulls, five bear the marks of trepanation, while another shows the mark of a partial trepanation, which may have had a different kind of cultural significance.

Based on analysis of six skulls found at the same sites, the experts believe that while holes drilled into the back of the skull were ritualistic, those on the side of the head were intended to treat medical conditions, because they were found near bone fractures.

Of course, carving a hole in someone's head is potentially fatal so ancient 'surgeons' would have needed to know how to cut bone without damaging the brain, as well as how to stop bleeding effectively if necessary.

Despite the risks, 11 of the 13 skulls show signs of healing and bone re-growth, showing individuals survived the operation, in some cases, for years.

The majority died between the ages of 20 and 40, but one skull belonging to a girl 14 to 16 years of age, indicates she survived the procedure when she was just 10.

The researchers wrote: 'Males and females received the operation between the age of 10 years and mature/senile age.

'Only grooving and scraping techniques were used and their application differed between sexes. The majority of the patients survived the intervention for a long time.'

Despite the risks, 11 of the 13 skulls show signs of healing and bone re-growth, showing individuals survived the operation, in some cases, for years. A graph showing details of the skulls analysed is pictured

Carving a hole in someone's head is potentially fatal so ancient 'surgeons' would have needed to know how to cut bone without damaging the brain, as well as how to stop bleeding effectively if necessary. Details of a skull showing tiny scrape marks are pictured above
It is impossible to comprehend the scale of the universe.

But even though we have a potentially infinite space to look out to and measure, there are still some limits to what we will be able to learn.

Now, physicists have warned we could be getting close to knowing everything we may ever know about certain traits of our universe, without ever understanding everything.

We could be getting close to knowing everything we may ever know about certain traits of our universe. The formation of galaxies (pictured) and the evolution of the universe can be simplified into a model that relies on just six numbers, and it is with these numbers we will eventually 'hit a wall' with, according to researchers

We are used to pushing the boundaries of quantum physics, but the boundaries of cosmology might soon be in reach too, according to a new paper.

WHAT ARE THE SIX NUMBERS? The number of dimensions we live in: three. The ratio of the strength of gravity to that of electromagnetism. The ratio of mass lost to energy when hydrogen is fused to form helium. The amount of dark matter. The cosmological constant, the value of the energy density of the vacuum of space. The scale at which the universe looks smooth. Advertisement

The formation of galaxies and the evolution of the universe can be simplified down into a model that relies on just six numbers.

That means if the Big Bang was to happen all over again, because of the consistency of these numbers, the universe would end up looking almost exactly the same.

'One can consider that the information contained in the data is compressed down to the combined constraints on these cosmological parameters,' the researchers said.

Yin-Zhe Ma from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Douglas Scott from the University of British Columbia published a paper suggesting when we might 'hit a wall' and be unable to find out any more about these numbers.

Looking at the CMB, scientists have found temperature fluctuations, or anisotropies. The most complete survey of the CMB was completed by Esa using the Planck space telescope in March 2013 (pictured) and we are starting to reach a point where we have almost mapped all of the anisotropies, according to a new paper

'Once we completely map out the 3 dimensional volume of the universe with galaxy survey and neutral hydrogen survey, we will run out of universe to measure,' co-author Yin-Zhe Ma told MailOnline.

'But there is a long way to achieve this, not in a short time scale, because currently we only map out a tiny fraction of the universe.'

Much of what scientists know about the relative contributions of dark matter and dark energy comes from the relic radiation left behind from the Big Bang, called the cosmic microwave background (CMB).

We can measure the CMB by looking far into the distant universe.

The most complete survey of the CMB was completed by Esa using the Planck space telescope in March 2013.

Such precision puts tight constraints on the six numbers.

If something like the density of matter in the early universe were different than we think, it would have made temperature patterns in the CMB that scientists haven't seen.

WHAT IS THE COSMIC MICROWAVE BACKGROUND RADIATION? Much of what scientists know about the relative contributions of dark matter and dark energy comes from the relic radiation left behind from the Big Bang, called the cosmic microwave background (CMB). We can measure the CMB by looking far into the distant universe. Information can only travel at the speed of light, meaning that if we look far enough away we can see events that happened in the past. Looking at the sun, you see it as it was eight minutes ago because the light takes eight minutes to reach us. In a sense the CMB is a glimpse into the very start of our universe. The previous best image of cosmic background radiation, (left), compared to recent Planck images (right) Advertisement

When physicists study the dynamics of galaxies (pictured) and the movement of stars, they are confronted with a mystery. If they only take visible matter into account, their equations simply don't add up: the elements that can be observed are not sufficient to explain the rotation of objects and the forces

Future measurements will be even more accurate than the ones we have now, locking the numbers in even more.

But our measurements of the CMB can't improve forever, the researchers said.

Information can only travel at the speed of light, meaning that if we look far enough away we can see events that happened in the past.

DARK MATTER AND RADIATION When physicists study the dynamics of galaxies and the movement of stars, they are confronted with a mystery. If they only take visible matter into account, their equations simply don't add up: the elements that can be observed are not sufficient to explain the rotation of objects and the existing gravitational forces. There is something missing. From this they deduced that there must be an invisible kind of matter that does not interact with light, but does, as a whole, interact by means of the gravitational force. Called 'dark matter', this substance appears to make up at least 80 per cent of the universe. Advertisement

Looking at the CMB, scientists have found temperature fluctuations, or anisotropies.

'Planck has already mapped a large fraction of the primordial anisotropies in temperature,' said the researchers.

'Hence we are starting to reach the point where we are squeezing the CMB sky for the remains of the information.'

Experiments will always have uncertainties, but even if it were possible to measure infinitely precisely, the CMB can only reveal a certain amount.

The researchers also pointed out all of the large-scale things we measure about the universe have the same behaviour.

They said there will always be some fundamental limit to how spread out the values of that thing can be, and that limit restricts how well we can nail down the numbers that describe the universe as a whole.

We do not know how long we have before cosmology hits walls for all of the different ways of measuring the universe, but it will probably be a very long time, according to the paper.
It's a problem facing hikers in hot weather  where to find refreshing clean water in the great outdoors.

But a range of straw-shaped filters solves this problem by letting you sip safely from murky pools or puddles, as well as any lake or river, by filtering out almost all water-borne bacteria and parasites.

The 9inch-long (22cm) LifeStraw contains no chemicals or batteries and was originally designed to prevent deaths in developing countries because of dirty drinking water.

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LifeStraw lets users sip safely from murky pools or puddles as well as any lake or river (pictured) by filtering out almost all water-borne bacteria and parasites

Across the world an estimated 884 million people have no access to clean sources of water, with one child dying every 15 seconds as a result.

The straw's powerful purification pipe removes 99.9999 per cent of water-borne bacteria plus many other parasites, including E-coli, campylobacter, vibrio cholerae, pseudomonas aeruginosa, shigella and salmonella.

As well as saving lives in developing countries, the LifeStraw is ideal for hiking, backpacking, camping, travel, and emergency preparedness, according to the Danish company behind the device.

The straw-style filter design can turn up to 264 gallons (1,000 litres) of contaminated water into safe drinking water over its lifetime, which is enough for a person to live on for a year, and weighs just two ounces.

The nine inch-long (22cm) LifeStraw contains no chemicals or batteries and was originally designed to prevent deaths in developing countries because of dirty drinking water

The straw's powerful purification pipe removes 99.9999 per cent of water-borne bacteria plus many other parasites, including E-coli, campylobacter, vibrio cholerae, pseudomonas aeruginosa, shigella and salmonella

HOW DOES LIFESTRAW WORK? To use LifeStraw, people simply have to stick it into water - perhaps a puddle or stream - and suck on it as they would a normal straw. The device uses mechanical filtration so that dirty water is forced through hollow fibres containing pores measuring less than 0.2 microns. Dirt, bacteria and parasites are trapped in the fibres, so only clean water passes through. This debris can be cleared by blowing air out of the straw.

Dirt, bacteria and parasites are trapped in the fibres, so only clean water passes through.

This debris can be cleared by blowing air out of the straw.

To use it, people simply have to stick it into water - perhaps a puddle or stream - and suck on it as they would a normal straw.

The outer shell of the basic LifeStraw is plastic and hides BPA-free plastic and chemical-free filtration membranes.

It doesn't need any electrical power, batteries or replacement parts and there is no aftertaste.

The LifeStraw Mission pack goes further than the basic version, by removing 99.999 per cent of viruses, but neither are able to remove chemicals, salt and heavy metals. This means it can't be used at sea, for example.

The company behind the device said: 'Lack of access to safe drinking water contributes to the staggering burden of diarrhoea diseases worldwide, particularly affecting the young, the immunocompromised and the poor.

Across the world an estimated 884 million people have no access to clean sources of water, with one child dying every 15 seconds as a result. Here, two children use the straws to drink safely from collected water

The device uses mechanical filtration so that dirty water is forced through hollow fibres containing pores measuring less than 0.2 microns. A diagram shows its workings above

'Nearly one in five child deaths - about 1.5 million each year - is due to diarrhoea. Diarrhoea kills more young children than Aids, malaria and measles combined.'

By increasing the quality of water supplies, diarrhoea deaths can be cut by more than 40 per cent and the LifeStraw device is far cheaper to roll out than piped water connections to households.

For every LifeStraw the company sells, it provides a child in a developing country with safe drinking water for a school year.

The basic LifeStraw costs $20 (14), the LifeStraw Go  which is embedded in a water bottle, costs $30 (21) and the LifeStraw Mission, $120 (83).

As well as saving lives in developing countries, the LifeStraw is ideal for hiking (pictured), backpacking, camping, travel, and emergency preparedness, according to the Danish company behind the device
When the entire human genome was first sequenced 13 years ago, scientists were shocked by how little our DNA varied from our animal cousins.

In fact, there was just 1.2 per cent difference.

Now a new study has revealed that much of the variation that exists between humans and the great apes like chimpanzees, gorillas and bonobos may lie in another type of genetic material.

They found short fragments of RNA - a single stranded molecule made of similar chemicals to DNA - that are specific to humans alter how our genes function.

When the human genome was first sequenced 13 years ago, scientists were shocked by how little our DNA varied from our animal cousins. In fact, there was just 1.2% difference. Now, research has revealed much of the variation that exists between humans and apes may lie in another type of genetic material. Stock image

From this research, the team identified four microRNA variants  as these short RNA strands are known - that are found in humans and change the way our DNA is translated.

The researchers said these tiny fragments of genetic material may have played a key role in shaping how our species evolved.

Two of these were found in concentrations in brain tissue and may effect genes that play a role in the way our neurons, and so our brains, work compared to other animals.

WHAT IS MICRO RNA Unlike DNA, which is formed of two strands of nucleotides that form a double helix, RNA molecules exist as single strands. They play a role in helping to translate the information contained within the DNA into proteins that perform functions in the cell. However, some short fragments of RNA also play other roles, acting as molecular machinery within biological cells themselves. These microRNAs do not form part of the genetic code, but rather help to regulate how it functions. MicroRNAs, which are typically up to 22 nucleotides long, are known to bind to segments of DNA to either silence the expression of certain genes while others alter the structure of proteins.

The other two microRNA variants are thought to play a role in human development.

Writing in the journal Public Library of Science One, Dr Alicia Gallego, from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain, and her colleagues said: 'We suggest the studied molecular changes could have modified crucial microRNA functions shaping phenotypes that, ultimately, became human-specific.'

MicroRNA are short non-coding strands of nucleotide molecules that are found in almost every living species.

Unlike DNA, which is formed of two strands of nucleotides that form a double helix, RNA molecules exist as single strands.

They play a role in helping to translate the information contained within the DNA into proteins that perform functions in the cell.

However, some short fragments of RNA also play other roles, acting as molecular machinery within biological cells themselves.

MicroRNAs are known to bind to segments of DNA to either silence the expression of certain genes while others alter the structure of proteins.

The researchers analysed 1,595 microRNA sequences and compared them with those in other great apes species. They found just four microRNA variants that were specific to humans. The boxes indicate the number of sequence changes in each species since it split from humans. The colours show the microRNA regions

Scientists identified four fragments of RNA (illustrated with their two respective strands) specific to humans and may have played a key role in shaping how our species evolved compared to the great apes. They found two of the molecules are found in the brain and the other two may be involved in human development

In their new study, Dr Gallego and her colleagues analysed 1,595 human microRNA molecules to look at the variations between other great ape species.

They found four microRNA fragments have variations in their sequence and length that appeared to be specific to humans.

They also found microRNA sequences that were younger, in an evolutionary sense, also tended to have less conservation, expression and disease association than older ones.

Writing in the journal, the authors said their work had highlighted a new way of looking at how the expression of our genes had been altered by evolution.

Chimpanzees share around 98.8 per cent of their DNA with humans, which has led many scientists to question what has led to the differences between humans and other great ape species

They said: 'Over the last years, attention has been focused on the role that regulatory elements may have played in shaping diversification among species and individuals that share extended genomic similarities.

'Certain specific changes in transcription factors and non-coding RNAs have been shown to be under positive selection and to contribute to determine phenotypic differences between species such as humans and chimpanzees.

'Among non-coding RNAs, microRNAs are key post-transcriptional gene regulators with a clear role in evolution that are implicated in almost every biological function and in many types of diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders.
Bubbles that formedinside volcanic rock 2.7 billion years ago are helping reveal the conditions on primordial Earth.

A study of these gas bubbles suggests the early Earth had a muchthinner atmosphere, with air pressure half of what it is today.

That finding contradicts a long-held notion that Earth thenhad a thicker atmosphere to compensate for a fainter sun, withsunlight about 15 percent dimmer.

The layers on this 2.7 billion-year-old rock, a stromatolite from Western Australia, show evidence of single-celled, photosynthetic life on the shore of a large lake. The new result suggests that this microbial life thrived despite a thin atmosphere

HOW WAS IT DONE? The scientists used scanning technology toanalyse the size and distribution of bubbles within the ancientlava rock found along the shores of Australia's Beasley Riverthat solidified at sea level. Lava flows cool rapidly from top and bottom, with bubblestrapped at the bottom being smaller than those at the top. Thesize difference in these bubbles provided a record of theatmospheric pressure pushing down on the molten rock as itcooled, the researchers said.

The sun is slowly brighteningover time, part of a star's natural evolution.

In addition to the fainter sun, the air lacked oxygen, themoon was closer so tides were stronger

Earth spun more quicklyso days were shorter, and the only life forms were single-cellmicrobes, said study leader Sanjoy Som, CEO of Seattle-basedBlue Marble Space.

The findings demonstrate that 'a planetary environmentcompletely different than modern Earth can sustain life on itssurface,' said Som, who worked on the study while at theUniversity of Washington.

'Life doesn't need conditions like modern Earth to surviveand thrive. This is important in our quest for habitableenvironments in extra-solar planets,' Som added.

The scientists visited a field site in Western Australia, which was discovered by co-author Tim Blake of the University of Western Australia.

There, the Beasley River has exposed 2.7 billion-year-old basalt lava.

The lowest lava flow has 'lava toes' that burrow into glassy shards, proving that molten lava plunged into seawater.

The team drilled into the overlying lava flows to examine the size of the bubbles.

A stream of molten rock quickly cools from top and bottom, and bubbles trapped at the bottom are smaller than those at the top.

One of the lava flows analyzed in the study, from the shore of Australia's Beasley River. Gas bubbles that formed as the lava cooled, 2.7 billion years ago, have since filled with calcite and other minerals. The bubbles now look like white spots

The size difference records the air pressure pushing down on the lava as it cooled, 2.7 billion years ago.

Rough measurements in the field suggested a surprisingly lightweight atmosphere.

More rigorous x-ray scans from several lava flows confirmed the result: The bubbles indicate that the atmospheric pressure at that time was less than half of today's.

Earth 2.7 billion years ago was home only to single-celled microbes, sunlight was about one-fifth weaker, and the atmosphere contained no oxygen.

But this finding points to conditions being even more otherworldly than previously thought.

A lighter atmosphere could affect wind strength and other climate patterns, and would even alter the boiling point of liquids.

'We're still coming to grips with the magnitude of this,' Buick said. 'It's going to take us a while to digest all the possible consequences.'

The Beasley River is a river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The Beasley River has exposed 2.7 billion-year-old basalt lava

Other geological evidence clearly shows liquid water on Earth at that time, so the early atmosphere must have contained more heat-trapping greenhouse gases, like methane and carbon dioxide, and less nitrogen.

The new study is an advance on the UW team's previous work on 'fossilized raindrops' that first cast doubt on the idea of a far thicker ancient atmosphere.

The result also reinforces Buick's 2015 finding that microbes were pulling nitrogen out of Earth's atmosphere some 3 billion years ago.

'The levels of nitrogen gas have varied through Earth's history, at least in Earth's early history, in ways that people just haven't even thought of before,' said co-author David Catling, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences. 'People will need to rewrite the textbooks.'

The researchers will next look for other suitable rocks to confirm the findings and learn how atmospheric pressure might have varied through time.

The study will help understand possible conditions and life on other planets where atmospheres might be thin and oxygen-free, like that of the early Earth.
Yet another study has dismissed the theory that KIC 8462852 is the home of aliens living in a 'Dyson sphere'.

Interest in the star, which is 1,480 light-years away, began last year when Yale scientists found unusual fluctuations in its light.

But new research claims there is 'no credible evidence' that the brightness of the star been steadily changing.

It claims the observations were tainted by the inconsistent use of telescopes on Earth.

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A series of bizarre readings from a star called KIC 8462852 is still baffling scientists. Some have speculated it may be an alien 'dyson sphere' megastructure that is causing a dramatic dip in the star's light

WHAT IS A DYSON SPHERE? A proposed method for harnessing the power of an entire star is known as a Dyson sphere. First proposed by theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson in 1960, this would be a swarm of satellites that surrounds a star. They could be an enclosed shell, or spacecraft spread out to gather its energy - known as a Dyson swarm. If such structures do exist, they would emit huge amounts of noticeable infrared radiation back on Earth. But as of yet, such a structure has not been detected. Source: All About Space magazine

The Kepler mission monitored the star for four years, looking at two unusual incidents, in 2011 and 2013, when the star's light dimmed in dramatic, never-before-seen ways.

When a planet orbits a star, the star's brightness usually reduces by around one per cent.

But KIC 8462852 has had a reduction of around to 22 per cent, which suggests something huge may be moving past it, according to a study by Louisiana State University (LSU).

In some cases, the flux dropped down to below the 20 per cent level and lasted anywhere between five and 80 days at a time.

The most remarkable of these fluctuations consisted of dozens of uneven, unnatural-looking dips that appeared over a 100-day period indicating that a large number of irregularly shaped objects had passed across the face of the star and temporarily blocked some of the light coming from it.

'We'd never seen anything like this star,' said Yale University researcher Tabetha Boyajian, who first spotted the signals.

'It was really weird. We thought it might be bad data or movement on the spacecraft, but everything checked out.'

Scientists have been speculating on what could be causing such irregular dips since the paper was published.

A study using data from Nasa's Spitzer Space Telescope in November suggested it may be a swarm of comets.

Another theory that has got traction is that the dips are caused by an alien megastructure, similar to the Dyson sphere first proposed by theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson in 1960.

This theory suggests that a swarm of satellites or solar panels surrounding a star, known as a Dyson swarm, could harness the power of the star and this swam could be could be an enclosed shell, or spacecraft.

Other possible structures include artificial space habitats, or a planet-sized occulting object intended to provide a long-lasting signal to other galactic inhabitants.

The Dyson Ring, left, is the simplest form of Dyson structure. Creating a Dyson bubble would be an incredible engineering challenge but it is considered to be far more feasible than surrounding a star in a rigid sphere

Astronomers have been looking for answers about what is causing the bizarre light fluctuations around the star KIC 8462852 (pictured) for weeks. Some have suggested it is an alien megastructure such as a Dyson sphere. The strange structure was spotted by researchers from Yale

RULING OUT AN ALIEN STRUCTURE This isn't the first study to rule out an alien megastructure. In order to explore the idea that such a structure could have been built by intelligent alien life, the Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Seti, trained its Allen Telescope Array on the star for more than two weeks. Experts looked for two types of radio signal: narrow-band signals generated as a 'hailing signal' for alien societies wanting to announce their presence, and broad-band signals. These signals would be produced by 'beamed propulsion'. Seti said that if large scale alien engineering projects really are underway, the array would pick up signals made by intense microwave beams that could be used to power spacecraft. Scientists analysing the data found no clear evidence for either type of signal. They believe this rules out the presence of omnidirectional transmitters - large antenna - of approximately 100 times today's total terrestrial energy usage in the case of the narrow-band signals, and ten million times that usage for broad band emissions. So the presence of a Dyson sphere is unlikely. Seti scientists note that any society able to build such a megastructure would have access to energy at a level approaching 1027 watts, so that massive transmitters would be detected even if only a tiny percentage of this energy were used for signalling.

The attention caused scientists at the SETI Institute to train its Alien Telescope Array on the star to see if they could detect any radio signals indicating the presence of an alien civilization.

In November it reported finding 'no such evidence' of signals with an artificial origin.

Now a new study, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, has taken a detailed look at the observations on which the LSU study was based and concluded there is no credible evidence that the brightness of the star been steadily changing over this period.

When the LSU study was posted on the physics preprint server ArXiv, it caught the attention of Vanderbilt doctoral student Michael Lund because it was based on data from a unique resource: Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard.

DASCH consists of more than 500,000 photographic glass plates taken by Harvard astronomers between 1885 and 1993, which the university is digitizing.

Lund was concerned that the apparent 100-year dimming of Tabby's star might just be the result of observations having been made by a number of different telescopes and cameras that were used during the past century.

Lund convinced his advisor, Professor of Physics and Astronomy Keivan Stassun, and a frequent collaborator, Lehigh University astronomer Joshua Pepper, that the question was worth pursuing.

After they began the study, the Vanderbilt/Lehigh group discovered that another team - German amateur astronomer Michael Hippke and Nasa Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Angerhausen - were conducting research along similar lines.

The two teams decided to collaborate on the analysis, which they wrote up and submitted to the Astrophysical Journal.

'Whenever you are doing archival research that combines information from a number of different sources, there are bound to be data precision limits that you must take into account,' said Stassun.

'In this case, we looked at variations in the brightness of a number of comparable stars in the DASCH database and found that many of them experienced a similar drop in intensity in the 1960's.

'That indicates the drops were caused by changes in the instrumentation not by changes in the stars' brightness.'

As a planet passes in front of a star's light it causes the light to dim, and Kepler can capture these fluctuations. Typically this light dims in a relatively symmetrical pattern due to the nature of the orbits (examples pictured)

The oblate spheroidal shape of some stars cause them to be larger and darker at the equator, and lighter at the poles. As planets pass across the different regions during an orbit, the amount of flux dips in differing ways. This graphic shows five examples of different trajectories (top) and their respective flux readings (bottom)

IS AN OBLATE DISC TO BLAME FOR THE STRANGE DIPS IN FLUX? KIC 8462852, located 1,480 light-years away, was monitored by the Kepler Space Telescope for more than four years, beginning in 2009. As a planet passes in front of a star's light it causes the light to dim, and Kepler can capture these fluctuations. Typically this light dims in a symmetrical pattern. However, during Kepler's study into KIC 8462852 the researchers noticed it went through 'irregularly shaped, aperiodic dips.' Some stars don't have uniformly bright discs and spin so fast they have an oblate spheroidal shape (illustrated) with brighter poles and a darker equator In some cases, the flux dropped down to below the 20% level and lasted between 5 and 80 days at a time. Some stars don't have uniformly bright discs and spin at such a high rate that they have an spheroidal shape. This causes them to have a larger radius at the equator than at the poles. The poles, with their smaller radius, have a higher surface gravity meaning they are hotter and brighter - or 'gravity brightened.' Meanwhile, the equator is cooler and darker, which is known being 'gravity darkened.' Mr Galasyn suggests that the dips and increases in flux of KIC 8462852 are caused as planets move across these brighter and darker areas. Two of the dips, on day 1520 and 1570 of Kepler's mission, are shown having a similar shape but a different magnitude. Despite their differences, both curves follow the shape of a planet travelling across a brightened pole, as suggested by the paper. Mr Glasnyn claims that the two dips could be caused by two planets moving in front of the star. If the first planet is large it could block out around 20% of the star's disc, while a smaller planet could occlude just 8% of it. The second dip may be shorter because the smaller planet is moving faster and orbiting closer to the star.

So the presence of a Dyson sphere is unlikely.

Seti scientists note that any society able to build such a megastructure would have access to energy at a level approaching 1027 watts, so that massive transmitters would be detected even if only a tiny percentage of this energy were used for signalling.

Institute astronomer Seth Shostak said: 'The history of astronomy tells us that every time we thought we had found a phenomenon due to the activities of extraterrestrials, we were wrong.

'But although it's quite likely that this star's strange behaviour is due to nature, not aliens, it's only prudent to check such things out.'

Their observations will continue, but so far no evidence of deliberately produced radio signals has been found in the direction of KIC 8462852.

While the scientists have all but ruled out an intelligent alien society and comets, the truth behind KIC 8462852 continues to elude them.
Rating:

Almost the first thing you see on the Pembroke Arms website is Funerals.

Click on it and theres information about After Funeral Receptions, with a cheery reminder that the inn is only ten to 15 minutes away from the local crematorium.

Thank goodness there are more upbeat reasons why you might want to stay here.

The Pembroke Arms is a handsome old boozer in the middle of the Wilton Estate on the outskirts of Salisbury

Price is one of them. Im paying 75 for B&B on a Sunday evening.

Roasting All Day, says the sign outside this handsome old boozer in the middle of the Wilton Estate on the outskirts of Salisbury.

There are nine rooms. I am meant to be in a small double, but it only has a shower and so I ask the polite young man behind the bar if I can switch.

He says that because I have pre-paid it might be tricky.

How many other rooms are taken this evening? I ask.

None, actually, he says.

Then slip me in a bigger one with a bath. You wont get in any trouble.

So he does  in the Queens Bedchamber, where the bathroom is decorated in pages from the June 1953 Coronation edition of Queen magazine.

Inviting: The B&B's bar and restaurant areas are spacious and informal, with polished (some bashed) tables

Cleaning your teeth has never been more diverting.

The pictures and text are duly deferential, but I like the ads. Aspreys and the pricey Gleneagles Hotel are there, so, too, are the Hillman Minx and Kia Ora fruit squash.

Downstairs, the bar and restaurant areas are spacious and informal, with proper polished (and some bashed) tables.

I start with marinated artichoke and sun-dried tomato (terrific), followed by roast lamb (unexciting).

Stately: Combine staying at the Pembroke Arms with a visit to Wilton House and its 14,000 surrounding acres

I should have had the rib-eye steak, with chips, grilled tomato, mushrooms and salad  all for 14.95.

Combine staying here with a visit to Wilton House, where the energetic Earl of Pembroke and his family have injected new life into their stately home, with 14,000 surrounding acres.

I like one of the breakfast offerings: black pudding on fried bread with an egg on top.

The food police would be aghast, replete with warnings about an early visit to that crematorium.
A plane travelling at 120mph was forced to abort take-off at the last second when another aircraft crossed the runway in front of it.

The terrifying incident happened at Seoul Incheon Airport in South Korea.

A Singapore Airlines flight, bound for San Francisco with 186 passengers and 18 crew on board, performed an emergency stop that resulted in the tyres being shredded.

A Singapore Airlines plane was forced to reject take-off while travelling at 120mph when a Korean Air Airbus crossed the runway in front of it

This graphic shows how close the two planes came to meeting each other on the runway

As the plane reached take-off speeds on runway 15R, a Korean Air Airbus with 188 people on board, setting out to St Petersburg in Russia, joined a taxiway that crossed in front of it.

This prompted Air Traffic Control (ATC) to radio the pilot on the Singapore Airlines plane, a Boeing 777-300, to reject take-off.

The Korea IT Times reports that the two planes were just a mile apart when they came to a complete stop on Thursday.

It also reports that the Korea Air Airbus had entered the runway without permission from ATC.

There were no reported injuries from passengers on either flight. However those flying with Singapore Airlines, once disembarked, endured a 19-hour delay en-route to the US.

The Korean Ministry of Transportation has launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances behind the incident, according to aviation news-site AirLive.net.

Passengers who were deplaned from the Singapore Airlines flight had to endure a 19hr delay to their flight out of Seoul Incheon Airport

CLOSE CALL COMES AS 'NO SURPRISE' A serving pilot, who wishes to remain anonymous, told MailOnline, that this kind of incident came as 'no surprise.' 'Runway incursions, the correct Air Traffic term, are one of the most frequent safety incidents in aviation,' they said. 'Clearly the Korean aircraft became unsure of their position and wandered onto an active runway obliviously. 'New aircraft have superb GPS maps that pilots use on the ground to help navigate. A big airport can be really confusing and if the train is not well trained then these map screens can help massively help to prevent pilots getting lost.'

A spokesperson for Singapore Airlies told MailOnline Travel: 'Flight SQ16, which was bound for San Francisco from Seoul, aborted its takeoff from Seoul's Incheon Airport on May 5, following instructions that were received from air traffic control.

'The aborted takeoff resulted in the deflation of a number of tyres on the Boeing 777-300ER, requiring passengers to disembark from the aircraft on the taxiway. There were 186 passengers and 18 crew on board.

'Affected passengers were provided with hotel accommodation. Following replacement of the tyres, the aircraft departed for San Francisco at 1.05pm (Seoul Time), May 6, resulting in a delay of about 19hrs behind the original scheduled time of departure.'

The Aviation Herald also reports that 'a number of main tyres deflated about 270m (885ft) from the runway threshold and disabled the (SIA) aircraft.'

A plane is expected to safely abort take-off while travelling up to speeds of 80 knots, around 90mph, at the pilots' discretion.

Between 80 knots to what is known in the industry as V1, take-off is only rejected in serious circumstances.

The Singapore Airlines plane had reached a speed of 105 knots, or 120mph.

The US Federal Aviation Administration defines V1 as: 'The maximum speed in the takeoff at which the pilot must take the first action. for example apply brakes, reduce thrust, deploy speed brakes, to stop the airplane within the accelerate-stop distance.'
Eurostar passengers and staff were star-struck when they were forced to get off a faulty train in northern France and encountered actor Johnny Depp, who was travelling among them.

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor was one of 480 passengers on board a London-bound train that had to stop in Calais when a fire alarm sounded en route from Paris.

He posed for photos with workers and was photographed inside Calais-Frethun railway station before passengers boarded an alternative service to London.

Hollywood star Johnny Depp poses for a photo with an employee after a Eurostar train was halted in Calais

Firefighters attended Calais-Frethun station after smoke was detected on the train, French media reported

One photo showed the tattooed Hollywood actor, who was holding a drink in his right hand, posing with a female employee on the platform under clear blue skies in Calais on Sunday morning.

The fire alarm sounded as the train approached the Channel Tunnel and it was evacuated at Calais-Frethun station after a report of smoke from an engine, French media reported.

Passengers were moved inside the station, where they waited for an alternative service to arrive from Brussels. They were on their way after a delay of around an hour.

Depp was travelling to London to promote his latest film, Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Passengers and staff were star-struck when the train stopped in Calais and they encountered the actor

Passengers disembarked and were moved inside the station while they waited for a replacement train

In the afternoon the American actor attended a photocall at Londons Corinthia hotel alongside fellow cast members Sacha Baron Cohen and Mia Wasikowska, director James Bobin and producer Tim Burton.

A power issue on the UK side of the Channel Tunnel also caused problems for Eurostar passengers on Sunday morning.

At least four trains were held while engineers fixed the problem
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A young professional couple decided to quit the rat race and give up their jobs to sail around the world with their dog - despite never having set foot on a boat before.

City workers, Sarah Moreira and Renato Matiolli decided to say no more to 'crazy office hours' and sailed off into the sunset.

Shortly after purchasing a boat, Renato, 38, quit his job as a strategy consultant and Sarah, 34, left her job in PR for an international hotel chain.

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Young couple Sarah Moreira and Renato Matiolli decided to quit the rat race and give up their jobs to sail around the world with their dog, Feijao

Shortly after purchasing a boat, Renato, 38, quit his job as a strategy consultant and Sarah, 34, left her PR job for an international hotel chain - despite never having set foot on a sailing boat before

Six months after buying the boat they set sail, leaving everything they knew behind - except for their dog, who joined them on the adventure.

Amazingly, neither Sarah or Renato had ever sailed before meeting a Swedish couple who taught them to sail in three weeks.

The Brazilian couple officially left Ipanema in their hometown Rio de Janeiro on April 30 2015, and have been travelling ever since.

Renato returned briefly to collect their dog Feijao - as they had to wait for his puppy passport.

The couple claim Feijao has adapted well to sailing life and loves chilling on the deck and at the beach - but is not a keen swimmer, instead preferring paddleboarding.

So far, Sarah, Renato and Feijao have been to 21 countries and territories.

The couple claim Feijao has adapted well to sailing life and loves chilling on the deck and at the beach - but is not a keen swimmer, instead preferring paddleboarding (pictured)

The Brazilian couple officially left Ipanema in their home city Rio de Janeiro on April 30 2015, and have been travelling ever since. As well as checking out local cuisine and culture, the couple are avid surfers and divers

Renato returned briefly to Rio de Janeiro to collect their dog Feijao - as they had to wait for his puppy passport

COUNTRIES/ISLANDS THEY HAVE VISITED (IN ORDER) Croatia Bosnia and Gezergovina Italy Greece Spain Portugal Cape Verde Barbados Santa Lucia Martinique Dominica Guadaloupe Antigua Barbuda St Barts British Virgin Islands St Thomas Puerto Rico Turks and Caicos

As well as checking out local cuisine and culture, the couple are avid surfers and divers and have been experiencing some of the best waves and underwater views.

Sarah and Renato claim that being together 24/7 has made their five-year relationship stronger than ever.

And team work is definitely essential when battling huge waves and temperamental weather, like they encountered during their Atlantic crossing.

They said: 'We sailed right through a storm, waves were hitting the side of the boat.

'There was also crazy lightning and thunder, which is very scary when you're in the middle of the ocean.

'You're the tallest object out there and we were worried the lightening was going to strike the boat's mast.'

They admit that not everything has been smooth-sailing as their newly-gained knowledge meant they were truly in the deep end at the start of their trip.

Sarah said: 'We over-planned everything at first and were always stressing.

'There were times when I thought 'I'd rather be at work'. But after a while it became a lot more enjoyable and you stop sweating the small stuff.

'The sailing community is also super helpful and you get a lot of great advice.'

So far, Sarah, Renato and Feijao have been to 21 countries and territories. Here Feijao explores the stunning island of Santorini, Greece

Pampered in paradise: Feijao gets shampooed on board the couple's sailing boat which has taken them across the Atlantic Ocean

Renato said: 'There are so many jobs to learn - from how to use solar panels, navigation, map reading, how to dive.

'It's like being a new student. There was so much to learn.'

Although they don't keep track, the couple estimate that they have so far covered around 5,000 miles.

The longest landless stretch they have completed so far was the Atlantic crossing of 15 days from.

As well as having saved up before setting off, the couple fund their travels by offering travellers the opportunity to get a taste of sailing life and join them on a stretch.

Although they don't keep track, the couple estimate that they have so far covered around 5,000 miles on their travels

Sarah said: 'This adventure has been absolutely awesome so far. I wouldn't change it for the world.

'We have given up a lot of comforts, but the contact with nature and the incredible friends we have made along the way makes it all worth it so far.

'We feel sailing together has made our relationship stronger. Of course we have disagreements and there is nowhere to really escape.

'But you depend on each other, and we make up quickly. It also helps that we have guests a lot of the time, so we get to be with other people.

Renato admits that if things get heated his best strategy is to go catch some waves on his surfboard to spend time alone.

'People who sail the world usually have years of experience.

'When we first told people of our plans, they thought we were crazy. They said we would die.'

To join Sarah, Renato and Feijao on a sailing trip, visit their website.
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This futuristic catamaran looks like something that would transport a James Bond villain to a secret lair but it is set to make waves at playgrounds of the rich and famous.

London-based Glider Yachts has launched its 1,080-horsepower Glider SS18 concept that it hopes will revolutionise sea travel for Champagne-swigging tycoons and celebrities.

Known as M, the 1million craft glides comfortably on the water on 60-ft long twin hulls, while a driver and up to four passengers are seated in a cockpit 10ft above the surface.

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London-based Glider Yachts has launched its Glider SS18 concept that it hopes will revolutionise sea travel for the rich and famous

Known as M, the 1million craft glides comfortably on the water on 60-ft long twin hulls, while up to five people are seated in the cockpit

Designed for high-speed luxury travel, the first-ever prototype of the SS18 was recently launched in Southampton, where it was built

Glider Yachts said orders are being taken on the first production models, each of which can be customised to the owners liking

The cockpit features Corbeau leather seats and a JL Audio sound system that has been acoustically engineered for the SS18

BY THE NUMBERS: HOW GLIDER YACHTS' REVOLUTIONARY SS18 YACHT STACKS UP Designer: Glider Yachts Builder: Burgess Marine Length overall: 18m (60ft) Maximum beam: 5.3m (17ft) Construction material: Aluminium and composites Homologation category: RCD Category B (CE) Fuel tank capacity: 560 litres Engines: Yamaha, 270bhp (four) Total horsepower: 1,080bhp Speed: 56 knots (65mph) Long-range tank range: 340 nautical miles (optional) Range at 50 knots: 130 nautical miles Seating for pilot plus 4 passengers Navigation system: Garmin Source: Glider Yachts

Designed for high-speed luxury travel, a prototype was recently launched in Southampton, where it was built, and orders are being taken on the first production models, each of which can be customised to the owners liking.

The high-performance vessel is powered by four 270-horsepower supercharged engines and can reach a top speed of 56 knots (65mph).

That would allow it to travel from Monaco to Saint-Tropez in the Mediterranean or Miami to the Bahamas in just 45 minutes, said Glider Yachts.

There are also plans for a model with a turbine that can reach 100 knots (115mph).

The high-performance vessel is powered by four 270-horsepower supercharged engines and can reach a top speed of 56 knots (65mph)

At 1,080 horsepower, the yacht would be able to travel from Monaco to Saint-Tropez or Miami to the Bahamas in just 45 minutes

In addition to an entry model that can reach 56 knots, there are plans for a model with a turbine that can reach 100 knots (115mph)

In addition to seating for a driver and four passengers, the cockpit has space for luggage and a bespoke dashboard from Garmin

A shallow draft allows the catamaran to enter bays that are off limit to superyachts or even land on beaches, and there is luggage space for passengers.

The cockpit features Corbeau leather seats, a JL Audio sound system that has been acoustically engineered for the SS18, and a bespoke dashboard and navigation system from Garmin.

Construction of the prototype started last April after Burgess Marine in Southampton signed a 100million deal to produce the range.

It is the brainchild of Rob McCall, managing director of Glider Yachts, who spent eight years developing the design.

The SS18 is built from a lightweight combination of aluminium and other composites, and has a stability control system that eases the bumpiness associated with traditional sport boats, even in the choppiest of seas, said Glider Yachts.

Construction of the prototype started last April after Burgess Marine in Southampton signed a 100million deal to produce the range

A shallow draft allows the high-performance catamaran to enter bays that are off limit to superyachts or even land on beaches

The SS18 is built from lightweight aluminium and composites, and has a stability control system that eases the bumpiness of the seas

The SS18, known as M, is the brainchild of Rob McCall, managing director of Glider Yachts, who spent eight years developing the design

Glider Yachts' Rob McCall said there is nothing else like the SS18 on the market and he predicted it revolutionise high-speed transport

Targeting the rich and famous, the SS18's speed would allow passengers to eat breakfast in Saint-Tropez and be in Monaco by lunchtime

McCall said: The problem with yachts is, when you go above 10 knots you bounce from wave to wave. It's not a pleasant experience. It looks fun for a few minutes but it's spine shattering.

A glider does exactly what it sounds like, it glides over the waves rather than bouncing. There is nothing like this on the market and this design will totally revolutionise high-speed transport.

You can quaff Champagne at 50 knots. It's faster, more efficient and beautifully more comfortable. We've had the best nautical and F1 engineers in the world helping to make this happen and the finish is breathtakingly beautiful.

McCall added: It's like a beautiful car, like a Rolls-Royce. It's got incredible power but you don't feel the speed.

It will open up the Med and allow people to travel at twice the speed.

Instead of taking a big cabin cruiser and having to spend 90 per cent of your time getting to your destinations, with the SS18 you can be at your next hotel in a different destination within a few hours and do several places in one weekend. It's going to revolutionise the way people enjoy their time for a fun weekend.

You could have breakfast in Saint-Tropez and then be in Monaco by lunchtime.

The SS18 is the first in a series of luxury watercraft, ranging from 60ft to 262ft, to be custom built by Burgess Marine.
Holidaymakers visiting the Balearics this summer may be stopped from using their cars on the islands 'to avoid gridlock'.

The move has been made in preparation for the expected record-breaking influx of tourists this year to the island chain - partly driven there by worries over terrorist-hit destinations - which is formed of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.

Government officials have already introduced a new 'eco-tax' on visitors to the Spanish islands that mean a family of four with children over 16 may pay up to 70 extra over a fortnight. Now taxi and bus fares are set to be added to the cost.

Officials in the Balearic Islands are considering stopping tourists from driving their cars on the islands. Pictured here is an area near Mahon, Menorca

The Guardian reports that tourists may be stopped from arriving in cars in Ibiza and Formentera 'to avoid gridlock.'

The newspaper says that 'in peak season there are as many as 20,000 cars on Formentera, which is 19km long.'

And a rise in the number of cruises docking at the islands will also mean the streets are heavily congested.

Around 22,000 cruise ship passengers disembarked in a single day from eight ships in Majorca last week

On a single day last week, eight cruise ships docked in Palma, with a total of 22,000 passengers disembarking, Radio Mallorca reported.

The islands' record-breaking visitor numbers this year is possibly down to holidaymakers avoiding terror-hit destinations including Egypt and Tunisia.

Some three million British holidaymakers flock to the Balearics every year.

Travel company TUI said the largest increase in bookings has been for holidays to mainland Spain and the Balearic and Canary islands.
From angry, drunk passengers demanding free alcohol and blankets to a flyers clipping their toenails in their seat. There isn't much that cabin crew hasn't seen.

Anonymous flight attendants have revealed some of the worst passengers they have encountered on their journeys around the world in a new Reddit thread.

More than 700 tales of disgusting and hilarious incidents - which include arrests before take-off, people going to the toilet in the aisle and requests to cut the engines so passengers can 'get some sleep' - flooded onto the website when the post started three days ago.

More than 700 tales of disgusting and hilarious incidents - which include arrests before take-off, people going to the toilet in the aisle and requests to cut the engines so passengers can 'get some sleep' - were posted in a new thread (file image)

Answering the question 'who are the worst passengers you've had on your flights?' on Reddit, cabin crew claimed that drunk flyers are by far the most challenging passengers to share a flight with.

And crew noted that on 'every other flight there is one bad passenger unless it is a Las Vegas flight or Kingston, Jamaica flight on which there are lots and lots of bad passengers'.

One user, PlaneShenaniganz, said that while working on an aircraft an intoxicated passenger assaulted another flight attendant when she refused to serve him alcohol. He later reveals that the plane was diverted and the man was arrested.

The online poster added that the drunk passenger's bag was not removed from the plane and that he is now 'looking at a big fine'.

Another user, bewwzerton, recalled their flight from Las Vegas to Seattle. They revealed that one blonde-haired, intoxicated woman boarded the plane without shoes and ended up being arrested after holding up take-off because attendants didn't have a blanket for her.

Poster, StuTim, said that he works on smaller regional planes and he was once faced with an angry overweight passenger who didn't want to sit next to a man of the same size.

One traveller, DCMook, said: 'I'm not a flight attendant, but I was flying a red eye first class from Dubai to New York. I'm sitting there on my phone, and I hear some guy say, "Excuse me, could you ask the pilot to turn off the left engine, so my son can get some sleep?"

Despite telling the man several times that he would not be able to move seats, he continued to act irrationally and lean over his arm rest and into the aisle. However, after a few hours of being polite the anonymous poster revealed he became restless and ended up taking the matter into his own hands.

He said: 'I made sure I pushed my side of the cart as close to him as possible. After having to say excuse me four to five times and him making a scene, embarrassing the guy next to him, I stopped saying it and just walked into him every time.

'Things calmed down but he still wouldn't sit right in his seat, he wanted to make a point. So I only did trash runs when it looked like he was about to fall asleep.'

Another story included that of a woman who spilt a bottle of water down herself and demanded five vodkas and 10 blankets as compensation. After being told no the angry passenger decided to 'stomp up to the cockpit' and shout that an air hostess had punched her.

User bewwzerton, recalled their flight from Las Vegas to Seattle. They revealed that one blonde-haired intoxicated woman boarded the plane without shoes and ended up being arrested after holding up take-off because attendants didn't have a blanket for her

The user added: 'Three days later this same woman tried to board a plane in Vegas and what do you know, four of us that were working the original flight are now working this flight and recognise her.

'She was kicked off immediately for disturbance to flight crew and at that point her ticket was cancelled automatically and she lost her money.'

Other incidents include a 'swearing chav' slapping the backside of a flight attendant who wouldn't give him whisky, a passenger who 'dropped their trousers' in the aisle and went to the toilet and a passenger who gave a crew member a 'warm nappy' to dispose of.

An anonymous flight attendant said: 'I once had a passenger take off his shoes, put his dirty feet on the seat and clip all of his toenails. It was rude, there were toenails flying everywhere. He also left a nice pile of his hacked off heel skin on the seat for someone else to deal with.'
Conservationists are outraged that an elderly dolphin in Australia is being forced to work in captivity and entertain crowds on a daily basis - despite having a history of cancer.

The captive bottlenose called Bucky, has been living at the Dolphin Marine Magic park in Coffs Harbour for 47 years, ever since he was rescued at the age of six months.

The performing mammal 'entertains crowds', according to the park's website, a role which has him jumping through hoops, doing flips and offering 'dolphin kisses' for paying customers. His performance has been described by campaigners as a 'demeaning circus show.'

The captive bottlenose called Bucky, has been living at the Dolphin Marine Magic park in Coffs Harbour for 47 years, ever since he was rescued at the age of six months

The performing animal is required to 'entertain crowds', according to its website, which include jumping through hoops, doing flips and offering 'dolphin kisses' for paying customers

According to The Dodo, Bucky's cancer was revealed to the public in 2013, in an episode of the TV series Bondi Vet.

In the show, Bucky's trainer, Greg Pickering, had asked presenter Dr Chris Brown to look at some suspect lumps in the dolphin's mouth. These were allegedly confirmed to be cancerous.

Although he is in remission, the dolphin still has the strain of old age to contend with. The average life span of dolphins is 40 to 50 years, and 47 is said to be an equivalent of 80 in human years.

The park's website states that Bucky is the oldest dolphin of six animals in the attraction and is 'currently being transitioned into retirement.'

However Sarah Lucas, CEO of Australia for Dolphins, told The Dodo that Bucky is still required to participate in some of the two or three daily dolphin shows.

Lucas commented: 'When we spoke to a staff member, he said Bucky does most shows, but we don't know how many he does per day precisely.'

'Bucky is considered the star performer. As with all aspects of dolphin captivity, the animals are used because they draw in crowds, and thus draw in money for the park.'

'If you add into the equation the fact that Bucky is recovering from cancer, it is beyond belief that he still participates in outdated, circus-style shows.'

She also said that is breaks her heart that the creature has been forced to spend years swimming between two tiny concrete pools, along with daily duties of jumping through hoops.

Critics have said Bucky (right) and fellow dolphins are forced to perform regular shows for guests

A report on the Australia For Dolphins website said Bucky's duties include 'demeaning circus shows and pulling heavy tourists around on his back.'

But the CEO of Dolphin Marine Magic, Paige Sinclair, said in a report by Australian public broadcasting network SBS, that the dolphins are not overworked.

'Our animals need enrichment and they just can't be not doing anything,' she says. 'It's like putting a Kelpie in a backyard.

'The work that they do is what gives our guests the greatest pleasure; the ability to inspect, connect and touch and then possibly change their behaviour at their homes when they go home.'

Sinclair said that the park's dolphins perform on a rotational basis, and get regular days off. She also denied claims that dolphins were forced to give visitors 'rides.'

Conservationists are concerned about the high level on interaction visitors have with the dolphins

Dolphin Marine Magic is one of two marine parks in Australia that has dolphins in captivity, the other being Sea World on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

The article on Australia for Dolphins says the team are 'working with a local dolphin rehabilitation organisation to promote the establishment of a sea sanctuary near Coffs Harbour, where Bucky and his family could have the lives they deserve in the ocean.'

Peta's director, Mimi Bekhechi, told MailOnline Travel: 'Tourists who swim with captive dolphins are free to leave the pool, but for the animals, it's a lifetime prison sentence.

'Poor Bucky was not rescued but seized as an asset to help this park make money, forced to spend decades performing stupid tricks that he doesn't understand in a tiny chlorinated tank, and robbed of any semblance of a real life complete with friends, family, and the opportunity to dive and make decisions.

'In the wild, dolphins swim up to 50 miles a day with their family pods. The only 'trick' that kind-hearted people want to see is the disappearance of Dolphin Marine Magic.'

MailOnline Travel has contacted Dolphin Marine Magic for comment.
British Airways and London City Airport are reportedly facing legal action from a playwright and actor who claims her 25,000 wheelchair was irreparably damaged when workers tried to load it onto a plane.

Athena Stevens, who has cerebral palsy, has been without the custom-built wheelchair since last October when she tried to fly from London to Glasgow.

The 31-year-old, from London, claimed she has suffered both personally and professionally without the wheelchair, with her daily activities, including commuting, becoming tougher and total costs estimated at 70,000 so far.

Athena Stevens, 31, claims her 25,000 wheelchair was irreparably damaged before a flight last October

Stevens told the Guardian that she continues to act in her play, Schism, at the Finborough Theatre, in Brompton, London, but not having her chair for rehearsals or transport is a nightmare.

She said: It has completely closed my life down.

Stevens, who is using a replacement electric wheelchair, claimed she spends 50 on one-way taxi rides and cannot travel on the Tube.

She told the Guardian: Im paying about 200 a week for a wheelchair that cant clear the threshold of my flat unless I get out and push it.

Stevens, an actor and playwright, was attempting to fly with BA from London City Airport to Glasgow

Stevens said she has been forced to use a manual wheelchair on stage and has hired extra support workers to assist her.

She also claimed her stage and video production company has been disrupted.

Stevens filed a customer complaint with BA following the flight and was refunded 680 for return tickets she and her assistant were unable to use and the airline had also offered to cover up to 1,100 in taxi costs before she launched the legal action, the Guardian reported.

A British Airways spokesperson told MailOnline Travel: More than 426,000 people with reduced mobility travelled with us last year and we take their needs extremely seriously.

Along with London City Airport, we investigated Ms Stevens concerns thoroughly and we continue to try to seek a solution with her and her legal representatives.

A London City Airport spokesperson added: We have been in regular communication with Ms Stevens from the outset and have made every effort to assist her in resolving this matter. We are awaiting a response.

More than 52,000 people have signed an online petition calling on BA to replace Stevens wheelchair, which was not insured.

Stevens claimed no underwriters were willing to insure it because a replacement would be too costly.

The petition, launched by the political activism organisation 38 Degrees, claimed the wheelchair was completely trashed and the situation is costing Stevens around 1,500 a week in lost earnings and alternative care and transport.
This is the shocking moment a plane flying over north-west Saudi Arabia appears to be struck by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm.

Footage shot by someone on the ground shows the aircraft high in the air - above the town of Hail - then lightening suddenly flashing across the sky.

One expert said that it could well have struck the plane.

This is the shocking moment a plane flying over north-west Saudi Arabia appears to be struck by a bolt of lightning during a thunderstorm

Footage shot by someone on the ground shows the aircraft high in the air - above the town of Hail - then lightening suddenly flashing across the sky

Ajel newspaper reported that the lightning missed, but Richard Taylor of the Civil Aviation Society said: 'It is difficult to tell from the footage, but it could well have struck the aircraft.

'Airliners are actually well designed to withstand the effects of a lightning strike and so significant physical damage to the airframe is very rare.

'The safety of the aircraft in flight is not usually affected.'

An expert has stated that there is a possibility that the lightning actually struck the aircraft

It is unclear which carrier the plane belonged to, however no injuries were reported

Since being uploaded to YouTube, the video has had more than 140,000 views and comments.

It is unclear which carrier the plane belonged to, however no injuries were reported.

The video follows another shocking clip covered by MailOnline earlier this month that captured the moment an Icelandair flight from Reykjavik to London was approaching Heathrow airport and was hit by lightning.
They welcomed their first child into the world at the end of last year and both have said it has changed their world beyond recognition.

And as Mother's Day dawned, Steve 'Commando' Willis and his son Axel sang Biggest Loser's Michelle Bridges a ditty wishing her a happy day and shared the endearing video clip to Instagram.

Holding his five month old son up, Steve bounced his lookalike son around as he crooned a song thanking his 45-year-old partner for all that she does for them on Sunday morning.

In harmony: Steve 'Commando' Willis and son Axel sang Biggest Loser's Michelle Bridges a ditty wishing her a happy mother's day and shared the endearing video clip to Instagram on Sunday

Not shy: In the clip, Steve wears a black vest and puts his array of tattoos on show as he sings into the phone camera

Proud of the song Commando had written for Michelle, the TV personality shared the video to her instagram page writing: 'This was my song... happy mums day ladies! Have a wonderful day!'

In the clip, Steve, 39, wears a black vest and puts his array of tattoos on show as he sings into the phone camera.

And Little Axel, born in December, bears a striking resemblance to his father and is seen wearing a pale blue baby grow in the clip.

Proud: Michelle shared the video to her instagram page writing: 'This was my song... happy mums [sic] day ladies! Have a wonderful day!'

Fitness fanatic Michelle has been embroiled in an AVO hearing against a photographer she says confronted her in Woolworth's supermarket in April.

She was filmed confronting part-time paparazzo Liam Mendes, 20, after she allegedly caught him trying to take photographs of her and her baby son at the store in Potts Point, Sydney.

Michelle filed for an apprehended violence order against Mendes and on Wednesday he arrived for the hearing at Sydney's Downing Centre court but was later adjourned.

Angry: The Biggest Loser star was caught on camera confronting a photographer who was filming her in a Woolworths

The TV personal trainer maintained a high level of her fitness and working out while she was pregnant and came under fire from critics at the time.

She previously admitted to Daily Mail Australia that despite keeping up the intense workouts during her pregnancy, it's taken some time to get back into her training routine.

'I'm only just starting to get back into my training after having the baby a few months ago,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I'm just taking it at my own pace.. I'm slowly getting there,' she continued before adding being a first time mother is 'going really well.'

Argument: A Current Affair reported that days before the incident, the photographer had followed Bridges and her partner to dinner
They welcomed their newborn twins in March.

And Terry Richardson was thrilled to celebrate his girlfriend's first Mother's Day with an Instagram snapshot on Sunday.

'#1 Mom,' the 50-year-old world famous photographer wrote alongside a raw image of Alexandra Bolotow breastfeeding their newborn sons, Rex and Roman.

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'#1 Mom': Terry Richardson, 50, was thrilled to honor his girlfriend, Alexandra Bolotow, 32, for her first Mother's Day with an Instagram snapshot on Sunday

Richardson is known for two genres of photography - high-end celebrity fashion and raw, organic, spur of the moment documentary style.

He shot his 32-year-old makeup-free former assistant as she reclined in bed cradling her infants in each arm.

The couple welcomed their boys in March and the first-time father shared a heartwarming Instagram photo as Alexandra snuggled the tiny packages.

New parents: Terry Richardson and his former assistant welcomed their newborn twin sons in March

'Watching this woman rock it through an insane delivery and push out our babies was the most intense, inspiring, exhilerating, and humbling experience of my life,' Terry captioned the image.

Adding: 'So blessed and grateful for this sweet family.'

Richardson has worked with the biggest celebrities in the world including Kim Kardashian, Bella Hadid, Megan Fox, Miranda Kerr, Katy Perry, Kate Moss, Cameron Diaz, Pharrell Williams and President Barack Obama, to name a few.

'Uncle Jared': Earlier this week Richardson shared a social media photo with Oscar winner Jared Leto spending quality time with the boys

'So blessed and grateful for this sweet family': The first-time father shared a heartwarming Instagram photo as Alexandra snuggled the tiny packages when they were first born in March

Earlier this week Richardson shared a social media photo with Oscar winner Jared Leto spending quality time with the boys.

'Uncle Jared,' he wrote alongside the photo of the Dallas Buyers Club hunk holding one infant in each arm.

The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman has been collaborating with the controversial photographer on shoots as far back as 2010.
Candice Swanepoel isn't a mom just yet.

But the soon-to-be mother wished herself and fellow pregnant Victoria's Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo a 'Happy almost mama's day' on Instagram on Sunday.

The glowing 27-year-old showed off her growing bump in a short blue frock as she hugged her baby belly.

Mom-to-be: Candice Swanepoel wished herself and fellow pregnant Victoria's Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo a 'Happy almost mama's day' on Instagram on Sunday

Candice looked at ease as she sat on a stool and held her growing midsection flashing her engagement ring on her left ring finger.

The blue-eyed beauty wore a similar-hued long-sleeved printed dress which fell mid-thigh showing off her famous legs.

She donned a pair of over-the-knee grey suede boots to further accentuate her supermodel pins.

The South African model showed off her natural beauty with minimal make-up while she wore her long blonde tresses tousled to her left side.

Expecting Angels: Candice and Behati Prinsloo are both pregnant with their first child. The supermodels are pictured above with Lily Aldridge and Alessandra Ambrosio at the 2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in NYC

She titled her head to the side and her pink pout flashed a closed mouth smile.

Candice captioned the shot, 'Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mothers in my life and happy almost mama's day to us Behati Prinsloo.'

The Victoria's Secret Angel, who is pregnant with her first child with fiance Hermann Nicoli, 33, gave some Mother's Day love to her fellow pregnant supermodel bestie, Behati, who is also expecting her first little angel with husband Adam Levine later this year.

The two supermodel moms-to-be are rumored to have due dates that aren't far apart from one another.

Candice has been dating Nicoli since she was 17-years-old, and they got engaged in August of 2015.

Glowing: The 27-year-old showed off her growing baby bump in New York City in April
He divorced wife Dawn French in 2010 and has since found love with another.

And it seems Lenny Henry certainly has a type as the comedian stepped out alongside his girlfriend Lisa Makin at the 2016 British Academy Television awards, held at London's Royal Festival Hall, on Sunday evening.

The 57-year-old has been dating Lisa, also 57, since 2011, so it's no surprise she was there to support her beau on his big night that saw him scoop the Special Award in honour of Alan Clarke, named after the late TV director, during the ceremony.

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Lookalike! Lenny Henry - who divorced wife Dawn French in 2010 - certainly seems to have a type as he was supported by his ex's lookalike, girlfriend Lisa Makin at the 2016 British Academy Television awards on Sunday evening

The stand-up comic was looking particularly dapper for the occasion in navy tuxedo with contrasting black lapels.

Lenny's lady pulled out a glamorous look of her own in a blush maxi dress, which she paired with a floor-length black duster jacket, rendered in a semi-sheer black fabric.

She completed her look with platform nude stilettos and a statement necklace, while carrying her essentials in a stylish ball-shaped handbag.

Still going strong: The 57-year-old has been dating Lisa, also 57, since 2011, so it's no surprise she was there to support her beau on his big night that saw him scoop the Special Award in honour of Alan Clarke

Lisa looked remarkably like Lenny's former flame Dawn, who the comic was married to for 25 years until their split in 2010.

Like Lenny, Dawn has also moved on, tying the knot to husband Mark Bignell in 2013.

Lenny was there to collect the prestigious Special Award on the evening and renewed his call to enshrine diversity in the BBC charter as he accepted the special recognition award for his career in television.

He has a type! Lisa looked remarkably like Lenny's former flame Dawn, who the comic was married to for 25 years until their split in 2010

The stand-up comic was looking particularly dapper for the occasion in navy tuxedo with contrasting black lapels

Lenny was there to collect the prestigious Special Award on the evening and renewed his call to enshrine diversity in the BBC charter as he accepted the special recognition award for his career in television

Name-checking shows including Some Mother Do 'Ave 'Em, Boys From The Black Stuff, The Great British Bake Off and Goodness Gracious Me, he said he believed British TV was 'the best in the world'.

He said: 'If it feels like I'm banging on a bit about diversity all the time its because I believe in increasing it so we truly reflect our fantastic nation, ensuring that all those 14 years old out there, superglued to their phones who hope to work in TV, irrespective of their race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, can realise that ambition as I was able to realise mine.'

He added: 'If we do this, we will make this fantastic industry even greater and I know everybody in this room agrees. So please let's keep working together to make this a reality, let's create a coalition of the willing and please let's put this in the charter.'

Name-checking shows including Some Mother Do 'Ave 'Em, Boys From The Black Stuff, The Great British Bake Off and Goodness Gracious Me, he said he believed British TV was 'the best in the world'

Speaking at the bash, he said: 'If it feels like I'm banging on a bit about diversity all the time its because I believe in increasing it so we truly reflect our fantastic nation

Touching: He added: 'If we do this, we will make this fantastic industry even greater and I know everybody in this room agrees'

Previous recipients of the prize include TV producer and writer Jeff Pope, TV executive Jane Tranter, documentary film-maker Paul Watson and screenwriter Paul Greengrass.

Sir Lenny is one of the founding members of Comic Relief and since he started it alongside Richard Curtis in 1985 it has gone on to raise more than 1 billion through its various campaigns.

The Dudley-born star got his first television break on the 1975 ITV talent show New Faces. In the late 1970s he appeared as a contributor on the children's show Tiswas, where he regularly worked with Chris Tarrant and Bob Carolgees.

In 2014 he gave the annual Bafta television lecture, discussing the deterioration of black and Asian minority ethnic involvement in the creative industries.

It was hailed as a groundbreaking speech that helped reframe and reignite the discussion about diversity in British television.

Sir Lenny has previously received two Bafta nominations for The Lenny Henry Show and received a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards in 2003.

Success: Sir Lenny has previously received two Bafta nominations for The Lenny Henry Show and received a lifetime achievement award at the British Comedy Awards in 2003
She welcomed son York Banks Asla with boyfriend Erik in January.

And Tyra Banks was understandably excited as she celebrated her first Mother's Day on Sunday, commemorating the occasion with a sweet Instagram photo.

The supermodel shared a snap of herself alongside mother Carolyn London and her newborn baby.

Three generations: Tyra Banks, 42, was understandably excited as she celebrated her first Mother's Day on Sunday, commemorating the occasion with a sweet Instagram photo

In the photo, the stunning brunette, wearing a marroon-coloured dress, cradled young York, as her mother peered over her shoulder.

'I'm hearing, "Happy Mother's Day" and I can't believe how lucky I am! Of all the fashionable hats I wear, I love being a #mother the most,' she began.

'#HappyMothersDay from me and my mama to all the wonderful women of the world!'

Model mum: The businesswoman is pictured in Los Angeles on March 19, 2016

Tyra, 42, shares son York with her photographer boyfriend, Erik Asla, 51, .

The couple had already been together for two years before the birth of their baby in January.

According to People, little York was born through a gestational surrogate, after Tyra dealt with fertility issues.

A new blessing: Tyra's son York was born through a gestational surrogate

When the star first spoke of her newborn, she noted that 'the journey to now has not been an easy process,' but that 'there was a beautiful bright light at the end of the tunnel.

After he child's birth, the businesswoman discussed her maternal life and sleepless nights, in an interview with E! News.

'Some mornings you wake up, and you're like, "Where am I?" I don't know what's going on. And I know it's not a good idea for me to drive right now because I did not sleep. So I balance that and his [York] dad helps, and we go back and forth so that's good,' she noted.
Known for fighting fashion crime on Australias Next Top Model, Cheyenne Tozzi arrived at the Logie Awards looking like she was auditioning for the Justice League.

The model and reality show judge glided down the red carpet in a crimson full-length gown, complete with a cape-like attachment.

Draped over her shoulders and chest, it covered her upper arms and flowed down to the floor.

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Got it covered: Cheyenne Tozzi glided down the red carpet in a crimson full-length gown, complete with a cape-like attachment on Sunday

Ravishing red: The Next Top Model judge's gown covered her upper arms while flowing all the way down to the floor

The 27-year-old matched the stylish dress with gold bangles and elaborate red and gold earrings that hung most of the way down her neck.

Tozzi posed for photos with fellow Top Model judge Alex Perry who wore a classic black and white tux with trademark sunglasses pulled up onto his bald head.

Fellow Top Model personality Jennifer Hawkins also uploaded an Instagram snap of her and Tozzi hanging out with Megan Gale.

See Logie awards 2016 updates as Cheyenne Tozzi glides down in full-length dress

Going big and bold: The 27-year-old matched the stylish dress with gold bangles and elaborate red and gold earrings that hung most of the way down her neck

Classic look: Tozzi posed for photos with fellow Top Model judge Alex Perry (right) who wore a classic black and white tux with trademark sunglasses on his head

Dapper: Before they posed for official photos the working pair strutted the red carpet and uploaded pics ot social media

Fun with friends: Fellow Top Model personality Jennifer Hawkins (left) also uploaded an Instagram snap of her and Tozzi (right) hanging out with Megan Gale (centre)

Gearing up: Tozzi and fellow Top Model judge Perry getting ready to hit the Logies

Tozzi jetted into Melbourne the day before the Logies and was awkwardly on the same flight as ex-boyfriend Tyson Mullane and his current girlfriend, actress Pia Miller.

She appears to have fully recovered after nursing a broken heart following her break up in December.

The cover girl opened up about her heartache in an emotional post on Instagram after the split, in which she admitted: 'I had my heart broken by a great love.'

The pair first got together in high school, before dating off-and-on until they officially rekindled the romance in 2012.

Arriving in style: Cheyenne Tozzi and boyfriend Jon Adgemis arrived in Melbourne ahead of the 58th TV Week Logie Award
The Hollow Crown

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Sir Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville, Philip Glenister... mincemeat, the lot of them, before the end of The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses (BBC2).

And this was only the first of three parts: other theatrical grandees expected to finish up on the wrong end of a sword include Benedict Cumberbatch (as Richard III), while Judi Dench, Keeley Hawes and Sophie Okonedo are all taking their chances, too.

There hasnt been A-list carnage like this since the heyday of the disaster movie in the Seventies.

Sir Michael Gambon, Hugh Bonneville, Philip Glenister... mincemeat, the lot of them, before the end of The Hollow Crown: The Wars Of The Roses

The chap I felt sorriest for was the Earl of Salisbury (Mac Pietowski), dead before he ever spoke a word. One moment he was standing next to Lord Talbot (Glenister), frowning over a map.

Next second, he was transfixed by an arrow from a French longbow. Stone dead, and very unfairly  the French didnt even have longbows in that war.

According to the history books, Salisbury was actually killed when a cannonball smashed through a castle window, skewering him with the metal grille.

Historical accuracy, in such circumstances, probably isnt much consolation.

This adaptation of Henry VI, Part 1, the latest in the Beebs cycle of Shakespeares history plays, was full of opportunities for the viewer to daydream and digress like that.

It looked spectacular, but neither the storytelling nor the poetry was really gripping. In consequence, the mind did tend to wander.

Why, for instance, do Shakespeares characters keep barking Good, my liege! when theyre surprised? Perhaps it was the 16th century equivalent of OMG.

Bonneville: He never lost the harassed look he wore from the first scene. He raged, he growled, he worked his way through the gamut of Shakespearean emotions as if he was miming them in a silent movie

Other theatrical grandees expected to finish up on the wrong end of a sword include Benedict Cumberbatch (as Richard III)

And look at Ben Miles, as the wicked, double-dealing Earl of Somerset. He was the mirror image of Paul Darrow, who played villainous Avon in the classic sci-fi series Blakes Seven  his eyes even slid sideways, just like Avons did.

I kept wondering if he would slip into a nylon tunic and produce a raygun.

Or take Bonneville, who never lost the harassed look he wore from the first scene. He raged, he growled, he worked his way through the gamut of Shakespearean emotions as if he was miming them in a silent movie.

WEDDING PARTY OF THE WEEKEND Though Louisa (Keeley Hawes) didnt get married, The Durrells (ITV) ended with a riotous Greek knees-up in an episode that was sweet, melancholic, thoughtful and comic  just like the whole series. Cant wait for the next voyage to Corfu.

But he forgot to overact in one scene, when he was reading from a scroll  and then he sounded like Lord Grantham, scanning a letter over breakfast in Downton Abbey.

Such idle musing is a bad sign during Shakespeare. Its not exactly boredom, more a fretful feeling that the play isnt as good as it ought to be.

That wasnt the fault of director Dominic Cooke, who was brimming with visual tricks, such as the shadows that rippled like tiger stripes across the naked bodies of plotters Miles and Okonedo, at the moment Bonneville was being murdered  certainly not a scene in the original play.

No, the blame lies with the Bard. The Henry VI trilogy, from the beginning of his career, is simply nothing like his best. The proof is that, in the entire thing, there isnt one quotable line  apart from Good, my liege, of course.

Attenborough at 90

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Prime ministers, princes and other fans were queuing up on Attenborough At 90 (BBC1) to say something quotable in honour of Sir David.

None of them made much impression, though, beside the broadcasting maestro himself, who was brimming with anecdotes while Kirsty Young ran through a few highlights of his career.

Prime ministers, princes and other fans were queuing up on Attenborough At 90 (BBC1) to say something quotable in honour of Sir David

How, she asked, had he managed during his roving Fifties series Zoo Quest to capture a python?

Sir David rolled with amusement at the memory. With great difficulty and considerable alarm, I dont mind telling you, he said.

The conversation, filmed in front of a studio audience, was partly conceived as an introduction to a Zoo Quest season, with hours of colour footage never seen on TV.

Unfortunately, the broadcasts have been postponed.

Apparently, 60 years isnt long enough for the BBC schedulers to get their dates sorted out.

There were glimpses from the archive, though  including one of the naturalist as an impossibly young man, shirtless on an Arabian dhow, swigging from a beer bottle.
Making a grand entrance no matter what the occasion is a must for the glamorous cast members of The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

And Pettifleur Berenger and Susie Mclean did just that as they arrived at the 58th Annual Logie Awards at Crown Palladium in Melbourne, on Sunday evening.

The glammed-up ladies arrived together along with some of their fellow castmates, leading the bevvy of beauties and stars of the hit reality show.

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We're here! Pettifleur Berenger (left) and Susie Mclean (right) seemed to enjoy making a grand entrance at the TV Week Logie Awards in Melbourne on Sunday evening

The women seemed to be putting on a friendly display as they smiled and chatted together as they walked to the venue, appearing comfortable and confident in front of the cameras.

Susie went all out in a silky red gown, complete with a train, which she carried in her hand as she approached the event.

The figure-hugging one-shouldered dress, which featured a plaited detail woven around her body, showed off the 47-year-old's toned torso.

See Logies 2016 updates as Pettifleur Berenger and Susie Mclean make an entrance

Wowing the crowd: The stars of The Real Housewives of Melbourne knew how to work their best angles as they made their way to the venue

Lapping it up: Susie Mclean was happy to lead the bevvy of beauties into the event and show off her red gown to the waiting cameras

The mother-of-two completed her look with a pair of black platform heels and a simple black box clutch and her extravagant hair and make-up added to her lavish look.

Sri Lankan-born Pettifleur, 51, opted for an intricately detailed neutral-hued lace gown for the event.

The dress' long flared sleeves fell to the floor and layers of tulle piled around her ankles to add volume.

The bronzed beauty kept her honey-coloured locks down with the front pushed back away from her face in a styled up do.

Glammed-up: Pettifleur opted for an elegant neutral-hued lace and tulle gown while Susie opted for a not-so-subtle red silky number

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia in December, Pettifleur said: 'I'm 100 per cent natural. I've not had anything touched on my face, contrary to what people are talking about.'

The Sri Lanka-born TV star, who is an exotic mix of Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese and Sinhalese, continued: 'Let's be honest here, there's not a lot of 51-year-olds that look like me unless they are from Hollywood with surgery out of control.'

'Last year [2014] when you saw me on Housewives I was three-and-a-half kilos heavier, and because I have such an itsy-bitsy tiny frame, three-and-a-half kilos on me is like ten kilos on someone else.'

Bronzed beauties: The housewives spared no detail for their outfits on television's night of nights

Extravagant! The ladies strutted their way into the event, and appeared as comfortable and confident as ever in front of the cameras

She continued: 'I've always been very blessed with my features. I've got super high cheekbones, I've got full lips, I've got big eyes and a small face.

'Hello, you can't ask for a lot more than that!' she added.

The stunner is currently wrapping up the third season of The Real Housewives of Melbourne, which is the highest-rated season of the series to date.

Exotic: The Sri Lanka-born TV star, who is mix of Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese and Sinhalese has recently been working hard at the gym to refine her trim and toned figure
He said during his acceptance speech for his Gold Logie that it was an honour to share his life with his wife of 14 years.

But while The Project's Waleed Ali can unleash on Australias politicians and Muslim leaders, it seems his biggest challenge was convincing Susan Carland to go out with him.'

The mother of his two children told TV Week: 'He rang me up and said "Look, I like you, and would really like to pursue this."'

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Going for gold: Waleed Ali's biggest challenge was convincing Susan Carland to go out with him

Close: The pair, who have been married for 14 years and share two children, and Susan says she is his biggest fan

However far from falling for the flattery, Susan, who last year completed a PHD into the way women fight sexism within the Muslim community, replied: 'I wouldn't marry you if were the last person on earth:'

It was twelve months before she realised the error of her ways, however, and Susan admits she then mustered the courage to call and ask him out after realising her 'huge mistake.'

In turn, a gracious Waleed accepted and they married in 2002 in an al fresco ceremony and today share a daughter Aisa, 12, and nine year-old son Zayd.

Strong: They married in 2002 in an al fresco ceremony and today share a daughter Aisa, 12, and nine year-old son Zayd. Pictured this year at a friend's wedding

Special bond: The couple say they have something 'unique'

Proud parents: They share a daughter Aisa, 12, and nine year-old son Zayd who is seen here as a toddler

On Sunday, 37-year-old Waleed took out the coveted Gold Logie at the Awards in Melbourne and opened his acceptance speech by thanking his wife, who is a regular guest on the ABC panel show Q&A.

'It's a privilege to be able to share my life with you,' he said stating that she 'makes you better.'

He went on: 'There is only more thing I want to say, theres a lot more I could say about Susan but, the reality is, and this is just a dirty little secret I have carried around for a long time  but if she had my job, she would be better at it than me.'

The woman in his life: Waleed paid tribute to Susan on the night of the Logies saying 'It's a privilege to be able to share my life with you'

Winner: The 37-year-old won the coveted Gold Logie and was honoured with the award for Best Personality on Australian Television

Staying on the topic of his wife, he continued: 'She is sharper, she is wittier, she is funnier she is infinitely more charming and likeable and Im really glad she doesnt have my job...

'Because then I definitely wouldnt have it but the reason she doesnt is because she has bigger, more important things to do and everyone who knows it knows she changes you and she makes you better.

'She has done that in her work, she has done that in her community and they dont give statuettes to people like that, sadly, but one day if life is fair they might just give her a statue.'

Waleed told the publication he and Susan share a 'little bubble' and something 'completely unique.'

Smart pair: Susan appears on the ABC panel show Q&A. Pictured with Waleed at the 2015 GQ Men Of The Year Awards in 2015

The morning after the Logies, Waleed joked to Kyle and Jackie O that his wife had written his acceptance speech.

When kiisFM host Jackie O mentioned that he had said some lovely things about Susan, Waleed replied: 'Yeah, I did. She wrote those parts very well.'

He then added: 'I was delighted to do that,' after explaining that although he didn't have a complete speech prepared, he had 'given it some thought'.

The hit Network Ten current affairs show also took out the award for Best News Panel or Current Affairs Programme.

Waleed follows in the footsteps of his Project co-host Carrie Bickmore, who took home the Gold gong last year.

A-Team: Waleed posed with fellow presenters Carrie Bickmore (centre) and Peter Helliar (right) with their silver Logie after winning Best News Panel or Current Affairs Program
Gold Logie nominee Lee Lin Chin has been forced to deny incorrect reports she had too many drinks and had to be carried out of an after party on Sunday night following the Logies.

The reports claimed the popular SBS newsreader was so drunk she was bundled out of the Channel Seven bash at JJs Bar and Grill at Crown Towers.

Both SBS and Seven have denied the claims, and insiders told the Herald Sun that Chin and a few friends were just having fun and decided to carry her from the party like a Queen.

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Not drunk: Gold Logie nominee Lee Lin Chin has been forced to deny incorrect reports she had a few too many drinks and had to be carried out of a Logies after party on Sunday night

Innocent fun: Both SBS and Seven have denied the claims, and insiders told the Herald Sun that Chin and a few friends were just having fun and decided to carry her from the party like a Queen

It was a fun night, Lee Lin Chin was a fabulous guest, and she is welcome anytime, a source from Seven, who was at the bar, said.

An SBS staffer, who came with Chin to the Logies, confirmed it was all innocent fun and she was very much sober.

They thought it would be funny to carry her around. But Lee was very much upright, and she was not drunk, they said.

See Logies 2016 news as Lee Lin Chin denies she was so drunk she 'had to be carried out'

It was a fun night': 'Lee Lin Chin was a fabulous guest, and she is welcome anytime, a source from Seven who was at the bar said

Chin was nominated for both the Gold Logie, the first nod in the broadcasters 35-year history, and Best Presenter  both of which she lost to The Projects Waleed Aly.

She earlier joked on Twitter that she would bathe in his blood for beating her, but later congratulated Aly on his triumph.

'As much as I would have loved to won the Logie, I would have never been as articulate as him. Australian TV needs more of you,' she said.

They thought it would be funny to carry her around: 'Lee was very much upright, and she was not drunk, SBS source said

The 62-year-old also endured a jab from Logie presenter and ABC comedian Kitty Flanagan, who called Chin a whack job in her routine.

Who doesn't love that whack job, I mean, come on, Flanagan said.

Chin later sparred with Shane Jacobson and expressed her pride at SBS finally earning a nomination for the top award, saying it meant the network had arrived.

It is about time we were accepted into the pantheon of television in this country, she said.
There's two generations of strong women for Kim Kardashian to look up to - her mother Kris and grandmother Mary Jo.

And the reality television star made sure she thanked both in a series of Instagram posts on Mother's Day.

She shared an adorable bath-time flashback photo, with her maternal grandmother, on Sunday, and it was impossible to miss just how much young Kim looks like her daughter North, two.

See Kim Kardashian updates as she shares her bathtime and looks just like daughter North

She looks like North! Kim Kardashian shared an adorable bath-time flashback photo, with her maternal grandmother, on Sunday

The faded picture was captioned: 'Happy Mothers Day to my grandma MJ. So happy I got to spend the day with you and my babies! You have taught all of us girls to be independent and work hard and I'm so grateful for you!'

The mother of two was spoiled by husband Kanye West, who hired a string orchestra to wake her on Mother's Day.

Like mom, like daughter: Kim and North went to Cuba this week - and the reality star showed how lookalike she was to her daughter

Playing a medley of songs, the violins and cello players provided a fairytale start to the day for the 35-year-old, who shared a series of Snapchats of them performing the surprise private concert in her Bel Air home.

'Mother's Day surprise in my living room!' wrote the thrilled reality star - who didn't seem to mind missing out on the traditional lie-in.

In classic Kanye style, the perfectionist musician had obviously created the dreamlike scene himself.

Daddy's done it again! North West and her mother Kim Kardashian look on in wonder at the string orchestra hired to wake them on Mother's Day by Kanye West

'Surprise!': Playing a medley of songs, the violins and cello players provided a fairytale start to the day for the 35-year-old, who shared a series of Snapchats of them performing the private concert in her Bel Air home

The female musicians wore flowing white skirts, and sat evenly spaced on a cream woolen rug with their sheet music in front of them.

The group of ten violin and cello players were placed in front of the Kanye-designed floor to ceiling two-storey glass wall, which sent the early morning sunlight flooding over them.

See Kim Kardashian updates as Kanye West wakes her with an orchestra on Mother's Day

Moment to treasure: In classic Kanye style, the perfectionist musician had obviously created the dreamlike scene himself

Kim and daughter North snuggled as they watched the scene below from the raising landing outside their rooms, having been woken by the music.

Among other tunes the orchestra played Tomorrow from the film Annie, and Let It Go from Frozen - both obviously picked with three-year-old North in mind.

And Kanye didn't stop there.

Breakfast symphony: The group of ten violin and cello players were placed in front of the Kanye-designed floor to ceiling two-storey glass wall, which sent the early morning sunlight flooding over them

Setting the bar higher than ever, the doting father and husband presented Kim with a bench bedecked in pink flowers, which she shared an image of online.

Of course, Kanye has every reason to pamper his wife this Mothers' Day.

The reality star welcomed son Saint in December - a feat worthy of celebrating in style.

Kanye style: Setting the bar higher than ever, the doting father and husband presented Kim with a bench bedecked in pink flowers, which she shared an image of online

Meanwhile Kim herself was celebrating her own mother - taking to her paid-for website KimKardashianWest.com to share her thoughts.

'As a daughter, granddaughter, sister and a mother of two myself, I consider all the moms in my life to be the strongest women I know,' she wrote, alongside a picture of her mother Kris Jenner and maternal grandmother Mary Jo.

'It's so important to remember the women who brought us into the world and everything they do for us. Happy Mother's Day, everyone!!!'

Grateful: Meanwhile Kim herself was celebrating her own mother and grandmother - taking to her paid-for website KimKardashianWest.com to share her thoughts

Her sister Khloe celebrated all the mothers in her life - from Kris to Kim and Kourtney.

'Kris Jenner, I am so lucky that you're my mom,' she wrote. 'You are such an inspiration. You've gone through so muchyou've pushed six kids out!!!and are still the most kind, caring, generous and intelligent woman I know. Love you!!!

'MJ, you inspire me everyday with your elegance!

'Kimberly and Kourtney, you guys are such incredible mothers and I feel so lucky to be an auntie to your kids. I hope you both have the best Mother's Day!'

Kylie later Snapchatted a shot of her sister Kim who was rocking tight braids for Mother's Day celebrations.

Shaking things up: Kim later showed off tight braids in a Snapchat shared by sister Kylie

On her way: After spending the day with her family and receiving lavish gifts, the reality mom prepped to leave to another location in a private jet




Jestinta Campbell has lashed out at Kate Langbroek after the 50-year-old television and radio personality criticised her risky Logies dress on social media.

At the star-studded event, Jesinta, 24, turned heads in a very daring olive green bodysuit worn underneath a completely see-through netted dress by local designers, Camilla and Marc.

Kate, who was watching the event from the comfort of her own home, posted a picture of the Miss Universe Australia star on Instagram, writing in an accompanying caption: 'This cannot be for real. #logies #beachwear #desperate(for pants)'

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Lashing out: Jestinta Campbell has lashed out at Kate Langbroek after the 50-year-old television and radio personality criticised her risky Logies dress on social media

Risque: At the star-studded event, Jesinta, 24, turned heads in a very daring olive green bodysuit worn underneath a completely see-through netted dress by local designers, Camilla and Marc

It wasn't too long before Jesinta responded, writing back: 'Woah nasty, @katelangbroek! Hope you enjoyed watching and critiquing from your couch last night.'

Realising that the comment may have sounded too harsh, Kate then wrote back: 'that does sound mean. Sorry, your bum was the first thing I saw. Adding 'PS no couch. Bed.'

Jesinta's one of the biggest names in Australian fashion as a model, former beauty queen and brand ambassador.

Revealing: The 24-year-old cut a daring figure in her ensemble that showed off her pert derriere and long legs

So there were big expectations when she stepped out at the Awards in Melbourne on Sunday, and she didn't play it safe.

The brunette beauty cut a daring figure in her ensemble that showed off her pert derriere and long legs.

Jesinta pumped up her already statuesque height with a pair of strappy black heels which could barely be seen underneath the thick lace.

But while the model's appearance stole the show, her fiance Lance 'Buddy' Franklin was less than impressed.

Social media post: Kate, who was watching the event from the comfort of her own home, posted a picture of the Miss Universe Australia star on Instagram, writing in an accompanying caption: 'This cannot be for real. #logies #beachwear #desperate(for pants)'

Back and forth: Jesinta commented under Kate's post, calling the radio star 'nasty'

'He thought it was a bit much,' she told the Daily Telegraph. 'I think he preferred me to be fully covered. head to toe. But hes always encouraging.'

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Jesinta penned a tribute to her mother ahead of Mother's Day, saying she was 'blessed 'and shared a stunning black and white picture of them.
She stunned at the Met Gala earlier this week.

And Sarah Jessica Parker may have turned down the glam but still managed to look fantastic on her latest outing.

The 51-year-old actress was spotted with husband Matthew Broderick and the rest of their brood while out and about in the Beverly Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Sunday.

Bonding time: Sarah Jessica Parker along with husband Matthew Broderick were spotted with the rest of their brood as they enjoyed Mother's Day bonding in the Beverly Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Sunday

No doubt the happy family were enjoying a bonding weekend in California as they can regularly be seen together on the other side of the country in New York City.

Sarah and her 54-year-old actor husband were joined by their children: 13-year-old son James along with six-year-old twin girls Marion and Tabitha.

The Sex And The City actress looked stylish as always as she sported a black blazer over a grey sweater.

She also sported a pair of skinny navy trousers along with black leather clogs.

Three's a crowd: The 51-year-old actress was joined by her six-year-old twin daughters Marion and Tabitha, who was wearing a floral shirt from Old Navy

Sarah finished off the look with a pair of designer shades with mirrored lenses, a necklace and black leather bag draped over her shoulders.

Her blonde locks were worn down in a middle-part flowing over her shoulders as she sported natural, complimentary make-up on her face.

It was a drastically different look than the one she rocked at the star-studded Met Gala in the Big Apple last week as she wore a Hamilton-inspired outfit.

Casual cool: She sported a black blazer over grey sweater, navy trousers and black leather clogs as she was also joined by 13-year-old son James

Sarah rocked an all-white Monse outfit, which boasted a backless white jacket with ruffled sleeves, bust-baring top and baggy breeches.

She rounded off her look with a trendy pair of blue stilettos from her very own SJP Collection.

Though she was met with mostly positive feedback, the look was not without its fair-share of critics as the Ivy Marshall Blog voiced their disapproval.

A three-way Instagram image which mocked the clothing of Sarah, designer Diane von Furstenberg and the awfully dressed Madonna, was captioned, 'this trio didnt get the memo.'

Founding Father fashion: Sarah wore an outfit inspired by the Hamilton musical to the Met Gala in New York on Monday

Too clever by half: Her jacket came in two pieces and allowed her to showcase her toned back

Basquing in the glory: Her jacket was cut in half to expose the corset she was wearing underneath

The fuming actress wrote: 'Got the memo. Always welcome thoughts but I'm a stickler for the theme and pay close attention to what it means. Every year with great consideration, research and conviction.

'The understanding of man and machine, how they intersect, when and why is what we considered. Perhaps you weren't aware of the technology used in the details and embellishments of the design.

'Or perhaps you simply didn't like what I wore which is completely fine but you can't accuse me of not paying close attention and adhering to the theme. With respect and warmest regards, sj.'
Alicia and Travis were reunited with their family after a clever hostage exchange on Sunday night's episode of Fear The Walking Dead.

Madison Clark managed to persuade Connor that his brother Reed was alive and well before handing him over and getting her boyfriend Travis back.

But when Connor pulled the bag off Reed's head he discovered his brother had, in fact, turned into a zombie and quickly met his end when Reed bit into his arm.

Hostage exchange: Madison Clark negotiated a hostage exchange on Sunday's episode of Fear The Walking Dead to get her boyfriend Travis Manawa and daughter Alicia back

Travis and Madison then fought off the rest of Connor's crew before Alicia plunged off the boat into the ocean, away from Jack, and headed back to their ship The Abigail with them.

Madison and The Abigail crew members were on a mission to rescue Travis and Alicia after Connor's group had kidnapped them off the ship in last week's episode of The Walking Dead spin off show.

While Connor cooked steak for Alicia on his boat, Daniel Salazar tended to Reed's knife wound as he was tied to a chair in The Abigail.

'When I don't come back with this boat as planned Connor will come looking for me and when he sees what you've done he might be a little bent,' Reed warned.

Chose family: Alicia fought to be reunited with her family again after being taken away by Connor

Steak meal: Connor cooked Alicia a steak as he tried to get to know her one-on-one

'He has a dozen men, five boats, three' but he was cut off and screamed out in pain while Daniel dabbed his wound with ointment.

'Sorry,' Daniel said.

'Oh you will be,' Reed threatened. 'My brother, he's the nice one. But when he cuts me loose I'm going to take that daughter of yours apart.'

Bold threat: Reed while wounded and tied up threatened to harm Daniel Salazar's daughter Ofelia when free

Daniel reassured him: 'In my time I've known men who inspire fear, but you know what they have in common? They never say how frightening they are.'

After Daniel relayed the information about Connor's group of five boats, he and Madison spotted a cluster of boat and changed their ship's direction, much to the annoyance of Victor Strand's friend Luis Flores.

Luis, hinting at the secret reason for their mission to Baja California, asked Strand: 'Are you going to make me be the one to tell her?'

Getting annoyed: Luis was annoyed when the ship changed directions in a bid to save Travis and Alicia

'There's no telling her anything,' Strand insisted.

Luis whispered in Spanish: 'He is waiting for us. We have to go.'

'He of all people would understand my obligation,' Strand said.

Ship captain: Victor Strand agreed to give Madison a chance to save her family

'They charge by the head. You said two people. You have money for two people,' Luis complained.

On Connor's boat, meanwhile, Travis came face to face with Alex  the woman whose dinghy Strand cut free from the Abigail after refusing to help her and her sick friend.

A furious Alex told Travis it was her who tipped Connor and his men about The Abigail after she was forced to kill the injured boy Jake Powell in her dinghy and tip his body overboard.

She's back: Alex was back after Strand cut her adrift on a life raft with injured Jake Powell

'I did what you made me do,' she said.

'He [Connor] said to me ''What do you have to offer?'' I offered him your Abigail. Then I asked for you.

'You put us in the raft. You did that. I saw your face. You knew what would happen. You knew the right thing to do and you chose the other.'

Strangled him: Travis listened as Alex told how she was forced to strangle Jake and throw him overboard

An emotional Travis said: 'I can't tell you what you want to hear. I'm no better than the man who cut the rope. What you did to that boy, I did the same to my son's mother, so I know what it cost. It cost a part of me.'

Alicia, who had been tasked with choosing boats for Connor to target, hatched a plot to escape the boat with Jack after they spotted The Abigail heading in their direction.

Having been assured by Jack that Reed would be dropping her family off down the coast, she feared the worst and vowed to distract Connor, take a vessel and find her family.

Same thing: Alex was the told by Travis that he had to do the same thing to his son's mother

Odd couple: Jack taught Alicia how to spot other ships at sea that they could raid for supplies and personnel

Running down to see Travis, she told her stepfather she would come back for him, but he asked her to assure him she would save herself first.

'Promise me, if it comes down to it you just go,' Travis begged.

On The Abigail  and unbeknownst to Alicia and Travis - Madison made contact with Connor and struck a deal to trade Reed for her husband and daughter.

Strong negotiator: Madison took over the hostage negotiations

But while she and Nick were discussing who would do the exchange, they heard a gunshot echo from the bottom of the boat.

A shaken Chris backed away from Reed's room with a gun in his hand and told Daniel's daughter Ofelia: 'He was going to turn.'

After seeing Reed lying dead in the chair, with a gunshot wound to his face, Madison asked Chris what had happened.

About to turn: Reed was shot by Chris who said he was about to turn

'He was sick. He was going to turn,' he said.

'We didn't know that,' Madison protested.

'I knew that. That's what happens now,' Travis's son insisted.

That's his story: Chris insisted that Reed was sick and going to turn before he shot him

Hearing arguing from the deck above, he asked: 'Did I just screw everything up? Were they going to trade him for my dad?'

'We'll figure everything out. Trust me,' Madison soothed.

Ofelia and Nick were tasked with cleaning up the blood from Chris's shot, and Ofelia said: 'I'm actually starting to get used to this. This is what we do now. We spill blood, clean it up and spill it again.'

Trade complication: Madison soothed Chris after he realized that shooting Reed may have ruined the trade

Blood duty: Ofelia and Nick were put on blood cleanup duty

But it soon became clear that Chris's shot had missed Reed's brain and he turned into a zombie in his chair.

As Nick went to stick a knife through his brain, Daniel stopped him, spotting the opportunity to save Travis and Alicia after all.

The group placed a bag over Reed's head and put him in a dinghy with Madison, who took him to the exchange with Connor.

He turned: Reed after being shot in the face actually did turn into a zombie

Quick thinking: Daniel stuck Reed with a blade after turned

He's stuck: Reed was pinned to the wall as the hostage exchange plan was back on

Big surprise: Connor unmasked Reed only to find out that he had been turned

Connor and one of his crew members met their deaths when Madison unleashed Reed on them before escaping with Travis.

Jack begged Alicia to stay, telling her: 'Alex told us what they did. Is that who you really want to be with? The people who abandoned her will abandon you.'

But Alicia whispered 'I'm sorry' before sliding off the dry-docked boat into the water and riding back toward The Abigail with her mother and Travis.

Flesh eater: Reed bit into his brother's arm as the ruse worked

Big slide: Alicia rejected Jack's offer to stay with him and leaped onto the sloped side of the ship

Together again: Travis pulled Alicia aboard their speedboat and Madison raced them back to the yacht
She recently returned from her modelling duties in sunny Los Angeles.

And when the sun came out on Sunday in her hometown of Kent, Kelly Brook couldn't help but put on a skimpy display in her bikini once again.

Gathering her family and friends for a Hawaiian themed party, the 36-year-old frolicked in the pool at her home's backyard wearing a green printed two-piece on a giant inflatable flamingo float.

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Sun's out! Kelly Brook, 36, enjoyed wore a tiny green bikini and sailor hat in a Tiki themed party as she relaxed on an inflatable pink flamingo with her family and friends in Kent on Sunday

Sticking to the brief of the sunny activity, the model adorned her collarbone with a colourful lei as she struck a pose side on- drawing attention to her tiny waist and busty cleavage.

Keeping most of her brunette locks hidden with a sailor hat, she opted for natural glowy make-up look to ensure it didn't melt away in the pool.

Losing the hat in another snap, she posed with her gal pals and family members while flaunting her tanned legs as she posed with a coconut.

Having a blast! She posed with her gal pals and family members while flaunting her tanned legs as she posed with a coconut

Shortly after the girls were joined by another female and the squad put on a more jokey display as they placed the coconuts on their bosoms.

Kelly who is known for her curves, looked on in shock at the more curvaceous woman who barely had coconuts big enough to hide her impressive assets and captioned the snap: 'Coconut Shocker'.

No doubt, the individual who caught her attention the most was her French beau, Jeremy Parisi.

The hunky athlete positively glistened in the sun as he displayed his bulging biceps on a green float as Kelly lay on top of him.

Coconut shocker! The girls were joined by another female and the squad put on a more jokey display as they placed the coconuts on their bosoms

In love: Jeremy Parisi positively glistened in the sun as he displayed his bulging biceps on a green float as Kelly lay on top of him

Family Vacay for a Day: The beauty brought out all the stops for her Tiki party

Kicking her leg up and showing off her pert posterior, it seemed like she was flirtatiously whispering something into his ear as he squinted from the much-welcomed sunny weather.

Kelly is no doubt smitten with her man who usually accompanies her on her overseas adventures, to make sure she enjoys the mantra of 'work hard, play harder'.

The Piranha 3D star is yet to officially deny or confirm whether she is engaged to the Frenchman after she was spotted wearing a diamond ring earlier this year.

However, she appeared to dismiss any binding rumours in February by sharing a retro themed greeting card on Instagram, depicting a woman reading a bedtime story to her daughter.

Kelly was previously engaged to actor Billy Zane before splitting in 2008, and called off her engagement to CBB star David McIntosh in 2014 after a whirlwind few months together.

Are they, are they not? Kelly is yet to officially deny or confirm whether she is engaged to the Frenchman after she was spotted wearing a diamond ring earlier this year




It's famously dubbed as Australian television's night of nights.

And that was certainly the case for the 2016 TV Week Logie Awards on Sunday night, with its broadcast on Channel Nine beating rival networks' programs in the ratings.

The awards show attracted an average audience of 1.119 million viewers across the metro cities, ahead of Channel Ten's MasterChef and Channel Seven's House Rules.

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Winners are grinners: The 2016 TV Week Logie Awards on Channel Nine came out on top of the television ratings on Sunday night ahead of Masterchef and House Rules

Cooking show MasterChef Australia attracted an average 905,000 viewers, while renovating program House Rules yielded 864,000 viewers on average.

The only two programs the Logies fell behind during Sunday's evening ratings were Channel Seven's and Channel Nine's news bulletins.

Sunday night marked the 58th TV Week Logie Awards, with the prestigious awards ceremony held at Melbourne's The Crown Palladium.

The Project host Waleed Aly Waleed won the coveted Gold Logie on the night for Best Personality on Australian Television and earlier in the evening, he was also awarded the Silver Logie for Best Presenter.

Close call: Channel Ten cooking show MasterChef attracted an average of 905,000 viewers on Sunday night

Getting there: Channel Seven renovating program House Rules yielded 864,000 viewers on average

He began his Gold Logie acceptance speech with an acknowledgement to his wife, saying: 'It's a privilege to be able to share my life with you.'

He continued with a moving tribute, stating that she 'makes you better.

Waleed went on to thank his co-stars Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar, admitting: 'The best place you can possibly be is in a room surrounded by people that are better than you and who teach you every day'.

Meanwhile during Sunday night's episode of MasterChef Australia on Channel Ten, there was plenty of drama in the kitchen.

Star-studded: The biggest faces of Australian television attended the Logie Awards, including The Project's Waleed Aly, Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar

Good times: Even MasterChef judges George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan were at the Logies

Tensions were running high as celebrity chef Marco Pierre White sampled the contestants' dishes.

This is currently the eighth season of the popular cooking show in Australia, with main judges being Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston.

And on Channel Seven's House Rules, the second whole house transformation was revealed on Sunday night.

The current series marks the fourth season of the reality show on Australian screens.

Don't tell the wife! MasterChef Australia contestant Matt (pictured) was perhaps a little too excited to receive praise from Marco Pierre White during Sunday night's episode

Oh, dear! House Rules newcomers Fil (left) and Joe's (right) bathroom was branded a 'turquoise disaster' on Sunday night




They welcomed their first child, Axel, together in December.

Now six months later Michelle Bridges has revealed she learnt the tricks of parenthood off her partner Steve 'Commando' Willis who already fathers three other children.

While appearing on Channel Seven's The Morning Show the 45-year-old revealed her personal trainer beau has been easy to learn off because of his relaxed personality.

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Learning curve: Michelle Bridges revealed on Monday that she learnt the tricks of parenthood off her partner Steve 'Commando' Willis who already fathers three other children

'I turn to him a lot because he is just so relaxed about being a dad,' the Biggest Loser Australia trainer explained to hosts Larry Emdur and Angela Cox.

She went on to add: 'I am actually learning from him.'

While on the topic of family life Michelle gushed about watching Commando be a parent to a newborn.

'He is so sweet,' she simply stated.

Proud: She told the show's hosts: 'I turn to him a lot because he is just so relaxed about being a dad...I am actually learning from him'

Precious: While on the topic of family life Michelle gushed about watching Commando be a parent to a newborn, saying: 'He is so sweet'

'He is very good at it...well he [Axel] is his fourth child so he [Commando] is an old hand at it,' Michelle joked.

Over the weekend Michelle celebrated her first Mother's Day.

During the special day Commando and Axel sang Michelle a ditty wishing her a happy day and shared the endearing video clip to Instagram.

Holding the five-month-old up, Steve bounced his lookalike son around as he crooned a song thanking his 45-year-old partner for all that she does for them.

In harmony: On Sunday Commando and Axel sang Michelle a ditty wishing her a happy Mother's Day and shared the endearing video clip to Instagram

Not shy: Proud of the song Commando had written for Michelle, the TV personality shared the video to her instagram page writing: 'This was my song... happy mums day ladies! Have a wonderful day'

Proud of the song Commando had written for Michelle, the TV personality shared the video to her instagram page writing: 'This was my song... happy mums day ladies! Have a wonderful day!'

In the clip Commando wore a black vest and put his array of tattoos on show as he sings into the phone camera.

And Little Axel, born in December, beared a striking resemblance to his father and was seen wearing a pale blue baby grow in the clip.
It was a moving moment viewed by thousands in the room and an additional 1.18 million from their living rooms.

But for Waleed Aly's wife Susan Carland, hearing her husband's acceptance speech after he won the coveted Gold Logie was an exceptionally intimate moment.

Speaking with Mamamia's podcast The Binge on Monday, the 36-year-old said it felt like she and him were the only two people in the room.

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'In that moment it was just he and I': Waleed Aly's (left) wife Susan Carland (right) reflected on listening to her husband give his Gold Logies acceptance speech

'Its funny, because it was the two of us in this room full of thousand people and however many thousands of people watching at home,' she said.

'But in that moment it was just he and I and it was really lovely.'

Waleed took home two awards for the night in addition to Best Personality on Australian Television, he was honoured as Best Presenter for his role on The Project.

See Logies 2016 updates as Waleed Aly's wife Susan Carland reflects on husbands speech

'It's a privilege to be able to share my life with you': The 37-year-old thanked his wife during his acceptance speech for the Silver Logie for Best Presenter

Why wouldn't you be smiling? The 37-year-old Waleed took home the Gold Logie for Best Personality as well as the Silver Logie for Best Presenter

Upon winning the Silver Logie, he thanked his wife in a loving tribute, saying: 'It's a privilege to be able to share my life with you.'

He continued: 'She is sharper, wittier, funnier and infinitely more charming and likeable [than I].'

Speaking to Kyle and Jackie O on Monday morning, Waleed joked that his moving 'thank you' to his Susan was in fact written by her.

It's a privilege to be able to share my life with you': Upon being awarded the Silver Logie, he thanked his wife for her unflinching support

Radio host Jackie O Henderson mentioned that he had said some lovely things about his wife, to which he replied: 'Yeah, I did. She wrote those parts very well.'

The power couple were married in 2002 and they have two children, a son and a daughter, together.

Susan is a highly regarded Melbourne-base academic, having completed her PhD in 2015 after investigating the way Muslim women fight sexism within the Muslim community.
It was a meeting of reality minds.

And Chloe Goodman, of Ex On The Beach fame, was at the helm of the night out as she led the stars at London's Courthouse Hotel on Sunday night.

The 22-year-old glamour model opted to forego a bra as she flashed a hint of sideboob while joined by TOWIE's Jasmin Walia, 25, who was showing her legs in barely-there micro shorts.

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Phenomenal figure: Chloe Goodman, of Ex On The Beach fame, was at the helm of the night out as she led the stars at London's Courthouse Hotel on Sunday night

Chloe, who soared to fame in 2014's inaugural series of the MTV dating show, was sure to turn heads as she shed her underwear for the evening to allow a streamlined silhouette.

Her khaki top featured a high-rise, halter style neckline, which initially appeared demure before she turned to the side and revealed a racy peek of side boob.

The Brighton-born beauty, who previously acted as a body double for Cameron Diaz and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini as well as a stint on Celebrity Big Brother, revealed her whole tanned back.

She tucked the Lycra top into her second skin-style mini skirt comprising of a cream material which afforded a look at her perky derriere.

Oops! The 22-year-old glamour model (left, pictured with her sister Chloe) opted to forego a bra as she flashed a hint of sideboob while joined by TOWIE's Jasmin Walia, 25, who was showing her legs in a barely-there mini

Wowing the crowd: Chloe, who soared to fame in 2014's inaugural series of the MTV dating show, was sure to turn heads as she shed her underwear for the evening to allow a streamlined silhouette

Sister, sister: Chloe was glad to be out and about with her sister for the night on the town

Large gold hoops tied the look together, while she toted a cream handbag as an accessory to match her pink nude stilettos.

Chloe's make-up was perfectly applied, with lashings of foundation sitting below a dab of cheekbone defining highlighter as well as a flawless smokey eye.

She slicked on a hint of pink lipstick while wearing her reddish-brown tresses in a dead straight style pinned up to one side.

There appeared to be no tension between Jasmin and Chloe, despite the fact the latter previously enjoyed a dalliance with the former's Ex On The Beach star boyfriend Ross Worswick.

Stunner: Jasmin meanwhile, who starred in TOWIE for three years before leaving last year, was also flashing the flesh in a tiny crop top and flirty hot pants

Cheeky: She showed off her taut abs in her dove grey, scoop neck crop top which gave a hint of her braless cleavage atop a glimpse of her toned abs

Jasmin meanwhile, who starred in TOWIE for three years before leaving last year, was also flashing the flesh in a tiny crop top and flirty hot pants.

She showed off her taut abs in her dove grey, scoop neck crop top which gave a hint of her braless cleavage atop a glimpse of her toned abs.

Her white shorts flashed her long, lithe pins, while her lace-up shoes added length to her already sensational legs.

She wore her glossy brunette tresses in bouncy waves, while sporting glossy lip gloss and heavy eye make-up while she stacked up thin chains on her neck.

Legs eleven: Her white shorts flashed her long, lithe pins, while her lace-up shoes added length to her already sensational legs

Working it... She wore her glossy brunette tresses in bouncy waves, while sporting glossy lip gloss and heavy eye make-up while she stacked up thin chains on her neck

More reality: Yet another Ex On The Beach alumni, was Kayleigh Morris, star of the second season of the show, who went for a rather bizarre shiny top

Hanging out: Adding further confusion to the ensemble, was a pair of cream peep-toe heels with a booted detail at the ankle as well as sporting a heavy cuff and bangle

Yet another Ex On The Beach alumni, was Kayleigh Morris, star of the second season of the show, who went for a rather bizarre shiny top.

Featuring a snakeskin top with a scooped neck and a ring attaching the hem to a string which she tied around the waist of her khaki bandage skirt.

Adding further confusion to the ensemble, was a pair of cream peep-toe heels with a booted detail at the ankle as well as sporting a heavy cuff and bangle.

Chloe's sister meanwhile, whose television resume is an appearance on Big Brother's Bit On The Side while Chloe was in the CBB house, went saucy in a sheer black number.

Wearing a bandeau and a tube skirt beneath to protect her modesty, she peeled on a sheer dress which proffered a cheeky glimpse at her ample cleavage.

Sexy stuff: Featuring a snakeskin top with a scooped neck and a ring attaching the hem to a string which she tied around the waist of her khaki bandage skirt

Sheer delight: Chloe's sister meanwhile, whose television resume is an appearance on Big Brother's Bit On The Side while Chloe was in the CBB house, went saucy in a sheer black number
Emma Thompson has attacked movie studios for hiring young actors because of their impressive social media following - branding the trend a 'disaster'.

The 57-year-old actress said it 'really worries' her that new talent is being picked based on the number of followers they have, 'so the studios can use their followings to sell their movie'.

Oscar-winning Thompson was speaking at a royal reception for British Academy Award winners, hosted by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

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'Disaster': Emma Thompson has attacked movie studios for hiring young actors because of their impressive social media following

She added: 'The actors are becoming attached in the sort of business way to their social media profiles, and I think that's a disaster.'

The glamorous event, held at St James's Palace, was attended by acting royalty including Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Jeremy Irons and Sir Michael Caine.

Sir Michael also raised his concerns at the new generation of actors breaking through into the limelight.

'These days they just say I'm going to be an actor because I want to be rich and famous. And then they do a little part on television and everyone knows who they are. They can't really act,' he said.

Concerned: The 57-year-old actress said it 'really worries' her that new talent is being picked based on the number of followers they have, 'so the studios can use their followings to sell their movie'

'I knew I wasn't going to be rich, I knew I wasn't going to be famous, I knew I wasn't going to be a movie star, I just wanted to be a good actor, that's all.'

The Italian Job star is one of just two actors - the other being Jack Nicholson - to have been nominated for an Oscar in every decade from the 1960s to the 2000s.

And he had a warning for those who find fame at an early age: 'They're very young now. I was 30 before I became well known. I've watched it ruin people. By the time they're 30, they're through.'

'They just want to be rich and famous': Sir Michael also raised his concerns at the new generation of actors breaking through into the limelight

Last month Thompson hit the headlines when she narrowly avoided being sprayed with manure by an irate farmer as she filmed a Great British Bake Off parody skit for Greenpeace against fracking.

A group of protesters were hit by the manure but the actresses remained dry in their tent, complete with Bake Off-inspired bunting.

Police were called and spoke to the actress, who climbed over a gate and set up camp on land earmarked for gas exploration in Fylde, Lancashire.
Jet-setting supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley never seems to spend much time in one place.

After just a few days at home in Los Angeles, the British beauty was back at the airport yet again as she jetted off to another far-flung destination on Sunday.

The Devon-born clotheshorse, 29, rocked a cool, comfortable style in black skinny jeans, grey T-shirt and leather jacket.

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Runway style: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was back at the airport yet again as she jetted off to another far-flung destination on Sunday

She completed her look with a pair of black suede ankle boots, sunglasses and carried an oversized handbag.

Last week, Rosie briefly jetted to New York to attend the Met Gala on Monday with her fiance Jason Statham, before returning to Los Angeles.

The handsome couple didn't hang about in the Big Apple long and Rosie was spotted at the Rihanna gig in Inglewood on Wednesday night.

On the move: The Devon-born clotheshorse, 29, rocked a cool, comfortable style in black skinny jeans, grey T-shirt and leather jacket

The couple live in a $12.9m five bedroomed mansion in Beverly Hills, which they bought last year.

Following their pricey house purchase, Jason popped the question in January after five years together.

The action movie star proposed with a stunning 250,000 diamond ring, although the couple aren't believed to have set a date yet.

She's off again: The supermodel never spends too long in one place

Exhausted: The model complained about lack of sleep on Instagram

Speaking about his bride following the engagement, Jason gushed: 'We're very happy. She's a great girl.'

Prior to Rosie, Jason had high-profile romances with English model Kelly Brook and Australian personality Sophie Monk.

Meanwhile, Rosie previously dated French actor Olivier Martinez and art gallery owner Tyrone Wood - son of Rolling Stone rocker Ronnie.
They're still a few months away from welcoming their first child into the world.

But that didn't stop Behati Prinsloo and Adam Levine from marking Mothering Sunday by heading out into Los Angeles for a romantic meal.

Spending some quality down time with her 37-year-old husband, the model, 26, opted to cover up her blossoming baby bum in a seasonally chic floral dress.

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Glowing: Behati Prinsloo and Adam Levine celebrated Mothering Sunday by heading out into Los Angeles for a romantic meal on Sunday evening

The couple, who confirmed the pregnancy in April, looked to be enjoying a low-key date night together at the luxurious restaurant.

The Victoria's Secret model looked positively radiant, as she laughed and joked around with friends outside the restaurant following the meal - flashing a winning smile as she chatted away.

Behati, who hasn't been shy about showing off her blossoming bump, opted to subtly shift focus away from her unborn child in a loose-fitting maxi dress.

Subtle and chic maternity style: Spending some quality down time with her 37-year-old husband, the model, 26, opted to cover up her blossoming baby bum in a seasonally chic floral dress

Looking the picture of spring style, the expectant mother chose to obscure her pregnant figure in the breezy purple and white number.

She added a fashionista touch to her look by wearing a pair of black suede, block-heeled boots, while she kept any hint of a chill breeze away with a red overcoat.

Keeping her accessories to a chic and stylish minimum, the Namibian-born model opted for a collection of bangles, a gold necklace and stone leather handbag.

Covering-up: Behati, who hasn't been shy about showing off her blossoming bump, opted to subtly shift focus away from her unborn child in a loose-fitting maxi dress

A radiant look: The Victoria's Secret model looked positively radiant, as she laughed and joked around with friends outside the restaurant following the meal - flashing a winning smile as she chatted away.

Wearing her long blonde locks loose and in tousled waves down past her shoulders, Behati further exuded a relaxed vibe as she flicked her hair off of her face.

Opting a minimum pallette of make-up, the stunning beauty let her naturally striking looks shine through.

Maroon 5 frontman Adam also rocked a relaxed wardrobe, although it appeared the chart-topper was aiming to keep more of a low-profile than his wife.

Pulling on a black hoodie from iconic skateboarding magazine Thrasher, the Harder To Breathe pulled the hood low over his brow.

keeping a low profile? Maroon 5 frontman Adam also rocked a relaxed wardrobe, although it appeared the chart-topper was aiming to keep more of a low-profile than his wife

Low-key departure: Pulling on a black hoodie from iconic skateboarding magazine Thrasher, the Harder To Breathe pulled the hood low over his brow.

Doting dad-to-be: Hopping into their car after bidding goodbye to their friends, Adam doted on his wife by taking on driving duties - and it seems that Behati appreciated the offer as she rested her head against the window

He teamed the baggy top with a pair of ripped denim jeans and some Yeezy Boost trainers.

With a heavy layer of stubble coating his chiseled features, the father-to-be added a rugged edge to his look.

Hopping into their car after bidding goodbye to their group of friends, Adam doted on his wife by taking on driving duties - and it seems that Behati appreciated the offer as she rested her head against the window.

Earlier on in the week, the couple made a joke about Behati's blossoming bump with Adam pushing his belly out - mimicking his wife's changing figure - in a funny selfie.

He captioned the black and white snap with the cheeky caption: '20 and I'm finally popping! #impregnanttoo.'
There may have been many celebrities that let loose at the 58th TV Week Logie Awards in Melbourne on Sunday.

But if E! Australia host Ksenija Lukich was feeling a little worse for wear on Monday, she certainly wasn't showing it as she touched back down in Sydney.

The 26-year-old looked impossibly fresh as she walked through the Domestic Terminal, appearing to be almost makeup-free in stark contrast to her vampy look from the night before.

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No hangover here! An impossibly fresh-faced Ksenija Lukich touched down back down

The statuesque brunette showed off her lithe figure in skinny blue jeans with slashes at the knees, flashing her cleavage with a nautical striped top with a lace-up neckline.

Not that she needed the extra height, but the 5ft 10ins beauty opted for a pair of chic yet comfortable black mules with a block heel.

She appeared to be totally makeup-free, with her long auburn tresses flowing freely behind her.

Natural beauty: The 26-year-old looked impossibly fresh as she walked through the Domestic Terminal

Legs eleven! The statuesque brunette showed off her lithe figure in skinny blue jeans with slashes at the knees

Ksenija slung a simple black bag over her left shoulder as she carried her laptop and smartphone through the gate.

The night prior, the stunning presenter stepped out at the Logies at Melbourne's Crown Palladium Ballroom in a dark burgundy gown by Burberry.

The frock flashed quite a bit of flesh, with a sheer polka-dot overlay showing off her trim model pins through the fabric and as well with the high thigh split.

Vampy! The night prior, the stunning presenter stepped out at the Logies at Melbourne's Crown Palladium Ballroom in a dark burgundy gown

She slicked her long brunette locks back behind her ears with a strong middle part to show off her large gold hoop earrings.

The model turned presenter coordinated her look with dark maroon lipstick and highlighted her high cheekbones with bronzer.

Ksenija won the role of host for E! Australia in mid-2014 after carving out a successful modelling career, telling The Daily Telegraph in March: 'I burst into tears, I was overjoyed'.
Fans would be forgiven for doing a double take when Tom Hanks' son Colin Hanks stepped out in London on Monday.

The 38-year-old looking the spitting image of his Oscar-winning actor father, Tom, 59, with his slick short back and sides hairdo.

Colin wore double denim as he chatted to ITV's Lorraine before jetting off to Cannes Film Festival to promote his new documentary All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records.

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Seeing double! Tom Hanks lookalike son Colin oozes cool in double denim as he arrives for ITV's Lorraine for film promo ahead of Cannes. Colin, 38, appeared on ITV's Lorraine on Monday

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and Colin proved that to be the case as he showed off a short crop that resembled his Forrest Gump star father.

Colin upped his cool factor wearing a crushed denim jacket for his TV appearance.

He kept his look casual in a baggy light blue jacket, and teamed the look with a darker shade of denim jeans and shiny black shoes.

He smartened up the look with a light blue shirt, and pushed back his hair to look just like his father.

Jet-set: Colin will be heading off to Cannes Film Festival to promote his new film All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

Colin looked the spitting image of his Oscar-winning actor father, Tom, pictured out in Beverly Hills last night

Dude: He kept his look casual in a baggy light blue jacket, and teamed the look with a darker shade of denim jeans and shiny black shoes

Comfy: Colin looked at ease on the couch with Lorraine as he sipped a glass of water

Colin enjoyed a cosy chat on the sofa with Scottish host of ITV's flagship morning show Lorraine.

Lorraine looked full of the joys of spring in her pink and white blouse with floral motifs.

She teamed the smart look with a blush pink skirt and looked pretty in a pair of pink pumps.

Charmed: Colin enjoyed a cosy chat on the sofa with Scottish host of ITV's flagship morning show Lorraine

Meanwhile Colin has been setting the silver screen on fire, following in the footsteps of his film legend father.

His latest project is All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records.

It's a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records, and its legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon.

Twins: They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And Colin Hanks, 38, certainly proved that to be the case as he arrived at Lorraine looking just like his Oscar-winning actor father, Tom
She is fast becoming a favourite on the This Morning sofa with viewers, talking about the latest showbiz scoops.

And Ferne McCann proved she was a hit with the team too as she stepped out for drinks with co-workers on the show in central London on Thursday.

The 25-year-old former TOWIE star looked stunning in a dusty pink dress worn over very short lacy satin shorts, which revealed her long toned legs.

Elegant: Former TOWIE star Ferne McCann showed showed off her toned legs in tiny satin lace shorts as she headed out for drinks with the This Morning team earlier in the week

Leggy display: 25-year-old former TOWIE star looked stunning her ensemble which was teamed with statement heels by Sophia Webster

Ferne looked every inch the diva in her stunning pair of Sophia Webster heels, which added a splash of colour to her ensemble with their Aztec feel.

Her hot pink pedicure off-set the colours perfectly and she ramped up the glam further as she clutched a smart Miu Miu bag.

She accessorised her look with a classic gold double pendant necklace draped across her dress and a pared back silver watch.

Ferne's make-up looked flawless as she opted for a nude palette with bright lips and finished the look with bold lashes.

Dazzling: Ferne looked every inch the diva in her stunning pair of Sophia Webster heels, that added a splash of colour to her ensemble with their aztec feel

Her dyed brown hair was worn in a relaxed style and fell loosely over her shoulders and dress.

Ferne appeared to be in high spirits as she posed for photographers and chatted on her phone.

The Essex-based reality star was seen puffing away on her e-cigarette as she settled down for an al fresco drink with her new pals.

The beginning of the year saw Ferne's debut on This Morning's sofa as the presenter of the show's celebrity news segment.

Glam: She clutched a Miu Miu bag by her side as she exited a taxi outside the This Morning studios

Chatting away: She appeared to be in high spirits as she posed for photographers and spoke on the phone

And her assured performance meant she has become a hit with viewers who approved of her warm and polished style.

Last night Ferne was strutting the down the red carpet at the TV BAFTA awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank.

She wore a strapless dress in a blue and yellow Versace-inspired print to stand out from the crowd of celebrities.

Ex-smoker? The Essex-based reality star was seen puffing away on her vaper as she settled down for an al fresco drink with her new pals
He is best known for his role as mobster Mr White in Reservoir Dogs.

But Harvey Keitel cut a very different figure from his on-screen persona as he stepped out in New York this weekend with his son Roman, 11, to buy flowers on Mother's Day.

The 76-year-old actor kept things classy in a smart black suit teamed with matching formal shoes.

Happy family! Harvey Keitel stepped out in New York this weekend with his son Roman, 11, to buy flowers on Mother's Day

He dressed down the look with a navy T-Shirt and an olive green cardigan under his blazer. The look was topped off with a pair of understated tinted black spectacles.

Son Roman wore a sporty ensemble and carried a rose along with his father after they had picked flowers for his mother, Daphna Kastner, 55, who is married to Harvey.

The star has two other children Stella, 30, and Braco, 14, from previous relationships.

In a recent interview, Harvey revealed that Roman recently told him he was pleased his dad had not lost his silver locks.

The actor told the Plymouth Herald: 'My 11-year-old son said to me the other day, "Im lucky Dad because you have your hair. It means Ill have mine!"'

Happy: The acting legend kept things classy in a smart black suit teamed with matching formal shoes

Harvey found global fame for his starring role in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs crime thriller, but has appeared in a number of other films by the director, including Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds.

An acting legend, his career has spanned five decades and he has been nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe.

The 1970s icon famously made a name for himself in Mean Streets opposite Robert De Niro in 1973.

He went on to star opposite De Niro again in Taxi Driver as Jody Foster's pimp in 1976.

In 1988 he starred in The Last Temptation Of Christ and later achieved cult status in Reservoir Dogs in 1992.

He is now well-known to UK audiences as Winston Wolfe in Direct Line adverts, reprising his role as the fixer in the 1994 classic Pulp Fiction.
He has just returned from a sun-drenched trip to Miami.

And Jay Rutland was quick to reconnect with the family as he met up with his wife Tamara Ecclestone's father Bernie, 85 at The Ivy in Kensington on Sunday.

The 35-year-old businessman was exhibiting his gleaming tan as he also joined the Formula One boss's wife Fabiana Flosi, also 35.

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Night with the in laws: Jay Rutland was quick to reconnect with the family as he met up with his wife Tamara Ecclestone's father Bernie, 85 at The Ivy in Kensington on Sunday

Bernie cut a smart figure as he entered the upmarket eatery wearing navy trousers with a white shirt and grey jacket - all paired with glossy brown shoes.

Fabiana looked chic and stylish in a burgundy biased cut dress with a white Peter Pan collar and an above-knee-length hemline.

She added length to her phenomenal pins with a pair of sophisticated black, pointed pumps which coordinated with her long strap black leather bag.

As she enjoyed dinner with her husband, who is 50 years her senior, she styled her lustrous brunette tresses into loose waves with a glossy finish.

Glowing: The 35-year-old businessman was exhibiting his gleaming tan as he also joined the Formula One boss's wife Fabiana Flosi, also 35

Bertie became engaged and later married to Fabiana who was the Vice-President of Marketing for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Jay meanwhile was wholly more casual as he showed off the gleaming bronze tan he achieved during his recent trip to the Bahamas with Tamara and their two-year-old daughter Sophie.

Sporting a salmon pink T-shirt with navy shorts and white trainers, the handsome star looked like he was pining for the sunshine in his scanty ensemble.

The latest sighting of Jay is a million miles away from his appearance at Thames Magistrates Court, last month.

Looking tan-tastic: Jay meanwhile was wholly more casual as he showed off the gleaming bronze tan he achieved during his recent trip to the US with Tamara and their two-year-old daughter Sophie

Family time: Jay meanwhile was wholly more casual as he showed off the gleaming bronze tan he achieved during his recent trip to the Bahamas with Tamara and their two-year-old daughter Sophie

The millionaire husband of Formula One heiress Tamara was cleared of helping a drugs baron evade justice after the case was dropped due to lack of evidence.

Jay was said to have assisted 66-year old crime king James Tarrant avoid capture ahead of a 2010 gun and drugs trial.

Tarrant fled overseas before ultimately being convicted in his absence and was sentenced 14 years imprisonment.
He put on quite the handsome display at the British Academy Television Awards on Sunday evening.

And the fun-filled event didn't seem to tire Justin Timberlake as he was smiling from ear to ear while leaving the BBC Radio 2 Studios in London on Monday.

The 35-year-old star looked casually chic as he stepped out with a coffee in one hand and a jolly wave in the other.

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Good morning London! Justin Timberlake, 35, was smiling from ear to ear while leaving the Global Radio Studios in London on Monday

He teamed a navy speckled button-up shirt with a form-fitting grey cardigan which showed off his biceps.

Making sure that the legions of fans who had gathered to see him didn't go home disappointed, he stopped to take selfies and signed autographs.

The Tennessee native seemed obviously delighted in London's positive turn of weather as he adorned his face with a cool pair of black shades.

Making time for his fans: Making sure that the legions of people who had gathered to see him didn't go home disappointed, he stopped to take take selfies

The star was making the rounds on Monday, also stopping by the Capital London Breakfast Show to chat about his new music.

Confessing he is currently in writing mode, Justin explained: 'I dont want to put anything out there that I have to keep promises on, but its moving along nicely with Pharrell, the usual suspects and the Swedes - Im kind of mixing it up this time.'

The star also spoke about using his mother Lynn Bomar Harless in his new music video for Can't Stop the Feeling, which is the soundtrack for the new Dreamworks animation TROLLS, pointing out: 'This is actually a pseudo video. Im going to release an actual real video probably in a weeks time.'

Casually cool: He teamed a navy speckled button-up shirt with a form-fitting grey cardigan which showed off his biceps

Presenter Dave Berry exclaimed 'dont tell me youre actually going to cut your mum from the video and then release another one?'

'No no Dave youre going about this the wrong way, what you say to your mum isyou get your own video!' suave Justin said.

Justin has been in town to promote his new Dreamworks animation, Trolls, alongside Anna Kendrick.

It's a good day! The Tennessee native seemed obviously delighted in London's positive turn of weather as he adorned his face with a cool pair of black shades which complemented his beard

Taking his time: The former Disney Mouseketeer stopped to sign autographs as well

The actress, 30, joined Justin on the red carpet at London's Royal Festival Hall ahead of the awards ceremony which celebrates the best in British television.

Anna looked dazzling on the night in a multi-colour sequinned Altuzarra gown which consisted of black, silver, pink and red shades.

She teamed the plunging dress with black ankle strappy black heels and accessorised with a small clutch.

Her locks were tied back into a neat ponytail while she kept her make-up simple with pretty pink lips and classic black eyeliner.

See BAFTA TV Awards news as Anna Kendrick joins Justin Timberlake on the red carpet

Dream(works) team: Justin and Anna Kendrick put on stylish sartorial displays as they attended the British Academy Television Awards on Sunday evening

Fun in the British sun: Anna looked dazzling on the night in a multi-colour sequinned gown which consisted of black, silver, pink and red shades

Justin looked handsome as ever in a navy Ermenegildo Zegna suit and a crisp white shirt which he teamed with a black bow tie.

The pairs Trolls co-star Kunal Nayyar was also in attendance with his elegant wife Neha Kapur.

Kunal, who is famous for his role as Raj Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory, sported a dark navy ensemble with black lapels while his partner opted for metallic gown.

However, once they stepped into the iconic Thames-based venue, it was all about the stars of the British TV world as they were put forth for a prestigious BAFTA gong.

Special guests: Anna teamed the plunging dress while black ankle strappy black heels and accessorised with a small clutch

Classic look: Her locks were tied back into neat ponytail while she kept her make-up simple with a pretty pink lips and classic black eyeliner

BAFTA nominees Idris Elba and Mark Rylance were the actors hoping to take home a mask statuette at the British Academy Television Awards.

The award-winning stars went head-to-head in the leading actor category for their work in Luther and Wolf Hall respectively, with Mark scoring the trophy.

They have already been nominated for Golden Globe and SAG Awards for their performances in the dramas, with Elba triumphing at the SAGs.

The BBC's historical drama Wolf Hall, an adaptation of Hilary Mantel's hit novel, leads this year's nominations with a total of four nods.

Tune in to hear the full interview with Justin Timberlake on the Capital London Breakfast Show with Dave Berry, George and Lilah tomorrow (Tuesday) morning from 6am.

Dapper dude: Justin looked handsome as ever in a navy suit and a crisp white shirt which he teamed with a black bow tie

In good company: The pairs Trolls co-star Kunal Nayyar was also in attendance with his elegant wife Neha Kapur

Handsome couple: Kunal, who is famous for his role as Raj Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory, sported a dark navy ensemble with black lapels while his partner opted for metallic gown
He is one of the most successful and hard working stars in Hollywood, with a sparkling career spanning over three decades.

So Tom Hanks took some well deserved time out to enjoy a plush evening out with with wife Rita Wilson on Mother's Day.

The 59-year-old Saving Private Ryan star was dressed sharply in a dark dinner suit for his date night at Mr Chow in Beverly Hills on Sunday.

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Leading man: Tom Hanks, 59, was dapper in a dark dinner suit as he treated his wife Rita Wilson to a romantic Mother's Day meal in LA on Sunday. The couple dined at plush Mr Chow

Tom scrubbed up well in his evening attire as he headed out with his gorgeous missus.

He wore a light grey shirt which brightened up his sophisticated ensemble.

The statuesque star showed off his physique in a tailored jacket and trouser set, which he teamed with a pair of black shoes for the occasion.

All smiles: Rita looked chuffed as she left Mr Chow after celebrating Mother's Day

Rita looked ravishing in a navy blue floaty frock that fell just under her knees.

She looked lovely in her elegant dress with a plunging neckline on Sunday.

The elegant silk frock was decorated with delicate floral motifs which added a splash of colour to her outfit.

She completed her look with cool gladiator sandals as she stepped out with her leading man.

Classy: She completed her look with cool gladiator sandals as she stepped out with her leading man

Meanwhile the couple have had a tough time of late after actress Rita, Toms wife of 28 years, mother of their children Chester and Truman, and stepmother to Toms elder two, Colin and Elizabeth, announced shed had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery following a scare with breast cancer.

She is now sure she has beaten the disease, saying she feels blessed to have had the love and support of her family and friends throughout the difficult time.

Praising his wife, Tom told MailOnline last year: 'All I could do was bow down before the courage of my wife.

Jet-set: Tom's lookalike son Colin is promoting his new film All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records in Europe this week

He added: We all know by now what hell that sort of health crisis is, he says. It just comes along out of the blue and everything else stops because the only thing to do is to drop everything else and pay attention to myriad stuff that needs to be attended to.'

Tom has also been a massive inspiration to his son Colin, 38, who is fast becoming a feature on the big screen following in his father's footsteps.

Colin was a dead ringer for his father as he arrived in London to appear on ITV's Lorraine on Monday.
They're playing a series of stadium shows across the world this year.

But The Stone Roses have been forced to cancel two shows in Tokyo after drummer Alan 'Reni' Wren suffered a fall - resulting in two fractured ribs.

The 52-year-old drummer suffered an accidental fall and was advised by a doctor to take rest for at least a month, meaning that he wouldn't be able to pick up the sticks for their Nippon Budokan dates.

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Cancelled! The Stone Roses have been forced to cancel two shows in Tokyo after drummer Alan 'Reni' Wren suffered a fall - resulting in two fractured ribs

Breaking the news of the cancellation on Monday, The Stone Roses promoter in Japan, Creative Man, released a statement explaining the reasons behind the sudden cancellations.

The statement on the promoters website reads: 'The Stone Roses are very sorry to have to cancel their two proposed concerts at the Budokan.

'Reni has had an accidental fall and fractured two ribs, his doctor has told him to rest for at least a month. Unfortunately this means that the band are unable to fulfil their planned performance in Japan.'

he won't be banging the drum! The 52-year-old suffered an accidental fall and was advised by a doctor to take rest for at least a month, meaning that he wouldn't be able to pick up the sticks for their Nippon Budokan dates

The iconic Mancunian band iconic Mancunian band - which also features Ian Brown, John Squire and Gary 'Mani' Mounfield - were due to play two dates at Tokyo's famous indoor stadium.

The two consecutive dates on June 2 and 3 would have seen them pack out the arena which has previously hosted the likes of The Beatles, Blur and Bob Dylan.

The concerts would have kicked off the band's current summer stadium plans, which are now scheduled to begin with four open air concerts at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium next month.

'Reni has had an accidental fall and fractured two ribs, his doctor has told him to rest for at least a month':The Stone Roses promoter in Japan, Creative Man, released a statement explaining the cancelled dates

Following those dates, the band will also travel to Dublin and New York, while they will also headline the T in The Park festival in Scotland in July.

The band have also pulled the Tokyo dates from their website, but are yet to release a statement themselves regarding the cancelled shows.

The Fool's Gold rockers have been tucked away working on their highly anticipated third studio LP for the past several months at Paul Epworth's The Church Studios in North London.

Teasing what the new album is sounding like, frontman Brown said 'glorious' and promised it would be coming out 'soon', potentially in time for the band's massive summer shows.

The album will be the first new material from The Stone Roses for 22 years, since 1994's 'The Second Coming'.
In 2015 Justin Bieber said his relationship with his mother Pattie Mallette was pretty much 'non existent' after they grew apart following his wild phase that included an arrest.

But now it looks as if the 22-year-old pop star has made up with the woman who raised him all by herself in Canada.

Pattie shared a message on social media on Sunday telling her followers the Where Are You Now crooner did indeed call to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. She also said she 'loved' her son 'so much.'

Back to good: Justin Bieber called his mother Pattie Mallette on Mother's Day; here they are seen attending The Comedy Central Roast of Bieber at Sony Pictures Studios in LA in March 2015

Hey mommy! And while at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, he requested the audience shout 'Aloha, Pattie!' His mother now lives in Hawaii. He also blew a kiss into the camera

'Yes @justinbieber was a good boy and called to wish me Happy Mother's Day!; the 40-year-old tweeted on Sunday. 'I love that y'all are so concerned!! xoxo.'

Bieber added a smiley face to her message.

And while at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, he requested the audience shout 'Aloha, Pattie!' His mother now lives in Hawaii. He also blew a kiss into the camera.

She was always there for him: Mom and son arm in arm in June 2011 at the CMT Music Awards

'Awwwwe!!! Thanks @justinbieber,' Pattie wrote next to the video which was posted to Twitter.

'I love you so much that was so sweet! ALOHA EVERYONE! Xoxo.'

Justin was very close to Pattie when growing up. Even though she was a single mother with not much money, she exposed him to music, getting his piano and guitar lessons.

The Sorry hit maker has said many times that he appreciated how much she did for him.

But when he started spending more time with his father Jeremy, he withdrew from his mother.

His new role model: He told GQ: 'Im a lot closer to my dad [Jeremy Bieber] than I am to my mom. [I don't] see her as much as Id like to'; here he is seen with his father in April

He told GQ: 'Im a lot closer to my dad [Jeremy Bieber] than I am to my mom. [I don't] see her as much as Id like to.'

'I was distant because I was ashamed,' Justin told Billboard in 2015.

'I never wanted my mom to be disappointed in me and I knew she was.

'We spent some time not talking, so it takes time to rebuild that trust. Shes living in Hawaii now, so its hard, but getting better. Shes an amazing woman and I love her.'

This comes after Justin showed off his cross tattoo on his face.

The Zoolander 2 actor was pictured visiting a New York tattoo parlour on Friday and getting a small cross etched just under the corner of his eye. 'It represents his journey in finding purpose with God.' Tattoo artist Jonathan 'Jonboy' Valena told Us Weekly.

There's a Purpose! Justin Bieber's tattoo artist Jonathan 'Jonboy' Valena has revealed the meaning behind his latest inking - a small cross by the corner of his eye - which he got in New York on Friday

The ex of Selena Gomez - who is currently in the middle of his Purpose World Tour - reportedly now has 52 tattoos.

Bieber's close pal Joe Termini got a matching cross during the visit to West 4th Tattoo Parlour.

Bieber arrived with his entourage and security guards shut down the place for their own personal use, making sure no one else entered the shop.

The pair stayed in the venue for almost two hours as Justin got his work done and he made sure to snap a cheeky selfie with JonBoy before he left.

See Justin Bieber updates as tattoo artist reveals meaning behind his latest inking

'It represents his journey in finding purpose with God' Jonboy explained of the tiny tattoo. The 22-year-old star showed off the new art in this Instagram from Saturday as he prepared to head to Philadelphia

After the ink session, the group then headed out for a night on the town at Up & Down, a source told Us Weekly.

Bieber then surprised the crowd with an impromptu performance of his recent hits Sorry and What Do You Mean?

Earlier this year - in an interview with GQ magazine - Justin said that hed consider getting a face tattoo but not for a very, very long time.

'Maybe when Im really old, not super old, but maybe, like, 40s or 50s or something,' he explained. 'One above my eyebrow or something small.'

One of his many inkings: Justin - pictured on May 6 - has 52 tattoo's on his body including his angel winged tattoo on the back of his neck

Also on Monday Gomez revealed she is dating again.

The Hands To Myself crooner - who is on her Revival Tour at the moment - confessed to the June issue of Marie Claire magazine that she is meeting new men (she has been linked to DJ Zedd, Samuel Krost and Charlie Puth), but she is being extremely cautious with her heart.

'I've been dating,' said the Good For You crooner. 'I've been having the best time.'

But she is held back, most likely from hurtful experiences with Bieber, who confessed in his hit single Sorry that he cheated on his last love. 'I don't trust anybody,' she confessed. 'So dating can only be fun if I know I'm going to have fun.'

And being asked about the Canadian pop icon - who has been linked to Kourtney Kardashian and Hailey Baldwin since October - can be annoying for her. 'I would try to promote something that I loved, and the entire interview would be about my personal life,' she admitted.
Kim Kardashian sure doesn't sit still for long.

On Sunday the 35-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star revealed she was headed to Chicago then New York, Miami and Las Vegas in an Instagram post.

The wife of Kanye West also showed off her stunning figure in a see-through white tank dress with beige heels as well as new cornrows as she was boarding a private jet.

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A vision in white: Kim Kardashian showed off her stunning figure as she boarded a jet in Los Angeles on Sunday

No time to sit around: The 35-year-old star captioned the snap: 'Now off again after the best Mothers Day. Thank you @letsjetsmarter for being so amazing! LA-Chicago-NY-Miami-Vegas'

The mother of two captioned the snap: 'Now off again after the best Mothers Day. Thank you @letsjetsmarter for being so amazing! LA-Chicago-NY-Miami-Vegas.'

This comes after she just returned with Khloe and Kourtney from Cuba.

On Sunday the siren wrote about how much she liked her trip on her website KimKardashianWest.com.

See Kim Kardashian updates as she shows off her figure in white dress next to jet in LA

Same dress only longer here? On Sunday the siren wrote about how much she liked her trip on her website KimKardashianWest.com. 'This week, I traveled to Cuba and was in awe of the country's culture. The bold colors and rich textures of Havana are so beautiful!'

'This week, I traveled to Cuba and was in awe of the country's culture. The bold colors and rich textures of Havana are so beautiful. See my Havana-inspired picks!'

She listed how much her look cost: 'Le Specs Naked Eyes Sunglasses - $79, Zara Striped Crochet Dress - $50, Tabitha Simmons Strapped Sandals - $845, Halston Heritage Printed Jumpsuit - $395, Topshop Crochet Halter - $30, J. Crew Panama Hat - $58.'

This comes after she shared a series of Instagram posts on Mother's Day.

She shared an adorable bath-time flashback photo, with her maternal grandmother, on Sunday, and it was impossible to miss just how much young Kim looks like her daughter North, two.

See Kim Kardashian updates as she shares her bathtime and looks just like daughter North

She looks like North! Kim Kardashian shared an adorable bath-time flashback photo, with her maternal grandmother, on Sunday

The faded picture was captioned: 'Happy Mothers Day to my grandma MJ. So happy I got to spend the day with you and my babies! You have taught all of us girls to be independent and work hard and I'm so grateful for you!'

The mother of two was spoiled by husband Kanye West, who hired a string orchestra to wake her on Mother's Day.

Like mom, like daughter: Kim and North went to Cuba this week - and the reality star showed how lookalike she was to her daughter

Playing a medley of songs, the violins and cello players provided a fairytale start to the day for the 35-year-old, who shared a series of Snapchats of them performing the surprise private concert in her Bel Air home.

'Mother's Day surprise in my living room!' wrote the thrilled reality star - who didn't seem to mind missing out on the traditional lie-in.

In classic Kanye style, the perfectionist musician had obviously created the dreamlike scene himself.

Daddy's done it again! North West and her mother Kim Kardashian look on in wonder at the string orchestra hired to wake them on Mother's Day by Kanye West

'Surprise!': Playing a medley of songs, the violins and cello players provided a fairytale start to the day for the 35-year-old, who shared a series of Snapchats of them performing the private concert in her Bel Air home

The female musicians wore flowing white skirts, and sat evenly spaced on a cream woolen rug with their sheet music in front of them.

The group of ten violin and cello players were placed in front of the Kanye-designed floor to ceiling two-storey glass wall, which sent the early morning sunlight flooding over them.

See Kim Kardashian updates as Kanye West wakes her with an orchestra on Mother's Day

Moment to treasure: In classic Kanye style, the perfectionist musician had obviously created the dreamlike scene himself

Kim and daughter North snuggled as they watched the scene below from the raising landing outside their rooms, having been woken by the music.

Among other tunes the orchestra played Tomorrow from the film Annie, and Let It Go from Frozen - both obviously picked with three-year-old North in mind.

And Kanye didn't stop there.

Breakfast symphony: The group of ten violin and cello players were placed in front of the Kanye-designed floor to ceiling two-storey glass wall, which sent the early morning sunlight flooding over them

Setting the bar higher than ever, the doting father and husband presented Kim with a bench bedecked in pink flowers, which she shared an image of online.

Of course, Kanye has every reason to pamper his wife this Mothers' Day.

The reality star welcomed son Saint in December - a feat worthy of celebrating in style.

Kanye style: Setting the bar higher than ever, the doting father and husband presented Kim with a bench bedecked in pink flowers, which she shared an image of online

Meanwhile Kim herself was celebrating her own mother - taking to her paid-for website KimKardashianWest.com to share her thoughts.

'As a daughter, granddaughter, sister and a mother of two myself, I consider all the moms in my life to be the strongest women I know,' she wrote, alongside a picture of her mother Kris Jenner and maternal grandmother Mary Jo.

'It's so important to remember the women who brought us into the world and everything they do for us. Happy Mother's Day, everyone!!!'

Grateful: Meanwhile Kim herself was celebrating her own mother and grandmother - taking to her paid-for website KimKardashianWest.com to share her thoughts

Her sister Khloe celebrated all the mothers in her life - from Kris to Kim and Kourtney.

'Kris Jenner, I am so lucky that you're my mom,' she wrote. 'You are such an inspiration. You've gone through so muchyou've pushed six kids out!!!and are still the most kind, caring, generous and intelligent woman I know. Love you!!!

'MJ, you inspire me everyday with your elegance!

'Kimberly and Kourtney, you guys are such incredible mothers and I feel so lucky to be an auntie to your kids. I hope you both have the best Mother's Day!'

Kylie later Snapchatted a shot of her sister Kim who was rocking tight braids for Mother's Day celebrations.

Shaking things up: Kim later showed off tight braids in a Snapchat shared by sister Kylie




Kim Kardashian wore virginal white when going out with daughter North West in Cuba last week.

But by night the 35-year-old Mrs Kanye West put on a different look in photos that surfaced only on Monday.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star reminded fans why she has a staggering 69 million Instagram followers as she showed off her post-baby curves (she's at an impressive 139lbs now) in a racy outfit as she stepped out for dinner with Kanye West.

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Spicing it up: Kim Kardashian showed off her cleavage in a black garter top as she headed to dinner in Cuba last week

Not skirting the issue: The 35-year-old reality diva showed off her toned legs in a tie-up beige mini

The raven-haired cover girl wore a garter-style low-cut tank top and suggestive lace-up mini skirt that showed off parts of her thighs. She added beige strappy heels that showed off a light pink pedicure.

And the daughter of Kris Jenner, 60, brought the glam too with her hair worn down in loose curls and her makeup done to perfection with black eyeliner and nude lip gloss.

The Selfish author and her hit maker spouse were also with their daughter North as they headed to dinner in the same area where Chanel was hosting their big splashy fashion event.

See Kim Kardashian updates as she models risque-looking garter top with lace up miniskirt

She was with her family: The E! stunner also held hands with Kanye West as she left the restaurant and North was there as well

Her mini me: North was smartly dressed as always in a white fringe dress and beige sandals. The little one had her hair up and was showing off the trend du jour - a white choker

Daddy to the rescue: North laughed as her rapper papa picked her up

At one point Kim was seen holding hands with her husband of almost two years - their second wedding anniversary will be celebrated on May 24.

The Life Of Pablo crooner was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans with a gold necklace.

Beige boots added a country western vibe. North was smartly dressed as always in a white fringe dress and beige sandals.

The little one had her hair up and was showing off the trend du jour - a white choker.

Earlier in white: Kim wore her white tank dress that hugged her curves as she attended a salsa dance class for her daughter North and Kourtney's girl Penelope as West got in a hug from the back

The little girls know their stuff: Penelope had on a red skirt while North chose purple

Everyone's favorite aunty: Khloe Kardashian had on a pink skirt with a black tank top

She followed behind mommy as West book-ended the child. The family seemed to have a great time in the country as they filmed their show KUWTK.

Earlier in the day Kim and Kanye stood on the sidelines as North attended a salsa dance class with cousin Penelope.

Kim was in her white tank dress and North wore a purple dress with her hair up. Penelope was cute in a pink skirt that matched aunty Khloe Kardashian's.

Bird spotting: Kim and Kourtney showed their children a bright green parrot in a cage outside the restaurant where they enjoyed their final family meal before leaving Cuba

Kim was also seen with Kourtney as they took a convertible to a park where they played with their children.

And the two mothers changed into mini-dresses for their final dinner in the country, with Kourtney in a coffee coloured dress with box pleats and Kim in a black frock.

They stopped to show their children - North West plus Penelope and Mason Disick - a bright green parrot in a cage outside the before going in to eat

Fun in the sun: On Monday Kim said on her website KimKardashianWest.com that she really took to the country. 'This week, I traveled to Cuba and was in awe of the country's culture. The bold colors and rich textures of Havana are so beautiful. See my Havana-inspired picks!'

Just the two of us: Kourtney and Kim posed when at a playground earlier in the day

On Monday Kim said on her website KimKardashianWest.com that she really took to the country.

'This week, I traveled to Cuba and was in awe of the country's culture. The bold colors and rich textures of Havana are so beautiful. See my Havana-inspired picks!'

She listed how much her look cost: 'Le Specs Naked Eyes Sunglasses - $79, Zara Striped Crochet Dress - $50, Tabitha Simmons Strapped Sandals - $845, Halston Heritage Printed Jumpsuit - $395, Topshop Crochet Halter - $30, J. Crew Panama Hat - $58.'

This comes after she shared a series of Instagram posts on Mother's Day.

North in leopard: The tiny reality star wore a printed dress with black shoes when she went out with mama in a pink car

She shared a bath-time flashback photo, with her maternal grandmother, on Sunday, and it was impossible to miss just how much young Kim looks like her daughter North.

The faded picture was captioned: 'Happy Mothers Day to my grandma MJ. So happy I got to spend the day with you and my babies! You have taught all of us girls to be independent and work hard and I'm so grateful for you!'

The mother of two was spoiled by Kanye, who hired a string orchestra to wake her on Mother's Day.

Busy bee: On Sunday the star revealed she was headed to Chicago then New York, Miami and Las Vegas in an Instagram post. The Vogue favorite also showed off her stunning figure in a see-through white tank dress

On Sunday the star revealed she was headed to Chicago then New York, Miami and Las Vegas in an Instagram post.

The Vogue favorite also showed off her stunning figure in a see-through white tank dress with beige heels as well as new cornrows as she was boarding a private jet.
She plays one of the most bad-ass females in the Marvel universe.

So it's no surprise to see Krysten Ritter's body is in phenomenal shape.

The 34-year-old Jessica Jones' star proved all that combat action and hard work has paid off as she showed off her incredible figure on holiday in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico at Villa La Estania Resort & Spa on Sunday.

Marvel-ous! Krysten Ritter proved that all that combat action and hard work pays off as she showed off her incredible body on holiday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on Sunday

Her alter ego as a bad-ass superhero: It's no surprise to see the actress is in phenomenal shape

Girls holiday! The 34-year-old Jessica Jones actress took some time out of her busy schedule to soak up the sun with a female friend

The raven haired actress paraded her toned and fit physique in a mismatched bikini.

She wore a pair of black bikini bottoms and an off the shoulder black and white polka dot bikini top as she strolled along the exotic beach.

The two piece perfectly accentuated her toned figure as she sipped on a fruity cocktail with her friend.

Legs for days: The actress showed off her slender physique and endless legs in her little two-piece

Teeny tiny polka dot bikini! The raven haired actress paraded her toned and fit physique in a mismatched bikini

The duo were seen sunbathing on the remote beach as they lay there relaxing with their exotic drinks.

Krysten changed into a different bikini later in the day as she was seen sporting a skimpy red two-piece.

The crimson bikini perfectly complimented her alabaster skin.

Down time: Krysten no doubt was excited to have some time off from her action packed superhero show

Happy hour! The duo were seen sunbathing on the remote beach as they lay there relaxing with their exotic drinks

Ab-tastic: The bikini showed off Krysten's flat and toned abs as she relaxed by the beach

Krysten plays Jessica in Jessica Jones - a superhero who decides to reboot her life by becoming a private investigator.

Krysten along with Melissa Rosenberg, the series creator of Jessica Jones, recently discussed the critically acclaimed Netflix show.

The series, which follows the troubled and complex superhero Jessica Jones, has been renewed for a second season due to such high ratings.

I'm ready for my close up: The Marvel actress looked camera ready as she strolled along the beach

In her element: The raven haired beauty looked over the moon to be enjoying some down time

When discussing her character with Deadline, Krysten revealed: 'I never played her like a superhero'.

She said that if her character dominated someone physically it was more because her character is: 'so strong inside'.

She went on to say that Jessica was a very diverse character which made it more fun to play: 'Shes very cool there are so many layers for me to play as an actor'.

The fact that this is Marvels first female superheroic lead who has to overcome all these problems makes it that much more interesting.

However, Krysten stressed that gender wasn't necessarily the point here: 'It didnt feel I was approaching it as a female character It was really about building a character, not being defined by her gender but informed by it'.

She enjoys her day job: Krysten said her character is 'very cool there are so many layers for me to play as an actor'

Crimson delight! She later changed into another bikini which complimented her alabaster skin
They've been going to a weekly dance class since the moment they could walk.

And the hard work paid off as North West and Penelope Disick showed their moves as they salsa danced together in Cuba.

The confident cousins held hands as they moved in unison on a crowded dance floor.

They've got rhythm! North West and Penelope Disick take over the dancefloor as they salsa with auntie Khloe Kardashian in Cuba

Dancing girls: The cousins have been going to a weekly dance class since the moment they could walk

Hold on tight! Wide smiles on their faces, the two co-ordinated their footwork with suitably flamboyant gestures, as their hired dance tutor watched

Moment to treasure: The girls got carried away as they danced in time to the live band

Wide smiles on their faces, the two co-ordinated their footwork with suitably flamboyant gestures, as their hired dance tutor watched.

Both two-year-old North and her three-year-old cousin wore salsa costumes to dance.

North, who wore her hair in a high bun, picked a pink skirt and top, while for Penelope, who wore her hair in a half up braid, it was purple.

See Khloe Kardashian updates as she dances with North West and Penelope Disick

Kardashians, the next generation: The confident cousins held hands as they moved in unison

Come on North! Penelope, three, takes the lead as the duo enjoy the music

Enjoying the attention: The confident youngsters soaked up the fun

Family fun: Nobody sat out the fun, with the Kardashians packing the dancefloor

Single and ready to mingle: Kourtney seemed to be having fun, fitting in plenty of energetic dance

Big brother Mason, six, also took a turn dancing with his little sister, although he looked rather less enthused than her.

Joining in on the fun were the rest of the Kardashians, with auntie Khloe looking particularly energised as she enjoyed the fun during the family trip earlier this month.

The 31-year-old shook her stuff in a pink skirt and black top, as she danced in time to the music.

Kourtney also seemed to be having fun, fitting in plenty of energetic moves with a friendly male dancer, in between looking out for the younger family members.

Getting the party started: a dance tutor and some Cuban experts took the family in hand

Time to twirl: untie Khloe looked particularly energised as she enjoyed the fun during the family trip

Getting going: The dancing started quietly, but the group soon got into the swing of things

Watching over them: Koutrney held son Reign as she supervised the littlest members of the family

She held son Reign in her arms during the dance party, before North's mother Kim took over watching the youngsters so her sister could dance.

Kim wore an all white outfit of pencil skirt and peplum skirt, with her hair in a ponytail.

While she looked great - the outfit highlighting her toned and trim post-baby figure - the new mother's choice of clothing wasn't entirely suitable for a spot of salsa.

Not that it mattered, with Kanye West sidling up behind her for a spot of dancing.

Enjoying the fun: Mom and dad (aka Kim Kardashian and Kanye West) joined in

Parent act: The Wests acted like the perfect loving family

Come on Kim! Her white outfit may not have been made for dancing, but Kanye wasn't taking no for an answer

The extended Kardashian family - including Kanye and Kim's baby son Saint - enjoyed a short trip to Cuba to experience the country for the first time.

Riding in vintage cars, experiencing a world free from internet access, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the vibrant nation, the group had an action-packed stay.

Their trip followed the historic visit by U.S. President Barack Obama last month.

Still ready to salsa : The cute cousins looked like they could have danced all night
If Gigi Hadid wanted all eyes on her on Monday, it may be safe to say her mission was a success.

The 21-year-old looked incredibly high-fashion when she stepped out in New York in a bold nude dress that was slashed at the shoulder and her left hip, putting her toned leg on display.

The calf-length dress showed off her trim waist and slid over her hips.

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Scene stealer! Gigi Hadid looked incredibly high-fashion in a bold nude dress slashed at the shoulder and hip when she stepped out in New York on Monday

Strips of extra fabric knotted in place over the hip added an edgy touch.

Gigi also had her honey locks piled back into a low ponytail, and looked nearly fresh faced, with her edgy silver Gentle Monster shades obscuring her face.

The catwalk queen wore a pair of nude heels to match and had a coordinating coat in her hand, which she slid off as she walked outdoors.

The model carried a black purse and checked out her cell phone with a smile as she continued on her way.

See Gigi Hadid updates as she flashes the flesh in nude dress in New York

Oh la la: Gigi's dress was calf-length, as if that did little to hide her flawless physique - the frock was slashed at her left hip, putting her toned leg on display

Added extras: The catwalk queen also carried a black purse and her cell phone, which she checked out with a smile as she continued on her way

All eyes on her: She also had her honey locks piled back into a low ponytail, and looked nearly fresh faced, with her edgy silver shades obscuring her face

Going places: She even announced on Saturday that she would be hosting Canada's iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards, coming in June

Aside walking the runway for the likes of Chanel and Marc Jacobs, Gigi's soaring career also includes stints starring in Calvin Harris' music video for How Deep Is Your Life and a brand new commercial for BMW.

She even announced on Saturday that she would be hosting Canada's iHeartRadio Much Music Video Awards, coming in June.

On Sunday, Gigi thanked the woman whose footsteps she followed in - her mother and former model, Yolanda Hadid.

Edgy: The strips of extra fabric knotted in place over the hip added an edgy touch

Shining star: Aside walking the runway for the likes of Chanel and Marc Jacobs, the model's soaring career also includes stints starring in Calvin Harris' music video for How Deep Is Your Life and a brand new commercial for BMW

Chilly? The fitted dress showed off even more than perhaps Gigi intended

Work it: The model exuded confidence as she strode through New York

Gigi shared a picture of a younger Yolanda in fits of giggles, sporting long blonde hair.

It was captioned: 'Happy Mother's Day to my rock & the most inspiring, strong, and dedicated woman I know - MY MAMMA @yolanda.hadid (emoticons_

'Thank you for my best friends @bellahadid & @anwarhadid (infinity emoticon). I LOVE YOU MORE EVERY TIME I GET TO SAY HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY :)'.

Working girl: she headed into a office building to attend to a business meeting

Spoken for: Gigi recently made her first red carpet appearance with boyfriend Zayn Malik

Looking the spitting image of Gigi, the ex-wife of David Foster - who changed her name back from Yolanda Foster to Hadid to match that of her children - the beauty looks relaxed and very happy.

Yolanda was married to Mohamed Hadid for six years from 1994, and they share three children together.

As well as Gigi and Bella Hadid, 19, they have son Anwar, 16, who also signed up to a modeling agency earlier this year.

Keeping fit: Gigi was later spotted in a black and white hoodie and black leggings headed to her gym

On the move: The model looked runway ready in her Adidad hoodie, black leggings and slick black high-tops

Big hug: Gigi have a pal a big hug as she entered her gym

Slim frame: The Victoria's Secret model was glad to see her pal
She's been exploring Cuba with her famous extended family and a colourful wardrobe.

But Kourtney Kardashian, 37, kept it simple and sexy as she stepped out for dinner in Havana with her sister Khloe and son Mason last week.

A white-hot ensemble, which revealed her underwear, turned heads in the Cuban capital.

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Revealing: Kourtney Kardashian, 37, kept it simple and sexy as she stepped out for dinner in Havana

She was seen heading out to a private restaurant which was visited by President Obama during his historic trip to the island last month.

The reality television star showcased her toned figure, tanned arms and decolletage in the clinging sleeveless low-cut bodysuit, which she teamed with a long white fringed Tamara Mellon skirt to look like a maxi dress.

Tan leather heeled sandals completed her pale and interesting style choices.

See Kourtney Kardashian updates as she flashes her bra in a white bodysuit in Cuba

Fresh: A white-hot ensemble which revealed her underwear turned heads in the Cuban capital last week

Plenty of kohl around her eyes and contouring around her cheekbones took her look from fresh daytime to vampish night-time.

Son Mason, aged six, also kept it light in a solid white Tee, teamed with breton striped board shorts, as he held his famous mum's hand.

Sister Khloe, 31, was seen with her, in a stylish straw fedora, and keeping hold of Kourtney's daughter Penelope, three.

Stormy weather: Luckily a flunkie was on hand to hold an umbrella over the star in case she should get wet

White is generally considered a good colour to wear to show-off the results of a sun tan - which no doubt she was expecting to get in the Caribbean island.

However, the weather appeared to break - with rain falling during their outing, although luckily a flunkie was on hand to hold an umbrella over the star in case she should get wet.

Her sister Kim is already a big fan of the skintight bodysuit.

They've got rhythm! North West and Penelope Disick take over the dancefloor as they salsa with auntie Khloe Kardashian in Cuba

Kardashians, the next generation: The confident cousins held hands as they moved in unison

But since becoming single last summer, Kourtney has emerged with added confidence and a daring wardrobe.

She also joined her family for an invigorating salsa class - which saw North West and Penelope Disick stealing the show.

The confident cousins held hands as they moved in unison on a crowded dance floor.

Watching over them: Koutrney held son Reign as she supervised the littlest members of the family

Both two-year-old North and her three-year-old cousin wore salsa costumes to dance.

North, who wore her hair in a high bun, picked a purple princess dress, while for Penelope, who wore her hair half up in a braid, it was a colourful coral cropped top and gypsy skirt.

Kourtney also seemed to be having fun, fitting in plenty of energetic moves with a friendly male dancer, in between looking out for the younger family members.

Single and ready to mingle: Kourtney seemed to be having fun, fitting in plenty of energetic dancing

Kourtney was also seen in a lacy white mini-dress with cutouts at the sides as she and son Mason went for a evening stroll to meet the locals and spot some vintage cars.

The six-year-old showed off his growing sense of style in a blue denim shirt that he teamed with shorts with a jazzy turquoise, blue and white pattern.

Their trip followed the historic visit by U.S. President Barack Obama last month.

Stepping out: Kourtney and six-year-old Mason left their hotel to go for a walk on the streets of Havana to chat to locals and check out the vintage cars

The legs have it: The beautiful brunette showed off her slender pins in a white lace mini-dress with side cutouts while her little lad only had eyes for the bright red classic car they passed

Vibrant colours: Mason wore a denim shirt and shorts with a jazzy turquoise, blue and white pattern adding to the rainbow of hues around him

The extended Kardashian family - including Kanye and Kim's baby son Saint - enjoyed a short trip to Cuba to experience the country for the first time.

Riding in vintage cars, experiencing a world free from Internet access, and enjoying the sights and sounds of the vibrant nation, the group had an action-packed stay.
She is synonymous with the word supermodel.

And Naomi Campbell certainly looks super as she poses in an array of striking shots for an editorial for the new issue of Vogue Brazil's anniversary edition.

The 45-year-old British fashion icon looks sensational in the series of photos, taken by photographer Zee Nunes, in which she wears a collection of eye-catching clothes while posing in a sunlit street.

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Supermodel vibes: Naomi Campbell looked sensational as she showed off her famous figure in an edgy shoot for Vogue Brazil's 41st birthday edition

One of the most eye-catching looks for the London-born beauty saw her reveal almost every inch of her enviable toned, willowy curves in an open-weave dress that fell down over her legs, her defined thigh showing through.

The top half of the gorgeous garment was beautifully designed with a halterneck-style neckline with four straps across her decolletage and extra on her arms, a tribal pattern adorned across it.

Her smooth limbs and trim waistline were shaped into a typically model-esque pose for the shoot, and the picture was included in one of the issue's front covers.

Other images saw her looking casually nonchalant and as cool as ever in a variety of looks, ranging from the 1970s throwback to colourful, modern and edgy designs.

Queen: The 45-year-old British fashion icon oozed her unique brand of powerful sass in the editorial, photographed by Zee Nunes

Working it: Other images saw her looking casually nonchalant and as cool as ever in a variety of looks, ranging from the 1970s throwback to colourful, modern and edgy designs

If anybody can make this work...: Naomi managed to pull off an oversized puff-sleeved printed blouse and contrasting trousers in the issue

They all had bright colours and flawless cut in common, each look wonderfully shown off by Naomi, who has reigned supreme at the top of the fashion industry for 30 years and is one of the original supermodels.

It's no surprise the Brazilian edition of Vogue - which turns 41 this year after its 1975 inception - chose her for their cover star. The stunning shoot also fills 50 pages of the edition.

Meanwhile, although it's commonplace to see Naomi gracing all manner of fashion publications, it wasn't always the case: the star recently admitted she initially had 'no idea' how much editor-in-chief Anna Wintour had to fight to secure her spot as the first black woman on the cover of American Vogue's September issue.

Naomi broke a racial taboo when she became the US version of the fashion bible's cover star in September 1989 - traditionally the year's biggest and most important issue.

Bit warm? Posing in a sunlit street, her hair coiffed into a striking 1950s-era style, Naomi covered her lithe curves in a pair of plaid trousers, a shirt and jumper... worn with a coat

Modern look: Another of the beautiful images saw the London-born beauty in a yellow, red, white and blue circle-covered dress with chunky sandals

An icon: Naomi recently confessed that she initially had 'no idea' how hard Anna Wintour had to work to get her on the front cover of US Vogue back in 1989

Appearing on CNN Style last week, she said: 'I remember that picture. It was shot on a Saturday afternoon in the Hamptons.

'Anna gave me such a great opportunity and I had no idea how much she had to fight for that until after I saw The September Issue. I didn't know how hard she had to fight for it.'

The September Issue is a 2009 behind-the-scenes documentary following editor-in-chief Anne and her staff as they produce the September 2007 issue of the magazine.

Naomi was also the first black model to appear on the cover of French Vogue, making her debut in 1988 after Yves Saint Laurent threatened to pull his advertising from the magazine if they refused to put a black model on the cover.

British beauty: One of the most eye-catching looks saw her reveal almost every inch of her enviable toned, willowy curves in an open-weave dress that fell down over her legs, her defined thigh showing through

Asked about how she had broken through racial barriers, she said: 'There have been some challenges, absolutely, but I have found a way to get around those challenges. I don't accept 'nos'.'

The catwalk icon also revealed how 'weird' it was when people started using the word 'supermodel'.

She said: 'The first time I heard it I was in Milan. The first time I saw it in writing I was in London and I was like, 'What's that?' They're not talking about us are they?' It was really weird.

'And then in Milan the hotel started telling the press what we ordered for breakfast, and I thought that was really bizarre.'

After 30 years in the fashion industry, the model takes an old-school approach and refuses to see the images until they are published.

Monochrome maven: A series of front covers for Vogue Brazil's new issue have been released

A living legend: Naomi has admitted she doesn't like to see her photoshoot snaps before they are published

She said: ' When I shoot on digital you know, they say, 'Do you want to look?' and I never want to look because I've always based my relationship with the photographer I am working with on trust, and I don't want to look.

'I still want that element of surprise, so I tend not to see anything until it comes out. I think if I start to look at it I would be like, 'Can you do this, can you do that?'... I don't want to.

'And it is their way of how they see you and I don't want to go and change that.

'That's the way they see you; that is their interpretation, so let it be.'
Drake smashed a streaming record Sunday as the Apple-backed Canadian rapper's latest album scored the biggest debut on the US charts this year.

The songs on 'Views,' which came out on April 29, were streamed 245.1 million times in the United States in the week through Thursday, according to tracking service Nielsen Music.

The figure far outpaces the previous record-holding album, 'Purpose' by fellow Canadian star Justin Bieber, whose songs were streamed around 100 million times in the week after its release in November.

Drake performs on March 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, California Kevin Winter (Getty/AFP/File)

'Views' sold more than one million copies either in direct sales or the equivalent in streaming, making it the best-selling album in the United States in its first week since Adele's massive '25' -- which she kept off streaming services -- in November, Nielsen Music said.

Drake's success marks a victory for Apple as he released 'Views' exclusively through the tech giant's Apple Music streaming service and iTunes store.

Several tracks, such as the hit 'Hotline Bling,' were available on rival services such as streaming leader Spotify but not the album as a whole.

'Views' nonetheless earned most of its sales through iTunes purchases, indicating that -- despite rapid market changes -- many Apple customers still preferred downloads when the only other choice was Apple Music streaming.

Spotify has recently faced a number of artists staying away. Radiohead on Sunday released its latest album on major streaming sites except Spotify after criticizing the Swedish company's compensation to artists.

Pop superstar Beyonce on April 23 put out her latest album, 'Lemonade,' solely on the Tidal streaming service led by her husband Jay Z, although she soon also sold it on iTunes.

'Views' -- which initially featured an appearance by Jay Z, which was removed -- pushed 'Lemonade' to second place on the weekly chart.

Prince's classic album 'Purple Rain' was number three amid an outpouring after the pop icon's unexpected death.

'Views' also opened at number one in Britain where it was the second fastest-selling album of the year after David Bowie's 'Blackstar,' another work that found growing interest after a music legend suddenly died.

Drake conceived the 20-song, 90-minute 'Views' as an ode to his hometown Toronto and had been discussing the album for two years before its release.
North Korea party congress pushes nuclear weapons expansion

North Korea's first ruling party congress for nearly 40 years formally endorsed leader Kim Jong-Un's policy of expanding the country's nuclear arsenal, as South Korea on Monday dismissed his proposals for military talks and improved ties.

The congress, which opened on Friday, has largely been seen as an elaborate coronation for the 33-year-old Kim, securing his status as supreme leader and confirming his legacy "byungjin" doctrine of twin economic and nuclear development.

On Sunday, the thousands of delegates to what is technically North Korea's top decision-making body, adopted a report submitted by Kim the day before to simultaneously push forward economic construction and "boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity."

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) has said the country will only use nuclear weapons if attacked

It also enshrined a policy of not using nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is threatened by another nuclear power, and of working towards the eventual reunification of the divided Korean peninsula.

"But if the south Korean authorities opt for a war... we will turn out in the just war to mercilessly wipe out the anti-reunification forces," said the document published by the North's official KCNA news agency.

Reiterating the North's long-held argument that its push for a nuclear deterrent was forced by US hostility, the congress said the nuclear weapons programme would move forward "as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat."

Presenting his report to the congress in a marathon three-hour speech on Saturday, Kim said Pyongyang wanted better relations with previously "hostile" nations and proposed military talks with South Korea to ease tensions on their heavily fortified border.

- 'Propaganda' -

The government in Seoul dismissed his remarks, including a vow to pursue global denuclearisation, as meaningless propaganda.

"There is absolutely no sincerity in talking about the necessity of military talks ... while calling oneself a nuclear weapons state and launching nuclear and missile provocations," defence ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun said.

Moon said the party congress had only served to reaffirm North Korea's intention to develop its nuclear arsenal, and added that Seoul would continue to counter those ambitions with sanctions and pressure.

The South Korean Unification Ministry was equally dismissive, describing Kim's remarks on improving North-South ties as a "propaganda act with no sincerity."

North Korea has carried out four nuclear tests -- two of them under Kim's leadership.

The North said its most recent test in January was of a powerful hydrogen bomb, although experts questioned the claim given the relatively low yield.

There is growing concern that Pyongyang may be on the verge of conducting a fifth test, with satellite imagery showing activity at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

- Securing power -

Kim was not even born when the last party congress was held in 1980 to crown his father, Kim Jong-Il, as the heir apparent to founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

When his own turn came, following the death of Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, the new young leader quickly set about cementing his power base and securing his legitimacy as the inheritor of Kim family's ruling dynasty.

One of his earliest moves was to adjust his father's "songun", or military first policy, to the "byungjin" policy of economic-nuclear development.

The nuclear half of that strategy had dominated the run-up to the party congress, starting with a fourth nuclear test in January that was followed by a long-range rocket launch and a flurry of other missile and weapons tests.

Some observers had predicted that the congress might switch the focus to the economic side of the equation, and Kim did unveil a five-year economic plan -- the first of its kind for decades.

But his report to the congress offered few details of the plan's policies or targets beyond general ambitions to boost production across all economic sectors, with a particular focus on energy production.

Kim Jong-Un's nuclear ambitions Adrian LEUNG, John SAEKI (AFP)

Underwater test-fire of a strategic submarine ballistic missile takes place at an undisclosed location in North Korea, on April 23, 2016 - (KCNA via KNS/AFP/File)

North Korean guides read newspapers covering the speech of their leader Kim Jong-Un at the 7th Workers Party Congress, at the lobby of the Yanggakdo hotel in Pyongyang, on May 8, 2016 Ed Jones (AFP)
10 events that define Philippine President Aquino's legacy

The Philippines holds elections on Monday to choose a successor to President Benigno Aquino. Here are 10 crucial victories and setbacks that came to define his six years in office:

- August 23, 2010: Hong Kong hostage crisis -

Barely two months in office, Aquino faces his first major crisis when a disgraced policeman takes a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino speaks during a presidential campaign rally for a political ally Mar Roxas, in Manila, on May 7, 2016 Ted Aljibe (AFP/File)

The gunman and eight hostages are killed in a hail of gunfire hours later in a bungled police rescue operation that deeply embarrasses the young administration and strains ties with the Chinese territory for years.

- November 18, 2011: Arroyo arrest -

Benigno Aquino makes good on a vow to have his predecessor and arch-rival Gloria Arroyo arrested and stand trial for vote fraud.

When the country's chief justice, Renato Corona, takes steps to get Arroyo bailed, Aquino allies have him impeached and removed from office. Arroyo remains under house arrest for the rest of Aquino's term as the trial drags on with little progress.

- December 21, 2012: Reproductive health law -

Aquino signs a landmark law mandating the state provide free contraceptives to poor couples and teach sex education in schools, defeating years of opposition by the dominant Roman Catholic church.

- March 27, 2013: Investment grade -

Once regarded as Asia's basket case, the Philippines wins its first investment-grade credit rating, with Fitch Ratings citing the political and economic reforms implemented under Aquino.

Similar upgrades from Moody's and Standard and Poor's follow later that year.

- November 8, 2013: Super Typhoon Haiyan -

Haiyan, the strongest typhoon ever recorded to hit land at the time, smashes into the central islands and launches tsunami-like waves that devastate the city of Tacloban.

The typhoon leaves at least 7,350 dead or missing across a swathe of poverty-stricken central islands the size of Portugal.

- March 30, 2014: China sea suit -

Unable to counter China's military might as it lays claim to most of the South China Sea, Aquino's government counters by filing a suit at a UN-linked international arbitration tribunal in the Hague. China refuses to recognise the proceedings.

A ruling on Manila's bid to have the Chinese claims declared illegal is expected shortly after Aquino stands down.

- April 28, 2014: US Defence Accord -

In the face of an increasingly assertive China, the Philippines seals an agreement with its main defence ally allowing US troops and equipment to rotate through Philippine military bases in a move designed to bolster the country's territorial defence.

- January 25, 2015: Mamasapano massacre -

Elite police commandos raid a remote southern village and kill Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, who is on a US "terrorist" most wanted hitlist, but the team is ambushed by other Muslim guerrilla groups and militias.

Forty-four soldiers die in what becomes known as the Mamasapano massacre, after the town where the killings occurred. The incident provokes public outrage that eventually derails a peace agreement with the country's main Muslim rebel group.

- February 3, 2016: Peace deal on ice -

Angered by the killings of the police commandos, Congress fails to pass a law aimed at creating a Muslim autonomous region in the south of the mainly Catholic nation.

The law had been key to complying with the terms of a 2014 peace deal with the 10,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the nation's biggest Muslim rebel group. The peace process is placed in limbo until the next president takes over.

- April 26, 2016: Canadian beheaded -

Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State jihadists dump the head of Canadian retiree John Ridsdel on a street on a remote island. Ridsdel was one of four people kidnapped six months earlier from yachts harboured at a luxury marina.
Australian election set to be 'neck and neck'

Australia's election is set to be a nail-biter with two polls published Monday suggesting it is too close to call as the first full day of campaigning got underway.

Conservative Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in the top job for less than a year, on Sunday called the national vote for July 2, saying there was a "clear choice" between him and Labor opposition leader Bill Shorten.

But opinion polls indicate a tight race, with an Ipsos one in The Sydney Morning Herald showing Turnbull's Liberal/National coalition winning 51 to 49 percent but a Newspoll in The Australian had Labor ahead by the same margin.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks at a press conference calling the next federal election, at Parliament House in Canberra, on May 8, 2016 Mark Graham (AFP)

Australian elections, where voting is mandatory, are traditionally close, and the conservatives -- then led by Tony Abbott -- won the last one in September 2013 by 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent.

As parliament was Monday officially dissolved in Canberra, the Ipsos poll of 1,410 voters taken after last week's national budget put Turnbull ahead as preferred prime minister but with his personal rating sliding.

Turnbull was in front 51 percent to Shorten's 29 percent as preferred prime minister, but down on his 54 percent standing of last month.

The Newspoll of 1,739 people taken over the same time frame also found Turnbull was seen as the better prime minister -- by 49 percent to Shorten's 27 percent.

But it had the Labor Party ahead 51-49 in an election.

Asked about the polls on Monday, Turnbull noted that his government had eight weeks to make its case to the Australian people.

"We will be talking about our national economic plan every single day," he told reporters in Queensland state, on one of the nation's longest-ever election campaigns.

"Jobs and growth. Confidence. Australia -- its future. That's what this election is about."

Australia is charting a rocky path away from mining dependence after an unprecedented resources investment boom that has helped the nation avoid a recession for 25 years.

The nation has had a "revolving door" of prime ministers in recent years, with four different people serving as leader since 2013 as parties removed sitting prime ministers.

This is the first election campaign as the head of their parties for both Shorten and Turnbull, who ousted colleague Abbott in a Liberal Party room vote last September.

Australia's prime ministers, 1996-2016 - (AFP Graphic)
Australia turns back three asylum-seeker boats

Australia has intercepted three asylum-seeker boats so far this year, including one carrying women and children from Sri Lanka, the country's immigration minister revealed on Monday.

Under Canberra's hardline measures, asylum-seekers trying to reach Australia by boat are either sent back to where they departed or to remote Pacific island camps, where living conditions have been criticised.

The government has defended the policy as stopping deaths at sea.

Australia's Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says three boats have been intercepted so far in 2016 AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority/AFP/File)

Since the start of its "Operation Sovereign Borders" in September 2013, it has managed to halt the flood of boats, and drownings, that characterised previous Labor administrations.

In March, Canberra hailed 600 days with no vessels arriving, with 25 boats carrying 698 people turned back and "safely returned to their country of departure".

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said three boats had been intercepted this year, including a small wooden fishing vessel from Sri Lanka last week.

"I can advise that there were 12 people on that vessel," he said.

"And the vessel had departed from Sri Lanka and we were able to successfully return those 12 people, which included men, women and children, back safely to Sri Lanka on May 6.

"Now, that brings to three the number of vessels that have sought to arrive and have been turned back, people returned back to their country of origin, in this calendar year."

He gave no details on the other two boats.

The vessel from Sri Lanka came within 500 metres (1,600 feet) of Australia's thinly-populated Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean on Monday last week, according to reports.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said that after being spotted, those on board were transferred from a customs ship to a smaller boat, which took them ashore.

They were flown back to Colombo on a charter flight in a secretive operation under the cover of darkness on Thursday, the broadcaster said, citing witnesses who claimed there were seven children, including babies, among them.

Dutton reiterated that no boatpeople, even if found to be genuine refugees, would ever be settled in Australia.

"Please don't accept the word of con agents that are masquerading as these people-smugglers, that if you pay your money will you come to Australia. You will not," he said.
Police, civilians killed in Mogadishu attack

Islamic jihadists killed three police officers in a bomb and gun attack on a police station in the Somali capital on Monday, city authorities said.

A suicide car bomber and a gunman also died, as did two civilians, apparently shot by police responding to the attack claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-aligned Shebab. Other civilians were also wounded.

"The attack involved two Shebab members, one of them driving a car loaded with explosives, and another tried to storm the police headquarters but was shot dead. We have lost three policemen," said Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu city administration.

Islamic jihadists have killed three police officers in a bomb and gun attack on a police station in the Somali capital Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP/File)

He added that two civilians were also shot dead.

"Two other civilians were shot dead separately at a nearby street," Halane said, adding that the police believed to be responsible had been arrested.
Firebrand Duterte poised to win Philippine presidential elections

Anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte was heading Monday for a huge win in the Philippine presidential elections, according to a poll monitor, after an incendiary campaign dominated by his profanity-laced threats to kill criminals.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, had hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nation's twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years.

Duterte had 38.92 percent of the vote, with 63 percent of the total counted, according to the PPCRV, a Catholic Church-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally the votes.

Presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte leaves the voting precint after casting his ballot in Davao City, on Mindanao island, on May 9, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP)

This was 4.5 million votes, or 16 percentage points, more than his nearest rival, Senator Grace Poe.

"He's almost a sure winner now," prominent political analyst Ramon Casiple told AFP.

Before the results came out, Duterte was already speaking like a winner as he called for rivalries to be put aside following one of the nation's most bitter and divisive campaigns in the Philippines' history.

"I want to reach out my hand and let us begin the healing now," Duterte told reporters in Davao, the nation's third biggest city that he has ruled for most of the past two decades.

Poe had 22.14 percent of the vote, with administration candidate Mar Roxas trailed closely in third, according to the PPCRV.

In the Philippines, a winner is decided simply by whomever gets the most votes.

National media had not called the election for Duterte because it was unclear where the votes tallied so far were from. A region with heavy support for another candidate may not have yet been counted.

- Threats to kill -

Duterte, a pugnacious 71-year-old, surged from outsider to the top of surveys with cuss-filled vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals, threats to establish one-man rule if lawmakers disobeyed him, and promises to embrace communist rebels.

He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex.

Duterte caused further disgust in international diplomatic circles with a joke that he wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot, and by calling the pope a "son of a whore".

Departing President Benigno Aquino, whose mother led the democracy movement that ousted Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago, had warned repeatedly the nation was at risk of succumbing to another dictatorship.

"I need your help to stop the return of terror in our land. I cannot do it alone," Aquino said in an appeal to voters in a final rally on Saturday in Manila for his preferred successor and fellow Liberal Party stalwart, Mar Roxas.

In his final rally on Saturday, Duterte repeated to tens of thousands of cheering fans his plans to end crime within six months of starting his presidency.

"Forget the laws on human rights," said Duterte, who has been accused of running vigilante death squads in Davao.

"If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, I'd kill you."

In his comments to reporters on Monday in Davao, Duterte pledged again to kill drug lords and other criminal kingpins, but not petty criminals.

- Elite rule -

Aquino, who is limited by the constitution to a single term of six years, had overseen average annual economic growth of six percent and won international plaudits for trying to tackle corruption.

However his critics said he had done little to change an economic model that favours an extraordinarily small number of families that control nearly all key industries, and has led to one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.

This criticism appeared to have hurt Roxas, a member of the elite.

Another key message of Duterte's campaign was his pledge to take on the elite, even though his vice presidential running mate was from one of the nation's richest and most powerful families.

Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars, had seen her popularity slide after critics pointed to her taking US citizenship then later giving it up.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the early favourite, was in a distant fourth place, according to the poll monitor, after crumbling under the weight of a barrage of corruption allegations.

In an intriguing sub-plot, Marcos's son and namesake had a slight lead in the race to be elected vice president, according to the poll monitor, which would cement a remarkable political comeback for his family.

Graphic showing main contenders in the Philippine presidential election on May 9 Adrian Leung, Gal Roma (AFP)

A tank stationed outside a polling station in the town of Pantar on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on May 9, 2016 Richel Umel (AFP)

Philippine presidential candidates (clockwise from top left) Jejomar Binay, Mar Roxas, Rodrigo Duterte and Grace Poe Manila Bulletin (Pool/AFP/File)

Supporters of rival presidential candidates clash in Datu Unsay on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on May 8, 2016 Mark Navales (AFP)

Presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte kisses his national flag as he addresses his supporters at an election campaign rally in Manila on May 7, 2016 Mohd Rasfan (AFP)

Philippine President Benigno Aquino (C) casts his vote in Tarlac town, north of Manila on May 9, 2016 Marcelino Pasuca (Malacanang Photo Bureau/AFP)
Japan vagina artist convicted in obscenity case

A Japanese artist who makes objects shaped like her vagina was convicted Monday after a high-profile obscenity trial, in a decision likely to reignite accusations of heavy-handed censorship.

The Tokyo District Court slapped Megumi Igarashi with a 400,000 yen ($3,700) fine, but the penalty was half what prosecutors had demanded and she was also cleared of one of several charges.

"I believe I'm innocent. I'll fight until the end," Igarashi told a news briefing after the ruling.

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi, who makes objects shaped like her vagina, says she wants to "change the concept of obscenity" Yoshikazu Tsuno (AFP/File)

"I'll appeal to the higher court. I want to fight these charges."

The 44-year-old artist, who had lined a table with vagina-shaped figurines, waved to and greeted supporters who showed up to court.

Igarashi was arrested two years ago for trying to raise funds online to pay for the construction of a kayak in the shape of her vagina, by disseminating a coded 3D image of her genitals that would allow users to make copies.

While Japan has a multi-billion-dollar pornography industry, actual depictions of genitalia are banned.

Igarashi who calls herself Rokude Nashiko -- slang that loosely translates as "reprobate child" -- was released days later following a legal appeal and after thousands of people signed a petition demanding her freedom.

But several months on, Tokyo police arrested her again for distributing "obscene" items -- displaying decorated plaster figures moulded in the shape of her genitals and giving away CD-ROMs containing the computer code.

On Monday, justice Mihoko Tanabe convicted Igarashi of distributing obscene material, a charge that related solely to the CD-ROMs.

The artist and her supporters scoffed at the fact her genitals were the focus of a court case.

"I've been working to change the concept of obscenity, which is usually seen from the perspective of men -- I'm mortified the judge didn't understand that," Igarashi said of the judge, who is female.

Kenya Sumi, one of her lawyers, said it was "disappointing" that the court did not see the data as an artistic work -- and warned the decision could have a chilling effect.

"It would be regrettable if (the ruling) has the effect of intimidating other artists," he said.

Prosecutors, who did not ask for jail time, had called for an 800,000 yen fine.

Japan's prolific pornography industry caters to all imaginable tastes, but tough obscenity laws mean genitalia normally appear pixellated or blacked out.

Images of male and female genitals can be found throughout the country, however.

Last month, revellers carried giant phalluses through the streets of Kawasaki, near Tokyo, to worship the penis and pray for fertility in an annual festival.

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi (2nd R) and her lawyers speak to reporters in front of the Tokyo District Court, on May 9, 2016 Kazuhiro Nogi (AFP)

Japanese artist Megumi Igarashi shows off a vagina-shaped mascot, at a press conference in Tokyo in April Yoshikazu Tsuno (AFP/File)
North Korea detains, expels BBC reporter Wingfield-Hayes

A BBC reporter in North Korea was detained, interrogated for eight hours and eventually expelled over his reporting in the run-up to a rare ruling party congress, the British broadcaster said Monday.

Foreign reporters invited to cover specific events in North Korea are subjected to very tight restrictions on access and movement.

Numerous journalists have been prevented from returning because their previous coverage was deemed "inaccurate" or "disrespectful" -- but detaining and then expelling a reporter while still in the country is extremely rare.

BBC reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes speaks to journalists after arriving at the international airport in Beijing on May 9, 2016 Fred Dufour (AFP)

The BBC journalist, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, was about to board a plane departing from Pyongyang airport with two other BBC staff on Friday when he was stopped and taken into detention, the BBC said.

He was then questioned for around eight hours, apparently over one of his reports which questioned the authenticity of a hospital his team was visiting.

"He was taken to a hotel and interrogated by the security bureau here in Pyongyang before being made to sign a statement and then released" on Saturday morning, said John Sudworth, another BBC reporter covering the congress in the North Korean capital.

Sudworth said the BBC had sought to keep the detention and expulsion order quiet out of concern for the safety of Wingfield-Hayes and two other members of his team, who had refused to leave on Friday after he was detained.

However, an official with the North's National Peace Committee broke the news at a press conference early Monday, when he criticised Wingfield-Hayes for "speaking very ill of the system and the leadership of the country".

"We are never going to allow him back into the country for any reporting," he added.

- 'Very, very serious' -

The three-person BBC team landed in Beijing from Pyongyang Monday evening.

"We are very happy to be back in Beijing," the team's producer Maria Byrne tweeted at around 7 pm local time (1100 GMT).

Wingfield-Hayes emerged from the terminal 3 arrivals area at Beijing International Airport at around 7:20 pm, and did not stop for the dense pack of reporters and cameras waiting for him.

"We are not making any statement now or interviews. Obviously I am glad to be out. We are going to talk to our bosses now," he said.

During their interrogation, the North Korean authorities had made it clear to Wingfield-Hayes that they saw the content of his reporting as a "very, very serious issue", Sudworth said.

A spokesman said the BBC was "very disappointed" at the treatment of Wingfield-Hayes and his team.

The BBC team had been working in North Korea for several days ahead of the party congress opening on Friday, accompanying a delegation of Nobel prize laureates conducting a research trip.

There are currently around 130 foreign journalists in Pyongyang -- all of whom were ostensibly invited to cover what is the first Workers' Party congress to be held for more than 35 years.

However, access to the conclave has been limited.

Reporters were allowed in for the announcement of Kim Jong-Un's new title -- chairman of the Worker's Party -- but otherwise coverage of the event has been restricted to watching state television and a brief photo opportunity across the street from the venue on Friday.

In the meantime, the journalists have been taken on formal excursions around Pyongyang, including visits to a wire factory, Kim Il-Sung's birthplace and a maternity hospital.

Sudworth said Wingfield-Hayes' expulsion had raised serious concerns among those reporters still in Pyongyang.

"The idea that somebody would be prevented from leaving the country and put under this kind of pressure simply because the North Korean authorities disagree with the content of his reporting... is not just for me, as one of his colleagues, but for other journalists here, of deep concern," he said.

North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has opened the country up to foreign reporters for a rare party conference, but there are strict restrictions on what journalists can cover KCNA (KCNA/AFP)

There are currently around 130 foreign journalists in Pyongyang, all ostensibly invited to cover the first Workers' Party congress in more than 35 years
Trial opens of Israeli soldier who shot wounded Palestinian

The politically charged trial began Monday of an Israeli soldier accused of shooting dead a wounded Palestinian assailant as he lay on the ground.

The head of the military court's three-judge panel read out the manslaughter indictment to Elor Azaria, who was clad in his uniform and surrounded by family in the cramped courtroom, an AFP journalist said.

The 19-year-old soldier also faces charges of conduct unbecoming before the court in Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv.

Israeli soldier Elor Azaria (R), on trial for shooting a wounded Palestinian in the head, is comforted by his mother during a hearing at a military court in Tel Aviv on May 9, 2016 Jack Guez (AFP)

He stated his military ID number and said "I do" when asked if he understood the charges.

Azaria, who also holds French citizenship, shot dead the 21-year-old Palestinian on March 24 in the city of Hebron, in the south of the occupied West Bank.

In a video that was widely circulated following the incident, the Palestinian Abdul Fatah al-Sharif is shown lying on the ground along with another man after being shot and wounded. He had minutes earlier allegedly stabbed and moderately wounded a soldier, according to the army.

Azaria, who was not at the scene during the alleged attack, then appears in the footage and is seen shooting Sharif in the head without any apparent provocation.

The incident came amid a wave of unrest that erupted in October and has so far killed 203 Palestinians and 28 Israelis.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, Israeli authorities say.

Monday's hearing lasted only an hour, with the judges agreeing to a defence request for more time to prepare the case. They also refused a plea to allow the defendant release from his detention for Israeli Independence Day, celebrated this Thursday.

Azaria, who is being detained in a military base during legal procedures, had been granted a weekend last month to celebrate Passover with his family.

The court will hold the next session on May 23.

The case has garnered widespread attention and sparked debate in Israel over a rare case of a soldier being charged with killing an assailant, even if he no longer posed a threat.

- 'Fingerprints of meddling' -

Azaria's defence team, who say he thought the Palestinian was wearing explosives, said on Monday the trial was tainted by a politicised attempt to produce a conviction.

"We can see crude fingerprints of the highest echelons meddling in the legal process by the means of giving orders to the prosecutors. The prosecution in this case is not independent, attorney Ilan Katz told reporters.

The prosecution, however, stood by the allegation that Azaria acted in severe breach of protocol, reflecting remarks by Israel's military chief as well as the defence minister.

"This trial is about an abnormally severe issue from our perspective - the operationally unjustifiable shooting of a terrorist, who had already been neutralised, in violation of all rules of engagement," prosecutor Nadav Weissman said.

The top brass of the Israeli military have condemned his actions, but rightwing politicians have argued that he has been unfairly treated.

Thousands of people attended a controversial rally in support of Azaria last month.

If Azaria were convicted of manslaughter in the military court, it would be the first time for an Israeli serviceman since 2004, when a soldier was sentenced to eight years in prison for killing British national Tom Hurndall, of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement.

According to Israeli NGO Yesh Din, since 2000 there have been 262 military investigations into Palestinian fatalities, with 22 soldiers charged with offences relating to deaths.

Israelis hold their national flags and placards reading in Hebrew "The people do not abandon a soldier" at the entrance to a military court in Tel Aviv on May 9, 2016 during the trial of the Israeli soldier Elor Azaria Jack Guez (AFP)
Swede, German among activists held over Cambodia prison protest

Cambodian police arrested eight rights activists, including two foreigners, on Monday as they stamped down on protests linked to a shadowy political sex scandal.

Eight people, including the deputy director of prominent local rights organisation Licadho and two foreigners -- a Swede and a German who also work for the group -- were detained as they tried to rally outside a prison in Phnom Penh, Am Sam Ath of Licadho, told AFP.

"The government is scared by its own shadow," he said, adding that the foreigners had been sent to immigration police.

Cambodian police (L) block protesters during a demonstration near Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh on May 9, 2016 Tang Chhin Sothy (AFP)

All were later released after signing documents "promising not to do illegal activities", he later said.

Rights workers and activists dressed in black uniforms were calling on authorities to free five colleagues charged last week in connection with a sex scandal that has engulfed Cambodia's political opposition.

Opposition lawmaker Kem Sokha, the deputy leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, has been accused of having an affair with a 25-year-old hairdresser.

Allegations have swirled among opposition groups that the repressive government of Prime Minister Hun Sen has fanned the scandal to smear his enemies -- a charge the government denies.

The woman was initially helped by rights groups when multiple audio tapes of her conversations with Kem Sokha were leaked online two months ago and she came into the crosshairs of the police, long accused by activists of lacking independence from Hun Sen's government.

But she later accused the rights groups of instructing her to deny the relationship for money after she was interrogated by Cambodia's anti-terrorism police.

That accusation led to five activists last week being charged with bribery, an allegation they deny.

Various rights groups called for protests to mark a week of their detention, with instructions for supporters to dress in black.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Sar Kheng told authorities nationwide that a handful of NGOs were inciting a "Black Uniform Campaign" and ordered them to "prevent the movement that could lead to chaos and unrest in the society".

Cambodian police and officials could not be reached for comment on the new arrests.

A UN rights office staff member, Sally Soen, was also charged with being an accomplice to the alleged bribery but has not yet been arrested and is likely covered by diplomatic immunity.

Kem Sokha has not publicly commented on the accusations against him.

Cambodian police put a protester (C) into the back of a police truck during the demonstration near Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh on May 9, 2016 Tang Chhin Sothy (AFP)
Three killed, 20 injured in Burundi blasts blamed on 'terrorists'

The mayor of Burundi's capital on Monday vowed to crush "terrorists" blamed for a spate of weekend grenade attacks that left three people dead and about 20 injured.

Hundreds have been killed and a quarter of a million people have fled Burundi since President Pierre Nkurunziza's controversial decision April 2015 to run for a third term, a vote he won amid opposition boycotts in July.

Anti-government protests were brutally quashed and killings and attacks have become a regular feature in the troubled country as a political crisis shows no sign of abating.

Burundi security officers secure the scene of a grenade attack that was targeted at and killed a Tutsi general and security advisor to Burundi's vice president Athanase Kararuza in Bujumbura on April 25, 2016 Onesphore Nibigira (AFP/File)

Bujumbura mayor Freddy Mbonimpa told AFP that three people had died in the capital since Friday in "terrorist acts targeting peaceful citizens."

"These terrorists are trying to instil panic... we are in the process of breaking up these terrorist groups with the help of the local population," he said.

Grenade attacks in Bujumbura intensified last month after a month-long lull in March.

A grenade blast in a bar on Sunday evening killed one person and injured five others in the working-class district of Bwiza in central Bujumbura.
North Korea crowns Kim party chief as rare congress closes

North Korea on Monday wrapped up its first ruling party congress for 36 years -- an event seen as a formal coronation for leader Kim Jong-Un, who was appointed to the post of party chairman.

Thousands of delegates clapped and cheered enthusiastically as the country's official head of state, Kim Yong-Nam, announced the new title which cements Kim's status as the isolated state's supreme ruler.

For the first time since they arrived last week, foreign journalists were allowed a rare glimpse inside the delegate hall, which was festooned in red and gold banners carrying the party's logo.

Kim Jong-Un was already head of the ruling Workers' Party but his stature is boosted with the new title of 'chairman'

Serious-looking men, and the occasional woman, dressed in sombre suits and servicemen weighed down by chests-full of medals filled row after row of red seats in the cavernous hall.

The congress, which opened on Friday, has given 33-year-old Kim a podium to secure his status as rightful inheritor of the one-party state founded by his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, who also held the title of party chairman.

"Kim's new position makes it very clear that the whole party meeting is only aimed at solidifying his legitimacy as the new leader," said Koh Young-Hwan, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to the South in 1991.

Koh, who is now vice head of the South's state-run Institute for National Security Strategy, said the rarity of the party congress conferred real authority on the new role.

"All past leaders of the party were named at a party congress... so this was a perfect coronation," he told AFP in Seoul.

- BBC reporter expelled -

Around 130 foreign reporters were invited to cover the congress, although their movement was tightly controlled, and their only access to the event came on the last day.

The authorities announced Monday that they were expelling a BBC journalist, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, for "speaking very ill of the system and the leadership" in his reports.

He had initially been detained on Friday and questioned for eight hours.

"We are never going to allow him back into the country for any reporting," said an official with the North's National Peace Committee.

As well as raising Kim to the post of party chairman, the congress formally endorsed his legacy "byungjin" doctrine of twin economic and nuclear development.

Delegates on Sunday unanimously adopted Kim's working report on the party, which stressed the need to strengthen the North's nuclear arsenal "both in quality and quantity".

North Korea has carried out two of its four nuclear tests under Kim's leadership, most recently in January when it claimed to have tried out a powerful hydrogen bomb -- a claim experts have disputed.

There has been growing concern that Pyongyang may be on the verge of conducting a fifth test, with satellite imagery showing activity at the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

The congress also enshrined a policy of not using nuclear weapons unless the country is attacked by another nuclear power, and of working towards reunification of the divided Korean peninsula.

- War warning -

"But if the South Korean authorities opt for a war... we will turn out in the just war to mercilessly wipe out the anti-reunification forces," said the report adopted by the North Korean delegates.

Kim was not even born when the last party congress was held in 1980 to crown his father, Kim Jong-Il, as the heir apparent to founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

When his own turn came, following the death of Kim Jong-Il in December 2011, the new young leader quickly set about shoring up his power base.

One of his earliest moves was to adjust his father's "songun", or military first policy, to the "byungjin" policy of economic-nuclear development.

The nuclear half of that strategy had dominated the run-up to the party congress, starting with a fourth nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch a month later.

Some observers had predicted the congress might switch the focus to the economic side of the equation, and Kim did unveil a five-year economic plan -- the first of its kind for decades.

But it was short on detail beyond general ambitions to boost production across all economic sectors, with a particular focus on energy output.

Factfile on North Korea, where 18 million people are vulnerable to food shortages according to a WFP 2015 report

BBC reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes speaks to journalists after arriving at the international airport in Beijing on May 9, 2016 Fred Dufour (AFP)

Attendees cheer the arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at the Workers Party Congress in Pyongyang on May 9, 2016 Antoine Demaison (AFP)

Kim Jong-Un's nuclear ambitions

Underwater test-fire of a strategic submarine ballistic missile takes place at an undisclosed location in North Korea, on April 23, 2016 - (KCNA via KNS/AFP/File)
Twitter cuts intel agencies off from analysis service: report

Twitter has barred US intelligence agencies from accessing a service that sorts through posts on the social media platform in real time and has proved useful in the fight against terrorism, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper, in its report Sunday evening, cited a senior US intelligence official as saying that Twitter seemed worried about appearing too cozy with intelligence services.

Twitter owns about a five percent stake in Dataminr, which uses algorithms and location tools to reveal patterns among tweets. It is a powerful tool for gleaning useful information from the unending stream of chatter on Twitter.

High-profile tech companies in the US, including Twitter face off against the government on how information should be shared in the fight against terrorism Leon Neal (AFP/File)

Dataminr is the only company that Twitter authorizes to access its entire real-time stream of public tweets and sell it to clients, the Wall Street Journal said.

The move was not publicly announced and the newspaper cited the intelligence official and people familiar with the matter.

Dataminr executives recently told intelligence agencies that Twitter did not want the company to continue providing services to them, the report said.

Dataminr information alerted US authorities to the November attacks in Paris shortly after the assault began, the Wall Street Journal said.

It has also been useful for real-time information about Islamic State group attacks, Brazil's political crisis and other fast-changing events.

Twitter told the newspaper in a statement that its "data is largely public and the US government may review public accounts on its own, like any user could."

The development comes as high-profile tech companies in the US face off against the government on how information should be shared in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier this year, the FBI paid more than $1 million (880,000 euros) to a third party to break into an iPhone used by one of the shooters in a killing spree in San Bernardino, California, after Apple refused to help authorities crack the device.
White South African judge in Facebook 'racism' row

A white South African judge was at the centre of a social media storm on Monday after Facebook comments emerged in which she suggested rape was part of black culture.

Political parties rushed to condemn the messages, which sparked fresh outrage after a series of recent Internet postings underlined racial tensions in South Africa, 22 years after the end of apartheid rule.

"In their culture a woman is there to pleasure them. Period," wrote Judge Mabel Jansen, who sits in the High Court in the capital Pretoria.

A general view of the courtroom during a trial at the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 14, 2014 Kim Ludbrook (Pool/AFP/File)

"It is seen as an absolute right and a woman's consent is not required."

Jansen added: "I still have to meet a black girl who was not raped at about 12. I am dead serious."

"Murder is also is not a biggy. And gang rapes of baby, daughter and mother (are) a pleasurable pastime."

The opposition Democratic Alliance party said it would report the messages to the country's Judicial Services Commission to be investigated.

Her comments were "not only hurtful and demeaning", but undermined "the dignity of our people," the party said.

The women's league of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lambasted the judge.

"Her comments made on Facebook where she claims that the rape of young children is part of black culture, are purely racist and misrepresentation of facts about black culture," it said.

The league questioned whether Jansen would be able to deal fairly with cases of rape in court.

Jansen told Business Day newspaper that her postings had been misrepresented.

"What I stated confidentially to somebody in a position to help has been taken completely out of context and referred to specific court cases," she said.

"The real issue... is the protection of vulnerable women and children and an endeavour to cure the pandemic."

The messages, posted a year ago, were part in a Facebook conversation that was made public on Sunday.

Anger erupted earlier this year when Penny Sparrow, a white realtor and DA member, complained on Facebook about black people littering beaches and likened them to "monkeys".

In the ensuing uproar, local government employee Velaphi Khumalo wrote in another viral Facebook message that blacks should act towards whites "as Hitler did to the Jews".

Official statistics showed that 43,195 rapes were reported in South Africa between April 2014 and March 2015, though most rapes are not reported to police.

Africa Check, a fact-checking project devised by but independent of the AFP Foundation, recently dismissed reports that a woman or child was raped every 26 seconds in the country.
Indian PM releases his degrees in 'fake graduation' row

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was forced on Monday to produce his college degrees, days after bitter political rivals accused him of lying about graduating from university.

At a press conference in the capital, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and ruling party chief Amit Shah released copies of Modi's Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees and accused the opposition of running a smear campaign.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Shah demanded Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal apologise for "spreading lies" about the prime minister, as a political row over the degrees intensified.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures while addressing an election campaign in Hosur, south-east of Bangalore on May 6, 2016 Manjunath Kiran (AFP)

"If you (Kejriwal) did not have any proof how did you make such an allegation? You have tried to spread lies. You must apologise publicly to the nation," Shah told a televised press conference.

"It's unfortunate that we have to hold such a press conference at all," Shah added.

Jaitley, Modi's top lieutenant, accused Kejriwal of attempting to mislead voters instead of getting on with the job of governing the Indian capital.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal, a bitter Modi rival, last week accused the premier of lying about graduating from Delhi University with a BA and obtaining a Masters in Political Science from Gujarat University.

The AAP refused to back down on Monday, with leader Ashutosh, who uses one name, insisting there were "glaring discrepancies" in the released certificates, including different spellings of Modi's name.

Social media lit up on Monday over the controversy, with many users in India sympathetic to Modi, and with #kejriwalsaysorry trending on Twitter.

Modi, who came from humble beginnings and sold tea at a railway station as a boy, stormed to power in 2014, when the BJP won the biggest majority in three decades.

The Congress party, which suffered a drubbing at the general election, has also weighed into the controversy, claiming Modi should "come clean" on the issue.
Secretive North Korean party opens up -- for five minutes

North Korea's secretive ruling party briefly opened up to the world's media Monday, as a confident-looking Kim Jong-Un took centre stage at its rare top-level gathering.

Foreign journalists invited to cover the Workers' Party congress -- the first for 36 years -- had previously got no closer than 200 metres (yards) from the April 25 Palace, where about 3,400 delegates began meeting last Friday.

On Monday some of the 130 reporters invited to North Korea specifically to cover the event actually made it into the meeting, albeit for just five minutes.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (centre) attends the Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang on May 9, 2016 Antoine Demaison (AFP)

The media invitation was not unique -- journalists were allowed into the last congress in 1980, before Kim was born -- but still rare for a nation which opens up only selectively.

The spectacle inside the palace was gripping political theatre.

Thousands of serious-looking men -- plus the occasional woman -- in sober suits, along with servicemen weighed down by chests-full of medals, occupied row after row of red seats in the cavernous hall.

As music blasted out, they rose to their feet in unison and began a round of thunderous applause when Kim, flanked by other top officials, strode onto the stage.

He waved to delegates as the clapping echoed around the hall.

The official head of state, Kim Yong-Nam, then announced senior posts in the party -- including a new position of party chairman for leader Kim, seen as further bolstering his authority.

Journalists were ushered out after five minutes but the preparations for their brief visit had taken hours.

Security was intensely strict. Reporters who assembled at a nearby venue were patted down and checked minutely with a hand-held wand.

Cellphones and all potentially suspicious items, even metal ballpoint pens, were confiscated till after the meeting. Photographers' stepladders were banned.

Security staff made three further checks with hand-held wands at the April 25 Palace and equipment was scanned again.

Inside, a gleaming reception hall with marble columns and chandeliers featured a massive red carpet and a 50-metre-long backdrop with images of late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, the current ruler's grandfather and father.

Long rows of congratulatory bouquets lined the opposite wall.

Before entering the congress hall, journalists were told not to photograph or film the notes which each delegate assiduously made of proceedings.

The massive grey stone venue is bedecked with huge party banners and large portraits of the late Kims.

Central Pyongyang has been festooned with party flags and the party symbol -- a hammer, sickle and calligraphy brush representing factory workers, farmers and intellectuals -- during the congress.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Kim Jong-Un appears to wield unchallenged authority and the party congress is not a forum for debate.

Analysts say it is effectively a coronation for Kim, who, unlike his father, had little time to prepare for another dynastic transfer.

He took power in December 2011 after the sudden death of his father.

Kim has been working since then to assert his authority -- purging the party, government and powerful military of those seen as disloyal and ordering the execution of his powerful uncle, and one-time political mentor, Jang Song-Thaek.

Attendees cheer the arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during the Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang on May 9, 2016 Antoine Demaison (AFP)

The April 25 Palace in Pyongyang -- venue of the seventh Workers' Party congress Antoine Demaison (AFP)
Saudi Binladin Group says delayed wages paid to 10,000 staff

Saudi Binladin Group, which has laid off tens of thousands of employees because of financial difficulties, said on Monday it has begun paying delayed wages to its remaining staff.

"We managed to finalise the payment for about 10,000 employees," Yaseen Alattas, the firm's chief communications officer, told AFP.

He added that the measure was made in coordination with Saudi Arabia's labour ministry, and "we will do the same for the remaining batches" of workers when cash is flowing "from our clients", which means the government.

The head of communications at Saudi Binladin Group said those fired -- about 69,000 foreigners -- were only a fraction of manpower at the firm which built some of the Gulf nation's landmarks Mahmoud Mahmoud (AFP/File)

Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of the kingdom's construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries.

Saudi Binladin Group, one of the world's largest construction companies, was also suspended by the government from new public contracts after a deadly crane accident last September.

Alattas said the government has made a commitment to pay the contractors, "including us".

He did not specify how many other staff still need to be paid but said those fired -- about 69,000 foreigners -- were only a fraction of manpower at the Group which built some of the Gulf nation's landmarks.

Of those 69,000, he said about 34,000 have received salaries and been repatriated, roughly 20,000 others have transferred to other employers or resigned, and close to 15,000 are "under processing".

After decades of thriving on lucrative government contracts, the company faced unprecedented scrutiny after one of its cranes working on a major expansion of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, toppled in September.

At least 109 people died, including foreign pilgrims, leading King Salman to suspend the firm from new public contracts.

- Sanctions lifted -

Alattas confirmed that the sanction has now been lifted and that Saudi Binladin Group will again be able to bid for government projects.

But he said the suspension, in any case, had not affected the company's existing projects.

There were "multiple reasons" for the wage delays but one was related to "cash flow", he said.

Egyptians accounted for a large percentage of Binladin Group employees.

Some complained to the labour ministry in their home country that they had not been paid for three months, the Arab News reported in March.

At that time, a well-informed source told AFP that "because of delays in payments from the government administration, several companies today have problems... paying both their employees and producers".

Minister of State Mohammad bin Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh told Bloomberg News in an interview published on April 4 "that all or 95 to 98 percent of all arrears will be paid" within two weeks.

Saudi Binladin Group was founded more than 80 years ago by the father of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed five years ago by US Navy SEALs.

It developed landmarks including the domed Faisaliah Tower in central Riyadh and the Mecca Royal Clock Tower, one of the world's tallest buildings.

Last week, Labour Minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani vowed to ensure that the Binladin Group keeps a pledge to resolve wage issues.

"The company promised to solve all the issues related to the wages," he told reporters.

Staff at another Saudi construction giant, Saudi Oger Ltd, have also complained of unpaid wages.

Haqbani insisted the problem was not widespread.
Civic hopes dashed in Lebanon municipal polls

A grassroots campaign that aimed to take on Lebanon's paralysed political system appeared to be heading for failure on Monday as entrenched parties declared victory in municipal elections in Beirut.

Authorities are expected to announce later today the official results for the elections held on Sunday in the capital and in two provinces in the Bekaa region.

They were the first elections of any kind in Lebanon since the last municipal polls in 2010, in a country with a deeply divided political scene that has not had a president for the past two years nor voted for a parliament since 2009.

Lebanese authorities are expected to announce the official results for the municipal elections held on Sunday in the capital and in two provinces in the Bekaa region Anwar Amro (AFP)

In Beirut, hopes had been high that a new list of independents -- Beirut Madinati, Arabic for "Beirut is my city" -- could take on an established political class accused of incompetence and corruption.

But former premier Saad Hariri said in statement issued on Monday that an alliance he and other traditional politicians back in the capital -- the Beiruti List -- had won all 24 seats on its council.

"The head of the Beiruti List for the municipal elections, Jamal Itani... announced that, according to initial results from its electoral apparatus, the list won the battle completely in its favour," he said.

A candidate from civil society initiative Beirut Madinati said that even if the list did not win any seats, it had at least shaken up the political establishment.

- 'Just a beginning'-

"We're not taking part in the polls to make any political gain but to give serious competition" to traditional parties, Rana Khoury told AFP.

"The mere fact that we made those in power... feel that they had been given a cold shower means that we achieved something positive," she said.

"We made them feel they don't represent or serve citizens as they should."

Beirut Madinati's programme to attract frustrated voters had included plans to improve public transport in the traffic-clogged capital, introduce more green spaces, make housing affordable and implement a lasting waste management solution.

Lebanese civil society gained momentum after angry protests last summer over an enduring political crisis that saw trash pile up on streets.

But Hilal Khashan, head of the political science department at the American University in Beirut, said civil society is still weak in Lebanon.

"It comes up against the country's sectarian political system. It's disconnected from the political process," he said.

He added that Beirut Madinati -- whose list included teachers and artists such as famed actress and filmmaker Nadine Labaki -- was a cultural elite that had not yet managed to reach the general public.

"The civil society movement started to develop last summer but it definitely can't create political awareness in two or three months," he said.

"But what happened is just a beginning and Beirut Madinati was able to make its mark on the political map."

- Traditional lists -

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, when the mandate of Michel Sleiman expired, because the country's Christians, Sunni and Shiite Muslims and Druze cannot agree on a candidate.

The country's political scene is sharply divided, with the government split roughly between a bloc led by Hezbollah -- backed by Tehran and Damascus -- and another headed by Hariri -- supported by Riyadh and Washington.

The rival blocs however banded together in the capital to support the same list against Beirut Madinati.

The results showed "members of civil society cannot blow apart a political establishment, however degenerate," said the editorial in the French-language l'Orient le Jour daily.

But "what Beirut Madinati has done... is fundamental: it has sown a grain that will greatly contribute to an unavoidable change in mentalities".

Khoury agreed: "We took part in the elections to say there are people outside (traditional) political alignments that they have the right to be represented."

Turnout was low in the capital on Sunday with only 20 percent of registered voters casting votes, Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk said.

But it was much higher in the Bekaa region, dominated by the Shiite movement Hezbollah, at around 50 percent.

In the Bekaa, Hezbollah-backed lists won in most municipalities, initial unofficial results showed.

Hariri backed lists won in most Sunni areas, while lists supported by Druze politician Walid Jumblatt won in Druze villages.

In the Christian-majority town of Zahleh, a list of candidates from Christian parties won all seats on the council.

Lebanese security forces stand guard as women stand in line to cast their vote for the municipal elections at a polling station on May 8, 2016 in the capital Beirut Anwar Amro (AFP)
South Korean firms challenge Kaesong closure in court

South Korean businessmen who ran factories in the now-shuttered Kaesong joint industrial zone in North Korea challenged their government's decision to pull out of the project in the constitutional court on Monday.

The group of businessmen, representing more than 100 firms, argued that Seoul's shock decision in February had violated their property rights.

The Seoul-funded Kaesong estate, located just inside the North Korean side of the border, was home to around 120 South Korean plants that hired tens of thousands of workers from the isolated state.

A vehicle leaving the Kaesong joint industrial zone passes through a checkpoint near the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, in Paju, on February 11, 2016 Ed Jones (AFP/File)

The South announced on February 10 a pullout from the estate in protest at North Korea's latest nuclear and missile tests.

The North responded by kicking out all South Korean managers a day later and seizing their assets including raw materials, finished products and production equipment.

Since then, the South Korean companies have demanded Seoul compensate them for losses which they estimate at some $663 million.

Now, with their appeal to the court, they are seeking to prove that the government overreached by issuing its pullout decision.

"We once asked the North's government to run the Kaesong according to the rule of law, but it was our own government in the South that infringed upon our property rights by making the sudden decision to close it with no legal basis," the group said in a statement.

Kaesong, born out of the "sunshine" reconciliation policy of the late 1990s, had previously remained largely immune to turbulence in inter-Korea ties.

The only exception was in 2013 during heightened cross-border tensions when Pyongyang effectively closed the zone for five months by withdrawing its workers.
Russia, US in fresh push on Syria resolution as Aleppo truce extended

Government forces and rebels in the Syrian battleground city of Aleppo agreed Monday to extend their truce for a second time, the army said, as the United States and Russia vowed to "redouble" efforts to end the five-year conflict.

The cessation of hostilities was initially to last for two days but was later extended until Tuesday at 00:01 am (21:01 GMT Monday).

Announcing a further prolongation, the army command said: "The 'regime of silence' in Aleppo and its province has been extended by 48 hours from Tuesday 01:00 am (local time) to midnight on Wednesday."

A Syrian man rides his motorbike past destroyed buildings in Aleppo's Bab al-Hadid neighbourhood, targeted recently by regime air strikes Karam Al-Masri (AFP/File)

The rebels had yet to confirm the extension of the truce, which was decided after nearly 300 people were killed in an uptick in fighting in Syria's largest city since late April.

The announcement came as Russia and the United States agreed to boost efforts to find a political solution to the five-year war which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

"The Russian Federation and United States are determined to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement of the Syrian conflict," a joint US-Russian statement published by the Russian foreign ministry said.

The two powers also agreed to try extend a February 27 ceasefire across the whole of the country.

The ceasefire, which was brokered by Washington and Moscow and excluded jihadist rebel groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces, was greatly strained by the upsurge in violence in Aleppo.

Washington and Moscow on Monday hailed some "progress" in reducing the fighting but admitted to ongoing "difficulties" in achieving a de-escalation in some areas as well as in ensuring humanitarian access to besieged areas.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels fired rockets into a regime-held district of Aleppo, killing five civilians including two children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Britain-based monitor also reported 10 civilians killed on Monday by regime bombardments in the northwestern province of Idlib which is controlled by Al-Nusra Front.

In the statement from Moscow, Russia and the US restated their commitment to the ceasefire and vowed "to intensify efforts to ensure its nationwide implementation."

"We also intend to enhance efforts to promote humanitarian assistance to all people in need," they said.

To this end, Russia "will work with the Syrian authorities to minimise aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties" to the ceasefire, they added.

Washington meanwhile said it would step up assistance to its allies in the region "to help them prevent the flow of fighters, weapons or financial support to terrorist organisations across their borders".

UN-brokered talks on the conflict held in Geneva fell apart three weeks ago when Syria's main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) suspended its formal participation.

In telephone talks Monday US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed "the need to pursue negotiations between Syrian authorities and all the opposition under UN mediation," according to the Russian foreign ministry statement.

- Parallel efforts -

The fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a major stumbling block in efforts to end a half-decade of war.

In Paris, France called for the Syrian government and rebel forces to return to the negotiating table in Geneva "as soon as possible".

Speaking after a meeting with several Arab and Western backers of the Syrian opposition, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also called for "concrete guarantees on the maintenance of the ceasefire" and access for humanitarian aid on the ground.

Ayrault met with his Saudi, Qatari, Turkish and UAE counterparts in Paris. Kerry attended the talks but sources said he played a low-key role in a sign that Washington still believes the best hope for progress is to work most closely with Moscow.

Arriving for talks with Ayrault, Kerry held up the joint US-Russian statement as "a commitment by Russia" to try rein in Assad's bombardments.

"But again, the proof will be in the eating of the pudding, not the making, and we'll have to see what happens," he said.

A diplomatic source said it had taken a great deal of effort to persuade Kerry to attend because he did not want to upset the Russians who were strongly opposed to the meeting.

The United Nations has sought in vain for months to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, which has also forced millions to flee.

Also on Monday, an audio message emerged in which the son of Al-Qaeda's late founder Osama bin Laden urged jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight would pave the way to "liberating Palestine".

"The Islamic umma (nation) should focus on jihad in Al-Sham (Syria) ... and unite the ranks of mujahedeen there," said 23-year-old Hamza in the undated message posted online.

The battle for Aleppo Jean Michel Cornu, Thomas Saint-Cricq (AFP)

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speak following a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 25, 2016 Andrew Harnik (Pool/AFP/File)

A protester holds a sign as he takes part in a demonstration in front of the UN offices in Beirut, Lebanon in solidarity with the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on May 1, 2016 Anwar Amro (AFP/File)
Air strike 'kills 11 at rebel-held Yemen base'

Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition on Monday hit a military base captured by Yemeni rebels north of Sanaa, killing at least 11, a military official said.

The raid targeted Al-Amaliqa base which was taken over recently by the Huthi rebels in their northern stronghold of Amran province, the official said.

He said 11 people were killed in the first raid to target the base since the rebels seized it.

Saudi F-15 warplanes have been involved in recent bombing raids over Yemen Fayez Nureldine (AFP/File)

There was no immediate confirmation of the air strike from other sources.

The government delegation to UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait walked out earlier this month in protest at the takeover of the base by the Iran-backed rebels.

The rebels have in their turn complained over alleged air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition which they said killed several people.
Duterte set for huge win in Philippine presidential election: monitor

Anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte was set to secure a huge win in Monday's Philippine presidential elections, according to a poll monitor, after an incendiary campaign dominated by his profanity-laced vows to kill criminals.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nation's twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years.

And after a record turnout of voters in Monday's elections, Duterte appeared set for a commanding victory.

Presidential frontrunner and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nation's twin plagues of crime and poverty Noel Celis (AFP)

With 80 percent of the vote counted late on Monday night, Duterte had 13.2 million votes, about 5.5 million more than his nearest rival, according to the PPCRV, a Catholic Church-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally the votes.

Duterte had 38.72 percent of the vote, with administration candidate Mar Roxas in second place with 22.67 percent.

Senator Grace Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars, conceded after the ongoing tally placed her third with 21.87 percent.

"I congratulate Mayor Duterte," Poe told reporters.

"(He) is clearly the leading candidate in the ongoing count and has been chosen by a plurality of our people".

Before the results came out, Duterte was already speaking like a winner as he called for rivalries to be put aside following one of the nation's most bitter and divisive campaigns in the Philippines' history.

"I want to reach out my hand and let us begin the healing now," Duterte told reporters in Davao, the nation's third-biggest city, which he has ruled for most of the past two decades.

However, he said he would not proclaim himself the victor until it was official.

"I am not there until I am there, and that is the when last vote is counted and you are declared a winner. At this time it would be presumptuous of me," he said.

In the Philippines, a winner is decided simply by whomever gets the most votes.

- Threats to kill -

Duterte, a pugnacious 71-year-old, surged from outsider to the top of surveys with cuss-filled vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals, threats to establish one-man rule if lawmakers disobeyed him and promises to embrace communist rebels.

He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex.

Duterte caused further disgust in international diplomatic circles with a joke that he wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot, and by calling the pope a "son of a whore".

Departing President Benigno Aquino, whose mother led the democracy movement that ousted Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago, had warned repeatedly the nation was at risk of succumbing to another dictatorship.

"I need your help to stop the return of terror in our land. I cannot do it alone," Aquino said in an appeal to voters in a final rally on Saturday in Manila for Roxas, his preferred successor and fellow Liberal Party stalwart.

In his final rally on Saturday, Duterte repeated to tens of thousands of cheering fans his plans to end crime within six months of starting his presidency.

"Forget the laws on human rights," said Duterte, who has been accused of running vigilante death squads in Davao.

"If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, I'd kill you."

- Elite rule -

Aquino, who is limited by the constitution to a single term of six years, had overseen average annual economic growth of six percent and won international plaudits for trying to tackle corruption.

However, his critics said he had done little to change an economic model that favours an extraordinarily small number of families that control nearly all key industries, and has led to one of Asia's biggest rich-poor divides.

This criticism appeared to have hurt Roxas, a member of the wealthy classes.

Another key message of Duterte's campaign was his pledge to take on the elite, even though his vice presidential running mate was from one of the nation's richest and most powerful families.

Poe had seen her popularity slide after critics pointed to her taking US citizenship then later giving it up.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the early favourite, was in a distant fourth place, according to the poll monitor, after crumbling under the weight of a barrage of corruption allegations.

In an intriguing sub-plot, former dictator Marcos's son and namesake had a slight lead in the race to be elected vice president, according to the poll monitor, which would cement a remarkable political comeback for his family.

Philippine presidential candidate Senator Grace Poe conceded after the ongoing tally placed her third with 21.87 percent Mohd Rasfan (AFP)

Philippines Adrian Leung, Gal Roma (AFP)
Egypt pledges to uphold Palestinian cause at UN

Egypt will use its influence as chair of the UN Security Council in May to defend the interests of the Palestinian people, the presidency said on Monday.

The pledge, made during talks between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, comes after France called for an international conference later this month to relaunch peace talks.

Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations have been frozen since a US-brokered initiative collapsed in April 2014.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the capital Cairo on May 9, 2016 Thaer Ghanaim (PPO/AFP)

Last month, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said France will host a meeting of ministers from 20 countries on May 30 to try to relaunch the peace process.

Abbas and Sisi discussed "ways of coordinating Arab efforts and the steps that need to be taken within the UN Security Council" as Egypt holds the rotating presidency of the council for the month of May, a statement said.

The two leaders said efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should be bolstered in light of regional and international initiatives, including France's decision to host a conference.

The Palestinian leadership has welcomed the French initiative but Israel opposes it, insisting that direct and unconditional negotiations with the Palestinians are the only way forward.

Ayrault has said that the aim of hosting a ministerial conference in May is to prepare for an international summit later this year that would include the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Paris's initiative comes amid tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and as a wave of violence since October last year has killed 204 Palestinians and 28 Israelis, according to an AFP count.
Yemen foes resume direct talks after mediation

Yemen's warring parties resumed face-to-face talks on Monday following a two-day interruption after mediation efforts and an appeal by the UN envoy, the United Nations said.

Three joint working groups, formed by the UN last week, discussed during face-to-face meetings written proposals tabled by the two delegations to resolve the 13-month conflict, UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement.

He said the groups discussed key issues on political and security matters and the release of prisoners and detainees.

Yemeni tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, during clashes with Shiite Huthi rebels west of Taez on March 21, 2016 Ahmad al-Basha (AFP/File)

These include the withdrawal of the Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels from areas they occupied in a 2014 offensive, the surrender of weapons and agreeing a political settlement.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed praised the delegations for their cooperation but warned that problems still existed.

"There is no doubt that we are at a true crossroads. We are either moving towards peace or going back to square one," he said.

Ould Cheikh Ahmed also said that the gap between the two sides is large, but that the working groups are scheduled to meet again on Tuesday.

Hours after the talks resumed, Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government made the announcement and slammed a "dangerous escalation" by the Huthis.

The coalition is cooperating with the international community "to maintain calm and help the Kuwait talks to succeed", a statement said.

But it also warned that the coalition "reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place" if there are further attacks.

Earlier on Monday, coalition aircraft hit a military base captured by rebels north of Sanaa, killing at least 11, a military official said.

- Diplomatic pressure -

The raid targeted Al-Amaliqa base which was taken over recently by the Huthis in their northern stronghold of Amran province.

The renewed direct talks came a day after mediation by the Kuwaiti foreign minister, ambassadors of the mostly Western 18 countries backing the peace process and the UN Special envoy.

Direct talks broke off on Saturday with the government delegation complaining of a lack of progress and the Huthi rebels protesting about coalition air raids.

A source close to the government delegation said the resumption of direct talks came as a result of international diplomatic pressure on the rebels.

But the source also told AFP that no progress was made on Monday.

Yemen's foreign minister said the talks which began on April 21 have made no headway.

"For the sake of peace, we have accepted all proposals submitted to us in order to progress," said Abdulmalek al-Mikhlafi, who heads the government delegation.

"But after three weeks, we have nothing in our hands because the other party backed down on its commitments," Mikhlafi wrote on Twitter.

The rebels issued a strong protest to the UN envoy over alleged air raids Sunday that they said killed several people, according to a source close to their delegation.

There was no immediate confirmation of the reported air strikes.

The rebels and their allies have demanded the formation of a consensus transitional government before forging ahead with other issues that require them to surrender arms and withdraw from territories they occupied in 2014.

The talks, which come after two failed peace attempts in June and December last year in Switzerland, are based on a UN Security Council resolution which orders the rebels to withdraw and surrender heavy weaponry they had seized.

There has been mounting international pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.

United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed (R) talks with UN spokesman Charbel Raji during a press conference on May 5, 2016 in Kuwait City Yasser al-Zayyat (AFP/File)

Yemeni loyalist forces gather at the scene of a suicide attack on April 28, 2016 in Aden Saleh al-Obeidi (AFP/File)
Saudis intercept ballistic missile fired from Yemen

Saudi air defence on Monday intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, the Arab coalition backing the Yemeni government said, slamming a "dangerous escalation" as peace talks with rebels falter.

"The launch of the missile at this time is a dangerous escalation by Huthi militias" and the forces of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, said the Saudi-led coalition in a statement.

It said the coalition is cooperating with the international community to "maintain calm and help the Kuwait (peace) talks to succeed".

Armed Yemeni tribesmen fire as they hold a position in the area of Sirwah, west of Marib city, on December 18, 2015 Abdullah al-Qadry (AFP/File)

The missile is the first to be reported fired from Yemen at Saudi Arabia since a ceasefire took effect last month ahead of the UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait.

The coalition said it will continue to exert self-restraint but "reserves the right to retaliate at the appropriate time and place" in the event such an attack is repeated.
Britain's Iraq war inquiry to be published July 6

Britain's long-delayed mammoth inquiry into its part in the 2003 war in Iraq will be published on July 6, its chairman revealed Monday.

The Iraq Inquiry headed by former senior civil servant John Chilcot, which began in 2009, was originally due to report within a year.

In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, Chilcot said that routine checks to ensure that the report did not breach national security had been completed, without the need for redactions.

A long-awaited public inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq war will highlight the actions of Prime Minister Tony Blair (C), pictured in Basra, Iraq on December 21, 2004, and his administration Adrian Dennis (AFP/File)

A July 6 publication date allows time for "final proof reading, formatting, printing and the steps required for electronic publication", he said, in the letter published Monday.

The report is expected to be 2.6 million words long.

The Chilcot inquiry was set up by prime minister Gordon Brown, the successor of Tony Blair, who led Britain into the conflict in 2003. Some 179 British soldiers died in the war.

The inquiry's vast remit was to consider Britain's involvement in Iraq from 2001 to 2009 to establish what happened, the way decisions were made and actions taken, and to identify lessons that can be learned.

It received evidence from over 150 witnesses, held more than 130 sessions of oral evidence, and analysed more than 150,000 government documents.

The report is expected to highlight how Britain's involvement in Iraq -- particularly questions over whether Blair's government "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction to make the case for war -- remains the subject of heated debate.
Car bombing kills at least 10 in Iraq's Baquba: officials

A car bomb exploded on Monday in a busy area of the Iraqi city of Baquba, killing at least 10 people, a senior military official and a doctor said.

"A car bomb went off in the Shifta area of central Baquba, killing 10 people and wounding 35. This is an initial toll," a lieutenant colonel in the regional operations command said.

A doctor at Baquba hospital and a police captain gave the same toll.

An Iraqi policeman inspects the debris of a vehicle following a blast in Baquba, the provincial capital of Diyala province, on February 23, 2012

Shifta is a busy area in central Baquba, a city which is the capital of the province of Diyala and lies about 70 kilometres (40 miles) northeast of Baghdad.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but all such bombings recently have been claimed by the Islamic State group that took over large parts of Iraq nearly two years ago.

Diyala province was declared "liberated" from IS in January 2015, but ending their open control of populated areas has not brought an end to attacks.

Baquba and other towns in Diyala province have been hit by a number of large bomb attacks carried out by the jihadists.
Israelis in JPMorgan hack case to be extradited

Israeli authorities have approved the extradition to the United States of two nationals indicted over a cyber attack against JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest computer frauds in history.

Gery Shalon, 32, and 41-year-old Ziv Orenstein were arrested in Israel last July and will be extradited following a US request, the justice ministry said in a statement on Monday.

They risk lengthy prison sentences if convicted, it said, adding that both suspects had consented to the extradition.

Gery Shalon, 32, and 41-year-old Ziv Orenstein were arrested in Israel in July 2015 over a cyber attack against JPMorgan Chase and will be extradited following a US request Spencer Platt (Getty/AFP/File)

It did not say when this would take place.

Shalon and Orenstein were among four people indicted in a massive hacking scheme by a "diversified criminal conglomerate" that compromised data from millions of customers of JPMorgan Chase and other firms, US officials said in November.

The bank revealed in 2014 that a hack had compromised data on 76 million household customers and seven million businesses, including their names, email addresses and telephone numbers -- the largest theft of data from a US financial institution.

The two Israelis and US citizen Joshua Samuel Aaron were charged with multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy and other charges related to the hack.

Around the same time Shalon and Orenstein were arrested in Israel, US officials detained Anthony Murgio, who was charged with operating an illegal money transfer service using the bitcoin virtual currency that helped launder the profits from the scheme.

Aaron, who is known to have ties to Russia, remains at large, according to officials in the United States.
Oil-eating bacteria came to the rescue after BP spill

Microscopic bacteria played a crucial role in the cleanup of the devastating 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, scientists who decoded the genomes of the oil-eating organisms reported Monday.

The findings published in the Nature Microbiology journal suggest that certain bacteria have far greater potential for containing chemical pollution in the ocean than previously thought.

An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010 killed 11 men off the coast of Louisiana and caused 134 million gallons (507 million litres) of oil to spew into Gulf waters.

Reeds grow among the blackened marsh grasses killed by oil from the 2010 BP oil spill in Bay Jimmy, Louisiana on April 7, 2011 Mira Oberman (AFP/File)

It took 87 days to cap the out of control well some 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) below sea level, and the oil slick stretched across an area the size of Virgina.

Beaches were blackened in five US states, and the region's tourism and fishing industries were devastated.

Massive resources were mobilised to clean up the mess, and BP paid out a record $20.8 billion (18.2 billion euros) to settle claims for damages.

As the disaster unfolded, communities of bacteria grew unusually fast, and helped to eat away at the chemicals that had contaminated the sea water.

- 'Surprisingly capable' -

There were as many as 1,000 different types of chemical compounds to be dispersed.

While it was clear that bacteria assisted in the clean up, scientists did not know much about the genetic traits that caused the process, or the full range of the single-cell organisms involved.

Assistant professor Brett Baker and post-doctoral researcher Nina Dombrowski, both from the University of Texas at Austin, sequenced the DNA of the oil-eating microbes to find out more.

"We found a number of bacteria surprisingly capable of dealing with the more dangerous compounds," Dombrowski said in a statement.

"This has implications for future oil spills and how we take advantage of the natural environmental response."

Oil has a complicated chemical makeup, but consists broadly of two main compounds.

Alkanes are relatively easy for bacteria to break down. Aromatic hydrocarbons are not.

But not only did the gene sequencing reveal that several bacteria -- including one called Alcanivorax, and another named Neptuniibacter -- could handle the hydrocarbons.

But it also showed how various species worked together to maximise the viability of the whole microbial community.

"We used new methods to obtain genomes of bacteria that haven't been grown in the lab to enhance our understanding of how they consume oil in nature," Baker said.

The scientists even found some species that assisted with the post-cleanup, eating the chemicals that had been added to the water to absorb or dissolve the oil.

While not as harmful as the oil itself, these dispersants can damage the environment too.

Dombrowski said that humans had a responsibility to help maintain "a healthy and diverse bacterial community".
Bahrain to release female activist with toddler: ministry

Bahrain's foreign ministry said Monday that opposition activist Zainab al-Khawaja who is in jail with her toddler will be released for "humanitarian" reasons.

The Shiite mother was jailed in March after being convicted of insulting the king by ripping a photograph of him. She kept her son, who is reportedly just over one year old, with her in jail.

The foreign ministry said Khawaja's release will be the result of its follow up on the situation of inmates with foreign citizenship held in "criminal cases."

Bahraini human rights activist Zainab al-Khawaja, pictured on September 6, 2014, will be released from jail after being convicted of insulting the king Mohammed Al-Shaikh (AFP/File)

Zainab, who was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2014, is the daughter of prominent rights activists Abdulhadi al-Khawaja and also holds Danish nationality.

Another foreign female inmate, whose nationality has not been revealed, will also be released along with her four-year-old son, the ministry said.

"It has been decided that both of them will be released... taking into consideration their situation and humanitarian principles," the ministry said in a statement.

Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said during a press briefing last month with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry that Khawaja will go home.
IS leader for Iraq's Anbar province killed in air strike: Pentagon

A US-led coalition air strike has killed a senior Islamic State leader in Iraq's Anbar province, along with three other IS jihadists, the Pentagon said Monday.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the May 6 strike near the town of Rutba -- deep in the Anbar desert -- targeted Abu Wahib, IS's "military emir" for the vast western province.

Wahib was "a former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in ISIL execution videos," Cook said, using an acronym for the IS group.

Smoke billows as a member of the Iraqi government forces stands guard next to his vehicle after they retook an area from the Islamic State group on April 2, 2016 in Anbar province Moadh al-Dulaimi (AFP/File)

"We view him as a significant leader in ISIL leadership overall, not just in Anbar Province," he added. "Removing him from the battlefield will be a significant step forward."

The men were traveling in a vehicle when they were hit. Cook provided no additional details and did not specify if a warplane or a drone had carried out the strike.

The killing of Wahib is the latest in a series of attacks on senior IS leaders in Iraq and Syria, where the jihadists still control huge tracts of land despite an intense US-led air campaign dating back to August 2014.

Some other recent targets include Suleiman Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, an "ISIL war council member," Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli -- the IS group's second-in-command also known as Haji Imam -- and Omar al-Shishani, the man known as "Omar the Chechen," who was effectively IS's defense minister.

In February, US special operations forces captured Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, who was described as a chemical weapons expert.

"Since the start of 2015, we've targeted and killed more than 40 high-value ISIL and Al-Qaeda external attack plotters. We have removed cell leaders, facilitators, planners and recruiters," Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren wrote online last week.
Tunisians protest closure of border with Libya

Tunisian security forces used tear gas on Monday against hundreds of people in the southern town of Ben Guerdane protesting against the closure of the border with Libya, officials said.

"Around 1,000 people rallied outside local government offices and set tyres ablaze in protest against a Libyan decision to close the Ras Jedir border crossing," interior ministry spokesman Yasser Mesbah said.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, he added.

Tunisian security forces stand guard near the Ras Jedir border crossing with Libya near Ben Guerdane on March 22, 2016 Fathi Nasri (AFP/File)

Ras Jedir is the main frontier between western Libya and southeastern Tunisia, a region whose economy is largely dependent on cross-border trade, both legal and illegal.

Tunisia's southern provinces are among the poorest in the country.

Since April, Libyan border officials have stopped the flow of merchandise across the border, sparking anger among residents.

A Libyan official, Hafedh Moammar, said at the time that the border was closed amid alleged "harassment" of Libyan travellers and to stop the flow of smuggled fuel.

The governor of the Tunisian town of Medenine, Tahar Matmati, said Libya also wanted to impose a "unified tax" on all products crossing the frontier.

In March, Tunisia closed two border crossings with Libya for two weeks in response to a deadly jihadist attack on Ben Guerdane.
Aleppo truce extended by 48 hours: Syrian army

A truce in Aleppo in northern Syria between regime forces and rebels that was due to expire late Monday has been extended by 48 hours, the army command said.

"The 'regime of silence' in Aleppo and its province has been extended by 48 hours from Tuesday 01:00 am (local time) to midnight on Wednesday," a statement said.

The temporary truce, initially for two days and then prolonged until Tuesday at 00:01 am (21:01 GMT Monday), was decided after fighting killed nearly 300 people since April 22 in Aleppo, where some areas are held by rebels and others by government forces.

The temporary truce was decided after fighting killed nearly 300 people since April 22 in Aleppo Ibrahim Chalhoub (AFP/File)

The announcement came as Russia and the United States agreed to boost efforts to find a political solution to Syria's five-year war which has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

The two powers also agreed to extend a truce across the whole of the country.

"The Russian Federation and United States are determined to redouble efforts to reach a political settlement of the Syrian conflict," according to a joint US-Russian statement published by the Russian foreign ministry.

To this end, Russia "will work with the Syrian authorities to minimise aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties" to the ceasefire, it said.

The two powers brokered a February 27 ceasefire between regime forces and the armed opposition that did not, however, include jihadist fighters such as the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda's Syria affiliate, Al-Nusra Front.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels fired rockets into a regime-held district of Aleppo, killing five civilians including two children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Libertarian Gary Johnson sees Trump threat as opportunity

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are all but assured a US presidential showdown in November, but a third-party candidate -- Libertarian Gary Johnson -- will likely be on the ballot in all 50 states.

Johnson, the former two-term governor of New Mexico, earned barely one percent of the vote in 2012 as standard-bearer for the Libertarian Party, which has yet to win a congressional race in its 45-year history and is hardly on the average American voter's radar.

But while Johnson is an unknown quantity compared to his headline-grabbing rivals, he sees the unprecedented chaos within the Republican Party and Clinton's lingering image problems as his clearest-ever chance to break through with a frustrated electorate.

US Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks to AFP during an interview in Washington, DC on May 9, 2016 Nicholas Kamm (AFP)

"It really is" a golden opportunity, the 63-year-old Johnson told AFP in an interview Monday near the White House, insisting his campaign could pick up steam as voters seek a more palatable alternative to the provocative billionaire.

Trump's recent ascension as the GOP's presumptive nominee has threatened to unravel the party. Several spooked Republican grandees have refused to back him in the general election, and there is a growing movement among conservatives to back an alternative candidate.

Could this be the Libertarian Party's moment?

A third-party victory is unlikely in the United States, where the system is geared toward a two-party race. "Rigged" is how Johnson described it, appropriating a favorite word of Clinton's challenger Bernie Sanders.

The last alternative candidate to mount a viable campaign was Ross Perot, the billionaire tech tycoon who won nearly 19 percent of the vote in 1992 against Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.

But with Trump and Hillary Clinton suffering from miserable favorability ratings, Johnson sees fertile ground in 2016, particularly with independent voters but also those Republicans and Democrats disillusioned with the mainstream options.

"They're the two most polarizing figures in American politics today," he said of the frontrunners.

- Best of both worlds? -

"I'm more liberal than Hillary on social issues, and I'm more conservative on fiscal issues than Ted Cruz was," said Johnson, referring to the Texas senator who quit the Republican race last week.

"That puts the best of both worlds, if you will... into one package, and that's me."

Johnson is indeed in a spotlight -- he earned 11 percent support in a March Monmouth University poll that tested a three-way race.

But he has just $35,000 cash on hand, which he admitted "doesn't make for winning the presidency." Clinton has $29 million.

"The quantum leap for us would be to raise $50 million. It hasn't happened," Johnson said.

Hundreds of Libertarian delegates converge on Orlando, Florida in late May to pick their nominee, and Johnson is the odds-on favorite, despite some colorful competitors including anti-virus software developer John McAfee.

Johnson himself is highly unconventional. Often clad in jeans and running shoes, as he was Monday, he is an Ironman triathlete who has climbed Mount Everest.

Johnson advocates for marijuana legalization, and headed a pot startup, Cannabis Sativa Inc, until he stepped down January 1 to launch his campaign.

The Libertarian Party said Johnson is already on the ballot in 36 states and is on track to make all 50 by election day on November 8.

His main challenge, he said, is getting into the debates.

He is suing the commission that organizes the presidential debates "because we believe that it's a rigged game, that Democrats and Republicans collude with one another to exclude everyone else."

Johnson is hardly ever included in presidential polling, and yet the commission only allows candidates in debates if they achieve 15 percent in polls.

Like many Libertarians, Johnson advocates for small government and supports abortion rights.

Trump's positions on immigration, free trade and waterboarding are "scary" and unlikely to bring positive change, he added.

He is also deeply critical of the foreign policy of presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, warning of the "unintended consequence" of military intervention.

"If attacked, the United States is going to attack back," he stressed. "But let's stop with empire building."

Political tradition suggests Johnson can't win. But he also said he would not compromise and take the vice presidential slot should either rival want him on their ticket.

"I think I'm 180 degrees when it comes to Donald Trump, and with regard to Hillary Clinton, it's not going to happen," he said.

"There's a reality to this also."
N. Carolina, US federal government face off over 'bathroom' law

North Carolina's governor and the US federal government upped the ante in a battle over the rights of transgender Americans, filing dueling lawsuits over a state law restricting their use of public restrooms.

The showdown comes amid a wider debate on equal rights in the United States, where a flurry of initiatives have targeted the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) communities since a historic Supreme Court decision last year legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The North Carolina law passed on March 23 -- requiring transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate -- has triggered a national outcry.

A North Carolina law passed on March 23, 2016 -- requiring transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate -- has triggered a national outcry Mandel Ngan (AFP/File)

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who calls North Carolina her home state, denounced the law as "state-sponsored discrimination" and compared it to racial segregation laws and bans on same-sex marriage.

"This action is about a great deal more than bathrooms," she told reporters.

"This is about the dignity and the respect that we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we as a people and as a country have enacted to protect them."

A string high-profile entertainers and big companies have joined activists in denouncing the North Carolina measure, pulling the plug on events and investments in the state.

But supporters say the controversial law is intended to protect women from sexual predators.

The state's governor Pat McCrory on Monday filed a suit against the US Justice Department in defense of the law, and asked the federal courts to decide.

In turn, the Justice Department filed a civil rights countersuit, charging that the law is discriminatory.

The government's complaint cites as defendants the state and its governor, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the University of North Carolina and its board.

Lynch warned that "we retain the option" to curtail federal funding for the state over the issue, with billions of dollars in government aid potentially at stake, including key education funding.

- 'We stand with you' -

Speaking directly to the transgender community, Lynch said "history is on your side."

"No matter how isolated, no matter how afraid, and no matter how alone you may feel today, know this -- that the Department of Justice and indeed the entire Obama administration want you to know that we see you, we stand with you, and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward," she said.

"It's about the founding ideals that have led to this country haltingly but inexorably in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans."

North Carolina's governor has defended the law as a necessary response to an ordinance in the state's largest city of Charlotte that expanded legal protections for people's sexual orientation and gender identity.

"This caused major privacy concerns about males entering female facilities or females entering male facilities," he told reporters, saying he expected other states and private entities to join the suit.

The latest legal action coincides with a deadline the Justice Department gave North Carolina's governor last week to "remedy" the measure, warning him that the law violated federal anti-discrimination statutes.

McCrory said President Barack Obama's administration was "bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina."

"This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level," he said.

The governor also stressed that North Carolina allows private companies to set their own policies concerning the use of bathrooms, locker rooms and showers.

The state's own attorney general, a Democrat locked in a tight battle against McCrory to win his post in November, said the law has already cost thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in economic activity.

"It's time for the governor to stop the partisan gamesmanship and undo this law now," Roy Cooper said in a statement.

- Government 'bullying'? -

Conservatives hailed the state's move.

Lashing out at the Justice Department's "bullying," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said that Obama was trying to "fundamentally transform America."

"If the White House can dictate the bathroom policies of America, what could possibly be beyond their reach?" he asked.

Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Bryan Adams, Ringo Starr, Demi Lovato and Cyndi Lauper are just some of the musicians and bands who have cancelled concerts in the southeastern state.

PayPal scrapped plans to build facilities in North Carolina that would have provided work for around 400 people, while Deutsche Bank halted plans to create 250 jobs.

The National Basketball Association has warned that it may pull its All-Star game next year out of Charlotte if the law is not changed.

In response to the protest movement, McCrory last month had softened the law, but stopped short of ending its most controversial provision on limits to public bathroom access.

Unsatisfied with the minor changes, activists pressed on.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch announces federal action related to North Carolina, at the US Department of Justice on May 9, 2016 Drew Angerer (Getty/AFP)
Security boosted as Bangladesh prepares to hang top Islamist

Bangladesh police Tuesday stepped up security at the capital Dhaka's main prison where the authorities are expected to hang the leader of the country's largest Islamist party for war crimes.

Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, could be hanged as early as Tuesday night after the country's highest court published the final judgement upholding his execution order.

Nizami's execution would exacerbate tensions in the Muslim-majority country after a string of killings of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities by suspected Islamist militants.

Bangladesh's highest court published a final judgement upholding an execution order for Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the 73-year-old leader could be executed at "any time" if he did not seek mercy from the country's president. "We're making all preparations," Khan told reporters.

Officials formally read the verdict to Nizami on Monday night after he was brought to Dhaka Central Jail from a prison outside the capital, senior jailor Jahangir Kabir told reporters.

The Islamist leader did not say then whether he would seek any clemency, Kabir said, and prisoners are normally given a 24-hour window after verdict publication to formally apply.

Nizami's lawyer told AFP last week that he would not seek any pardon as it would require him to admit crimes he was convicted of, including mass murder, rape and orchestrating the killing of secular intellectuals during the 1971 war of independence.

Three senior Jamaat officials and a leader of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been executed since December 2013 for war crimes despite global criticism of their trials. All were hanged at the jail.

"Extra policemen have been deployed at the jail," Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mofizuddin Ahmed told AFP.

Heavily armed Rapid Action Battalion officers were also dispatched, the elite squad's spokesman, Mufti Mahmud Khan, said.

- Hacked to death -

Since last month an atheist student, two gay rights activists, a liberal professor, a Hindu tailor who allegedly made derogatory comments against the Prophet Mohammed and a Sufi Muslim leader have been hacked to death.

Jamaat has said the charges against Nizami, a former government minister, are false and aimed at eliminating the leadership of the party.

Nizami took over as party leader in 2000 and played a key role in the victory of an Islamist-allied government in the 2001 general election.

The 1971 conflict, one of the bloodiest in world history, led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh from what was then East Pakistan.

Prosecutors said Nizami was responsible for setting up the pro-Pakistani Al-Badr militia, which killed top writers, doctors and journalists in the most gruesome chapter of the war.

Their bodies were found blindfolded with their hands tied and dumped in a marsh on the outskirts of the capital.

The trial heard Nizami ordered the killings, designed to "intellectually cripple" the fledgling nation.

He was convicted in October 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal, which was established in 2010 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government and has sentenced more than a dozen opposition leaders for war crimes.

Rights groups say the trials fall short of global standards and lack international oversight, while the government says they are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict.

Amnesty International has called for an immediate halt to Nizami's execution, citing concerns over the fairness of the trials.

In 2013 the convictions of Jamaat officials triggered the country's deadliest violence in decades.

Around 500 people were killed, mainly in clashes between Islamists and police, and thousands of Islamists were arrested.

The government says up to three million people died in the 1971 war, while independent researchers put the figure at between 300,000 and 500,000.

Bangladeshi activists take part in a protest in Dhaka on May 8, 2016, against a strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami to demonstrate against the death sentence for its leader Motiur Rahman Nizami

Bangladeshi students protest in Dhaka on April 7, 2016 following the murder of a law student Munir Uz Zaman (AFP/File)
NY's Met opens exhibit of Turner whaling paintings

Four paintings by JMW Turner depicting 18th and 19th century commercial whaling and their possible link to "Moby Dick" are the focus of an exhibit opening Tuesday at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"Turner's Whaling Pictures" features works done in the 1840s as the Briton Turner was near the end of his career and life.

This is the first time all four have been shown together, with one owned by the Met and three on loan from London, said curator Alison Hokanson.

Members of the press get a preview of JMW Turner's quartet of whaling paintings in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York Don Emmert (AFP)

Seascapes were a favorite of Turner, and in this case he addressed the legendary era of commercial whaling, in which sailing ships would spend years at sea, sometimes in remote places like the South Pacific, hunting down those mighty creatures to extract oil used in lamps.

"It was one of the last of Turner's painting campaigns, a new subject," Hokanson said Monday as she presented the 1.2 meter by 90 cm (4 ft X 3 ft) paintings to the media. They will be on display through August 7.

Two of the paintings depict the hunt itself, in which whalers in small boats hurled harpoons at the whale from a short distance.

The other two address the carving up of whales to obtain oil, which was the industry's lifeblood.

But all four scenes are presented in a sort of artistic haze: they are not neat, clean, picture-perfect representations. Rather, it's as if the brutal action of whaling, the weather and the enormity of the sea come together to blur one's view.

"Critics were astonished by the dynamic, the colors," said Hokanson.

People were even frustrated at times as they tried to discern exactly what was happening in these paintings, she said.

- Melville's inspiration? -

The commercial whaling era served as inspiration for other artists, such as Herman Melville, the author of "Moby Dick" -- the tale of Captain Ahab, obsessed with hunting down and killing a great white which on a previous voyage had bitten off his leg.

The exhibit provides an opportunity to consider whether the Turner paintings influenced Melville, whose book was published in 1851, the year Turner died.

"Aspects of Melville's novel are strikingly evocative of Turner's style," the Met says on its website.

"Melville knew about Turner's paintings. It cannot be proven he saw them," Hokanson said. Melville visited London in 1849.

At the exhibit, one wall features a Moby Dick passage that describes a large oil painting depicting a whale hunt very similar to one in a Turner painting. This suggests Melville did see the Turner works.

It is true that both men drew inspiration from an illustrated book entitled "The Natural History of the Sperm Whale," published in 1839 by Thomas Beale, a whaling ship physician.

The Met exhibit also includes related watercolors by Turner, whaling artefacts such as a harpoon and an oil lamp, a first edition "Moby Dick" and a copy of Beale's book.
Tribesmen kill 6 civilians in Sudan's Darfur: UN

An attack by armed tribesmen on a makeshift camp for displaced people in Sudan's conflict-hit North Darfur state killed six civilians including two children, a top UN official said Tuesday.

Monday's attack came just hours after a senior international mediator working to resolve the conflict said the region was now "stable".

A peacekeeper from the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) was also wounded in the attack on the makeshift camp in Sortoni where tens of thousands of people have taken refuge from an upsurge in fighting this year between the army and ethnic minority rebels.

A handout picture released by UNAMID shows newly internally displaced persons in Sortoni, in Sudan's North Darfur state, on February 9, 2016

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Marta Ruedas, "condemns the reported shooting and killing of six civilians, including two children, by armed local tribes in Sortoni", a statement said.

Asked about the attack, Tijani Sissi who heads the Darfur Regional Authority said he was unaware of the latest violence.

Insisting that the region was secure, he said that "there are some isolated incidents still occurring".

"But this is normal as the region is coming out of a war," Sissi told reporters.

A camp resident told AFP that gunmen on camels and in pick-up trucks attacked twice using rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the attack followed a "reported rise in tensions between displaced people and armed tribesmen over cattle raiding".

- Alleged attackers caught -

In a separate statement UNAMID said its peacekeepers had "apprehended two of the alleged perpetrators of the attack" who were now being handed over to the Sudanese authorities.

UNAMID said tensions have been escalating in Sortoni since May 2, with nomadic herders accusing displaced people of "stealing their livestock".

It said that the herders had even "established an intermittent blockade on the Kabkabiya-Sortoni road, an essential route for the provision of water and humanitarian road".

It was unclear whether the blockade had been lifted.

Cattle rustling is a frequent source of conflict in Darfur.

Last month, as many as 20 people died in clashes between two rival Arab tribes in East Darfur sparked by livestock thefts.

Darfur has been gripped by conflict since 2003, when ethnic minority rebels rose up against President Omar al-Bashir, complaining that his Arab-dominated government was marginalising the region.

Bashir launched a brutal counter-insurgency and at least 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict, the United Nations says. Another 2.5 million people have fled their homes.

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges related to Darfur, which he denies.

Since 2003, parts of Darfur have been further destabilised by conflicts between the region's myriad ethnic and tribal groups, as well as rising criminality.

The UN's independent expert on human rights in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, said after visiting Darfur late last month that security in the region remained "fluid and unpredictable".

However, Qatari deputy premier Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Mahmud, who is mediating between the warring parties, said the region was now stable.

"We visited Darfur so many times... Darfur is now stable," he told reporters in Khartoum on Monday.

The Sudanese government says an April 11-13 referendum which produced a majority for retaining five states in Darfur rather than the single region long demanded by the rebels turned the page on the conflict.
The Latest: School says prom dress code sent out months ago

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  The Latest on a Pennsylvania high school student who was barred from attending her prom because she wore a suit rather than a dress (all times local):

9:25 p.m.

A Pennsylvania school says parents were informed about its prom dress code months before a student was barred from attending because she wore a suit instead of a dress.

A statement Saturday from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg says the dress code was sent to parents three months ago specifying girls must wear formal dresses, and those who didn't would not be admitted.

Student Aniya Wolf tells WHTM-TV (http://bit.ly/1T5K6lV) her family got a last-minute email saying girls had to wear dresses. She says she's a lesbian who has worn a shirt and pants all three years she's attended the school.

Carolyn Wolf says she didn't think the dress code barred her daughter from wearing a suit, and the last-minute message was unfair.

Aniya was thrown out of Friday's prom.

___

4:45 p.m.

A Pennsylvania high school student says she was barred from attending her prom because she was wearing a suit rather than a dress.

Aniya Wolf tells WHTM-TV (http://bit.ly/1T5K6lV ) she's a lesbian who has worn a shirt and pants for all three years she has attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg.

Aniya and her mother say the family got a last-minute email saying girls had to wear dresses to attend the prom.

Mom Carolyn Wolf says she didn't think the dress code barred her daughter from wearing a suit and the last-minute message was unfair because they had bought a new suit.

Aniya says she decided to go to Friday's prom anyway but was thrown out.

Bishop McDevitt's principal hasn't returned a message left Saturday seeking comment.

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The Latest: Friend of shooting suspect saw no trouble signs

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP)  The Latest on the shooting spree in Maryland that left three people dead and a man in custody (all times local):

___

7:10 p.m.

Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in three fatal shootings in the Washington, D.C., area into custody in Bethesda, Md., Friday, May 6, 2016. Tordil is an employee of the Federal Protective Service, which provides security at federal properties. He was put on administrative duties in March after a protective order was issued against him. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A friend of a Maryland man charged with killing his estranged wife and two other people says he saw the couple as recently as three weeks ago and wasn't aware they had any marital troubles.

Gary Cochran of Sterling, Virginia, said in a phone interview Sunday evening that Eulalio Tordil of Adelphi was "always smiling and very polite." Cochran added that he was stunned that the federal police officer is accused of a two-day shooting spree in suburban Maryland parking lots.

Along with the three fatalities, three other people were wounded in the shootings.

"He was a very quiet person, very soft-spoken," Cochran said of Tordil, who attended high school with his wife. "We're shocked because we can't imagine this is the person we invited into our home."

Tordil is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday in Rockville, a suburb near the nation's capital. He faces charges including first-degree murder.

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2:43 a.m.

Police say they've seen no signs of remorse from a federal police officer accused of a two-day shooting spree in a string of suburban parking lots in Maryland that left three people dead and three wounded.

Sixty-two-year-old Eulalio Tordil (yoo-LALL'-ee-oh torr-DEEL') of Adelphi is scheduled to make an initial court appearance Monday in Rockville on charges including first-degree murder.

Police say the shootings began Thursday when Tordil fatally shot his estranged wife in a high-school parking lot. A bystander was wounded.

The shootings continued Friday at two different mall parking lots. At the first, one man was killed and his friend was wounded coming to the aid of a woman, who also was wounded. At the second, a woman was shot and killed in her car.

Police said Saturday the Friday shootings were likely botched carjackings.

Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in three fatal shootings in the Washington, D.C., area into custody in Bethesda, Md., Friday, May 6, 2016. Tordil is an employee of the Federal Protective Service, which provides security at federal properties. He was put on administrative duties in March after a protective order was issued against him. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in three fatal shootings in the Washington, D.C., area into custody in Bethesda, Md., Friday, May 6, 2016. Tordil is an employee of the Federal Protective Service, which provides security at federal properties. He was put on administrative duties in March after a protective order was issued against him. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Montgomery County, Md. Police Capt. Paul Starks speaks to the media in the parking lot outside the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md., Friday, May 6, 2016. A woman was killed and three people were wounded in two shootings within an hour Friday at a mall and a shopping center in the Washington suburbs, police said. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

This photo provided by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration shows Eulalio Tordil. A manhunt was under way May 6, 2016, after authorities said they were looking into whether three fatal shootings in the Washington area were connected. The first shooting occurred May 5 at a high school. The second occurred in a mall parking lot and the third happened minutes later at a nearby shopping center. Police have identified the school shooting suspect as Tordil, an employee of the Federal Protective Service, which provides security at federal properties. (Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration via AP)

Assistant Montgomery County, Md. Police Chief Darryl McSwain leaves after speaking to reporters under a tent during a heavy rain outside Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md., after a shooting Friday, May 6, 2016. Police say three people were hurt in the shooting. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

A Montgomery County, Md. Police officer marks evidence after a shooting outside the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md., Friday, May 6, 2016. Police in Maryland say three people were hurt after the shooting. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Montgomery County, Md. Police officers investigate the scene after a shooting outside the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Md., Friday, May 6, 2016. Police say three people were hurt in the shooting. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Sweden's Jesper Parnevik wins first PGA Tour Champions title

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP)  Jesper Parnevik won the Insperity Invitational for his first PGA Tour Champions title, shooting a 5-under 67 for a four-stroke victory Sunday.

The 51-year-old Swede won in his 23rd career start on the 50-and-over tour. The five-time PGA Tour winner finished at 12-under 204 at The Woodlands Country Club.

"It feels fantastic, actually," Parnevik said after his first victory since the PGA Tour's 2001 Honda Classic. "I'm still in shock, because when it's been this long, you don't even remember how it is."

He fought a series of injuries in his 40s.

"I thought I was never going to win again," Parnevik said. "I pretty much thought not play again, because a lot of times if I hit 15 balls, I could not get out of bed the next day, it was that bad. So I was not even contemplating winning."

John Daly tied for 17th at 2 under in his PGA Tour Champions debut. The two-time major champion closed with a 71 after opening with rounds of 70 and 73. He turned 50 on April 28.

"I hit a lot of fairways this week," Daly said. "The irons weren't all that great. I was really close to being good. But for not playing, I'm pretty pleased."

He will return to play the next tour event, the major Regions Tradition in Alabama in two weeks.

Local favorite Jeff Maggert, first-round leader Mike Goodes and South Africa's David Frost tied for second. Maggert, a Woodlands resident and former Texas A&M player, had a 71.

"Jesper played well," Maggert said. "I thought he struggled a little bit yesterday coming in down the stretch, but he -really hit the ball well all day. He never kind of let go. He putted well, too. ... It was a game of two putts today for me. I made a lot of two putts. Really, all week. The 10- and 15-footers just got me all week long. I just didn't make very many of those."

Parnevik made three birdies on the front nine, added two more on the par-4 11th and 12th, bogeyed the par-3 14th, rebounded with a birdie on the par-5 15th and closed with three pars. He opened with rounds of 69 and 68 for a share the second-round lead with Maggert.

All the injuries left the Swede motivated to play the senior tour.

"That was a blessing in disguise in a sense," Parnevik said. "I don't know if I would have been as keen or eager to play right now if I would have played those eight years full-time. ... I was really looking forward to playing on this tour because I've had so many injuries and I haven't played much. My form wasn't that great, but I was still looking forward to coming out here and compete, and I think that's the key that kept me practicing so much."

He earned a spot next year in the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Hawaii.

"My family, I think that's what they are the most happy about, is actually the Hawaii trip," Parnevik said. "They don't care if I win or lose or whatever. They don't even watch me play or whatever. Going to Hawaii is huge for them and it's just going to be a lot of fun."

Frost shot 69, and the 59-year-old Goodes had a double bogey on the par-3 16th in 70.

"I just hit a terrible shot at the wrong time," Goodes said. "I was trying to get, kind of knock down, squeeze the 5-iron in there and I just open face and hit it out to the right, and then hit a poor bunker shot and just a short putt. It added up to 5. I played really good, though."
The Latest: Hitler sculpture brings $17.2 million at auction

NEW YORK (AP)  The Latest on Christie's curated sale kicking off art auction week (all times local):

7 p.m.

A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has sold for a record $17.2 million at a sale kicking off the weeklong New York auctions of modern, post-war and contemporary art at Christie's and Sotheby's.

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, "Him" Maurizio Cattelan is on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. Christies starts off the auction week on Sunday, May 8, with a themed sale titled Bound to Fail, that features the controversial sculpture of a praying Hitler by Cattelan estimated between $10 million and $15 million. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Also selling at Christie's "Bound to Fail" themed auction Sunday night was Jeff Koons' "One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank." The ball suspended in a water tank has sold for $15.3 million, just over its $12 million estimate.

Both works came up for auction for the first time. There are 39 works in Christie's sale.

Cattelan's controversial sculpture "Him" appears as a small child kneeling in prayer when approached from the rear. But from the front, the unmistakable likeness of Hitler comes into view.

The previous auction record for a work by Cattelan was $7.9 million.

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11 a.m.

The highly anticipated art auction season arrives Sunday with a specially-curated sale that includes a sculpture of a kneeling Hitler by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and a ball suspended in a water tank by Jeff Koons.

Both works are coming to auction for the first time.

Christie's "Bound to Fail" themed sale kicks off the weeklong New York auctions of modern, post-war and contemporary art at Christie's and Sotheby's.

There are 39 works in Christie's sale.

Cattelan's controversial sculpture "Him" appears as a small child kneeling in prayer when approached from the rear. But from the front, the unmistakable likeness of Hitler comes into view. It's estimated to bring $10 million to $15 million.

"One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank" by Koons could sell for over $12 million.

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, a visitor walks past "Smooth Egg with Bow (Magenta/Violet)" by Jeff Koons on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Andre Derain's "Red Sails" is viewed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's, in New York. On Monday, May 9, 2016, Sothebys offers Derains painting for an estimated $15 million to $20 million, one of the two Fauve works. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, a visitor walks past "Lobster," right, by Jeff Koons, "And If You," center, by Christopher Wool, and "Urinal" by Robert Gober on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, a visitor takes a photo of "Him" by Maurizio Cattelan on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. Christies starts off the auction week on Sunday, May 8, with a themed sale titled Bound to Fail, that features the controversial sculpture of a praying Hitler by Cattelan estimated between $10 million and $15 million. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, employees inspect "One Ball Total Equilibrium Tank" by Jeff Koons, on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Monet's "Low Tide at Petite-Dalles" is displayed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are also among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Paul Signac's "The Port Houses, Saint-Tropez" is viewed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's, in New York. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Maurice de Vlaminck's "Underbrush" is displayed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's, in New York. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Andy Warhol's "Self-Portrait (Fright Wig)" is displayed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are also among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Rodin's "Eternal Springtime" is viewed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's, in New York. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are also among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Cy Twombly's "Untitled" from the Blackboard series is displayed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's, in New York. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are also among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, March 29, 2016 photo, Francis Bacon's "Two Studies for a Self-Portrait" is viewed during the spring auction preview at Sotheby's, in New York. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler and two Fauve period paintings are among the offerings at the impressionist, modern and contemporary art evening auctions at Sotheby's and Christie's in New York next week. Many of the works are fresh to the market, like a group of Alexander Calder sculptures at Christies and the Bacon diptych at Sothebys. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, an employee inspects "No. 17" by Mark Rothko, on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, "Two Nudes in the Forest (The Earth Itself)" by Frida Khalo is on display during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

In this Friday, April 29, 2016 photo, "Mandolin with Partition (The Banjo)," center, by Georges Braque is on display next to 'Young Woman with a Rose," right by Amedeo Modigliani, and "Seated Woman" by Pablo Picasso during the press preview of "Bound to Fail" at Christie's auction house in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
New prison for drug boss 'El Chapo' seen as less secure

MEXICO CITY (AP)  Questions arose on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate convicted drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to a region that is one of his cartel's strongholds, and a Mexican security official acknowledged Sunday that the sudden transfer was to a less-secure prison.

The official said that in general the Cefereso No. 9 prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he had been held. The official wasn't authorized to discuss Guzman's case publicly and agreed to do so only if not quoted by name.

The official said, however, that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

Mexican federal police guard a road leading to the Cefereso No. 9 federal prison in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Saturday, May 7, 2016. Convicted drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, who twice pulled off jailbreaks and is fighting to avoid extradition to the United States, was abruptly transferred to the prison in northern Mexico near the Texas border. The Interior Department said the move was due to work being done to reinforce security at the maximum-security Altiplano lockup near Mexico City where he was being kept. (AP Photo/Raymundo Ruiz)

But Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, wondered at the logic of sending Guzman to a lesser lockup in territory firmly controlled by his Sinaloa cartel underlings.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Vigil said. "He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape."

Officials have not said why they chose Cefereso No. 9 over the 19 other options in the federal penitentiary system for Guzman's surprise, pre-dawn transfer in a high-security operation Saturday.

Some Mexican media have speculated it was a prelude to imminent extradition to the U.S., where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions. But authorities denied that.

The security official said Guzman is still in the middle of the extradition process. The Foreign Relations Department has the final say, and Guzman's lawyers still have opportunities to appeal.

A lawyer for Guzman confirmed Saturday that his defense continues to fight the drug lord being sent to the U.S., and officials have said it could take up to a year to reach a final ruling.

Multiple analysts told The Associated Press that there was no sign of a link between the prison switch and extradition.

"In the past, when they're going to extradite people, they just put them on a plane and they just fly them into the United States," Vigil said. "They don't pre-position people. ... He was not pre-positioned in Juarez to get kicked across the border.

Altiplano is considered the country's highest-security prison, and many had thought it to be unescapable. That belief was shattered in July 2015 when Guzman fled the facility through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that accomplices dug to the shower in his cell, complete with a motorcycle modified to run on rails laid down in the passage.

Cefereso No. 9 is just off the Pan-American highway about 14 miles (23 kilometers) south of downtown Juarez, in the middle of the barren, scorching Chihuahuan Desert. Other than a university campus about 2 miles (3 kilometers) to the east, there is hardly anything else for miles in any direction.

Gov. Cesar Duarte of Chihuahua state, where Juarez is, bragged about the facility's ability to hold Guzman, saying at a news conference that the transfer posed no risk for his state and was a sign of its improvements on security matters.

"There will be no escape," Duarte told local media. "If he was brought here from Altiplano it's because the security conditions are way above those of Altiplano, that's what the federal government settled on."

Authorities said the move was due to security upgrades at Altiplano and also part of a routine policy to rotate inmates for security reasons. Analysts said officials may also have wanted to shake up his confinement to thwart any escape plans that could have been in the works.

Vigil said it would be a mistake to try to hold Guzman in the Juarez prison for long.

"If they keep him there for a prolonged period of time, the Mexican government certainly is risking that he escapes," Vigil said. "And if he escapes, it would just completely decimate the credibility of the Mexican government."

According to a 2015 report by the governmental National Human Rights Commission, Cefereso No. 9 got the lowest overall quality rating for any of Mexico's 21 federal prisons at 6.63 on a scale of 0 to 10. Altiplano was the 10th best, with a rating of 7.32.

Cefereso No. 9 got low marks for guaranteeing a "dignified" stay and for handling inmates with special requirements. It got middling scores for guaranteeing prisoners' safety and well-being, and for rehabilitation.

It was also listed as somewhat overcrowded, with 1,012 inmates living in a facility designed to hold 848. Authorities acknowledge overcrowding is a widespread problem throughout Mexico's penitentiary system.

Overall, Cefereso No. 9 got a "yellow" evaluation for 2015 on the report's stoplight-style rating system. That was improved from "red" in 2014, even if its numerical score was still the country's lowest.

"Governability" was the only area where the prison received a "green," or good, rating. Altiplano also got a "green" rating for the category.

"El Chapo" first broke out of prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the world's most-wanted fugitives. He was recaptured in 2014, only to escape the following year. Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.

Guzman was returned to Altiplano, where officials beefed up his security regimen. He was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 16-inch (40-centimeter) layer of concrete. Prison authorities also restricted his visits.

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Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi
Team New Zealand wins America's Cup World Series New York

NEW YORK (AP)  Emirates Team New Zealand rallied from last place after getting hooked on a starting buoy to claim the winner-take-all final race Sunday in the America's Cup World Series.

The Kiwis maintained their overall lead in the series of warmup regattas leading to the 2017 America's Cup in Bermuda.

This was the first America's Cup-related racing in New York in 96 years.

Emirates Team New Zealand sails past the Empire State Building, tallest at right, during an America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Team New Zealand was dead in the water at the start of Race 3 after the starting buoy's anchor line snagged the rudder, forcing crewman Blair Tuke to jump into the water to free the boat.

They rounded the last windward mark in fifth place, about 42 seconds behind leading SoftBank Team Japan. But the leading crews sailed into a patch of no wind. Since the leg was perpendicular to the southerly flowing current, some of the crews were being swept over the course boundary. Land Rover BAR, Groupama Team France and SoftBank Team Japan all were penalized for crossing the boundary in the current.

Team New Zealand held in the middle of the course and when the wind filled in the Kiwis took off on their hydrofoils at 16 to 20 knots, leaving the rest of the fleet in their wake.

"It was one of those series where everyone had good luck and bad luck, but we got our good luck at the end of the regatta," Team New Zealand skipper Glenn Ashby said. It was exciting and crazy at the same time. Today it was important to keep your cool and stay focused."

Following the Kiwis in the New York standings were two-time defending America's Cup champion Oracle Team USA, Groupama Team France, SoftBank Team Japan, Land Rover BAR and Artemis Racing.

Emirates Team New Zealand tops the overall standings, followed by Oracle, Land Rover BAR, SoftBank Team Japan, Artemis Racing and Groupama Team France.

The crew of Emirates Team New Zealand, left, celebrates as they finish in front of Oracle Team USA during Race 3 of the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Artemis Racing of Sweden, left, sails past Groupama Team France during Race 1 at the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

SoftBank Team Japan sails during Race 1 at the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A crew member of Groupama Team France climbs the mast before the start of races at an America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Emirates Team New Zealand crew members pose for a picture after winning the N.Y. race of the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Oracle Team USA sails to the start of Race 1 during an America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sailboats pass One World Trade Center, tallest, during Race 3 of the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sailboats line up for the start of Race 2 at the America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Emirates Team New Zealand returns to the harbor during an America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sailboats race in front of the downtown New York City skyline during an America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Sailboats race in front of the downtown New York City skyline during an America's Cup World Series sailing event in New York, Sunday, May 8, 2016. Emirates Team New Zealand won the N.Y. event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The Latest: Duterte leads unofficial Philippine vote count

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The latest on the presidential election in the Philippines, where Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of the southern city of Davao, led pre-election polls, promising to wipe out crime and corruption if he wins (all times local):

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2 a.m.

Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe reacts after casting her vote at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to election centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Nearly complete unofficial vote counting shows tough-talking Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has won the presidential election in the Philippines, defeating his four main rivals by a large margin.

Election officials estimated a turnout of 41 million out of 55 million eligible voters in Monday's election. With 37 million votes counted by early Tuesday, Duterte had secured 14.4 million votes.

His nearest rival, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, had 8.6 million votes. About 4 million votes were yet to be counted. Even if Roxas were to win all of those votes, he would not beat Duterte.

A third rival, Sen. Grace Poe, had 8.1 million votes, and has already conceded defeat.

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12:30 a.m. Tuesday

Presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe has conceded defeat after trailing in the unofficial, partial vote count in Monday's Philippine elections.

Poe was in third place behind front-runnner Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of southern Davao city, and Mar Roxas, a former interior secretary.

"I respect the result of our elections," Poe told reporters in Manila.

In unofficial results from 79 percent of voting precincts, Duterte had 14.0 million votes, Roxas had 8.4 million and Poe had 7.9 million.

William Yu, director at the quick count center in Manila, said that considering Duterte's lead, the race for the presidency was "a forgone conclusion."

Duterte built a political name with an iron-fisted approach to fighting crime as mayor. His pledge to wipe out crime and corruption nationwide within six months has resonated among crime-weary Filipinos but alarmed others, including human rights groups.

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11 p.m.

Davao city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has a strong lead in an unofficial count of votes for the Philippine presidential elections while a son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was leading in the vice presidential race.

After he voted Monday, Duterte reached out to his opponents following a bruising campaign marked by tough, and sometimes foul, language from the mayor.

"I would like to reach, extend my hands to my opponents and ... let us be friends," Duterte said in a news conference. "Let us begin the process of healing."

The unofficial tally of partial results showed Duterte with 12.2 million votes and his closest competitor, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, with 7.0 million.

In the separate vice presidential race, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had 11.1 million votes and Rep. Leni Robredo had 10.4 million.

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6:10 p.m.

Philippine officials say voting for president, vice president and thousands of other posts has ended, although some areas were given a one-hour extension due to delays.

As the voting closed Monday, results started to be transmitted electronically to a quick-count center in Manila.

Officials say a presumptive winner for president is not expected to be known until at least 24 hours after the polls closed.

The front-runner in the presidential race is Rodrigo Duterte  a brash mayor known for his sex jokes, pledges to kill criminals and a promise to end crime and corruption within six months.

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5:15 p.m.

Philippine Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista has announced that voting in precincts that opened three or more hours later than scheduled because of technical or other problems will be extended by an hour, closing at 6 p.m. local time.

Voting at most of the 92,509 precincts nationwide opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 5 p.m. It wasn't immediately clear how many precincts would be kept open later.

"There are precincts that failed to start on time, this is why the commission en banc has decided that if one started voting by 9 a.m. and up, it will now end at 6 p.m.," Bautista told reporters.

At least 150 vote counting machines have been ordered replaced after the original units malfunctioned, commission officials said.

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3:40 p.m.

A throng of journalists and supporters crowded around front-runner Rodrigo Duterte as he entered a school to vote in the southern city of Davao, where he is mayor.

Asked how he felt about the crowd and the intense focus on him, Duterte, who is also the city's mayor, said he was not surprised. "I am a candidate for the presidency and almost all of them are my constituents. It's very natural for them to gravitate toward me."

Duterte, wearing a red-and-white plaid short-sleeved shirt, said he was asleep when asked if he had heard news reports on complaints about malfunctioning vote machines.

Inside the room, he raised a clenched fist  his election symbol  at the huge crowd outside trying to get a glimpse of him through the door and a grilled window.

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3:30 p.m.

Financial market analysts are predicting that if the brash Rodrigo Duterte wins the presidency, the Philippine peso will likely continue to weaken given his uncertain economic platform.

The jitters have affected the Philippine stock market, which fell Friday  the last day of trading before Monday's election holiday  for the 10th time in 11 days. The mayor of Davao city led pre-election polls.

A surprise upset by Grace Poe or Mar Roxas, whom investors view as having more responsible economic policies, could trigger a rebound in the peso, said Chang Wei Liang of the Singapore Treasury Division of Mizuho Bank Ltd.

The peso closed Friday at 47.09 against the dollar, 20 centavos weaker than its closing rate a week earlier.

"The market is obviously emotional and the stronger emotion is usually fear rather than hope," said Jose Vistan, research head at AB Capital Securities Inc. "A big chunk of the reason why we're behaving the way we are is obviously because of the elections."

Former Finance Secretary Ramon del Rosario, chairman of the prestigious Makati Business Club, said Duterte's statements during the campaign, including his threats to abolish Congress if it doesn't cooperate with him, convey a "distinct lack of respect of respect for the rule of law."

That in turn will undermine investor confidence and the wider economy because "without investments, there will be no jobs," he said.

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2:30 p.m.

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, who is running for a Senate seat, has cast his vote in his home turf of southern Sarangani province. Voter preference surveys put him near the top of the senatorial candidates, recovering from an earlier drop in his ratings due to his remarks about same-sex marriage.

The Bible-quoting Pacquiao said in February that people in same-sex relations are "worse than animals." He apologized to people hurt by his comments but made clear he opposed same-sex marriage.

He is the Philippines' most famous athlete and among the wealthiest sports celebrities in the world. He has represented Sarangani province in the House of Representatives since May 2010.

The 37-year-old called on Filipinos to unite and accept the election results.

"Whoever wins, then respect it because that's the people's choice," he told local network TV5. "It's impossible for a nation to effect change if it is not united."

Pacquiao is running under the ticket of Vice President Jejomar Binay but he has also been endorsed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, the front-runner in the presidential race.

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1:30 pm

Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son of the late Philippine dictator, has voted in his father's northern home province of Ilocos.

Marcos Jr. is running for vice president, and topped opinion polls for the No. 2 position, raising the possibility of a Marcos family member assuming a job that is one step away from the presidency. His father was ousted in the 1986 "people power" revolt.

Vice presidents are separately elected in the Philippines.

His mother, Imelda, is running unopposed for re-election as congresswoman, and his sister is eyeing another term as Ilocos governor.

President Benigno Aquino III has campaigned against Marcos, citing his refusal to apologize for the economic plunder and widespread human rights violations that happened under the dictator.

Aquino's father, a former senator who opposed Marcos, was assassinated at the Manila airport while being escorted by the military as he returned from U.S. exile, sparking protests that culminated in the 1986 revolt.

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11:30 a.m.

Detained former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is running for re-election as a member of the House of Representatives, voted in her northern home province of Pampanga after a court allowed her to temporarily leave hospital detention.

Wearing a neck brace and guarded by police, Arroyo waved at other voters as she walked into a voting center in Pampanga's Lubao town, accompanied by her husband.

The 69-year-old Arroyo, who is suffering from a neck ailment, finished her tumultuous nine-year term in 2010. Since then, she has been separately charged with vote fraud and in another corruption case and was eventually detained.

She has accused her successor, Benigno Aquino III, of pursuing a political vendetta. Aquino was elected with a landslide margin on a promise to rid the Philippines of corruption and vowed to prosecute Arroyo and her inner circle, blaming them for stealing money for personal gain and for a culture of impunity in which corrupt practices flourished. Arroyo has denied any wrongdoing.

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11 a.m.

Three of five presidential candidates  former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago  cast their vote early, lining up with common folk and shaking hands of well-wishers.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has led in pre-poll surveys and led a huge final rally in Manila that police estimated drew a crowd of 300,000, was expected to vote in his southern port city of Davao on Monday afternoon.

Another candidate who has fared strongly in the voter-preference polls, Sen. Grace Poe, plans to drop by the tomb of her adoptive father, action movie star Fernando Poe, before voting in the capital.

Poe was abandoned as a newborn in a church then adopted by Poe and his wife, who is also a movie star. Although a political neophyte, she used her celebrity name as an effective springboard into Philippine politics.

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8 a.m.

Gunmen have shot to death seven men and wounded another in Rosario town in Cavite province near Manila a few hours before voting centers opened in the Philippine presidential election.

Police are investigating if the pre-dawn attack Monday is related to the elections.

Police say the victims, mostly Muslim street vendors, were forced to alight from their van on a main road by the gunmen, who then opened fire with assault rifles. Another companion of the victims was wounded and brought to a hospital, Rosario police chief Rommel Javier said by telephone.

If the brazen killings were related to the polls, they would be an addition to 15 deaths already attributed by the police to elections violence.

Such violence, including allegations of cheating, and attacks on voting centers and political headquarters of candidates, have marred elections in the past, especially among rival local politicians in the provinces.

Front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte clenches his fist prior to voting in a polling precinct at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School at Matina district, his hometown in Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Duterte was the last to vote among five presidential hopefuls. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte votes in a polling precinct at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School at Matina district, his hometown in Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Duterte was the last to vote among five presidential hopefuls. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Filipinos queue up to vote for the country's presidential elections at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of voters are expected to troop to polling precincts all over the country to elect the successor of President Benigno Aquino III. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A Filipino man places the receipt of his vote in the box at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to election centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

In this photo provided by the Mar Roxas Media Bureau, Presidential candidate Mar Roxas shows the indelible ink on his finger after voting at a polling center in Capiz province, central Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to election centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (Mar Roxas Media Bureau via AP)

Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe displays her ballot as she votes at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to election centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A Filipino woman checks her vote at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to elections centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte votes in a polling precinct at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School at Matina district, his hometown in Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Duterte was the last to vote among five presidential hopefuls. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Supporters raise the hands of Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe after she voted at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to election centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Boys distribute election leaflets outside a polling precinct at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A Filipino Muslim woman shows the indelible ink on her finger after voting at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos went to election centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Boys watch as Filipinos queue up to vote for the country's presidential elections at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Filipinos start voting at a polling center in suburban San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos trooped to elections centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Filipino 80-year-old Dioleta Esteban shows the indelible ink on her finger after casting her vote at a polling center in suburban San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos trooped to elections centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A Filipino voter walks past election posters outside a polling precinct at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Filipinos queue up to vote for the country's presidential elections at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Voters check their names from the voters' list outside a polling precinct prior to voting in the country's presidential elections at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

A Filipino mother, foreground, adjusts the hood of her baby as she lines up to vote for the country's presidential elections at the front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's hometown of Davao city in southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Facts and figures on the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP)  The Philippines is holding general elections Monday to elect a president and vice president and other congressional representatives nationwide. Here are some facts and figures about the country:

GEOGRAPHY: An archipelago of 7,107 islands flanked by the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea, and often an entryway for Pacific storms blowing into Asia. The nation has a tropical climate.

PEOPLE: Population of more than 100 million, mostly descendants of settlers from Southeast Asia and Indonesia, with a large Chinese minority.

Philippine presidential candidate Grace Poe, center, votes at a polling center in San Juan, east of Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos trooped to elections centers Monday to pick a new president, vice president and thousands of other officials amid tight security across the country. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

RELIGION: About 80 percent are Roman Catholic, most others are Protestant and about 5 percent are Muslim.

LANGUAGE: Filipino, a Malay language based on Tagalog, is the predominant language. English, the second official language, is widely used in business and government.

HISTORY: Ferdinand Magellan claimed the islands for Spain in 1521 and was killed near Cebu. The Philippines remained a Spanish colony until the U.S. Navy defeated Spain's fleet at Manila Bay in 1898. The Americans crushed Filipino rebels in a six-year war. Japan occupied the country in World War II until U.S. troops returned in 1944. Independence was granted in 1946. Late dictator Ferdinand Marcos dismantled democracy in 1972, retaining many authoritarian powers until he was ousted in 1986. There are pockets of unrest, including long-running rebellions by Muslim separatist in the south and communist guerrillas in the provinces.

ELECTIONS: About 55 million people are registered to vote. Nearly 45,000 candidates are vying for 18,000 national and local posts, including five who are contesting the presidency. Six candidates are running for vice president, a position which is separately voted for. Fifty aspirants are running for 12 of 24 Senate seats while more than 600 are eyeing 235 seats in the House of Representatives. Other openings range from provincial governors to town councilors.

ISSUES: Outgoing President Benigno Aquino III regards the elections as a referendum on his "straight path" style of governance that's characterized by his efforts to fight corruption and poverty. That may be gleaned in how former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who is backed by Aquino, will fare. Aquino has also campaigned against Rodrigo Duterte, who he regards as a threat to democracy because of remarks that he may close down Congress and form a revolutionary government if lawmakers stall his programs.

Presidential candidate and Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay, right, checks on the vote receipt that comes out from the vote counting machine inside a polling center at the San Antonio National High School in Makati, Philippines Monday May 9, 2016. Millions of Filipinos began voting Monday in a presidential race where a foul-mouthed, crime-busting mayor is favored to win, but who the outgoing president says is a threat to democracy.(AP PHoto/Lino Escandor II)
Mass rally in North Korea after congress bolsters leader

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP)  Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans celebrated the country's newly completed ruling-party congress Tuesday with a massive civilian parade featuring floats bearing patriotic slogans and marchers with flags and pompoms.

Leader Kim Jong Un presided over the parade and waved to the crowd. The four-day congress completed Monday was the authoritarian country's first since 1980, before Kim was even born. The rubberstamp body of more than 3,400 delegates endorsed his nuclear and economic policies, promoted his favored officials and gave him a new title of party chairman.

By calling a congress  something his father, Kim Jong Il, never did  Kim demonstrated what may be a leadership style more like that of his charismatic grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung. Kim Il Sung worked through party organs more than Kim Jong Il, who preferred using his own network of trusted individuals to get things done.

In this image made from video by North Korean broadcaster KRT, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, waves as people parade to celebrate the first congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in 36 years, in Pyongyang, North Korea Tuesay, May 10, 2016. North Korea's ruling-party congress wrapped up its official agenda on Monday by announcing a new title for Kim - party chairman. (KRT via AP Video) NORTH KOREA OUT

The congress touted Kim's successes on the nuclear front and promised economic improvements to boost the nation's standard of living, despite the increasing weight of international sanctions over the North's development of nuclear weapons.

Mostly, however, the congress put Kim front and center in the eyes of the people and the party as the country's sole leader.

His new title of chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea was announced during the roughly 10 minutes that a small group of foreign media, including The Associated Press, was allowed to watch the congress Monday in the ornate April 25 House of Culture. It was the only time any of the more than 100 foreign journalists invited were allowed to view the proceedings.

As a military band in full uniform played the welcoming song used whenever North Korea's leader enters a public place, Kim confidently strode onto the stage, generating a long, loud standing ovation from the several thousand delegates attending.

In unison the delegates shouted, "Mansae! Mansae!" wishing Kim long life.

He and other senior party members took their seats, filling several rows on a stage, below portraits of Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il, the walls decked with banners of red with the ruling party's hammer sickle and pen logo embossed in gold.

Kim Yong Nam, the head of North Korea's parliament, stood to read a roster of top party positions  calling Kim Jong Un chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea for the first time.

Kim had already been head of the party, but with the title of first secretary.

His predecessors keep their posthumous titles. Kim Jong Il remains "eternal general secretary" and Kim Il Sung is still "eternal president."

Officially bringing more people into his inner circle, Kim filled two vacancies on the powerful Presidium of the party's central committee. Senior party official Choe Ryong Hae regained a seat that he had lost; once considered Kim Jong Un's No. 2, he is believed to have been briefly banished to a rural collective farm last year for re-education.

Premier Pak Pong Ju was also named to the Presidium. Other members are Kim Jong Un himself; Kim Yong Nam, who as parliament leader is the country's nominal head of state; and Hwang Pyong So, the top political officer of the Korean People's Army. Kim Yong Nam, 88, stayed on despite speculation from North Korea-watchers that he might lose his position because of his age.

Only about 30 of the more than 100 invited journalists were allowed into the congress Monday. Before that, the only window any of them had on the proceedings was through the lens of state media. North Korean officials kept foreign media busy with largely with trips around Pyongyang to show them places the government wanted them to see.

North Korea on Monday expelled BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, who was not among the journalists covering the congress. He had covered an earlier trip of Nobel laureates and had been scheduled to leave Friday. Instead, he was stopped at the airport, detained and questioned.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the North's National Peace Committee, said the journalist's news coverage distorted facts and "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country." He said Wingfield-Hayes wrote an apology, was expelled Monday and would never be admitted into the country again.

Wingfield-Hayes, producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were detained Friday and left Monday on a flight to Beijing.

"We are very disappointed that our reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been deported from North Korea after the government took offence at material he had filed," the BBC said in a statement. "Four BBC staff, who were invited to cover the Workers Party Congress, remain in North Korea and we expect them to be allowed to continue their reporting." The BBC was among the media organizations allowed into the congress Monday.

In this image made from video by North Korean broadcaster KRT, North Koreans parade to celebrate the first congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in 36 years, in Pyongyang, North Korea Tuesay, May 10, 2016. North Korea's ruling-party congress wrapped up its official agenda on Monday by announcing a new title for Kim Jong Un - party chairman. (KRT via AP Video) NORTH KOREA OUT

Party representatives sit in the hall of the April 25 House of Culture during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the convention hall where the congress was taking place. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Party representatives sit in the hall of the April 25 House of Culture during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea's ruling-party congress on Monday announced a new title for Kim Jong Un, party chairman, in a move that highlights how the authoritarian country's first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un listens during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the convention hall where the congress was taking place. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

BBC's journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, center, walks past journalists as he arrives at the airport in Beijing, China, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea on Monday expelled the BBC correspondent, who had not among journalists covering the congress. He had covered an earlier trip of Nobel laureates and had been scheduled to leave Friday. Instead, he was stopped at the airport, detained and questioned. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

BBC's journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes arrives at the airport in Beijing, China, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea on Monday expelled the BBC journalist it had detained days earlier for allegedly "insulting the dignity" of the authoritarian country, while it continued to keep other foreign media away from the first-in-decades ruling party congress they had been invited to attend. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un listens during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the convention hall where the congress was taking place. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Party representatives applaud during a speech the party congress held in the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the convention hall where the congress was taking place. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un listens during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the convention hall where the congress was taking place. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, applauds upon his arrival for the party congress as party representatives applaud in the foreground in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea's ruling-party congress on Monday announced a new title for Kim, party chairman, in a move that highlights how the authoritarian country's first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applauds as he arrives at the start of the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Korea's ruling-party congress on Monday announced a new title for Kim, party chairman, in a move that highlights how the authoritarian country's first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

The interior of the convention hall where the party congress takes place is seen on Monday, May 9, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the convention hall where the congress was taking place. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

The portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il hang inside the convention hall of the April 25 House of Culture where the party congress is held in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Koreas ruling-party congress on Monday announced a new title for Kim Jong Un, center, party chairman, in a move that highlights how the authoritarian countrys first congress in 36 years is aimed at bolstering the young leader. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

In this May 7, 2016, photo taken and distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean delegates attend the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this photo, distributed via the Korean Central News Agency and the Korea News Service. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

In this May 8, 2016, photo taken and distributed by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this photo, distributed via the Korean Central News Agency and the Korea News Service. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) JAPAN OUT UNTIL 14 DAYS AFTER THE DAY OF TRANSMISSION

FILE - In this May 6, 2016, file photo, foreign journalists work from across the April 25 House of Culture, the venue for the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure the 7th Congress of its ruling party gets global attention, but has only allowed the trusted state-run media inside. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
Bruising battle ahead in vote that will shape US world role

WASHINGTON (AP)  With six months to go, the U.S. election campaign has boiled down to an unprecedented contest that could transform America's role in the world. Democrat Hillary Clinton, a fixture on the political stage for a quarter-century, is set to face Donald Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul who has never held elected office.

The story so far has been one few could have predicted, in which a TV reality star reviled by the Republican Party establishment now has a clear shot at the presidency against the Democratic heir apparent. It promises to be a bitter and unpredictable contest between candidates with starkly different visions for America and its international relations. The future of U.S. immigration laws, military posture and trade policy are at stake.

Here's a look at key questions about the campaign and how the Nov. 8 vote could affect the world:

FILE - In this April 26, 2016, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at her presidential primary election night rally in Philadelphia. With six months to go, the U.S. election campaign has boiled down to an unprecedented contest that could transform America's role in the world. Democrat Hillary Clinton, a fixture on the political stage for a quarter century, is set to face Donald Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul who has never held elected office. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

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How did Trump become presumptive Republican nominee?

Few gave Trump a chance of success when he declared his candidacy last June. Rivals for the Republican nomination underestimated his appeal and spared him attacks. Yet as Trump's over-the-top persona and outrageous commentary attracted blanket media coverage, he quickly emerged as the front-runner. He was the most entertaining of the 17 candidates, and appealed to Republican voters disaffected by Washington politics. He tapped into popular anger, particularly among working-class white Americans roused by his blunt talk on stagnant wages, illegal immigration and terrorism. His appeal has not been dented by his disparaging remarks about women, or by international condemnation of his proposals for a wall along the Mexico border and a ban on foreign-born Muslims from entering the U.S.

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Is Clinton destined to win the presidency?

This is Clinton's second presidential bid after losing the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in 2008. If she secures the nomination, which seems near-certain, she would enjoy significant advantages over Trump. An Associated Press-GfK poll last month showed that while 55 percent of Americans said they had a negative opinion of Clinton, 69 percent said the same of Trump. The Republican's populist message may appeal to some blue-collar workers, including some Democrats, but he has offended many and polls badly among female voters and Hispanics.

Clinton has her own problems. The anti-establishment sentiment that has fueled Trump's rise goes beyond Republicans. Long seen as a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination, she has struggled to shake off a challenge from veteran lawmaker Bernie Sanders, who has had surprising success for a socialist candidate in the U.S. He has attacked Clinton's ties to Wall Street and previous support for free trade deals, winning a passionate following, especially among young voters. A controversy over Clinton's use of a private email server when she ran the State Department has added to perceptions that she is untrustworthy.

The electoral math favors Clinton. U.S. presidential elections are decided not by the popular vote, but by a state-by-state count of electoral votes. Most of the 50 states are predictably Democratic or Republican, so the race can turn on the results in a dozen or so "swing states," that are less predictable. Democrats had the advantage in those states in the past two elections. Trump maintains his candidacy can shake up the political map, although he lacks solid backing of his own party for fundraising and getting out the vote. Still, few thought he could win the nomination, so it shouldn't be assumed he can't win the presidency.

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How do Trump and Clinton differ on foreign policy?

Clinton served as Obama's first secretary of state. She was an architect of administration's strategic push in Asia, and instrumental in bringing Iran to the negotiating table to rein in its nuclear program. The world powers that most challenge U.S. global pre-eminence, China and Russia, have become more assertive during Obama's second term, and chaos in the Mideast has intensified. Clinton is seen as more hawkish than Obama, but is unlikely to deviate significantly from current U.S. foreign policy. One area where she publicly differs with Obama is on trade . Candidate Clinton has opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact that she promoted when she was top diplomat.

As with domestic policy, Trump is a wild card. Presidential candidates routinely talk tougher on the campaign trail than in office  and Trump is notoriously flip in his remarks  but his proposals could cause ructions. He has threatened punitive taxes on Chinese imports which could set off a trade war between the world's two biggest economies. He says TPP is a "disaster." More controversially, he has questioned long-standing U.S. alliances in Asia and Europe. He says Japan and South Korea don't pay enough for U.S. military protection and has suggested they could get nuclear weapons so they rely less on America for defense. He's also said that the NATO alliance is obsolete and he'd have no problem if it broke up.

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Will a Clinton-Trump contest be as angry and confrontational as the Republican primary campaign has been?

Trump's rhetoric and tough positions on hot-button issues have had shock value, and fueled confrontation at his rallies. But the most indelible mark he's made on the campaign has been his put-downs of political rivals. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush, was tagged as "low-energy." The arch-conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was labeled as "lyin'''. The trash-talk has often been outlandish. Last week, Trump floated an unsubstantiated claim that Cruz's father appeared in a 1963 photograph with John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald - citing a report first published by the freewheeling tabloid the National Enquirer.

Trump has already taken at aim Clinton. He branded her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as a sexual predator, and labeled Hillary Clinton "disgusting" for returning late from the restroom during a commercial break of a Democratic debate. He's repeatedly charged that she lacks "stamina"  although she traveled nearly 1 million miles while secretary of state. Most provocatively, he contends that she's relying on "the woman's card" for her presidential bid.

There's little reason to expect that Trump will ease up on the insults. How the more cautious Clinton responds is unclear. She's likely to drill down over Trump's suitability for office. She has called him a "loose cannon" and a "blustering, bullying guy." She has also said his anti-Muslim statements make him the "best recruiter" for the Islamic State group.

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What happens next in the election campaign?

Both parties formalize their presidential nominations at conventions in the second half of July. The last of Trump's rivals bowed out last week, leaving no contest, but the Republican convention will be closely watched to see whether party leaders will swallow their pride and rally behind him. Clinton has yet to see off the challenge from Sanders, but she's virtually assured of securing the majority of Democratic Party delegates who determine the nomination. She'll have to win over Sanders' supporters but faces a far easier task than Trump in unifying her party. Each candidate must also choose a vice presidential running mate before the conventions.

FILE - In this May 3, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in New York. With six months to go, the U.S. election campaign has boiled down to an unprecedented contest that could transform America's role in the world. Democrat Hillary Clinton, a fixture on the political stage for a quarter century, is set to face Donald Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul who has never held elected office. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

FILE - In this April 19, 2016, photo, supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrate at her New York primary campaign headquarters. With six months to go, the U.S. election campaign has boiled down to an unprecedented contest that could transform America's role in the world. Democrat Hillary Clinton, a fixture on the political stage for a quarter century, is set to face Donald Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul who has never held elected office. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Reporters in N. Korea for congress get wire factory instead

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP)  They came for North Korea's biggest political event in decades. What they have been getting mostly is a lot of sightseeing  except for three who got kicked out.

North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. But four days into the event, which is being held in an ornate hall called the April 25 House of Culture, it has allowed only a small number briefly inside and  other than official state media reports  very little information is being made available on what is actually going on.

While the important decisions and newsworthy declarations were being made by leader Kim Jong Un and the more than 3,400 delegates at the meeting  representing the country's political elite  officials have kept the foreign media busy with trips around the showcase capital to exhibit the places it most wants them to see  a maternity hospital with seemingly state-of-the-art equipment, a wire-making factory where managers say salaries and production are both going up, the humble birthplace of national founder Kim Il Sung, which has been converted into a sort of museum-park with a large "funfair" right next door.

FILE - In this May 7, 2016, file photo, foreign journalists watch a broadcast of the second day of the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea on local television in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure the 7th Congress of its ruling party gets global attention, but has only allowed the trusted state-run media inside. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

On Monday, it expelled BBC journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his crew for "insulting the dignity" of the country. O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the North's National Peace Committee, said their news coverage distorted facts and "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country." He said Wingfield-Hayes wrote an apology and would never be admitted into the country again.

Wingfield-Hayes was not among the media covering the congress; he and his team had covered an earlier trip of Nobel laureates and had been scheduled to leave Friday. Instead, he was stopped at the airport, detained and questioned. The BBC said Wingfield-Hayes' producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were also detained. They were taken back to the airport on Monday and expelled.

For anyone familiar with North Korea, this all comes as no surprise. Information and access are precious commodities here. And keeping them under tight control is one of North Korea's greatest skills.

Instead of covering votes and speeches, reporters have been taken on the subway and given a ride on the newest train, which North Korean officials claim to have developed themselves. They've been shown a farm, and have been taken around an apartment in a new complex of high-rises, government offices and shops on Scientists' Street.

On Monday, the media buses headed off to a silk factory.

It makes for some pretty pictures, some interesting glimpses of daily life  through the bus window. But for a media hungry for real news and insight, it has also produced a lot of grumbling and incredulity.

The selected sites clearly, and by design, shed little light on what life in the capital, or the country, is for the average North Korean.

That is better seen on the side streets, or the coffee shops, or car repair garages. In these places, as long as the topic isn't about politics, the North Koreans show a much different face, the more familiar one of a people whose main cares are about their daily lives, their families, the futures.

Compare that with the typically carefully worded comments one tends to get in even the simplest man-in-the-street interview, this one from a retired physician. Pak Su Won was having a few drinks at a beer hall that is normally reserved for locals, but which allowed The Associated Press in while other foreign journalists wrapped up their Scientists' Street tour.

"Thanks to the care of the party and our leader I am able to come here twice a week to enjoy myself and meet with my friends," the 66-year-old said. "We live happy lives as long as we have our leader and party."

With that said, he then reverted to being a typical grandfather, laughing and joking about his grandchildren.

At one point, the visiting journalists were told on very short notice to dress nicely, then were bused to a conference hall where rows of black limousines used by top party officials were parked. After waiting impatiently to be allowed in, they were told simply and without explanation: "The program has changed. Go back and have lunch."

But on Monday, less than a third of the 100 foreign journalists were allowed to enter the House of Culture for about 10 minutes, during which the congress announced a new title for leader Kim Jong Un  party chairman  underscoring how the meetings are aimed at bolstering the young leader.

The others were forced to rely on the televisions in the hotel media room.

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Eric Talmadge has been the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief since 2013 and travels to North Korea regularly. Follow him on Instagram at erictalmadge.

FILE - In this May 6, 2016, file photo, foreign journalists work from across the April 25 House of Culture, the venue for the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure the 7th Congress of its ruling party gets global attention, but has only allowed the trusted state-run media inside. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

FILE - In this May 6, 2016, file photo, foreign journalists photograph the April 25 House of Culture, the venue for the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure the 7th Congress of its ruling party gets global attention, but has only allowed the trusted state-run media inside. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

FILE - In this May 8, 2016, file photo, foreign journalists get on buses in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure the 7th Congress of its ruling party gets global attention, but has only allowed the trusted state-run media inside. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)
The state of North Carolina filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Justice Department on Monday, claiming that its new bathroom bill is not discriminatory.

In the complaint, North Carolina Gov Pat McCrory accused the federal government of 'baseless and blatant overreach' in warning the state last week that its new bathroom law violates civil rights.

'This is an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long-established federal civil rights laws,' the lawsuit reads.

McCrory shows no signs of backing down in the face of the federal government's Monday deadline to declare he won't enforce the new state law limiting protections for LGBT people - defiance that could risk funding for the state's university system and lead to a protracted legal battle.

In this May 4, 2016, file photo, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory makes remarks concerning House Bill 2, which limits protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, while speaking during a government affairs conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. McCrory shows no signs of backing down in the face of the federal government's Monday, May 9, deadline to declare he won't enforce the new state law

McCrory and other state officials have been under pressure since the U.S. Justice Department warned last week that the law passed in March violates civil rights protections against sex discrimination on the job and in education for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

In letters, federal civil rights enforcement attorneys focused particularly on provisions requiring transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond to their biological sex. A federal lawsuit against the state is possible, the Justice Department said.

'It's the federal government being a bully. It's making law,' McCrory said on 'Fox News Sunday.' The Justice Department is 'trying to define gender identity, and there is no clear identification or definition of gender identity.' Still, McCrory wouldn't disclose how the state would respond in writing.

'I'm looking at all my options,' he said.

McCrory has called the law a common-sense measure. He said it's designed to protect the privacy of people who use bathrooms and locker rooms and to expect all people inside the facilities to be of the same gender. McCrory said Sunday he was not aware of any North Carolina cases of transgender people using their gender identity to access a restroom and molest someone. Other supporters of the law cite reports elsewhere of men entering women's bathrooms  thanks to policies allowing transgender people to enter the restrooms aligned with their gender identity  to highlight the threat of sexual assault.

While McCrory agreed that the Justice Department could warn of consequences if North Carolina established separate bathrooms for white and black people, the governor said the agency goes too far in contending that transgender people enjoy similar civil rights protections.

'We can definitely define the race of people. It's very hard to define transgender or gender identity,' McCrory said. He added that he had made a request for more time to respond to the Justice Department but that was denied.

The governor has become the public face of the law called House Bill 2, which has been the subject of fierce criticism by gay rights groups, corporate executives and entertainers demanding that the law be repealed. North Carolina has already paid a price for the law, with some business scaling back investments in the state and associations cancelling conventions.

The 17-campus UNC system risks losing more than $1.4 billion in federal funds if they don't comply. Another $800 million in federally backed loans for students who attend the public universities also would be at risk if it's found that enforcing the law violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on sex. The letter to McCrory said the law also violates Title VII, which bars employment discrimination.

Repealing the law also would satisfy the attorneys, but GOP lawmakers who run the General Assembly had no plans before to do so Monday.

Senate leader Phil Berger of Eden said last week that he's frustrated because 'we have a federal administration that is so determined to push a radical social agenda that they would threaten' federal funding. 'I just think the people should be frustrated and people should be angry.'

UNC President Margaret Spellings has said that while the university system is obligated to follow the law, it did not endorse the law. Spellings said later she hoped legislators would change the law, which could discourage promising faculty and students from coming to system campuses. McCrory said the system's governing board wouldn't get together until Tuesday to discuss the issue.
The passage of time has trickled ever so slowly for trainer Michael Matz since Barbaro's final gallop at the Preakness.

A decade ago, Matz saddled the frisky Kentucky Derby winner with designs of pulling off an encore at Pimlico Race Course. Soon after emerging from the starting gate, Barbaro stumbled and broke his right hind leg.

Despite the efforts of an esteemed veterinarian, the unrestricted financial backing of the horse's owners and the outpouring of love from racing fans around the world, the injuries Barbaro suffered at the Preakness ultimately led to his death.

A decade ago, trainer Michael Matz saddled the frisky Kentucky Derby winner with designs off pulling off an encore at Pimlico Race Course. Soon after emerging from the starting gate, Barbaro stumbled and broke his right hind leg

A decade ago, Kentucky Derby winner was set to pull off an encore at Pimlico Race Course. Soon after emerging from the starting gate at the Preakness Stakes, however, Barbaro stumbled and broke his right hind leg

For those who knew the whimsical thoroughbred, vivid memories linger.

'When you're looking for another horse like that, it seems like it's been ages,' Matz said. 'I'm hoping, but I don't have a great deal of confidence I'm going to find it or it's going to find me.'

That's because, as Barbaro owner Roy Jackson said, 'He was one in a million horse.'

Barbaro came into the Preakness unbeaten in six races, but that's not the only reason why Matz loved the dark bay colt.

'Especially this time of year, there are always memories of Barbaro,' Matz said. 'One minute he wins the Kentucky Derby in front of 160,000 people, and on Monday afternoon he's out in the paddock rolling around in the grass and having a good time. Those are the things that stand out.'

After tumbling to the dirt at the Preakness, Barbaro was transported to the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania's rural Kennett Square campus, where Dr. Dean Richardson performed surgery.

Although Barbaro's broken leg healed, he developed laminitis, a painful and often crippling hoof condition, in his left hind leg. Following several more procedures, Barbaro was found to have laminitis in both front legs.

At that point, Richardson, along with owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson, realized the horse could not be saved. Barbaro was euthanized on January 29, 2007.

Though Richardson is confident he did everything possible to keep the horse alive, he looks back at the time with no small measure of regret.

'It's not like there have been evolutionary changes in the technology over the last ten years to repair this type of fracture,' Richardson said. 'In retrospect, however, there are certainly some subtle things that I would probably do differently today if I were to approach the same type of fracture.

Barbaro's right rear leg is stabilized on the track after he broke down near the start of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in May 2006

Barbaro is loaded in to an ambulance after he pulled up on the front stretch during the 131st Preakness Stakes on May 20, 2006

Rehabilitation: Barbaro was immersed in a water pool to aid with his recovery allowing his injured hind right leg to move without too much stress and weight on it

Chief surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson, (right), answers questions with Barbaro's co-owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center for Large Animals in 2007

Surgery: Though Richardson is confident he did everything possible to keep the horse alive, he looks back at the time with no small measure of regret

'If you ask me, would I love to have another chance at saving Barbaro, the answer is categorically yes. That's more because I care so much about him, because he's a real special horse.'

Barbaro's situation was unusual in that the Jacksons were willing to spend thousands of dollars for veterinary care to keep him alive - and not necessarily because of his potential as a stud.

'It's not that horses can't be repaired, it's just that many times the economics of repairing a horse's injury are not aligned,' Richardson said. 'You don't have the combination of an owner who has the resources and a horse that justifies that expense.'

The Jacksons and Barbaro fit the description.

'He deserved whatever we could do to try to save him,' Roy Jackson said. 'The stud thing, it didn't matter.'

Barbaro's ashes are buried at Churchill Downs, the site of his biggest victory. A bronze statue of the horse stands atop his remains.

'Sometimes I sit on the sideline there, watch people take pictures in front of the statue,' Jackson said. 'I think it's a great memorial for him.'

Barbaro's mother, La Ville Rouge, lives at the stables on the Jacksons' estate in Chester County, Pennsylvania. That, and the love Barbaro received 10 years ago, have helped his owners move on.

'We don't dwell on it much,' Roy Jackson said. 'We got letters from people in every state and 14 foreign countries. We think back on the huge outpouring of support we got. That's what I think about more than the injury.'

Richardson has taken a similar stance.

'The bitterness of losing him lessens over time,' he said. 'But I've got a picture of Barbaro on my office wall and a painting of him at home. I certainly do still think about him.'

Matz has 70 stalls at the Fair Hill Training Center. He hopes to one day fill one of them with a horse capable of competing for the Triple Crown.

'All trainers are looking for that, and I was lucky enough to get one in Barbaro,' he said. 'The worst part of it is, we never will really know how good he really was.'
2016: Nominees are billionaire, millionaire year of populism

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio (AP)  Pick a president: New York multimillionaire or New York multibillionaire.

In Ohio River coal country, Nelson Travis says he begrudgingly will choose the billionaire: real estate mogul Donald Trump. Nonetheless, Travis argues, neither the presumptive Republican nominee nor Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton gets people like him.

"They're both out of touch with people's everyday reality," the 64-year-old Republican says, dismissing Clinton's talk of "breaking down barriers" and Trump's "make America great again" motto.

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2000 file photo, Bill and Hillary Clinton stand in the driveway of their new home in Chappaqua, N.Y. Hillary. Pick a president: New York multimillionaire or New York multibillionaire. The likely November rivals, Clinton and Donald Trump, personal portfolios dont exactly square with the populist wave defining 2016. (AP Photo, File)

The likely November rivals' personal portfolios don't exactly square with the populist wave defining 2016.

Trump, a multimillionaire's son, is worth about $4.5 billion according to Forbes, though he claims more. Forbes estimates Clinton to be worth about $45 million, a fortune built entirely since she and her husband, President Bill Clinton, left the White House in 2001.

But the candidate who connects with the widest swath of "average Americans" (median household income of about $54,000) will find the clearest path to the Oval Office.

The connection will prove particularly important in Rust Belt, Great Lakes and Midwestern states stretching from Pennsylvania to Iowa, where Democrats have prevailed in recent presidential elections but by narrow enough margins to give Trump hope.

"We are in a new age of economic populism," explains Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, a Democratic strategist who helped craft John Edwards' "Two Americas" presidential campaign in 2004. "People are hurting. They're mad, and they want somebody who'll do something about it."

Trump and Clinton are addressing their personal wealth differently.

Unlike previous wealthy nominees, such as Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 and Democrat John Kerry in 2004, Trump plays up  and boasts about  his riches. Clinton is more likely to talk about her middle-class childhood than her current accounts. She took heat for saying she and her husband were "flat broke" when his second term ended, and she has struggled against her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, who has made income inequality his core issue.

Going into a general election matchup, Trump appears to have the upper hand with the most frustrated voters. Throngs roar at his calls to build a wall at the Mexican border, close all U.S. borders to noncitizen Muslims, and "bring back the jobs" from China and Mexico. He promises to "take care of people" and not cut Social Security or Medicare.

"Even though he's rich, and he's always been rich, he's just like Bob in the country," says Terri Reschley, 62, of Indianola, Iowa.

Clinton offers a different style, though aimed at the same voters. She talks about raising minimum wages, improving education and creating jobs, peppering her remarks with anecdotes of people she meets campaigning. Clinton also speaks of her mother's tough childhood and her small-businessman father's efforts to "provide us with a middle-class life."

Although nearly a sure bet to clinch the Democratic nomination, she's still being dogged by a rival who rails against the "millionaire and billionaire class" embodied in Wall Street banks and a "corrupt" campaign finance system. Sanders harangues Clinton as a prime offender.

Primary results aren't necessarily predictive of November outcomes, but the divide was on display in Appalachia, where miners protested Clinton's statement in March that "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."

Clinton later said she misspoke. But in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio, many residents heard a rejection of their way of life.

"I raised my family, and now my family is raising their families" on coal jobs, said 59-year-old Ed Boston of Beallsville, Ohio. "I pack a bucket every day," he said. "She doesn't even know what a bucket is. ... Anybody understands us better than Hillary."

Clinton has called out Trump for relying on mass rallies instead of one-on-one conversation with people. Her recent barb in Delaware: "If you want to be president of the United States ... don't just fly that big jet in and land it and go make a big speech and insult everybody you can think of, and then go back, get on that big jet, and go back to your country club house in Florida or your penthouse in New York."

And she's telling people that the biggest beneficiaries of Trump's tax proposals are the wealthiest. The approach is working with voters such as Chira Corwin, 42, from Des Moines, Iowa, who said Clinton has "been in the field, so to speak, working with people, as opposed to Trump, who has been a millionaire his whole life."

Winning over voters in a populist mood is an inexact science, but a necessity. Four years ago, President Barack Obama and Democrats painted Romney as wealthy and out of step.

Trump's wealth could be a Democratic line of attack again, said Katie Packer, a former Romney aide who now runs an anti-Trump political committee.

Packer cautioned, though, that Clinton is not the same messenger as Obama, who was still paying off student loans when he stepped on the national stage. "Nobody could say he didn't understand the problems of working people," Packer said. "Clinton is somebody who hasn't driven her own car in three decades."

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Lucey reported from Iowa. Follow Barrow and Lucey at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP and https://twitter.com/Catherine_Lucey.
Sanders' problem: Winning over Clinton's superdelegates

WASHINGTON (AP)  Bernie Sanders has a problem.

Remember those superdelegates, the Democratic Party leaders and elected officials who can vote for the candidate of their choice? The ones Sanders' supporters have been complaining about for months? It turns out, to have a shot at beating out Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president, he needs them.

A lot of them.

In this May 4, 2016 photo, Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign rally in Louisville, Ky. BSanders has a math problem. Remember those dreaded superdelegates, the party leaders and elected officials that Sanders supporters have been complaining about for months? It turns out, he needs them. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

He needs the ones who remain uncommitted, as well as more than 200 of those who have already publicly endorsed Clinton. Mathematically, Sanders cannot win the nomination without that support.

On Saturday, Sanders netted more than two dozen delegates over Clinton in Washington state after the party released vote data broken down by congressional district.

But his math remains dire.

Clinton won the Guam caucus on Saturday and now needs just 17 percent of the delegates at stake in upcoming contests to clinch the nomination. That means she could lose every single contest by a landslide and still be the nominee if all of her superdelegates continue to support her.

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THE AP DELEGATE COUNT

Clinton: 2,228 delegates.

Sanders: 1,454 delegates.

Needed to win: 2,383 delegates.

The totals include delegates won in primaries and caucuses, as well as public endorsements from superdelegates.

As it stands, Clinton is 155 delegates away from clinching the nomination.

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PLEDGED DELEGATES

These are the delegates won in primaries and caucuses. They are required to vote for the candidate who won them.

Early in the campaign, Sanders said his plan was to win a majority of pledged delegates, which would persuade the superdelegates to support him as well.

That's no longer feasible.

Clinton has 1,705 pledged delegates. Sanders has 1,415. Clinton's 290-delegate lead in pledged delegates is far bigger than any lead Barack Obama had over Clinton during the 2008 primaries.

Sanders would need to win 66 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to close the gap. So far, he's won just 45 percent of them.

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SUPERDELEGATES

There are 714 superdelegates, mainly members of Congress and members of the Democratic National Committee. At the party's national convention, they can vote for the candidate of their choice.

So far, 523 have publicly endorsed Clinton and 39 have endorsed Sanders. That leaves 152 still uncommitted.

That means he would need all of the uncommitted superdelegates. Plus, he would need to persuade more than 200 of Clinton's superdelegates to switch their allegiance to him.

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THE PATH TO 2,383

Just 155 delegates short, Clinton is on a glide path to the number needed to win on June 7 when polls close in New Jersey at 8 p.m. EDT, even if she narrowly loses all the contests between now and then.

If she can instead pull out solid victories this month in West Virginia, Kentucky and Oregon  and get some additional endorsements from superdelegates  Clinton could end up celebrating as a presumptive nominee in a place in need of some financial attention: Puerto Rico on June 5.

At least one of its superdelegates, Luisette Colon, earlier this year changed her support from Clinton to uncommitted, citing her desire to learn more about the candidates' positions on aiding the U.S. territory.

Clinton has recently sent advisers to Puerto Rico to learn more about the Zika virus and called on Congress to assist with the island's financial crisis. Sanders has also urged help for the island.

Sanders' steep path to 2,383 can only really end at the party's convention in Philadelphia, where he intends to give superdelegates all his attention and make the case he is the better general election candidate.

To win, Sanders will need to dominate the final few primaries and then sway more than 300 superdelegates to his side.

So far, he's only convinced 39.

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Treasury Secretary hopes to jump-start help for Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew got a first-hand look at the humanitarian impact of Puerto Rico's $70 billion debt crisis Monday, touring an elementary school struggling with limited electricity and a hospital unable to provide some basic services to infants.

"It can only get worse," Lew told reporters as he toured Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School in San Juan with Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

The Obama administration hopes to jump-start congressional efforts to aid the U.S. territory, and Lew's one-day trip focused attention on how the 3.5 million U.S. citizens living on the island are struggling with the worsening financial situation.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, right, greets Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla before they tour Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, May 9, 2016. Lew hoped to jump-start congressional efforts to aid debt-stricken Puerto Rico, traveling to the U.S. territory on Monday and focusing on basic services in jeopardy at public hospitals and schools. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)

At a brief news conference after a private tour of San Juan's Centro Medico hospital, Lew said Puerto Rico's problems were a human crisis as well as financial. He said infants who needed dialysis were unable to get it while children could only get cancer medicine if it were paid for in advance with cash.

Lew said he didn't think there was a member of Congress who would find those conditions acceptable.

"What I have gotten to see first-hand is there is a growing crisis in Puerto Rico," Lew said.

House Republicans are expected to announce new legislation this week to create a control board to help manage the island's financial obligations and oversee some debt restructuring. It would be the third draft of the House bill, which has come under fire from some conservatives who worry it would set a precedent for financially ailing states.

In a kindergarten classroom, a teacher showed Lew and Garcia evidence of termites in the walls. The school has problems with electricity, and teachers said they were unable to use laptops, televisions and fans at the same time because they cause the power to go out.

In a fourth-grade classroom, a fan was broken on a hot day. A science teacher told Lew that she doesn't have a lab for the children to do experiments.

"You all keep doing your work and we'll keep doing our work to help you," Lew told the children.

Garcia said that Puerto Rico is not asking for a bailout and has not been offered one.

"If Congress does not act then we will need a bailout, and it will be very expensive to U.S. taxpayers," he said.

The territory missed a nearly $370 million bond payment May 1. The default was the largest in a series of missed payments since last year, and Garcia has warned there will be more.

Puerto Rico has payments totaling nearly $2 billion due on July 1, including more than $700 million in general obligation bonds that are supposed to be guaranteed under the island's constitution. In an ominous warning to Congress and creditors that include U.S. hedge funds, Garcia said the outlook for the next payment is bleak.

"We don't anticipate having the money," he said last week.

Garcia said he had no choice but to suspend the debt payment to avoid cutting essential public services, such as schools and medical care.

Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has led negotiations in the House. In addition to disagreement among conservatives, Bishop has also faced objections from Democrats and Puerto Rican officials who say they are concerned the oversight board would be too powerful and the restructuring plan would be too difficult.

Bishop has worked closely on the latest version of the bill with Lew and Treasury officials over the terms of the debt restructuring. He's said the negotiations with administration officials are one of the things holding the bill up.

Lew has said the bill should provide "an orderly restructuring regime and independent oversight while respecting the Commonwealth's self-governance." He said he has not seen the final version of the bill but administration officials had a series of meetings with House Republicans last week.

The effort has been particularly complicated by disagreement among creditors. While some support the bill, others are fighting it in hopes of preserving larger payouts. Some creditors' groups lobbying against the legislation have said that it amounts to a financial bailout, even though the bill has no direct financial aid.

Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has strongly backed the bill. He has said he is opposed to a bailout but that one may become necessary if Congress doesn't pass the legislation soon and Puerto Rico's economy collapses.

The Senate has yet to weigh in on Puerto Rico while waiting for the House to act.

After touring the school and the hospital, Lew walked through a pedestrian business district that was once a central shopping hub but is now mostly vacant and boarded-up shops, covered in graffiti.

Lew said what he has seen on the trip "makes crystal clear that the time for Congress to act is now."

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Follow Mary Clare Jalonick on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcjalonick

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, top, second from right, poses for photos with students as he takes a classroom tour with Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla, top right, at the Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary School in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Monday, May 9, 2016. Lew hoped to jump-start congressional efforts to aid debt-stricken Puerto Rico, traveling to the U.S. territory on Monday and focusing on basic services in jeopardy at public hospitals and schools. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)
For Trump, party unity is nice, but not necessary

WASHINGTON (AP)  For Donald Trump, party unity is a good thing. But he's making clear he won't change his views or soften his rhetoric to get it.

"Look, I'm going to get millions and millions of votes more than the Republicans would have gotten" without me, Trump said.

In other words, get on board or get out of the way.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Lynden, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

It's a risky calculation for a presumptive Republican nominee who this November would likely go up against Hillary Clinton, a seasoned campaigner who is faring well in the polls and has broad support across her party.

But to Trump supporters like adviser Paul Manafort, shrugging off hostility from party insiders is something Trump can afford to do.

"The important thing to remember is the national titular head of the party is the nominee of the Republican Party," Manafort said. Trump "just won that overwhelmingly, faster than anybody in Washington thought and running as an outsider against Washington. So, his agenda is the people's agenda."

Trump moved from presidential front runner to presumptive nominee last week when he crushed rival Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary, and Cruz dropped out of the race.

Ahead of a private meeting Thursday with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Trump used several televised interviews that aired Sunday to knock Ryan and other influential Republicans, along with a nomination system he says is "totally rigged."

Trump said Ryan "blindsided" him by declining to endorse him. He called South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham a "lightweight," and suggested Republicans Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush wouldn't back him because they were sore losers after their own failed presidential bids.

The New York billionaire seemed to be sending a message to party critics who are withholding support or planning to skip the convention.

"I don't think (the party) actually has to be unified" in the traditional sense, he said.

Among the biggest questions ahead of Trump's private meeting with Ryan is whether Trump will call for Ryan's ouster as chairman at the Republican convention in Cleveland this July, if Ryan refuses to back him.

Trump said that Ryan, R-Wis., had called him three weeks ago, after Trump won the New York primary on April 19, to congratulate him and the two had a friendly exchange. That's why, Trump explained, he was "blindsided" when Ryan said he wasn't ready to back a Trump ticket.

A Ryan spokesman said that phone call never happened. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said "Ryan disputed the time of the call, not the call itself." She added, "I believe this took place in late March."

Even if Trump sways Ryan, there are other GOP leaders reluctant to help him win. Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 nominee, said he'll support the party's nominee even if it's Trump. But McCain said it would take a lot to ever stand on stage next to him after Trump's comments last July that he prefers people who don't get captured in war. McCain, a Navy pilot shot down and held as a prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese for five years, said Trump owes military veterans an apology.

"There's always wounds in spirited political campaigns," McCain said. "But frankly, I have never seen the personalization of a campaign like this one, where people's integrity and character are questioned."

Sen. Jeff Flake, a Trump critic, said Republicans should figure out something fast because Trump's ability to win primary contests by relying on hard-line policies such as banning Muslims from entering the United States might not translate into general election success against the Democrats.

"If Republicans want to win, and we do, then we've got to change the approach because we're not going to win taking these positions," said Flake, R-Ariz.

Trump appeared on ABC's "This Week" and NBC's "Meet the Press." McCain was on CNN's "State of the Union," Manafort was interviewed by "Fox News Sunday" and Flake was on NBC.

People hold up signs in support as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Lynden, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, May 7, 2016. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee told people in Spokane that he'd return to the Northwest during the campaign "because we are going to take the state of Washington." (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Lynden, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Stunned Trump foes face diminished options at GOP convention

WASHINGTON (AP)  Still shaken by Donald Trump's triumph, Republican and conservative foes of the billionaire can still cause headaches for the party's presumptive presidential nominee at this summer's GOP convention. But their options are shrinking by the day.

With Trump's last two rivals  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich  abandoning their campaigns, there's no remaining talk of snatching the nomination away from him with a contested, multi-ballot battle when Republican delegates gather in Cleveland.

Instead, anti-Trump forces are trying to figure out how to use this July's GOP meetings to keep him from reshaping the party and its guiding principles, perhaps with fights over the platform or even his vice presidential pick.

FILE - In this May 5, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Charleston, W. Va. Donald Trump says he was really surprised by House Speaker Paul Ryan's rebuff of him as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But GOP chief Reince Priebus says he understands Ryans reservations. Its going to take some time in some cases for people to work through differences, Priebus says. Priebus says he disagrees with Trump on some issues such as banning Muslims from entering the U.S (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Many expect Trump to build momentum as the convention nears, narrowing his opponents' options. Even so, here's what may be in store:

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IT'S OVER? WHAT NOW?

Trump's foes concede he's likely to arrive in Cleveland exceeding the 1,237 delegates needed to become the nominee. Yet many are still reeling from the contest's unexpected finale last week and are just starting to think about what they could do at the convention that would be productive.

"There's going to be a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot talking between all of us," said Kay Godwin, a Cruz delegate from Blackshear, Georgia. "I wish I could give you an answer right now but I think if I did, it would be out of emotion."

"There are probably some who hope Trump will stick his foot in his mouth or some scandal will come out and that they'll be able to rally everybody at that point, but at this point there's really nothing they can do" to block his nomination, said Jason Osborne, a GOP consultant.

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CONTAINING THE DAMAGE

Many Trump opponents see the Republican platform, the party's statement of ideals and policy goals, as a place for a stand in Cleveland. The convention's 2,472 delegates must approve the platform before formally anointing the presidential nominee.

All  including those chosen to support Trump  can vote however they want on the platform. Many conservatives say they will use that vote to keep Trump from reshaping GOP dogma against abortion, for free trade and on other issues.

While it seems likely Trump would prevail, a showdown could be an embarrassment he'd seek to avoid by not pushing divisive changes.

"If the party walks away from any of its clearly cut social, family values issues, it will be an issue," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council and GOP delegate from Louisiana. "We're not just going to fall in line because he's the nominee."

Trump has said he would seek to include exceptions for rape and incest to the GOP platform's opposition to abortion. He's also flouted the party platform by repeatedly criticizing trade deals and calling NATO obsolete.

"We'd want to make sure the platform is protected from Donald Trump," said Rory Cooper, senior adviser for the Never Trump political committee.

Trump aides did not return messages seeking comment on his views about the platform.

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A RUNNING MATE

Trump has said he'd like a vice presidential candidate with government experience.

Yet, as with the platform, delegates can vote as they please in choosing Trump's running mate. Some opponents suggest they may challenge his choice, either as a protest or to try forcing him to make a different selection.

Recent GOP conventions have formally approved vice presidential candidates by acclamation and no roll call. But if delegates make enough of a fuss, a roll call with plenty of votes for a rival vice presidential candidate is possible.

"He'll probably pick somebody, and that person is not going to have the automatic ratification status that's been traditional," said Roger Stauter, a Cruz delegate from Madison, Wisconsin, who said he would never support Trump.

Others said the convention would likely defer to Trump's thinking about a strategically smart choice.

"He could pick somebody we'd all get pretty excited about," said Shane Goettle, a Cruz delegate from North Dakota.

Conservative talk show host Erick Erickson, a Trump opponent, said he expected delegates to accede to Trump's selection, saying that by July, "the phases of depression and anger" will subside as Republicans accept "their coming defeat."

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MUST-WATCH TV?

Many expect Trump  star of his own TV reality shows "The Apprentice" and "Celebrity Apprentice"  to run a more watchable convention than usual.

Beth Myers, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign manager in 2012, was not a Trump supporter during the primaries. But she said Trump knows TV and expects his convention to outshine the Democrats' in stagecraft and draw millions more viewers than usual.

"My guess is that the Republican convention will not be a chaotic, contested convention," she said. "Rather, it will be a production of Trump, Inc., and it will be pretty good live television."

Some of that glitz may not be by choice. Many Republican bigwigs are expected to shun the convention and avoid giving primetime speeches on Trump's behalf.

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Associated Press reporters Julie Pace and Thomas Beaumont contributed to this report.

FILE - In this April 19, 2016 file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks in Washington. Donald Trump says he was really surprised by House Speaker Paul Ryan's rebuff of him as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But GOP chief Reince Priebus says he understands Ryans reservations. Its going to take some time in some cases for people to work through differences, Priebus says. Priebus says he disagrees with Trump on some issues such as banning Muslims from entering the U.S. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Man accused of killing 3 in Md. ordered held without bond

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP)  A federal security officer charged with killing three people, including his estranged wife, in a shooting rampage in a Maryland suburb of the nation's capital was ordered held without bond on Monday.

Eulalio Tordil of Adelphi, an employee of the Federal Protective Service, appeared in court by video Monday afternoon in Rockville, Maryland. He faces charges including first-degree murder.

A public defender representing him conceded it wasn't realistic to ask for Tordil to be released.

In this photo taken May 6, 2016, Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in three fatal shootings in the Washington, D.C., area into custody in Bethesda, Md. Tordil, a federal security officer suspected in three fatal shootings outside a high school, a mall and a supermarket in a Maryland suburb of the nation's capital is expected to appear at a bond review. Tordil, 62, of Adelphi is scheduled to appear in court by video Monday, May 9, 2016, afternoon in Rockville. He faces charges including first-degree murder. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

In court, Montgomery County State's attorney John McCarthy called Tordil "very tough to track" following the shooting of his wife. He was driving a rental car and had turned off his cell phone. McCarthy said the weapon Tordil used had been purchased before a protective order that required him to turn in any firearms and should have been turned over to law enforcement.

McCarthy said Tordil's glasses were knocked off him in a struggle with the victim at the grocery store and that he may have stayed in that area because he couldn't see to drive.

Police say the shootings began Thursday when Tordil, 62, fatally shot his estranged wife Gladys, a chemistry teacher, in a high school parking lot. A bystander was wounded.

Authorities say the shootings continued Friday at two other parking lots, one outside Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, and the other at a shopping center about 5 miles away. Police said those shootings, including one in which two other people were wounded, were likely botched carjackings.

In the mall parking lot, charging documents allege, a woman returned to her silver Toyota RAV4 to find a car parked awkwardly close to hers. The driver got out, blocked her way to her door and asked if it was her car. When she replied that it was, he pointed a gun at her and said, "I'm not kidding. I will shoot you," the documents state. The armed man followed her and when she yelled for help, two men approached, and the man shot the men and her, documents state. The woman said she closed her eyes and didn't move to avoid antagonizing the shooter.

About a half hour later, an officer responding to a report of shots fired in a shopping center in Aspen Hill, found another woman shot inside her RAV4 in the parking lot near a supermarket, charging documents state. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

A friend of the Tordils said in an interview Sunday evening that he saw the couple as recently as three weeks ago and was not aware they had any troubles. Gary Cochran of Sterling, Virginia, said Eulalio Tordil, who attended high school with his wife, was "always smiling and very polite."

Cochran said he and his wife "can't believe this is the person we invited into our home."

Police identified the two people who died in Friday's shootings as 45-year-old Malcom Winffel of Boyds, one of the two men shot while trying to help the woman shot in the mall parking lot, and 65-year-old Claudina Molina of Silver Spring, the woman fatally shot in the supermarket parking lot.

Winffel and a friend, who wasn't identified, were both shot. His friend and the woman they were trying to help were both wounded.

"He was always helping people," Pilar Winffel of Columbia said of her brother. "If a friend of a friend was moving, he would go and help."

At a news conference Saturday night, Montgomery County Assistant Police Chief Russ Hamill said Tordil spoke to investigators a little about the shootings. "I would not describe him as being remorseful," Hamill said.

Hamill said a search of Tordil's car uncovered a .40-caliber Glock handgun that was used in Friday's shootings. Hamill said police believe it also was used in Thursday's shooting of Gladys Tordil but more testing is needed to confirm.

When officers arrested Tordil near the second shooting scene, charging documents state that he told them the gun was in the car and there was "nobody in the trunk," just a golf bag.

Tordil, a federal security officer employed by the Federal Protective Service, was put on administrative duties in March after a protective order was issued against him when his wife said he had threatened to harm her if she left him. Tordil subjected their children to "intense-military-like discipline," such as pushups and detention in a dark closet, according to the order.

The protective service said Tordil's weapon, badge and credentials were taken when he was placed on leave.

Cochran said he had no idea about the protective order, and never suspected any domestic problems.

"I just saw a beautiful family," he said, adding that Tordil never mentioned the action taken against him at work.
In populist race, a billionaire and millionaire nominees

ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio (AP)  Pick a president: New York multimillionaire or New York multibillionaire.

In Ohio River coal country, retiree Nelson Travis says he begrudgingly will choose the billionaire: Donald Trump. Nonetheless, Travis argues, neither the presumptive Republican nominee nor Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton actually gets people like him.

"They're both out of touch with people's everyday reality," the 64-year-old Republican says, dismissing Clinton's talk of "breaking down barriers" and Trump's "make America great again" motto.

FILE - In this March 14, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump holds a plane-side rally in a hanger at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio. Pick a president: New York multimillionaire or New York multibillionaire. The likely November rivals, Trump and Hillary Clinton, personal portfolios dont exactly square with the populist wave defining 2016. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

The likely November rivals' personal portfolios don't exactly square with the populist wave defining 2016.

Trump, lifelong New Yorker and multimillionaire's son, is worth about $4.5 billion according to Forbes, though he claims more. Forbes estimates Clinton to be worth about $45 million, a fortune built entirely since she and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, left the White House in 2001.

But the candidate who connects with the widest swath of "average Americans" (median household income of about $54,000) will find the clearest path to the Oval Office.

That connection will prove particularly important in Rust Belt, Great Lakes and Midwestern states stretching from Pennsylvania to Iowa, where Democrats have prevailed in recent presidential elections but by narrow enough margins to give Trump hope.

"We are in a new age of economic populism," says Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, a Democratic strategist who helped craft Democrat John Edwards' "Two Americas" presidential campaign in 2004. "People are hurting. They're mad, and they want somebody who'll do something about it."

Trump and Clinton are addressing their personal wealth differently.

Unlike previous wealthy nominees, such as Republican Mitt Romney in 2012 and Democrat John Kerry in 2004, Trump plays up  and boasts about  his riches. Clinton is more likely to talk about her middle-class childhood than her current accounts. She took heat for saying she and her husband were "flat broke" when his second term ended, and she has struggled against her Democratic rival Bernie Sanders, who has made income inequality his core issue.

Going into a general election matchup, Trump appears to have the initial upper hand with the most vocally frustrated voters, who powered him past a gaggle of career politicians in the GOP primary. Throngs roar at his calls to build a wall at the Mexican border, close all U.S. borders to noncitizen Muslims, and "bring back the jobs" from China and Mexico. Atypical of Republicans, he promises to "take care of people" and not cut Social Security or Medicare.

It's enough to convince Terri Reschley, 62, of Indianola in Iowa, a competitive general-election state. "Even though he's rich, and he's always been rich, he's just like Bob in the country," she says.

Clinton offers a more muted approach, not traditional populism, but aimed at the same voters. She talks about raising minimum wages, improving education, creating jobs, and lifting up working people. She peppers her remarks with anecdotes of people she meets campaigning.

Though she's yet to contrast her biography with Trump, Clinton recalls her father, who ran a small business, and her mother, who had a rough childhood. She's spoken of her grandfather laboring in a Scranton, Pennsylvania, lace mill and her father preaching "that if he scrimped and saved" he "could provide us with a middle-class life."

Clinton also frames issues such as gun violence, police brutality and criminal justice as matters of fundamental economic opportunity for urban and minority communities, perhaps redefining populism in 2016 to include more than traditional pitches to white voters.

Although nearly a sure bet to clinch the Democratic nomination, she's still being dogged by Sanders, who rails against the "millionaire and billionaire class" embodied in Wall Street banks and a "campaign finance system that is corrupt." Setting the stage for Trump, Sanders harangues Clinton as a prime offender.

Sanders consistently has topped Clinton in small towns and rural areas, while Trump romps among Republicans from the same locales. Primary results aren't necessarily predictive of November outcomes, but the divide was on display recently in Appalachia, where Clinton was met by miners protesting her statement in March that "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."

Clinton said she chose the wrong words to explain wider market forces, such as increasing consumer preference for solar energy, that reduce coal demand. But in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio, many residents heard a rejection of their way of life.

"I raised my family, and now my family is raising their families" on coal jobs, said 59-year-old Ed Boston of Beallsville, Ohio. "I pack a bucket every day," he said. "She doesn't even know what a bucket is. ... Anybody understands us better than Hillary."

Clinton tried to turn the mistake to some advantage by pointing out that she visited the increasingly Republican region to listen to the people she had offended. "Whether you vote for me or not," she said, "I will be your partner, and I will not for one minute give up on Appalachia."

She also called out Trump for relying on mass rallies instead of one-on-one conversation with people.

A recent barb in Delaware: "If you want to be president of the United States ... don't just fly that big jet in and land it and go make a big speech and insult everybody you can think of, and then go back, get on that big jet, and go back to your country club house in Florida or your penthouse in New York."

She's also telling people that the biggest beneficiaries of Trump's tax proposals are the wealthiest. The approach is working with voters such as Chira Corwin, 42, from Des Moines, Iowa, who said Clinton has "been in the field, so to speak, working with people, as opposed to Trump, who has been a millionaire his whole life."

Winning over voters in a populist mood is an inexact science, but political observers recognize it as a necessity. Four years ago, President Barack Obama and Democrats painted Romney as out of step after he said his wife drove a "couple of Cadillacs" and because he tried to make a $10,000 bet on a primary debate stage.

In Democratic ads, Romney was criticized by workers who were laid off at businesses taken over by the private equity firm he co-founded. He was particularly hurt by a remark, captured on video at a private fundraiser, that 47 percent of voters support Democrats and don't pay income taxes because they're dependent on public programs.

Republican consultant Katie Packer, a former Romney aide now running an anti-Trump political committee, said it was tough for Romney to overcome that. Exit polls in 2012 indicated that about one-fifth of the electorate gave priority to choosing a president who "cares about people like me," and Obama won that group 81 percent to 18 percent for Romney. That was enough to help tip the popular vote to Obama.

Trump's wealth, and how he built it, could be a Democratic line of attack again, Packer said. But she cautioned that Clinton is not the same messenger as Obama, who was still paying off student loans when he stepped onto the national stage with a prominent speech at the 2004 convention. "Nobody could say he didn't understand the problems of working people," Packer said. "Clinton is somebody who hasn't driven her own car in three decades."

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Lucey reported from Iowa. Follow Barrow and Lucey at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP and https://twitter.com/Catherine_Lucey.
As Senate's power brokers age; several seek new terms

WASHINGTON (AP)  Millennials have emerged as the nation's largest living generation, yet that demographic shift isn't reflected in the upper reaches of the Republican-controlled Senate, where the body's oldest members are the power brokers.

And several are asking voters for new six-year terms.

At 82, Chuck Grassley wants Iowans to send him back to the Senate for a seventh time. The Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee pitches his seniority as a plus, telling voters he gives them a "big voice at the policymaking tables" in Washington.

FILE - In this Feb. 9, 2016 file photo, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Millennials have emerged as the nations largest living generation yet you wouldnt know it from the power brokers in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bodys eldest members wield the gavel as committee chairmen, and several of them are asking voters to give them another six years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Arizona's John McCain, the 79-year-old chairman of the Armed Services Committee, also is running for re-election. So are Richard Shelby of Alabama, the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee chairman who turned 82 on Friday, and 71-year-old Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who leads the Veterans' Affairs Committee and the Senate's ethics panel.

Other committees are controlled by senior Republicans whose terms don't end for at least a few more years. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the chairman of the Finance Committee, is 82 and has been a senator since 1977  the same year Jimmy Carter was inaugurated as president, Elvis Presley died and the first Stars Wars movie came out.

Oklahoma's James Inhofe is 81 and heads the Environment and Public Works Committee. Pat Roberts of Kansas, 80, runs the Agriculture Committee and 78-year-old Thad Cochran of Mississippi leads the powerful Appropriations Committee. At 75, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee is chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is 74.

Three senior Democrats have opted to retire at the end of the year: Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who is 76, along with Maryland's Barbara Mikulski, 79, and California's Barbara Boxer, 75.

But Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, 76, is running for another term. Leahy, first elected in 1974, has been in office longer than any other currently serving senator  41 years. He's the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.

The average age of all senators actually has decreased from 63 to 61 since 2009 due to younger members from political parties being elected, according to the Congressional Research Service. The youngest are members of Generation X: Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who turns 39 on May 13, and Cory Gardner, R-Colo., 41.

Millennials, who are Americans born between 1981 and 1997, numbered 75.4 million as of last July and surpassed the shrinking baby boomer population, according to Pew Research Center senior researcher Richard Fry. He projects millennials to peak in 2036 at 81.1 million.

The Senate also remains overwhelmingly white and male. Of the Senate's 16 full-time "standing" committees, 10 are chaired by white Republican men over the age of 70. One is led by a female Republican: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska runs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, leads a special Senate Committee on Aging.

Overall, there are 20 women in the Senate  six are Republican.

There are three Hispanic senators, two African-American senators, and one Asian-American senator.

Age, strictly as a number, can be deceiving. Cochran isn't the oldest senator, but questions about his mental state have persisted since he was re-elected to a seventh term in 2014.

During a bruising primary campaign in Mississippi, supporters of Cochran's tea-party backed opponent accused Cochran of erratic behavior and struggling to recall recent events.

During Senate hearings, Cochran reads primarily from prepared text and he often cedes his prerogative as chairman to be the first to question witnesses. Cochran asked no questions of Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at an April 27 hearing despite deep divisions between Republicans and the Obama administration over defense spending and the strategy for defeating the Islamic State group.

Chris Gallegos, Cochran's spokesman, said the allegations during the 2014 primary were "not based on facts." He said the senator is in fine health and keeps a vigorous schedule. "He knows what's going on," Gallegos said.

McCain shows no signs of losing his edge. He's prone to skewering witnesses who appear before the Armed Services Committee, particularly if he finds inconsistencies in their testimony. McCain also regularly fields questions from throngs of reporters as he's coming and going from votes on the Senate floor.

Isakson announced last June he has Parkinson's, but said the disease is in its early stages and won't affect his ability to serve. Parkinson's is a chronic and progressive movement disorder, and it has caused Isakson to walk with a slower, shuffling gait. Yet Isakson, in his second Senate term, is favored to win a third term in heavily Republican Georgia. He won 58 percent of the vote in 2010.

In Iowa, Grassley's age hasn't been an issue before. He's not lost a general election in more than 50 years, usually getting more than 60 percent of the vote. First elected to the Iowa Legislature in 1958, Grassley has served in Congress since 1974 including six years in the House and 36 years in the Senate.

Grassley isn't the oldest senator. He's a few months younger than Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, who turns 83 on June 22.

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Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rplardner

FILE - In this March 16, 2016 file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. Millennials have emerged as the nations largest living generation yet you wouldnt know it from the power brokers in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bodys eldest members wield the gavel as committee chairmen, and several of them are asking voters to give them another six years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Louisiana judge limits testimony on death in theft case

MONROE, La. (AP)  A jury is unlikely to hear testimony about who actually killed a Taiwanese woman living in Louisiana at the trial of Quinton Tellis, the man charged with unauthorized use of her debit card.

Tellis, also indicted for capital murder in the 2014 burning death of northern Mississippi teenager Jessica Chambers, is being tried on the charges connected with the death of Meing-Chen Hsiao. A recent graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, the Taiwanese woman was found stabbed to death last summer in her apartment in northern Louisiana.

Tellis isn't charged with killing Hsiao though police have called him a suspect. Instead, the 27-year-old is charged with three counts of unauthorized use of an access card and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

State District Judge Larry Jefferson ruled Monday that prosecutors can discuss Hsiao's death in connection with Tellis' alleged use of the debit card. But he said at a pretrial hearing Monday that prosecutors can't call the death a murder in front of jurors. He also said they cannot use pre-trial testimony from a witness who said Tellis acknowledged stabbing a person.

Jefferson's ruling came Monday after testimony connected to pretrial motions. Selection of a six-member jury began Monday in Monroe and will continue Tuesday.

Without a jury present, Eric Hill testified that Tellis told him about using the card while both were drinking. WHBQ-TV (http://bit.ly/1rDAjaE) reported that Hill  a cousin of Tellis' wife  testified that when asked about how Tellis had obtained the card, Hill replied, "He told me about a robbery and stabbing."

Hill testified Tellis answered "yes" when asked if he'd stabbed someone and answered "yes" when asked if he'd stabbed the person more than once.

Monroe Police Detective Duane Cookson said records show Tellis made a cellphone call from a location with GPS coordinates matching Hsiao's apartment on July 29, the night investigators believe she was killed. He said that after investigators found Hsiao's decomposed body, they connected Tellis by viewing surveillance footage associated with a July 28 Wal-Mart receipt. They saw Tellis with Hsiao, and he told investigators he had gone to the store to buy pain pills, using her prescription.

Cookson testified that Hsiao's Chase bank card was used multiple times in August after her death and that surveillance cameras captured Tellis using the card. Cookson also said Tellis had acknowledged using it.

Though Jefferson ruled that prosecutors can't call Hsiao's death a murder, he said they can use a video recording of an interview with police in which Tellis discusses selling drugs to bolster the marijuana charge.

If convicted, Tellis could face a life sentence without parole as a habitual offender in Louisiana because of previous felony convictions in Mississippi. Tellis was twice convicted of burglary and once for fleeing from police in the county where he and Chambers lived. He was released from prison in October 2014, two months before Chambers' killing.

Chambers was found on fire on a rural road in Courtland in December 2014, next to her car, which was also burning. She died hours later in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital, having suffered burns over 98 percent of her body.

The mystery of who killed her brought national attention for more than a year, as police interviewed more than 150 people, including Tellis. Authorities have not discussed a motive or the relationship between Tellis and Chambers, except to say they knew one another and were introduced by friends.
Extremist trial underway amid high security in Brussels

BRUSSELS (AP)  Under heavy security, a trial began in Belgium on Monday of a suspected extremist cell linked to the now-dead ringleader of last year's lethal attacks in Paris.

Sixteen defendants, including nine who are still at large, are accused of involvement in what Belgian authorities say was a terrorist plot being mounted in the eastern city of Verviers. Lawyers for some of the accused contend their clients did nothing illegal.

Marouane El Bali, the trial's star defendant, was "bringing one or two pair of sneakers to his friend" when arrested, attorney Didier De Quevy said. "He's is not at all a radical."

Belgian police stormed the suspected plotters' hideout Jan. 15, 2015, killing two men and arresting El Bali, 26, who surrendered. Police were fired on at least 40 times, and reported finding three Kalashnikov-style assault rifles, four handguns, chemicals to make explosives and 23 items of police uniforms inside the Verviers residence.

El Bali has been charged with the attempted murder of police officers, an accusation Sebastien Courtoy, another of his defense lawyers, rejected as "preposterous."

"Mr. El Bali joined the group only on the eve of the raid. So he would have had a hard time planning a terror attack as 24 hours before, he was not involved," Courtoy said.

According to Belgian authorities, the suspects were being directed from afar by Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was hunted down by French police and killed days after the Nov. 13 attacks that killed 130 victims in Paris. Like El Bali and the two men killed in the Verviers raid, Soufiane Amghar and Khalid Ben Larbi, Abaaoud was from the multiethnic Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels.
Somalia: 4 killed as extremists attack police headquarters

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP)  A suicide car bomber struck the entrance of Somalia's traffic police headquarters in the capital on Monday , killing four people and injuring nine others, said a police official.

Two police officers were among the dead and two armed extremists who tried to storm the traffic police premises in Mogadishu's Abdiaziz district were also shot dead, said Capt. Mohamed Hassan.

Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack, which shattered a period of calm in the seaside city.

A Somali soldier stands near a destroyed building outside the police traffic station in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, May, 9, 2016. A Somali police official says a suicide car bomber struck the entrance of the East African country's traffic police headquarters in the capital, killing four people and injuring others. Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack, which shattered a period of calm in the seaside city. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Despite being pushed out of Somalia's major cities and towns, al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida, continues to carry out deadly guerrilla attacks across the country.

Somali police officers stand around the body of a suspected al-Shabab extremist in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, May, 9, 2016. A Somali police official says a suicide car bomber struck the entrance of the East African country's traffic police headquarters in the capital, killing four people and injuring others. Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack, which shattered a period of calm in the seaside city. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

Somali people remove their belongings after their shops were destroyed after a car bomb in Mogadishu, Somalia, Monday, May, 9, 2016. A Somali police official says a suicide car bomber struck the entrance of the East African country's traffic police headquarters in the capital, killing four people and injuring others. Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack, which shattered a period of calm in the seaside city. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)
Iran issues vague denial about reported missile test

TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran's defense minister issued a vague denial after a media outlet close to the elite Revolutionary Guard said Monday that it had test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) two weeks ago.

Gen. Hossein Dehghan told the official IRNA news agency that the military has not conducted a missile test "with the range that was published in the media," without elaborating. He did not say whether the military had conducted a recent missile test.

The earlier report was carried by Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard. The Guard is in charge of Iran's ballistic missile program.

Tasnim quoted Gen. Ali Abdollahi as saying the latest missiles could strike within eight meters (yards) of their target. "Eight meters means nothing, it means it's without any error," he said, without elaborating.

Iran has long boasted of having missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometers, placing much of the Middle East, including Israel, in range. Iran says its missiles, which could also strike U.S. bases in the region, are key to deterring a U.S. or Israeli attack.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles  one emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew  setting off an international outcry.

The nuclear deal reached with world powers last year does not include provisions against missile tests. When it came into effect in January, the Security Council lifted most U.N. sanctions against Tehran, including a 2010 ban on testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The council nevertheless adopted a resolution last July which "calls on" Iran not to carry out such tests.
Spain: 44 migrants rescued off Western Sahara

MADRID (AP)  The maritime rescue service says it has picked up 44 sub-Saharan African migrants that set off in a boat from the west coast of Africa in a bid to reach Spain.

The service said the 42 men and two women were taken to the port of Arguineguin in Spain's Canary Islands late Sunday after being rescued off the Western Sahara coast, some 100 nautical miles (200 kilometers) south of the islands.

The service said Monday it began the search for the boat after receiving a warning call from a non-government organization. The migrants were said to be in good health.
Romania's health minister resigns over disinfectant dispute

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Romania's health minister resigned Monday amid public outrage over the use of sub-standard disinfectants in dozens of hospitals.

Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu stepped down after authorities announced an investigation into how the disinfectants were used at 50 hospitals.

Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos accepted his resignation and announced he would take on the job as interim health minister.

In this photo taken on Friday, May 6, 2016 women wear masks that read 'Corruption Kills' during a protest joined by hundreds against irregularities in the country's health system. Prosecutors searched the Hexi Pharma offices, a drugs company which authorities say has supplied dozens of hospitals with sub-standard disinfectant, and the home of the company owner Saturday, May 7, while police officers took away documents and samples from 25 hospitals in Bucharest and around the country that were affected by the issue. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

He said he wanted to increase security in the health sector, tackle infections that patients contract in hospitals and carry out administrative reforms in the health system.

Authorities on Saturday conducted searches at hospitals and the offices of drug company Hexi Pharma, which supplied dozens of hospitals with the disinfectants for use on surfaces and hands, according to media reports. Hexi Pharma has said it's cooperating with the investigation.

Hexi Pharma spokeswoman Loredana Albu said production had been halted pending the inquiry, adding the public would soon find out the company's products were "the best on the market."

"From our point of view, patients were safe," she said after police took away documents and samples from 25 hospitals, where tests revealed there were problems with the disinfectants. Media reports said the disinfectant was diluted.

About 500 people protested Friday in Bucharest over the latest scandal to hit the underfunded health care system. Thousands of medics emigrate annually, and bribery and informal payments are rife in the system.

In this photo taken on Friday, May 6, 2016 a man holds a paper with a cartoon depiction of germs that reads: "We live 95 percent alright" during a protest joined by hundreds against irregularities in the country's health system. Prosecutors searched the Hexi Pharma offices, a drugs company which authorities say has supplied dozens of hospitals with sub-standard disinfectant for surfaces and doctors' hands, and the home of the company owner Saturday, May 7, while police officers took away documents and samples from 25 hospitals in Bucharest and around the country that were affected by the issue. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

In this photo taken on Friday, May 6, 2016 a woman wears a mask that reads 'Silence Kills' during a protest joined by hundreds against irregularities in the country's health system. Prosecutors searched the Hexi Pharma offices, a drugs company which authorities say has supplied dozens of hospitals with sub-standard disinfectant, and the home of the company owner Saturday, May 7, while police officers took away documents and samples from 25 hospitals in Bucharest and around the country that were affected by the issue. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

In this photo taken on Friday, May 6, 2016 people hold papers that read "You have diluted our health", during a protest joined by hundreds against irregularities in the country's health system. Prosecutors searched the Hexi Pharma offices, a drugs company which authorities say has supplied dozens of hospitals with sub-standard disinfectant, and the home of the company owner Saturday, May 7, while police officers took away documents and samples from 25 hospitals in Bucharest and around the country that were affected by the issue. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

In this photo taken on Friday, May 6, 2016 people hold papers that read "You have diluted our health", during a protest joined by hundreds against irregularities in the country's health system. Prosecutors searched the Hexi Pharma offices, a drugs company which authorities say has supplied dozens of hospitals with sub-standard disinfectant, and the home of the company owner Saturday, May 7, while police officers took away documents and samples from 25 hospitals in Bucharest and around the country that were affected by the issue. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
3 Afghans arrested in fatal shooting of 2 Romanian soldiers

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Three Afghan citizens have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of two Romanian soldiers and the wounding of a third, Romania's defense minister said Monday.

Mihnea Motoc said that the Romanians were training Afghan police officers Saturday morning near Kandahar when two men wearing Afghan police uniforms who were "probably Afghan police" opened fire.

Motoc said the Romanians returned fire. Two soldiers died later at a hospital and the third was transferred to Germany for treatment. An investigation is underway.

President Klaus Iohannis posthumously bestowed the Star of Romania award on the two soldiers for "manifesting dedication and courage ... and the spirit of sacrifice they proved during the mission in ... Afghanistan."
The Latest: Migrant killed in hit-and-run in Calais

MADRID (AP)  The Latest on Europe's response to mass migration (all times local):

6:55 p.m.

French officials say a migrant from Pakistan has been killed in a hit-and-run accident on a road leading to the port in Calais, the fourth migrant death in the area this year.

A woman hold a cooking pot as she prepares food near a makeshift fire in a railway repairs shed where people have set up their tents at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, on Monday, May 9, 2016. About 54,000 refugees and migrants are currently stranded in Greece as 10,000 are camped in Idomeni, after the European Union and Turkey reached a deal designed to stem the flow of refugees into Europes prosperous heartland. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The Pas de Calais Prefecture, the state authority in the northern France region, said the 24-year-old migrant was killed early Monday. Migrants told authorities that the migrant was struck by a car with a British license plate that fled the scene.

Migrants living in a nearby makeshift camp make nightly attempts to sneak to Britain, many moving onto the roadway to the ferry port in bids to sneak into freight trucks crossing the English Channel.

A 22-year-old Afghan was killed when hit by a truck on March 31. More than 20 migrants have died trying to reach Britain in less than a year.

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4:10 p.m.

A Finnish border official says authorities have broken up a ring of international human traffickers who allegedly smuggled migrants into the country at two Arctic border crossings with Russia.

1st Lt. Teemu Mantyniemi of the Finnish Border Guard says 16 people are suspected of organizing the transportation of at least 45 asylum-seekers from India to Finland via Russia in January and February. The 16 suspected smugglers are Swedish, Dutch, Indian and Pakistani. Police are holding 13 of the suspects.

Mantyniemi told The Associated Press on Monday that the smugglers charge migrants about 15,000 euros ($17,000) each for a journey from India.

Border guards investigated the smuggling ring with officials in several countries, including Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland and Russia.

More than 1,000 asylum-seekers arrived in Finland from Russia during January and February.

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1 p.m.

Germany's Interior Ministry says the country continues to see high numbers of asylum applications as migrants who arrived last year are processed, but the numbers of new arrivals are down significantly.

The ministry said Monday that 60,943 asylum applications were filed in April, up nearly 125 percent over the same month last year but only 1.6 percent higher than March.

Some 1.1 million migrants arrived last year and it often takes months before they can formally apply for asylum. The number granted asylum in April remained around 50 percent, with about 10 percent more being allowed to stay for other reasons.

Meanwhile, April saw some 16,000 new arrivals, down from around 21,000 in March, 61,000 in February and 92,000 in January. The largest groups came from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

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12:45 p.m.

Slovak officials say customs officers have opened fire at a car carrying migrants, injuring a woman.

Patricia Macikova, a spokeswoman for the Slovak Financial Administration, says the officials wanted to stop four suspicious cars coming from Hungary near Velky Meder shortly after midnight Monday. As one driver was trying to escape, Macikova says, an officer fired warning shots into the air before aiming at the car, injuring one migrant.

A 26-year-old Syrian woman was operated Monday morning in a hospital in nearby Dunajska Streda. Tomas Kral, a spokesman for a company that operates the clinic, said a projectile was removed from her back.

There was no immediate comment from police.

With border checks re-established on the Austrian-Hungarian border, the migrants could possibly go through Slovakia and the Czech Republic to get to Germany.

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11:10 a.m.

The maritime rescue service says it has picked up 44 sub-Saharan African migrants that set off in a boat from the west coast of Africa in a bid to reach Spain.

The service said the 42 men and two women were taken to the port of Arguineguin in Spain's Canary Islands late Sunday after being rescued off the Western Sahara coast, some 100 nautical miles (200 kilometers) south of the islands.

The service said Monday it began the search for the boat after receiving a warning call from a non-government organization. The migrants were said to be in good health.

Thousands of migrants try to reach Spain each year either by attempting perilous sea journeys from the western Africa or across the Mediterranean Sea.

A boy pushes a barrow with water at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, on Monday, May 9, 2016. About 54,000 refugees and migrants are currently stranded in Greece as 10,000 are camped in Idomeni, after the European Union and Turkey reached a deal designed to stem the flow of refugees into Europes prosperous heartland. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Spanish reporter freed from Syria is relieved and grateful

MADRID (AP)  One of the three Spanish freelance journalists released after nearly 10 months of captivity in Syria said Monday he feels like he is "walking on air" after being reunited with his family in Spain  a reunion made possible by help from Turkey and Qatar.

Angel Sastre told Onda Cero radio station he is grateful for the government's efforts to secure the men's release but gave no details about their captivity or how they came home.

The three went missing on July 12 near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria. They arrived in Madrid on Sunday on a Spanish military jet sent to Turkey to bring them back.

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Sunday, May 8, 2016, the three freed Spanish journalists Antonio Pampliega, background, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre, right, arrive at the Torrejon military airbase in Madrid, Spain. Three Spanish journalists who went missing while working in Syria in July were freed from captivity, the Spanish government said on Saturday. Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre disappeared near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria on July 12. (Pool Moncloa via AP)

The Spanish government has not disclosed any information about how it won the men's freedom. However, acting Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told Antena 3 radio Monday it was "a big relief" when officials discovered that the men had been taken by the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's branch in Syria, and not the Islamic State group which commonly kills captives.

"It gave us some degree of comfort, within the anxiety of having three countrymen abducted and with some dark times when we had no news," Garcia-Margallo said. "The intelligence service did a magnificent job."

Garcia-Margallo also thanked Turkey and Qatar for their help, but did not offer specifics.

Tanju Bilgic, spokesman for Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that the Turkish intelligence agency cooperated with its Spanish counterpart but said he wasn't authorized to provide operational details.

The only official word about Qatar's role came in a brief statement late Saturday night on the official Qatar News Agency saying that Spain's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ignacio Ybanez thanked Assistant Foreign Minister for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi for Qatar's efforts.

The Qatari government media office did not immediately respond to questions Monday about Qatar's role or whether any money was exchanged to secure the journalists' release.

Qatar in the past has helped facilitate the release of other captives held by Syrian rebels, including a group of Greek Orthodox nuns and American journalist Peter Theo Curtis held by the Nusra Front.

Former Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah told The Associated Press last August that talks to free those previous captives happened with the help of intermediaries in Syria.

Qatar is part of the U.S.-led coalition against IS and hosts U.S. warplanes and military commanders at its vast al-Udeid air base.

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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press writer Adam Schreck contributed to this report from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Dominique Soguel from Istanbul.

In this photo made available by Presidencia del Gobierno on Sunday, May 8, 2016, Spanish journalists Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre, front, arrive at the Torrejon military airbase in Madrid, Spain. Three Spanish journalists who went missing while working in Syria in July were freed from captivity, the Spanish government said on Saturday. Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre disappeared near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria on July 12. (Pool Moncloa via AP)
Austria's chancellor resigns, in Europe's shift to the right

VIENNA (AP)  Austria's chancellor abruptly resigned Monday, a high-profile victim of Europe's growing shift to the right, which threatens to push into obscurity some parties that have dominated post-World War II politics.

Werner Faymann cited lack of backing from his fellow Social Democrats as his reason for stepping down both as the nation's and his party's leader. "This country needs a chancellor who has the party's full support," he said in a statement.

Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, of coalition partner People's Party, was to take over until the government nominates a new candidate for presidential approval. The Social Democrats announced that a new party head would be chosen June 25.

FILE - In this May 1, 2016 file photo Austria's Chancellor and head of the Social Democrats, SPOE, Werner Faymann listens to a speech during the traditional May Day celebrations oin Vienna, Austria, Sunday, May 1, 2016. Faymann announced Monday, May 9, 2016 that he will step back from all his posts. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, file)

Pressure had been mounting on Faymann since his party's candidate was drubbed in the first round of presidential elections last month by a rival from the right-wing Euroskeptic Freedom Party.

But his resignation was unexpected, signaling not only disarray within the Social Democratic Party but also a shift in Austria's traditional political landscape.

In his more than seven years at the helm, the Social Democrats  who once commanded absolute majorities  have seen their popularity sink both in the 2013 national elections and in provincial votes.

The centrist People's Party  the other dominant post-World War II political force  saw a similar loss of support even before the migrant crisis hit full-force last year. In both cases, much of the backing for the traditional parties has shifted to the right-wing Freedom Party.

The Freedom Party's strongest card is strong anti-migrant sentiment within Austria. But it also has benefited from perceptions that the establishment parties are out of touch over other issues, including unemployment and terrorism.

Recent polls show support for the Freedom Party has surged to 32 percent, compared with just over 20 percent for the government coalition. Even before the migrant influx strengthened the right-wing opposition, decades of established party bickering over key issues  most recently tax, pension and education reform  has fed perceptions of political stagnation.

Reflecting Austria's political upheaval, Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer received 35 percent of the vote in the April 24 first round presidential vote to just over 10 percent each for the Social Democratic and People's Party hopefuls. Hofer is the favorite going into the May 22 runoff against a former leader of the Green party running as an independent.

The shift in favor of a vehemently Euroskeptic party is significant, as Austria has been traditionally in the pro-EU camp. For pro-European politicians, it's a worrying sign of what could happen in the country's next general election, which must be held within two years, and the latest indication of the strength of anti-EU parties in Europe.

In EU founding member France, Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front party won European Parliament elections two years ago, and a recent poll had 80 percent of respondents saying they think she'll make it to the second round of France's 2017 presidential election. In the Netherlands, a poll this year had anti-EU populist Geert Wilders' party leading in popularity.

Hungary and Poland are already governed by Euroskeptic parties, while the Czech president regularly criticizes the EU. In Scandinavia and Finland, populist parties advocating national interests over EU authority are either in power or strongly represented in parliament.

Germany's anti-EU AfD party, is in eight state parliaments, scoring in the double digits last month in three state parliament elections.

Political scientist Peter Filzmaier says the populist surge has paralleled growing disenchantment with the European Union and traces both back to the 2008 world financial crisis.

Since then, he says, "trust in EU institutions has crumbled, but trust in national governments is hardly better."

Faymann had hoped to stop the Freedom Party surge by swinging to end Austria's open-border policies for refugees earlier this year. But that only hurt him and his party. While many Social Democrats backed the move, others accused him of betraying their party's humanitarian principles.

Whistling and boos met him at his party's traditional May 1 event, drowning out the cheers of his backers. Many in the more than 10,000-strong crowd carried signs demanding he step down.

Faymann appeared unbowed, telling Austrians just last week to "continue reckoning with me." The abrupt change of mind appeared to reflect an acknowledgment that change at the top is needed.

"This government needs a new start," he said Monday.

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This story has been corrected to show that the first name of the political scientist is Peter, not Thomas.

FILE - In this May 1, 2016 file photo Austria's Chancellor and head of the Social Democrats, SPOE, Werner Faymann listens to a speech during the traditional May Day celebrations oin Vienna, Austria, Sunday, May 1, 2016. Faymann announced Monday, May 9, 2016 that he will step back from all his posts. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, file)
Actor Johnny Depp mocks his 'war on terrier' apology

LONDON (AP)  Actor Johnny Depp has mocked the video apology over the international dog smuggling scandal that ensued after he and his wife illegally brought their Yorkshire Terriers into Australia.

Depp and his wife, actor Amber Heard, avoided jail time in the so-called "war on terrier" incident with their wooden apology for bringing Pistol and Boo into Australia.

The actor, who was in London promoting the film "Alice Through the Looking Glass," deadpanned that he "would really like to apologize for not smuggling my dogs into England because it would've been a bad thing to do."

Actor Johnny Depp poses for photographers at the photo call of Alice Through The Looking Glass, at a central London hotel, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

The dog debacle ended with a decidedly low-budget video in which Depp and Heard sit stone-faced in front of the camera, delivering stilted lines about the importance of protecting Australia's biodiversity.

Actor Johnny Depp poses for photographers at the photo call of Alice Through The Looking Glass, at a central London hotel, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

Actors Johnny Depp, left, Mia Wasikowska, and Sacha Baron Cohen pose for photographers at the photo call of Alice Through The Looking Glass, at a central London hotel, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

Actors Johnny Depp, left, and Mia Wasikowska, pose for photographers at the photo call of Alice Through The Looking Glass, at a central London hotel, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

Actor Johnny Depp poses for photographers at the photo call of Alice Through The Looking Glass, at a central London hotel, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)

Executive producer Tim Burton, from left to right, producer Suzanne Todd, actors Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, and Sacha Baron Cohen alongside director James Bobin, pose for photographers at the photo call of Alice Through The Looking Glass, at a central London hotel, Sunday, May 8, 2016. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
Swedish deputy premier resigns amid Green Party crisis

STOCKHOLM (AP)  Sweden's environment minister and deputy prime minister says she will step down from the government after being ousted as co-leader of the crisis-ridden Green Party.

Asa Romson told Swedish news agency TT on Monday she will resign after the environmental group's party congress this week.

Earlier Monday, the Greens announced that they want aid minister Isabella Lovin to replace Romson as one of the party's two leaders at the party congress beginning Thursday.

Joint head of Sweden's Green Party Deputy Prime Minister and Environment Minister Asa Romson smiles during an interview in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday May 9, 2016. Romson says she will step down from the government after being ousted as co-leader of the crisis-ridden Green Party. (Maja Suslin /TT via AP) SWEDEN OUT

Education Minister Gustav Fridolin would remain as the party's other leader.

The move comes as the party grapples with allegations that it has been infiltrated by Islamists. The crisis started three weeks when another Green Party member, Mehmet Kaplan, resigned as Housing Minister after Swedish media reported on alleged links to extremists in his native Turkey.

Swedish Education Minister Gustav Fridolin and Aid Minister Isabella Lovin, both of the Green Party speak during a presser at the Green Party headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday May 9, 2016. Sweden's environment minister and deputy prime minister Asa Romson says she will step down from the government after being ousted as co-leader of the crisis-ridden Green Party. Earlier Monday, the Greens announced that they want aid minister Isabella Lovin to replace Romson as one of the party's two leaders at the party congress beginning Thursday. (Jessica Gow / TT via AP) SWEDEN OUT
PICTURED: In Greece, refugee families living life in limbo

IDOMENI, Greece (AP)  At Greece's blockaded border with Macedonia, 10,000 people who arrived hoping to start new lives farther west and north in Europe are settling instead into lives in limbo, sleeping in tents in mud and rain as they wait to find out what happens next.

They fled war and poverty in places like Syria and Iraq, took dangerous boat trips across the Mediterranean from Turkey to Greece, and made it as far as the border before being stopped by a razor-wire fence that critics of European Union policy call the continent's new Iron Curtain.

The policy is meant to stop a repeat of 2015, when a million people traveled across the Mediterranean in dinghies and small boats and walked into Europe, then made their way to countries like Germany and Sweden, mostly unimpeded.

Yesa, 6, from Syria, holds his kite that he made with a the sticks of a broken tent as he poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. At Greeces blockaded border with Macedonia, 10,000 people who arrived hoping to start new lives farther west and north in Europe are settling instead into lives in limbo, sleeping in tents in mud and rain as they wait to find out what happens next. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The new rules are supposed to keep refugees in Turkey until those considered to have legitimate asylum claims can be resettled in Europe in an orderly fashion. In the six weeks since it took effect, 50,000 people who were already in Greece have been trapped there. Most stay at camps built by the army at some two dozen sites around the country, where the news media has little access.

Those at Idomeni, once a little-known Greek village of 120 permanent residents, have defied government instructions to leave.

If they do, most argue, the world will forget them. Here are some portraits of people stuck at the border by Associated Press photographer Gregorio Borgia.

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See the latest AP photo galleries: http://apne.ws/TXeCBN

From left, Rashid Hassan, Waida Hassan, Evin Bilel, Neda Bilel, Hamud Hawar and Mohammed Arous, all from Syria, pose for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Musab Lalo, from Syria, holds a tea boiler, that he use to sell tea, poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. Many thousands of migrants remain at the Greek border with Macedonia, hoping that the border crossing will reopen, allowing them to move north into central Europe. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

From left, Hames Juma, Mustafa Juma, Fidam Mamu and Susan Ali, all from Syria, pose for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Syrian Ziad Alli poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Syrians Murdin Mamou, left, and Mohammed Juma pose for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. At Greeces blockaded border with Macedonia, 10,000 people who arrived hoping to start new lives farther west and north in Europe are settling instead into lives in limbo, sleeping in tents in mud and rain as they wait to find out what happens next. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Kawa Simo from Kurdistan, poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Rostani, 10, from Afghanistan, wears rain jacket and trousers as he poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. At Greeces blockaded border with Macedonia, 10,000 people who arrived hoping to start new lives farther west and north in Europe are settling instead into lives in limbo, sleeping in tents in mud and rain as they wait to find out what happens next. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Syrians Mohammed Nur Sermini, left, and Mohammed Samir the pose for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Adid Al Barum, right, holds the hand of his 4 year-old daughter Ala, as they pose for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Syria's Mariam Shaudi, holds her 4 month baby, Aia, as she poses for a portrait together with her 5 year-old son Ali, on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Lamal Alil, 3 years-old, from Syria, poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Syrian Magdolin Hameidi, left, poses for a portrait with her friend Juanin Ala, and her daughter Jana, 5 year-old, on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. At Greeces blockaded border with Macedonia, 10,000 people who arrived hoping to start new lives farther west and north in Europe are settling instead into lives in limbo, sleeping in tents in mud and rain as they wait to find out what happens next. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Diliber Kelesh from Syria, holds her 6 month-old baby Kamira as she poses for a portrait on the tracks of a rail way station which was turned into a makeshift camp crowded by migrants and refugees at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, Tuesday, May 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Civil trial over Colorado theater shooting security begins

DENVER (AP)  Nine months after the Colorado theater shooter was sentenced to life in prison, some victims are returning to the same courtroom in hopes of holding the company that owns the suburban Denver movie theater accountable for not doing more to prevent his bloody rampage.

In a civil trial starting Monday in state court, 28 victims' families say Century Theaters should have had armed guards at the packed opening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" and alarms that would have sounded when James Holmes slipped into the darkened auditorium through an emergency exit and opened fire, killing 12. Jurors will be asked determine if, in an age of mass shootings, the theater should have foreseen the possibility of an attack.

The families will argue Cinemark knew the midnight blockbuster would attract at least 1,000 people and should have had guards patrolling the parking lot, where they might have seen Holmes suiting up in head-to-toe body armor in his car. The lawsuit says theater employees failed to check doors, lacked closed-circuit television cameras that would have allowed them to spot trouble and did not intervene as victims lay wounded and dying in the aisles.

FILE - In this Friday, July 20, 2012 file photo, an overhead view from a neighboring rooftop gives a view of activities at the Century 16 theatre east of the Aurora Mall in Aurora, Colo. The theatre was the scene of a calculated ambush in which 12 people died and 70 people were injured in a bloody assault during a midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight." In a civil trial starting Monday, May 9, 2016, 28 victims' families will argue that Century Theatres should be held accountable for not doing more to prevent the bloody rampage. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

Theaters across the country had extra security for the July 20, 2012, premiere, and the Century 16 theater in Aurora typically had guards Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, said New York attorney Marc Bern, who is representing 27 of the families. The premiere fell on a Thursday.

"We believe if these precautions had been in place, the shooting would have been deterred and prevented," he said.

Century's attorney, Kevin Taylor, declined to comment Friday. But the company has said in court documents that it could not have foreseen the attack.

The trial is the first to come from several civil lawsuits stemming from the attack, in which Holmes was also convicted of hurting 70 people. At least 40 other victims have signed onto a similar suit against Cinemark that's slated for trial in federal court in July. Another lawsuit accusing University of Colorado officials and Holmes' psychiatrist of not doing enough to prevent the attack is on hold pending the other suits.

Prosecutors sought the death penalty against Holmes, who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. After an emotionally grueling four-month trial, Holmes was convicted of 165 counts and sentenced in August to life in prison without parole because jurors failed to unanimously agree that he should die for his crimes.

In the civil case, plaintiff's attorneys twice scheduled depositions of Holmes, hoping to interview him about his plans for the shooting and why he targeted the theater. But the depositions were canceled because Holmes was transferred to different prisons, first to another location within Colorado and then to an out-of-state prison that officials have repeatedly refused to reveal.

Without Holmes' testimony, attorneys will rely on the spiral notebook in which he detailed elaborate plans for the killings, including lists of weapons to buy and diagrams showing which auditoriums in the theater complex would allow for the most casualties. Holmes marked exit doors, evaluated his own visibility and even located the best parking spots and determined how quickly police would arrive.

"He scoped out the theater and took photos on at least three occasions," Bern said. "He picked this location because of lack of security."

Holmes entered the theater and sat in the front by himself. About 15 minutes into the film, he left through an emergency exit that he had propped open using tablecloth clips. Holmes soon re-entered, stood before the crowd of more than 400, threw gas canisters and opened fire with a shotgun, assault rifle and semi-automatic pistol.

The extent of the victims' wounds could be front-and-center as jurors try to determine whether the theater is liable, said Denver attorney Scott Robinson, who has handled personal injury cases but is not involved in the case against Century. That the lawsuit made it to trial means the case has already overcome some major hurdles, he said.

"There's certainly some arguable negligence on the part of the theater chain," Robinson said. "The real issue is, was this foreseeable?"

FILE - In this Friday, July 20, 2012 file photo, the neon sign over the Century 16 theatre burns bright in the night east of the Aurora Mall in Aurora, Colo. The theatre was the scene of a bloody rampage in which 12 people died and 70 were injured during a bloody assault at the July 20, 2012 midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight." On Monday, May 9, 28 victims' families will argue that Century Theatres should be held accountable for not doing more to prevent the slaughter in its property. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)
Review: In 'LaRose,' Louise Erdrich looks at atonement

"LaRose" (Harper), by Louise Erdrich

An accidental fatal shooting of a 5-year-old boy near the boundary of an Indian reservation in North Dakota opens Louise Erdrich's new novel, detonating a story of revenge, sacrifice and restitution.

While stalking a buck, Landreaux Iron, an Ojibwe man, shoots and kills his neighbors' son in a moment of inattention. Landreaux, a recovering alcoholic, turns to both tribal traditions and the Catholic faith to hold back a devastating shame that now threatens his stability. He can't rewind time, but he makes an agonizing attempt at amends by giving the dead boy's parents his own 5-year-old son, LaRose.

The third novel in a trilogy, "LaRose" resumes an exploration of the blurred bloodlines of people living in and around Ojibwe tribal land and the nearby fictional town of Pluto. Characters return from Erdrich's "The Plague of Doves" and "The Round House," including the war-scarred Father Travis, who in his reservation work "had seen how some people would try their best but the worst would still happen."

Dealing with such unfairness has been the trilogy's theme. "The Plague of Doves" examined the long shadow of past injustices. "The Round House" uncovered the tricky nature of revenge. In "LaRose," Erdrich shows how difficult it can be to atone.

Erdrich's characters have interwoven family trees. Emmaline, Landreaux's wife, is half-sister to Nola, the mother of the dead boy, Dusty. Emmaline is a member of the tribe; Nola is not. Emmaline agrees to the unusual substitution of LaRose for Dusty, hoping it will save both families from succumbing to grief. She and Landreaux know there is something special about their son that will allow him to live in both worlds.

Generations of family healers have shared the name LaRose, and the 5-year-old boy, an adorable charmer, can see beyond death and move across invisible bridges in time. Nola, for her part, finds comfort in LaRose, at first because she knows how much it hurts Emmaline and Landreaux to give him up. But when she finds him playing alone with his action figures, talking to her dead son as if he were playing alongside, Nola begins to see beyond death, too.

Set during the run-up to the Iraq War, the book investigates substitutions, grudges and missteps  sometimes with humor. A character named Romeo nurses a Shakespearean resentment toward Landreaux because of an incident during their childhoods. Romeo keeps track of the news on CNN  "Bush reminded him of all the things he hated worst about himself"  but the march toward war on TV does little to teach him about avoiding his own revenge-driven morass.

A laugh-out-loud scene involves Romeo stealing prescription drugs from the lewd-talking tribal women he visits at the Elders Lodge. They are onto him and exact their own revenge. Romeo mostly provides comic relief, but his story line grows in importance as the book's climax approaches. It's a satisfying ending, while also suggesting Erdrich may return to these characters again.
Israel defends program to bring in Jordanian hotel workers

JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel on Monday defended a program that brings Jordanian day workers into its tourism industry against criticism in Jordan from those who oppose normalizing ties with the Jewish State.

The Tourism Ministry called the program, which has allowed hundreds of Jordanians to work in hotels in the southern city of Eilat, a "win-win situation" for Jordanians seeking employment and for Israeli hoteliers with a shortage of employees. The ministry said the Jordanians enjoy the same employment and social benefits as their Israeli counterparts.

Besides the economic benefit, the project was being touted in Israel as a sign of warming ties with one of only two Arab nations to have made peace with Israel. But Jordanians opposed to normalization of relations have lashed out at the arrangement in the press and floated conspiracy theories online about the workers being recruited by Israel's Mossad spy agency.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace accord in 1994 and have close security cooperation. But many Jordanians still oppose normal ties with Israel and are angered by its policies toward the Palestinians. A large percentage of Jordanians are of Palestinian descent and reject Israel's occupation of the West Bank, which it captured from Jordan in the 1967 war.

Israel's government approved the tourism project in 2014, allowing up to 1,500 Jordanians to enter Israel to work in cleaning, dishwashing and room service in the Eilat hotels. The workers from neighboring Aqaba return home at the end of the work day through the Arava border crossing.
Puerto Rico's economic crisis: How it happened, what's next

WASHINGTON (AP)  One bond payment missed, another looms for debt-ridden Puerto Rico as Congress fights over how to help the U.S. territory and its 3.5 million Americans.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew traveled to the island on Monday to highlight the impact of the financial crisis and increase the pressure on lawmakers to act.

The territory missed a nearly $370 million bond payment last week, the largest in a series of missed payments since last year. Puerto Rico has payments totaling nearly $2 billion due on July 1, including about $700 million in general obligation bonds that are supposed to be guaranteed under the island's constitution.

FILE - In this March 22, 2016 file photo, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington. One bond payment missed, another looms for debt-ridden Puerto Rico as Congress fights over how to help the U.S. territory and its 3.5 million Americans. Lew traveled to the island on Monday, May 9, 2016, to highlight the impact of the financial crisis and increase the pressure on lawmakers to act. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Further complicating lawmakers' efforts to steer the U.S. territory away from economic collapse are ads airing nationwide that claim the legislation amounts to a financial bailout, even though the bill has no direct financial aid.

Some House conservatives have latched onto that argument, making it difficult for Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to garner enough support for the bill. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, R-Utah, says he is reworking the bill, and a new version would come this week.

The AP explains Puerto Rico's debt crisis, what's happening in Congress and the outside forces.

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PUERTO RICO'S IN BAD SHAPE

Puerto Rico's government is running out of money. Agricultural revenue has diminished and federal tax incentives that lured manufacturers were phased out by Congress a decade ago.

The territory's financial problems grew worse as a result of setbacks in the wider U.S. economy, and government spending in Puerto Rico continued unchecked. Borrowing covered increasing deficits and bonds were sold on special terms. More than 200,000 people have left Puerto Rico in the past five years, reducing the island's tax base.

Those left behind have struggled with higher taxes and utility bills that have forced businesses to close or lay off workers. Foreclosures are skyrocketing and the island's unemployment rate of 12 percent is the highest compared with any U.S. state.

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IT'S ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION

Ryan is lobbying his House Republican caucus to support the legislation, which would create a control board to help manage the island's $70 billion debt and to oversee some debt restructuring. Ryan says Congress is staunchly opposed to a bailout, but the U.S. could ultimately be responsible if Congress doesn't act soon to prevent collapse.

Some lawmakers are claiming the opposite.

"This could be a first step toward a bailout," said Louisiana Rep. John Fleming, a GOP member of the House Natural Resources Committee, which will have to approve the bill before it moves to the floor.

Creditors who are owed money are spending millions to lobby on the bill and have hired former lawmakers to push their case. In some cases they are battling each other.

Former Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., represents a group that hold bonds that are backed by a portion of the territory's sales tax, and he has been asking lawmakers to support the House bill. Those bondholders stand to benefit if the territory's economy  and sales  thrive because of restructuring. Gregg says the bill "treats creditors fairly and does not use taxpayer dollars."

Former Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., represents a group of general obligation bondholders opposed to the bill. In an email to former colleagues obtained by The Associated Press, Mack wrote: "The legislation is pure and simple a BAILOUT on the backs of taxpayers, retirees and savers ... Some in leadership have decided to try and pull the wool over the House GOP Conference's eyes."

Bishop, the Utah lawmaker supporting the measure to help Puerto Rico, says "the goal is to make sure that everyone is paid, and not just a few people are paid."

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ADS CREATE ANGST

Some of the ads run by the Center for Individual Freedom have specifically targeted Bishop and Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, the bill's sponsor. New ads that started Friday feature a Puerto Rican bondholder named Theresa who says she will lose her life savings if the House bill becomes law.

The group is organized as a politically active nonprofit that doesn't have to disclose its donors.

As of last week, the group had spent an estimated $1.9 million so far this month, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG.

The Alexandria, Virginia-based group was founded in the late 1990s by tobacco industry leaders seeking to fight government restrictions on smoking. In the years since, it has evolved to aid Republican politicians and take up conservative causes such as balancing the federal budget and fighting donor disclosure laws at the state level.

The group's chairman is Tony Fabrizio, a longtime, well-known Republican pollster and strategist.

Bishop says he thinks most of his colleagues won't be convinced by the ads. "The ads are so over the top that it's hard for people to believe them," he said.

Bishop canceled a scheduled April 14 session to finalize the bill after Fleming and others made it clear they wouldn't support the legislation and the ads from the Center for Individual Freedom raised doubts within the caucus. While some Republicans are on board, others said they were wary it could set a precedent for financially strapped states.

Bishop has also continued negotiations with Democrats, Puerto Rican officials and the Obama administration.

In the Senate, Republicans say they are waiting to see what happens in the House.

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The Latest: Rubio says he's not interested in VP run

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the 2016 presidential race (all times Eastern Daylight Time):

5:30 p.m.

Marco Rubio is making it abundantly clear that he's not at all interested in being Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to parents of young children at Mug'N Muffin in Stone Ridge, Va., Monday, May 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

In a Facebook post Monday, Rubio writes, "I have never sought, will not seek and do not want to be considered for Vice President."

Rubio, who bowed out the presidential race on March 15 after being routed by Donald Trump in the Florida primary, says he's focused on his job in the Senate.

Rubio says Trump "will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign."

He adds, "While Republican voters have chosen Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee, my previously stated reservations about his campaign and concerns with many of his policies remain unchanged."

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5:07 p.m.

Sen. Ted Cruz may have shut down his presidential bid, but a top adviser still hopes to push his conservative agenda at the Republican national convention  perhaps over bathroom use by transgender people.

In an email to convention delegates backing the Texas GOP senator, Cruz adviser Ken Cuccinelli says those at the July gathering in Cleveland will have a chance "to strengthen and protect the conservative elements" of the party's platform  a statement of the party's policy goals that does not bind the presidential nominee.

The 2,472 GOP delegates will have final say on the party's rules and platform at the convention. Billionaire Donald Trump is the GOP's presumptive nominee.

Cuccinelli said in the interview that he expected a push for a statement in the platform effectively saying: "Boys should only be allowed to go in the boys' bathroom, and girls should only be allowed to go in the girls' bathroom."

The federal Justice Department sued North Carolina on Monday over the state's law requiring transgender people to use the restroom of the gender on their birth certificate.

The email, which invited Cruz backers to join a Monday night conference call on the subject, was first reported by The New York Times.

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4:46 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is refusing to respond to Donald Trump's recent comments that she was an "enabler" of Bill Clinton's marital infidelities during his political career.

Clinton tells reporters following an event in a politically critical Virginia suburb that she has "nothing to say" about the Republican front-runner "and how he's running his campaign."

Trump said during the weekend that the Democratic presidential candidate was "married to a man who was the worst abuser of women in the history of politics." He also called Hillary Clinton a "total enabler."

The former secretary of state tells reporters that she's answering Trump "on what I think voters care about," including on differences "between our records, our experience, what we want to do for our country." Clinton spoke to reporters after holding a discussion with voters in Virginia's Loudoun County about work and family issues.

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4:00 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is focusing on so-called "work-life balance" issues as she campaigns in northern Virginia today.

She's targeting white women  a demographic group that President Barack Obama lost  in her early effort to defeat GOP front-runner Donald Trump. Her campaign believes women, particularly those in battleground states, will be turned off by his history of sexist statements.

Clinton is highlighting her support for increased family leave and equal pay at an event with parents in a coffee shop in suburban Loudoun County, Va.  a battleground county outside Washington where the votes of affluent women are critical.

"We need to really start looking at these programs from the lens of what life is like today and not what it was like 50 years ago," she says.

Clinton says the problems facing families today are "just harder" than the ones she dealt with as a young lawyer in Arkansas trying to raise her daughter, Chelsea.

"Costs are greater, everything from commuting time to feeling like if you take that vacation day, you are going to be viewed as slacking off," she says.

___

1:08 p.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says he'd step down as co-chairman of the Republican National Convention if presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump asked him to.

Ryan adds that a third-party or independent run for president by conservatives upset with Donald Trump "would be a disaster for our party."

Ryan made the comments Monday in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ryan's comments come after he said last week that he was not yet ready to endorse Trump, but he hoped to be able to later. The two are scheduled to meet later this week.

Ryan also is dismissing claims from Sarah Palin that he is considering a run for president in 2020. Ryan says "I would not have become speaker of the House if I had 2020 aspirations. If I really wanted to run for president, I could have run in 2012 and 2016. The speaker is not exactly a good stepping stone for president.

___

11:30 a.m.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania is hedging his bets on backing his party's nominee for president now that it's apparent it'll be Donald Trump.

Toomey wrote in a Sunday op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer that he's "inclined to support the nominee" of his party but said that his differences with Trump could become "so great as to be irreconcilable."

Toomey was narrowly elected in the GOP's 2010 midterm landslide but is now running in a presidential election year in a state that Democrats have carried since 1992. Electoral pundits say his race is a toss-up.

Earlier, Toomey had said he would support the GOP standard-bearer, but that was before Trump became the presumptive nominee.

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11:20 a.m.

Bernie Sanders is slamming Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and billionaire investor Carl Icahn in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He's telling supporters the duo's "greed and recklessness" have hurt the city's struggling gaming industry.

The Democratic presidential candidate cites Trump's stance on the minimum wage and his provocative statements about Latinos and Muslims.

Icahn is the owner of Atlantic City's Tropicana and Taj Mahal casinos and an early supporter of Trump. Sanders accuses him of seeking to destroy the pensions and health benefits of workers.

Sanders says "greed is not acceptable" and if he's elected president he will "take these people on."

___

11:10 a.m.

Donald Trump is tapping New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to lead the transition team that will usher in a Trump administration if he wins the White House.

It's a plum post for the governor who endorsed Trump back in February, when his success in the primaries was far from assured.

Christie's own Republican presidential race failed, and he earned derision back in New Jersey for backing Trump. But since then Trump has driven all remaining competitors out of the nomination contest.

Since that happened last week, Trump's team has been playing catch-up as it works to prepare for the general election, quickly adding staff, building a finance operation and reaching out to Republican leaders.

Christie has been a key adviser behind the scenes.

Trump says in a statement that Christie is "an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled transition team."

___

10:30 a.m.

Bernie Sanders is imploring supporters in New Jersey to keep fighting despite his long odds. He says "Don't let anybody tell you this campaign is over."

Sanders trails Hillary Clinton by nearly 300 delegates won in primaries and caucuses, but vows to press on into the Democratic convention.

He told an Atlantic City rally he hopes for wins in New Jersey, California and other states on June 7 to narrow the gap against Clinton.

If he can win a majority of the delegates from the primary season, he says, he can come out of the convention with the nomination.

But Sanders would have to win 66 percent of the remaining pledged delegates. So far, he is winning just 45 percent. And he trails even more when the party insiders known as superdelegates are included.

___

9 a.m.

Sarah Palin isn't taking kindly to House Speaker Paul Ryan's decision to hold off on a Donald Trump endorsement. She's declared that Ryan's "political career is over, but for a miracle," and says she'll work for his defeat in the August Wisconsin GOP primary.

Palin was the vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket in 2008 and now is a prominent Trump supporter. On Monday, Trump declined to echo Palin's harsh words about the speaker from a day earlier, saying, "Sarah is very much a free agent."

The presumptive presidential nominee drove his remaining rivals out of the race but is struggling to close the deal with party insiders like Ryan.

The two are expected to meet this week.

FILE - Republican Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sits in the front row with his wife Heidi, before speaking at a town hall event at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. The former presidential candidate and his wife attended the Kentucky Derby horse race on Saturday, May 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2016, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined on stage by former Republican vice presidential candidate, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin during a campaign event, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Palin said Sunday, May 8, 2016, that House Speaker Paul Ryan's statement that he isn't ready to embrace Trump "was not a wise decision of his." (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
Finnish officials halt human smuggling at Arctic border

HELSINKI (AP)  Border officials have broken up a ring of international human traffickers who allegedly smuggled migrants into the country from Russia across the European Union's two northernmost border points in Arctic Finland, a Finnish Border Guard investigator said Monday.

1st Lt. Teemu Mantyniemi said 16 people are suspected of organizing the transportation of at least 45 asylum-seekers from India to Finland via Russia in January and February. The 16 suspected smugglers are Swedish, Dutch, Indian and Pakistani. Police are holding 13 of the suspects, while three  who live permanently in Finland  were released as "their role was considered too minor," he said.

Mantyniemi, who headed the investigation, told The Associated Press that the smugglers charged migrants about 15,000 euros ($17,000) each for a journey from India.

FIL:E - This is a January 20, 2016 file photo of unidentified migrants as they wait onward transportation at the border crossing station in Salla, Northern Finland, after crossing the border from Russia to Finland. Finnish border officials have broken up a ring of international human traffickers who allegedly smuggled migrants into the country from Russia across the European Unions two northernmost border points in Arctic Finland, a Finnish Border Guard investigator said Monday May 9, 2016. (Kaisa Siren/Lehtikuva, File via AP) FINLAND OUT

He said they got onto the trail of the ring on January 29 when border guard officials arrested an Indian citizen, who lives in Italy, at Helsinki International Airport on suspicion of human smuggling. Within two months, with help from border and police officials in several countries, including Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland and Russia, they had arrested 16 people.

Mantyniemi said the sudden surge of asylum-seekers "came as a total surprise" at the two Arctic border crossings, where more than 1,000 people applied for asylum during the first two months of the year  up from less than 700 for the whole of 2015.

"Apparently the smugglers tried the same thing in Norway but when that Arctic border crossing there with Russia was closed, they searched for new routes," he said. "Now there's no one coming across at the Arctic border crossings."

On March 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a meeting with Finnish officials to tighten controls at the joint Arctic border for a six-month period, after officials expressed fears that the surge of arrivals had opened a new major entry point into Europe for migrants.
Fatal police shooting in Mississippi under investigation

ST. MARTIN, Miss. (AP)  Authorities in Mississippi say one person is dead following a shooting involving a law enforcement officer.

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell said the shooting occurred Monday morning at the Ramada Inn in St. Martin.

Ezell said in a statement that a deputy responded to the hotel after a clerk said there was possible drug activity in one of the guest rooms. When the deputy made contact with a suspect, Ezell says the suspect became aggressive and combative.

Another deputy arrived to help subdue the suspect but the fight escalated until one of the deputies shot the suspect, the sheriff said.

The names of the deputies involved and the shooting victim have not been released. Ezell said both deputies have been placed on administrative leave until further notice.

Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain told The Associated Press by email that the sheriff has asked the agency to handle the investigation.

Ezell said MBI and the District Attorney's Office will present their findings to a grand jury.

Strain said state crime scene technicians are on the scene collecting evidence.
In a France darkened by fear, Cannes hopes to supply light

NEW YORK (AP)  The first time Jodie Foster came to the Cannes Film Festival, she did so as a co-star in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver," and as a wide-eyed 13-year-old, soaking in the spectacle. "Taxi Driver" would go on to win the festival's prestigious Palme d'Or.

"It was kind of like Mr. Toad's wild ride. It was very surreal," says Foster, who returns this year with her hostage thriller "Money Monster." ''I remember the red-carpeted steps. I remember all the naked ladies on the beach with their breasts out. I remember an amazing dinner up in the mountains there with (Bernardo) Bertolucci and Gerard Depardieu. It's a great place for this very exotic, spontaneous slumber party."

The Cote d'Azur extravaganza of cinema and celebrity, which kicks off Wednesday, can be an eye-opening "slumber party" for newcomers and veterans alike. As the world's pre-eminent film festival, it's a seaside treasure trove of cinematic splendor  a chic French Riviera oasis that for a week and a half gathers a significant portion of the movies' most revered filmmakers, biggest stars and striving dealmakers.

In this image released by Disney, Ruby Barnhill portrays Sophie in a scene from "The BFG," opening nationwide on July 1. (Doane Gregory/Disney via AP)

But for all its elevated regard, Cannes  first begun as a kind of United Nations for film in the wake of World War II  is also tethered to world events. This year's festival, the 69th edition, comes six months after the November terror attacks in central Paris that killed 130. France remains in a state of emergency.

Last month, police staged a security exercise in which gunmen stormed the festival's Palais, the hallowed heart of Cannes. The images from the drill sent shivers through cinephiles accustomed to seeing stars regally ascend the palace steps, not masked men. Festival president Pierre Lescure has said that this year "the maximum" has been done to balance security and ensure "that the festival remains a place of freedom."

Though this year's program is, as always, full of socially minded films, it opens on a light note with Woody Allen's latest, "Cafe Society," a comedy about 1930s Hollywood. Also providing welcome escapism will be the upcoming Ryan Gosling-Russell Crowe comedy "The Nice Guys" and Steven Spielberg's Roald Dahl adaptation "The BFG," starring Mark Rylance as the tale's friendly giant.

The famed, 56-year-old stage actor will make his first trip to Cannes at a much different station in life than Foster did.

"I've always noted it on some of my favorite films, like 'Rashomon,' on the little DVD box," says Rylance, referring to the festival's golden palm logo. "The things that interest me out of the festival are not so much these big films that go there now. But they've often been the first sighting of someone like a Kurosawa or many, many others who have emerged from the obscurity into the light, so to speak."

This year, new voices will have to be loud enough to rise above a battery of international heavyweights. Cannes' main slate of "in competition" films vying for the Palme includes Asghar Farhadi ("The Salesman"), Ken Loach ("I, Daniel Blake"), Olivier Assayas ("Personal Shopper"), Pedro Almodovar ("Julieta"), Park Chan-Wook ("The Handmaiden") and Jim Jarmusch ("Patterson"), who'll also debut his documentary on Iggy Pop and the Stooges, "Gimme Danger."

George Miller, whose "Mad Max: Fury Road" played at the festival last year, will lead the jury that chooses the Palme winner.

But there's younger blood, too, including Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan and Jeff Nichols, both of whom have had films in competition before. Possible Oscar contenders often announce themselves at Cannes, where films from "Pulp Fiction" to "The Artist" have debuted. This year, Nichols' "Loving," slated for release in November, may be the most likely future awards season contender.

Nichols, the 37-year-old Arkansas native whose films include "Mud" and "Midnight Special," says his film is his most mature yet. It's about Mildred and Richard Loving, who were sentenced to prison for their interracial marriage in 1950s Virginia.

"It's an important film and I don't say that lightly. I don't think movies are very important a lot of the time," says Nichols. "I felt in control of the process so much. We just had this control. It feels like the steadiest hand of a movie."

Just how much Cannes, rigid in its formal traditions and red-carpet protocol, will bend to the times is one of this year's biggest questions. It has drawn annual criticism for failing to celebrate female filmmakers more fully. This year, the 21 films in competition include three directed by women. That's a very slight increase from two last year. (The festival overall has a better percentage of female filmmakers, including "Citizenfour" director Laura Poitras. She will premiere "Risk," her Julian Assange documentary.)

Change is elsewhere, too. Amazon Studios, in just its second year of original movie releases, has five films at the festival, including those by Allen, Jarmusch and Nicholas Winding Refn. Refn returns to Cannes with "Neon Demon," starring Elle Fanning as an aspiring Los Angeles model, three years after his "Only God Forgives" was met harshly with boos.

He, like many others, will be seeking rebirth at this year's Cannes.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

FILE - In this March 2, 2016 file photo, Jim Jarmusch attends the opening night of the Metrograph movie theater in New York. Jarmusch directs the upcoming film, "Paterson," starring Adam Driver. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)

This image released by Focus Features shows, Ruth Negga, left, and Joel Edgerton in a scene from "Loving." (Ben Rothstein/Focus Features via AP)
Effort to impeach Brazil's president thrown into chaos

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  The impeachment process against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was thrown into chaos Monday as the acting speaker of the lower Chamber of Deputies annulled a majority vote by his own colleagues that favored ousting the embattled leader.

The surprise move by acting Speaker Waldir Maranhao touched off a firestorm of debate over the move's legality and its possible implications, a standoff that will likely have to be solved by the country's supreme court.

The Senate had been expected to decide Wednesday whether to accept the impeachment case against Rousseff and put her on trial for allegedly breaking fiscal rules in her management of the national budget. If a simple majority of senators decides in favor, Rousseff will be suspended and Vice President Michel Temer will take over until a trial is conducted.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff's cheek is covered with a kiss, given to her as she entered an event where she announced the opening of new federal universities at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 9, 2016. The acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress on Monday annulled last month's vote on impeachment, delaying and complicating the process that was widely expected to see Rousseff suspended later this week. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Senate Head Renan Calheiros told colleagues he intended to ignore Maranhao's decision and move forward with the proceedings as scheduled. He slammed the speaker's action as "toying with democracy."

Whether the Senate would be able to go forward was unclear, since both the government and opposition were likely to appeal Maranhao's decision. At the very least, the impeachment process could be pushed back a few days.

Under the terms of Maranhao's decision, the lower Chamber of Deputies would have five sessions to hold another vote on whether to send the impeachment process against Rousseff to the Senate.

The lower house overwhelmingly voted to move forward with the process last month and it is those April 15-17 sessions that were annulled by Maranhao, who opposed impeachment.

Speaking late Monday, Maranhao said the vote was riddled with irregularities, and included a violation of rules, such as party leaders telling members how to vote.

"We are not, nor will we ever be, joking around with how we make democracy," he said.

Rousseff is battling impeachment over allegations that her government violated fiscal rules, in what critics say was a bid to artificially bolster the country's flagging economy. Rousseff has said that prior presidents used such fiscal maneuvers and that the impeachment effort amounts to a "coup" aimed at removing her and her left-leaning Workers' Party, which has governed the country for 13 years.

Rousseff reacted cautiously to Maranhao's announcement, suggesting it wasn't entirely clear what was happening.

"We have a difficult fight ahead of us," she said at an event about education. She also called for caution, saying that "we live in a time of cunning and wile."

Maranhao took over the reins in the Chamber of Deputies after former Speaker Eduardo Cunha, who was the driving force behind the impeachment effort, was suspended over corruption and obstruction of justice allegations against him.

In a statement, Cunha said Maranhao's action were "absurd, irresponsible and against the rules." He also lashed out at news reports suggesting that he might have helped orchestrate the decision behind the scenes in a bid to reassert control over the impeachment process.

Opposition congressman Pauderney Avelino held the view of many government detractors, saying the impeachment process was out of the lower house's control. "The process in the Chamber is done with," Avelino said.

The head of the Brazilian Order of Attorneys, Claudio Lamachia, said the organization "regards the decision with extreme worry."

"This sort of action responds to the momentary interests of certain political groups but ignores legitimate decisions that have already been made," Lamachia said in a statement.

The Eurasia Group, a U.S.-based political and economic risk consultancy, said in a statement: "The decision certainly took most observers by surprise, but we think it very unlikely to hold."

"But one way or another, the Supreme Court will most likely have to weigh in," it said.

The impeachment proceedings come as Brazil is grappling with the biggest recession in decades, a corruption probe that has ensnared top politicians and prominent businessmen and also an outbreak of the Zika virus. The country's showcase city, Rio de Janeiro, is gearing up to host the Olympics in August.

Rousseff's once-overwhelming public support has eroded with the onslaught of bad news, with her approval ratings dipping into the single digits in recent months. While polls have suggested broad public support for her impeachment, they have also pointed to widespread trepidation about who might replace her.

A presidential palace guard stands in front of a banner that reads in Portuguese: "Wake up Brazil. Coup," placed by supporters of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 9, 2016. The acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress on Monday annulled last month's vote on Rousseff's impeachment, delaying and complicating the process that was widely expected to see her suspended later this week. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff signals the number 41 during an event where 41 new federal universities were launched at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 9, 2016. The acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress on Monday annulled last month's vote on impeachment, delaying and complicating the process that was widely expected to see Rousseff suspended later this week. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A demonstrator holds a banner that reads in Portuguese "There will be Impeachment" during a protest demanding the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, May 9, 2016. Brazil's Senate leader Renan Calheiros said on Monday the Senate will vote as scheduled on a motion to open an impeachment trial against President Dilma Rousseff, despite a sudden lower house about-face. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Supporters of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff fill the lobby of Planalto presidential palace after they attended a ceremony with Rousseff where she launched new federal universities in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 9, 2016. On Monday the acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress annulled last month's vote on Rousseff's impeachment, delaying and complicating the process that was widely expected to see her suspended later this week. The sign says in Portuguese: "Education." (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

The acting speaker of the lower house of Brazil's Congress Waldir Maranhao speaks about the impeachment process against Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, at the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, May 9, 2016. Maranhao annulled last month's vote on impeachment, delaying and complicating the process that was widely expected to see Rousseff suspended later this week. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
The Latest: Jury selected in theater shooting civil trial

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP)  The Latest on the civil trial over the Colorado theater shooting (all times Mountain):

2:30 p.m.

A six-person jury and two alternates have been selected to hear a civil trial over whether the company that owns a Colorado movie theater should have done more to prevent a 2012 shooting there.

FILE - In this Friday, July 20, 2012 file photo, the neon sign over the Century 16 theatre burns bright in the night east of the Aurora Mall in Aurora, Colo. The theatre was the scene of a bloody rampage in which 12 people died and 70 were injured during a bloody assault at the July 20, 2012 midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight." On Monday, May 9, 28 victims' families will argue that Century Theatres should be held accountable for not doing more to prevent the slaughter in its property. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

Opening arguments are set for Tuesday morning in state court in a Denver suburb.

Twenty-eight victims and their families are suing the theater company Cinemark. The plaintiffs say the company should have had silent alarms and armed guards at the packed midnight premiere where James Holmes launched his attack.

Holmes was sentenced last year to life in prison for killing 12 people and injuring 70 more in the 2012 shooting during the opening of the Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises."

10 a.m.

Jury selection is under way in the civil trial over the Colorado theater shooting brought by victims' families.

Opening arguments are expected later Monday, nearly nine months after the shooter, James Holmes, was sentenced to life in prison for killing 12 and injuring another 70. Holmes slipped through an emergency exit that he had propped open and started shooting.

Twenty-eight victims and their families allege in the state lawsuit that Cinemark should have had silent alarms that would have sounded and armed guards at the packed midnight premiere, among other security measures. Some of the victims filled the first rows of the courtroom in Centennial. But unlike the emotionally wrenching criminal trial, there are no deputies guarding all sides of the courtroom and no defendant tethered to the floor.
UK's long-delayed Iraq War report to be published July 6

LONDON (AP)  A long-delayed report on Britain's involvement in the Iraq war will be published July 6, seven years after the inquiry began, officials said Monday.

The Iraq Inquiry said security checking of the report by retired civil servant John Chilcot has been completed, without any redactions being sought, and the 2.6 million-word document will now be prepared for publication.

The inquiry into mistakes made before and after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq held public hearings between 2009 and 2011, taking evidence from more than 150 witnesses, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and scouring 150,000 documents.

The inquiry has cost more than 10 million pounds ($14.4 million), but its report has been repeatedly delayed, in part by a process that gives those who are criticized a chance to respond.

Families of troops killed in Iraq say the delays are prolonging their grief as they search for answers about how Britain ended up in the conflict.
Christie's bet on Trump pays off

TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  Gov. Chris Christie's decision to endorse Donald Trump back in February brought him plenty of derision at the time. But it's bringing rewards now that it's clear he bet on the winner.

With Trump having effectively clinched the Republican presidential nomination following a bruising primary fight, Christie now sees vindication of what had been a divisive choice in his home state and his inner circle. Trump on Monday tapped Christie to lead the transition team that will usher in the new administration if he wins the presidency in the fall. It's a plum post that could lead to more.

"How did I go from being an idiot 68 days ago to prescient 68 days later?" Christie asked mischievously last week.

FILE - In this March 14, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waves to the crowd as they walk off the stage after a rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. Christies decision to endorse Donald Trump back in February brought him plenty of derision at the time. But its bringing rewards now that its clear he bet on the winner. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

Christie has been a key adviser to Trump behind the scenes as well as a presence on the stage. As chairman of the transition team, he will lead a wide-ranging effort to prepare for a potential transfer of power, giving him influence in the selection of White House and administration staff and in the development of a president-elect's first steps.

Trump's rise comes when Christie's favorability in New Jersey is at an all-time low and the end of his second and final term as governor is approaching in 2018  all after his own GOP presidential candidacy failed.

Like almost everyone who becomes the subject of running-mate speculation, Christie says he doesn't want to be vice president. But he adds, "never say never." Trump has said Christie would be a great attorney general, given his background as a prosecutor. For now, Christie is tasked with overseeing a team of people to "take over the White House," as Trump put it in a statement.

Trump praised Christie as an "extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled transition team."

Christie swung behind Trump weeks before the businessman's success in the GOP race was a foregone conclusion; indeed, when many thought another rival would ultimately prevail. In politics, that timing counts for something.

"When someone with the stature of the governor of New Jersey offers an endorsement, that is an investment," said Peter Woolley, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor. "The risk was greater for Christie when he made that endorsement and so I'm sure he expects the reward to be greater as a consequence."

Christie has said he plans to go into the private sector to make money in his next act.

But he is also casting himself as a unifier in a divided party and has offered to talk to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who declined to back Trump last week, about his concerns over Trump.

"Donald's got work to do to bring people together," Christie said. "If (Trump) picks up the phone and calls and asks me to do something that I can do to help his cause and be elected president, I'll do it."

Christie, who helped raise more than $100 million as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, could also help Trump get access to the party's biggest donors, some of whom share Ryan's hesitancy about the presumptive nominee.

Christie's pitch to reluctant donors and other Republicans isn't hard to imagine, said Dale Florio, a long-time Republican lobbyist in New Jersey, Christie ally and Trump supporter. "You have a better chance of making the changes you want to see if a Republican wins the White House," Florio said. "It's pretty simple."

Christie said last week Trump hasn't made any requests for help yet on that front.

Meanwhile, Trump will headline a fundraiser this month to help Christie repay own presidential campaign debt, followed by a $25,000 per person fundraiser for the state's Republican Party.

Christie's support for Trump led to backlash from Democrats, including a series of billboards attacking him. They are from Bridges Over Politics for New Jersey, an advocacy group run by a one-time aide to a former Democratic congressman.

One of the ads shows Trump with Christie behind him. The text asks Christie to "stand up to racism and bigotry."

Trump has drawn criticism for pledging to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants from entering the country illegally and for hesitating before denouncing Ku Klux Klan figure David Duke, who said not voting for Trump was "treason to your heritage."

Christie has said he doesn't agree with Trump on everything but Trump gives the party the best chance to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

In this photo taken May 5, 2016, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question in Trenton, N.J. Christies decision to endorse Donald Trump back in February brought him plenty of derision at the time. But its bringing rewards now that its clear he bet on the winner. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
The Latest: Man accused of killing 3 held without bond

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP)  The Latest on a court appearance for a federal security officer suspected in three fatal shootings in the Maryland suburbs of Washington (all times local):

1:15 p.m.

A federal security officer charged with killing three people, including his estranged wife, in a shooting rampage in a Maryland suburb of the nation's capital has been ordered held without bond.

In this photo taken May 6, 2016, Police take Eulalio Tordil, 62, a suspect in three fatal shootings in the Washington, D.C., area into custody in Bethesda, Md. Tordil, a federal security officer suspected in three fatal shootings outside a high school, a mall and a supermarket in a Maryland suburb of the nation's capital is expected to appear at a bond review. Tordil, 62, of Adelphi is scheduled to appear in court by video Monday, May 9, 2016, afternoon in Rockville. He faces charges including first-degree murder. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Sixty-two-year-old Eulalio Tordil, an employee of the Federal Protective Service, appeared in court by video Monday afternoon in Rockville, Maryland. He faces charges including first-degree murder.

A public defender representing him conceded it wasn't realistic to ask for Tordil to be released.

Police say the shootings began Thursday when Tordil fatally shot his estranged wife Gladys, a chemistry teacher, in a high school parking lot. A bystander was wounded.

Authorities say the shootings continued Friday at two other parking lots, one outside Montgomery Mall and the other at a shopping center.

4 a.m.

A federal security officer suspected in three fatal shootings outside a high school, a mall and a supermarket in a Maryland suburb of the nation's capital is expected to make an initial court appearance.

Sixty-two-year-old Eulalio Tordil, an employee of the Federal Protective Service, is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon in Rockville, Maryland. He faces charges including first-degree murder.

Police say the shootings began Thursday when Tordil fatally shot his estranged wife Gladys, a chemistry teacher, in a high school parking lot. A bystander was wounded.

Authorities say the shootings continued Friday at two other parking lots, one outside Montgomery Mall and the other at a shopping center.
Bahrain says it will release prominent female activist

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said Monday that a prominent female activist will be released after spending nearly two months in prison.

The ministry said in a statement on its website that Zainab al-Khawaja is being released on humanitarian grounds because of her year-old son, who was permitted to be with her in prison in a dedicated ward for new moms. It referred to her as a foreign national despite the fact that she has dual Danish-Bahraini citizenship.

She had faced three years in prison over a variety of charges related to her participation in anti-government protests, including several in which she tore up pictures of Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Al-Khawaja's sister Maryam told The Associated Press that she remains imprisoned and that her lawyer says the prison had not been informed to release her yet.

She was detained March 14, on the fifth anniversary of when Gulf troops suppressed protests in the tiny island kingdom. Bahrain, with the help of Saudi forces, quashed Arab Spring-inspired protests in 2011 led by its Shiite majority demanding greater rights from the Sunni-led monarchy.

Al-Khawaja is the daughter of prominent activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is serving a life sentence over his role in anti-government protests.

Human rights groups had been calling for her release and on Western leaders to publicly chastise Bahrain's government for its arrest of activists and what they say is routine discrimination against Shiites.
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Fire officials have begun assessing the damage in Fort McMurray, almost a week after a raging fire blasted through the Alberta, Canada city and reduced at least two of its neighborhoods to ashes.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley flew in on Monday to get her first direct look at the devastation after cold temperatures and light rain had stabilized the massive wildfire.

More than 40 journalists were allowed into Fort McMurray on a bus escorted by police and witnessed the damage, as Fort McMurray's fire chief referred to the blaze as 'a beast', adding he had never seen a fire like this in his life.

The fire destroyed about 2,400 homes and buildings and forced thousands of residents out of their homes, during one of the biggest evacuations in Canada's history.

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Fire officials have begun assessing the damage in Fort McMurray, almost a week after a raging fire blasted through the Alberta, Canada city and reduced at lease two of its neighborhood to ashes. Pictured on Monday, crews working in the Waterways neighborhood

 Slide me  Gas has been turned off, the power grid is damaged and water is undrinkable in Fort McMurray. Pictured left is a satellite view of the area on May 1, before the blaze. Pictured right is the same view on May 5, a couple of days after the fire started

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley (left, pictured next to fire chief Darby Allen) flew in on Monday to get her first direct look at the devastation, after cold temperatures and light rain had stabilized the massive wildfire

More than 1,200 firefighters, 110 helicopters, 295 pieces of heavy equipment, and 27 air tankers were used to fight fires across the province. Pictured, a member of Wildfire Management Alberta hoses down hotspots in the Parsons Creek area of Fort McMurray last week

The fire is still spreading outside of Fort McMurray and firefighters keep fighting the blaze across the province. Pictured, a man from the Wild Mountain Unit working in the Parsons Creek area

Officials said it would take time for Fort McMurray to be in livable condition again. Pictured, one of hundreds of firefighters deployed around the province in the Parsons Creek area

The recovery effort finally began on Monday, almost a week after the fire started. Pictured, two female members of Wildfire Management Alberta in the Parsons Creek area last week

The forest surrounding the road into town was still smoldering on Monday and abandoned cars were lined up in the streets. Only the sign remained at a Super 8 Motel and Denny's restaurant on the edge of town.

The Beacon Hill neighborhood was a scene of utter devastation with homes burned down to their foundations.

In the Abasand district, townhouses were completely destroyed, and charred children's bikes could be seen in backyards. A parking facility was burned to the ground.

At one point the fire jumped across a road in Beacon Hill that is 15 to 20 feet wide, Fire Chief Darby Allen said.

'It jumped that without thinking about it. This was a beast. It was an animal. It was a fire like I've never seen in my life,' he said on the media bus.

He feared that half the city could burn down during the early stages of the fire.

'I just want to let the people know that we're in pretty good shape,' he said. 'Typical of the damaged areas you'll see structures that are completely gone and structures that are intact.'

The fire raced down a hill to the corner of a bank, but firefighters were able to halt the encroaching flames at the bank, Allen added. Had they failed to stop it there, the fire would have destroyed the downtown district.

The fire destroyed about 2,400 homes and buildings and forced thousands of residents out of their homes, during one of the biggest evacuations in Canada's history. Pictured on Monday, a restaurant sign stands amid burned down buildings in Fort McMurray

In the Abasand district (pictured), townhouses were completely destroyed, and charred children's bikes could be seen in backyards. A parking facility had been burned to the ground

The fire raced down a hill to the corner of a bank, but firefighters were able to halt the encroaching flames, saving the downtown district, Allen said. Pictured, the burned out shell of a bus on the side of the highway

More than 40 journalists were also allowed into Fort McMurray on a bus escorted by police and witnessed the damage on Monday, as Allen referred to the blaze as 'a beast'. Pictured on Monday, burned out buildings seen during the media tour

 Slide me  The recovery effort will be a long-term endeavor because at the moment there is no power, no gas and no palatable water supply in Fort McMurray, Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said. The area is pictured before (left) and after (right) the fire

 Slide me  Officials hope to provide a schedule within two weeks for residents to begin returning to their homes. But it remains unclear when evacuees will be able to do so. Pictured, the area before (left) and after (right) the blaze

Gas has been turned off, the power grid is damaged and water is undrinkable in Fort McMurray. More than 250 power company workers are trying to restore the grid and assess the gas infrastructure.

'We are now turning our minds more and more to the recovery effort,' Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said.

'This is going to be a long term endeavor because at the moment there is no power and gas, no palatable water supply. There's dangerous hazardous material all over the place. It's going to take a very careful, thoughtful effort to get that community back in a livable condition,' Goodale said.

But 85 per cent of Fort McMurray, Canada's main oil sands city, has remained intact, including the downtown district according to Allen.

Officials hope to provide a schedule within two weeks for residents to begin returning to their homes.

But it remains unclear when residents will be able to come back to Fort McMurray, The Atlantic reported, and education officials have told parents who had to leave the town to register their children in other schools.

Firefighters managed to save 25,000 buildings, including the hospital, municipal buildings and every functioning school, Notley noted.

'This city was surrounded by an ocean of fire only a few days ago but Fort McMurray and the surrounding communities have been saved and they will be rebuilt,' she added on Monday.

Officials believe they have reached a turning point in their attempts to control the fire now that the weather has changed.

The temperature dipped to 45 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday after a week of unseasonably warm temperatures.

This satellite image of Alberta, Canada, taken on May 5, 2016, shows areas that have been burned by the fire in yellow. The purple areas are healthy vegetation and the bright spots show where the fire was actively burning

The Abasand area (pictured) is one of at least two of Fort McMurray's neighborhoods destroyed by the blaze. But 85 per cent of Fort McMurray, Canada's main oil sands city, has remained intact, including the downtown district according to Allen

Allen feared half of Fort McMurray would burn down during the early stages of the fire. He recalled seeing the blaze jump across a road in 15 to 20 feet wide. Pictured, burned out homes in the Abasand neighbourhood

Some structures have been completely destroyed by the fire while others have remained intact in the damaged areas, Allen said. Pictured, a set of charred weights in the Abasand neighborhood

The Beacon Hill neighborhood (pictured) was a scene of utter devastation with homes burned down to their foundation. But firefighters managed to save 25,000 buildings around Fort McMurray, including the hospital, municipal buildings and every functioning school

Officials believe they have reached a turning point in their attempts to control the fire now that the weather has changed. The temperature dipped to 45 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday after a week of unseasonably warm temperatures. Pictured, charred trucks in Beacon Hill

Notley said Monday Fort McMurray and its surrounding communities had been 'saved' and that they would be rebuilt. More than 88,000 people have left Fort McMurray since the fire broke out last Tuesday. Pictured, a burned out barbecue in Beacon Hill

'I was very much struck by the devastation of the fire. It was really quite overwhelming in some spots,' Notley said. 'But I will also say that I was struck by the proximity of that devastation to neighborhoods that were untouched.'

More than 88,000 people have left Fort McMurray since the fire broke out last Tuesday. The bulk of the city's evacuees moved south after Tuesday's mandatory evacuation order, but 25,000 evacuees moved north and were housed in camps normally used for oil sands workers until they also could be evacuated south.

Singer James Taylor, who has two concerts planned in Alberta next month, has pledged to donate the money to the Canadian Red Cross to help victims of the fire.

'It's really a part of human nature to respond to things like this by wanting to lend a hand if you can. You'd like to feel as though people would be there for you if you were in a similar situation,' he said on Monday.

Taylor will play in Calgary on June 7 and Edmonton on June 8.

The idea came from conversations with his Canadian manager Sam Feldman as he arrived for a 15-concert tour of Canadian cities over the next month. He said the two shows would raise 'at least a quarter of a million, maybe a $100,000 more than that.'

Meanwhile, the fire continues to grow outside Fort McMurray and now is about 787 square miles.

No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fire itself. But the fire has forced as much as a third of Canada's oil output offline and was expected to impact an economy already hurt by the fall in oil prices.

'We're just beginning to become aware of the economic impacts,' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

Alberta's oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Its workers largely live in Fort McMurray, a former frontier outpost-turned-city whose residents mostly come from elsewhere in Canada.

Officials said the fire didn't reach the Suncor or Syncrude oil sands facilities north of Fort McMurray, and that the oil mines to the north are not threatened. Notley said there will be a meeting Tuesday with the energy industry to discuss the state of the facilities and the impact on operations.

Suncor said late Sunday it is beginning to implement its plan for a return to operations.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated the wildfire has reduced Canada's oil sands production by a million barrels per day, but said in a note the lack of damage to the oil mines could allow for a fast ramp up in production. They noted the complete evacuation of personnel and of the city could point to a more gradual recovery.

Alberta Health Services Dr. Chris Sikora said a viral stomach virus broke out among 40 to 50 evacuees at the Northlands evacuation center in Edmonton where 600 people are staying and where five to six thousand meals a day are being prepared for the thousands of evacuees.

Symptoms included nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

This combo of satellite pictures shows Alberta, Canada, before (top) and after (bottom) the fire. The bright red areas represent healthy forest land in the top image. The areas burned by the fire show up as black and gray in the bottom image

The top photos date back to May 29, 2015 and the bottom photos were taken on May 5 this year, after the blaze. These satellite images show healthy forest land in red and burned areas in grey

No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fire itself. But the fire has forced as much as a third of Canada's oil output offline and was expected to impact an economy hurt by the fall in oil prices. Pictured, a burned garden decoration in the Abasand neighborhood

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said officials were ' just beginning to become aware of the economic impacts'. Meanwhile the fire continues to grow outside the city and now is about 787 square miles. Pictured, a burned out pickup truck in Beacon Hill

Officials said the fire didn't' reach the Suncor or Syncrude oil sands facilities north of Fort McMurray, and that the oil mines to the north are not threatened. Pictured, burned bicycles behind a fence in the Abasand neighborhood

The bulk of the city's evacuees moved south after Tuesday's mandatory evacuation order, but 25,000 others moved north and were housed in camps normally used for oil sands workers until they also could be evacuated south. Pictured, a charred pickup truck in Beacon Hill

Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated the fire has reduced Canada's oil sands production by a million barrels per day, but said in a note the lack of damage to the oil mines could allow for a fast ramp up in production. Pictured, burned remains in the Abasand neighborhood

Alberta Health Services said a viral stomach virus broke out among 40 to 50 evacuees at the Northlands evacuation center in Edmonton where 600 people are staying. Pictured, a burned out car in the garage of a destroyed home in Beacon Hill

Most of Fort McMurray is still intact despite a week of damage from the wildfires. Pictured, a charred vehicle and home in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood of the deserted area

Trese Tandari, pictured on Monday, is one of thousands of Fort McMurray residents who had to leave their homes. She is staying at an evacuee camp in Wandering River, Alberta, with her cats
Obama allies use Trump to press GOP on Supreme Court nominee

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Proponents of President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee believe they have a new winning argument to get the Republican-led Senate to act  the prospect of Donald Trump choosing someone to fill the vacancy.

Hardly, says Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, the Iowa GOP senator who steadfastly opposes any confirmation hearings or votes on Judge Merrick Garland until Americans elect the next president.

"There's no problem with Trump appointing people to the Supreme Court," said Grassley, who pointed to Trump's February GOP presidential debate promise that he'd nominate conservative judges and specifically his mention of William Pryor.

FILE - In this March 16, 2016 file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington. Proponents of President Barack Obamas Supreme Court nominee believe they have a new winning argument to get the Republican-led Senate to act, the prospect of Donald Trump filling the vacancy. Hardly, says Grassley, the Iowa GOP senator who steadfastly opposes any confirmation hearings or votes on Judge Merrick Garland until Americans choose the next president. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

President George W. Bush appointed Pryor, Alabama's former attorney general, to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Pryor has angered those on the right and left, backing the ousting of Chief Justice Roy Moore over his failure to remove a Ten Commandments monument and calling the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion "the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law."

"If he's going to appoint people like that I don't have any doubt," Grassley said after a weeklong recess week back home in which liberal activist groups were relentless in pressuring the senator to hold hearings on Garland.

Grassley, who is seeking a seventh term, faced billboards and demonstrations as he met constituents at town halls around the state.

Obama nominated Garland on March 16 to fill the vacancy created by the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February. While some Senate Republicans have held courtesy visits with Garland, they refuse to hold hearings or vote on his nomination.

Outside of the Iowa Judicial Branch building in Des Moines a former Grassley supporter said the longtime senator has lost his vote.

Ken Blackledge, 66, a produce farmer from Nevada in central Iowa and registered independent voter, said he has known Grassley for decades and voted for him because of the independent-minded Midwestern values he shared.

"I'm not voting for him anymore because he's not the Chuck that he was," Blackledge said. "He's more of a Washington Beltway-type person now which isn't the person I know."

Democrats and outside groups targeted Grassley because of his chairmanship of the Judiciary panel. Obama administration allies also have focused on vulnerable Republican senators in states such as Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin that Obama won twice.

Grassley said the strategy isn't working and he's doesn't feel any more threatened in this race than previous ones.

"I approach every election as if it's going to be the toughest election I've ever had and this one's no different," he said.

He did acknowledge that at nearly every stop on his weeklong tour of Iowa town halls he was asked about the court.

Moveon.org, a liberal political action group, said it is buying a roadside billboard in Des Moines and plans Internet video and social media campaigns against Grassley.

The day after Trump won in Indiana and became the likely GOP nominee, Americans United for Change issued a statement. "It's official. Senator Grassley is refusing to do his job because he wants Donald Trump  a racist, sexist, misogynistic, nativist, isolationist, pathological liar ... to make the next appointment to the Supreme Court," said Brad Woodhouse, the group's president.

The group organized mobile billboards featuring the "Tell your Senator: Do Your Job" theme, parking them at offices of senators running for re-election in nine swing states. In Iowa, a billboard was following Grassley to several of his town halls.

Grassley hasn't faced a close election in decades. He won his Senate seat in 1980  the year Ronald Reagan became president  with 54 percent of the vote.

"It's going to backfire. If there is one thing Iowans hate is a politicizing of the courts and when you do it with millions in outside special interest money it doesn't work," said Tim Albrecht, a political adviser hired this week by the Republican Party of Iowa to help with the U.S. Senate campaign. Albrecht has worked on GOP campaigns since 1999 including the Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush campaigns.

Grassley said refusing to consent to Obama's nominee is a legitimate use of the Senate's advice and consent power provided in the Constitution.

Last week, Obama told CBS affiliate KCCI in Des Moines it's up to Grassley to defy Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., set aside politics and move Garland through the committee.
Pregnant Connecticut teen shocked to learn she has Zika

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut teenager says she was shocked she tested positive for the Zika virus after learning she was pregnant.

Sara Mujica, 17, of Danbury, said she found out she was pregnant in March while she was visiting Victor Cruz, her fiance and the baby's father, in Honduras. At the time of the pregnancy test, she said she was getting over an illness that gave her rashes, headaches and neck aches. She thought it was related to fish she had eaten, not Zika.

She said she returned to Connecticut on March 30 and went to Danbury Hospital to get tested for Zika  just in case. She said she learned of the positive Zika results during a phone call from her crying mother last week, after she had returned to Honduras.

This Nov. 17, 2015 selfie photo provided by Sara Mujica shows her in Danbury, Conn. Mujica told the AP Monday, May 9, 2016, she tested positive for the Zika virus after after returning from a visit to her fiance in March in Honduras, where she learned she was pregnant. She said she has decided to keep the baby despite the possibility of birth defects. The mosquito-borne Zika virus can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Mujica is Catholic and said she doesn't believe in abortion. (Sara Mujica via AP)

"I was in a state of shock honestly," Mujica told The Associated Press by phone Monday. "I didn't really know what to say. I didn't know what to do. I just started getting teary eyed and almost crying. I was just trying to stay strong."

Mosquito-borne Zika has become epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. It can cause microcephaly, a severe birth defect in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and brain damage. Researchers don't yet know the rate at which infected women have babies with birth defects.

Mujica, who is Catholic, said she weighed her risks and decided to keep the baby.

"This is my blessing. This is my miracle," she said. "I have a cousin who has Down syndrome and he is so smart and l love him so much. I would never give up a Down syndrome child or a child with birth defects."

Mujica said she doesn't know at this point if her baby will have birth defects.

"I'm going to stay positive and hope my baby comes out normal," she said.

Officials at the state Department of Public Health and Danbury Hospital declined to comment Monday on whether Mujica tested positive for Zika.

Last week, the department revealed that a Connecticut resident who had traveled to Central America and became pregnant had been diagnosed with Zika. They didn't identify her.

Mujica said she believes she contracted Zika from a mosquito bite  and not sexual contact  while in Honduras, where Cruz lives in the city of Choloma. She is among 44 pregnant women across the U.S. who have tested positive for Zika, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tests have confirmed Zika in a total of 472 people in the U.S., with all the infections associated with travel to Zika-infected areas in other countries, according to the CDC. Connecticut officials say four people in the state have tested positive.
Options dwindling, Sanders says race isn't over

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  For Bernie and Jane Sanders, the revolution continues, despite the odds.

The Vermont senator's insurgent campaign seems on its last legs. With a clear delegate lead, Hillary Clinton has turned her focus to the general election and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. Sanders' fundraising has dropped off and he has shed hundreds of staffers. Even President Barack Obama is noting the realities of the delegate math.

But in Atlantic City on Monday, Sanders urged his supporters to keep fighting.

Jane O'Meara Sanders joins her husband, Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at a campaign rally, Monday, May 9, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

"If we can win here in New Jersey and win in California and win in some of the other states and if we can win a majority of the pledged delegates, we're going to go into Philadelphia and the Democratic convention and expect to come out with the Democratic nomination," Sanders said.

That's a lot of ifs. Sanders is trailing Clinton by nearly 300 pledged delegates  those won in primaries and caucuses. Clinton also holds a commanding lead among superdelegates, the elected officials and party leaders who can support the candidate of their choice. That leaves her only 155 delegates short of the 2,383 she needs to secure the nomination.

Sanders clings to the hope he can erase the gap with pledged delegates by winning a string of victories, starting with West Virginia on Tuesday, Kentucky and Oregon on May 17 and California and New Jersey on June 7.

But the White House looks increasingly out of reach and many Democrats are left with questions about what Sanders wants  which he and his wife do not want to entertain.

"The media constantly goes to the end game," said Jane Sanders, a top adviser to her husband. "The journey is as important as the destination. We expect that the people's voices will be heard and represented at the Democratic convention."

While Clinton hasn't called on Sanders to exit the race, his insistence that a path exists is frustrating to her supporters and campaign aides. The White House has said it won't get publicly involved until Sanders formally ends his bid, keeping three of the party's most powerful spokespeople  Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden  largely on the bench.

To be sure, Sanders continues to draw large enthusiastic crowds to his rallies. But his fundraising has dipped and his advertising has dropped off a cliff, with only about $525,000 in ads planned for the giant state of California and $63,000 each in West Virginia and Oregon, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media's CMAG.

Jane Sanders disputed that the campaign was running out of options. She said superdelegates could switch their commitments, suggesting they should consider the results in their home states. She also argued that Sanders has shown momentum and polls well against Trump.

"There have been a lot of surprises," Jane Sanders said. "We saw a Michigan miracle and Indiana no one expected."

Asked about the mathematical odds and what comes next, she expressed frustration with the media, saying "there was never once a point when anyone said he could possibly win," even after he won eight states in a row. "For one full year," she said of the perception, "it's been consistent that he doesn't have a chance."

With a clear Republican opponent in sight, Clinton has called on Democrats to unite around her candidacy to help take on Trump. Campaigning recently in California, she argued that her advantage over Sanders far outpaces the deficit she faced against Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries.

In northern Virginia on Monday, Clinton made only passing reference to her primary opponent at a campaign event, telling a group of working parents that they both have college affordability plans, though "obviously, I think my plan is better."

She quickly pivoted: "But at least we both have plans!" she said, implying that Trump did not.

Just how the Democratic rivals reach detente is not yet clear, partly because Bernie Sanders has not fully said what he is looking for. He is arguing for a say in the party platform at the convention, but that is far from resolved.

"We're still competing for the nomination," said senior adviser Tad Devine. "Having said that, it's really important that the views of the millions of people who have supported him be expressed."

Sanders put the Democratic National Committee on notice Friday, warning it not to stack the convention's standing committees with Clinton supporters. Sanders said if the party is going to be unified in the fall, it can't have a convention at which the views of millions of people are "unrepresented" in the committee membership.

___

Associated Press writers Kathleen Hennessey, Ken Thomas and Julie Bykowicz contributed to this report from Washington.

Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. is hugged as he greets supporters at a campaign rally, Monday, May 9, 2016, in Atlantic City, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
The Latest: Ex-FBI agent pleads guilty to perjury

BOSTON (AP)  The Latest on the former FBI agent who pleaded guilty to lying on the stand during Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger's trial (all times local):

2:45 p.m.

A former FBI agent has pleaded guilty to lying on the stand during Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger's trial.

FILE - In this April 30, 2015 file photo, Robert Fitzpatrick, of Charlestown, R.I., walks from federal court in Boston with his wife Jane. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent accused of lying during his testimony in the trial of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to appear Monday, May 9, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Robert Fitzpatrick pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice.

The now-76-year-old Fitzpatrick, who had been second-in-command of the FBI's Boston division during Bulger's bloody reign in Boston, was the first witness Bulger's lawyers called during the high-profile trial in 2013.

Prosecutors say Fitzpatrick falsely claimed to be the first officer who recovered the rifle used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. They suggested he was just trying to sell copies of a book he wrote about Bulger.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5. He faces two years of probation, as agreed to by prosecutors and the defense.

___

12:20 a.m.

A former FBI agent accused of lying during Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger's trial is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges.

Robert Fitzpatrick is scheduled to appear Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing.

The now-76-year-old is accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments during Bulger's 2013 trial.

Prosecutors say Fitzpatrick falsely claimed to be the first officer who recovered the rifle used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, among other things.

He originally pleaded not guilty last April to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Fitzpatrick had been second-in-command of the FBI's Boston division. He was the first witness Bulger's lawyers called during the trial.

FILE - In this April 30, 2015 file photo, Robert Fitzpatrick, of Charlestown, R.I., walks from federal court in Boston with his wife Jane. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent accused of lying during his testimony in the trial of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to appear Monday, May 9, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
In Flint crisis, questions grow over quest for pipeline

FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP)  With drab olive chairs and worn carpet, the conference room in the low-slung administrative building near the Genesee County wastewater treatment plant isn't fancy, but it showcases one of Jeff Wright's greatest treasures: Permit No. 2009-001.

Wright, a wiry man with trademark moustache and slicked-back hair, is the county drain commissioner, a title that dates to Michigan's early days of draining swamps. The job gives him sway over almost everything involving water, from diverting runoff to building major sewer projects.

The permit framed on the wall will allow a new 74-mile pipeline to draw water from Lake Huron to the county and its largest city, Flint, the realization of a dream Wright has nurtured for most of his 15 years in office.

FILE - In this Nov. 26, 2013 file photo, Karegnondi Water Authority CEO Jeff Wright, right, and Deputy CEO John O'Brien look inside a pipe that will be part of the Karegnondi Pipeline Project, in Worth Township, Mich. After months of national attention on lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, many are starting to ask questions about the 74-mile pipeline being built from Lake Huron to the struggling former auto manufacturing powerhouse. (Michelle Tessier/The Flint Journal via AP, File) LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT /The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

For months, national attention has focused on how children were poisoned with lead-tainted drinking water in the onetime auto manufacturing powerhouse of 100,000 people. But without the pipeline, the Flint crisis almost certainly would never have happened. The contamination occurred when Flint switched from the metropolitan Detroit utility system to a temporary water source, the Flint River, until it could connect to the new pipeline.

That is raising questions about the $285 million project, which is still under construction and has yet to deliver a drop of water. A look at its history shows the pipeline is rooted in local officials' long-simmering resentment toward much-bigger Detroit, an hour away, and was built because of a resourceful politician's ambition and perseverance.

So far, the project has received comparatively little notice in the scandal. But a governor's task force recently recommended a formal review of the pipeline's approval.

"Why would it be appropriate for a several-hundred-million-dollar pipeline to be developed in a region swimming in (water) capacity and populated by two financially distressed cities?" said task force member Eric Rothstein, referring to the available Detroit water system that had supplied Flint for almost 50 years. "It all gives me a tremendously uneasy feeling."

Asked about the new pipeline, state Attorney General Bill Schuette, said recently that "no issue is off the table" in his criminal investigation of the Flint crisis, though "there are no targets."

Speculation is also swirling around Wright and his motives. That's not surprising, some say, because of his long reputation as a political mover and his colorful history, which includes being an FBI informant in the corruption probe of a Michigan political consultant nine years ago.

Wright, 62, scoffs at Internet gossip about the project being a power grab by an ambitious politician or about his ability as the pipeline authority's CEO to approve construction contracts. Companies that have received almost $120 million in pipeline-related contracts and subcontracts have donated more than $200,000 to Wright's campaign fund since 2008, according to public documents.

"I read where I owned a pipe manufacturer. I owned the engineering firm, and I bought up all the land." None of those reports was accurate, said Wright, adding that all contracts were competitively bid.

Susan J. Demas, who publishes a Michigan political newsletter, said questions surrounding Wright are inevitable because of the scope of the project and his past, regardless of whether it's fair.

"The pipeline itself is a huge infrastructure project, so I think there are concerns (about whether) everything was done on the up and up," she said.

Wright says it's about cheaper, more reliable service for his county and a financially devastated city that has lost thousands of auto jobs.

"We don't have a problem with anyone coming in and reviewing anything they want," said Wright.

Flint will pay $7 million a year for water, half what Detroit charged in the 2013-14 billing year, according to Wright. Detroit officials say they made competitive offers, but it was clear that Wright didn't really want to negotiate.

If this is "about local control, political preference or to serve agricultural purposes, then I understand," but not if it's about cost, said former Detroit Water and Sewer Department Director Sue McCormick.

Until the 1960s, Flint drew its drinking water from the local Flint River. But with the General Motors plants in town booming and the city's population edging toward 200,000, officials proposed building a pipeline to Lake Huron. When that effort collapsed over a profiteering scandal, Detroit built it instead.

Local officials never got over the disappointment.

"The minute we started paying for the water, we wanted our own pipeline," said Wallace Benzie, a 90-year-old retired engineer who worked on water and sewer projects for Genesee County. "You want to be able to control your own destiny."

Wright grew up in a blue-collar Flint suburb, left college to join the drain commissioner's office, worked his way up and won election to the top spot in 2000. He runs the agency and the pipeline authority without using email, voicemail or text messaging, doing business mostly in conversations.

He said building a new pipeline became a priority for him only after a power outage in 2003 left the area without water for several days, and after steep rate increases from Detroit, which was struggling with its own financial problems.

His office commissioned engineering studies. He attended neighborhood get-togethers and city council meetings, courting Flint officials with promises that the pipeline would save the city millions and perhaps lure industries back to the area. He persuaded two rural counties and another city to join the coalition, with visions of selling water to farmers and other industries.

And after the state seized control of Flint's finances in 2011 because of growing debts, Wright rescued the proposal by convincing then-state Treasurer Andy Dillon that it was Flint's cheapest option.

"To me, it was just a unanimous desire on the part of the locals," said Dillon, adding that he was "lobbied heavily" by Wright.

Former Mayor Dayne Walling said the numbers showed a substantial savings.

In 2014, the city prepared for the water switch by temporarily turning back to the Flint River until the new pipeline could be completed in mid-2016. But state officials mistakenly told them not to add a chemical to prevent lead from leaching out of old pipes.

It's unclear when Flint, which has been using Detroit's water since October, will finally connect to the pipeline because of concerns about its water-treatment plant.

But Wright and other pipeline supporters say they're still optimistic the project will be a boon, not only for Flint but for the region and its agriculture.

"We're getting very close to having the perfect water source," said Greg Alexander, drain commissioner in Sanilac County and chairman of the water authority building the pipeline. If a company moved in to process the county's crops, it would be "the answer to our prayers."

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 file photo, hundreds of cases of bottled water are stored at a church in Flint, Mich. After months of national attention on lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, many are starting to ask questions about a 74-mile pipeline being built from Lake Huron to the struggling former auto manufacturing powerhouse. The $285 million project is rooted in political ambitions and long-simmering resentment toward Detroit, which for decades had near-total control of the city's water rates. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - This Jan. 26, 2016 file photo shows a sign over the Flint River noting Flint, Mich., as Vehicle City. After months of national attention on lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, many are starting to ask questions about a 74-mile pipeline being built from Lake Huron to the struggling former auto manufacturing powerhouse. The $285 million project is rooted in political ambitions and long-simmering resentment toward Detroit, which for decades had near-total control of the city's water rates. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

FILE - In this March 17, 2016 file photo, laborers work on inserting a 50-foot section of the Karegnondi Water Authority pipeline near Oregon Twp, Mich. After months of national attention on lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, many are starting to ask questions about the 74-mile pipeline being built from Lake Huron to the struggling former auto manufacturing powerhouse. (David Guralnick /Detroit News via AP, File) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT /Detroit News via AP) DETROIT FREE PRESS OUT; HUFFINGTON POST OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

FILE - This March 21, 2016 file photo shows the Flint Water Plant water tower in Flint, Mich. After months of national attention on lead-tainted drinking water in Flint, many are starting to ask questions about a 74-mile pipeline being built from Lake Huron to the struggling former auto manufacturing powerhouse. The $285 million project is rooted in political ambitions and long-simmering resentment toward Detroit, which for decades had near-total control of the city's water rates. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
Paul Ryan's GOP challenger hopes to capitalize on Palin

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  House Speaker Paul Ryan's longshot Republican primary challenger hopes to capitalize on a boost of publicity thanks to the surprise weekend endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

But Paul Nehlen still faces a steep climb to knock off the popular Ryan who has millions in the bank, won re-election with more than 60 percent of the vote and was courted by many of his Republican colleagues to run for president this year.

Nehlen spokeswoman Kirsten Lombard says talks are underway with Palin about ways she can help defeat the 18-year incumbent.

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 19, 2016, file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin, speaks during a news conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington. Ryan said Monday, May 9, 2016, that he'd step down as co-chairman of the Republican National Convention if presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump asked him to. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Canada says it will support UN indigenous rights declaration

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Canada said Monday it will support a U.N. declaration protecting the rights of more than 370 million native peoples worldwide, ending more than eight years of opposition to the historic document that affirms their equality.

Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett told a U.N. news conference that Canada will officially remove its "permanent objector status" on Tuesday and become a full supporter of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"It means a great deal in Canada but it means a great deal, I think, around the world that Canada is no longer a persistent objector, that we are fully adopting this and working to implement it within the laws of Canada," she said.

Canada, which has 1.4 million indigenous peoples, is the last of the four countries that opposed the declaration when it was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2007 to sign on to it. All four argued it was incompatible with their existing laws, even though Canada helped draft it.

Australia reversed its opposition and supported the declaration in 2009 followed by New Zealand and the United States in 2010. Canada endorsed the declaration in 2010 but maintained a number of objections.

Supporting the U.N. declaration was part of the platform that Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ran on. Bennett and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould both stressed that after Trudeau's victory last October he ordered his Cabinet to rebuild the relationship with Canada's indigenous communities.

"No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with indigenous peoples," Wilson-Raybould, who is the daughter of a hereditary chief from Western Canada and a former regional head of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, quoted Trudeau as saying in a speech to the opening session of the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Wilson-Raybould, who is also Canada's attorney general, said "that for Indian, Inuit and Metis peoples we can and will breathe life into section 35 of Canada's Constitution, which recognizes and affirms existing Aboriginal and treaty rights, by embracing the principles or minimum standards articulated in the United Nations declaration."

The declaration, which is not legally binding, affirms the equality of indigenous peoples and their right to maintain their own institutions, cultures and spiritual traditions. It also establishes standards to combat discrimination and marginalization and eliminate human rights violations against them.

It calls on states to prevent or redress the forced migration of indigenous peoples, the seizure of their land or their forced integration into other cultures. It says "prior and informed consent" should be obtained from indigenous groups for the development of land and resources. It also grants indigenous groups control over their religious and cultural sites and the right to manage their own education systems, including teaching in their own languages.

Bennett said Canadians have learned from their Truth and Reconciliation Commission "that the legacy of colonization has been far-reaching" on its indigenous peoples. "So many Canadians were totally ignorant about this sordid chapter in our history," she said.

What supporting the U.N. declaration will do, Bennett said, is allow the government "to proceed with a conversation with Canadians" about how the document will be implemented.

Wilson-Raybould stressed that "reconciliation requires laws to change and policies to be rewritten," and "we intend to do so in full partnership" with indigenous groups.
South Dakota tribe seeks children's century-old remains

ROSEBUD, S.D. (AP)  The remains of at least 10 Native American children who died nearly 2,000 miles away from their homes while being forced to attend a government-run boarding school in Pennsylvania more than a century ago could soon be repatriated under an effort taken up by a South Dakota tribe.

The exhumation and return of the bodies of the children who as students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School were stripped of their culture and left vulnerable to abuse won't be an easy undertaking. But leaders of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe hope that a meeting with representatives from the U.S. Army and other tribes scheduled for Tuesday will begin the negotiation process to repatriate the remains of the 10 children, and eventually, of the dozens more who died while attending the school as part of an assimilation policy intended to rid the children from Native American traditions and replace them with European culture.

"We are hoping that the United States government will say 'Yes, let's bring your relatives home,'" said Russell Eagle Bear, the historic preservation officer for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. "Back then, the military had total control over us and they took these kids, and especially during those first five years of starting that school, our youth died. Back then in that timeline, our people were basically under almost a hostage situation so our people couldn't go all the way out to Pennsylvania to retrieve loved ones."

In this May 6, 2016, photo, Russell Eagle Bear, the historic preservation officer for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, stands in his office in in Rosebud, S.D. Eagle Bear will be leading a meeting Tuesday, May 10 between leaders of several tribes, including the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and representatives from the U.S. Army to address the possibility of repatriating the remains of at least 10 Native American children who died away from their homes while being forced to attend the government-run Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania more than a century ago. (AP Photo/Regina Garcia Cano)

The boarding school, founded by Army officer Richard Henry Pratt, operated between 1879 and 1918 and saw more than 10,000 Native American children, who upon arrival were required to have their braids cut off and dress in military-style uniforms in an effort to grind out their heritage. Students were punished for speaking their native language and had to go by a European name.

The students lived under harsh conditions that included physical abuse and were used as farm labor during the summer. Children also were left susceptible to various types of disease, such as tuberculosis, which led to their early death. Nearly 200 students died and were buried at the school, which is now part of the U.S. Army War College.

The Army in a statement on Monday said the meeting Tuesday will begin a formal government-to-government consultation that will help all parties better understand the legal requirements to disinter a person buried in any Army? cemetery.

"It is the Army's desire to work with these leaders, work (a) successful resolution, and bring the young men and women home," according to the statement.

Leaders from the Standing Rock Sioux and Northern Arapaho Tribes are among those expected to attend the gathering.

This is the first major effort to repatriate the remains, and it began after a youth group on its way back home from a summit at the White House last summer stopped by the former school. Sydney Horse Looking, a high school senior who was part of the group, said the youth didn't like what they saw.

"They didn't get a proper burial, in my opinion, and the cemetery itself is pretty close to one of the main roads there, and people just drive by," said the 17-year-old Horse Looking, who along with the rest of the youth group pressed the tribe's council to begin the repatriation effort. "I think those kids should be brought home and reunited with their families. It wasn't their choice to go to that school."

Eagle Bear said his office has identified 10 children who are buried at the former school. He said the identification process has been challenging because some records have the children's European names, not their native names. Furthermore, he said, the graves were relocated between the late 1920s and early 1930s and some headstones lack names.

Eagle Bear said that if the Army authorizes the exhumation, he will take a medicine man with him to have a spiritual ceremony to help identify the remains, and DNA testing will be a backup. He hopes the exhumation can begin as early as this summer.

"A lot of these moms and dads went to their graves without knowing what happened to their child and how that child was treated," Eagle Bear said. "So, let's roll up our sleeves, let's lay out a plan and let's bring them back."

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Reach Regina Garcia Cano on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/reginagarciakNO
Ex-FBI agent pleads guilty to perjury during Bulger trial

BOSTON (AP)  A former FBI agent pleaded guilty Monday to lying repeatedly during his testimony at the trial of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, including claiming he was the first officer to recover the gun used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

Robert Fitzpatrick, 76, was accused of lying to jurors and overstating his professional accomplishments during Bulger's 2013 racketeering trial. He pleaded guilty in federal court to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice.

Fitzpatrick, who had been an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston division during Bulger's bloody reign, was the first witness Bulger's lawyers called during the high-profile trial.

FILE - In this April 30, 2015 file photo, Robert Fitzpatrick, of Charlestown, R.I., walks from federal court in Boston with his wife Jane. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent accused of lying during his testimony in the trial of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to appear Monday, May 9, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

At a hearing Monday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Hafer said Fitzpatrick lied on the witness stand "in order to enhance his own credibility" and to bolster Bulger's defense.

Hafer said Fitzpatrick lied when he portrayed himself as a "whistleblower" who tried to end the Boston FBI's corrupt relationship with Bulger. Bulger worked as a criminal informant for the FBI at the same time he led a violent gang responsible for numerous murders.

Hafer said if the case against Fitzpatrick had gone to trial, prosecutors would have presented evidence that Fitzpatrick actually "thwarted" efforts to close Bulger as an informant. He said Fitzpatrick was motivated in part by a desire to promote sales of a book he co-authored, "Betrayal: Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent Who Fought to Bring Him Down."

Hafer said Fitzpatrick lied when he said he recovered the gun used in the King assassination and when he testified he arrested Mafia underboss Gennaro Angiulo in 1983.

During Bulger's trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Kelly pressed Fitzpatrick about his characterization of his role in the King case.

"Isn't it true that three Memphis police officers found the rifle that was used to kill Martin Luther King, not Bob Fitzpatrick?" Kelly asked.

"I found the rifle along with them," Fitzpatrick replied. "They could have been there ... but I'm the one that took the rifle."

The prosecution and defense agreed to recommend a sentence of two years of probation. Under a binding plea agreement, Judge Dennis Saylor IV can either accept the agreement or reject it and allow Fitzpatrick to withdraw his guilty plea. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

After the hearing, Fitzpatrick's lawyer, Robert Goldstein, said Fitzpatrick had "done many great things in his career."

"He and his family are looking forward to putting this behind him," Goldstein said.

Bulger, now 86, was convicted in 2013 of a range of gangland crimes in the 1970s and '80s, including roles in 11 murders. He's serving a life sentence.

FILE- In this April 30, 2015 file photo, Robert Fitzpatrick, of Charlestown, R.I., walks from federal court in Boston. Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent accused of lying during his testimony in the trial of Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, is expected to plead guilty to perjury charges. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to appear Monday, May 9, 2016, in U.S. District Court in Boston for a change-of-plea hearing. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
Anxiety over Trump cuts into House Republicans' support

WASHINGTON (AP)  Anxiety over Donald Trump spread among congressional Republicans Monday, pushing several to follow House Speaker Paul Ryan's lead and withhold their support from the divisive billionaire. Ryan himself declared there's no point in trying to "fake" party unity.

"If we go forward pretending that we're unified, then we are going to be at half-strength this fall," Ryan told The Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin, defending his stunning decision last week to refuse to endorse his party's presumptive presidential nominee.

Still, in interviews with home-state reporters Monday, Ryan denounced the idea of any Republican launching a third-party or independent candidacy to challenge Trump, telling the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel it "would be a disaster for our party."

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is pictured during an interview at his constituent center in Janesville, Wis., Monday, May 9, 2016. Ryan said during the interview that he would step aside as chairman of the Republican National Convention if presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump wants him to do so. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)

And Ryan said he'd step aside from the House speaker's traditional role as chairman of the Republican National Convention if Trump wants him to, a scenario that Trump left open over the weekend, underscoring the depths of strife now afflicting a GOP divided against itself.

"He's the nominee. I'll do whatever he wants in respect to the convention," Ryan said, striking a conciliatory note.

Trump himself shrugged off the need for unity heading into the November general election and a likely match-up against Democrat Hillary Clinton, even though that would be the goal in any normal election year after a candidate effectively clinches the nomination, as Trump did last week.

"I think this is a time for unity. And if there's not going to be unity, I think that's OK, too," Trump said on Fox Business Network. "I mean, I'll go out and I think I'll do very well. I think I'm going to win the race either way."

The comments from Ryan and Trump came as both men prepared for a face-to-face meeting Thursday, which Republican leaders hope will begin to mend the fabric of their party. Trump will also meet Thursday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate GOP leaders.

Still, ahead of the meeting, Ryan's negative stance appeared to be providing cover for some vulnerable Republicans who are anxious to distance themselves from Trump and his controversial comments about women, Latinos, prisoners of war and others.

Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, one of the most endangered Senate Republicans, wrote an opinion piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer drawing back from his long-stated intent to back the GOP nominee.

"His vulgarity, particularly toward women, is appalling. His lack of appreciation for constitutional limits on executive powers is deeply concerning. ... In short, I find his candidacy highly problematic," Toomey wrote of Trump. "There could come a point at which the differences are so great as to be irreconcilable."

Toomey appeared to be the only Senate Republican running for re-election to publicly step back from plans to vote for Trump. However, other backing has come with little enthusiasm as senators have announced in the same breath plans to skip the July convention in Cleveland.

Party leaders fear Trump's candidacy could cost Republicans control of the Senate. Even in the House, where Republicans command the largest majority in decades and are unlikely to lose control, vulnerable members are visibly nervous.

Several newly elected lawmakers who could face difficulty in November, including Martha McSally of Arizona, Will Hurd of Texas and Barbara Comstock of Virginia, have told local publications they are not ready to back Trump.

Another Republican in a closely divided district, Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, said in an interview that he and others were finding it difficult to support Trump given his history of incendiary comments and his own uncertain record as a Republican, including donations to many Democrats, Clinton among them.

"When you're a candidate running for office you don't like to be in a position where you have to put distance between yourself and someone in your own party," Dent said. "But in this case you're compelled to do it because of the nature of these inflammatory statements."

Trump's tendency to shift stances on policy issues, which has troubled conservatives while handing ammunition to Democrats, arose anew Monday as he defended a weekend suggestion that his tax plan could be negotiable. Clinton aides pounced on the issue in a conference call while Trump defended himself, saying, "This is a negotiation."

Ever confident, Trump announced that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former foe but now an enthusiastic supporter, would head his transition team as he heads for the White House after the election.

Another former opponent, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who's been mentioned by Trump as a potential vice presidential pick, issued a statement saying he wasn't interested because Trump "will be best served by a running mate and by surrogates who fully embrace his campaign."

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Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi and Jill Colvin contributed.

Spectators cheer as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Lynden, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

FILE - In this March 14, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waves to the crowd as they walk off the stage after a rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C. Christies decision to endorse Donald Trump back in February brought him plenty of derision at the time. But its bringing rewards now that its clear he bet on the winner. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
Officials: Air passenger caught with dagger, throwing stars

NEW YORK (AP)  A Connecticut man has been arrested after authorities say he tried to bring martial arts weapons, including throwing stars, onto a plane in New York City.

The Transportation Security Administration says its officers stopped the man at a LaGuardia Airport checkpoint on Saturday after they detected weapons in his carry-on luggage.

TSA says the New Haven resident was carrying a dagger and several other weapons, including three throwing knives, a traditional throwing star and an expandable throwing star, also known as ninja stars.

This May 9, 2016 panel of photos released by the Transportation Security Administration shows a dagger and several martial arts weapons confiscated at at TSA checkpoint Saturday, May 7, 2016 at LaGuardia Airport in New York. A resident of New Haven, Conn., was arrested. The TSA has not released his identity. (Transportation Security Administration via AP)

Airport police confiscated the weapons and arrested the man. TSA hasn't released his identity.
3 girls charged in fatal Delaware school restroom fight

DOVER, Del. (AP)  Three teenage girls have been charged in a high school restroom assault in Delaware that left a 16-year-old girl dead, authorities said Monday.

The Delaware attorney general's office announced the charges after meeting earlier in the day with the mother and older brother of the victim, Amy Joyner-Francis.

Joyner-Francis, a sophomore at Wilmington's Howard High School of Technology, died April 21 after a fight broke out shortly before classes were to begin.

Authorities said a 16-year-old girl, the only person believed to have struck Joyner-Francis, is charged with criminally negligent homicide, which is punishable by up to eight years in prison. Prosecutors said they will seek permission from Family Court to have the girl tried as an adult in state Superior Court.

The other two suspects, also 16, are charged with third-degree criminal conspiracy, which is punishable by up to a year in prison, they added. They will be tried in Family Court.

The Associated Press is not naming any of the suspects because they are juveniles.

Authorities noted that while the evidence indicates that all three suspects were involved in planning a confrontation with Joyner-Francis, only one actually hit her. Authorities did not disclose a motive for the confrontation.

"The individuals responsible for Amy Joyner-Francis's death are minors, but they must be held accountable for their actions," the state Department of Justice said in a statement.

Authorities disclosed Monday that Joyner-Francis died of sudden cardiac death, with a contributing factor of physical and emotional stress because of the physical assault. An autopsy did not detect any internal injuries or significant blunt force injuries.

"In layman's terms, the medical examiner determined that Amy died from a cardiac incident that she was vulnerable to because of a pre-existing heart condition, but the cardiac incident would not have occurred if she had not been assaulted," the DOJ statement read.

According to a police affidavit, a video of the assault obtained by investigators shows a girl striking Joyner-Francis repeatedly in the head and torso with what appears to be a closed fist. As the attacker leaves, Joyner-Francis then attempts to stand up.

"Witnesses confirm that Joyner-Francis then began exhibiting disorientation and collapsed shortly thereafter," the affidavit reads.

Authorities also said in court documents that written and oral communications among the three suspects indicate that the assault was planned over the course of the preceding 20 hours.

Chief state public defender Brendan O'Neill, whose office is representing one of the suspects charged with conspiracy, described the death of Joyner-Francis as "a terrible accident in the context of an ugly incident."

"It's a tragedy all the way around," he said. "The consequences are going to be life-changing for all the kids involved."

Wilmington Mayor Dennis Williams issued a statement saying the charges are a "first step" in providing the victim's family and the community with closure.

"As this process moves forward, I ask that we keep the family and loved ones of everyone involved in our thoughts and prayers," Williams said.
1 year and a day in prison for threatening Florida mosques

TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  Authorities say a Florida man accused of threatening to firebomb two mosques last fall has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison.

The Justice Department reported 43-year-old Martin Alan Schnitzler's sentencing in a news release Monday. He pleaded guilty in February to obstructing persons in the free exercise of religious beliefs. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.

Schnitzler admitted in his plea that he left voicemails for the Islamic Society of St. Petersburg and the Islamic Society of Pinellas County hours after the November attacks in Paris, threatening to firebomb the center and "shoot whoever is there." FBI investigators deemed the threats not credible.

The Nov. 13 attacks in Paris claimed 130 lives and wounded hundreds more.

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Trump foes plan to push conservative views at GOP convention

WASHINGTON (AP)  A top adviser from Sen. Ted Cruz's defunct presidential campaign wants supporters to push a conservative agenda, including limits on the bathrooms transgender people can use, a fresh example of the headaches Donald Trump could face at this summer's Republican National Convention.

With Trump's last two rivals Texas' Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich  abandoning their campaigns, there's no remaining talk of snatching the presidential nomination away from Trump with a contested, multiballot convention battle.

Instead, anti-Trump forces are trying to figure out how to use the GOP meeting in July to keep the billionaire from reshaping the party and its guiding principles, perhaps with fights over the platform, the rules or even his vice presidential pick.

FILE - In this May 5, 2016 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Charleston, W. Va. Donald Trump says he was really surprised by House Speaker Paul Ryan's rebuff of him as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But GOP chief Reince Priebus says he understands Ryans reservations. Its going to take some time in some cases for people to work through differences, Priebus says. Priebus says he disagrees with Trump on some issues such as banning Muslims from entering the U.S (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Many expect Trump to build momentum as the convention approaches, narrowing his opponents' options. Even so, here's what may be in store:

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IT'S OVER? WHAT NOW?

Trump's foes concede he's likely to arrive in Cleveland exceeding the 1,237 delegates needed to become the nominee. Yet many are still reeling from the contest's unexpected finale last week and are just starting to think about what they could do at the convention that would be productive.

"There's going to be a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot talking between all of us," said Kay Godwin, a Cruz delegate from Blackshear, Georgia.

Many Trump opponents see the Republican platform, the party's statement of ideals and policy goals, as a place for a stand in Cleveland. The convention's 2,472 delegates must approve the platform before formally anointing the presidential nominee.

All  including those chosen to support Trump  can vote however they want on the platform. Many conservatives say they will use that vote to keep Trump from reshaping GOP dogma against abortion, for free trade and on other issues.

Trump has said he would seek to include exceptions for rape and incest to the GOP platform's opposition to abortion  a big problem for conservatives. He's also flouted the party platform by repeatedly criticizing trade deals and calling NATO obsolete.

"If the party walks away from any of its clearly cut social, family values issues, it will be an issue," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council and GOP delegate from Louisiana. "We're not just going to fall in line because he's the nominee."

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A BATTLE OVER TRANSGENDER RIGHTS?

In an email over the weekend to convention delegates backing Cruz, Ken Cuccinelli  a top adviser in the Texas senator's campaign  urged delegates to fight in Cleveland for "the conservative values that Ted Cruz embodies." The note, bearing the "Cruz '16-Fiorina" insignia and first obtained by The New York Times, said delegates should try getting on convention committees that will write the gathering's rules and party platform.

In a Monday night conference call that was essentially a pep talk, Cruz and Cuccinelli repeated that message and urged delegates to go to Cleveland and fight for conservative principles, said participants who described the private call on condition of anonymity.

In an interview, Cuccinelli said supporters would push one platform plank saying, in effect, "Boys should only be allowed to go in the boys' bathroom, and girls should only be allowed to go in the girls' bathroom."

The federal Justice Department sued North Carolina on Monday over the state's law requiring transgender people to use the restroom of the gender on their birth certificate. Trump has opposed Cruz's proposal that government and businesses be allowed to provide separate bathrooms for transgender people.

Presidents are not bound by their party platforms and typically ignore planks that don't fit their agenda once in office. Even so, a showdown could be an embarrassment Trump would seek to avoid by not pushing divisive changes.

Cuccinelli said the Cruz team was not trying to block Trump's nomination "because he's on a path to majority, and that's the finish line. That's victory."

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OTHER BATTLES

Convention fights could occur over the party's rules.

Cruz backers want rules making the GOP "a grassroots party rather than a Washington-centric party," Cuccinelli said. He cited existing requirements that make it harder for some presidential candidates to have their names placed in nomination at the convention.

In addition, Trump has said he'd like a vice presidential candidate with government experience.

Yet, as with the platform, delegates can vote as they please in choosing Trump's running mate. Some opponents suggest they may challenge his choice, either as a protest or to try forcing him to make a different selection.

Recent GOP conventions have approved vice presidential candidates by acclamation and no roll call. But if delegates make enough of a fuss, a roll call with plenty of votes for a rival vice presidential candidate is possible.

"If he wants to dictate who the nominee is" for vice president, "the delegates may not go along," said Roger Stauter, a Cruz delegate from Madison, Wisconsin, who said he would never support Trump.

Others said the convention would probably defer to Trump's thinking about a strategically smart choice.

"He could pick somebody we'd all get pretty excited about," said Shane Goettle, a Cruz delegate from North Dakota.

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Associated Press writers Julie Pace and Thomas Beaumont contributed to this report.

FILE - In this April 19, 2016 file photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis. speaks in Washington. Donald Trump says he was really surprised by House Speaker Paul Ryan's rebuff of him as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. But GOP chief Reince Priebus says he understands Ryans reservations. Its going to take some time in some cases for people to work through differences, Priebus says. Priebus says he disagrees with Trump on some issues such as banning Muslims from entering the U.S. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
The Latest: Muslim student says yearbook photo ID hurts

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP)  The Latest on a Muslim student who says she was misidentified in her high school yearbook (all times local):

3 p.m.

A Muslim student says she's hurt that classmates are criticizing her after she spoke out against being misidentified as a girl named "Isis Phillips" in her high school yearbook.

Bayan Zehlif, 17, speaks during a news conference on Monday, May 9, 2016 in Anaheim, Calif. Zehlif has posted a photo on Facebook of herself in a hijab with the name "Isis Phillips" underneath it as it appears in the Los Osos High School yearbook. She writes in the post that she's "extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed." She says the school told her it was a "typo" but she says, "I beg to differ." (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Bayan Zehlif told reporters at a press conference in Anaheim, California, on Monday that she was upset after seeing her picture misidentified in the Los Osos High School yearbook, but even more upset by her classmates' reaction to her calling attention to it.

Zehlilf says the school has apologized and promised to investigate. She says she doesn't know if it was a mistake, as officials have told her. She says she finds it coincidental that a Muslim student was misidentified with a name widely associated with a terror group.

She says she does not know Isis Phillips but has heard there is a student with that name.

___

10:06 a.m.

A Muslim student says she's saddened and hurt after being identified in her Southern California high school yearbook as Isis Phillips.

Bayan Zehlif has posted a photo on Facebook of herself in a hijab with the name "Isis Phillips" underneath it as it appears in the Los Osos High School yearbook. She writes in the post that she's "extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed." She says the school told her it was a "typo" but she says, "I beg to differ."

Mat Holton, Chaffey Joint Union High School District superintendent, tells the Los Angeles Times that Zehlif was misidentified as another student with the name Isis. He says an investigation will be conducted.

Holton says yearbook distribution has been halted until the error is fixed and those who received them have been asked to return them.

Bayan Zehlif, 17, speaks during a news conference on Monday, May 9, 2016 in Anaheim, Calif. Zehlif has posted a photo on Facebook of herself in a hijab with the name "Isis Phillips" underneath it as it appears in the Los Osos High School yearbook. She writes in the post that she's "extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed." She says the school told her it was a "typo" but she says, "I beg to differ." (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Bayan Zehlif, 17, speaks during a news conference on Monday, May 9, 2016 in Anaheim, Calif. Zehlif has posted a photo on Facebook of herself in a hijab with the name "Isis Phillips" underneath it as it appears in the Los Osos High School yearbook. She writes in the post that she's "extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed." She says the school told her it was a "typo" but she says, "I beg to differ." (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Bayan Zehlif, 17, speaks during a news conference on Monday, May 9, 2016 in Anaheim, Calif. Zehlif has posted a photo on Facebook of herself in a hijab with the name "Isis Phillips" underneath it as it appears in the Los Osos High School yearbook. She writes in the post that she's "extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed." She says the school told her it was a "typo" but she says, "I beg to differ." (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
US sues North Carolina over transgender bathroom law

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  A potentially epic clash over transgender rights took shape Monday when the U.S. Justice Department sued North Carolina over the state's bathroom law after the governor refused to back down.

In unusually forceful language, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said North Carolina's law requiring transgender people to use public restrooms and showers corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate amounts to "state-sponsored discrimination" and is aimed at "a problem that doesn't exist."

"What this law does is inflict further indignity on a population that has already suffered far more than its fair share," she said, speaking directly to residents of her native state. "This law provides no benefit to society, and all it does is harm innocent Americans."

Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Billions of dollars in federal aid for North Carolina  and a potentially landmark decision regarding the reach of the nation's civil rights laws  are at stake in the dispute, which in recent weeks has triggered boycotts and cancellations aimed at pressuring the state into repealing the measure.

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department said the law amounts to illegal sex discrimination and gave Gov. Pat McCrory until Monday to say he would refuse to enforce it. When the deadline arrived, a defiant McCrory instead sued the federal government, arguing that the state law is a "commonsense privacy policy" and that the Justice Department's position is "baseless and blatant overreach."

McCrory, a Republican who is up for re-election in November, accused the Obama administration of unilaterally rewriting federal civil rights law to protect transgender people's access to bathrooms, locker rooms and showers across the country.

"This is not a North Carolina issue. It is now a national issue," he said.

Later in the day, the Justice Department struck back by suing the state, seeking a court order declaring the law discriminatory and unenforceable.

A judge could begin hearing arguments in the competing cases within weeks, during which North Carolina will probably try to stop the government from temporarily blocking the law or stripping away federal funding, said Rina Lindevaldsen, a Liberty University professor specializing in family and constitutional law.

With appeals courts around the country diverging on whether transgender people are protected under federal civil rights laws, "this seems like the kind of thing that's on track for the Supreme Court," she said.

Defenders of the law have argued that it is needed to protect people from being molested in bathrooms. North Carolina's top legislative leaders, both Republicans, repeated that fear in their own lawsuit filed Monday in defense of the law.

Allowing "anyone to use any public bathroom, locker room or shower based solely on that person's self-declared gender 'identity'" would "create an opportunity for sexual predators of any sexual orientation to abuse the policy to facilitate their predation," they warned.

Lynch, though, said supporters of the law invented a problem "as a pretext for discrimination and harassment."

Stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam have canceled shows in North Carolina over the law. PayPal abandoned a planned 400-employee operation center in Charlotte, and Deutsche Bank froze expansion plans near Raleigh.

Nearly 200 corporate leaders from across the country, including Charlotte-based Bank of America, have urged the measure's repeal, arguing it is bad for business because it makes recruiting talented employees more difficult.

The law, which took effect in March, was passed in reaction to a Charlotte ordinance allowing transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity.

The new law also excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from state anti-discrimination protection and bars local governments from adopting their own anti-bias measures. But the Justice Department has focused largely on the bathroom provisions.

Nearly half of North Carolina registered voters last month said cities should be prohibited from passing ordinances such as Charlotte's, according to a poll by Elon University. Nearly four out of 10 said cities should have that leeway.

A CNN/ORC Poll released Monday found 57 percent of Americans oppose laws that require transgender people to use facilities corresponding with their sex at birth. Three out of four said they would favor laws that guarantee equal protection for transgender people in jobs, housing and public accommodations.

Several other states in recent months have proposed similar laws limiting protections for gay, bisexual and transgender people. On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi sued that state over a law that will allow workers to cite their religious objections to gay marriage to deny services to people.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, a Democrat running against McCrory for governor, has refused to defend the law and has called for its repeal. On Monday, he warned in a video that McCrory "is pouring gas on the fire that he lit" when he signed the measure.

Lynch likened her agency's involvement in the North Carolina dispute to the fight against both racial segregation and prohibitions against gay marriage.

"This is about the dignity and the respect that we accord our fellow citizens," Lynch said. "It's about the founding ideals that have led this country, haltingly but inexorably, in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans."

The Justice Department noted a ruling last month by a federal appeals court that a transgender Virginia high school student has the right to use bathrooms that match his new identity.

The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is binding on five states, including North Carolina. A Virginia school board is seeking a re-hearing by the entire appeals court.

The U.S. Education Department and other federal agencies could try to cut off money to North Carolina to force compliance.

The state university system risks losing more than $1.4 billion. An additional $800 million in federally backed loans for students who attend the public universities could also be in danger.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Emery P. Dalesio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/emery-p-dalesio

___

This story has been corrected to show that a Virginia school board, not the state of Virginia, is seeking a re-hearing by an appeals court.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, accompanied by Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, left, speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division listens at left as Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Monday, May 9, 2016. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that limits protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Gov. Pat McCrory speaks during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 9, 2016. McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that requires transgender people to use the public restroom matching the sex on their birth certificate. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Gov. Pat McCrory speaks during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C., Monday, May 9, 2016. McCrory's administration sued the federal government Monday in a fight for a state law that requires transgender people to use the public restroom matching the sex on their birth certificate. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
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The Latest: Pretrial motions in trial tied to women's death

MONROE, La. (AP)  The Latest on the Louisiana trial of a man indicted for the Mississippi burning death of Jessica Chambers (all times local):

6:30 p.m.

Though a jury may never hear it, a witness at a pretrial hearing for a man being tried on charges connected to a women's death in Louisiana says the defendant acknowledged stabbing a person.

Quinton Tellis is on trial in Monroe, charged with illegally using a debit card belonging to Meing-Chen Hsaio. The former Taiwanese exchange student was found stabbed to death in her apartment in August.

WHBQ-TV (http://bit.ly/1rDAjaE) reports witness Eric Hill testified Monday in the pretrial hearing that Tellis told of stabbing someone multiple times to obtain a debit card. Hill is a cousin of Tellis' wife.

A Monroe police detective says Tellis' phone indicates he made a call July 29 from a location matching GPS coordinates for Hsiao's apartment.

A judge is limiting discussion of Hsiao's death because Tellis isn't charged with killing her.

Tellis is indicted in the 2014 burning death of a Mississippi teenager, Jessica Chambers.

___

6 p.m.

A judge is limiting discussion of a woman's death in the Louisiana trial of a man accused of illegally using her debit card.

The News-Star (http://tnsne.ws/24I4kb8) reports state district Judge Larry Jefferson ruled on pretrial motions Monday in the case of Quinton Tellis. He's accused of using a debit card belonging to Meing-Chen Hsiao. The woman was found stabbed to death in her apartment in August in Monroe.

Tellis is also indicted for the 2014 burning death of northern Mississippi teenager Jessica Chambers. Monroe police named him a suspect in Hsiao's killing, but never charged him.

Jefferson said prosecutors can discuss Hsiao's death, but can't discuss her injuries or call it a murder.

The judge says prosecutors can use statements Tellis gave to police about his intent to sell marijuana.

___

3 a.m.

Charged in the burning death of north Mississippi teenager Jessica Chambers, Quinton Tellis goes on trial Monday on charges connected to another woman's death in northern Louisiana.

Tellis faces trial in Monroe for using a debit card belonging to Meing-Chen Hsiao. The former Taiwanese exchange student was stabbed to death in her apartment in August.

Although Monroe police named Tellis a suspect, he's not charged with killing Hsiao.

Ouachita (WAH'-shuh-taw) Parish Assistant District Attorney Neal Johnson says lawyers will argue Monday over pretrial motions. The defense wants to exclude evidence of Hsiao's homicide, while prosecutors want to introduce evidence of previous drug transactions.
Construction workers blacklisted for union activities to get compensation

A long running campaign for compensation for construction workers who were blacklisted for union activities has finally ended, with millions of pounds set to be paid out.

Unite announced it had reached a settlement with construction firms which will see 256 workers receive more than 10 million in compensation.

Unite said payouts could range from 25,000 to 200,000 per claimant, depending on such factors as the loss of income and the seriousness of the defamation.

Blacklisted construction workers are to receive compensation

The GMB, which reached a settlement last month, said it understands the total value of compensation in the case was around 75 million for 771 claimants with legal costs on both sides estimated at 25 million.

Blacklisting came to light in 2009 when the Information Commissioner's Office seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists.

Some of those on the list said they were denied work, while a handful moved abroad because they could not find jobs in this country.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "The massive scale of the agreed damages shows the gravity of the misdeeds of major construction companies which created and used the Consulting Group as a vehicle to enable them to blacklist trade unionists.

"The sums to be paid out go a considerable way to acknowledge the hurt, suffering and loss of income our members and their families have been through over many years.

"Under the agreement they can once more apply for jobs in the construction industry without fear of discrimination.

"This settlement is a clear statement on behalf of the trade union movement that never again can such nefarious activities be allowed to happen against decent working people trying to earn an honest living in a tough industry.

"The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but like Hillsborough, eventually justice is done and is seen to be done.

"The message is clear that there can never be any hiding place for bosses in the construction and any other industry thinking of reverting to shameful blacklisting practices against committed trade unionists."

Unite director of legal services Howard Beckett said: "Unite is proud to have fought right to the end to get the maximum we believed was possible against companies that had to be dragged kicking and screaming to make unprecedented admissions of guilt last October.

"In addition to financial compensation, admissions of guilt and formal apologies, the companies have agreed, as a result of this litigation, to issue guidance to site managers to ensure blacklisting is not occurring on a local level and to ensure that Unite members receive no less favourable treatment for job applications, as a result of this litigation."

Tim Roache, GMB general secretary said: "We have secured 5.4 million of justice for the GMB members blacklisted by powerful construction companies who thought they were above the law.

"For decades household name construction companies implemented an illegal blacklisting system, which denied a generation of trade union activists and health and safety reps an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. Finally they have been held to account in public and at great cost to them financially and reputationally.

"Preventing 3,213 workers earning a living to support their families was a gross injustice and government and employers' organisations must never forget this sordid episode. Without strong regulation and penalties holding them to account, employers will always be tempted to put profit above people."

Maria Ludkin, GMB legal director, added: "We have always felt that our members deserved substantial compensation, and today we are satisfied that we have achieved the best settlements possible from the blacklisters. All GMB could ever get for our members was compensation and a full apology.

"We could never get back years of their family lives stolen by the blacklisters who believed it was acceptable in Britain to put their profits ahead of health and safety and ordinary people's lives and trade union voice in the workplace.

"The companies involved tried to keep this dirty little secret hidden. GMB was determined to ensure that that was not going to happen and we have fought tooth and nail to ensure a just outcome.

"To the bitter end, the companies have remained in denial that they were blacklisters, fearful that public acknowledgement could cost them public sector contracts worth billions of pounds."

The final settlement figure of 75 million includes costs and covers members of the GMB, Unite and Ucatt unions as well as others on the blacklist, according to the GMB.

Construction companies said in a statement: "Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O'Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Vinci PLC today announce that they have settled the litigation between them and individuals represented by Unite regarding the activities of the Economic League and the Consulting Association.

"The construction companies settled with the claimants represented by GMB, Ucatt and GCR (law firm Guney, Clark & Ryan) on 29 April. The settlement with Unite brings to a close all the claims in the litigation.

"In October 2015, the construction companies - unlike any other companies involved in the vetting system - spontaneously and openly acknowledged that the system was unlawful in various respects and made a full public apology, which was widely reported at the time.

"Unite, Ucatt, GMB and GCR have now all accepted this public apology.

"The construction companies have offered financial settlements which all claimants represented by Unite, Ucatt, GMB and GCR have also now accepted.

"All parties have also agreed a joint statement to be read in Court as part of this settlement.

"These construction companies wish to draw a line under this matter and continue to work together with the trade unions at national, regional and site level to ensure that the modern UK construction industry provides the highest standards of employment and HR practice for its workforce."

Dave Smith, secretary of the Blacklist Support Group, said: "Despite all of the denials and attempts to cover up their secret conspiracy, the largest multinationals in the construction sector have been forced to pay out millions in compensation.

"Make no mistake, the High Court action is a historic victory for the trade union movement against the vicious face of free market capitalism.

"The blacklist firms might have hoped that by buying their way out of a show trial, that the scandal that has disgraced an entire industry will go away: it won't.
Jeremy Corbyn tells Labour MPs to stop public criticism of his leadership

Jeremy Corbyn has ordered his MPs to cut out public criticism of his leadership as he defended the party's recent performance at the ballot box.

The Labour leader directly confronted unrest in the ranks fuelled by last week's election results when he addressed the weekly meeting of his MPs and peers at Westminster.

He conceded that the party was "not yet doing enough" to win back power in 2020 and acknowledged the need to broaden the appeal of his message - but insisted things were moving in the right direction.

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets mayor of London Sadiq Khan at Mr Corbyn's office in the House of Commons

Big cheers greeted the arrival at the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) meeting of Sadiq Khan, whose victory in the London mayoral contest provided the Opposition with an eye-catching result.

Mr Khan, who was widely seen to have distanced himself from the leader's left-wing agenda during the campaign, arrived fresh from his first meeting with Mr Corbyn since being elected to City Hall in the early hours of Saturday morning,

He used his speech to warn that Labour risked missing an "open goal" unless it showed itself to be "a credible government-in-waiting" that focused on the issues and rejected an "us and them approach".

"We are not there yet, but I know with the right approach, Labour can still win in 2020," he said.

Senior Labour colleagues have clashed openly on social media in an increasingly fraught atmosphere - though there appears to be no prospect of any imminent challenge.

Mr Corbyn conceded that Thursday's results - when he became the first opposition leader for 50 years to lose council seats in his first local elections and saw the party hammered in Scotland and fall back in Wales - were "mixed".

But he said a recovery from the heavy defeat suffered in the 2015 general election "has begun in earnest".

In words released by his office ahead of the behind-closed-doors meeting, Mr Corbyn said he did not expect "blind loyalty" but appealed to MPs to focus on attacking the Conservatives.

"We need, if not across-the-board unity, then at least respect for each other - and to turn our fire on this Tory Government, and its forced academisation, tax and disability cuts policies in utter disarray," he said.

A source said that Mr Corbyn did not use the actual form of words that was briefed but had delivered the same message.

The party met a target of closing the gap on the Tories - with Labour a point ahead of the Tories in a projection of national vote share based on last week's voting patterns, he told the packed meeting.

"But let's be clear. The results were mixed. We are not yet doing enough to win in 2020.

"This is only the first stage in our task of building a winning electoral majority, attracting voters from all the other parties and mobilising those who have been turned off politics altogether - as we did last week in Bristol and London.

"But overall we have moved in the right direction. And now we have to build on these results."

Senior Labour sources described the meeting with Mr Khan as a "very, very friendly" exchange between men who had been "comrades and colleagues going back years".

They defended Mr Corbyn's failure to meet with the new mayor earlier or to attend his signing in - pointing out that he had travelled to Bristol to mark the "just as symbolically important" election of Labour's Marvin Rees as that city's mayor.
Risks of leaving EU far outweigh the opportunities, says Chatham House director

The risks of leaving the European Union "far outweigh the opportunities", according to the head of an influential foreign affairs think tank.

Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, said Brexit would lose the country influence and "weaken its sovereign power" outside the EU.

He acknowledged that membership of the bloc meant giving up control over the flow of workers from the EU, but stressed that migration had benefited the economy and free movement was also a valuable right for Britons.

Latest politics news

The Chatham House paper argues that as a member of the European Union, Britain retains control of 98% of government spending and sets its own policies on almost every issue of serious concern to British voters.

Dr Niblett said "The debate in Britain over sovereignty is in a sorry state - absolute sovereignty is worthless if it reduces the prosperity and security of British citizens.

"The important thing is the government's ability to secure outcomes in the interests of the British people - and that is unquestionably enhanced by membership of the European Union."

His paper acknowledged that migration of workers from the EU has caused "great public concern and is a principal driver of support for the campaign to leave".

"There is no escaping this trade-off, as it is a key requirement of EU membership. However, free movement of labour is a benefit for the UK economy in the aggregate, and a valuable right for British citizens who wish to take up employment in other EU countries."

The paper concluded: "The fundamental question before the British electorate, therefore, is not whether it is time for Britain 'to take back control' from the EU.

"This is a worthless proposition if it does not address Britain's actual ability to ensure the prosperity and security of its citizens. The question should be whether Britons are content with the trade-off that accompanies EU membership: that is, that Britain can best enhance its security and its economic prospects if it accepts being part of a single market for workers as well as for goods, services and capital.
Leading economists lobby world leaders over 'inequality' of tax havens

A group of 300 economists - including best-selling inequality expert Thomas Piketty - have written to world leaders warning there is no economic justification for tax havens.

Signatories also include Angus Deaton, the Edinburgh-born 2015 Nobel Prize-winner for economics, as well as Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang.

It comes ahead of the Government's anti-corruption summit in London on Thursday, which politicians from 40 countries as well as World Bank and IMF representatives are expected to attend.

Oxfam has co-ordinated a letter from top economists protecting at the existence of tax havens

The letter, co-ordinated by charity Oxfam, says: "We urge you to use this month's anti-corruption summit in London to make significant moves towards ending the era of tax havens. The existence of tax havens does not add to overall global wealth or well-being; they serve no useful economic purpose.

"Whilst these jurisdictions undoubtedly benefit some rich individuals and multinational corporations, this benefit is at the expense of others, and they therefore serve to increase inequality."

They claim that poorer countries are hit the hardest by tax dodging, losing out on 170 billion US dollars (117 billion) a year as a result.

The group, which includes 47 professors from British universities including Oxford and the London School of Economics, urged governments to "lift the veil of secrecy surrounding tax havens", and singled out the UK in particular.

"We need new global agreements on issues such as public country by country reporting, including for tax havens. Governments must also put their own houses in order by ensuring that all the territories, for which they are responsible, make publicly available information about the real 'beneficial' owners of company and trusts.

"The UK, as host for this summit and as a country that has sovereignty over around a third of the world's tax havens, is uniquely placed to take a lead."

Oxfam said that more than half of the companies set up by Mossack Fonseca, the law firm in the Panama Papers leak, were incorporated in British Overseas Territories such as the British Virgin Islands.

Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute and an adviser to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said: "Tax havens do not just happen. The British Virgin Islands did not become a tax and secrecy haven through its own efforts.
Call for measures in employment law to protect whistleblowers

Current employment law fails to adequately protect whistleblowers and compensate them for retaliation, a study has suggested.

Authors Blueprint for Free Speech (BFS) said the Public Interest Disclosure Act (Pida) lacks specific measures to shield employees from the sack or harassment if they report crime, corruption, abuse or other alleged wrongdoing in the workplace.

The BFS said the law lacks sufficient bite to penalise those who retaliate against whistleblowers, and who are only given legal protection once they can demonstrate being victimised as a result of their actions.

Calls have been made to ensure greater protection for whistleblowers

The authors said PIDA "is not powerful enough to stop managers and co-workers from retaliating against workers after they've blown the whistle on illegal and unethical conduct".

Dr Suelette Dreyfus, international whistleblower expert and co-author of the report, said: "Pida has not kept pace with our understanding of how to protect whistleblowers or with increasingly advanced tactics for retaliation.

"The law, which was regarded internationally as a gold standard when it was passed in 1998, is not providing the protection it should. Whistleblowers ensure accountability, and when strong accountability measures are in place for the public and private sectors, corruption is prevented before it occurs."
Michael Gove's planned British Bill of Rights will damage UK abroad, warn peers

Creating a British Bill of Rights is unnecessary as it will simply affirm the measures in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) but damage the country's moral authority internationally, peers warned.

The cross-party House of Lords EU Justice sub-committee said Michael Gove's plan to scrap and replace the Human Rights Act 1998 - introduced by Labour to bring the ECHR into British law - could deal a blow to the UK's standing in organisations like the EU and the Council of Europe.

Moreover, scrapping the Act would lead to an increasing reliance on the more strongly enforced EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in British courts, in what the committee deemed a "perverse consequence" of the Justice Secretary's plans.

Peers warned a British Bill of Rights planned by Michael Gove would damage the UK's moral authority internationally

Meanwhile, with the proposal lacking the support of the devolved nations, it could end up as an English Bill of Rights with uneven laws governing the nations of the UK.

A Tory manifesto pledge, the Bill of Rights was omitted from the Government's first legislative programme amid opposition from backbenchers and it is unclear whether it will feature in the forthcoming Queen's Speech on May 18.

Home Secretary Theresa May recently called for Britain to pull out of the ECHR but Mr Gove made it clear he wanted to remain in the convention while reforming the law at home.

The committee told the Government to "think again" before proceeding.

Its chairwoman, Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws, said: "Our evidence from the Secretary of State for Justice was the first time the Government has explained why it wants to introduce a British Bill of Rights.

"The arguments seemed to amount to restoring national faith in human rights and to give human rights a greater UK identity.

"The proposals he outlined were not extensive, and we were not convinced that a Bill of Rights was necessary.

"Many witnesses thought that restricting the scope of the Human Rights Act would lead to an increase in reliance on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in UK courts, which has stronger enforcement mechanisms.

"This seemed to be a perverse consequence of a Bill of Rights intended to give human rights greater UK identity.

"We heard evidence that the devolved administrations have serious concerns about the plans to repeal the Human Rights Act.

"If the devolved Parliaments withheld their consent to a British Bill of Rights it might very well end up as an English Bill of Rights, not something we think the Government would want to see."

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "This Government has a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework.
Missing Ben Needham: Yorkshire police team fly to Kos to seek new witnesses

A team of British police officers is heading for the Greek island of Kos to look for new witnesses in the search for toddler Ben Needham who went missing almost 25 years ago, according to his family.

Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on July 24 1991 after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents.

Over the years there have been a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to the youngster, who would now be 26.

Ben Needham went missing on the Greek island of Kos in 1991

Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police announced that they had received extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search.

Now, the official campaign to find Ben, headed by his mother, Kerry, confirmed that a team of officers will fly to Kos on Tuesday.

In a statement, Help Find Ben Needham said 10 officers were travelling to the island hoping to "find new witnesses as they urge islanders to come forward with any information which might help the case".

It said the officers will give a press conference at the farmhouse from where Ben went missing.

He had been taken to the site, in Irakles, by his grandmother, Christine Needham, to visit his grandfather, who was helping to renovate the run-down building.

Ms Needham said: "W e believe someone on Kos does know something - and if they do please come forward. It doesn't matter how insiginificant they think it is - if they have information let the police know."

In January last year, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings secured 700,000 of special funding from the Home Office to allow South Yorkshire Police to commit further resources to the investigation into Ben's disappearance.

This year, a further 450,000 was approved by the Home Secretary.

The Home Office backed a South Yorkshire Police operation in 2012 when land was excavated on Kos, near the farmhouse from where Ben went missing. No trace of the little boy was found.

In 2014, South Yorkshire Police asked the Home Office for the Special Grant Funding to follow up information the family believed had never been properly investigated.

In May last year, Ben's mother, sister and grandmother travelled to Greece with South Yorkshire Police detectives to make a direct appeal on a Greek television show about missing people.

Police have investigated a number of new lines of inquiry as a result of the programme and the ongoing investigation into the toddler's disappearance.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed the team will hold a press conference at the farmhouse on Tuesday.

A spokesman said the detectives will be "actively progressing lines of inquiry, distributing leaflets and posters, and carrying out house-to-house visits in Iraklis in Kos, where Ben was last seen".

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said: "The lives of Ben Needham's family were ripped apart when he disappeared more than twenty years ago and their determination to find him has not diminished. They are more desperate than ever to find answers about what happened to him.

"It is likely that someone out there knows what happened to him and we will be appealing to people in Kos who have information to come forward and tell us what they know. The force is working closely with the Greek authorities to ensure a number of lines of existing inquiry are explored.

"We are also hoping that the offer of a Crimestoppers' reward of up to 10,000 could be an incentive for someone to finally come forward after all these years - it is not too late to tell us what happened and finally allow us to unearth the truth."
Halani Aulika to swap London Irish for Sale

Tonga prop Halani Aulika will swap London Irish for Sale this summer.

The 32-year-old is one of the first players to have his departure from Irish confirmed, after the Reading-based club were relegated from the Aviva Premiership.

Sale boss Steve Diamond admitted he jumped at the chance to sign the 6ft 3in, 120kg tighthead.

Halani Aulika is heading to Sale

"I have been watching Aulika all season and when his agent got in touch I didn't hesitate in signing him," Diamond told salesharks.com.

"He is a great scrummager and puts himself about on the pitch.

"I am sure he will be a big asset for us next season and beyond."

Irish will this summer drop out of English rugby's top flight for the first time since 1994, but the Exiles remain bullish about continuing to stage matches at Reading's Madejski Stadium and bidding for a quick return to the Premiership.
Woman's detention in Iran is 'spectacularly cruel and crazy', says UK husband

The British husband of a woman who has spent more than a month in an Iranian jail after being arrested and separated from their infant daughter says her detention is "cruel and crazy".

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker who has dual British-Iranian nationality, was detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard 36 days ago at the Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran as she returned to the UK from visiting her family.

Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said she has spoken by phone with family in Iran but believes she has been interrogated in solitary confinement and coerced into signing a confession, but to what he does not know.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe

Her family have been told the investigation relates to issues of national security, though there have been no charges.

Their daughter Gabriella, who is 22 months old and has British citizenship, is being cared for by her grandparents in Iran but has had her passport confiscated, leaving her stranded in the country.

Mr Ratcliffe, 41, an accountant from West Hampstead, London, has been able to speak with his daughter via Skype but said she is "struggling".

He is now begging the Government to intervene in his wife's plight.

A petition on the Change.org website that has attracted around 5,000 supporters has been sent to Prime Minister David Cameron and Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mr Ratcliffe told the Press Association: "I think the whole thing is nonsense. It's spectacularly cruel and crazy. She has done nothing. She genuinely is a charity worker who all her career has done charity work and went to visit her family.

"There isn't some activism in Iran or anything, the organisation she works for doesn't work in Iran. She's not particularly political, it's just cruel and arbitrary and beyond my competence to what has provoked it."

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, a project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation who came to the UK in 2007, was detained in Iran's main airport as she tried to check in on April 3 to fly home to England with the couple's daughter.

Mr Ratcliffe said his wife was told there was a problem with her passport, and Gabriella was handed to her parents while authorities dealt with her.

But when her family returned to the airport the following day there was no news.

Two days later she was allowed to call them to say she was safe and was helping authorities with an investigation, Mr Ratcliffe said, but it was a "stilted conversation" as if someone was listening in, with his wife telling her parents what she had had for lunch.

In another call she told them she was going to be released, but instead was taken to Kerman Province, 600 miles (1,000km) south of Tehran.

Iranian authorities contacted her parents to tell them her whereabouts, and she later called them to confirm it, but contact has since been infrequent.

Mr Ratcliffe said: "She has never said on the phone that she's in solitary confinement, her father has never said she's in solitary confinement, the authorities have not confirmed that she's in solitary confinement.

"(But) talking to other people, that is what everyone goes through. But until she's out, she's clearly not speaking to anyone else."

He said it appeared that if she co-operates during daily interrogation she is allowed to call her family in Iran "as a reward for good behaviour", but said she was only out of solitary confinement for one day last week.

She is not allowed to call her husband, which he believes is because her captors would not understand their English.

Mr Ratcliffe said his wife had told her father she had signed something two weeks ago on the understanding that she would be released, but said it had simply been "banked" and that he had not idea what it was.

During her captivity she has had no access to a lawyer, family visits or consular help, Mr Ratcliffe said, while the Red Cross has been unable to reach her.

He said: "It just feels so cruel. At the beginning I was just shocked and couldn't believe it. It's crazy. She's been on family holidays (there) four times in the past two years with her baby, no problems, and this time treated like she is some enemy of the state.

"The enormity of it didn't hit home instantly, I didn't quite get it. It was only really when that most recent phone call came saying this is a serious issue of national security, and then when I realised that she was just so isolated and she had confirmed that she had signed a statement confessing to something."

Mr Ratcliffe said his priority is to get her out of solitary confinement and in a normal facility near her family so they can visit her, or released on bail.

He said: "The purpose of the petition is to get her situation high up the political profile... and to make sure that my wife is not forgotten.

"It is just so cruel for her to be kept away from her baby, from her daughter."

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We have been providing support to Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family since we were first informed of her arrest and will continue to do so."

The Iranian embassy in London was unavailable for comment.
Commons committee calls for clarification on legal basis for drone strikes

The Government must urgently clarify the legal basis for its policy on launching drone strikes against Islamic State terrorists, a committee of senior parliamentarians has said.

The cross-party group of MPs and peers said despite the Government's insistence that it did not have a "targeted killing" policy, it was clear that the UK was prepared to use lethal force overseas for counter-terrorism purposes.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) accepted that the drone strike which killed British jihadi Reyaad Khan in August 2015 was part of the armed conflict against IS in Iraq and Syria and therefore covered by the Law of War.

Reyaad Khan was killed in a drone strike

But chairwoman Harriet Harman said the Government had not been "crystal clear" about the legal basis for the killing of Khan in Syria and the committee raised wider concerns about the potential use of drones in other parts of the world where IS - also known as Isil and Daesh - is active.

The Prime Minister said the strike against Khan was a "new departure" when he revealed details of the operation in September 2015, before MPs had voted on extending the fight against IS into Syria.

But the JCHR said the UK Permanent Representative to the UN said the action had been taken in the collective self-defence of Iraq.

"That statement suggested that there had been no 'new departure' in UK policy, merely a conventional use of force abroad by the UK in an armed conflict in which the UK was already involved."

The committee continued: " We accept that the drone strike in Syria was part of that wider armed conflict in which the UK was already engaged, to which the Law of War applies, and that the Government therefore did not use lethal force outside of armed conflict when it targeted and killed Reyaad Khan on 21 August.

"However, our inquiry has also confirmed what the Prime Minister appeared to tell the House of Commons on 7 September: that it is the Government's policy to be willing to use lethal force abroad, outside of armed conflict (in Libya, for example), against individuals suspected of planning an imminent terrorist attack against the UK, as a last resort, when there is no other way of preventing the attack."

That position was "put beyond any doubt" by the permission given to the United States to use airbases in Britain to launch air strikes against an IS camp in Libya, the committee said.

"Although the Government says that it does not have a 'targeted killing' policy, it is clear that it does have a policy to use lethal force abroad outside armed conflict for counter-terrorism purposes", the parliamentarians concluded.

The committee said "c ertain aspects of the Government's view of the legal basis for its policy require urgent clarification".

The MPs and peers said that " while international law permits the use of force in self-defence against an imminent attack, it does not extend more widely to authorise the use of force pre-emptively against a threat which is more remote, such as plans which have been merely discussed but which lack the necessary intent or capability to make them imminent".

They also suggested that human rights laws could apply if force was used outside a conflict zone, but stressed this would not necessarily prevent a strike taking place.

The European Convention on Human Rights "imposes a positive obligation on the State to protect life, including by taking effective preventive measures against a real and immediate risk to life from a terrorist attack".

The committee also called for the Government to set out its legal basis for assisting other nations, such as the US, in strikes against IS.

The US t akes the view that it is in a global armed conflict with IS, so that the Law of War applies and lethal force can be used anywhere in the world.

But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told the committee the UK Government regards itself to be in armed conflict with IS only in Iraq and Syria.

The report called for more accountability and proposed giving the Intelligence and Security Committee a more prominent role in oversight.

The committee also urged the Government to take the lead in developing an international consensus on the issue.

Labour MP Ms Harman said: "We find ourselves today in a new situation for which our long established legal frameworks were not designed.

"The line between war in the traditional sense and countering the crime of terrorism has been blurred by two developments: rapid technological advance, including drone technology, has transformed the nature of the threat from terrorism and the capacity to counter it; and the nature of armed conflict has changed, with the steady rise of non-state armed groups such as Isil/Da'esh with the intent and capability to carry out terrorist attacks globally and aspirations without territorial limit.

"When dealing with an issue of such grave importance, taking a life in order to protect lives, the Government should have been crystal clear about the legal basis for this action from the outset. They were not. The statements of the Prime Minister, the Permanent Representative to the UN and the Defence Secretary in the aftermath of this military action were confused and confusing.

"When the government orders our military to take a life outside of armed conflict, there should be proper accountability. Those making and carrying out the order to take a life need to know that there will be independent scrutiny to ensure that the highest standards have been adhered to.
TUC warns Brexit would bring high risk of excessive working hours

Around a million workers are at high risk of being forced to work excessive hours if the UK leaves the European Union, trade unions have claimed.

The TUC published analysis showing that since the introduction of the EU's Working Time Directive in 1998, the number of UK employees working an average of more than 48 hours a week has fallen by around half a million from 3,992,000 to 3,494,000.

But the size of the workforce has increased by 13.4% over that period, so the TUC estimates that without the directive, the ranks of those working excessively long hours would now top 4.5 million.

Brexit would bring a high risk of excessive hours for about one million workers, warn trade unions

The Working Time Directive stipulates an average limit of 48 hours on maximum weekly working time, usually calculated over 17 weeks, with opt-outs available for individual workers.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said that it had benefited employees' family life, health and safety, as well as protecting public safety by reducing the risk of tired workers in areas like health and transport making potentially fatal mistakes.

"Working people's rights are on the line in this referendum - and working time protections are particularly at risk," said Ms O'Grady.

"Brexit campaigners have made no secret of their wish to scrap working time protections. If they get their way, the 48-hour limit will be gone and your boss will be able to force you to work 60 or 70-hour weeks.

"The only way working people can be sure of keeping their rights at work is to stay in the EU. Nobody knows exactly how bad things could get for workers' rights outside of the EU, but the legal experts are all saying it will be worse."

Professions most likely to involve long working hours include mining and quarrying, where 33.1% of employees put in more than 48 hours a week in 2015, agriculture, forestry and fishing (28.5%), transport and storage (21.3%), construction (20.2%) and education (17%).

Shadow business secretary Angela Eagle said: "When Brexit campaigners talk about cutting 'red tape' we know what they mean.

"Their vision is a race to the bottom, a race where rights at work are slashed, and where working people will inevitably lose.

"If we left the EU, working people would be at risk of being forced to work more hours, meaning less time to spend with the family and more stress at work.

"And many other rights would be at risk too; from paid holidays and parental leave, to equal pay and anti-discrimination laws.
Catholic church leader vows to battle modern slavery

The most senior Catholic in England and Wales has said the battle against modern slavery is an opportunity to "put the victim at the centre" in the wake of child sex abuse scandals which have rocked the church.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who described the crime as a "huge problem in the fabric of society", has overseen a pioneering project to bring police, nuns and bishops together to tackle it.

In frank comments to the Press Association, he admitted the Catholic Church's child sex abuse scandals have left some doubting its credentials.

Cardinal Vincent Nicols has pledged to tackle modern slavery

But he said the Church's past has motivated him to do all he can to work for the victims of modern slavery, many of whom end up being trafficked and sold into sex work.

Cardinal Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said: "What in this work we try to do is keep the victim right at the centre.

"So yes it is a terrible crime, and yes there is prosecution to be pursued, and yes it is fascinating listening to people talk about developing instruments that can help banks be aware of where money might be coming from. But we want to keep the victim at the centre of this.

"That is partly because over the last 15 years in my life, and I think in the life of the Catholic Church more broadly, there has been real difficult lessons to learn about understanding victims and opening your heart to victims, and realising how early experiences and experiences of total vulnerability can have a lifelong impact on a person.

"So while for us the most dramatic expression of that has been with childhood abuse, it has, I think, challenged me to understand the perspective of the victim much more."

The cardinal said that whereas victims of abuse by the clergy were "understandably angry" and suspicious of the Church, the issue of modern slavery gives Catholics an opportunity to take up a cause that can radically improve lives.

He said: "So that in a way is a motivation. Here is a huge group of victims and their anger is not directed to the Church - unlike people who have been abused in Church circles, which makes it difficult for us to be directly assisting victims of abuse because they are understandably angry with us.

"But here there are people who are desperately caught and trapped and we can help them. And the learning from one, we can bring to this work."

The issue of modern slavery has been steadily rising up the political agenda in recent years.

According to the International Labour Organisation, 21 million people are victims of forced labour, and in Britain an estimated 13,000 people work as modern slaves in fields, factories, fisheries, nail bars and prostitution.

The Modern Slavery Act was passed last year and introduced a life sentence for those found guilty of the crime.

Cardinal Nichols, a vocal supporter of the act, has made tackling modern slavery one of his focuses.

Inspired by a group of nuns who worked with the Met Police in helping women trafficked to London and forced into prostitution, he has set up the Santa Marta group which brings clergy and police chiefs from around the world together to tackle modern slavery.

Cardinal Nichols said his work got a powerful endorsement from Pope Francis who told him to "keep this going". The UN has recently pledged to end modern slavery by 2030 - something Cardinal Nichols thinks is ambitious, but doable.

But with no end in sight to the turmoil in the Middle East and the accompanying migrant crisis, some fear more people could be driven into the hands of traffickers and enslaved.

Cardinal Nichols said that while many slavery victims come from Nigeria, Eastern Europe and other foreign countries, no part of Britain - however genteel - is immune to it.

"The very first person I met who suffered this was an English girl who was trafficked and deceived by a relationship with an Italian lad who invited her to Italy", he said.

"She went and within no time was in to enforced prostitution for six years.
Business leaders' EU backing declines, says Chambers of Commerce survey

Support for remaining in the EU has fallen among business leaders, dropping from 60% to 54.1%, according to a survey from the British Chambers of Commerce.

In its final poll before the referendum, the BCC also said the percentage of those wishing to leave has risen from 30% to 37% since the last survey was conducted in February.

The data on voting intentions among 2,200 businesspeople highlighted divisions based on size and export interests.

Data concerning how business people plan to vote highlighted divisions based on size and export interests

Firms trading with other EU markets expressed the strongest support for remain, while the strongest levels of support for leave was seen among those that do not.

Those representing big businesses are "significantly more likely" to vote remain, the BCC said.

Dr Adam Marshall, BCC acting director general, said: "As the EU referendum campaign enters the final straight, the race for the business vote has clearly tightened.

"While only a minority of businesspeople report that the referendum campaign has had a material impact on their firms to date, much larger numbers say they expect significant impacts in the aftermath of the vote."

The Brexit campaign has revealed deep divisions in the world of business, with both sides wheeling out big hitters to make their case.

Most recently, former HSBC boss Michael Geoghegan and CMC Markets founder Peter Cruddas were among 110 signatories to a letter warning that Brussels poses a threat to Britain's financial services industry.

It followed a similar letter, signed by the likes of WPP's Sir Martin Sorrell and BT chairman Sir Mike Rake, backing Britain to remain a member of the EU.

Dr Marshall added: "Whichever outcome prevails, Westminster must shift its attention back to the economy on June 24 without delay.
North Korea says to push nuclear programme, defying UN sanctions

By James Pearson

PYONGYANG, May 9 (Reuters) - North Korea said it would strengthen its defensive nuclear weapons capability, the official KCNA news agency reported on Monday, a decision adopted in defiance of U.N. resolutions at a rare congress of its ruling Workers' Party.

The congress, which ended on Monday after four days, was the first in 36 years, and secretive North Korea granted visas to scores of foreign journalists to coincide with the gathering.

Their movements have been closely monitored and one BBC journalist, not reporting directly on the congress, was expelled along with two colleagues, after a top official said he had "distorted facts and realities" in his coverage.

Young leader Kim Jong Un, who assumed power in 2011 after his father's sudden death, took on the new title of party chairman on Monday, media reported.

The promotion - his previous party title was first secretary - had been predicted by analysts who had expected Kim would use the congress to consolidate his power.

North Korea has come under tightening international pressure over its nuclear weapons programme, including tougher U.N. sanctions adopted in March backed by lone major ally China, following its most recent nuclear test in January.

The congress's decision on strengthening the capability of its nuclear weapons formalises North Korea's position.

It had already declared itself "a responsible nuclear weapons state" and disavowed the use of nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is first infringed by others with nuclear arms.

"We will consistently take hold on the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force and boost self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity as long as the imperialists persist in their nuclear threat and arbitrary practices," KCNA said, citing the congress.

The two Koreas remain in a technical state of war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. North Korea regularly threatens the South and its major ally, the United States, which it accuses of planning a nuclear attack.

Since the latest round of U.N. resolutions, North Korea has pressed ahead with its nuclear and missile development, and said it had succeeded in miniaturising a nuclear warhead and launching a submarine-based ballistic missile.

Late on Monday, North Korean state TV showed Kim declaring the congress closed.

RIVAL KOREAS

South Korea condemned the North's claim to be a nuclear weapons state, saying it would continue to exert pressure on Pyongyang until it abandons its nuclear ambitions.

North Korea is believed by western experts to have about 40 kg of plutonium, enough to build eight to 12 nuclear weapons.

On the weekend, Kim took a conciliatory position on ties with the South, saying military talks were needed to discuss ways to ease tension.

South Korea rejected the proposal as meaningless.

"We have not given up on dialogue," South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Cheong Joon-hee told a briefing. "But it is only when the North shows sincerity about denuclearisation that genuine dialogue is possible."

The unusually large group of 128 foreign media members in Pyongyang for the congress had not been given any access to the proceedings until Monday afternoon, when a group of about 30 of them were let in to the April 25 House of Culture for several minutes after nearly three hours of security checks.

There, Kim entered and was received by a wildly cheering audience of delegates, according to reporters who got in.

The expulsion of BBC journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes grabbed headlines in foreign media on Monday. He had been in the country ahead of the congress to cover the visit of a group of Nobel laureates.

Earlier on Monday, visiting media were taken to a textile factory named after Kim Jong Suk, the wife of state founder Kim Il Sung and the grandmother of the current leader.
Greece legislates tax and pension reforms

ATHENS, May 9 (Reuters) - Greek lawmakers early on Monday approved new tax and pension reforms, a move the left-led government hopes will help unlock fresh bailout funds under a financial lifeline worth up to 86 billion euros extended to Athens last year.

Here are key points of the reforms, approved with a majority by the Greek parliament.

PENSIONS

Introduces unified retirement rules and a national pension at 384 euros, cuts supplementary pensions, plans to gradually phase out a top-up stipend for pensioners now on lower incomes and recalculate pensions. It also tightens rules on widower or legacy pensions and readjusts replacement rates to curb early retirement.

The target is to reduce pension spending by about two percentage points to around 15 percent of GDP by 2019.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Sets social security contributions at 20 percent of employees' net monthly income - with 13.3 percent burdening employers and 6.7 percent employees.

Reforms the social security contribution base from notional to actual incomes for the self-employed, including farmers and lawyers, forcing them to make a contribution to pension funds which is phased in over a five-year period to 20 percent of their income instead of a fixed monthly amount currently paid.

TAXES

- Income Tax : Lowers the income tax-free threshold, or personal allowance, to an average of around 8,800 euros a year from around 9,500; makes income bands narrower, increases tax coefficients. Lowest tax band is now 22 percent on a gross income of 20,000 a year compared to 22 percent for 25,000 euros which existed previously.

The upper tax band, of 45 percent, is now imposed on gross incomes exceeding 40,000 as opposed to 42 percent on income above 42,000 under the previous arrangement.

Includes EU farming subsidies on taxable income.

- Solidarity Levy : First introduced in 2012, rationale was to assist Greece's army of unemployed.

The levy on net incomes ranges from the lowest 2.2 percent on incomes from 12,000 to 20,000 a year, to 5.0 percent up to 30,000, and 6.5 percent up to 40,000. The highest band is 10 percent on incomes above 220,000.

By comparison, the highest band in that category was 8.0 percent before the new reform was pushed through, on earnings exceeding half a million euros.
Shanghai Chaos spreads wings, opens office in Hong Kong

By Pratima Desai

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Shanghai Chaos, one of China's largest commodities fund managers, has opened an office in Hong Kong to diversify activities and try to keep its commodities trading under the radar of the market, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Metal industry sources said the fund house plans to use a much larger number of banks and brokerages, of which there are many more in Hong Kong than in Shanghai, so that its positions are not easily identifiable.

The advantage of Hong Kong is the ability to use exchanges outside of China, which mostly only detail commodity positions by categories such as financial and non-financial, not by individual firms.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange, which offers a wide range of products including copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel, lists positions by broker on its website.

"If you know which broker or brokers Chaos uses, it's not difficult to work out their positions," a broker source said.

The Hong Kong arm, named Chaos International Financial, opened its offices at the beginning of this year and has a very small staff, sources said. A one-page website: http://chaosinternational.com says "We're Hiring".

It is already registered with the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong for dealing futures contracts.

A senior company official declined to comment and calls by Reuters to Chaos's administrative office in Shanghai were not answered.

Chinese funds have become increasingly influential in global financial and commodity markets in recent years and their activity has contributed to wild price swings, including a 12 percent collapse in copper prices in January 2015 and a 9 percent drop in July last year.

Chaos also plans to offer prime brokerage services to hedge funds, which want to borrow stocks or bonds to sell short -- bets on lower prices. Prime brokers also lend cash, offer clearing and risk management services to hedge funds.

Shanghai Chaos Investment was set up about 10 years ago and traders said it has 10 billion yuan ($1.5 bln) under management.
Nearly half of voters in some of the European Union's main member states want to have their own In/Out referendum just like Britain, a poll reveals.

Forty-five per cent of voters in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden said they want to be able to vote on whether or not to remain in the EU.

A third of the 6,000 people polled across the continent said they would opt toleave the European Union if given the chance.

Forty-five per cent of voters in Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden said they wanted their own referendum on EU membership

It comes as it emerged people in Ireland have been encouraged to 'phone a friend' in the UK - and persuade them to vote 'remain' in the 'Brexit' referendum next month.

According to the Daily Telegraph the social media campaign has been set up spearheaded by the European Movement Ireland in a bid to appeal to an Irish diaspora which includes millions of UK-resident voters.

The UK votes on a potential 'Brexit' on June 23, and the poll found that more EU members than Britons believes the country will vote to leave.

Half of people in the eight countries thought Britain would vote to leave the EU, higher than the number in Britain itself, which stood at 35 per cent, according to the poll.

The poll, carried out in the eight aforementioned countries as well as Britain, found that few voters in Europe believes that there will be a centralisation of power.

The British 'Out' campaign's argument that the EU is destined for deeper political union - with power being transferred from members states to Brussels has little support in Europe.

Forty per cent thought there would be less integration of power, with just one in five believing the opposite.

Good for who: More than 50 per cent said a so-called Brexit would hurt the EU's economy, while only 36 per cent thought it would hurt Britain's

The general consensus across Europe is that Britain leaving the EU would not benefit the bloc.

Half of those polled said a so-called Brexit would hurt the EU'seconomy, while only 36 per cent thought it would hurt Britain's.

Forty-eight percent of voters thought a British vote to leave nextmonth would result in other countries also leaving the bloc.

Some countries polled were keener than others to vote to leave in their own hypothetical referendums, with 48 per cent of Italians wanting to leave the EU.

'The Italians in particular hope to have their own opportunity to go to the polls on their EU membership, which lends a sense that even if the (British) vote does ... stick with the status quo in June, it will not be the end of the EU's woes,' said Bobby Duffy, head of social research at Ipsos-MORI.

Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement has grown intothe country's second-biggest political force, and wants an exitfrom the euro currency zone.

France's hard-right National Frontparty also wants to drop the single currency.
Panama Papers report alleges NZ prime place for rich to hide money

WELLINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - New Zealand is at the heart of a tangled web of shelf companies and trusts that are being used by wealthy Latin Americans to channel funds around the world, according to a report on Monday based on leaks of the so-called Panama Papers.

Local media has analysed more than 61,000 documents relating to New Zealand that are part of the massive leak of offshore data from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm. The papers have shone spotlight on how the world's rich take advantage of offshore tax regimes.

Mossack Fonseca ramped up its interest in using New Zealand as one of its new jurisdictions in 2013, actively promoting the South Pacific nation as a good place to do business due to its tax-free status, high levels of confidentiality and legal security, according to a joint report by Radio New Zealand, TVNZ and investigative journalist Nicky Hager.

Mossack Fonseca's main contact in New Zealand was allegedly Robert Thompson, co-founder and director of accountant firm Bentleys New Zealand, the registered office of Mossack Fonseca New Zealand, according to the report.

Thomson was listed in more than 4,500 Panama paper documents, the report said.

Thompson said in his experience, the use of trusts for tax evasion was not common and his firm did not assist people to illegally hide assets.

"I think the assumption that all New Zealand foreign trusts are being used for illegitimate purposes is unfounded and based largely on ignorance," Thompson was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand.

When contacted by Reuters, Bentleys New Zealand said Thompson was not in the office.

The New Zealand government said last month it would begin a review of its foreign trust laws after the Panama Papers highlighted vulnerabilities in its legal framework that made it a possible link in international tax avoidance structures because its foreign trusts are not subject to tax.

Prime Minister John Key dismissed concerns that international tax avoidance was rife in New Zealand.

"New Zealand is barely ever mentioned, it's a footnote," Key told TVNZ in reference to the Panama Papers.

Governments across the world have begun investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of more than 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca.

The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of China's President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine.
Technicians from SWIFT left Bangladesh Bank exposed to hackers-police

By Sanjeev Miglani, Serajul Quadir and Jim Finkle

DHAKA/BOSTON, May 9 (Reuters) - Bangladesh's central bank became more vulnerable to hackers when technicians from SWIFT, the global financial network, connected a new bank transaction system to SWIFT messaging three months before a $81 million cyber heist, Bangladeshi police and a bank official alleged.

The technicians introduced the vulnerabilities when they connected SWIFT to Bangladesh's first real-time gross settlement (RTGS) system, said Mohammad Shah Alam, the head of the criminal investigation department of the Bangladesh police who is leading the probe into one of the biggest cyber-heists in the world.

"We found a lot of loopholes," Alam said in an interview in Dhaka. "The changes caused much more risk for Bangladesh Bank."

He and a senior central bank official said the SWIFT employees made missteps in connecting the RTGS to the central bank's messaging platform.

The technicians did not appear to have followed their own procedures to ensure the system was secure, according to the Bangladesh Bank official, who said he was not authorised to publicly comment because of the ongoing investigation.

Because of this, SWIFT messaging at the central bank was widely accessible, including remote access with only a simple password, police said. It had no firewalls and only a rudimentary switch.

"It was the responsibility of SWIFT to check for weaknesses once they had set up the system. But it does not appear to have been done," said the bank official.

SWIFT's chief spokeswoman Natasha de Teran said she had no comment on the allegations by authorities in Bangladesh. She also declined comment on any aspect of the Bangladesh project, including whether the firm had deployed any employees or outside contractors to Bangladesh Bank.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the allegations by Bangladeshi officials about the SWIFT technicians. If they are validated, however, that could undermine confidence in the cooperative that is the backbone of global financial transactions.

The officials in Dhaka discussed their findings with Reuters ahead of a meeting this week in Basel, Switzerland where Bangladesh Bank officials have said their governor and a lawyer appointed by the bank will discuss recovery of about $81 million stolen by the hackers with the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a senior executive from SWIFT.

Bangladesh Bank officials have said they believed SWIFT, and the New York Fed, bear some responsibility for the February cyber heist. SWIFT has declined comment on that claim.

"NO INHERENT RISK"

The RTGS, which enables domestic banks and the central bank to settle large transfers between themselves, was installed at Bangladesh Bank in October last year and then connected to SWIFT. In February, hackers sent fraudulent messages, ostensibly from the central bank in Dhaka, on the SWIFT system to the New York Fed seeking to transfer nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank's account there.

Most of the transfers were blocked but about $81 million was sent to a bank in the Philippines and much of that money remains missing.

A spokesman for Bangladesh Bank declined comment on the investigation into the heist.

He said, however, that RTGS continued to work well, noting that a large number of countries use SWIFT messaging for similar systems. "There is no inherent risk in this," he said.

According to the Bangladeshi police, the technicians linked the RTGS to SWIFT computers on the same network as about 5,000 central bank computers that are accessible from the open Internet.

Instead, they should have set up a separate local area network, or LAN, that could not connect to the rest of the bank or the Internet, police said.

The technicians also failed to install a firewall between the RTGS and the SWIFT room so that the bank could block malicious traffic from coming into the facility.

When they installed a networking switch to control access to SWIFT, they chose to use a rudimentary old one they had found unused in the bank, rather than a more sophisticated, managed switch that gave the bank the ability to control access to the network, police said.

REMOTE ACCESS

During the job, the technicians set up a wireless connection so they could access computers in the locked SWIFT room from other offices inside the bank. When they finished, they failed to disconnect the remote access, which was only secured with a simple password, police and the bank official said.

They also failed to disable a USB port on the computer attached to the SWIFT system, as is usual for critical networks to prevent malicious software from being installed through a tainted thumb drive, police said.

Police did not provide any evidence for any of the assertions.

But another central bank official familiar with the SWIFT room operations confirmed that the port was "active" until the heist came to light. He had no explanation.

The hackers used malicious software to modify the SWIFT messaging software to help hide their tracks.

Bangladeshi police said they have asked SWIFT to facilitate interviews with the SWIFT technicians. "Whether it is intentional or negligence, we are trying to find out," said Alam.

SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is used by about 8,000 banks around the world to order funds transfers and other communications. It is connected to RTGS systems installed at scores of banks worldwide, and there have been no reports of problems elsewhere with connections between those two systems.

The U.S. FBI, which is leading investigations into the case, has made no comment so far.

New York Fed executive Richard Dzina said at a conference last week that bank workers "acted properly" in releasing the funds. The system was penetrated, he said, because the hackers had acquired valid credentials to order the transfers

Former central bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, who is heading an internal probe by Bangladesh Bank into the heist, said SWIFT needed to review its technology in the wake of the heist.
Syrian prisoners in deal to end mutiny -rights activists

By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN, May 9 (Reuters) - A tentative deal has been reached to end a strike in a Syrian prison by nearly 800 mostly political detainees that would eventually lead to the pardon and release of those held without charges, rights groups and activists in touch with inmates said on Monday.

They said the deal brokered late on Sunday would end a mutiny in the Hama prison in central Syria that started last week when political detainees revolted after five inmates were to be taken to the notorious Sadnaya prison for the execution of death sentences passed by an extra-judicial military tribunal.

"The regime has agreed to most of our demands to release those political detainees held without charges," said a rights activist in touch with two inmates who requested anonymity.

The prisoners seized the prison 210 km (130 miles) from Damascus, and took hostages from guards..

That prompted a siege in which the authorities tried to storm the civilian prison on Friday using tear gas bombs and rubber bullets in an attempt to end the rebellion.

Leading Syrian rights activist Mazen Darwish, a former detainee in the prison and in touch with the prisoners, said a verbal agreement had been reached, but did not give details.

Another rights activist in touch with inmates said the deal was brokered after tribal figures intervened with the authorities who gave assurances to inmates held without charge they would be released if they ended their revolt.

The Syrian interior ministry has denied the reports about Hama central prison but has not elaborated on the issue since Monday.

The UK Observatory for Human Rights had confirmed a deal was in the works to release 26 detainees. The authorities previously released 46 detainees under Red Crescent mediation until negotiations broke down.

The deal comes after conditions worsened and inmates made appeals to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after prison officials cut electricity and water amid food shortages and serious medical conditions among some of the inmates.

Inmates have demanded the release of political detainees held without charges. Many feared a wave of executions that could follow if they were to be transferred to the Sadnaya military prison, north of Damascus.

The prison itself was the scene of protests in 2008 by Islamist detainees that led to several being fired at and killed.

International rights groups say thousands of detainees are held in Syrian government prisons without charge and many of them are tortured to death, which authorities deny.

Human Rights Watch expressed concern late on Friday about the safety of the hostages and said an attempt to retake the facility risked high casualties.
Oil sands fared well through Canada fire, but restart a challenge

By Jessica Resnick-Ault and Liz Hampton

NEW YORK/CONKLIN, Alberta, May 8 (Reuters) - The mass evacuation of residents from the wildfire-devastated Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray is likely to significantly delay the restart of production, even though energy facilities themselves have escaped major damage from the flames.

The huge wildfire that entered its second week on Sunday has destroyed entire neighborhoods in the town, forcing nearly 100,000 people to flee.

Even though Canadian officials on Sunday showed some optimism that they were beginning to get on top of the wildfire, oil prices jumped in early Asian trading on concerns over the loss of production capacity caused by the fire -- equivalent to around half of the country's oil sands production.

Energy facilities were barely touched through the first week of Alberta's devastating wildfire, protected by fire breaks, other defenses and provincial firefighting crews.

But thousands of evacuees -- many of whom are essential oil industry workers -- are camped out in nearby towns and stand little chance of returning soon, even if their homes are intact. The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid is damaged, and the water is undrinkable.

"It's the human element," said Mark Routt, chief economist for the Americas at KBC Advanced Technologies in Houston.

"When you have an operator and his family needs to be evacuated, the plant may be in good shape, but what is the operator going to do? Humans have to operate the plant, too."

Routt estimated that production will be shut for two to three weeks, minimum. And if fires do pass through major oil operations, he said, a restart could take months:

"Many of these plants have a fireproof control room - the problem will be equipment on the units," he said, referring to production facilities.

Producers whose facilities are untouched may also find that their contractors fared less well.

"If some major service operations (in Fort McMurray) are damaged, the oil sands will still get back online, but it may be at a higher cost than before, maybe having to secure service companies from much further away," said Jackie Forrest, analyst at ARC Financial.

A prolonged shutdown will heighten concerns about supplies after three major oil firms warned on Friday they won't be able to deliver on some contracts for Canadian crude. Fires around the oil sands last summer knocked out 10 percent of capacity but the two firms affected were back up and running within 2 weeks.

Only one oil sands production site, CNOOC unit Nexen's Long Lake facility, has sustained minor damage, and provincial fire officials said on Sunday they expected to hold flames back from Suncor Energy Inc's main oil sands plant north of Fort McMurray.

Alberta's vast oil sands are the world's third-largest crude reserves. The fire has shut down about 1 million barrels per day or 40 percent of total oil sands production.

The fire that some have started calling "the beast" was not the first to hit the oil sands. But the huge scale of the inferno means there is no real precedent for the challenge.

BUFFER ZONES, DEDICATED FIREFIGHTERS

Suncor has boosted fire protection around its facilities, using bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear trees and vegetation, and installing water sprinklers and pumps, said spokesman Paul Newmarch.

"We have experienced, trained staff on site and monitoring technology to protect the well-being of our people and assets," he said.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd constructs facilities at an "appropriate distance" from the tree line to reduce the risk of fire, spokeswoman Julie Woo said in an email.

She said the company has an on-site fire department at its Horizon facility, with 42 full-time firefighters and 65 auxiliary staff who can step in as needed.

Syncrude, majority-owned by Suncor, has two crews of its own firefighters in Fort McMurray helping to contain the blaze. They are also monitoring the firm's local sites and can respond if needed, spokesman Leithan Slade said.

Slade said the Mildred Lake upgrader, which processes mined bitumen into refinery ready synthetic crude, is the most critical infrastructure on site and is surrounded by buffer zones free from vegetation. Syncrude's enormous open-cast Aurora mine also functions as a firebreak.

"We are working on finalizing a restart plan," said Slade. "There are a lot of folks in a lot of rooms with a lot of expertise looking at this."

In contrast, ConocoPhillips said its Surmount facility, south of town, must rely on the province for protection.

"If the fire comes through, there is nothing we can do. We don't have any fire suppression for forest fires," spokesman Rob Evans said. "There are no external defenses."

Surmount is not a conventional open pit oil sands mine, and instead extracts oil by pumping steam deep underground to liquefy tar-like bitumen so it can flow to the surface.

Evans said the site, which had some 600 workers when it was evacuated, has a fire suppression system that includes sprinklers but it is meant to deal with internal fires.

Enbridge Inc said its terminals south of Fort McMurray, which were evacuated on Wednesday, are designed to withstand fires even inside storage tanks or on roofs.

"The content of the tanks is processed heavy oil, which has low volatility," said spokesman Graham White in an email. "They are also surrounded by gravel berms and firebreaks, so there is very little risk, even from a close fire."
China regulator approves IPO plan for Zhangjiagang Rural Commercial Bank

SHANGHAI, May 9 (Reuters) - Zhangjiagang Rural Commercial Bank has received the regulatory nod for an initial public offering, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said in a statement.

The offering is set to raise at least 2.3 billion yuan ($354 million), the China Securities Times newspaper said, adding that it is the fifth China rural bank to have its IPO plans approved this year.

According to an abstract previously posted on the website of the CSRC, the bank intends float up to 25 percent of its shares in Shenzhen.

As pressure on bank balance sheets has risen over the past year and a half, a number of medium sized lenders have come to the market seeking additional equity funding.

Two city commercial banks - China Zheshang Bank Co Ltd and Bank of Tianjin Co Ltd - conducted initial public offerings in Hong Kong earlier in 2016. The banks raised a combined $2.6 billion but retail investor demand was weak, in what analysts said was a reaction to worries about rising non-performing loans and concerns about future profitability.
Panama Papers report alleges NZ prime place for rich to hide money

By Charlotte Greenfield and Rebecca Howard

WELLINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - Wealthy Latin Americans are using secretive, tax-free New Zealand shelf companies and trusts to help channel funds around the world, according to a report on Monday based on leaks of the so-called Panama Papers.

Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister John Key to take action after local media analysed more than 61,000 documents relating to New Zealand that are part of the massive leak of data from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm. The papers have shone spotlight on how the world's rich take advantage of offshore tax regimes.

Mossack Fonseca actively promoted New Zealand as a good place to do business due to its tax-free status, high levels of confidentiality and legal security, according to a joint report by Radio New Zealand, TVNZ and investigative journalist Nicky Hager.

Key said it was "utterly incorrect" that New Zealand was a tax haven, adding he was open to changing rules around foreign trusts if advised by a review or the OECD.

"If there's any need for change in this area, the government will consider it and if necessary, take action," Key told reporters.

The government was asking the Ministry of Justice to move quickly on rules already under consideration to tighten anti-money laundering requirements for lawyers, real estates and accountants, he added.

Opposition Labour Party Leader Andrew Little said the government must act to "preserve New Zealand's reputation by shutting down the system that sees our country implicated in a massive global network of tax avoidance."

The New Zealand government said last month it would begin a review of its foreign trust laws after the Panama Papers highlighted vulnerabilities in its legal framework that made it a possible link in international tax avoidance structures because its foreign trusts are not subject to tax.

Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said that review doesn't go far enough. He called on Key to "stop defending the tax avoidance industry" and demanded a full inquiry.

WIDESPREAD INVESTIGATIONS

Governments across the world have begun investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of more than 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca.

The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of China's President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine.

According to the report, Mossack Fonseca's main contact in New Zealand was allegedly Roger Thompson, co-founder and director of accountant firm Bentleys New Zealand, the registered office of Mossack Fonseca New Zealand.

Thompson was listed in more than 4,500 Panama paper documents, the report said.

The number of foreign trusts in New Zealand has surged to almost 10,700 this year from less than 2,000 ten years ago, according to Inland Revenue figures quoted in the report.

Thompson said in his experience, the use of trusts for tax evasion was not common and his firm did not assist people to illegally hide assets.

"I think the assumption that all New Zealand foreign trusts are being used for illegitimate purposes is unfounded and based largely on ignorance," Thompson was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand.
Patients in the most remote regions of the world may soon be casting their eyes skyward for medical supplies.

Delivery company UPS is backing a start-up using drug-dropping-drones in Rwanda to transportlife-saving blood supplies and vaccines.

Rather than sending supplies by road, firms are looking to the skies to get the medical supplies to where they are needed, with the automated air deliveries 20 times faster than by land.

Delivery company UPS is backing a start-up using drones in Rwanda to transport life-saving blood supplies and vaccines. The firm will provide $800,000 to a partnership including Gavi, a group providing vaccines to poor countries, and robotics company Zipline International for drone flights in Rwanda starting in August

UPS will provide $800,000 (554,000) to a partnership including Gavi, agroup providing vaccines to developing countries, and robotics companyZipline International for drone flights in Rwanda startingin August.

The flying robo-doctors will deliver blood and vaccines to halfthe transfusion centres in the country of 11 million people.

But the project could also serve to provide crucial safety data needed to make commercial delivery drones a reality.

US companies are keen to use the technology to cut delivery timesand costs.

Delivery drones have been on the radar for a number of years now, with Amazon first announcing its plans to for delivery drones in 2013 and Google has promised such a service by 2017.

A drone is pictured being fired from a catapult. They deliver blood and vaccines and could also serve to provide crucial safety data needed to make commercial delivery drones a reality

CATAPULT-LAUNCHED DRUG-DROPPING DRONES Delivery firm UPS is backing a project to use delivery drones to get medical supplies to patients in remote areas of Rwanda. The drones will be fired from a catapult mechanism and once airborne will carry vaccines and blood supplies to those in need. Air deliveries will be 20 times faster than land-based supply methods. But firms hope the deliveries will provide crucial safety data to help overcome hurdles for commercial delivery drones.

Leading retailer Walmart is also testing drones. But a number of hurdles remain around safety.

UPS, Walmart, legal experts and consultants sayovercoming US regulatory hurdles and concerns over dronesafety will require vast amounts of data from real-time use - with testing in the near-term limited to remote areas of theUnited States or in other countries.

'Tens of thousands of hours of flight logged in anenvironment where it's much easier' to operate will help makepackage delivery a reality in the United States, Zipline chiefexecutive Keller Rinaudo told reporters at a presentation latelast week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has adopteda step-by-step approach to drones, will soon release finalisedrules for small drone use that will most likely limit their useto within the 'visual line-of-sight' of an operator or observer.

Zipline have developed the fixed-wing drones so that small medical packages can be fitted into cargo holds, ready to be dropped over target areas

Once the cargo is in on-board the drone is loaded onto the launcher (pictured) and made ready for flight

Lift off: The robo flying doctors will be fired from the catapult launcher (pictured) into the air where they will fly to some of the remotest regions of Rwanda to deliver supplies

'If you're looking for an economically-efficient way todeliver packages, you'd be better off using a bicycle,' saidRyan Calo, an assistant law professor at the University ofWashington specializing in robotics.

Technology, communication, insurance and privacy are also hurdles to be cleared if delivery drones are to become commonplace.

Questions remain about battery life and safety, especiallyafter lithium-ion battery problems resulted in a fire on board aparked Boeing 787 in Boston in 2013.

Experts believe safe communication between drones and airplanes inAmerica's busy airspace is years away.

The unmanned delivery vehicles from ZIpline (pictured on workbench) have backing from delivery firm UPS and Gavi, a group providing vaccines to developing countries. Test flights in Rwanda will begin this August

Teams on the ground can direct the drones exactly to where the supplies are needed. The UAV pilots then make a spiralling circle approach over the target to drop the supplies

The flying robo-doctors will deliver blood and vaccines to half the transfusion centres in the country of 11 million people. Pictured is a map of Rwanda with the transfusion centres illustrated

However, Nasa has been working on a drone trafficmanagement system and will pass its research to the FAA in 2019for further testing.

In the push for autonomous cars and trucks, companies likeGoogle and Daimler have turned to individual statessuch as Nevada, which has issued licenses for testing on itsroads.

But the FAA controls all US airspace, so permits on astate-by-state basis are not enough for drone testing.

Once over the target, the Zipline delivery drone releases its payload midair (pictured left), before climbing to altitude to return to base (pictured right)

Parachutes soften the landing for the packages, helping to ensure the medical cargo arrives in one piece

Through the project blood supplies (pictured) and vaccines will be delivered to patients in remote areas 20 times faster than if they were delivered by road

'You really do have to make sure the FAA is in the boat andwe are really focused on that piece of it more than anything,'said Mark Wallace, UPS' senior vice president for globalengineering.

As part of its strategy, UPS has invested inBoston-based drone manufacturer CyPhy Works.

UPS will focus on projects like Rwanda and testing drones inremote US areas in the near-term, he added.

Walmart said last year it plans to test drones for packagedelivery.

Firms hope the project to deliver medical supplies in Rwanda will provide crucial safety data to help overcome hurdles for commercial delivery drones, such as the quadcopters being developed by Amazon (pictured)

HOW DRONE TECHNOLOGY IS POISED TO CHANGE AFRICA Drones have already been deployed in Africa on anti-poaching missions (pictured) The use of drones to deliver medical supplies in Africa is one of a number of way the technology is having an impact or set to change life across the continent. Anti-poaching drones are already taking to the skies in order to help conservation agencies protect wildlife. One of these drone projects, called ShadowView, launched in 2012 and has been deployed in South Africa as part of anti-poaching operations in Kruger National Park. While other aspirations include Facebooks plans to deliver internet to users in the most remote areas of the world using drones. Initial plans emerged last year of the social media giants plans to use a fleet of connected drones to beam internet to remote users, relaying signal from a French communications satellite, with the aim of bringing another billion people online.

The retailer is 'more likely to start with short hops' inrural areas, spokesman Dan Toporek said.

'It has to happen astep at a time, which will teach us, and will provide insightsto the FAA and the public on 'this is how it could work.'

Data from companies like US railroad BNSF could alsoprove valuable, said Logan Campbell, chief executive of droneconsulting firm Aerotas.

BNSF has an exemption from the FAA tooperate drones out of the line of sight along its rail network.

Mr Campbell explained that while drone manufacturers would like to seethe FAA move faster, the 'nightmare scenario' would be if adrone crashed into a manned aircraft.

'We have to get this right,' he said. 'If we move too fastand there's an accident, it could ruin the entire industry.'

While testing of the drones (pictured) will begin in Rwanda in August, commercial companies hope that safety data gained will help overcome hurdles facing commercial delivery drones
Thailand's oxen soothsayers predict enough rainfall, prosperous economy

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre

BANGKOK, May 9 (Reuters) - Thailand's annual ploughing ceremony on Monday forecast average rainfall, growth in foreign trade and abundant rice as the country struggles with drought and a shaky economy.

Farmers in the largely agrarian economy are likely to welcome the news. Thailand is suffering from its worst drought in two decades with 30 out of 76 provinces affected, according to the Interior Ministry.

Southeast Asia's second-largest economy remains on shaky ground two years after the military took power in a bloodless May 2014 coup, with weak exports and consumption hurting growth.

Amid pomp and ceremony two white bulls hitched to a wooden plough furrowed earth at Sanam Luang, an open area in the Thai capital, as Hindu priests sowed rice seeds.

At the ceremony, an ancient rite which dates back hundreds of years and nowadays mixes Hindu and Buddhist religious practices, the bulls were offered seven types of food and drink, including hay, water and rice liquor.

Depending on what the animals eat and drink, a prediction is made by the priests and astrologers for the upcoming harvest.

The amount of rain for the year is also predicted by selecting one of three pieces of cloth of varying lengths.

Sakchai Sriboonsue, deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, read the prediction after the ceremony, which marks the start of the new rice-planting season.

"This year there will be enough water, rice will be abundant and cereals and fruit bountiful," Sakchai said. "Foreign trade will grow and the economy will prosper."

Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn presided over Monday's ceremony accompanied by his eldest daughter and son who watched as the ritual was conducted by the Brahmin priests dressed in white.

Persistent drought, which has also affected rice planting, is part of the reason for subdued consumer spending in Thailand.

The arrival of La Nina, the cold phase of tropical Pacific Ocean surface temperatures, by mid-year could bring more rainfall to regions such as Southeast Asia.

Water levels in the country's main dams are low and the government has urged farmers to produce alternatives to the crop. Thailand is the world's second-biggest rice exporter after India.

The central bank cut its 2016 growth projection to 3.1 percent in March from 3.5 percent, and said the economy was losing steam as the impact of government stimulus measures fade.

Growth last year was 2.8 percent, up from 0.8 percent in 2014.
Romania - Factors to watch on May 9

BUCHAREST, May 9 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Monday.

DEBT TENDER

Romanian debt managers tender 500 million lei ($126.95 million) worth of Feb. 2020 treasury bonds.

WAGE DATA

Romania's statistics board will release average wage data for March.

IMF

Romanian central bank Governor Mugur Isarescu attends an IMF presentation of its spring regional economic report on Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe at 0700 GMT.

The worst of the economic slump in Russia may be over the International Monetary Fund said on Friday, but warned possible euro zone stagnation and shifting politics made central Europe's prospects increasingly uncertain.

CEE MARKETS

The Polish zloty eased half a percent versus the euro ahead of Friday's central bank policy meeting, while Hungarian energy group MOL helped the Budapest stock market break even in early trade after reporting strong earnings.

AFGHAN ATTACK

Two members of the Romanian special forces in Afghanistan were killed and a third was wounded on Saturday when two members of a local police unit they were training opened fire on them before themselves being killed, officials said.

TAXES

Romania's tax authority ANAF collected taxes worth 66.62 billion lei in the first four months, 3 percent higher that initially budgeted, it said on Friday. Value added tax collection was roughly 9 percent smaller on the year.

LOAN DELAYS

The number of borrowers who were more than 30 days late on paying their loan rates rose to 725,000 at the end of March, the highest since June 2013, central bank data showed. Ziarul Financiar

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China stocks slump again on fading recovery hopes; Hong Kong shares firm

SHANGHAI, May 9 (Reuters) - China stocks tumbled again on Monday morning, reaching eight-month lows, as investors saw hopes for a strong economic recovery fade and worried about fresh regulatory curbs against speculation.

But Hong Kong shares stayed firm, aided in part by the strong energy sector as crude oil prices soared on supply woes stemming from wildfires in Canada.

Following the market's nearly 3 percent slump on Friday, China's blue-chip CSI300 index fell 1.7 percent, to 3,076.76 points by lunch time, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 2.2 percent, to 2,848.16 points.

China April trade data released on Sunday doused investor hopes of a sustainable economic recovery, with both exports and imports falling more than expected, showing weak demand from both home and abroad.

Recovery hopes were further dimmed by an article on Monday in the People's Daily, the Communist Party's mouthpiece. It cited an "authoritative source" saying China's economic trend will be "L-shaped", rather than "U-shaped", and definitely not "V-shaped", but the government will not use excessive investment or rapid credit expansion to stimulate growth.

Song Yiwei, strategist for Bohai Securities in Tianjin, said "recovery in the first quarter was driven mainly by investment, and is short-lived, while deep-rooted structural problems persist."

He said another reason for Monday's weakness was fears of a fresh government crackdown on speculation, after the securities regulator said on Friday that the valuation gap between the domestic and overseas market and speculation on "shell" companies - firms used for backdoor listings - merited attention.

Shares fell across the board on the mainland, but relatively expensive small caps underperformed blue-chip sectors such as banking.

An index tracking raw material shares had tumbled 3.7 percent by the lunch break as China's commodity prices continue to fall amid a government crackdown on speculative trading.
Quarter of passengers on British cruise ship fall sick with norovirus

May 8 (Reuters) - A stomach bug causing vomiting and diarrhea has spread to more than a quarter of the 919 passengers aboard a British cruise ship, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, as the ship docked in Maine over the weekend.

It also said eight of the 520 crew on the Balmoral, operated by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, had also fallen ill with the bug, identified as a norovirus.

The Balmoral left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before putting in at Norfolk, Virginia, where it first arrived in the United States late last month.

CDC officials said at that time that 153 passengers and six crew had been infected by norovirus. Health officials and an epidemiologist boarded the ship at its next stop in Baltimore, Maryland to assess the outbreak and the response.

The CDC said specimens collected and onboard tested positive for norovirus, and would be sent to CDC for additional testing.

Fred. Olsen said in an April 29 statement that a "gastro-enteritis type illness" had affected a number of guests, with seven cases in isolation at that point.

It said two U.S. nationals were on board, with the majority of passengers from the United Kingdom.

When the Balmoral docked at Portland, Maine, over the weekend, media reported witnesses seeing surfaces being constantly wiped down.

The ship was due to stop at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, on Monday.

CDC said the cruise line had taken actions in response to the outbreak, including increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures, collecting stool specimens, daily reporting of illness and dispatching public health and sanitation managers to oversee and assist with implementation of sanitation and outbreak response.

Balmoral has capacity for 1,350 passengers, and is the largest and newest ship in the cruise line's fleet.
BBC correspondent expelled from North Korea over reporting

By James Pearson

PYONGYANG, May 9 (Reuters) - North Korea expelled a BBC journalist on Monday over his reporting, the broadcaster and a North Korean official said, as a large group of foreign media members visited the isolated country to cover a rare ruling party congress.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes was detained on Friday as he was about to leave the country and taken away for eight hours of questioning and "made to sign a statement", the network reported.

The British journalist, accompanied by a BBC producer and cameraman, arrived in Beijing on Monday evening after a flight from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

"We're obviously very glad to be out. We're going to go and talk to our bosses now. But just relieved to be out," Wingfield-Hayes told reporters at the airport before being driven off in a car, along with his colleagues.

Wingfield-Hayes had "distorted facts and realities" in his coverage, North Korean official O Ryong Il said in announcing that the reporter, who is based in Tokyo, was being expelled and would never be let in again.

"They were speaking very ill of the system, the leadership of the country," O, who is secretary general of a National Peace Committee, told reporters in Pyongyang, according to a video clip published by the Associated Press.

Another BBC correspondent in Pyongyang, John Sudworth, said in a broadcast report there was "disagreement, a concern over the content of Rupert's reporting", including questioning the authenticity of a hospital.

In his report of a visit to the children's hospital in Pyongyang, Wingfield-Hayes said the patients looked "remarkably well" and there was not a real doctor on duty.

"Everything we see looks like a set-up" he said.

In another report, Wingfield-Hayes noted that his official minders were "rather upset with us" over trying to do a report in front of a statute of founding leader Kim Il Sung.

"They clearly felt we said stuff that was not respectful," of Kim, he said in his report.

"Now, we are in trouble," he said, adding that the BBC team had been told to delete its footage.

Sudworth said in his report Wingfield-Hayes had been prevented from leaving on Friday and taken away.

"(He) was separated from the rest of his team, prevented from boarding that flight, taken to a hotel and interrogated by the security bureau here in Pyongyang before being made to sign a statement and then released, eventually allowed to rejoin us here in this hotel," Sudworth said.

CLOSELY WATCHED

A BBC spokesman said four BBC staff remained in the country and he expected they would be allowed to stay.

"We are very disappointed that our reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been deported from North Korea after the government took offence at material he had filed," the spokesman said.

The eight-hour interrogation was conducted by a man who introduced himself to Wingfield-Hayes as the person who prosecuted Kenneth Bae, an American missionary who had been held by the North for two years for crimes against the state, said another BBC correspondent in Pyongyang, Stephen Evans.

Bae was released in November 2014.

North Korea granted visas to an unusually large group of 128 journalists from 12 countries to coincide with the Workers' Party congress.

Their movements are closely managed and their only access to the proceedings of the congress, which began on Friday, was on Monday, when a group of about 30 was let into the venue for a brief visit, following nearly three hours of security checks.

Otherwise, they were taken to showcase sites, such as a maternity hospital, an electric cable plant and a children's centre.

On Monday, visiting media were taken to a textile factory named after Kim Jong Suk, the grandmother of the country's young leader.

The North Korean government, which owns and operates all domestic news media organisations, maintains tight control over foreign reporters, with government "minders" accompanying visiting journalists as they report.

Wingfield-Hayes had been in town ahead of the congress to cover the visit of a group of Nobel laureates.
Brenntag profit drops 27 pct on Venezuela currency losses

FRANKFURT, May 9 (Reuters) - Germany's Brenntag, the world's largest chemicals distributor, reported a 27 percent drop in first-quarter net profit, far below forecasts, due to a large devaluation of the Venezuelan bolivar and a challenging business environment in North America.

Brenntag shares were indicated down 7 percent ahead of the 0700 GMT Frankfurt market open.

In results that raised questions about its earnings outlook, net profit was 66 million euros ($75 million), Brenntag said on Monday. That compared with a Reuters poll average estimate of a 4 percent rise in net profit to 94 million euros.

Brenntag said its Venezuelan business was no longer generating meaningful core profit as a result of the devaluation of the bolivar by more than 90 percent in February. It made foreign exchange losses of 27 million euros in the quarter.

"Business performance in the first quarter of 2016 was impacted by the weakness in the oil & gas sector, the challenging macroeconomic environment, particularly in North America, and the devaluation of the currency in Venezuela," Brenntag said in a statement.

It said it believed its Latin American operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) would be down significantly this year.

Brenntag confirmed its overall outlook for the group in which it expects to achieve growth in all relevant earnings metrics including "meaningful growth" in operating gross profit and operating EBITDA.

But DZ Bank analyst Thomas Maul said that those goals were now somewhat in question.

"Q1 results (especially the weakness in North American business) may raise doubts whether this level is achievable," he wrote in a note to clients.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - May 9

SOFIA, May 9 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said that President Rosen Plevneliev has correctly vetoed the recent amendments to the Electoral Code concerning the voting abroad. On Saturday, Plevneliev said he would send back to parliament for further consideration disputed changes to the Electoral Code that he sees as infringement of the voting rights of Bulgarian nationals residing abroad (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart)

-- Bulgaria and the United States welcomed progress of the high-level working groups launched last year to deepen and strengthen the strategic partnership of the two countries in five key areas, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said after meeting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Trud, 24 Chasa, Standart)
German industry orders rise more than expected in March

BERLIN, May 9 (Reuters) - German industrial orders bounced backed in March, rising more than expected and by the steepest rate in nine months, due to strong foreign demand especially from countries outside the euro zone, data showed on Monday.

Contracts for 'Made in Germany' goods were up 1.9 percent on the month, the biggest increase since last June, the Economy Ministry said. That compared with a Reuters consensus forecast for a rise of 0.7 percent.

Domestic orders in Europe's biggest economy fell by 1.2 percent while foreign demand rose by 4.3 percent, with orders from euro zone countries edging up by 1.1 percent and bookings from countries outside the currency bloc soaring by 6.2 percent.

The data for February was revised up to a fall of 0.8 percent from a previously reported drop of 1.2 percent.

For the whole first quarter, industrial orders rose by 0.5 percent on the quarter, with bookings from abroad increasing by 2.0 percent and domestic orders falling by 1.3 percent.
Hungary, Factors to watch, May 9

BUDAPEST, May 9 (Reuters) - Following is a list of events in Hungary and the region, as well as news stories and press reports which may influence financial markets.

(For any queries: Budapest editorial +36 1 327 4745)

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN HUNGARY (ALL TIMES GMT)

BUDAPEST - budget data March (0900)

BUDAPEST - parliament session (1100)

IN THE REGION

CZECH - industry output March (0700)

CZECH - trade data March (0700)

ROMANIA - Romanian central bank Governor Mugur Isarescu and deputy Governor Liviu Voinea attend a conference hosted by new IMF representative for Romania and Bulgaria.

POLAND - PKO BP conference on Q1 results

ROMANIA - treasury bond tender

IN THE NEWS REUTERS

Hungary should cut spending to make sure debt declines, OECD says

BUDAPEST, May 6 (Reuters) - Hungary needs to cut its budget deficit below current levels and reduce public spending to eliminate more of its public debt, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said on Friday.

CEE MARKETS-Zloty eases ahead of rate call, MOL lifted by strong earnings

BUDAPEST, May 6 (Reuters) - The Polish zloty EURPLN= eased half a percent versus the euro ahead of Friday's central bank policy meeting, while Hungarian energy group MOL MOLB.BU helped the Budapest stock market break even in early trade after reporting strong earnings.

Hungary's industrial output falls 4.6 pct y/y in March -stats

BUDAPEST, May 6 (Reuters) - Hungary's industrial output HUIND=ECI unexpectedly fell by an annual 4.6 percent in March based on preliminary unadjusted data after a 6.3 percent rise in February, the Central Statistics Office said on Friday.

Hungary's prelim March trade surplus 966 mln euros

BUDAPEST, May 6 (Reuters) - Hungary posted a foreign trade surplus of 966 million euros ($1.10 billion) in March based on preliminary data, slightly below analyst forecasts for 986 million euros, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Friday.

MOL's Q1 net profit jumps as downstream business shines

Hungarian oil and gas group MOL posted a 165 percent jump in first-quarter net profit, the company said, as a strong performance in its downstream business offset declines in upstream profits.

Hungary central bank chief says will not resign over graft scandal - paper

National Bank of Hungary's (NBH) Governor Gyorgy Matolcsy has dismissed opposition allegations of nepotism and corruption involving $1 billion worth of central bank funds as "political bluff" and said he would not resign.
MEDIA-China insurance regulator to inspect Anbang insurance - Caixin

BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters) - -- China insurance regulator is sending a team to inspect Anbang Insurance Group

-- Anbang has been one of the most acquisitive corporate buyers from China in the past few years. Its latest deal was buying German insurer Allianz's South Korean businesses for more than $3 million.

-- Source link in Chinese: (http://bit.ly/1rJlrr3)
Cannes Festival entry focuses on Taiwan death penalty debate

By Fabian Hamacher

TAIPEI, May 9 (Reuters) - A prize-winning Taiwanese film exploring the use of the death penalty will screen at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, adding to recent increased debate about the island's use of capital punishment.

Leon Lee's 23-minute film titled "The Day To Choose" puts its main character, a lawyer and strong opponent of the death penalty, in the difficult position of choosing how to punish the murderers of his wife.

Taiwan retains the death penalty despite calls to abolish it in line with international practice, but some have argued it is necessary in extreme cases such as the beheading of a four-year-old girl on a Taipei street in March.

Lee, a student in the German language department at Soochow University, developed the film with his producer Cheng Kuang-yu, based on a script that Cheng had long wanted to realise.

"What I really want to discuss in this short film is not only the issue of capital punishment, but how much a human will stick to (his or her ideals) when faced with adversity," Lee told Reuters on the set of the film.
Top U.S. official visits Vietnam to assess human rights progress

HANOI, May 9 (Reuters) - A top U.S. envoy began a two-day trip to Vietnam on Monday to gauge its progress in human rights, two weeks ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama in what will be the first by a U.S. leader in a decade.

Tom Malinowski, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, is expected to press Vietnam to release unconditionally political prisoners and reform its laws to comply with its international commitments.

Relations between the United States and Vietnam have moved to a new level in the past two years as Washington seeks to make a new ally in Asia, but the communist nation's zero-tolerance approach to its detractors remains a sticking point.

Vietnam has jailed dissidents, bloggers and religious figures in recent years, holding them for long periods without access to family or legal counsel and often subject to torture or other mistreatment, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The United States has been intensifying efforts in building stronger ties - in health, education, environment, energy and recently military - to boost its influence, and offset that of China.

The United States and Vietnam, along with 10 others, this year signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), one of the world's biggest multinational trade deals.

Though the TPP has no requirements for members to reach certain standards in human rights, analysts say Vietnam's record of arrests, intimidation and oppression of those who speak out against the ruling Communist Party could add to anticipated resistance to the pact among U.S. legislators.

The TPP must be ratified by each member country's parliament.

Malinowski said during his visit to Vietnam last year that he had seen signs of progress on human rights but the country needed to make a stronger commitment.
Panama Papers law firm apologises to Chinese bank over leak

By Clare Baldwin and Paul Carsten

HONG KONG/BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters) - The law firm at the centre of the "Panama Papers" offshore tax haven controversy has written an apology to a Chinese banking client as it seeks to shore up its Asian business following a massive leak of financial data last month, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters.

The letter was written by Mossack Fonseca in response to queries from the Chinese bank about compliance with global financial standards. It is not known whether there were similar communications with other financial institutions, but the letter shows at least one bank client in the firm's biggest market was concerned by issues raised in the publicity surrounding the leak.

In the undated letter to the mid-tier Shanghai-based lender, signed by Mossack Fonseca's regional general manager, the shell company specialist said it "deeply regrets" any misuse of its services or the companies it set up.

"If the unauthorised illegal leaks from Mossack Fonseca company servers have created any inconvenience for (the bank) and your clients, we wish to once again apologise," it added.

A Mossack Fonseca spokesperson said reporting of the leak had "deepened confusion" about the nature of its business.

"As such, we are routinely speaking to our clients and other related parties that have questions to explain that ... nothing in the illegally obtained cache of documents suggests we have done anything wrong or illegal," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Leaks from the Panama Papers, named after the law firm's central American home base, have embarrassed some leading politicians around the world with their chronicling of a shadowy world of offshore holdings and hidden wealth.

The source who provided the letter requested that the state-owned bank not be named to protect their identity due to the sensitivity of the subject in China. A former Mossack Fonseca employee in China said the bank was a major client.

Mossack Fonseca has also replaced several key staff in a shake-up of its operations in China, according to a person familiar with the matter and a second former employee.

Relatives and business associates of eight senior Chinese Communist Party figures - including President Xi Jinping's brother-in-law - are named as beneficiaries of offshore holding companies in the leaked documents. None have made any comment and it was not clear if any were clients of the Shanghai bank.

ASIA SHAKE-UP

The letter to the state-owned bank was signed by Maria Mercedes Sadowski, who became regional general manager for Asia in January 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The second former employer, who was dismissed from Mossack Fonseca earlier this year, also said Sadowski had arrived in Asia at the start of the year and initiated a shake-up that saw roughly half a dozen departures across its eight offices in Greater China.

In response to Reuters' emailed questions to Sadowski and the firm, the Mossack Fonseca spokesperson said that "our plan in China and elsewhere is to continue to serve our clients".

The former employee said Sadowski had replaced Austin Zhang, who had headed Mossack Fonseca's Asia business from its busiest office in Hong Kong since the early 2000s. But it was unclear whether Zhang had severed all ties with firm.

Contacted by Reuters on the messaging app WeChat in April, Zhang hinted he had left. A keen photographer, he said he would be willing to talk about his art, but "if it's for other things then it would not be necessary. I am no longer in that group".

He then stopped responding to messages.
Rio's $5.3 bln go-ahead fuels hopes of end to Mongolia's hangover

By Terrence Edwards

ULAANBAATAR, May 9 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto's long-awaited approval of a $5.3 billion extension for its giant Oyu Tolgoi copper mine is fuelling hopes of a revival at last for Mongolia, battered by a slowdown in neighbouring China that has left it deep in debt.

Oyu Tolgoi, one of the world's largest undeveloped copper projects, has been a bellwether for Mongolia since its discovery more than a decade ago. But as discussions with the government stalled in 2013 and prices collapsed, Rio put the flagship project on the backburner - and confidence in Mongolia crumbled.

Rio's decision to go ahead with the costly and complex expansion is a bet on copper's recovery for a miner that badly needs to recalibrate its iron ore-heavy portfolio.

Mining executives, government officials, diplomats and analysts say it is also a potentially game-changing boost for Mongolia that could spark the unblocking of other projects and restore investor trust, key steps for the country to meet debt repayments due from 2017.

"This is a vital vote of confidence in Mongolia," said David Paul, chief executive of Aspire Mining, which is raising money to study a rail line for its Ovoot and Nuurstei coking coal projects in the country's north.

The Oyu Tolgoi expansion could also be key to winning over the public - in some cases reluctant to compromise with foreign investors - to deals on troubled Tavan Tolgoi, Mongolia's largest coal project, and the Gatsuurt gold mine owned by Centerra Gold.

The parliamentary speaker blocked a $4 billion investment deal for Tavan Tolgoi last April on the day investors including China Shenhua Energy, Japan's Sumitomo and Ulaanbaatar-based Mongolian Mining Corp were to sign.

Centerra Gold mine has been waiting on an investment deal for Gatsuurt since 2010.

"We do believe the project will enhance Mongolia's economic growth prospects by establishing the country as one of the largest sources of high-grade copper globally," said Andrew Fennell at Fitch Ratings, which downgraded Mongolia to B in November. "However, near-term pressures remain."

According to Fitch, Mongolian sovereign and sovereign-guaranteed entities face a combined $1.1 billion of external bond maturities in 2017 and 2018 - before extra cash from the underground mine begin to flow. First production is due in 2020.

Rating agencies have repeatedly downgraded Mongolia since it issued Eurobonds in 2012. According to the International Monetary Fund, its sovereign spreads are among the highest of all frontier economies; Fitch ranks Mongolia as one of the most indebted nations in the world.

RESOURCES HANGOVER

Mongolia is recovering from a crippling hangover.

It was the world's fastest growing economy in 2011, according to the World Bank. At the peak of the boom, Ulaanbataar was teeming with hopeful expatriates and sushi bars, promises of luxury hotels and even a Louis Vuitton boutique all jostled for a slice of the newfound wealth.

The capital is now instead dotted with unfinished skeletons of buildings where financing ran out: an incomplete Hilton Hotel and dozens of office buildings in the business district.

This year, as miners pull away from frontier projects, the economy will grow less than 1 percent, and as little as 0.1 percent, according to the Asian Development Bank.

The country badly needs to restart stalled projects if it is to cope with ballooning external debt - pegged at $21.6 billion at the end of 2015 by the central bank - and avoid default.

At the high-profile weekend celebrations at the Oyu Tolgoi mine, Mongolia brushed off worries of further hiccups and promised consistency for a project that will employ some 3,000 more people with its expansion - 95 percent of them Mongolian.

"We are partners, like husband and wife, and sometimes you have problems," said Prime Minister Chimed Saikhanbileg.

Despite some lingering political opposition, he promised the outcome of Mongolia's legislative elections next month would not change the approach for a project that is vital for the country's future.
Euro zone looks to help Greece on debt from 2018 upon reform completion

By Jan Strupczewski and Renee Maltezou

BRUSSELS/ATHENS May 9 (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers offered on Monday to grant Greece debt relief by giving it longer grace periods and bond maturities from 2018 if the country delivers by then on all reforms agreed under its latest bailout.

The offer, to be worked out in detail by deputy finance ministers by May 24, appears to be a compromise between Germany, which does not believe Greece needs additional debt relief, and the International Monetary Fund, which insists it is necessary.

"This agreement on debt... by the European partners is expected to allow the IMF to participate in the programme," the ministers said in a statement.

The involvement of the IMF in the Greek bailout is politically crucial for Germany and several other euro zone countries.

The ministers also expect a deal within days on Greek contingency reforms, which would only kick in if Athens veered off its promised fiscal path, paving the way for the disbursement of new loans to Greece.

The ministers said the guiding principles for debt relief for Greece would be to facilitate market access, smooth out its repayment profile, provide incentives for reforms even after the bailout ends and allow for uncertain GDP growth and interest rate developments in the future.

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said after the meeting in Brussels that the deal would pave the way to disburse more bailout cash to Athens, helping it cover debt repayments maturing in June and July.

The debt relief analysis would be done separately for the short, medium and long term, the ministers said in their statement.

For the short term the focus would be on optimising debt management.

For the medium term the euro zone would consider longer grace periods and maturities as well as returning to Greece profits made by the European Central Bank on bonds bought under its Securities Markets Programme (SMP) and for investment.

For the long term, euro zone ministers said they would consider in 2018, if Greece meets its primary surplus target of 3.5 percent of GDP, whether more debt relief is needed to keep the country's debt-servicing costs sustainable.

The chairman of the meeting, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said the IMF supported such an approach to debt relief for Greece.

The offer to prepare concrete debt relief options by May 24 follows the passing of a package of unpopular pension and tax reforms in Athens earlier on Monday that one critic called "a tombstone for growth".

The package was also one of the conditions to unlock at least 5.4 billion euros in new loans from its latest bailout.

The other condition was the set of contingency steps, which would produce 2 percent of GDP in savings if needed, to meet the 2018 primary budget surplus target. A primary balance refers the money a government has before it starts servicing debt.

The contingency steps were tricky because Greek law does not foresee the possibility of legislating contingency reforms that would be triggered if fiscal goals are not met. But the euro zone and Greece appear to have found a way out.
Before massive Bangladesh heist, New York Fed feared such cyber attacks

By Jonathan Spicer and Jim Finkle

New York, May 9 (Reuters) - In the years before hackers stole $81 million from a Bangladesh central bank account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, senior Fed security officials examined the risk of such an attack - but judged the prospect unlikely, bank sources told Reuters.

The Fed managers worried that lax security procedures and outdated technology at some foreign central banks could allow cyber-criminals to commandeer local computers and breach foreign accounts at the U.S. central bank, according to interviews with seven current and former New York Fed officials and a former U.S. government official familiar with the discussions.

Over several years, New York Fed and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials discussed the risk of an attack made using the banking system's communications network, known as SWIFT, according to Fed and government officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The New York Fed was concerned with lots of vulnerabilities," said the former government official. "SWIFT was one of them."

But the Fed focused security resources on other priorities, such as preventing money-laundering and enforcing U.S. economic sanctions, officials with knowledge of the bank's security operations told Reuters. Fed officials took some comfort in the fact that SWIFT's security software had never been cracked, the officials said.

The immediate result of the breach for the New York Fed is a claim from the Bangladesh Bank for payment of lost funds and a potential lawsuit. Beyond that, the heist showed that the U.S. central bank long understood a potentially systemic risk to a vital global finance network, but was unable or unwilling to address it.

The New York Fed declined to comment on past security priorities or on whether it had made changes since the heist. SWIFT declined to comment.

Before the heist, some New York Fed officials considered the threat of fraudulent transfers ordered through SWIFT a "fat tail risk" - a statistical term for events with low probability but dire consequences, said one well-placed official with knowledge of the discussions. February's theft from the Bangladesh Bank fit that definition - a bold cyber heist in which thieves attempted to withdraw nearly $1 billion in dozens of requests.

The crime rattled the banking industry because the conduit for the theft was the SWIFT network, an acronym for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. A cooperative overseen by 20 of the world's largest central banks, SWIFT connects about 11,000 financial institutions globally that use it to order money transfers.

"What everyone is realizing right now is that no one has ever really appreciated the risk," said the person with direct knowledge of the New York Fed's deliberations.

SWIFT has said that the scheme involved altering SWIFT software on Bangladesh Bank computers to hide evidence of fraudulent transfers. Last week, SWIFT acknowledged that the Bangladesh Bank attack was not an isolated incident but one of a number of recent criminal schemes aimed at its messaging platform. SWIFT has declined to elaborate further.

Two Bangladesh Bank officials have told Reuters they believe both the New York Fed and SWIFT bear some responsibility for the failure to prevent the attack. The officials previously told Reuters that SWIFT gave Bangladesh Bank no prior warning about vulnerabilities, and the New York Fed failed to stop fraudulent orders when they reached New York.

The head of Bangladesh Bank is scheduled to meet next week with New York Fed president William Dudley and a senior executive from SWIFT to discuss the matter. SWIFT has said the attack was related to an internal operating issue at Bangladesh Bank, and the New York Fed has said it has no evidence that its systems were compromised.

Richard Dzina, head of the New York Fed's wholesale product office, in remarks at a banking conference Tuesday said bank workers "acted properly" in releasing the funds. The system was penetrated, he said, because the hackers had acquired valid credentials to order the transfers.

$80 BILLION A DAY

The New York Fed holds trillions of dollars in funds for central banks worldwide. It processes about $80 billion in fund transfers in and out of their accounts each day, according to a New York Fed official.

Security is handled by the New York Fed's Central Bank and International Account Services (CBIAS) division, a closely-guarded operation inside its fortress in lower Manhattan. CBIAS assigns risk profiles to individual countries and regions, assessing government stability, terrorism threats, and organized crime activity when deciding how to dispense cash to central banks and other official institutions, current and former Fed officials said.

In the months before the attack, the security unit was focused on bulking up its anti-money laundering protections, an initiative driven by the Board of Governors at the Fed's Washington, D.C. headquarters, according to two people familiar with the plan. Another priority was protecting the Fed's own Fedwire payments system from cyber attacks, several current and former Fed officials said.

Most transfer requests are approved automatically after computer screening. Only a few of about 2,000 daily transactions are flagged for review by employees, according to a New York Fed official.

One of the officials said automated scanners used for SWIFT payments were effective for preventing money laundering and enforcing economic sanctions - but would not defend the bank against fraudulent money transfers.

"There is a balance here that has to be struck between allowing customers to make new payments and to conduct their business in a timely manner, and also to prevent really obnoxious or obvious cases of fraud," said Shehriyar Antia, a former senior New York Fed policy advisor and analyst in the CBIAS unit.

The CBIAS system specifically checks for typographical errors - and it was a thief's typo, along with an unusually high number of requests for payments to private entities, that alerted the Fed to February's cyber attack, banking sources have told Reuters. Once alerted, the Fed suspended payments on most of the requests coming from the Bangladesh Bank, but not before the thieves extracted $81 million.

The Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh police and the FBI are investigating the attack.

A Bangladesh police official who heads the department's forensic training institute previously told Reuters that SWIFT servers at Bangladesh's central bank were vulnerable to hackers because of the absence of a firewall and a lack of basic security protocols.

LOOSE CONTROLS

Three former officials said that the New York Fed had recently focused on loose controls over terminals and other access points to the SWIFT network at foreign central banks, where bankers often order withdrawals for hundreds of millions of dollars.

The concerns focused on the possibility that banks would purchase computers implanted with malicious software or that attackers could steal or buy legitimate credentials from employees, said the former U.S. government official. An additional worry, according to two former Fed officials, was the possibility that a corrupt insider - possibly a bank employee - might have access to the SWIFT network and submit a fraudulent payment request.

Years of managing foreign central bank accounts gave some Fed officials concern that certain banks were ill-equipped to handle local security because of a lack of infrastructure investment and other procedural problems. But the Fed does not have the ability to audit the security protocols at correspondent central banks.

"The vulnerability is that central banks, even in developing countries, have a lot of money relative to their level of sophistication," said the official with knowledge of the security concerns. "It's not just Bangladesh."
Pakistan must speed up reform, employ more women for growth - World Bank

By Drazen Jorgic and Kay Johnson

ISLAMABAD, May 9 (Reuters) - Pakistan must speed up reform of the energy sector and bring more women into the labour force if it wants to quicken economic growth that lags far behind regional peers, the World Bank's country representative said on Monday.

The World Bank expects Pakistan's economy to expand by 4.5 percent in 2016, missing the government's 5.5 percent target and trailing behind other South Asian nations where growth is expected to average about 7 percent this year.

The bank sees 2017 growth edging up to 4.8 percent in Pakistan, a nation of 190 million people. Experts say the economy needs to expand by at least 6 percent a year to absorb new entrants to the work force.

Illango Patchamuthu, the World Bank country director, said Pakistan had benefited from a collapse in global oil prices and tough fiscal measures by the government over the past few years to stabilise the economy.

But he urged faster reform in the energy sector, which has suffered decades of under-investment. Businesses say frequent power outages hurt growth and investment.

"To me, the whole story around power reforms is still only half done," Patchamuthu told Reuters in an interview.

He said Pakistan must tackle its so-called circular debt problem, which stems from unpaid government subsidies that build up until power plant owners cannot afford fuel. It stands at about $3 billion.

The government expects its electricity rationing system of "load-shedding" to end by 2018 after it signed more than $30 billion in energy generation projects as part of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Project.

But efforts to privatise a host of electricity distribution companies have stalled, as have other reforms.

Patchamuthu said the government has been focused on power generation, but it must also seek to improve distribution and upgrade ancient transmission systems.

"A lot more needs to be done in the next several years to build up the whole power infrastructure," he said.

Patchamuthu said another way for Pakistan to significantly boost growth is reforming its male-dominated labour market, where women account for only 22 percent of the workforce.

"If Pakistan wants to get to 7-8 percent (growth) with structural reforms, they also have to much more in drawing women into the labour force," he said.

Many Pakistani men object to women working and in 2014 Pakistan was ranked as the second worst nation in the world for gender equality after Yemen, according to the Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum.
Mali says Islamist militant arms supplier arrested

BAMAKO, May 9 (Reuters) - Mali's security forces said they arrested a senior member of Islamist militant group Ansar Dine who trafficked weapons for attacks in Mali and over the border in Burkina Faso.

Yacouba Toure is suspected of supplying the arms, grenades and ammunition used in an attack near Burkina Faso's second largest city, Bobo-Dioulasso, in October that killed three gendarmes, Mali's Head Office of State Security said.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have all been targeted by Islamist attacks blamed on militant networks that extend beyond national borders.

Ansar Dine has claimed numerous strikes in Mali against military and U.N. targets, including a suicide and rocket attack on a U.N. base that killed six peacekeepers in February.
Slovak customs officers shoot and injure Syrian migrant woman

BRATISLAVA, May 9 (Reuters) - Slovak customs officers injured a Syrian woman on Monday when they shot at a car carrying migrants from Hungary into Slovakia, authorities said.

Police in Europe have sometimes used water cannon and tear gas to prevent migrants from crossing borders but this may be the first reported incident inside the continent's passport-free Schengen zone where migrants have been shot at.

The officers stopped four passenger cars entering Slovakia from Hungary in the early hours of Monday, the Financial Administration that runs the customs service said in a press release.

Three cars complied with an order to stop but the fourth tried to escape and endangered three officers, it said.

"The officers fired warning shots and when the car did not stop they fired at the car, injuring one person," it said, without further details.

A hospital in Dunajska Streda, southern Slovakia, said the injured person was a Syrian woman aged about 26 and that she was in a stable condition after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from her back.

The hospital said it had also treated two migrants suffering from dehydration.

The cars and the passengers were handed over to the border police, the Financial Administration said.
Iceland's president bows out of reelection bid

REYKJAVIK, May 9 (Reuters) - Iceland's longest serving president will not run for a sixth term in June, the president's office said on Monday, reversing a decision after being caught up in political upheaval caused by the Panama Papers scandal,

Olafur Ragnar Grimsson has been president since 1996. He had received criticism after his wife's family was linked to holdings in tax havens made public in the Panama papers. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Grimsson has exerted his right to demand popular votes on key issues, introducing political power to an office that had traditionally been seen as largely ceremonial.

His decision comes after Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson decided to step down in April when leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm showed his wife owned an offshore company that held debt from failed Icelandic banks.

As president, Grimsson demanded referendums on deals made by the government to pay Britain and the Netherlands for their bailouts of customers of private Icelandic banks. In both cases, voters rejected the deals.
Kenyan police fire tear gas at protest over electoral body

By Humphrey Malalo and George Obulutsa

NAIROBI, May 9 (Reuters) - Kenyan police fired tear gas and water cannon on Monday at stone-throwing protesters in Nairobi who had gathered to demand that a body supervising next year's elections resign, a Reuters witness said.

The presidential and parliamentary polls are more than a year away but politicians are already lining up for what could be a bruising battle in a nation where violence erupted after the 2007 vote and the opposition disputed the 2013 result.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered near the university and the offices of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The opposition have accused the IEBC of bias in favour of the government, demanding it be disbanded. The IEBC has dismissed the charges and says its members will stay on.

A few demonstrators hurled stones at police standing near the gate of the IEBC offices.

"IEBC must go," protesters shouted in the centre of Nairobi, where dozens of police with support vehicles had been mobilised.

When stone throwing began, police fired tear gas canisters and trucks shot water cannon. Protesters dispersed after that.

Members of the opposition Coalition of Reform and Democracy (CORD), which unsuccessfully sought to overturn the 2013 result, staged a street protest last month.

The 2013 vote, which brought President Uhuru Kenyatta to power, proceeded calmly despite the opposition challenge. Raila Odinga, the CORD leader who has lost previous presidential bids, accepted the court ruling. He is expected to run again.

Western diplomats say the authorities must prepare carefully to ensure another peaceful vote in a country where ethnic loyalties usually trump policy among voters. About 1,200 were killed in ethnic killing that erupted after the 2007 poll.

Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, who in 2007 were on opposing sides but in 2013 united in a coalition, were charged by the International Criminal Court with stoking the post-election violence. Both denied this. Charges were later dropped.
Erdogan reaffirms EU membership as Turkey's "strategic goal"

ANKARA, May 9 (Reuters) - Membership of the European Union remains Turkey's strategic goal and a deal to liberalise visas for Turks visiting the bloc should accelerate the accession process, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

His written statement appeared to be an attempt to clarify Ankara's position days after Erdogan said Turkey would not make changes to its terrorism laws required under a deal with the EU to curb migration, declaring: "we're going our way, you go yours".

"EU membership, a strategic goal for Turkey, will be a source of stability and inspiration for the region," Erdogan said in the statement, released to coincide with Europe Day.

"I hope that the agreed visa exemption (deal) will relieve some of the frustration caused by more than 50 years of waiting at the EU's gates ... and that it accelerates Turkey's accession process," Erdogan said.

The EU has asked member states to grant visa-free travel to Turks in return for Ankara stopping migrants from reaching Europe, but said Turkey still had to change some legislation, including bringing its terrorism laws in line with EU standards.

Turkey has repeatedly said that without visa liberalisation, there would be no migrant deal.

Concerns are rising in Europe that the deal - which has sharply cut the number of migrants reaching the EU from Turkish shores - may collapse after last week's announcement by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the main Turkish broker of the accord, that he will step down amid tensions with Erdogan.

"NECESSARY POLICIES"

Turkey's foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said on Monday that Ankara would develop the "necessary policies" on visa liberalisation with the EU and would implement them in line with Erdogan's recent statements.

Erdogan's reaffirmation of Turkey's EU aspirations comes amid growing unease within the 28-nation bloc about what is viewed as the Turkish president's authoritarian style of leadership and his intolerance of media criticism.

Two prominent journalists from an opposition Turkish newspaper were jailed last Friday on charges of revealing state secrets in a case in which Erdogan was named as a complainant.

However, EU governments' public criticism has been relatively muted because they need Ankara's cooperation on migrants.
Austrian chancellor Faymann quits after party revolt

By Francois Murphy, Shadia Nasralla and Kirsti Knolle

VIENNA, May 9 (Reuters) - Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann resigned on Monday, bowing to a revolt from inside his Social Democratic Party after it suffered a humiliating electoral defeat to a far right buoyed by Europe's migration crisis.

Faymann's surprise announcement marks the fall of a political survivor adept at compromises and about-faces that angered his party's base in his more than seven years in power.

While the Social Democrats' popularity has been waning for years, the rising tide of populism that has carried anti-immigrant parties in countries like Germany and Sweden during the migration crisis hastened his departure.

"Do I have full cover ..., strong support within the party? I must say the answer is no," Faymann, 56, said in a statement. "I draw the consequences from this low level of support and step down from my positions as party leader and federal chancellor."

Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, who heads the conservative People's Party that rules in coalition with the Social Democrats, said he saw no need for a snap election after the announcement, APA news agency reported.

"For us it was a big surprise as we believed the personnel debate at the Social Democrats had been done," conservative Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling told reporters in Brussels. Markets, however, shrugged off the news.

As the anti-immigration Freedom Party is leading in opinion polls on more than 30 percent, the Social Democrats have little interest in a general election being held before the next one due in 2018, as they would most likely lose the chancellorship.

With President Heinz Fischer, a former Social Democrat, in office until early July, a Social Democrat is likely to take over from Mitterlehner, who will meanwhile run the government on an interim basis.

The Social Democratic Party (SPO) leadership set about finding a successor for Faymann at a meeting on Monday, and asked the veteran mayor of Vienna, Michael Haeupl, to take over as party leader for the time being.

"I am not chancellor and have no intention of becoming it," Haeupl told a news conference after the meeting.

SUCCESSOR NEXT WEEK

Haeupl said the leadership's pick to succeed Faymann would be announced on Tuesday next week and then submitted to Fischer to be appointed as chancellor. A party conference planned for June 25 should then approve that choice as party leader.

Two names have been widely mentioned as the most likely successor: Christian Kern, the head of Austrian rail operator OBB, and Gerhard Zeiler, former head of public broadcaster ORF and now president of Turner International.

Faymann paid the price for the first round of Austria's presidential election two weeks ago, when the Freedom Party's candidate came first on 35 percent and neither ruling party nominee made it into the May 22 run-off.

After the election, which produced the worst combined result for both of the mainstream parties since Austria's president became directly elected in 1951, opposition among Social Democrats grew into open revolt. Faymann was even jeered at a May Day rally.

Any new leader will have to try to heal rifts in the party over issues such as the government's growing restrictions on immigration and asylum, which have been widely interpreted as a late attempt to mimic populist far-right policies.

Austria took in around 90,000 asylum seekers in 2015, more than 1 percent of its population and many fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond.

It has since said it cannot cope with as many migrants in future, and acted to stop the influx through measures such as shutting down the main migrant route into Europe, in coordination with its Balkan neighbours.
Syrian rebels capture several Iranian soldiers -Tehran lawmaker

DUBAI, May 9 (Reuters) - Up to half-a-dozen Iranian soldiers deployed in Syria have been captured by rebel forces, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday, two days after the Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirmed losses in a battle near Aleppo.

Iran, along with Russia, has been a principal ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his country's five-year-old civil war, while Gulf Arab states and Western powers have supported various rebel factions.

Rebels seized the village of Khan Touman on Friday, some 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Aleppo, and killed several Iranian soldiers, dealing one of Tehran's biggest losses in Syria.

"According to the latest numbers, 13 defenders of the shrine were killed, 18 were wounded and five to six were captured," Esmail Kosari, chairman of the Iranian parliament's defence committee, was quoted as saying by the Mizan Online news agency.

Shi'ite Muslim Iran alludes to its troops in Syria as "defenders of the shrine", a reference to the Sayeda Zeinab mosque near Damascus where a granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad is said to be buried.

It was the first time Iran had confirmed that any of its combatants had been taken prisoner in Syria. In December, Islamist rebels in Khan Touman said they had seized two Iranians but that was never confirmed by Tehran.

The latest assault on Khan Touman was launched by an alliance of Sunni Islamist rebels known as Jaish al-Fatah, including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which has rejected diplomatic efforts to bring about a lasting ceasefire.

Jaish al-Fatah and affiliates published videos and photographs on social media of what appeared to be the bodies of Iranians or other Shi'ite combatants killed in Khan Touman.

Earlier this week, the United States and Russia brokered a ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and scene of some of its heaviest fighting. Iran said the truce had been used as a cover for rebels to regroup and attack.

In 2013, the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) freed about 50 detained Iranians in exchange for the release of more than 2,000 prisoners by government forces in a deal brokered by Turkey and Qatar.
Closure of Kenyan camps will endanger half a million refugees, aid agencies say

DAKAR, May 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Kenya's plans to close two sprawling refugee camps due to fears they have been infiltrated by militant groups such as Somalia's al Shabaab could put the lives of more than half a million refugees at risk, aid agencies and human rights groups said.

The Kenyan government on Friday said it had disbanded its Department of Refugee Affairs, and would close Kakuma camp and Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, as soon as possible.

Dadaab in eastern Kenya is home to some 350,000 refugees, mainly Somalis who have fled drought, famine and war, while Kakuma, located in the northwest, hosts nearly 200,000 refugees - half coming from South Sudan where civil war erupted in 2013.

"(This is) due to immense security challenges such as threat of al Shabaab and other related terror groups that hosting of refugees has continued to pose to Kenya and due to slow nature of repatriation," Karanja Kibicho, principal secretary of the Kenyan interior ministry, said in a statement.

Kenyan security officials believe militants, such as the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, have used the refugee camps as bases to prepare attacks and then mingled with residents in urban areas to carry them out.

The government said it was aware the decision would affect the lives of refugees, and that the international community must take responsibility for their humanitarian needs in the future.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) on Monday called on the Kenyan government to reconsider its decision and to avoid actions that might be at odds with its international obligations towards people needing sanctuary from danger and persecution.

Closing the camps could put hundreds of thousands of lives at risk, said medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

"The closure (of Dadaab) would risk some 330,000 Somali lives and have extreme humanitarian consequences, forcing people to return to a war-torn country with minimal access to vital medical and humanitarian assistance," MSF said in a statement.

Amnesty International said it acknowledged that the resettlement of refugees to third countries had been slow, but urged Kenya to consider fully integrating refugees into society.

Kenya hosts the second largest number of refugees on the African continent, some having arrived as long as 25 years ago. Legally, all refugees must live in camps and they cannot work.

The government has previously announced plans to restrict Somali refugees to camps, and separately threatened to relocate them if the United Nations did not move them.

The announcement could lead to more extortion and abuse for refugees at the hands of Kenyan police and other security forces, according to the charity Refugees International.
U.N. agency says half of rural Zimbabwe will need food aid by next March

HARARE, May 9 (Reuters) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said on Monday up to 4.5 million people, half of Zimbabwe's drought-stricken rural population, will need aid by next March as the agency seeks to plug a funding gap of $290 million for assistance.

An El Nino-induced drought has hit southern Africa and cut the output of the staple maize crop. In March, the government said 4 million Zimbabweans required food aid, almost 30 percent of the national population.

UNDP resident coordinator Bishow Parajuli told reporters the agency had raised $70 million since President Robert Mugabe's government's government made a plea for aid in February, leaving a $290 million funding gap.

"We project the people in need will increase ... to approximately 4.5 million or 49 percent of the rural population during the peak of the lean season from January to March 2017," said Parajuli.

U.N. World Food Programme country director Eddie Rowe said Zimbabwe's 2016 maize production forecast would fall below 60 percent of the five-year average.

Zimbabwe's average harvest in the last five years has been between 700,000 and 1 million tonnes, against annual consumption of between 1.6 million and 1.8 million tonnes, he said.
Aleppo fighting rages as U.S., Russia try to revive Syria truce

By John Davison and David Brunnstrom

BEIRUT/PARIS, May 9 (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and their allies fought insurgents near Aleppo on Monday and jets conducted raids around a nearby town seized by Islamist rebels, a monitoring group said, as Syria's military said a ceasefire in Aleppo would be extended by 48 hours starting on Tuesday.

A recent surge in bloodshed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, wrecked the 10-week-old, partial truce sponsored by Washington and Moscow that had allowed U.N.-brokered peace talks to convene in Geneva.

The United States and Russia, which support rival sides in the civil war, said they would work to revive the February "cessation of hostilities" agreement that reduced fighting in parts of the country for several weeks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said all parties had to press the sides they back to turn "words on a piece of paper" into actions to reinstate the truce.

Syria's military high command was quoted by state news agency SANA as saying the Aleppo ceasefire would be extended by 48 hours in the northern city beginning at 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2200 GMT on Monday).

A number of short-term local truces have been in place since April 29, first around Damascus and northern Latakia and then in Aleppo, but there has still been fighting between rebels and government forces.

The cessation of hostilities and local truces do not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front.

Asaad al-Zoubi, the chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition at the Geneva talks, criticised the extended Aleppo truce, telling Al Jazeera television that such measures served only to allow thousands of reinforcing troops to be sent from Iran, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Warplanes struck the town of Khan Touman, southwest of Aleppo, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rebels also fought government forces east of Damascus, and jets hit the rebel-held towns of Maarat al-Numan and Idlib.

Russia and the United States said in a joint statement they would step up efforts to persuade the warring parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

"We have decided to reconfirm our commitment to the (ceasefire) in Syria and to intensify efforts to ensure its nation-wide implementation," they said. "We demand that parties cease any indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructure and medical facilities."

Visiting Paris, Kerry said a reduction of violence in line with the U.S.-Russian joint statement depended on field commanders as well as interested parties including the United States.

"These are words on a piece of paper. They are not actions," he said. "We have a responsibility to make certain that the opposition lives up to this, and Russia and Iran have a responsibility to make sure the Assad regime lives up to this."

Basma Kodmani, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Committee, expressed hope of a return to the Geneva peace talks if the U.S.-Russian agreement is swiftly implemented.

STRATEGIC PRIZE

Russia's military intervention last September helped Assad reverse some rebel gains in the west of the country, including in Aleppo province.

But insurgents captured the town of Khan Touman last week, inflicting a rare setback on government forces and allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting. Several Iranian soldiers were captured in the clashes, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday.

The city of Aleppo is one of the biggest strategic prizes in a war now in its sixth year, and has been divided into government and rebel-held zones through much of the conflict.

The Observatory said warplanes struck rebel-held areas of the city early on Monday, and rebels fired shells into government-held neighbourhoods.

Al Manar, the television channel of Damascus's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, said on Monday troops had destroyed a tank belonging to insurgents and killed some of its occupants.

On the eastern edge of Damascus, government forces and their allies shelled rebel areas and clashed with insurgents, the Observatory and the rebel force Jaish al-Islam said. Three people were killed and 13 wounded in air strikes on Idlib, it said.

Jaish al-Islam agreed with a rival rebel group, Failaq al Rahman, that both would vacate a town they have been fighting over for almost two weeks, the Observatory said.

The groups, two of the strongest operating in the area, agreed to make no more attempts to occupy the town of Misraba in the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus, and return it to civilian rule. After 13 days of heavy artillery exchanges, Jaish al Islam took control of the town over the weekend, capturing around 50 rival fighters.

Saudi Arabia condemned air strikes on a camp for displaced Syrians west of Aleppo last week that killed at least 28 people, saying it was part of "the genocide committed by Bashar al-Assad's forces against civilians in Syria."

A Saudi cabinet statement on Monday said the strikes on the camp, alongside the prevention of humanitarian aid deliveries to Syrians, constituted war crimes. Damascus has denied targeting the camp or obstructing aid deliveries.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, hosting a meeting in Paris of Assad's opponents, said Syrian government forces and their allies had bombarded hospitals and refugee camps. "It is not Daesh (Islamic State) that is being attacked in Aleppo, it is the moderate opposition," he said.
U.N. concerned by Kenyan threat to close refugee camps

GENEVA, May 9 (Reuters) - The U.N. refugee agency on Monday called on Kenya to reconsider its plans to close camps that host Somali and South Sudanese refugees and that the government has long said pose a security threat.

Kenya's Interior Ministry said on Friday it aimed to close in the "shortest time possible" the sprawling Dadaab camp, home to 350,000 mostly Somalis, and Kakuma camp, which has expanded during more than two years of conflict in nearby South Sudan.

Kenya has made similar remarks before, even setting a three-month deadline last year for Dadaab to be closed, although it has backed away from such threats.

The U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said in a statement it viewed with "profound concern" the latest Kenyan government comments.

"UNHCR is calling on the government of Kenya to reconsider its decision and to avoid taking any action that might be at odds with its international obligations," it said.

In Friday's comments, the Interior Ministry said hosting refugees posed "immense security challenges", particularly from Somali Islamist group al Shabaab, which has killed hundreds of Kenyans in attacks during the past three years or so.

UNHCR said in January it was planning for as many as 50,000 Somalis to return to Somalia in 2016 under a voluntary repatriation programme, although it said that number might not be met given the challenges returnees still face.

Although neighbouring Somalia is making a slow recovery from more than two decades of conflict and chaos, the government is still fighting an al Shabaab insurgency and many basic services are lacking, such as proper schooling and adequate shelter.
Brazil Senate presses on with impeachment, defying house speaker

By Anthony Boadle and Silvio Cascione

BRASILIA, May 9 (Reuters) - Brazil's Senate forged ahead with impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff on Monday, rejecting a surprise decision by the acting speaker of the lower house, who tried to annul a key vote just days before the president could be suspended from office.

The clash between Brazil's two most senior lawmakers threw markets into disarray and threatened to drag out a painful political crisis with a constitutional standoff that could end up at the Supreme Court.

Waldir Maranhao, a little known figure in Brazilian politics before taking over as house speaker only last week, argued that procedural flaws invalidated a lower house vote on April 17 approving the impeachment charges and the chamber would need to vote again.

The speaker's decision spooked investors betting that a more business-friendly government would take power imminently, weakening Brazil's currency over 4 percent in afternoon trading. However, markets quickly pared losses as investors bet the move would delay rather than prevent Rousseff's removal from office, given her weak support in Congress.

The Supreme Court, which has been reluctant to intervene decisively in Brazil's first presidential impeachment process in 24 years, rejected requests on Monday to overturn the annulment.

In a day of chaos and confusion, Senate leadership scrambled to get the process back on track days before the most important vote so far in the drive to oust the leftist president.

Senate President Renan Calheiros said he was pressing ahead with a Wednesday vote on whether to put Rousseff on trial for breaking budgetary laws. A Senate committee recommended on Friday that Rousseff should be tried, which would suspend her from office for up to six months before a final decision that could strip her mandate.

"To accept this playing with democracy would make me personally complicit in delaying this process," Calheiros said, dismissing the surprise announcement from Maranhao. "At the end of the day, it's not for the head of the Senate to say whether this process is fair or not, it's up to the full Senate."

'DELICATE MOMENT'

The house speaker responded in a hasty press conference that his decision was supported by the constitution.

"I'm aware that this is a delicate moment. We have the duty to save democracy through debate. We are not and will not be playing with democracy," Maranhao said, without taking questions from journalists.

Even in a year of great tumult, the tussle in Brasilia was a shocking turn that could further complicate the political crisis fueling Brazil's worst recession in decades.

An ongoing investigation into a vast kickback scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras has ensnared dozens of top politicians and jailed chief executives from Brazil's biggest construction firms for paying billions in bribes to lock up bloated building contracts.

Last week, Rousseff was caught up in the Petrobras case for the first time, when the prosecutor general asked the Supreme Court's permission to investigate her for allegedly obstructing the investigation.

If the Senate votes on Wednesday to place Rousseff on trial, Vice President Michel Temer would step in as interim president, remaining in the post until elections in 2018 if she were found guilty and removed permanently.

Rousseff has steadfastly denied wrongdoing in the Petrobras case or committing any crime that would warrant her impeachment. She has vowed from the beginning of the impeachment process to fight it by all means legally possible.

'NO LEGAL VALUE'

Monday's bombshell came from the man that last week replaced Eduardo Cunha, the speaker who launched the impeachment process but was removed by the Supreme Court on corruption charges.

Maranhao had broken with his center-right Progressive Party and voted against impeachment in last month's lower house vote, which Rousseff and her Workers Party lost by a wide margin.

In a statement on Monday, Maranhao said the impeachment process should be returned by the Senate so that the lower house can vote again. Citing irregularities such as party leaders instructing their members which way to vote, he said a new vote would take place within five sessions after the case was returned to the lower house.

"This should have no legal value whatsoever," said Ives Gandra Martins, a constitutional lawyer based in Sao Paulo. "The impeachment process is no longer even in the lower house and there are no grounds ... to annul it.

"The Senate now has the process and will continue to move ahead with it unless they find some reason to vote it down of their own," he said.

Rousseff, speaking at an event in the presidential palace, appeared surprised at the news of Maranhao's move, which came as she was speaking. The crowd broke out into wild cheers, but Rousseff cautioned them.

"It's not official and I do not know the consequences, so let's be cautious. We're dealing with circumstances of cunning and trickery," she said to supporters.
European shares lifted by gains in Germany and Greece

By Sudip Kar-Gupta

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters) - European shares rose on Monday, bouncing back after two weeks of losses and supported by gains in Germany and Greece, with the Athens market advancing on expectations of progress in tackling Greece's debt burden.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.5 percent to 1,309.10 points, although it remains down 9 percent so far in 2016.

Germany's DAX outperformed with a 1.1 percent rise, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it had become slightly more optimistic regarding the German economy.

The German government last month stuck to its forecast of 1.7 percent for this year, despite a slowdown in emerging markets, with strong domestic demand replacing exports as the main pillar of Europe's largest economy.

Data on Monday also showed a rebound in German industrial orders.

"The indices appear to be rising on the continued goodwill from a 10 month-high in German factory orders figure, and the increased hopes of avoiding a Greek calamity over the summer," said Spreadex analyst Connor Campbell.

Greece's stock market rose 0.7 percent, as euro zone officials turned their attention to tackling Greece's huge debt repayments, with a view to a deal on May 24.

The DAX received a further boost from carmaker Volkswagen , whose shares rose after activist investor TCI demanded that VW overhaul its "excessive" executive pay scheme in order to boost profits at the company.

However, mining and steel stocks slumped following disappointing data from China, a major metal consumer, with Anglo American and ArcelorMittal falling 13.8 percent and 12.1 percent respectively.

China's exports and imports fell more than expected in April, underlining weak demand and cooling hopes of a recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

Milan's blue chip index also fell 0.9 percent, as shares in Banco Popolare slid amid expectations of weak first-quarter results and with its 1 billion euro cash call getting closer.

"The moderately positive developments in Greece are helping but uncertainty over the macro picture remains," said ActivTrades chief analyst Carlo Alberto de Casa.

Today's European research round-up

ADVISORY- Reuters plans to replace intra-day European and UK stock market reports with a Live Markets blog on Eikon (see cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets for site in development). In a real-time, multimedia format from 0600 London time through the 1630 closing bell, it will include the best of our market reporting, Stocks Buzz service, Eikon graphics, Reuters pictures, eye-catching research and market zeitgeist. Breaking news and dramatic market moves will continue to be alerted to all clients and we will continue to provide a short opening story and comprehensive closing reports.

If you have any thoughts, suggestions or feedback on this, please email mike.dolan@thomsonreuters.com.
JAB to take Krispy Kreme private for $1.35 bln (May 9)

By Sruthi Ramakrishnan

May 9 (Reuters) - Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc agreed to be taken private by JAB Holding Co for about $1.35 billion as Germany's Reimann family continues to build up its global coffee empire.

JAB, making its second big U.S. acquisition in just over two months, has ambitions to build a global coffee powerhouse to rival market leader Nestle SA.

The company, which led the $13.9 billion buyout of K-cup maker Keurig Green Mountain in March, already owns the Caribou Coffee and Peet's Coffee & Tea chains in the United States.

Luxembourg-based JAB took a big step forward in its coffee strategy last year when it formed a joint venture in Europe called Jacobs Douwe Egberts by combining its D.E. Master Blenders 1753 business with the coffee business of U.S.-based Mondelez International Inc.

The business is now the world's largest pure-play coffee company by volume.

JAB, the investment vehicle of the billionaire Reimann family, said on Monday it would buy Krispy Kreme through JAB Beech Inc, in which U.S. private equity firm BDT Capital Partners is a minority investor.

Krispy Kreme, known for its glazed and jelly-filled doughnuts as well as coffee, had 1,121 stores worldwide as of January, of which 824 were outside the United States.

The company sells its ready-to-drink and bagged coffee and K-cup coffee pods for Keurig machines through retailers.

Krispy Kreme's shares jumped 24.4 percent to $20.98 on Monday, just shy of the offer of $21 per share.

Cosmetics company Coty Inc and luxury goods maker Jimmy Choo are among the other companies controlled by JAB.

Krispy Kreme said it would continue to operate independently after the close of the deal, expected in the third quarter, and its headquarters would stay in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC is the U.S. company's financial adviser, while Barclays and BDT & Co LLC are advising JAB Beech.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP are Krispy Kreme's legal advisers. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is legal counsel to JAB Beech.
Car bomb in eastern Iraq kills 12 - sources

BAGHDAD, May 9 (Reuters) - A car bomb in the eastern Iraqi city of Baquba killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 40 on Monday near a popular restaurant close to the city centre, police and hospital source said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast in the provincial capital of Diyala, a mixed Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim area bordering Iran, but Islamic State has regularly claimed bombings there in the past.
Panama closes border with Colombia to stem migrant flow

PANAMA CITY, May 9 (Reuters) - Panama will close key crossings on its border with Colombia to prevent undocumented migrants from Cuba and Africa entering the country, President Juan Carlos Varela said on Monday.

"We've taken the difficult decision to close the border with Colombia in the Puerto Obaldia area and in other parts of the border to prevent the trafficking of illegal immigrants," Varela said at the launch of an anti-drug trafficking operation.

Last week, Panama and Mexico agreed to airlift almost 3,500 Cubans stranded since December on the Panamanian frontier with Costa Rica to near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Cubans entering the United States receive residency with relative ease under the U.S. Cuban Adjustment Act of 1996.

Just inside the border with Panama, Puerto Obaldia has been one of the main crossing points from Colombia for thousands of Cubans and other migrants who have traveled to the United States via Central America in the past two years.

Many of the Cubans entering last year began their trek in Ecuador, which offered them an easy way into South America. In December Ecuador imposed visa requirements on the Cubans.
Spain's Ferrovial may dump ICA in Mexico airport bid -sources

By Alexandra Alper

MEXICO CITY, May 9 (Reuters) - Spanish construction firm Ferrovial SA may cancel its plan to bid jointly with cash-strapped local builder ICA for a contract to build a $3.5 billion terminal building for Mexico City's new airport, people familiar with the matter said.

The Spanish builder is weighing an exit from a "memorandum of understanding" with Empresas ICA SAB de CV, two sources said, as the Mexican firm struggles under 67.617 billion pesos ($3.74 billion) in debt.

The joint bid memorandum was signed by both companies in Madrid in July 2015.

Two of the sources, who asked for anonymity because they had not been authorized to discuss the situation, said Ferrovial has reached out to other companies seeking possible partners to form a new consortium to bid on the terminal.

Ferrovial declined to comment.

A spokesman for ICA also declined to comment, saying by email that "joint participation agreements for projects establish confidentiality clauses that we should respect."

Ferrovial, which won a 2010 contract to build a terminal at London's Heathrow Airport for around 800 million pounds, would be well-placed to win bidding for the Mexican project under ordinary circumstances.

But the tie-up with ICA has cast a shadow over Ferrovial's chances of building the futuristic terminal, designed by British architect Norman Foster and billionaire Carlos Slim's son-in-law Fernando Romero.

The terminal is part of a 169 billion peso ($9.34 billion) airport project aimed at turning Mexico City into a major regional hub.

Securing a project like the airport terminal would be a massive boon for ICA. But it has defaulted on about $60 million in interest payments since December, raising doubts about whether it could shoulder its part of the financial burden for building the terminal, which is set to open in 2020.

The call for bids for the project, which was published last week, requires bidders to have net working capital worth at least 8 percent of the cost of the work they expect to complete in the first year of construction.

Interested parties must file their proposals by Nov. 21 and the winning bidder is expected to be announced on Dec. 9, according to the tender's ambitious timeline. It calls for work on the project to begin on Dec. 20.

Two sources close to the project have estimated the cost of the terminal construction at around $3.5 billion.

ICA recently replaced its chief executive and hired financial advisory firm Rothschild to come up with a debt restructuring plan by February. But it has yet to release the plan and Reuters reported that it is eyeing a pre-packaged bankruptcy filing for some of its subsidiaries.

The airport project, unveiled in 2014, is the signature infrastructure project of President Enrique Pena Nieto's administration. The new terminal is expected to handle some 50 million passengers annually.

Aimed at boosting capacity at Mexico's over-saturated Benito Juarez International Airport, it has survived successive government spending cuts as sinking oil prices have crimped public expenditure.
Islamic State car bomb in eastern Iraq kills 16, sources say

BAGHDAD, May 9 (Reuters) - A car bomb claimed by Islamic State in the eastern Iraqi city of Baquba killed at least 16 people on Monday and wounded 54 others near a bakery close to the city centre, police and hospital sources said.

The Amaq news agency, which supports Islamic State, said a suicide bomber had targeted Shi'ite Muslim militia fighters in the provincial capital of Diyala, a mixed Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim area bordering Iran.

The sources said many of the fatalities were children eating at a nearby restaurant.

Iraqi officials declared victory over Islamic State in Diyala more than a year ago, after security forces and Shi'ite militias drove them out of towns and villages there. But the insurgents have remained active and militia elements have been accused of abuses against Sunni residents.

The fight against Islamic State has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in Iraq, mostly between the Shi'ite majority and the Sunni minority. Bombings in Baquba and a nearby town in January set off a string of apparently retaliatory attacks against Sunnis.

Sectarian violence also threatens to undermine efforts by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite Islamist, to dislodge the militant group from areas in the north and west that they seized in 2014.
Vershbow says NATO stands ready to help Libya

LJUBLJANA, May 9 (Reuters) - Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said NATO could reach a decision to help Libya before its July summit in Warsaw as long as the Libyan government requested its aid.

"We remain ready to support Libya in building its defence institutions if we get a request from a legitimate government in Libya," Vershbow told Reuters on the sidelines of a NATO arms control conference in Slovenia on Monday.

"We all hope that the government ... under Prime Minister-designate (Fayez) Serraj can consolidate its control. If that happens and we get a request, we could respond even before the Warsaw summit," he said. He did not say what form that help would take.

Talks on providing support for Libya's new unity government will be held in Vienna next week, Italy's foreign minister said on Monday.

The meeting will focus on international efforts to bring stability to Libya, where two rival governments have vied for power since 2014, opening the way for Islamic State to establish itself and gain ground in the North African state.
Gunmen kill four Nigerian policemen in Niger Delta

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria, May 9 (Reuters) - Gunmen killed four Nigerian policemen in the oil-producing southern Niger Delta on Monday, police said.

The officers were ambushed in the Okobie community while travelling to Yenago, the capital of Bayelsa state, police spokesman Ahmad Mohammad said.

He said it was unclear who was behind the attack.

Attacks on oil pipelines and kidnappings have been rising in the Delta, which produces much of Nigeria's oil output, since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.

Residents have been long demanding a greater share of oil revenues. Crude oil sales account for around 70 percent of national income in Nigeria but there has not been much development in the poor Delta swampland.
Senior Islamic State official in Iraq killed in air strike: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - An air strike by a U.S.-led coalition killed a senior Islamic State official in Iraq last week, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday.

The strike on May 6 killed Abu Wahib, Islamic State's chief military official in Anbar province, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. The strike was on a vehicle carrying Abu Wahib, also known as Shakir Wahib, and three other Islamic State members near the town of Rutba, Cook said.

Islamic State, a hardline Sunni Islamist group, seized large portions of Anbar province in 2014, though Iraqi security forces have since last year succeeded in winning back some towns there, including Ramadi and Hit.

The death of Abu Wahib, given his senior role in military planning in Anbar, will impede Islamic State's ability to conduct operations in the western province, Cook said. The group is also known as ISIS or ISIL.

"ISIL leadership has been hit hard by coalition efforts and this is another example of that," Cook said. "It is dangerous to be an ISIL leader in Iraq and Syria these days, and for good reason."

Abu Wahib had appeared in Islamic State execution videos and was a former member of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Cook said.

The U.S. military and allies have been conducting air strikes in Syria and Iraq since 2014 targeting Islamic State leaders and infrastructure in an effort to defeat the group.

Iraqi media have in the past year published reports of Abu Wahib's death, though the Pentagon had never confirmed his death before.
Aleppo ceasefire extended by 48 hours beginning early Tuesday - Syrian military

BEIRUT, May 9 (Reuters) - A ceasefire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo will be extended by 48 hours beginning at 1 a.m. on Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday), state news agency SANA said on Monday, quoting the Syrian military high command.

Aleppo, Syria's largest pre-war city, has witnessed a vicious flare-up in fighting in recent weeks, shattering a nationwide cessation of hostilities agreement and causing peace talks to collapse.

The cessation of hostilities and such local truces do not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front.

Rebels and the mainstream Syrian opposition have said the Syrian government uses this fact to continue to attack rebel positions. Both sides accuse the other of causing the cessation of hostilities to break down.

In an attempt to revive the cessation of hostilities, a number of short-term local truces have been put in place since April 29, first around Damascus and northern Latakia and then in Aleppo.

The Aleppo truce went into effect in the middle of last week, but there has still been some fighting between rebels and government forces.

The most significant outbreak of violence has been southwest of Aleppo around the town of Kham Touman, which rebels seized on Friday, inflicting a rare setback on government forces and allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting.

The chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition at Geneva peace talks, Asaad al-Zoubi, criticised the extended Aleppo truce in an interview with Al Jazeera television, saying such measures serve only to allow thousands of reinforcing troops to be sent from Iran, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Obama weighs historic decision on whether to lift Vietnam arms ban

By David Brunnstrom, Lesley Wroughton and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is considering whether to lift the three-decade-old U.S. arms embargo on Vietnam, U.S. officials say, as he weighs calls to forge closer military ties with Hanoi against concerns over its poor human rights record.

The debate within the U.S. administration is coming to a head amid preparations for Obama's trip to Vietnam in the second half of May to bolster ties between Washington and Hanoi, former wartime enemies who are increasingly partners against China's growing territorial assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The full removal of the embargo - something Vietnam has long sought - would sweep away one of the last major vestiges of the Vietnam War era and advance the normalization of relations begun 21 years ago. It would also likely anger Beijing, which condemned Obama's partial lifting of the arms ban in 2014 as an interference in the region's balance of power.

On one side of the internal debate, some White House and State Department aides say it would be premature to completely end restrictions on lethal military assistance before Vietnam's communist government has made more progress on human rights.

They are at odds with other officials, including many at the Pentagon, who argue that bolstering Vietnam's ability to counter a rising China should take priority, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Boosting the security of allies and partners has been a major thrust of Obama's strategic "pivot" toward the Asia-Pacific region, a centerpiece of his foreign policy.

Even as Vietnam seeks warmer relations with the United States, though, U.S. officials are mindful that suspicions linger among Communist Party conservatives that Washington wants to undermine their country's one-party system.

One major factor in Obama's decision will be whether Vietnam will move forward on major U.S. defense deals, a potential boon for American jobs that could soften congressional opposition to lifting the weapons ban, according to one source close to White House policymaking.

There have been questions about whether Vietnam, which has relied mostly on Russian weapons suppliers since the Cold War, is ready to start buying U.S.-made systems. Diplomats have seen increasing signs that Hanoi is seeking ties with U.S. defense contractors but Washington wants tangible commitments, according to the source.

Vietnam is big buyer of weapons from Russia, its Cold War-era patron, including Kilo-class submarines and corvettes. It could look to the United States for items such as P-3 surveillance planes and missiles to beef up its naval forces and coastal defenses.

At the Pentagon, the prevailing view appears to be more in line with Defense Secretary Ash Carter's congressional testimony late last month that he would support lifting restrictions on the sale of U.S. weapons to Vietnam.

That comment raised eyebrows at the White House, where officials said Obama had yet to rule on the issue.

Obama's final decision could hinge on whatever recommendations come from a visit to Vietnam early this week by Daniel Russel, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific, and Tom Malinowski, the administration's top human rights envoy.

It was not clear whether Obama was leaning for or against ending the embargo ahead of his trip, which will make him the third consecutive U.S. president to visit Vietnam.

Obama eased the ban on lethal arms sales to Vietnam in October 2014, allowing shipments of defensive maritime equipment to help Hanoi build up its deterrent to China's pursuit of its claims in the South China Sea, which conflict with those of its neighbors such as Vietnam and U.S. ally the Philippines.

"UNDESERVED AT THIS TIME"

John Sifton, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said lifting the arms ban would be "undeserved at this time." The group, in an April 27 letter sent to Obama, described the Vietnamese government as "among the most repressive in the world."

While a number of U.S. lawmakers favor closer military ties with Vietnam because of shared concerns about China, others have deep misgivings.

Democratic U.S. Representative Loretta Sanchez, a member of the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam who also has a large Vietnamese-American voting bloc in her California district, said lifting the embargo would be "giving a free pass to a government that continually harasses, detains and imprisons its citizens."

Obama has the power to bypass Congress to lift the embargo. But his administration would hope for support from Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, a decorated former prisoner of war in North Vietnam who backed the 2014 partial lifting.

Some U.S. officials see signs that Vietnam is starting to pay attention to human rights criticism. But concerns remain over the government's heavy-handedness toward political opponents and treatment of workers and there is worry that Washington will lose some leverage if it gives up the arms embargo without securing concessions for reforms.

One senior U.S. official suggested that it might be best for now to "set the issue of the lethal weapons ban aside."

"These things do take time," the official said. But others said the door should remain open to lifting the embargo as preparations proceed for Obama's visit.
Uber, Lyft halt Austin service after losing vote over fingerprint checks

By Jon Herskovitz

AUSTIN, Texas, May 9 (Reuters) - On-demand ride companies Uber and Lyft suspended their services in Austin, Texas, on Monday after a stinging loss in a weekend vote where they had spent heavily to repeal a city ordinance requiring them to conduct fingerprint background checks for their drivers.

The defeat in Austin could encourage other cities to back the fingerprint-based criminal background checks, knowing they can survive a bruising political battle, analysts said. Voters in the city of about 900,000 people said by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent they wanted fingerprint checks to stay.

In their efforts to repeal the requirement approved by the City Council in December, Uber and Lyft contributed about $9 million to a political action group called Ridesharing Works for Austin, finance reports showed.

Their spending, about 85 times larger than their opponents', worked out to more than $200 for each vote they received in support of their losing position.

Uber and Lyft have said their existing background checks are thorough and ensure safety, seeing the fingerprint checks as an unnecessary regulation.

After the results of what was called Proposition 1 in Austin, Lyft said it would halt service on Monday and Uber threatened to do the same. On Monday, both had suspended services, the City of Austin said.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who opposed the move by Uber and Lyft to get rid of fingerprinting, said the city "remains open to talking with Lyft and Uber whether they are operating in Austin or not."

The Austin election marked the first time a major U.S. city has put the regulations to a vote. The vote was conducted after a petition drive by Ridesharing Works, the political group underwritten by Uber and Lyft.

Uber said it may look for changes in state law after the loss in Austin.

In Iowa, Governor Terry Branstad on Monday signed into law a measure setting up new statewide guidelines for ride-hailing companies, requiring them to conduct driver background checks and for drivers to carry liability insurance.

Other places where the company is battling over fingerprints include Atlanta and Houston.

In April, Uber threatened to leave Houston unless the city dropped the regulation. The city has not backed down, and a study it conducted found background checks by Uber and Lyft often missed felonies, including sexual assaults.
Maverick mayor Duterte set to clinch Philippines presidency

By Karen Lema and Martin Petty

MANILA, May 10 (Reuters) - Firebrand mayor Rodrigo Duterte was set to become the Philippines' next president as results from Monday's election poured in and a rival conceded defeat, confirmation the outsider's vow to crush crime had resonated with voters.

Early on Tuesday morning, a rolling ballot count by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed Duterte had almost 39 percent of votes cast. He was more than 5 million votes ahead of his nearest rival with 90 percent of votes counted.

Grace Poe, a popular senator, won more than a fifth of the votes counted but conceded defeat to Duterte and said his lead reflected the will of the people.

Duterte's incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs have alarmed many who hear echoes of the Southeast Asian country's authoritarian past.

The 71-year-old's truculent defiance of political tradition has drawn comparisons with U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as have his references to his libido.

Duterte made a succession of winding, bellicose and at times comical remarks on television as the votes were being counted, venting over corruption and bad governance and telling anecdotes from his 22 years as mayor of Davao city.

He said corrupt officials should "retire, or die" and reiterated his support for police to use of deadly force against criminals.

"If they put up a good fight and refuse to surrender and if you feel your life is in jeopardy, shoot. You have my authority," he told reporters in Davao, wearing a checked shirt and slouched in a chair.

His man-of-the-people demeanour tapped into popular disgust with the political establishment over its failure to tackle poverty and inequality despite several uninterrupted years of robust economic growth.

The election numbers reported by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) had, by 5:30 am (0930 GMT), accounted for about 90 percent of the 54 million registered Filipino voters.

Duterte had 14.9 million votes, with the government's candidate Manuel Roxas second with 8.9 million, followed by Poe with 8.3 million votes.

The PPCRV count is not official but Poe's decision to concede defeat added weight to his presumed victory.

VIRULENT CAMPAIGN

Duterte had earlier talked of making peace with his rivals after a "virulent" campaign, during which Poe called him "an "executioner". She later said she was willing to bury the hatchet.

"I promise to cooperate with the healing process," she told reporters. "Duterte has a mandate. Let's give him a chance."

In an early indication of his unorthodoxy, Duterte told reporters that if he became president he would seek multilateral talks to resolve disputes over the South China Sea.

The outgoing administration of President Benigno Aquino has asked a court of arbitration in The Hague to recognise its right to exploit waters in the South China Sea, a case it hoped could bolster claims by other countries against China in the resource-rich waters.

Duterte said negotiations should include Japan, Australia and the United States, which is traditionally the region's dominant security player and contests China's development of islands and rocky outcrops in the sea.

Asked about U.S. support for Duerte's proposal, Anna Richey-Allen, a spokeswoman for the State Department's East Asia Bureau, said: "The United States has consistently expressed support for nations to exercise peaceful means to resolve territorial or maritime disputes without the use or threat of force, intimidation or coercion, and in a manner consistent with international law."

POLICY UNCERTAINTY AHEAD

At least 11 people were killed in violence before voting started, but otherwise the election was mostly smooth. Voters also cast ballots for the vice president, 300 lawmakers and about 18,000 local government officials.

"Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, was neck and neck with Congresswoman Leni Robredo in the vice president race.

Duterte's entertaining speeches, often loaded with profanities, have shed little light on his policies beyond going after gangsters and drug pushers.

He has been vague on what he would do to spur an economy that has averaged growth at around 6 percent under Aquino.

In a report on Monday, ratings agency S&P Global said a Duterte presidency would create uncertainty, especially if he picks fights with the political elite.

"He could take some time getting used to the many compromises required in the national leadership position," it said.

One indication of that came on Monday as Duterte told reporters he planned to loosen restrictions on foreign ownership of companies across all industries, which could meet with resistance from protectionist forces.

One of Duterte's economic advisers told Reuters spending on education would be lifted to benefit "disadvantaged regions" and agriculture and rural development will be prioritised to spread wealth more evenly across the country.

"Everything seems to be in imperial Manila. He wants to give more attention to the lagging, the backward regions," said Ernesto Pernia, professor emeritus of economics at the University of the Philippines.

Pernia said the pursuit of tax evaders and corrupt officials should bolster government revenues to fund extra spending.
Journalist-turned-politician Arun Shourie has launched the most scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi so far  worse even than the coward and psychopath remarks made by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in December, 2015.

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV's Karan Thapar, Shourie, who set the benchmark as an incisive editor of The Indian Express, and excelled as an efficient and honest Union minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet, made a long list of remarks against Modi.

According to him, the prime minister possesses the three personality traits that make the "dark triad"  he is narcissist, Machiavellian and remorseless. Shourie accused Modi of running a one-man, presidential" government and expressed fears that over the next three years there would be a more systematic attempt to curb civil liberties and an increase in decentralised intimidation besides choking of inconvenient voices.

Going by Shouries diatribe against Modi, one could say that they were only rants of a frustrated, desperate person, and these are the reasons why:

Timing

Shouries comments can be compared only with those of Kejriwals. While the nation discusses and is preoccupied with the Rs 3,600crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam, the former Union minister is making personal and exaggerated remarks against the prime minister to divert the nation's attention.

It is just like Kejriwal who is busy scouting for Modis graduation degree when the biggest scam after Bofors involving a defence deal has hit the nation.

Arun Shourie's diatribe against Modi constituted rants of a frustrated, desperate person.

Both Shourie and Kejriwal can be accused of trying all means to shift the focus away from the chopper scam, which is pointing needles of suspicion at top Congress leaders like its president Sonia Gandhi and her political secretary Ahmed Patel. Or, it may also be because of Shourie and Kejriwal's personal and strong dislike for Modi.

Allegations

We will discuss here, one by one, the charges Shourie has levelled against the prime minister in order to evaluate their validity:

A. Narcissist

The former editor accused Modi of suffering from self-love to an exaggerated extent, and insecurity.

He compared Modi to a casanova who, according to him, has to reassure himself every night he can still conquer.

He claimed that the prime minister likes to have people around him who are inferior to him. Moreover, he does not believe in maintaining long-term relationship with them, Shourie accused. Now, coming to the facts, does Modi need to feel insecure? A big no.

Why should he suffer from a sense of insecurity? He does not run a minority government. The BJP alone has more than 272 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Modi is presiding over a government which is running as a coalition by choice, not under compulsion.

Hence, Modi is presiding quite confidently over a majority government, after 30 years. Moreover, the leaders considered close to him, such as BJP president Amit Shah and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley have been associated with him for a long time.

B. Machiavellian

Shourie said Modi exploits events to his benefit and that his attitude to people is to use and throw them. He treats them like paper napkins. He gave the example of the devastating June 2013 Uttarakhand floods and said, as Gujarat chief minister at that point in time, Modi had rescued 15,000 people from his state in one-and-a-half days.

Basically, Shourie was quoting a news report which had made such a claim about Modi's Rambo act.

However, he conveniently skipped the crucial part of the episode in which the news report was repudiated by the BJP (by none other than the then party president Rajnath Singh and Modi himself). Hence, such a selective narration raises serious questions over Shouries motive.

C. Remorseless

The former Union minister said this means never saying sorry for what happens as a consequence of what you do and it involves defence of ego and ignoring collateral damage while striving for a higher cause. Shourie is clearly picking on Modi by making these allegations.

As prime minister, Modi did express remorse over the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Dadri over the controversial issue of beef consumption. He also expressed regret over the suicide of Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula.

Hence, on this count too, Shourie is making a frontal and unfounded attack on Modi.

D. One-man presidential government

Shourie accused Modi of running a one-man presidential government and that too without the checks and balances which are there in the US. He called it a dangerous situation. Isnt the former editor making an unfounded charge?

The prime minister follows all democratic traditions. All decisions are taken in the cabinet and all the legislations are made in Parliament. The Congress leadership is itself to blame if its MLAs rebelled in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand forcing the imposition of Presidents Rule in both the states.

The BJP has not joined the government in Arunachal Pradesh and has desisted from forming its own government with the help of the rebel MLAs in Uttarakhand. On the contrary, it as allowed the legal process to take its course as the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court.

Modi has given a free hand to all his ministerial colleagues. He praises them for their good work and keeps encouraging them. The other day, he lauded defence minister Manohar Parrikar for his speech in the Rajya Sabha on the AgustaWestland scam.

He has appreciated the works of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and her junior minister General VK Singh on several occasions  one being the evacuation of Indians from trouble-torn Iraq, Libya and Yemen. Modi does not interfere in the works of any of the constitutional bodies.

E. Corruption

Shourie admitted that there was no allegation of corruption against the Centre in the last two years. However, he referred to the Vyapam scam, Lalit Modi-related issues and the Saradha scam and sought to associate them with Modi. Here too, the former minister is being more than harsh with Modi.

While the Vyapam scam is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the monitoring of the Supreme Court, Lalit Modi had left the country during the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. The Saradha scam is also being investigated upon.

Instead of casting aspersions on the prime minister, Shourie should have lauded him for not interfering in the functioning of the investigating agencies. What Shourie seems to be doing is to make sweeping statements against the prime minister.
Nepal is an old friend of India. Many of its natives have served with distinction in the crack Gurkha regiments of the Indian Army. A lot of Nepalis have settled in India, just like many Indians, the Madhesis have settled in Nepal. But the Nepalis don't like big brother treatment. Thus it is imperative for Indian governments to be consistently diplomatic with Kathmandu.

In the current regime diplomatic manoeuvres with Nepal have been on occasion blunt and even ham handed. The transition in the Nepali Interim Constitution to the finalised Constitution was difficult.

Issues like proportional representation, requirements for Nepali citizenship, a Constitutional requirement that only the Nepalese born could hold a Constitutional post, the dealing with small nationalities like the Tharus, the resolution of the Madhesi demand for more acceptable boundaries, were among the more difficult issues facing the Nepali Constitution makers.

At an anti-India protest in Nepal.

Indian concern, particularly about Madhesi issues, was understandable. But there are few issues more sensitive than Constitution making, but Nepal's sensitivities were not properly assessed by the Indian government.

At a time when very few English translations of the Nepali Constitution were available, the prominent Indian daily The Indian Express, published several suggested amendments to the Nepali Constitution, generally addressing Madhesi concerns. This open intervention was ham-handed and intrusive. Such critical issues are not discussed in public. India has a number of possible interlocutors, who could have been sent to have a comprehensive dialogue with the major Nepalese leaders and parties, behind closed doors.

But India played big brother.

The overt intervention and open support to the Madhesis was doubly unfortunate. Firstly, it hardened the Nepali position. Secondly, it significantly weakened India's bargaining position, which was seen as partisan in favouring the Madhesis. After some time, when the Nepali leadership initiated a meeting with the Chinese, India was clearly unhappy.

This was undiplomatic, to say the least.

Now matters have worsened. A crisis in Nepali politics on May 3-4, when former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" of the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist), invited Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the Nepali Congress (NC), to form a combine and replace the government of KP Sharma Oli (CPN-UML), led to suspicions of covert Indian intervention.

The Nepal government cancelled the visit of its president to India and recalled its ambassador.

Gopal Khanal, senior foreign affairs expert in the office of prime minister KP Sharma Oli claimed that the plot to break the ruling alliance, led by Oli was supported by India.

As usual Indian sources rubbed salt into Nepal's wounds. The Hindu on May 9 reported that a source claimed Mr Oli had not implemented the promised amendments. It was also claimed that Mr Oli "promised to bring necessary amendments in the Nepali Constitution but till now Nepal has not moved at all in implementing the amendments to provide equal rights to all sections of (the) population."

The source expectedly claimed without amendments the Madhesis would begin agitating, which would hurt Indian security interests.

Once again making demands in a critical situation for the Nepali politicians, when the Nepali government was on the brink of being destabilised. It is staggeringly poor diplomacy.

The amendments cited by India may have merit, but that is for the Nepal government to decide, not for Indian "sources" to prescribe, that too in the press.

A major rethink in Indian policy towards Nepal is urgently required. Constitutional measures taken by a neighbour, even if they effect the India-connected Madhesis, must be handled delicately without insulting our small neighbour.

Prime minister KP Sharma Oli is not the only major politician involved in considering amendments suggested by India. All Nepali parties are involved.
BJP government in Rajasthan has removed first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru's name from the new Social Science text book for students of Class 8 which is all set to turn into political controversy. The book makes no mention of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru either as a freedom fighter or as a leader of Independent India.
The proposed government law on maps is yet another example of how Indians tend to accept symbolism as a substitute for reality. In this, the Modi government has proved to be no different from its predecessors.

When confronted with a terrorist attack in Pathankot, it fought a mighty diplomatic battle in a UN committee and with China - instead of frontally dealing with the problem.

The Bill

Now, unable to resolve border disputes through negotiation and compromise, it has decided to solve the problem by passing a law which will prevent Indians from knowing that their borders are not recognised, as we would like to have them, by most countries in the world.

No matter what the ministry of home affairs (MHA) says about regulating geospatial information, it is actually the government's longstanding neuroses over how India's borders must be depicted that motivates the new law.

Indian geospatial policy is a mess with competing platform and services, and overridden by 19th century security concerns. In an era when the latitude and longitude of every point can be measured by the satellite-based GPS, India hesitates in giving digital map access to public.

Minister of home affairs Rajnath Singh.

The MHA will argue that the main aim of the Bill is to set things right and create a regulated use of India's geospatial information. But the ambition of the Bill is stupefying - all maps and changes to them will have to be vetted by the government.

Companies that rely on geospatial services, whether or not they operate in India, will have to get a licence "to disseminate, publish or distribute any geospatial information of India outside India", from the to-be-established Security Vetting Authority.

The real motive of the Bill emerges from its drastic penalties for the display of information that is likely to affect the "security, sovereignty or integrity" of the country.

But since when does a line on a map affect anything? Recall, the Mumbai attackers found their way to their targets in 2008 using commercially available GPS devices purchased abroad.

As of now, the rules are an irritant; magazines like The Economist are forced to black-out maps showing the Indian borders as they really are. But with the new law, instead of digitally connecting with the world, India may isolate itself from it.

It is not the data which is a threat but the people who misuse it. Surely, the MHA needs to focus on those people, organisations and entities and not create a regime in which a food delivery service is penalised because the maps they use have India's boundaries in a particular way.

History

Forcing people to accept the official boundary has an old history in India. In 1948, a year after independence and in 1950, the government of the day issued a white paper to define what "India" was all about from its component states upward and beginning with the advent of the British into India and detailing every aspect of the new successor entities including the privy purses given to the erstwhile rulers of princely states.

Attached to it was a map, presumably authoritative, which showed India's boundaries with China. In the north, from the Afghan to Nepal, the map was marked "border undefined" along the area that India believed was its border.

In the east, the boundary including Arunachal Pradesh to India was clearly laid out, though the notation said "border undemarcated". And of course, Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal were shown as entities outside India.

In 1954, Pandit Nehru's border policy began to come apart so he decided that India would unilaterally stake out its border. All old maps, including the ones attached to the white papers, were seized, and new maps were issued showing the borders as we see them now.

Borders

But, of course, this did not convince the Chinese or anyone else that the borders India had unilaterally drawn up were sacrosanct. They maintained their pressure and seized even more territory in Aksai Chin, though fortunately for us, they captured and returned Arunachal Pradesh. The border now is defined by a notional Line of Actual Control.

No country in the world accepts the version of the border that India depicts on its maps, especially in Jammu & Kashmir.

They believe that the final Sino-Indian and India-Pakistan border in Kashmir must be worked out through negotiation.

In these circumstances, the new geospatial law could create endless problems for India and Indians. It could lead popular services like Google and Facebook to exit India, and deter others who want to offer geospatial services in the country.

Though, ironically, geolocation technologies can ensure that when you open Google Maps in India, it shows the boundaries the way Indians want it; when you open the site elsewhere, it shows the real picture.

Hopefully, the MHA has made a realistic assessment of India's clout before going on to tilt the global geospatial windmills. But first, it should ask itself whether symbolic sleight of hand will give us the borders we want.
If the leadership of Virginia Tech has any sense of shame, it should be feeling some now. The treatment of a conservative speaker makes the school look far less tolerant of unpopular ideas than that supposed bastion of rigid intolerance, Liberty University in Lynchburg.

Last fall Liberty students gave a polite and respectful reception to Bernie Sanders, despite their deep differences on a host of issues.

I came here today because I believe from the bottom of my heart that those of us who hold different views should be able to engage in a civil discourse, Sanders told them. It is easy to go out and talk to people who agree with you. Its hard, but not less important, for us to try and communicate with those who do not agree with us.

That point needs shoring up at Tech in the wake of the contretemps over Jason Riley. He is a fellow at the moderately conservative Manhattan Institute, a think tank, and is the author of Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed.

A professor at Tech invited him to appear, Riley recently recounted. But then  in a repeat of what is now an all-too-familiar pattern  the same professor reluctantly rescinded the invitation, citing concerns from his department head and other faculty that my writings on race in The Wall Street Journal would spark protests.

Those concerns might have been valid. Protests greeted the March appearance at Tech by Charles Murray, a highly controversial social scientist. But there is nothing wrong with student protest, and it is nothing to fear. Murray seems to have survived. So its not clear why one conservative speaker would be welcome but another would not.

Tech first tried to contain widespread disapproval by disputing whether Riley had been invited officially or not. The school has now climbed down and offered assurances that he will in fact appear.

Still, this isnt Virginia Techs first outbreak of political correctness. Several years ago, it tried to censor the student newspaper over offensive comments posted to the papers website. Before that, it nearly imposed a left-wing ideological litmus test on professors hoping to win tenure. And it still has a campus speech code that, while not as bad as some (faint praise indeed), still could be much better.

Fortunately, all hope is not lost. With a little effort, perhaps one day Tech can exhibit a robust spirit of openness and tolerance to foreign ideas. It is the schools good fortune that, to learn how, its leaders need travel no further than Lynchburg.

Richmond Times-Dispatch
LONDON - England - The Prime Minister has today made a number of highly controversial claims about the impact of Voting Leave on peace and security in the EU. Leading historians have previously dismissed such claims as 'historically illiterate'.

Historians for Britain (HfB) published a series of essays by some of Britains leading historical thinkers tackling the pervasive and dangerous claim that the EU is responsible for peace in Europe. The historians instead attribute the pivotal role of NATO and the US in keeping the peace in Europe.

Click here to read the full essays

Professor Nigel Saul of Royal Holloway, University of London said Were often told that the EU has been responsible for ending Europes wars. These essays subject this claim to scrutiny, finding it groundless.

Dr Robert Crowcroft of the University of Edinburgh said The notion that the peace of Europe was guaranteed by the institutions of the European Union was always utter nonsense. This collection of essays  is an important corrective to one of the most infuriating of all Europhile pieties: that the institutions of the European Union are responsible for peace in Europe.

Authors of the essays include Professor David Abulafia (Professor of Mediterranean History, Cambridge University), Count Adam Zamoyski (Noted author and historian), Dr Andrew Roberts (Noted author and historian) and Professor Tom Gallagher.

Key themes of the essays include:

There is no historical basis to the claim that, without the EU, war might break out. The concluding essay states that these statements are historically illiterate and amount to scaremongering.

The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU was a very poor one. The EU has done little to promote peace in Europe.

NATO has been, by far, the most important organisation in preserving peace in Europe.

The EU has failed to intervene in conflicts in non-EU countries, especially in the Balkans. Far from being a force for peace, the EU has often been little more than a talking shop.

By attempting to duplicate NATOs role, EU initiatives to create a common European Defence Force or Army have the potential to undermine European security and have created resentment.

EU austerity policies, particularly in the Mediterranean, has flamed resentment. Far from creating peace, these policies have created new tensions between the member states.

Key quotes from the essays:

Peace and political stability in western Europe have been assured by an entirely separate organization  Professor David Abulafia

The pacifism which accompanied the formation of the European Union was the fruit of a general retreat from bellicosity, not its cause. Count Adam Zamoyski

Warfare between western European states and, in particular, war between France and Germany, was never likely after the Second World War.  AW Purdue

The EU did not bring peace to Europe and, far less than a Europe of sovereign states, is it capable of maintaining it  AW Purdue

It is not economics, commerce, finance or trade that promotes peace. The largest single trading partner that Great Britain had in 1914 was Imperial Germany  Dr Andrew Roberts

By contrast with NATOs long, stalwart history of militarily standing up to totalitarianism, the EU has been a purely trading organisation, albeit one with a vastly inflated opinion of itself, one that the Nobel Committee sadly saw fit to inflate even further in 2012 Dr Andrew Roberts

A new source of tension and ill will has developed within the European Union anger about how to handle the massive migrant crisis, is poisoning relations between a number of member states of the EU.  Dr Irina Somerton

The EU has fallen far short of the hopes of its architects  Professor Tom Gallagher

Find out more at http://historiansforbritain.org/

Historians for Britain was inspired by a group of historians who signed a letter to The Times in 2013 calling for a renegotiation of Britains membership of the EU. In 2016, David Cameron, returned from Brussels with little or no negotiation, and called a referendum. Camerons so-called deal with the EU is non-legally bound, and can be vetoed by other member states.

Below are the historians who signed that letter and historians who have subsequently said that they support the campaign for a better deal between Britain and the EU

Professor David Abulafia*, University of Cambridge

Doctor Anna Abulafia, University of Oxford

Professor John Charmley, University of East Anglia

Professor Jonathan Clark*, University of Kansas

Doctor Bruce Coleman*, University of Exeter

Doctor Robert Crowcroft, University of Edinburgh

John Davie*, University of Oxford

Doctor Andrew Fear*, University of Manchester

Doctor Amanda Foreman

Professor Tom Gallagher*, University of Bradford

Professor William Gibson*, Oxford Brookes University

Richard Goldsbrough*

Doctor Abigail Green*, University of Oxford

Professor Shaun Gregory, University of Durham

Doctor Owen Hartley, University of Leeds

Doctor Rebecca Haynes*, University College London

James Holland

Doctor Robert Hutchinson

Doctor Han Rog Kang, University of Oxford

Doctor Sheila Lawlor, Director, Politeia

John Lee*

Celia Lee*

Tim Newark*

Professor Gwythian Prins*, London School of Economics

Professor A.W. Purdue*

Professor Martyn Rady*, University College London

Doctor Richard Rex, University of Cambridge

Doctor Andrew Roberts*

Doctor Lee Rotherham*

Professor Guy Rowlands*, University of St Andrews

Professor Nigel Saul*, Royal Holloway, University of London

Professor Richard Shannon, University of Wales

Digby Smith*

Doctor Irina Somerton*, University of London

Doctor Andrew M Spencer*, University of Cambridge

Doctor David Starkey*, University of Cambridge

Doctor Graham Stewart

Professor Robert Tombs*, University of Cambridge

Miranda Vickers

Doctor Brian Young, University of Oxford

Count Adam Zamoyski*
They are established authors Daniel Kumbon and Leonard Fong Roka, who have received full fellowships, and Francis Nii, who has received a part fellowship.

The first three McKinnon-Paga Hill fellows have been identified and accepted their awards.

The McKinnon-Paga Hill Fellowship has been funded by separate gifts from PNGs pre-independence director of education, Prof Ken McKinnon AO (pictured), and the Paga Hill Development Company.

A program of annual fellowships has been started to provide the basic management skills required to establish and maintain writers associations at a provincial level.

PAPUA New Guinea will benefit from a privately-funded initiative by PNG Attitude to develop writers associations throughout the country.

This is great news. I formed an interim committee a couple of days ago and this encourages me more, said Daniel Kumbon from Wabag. I will devote my time to move literary development in Enga.

Speaking from Kundiawa, administrator of the pioneering Simbu Writers Association Francis Nii said what a joy for me this moment. I am so happy.

And at Panguna in Bougainville Leonard Roka told me: I should have been the first to champion a writers association for Bougainville but the loss of my daughter was a setback for me and my dreams, and still I am slowly accepting it.

Stanley Liria, director of Paga Hill Development Company, said its an incredible opportunity to strengthen skills and learn from organisations in PNG and abroad.

As an author myself, Im very pleased that Paga Hill Development Company can support this wonderful initiative.

Were pleased to support yet another amazing opportunity in enabling PNG writers to strengthen their capacity and develop managerial skills in order to establish and maintain provincial writers associations, said Gudmundur Gummi Fridriksson, CEO of the Paga Hill Development Company.

The three fellows will travel to Australia in early September to participate in an organisation-building workshop, which I will lead, and then attend the Brisbane Writers Festival which is seeking to establish a special link with writers in Papua New Guinea.

Daniel Kumbon and Leonard Roka will then visit Sydney for meetings with writers organisations, literary media and academics, and friends of Papua New Guinea.

Francis Nii has been a driving force behind, the Simbu Writers Association, which is a model for the establishment of similar associations in PNG. He will travel to Australia to assist me facilitate the workshop and also attend the Brisbane Writers Festival.

Francis is an accomplished author and he is looking forward to launching a new collection of his poetry while in Australia.

Daniel Kumbon has begun to revive the long dormant Enga Writers Association. His second book, I can see my country clearly now, has just been published and he hopes he can join Francis in launching this in Australia.

Leonard Roka is the author of five books including Brokenville, which was the first Crocodile Prize Book of the Year. His family experienced great tragedy during the Bougainville civil war and, just last year, he and his wife lost their two-year old daughter. It is expected that Leonard will establish a Bougainville Writers Association.

When the study tour is complete, both Daniel and Leonard will be mentored as they go about the task of establishing and building writing organisations in their home provinces.

It is intended to provide fellowships for two or three people each year as PNG Attitude pursues a goal of building a sustainable literary culture in Papua New Guinea.

Readers who wish to support this project can do so by transferring funds to the following bank account:

Keith Jackson (PNG Attitude)

NAB North Sydney

BSB 082 401

A/c number 39 286 5774
Skaneateles High School and Middle School Drama Directors Micky Kringer and Colleen Anna commissioned International Producer and American Choreographer Sean McLeod to come and choreograph for a choral piece. Students not only learned choreography, but engaged with valuable life lessons and skill-sets that will allow them to step into the most successful person they can be. Sean McLeod and his NYC Dance Company the Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre/Sean McLeod Dance Experience returned to work with the students in an Artist Residency which culminated with a full performance on May 7th where the students were able to work with, rehearse, learn, and perform with the New York City professionals! What will your next step be? #MTMonday
Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, who is best known for his work uncovering the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation, will be the keynote speaker at the Business Council of New York State's annual meeting in September.

The event will be held Sept. 21-23 at the Sagamore Resort on Lake George in Bolton Landing.

Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, said Woodward's address will be important in a presidential election year. There are also congressional and state-level races on the ballot in New York.

"In securing Mr. Woodward, we are providing our members with world-class, engaging content that they won't be able to find anywhere else," Briccetti said. "We are excited to hear what he has to say, and we know our members feel the same way."

The early bird registration deadline is Friday, July 29. Those interested in attending the event may register online, mail or phone.

For more information, visit bcnys.org/events/annual-meeting/index.html.
May 9, 1936

Germany's newest Zeppelin, the Hindenburgh, saluted the United States today, two and a half days out of Friedrichshafen. Blazing a new commercial trail across the North Atlantic with ease, the giant lighter-than-air liner "docked" at Lakehurst N.J. in record time under the impetus of four great motors.

May 9, 1961

The individual Cayuga County resident spent more for food in the past fiscal year than did people in most parts of the United States. On a weekly basis, food expenditures locally were at the rate of $5.55 per person per week. This was solely for food purchased for home consumption. It does not take into account the amount spent in restaurants.

By way of comparison, the outlay in other parts of the United States was $5.52 per person weekly. Figures on food consumption and on the amount of money spent for that purpose was released by the Department of Commerce, the Department of Agriculture and other sources.

May 9, 2006

In recognition of his serving almost 30 years as the Town of Owasco supervisor, the playground located on Owasco Road behind Firehouse No. 1 will be named the Michael J. O'Leary Community Playground during a gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 27. The actual dedication will begin at 1:45 p.m. at the shelter next to the playground.

May 9, 2011
Hyderabad: GMR Infrastructure on Monday said Malaysia's largest power utility player Tenaga Nasional (TNB) has agreed to pick a 30 per cent stake in power subsidiary GMR Energys select portfolio of assets for $300 million.

The management committee of GMR Infrastructure (GIL) today approved the proposed primary capital investment by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (Tenaga) in GMR Energy (GEL). The investment represents 30 per cent equity stake in a select portfolio of GEL assets on a fully-diluted basis for cash consideration of $300 million," the company said in a statement.

The Bengaluru-based infrastructure major will use funds for reducing its corporate debt. Its net debt was Rs 41,000 crore as of last year. Tenaga is the largest power utility player in Malaysia with integrated presence across the value chain of power generation, transmission and distribution. With many of Indian power firms are in distress, the Malaysian utility

GMR Energy will manage a balanced portfolio of coal-based, gas-based and renewable (hydro and solar) power projects, having a total capacity of 4,630 MW. This portfolio would have an operating capacity of 2,300 MW and pipeline capacity of 2,330 MW.

Tenaga has the right to invest in Chhattisgarh and other assets any time within the next five years. GMR Energy is expected to tap Tenaga's experience in improving performance of its operational assets and develop its under development pipeline of hydro and renewable energy assets.

Tenaga said the partnership with GMR Group will come with "significant opportunities to further develop renewable energy assets, in particular solar", and is in-line with its five-year plan to secure new generation capacity internationally.
Nainital/New Delhi: In advantage to sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat in the confidence vote tomorrow, the Uttarakhand High Court on Monday dismissed the petition of nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification by the Speaker, a decision the rebels challenged in the Supreme Court immediately.

Dismissing their petition, the single judge bench of Justice UC Dhyani said the petition stands dismissed and asked the MLAs to go back to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal seeking a review of his action if they so wished.

The judgement will make the BJP's task difficult in the confidence vote to be sought by Rawat tomorrow as it will be left with only 28 MLAs including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is in doubt. Though suspended by the BJP Arya continues to represent the party in the House.

Read: Uttarakhand crisis: SC to hear petition of 9 disqualified Congress MLAs today

It may give Rawat an advantage in the floor test which will now be held in the Assembly with an effective strength of 62 in which the winning side will need 31 MLAs for a majority. Moments after the high court pronounced its order, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the MLAs C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India T S Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test. The fresh petition will be heard at 2 pm.

Read: New video sting bites Harish Rawat

Meanwhile, the same bench is also expected to hear at 12:30 pm the Centre's petition seeking modification of its order on the floor test saying the official concerned has refused to act as observer on the ground that a clarification is needed on his designation.

Today's order of the high court ensures that the disqualification of the MLAs stays and would keep the rebel MLAs out of the proceedings during the confidence vote for Rawat in the Assembly tomorrow unless overturned by the apex court.

Read: Centre moves SC for modification of its order on Uttarakhand floor test

Ordering a floor test on May 10 in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said "if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the President's Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 am and 1 pm for a "single agenda" of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.
In the last few years, Mulligan and his company have sent more than 260 EMILY robots to navies, coast guards, and search-and-rescue units in South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, France, Mongolia, Brazil, Mexico, and Greece.

It may look like an overgrown duffel bag, but this Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard (EMILY) is a state-of-the-art, robotic lifeguard.

The 25-pound, four-foot-long EMILY device is made of a high-tech core surrounded by a bright, buoyant jacket. Its jet engine can zoom it through the water at 22 mph. Inner workings made of Kevlar and aircraft-grade composites make EMILY virtually indestructible, inventor Tony Mulligan said in a press statement. Mulligan first envisioned EMILY as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that could monitor the effects of Navy sonar testing on whales. He got funding from the Navys Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) division in 2001, and had just dug in to the process when America entered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. So Mulligan put aside his sonar project and converted his UAV prototypes into military surveillance drones called Silver Foxes.

Ten years later, the Navy granted Mulligan fresh funding to take apart existing Silver Foxes and use their parts to build unmanned surface vehicles, with an eye to weather monitoring and search-and-rescue missions.

In the last few years, Mulligan and his company have sent more than 260 EMILY robots to navies, coast guards, and search-and-rescue units in South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, the UK, France, Mongolia, Brazil, Mexico, and Greece. EMILY recently proved its mettle in the waters off the Greek island of Lesbos, where operators were able to use EMILY to rescue nearly 300 Syrian refugees from drowning.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The Cayuga County Legislature will hold a special meeting Wednesday night to vote on authorizing legal action against Auburn Community Hospital in connection with a lawsuit involving a Cayuga County Jail inmate in 2012.

The body will decide whether or not to authorize a third-party complaint against Auburn Community Hospital and three doctors involved in the alleged medical malpractice case of John Guido.

"The parties that we represent, who are defendants and third party plaintiffs, deny any wrongdoing," said Charles C. Spagnoli, an attorney representing the county in the matter. "We feel the county is not responsible for the alleged injuries."

The case began with a DWI arrest back in February 2012. Guido had been charged and remanded to Cayuga County Jail. According to a complaint filed by his attorney, Kenneth Goldblatt, Guido had been legally prescribed a medication that contains benzodiazepine, primarily used to treat seizures and anxiety disorders.

The complaint stated that jail staff denied Guido his medication, and during his incarceration, Guido was transported to Auburn Community Hospital multiple times to receive treatment for injuries after a fit of seizures.

It charges the county with conspiring "to violate (the) plaintiff's statutory civil rights," and "demonstrating a deprived indifference to (the) plaintiff's medical needs and well being."

The county denied in a separate complaint that it was because of seizures that Guido had been transported to the hospital and denied knowledge of whether Guido was prescribed benzodiazepine.

After two visits to Auburn Community Hospital in February, on March 19, 2012, Guido was transported again. Doctors diagnosed him with bilateral subdural hematomas, meaning a collection of blood had pooled outside his brain. The condition can be life-threatening, and surgery is usually needed.

In the third-party complaint, the county states that Philip Gottlieb, a radiologist for the hospital who had seen the plaintiff, deemed a CT scan of his brain as "unremarkable."

The county said a second radiologist, Daryl Henderson, looked at the scan and also found it "unremarkable."

A third radiologist, Charles Hennemeyer, looked at the scan and an MRI that was done on March 19, 2012. Hennemeyer reported a re-bleed that may have occurred, and suggested that pressure could be increasing on Guido's brain.

According to the county's complaint, however, Hennemeyer didn't tell anyone.

Guido was sent back to jail.

"It was not until March 22, 2012 that anyone notified personnel at the Cayuga County Jail that the results of the March 19, 2012 MRI indicated Plaintiff John Guido had a life-threatening condition that required rehospitalization," the complaint states.

On March 20, 2012, Guido was found unresponsive in his cell, according to his lawsuit and the county's complaint. He was brought a fourth time to Auburn Community Hospital. On March 21, he was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester where he underwent brain surgery including bilateral craniotomies, procedures that involve cutting a piece of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain.

"Third-Party Defendants committed medical malpractice and/or negligence in connection with the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and/or other provision of medical care to Plaintiff John Guido," according to the county's cross-complaint against the hospital.

The county seeks judgement against the hospital and the three radiologists, requiring them to pay for any damages, attorneys' fees and other costs.

A spokesperson for Auburn Community Hospital could not provide comment due to its policy related to ongoing litigation.

According to the original complaint, the "medical negligences and misconduct" by jail staff and the radiologists rendered Guido "sick, sore, lame and disabled, and was injured and bruised in and about his body and limbs; and upon information and belief, said injuries are of a permanent nature and character."

Guido's current state of health and residence is unclear, though according to various actions filed through state Supreme Court in Cayuga County, and testimony provided by his wife, Sally, as of 2015 the 57-year-old had been at Northeast Center for Rehabilitation and Brain Injury in Lake Katrine, used a walker, suffered memory loss and was no longer living at home.

Reached by phone Monday, Goldblatt, Guido's attorney, declined to provide comment on his client's current health, whereabouts or the status of the case, except to say he's received a copy of the third-party action, and a trial date is scheduled for Sept. 19.

While the third-party complaint was filed April 15, legislators will vote on authorizing, ratifying and consenting to commence the action at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11 in the 6th Floor Chambers of the Cayuga County Office Building, 160 Genesee St., Auburn.
Bangkok: A top Thai medical college has caught students using spy cameras linked to smartwatches to cheat during exams in what some social media users on Monday compared to a plot straight out of a Mission Impossible movie.

Arthit Ourairat, the rector of Rangsit University, posted pictures of the hi-tech cheating equipment on his Facebook page on Sunday evening, announcing that the entrance exam in question had been cancelled after the plot was discovered.

Three students used glasses with wireless cameras embedded in their frames to transmit images to a group of as yet unnamed people, who then sent the answers to the smartwatches.

Arthit said the trio had paid 800,000 baht ($23,000) each to the tutor group for the equipment and the answers. "The team did it in real-time," Arthit wrote.

Thailand's Channel 3 news reported Monday that the students had been blacklisted. "We want this to be known in public to make people aware that we must be careful, particularly for medical exams where there is high demand among students but not many vacancies," Arthit told the network.

His original post went viral, with many either praising the students for their ingenuity or condemning them for cheating. "If they had passed and graduated, we might have had illegal doctors working for us," wrote a Facebook user.

Others were more impressed. "Cool," wrote one. "Like Hollywood or Mission Impossible."

Medical degrees are highly sought after in Thailand, where doctors can make small fortunes in a private sector that has become one of the world's treatment hubs.

Despite more than a decade of impressive economic growth, Thailand's education system is in dire need of reform with rote learning, long hours and poor international test scores still commonplace.

In the 2014 PISA rankings, which measures global educational standards, Thai students performed below the global average and much worse than those from poorer Vietnam in subjects like maths and science.

Last year the World Bank said improving poor quality education was the most important step the kingdom could take to securing a better future, with one third of Thai 15-year-olds "functionally illiterate" -- lacking the basic reading skills to manage their lives in the modern world.

Critics say the kingdom's high corruption levels and ongoing political instability has made deep-seated education reforms impossible over the last decade.
The headmaster of the Seine-et-Marne school, in the outer suburbs of Paris, reportedly deemed that the skirt "conspicuously" showed religious affiliation (Photo:AFP)

Paris: A 16-year-old Catholic girl who converted to Islam has been banned from attending a school in France for wearing a long skirt that was deemed an "ostentatious religious symbol" by the headmaster.

The skirt -- popular among some Muslim women  reached beyond her knees and down to her sneakers, the Nouvel Obs newspaper reported.

The headmaster of the Seine-et-Marne school, in the outer suburbs of Paris, reportedly deemed that the skirt "conspicuously" showed religious affiliation, which is banned in schools by France's strict secularity laws.

According to the 2004 law that governs secularity in schools, veils, the Jewish kippa or large Christian crosses are all banned in educational establishments, but "discreet religious signs" are allowed.

The mother of the teenage girl has lodged her complaint with the school authorities, The Local France reported.

A meeting is to be held at the school with the girl's parents to try to resolve the dispute. "Yes, my daughter, who is Franco-Portuguese and from a Catholic family, has converted to Islam," Marie-Christine de Sousa was quoted as saying.

"I've always supported her choices and decisions. Earlier this year, I allowed her to wear the veil, which she takes off before going into the school. She wears long dresses for school," she said.

The family of the girl is already planning legal action, the paper reported. France was rocked by a similar case in April last year when a girl with a long skirt was also barred from class.

"Wearing a long skirt is nothing ostentatious. This is more due to mass hysteria," Abdallah Zekri, president of the National Observatory against Islamophobia, had said at the time.
As successor to Osama bin Laden, Zawahri has the allegiance of al Qaeda branches in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. (Photo: AP)

Amman: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged rival jihadist fighters in Syria to unite or risk death but again decried fellow Sunni Muslim militants Islamic State as extremists in an audio recording posted online on Sunday.

As successor to Osama bin Laden, Zawahri has the allegiance of al Qaeda branches in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. But the groups dominance is being challenged by Islamic State, which controls territory in Syria and Iraq and followings in Libya and Yemen.

In Syria, al Qaeda offshoot al Nusra Front and Islamic State are the two most powerful groups fighting government forces. Once a single group, they split in 2013, largely due to a power struggle among leaders.

We have to want the unity of the Mujahideen in Sham (Syria) so it will be liberated from the Russians and Western crusaders. My brothers ... the matter of unity is a matter of life or death for you, Zawahri said.

The authenticity of the recording, the first since January, could not be immediately verified but it had the hallmarks of previous Zawahri tapes. In January, the Egyptian former doctor called for revenge after Saudi Arabia executed dozens of militants.

He is believed to be hiding in a border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On the recording, Zawahri lambasted a UN-backed political process to find a solution in Syria and praised the Nusra Front, which controls most of Idlib province.

Nusra is also part of an alliance of Islamist brigades known as Jaish al Fateh, which is leading battles against Syrian government forces and its Russian- and Iranian-backed allies in the southern Aleppo countryside.

In January, Nusra Front tried unsuccessfully to convince rival Islamist factions to merge into one unit, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham.

Zawahri also emphasised once again the ideological divide between al Qaeda and Islamic State, which is fighting a Western-led coalition and Russian forces while also clashing with Western-backed rebels and the Syrian army.

He described them as extremists and renegades whose followers would eventually disavow their beliefs and methods.
Demonstrators sat on the Tai Wai subway station with their babies under the blankets. (Photo: YouTube Video Grab)

Hong Kong: In a bid to raise awareness about breastfeeding and protest against the prejudice faced by the women, a mob of mothers sat down with their toddlers at a subway station in Hong Kong.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the protests were organised by Mamamilk Baby Alliance. The organisers of the protest said that people have a certain kind of prejudice against nursing mothers.

The protesters urged government to protect the rights of nursing mothers legally.

Demonstrators sat on the Tai Wai subway station with their babies under the blankets. The protest was held ahead of Mother's Day celebration in China.

Describing their demands, the protesters said that due to poor nursing facilities, mothers are often forced to feed the babies in the toilet when they are out of home.

With this protest, the demonstrators aimed to campaign for better nursing facilities at public places as well as workplaces.

Last year, an NGO in China posted a picture on social media of a mother breastfeeding her child on the Beijing subway and blamed her of "exposing sexual organs in public areas."

"Hey, mother, is it proper for you to do this? Or should I remind you that you are taking the subway in Beijing, not the bus in your village," read the post, which was later deleted.

China still lacks public facilities for mothers to nurse their infants.

Watch: Hundreds of mothers stage breastfeeding protests in China:
Amidst a growing list of opponents in the Republican establishment, the party's presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump today said he does not want the support of those leaders who do not want to endorse him.





"If somebody doesn't want to endorse, I don't want their endorsement. It's OK. I'm going to release them," Trump told the ABC News in an interview, amidst reports that two former presidents  George H W Bush and George W Bush  along with two presidential aspirants Jeb Bush and Lindsay Graham have refused to endorse him.



"I understand Jeb Bush. I was rough with Jeb Bush. I think if I was Jeb Bush, I wouldn't vote for me either, if you want to know the truth, George. But they should do that. They're Republicans," he said.



The House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he is not ready to support him. The two leaders are scheduled to meet next week.



"We're going to see what happens. He wants to meet. He'd like to meet. And I think we're meeting on Thursday. And we'll just see what happens. It's just more drama," he said.



Talking about endorsements, Trump said: "I think it's a mistake not to do this. We want to bring the party together. Does the party have to be together? Does it have to be unified? I think it would be better if it were unified," Trump said in response to a question.



The real estate tycoon said he will do what he has to do to unite the party and win the November general elections.



"I'm going to do what I have to do. I have millions of people that voted for me because I want strong borders, because I want strong trade.



"I don't want to be an isolationist, but what's happening with China, what's happening with Japan, what's happening with Mexico, they're just absolutely eating our lunch. It's a shame. It's terrible," he said.



"So, I have to stay true to my principles. I'm a conservative, but don't forget, this is called the Republican Party. It's not called the Conservative Party. You know, there are Conservative Parties. This is called the Republican Party," he said.



In response to a question, Trump did not rule out raising Hillary Clinton's personal issues if her husband, the former US President Bill Clinton, gets involved in the campaign.



"I think fair game," he said, adding, "It depends on if he's (Bill) involved in the campaign. I think if he's involved in the campaign, he shouldn't be. And he probably will be involved. I think he gets involved when she plays the women card," he said.



"When she said Donald Trump was nasty to a woman, number one I've worked so well with women for so many years. I broke -- you know, you talk about the glass ceiling, what I've done in terms of jobs for women and I've gotten so much credit, and to this day I have so many women in my company that are doing so well, making so much money, I mean, in many cases making more money than men in comparable positions," he added.


Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday clarified that it was wrong to say that he had ever defended or given a clean chit to Jagdish Tytler for his alleged involvement in the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984.





It is for the investigating agencies and courts to probe and decide, he said. Capt Amarinder was interacting with Punjabi NRIs who had gathered at Hotel Hilton in New York last night. Replying to another question, Capt Singh said he had never said that the Sikhs should forget 1984. How can I ask anyone to forget 1984 when I myself resigned from the Parliament and my party to protest what happened at that time?



Sikhs can never forget what happened in 1984 and it will always remain etched in our memory, he asserted, while pointing out, we have suffered so many massacres in past and they are all part of our history and so is 1984.



At the same time Capt Amarinder added that it does not serve any purpose to rake up the issue during every election. Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, he asked, "Why does Badal recall 1984, only during the election days and never before or after that?



The senior Congress leader supported the demand of several NRIs that there should be no blacklist and nobody should be barred from visiting the country of his roots.



The former Chief Minister said the Akalis had "brutally victimised" and persecuted the NRIs by slapping false cases on them so that they are not able to visit Punjab.



We will review all the cases pending against NRIs and ensure that no person facing investigation is arrested, he said.



To a question as why he did not name Bikram Singh Majithia as an accused in the supply of drugs in Punjab, Capt Amarinder made it categorically clear that he was committed under oath on the holy Book that he will finish drugs from Punjab within four weeks. And whosoever is found involved, whether Majithia or anybody else, he will face the strictest punishment, he assured.



By the way who jailed Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal and rest assured, if need be I will do it again?



The function was organised by the Punjab Chapter of the Indian Overseas Congress, United States.




There has been a decline in the number of road accidents and fatalities in the national capital in the past one year, according to the figures compiled by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway.





As many as 8,085 road accidents took place in Delhi in 2015 causing 1,622 fatalities, a decline from 1,671 deaths due to 8,623 accidents that had happened in 2014.

While 8,258 people were injured in road accidents in 2015, about 8,283 people suffered injuries in 2014.



The ministry revealed that there has been an increase of 4.6 per cent in road accident fatalities across country, from 1,39,671 in 2014 to 1,46,133 in 2015.



In December last year, MPs wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bring to his notice the increasing number of accidents and fatalities across the country and expressing support for a comprehensive road safety legislation.



We are writing to you to draw your attention to the epidemic of the increasing road accidents in India. Just last year over 1.41 lakh people were killed and 4.8 lakh people were severely injured in road accidents across India. Not only do these accidents cause an irreplaceable loss of human life, but are also responsible for huge economic drain for our country. According to the erstwhile Planning Commission of India, over three per cent of India's GDP is lost to road accidents annually, amounting to Rs 3.8 lakh crores in 2014," the letter had said.



As elected representatives it is our duty to ensure that the safety and welfare of our citizens is not compromised. We, therefore, appeal to you to accord high priority to this issue and ensure the introduction of a strong and robust road safety legislation at the earliest, it added.



Saji Cherian, Director, Operations of SaveLIFE Foundation, working for the cause, said: Given the fact that India has the highest road accident fatalities globally, there is an urgent need for a strong legislation that protects all classes of road users. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has rightly noted that a legislation which addresses road safety issues should be introduced at the earliest and since the issue has received bipartisan political support, there should not be any further delay.


Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday the government is taking all necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted water supply to the capital. Kejriwal was speaking to reporters after paying homage to martyrs of Hardinge bomb case.





With the water level dropping in Yamuna, most parts of Delhi faced acute water shortage. The major reason behind the shortage was after Munak canal was briefly closed after a child drowned there. Delhi receives the majority of its water from Haryana.



We have already held meetings and are ensuring that there is uninterrupted water supply in Delhi. There is assurance that Uttar Pradesh will continue with its water supply as well. So it is expected there will be no water shortage, said Kejriwal.



The Delhi government had earlier claimed that this summer would be so far the best for Delhiites.



On Sunday, Kejriwal paid floral tributes to martyrs of the Hardinge bomb case  Amir Chand, Bal Mukund, Avadh Bihari and Basant Kumar Biswas.



Kejriwal also met the great-grandsons of martyr Amir Chand.



On December 23, 1912, a procession was taken out in Delhi, with Lord Hardinge seated on an elephant. When the procession was passing through Chandni Chowk, a bomb was thrown at Hardinge. Though he managed to escape with injuries, the elephant was killed.



Several people including Bal Mukund and the others, were arrested in connection with the case. While revolutionaries Amir Chand, Bhai Balmukund and Awadh Behari were executed on May 8, 1915 in Delhi Jail, Basant Kumar Biswas was executed the next day in Ambala Central Jail.


A BJP candidate for civic bypoll has accused Delhi Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, an AAP legislator, of misusing his official vehicle while canvassing for AAP candidate. Goel, however, denied any wrongdoing.





Jhilmil wards BJP candidate Jitender Singh Shanty, who lost to Goel in the 2015 Assembly poll, has shot off a complaint, along with a video clip, to an election official, alleging violation of the poll code.



Shanty has alleged that Goel last week came on an official Assembly vehicle to the ward for campaigning for AAP candidate Ghanshyam Gaur.



Goel, however, denied violating the election code.



The allegations are false and an outcome of the rival candidates fear of losing in election, said Goel.



He said he was conscious of his responsibility to follow the election code.

I come in the official car up to the boundary of the Jhilmil ward and from there on I give up my car and travel on a motorcycle, said Goel.



Sources in the election office confirmed received Shantys complaint.



The matter has been referred by the returning officer to the State Election Commissioner Rakesh Mehta, said an official.



Mehta will take a final decision on whether any action needs to be taken on Shantys complain, he said.



In his complaint, Shanty alleged that Goel has been coming and campaigning in his official car.



He has clearly violated the election code, said the BJP candidate.



Political rivalry

He alleged that the official machinery was being misused by the AAP in its maiden civic poll outing.



Shanty and Goel have a history of political rivalry and the recent controversy may also be linked to it.



Jhilmil ward is one of the two wards under the Shahdra Assembly constituency represented by Goel. In the Assembly elections in 2015, Shanty contested against Goel and lost to the AAP candidate. In 2013, Shanty had won the Assembly election from Shahdra.



While Goel has taken it as a prestige issue to win the Jhilmil ward under his Assembly segment, Shanty is looking to avenge his defeat in the 2015 Assembly poll and reclaim the ward which he represented twice earlier.



When Shanty was elected as a legislator in 2013, he gave up his municipal ward. Shanty considered the ward his stronghold as he has served as a councilor twice earlier in 2007 and 2012.



The political stakes for AAP in the May 15 bypoll, on 13 wards, are very high as it is being taken as a referendum on the performance of the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government. All legislators of the ruling AAP and central leaders, along with the student, trader and women wings, have pressed in their resources for winning the bypolls.


NEW YORK (AP)  Men in orange vests released a harmless, invisible, odorless gas on a subway platform at Grand Central terminal on Monday, part of a test of how air moves through tunnels and  potentially  how a biological contaminant would travel through the nation's biggest transit system during a terrorist attack.

There is no health risk. The gas contains tracing particles that look like drops of perfume from an atomizer before quickly dissipating.

Detectors have been installed in more than 55 stations and some outdoor spots to see where the vapors go. The collection boxes pull air through filters and capture particles into bags for analysis. About 12,000 samples will be taken this week, federal officials said.

Donald Bansleben, program manager of the Chemical and Biological Defense Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told reporters on the subway platform that the exercise is meant to simulate the release of a biological agent.

"We're not aware of any specific threats against the subway. We are just trying to make sure that we are prepared," he said.

Researchers also are watching for how and where the particles settle, and whether they re-disperse into the air as trains zoom by.

The test vapors are called perfluorocarbon tracer gases and present no health or environmental hazard to the public, officials said. Gas will be released for five days at two of three major transit hubs: Grand Central, Times Square or Penn Station. About 5.6 million people ride the New York City subway on an average weekday.

Bansleben said it will take months to analyze the results, which will be used to help emergency managers and responders develop strategies on how best to respond.

"There will be a lot of information that is not being made public. I think we do want to be careful with what we do say," he said.

Similar studies have been done in Washington D.C., Boston and one in New York in 2013 that focused on chemical, not biological, agents, officials said. That study was run in partnership with the city's transit agency, police department and the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. There also was an airflow study in New York in 2005.
In new twists and turns, the Supreme Court will hear today the petition of the nine Congress MLAs who have challenged the decision of the Uttarakhand High Court which has dismissed their petition against their disqualification by Assembly Speaker.



Moments after Justice U C Dhyani of the high court pronounced his order on the petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision disqualifying them after they joined hands with the BJP during proceedings on the Appropriation Bill on March 18, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court.



Counsel for the MLAs C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India T S Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.

The fresh petition will be heard at 2 PM.



Today's order of the high court ensures that the disqualification of the MLAs stays and would keep the rebel MLAs out of the proceedings during the confidence vote for Rawat in the Assembly tomorrow unless overturned by the apex court.



Ordering a floor test on May 10 in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said "if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status" at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.



A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the President's Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 AM and 1 PM for a "single agenda" of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.



The apex court had said, "However, our observation in praesenti will not cause any kind of prejudice to the merits of the case of disqualified Members of Legislative Assembly, which is sub-judice before the High Court."



At present, in the 70-member assembly, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress has 27, BSP has 02, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker. Nine Congress MLAs are disqualified and one is a BJP rebel.


Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, who was summoned by CBI in connection with a sting that showed him negotiation to bring back rebel MLAs, did not appear before the agency today.



Rawat said he has sought more time from the CBI.



"I hope that the agency will understand our practical problems and will provide us more time. I have clearly said I will present myself before CBI and will provide them whatever information they ask for," he told reporters here.



The former chief minister said he was also ready for a narco test.



According to the CM's media in-charge Surendra Kumar, Rawat cancelled his Delhi visit as he has to attend the meeting of Congress MLAs today before the crucial floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow as per the Supreme Court's direction.



Rawat had faced allegations of horse-trading after a purported sting video allegedly showed him negotiating to bring back rebel legislators.



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 had questioned the journalist allegedly involved in the sting operation at its headquarters in New Delhi as part of its preliminary enquiry.



The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered a floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly tomorrow when Rawat will seek a vote of confidence
Congress today created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing two adjournments in the pre-noon session over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation during an election rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.





They asked how could the Prime Minister make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha last week and sought to know which court was Modi quoting.



Congress members trooped into the Well of the Upper House shouting slogans like "Pradhan Mantri jhoota hai (Prime Minister is liar)" and demanding an apology from him, forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to first adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes and then till 1200 hours.



The party members said when the government during the reply to debate on the controversy in both Houses did not draw any reference to Gandhi, how could the Prime Minister make a such a statement outside, and that too when Parliament was in session.

Raising the issue, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) said no member in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha during the debate on AgustaWestland deal said the UPA leadership took money.



Maintaining that the Congress had demanded stringent action against any leader or officer found guilty in the bribery case, he said Modi had during poll rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu said that it was not his statement but an Italian court has said that Gandhi was guilty in the case.



He asked why did Modi not intervene in the debates on the issue in either of the House and say this. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply, Azad said.



CBI, which is conducting an inquiry in the case, falls directly under the Prime Minister, he said and asked will the investigating agency not be influenced by such statements.

Anand Sharma (Cong) said the Prime Minister should come to the House and substantiate the statement he has made.



As Kurien ruled out Sharma's notice under rule 267 to suspend business to take up the issue, Congress members trooped in the Well raising slogans against the PM.



Kurien said what is being attributed to the Prime Minister was said outside the House and the Congress party can reply to that outside as well.



"The Chair cannot take cognizance of it," he said, adding "I cannot do anything."

"Is Chair responsible for political speeches," he asked as he urged members to return to their places and allow Zero Hour to be taken up.



Anand Sharma asked if the Prime Minister was pre-empting the CBI investigation since the probe agency comes under him.



Modi, he said, has made a statement which contradicts what the Defence Minister had said on the floor of the House. He went on to state that Prime Minister's statement was violative of norms and dignity of the house.



Kurien however said the Chair cannot ask the Prime Minister to come and make a statement on the issue.



Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while no one guilty in the deal will be spared, no innocent will be touched.



As the Congress members shouted slogans against Prime Minister, Naqvi asked Chair to rein them in saying the BJP was also capable of shouting slogans.



According to him, Modi had said "what the world is talking and what the Italian court has said."



Prime Minister did not make any policy announcement outside the House and so has not violated any rule. "It was an election rally speech," he said.



As the din continued, Kurien adjourned the House for 10 minutes.



When the members re-assembled, Pramod Tiwari (Cong) raised a point of order saying when the House was in session, whatever Modi has said is the statement of the government.



He said the Prime Minister's statement contradicts what the Defence Minister has said in Parliament. "Either the Prime Minister is lying or the Minister of Defence is lying," Tiwari said.



On Tiwari's point of order, Kurien said: "Chair does not take cognizance of what has been said (outside the House) and reported by newsapers. I don't take congnizance".



Anand Sharma (Cong) said since the Prime Minister has contradicted the statement of the Defence Minister, "the Prime Minister must come (in the House) or withdraw his statement." Modi's statement was misleading and factually incorrect, he added.



The Deputy Chairman asked Sharma to give notice if the Prime Mininster has violated any rule. "If any member has violated any rule, give notice. I will examine," Kurien said.



Naresh Agrawal (SP) said the Defence Minister had given statement on AgustaWestland case in the House and later outside Parliament he said certain people were given important postings.



"If the Defence Minister had give (additional) statement he should have given it in the House," the SP member said.



Aiming at taking forward the House proceedings, Kurien asked Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) to raise his Zero Hour mention.



As Congress members shouted slogans, Roy asked the Chair to invoke Rule 255. However, Kurien did not agree.



Roy there was a precedent as the rule was invoked during a discussion on women's reservation bill in 2010. Follow the precedents or it will be "discrimination", Roy, who was suspended under that rule for a day last week, said, as Congress members continued sloganeering.



Soon, Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans against the Prime Minister and Kurien adjourned the House till noon.



The Lok Sabha too saw Congress members raising the issue of the Prime Minister making allegations against party chief Sonia Gandhi with regard to the Agusta Westland case.

As soon as the House met for the day, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the Prime Minister has been making allegations against Gandhi during election rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.



Asking "which court has indicted" Sonia Gandhi, Kharge said it was a serious issue and that the party might be forced to move privilege motion against the Prime Minister.


Amid a controversy over the Sainik Colony issue, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said no land has been allotted by the government for such a purpose.



The demand for establishing a Sainik Colony is from state subjects and not the ex-servicemen from outside the state, she told reporters on the occasion of re-opening of the Civil Secretariat  the seat of Jammu and Kashmir government  here.



"No land has been allotted for establishing Sainik Colony. The demand (for Sainik Colony) is not from ex-servicemen from outside the state, but from the state subjects of Jammu and Kashmir.



"However, the government, till date, has not allotted any land for it," Mehbooba said.

Reacting to former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's charge that official documents "prove it beyond any reasonable doubt" that the process of identification of land for such colony was initiated twice in 2015 and 2016 by successive PDP-BJP coalition government's led by Mufti Sayeed and Mehbooba, she said no power can go against the special status of the state.



"Omar was chief minister of the state.He knows that no power  be it the chief minister of the state or the Prime Minister  cannot go against the special status of Jammu and Kashmir," she said.



Mehbooba said she hoped that Omar has proof and has not committed a "mistake" by levelling "false accusations".



"I hope that Omar, because he is not a common man but has been a chief minister, has not repeated his mistake as he has referred to some papers.



Meanwhile, Omar dared Mehbooba to file a case against him.

"@mehbooba_mufti you have accused me of 'rumour mongering & uploading fake images of Govt orders on SM (social media)'. I dare you to file a case TODAY!!! he tweeted.



Omar said if the chief minister had "guts" and believed that the image, uploaded by him on Twitter of an order allegedly by State's Home Department, was fake, she should immediately file a case against him.



"If you have the guts & truly believe this image is fake file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!!" he said.



Omar said if the chief minister does not file the case, then people of the state would know who is "lying".



"If you (Mehbooba) haven't filed a case against me in the next 24 hours the people will know who is lying in this matter @mehbooba_mufti. Truth prevails," he wrote.



Meanwhile, JKPCC President Ghulam Ahmad Mir led a protest of Congress party activists against the PDP-BJP coalition here on the first day of re-opening of the civil secretariat and said the party would not accept the proposal of establishing 'Sainik Colony'.



"Congress has made it clear that we would not accept any such proposal from the government that encroaches or dilutes the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370," Mir told reporters here.



Hundreds of party activists assembled at Congress headquarters here and started marching towards civil secretariat. However, they were stopped by police near Budshah Chowk.



Mir said the protest was to remind chief minister of her election promises when she sought votes from the people in Kashmir to keep the BJP away.



"Mehbooba is bringing the RSS, VHP and BJP to Kashmir herself and imposing them on the same voters from whom she had sought votes to keep BJP and RSS away from Kashmir," Mir said.



He also said the government has "failed" to compensate the flood victims and deprived people of ration by implementing National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state.

Speaking to reporters, the chief minister said her father Sayeed had made a historical and difficult decision to ally with the BJP and that decision was for safeguarding the identity of the state and not to cause any damage to it.



"I want to say that my father made a historical decision, a difficult decision, and it was not for damaging our identity but for safeguarding the identity of Jammu and Kashmir.We  be it PDP or BJP  we all swear in the name of the constitution of the country and the state when we enter the assembly.



"So, till we  the mainstream parties  are there and swear on the Constitution, people like Omar should not fall prey to rumours," she said.



Mehbooba said she does not understand as to why such issues are raked only when the summer arrives and a large number of tourists start visiting the state.



"I do not understand this that the situation is right in the winters, but when then summer arrives and the tourists start visiting the state, why are these rumours like NIT, NEET, Sainik Colonies etc, floated that time only.



The chief minister said people should not believe in rumours and give the government an opportunity to keep the situation peaceful and "take Jammu and Kashmir out of the morass".



On the issue of NEET, Mehbooba said, "The Supreme Court has said that there will be no interference as far as our special status is concerned".
With Congress creating a storm in Parliament over the Prime Minister's charge that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland case, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said Narendra Modi has done nothing wrong and the party should wait for the inquiry to complete.



"The Prime Minister has done nothing wrong. He has addressed a public function and there he said what was already in the public domain, what was there in the court observation also," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said outside Parliament after the disruptions in Rajya Sabha over Modi's remarks in the chopper deal scam.



Congress created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing repeated adjournments in the House over Modi's allegation at a poll rally that the Italian court had named Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.



Asked whether Modi would respond over the issue, Naidu said, "What is there to answer? They (Congress) have everything to answer. Inquiry is on and let it be completed."



On the Prime Minister taking names, Naidu said, "He has not taken any name. He mentioned only those names that appeared in the part of the judgement or annexures to the judgement."



He further said, "There is no need for clarification. The Prime Minister only said whatever was in the facts. No one took name. If anybody has taken name then Congress member Abhishek Singhvi has taken the name. We have not taken any name."



Attacking Congress, he said, "They are trying to disrupt the House unnecessarily. Now, it has become their habit to disrupt the House somehow or other by creating obstruction and diverting the issue."



Minister of State Jitendra Singh said, "The issues which were taken up outside Parliament, cannot be taken up inside the House. Whatever was said at the rally can be answered at rally only. They are unable to answer inside and outside that is why they are resorting to such tactics."



The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments in the first two hours because of the continued uproar and sloganeering by Congress members, leading to washout of the Zero Hour and Question Hour.



In the Lok Sabha too, the issue generated heat soon after it assembled for the day with Congress members raising the matter.



The Congress questioned how Modi could make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both the Houses last week.
A military dog has been hailed a hero after saving a team of British special forces from a group of 50 ISIS fighters who ambushed them in northern Iraq.





It is believed that the SAS soldiers were returning from a 10-day training programme for Peshmerga fighters.



The Alsatian, thought to have been trained by the US Army, was travelling with the group of British soldiers in a convoy of four vehicles.



The unsuspecting troops were caught unawares when they were trapped by a group of jihadis last month on the Kurdish border.



The convoy was hit by a homemade bomb as around 50 ISIS fighters attacked.When the British forces attempted to move out, jihadis attacked them from behind.



A US soldier travelling with the convoy let the heroic dog off the leash.



The angry dog ran snarling towards the ISIS fighters. The first jihadi was bitten on the neck and face. The dog then slashed at the second fighter's arm and leg.



The two ISIS fighters ran away in terror after being savaged by the Alsatian.



The dog escaped the battle unhurt and has been hailed a hero by troops after saving the British team's lives, British media reported.



"When the dog was unleashed it went after the greatest threat without consideration for its own safety  this is what they are trained to do," Daily Star Sunday quoted a source as saying.



"A snarling Alsatian running at you is very frightening and probably not something the jihadis had encountered. The dog did its job and returned to its handler with its tail wagging," the source said.



It is thought that this is the first time that an attack dog has been used to directly save soldiers' lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, the reports said.






The apex court put to rest all confusion by refusing to modify its April 28 order by which it had allowed Centre and CBSE to conduct a single common entrance test for admission to MBBS and BDS courses through National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET).





The top court had approved the schedule put before it by the Centre, CBSE and Medical Medical Council of India (MCI) for treating All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) fixed for May 1 as NEET-1.





Those who have not applied for AIPMT will be given 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.





Around 6.5 lakh students took up the NEET-I test held on May 1. The apex court rejected the contentions of the state governments, private medical colleges and also the minority institutions like Christian Medical College Vellore and Ludhiana that they have the legislative competence to hold separate entrance tests.





"Prima facie, we do not find any infirmity in the NEET regulation on the ground that it affects the rights of the states or the private institutions. Special provisions for reservation of any category are not subject matter of the NEET nor rights of minority are in any manner affected by NEET.





"NEET only provides for conducting entrance test for eligibility for admission to the MBBS/BDS course. We thus, do not find any merit in the applications seeking modification of order dated April 28, 2016," a bench comprising justices A R Dave, Shiva Kirti Singh and Adarsh Kumar Goel, said.





The apex court also made it clear that "the students who have either applied for NEET-I but could not appear or who appeared but could not prepare fully thinking that the preparation was to be only for 15 per cent all India seats and there will be further opportunity to appear in other examinations.



"To allay any such apprehension, we direct that all such eligible candidates who could not appear in NEET-I and those who had appeared but have apprehension that they had not prepared well, be permitted to appear in NEET-II, subject to seeking an option from the said candidates to give up their candidature for NEET-I," the bench said.



It also said that it "would be open to the respondents (Centre, CBSE) to reschedule the date of holding NEET-II, if necessary. To this extent the earlier orders stand modified.



"We may also add here that to ensure total credibility of the examination to be held by the CBSE, the Oversight Committee appointed by this court vide the aforesaid judgment dated May 2, 2016 shall also oversee the NEET-II examination to be conducted by the CBSE. In view of the above, it is also clarified that only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies," it said.



The apex court in its order today also noted that the stand of the private medical colleges (including minorities) that conducting of entrance test by the state violated right of autonomy of the said colleges, has been rejected.



"The State law providing for conducting of entrance test was upheld, rejecting the contention that the State had no legislative competence on the subject. At the same time, it was held that the admission involved two aspects.



"First, the adoption of setting up of minimum standards of education and coordination of such standards which aspect was covered exclusively by Entry 66 of List I. The second aspect is with regard to implementation of said standards which was covered by Entry 25 of List III," the bench said.



"On the said aspect, the State could also legislate. The two entries overlap to some extent and to that extent Entry 66 of List I prevailed over the subject covered by Entry 25," the court said while disposing of all the petitions.

In a significant order, the Supreme Court today rejected pleas of state governments and minority institutions to allow them to hold separate entrance exams for MBBS and BDS courses for the academic year 2016-17 saying only NEET provides for conducting such test for admission to these courses.




The Congress President used an election rally here to hit back at Modi after the Prime Minister raked up her Italian roots twice in the last three days while making a veiled attack on her over the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal.





Sonia's response came while concluding her speech when she said she wanted to share something personal, not politics, about the Prime Minister's statement "about Congress and particularly about me".





"Yes, I was born in Italy. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I have spent 48 years of my life in India. This is my home. This is my country," Sonia said while referring to Modi's sarcastic queries to the gathering at his two poll rallies in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Friday and Sunday whether they had any relatives in Italy.





Sonia said that all her 48 years in India, RSS, BJP and some other parties had always "taunted me to shame me for my birth".





"I was born to proud and honest parents. I will never be ashamed of them. Yes, I have relatives in Italy. I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters. But it is here, in my country, India, it is in this part that the blood of my loves is mingled.





"It is here that I will breathe my last. It is here that my ashes will mingle with yours and my loved ones," she said, pointing out that the sole objecive of Prime Minister Modi was to "indulge in character assassination of his adversaries and 'spread lies'".





The Prime Minister can "sink to whatever depths" to challenge my integrity, she said, but he cannot take away the truth from my commitment and love for India.





"I cannot expect Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to understand this feelings. But I know, I am sure you will," she told the gathering at her second rally on the first day of her campaigning in poll-bound Kerala.





Without naming Congress or any leader of the party which has launched a counter attack on his government for dragging Sonia's name, Modi had asked "if the court in Italy has said that people from the last government in India have eaten money, why then are you troubling us here?"



"Does anyone of your relatives live in Italy? Does any of my relatives live in Italy.... I have not seen Italy. I have not been to Italy. Nor have I met anyone in Italy. If Italians have accused them what should we do?" Modi said.



Continuing her tirade against Modi, Gandhi said the BJP-NDA was afraid because Ccongress stood for the rights of the minorities, poor, farmers, dalits, tribals and women.



On the PM's statement that Kerala had lagged behind in every sphere, she said, "I challenge him to show us at least one BJP-ruled state that has better health, educational achievements than Kerala".



Sonia also alleged that Modi had betrayed the mandate given by the people by not implementing any of the promises during the election campaign.



"Before the election, he took your votes by selling you hopes and promises. As soon as he became Prime minister, he betrayed your mandate."



Pointing out that Modi had promised "lakhs and lakhs of jobs and money in your bank accounts and that he will decrease prices of essential commodities", she said not even one of these promises have been fulfilled.



"Prices of dal have doubled in two years, the BJP's government's biggest revenue generation is from taxing poor, price of petrol and diesel has come done drastically, but not the excise duty along with it."



Referring to beleaguered liquor baron Vijay Mallya departure from the country, she said "rich businessmen who defaulted banks of thousands and thousands of crores of rupees were allowed to run away from the country under the very nose of Prime minister Modi".



BJP and RSS are afraid of the Congress as their "communal and divisive agenda" has been exposed by us.







Gandhi said another achievement of the Modi government was that it is "weakening the roots of democracy."



"Democratically elected governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarkhand have been toppled by unconstitutional and devious means. The Prime Minister and his government do not believe in constitutional and Parliamentary norms," she said.



Congratulating Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for his five year rule, she said he has succeeded in steering the state on the path of development despite the "non cooperative attitude of the Modi government."



Attacking the opposition in Kerala, Gandhi said the threat to the state is not only from BJP, but also from CPI(M) led LDF. "LDF believes in violence and destruction. It has done everything to prevent the success of this government, but failed," she said.

The track record of UDF government speaks for itself, she said, adding, "we are serious about improving peoples lives. We are sincere in our intentions and humble in our approach."



In the two rallies she addressed in Kerala today -- in Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram, the Congress President went all out to attack BJP and Prime Minister Modi but mellowed her criticism against LDF. "But we shall not bow down to their pressure and harassment and will continue our fight which we feel it is good for the country."

In an emotional response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibes at her Italian origins, Sonia Gandhi tonight said India is her home and "it is here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones".
ACCC accepts AB InBevs acquisition of SABMiller

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says it will not oppose the proposed acquisition of SABMiller by Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev).

Belgiums AB InBev is the worlds largest brewer and in October 2015 it proposed a takeover of South Africa-originated SABMiller, the worlds second-largest brewer. The acquisition is expected to cost AB InBev US $ 108 billion.

Within Australia, AB In Bev owns rights to Corona, Stella Artosis, Becks and Budweiser beer. It however does not operate any breweries within Australia and has been using Lion as its main distributor.

SABMiller acquired Fosters Group Limited, including Carlton United Breweries (CUB), in 2011 and has since controlled the licensing rights to use the brands Victoria Bitter, Carlton, Crown Larger, Pure Blonde and Strongbow Cider.

ACCC Chairman, Rod Sims, said the ACCC concluded that the proposed acquisition is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the Australian beer market.

The ACCC found that the proposed acquisition would not significantly change the current market structure, Sims said.

The two largest suppliers of beer in Australia are Lion and SABMiller, which owns Carlton & United Breweries (CUB). While AB InBevs brands have been successful in Australia, particularly Corona, they have previously been distributed via either Lion or CUB. AB InBev has only a limited direct company presence in Australia and does not brew beer here, Sims stated.

The ACCC considers that the proposed acquisition is unlikely to result in higher beer prices for consumers, Sims said.

The ACCC said it held concerns that if AB InBev continued to use Lion as a distributor, the acquisition may have increase the ability and incentive for coordination between Lion and AB InBev/SABMiller. Lion has however been served notice it will no longer be a distributor and AB InBev/SABMiller will take over the role directly.

The termination of the distribution arrangements therefore resolved the ACCCs competition concerns, Sims said.
An Indian woman working in Saudi Arabia, who was allegedly tortured by her employer leading to her death, had died due to "natural reasons", External Affairs Ministry said today.





Her family had claimed she lost her life because of torture by her Saudi employer.Reacting to reports about the death of Asima Khatoon in Riyadh, reportedly due to torture by her sponsor last week, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said,"On receipt of information, our Embassy in Riyadh sent one of its officials to King Saud Chest Disease Hospital, Riyadh, one of the reputed Hospitals for TB, today.



"He was told by the Mortuary In-charge that she was admitted in the Hospital on 27 of last month and later on shifted to the ICU. The death was due to natural reasons and he was informed that all the requisite documents have been handed over to the sponsor for submission to the Embassy."



However, Hyderabad police received a complaint from the deceased woman's mother Ghousia Khtoon alleging that her daughter, who left for Saudi Arabia last December, was tortured by her master, which subsequently led to her death.



"Khtoon alleged that she received a call on May 2 from Saudi Arabia saying her daughter had some chest complaint and was admitted to a hospital and died the same day," police inspector G Ramesh told PTI in Hyderabad.



Swarup also noted that the sponsor had visited the Embassy on May 3 (by when the matter had not been reported in the media) and again today, for completing the documentation in order to transport her mortal remains to India.



"As per the death report, she died on May 2 due to 'disseminated TB and multi-organ failure'. Further, according to the report, she received anti-TB drugs in 2012 for 3 months," the Spokesperson said, adding the Embassy was in touch with the family of the deceased in India to determine future course of action.



According to the sponsor, Asima Khatoon worked for him for 4 months and 16 days in return for which he has deposited five months salary with the Embassy, he added.
Scientists believe that heat stress from multiple weather events has threatened more than a third of Earths coral reefs, writes Michelle Innis



Kim Cobb, a marine scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA expected the coral to be damaged when she plunged into the deep blue waters off Kiritimati Island, a remote atoll near the centre of the Pacific Ocean. Still, she was stunned by what she saw as she descended some 30 feet to the rim of a coral outcropping. The entire reef is covered with a red-brown fuzz, Kim said when she returned to the surface after her recent dive. It is otherworldly. It is algae that has grown over dead coral. It is devastating.



The damage is part of a mass bleaching of coral reefs around the world, only the third on record and possibly the worst ever. Scientists believe that heat stress from multiple weather events including the latest severe El Nino, compounded by climate change, has threatened more than a third of Earths coral reefs. Many may not recover.



Coral reefs are the crucial incubators of the oceans ecosystem, providing food and shelter to a quarter of all marine species, and they support fish stocks that feed more than one billion people. They are made up of millions of tiny animals, called polyps, that form symbiotic relationships with algae, which in turn capture sunlight and carbon dioxide to make sugars that feed the polyps.



An estimated 30 million small-scale fishermen and women depend on reefs for their livelihoods, more than one million in the Philippines alone. In Indonesia, fish supported by the reefs are the primary source of protein. This is a huge, looming planetary crisis, and we are sticking our heads in the sand about it, said Justin Marshall, the director of CoralWatch at Australias University of Queensland.



Bleaching occurs when high heat and bright sunshine cause the metabolism of the algae  which give coral reefs their brilliant colours and energy  to speed out of control, and they start creating toxins. The polyps recoil. If temperatures drop, the corals can recover, but denuded ones remain vulnerable to disease. When heat stress continues, they starve to death.



Damaged or dying reefs have been found from Reunion, off the coast of Madagascar, to East Flores, Indonesia, and from Guam and Hawaii in the Pacific to the Florida Keys in the Atlantic.



The largest bleaching, at Australias Great Barrier Reef, was confirmed last month. In a survey of 520 individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reefs northern section, scientists from Australias National Coral Bleaching Task Force found only 4 with no signs of bleaching. Some 620 miles of reef, much of it previously in pristine condition, had suffered significant bleaching.



In follow-up surveys, scientists diving on the reef said half the coral they had seen had died. Terry Hughes, the director of the Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Queensland, who took part in the survey, warned that even more would succumb if the water did not cool soon. There is a good chance a large portion of the damaged coral will die, he added.



Unusual confluence of events



Scientists say the global bleaching is the result of an unusual confluence of events, each of which raised water temperatures already elevated by climate change. In the North Atlantic, a strong high-pressure cell blocked the normal southward flow of polar air in 2013, kicking off the first of three warmer-than-normal winters in a row as far south as the Caribbean.



A large underwater heat wave was formed in the northeastern Pacific in early 2014, and has since stretched into a wide band along the west coast of North America, from Baja California to the Bering Sea. Nicknamed the Blob, it is up to 4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding waters, and has been blamed for a host of odd phenomena, including the beaching of hungry sea lions in California and the sighting of tropical skipjack tuna off Alaska.



Then came 2015, with the most powerful El Nino climate cycle in a century. It blasted heat across the tropical and southern Pacific, bleaching reefs from Kiritimati to Indonesia, and across the Indian Ocean to Reunion and Tanzania on Africas east coast. We are currently experiencing the longest global coral bleaching event ever observed, said C Mark Eakin, the Coral Reef Watch coordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Maryland. We are going to lose a lot of the worlds reefs during this event.



Reefs that take centuries to form can be destroyed in weeks. Individual corals may survive a bleaching, but repeated bleachings can kill them. Predicting the duration of the bleaching or forecasting the next one is difficult. The Blob has cooled somewhat, and El Nino, while weakening, is expected to stretch into 2017.



Mark said he expected the bleaching to continue for 9 more months. Scientists will not be able to measure the full extent of the damage until it is over. What is clear is that these events are happening with increasing frequency and ferocity. The previous bleachings, in 2010 and 1998, do not appear to have been as extensive or prolonged as the current one.



The 1998 bleaching, which Mark said had been set off by a fierce El Nino, killed around 16 % of the worlds coral. By 2010, oceans had warmed enough that it took only a moderate El Nino to start another round. Then in 2013, Mark said, a lot of bleaching happened due to climate change, before the El Nino had even kicked in.



Reefs that were bleached in 2014, like those in the Florida Keys and the Caribbean, had no time to regenerate before suffering further thermal stress from El Nino last year, leaving the coral vulnerable to disease and death. The reefs in the Florida Keys are about to go into a third year straight of bleaching, something that has never happened before, said Meaghan Johnson, a marine scientist at the Nature Conservancy. We are worried about disease and mortality rates.



El Nino warms the equatorial waters around Kiritimati Island more than anywhere else in the world, making it a likely harbinger for the health of reefs worldwide. That is why Kim, the Georgia Tech scientist who made the recent dive, has been making the trek at least once a year for the past 18 to the tiny atoll, part of the Line Islands archipelago.



Though the atoll sits just north of the equator, trade winds suck water up from the depths of the ocean, usually keeping the water temperature surrounding the reefs a healthy, nearly constant 78 degrees. But in 2015, the expected upwelling of deep, cold water did not happen, Kim said. So, water in the atoll was 10 degrees warmer than normal, and never cooled enough to allow coral to recover.



The worst has happened, she said. This shows how climate change and temperature stresses are affecting these reefs over the long haul. This reef may not ever be the same.



The New York Times
Vice-chancellor of Manipal University Dr H Vinod Bhat inaugurated the residential session of the second batch of the fellowship programme offered by the university and FAIMER International Institute for Leadership in Interprofessional Education (MUFIILIPE).





On the occasion, he highlighted the need for leadership at various levels of organisations and also the need for academic leaders who refine their leadership skills as part of their professional life. He also emphasised on the significance of interprofessional education.



The programme, designed in collaboration with FAIMER, Philadelphia provides leadership, expertise and support to enhance the coordination and capacity building of interprofessional education and practice aimed towards enhancing health outcomes in this region.



The fellowship programme at MUFIILIPE has adopted a multifaceted approach with an interprofessional project as the focus for restructuring professional teams and processes which will support a culture of interprofessional practice. The session will end on May 17.
The unavailability of water and an increasing demand have given rise to concern over an urgent need to carry out research on water and sources of water, said ecologist and researcher Dr T V Ramachandra.





He was speaking at a workshop on Wetlands for Future: Sustainable Livelihoods organised jointly by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Bengaluru, Alvas College, Moodbidri, and Alvas Institute of Engineering and Technology, at Moodbidri on Monday.



The government has been claiming that 24 TMC water is available in Nethravathi river source. In reality, only nine TMC water is available. It is important to create awareness on this fact, he advised.



Dr T V Ramachandra further said that the conference aims to create awareness on the conservation of water, protection of river sources and backwaters. There is a necessity to carry out researches on related topics, so that one can come up with solutions, which may assure a better future for the next generation, he suggested.



IISc researcher Prof Subhash Chandran said that there are many rich water sources in coastal districts, including wetlands. After rainy seasons, however, these sources go dry and, therefore, there is a need to rejuvenate such sources of water. Students have to be encouraged to carry out studies on the subject, he reminded.



Alvas Education Foundation Trustee Vivek Alva said that students should be more concerned about the environment. Students should take up research activities which will benefit the society. At a time when educational institutions in Mangaluru are sending students back home due to water crisis in the city, the Alvas Education institutions have ensured that all 20,000 students in the campus have water facility. The college has been giving emphasis on water conservation since the beginning, he lauded. Alvas College Principal Dr Kurian was present at the event.
The police firing on a crowd of protestors at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh must be condemned in the strongest terms. The crowd was protesting the arrest of Lobsang Gyatso, a Buddhist monk, who is at the forefront of the anti-big dam campaign in Arunachal Pradesh. Apparently, the protestors were pelting stones. A panic-stricken police responded by firing live bullets into the crowd. This was undoubtedly an excessive response. It resulted in the death of 2 people and injury to 10 others. Use of coercive force to deal with crowds and protests must be avoided at all costs. There are non-lethal options that are more useful to control crowds. Rubber bullets, for instance, are very effective in dispersing mobs. While the use of coercive force may quell protests immediately, it is counter-productive over the long term as it encourages people to turn to violence.



Arunachal Pradesh has been an oasis of calm in the restive and insurgency-wracked North East hitherto. This could change if India doesnt handle the simmering discontent there with care. The government plans to construct hundreds of hydro-power dams in the region. Likely displacement of local communities has stirred anger and unrest. The Save Mon Region Foundation (SMRF) is steering an anti-dam movement in Tawang. Its activists are being targeted by police and big business houses that are in favour of the dams being constructed. Lobsang Gyatsos arrest and the violence unleashed outside the Tawang police station last week must be seen in this context. Activists are pointing out that local communities have not been consulted. In a rush to press ahead with its plans for dams in the region, India is treading on sensitivities of the local Mon population. If they are not consulted and are prevented from airing their grievances through non-violent channels, there is a danger of the masses turning to violence.



Unrest in Tawang has enormous implications for Indias national security. It is part of the territory that China lays claim to in the eastern sector of their disputed border. Indeed, of the roughly 90,000 sq km of land that Beijing claims as its own in Indias North East, Tawang is the main bone of contention. Political instability and unrest here could be exploited by China to weaken Indias hold over this territory. In the 1960s, China provided support to several insurgent groups in the region, which it subsequently halted as bilateral relations with India improved. India must guard against a repeat of this. If unrest in Tawang escalates, it would provide anti-India forces the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.


MLC Ivan DSouza has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to announce a package for permanent drinking water projects to cater to the requirements of Dakshina Kannada district.





Addressing a press meet here on Monday, he said the state government has sought Rs 12,272 crore from the centre to tackle the drought that has affected 27 districts and 136 taluks in the state.



The MPs from Karnataka should impress upon the Prime Minister to release the amount to tackle the drought in the state. Although Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu have not been declared as drought-hit districts, the water crisis is severe in these districts too, DSouza added.



In spite of the availability of water sources, the district administration and the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) have failed to tap the sources to supply water to the residents. Authorities have also lacked foresight to store enough water at weirs along the river course. As a result, water crisis has severely impacted the normal life in Mangaluru city, he said.



He said that to ensure that the water crisis does not affect the citizens of Mangaluru, an expert committee of Dayanand Kotian, Dr Vivek Rai and Dr Madhyasta has been formed to advise on improvement of the groundwater table in the district.



The committee will look into the possibilities of rainwater harvesting, construction of check dams and Paschima Vahini projects. A comprehensive report will be submitted to the state government within two weeks to implement the suggestions. The report will also be submitted to the minister for irrigation to chalk out long-term projects for the district, the MLC said.



DSouza said that the chief minister has promised to conduct a survey on Paschima Vahini scheme, which envisages harnessing the west-flowing rivers by constructing check dams. Permanent drinking water projects are need of the hour, he added.



The water-level at Thumbe dam stands at 4.7 feet and is sufficient for a maximum of nine days. The Corporation faces a challenge of meeting the water requirements of the people once the dam goes. I have urged the builders and contractors of Mangaluru to help the residents  especially BCM hostels and orphanages  by supplying water from the available sources free of cost, and they have agreed to do so. The contractors association has already given their pick-up vehicles to the MCC to load water tanks to supply water to the residents. About 50 water tankers have been put to use for the benefit of the residents, he said.



The MLC said that the Corporation has initiated the process to drill borewells to meet the requirements of the people. As many as seven borewells have already been dug and there is sufficient water in the borewells, he assured.
Basaveshwara Jayanthi was observed in both districts on Monday. Basavanna, who had fought for equality in society, is an asset of the society, said MLC Sunil Subramani.





Speaking at Basaveshwara Jayanthi organised by the district administration, zilla panchayat, and Kannada and Culture department here on Monday, he called Basavanna a social reformer. He tried to bring in changes in the society through his vachanas, said the MLC.



Arameri Mutt Seer Shanthamallikarjuna Swami, who also spoke on the occasion said that Basavannas preachings are relevant even to this day.



Seer of Kirukodli Mutt Sadashiva Swami said, Inter-caste marriages are not accepted in society even to this day. At a time when underprivileged were kept at a distance, Basavanna brought them under one platform through Anubhava Mantapa.



President of the district unit of Akhila Bharatha Veerashaiva Mahasabha D B Dharmappa said that there is a need to ward off caste system. The portrait of Basavanna was taken out in a procession. Dollu Kunitha and Pooja Kunitha artistes performed on the occasion.



Basaveshwara Jayanthi was observed also at the Kannada Sahitya Parishat district unit office at Fort premises in Madikeri. President of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Kodagu district unit Lokesh Sagar said that Vachanas have contributed to the Kannada literary world.



Chikkamagaluru



Zilla Panchayat president Chaitra Malathesh said that Basaveshwara believed in humanity. Speaking at Basaveshwara Jayanthi in Chikkamagaluru, she said that caste system needs to be eradicated from the society.

Legislator B B Ningaiah expressed concern over honour killing in the name of caste system and said Basavanna had propagated inter-caste marriage in the 12th century.



Legislator C T Ravi, Member of Legislative Council Motamma, Deputy Commissioner S P Shadakshariswamy and others were present.
Umar Khalid and 2 other students ended their fast on Monday succumbing to their worsening health conditions on the 11th day of their hunger strike against the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration.





The university had taken action against 21 students in connection with the February 9 Afzal Guru event row.



Vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Monday set up a committee to discuss the issues of the agitating students, making a fresh appeal to them to call off their strike and come for a dialogue, in view of the rising temperature and worsening health conditions of agitators.



He also urged the teachers to immediately end their relay hunger strike after Umarwas taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in a serious condition. His condition had begun deteriorating since Sunday night with fall in blood sugar level and ketone.
Coffee more than just a drink for Swinburne Uni researchers

Posted by AFN Staff Writers on 9th May 2016

Researchers from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne have found a second-life for the vast amount of coffee grinds thrown away by Australian cafes every day.

Professor Arul Arulrajah, working with PhD candidate Teck-Ang Kua, discovered after a roasting process, the grinds can be mixed with slag (a waste product from steel manufacturing) and an alkaline solution to create cylindrical blocks. The blocks are strong enough to be used as a subgrade material under road surfaces.

The cylindrical blocks were made using coffee grinds from cafes near Swinburne University of Technologys Hawthorn campus. On average, each cafe disposes of 150kgs of coffee grinds weekly.

Professor Arulrajah said as an avid coffee drinker he could see baristas throwing away coffee grounds and so decided to test it as an engineering material.

We estimate that the coffee grounds from Melbournes cafes could be used to build five kilometres of road per year, said Professor Arulrajah.

This would reduce landfill and the demand for virgin quarry materials, he stated.

According to the researchers, the global coffee industry produces millions of tonnes of used grounds each year, most of which end up in landfill.

The research has been published in Volume 115 of Construction and Building Materials Journal.
Three people were injured on Monday when a tree fell on them at Badnagar area as hailstorm and squall coupled with rain played spoilsport at the Kumbh fair.





This is the second weather-related mishap in the past 4 days at the ongoing Kumbh fair. Three persons, possibly devotees, were injured in Badnagar area of the Simhastha Mela when a tree fell on them following a squall that hit the religious fair. Besides 3 camps were also damaged in Mangalnath area, Ujjain SP Manohar Varma said.



A large number of devotees were seen scurrying for cover as weather turned hostile around 3 pm. No death or major loss to property has been reported, Ujjain district collector Kavindra Kiyawat said.



We are gathering information. Some places had been hit by the hailstorm, he added.



The collector said around 30 lakh people had taken the holy dip in Shipra river before the weather became rough. Meanwhile, in a gesture of social harmony, Muslims threw open doors of a mosque to accommodate devotees who ran helter skelter following inclement weather.



Lightning kills 3



Temperatures hovered around normal levels in most parts of the country except in some areas of Odisha and Rajasthan, where Phalodi town sizzled at seasons highest of 48 degrees Celsius, even as 3 people were killed in lightning incidents in Jharkhand.



In the national capital, it was a clear sky with the maximum temperature settling at 38.4 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. In Jharkhands Hazaribagh district, which recorded 30 mm rainfall, 3 persons, including a 13-year-old boy, were killed by the thunderbolt at Katkamdag, Chharau, and Oreya villages, the police said.



Palamau and Chaibasa recorded maximum of 41.6 and 41.5 degrees Celsius, respectively even as several parts of the state experienced cloudy sky with temperatures between 35 and 39 degrees Celsius, the MeT officials in the state said.



Heatwave back in UP



After brief respite following light rain, heat wave made a comeback in Uttar Pradesh with the mercury soaring to above 40 degrees Celsius at some places, DHNS reports from Lucknow. The death toll in the current spell of heat in the state rose to 15.



Sources here said the maximum temperature hovered around 41 degrees Celsius at Banda and Jhansi in Bundelkhand region. Allahabad also experienced a high of 40 degree Celsius on Monday. The Met office said that there would be no respite from heat in the next few days.



The demand for electricity has shot up owing to the rising temperature and large parts of the state have been experiencing prolonged and unscheduled power cuts.
Just ahead of the discussion on finance bill in the Rajya Sabha, the industry has submitted a note to the Finance Ministry asking it to reconsider Krishi Kalyan Cess at 0.5% on manufacturers, as it is contrary to the objectives of Make in India, and it will only increase manufacturing cost in the country.





Cenvat credit of Krishi Kalyan Cess should also be extended to manufacturers of utilisation against excise duty to make manufacturing cost more competitive through amendments in cenvat credit rules, 2004, Assocham said in a note submitted to the Finance Ministry.



The chamber also urged the government to permit refund of service tax, including Krishi Kalyan Cess, paid by entities engaged in agriculture sector in cases where cenvat credit cannot be availed due to exemption of output product/service.



Considering that objective of Krishi Kalyan Cess is to provide support to agriculture sector in India together with entities engaged in the sector by training cultivators through introduction of sustainable agricultural techniques and practices, providing high quality seeds, crop development and procurement of agri-inputs need to be incentivised instead of being burdened with additional taxes.


It hasnt been long since G Sukumaran Nair and Vellapally Natesan  leaders of Keralas Nair and Ezhava communities, respectively  tried to put together a broad Hindu front to counter political parties which they claimed were sidelining the majority community.





The leaders have since drifted apart and have been exchanging fire through the media. While Nair keeps making statements maintaining equal distance from all political parties, Natesan has taken the big plunge by aligning with the BJP for the Assembly election.



Natesan, businessman and hotelier, is general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam, an outfit representing the states backward Ezhava community. Considering the about 20% Ezhava population among Hindus in Kerala, SNDPs possibilities in politics were debated for decades.



The alliance between the SNDP-run Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) and the BJP offers new possibilities  a crucial split in the Ezhava vote base or a backlash over what Natesans rivals have been charging as SNDPs compromise on its core ideologies of social equality and justice.



Rise of Natesan



Natesan or his son Thushar Vellapally, also president of the BDJS, are not poll candidates but the party is making a big push on its electoral debut in 37 of the states 140 constituencies. There are reports that BJP state leaders were miffed over this special treatment but Natesan is learnt to have played his cards well with the BJP central leadership.



At Prime Minister Narendra Modis first election rally in the state, in Palakkad, Natesan was seated next to the PM. The SNDP leader has also been allotted a helicopter for his campaign for NDA candidates, a rare show of poll-season swagger for Kerala. Natesan, facing charges of financial irregularities in connection with a micro-credit scheme run by SNDP, is one of the most discussed leaders this election season.



BJP activists say the idea is to build an alliance for the future. Its not only about this election. The BJP has, so far, fought alone against the two main coalitions. Now, its time to broaden its reach, Gopakumar R, a party supporter in Thiruvananthapuram, said.



The BJP, yet to win an Assembly seat in Kerala, has a history of effecting decisive vote splits. With BDJS as partner, the BJP hopes to build on these splits and have a realistic shot at elusive electoral success. P S Sreedharan Pillai, senior BJP leader, feels that the BDJS alliance has helped the national party gain new bases in Kerala.



The Congress-led ruling United Democratic Front and the CPM-led Left Democratic Front have been severely critical of Natesan over his political foray. The CPM, while dismissing BDJS possibilities, will be cautious since the Ezhavas have traditionally been a Left vote base.



BDJS leaders say that the party is eyeing victory in SNDP strongholds in Alappuzha district (the party is contesting in Kayamkulam, Kuttanad, Aroor and Cherthala) and hopes to emerge as a decisive force in Kollam district and Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram.



To contest in 37 seats is a big start for a new party. Irrespective of the results, it looks like the BDJS has arrived. Its future will depend on how it stabilises itself as a dependable ally, Roshan Sathyan, a Kollam-based banker, said.
The Singur land acquisition case in the Supreme Court notwithstanding, the CPM on Monday said it will work to restart the Tata plant if elected to power.





Even as the apex court has asked for relevant documents from the administration, senior CPM leaders say they will roll out the red carpet for the leading industry house that packed up and left Bengal in 2008, owing to a militant movement by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee.



Well definitely work on how to withdraw the case against Tata after we come to power, CPM central committee member Gautam Deb said. Deb and other top CPM leaders state that their priority is industrialisation in Bengal, which has suffered extensively under Trinamool.



No signs of development



In the last 5 years, the ruling party government only paid lip service with occasional meets with top industrialists from across the country, claiming to have pledges of crores in investment. But weve seen nothing on ground, said CPM MP and Politburo member Md Salim.



Deb said that once the Left-Congress coalition forms the government after May 19, they will initiate talks for Tatas return.



We want Tata to restart the factory at Singur. Although I doubt they will set up another small car project because thats already shifted to Gujarat, they can set up something else here, he said.



None of the leaders, however, wanted to comment on the Supreme Courts observation that the land acquisition procedure might not have been by the book.While Left leaders seem keen on bringing Tata back, land-owners on both sides of the divide  willing and unwilling  have an axe to grind with the industry house.



Save farmland



If unwilling farmers feel vindicated after the Supreme Courts observations, willing land-owners could feel betrayed, if Tata gives up the land. Unwilling farmers like Anil Koley and Mahadeb Das, who were part of the save farmland movement since 2006, said that they have always maintained how the Left Front flouted laws to acquire land. Now the court is saying the same thing.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday pitched for autonomy on both sides of Jammu and Kashmir, saying it is the only realistic solution to nearly 7-decade vexed problem.





We owe peace and dignified life to posterity and that can be achieved only by converting the present dividing line between the two neighbouring countries into line of peace, Abdullah said while addressing workers in border Rajouri and Poonch districts.



He said hostilities of past nearly 17 years have retarded growth on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and time has come when India and Pakistan should take a bold initiative by calling a spade a spade.



He referred to the wars of the past and continued border skirmishes, saying these have only added to the miseries of people of Kashmir, who have faced major brunt of turmoil during the past over two and half decades.



The soft borders would open up vistas of economic opportunities besides enabling hassle free exchange of people, which in turn will be a major dividend to peace and tranquillity in the region, the National Conference (NC) president said, hoping that good sense will prevail upon all the stake holders.



The former Union minister said denial of autonomy has brought Jammu and Kashmir to present morass, which if ignored anymore can prove detrimental to larger interests of the state. In this context, he referred to the resolution passed by the Legislative Assembly over a decade and half ago, saying that was reflective of the urges and aspirations of the regions and sub-regions of the state.
Barely a few hours after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti accused Omar Abdullah of spreading false information over the establishment of Sainik Colony, the latter dared the former to arrest him if the charges prove false.





Omar posted a picture from a document regarding allotment of 350 kanals of land for Sainik Colony at Srinagar on his Twitter account and said, If you (Mehbooba) have the guts & truly believe this image is fake file a case against me in the nearest police station TODAY!!



If you havent filed a case against me in the next 24 hours the people will know who is lying in this matter @mehbooba_mufti. Truth prevails, he added.



Earlier, Mehbooba had accused Omar of spreading false information over Sainik Colony row saying Omar himself was the chief minister of the state and he knows that neither a chief minister nor a prime minister of the country can dilute the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
With over 260 districts in the country being declared drought hit, the Centre is finalising long-term irrigation fund with a corpus of Rs 20,000 crore for small and medium irrigation projects.





The Ministry of Finance is in discussion with ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Development to finalise the proposal, a senior official in the Ministry of Water Resources told DH.



Ongoing project



National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will administer the funds which will be given to states to take up irrigation projects and to complete the ongoing projects taken up under Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme ( AIBP), sources said.



The Ministry of Water Resources has constituted a committee headed by Chhattisgarh Water Resources Minister Brijmohan Agrawal to look into issues relating to the implementation of the ongoing AIBP projects under the proposed irrigation fund.



Taking up irrigation projects in rural areas not only helps to increase agriculture productivity but is also advantageous for the overall economic growth, said the official.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held meeting with chief ministers of 3 severe drought hit states - Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh last week, asked them to take up irrigation projects to address the situation, mainly constructing check dams, percolation tanks, village ponds and rooftop rain water harvesting.



Failure of monsoon for the past 2 consecutive years, resulted in severe water scarcity in 13 states of the country.



Emphasising the governments plan to take up irrigation projects, the finance minister in his budget speech had said: Irrigation is a critical input for increasing agriculture production and productivity. Out of 141 million hectares of net cultivated area in the country, only 46% is covered under irrigation.
The BJP-led Opposition trained its guns on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the prime accused in the Gaya road rage incident, Rocky, continued to evade arrest on Monday.





The chief minister clarified that there was no pressure from the government and the culprit would be booked soon. Kitna din bhagega (For how many days will he run)? There is rule of law in Bihar where anyone who commits a crime will have to face the consequences, said Nitish here.



Meanwhile, the police continued with raids to nab the fugitive Rocky, son of JD(U) legislator Manorma Devi, who shot dead a Class XII student, Aditya Sachdev, following a scuffle over overtaking of cars in Gaya on Saturday night.



The police had arrested Rockys father Bindi Yadav and Manorma Devis bodyguard, who was with Rocky during the crime. The two were produced in the court on Monday, which remanded them in judicial custody for 14 days.



You cannot predict a persons behaviour and, therefore, cannot guarantee that a crime wont take place. But the rule of law means that if a crime takes place, guilty is brought to book, said Nitish.



But an unsparing BJP, which had given Gaya bandh call on Monday to protest the killing, asked Nitish to quit if he cant control law and order situation in the state.



Ever since he has assumed power in November 2015, most of his MLAs and MLCs have been found to be taking law into their hands. Instead of concentrating on the states law and order, Nitish is pursuing his national ambition. If he cant run the state properly, he should step down, said Bihar BJP president Mangal Pandey.



Meanwhile, Manorma Devi claimed that her son would soon surrender before the police. If he has done something wrong, he should be punished. But the probe should be fair. Rocky should not be punished merely because he is my son and I should not be targeted for being a ruling party MLC, said the JD(U) legislator.
The latest round of anti-India propaganda in Nepal came with Prime Minister K P Olis government allowing China to expand its strategic footprints in the country.





Even as Kathmandu dismissed speculation over a proposal to declare Indias ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae as persona-non-grata and expel him, New Delhi is closely monitoring moves by the Oli government and political developments in the neighbouring country.



Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Kamal Thapa, described as baseless the media-reports on move to declare Indias envoy to Nepal persona non-grata and force New Delhi to withdraw him from Kathmandu.



Kathmandu had not only called off Nepalese President Vidya Devi Bhandaris proposed visit to India, but also recalled its envoy to New Delhi, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, accusing him of working against the interests of Nepal.



The twin moves by Kathmandu came shortly after Olis government appeared to be threatened by a crack in the ruling coalition. Though Oli survived the crisis for now, a section of political establishments in Kathmandu once again started blaming New Delhi for triggering instability in the neighbourhood. Upadhyay was also accused to be working with New Delhi for destabilising the Oli government.



Officials in New Delhi took note of the fact that the latest round of anti-India propaganda in Nepal started just a few weeks after Oli visited Beijing and struck a landmark transit treaty with China, along with 9 other agreements.



The China-Nepal transit treaty is being billed as a move to end the landlocked countrys dependence on India for supply of food, fuel, medicines and essentials as well as to expand Chinese footprints in the northern neighbourhood of India. Beijing also agreed to extend the strategic Tibet rail link to Nepal to boost connectivity.



Oli, who visited New Delhi in February, apparently clinched the transit deal with Beijing, in view of the disruption of supplies of essentials from India to Nepal during Madhesi agitation against its new Constitution. Kathmandu then blamed New Delhi for launching an economic blockade against it.



Officials in New Delhi however pointed out that no other country could replicate the special and privileged relationship between Nepal and India.
The Upper House on Monday was in chaos as an unabated Congress protested against Prime Minister Narendra Modis statement against Sonia Gandhi on AgustaWestland case.





As a result, the debate on Finance Bill could not start in the Rajya Sabha. The House witnessed noisy scenes from the beginning and was adjourned several times with the appeal of both Chairman Hamid Ansari and Deputy Chairman P J Kurien yielding no results.



Congress MPs were agitated over Modi's remarks about Italian court mentioning Gandhi and others, without taking their names, and they rushed to the Well shouting slogans against the prime minister.



They asked how the prime minister could make such allegations when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha last week.



Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said no member in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha during the debate on AgustaWestland deal said the UPA leadership took money. He said Modi had during poll rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu said that it was not his statement, but an Italian court has said that Gandhi was guilty in the case.



Azad asked why Modi had not intervened in the debates on the issue in either of the Houses and say this when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply. With the Chair disallowing a notice under Rule 267, Congress MPs trooped to the Well.



Amid this, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy demanded that action be taken against unruly MPs under Rule 255 but later in a ruling, the Chair said the rule could be invoked against only one or two members and not a group. Kurien said that could be done only if the government comes up with a motion.



While the morning session was a washout, similar situation prevailed in the afternoon session. While Minister of State for Home Jayanth Sinha moved the Finance Bill, the discussion could not be started as Congress MPs continued with their protest demanding Modis presence in the House.
Dairy farmers angry at milk price cuts

A group of Australian dairy farmers are extremely unhappy with the pricing decisions by Murray Goulburn and Fonterra to cut their respective farmgate milk prices.

Fonterra Australia late last week revised its farmgate milk price for the current season from AUD $5.60 per kilogram of milk solids (MS) to AUD $5.00 per kilogram. Fonterras announcement comes after Murray Goulburn, owner of Devondale, lowered its prices a week earlier.

A group called Farmer Power is now lobbying Federal Agriculture Minister, Barnaby Joyce over the cuts and urging another review of Australias dairy industry.

In March 2016, Fonterra described its results for the six months ended 31 January 2016 as not satisfactory. Murray Goulburn lowered its expected payout to as low as AUD $4.75 per kgMS citing the AUD dollar and poor performance of ready-to-consume dairy products internationally.

Murray Goulburns price reduction was announced at the same time the companys Managing Director Gary Helou stepped down.

Fonterra blames dairy glut and Australian dollar

Fonterra said last week in its announcement that the revised price better reflects the reality of the supply and demand imbalance that is affecting global dairy commodity prices and has been compounded by the recent strength of the Australian dollar.

Fonterra Australia is also offering its suppliers an interest-bearing support loan of up to 60c per kgMS that is linked to a supply commitment and is repayable from the 2018 financial year, Fonterra said.

It is expected the price cut will reduce the cost of goods for Fonterra Australia by AUD $48. According to Fonterra, the price cut will also contribute to the reduction of opertaing losses in Australia.
As soon as reports of an outbreak of H5N1 virus at a poultry farm in Molkera village in Humnabad taluk broke out, officials on Monday started making preparations to cull the birds.





Around 1.5 lakh chickens are said to be infected with the Avian Influenza and will be culled in the next 2 to 3 days beginning Tuesday.



The 50 culling teams which were formed, cleared an area in a 500 to 1,000-metre radius near the private farm. Teams are being trained and given disinfectant apparel for culling. The carcasses would be dumped in a huge pit excavated near the farms gate, officials supervising the operation said. The farm was cordoned off.



Animal Husbandry department officials, comprising joint directors Dr Jambgi, Dr M T Manjunath and Dr Venkatesh, visited the district to take stock of the situation.



They visited Arunodaya Farm and other farms in the area. They will also assist the local team led by Animal Husbandry Deputy Director Govind.



An area of 1 km radius would be first disinfected where birds in farms would be culled and the action would be extended to other farms nearby. Birds in a radius of 10 km would be tested every 15 days and based on the report, they would be culled.



The district administration has banned sale and transportation of chicken within a radius of 1 km of the farm. Teams were also deputed to the Maharashtra and Telangana borders.



Officials said hundreds of birds were dying for no apparent reason since April 19 at Arunodaya Farm owned by one Ramesh Gupta. Initially, Gupta suspected they were dying of extreme heat. When the number of deaths became unusually high, he alerted officials of the Animal Husbandry department. Officials then sent blood and other samples to the Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, which confirmed Avian Influenza. Animal Husbandry Minister A Manju confirmed this to the meda on Sunday.



Humnabad MLA Rajshekar Patil was visibly perturbed over the developments on Monday and visited the farm with veterinary and revenue officials. Expressing shock, he said he has spoken to Minister A Manju and senior officials of the department and urged to take all necessary measures to prevent further spread of the virus.


The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that only the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) would enable students for admission to MBBS and BDS courses in colleges across the country for the present academic year.





A three-judge bench presided over by Justice Anil R Dave turned down all pleas, including those filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir and private medical colleges, opposing NEET on the grounds of violation of their rights.



Prima facie, we do not find any infirmity in NEET regulation on the ground that it affects the rights of the states or the private institutions, the bench, also comprising Justices Shiva Kirti Singh and Adarsh K Goel, said.



The apex court, however, added that special provisions for reservation of any category were not subject matter of NEET nor rights of minorities were affected by it.



NEET only provides for conducting entrance test for eligibility for admission to MBBS/BDS course, the court added. The court directed former Chief Justice of India Justice R M Lodha-headed panel, appointed as oversight committee of the MCI on May 2, to ensure total credibility of the exam to be conducted by the CBSE.



It is also clarified that only Neet would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies, the bench said.



In its brief order, the court said that all those candidates who appeared for NEET Phase-I on May 1 would be eligible to appear for Neet Phase-II, but they would foreclose their candidature of the previous examination.



The CBSE, which already fixed the NEET Phase-II on July 24, may reschedule it if necessary, it added.



In its 6-page order, the court cited its Constitution bench decision of May 2 wherein the contention of private medical colleges, including those run by minorities, that holding of entrance test by the state violated their right of autonomy has been rejected.



While the state governments had the legislative competence to make laws for regulating standards of medical education under the Concurrent List, but after the Central government makes a law, the Centres power under the Constitution will prevail upon the states statutes, the court had then said.
The Congress on Monday got a shot in the arm as the Uttarakhand High Court rejected the petition filed by 9 party rebels challenging their disqualification from the Assembly, giving ousted chief minister Harish Rawat an edge in Tuesdays floor test.





The Congress position was further bolstered as the Supreme Court refused to interfere and posted the matter for hearing on July 12 without granting any relief to the Congress rebels.



The apex court action has made it clear that the 9 Congress rebels, who had aligned with the BJP on the controversial passage of the state budget on March 18, cannot take part in the floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly.



With 9 MLAs ordered to stay away, the effective strength of the Assembly has now become 62 and all Rawat has to ensure is that his flock  27 Congress MLAs and the six-member Progressive Democratic Front (PDF)  sticks together. Rawat requires a minimum of 31 MLAs to sail through the floor test. The lone nominated member in the Assembly is also a Congress supporter.



I would like to thank the Supreme Court for the verdict. The verdict has healed the wounds inflicted by defections, Rawat told reporters in Dehradun. His supporters broke into impromptu celebrations as news about the Supreme Court verdict trickled in.



Reports had it that the two BSP MLAs who are part of the PDF, were having second thoughts on supporting Rawat. But the ousted chief minister has been maintaining that his support base is intact. Of the 28 BJP MLAs in the Assembly, the political loyalty of Bhim Lal Arya is in doubt. Arya had crossed over to the Congress ahead of the Budget Session in March.



Uttarakhand High Court judge U C Dhyani on Monday morning rejected the two writ petitions filed by the rebel Congress MLAs against the Speakers action, holding that by their conduct, the lawmakers have voluntarily given up membership of their political party, a ground for disqualification under the anti-defection law.



Within minutes of the High Court order, the rebels moved the Supreme Court.The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, who directed the petitioners to the relevant bench of Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh.



The prayer for interim relief (for stay of the HC judgment) can be considered on the date of next hearing, Justices Misra and Singh observed, while fixing the matter for hearing on July 12. It also issued notice to Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, who had disqualified the MLAs.
The Malleswaram police arrested a 27-year-old man and recovered eight two-wheelers. The suspect has been identified as Ravi (27), a resident of Indiranagar and a native of Tamil Nadu.





Ravi moved to the city a few years ago and was employed at Santosh Theatre on KG Road. He often targeted mopeds in parking lots, used duplicate keys and rode them away.



A complaint about the theft of a two-wheeler was lodged with the Malleswaram police recently. The beat police spotted Ravi as he was riding the stolen moped in Malleswaram, stopped and detained him. During interrogation, he admitted to stealing the moped, said the police. He had parked the stolen two-wheelers at the city railway station. He had stolen the vehicles from Malleswaram, Vyalikaval and Sadashivanagar.



House burgled



Thieves struck at a house in Byatarayanapura and made away with ornaments and cash in Avalahalli. The theft took place at the house of timber merchant Kumar, who was away in Tirupati with family, said the police.



The thieves broke open the locks of the front door and gained entry into the house. They collected cash worth Rs 1.30 lakh and ornaments worth Rs 6.50 lakh kept in a cupboard and absconded, said the police. The theft came to light after Kumar and his family returned from Tirupati.



Man commits suicide



A 28-year-old man committed suicide by setting himself ablaze in Nelamangala on Sunday. Hanumanthaiah is suspected to have ended his life due to marital discord.



Hanumanthaiah hailed from Doddabelavangala and had married Pushpa, a native of Chikkahejjaji, about two years ago. The couple were not on good terms due to incompatibility. Hanumanthaiah had left home about two weeks ago. He returned home on Sunday and there was a fight between the couple.



He got upset, poured kerosene over his body and set himself on fire. He was rushed to Victoria Hospital where he died of his injuries on Monday, said the police.



The victims mother Kadiramma accused Pushpa of having killed Hanumanthaiah. In the complaint, she accused Pushpa of ill-treating Hanumanthaiah and provoking him to end his life.



Pushpa reportedly had an affair with a man which had upset Hanumanthaiah. She connived with her paramour and killed Hanumanthaiah. The police said they would probe the case from all angles.
A security guard was arrested for creating a ruckus inside a State Bank of India ATM kiosk on 100 Feet Road in Ulsoor in the wee hours on Monday.





The suspect has been identified as Raju Devaraj, 26, a resident of Challaghatta. He hails from Assam and moved to the city about five months ago. He is employed as a security guard in a private firm, said the police.



Raju consumed liquor and went into the ATM kiosk around 2.30 am to withdraw money. He did not insert the ATM card properly as he was drunk and hence, the currency notes could not be processed. He lost his cool and started hitting the machine with his hands, added the police.



Abdul Kalam, the security guard at the kiosk, went inside and objected to Rajus act. He asked Raju to leave the kiosk, but Raju kept hitting the machine. Finally, when Kalam called the police, Raju attempted to run away. However, he collided with the door and a pole outside, suffered injuries and collapsed.



The police detained Raju. He was not carrying anything except the ATM card, said the police.


The high prices of private flats are prompting middle-class buyers to go for apartments being built by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on the outskirts of Bengaluru. But buyers will have to wait longer to get possession of BDA flats.





At a time when thousands of flats in the private sector remain unsold as the middle class finds them too expensive, the BDAs housing units are in demand. A two-bedroom-hall-kitchen (BHK) flat of the BDA costs around Rs 25 lakh and a three BHK Rs 45 lakh. On the other hand, the average cost of a 2BHK flat by a private builder varies between Rs 50 lakh and Rs one crore and 3BHK flats cost Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.



Irshad Ahmed, president of Bangalore Realtors Association of India (BRAI), told Deccan Herald that there had been a 60-70% dip in the real estate sector because of the cost factor. Its the same across India. Though the demand has shifted to 3BHK flats, people are not buying because of the high prices, he said.



Another builder, who did not want to be named, said the business was going bad and many flats remained unsold. Builders are coming out with several offers to attract customers, such as free modular kitchen or payment on possession, buy now pay later and equated monthly instalment (EMI) options, he said.



N A Afzal, BRAI secretary and proprietor of Home Makers and Realtors, however, said the prices in Bengaluru had not come down as the demand remained the same for the last two years.



The oversupply of apartment complexes is another reason for the high number of unsold inventory. Consequently, many builders are now focusing on the middle-income group while the high-income group remains stable.



The BDA has notified the construction of 3,280 flats and called for applications from the people. An official said that none of the flats was unsold because of the affordable cost. The agency is building 1BHK flats at Vollagerahalli, Malagala, Alige Vaderahalli in RR Nagar and Allur, 2BHK flats at Kommaghatta, Kanminike and Doddabanahalli and 3BHK flats at Vollagerahalli.



People will have to wait for three months to apply for BDA flats or sites. Possession will come only after a year as the construction has been delayed, the official said.
RSS functionary Arun Kumar has been appointed as general secretary (organisation) of the BJP state unit.





The RSS on Saturday had announced some changes in its internal arrangement for the state and deputed Kumar to the BJP.



The post of BJP state general secretary (Organisation) has been vacant for one year after incumbent Santhosh was elevated to the national level. The post assumes significance as it has a major say in deciding key issues in the party and reports directly to the party national president. Kumar is a mechanical engineer from Regional Engineering College (Now NITK), Surthkal and has been associated with the RSS for more than two decades.



Bhagavat visit



RSS Sarasanghchalak visited RSS headquarters Keshavakrupa in the city on Monday evening. He is on an organisation tour. After an overnight staty, Bhagavat will leave for Bhopal on Tuesday.


The state BJP will submit an internal assessment report on the drought scene in Karnataka and the relief measures taken by the government to Governor Vajubhai Vala in Bengaluru on Tuesday.





A delegation led by BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa and comprising R Ashoka, C T Ravi, Govind Kajrol, Suresh Kumar, Araga Jnanendra and a few legislators will meet Vala at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday morning.



The leaders will hold a meeting at the BJP headquarters in Bengaluru before meeting the governor.



As many as eight teams of BJP MLAs and leaders travelled around the state to study the drought situation. The team had found underutilisation of grants for drought relief provided by the Centre.
A class IX student died on Sunday after swallowing 12 iron tablets as part of a wager with her classmates in outer Delhis Wazirpur area.





Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered an enquiry by the sub-divisional magistrate. The victim, Sapna (15), was a student of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Wazirpur.



The incident took place on Thursday when iron tablets were being distributed in the school. Sapna claimed to her friends that she could swallow more than 10 tablets at a time.



Asked by her friends to prove her claim, Sapna consumed 12 tablets one after another. After some time, Sapna began to faint. Concerned by her deteriorating condition, the school authorities informed her parents.



Sapnas parents took her to a nearby hospital, from where she was later shifted to Hindu Rao Hospital. On Sunday, three days after she consumed the tablets, Sapna died in the hospital while being operated upon, said sources.



After the incident, officials of Delhi governments education department visited the school and enquired about the incident.



Meanwhile, negating the probability that the girl might have died due to the quality of the tablets, an official of the education department told DH that all girls were given tablets from the same strip.



All girls were given the same tablets. We came to know later that she has been admitted to a local hospital and then to Hindu Rao. The hospital is preparing a report and only then we can come to know the cause of the death, the official said.



The official added that the principal of the school is in touch with all the parents to avoid panic.
A group of restaurant franchisee owners are doing their best to give back to the Flagstaff community.

Bryan and Amy Ledbetter and Brian and Chrisy Daelick own the Rilibertos Fresh Mexican Food restaurant on Route 66. The two couples are partnering with local schools and organizations to raise money for after school programs and sports. Theyve held two fundraisers, one for Kinsey Elementary School and one for Thomas Elementary School, this year and donated 50 percent of the proceeds of four hours of sales to both programs.

While there are a lot of local businesses and restaurants that hold donation nights for local organizations, theres not many of them of that are willing to give 50 percent of their profits, even among the different Rilibertos, Bryan said. Each restaurant franchisee in the chain decides how much they want to give.

We wanted to make sure there was some benefit to the schools. My wife is a former teacher, my mom is a retired principal and my sister-in-law has two kids in elementary school, Bryan said.

On each fundraising night, the teachers and administrators greet customers and clean tables for a four-hour shift while the regular restaurant staff takes and prepares orders, he said.

At the March 20 fundraiser for Kinsey, school staff were able to raise about $625, Bryan said. He didnt have figures yet for the May 3 fundraiser for Thomas.

The Ledbetters and Daelichs took over the Filibertos restaurant in Flagstaff back in May 2015 when it moved out of the Flagstaff Mall. They were the first franchisee owners in the chain. When the restaurant moved out of the mall, the company renamed it Rilibertos.

The restaurant moved out because the Arizona-based company was looking for a free-standing building, Bryan said. When the old Arbys on Route 66 closed, it presented the perfect opportunity to move.

What sets Rilibertos apart from other small fast Mexican food chains is its dedication to fresh and fast food, Bryan said. Everything is made from scratch. The sauces and marinades are made fresh each morning and nothing is ever pulled from a freezer. The company is hoping to get a license to sell imported beer by June.

We take a lot of pride in what we prepare, he said. Our motto is Fresh food as fast as we can make it.
538 cases under probe



The Lokayukta police have 538 cases under investigation. In Bengaluru city division alone, there are 142 cases. Some important cases pending for a few months now include irregularities in the appointment of assistant public prosecutors, disproportionate assets cases against IAS officer Kapil Mohan, former minister G Janaradhana Reddy and two cases of misuse of office and irregularities against Congress MLA Muniratna. Besides, preliminary enquiries on the complaints against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Law Commission Chairperson Justice S R Nayak are also pending.



The Karnataka government is dragging its feet on according police station powers to the Lokayukta police. After the Lokayukta ADGP Dr Parashiva Murthys letter to the Home Department seeking restoration of the power in the wake of the High Court order to resume investigation on pending cases, sources said the Additional Advocate General too has recommended the same.On April 26, 2016, the Division Bench of the High Court, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) against the notification withdrawing police station powers of Lokayukta police, had ordered for resumption of the Lokayukta police investigation in pending cases.There were 747 cases pending with the Lokayukta police when the state government, through notifications on March 19, 2016, withdrew the police station powers and also ordered transfer of cases to the newly formed Anti-Corruption Bureau.Additional Advocate General A S Ponnanna has reportedly written a letter to the government recommending restoration of both the police station and investigation powers in the wake of the High Court order. When there was no reply from the Home Department on the letter by the Lokayukta ADGP, a memo was issued to the police officials in the Lokayukta to resume the preliminary enquiry of complaints filed with the Lokayukta police. Its been a week since the AAG wrote to the government for according of the police station powers under the CrPC and the authority to investigate under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The state government has neither refused nor conceded to accord these powers,' an official said.On the other hand, the government has also not made any efforts to clear the Prosecution Sanction Order (PSO) pending before the various competent authorities in different departments. Of the 747 cases pending, 120 cases are stuck waiting for PSOs.A senior police official said that even if this is cleared, charge sheet cannot be filed without the police station powers conferred under the CrPC and the PC Act.
The Karnataka State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) will write to the various education boards seeking that the schools under them display the fee structure on a notice board.





Kripa Amar Alva, chairperson of the Commission, said that she would direct the boards to display the fee structure in a prominent place in every school.



We are writing to the ICSE, CBSE and state boards so that schools display it ahead of the admissions for the coming academic year. The decision was taken after reports of a protest in front of one of the private schools in Whitefield, Bengaluru, which charged unreasonable fees as per the parents claims, she said.



The schools are also expected to display the numbers of child helplines and contact details of the KSCPCR.



Shashi Kumar D, general secretary, Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said that they have asked the member schools to display the fee structure as per rules.



It is a much-debated issue about how there is an illogical explanation from the government with regard to fees in private schools. It is known that for the last 15 years at least, there has been no revision in the fee structure prescribed by the government. However, that is no excuse and we have asked the schools to display this list, he added.



A top official from the Education department said that the proposal for revision of fees is ready to be sent to the government. Soon, there will be a meeting of top officials in the department and the proposal will be moved, he added.



Staff crunch



Sources in the KSCPCR said that several initiatives that the commission had been trying to take forward were lacking intensity as they were short staffed.



Even as all the posts are filled, there is a need for more staff, the sources said. There is dearth of staff. There are only 12 members working in the Commission. It is not just now, but round the year, we get calls. With such little staff, communication becomes difficult, an official said.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will start grading educational institutions under seven categories, instead of the present four categories,

this July.





The new measure is aimed at increasing competition among institutions while also accounting for the quality of an increasing number of institutions.



A highly placed official said the NAAC executive committee has already given in-principle agreement to the move and an official notification would be out in another two weeks.

Currently, colleges and institutions are given an A (very good), B (good), C (satisfactory) or D (unsatisfactory) grade depending on their cumulative grade point index (CGPA) they have secured based on seven parameters. For example, colleges with a CGPA between 3.01 to 4 will get Grade A and so on.



In the new system, colleges will be graded based on a seven-point scale namely: A, A+, A++, B, B+, B++, C and D. While the earlier grading had descriptions such as 'good' and 'very good', the new system will not have any descriptors. There will only be a distinction in the CGPAs.



The official said there is a need for differentiation with the growing number of institutions.

At the same time, everything is linked to grades these days such as the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) grants, the UGC grants etc. It is felt that further distinction among the institutions will encourage quality institutions, he added.



Explaining further, another official said that while there were a number of institutions with an A grade, there were others, such as the University of Hyderabad, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Benaras Hindu University and Tata Institute of Social Science that no doubt had an A grade, but are a cut above the rest and needed to be further distinguished.

The new seven categories will be able to capture more diversity in the grading, the official said.



The change in the grading system comes after nearly 10 years. A similar seven point system had been in function prior to four point grading system.



Bangalore University Registrar K N Ningegowda said the new seven-point grading system is sure to encourage institutions to concentrate on quality.



The university has A grade currently.
A man wanted in connection with the Tuesday stabbing death of a man at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville surrendered Saturday at the Conejos County Sheriffs Office.

Matthew James Haley, 29, is being held without bond on a warrant for first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of Jordan Robert Gausman, 31, of Leadville.

Gausman worked at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Leadville and authorities believe he was arguing with Haley when their confrontation turned physical.

Haley will be transferred to Lake County to face charges.
PINEWOOD SPRINGS  Two brothers died Sunday after they were swept into raging waters of the Little Thompson River through an area called the tubs that is popular for high-risk swimming.

The boys, ages 6 and 9, residents said, were with other children in the area, where granite cliffs form a waterfall and gushing currents cut a series of deep pools where people swim.

The two boys went into the water  exactly how and why is not clear  and dispatchers said they received a 911 call about 12:20 p.m. from a phone at a nearby home.

Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District crew and others responded by a bridge but could not revive the boys.

They fell in the water, Larimer County Sheriff Lt. Bobby Moll said. They were found unresponsive in the water. CPR was performed. It was not successful.

The sheriff and coroner were investigating, Moll said. It was unclear whether other children had been interviewed, he said.

The brothers lived in a home a few hundred yards above the river. Numerous signs mark the area, which is closed to the public. Residents of Pinewood Springs are advised to enter only at their own risk.

People are swimming in there everywhere during the summer when it is warm, said Carly Smith, who has lived in the community for 11 years and manages a business nearby. It is pretty risky. It is pretty fun. People are supposed to supervise their kids when they are down there.

The whooshing waterfall, while private, nevertheless draws people from outside the community regularly.

People come in here all the time asking me where the tubs are, Smith said.

Residents are well aware there have been accidents along the cliffs before, she said. When she was heading from her home to work, she saw firefighters performing CPR on the two boys by the river.

It was really really sad, she said. It will affect the whole community. It happened on Mothers Day.
Early last week ceramic plates, sculptures and paintings lined the sidewalk outside Southsides Flagstaff Modern and Contemporary Gallery  the wares of a group of adult artists with newfound tools in their trades.

Carrying pieces into the naked space, they complimented each others hard-won blood squeezed from an artistic rock. This is a single facet of the support system forged since coming together in January as half of a larger group: ArtBox Institute.

The 19 members are soon-to-be graduates of the Flagstaff Arts Councils third installation of the business training and professional development initiative. Each is plotted along various points in the curve of their artistic careers spanning multiple mediums.

Two separate, collaborative exhibitions open this First Friday, May 6. Create. Celebrate. opens at Flagstaff Modern and Contemporary Gallery, 215 S. San Francisco St., from 6-8 p.m.; Mama Terra at B.E. Yoga Center, 9 N. Leroux St., from 5:30-8 p.m. Visit ArtBox on Facebook or flagartscouncil.org to learn more.

Since January, students volleyed with presenters, experts in their respective fields, who offered tips for turning artists into savvy businesspeople on their way to proficiency in social networking, web design, marketing and more.

Weve been presented a harvest table, said photographer Paula Andress, a member of Create. Celebrate., of all her class has learned. Her group also includes curator Travis Iurato and Julie Williams, founder of Humanitarian Efforts Reaching Out (HERO), the nonprofit group benefiting from the event.

With the ArtBox semester winding down, Andress echoed the trick is to choose the right implements that will best apply to each artists toolbox.

Ed Kabotie, a member of the Matter(s) Collective sect presenting Mama Terra, has built a multimedia career spanning decades, and has participated in similar local incubators. Drawing from his Hopi-Tewa culture, and the renowned Native American artists in his family, Kaboties work has lent a voice inside many national exhibitions.

But he is quick to say his work in jewelry, painting and music is not the product of an established artist, rather a professional creative.

He remembered what his father Michael Kabotie said of his sons decision to pursue art, He said thats great, but theres one thing you need to understand: Art is not a career, its a journey.

He added, And theres a lot of aspects to that journey. Art can define you. It can be an exploration of your reaction and your walk through the world and your own personal character development. As far as me getting into ArtBox, thats all part of the journey.

Though Kabotie will not show visual art with Mama Terra, he will present musically at the exhibition opening, and explained ArtBox offered professional tips applicable to all of his creative endeavors.

Ive been working hard for a long time, but I still need all of those tools regardless of exposure and that type of thing, Kabotie said. I think ArtBox has given me a lot of reminders and pointers, and in some cases some very specific ideas about how you can implement them on your own.

Ceramicist Selden Wasson with Create. Celebrate. also has taken steps before to further his arts training. He said this summer will be his 10th year with Northern Arizona Universitys wood-fire workshop.

What brought him to ArtBox, he said, was the need to get serious. As a member of the Flagstaff Potters Guild and former Sedona Arts Center exhibitor, Wasson added he wasnt convinced at first a program like this was necessary to his career.

Through the community weve developed, the exciting things weve been doing through learning  its been contagious, he said. Also retired, Wasson added hes not searching for a living from art, though hed like to be successful.

Defining success, he described helping another ceramicist, NAU graduate Katharina Roth, install her 19 ceramic firefighters helmets last fall at the Coconino Center for the Arts Fires of Change exhibition.

That was a fulfilling experience for me, and I would like to start doing some installation work, he said, noting ArtBox has provided insight into how to move forward.

The need to push themselves and each other had artists vocalizing their appreciation for one another beyond the program that binds them, and many intend to further collaborate in the future.

Painter and Create. Celebrate. member Nancy Ruby noted, The artists I've met because of ArtBox really have been wind under my wings. What a professional and driven group it is. Driven to learn and to help others through their art.

Echoing her own experience reinforced by the semesters presenters, she added, Artists don't retire.
Two full walls of Zsuzsanna Gulacsis small office are lined with hundreds of textbooks, historical references to some of the worlds oldest existing artworks. Three of those books are also her own.

Flipping through each, she pointed to faded book and image fragments. Using digital reconstruction and diagrams, Gulacsi illustrates what she calls forensic art history: the foundation of her groundbreaking research on Manichean codices and picture books dating back to the third century.

The ancient religion of Western Asia, her primary field of study, has intellectually challenged the Northern Arizona University professor of Art History and Asian Studies for decades. And for her work, in early April Gulacsi earned an esteemed John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for Humanities.

Before she prepares for her sabbatical year in 2017, during which she will dive into research as a resident at the National Humanities Center in North Carolina, Gulacsi pulled back the curtain on her lifes work.

Meeting Mani

She first met fragments of long-buried art history in publications during her graduate research. She identified the corpus belonging to Manichaeism: a monotheistic religion founded by the Iranian prophet, Mani. The movement rooted in cosmology and good versus evil was wiped out by persecution, coming to extinction in the late 14th century.

Manichean texts and images survived though, however fragmented after 1,700 years, including artworks painted or commissioned by Mani himself. But they did not survive in good enough condition to be understandable, Gulacsi said, so she turned to digital technology.

A pre-WWI archeological discovery unearthed more than 5,000 book fragments in the deserts of Northwest China, a region once controlled by the Uyghurs. Gulacsi, along with her colleagues at NAUs now-closed Bilby Research Center, digitally reconstructed the faded fragments. She used historical contexts and the data like color and motifs left behind in the image itself.

To sift through the image, and help viewers understand, she then developed diagrams that break down the images vital information: stick figures and little captions explaining the figures poses.

Just one of Gulacsis significant discoveries is an image of Manicheans view of the universe. The elaborate design includes 900 figures and illustrates the basics of Manis teachings, Gulacsi said, from Gods paradise and below.

You can imagine a priest, a learned teacher in this tradition, would just sit down with the disciples and explain. To make sense out of it in an academic context, we needed a diagram, she said. The benefit is once its all done, this very, very complex teaching is captured visually and can be discussed scholarly. Without this diagram, its almost impossible to do.

Decades of analysis

Before developing this forensic process, Gulacsis PhD work took her to Germany to study the objects in person for a year. She handled the fragments inside glass frames, measuring and tracing  making sense of the material  and giving them the attention she felt they were due.

That body of data had to be interpreted, she said. Observation is one thing and understanding what you hold in your hand, but analysis and interpretation is another layer in all scholarship.

With high-quality digital images, notes and tracings, Gulacsi continued her 10-year analysis remotely. Her groundbreaking work first identified the Manichean objects  including the oldest known today, the Crystal Sealstone of Mani.

I found that my strength is using a methodology in art history; the toolbox of art history, she described of applying methods laid out for Byzantine, Islamic and Buddhist art in general. I could take those methods and apply them to this corpus that had been routinely misinterpreted and never looked at before as a group together.

She found the images in the codex were all sideways compared to the text. Proving this, she said, took 10 years and an entire book. Explaining why has taken her into another decade  and another book.

That kind of approach  tremendously time consuming, but now that Im 20 years into it, it landed a Guggenheim. Im very honored that my work has started to be recognized at this national and international level, she said in earnest.

At the Humanities Center, Gulacsi will expand research based on her most recent book that was published in the summer of 2015. She will use these comparative examples to point out the importance of this shared culture of teaching with images in different parts of the world at that time, including early Judaism in Mesopotamia  just 10 days walking distance from where Mani created his Book of Pictures.

This field of discoveries is a constant intellectual challenge, Gulacsi explained. Without research, she said, she would not be an effective teacher for her students mounting their own research.

I pride myself on involving my students in research at the undergraduate level, she said, noting her colleagues do the same. We are all scholars. We are all sacrificing to be able to do our scholarship besides teaching, and its just a life that is very satisfying to me personally. Its an honor to be able to do this.
Tsinghua, the acquisitive Chinese investment fund, has bought 3% of Imagination the crisis-hit GPU specialist.

Imaginations shares have shot up 15% since the disclosure.

Tsinghua has seen numerous bids for stakes in US and Taiwanese companies rejected.

Click here to read more ...




A drug that is commonly prescribed to treat rheumatoid arthritis could increase the risk of patients developing type 2 diabetes, a study finds.

Glucocorticoid therapy  a type of steroids  is used to control the inflammation that is caused by rheumatoid arthritis. But when the dosage of the drug is higher, University of Manchester researchers found that the risk of type 2 diabetes is too.

The Manchester study team examined records of more than 20,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the UK, and 12,600 American patients. They then compared rates of new-onset diabetes in patients who were prescribed glucocorticoids to those who were not.

During a 5.4 year follow-up for British patients, 10 per cent were diagnosed with diabetes; and during a 3.4 year follow-up for American patients, 6.8 per cent developed type 2 diabetes. However, the risk was only affected by the dose in the most recent six months.

Each 5mg increase per day of a glucocorticoid called prednisolone was associated with a 25-30 per cent increase in diabetes risk. But a dose of less than 5mg was not associated with any measurable diabetes risk compared to no treatment.

Senior author Dr Will Dixo, director of the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Epidemiology at the University of Manchester, said: Doctors treating people with arthritis have to make a decision how best to prescribe glucocorticoids by balancing the benefits against the risks. However, until now, no studies have considered how the risk changes with the dose and duration of treatment.

This research provides important evidence for doctors to make this decision [and] shows that low doses of steroids (below 5mg/day) do not increase the risk of diabetes. However, there is an increased risk of acquiring diabetes for people who use them for long periods or at high doses which can now be quantified.

Dixon warned, however, that people should not stop using glucocorticoids because they are effective in treating flare-ups in joint pain, and can help people with rheumatoid arthritis who do not respond to other treatments.

The findings appear in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.
Tuesday, May 3 was a hectic day in Havana. At midday, while the preparations were being completed for Chanels fashion show, a fire engine rolled down Carlos III Avenue towards the corner of Belascoain to put out the burning premises of a Yumuri store.

That night, when the luxurious French firm presented its show, dozens of unauthorized street vendors scrambled from the police, who had come to seize their meager goods.

The fire at Yumuri turned out to be small. However, a large group of experts and officials from the Ministry of Interior showed up anyway, investigating a possible act of sabotage and suspecting and a conspiracy behind it. Minutes before "Javert's raid against les miserables," a fire engine pulled up at the corner of Reina and Campanario, alerted of a possible collapse.

The police moved along the left sidewalk of Carlos III (looking at the street from the shopping center on it). Requisitioned were old books, well-used clothes, washed at the last minute; connection cables for home appliances (God only knows if they worked), blender casings, old radios, Russian cameras ... They call these vendors buzos (divers) because they often rummage through garbage cans looking for their wares.

Several bicycle taxi operators riding along the other sidewalk demonstrated solidarity: "Hurry up, here come the cops." The impromptu merchants rushed to pick up what they could, fearful of receiving fines or going to jail.

Fortunately for some, the officers stopped by a man in a wheelchair, across from the large entrance to the Baptist church of Aposento Alto. The woman accompanying him berated a couple of police, and there began a long dispute that favored the vendors. One who was going to ditch his goods received some encouragement: "Come one, you have time to pick them up, they're delayed with the cripple."

In the end the officers demonstrated some sympathy and let the man in the wheelchair and the woman go. That sufficed. The sidewalk was deserted in just a few minutes. Those who had set up before the couple did not have much time to react. In their hasty flight, they abandoned numerous items.

Although the police and les miserables left the area, the sprawling granite grounds retained evidence of the raid. A man approached, curious, not knowing what had happened just minutes prior, examined some books, hesitated when taking one in his hands, and looked around. "Don't worry about it, my friend. Take it," said a drunk there. "They left it there because the police came and the vendors took off running."

"I love literature, and I really like this book," the man explained, as if to proffer a justification.

If he were to read the whole book he would discover Victor Hugo, whose great novel Les Miserables seems to be played out in Havana:

"Man, subjected to extreme necessity, is pushed to his limits. There comes a point, moreover, where the unfortunate and the infamous are grouped together, merged in a single fateful word."
Governor Doug Ducey has ordered the lowering of flags today, Monday, May 9, in honor of Ann Day. Ann Day, the sister of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, died in a car crash May 7 in Tucson. Pima County Sheriff's officials say 77-year-old Day suffered fatal injuries after her vehicle was struck by two other cars.

Arizona lost a remarkable public servant this weekend with the tragic death of Ann Day," Ducey said. "A former state senator and Pima County supervisor, Ann was a dedicated champion for Southern Arizona and those she served. We are saddened by her loss but grateful for her legacy. Our prayers remain with her family during this difficult time."

Ducey has ordered that flags at all state buildings be lowered to half-staff until sunset today, May 9.
Just like the US 911 number, from 1st January 2017, you can dial 112 to avail essential emergency services from any phone.

Similar to the '911' all-in-one emergency service number in the US, India will be getting its own single emergency number 112, as announced by the Telecom department. As of now, different emergency numbers for different departments are already in operation, as for police department (100), fire brigade (101), ambulance (102) and Emergency Disaster Management (108), but from 1st January 2017, all of these services can be reached just by dialing 112. The service will also be accessible from all mobile phones and landlines, even if the outgoing call facilities have been permanently or temporarily suspended.

A panic button system that calls 112 which will also be available on all mobile phones from January 1 as per the new law. The panic button enables users to make emergency calls or send alerts to multiple numbers just by pressing a single button. A person in distress will also be able to communicate via SMS and the system will be tracking the location of the caller, that will be shared with the nearest help centre to provide help. All phones from 2018, a year after the single emergency number  112 will be launched, it will be a mandate for all phones to come with an in-built GPS navigation system, suggests reports.

The emergency service calls will also be supported by a call- centre-like facility, which will be able to help you out in Hindi, English as well as in regional languages. The Telecom department also announced that all the existing emergency numbers will be phased out within a year of rolling out 112, depending upon the awareness about this new facility. The Telecom Commission had accepted the recommendation by the TRAI to make 112 the number for all emergency services in the country, including police, fire brigade and ambulance in March, as an attempt to help people reach emergency services immediately.
All of us have walked into our fair share of glass doors, bumped into co-passengers on a local train, tripped awkwardly on low-lying cables, been hit by a slammed door and have had many such countless encounters in our day-to-day lives. All this, with the ability to visually see, judge and comprehend the obstacles in our path. If people with a healthy eyesight experience such run-ins, almost on a daily basis, imagine the plight of those with visual impediments. Navigating busy streets and crowded places is a herculean task for anyone, but, for those who are visually challenged, it is all the more difficult to steer through the complicated and busy environment surrounding us 24/7. Hopefully, a young entrepreneur from Chandigarh (also this proud writers hometown) is going to change all that!

Abhinav Verma hails from the quaint little town of Chandigarh. Although not so little anymore, Chandigarh is not a place where entrepreneurs are born. Riddled with landowners and legacy businessmen, the city is usually a place where dreams come to settle. But, not this one. This one was born out of pure genius and an unwavering commitment to innovation.

Verma, a Mechanical Engineer by pedigree, has developed a one of its kind human augmentation device for the blind, which is a smart and fresh take on the age old concept of carrying visual aids like a cane. Recalling his first steps, Verma tells us, I had entered a competition at my university, Chitkara university, and the idea was to build something for the blind. Everybody was building smart canes and ultra canes, so I thought why not build something which completely eliminates the cane. That was the idea behind this whole technology. It took 2 years for us to develop it. The first thing that we built was a glove that a person could wear and it could sense obstacles in all directions and it would communicate that with haptic feedback. Then, we raised our investment with a single demo. In October we got funded, by December we had a finished product, which is this, the worlds smallest, lightest travel aid for the blind.

Live Braille Mini

The first Live Braille product to enter the market is the Live Braille Mini. An excited Verma tells us that the demand for the product is so high that the first batch of units they sold had to be 3D printed. Live Braille Mini uses Ultrasonic sensing technology running at 50Hz. The sensing system, combined with patent pending wave-tracing and intelligent measurement algorithms precisely senses the direction, distance and texture of the object in the front. The proprietary technologies allow the same to happen consistently at 50 times a second. This information is then relayed to the user in the form of haptic feedback. It takes about 30 minutes for a visually impaired person to learn the haptic feedback patterns. A blind person has great perception, that is why it takes very less time to train them. We have partnered with a few national level NGOs in India, so no matter where we ship it, we can provide training to those that need it, says Verma.

Expanding more on the tech inside the device, Verma tells us that the Live Braille Mini is powered by a custom made chip, designed by him and his team. Basically the chip we are using has got 117 haptic codes, says Verma. The device is small and sturdy with a body that is made up of bulletproof polycarbonate, and medical grade implantable Silicon. Verma says, We have seen that a lot of times users drop the device and step over it, because of which the device needs to be strong to withstand such falls. Although the Live Braille Mini seems quite durable, it is not yet waterproof. Verma says that because the device works on the principles of sound, if sealed for waterproofing, it will interfere with the devices core functionality.

In terms of battery life, the Live Braille Mini can last for upto 4 hours, post which it gives out a warning feedback for 2 minutes before shutting down. It uses a micro USB port for charging, which will be upgraded to a USB Type C port soon.

Infact, the next iteration of the product is also intended at solving the education problem for the visually impaired. Converting text books into braille is a challenging task and even more challenging is translating them into different languages. The next generation of the Live Braille Mini will be capable of storing audio books, with 32GB of storage. For the same, Vermas startup is in talks with Governments from various countries, for simplifying the education process for the blind. So, the second-gen Live Braille Mini will also include a headphone jack, along with volume controls and a micro-SD card slot. The company is planning to sell locked units, without a micro-SD card slot in countries outside of India.

Live Braille Mini Second Generation Prototype

With Live Braille all set to brighten the future for the visually challenged, the most obvious question is that of the availability of the device. Currently, the Live Braille Mini retails for Rs. 5,999 in India. Units of the same device also retail from anywhere around $380 to $1000 in Latin America and Canada. Verma tells us that his startup works with 6000 organisations for the blind, worldwide. He also tells us that the Live Braille Mini will soon be available on Indian ecommerce platform Flipkart. As and when the demand for the product picks up further, Verma hopes to raise $2 Million to expand his business and grow his startup. Did I mention that Live Braille is assembled right here in India? Well, we hope Live Braille continues on its noble journey and that more such innovative, useful ideas emerge from Indias ballooning startup ecosystem. We will also be getting you a complete experiential story of the Live Braille Mini soon. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel for the same.
Easyjet: RBC upgrades to outperform with a 1500p target.

Restaurant Group: UBS downgrades to neutral with a 305p target.

Burberry: Barclays keeps at equal-weight with a 305p target.

Smith & Nephew: Berenberg reiterates buy with a target of 1300p and Barclays stays at overweight with a 1230p target.

Imperial Brands: Goldman Sachs reiterates buy with a target price of 3950p.

Sage Group: Jefferies stays at buy with a 735p target.

Rio Tinto: Credit Suisse keeps at neutral a target of 2100p.

Lloyds Bank: Berenberg reiterates sell with a 55p target.

BP: UBS stays at buy with a target price of 400p.

Taylor Wimpey: Barclays reiterates overweight, 300p target.

BBA Aviation: Jefferies stays at buy with a 300p target.
Commodities were caught in a downdraft on the back of weaker than expected data out of Asias largest economy and after Chinese regulators warned they might clamp down on speculation further.

BBC reports over the weekend that the wildfires raging in Alberta, Canada had slowed their rate of advance also took their toll on crude oil futures, with the latest reports highlighting how the blaze was moving from key oil sector installations.

Combined, those headlines saw the Bloomberg Commodity index retreat 1.90% to 165.02 as of 19:24 BST, alongside an advance of 0.31% to 94.18 in the spot US dollar index.

Key as well for Mondays price action, incoming Saudi oil minister Khalid Al-Falih said he would maintain the Kingdoms oil policy under his predecessor of limiting supplies in order to defend market share.

Chinese data in focus

Data released on Sunday by Chinas customs administration revealed that exports and imports shrank by 1.8% and 10.9% year-over-year in April when measured in dollar terms, worse than market forecasts for flat sales abroad and a 4.0% drop in purchases from overseas.

As regards specific commodities, oil imports by China jumped by 4.4% or 335,000 barrels per day to 7.90m b/d, but imports of copper ore and concentrates declined by 115kt to 1,260kt, weighing on prices.

Iron ore imports also fell back, shrinking by 1.9mt month-over-month, albeit likely due to day-count differences between March and April, Barclayss Feifei Li said in a research report sent to clients.

Nonetheless, Li believed current momentum in iron ore might extend into the second quarter, at least in their view.

Three-month copper futures on the LME ended the session down by 1.5% to $4,715.00 per metric tonne.

Overnight, the most traded rebar futures on the Shanghai Futures Exchange ended the day limit-down, retreating 6% to 2,175 yuan ($334.41)  their largest one-day fall on record.

Iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange for delivery in September fell in tandem, closing the session down by another 6% to 388 yuan per tonne.

Spot platinum got trounced and was off by 3.40% to $1,043.15/oz. in afternoon trading, alongside a 2.58% drop in the COMEX-traded July 2016 silver futures contract to $17.08/oz. while gold for next month delivery was down 2.09% to hit $1,267/oz..

Agricultural space also sees losses

Among soft commodities, July 2016 futures for corn and wheat were down by 1.92% and 1.67%, respectively, on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Cocoa futures on ICE eked out a small gain, rising 0.16% to $3,079.0 per metric tonne.

Live cattle futures gained 2.09% to $123.25/lb.
European stocks edged higher in early trade following losses last week, as oil prices pushed higher.

At 0855 BST, the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index was up 0.2%, Germanys DAX was 0.3% higher and Frances CAC 40 was 0.1% firmer.

At the same time, oil prices were in the black as wildfires continued to rage in the Canadian province of Alberta. Strong Chinese crude import data also helped to underpin the tone for oil after data showed imports rose 7.6% in April on the year.

Investors were also mulling news at the weekend that Saudi Arabias veteran oil minister Ali al-Naimi will be replaced by Saudi Aramco chief executive Khalid al-Falih.

West Texas Intermediate was up 1.8% to $45.45 a barrel and Brent crude was 1.2% higher at $45.90.

Despite relatively poor Chinese trade data, European equities have started the week higher amid expectation that Friday's weak US employment numbers will force the Federal Reserve to delay any prospective rate rises, said Rebecca OKeeffe, head of investment at stockbroker Interactive Investor.

This reaction is a return to the 'bad news is good news' perspective that dominated market sentiment previously, but the key question is whether lower rates for longer is a catalyst for driving equities higher, or simply an excuse for markets to try and justify current levels. Without sustained global growth and profitability, the danger is that markets will continue to drift lower, as seen over the past two weeks.

Data out of China over the weekend showed imports and exports fell more than expected in April. Exports dropped 1.8% on the year versus expectations for a flat reading, while imports tumbled 10.9% from the previous year, which was a much steeper fall than the 4% expected.

Corporate news was thin on the ground.

Chemicals distributor Brenntag slumped after posting a 27% decline in first-quarter net profit that missed analysts estimates.

In London, security firm G4S rallied after saying it has made a positive start to the year despite a challenging backdrop, with no new impairments. Back in March, shares in the company tumbled after it posted a fall in full-year profit and revenue on the back of restructuring costs and write-downs on onerous contracts relating to asylum seekers.

Also on Monday, investors will eye a Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers later in the day, where Greeces progress on reforms will be a top of discussion.

The thorniest issue appears to be the contingency measures worth 2% of GDP requested by the IMF, said UniCredit.
London stocks rose on Monday as oil prices rallied after data showed Chinas crude imports rose last month.

Chinas crude imports jumped 7.6% in April compared to a year ago, marking the third consecutive month that crude imports exceeded 40 million tonnes.

At 0851 BST Brent crude increased 0.76% to $45.72 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate climbed 1.2% to $45.22 per barrel.

The report offset weak China trade data over the weekend, which revealed a drop in exports and imports.

Exports fell 1.8% in April compared with the same month last year while imports declined 10.9%, according to official data.

Elsewhere, German factory orders rose 1.7% year-on-year in March, beating estimates for a 0.1% and following a 0.7% increase a month earlier.

In the UK, house prices fell 0.8% in April compared to a month ago, more than the 0.3% drop expected by analysts and after a 2.6% jump in March, Halifax said. The decline follows the introduction of extra stamp duty for second home owners and buy-to-let investors on 1 April and comes amid uncertainty leading up to the European Union referendum.

In company news, mining stocks were under pressure following the disappointing Chinese trade data. Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Glencore and Antofagasta were among the biggest fallers.

Greggs gained after reporting a 5.7% rise in like-for-like sales in the first 18 weeks of 2016, despite the tepid conditions on British high streets.

Security firm G4S advanced after saying it has made a positive start to the year despite a challenging backdrop, with no new impairments.

Market Movers

FTSE 100 (UKX) 6,146.20 0.33%

FTSE 250 (MCX) 16,729.22 0.48%

techMARK (TASX) 3,058.81 0.88%

FTSE 100 - Risers

Inmarsat (ISAT) 834.50p 2.71%

easyJet (EZJ) 1,452.00p 2.54%

Dixons Carphone (DC.) 418.70p 1.77%

TUI AG Reg Shs (DI) (TUI) 1,017.00p 1.70%

AstraZeneca (AZN) 3,860.50p 1.63%

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,265.00p 1.52%

Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) 9,020.00p 1.52%

Smith & Nephew (SN.) 1,153.00p 1.50%

Sage Group (SGE) 589.50p 1.46%

ARM Holdings (ARM) 944.50p 1.45%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

Anglo American (AAL) 615.10p -5.28%

Glencore (GLEN) 139.25p -4.36%

Rio Tinto (RIO) 2,040.50p -4.36%

Antofagasta (ANTO) 424.00p -3.96%

Fresnillo (FRES) 1,069.00p -3.08%

BHP Billiton (BLT) 822.50p -2.63%

Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 6,065.00p -1.62%

Centrica (CNA) 208.50p -0.67%

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 2,680.00p -0.52%

Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR.) 643.50p -0.46%

FTSE 250 - Risers

G4S (GFS) 193.70p 5.10%

Greggs (GRG) 1,107.00p 3.65%

Beazley (BEZ) 348.60p 3.08%

Tullow Oil (TLW) 251.20p 2.45%

Spire Healthcare Group (SPI) 331.20p 2.25%

Greencore Group (GNC) 368.00p 2.25%

Rotork (ROR) 190.40p 2.15%

CLS Holdings (CLI) 1,540.00p 2.05%

Paysafe Group (PAYS) 380.10p 1.77%

Rightmove (RMV) 4,041.00p 1.69%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Kaz Minerals (KAZ) 157.30p -6.20%

Interserve (IRV) 311.80p -5.31%

Evraz (EVR) 124.60p -4.67%

Vedanta Resources (VED) 371.10p -4.16%

Allied Minds (ALM) 339.80p -4.07%

Centamin (DI) (CEY) 118.00p -2.88%

Acacia Mining (ACA) 320.00p -2.62%

Ibstock (IBST) 184.60p -2.48%

Ophir Energy (OPHR) 66.70p -2.20%

Polymetal International (POLY) 679.00p -1.95%
Wood Group's PSN arm, fresh from securing key North Sea oil contracts with Shell last week, has been awarded the two contracts to work on a significant onshore asset in southern Iraq for a major, but unnamed, oil company.

The contracts are to provide brownfield engineering design, detailed engineering, project management, procurement services, system completion and commissioning support for operations and start-up on the project.

Wood said the contracts, which will be delivered by the southern Iraq office it opened last year, are effective immediately and will create more than 100 new jobs.

These two significant contract wins demonstrate Wood Groups commitment to working closely with key clients to extend our operations in Iraq, where we see a growth market that complements our broad service capabilities, international knowledge and strong expertise," said WGPSN's eastern region managing director, David Buchan.

Establishing an office in Dubai and a base in Iraq reflects our intention to build lasting customer relationships and focus on the development of our Iraqi workforce and supply chain partnerships.

Wood Group said on Wednesday that it would cut 300 onshore jobs in the UK as it opened a period of consultation with 1,000 onshore staff due to cost and efficiency challenges in the industry that saw it cut 8,000 jobs last year.

The company is facing potential strikes from union members who are predicted to reject tougher contract terms that include longer hours and lower pay, with strikes possibly hitting projects across the North Sea including decommissioning work on Shell's giant Brent oilfield.
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Global DRAM bit production is forecast to rise 14.1% in 2023, but growth on the demand side will grow only 8.3%, according to TrendForce. It may be the first time DRAM demand bit...
Jake Wagner says he 'had no other choice' but to kill Hanna Rhoden

crime-and-courts
PAGE -- A Montana man became Lake Powells second water-based fatality of 2016 last week when he drowned Thursday while kayaking near Lone Rock, the National Park Service reported Saturday.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area said a multi-agency search for Allen Robert Delay, 51, of Lewiston, ended when his body was located at 4:35 p.m. MST Friday in the Kane County portion of Wahweap Bay.

The Utah Department of Public Safety Dive team located his body using side-scan sonar, the recreation area said in a news release. The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Underwater Recovery Unit successfully retrieved his body at 6:51 p.m. MST using a submerged Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) from a depth of 74 feet. The body was turned over to Kane County Sheriffs Office Medical Investigator, and was transported to the Utah State Medical Examiners Office in Salt Lake City.

Delay was camping Thursday with his wife on Lone Rock Beach and took an inflatable kayak out for a paddle, the release said. As winds increased he ended up overboard. Delay was not wearing a life jacket. Pleas for help were heard by other campers and National Park Service staff from Lone Rock Beach. At 1:49 p.m. MST, National Park Service Glen Canyon Dispatch received multiple calls from Lone Rock Beach reporting a person in distress, and possibly drowning.

Delay disappeared underwater and did not resurface. Initial search efforts were conducted during high winds by the National Park Service, Utah State Parks, Classic Life Guard Aviation, and Greenehaven Fire Department. No recovery was made Thursday.

Friday morning, weather hampered the search effort. By 2 p.m. MST the Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team arrived and weather conditions improved enough to resume the search using side-scan sonar. Combined teamwork and support from the Kane County Sheriffs Office, National Park Service, Utah Department of Public Safety Dive Team, Utah State Parks, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Classic Life Guard Aviation, Greenehaven Fire Department, and the Big Water Marshals Office resulted in locating and recovering the body before sunset Friday.

Search and recovery efforts concluded in 29 hours thanks to invaluable multi-agency support and collaboration, said Acting Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Superintendent Billy Shott.

All boaters are reminded to be aware of changing weather conditions and wear life jackets when boating and recreating on or around water.
PHOENIX -- Dog racing in Arizona appears to be on its last legs.

Without dissent state lawmakers on Saturday gave final approval to legislation that outlaws the practice at the end of the year. HB 2127 now goes to the governor.

The action came with the blessing of the owners of Tucson Greyhound Park, the lone remaining operating dog track in Arizona. The practice of racing dogs has come under increased criticism, not only because of how the dogs that race are treated but because of what happens to those animals who do not win.

But there's another reason track owners are going along; They will be getting a guaranteed revenue stream for the next two years.

That's all wrapped up in existing laws that gives Tucson Greyhound Park the exclusive right to operate off-track betting sites in Southern Arizona. Customers can wager on horse and dog races from throughout the country.

As part of that arrangement, though, Phoenix-based Turf Paradise has to pay Tucson Greyhound Park about $500,000 a year to have signals from their live races carried -- and bets taken -- at those OTB locations.

At least part of the reason the dog track has stayed in business is that under existing law it has to have live racing to keep that exclusive right to operate off-track betting sites.

The deal incorporated in HB 2127 maintains that exclusivity and the payments from Turf Paradise for two years beyond the time the track ceases operation. After that, Turf Paradise can open its own OTB locations in Southern Arizona.
Town ousts woman living in tiny house

HADLEY, Mass. (AP)  A Massachusetts woman who has been living in a tiny house she built as a college student is leaving town after voters rejected a proposal that would have made her dwelling legal.

The Republican of Springfield reports voters at a town meeting in Hadley on Thursday decided not to legalize backyard cottages.

Sarah Hastings has been living in her 190-square-foot home on a parcel owned by another couple for the last year. She built the home while she was an architecture studies student at Mount Holyoke College.

Some residents had objected to the tiny house because Hastings failed to go through the required permitting process.

She was given a day to move out. Hastings says she'll try to find another location for her house.




A group of 300 prominent economists have called for new global rules to force companies to report taxable activities country by country. In a letter to world leaders, the group has called on the UK to ''take a lead'' to establish more tax transparency. Meanwhile, the UK government has organised an anti-corruption summit on Thursday, which would likely be attended by representatives of 40 countries as also the World Bank and the IMF. Many overseas territories, including the Cayman Islands, have shown little interest in the idea, and their attendance at the summit remains doubtful. The letter's signatories include best-selling author Thomas Piketty and 2015 Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton. The group also includes Ha-Joon Chang, the highly regarded development economist at Cambridge University, Nora Lustig, professor of Latin American economics at Tulane University, as also influential experts who advise policymakers, such as Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sachs said: ''The UK and the US need to take the lead right now to end these tax secrecy havens. We see from the Panama Papers these are simply conduits for massive illegality, corruption, tax evasion and many other nefarious deeds. They just need to end. ''If the UK and US and the European Union as a whole decided on Thursday at the UK conference that enough is enough ... there could be a phenomenal change in a very short period of time.'' "We need new global agreements on issues such as public country-by-country reporting, including for tax havens," the economists wrote in the letter. "Governments must also put their own houses in order by ensuring that all the territories for which they are responsible make publicly available information about the real 'beneficial' owners of company and trusts," they add. The letter comes in the wake of the Panama Papers leak, which revealed how some rich people hid assets which led to widespread condemnation of the authorities' failure to act. One of the signatories, the economist Dr Ha-Joon Chang of the University of Cambridge, told the BBC that he signed the letter because he shared "the view that tax havens serve no useful purpose". Dr Chang said: "These tax havens basically allow companies and certain individuals to free-ride on the rest of humanity. "These companies and people make money in one country by using workers educated with public money, using roads, ports and other infrastructure paid for by the taxpayers of that country and moving the money to another country in a shell company which doesn't really do any business there."








Our mother Maureen Timony (nee Mary Ellen McIntyre) was born at home on the family farm in Dromore between Ballintra and Rossnowlagh on April 26, 1935 to Catherine and Michael McIntyre. Maureen was the eldest of five. Four girls - Ann, Bet,and Isabel - and one boy Paddy. Their dearly beloved brother Paddy who passed away from pneumonia at the age of nine in 1950.

Maureen had many fond memories of growing up in Dromore and Ballintra, and often talked about times gone by, and of her family, friends, cousins, and neighbours in and around Dromore.

Maureen completed her education in Ballintra and Ballyshannon, then worked as Cecil King's secretary in the original Ballyshannon offices of the Donegal Democrat in the 1950s. Beside her work as Mr King's secretary, she also contributed short pieces of her own. Maureen used to reminisce about her boss Cecil King, the former editor of the Democrat, as a hard but fair boss and a good man to work for. She also worked with the father of the current editor, Michael Daly, of the Democrat, and an old photo of the then staff of the Democrat was highlighted in the November 28, 2013 issue of the paper. She also said that the place was abuzz with activity and a great place for a young woman to work. One highlight of this period was when Maureen was selected to present flowers to the US Ambassadors wife, Mrs Scott McLeod, who was touring the Donegal Democrat with her young son Danny McLeod.

After a happy engagement, Maureen married Alfred (Alfie) Timony of Donegal Town. She left her job at the Democrat and moved to Bridge Street, Donegal Town where Maureen and Alfie lived in the Timony family home and where Maureen helped care for Alfies elderly Mother. Alfie and Maureen had three children; Gregory, Jean (Jeannie), & Michael (Mick). Alfie passed away in 1976, leaving Maureen to raise her three young children. This was followed by the loss of the family home in a fire in 1983. She eventually moved to Drumrooske Estate where she lived until her passing.

In between lifes sadnesses and traumas, Maureen had many happy times in her new home at ODuignan Avenue, Drumrooske, where she lived her final 33 years. In particular, she always looked forward to the visits of her children with whom she spoke nearly daily, and visits from her son Gregory, who visited from Dublin every fortnight.

Maureen was an intelligent woman, read the daily newspaper from McNultys shop, and posted each and every copy of the Donegal Times to her son Michael in Boston.

As President of the Donegal Town branch of Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA) in the mid-1980s, she helped run the first coffee shop at the Donegal Town Craft Village. This included daily baking her delicious strawberry cheesecake, and scones.

Maureen was also a dedicated member of the Legion of Mary, where she had many friends and found much solace. She was well read and devoted to religion, and daily read her many prayer books and religious pamphlets. She also enjoyed trips to Rossnowlagh with her friend Teresa, and with her son Michael when he was home from America.

Maureen had never travelled much further than Dublin but in the 1990s she and her daughter Jeannie (Jean) visited Michael in Boston. They toured the city, walked along the banks of the Charles River. It was there that Maureen first experienced Indian Food, and tried to understand the Boston accent! Maureen also got to visit the Adirondack Park in New York State where she experienced German food at Saltzmans Restaurant, and visited the Adirondack Park Museum at the beautiful Blue Mountain Lake.

In 2001, she visited the Shrine Of Medjugorje in Bosnia with one of her dearest friend Teresa Neely, and a tour group from Donegal.

She found the trip long, but spiritual, and remarked at how friendly the people were and how serene the experience was.

Despite her age and physical ailments, she strived to maintain an active and healthy life in her later years. Her favourite walk was past Ard na Bratha to the bypass which she did nearly daily. She also enjoyed Donegal Towns cafes and, after a long walk to SuperValu, she enjoyed watching the town go by while sipping tae in the Abbey Hotel Lobby. She loved shopping in Sean McGintys shop on Main Street where she often bought adorable clothes as treats for herself or for her daughter Jeannie.

Maureen spent much of the latter part of her adult life fighting depression, an ailment that affects many in our society. This was her hardest struggle and it is difficult for the non-sufferer to understand. Yet despite it all, she still had breakfast ready when the kids went to school, or dinner ready when they arrived home from Dublin, Cork, or Boston. The major influence in our lives, we shall always remember her and pray that she finds eternal peace and happiness. She always hoped to be reunited with her loved ones, especially her mother Catherine, wee brother Paddy, and her everloving husband Alfie, and we pray that she is happy and carefree.

The Months Mind Mass was celebrated at Killymard Chapel on Saturday May 7th at 7.00pm.

Our picture shows Maureen presenting the wife of the American Ambassador with flowers on a visit to the Democrat offices in Ballyshannon.
A leading Fermanagh historian has slammed the decision of the ESB to demolish a famous local castle in a major local development in the 1940s.

Dramatic footage shown in Rockfield Community Centre shows the blowing up of Camlin Castle, home of the Tredennick family for almost three centuries in the late 1940s.

The castle was blown up, as the Erne river was widened and deepened as the ESB set up two hydro electric stations at Cliff and Ballyshannon.

Belleek-based historian Joe OLoughlin told a packed Rockfield Community Centre that there was no need to put the ancient castle under water.

Camlin Castles was one of a number of fine buildings like Cliff House and Laputa that was demolished in the name of progress.

The thinking at the time was that it needed to be submerged in water, and the Erne Scheme and the ESB provided good and well paid employment for the South Donegal area, Mr OLoughlin said it was not necessary to destroy the old castle.

Nothing remains today except the very impressive entrance to the castle.

And sadly the sound of the river was replaced by the hum of the turbines a bit like the large wind turbines of today.

Incidentally a major wind farm to be located at Derryhillew, 800 metres from the Fermanagh border has attracted some opposition from the Belleek area.

He added that the difference between the wind farms of today and the development at Cliff and Ballyshannon in the 1940s was that the landscape remained the same with the wind farms

Mr OLoughlin said the same could not be said about the background to the erection of the electrical turbines where the landscape was changed forever.

Mr OLoughlin went on the give a detailed account of the Tredennick family and their impact on the area around Belleek/Ballyshannon.

He also gave an interesting account of the familys connection with the Keenaghan Graveyard that he and Joe McGee were instrumental in renovating in recent years.

The historian traced how the Tredennick family bought large tracts of land from the Connolly estate on both sides of the River Erne and they also built local big houses like Templenew, Fort William and Cherrymount and were most benevolent landlords. He was speaking at an event organized by the Teigh Tunney graveyard Restoration Committee at a packed Rockfield Community Centre.

Secretary of the group Brendan Gallagher, told the gathering that a committee had been formed to erect a new gateway into the graveyard that dates back over 400 years.

Both Roman Catholics and Protestants were buried in this graveyard that is located near Cliff Power Station half a mile from Belleek and three miles from Ballyshannon.

Several families from Belleek, Bonahill and surrounding areas are buried including the Kelly family from Corlea (Ann Kelly is very active in tracing this heritage) Gallaghers of Keenaghan, Dolans from the Commons, Nealons and the Tredennicks who have a famous vault in the graveyard that was also the scene of a famous battle between Hugh ONeill and his brother-in-law Henry Bagenal (ONeill eloped with Bagenals sister Mabel and she was his third bean cheile) against the Maguires and the ONeills in the early 1590s.

Mr Gallagher, Anthony McCauley, George Naylor, Robbie Likely, Robert Johnson, James Gormley are part of a local committee who are keen to carry on the restoration work originally carried out by the late Patsy McCaffrey and Sean McCauley in the recent past.

Meanwhile another eminent Belleek historian John Cunningham gave a very witty account of the wider historical context of Teigh Tunney from Medieval times to the present.

Mr Cunningham gave a comprehensive and witty account of the growth of the monastic life on the banks of the old Erne waterway, Fermanaghs original M1 according to the erudite and laconic Johnny.

These monks were muscular Christians who often went to war with other monasteries for matters of Mammon far removed from he God they worshipped.

Teigh Tunney was also the location of an old abbey that was run by the Cistercians, who were also to be found in the Abbey Assaroe Ballyshannon, Keenaghan and Slawin.

Mr Cunningham also explained how Ballyshannon was sometimes known as Ballynamanagh or The town of the monks and how the Yew Tree that is so common in Teigh Tunney and other graveyards has properties that can help in the fight against cancer.

The most informative evening ended with a raffle that made E390 and Mr Gallagher thanked the large crowd for attending.

Our picture shows: The two speakers on the night Joe O Loughlin and John Cunningham being introduced by Brendan Gallgher, Chairman.
Sheena Havlin fundraiser for Marie Curie West, is pictured enjoying a spot of tea and cake with Patricia McCauley and Geraldine Dolan outside the famous Belleek Pottery to encourage Fermanagh residents to get behind Marie Curie's summer fundraising campaign.

The Blooming Great Tea Party encourages everyone to get together with friends and family to hold a tea party between 20-29th June. Tea parties across the UK have raised over 4.5 million since the campaign started in 2008. The funds raised from Blooming Great Tea Party will help Marie Curie Nurses care for more people living with a terminal illness in their own homes in Fermanagh and Tyrone. Last year in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Marie Curie provided 5497 hours of care to 102 patients. 58 of these were cancer patients while 44 were non cancer patients.

Belleek Pottery is pleased to host another tea party this year, building on the success of last years event. Patricia McCauley comments "We hope the local community will once again come out and support this great cause, these services are vital to our small community".

Sheena Havlin said :"Whether you're an aspiring Mary Berry or prefer to let someone else do the baking, getting together with friends and family to hold a Blooming Great Tea Party is a fun and easy way to support your local Marie Curie Nurses."

To register or for tea party inspiration visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty or call 0800 716 146. Follow updates on social media and share photos using #BloomingGreat.

Blooming Great Tea Party is Marie Curie's summer fundraising campaign which encourages everyone to get together with friends and family to hold a tea party between 20-29 June. Tea parties across the UK have raised over 4.5 million since the campaign started in 2008.

Visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty for further information, top tips and to register a tea party or call 0800 716 146. Follow updates on social media using #BloomingGreat

Marie Curie - care and support through terminal illness

Marie Curie is the UK's leading charity for people with any terminal illness. The charity helps people living with a terminal illness and their families make the most of the time they have together by delivering expert hands-on care, emotional support, research and guidance.

Marie Curie employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, and with its nine hospices around the UK, is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.

For more information visit www.mariecurie.org.uk

Like us at www.facebook.com/mariecurieuk

Follow us on www.twitter.com/mariecurieuk

Marie Curie Support Line 0800 090 2309*

If you've got questions about terminal illness or simply want someone to talk to, call the Marie Curie Support Line for free confidential support and practical information on all aspects of terminal illness.

*Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Event Date: Marie Curie Blooming Great Tea Party Launch - Belleek Pottery Visitor Centre, 12th May 2016 10.00am-4.00pm.
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Killybegs will be buzzing next weekend when four cruise ships visit the port over three days.

On Saturday, May 14, two ships will be in port together. The MS L'Austral is due to arrive at 7am and an hour later, at 8am, the MS Albatros is scheduled to berth.

On Sunday, at 2.30pm, the MS Boudicca will arrive and, on Monday, 16th, the prestigious MS National Geographic Explorer will tie up at 1.30pm.

Said Ann Dorrian, who welcomes visitors at the Killybegs Information Centre: "This is going to be a very busy few days but we are delighted to see such an interest in Killybegs by the cruise companies."

She added: "Many of the passengers and crews book our Hidden Gems tour up Sliabh Liag and along the spectacular coast road. They are never disappointed."

American visitors

Saturday will be the big day in Killybegs in more ways than one. As well as the two ships, L'Austral with more than 260 French visitors and the Albatross with 830 Germans, the town will be host to a bus load of American visitors, courtesy of the Cork-based company, EIL Intercultural Learning.

And, just for good measure, it's First Holy Communion day at St Mary of the Visitation church.

A craft fair has been organised in the Bay View hotel, to which all are welcome. And a farmers' market will be held on the Diamond.

On the following day, the largest ship to visit Killybegs this year, the 28,000 ton MS Boudicca with 880 passengers and 325 of a crew, will tie up at 2.30pm and stay in harbour until 8pm.

Killybegs will be the first port of call for this magnificent vessel which is making a round trip from Liverpool to eastern Canada and back. A Fred Olsen Group ship, the 200-metre Boudicca was completely refitted in 2011.

And on Monday, May 16, the National Geographic Explorer will visit from 1.30 - 7pm. National Geographic has been organising tours to this area for many years with groups of academics on board who are interested in the archaeology, history, folklore and music of this area.

Said Ann Dorrian: "It's wonderful to see such an interest in Killybegs by major international cruise companies. Local tourism groups and businesses are gearing up for a hectic few days and, hopefully, the experience will be enjoyable for all concerned and lead to more visits in the future."
GENEVAA rural county whose high school graduation rates have gone from as low as 80.5 percent in 2010 to as high as 94 percent in 2015 has provided an answer to keeping the doors open to one of its armories.

Governor Robert Bentley and Alabama National Guard Adjutant Gen. Perry G. Smith joined Geneva County officials Monday to announce the use of the Geneva National Guard Armory on Maple Avenue to expand the Geneva County and Geneva City schools career technical education (CTE) programs.

By 2017, the armory is expected to be used for CTE programs during the week and for drills by the Guards new battalion, the 173rd Infantry Battalion, on the weekends. The future of the 11,725-square-foot facility is part of the Army Community Partnership Program (ACP2) in the state, which will allow the armory to serve as a pilot initiative for other armories that have closed or are scheduled to close soon.

The Geneva armory was announced last year as one of about 20 in the state that was expected to close within two years due to shortfalls in funding to modernize the armories to appropriate standards.

Officials said about $5 million from a $50 million bond issue for capital improvement for National Guard armories will go toward renovations at the Geneva armory.

Bentley said the partnership among the armory, Geneva city and Geneva County school districts, and the Alabama Two-Year College System will serve as a model for other rural areas in the state in need of creating or expanding its CTE programs.

We can make government for the people when we use innovating thinking, he said. The best programs across the state are those that have local thinkers, local pushers and local ideas.

Geneva County Schools Superintendent Becky Birdsong said the CTE programs the district chooses will include input from local businesses. Those programs being examined so far include dual enrollment and/or welding, health science, ROTC, automotive, HVAC, and pre-engineering courses in which Genevas schools could partner with Enterprise State Community College and Wallace Community College for instruction.

The district has already hired Chris Duke as its Career Technical Education director and Cooperative Education coordinator to help implement and oversee the new programs.

Birdsong said discussions started years ago on the feasibility of adding more CTE programs to the districts curriculum. She said the district currently has agriculture and family consumer science CTE programs in place.

Birdsong said between 65 percent and 75 percent of Geneva Countys students enroll in postsecondary schools, leaving the opportunity for at least 25 percent of the students to gain education in some type of trade.

With us not having a lot of industry in Geneva County, we need kids ready to either go to a college or go to a job, she said.

Theres a big need here for kids who dont want to go off to school or get a four-year-degree to be able to earn a very good living and stay here, because they want to be here and contribute to the local community.

Alabama Rep. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, said the armorys decision to partner with the schools, as well as the college systems willingness to assist with new programs, gives the local students a greater chance for success.

We have a generation of children that have come through the schools here with a mother and daddy not going to work since the textile industry left several years ago, he said.

This move is going to change a lot of work ethics. Its going to give hope to children who have had no hope. Its going to break the cycle of settling for entitlements and minimum wage.

Smith projected at least six other armories in rural areas that were slated to close could remain open through partnerships with the neighboring schools. Those armories were not announced Monday.
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Would you fly first class if you had the money? That might sound like a rhetorical question, but it's one that only a few have the luxury - and the money - to answer.

For that same portion of the population it is a question that also applies to the latest breed of supercars, particularly in a country like Australia where it is almost impossible to experience the full flight of their first class performance.

Okay, there are plenty of reasons to spend more (if you can) on range-topping models from the likes of Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari and the relative newcomer to supercardom, the road-going division of British Formula One team McLaren, but most revolve around power; both on paper and the mine's-bigger-than-your status that generates within high-flying social circles.

However, McLaren's most affordable mid-engined machine, the 540C, asks the question why you'd need to fork out an extra six figures for anything more.

At $325,000 (plus on-road costs and before ticking a single option box), the 540C is still right up there among the elite, even if actually undercuts its most direct rivals  the Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini Huracan LP580-2, Audi R8 and Ferrari 488 GTB  by at least $30k, which is certainly not chump change even among the wealthy.

As the entry-level model in the company's new Sport Series range, which also includes the slightly more powerful 570S and upcoming 570GT, it sits under the 650S and 675LT (available in both coupe and spider body styles) that make up the Super Series and the (sadly, left-hand drive only) hybrid-powered P1 and P1 GTR in the Ultimate Series. Consider then, the 540C, and its siblings, as McLaren's business class offerings against the first class Super Series and private-jet set of the P1.

So, knowing that it uses the same basic underpinnings as the others, including the carbon fibre body construction, twin-turbo V8 and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that is shared across all Mclaren models, does that make it any less of a supercar?

After a few hours behind the wheel of the 540C  along with a 650S as a reference point - on a challenging run along Sydney's northern beaches, the short answer is no. But the business class-versus-first class question is harder to answer as while the 540C doesn't have the same on-paper appeal as the 650S it is arguably a better car to live with everyday.

First of all, its 3.8-litre engine produces 397kW at 7500rpm and 540Nm between 3500-6500rpm compared to the 650S' outputs of 478kW and 678Nm, making it half a second slower to accelerate from 0-100km/h (3.5 seconds versus 3.0 seconds) and reducing its top speed to 320km/h. On the flipside, it is more efficient with a stop-start feature in heavy traffic that reduces its claimed average consumption to 10.7L/100km.

In the real world, that translates to the 540C delivering a completely unique  and more liveable  character to the 650S. Where the Super Series model spins its turbo chargers up instantly, to almost angrily shove your head back in the seat, the 540C is more progressive in the way it builds up momentum; it is certainly less ferocious below 3000rpm, and therefore less intimidating under initial acceleration, but no less astonishing beyond that and towards its 8500rpm rev ceiling.

From an emotional perspective, neither Mclaren delivers the kind of ear-splitting or guttural soundtrack generated by its rivals. There's none of the crackling and popping when you back off the throttle that Ferrari has injected into the 488's similarly configured twin-turbo V8, the guttural bellow under load of the 5.2-litre V10 that's shared between the Audi R8 and Lamborghini Huracan or the unique whoosh of Porsche's force-fed flat six in the 911 Turbo. Instead, there's an element of surgical precision that befits the refinement that McLaren is renowned for, mixing a muted flat-crank warble with a high-tech V8 note and the faintest hint of turbo whistle.

That refinement is translated into the way it drives too. When left completely to its own devices, the engine and gearbox work intuitively together at leisurely speeds with smooth shifts to makes it an effortless car to pedal around the suburbs, cruise along the beachside boulevards or out on the highways.

But its character can be altered in a number of ways using the Active Dynamics switchgear at the base of the centre console. It's not as simple to use as basic sport buttons in rival vehicles as firstly you need to activate the switches, then rotate through three toggles  Normal, Sport and Track  on separate dials for the engine and handling.

With everything turned up to 11, the 540C is almost as quick as the 650S on public roads. Sure, it doesn't rocket between the bends with the same kind of ferocity but it slices through the corners with as much poise thanks to its beautifully-balanced chassis, pin sharp steering and the traction afforded by its Pirelli P Zero tyres and the subtle intervention of its electronic safety net.

Doing without the 650's hydraulically-interconnected suspension system (replacing it with conventional anti-roll bars), the 540C's body is a little busier over rough surfaces but the suspension is no less compliant in the way it deals with bumps. The standard steel brakes are also easier to modulate and provide more feedback in everyday conditions.

Its biggest drawback, and one that extends across the range, is the stiffness of the carbon fibre tub transfers every bump into a noisy sound that resonates through the cabin. If it's annoying after two hours, it could be a deal breaker for those laying down a large sum of money - particularly against the accomplished competition.

Speaking of the cabin, the 540C's two-seater cockpit is a much classier, more modern and a friendlier place to sit than the 650S thanks to a host of detail changes. Firstly, the scissor-opening doors provide easier entry and egress into the car and the side sills now taper forwards and feature rolled edges that help that process become less cumbersome.

There's also better access to the cupholders in the centre tunnel with the floating centre screen, the air conditioning controls are moved into the dash (rather than on the doors) and there are twin vents perched on top for better ventilation, the fully digital instrument panel is clearer to read and offers more functionality and the shift paddles are longer for better access to changing gears while cornering.

Vision is also improved through the 540C's letterbox rear window as well as the fact it has a fixed rear wing rather than the airbrake that pops up on the 650S.

Personally, I also think the Sport Series models look better and there's certainly no mistaking them for anything but a McLaren.

In the end, there is a discernable difference between the 540C and the 650S in the way they drive, the numbers they produce and the price they cost. It isn't as fast, as dramatic, or as challenging to drive. But, quite frankly, I reckon McLaren's business class ticket is better presented and better value without being any less exciting.

McLaren 540C price and specifications

On-sale: Now

Price: $325,000 (plus on-road costs)

Engine: 3.8-litre V8 twin-turbo petrol

Power: 397kW at 7500rpm

Torque: 540Nm at 3500-6500rpm

Transmission: 7-spd dual-clutch automatic, RWD

Fuel use: 10.7L/100km

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TOWN OF LOCKPORT -- Niagara County Farm Bureau will host its annual Farm Safety Night at Niagara Frontier Tractor from 7 - 9 p.m. Thursday.Although it is called Farm Safety Night, the topics are relevant for any family that has property.This years sessions will feature Martin Krause from New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health and Dr. Duane Snyder from Davison Road Optical.Guests will have the opportunity to choose one of two sessions -- one on Lawn Mower and tractor safety, the other on Eye Safety. Both are designed for home owners and farmers, especiallyyoung people. Families are encouraged to attend.After a break, guests will attend the alternate session. During the break and after the session, Martin Krause, Dr. Snyder and local farmers will be available to answer questions. After the sessions are concluded, refreshments will be served.Questions can be directed to Kevin Bittner at 778-7330.
This transgender teen knows he has the kind of support every trans person should have.

This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here.

At age 17, Hunter Keith has more confidence and poise than some people twice his age. Maybe thats because he already knows who he is, and he has the full support of his family, friends and school to express it.

Keith is transgender, something hes known most of his life  even before he had the words to describe it.

When he was six years old, he told his mother, Roz, I am a boy. She asked if he felt like a boy or wanted to be a boy. His response: I dont feel like a boy. I am a boy.

Keith says the word transgender didnt enter his vocabulary until a few years later, and he didnt say anything more about it until then. But hed always been a tomboy and never liked wearing girly clothes. Conflicts would arise when he went shopping for clothes with his mom, who didnt understand why they always wound up in the boys department. Then he started texting her photos of boys with short haircuts, and she began to realize there was something going on.

This was right before Keith made the decision to come out as transgender in eighth grade. He did a lot of research first, in part because he was trying to figure himself out, he says.

It was more self-exploration, Keith explains. I wanted to know what my options were  and I wanted to show my mom I wasnt the only one. I wanted her to see there were other people going through it, people who had success. I wanted her to see it wasnt just a phase.

Hunter emphasizes that he never once thought his inner conflict with the female gender he was assigned at birth was just a phase.

I always knew something was up. I just didnt have the vocabulary to say Im transgender. I didnt have the knowledge that people could actually say, Im a boy if they werent born with male parts. Once I found other people who felt the same way I did, then it made sense. But I never thought of it as a phase because Ive always known who I was.

Keith has always been more masculine, as he describes it, so he says his friends werent surprised when he came out to them as transgender. He came out to a few close friends before telling anyone else  even his family.

I told those friends first because I just wanted to talk about it, Keith says. It was more of a Let me run this by you. Maybe you can help me figure it out. I was almost 100 percent sure theyd be okay with it, and every single one of my friends was completely supportive. Theyre still my best friends.

After that, Keith told his mom, who didnt initially understand what it meant.

I was ready to go, says Keith, who was eager to start testosterone hormone replacement therapy, which also meant seeing a therapist. Id known for seven years. My mom knew for seven minutes at that point.

His mother quickly learned what it means to be transgender. She has been fully supportive, as has Keiths father and the rest of his family. In fact, his mother established Stand with Trans, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the tools needed by transgender youth so they will be empowered, supported and validated as they transition to their authentic life.

Keith recognizes how fortunate he is to have that kind of support, and he advocates alongside his mom.

Everyone in my life has accepted that I know who I am, he says. Im aware how much privilege I have in the trans community  that I can live my life accepted, without any sort of backlash or discrimination at this point.

Its not just Keiths family and friends that have been accepting. Everyone at his school  Frankel Jewish Academy in West Bloomfield, Mich., where hes a junior  knows hes transgender. Hes never faced discrimination there, something not every transgender student in Michigan can say.

I use a unisex bathroom at school because thats the most comfortable for me, and its a lot nicer and lot less stinky, Keith says. But I have gone in the guys bathroom at school and no one has said anything. If I decided I wanted to use the guys bathroom, thatd be fine with everyone.

Keith has a similar advantage with locker room access, because his school is based at the Jewish Community Center, which has family locker rooms he can use that include a private shower. But again, its his choice  a choice not every student gets to make. It will become even more difficult for students if proposed legislation is passed in Michigan requiring transgender students to use the bathroom that matches the gender theyre assigned at birth.

Its an issue Keith is well aware of. He says that if he was forced to use the girls restroom at school, hed be angry. Id probably just hold it all day, he says.

Access is also something he thinks about when he has to use a public bathroom outside of school.

Even though I pass as male, its still anxiety-provoking going into any bathroom. I cant go into the womens bathroom because Ill be kicked out. But since I know that I wasnt born male, going into the guys bathroom still causes me anxiety outside of school. What if I dont pass? What if they say they dont want me there? Im always going to feel this way, because I know I didnt start out like every other guy. Ill always have my past. I cant just forget all that Ive gone through to be who I am.

To work through issues like these, Keith continues seeing a therapist, who happens to be a transgender man, something Keith finds especially helpful. Hes also preparing for top surgery to create a masculine chest. Until now, hes had to bind his breasts to flatten them. The binding has to be tight and its painful because it pulls the rib cage together, he says.

Im super-excited to take my shirt off in public and go swimming without outing myself, Keith explains. Even with a swim top on people can still see the outlines of my binder. And Im just looking forward to not having to deal with binding.

Although Keith is already accepted as male pretty much everywhere he goes, surgery will bring him that much closer to being just one of the guys.

He doesnt mind being known as the trans kid, but his journey has given him a unique perspective on the importance of recognizing every person as an individual. His viewpoint has also been shaped by his lifelong involvement with the special-needs community, starting with his cousin, who has Down syndrome. Every week, Keith volunteers at Friendship Circle of Michigan, a non-profit organization that provides support and inclusive programs for people with special needs.

Being there is the best part of my week. Friendship Circle gives kids a chance to just be a regular kid for an hour out of the week. Being around them has helped me see everyone as an individual and not classify anyone. I think being transgender has helped me develop an understanding that every single person is an individual, too. Just because we have this common aspect and this common struggle doesnt mean were the same person or see our struggle the same way.

Like most 17-year-olds, Keith hasnt decided what career path he might pursue, but hes pretty sure it will involve working with special-needs kids.

Maybe Ill help kids with autism do something people say theyre not able to do, Keith says. Im a big believer in proving those people wrong. I taught my cousin how to shoot a basket and she can shoot three-pointers better than me now.

And Keith plans to continue being an advocate for the transgender community, especially because he recognizes how lucky he is to have the kind of support his family and friends provide.

I dont think Id be where I am without the people in my life. I know how much hate is out there and how many trans people struggle every day, he says. As much as Id like to be just a regular guy, I love the difference Im making even more. My goal is to use my privilege to give people the same opportunities that I have.

Read all the stories in this series HERE.



[Photos courtesy of Hunter Keith.]
A Brazilian court on Tuesday overturned a different courts Monday order that blocked WhatsApp, the messaging site owned by Facebook, amid a criminal investigation into drug trafficking in the state of Sergipe.

The earlier judicial demand that WhatsApp provide data considered critical to the investigation came soon after a ramp-up in the level of encryption built into the app. Five major Internet service providers faced hefty fines of about US$142,000 daily if they failed to comply with the order.

The ban resulted in more than 100 million people temporarily losing access to the service.

This is not WhatsApps first brush with Brazilian law. Facebook Vice President Diego Dzodan earlier this year was jailed for a day after WhatsApp failed to comply with a data demand in connection with a prior drug case. WhatsApp said that it could not access messages sought by legal authorities as evidence in that case, and the executive was held briefly in contempt.

WhatsApp last month upgraded its internal security protocols to create full end-to-end encryption, which appears to be a growing trend among Silicon Valley firms to increase their security following a high-profile legal battle between Apple and the FBI. Apple fought government demands that it compromise the encryption built into an iPhone that was a key piece of evidence in the San Bernardino terrorist case.

Thankfully, WhatsApp is now back online, said WhatsApp CEO Jan Kourn after the ban was lifted on Tuesday.

The company was humbled by the support and patience of the Brazilian people, he added.

We have no intention of compromising peoples security and we hope those impacted by the decision join us in making their voices heard in support of an open and secure Internet, Kourn said. The last thing we want to see is WhatsApp blocked again.

Digital Rights Rollback

The decision to block WhatsApp was clumsy and disproportionate, said Katitza Rodriguez, international rights director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Its disturbing to see the court issuing a decision that tramples over users freedom to communicate securely and the role of the Internet as a place for free expression, she told the E-Commerce Times. Brazilian judges continue to reach for censorship and mandatory blocking to enforce local law on a global Internet.

The order surprised activists in Brazil, who considered the move out of step with the spirit of the law, noted Javier Pallero, policy analyst at Access Now.

We did not expect that the Marco Civil, a key piece of legislation for the Internet in Brazil, would be misinterpreted once more to apply a widespread block on an app, he told the E-Commerce Times. Such an extreme measure is not compliant with international freedom of expression standards, such as the American Convention on Human Rights.

A cybercrime report under discussion on Tuesday includes proposals to allow application blocking explicitly, said Pallero, which would increase the number of cases in Brazil.

The block may have impeded journalists ability to perform their jobs, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Journalists in Brazil regularly rely on WhatsApp in their reporting, said Geoffrey King, technology program coordinator at CPJ. Blocking access to such a widely used platform is an overreach that violates the open nature of the Internet and disproportionately damages the free flow of information.

Wider Cybercrackdown

Brazilian lawmakers on Tuesday held hearings to consider a series of laws that could lead to a severe crackdown on open technology and privacy, as part of Brazils Parliamentary Inquiry on Cybercrime.

Officials on Wednesday are expected to vote on seven pieces of legislation that would give police warrantless access to IP addresses, allow judges to block sites used for criminal purposes, and require monitoring of content on sites and apps deemed offensive, according to EFF.

The crackdown is expected to have wide support among conservative legislators. Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil, who is facing possible impeachment amid a major corruption scandal, is considered too weak politically to halt the measures.
Microsoft last week announced the acquisition ofSolair, a move to expand its global Internet of Things business.

Solairs IoT customization and deployment solutions, which are built on Microsofts Azure cloud platform, have helped a wide range of businesses improve efficiencies and profitability, according to Microsoft.

The integration of Solairs technology into the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite will continue to enhance our complete IoT offering for the enterprise, said Sam George, partner director for Azure IoT.

Solair is an important part of [Microsofts] ongoing efforts to build the intelligent cloud, Microsoft spokesperson Lenette Larson noted.

The companies are familiar with each others technology, as Solairs IoT applications are built on the Azure platform, but they did not previously work together, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Solair, which was founded in 2011, has always focused on helping customers quickly and easily gain access to the huge benefits of IoT, CEO Tom Davis said.

By building our solutions based on real customer requirements that allow them to gain real value, Im confident that Solairs technology and talent will be able to make an important contribution to Microsofts Azure IoT Suite and Microsofts broader IoT ambitions, he said.

Ready Made

The acquisition takes place amid a major push by Microsoft to expand its presence in the IoT business. In March, it introduced a series of Azure IoT Starter Kits to help developers test new devices for proof of concept and prototypes.

At its Build conference, Microsoft announced the Azure IoT Gateway SDK, which helps companies deploy legacy devices and sensors to the Azure cloud without having to replace existing infrastructure.

Solairs offering, regional focus and vertical market expertise complement Microsofts cloud-based IoT offerings, said Alfonso Velosa, IoT research VP at Gartner.

It has specific vertical element capabilities for connecting to industrial and light commercial assets that complement the overall Microsoft Azure IoT Suite. It also had experience working with Microsoft and some of its partners on projects in Europe. So it did not need to buy them, but it made sense for them to acquire them, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Solair not only gives Microsoft additional IoT software and technology, it also has a track record of success in major enterprises worldwide, said Jeffrey Kaplan, managing director of ThinkStrategies.

So Solairs team gives Microsoft proven skills and practical experience in real-world IoT deployments, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Microsoft likely will continue to acquire companies in the IoT space. It has been building some of these capabilities for years, but it makes sense for it to work with partners and acquisitions such as Solair, Velosa noted.

Overall, the peer group of companies for Microsoft, such as SAP, Oracle, IBM and so forth, are all evolving their solutions at roughly the same pace. They all need to finish building out their go-to-market strategy, their vertical market solutions, and their full ecosystem that can align with customers on a global and vertical industry basis, he said.

Each of them has some pluses and minuses, but at the moment theyre all still ramping up their capabilities for the IoT market opportunity, he added.

Keep the Coffee Coming

Solair has deployed its IoT cloud-based applications to help theRancilio Group manage its coffee machines, which it sells to the hotel, restaurant and cafe sector.

The Solair IoT apps help Rancilio manage everything from managing coffee supplies to remote programming of maintenance and avoiding sales losses when the machines are not working.

In Japan, Solairs IoT platform has helped factories monitor production lines, according to Microsoft. The companys Smart Factory Advisor application has been used to help boost manufacturing capacity and optimize energy efficiency, George said.

Star Rises

Solair has developed a reputation for helping the Italian IoT market play catchup to some of its more advanced rivals in the UK and Nordic countries, Andrea Siviero, a senior research analyst at IDG, and Gabriele Roberti, research manager at IDC Italy, wrote in a February blog post.

The companys IoT applications included a suite of seven specific software modules that extrapolate value from data and provided measurable business value and insight, they wrote.

It worked with an extensive list of technology vendors that helped this IoT ecosystem work in tandem with client needs, they wrote. On the infrastructure side, it relied on Microsofts Azure platform as well as Eclipse, MultiTech and Seco. On the sales and implementation side, it worked with NTT Data, Vodafone and Altea.

One area that stood out was Solairs ability to deploy a fully operating IoT system in just two weeks, which they said was important not just for new installations, but for expanding deployment among existing clients.
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FRANKFURT - Apparel brands and retailers which commit to comply with Greenpeace's extremely stringent Manufacturer Restricted Substance List (MRSL) put themselves in a "difficult position." That's the view of the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers (ETAD) and TEGEWA, the textile auxiliaries and colorants trade association.
Sadiq Khan, London's first Muslim mayor.

London's newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, and the first Muslim to head a Western capital, attended British Jewry's annual memorial to the millions of Jews slain in the Holocaust as his first official function in office.

Khan's appearance at the north London ceremony came on May 8, days after the end of a fiery election campaign in which accusations of antisemitism Islamophobia were bandied.

During the campaign Conservative Party opponents sought to portray him as an apologist for Islamic extremism and highlighted cases of alleged anti-Semitism within the ranks of Khan's Labour Party.

"I'm honoured that my first public engagement will be such a poignant one, where I will meet and hear from Jewish survivors and refugees who went through the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust, yet have managed to not only build lives here in London, but give so much back for the benefit of wider society," Khan said in a statement.

Khan, the whose parents were Pakistani immigrants to Britain pledged to be "a mayor for all Londoners", and attended a reception as part of the Yom HaShoah ceremony at the Barnet Copthall Stadium in north London.

Mariam Mendelsohn, 78, a widow originally from Berlin, was among those introduced to Khan.

She said: "I wanted to make a decision on him, to see if he will be good to the Jewish people," Britain's Express newspaper reported.

"I think he looks like a very, very kind man. He has kind eyes.

"Some people have said having a Muslim mayor will mean us Jews will all have to move to Israel, but I do not think so at all....I think he will be good to all people."

London's previous Labour Party mayor, Ken Livingstone, was suspended last in April from the party after he claimed that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist. The action came as a number of anti-Semitic posts by Labour Party members surfaced.

Khan's father was a bus driver, his mother a seasmstress and he grew up in public housing.

The new London mayor started his first day in his new job - by taking the bus to work, Sky News reported.

He received a total of 1,310,143 votes - 57 percent of the total - compared to the Conservative Party' Zac Goldsmith's 994,614, after the UK capital had its largest ever turnout at 45.6 percent.

Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith accused Khan of giving "platform, oxygen and cover" to Islamic extremists. He also accused Khan of "hiding behind Britain's Muslims" by branding as "Islamophobes" those who shed light on his past, which was serious said the Gatestone Institute, which lobbies vehemently on behalf of Israel.

Gatestone quoted Goldsmith as saying, ""The questions are genuine, they are serious. They are about his willingness to share platforms with people who want to 'drown every Israeli Jew in the sea.'"

But Khan said, "They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other - something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope it's something the Conservative party will never try to repeat."
DEARBORN, Michigan  Ford Motor Credit Company is offering a disaster-relief program to Texas customers affected by the recent floods in Houston and the eastern part of the state.

The program allows qualified customers to delay one or two monthly payments, resuming their regular payment schedules when their situations improve.

"Especially at times like this, we want customers to know we care about them," Ford's financial arm said in a statement on Friday.

The program also applies to eligible Lincoln Automotive Financial Services customers.

Customers who are eligible for the program are being sent postcards, along with e-mailed notifications with contact instructions.

The offer is available to customers who are leasing or have purchased vehicles with financing from Ford Credit or Lincoln Automotive Financial Services.

Edmunds says: Customers who do not want to wait to be contacted should call 1-800-723-4016 for more information.
There are many courses and careers on offer. But should one listen to their heart and choose a career based on passion and interest, or settle for a practical option that promises a good salary? The answer is crucial and not always clear. According to a recent MTV survey, todays youth is ambitious, but looks for a purpose. Eighty per cent of young Indians say that they are in constant pursuit of their calling. The biggest fear in life is to be stuck in the wrong job or wander aimlessly without purpose, shows the national survey of 11,000 13- to 25-year-olds. Experts weigh in on whether it is a practical idea to choose a course and career based on ones likes and instincts or on factors such as employability and market demand.

Rama, Acting Principal, Hans Raj College, University of Delhi

Ruskin Bond had said in an interview that life is like a prism: no matter which way you turn, there will always be at least a single beam of light which shines out. In our age of cut-throat competition and fast growth, it is important for young people to be stable and alert to cope with life. It is in times of stress that their true spirit is tested: while they have to remain positive and pragmatic about their decisions, they must also always know that it is human to make mistakes and that it is never too late to make amends. With supportive parents and a healthy learning atmosphere, nothing is impossible.

As an educator, I believe every person can do something of significance, to illuminate his/her life. So, I advise students to do what excites them and give their best.

Ritu Mehrotra, Vice President, Global Growth, Zomato

I believe focusing on passion can promote the idea that theres an ideal path for you  one you are enthusiastic about. We are often told to follow our passion and make a career out of what we love. In theory, turning your interests into your calling should be easy and lead to financial nirvana where money flows and happiness prevails. Reality, however, is that few who act on such advice reach their desired destination. Many people have no clue what they are made for. For example, people love to sing (especially in the car, when they are alone). However, for many, a successful singing career is unlikely.

Distinguishing between what you believe your passion is and what your innate gifts are is the key to cultivating a career that lets you to do what you like, what you are good at and what others will pay you for. Moreover, courage matters. Be brave in looking at all alternatives that can allow you to achieve your vision.



Swati Salunkhe, Counsellor , Mumbai

Follow your heart... follow your passion is the mantra more and more parents and students are endorsing. Many students think this gives them flexibility, a good pay package, a cool status and freedom at work. There is nothing wrong with this, but many do not know what their interests are. Passion is to be found within and pursued as a life journey. It has been unfortunately confined to creative and offbeat careers. But the truth is, one can feel passionate about any job. In todays world, students choices are often driven by the media, not realising that a dream career would involve various struggles. For example, some wish to become wildlife photographers without knowing the pros and cons of the occupation.

Students have a wavering interest in offbeat courses and find it difficult to work on or study anything relentlessly. To achieve ones dream, one must be ready to give it everything and accept whatever it comes with. Along with passion, hard work, skills, abilities and a positive attitude determine success and satisfaction.
Illinois school administrators are counting up their reserve funds to see how long they would be able to keep their doors open in the case that the state doesnt distribute its share of education dollars by July 1.

Its not a far-fetched scenario. As of last week, the state still hadnt come up with an overall budget for the current, 2016 fiscal year, or for the coming 2017 fiscal year.

While Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner approved K-12 education spending in a separate budget measure in June, colleges and several human services agencies have been forced to tap their savings accounts and take out emergency loans to continue operating.

Competing Plans

Now the states school districts fear they could face a similar fate if the states Democratic-controlled legislature and Rauner dont agree on a spending plan by July 1.

As of last week, legislators were debating two very different proposalsone by the Rauner and another by Democratic Sens. Andy Manar and Senate President John Cullertonthat would fundamentally change how the state distributes its education dollars. Rauner has proposed, for the first time in seven years, to fully fund Illinois portion of education costs under the states funding formula by adding $120 million to its education spending. The state is spending $7 billion on K-12 in the current fiscal year.

While the states constitution requires the states funding formula to provide districts with $6,119 per student, the state has not contributed its total share in recent years because of a $111 billion public employee pension debt, among other things. Thats resulted in widespread funding cuts to districts across the state.

We must make the education of our children our top priority, Rauner said during a budget address in February in which he urged legislators to send a K-12 budget proposal to his desk. While admitting that the funding formula needs to be changed, he said past attempts have pitted districts against one another. The one thing I wont back down onthe one thing thats non-negotiable for meis increasing education funding.

Rauners plan would result in some districts, including Chicago and surrounding suburbs, losing money. Rauner has said those district would lose funds because they are losing students. But Chicago officials blame an already-flawed formula that they say is too dependent on local property taxes and say that Rauners plan will only exacerbate disparities among districts.

Harsh Rhetoric

That aspect of his plan has sparked large-scale protests by Chicago teachers and parents who have described the potential cuts as detrimental to a district already undergoing its own budget cuts

Bruce Rauner is a liar, Karen Lewis, the president of Chicagos teachers union, said during a protest last month, rejecting the governors argument that all districts would benefit from his budget in the long run. And, you know, Ive been reading in the news lately all about these ISIS recruits popping up all over the placehas Homeland Security checked this man out yet? Because the things hes doing look like acts of terror on poor and working-class people.

That comment drew a harsh condemnation from Rauners office.

Cullerton and Manar have proposed replacing the states 19-year-old school funding formula with one that would increase state support to the states neediest school districts. Chicago, under that plan, would receive close to $300 million, according to some estimates.

The states funding formula is heavily reliant on property taxes, an issue that school officials for years have complained about. Districts with low property values, especially rural ones downstate, have suffered disproportionately, according to education advocacy organizations.

Our [existing] formula is almost punitive to children who live in poverty today, Manar said during a press conference last month where he unveiled his proposal.

Chicago, under that plan, would receive close to $175 million more, according to an analysis by the states board of education released last week that sparked widespread criticism of the plan from the states Republicans. The data shows what many of us have feared: that [Manars] legislation has become a vehicle for a major bailout of the bankrupt Chicago school system, while wildly shifting funding around suburban communities, and creating a detrimental impact on downstate schools, said Republican state Sen. Jason Barickman.

Manar said the study was flawed and politically motivated.

Several Democratic legislators have said they will hold up K-12 spending this year until the states funding formula is changed.

Were going to move forward with or without the governor, Manar said.

Rauner said last month that he thinks theyll come up with a solution by July 1.

Superintendents, meanwhile, arent so confident.

A year ago, I wouldve said no, [a state shutdown] could never happen, said John Asplund, the superintendent of Farmington school district, in the western part of the state. But, now, I dont know. Weve kept a healthy fund balance reserve because the state has been so unpredictable. Id rather have a large rainy day fund balance because it keeps raining here.
To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.


http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-jones-healthcare-buyer-beware-20160508-story.html

A good friend of mine recently found herself between jobs, with a gap in her health insurance and a recurrence of her kidney stones. What she needed were fluids and pain relief, fast. I'm a gastroenterologist, and hoping to minimize the financial impact, I went with her to our local ER and had a conversation with the attending physician. Maybe we could pass on the CT scan and extraneous lab work?

The attending was in her room for less than two minutes and never examined her. But the CT scan and blood work were ordered. My friend received intravenous fluids (about $1 worth), pain meds (about $5 worth of dilaudid), and a $10,000 bill from the hospital. To add insult to injury, the bill from the ER attending was for service at the highest billable level.

My friend had the good sense and gumption to call the ER group's practice manager to point out that billing at that level was fraudulent. The ER group had the good sense to reduce the bill by half.

Shortly after that, I received a call from a patient on whom I had performed an upper endoscopy to remove a small gastric polyp. Because removing stomach polyps can be complicated by bleeding, I did the procedure in the hospital rather than an outpatient center. The whole thing took 15 minutes. Anesthesia wasn't required, just routine conscious sedation. So, my patient wanted to know, what had I done that warranted an $18,000 bill from the hospital?

I had absolutely no explanation. For $18,000, you can just about buy your own endoscope. Amortized costs for an upper endoscopy at this hospital, including the use of the endoscopy unit, salaries for the whole staff, medication and equipment expenses is probably not more than $200 for 15 minutes. By the way, the doctor doing the procedure  in that case, me  typically gets about $175 for an upper endoscopy.

And then there are the costly procedures you could probably do without.

Recently, a surgical group owned by the same hospital hired a surgeon with an interest in esophageal disorders, particularly surgery for acid reflux  heartburn. He's a good guy and capable. So the hospital decided to create a center of excellence for esophageal diseases. A hurdle quickly became apparent. My town isn't flush with esophageal experts. The hospital has excellent generalists who could contribute, but just one specialist surgeon who was retiring (hence the new hire). Still, the Joint Commission, an independent healthcare accreditation outfit, would certify the hospital's new center if certain standards were met and a fee was paid. That's not exactly the same as excellence.

American healthcare is ... often about selling you things you probably don't need at a ridiculous price.

A marketing plan was developed to get the word out. But really, far fewer than 1% of frequent heartburn sufferers will benefit from surgery. Most people with heartburn would be best served by getting help modifying their lifestyle. That's particularly true because the behaviors associated with reflux (overeating, obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking, to name a few) are also risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and a variety of cancers.

However, lifestyle modifications are not profitable and surgery is very profitable. The surgeon (and his colleagues who agreed to work with the center) doesn't want to perform surgery that's inappropriate or not indicated. He's not like that. But he's employed by the hospital. You can see where this is going. The center is up and running.

The American healthcare system is capable of many wonderful things, but not all of them are about health or care. It is just as often about selling you things you probably don't need at a ridiculous price, or finding ways to charge you a ridiculous price even for what you do need.

The folks driving it aren't generally physicians, nurses or other healthcare providers (to use the parlance of the times). They are businesspeople  executives that run hospitals, pharmaceutical concerns and insurance companies  using healthcare as their instrument to make money. And sadly, the average physician doesn't have a lot of choice about lashing his raft to these organizations if he wants to practice his trade.

As a nation, we spend far more than other developed countries for healthcare, and our outcomes are not as good. Those other countries generally have some form of a single-payer system. Here, we're told single-payer horror stories: People are dying in Canada and England waiting for care.

I've got news from the front lines of the U.S. system. People are dying here, too, in large numbers, and at the same time they're going broke paying the bills. Medical expenses, even now that many more people have some form of insurance, are a prime cause of bankruptcy and financial insecurity in the U.S.

No healthcare system is perfect, but here's what the rest of the civilized world understands: Healthcare is a right. There is no place for rampant capitalism in treating the sick. This advice is harsh but true: When it comes to your healthcare, buyer beware.

Michael Jones is in private practice on the Eastern seaboard.
It's a compelling image, but it captures only a feeble percentage of the diversity and excellence that imbues one of the most incredible countries in the world.

Mexico's national liquor is a worldwide bar standard, with exports to 96 countries.

But don't come to Mexico expecting to impress locals by chugging a syrupy sweet margarita or knocking down manly shots all night.

Tequila is meant to be sipped and savored, like fine whiskey, which, as any Mexican will tell you, the best tequila can compete with.

You can get a taste of the branded stuff on tours such as The Tequila Express operated by Casa Herradura and the Jose Cuervo Express tour.

HORN SECTIONS

From symphony orchestras to oompah bands to soul and R&B horn sections, everyone loves a blast of brass.

Whereas most countries tend to save their horns for parties and special occasions, however, Mexico kicks out the brass jams on a daily basis.

Where else can you hear tubas -- actual tubas! -- laying down bass lines on the radio every hour of the week?

It all comes down to bandas, the heart of both traditional and popular genres of Mexican music.

Bandas are typically comprised of 10 to 20 musicians who play brass instruments, woodwinds and various percussion.

Every Mexico traveler is charmed by mariachi, but bandas are a part of several broader genres, the most characteristic being ranchera, quebradita and corridos.

CELEBRATING DEATH

Plenty of cultures do ancestor worship.

But who else turns the commemoration of their dearly departed into an annual fiesta of art, food and community?

On November 1, aka the Day of the Dead, Mexicans put together ofrendas (shrines) for loved ones who have passed away.

Every ofrenda includes pictures of the deceased, food, drinks, skull-shaped candies, candles and cempasuchil, the Aztec marigold or flower of the dead.

The belief is that souls of children come back to earth to visit family and friends on November 1 and the souls of adults do the same on November 2.

Day of the Dead festivals take place across Mexico.

Three of the most elaborate are held in San Andres Mixquic (in Tlahuac, Mexico City), Patzcuaro, Michoacan and Janitzio, Michoacan.

DOUBLE ENTENDRE (ALBUR)

Called "albur" in Spanish, double entendre isn't just a linguistic trick for Mexicans, it's an art form requiring a nimble mind and the ability to convey smart but subtle messages, often laced with sexual or R-rated undertones.

Many languages, of course, employ veiled connotations and witty wordplay.

But albur is so important in Mexico that there's a national tournament to crown the best alburero.

The "Queen of Albur" is Lourdes Ruiz, who's dominated the competition since 1997, defeating men and women.

She even teaches albur courses.

Still not convinced Mexicans take double entendre more seriously than anyone else?

What other country has a day devoted to the subtle intricacies of its language?

In Mexico, Albur's Day is celebrated on March 1.

CATHOLICISM

Vatican City does a pretty fair job as the center of the faith and it has some decent paintings on its ceiling.

But its population of 800 souls isn't exactly staggering.

Mexico, by contrast, ranks second in the world for number of Catholics (Brazil is first, the Philippines third) and, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography of Mexico, 83.9% of the Mexicans are Catholic.

Nothing says "Mexican Catholic" like a reverence for the country's seemingly endless manifestations of the Virgin Mary.

Which may be why the priest Miguel Hidalgo carried a symbolic flag of Guadalupe when he led the opening stages of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most venerated Virgin in Mexico, maybe the world.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is also one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Mexico, reportedly the most visited Marian shrine in the world.

Each December 12, about 5 million pilgrims from across Mexico visit the Basilica to thank the Virgin for her favors or to ask for a miracle.

SOAP OPERAS

In 1958, Telesistema Mexicano produced "Senda Prohibida" ("Forbidden Path"), the first Mexican telenovela (soap opera).

Fifty-six years later, its successor Televisa has produced a whopping 740 telenovelas.

The formula hasn't changed much.

A man and woman fall in love but, for tragic reasons, can't be together. After overcoming obstacles they finally get married.

Fifteen years after exporting its first soap opera, "Los Ricos Tambien Lloran" ("The Rich Cry Too"), Televisa has found a rich market outside Mexico.

Of all countries that export soap operas, Mexico ships out the most (arguably after the United States), carving niches in other Spanish-speaking countries, as well as China, the Philippines, Israel and Saudi Arabia. (Link in Spanish.)

Televisa isn't the only network producing successful telenovelas.

TV Azteca and Argos Comunicacion also create top-notch weepers.

WRESTLING COSTUMES

Professional wrestling (lucha libre) may be more Hollywood north of the border, and grittier in other countries, but nowhere is it as full of pathos as in Mexico.

Those hilarious/spooky masks aren't just fun to look at, they're a major part of the drama.

Removing one from an opponent's head is one of the greatest triumphs and most thrilling moments in lucha libre.

Matches are held at Arena Mexico in Mexico City. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster.

POLITE LIES

Mexicans' deep fear of appearing rude has given us a bred-in-the-bone aversion to uttering the word "no."

Instead -- and unfortunately for those unfamiliar with the rules of courtesy here -- we've developed a talent for white lies that allow us to say yes to fulfilling any request.

Even if we can't do anything about it.

White lies can be as cliched as "the dog ate my homework" or as morbid as "my beloved great aunt has suddenly developed pancreatic cancer."

But the granddaddy of polite lies is "ahorita."

"Ahorita" literally means "right now," but it's almost never that.

When a Mexican tells you they'll do something "ahorita," be prepared to take a seat, because the wait can be long.

Think of ahorita as the Mexican art of procrastination -- it's been passed from generation to generation -- a term that can mean anything from "in 10 minutes" to "in three weeks."

Ahorita's cousin in crime is "I'm on my way."

This really means, "I'm on my way to finishing this TV show, maybe getting off the couch, calling my sister, taking a shower, grabbing a snack and actually leaving home to meet you."
Ely, Cambridgeshire is best known for its majestic cathedral dubbed the 'Ship of the Fens' because it dominates the flat landscape. The city, which is the second smallest in England, is about 14 miles north-northeast of Cambridge and about 80 miles by road from London.

12:27, 24 OCT 2022
It's been a year since a major disturbance at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution resulted in deaths, injuries and major damage.

And the prison is still feeling the serious effects of it.

Two inmates died and two were injured. Nearly 20 prison workers were stranded and endangered in offices and the prison yard tower. And millions of dollars in damage at the maximum-security prison was caused by fires, broken windows and destruction of computers and cameras.

It started at 2:20 p.m. on Mother's Day and lasted into the early-morning hours of the next day.

While mothers' times with their sons were wrapping up in a visitors area, an incident in the yard deteriorated into what Nebraska Ombudsman Marshall Lux called a full-blown prison riot involving several hundred inmates in three living units, the gym and courtyard.

At the time, more than 1,000 inmates were housed at Tecumseh.

Some of them have said the plan that day was to register a peaceful protest of conditions and circumstances at the facility.

Right before the riot started, several inmates were trying to get the administration to pay attention to a two-page statement of grievances about arbitrary solitary confinement, perks for some inmates and not others, disrespect by some staff, inexperienced staff and increasingly crowded conditions.

They also objected to being denied access to jobs, training and self-betterment clubs that would help prepare them for a return to life outside prison.

"We are human beings that are sent to prison as a punishment, not to be punished in the form of disrespect, ridicule, harassment ... by TSCI staff," the statement said.

A year later, the prison is not yet back to normal, and many of the previous complaints by inmates continue to cause disgruntlement.

Repairs to the building are not quite completed. The state has spent about $1.2 million this fiscal year and will spend another $2 million in the next for costs related to the riot and needed upgrades. Insurance paid another $1 million in costs.

A housing unit wall destroyed by inmates will cost $482,000 to replace with one that better meets prison security standards. And mini-yard changes, along with doors and windows, will cost $54,000.

The fixes to the building have taken this long because it has been hard to get contractors to do the job, said Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse, whose district includes Tecumseh.

"They thought they were going to get three or four bids. They got one," he said.

The red tape, regulations and inefficiencies of working on such a project kept some companies from bidding, he said.

Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Scott Frakes said last week the facility is about 93 percent back to the way it was before the riot and staff has done "an incredible job" of bringing it back online.

For Nebraska Inspector General for Corrections Doug Koebernick, the question is this: Is a return to the way the prison was before the riot a good thing or a bad thing?

"Because a year ago, when it was the way it was, we had a riot. We still face the same challenges now as we did back then."

Koebernick started his new position in September, but before that kept track of Tecumseh and other prison issues as an aide to Sen. Steve Lathrop, who headed the Legislature's Department of Correctional Services Special Investigative Committee.

A serious staffing shortage continues, and staff members are stressed, Koebernick said. Tension and security concerns raise the level of fear and stress.

Frakes confirmed that staff at the prison have been working long hours for the past 12 months.

Corrections officers and other staff have been working 12-hour shifts -- four a week, sometimes more when needed. That includes 191 officers, corporals, sergeants and lieutenants. Between Jan. 1 and March 23 alone, overtime paid was $347,000.

In November, the Corrections Department contracted with the Mental Health Association of Nebraska to provide crisis/trauma support to those directly or indirectly involved in the riot.

The association sent six people to do one- to three-hour group sessions with Tecumseh staff that included education and peer support in trauma response and resilience.

The agency recommended how the department should work with staff to relieve tension and stress. The department would not release the report or the recommendations.

Staff retention has been an ongoing issue, and salary has been one of the major issues affecting turnover and retention. No decisions have been made on compensation questions, but Frakes said they are being considered.
Off-road tourists cautioned by police

Nine people from the UK have been cautioned by police for riding their motorbikes in restricted off-road areas.

Police penalised them on Friday after they were caught in the Central Hills - which is an Area of Special Scientific Interest.

Officers say they could have caused damage to the physical landscape of the forestry and "immeasurable distress" to wildlife including nesting Hen Harriers which are protected.

They say incidents like this are measured on their "individual circumstances" with other penalties available including prosecution, large fines and penalty points on riders' licences.
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.
It looks like Blac Chyna is getting absolutely no love from the men in her life this Mother's Day. After her fiance Robert Kardashian failed to give her a shout out on his Instagram account (even though he shared several sweet messages for his mother Kris Jenner and his sisters Kim and Kourtney Kardashian), it looks like Chyna's first baby daddy Tyga is going the same thing.

Even though Chyna and Tyga share a son together, 2-year-old King Cairo, the rapper made no mention of her on any of his social media accounts. He did though share a rare photo of his own mother and captioned it with, "Happy Mother's Day mom and all the other great moms out there."

A photo posted by Tyga / T-Raww (@kinggoldchains) on May 8, 2016 at 10:42am PDT

Chyna meanwhile doesn't seem to be bothered (on social media at least) as she shared a college of her favorite moments of her and her son on her Instagram account. Many of her fans commented on the photos with, "HAPPY MOTHERS DAY N CONGRATS ON UR NEW BUNDLE!! Keep god first in all you do and he will shield you from the haters and nay-sayers...ur gods child..stay up ma."

Another fan wrote, "You're a great mother Chyna,Happy Mother's Day and don't listen to any of the haters. You've got God's gift growing inside of you."
There's no doubt that Tori Spelling is feeling on top of the world right now. Even though she's had a few rough years in her marriage, her husband Dean McDermott has just proposed to her for the third time as the couple has been spending the last several weeks in Paris with their four children. The actress shared a new photo of the couple enjoying the City of Lights while also celebrating their marriage on Mother's Day, while declaring "Love Wins" to her fans.

Spelling captioned her photo with, "Celebrating ten years, one decade, an era, and new beginnings with my #truelove @imdeanmcdermott #LoveWins."

A photo posted by Tori Spelling (@torispelling) on May 7, 2016 at 10:45am PDT

And it seems like her fans agree as many commented on the photo with, "Love wins!!! I LOVE that so much!! Because guess what... It does! And no body's opinion ever matters when your heart says go," along with, "Looking good guys!!! All the best, Love and Family forever!"

Another fan wrote, "Truly inspiration for a strong, non quitting, powerful woman !!! You're the best Tori and your fans love you!"

So far Spelling herself has not specified how long the couple plan on staying in Europe or if they plan on coming home to the United States anytime soon.
Just a week after Apple lost a trademark battle in a Chinese court against a company making "IPHONE" wallets and handbags, Facebook won a court ruling against a local firm which was attempting to register "face book" as a trademark for a line of food and beverages.

In a ruling released on April 28, the Chinese court determined that the Zhujiang Beverage company, which registered the "face book" trademark for its canned vegetables, potato chips, coffee, tea, candy and juices, "violated moral principles with obvious intention to duplicate and copy from another high-profile trademark."

Despite the stern court ruling and Facebook's direct attempt to stop the local firm from pursuing the trademark, Zhujiang Beverage did not give up the battle easily. In a series of appeals to the Chinese court, the local firm asserted that the words "face book," which translates to the Chinese phrase "lian shu," has been a popular term in China even before the advent of the social media giant's worldwide popularity. Liu Hongqun, marketing manager of Zhujiang Beverage, defended the company's efforts.

"Lian shu is something very Chinese. We have lian shu in traditional operas," he said, referring to traditional masks worn in traditional Chinese theater.

"How many Chinese customers get access to or sign up for Facebook in mainland China? Where can we get access to this product in mainland China?" Liu added.

Unfortunately for Zhujiang Beverage, the Chinese court did not agree with the firm's sentiments. After all, filing for the trademark at the height of the social media giant's power and influence is indeed quite suspicious.

The Chinese court's decision on the Facebook case is a rare victory for a western company, especially since the social media giant is one of the most prominent networks that remain banned in the Asian nation to this day. Regardless of the nationwide ban on the network, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been courting China for some time now.

In fact, Chinese netizens are even speculating that Zuckerberg's overt support for China helped the social media giant win the case against a company which, traditionally, would have won the trademark battle.

For now, at least, Facebook remains as a forbidden social media network in China. Nothing else.
The Biden-Warren warning

By Mark Alexander



There has been some chatter in recent weeks that Hillary Clinton isn't actually the Democratic Party's intended 2016 nominee. That chatter was amplified when former House Speaker John Boehner, the quintessential "establishment Republican," endorsed Donald Trump while maligning Trump's conservative opponent, Ted Cruz. (No small irony that Boehner's abject failure as speaker has largely fueled Trump's populist appeal.)

Amid the fratricidal mayhem, you may have missed this Boehner prediction: "Don't be shocked if two weeks before the convention, here comes Joe Biden parachuting in and Barack Obama fanning the flames to make it all happen."

For the record, I don't think Biden is the intended nominee, but I do believe he  not Sanders  is the default candidate in the event that Clinton is indicted on felony charges. The calculus that this indictment is coming may mean that she is already presumed to be a mere placeholder for Biden  unless, of course, Bernie Sanders continues to flank that strategy. Let's hope he does!

In a profile on Warren two years ago, I noted that a Clinton indictment "would open the door for Warren or Biden, or perhaps a Biden-Warren ticket." Indeed, Joe Biden is an affable candidate who has none of Clinton's negatives, and Warren is the ideological heir apparent for Obama's "Imperial Presidency." Like Obama, she is a certifiable socialist  a rising star among the statists who have infested the once-noble Democrat Party.

In August 2015, I framed the Biden-Warren default strategy in "Hillary's Email Subterfuge."

At that time, the best evidence that felony charges were a distinct possibility was Obama's endorsement of Biden, by way of his spokesman Josh Earnest, a day after Biden held a powwow with Warren.

According to Earnest, "The president has indicated that [adding] Joe Biden to the ticket as his running mate was the smartest decision that he has ever made in politics. And I think that should give you some sense into the president's view into the vice president's aptitude for the top job." Earnest added, "The vice president is somebody who has already run for president twice. So I think you could probably make the case that there is no one in American politics today [emphasis added] who has a better understanding of exactly what is required to mount a successful national presidential campaign."

While Earnest also expressed Obama's "appreciation, respect and admiration" for Hillary Clinton, his statements on Biden, in light of Hillary's mounting indictment prospects, are clear in their intent.

Recall that the Obamas hate the Clintons. If Obama can ensure a Democrat successor in November, it will lend legitimacy to his legacy. If he can do so while destroying Hillary Clinton, it would be a double dip.

No doubt Biden's meeting with Warren last year was to reach an accord that he would serve one term with her as his Veep  if she stayed out of the 2016 primary. Clearly a Biden-Warren "parachute in" ticket would be far more competitive than either Clinton or Sanders at the top of the Demo punchcard.

In February 2015, Biden advocated for an Obama third term: "I call it sticking with what works!" By "what works," he must have meant duping voters in presidential campaigns, because in both the 2010 and 2012 midterm elections, Obama's Democratic Party policies have suffered resounding defeat. That notwithstanding, in July, Obama himself asserted: "I can not run again. I actually think I'm a pretty good president  I think if I ran I could win. But I can't."

However, a Biden-Warren ticket is a defacto third Obama term.

While many polls have indicated that Clinton will thump Trump in the general election, a couple of recent polls have shown a much tighter race. One of those polls, from Rasmussen, actually has Trump ahead of Clinton  which says far more about her unfavorable ratings than his favorability.

A Biden-Warren ticket, however, would likely slice and dice Trump. Hillary Clinton is a well-known and thoroughly unlikeable candidate, while Biden and Warren have been free from the campaign mudslinging that invariably drives a candidate's numbers down. Clearing the path for that ticket at the eleventh hour while sending Hillary to the hoosegow would be both brilliant and diabolical on Obama's part.

But a caveat emptor on reports of Trump's demise: Few Republicans or Democrats took Donald Trump's presidential run seriously a year ago. Every seasoned political analyst has underestimated Trump's appeal, failing to recognize what I coined in February as "The Obama effect." The combination of broad spectrum grassroots anger across party lines, exhaustion after two terms of the Obama regime, earned disdain for ineffectual GOP leadership (primarily the aforementioned John Boehner), a large field of fratricidal GOP primary contenders, and Trump's media/pollaganda propulsion have created a "perfect storm" for Trump's rhetorical sound-bite campaign.

The question remains, will anything stick to Clinton, who appears to be as adept at evading political liabilities as her political benefactor, "Teflon Bill"? Her record of deceptions, obfuscations and subterfuges is impressive, and she has, thus far, escaped prosecution.

However, the looming "Clinton indictment" wildcard may stick. If felony charges are brought in connection with her deliberate use of private email servers to conceal her official communications, including the receipt and transmission of top secret documents and those detailing her role in the Benghazi murders cover-up to protect Obama's 2012 re-election, then she will be sidelined.

As Charles Krauthammer asserted back in January, "The person who will decide the nomination on the Democratic side is the FBI Director, [James] Comey."

Now that Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, Democrats have a serious problem  how can Clinton take on Trump? How's she going to hit him? His marital history? His ethics? His honesty? His wealth? His Wall Street connections? His politically incorrect ways? On every one of those issues, one of two things applies: Her record is either as bad as or worse than his, or he's managed to turn each "weakness" into a strength.

A Clinton indictment would play right into the Demos 2016 presidential aspirations, as it would deliver a political deathblow to the Clinton Crime Family while clearing the way for a much more formidable Democrat ticket.

A Biden-Warren ticket will do the trick.

Biden can hold his own with Trump on all those populist issues that Clinton can't touch. And Warren, as I noted in 2014, is a far smarter and more articulate Leftist than Clinton  or Obama for that matter  and she'll attract a lot of the Sanders Socialists who are utterly repelled by Clinton's candidacy.

On Biden's ticket, Warren would also do a better job of rallying female voters  and female voter majorities have elected every Democrat president since Kennedy. Though Trump recently blustered that all Clinton has is "the woman card," that is largely responsible for every successful Democrat ticket since 1960.

In the next few months, expect more high-profile appearances from Joe Biden, like his "surprise visit to Iraq" last week. And expect to hear more from Elizabeth Warren too.

(Footnote: As I have noted previously, I do not fall into the "never Trump" crowd, any more than I do the "only Trump" crowd. I will vote early and often for Trump against any Democrat ticket, because better to have a president who will support (however inadvertently) Rule of Law some of the time than a statist Democrat who stands diametrically opposed to our Constitution.)
We don't need billion$ to prevent Zika By Paul Driessen and Dr. Robert Novak

The Zika virus is increasingly linked to serious neurological complications for pregnant women and microcephaly in newborns: smaller than normal heads and brains. It also affects areas of fetal brains that control basic muscular, motor, speech and other functions, leading to severe debilities that require expensive care throughout a person's life. The disease is becoming a crisis in Brazil, site of this year's Summer Olympic Games. But cases continue to be reported in the United States, primarily among women who have traveled abroad, and Zika is reaching serious levels in Puerto Rico, other US territories, and many parts of Central and South America. Stopping its spread is an urgent public health matter. President Obama has asked Congress for $1.9 billion in new funding, to find better diagnostic tests to detect Zika, develop a vaccine against the virus, and control the mosquitoes that are the primary vector for the vicious virus. Not surprisingly, the request has spawned new budget battles in Washington. The White House and congressional Democrats want to spend new money, while Republicans insist there is already plenty of money in the budget, plenty wasted that could be better allocated, and plenty being spent on climate change and other programs that have a far lower priority than this public health menace. Other observers say Zika is being used as another opportunity for government agencies to expand their budgets, personnel and empires. Certain agencies, they note, are blaming "mosquitoes" in general and even climate change, or promoting high-tech "solutions" that may never work and will take years to develop, test and employ on national or global scales. Meanwhile, much can be done right now, to reduce mosquito populations and slash the incidence and spread of this disease, for far less than $2 billion. It requires smarter policies, more focused efforts. Zika is not spread by generic "mosquitoes." Its primary carrier is a very particular blood-sucker with unusual habits and habitats. Aedes aegypti is known as the yellow fever mosquito, because it is the principal avenue for spreading that nasty disease, which causes fevers, chills, nausea, muscle pains, and liver and kidney damage. A vaccine exists, but yellow fever still kills up to 30,000 people annually. Ae. aegypti also spread dengue fever, another painful, debilitating disease that can recur for years; there is no vaccine, and it sickens nearly 100 million people a year, killing some 25,000. The flying killers also infect people with chikungunya, which often causes severe fever, headaches, muscle and joint pain, rashes and other non-lethal problems. These mosquitoes were nearly eradicated, especially in Brazil, during the 1960s. Unfortunately, control bred complacency, and Ae. aegypti is again a dangerous scourge in Brazil, other South and Central American countries, Puerto Rico, Caribbean islands, Africa and Asia. Their potential range includes the southeastern United States and southern Europe, they are actually found in some of these southern US states and Hawaii, and some do carry Zika and other diseases. All these diseases can infect blood supplies, making transfusions risky and necessitating that blood be imported from safe locales that may not have sufficient supplies themselves. Summer Olympics fans and athletes could get infected and carry these diseases from Brazil back to their home countries. Thousands of other travelers could also spread all these diseases. The prospect has health officials worried. However, Ae. aegypti's habits offer opportunities for controlling them. They live close to houses, rarely fly more than 80 feet from where they hatch, bite during the day, and hatch from eggs laid in tires, cans, jars, flower pots, vases, bromeliads, holes in trees, and almost any other containers that hold water, indoors and outdoors, in backyards and junkyards. That means national and international health ministries, neighborhoods and individual families can undertake simple, low-cost actions that will bring rapid, significant returns with limited time, money and resources  by eliminating mosquitoes and keeping them away from people. They should start now. 1) Educate politicians, local leaders, teachers, neighborhood organizations and citizens about the dangers posed by mosquitoes and the diseases they carry  and about what they can do to help. Launch and coordinate home and neighborhood programs, and stress why they must continue well into the future. 2) Destroy Aedes aegypti reproduction habitats. Remove trash, especially containers. Punch holes in tires and cans, so they cannot collect water. Fill in other standing water areas with dirt. Augment these actions with larvacides and insecticides. Used properly, today's larvae and adult mosquito killing chemicals are safe  especially compared to the misery, death and long-term care that Ae. aegypti and other mosquitoes spread. Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health and other studies have determined that the most commonly used larvicides (BTI and Temephos, aka Abate) are safe for humans and mammals, even in drinking water. 3) Prevent mosquito bites, to break the disease transmission cycle. This is especially important for people attending the Olympics or vacationing where problems exist. You don't want to take diseases home. Use personal insect repellants, preferably those containing DEET, even while indoors, and keep skin covered with clothing. To keep mosquitoes out of homes, make sure doors and windows have screens. For homes without screens, spatial repellents like DDT can be sprayed on walls and doorways. 4) Employ cell phone GPS systems to locate and monitor mosquito populations, and significant biting and disease outbreaks. Every citizen can help with this. Tie these efforts into local or national databases  and into monitoring and surveillance programs that can dispatch rapid response teams. 5) Test people for antibodies, especially pregnant women, to determine whether they have Zika or other mosquito-transmitted diseases. The RT-PCR test can find Zika proteins and genetic material in people, and in the brains and placentas of infants and miscarried fetuses. It can also rule out dengue, yellow and chikungunya fever viruses. Developing better, more rapid detection tests will be money well spent. This multi-pronged approach is true "integrated vector and disease control." It will bring rapid returns. Nonetheless, at least two high-tech, non-chemical "solutions" have been proposed. They involve releasing male mosquitoes that have been sterilized by radiation, so they cannot mate successfully  or genetically modified so their progeny die before reaching maturity. At least one experimental GMO effort has been field-tested, somewhat successfully, with gradual but noticeable reductions in mosquito populations in test areas. Since male mosquitoes don't bite, releasing them into urban areas should pose few health risks. The concepts have researchers, technocrats and bureaucrats salivating over potential budgets and personnel increases. However, field tests are just that: tests. The experimental programs must still survive long US Food and Drug Administration and Agriculture Department approval processes, budgetary constraints, anti-biotechnology and anti-radiation activism, and similar delays at the international level. Neither approach can help in the near term, across the sprawling Rio de Janeiro Olympics venues, urban areas and shantytowns  or across millions of square miles in Latin America, Africa, Asia and beyond. We cannot afford to deemphasize or shortchange the less sexy, but proven, highly effective, truly integrated vector and disease control programs described above. These strategies can and must be employed now, to eliminate Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and the horrible diseases they spread. They will save lives now  in time for the Olympics, before these bugs and diseases claim more victims. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and a veteran of anti-malaria campaigns. Robert J. Novak is professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Home
Why China is really dictating the oil supply glut By Rakesh Upadhyay





Ship tracking data from Bloomberg shows that 83 supertankers carrying around 166 million barrels of oil are headed to China, which has stockpiled an impressive 787,000 barrels a day in the first quarter of 2016the highest stockpiling rate since 2014.



While the world was speculating about oil prices plunging to $20 and $10 per barrel, China was busy stockpiling its reserves.



The chart below shows an increase in imports as crude prices collapsed. Since the beginning of this year, China has imported a record quantity of oil. Back in January 2015, Reuters had reported that China planned to increase its strategic petroleum reserves (SPR) from 30 days to 90 days. In January 2016, it was revealed that China was building underground storage to complement its above-ground storage tanks.



The Chinese urgency points to two things. China believes that crude oil prices will not remain at the current levels for long, and that a disruption is possible due to geopolitical reasons, which can propel oil prices higher.



As a net importer of crude, it is protecting itself against a black swan event and using the current low prices to fill its tanks. The filled up tanks will ensure a steady supply of crude for at least three months in case of a disruption.



Does the record buying spree by the Chinese indicate a bottom in crude oil prices?



That is difficult to conclude, but it does put a floor beneath the current lows, because in all likelihood, China will resume its record buying and top up its SPR if prices tank.



The total Chinese imports in March via the very large crude carriers was 7.7 million barrels a day. Other than the supertankers, China also imports oil through pipelines and small tankers.



The Chinese demand doesn't show a huge uptick corresponding to the rise in imports. JP Morgan estimates that in March, the total demand for oil in China was 10.3 million b/d, down 2.5 percent over the previous year and down 2.3 percent month on month, whereas the chart shows that imports are higher compared to the same period last year.



Crude oil prices have been on an upswing this month. The import data coming out of China for April will give a clue as to whether the Chinese demand remains intact at higher crude prices or the imports drop when prices rise.



If the demand drops following a rise in prices, we can assume that China doesn't believe that the price rally will be sustained. At lower levels, Chinese buying might become a factor in deciding the bottom, as their increased imports will reduce the glut.



Similar to Saudi Arabia, which is a swing producer, China is acting like a swing consumer. However, as China doesn't report its storage data, it is difficult to estimate how long this trend will continue.



Though other factors were involved in encouraging the bulls to buy at lower levels, the increased demand from China also helped in lapping up the excess production. If their imports drop, the world will return to the supply glut and oil prices will retrace back to the lower $30 s/b. Rakesh Upadhyay is a writer for Oilprice.com where this originally appeared. Home
A predicament's eternal return By Michael Moriarty

In 1942 when the film Casablanca was first shown, The Villains yes, the Nazis ran most of French North Africa, while tyrannizing all of Europe and eventually invading Russia. Now, here in the North America of 2016? The Villains have taken over not only the United States government but now, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada as well! Where in North America have all the Heroes gone? There actually hasn't been any real Heroes in the American White House for over 26 years. George H. W. Bush began this over-two-decade reign of treason with his call for THE NEW WORLD ORDER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txukr5zgHnw The most recent and indisputably strong and decent leader in Canada was Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Now, as I review the legendary film, Casablanca, for about the 25th time, and though I don't run a cafe called Rick's, I knew a cafe owner in New York, Joe Allen, who ran such a restaurant, minus Dooley Wilson and the backroom for gambling. Eventually Joe Allen ran a number of such bistros in New York, London and Paris, all somewhat like Rick's, minus Dooley Wilson, S. Z. Sakall, Leonid Kinsky and Marcel Dalio.

One of the few available photos of Joe Allen and his dog For every year that passed, Joe Allen would look and sound more and more like Humphrey Bogart. Now that an Islamic-loving, Far Left President and a similarly corrupted Prime Minister of Canada oversee all of North America, I feel more and more like a former customer of both Joe Allen's and Rick's restaurants. Joe Allen, in one of his few voluble moments, described me as a "long-distance runner". Now, older than I ever expected to be, here in my 75th year, I'm particularly prone, after seeing another showing of Casablanca, to imagining brief but seminally important conversations with Joe Allen. What he might have to say about the situation that all of North America now finds itself in? I have no idea. However, after projecting the Bogart "Rick" image which he definitely has always had, his similarities to the hero of Casablanca are many. I can't believe that Joe Allen, as a repeatedly successful owner and investor in numerous restaurants worldwide, would be any major fan of either President Barack Hussein Obama or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But perhaps, as Claude Rains' Inspector Louis Renault might say, "That's the romantic in me."

Rick, Captain Renault and Emil, Rick's Croupier Both Rick,

his friends

and all he might remotely admire

are

in a major predicament. They are now all living in Nazi occupied territory. North America, being run by two Islamic sycophants and National Socialist bullies, is possibly months away from a military occupation by troops of the United Nations trying to build a New World Order. George H. W. Bush began this suicidal nightmare over twenty-five years ago with his indisputably Bush league version of the Republican Party, the one which has given us New World Order guerillas such as Paul Ryan. Casablanca ended in a shootout. And World War II ended in the collapse of Nazism and Fascism. The Soviet Union began to end with Ronald Reagan. I guess it is all about separating the men from the gun-toting, throat-slitting boys. That wouldn't be difficult with an even half-patriotic American President, but with Obama?! President Obama is Benedict Arnold and Tokyo Rose combined! Hollywood couldn't ask for a more fertile role model for cinematic villainy; yet he's their darling. Even more shockingly, the Bush league Republican Establishment won't impeach Obama?!?!?! They'd rather sabotage Donald Trump's undeniable success?!?!?! The "Predicament"? Human envy particularly from jealous American billionaires like George Soros who is determined to destroy America's not-so-secret formulas: the inherent distrust of big government and her faith in individual freedom. The Holy Bible predicts a Final Armageddon, with the villainous enemy defeated by Christ's Return and a subsequent 1,000 years of Peace! Though I am 75 years old, I certainly hope to eventually see the beginning of that Thousand Year Peace. It will obviously require more than Donald Trump's rather mild ambition to return America to its post-World War II greatness. The enemies within Communist Islam? The Red Muslims?! When those two inevitable incompatibilities have their unavoidable "falling out"? A fully united Judeo-Christianity will rise as if it were Christ Himself and The Thousand Year Peace will have begun. Then again, it will only be for one thousand years and that is well it's only one thousand years. The Devil shall return. Why? Without Lucifer, God is not God anymore. Why? Man would no longer be individually free. That would be against God's Will. Such a thing will never happen for longer than one thousand years. God Himself wouldn't allow it. There is only one way to learn about God and Life: THE HARD WAY!! The Bushes, the Clinton's and the Obama Nation? Despite their Harvard and Yale degrees?! Or, perhaps, because of those degrees, ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTALS

OF GOOD AND EVIL,

THEY ARE NON-LEARNERS. Michael Moriarty is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor who starred in the landmark television series Law and Order from 1990 to 1994. His recent film and TV credits include The Yellow Wallpaper, 12 Hours to Live, Santa Baby and Deadly Skies. Contact Michael at rainbowfamily2008@yahoo.com. He can be found on Twitter at https://twitter.com/@MGMoriarty. Home
America needs Mark Levin & Glenn Beck to pivot in favor of GOP 'presumptive nominee' By John W. Lillpop

The combined talents and charms of radio and television pundits Mark Levin and Glenn Beck damn near succeeded in making Senator Ted Cruz the standard bearer of the Republican Party in the 2016 presidential sweepstakes. The fact that billionaire Donald T. Trump ultimately earned that distinction is in no way due to a lack of effort or spirit on the part of Levin or Beck. Both are diehard, dedicated conservative heroes whom, for their individual reasons, chose to back the candidacy of Ted Cruz, rather than siding with The Donald. Perhaps Trump is not conservative enough, or not conservative at all, in the minds of Levin and Beck? Maybe his language is a smidgen too salty for the most powerful man in the world to spew so publicly? Or maybe Trump's demeanor is a bit too flippant for the fellow who would, as Commander-in-Chief, be entrusted with the nuclear codes and the power to usher in Armageddon? And lest we forget, Donald Trump was not familiar with the term triad' when questioned during one of the debates. Can a bloke who does not know the definition of triad' be trusted with the future of the human species? Did that disgraceful lack of knowledge drive Glenn Beck to smother his face in crushed Cheetos in a desperate attempt to mock Trump as unqualified to serve? Did Trump's monstrous disapproval numbers cause Mark Levin to ramp up his already hysterical rhetoric and screaming to a new, ear-piercing level in order to warn the American people of the impending doom that a Trump versus Hillary Clinton election would portend? Whatever the reason(s) for the Levin and Beck meltdowns, and regardless of how well founded in logic and reason their anti-Trump arguments, the simple fact is that Donald Trump won! After a mind-numbing, grueling series of debates, primaries, and caucuses, spread over a period of several months, Donald T. Trump outlasted a gaggle of US Senators, governors(former and sitting), former presidential candidates, and won the GOP nomination despite conventional wisdom,' a rigged system, a bitterly biased media, a corrupt RNC establishment, and Lord knows how many hundreds of millions of dollars, and a frontal assault from Megyn Kelly! In short, Donald Trump single-handedly changed American politics forever and established himself as the most talented, charismatic figure in the political world, notwithstanding our deposed Messiah, aka, Barack Obama. Given the new reality of the Trump era and the prospects that he will effectively end Hillary Clinton's evil political career, once and for all, is it not time for Messrs. Levin and Beck to come home' as it were and join the fray, in favor of the Trump movement? I, for one, am determined to avoid another well-meaning, but ultimately failed, fasteven if it means breaking bread with The Lucifer!  John W. Lillpop Home
Looking at the annual rankings of Polish universities and colleges, 2003-2015 (Part One) By Mark Wegierski

In 2003, I first became aware of the annual rankings of Polish universities and colleges put out jointly by the mass-circulation newspaper Rzeczpospolita and the student/education magazine, Perspektywy ( perspektywy.pl ). Of course, there are a number of college rankings in Poland put out by different publications and institutions, but this one seemed to be among the most rigorous and comprehensive. It should be noted, that in a 2013 survey, Perspektywy was chosen as "the most opinion-forming monthly publication" in Poland. It was also identified as such in a 2015 survey. I had perused the Perspektywy website frequently during the summer of 2003 from Canada, as well as later in the fall of 2003, when I visited Poland. I was accessing the Internet through the Polish Post Office Internet cafe in Ciechocinek, the resort-town in which I was staying. Ciechocinek lies about 200 kilometers north-west of Warsaw. It is a resort town of about 14,000 permanent residents, known for its unique titration towers, which filter water from salt-water springs through layers of bramble, creating a micro-climate resembling that of sea-air. The Post Office had a glassed-in addition on the side where the computers were sitting. I suspect the Internet access in the Post Office was an attempt to fulfill the promise that had been made by the government at the time, to give every Polish person, access to the Internet. Returning to Poland in the summer of 2004, I noticed that the 2003 rankings had remained up on the website for an inordinately long time. In 2005, I had an acquaintance send me a print copy of the annual rankings issue. I have continued to receive the annual rankings issue since that year (except for 2008, when there was some kind of mix-up on the part of my various acquaintances in Poland). In contrast to the situation in 2004, most of the rankings information was available on the website shortly after the appearance of the print issue. In 2010, I also branched out to requesting three other publications of Perspektywy Press: one on M.A.-level studies; one on doctoral, MBA, and "post-degree" studies; and one on "first-degree" studies. The latter publication claimed to list every institution of post-secondary learning in Poland. In 2011, I had publications on M.A. and doctoral-level studies; on MBA and "post-degree" studies; and on "first-degree" studies, delivered to me. Apart from the 2011 annual rankings issue, I also obtained the June-August 2011 issue of Perspektywy  which included a Report on Non-public Colleges, on the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the first fully non-public college in Poland -- as well as a ranking of MBA programs in Poland. In 2012, I received the annual rankings issue (May 2012); a publication on "first-degree" studies; as well as a publication on MBA and "post-degree" studies  which also included a ranking of MBA programs in Poland. In 2013, I had only received the annual rankings issue (May 2013). In 2014, I had received only the annual rankings issue (May 2014). As of 2014, the association with Rzeczpospolita appeared to have been dropped, in favour of a partnership with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (Law Gazette Daily). In 2015, I received only the annual rankings issue (May-June 2015). What were the main impressions that I had from all this material? I must say that I had a largely positive feeling, looking at these very professionally produced publications, which showed a colorful, vibrant Polish educational sector that had gone light-years beyond the achievements of the earlier People's Republic. Nevertheless, I also saw plenty of evidence of "political correctness" seeping in at many points into this Polish educational sector. The emphases on "internationalization" of universities and colleges, of conforming to E.U. regulations, of the aggressive promotion of multiculturalism, and so forth, were easy to discern. To be continued. (An earlier version of this article has appeared at Quarterly Review (UK) (September 28, 2012).)



Mark Wegierski is a Toronto-based writer and historical researcher. Home
Real world energy and climate By John Coleman

Earth Day 2016 brought extensive consternation about how our Earth will soon become uninhabitable, as mankind's activities of civilization trigger unstoppable global warming and climate change. President Obama used the occasion to sign the Paris climate treaty and further obligate the United States to slash its fossil fuel use, carbon dioxide emissions and economic growth. I love this little blue planet and do all I can to preserve it for my children and grandchildren. If I thought for even a second that the civilized activities of mankind are producing a threat to our planet, I would spend the rest of my life correcting the problems. However, after devoting a decade to carefully studying mankind's impact on our climate, I am firmly convinced that the entire global warming/climate change campaign is based on a failed scientific theory. In short, there is no dangerous manmade climate change problem. "Who cares about your scientific study," many people respond. "This is about loving a native environment. This is about escaping from the horrors of so called civilization." That response is understandable because for fifteen years the Greenpeace-Sierra Club crowd has been constantly decrying the "ugliness" of civilization: cars, planes, trains, trucks, factories, power plants and all the rest. It seems they think things were better in pre-industrial times, or perhaps the world of Tarzan or modern-day central Africa. There certainly has been a steady barrage of "research" that finds everything going drastically wrong with Planet Earth because of our civilized life. The media join in, of course, proclaiming "the sky is falling," and Al Gore's book, movie and "climate crisis tipping point" mantra stirred the media into an even bigger tizzy. Now almost the entire Democrat Party has climbed aboard. As a result, billions of dollars in annual government funding keep the alarmist climate research and environmental campaigns marching on. Tens of billions more subsidize wind, solar and biofuel energy that is supposedly more "sustainable" and "climate friendly." Today, a high percentage of Americans accept climate change as a valid problem, even though the vast majority rate it at the bottom of their top ten or twenty concerns. Many accept news reports that tell us the United Nations through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC) has "settled" the science in the last fifteen years. In fact, President Obama and others say the matter is so proven that 97% of scientists agree on climate change. But this oft-quoted phrase has been totally debunked as fabricated or bait-and-switch. A group of scientists is asked, "Do you agree that Earth has warmed in recent years and Earth's climate is changing?" Probably every honest, competent scientist would answer "Yes." But then the "survey" team changes the question to have them say, "Yes, humans are causing dangerous climate change." Since 100% agreement would look suspicious, they back off a little and make it a "97% consensus." This leaves a somewhat David and Goliath situation for those of us climate experts who agree that Earth's climate is changing, has always changed, and humans have some effects today  but do not believe that mankind's emissions of plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide have replaced the powerful natural forces that have always driven climate change, or that any current or future changes must necessarily be dangerous or cataclysmic. We are frequently insulted and dismissed as Deniers. Our side is not as small as the media may have you think. Many notable scientists totally reject claims of a manmade climate crisis. Over 31,000 have signed a statement that rejects the manmade global warming scare and says we see "no convincing evidence" that humans are causing dangerous climate change. They and other experts have widely discredited the IPCC and other assertions about the climate. There is even a Non-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC). It has published several impressive 4,000-page books of scientific papers that totally dismantle IPCC claims. The NIPCC's Climate Change Reconsidered and other books are also published on-line. Even the late, great author/physician/scientist Michael Crichton (of Jurassic Park fame) debunked global warming and wrote about it in his novel State of Fear. Our fossil fuel, nuclear and hydroelectric powered civilization has made billions of lives much healthier, longer and more pleasant than in previous times. Heating and air conditioning, power for lights and computers and smart phones, and modern hospitals and schools are just a few of the blessings that bring incalculable value to our lives. What we enjoy today is the result of hundreds of generations of hard working men and women, each one moving us forward by inches or miles. In my 80s now, I think about the world into which I was born. Radio was just beginning. Phones were few and far between and very primitive, requiring hand cranks and operators. Cars and trucks were slow and produced awful soot, smoke, carbon monoxide and other pollutants. Factories, power plants and home furnaces fueled by dirty unprocessed coal with un-scrubbed smoke billowing from their chimneys, left us all in smoggy, unhealthy air. Doctors had few medicines to offer, and only primitive x-ray devices to peer inside us. Jet airplanes, computers, televisions, rockets, satellites and so much more had not yet been invented. Most people died in their late 40s or 50s. In this one man's lifetime, civilization has made amazing progress. Now think about what life on Earth will be like when you are my age. I predict the fossil fuel-powered society will have been replaced by systems only a few geniuses are even thinking about today. A long list of now fatal diseases will have been conquered, and people will live healthy life into their late nineties. I predict our cars and planes will not need drivers or pilots, and space flight will become common. Robots will do much of the work, so people can enjoy their lives much, much more. And I predict that anyone who looks back on the threat of climate change/global warming and all the threats to life on Earth will have a hearty laugh, as mankind will have progressed beyond accepting any such silliness. Life is good. Enjoy it. And stop worrying about climate hobgoblins. Weather Channel founder John Coleman is the original meteorologist on ABC's Good Morning America. He has been studying weather and climate for over 60 years. Home
Rick Renzi puts together top legal team to appeal hidden evidence of FBI agent's corruption By Rachel Alexander

Imprisoned former Republican Congressman Rick Renzi of Arizona is frustrated by the massive prosecutorial corruption that was revealed after the trial against him, and is taking steps to get his felony convictions reversed. He has put together a star legal team to represent him in an appeal to the Ninth Circuit. In May, his team will be filing their opening briefs appealing the trial court judges ruling last December refusing to grant him a retrial despite the misconduct. The team now includes Sidney Powell, a former prosecutor with the Department of Justice who famously exposes wrongdoing within it. She wrote the book Licensed to Lie, which revealed crimes by DOJ attorneys that took place during the prosecution of Arthur Andersen, Enrons accounting firm. She represented one of the defendants from the accounting firm, who she believed was innocent, but he was still sentenced to prison and served a year until the conviction was reversed by the US Supreme Court. Her book also covers the wrongful prosecution of the late Republican US Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska, who, like Renzi, was also a victim of the prosecution withholding evidence and crooked FBI agents. Fortunately, Stevens was exonerated before being sent to prison and the prosecution was disciplined. Powell will join Renzis lead attorney, Kelly Kramer, who is the co-head of Mayer Brown LLPs white collar criminal defense practice. Kramer has extensive courtroom experience and is a tenacious litigator who has defended Renzi for almost 10 years. He is known as one of the top litigators in Washington, DC. The team also includes Chris Niewoehner of Steptoe & Johnson, who was one of the star DOJ prosecutors who put former Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich in prison. The Center for Prosecutor Integrity, which exposes prosecutorial abuses, has indicated they are interested in signing onto an amicus brief. As I covered in previous articles, last October there was a hearing to consider whether Renzi should get a retrial based on new evidence that the governments key witness/victim Philip Aries changed his story to implicate Renzi, because he thought he could receive a reward. Under oath in court, Aries admitted that FBI agent Daniel Odom told him he could receive a reward for making monitored phone calls to Renzi. Aries testified that he thought that he deserved a reward, which he had specifically discussed with Odom. Aries said he told him that $10,000 would be a home run and $25,000 would be winning the lottery. Aries would only receive the money if, after Renzis appellate rights were exhausted, the FBI was satisfied with Aries performance. What is so remarkable about this is Aries originally told the FBI that he learned about the property at the center of the case from one of Renzis aides. He did not change his story to claim that Renzi directed him to acquire that property until after he learned from the FBI that he was eligible for a reward. The truth would have decimated the governments argument that Renzi proposed the exchange for personal financial reasons. In fact, those who suggested the exchange included The Nature Conservancy, former Democrat Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, Joanne Keene, who was a staffer for Renzi, and officials at Fort Huachuca - who said the exchange was crucial to stop the military base from being shut down. This political witch hunt began due to the cozy relationship between Odom and Resolution Copper Mining, which devised a corrupt scheme it labeled Operation Eagle, code for taking down Renzi. Ron Ober, campaign manager and chief of staff for former Arizona Democratic Senator Dennis DeConcini, was hired as a lobbyist to represent RCM in procuring the land exchange through Renzi. He reportedly wanted to take down Renzi because he disliked his support for the Apache Indian tribe. I attended the hearing to consider a retrial last October, where the lead DOJ prosecutor Gary Restaino - whose wife was a longtime top advisor to Janet Napolitano, and Napolitano was rumored to be concerned that Renzi might run against her for governor of Arizona - admitted that Odom recently had a complaint filed against him by an Atlanta-based DOJ prosecutor. Yet magically, this complaint was withdrawn just before Renzis October hearing! Coincidence? No way. Odom has a history of misconduct. He has been found by the court over the last 10 years to have illegally wiretapped Renzi, destroyed evidence of that wiretap, and provided false information to the court reporting on the wiretaps. None of the information about Aries was disclosed to Renzi or his attorneys prior to or during the trial. It was a major violation of Renzis constitutional rights, known as a Brady violation. Yet the judge refused to grant a retrial, reasoning that even if all this information had come out at trial, not one juror would have changed their mind on the conviction. I dont believe it, and am attempting to get ahold of the jurors names to ask them, something our Ninth Circuit jurisdiction has affirmed for media requests. Judge David Bury listed all of the prosecutorial wrongdoing in his opinion denying the retrial, The Government admits it did not disclose the admonishments to the Defendants  It is the Government's position that disclosure of the Admonitions was not warranted under Brady because they do not reflect that Aries believed he would be paid  The Court does not agree. According to the Government, the Admonitions do not need to be disclosed if payment comes after everything is done because then it is a surprise.  As the Court suggested at the hearing, it does not agree. The Court is also concerned regarding the propriety of the Government's assertion during closing argument that Aries had not received one thin dime in relation to this case, when at the time the Government knew the case agent wanted him to be paid  The Government suppressed evidence of the Admonitions, the flip-flop, and Agent Odom's confirmation to Aries on November 10, 2006, that he was providing the type of assistance which could make a reward possible. Worst of all, the government knowingly put on this false testimony in order to convict Renzi when they realized their case was in jeopardy, which I believe is a Title 18 criminal violation. Odom deliberately and knowingly brought false testimony against Renzi.



This corruption shouldnt be swept under the rug. Fortunately, the pendulum is starting to swing back, as it is becoming common knowledge the federal government has created so many vague laws that any one of us could be prosecuted, tried and convicted if they really want to get us. Renowned law professor Harvey Silverglate has written a book about this, Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent, and would have agreed to help with an amicus brief for Renzi, but ironically he is buried with work right now finishing a follow-up book, tentatively titled Conviction Machine. Former Republican governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, was convicted of federal corruption charges by the DOJ in 2014. He has fought the convictions all the way to the US Supreme Court. Even though the court now leans more to the left due to the death of Antonin Scalia, some of the more liberal justices appear inclined to reverse his conviction, disturbed by the increasing abuse of prosecutorial powers to destroy elected officials. Although the left controls much of the legal system, once in awhile it turns against one of their own. Don Siegelman, a former Democrat governor of Alabama, was sentenced to over six years in prison for bribery, conspiracy and obstruction. His trial also appears to be full of corruption. He will not be released until 2018.

Larisa Alexandrovna, one of the first journalists to investigate Siegelmans prosecution, wrote about the case, For most Americans, the very concept of political prisoners is remote and exotic, a practice that is associated with third-world dictatorships but is foreign to the American tradition. The idea that a prominent politician  a former state governor  could be tried on charges that many observers consider to be trumped-up, convicted in a trial that involved numerous questionable procedures, and then hauled off to prison in shackles immediately upon sentencing would be almost unbelievable. Renzi, as a staunch pro-life conservative Congressman with 12 children, was a threat to militant feminist Napolitano. Her loyal servant Restaino even asked the judge not to allow any pro-lifers to sit on the jury. For now, Renzi joins the growing ranks of those whose constitutional rights have been destroyed by the DOJ. Renzi truly is an American political prisoner. Taking away someones freedom simply for political reasons is abhorrent, and evidence there are major problems with our justice system. The fact the US Supreme Court looks like its finally going to crack down on this horrendous practice means there is hope for those who have wrongly suffered like Renzi. And someone else belongs behind bars for what they did to him. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, and other publications. Home
Moodys Investors Service (Moodys) has affirmed South Africas government bond long and short term ratings of Baa2 and P-2 respectively, and has assigned a negative outlook.

Moodys is the only solicited rating agency that assigns the same rating for both the domestic and foreign currency denominated debt, Baa2  a rating that is two notches above sub-investment grade.

The investment grade credit rating affirmation marks an end to the review period that started on 8 March 2016, when Moodys placed the countrys ratings under review for possible downgrade.

National Treasury on Saturday said there are three reasons for Moodys to affirm the ratings:

1. South Africas economic growth will start recovering beyond 2016 after reaching its trough this year.

Government will continue to collaborate with business, labour and civil society to restore confidence in the economy and address the structural constraints to economic growth, said Treasury.

It said the National Development Plan remains the catalyst for growth and the Nine-Point Plan will ensure that the milestones are achieved including:

promoting a stable and cooperative labour relations environment;

encouraging development of energy efficient, job-creating industries;

lowering the cost of doing business, removing regulatory constraints and acting swiftly to remove policy uncertainty;

boosting investment through launching Invest SA, and

implementing reforms to ensure that state-owned companies are financially sound, operate efficiently, are well-managed and properly governed.

2. The adoption of more aggressive consolidation measures in the 2016 Budget will increase the likelihood that general government debt to gross domestic product (GDP) will stabilise in the current year.

Treasury said governments decision to implement fiscal consolidation to return public finances to a sustainable path, while protecting core social and economic programmes, was correct.

This was done through tax policy adjustments to boost revenue, moderate current expenditure and reprioritised budgets. Furthermore, governments recent track record of achieving fiscal targets gives credence to the future fiscal plans, especially maintaining an expenditure ceiling and recapitalising state-owned companies in a budget neutral manner, said Treasury.

3. According to Moodys, the recent political developments are testament to South Africas institutional strength compared to its peers.

Treasury said South Africas monetary and fiscal institutions have remained sound over time.

Despite adverse political developments in recent months, government continues to demonstrate determination to bring public finances under control and ensure that programmes such as nuclear and the National Health Insurance are financed at a scale and pace that is affordable, said Treasury.

Moodys warned of the need to implement the structural and legislative reforms agreed to by government, business and labour. The rating agency said the future trajectory of the rating will be highly dependent on governments success in enhancing medium term growth prospects, stabilising debt and restoring investor [confidence].

It said the countrys outlook can be changed from negative to stable if government delivers on commitments that support growth and achieve fiscal targets.

Government, meanwhile, is intensifying efforts and focus on inclusive economic growth, job creation and improving investor confidence through addressing structural constraints.

Collectively working with business, civil society and labour, government will continue to demonstrate its commitment to translate plans into concrete actions that will ensure South Africa remains an investment grade country, said Treasury.

Deputy President welcomes rating

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has welcomed Moody's decision. He was in Mbizana in the Eastern Cape when he responded to the credit rating on South Africa.

"We are very pleased with Moody's report, where they have kept our rating status as is. Many people were thinking that they would downgrade us. They haven't and that is a great success for us because it shows what we can achieve when we work together.

"We have to congratulate Treasury for having led the charge working together  with other organisations, trade unions, business and civil society. It was very pleasing to see them travel to investors overseas as a united team, essentially as Team South Africa, going to sell South Africa and explain everything about our country.

So it's great news and great success. As South Africans, we can congratulate ourselves, said Deputy President Ramaphosa.

However, he cautioned that the country should not relax.

"It is not over yet because there is another rating that is coming and this is when we must work harder and unite and demonstrate that South Africa is solid, stable and a worthy investment destination.
WASHINGTON, DC -- A new study provides insight into how the current El Nino, one of the strongest on record, formed in the Pacific Ocean. The new research finds easterly winds in the tropical Pacific Ocean stalled a potential El Nino in 2014 and left a swath of warm water in the central Pacific. The presence of that warm water stacked the deck for a monster El Nino to occur in 2015, according to the study's authors.

El Nino and La Nina are the warm and cool phases of a recurring climate pattern across the tropical Pacific Ocean called the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. The warm and cool phases shift back and forth every two to seven years, and each phase triggers predictable disruptions in temperature, wind, and rain across the globe. During El Nino events, water temperatures at the sea surface are higher than normal. Low-level surface winds, which normally blow east to west along the equator, or easterly winds, start blowing the other direction, west to east, or westerly.

In the spring of 2014, strong westerly winds near the equator in the western and central Pacific Ocean created a buzz among scientists - they saw the winds as a sign of a large El Nino event to come in the winter of 2014, said Aaron Levine, a climate scientist at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, Washington, and lead author of the new study accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

But as the summer progressed, El Nino didn't form the way scientists expected it to: sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific never warmed enough to truly be called an El Nino, and the buzz fizzled out.

But then, in the spring of 2015, episodes of very strong westerly wind bursts occurred and became more frequent throughout the summer. Following a pattern set by previous large El Ninos, 2015 to 2016 became one of the three strongest El Ninos on record, along with 1982 to 1983 and 1997 to 1998, Levine said.

Levine and others wondered whether the stalled El Nino from 2014 and the monster El Nino of 2015 were somehow related, he said.

In the new study, Levine and co-author Michael McPhaden, fellow climate scientist at the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, examined changes in sea surface and sub-surface temperatures, winds, and volumes of warm water in the Pacific Ocean from 2014 to 2016. They also used a mathematical model to analyze how these factors were related.

"As an El Nino develops and matures into its peak phase, [warm water] gets discharged out of the equatorial regions to the polar regions," Levine said. In 2014, easterly winds prevented that warm water from being transported poleward. The warm water stuck around through the winter and was available as a reservoir of heat that could be tapped into the following year. "Once we started to get some additional westerly winds - unusually strong westerly winds that occurred in the spring and summer of 2015 - an El Nino developed," he said.

Looking further back into the climate record, Levine and McPhaden found a similar event occurred in 1990. That year, easterly winds counteracted a budding El Nino, and leftover warm water fueled El Nino conditions in 1991 to 1992.

"It's nice to see that even in the 35-year record we have something similar that gives us confidence that this was the physical mechanism that was going on," Levine said.

Predicting future El Ninos

While Levine's research shows what conditions can help to explain past El Ninos, predicting future El Ninos is much more difficult. For example, warm sea surface temperatures make it more likely for an El Nino to occur, but cannot be used to predict El Ninos with absolute certainty, Levine said.

Sea surface temperatures and winds are closely coupled - meaning that they strongly influence each other, said Michelle L'Heureux, a climate scientist at NOAA's Center for Weather and Climate Prediction in College Park, Maryland, who was not involved in the new study. According to L'Heureux, certain winds are predictable to a certain degree, but there are still elements of surprise.

"The wildcard in all of this - the reason this is very probabilistic and we can't say anything with certainty - is that some part of the winds are essentially random," L'Heureux said. "We can predict them five to seven days out, but that's not going to give you much advance information on the growth of ENSO."

These random wind elements are a major limitation to predicting El Nino events, she said. "There's a chance that the winds could turn off in the summertime, and that's what happened in 2014."

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Discussions on the Internet are hard to analyze, whether it is controversy over the trade agreement TTIP (Transatlantic Treaty and Investment Partnership between Europe and the United States), or the debate on refugees. These conversations sometimes take place over the course of years, and millions of participants may have their say. A new priority program funded by the German Research Foundation is working to shed light on this problem: starting in 2017, researchers from across Germany will work on a search engine for arguments. These technical systems will be designed to analyze, for instance, how groups such as PEGIDA, the far right, anti-Islamic movement, or anti-globalization activists, argue in online discussions. Bielefeld University is leading the program "Ratio" in cooperation with the Jacobs University Bremen, the University of Duisburg-Essen, Leipzig University, and the Bauhaus University Weimar.

The full name of the German Research Foundation's priority program is "Robust Argumentation Machines" (adaptive, scalable, and error-tolerant argumentation systems). Under the leadership of Professor Dr. Philipp Cimiano from the Cluster of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) at Bielefeld University, the coordinators of the program are currently working on a nationwide call for proposals in which researchers are invited to apply with their project ideas. From this search, up to 15 project proposals will be approved.

"We want to lay the foundation for a new technology that will evaluate digital texts in an automated way, recognize and summarize argumentative structures, and sum up the various pro and con arguments from a discussion at a glance," explains Philipp Cimiano, who heads the Semantic Computing Group, which is part of the Cluster of Excellence CITEC. His team specializes in the research and development of methods that can extract and summarize the "meaning" from unstructured data, particularly digital texts.

Political researchers, for instance, could use this new generation of systems to analyze what people on the Internet think and say about a topic. In the current debate on refugees, the so-called "closing of the Balkan route" is put forth by many as the method of choice for dealing with the situation. The new systems would not just be able to track how widespread support of this "solution" is, but also identify the opposing arguments made against it. "In principle, these systems could also show which arguments are being repeated, and which new arguments are being introduced into the discussion," explains Philipp Cimiano.

For years, industry has been working on systems that automatically comb through and evaluate large volumes of data ("Big Data"). "The problem here is that it is still unclear where these systems are getting their information, or what their suggestions are based on," says Philipp Cimiano. "Our systems should go beyond what previous projects have done before." These systems will be designed to analyze unstructured documents, from which they will extract argumentative contexts and make them understandable. And they will not just give recom-mendations for action, but will provide reasoning for their suggestions, pointing out sources and further information. "For us, the goal is to bring transparency to Big Data analysis," says the CITEC researcher. "We are working on intelligent advisory systems that ultimately allow users make their own decisions."

Analyzing online discussions is only one possible area in which these argumentation machines could be used. The new systems are meant to help support experts from many different professional fields in making decisions, for instance in finance, medicine, technical documentation, politics, or sociology.

For example, a system could be developed that could be used to give advice to doctors: the system scans millions of medical articles on clinical presentation of disease and therapies, and the doctor can ask the digital advisor a question - thanks to a dialogue assistant - and learn about, for instance, a new therapy that the doctor might otherwise not have known about. This kind of system could also be useful in an industrial factory setting: if a machine is not working, the advisory system could "read" instructions, documentation, or even Internet forums, from which it could derive suggestions to solve the problem. Journalists could also benefit from such systems that take large amounts of information and evaluate it - whether freely available data from public administrations, or leaked documents like the "Panama Papers."

The priority program brings together researchers from a range of sub-disciplines in computer science, including artificial intelligence, computer linguistics, knowledge representation, search engines, the semantic web, and human-computer interaction. "Ratio" will run from 2017 to 2023, and two million Euro will be made available each year for research funding, for a total of 12 million Euro for the entire duration of the project. The program committee is made up of the following members: Professor Dr. Philipp Cimiano (Bielefeld University), Professor Dr. Gerhard Heyer (Leipzig University), Professor Dr. Benno Stein (Bauhaus University Weimar), Professor Dr. Michael Kohlhase (Jacobs University Bremen), Professor Dr. Jurgen Ziegler (University of Duisburg-Essen).

The German Research Foundation's priority programs promote basic scientific research, particularly in current or emerging areas of research. "Ratio" is one of the 17 new priority programs that will begin in 2017 and were chosen from among 76 initiatives submitted to the German Research Foundation.

For example, a system could be developed that could be used to give advice to doctors: the system scans millions of medical articles on clinical presentation of disease and therapies, and the doctor can ask the digital advisor a question - thanks to a dialogue assistant - and learn about, for instance, a new therapy that the doctor might otherwise not have known about. This kind of system could also be useful in an industrial factory setting: if a machine is not working, the advisory system could "read" instructions, documentation, or even Internet forums, from which it could derive suggestions to solve the problem. Journalists could also benefit from such systems that take large amounts of information and evaluate it - whether freely available data from public administrations, or leaked documents like the "Panama Papers."

The priority program brings together researchers from a range of sub-disciplines in computer science, including artificial intelligence, computer linguistics, knowledge representation, search engines, the semantic web, and human-computer interaction. "Ratio" will run from 2017 to 2023, and two million Euro will be made available each year for research funding, for a total of 12 million Euro for the entire duration of the project. The program committee is made up of the following members: Professor Dr. Philipp Cimiano (Bielefeld University), Professor Dr. Gerhard Heyer (Leipzig University), Professor Dr. Benno Stein (Bauhaus University Weimar), Professor Dr. Michael Kohlhase (Jacobs University Bremen), Professor Dr. Jurgen Ziegler (University of Duisburg-Essen).

The German Research Foundation's priority programs promote basic scientific research, particularly in current or emerging areas of research. "Ratio" is one of the 17 new priority programs that will begin in 2017 and were chosen from among 76 initiatives submitted to the German Research Foundation.

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Further information is available online at: "German Research Foundation Establishes 17 New Priority Programs" (Press release from 21 March 2016): http://www.dfg.de/en/service/press/press_releases/2016/press_release_no_10/index.html
They stop and help at the pharmacy counter when someone is struggling. They get asked for help in the aisles of Walmart or in the streets. These Spanish interpreter students go out of their way to step in when they see people with frustrated and lost looks on their faces. They grew up in Spanish-speaking households and had to help their parents through similar struggles and now they are giving back to community.Three students at Beaufort County Community College are receiving their community Spanish interpreter certificates this week, the first students to do so. Marlen Avelar Gomez, Ana Karen Cuevas-Tellez and Gerardo Olivares, all fifth year students at the Early College High School at BCCC will finally have a certificate that reinforces the role that they have already played in the community. All ECHS students graduate not only with a high school diploma but also an associate degree.Growing up in a bilingual household where the Spanish is heavy and the English is light means that children become interpreters at an early age as their parents confront a largely monolingual English-speaking community. They quickly learn about adult subjects like law or medicine as they help their parents through intimidating and complex situations where staff are Spanish-deficient.The community Spanish interpreter curriculum prepares individuals to work as entry-level professionals in basic Spanish communication skills who will provide communication access in interviews and interactions. In addition, this curriculum provides educational training for working professionals who want to acquire Spanish language skills for education, social settings and the workplace.Gomez grew up interpreting for her parents at meetings when few programs existed to help English speakers communicate with Spanish speakers. She plans to attend UNC-Charlotte where she would like to use her Spanish interpreter certificate to intern at a law firm. Gomez has ambitions of continuing on to law school. "The program has taught me to speak in a better manner," she said. All of the students said their Spanish has grown stronger through the program.The course work includes the acquisition of Spanish grammar, structure and sociolinguistic properties. It also walks students through the thought processes associated with interpretation between Spanish and English and the structure and character of the Hispanic community. Jose Mendoza, Spanish instructor, heads up the certification program. The students were appreciative of his efforts and that of Dean Lisa Hill for making the program happen.Cuevas-Tellez will use her certificate to work in either a court or medical setting. She wants to pursue social work. Olivares will head to UNC-Charlotte where he plans to pursue computer programing. He plans to use his certificate to help pay for college and to help out the community.The students are reluctant to charge for the services they have carried out their entire lives. Lucera Morales, a medical office administration student, said she thinks interpretation is the right thing to do. Lesly Rivera, a fourth year ECHS student, helps customers regularly at the Dominos where she works. "Customers ask if anyone speaks Spanish and they are always relieved when I can interpret," she said.As these three students leave BCCC, they will have a certificate that will make them more marketable as students and professionals, but, more importantly, there will be a few less frustrated and lost faces in the community.For more information about the community Spanish interpreter certificate, contact Jose Mendoza ator jose.mendoza@beaufortccc.edu or Lisa Hill atorAttila NemeczBeaufort County Community College5337 US Hwy 264 EastWashington, NC 27889
Some strange creatures cropped up in the wake of one of Earth's biggest mass extinctions 252 million years ago. In 2014, scientists discovered a bizarre fossil--a crocodile-sized sea-dwelling reptile, Atopodentatus unicus, that lived 242 million years ago in what today is southwestern China. Its head was poorly preserved, but it seemed to have a flamingo-like beak. However, in a paper published May 6 in Science Advances, Dr. LI Chun, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his international team described two new specimens and revealed what was really going on--that "beak" is actually part of a hammerhead-shaped jaw apparatus, which it used to feed on plants on the ocean floor. It's the earliest known example of an herbivorous marine reptile.

These two newly discovered specimens of Atopodentatus were collected from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Guanling Formation of Luoping County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The new specimens clearly demonstrate that rather than being downturned, the rostrum was developed into a "hammerhead" with pronounced lateral processes formed by the premaxillae and maxillae in the upper jaw and mirrored by the dentary in the lower jaw, said the team.

"We confirm the presence of fine and densely packed needle-shaped teeth in the ramus of the dentaries and maxillae, but the premaxillary teeth are arranged along the anterior edge of the element and are more robust and peg-like in form", said lead author LI Chun.

The wide jaw of Atopodentatus was shaped like a hammerhead, and along the edge, it had peg-like teeth. Then, further into its mouth, it had bunches of needle-like teeth. "That arrangement wouldn't have been too useful for chewing prey", said study co-author Olivier Rieppel, Field Museum of Natural History, "It's more likely that Atopodentatus used its front teeth to nip algae or other plants from rocky surfaces and then, with its mouth closed, forced mouthfuls of water through its side teeth, which acted as a filter trapping the plants and letting the water back out, like how whales filter-feed with their baleen".

Atopodentatus is thus the oldest known vegetarian among marine reptiles. It is older than other marine animals that ate plants with a filter-feeding system by about eight million years, said the team.

Atopodentatus appeared during the Triassic Period relatively soon after the biggest mass extinction of species in Earth's history, illustrating that life recovered and diversified more quickly than previously thought. Other oddball creatures also swam the seas at the time, including a reptile called Dinocephalosaurus whose neck comprised half of its 17-foot (5.25 meters) length.

"Atopodentatus, about 9 feet (2.75 meters) long, lived in a shallow sea in China's Yunnan province alongside fish and other marine reptiles, said study co-author CHENG Long, Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey, "When thinking of hammerhead creatures, sharks may come to mind. But Atopodentatus' hammerhead feature differed in location and function from the sharks, whose eyes are on the end of lateral extensions on their head."

"Overall, the creature is so unusual that it's difficult to tell where it fits on the reptile family tree", said Dr. Nicholas Fraser, co-corresponding author of the study, National Museums Scotland, "Because its fossils are relatively complete, paleontologists will probably need to unearth fossils of yet-to-be-discovered relatives to better figure this out. In the meantime, Atopodentatus seems to be most closely related to the plesiosaurs, the typically long-necked marine reptiles that often were top predators in dinosaur-era oceans."

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This work was supported by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Wuhan Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources.
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., May 9, 2016--Researchers recently demonstrated how an informatics-based adaptive design strategy, tightly coupled to experiments, can accelerate the discovery of new materials with targeted properties, according to a recent paper published in Nature Communications.

"What we've done is show that, starting with a relatively small data set of well-controlled experiments, it is possible to iteratively guide subsequent experiments toward finding the material with the desired target," said Turab Lookman, a physicist and materials scientist in the Physics of Condensed Matter and Complex Systems group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Lookman is the principal investigator of the research project.

"Finding new materials has traditionally been guided by intuition and trial and error," said Lookman."But with increasing chemical complexity, the combination possibilities become too large for trial-and-error approaches to be practical."

To address this, Lookman, along with his colleagues at Los Alamos and the State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials in China, employed machine learning to speed up the process. It worked. They developed a framework that uses uncertainties to iteratively guide the next experiments to be performed in search of a shape-memory alloy with very low thermal hysteresis (or dissipation). Such alloys are critical for improving fatigue life in engineering applications.

"The goal is to cut in half the time and cost of bringing materials to market," said Lookman. "What we have demonstrated is a data-driven framework built on the foundations of machine learning and design that can lead to discovering new materials with targeted properties much faster than before." The work made use of Los Alamos' high-performance supercomputing resources.

Although the Materials Genome initiative, issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in 2011, catalyzed interest in accelerated materials discovery, this study is one of the first to demonstrate how an informatics framework can actually lead to the discovery of new materials.

Much of the effort in the field has centered on generating and screening databases typically formed by running thousands of quantum mechanical calculations. However, the interplay of structural, chemical and microstructural degrees of freedom introduces enormous complexity, especially if defects, solid solutions, non-stoichiometry and multi-component compounds are involved, which the current state-of-the-art tools are not yet designed to handle. Moreover, few studies include any feedback to experiments or incorporate uncertainties.

Lookman and his colleagues focused on nickel-titanium-based shape-memory alloys, but the strategy can be used for any materials class (polymers, ceramics or nanomaterials) or target properties (e.g., dielectric response, piezoelectric coefficients and band gaps). This becomes important when experiments or calculations are costly and time-consuming. Although the work focused on the chemical exploration space, it can be readily adapted to optimize processing conditions when there are many "tuning knobs" controlling a figure of merit, as in advanced manufacturing applications. Similarly, it can be generalized to optimize multiple properties, such as, in the case of the nickel-titanium-based alloy, low dissipation as well as a transition temperature several degrees above room temperature.

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The Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Los Alamos funded the work and Los Alamos provided institutional computing resources. The researchers on the LDRD include a highly interdisciplinary team with post-docs Dezhen Xue, Prasanna Balachandran, Ghanshyam Pilania and staff scientists John Hogden, James Theiler, Jim Gubernatis, Kip Barros, Eli Ben-Naim, Quanxi Jia, Rohit Prasankumar and Turab Lookman.

The work supports the Lab's Nuclear Deterrence and Energy Security mission areas and the Information, Science, and Technology and Materials for the Future science pillars. Exploring the physics, chemistry and metallurgy of materials has been a primary focus of Los Alamos since its founding. Through the exploration of materials, Los Alamos pursues the discovery science and engineering required to establish design principles, synthesis pathways, and manufacturing processes for advanced and new materials to intentionally control functionality relevant to the Lab's national security mission.

Lookman and coauthors Dezhen Xue, Prasanna V. Balachandran, John Hogde, James Theiler, and Deqing Xue published their research in an article titled "Accelerated search for materials with targeted properties by adaptive design," which was published in the April 15 issue of Nature Communications.

About Los Alamos National Laboratory

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, BWXT Government Group, and URS, an AECOM company, for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.

Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction, and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.
The most powerful particle accelerator in the world, CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is getting up to speed again after its annual winter break. After a switch-on in March and a period of fine-tuning, operators are ramping-up the intensity of LHC's high-energy beams toward the peak that will generate up to 1 billion particle collisions per second and deliver up to about six times more data than in 2015.

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are among the thousands of LHC collaborators worldwide who will be sifting through loads of new data expected from this latest experimental run, which could reveal unexpected twists in the makeup of matter and shed more light on the known pantheon of particles including the Higgs boson, discovered in 2012.

"Berkeley Lab physicists on the LHC's ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus) experiment are eagerly anticipating the large increase in data that this 2016 run will bring," said Ian Hinchliffe, who leads Berkeley Lab's ATLAS group. "Researchers are working on searches for new physics that will use this data and make major improvements in existing searches for supersymmetry"--a theory that proposes for every known particle there is a yet-to-be-observed heavier "superpartner."

During the first six months of this experimental run the LHC will be used to study collisions of protons, the positively charged particles at the hearts of atoms, followed by a one-month period exploring collisions of lead ions and protons.

Berkeley Lab's current ATLAS group has about 40 members, and a group of about a dozen Berkeley Lab scientists work on ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment), another of the four largest-scale experiments at the LHC ring. Staff from Berkeley Lab's Physics, Nuclear Science, Computational Research, and Engineering divisions, and from its National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC) contribute to ATLAS and ALICE, with duties ranging from data analysis to research and development to maintenance and operations. NERSC is a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

"The four-week run of collisions of protons with lead ions, scheduled for the end of the year, is of particular interest to ALICE," said Peter Jacobs, a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab's Nuclear Science Division (NSD) who is a part of the ALICE collaboration.

"These experiments will allow us to probe deep into the structure of strongly interacting matter, and to explore strongly-interacting thermodynamics in new ways," Jacobs said.

In upcoming work, Berkeley Lab researchers will play a leading role in a planned 2019 upgrade to a particle-tracking system for ALICE, which will help build an ATLAS tracking detector that will be installed in the coming decade. Scientists and engineers at Berkeley Lab are also collaborating with CERN on the next-generation of high-field magnets for an upgrade to the LHC that is expected to increase the volume of particle collisions tenfold.

Fabiola Gianotti, CERN director-general, said, "The restart of the LHC always brings with it great emotion," adding that scientists will seek out "improved measurements of the Higgs boson and other known particles and phenomena," and also look for new physics.

Scientists will collect and analyze data from the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb experiments during this latest LHC run, along with data from three smaller experiments: TOTEM, LHCf and MoEDAL.

LHC experiments have so far identified only a few Higgs bosons, the particles at the center of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics. This year, the ATLAS and CMS (Compact Muon Selenoid) collaborations--which announced the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012--will study it in depth thanks to the higher volume in experimental data.

The Higgs boson was the last puzzle piece in the Standard Model, a theory that offers us the best description of our universe, the fundamental particles it's made from, and the forces that govern them. But there are still several unanswered questions that this theory doesn't explain, such as why nature prefers matter to antimatter, or what dark matter is despite it potentially making up one-quarter of our universe.

"In 2015, we opened the doors to a completely new landscape with unprecedented energy. Now we can begin to explore this landscape in depth," said Eckhard Elsen, CERN's director for research and computing.

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This Berkeley Lab press release is based on a release issued by CERN: View the CERN release.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world's most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab's scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science. For more, visit http://www.lbl.gov.

DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://science.energy.gov.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Sandia National Laboratories video producer Myra Buteau swept a hand toward the top shelf of a bookcase stuffed with black cases of high-definition tapes. The biggest challenge in telling the story of Sandia's years of above-ground and underground nuclear weapon field tests, she said, was condensing the 100 hours of interviews on those tapes into a 32-minute historical documentary.

"Cold War Warriors" traces nuclear weapons testing from the first nuclear detonation in southern New Mexico in 1945 to the final test in September 1992. Buteau narrates, but the story is told largely by 44 Sandia field testers, the people she calls "game changers in the evolution of nuclear weapons testing."

"I wanted to create a documentary that not only showed the significance of their contributions but also gave the essence of who these nuclear weapons field testers were," she said.

The film opens with a montage of historical photos and documents and progresses into interwoven interviews about nearly 50 years of nuclear tests in New Mexico, south Pacific islands and the Nevada Test Site, now the Nevada National Security Site. It includes footage of the tests and the political events that shaped the era. Buteau calls the field testers "behind-the-scenes heroes on the world stage during a frightening time in American history known as the Cold War."

Told by those who built the legacy

"It's important for people to see the legacy of the labs and the people who built that legacy," she said. "I really wanted to pay tribute to the individuals who dedicated their lives, who had such a passion for this work, and to the families. There were a lot of stories of people who'd go away to testing and they'd be gone three weeks, four weeks, five weeks. It was a huge effort."

The first interview shown is with the late Ben Benjamin, who teases that the filmmakers really wanted J. Robert Oppenheimer or Gen. Leslie Groves, the men who headed the Manhattan Project that built the first atomic bomb. But they died decades ago, forcing the interviewers to go down a list until "you finally got to a technician who was there, and that was me."

For Buteau, Benjamin "epitomized the field test, the can-do attitude, the esprit de corps mindset and the get-the-job-done motto."

The idea for the program came from David Thompson, former manager of the Nevada Test Site, who suggested capturing the recollections of those behind the nuclear tests. He turned to then-Sandia President Tom Hunter, who backed the idea. Thompson tapped Buteau to put the documentary together.

Field tester also worked on the documentary

Field tester Al Chabai, now retired, suggested many of the people interviewed and conducted most of the conversations. Chabai, who also appears in the documentary, worked in the testing program for decades. "He was the perfect choice," Buteau said. "He knew the people because he worked with them. I did some of the interviews, but I just didn't have the knowledge to ask the questions that he knew to ask."

She began editing by paring the interviews to the most striking nuggets, then wove those clips into a chronological story. "When you interview people on certain topics they'll say very similar things, and then it's easy to cut back and forth," said Buteau, a Sandia video producer and director for two dozen years.

"People can tell a story better than I could ever script it, and they have passion and the emotion," she said.

The first order of business was to talk to as many field test workers as possible. That took a year. The original list was longer than the 44 eventually interviewed, but there wasn't enough money to film everyone. When the initial budget ran out, there was no funding to edit all the footage and produce the documentary. It took a decade to finish.

"I wanted to get as many interviews done as we could because of the advanced age of some of the individuals," Buteau said. "I thought that was more important. I thought perhaps sometime in the future we could get more funding to do the editing. Little did I know it would be 10 years."

Historical archive of those who did the work

About 40 percent of those interviewed have since died, she said. "Had we not captured this knowledge, we would not have this historical archive of their stories and what they went through and who they met, what they did."

Buteau wanted the entire interviews and the high-resolution format available in the future, so the original tapes eventually will be housed in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency archives. "I don't want them to go into an abyss where no one has access to them," she said. "I think they're historically important."

Buteau hopes the film gives people a greater appreciation for field testing "in the era in which these people lived and worked, which was under the fear of the Cold War. I hope they have a greater appreciation of all that it took to protect our nation and to create a nuclear weapons arsenal."

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Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major R&D responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies and economic competitiveness.

Sandia news media contact: Sue Holmes, sholmes@sandia.gov, (505) 844-6362
Boulder, Colo., USA - GSA's newest journal, Lithosphere, has put together several articles touching on the evolution and nature of Earth's crust and upper mantle. Topics include mountain-building and metamorphism in the Canadian Cordillera; the deep roots of an ancient continental arc exposed in Fiordland, New Zealand; the Sevier hinterland plateau, USA; the geologic history of the central and northern Tibetan Plateau; and Quaternary river diversion in the eastern Himalaya.

Record of orogenic cyclicity in the Alberta foreland basin, Canadian Cordillera

Garrett M. Quinn et al., Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Earth Science 118, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/05/05/L531.1.abstract.

The record of orogenic cyclicity in the Alberta Foreland Basin, Canadian Cordillera, considers the evolution of the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the Jurassic and Cretaceous through analysis of sedimentary archives in the adjacent Alberta Foreland Basin. This study test a recent hypothesis that Cordilleran mountain systems like the Canadian Rockies evolve through cyclic periods of uplift and magmatic flare ups caused by the foundering of deep crustal roots into the mantle. By dating zircon grains from sandstones of the Alberta Foothills, apparently cyclic changes in sediment source areas to the basin are documented. These source areas include the southwestern U.S., the incipient Rocky Mountains, as well as igneous rocks formed as a result of mountain-building. Not only can changes in sediment sources be explained by the hypothesis of cyclic uplift, but the timing of enhanced sedimentation pulses in the basin is consistent with the timing of interpreted magmatic flare-ups.

Pre-Cenozoic geologic history of the central and northern Tibetan Plateau and the role of Wilson cycles in constructing the Tethyan orogenic system

Chen Wu et al., Structural Geology Group, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China; corresponding author: An Yin. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/04/25/L494.1.abstract.

Swiss geologist Eduard Suess (1831-1914) first postulated the existence of a great ocean system, which he termed the Tethys, in the Paleozoic Era (between 500 and 250 million years ago) that separated the only two continental landmasses on Earth at the time: Supercontinent Gondwana in the south and Supercontinent Laurasia in the north. Later studies emphasize the antiquity of the northernmost branch of the Tethyan ocean system, with an inference that it had existed before the assembling and formation of the two supercontinents. In this study, scientists from China University of Geosciences (Beijing), the University of California at Los Angeles, and Chinese Academy of Sciences show that the oldest and northernmost ocean in the Tethyan system, commonly referred to as the Paleo-Tethys, was generated within the northern supercontinent Laurasia via a process known as the Wilson Cycle, first proposed by Tuzo Wilson (1908-1993) in 1966 for the evolution of the Atlantic ocean. The new finding reported by Wu et al. requires a fresh look at the existing theories on the origin of the Tethys, one of the greatest ocean systems in the history of the Earth.

Gneiss domes, vertical and horizontal mass transfer, and the initiation of extension in the hot lower crustal root of a continental arc, Fiordland, New Zealand

Keith A. Klepeis et al., Dept. of Geology, The University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405-0122, USA. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/01/25/L490.1.

This study uses structural analyses and zircon geochronology to determine how the deep roots of an ancient continental arc now exposed in Fiordland, New Zealand, formed and evolved over 35 million years. The Fiordland locality is important because it contains the largest (3,000 square kilometers) and deepest (approx. 65 km) known surface exposure of continental crust that formed at the base of an ancient continental arc. We show how the deep root of this arc was thermally and mechanically rejuvenated by the rapid influx of a large volume of magma during the Cretaceous. This event mobilized partially molten material within the crust, forming gneiss domes and leading the sinking of a dense root into the mantle. Our data reveal the three-dimensional patterns of this flow and the mechanisms that moved heat and mass through the Earth's lithosphere.

Middle Jurassic landscape evolution of southwest Laurentia using detrital zircon geochronology

Sally L. Potter-McIntyre et al., Southern Illinois University, Dept. of Geology, Parkinson Lab Mailcode 4324, Carbondale, Illinois 62902, USA. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/01/25/L467.1.abstract.

This study presents a refined interpretation of what the landscape looked like on southwestern Laurentia during Mesozoic rifting of the supercontinent Pangea and the opening of the Gulf of Mexico. An abrupt change in sediment source occurred due to tectonic uplift of the southwestern flank of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains which caused a stream capture and drainage reorganization. This drainage reorganization input a large amount of water into the basin and caused the landscape to change from a desert with sand dunes that had persisted for tens of millions of years to large hypersaline lakes. The stream capture and drainage reorganization that created the lake system recorded in the Wanakah Formation and the Tidwell Member of the Morrison Formation likely evolved into the major river system that deposited the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation.

Shallow-crustal metamorphism during Late Cretaceous anatexis in the Sevier hinterland plateau: Peak temperature conditions from the Grant Range, eastern Nevada, USA

Sean P. Long, School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA; and Emmanuel Soignard, Leroy Eyring Center For Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/01/25/L501.1.abstract.

During the construction of mountain belts, the thermal conditions of the deforming crust progressively evolve, and can exert a significant influence on the corresponding deformation history. In the North American Cordilleran mountain belt, during the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary periods, a high plateau called the Nevadaplano is hypothesized to have occupied what is now Nevada and western Utah, and was located west of the center of active crustal shortening in central Utah. This paper discusses evidence for significant heating of the upper ~10 km of the crust of the plateau in areas of eastern Nevada at about 80 million years ago, while the mountain belt was still being constructed. This anomalous heating indicates the possibility for significant thermal weakening of regions of the plateau crust, and may have contributed to a documented slowing of shortening rates in the adjacent zone of crustal shortening in central Utah.

Kinematics of Late Quaternary slip along the Yabrai Fault: Implications for Cenozoic tectonics across the Gobi Alashan block, China

Jingxing Yu and Wenjun Zheng, State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/03/L509.1.abstract.

The Yabrai range-front fault accommodates deformation within the middle Gobi Alashan block between the Tibetan Plateau and the Ordos block. In this paper, the authors have determined that the Yabrai range-front fault is composed of three segments of varying fault strike and sense of motion based on geomorphic features and trench exposures. This work is remarkable in that it suggests that the deformation of the Tibetan Plateau has extended into the Gobi Alashan block and has built the deformation pattern for the southern Gobi Alashan block.

A synthesis of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous crustal evolution along the southern margin of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate and implications for defining tectonic boundaries active during opening of Arctic Ocean basins

Alison B. Till, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/08/L471.1.abstract.

Tectonic models of Arctic Ocean basin opening remain controversial and are central to understanding the region's resource potential. One of the more significant impediments to construction of tectonic models is the uncertain role of a large piece of continental crust, the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate. While many models favor opening the Canada Basin by rotation of the microplate away from Arctic Canada, it is too large to rotate as a single crustal block. This paper is a synthesis of the distribution, character, and timing of Jurassic and Early Cretaceous crustal deformation events along the margin of the microplate. The synthesis reveals that the microplate was probably two separate crustal pieces until the Aptian (Early Cretaceous; approximately 120 million years ago). The likely collision zone between Arctic Alaska and Chukotka is preserved as a zone of metamorphism and crustal thickening that crosses the eastern end of Chukotka and extends well into northern Alaska, along the southern flank of the Brooks Range.

Tectonic and climate controls on Quaternary river diversion in the eastern Himalaya

Jin-Yu Zhang et al., State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources and Structural Geology Group, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, P.R. China; corresponding author: An Yin. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/05/05/L500.1.abstract.

About 100 years ago, two great Himalayan geologists -- Sir Sidney Burrard and Sir. Henry Hayden -- postulated that the Yarlung River north of the Himalaya had been episodically blocked due to Himalayan tectonic activities. As a result, this river may have spilled over the Himalayan crest departing from its current course. This geologically plausible inference has never been proven until the study presented by Zhang et al. reported in Lithosphere. In their studies, the authors present geomorphologic and sedimentological evidence to support this long-speculated geological process in the Himalaya. An important implication of this work is that the river course may have shifted rapidly at a time scales of few thousand years during episodes of rapid climate change in the region.

Diachronous tectono-metamorphism in the northern Canadian Cordillera

Reid D. Staples et al., Dept. of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/8/2/165.abstract.

From the abstract: Development of amphibolite-facies transposition fabrics in the northern Canadian Cordilleran hinterland occurred diachronously in the Permian-Triassic, Early Jurassic, Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, and Early to mid-Cretaceous. Rocks tectonized in the Permian-Triassic and Early Jurassic were exhumed in the Early Jurassic, while rocks immediately to the northeast (toward the foreland) were not buried and heated until the Middle Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous. Early Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous emplacement of the Yukon-Tanana terrane on the North American continental margin, together with the imbrication of parautochthonous rocks, formed a foreland-propagating orogenic wedge. Cooler rocks in front of the wedge were progressively buried and metamorphosed to amphibolite facies from the Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous as they were underthrust into a spatially and temporally transient distributed ductile shear zone near the base of the overriding wedge. Rocks previously incorporated into this zone were displaced upward and exhumed through the combined effects of renewed underplating at depth and compensating extensional and erosional denudation above to maintain a critically tapered wedge. Extensional exhumation of the metamorphic hinterland in the mid-Cretaceous marked the collapse and end of orogen-perpendicular wedge dynamics in operation since the Early Jurassic. Rocks incorporated into the midcrustal shear zone in the Middle Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous were exhumed in the mid-Cretaceous along southeast-directed (orogen-parallel) extensional faults from beneath a supracrustal "lid" tectonized in the Permian-Triassic and Early Jurassic. Like the Himalayan orogen and eastern Alps, orogen-parallel extension developed in an orthogonal plate-convergent setting, simultaneous with, and bounded by, orogen-parallel strike-slip faulting that facilitated northwestward lateral extrusion of rocks normal to the direction of convergence.

Observations on normal-fault scarp morphology and fault system evolution of the Bishop Tuff in the Volcanic Tableland, Owens Valley, California, U.S.A.

David A. Ferrill, Director, Department of Earth, Material, and Planetary Sciences, Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, Texas 78238-5166, USA. This article is online at http://lithosphere.gsapubs.org/content/early/2016/03/28/L476.1.abstract.

From the abstract: Mapping of normal faults cutting the Bishop Tuff in the Volcanic Tableland, northern Owens Valley, California, using side-looking airborne radar data, low-altitude aerial photographs, airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, and standard field mapping yields insights into fault scarp development, fault system evolution, and timing. Fault zones are characterized by multiple linked fault segments, tilting of the welded ignimbrite surface, dilation of polygonal cooling joints, and toppling of joint-bounded blocks. Maximum fault zone width is governed by (i) lateral spacing of cooperating fault segments and (ii) widths of fault tip monoclines. Large-displacement faults interact over larger rock volumes than small-displacement faults and generate larger relay ramps, which, when breached, form the widest portions of fault zones. Locally intense faulting within a breached relay ramp results from a combination of distributed east-west extension, and within-ramp bending and stretching to accommodate displacement gradients on bounding faults. One prominent fluvial channel is offset by both east- and west-dipping normal faults such that the channel is no longer in an active flowing configuration, indicating that channel incision began before development of significant fault-related geomorphic features. The channel thalweg is "hanging" with respect to modern (Q1) and previous (Q2) Owens River terraces, is incised through the pre-Tahoe age terrace level (Q4, 131-463 ka), and is at grade with the Tahoe age (Q3, 53-119 ka) terrace. Differential incision across fault scarps implies that the channel remained active during some of the faulting history, but it was abandoned between Q2 and Q3 time, while faulting continues to the present day.

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Most smokers who have tried electronic cigarettes have rejected them as less satisfying than regular cigarettes, reducing their potential to be a "disruptive technology" that could help a significant number of smokers to quit, according to a recent study by a team of researchers at the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) at Georgia State University.

E-cigarettes, also referred to as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems or ENDS, "need to improve as a satisfying alternative or the attractiveness and appeal of regular cigarette must be degraded to increase the potential of ENDS replacing regular cigarettes," according to lead author Dr. Terry F. Pechacek, professor of Health Management and Policy.

The findings are published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

The researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of 5,717 U.S. adults in 2014, asking questions about their awareness of e-cigarettes, use of such products and reasons for using traditional and novel tobacco products.

Among the 144 former cigarette smokers who had tried e-cigarettes, nearly 30 percent (or 43 people) continued to use them as a satisfying alternative to regular cigarettes.

But among the 585 smokers in the study, nearly 58 percent (or 337 people) reported they found e-cigarettes unsatisfying and stopped using them. Meanwhile, more than 40 percent of the group of smokers (or 248 people) continued to smoke cigarettes and use e-cigarettes, known as dual use. The primary motivations reported by dual users for using e-cigarettes was reducing harm to their health and trying to cut down or quit smoking.

Based upon the 2014 survey data, the authors estimated about 2.4 million U.S. adults were helped in quitting regular cigarettes by using e-cigarettes, with 1.4 million of these smokers quitting in the past year. However, they note that they could not determine the impact of e-cigarettes on the national rate of people quitting regular cigarettes because they could not assess how many of these former smokers would have successfully quit without using e-cigarettes nor how many dual users may have been delayed in quitting cigarettes.

"To encourage a potentially positive pattern of ENDS replacing cigarettes," the authors wrote, "it can be argued that efforts are needed by the public health community to reduce the appeal and attractiveness of the cigarette and other combusted tobacco products, namely, decreasing the product, promotion, placement and price advantage of these more lethal combusted tobacco products."

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The other authors, all affiliated with TCORS, are Dr. Pratibha Nayak, Kyle R. Gregory, JD, Dr. Scott R. Weaver and Dr. Michael P. Eriksen, dean of the School of Public Health at Georgia State.

TCORS, established at Georgia State in 2013, takes a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding human and economic factors that contribute to tobacco use. The Center, housed within the School of Public Health, conducts research designed to inform the regulation of tobacco products to protect public health. Research reported in Nicotine & Tobacco Research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Food and Drug Administration.
This year the most important award in the field of metrology, the science of making precise measurements, was awarded to a team of five Frankfurt atomic physicists at Goethe University: Prof. Reinhard Dorner, Associate Prof. Dr. Till Jahnke, Dr. Maksim Kunitzki, Dr. Jorg Voigtsberger and Stefan Zeller. The Helmholtz award includes an endowment of Euro 20,000 and is awarded to European researchers every three years.

The award recipients succeeded in measuring the extremely weak binding energy of helium molecules with a previously unachievable precision. Chemistry teaches us that helium as a noble gas doesn't form bonds. However, this becomes possible under certain circumstances predicted by quantum theory. The study group under Dorner has measured this binding energy indirectly with the COLTRIMS reaction microscope developed at Goethe University. It can be used to measure the location and speed of decaying molecules at the same time with a high level of accuracy, and this data can be used to reconstruct the original configuration. The award winners focused on rare molecules composed of two or three helium atoms.

"It started with the German Research Foundation approving me for a Koselleck project with funding of over 1.25 million in 2009. This is a kind of venture capital, which the DFG uses to support experiments with a long lead time", Prof. Reinhard Dorner from the Institute for Nuclear Physics explains. Dr. Till Jahnke laid the foundation for the equipment, then doctoral candidate Jorg Voigtsberger took over the experiment and achieved initial successes. The next doctoral candidate, Stefan Zeller, was able to make significant improvements to the equipment and to further increase the precision. To do so, he had to direct the largest "photon canon" in Germany, the "Free Electron Laser FLASH" at the DESY research centre in Hamburg, at the extremely weakly bonded helium molecules. In this way he was able to determine the binding energy with a precision of a few nano-electron volts. This means that the binding energy of the helium molecules is one-hundred million times weaker than in a water molecule, for example.

The series of experiments culminated this past year with the dicovery of the so-called Efimov state for a helium molecule made up of three atoms. This comparatively huge molecule predicted 40 years ago by the Russian theorist Vitaly Efimov, can only exist in the tunnel effect established by quantum physics. The postdoc Maksim Kunitzki succeeded in making this measurement with the same equipment.

"All Helmholtz Award winners to date have significantly advanced the art of measuring and many of them are among the most renowned researchers in the field of metrology today", said Dr. Joachim Ullrich, President of the National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB) and Chairman of the Helmholtz Fund. "We are confident that this will also hold true this time." Researchers at the University of Cambridge are also distinguished with the Helmholtz Award for their method of measuring individual molecules using nano-pores, a proven method in DNA analysis. They have created a method for theoretically detecting any number of different protein molecules in the same measurement. The award will be presented on 22 June 2016 in the conference centre of the National Metrology Institute of Germany (PTB).

The Frankfurt award winners have already received several other rewards for their work: In 2013 Till Jahnke was awarded the most important young scientist award of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, the Gustav Hertz Award. The following year, Reinhard Dorner was distinguished with the renowned Robert Wichard Pohl Award by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. In 2015, Maksim Kunitski received an award from the "Frankfurter Forderverein fur physikalische Grundlagenforschung".

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New Rochelle, NY, May 7, 2016--A new study shows that the anti-tumor effect of oncolytic virus therapy is significantly greater in mice when the virus is genetically modified to express a junction opening (JO) protein, which helps the cancer-killing agent better penetrate solid tumors. The potential for JO to improve cancer therapy with various types of oncolytic viruses is described in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free for download on the Human Gene Therapy website until June 7, 2016.

Roma Yumul, Maximilian Richter, and coauthors, University of Washington, Compliment Corp., and PAI Life Sciences Inc. (Seattle, WA), Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Beijing, PR China), and BRIM Biotechnology Inc. (Taipei, Taiwan), explain how the tight junctions between malignant epithelial cells allow solid tumors to resist the effects of anticancer drugs including oncolytic viruses.

In the article "Epithelial Junction Opener Improves Oncolytic Adenovirus Therapy in Mouse Tumor Models," the researchers demonstrate that administering the JO protein together with an oncolytic adenovirus into the tumors of mice, or engineering the virus to produce and secrete the JO protein inside tumor cells, greatly enhances the antitumor effect compared to treatment with unmodified virus.

This article is part of a Festschrift in honor of George Stamatoyannopoulous, MD, DrSci, Professor of Medicine and Genome Sciences, and Director, Markey Molecular Medicine Center, University of Washington, Seattle.

"Oncolytic adenoviruses are rapidly making a big impact in therapy for many different cancers," says Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. "The concept of enhancing the penetration of such viruses into tumors using an epithelial junction opener promises to improve the success rate of such therapies in bulkier solid tumors, which are often very hard to treat."

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Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01 CA080192 and R01 HLA078836. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the Official Journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Led by Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its companion journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of contents for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, and Cellular Reprogramming. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
The Medical University of South Carolina's (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center received an $8.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute designed to foster collaboration across clinical and laboratory research for the study of signaling in sphingolipids, a class of lipids known to be involved in the growth of solid tumor cancers.

The grant includes three projects, including a Phase II clinical trial of a new therapy for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary malignant cancer of the liver and one that experiences one of the highest mortality rates among cancers. Currently, there is only one approved therapy for HCC. The five-year survival rate for patients with liver cancer is 17 percent.

The program project grant will bring together over 20 cancer scientists at the Hollings Cancer Center with a goal of elucidating the explicit roles of lipid signaling mechanisms which are thought to regulate cancer cell proliferation, resistance to apoptosis (cell death), and metastasis in solid tumors (when cancer spreads from its primary site to other parts of the body). Utilizing mechanistic information gained from these studies, the Hollings-based scientific team will develop new therapeutic strategies not only targeted for liver cancer but with applicability to other solid tumors, such as prostate and urinary (bladder/kidney) cancers.

Besim Ogretmen, Ph.D., Endowed Chair in Lipidomics & Drug Discovery in the SmartState Center for Lipidomics, Pathobiology and Therapy and professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at MUSC, will oversee the program as principal investigator.

"We are excited about the opportunities in this large, team-based program to share information from laboratory research over into clinical applications, and then take information learned from the clinical applications back into the lab," said Ogretmen. "Through a collaborative effort, our goal is to provide cancer patients the very best care based on the latest cutting-edge research."

In addition to his role as principal investigator, Ogretmen will lead a project designed to study how lipid signaling is involved in tumor metastasis in solid tumor cancers, increasing knowledge regarding inhibiting tumor metastasis and working to identify biomarkers to detect disease earlier.

A second project area will study how cancer cells become resistant to radiation therapy, working to improve response to radiation and chemotherapy. This study, led by co-project leaders Christina Voelkel-Johnson, Ph.D., and James Norris, Ph.D., will primarily focus on prostate cancer, but will have applicability to all solid tumors.

Carolyn D. Britten, M.D., chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Medicine at MUSC and Associate Director for Clinical Investigations at the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, will act as principal investigator for the Phase II clinical trial embedded in the third project. The Phase II trial, expected to commence at MUSC in the third quarter of 2016, is intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of YELIVA (ABC294640) as a second-line monotherapy in patients with advanced HCC. YELIVA is a proprietary, first-in-class, orally-administered sphingosine kinase-2 (SK2) selective inhibitor. The study will enroll patients who have experienced tumor progression following treatment with first-line single-agent sorafenib (Nexavar). The SK2 selective inhibitor was developed by Charles Smith, Ph.D., while at MUSC and later sold to RedHill Biopharma. Smith is currently on faculty at Penn State University and will be a co-principal investigator on this trial. RedHill Biopharma will provide additional funding for this area of the project.

As the principal investigator for this overall grant, Ogretmen brings experience as an internationally renowned investigator with a strong scientific track record in the field of lipid signaling and cancer. He has made significant contributions to the fields of cancer and aging biology at a mechanistic level through his pioneering work on the regulation of telomerase by the bioactive sphingolipid ceramide.

"Dr. Ogretmen's work is distinct in that he not only focuses on basic molecular mechanisms but also demonstrates the significance of his findings in human diseases with a keen interest toward therapeutic development. His leadership on this multi-project program is a reflection of this strength and focus, representing a blend of basic and translational research," commented Philip H. Howe, Ph.D., professor and chair, MUSC Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Hans & Helen Koebig Chair in Oncology.

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About Hollings Cancer Center

The Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the largest academic-based cancer research program in South Carolina. The cancer center is comprised of more than 120 faculty cancer scientists with an annual research funding portfolio of $44 million and a dedication to reducing the cancer burden in South Carolina. Hollings offers state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities, therapies and surgical techniques within multidisciplinary clinics that include surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists, pathologists, psychologists and other specialists equipped for the full range of cancer care, including more than 200 clinical trials. For more information, visit http://www.hcc.musc.edu.
Died: May 6, 2016

Mr. Durwood Eugene Cratch, age 77, a former resident of the Wharton Station Community, Washington, died Friday, May 6, 2016 at Golden Living Center in Greenville.The family will receive friends from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Monday, May 9, 2016 at Paul Funeral Home & Crematory followed by a memorial service at 2:00 PM conducted by Rev. Scott Setzer and Rev. Lee Hendricks. Burial will be private.The family will receive friends at other times at the home of his sister, Stella Stancill, 4221 Market Street, Ext., Washington.Mr. Cratch was born in Beaufort County on April 28, 1939. He was the son of the late Lloyd Durwood Cratch and Virginia Stamper Cratch. Mr. Cratch graduated from Washington High School and Atlantic Christian College. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam war. Mr. Cratch worked for Texasgulf in Aurora, Texas and Dakar, Senegal. Later, he owned and operated Cratch's Grocery for several years. Mr. Cratch owned Charlie Tom's Restaurant in Washington, worked as a salesman for Carolina Model Homes, and was an usher for the Kinston Indians before he retired.Mr. Cratch was active in civic affairs for many years. He was a member of the Second Baptist Church, a former Beaufort County Commissioner, member of the Southern Albemarle Association, the Wharton Station Ruritan Club and the Clarks Neck Fire Department. Mr. Cratch served on the Beaufort County Fire Commission for 22 years. During his time on the Fire Commission, several fire departments were established.Mr. Cratch married Linda Jarvis, who preceded him in death, July 29, 1998. Later, he married Mary Elizabeth Turnage, who preceded him in death, August 12, 2006.Mr. Cratch is survived by three sisters, Carrie C. Brown, Andria C. Gooch and husband, Ernest, Stella Stancill all of Washington; four step children, W. Bailey "Bill" Turnage, Jr. of Farmville, Beth Ann Avery of Winterville, Terry T. Edwards and husband, Reggie of Grimesland, Mary Donna T. Stancill and husband, Milando of Winterville; four grandchildren, Kaitlin Taylor of Seattle, WA, Aaron B. Foster of Ayden, Preston and Matthew Howard of Tibbie, Alabama; three step grandchildren, Jedediah Stancill, Kathy Price, Cassie Fuller; four great grandchildren, Jennifer Martin, Lexi Stancill, Memphis Stancill, Gracie Price; sister in laws, Carol C. Mayo and husband, Wayne, Bonnie Cratch all of Washington and a host of nieces and nephews.In addition to his parents and his wives, Mr. Cratch was preceded in death by a daughter, Jennifer C. McDowell; two brothers, Lloyd Swindell Cratch and William Harvey Cratch and step grandchild, Daniel Fuller.While flowers are appreciated, memorials may be made in memory of Linda Cratch to the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center, 1209 Brown Street, Washington, N.C. 27889 or in memory of Mary Cratch to the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center, 600 Moye Boulevard, Greenville, N.C. 27834.Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.comPaul Funeral Home & Crematory in Washington is honored to serve the Cratch family.
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 -The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the joint investment of $10 million towards research that will drive more efficient biofuels production and agricultural feedstock improvements.

These awards were made through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, and are part of the Obama Administration's All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy to enhance U.S. energy security, reduce America's reliance on imported oil and leverage our domestic energy supply, while also supporting rural economies. This strategy has helped to transform the United States economy into a global leader in renewable energy and an aggressive champion of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions through practical, science-based solutions.

"Advancements in bioenergy research will help protect our national energy security, reduce pollution, and bolster our energy supply," said Cathie Woteki, Under Secretary for USDA's Research, Education & Economics mission area. "Producing more renewable and biobased energy can also revitalize rural communities with a new economic market and provide farmers a profitable and sustainable investment through on-farm energy resources."

The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) is a joint program run by NIFA and DOE to develop economically and environmentally sustainable sources of biomass and increase the availability of renewable fuels and biobased products, helping to replace the need for gasoline and diesel in vehicles, and diversify our nation's energy choices.

Recipients of USDA funding include:

University of California-Riverside, Riverside, Calif., $1,297,725

University of Montana, Missoula, Mont., $1,403,868

North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Durham, N.C., $1,873,987

Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., $1,849,940

State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, N.Y., $906,722

The Department of Energy funded projects by Ohio State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Grants awards and national program leadership for the BRDI program will be administered by NIFA and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. A complete list of this year's project descriptions can be found on the NIFA website.

The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, environmental quality, and economic vitality. Learn more about EERE's work with industry, academia and national laboratory partners on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies.

Since 2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and transformative initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA's integrated research, education, and extension programs, supporting the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel, have resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring food safety. To learn more about NIFA's impact on agricultural science, visit http://www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates, or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay)
Six teams have been selected to advance their product ideas into prototypes to compete for $230,000 in the Open Science Prize, a global science competition to make both the outputs from science and the research process broadly accessible to the public. The finalists, announced at the 7th Health Datapalooza Conference in Washington, D.C., were selected out of 96 multinational, interdisciplinary teams representing 450 innovators from 45 countries. These are the first finalists for this recently launched global prize competition, a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and the U.K.-based Wellcome Trust with additional funding provided by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Final prototypes will be submitted on Dec. 1, 2016, and will be demonstrated at an Open Science Prize Showcase to be held in early December 2016. The public will also be invited to consider and vote online for their favorite prototype. The ultimate Open Science Prize winner is expected to be announced in late February or early March 2017.

In order to qualify, each finalist team must be composed of at least two or more individuals or entities of which at least one member is representative of the United States and another is representative of another country.

"The six finalists highlighted through the Open Science Prize competition demonstrate some of the exciting ways in which publically available information can be used to advance biomedical science and health care," said Philip Bourne, Ph.D., associate director for data science at NIH. "These innovations illustrate how new knowledge can be derived from existing data sources to advance our understanding of issues such as clinical trials, environmental exposures and neuroscience."

The volume of digital information generated by biomedical research, often referred to as big data, is growing at a rapidly increasing pace. Researchers' ability to derive knowledge from data is hindered by their ability to find, access, and use it. The goal of the Open Science Prize is to support the development and prototyping of services, tools, and platforms to overcome these hurdles to ensure data can be used to advance discovery and spur innovation.

"Open science, by its very nature, transcends borders," said Clare Matterson, director of strategy at the Wellcome Trust. "We're supporting these six international teams of innovators so that they can demonstrate the exciting potential of open science both to advance discovery and, through the application of research, to improve health across the world."

The submissions were evaluated based upon the following six criteria:

Advancement of open science

Impact of the innovation on the research enterprise and healthcare

Originality of the idea

Level of creativity and innovation

Technological viability

Feasibility

A panel of expert advisors representing leading thinkers in the open science movement provided input to the organizers of the Open Science Prize as part of the judging process.

The 2016 Open Science Prize finalist teams are:

OpenAQ: A Global Community Building the First Open, Real-Time Air Quality Data Hub for the World - Providing real-time information on poor air quality by combining data from across the globe.

Michael Brauer (University of British Columbia, Vancouver)

Joseph Flasher (Development Seed, Washington, D.C.)

Michael Hannigan (University of Colorado, Boulder)

Christa Hasenkopf (OpenAQ, Washington, D.C.)

Asep Sofyan (Institut Teknologi, Indonesia)

OpenTrialsFDA: Making Unbiased Clinical Trial Data Accessible - Enabling better access to drug approval packages submitted to and made available by the Food and Drug Administration.

Emma Beer, James Gardner, Paul Walsh (Open Knowledge International, Cambridge, U.K.)

Ben Goldacre (University of Oxford, U.K.)

Erick Turner (Portland, Oregon)

Real-Time Evolutionary Tracking for Pathogen Surveillance and Epidemiological Investigation -Permitting real-time analysis of emerging epidemics, such as Ebola, MERS-CoV, and Zika.

Trevor Bedford (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle)

Richard Neher (Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tubingen, Germany)

Open Neuroimaging Laboratory - Advancing brain research by enabling collaborative annotation, discovery, and analysis of brain imaging data.

Roberto Toro (Institute Pasteur, Paris)

Satrajit Ghosh (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge)

Katja Heuer (Max Plank Institute for Human and Brain Sciences, Tubingen, Germany)

Amy Robinson (Wired Differently, Inc., Boston)

Fruit Fly Brain Observatory - Allowing researchers to better conduct modeling of mental and neurological diseases by connecting data related to the fly brain.

Aurel Lazar, Lev Givon, Nikul Ukani, Chung-Heng Yeh, Yiyin Zhou (Columbia University, New York City)

Ann-Shyn Chiang, Chung-Chuan Lo (National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan)

Daniel Coca, Dorian Florescu, Luna Carlos, Paul Richmond, Adam Tomkins (University of Sheffield, U.K.)

MyGene2: Accelerating Gene Discovery via Radically Open Data Sharing - Facilitating the public sharing of health and genetic data through integration with publicly available information.

Jessica Chong, Michael Bamshad (University of Washington, Seattle)

Tudor Groza, Craig McNamara, Edwin Zhang (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Australia)

A complete description of the competition, including descriptions of the finalist teams and their innovations can be found at: https://www.openscienceprize.org/.

The Open Science Prize is made possible through a collaboration between NIH and the Wellcome Trust. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is also contributing funds to Wellcome Trust for the effort. The NIH effort is part of the Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Initiative, launched in December 2013 as a trans-NIH program with funding from all 27 institutes and centers as well as the NIH Common Fund.

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About the Wellcome Trust: The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health that supports bright minds in science, the humanities, and the social sciences as well as education, public engagement, and the application of research to medicine. Its investment portfolio allows for the independence to support such transformative work as the sequencing and understanding of the human genome, research that established front-line drugs for malaria, and Wellcome Collection, our free venue for the incurably curious to explore medicine, life, and art.

About the Howard Hughes Medical Institute: The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) plays a powerful role in advancing scientific research and education in the United States. Its scientists, located across the country and around the world, have made important discoveries that advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. The Institute also aims to transform science education into a creative, interdisciplinary endeavor that reflects the excitement of real research. HHMI's headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary Federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health
The College of Dentistry study looks at the modulation of oral microenvironment by e-cigarette aerosol mixtures by principal investigators Drs. Deepak Saxena and Xin Li

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded NYU College of Dentistry (NYUCD) Professors Deepak Saxena, MS, PhD, and Xin Li, PhD, a four-year $1.6M NIDCR grant to study the biological and physiological effects of electronic cigarette aerosol mixtures on oral health.

Colloquially referred to as "e-cigs" and "vapes," electronic cigarettes and vaporizers have seen breakthrough market shares in recent years. Yet despite their popularity, the safety of aerosol mixtures emitted by these devices remains unknown. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), three million middle and high school students actively used electronic cigarettes in 2015.

To increase its regulatory authority over these devices, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires safety data on the compounds found in the water vapor they emit, namely formaldehyde (which is known to cause cancer), lead, nitrosamines, and propylene glycol. The grant received by Saxena and Li was one of seven such grants awarded by the NIDCR to promote and improve understanding of how aerosol mixtures emitted by e-cigarettes impact the oral cavity. The initial host interaction of aerosol mixtures produced by e-cigs occurs largely in the oral cavity, where exposure to aerosolized nicotine and other components is highest.

"Based on compelling data from our preliminary research, we hypothesize that e-cig aerosol mixtures disrupt the oral cavity's microenvironment, increasing vulnerability to periodontal disease," said Saxena.

"Smoking is a major risk factor for periodontal diseases, immuno-suppression, and impairment of soft tissue and bone cell function," said Li. "The prospective study we proposed to the NIDCR entails the enrollment of 120 subjects consisting of 40 nonsmokers, 40 subjects who regularly smoke cigarettes but do not use e-cigs, and 40 subjects who exclusively use e-cigs and study the effect of e-cig aerosol on periodontal health."

The researchers will recruit and stratify members of the e-cig group by the type of disposable e-cig and amount of cartridge they consume per week. Baseline saliva and subgingival plaque samples will be collected from all 120 subjects and once again in six months. After the second collection, a comparison to the baseline samples will be done to determine if any dysbiosis in the oral microbiome has occurred. Oral exams will be done at both visits.

"To determine the mechanism by which e-cig aerosol effects oral health we will design a novel 3D epigingival tissue model to mimic the oral microenvironment," said Li.

"This study will be the first to determine the adverse health effects of e-cig use on oral health. The outcomes will aid the NIH-NIDCR in evaluating the oral health risk and the regulation of e-cigs," said Saxena.

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The study's co-investigators include: NYUCD: Malvin Janal; NYU School of Medicine: Patricia Corby, Erica Queiroz, Donna Shelley, Yindalon Aphinyanaphongs, and Terry Gordon.

National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01DE025992

About New York University College of Dentistry Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating more than 8 percent of all dentists. NYUCD has a significant global reach and provides a level of national and international diversity among its students that is unmatched by any other dental school.
The Ottawa Rules, a set of rules used around the world to help health professionals decide when to order x-rays and CT scans, are now available as a free mobile health app.

Developed by emergency department physicians at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, the Ottawa Rules are evidence-based decision trees that help physicians determine whether a scan is needed for injured bones, cutting down on unnecessary radiation and wait times. The existing rules for ankle, knee and spine injuries have been bundled together in a mobile app to appeal to a new generation of wired doctors, nurses and paramedics.

"Studies have repeatedly shown that the Ottawa Rules reduce unnecessary use of x-rays and CT scans, reduce wait times and save money for the health-care system," said Dr. Ian Stiell, an emergency physician and research chair at The Ottawa Hospital, distinguished professor at the University of Ottawa and creator of the Ottawa Rules. "I am excited to be able to make the Ottawa Rules more accessible to clinicians in Canada and around the globe."

The app includes the Ottawa Knee Rule, the Ottawa Ankle Rules and the Canadian C-spine Rule, which were previously only available as posters or online. The Ottawa Rules have been validated by more than 20 studies, translated into several languages and adopted worldwide. For example, two of Dr. Stiell's rules made a list of the top five ways doctors in the United States can reduce unnecessary procedures, published in the prestigious journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Seeing the potential of mobile technology to put the Ottawa Rules into the hands of health-care professionals, Dr. Stiell joined forces with The Ottawa Hospital mHealth Research team led by Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a specialist in general internal medicine and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.

The team, which includes Cameron Bell, Julien Guerinet, Yulric Sequeira and Katherine Atkinson, also developed the popular ImmunizeCA app to help Canadians keep track of their immunizations and make informed decisions.

"I think it is great how a group of creative young people can take a world-class discovery like the Ottawa Rules and make it accessible to a new generation of physicians," said Dr. Wilson, who also holds a chair in public health innovation. "This is a great model for innovation in medical care."

Studies have repeatedly shown that the Ottawa Rules reduce unnecessary imaging and emergency room wait times, which allows patients to feel more comfortable while waiting to be seen by a clinician. The Rules also lead to significant savings for hospitals. However, the creators of the Rules still face the challenge of dissemination. The team hopes the new mobile and web formats, with images of bone structures and YouTube videos, will help the Rules become more widespread in emergency departments around the world.

The Ottawa Rules app can be downloaded from the Apple App store on any device compatible with iOS or the Google Play Store for Android operating systems. The app is meant for clinicians - not members of the general public.

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The project was funded by The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization (TOHAMO).

The Ottawa Hospital has also developed rules for venous thromembolism, head injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, subarachnoid hemorrhage and transient ischemic attacks.

Audiovisual: Videos are available of Dr. Ian Stiell discussing the Ottawa Knee Rule, the Ottawa Ankle Rules and the Canadian C-spine Rule.

About The Ottawa Hospital: The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada's largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See http://www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.

About the University of Ottawa: The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada's top 10 research universities--our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today's challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. http://www.uottawa.ca

Media Contact: Jennifer Ganton, Director, Communications and Public Relations, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; jganton@ohri.ca; Office: 613-798-5555 x 73325; Cell: 613-614-5253
Human-specific variants of four microRNAs may have altered expression levels and gene targets compared to other great apes, according to a study published April 22, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Alicia Gallego from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Spain, and colleagues.

MicroRNAs are post-transcriptional gene regulators known to be involved in almost every biological function. They are highly conserved among species and, while some differences exist, the effect of the variations is often unclear. The authors of the present study analysed over 1500 microRNAs to identify variations between humans and other great ape species, including orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees, and the possible effect of these variations on function.

The authors found that changes in the sequence and length of four microRNAs may be specific to humans. Two were highly expressed in brain tissue and may exert effects on genes with neural functions, while two exhibit restricted expression patterns that the authors posited implied a role in development. The authors also found that "age" might matter; in an evolutionary sense, "younger" microRNAs had less sequence conservation, expression and disease association, and were more isolated than "older" microRNAs.

The authors suggest this study may aid in our understanding of how non-coding elements may have played a role in shaping some traits that ultimately became human-specific. They also hope that it provides a framework to study the possible impact of these changes on recent human evolution.

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In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154194

Citation: Gallego A, Mele M, Balcells I, Garcia-Ramallo E, Torruella-Loran I, Fernandez-Bellon H, et al. (2016) Functional Implications of Human-Specific Changes in Great Ape microRNAs. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0154194. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0154194

Funding: This work was funded by Spanish National Institute for Bioinformatics; "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion de Espana" [grant numbers BFU2012-38236, BFU2010-18477, BFU2009-06974, CGL2009-09013 and FPI-MINECO to ITL]; "Direccio General de Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya" [2009SGR-1101, 2014SGR-866 and SGR2014-1311]; European Union Seventh Framework Programme [grant number PIOF-GA-2009-236836 and PIRSES-GA-2013-612583]; "Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte de Espana" [grant FPU-MEC to AG]; FEDER European Regional Development Fund "A way to build Europe". Three authors of this work were employed by the funding organizations of either the "Parc Zoologic de Barcelona" or the Copenhagen Zoo. The funder "Parc Zoologic de Barcelona" provided support in the form of salaries for authors HFB and TA and the funder Copenhagen Zoo for author CH, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the 'author contributions' section. The unique role of "Parc Zoologic de Barcelona" and Copenhagen Zoo was to provide support in the form of salaries for authors HFB, TA and CH. These funders did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decisionto publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors declare that "Parc Zoologic de Barcelona" and Copenhagen Zoo participations do not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.
Rice University photonics researchers have unveiled a new nanoparticle amplifier that can generate infrared light and boost the output of one light by capturing and converting energy from a second light.

The innovation, the latest from Rice's Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP), is described online in a paper in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters. The device functions much like a laser, but while lasers have a fixed output frequency, the output from Rice's nanoscale "optical parametric amplifier" (OPA) can be tuned over a range of frequencies that includes a portion of the infrared spectrum.

"Tunable infrared OPA light sources today cost around a $100,000 and take up a good bit of space on a tabletop or lab bench," said study lead author Yu Zhang, a former Rice graduate student at LANP. "What we've demonstrated, in principle, is a single nanoparticle that serves the same function and is about 400 nanometers in diameter."

By comparison, that's about 15 times smaller than a red blood cell, and Zhang said shrinking an infrared light source to such a small scale could open doors to new kinds of chemical sensing and molecular imaging that aren't possible with today's state-of-the-art nanoscale infrared spectroscopy.

Zhang, who earned his Ph.D. from Rice in 2014 and today works at Lam Research in Fremont, Calif., said parametric amplification has been used for decades in microelectronics. It involves two input signals, one weak and one strong, and two corresponding outputs. The outputs are also strong and weak, but the energy from the more powerful input -- known as the "pump" -- is used to amplify the weak incoming "signal" and make it the more powerful output. The low-power output -- known as the "idler" -- contains a residual fraction of the pump energy.

"Optical parametric amplifiers operate with light rather than electricity," said LANP Director Naomi Halas, the lead scientist on the new study and the director of Rice's Smalley-Curl Institute. "In OPAs, a strong pump light dramatically amplifies a weak 'seed' signal and generates an idler light at the same time. In our case, the pump and signal frequencies are visible, and the idler is infrared."

While the pump laser in Rice's device has a fixed wavelength, both the signal and idler frequencies are tunable.

"People have previously demonstrated nanoscale infrared lasers, but we believe this is the first tunable nanoscale infrared light source," Halas said.

The breakthrough is the latest for Halas' lab, the research arm of Rice's Smalley-Curl Institute that specializes in the study of light-activated nanoparticles. For example, some metallic nanoparticles convert light into plasmons, waves of electrons that flow like a fluid across a particle's surface. In dozens of studies over the past two decades, LANP researchers have explored the basic physics of plasmonics and shown that plasmonic interactions can be harnessed for applications as diverse as medical diagnostics, cancer treatment, solar-energy collection and optical computing.

One of LANP's specialties is the design of multifunctional plasmonic nanoparticles that interact with light in more than one way. Zhang said the nanoscale OPA project required LANP's team to create a single particle that could simultaneously resonate with three frequencies of light.

"There are intrinsic inefficiencies in the OPA process, but we were able to make up for these by designing a surface plasmon with triple resonances at the pump, signal and idler frequencies," Zhang said. "The strategy allowed us to demonstrate tunable emission over a range of infrared frequencies -- an important potential step for further development of the technology."

Zhang said former Rice physics postdoctoral researcher Alejandro Manjavacas -- now at the University of New Mexico -- performed the necessary calculations to design the triple resonant nanoparticle.

Halas said the project also showcased the multidisciplinary strength of LANP. "In nanophotonics, applied and fundamental research go hand in hand because a deep understanding of the fundamental physics is what allows us to optimize particle design. That's why one of LANP's primary missions is to bring theoreticians and experimentalists together, and this project is a great example of how that pays off."

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Halas is Rice's Stanley C. Moore Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and professor of chemistry, bioengineering, physics and astronomy, and materials science and nanoengineering. Manjavacas is assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Mexico. Additional Rice co-authors include Nathaniel Hogan, Linan Zhou, Ciceron Ayala-Orozco, Liangliang Dong, Jared Day and Peter Nordlander.

A copy of the paper is available at: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b01095

More information about Rice nanophotonics is available at:

Smalley-Curl Institute home page: http://sci.rice.edu/

LANP home page http://lanp.blogs.rice.edu/

Halas Research Group home page: http://halas.rice.edu/

Related nanophotonic research news from Rice includes:

Rice researchers make ultrasensitive conductivity measurements -- June 10, 2015 http://news.rice.edu/2015/06/10/rice-researchers-make-ultrasensitive-conductivity-measurements-2/

Rice nanophotonics experts create powerful molecular sensor -- July 15, 2014 http://news.rice.edu/2014/07/15/rice-nanophotonics-experts-create-powerful-molecular-sensor-2/

Rice unveils method for tailoring optical processors -- May 21, 2013 http://news.rice.edu/2013/05/21/rice-unveils-method-for-tailoring-optical-processors/

This release can be found online at news.rice.edu.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,910 undergraduates and 2,809 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for best quality of life and for lots of race/class interaction by the Princeton Review. Rice is also rated as a best value among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://tinyurl.com/RiceUniversityoverview.
Reston, Va. - A recent study reported in the May issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine demonstrates that Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT scans are superior to In-111 pentetreotide scans, the current imaging standard in the United States for detecting neuroendocrine tumors (NETS), and could significantly impact treatment management.

NETS occur mostly in the respiratory and digestive tracts and are usually slow-growing. They can be difficult to diagnose, and many treatment options exist. It's therefore critical to delineate the extent of disease accurately for proper management. While the incidence of NETS is relatively low, with 2.5-5 cases per 100,000 in the United States, data from the National Cancer Institute show a five-fold increase worldwide from 1973 to 2004. NETS can be malignant and, although they comprise less than two percent of gastrointestinal cancers, they are more prevalent than stomach and pancreatic cancers combined.

Ronald C. Walker, MD, corresponding author for the study and professor of clinical radiology and radiological sciences at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, explains, "Our purpose was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT compared to In-111 pentetreotide imaging for diagnosis, staging and re-staging of pulmonary and gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors." With concerns for patient safety, detailed toxicity data were also collected.

The two imaging methods were performed in 78 of 97 consecutively enrolled patients with known or suspected pulmonary or gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) NETs. The study found that Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT combined with CT and/or liver MRI changed care in 28 of 78 (36 percent) patients. In addition, Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT correctly identified three patients for peptide receptor radiotherapy who had been incorrectly classified by In-111 pentetreotide. Demonstrating no significant toxicity, lower radiation exposure and improved accuracy, the study makes a strong case for the use of Ga-68 DOTATATE imaging over the current standard, where available.

While Ga-68 DOTATATE PET/CT is in widespread use outside of the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet approved its use for the diagnosis, staging and treatment management of NETS. As a result, insurance companies do not cover its use.

Walker says, "Hopefully, our investigation will provide sufficient evidence on the safety and efficacy of Ga-68 DOTATATE to the U.S. FDA to allow approval. If so, then patients throughout the United States could soon have access to a higher-quality scan, allowing better patient management decisions while also lowering radiation exposure and shortening examination time." Such approval would also open up the possibility of reimbursement for the scans by third-party payers.

These findings could have an impact on the future of nuclear medicine, as well, as Walker explains: "If our evidence results in FDA approval of Ga-68 DOTATATE imaging for routine use in the treatment management of patients with neuroendocrine tumors, it would represent the first approval of a Ga-68-labeled PET imaging radiopharmaceutical in the U.S. This could help pave the way for similar studies to allow approval in the U.S. and elsewhere of other Ga-68-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, such as Ga-68 DOTATOC and Ga-68 PSMA."

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Authors of the article "Safety and Efficacy of Ga-68-DOTATATE PET/CT for Diagnosis, Staging and Treatment Management of Neuroendocrine Tumors" include:

- Stephen A. Deppen, MS, PhD, and Gary T. Smith, MD, of the Veterans Affairs Hospital (VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System) and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.;

- Eric Liu, MD, of Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, Denver, Co.;

- Jeffrey D. Blume, PhD; Jeffrey Clanton, DPh; Chanjuan Shi, MD; Laurie B Jones-Jackson, MD; Martin P. Sandler, MD; and Dominique Delbeke, MD, PhD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center;

- Jordan Berlin, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

- Vipul Lakhani, MD, of the Oregon Medical Group, Springfield, Ore.;

- Richard P. Baum, MD, PhD, of the THERANOSTICS Center for Molecular Radiotherapy and Molecular Imaging (PET/CT), ENETS Center of Excellence, Zentralklinik, Bad Berka, Germany;

- Michael Graham, MD, PhD, of the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and

- Ronald C Walker, MD, of the Veterans Affairs Hospital (VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

Support for this study was provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review: I01BX007080, Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Clinical Trials Network, and local institutional and philanthropic gifts.

Please visit the SNMMI Media Center to view the PDF of the study, including images, and more information about molecular imaging and personalized medicine. To schedule an interview with the researchers, please contact Laurie Callahan at (703) 652-6773 or lcallahan@snmmi.org. Current and past issues of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine can be found online at http://jnm.snmjournals.org.

About the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated and helping provide patients with the best health care possible.

SNMMI's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit http://www.snmmi.org.
Stroke and Alzheimer's disease are major diseases imposing a huge burden on aging societies. It has long been recognized that stroke and Alzheimer's disease often co-occur, and it has been speculated that the two disorders have an overlapping pathogenesis. One in four patients develops dementia within ten years of suffering from a stroke, with a substantial proportion developing Alzheimer's disease. Similarly, many elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease suffer from co-morbid cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or obesity - all of which are strong risk factors for stroke. As such, these two diseases are not just considered to be fellow travellers, but rather partners in crime.

To date it has been unknown what the underlying molecular mechanisms explaining both disorders are.

The Horizon 2020 project CoSTREAM aims to identify these common mechanisms and pathways in stroke and Alzheimer's disease, using a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates novel analytical strategies and emerging technologies in the fields of genetics, metabolomics, brain imaging and clinical prediction. Over the course of its 5-year duration, CoSTREAM will drastically improve our understanding of the link between these diseases, and identify possible targets for future therapeutic intervention.

CoSTREAM builds upon an extensive infrastructure of unique clinical and epidemiological longitudinal follow-up studies including tens of thousands patients with stroke of Alzheimer's disease. These patients have been characterised in detail for genetic and environmental determinants. CoSTREAM will enrich the studies with state-of-the-art metabolomics and radiological research to investigate and understand the common pathways leading to the two most common neurological disorders in the elderly.

The ultimate goal of CoSTREAM is to use these new insights to improve the treatment and prevention of stroke and Alzheimer's disease. To this end, CoSTREAM will develop a beyond-state-of-the-art "organ-on-a-chip" in vitro model of the neurovascular unit - the site connecting blood vessels and brain cells - using commercially available cell lines and patient-derived stem cells. An in vitro model like this can revolutionise the development of targeted therapeutic strategies against stroke or Alzheimer's disease, by allowing rapid investigation of the effect of potential drugs on molecular pathways implicated in both diseases during the project.

CoSTREAM's innovative, multidisciplinary approach impressed reviewers of the EU Horizon 2020 research programme, who awarded the project proposal the highest evaluation score possible.

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Background: The five-year project recently started in December 2015 with a successful kick-off meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. CoSTREAM's consortium consists of eleven organisations and includes epidemiologists, geneticists, radiologists and neurologists with a longstanding track-record on the aetiology of both stroke and Alzheimer's disease.

Project partners: Erasmus University Medical Center, NL (coordinator), European Institute for Biomedical Imaging Research, AT (project management), Institut Pasteur de Lille, FR, Karolinska Institute, SE, King's College London, UK, Leiden University, NL, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, DE, MIMETAS, NL, University of Bordeaux, FR, University of Cambridge, UK, University of Geneva, CH
Using tags surgically implanted into thousands of juvenile salmon, UBC researchers have discovered that many fish die within the first few days of migration from their birthplace to the ocean.

"We knew that on average 10 to 40 million smolts leave Chilko Lake every year and only about 1.5 million return as adults two years later," said Nathan Furey, researcher and a PhD candidate in the faculty of forestry. "It's always been a mystery about what happens in between."

Researchers from the Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at UBC followed the migration of one of B.C.'s largest sockeye populations from Chilko Lake, in British Columbia's Cariboo region, to the ocean. Each spring, juvenile salmon known as smolts leave this central B.C. lake and migrate downstream through the Chilko, Chilcotin, and Fraser rivers and into the Salish Sea.

To follow the juvenile salmon, researchers implanted small electronic tags into the tiny 12-centimetre fish as they were leaving Chilko Lake. As the smolts made the 1,000-kilometre journey to the Pacific Ocean, acoustic receivers picked up the signals from the tags to monitor how many fish survived the migration.

More than 2,000 salmon were tracked over four years and researchers found that survival was poor in the clear and slow-moving Chilko River, where predators were feeding intensely on the smolts. Once in the murky and fast-flowing Fraser River, the salmon travelled day and night, covering up to 220 km per day, and experienced nearly 100 per cent survival. The researchers believe that in these waters, predators have difficulty finding and getting to the fish.

In a followup study, Furey found that juvenile salmon were more likely to survive the perilous days in the Chilko River if they traveled with lots of other fish. Survival was as low as 40 per cent for salmon that left the lake in small numbers compared to times of peak migration where survival rates increased to more than 90 per cent. The results confirm the old adage that there is safety in numbers and that salmon use this strategy, known as predator swamping, to avoid predators early in life.

"Our studies may help fisheries managers better understand why numbers of adults that return to spawn may be so low in some years," said Furey.

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This research program is led by professor Scott Hinch and is a large collaboration involving Timothy Clarke, a former member of the Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, and industry, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Kintama Ltd. partners. Results were recently published in two articles in Ecological Applications and the Journal of Animal Ecology. The research was funded by Canada's Ocean Tracking Network and the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
Irvine, Calif., May 9, 2016 - Earth system scientists from the University of California, Irvine have taken water samples from the north Pacific, north and south Atlantic, and Arctic oceans in search of repositories of black carbon, soot from burning biomass and diesel engines, among other sources. They've found considerably less of the material than expected, and they've discovered that it exists in at least two varieties, a younger pool closer to the ocean's surface that is absorbed into the environment in a roughly 100-year cycle and an ancient reserve that remains stable for millennia.

"We find that, indeed, black carbon resides in the oceans for tens of thousands of years, yet it's not as abundant as you'd expect given its relatively inert structure and the sheer quantity of it being produced on land," said Alysha Coppola, Ph.D. '15, lead author on a study published today in Geophysical Research Letters. "It seems that all of the black carbon emitted into the environment every year may not persist as a 'locked' chemical structure in the carbon cycle; some of it likely gets degraded back to CO2 by other loss processes."

Ellen Druffel, UCI professor of Earth system science and senior author on the study added, "As we're changing the planet, burning more material and producing more black carbon, we need to understand where it is going; we just don't, and that's a huge red flag. Given what we know about how much black carbon is generated and our understanding of the rates at which we think it breaks down, we should be knee-deep in this stuff. There apparently are some big sink mechanisms that we don't yet understand."

Climate scientists expect even more of this material to be ejected into the environment as the planet heats up and forest fires become more prevalent. Up to 27 percent of it is retained as char or soot instead of returning to the atmosphere as CO2, researchers said. Black carbon is a particularly strong agent of climate change, itself, as it absorbs sunlight, trapping heat on Earth. Particles thrown into the atmosphere through fossil fuel or biomass burning can land on ice and snow in the Arctic, reducing reflectivity.

Coppola said black carbon is produced from incomplete combustion of fuels and moves through the carbon cycle at a much slower pace than unburnt carbon. A tree grows then dies on a roughly 100-year timescale. But after a forest fire, some of the carbon from trees is converted into a more complicated and resilient structure that is harder for microbes to break down.

"Black carbon is like rubber tires that don't degrade quickly in the environment," Coppola said. "It probably gets broken down by sunlight or microbes, but these processes can take up to a millennia. We also don't know and understand completely how this relatively stable structure degrades. What likely happens is that the molecules move around through deep ocean circulation, and are then broken apart by sunlight when deep Antarctic waters upwell in the Southern Ocean."

Coppola, now a postdoctoral researcher of soil science and biogeochemistry at the University of Zurich, said the surface of the ocean has more black carbon than the deep ocean because of river input and atmospheric deposition. "River transport is important because it's the source of recent black carbon to the oceans, mixed into the ancient pool that's persisted for tens of thousands of years."

She said the material in the deep ocean is as old as 23,000 years, suggesting that the variety delivered by rivers is not lingering in the sea.

"It may be that the stuff is being chomped down or degraded by a photo processes, where the sun penetrates several meters of the upper ocean, providing for the oxidation of black carbon," said Druffel. "Or maybe there's some place it hides. I don't think that's the case, though. I think it's more a sink, a mechanism for its destruction that we don't understand."

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The research was funded by the National Science Foundation's Chemical Oceanography Program and Arctic Research Opportunities.

About the University of California, Irvine: Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $4.8 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
COLUMBIA, Mo. - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Native American adolescents have higher rates of cigarette smoking than other racial or ethnic groups. New research from the University of Missouri on the smoking habits of Native American adolescents finds that family warmth and support, as well as participation in school activities, can play a role in tobacco prevention.

"Tobacco use among all adolescents has been declining; however, we are still seeing higher rates in Native American populations," said Mansoo Yu, associate professor of social work and public health in the School of Social Work. "This study was focused on understanding what may predict tobacco use in this population to determine better intervention programs to help curb teenage smoking among vulnerable populations living on American and Canadian reservations."

The study collected data from more than 600 youth aged 10-13 years from rural reservations in the U.S. and Canada over a three-year period. Yu found that for adolescents engaged in less than monthly, or occasional, tobacco use, family warmth and support were indicators of decreased rates of occasional smoking over time. Furthermore, being engaged in school through positive activities was found to be a preventive tool in stopping nonsmokers and occasional smokers from becoming frequent smokers. Yu also found that unlike other racial and ethnic youths, Native American females were more likely than their male peers to smoke occasionally and frequently across time.

Yu hopes this research will help existing tobacco control programs for adolescent smokers to be more successful as the findings provide predictors of smoking status. The results over time found that the intention to smoke, best friends' smoking habits, deviant behaviors, alcohol use and marijuana use all were common risk factors for both occasional and frequent smoking. Depressive symptoms were found to be a predictor of frequent smoking only, meaning those at risk for depression had higher odds of becoming frequent smokers than those without depressive symptoms.

"Promoting family warmth and support was found to be an effective way to help occasional smokers quit, while promoting positive school activities may prevent nonsmokers or occasional smokers from becoming frequent smokers," Yu said. "This is helpful information for families, schools, social workers and public health officials that are looking for ways to decease smoking on reservations and in indigenous communities. Family influence is critical here, as many Native American tribes have strong and cohesive family units. With support and encouragement of children to be involved in school, whether through clubs or sports, we could see a decrease in tobacco use among Native American adolescents."

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The study, "A Prospective, Longitudinal Study of Cigarette Smoking Status among North American Indigenous Adolescents," recently was published in Addictive Behaviors with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA13580) and the National Institute on Mental Health (MH67281). Les Whitbeck, Professor Emeritus of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, co-authored the study. The School of Social Work is part of the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences. Yu has a joint appointment in the Master of Public Health Program at MU.
Cities face harsher, more concentrated rainfall as climate change not only intensifies storms, but draws them into narrower bands of more intense downpours, UNSW engineers have found. This has major implications for existing stormwater infrastructure, particularly in large cities, which face higher risks of flash flooding.

In the latest issue of Geophysical Research Letters, doctoral student Conrad Wasko and Professor Ashish Sharma of School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales show the first evidence of storm intensification triggering more destructive storm patterns.

"As warming proceeds, storms are shrinking in space and in time," said Wasko, lead author of the paper. "They are becoming more concentrated over a smaller area, and the rainfall is coming down more plentifully and with more intensity over a shorter period of time. When the storm shrinks to that extent, you have a huge amount of rain coming down over a smaller area."

Wasko and Sharma, working with collaborators at the University of Adelaide, analysed data from 1,300 rain gauges and 1,700 temperature stations across Australia to see how air temperature affected the intensity and spatial organisation of storms.

They found that atmospheric moisture was more concentrated near the storm's centre in warm storms than in cooler ones, resulting in more intense peak rainfalls in those areas. The storms were clearly shrinking in space, irrespective of the amount of rain that fell.

Although the data is sourced from Australia, this has global implications, said Sharma. "Australia is a continent that spans almost all the climate zones in the world - Mediterranean, tropical, temperate, subtropical - everything except the Arctic or Antarctic. So the results hold a lot of value - we are finding the pattern repeating itself over and over, happening around Australia and around the world.

"Look at the incidents of flooding in Mumbai or in Bangkok last year - you see urban streets full of water," he added. "You see it now in Jakarta and Rome and many parts of Canada. That's because the stormwater infrastructure cannot handle the rain, and part of the reason there's more rain is the increase in global temperatures."

Most urban centres have older stormwater infrastructure designed to handle rainfall patterns of the past, which are no longer sufficient. "The increase is especially noticeable in urban centres, where there is less soil, unlike rural areas, to act as a dampener," said Sharma. "So there is often nowhere else for the water to go, and the drainage capacity is overwhelmed. So the incidence of flooding is going to rise as temperatures go higher."

Wasko, lead author of the paper, said scientists have long suspected that the intensity of rainfall would be boosted by climate change, as the warming air raises the carrying capacity of moisture. But while extreme rainfall has been rising, little was known about the mechanisms causing it. The latest study shows that storms are changing in spatial terms.

It follows a study by the same authors in Nature Geoscience in June 2015 showing that storms were also changing their 'temporal pattern' - that is, getting shorter in time, thereby intensifying. When it comes to flash flooding, the amount of rain that falls over a period of time is much more important than the total volume of rainfall that a given storm delivers. This study was the first to show that climate change was disrupting the temporal rainfall patterns within storms themselves.

If both spatial and temporal changes in storms continue, as they are likely to do as the world warms, there will be more destructive flooding across the world's major urban centres.

In their Nature Geoscience paper, the duo calculated that floods in some parts of Australia would likely increase by 40%, especially in warmer places like Darwin. "If you add the spatial pattern from this latest paper, you will probably increase this 40% number to maybe 60%," said Sharma.

Earlier this year, a pivotal framework for infrastructure maintained by the Institution of Engineers, the Australian Rainfall and Runoff national guidelines, were updated for the first time since 1987, a process that took three years. It's now clear, said Sharma, that these will need to be adjusted, as the safety and sustainability of Australian infrastructure adapts to a warming climate.

And there are still unknowns to contend with, he added.

"When we say that the storms are shrinking in space and shrinking in time, and we say floods will increase, we are making an assumption that the volume of water coming down is not changing," said Sharma. "That assumption is very conservative, because you would expect the air to hold more moisture. If you factor in that in as well, there'll be even more rainfall, and more floods."

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BACKGROUND ON FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

UNSW's Faculty of Engineering is the powerhouse of engineering research in Australia, comprising of nine schools, 21 research centres and participating or leading 10 Cooperative Research Centres. It is ranked in the world's top 50 engineering faculties, and home to Australia's largest cohort of engineering undergraduate, postgraduate, domestic and international students.

UNSW itself has 52,000 students from 120 nations, is ranked #1 in Australia for producing millionaires (#33 globally); and ranked #1 in Australia for graduates who create technology start-ups.
An international team of astrophysicists, including Professor Phil Charles from the University of Southampton, have detected an intense wind from one of the closest known black holes to the Earth.

During observations of V404 Cygni, which went into a bright and violent outburst in June 2015 after more than 25 years of quiescence, the team began taking optical measurements of the black hole's accretion disc using the 10.4m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC) - the biggest optical-infrared telescope in the world, situated at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafia, La Palma) in the Canary Islands.

The results, which are published today in Nature, show the presence of a wind of neutral material (unionised hydrogen and helium), which is formed in the outer layers of the accretion disc, regulating the accretion of material by the black hole. This wind, detected for the first time in a system of this type, has a very high velocity (3,000 kilometres per second) so that it can escape from the gravitational field around the black hole.

Professor Charles, from Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, said: "Its presence allows us to explain why the outburst, in spite of being bright and very violent, with continuous changes in luminosity and ejections of mass in the form of jets, was also very brief, lasting only two weeks."

At the end of this outburst the GTC observations revealed the presence of a nebula formed from material expelled by the wind. This phenomenon, which has been observed for the first time in a black hole, also allows scientists to estimate the quantity of mass ejected into the interstellar medium.

Teo Munoz Darias, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) and the lead author of the study (and also a former Marie Curie Fellow at Southampton), said: "The brightness of the source and the large collecting area of the GTC allowed us not only to detect the wind, but also to measure the variation of its properties on time-scales of minutes. The database obtained is probably the best ever observed for an object of this kind.

"This outburst of V404 Cygni, because of its complexity and because of the high quantity and quality of the observations, will help us understand how black holes swallow material via their accretion discs."

"We think that what we have observed with the GTC in V404 Cygni happens, at least, in other black holes with large accretion discs," concluded Professor Charles and Jorge Casares from IAC, two of the discoverers of V404 Cygni in 1992, and co-authors of the study.

V404 Cygni is a black hole within a binary system located in the constellation of Cygnus. In such systems, of which less than 50 are known, a black hole of around 10 times the mass of the Sun is swallowing material from a very nearby star, its companion star. During this process material falls onto the black hole and forms an accretion disc, whose hotter, innermost zones emit in X-rays. In the outer regions, however, we can study the disc in visible light, which is the part of the spectrum observable with the GTC.

V404 Cygni, at only 8,000 light years away, is one of the closest known black holes to the Earth, and has a particularly large accretion disc (with a radius of about ten million kilometres), making its outbursts especially bright at all wavelengths (X-rays, visible, infrared and radio waves).

On 15 June 2015, V404 Cygni went into outburst after a quiescence of over 25 years. During this period its brightness increased one million fold in a few days, becoming the brightest X-ray source in the sky. The GTC began taking spectroscopic observations on 17 June via the activation of a "target of opportunity" programme, designed by IAC researchers for this kind of event.

The observations were made with the OSIRIS instrument on the GTC, and were carried out during the two weeks of the outburst, in observing windows of one to two hours per night. In addition, the study included observations in X-rays by the INTEGRAL and SWIFT satellites, as well as data from the AMI radio-interferometer in the United Kingdom.

Nine of the series of data obtained during the night of 27 June were obtained with the GTC in the presence of His Majesty King Felipe VI of Spain, who attended the observations as part of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Canary Island Observatories. The King was able to observe at first hand the exceptional range of phenomena exhibited by this black hole.

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The research team was led by the IAC astrophysicist Teo Munoz Darias, and included four other members of the same institute: Jorge Casares, Daniel Mata Sanchez, Montserrat Armas Padilla, and Manuel Linares, as well as researchers from the universities of Oxford and Southampton in the United Kingdom, and from research institutes in Germany, France and Japan.
A study comprised of 39 international institutions revealed significant new findings about adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare cancer with an often poor prognosis.

The study, which conducted a comprehensive "pan-genomic" assessment of ACC, was led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Research results are published in the May 9 issue of Cancer Cell.

ACC is an aggressive cancer originating in the adrenal gland. The disease affects less than two people per million annually, and is seen more commonly in children under age 5 and adults ages 30-40. The overall five-year survival rate is 20 to 35 percent.

Scientists examined 91 ACC tumor specimens from four continents, and observed "massive" DNA loss followed by whole genome doubling (WGD). WGD occurs when tumor cells acquire an extra copy of their entire genome. The researchers found that WGD was associated with aggressive clinical course, suggesting that it could be a hallmark of disease progression. They speculate that tumor growth could be slowed if they could prohibit WGD in future pre-clinical studies.

"Our results represent the most complete characterization of ACC tissues and may indicate a key to successful targeted therapy for this disease," said Roeland Verhaak, Ph.D., associate professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. "The study findings illustrate how molecular data, combined with traditional clinical assessment, might inform therapeutic decisions and lead to significant advances in patient outcomes."

In addition, the study identified three ACC subtypes with distinct clinical outcomes and molecular alterations, said Verhaak, paving the way for a more precise clinical stratification of patients based on molecular biomarkers.

The team also identified novel ACC "driver" genes, expanding their understanding about genes already thought to lead to tumor formation, as well as defining new molecular pathways.

"Our understanding of ACC pathogenesis is incomplete and new therapies are needed," said Verhaak. "While standard clinical assessments are informative for patient management, molecular information may be able to more precisely predict patient outcome and direct optimal care."

The study relied on cancer molecular data provided through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

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MD Anderson members of the study team included Siyuan Zheng, Ph.D., Genomic Medicine, Rehan Akbani, Ph.D., Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and Mouhammed Habra, M.D., Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders.

U.S. institutions participating in the study included the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass.; Baylor College of Medicine, Houston; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C.; Johns Hopkins University; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York; University of California, Santa Cruz; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston; Brown University, Providence, R.I.; Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston; Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix; Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle; the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.; and Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz. In addition, 16 international institutions also participated in the study.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (5U24CA143799, 5U24CA143835, 5U24CA143840, 5U24CA143843, 5U24CA143845, 5U24CA143848, 5U24CA143858, 5U24CA143866, 5U24CA143867, 5U24CA143882, 5U24CA143883, 5U24CA144025, U54HG003067, U54HG003079, U54HG003273 and P30CA16672).
The British pound to euro rate (GBP/EUR) staged a minor advance yesterday after a combination of EU referendum uncertainty and Greek debt concerns heightened the downside risks in the euro crosses. Where next for the single currency against the pound sterling and the US dollar forex counterparts?

Today's pound to euro exchange rate slides 0.27pct - sterling resumes downtrend ahead of key UK stats.

- sterling resumes downtrend ahead of key UK stats. GBP/EUR fx forecasts however remain positive, Lloyds see 1.36 by end-2016, 2017.

Single currency bounces higher against the US dollar.

In their latest research released to clients, Lloyds suggest the pound to euro exchange rate could trend higher to reach 'fair value' of 1.30 in their medium-term forecast:

"Our fair value estimate suggests that GBP/EUR should move back above 1.30 in the medium term. Over the coming months, monetary policy is unlikely to be a key driver of this pair, with both BoE and ECB expected to keep interest rates unchanged. Instead the near - term outlook is likely to be dominated by heightened domestic and global uncertainty  particularly around the outcome of the EU referendum."

Although the euro to dollar exchange rate spent much of the European session little changed, the common currency was able to advance on the British pound (GBP) following the publication of some surprisingly upbeat data for the Eurozones largest economy. See today's update.

Germanys Factory Orders report had been expected to print at 0.6% on the month and 0.1% on the year in April, but respective figures of 1.9% and 1.7% were actually released.

With the days only UK report proving less than GBP supportive, the EUR/GBP exchange rate was able to achieve a high of 0.7930.

As international creditors meet to decide whether to allow Greece to receive further bailout funds without implementing further austerity measures, the Euro softened versus most of its major peers.

EU referendum uncertainty is also having a detrimental impact on Euro exchange rates amid concerns that a Brexit would cause a domino effect.

US Dollar weakness, amid predictions of long-term delays to a Federal Reserve rate hike, has prevented a larger Euro depreciation, however.

Other Pound Sterling / Currency Exchange News

Latest Pound/Euro Exchange Rates

On Monday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1

The pound conversion rate (against pound) is quoted at 1 GBP/GBP.

FX markets see the pound vs us dollar exchange rate converting at 1.128.

The pound conversion rate (against swiss franc) is quoted at 1.129 CHF/GBP.

Please note: the FX rates above, updated 24th Oct 2022, will have a commission applied by your typical high street bank. Currency brokers specialise in these type of foreign currency transactions and can save you up to 5% on international payments compared to the banks.

Pound to Euro Exchange Rate Forecast: Positive European Ecostats Not Enough to Provoke EUR/USD Gains

The single currency is trending narrowly versus most of its currency rivals on Monday morning despite registering positive domestic data results.

Mays Eurozone Investor Confidence and Marchs German Factory Orders both bettered the respective median market forecasts.

However, the data had minimal impact as Greek debt concerns dominate trader focus. Greece has had to approve more reforms in order to attain fiscal targets, and there is heightened concern that international creditors will ask for yet more austerity measures before unlocking credit.

Our word is a contract. We have done what we promised and hence the IMF and Germany must provide a solution that is feasible, a solution for the debt that will open a clear horizon for investors, said Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos.

UK Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rates Climb despite Soft House Price Data

Although British economic data showed that house price growth slowed in April, the Pound strengthened versus most of its major peers today.

The appreciation can be linked to an Ipsos Mori survey which showed only 35% of Britons believing a Brexit was likely.

The same survey showed that the UKs EU referendum will likely cause many European countries to follow suit, suggesting the damage to the UK in the event of a Brexit would be minimal in comparison to the damage likely to occur in the European Union and Eurozone.

US Dollar (USD) Exchange Rates Tick Lower on Political Uncertainty

Now that the controversial Presidential Candidate Donald Trump has secured leadership of the Republican party, political uncertainty is likely to weigh heavily on demand for the US Dollar.

Also adding to headwinds is speculation of long-term delays to a Federal Reserve rate hike as policymakers highlight a number of reasons to delay a rate hike.

Originally Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen stated that risks posed by China have prevented a rate hike. Once Chinas data suggested improvement, Yellen stated that rate changes would be subject to domestic data results.

However, in a recent speech, Yellen is now citing the potential for a Brexit as a reason to delay tighter monetary policy. This suggests that the Fed will not be willing to consider hiking rates until well into the second-half of the year.

The Pound Sterling to euro has been positive overall against the single currency and others today

This advance has mainly come as part of the days ongoing negotiations in Greece. Despite signs of progress in the protracted debates and negotiations, it appears as though an amicable resolution between Greece and its debtors is still as far off as ever.

EUR/GBP Exchange Rate Forecast: Uncertainty Remains over Greek Debt Situation

The euro exchange rates may not reach rallying status anytime soon, given the most recent news out of the Eurogroup meeting.

In a similar situation to before, Greece remains at the mercy of its creditors, who still seem unable to compromise on the current bailout terms in order to facilitate a long-term Greek economic recovery.


People from South America are increasingly looking to buy property in Florida, with Miami the most popular place with many deciding to move to the city.Colombia has now led the online rankings compiled by the Miami Association of Realtors for three months in a row with Venezuela and Brazil in second and third place.Despite the strength of the US dollar, international home buyers continue to search, buy and invest in Miami real estate. With 51% of its population foreign born, Miami has a unique history of welcoming and embracing all cultures. International home buyers feel at home here, said Mark Sadek, chairman of the board of the association.Venezuelans buy the most property in Miami when it comes to overseas buyers, accounting for 13% of sales, followed by Brazilians with 12% and Columbians with 11%.The 2015 Profile of International Home Buyers report shows that Colombians moving to South Florida are often upper middle class families who want to enjoy their prosperity earned in their homeland as professionals and entrepreneurs.The data also shows that Colombians spend the second most on South Florida property among foreign buyers. The $516,000 average purchase price of Colombians tied with Argentina with Brazil top, spending $766,000.Potential buyers from both the Philippines and the UK increased their online interest in South Florida real estate in February 2016. The Philippines ranked fifth, the countrys highest finish, for three consecutive months. The United Kingdom improved from last months eighth place ranking to finish seventh.When it comes to Americans investing in Miami property the highest number searching came from Texas, followed by California, New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, North Caroline, Pennsylvania and Ohio.Miami tops the table for overall real estate demand in the United States, followed by Los Angeles, Bellingham, Washington State, Honolulu and then Kahului in Hawaii, Orlando, New York, Tampa, Houston and Seattle.
CHICAGO  Drivers along a busy Chicago-area tollway may have recently noticed a large digital billboard that seems to be talking directly to them.

It is.

Launched in March here as well as in Dallas and New Jersey, the eerily Orwellian outdoor campaign for Chevrolet Malibu uses vehicle-recognition technology to identify competing midsize sedans and instantly display ads aimed at their drivers.

Cruising along in an Altima? The message might be More Safety Features Than Your Nissan Altima. Driving a Ford Fusion or Toyota Camry? You might see a miles-per-gallon comparison between the Malibu and your car. The ads last just long enough for approaching drivers of those vehicles to know they got singled out and served by a billboard.

Consumers used to receiving personalized ads on their smartphones may be surprised to see one on a 672-square-foot highway billboard. But data-based technology is finding its way into digital outdoor displays of all types, enabling advertisers to track, reach and sell you stuff  even at 55 mph.

This is just the tipping point of the disruption in out-of-home, said Helma Larkin, CEO of Posterscope, an out-of-home communications agency that designed the Malibu campaign with billboard company Lamar Advertising. The technology coming down the pike is fascinating around what we could potentially do to bring digital concepts into the physical world.

Out-of-home advertising, which includes billboards, bus shelters, mall kiosks and other public platforms, is seeing growth fueled by such digital innovation. Spending on outdoor advertising rose 4.6 percent last year to $7.3 billion, according to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, the industrys national trade organization.

There are about 370,000 billboards in the United States, most of which still deliver a large static message to motorists the old-fashioned way  with posters or paint. Digital billboards  giant TV screens that generally rotate in new messages every eight seconds or so  number about 6,400 nationwide and are gaining traction.

Theres a good growth trend that weve seen over the past of the digital roadside inventory, said Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer of the outdoor advertising trade association. Several hundred new locations are built every year.

In Aurora, a suburb of Chicago, the Malibu campaign has taken over a 14-by-48-foot Lamar digital billboard on Interstate 88. Watching traffic 24/7, a separate camera mounted 1,000 feet ahead of the billboard scans for vehicle grilles. When it recognizes a Fusion, Camry or Altima, the billboard shifts from a generic Malibu ad to a competitor-specific one.

The billboard takes into account the speed of traffic to calculate the precise moment to pull the trigger on the personalized message, giving those drivers seven seconds of highway fame that is equal parts big data and Big Brother.

Its really innovative because it is able to inform the creative on the fly as the car goes by, and thats really bringing online techniques to the offline world, Larkin said.

Interactive outdoor digital displays have been making a splash for several years at the pedestrian level, such as a 2014 bus shelter campaign promoting a Harry Houdini TV miniseries that challenged Chicago commuters to hold their breath for three minutes  duplicating one of the magicians legendary tricks.

Serving the same sort of targeted ads that consumers receive on their smartphones to a giant billboard, however, represents a leap in the digital evolution of outdoor advertising and a bold new canvas that is sure to grab attention.

Most people think its really cool, Larkin said. Consumers are much more attracted to an ad and are much more prone to take notice of it when it relates to them and the environment that theyre in as opposed to a blanket statement.

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.

Others fear targeted billboard advertising represents yet another digital assault on privacy. And unlike mobile apps, consumers cant opt out of the billboards prying eyes.

Its the beginning of a digitally driven, intelligent, outdoor spying apparatus that captures all your details in order to advertise and market to you, said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a Washington-based nonprofit focused on consumer protection and privacy issues. Its a mistake to think its just an outdoor ad.

Billboards already are being used to track consumers. Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, for example, is using aggregated mobile data to identify drivers passing its Chicago billboards and their shopping habits.

Larkin said the Malibu billboard camera is only capturing the grilles of the autos to identify the competitive brands, yielding less data than a typical online session.

They dont take pictures of peoples faces  its blurred out by the technology, the license plate is blurred, Larkin said. We are picking up the make and model of the cars.

For Chester, promises of aggregated anonymity fall on deaf ears. He believes that the Malibu billboard already is learning more about the passing drivers than they realize.

You might be able to ignore a billboard, but this is a billboard that is going to know you, Chester said.
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The Reimann family, one of Europes wealthiest business dynasties, has the coffee. Now, it wants the doughnuts.

After building a coffee empire ranging from Portlands hipster Stumptown Coffee Roasters to single-serve mainstay Keurig, the Reimanns JAB Holding Co. investment company wants its growing stable of consumer brands to add some high-calorie oomph: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.

The $1.35 billion deal, announced Monday, puts the intensely private Reimann clan  Wolfgang, Stefan, Renate and Matthias  on a potential collision course with Krispy Kremes rival of the moment, the mighty Starbucks Corp.

It also trains a spotlight on JAB, whose stewardship of the Reimann fortune has drawn comparisons to 3G Capital, the Brazilian private equity giant run by the billionaire Jorge Paulo Lemann.

JAB, run by a trio of trusted Reimann advisers, is coming off a four-year acquisition spree in which it spent about $30 billion taking controlling stakes in Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Peets Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Espresso House and Baresso Coffee.

Theyve been slowly amassing a pretty big umbrella of breakfast- and coffee-oriented brands, and so Krispy Kreme slides underneath that umbrella pretty easily, said Will Slabaugh, an analyst at Stephens Inc.

Krispy Kreme gained fame with its yeast-raised, glazed doughnuts, and only made a major move into java in recent years as its pastries fell out of favor. The chain introduced a new line of coffee blends in 2011, and it gradually added espresso-based drinks to the menu too. That push, which also included promotions and redecorating some of its locations, brought it into more direct competition with Starbucks.

The increased competition from its smaller rival hadnt made a dent in Starbucks business. The companys sales climbed about 17 percent last year, helped by new food offerings and its expanding loyalty program.

That could change, though, with Krispy Kreme now having a wealthier backer with a cadre of high-end coffee brands at its disposal.

The biggest opportunity near term would be to put some of their coffee brands they already own, which are world-class, into Krispy Kreme stores, and I think it would be a pretty nice sales lift immediately, Slabaugh said.

JAB is buying Krispy Kreme through its JAB Beech subsidiary, which has Byron Trotts BDT Capital Partners as a minority investor. After the transaction closes, Krispy Kreme will be privately owned.

The deal is JABs second major coffee-related buyout announced in the past six months. The firm took single-serve coffee maker Keurig Green Mountain Inc. private in a $13.9 billion deal that was announced in December and closed in March.

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Alongside its coffee holdings, JAB  run by Peter Harf, Bart Becht and Olivier Goudet  has invested the Reimann fortune in a variety of consumer-goods companies such as fragrance maker Coty Inc. and Durex condom maker Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc.

The four Reimanns each have a net worth of $3.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. A fifth sibling, Andrea Reimann-Ciardelli, sold her stake in JAB in 2003 and has a $1.2 billion net worth.

Seeking a favorable tax environment for the Reimanns, Harf moved their family offices to Vienna from Ludwigshafen, Germany, in 2006. The family traded their German passports for Austrian ones.

For now, coffee is a small part of Krispy Kremes business. Almost 90 percent of its revenue came from doughnuts last year. Compare that with Dunkin Donuts, which gets most of its sales from coffee. Dunkin too has been cited as a possible JAB takeover target, though the firm may take its time before making such a deal, Slabaugh said.

They probably want to swallow an acquisition like this for a while before looking at something like Dunkin, he said.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Its obvious where David Mooses property line ends and the neighboring farm field begins.

Mooses field has a light brown hue, coated by the dead cereal rye and corn cobs that remain from the cover crop he planted in October. Across his property line, the traditionally tilled earth is a darker brown, uncolored by cover crops.

Cover crops, theyve been kind of the buzzword for the last five to six years, said Moose, who farms corn and soybeans on about 1,500 acres south of Illinois capital.

Moose, whose family has been farming for generations, stopped using traditional tilling methods when he began taking over a larger role in farm operations from his father 32 years ago.

In the past several years, hes added cover crops to further stabilize the soil, help build up even more organic matter and control weeds. Now, hes trying to reduce the amount of fertilizer he uses by applying it in the spring rather than the fall so that the new crop can better absorb it.

Its these types of practices that agricultural products giant Monsanto is trying to refine and promote among farmers because if it wants to live up to its pledge to go carbon neutral by 2021, it will need a lot of help from its customers.

The company, based in suburban St. Louis, can only do so much in-house to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions. It will apply best farming practices to its own seed production. But that only accounts for about one-sixth of its carbon emissions.

The majority of Monsantos emissions, about two-thirds, come from the production of its signature Roundup herbicide, said Michael Lohuis, who heads Monsantos agricultural environmental strategy. Those factory emissions will be difficult to reduce completely, so the company is looking for carbon offsets from farmers.

But all these practices and their associated environmental benefits and global warming offsets have to be studied and quantified to prove their worth.

More than that, they have to make business sense for farmers. In order to get farmers to reduce their carbon footprint (agriculture makes up about 9 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and about 24 percent of global emissions), Monsanto will have to figure out both sides of that equation.

None of this happens unless farmers buy into this, Lohuis said. It needs to make sense for them practically and economically.

Luckily, there do seem to be economic benefits to farmers in some instances. Tillage, for instance, decreases soil carbon sequestration and requires more trips across the rows with farm equipment. Using less tillage can help build up carbon in soils.

But cutting carbon isnt why Moose adopted no-till. While traditional tillage helps fields dry out faster, making it easier for farmers to plant earlier in the year after heavy rains, it also makes the soil more prone to erosion, and Moose wanted to keep wind and rain from carrying off any more of his familys soil.

Mother Nature only gave us so much soil to work with, he said. Everything we lose with wind or water erosion, were likely not going to get back.

He admits it took some time before he started seeing noticeable benefits, and no-till does tend to require more management and patience. But he wants his son to eventually take over the operation, and he was willing to wait for his investment in the soil to pay off.

It took about five years for the soil to come around, Moose said. The soil gets hard initially, but once the earthworms and bacteria and fungi get stabilized, they tend to loosen the soil up.

Even more than tillage, fertilizer applications account for a large share of cropland greenhouse gas emissions, which mostly come in the form of nitrous oxide emissions.

The nitrogen content of fertilizer adds to what is eventually released back as nitrous oxide, a gas with about 300 times more warming potential than carbon dioxide. Some 80 percent of U.S. nitrous oxide emissions come from agricultural soil management, which makes up about 4 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

There, Monsanto hopes its growing data science and precision agriculture arm can help refine fertilizer application to reduce the total amount. In some instances, cover crops also can help capture nitrogen and keep it in the soil for plant use longer term.

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Both practices also hold the potential to benefit Monsanto. More farmers could use its precision agriculture and farming data services to reduce nitrogen inputs, and no-till farming tends to require more herbicides such as Roundup.

Nicholas Goeser, director of the Soil Health Partnership, points to benefits for farmers, too, including better yields over time, better drought resilience and less nutrient runoff. The organization receives part of its funding from the National Corn Growers Association and Monsanto but also works with environmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nature Conservancy.

The Soil Health Partnership is working to quantify and study the effects of some of the techniques. It partners with farmers like Moose to gather data and publish research.

The prospect of carbon regulations could even be an opportunity for farmers who can sequester it, Goeser said.

Farmers are very interested in it, and theyre very aware of mounting environmental pressures, he said. But there are also opportunities that exist in carbon sequestration and carbon markets to gain additional value from their land.

But some of the changes require a culture shift and are harder to adopt for larger operations, said Lee Curby, who farms near Moose and was trying to learn some of his fertilizer reduction techniques. Applying nitrogen fertilizer in the fall, when farmers are not busy with the spring planting season, is easier than applying it in the spring as Moose has done, Curby said.

Many farmers work on one-year or multiyear leases and arent willing to wait for the investment in soil to pay off. Moose doesnt see many other farmers making the switch until theyre required to by regulations  either on nutrient runoff in water or agriculture carbon limits. He feels his farm will be ready whenever they do.

Monsantos Lohuis says climate change ultimately will hurt its customers through drought and unpredictable weather, which means they will buy less of its seeds and herbicides. But it, too, has its eyes on the prospect of future regulation.

If we do the right thing and we lead and produce the right solution, it takes away the need for regulation, Lohuis said.
How can we build a better city? Christine Vina is thinking out loud during an interview at the Grand, as VIA staffers refer to the transit services West Side executive offices in a renovated 1907 train station.

Its the question that Vina wrestles with every day, both as an architect and urban planner for VIA Metropolitan Transit and as 2016 president of the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

A vocal advocate for downtown living, sustainable architecture and historic preservation, Vina says, We have to educate people about the transportation advantages of living in the inner city. Id like to get away from the idea of preservation as an elitist opportunity.

A graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Architecture, she spent more than 10 years of her early career in Washington, D.C. Shes worked as a planner for the City of San Antonio, writing design standards for neighborhood conservation districts, and was principal planner for Capital Metro in Austin before coming to VIA eight years ago.

In her role of urban design project manager, Vina primarily focuses on VIAs Joint Development and Art in Transit programs, and other strategic planning initiatives.

She calls the East Side Ellis Alley Enclave project (refurbishing three VIA-owned structures) my baby for the last three years, and currently is working with artists for public art at the Five Points transfer stop and Ingram Transit Center, as well as mixed-use retail/housing developments at the Wonderland of the Americas mall on Fredericksburg Road and the Robert Thompson Transit Center downtown.

I work with creative design teams in the early planning stages of a project, she said.

Q. Why does a bus company need an architect?

A. I dont consider VIA a bus company. Its a transit agency that connects people with places through sustainable transportation options. But thats too long for a business card.

VIAs Strategic Planning Division, for example, analyzes the projected transit needs of the community over the next five to 25 years and develops projects that respond to the need for transportation alternatives. This allows people to reduce their vehicle travel, and increase their options for living, working and playing  which provides the opportunity for an enhanced quality of life.

As an architect and urban planner, I manage VIAs joint development and public art programs, so Im fortunate to be able to work as a liaison to creative architects, landscape architects, planners, artists and developers who we contract with to design and build our capital projects. Through good design, we increase the value of the role our facilities play in contributing to the built environment.

Q. Most people think of the life of an architect as sexy and glamorous, and that they spend their lives building skyscrapers. Is that true?

A. Ive heard that rumor. I once heard architecture is the highest status, lowest-paying profession. While there are many starchitects at many levels in the profession, I dont think that there are many that go into this profession for the money or the glamour, although most do appreciate the opportunity to create a world with more beauty and are eager to help make our built environment a better place through the design of a building, a landscape or a streetscape.

Q. What do you hope to accomplish as this years AIA San Antonio president?

A. As an architect who has been engaged in the nonprofit and public sector world for most of my career, I hope to raise the profile of our local architects by encouraging a broader diversity of architects to participate as citizen architects, either by engaging on boards and commissions, or in community initiatives, in order to effect the design of a better built environment. We are lucky to have an architect on City Council (District 1s Roberto Trevino) and a planner as mayor. Wouldnt it be a bonus for the region if more architects and planners, who are, at their core, creative problem solvers, become leaders in more elected and appointed positions?

Q. What is your favorite building, anywhere in the world?

A. As an urbanist, I would say my favorite space is any well designed streetscape that celebrates the pedestrian, whether an intimate one of early 1900s architecture, or the majesty of a grand European boulevard, lined with cafes. If you force me to choose a structure, I would choose (Spanish architect Antoni Gaudis) Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and what I consider a similar effort at a much smaller scale  the Watts Towers in Los Angeles. Im drawn to the form of a spire, but am most awestruck by the combination of personal handcraft, and the commitment to work on a project with a time span that the architect or craftsperson knew would far exceed their lifetime.

Q. When did you know you wanted to be an architect?

A. As a child, I was always figuring out ways to make things, and take things apart, to see if I could reassemble them. I built my first house for my Barbie doll, out of a lawnmower box, when I was about 12; it was quite the pad. Listening to my father  who grew up in New York City  tell me stories about his journey through New York neighborhoods to work at his dads corner grocery store in Harlem instilled a sense of the sights, sounds and scale of living in a true urban environment.

Q. If you could build your own house, what style would it be?

A. A modern style, open plan, oceanfront glass box surrounded by tropical vegetation, oriented to maximize the breeze, with deep overhangs and no air conditioning, so I could keep the windows open to hear the roar of the evening tide. But, as a preservationist and rehabber at heart, Im always happy with the sensitive rehabilitation and scale of an industrial loft or Victorian cottage with tall ceiling heights and a sweet front porch.

Q. If significant others are both architects, are there design conflicts?

A. Not in the partnerships that Ive observed. Generally, there seems to be a lot of energized synergy. For me, as long as they can cook, I would defer design interests ... until of course, it is time for a rehab!

sbennett@express-news.net
How did you celebrate your Mothers Day?

No matter how you communicate with your mom, if you do it regularly, you make any day Mothers Day.

No matter how old you are or your mother is, youre still her child, and she still worries if you dont give her all-is-well messages often enough.

Moms need to know whats up or down in your life.

Some philosopher once said that a mother is never happier than her saddest child. Surely, that philosopher was a mother because its definitely true.

From the first time a mom feels that soft babys breath on her cheek as she waits for a burp, to the day she leaves the earth, a mother mothers her children, whether they think they need it or not  and whether or not they notice shes doing it.

Some of us can be very subtle. When a mother says, I suppose youll be wanting to go to Auntie Myrtles for Sunday dinner, she means, Show up at Auntie Myrtles for Sunday dinner.

And, if she says, I imagine youll want to wear that shirt she gave you for Christmas, she means, For heavens sake, make her happy. Wear that purple shirt; its only with family.

Some of us are matriarchs of what my dad used to call the Buttinski Family.

The mythical Buttinskis claimed the sacred right and obligation to butt into each others business, and no topic was taboo.

A Buttinski mother is likely to say, Youre pregnant again? So soon? Whats the matter with you? Or, Youre not pregnant yet? Will we ever see a grandchild? Whats the matter with you?

Adult children in a Buttinski family might entertain the idea of constant pregnancy, and therefore constant morning sickness and late-term discomfort as ammunition in the battle to avoid dinner at Auntie Myrtles table. Avoiding family means avoiding questions like, Whats the matter with you?

Mothers have to walk a fine line between being interested in what our children are doing and prying into matters with spylike persistence and ingenuity.

Adult children have to learn that parents are more savvy about the ways of this world than their kids can imagine.

They forget that even the most naive people learn a lot from surviving lifes joys, sorrows and crises.

A European friend once told me that in her country, special days for parents are considered unnecessary; we should be kind to our parents every day.

I tried to explain that sometimes people need a reminder to do the shoulds of life.

Also, in our country, families no longer live in the same house or in the same neighborhood, or even in the same state or country as their parents and siblings. Special days overcome disruptions of geography.

The best Mothers Day gift of all for mothers is for their children to become decent, honest and kind human beings who treat others with respect ... and a phone call is nice, too. Its never too late.

Write to Marcy Meffert at P.O. Box 680262, Leon Valley, TX 78268 or email mameffert@yahoo.com. Subscribers can go online for current and previous columns at www.expressnews.com/author/marcy-meffert
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After enduring months of scandal, conflict and harsh media attention, Crystal City voters spoke loudly Saturday, recalling three indicted City Council members and electing two new ones, all by landslide margins.

Former Mayor Frank Moreno returned to the position he held almost two decades ago, gaining almost two-thirds of the vote in a three-way race. Newcomer Michele Ruiz also was easily elected to the council.

The three incumbents targeted for recall  Mayor Ricardo Lopez and Councilmen Roy Mata and Marco Rodriguez, all facing federal charges  were swept out of office by crushing margins.

We were on a mission. We walked the streets. It was a long haul, and history was made here, said Diana Jimenez, 67, one of the organizers of the recall attempt, which began in October but ultimately required a court order to succeed.

It was very embarrassing to look at all the media, but its not fair to say were all like that. There are a lot of good people in Crystal City, she added.

The low point for this low-income city 130 miles southwest of San Antonio came in February, when more than 80 federal agents and other police conducted an early-morning raid, seizing documents and arresting city officials.

Charged with bribery in a three-year FBI investigation were City Manager James Jonas III, Lopez, Councilmen Roy and Roel Mata, who are brothers, and former Councilman Gilbert Urrabazo.

All were accused of taking money from people seeking favors or city business, and all five remain free on bail, awaiting trial.

Councilman Joel Barajas, who was not charged and regularly found himself in the minority, remains on the council.

Rodriguez, who was not named in the bribery investigation, had been charged earlier with human smuggling. He, too, awaits trial.

The bribery arrests followed several years of political friction and council dysfunction, which included council members boycotting meetings and at times a heavy police presence in the council room.

Much of the disruption was blamed on Jonas, a former high-flying lobbyist in Austin and Washington, D.C., who improbably reinvented himself in Crystal City as the combined city manager/city attorney, earning $216,000 a year.

The reconstruction task that awaits the new council, which will meet for the first time next Tuesday, remains daunting if still very unclear, Moreno said.

No. 1, we need to find out the financial status of the city. No. 2, we have to restore trust and dignity and respect. Not just for the council, but for the city as a whole, he said.

A special election will also have to be set to fill the two council vacancies.

Moreno, 73, said he knows of two vendors who together are owed almost $800,000 by the city but that he has no idea of the citys other financial liabilities.

One of the councils first tasks will be to hire an interim city manager to replace Jonas. He is currently suspended without pay but has not been fired, for fear of triggering an expensive severance clause.

No one has seen a copy of his last contract worked out by him and the former council. Until we see it, I wouldnt close that chapter, Moreno added.

He said the only certainty is that putting the citys affairs back in order will not be quick or easy.

Its gonna take time. Theres a lot of work that needs to be done. When we find out where we are, well let the community know, and by the same token, the media, which has been very influential about getting the information out about how bad our status was, he said.

jmaccormack@

express-news.net
Straight from the grocery aisle tabloids ... Donald Trump is linking Ted Cruz's father to the plot to assassinate President John F. Kennedy.

"(Cruzs) father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald being, you know, shot. I mean the whole thing is ridiculous. What is this, right, prior to his being shot? And nobody even brings it up," Trump said on Fox and Friends on the morning of the critical Indiana primary. "What was he doing  what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting? Its horrible."

The claim was made before Cruz suspended his presidential campaign.

Is it true that Rafael Cruz "was with" Oswald before the assassination, or was Trumps bombshell accusation itself ridiculous?

The Trump campaign didnt get back to us. Cruz tore into Trump, calling the billionaire "utterly amoral" and "a pathological liar" and admitting sarcastically that his father had killed JFK, "is secretly Elvis" and that "Jimmy Hoffa is buried in his backyard." In an interview with ABC, Rafael Cruz called the claim "ludicrous" and "typical Donald Trump."

Trumps charge appears to be based on a National Enquirer report alleging that Rafael Cruz is the man standing next to Oswald in a photo from 1963. But technical experts told PolitiFact that no such firm conclusion is possible given the quality of the photograph, and several historians of the period told us theyve never seen Cruzs name come up in connection with Oswald.

The 1963 photo at left shows Lee Harvey Oswald (left) and an unidentified man who the National Enquirer claims is Rafael Cruz, the father of Ted Cruz. A verified image of Cruz (in 1959 wearing glasses) is at right.

Dubious photographic evidence

The Enquirer based its report on photos of Oswald handing out pro-Fidel Castro pamphlets in New Orleans on Aug. 16, 1963, about four months before Kennedys assassination on Nov. 22.

Two photo experts the tabloid hired  Mitch Goldstone of ScanMyPhotos, a digitizing photo service, and Carole Lieberman, a forensic expert witness  said another man in the image appears to be young Rafael Cruz, according to McClatchy.

We could not independently verify these experts validation, as neither Goldstone nor Lieberman got back to us.

When we reached out to Kairos, a Miami-based facial recognition software company, Chief Technology Officer Cole Calistra was skeptical about claims of a positive identification. Calistra told PolitiFact that the photos are too grainy "to perform a proper match one way or the other."

James Wayman, the former director of U.S. National Biometric Test Center in the Clinton administration, said proper analysis requires two full-frontal facial images.

"Without such images, no professional face examiner will be willing to render an opinion," he said.

Would Cruz and Oswald have even run in the same circles? No

In his 2016 book, A Time for Action, Rafael Cruz acknowledges being an early supporter of Fidel Castro. Cruz had agitated against Cubas previous leader, dictator Fulgencio Batista, which led to a beating at the hands of Batista forces in 1957.

Cruz eventually applied to universities in the United States, was accepted by the University of Texas, and left by ferry to Key West, where he made his way to Austin. He attended classes and worked as a dishwasher, a story his son would often repeat on the campaign trail.

Back in Cuba, Batista fled under pressure from Castros forces, and Castro assumed power at the beginning of 1959. Later that year, during Cruzs summer break from college, he returned to Cuba and was "shocked" by the nations turn to communism. He left, never to return, leaving close relatives behind.

In the spring of 1962, Cruz writes, he accepted a job with IBM in Dallas, where he lived for a time with his wife and two daughters from his first marriage. At some point, Cruz moved to New Orleans to take a different job, although the timeline is unclear from his book. It was in New Orleans that Cruz met his second wife, Eleanor. They had a son, the future presidential candidate, in 1970, in the Canadian city of Calgary.

So Cruz checks a couple of boxes relevant to Oswald -- a stay in New Orleans (where Oswald had lived and where the photograph in question was taken), a period in Dallas (where Oswald also lived, and where he assassinated Kennedy), and an interest in Cuba.

But there is nothing to suggest that this is anything more than simple coincidence. Indeed, historians of the period say that its unlikely that someone like Cruz would have palled around with someone like Oswald.

Cruz would have already been a staunch anti-communist for several years by the time he was allegedly photographed with Oswald. Given that Oswald was handing out leaflets for the Fair Play for Cuba Committee -- a pro-Castro group -- a partnership between the two men would make no sense on its face.

Other experts on the period agreed that it was unlikely that Oswald and Cruz had crossed paths.

"Top leaders of anti-Castro organizations claim not to have met Cruz, and I have never come across his name in declassified records," said Maria Cristina Garcia, a Cornell University historian and author of Havana USA: Cuban Exiles and Cuban Americans in South Florida, 1959-1994. "You can be sure that if there is any dirt on Rafael Cruz, the Castro government will find it and release it."

And Steven Beschloss, author of The Gunman and His Mother: Lee Harvey Oswald, Marguerite Oswald and The Making of an Assassin, finds nothing to the supposed link.

"Any effort to find a more meaningful connection that somehow implicates Cruz Sr. seems outlandish at best," Beschloss said.

Our ruling

Trump said that Rafael Cruz "was with Lee Harvey Oswald" before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The sole "evidence" for this claim is a grainy photograph that shows Oswald with a man who may bear a resemblance to Cruz. But experts tell PolitiFact that the image is too degraded to offer much confidence. At the same time, multiple experts about the world of early 1960s pro-Castro advocacy said they have never seen evidence of Cruz associating with Oswald and consider Trumps claim implausible at best and ridiculous at worst.

We rate the claim Pants on Fire.
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Alicia Garcia has been coming to the grounds of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto for years.

I love how green and peaceful it is here, she said.

On Sunday morning, the grotto was peaceful, but anything but quiet as about 1,000 people gathered, despite the rain, to celebrate Mothers Day with a special Mass by the Oblate Missions.

Many smiled as Father Saturnino Lajo, leading the service, recited a special blessing for mothers.

I like to take this day to be grateful for blessings from God, because one of the biggest ones is my mother, said Ana Perez.

Lajo said the Mothers Day Mass tradition began with the grotto, dedicated in 1941, but in the beginning it was celebrated only in English. Now it is celebrated in English and Spanish.

We started the Mass in Spanish about 35 years ago and now the grotto is a center for the Hispanic families, the Hispanic community, he said.

The grounds bring together two accounts of visitations by the Virgin Mary, one from 19th century France and the other from 16th century Mexico, both to young peasants. The grotto was shaped from reinforced concrete to look like the cave in which the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to St. Bernadette, a 14-year-old peasant girl, in Lourdes, France.

On top of the grotto is the Tepeyac de San Antonio. The Hill of Tepeyac, part of Mexico Citys Villa de Guadalupe, is the site where a peasant named Juan Diego is said to have been visited by a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1531 and told to build a church. That church, the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was completed in 1709.

Roughly three centuries later, it is the scene of more pilgrimages per year than the Vatican, according to a Vatican Council estimate. Attendance at the grottos Mass has grown with time, too.

I have been here since the beginning of when we started the Mass in Spanish, 35 years ago. In the beginning it was a very small group of people, Lajo said. He said now some mothers come from Mexico for the Mass.

The crowd on Sunday spilled onto the 5-acre grotto grounds, outnumbering the available seats. The Matachines de la Gruta de Lourdes, dancers wearing feathered headdresses and lime green T-shirts printed with images of the Virgen de Guadalupe, wove their way through the grotto. A mariachi band sang and strummed.

According to legend, the Virgin de Guadalupe told Juan Diego to gather flowers that grew miraculously from a hilltop in winter. At Mass there were flowers too: red carnations, a symbol of pure love, for the mothers in attendance. Many in the crowd were moved by thoughts of the sacrifices their mothers had made to make their lives better.

When I was young I didnt really see everything my mother does for me as clearly, said Maria Castillo, celebrating the Mass with her daughter. But now I understand how much she gave for us every day.

fioannou@express-news.net

Twitter: @obioannoukenobi
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Matthew Dennison last walked off the distant battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan eight years ago. War still refuses to let him come home.

The Army veteran saw a close friend lose both his legs above the knee when a roadside bomb ripped apart their armored truck in Baghdad in 2007. During two tours in Iraq, Dennison twice suffered concussions in other explosions, and he spent his last deployment, in Afghanistan in 2008, unloading wounded and dying troops from medevac helicopters.

As he struggles to tame the dark memories that seize his thoughts and rupture his sleep, he wonders when his mind will return from the past.

I dont know how to deal with my reactions, said Dennison, 34, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. I want to have ways to cope.

His search for treatment brought the Boston resident to San Antonio three weeks ago for counseling at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic. The new center on the Northwest Side provides free mental health care to veterans and their dependents, with treatment starting within five days of an initial screening and typically lasting 12 to 14 weeks.

The clinic, operated in partnership with the San Antonio nonprofit Family Endeavors, began treating clients last month and will hold its official opening today. The Cohen Veterans Network, a nonprofit foundation launched earlier this spring by the billionaire hedge fund manager, will establish additional centers in Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia by years end.

Cohen, who runs Point72 Asset Management in Connecticut and whose son, Robert, deployed to Afghanistan with the Marines, opened his first clinic for former service members four years ago in New York.

He plans to create a network of 20 to 25 centers across the country by 2020 as part of his $275 million initiative to improve access to behavioral health care for the countrys new generation of veterans. An estimated 13 to 20 percent of the 2.6 million troops who deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan cope with PTSD, depression or related conditions linked to their service.

An influx of younger veterans seeking mental health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs has overwhelmed its almost 1,000 hospitals and clinics, leading to prolonged wait times and erratic treatment plans. The number of men and women receiving behavioral health services through the VA topped 1.6 million last year, an increase of almost 700,000 since 2006.

Dennison grew frustrated with persistent delays at Bostons VA hospital after his discharge from the Army in 2011. A friend told him about the Cohen clinic in San Antonio, where he had spent long weekends during his Army career while stationed at Fort Hood.

He has met with a psychologist each week since arriving in town, discussing his internal battle with the rage that inexplicably flares over trivial matters and the anxiety that suffocates him in crowded spaces. The sessions have given him a chance to consider that he has experienced normal responses to the extremes of war.

This is how veterans should be treated, he said, rubbing his hand across the American flag tattoo on his left forearm. Theyre helping you understand your reactions and how you can bring them under control. They dont act like youre broken.

Family Endeavors has hired a 17-member staff to run the San Antonio clinic, and nearly all of them are veterans or military spouses or have an immediate family member in the armed forces.

With veterans and their spouses, we really know how to talk to that audience, said Kat Cole, the clinics director, who served four years in the Air Force. We know the acronyms, we understand what its like to wear the uniform.

The centers location in the Ridgehaven neighborhood places it within a few miles of six of the eight ZIP codes with the highest population of veteran households in Bexar County. The center offers other free services to ease the burden on veterans of any era and their families, including transportation to appointments and on-site child care, along with assistance in finding jobs and housing.

Cole estimated that the staff will treat 600 to 750 veterans and dependents a year through clinic appointments, telehealth services and in-home visits, and she has talked with VA officials in San Antonio about arranging referrals to the center.

The ratio of patients to providers will allow veterans to receive counseling once a week under typical circumstances, or a few days in succession in more urgent cases, a capacity and flexibility almost nonexistent within the VA.

Post-traumatic stress is not stagnant, said Travis Pearson, the CEO of Family Endeavors. It doesnt happen only once, and its not revealed in a single moment. We have the ability to work with veterans on a regular basis over an extended period of time to help them and their families understand their conditions.

The clinics emphasis on counseling dependents further distinguishes it from the VA, which provides scarce resources for family services. The staffs behavioral health providers treat spouses and children exposed to secondhand trauma and work to repair marriages and parent-child relationships.

The trauma doesnt just affect the veteran, said Thelma Rivera, a staff social worker. We want to take a holistic approach that gives each person in the family a better idea of whats happening.

Christopher Vidaurre, a clinic outreach coordinator, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during his 10 years in the Marines. He recognizes the invisible turmoil that some combat veterans endure after leaving the service, and he recalled his own difficulties in reconnecting with his two daughters.

I know that fight within you to ask for help, he said. Its not easy for anyone who has been in the military. But you have to figure out a way to find help, both for you and your family.
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Randy Sterling had tried nicotine patches, going cold turkey and even mild electric shocks to quit his pack-and-a-half-a-day smoking habit.

Nothing worked until 2011, when he was shopping at a mall and on a whim tried an electronic cigarette, which has nicotine but no tar or combustion like traditional tobacco cigarettes.

I was never a smoker again, said Sterling, who was so impressed that he opened three e-cigarette shops in San Antonio called Thanks for Vaping.

Last weeks news that the Food and Drug Administration will regulate electronic cigarettes like tobacco products was praised by medical experts who say there are too many unknowns about the health effects of vaping and whether its a gateway for teens to try harmful tobacco cigarettes.

But to Sterling and the customers who visited his shop on San Pedro Avenue over the weekend, lumping e-cigarettes with tobacco misses the point.

We are not the tobacco companies, Sterling said. But they are trying to make people believe that were tobacco companies who are trying to hook young people on nicotine.

E-cigarettes heat flavored liquid in a canister, and users inhale the vapor  hence the term vaping. The new FDA regulations prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone younger than 18, and producers must navigate a lengthy approval process from the FDA to sell their products by providing a detailed list of their ingredients.

With smoking vapors that are inhaled, it is unclear exactly what the most harmful components are, said Dr. Steven Bailey, professor and chief of the Janey and Dolph Briscoe Division of Cardiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center.

While I recognize that some of the tars and components are not there, we havent studied well enough the ones that are there and their impact on the body, including the heart, Bailey said.

Brett Ginsburg, a professor of psychiatry at the Health Science Center, said a huge proportion of young people who experiment with tobacco go on to become regular users and that theres no reason to think the level of addiction will be any different with the nicotine in e-cigarettes.

These products are perceived as being safer, and theyre often flavored, so theyre more palatable than a cigarette, Ginsburg said. So those are things were certainly concerned about, especially when you talk about adolescents.

But e-cigarettes could help people who are already smoking break their tobacco habit, Ginsburg said. In Britain, a respected medical group, the Royal College of Physicians, recommended e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking.

So its probably a double-edged sword like most anything else in the real world, Ginsburg said. Theres good and bad in it.

Texas already has a law restricting the sale of e-cigarettes to adults. But the vaping industry fears that the new regulations will dramatically increase the cost of e-cigarettes, squeeze out smaller e-cigarette manufacturers and benefit Big Tobacco companies.

Sterling said consumers might try to find cheaper alternatives on the black market or return to their habit of smoking regular tobacco.

I think its healthier for people to vape because its easier to quit, said Natalie Hellwig, who visited Sterlings e-cigarette store with her husband, Sascha, over the weekend.

They had tried quitting cigarettes for years and finally succeeded when they tried vaping nearly a year ago.

It helped us. My husbands been smoking since he was 11, and Ive been smoking since I was 13, Hellwig said.

Vaping allowed them to adjust the levels of nicotine in the juice. Hellwig started at 12 milligrams, and over the course of several weeks steadily reduced the levels. Now shes down to 3 to zero milligrams of nicotine.

I think its become more of a fun thing, she said. It doesnt bother us if we dont vape.

jtedesco@express-news.net
AUSTIN - The Texas Legislature will consider establishing statewide regulations for rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft, a powerful lawmaker said Sunday, a day after Austin voters dealt the industry a setback by upholding rules imposed by the Austin City Council.

The regulations, which will be considered in next years legislative session, will aim to be consistent and predictable for the companies, said Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, a rideshare supporter.

It has become increasingly clear that Texas ridesharing companies can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anti-competitive regulations, Schwertner said. As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition.

Uber and Lyft have reduced drunken driving and provided jobs, Schwertners said.

Schwertner was among several state lawmakers to decry Saturdays vote in Austin, which upheld regulations requiring that rideshare drivers undergo fingerprint background checks and that companies report data about operations, among other rules.

Uber and Lyft spent more than $8 million to defeat the regulations through a proposition campaign, but 56 percent of voters rejected it.

The companies responded by saying they no longer would operate in Austin, beginning Monday.

Local control turns to local tyranny again in Austin, tweeted state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving. #txlege needs to intervene.

Another lawmaker, Republican state Rep. Tony Dale of Cedar Park, tweeted a photo of a request for an Uber car to come to the Texas Capitol and a simple message: See you in 2017.

The drama appears to mirror a situation that played out last year, after Denton banned fracking. In response, lawmakers approved a bill that essentially banned fracking bans, and Denton was forced to repeal its law.

Statewide regulations would affect Houston, where a battle over the rideshare application companies also is playing out. The states largest city imposed its own rules requiring fingerprint background checks 18 months ago, prompting Lyft to leave the city.

Uber stayed, but its general manager recently wrote a letter to the Houston City Council saying that it would ultimately leave if the regulations were not repealed.

We have worked hard and taken extraordinary steps to help guide drivers through the current process in Houston, said the general manager, Sarfraz Maredia. However, a year and a half later, it is clear the regulations are simply not working for the people of this city.

Late last month, Uber again threatened to stop operating in Houston unless city leaders amend local regulations the company said are making it tough for them to recruit drivers.

The ultimatum, the latest in Ubers tense relations with Houston, drew a strong rebuke from city leaders.

This is just not how we do business in Houston, said Mayor Sylvester Turner, who added the city will not compromise on public safety.

Taxi firms in almost every city around the globe have fought Uber and similar ride-hailing companies, saying they are unregulated and taking advantage of the taxi industry by ignoring traditional safety practices. Regardless, riders have flocked to the smartphone-app ride services.

Houston officials have insisted fingerprint checks of Uber drivers are necessary to ensure public safety.

In rebuffing Ubers latest ultimatum, Turner reiterated that numerous Uber driver applicants have failed the fingerprint check. One, the mayor said, had 24 aliases and five birthdays, making Ubers favored Social Security check unproductive.

Finger printing applicants became a matter of public scrutiny after a Houston driver was accused of sexually assaulting a passenger in April 2015. A grand jury declined to indict him, but the issue divided Uber and Houston because he was operating on the Uber smartphone platform without a city license. Houston officials said he would have failed their background check because of a prior federal drug conviction, which Ubers background check did not catch.

Still, Houston is an outlier. Only New York City  a huge taxi market where Uber drivers must have the same license as a cabdriver  also requires a fingerprint background check, though Houston officials quickly noted that other cities are considering requiring it.

Ridesharing services in San Antonio are on a pilot program. Uber already has left Corpus Christi and Galveston over fingerprint requirements.
COLUMBUS  Thousands of FFA members and guests made their way to Columbus for the 88th Annual Ohio FFA Convention, May 5 and 6, and around 1,000 FFA members crossed the stage in recognition of their hard work throughout the year.

Throughout the two-day convention, a theme of leadership and making an impact was heard from various speakers, encouraging FFA members to live life to fullest and make a difference.

See more photos from the Ohio FFA Convention in this photo gallery.

The most successful young people I have met have almost always come out of an FFA program, said Dave Roever, keynote speaker. FFA is one of the greatest youth programs.

Courage

During the second general session of the Ohio FFA convention, May 5, Vietnam War veteran Dave Roever spoke to 6,000 FFA members and guests about courage and living life. Roever was drafted during the height of the Vietnam War, joining the Navy as a river boat gunner in the Brown Water Black Beret.

He can remember kissing his wife goodbye the day he was called off to war. She had asked him, Are you coming back? To which he replied, Ill be back without a scar. Little did he know that he wouldnt come back the same.

Just eight months into his tour, July 26, 1969, Roever drew back a white phosphorus hand grenade, planning to throw it at the enemy. A sniper, under the cover of brush, shot and missed his face by inches, striking the grenade by his right ear.

Life or death

Roever suffered third degree burns to 50 percent of his body. Only a small portion of the left side of his face remained intact. When the search and rescue team found Roever, his body was still on fire, and they assumed him dead. When they got him back to base, they moved him to a unit usually reserved for soldiers not expected to make it.

Thirteen soldiers lay in intensive care unit beds, and Roever watched as the wives of those men came in with disgust and embarrassment over their injuries. All Roever could think about was his wife, and that he couldnt bare her to see him like this. Roever talked of a dark time when he tried to end his own life. He made up his mind to pull out what he thought was his breathing tube.

I pulled my tube out  and then I got hungry, he said. I pulled the wrong tube. When Roevers wife finally came in to see him, all she could do was kiss his face and hold his hand. It was then that Roever knew it was all going to be all right and life is worth living.

Lone survivor

Of the 13 men lying in that infirmary, Roever was the only one to survive. Since leaving the military, Roever has spoke to more than 7 million young men and women about the importance of living life to the fullest. We take things lightly, said Rover, acknowledging the youth and the decisions they make everyday to drink and drive or text and drive. Dont do it, he said.

Impact

During the third general session of the Ohio FFA convention, May 6, author and speaker Jones Loflin shared four thoughts on how to boost your impact. The first step is determining where you are going to make an impact. What makes you passionate? What gets you excited? Loflin asked the FFA members.

Whether its a proficiency area or career development event, if you are excited and passionate about that subject, thats most likely where you will continue to make an impact, he said.

The second key to making an impact, is deciding where you are willing to fail. As an author of several books, Loflin talked of one that didnt quite make the mark. His book, Prime Rib or Potted Meat was a flop, he said. I tried to please too many groups. But understanding failure is critical in making an impact, he said.

Goals

Having a strong foundation to build upon is also critical to your success. Everyone has enemies, said Loflin. From adversity, to people saying you cant do that, Loflin asks, what are you going to build your foundation on to weather the storm?

The final key to making an impact, is having focus and a sense of urgency to accomplish the goal. What is it that you want to do now that you may never get to do again? asked Loflin.

As a leader of his parliamentary procedure team in high school, Loflin had big dreams to win it all. He was the presiding officer and took his team all the way to the state finals.

The team took second place, and when Loflin looked over the judges comments, he felt his heart sink as he read, your president is weak. If he would have dedicated a little more time to practicing, maybe they could have taken first. I didnt have the opportunity to lead another group until I became a teacher and FFA adviser, said Loflin.

Make it happen

So he asks the group again, What is your urgency? If you dont focus on it now, how are you going to make an impact? Those sentiments of making an impact and leadership were carried on in Ohio FFA President Matthew Klopfensteins retiring address during the final session of the convention.

We think if we are going to be somebody, we need a title, said Klopfenstein. Awards do not make us valuable. Our character, our personalities make us valuable. He recalled a chapter visit where one of the FFA members asked him, How can I be a leader?

The question  one that Klopfenstein is still trying to answer  resonated with him because, she was asking about how she could lead. Not about getting a title (or award), but making a difference.

Lead strong

Success always comes with a side of failure, said Klopfenstein. But 837 FFA members proved they could overcome failure and achieve the highest degree possible on a state level. Klopfenstein concluded his address by asking FFA members, Can we lead strong?
Higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may increase water-use efficiency in crops and also boost yield losses due to climate change, according to a new NASA study, published in the Nature Climate Change.

The study shows some compensation for the adverse impacts of temperature extremes caused by increasing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Higher levels of carbon dioxide affect crops in two important ways: they boost crop yields, and they reduce the amount of water crops lose.

"There has been very little impact assessment analysis that looked at the dual effect on yield and water use and how they play out in different regions of the world, which is critical to anticipating future agricultural water demands," said Delphine Deryng, lead author and a climate scientist at NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City.

To study those effects, for wheat, maize, soybean and rice crops, the researchers simulated changes to estimate crop water productivity.

They looked at the amount of yield produced per unit of water, which is a common measurement for assessing crop water-use efficiency.

Results showed that yields for all four crops grown at levels of carbon dioxide remaining at 2000 levels would experience severe declines in yield due to higher temperatures and drier conditions.

But when grown at doubled carbon dioxide levels, all four crops fared better.

Carbon dioxide concentrations

According to the study, the impact of doubled carbon dioxide concentrations on crop water productivity and yield varies regionally.

Results show that maize suffers yield losses with doubled carbon dioxide levels, due in large part to the plants already greater efficiency at using carbon dioxide for photosynthesis compared with the other crops.

Maize yields fall by 15 percent in areas that use irrigation and by 8 percent in areas that rely on rain.

Even so, losses would be more severe without the carbon dioxide increase: yields would decrease 21 percent for irrigated maize and 26 percent for rainfed maize.

"The impact on crop water productivity and yield is strongest in regions like southern Africa where water is a limiting factor," Deryng said.

"Maize in these regions experiences the most relief from better water-use efficiency."

As for wheat, doubled carbon dioxide levels bring about yield increases across the board.

Rain-fed wheat grown at higher latitudes such as those of the United States, Canada and Europe, which have more moderate temperatures and longer growing seasons, experience an overall increase in yield of almost 10 percent, while their consumption of water goes down by a corresponding amount.

For rainfed wheat grown in more arid climates, such as southern Africa and India, results show that doubled carbon dioxide levels, and their associated climate change impacts, increase yield by 8 percent, an increase thats driven by improved crop water productivity of up to 50 percent.

The study offers some hope for crops grown in arid, often economically challenged areas, said Cynthia Rosenzweig, a climatologist at GISS.

"For example, farmers may switch to crops where their improved photosynthesis and more efficient water use more than offsets losses due to the high temperatures that climate change will bring."

More field experiments needed

But Rosenzweig said that more field experiments are needed.

"The uncertainty of carbon dioxide effects are greater in arid regions because experiments have been carried out mostly in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere," she said.

"We need field observations in these drier regions in order to validate and further improve our models."

There is also a need for research that explores the impact of elevated carbon dioxide levels on crop nutrition, which wasnt investigated in this study.

"Crops also need nitrogen to grow, for example, and in many parts of Africa theres not enough fertilizer," she said.

"Imbalances between nitrogen and carbon in the crop tissues could lead to fewer nutrients like iron, zinc, along with a reduction in the protein content."

The researchers say their findings cast a light on agriculture globally and highlight the importance of studying arid and semi-arid cropping systems.

"For farmers, water is essential, Deryng said. "Building on this research will help them and other stakeholders prepare for production in a hotter, drier planet."
Momentum builds towards the EU referendum vote on 23 June as farming unions, leaders and ministers continue to put the nation's agricultural and food sectors at the heart of the debate.

The NFU Scotland's Vice President Andrew McCornick gave evidence at a meeting of Westminsters Scottish Affairs Committee in Glasgow today (9 May) to discuss the forthcoming EU Referendum and its impact on Scotland.

Speaking after the evidence session, Mr McCornick said: "With debate on the referendum gathering pace, it is important that farming has a voice in any scrutiny given to the issue ahead of the vote on 23 June.

"Not only is it important to discuss the likely scenarios for agricultural sector should we leave the EU, but it is also relevant to consider what we can hope to achieve from the reform agenda for Europe.

"What might that reform agenda mean for the Common Agricultural Policy, if voters opt to stay in?

"NFU Scotland has said throughout the debate that, to date, the current balance remains in favour of staying in the EU and I made that point again today to the MPs.

"However, it is not for the Union to tell its members in any way how they should use their vote.

"It therefore becomes all the more important that key issues such as the future of agricultural support, access for Scottish produce to European markets, and the movement of labour are given prominence in the debate so that farmers and crofters can make an informed decision come referendum day.

"There will be a further opportunity for members to engage in the discussion on 19 May when NFU Scotland will be hosting the EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan for a debate on the referendum.

"A speaker from the Brexit side has yet to be confirmed but this event at the Highland Showground will be a useful platform to further tease out the pros and cons of EU membership."

'Long term prosperity of farming in the UK'

Last month, the NFU's ruling body backed a resolution concluding farmers interests are best served remaining in the EU, after a gruelling four hour debate.

Peter Kendall, former President of the NFU, said: "Britain's membership of the EU is essential for the farming and food industry so it is hugely significant that the NFU has today confirmed that it believes UK agriculture will have a more secure future within the EU.

"Being part of the single market - our home market of 500 million consumers - is crucial to the long term prosperity of farming in this country.

"We saw from the NFU's own report earlier this month that leaving the EU could hit our industry hard and their support today demonstrates that walking away puts too much at risk.

"Leaving the EU would make trading farm products significantly harder, financial support uncertain and leave farmers facing years of uncertainty.

"That is too much of a gamble and one our industry cannot afford to take.

"That is why I fully welcome the decision from the NFU who have made it clear that Britain's farmers are stronger, safer and better off in the EU."

Britain Stronger in Europe campaign

The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) has thrown its weight behind the 'Britain Stronger in Europe' campaign as the first farming union in the UK to do so.

FUW says it will "continue to work with the campaign Board in Wales to ensure that Britain remains a member of the European Union."

"The Union sees this as the optimal way to protect our rural economies, especially when it comes to support from the Common Agricultural Policy, which flows to farms and then inevitably to many local businesses," said Union Managing Director Alan Davies.

"We are pleased to be an official partner of this campaign and will increase our efforts to make the argument to remain in the EU over the coming weeks.

"We are holding a number of EU debates over the coming weeks, details of which will be provided soon," added Mr Davies.

'UK government will give more to farmers' in the event of Brexit'

On the other side of the debate, Defra minister George Eustice has been a vocal supporter of a Brexit scenario. He said the UK government will give more to farmers than they do now in the event of Britain leaving the EU.

Eustice has drawn attention to non-EU nations like Switzerland and Norway and how their governments give more to farmers than the UK does.

"Where power has been ceded to the EU, we see inertia, inconsistency and indecision," the Farm minister said.

"The achievements we cherish most of all are those where we have secured opt-outs from EU initiatives."

Eustice said the UK gives money to the EU, which they convert into foreign currency creating unnecessary exchange rate risks.

"The system has been through various changes over the years but remains a centralised and bureaucratic policy.

"In its current form, it attempts to codify and regulate almost every conceivable feature of our landscape and almost every conceivable thing a farmer might want to do with their land."

He said some 80% of legislation affecting DEFRA comes directly from the EU.

"It is all pervasive: how many farm inspections there must be in a given year; what proportion of those inspections must be random; how much a farmer must be fined if they make a mistake; how much they should be fined if they make the same mistake twice; the precise dimensions of EU billboards and plaques that farmers are forced to put up by law; the maximum width of a gateway; how we define a hedge; whether a cabbage and a cauliflower are different crops or should be deemed the same crop. The list goes on forever and it's stifling."
Farmers are still left in financial 'dire straits' due to the delays to payments made by the Rural Payments Agency as MPs questioned Environment Secretary Liz Truss.

Truss said all farmers in England have received their full payment or a bridging payment of half their expected claim. Overall, 90% of eligible farmers have received full payment.

More than 7,000 farmers have now been paid bridging payments of around 50% of likely Basic Payment Scheme 2015 claim amounts.

The bridging payments to remaining farmers were made to help with cash flow pressures. All other claimants, in total more than 90%, have received their full claim payment by the end of April.

Sleaford and North Hykeham MP Stephen Phillips highlighted a case of one of his constituents, Mrs Musson, who had her payment delayed and had further difficulties contacting the Rural Payments Agency.

"The response I had from the RPA was that the payment would come 'in due course' and that my constituent should call the agency for hardship assistance, yet this is precisely what she had been unable to do."

Truss responded that it had been the first year of implementation of the new common agricultural policy.

"All payments need to be made within the payment window between December and June, and all payments will be made within that window," she said.

"I appreciate that farmers are struggling with cash flow because of this years low commodity prices, which is why we have put in place bridging payments for those final few farmers who have not yet received payments.

"All that data are now on the system, so 2016 will be much more straightforward and we should be able to pay farmers much earlier in the payment window."

Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Mark Grimshaw said: These payments have been made by the end of April, as promised, to help remaining applicants facing financial pressures.

With around 55% of anticipated 2016 claims already submitted or underway, we are helping those still to apply to meet the 16 May deadline.

All farmers should complete their application before the deadline even if they are waiting for the balance of the 2015 payment. Once verified, the system will automatically update their claim with any new information.
Young farmers are being invited to an NFU Scotland event which will focus on the future of young farmers in Dumfries and Galloway.

The free event, taking place on 18 May, will explore the future of the younger farmer and next generation in the region whilst sharing opinions, ideas and ambitions.

NFU Scotland recognises the importance of the next generation and the enthusiasm for challenging the industry to do things differently, and is encouraging all those with an interest in the next generation to come along and give their input.

Gary Mitchell, Regional Chairman for Dumfries and Galloway will chair the day at Laggan Outdoor, Gatehouse of Fleet and the event will centre on the question: If the average age of a farmer in Dumfries and Galloway was 35, would things be different.

Four young and inspiring individuals will speak about what they have done and how they have overcome challenges, with break-out sessions following later in the day.

Dinner will be provided and there will be a tour of Laggan Outdoor.





NFU Scotland Regional Chairman, Gary Mitchell commented: The idea behind this one day event is to inspire young farmers  and young people who work on farms - into planning their future instead of waiting for it. If the average age of a Dumfries and Galloway farmer was 35 - its currently 55 plus - would things be different?

"We have four great young farmers from across the sector sharing how they set out to do things different. We know succession is a major issue in many farms. The younger you are when you get to make decisions, the more time you've got to correct the wrong ones."

Booking is essential, contact Teresa Dougall, NFU Scotland Dumfries and Galloway Regional Manager on 07718 425053 or email teresa.dougall@nfus.org.uk.
Good second wheat performance could depend on choice of first wheat. Work from breeders Limagrain UK would suggest that first wheat variety choice could have serious implications for the following second wheat crop.

Known varieties that under-perform in the second wheat situation would appear to have a negative effect on the following wheat crop, if grown in the first wheat situation, says Ron Granger, arable technical manager.

"This would suggest that these poor second wheat varieties allow take-all inoculum to build up in the soil, which can lead to devastating yield loss in the second wheat situation, especially if a poor second wheat variety is selected.

"Many wheats marked as good second wheats on the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Recommended List may not actually be the most suitable for this position due to a lack of good phenotypic data, as this second wheat root disease is complex and not straight forward.

"Take-all infection in the field is very sporadic and consistent evaluation of the data is difficult, but never the less, we do have seasons showing high levels of take-all and it is important to acknowledge the diverse differences in varieties."

Mr Granger believes that from a take-all management point of view, first and second wheats need to be considered as pairs.

Trials work carried out by Limagrain in 2008/9, which were both seasons with high take-all incidences, show the performance of a second wheat can differ by as much as 4.2t/ha if the wrong first wheat precedes  a significant impact on farm income!

While some growers may select a variety with high eyespot resistance for a second wheat slot, he wonders if these cultivars would be more useful in the first wheat position.

Interestingly the trials work carried out in 2008/9 suggested that a variety with Pch1 (Rendezvous) eyespot resistance grown in the first wheat situation had lower take-all build up, with the knock on effect of higher yields achieved in the second year for all varieties tested.

However, when choosing a variety for second wheat, take-all isnt the only pathogen that growers should bear in mind, he continues.

"Eyespot, both sharp and common, and fusarium foot rot all need to be borne in mind."

Mr Granger believes that with new technologies such as the CT scanner technology at the University of Nottingham and the work being done by several of the institutes on take-all, will allow us to get a better handle on this complex disease.

"New and evolving technologies will allow researchers and breeders to analyse a varietys root mass in a non-destructive manner.

"This means that breeders may be able to select for more robust varieties against take-all, by choosing varieties with greater root-mass development in conjunction with varieties that inhibit lower levels of take-all build up."

A scientific paper based on work at Rothamsted in 2010 confirmed these findings (McMillan, Hammond-Kosack; Gutteridge 2010).

The project produced the first evidence of relatively consistent differences between wheat cultivars in their interactions with the take-all fungus, which could give an indication of those cultivars that could be grown as a first wheat crop, in order to reduce the risk of damaging take-all in a second wheat crop. This phenomenon has been named the take-all inoculum build-up (TAB) trait.

"We still have a lot to learn about the second wheat scenario but slowly and scientifically we are starting to unravel the complexities associated with the take-all disease.

"Hopefully in the future we may be able to achieve yields comparable as a first wheat for the second wheat situation, as this would certainly benefit growers for raising farm incomes across the UK," says Mr Granger.

Panel's verdict

Evolution has performed very well in both the first and second wheat situations in both Limagrain internal and external independent trials, showing that the variety is robust for on farm performance.

"Evolution would appear to be more robust in dealing with take-all as it would appear to perform better in a second wheat slot than a first wheat.

"As a first wheat it yields 104% on the AHDB RL 2016/17, but move it into a second wheat slot and its performance jumps 2%.

Bred by Danish breeder Sejet, the combination of the political climate and tight regulations around crop inputs in Denmark and the tendency for early generation selection of varieties in a second wheat situation would tend to produce wheats with greater root mass to improve nutrient-use efficiency.

Modern technologies will allow scientists to study this claim more closely so we should have more data in the future.

Britannia, also from the Limagrain portfolio is also a variety that performs very well in the second wheat situation, confirmed by both the AHDB RL and independent data sets.

"This may be attributed to its parent Cassius which was also a very good second wheat, with proven performance on farm.

"In an early drilling scenario or if eyespot is a known concern, a variety such as Revelation with very good eyespot resistance based around the Pch 1 Rendezvous resistance should be considered.

"These varieties offer growers very high yield potential for either the hard or soft markets, in either the first or second wheat situation as well as offering a combination of good agronomics and disease resistance, important attributes for ensuring consistency for on-farm performance", he says.

Wet and mild conditions over winter and into the spring would indicate that take-all could be a problem in crops this season, particularly if we see a wet summer.

In similar conditions in 2009, the typical signs of take-all infection which are stunted growth and premature plant senescence were clearly visible, and lead to yield losses of about 2t/ha.
Recent cross-industry work by the UK Export Certification Partnership (UKECP) in obtaining export health certificates for ovine semen and embryos for both New Zealand and the USA has gained praise across the industry.

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is one of several supporters of UKECP, which is a Defra/industry partnership dedicated to securing market access for UK meat and livestock producers.

The NSA particularly recognises the work of Export Certification Ltd in achieving this huge boost for the breeding sector in the UK.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, says: "These certificates are massively beneficial to the UK and are indicative of the high quality and international demand for UK breeding stock.

"It is important to acknowledge the long and arduous work behind the opening of these new export markets, and important to recognise weve essentially built our reputation back up from point zero in 2002, following the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

"We are infinitely grateful to UKECP and Export Certification Ltd for the continued work in opening up opportunities like this for the sheep industry.

"NSA urges any breed societies or individual breeders whove ever had enquiries or contact with colleagues in New Zealand or the States to follow them up and make the most of the fact a door has now opened to exploit these opportunities."

Re-opening markets 'hugely encouraging'

Henry Lewis of Export Certification Ltd says: "This is somewhat of a breakthrough with the tight legalisations imposed on the UK in the past, and its hugely encouraging to have been able to re-open these markets.

"It reflects well on the UKs reputation for having a strong health status, but also recognises the potential such a depth and range of breeds here in the UK could offer.

"The UK has had its disease challenges in the past and the new export health certificates weve obtained are symbolic as a step forward.

"Exports form an important part of the wheel in terms of trade. The fact the UK is seen to be out there competing and keen to do business means potential markets will want to invest in the products we have.

"It shows the great confidence both USA and NZ markets have in our domestic sheep industry, and its encouraging were now able to build on this relationship."
More than 1 billion pounds worth of Scotch whisky exports could be at risk from an industry supporting 40,000 jobs if the UK leaves the EU, according to Scotch whisky chiefs.

Outside the EU, top British producers could face bureaucratic barriers when trading with Europe, leading the industrys top representative body, the Scotch Whisky Association to stress their support for remaining.

The EU single market provides common standards on labelling, certification and licencing creating a level playing field which makes overseas trade far easier for highly regulated industries such as alcohol.

British whisky exporters also benefit from deals brokered by the European Union to trade freely with countries such as South Africa, where exports have increased by over 150% since 2004.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss will hear first-hand today how important the EU market is for the 5 billion a year business when she meets industry representatives for a roundtable discussion at Diageos Glenkinchie Distillery - home of the famous Edinburgh Malt, supplying leading brands such as Johnnie Walker, Bells and J&B.

'Easy access to 500 million people'

Speaking ahead of her visit, she said: "Europe has a taste for Scotch and the industry will do better if we remain in the EU because whisky producers have hassle free, easy access to the Single Market of 500 million people.

"I want the industry to continue to be the powerhouse it has become across the world  boosting our economy and creating jobs.

"The Scotch whisky industry has strong global trade links beyond Europe in America and Asia, and their business leaders are clear that the EU single market provides the best conditions to reach even greater heights.

"Leaving the EU would be a leap in the dark for our great British food and drink industry and could lead to years of negotiations on new trade deals  with no guarantees at the end.

"Our thriving Scotch industry and the wealth it brings to us all through jobs and investment will be stronger, safer and better off within a reformed EU."

The iconic Scottish spirit has proved the perfect tipple for European countries, with a third of all UK whisky served in bars and homes across Europe and over 1 billion bottles exported worldwide.

Exports of British whisky to France were worth almost 450 million last year and more Scotch sold in one month than cognac in a year.

'Scotch adds 5bn to the economy'

David Frost, Scotch Whisky Association Chief Executive, highlighted the importance of the European market for the iconic British drink, saying: "Scotch supports around 40,000 jobs across the UK, adds around 5 billion in value to the economy and is vital to the UK balance of trade.

"EU membership has many advantages for Scotch. The single market, including its regulation of food and drink, and its single trade policy are central to the success of Scotch.

"It lets us trade across the EU simply and easily and helps give us fairer access to other overseas markets."

Diageo, the worlds largest maker of Scotch whisky also expressed support for the Union.

Ivan Menezes, Diageo Chief Executive, said: "Diageo  and specifically our Scotch whisky business  benefits greatly from the UKs membership of the EU and we strongly believe that we should remain within that union.

"The Single Market gives us a level playing field and open access across the EU, while the EUs clout in international trade helps to open up new markets with agreements favourable to the UK, reducing tariffs and resolving trade disputes.

"This drives significant value for us and the wider Scotch whisky industry, sustaining jobs and growth at home.

The iconic Scottish spirit, worth 125 per second to the UK economy, accounts for almost a quarter of all British food and drink exports, with 90% of all whisky produced in the UK exported around the world.

The booming industry also supports 40,000 jobs across the UK  10,000 of which are employed directly through over 100 distilleries across Scotland.

Globally, the UK's EU membership opens doors to new markets for whisky distilleries - with trade agreements covering five of the top 10 export destinations outside Europe, reducing barriers for UK exporters.
The first year of the UKs largest ever metaldehyde-free farming trial has seen a 60% drop in levels of the chemical detected in reservoir tributaries.

Farmers within the natural catchments of six reservoirs in Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire have been working with Anglian Waters team of advisors over the past year on the Slug It Out campaign.

The area covers more than 7,000 hectares and as part of the campaign all farmers have agreed to use alternatives to metaldehyde, a pesticide, to control slugs on their land.

The trial was launched to look at how levels of metaldehyde in rivers and reservoirs could be brought below the strict European standard of 0.1 micrograms per litre (or parts per billion) in treated water.

This is the same as one drop in an Olympic sized swimming pool. In the past, levels in reservoirs in our region regularly exceed this and removing metaldehyde through treatment is currently not possible. It is not harmful to humans at current levels.

The first year of the trial saw 89 farmers signing up to take part  a 100% uptake. The trial area covered 7,679 hectares and an estimated 1,613 kg of metaldehyde was removed from the farmed landscape.

Levels of metaldehyde detected in the Hollowell and Ravensthorpe Reservoirs in Northamptonshire were compliant with regulations and remained below the statutory limit during the trials first year.

In Alton Water in Suffolk, Ardleigh Reservoir near Colchester, Pitsford Water in Northamptonshire and Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire there were still exceedances but overall levels were reduced significantly.

The average levels of metaldehyde in reservoir tributaries across all the catchments fell by 60%, while the average peak levels detected within the reservoirs fell by 26% (see full table in editors notes).

Reservoirs are filled by water pumped from nearby rivers as well as being fed by tributaries.

'Working together to remove chemicals in raw water sources'

Lucinda Gilfoyle, Catchment Strategy Manager for Anglian Water, said: "This has been a first, not only for us but for both the water and farming industries as a whole, and the data we have gathered will prove invaluable for tackling this thorny problem.

"What the first year of our trial has revealed is that by working together we can reduce metaldehyde levels in raw water sources  but that removing metaldehyde from the fields is not the silver bullet solution some may have hoped for.

"We know that a more detailed and longer term strategy is needed if we are to comply with pesticide regulations, and we will be building on these results as we move forward to help identify the package of measures needed.

"I want to say a huge thank you to all those farmers who have taken part so far  they have helped us build a valuable picture of pesticide movement and on individual farms they have proven that the alternatives to metaldehyde really do work in tackling slug damage."

'Trial was clearly beneficial to the farm business'

Sam Paske, Farm Manager of Hail Weston Farms Ltd which manages land within the Grafham Water catchment took part in the trial.

He said: "We were approached by Anglian Water to take part in this trial and it was something we definitely wanted to be involved in.

"If we are going to preserve metaldehyde for use then we all need to work together to ensure it doesnt reach water sources.

"After speaking to the catchment advisor we made simple changes to our normal integrated approach to slug management.

"I have not noticed any difference between metaldehyde and the alternative ferric phosphate product  I know some people are unsure about it because you dont see the dead slugs on the ground with ferric, but as long as I can see the crop growing Im happy.

"The trial was clearly beneficial to the farm business and was well supported by Anglian Water."

Slugs are one of the most devastating pests faced by UK farmers - wheat and oilseed rape are particularly affected.

Metaldehyde is currently the most popular pesticide for dealing with slugs  but the alternatives are growing in use, in particular those using the active ingredient ferric phosphate. Ferric phosphate breaks down much more quickly than metaldehyde.
The Ulster Farmers Union will use Balmoral Show to launch a survey to find out how its 12,000 plus members think about a range of issues  and it fully expects a diverse range of views.

UFU Membership Director, Derek Lough said Balmoral was the ideal venue to launch the survey.

"Over the three days we will meet farmers from across Northern Ireland.

"Engaging closely with our members has always been a priority for the UFU and this membership survey has been designed to find out how we can build on, and improve our services," he said.

Issues covered range from the value people place on their annual membership subscription to current UFU activity including its representation of farmer views and relationships with the major retailers.

Also highlighted are wider rural issues, including services in rural areas and the problem of slow and poor broadband coverage.

"We value our members' views and those completing the survey will have the chance to enter a free draw with three prizes up for grabs. These are an iPad, a ferry crossing and a years free UFU membership, said Mr Lough.

Those unable to complete the survey at the show can do so online, via the UFU website.

"We always appreciate feedback from our members and want them to put their views and suggestions forward. The survey is a great chance for people to play an active role in shaping the future of the UFU," said Mr Lough.
Winner of iconic race celebrates with a bottle of milk

By Diego Flammini

Assistant Editor, North American Content

Farms.com

Almost as iconic as the race itself is the victory celebrations for the winning driver of the Indianapolis 500.

On May 29, the winning driver of the races 100th edition, the team owner and head mechanic will make their way to Victory Circle and as per tradition, drink an ice-cold bottle of milk.

Indiana dairy farmer Joe Kelsay will be right there with them in Victory Circle distributing the milk, which is being anonymously sourced from a farm in the state.



Joe Kelsay Photo by: Scott Robertson/Daily Journal

Co-owner of Kelsay Farms which includes 500 cows, he said being in the thick of the action at the race is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

You talk about a bucket list (item) that I never thought Id be doing, he told the Daily Journal.

He was chosen by the American Dairy Association of Indiana to participate as the Rookie Milk Man for the race. The 39-year-olds duties will include handing a bottle of milk to the winning team owner and chief mechanic.

Next year, Kelsay will be on hand to hand over a bottle of milk to the winning driver  a role currently held by Janet Dague who was last years rookie.

Joe Kelsay will followin his father Merrills footsteps as he was in Victory Circle during the 2006 and 2007 races.

Its very exciting and a wonderful experience, Merril Kelsay told the Daily Journal. Its going to be even greater this year when he does it because its the 100th.

It makes you a hometown hero for five minutes.
Bragg soldiers say barracks they're being relocated to also have mold

Some Smoke Bomb Hill soldiers say barracks they're being relocated to are just as bad as the ones that were deemed substandard.
Secretary of State John Kerry will attend the London Anti-Corruption Summit on May 12The massive leak dubbed the Panama Papers has given the UK Anti-Corruption Summit on May 12 an unexpected boost. Those coming to the summit, now including the U.S., are lining up to make announcements about the steps they are taking to tackle corruption and specifically financial secrecy.

On Thursday the Obama Administration announced a series of steps to strengthen financial transparency and combat corruption and money laundering. The actions include reforms Transparency International-USA has been recommending.

Among these steps is the finalization of the Customer Due Diligence rules by the Department of Treasury. These will enhance transparency by requiring financial institutions to identify those who actually own the companies that use their services. The goal is to know the real owner of any accounts at financial institutions so that the proceeds of corruption and other crimes are not allowed to enter the U.S. financial system.

But is this enough? The Customer Due Diligence rules do not sufficiently capture information about those who can control an anonymous company because the definition of control in the rule conflates senior management and executive officers of corporate entities with the beneficial owners. Often officials named in leadership positions for anonymous companies are figureheads and control of the entity is exercised through other means  a problem highlighted by the recently released Panama Papers.

The rules also do not extend the requirement to collect beneficial ownership information of accounts established before the rules implementation date, creating a major gap in the information collected.

And, the rules do not require financial institutions to carry out appropriate due diligence to determine the reasonableness of the information provided to them, including to identify instances such as when kleptocrats use nominees.

What the Obama Administration is proposing is a first step but much more needs to be done.

In addition to due diligence requirements for financial institutions, Congress also needs to pass legislation to ensure that beneficial ownership information is collected upon company formation. While this may run into opposition from states where anonymous companies abound, we hope Congress will advance legislation to help combat the flow of dirty money into the U.S. and around the world.

I was surprised recently when a public library clerk asked to see my drivers license to renew my library card in Virginia to verify my identity. I found it astonishing that I would need less information to open a limited liability company (LLC) in Delaware than renew a library card in Virginia. An LLC can open bank accounts, buy property and enter into contracts.

There are numerous examples of bribe payments being made through shell companies to avoid scrutiny. Recent examples include the VimpelCom case and the allegations against Unaoil. Anonymous companies have also been used to facilitate domestic corruption and to defraud the federal government and U.S. citizens.

Any comprehensive solution should also require gatekeepers, such as the real estate industry, involved in luxury goods purchases to conduct due diligence into buyers identities and the sources of their funds. Further, federal agencies should be required to collect beneficial ownership information from companies bidding for government business. That would help to address fraud and abuse by those spending U.S. taxpayer money in procurement.

When Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in London for the summit he will not be empty handed. The proof of the United States commitment to combating corruption will be in the steps taken by the Administration and the U.S. Congress to establish these reforms.

____

Shruti Shah is a contributing editor of the FCPA Blog. Shes Vice President of Programs and Operations at Transparency International-USA. She can be contacted here.
Radiohead have released their new album.

Radiohead's Thom Yorke

The 'Creep' hitmakers' long-awaited LP 'A Moon Shaped Pool' was made available to download from 7pm on Sunday (08.5.16), but will not be released physically until June 17.

The record's release comes days after the group shared two songs from the record, 'Burn The Witch', which fans could hear from May 3 alongside a claymation video directed by Chris Hopewell, and 'Daydreaming', which was out on May 6 with an accompanying promo clip directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson.

The first track was extremely well received, and the video's director admitted he had put the whole project together in just two weeks.

Chris wrote on Instagram: "So I guess we just made a Radiohead video! It's for their new track 'Burn the Witch'. Thank you all for your kind words - it does mean a lot to know it's going down well. The whole video was conceived, designed, built and animated in 14 days, we finished last Thursday. I am immensely proud of everyone that worked their asses off on it - for many of them it was their first film. I shall introduce them in later posts... But for now thank you! You where all bloody brilliant!!! Big love to you all! #Radiohead #burnthewitch #musicvidio (sic)."

it was previously claimed that the rock band - consisting of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien - were planning to release their ninth album in June and it would be like "nothing you've ever heard."

The group's manager Brian Message was reportedly overheard confirming the news during a conversation at The Wanstead Tap bar in London last month.

The boozer took to its official Twitter page to share the news, writing: "From the horses mouth "the new Radiohead album out in June will be like nothing like you've ever heard. (sic)"

Special edition and standard pre-orders of the album are available from www.radiohead.com.

'A Moon Shaped Pool''s track listing:

'Burn The Witch'

'Daydreaming'

'Decks Dark'

'Desert Island Disk'

'Ful Stop'

'Glass Eyes'

'Identikit'

'The Numbers'

'Present Tense'

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief'

'True Love Waits'
Britain's Duchess Catherine may not be allowed to attend to Olympics in Brazil this year due to the Zika virus outbreak.

Duchess Catherine

The 33-year-old royal is scheduled to travel to Rio in August with her husband Prince William but is considering sitting the trip out because she's concerned about the mosquito virus.

A source explained: "Catherine is obviously very concerned about the virus and won't take any risks ... Unless there is a dramatic improvement in how the Brazilians are dealing with the crisis, I can't see her going, but obviously she is looking at the situation very carefully. She will be taking medical advice, weighing up the dangers and it is still several months away, but I can't see her taking any chances."

It's thought the brunette beauty is sceptical about travelling to the country as she's keen to give Prince George, two, and Princess Charlotte, 12 months, a little sibling next year, and is worried the disease will affect her falling pregnant.

The insider told the Daily Star newspaper: "All of her friends think she wants to have three children. She had two siblings growing up and wants the same for George and Charlotte."

Meanwhile, Kensington Palace officials are remaining tight-lipped on the discussions taking place behind closed doors.
Britain's Prince Harry is worried he'll soon become the "boring" royal now that his brother Prince William's children George and Charlotte seem to be stealing all the limelight.

Prince Harry

The 31-year-old hunk is determined to work his socks off and use his position until people go off him and start turning their attention to the young ones of the royal family.

He explained: "I am in this privileged position and I will use it for as long as I can, or until I become boring, or until George [his nephew] ends up becoming more interesting."

The flame-haired prince and his older brother William, 33, were recently branded "workshy" after it emerged how many official engagements they'd carried out this year, but he's adamant he's never been one to sit on his bottom all day.

Speaking ahead of the Invictus Games, he said: "I don't get any satisfaction from sitting at home on my a***."

And, although he feels like he never gets a chance to rest, Harry believes he can't enjoy "downtime" like everyone else because he's constantly bombarded by fans or press.

He's quoted by the Daily Mail newspaper as saying: "When people finish work... if you want to have a bit of downtime you might go to the pub with your mates.

"I do that less because it's not downtime for me... I don't know who I am going to bump into. I don't know if someone's going to try and grab a selfie."
Katie Hopkins promised she would run naked through London with a sausage in her bottom if Labour MP Sadiq Khan becomes mayor of London.

Vegan on Female First

PETA- the animal rights group sent Hopkins a selection of vegan sausages along with a note to encourage the columnist to leave animals out of her plan.

"With the growing popularity of plant-based foods, there is no reason to put anything other than vegan food in your body", says PETA Director Mimi Bekhechi. "Virtually none of the intelligent, sensitive pigs raised for meat will ever do anything that makes their lives worth living, let alone enjoyable. At the very least, Katie should spare them the final indignity of being inserted where the sun doesn't shine."

In the note, PETA reminds Hopkins that vegan foods are free from cholesterol and saturated animal fat- unlike animal based meals so they are more digestible than meat. But also, if she does decide to put the sausages anywhere else but her mouth, no animals have been hurt in the making of the product.

by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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While Beckinsale was in a relationship with actor Michael Sheen, she reportedly begged director Len Wiseman to cast Sheen in the film Underworld in which she was the star. While the pair were on set, both her and Wiseman, who was also married to a kindergarten teacher, apparently began having a relationship. Everyone involved was adamant that there was no infidelity, however Wiseman's first wife was the only one who supposedly disagreed with this statement. (Wikipedia)

Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman

The pair got engaged in June 2003 and married on the 9th May 2004 in Bel Air California. They now live together in Los Angeles and are still friends with Sheen. He said; "Len is a really lovely man. He has been a fantastic step-father for Lily, I couldn't really want anything better for my daughter." (Wikipedia)

Wisman became stepfather to Beckinsale's daugher Lily Mo Sheen and he even gave Lily her own 'wedding ring' on the day they got married.

Beckinsale recalled; 'I didn't go looking to marry an American, it just kinda happened like that. ' (IMDB)

In November 2015, it was announced that the pair were separating and Wiseman filed for divorce in 2016.

by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk

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Never let work interfere with fun

And finally, the most sage advice of all from sexy Sunny Leone who advised Priyanka Chopra to take time off from her hectic schedule shooting for Quantico and see the sights in LA. When Pee Cee posted a pic of lowers on Twitter, Sunny tweeted back with @priyankachopra you should take a trip down to the flower district down town LA. You will fall in love!

So the next time you are on a work trip, make sure that you allow yourself enough time to enjoy the sights and sounds of the place you are in.

PHOTOGRAPHS: YOGEN SHAH
Indian retail chain catering to tier II and tier III cities, V-Mart, has won IBC Info Medias award for Indias number one brand. IBC Info Media is a division of International Brand Consulting US which recognises brands for their contribution to Indian retail.

V-Mart won the award for reaching into Indian cities untapped by its competitors, for its product quality, targeting the young and winning customers trust.

We are thankful to IBC Info Media for acknowledging our contribution in the retail segment, we are also thankful to our valuable customers and business partners. This has given us the motivation to deliver the best in near future, said Snehal Shah, senior vice president, marketing, V-Mart.

Indian retail chain catering to tier II and tier III cities, V-Mart, has won IBC Info Media's award for India's number one brand. IBC Info Media is a division of International Brand Consulting US which recognises brands for their contribution to Indian retail.V-Mart won the award for reaching into Indian cities untapped by its competitors, for its product#

Winners across categories emerged from a comprehensive survey of customers that was conducted by Media Research Group (MRG).

V-Mart Retail currently operates through 125 stores in 108 cities pan India. The retail format offers more than 50,000 different fashion products in over 10,000 designs to the customers. (HO)

V-Mart
China's exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 4.1 per cent year on year in April, while imports dipped 5.7 per cent, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC).That led to a monthly trade surplus of 298 billion yuan ($45.9 billion), up from March's 194.6 billion yuan, the customs data showed, suggesting the economy is steadying amid slowing growth.

China's exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 4.1 per cent year on year in April, while imports dipped 5.7 per cent, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC). That led to a monthly trade surplus of 298 billion yuan ($45.9 billion), up from March's 194.6 billion yuan, the customs data showed, suggesting the economy is#

The export growth in April was milder than the 18.7 per cent increase in March, while imports fell at a faster pace compared with the 1.7 per cent fall in the previous month.Foreign trade edged down 0.3 per cent year on year to 1.95 trillion yuan last month and that for the first four months combined slipped 4.4 per cent to 7.17 trillion yuan.In the January-April period, exports dropped 2.1 per cent year on year while imports went down 7.5 per cent, leading to a trade surplus of 1.11 trillion yuan, widening 16.5 per cent from a year earlier.The leading index for the country's exports rose 2.2 points to 33.8 in April, with sub-indices for new export orders and managers' confidence both up from March, signaling smaller pressure on export growth in the second quarter, the GAC said.Exports to the European Union, China's largest trade partner, climbed 1.3 per cent year on year in the first four months, the GAC data showed.In the same period, exports to the US and the ASEAN, China's second and third largest trade partners, both declined 3.5 per cent.According to the customs data, imports of iron ore, crude oil and copper posted strong increase in the four months -- up 6.1 percent, 11.8 per cent and 23.1 per cent, respectively. But imports of coal, steel and refined oil fell. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Indias cotton export is expected to drop by over 10 per cent to 6 million bales in the current year ending September due to rise in domestic prices which have made the fibre uncompetitive in the global market.In the 2014-15 marketing year (October-September), India had exported 6.7 million bales (of 150 kg each). Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam were among the major export destinations."So far, we have exported 5 million bales. No further exports are taking place now because global prices are cooling and domestic prices are on the rise. Total cotton exports would be around 6 million bales in 2015-16," Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) Chairman and Managing Director B K Mishra told PTI.Cotton prices in the domestic market have increased by Rs 1,000 per candy in the last few days to Rs 34,000-35,000 per candy. "I think the rising price trend will continue for some time till the new crop comes from October," he said.Mishra said the rates have gone up due to an estimated fall in domestic cotton production to 35.3 million bales in 2015-16 from 38 million bales in the previous year due to drought.

Traders are therefore, not exporting cotton for lack of good margins in the global market and see better prospects in the domestic market, the CCI chief said.

Mishra also said that much of the Indian cotton has been exported to Pakistan, which stood at 2 million bales so far this year.



The CCI, which buys cotton from farmers when rates go below the support prices, said it has procured 8,40,000 bales so far this year.



With cotton prices rising, Mishra ruled out any more procurement. Of the total procured cotton, the CCI has already sold 3,75,000 bales and the rest of the stock will be disposed of in the coming months, he said. (SH)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Bipasha Basu got married to Karan Singh Grover on April 30th in a beautiful traditional Bengali wedding, attended by family and close friends. Their wedding was an intimate affair but their reception was nothing less than an award function as it was attended by who's who of the film industry.

Celebrities including Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sushmita Sen among others graced the lavish reception. Here's taking a look at some of the best pictures from Bipasha Basu & Karan Singh Grover's wedding album.



After a year-long courtship, the two are now officially married. Popularly known as 'Monkey Lovers', the two had a monkey theme in almost every ceremony. After their marriage, Karan Singh Grover wrote a sweet message for his wife Bipasha Basu.

Also Read: Bipasha Basu & Karan Singh Grover Get The Most Romantic Welcome Cake On Their Honeymoon!

Karan took to Instagram and wrote, "Thank you for restoring our faith in heaven and the Angels and the fact that divinity walks amidst us mere mortals...you're beauty and the purity of your soul is undoubtedly unearthly... (sic)"

The love story of Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover started on the sets of their first film together, Alone. After the release of the film, they were often spotted together. However both of them avoided to talk about their personal life for a long time.

Finally, few days before their marriage the couple confirmed that they are very much together and would soon tie the knot.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is truly the most beautiful woman on this planet. The diva was recently spotted at the airport while leaving for Sarbjit's promotions and she was looking breathtaking in her ethnic wear.

We really wonder how even at this age, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks so desirable. And we just can't take her eyes off from her stunning yellow and pink saree. Click On VIEW PHOTOS To See Aishwarya's Gorgeous Pictures.



After the promotions of Sarbjit, Aishwarya will leave for Cannes. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to be held from May 11th to May 22nd. This will be Aishwarya's 15th year at the Cannes Film Festival. According to the recent reports, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will walk the red carpet on May 13th and May 14th.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador of L'Oreal Paris, will represent the brand at Cannes. This Year, Aishwarya Rai will skip the prestigious amfAR Gala at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, because of her film Sarbjit.

Sarbjit is directed by Omung Kumar and is based on the real life story of prisoner Sarabjit Singh. He was an Indian farmer who was convicted on charges of terrorism and spying in Pakistan; he died in a Pakistani jail. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is playing the role of Sarabjit's sister Dalbir Kaur in the movie.

Randeep Hooda is playing the titular role in the movie and Richa Chadda is playing his wife. The movie is scheduled to release on May 20th, 2016.
Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna's son Aarav won his 1st degree black belt in Kudo recently. Both Akshay and Twinkle took to Twitter to express their happiness.

Akshay Kumar wrote, ''Its a #SonDay all d way!After 9 yrs of training my son got his 1st degree black belt in Kudo #proudfather #overjoyed. And Twinkle Khanna tweeted, "The biggest Mother's Day gift! Just got the news from his camp-All the years of nagging have paid off:)" Do see Aarav's hot picture in Kudo dress & His Other Rare Pictures by clicking on VIEW PHOTOS.



Kudo is a Japanese martial art sport. It's a mixed Budo sport comprising full contact punches, throwings and kicks.

On the work front, Akshay Kumar is busy with the promotions of Housefull 3. The story of Housefull 3 is based in London, where Boman Irani's character has three daughters -Jacqueline Fernandez, Lisa Haydon and Nargis Fakhri - but he doesn't want to get them married.

But the daughters want to get married to their boyfriends, played by Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan, and the film is about the hilarious tricks these actors play to get married to their lovers.

''It would be good if people like our third attempt with Housefull 3, because then it serves as motivation for fourth and fifth films. We will be looking forward to see how the business is, we keep our fingers crossed so that everything goes well," Akshay Kumar told at the trailer launch of the film.

Housefull 3 has been directed by Farhad-Sajid, who has replaced director Sajid Khan.
After a fairy tale wedding Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover are enjoying a romantic honeymoon on the beaches of Maldives. Recently, Bipasha took to Instagram to share the picture of her welcome honeymoon cake.

According to the reports, Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover will return from Maldives on May 13th. Also, Maldives is their favourite holiday destination and if you remember they celebrated their New Year there too. Click On VIEW PHOTOS to see their pictures.



Talking about their honeymoon, a close friend told Mumbai Mirror, "Following the wedding Karan and Bipasha have been busy throwing dinner parties for family and friends. This is a much-needed break although a short one since they will be returning by May 13. Maldives is their favourite holiday destination. Knowing their love for beaches, their choice of destination for the honeymoon was hardly a surprise even though the decision was an impromptu one."

Also Read: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Leaves For Cannes, Looks Breathtaking In Saree (Pictures)

Bipasha Basu and Karan Singh Grover got married on April 30 and only close friends and family memebers were present at the wedding. But their reception, which was held at South Mumbai's St. Regis hotel was attended by some of the film industry's biggest stalwarts, including Amitabh Bachchan and family, Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, and Ranbir Kapoor among several others.

Karan Singh Grover and Bipasha Basu started dating while shooting for their 2015 horror film Alone and confirmed their relationship few days before their marriage. This is Karan's third marriage and Bipasha's first.
Deepika Padukone is one beautiful lady! She has got the looks to die for. From sharp features to attractive personality, she has got everything, which can make any guy go week on his knees.

And now, we have brought to you the latest stills of Deepika from the shoot, which are way too hot! In these pictures, Deepika is redefining the hotness and we can't stop ourselves from going gaga over her killer looks!

Check Out All The Pictures Here:

Deepika, Most Desirable Woman For Ranveer:

Recently, Deepika's alleged boyfriend Ranveer Singh said something very adorable about Deepika.The Bajirao Mastani actor has made his place in the list of Most Desirable Man of 2015 and recently while talking to TOI, he revealed that for him, Deepika is the most desirable woman.

"She should have a sense of humour so that I can make a conversation with her. I like women who enjoy music, movies and sports. Ab mein boloonga to bolenge ke bolta hai. Most desirable man ke paas, most desirable woman hi hogi. Samajhdaar ko ishara hi kaafi hai.Well, all I can say is... meri wali," told Ranveer.

On the other side, actor Sidharth Malhotra is also keen to sign a project with Deepika Padukone. In an interview to a leading daily, Sidharth expressed his desire to work with Deepika and said, "We are waiting for somebody to cast us and come up with an interesting story."

''Deepika Padukone and I modelled together years ago and we have done ramp shows. It will be great to work with her. She has done amazing work recently. I loved her in Piku and Bajirao Mastani.''

Deepika will be next seen in her upcoming Hollywood flick, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage.
The hot and sizzling Richa Chadda, braces the cover page of Maxim Magazine for May, 2016 issue and the actress, looks extremely sexy in her black bikini as she's posing by the pool. The introduction to Richa on the cover page reads as "Celebrate summer with Richa Chadda sense & sensuality".

Check out hot pictures of Richa Chadda from Maxim here!

The sexy Richa Chadda, is seen chilling by the pool and the sun is hitting her body. The actress, looks enchanting and is all set to raise the temperatures anytime soon. This has to be Richa Chadda's hottest magazine cover for Maxim.

Very Hot! Radhika Apte's Behind-The-Scenes Pictures From FHM Magazine Shoot

Richa Chadda, is all set for the release of her upcoming film Sarbjit, and is promoting the movie at events and malls. Richa, plays the role of a simple desi girl and is a supporting actress in the film. Sarbjit, stars Aishwarya Rai and Randeep Hooda in the lead roles and the trailer is very moving.

Hot Pictures! Riya Sen Sets The Temperatures Soaring To New Heights

Sarbjit, is based on a real life tragic incident where an innocent Indian man crosses the Pakistani border and is held hostage on Pakistani soil. The efforts to bring him back goes on for years together, and several Governments change during the process.

Red Hot Pictures! Shruti Haasan Braces The Cover Page Of GQ Magazine

Richa Chadda, who debuted in Bollywood through the movie, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! in the year 2008, currently has six movies under her belt. The actress, is shooting for her upcoming films Cabaret, Jiah aur Jiah, Three Stories, Aur Devdas and Fukrey 2, which would go on floors in October 2016.

Hilarious! These Funny Pictures Of Aishwarya Rai Can Make You Laugh

The Sarbjit actress, would also be seen in an Indo-American film titled, Love Sonia. So as of now, Richa Chadda has her plate full and would deliver her best in the six movies.
One of the most cutest couples of B-town, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput Kapoor are on cloud nine nowadays. And why not? Very soon they are going to be proud parents. Recently, Shahid took off from his hectic schedule to spend some quality with his dear wife.

Gorgeous Pics! Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Attends Gauravvanta Gujarati Award 2016!

Yesterday (May 8, 2016), Shahid and Mira was spotted at the Mumbai airport returning from their vacation. Mira was seen sporting a baby bump and the couple leaves the airport walking hand in hand and they look so cute with each other! Don't you think?

Check Out All The Pictures Here:

Recently, the trailer of Shahid's upcoming film, Udta Punjab's trailer came out and at the trailer launch, when a journo tried to confirm from Shahid about the rumours of Shahid becoming a dad, Shahid rather gave him a 'Bindaas' reply and said, "Haan, main baap banne wala hoon." Adorbs!

Careful! Deepika Padukone's New Pictures From The Shoot Might Hypnotise You

On the work front, after Udta Punjab release, Shahid will be next seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's Rangoon. The film also casts Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Rannaut. It is happening for the first time, when Kareena Kapoor Khan's ex-flame and currrent hubby will come together for a project. (And we are really excited!)

Interestingly, in both of the films (Udta Punjab & Rangoon), we will get to see Shahid's never seen before avatar. In Udta Punjab, Shahid will be seen playing the character of Tommy Singh, who is apparaently a drug addict rockstar.

Whereas, in Rangoon, Shahid will play the character of an army officer named as Nawab Malik. Rangoon is a period romance drama film and is slated to release on September 30, 2016.
Olaine, 2016-05-08 22:59 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Supervisory Council of JSC "Olainfarm" has read the Consolidated and Parent Company's Annual reports for 2015, as well as Independent Auditors' Report about it. In addition, the Council has assessed financial position of the Company and Operations of the Management Board during this financial year and hence produced this Report.The Council values very highly the work conducted by Company's Board during the last year, as it resulted not only in increased sales volumes but also in record high profits. This has all been achieved in times, when economic situation in several markets important for the Company is facing stagnation or even heavy recession. The Council shares the concerns of the Board regarding declining sales in Belarus, which has for many years been one of the most important markets for the company, therefore the Council urges the Board to take all reasonably justified measures to prevent further declining of sales in this country. The Council is satisfied with very successful cooperation of the Company with the World Health Organization and with very good operations of Company in countries of Central Asia. Both these factors have helped the Company to achieve 4% sales growth despite previously mentioned issues in Russia, Ukraine and BelarusDuring 2015 the Council has paid a very close attention to development of several related companies of the Group. The Council would like to particularly emphasize the rapid and positive developments taking place at SIA Silvanols during 2015, when this company, possibly for the first time in its history made significant profit from its basic operations. Also, developments at SIA Latvijas aptieka are worth noting as this company keeps increasing number of its pharmacies and in 2015 the number was comfortably above 60.Consolidated profit of the company in 2015 reached 15.3 million euros, but unconsolidated profit reached 14.6 million euros. Both these numbers are the highest in corporate history and are significantly higher than the results of 2014. Both, consolidated and unconsolidated profit targets have been exceeded, but it should however be noted, that positive foreign exchange fluctuations in early months of 2015, when Russian Rouble gained significant strength have contributed to it. The Council has drawn the attention of the Board that in different circumstances the current margins might be difficult to attain.Relatively small sales growth, instable situation in several important markets, stagnating or even declining sales of some of Company's main products have made the Council to again stress the necessity to make greater effort to diversify Company's sales markets or products offered by companies of the Group. The Council will support any reasonable steps contributing to this, including acquisitions of new companies.The Council is satisfied that the Board kept its promise previously made to shareholders and after the two year dividend break is suggesting that 17.5% of the profit made in 2015 be paid in dividends. The Council suggests that, although the necessity for the Company to make different investments will not diminish, in order to observe the best interests of shareholders, no more dividend breaks are held in future, should that be possible.During 2015 the Council of the Company has performed its duties and supervised operations of the Company according to legislation, decisions by the general meeting. The Council has approved financial statements and overviewed operations of Company's management. During the reporting period 18 Council meetings were held. During these meetings, Board reports, Board composition, plans, planned and actual budgets were reviewed. Agenda items of general meeting was pre-approved. Council found no insufficiencies in Boards operations in 2015. The Board has been in constant consultations with the Council and has taken into account all previously mentioned and other recommendations of the Council targeted at safe further development of the Company.The Council would like to take this opportunity to thank the Board, all employees of the Company and its partners for successful operations in 2015, to congratulate shareholders with record high results of the last year and to wish successful, stable and positively challenging 2016.Approved by the Council Meeting on May 6, 2016Chairwoman of the Council Valentina AndrejevaJSC Olainfarm is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Latvia with more than 40 years of experience in production of medication and chemical and pharmaceutical products. A basic principle of company's operations is to produce reliable and effective top quality products for Latvia and the rest of the world. Products made by the Group are being exported to more than 35 countries of the world, including the Baltics, Russia, other CIS, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.Information prepared by:Salvis Lapins JSC Olainfarm Member of the Management Board Rupnicu iela 5, Olaine, Latvia, LV 2114 Phone: +371 6 7013 717 Fax: +371 6 7013 777 E-mail: Salvis.Lapins@olainfarm.lv
LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - Diamond Resorts International has outlined why travel is the number one way to learn about a new culture. An increasing number of Americans take vacations overseas and enjoy discovering a completely new way of life while enjoying a relaxing holiday. The number of U.S. passports being issued has risen dramatically every year since 2011, with more holiday-goers spending their time off from work outside of the United States.

Traditionally, Americans have chosen nearby Mexico and Canada as destinations, but recently more are going further and experiencing a greater variety of cultures from Hong Kong to Vienna. The National Travel and Tourism Office reveals that in 2014 most travelers chose Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia for holiday travel; Diamond Resorts International has seen a surge in vacationers from the States to these areas.

Global travel is known to be inspiring as it offers a chance to relax and the opportunity to experience something new, whether travelling to Europe, the Caribbean, or Asia. Ireland, for example, is a country that is known for its picturesque countryside, warming cuisine and charming people, but it is also a place where tourists can enjoy hands-on archaeological tours, exploring castles and caverns of the island's past. Greece is another magnificent destination, with vibrant cities and towns nestled next to beautiful beaches. Vacationers can relax in the serene landscape with olive trees and red-topped roofs or spend time on Greece's breathtaking coastline. The country has exciting local cultural events taking place throughout the year, including the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and the Panellenic Celebration of Greek Traditional Dances.

Travel to Singapore to experience the Mooncake Festival, held every autumn with glowing lanterns, cultural performances, and delectable mooncakes. It is no wonder that many vacationers choose the Caribbean, with its turquoise waters and friendly people. The Bahamas is breathtaking in the summer when the Junkanoo parade takes place. This is an unforgettable carnival with flamboyant costumes, cultural dancing, enticing local food, and the pulsating sounds of authentic goatskin drums. Every destination is an opportunity to discover a new culture, while also having a revitalizing vacation experience. Diamond Resorts International encourages travelers to explore new countries when planning a trip in order to take advantage of the many opportunities that can be found in different locations.

About Diamond Resorts International

Diamond Resorts International, with its network of more than 370 vacation destinations located in 35 countries throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa, provides guests with choice and flexibility to let them create their dream vacation, whether they are traveling an hour away or around the world. Our relaxing vacations have the power to give guests an increased sense of happiness and satisfaction in their lives, while feeling healthier and more fulfilled in their relationships, by enjoying memorable and meaningful experiences that let them Stay Vacationed'.

Diamond Resorts International manages vacation ownership resorts and sells vacation ownership points that provide members and owners with Vacations for Life at over 370 managed and affiliated properties and cruise itineraries.

Diamond Resorts -- Vacations for Life -- Stay Vacationed: http://www.diamondresortsnews.com

Diamond Resorts International - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DiamondResortsInternational

Diamond Resorts (@diamondresorts) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/diamondresorts

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/5/9/11G097222/Images/Diamond_Resorts_International_-_Vacations_for_Life-2750a3722a3b978ca07bc01be589a4b3.jpg

Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpvY0FTWt4E

Contact Information

Liz Feldman

Hillman Communications

Tel: 735-387-0515

lfeldman@hillmanpr.com
BERLIN, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

- Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) and http://www.presseportal.de/nr/112929/ -

On the occasion of the European premiere of "For the Love of Fashion", Alexandra Cousteau, globally recognized leader on water issues and sustainability and Jeffrey Hogue, chief sustainability officer of the international fashion retail brand C&A, have emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in the cotton value chain. "Approximately half of all clothes manufactured globally are created with cotton, but conventional cotton farming risks harming our planet irreparably", said Cousteau at a screening event in Berlin. "We are excited to support a documentary that provides a window into more sustainable cotton practices. Ultimately, we would like to inspire Brands and consumers that more sustainable cotton has significant advantages for people and the planet," Hogue said.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160504/363735 )



In the 60 minute documentary, hosted by Cousteau, who travels to India, the United States and Germany, and reveals to viewers how crucial the shift is to more sustainable methods of production. 2.4% of the world's crop land is planted with cotton and yet it accounts for 24% and 11% of the global sales of insecticide and pesticides respectively. Organic cotton delivers substantial economic and environmental benefits, but represents less than 1% of the world's total annual crop.

In the documentary, Cousteau ventures to the cotton fields in the Madhya Pradesh, India to experience cotton production in action and meet with the local farmers whose lives have improved considerably after changing from conventional to sustainable methods of production. From NGO workers in India and beyond, she also meets with industry leaders in Germany and the US. As one of the most forward thinking fashion retailers, Cousteau also interviews C&A's sustainability experts to understand why there is a global need to go organic and such a necessity for international action. "European Fashion Consumers need to understand that their choice matters in order to support a sustainable development in cotton growing countries," said Hogue.

Deborah Armstrong, Executive Vice President, National Geographic Partners Europe noted "National Geographic believes in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world. How clothes are produced has an impact on our environment in a way that few people think about day to day. 'For the Love of Fashion' will highlight this impact, and potential solutions, in a manner that engages our audiences all around the world."

The documentary will premiere on National Geographic Channel in May in select markets. Check TV Listings for local airing times by market at http://www.natgeotv.com

About National Geographic Channels

The National Geographic Channels (The Channels) form the television and production arm of National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between 21st Century Fox and the National Geographic Society. As a global leader in premium science, adventure and exploration programming, the Channels include: National Geographic Channel (NGC), Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo People and Nat Geo MUNDO. Additionally, the Channels also run the in-house television production unit, National Geographic Studios. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with entertaining, innovative programming from A-level talent around the world, and with profits that help support the society's mission. Globally, NGC is available in more than 440 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages, and Nat Geo WILD is available in 131 countries and 38 languages. National Geographic Partners is also a leader in social media, with a fan base of 250 million people across all of its social pages. NGC contributes over 55 million social media fans globally on Facebook alone. For more information, visit http://www.natgeotv.com and http://www.natgeowild.com

About C&A Europe

With over 1,575 stores in 20 European countries and more than 35,000 employees, C&A Europe is one of the leading fashion retail businesses in Europe. C&A Europe welcomes and provides more than two million visitors per day with good quality fashions at affordable prices for the entire family. In addition to our European stores, C&A also has a presence in Brazil, Mexico and China.C&A is one of the world's largest retailers of organic cotton apparel. In 2012, C&A became the world's biggest retailer of organic cotton garments, selling 85 million pieces - 30% of the company's total cotton revenue. In 2013, C&A reached 38%. In 2014 C&A was the number one globally ranked company using certified organic cotton and was named first in the Textile Exchange's ranking of the "Top Ten Users of Organic Cotton".

About Alexandra Cousteau

A National Geographic Emerging Explorer, filmmaker and globally recognized advocate on water issues, Alexandra Cousteau continues the work of her renowned grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and her father Philippe Cousteau, Sr. She has mastered the remarkable storytelling tradition handed down to her and has the unique ability to inspire audiences on the weighty issues of policy, politics and action. Alexandra is dedicated to advocating the importance of conservation and sustainable management of water in order to preserve a healthy planet. Her global initiatives seek to inspire and empower individuals to protect not only the ocean and its inhabitants, but also the human communities that rely on freshwater resources. The World Economic Forum named Alexandra one of its 2010Young Global Leaders.This community of next-generation leaders acts as a driving force in shaping a sustainable future. In 2008, she was honored as a National GeographicEmerging Explorer - an elite group of eleven visionary young trailblazers from around the world who push the boundaries of discovery, adventure, and global problem solving. Alexandra foundedBlue Legacy Internationalin 2008 with the mission ofempowering people to reclaim and restore the world's water, one community at a time. Alexandra has led Blue Legacy expeditions across 6 continents and produced over 100 award winning short films about water issues around the world, engaging record numbers of people to take action on water conservation issues at home. She also works withOceanaas a Senior Advisor to help propel their important work on oceans to an ever larger audience through expeditions, events and advocacy.





CONTACT:

Elena Panayides

Director Trade Marketing & Communications Europe

phone: +44(0)203426-7276

email: Elena.panayides@fox.com

Thorsten Rolfes

Head of Corporate Communications C&A Europe

phone: +49(0)211-9872-2749

fax: +49(0)211-9872-4466

email: thorsten.rolfes@canda.com
LONDON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Uscan provides urologic visualisation for efficient and more confidentpoint-of-care clinical decision-making

Signostics, the global innovator in smart, high reliability ultrasound devices for urology, announced today that it has launched Uscan' in Europe, the first smart mobile-connected ultrasound visualisation device targeted at urologic care.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160509/364958 )



Using algorithms from the science of computer vision, Uscan actively recognises the 3D contours of the bladder, for far more accurate volume measurements than the industry standard* even on obese and other hard-to-scan patients. It acquires up to 256 bladder slices - 32 times more than conventional bladder scanners - resulting in industry-leading accuracy. It also provides real-time ultrasound imaging of the kidneys, pelvic floor, prostate, gallbladder, bladder stones, and catheter emplacement, for quick and easy visual tracking and observation.

"Uscan doesn't just scan; it sees - providing intelligent urologic visualisation by leveraging science from current-day computer vision algorithms aimed at more efficient and confident point-of-care clinical decision-making," said Kevin Goodwin, CEO. "Uscan will exceed historical industry standards for bladder volume measurement accuracy yet will also enable use for other urologic imaging needs, reducing the delays and expense of engaging specialised ultrasound equipment or sonographers."

Uscan also offers integrated middleware not found in any comparably priced systems; and can be used in a range of clinical settings beyond urology, including the emergency department, maternity, paediatrics, oncology, rehabilitation, aged care and home nursing. The system's removable probe, high-resolution touch screen tablet and handheld displays make it ideally suited for on-the-go clinical care.

Speaking specifically on the impact Uscan will have on patient care, Hannes Scheibl, General Manager for Signostics Europe said, "We know healthcare professionals have long been accustomed to using conventional handheld scanners to measure bladder volume. Technological innovations and the adoption of advances in microprocessing and software mean that much more could be achieved for patients. Uscan puts smart ultrasound imaging in the hands of all members of the clinical care team for efficient and confident point-of-care clinical decision-making to inform treatment decisions, streamline workflows, and ultimately inform treatment of a wider range of patients."

It is compatible with Android operating systems, and has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity that enables fast and reliable image management and interoperability with electronic health record (EHR) systems.

Uscan also offers the industry's lowest cost of ownership in this market space, coming with a designed- in 5-year product warranty, with a "no small print" pledge and requires no annual calibration. It is simple to learn and use, and provides real-time user guidance, eliminating the need for extensive training.

Uscan is now available across Europe for product demonstrations and will be commercially available by June 2016. For product information and enquiries, please contact Hannes Scheibl: hscheibl@signosticsmedical.com .

About Signostics

Signostics Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Signostics Limited, a global medical device manufacturer. A KKR portfolio company, Signostics is pioneering smart ultrasound devices to enhance imaging and clinical decision making in urologic care. The company's products include Uscan, SignosRT ultrasound systems and the SignosRT Bladder Scanner - ultra-portable, affordable devices designed to assist with the diagnosis of common medical presentations at the bedside. The company has regulatory approvals in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Europe, Singapore and Japan, and exports to countries around the world. For more information, visit eu.signosticsmedical.com.

Signostics and Uscan are Trademarks of Signostics Limited.

*Based on comparative measurements of a phantom of known volume.

For media enquiries, contact:

Samantha Forster

Tel: +44(0)20-3047-4060

Email: Samantha.Forster@edelman.com



Hannes Scheibl

General Manager, EU

Tel: +43-664-505-1948

Email: hscheibl@signosticsmedical.com


Original-Research: SYGNIS AG - von GBC AG

Einstufung von GBC AG zu SYGNIS AG

Unternehmen: SYGNIS AG ISIN: DE000A1RFM03

Anlass der Studie: GBC Managementinterview - SYGNIS AG

Letzte Ratinganderung: Analyst: Cosmin Filker

'The synergies between the two companies are perfect'

Today, SYGNIS AG announced a big corporate transaction. It is planned to acquire Expedeon Ltd., a British company that develops and sells products in the field of proteomics. This would allow Sygnis to broaden its own product range, which is traditionally centered around genomics. This should also significantly strengthen the sales channels. GBC-Analyst Cosmin Filker talked to Pilar de la Huerta (CEO) about the upcoming transaction.

GBC AG: Mrs. de la Huerta, Expedeon Ltd. is a spin-out of Cambridge University. Could you elaborate on the background about the company?

Pilar de la Huerta: Expedeon is a UK company that develops and commercializes tools and reagents for the proteomic market (scientist that research in proteins). It started as a Cambridge University spin-out, founded in 2003 by Heikki Lanckriet, the current CEO, and Daniel Jones, currently Expedeon COO.

The Company started with their commercialization strategy in 2007, and since then, they have grown the company, maintaining an excellent EBITDA-margin of 13%, and creating their own sales force in the main markets. Expedeon then acquired PageGel Inc in 2009, which established a base in San Diego, California and enables better penetration in the vast US market. In 2011 the company acquired the protein fractionation technology from Protein Discovery, a Tennessee based company. In 2013 the company expanded eastwards with the opening of a sales office in Singapore, to better serve the emerging markets.

In addition to direct sales through its sales forces and the distribution network the company also has several OEM agreements in place with key suppliers in the market. Most notably they have strong partnership with a tier 1 global supplier of life science reagents for supply of precast gels and more recently, in December 2015, another OEM agreement was signed with the Chinese market leader in gel documentation systems, (systems used to photograph and analyze the gels Expedeon manufactures).

GBC AG: With the acquisition of Expedeon Ltd. the product range of SYGNIS AG will be expanded by the field of proteomics, which is a new business sector for SYGNIS AG. How are the two business sectors related?

Pilar de la Huerta: Well, Sygnis products are targeting the 'genetic' market and Expedeon products are targeting the 'proteomic' market. Both markets are the two main markets of the molecular biology, and, covering both, we will cover all users in the molecular biology environment. Our product ranges are completely complementary; they don't have any overlap. We have a perfect vertical integration, for many applications. From a workflow point of view, Expedeon products sit just downstream from the Sygnis products. For this reason, the synergies between the two companies, from a product point of view, are perfect.

GBC AG: What are the key fields of application for the products of Expedeon Ltd. and who are the primary customers of the company?

Pilar de la Huerta: Expedeon's products are mainly targeted towards separation, purification and analysis of proteins, the end product of DNA. Electrophoresis, which means separating proteins in an electric field, is a key application area where Expedeon has world leading knowledge, technology, expertise and products. This is a technique used routinely in every life science laboratory with huge market potential, currently in excess of $ 1.4bn per annum but also has clinical applications and is for instance used for the evaluation of the kidney function and monitor for protein content in urine.

Expedeon sells its products to a variety of customers. Life Sciences researchers in academic institutes, pharma companies, CRO and biotech companies are the main customers for the company. They have a very loyal customer base that will be targeted by Sygnis products.

GBC AG: Expedeon Ltd. has numerous sales channels and an excellent standing in the USA. What does the new access to the USA, UK, and Asia mean for SYGNIS AG?

Pilar de la Huerta: This is a fantastic opportunity for us to enter our products more directly in these main markets. Up to now, we don't have any direct salesforce. All our sales are done through distributors and online shop. But our products are based on a new technology and, whenever you introduce a new technology in the reagent environment, the direct relation and support between the customers and the company is a key factor. We don't have the possibility of having this direct contact and support and this is the main weakness of our company at this moment. To invest money in creating our own sales force to cover the main markets (EU, USA and Asia) is too expensive and not so efficient, unless you have a huge portfolio, which is not our case. Expedeon sales force is the way to acquire a profitable sales force, very well positioned, with a high level of performance, to enter our products very strongly in the key markets for our company. They have the experience to promote and allocate our portfolio in the main markets and with the key customer, so we expect to increase our revenues level fast to reach profitability in a very near future.

GBC AG: What synergetic effects do you expect on the level of technology and, more important, on the business level?

Pilar de la Huerta: As I have mentioned, we have several fields with synergies. On one hand, our product portfolio is completely synergistic, as we are covering the two main markets of the molecular biology. Their sales force is perfect to commercialize and market our products, as they have a very technical sales force, very well prepared to understand and provide support to our customers. We also have synergies from a customer point of view, as most of the Sygnis customers will use Expedeon products, and some of Expedeon customers, will use Sygnis products. Sygnis products can be a 'sexy' hook to catch the attention of potential customers that at the end could acquire Expedeon products. Anyhow, we see a lot of synergies in this field. On top of this, as in all acquisitions, we will make some optimizations in the expenses side. They have two manufacturing facilities, one in UK and another one in USA, very well prepared and with a high level of automatization, so we can move Sygnis manufacturing process there to reduce the cost of production and therefore increase margins. At the end, all will 'push' the business up to grow and reach profitability in a very near future.

GBC AG: What measures will be taken to successfully integrate the new company?

Pilar de la Huerta: Well, the first issue will be to train Expedeon sales force into the Sygnis portfolio. Our priority this year is to push, through Expedeon sales people, our products into UK, USA and the rest of Europe, aiming to speed up the ramp up period. We will move the manufacturing facilities to USA and UK in order to increase margins as soon as possible. In parallel Expedeon and Sygnis R&D people will have to understand each other's side to build a potent R&D global team to create the new portfolio that the combo company will launch in 2017 and future years.

GBC AG: Expedeon Ltd. is already profitable. What does the acquisition mean for the operative development of SYGNIS AG?

Pilar de la Huerta: As some structural expenses of the combo will be optimized, gross margin on Sygnis products will be increased, revenues will speed up, we expect to get profitability in a near future. This will move the combo to a different scenario, where the company could cover their cash needs for their current business framework. In this situation, we expect to grow our business faster and became an important player in the reagent arena.

GBC AG: What is the planned timetable for the forthcoming months regarding the transaction?

Pilar de la Huerta: Well, after the announcement we need to wait for our AGM for the formal approval. We will hold our AGM on June 20th, after that, and after the approval of the prospectus by BaFin, we will open a two weeks subscription period to allow all current shareholders to subscribe their rights. In this period of time, Expedeon shareholders will subscribe, with a contribution in kind, the shares not subscribed by current shareholders (at least all key shareholders will resign their rights to allow Expedeon shareholders to subscribe new shares). After that two weeks, we will still have some additional days to do private placements in case we need it. At the end, we expect to have the transaction closed by mid-July. The registration process could take some time, so probably the new shares will not be registered until mid-August.

GBC AG: Regarding the acquisition, you also announced a capital increase of 20.0m new shares. Can you elaborate on the details about the transaction?

Pilar de la Huerta: The transaction with Expedeon is going to be done through a capital increase process. Sygnis will issue up to 20m shares to be able to obtain 96% of Expedeon through a contribution in kind, and some additional money to pay 4% of the transaction to Expedeon plus some cash to finance the integration process and the expenses (legal, banks, auditors etc) produced with the transaction. At the end the main part of this capital increase is the acquisition of Expedeon.

GBC AG: Mrs. de la Huerta, can you summarize where SYGNIS AG will stand after the successful transaction?

Pilar de la Huerta: We will be a lead reagent company targeting the molecular biology market (globally) with a broad of innovative, high margins and patented portfolio, our own sales force in the main markets, and a well optimized cost structure. Let's say it with other words, 'we will be ready to become one of the leaders in reagent arena'.

GBC AG: Mrs. de la Huerta, thank you for the interview.

Die vollstandige Analyse konnen Sie hier downloaden: http://www.more-ir.de/d/13809.pdf

Kontakt fur Ruckfragen Jorg Grunwald Vorstand GBC AG Halderstrae 27 86150 Augsburg 0821 / 241133 0 research@gbc-ag.de ++++++++++++++++

Offenlegung moglicher Interessenskonflikte nach 34b Abs. 1 WpHG und FinAnV Beim oben analysierten Unternehmen ist folgender moglicher Interessenkonflikt gegeben: (4,5a,5b,6a,7,10,11); Einen Katalog moglicher Interessenkonflikte finden Sie unter:

http://www.gbc-ag.de/de/Offenlegung.htm +++++++++++++++

ubermittelt durch die EQS Group AG.

Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung bzw. Research ist alleine der Herausgeber bzw. Ersteller der Studie verantwortlich. Diese Meldung ist keine Anlageberatung oder Aufforderung zum Abschluss bestimmter Borsengeschafte.

ISIN DE000A1RFM03

AXC0080 2016-05-09/11:06


VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - European stocks rebounded from one-month lows on Monday, as oil prices climbed and readings on German factory orders and Eurozone investor confidence beating estimates.



While German factory orders expanded at the fastest pace in nine months in March on the back of stronger than expected overseas demand, a gauge of Eurozone investor confidence hit a 4-month high in May.



Investors shrugged off weak data from mortgage lender Halifax showing the U.K. house price index declined more than expected in April after the introduction of a new tax on the purchase of rental properties.



Oil prices climbed about 2 percent in the wake of a change at top in Saudi Arabia's energy ministry and raging wildfires in Canada.



All eyes are now on the extraordinary Eurogroup meeting where finance ministers will discuss possible debt relief measures to help reduce Greece's debt burden.



The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was up 1.3 percent at 154.48 in midday trading after declining 0.3 percent on Friday. The German DAX was climbing 1.9 percent, France's CAC 40 index was moving up 1.4 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up half a percent.



Low-cost airline easyJet advanced 2.5 percent in London ahead of its quarterly results due on Tuesday.



G4S shares jumped over 6 percent after the security services and outsourcing provider issued a reassuring trading update showing growth in revenue in the first quarter, despite a challenging backdrop.



Anglo American, Antofagasta, BHP Billiton, Glencore and Rio Tinto lost 3-6 percent after Chinese data released over the weekend showed both exports and imports fell more than expected last month.



Energy giant BP Plc traded marginally higher while Royal Dutch Shell slid half a percent.



Total SA shares rose half a percent in Paris. The oil & gas company said it has filed a friendly tender offer for Saft, a manufacturer of advanced technology batteries, for $1.1 billion.



Shares of Volkswagen jumped over 4 percent in Frankfurt after activist hedge fund TCI Fund Management upped the pressure on loss-making carmaker to overhaul its excessive executive pay scheme.



Telecommunications provider QSC added 3 percent after narrowing its Q1 net loss and confirming its FY16 forecast.



Chemical distributor Brenntag slumped 6 percent after its first-quarter profit declined 27 percent due to a challenging macroeconomic environment and a one-time effect resulting from the devaluation of the currency in Venezuela.



Italian lender UniCredit dropped 2 percent on concerns about its capital levels and governance.



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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Doughnut chain Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (KKD) has agreed to be acquired by JAB Beech Inc. in a deal valued at about $1.35 billion, the two companies said Monday. JAB Beech is an indirect controlled subsidiary of JAB Holding Co., in which BDT Capital Partners is a minority investor alongside JAB.



Under the terms of the definitive merger agreement, JAB Beech will acquire Krispy Kreme for $21 per share in cash. The agreement, which has been unanimously approved by Krispy Kreme's board of directors, represents a nearly 25 percent premium over the company's closing stock price of $16.86 per share on May 6, 2016.



At the close of the transaction, Krispy Kreme will be privately owned and will continue to be independently operated from its current headquarters in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.



JAB Holding Company is a privately held group focused on long-term investments in companies with premium brands, attractive growth and strong margin dynamics in the consumer goods category.



The group's portfolio includes controlling stakes in Keurig Green Mountain, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) and Coty Inc., and in luxury goods companies including Jimmy Choo, Bally and Belstaff.



The transaction is not subject to a financing condition and is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory and shareholder approvals.



Due to the announcement and pending transactions under the merger agreement, Krispy Kreme's board of directors has determined to postpone the company's 2016 annual meeting of shareholders, originally scheduled for June 14, 2016.



At a later date, the company will provide information related to a rescheduled meeting, if applicable.



Wells Fargo Securities, LLC is serving as financial advisor to Krispy Kreme in connection with this transaction, while Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP are providing legal support and advice.



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GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - ANGKOR GOLD CORP. (TSX VENTURE: ANK)("ANGKOR") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Definitive Agreement ("DA") with Blue River Resources ("Blue River") to explore ANGKOR's 100% owned Banlung tenement in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The agreement gives Blue River initially the right to participate in up to a 50% interest of the Banlung license after the completion of a total investment of US$3.5 million in exploration expenditures over a 4-year period. Once the first 3 options have been satisfied, Blue River may then exercise their option on an additional 20% interest of the Banlung tenement through the commission and completion of a bankable feasibility study on the property or portion thereof.

Blue River Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration and development company, focused on discovering and developing copper deposits in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt of British Columbia and Washington State.

"I am pleased to announce this agreement with Blue River today. The beauty of this anomaly is its close proximity to surface -- making it easier to work on, and quicker to move to a development strategy if warranted," said Mike Weeks, President of ANGKOR. He continued, "We will now move full steam ahead with exploration plans at Okalla West to build our understanding of the depth and layout of this gold anomaly with an eye towards operationalizing the area."

"There are great synergies here, and we are keen to get on the ground and build shareholder value for both companies moving forward," stated Griffin Jones, President of Blue River. "We have been looking for the right opportunity to explore outside of the traditional markets for Blue River. Angkor Gold and Cambodia are the perfect fit with the country's growing infrastructure, and significant potential as a developing world-class mining sector."

Today's announcement follows a previous release of surface data on the Banlung tenement dated October 13, 2015 where ANGKOR disclosed the discovery of a 2 km 2 gold anomaly.

Highlights:

ANGKOR will receive a non-refundable US$100,000 exploration payment from Blue River, and grant Blue River the following earn-in Options: Option #1 - Based on additional Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$900,000 from June 30, 2016 through March 30, 2018, Blue River will be granted a 10% interest on the Banlung Tenement; Option #2 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,500,000 no later than 2 years following the date that Option 1 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a 30% interest on the Banlung Tenement for a total of 40%; Option #3 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,000,000 no later than 1 year from the date Option 2 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a further 10% interest on the Banlung Tenement for a total of 50%; Option #4 - Based on the completion of a Bankable Feasibility Study on the Banlung Tenement, or portion thereof, Blue River will earn a final 20% interest on the Banlung Tenement for a total of 70%.

Upon completion of the 4 th Option, ANGKOR will maintain a 30% free-carry on the Banlung Tenement, or can convert at its discretion, to a 5% Net-Smelter Return.

"Our plans are to advance exploration quickly and efficiently on the Banlung tenement with specific focus on the Okalla West prospect initially but to also capture and comprehend the Banlung intrusive structure," continued Weeks. "It is a large property with lots of potential."

"In addition to the gold anomaly at Okalla West, the discovery of olivine-pyroxenite rocks in the south-west of Okalla West prospect, coupled with the cobalt, copper, chrome, nickel and vanadium termite mound anomalism in the same area keeps the door open to the potential for economic base metals within the mafic complex," stated John Paul Dau, VP of Operations. "These early indications on Okalla West show the great potential of the area as a flagship project for both companies," he concluded.

ANGKOR has plans to continue its current work programs on two of its priority prospects -- Halo and Peacock prospects, on two other licenses. These work programs include PEACOCK Prospect on the Koh Nheak license and Halo Prospect on the Oyadao South licenses, including:

PEACOCK -

2.5 - 3.5km of trenching and composite assay sampling over priority areas defined by moderate to high intermediate IP anomalies, mapped breccia zones, interpreted IP fault zones, associated with rock gold assay results of 1.85 to 31.8 g/t Au

A further 2 x 1km depth section IP surveys

Test drilling based on these results

HALO -

Construct access road

7.3km of shallow trenching for structural mapping, composite geochemical sampling and spectral analysis to better define the mineralization, structures and alteration zones

Soil pH testing of termite mound samples within the identified phyllic zone, to correlate hydrothermal alteration with areas containing base metals

10km 2 intermediate surface IP survey over the phyllic alteration zone and 3 x depth section IP surveys based on the results of the surface IP

intermediate surface IP survey over the phyllic alteration zone and 3 x depth section IP surveys based on the results of the surface IP Detailed 1:2,000 scale geology mapping

Test drilling based on the results of the above programs and surveys

The QP for this release, which he wrote and approved, is Kurtis Dunstone, BSc Geology, Senior Project Manager for ANGKOR. Mr. Dunstone has fifteen years post graduate mining and global exploration industry experience, across Australia, Canada, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia, and is a current member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.

ANGKOR's seven exploration licences in the Kingdom of Cambodia cover 1,448 km 2 , which the company has been actively exploring over the past 6 years. The company has now covered all tenements with stream sediment geochemical sampling; the company has flown low level aeromagnetic surveys over most of the ground; drilled 21,855 metres of NQ core in 190 holes; and has collected in excess of 110,000 termite mound, and 'B' and 'C' zone soil samples in over 20 centres of interest over a combined area of over 140km 2 , in addition to numerous trenches and detailed geological field mapping. Exploration on all tenements is ongoing.

ANGKOR GOLD CORP.

ANGKOR Gold Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange, is Cambodia's premier gold explorer with a significantly large land package and a first-mover advantage with excellent relationships at all levels of Government (local to national).

BLUE RIVER RESOURCES LTD.

Blue River Resources Ltd. has a 100% interest in two mineral properties in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt, The Castle Copper Project near the Copper Mountain Mine, Princeton, BC and the Mazama Copper Deposit, Okanogan County, Wa.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

ANGKOR GOLD CORP.

Stephen Burega

Vice President of Corporate Development

Telephone: (647) 515-3734

Email: sb@angkorgold.ca
DGAP-HV: RNTS Media N.V. / Bekanntmachung der Einberufung zur Hauptversammlung RNTS Media N.V.: Bekanntmachung der Einberufung zur Hauptversammlung am 15.06.2016 in Amsterdam mit dem Ziel der europaweiten Verbreitung gema 121 AktG 2016-05-09 / 15:40 Fur den Inhalt der Mitteilung ist der Emittent verantwortlich. RNTS Media N.V. Amsterdam Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of RNTS Media N.V. to be held on 15 June 2016 RNTS Media N.V. (the Company) invites its shareholders to its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) to be held at the offices of Allen & Overy LLP, Apollolaan 15, 1077 AB Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 15 June 2016, at 12:00 AM CET. The language of the meeting shall be in English. The agenda items of the AGM will be as follows: Agenda 1. Opening and announcements 2. Annual Accounts 2015 (a) Report by the management board regarding the financial year 2015 (discussion) (b) Implementation of the remuneration policy for the management board in the financial year 2015 (discussion) (c) Proposal to adopt the 2015 annual accounts (vote) (d) Proposal to discharge the management board members from liability (vote) (e) Proposal to discharge the supervisory board members from liability (vote) 3. Management Board (a) Proposal to appoint Mr Heiner Luntz as management board member A (CFO), for a period of four years ending at the close of the 2020 AGM (vote) (b) Proposal to appoint Mr Ziv Elul as management board member B, for a period of four years ending at the close of the 2020 AGM (vote) 4. Supervisory Board (a) Proposal to appoint Prof. Dr. Thorsten Grenz as supervisory board member for a period of four years ending at the close of the 2020 AGM (vote) (b) Proposal to appoint Mr Jens Schumann as supervisory board member for a period of four years ending at the close of the 2020 AGM (vote) (c) Proposal to appoint Dr. Crid Yu as supervisory board member for a period of four years ending at the close of the 2020 AGM (vote) (d) Proposal to reappoint Mr Dirk van Daele as supervisory board member (chairman) for a period of four years ending at the close of the 2020 AGM (vote) 5. Proposal to amend the articles of association of the Company (vote) 6. Proposal to amend the RNTS Media N.V. Stock Option Plan (vote) 7. Shares (a) Proposal to authorise the management board to resolve that the Company may acquire its own shares (vote) (b) Proposal to designate the management board as the competent body to issue shares (vote) (c) Proposal to designate the management board as the competent body to restrict or exclude pre-emptive rights upon issuing shares (vote) (d) Proposal to designate the supervisory board as the competent body to grant members of the management board rights to subscribe for shares pursuant to the Stock Option Plan (vote) (e) Proposal to designate the supervisory board as the competent body to restrict or exclude pre-emptive rights with respect to the granting of rights to subscribe for shares under agenda item 7(d) (vote) 8. Proposal to appoint the external auditor for the financial year 2017 (vote) 9. Any other business and close of the meeting Meeting documents The agenda above and the explanatory notes thereto (which include the particulars of Mr Luntz and Mr Elul, Mr Grenz, Mr Schumann, Mr Yu and Mr van Daele), as well as the Annual Report 2015 (which includes the information as referred to in Section 2:392 paragraph 1 of the Dutch Civil Code), the proposal for the amendment of the articles of association and the revised Stock Option Plan are all available free of charge on the Company's website: www.rntsmedia.com. Record Date The management board has determined that for this meeting the persons who will be considered as entitled to attend the general meeting, are those holders of shares who on 18 May 2016, after close of trading on the regulated market segment (regulierter Markt) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Frankfurter Wertpapierborse) (the Record Date), hold those rights and are registered as such in the administrations of their banks and brokers. Registration to vote Shareholders are entitled to vote up to the total number of shares that they held at the close of trading at the Record Date, provided they have registered their shares timely. A confirmation by the bank in which administration the shareholder is registered for the shares must be submitted to the Company, stating that such shares were registered in his/her name at the Record Date. With this confirmation, banks are furthermore requested to include the full address details of the relevant holder in order to be able to verify the shareholding on the Record Date in an efficient manner. The confirmation must be sent by the shareholder's bank to the Company, not later than on 8 June 2016. A copy of the confirmation may be sent by e-mail to agm@rntsmedia.com. Please send the original confirmation to the address of the Company listed below. The Company will send an acknowledgement of receipt to the shareholder which shall serve as an admission ticket for the AGM. Voting by Proxy Notwithstanding the obligation to register for the meeting, the right to attend and to vote at the meeting may be exercised by a holder of a written proxy. A form of a written proxy is available on the Company's website. The written proxy must be received by the Company no later than on 8 June 2016, 17:30 hours CET. The proxy to represent a shareholder may (but needs not) be granted to Ms J.J.C.A. Leemrijse, civil law notary with Allen & Overy LLP, by sending an email with proxy and voting instructions to agm@rntsmedia.com no later than 8 June 2016 at 17:30 hours CET. Please send the original proxy to the address listed below. A copy of the written proxy must be shown at the registration prior to the start of the meeting. If you intend to instruct your custodian bank for any of the above, please be aware that their deadlines could be a number of days before those mentioned above. Please check with the individual institutions as to their cut-off dates. Registration and identification at the meeting Registration for admission to the meeting will take place from 11h00 am hours CET until the commencement of the meeting at 12h00 hours CET. After this time registration is no longer possible. Persons entitled to attend the meeting may be asked for identification prior to being admitted by means of a valid identity document, such as a passport or driver's license. As of 3 May 2016 the issued share capital of the Company amounts to EUR 11,453,333.30, divided into 114,533,333 ordinary shares of EUR 0.10 each. For further information please see the Company's website www.rntsmedia.com. All communications to the Company or the management board in connection with the foregoing must be addressed to the Company as follows: RNTS Media N.V. attn.: Legal Department Johannisstrasse 20 10117 Berlin email: agm@rntsmedia.com Berlin, Germany, 3 May 2016 The supervisory board and the management board Explanatory notes to the agenda of the annual general meeting of shareholders (AGM) of RNTS Media N.V. (the Company) of 15 June 2016 Agenda item 2 Annual Accounts 2015 (a) Report by the management board regarding the financial year 2015 This item will be discussed. The management board will report on the business and results of operations for the financial year 2015. (b) Implementation of the remuneration policy for the management board in the financial year 2015 This item will be discussed. In accordance with Section 2:135 paragraph 5a of the Dutch Civil Code, the execution of the remuneration policy during the financial year 2015 is discussed on the basis of the information provided by the Company in the 2015 annual accounts. The 2015 annual accounts, which include the information required pursuant to Sections 2:383c through 2:383e of the Dutch Civil Code, is available on the website of the Company http://www.rntsmedia.com/reports-presentations/. (c) Proposal to adopt the 2015 annual accounts This item will be voted on. It is proposed to the general meeting to adopt the 2015 annual accounts drawn up by the management board and approved by the supervisory board. The auditor of the Company has audited the annual accounts and issued an unqualified auditors statement (page 110 et seq. of the 2015 annual accounts). The adoption of the 2015 annual accounts includes the proposal of the management board to allocate the losses of the Company for the financial year 2015 to the accumulated deficit. (d) Proposal to discharge the management board members from liability This item will be voted on. In accordance with article 28.2 of the articles of association of the Company, it is proposed to the general meeting to discharge all members of the management board, including the members who left the Company in 2015; Mr Roger van Diepen, who stepped down on 30 June 2015 and Mr Hyounghoon Han, who stepped down on 30 November 2015, from all liability in relation to the exercise of their duties in the financial year 2015, to the extent that such exercise is apparent from the 2015 annual accounts or has been otherwise disclosed to the general meeting prior to the adoption of the 2015 annual accounts. (e) Proposal to discharge the supervisory board members from liability This item will be voted on. In accordance with article 28.2 of the articles of association of the Company, it is proposed to the general meeting to discharge the members of the supervisory board from all liability in relation to the exercise of their duties in the financial year 2015, to the extent that such exercise is apparent from the 2015 annual accounts or has been otherwise disclosed to the general meeting prior to the adoption of the 2015 annual accounts. Agenda item 3 Management Board

(MORE TO FOLLOW) Dow Jones Newswires

May 09, 2016 09:42 ET (13:42 GMT)
ATLANTA, GA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- True Nature Holding, Inc. (OTCQB: TNTY) ("the Company") announced today that, subject to approval by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, it has completed its previously disclosed acquisition of P3 Compounding Pharmacy of Georgia, LLC, which trades as Integrity Compounding Pharmacy.

Integrity Compounding Pharmacy is based in Atlanta and is a young fast growing operation primarily serving customers in Georgia.

Casey Gaetano, its Founder and CEO, has joined the management team at True Nature as Vice President of Corporate Development. Further, the Company announced that it intends to make other acquisitions in Georgia, which are complementary to this initial acquisition.

"Subject to approval by the Georgia Board of Pharmacy, we will have our first acquisition behind us which we expect to be accretive and are looking to complement it with other opportunities," said Stephen Keaveney, CEO of the Company. "We now have the chance to collaborate with the talented and successful management of Integrity Compounding Pharmacy. We expect them to help lead us toward larger market share in the local Atlanta market. We plan to consolidate operations in the Southeast and then expand nationally."

"I see the future as exciting and positive with the financial capability of True Nature as a catalyst for growth and innovation in the compounding pharmacy industry. My team is ready to fulfill our ambitions to serve the market today and in the future with cost effective alternatives to 'big pharma' that allow doctors to provide the quality of care to which they desire," said Casey Gaetano, the majority owner of Integrity.

The total consideration for the transaction is approximately $1,000,000. The transaction includes the acquisition of certain special formulations as "Intellectual Properties." It also includes an employment contract for Mr. Gaetano for three (3) years, including a salary of $125,000 per year and 125,000 of restricted stock. The specifics of the transaction can be found in the Form 8k filed on May 6, 2016 at the SEC Edgar web site: http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/, or on the Company web site at www.truenaturepharma.com.

The Company plans to develop a network of compounding pharmacy operations comprised of both 503(a) and 503(b) operators to provide products not only for individuals intrastate but also for filling large orders intrastate especially at doctors' offices and hospitals.

About True Nature Holding, Inc.: True Nature Holding's business plans a roll-up of businesses in the compounding pharmacy industry. The plan is to acquire compounding pharmacies who have operated locally, but who may have specialty formulations seeking a larger market. These pharmacies may serve both the veterinary and human markets. To achieve its goals, it intends to establish a national online pharmacy, The Company eventually plans to market its product mix nationally through online marketing distribution channels.

Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act

As contemplated by the provisions of the Safe Harbor section of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this news release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to future, anticipated, or projected plans, performances and developments, as well as other statements relating to future operations. All such forward-looking statements are necessarily only estimates or predictions of future results or events and there can be no assurance that actual results or events will not materially differ from expectations. Further information on potential factors that could affect True Nature Holding, Inc. is included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

For more information, please contact:

Stephen Keaveney

Chief Executive Officer

True Nature Holdings, Inc.

404-254-6980



Brokers and Analysts:

Chesapeake Group

410-825-3930

Email Contact




BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP today announced that Margaret H. Marshall, Senior Counsel at the firm and former Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, will be inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Marshall will be honored at the Chamber's annual meeting on May 10, 2016 to recognize her "contributions to some of the most important issues impacting Greater Boston, the Commonwealth, and the world."

Marshall will be honored with Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande, Ph.D., President and Chairman of Sparta Group LLC, and Joe Grimaldi, Chairman Emeritus of MullenLowe U.S. Over the past 33 years, nearly 100 Boston luminaries have been inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians including Governor Deval Patrick, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Mayor Thomas Menino, Julia Child, and Robert and Myra Kraft, to name a few.

"Each of this year's honorees came to the United States from different parts of the globe and changed the world from right here in Boston," said James E. Rooney, President and CEO of the Chamber. "Not only did they make, and continue to make, a lasting positive impact on our business community, but they have all used their roles as exemplary leaders to make our region, and more importantly our world, a better place for all."

Marshall was the first woman Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and the first woman General Counsel of Harvard University. During her 14 years on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court -- including 11 years as Chief Justice -- she wrote more than 300 opinions, including the 2003 decision Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which declared that the Massachusetts Constitution prohibits the state from denying same-sex couples access to civil marriage. In her opinion, Marshall wrote that the "Massachusetts Constitution affirms the dignity and equality of all individuals. It forbids the creation of second-class citizens." The ruling made Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage, the forerunner of decisions in other states and ultimately the United States Supreme Court in 2015.

At Choate, Marshall is a member of the firm's Complex Trial and Appellate Litigation Group, where she brings her significant expertise to trial preparation, mock trials, and moot appellate arguments to help clients strategize on their most significant opportunities and challenges, and prepare for litigation success in the courtroom. She is actively involved in the firm's extensive community outreach, pro bono, diversity, and recruiting programs; mentoring junior lawyers; and providing senior level counsel to clients on special projects.

Following her graduation from Yale Law School, Marshall practiced complex litigation for 16 years in Boston and was a partner at Choate. In 1992, she became Vice President and General Counsel of Harvard University. In 1996, she was appointed as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court and was named Chief Justice in September 1999, a role she held until December 2010.

Marshall served as president of the Boston Bar Association from 1991 to 1992, president of the United States Conference of Chief Justices from 2008 to 2009, and chair of the Board of the National Center for State Courts. Marshall is a member of the Council of the American Law Institute, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She served as a Fellow (trustee) of Yale Corporation from 2004 to 2010 and now serves as the Senior Fellow, the first woman to hold that position. She is a Senior Research Fellow and lecturer at Harvard Law School. She has received many honorary degrees and other professional awards.

Born and raised in South Africa, Marshall received her undergraduate degree in 1966 from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She served as president of the National Union of South African Students, a leading anti-apartheid organization. She moved to Boston in 1968 to attend Harvard University, where she received her master's degree in education in 1969. Marshall received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1976.

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP, one of the nation's leading law firms, is consistently recognized for excellence by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA, The Legal 500, World's Leading Lawyers, International Who's Who of Lawyers, and Expert Guides. With all of its lawyers under one roof, Choate focuses on a core group of areas where it represents clients across the United States and internationally and provides exceptional efficiency, service and value. Choate's areas of focus include corporate/M&A, private equity, finance & restructuring, high-stakes litigation, life sciences, technology companies and intellectual property, insurance/reinsurance, government enforcement and compliance, and wealth management.

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Contact:

Amy Blumenthal

Blumenthal & Associates

(617) 879-1511

amyb@blumenthalpr.com




NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- Hunt Mortgage Group, a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States, announced today that it has acquired the staff of 1410 Partners, LLC, an advisor to private and non-profit development firms for the financing of multifamily housing projects, to expanded its West Coast affordable housing team. John McAlister joins the firm as Managing Director, West Coast Team Leader, and Sean Spear has been named Managing Director.

McAlister and Spear will be based in a newly formed Pasadena, California office. McAlister will report to Paul Weissman, Senior Managing Director and head of the Affordable Lending platform at Hunt Mortgage Group. Spear will report to McAlister. McAlister was the Founder and Principal of 1410 Partners, LLC and Spear served as a Managing Director.

"The West Coast is an important growth area for affordable housing given the region-wide shortage of housing resources for its ever-growing population, and the increasing interest of its communities to address these needs," commented Weissman. "Hunt Mortgage Group is eager to support these efforts by bringing our financial resources and extensive expertise -- including our expanded team -- to the table."

"John and Sean are seasoned affordable housing finance experts who we expect to play a big role in helping Hunt Mortgage Group build its affordable housing platform on the West Coast," noted James Flynn, Executive Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Hunt Mortgage Group. "The affordable multifamily housing market is growing nationwide and it's a strong part of Hunt Mortgage Group's legacy. We are pleased to add John and Sean to our team and look forward to drawing upon their industry expertise. We also intend to add at least one more senior level person to the West Coast team and a few support staff to fully serve the local market." Hunt Mortgage Group is long-established in the affordable housing debt and equity finance markets, having sourced and originated affordable loans since the 1980's.

"Our new affiliation with Hunt Mortgage Group enables us to expand our capabilities and offerings via direct access to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA lending programs, and balance sheet loan capabilities," said McAlister. "Our new combined entity makes us unique in the market. We can offer clients a more thoughtful approach to raising capital for affordable housing projects than any other firm."

McAlister has served for nearly 20 years as consultant, advisor or underwriter on more than 250 different tax-exempt or taxable bond transactions. In addition, he has extensive experience with many conventional financings or the refinancing of multifamily housing projects. These deals included loans secured by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA/HUD or other debt guarantors, bank or finance company private placements, or non-rated or rated bonds sold to institutional investors.

Prior to 1410 Partners, McAlister was a founder and Principal of M Squared Partners, LLC, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm which focused on the acquisition, financing and rehabilitation of multifamily properties. Earlier in his career, he served as President of Steadfast Companies, a diversified real estate investment and development firm based in Newport Beach and was a Managing Director at Newman & Associates. McAlister is a graduate of UC Davis and the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management.

Spear additionally offers clients significant experience in financing and developing projects, and can provide leadership on governmental program-related issues. His distinguished public service career includes more than ten years as a top local and state government leader, serving successively in community development roles in: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in Sacramento for the State of California.

Spear also brings private sector experience from his time with Fannie Mae; then providing housing development and public financing resources across the Western United States. During his career, he served as the Executive Director to the California Debt Allocation Committee, administering the private activity bond program for California. Before joining CDLAC, Spear was the Director of Major Projects for the City of Los Angeles Housing Department (now HCIDLA); responsible for the City's rental housing production programs. He holds two degrees from Cornell University and is a member of the worldwide Lambda Alpha Honor Society for land economics.

"Hunt Mortgage Group offers clients the most extensive variety of financing products to help them expand their businesses," concluded Weissman. "The affordable multifamily housing market is growing rapidly and it's a strong part of the Hunt Mortgage Group legacy."

Hunt Mortgage Group offers debt for both conventional and affordable multifamily properties and is uniquely positioned in the multifamily arena with more than four decades of experience. Today, Hunt Mortgage Group is structured to maximize efficiencies with dedicated originations and underwriting teams to support its affordable, conventional, and small balance lending businesses.

The West Coast Team will be charged with bringing these resources to the seven western-most states, as well as continuing to provide financial consulting, deal structuring and management, equity investment procurement, and project development services for clients throughout the region.

About Hunt Mortgage Group

Hunt Mortgage Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hunt Companies, Inc., is a leader in financing commercial real estate throughout the United States. The Company finances all types of commercial real estate: multifamily properties (including small balance), affordable housing, office, retail, manufactured housing, healthcare/senior living, hospitality, industrial, and self-storage facilities. It offers Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD/FHA in addition to its own Proprietary loan products. Since inception, the Company has structured more than $20 billion of loans and today maintains a servicing portfolio of more than $11.6 billion. Headquartered in New York City, Hunt Mortgage Group has 169 employees located in 17 locations throughout the United States. To learn more about Hunt Mortgage Group, visit www.huntmortgagegroup.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS



Brent Feigenbaum

Hunt Mortgage Group

212-317-5730

Email Contact



Pam Flores

773-218-9260

Email Contact




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- Ka An Development Co. Limited ("Ka An") today announced that on May 5, 2016, it entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Invesco Canada Ltd. in its capacity as (i) manager of each of Invesco Corporate Class Inc. on behalf of Trimark Canadian Class, Invesco Select Canadian Equity Fund, Trimark Canadian Fund and Trimark Canadian Small Companies Fund and (ii) sub-advisor of GWL Canadian Value Fund, pursuant to which Ka An acquired ownership and control of 12,777,994 common shares ("Common Shares") in the capital of Eastern Platinum Limited ("Eastern Platinum"), representing approximately 13.79% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares.

For purposes of calculating the percentage of Common Shares owned and controlled by Ka An, Ka An has assumed that there were 92,639,032 Common Shares outstanding as at May 5, 2016, as disclosed in Eastern Platinum's MD&A for the period ended December 31, 2015.

Other Information

The aggregate cash consideration paid by the Ka An to acquire the Common Shares that are the subject of this press release was is $15,078,032.92, being $1.18 per Common Share.

Ka An acquired control and ownership of, the Common Shares that are the subject of this press release for investment purposes.

In connection with the investment by Ka An in the Common Shares, Ka An intends to engage in communications with members of management and the board of directors of Eastern Platinum and other current or prospective shareholders, and may engage in communications with industry analysts, existing or potential strategic partners or competitors, investment and financing professionals, sources of credit and other investors with respect to Eastern Platinum.

While Ka An has no current plans or intentions that relate to or would result in:

(a) a merger, reorganization or liquidation, involving Eastern Platinum or any of its subsidiaries; (b) a sale or transfer of a material amount of the assets of Eastern Platinum or any of its subsidiaries; (c) a material change in the present capitalization or dividend policy of Eastern Platinum; (d) a material change in Eastern Platinum's business or corporate structure; (e) a change in the Eastern Platinum's charter, bylaws or similar instruments or another action which might impede the acquisition of control of the Issuer by any person or company; (f) a class of securities of Eastern Platinum being delisted from, or ceasing to be authorized to be quoted on, a marketplace; (g) Eastern Platinum ceasing to be a reporting issuer in any jurisdiction of Canada; or (h) any action similar to any of those enumerated above;

depending upon various factors including, without limitation, Eastern Platinum's financial position, the price levels of the Common Shares, conditions in the securities markets and general economic and industry conditions, Ka An's business or financial condition and other factors and conditions Ka An deems appropriate, Ka An may develop such plans in the future.

Ka An may also formulate other purposes, plans or proposals regarding Eastern Platinum or any of its securities to the extent deemed advisable in light of general investment and trading policies, market conditions or other factors or may change its intention with respect to any and all matters referred to in this press release.

Subject to various factors, including those set forth above, Ka An intends to acquire additional Common Shares of Eastern Platinum in the future.

In addition, Ka An intends to effect a change in the board of directors of Eastern Platinum. In this regard, Ka An delivered notice to Eastern Platinum and its Corporate Secretary on May 6, 2016, pursuant to Eastern Platinum's Advance Notice Policy, of its intention to nominate six new directors at the upcoming annual general meeting of Eastern Platinum's shareholders to be held on June 15, 2016. A copy of that notice is attached to this press release as Exhibit "A". Subject to applicable securities and corporate laws, Ka An intends to solicit proxies from other shareholders of Eastern Platinum in support of the director nominees set forth in the notice.

Except as specifically indicated in this press release, neither the issuance of this press release in connection with the matters disclosed herein nor the anticipated filing by Ka An of the corresponding "early warning" report required to be filed in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws is an admission that an entity named or otherwise referred to in this press release owns or controls any described securities or is a joint actor with another entity named or otherwise referred to in this press release.

Ka An's address and other contact information is set forth below. For further information, including to obtain a copy, once filed, of the "early warning" report required to be filed in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws, contact Ka An at the address specified below.

Ka An Development Co. Limited 9/F Amtel Bldg 148 Des Voeux RD Central Central Hong Kong Attn: Liu Chang Yu, Managing Director Tel: +86 156 5296 1195

EXHIBIT "A"

NOTICE OF DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS

TO: EASTERN PLATINUM LIMITED (THE "COMPANY")

AND TO: THE CORPORATE SECRETARY OF THE COMPANY

Reference is made herein to the Advance Notice Policy of the Company adopted by the board of directors of the Company on May 13, 2013 and ratified by the shareholders of the Company on June 12, 2013 (the "Advance Notice Policy"). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings given to them in the Advance Notice Policy.

The undersigned Nominating Shareholder hereby provides notice, in accordance with the Advance Notice Policy, of its proposed nomination of the following persons (collectively, the "Nominating Shareholder Nominees" and each individually a "Nominating Shareholder Nominee") for election as a director of the Company at the Annual General Meeting of shareholders of the Company to be held on June 15, 2016:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Clausi, B A, J D Principal Occupation, Business or Employment --------------------------------------------------- St. Catharines, Ontario Interim Chief Executive Officer, Director, Buccaneer Gold Corp. (November 2015 - present) Age: 52 Buccaneer is a TSX Venture Exchange listed mineral exploration corporation whose long-term objective is to build a diversified corporation focused on the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties --------------------------------------------------- General Counsel, EVP Corporate, GTA Resources and Mining Inc. (2007 - present (CEO from 2007 - 2012)) GTA is a TSX Venture Exchange listed mineral exploration company with currently three current projects, including the 51%-owned Northshore Gold Project located east of Thunder Bay and west of Hemlo, the 100%-owned Auden Project near Hearst, Ontario; and the 100%-owned zinc Burnt Pond Project in Newfoundland, proximate to the former producing Duck Pond Mine (copper-zinc) --------------------------------------------------- Interim Chief Executive Officer, Director, Green Swan Capital Corporation (2011 - present) Green Swan is a TSX Venture Exchange listed company engaged in the acquisition, directly and indirectly, sale and exploration of mineral properties in Canada. --------------------------------------------------- Public Company Board Memberships: --------------------------------------------------- Buccaneer Gold Corp. --------------------------------------------------- Interactive Capital Partners Inc. (reporting issuer not traded on any exchange) --------------------------------------------------- Green Swan Capital Corporation --------------------------------------------------- Baja Mining Corp. --------------------------------------------------- Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned, Controlled or Directed --------------------------------------------------- Nil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Cosic, CFA Principal Occupation, Business or Employment -------------------------------------------------------- Toronto, Ontario Chief Financial Officer, Lithium Americas Corp. (November 2012 - November 2015) Age: 47 Lithium Americas Corp. is developing the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project, located in Jujuy province, Argentina, and the Lithium Nevada project (formerly Kings Valley project) in Nevada, U.S.A, with the intent to become a major supplier of lithium products. -------------------------------------------------------- Vice President, Corporate Development, Lithium Americas Corp. (December 2009 - November 2012) -------------------------------------------------------- Public Company Board Memberships: -------------------------------------------------------- None -------------------------------------------------------- Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned, Controlled or Directed -------------------------------------------------------- Nil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- George G. Dorin, Principal Occupation, Business or Employment MSc(Econ), FCSI, CPA, CA, CF -------------------------------------------------- South Surrey, British President, CANUS Capital Corporation (2008 - Columbia present). Age: 63 CANUS Capital provides corporate finance and senior financial management services to Canadian, US, and China-based public and private companies -------------------------------------------------- Public Company Board Memberships: -------------------------------------------------- Sino Rise Group Holding Corp. -------------------------------------------------- Huaxing Machinery Corp -------------------------------------------------- Gourmet Ocean Products Inc. -------------------------------------------------- China Keli Electric Company Ltd. -------------------------------------------------- Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned, Controlled or Directed -------------------------------------------------- Nil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Douglas G. Perkins, BComm Principal Occupation, Business or Employment -------------------------------------------------- Ouagadougou Executive Director, Riverstone Karma SA (March Burkina Faso 2015 - Present). Age: 63 Riverstone is a subsidiary of a Canadian listed intermediate gold producer with five operating mines in West Africa. -------------------------------------------------- President and Chief Executive Officer, Legend Gold Corporation (2011 -2014). Legend Gold is a public mineral exploration company exploring for gold in the Republic of Mali. -------------------------------------------------- Prior Public Company Board Memberships: -------------------------------------------------- Legend Gold Corporation -------------------------------------------------- GMA Resources Plc -------------------------------------------------- Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned, Controlled or Directed -------------------------------------------------- Nil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- George Pirie Principal Occupation, Business or Employment -------------------------------------------------------- Connaught, Ontario Director, Canadian Arrow Mines Limited (July 2009 - present) Age: 62 Canadian Arrow is a TSX Venture Exchange listed mineral exploration and development company engaged in the exploration of properties in Ontario. -------------------------------------------------------- President and Chief Executive Officer, San Gold Corporation (December 2010 - April 2013). San Gold Corporation was a TSX listed Canadian gold producer, explorer and developer with properties in Manitoba -------------------------------------------------------- Public Company Board Memberships: -------------------------------------------------------- Canadian Arrow Mines Limited -------------------------------------------------------- Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned, Controlled or Directed -------------------------------------------------------- Nil ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Wang, MBA, CPA, CGA Principal Occupation, Business or Employment --------------------------------------------------- Richmond, British Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary, Columbia Director, Oriental Non-ferrous Resources Development Inc. (October 2015 - present) Age: 46 Oriental Non-ferrous Resources Development Inc. is a Canadian Securities Exchange listed mining company with molybdenum properties in Mongolia --------------------------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer, Director, Bard Ventures Ltd. (August 2015 - present) Bard is a TSX Venture Exchange listed mining company with molybdenum properties in British Columbia, Canada --------------------------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary, 3TL Technologies Corp. (July 2015 - present) 3TL is a TSX Venture Exchange listed technology company with a focus on shopper marketing --------------------------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer, Jiulian Resources Inc. (April 2013 - present) Jiulian Resources is a TSX Venture Exchange listed mining company with precious metal mining assets in British Columbia, Canada --------------------------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary, Director, Sino Rise Group Holding Corp. (September 2012 - present) Sino Rise is a China-based technology company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange --------------------------------------------------- Chief Financial Officer, Director MillenMin Ventures Inc. (May 2012 - August 2015) MillenMin is a TSX Venture Exchange listed mining company with mining assets in Canada --------------------------------------------------- Director & member of audit committee, EPI Environmental Technologies Inc. (April 2011 - October 2013) EPI was a TSX Venture listed technology company specialized in biodegradable chemical additives for the plastic industry --------------------------------------------------- Public Company Board Memberships: --------------------------------------------------- Oriental Non-ferrous Resources Development Inc. --------------------------------------------------- Bard Ventures Ltd. --------------------------------------------------- Sino Rise Group Holding Corp. --------------------------------------------------- Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned, Controlled or Directed --------------------------------------------------- Nil ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Except as disclosed below, within the last ten years before the date of this notice, no Nominating Shareholder Nominee was a director or executive officer of any company or acted in that capacity for a company that:

(a) was subject to a cease trade or similar order or an order denying the relevant company access to any exemptions under securities legislation, for more than 30 consecutive days; (b) was subject to a cease trade or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under the securities legislation, for a period of more than 30 consecutive days that was issued after the Nominating Shareholder Nominee ceased to be a director or executive officer and which resulted from an event that occurred while the Nominating Shareholder Nominee was acting in the capacity as director or executive officer; (c) while the Nominating Shareholder Nominee was acting in that capacity or within a year of the Nominating Shareholder Nominee ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or has become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the proposed director; (d) was subject to any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation or by a securities regulatory authority, or has entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority; or (e) was subject to any other penalties or sanctions imposed by a court or a regulatory body that would likely be considered important to a reasonable security holder in deciding whether to vote for a proposed director.

Mr. Clausi became a director and officer of Interactive Capital Partners Corporation ("ICPC") on July 3, 2014 when ICPC was already the subject of a cease trade order issued on May 8, 2012 as a result of its failure to meet its timely disclosure filing obligations. The cease trade order pre-dated Mr. Clausi's involvement with ICPC. Since Mr. Clausi joined the board all cease trade orders against ICPC have been revoked.

Mr. Dorin is a director of Huaxing Machinery Corp ("HUA"), which had a cease trade order issued against it on February 26, 2015. Due to its declining financial position, HUA's subsidiary operating company in China was unable to fund HUA, a reporting issuer that traded on the TSX Venture Exchange, and provide the ongoing regulatory and financial reporting required by the British Columbia Securities Commission. HUA was thus unable to complete an audit of its financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, which was to include restated financial statements for the prior year. It is expected that HUA will be delisted in May, 2016.

Mr. Dorin is also a director of China Keli Electric Co. Ltd ("ZKL"), which had a cease trade order issued against it by the British Columbia Securities Commission on September 8, 2014 for failure to timely file its audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2014. ZKL filed its audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2014 and the cease trade order was revoked by the British Columbia Securities Commission on July 15, 2015. ZKL is currently pursuing a going private transaction.

On August 18, 2010, Northern Star Mining Corp. ("Northern Star"), a company for which Mr. Pirie was at the time acting as Chief Executive Officer, filed a Notice of Intention to Make a Proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), providing it with protection from its creditors for a period of 30 days while it explored proposals to restructure its outstanding debt obligations and attempt to raise equity capital to finance further engineering and drilling programs on its properties. After seeking and obtaining several extensions to the 30-day period in which to file such a proposal under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), Northern Star announced on January 24, 2011 that it would not seek any further extensions. As a consequence, Northern Star was deemed to have filed an assignment in bankruptcy.

Personal Bankruptcies

During the ten years preceding the date of this notice, no Nominating Shareholder Nominee has been declared bankrupt or made a voluntary assignment in bankruptcy; made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency; or been subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors; or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the Nominating Shareholder Nominee.

Consents

Enclosed with this notice are consents, completed and executed by each of the Nominating Shareholder Nominees to act as a director of the Company and to being named in the proxy circular to be issued by management of the Company in connection with the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on June 15, 2016. The residential address and, where applicable, business address of the Nominating Shareholder Nominees in disclosed in each such consent.

(REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS.)

Nominating Shareholder

The Nominating Shareholder is the registered holder of 12,777,994 common shares of the Company (the "Nominating Shareholder Shares"). Other than the Nominating Shareholder Shares, the Nominating Shareholder does not beneficially own or control, directly or indirectly, any voting securities of the Company.

DATED this 6th day of May, 2016

KA AN DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED

By: (Signed) Liu Changyu

Name: Liu Changyu

Title: Managing Director

Contacts:

Ka An Development Co. Limited

Liu Chang Yu

Managing Director

+86 156 5296 1195




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- Moseda Technologies Inc. (TSX VENTURE: MSD)(OTCQB: FLNTF) ("Moseda" or the "Company"), a technology company focused on developing progressive mobile health (mHealth) and telemedicine solutions for Community-Based Healthcare, is excited to announce that further to its news release announced May 4, 2016 the Company has received TSX Venture Exchange approval to change its name (the "Name Change") to Reliq Health Technologies Inc.

At the open of the market on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, Moseda will be trading under its new name Reliq Health Technologies Inc. The new trading symbol will be RHT. The CUSIP AND ISIN numbers have changed to 75955T103 and CA75955T1030 respectively.

"The name change reflects the fact that the company has evolved beyond its original concept of Mobile Secure Data (MoSeDa) for healthcare, to delivering comprehensive technology solutions that address the unmet needs of the $20 billion Community Care market," said Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO of the Company. "Reliquum is Latin for 'future' or 'events that are yet to happen' and as such we feel that the name Reliq perfectly captures our intent to provide novel, innovative healthcare technology solutions for patients, families and clinicians in the community."

The Company is also pleased to announce that it will be changing the name of its wholly-owned subsidiary, currently CareKit Health Corp, to iUGO Health Inc. "The word 'iugo' is Latin for 'bridge' or 'connect'," said Giancarlo De Lio, Reliq's Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of CareKit Health Corp. "We have combined key elements of the original Moseda technology with CareKit's platform to create a solution that not only supports remote patient monitoring but also securely connects the entire circle of care, including patients, family members and the clinical care team. The new name reflects our more comprehensive product platform that supports the entire continuum of community care."

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Dr. Lisa Crossley, CEO and Director

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.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements that are not historical facts, including without limitation, statements regarding future estimates, plans, programs, forecasts, projections, objectives, assumptions, expectations or beliefs of future performance, are "forward-looking statements".

We caution you that such "forward-looking statements" involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual and future events to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to commercial operations, including technology development, anticipated revenues, projected size of market, and other information that is based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Moseda Technologies Inc. (the "Company") does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as required by law. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties relating to, among other things, technology development and marketing activities, the Company's historical experience with technology development, uninsured risks. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

CORE Capital Partners

604-566-9233

investors@ccpartnersinc.com




NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- For a second year running, Morgan Stanley claims top honors on the All-Asia Research Team, Institutional Investor's annual ranking of the region's most highly regarded sell-side analysts. The firm earns a place in 34 of the survey's 35 sectors, missing out only on coverage of the Philippines -- also for a second year in a row.

Complete results can be found at www.institutionalinvestor.com.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, with 30 spots, returns at No. 2. Credit Suisse repeats in third place with 29 positions, while UBS holds steady at No. 4, with 28. Citi rises one rung, to fifth place, but that modest advance belies strong gains in the firm's team-position total, which surges from 18 to 24.

The 2016 All-Asia Research Team reflects the opinions of 3,760 investment professionals at 1,100 institutions that collectively manage an estimated $1.68 trillion in Asia ex-Japan equities.

Twelve firms are represented in this year's results, including two that didn't appear last year: Goldman Sachs (Asia) and HSBC.

A total of 218 individuals are cited on this year's team, which is limited to the top three analysts or squads in each sector, plus runners-up where applicable. Among the highlights of this year's results:

Pierre Lau guides Citi to a tenth straight victory in Power, the longest winning streak among currently ranked crews.





Morgan Stanley extends its dominance in Health Care & Pharmaceuticals to an eighth year despite a change in team leadership. Shengji (Sean) Wu replaces Bin Li.





For a second straight year, Morgan Stanley's Jasmine Lu is the only solo leader to oversee two top-ranked teams. Her squads are No. 1 for coverage of Taiwan (for a third year running) and in Technology/Hardware.





For more information Esther Weisz at 212-224-3307 or eweisz@iiresearchgroup.com.

About Institutional Investor

Now in its fifth decade, Institutional Investor has consistently distinguished itself among the world's foremost financial publications with groundbreaking journalism and incisive writing that provides essential intelligence for a global audience. In addition, Institutional Investor offers a host of proprietary research and rankings that serve as respected industry benchmarks. For more information visit www.institutionalinvestor.com.

Contact:

Esther Weisz

eweisz@iiresearchgroup.com

(212) 224-3307




DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - International investment leader Reda Bedjaoui was among the experts in attendance at Dubai's 2016 Annual Investment Meeting (AIM), which outlines major changes in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) industry. The conference focused on the means by which an investor from one country bypasses means such as stock exchanges and instead invests in a foreign business through a joint venture, merger, acquisition, direct purchase of shares, or establishing a wholly owned subsidiary. Reda Bedjaoui, the CEO of Redbed Investments LLE, noted that the AIM summit keyed in on two critical issues coming to the forefront of the FDI landscape, namely new forms of investment (NFI) and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in emerging markets. "NFIs include management contracts, franchising and licensing, as well as outsourcing," he stated. "As discussed during the conference, public policymakers are competing to create business-friendly environments and provide incentives in order to attract investors in NFIs and FDIs that fuel job creation, exports, and technology development in other countries." With so many nations rolling out welcome mats, investment opportunities can become muddied. In response, Bedjaoui and other leading edge investors are adopting new tools to monitor markets, identify trends, and create profitable strategies.

The conference's focus on small- and medium-sized businesses grew out of recent UAE initiatives to promote young entrepreneurs in the region. The exhibition carved out space for burgeoning businesses to network with global investors who have capital and capacity building knowledge. According to Bedjaoui, "It was rewarding to witness AIM used as a platform to highlight SMEs and expose young innovators to potential financiers."

Reda Bedjaoui welcomed the opportunity to hear presidents, prime ministers, and global business leaders discuss their strategies to attract foreign investments. "Clearly, the international community recognizes that FDIs can be an economic powerhouse, especially in developing nations," he stated. "In addition to the direct monetary influx, host countries can benefit from the transfer of soft skills, access to resources for research and development, and improved corporate governance standards." Bedjaoui found the Annual Investment Meeting to be incredibly beneficial, underscoring that his assessment of foreign investment trends was on point and giving him the opportunity to network with high-level representatives from government, academia, and the private sector.

In addition to being a thought leader on commodities trading, Reda Bedjaoui is a sought-after real estate investor and legal representation. Raised in Paris, France, Mr. Bedjaoui studied at Universite de Montreal, where he was accorded a Bachelor in Law degree. He furthered his education at Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands, and then was admitted to the Bar of Quebec, Canada (Montreal Section) in 1995. He honed his practice of commercial law, corporate law, and international arbitration in positions at recognized law firms in both Montreal and Paris.

Reda Bedjaoui - Expert Investor and CEO of Redbed Investments: http://www.redabedjaouinews.com

Reda Bedjaoui - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reda-bedjaoui-42599640

Reda Bedjaoui - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reda-Bedjaoui-586133434887610

Contact Information

ICMediaDirect.com

TEL: 1.800.595.0821

www.ICMediaDirect.com

pr@icmediadirect.com
HATFIELD, England, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

FOR EU MEDIA ONLY: NOT FOR SWISS/AUSTRIAN MEDIA

Licence variation provides an important new treatment option following global Phase III study which showed median 7.2 month overall survival benefit

Halaven (Eribulin) is now available in Sweden, Denmark and Finland for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable advanced or metastatic liposarcomas who have received prior anthracycline containing therapy (unless unsuitable) for advanced or metastatic disease. The news follows the decision by the European Commission to approve the licence variation to the terms of the Marketing Authorisation for Eribulin on 2 May. Eribulin is the first and only single agent therapy to show a significant survival advantage in this type of soft tissue sarcoma.[1]

Advanced liposarcoma, a soft tissue sarcoma subtype, is the second form of cancer for which Eribulin has a proven overall survival benefit. Eribulin is currently indicated for the treatment of women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have progressed after at least one chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced disease.

It is estimated that approximately 1,200 people in the Nordic region live with a soft tissue sarcoma, based on an incidence rate of 4.7 in every 100,000.[2] Sarcomas represent approximately 1% of all cancers diagnosed in Europe.[3] Liposarcomas and leiomyosarcomas make up around 30% of all cases of soft tissue sarcomas, which develop from cells in essential tissues within the body such as fat, muscle, nerves, fibrous tissues and blood. [4],[5] Liposarcomas (adipocytic sarcomas) originate in fat cells and can occur anywhere in the body.[5]

Advanced liposarcoma is a rare and most often aggressive form of malignant tumour, and since it is difficult to treat, the patients often face a poor prognosis. Eribulin is the first and only single agent therapy to have a proven overall survival benefit in this soft tissue sarcoma subtype, which makes the news of its availability important. People with advanced liposarcoma and their physicians in the Nordic countries will be encouraged by this new treatment possibility," comments Dr Mikael Eriksson at the Department of Oncology, Skane University Hospital in Lund.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Eribulin in May 2016. This decision was based on pivotal Phase III data which showed a median 7.2 month increase in overall survival compared to dacarbazine (15.6 months versus 8.4 months, HR = 0.511; 95% CI 0.346-0.753; P=0.0006) for people with unresectable advanced or metastatic liposarcomas1 (HR=0.768, 95% CI 0.618-0.954; P=0.017). There were no unexpected or new safety findings; the toxicity profile is consistent with the known safety profile of Eribulin.

Eribulin is a microtubule-dynamics inhibitor, structurally modified analogue of halichondrin B, originally isolated from the marine sponge Halichondria okadai. Its mode of action is distinct from other tubulin inhibitors and involves binding to specific sites on the growing positive ends of microtubules to inhibit their growth. Recent data for blood perfusion show that Eribulin may lead to remodelling of the tumour vasculature, resulting in an oxygenated environment.[6] Cancer cells thrive in a deoxygenated (hypoxic) environment and therefore improving tumour perfusion may lead to a decrease in tumour metastatic potency.[7]

"The availability of Eribulin in the Nordic region helps to fulfil our mission to provide treatments that improve the lives of people living with cancer across the globe. Eribulin has already demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit for women with advanced breast cancer, and now in advanced liposarcoma it has demonstrated a meaningful overall survival benefit where an unmet medical need persists," comments Gary Hendler, Chief Commercial Officer Oncology Business Group, Chairman and CEO EMEA.

Eisai is dedicated to discovering, developing and producing innovative oncology therapies that can make a difference and impact the lives of patients and their families. This passion for people is part of Eisai's human health care (hhc) mission, which strives for better understanding of the needs of patients and their families to increase the benefits health care provides.

Notes to Editors

Eribulin

Eribulin is also indicated for the treatment of women with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have progressed after at least one chemotherapeutic regimen for advanced disease. Prior therapy should have included an anthracycline and a taxane in either the adjuvant or metastatic setting, unless patients were not suitable for these treatments.[8]

About Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcoma is a collective term for a diverse group of malignant tumours. Only 50% of people with soft tissue sarcomas are expected to live five years.[9]

Unlike other cancers such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), soft tissue sarcomas are mostly diagnosed with localised disease, and many are amenable to complete surgical removal, yet relapse rates can be as high as 50 percent.[10] Outcomes for patients with advanced disease are poor, with median survival around one year or less. Due to the rarity of these tumours, evidence for prognostic factors is weak and not well understood.[11]

Eisai in Oncology

Our commitment to meaningful progress in oncology research, built on scientific expertise, is supported by a global capability to conduct discovery and preclinical research, and develop small molecules, therapeutic vaccines, and biologic and supportive care agents for cancer across multiple indications.

About Eisai Co., Ltd.

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology.

As a global pharmaceutical company, our mission extends to patients around the world through our investment and participation in partnership-based initiatives to improve access to medicines in developing and emerging countries.

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com.

References

1. Schoffski P et al. Eribulin versus dacarbazine in previously treated patients with advanced liposarcoma or leiomyosarcoma: a randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 3 trial. The Lancet. 2016

2. C Stiller. Descriptive epidemiology of sarcomas in Europe: report from the RARECARE project. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23079473 Accessed April 2016

3. Cancer Research UK, Soft Tissue Sarcoma Incidence Statistics. Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/cancerstats/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/incidence/ Accessed: April 2016

4. Macmillan. What are soft tissue sarcomas? Available at: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertypes/Softtissuesarcomas/Aboutsofttissuesarcomas/Softtissuesarcomas.aspx . Accessed: April 2016

5. ESMO Guidance. Available at: http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/suppl_3/iii102.full.pdf+html Accessed: April 2016

6. Kawano S, et al. Antimitotic and Non-mitotic Effects of Eribulin Mesilate in Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Anticancer Research 2016; 36; 1553-1562

7. Kevin L Bennewith and Shoukat Dedhar. Targeting hypoxic tumour cells to overcome metastasis. BMC Cancer 2011;11:504

8. SPC Halaven (updated June 2014). Available at: http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/24382/SPC/Halaven+0.44+mg+ml+solution+for+injection/ . Accessed: April 2016

9. National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.org/cancer/sarcoma-adultsofttissuecancer/detailedguide/sarcoma-adult-soft-tissue-cancer-survival-rates

10. R Pollock. Soft Tissue Sarcomas, A Volume in the American Cancer Society Atlas of Clinical Oncology Series. 2012

11. Fletcher, et al. World Health Organization Classification of Tumours of Soft Tissue and Bone (4th Edition). Lyon: IARC Press, 2013
DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - Sustainability, environmental stewardship, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle are all important components of open green areas in any neighborhood. As a developer of residential communities in the Dallas area, Marcus Hiles is honored to be able to donate land for community parks and provide the much-needed property for natural recreation spaces. Trees, plants and wildlife are essential for life and allow families, couples and individuals a place for relaxation. These spots can only thrive through the generous work and dedication of people and businesses, such as Hiles, devoted to environmentally friendly efforts.

Urban parks and wilderness environments increase the health and well-being of the citizens who live nearby and are fundamental resource for strengthening American cities. The U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) research shows an exciting and positive correlation between access to community areas and likelihood of someone choosing to exercise. Having open recreation space in the vicinity of where people live encourages physical activity, fellowship and fun. Parks often become the unique hub of a city and are an investment in the growth of the neighborhood. Knowing the importance of public space for leisure and enjoyment of nature, Marcus Hiles has contributed to the transformation of multiple Texas cities with his generous gift. Inspired to create amazing places to live, these community parks are an essential part of his vision. His mandate for eco-friendly business extends to his company that annually plants trees by the thousands. Neighborhoods with access to green space, surrounded by living things, vegetation and wildlife are healthier, friendlier, more inviting and prosperous.

The benefits of urban wildernesses enhance the local eco-system in many positive ways. Not only do trees and plants create life-giving oxygen; they play a crucial role in retaining ground and rain water, and removing toxins from the surrounding air. American Forests is an organisation that studies municipal forests and the repercussions of declining natural areas in cities. They educate and provide fascinating information like the fact that two trees can make enough oxygen for one person and can absorb twenty pounds of air pollution every year. Parks also provide shade, cooling down a significant area and reducing heat retention. Air-conditioning requirements are lower in a community with ample canopy coverage. A car that is placed in the shade stays fifty degrees cooler than one parked in the sun. In urban locations natural spaces must be created and maintained through human intervention and assistance.

Marcus Hiles is a Texas-based real estate entrepreneur and investor. As Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Western Rim Properties and Newport Classic Homes, he is a visionary developer, committed to designing and expanding high-quality communities with executive residential rentals available throughout the region. The company manages and owns more than 15,000 luxury properties that include affordable world-class amenities and a focus on a healthy lifestyle. These dwellings emphasize family with permanent ecological public areas, first-rate schools and recreation locations at the forefront of importance. One of Hiles' personal goals is to increase the tree canopy in Texas substantially. His passion to help others extends to philanthropic activities and his association with different state boards.

Marcus Hiles - Chairman & CEO of Western Rim Property Services: http://www.MarcusHiles-News.com

Marcus Hiles - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-hiles-92345a120

Marcus Hiles - Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarcusHilesW3

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Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-0OBq1LCu8

Contact Information

ICMediaDirect.com

TEL: 1.800.595.0821

www.ICMediaDirect.com

pr@icmediadirect.com
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- Adriana Resources Inc. ("Adriana" or the "Company") - (TSX VENTURE: ADI) today provided its shareholders with the following updates.

Business Update

Management would like to provide the following update of activities in 2015 and 2016 with respect to the Lac Otelnuk Mining Project ("LOM Project"), cash conservation efforts and Adriana's strategic plan.

In April of 2015, SNC-Lavalin Inc. delivered a Feasibility Study regarding the LOM Project demonstrating its viability. The NI 43-101 compliant Technical Report summarizing the Feasibility Study, assembled by Met-Chem is available on SEDAR (the "Technical Report"). The development plan, as defined in the Technical Report, outlines a project that would take six to eight years to permit, finance, construct and commission from a construction decision. The project is anticipated to be able to annually produce up to 50 million tonnes of high-quality, low-impurity iron ore concentrate over an estimated 30 years with potential for expansion. The scope and scale of the LOM Project make this project a rarity in the industry. The iron ore price benchmark at the end of 2015 dipped below $40 per tonne, representing an 80% fall from the peak in 2011. The benchmark price has recently improved, however, the magnitude and duration of this improvement is difficult to predict. The project has been placed on care and maintenance, and all other significant costs have been eliminated until market sentiment improves. The LOM Project has $7.9 million as at March 31, 2016, which management estimates sufficient to maintain the claims in good order, and make advanced royalty payments until at least 2021 without further cash calls on Adriana or its partner.

The Company has taken the necessary actions to protect and preserve the long-term option value of the LOM Project in anticipation of the commodity cycle returning to more favourable iron ore pricing, and a more favourable financing market in the future.

The Company has taken the necessary steps designed to preserve and protect the Company's balance sheet through the reduction of administrative costs, the disposition of Brazore, and the downsizing of the Company's head office. Evidence of these steps include the fact that no cash bonuses were paid by the Company in 2015 and no stock options have been granted to directors since May 2014 and since September 2014 to management other than the initial stock options granted to the Company's chief executive officer, which were granted at a price exceeding the market price of the Company's shares reflecting the Company's cash value.

Through various initiatives the Company's goal is to reduce ongoing salary and rent costs by at least 50% from prior levels. The Company judiciously uses external advisors and consultants to minimize risks in analyzing potential transactions while keeping third party costs down in order to preserve its balance sheet.

The Company continues to critically assess opportunities for it to deploy its capital in an effort to create shareholder value. As the Company has no source of cash flow, the criteria for opportunities have been focussed on deploying the Company's capital as a catalyst for a public or private entity to reach and grow positive cash flow, and receive value for the Company's ownership in LOM Project. Management believes that increased market volatility and reduced financing options available to many businesses in the market place create an opportunity for Adriana to increase shareholder value through the strategic deployment of the Company's capital into an appropriate business. Adriana is looking at and assessing a broad number of opportunities in various sectors, including precious metal, base metal and bulk mining, oil and gas, financial services, healthcare and diversified industrial companies.

The Company's Board of Directors and management is committed to taking a disciplined approach including appropriate levels of due diligence. The Company's Board of Directors has substantial and broad business experience to guide the Company through this transition and have been involved in the implementation of the Company's strategic Plan. The search for new opportunities commenced in November 2015 with the appointment of Mr. Michael Harrison as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Adriana has taken the necessary and responsible steps required to protect the value of the LOM Project, while also acting quickly to protect the Company's treasury. The Board and management are confident that enacting our strategic plan, and defining a growth opportunity for Adriana, while preserving option value for LOM, will create long-term shareholder value.

Annual Meeting Update

The Company's annual general and special meeting ("AGM") of shareholders will be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. (Toronto time) at the office of McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Suite 5300, TD Bank Tower, 66 Wellington Street West, Toronto, Ontario. Applicable meeting materials, including the Company's management information circular and notice of meeting, will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) shortly.

Adriana has adopted By-law No.3 which establishes advance notice requirements for the nomination of directors to Adriana's Board of Directors. The Company believes that By-law No. 3 provides for a reasonable notice period (in the case of an annual meeting of shareholders, not less than 30 days before the date of the meeting) and disclosure requirements to evaluate the qualifications and suitability of any shareholder director nominee for the Company to be able to respond in the best interests of the Company. It will also provide shareholders with sufficient time and information upon which to base an informed vote.

The adoption of By-law No. 3 is effective immediately. Shareholders will be asked to ratify and confirm By-law No. 3 at the AGM. The full text of By-law No. 3 will be filed under Adriana's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). The Board of Directors of Adriana has determined to waive the requirement of By-law No. 3 that nominations must be received by not later than the close of business on the 30th day prior to the AGM and nominations, which otherwise comply with By-law No. 3, will be accepted until the close of business on May 19, 2016.

In addition, the Company has adopted, subject to TSX-V approval, a new Incentive Stock Option Plan (the "Fixed Option Plan"). The Fixed Option Plan is substantively identical to the Company's current rolling option plan (grants under which will be discontinued) however the number of shares which may be issued under the Fixed Option Plan shall not exceed 9,600,000 (or approximately 6% of the outstanding shares of the Company). Options issued under the Fixed Option Plan will have a term of up to five years following the date of grant. The Board of Directors of Adriana have not received any options since May 2014. The Fixed Option Plan will be available under Adriana's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

Adriana has taken the necessary and responsible steps designed to protect the value of the LOM Project, while also acting quickly to preserve the Company's balance sheet. The Board and management are confident that enacting the Company's strategic plan, and defining a growth opportunity for Adriana, while preserving the option value for LOM, will create long-term shareholder value.

ON BEHALF OF ADRIANA RESOURCES INC.

Michael J. Harrison, President and CEO

Certain information regarding Adriana, may constitute forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Certain important risk factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements including, without limitation, changes in the world wide price of mineral commodities and currency fluctuations, general market conditions, the uncertainty of future profitability and access to sufficient capital. As a consequence, actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements and caution should be exercised on placing undue reliance on forward looking information.

Contacts:

Adriana Resources Inc.

Michael J. Harrison

President & CEO

416-363-2200

mharrison@adrianaresources.com

www.adrianaresources.com



Shorecrest Group Ltd.

1-888-637-5789 (toll free in North America)

1-647-931-7454 (collect outside North America)

contact@shorecrestgroup.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 05/09/16 -- (All amounts expressed in US dollars, unless otherwise stated)

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (NYSE: FSM)(TSX: FVI) today reported net income of $2.6 million and revenue of $42.7 million in the first quarter of 2016.

Jorge A. Ganoza, President and CEO, commented, "We have made a strong start to the year operating well within our production and cost targets and look forward to the commissioning of our key expansion project at the San Jose Mine in July." Mr. Ganoza continued, "At San Jose's new production rate of 3,000 tpd, the company will target total annual consolidated production of approximately nine million ounces of silver and fifty-two thousand ounces of gold, with an AISCC below $9.0 per ounce of silver."

First quarter consolidated financial highlights:

-- Sales of $42.7 million, compared to $39.8 million in Q1 2015 -- Net income of $2.6 million and earnings per share of $0.02, compared to $3.9 million and $0.03, respectively, in Q1 2015 -- Cash flow from operations before changes in non-cash working capital of $9.9 million and adjusted EBITDA of $18.0 million, compared to $5.3 million and $15.2 million, respectively, in Q1 2015 -- Cash position, including short term investments, and working capital as at March 31, 2016 were $95.9 million and $86.4 million, respectively -- Silver and gold production of 1,617,396 and 9,264 ounces, respectively -- Cash cost per ounce of payable silver, net of by-product credits was $1.44 -- AISCC(i) per ounce of payable silver was $9.39

(i) All-in sustaining cash cost ("AISCC") is net of by-product credits for gold, lead and zinc

First quarter consolidated financial results

Net income amounted to $2.6 million (Q1 2015: $3.9 million), resulting in basic earnings per share of $0.02 (Q1 2015: $0.03). Compared to Q1 2015, results were impacted by a higher stock based compensation charge of $4.9 million stemming mostly from mark-to-market effects from the performance of our share price. In spite of lower prices across all metals, we achieved 7% higher sales and 24% higher mine operating earnings while operating income was 24% lower due to the aforementioned charge.

Silver ounces sold increased 2% and gold ounces sold decreased 4% while realized prices on provisional sales for silver and gold, decreased 10% to $14.95 per ounce and 1% to $1,199.77 per ounce, respectively.

Cash flow from operations, before changes in working capital increased 86% year-over-year to $9.9 million (Q1 2015: $5.3 million). This is the result of stronger operating results and lower taxes paid. Income taxes paid amounted to $5.7 million (Q1 2015: $9.6 million) out of which $3.1 million corresponds to the prior fiscal year (Q1 2015: $8.9 million)

Summary of financial results

Three months ended March 31, -------------------- (Expressed in $ millions) 2016 2015 % Chg ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sales $ 42.7 $ 39.8 7% Cost of Sales 27.1 27.2 (0%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mine operating earnings $ 15.6 $ 12.6 24% as a % of Sales 37% 32% 15% Selling, general and administrative expenses 9.7 5.5 76% Foreign exchange (gain) (0.4) (0.9) (56%) Operating income 6.1 8.0 (24%) as a % of Sales 14% 20% (29%) Income before tax 5.6 8.2 (32%) Net income 2.6 3.9 (33%) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- as a % of Sales 6% 10% Operating cash flow before changes in working capital (i) $ 9.9 $ 5.3 87% ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Figures may not add due to rounding

Note: (i) Operating cash flow per share before changes in working capital is a non-GAAP financial measure

Note: (ii) Refer to non-GAAP Financial Measures

Consolidated operating results

--------------------------------------------- Three months ended March 31, --------------------------------------------- 2016 --------------------------------------------- Consolidated Metal Production Caylloma San Jose Consolidated ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver (oz) 337,085 1,280,311 1,617,396 Gold (oz) 103 9,161 9,264 Lead (000's lbs) 9,107 - 9,107 Zinc (000's lbs) 10,390 - 10,390 Production cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) (2.10) 2.36 1.44 All-in sustaining cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) 5.11 8.71 9.39 (i) Net of by-product credits from gold, lead and zinc --------------------------------------------- Three months ended March 31, --------------------------------------------- 2015 --------------------------------------------- Consolidated Metal Production Caylloma San Jose Consolidated ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver (oz) 535,959 1,097,210 1,633,169 Gold (oz) 372 9,367 9,739 Lead (000's lbs) 4,346 - 4,346 Zinc (000's lbs) 7,534 - 7,534 Production cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) 6.59 2.59 3.89 All-in sustaining cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) 10.99 9.37 11.79 (i) Net of by-product credits from gold, lead and zinc

Silver and gold production totaled 1,617,396 and 9,264 ounces, respectively. Compared year-over-year, silver and gold production decreased 1% and 5%. The company is on schedule to produce 7.0 million ounces of silver and 42.8 thousand ounces of gold or 9.6 million Ag Eq(i) ounces in 2016.

All-in sustaining cash cost per ounce of payable silver, net of by-product credits, was $9.39 per ounce (Q1 2015: $11.79) which is below our annual guidance of $11.1.

(i) Ag Eq calculated using silver to gold ratio of 60:1.

San Jose Mine, Mexico

QUARTERLY RESULTS ------------------------------ Three months ended March 31, ------------------------------ 2016 2015 ------------------------------ Mine Production San Jose San Jose ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonnes milled 179,110 178,647 Average tonnes milled per day 2,059 2,053 Silver Grade (g/t) 240 215 Recovery (%) 93 89 Production (oz) 1,280,311 1,097,210 Gold Grade (g/t) 1.73 1.83 Recovery (%) 92 89 Production (oz) 9,161 9,367 Unit Costs Production cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) 2.36 2.59 Production cash cost (US$/tonne) 59.08 59.79 Unit Net Smelter Return (US$/tonne) 146.75 142.53 All-in sustaining cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) 8.71 9.37 (i) Net of by-product credits from gold

Silver production increased 17% to 1,280,311 and gold production decreased 2% to 9,161 ounces year-over-year. Throughput increased marginally and head grades were 12% higher and 6% lower for silver and gold, respectively. Metallurgical recoveries for silver and gold were 5% and 4% higher, respectively, compared with the same period in the prior year.

Progress on the third expansion of San Jose from 2,000 tpd to 3,000 tpd is moving forward as planned with commissioning expected for July 2016.

Cash cost per tonne of processed ore was $59.08 or 1% below year-over-year and 3% above annual guidance of $57.4/t. All-in sustaining cash cost per payable ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, was $8.71 and below the annual guidance of $9.1 as a result of higher silver head grades and lower execution of sustaining capital expenditures.

Caylloma Mine, Peru

QUARTERLY RESULTS ------------------------------ Three months ended March 31, ------------------------------ 2016 2015 ------------------------------ Mine Production Caylloma Caylloma ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tonnes milled 117,192 114,451 Average tonnes milled per day 1,317 1,301 Silver Grade (g/t) 103 171 Recovery (%) 87 85 Production (oz) 337,085 535,959 Gold Grade (g/t) 0.19 0.28 Recovery (%) 15 36 Production (oz) 103 372 Lead Grade (%) 3.73 1.86 Recovery (%) 94 93 Production (000's lbs) 9,107 4,346 Zinc Grade (%) 4.49 3.30 Recovery (%) 90 91 Production (000's lbs) 10,390 7,534 Unit Costs Production cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) (2.10) 6.59 Production cash cost (US$/tonne) 73.80 83.99 Unit Net Smelter Return (US$/tonne) 119.93 128.96 All-in sustaining cash cost (US$/oz Ag)(i) 5.11 10.99 (i) Net of by-product credits from gold, lead and zinc

Silver production was 0.34 million ounces compared to 0.54 million ounces in Q1 2015. Zinc and lead production was 38% and 110% higher, respectively, year-over-year.

Cash cost per tonne of processed ore at Caylloma was $73.80, a 12% decrease with respect to the same period in the prior year due to lower mining costs related to the shutdown of narrow veins and lower indirect costs related to headcount reduction. Additionally, lower mining costs are further explained by lower execution in mine preparation and related costs, which we expect to incur in the following quarters. Caylloma's all-in sustaining cash cost per payable ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, was $5.11 and below the annual guidance of $12.5 as a result of lower execution of sustaining capital expenditures and lower cash cost per tonne.

The financial statements and MD&A are available on SEDAR and have also been posted on the company's website at http://www.fortunasilver.com/s/financial_reports.asp.

Conference call to review first quarter financial and operations results

Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Time: 9:00 a.m. Pacific / 12:00 p.m. Eastern

Dial in number (Toll Free): +1.877.407.8035

Dial in number (International): +1.201.689.8035

Replay number (Toll Free): +1.877.660.6853

Replay number (International): +1.201.612.7415

Replay Passcode: 13636321

Playback of the webcast will be available until August 10, 2016. Playback of the conference call will be available until May 24, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. In addition, a transcript of the call will be archived in the company's website: http://www.fortunasilver.com/s/financial_reports.asp.

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Fortuna is a growth oriented, silver and base metal producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Our primary assets are the Caylloma silver mine in southern Peru and the San Jose silver-gold mine in Mexico. The company is selectively pursuing acquisition opportunities throughout the Americas and in select other areas. For more information, please visit our website at www.fortunasilver.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Jorge A. Ganoza, President, CEO and Director

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Trading symbols: NYSE: FSM / TSX: FVI

Forward looking Statements

This news release contains forward looking statements which constitute "forward looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "Forward looking Statements"). All statements included herein, other than statements of historical fact, are Forward looking Statements and are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those reflected in the Forward looking Statements. The Forward looking Statements in this news release may include, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its mines and mineral properties; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlook; the merit of the Company's mines and mineral properties; mineral resource and reserve estimates; timelines; the future financial or operating performance of the Company; expenditures; approvals and other matters. Often, but not always, these Forward looking Statements can be identified by the use of words such as "estimate", "estimates", "estimated", "potential", "open", "future", "assumed", "projected", "used", "detailed", "has been", "gain", "upgraded", "offset", "limited", "contained", "reflecting", "containing", "remaining", "to be", "periodically", or statements that events, "could" or "should" occur or be achieved and similar expressions, including negative variations.

Forward looking Statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward looking Statements. Such uncertainties and factors include, among others, changes in general economic conditions and financial markets; changes in prices for silver and other metals; technological and operational hazards in Fortuna's mining and mine development activities; risks inherent in mineral exploration; uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral reserves, mineral resources, and metal recoveries; governmental and other approvals; political unrest or instability in countries where Fortuna is active; labor relations issues; as well as those factors discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward looking Statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended.

Forward looking Statements contained herein are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management, including but not limited to expectations regarding mine production costs; expected trends in mineral prices and currency exchange rates; the accuracy of the Company's current mineral resource and reserve estimates; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company or its properties; that all required approvals will be obtained; that there will be no significant disruptions affecting operations and such other assumptions as set out herein. Forward looking Statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any Forward looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. There can be no assurance that Forward looking Statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on Forward looking Statements.

Contacts:

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Carlos Baca

Investor Relations

T (Peru): +51.1.616.6060, ext. 0




LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - RocketSpace today announced plans to open a state-of-the-art campus in London, designed specifically for high-growth tech startups. The tech campus will be RocketSpace's first international location, enabling the San Francisco-based company to provide startup members and corporate clients with global access to its unique community and services. Since launching in 2011, RocketSpace members have included more than 750 tech startups and 16 unicorns including Uber, Blippar, SuperCell and Spotify.

The campus, located steps from Angel Tube station, will initially hold up to 1,500 members at its opening in early 2017. Services and amenities will accommodate the needs of growing tech startup teams, including office-as-a-service, a multi-gigabit Internet connection, cafe, collaborative workspaces, and a large event space. Members will have access to hands-on workshops, peer group roundtables, trend talks and networking events, among other services.

"London's tech community continues to rapidly expand and drive innovation," said RocketSpace Founder and CEO Duncan Logan. "Creating a physical presence here is critical to our expansion strategy and mission to build an ecosystem for innovation to thrive, across a global network of campuses. We are very excited about working with London's tech entrepreneurs, who are creating some of the most disruptive technologies of the future."

"RocketSpace gave us access to resources we needed when we opened our first San Francisco office and it was a great launchpad for our growth in the region," said Ambarish Mitra, CEO and co-founder of London-based Blippar. "Being a member gets you much more than a great office."

RocketSpace's future home in the Regents House is currently occupied by The Royal Bank of Scotland, who is the development partner for the campus. RBS's support is further evidence of its commitment to innovation and growing the UK tech ecosystem. UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and London & Partners have also been valuable supporters of RocketSpace's expansion.

"It's a real testament to the UK's thriving tech community that a pioneering company like RocketSpace has chosen the UK as their first office outside of the US," said Simon McNamara, Chief Administrative Officer for RBS. "We recognise that the technology industry will be a key growth area for the UK in the coming years so we are delighted to play a part in helping RocketSpace locate here, as we aim to build stronger links with innovative startups."

The London location will also provide members with access to leading global corporations, including RocketSpace's Corporate Innovation Services clients like Tata Communications, Axel-Springer, Lufthansa Cargo and Schneider Electric. At the intersection of startups and corporates, RocketSpace has helped more than 100 corporations plug into the startup ecosystem and drive disruption in their industry.

Like its San Francisco campus, RocketSpace membership will be focused on funded tech startups with space for teams of 1 to 100 people. Interested in learning more or becoming a member? Please visit: http://info.rocketspace.com/london-tech-startup-campus.

About RocketSpace

RocketSpace is a technology campus headquartered in the heart of San Francisco. Since 2011, the company has been helping tech entrepreneurs, startups and corporate innovation professionals bring the future to market. The company offers services to its members including programming, consulting, events, and office-as-a-service, which together create the perfect ecosystem and community for innovation to thrive. Select startup alumni include Uber, Spotify, Practice Fusion, and Leap Motion, and RocketSpace's roster of Corporate Innovation Services clients include JetBlue, Schneider Electric, Converse, Tata Communications, Royal Bank of Scotland, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and ABinBev. For more information, visit www.rocketspace.com.

About RBS

RBS is a UK-based banking and financial services company, headquartered in Edinburgh. RBS provides a wide range of products and services to personal, commercial and large corporate and institutional customers through its two main subsidiaries, The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest, as well as through a number of other well-known brands including Ulster Bank and Coutts.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/5/9/11G097300/Images/RocketSpace_campus_design-0246867f506e86dbb7934c9940836ea1.jpg

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/5/9/11G097300/Images/mw1aibbf3041hemfc41eo12jaone2-1461c394d7589824871b6ca008b2645d.jpg

Press Contact:

Deann Sonoda

dsonoda@rocketspace.com

(415) 508-8295
Global alternative asset firm TPG Capital closed its latest North American- and European-focused private equity fund, at $10.5 billion.

TPG Partners VII, whose commitments include new and returning investors as well as $400m from TPG and its personnel, has so far invested $2.1 billion across six companies, including:

 Cirque du Soleil,

 real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield,

 educational software company Ellucian,

 integrated midstream company EnLink,

 Life Time Fitness, and

 U.K. retail chain Poundworld.

Led by Co-CEOs Jim Coulter and Jon Winkelried, Managing Partner Todd Sisitsky, and Chief Investment Officer and Partner Jonathan Coslet, TPG is a global private investment firm with over $70 billion of assets under management and offices in San Francisco, Fort Worth, Austin, Dallas, Houston, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Luxembourg, Melbourne, Moscow, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Singapore, and Tokyo.

The firms investment platforms are across a wide range of asset classes including private equity, growth venture, real estate, credit, and public equity.

FinSMEs

09/05/2016
General Motors India has rolled out its first vehicle meant for the Argentinian market. The Chevrolet Beat marks GM India's first car entering Argentina, with the first shipment leaving the following month. The Chevrolet Beat is already exported to Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean countries (CAC) and Uruguay. With Argentina joining the ranks, this marks the sixth major export market for GM India. The Beat is the sixth most exported vehicle out of India, with 37,082 units during the 2015-16 fiscal year. The Beat is...
Indians are still waiting for the proverbial acche din but a couple of recent markers suggest that the Narendra Modi regime is working behind the scenes to ensure a cleaner and more efficient government  which was part of his campaign promise in 2014.

One, bureaucratic deadwood  the biggest spanner between planning and implementation  has been rooted out and two, India's crony capitalists have witnessed a sharp reduction in their fortunes.

A study on global crony capitalism conducted by The Economist and published in its latest issue on Saturday indicates that crony wealth has dipped to three percent of GDP in India, down from 18 percent in 2008 when the Congress-led UPA government was in power.

The London-based weekly had famously written against Modi just before the General Election in 2014 and "recommended" a Rahul Gandhi-led Congress government to Indians instead.

The newspaper has now applauded the government for cleaning up its act and getting tough with corruption.

"Encouragingly, India seems to be cleaning up its act. In 2008, crony wealth reached 18% of GDP, putting it on a par with Russia. Today it stands at three percent, a level similar to Australia The government has got tough on graft, and the central bank has prodded state-owned lenders to stop giving sweetheart deals to moguls."

To be sure, cronyism has taken a hit not just in India, but worldwide.

And it seems to be a combination of government efforts, tanking commodity prices (which affects value of mines, steel mills and oilfield concessions), emerging market woes and bursting of Asia's property market bubble.

But even if India was part of a global trend, being part of the emerging economy it had to work doubly hard to clean its backyard of rent-seeking tycoons who typically capitalise on licence-permit raj and cheap labour to further their monopoly. The unsustainable gains pocketed due to low competition evaporate when market opens up and the fat cats then arm-twist the government to bail them out.

In 2014, a poll carried out by the same newspaper had projected a bleak picture. It found that "Ninety-six percent of Indians said corruption was holding their country back, and 92 percent thought it has got worse in the past five years."

Capitalism based on sweetheart deals from well-heeled friends in government and banks that is part of the family empire is also bad for the long-term growth of economy. Crucially, it misallocates public resources.

It is here that the Modi government deserve plaudits. It is targeting profiteering from rent-seeking and has tried to break the incestuous nexus between industrialists, politicians and banks. It has also been helped by an able Reserve Bank governor in Raghuram Rajan.

The Economist index, built on the work done by Ruchir Sharma of Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Aditi Gandhi and Michael Walton of Delhis Centre for Policy Research, among others, uses data on billionaires fortunes from rankings by Forbes. It mentions India's Vijay Mallya as one of the tycoons now feeling the heat.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently sought an Interpol notice against Mallya for his alleged role in siphoning off part of an IDBI Bank loan of Rs 950 crore, sanctioned to Kingfisher Airlines in 2010.

According to a report in Business Standard, ED's Mumbai office has officially moved for a "red-corner notice" against the Kingfisher Airlines promoter on the basis of a non-bailable warrant issued by a special court on April 18.

But if this is one part of the story, the other part is cutting the flab in bureaucracy. Ever since he assumed office on 7 Race Course Road, Modi has targeted the babus and India's feared red-tapism.

Last October it emerged how once a month, Modi holds a meeting with top bureaucrats at the Centre and states to check why projects have not got off the ground and how his intervention has helped revive nearly $60 billion in Central and state projects.

On the fourth Wednesday of each month, bureaucrats in the Centre and state are linked by video to Modi's office, and the Prime Minister reportedly asks the representative of the ministry "Please tell me why it (the project) hasn't happened," said a Reuters report.

Since 2014 up until November last year, the NDA government had either transferred or slapped pension cuts on 45 senior officers for "unsatisfactory performance and delivery in public service".

In January this year, Firstpost pointed out how Modi, during a meeting of the ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform for proactive governance and timely implementation (PRAGATI), delivered a stern and definite warning to those creating impediments in the roll out of the governments scheme. The prime minister had directed all secretaries of the government of India and chief secretaries of the states to devise a way to get rid of bad apples in the structure of governance.

That Modi was not firing blanks became clear on 5 May when 33 Class 1 officials above 50 years of age were forced to take premature retirement due to "non-performance". Never before has action been taken against such a large group of senior bureaucrats and it delivered a firm message that officials are not immune to indifference, poor performance or if they are found to be harassing the public.

The calibrated steps make it clear that Modi understands the dangers of a recalcitrant civil service which may still harbor ideological proclivity and loyalty towards his opposition. Weeding out the inept and the unwilling, therefore, is the right step. With time fast running out, Modi knows that he needs to deliver.

The fight has just begun.
The Economist report based on its crony capitalism index shows that crony capitalists, world over, are facing a downfall. It gives examples from various countries, where cronies are being chased by local governments and investigators and how their wealth has crashed over years.

Going by the report, in India too, the crony wealth as a percentage of GDP has fallen drastically from 18 percent of GDP in 2008 to 3 percent in 2016. Based on the nominal GDP numbers, in absolute terms the crony wealth has fallen to Rs 3.4 lakh crore (on Rs 113.5 lakh crore nominal GDP in 2016) from Rs 9 lakh crore (on Rs 49.9 lakh crore nominal GDP in 2008). Its certainly good news and, if true, the world is changing as a better place to live.

The report acknowledges the factors that have caused this. A slump in commodity prices has obliterated the balance sheets of its Wild West mining tycoons. The government has got tough on graft, and the central bank has prodded state-owned lenders to stop giving sweetheart deals to moguls. In the Indian context, of these factors listed by the Economist, the only convincing ones are the fall in commodity prices and slowdown in world economies.

The dictionary meaning of the word crony is a close friend or companion, normally used in the context where this companion (a politician in power or a businessman) is willing to give or accept a dishonest help. So, usually, when we say he is a crony capitalist, the person has received some favors from his political connections to grow his wealth, which in the normal course of law and regulations, he wouldnt have received. In other words, they are beneficiaries of pure favoritism.

In the context of the Economist report, there are two major questions here:

First, how does one know if an industrialist is crony capitalist or not? This is what the Economist has said how it has arrived at the crony list. Our index builds on work by Ruchir Sharma of Morgan Stanley Investment Management and Aditi Gandhi and Michael Walton of Delhis Centre for Policy Research, among others. It uses data on billionaires fortunes from rankings by Forbes. We label each billionaire as a crony or not, based on the industry in which he is most active.

There is a problem with labeling someone as crony (someone in an unholy relation) just because they are operating in a sector where there is a good chance of government favoring the party or offering opportunity for rent-seeking income, which, as the Economist says, happens when the owners of an input of productionland, labour, machines, capitalextract more profit than they would get in a competitive market. Cartels, monopolies and lobbying are common ways to extract rents.

Unless the charges of unholy nexus or favoritism are proved without doubt, it isnt fair to tag someone as a crony or crook. In that sense, the Economist list is actually a list of probable cronies or potential cronies than cronies as we know them.

In the Indian context, even if one assumes that those listed by Economist are fine cronies (who have benefited from favouritism either in the form of getting licences they shouldnt have in proper channels or opportunity for rent-seeking income), the crash in their wealth has hardly anything to do with the other two factors used in the contextthe governments fight against graft or the banking sector clean up given that the period mentioned is 2008-2016.

The efforts to cleaning up bank balance sheets and preventing evergreening has happened only in the last one year or so when the RBI withdrew the regulatory forbearance on rejigged loans and later set a deadline for banks to clean up their balance sheets. Secondly, the government action against cronies was virtually absent when UPA was in power and whatever efforts began happened after the Modi-government came to power in May 2014 -- not long enough time for crony wealth to erode to such extent.

Hence, we have no reasons to believe that the crony hunt that has reflected in their wealth erosion has anything to do with Modi-governments anti-graft measures or banking sector clean-up so far.

The only major case of Indian crony-hunting in the Modi-era, as the Economist highlighted, is that of ponytailed Indian tycoon, Vijay Mallya, who is now fighting his case on the Rs 9,000 crore loan default to 17-banks from London.

This is not to deny the fact that Modi-government has acted on cronies compared with the UPA-regime by more prudent ways of allocating natural resources and daring to take action against corporate tycoons. But, there is no evidence to believe thats the primary reason which caused the drop in crony wealth.

As former RBI deputy governor, K C Chakravarty pointed out in an interview to New York Times, Mallya is only the symptom of the underlying problem and the not the problem. The real, bigger crooks are out in the open. Its too early to even imagine that the crony-political nexus is broken. The larger issues lie in transparency in political funding. Till the time politicians thrive on corporate money, there is no end to cronyism.

One shouldnt be surprised if another report surges with a finding that crony wealth (cronies as defined by Economist) has surged again when commodity prices and global equity, currency markets rebound and property prices spike. In the phase of prolonged economic slowdown, not just cronies, even non-cronies have lost wealth. Thats the real reason for their drop in the wealth rather than political, regulatory actions.
New Delhi: About Rs 43,000 crore is lying in inoperative Employees' Provident Fund accounts and interest would be credited to such accounts, government said on Monday.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya told Lok Sabha that 118.66 lakh claims were settled by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in 2015-16, adding that 98 per cent of them were settled within 20 days.

"There is around Rs 43,000 crore in inoperative (EPF) accounts," Dattatreya said during Question Hour.

Listing the steps taken, the Minister said it has been recently decided to credit interest to the inoperative accounts.

Emphasising that there is lot of confusion about inoperative and unclaimed accounts, he said the government has launched the initiative for one member, one EPF account.

EPFO has allotted Universal Account Number (UAN) for portability and consolidation of all previous accounts.

In 2015-16, 118.66 lakh claims were settled by the EPFO while the numbers stood at 130.21 lakh and 123.36 lakh in 2014-15 and 2013-14, respectively. According to the Minister, 1.18 lakh claims were pending for settlement in 2015-16.

He also said that prosecution would be initiated against those violating EPFO norms.

Responding to supplementaries regarding the unorganised sector, Dattatreya said the government has given priority to construction workers in this segment. They would be given UAN so that they can avail the benefits, he added.

Besides, pilot projects would be started in Delhi and Hyderabad for auto-rickshaw drivers and rickshaw pullers, the Minister said.

Dattatreya said then the priority would be for anganwadi, mid-day meal scheme and Aasha workers.

He said Online Transfer Claim Portal has also been introduced.

Further, Dattatreya said employees whose Aadhaar or Permanent Account Number (PAN) have been seeded in their UAN and activated by their employers, may submit claim forms directly to the EPFO without attestation of their employers.
Technology startups seem to be slowly losing their edge after enjoying billion dollar valuations till last year. With high-profile private equity funds and other investors slashing their investment valuations in the big Indian startups, the latest to face the markdown has been the restaurant-discovery platform Zomato.

According to media reports, HSBC's brokerage arm has now cut the valuation of Zomato, a move that comes close on the heels of valuation downgrade in e-commerce player Flipkart some time back.

HSBC has cited concerns surrounding Zomatos advertisement-heavy business model, growing competition in the food ordering space and money-losing international operations for the lower valuation, according to a report in Mint.

Zomato Media Pvt Ltd has now been valued at $500 million by HSBC Securities & Capital Markets (India) Pvt Ltd, about half the valuation at which the restaurant search firm raised its last round of funding in September.

However, Zomato's largest shareholders Info Edge (India) has disagreed with HSBC's contention, saying the restaurant listings company will become profitable very soon.

We respectfully disagree with several of the points raised by the HSBC report, Mint quoted Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice-chairman of Info Edge, in a telephone interview.

InfoEdge holds nearly 50 percent in the Gurgaon-based Zomato and also runs web sites like Naukri.com, 99acres and Jeevansathi, among others.

HSBC, in its 19 April report, initiating coverage of Info Edge (India), said that except for its job website Naukri.com, other businesses in the portfolio do not look promising.

We do a DCF (discounted cash flow) and value the (Zomato) business at about 50% lower to the $1 billion valuation, HSBC analyst Rajiv Sharma said in the note to clients. Zomato is present in 23 markets so early on and none is profitable, implies that to address both the investments in last mile delivery and losses in international operations fund raising will be a continuous phenomenon, suggesting current valuations dont make much sense," the report said.

In the same report, HSBC also lowered the valuation of another InfoEdge investee company, PolicyBazaar, by 10 percent from the current $200 million.

However, Zomato has disagreed saying, "We've not raised any financing round since the last one to have a valuation reset. Our investors are as bullish about Zomato as they were before. We are growing fast and are on course to become profitable as a company very soon. Beyond this, we do not want to comment on valuation markdown speculation of third parties," said Times of India quoting the company's spokesperson.

Zomato raised $60 million in fresh capital in September 2015, largely from Singapores Temasek Holdings Pte and existing investor Vy Capital, valuing the company at about a billion dollars. The company, in which Info Edge owns about 47%, has raised about $225 million since inception in 2008.

Food technology start-ups in the country have suffered due to a slowdown in funding, with some either closing down or getting acquired after failing to raise capital, Mint report said. In January, Zomato too shut operations in four citiesLucknow, Kochi, Indore and Coimbatore.

Last week, two more foreign mutual funds marked down the value of their holdings in Indias biggest ecommerce firm Flipkart.

Valic Co has marked down the value of its Flipkart holding by 29.4 percent to $82 a share as of February, from $135.8 a share in August, according to its regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, The Hindu said.

Another fund owned by Fidelity has marked down the value of its holding in Flipkart by 39.6 per cent to $82 a share in February, down from $135.8 a share in August.
NEW DELHI Malaysian utility Tenaga Nasional, backed by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional, will buy a 30 percent stake in the energy unit of indebted Indian infrastructure group GMR for $300 million in cash, the companies said on Monday.

The deal comes as most Indian power companies are struggling with softer-than-expected demand and heavy debt brought on by years of aggressive expansion, inviting pressure from lenders to divest assets to repay loans.

But the entry of a deep-pocketed foreign player like Tenaga into an economy looking to provide power to its 1.3 billion people, widens the pool of potential buyers for other Indian power companies also looking to sell stakes while expanding operations.

"India has a large and supply-constrained power market with demand spurred by economic growth and (Tenaga) will be able to capture the long-term growth of the Indian electricity market," Tenaga said in a statement. (bit.ly/1OaG0a0)

GMR, known for the Mumbai and New Delhi airports it has helped develop, said it will use the proceeds from the deal to cut debt. Its net debt was 410 billion rupees ($6.15 billion) as of last year. (reut.rs/1UMw3B0)

GMR Energy, whose investors include Singapore-based Temasek Holdings and a consortium led by India's IDFC Bank, has an operating capacity of around 2,300 megawatts (MW) and a pipeline of around 2,330 MW more projects, mainly coal and gas-fired but also hydro and solar energy.

Tenaga said the partnership with GMR will come with "significant opportunities to further develop renewable energy assets, in particular solar", and is in-line with its five-year plan to secure new generation capacity internationally.

($1 = 66.6202 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Krishna N. Das, editing by David Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Bihar has a small diaspora of non-Bihari Indians. Living in the state for generations, they often come across as more Bihari than the true sons of the soil. Aditya Sachdeva, a young promising lad from a businessmans family in Gaya, belonged to this diaspora, coming from a respected Punjabi Khatri family of Gaya.

Of all the stories being told about Bihar, the most enduring and inspiring narratives are woven around the enterprise of this community that comprises Marwaris, Khatris, Sikhs, Bengalis and a good number of South Indians. Marwaris, Khatris and Sikhs largely control trading that forms the biggest economic activity apart from the state-sponsored infrastructure development programme. You can hear a Sikh speaking fluent Bhojpuri in Siwan and Khatri trader indulging his customer in Mathili in Darbhanga.

In feudal and caste-ridden Bihar, trust was the only factor that motivated this diaspora to stay put in Bihar despite much social turmoil and ordeal. Aditya Sachdevas murder by Rocky Yadav, son of ruling party legislator Manorama Devi, has almost strained this trust to the breaking point. At the Punjabi mohalla in Gaya city, where a large section of Punjabi Khatri community lives, there is palpable fear.

Bindi Yadav, father of accused Rocky Yadav and husband of legislator Manorama Devi, is not an ordinary man. He is known as the uncrowned king of the underworld with unfettered access to arms and ammunition. In the police's perception, he is a man who maintained a delicate balance between the radical Left and the state. He was known as supplier of arms to the Maoists while staying on the right side of the state during the Lalu-Rabri regime.

Bindi Yadavs widening arc of underworld activity was an attraction not only for Maoists and Lalu Prasad-Rabri, but also for Nitish Kumars Janata Dal (U). Though he was not directly inducted into politics, his wife was roped in apparently to take advantage of Bindi Yadavs influence. Power flows through the barrel of the gun is a political truism of the region that the latter exemplified. Ironically in Gaya, Jehanabad and adjoining areas, there has been little attempt by political leaders to change perceived correlation between political power and guns.

In this context, it will be naive to think that Rocky Yadav getting enraged over being overtaken by a traders son and his friend and killing him are an aberration. Politics in Bihar, cutting across party lines, has patronised the culture of Mafiosi. The by-product of this culture is Rocky Yadavs across the state.

But Adityas murder reveals a different story of Bihar that concerns its small non-Bihari Indian diaspora which stands as testimony to the states inclusiveness. The most troubling aspect of the crime is that Bindi Yadav and Rocky Yadav are cocksure of getting away with the murder despite overwhelming evidence against them. It will be almost impossible for a Punjabi Khatri family to take on a dreaded gangster who is adept at manipulating not only the criminal justice system but also the state. The family will be exposed to enormous risks should they decide to pursue the course of justice.

There is all possibility of Adityas murder triggering panic reaction among affluent and educated Marwaris, Punjabi Khatris and Sikhs, driving them to wind up or whittle down their business enterprises and shift base to neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand or West Bengal. This is not the first time that non-Bihari residents have found themselves in such a situation. In the 15 years of the Lalu-Rabri regime, businessmen and traders migrated to other places due to deteriorating law and order situation.

However in Nitish Kumars time, the economy grew manifold with budget figures touching nearly Rs 1.48 lakh crore from a measly Rs 28,000 crore in Lalus time in 1995. This offered opportunities and attraction for the non-Bihari diaspora to expand business and make the state their home. This is the precise reason why the traders community reposed immense faith in Nitish Kumars capability as a leader. But there are harsh truths that cannot be overlooked.

Adityas brutal killing by the son of a legislator associated with Nitish Kumars party will grossly undermine this diasporas trust in state and faith in the rule of law. This is quite similar to the brutal murder of Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah on 5 December, 1994 by gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh near Patna. Since Krishnaiah was an IAS officer of the Bihar cadre, the state bureaucracy lent its might to take the case to the logical end and ensured conviction of Anand Mohan. The Sachdevas of Gaya will be left to fend for themselves.

There are enough reasons for Nitish Kumar to be worried about such an emerging scenario in the state. Though the non-Bihari diaspora may not be significant in electoral terms in the state, they carry the unique capacity to disseminate the right messages across the country. At a time when the Bihar chief minister has been making a determined attempt to pitch himself for the national stage, this diasporas plight and alienation would expose his Achilles heel.
New Delhi: The parliament on Monday gave nod to the Anti-Hijacking Bill that provides for death penalty to the offenders in case of death of hostages or security personnel with the Lok Sabha giving its assent to the legislation on Monday.

The bill, which also has life imprisonment as punishment for the offence as well as confiscation of movable and immovable property of the accused, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on 17 December, 2014 and cleared by the upper house of the parliament on 5 May.

Raju said with the bill's passage, the definition of "hijack" has been widened and penalties enhanced.

"We will continue to ensure safety of Indian skies," he said.

The bill amends the 1982 act which only provided for death penalty for the hijackers only in the event of death of the hostages.

The Anti-Hijacking Act of 1982 had undergone minor changes in 1994. But the need for giving "more teeth" to law-enforcing agencies vis-a-vis aircraft hijacking was felt in India after the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 on 24 December, 1999.

The use of planes the 9/11 attacked also pushed the need to amend existing anti-hijacking laws.

Under the new law, the central government may confer powers of investigation, arrest and prosecution on any officer of the central government or the National Investigation Agency. It also says an accused cannot be released on bail or bond unless among other things, the designated court is satisfied that there is reason to believe the accused is innocent and is unlikely to commit any offence while on bail.

The accused in the hijacking cases have to be tried by a sessions court which is notified to be a designated court by the state government concerned. "In case the investigation is carried out by the National Investigation Agency, the designated court shall be a court set up under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008," the bill reads.

During the debate, members cutting across party lines also remembered Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am air hostess who died saving passengers on a hijacked flight in 1986.

Congress member Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said she sacrificed her life while securing the passengers, while Saugata Roy of the Trinamool Congress said she was a courageous woman.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi member BN Goud said the US-based Pan Am did not provide any compensation to Indian crew members.

Bhanot, the senior-most flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, was shot dead by terrorists who had hijacked the flight in Karachi on September 5, 1986.

She also later became the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime military award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra.
New Delhi: The government on Monday said there are plans to introduce as many as 500 free courses in ten languages through open and distance learning mode this year.

The government along with the University Grants Commission (UGC) are also examining the regulations pertaining to Open and Distance Learning (ODL), HRD Minister Smriti Irani said during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha.

The major streams offered in ODL education include humanities, social sciences and general science.

The Human Resource Development Minister said there are plans to introduce 500 courses in 10 languages in open and distance learning mode this year. These are proposed to be provided through online and mobile applications and would be offered free of cost, she noted.

"The regulations for Open Distance Learning need introspection... In conjunction with the University Grants Commission (UGC), we are introspecting," Irani said.

Currently, there is one central university  Indira Gandhi National Open University  and 14 public-funded State Open Universities offering programmes in the ODL field.

Besides, Distance Education Institutions (DEIs) of conventional universities and deemed universities provide such programmes.

As part of efforts to improve the overall curriculum, Irani said discussions are on with various global entities.

Irani said the government is discussing with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on improving the curriculum offered at National Institute of Technology (NITs).

Besides, talks are also going on with Stanford University aimed at increasing the educational output at engineering colleges, she added.

To another question, Irani said the government plans to open Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in 62 districts, which do not have one, this year.

On whether the quota for parliamentarians in Kendriya Vidyalayas would be increased, Irani said it was this government which had raised it to ten from six seats.

"At this time, it will not be proper to increase it (further)," the Minister said.

When asked whether similar system would be introduced for Navodaya Vidyalayas, she said in these schools, the admissions are based on entrance test and merits.

"Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has received 163 proposals for establishment of new Kendriya Vidyalayas at various places the country," she said.

Irani said the proposals for opening Kendriya Vidyalayas are considered only after their feasibility is established and subject to availability of resources and sanction of competent authority.

"Similarly, JNVs are opened in districts not having the same after land and temporary accommodation are arranged bythe state government/union territory administration and subject to availability of resources and sanction of competent authority," she added.
Srinagar: People of Jammu and Kashmir become the first casualty of any hostile environment between India and Pakistan, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday, underlining that only sustained peace in the region can allow her government to resuscitate the financial health of the state which has been caught in a "web of violence".

"The people of J-K become the first casualty of any hostile environment between India and Pakistan. Since partition, Kashmir, the paradise on earth, has been caught in a web of violence and this has adversely affected our economy and prevented our state from realising its full potential," Mehbooba said in Srinagar.

The Chief Minister was addressing a gathering after jointly inaugurating the first-ever National Khadi Exhibition with Union MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra at Kashmir Haat in Srinagar.

She said that only sustained peace in the region can allow her government to resuscitate the state's financial health by reviving core sectors of economy, including small-scale industries.

"The instability in the region has adversely impacted the economy of the state. It is with sustained peace that my government will be able to resuscitate the state's financial health," she said.

Mehbooba said her father and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had made a "historic beginning" in 2003 to bring Kashmir out of the "quagmire of violence".

"During his first tenure as Chief Minister, peace returned on borders, and India and Pakistan talked business for the very first time," she said.

"When the bus carrying visitors from across the LoC arrived at Srinagar from Muzaffarabad, people could not believe the unfolding of a new era of peace and stability in the region. Unfortunately, that peace initiative was not taken forward," she said.

Mehbooba said she chose to follow in the footsteps of her father by aligning with BJP as the party ruling at the Centre could revive the peace process in the region.

"I chose to follow the footsteps of my father, who had chosen the toughest option of aligning with BJP, which alone guarantees a representative government that respects the wishes and aspirations of people in all the three regions of the state and could revive the peace process in the region.

"With thaw in relations between the two neighbours, I am hopeful that dividends of peace will reach the people with dignity and honour," the Chief Minister said.

Mehbooba said efforts are being made to revive the cross-LoC trade at Chakan da Bagh, in Poonch, and Salamabad, in Uri, Baramulla, by shifting to the banking system of operation from barter trade.

She also spoke about broadening the scope of LoC commerce by incorporating more tradable items in the approved list as well as opening additional crossing points to boost travel across the LoC.

Referring to the huge potential of micro, small and medium enterprises in employment generation, the Chief Minister sought greater financial support and technical know-how from the Centre in revitalising the state's industrial sector.

"I seek the Centre's support in promotion of famed handicrafts of the state. I urge Mishra to pay special attention towards this sector, which has a huge export market overseas," she said.

The MSME Minister, in his address, said the Khadi exhibition would help young industrialists to find buyers for their products.

He said the central government would extend all possible help to the young entrepreneurs in the state and also referred to his meeting with the Chief Minister in which issues of skill development and promotion of MSME sector were discussed in detail.

During the month-long exhibition, over 200 stalls of Khadi and village products from J-K and outside would be showcased where people can buy wide array of products on affordable rates.
New Delhi: The decision to bury the bodies of four JeM terrorists, slain during the Pathankot IAF base assault, was taken after Islamabad dismissed NIA's claims about their identity as "unverifiable".

Official sources said Pakistan had been provided with "all relevant information", including their addresses and parentage, but the authorities there said the information shared by India "could not be verified and it could be treated as unverifiable".

Following this, the NIA, after consultations with the government, decided to bury the bodies at an undisclosed location in the garrison city.

The bodies had been kept in the mortuary of the Pathankot Civil Hospital since 3 January. The four were killed after an 80-hour gunbattle which began on the intervening night of 1 and 2 January.

NIA had shared swabs of the four terrorists with the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) from Pakistan that had visited India in March-April.

The anti-terror probe agency, which has preserved their DNA samples, had asked Pakistan to collect and send such samples of the people residing in places linked to the slain terrorists whose addresses had been shared with JIT.

The NIA had told the JIT about the identities of the terrorists and later sent supplementary information about their parentage and residential addresses.

One of the terrorists was identified as Nasir Hussain who stayed at Vehari, a town 100 km from Multan in Punjab province of Pakistan. He was the son of Mohd Mansa who lived in house number WB-89, Mohalla Chak in the town.

Hussain was also identified as Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist who had called up his mother Khayyam Babbar minutes before the terror group launched the suicide attack on the IAF base.

Another terrorist was identified as Hafiz Abu Bakar, son of Mohammed Fazil and resident of Gujranwala in Pakistan.

Umer Farooq was stated to be son of Abdul Samad of Madni Road, Mohalla Madisah, Shahdadpur in Sindh province of Pakistan, while the fourth terrorist Abdul Qayum was son of Mohamed Amin, a resident of Chachar, Tehsil Pano Akil, district Sukkur also in Sindh.
Should break their legs, rages 66-year-old Cheruvayal Raman (fondly called Ramettan). He had bought some sardines from the market. The minute they were immersed in water to wash, all of them dissolved. It seems they were called Oman sardines. They were full of chemicals and preservatives, he says.

Ramettan indeed has the right to be angry because he has been toiling for the last 56 years to preserve traditional methods of farming. He never uses any chemicals. We live for food and we do not get it without poison. Should break their legs, his anger was not against the shopkeeper who sold the sardine but against the system.

In the Kerala farm sector, Ramettan, a Kurichiya tribe by birth, is leading a battle to preserve age-old traditions of cultivation that were prevalent among the Adivasis of Wayanad. But it is not an easy one. And therein lies his relevance.

With the Green Revolution the focus was on increasing the yield. This resulted in death of many indigenous seed varieties that had medicinal and other qualities. Ramettan has been in the forefront to preserve many such varieties of the Wayanad region. Inspired by him, there are many such groups in Kerala now. The awareness has increased, says Illias KP, secretary, Kerala Jaiva Karshaka Samithi, explaining the significance of Ramettans life and work.

Ramettan, who lives in a hut that could be 150 or so years old near Valliyoorkavu, knows Wayand inside out. It used to be terribly cold in December-January in those days. You would feel your blood is freezing. There used to be rains almost every month. Winds used to blow from east, west, north and south. These are not there now. The climatic balance has been disturbed. And we are responsible for that. In Wayanad, one major reason is the settlers. They bought land and the aboriginals were ousted. Those who settled here did not follow the traditional way of farming, he says.

Here are edited excerpts of an interview:

What is the most bugging problem for you as farmer now?

Climate change. Wayanad has deformed. The forest has disappeared. Thick forest was the peculiarity of this region. I started farming when I was 10 years of age in 1960. Wayanad in those days used to have forest, rivulets, streams, marsh lands. There were many types of animals, birds, insects, dragon flies and moths. Fish were in abundance. All of them have disappeared. We used to have joint family system and joint farming. Everybody used to help each other. They are all gone. All these are big challenges.

In those days we never had any expenditure, not even 10 paise. Everything was done collectively. But now-a-days there is nobody to work in the fields. Along with that comes the changes in the climatic conditions which have made matters worse.

When did you start feeling the pinch of climate change?

Climate change has been evident right from 1970s. In 1950s and 60s, there used to be natural springs in all the corners of fields. Water used to gush out as if from a 5-10 hp motor pump. Now you dont see such springs anywhere. These springs have been drying up for the last 35-40 years. I could feel the decline every year. The ecological system of Wayanad has gone for a toss. Things have gone out of control now. Wayanad used to be different from other districts because of the biodiversity. There used to be 90 types of fish in the Mananthavady river. But today where have they gone?

The question is how should we see 'development'? Development is when we are self reliant, not dependent on others for anything. Good food, soil, air, clothes, water all should be made, cultivated in our own region. We should grow without being dependent on others. I am not saying roads are not required. We need roads. We need hospitals to cure deceases. But that is not what we got.

How should our country exist? How should we attain food security? These should have been the issues highlighted by the political parties in their election manifesto. They promise food for all. But where do they get rice from? I just cannot believe what they say.

Who is responsible for this situation?

We cannot accuse any single person or entity as the reason for this kind of downfall. It is the society that has brought about this change. The people, the rulers are all part of it.

The biggest problem with Wayanad is water. Secondly, the agriculture sector is dying. I am not saying there has not been progress at all. We have the countries of the world on our finger tips. That is good. But such development is all being misused.

How are you coping with the climate change?

It is a gamble. We calculate. For example, this year the rain has had a two month gap. The summer rain should have started in the beginning of March. But this time it started by April 26-27. So we calculate that the rain will continue until November-December. That is how we calculate. So we sow accordingly. But there is no guarantee that this will indeed be so. When the calculations go wrong everything loses balance. When agriculture loses balance, human beings will also lose balance. It impacts everything you do, including love. We are going into deeper darkness. I have no clear answers for questions on climate. It is all based on my experience.

What do you think is the way out?

The only way out is control our show-off. Why do we need 4-5 cars in one house?

What do you think the government should do?

The government should devise policies for the indigenous cultivation methods. Only individuals won't do. I inherited some 5-6 indigenous seeds from my uncle who died in 1989. It is in 2004 for the first time the world came to know of my farming methods and seeds. But until now nobody from the government has ever approached me with any help or enquiries about how to protect or preserve these items. I incur huge losses for preserving this. I lose around Rs 20,000-30,000 yearly for preserving the indigenous seeds. This is not profitable. I cannot sell and make money out of seeds. Nobody in this country has ever felt that he should ask how I am doing this and what are the losses that I suffer on account of my work or felt that that he should help me continue the work. (Ramettan is a recipient of many awards, including Kerala Biodiversity Boards green award in 2012).

Have you approached the government?

Why should I go to the government? My story is all over the net. You can see that in Youtube. Is there anybody who doesn't know about it?

One Rajesh Nair from the US once sent me some money, some Rs 13,000. That was in 2012-13. He saw on the TV about my story and the toil that take. I have carefully kept all his details and the letter he sent as a monument. He is the first one to help me financially.

Tell us about your work.

I preserve 40 indigenous seed varieties of paddy. I cultivate all those every year. I visit colleges, schools across the state to give lectures on agriculture. Students come here to learn, do research. Now inspired with my work, there are a few others in Kerala doing similar work.

Of the 40 acres I own, I cultivate only 3-4 acre. The balance is taken up by my family members. Of the 3-4 acres I do, one-one-and-half acres is only for seed preservation. Moreover, I have given away seeds to many people. Not for money. My only condition is that they should cultivate and return the seeds. But nobody does that. I do this to protect the seeds  so that even if something happens to the seeds that I have, it is safe with somebody else.

Does the agriculture department or university do something like this?

No. However, the agriculture department has given me a laptop to conduct Krishi Patham (lessons in cultivation). The plan is to impart classes on cultivation to students via video. The department had given me Rs 50,000 for the project. I am spending another Rs 20,000. I had to buy some chairs and an almirah to keep the lap top.

How do you think this can be sustained?

I should get some help which need not be repaid. This is not a business. I cultivate each seed in 3-4 scents. I keep aside some of the produce for my own use at home. I can do only one crop, not two. So I cultivate and keep aside some for my own use at home. Everything else is to preserve seeds. So I sell nothing. Then how do I go ahead? I should get at least Rs 30,000 every year without repayment obligation. That will not help me make any profit. But I need that much to sustain this.

What all plants do you preserve?

My focus is on paddy seeds. That is because once you lose paddy seeds, you never get it back. I think the seeds that I preserve should be at least 500 years old because they were inherited over generations. But which institution does preserve such things now? Everybody utilises the maximum and destroys.

Have you preserved pepper seeds?

Pepper seeds won't last. We had various types of pepper such as Karinkotta, karivalankotta, Vellavalankotta, Uthiran, Upputhiran, Kallyvally, Cheruvally and others. All these are lost completely. Now we have only hybrid items. Coffee and pepper are completely dependent on climatic conditions. One reason we lost all these varieties is the change in climate. Another reason is the use of pesticides. That has affected pepper very badly.

Have you taken patent for any of the seeds?

I haven't but some 20 seeds have been patented by MS Swaminathan Foundation. They have taken patent for seeds preserved by Kuruchya-Kuruma Adivasi tribes.

Isn't that a problem?

Ideally it is. But we are not aware about these things. How to do it? Whom to approach? So they have done it as we may not be able to do it on our own.

Have you decided that you will not allow anybody else to take patent for the remaining seeds?

Though I have decided not to some gene banks have approached me. They say there are chances of these seeds getting lost. So don't you think they should be preserved? I thought so too. So I have taken a decision in favour of that.

Is there a danger that they may take patent for those seeds?

No. I have asked them to give me the certificate. I have insisted on creating my record there accurately. They will give me a certificate and an agreement. Another of my condition is that I should get back the seeds whenever I ask or my inheritors ask. This I did only because I am worried that I may lose these. I have also kept a record of all these in writing with me too.

Are your children following in your footsteps?

I have two sons and two daughters. But they are following today's generation. Everybody imitates now-a-days. If your son is buying a bike, my son would also want to. If your son is buying a computer, my son would also want to. I can't complain or accuse anybody of anything. Attempt to bring them back has to be done by the society.

Editor's note: The graphic has been corrected to say that this is the rainfall data collected at Muttil in Wayanad. Vimalkumar, a coffee grower, recorded this data daily for 28 years and is available online now.
London: A military dog has been hailed a hero after saving a team of British special forces from a group of 50 Islamic State fighters who ambushed them in northern Iraq.

It is believed that the SAS soldiers were returning from a 10-day training programme for Peshmerga fighters.

The Alsatian, thought to have been trained by the US Army, was travelling with the group of British soldiers in a convoy of four vehicles.

The unsuspecting troops were caught unawares when they were trapped by a group of jihadis last month on the Kurdish border.

The convoy was hit by a homemade bomb as around 50 Islamic State fighters attacked.

When the British forces attempted to move out, jihadis attacked them from behind.

A US soldier travelling with the convoy let the heroic dog off the leash.

The angry dog ran snarling towards the Islamic State fighters. The first jihadi was bitten on the neck and face. The dog then slashed at the second fighter's arm and leg. The two Islamic State fighters ran away in terror after being savaged by the Alsatian.The dog escaped the battle unhurt and has been hailed a hero by troops after saving the British team's lives, British media reported.

"When the dog was unleashed it went after the greatest threat without consideration for its own safety  this is what they are trained to do," Daily Star Sunday quoted a source as saying.

"A snarling Alsatian running at you is very frightening and probably not something the jihadis had encountered. The dog did its job and returned to its handler with its tail wagging," the source said.

It is thought that this is the first time that an attack dog has been used to directly save soldiers' lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, the reports said.
"It's farjiwada (fraud). Nakal ke liya akal chahiye (Even to fake brains are needed). Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley have committed crime of producing fake degrees of Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister should apologise....." thus continued Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh with his over half-an-long unrestricted high decibel diatribe on what he and his party thought was the most gripping issue before the nation.

What comes out from his tone, tenor and unadulterated condemnation of PM Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the sense that the AAP leaders believe that the best way to hit the headlines is to get as foul or even abusive as you can get against prominent personalities. And if you pitch against no less than a person than Prime Minister, that too accuse him of indulging in fraud, not only screaming headlines are assured but also prime time talking points in TV news studios and at chai and paan shops across the country.

Good, bad or ugly AAP, Arvind Kejriwal will be talked about. That's free publicity. That is not to say that AAP always wants free publicity. AAP of course is spending hundreds of crores of ordinary tax payers money through incessant advertisements in print and TV, regional and national, to promote Kejriwal on some pretext or the other where a failed odd-even experiment is hailed as huge achievement.

Immediately after Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley held a press conference with flashing Modi's degrees in their hand, asking Kejriwal to apologise, the AAP leaders held a counter press conference where they went at length to claim the painstaking month long effort they had made to find how educated Modi was. They spent great deal of time, energy and money in going to his village school, intermediate college and elsewhere, and make a conclusion on their own that Prime Minister's graduation and post-graduation degrees as external student are fake.

The residents of Delhi, at least a good number of them would wonder it would have been better if they had displayed same vigour with positivity to resolve problems relating to Delhi.

Kejriwal, Ashutosh and rest of their party leaders have thankfully stopped short of calling Modi a criminal, the one who committed wilful crime of arranging fake degrees for self from two universities -- Delhi University and Gujarat University. One can't be sure whether that's part of their strategy or a generous gesture towards PM. At least for now they are not calling names to PM or going to a police station to register a case against him.

The least the AAP could have done is to go to Delhi University and to Gujarat University with the certificates and mark sheets provided by the BJP brass, verify them with authorities, check with records before declaring it a farjiwada (racket of fakes. AAP's purpose is obviously different.

Modi's graduation certificate issued by Delhi University (as issued by BJP brass) says his enrolment number was CC-5599/74 and his roll number was 16594.

"This is to certify that Narendra Damodas Modi having been examined in 1978, and found qualified for the degree of Bachelor of Arts was admitted to the said degree at the convocation held in 1979. Division third". It says college -- correspondence courses. He got his degree in 1978. His MA degree from Gujarat University in 1983 mentions

him as external student: "Me, the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and members of the Court of Gujarat University certify that the within signed Narendra Damodardas Modi having been examined for the degree of Master of Arts External and adjudged to have been pursued in the First Class the degree of Master of Arts (external) with entire

Political Science has been conferred on him at Ahmedabad on the twentieth day of month of March in the year one thousand nine hundred & eighty three."

Jaitley is perhaps right when he says Kejriwal and his party charges on Modi's degrees without caring to check facts can have multi dimensional effect. one such effect on Centre and NCT of Delhi government. "We are a federal nation. Here threat to federal polity comes from Union Territory".

The relations between Centre and city government is already very sour and this episode has the potential to worsen it further. Jaitley's argument was that Kejriwal's "irresponsible behaviour" would imbalance in federal structure: "Politics of adventurism is treated as substitute of governance.... A party which keeps on talking of Aam Aadmi should have applauded Modi's zeal to pursue education and taking examinations in politically challenging times of mid-1970s (post-Emergency)."

Both Jaitley and Shah stressed that it was "most unfortunate" that they had to call a media briefing to address to some irresponsible allegations made by Kejriwal, Congress and JD(U) on PM Modi's degrees. Their contention was kejriwal and his other party leaders had brought public discourse to a new low.

"Kejriwal ne dunia me badnami dene ka pap kiya hai. Kejriwal ko desh se mafi mangni chahiye (Kejriwal has committed the sin of defaming someone in the world," Shah said.

AAP is free to pursue politics of adventurism. That have yielded them unparalleled dividend in the past. But since it is ruling Delhi and aspire to grow in rest of the country, the least its leaders can do, is to become a bit sober in their public conduct.

In any case AAP leaders should remember Jitendra Singh Tomar and what all likes of Ashutosh had to say a year ago when the then law minister was arrested by Delhi Police for his indulgence in fake degree racket.
New Delhi: Congress on Monday created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing two adjournments in the pre-noon session over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation during an election rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

They asked how could the Prime Minister make such allegations when the Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha last week, and sought to know which court was Modi quoting.

Congress members trooped into the Well of the Upper House shouting slogans like "Pradhan Mantri jhoota hai (Prime Minister is liar)", and demanding an apology from him, forcing Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien to first adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes and then till 12 pm.

The party members said when the government, during the reply to debate on the controversy in both Houses, did not draw any reference to Gandhi, how could the Prime Minister make a such a statement outside, and that too when Parliament was in session.

Raising the issue, the Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) said no member in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha during the debate on the AgustaWestland deal said the UPA leadership took money.

Maintaining that the Congress had demanded stringent action against any leader or officer found guilty in the bribery case, he said Modi had, during poll rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, said that it was not his statement but an Italian court's that Gandhi was guilty in the case.

He asked why Modi did not intervene in the debates on the issue in either of the House and say this. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply, Azad said.

CBI, which is conducting an inquiry in the case, falls directly under the Prime Minister, he said and asked will the investigating agency not be influenced by such statements.

Anand Sharma (Cong) said the Prime Minister should come to the House and substantiate the statement he has made.

As Kurien ruled out Sharma's notice under Rule 267 to suspend business to take up the issue, Congress members trooped in the Well raising slogans against the PM. Kurien said what is being attributed to the Prime Minister was said outside the House and the Congress party can reply to that outside as well.

"The Chair cannot take cognisance of it," he said, adding "I cannot do anything."

"Is Chair responsible for political speeches," he asked as he urged members to return to their places and allow Zero Hour to be taken up.

Anand Sharma asked if the Prime Minister was pre-empting the CBI investigation since the probe agency comes under him.

Modi, he said, has made a statement which contradicts what the Defence Minister had said on the floor of the House. He went on to state that Prime Minister's statement was violative of norms and dignity of the house.

Kurien however said the Chair cannot ask the Prime Minister to come and make a statement on the issue.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while no one guilty in the deal will be spared, no innocent will be touched.

As the Congress members shouted slogans against Prime Minister, Naqvi asked Chair to rein them in saying the BJP was also capable of shouting slogans.

According to him, Modi had said "what the world is talking and what the Italian court has said."

Prime Minister did not make any policy announcement outside the House and so has not violated any rule. "It was an election rally speech," he said.

As the din continued, Kurien adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

When the members re-assembled, Pramod Tiwari (Cong) raised a point of order saying when the House was in session, whatever Modi has said is the statement of the government.

He said the Prime Minister's statement contradicts what the Defence Minister has said in Parliament. "Either the Prime Minister is lying or the Minister of Defence is lying," Tiwari said.

On Tiwari's point of order, Kurien said: "Chair does not take cognizance of what has been said (outside the House) and reported by newsapers. I don't take congnizance".
Jammu: Giving autonomy to both parts of the divided Jammu and Kashmir is the only way to resolve the Kashmir dispute, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said on Monday.

During a tour of Rajouri district, the National Conference leader told party activists at Budhal: "Autonomy to both sides of Jammu and Kashmir is the only viable and realistic solution to the nearly seven-decade-old problem that has cast dark shadows over the generations. We owe peace and dignified life to posterity. And that can be achieved only by converting the present dividing line between the two neighbouring countries into a line of peace," he added.

Pakistan controls the northern third of Jammu and Kashmir. The southern two-third of the state is held by India.

Abdullah is on a two-day visit to Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region.

He said the hostilities of 70 years had retarded growth on both sides of the Line of Control and the time had come for India and Pakistan to take a bold initiative by calling a spade a spade.

He referred to the wars of the past and continued border skirmishes, saying these had only added to the miseries of the people of Kashmir.

"The soft borders would open up vistas of economic opportunities besides enabling hassle-free exchange of people, which in turn will be a major dividend to peace and tranquility in the region," he said.

Abdullah hoped that "good sense will prevail upon all the stakeholders".

He said denial of autonomy had brought Jammu and Kashmir to the present morass, which if ignored any further could prove detrimental to the larger interests of the state.

Abdullah also spoke about alleged divisive policies being pursued by the Narendra Modi government and said that politics of hate and intolerance were against the very idea of India.

He said India belonged to people of different faiths and they cannot be brought into confrontationist situations for petty politics.
Not too far away from the unrelenting political cloudbursts in Uttarakhand, three silent but significant developments have been taking place at the socio-political level in Uttar Pradesh.

First, upper caste Hindus, especially Brahmins, who have been watching with dismay the emergence of a pro-backward and pro-reservation politics within the BJP, are beginning to look towards the Congress as an option. This is big news.

Second, Muslims who have slowly, but steadily been drifting away from 'Maulana' Mulayams Samajwadi Party in the aftermath of Muzaffarnagar riots are also looking up towards the Congress as a safer bet. And this is bigger news.

Third, on one hand, the backwards camp is in a state of flux with Yadavs holding on to the SP as always, and on the other hand, other backward communities are beginning to look towards the BJP for a change. And as far as the Dalits are concerned, they continue to stand unflinchingly behind Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modis attempts at appropriating the legacy of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.

Its in the backdrop of all these developments that PKs moves on the chessboard of UP politics are being made. (PK stands for Prashant Kishor, who is the mastermind behind Congress' strategies for the 2017 Assembly elections). He has perhaps seen through the subtle shifts that are at a nascent stage. He may or may not be able to rope in Rahul or Priyanka Gandhi as chief ministerial candidate of the Congress, but one thing is certain: the Congress would do all that is possible to re-create a Brahmin-Muslim combination this time. Who knows, he may succeed massively.

Given the BJPs newly found penchant for backward politics that came about as a natural reaction to its ignominious drubbing in Bihar not too long ago, formation of a Brahmin-Muslim axis appears to be a distinct possibility in UP. And nobody should be surprised if this axis develops into a full-scale upper caste-Muslim vote bank. Signals emanating from the three major Muslim centres of learning  Bareilly, Deoband and Lucknow are indicative of the possibility of this theory turning into reality.

Political analysts can recall the fact that both Muslims and Brahmins had abandoned the Congress almost simultaneously in the wake of the Babari Mosque demolition, though for different reasons. While the Muslims blamed the Congress for their failure to protect the mosque, the Brahmins looked elated at the prospect of construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The clock has turned full circle now and construction of the proposed temple looks like a pipe dream. Even the RSS and the BJP do not focus on it poignantly any more. You cant blame the masses in general and Brahmins in particular if they all feel that the temple agenda was used all these years as an election winning tool. Nothing more.

Those who know UP politics know it for certain that Brahmins have over the years developed a special knack of knowing who the winners are beforehand. They had always been with the Congress in its heydays. When the BJP became the dominant force in the state in the 90s, they joined the saffron bandwagon. And when the BJP lost its lustre by 2007, they sided with Mayawati without any qualms. But the one thing which needs to be remembered about them is that they had always regarded Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as their tallest political icon and none else  not even Guru Golwalkar of the RSS.

With the BJP pursuing backward politics doggedly, nobody should be surprised if its core vote bank looks elsewhere for relief. Two things need to be remembered in this context.

First, the Congress had become an also-ran-party the moment it began to pursue what is known as soft-Hindutva in the 1990s, a departure from its core values. What had happened as a result was that Muslims deserted the Congress en bloc. And when the Muslims left, upper castes too left for the simple reason that there was hardly any solidly supporting core left in the Congress. Yes, this is what happens precisely in the first-past-the-post electoral politics. A core is a core. And its around that core that you draw support of others to become a winning horse.

Second, it is unlikely that the BJP would succeed in making a decisive dent into the backward vote bank despite their pro-reservation statements. They had failed in Bihar. And they are likely to fail here too. Bihar and UP have similar terrain and characteristics.

Meanwhile, all the four major players in UP  SP, BSP, BJP and Congress  are burning midnight oil to zero in on winning formulae. And politics does not have any pause buttons with elections less than a year away.

However, one thing looks certain after the recent turn of events: Nobody, not even the sharpest political observer, is in a position to write off the Congress in this all important state.
New Delhi: Ahead of the crucial Punjab polls, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the state's Congress and SAD, alleging that both the parties have "ruined" every household there through "corruption" and "drug menace".

Kejriwal indicated that drug issue in Punjab is going to be major poll plank and claimed that his party is "going to win the elections" in the state due in 2017.

"Both Congress and SAD have through corruption and drug menace pushed the state backward, and people have lost faith. The successive governments installed in the state after Independence have ruined each and every household there," Kejriwal alleged.

The AAP leader was addressing a gathering here after launching a Punjabi video song 'Ek Nasha: Nashe ke Khilaf' penned and sung by fellow AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, aimed at weaning the people of the state away from drugs and narcotics.

The video makes veiled references to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukbhir Badal, and even as both Kejriwal said, the purpose of the video was "apolitical", a "broom" has been shown in the video in the end.

"You see poets like Vishwas tell things through clues. And, you see what clues he has left in the video," Kejriwal said, as he took a dig at the Badal dispensation.

"But, the enthusiasm you people have shown here, we are finding the same enthusiasm in Punjab, and AAP will win the elections there and for the next governement...The issue of eliminating drug menace will be a daunting task but it won't be impossible," Kejriwal claimed.

"Once we form the government, we will punish all those involved in running this drug network," he said.

Further alleging that Badal government has "slapped false cases" against people who got involved in drug business, he said, "We will also make sure that such false cases are withdrawn."

Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party had swept the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls, winning 67 of the 70 seats, and the party is exuding confidence of repeating its performance in Punjab.

Vishwas earlier said, "People who do drugs are not culprits but patients. We have to help them. Culprits are people who are running the drug network," and alleged that "we all know that in Pathankot attack, how the drug business was one of the factors."

Kejriwal praising the video said, "This video is impactful and should be in mobile phones of every person in Punjab."

AAP ministers Satyender Jain and Kapil Mishra, other party leaders Sanjay Singh and Ashutosh were also present on the occasion.
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) President Nitish Kumar on Monday termed the controversy over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree as a "non-issue".

"For me these are non-issues," he said here replying to a question by media on BJP President Amit Shah and Union Minister Arun Jaitley seeking a public apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for kicking off the controversy.

"First they (BJP) should express regret for uttering filth during Bihar (assembly) polls (held last year)," he said.

He was apparently hinting at the "DNA" comments made by Modi against him and other barbs by BJP ministers and leaders during the Bihar assembly poll.

On Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Vice-president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leading a march in Delhi recently against the NDA government, Kumar said "They (BJP) are more interested in hitting at a person rather than discussing policy."

"They applied the same tactics on me too by making personal attacks in place of highlighting the short-comings of my government's policies," Kumar said.

On his proposed visit to Dhanbad in Jharkhand on Tuesday, to take part in a programme on prohibition, and receiving congratulatory messages from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan for imposing a complete ban on alcohol in Bihar, Kumar said, "Bihar has started a social revolution by imposing liquor ban. Wherever I am called for a programme on prohibition, I will accept it."

Kumar said he had not yet received any communication from the External Affairs ministry about any invitation to him from Nepal government for a visit to Lumbini on May 21 to take part in a Buddha Purnima programme along with the Prime Minister.

The security was tight at the 'Janata ke Darbar me Mukhya Mantri' programme at the One Anne Marg residence-cum-office of the Chief Minister today, in view of the incident on Monday last week when a youth hurled a slipper at him.
The 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly will be packed with criminals if either of the two principal contenders for power gets a majority in the Assembly in the 16 May election.

An analysis of affidavits filed before the Election Commission by candidates along with their nominations shows that 91 percent of the 83 candidates fielded by the Congress that heads the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and 75 percent of the 89 candidates of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which heads the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), have criminal cases pending against them.

The CPM candidates top the list with 617 cases. The total number of cases pending against 76 Congress candidates is 84. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is making a strong bid to open its account in the assembly this time, and its main ally, the Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) has 152 cases pending against their candidates.

The present Assembly has 48 percent of the MLAs with criminal cases pending against them. According to Election Watch Kerala, 67 MLAs of the 140 members had declared themselves that they were facing various criminal cases in courts and police stations across the state.

Of these, 12 have declared serious IPC charges like attempt to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, graft, assault cases and others against them. All the major parties have MLAs with pending criminal cases against them. They include 23 Congress MLAs, 21 CPM, eight Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and five Communist Party of India MLAs. The BJP, which did not make it to the Assembly, had topped the list of major political parties in the 2011 Assembly polls with 47 candidates facing criminal charges.

The list of cases pending against the candidates was prepared by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy following Opposition leader V S Achuthanandans allegation that Chandy and his colleagues in his 21-member ministry alone had 131 cases pending against them.

He said that the total number of cases pending against the 140 candidates fielded by UDF was only 106 cases, while the LDF candidates are grappling with a total of 685 cases. Chandy claimed that there was no case pending against him in any court in the state.

The list shows that Achuthanandan and the other chief ministerial prospect of the CPM Pinarayi Vijayan have 17 cases pending against them. Achuthanandan has declared six cases in the affidavit. Five of these are related to defamation and one was related to an agitation in front of the Secretariat.

The nonagenarian leader has not included a case related to illegal allotment of 2.33 acres of land in Kasargod district to one of his close relatives during his term as chief minister registered by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. The FIR filed by the Vigilance had slapped on him charges of conspiracy, cheating and destruction of evidence.

Vijayan, who is currently the politburo member of the CPM, has 11 cases registered against him, including the SNC Lavalin case pending before a CBI court. Viyayan is seventh accused in the case, which related to loss of Rs 373 crores caused to the state in a deal he initiated with the Canadian company for the renovation of three hydro-electric plants during his term as Electricity Minister in 2006.

Journalist-turned CPM candidate at Azhikode in Kannur district M V Nikesh Kumar has the maximum number of 57 cases against him. Majority of the cases against Nikesh, who co-owns the Reporter TV channel, pertain to cheque dishonour.

Kadakampally Surendran, who is contesting the election as the CPM candidate at Kazhakuttam in Thiruvananthapuram district, follows him with 45 cases. The third position is occupied by A N Shamsheer, the partys candidate at Thalassery with 35 cases.

The other CPM candidates who have more number of cases against them include K K Lathika (Kuttiadi-32 cases), V Sivankutty (Nemom-31), V Salim (Aluva26), Binoy Kurien (Peravoor-25), Antony John (Kothamangalam-24), A A Rashid (Aruvikkara-22), E P Jayarajan (Mattannoor-21) and M Swaraj (Thripunithura-20).

Two CPM candidates are involved in murder cases. Partys Udumbumchola (Idukki district) candidate M M Mani is an accused in the murder of Anchery Baby, a Youth Congress leader, in 1982. The case was registered after he made a statement in 2012 claiming that his party had prepared a list of 13 political opponents to be eliminated. The subsequent investigations by the police revealed that four murders that occurred in Idukki had links to this statement.

T V Rajesh, the CPM candidate at Kalliaserry in Kannur district, is an accused in the case of murder of Muslim Students Front activist Ariyil Shukoor. The CBI has arraigned him as 33rd accused in the chargesheet filed in the court. He has been accused along with CPM Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan of being part of a conspiracy hatched by the party activists to eliminate Shukoor for allegedly waylaying the vehicle in which the duo travelled.

The CPM had planned to field Jayarajan also in one of the constituencies in Kannur but dropped the move after court restrained him from entering Kannur district while granting him bail in connection with the murder of RSS activist Kathiroor Manoj.

The CPM candidate facing suicide abetment case is James Mathew. James, who is representing Taliparampa in the current constituency, was arrested by the police on the charge of abetting the suicide of a school teacher, based on a suicide note left behind by him.

Majority of the cases pending against the Congress candidates are related to corruption and political violence. Excise and Port Minister K Babu, who is seeking re-election from Thrippunithura in Ernakulam district has four cases pending against him with regard to corruption in the construction of a new airport at Kannur and reduction of license fee for bar hotels.

Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash is facing two cases of corruption with regard to the allotment of ration depots. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V M Sudheeran had opposed tickets to the two ministers, but relented under pressure from the chief minister.

A Congress candidate with a serious criminal case pending against him is K Sudhakaran. He was arrested for his alleged involvement in the attempt to murder Kannur CPM Secretary E P Jayarajan in April 1995. Sudhakaran, a former minister, is contesting the election this time from Uduma in Kasargod district.

Many ministers belonging to the partys allies in the UDF are also grappling with various cases. Three ministers belonging to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and two of the Kerala Congress (M) are facing graft cases. Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani, who stepped down from the ministry following bribe charges levelled against him by the bar owners, is seeking re-election at Pala in Kottayam district.

The list shows that majority of the cases faced by candidates of all the three combinations are related to political violence. The steady rise in the number of candidates with criminal cases shows that the cult of political violence is spreading fast in Kerala.

It was earlier confined to the northern district of Kannur, where muscle power started driving politics after the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the eighties. The Hindutva outfits attempt to penetrate into CPMs pocket boroughs, known as party villages, made brutal murders a routine affair in the district.

More than 200 people have lost their lives in the crossfire between the two in the last three decades. The parties sponsor not only killings but also protect the killers and, if they are convicted, their families too. BJP and the CPM have been accusing each other of promoting political violence.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to make political violence as an issue in the election by referring to the political killings going unabated in the state in his first election rally at Palakkad on Friday. He alleged that the CPM was targeting his party activists as they were unable to counter the party ideologically.

CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has denied the involvement of the party in the violence. However, the murder cases pending in the name of the party candidates and the conviction of several party activists and leaders in political murder cases in the last few years disprove disprove his claim.
Those fond of shayari (couplets) are well acquainted with the perpetual conflict between the 'wine house (maikhana) and religious preachers (naseh or waiz)' in Urdu literature. The romance of drinking and challenging a religious decree of prohibition through the medium of poetry appears to be quite seductive.

But life is not shayari, particularly so when it pertains to a population reeling under ignorance and acute poverty  in rural parts of Bihar. There is enough official data to support the fact that liquor consumption in Bihar spiraled during the past decade  giving the impression that the government is acting as a 'shaqui' (girl serving liquor) to the 'maikash' (drinkers).

Nothing can be further from the truth. Evidently, when Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister in 2005, the states excise revenue was at least a sixth of that of Uttar Pradesh. He raised a valid question, are people of Bihar more abstinent than people of Uttar Pradesh?

Given Bihars population density  being highest in the country  the state has a substantially large population, nearly two thirds of Uttar Pradesh. As compared to Bihars paltry earning of Rs 300 crore, Uttar Pradesh has been earning around Rs 1800 crore.

The obvious reason for shortfall was the evasion of the excise levied  by an organised gang of bureaucrats and liquor manufacturers. Kumar inherited a defunct state whose critical arms and institutions practiced dereliction more than duties.

Of course, the states coffers were empty and revenue resources needed to be jacked up. A determined effort was made to bring the volume of liquor sold in Bihar under the excise tax net. It was in this context that the government granted licenses to open shops in many rural areas.

But the political culture that promoted liquor consumption in Bihar can be traced to the emergence of Lalu Yadavs politics. In 1991, while touring rural areas of Bihar, Yadav encouraged people to enjoy their local drink 'tady' (toddy) in full view, much to the chagrin of his socialist friends like Shivanand Tiwari.

He exempted toddy from the excise duty in a bid to make drinking an instrument of political empowerment. In a caste-based society, where upper caste dominance is seen as oppressive, his idioms and vocabulary sounded like they were emanating from a grammar of counter-culture.

No doubt, he found traction not only amongst the socially underprivileged in Bihar but also among sections of the intelligentsia. Often, his lumpenised style of politics is acclaimed as the genius of a politician rooted to the ground.

Nitish Kumar can of course be faulted for promoting that legacy in order to shore up revenue for the resurrection of the state. Yet, he was astute enough to realise his mistake of earning revenue through liquor sale. Having received a humiliating drubbing in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Nitish Kumar can be credited with the success of making inconsistency not only a political virtue but an effective instrument to turn around peoples opinion.

Having fought with Lalu Prasad Yadav and his brand of politics for two decades in a tactical alliance with the BJP, he was quick to realise the risk of being decimated if he continued with his old political practice. He forged a formidable coalition with Lalus RJD and roped in the Congress to defeat the BJP.

Lalus casteist rhetoric proved to be a complete foil to the sober and sagacious Nitish Kumar. The combo pack however worked wonders in electoral terms and trounced the BJP hands down.

An astute strategist, Nitish Kumar is quite aware of the ephemeral nature of the victory. He had conceded much space to the RJD and the Congress, but not without reason. Those who know Kumar can testify that he is a very intent observer of the societal impulses.

I have always found very innovative ideas coming from common people and not from seminars of intellectuals, he had once casually remarked while talking about his innovative idea of cycle distribution to girls in his first stint as chief minister. Just before the 2015 elections, he took up prohibition as cause celebre, going against the wishes of his alliance partners.

That the deviant drinking has ruined the social fabric across the state was easily understood by him when he learnt that the issue evoked great traction among rural women. What is particularly significant is the fact that master strategists of the BJP  who came from Gujarat, a state where prohibition is in force  were stumped by Nitish Kumars gambit. By the time they realised the impact of this deft political move, it was too late for the BJP to take up the cause.

Unlike the past, Nitish Kumar enforced the prohibition in Bihar with due care. He mobilised the entire political class to take a pledge not to drink or encourage drinking. Legislators have taken pledges under the constitution to be abstinent. The law of prohibition was passed unanimously without any dissent. This was indeed a clever move to stave off the criticism of curbing individual liberty, which cannot be at the expense of the collective good.

Like it or not, Nitish Kumar has emerged as a cult figure who combines political guile with streaks of a social reformist. Among women and younger generations whose lives were ruined by the deviant drinking male members in rural areas, he is seen as a savior.

The night time road accident rates have declined drastically all over the state. There is a mortal fear among legislators of losing their membership if they are seen drinking in violation of their pledge. In Bihars context, what Nitish Kumar has done is nothing less than a 'revolution from the above', to borrow the title of eminent sociologist Dipankar Guptas book.

It would indeed be difficult to enforce the prohibition in letter and in spirit. There are reports of spurt in sales of liquor shops in adjoining states like Jharkhand, UP and West Bengal. Addicts are resorting to chemical drugs as alternatives.

The rich and privileged are certainly rattled, though they are often too cocooned to be affected by such measures. In Patnas prestigious Bankipurs club lawn, one can enjoy a leisure evening with renowned Mirza Ghalib scholar and JD (U) MP Pawan K Varma speaking eloquently about Jaam, Maikada, waaez and Shaqui over glasses of litchi juice or Rooh-afza! All things considered, it does sound like a great idea!
New Delhi: A delegation of top Congress leaders on Monday met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him to beef up the security of Rahul Gandhi in the wake of an alleged threat to his life.

The team, including Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, treasurer Motilal Vohra, Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, met Singh and apprised him about the alleged threat to the Congress vice-president's life.

"The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and the states and the Special Protection Guards (SPG) will be alerted about the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.

A Home Ministry official said that Singh, after the meeting, asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to take up the issue seriously and ensure protection to Rahul.

Sharma said that the Congress delegation also raised issue of proposed "en mass shifting" of around 400 officers of SPG and bringing in new people to replace them.

"SPG requires rigorous training. Its personnel are brought from CISF, CRPF, BSF and central agencies. So its a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel," he said.

The SPG guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediately family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children  Rahul and Priyanka  are SPG protectees.

The threat has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Pondicherry on 4 May. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in Puducherry tomorrow, for a public meeting.

The letter was reportedly sent to V Narayanswamy, who was Minister for PMO in the UPA government. The letter has allegedly claimed Congress has been responsible for "closure of industries in Pondicherry" and has threatened that Gandhi will be "blasted" when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.
70-year-old Amirtham points to her temporary residence, a tin-sheet shelter constructed by the Tamil Nadu government following the floods of December 2015. She has been living there with a few others from the Arundhathiyar Colony in Periyakaatupalayam village for close to six months.

Amirtham lost eight family members and all of her belongings in the floods. The government has not done enough to help, she said. She and others like her in this village are categorical  on 16 May, they want to exercise their franchise to vote a new party into power.

Last Diwali, incessant rains caused floods that tore through Cuddalore district, changing the lives of the people forever. In the villages that were affected by the floods in November, the situation is yet to return to normalcy. In some places, people are still being housed in temporary shelters, while in others the damage done by the floods have not yet been corrected. This election, rather than seeking the ever-tempting freebies, people in the flood-affected areas ask that the victor must help restore their lives to its former state.

Even though we received Rs 5000 from the government, and I received Rs 5 lakhs for my family members, with no livelihood and no house to call my own, I can say that this government has failed us, said Anjalai, a resident of Periyakaatupalayam village.

People in this relief camp in the village are all from the Arundhathiyar Colony  Arundhathiyars are Scheduled Caste Dalits and amongst the poorest section of the state. While a few of them have been processing cashew over the last two months, the barren fields have meant that there is nothing to sustain them. Earlier, there were five families living in one 10-by-10-foot enclosure, but now many families have decided to move out. Only the families that have no place to go and no money have been forced to stay here, said 60-year-old Neelamma, one of the residents of the relief camp.

The government gave us mixies, grinders, televisions, and other appliances, but all of them were washed away in the floods. Now, it feels like the government itself has washed its hands of us, leaving us to rot here in the temporary shelter, which they are threatening to dismantle after the elections, she continued.

Government sources say land has been identified to build permanent shelters for the 10 to 15 families that continue to live in the shelter. The work has been stalled because of the elections, but they expect to relocate them soon after the new government takes over.

People outside the colony in Periyakaatupalayam, too, say that they are finding it difficult to make ends meet. S Velmurugan used to run a cable TV business in the village. Since the floods, I have lost several lakhs worth of equipment, and I have no house left, he said. His family has been living in his fathers house, a local AIADMK (ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) functionary. If the AIADMK had allowed Sorathur Rajendran to stand as MLA in the Neyveli constituency, they would have stood a chance, since he knows the people well. The candidate, Sorathur Rajasekar (Rajendrans brother), has very little support in Neyveli, and many people are against the AIADMK after the floods, making it difficult for them to win, he adds.

The situation is similar in other villages that faced extensive damage in the floods. Kalkunam village was flooded by water released from the mines in the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) through the Sengal Odai canal. Villagers say the government has promised to rebuild the canal through which water comes in from NLC, but allege that no one has come in yet to survey the area. Many of the families in the area have not received the money that the government promised to help rebuild their houses. Although this village was filled with AIADMK supporters, after the floods, we have decided to switch loyalties, Poongodhai, a resident stated.

While Periyakaatupalayam and Kalkunam were flooded by water released from the mines of the NLC, in Visur village, water from the surrounding forest entered the village, destroying several acres of farmland and over 100 houses. Our village has become a tourist site, with several politicians, actors, and reporters visiting, but so far, nothing concrete has happened, Sarangapani, a local landlord lamented. He has lost around eight acres worth of paddy yields, and even now the government has not helped paid the full amount they promised. All the houses received Rs 5000 after the floods, but there was no help in levelling the fields. It was only a local NGO that helped ensure that we have some agricultural work this year, he said.

Rajavelu, an agricultural labourer, says that the government has promised Rs 1.2 lakhs to help rebuild houses, but this amount is not enough. This election, a group of us have decided not to vote, since none of the parties will help us rebuild our lives to what it was, he said.

Residents of Melkangeyan Kuppam Colony echo the sentiment. Here, all the women depend on processing cashew nuts for their livelihood. Processing cashew leaves them with blackened hands, which break out into blisters when they spend too long working. Neither the employers, nor the government offer them safe working conditions, and the women say that they spend more on medical expenses than they make processing cashew. We all received Rs 5000 on our ration cards, but the government has not done anything else for us, 35-year-old Bhagyalakshmi, a cashew worker said.

Another repeated demand is that of assurances of safe working conditions for cashew workers, most of whom are women. If any of the parties will ensure us jobs throughout the year, a factory for livelihood, or even safe working conditions for the women who process cashew, we would be tempted to vote for them. Now, however, it seems like none of the parties are even willing to discuss our problems during the elections, she shook her head.

In Cuddalore, the floods and its aftermath have neither been forgiven, nor forgotten.
Pennagaram: A tough fight is on the cards in Pennagaram constituency in Dharmapuri district, a stronghold of Vanniyars, the most backward community, in the 16 May Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

The seat has assumed star status with AIADMK heavyweight and former Minister K P Munusamy, PMK's Chief Ministerial candidate Anbumani Ramadoss, who is also the sitting Lok Sabha MP from Dharmapuri and locally influential DMK nominee P N P Inbasekaran jumping into the poll fray.

Pennagaram had hit the headlines when DMK fought PMK in the 2010 bypoll to retain the seat after the death of its MLA P N Periannan, who had won in 2006.

Periannan's son P N P Inbasekaran won the 2010 bypoll by 36,384 votes and PMK ended runner-up with other candidates including the AIADMK nominee losing their deposits.

In the 1996 and 2001 Assembly elections, PMK's G K Mani had won. In 2011, N Nanjappan of CPI won as an AIADMK ally.

The poll scenario in this election is more difficult for parties than ever before. Interactions with voters by this correspondent here and in other areas of the constituency including Hogenakkal, Koothapadi, B Agraharam, Ootamalai, Mangapatti, Makkanur and Papparapatti revealed a tough triangular neck to neck fight among DMK, PMK and AIADMK.

In places like Koothapadi and Makkanur, the contest mainly appears to be between PMK and DMK while in other areas like Nayakkanur, the fight seems to be between AIADMK and PMK. In villages like Mangapatti, PMK seems to have an upperhand where DMK and AIADMK are working hard to make a dent.

Clearly, PMK is at the centre of the battle putting up a hard fight against AIADMK and DMK across the constituency. CPI, which is fighting polls as part of the DMDK-PWF-TMC front, does not appear to be in the reckoning.

In places where Vanniyars are a majority or are a sizable chunk like Koothapadi, PMK which is going it alone, is leaving no stone unturned to get their votes in its favour in bulk.

PMK is also trying hard to convince people of other communities to not give yet another opportunity to "corrupt AIADMK and DMK." However, people of other communities, notably Dalits and Muslims, are not convinced.

P A Krishnan, a resident of Papparapatti says, "The fortunes of PMK which is trying very hard to win this seat depends on consolidation of Vanniyar votes and if it can make some inroads into the vote banks of other communities."

Pointing out that all candidates of major parties here were Vanniyars and the race is tough, Krishnan told PTI "whichever party manages to get even a small swing of votes in its favour could be the victor."

He says, "Mudaliyars and Muslims here have traditionally supported DMK."

Vanniyars have voted for all parties, be it PMK, AIADMK and DMK, he says, adding a sizeable chunk of them however chose to throw their weight behind PMK in 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Dharmapuri following "caste tensions."

Caste tensions surfaced and some clashes occurred after a Dalit youth Ilavarasan married a Vanniyar girl. He was subsequently found dead in 2013 in Dharmapuri.

In this constituency of rural and semi-urban areas, an important poll issue is the need to create job opportunities to halt migration of young people in search of jobs. Located in the backyard of Karnataka, many young men and women head to Bengaluru for jobs.

Says V Arul of Pennagaram "to this day young educated people find it difficult to get good employment opportunities here. People go to Hosur, Bengaluru or other places for jobs."

Asked about such job related grievances, PMK candidate Anbumani Ramadoss said, "We will focus on bringing industries here. As part of efforts to generate huge new employment opportunities, we will set up an Small Industries Development Corporation run industrial estate in Pennagaram."

Hogenakkal, famous for its waterfalls, will be developed as an international tourist destination and the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu facility in Nallampalli will be expanded, he said.

DMK candidate Inbasekaran said that as promised in the party manifesto, Hogennakkal Hydro Power Project will be implemented and huge new job opportunities would be created.

"Not only that, we have schemes, including a plan to fill up 16 almost dry lakes with water, thereby providing irrigation facilities in eights panchayats in Pulikarai region. This will generate agricultural job opportunities," he said.

A native of Pennagaram, the DMK nominee is also banking on the image of his father Periannan who had considerable clout in his hey days, besides what his supporters call "strength of party's poll promises" to win over the voters.

AIADMK candidate K P Munusamy said he would give a detailed reply later since he was in the midst of campaign. He was Minister for Municipal Administration till May 2014 and the party named him candidate in Veppanahalli in Krishnagiri District. Later, he was nominated to contest from Pennagaram as the party wanted to put up a "more strong" candidate to take on PMK and DMK here.
So far the news has been good for Harish Rawat. On Friday, the Supreme Court had said that nine rebel Congress legislators who were disqualified by the Speaker of the Uttarakhand assembly cannot participate in the numbers test on the floor of the House 'if they have the same status at the time of the vote of confidence. The court on Monday rejected the plea of the MLAs to be allowed to participate in the floor test on Tuesday.

It means the going for Rawat would be smooth in the numbers test. The effective strength of the House is now 62  down from 71. He has the support of 27 party legislators and the six PDF members are likely to go with him. He needs the support of 32 members to sail through. If the BJP does not have a trick up its sleeve then Rawat is likely to have the last laugh in the protracted battle with the BJP which began on 27 March.

Its a lose-lose situation for the BJP either way. If Rawat wins, he stands vindicated, if he loses he can play the victims card till the assembly elections due early next year. The BJP has not exactly made itself popular by dismissing his government on frivolous grounds. The nine Congress rebels now stand discredited. This only strengthens Rawats hand.

The top court had put questions to the Centre over the imposition of Presidents rule in the state more than a week ago. The most important theme in these was whether members switching loyalties, strictly a development within the assembly, merited imposition of Central rule in Uttarakhand and whether it did not violate the basic principles of the Centre-state relations as enunciated by the Bommai judgement of 1994.

The state headed for a constitutional crisis when the Congress rebels on 18 March demanded a division of votes on the money bill and along with BJP leaders met the Governor demanding the dismissal of the government. Before a floor test scheduled for 28 March, the Centre promulgated Presidents rule in the state, citing a sting video where Rawat was purportedly shown bribing the party dissidents, triggering several ethical and constitutional questions.

The bigger question involved was, however, political. The decision to dismiss the state government was seen as a deliberate move to de-stabilise Congress governments in the country. Coming after the development in Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress saw strong hints of vendetta politics in the move. It cried itself hoarse that the BJP had claimed to ensure a Congress-mukt Bharat and is going about it by dismantling Congress governments. The BJP, on its part, did not seem to have a strong justification for the imposition of Presidents rule. The High Court also found its move not in sync with the constitutional arrangement guiding the Centre-state equations.
BEIRUT/PARIS Syrian government forces and their allies fought insurgents near Aleppo on Monday and jets conducted raids around a nearby town seized by Islamist rebels, a monitoring group said, as Syria's military said a ceasefire in Aleppo would be extended by 48 hours starting on Tuesday.

A recent surge in bloodshed in Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, wrecked the 10-week-old, partial truce sponsored by Washington and Moscow that had allowed U.N.-brokered peace talks to convene in Geneva.

The United States and Russia, which support rival sides in the civil war, said they would work to revive the February "cessation of hostilities" agreement that reduced fighting in parts of the country for several weeks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said all parties had to press the sides they back to turn "words on a piece of paper" into actions to reinstate the truce.

Syria's military high command was quoted by state news agency SANA as saying the Aleppo ceasefire would be extended by 48 hours in the northern city beginning at 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday (6 p.m. ET on Monday).

A number of short-term local truces have been in place since April 29, first around Damascus and northern Latakia and then in Aleppo, but there has still been fighting between rebels and government forces.

The cessation of hostilities and local truces do not include Islamic State or al Qaeda's Syrian branch, the Nusra Front.

Asaad al-Zoubi, the chief negotiator for the main Syrian opposition at the Geneva talks, criticized the extended Aleppo truce, telling Al Jazeera television that such measures served only to allow thousands of reinforcing troops to be sent from Iran, which is supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Warplanes struck the town of Khan Touman, southwest of Aleppo, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Rebels also fought government forces east of Damascus, and jets hit the rebel-held towns of Maarat al-Numan and Idlib.

Russia and the United States said in a joint statement they would step up efforts to persuade the warring parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

"We have decided to reconfirm our commitment to the (ceasefire) in Syria and to intensify efforts to ensure its nation-wide implementation," they said. "We demand that parties cease any indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructure and medical facilities."

Visiting Paris, Kerry said a reduction of violence in line with the U.S.-Russian joint statement depended on field commanders as well as interested parties including the United States.

"These are words on a piece of paper. They are not actions," he said. "We have a responsibility to make certain that the opposition lives up to this, and Russia and Iran have a responsibility to make sure the Assad regime lives up to this."

Basma Kodmani, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Committee, expressed hope of a return to the Geneva peace talks if the U.S.-Russian agreement is swiftly implemented.

STRATEGIC PRIZE

Russia's military intervention last September helped Assad reverse some rebel gains in the west of the country, including in Aleppo province.

But insurgents captured the town of Khan Touman last week, inflicting a rare setback on government forces and allied Iranian troops who suffered heavy losses in the fighting. Several Iranian soldiers were captured in the clashes, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday.

The city of Aleppo is one of the biggest strategic prizes in a war now in its sixth year, and has been divided into government and rebel-held zones through much of the conflict.

The Observatory said warplanes struck rebel-held areas of the city early on Monday, and rebels fired shells into government-held neighborhoods.

Al Manar, the television channel of Damascus's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, said on Monday troops had destroyed a tank belonging to insurgents and killed some of its occupants.

On the eastern edge of Damascus, government forces and their allies shelled rebel areas and clashed with insurgents, the Observatory and the rebel force Jaish al-Islam said. Three people were killed and 13 wounded in air strikes on Idlib, it said.

Jaish al-Islam agreed with a rival rebel group, Failaq al Rahman, that both would vacate a town they have been fighting over for almost two weeks, the Observatory said.

The groups, two of the strongest operating in the area, agreed to make no more attempts to occupy the town of Misraba in the Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus, and return it to civilian rule. After 13 days of heavy artillery exchanges, Jaish al Islam took control of the town over the weekend, capturing around 50 rival fighters.

Saudi Arabia condemned air strikes on a camp for displaced Syrians west of Aleppo last week that killed at least 28 people, saying it was part of "the genocide committed by Bashar al-Assad's forces against civilians in Syria."

A Saudi cabinet statement on Monday said the strikes on the camp, alongside the prevention of humanitarian aid deliveries to Syrians, constituted war crimes. Damascus has denied targeting the camp or obstructing aid deliveries.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, hosting a meeting in Paris of Assad's opponents, said Syrian government forces and their allies had bombarded hospitals and refugee camps. "It is not Daesh (Islamic State) that is being attacked in Aleppo, it is the moderate opposition," he said.

The U.S.-Russian joint statement said Moscow would work with Syrian authorities "to minimize aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties to the cessation."

(Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut, Geert De Clercq in Paris, Sylvia Westall in Dubai and Tom Miles in Geneva; writing by Dominic Evans and Peter Cooney; editing by David Stamp and G Crosse)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
LAC LA BICHE, Alberta Canadian officials will take their first look on Monday at the oil sands boomtown devastated by a wildfire that has been raging for more than a week, and the prime minister vowed a years-long commitment to rebuild the town.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the national government was working with local officials and businesses to get a better handle on the damage in Fort McMurray, whose 88,000 residents evacuated following the start of the fire on May 1.

"We will support and invest in rebuilding Fort McMurray in a broad range of ways in the coming days, weeks, months and yes, years," he told reporters in Ottawa, but gave no details.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will lead regional officials and media on an inspection of the town and warned the nation to brace for grim images, with entire neighborhoods destroyed.

But fire officials said that cooler weather had slowed the growth of the fire, which has moved far enough away from inhabited areas to make an inspection safe, officials said.

Damage, while extensive, could be less costly than initially feared, according to data released on Monday.

Canada's largest property and casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp (IFC.TO) expects to suffer losses ranging from C$130 million to C$160 million ($100 million-$123 million) from the wildfire. Intact used satellite imagery and geocoding technology to see if buildings were a total loss or partially destroyed.

Analysts said Intact's forecast implied overall industry losses of between C$1 billion C$1.1 billion ($769 million-$846 million), much less than the earlier forecast of C$9 billion ($7 billion).

Previous analysts' estimates, based on less precise data, had expected losses to dwarf previous records in Canadian history, including C$1.9 billion ($1.46 billion) from the North American ice storm of 1998 and the Alberta floods of 2013.

COOLER WEATHER COULD HELP

Firefighters hoped that cooler weather would aid in the battle against the blaze.

Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), down from Sunday's high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius).

The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday, according to Environment Canada. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring.

Alberta's government said Monday the fire had consumed 161,000 hectares (395,000 acres), an estimate unchanged from Sunday. It had expanded to within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the border of Saskatchewan, the province east of Alberta, but was not expected to cross into the neighboring province, said Travis Fairweather, an Alberta wildlife information officer.

Officials said it was too early to know when the thousands of evacuees camped in nearby towns could go back to Fort McMurray, even if their homes were intact.

The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid isdamaged and the water is undrinkable.

Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region.About half of its crude output, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate.

Statoil ASA (STL.OL) said it will suspend all production at its Leismer oil sands project in northern Alberta until midstream terminals needed to transport crude oil via pipeline reopen.

Its move followed shutdowns of Nexen Energy's Long Lake facility, Suncor Energy's (SU.TO) base plant operations, the Syncrude project and Conoco Phillips' Surmont project (COP.N).

U.S. oil prices fell 2.6 percent. [O/R]

Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the firesafely, although two teenagers died in a car crash duringthe evacuation.

($1 = 1.2997 Canadian dollars)

(With additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Nia Williams in Calgary and Matt Schuffman, Ethan Lou and Allison Martell in Toronto; Writing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Trenton: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's decision to endorse Donald Trump back in February brought him plenty of derision at the time. But it's bringing rewards now that it's clear he bet on the winner.

With Trump having effectively clinched the Republican presidential nomination following a bruising primary fight, Christie now sees vindication of what had been a divisive choice in his home state and his inner circle. Trump on Monday tapped Christie to lead the transition team that will usher in the new administration if he wins the presidency in the fall. It's a plum post that could lead to more.

"How did I go from being an idiot 68 days ago to prescient 68 days later?" Christie asked mischievously last week.

Christie has been a key adviser to Trump behind the scenes as well as a presence on the stage. As chairman of the transition team, he will lead a wide-ranging effort to prepare for a potential transfer of power, giving him influence in the selection of White House and administration staff and in the development of a president-elect's first steps.

Trump's rise comes when Christie's favorability in New Jersey is at an all-time low and the end of his second and final term as governor is approaching in 2018  all after his own GOP presidential candidacy failed.

Like almost everyone who becomes the subject of running-mate speculation, Christie says he doesn't want to be vice president. But he adds, "never say never." Trump has said Christie would be a great attorney general, given his background as a prosecutor. For now, Christie is tasked with overseeing a team of people to "take over the White House," as Trump put it in a statement.

Trump praised Christie as an "extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled transition team."

Christie swung behind Trump weeks before the businessman's success in the GOP race was a foregone conclusion; indeed, when many thought another rival would ultimately prevail. In politics, that timing counts for something.

"When someone with the stature of the governor of New Jersey offers an endorsement, that is an investment," said Peter Woolley, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor. "The risk was greater for Christie when he made that endorsement and so I'm sure he expects the reward to be greater as a consequence."

Christie has said he plans to go into the private sector to make money in his next act.

But he is also casting himself as a unifier in a divided party and has offered to talk to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who declined to back Trump last week, about his concerns over Trump.

"Donald's got work to do to bring people together," Christie said. "If (Trump) picks up the phone and calls and asks me to do something that I can do to help his cause and be elected president, I'll do it."

Christie, who helped raise more than $100 million as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, could also help Trump get access to the party's biggest donors, some of whom share Ryan's hesitancy about the presumptive nominee.

Christie's pitch to reluctant donors and other Republicans isn't hard to imagine, said Dale Florio, a long-time Republican lobbyist in New Jersey, Christie ally and Trump supporter. "You have a better chance of making the changes you want to see if a Republican wins the White House," Florio said. "It's pretty simple."

Christie said last week Trump hasn't made any requests for help yet on that front.

Meanwhile, Trump will headline a fundraiser this month to help Christie repay own presidential campaign debt, followed by a $25,000 per person fundraiser for the state's Republican Party.

Christie's support for Trump led to backlash from Democrats, including a series of billboards attacking him. They are from Bridges Over Politics for New Jersey, an advocacy group run by a one-time aide to a former Democratic congressman.

One of the ads shows Trump with Christie behind him. The text asks Christie to "stand up to racism and bigotry."

Trump has drawn criticism for pledging to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants from entering the country illegally and for hesitating before denouncing Ku Klux Klan figure David Duke, who said not voting for Trump was "treason to your heritage."

Christie has said he doesn't agree with Trump on everything but Trump gives the party the best chance to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Beijing: Chinese state-run media on Monday played down North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's pledge not to use nuclear weapons unless his country's sovereignty is threatened, saying that his pursuit of atomic arms remained dangerous.

Beijing is Pyongyang's main diplomatic protector and source of trade and aid, but relations between them have become increasingly strained by the North's nuclear ambitions, and Kim has yet to visit his neighbour.

The North's first ruling party congress in nearly 40 years formally endorsed Kim's policy of expanding the country's nuclear arsenal, after he said it would not use the weapons unless attacked, and would work for global denuclearisation.

But the international community and the United Nations have long demanded an end to the North's nuclear and missile programmes.

Kim's declaration "was made from the perspective that North Korea is now a nuclear state", China's Global Times newspaper, which is close to the ruling Communist party, said in an editorial.

As such, it said, its "attitude has not changed, and neither has its biggest contradiction with the outside world been resolved".

"Major countries will not change their stance to recognise North Korea as a nuclear state," it added. "As long as Pyongyang resists giving up its nuclear weapons, normalising relations with the outside world will be highly unlikely."

China's foreign ministry said that Beijing's position on the nuclear question "remains unchanged" following the weekend's events.

"We maintain that all resolutions of the UN Security Council related to the issue should be applied by all the parties," spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular briefing.

There were no Chinese representatives at the Workers' Party gathering, the Global Times reported last week, although a large delegation attended the previous congress in 1980 headed by Li Xiannian, later China's official head of state.

Beijing has been reluctant to take measures against the North, fearing that a crisis could send floods of refugees into its territory. It also views as anathema the prospect of US troops on its border in a reunified Korea.

The North's nuclear programme had been a factor in the US and South Korea "constantly upgrading their military preparation for strikes against Pyongyang", the newspaper said.

"The crazy logic of contemporary international politics has become a game of who will blink first," it added.
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta Canadian officials on Monday got their first glimpse of the oil sands boomtown of Fort McMurray since a wildfire erupted and saw a "heartbreaking" number of destroyed homes but a largely intact downtown business area.

The fire that has ravaged some 161,000 hectares (395,000 acres) of Alberta moved far enough away from the evacuated town of 88,000 people to allow an official delegation led by the province's premier, Rachel Notley, to visit.

"Massive residential damage ... couldn't keep track of the unaffected streets. Large portions destroyed," Ward Councillor Tyran Ault said on Twitter, adding that the neighbourhood of Beacon Hill was in "heartbreaking" condition.

Other parts of the city were in better condition, he added, saying, "Downtown looks great. Business unaffected! Hospital too. Burnt trees and smouldering visible across the Clearwater (River) though."

Reporters on the tour viewed the charred rubble of Beacon Hill, where some 80 percent of the homes had been burnt to the ground and the wreckage of blackened and melted cars remained on roads.

Still, Fire Chief Darby Allen told reporters that 85 percent of the buildings in Fort McMurray had survived the blaze.

That assessment came a few hours after insurance experts revised sharply downward their estimates of the cost of damage from the blaze, which began on May 1.

Canada's largest property and casualty insurer Intact Financial Corp (IFC.TO) expects to suffer losses ranging from C$130 million to C$160 million ($100 million-$123 million) from the wildfire. Intact used satellite imagery and geocoding technology to see if buildings were a total loss or partially destroyed.

Analysts said Intact's forecast implied overall industry losses of between C$1 billion C$1.1 billion ($769 million-$846 million), much less than the earlier forecast of C$9 billion ($7 billion).

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed a multi-year commitment by the national government to rebuild Fort McMurray after the most destructive Canadian wildfire in recent memory.

"We will support and invest in rebuilding Fort McMurray in a broad range of ways in the coming days, weeks, months and yes, years," he told reporters in Ottawa, but gave no details.

Fire officials said that cooler weather had slowed the fire's spread. But its course remained unpredictable, leading officials to order a midday evacuation of two hamlets south of Fort McMurray, home to a combined population of 530 people, at midday, then lift those orders less than an hour later.

RAIN NEEDED TO TAME 'BEAST'

Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), down from Sunday's high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius).

The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday, according to Environment Canada. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring.

"This beast is so big, we need rain to fix it," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Monday.

Government weather forecasts show the first possibility of rain on Wednesday with a 30 percent chance.

Officials said it was too early to know when the thousands of evacuees camped in nearby towns could go back to Fort McMurray, even if their homes were intact.

The city's gas has been turned off, its power grid isdamaged and the water is undrinkable.

Fort McMurray is the center of Canada's oil sands region.About half of its crude output, or 1 million barrels per day, has been taken offline, according to a Reuters estimate.

Statoil ASA (STL.OL) said it will suspend all production at its Leismer oil sands project in northern Alberta until midstream terminals needed to transport crude oil via pipeline reopen.

Its move followed shutdowns of Nexen Energy's Long Lake facility, Suncor Energy's (SU.TO) base plant operations, the Syncrude project and Conoco Phillips' Surmont project (COP.N).

Nearly all of Fort McMurray's residents escaped the firesafely, although two teenagers died in a car crash duringthe evacuation.

($1 = 1.2997 Canadian dollars)

(With additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa, Nia Williams in Calgary and Matt Schuffman, Ethan Lou and Allison Martell in Toronto; Writing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Hodgson; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Cynthia Osterman)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Washington: Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton said that since Donald Trump became the Republicans' presumptive nominee, she has been hearing from Republicans interested in supporting her presidential campaign.

"For a lot of people, again, who take their vote seriously and who really see this as a crossroads kind of election, I am asking people to come join this campaign," she told CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday. "And I've had a lot of outreach on Republicans in the last days who say that they are interested in talking about that."

Despite her campaign already going hard against Trump in the days since he effectively secured the Republican nomination, Clinton said she was not going to run an "ugly" race against him.

"I'm not going to run an ugly race. I am going to run a race based on issues, and what my agenda is to the American people. I don't really feel like I'm running against Donald Trump. I feel like I'm running for my vision of what our country can be."

Asked whether she was making claims about his "stability", Clinton said she is only talking about the statements he's made as a candidate.

Clinton noted the discord in the Republican Party, with top leaders such as House Speaker Paul Ryan saying they were not ready to back Trump, and others, such as South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, vowing they will not back him at all.

Clinton was also asked to explain which "hard questions" she thinks Trump needs to answer as he enters general-election mode.

She named the minimum wage, his comments that climate change is a "hoax" and his suggestion that women be "punished" for having abortions  in addition to his foreign policy and economic views more generally  as areas where Trump needs to elaborate.
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Live image of the upcoming Motorola Moto X (2016) smartphone surfaced back in December that revealed metal body for the smartphone. Now press images of the Moto X (2016) and the new Droid smartphone that will be heading to Verizon. The new images confirm the metal body and also reveals fingerprint sensor below the display on a huge bezel. There is also Laser autofocus on the back. There is also flash on the front.

Since @evleaks recently said that Droid Maxx 3 and Droid Turbo 3 is in the works, this could be one of these smartphones. He will reveal more details about the smartphones today. According to a recent Geekbench listing, the Moto X (2016) will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, pack 4GB of RAM and run Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow).

The speaker is on the front, along with the earpiece and there are 16 pins on the back for some kind of connector. The new Moto X / Droid series smartphones are expected to go official on June 9th.

Source | Via
The patchwork of state laws requiring food and beverage companies to label products that contain bioengineered ingredients is emerging and underscores the challenging situation the industry faces if a federal statute that addresses the issue is not passed into law. As state legislators from around the country propose legislation they are not only creating unique sets of regulations with which companies must comply, but they are putting a greater strain on the ingredient supply chain.

Fortunately, regulators in Vermont have sounded a conciliatory tone regarding implementation and enforcement of the bioengineered labeling law beginning July 1. The states attorney general made clear that his enforcement priorities will focus on what are deemed willful violations and will not bring enforcement cases based solely on a companys failure to remove improperly labeled products that were distributed before July 1.

Yet, while most attention is directed toward Vermonts effort, there are other pieces of legislation making their way through other state houses. In Rhode Island, for example, such legislation is currently under consideration and close attention must be paid to its progress. In addition to requiring the labeling of products containing bioengineered ingredients on both the front and back of the package, the Rhode Island measure also defines a natural food as one which has not been treated with preservatives, antibiotics, synthetic additives, artificial flavoring or artificial coloring.

Further, under the proposed legislation, products marketed as natural in Rhode Island must not have been processed in a manner that makes such food significantly less nutritive. The legislation does not define the meaning of significantly less nutritive.

Other states introducing legislation include Massachusetts and New York. If New Yorks law were to pass, record keeping requirements in the statute would represent a major compliance challenge to food and beverage companies.

During the Grocery Manufacturers Associations annual science forum, held this past April in Washington, D.C., Pamela Bailey, president of the group, outlined the challenges the shift by some companies to non-bioengineered ingredients is placing on the supply chain. Sugar beets produced in the United States, of which 90 per cent are bioengineered, are currently at a 24-year low in orders. Concurrently, cane sugar, which is non-bioengineered, is experiencing two-year highs in prices.

Lets be clear: If this trend continues and accelerates, there wont be enough domestic supply of either non-G.M.O. sugar beets or cane sugar to meet the U.S. demand, Ms. Bailey said. And Mexico is already indicating that it is willing to supply the needed sugar cane if domestic supplies are inadequate.

Is this what we want? Do we really want the law in Vermont to turn back the clock on our agriculture supply chain, to take us back to an era of more chemicals on our farms, of more tilling, more erosion, and lower yields per acre?

The list of companies that are adding labels to products that contain bioengineered ingredients is growing. They include such corporations as the Campbell Soup Co., General Mills, Inc., ConAgra Foods, Inc., the Kellogg Co. and more. Another company, the Dannon Co., has vowed to go further and is in the process of altering its supply chain to not only eliminate bioengineered ingredients but also enhance the companys level of transparency with consumers.

Transparency and trust are at the center of the debate over the labeling of food and beverage products containing bioengineered ingredients. With no action at the federal level and Vermonts law the de facto national standard, proponents of the legislation are on the cusp of what they may perceive as a victory. Yet once the labels are in place, one has to wonder what genuine benefits will result.
Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (RBA 1.05%) stock has had a nice run since mid-January, advancing over 30%. With the heavy-equipment auctioneer just announcing record auction sales in the first quarter, it looks like 2016 could turn out to be another good year for the company. But after that swift share-price advance, is it a buy right now?

A good year ahead

With the global economy in something of a funk, Ritchie Bros. has had a good business environment in which to operate. Essentially, weakness in any industry that uses heavy equipment will probably lead to more things for the company to sell off to the highest bidder. Add in some acquisitions along the way, and Ritchie Bros. is definitely in a good place to grow its business in 2016.

That said, with a stock advance of nearly 25% in just a few months, it looks as if investors may have already priced in a robust year.

Solid business

Ritchie Bros. is one of the largest players in the business of selling heavy equipment at auction. It quite literally has locations around the world. It's highly likely that there will always be something for the company to sell, even if volumes slow from the recent heady pace. The robust market today is being helped out by China's slowdown, a still recovering U.S. housing market, and general weakness throughout Europe.

But even if a broad global uptick slows Ritchie Bros. down some because potential sellers might decide to hold on to their gear longer, the auctioneer has also been making use of acquisitions to grow its global reach. For example, in February it closed on a deal to buy Mascus International Holding, an online service that provides solutions to heavy-equipment dealerships, among other things. Indeed, it's likely that a difficult auction market would allow industry giant Ritchie Bros. to be even more acquisitive, supporting future growth. That said, the Mascus deal is important for another reason: It highlights the company's focus on the Internet.

Roughly half of all of the sales Ritchie Bros. makes come from bidders who aren't from the region in which an auction is taking place. These bidders are using Ritchie Bros.' website. The takeaway here is that the auction house is holding truly global auctions, not local ones. So even if there's a reduction in equipment or one region is slow, it will still be selling into a very large market. That should provide some protection from competition and from a weak market environment.

So there are some big-picture things to like about Ritchie Bros.' business. Add in low debt levels, and it looks as if Ritchie Bros. would not only survive an industry slowdown, but also come out of it a much stronger company.

A fair value, but not a good one

A good company isn't necessarily a good investment. A lot depends on price. After the recent advance, Ritchie Bros. is a lot more expensive than it was at the start of the year. But it doesn't yet look overpriced. For example, the price-to-earnings ratio is roughly 25% below its five-year average. The yield is also about in line with recent history. So in some ways, the stock still looks like a good deal.

RBA P/E Ratio (TTM) data by YCharts

However, not all of the company's metrics paint as compelling a picture. For example, price to sales and price to book value are both a little ahead of the trailing average. So from this perspective, Ritchie Bros. stock looks less like a good deal.

If you mix the two, it's probably safest to view the auctioneer as selling at a fair price today, but not a good one -- certainly not as good as it was in mid-January, when the stock was more than 30% cheaper. But it's not exactly overpriced, either.

In other words, I wouldn't call it a screaming buy. But if you have a long time horizon, a fair value for a growing Ritchie Bros. might be well worth the price of admission. For example, with a return on equity of roughly 19% last year, you might decide that a trailing P/E of around 23 or so isn't too bad a price. The forward P/E is a bit higher at about 24.5, but still not outlandish. After all, the company has clearly done a good job of putting its shareholders' money to work. But it still isn't trading at a bargain basement price.

The eye of the beholder

So in the end, a lot is going to come down to you. If you're looking for a good company at a dirt cheap price, Ritchie Bros. isn't likely to be something you'll want to buy. But if you want to own a well-run company with solid growth prospects at a fair price, than Ritchie Bros. could, indeed, be a buy right now.
To the surprise of no one, the Halliburton (HAL 2.07%)-Baker Hughes (BHI) fusion is officially off, and Halliburton is paying Baker Hughes $3.5 billion in fees as a consequence. Why, then, is Baker Hughes stock seeing a dip, while Halliburton's is up?

In this segment from the Market Foolery podcast, Chris Hill, Taylor Muckerman, and Jason Moser explain what the market is likely reacting to. Also, they look at what Baker Hughes is planning to do with that nice $3.5 billion windfall, how Halliburton is positioned to recover, and how much this failed acquisition might affect M&A activity in the energy space for the remainder of this year.

A full transcript follows the video.

This podcast was recorded on May 2, 2016.

Chris Hill: Let's start this episode, just like we did a week ago, with the Halliburton-Baker Hughes deal, which is now officially off. The $35 billion deal is off. And, as you said last week Taylor, all signs were pointing to this. I'm a little curious, though, why Halliburton shares are up about 2-3%, and Baker Hughes share are down about 2-3%, because Baker Hughes is getting the mother of all breakup gifts in the form of a $3.5 billion check!



Taylor Muckerman: Yeah, they're already planning to spend most of it.



Hill: Right! I guess my question is, is Baker Hughes seen as that challenged a business, that even though they've just gotten an enormous check, that people think, "Yeah, I'm still not interested in this company."



Muckerman: I think it might just stem from the fact that they're no longer getting the premium that Halliburton was going to pay for their shares. Maybe some investors are like, "Eh, it'll take a little longer, we thought Halliburton was just going to hand us some cash and shares." But, they're spending it on share buybacks, 1.5 billion or so, is what they said. That's a little over 7% of outstanding shares. So, the company could be getting a deal in the next week or so, if they start implementing this anytime soon, because shares have sold off. That might help shareholders in the long run with some returns there. And the other billion's going toward debt.



They haven't made any announcements like, "We're ready to grow the business in this cheap environment yet." As we've seen the run-up in energy shares, it might have taken away some of the deals, had this been called off only a month ago when oil was still below $40 a barrel. I expect them to use the other $1 billion on small tack-ons, but nothing like that has been announced yet. Maybe the market's just waiting and seeing.



You kind of understand what's happening to Halliburton. You can strip that cash off their balance sheet and see what's happening. But Baker Hughes now has some decisions to make. Maybe people are hesitant as to what those decisions might be.



Jason Moser: Yeah, if you put it in the context of Halliburton as a stock, if you look at the shares outstanding versus what they're paying out in that $3.5 billion breakup fee, it's like $4 a share. It's not something that kills the business. We know investing is all about the future and seeing how the future may shake out. It's no secret that Halliburton is one of the strongest energy companies in the world. I don't think that's going to change. It wasn't going to change before the acquisition, and it's not going to change after.



I think, really, the question then becomes, going forward, when do we see this recovery in energy? And like Taylor said, I think there are many more questions for Baker Hughes than there are for Halliburton. This sucks, if you're a Halliburton shareholder, on principle.



Muckerman: Yeah, they lost $3.5 billion.



Moser: I feel like they just kind of throw $3.5 billion out there as, eh. You start suffering this big number syndrome, where there's this big number, and you can't even comprehend it anymore. That's kind of where you are here, I think. It makes you think twice as an investor. You don't want to see businesses throwing away $3.5 billion like that, but it is what it is, and this is a company that can certainly withstand it.



Halliburton's been a very interesting investment. If you look at the 5-10 year charts, the stock doesn't really go anywhere, but there are points in time where you can buy this thing and make a ton of money. And, we've said it a lot over the past year -- we don't know when things are going to turn for energy, but they will. And when they do, this is probably going to be one you want to own.



Muckerman: Yeah. And it's not necessarily in a bad spot right now. Lost some cash, maybe the dividend grows a little slower. It would be nice to see them have that money to put to use in the low-price environment. But, I don't think they're any worse for wear in the long term.



Hill: Two questions before we move on. First, with respect to Baker Hughes, do you think part of what's happening with the stock is, the stock buyback is being seen as, for lack of a better word, uninspiring? We've talked about this before. Regardless of industry, there are plenty of companies that, when they announce a stock buyback, you can look at it and go, "Okay, they have no better idea for what to do with their money." It's the fallback position. And I'm wondering if at least part of what's happening with the stock today is, "Wow, really? That's the best idea you have?"



Muckerman: It kind of caught me off guard that they're buying back more stock than they are paying off debt, or earmarking for potential acquisitions or whatever the other billion they haven't announced yet is. That kind of caught me off guard a little, especially with shares having risen -- I don't know what Baker Hughes has done, but oil shares in general are up double digit percents in just the last few weeks. Losing out on what could have been some deals before this announcement. And, if it continues the way it is, they could have missed out on the trough to begin with. So, I do think it's less than inspiring.



Moser: Yeah. And, we've seen data before that talks about how poorly a lot of these businesses execute on the buyback front. The charts show you that as soon as the market starts tanking, they're battening down the hatches and going into shutdown mode, when really, that's when they need to be buying back these shares. So, it's pretty interesting. In the case of Baker Hughes, this is kind of like found money. Given the position of the energy market today, and that they're executing buybacks with this money, I think this could work out OK for them, given how depressed long-term energy stocks are.



Muckerman: Long-term, sure.



Moser: Yeah, I could see them wanting to reduce the debt side, but the debt, they can manage with no real problem. Again, this is kind of like found money. Probably not such a bad use of that at this time, given that so many companies have established such a poor record over time on the flip side of that coin.



Hill: Second question -- should we read anything into the potential for mergers and acquisitions in the energy industry for the rest of this year? Should we read anything into what happened here? Or do we just look at this and say, "Part of this was, it was the second and third largest players in the space, and that was the problem that the Justice Department had with it." And it's really the opposite, because I think, if I heard you correctly, Taylor, you hinted that Halliburton may just turn around now and start to go looking for other fish.



Muckerman: They could. I mean, they're missing some cash to do it with.



Hill: Right. (laughs) The wallet's a little lighter.



Muckerman: Maybe some smaller fish. Maybe they're a little bit more gun-shy. But, I think, they had to take a much harder look at what they currently own in order to value it for potential sales, to have this deal goes through in the first place. I think they're much more in tune with what they actually are now. So, they could, maybe, spin off a couple things, and then put some cash to use. But, yeah, I don't think this is something that the whole energy sector has to be worried about. It was the #2 and #3, in an industry where the top three or four do have a commanding market share globally, not just in the United States. I do think that this was probably a one-off.



That being said, you won't see Chevron and Exxon try to merge, because that would be something similar on a much larger scale, but similar in terms of market share. But, yeah, I don't think it's anything that you'll see a lack of energy deals because of this. Maybe just not the same competitiveness in nature.



Reminds me of when T-Mobile got some cash, twice, a couple billion each time, once from Sprint and once from another company. And they went out and they spent a lot of it, which is why they're one of the fastest-growing, if not the fastest-growing mobile companies out right now. So, that could be something that shareholders are like, "Well, why isn't Baker Hughes throwing some of this cash around?" But, it is early still.
What happened?

Forklift manufacturer Hyster-Yale Materials Handling (HY 0.62%) isn't letting a melancholy quarter stop it from gifting a higher payout to its shareholders. The company declared a dividend of just under $0.30 per share, a 4% improvement over its predecessor.

Since being spun off from ex-parent Nacco Industries (NC -3.90%) in 2012, Hyster-Yale has been a habitual dividend payer, although this latest raise is only the third in its history.

It comes on the heels of Hyster-Yale's Q1 2016 earnings release, which wasn't terribly encouraging. Revenue declined 3% on a year-over-year basis to $604 million, with net profit slipping 28% to $10 million. Both figures missed the average analyst estimates.

Hyster-Yale's new distribution is to be paid on June 15 to stockholders of record as of June 1. At the current share price, it yields 1.9%. That's just shy of the average of dividend-paying stocks on the S&P 500, which stands at 2.1%, although it's roughly on par with Nacco Industries' payout.

Does it matter?

Hyster-Yale's recent performance raises the question of whether it would have been better to keep it in Nacco Industries' portfolio. Over the past year, the total return of the parent has risen by 12%, while Hyster-Yale's has dropped by 15%. Both stocks are in positive territory on a year-to-date basis, but still the former beats the latter, 37% to 13%.

Nacco Industries is also better diversified. For obvious reasons, Hyster-Yale's business is dependent on the performance of the broader industrial sector and as such can be vulnerable to flatlining or slowdowns. Neither the company's top nor bottom line has been growing lately, while its trailing-12-month cash dividend payout ratio (the percentage of free cash flow used for dividends) has crept up steadily, to nearly 60% -- Nacco Industries is currently at a very modest 7.5%.

A slight bump in the dividend probably won't assuage concerns about Hyster-Yale's fundamental performance. On the contrary, it might worry investors who are concerned about how much free cash flow is going toward shareholder payouts.
Amazon.com just keeps growing and growing and growing. The company blew past estimates in its first-quarter earnings report last week as sales jumped 28% to $29.1 billion and earnings per share improved to $1.07. Thanks to Amazon Web Services' tremendous growth and profitability improvements in the company's e-commerce division, Amazon posted its most profitable quarter in the company's history.

Investors celebrated the headline numbers, lifting the stock more than 9% the following day, but one of the biggest signs of Amazon's emerging growth was widely ignored. Over the past year, its employee count has soared by 49%, to 245,200.Generally, an increasing headcount precedes revenue growth; in Amazon's case, investments in additional staff are necessary as the company adds new fulfillment centers, expands AWS, and makes other key investments.

In fact, there may be no better indicator of expected sales growth than employee growth. Amazon's headcount has only grown faster than this at one other time in its history: from 2011-2012, when it reached a peak of 75%.As the chart below shows, Amazon's revenue growth was fastest in the last 10 years during the third quarter of 2011, precisely the period when its employee growth was the fastest.

AMZN Revenue (Quarterly YoY Growth) data by YCharts

Notably, that investment in new staff coincided with a decline in profits, but we haven't seen that this time around thanks to AWS, which delivered an operating margin of 23.5% in the most recent quarter.

How Wall Street misses the big pictureStock market-watchers may have noticed a pattern. When companies announce job cuts, often their stocks soar. The simple explanation is that investors cheer the efforts to reduce costs, assuming that a lower headcount will boost profits, but they're ignoring the bigger issue. Successful companies don't need to lay off employees, and companies that do so are usually weakening their long-term growth prospects rather than strengthening them.

Tech titan of yesteryear HP got a big boost in 2013 and 2014 with the help of layoffs as new CEO Meg Whitman slashed and restructured the company in hopes of saving the aging PC maker. On one particular session in 2014, shares rose 6% after the company announced plans to cut an additional 11,000-16,000 jobs.

Just in March, Brazilian oil giantPetrobras shares spiked 12% on plans to reduce its workforce by 15%. Perhaps no company has been more notorious for layoffs thanIBM, which has cut its headcount by more than 10% in recent years, as the company transitions into higher-margin cloud and transition businesses. Not surprisingly, those job cuts have tracked with 16 straight quarters of declining revenue.

IBM Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts

By adding 80,000 employees last year, Amazon is growing its headcount nearly as fast as any other company, and with continuing investments in office space in fulfillment centers, the company looks set for continued growth.

As the chart below shows, Amazon's revenue growth has accelerated since 2014 as AWS and investments in new services like Prime Now have taken off.

AMZN data by YCharts

Amazon's growth is in a significant upswing, as the rapid headcount growth shows. Even with its market cap pushing past $300 billion, the opportunities the company is tackling in retail, cloud computing, and even video streaming are huge, and could enable the company to maintain its growth rate for many years ahead. Expect Amazon's headcount and sales to keep surging.

The article 1 Big Sign Amazon's Growth Is Ready to Skyrocket originally appeared on Fool.com.

Jeremy Bowman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.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.
Image source: Johnson & Johnson.

Earlier this month, a Missouri jury orderedJohnson & Johnson(NYSE: JNJ) to pay a woman $55 million because she developed ovarian cancer after applying its talc-based powder productsfor decades. The same court, but a different jury, awarded another women $72 million this February in a similar case.

Now, let me acknowledge right off the bat that ovarian cancer is a horrible disease, and my heart goes out to these women.

Let's take a look at how this news might impact an investment thesis for Johnson & Johnson. If you're one of my fellow J&J shareholders and worried about the effect roughly 1,200 additional talc-based lawsuits might have on your investment, your concern may be premature.

I'm not suggesting the company's legal department isn't busy. Disclosed legal proceedings in the company's latest annual report stretch on for nearly 11,000 words, but talc-based ovarian cancer-related suits didn't even make the list.

There will be some effect, but here are a few reasons these lawsuits shouldn't keep you up at night.

1. The science isn't thereThe FDA doesn't have an approval process for cosmetic-product ingredients, but it keeps tabs on ones the public often inquires about, including talc.Asbestos, perhaps America's best-known carcinogen, and talc are sometimes discovered in proximity, so mining outfits need to be careful, as do quality-control departments of companies that buy talc in bulk.

Image source: Johnson & Johnson.

Apparently the FDA receives inquiries about asbestos in talc products from time to time -- which could be where this whole ovarian-cancer association began in the first place.

A couple of years back,the FDA bought dozens of talc-based products, including blush, eye-shadow, foundation, and, of course, Johnson's Baby Powder from random retail outlets in the Washington, D.C., metro area. The lab didn't detect a trace of carcinogenic asbestos in any of them.

As for scientific studies, I searched the National Institutes of Health and found a couple of studies that possibly hint at a relationship between ovarian cancer risk and decades-long use of talc in genital hygiene, but nothing that comes close to support labeling it as a carcinogen.

Laboratory studies that involve direct injection of talc into various cells and animal ovaries are, however, highly conclusive that talc is indeednota carcinogen. Another lengthy review of over 70 studies pretty much closed the book on the subject about eight years ago.

2. Johnson & Johnson will do the right thingBack in 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide. Rather than shifting blame toward the psychopath that laced the capsules, the company did something revolutionary for its time. At no small expense it recalled 31 million bottles of Tylenol from store shelves, and replaced them with a safer tablet form.

We take recalls for granted these days, but back then they were practically unheard of. The company's bold move was clearly the right thing to do from a moral perspective. It also turned out a wise business decision in the long run. J&J's share of the analgesic market plunged to 7% the year following the poisonings, from 37% the year before. It took an expensive media campaign on top of the recalls, but by the following year its share was then back to 30%, and J&J's over the counter drug sales are as strong as ever, racking up more than $1 billion in the first three months of the year, and Tylenol is still a major component of the group.presence is a strong

Image source: Johnson & Johnson.

That was decades ago, but this is still a company that thinks generations ahead, not from quarter-to-quarter. If there were scientific evidence that talc-based products are carcinogenic,as opposed to the anecdotal sort that's stirring up anger on social media, I believe that Johnson & Johnson would make the responsible decision.

In the meantime, talc-based baby-powder may give way to the corn starch-based variety for a while,but Johnson & Johnson brands aren't going down over this, at least not permanently.

In fact, given that talc is a mined, finite resource, and the U.S. grows more corn than we know what to do with, a shift to maize might even boost margins.

3. Minimal business effectI'm not saying there hasn't beenany financial fallout over the negative publicity of the powder suits. First-quarter U.S. baby-care sales fell 14.4% compared with the same period last year, to $95 million.The $16 million loss comprised a whopping 0.09% of J&J's $17.48 billion in total revenue for the quarter.

Image source: Johnson & Johnson.

Exactly how much, if any, of that loss is due to talc-based fear is anybody's guess, but consumer sales as a whole were in line with the same period last year.

This is hardly surprising. Few people associate allbrands with their parent companies. That would explain how U.S. sales from the over-the-counter and oral care groups posted 13.8% and 7.6% gains, respectively,in the first quarter over the same period last year. It seems people avoiding Johnson's Baby Powder are tossing bottles of Motrin and Listerine into their baskets on the way to the register.

If you're worried about a noncash writedown of the company's overall brand value, note that this is a relatively minor asset to begin with. When last assessed, the company's trademarks with indefinite lives were valued at just over $7 billion.Exactly what percentage of that figure might succumb totalc-based fallout when these assets are assessed again is anybody's guess, but I doubt it would dent the company's book value of about $71.2 billion.

What this Fool believesI don't think it's possible to sell $5.2 billion in consumer-health products throughout the U.S. without attracting lawsuits and negative publicity from time to time.Sometimes it leads to positive change. The cyanide poisonings and subsequent media uproar in the early '80s highlighted a need for tamper-proofing that benefits us all to this day. When it comes down to it, J&J has a good track record of doing right by consumers, and I believe the company will take these concerns seriously. I expect we'll see more studies (probably some commissioned by Johnson & Johnson) added to the body of evidence I cited above in the next few years -- studies that will hopefully reconfirm talc's safety.

The good news is Johnson & Johnson's efforts to actually treat cancer are succeeding. From an investor's standpoint, global first-quarter sales of J&J's cancer therapies, such as Imbruvica, grew more than 22.2% over the same period last year to $1.35 billion.That should be more than enough to offset any losses to this temporary wave of unfounded talc-based anger, and shareholders can sleep well at night knowing that they own shares of a company that is, in fact, saving lives.

The article 3 Reasons Johnson & Johnson Investors Shouldn't Fret Over Talc Suits originally appeared on Fool.com.

Cory Renauer owns shares of Johnson & Johnson. You can follow Cory on Twitter @coryrenauer or connect with him on LinkedIn for more healthcare industry insight. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Johnson & Johnson. 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.
When do you plan on claiming your first Social Security check?

The choice is one of the biggest financial decisions you'll ever make. Retirees can start receiving retirement benefits as early as 62 years old, and as late as 70 -- with 66 currently being the "full" retirement age.

If you start at 62, you'll get 75% of your full benefits. Wait until 70, and you'll get a monthly check that's worth 132% of your full amount. That's a big difference. On the surface, it seems obvious that everyone should wait until age 70 to claim benefits.

In reality, the government chooses this formula because actuarial tables show that the lifetime payout for retired people is essentially the same no matter when they claim benefits.

But according to a 2009 paper from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, there's more to it than just that. As the authors state, "Choosing a claiming age is not simply a matter of maximizing the expected present value of lifetime benefits. Individuals who delay claiming also acquire additional longevity insurance ... [It] provide[s] the purchaser with valuable insurance against the risk of outliving their wealth."

The value of that extra "insurance" varies depending on your life circumstances. According to their research, here are the three times where it actually makes the most sense to start claiming benefits at 62.

1. Single menIf you've never been married, and you're male, you should claim Social Security at age 62 -- with a caveat. This doesn't pertain to women because researchers used historical data, and men have historically been higher earners -- making their payouts larger no matter when they claim.

One of the reasons for this is that these males don't have to worry about maximizing benefits for their partners in the event that they pass away.

But here's the caveat: Researchers broke out three different groups of people:

The first assumes Social Security recipients have zero fear of risk (zero risk aversion) -- that these people are OK with uncertainty. We'll call them the Daring Ones.

The second assumes a medium level of risk-aversion (a coefficient of 2). We'll call them the Practical Ones.

The third assumes a high level of risk-aversion (a coefficient of 5). These are folks who want more certainty in what they'll get. We'll call them the Fearful Ones.

It is only in the first group -- the Daring Ones -- that it makes the most sense for single males to take Social Security at age 62.

The graph below demonstrates how much Social Security Equivalent Income (SSEI) you're missing out on depending on your risk-aversion level. The highest point on the graph (100% of ideal income) represents the best age to start claiming.

Note that the y-axis only goes from 75% of the ideal to 100% -- so the differences aren't as pronounced on an absolute basis as they might appear.

Create column charts

As you can see, the more risk-averse they are, the later these men should take Social Security. And if you're a women who bucks the historical trends (i.e. you made an above-average income during your working years), then this move is worth considering for you as well.

2. The lower-earning spouse in a dual-income householdAs above, there are caveats to cover, here.

According to Social Security rules, if one partner earns less than the other (we'll say the wife here, only because it reflects historical trends), she will receive one of two types of benefits. She could claim her own benefit based on past earnings. Or, she could claim spousal benefits. Spousal benefits max out at 50% of the husband's full retirement benefit.

In the end, she'll receive whichever is higher, but there's a catch to spousal benefits: she must wait until her husband claims Social Security. Of course, if her own benefit is more than 50% of her husband's, this really doesn't matter. It also helps explain what researchers found:

Only when the lower earner's own benefit is 40% to 100% of the higher earner's does it make sense for the lower earner in a dual-income house to take benefits at 62. At the same time, the higher earner should wait until 69 to claim Social Security.

Researchers also found that the lower-earner should claim at 62 if:

She will receive a Social Security benefit equal to 30% to 40% of her husband's, and is three or more years younger than him.

She will receive a Social Security benefit equal to 0% to 30% of her husband's, and is five or more years younger than him.

Because this study was completed in 2009, some might think the findings to be null, as some popular loopholes were allowed then--like "File-and-Suspend"--that aren't now. But the researchers clearly state that they didn't take these loopholes into consideration in their research.

3. If you absolutely need itThis is the elephant in the room. The vast majority of people claim Social Security at 62 or shortly thereafter. The reason is simple: People haven't saved enough to survive on. Taking benefits is the most logical way to make ends meet.

In the end, living below your means and saving the difference can give you a lot more options. That can help you maximize how much you can spend during your Golden Years -- and how much you can get out of Social Security.

The article The 3 Times the Average American Should Take Social Security at 62 Years Old 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.
Tesla Motors' most recent quarterly shareholder letter, which was released last week, included a number of interesting updates on the fast-growing business. Published just as Tesla announced it was moving its goal to build 500,000 vehicles per year by 2020 to 2018, the letter provides timely insight.

Here are five useful takeaways from the update that investors shouldn't overlook.

GigafactoryTesla's under-construction Gigafactory, or a factory purposed to eventually produce more lithium-ion battery cells than were produced in the entire world in 2013, is arguably one of the company's most important initiatives. For the automaker to continue to ramp-up production of its vehicles, it will eventually need to rely on in-house production of battery cells in order to fulfill growing demand and to achieve lower costs for its batteries.

Management was optimistic about the factory's progress:

While production has already started at the Gigafactory, it hasn't yet begun producing batteries at the cell level. Production at the cell level is important, as this is key to maximizing economies of scale at the factory. So, it's good to hear the company is on pace to begin cell production this year.

The Model 3 objectiveStill trying to understand how the Model 3 fits into Tesla's business plan, and how the company aims to make it compelling?

Management summed up its goal with its lowest-cost vehicle in two sentences:

Model S order growth acceleratedOne key concern among investors as Model X production increases is cannibalization of Model S. But, so far, the opposite scenario is playing out, as Model S orders continue to grow.

Model S. Image source: Tesla Motors.

Management went on to note that new vehicles are actually encouraging Model S sales -- not cannibalizing demand.

Production is jumpingIn light of Tesla's wildly ambitious growth plans, it's important that Tesla's production continues to rise rapidly. Fortunately, this is exactly what's happening. In Q1, vehicle production hit a record level of 15,510 -- up 10% compared to Q4. And Tesla said it was on pace to produce 20,000 vehicles in the current quarter.

Tesla Fremont Factory. Image source: Tesla Motors.

Further, Tesla anticipates to finish Q2 with a bang.

If this weekly production rate is achieved by the last week of Q2, and maintained throughout Q3, this could mean 26,000 vehicles built during Q3.

Capital expenditures are jumping, tooBut rapid growth and bigger plans come at a steep cost.

These are just a portion of the insights from Tesla's quarterly shareholder letter. With the company's quarterly earning reports including far more explanations and updates than most publicly traded company's quarterly reports do, its letters are usually worth a read -- and this quarter's letter didn't disappoint.

The article 5 Must-Read Quotes From Tesla Motors, Inc.'s New Shareholder Letter 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.
Image source: Cenovus Energy.

The oil market is currently undergoing a fundamental shift, which is forcing oil companies to map out a new way forward. According to ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance, the industry is entering a new world of "lower mid-cycle and more volatile prices." Because of this, companies needed to have the right portfolio in order to create value over the longer term. Here's why Lance believes ConocoPhillips already has the right portfolio mix for what lies ahead.

Having the right portfolio foundationLance started off the company's first-quarter conference call by pointing listeners to the following slide from its most recent investor presentation, initially directing attention to the left side of the slide:

Image source: ConocoPhillips investor presentation.

He then said:

Lance focuses on the strength of the company's portfolio noting that it is built upon a foundation of low-decline base production, largely due to the investments the company made over the past few years to develop three projects in particular, which are its FCCL oil sands joint venture with Cenovus Energy , its Surmont oil sands joint venture with Total , and its APLNG joint venture in Australia. These three major projects provide the company with very low-decline base production that's set to expand over the next few years as these projects continue to ramp up.

Having the right portfolio growth optionsIn addition to that strong base, ConocoPhillips' portfolio is structured in such a way that it can grow production when conditions warrant growth. That growth will come from two sources, the first of which Lance noted by saying:

The company's FCCL partnership with Cenovus Energy is a great example of this because the partners have taken a manufacturing approach to growth, with the companies moving forward with smaller phases almost every year. Currently, the partners are working on Phase G at Foster Creek and Phase F at Christina Lake, with additional phases in the pipeline. Furthermore, there are ample opportunities outside these two projects including several phases of development at Narrows Lake. In addition to that, ConocoPhillips and Total have additional expansion opportunities at Surmont that could be given the green light after that project completes the ramp-up of its much larger second phase. These opportunities alone could be staged in such a way to enable the company to keep its production flat or grow it modestly.

Image source: ConocoPhillips.

However, ConocoPhillips has another opportunity set from which it can drive growth in the future. Lance noted this opportunity by saying:

Those flexible, shorter-cycle projects that Lance is referring to are the large portfolio of unconventional shale drilling locations the company holds in the Eagle Ford, Bakken, Permian Basin, and Western Canada. The flexibility of these resources is currently on display, with ConocoPhillips significantly reducing its rig count over the past year in light of weak oil prices. However, because shale drilling is shorter in cycle, ConocoPhillips can quickly ramp up its activities in these areas when the price of oil improves, and then ramp its investments back down when oil retreats. This optionalityis a big competitive advantage that the company has at its disposal in the future.

Investor takeaway It's this combination of a strong low-decline foundation as well as both short- and medium-cycle growth that makes ConocoPhillips unique. That's because most of its peers, including Total and Cenovus Energy, are overly reliant on either longer-cycle assets thus limiting their overall flexibility, or on shale, which is much higher-decline production, making it harder for these companies to maintain a steady rate of production during a low point in commodity prices. ConocoPhillips, on the other hand, believes its portfolio offers the best of both worlds, making it ideally set up for the new world of increased oil price volatility.

The article ConocoPhillips' CEO Details Why Its Portfolio Is the Best for What Lies Ahead originally appeared on Fool.com.

Matt DiLallo owns shares of ConocoPhillips. The Motley Fool recommends Total (ADR). 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.
Energy stocks were among the markets worst performers on Monday, while U.S. oil prices snapped a three-session win streak, after news over the weekend that Saudi Arabia unexpectedly replaced its oil minister.

It was announced on Sunday Saudi Aramco Chairman Khalid al-Falih will succeed Ali al-Naimi as the Middle Eastern nations oil minister. The news comes less than a month ahead of OPECs June 2 meeting.

While some view Naimis ouster as a result of perhaps diverging views between him and the oil-rich nations leadership, Omar Al-Ubaydli, affiliated senior research fellow at George Mason Universitys Mercatus Center, said it was more a necessary transition of leadership than anything else.

The man is 81 years old; its time to retire, Al-Ubaydli said.

He explained that Falihs appointment is likely to result in a continuation of Saudi oil policy as the world becomes more comfortable with the idea that lower crude prices are here to stay.

This is a good opportunity to overcome some internal political opposition that would exist if they tried to introduce economic reforms. When there are high prices, its difficult to convince local stakeholders to change the way the economy starts up, but with low prices nowthis is time to introduce reforms, he said.

Al-Ubaydli continued by saying its simply a coincidence that an oil-minister regime change came about at the same time the nation looks to enact a change in economic policies.

Last month, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  son of Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud  announced a plan to reduce the nations economic dependence on oil as prices have collapsed more than 70% since the summer of 2014 as other world players  including U.S. shale producers  have helped drive up global production, creating a supply glut.

Richard Swann, editorial director for Americas Oil Markets, said while Saudi is feeling pain alongside the rest of the worlds leading oil producers, the reshuffling of the ranks isnt an indication the nation is looking to shift away from current policy.

The upheaval in the oil patch is a direct result of Saudi oil policy and their refusal to move on price has resulted in current market conditionsthe reshuffle confirms that theyre sticking to policy and there will be no short-term let up from Saudi, he said.

Naimis departure comes alongside a slew of other changes including a move to rename the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Natural Resources. That shift is another in the move to diversify away from oil.

Saudi has a lot of untapped mineral resources. It signifies the expansion of diversifying the economy, Al-Ubaydli said. The shake ups in other ministries including energy, and adding culture is an attempt at diversification, to create jobs for Saudi Arabians, and rebuild an economy in a very dynamic and forceful way.

For global oil prices long term, Al-Ubaydli said analysts need to understand that even with the regime shift in the Saudi oil ministry, its unlikely a downshift in the countrys production will come about any time soon.

Its commercial suicide for OPEC, he said. Shale has changed the way the market works and analysts need to accept prices wont increase soon, and they need to suspend the intellectual contortion about how it will happen.

Swann explained that for oil markets, communication has been key  and analysts have been able to react knowingly to any headlines with Naimis name included. Now, with a new oil minister in place, he said further communications efforts will be just as important.

Theyve been a country thats been very clear at communicating their policy, and about what the policy is. With the new minister, the market will look for the same kind of signals, he said. Its very important for the stature of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, as Falih transitions into his position, Saudi-owned Aramco looks to float a small portion of its sales in an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange soon as 2017 or 2018, the Telegraph reported on Sunday, hoping to entice heavyweights like ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) or Chinas Sinopec to do a deal. The deal is could value the group in the trillions-of-dollars range.
Market overreaction is nothing new. Every quarterly earnings season there are examples of investors and pundits who get swept up in market momentum, negative or positive. The most recent, and one of the more over-the-top examples, is Fitbit .

Following earnings on May 4, Fitbit stock began a rapid descent in after-hours trading that didn't stop until it had lost nearly 19% of its value. Announcing a bad quarter can do that, so Fitbit's freefall wouldn't come as a surprise if that had been the case. However, not only did Fitbit nail Q1 as measured by its comparables and pundits' estimates -- it also raised guidance for 2016.

So what put Fitbit investors on edge? Co-founder and CEO James Park's decision to invest in new, innovative products in Q2 that in the near term will negatively affect earnings per share. That was all naysayers needed to start a Fitbit fire sale, which should be music to the ears of value investors.

Image source: Fitbit.

Just the factsFitbit kicked off 2016 with $505.4 million in revenue, a whopping 50% jump over a year ago. Because of a significant increase in expenses compared with 2015, research and development alone more than tripled this past quarter, from $22.4 million to $72.25 million, while EPS took a hit, coming in at $0.10 a share on a non-GAAP basis excluding one-time items, compared with $0.27 in 2015's Q1.

But analysts had taken Fitbit's increased spending into account, forecasting a mere $0.02 non-GAAP EPS. Fitbit also blew past revenue expectations of just $443.3 million, and its 4.8 million units sold last quarter was over 20% more than last year. Apple doesn't release official sales figures for its much-ballyhooed Watch, but if year-end 2015 estimates from IDC are close, Fitbit is in a wearables league all its own.

Fitbit sold 8.1 million units during the recent holiday season, compared with 4.1 million Apple Watches, according to third-party estimates. No other manufacturer was even close, and based on Fitbit's strong start to 2016, there's no reason to think it will relinquish its crown as the king of wearables.

So, what caused so much investor angst? Park's guidance of $0.08 to $0.11 EPS expected this quarter was well below estimates of $0.26 a share. That was all the Street needed to begin its assault on Fitbit stock, even though Q2 revenue of between $565 million to $585 million is above the $531.3 million forecasted.

Things really take a turn toward the bizarre when Fitbit's full-year guidance is taken into account. Park increased both sales and non-GAAP EPS expectations for 2016, to between $2.5 billion and $2.6 billion in revenue and net income of $1.12 to $1.24 a share, both above vaunted analyst estimates. But nearsighted investors seemed to tune out after hearing Q2's forecast, and the Fitbit sell-off began.

A few more considerationsA closer look at last quarter should be all investors need to give Park the leeway to continue spending on innovative new products. Two of Fitbit's newest devices -- Blaze and Alta -- generated an astounding 47% of its revenue in Q1. A cool million each of Fitbit's latest Blaze and Alta devices were sold last quarter, and the latter didn't even become available for pre-order until February of this year.

Those kind of sales results should give investors confidence that when Park and team focus time and overhead on the development of new products -- which is the "problem" with Q2's guidance -- Fitbit's investments in itself pay off.

Another intriguing item Fitbit mentioned was that in Q1, 40% of the consumers who bought either a Blaze or Alta device were former Fitbit customers. That's a great sign that Fitbit is developing brand loyalty among the world's health-conscious consumers. Fitbit may not match Apple in terms of loyal customers -- no company does -- but that's an awfully good start.

For all the aforementioned reasons, and the fact that it's trading at just 9 times future earnings, Fitbit warrants a top spot on any long-term value investor's list of stocks to watch.

The article Fitbit Inc. Stock: A Value Investor's Dream originally appeared on Fool.com.

Tim Brugger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. 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.
A General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, was one of four GM factoriesidled for two weeks because of parts shortages in the wake of earthquakes in Japan. All four factories reopened on Monday. Image source: General Motors.

General Motors said on Monday that four North American factories that were idled last month because of parts shortages have now reopened.

The detailsBack on April 22, GM announced that four of its assembly plants would have to stop work for two weeks because of shortages of key parts from Japan. Last month's earthquakes in Japan damaged factories belonging to some key auto suppliers. Unsurprisingly, Toyota and Nissan were forced to shut down several of their assembly lines in Japan.

But the effects were felt across the Pacific Ocean as well, as GM shut down its assembly plants in Spring Hill, Tennessee; Oshawa, Ontario; Lordstown, Ohio; and Fairfax, Kansas, as of April 25. Union sources told the Detroit News that the parts inquestion were "electrical parts." Apparently, the supply shortage has eased: GM confirmed that the four plants reopened on Monday as planned.

What it meansThe factories in question make the Cadillac XTS and XT5, the Buick LaCrosse and Regal, the GMC Acadia, and the Chevrolet Cruze, Equinox, Impala, and Malibu.

There are some important models in that list. The XT5 is Cadillac's new replacement for the hot-selling SRX crossover SUV. While Cadillac's sedan sales have slumped over the last couple of years, the SRX had been a bright spot. The XT5 is a significant upgrade over the discontinued SRX, and it's expected to be a big seller and an important source of profits for the brand, which is in the process of being spun out of GM as a stand-alone subsidiary.

The Malibu is another important product. All-new for 2016, the Malibu is a much more competitive entry than its predecessor. Critics have given the mid-size sedan high marks, and sales have been extremely brisk: Year to date, retail sales of the all-new Malibu are up 53% over those of its predecessor in the same period last year. The suddenly popular Chevy even out-sold its strong-selling crosstown rival, Ford's Fusion, in April.

Supply shortages of either model could have been a big problem for GM. But when it announced the plant shutdowns on April 22, GM said that it didn't expect a "material impact" to either its full-year production plans or its second-quarter financial results.

That suggests that GM is confident that it can make up the lost production before inventories dip to levels that would make a significant dent in sales.

For GM shareholders, no big deal For investors in the automakers, it's important to pay close attention to announcements of plant closings, particularly when the sales cycle appears to be at or near a peak, as it does in the United States now. Any hint that demand is falling off needs to be considered carefully: Sooner or later, sales will start to slide, and it's likely that the profits at companies like GM will feel the squeeze when that happens.

But for those who raised concerns about these shutdowns, it looks likely that it was a false alarm. GM was clear that these shutdowns were due to parts shortages, and weren't demand-related. In this case, it doesn't look like there was more to the story than GM let on. As of right now at least, the General appears to be on track for another strong quarter in North America.

The article General Motors Re-Opens 4 Closed Factories originally appeared on Fool.com.

John Rosevear owns shares of Ford and General Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford. The Motley Fool recommends General 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.
What: Units of Vanguard Natural Resources rebounded sharply in April despite the fact that the company didn't have any news-driven catalysts. Instead, a big rally in crude oil was all that was needed to spark last month's surge.

So what: Crude oil jumped nearly 20% last month, closing above $45 per barrel. Initially, that surge was fueled by word that OPEC and Russia were working together to freeze their output, however, those talks ended without a deal. Instead, the market chose to focus not on the lack of a deal, but on the fact that supplies were already starting to come under pressure.

In fact, oil production in the U.S had declined to an average of just 9 million barrels a day last month, which was roughly 700,000 barrels per day below its peak last April. Meanwhile, further production declines of nearly 900,000 barrels per day were projected by the end of the year. That's on top of supply disruptions in Libya, Venezuela, and Nigeria.

These higher oil prices are coming at a crucial time for Vanguard Natural Resources, which is currently having it's reserve-based revolving credit facility redetermined by its banks. The concern is that its banks will cut deeply into its available credit, which would be a problem given that the company had borrowed $1.69 billion of its $1.78 billion borrowing capacity as of the end of the month. While Vanguard Natural Resources did close out March by announcing the sale of its STACK/SCOOP assets, which will enable it to pay down some of its borrowings, it still runs the risk that its banks will cut deeply into its borrowing base. However, with oil on the rise it is increasing the possibility that its banks might not cut as deeply into its available credit as feared. Further, higher oil prices also means more cash flow for Vanguard Natural Resources' unhedged oil volumes, which would enable it to pay down its borrowings a bit quicker.

Now what: Times are very tough for Vanguard Natural Resources right now. However, with oil rallying it is providing investors with some hope that better days lie ahead. That said, the company still must get through its redetermination period, which will determine how much financial breathing room, if any, it has going forward.

The article Here's What Fueled Vanguard Natural Resources, LLC's 24.3% Surge in April originally appeared on Fool.com.

Matt DiLallo 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.
Netflix may have turned a corner in the net neutrality debate.

The company was recently in hot water over bandwidth-saving moves. First, CEO Reed Hastings charged cable companies and telecoms with abandoning both the letter and the spirit of American net neutrality rules -- and then Netflix itself was found to impose video quality restrictions over mobile data connections, without asking for the user's permission.

Cue the uproar from disappointed Netflix users. Clearly, the digital video veteran was violating its own principles on how the Internet should be run. Activists threatened to cancel their Netflix accounts, and the company immediately issued an official statement.

"This hasn't been an issue for our members," said Netflix communications representative Anne Marie Squeo. "Our research and testing indicates that many members worry about exceeding their mobile data cap, and don't need the same resolution on their mobile phone as on a large screen TV to enjoy shows and movies."

Still, the company also acknowledged that some users might actually worry about the data quality over mobile connections, and would prefer having the ability to disable this automatic bandwidth-limiting feature. A new setting for this was promised for delivery "sometime in May."

Well, we're less than one week into that target month, and the solution already arrived.

Don't try the "Unlimited" setting unless you have an unlimited data plan -- or deep pockets.

In Netflix app updates released on Thursday, May 5, users now get to pick exactly how limited or unlimited their video quality should be. Choices for the new "Cellular data usage" settings range from off, where you can't watch Netflix over cellular data connections at all, to the aptly named "unlimited" option. There are several intermediate choices between these extremes, and the "Automatic" setting lands somewhere between the "Low" and "Medium" alternatives.

According to Netflix's own testing, that rate offers a sweet spot of low bandwidth usage but no obvious loss of video quality, at least on handheld devices with small screens. If you're tethered to a Verizon or AT&T data plan with hard bandwidth caps and hefty overage fees, this balance will let you watch more Netflix video before worrying about rising data costs.

Of course, none of this applies to unlimited data plans from Sprint or T-Mobile , particularly since T-Mobile's Binge On feature doesn't even count traffic from Netflix and other popular media publishers against the limits for 4G-speed data usage.

Trying out the various bandwidth levels on my own phone, I suppose I can see a difference between "Low" and "Unlimited" streams. But it's a subtle one, found mostly in highly detailed textures and fast-moving scenes. Explosions can get a bit chunky, for example. But picking up on these issues requires me to hold the screen mere inches from my face, ready to latch on to the finest detail. And that's not how I roll. You probably don't, either.

So most Netflix users will never notice this new setting in the App Options sidebar, and will just leave it at the data-thrifty "Automatic" setting. Depending on their carrier and data plan, they could end up saving a lot of money on Verizon's and AT&T's draconian overage charges. Complaints about the video quality should be few and far between.

At the same time, the company appeased some of its most vocal critics with this user-friendly option. Call it a win-win.

In the end, the data consumption settings won't really matter to most people. But if you have convinced yourself that video quality details really are important, even over expensive cellular networks, you get to fiddle with these settings to your heart's content. The angry shouts die down, and Netflix gets back to the real business of building a better content catalog, delivered to as many paying customers as possible.

The article Netflix, Inc. Lets You Change 4G Data Settings Now -- If You Care originally appeared on Fool.com.

Anders Bylund owns shares of Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Netflix and Verizon Communications. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Image source: Sotheby's.

The world of art and collectibles can be sensitive to economic fluctuations, and no one can relate to the ups and downs of the high-end luxury space better than Sotheby's . The auction house has had to deal with plenty of uncertainty lately about the slowing activity levels in the art market, and coming into Monday's first-quarter financial report, Sotheby's investors were bracing for net losses and falling revenue. The reality, though, was even worse than most had expected, and despite some favorable signs more recently, shareholders still reacted badly. Let's take a closer look at how Sotheby's fared last quarter and whether a turnaround is in the cards for the foreseeable future.

Sotheby's takes a hitSotheby's first-quarter results looked ugly on just about every front. Revenue plunged by almost a third to $106.5 million, missing by far the nearly $125 million that most investors were expecting to see from the auctioneer. Even after accounting for one-time severance-agreement charges and other one-time items, Sotheby's posted an adjusted net loss of $22.3 million, and that worked out to $0.35 per share. That was almost double the consensus forecast for a $0.23 per share adjusted loss and reversed modest year-ago profits.

Taking a closer look at Sotheby's numbers, the auction house cited a 35% decrease in net auction sales as one of the main reasons why the company's top line fell so sharply. Part of the problem was that Sotheby's had an extraordinarily strong first quarter in 2015, with unusually strong results from its Impressionist and Contemporary Art sale in London, its Asian Art sales in New York, and the Bear Witness Contemporary Art auction. Ordinarily, the first quarter is relatively weak from a seasonal perspective, and Sotheby's essentially argued that last year's results were the aberration rather than this quarter's performance.

As a result, auction agency commissions and fees fell by 37%, making up about four-fifths of Sotheby's total revenue. Yet sales of inventory were cut almost in half from the year-ago quarter. Modest gains in financing and license fees helped to cushion the blow to a minimal extent. However, gross margin on inventory sales was negative, and total expenses actually climbed slightly during the quarter despite the exceptional drop in revenue. Even a slight drop in interest expense couldn't give much protection to Sotheby's bottom line.

CEO Tad Smith did his best to put the quarter's results in context. "As we exited 2015," Smith said, "it was clear that the significant market growth experienced in 2014 and the first part of 2015 had slowed somewhat, and the impact can be felt in our results for the first quarter." Still, the CEO tried to maintain optimism about the future.

What's ahead for Sotheby's?To be fair, Smith had warned investors that the quarter could prove difficult. As if the CEO's comments weren't enough, Sotheby's decision to suspend its dividend early this year highlighted the desire for greater flexibility in determining appropriate levels of capital to return to shareholders.

Yet Sotheby's has gotten some useful and positive guidance about the state of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. A 17% increase in sales at the company's April Hong Kong series of auctions was just the largest in a series of high points that Sotheby's said it had seen so far during the second quarter. These solid results have the company excited about its impending New York and Geneva series of spring auctions, which will be instrumental in determining the path of the market throughout 2016.

Even with that perspective, investors weren't happy with the results, and Sotheby's stock fell 5% in the first half-hour of trading following the announcement. That could change if future auctions perform well. However, with ongoing challenges to overall economic growth, Sotheby's might have to weather further weakness in the high-end luxury market before conditions return to normal.

The article Sotheby's Disappoints With Larger Losses, Plunging Revenue originally appeared on Fool.com.

Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Sotheby's. 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.
It's been a rough year so far for many generic-drug makers. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is no exception. Shares of the Israel-based pharmaceutical company were down over 20% year to date prior to Teva announcing its first-quarter results before the market opened on Monday. Did those results change the story for Teva? Here are the highlights.

Teva results: The raw numbers

Metric Q1 2016 Actuals Q1 2015 Actuals Growth (YOY) Sales $4.81 billion $4.98 billion (3.4%) Net income from continuing operations $570 million $446 million 27.8% Earnings per share $0.62 $0.52 19.2%

Data source: Yahoo! Finance.

What happened with Teva this quarter?Currency fluctuations contributed significantly to Teva's lower year-over-year revenue. The company estimated that revenue would have decreased by 1% excluding the impact of the foreign exchange volatility.

Lower generic drug sales also made a big dent in the company's revenue comparisons. Teva's generic drug revenue fell 17% year over year to $2.2 billion. Loss of exclusivity for the company's generic versions of Nexium and Pulmicort made a huge impact, causing a decline in sales of $427 million.

The good news for Teva, though, came from its specialty drug business. Specialty drug revenue for the first quarter was $2.2 billion, a 10% jump over the prior-year period. Sales for Teva's biggest moneymaker, Copaxone, increased 9% compared to the first quarter of 2015 to just over $1 billion. The company's respiratory drugs, ProAir and QVAR, both experienced impressive year-over-year sales growth of 40% and 37%, respectively.

What management had to sayTeva's president and CEO,Erez Vigodman, expressed optimism about the company's results. Vigodman said:

Looking forwardTeva expects revenue for the second quarter of 2016 to come in between $4.7 billion and $4.9 billion. Non-GAAP earnings per share for the second quarter are projected to be between $1.16 and $1.20. It's important to note, however, that while Teva's second-quarter guidance includes the impact of the Rimsa acquisition, the numbers don't reflect the pending buyout of Actavis Generics from Allergan .

The deal with Allergan holds the potential to transform Teva. Gaining access to Allergan's current generics lineup and pipeline would help Teva reduce its dependence on Copaxone. In addition, the acquisition would give Teva more economies of scale to compete in the low-margin generic-drug industry.

Teva won European approval for the Allergan deal in March. That approval did come at a price, though. Teva will have to divest some of Allergan's generic drugs in some countries while divesting some of its own generics in other countries. U.S. regulators haven't yet approved the acquisition, but Teva expects that will happen in time for the deal to close in June 2016. If all goes well with the buyout of Actavis Generics, Teva will soon look like a different company.

The article Specialty Drug Sales Bolster Teva Pharmaceutical Industries' Q1 Results originally appeared on Fool.com.

Keith Speights has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. 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:Alere..

What:Shares of Alere, a pioneer of quick, point-of-care diagnostics, sank by 22.9% in April, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. All it took was an off-the-cuff comment from Abbott CEO Miles White during his company's latest earnings call, and a confusing statement from Alere.

So what:Alere stock began April with an inflated price based on Abbot's offer to acquire the company at $56 per common share, as officially announced on Feb. 1. That wasa hefty premium based on Alere's share price of around $38 ahead of the offer.Since then, Alere has had some unusual difficulty filing its annual report based on an analysis of revenue recognition in Africa and China, and it disclosed in late February a subpoena from the SEC related to recognition of revenue from Africa.

During the Q&A session of Abbott's first-quarter earnings conference call on April 20, White made some very general comments about the company's ability to execute in diagnostics. When asked a pointed question to affirm Abbott's commitment to acquire Alere, however, White refused to comment, citing the company's annual report filing difficulty.

Another announcement from Abbott near the end of April to acquireheart device maker St. Jude Medicalfor $25 billion in cash and shares further stoked fears the acquisition might not go through, and Alere stock sank even further.

Finally, a confusing statement from Alere at the end of the month that Abbott recently requested termination of the deal hammered the stock back toward its pre-deal announcement levels.

Now what:This isn't the first time Alere's had reporting problems, so I'm surprised these more recent issues would persuade Abbott to scuttle the deal.In fact, I imagine such accounting inefficiencies were part of the reason Abbott thought it could turn the company around.

Alere's revenue has been falling for years, and its operations have struggled to turn a profit. However, Alere looked like it would become a profitable addition to Abbott's large diagnostic segment due toeconomies of scale and synergistic combination of operations.

White's refusal to comment on acquiring a company with an ongoing SEC investigation, and awaiting a shareholder vote to approve the acquisition, was prudent. I would hardly view the comment alone as an indication it was backing out of a $5.8 billion deal.

However, there's a more significant reason to assume the deal won't be completed.

On April 28, Alere issued a confusing statement that is difficult to interpret, but it seems Abbott "recently" requested that Alere agree to terminate the merger in return for $30 million to $50 million. Alere rejected the request and then went on to state that Abbott "affirmed its commitment to abide by its obligations under the merger agreement."

Exactly what those obligations include is unclear, but it doesn't look good for either party. Either Abbott didn't conduct proper due diligence, Alere withheld information, or perhaps a potential credit rating downgrade from Moody's inspired Abbott's change of heart. Whatever the case I would suggest avoiding both companies until this mess works itself out.

The article Why Alere Inc. Stock Plummeted 22.9% in April originally appeared on Fool.com.

Cory Renauer owns shares of Abbott Laboratories, but is beginning to wish he didn't. You can follow Cory on Twitter @coryrenauer or connect with him on LinkedIn for more healthcare industry insight. 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: Boston Scientific.

What: Shares of Boston Scientific Corporation, an interventional medical device specialist, popped 15.5% in April, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. A strong first-quarter earnings and improved outlook provided the boost.

So what: The company is off to a roaring start this year. Total first-quarter revenue was 13% higher, and when excluding the impact of a recent acquisition, organic revenue grew 8% compared with the same period last year.

Four of the company's seven business segments grew revenue by double digits, leading to a 24% gain in operating profit.

A more optimistic outlook for the rest of the year is what excited the market the most. The company boosted annual revenue growth guidance from between 4% and 7% over 2015 to between 6% and 8%, excluding the recent addition of the male urology portfolio it just bought fromEndo Internationalfor about $1.6 billion.

Management also expects its adjusted operating margin to widen an extra 0.5% to 24.5%, which sounds awfully good for a company with operations that have ended most of the past 10 years in the red on a GAAP basis.

Now what:Competition in the medical-device business is intense, and size confers an advantage. With about $7.7 billion in trailing-12-month revenue, Boston Scientific isn't a small fry, but compared with a giant likeMedtronic, it's struggling just to keep its head above water.

IfAbbott can complete its announced acquisition of Boston Scientific's competitorSt. Jude Medical, it will have another device juggernaut with more than $25 billion in annual revenue to contend with.

Boston Scientific has slowly been returning to top-line growth through acquisition -- which entails a great deal of execution risk. A few wrong moves, and this company could find itself in some trouble.

If you strip away the $12.5 billion in goodwill and other intangible assets from Boston Scientific's balance sheet, its tangible asset value of less than $5.2 billion is a bit less than the $5.4 billion in long-term debt it's carrying. If that doesn't send a chill down your spine, I don't know what will.

If you're committed to holding shares of this device maker, I'd recommend focusing on management's adjusted figures.

Otherwise, you might notice you're stuck with a growth stock that isn't growing.

The article Why Boston Scientific Corporation Rose 15.7% in April originally appeared on Fool.com.

Cory Renauer owns shares of Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic. You can follow Cory on Twitter @coryrenauer or connect with him on LinkedIn for more healthcare industry insight. The Motley Fool owns shares of Medtronic. 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.
What: Nearly every major airline stock fell last month, as a series of airlines projected that unit revenue would continue to decline at a rapid rate during Q2. Delta Air Lines stock got caught up in the airline sector rout, falling 14.4% during April, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Delta Air Lines April Stock Performance, data by YCharts.

So what: Passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) fell 4.6% year over year at Delta last quarter. That was slightly worse than the company's guidance for a 2.5%-4.5% decline.

However, Delta's revenue performance compared favorably to that of its two closest rivals: American Airlines and United Continental . During Q1, American and United both reported PRASM declines in excess of 7%.

American Airlines and United Continental aren't expecting any meaningful improvement in their PRASM performances this quarter. American expects PRASM to be down 6%-8% year over year in Q2, while United projects that PRASM will fall 6.5%-8.5% year over year.

By contrast, Delta Air Lines' guidance for a 2.5%-4.5% drop in Q2 PRASM implies that its revenue performance will improve somewhat sequentially. Delta estimates that PRASM fell about 4% in April. This suggests that it is on track to hit its guidance, because unit revenue comparisons will get easier over the next few months.

Now what: Delta's dreadful stock performance last month seems like a case of mistaken identity. Investors dumped shares of American Airlines and United Continental due to their steep Q1 PRASM declines and equally weak PRASM guidance. Many investors seem to have treated Delta as if it were no different than these two competitors.

However, Delta's PRASM performance wasn't nearly as bad as its peers'. Furthermore, it is on track to move PRASM back toward the flat line over the next few quarters. As a result, analysts expect Delta's earnings per share to soar 46% year over year in Q2 and 42% for the full year.

Delta is expected to produce further EPS growth in 2017, albeit on a more modest scale. Despite this rosy profitability outlook, Delta shares trade for just 6.4 times the company's projected 2016 EPS. That's an incredibly low asking price for this high-quality airline stock.

The article Why Delta Air Lines, Inc. Shares Fell 14.4% in April originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg owns shares of United Continental Holdings, is long January 2017 $40 calls on Delta Air Lines, and long January 2017 $30 calls on American Airlines Group. The Motley Fool is long January 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.
Broadcom Limited recently announced the sale of its wireless Internet of Things (IoT) business to Cypress Semiconductor for $550 million in cash. The sale, which is expected to close in the third quarter of this year, will include Broadcom's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee IoT product lines, its WICED brand and developer community, and all related intellectual property.

Broadcom's retreat from the IoT market was surprising, since many chipmakers have been expanding their IoT presence. Intel , which formed a dedicated IoT unit in2013, estimates that thenumber of connected devices worldwide could soar from 15 billion in 2015 to 200 billion by 2020. Qualcomm acquired CSR last year to accelerate its growth in IoT chips, and is expanding into connected cameras, drones, and cars.

The WICED Sense development kit. Image source: Broadcom.

Cypress, which sells programmable chips, memory, and other solutions for automotive, industrial, and networking purposes, expects the acquisition to become accretive within a year of closing and improve its gross margin, earnings, and long-term revenue growth potential. If that's true, why did Broadcom part with this potentially high-growth business?

How much revenue is Broadcom giving up?Broadcom claims that its IoT business generated $189 million in revenue over the past year. That's a tiny amount compared to the$13.1 billion which Broadcom is expected to generate this year. It's also much lower thanthe $2.3 billion in sales that Intel's IoT unit generated last year. Qualcomm doesn't disclose how much IoT revenue it generates on a regular basis, but it claimsthat sales crossed the $1 billion mark in 2014. Its subsequent acquisition of CSR, which generated $774 million in salesin 2014, likely boosted that figure significantly.

To generate meaningful revenue and profits from sales of IoT chips, which often cost less than a dollar, companies need to sell a lot of them to take advantage of economies of scale. If they can't scale up, they will be marginalized by rivals which can manufacture chips for less. Profit growth in IoT chips even remains tough for the market leaders -- Intel's IoT operating margins fell from 27.2% to 22.4% between fiscal 2014 and 2015.

A Broadcom adapter for the Raspberry Pi. Image source: Broadcom.

Cypress' main presence in the IoT market consists of ultra-low-power programmable SoCs. The company previously only paired those SoCs with generic radios, but CEO T.J. Rodgers believes that pairing those SoCs with Broadcom's IoT devices could turn the company "into a force in IoT" by creating an "easy-to-use programmable embedded system solution" for its 30,000 customers worldwide.

Simply put, companies like Cypress and Intel, which have significant stakes in programmable chips, see synergies in expanding into the IoT market. Companies like Broadcom, which don't, could fail to effectively scale stand-alone IoT businesses. Therefore, selling the IoT business to pay off debt and streamline its operations is a reasonable move for Broadcom.

Choosing its battles carefullyBroadcom (formerly known as Avago) expressed interest in acquiringprogrammable chip maker Xilinxlast year, but Avago's $37 billion purchaseof Broadcom has made it tough to consider buying Xilinx, which has an enterprise value of nearly $10 billion.

Exiting IoT also shows that the "new" Broadcom has learned the lessons of the "old" one. The "old" Broadcom and Texas Instrumentspreviously fought a long and costly battle against Qualcomm in the mobile chipset market. Qualcomm crushed both by scaling up faster, forcing TI to exitthe business in 2012 and Broadcom to retreat in 2014. Both companies pivoted toward analog and embedded chips, which had higher margins and were less capital intensive.

Selling the IoT business to Cypress shows that the "new" Broadcom plans to avoid margin-bruising battles against big chipmakers like Intel and Qualcomm in widely hyped markets. Instead, Broadcom plans to focus on big and boring businesses like data center solutions, which it expanded through its acquisitions of LSI, PLX Technology, and Emulex. The company will also integrate that business with its dominant share in data center switch chips.

A shrewd and disciplined moveBroadcom investors shouldn't worry about the company's exit from the wireless IoT business. Instead, they should applaud it as a smart way to drop a small business which can't scale up effectively to compete against larger rivals. If Avago had bought both Broadcom and Xilinx last year, it might have a reason to retain the IoT business, but it didn't, so Cypress can proably do more with it than Broadcom ever could.

The article Why Did Broadcom Ltd. Quit The Internet of Things? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Leo Sun owns shares of Qualcomm. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Qualcomm. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom, Cypress Semiconductor, and Intel. 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: Freeport-McMoRan.

What: Shares of miner Freeport-McMoRan Inc plunged as much as 12% today after the company agreed to sell a stake in a copper mine. Near the end of trading shares had declined 10.5% for the day.

So what: Freeport-McMoRan is selling a majority stake in the Tenke copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo to China Moly for $2.65 billion in cash. The move is part of a longer-term strategy to sell assets and reduce debt, which has resulted in $4 billion of announced asset sales this year. But it comes as a cost because the Tenke mine was one of the most prized in the world of copper.

Now what: With a debt load of $20.8 billion and just $331 million in cash as of March 31, there are few options for Freeport-McMoRan other than to sell assets. Commodity prices have fallen to the point where operating losses are now in the billions every quarter, and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to the poor results. And while selling assets is a necessary more for the balance sheet, it also reduces investors' upside if copper prices do improve. And that's probably why investors were so disappointed with the move today.

The article Why Freeport-McMoRan Inc.'s Shares Plunged 12% Today originally appeared on Fool.com.

Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold,. 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.
Alaska Air had a busy April.

What: April was a big month for Alaska Air as it announced plans to acquire smaller rival Virgin America for $2.6 billion, creating the fifth-largest airline in the United States.

However, this bold move didn't allow Alaska Air to escape the downdraft that sank most airline stocks last month. Shares of Alaska Air slumped 14% in April, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Alaska Air April Stock Performance, data by YCharts.

So what: The deal for Virgin America will make Alaska one of the most important airlines on the West Coast, with a significant presence in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Portland. This could help the combined carrier compete with larger rivals for lucrative business travelers. However, many people think that Alaska overpaid for Virgin America.

Yet this wasn't the main reason for Alaska Air's weak stock performance last month. While the shares fell after the Virgin America tie-up was revealed, they rebounded within a few days.

Investor concerns about runaway competition in the airline industry were a bigger issue. Alaska Air has faced particularly tough competition in its home market of Seattle in recent years. In Q1, competitive capacity rose 13% in Alaska's markets, and the company expects to face 14% competitive capacity increases in Q2 and Q3.

Due to this rising competition -- as well as Alaska's own growth -- the company reported a 6.1% decrease in revenue per available seat mile last quarter. However, Alaska was able to overcome this revenue pressure thanks to its steady cost reductions and lower fuel prices. Adjusted earnings per share rose 29% year over year in Q1.

Now what: Despite the high price Alaska paid for Virgin America, the company expects the deal to be accretive to earnings immediately due to the plentiful availability of cheap debt financing. By 2020, the combined company should achieve $225 million in annual revenue and cost synergies.

Meanwhile, competitive capacity growth appears likely to slow this fall. As a result, Alaska Air has plenty of room to continue growing its earnings over the next few years. With shares trading for just nine times projected 2016 earnings, the recent pullback may have created a good opportunity for long-term investors to buy this high-quality airline stock.

The article Why Shares of Alaska Air Group, Inc. Dropped 14% in April originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Virgin 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.
Image source: VASCO.

What: Shares of VASCO Data Security International rose 12.5% in April 2016, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The data security expert reported solid earnings on April 28.

So what: VASCO's first-quarter report revealed a positive surprise on the bottom line despite soft top-line sales. Earnings fell 59% year over year, but analysts had expected an 82% earnings plunge. The report lifted VASCO's shares 2% higher on April 29, the last trading day of the month.

Earlier, the stock rose 3.7% overnight on two separate occasions, but for no obvious reasons. Otherwise, April was a quiet month for VDSI with few splashy headlines and only a handful of sizable moves. It was 1.5% up here, 0.7% down there, and simply more of the small rises than small drops. Even the trading volumes were low.

In short, it looks like investors are getting over some of their qualms regarding VASCO's future. As a reminder, the stock's negative trend started in July 2015, when shares fell 23% in a single day after the company set its full-year guidance targets far below analysts' expectations -- and disclosed an internal investigation into alleged sales to Iranian businesses. Though US-Iranian relations may have improved in recent years, the Middle Eastern nation is still subject to heavy trade sanctions, especially on items like VASCO's data security products.

Now what: The quietly powerful April performance added to big gains in February and March. Between Feb. 10 and May 2, the stock gained 36%. However, that was more of a bounce off a deep bottom than a triumphant rise to the stars. VASCO's shares are currently trading 35% below their year-ago prices, and a painful 53% below last June's 52-week highs.

VASCO's revenue has plunged since that fateful report, alongside operating margins and bottom-line earnings. It will have a lot to prove in coming quarterly reports, and I still haven't seen any closure on the Iranian sanction-breaking scandal.

May has not started out well for the security expert; its shares fell more than 6% in just five trading days. So April's bounce may not be sustained this month.

The article Why VASCO Data Security International Inc. Gained 13% in April originally appeared on Fool.com.

Anders Bylund 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.
Billionaire Carl Icahn, not usually one to hold back, is setting the record straight on his reputation. After Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders blamed him, and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, for a decline in New Jerseys middle class, where Icahn owns two casinos  the Taj Mahal and the Tropicana  Icahn blasted back. Bernie Sanders has received support from the UniteHere union and has made several remarks tying me to the difficulties facing Atlantic City  without even bothering to give me a call to hear my views and the real facts,  Icahn said in a statement which can be read here.

The activist investor went on in the letter to defend his business decisions with the casinos, saying he believes few people would disagree that the Taj Mahal would have closed had it not been for his help in providing tens of millions of dollars to save it.

The same thing would have happened at the Tropicana if I hadnt become involved, risking close to $100 million, to make it one of the few success stories in Atlantic City, and saving and creating thousands of jobs along the way, Icahn wrote.

At a rally on the Atlantic City boardwalk in New Jersey on Monday, Sanders told supporters the duo's "greed and recklessness" have hurt the city's struggling gaming industry, the Associated Press reported. Sanders added that, "greed is not acceptable" and if he's elected president he will "take these people on." This is not the first time Bernie Sanders has attacked corporate leaders. He recently lashed out at Verizon (NYSE:VZ) for corporate greed as landline workers were striking for higher pay and benefits. He also slammed General Electric (NYSE:GE) CEO Jeff Immelt over his compensation package.

Immelt and Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam also fired back at Bernie. Immelt in an Washington Post Op-Ed and McAdam on a LinkedIn (NASDAQ:LNKD) Post.
Bradley Tusk knows the political world all too well.

In 2009, he helped Michael Bloomberg re-claim his seat as New York Citys mayor. Before that he worked alongside the now infamous former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich; he also served as communications director for senior U.S. Senator from New York Charles Schumer, and held a senior vice president position at Lehman Brothers.

But this election is something that hes never seen before.

Its a circus and a little disheartening at the same time, Tusk, CEO and co-founder of Tusk Holdings tells FOXBusiness.com.

Personally, I feel forced to vote for Hillary Clinton because I dont think Trump would be a good choice. I dont really want to vote for Hillary Clinton. Theres really nothing about her that makes me want to see her be president. Yet to meI feel like Im forced with that choice, he says.

Tusk says Trumps policies just dont make a lot of sense and the biggest problem with Clintonwho he thinks has the more sensible ideas is that she wont be able to get anything done.

Congress hates her. Its hard to see House Republicans giving her anything. And at best we will end up with another four years of dysfunction, he adds.

Tusk has since left politics to run his own company, Tusk Holdings, which is composed of five companies: Tusk Strategies, Tusk Ventures, Kronos Archives, The Tusk Montgomery Family Foundation and Ivory Gaming.

Tusk Ventures is his newest endeavor to help tech-enabled startups navigate the political and regulatory arena as early stage companies. Uber, Handy, Ripple, FanDuel, Booster and General Assembly are a few companies hes helping navigate through old, outdated policies.

Effectively, were a political consulting firm with a venture capital business model. What we do is work with pre-IPO startups in regulated industries and help them deal with a wide variety of political and regulatory issues.

Uber was their first client in 2011 after the mobile tech company faced a lot of roadblocks in New York City.

In all of these cases, its usually someone who is already doing business and they see their model changing for the worst and they try to use their political clout to prevent it, he adds.

Some of the laws and regulations that need to be addressed he says are around medical marijuana.

The laws are incredibility inconsistent across the board. In California, every county has different rules around delivery, transportation and banking. People dont even know how to obey the law.

And, with more and more states legalizing its usePennsylvania being one of the latest states to say OKthe issue needs to be addressed by the next president.

You would have hoped that President Obama would have done that because clearly hes been very open about his personal familiarity with it but that hasnt happened yet.

Though he said his old boss, Michael Bloombergwho was thinking about running in the 2016 electionwouldve been the perfect man for the job.

He would have been a great president. He really understands the public and private sector and always operates with total independence and integrity.
Binge drinking and alcoholism is a big issue in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and the problem may begin even before sailors and marines deploy, a recent study suggests.

More than a quarter of sailors and marines who were anonymously surveyed within two weeks before their deployment admitted to binge drinking regularly, and nearly 40 percent reported dangerous drinking. A small but significant number also reported that they had been drugged against their will.

Previous research has focused on the drinking habits of military personnel while deployed or after returning home. Little is known about drinking in the period before reporting for duty, the researchers write in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

That period could be a time of higher stress and people may drink more because they will not be able to drink while aboard ship, the researchers write.

"This is a time of major transition away from family, friends and important social support networks," said coauthor Dr. Braden Hale, program manager at the Department of Defense's HIV/AIDS Prevention Program.

Hale told Reuters Health by email that screening for alcohol abuse before deployment could allow people to be identified and helped earlier.

The study team used data on 2,351 male and female shipboard personnel collected between 2012 and 2014.

Participants gave anonymous reports about hazardous drinking, including how often they drank and how often they had more than six drinks at a time.

They also answered questions about alcohol dependency, including physical cravings for it, and binge drinking, defined as having more than four drinks for women and more than five for men during a typical day of drinking.

The researchers also asked if participants had ever been "roofied," or had their drinks spiked.

Overall, 79 percent of the subjects were men and around 85 percent were in the Navy. Just over 12 percent were under the age of 21.

Just under 39 percent of the sailors and marines reported hazardous drinking before deployment. This was significantly higher for men, at 40 percent, than for women, at 34 percent. Thirty-six percent of those under age 21 had engaged in hazardous drinking.

Twenty-seven percent reported binge drinking. This too was more common for men, at nearly 30 percent, than for women, at 20 percent.

Overall, close to 15 percent were dependent on alcohol: nearly 17 percent of men and 7 percent of women. Personnel between the ages of 17 and 20 were more likely to report being dependent on alcohol.

Few of the sailors and marines reported taking recreational drugs, but 7 percent had been given a drug against their will. The percentages were about equal between men and women.

"These findings confirm there is a culture of drinking, including underage drinking, among Marines and Navy members that needs to be addressed," said Mary Jo Larson, a senior scientist at Brandeis University's Institute for Behavioral Health who studies military drinking.

"The consequences include injuries, fights, car crashes and unwanted sexual contact, including rape," said Larson, who was not involved in the study.

Larson noted that commanding officers are notified when service members seek treatment for drinking, which may discourage people who need help from seeking it.

"The take away is that the Navy and Marines must establish additional effective prevention programs, which send a strong message that those that need medical help can receive it confidentially," she said by email.

In order to prevent short- and long-term harms from alcohol abuse, Hale calls for "screening, intervention and care before deployment for shipboard personnel who may be engaging in hazardous or dependent alcohol use."
The old warning to beware of lies, damned lies and statistics deserves an update. Nowadays, we must also beware of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill de Blasio.

The unholy trinity comprises the leaders of the Democratic Liars Club. Whether born or convicted, the president of the United States, his would-be successor and the mayor of New York are, to borrow a phrase, people of the lie.

This is not to accuse them of being merely imperfect humans. It is to say they are chronically dishonest and concoct such significant lies that they deserve zero public trust.

The latest clincher is the admission of a top White House aide that much about the Iranian nuclear deal was a fabrication sold to a lazy, gullible press corps. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes boasts that most reporters were too dumb to know or care they were being misled.

The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old, and their only reporting experience consists of being around political campaigns, Rhodes told The New York Times. They literally know nothing.

To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column in the New York Post, click here.


Every Monday, Fox News contributor Karl Rove wraps up the last week in politics and offers an inside look at the week ahead.

What a week! It began with Donald Trump winning the GOP race with a bang, thumping Ted Cruz in Indiana, a state many thought Cruz would carry. But Trump couldnt let the contest conclude without implying that Cruzs father was involved in JFKs assassination. Also, Bernie Sanders upset Hillary Clinton by five points in the Hoosier State, which the RealClearPolitics average suggested shed carry by seven.

The week ended with a weak jobs report  160,000 jobs in April, well below last years monthly average of 229,000. We dont know whether this and a lower labor force participation rate are just blips or evidence of a slowdown. Still, neither is helpful to Democrats when 40 percent of Americans already believe the country is in recession.

Is Team Clinton preparing for a loss in the FBI primary? The defense it mounted after CNN reported Thursday that the FBI has interviewed top Clinton aides, some more than once, suggests so.

First, neither the FBI nor career Justice Department officials supervising the investigation are likely to be talking. So the sourcing  U.S. officials briefed on the investigation  points to political appointees willing to help their partys frontrunner lay down a smokescreen.

There was the declaration that investigators haven't found evidence to prove that Clinton willfully violated the law, again attributed to U.S. officials. Claiming Clinton didnt intentionally or willfully violate the law is meaningless. She need only have acted with gross negligence, disregarding known or easily anticipated risks.

The statement that the probe hasnt expanded beyond handling of classified materials is untrue. Since January, there have been reports the FBI is investigating possible official actions linked to contributions to the Clinton Foundation revealed by the emails.

Sounds to me like Team Clinton wanted to get in front of the coverage by suggesting harmless, unintentional mistakes may have been made, but nothing serious. But the CNN report that prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginias office are involved suggests a tie to the Romanian hacker Guccifer, who was extradited to the Eastern District. It is also the venue where the government would stand a better chance of securing a conviction, as compared with other plausible venues  Southern District of New York (which covers Chappaqua, where the server was in the Clintons basement) or the District of Columbia (where Clinton and her staff worked).

Bern is on a roll. Polls now point to him winning West Virginia on Tuesday, despite Hillarys attempt last week to disavow her joyous declaration at an Ohio town hall that We are going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business. Sanders would, too, but hes smart enough not to be open about it.

With a rally Sunday in New Jersey and others in Sacramento on Monday, Salem, Ore., on Tuesday and Missoula and Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Sanders is not going away. He appears to be sharpening his convention demands, raising objections to how the Rules and Resolutions Committees are selected and toughening his language on Clintons Wall Street ties. This could indicate hell seek to end superdelegates and demand tough anti-Wall Street planks pleasing to the Democratic Partys Elizabeth Warren wing.

Two quick pivots. Trump celebrated his ascension as the GOPs presumptive nominee by reversing course. First, he flipped from opposing a national minimum wage increase in the November Fox Business debate to supporting one now.

Then, after celebrating for months that he was self-funding his campaign (tweeting as recently as March 15 that he was the ONLY candidate who is self-funding his campaign. Kasich, Rubio and Cruz are all bought and paid for by lobbyists!), Trump said on Morning Joe after Indiana, Do I want to sell a couple of buildings and self-fund? I dont know that I want to do that necessarily. He then hired a finance director. Its late to gin up a fundraising effort; hell probably still have to dump hundreds of millions of his money into the campaign, as well as explain the switch.

Party unity. Indiana guaranteed Trump the nomination, but not unity. As Republicans struggle to unify, maybe Trump should avoid saying of the GOP, as he did in an interview Sunday on ABC, I think it would be better if it were unified, I think there would be something good about it, but I dont actually think it has to be unified. The more he says the party need not be unified, the less likely it will be.

A smarter approach would be to project confidence and humility by saying, There are two months until the convention and six months until the election. Im confident I can bring the party together, then spell out his agenda. Trumps agenda won him victory. That and opposition to Clinton are what can bring about unity, a necessary condition for victory in November.
The U.S. Army on Thursday unveiled a controversial plan to reduce its force size by 40,000 soldiers, the latest downsizing of the U.S. military blamed on budget cutbacks.

Though military officials say their hands are tied by funding levels, lawmakers decried the reductions as a security threat. The new cuts will shrink the Army to its smallest size since 9/11.

"People who believe the world is safer, that we can do with less defense spending and 40,000 fewer soldiers, will take this as good news. I am not one of those people," House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry said in a statement.

On top of the Army reduction, the Navy may have to pull its aircraft carrier from the Persian Gulf for the first time since 9/11, Fox News has learned.

In a statement on Thursday, the Army revealed the timeline and specifics for the troop cuts, which among other changes would shrink units at Fort Benning, Ga., and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. According to the statement, the 40,000-troop reduction will be completed by the end of fiscal 2018, "and will be accompanied by the reduction of 17,000 Department of the Army civilian employees."

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"These cuts will impact nearly every Army installation, both in the continental United States and overseas," the statement said.

Critics say this is not the right time.

"The ayatollahs in Iran who lead chants of 'Death to America!' are likely celebrating this news today," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said.

"Army and Marine Corps end-strength is dropping dangerously low. The Air Force is the oldest and the smallest it has ever been. The Navy's fleet is shrinking to pre-World War I levels," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday.

But this is hardly the first time the Army has been told to make cuts.

For the past five years, the Army has seen its force cut sharply. In 2010, there were nearly 570,000 soldiers in the U.S. Army. Right now there are a little more than 490,000 -- a decrease of 13.5 percent in the past five years.

The Army's No. 2 officer was asked Thursday morning why they are making these cuts now.

"These are not cuts the Army wants to make, these are cuts required by budget environment in which we operate," Gen. Daniel Allyn, vice chief of staff of the Army, said. "This 40,000 soldier cut ... will only get us to the program force, it does not deal with the continued threat of sequestration."

Overall, the U.S. military has been cut over 8 percent in the past five years.

The Marines have been cut 10 percent in that time period; and the U.S. Navy for the first time since 9/11 may have to pull its single aircraft carrier out of the Persian Gulf later this year without a replacement, when the USS Theodore Roosevelt leaves this fall. Fox News is told the U.S. military may rely on a French aircraft carrier until they can deploy another carrier, one of the subjects raised during a meeting with the French minister of defense and U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter Monday at the Pentagon, a few hours before President Obama spoke to the press.

At a Pentagon briefing on Thursday, Army Brig. Gen. Randy George, director of force management, said a total of 28 Army installations will see reductions due to the latest announcement.

Fort Benning would be cut by 29 percent and the Alaska base would be cut by 59 percent, in addition to smaller cuts to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. The cost savings are "about $7 billion over four years," he said.

Cuts will begin this October, "driven by fiscal constraints resulting from the Budget Control Act of 2011 and defense strategic and budgetary guidance," George said.

However, multiple defense officials at the Pentagon told Fox News "sequestration" -- the common name for the Budget Control Act of 2011 -- had "nothing to do with these cuts to the Army."

Asked about the claims, George said: "The president's budget was submitted within reality." A total of 7,500 of the troop cuts will come from Brigade Combat Teams -- units that are the teeth of the U.S. Army.

In confirmation testimony for his Joint Chiefs chairman appointment on Capitol Hill, Marine Gen. Joe Dunford listed an array of threats still facing the U.S. despite the force cuts.

He estimated that "Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security." When asked to rank the greatest threats to the United States after Russia, Dunford listed China, North Korea and then the Islamic State.
A $25 million U.S.-funded project to help Guatemala combat global warming is being slammed as another taxpayer-backed boondoggle after a new audit highlighted a series of problems -- including numerous inaccuracies in the group's work and a failure to produce a required long-term plan.

Without the plan, the government audit warned, "the funds ... could be wasted."

The grant for the Climate, Nature and Communities in Guatemala Program was awarded to the nonprofit Rainforest Alliance in February 2013 by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of a broader effort to fight climate change abroad.

USAIDs Office of Inspector General, which issued the audit last month, said the program was set up to help organizations and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Guatemala improve climate-change strategies and strengthen local NGOs so the countrys environment could be conserved without future U.S. assistance. The report noted that as of February 2015, $10.5 million had been disbursed so far.

The audit acknowledged the program was making some progress, but it also alleged a laundry list of violations -- including that the reported results were not accurate.

The watchdog reported that data-testing revealed 22 errors in the accounting of whether the program was on track.

One example given was that the Rainforest Alliance reported 162,356 hectares of land now devoted to timber and nontimber products such as cacao and honey. But a review found the group had counted the same hectares multiple times.

The Rainforest Alliance also reported it had created 30,149 part-time and permanent jobs generated through new sustainable, productive activities undertaken by program-assisted community-based organizations and SMEs. However, the audit found 23,936 of those jobs may have lasted no more than a day.

The audit also found that a required comprehensive sustainability plan on how the program will continue after USAIDs assistance ends was not completed, despite it being required and the project having been underway for two years.

Without a sustainability plan, the funds used to help the Guatemalan Government and other partners manage the countrys natural resources to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change could be wasted, the report said.

The report was first flagged by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group which called the project an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars and par for the course with virtually all of the Obama administrations 'green' ventures, which have largely failed after getting hundreds of millions in federal funds.

Among other violations, the audit also found that while the Rainforest Alliance was supposed to contribute at least $3.75 million as a form of cost-sharing, the $1.79 million it reported as having contributed by December 2014 included $26,708 of U.S. funds it received under a separate project.

The auditors also found that participants didnt undergo background checks, breaking a government funding rule that background checks must be performed on anyone seeking to participate in USAID-sponsored training.

A spokeswoman for the Rainforest Alliance told FoxNews.com it was still reviewing the report, and plans to address any issues through continued collaboration with USAID.

USAID Guatemala said it agreed with most of the reports recommendations, and agreed to take corrective action on all of them. Among the actions being taken, the agency said it would work with Rainforest Alliance to review data collection and other factors to improve accuracy -- and to produce a sustainability plan by the end of 2016.

FoxNews.coms Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
If Alabama were a company, this would be where the stockholders demand the board clean house. In a startling outbreak of political scandal in the Deep South, leaders of all three branches of the Alabama state government are under fire and facing calls for their removal.

The House speaker is facing the possibility of 20 years in prison for ethics violations. The chief justice was just suspended for defying a Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. And the governor, whose campaign pitch centered on returning morality to the office, was involved in a highly publicized sex scandal involving his married aide.

Keep clear of Alabama. Its a mess, political analyst Liz Peek told FoxNews.coms Strategy Room. I dont really know what other conclusion you can draw except, obviously this is like New York state and like Illinois where theres just a pretty profound corruption problem.

Though Alabama has seen its fair share of elected officials being hauled off in handcuffs  former Democratic Gov. Don Siegelman was found guilty in 2006 of bribery and other charges and sentenced to 88 months in prison, though hes seeking a pardon -- having so many leaders under scrutiny at once is a rarity that some say is hurting the states reputation.

Its definitely a traumatic time, Bill Stewart, a retired political scientist from the University of Alabama, told the Los Angeles Times.

On Monday, jury selection began in the case against Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

Hubbard, a Republican, was a key player in pushing through some of the toughest ethics laws in state history. The problem, prosecutors say, is that he broke them.

Hubbard faces 23 felony ethics charges that he used his office to benefit his own business. If hes found guilty, he could be kicked out of office, fined up to $30,000 for each count and spend 20 years behind bars. He's maintained his innocence.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended from his job -- and could be kicked out entirely -- for trying to block same-sex marriage in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling.

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission accused the chief justice of violating judicial ethics in his opposition to gay marriage. Despite rulings by both a federal judge in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, Moore instructed probate judges throughout Alabama to ignore the higher court rulings and refuse to issue licenses to same-sex couples.

Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen told Al.com that Moore disgraced his office and should be removed.

"For the sake of our state, he should be kicked out of office," Cohen said.

Moore reportedly said the commission "has no authority over the administrative orders of the chief justice of Alabama."

If Moores removed, it would be the second time in 13 years.

In 2003, the Court of the Judiciary pulled him from his post after he installed a monument of the Ten Commandments in the state judicial building in Montgomery. He refused a federal court order to remove it  and so, the state removed him.

He was re-elected in 2012 and on Jan. 11, 2013, Moore was sworn in for a second time as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

And then theres Robert Bentley  the Republican governor and father of four who had campaigned as an honest, moral conservative. Bentley, who taught Sunday School, is under investigation and recently faced an impeachment push by members of his own party following allegations of a tawdry  and very public  sex scandal involving him and his senior political adviser Rebekah Mason. Mason has since resigned. Bentleys wife filed for divorce.

The governors affair was outed by the former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Spencer Collier, who in turn was fired by the governor. Collier maintains he was unceremoniously kicked out for not covering up Bentleys affair.

But Bentley said Collier was fired over possible misuse of state funds related to surgery.

After placing Spencer on medical leave a few weeks ago to allow him to recover from back surgery, Acting ALEA Secretary Stan Stabler identified several areas of concern in the operations, policies and procedures at ALEA, Bentley said in a written statement. After an internal review, the ALEA Integrity Unit found a number of issues, including possible misuse of state funds.

Democratic strategist Stephen Sigmund told "Strategy Room" he believes the fallout from so many cases of corruption is that Americans no longer believe that politics is a place where you can get positive things done.
The Justice Department and North Carolina filed dueling lawsuits Monday over the states controversial bathroom law, with the Obama administration answering an early-morning lawsuit filed by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory with legal action of its own.

In a suit filed late Monday in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, the DOJ alleged a pattern or practice of employment discrimination on the basis of sex against the state over the law requiring transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.

They created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a press conference late Monday afternoon.

The suit was filed after McCrory, in his lawsuit, accused the administration of a baseless and blatant overreach in trying to get the policy scrapped.

"This is an attempt to unilaterally rewrite long-established federal civil rights laws in a manner that is wholly inconsistent with the intent of Congress and disregards decades of statutory interpretation by the Courts," the states suit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, said.

McCrory, speaking at his own press conference, said Congress should get involved and bring clarity to federal anti-discrimination provisions  but urged the court to intervene in the current dispute, in the meantime.

This is not just a North Carolina issue, this is now a national issue, he said. We believe a court rather than a federal agency should tell our state, our nation and employers across the country what the law requires.

In an "On The Record" interview Monday night with Fox News' Greta Van Sustern, McCrory pointed at the federal government needing to get involved to make clear rules for states on the legal definition of gender identity.

"The U.S. Congress kind of ignored it, and now the Obama administration is interpreting existing law," he said.

"I think frankly Congress needs to deal with this to have a consistent message throughout the United States," he added.

The state had faced a DOJ-imposed Monday deadline to respond to its demand that North Carolina either scrap the law or face legal action and risk losing federal funds. Lynch said Monday that as the case moves forward, they retain the option of curtailing federal funding to the state Department of Public Safety and University of North Carolina.

The state law also limits state anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and blocks local governments from establishing their own. House Bill 2 has been criticized by gay rights groups, and entertainers including Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam have canceled shows. PayPal reversed plans to open a 400-employee operation center in Charlotte, and Deutsche Bank froze expansion plans near Raleigh.

Nearly 200 corporate leaders from across the country, including Charlotte-based Bank of America, have urged the law's repeal, arguing it's bad for business because it makes recruiting talented employees more difficult.

Several other states have proposed similar laws in recent months limiting protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi sued that state over a law that will allow workers to cite their own religious objections to same-sex marriage to deny services to people.

McCrory says the North Carolina law applies only to government offices, universities and road-side rest stops, not every bathroom in the state.

The Justice Department, though, had sent McCrory a letter last Wednesday stating the law violates federal civil rights laws.

The governor, speaking over the weekend with Fox News Sunday, said he asked the department for an extension and was given only until the close of business Monday.

I dont think that three working days is enough time for such a pretty big threat, he told Fox News. "Its the federal government being a bully, making law.

McCrory also said he doesnt have the legal authority to change laws and that the expectation that he can is unrealistic.

McCrory, who signed the bill into law in March, said last week that the department seems to be breaking new ground in claiming the North Carolina law violates Civil Rights Act protections against discrimination in education and the workplace.

And he said the administration's warning means the issue is no longer confined to North Carolina.

This is not just North Carolina, said McCrory, arguing that every university that accepts federal funding is now in the same situation as those in his state.

Meanwhile, the administration is expected to soon take the bathroom issue further, to ensure that transgender student rights are fully protected under federal law, according to Politico. The move reportedly would be related to a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities, and multiple agencies are expected to be involved.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Two years ago, the Obama administration referred to the surge of Central American children and families coming into the U.S. as a "humanitarian crisis."

This year, it's worse  as Border Patrol agents apprehend even more Honduran, Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants claiming asylum. But due to a backlog in the courts, there is even less of a chance theyll be deported.

"Where the backflow and choke point is occurring is in the immigration judge docket system -- 800,000 on the dockets right now," said former Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection David Aguilar. "So, that backlog, that inability to basically send these people back, remove them back to their countries of origin, is causing a draw of more of these people coming into the country."

According to the latest CBP figures, agents detained 27,754 unaccompanied minors from Central America in the first six months of the fiscal year, almost double last year's total of 15,616 and just shy of the 2014 record of 28,579.

The numbers for immigrants traveling as families is even higher, with 32,117 apprehended -- almost triple last year's total of 13,913 and well above the 2014 surge figure of 19,830.

Taken together, the exodus from Central America represents the largest mass immigration to the U.S. since the Mariel boatlift out of Cuba in 1980.

"These people are allowed to remain here. They are given employment authorization -- therefore, they are sending a message back home 'come on over'," Aguilar said.

There are push-and-pull factors to any mass immigration, but agents and immigration experts point to several drivers.

Because of a lack of jail space and the backlog in the courts, it can take five years or more before an illegal immigrant who claims asylum actually sees a judge to have their case resolved. In the meantime, the women, children and families are usually released to a relative or aid group where they integrate into the country; few are ever deported. This narrative creates an incentive for more to come, despite administration efforts to dissuade Central Americans from crossing in.

Violence, poverty and lawlessness in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala is forcing families looking for a better life to leave. Gangs and drug cartels often target children, turning to the boys to traffic narcotics and the girls for prostitution.

Agents say many detained immigrants claim they are trying to 'beat the election.' In other words, they want to get in as soon as possible -- in case Donald Trump is elected and builds a wall along the Mexican border, or Hillary Clinton is elected and pursues comprehensive immigration reform. They would want to be included under any such reform push.

Agents are concerned the system, though, is so overwhelmed that few immigrants criminal records are adequately checked, endangering the public.

"We don't know who we're releasing and we don't know what they're capable of," said Shawn Moran, a Border Patrol agent in California and a member of the union. Fellow agent and union representative Art Del Cueto echoed, "You can't find out if they've murdered, you can't find out if they've molested minors."

The immigration rush isn't just at the southern border. According to the Department of Homeland Security, almost 500,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. legally last year overstayed their visa. Yet, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency removed fewer than 3,000 overstays, or less than 1 percent.

"Over 40 percent of the illegal entries, illegal people that stay in the United States come in by visa and just plain overstay," said Aguilar. "So the ability to locate them, to identify them and put them in removal proceedings and very critically remove them as quickly as possible from the country is critical."

The U.S. does not have the means to easily track visa overstays, despite a law and millions of dollars appropriated by Congress to do so.
House Speaker Paul Ryan opened the door Monday to stepping down as Republican convention chairman if asked by presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, whom Ryan has declined to endorse.

Ryan first made the comments during a meeting with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters.

Asked whether he'd step down as convention chairman if Trump wants, Ryan answered: "He's the nominee. I'll do whatever he wants with respect to the convention."

Asked about the reported comments, a spokeswoman for Ryan confirmed to Fox News: That is his position, yes.

The remarks come after Ryan last week declined to endorse Trump, at least at this point, suggesting he wants to see Trump do more to unify the party and stand by Republican principles.

Trump fired back over the weekend, saying he was blind-sided by the remarks  while declining to answer directly when asked in an interview whether Ryan could still serve as convention chairman if he doesnt endorse Trump.

I will give you a very solid answer if that happens.  There's no reason to give it right now, Trump told NBCs Meet the Press.

Trump plans to meet with Ryan later this week.

Meanwhile, Trump backer Sarah Palin on Sunday said she plans to work to unseat Ryan, by supporting Ryans primary challenger in Wisconsins first district. Ryans snub of Trump was not a wise decision of his, Palin said on CNNs State of the Union.

Trump, asked about Palin's remarks on Monday on CNN, called her a "free agent" and said he had nothing to do with that push.

Ryan is facing businessman Paul Nehlen in the Aug. 9 Republican congressional primary.

Fox News Kara Rowland contributed to this report.
Donald Trump's campaign announced Monday that he is tapping New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to lead the transition team that will usher in a Trump administration if he wins the White House.

It's a plum post for the governor who endorsed Trump back in February, when his success in the primaries was far from assured.

Christie's own Republican presidential race failed, and he earned derision back in New Jersey for backing Trump. But since then Trump has driven all remaining competitors out of the nomination contest.

Since that happened last week, Trump's team has been playing catch-up as it works to prepare for the general election, quickly adding staff, building a finance operation and reaching out to Republican leaders.

Christie has been a key adviser behind the scenes.

Trump sai in a statement that Christie is "an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled transition team."
Andrew Sullivan thinks Donald Trumps election would threaten western civilizationan extinction-level event, in his wordsbut lets put that little matter aside for a moment.

In the process of savaging Trump, Sullivan also illuminates the source of his appeal.

Ive known Andrew for a quarter century, first as the brilliant young editor of the New Republic, then as a writer for Time, the New York Times and the Daily Beast, as well as one of the pioneering bloggers until he went into semi-retirement. Politically, he is a lifelong conservative who became one of President Obamas biggest boosters.

Sullivan is back in action with a New York magazine cover story casting Trump as a tyrant. But he strikes a nervewith me, at leastin turning his attention to the working-class Americans who helped power Trumps bid for the Republican nomination.

This, in my view, is a principal reason that most of the mainstream media utterly misjudged Trumps appeal.

For the white working class, having had their morals roundly mocked, their religion deemed primitive, and their economic prospects decimated, now find their very gender and race, indeed the very way they talk about reality, described as a kind of problem for the nation to overcome. This is just one aspect of what Trump has masterfully signaled as 'political correctness' run amokthat is, a progressive passion for racial and sexuality of outcome, rather than mere equality of opportunity.

Trumps appeal to these voters is often described in economic terms (hell bring back jobs and fight for better trade deals). But it is also cultural:

Much of the newly energized left has come to see the white working class not as allies but primarily as bigots, misogynists, racists, and homophobes, thereby condemning those often at the near-bottom rung of the economy to the bottom rung of the culture as well. A struggling white man in the heartland is now told to check his privilege by students at Ivy League colleges

These working-class communities, already alienated, hear  how can they not?  the glib and easy dismissals of white straight men as the ultimate source of all our woes. They smell the condescension and the broad generalizations about them  all of which would be repellent if directed at racial minorities.

And that is what many journalists missedbecause theyre so disconnected from that world. Their jobs arent threatened by trade deals. They often live upper-middle-class lifestyles in places like New York, Washington and Los Angeles, often dont take public transportation, often dont send their kids to public schools.

David Brooks, a conservative who opposes Trump, copped to this in a recent New York Times column:

I was surprised by Trumps success because Ive 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.

Trump got at the feelings of a world turned upside-down, at least among the male species, during a speech in Spokane:

I mean all of the men, were petrified to speak to women anymore. We may raise our voice, he said. You know what, the women get it better than we do, folks."

Sullivan traces the politics of resentment from the Tea Party through Black Lives Matter, and says Obama unintentionally became a symbol of some whites feeling culturally marginalized.

Another passage that jumped out at me has to do with gay rights. Sullivan famously made the conservative case for gay marriage way in an essay way back in 1989. Now that its the law of the land, Sullivan takes a shot at the gay left, for whom the word magnanimity seems unknown, even in the wake of stunning successes.

When it comes to the politics of resentment, says Andrew, Trump saw what others didnt. But the media have an opportunity to learn from their mistakes, and this goes well beyond Trump. We all need to better understand the frustration of folks who are fed up with with politics as usual and media as usual.
Buzz Cut:

 What parties arent

 Power Play: Complicated campaign build-out

 Wall Street bets on Hillary

 Oh, theyll run alright



WHAT PARTIES ARENT

Weve said it before, but it bears repeating: Political parties are not ideological vessels, but rather competitive organizations.

The Democratic Party does not exist to be liberal or even to see liberal policies enacted. It exists to help its members win elections. And neither does the Republican Party exist for the sake of conservatism, but rather for beating Democrats.

Think of it this way: McDonalds doesnt exist to make hamburgers; it exists to make money for its shareholders. If the company could make more money selling its surprisingly not-terrible pizza or damnably delicious rib-shaped patties of ground meat or even, saints preserve us, lobster, it would focus on those things. But it cant, so it doesnt.

What makes parties different, of course, is that they are rather like employee-owned enterprises. And most of the employees are volunteers.

You cant win the election without first attracting your core group, and since the field at hand is government, the point of attraction tends to be ideological. Thats become truer with the substantial breakdown of regional and white ethnic party loyalty and the rise of the independents.

Republicans mostly found their winning brand for the past two generations was conservatism as defined by the concepts of limited government, traditional values and a muscular foreign policy. The party would attract core support on these arguments and then try to repurpose the ideas for a more ideologically diverse general electorate.

The primaries were all red meat and then in the general, campaigns suddenly tried to turn it into McLobster. Results, lets just say, varied.

After the defeats there were, invariably, two solutions proffered, and both were ideological. Conservatives called for a rightward turn toward purity while moderates said it was time to curb conservatism and steer toward the center.

These ideas always misunderstood two things. First, a partys ideology is not a function of central planning. It bubbles up from local and state elections and officeholders. There is no dial on the wall at the RNC. Second, ideology matters much less in general elections than people believe.

Americans will elect very liberal people, they will elect very conservative people, but they always elect people.

President Obama didnt beat Mitt Romney because Romney was too conservative or not conservative enough. Obama beat Romney because voters liked and trusted Obama more. The same was true in 2004 with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Voters have wisely learned to ignore most of what politicians say and instead focus on them as individuals.

Watching Ted Cruzs candidacy melt like a Slush Puppie on a hot radiator is perhaps the best proof of all. No candidate in the GOP race had a platform more carefully crafted to appeal to the broadest spectrum of the partys conservative base. And yet, the voters he was counting on went for the guy who defends Planned Parenthood.

Back before social media turned political discourse into the rhetorical equivalent of standing next to a speaker tower at a Fugazi concert, RINO (Republican in Name Only) was a preferred epithet from conservatives for moderate Republicans. But its not accurate.

Republicanism doesnt equal conservatism. It wasnt like Gov. John Kasich, the moderate ideological Slush Puppie of 2016, is less of a Republican than Cruz or the rest of the field. He is just less conservative.

The big question now is what happens when someone who is neither a conservative  at least in the traditional sense of the past 60 years  nor a Republican loyalist takes over the party.

So far, Trump is not shy about bucking conservatives on subjects like trade, increasing the minimum wage, foreign policy and tax rates. But hes also doing what his nominee predecessors have done before: invoking the process and party loyalty.

Well, I understand Jeb Bush. I was rough with Jeb Bush. And I think if I was Jeb Bush, I wouldnt vote for me either, if you want to know the truth Trump said Sunday on ABC News. But, you know, they should do that. Theyre Republicans.

In that last sentence, Trump shows a better grasp of the process than most. Bush and others didnt sign on to the Conservative Party or the Polite Party or the Qualifications Party. Theyre Republicans, as Trump said. And Trump just ate their party, like the last morsel of a McRib.

Paul Ryan and others can fight all they want, but theyre not selling hamburgers anymore.

The question now for Trump is whether he can succeed with his personality and the partys new populist product. Whether conservatives ever get their party back, and maybe even whether the GOP can stay in business, will depend on the answer.

WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE

Today is the birthday of the great American industrialist Henry Kaiser, a master builder who, among other accomplishments, helped whip the Axis Powers in World War II. The son of German immigrants, Kaiser left his native Upstate New York for opportunity in the west. In Washington State, he began and grew a construction company that would eventually be instrumental in massive projects like the Hoover and Boulder dams. Kaiser turned his ingenuity for massive construction to the task of first supplying Britain against the Nazi onslaught and then equipping U.S. forces as they fanned out to fight fascism across the globe. His ships, quite simply, changed the world. Kaisers system allowed his shipbuilders to complete enormous vessels in as little as four days. Along the way, his idea for group health plans for his tens of thousands of workers also revolutionized insurance and health care. Problems, Kaiser said, are only opportunities in work clothes.

Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM

POLL CHECK

Real Clear Politics Averages

General Election: Clinton vs. Trump: Clinton +6.5 points

Generic Congressional Vote: Democrats +2.3

POWER PLAY: COMPLICATED CAMPAIGN BUILD-OUT

Building a successful organization for the general election is a monumental task. What will it be like for an outsider like Donald Trump? Will he stick with his brand or change his stripes? Former Romney/Ryan adviser Kevin Sheridan talks about the challenges facing the presumptive GOP nominee. WATCH HERE.

WALL STREET BETS ON HILLARY

WSJ: Hillary Clinton is consolidating her support among Wall Street donorswinning more campaign contributions from financial-services executives in the most recent fundraising period than all other candidates combined. The Democratic front-runner has raised $4.2 million in total from Wall Street, $344,000 of which was contributed in March alone. According to a Wall Street Journal analysis of fundraising data provided by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, the former secretary of state received 53% of the donations from Wall Street in March, up from 32% last year and 33% in January through February, as the nominating contests began. The analysis of campaign-finance reports shows that some Wall Street donors have shifted their financial support from Republican candidates who dropped out of the race, such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, to Mrs. Clinton in recent months.

RACE NOTES

Remember those buzzy state delegate selection meetings? David Drucker visited one in the new Trump GOP - WashEx

Palins primary assault on Ryan aside, Trump isnt reflective of a broader split in GOP yet - FiveThirtyEight

Nate Cohn dives into places  like West Virginia and Kentucky which hold May primaries  where Democrats like Hillary the least - NYT

Clintons Bid for Democratic Unity a Tough Sell Among Some Sanders Supporters - Bloomberg

WITHIN EARSHOT

I mean, shes wrong about absolutely everything, but shes wrong within normal parameters.  Libertarian humorist P.J. ORourke, endorsing Hillary Clinton.

OH, THEYLL RUN ALRIGHT

River City News: Hundreds gathered at the southern end of the Roebling Suspension Bridge for what was hoped to become an annual tradition in Covington: the Running of the Goats. The popular Goebel Goats, so named for the park in Mainstrasse Village that they keep trim during the warm months, were corralled at the Covington Farmers Market for what would have been a well-attended parade through the streets of downtown to their summer home. While most of the goats made it to Goebel Park, they took a much more circuitous path. As soon as the gates opened, five goats bolted from their volunteer handlers and headed north towards the Suspension Bridge. A small group of bystanders and organizers chased after, but the goats were able to escape down the steps to RiverCenter Boulevard.  Well have a little discussion about goat behavior next year. [said event sponsor Norm Desmarais].

Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News. Want FOX News First in your inbox every day? Sign up here.
Its been 40 years since an American spy plane, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, flew 85,069 feet above the surface of the earth, setting a record for sustained altitude that stands today.

But records are made to be broken, and it looks like the Blackbirds is about to fall.

A new aircraft, the Airbus Perlan 2, is expected to be soaring soon at an altitude of 90,000 feet  17 miles above the earth, nearly a full mile above the Blackbirds record  where the temperature is 94 degrees below zero and the air pressure is less than 2 percent of what it is at sea level, almost as thin as the atmosphere on Mars.

Related: Solar plane lands in Arizona on latest leg of around the world flight

But, unlike the Blackbird, a powerful beast that also holds the absolute speed record of 2,193.2 miles per hour  more than three times the speed of sound  the Perlan 2 will achieve speeds of only about 400 mph.

Thats because it has no engine.

The Perlan 2 is a glider  a pressurized sailplane that weighs less than a ton, has an 85-foot wingspan and is powered by air currents alone. Though it is designed to carry a pilot and co-pilot most efficiently at 50,000 feet, its designers plan to take it to 90,000 feet to explore the science of giant mountain waves that help create the ozone hole.

Related: From high above the Pacific, Solar Impulse 2 pilot spreads Earth Day message

It took its first step in that direction last September in Redmond, Ore., when it completed its maiden flight. It took another step in Minden, Nev., on Saturday when Airbus CEO Tom Enders co-piloted the glider and was briefed on its pressurization and life support systems.

Experiencing the Perlan 2 glider in flight was truly remarkable, said Enders. Airbus Perlan Mission II is all about pushing the boundaries of innovation, refining our understanding of our environment and climate change and inspiring a new generation of aerospace pioneers. Were honored to see this dedicated team of volunteers carry our name on a journey that will eventually take them to the edge of space.

To reach high altitudes without an engine, gliders ride upward-moving waves that form on the lee side of mountains when winds cross perpendicularly over a mountain range. The Perlan 2 will also use stratospheric mountain waves that are created by winds in the Polar Vortex.



Related: Boeing's new 737 MAX plane takes its maiden flight

The Perlan team will soon be relocating to the Patagonia area of Argentina, where they expect conditions will enable them to take the glider to record heights later this year.
Lockheed Martin wants to inspire the next generation of American space innovators with a major Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education project.

Launched last month, Generation Beyond aims to bring the science of space into homes and classrooms. Geared toward middle school students, the program harnesses Lockheed Martins experience in deep space exploration.

We absolutely depend on these skills coming out of colleges and universities and even high schools, said former astronaut and U.S. Navy aviator Stephen Frick, who is now director of strategic planning and operations for Lockheed Martins Advanced Technology Center. Its really important for the nation.

Frick explained that reaching pupils early in their school careers is crucial, noting that they are already tracked in for specific subjects by the time they get to high school.

Related: Buzz Aldrin eyes 2040 for manned Mars mission

The main element of Generation Beyond is an online curriculum for middle school teachers and students, which includes a virtual space field trip and activities for students. The free curriculum will be available before the coming school year.

A Generation Beyond Experience Bus will also be travelling the country, using virtual reality to give students a simulated ride over the surface of Mars. Lockheed Martin has also launched a Hello Mars smartphone app that lets students find Mars in the sky and get real-time weather updates for the red planet.

[The app] will connect people to Mars in a very accessible way, Frick told FoxNews.com.

The Orion spacecraft that Lockheed Martin is building for NASAs Mars exploration features prominently in Generation Beyond. Its a great vehicle, both for human exploration and as a vehicle to get young people excited about the possibility of deep space exploration, Frick told FoxNews.com. The Orion spacecraft is the key element that will allow people to get onto these long-distance trajectories.

Related: Stunning spaceship concept designs

NASAs goal is to send a manned mission to Mars by 2035.

Orion had its first test flight in 2014, which was mainly to test the spacecrafts pre-entry heat shield. Another unmanned flight is planned for 2018, using NASAs new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The mission, which will go out beyond the moon and back, will carry 13 CubeSats that will fly to deep space.

Frick joined NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and went on to fly two space shuttle missions, racking up more than 23 days of spaceflight experience. He served as a pilot for STS-110 on Space Shuttle Atlantis in April 2002 and as was again on Atlantis for STS-122 in February 2008. The former U.S. Navy captain retired from NASA in July 2015.

He told FoxNews.com that his interest in flight started at when visiting his grandparents in Pensacola, Florida, home to Naval Air Station Pensacola, known as the cradle of naval aviation. I was exposed to naval aviation at a very young age  I was seven or eight at the time of the later moon landings, when I was in high school and late junior high school was the early development of the space shuttle, he said. It flew for the first time when I was at the Naval Academy  all of these things together built a fascination of space and the possibility of flying myself in space.

Related: I could have spent longer in space, says astronaut Scott Kelly

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin recently told FoxNews.com that he is eyeing 2040 for the first manned mission to Mars, noting that the red planets moon Phobos could play a vital role for astronauts. By 2040, Aldrin explained, astronauts could have visited Mars moon Phobos, which could serve as a sort of stepping stone to Mars.

Mars looms ever larger in NASAs future. Earlier this year the space agency announced a May 2018 launch for its delayed Mars Insight mission to study the red planet. NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter celebrated 10 years at the red planet on March 10.

Other space agencies are also eyeing Mars. The first mission of the joint European-Russian ExoMars program, for example, blasted off for the red planet in March.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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Moon caves could provide shelter for astronauts exploring Earth's nearest neighbor, researchers say.

A new analysis of data gathered by NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft, which mapped the moon's gravitational field in unprecedented detail, turned up a number of new candidates for lava tubes  cave-like structures that could be large enough to house supplies and astronauts.

Space is a harsh environment. Radiation from the sun, galactic cosmic rays and constantly falling micrometeorites all present a threat to human explorers.

"A lava tube provides a safe haven from all these hazardous environmental conditions," study team member Rohan Sood, a graduate student at Purdue University in Indiana, told Space.com.

Sood presented more than a dozen potential lava tubes at the 47th Lunar and Planetary Science Conferencein The Woodlands, Texas, in March.

Hunting moon caves

Lava flowing across the moon's surface can harden into a protective shell. When the interior of the shell collapses but the hollowed-out shell remains, a lava tube is created. Skylights, which are formed from the partial collapse of a tube, should also be larger under the moon's lower gravity, enabling an easier exploration of lava tubes, researchers said.

The two GRAIL probes precisely mapped out the moon's gravitational field from orbit from March 2012 through December 2012. Because gravitational pull is related to mass, a hollowed-out region such as a lava tube tugged at the spacecraft slightly less than did solid ground. In the new study, Sood and his colleagues studied GRAIL data to search for small differences that could indicate the presence of lava tubes on the lava plains, or mare, of the moon.

First, the team targeted previously identified pits on the near side of the moonthat could double as skylights. Observations from GRAIL suggested that two of these pits could be connected to lava tubes. The new research revealed that the skylight in the Marius Hills regionis probably connected to a lava tube beneath.

Next, the scientists searched the lunar mare for signs of lava tubes with no visible surface features. They found at least 10 large candidates, some nearly 1 mile wide and stretching over 60 miles in length.

But even more tubes that are too small to be picked up by GRAIL could exist as well, Sood noted.

"We are really pushing GRAIL data to see anything at all," said co-author and planetary scientist Jay Melosh, also of Purdue, regarding the smallest features. "We only see them on the passes of the GRAIL spacecraft when they went quite low over the surface. But we are able to see the big ones."



That means that lava tubes smaller than about 0.5 miles wide could easily escape detection.

Large channels, known as rills, fed the large lava fields on the lunar surface. Stretching as much as 2.5 to 3 miles wide and measuring up to 0.33 miles deep, the features are enormous, compared to terrestrial standards.

"We find nothing of comparable size on the Earth," Melosh told Space.com.

The enormous rills suggest that lava flow rates on the moon were higher than those of Earth, and that lava tubes should therefore be more plentiful. The lower lunar gravity also means that large lava tubes should be more stable than those found on Earth less likely to collapse. This could explain why so few skylights have been detected, researchers said.

"An analysis of the stability of lava tubes finds that lava tubes 5 kilometers wide on the moon and 3 kilometers high are perfectly stable," Melosh said. He described how the author of that research, David Blair of Purdue, showed that a lava tube big enough to contain the city of Philadelphia would be stable on the moon.

"That's a little bit of a surprise," Melosh said.

Spelunking on the moon

Human explorers haven't set foot on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. When astronauts return, lava tubes may help them settle in comfortably. But such sites should be studied and vetted by robotic spacecraft before humans are sent there, Sood and Melosh said.

"We would like to send a radar-based mission," Sood said. "That will give us the possibility to recognize those lava tubes with much more clarity, and potentially find lava tubes that are smaller, that are beyond the resolution of GRAIL."

Hunting for more skylights on the moon would also help, as these features make it easier to explore lava tubes.

"If we already have an access point, that gives you a better chance of going into [a lava tube] than excavating," Sood said.

The lava tube associated with the skylight found in the Marius Hills region of the moon is large, Melosh said. That doesn't mean it's completely empty. A radar search could not only verify how far lava tubes stretch but also determine if cave-ins have blocked them off. Rovers could then explore a candidate lava tube.

All of these steps are necessary before humans are sent on a lunar camping trip.

"You don't want to set a bunch of astronauts down with a drill and have them drill into something and find it clogged with rubble," Melosh said.

Lunar lava tubes also provide an excellent opportunity for scientists to learn about off-planet living before astronauts are sent to Mars. Skylights have also been identified on the Red Planet and could help astronauts settle in for long-term missions.

The moon "will give us an opportunity to learn about lava tubes before we try to do anything on Mars," Sood said.
A 350-year-old French mystery has been unmasked: In his new book, Paul Sonnino, a professor of history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, claims he has uncovered the real identity of the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask.

The Man in the Iron Mask was a prisoner arrested in 1669 and held in the Bastille and other French jails for more than three decades, until his death in 1703. His identity has been an enduring mystery because, throughout his imprisonment, the man's face was hidden by a mask, according to Sonnino. The story was even popularized in the 1998 film "The Man in the Iron Mask," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

It's a mystery that evaded even famed philosopher Voltaire and writer Alexandre Dumas. Historians have discounted the theory popularized by Voltaire and Dumas that the masked man was the twin brother of Louis XIV, according to Sonnino.

More from LiveScience:

History's 10 Most Overlooked Mysteries

8 Grisly Archaeological Discoveries

Philip Who? A Gallery of Mystery Bones

"They [historians] are pretty much in agreement that his name was Eustache Dauger, that he only occasionally wore the mask and that when he did wear a mask, it was velvet, not iron," Sonnino said in a statement. "They are also quite sure that he was a valet. What they have not been able to figure out is whose valet he was, and for what possible reason he was held under tight security for over 30 years."

In "The Search for the Man in the Iron Mask: A Historical Detective Story" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), Sonnino leads the reader through historical records, correspondence regarding the prisoner and other aspects of his investigation.

Through his research, Sonnino determined that Dauger was a valet for the treasurer of Cardinal Mazarin, who was principal minister of France during Louis XIV's early life. Mazarin accumulated a large fortune, and Sonnino believes the valet thought that some of the money was stolen.

"What I was able to determine was that Mazarin had ripped off some of his huge fortune from the previous king and queen of England " Sonnino said. "Dauger must have blabbed at the wrong time. He was informed, when arrested, that if he revealed his identity to anyone, he would immediately be killed."

As for why the Man in the Iron Mask's identity has remained veiled throughout history, Sonnino said the blame lies with historians, who "insist on making it antiseptic, moralistic, sensible."

"Life does not make sense," Sonnino continued. "Humans are much more complicated than that."

Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Anne Frank spent over two years hiding in the secret annex of the building on Prinsengracht street in Amsterdam, a location familiar to countless readers of her famous diary, which she named Kitty. It was a space, its entrance eventually masked behind a bookcase, that she shared with seven others until 1944.

But at some point in the future, people will have a chance to explore the annex through a new virtual reality project in development called Anne.

Jonah Hirsch, the films producer, said the virtual reality experience will be brief about three to five minutes. (He also produced and wrote a short virtual reality film about the Wright brothers first flight.)

Related: Oculus Rift review roundup: Virtual Reality still trying to get real

Were just trying to recreate history, Hirsch told FoxNews.com. And make the viewer feel as if they were a fly on the wall and got to see what actually happened. He emphasized that unlike traditional movies, the focus in this one will be on accurately recreating history.

Hirsch said that people misunderstand the size of the annex it was bigger than people tend to think. It actually was a large space, he said. There were multiple rooms, and there were multiple people in the annex. So were creating a certain section of the annex, and you will be able to go through different rooms.

The experience wont just reveal a static scene, but will contain movement, he said.

Related: Scientists hope Leonardo Da Vinci's work can reveal DNA clues

I look for specific moments in history that are meaningful, have universal appeal, [and] work well in a virtual reality environment, Hirsch added.

Danny Abrahms, the films director and writer, said they hoped the virtual reality medium would allow them to humanize Anne."

Traditional film is a great storytelling tool, however by immersing viewers in the annex itself and allowing them to witness history in real time firsthand, we believe VR is able to create new levels of appreciation and empathy, Abrahms told FoxNews.com in an email.

Related: UAE considers building a mountain to boost rainfall

Abrahms and Hirsch are working with a company called Dilated Pixels on the film. There's a lot of innovative stuff going on in this project, Abrahms wrote. We can't go into too much detail, but the technology alone is totally cutting-edge.

Hirsch said they are unsure when it will be released, but that its intended for the public and museums. In the meantime, for those eager to explore more, annefrank.org has a great deal of interactive content available online.

Anne Frank, the rest of her family, and the others hiding in the annex were discovered on August 4, 1944, and its unknown who alerted the police to their presence. The only survivor was her father, Otto Frank. Anne and her older sister, Margot, were eventually sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they both died in 1945. Anne was just 15 years old.

Last Wednesday, the world marked Holocaust Remembrance Day. Abrams reflected on the occasion.

I remember visiting the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem and taking in the full scope of the atrocities that took place, he wrote. It never leaves you, nor should it. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. I hope we can use this time to remind ourselves how critical it is to embrace tolerance and to continually fight against discrimination and injustices, both in our day-to-day lives and on a global level.
A Delta flight from Atlanta to Chicago had to make an emergency landing in Nashville on Sunday after hitting turbulence that caused an engine covering to come off.

According to The Tennessean, Delta Flight 762 was flying above Cleveland, Tenn., on Sunday afternoon when the plane hit turbulence, causing the Boeing 717's engine lights to turn on, alerting crewmembers.

Delta says in a statement that the outermost covering of the plane's right engine, or cowling, had come off during the mid-flight turbulence.

https://t.co/FvXfmRjJF4



Delta Air Lines Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Cover Falls Off  pic.twitter.com/kKCoTANjLC  Wanderboi (@TheWanderboi) May 9, 2016

The plane's crew declared an emergency for priority air traffic control handling to Nashville.

Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant confirmed that the aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate where customers disembarked the aircraft. Fliers had a quick layover in the terminal before boarding another aircraft to continue their travel to Chicago Midway International Airport on Sunday evening

Delta says it will "fully investigate the incident as the safety and security of the airline's customers and employees is its top priority."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A tourist will appear in court in Portugal after he accidentally destroyed a 126-year-old statue while trying to take a holiday selfie.

The 24-year-old man, who has not been named, climbed up next to the famous statue of former Portuguese king Dom Sebastiao outside a Lisbon train station on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

He reportedly scaled the stations facade for the perfect photo opportunity.

But after he reached the statue, the man knocked the freestanding sculpture off its pedestal  and it topped to the ground, smashing into pieces.

Person takes a selfie takes with a 126-year-old statue and breaks it to pieaces - https://t.co/c7lkpnSDOD pic.twitter.com/9aOSmjbnLC  DIYPhotography (@diyphotography) May 8, 2016

The tourist reportedly tried to flee the scene but was quickly apprehended by police.

He was then charged to face a Lisbon court for destruction of public property.

A spokesman for Infrastructure Portugal said it was not yet known when the statue would be fixed.

The statues subject, Dom Sebastiao, was Portugals ruler between 1557 and 1578.

A legendary but tragic figure in Portuguese history, the young king embarked on a crusade against Morocco but was killed at the famous Battle of the Three Kings in northern Morocco at the age of 24.

His body was never recovered and the statue in his honour had stood proudly outside Lisbons impressive Rossio railway station since 1890  until last week.

But the young man who accidentally smashed it to pieces is far from the only tourist to inadvertently wreck havoc on valuable pieces of art.

Last year, a 12-year-old boy visiting a museum in Taipei, Taiwan, triggered facepalms the world over when he tripped over a punched a hole in a $2 million painting.

Footage showed the child trip on his feet and stumble into the 350-year-old oil-on-canvas painting, Flowers, by Italian master painter Paolo Porpora, which required expensive restoration.

Also last year, a pair of tourists accidentally shattered a 315-year-old marble statue in the Italian city of Cremona.

The tourists were reportedly trying to snap a selfie with the Statue of the Two Hercules  considered a symbol of the city  when they knocked it to the ground, Milans Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

In 2013, an American tourist accidentally snapped the finger off a 600-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary at Museo dellOpera del Duomo in Florence.

The 55-year-old man was reportedly attempting to compare his finger to one on the statue figure when it broke off.

In an even more strange incident, the quest for a perfect selfie caused a US exchange student to become trapped in a giant stone sculpture of a vulva in Germany.

Some 22 firefighters were called to help free the man when he got stuck trying to take a funny picture with the sculpture in the grounds of Tubingen University Institute of Microbiology.
A group of students at a New York City high school tried using art last week to make a social statement about rape, only to stir controversy with school administrators over the images they chose to do it with.

Students at Susan Wagner High School on Staten Island told the Staten Island Advance newspaper the school removed from an art exhibit displayed in the lobby of the building due to its subject matter and its depiction of a bare-backed teen.

Meghan Callahan-Scarcella and Andrea Gonzales told WCBS-TV they created the artwork to draw attention and awareness to sexual assault and consent.

I was so excited and I wanted people to see this, Gonzales told WCBS. I wanted people to be aware of consent and the rape culture that is in our society.

The teens wrote messages on Gonzales bare back, such as, no means no, my body, my rules, and, you dont own me" before taking several pictures to create the piece.

The two teens told WCBS the display was taken down after one day in the school's lobby.

They said like: We really like your ideas. We think youre talented. But we just cant have a minor, because shes under 18, exposing herself, Callahan-Scarcella told WCBS-TV.

The school's dress code and conduct policy, posted on its website, prohibits girls from displaying thighs, shoulders and bare backs.

That however did not stop students and some parents from creating an online petition protesting censorship of the banned photo.

The students and the school administration have since come to an agreement to reshoot the project with the same messages, except this time, written on T-shirts, CBS 2 reported.

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As a startup, one of the biggest hurdles youre going to face is building an initial reputation. With zero customers, zero brand recognition and little in the way of capital you could use to bolster your image, youll have to rely on alternative outlets and inexpensive tactics to give you early traction. One of the best ways to do this is by getting your startup featured in media coverage, but doing that is often easier said than done.

Related: 5 Pro Tips for a Successful Do-It-Yourself Public Relations Campaign

The benefits of media coverage

Getting your business covered, or at least mentioned, in high-profile news articles or other publications can be a massive benefit for your brand:

Brand visibility and reputation. First and foremost, youll get your brand recognized by a wider range of people, and youll start getting noticed as more of a major player or thought leader, especially if youre covered consistently over time.

First and foremost, youll get your brand recognized by a wider range of people, and youll start getting noticed as more of a major player or thought leader, especially if youre covered consistently over time. User acquisition. The mere mention of your brand name can lead more people to your website and social media accounts, facilitating your user acquisition strategy immensely.

The mere mention of your brand name can lead more people to your website and social media accounts, facilitating your user acquisition strategy immensely. Investor and partner interest. In your early stages, you may also attract partners, vendors and investors to your startup -- without having to hunt them down yourself.

In your early stages, you may also attract partners, vendors and investors to your startup -- without having to hunt them down yourself. Talent and recruitment. Successful startups depend on successful teams, and your media exposure may help you naturally attract more talent to your business.

How to get media coverage

Use these tactics to get more media exposure for your startup:

1. Submit a press release.

This is the fastest, and some may argue easiest, way to get media exposure for your brand. The first key (and biggest challenge) is to find a newsworthy event for your startup. If youre literally starting up, you could do a piece about your launch; otherwise, you could write about a recent funding round, a major milestone or a big event coming up for your company.

Through a platform like PR Web or PR Newswire, you can submit this press release to thousands of potential news platforms at once, some of whom will inevitably pick up and publish your piece. Press releases probably do little (if anything) for your SEO, but they can have a positive impact on your branded search results, helping with online reputation management.

2. Reach out to individual journalists.

Alternatively, you can identify and work with individual journalists to get your startup featured in a story. This could be good if youre looking for a more in-depth piece, like an interview, or if you want a regular contact with whom you can work for all your companys future announcements.

Related: PR Expert: Social Media Has Obliterated Traditional Public Relations

The tough part here is finding a willing journalist. So, start by researching some of the major publications in your industry and reaching out to individual staff members (you can usually find their contact information on the publishers website or on LinkedIn). PR companies often specialize in establishing relationships with journalists for such purposes. If youre the DIY type, heres a walk-through on how to identify and pitch journalists your story.

3. 'Newsjack' existing stories.

This is a risky move, but it could help you generate more attention for your brand. There are a few different ways to newsjack an existing story, but all of them share a common theme: taking advantage of the popularity of a previously existing story for your own benefit. For example, you could do a write-up on your startups opinions about a given news event, or jump on the bandwagon by taking action in line with or against a major company action covered in the news story. This type of move could get you featured in follow-up pieces.

4. Get involved in local events.

Keep an eye out for local events that are sure to attract media attention, and deliberately get your startup involved. For example, you might sign up as a speaker for an industry event or convention, or you might volunteer your staff for a charity event.

If you want an extra chance to be noticed, keep your team brandishing your company colors, and consider making a formal announcement, such as one through a press release, to make your attendance known. You could even host your own local events to generate even more focus for your brand.

5. Stand out on social media through a strong content marketing campaign.

Many modern journalists and media publications look to social media as a source of material and inspiration, so if you can stand out there, youll have a far higher likelihood of getting featured in some capacity. Publish content regularly as part of a strong content marketing strategy, and engage with influencers and others in your industry to build a loyal following. From there, almost any announcement you make (or content you publish) will have more visibility.

Related: 4 PR Strategies You Should Be Using Right Now
A 58-year-old man who was about to sit down for dinner was among the eight people shot and killed in Chicago this weekend, a bloody three days that also saw 40 people wounded, FOX32 reported.

Andres Rivera was sitting in his kitchen in the Archer Heights neighborhood Saturday evening when a bullet ripped through his house and struck him in the head, killing him, police said.

Police said they did not believe Rivera was the shooters intended target. At least one of Riveras three sons is a gang member, authorities said.

Despite pleas from area mothers to stop the violence, Mothers Day weekend provided no reprieve from the mostly gang-related crime thats plagued Chicago for years.

There have been 17 murders and 90 shootings so far in May, officials said. April saw 36 people murdered in the city.

Click for more from FOX32.
Youve got everything covered for the graduation party  cake, decorations, balloons, platters piled high with food, all waiting under a crisp white party tent. You may be missing one item on the to-do list, though: Do you have a plan for serving (or denying) booze at your high school or college graduation bash?

Specifically, how will you keep invited teens from getting tipsy?

Your teen may also attend a graduation party as a guest. The conversation about alcohol needs to be had before he or she walks out the door  not after.

I know kids sneak in alcohol all the time, one Reading, Massachusetts, high school junior told LifeZette. They put vodka or gin into water bottles and parents never know anything. They just think, Wow, those kids are well-hydrated!'

Whether its the alcohol in the water bottle or the beers hidden in the garage, teens are going to try to drink. At some parties they dont even have to sneak it  alcohol is readily offered by adults. Stories of parents providing alcohol to minors at graduation parties in this age of permissive parenting and parental BFFs are common.

Think these instances are isolated? A 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 53 percent of current underage drinkers reported family and friends as their source for alcohol.

I went to a graduation party several years ago that my next-door neighbor hosted, where high school kids could drink as long as they put their keys in a jar. It was crazy  so irresponsible of the parents. Everyone was invited to stay overnight, too, a Boston dad of two pre-teens said.

It was a mess within two hours, he continued. Kids chugging beers, all with complete impunity. We stayed for 20 minutes and I got my kids out of there!

Aside from plain old bad parenting, there are legal ramifications to allowing alcohol at a graduation party. If a teen swills beer at your party and then proceeds to get behind the wheel of his car and wrap it around a tree, injuring or even killing himself and/or others  you may be liable.

As a general rule, an individual is not liable for the negligent act of someone else, attorney Millie Anne Cavanaugh notes on the CRC Health website. CRC Health is a network of addiction treatment facilities. However, there are a few exceptions. The biggest exception is when you have the ability to control the actions of that third person. Although you certainly did not force your guest to drink alcohol, simply providing the alcohol for consumption gives you some level of control of their behavior  You are known as the social host.'

The social host laws vary from state to state, so you must know the statute in your state. Whatever the laws, having alcohol where teens are gathered is never a good idea. It is the nature of most teens to push boundaries, and your readily available alcohol gives an explicit nod to illegal activity.

Steven Casstevens is chief of police in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and wrote an article last month for The Washington Post's 'On Parenting' section entitled, "Police chief asks parents to face the reality of teen drinking."

Casstevens listed several of the latest high-profile bad decisions by parents, writing, "In North Carolina in June 2014, a doctor and his wife hosted a wedding reception and provided alcohol to an 18-year-old, who drove drunk and died. In Indiana in March, a photo posted on Snapchat led police to a house party where 60 juveniles were arrested for underage drinking. The parents were out of the country.

"In Kansas earlier this year, a state senator was charged with offering alcohol to underage students," he continued. "In Arkansas in December 2015, a high school teacher hosted a party for 11 students under the age of 18 in her home. She has since lost her job  At what point will we learn?"

To keep children from breaking the law (and disrespecting the hosts) by drinking at graduation parties, talk to them clearly about your expectations in a controlled setting  not as they're flying out the door.

Clearly lay out your own policy of no alcohol before legal drinking age is attained, even if the host's rules are different. And when in doubt, tell your teen to feel free to leave the party  either with a sober driver, or by calling or texting you for a ride.

"The conversation is often more effective before children start drinking," says the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. "If you talk to your kids directly and honestly, they are more likely to respect your rules and advice about alcohol use. When parents know about underage alcohol use, they can protect their children from many of the high-risk behaviors associated with it."

One Maine mother of three grown daughters knew the score with teenage drinking  and wasn't afraid to confront it head on.

"I clearly said 'no drinking' when I knew the girls were planning a night out. I would say it while we were eating dinner," she said. "Then I would look each girl in the eye and say, 'You are agreeing to this, right?'"

"It seemed that they somehow took that more seriously  as if we had a contract," she added.
Veiled women, incense, Gregorian chants, kneeling, standing, kneeling again, long periods of silence  think all of this is a scene from a Catholic Mass in 1950?

It was then, to be sure  but it is now also happening every Sunday, and in some places every day, in churches all over the United States. The Latin Mass of years gone by is becoming more popular again.

As a convert to the Catholic faith, I was drawn to the Catholic Church by the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the fullness of the faith, and the path of truth with a capital T through the ages. I thirsted for the Eucharist during every Mass I attended even before my First Communion and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil in 2012.

Each and every celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a reenactment of Calvary, of Christ as priest, Christ as victim. The mystery of the Catholic faith occurs on altars the world over during this unspeakably holy event.

For some, the pinnacle of participation in this mystery is attending the Tridentine Latin Mass (or Traditional Latin Mass, both abbreviated TLM). That is the Mass as it was celebrated for centuries before the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), commonly referred to as Vatican II.

Significant changes were instituted in the worldwide Catholic Church as a result of Vatican II, including, most noticeably, celebrating the Mass in the local language. The priest now faces the congregation rather than all present facing in the same direction  toward the crucifix above the altar.

While the Traditional Latin Mass that had been celebrated for nearly 400 years was never abrogated, it seemed to disappear overnight  and Catholic churches around the world were obliged to adopt the new format.

With the Mass so changed, many other changes occurred that were not specifically enumerated or encouraged by Vatican II. This resulted over the years in what some describe as a loss of solemn reverence and unity during worship.

In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificam, an apostolic letter that permits individual parishes and priests to offer the TLM to the faithful. Thus the Mass as described by Vatican II is known as the Ordinary Form  and the TLM is known as the Extraordinary Form. While both forms are licit and approved by the Holy See in Rome, it can be difficult to find a local parish that offers the TLM.

Alfonso DiGirolamo, a lifelong Catholic, started a website, GetTLM.org, to help parishioners bring the Traditional Latin Mass to their own parish. The website includes videos that explain what to expect when attending the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, and it shares resources to help formally introduce parishes to the TLM.

DiGirolamo has been attending the TLM in Philadelphia for more than four years. He learned how to serve as a master of ceremonies for it, which means he's the adult male altar server who responds in Latin on behalf of the congregation during the Mass and helps direct the altar boys. He explained, "Between the reverence, the prayers, and the adoring respect for the Holy Eucharist, it has become an essential part of my and our prayer life, which is just not available, even in the most reverent, in the Ordinary Form."

His wife, Brenda, also a lifelong practicing Catholic, started attending the TLM with her husband just two years ago. "To be honest, I wasn't a fan at first, but now I love it," she told LifeZette. "There is a reverence shown toward the Mass, but most especially toward the Holy Eucharist. Also, it helps me to remain focused and pay attention to the prayers so I dont get lost."

A dear friend of mine, Catherine Adair, and her family attend Mass at St. Benedict Center in Still River, Massachusetts. "The first time we attended the Tridentine Liturgy [the TLM], we felt like we were as close to heaven as we could get on Earth," she shared. "We felt, as a family, so connected to our faith and to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that we just felt this is where God truly wanted us to be."

She continued, "This is the Mass that so many of the great saints attended, and I feel so close to them and to the continuity of the faith to those that came before us."

I also feel "the continuity of the faith" that Adair describes. My family and I have been attending the TLM for a little over a year now and were immediately struck by the gravity and holiness of the rite. I was especially drawn to the periods of sacred silence before, after, and at several times during the Mass.

While it was a little confusing at first, I have learned how to follow along in the missal (which has Latin on one side and the English translation on the other). I have grown to love the beauty and reverence that I personally have only found during the celebration of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form. As both the Ordinary Form (in the local language) and the Extraordinary Form are valid, this choice comes down to personal preference and, in some cases, availability of the Mass one prefers.

Whichever Mass one chooses to attend, we are all truly blessed as faithful Catholics to be witnessing a resurgence of the faith in America.

Jewels Green is a mother, writer, public speaker and advocate for the right to life from conception to natural death. She lives in the Philadelphia area.
The number of Chinese students here in the U.S. skyrocketed to 304,040 during the 2014-2015 academic year, according to a new report by the International Institute for Education. Michigan State University alone has 4,400 Chinese students enrolled right now, and University of California-Berkeley has 1,200 (it had 47 Chinese students just 10 years ago). In Boston, a staggering 45,000 Chinese students attend its area colleges.

The influx is shown by the numbers: Of the almost 1 million student visas allowing foreigners to live in the U.S., approximately 360,000 are from China.

As Chinese students flock to U.S. colleges, theyre taking slots that would have gone to American students. A combination of higher-institution greed and top educational opportunities in the U.S. mean that a lot of American students have received rejection letters from American universities  while Chinese students are on their home shores rejoicing over their acceptances.

Just walk downtown in Boston when college is in session, and most students you see are Asian, a Boston-area mom who has two kids in Massachusetts colleges said. Im accepting of everyone, but its frustrating to see so many Chinese students being able to take of advantage our colleges, while our kids are at home wringing their hands over getting into college.

So what is driving the Chinese influx? Money. Foreign students pay full tuition rates  which can be as much as double what American students would pay. Universities and colleges now roll out the red carpet for prospective Asian students, even hiring Chinese-speaking staff to recruit Chinese students and help them along the way once they're here.

Staff is hired to help Chinese students at writing centers, career services centers, and counseling centers, according to Inside Higher Ed. At the University of Illinois, pre-departure orientations are held in China, which necessitates hiring more Mandarin-speaking staff.

Are Chinese students more prepared by high-achieving cultural and family structures to academically wipe up the floor with their American contemporaries? Actually, no.

A professor of Chinese history said Chinese students are "woefully under-prepared. They have very little idea about what it means to be analytical about a text. They find it very difficult to fulfill basic requirements of analytical thinking or writing," this professor told The Wall Street Journal.

One Chinese student in a master's program at Harvard said, "A lot of Chinese students are struggling, and they stay rather isolated socially because the language dynamics are so hard. They look at this experience not as an educational journey, but as 'time served'  as long as they leave with an American diploma, they're happy."

Schools are finding they need to modify or even simplify coursework to adapt to both the language and learning barriers of Chinese students.

At Oregon State University, the school's accountancy Master of Business program now has more Chinese students enrolled than Americans. "Do I stick with the original learning objectives, or modify them?" senior professor Roger Graham Jr. told the Wall Street Journal of his classroom's make-up.

Evan Ryan, U.S. assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, attributed the huge increase to rising incomes in China, as well as the excellence of American education. "There's a growing [Chinese] middle class interested in their children's education," Ryan told Foreign Policy. "Globally, people think that you will get the best education here in the United States. The Chinese want to be competitive in the 21st century."

A senior counsel to the president of the Institute for International Education attributes the increase in Chinese undergraduates to the fast growth of international high schools in China. There, students work on their English and get ready to take U.S. assessment tests like the SAT and ACT.

"Rather than spending all their time preparing for Chinese tests," Rebecca Blumenthal told Foreign Policy, "they learn how to present themselves in ways which are much more helpful" for acceptance to American colleges and universities.

And Chinese students often have the money to burn when they arrive for advanced study. "While an American kid might drive a beat-up Toyota handed down from an older member of the family, Chinese students seem to have no problem affording a new Audi, BMW, or Lexus," Phyllis Schlafly wrote on Townhall.com.

So do Chinese students stay in the U.S. after graduation, applying their brand-new skills and knowledge toward making America stronger?

"It depends on the year," Joseph Wang, a Ph.D. in computational astrophysics noted on the website Quora.com when answering that question. "Before 2000, almost no one went back. Today I don't know of anyone that wants to stay in the United States."

"A lot has to do with the economy," he continued. "There are a lot of jobs in China, but the U.S. isn't hiring. Once people stop hiring, then you can't stay even if you wanted to."
A woman in California who previously served prison time for identity theft was busted at a high-end hotel after investigators said she used even more stolen cash to live a life of luxury, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. announced Thursday.

Maria Christina Johnson was accused of stealing the identities of a slew of people she met through online dating and home rental websites. Investigators said she would "capitalize on her physical attraction" to get into victims' homes and obtain their personal information, ultimately using it to open new lines of credit.

Courts in several states convicted Johnson on fraud and similar charges as early as 1997. She served at least 2 years in prison, the Los Angeles Times reported.

But detectives said they learned in March that she had gone back to her old ways. Johnson was staying at a luxury hotel in Santa Barbara County, using a false name, when sheriff's officials said they arrested her on April 28. They did not name the hotel.

Her new fraud case may have cost her victims more than a quarter of a million dollars, investigators said. They added that during one hotel stay, she even tried and failed to buy her own car.

"She has no legitimate source of income and lists her occupation as a dog trainer, yet appeared to live the high-dollar lifestyle of the cafe society entirely off stolen identities," the sheriff's department reported.

Investigators said Johnson also went by the names Maria Christina Gia, Maria Hainka, Maria Hendricks and Gia Hendricks. She used the Hendricks name to try passing herself off as a member of NASCAR's Hendrick Motorsports team, the LA Times reported, adding that she also posed as a modeling agency manager.

As part of her alleged luxury home rental scheme, detectives said she'd arrange to view homes for the real purpose of finding new victims. They said at one point, she even stole a real estate broker's identity.

Bail was set at $2 million after her latest arrest.
Daniel Torres is finally a citizen of the land he once served as a U.S. Marine while living a lie, and this time he has a chance to make things right.

Five years ago, Torres was ready to ship out to Afghanistan for his second tour when his military superiors learned hed lied about his immigration status in order to enlist. Instead of deploying, he was deported. The 30-year-old has been living in Mexico ever since, with a network of exiled U.S. veterans. But Torres, who told his story of banishment to FoxNews.com earlier this year, recently learned his status has been unexpectedly changed, to naturalized citizen.

It is all still very surreal for me, Torres, who came to America from Mexico with his family as a teen and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2007 using falsified documents, told FoxNews.com. I havent seen my family in five years, and now I will be able to spend the summer with them and see my Marines  we definitely have to have a reunion for that.

Torres new standing came courtesy of a special provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows people who serve in the U.S military during a time of conflict and who deploy overseas to be entitled to citizenship regardless of legal status in the country or place of residence. Its exactly the kind of loophole Torres could find himself specializing in as a lawyer, the career he now hopes to fashion.

Torres long nightmare began in 2011, as he was preparing to go to Afghanistan. He lost his wallet, and in the process of trying to re-establish his credentials, his long-held secret unraveled. Born in Tijuana, he had come to the U.S. illegally as a child. When he had enlisted, he had done so with phony identification.

I just didnt want to be another Mexican living in the United States, Torres told FoxNews.com. I wanted to say I had contributed, that I had done something for the country.

He got an honorable discharge, but was no longer welcome in the military  or the U.S. He tried to join the French Foreign Legion, but washed out due to an injury suffered in Iraq.

Unable to return to the U.S. due to his now red-flagged illegal immigrant status, Torres returned to his city of birth  Tijuana. Once there, he relied on a network of former servicemen and women at the Deported Veterans House, a bunker founded in 2013 by deported veteran Hector Barajas. The nonprofit group offers legal and moral support as well as basic food and accommodation to deported veterans of all walks of life  including non-citizens who served on the battlefields in Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Mexico, Torres tried to stay positive and hold on to the dream of getting back to the U.S.

"I knew I had to pay the price for lying, what I did was wrong. But I had just hoped I wouldnt have to pay the price forever, Torres said. When I wanted to throw the towel in, I remembered that I was a Marine and Marines dont quit, he said. Once a Marine, always a Marine.

Red-flagged as an illegal immigrant and unwilling to sneak across the border, Torres embarked on a law degree at the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California. Now in his last year, Torres plans to finish his degree and hopes to enroll in a Master's program in San Diego next year so he can practice law in both countries.

And while Torres can now legally move back and forth between the two countries, he said his job is far from complete until the hundreds of other deported veterans also get their citizenship  and their VA benefits they are unable to access while banned from entering.

Im just one person, he said. I want to get everyone else home -- there are guys here that need medical help and need to see their children.

The Pentagon estimates that up to 65,000 non-citizens are currently serving, and a prominent incentive for joining is that fast-track to citizenship  although it is not guaranteed. Barajas said many simply werent made aware of their rights and how to begin the process when they were active or after being discharged, and ran into trouble when it was too late.

Former Marine Dominic Certo, author of Gold in the Coffins, and an adviser to the veterans advocacy organization Operation Homefront, believes people who fight for the U.S. deserve to live here.

Anyone who has served our country and risked their lives or provided service for the citizens of this country as a veteran deserves amnesty -- especially when there are so many who have done nothing to earn citizenship or provide a military service to our country, Certo said.
A Kansas City, Kansas, police detective helping respond to a report of a suspicious person near a racetrack was fatally shot Monday, and a parolee sought for questioning in that and an ensuing string of reported carjackings was wounded after a shootout with police in neighboring Missouri.

The detective was shot at least twice about 12:30 p.m. near the Kansas Speedway, underwent surgery at a hospital and later died, his department said in a statement. His name was not immediately released, though a police spokesman, Patrick McCallop, called him "a seasoned officer."

"Our detective fought a good fight, but unfortunately he died from his injuries," Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Terry Zeigler said in a tweet. "Thanks for the support & prayers."

Police said the gunman, after wounding the detective, fled in the officer's unmarked car, then hijacked a vehicle with two children inside before abandoning it in nearby Basehor, Kansas, leaving those kids unharmed.

Police publicly appealed for help in trying to find Curtis Ayers, 28, for questioning in the shooting. That Tonganoxie, Kansas, man ultimately was taken into custody in Kansas City, Missouri, when he crashed the car he was driving while being pursued by officers, then was shot by police after trying to carjack a woman's vehicle.

That woman was wounded and taken to a hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, police spokeswoman Kari Thompson said without specifying her medical condition. Ayers was hospitalized in stable condition, McCallop said.

"This individual was very dangerous. We are so happy that this individual is in custody," Thompson told reporters later. "We are so glad this situation has come to an end."

Ayers has had longstanding trouble with the law, having served prison time in Kansas in recent years for convictions involving child abandonment, fleeing or trying to elude law enforcers, and interference with a law enforcement officer, online Kansas Department of Corrections records show.

Ayers previously had been charged in North Carolina with offenses ranging from misdemeanor theft to possession of stolen goods and burglarizing vehicles, according to court records.
A Justice Department division will no longer refer to people released from prison as felons or convicts because of the stigmatizing effects of the terms, an agency official announced in a Washington Post editorial Wednesday.

Instead, Assistant Attorney General Karol Mason said the disparaging labels will be replaced by person who committed a crime or individual who was incarcerated. The new lexicon is set to be utilized in speeches, solicitations, website content and social media posts emanating from the Office of Justice Programs.

I have come to believe that we have a responsibility to reduce not only the physical but also the psychological barriers to reintegration, Mason wrote. The labels we affix to those who have served time can drain their sense of self-worth and perpetuate a cycle of crime, the very thing re-entry programs are designed to prevent.

OJP is responsible for research and development efforts to fight crime, but takes no direct law enforcement actions. The agency also works with state and local authorities.

But not everyone is on board with the shift in vernacular.

J. Christian Adams, an attorney and ex-DOJ official, said the move is the latest attempt by the Obama administration to destigmatize the most abhorrent behavior. Referring to ex-cons as felons is a good thing, Adams told FoxNews.com.

It helps people make important decisions about hiring, about renting, about associating with people who have shown a proclivity to break the law, he said. Shame is not a bad thing. Its helped civilization rise. And people who cannot be trusted, who have committed violent crimes in the past, theres nothing wrong with calling them exactly what they are  and that is felons.

Mason, who has headed OJP since 2013, wrote the editorial on the heels of National Re-entry Week, last weeks attempt to bring attention to the plight of those recently released from prison. A set of measures to make it easier for ex-cons to obtain state IDs once released from jail was announced in April as part of the initiatives.

The American Bar Association documented nearly 50,000 collateral consequences of criminal convictions during a four-year period, Mason wrote, citing penalties such as employment and voting issues that plague ex-prisoners years after theyve been released. Experts believe that number may be low, given that local ordinances also often present barriers for ex-cons to gaining employment.

Our words have power, Mason wrote. They shape and color our estimations and judgments. They can build up or tear down.

The OJP move is certainly not the first time officials have tried to rebrand convicts in an attempt to make their return to civilian life easier. In October 2013, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter proposed amending the city code to replace ex-offender with returning citizen. He had already issued an executive order making the language swap mandatory for city employees.

Adams said it may be easy to shift the recent tide of softening language if a leader with courage is in place. But hes not necessarily optimistic about the prospects.

In the past this has been a one way ratchet, that every time these attempts to delegitimize American society are put in place, nobody has the courage to reverse them, he said. They dont want to be criticized.
Outsourcing. It is not an unfamiliar word in the entrepreneurial sphere. More and more entrepreneurs are trying to infuse this tactic in their business to be more productive.

With books like "The 4 Hour Work Week," the benefits of outsourcing have been overstated. Many entrepreneurs want to start outsourcing. However, many of them do not know where to start.

First, it is important for the entrepreneur to know and plan which areas of their business are better suited to be outsourced to an agency or group of freelancers.

There is no doubt that there are parts of your business that you would prefer not to do, whether it is due a lack of competency or interest. Why spend days or weeks working on tasks that are simply frustrating for you? Would it not be better to outsource those things to someone who has a track record of delivering superb results?

Related: 5 Questions to Help Decide If Outsourcing Is the Solution

If you are facing difficulty in choosing what to outsource, consider delegating these three tasks to increase productivity and free up your time for other activities.

Social media.

To many entrepreneurs, it appears that social media is overrated. It is partially true. However, it would be foolish to run a business without having a social media presence.

Social media can easily become time consuming. Every entrepreneur has their own social media addiction, whether that is Facebook or YouTube. There is no doubt that those social media feeds are distracting, but you do not have to overwhelm yourself with it. It is better to outsource it.

Depending on your preference, you may find one of the following approaches suitable for your business.

Hands-off approach -- Assign your assistant to create and schedule your social media posts. They can create a HootSuite account and start syncing your social media accounts. Then, they can start creating and scheduling your social media posts via the dashboard. With the hands-off approach, your assistant will focus on creating and scheduling lots of content while adjusting posts to match themes and trends, when necessary.

2. Hands-on approach -- Assign your assistant to dedicate a set amount of hours to social media. This approach is similar to the hands-off approach, with the addition of having your assistant to interact with the audience in either real-time or on a frequent basis.

3. Hybrid approach -- Assign your assistant to create and schedule your social media posts as well as infrequently interacting with the commenters. This approach is similar to the hands-on approach with the difference being the interaction is not as frequent. So, for example, your assistant may check social media for comments and questions twice a day rather than every two hours during their work shift.

I have always advised entrepreneurs to stick to the maximum of two social media channels. However, when you have an assistant, you may find it worth adding another social media channel to your marketing arsenal.

Related: Should Your Startup Outsource Tech? 4 Questions to Help You Decide

Although, please keep in mind that it is better to put out a consistent feed of content on a few social media channels than to put out an inconsistent feed of content on many social media channels. Make sure that you have a clear social media strategy before delegating it to your assistant.

Public relations.

Almost every entrepreneur wants their brand to be on television and in popular publications. It is getting featured that is the difficult part for the entrepreneur. Unless public relations are one of your strengths, it is in your best interest to outsource it to someone who has PR experience (preferably someone who has significantly more experience than you).

There are several free PR services, but the most popular one is HARO (Help A Reporter Out). I would recommend starting there first. I have used HARO to get featured on Monster.com and in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Related: Why Your Company Should Consider Outsourcing Content Creation

Website support.

As your brand becomes more popular, this area will become more important.

Your website is your home. There is an adage that says, Your first impression may be your last. Wouldnt you want to assure that website visitors are getting the best impression of your brand?

While website providers like Wordpress and Squarespace have made it easier to administer your site, it is probably not a good idea to invest much time in it, especially if your intention is to grow your brand as quickly as possible.

Instead, outsource this area of your business to someone else. Whoever you choose can not only keep your website current with content but can interact with the audience by replying to blog post comments and answering emails.

In an era where competition is at an all-time high, it is pertinent to maximize productivity by leveraging other peoples time. Outsourcing is your most important form of leverage. If you want to grow your business fast or even put your business on auto-pilot, nothing will be more important than outsourcing.
The South Carolina church where nine African-Americans were murdered last June has distributed $1.5 million in donations to family members of the victims, sparking outrage among some who say the amount isn't enough.

According to The Post and Courier newspaper, Emanuel AME Church received approximately $3.3 million in donations from around the world following the June 17 shooting, which authorities believe was racially motiviated. The paper reported that the church is putting around $1.8 million of that amount toward building maintenance, as well as an endowment for a memorial and a scholarship fund.

Some relatives of the victims have been angered that the church has kept most of the money. Church leaders have countered by saying that only $280,000 was earmarked by donors for the families, and the church decided to add more than $1 million to those gifts..

Arthur Hurd, whose wife Cynthia died in the shooting, told The Post and Courier that he received a check for $50,000, less than he expected. He envelope included a form letter, with no explanation of how the donations were divided up.

"I feel like it says, Take this and shut up,'" Hurd said.

Hurd had sued Emanuel AME Church last fall after several families accused the church of not being transparent with how it handled the money. The suit was dismissed after the church handed over documents related to its Moving Forward Fund.

Emanuel AME attorney Wilbur Johnson told The Post and Courier the church sent money to more family members than did the city of Charleston's Hope Fund, in an effort to "broaden the reach of the donations and in recognition of the churchs pastoral outreach."

The paper reported that approximately $3.1 million in donations has already been distributed through the city's Hope Fund, with another distribution coming soon.

Click for more from The Post and Courier.
A massive grid search is being planned for Monday as Florida investigators continue to look for a Hobe Sound mom who vanished nearly two weeks ago.

Tricia Todd, a U.S. Air Force veteran and nurse, was reported missing after failing to pick up her 2-year-old daughter from her ex-husbands house on April 27, The Palm Beach Post reported. The sheriffs office has said theres no evidence linking Todds ex-husband to her disappearance.

Todd was last seen in surveillance camera footage from a Publix supermarket on April 26.

Cadaver dogs searched a three-mile stretch but came up empty.

Authorities have not officially ruled Todds disappearance as anything nefarious and said there was no evidence of a crime.
A man who was shot and killed in an attempted robbery in New Orleans over the weekend had come to the city to plan his wedding, officials said Monday at a press conference.

Orleans Parish Coroner Jeffrey Rouse identified the man as 25-year-old Thomas Rolfes.

New Orleans Police Chief Michael Harrison said Rolfes had marks on his hands that would indicate a struggle, Fox 8 reported.

The 2011 Tulane University graduate had just flown into New Orleans late Friday night and went out with friends while his fiancee slept in their hotel room, according to Harrison. His body was found around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday at the intersection of Claiborne Avenue and Amelia Street.

Harrison said Monday that investigators are going through surveillance video, some of which shows Rolfes at a bar and then at a convenience store on Claiborne buying two bottles of water.

"We've spoken to his family, we've spoken to fiancee, and the fact that we know he bought two bottles of water raises more questions that our investigators are working very, very hard to answer," Harrison said.

Harrison didn't know if Rolfes was with another person at the time when he was at the convenience store.

Julie Rolfes, the mother of the shooting victim, told Fox 8 her son, originally from St. Louis, came back to New Orleans to pick a wedding venue after getting engaged about a month ago to Elizabeth Fried. The two met at Tulane University.

They had arrived on separate flights Friday night. She arrived late and had stayed at their hotel. Rolfes had gone out with friends.

"I didn't even get to see him," Fried said Sunday.

Ron Rolfes, Thomas' father, told NOLA.com his son's murder was "a horrible, horrible dream."

"We know it's reality; we're just trying to close the loop on that," he told the news outlet.

Former Republican presidential candidate and Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney called the fatal shooting of Rolfes "senseless" and "tragic in a statement Monday on his Facebook page.

Romney said the 25-year-old was a member of his 2012 campaign team, and had a warm smile and engaging personality.

Heartbreaking to hear that Thomas Rolfes was killed this weekend while in New Orleans looking for a wedding venue with his sweetheart, a fellow Tulane graduate, Romney said.

His commitment and dedication to our effort made him an invaluable part of the campaign, he added.

Police have not yet released a description of any suspects in the case, but are asking anyone with information about the case to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox 8.

Click for more from NOLA.com.
A Miami businessman is going to federal court to challenge a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit claiming fraud in his Vermont projects.

The SEC accuses Ariel Quiros in civil complaints of misusing some $200 million from investors and improperly diverting about $50 million for his own use. The projects at a Vermont ski resort include a biomedical research facility, a hotel and rental cottages.

The SEC wants a receiver appointed to take over the project. At a hearing Monday, Quiros will ask a Miami judge to block that effort and also unfreeze his assets.

The money was raised from foreign investors through the federal EB-5 visa program, which allows U.S. residency for those who finance projects that create a certain amount of jobs.
An inmate who escaped from a minimum security prison in New Jersey last week was tracked down and taken into custody Monday in a wooded area near a highway.

Arthur Buckel, 38, was located near the Garden State Parkway, Lacey Township police announced on Twitter. Syed Hasson, a spokesman for the state department of corrections, confirmed that Buckel was in custody.

Video from WPVI-TV shows about 20 officers surrounding a handcuffed Buckel sitting on a guardrail of the highway, before they led him away from the scene.

Buckel was seen on surveillance video late Sunday at a rest area off the Garden State Parkway, Lacey Township police said.

The state police said Buckel had indicated a desire to turn himself in and was making arrangements through his family to do so at the rest area. But, he was gone by the time state troopers arrived, police said.

Authorities searched through the air, and armed officers combed through the wooded area because it was believed Buckel, who once served time for manslaughter for killing a baby, headed north on foot.

Buckel was found to be missing last Tuesday when guards did a count at the Ancora unit of Bayside State Prison in Hammonton. Lacey Township is about 50 miles northeast of Hammonton.

Buckel had been serving a sentence for aggravated assault, drug possession and burglary. He was scheduled to be considered for parole later this month.

Buckel previously served 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated manslaughter of a 10-month-old child.


A Florida man was behind bars after police say he shot and killed his brother in a beef over a cheeseburger.

Benjamin Angus Middendorf, 25, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his older brother Thursday.

Nicholas Middendorf, 28, was killed after being shot once in the chest, Fox 35 Orlando reported.

We were in a fight and I grabbed a gun and I shot him. Oh my God! Benjamin Middendorf says in a 911 call released by the St. Cloud Police Department.

My son shot my son, his mother says to the dispatcher during the 911 call.

Where is your son who shot your other son? the dispatcher asks the woman.

She replies, Right here holding my son, and then is overheard saying, I hope you go to jail.

Police responded to the 911 call around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Fox 35 reported.

I can tell you that there was some sort of argument -- sadly over a cheeseburger, whether he wanted one or not," police spokesperson Sgt. Denise Roberts told the station.

He admits that he does own a 9-mm. gun and he obviously puts himself on scene," Roberts said. "He picked up the phone. They called 911, cooperated fully. But as far as a full confession, no. At this point he said he didn't recall."

An arrest affidavit says Benjamin Middendorf, his brother and their mother had been drinking with friends, celebrating Cinco de Mayo, MyNews13 in Orlando reported.

Benjamin Middendorf told detectives he was not drinking, the station reported.

He was denied bail during a court appearance Saturday.

Click here to read more from Fox 35 Orlando.
A BBC correspondent and his crew were detained for three days before being ordered to leave North Korea Monday after officials from the country's communist dictatorship became upset over the content of his reporting.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, the BBC's Tokyo-based reporter, was stopped Friday as he was about to leave the country, according to a report posted on the corporation's website. Wingfield-Hayes' producer producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were also held.

The BBC said Wingfield-Hayes was questioned for eight hours by North Korean officials and was made to sign a statement. Their report added that all three were held over the weekend before being taken to Pyongyang Airport Monday afternoon.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the North's National Peace Committee, said the journalist's news coverage distorted facts and "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country." He said Wingfield-Hayes wrote an apology, was being expelled Monday and would never be admitted into the country again.

The BBC said that the North Korean leadership was "displeased with [the crew's] reports highlighting aspects of life" in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang. A report in The Guardian highlighted Wingfield-Hayes' dispatch from a children's hospital he visited with a group of Nobel laureates.

In the report, Wingfield-Hayes said the children kept in the hospital looked "remarkably well, and there isn't a real doctor in sight".

He later added, "Everything we see looks like a set-up."

More than 100 foreign journalists are in the capital for North Korea's first party congress in 36 years, though they have been prevented from actually covering the proceedings and the more than 3,400 delegates. Officials have kept the foreign media busy with trips around Pyongyang to show them the places it most wants them to see -- a maternity hospital with seemingly state-of-the-art equipment, a wire-making factory where managers say salaries and production are both going up, and the humble birthplace of national founder Kim Il Sung, which has been converted into a sort of museum-park with a large "funfair" right next door.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
One of Usama bin Ladens sons urged Muslims to attack Jewish and Western interests and suggested creating a mega-army to attack Jerusalem, in a video released Monday.

In the video, which was created between January and February 2016 and distributed by Al Qaeda supporters, Hamza bin Laden praises the escalating violence by Palestinians against Israelis and calls on Muslims to continue killing the Jews and attacking their interests everywhere," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor.

Bin Laden adds that those who support Jews, such as the U.S. and Europe, "must pay the bill in their blood. He also suggests launching a massive Syrian-based army in order to "defend" Jerusalem from the Jewish people, as he put it.

"We must remember that the road to liberating Palestine today is much closer than the one that existed before the blessed Syrian revolution, Bin Laden says. Thus, the Muslim Ummah must focus its attention on the jihad in Syria.

Bin Laden ordered Muslim men to defend their female counterparts from Jews, who he claims were murdering women in cold blood. He also said Muslims should wage jihad for control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a contested holy site in Jerusalem that was historically used by Jews and Muslims.

The video includes archival footage of Usama bin Laden and Al Qaeda leader Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Rubaish, who was killed last year.

Usama Bin Laden, one of the worlds most notorious terrorists and the mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks, was killed in an CIA raid on May 1, 2011.
A Mexican judge says the extradition of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman can move ahead, but the country's foreign ministry must still approve it and the defense can appeal.

The federal Judiciary Council said Monday the judge had agreed that the legal requirements laid out in the extradition treaty between the two countries had been met. The judge was not named.

The ministry has 20 days to decide whether to approve Guzman's extradition to the United States. Any extradition attempt can be delayed or stopped by a request to the court by attorneys for the Sinaloa cartel leader.

A Mexican security official told The Associated Press Guzman was moved to a less-secure prison, in a region that is one of his cartel's strongholds.

The official said that in general the Cefereso No. 9 prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he had been held. The official wasn't authorized to discuss Guzman's case publicly and agreed to do so only if not quoted by name.

The official said, however, that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

But Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, wondered at the logic of sending Guzman to a lesser lockup in territory firmly controlled by his Sinaloa cartel underlings.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Vigil said. "He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape."

Officials have not said why they chose Cefereso No. 9 over the 19 other options in the federal penitentiary system for Guzman's surprise, pre-dawn transfer in a high-security operation Saturday.

Altiplano is considered the country's highest-security prison, and many had thought it to be unescapable. That belief was shattered in July 2015 when Guzman fled the facility through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that accomplices dug to the shower in his cell, complete with a motorcycle modified to run on rails laid down in the passage.

Cefereso No. 9 is just off the Pan-American highway about 14 miles south of downtown Juarez, in the middle of the barren, scorching Chihuahuan Desert. Other than a university campus about 2 miles to the east, there is hardly anything else for miles in any direction.

Gov. Cesar Duarte of Chihuahua state, where Juarez is, bragged about the facility's ability to hold Guzman, saying at a news conference that the transfer posed no risk for his state and was a sign of its improvements on security matters.

"There will be no escape," Duarte told local media. "If he was brought here from Altiplano it's because the security conditions are way above those of Altiplano, that's what the federal government settled on."

Authorities said the move was due to security upgrades at Altiplano and also part of a routine policy to rotate inmates for security reasons. Analysts said officials may also have wanted to shake up his confinement to thwart any escape plans that could have been in the works.

Vigil said it would be a mistake to try to hold Guzman in the Juarez prison for long.

"If they keep him there for a prolonged period of time, the Mexican government certainly is risking that he escapes," Vigil said. "And if he escapes, it would just completely decimate the credibility of the Mexican government."

According to a 2015 report by the governmental National Human Rights Commission, Cefereso No. 9 got the lowest overall quality rating for any of Mexico's 21 federal prisons at 6.63 on a scale of 0 to 10. Altiplano was the 10th best, with a rating of 7.32.

Cefereso No. 9 got low marks for guaranteeing a "dignified" stay and for handling inmates with special requirements. It got middling scores for guaranteeing prisoners' safety and well-being, and for rehabilitation.

It was also listed as somewhat overcrowded, with 1,012 inmates living in a facility designed to hold 848. Authorities acknowledge overcrowding is a widespread problem throughout Mexico's penitentiary system.

Overall, Cefereso No. 9 got a "yellow" evaluation for 2015 on the report's stoplight-style rating system. That was improved from "red" in 2014, even if its numerical score was still the country's lowest.

"Governability" was the only area where the prison received a "green," or good, rating. Altiplano also got a "green" rating for the category.

"El Chapo" first broke out of prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the world's most-wanted fugitives. He was recaptured in 2014, only to escape the following year. Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.

Guzman was returned to Altiplano, where officials beefed up his security regimen. He was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 16-inch layer of concrete. Prison authorities also restricted his visits.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran successfully test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile capable of striking U.S. forces in the region as well as Israel, the third such test since the nuclear agreement with Western nations took effect in January, multiple defense officials confirmed to Fox News.

The rogue nation conducted the test in defiance of a United Nations resolution that calls on Iran to cease work on its ballistic missile program.

Iran has to abide by U.N. resolutions with regard to ballistic missiles tests, and if they have violated or not been consistent with those resolutions, that clearly would be a concern for us, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

Any ballistic missile launch by Iran is tracked by U.S. military spy satellites which pick up the flash during launch. This case was no different, according to officials.

Gen. Ali Abdollahi, deputy chief of the armed forces' headquarters, said the latest missile tested is very accurate, within 8 meters. "Eight meters means nothing, it means it's without any error," he said. He did not elaborate.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles -- one emblazoned with the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" in Hebrew -- that set off an international outcry.

Since December, Iran has shipped out its low-enriched uranium, disabled its heavy water reactor in Arak, and weeks ago sold more than $8 million worth of heavy water to the U.S. in compliance with the nuclear deal. However, Iran has ignored separate U.N. resolutions barring the Islamic republic from ballistic missile tests. Fox News was first to report a secret Iranian ballistic missile launch in November.

The test-firing was carried out two weeks ago, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Abdollahi as saying. Tasnim is close to the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard, which is in charge of Iranian ballistic missiles program.

The agency said the missile has a range of 1,250 miles -- enough to reach much of the Middle East. Iranian military commanders have described them as a strategic asset and a strong deterrent, capable of hitting U.S. bases or Israel in the event of a strike on Iran.

Analysts say Iran is likely seeking to demonstrate it is making progress with its ballistic program, despite scaling back on the nuclear program following the deal that led to the lifting of international sanction on Tehran.

Last month, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guard's airspace division, said a new, upgraded version of the Sajjil -- a solid fuel high-speed missile with a range of 1,200 miles that was first tested in 2008 -- would soon be ready.

But it was not immediately clear if the missile Abdollahi referred to was the new Sajjil.

The landmark deal does not include provisions against missile launches and when it came into effect on Jan. 16, the Security Council lifted most U.N. sanctions against Tehran, including a ban it had imposed in 2010 on Iran testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

To deal with the restrictions in the nuclear agreement, the council adopted a resolution last July, which only "calls on" Iran not to carry out such tests.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Even as religious minorities face genocide at the hands of Muslim extremists in Iraq, officials in one part of the country are actively courting Jews to return to the land of their ancestry.

The government of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north, eager to counter the devastating effects of Islamic States religious and ethnic cleansing, is making clear to Jews that they have a home in the ancient Babylonian land where many of their ancestors once lived peacefully. They are even urging thousands of Kurdish Jews living in Israel to visit and invest in a land that has not always been so hospitable to them.

Jews would be surprised to find that they are freer and safer here than in certain European capitals, Sherzad Omer Mamsani, the Kurdistan Regional Governments first-ever Jewish representative, told FoxNews.com.

On Friday, the KRG officially marked Holocaust Remembrance Day with a first-ever ceremony in its capital, Erbil. The occasion came against the somber backdrop of past suffering as well as the current, U.S.-recognized genocide against Christians, Yazidis and other minorities taking place just 50 miles away in the ISIS stronghold of Mosul.

Under heavy guard, participants held a moment of silence and then watched as six candles were lit, each symbolizing a million Jews killed in the Holocaust. For many in attendance, it was the first time they had ever worn the traditional brimless cap known as the kippah in public.

For 2,600 years, the Jewish community prospered in what was once called Mesopotamia, now Iraq, and were in the early 20th century considered an affluent and politically important part of the country. Following World War I, one-third of Baghdads population was Jewish, but many were forced to flee during World War II.

After Israel was formed in 1948, and Iraq fought the new nation, the remaining Jews in Iraq were branded as Zionist traitors. Their numbers dwindled to around 6,000 in the 1960s, after Jews were forced to carry yellow identity cards and banned from selling property, and the population continued to fall. Today, only a handful of Jews are known to live elsewhere in Iraq.

In the Shia-dominated southern part of the country, several Jewish families, also registered as Muslim, are believed to practice Judaism in the cloaked secrecy of their homes.

Mamsani was tapped last year to help spearhead a government initiative to encourage religious co-existence after the Kurdish parliament formed new ministries to represent religious minorities, also including Zoroastrians, Yazidis and Bahai. It was a natural choice, as Mamsani has long advocated for Jewish rights in the region, and in 1997 published a book on the topic. He blames a bombing that cost him the use of his right hand on his outspoken advocacy.

There are an estimated 300,000 Kurdish Jews in the world, mostly in Israel. There are several hundred in the Kurdish part of Iraq, but there is some debate as to whether they are newcomers, people suddenly embracing the faith of their families or simply people being misclassified. For generations, Jews in Iraq have hidden their faith  even registering as Muslim on the mandatory national identification cards required by Baghdad.

Since were still part of Iraq, all IDs must indicate the religion of the holder, Mamsani said. Judaism is not an option and most individuals concerned with their safety and their family would not attempt to register as such with the central government.

Mamsani insists the ranks of Kurdish Jews in the region are slowly growing, as some from the UK, Germany and even Israel return to their ancestral homeland.

The number of known Jews or families with Jewish heritage grows as we discover individuals who have been quiet for decades, or as some Kurdish and Iraqi Jews return from the diaspora for long-term business, Mamsani said.

Practicing the faith of their families without threats or persecution is new for many. One high-level official revealed to FoxNews.com the Star of David he keeps secured in his pocket at all times, while another proudly keeps an Israeli flag alongside the Kurdish flag at his residence in the northern city of Sulaymaniyah.

Jaffar Ibrahim Eminki, deputy speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament, told FoxNews.com that lawmakers value strong social relations with the Jewish populace.

We believe they can live here, he said.

However, the present and future of Jews in Iraq remains a subject of debate. Mordechai Zaken, an Israel-based expert on Kurdish and Middle East affairs and former Arab affairs adviser to the Israeli prime ministers office, adamantly denied that such moves are happening or that there even was much of a Jewish community in Kurdistan.

There were several dozen families that had some distant family connection to Judaism, he told the Jerusalem Post in December. Most of these people are Muslim Kurds who perhaps have a grandmother or great-grandmother of Jewish origin who converted to Islam two or three generations ago.

Edwin Shuker, a Baghdad-born Iraqi-Jewish businessman and activist who works to preserve Jewish shrines in the Middle East and serves as vice president of the European Jewish Congress, said that while much progress has been made for Jewish people to feel comfortable revealing a Jewish connection in the Kurdish areas, they arent returning to live permanently.

They are not moving back from anywhere; they are simply more comfortable to reveal a Jewish connection, he said. This is the oldest Jewish community in the world that has managed to keep its identity in exile. People who are of Jewish descent have now been more willing to associate themselves with the Jewish heritage.

And as it stands, there are no synagogues or public places for Jewish prayer and gathering. The KRG is trying to open temples in the region, but officials say efforts have been hindered by sour relations with Baghdad, concern over Iranian-funded militias and the ongoing jihadist threat.

For now, Mamsani is taking things one step at a time. Gathering to mark the Holocaust was one of the biggest strides to date.

We dont want to put our lives and hundreds of Jewish families in trouble, he said. Were starting with teaching and learning about the Jewish religion.
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Militants opened fire on a microbus filled with plainclothes police in a Cairo suburb early Sunday, killing eight of them, including an officer, in an attack claimed by a local Islamic State affiliate.

The attack was the deadliest in the heavily policed capital since November, when gunmen attacked a security checkpoint, killing four policemen. That attack was also claimed by the local IS affiliate.

Egypt's state-run MENA news agency said the policemen were inspecting security in the south Cairo suburb of Helwan early Sunday when four gunmen in a pickup opened fire on them.

Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, in charge of police, ordered an investigation into the attack.

"These are the heroes whose blood mixes with the nation's soil every day," Abdel-Ghaffar told state television at the end of a brief military funeral for the eight policemen.

"We are determined to continue our march against terror and anyone who seeks to undermine the nation's stability," he said, as black-clad female relatives of the policemen wailed in grief.

The coffins of the eight, wrapped in the Egyptian flag, were placed atop red fire engines that led a procession of several hundred mourners, including other policemen.

An IS affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement, saying it killed everyone in the vehicle. It identified the officer and said the fighters seized light weapons from the police before they fleeing the scene unharmed.

It said the operation was to avenge women jailed in Egypt. The claim could not be independently verified, but the statement's language and the nature of the attack suggest it is authentic.

Militants have been targeting security forces in the Sinai Peninsula for years, but their attacks have grown more deadly and frequent since the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi. An IS affiliate based in the Sinai is now spearheading the insurgency.

While most of the unrest has been confined to the northern Sinai, there have been attacks in the mainland as well, mainly small-scale bombings targeting police, the frequency of which had declined in recent months.

Sunday's attack came as the interior minister was locked in a dispute with the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate following the arrest last week of two reporters who had taken refuge inside the syndicate's building in downtown Cairo. The syndicate's board says the ministry did not give it advance warning and has demanded that Abdel-Ghaffar be fired.

Several newspapers have protested by not mentioning the minister by name and by only publishing altered photos of him designed to look like negatives. It was not yet clear how they would cover his response to Sunday's attack.

Rights groups have accused Egypt's police of widespread abuses, including the torture of dissidents, with some likening their tactics to those used during the rule of President Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown in a 2011 uprising.

The Interior Ministry has denied any systematic abuses, and is likely to point to attacks like the one carried out on Sunday to argue that it is defending the country against Islamic militants who have sown chaos across the region.
Islamic State militants reportedly shot and killed a 7-year-old Syrian boy reportedly in front of his sobbing parents, all because he let a few curse words slip out of his mouth.

The execution took place Thursday in the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, ARA News reported, citing rights activists and witnesses.

An activist told the news agency that the boy was arrested after they heard him cursing divinity while playing in the street with his friends.

The activist quoted an ISIS member of Islamic court as saying the act was considered an insult to the Caliphate, regardless of the age of the boy.

The ISIS-led Shariah Court sentenced the boy to death, and he was killed in a public square in front of a crowd of hundreds, including his parents, who collapsed after authorities shot him, witnesses told ARA News.

Click for more from ARA News.
Photos of items on an Islamic State fighters sprawling shopping list  which included solar-powered watches, insect repellent and a mens shaver  were released Friday for the first time in the trial of his wife, accused of supporting the terrorist.

The luggage carrying the items was seized at Brisbane Airport in Australia in May 2014. Fatima Elomar, who was trying to escape the country to deliver the items to her Syria-based husband and his friend, also an ISIS militant, pleaded guilty last year to the attempted smuggling and faces up to 10 years in prison, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The 31-year-olds story of wanting to travel to Malaysia for a vacation with her four children, despite carrying bags full of mens clothing, electronics and $10,000 cash, was quickly shot down by authorities. Both militants are now believed to have been killed in Syria, the newspaper reported.

A series of text messages between Fatima and her husband, Mohammed, revealed his longing in Syria for anti-dandruff shampoo, Adidas underwear and long sleeve shirts without buttons, among other items.

The wife bought the items on Ebay, leaving a paper trail, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

She appeared briefly in court Friday and faces another sentencing hearing in July.

Click for more from the Sydney Morning Herald.
A U.S. airstrike on Friday killed four Islamic State fighters in western Iraq, including a leader who appeared in ISIS execution videos and was considered an heir apparent to terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Breaking: Pentagon announces Abu Wahib, ISIS leader in Anbar province #Iraq has been killed in an air-strike pic.twitter.com/naZxUMjyfe  Jamil Nohra (@jamilnohra61) May 9, 2016

The terror leader, Abu Wahib, was known as the "Emir of Anbar Province." The strike unfolded near al-Rutba, not far from the Syrian border, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters.

Wahib left an Anbar university, where he was studying computer science, to fight U.S. forces entering Iraq, The New York Times reported. He escaped from an Iraq-run prison in Tikrit in 2012.

Cook said Wahib's death marks another serious blow to ISIS leadership and would "further degrade its ability to operate, especially in Anbar Province."

Iraq had falsely reported Wahib's death in the past, but Cook said, "we're confident that this was a successful strike and I'll leave it at that."

He said it was part of U.S. efforts to put pressure on terror leaders in as many different ways as possible, signaling they should be "very worried about their next step."

U.S. and Iraqi officials said an airstrike killed Zarqawi outside Baghdad in 2006.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
Facebook's New Branded Content Policy

Opens New Options for Marketers

As of early April this year, verified celebrities, influencers, and publishers can use their Facebook pages to post their branded content. Now they can post videos, photos, and articles that feature or mention brand without any need to worry about Facebook penalizing them. This rule change was requested by marketers, as branded content has become an integral part of their online media strategy. There are limitations, however: for example, "overly promotional" content such as videos with watermarks won't be allowed. "Alongside the tweak, Facebook also introduced a new tool that will let publishers tag brands in their sponsored content posts. That gives users some indication that they're reading an ad, but it also gives brands better insight into how well their posts perform," writes Ricardo Bilton, a staff writer for the Nieman Journalism Lab. And what's in it for Facebook? The new policy increases the odds that brands will use Facebook's ad platform to get all that branded content in front of users. For more information about how to get started, visit Facebook's new Branded Content page.

Time To Automate Your Social Media?

"It takes a lot of work to maintain a social media presence. After you finish all the work of publishing a new blog post or unveiling a new service page on your website, the promotion has only begun," writes Adrienne Wolter on undullify.com in her "Quick Start Guide to Social Automation." While it's abundantly clear that social media has become an essential tool for small business marketers, finding the time to keep up with the work necessary for success is hard. Smart marketers take advantage of social media automation to streamline time-consuming tasks like scheduling and posting. Wolter provides and introduction to tools like IFTTT, Buffer, and the JetPack plugin for WordPress, which lighten the load and make it easier for any business to manage an active social media marketing program.

How Google Local Search Lists Businesses

- and What You Can Do About It

Local search is the single most important way customers find businesses today. That's why franchise brand marketers must stay on top of how Google determines what to say about their business, and what they can do to affect their listings. According to a recent blog on Mediavine Marketing, "If you've verified your business on Google Maps, your company's position in search results is based on relevance, distance, and prominence. They combine those factors to determine the best match for a person's particular search." To rise in the rankings, you first must verify your business on Google Maps; this only takes a few minutes and may be the single most important marketing task any small business has today. Relevance refers to how well your listing matches up with what a user is looking for. Distance is exactly what it sounds like, although relevance (and prominence) may outweigh it. Prominence is measured both on and offline: a famous landmark or brand will score high on prominence. But the online component is where you can have the most impact on your position. Giving Google as much information as possible - websites, social media accounts, links, articles, and reviews - is the best strategy for improving prominence, according to the blog.

"Don't Do This" Dept. - Snapchat's Blackface Blooper

In honor of reggae legend Bob Marley's birthday, April 20, Snapchat released a selfie filter that added dreadlocks, a Rastafarian hat, and - controversially - dark skin to the user's face. The company justified this by saying they did it to give people a new way to celebrate their hero, and that it was done in cooperation with Marley's estate. That was not enough to satisfy Snapchat's critics, who called the use of blackface in the modern world objectionable under any circumstances. "If there's any constant with respect to social media and the Internet, it is that somebody is going to do something incredibly stupid and racially insensitive. Congratulations to Snapchat for being the latest guilty party," wrote Michael Arseneaux in The Guardian.

Daniel Lieberman is the founder of Daniel Lieberman Digital ("I speak Geek - You don't need to"). Based in Shelburne Falls, Mass., he helps companies, organizations, and individuals learn to use the Internet to communicate, market, and brand themselves using the most up-to-date tools and techniques. Contact him at 413-489-1818 or daniel@daniellieberman.org.
Burger 21 Beefs Up National Presence With First New Mexico Franchise Agreement

Award-Winning Fast Casual Chain to Bring Chef-Inspired Burger Creations to Albuquerque

May 09, 2016 // Franchising.com // TAMPA, Fla. - Burger 21, an award-winning, "beyond the better burger" fast casual franchise, announced today the signing of its first franchise agreement in New Mexico. The Tampa, Fla.-based company plans to open one location in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This latest agreement expands the brand's national footprint to 12 states. Burger 21 currently has 22 open restaurants and approximately 20 franchised locations in development nationwide.

"We are thrilled to bring Burger 21 to Albuquerque," said Mark Johnston, Burger 21 founder and president. "As one of the largest cities in New Mexico, Albuquerque is an ideal community for our brand. We look forward to our continued expansion across the U.S. with franchise partners that align with our brand's values and culture."

Local entrepreneur Chris Zalesiak is leading the expansion effort in Albuquerque with the first Burger 21 location slated to open in late 2017. Zalesiak, who also owns The Melting Pot of Albuquerque, has 13 years of foodservice experience and is an active member of the community. She currently sits on the Vistage International Peer Advisory Board and helps raise awareness and funds for several local public schools and organizations, including the March of Dimes. In addition to Burger 21's variety of chef-inspired menu items, it was the brand's unique culture and dedication to providing high quality and responsibly sourced ingredients that attracted Zalesiak to the Burger 21 concept.

"My decision to partner with Burger 21 was based on a number of factors, including the delicious product at an affordable price, the exponential growth of the brand over the past several years and Burger 21's commitment to the communities it serves by donating ten percent of sales on the 21st of each month to a local charity of choice," said Zalesiak. "This is an opportune time to join the Burger 21 family and introduce Albuquerque's to the brand's carveable menu offerings, which are unlike any other better burger concept in the area."

The location of the first Burger 21 in Albuquerque is yet to be announced as the site selection process is just launching with Anthony Johnson of Pegasus Retail Group.

Burger 21 is actively seeking qualified franchisees to expand its national footprint across the country.Those interested in development opportunities with the brand should visitburger21franchise.com/ApplyNow.aspx and register to receive access to an informational franchising webinar. For more information, please contact Ashley Sawyer, director of franchise development for Burger 21, at 813-327-7881 or asawyer@burger21.com or visit burger21franchise.com.

Recognition for Burger 21 includes being named one of Entrepreneur magazine's Top New Franchises of 2016. Additionally, the company has been ranked on Fast Casual's Top 100 "Movers and Shakers" for the last three consecutive years, while Burger 21 Founder and President Mark Johnston was acknowledged as one of Fast Casual's "Top 25 People" of 2014 for his strategic leadership in the brand's growth and development. Burger 21 also was named one of QSR's "Best Franchise Deals" of 2014.

As the brand continues to expand across the U.S., Burger 21 is seeking single- and multi-unit operators with restaurant experience to join its upscale fast casual dining concept. Franchisee candidates should have a minimum net worth of $600,000 and liquid assets of at least $250,000 per unit. Burger 21 will be developed through both single-unit agreements and Area Development Agreements. Depending on the real estate site selected, franchisees can expect the total investment for one restaurant to be approximately $428,247  $1,085,164. The initial franchise fee is $40,000; however, reduced franchise fees apply for veterans, minorities and Area Development Agreements of four or more units.

To learn more about ownership opportunities with Burger 21, contact Ashley Sawyer, director of franchise development for Burger 21, at 813-327-7881 or asawyer@burger21.com or visit burger21franchise.com.

About Burger 21

With 22 locations now open in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Texas, and more than 20 in development in six states, Burger 21 is a "beyond the better burger" fast casual franchise concept founded in 2010. Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Burger 21 is a chef-inspired brand with offerings including 21 unique burger creations ranging from hand-crafted, freshly ground Certified Angus Beef to chicken, turkey, vegetarian, shrimp and tuna burgers, fresh salads, all-beef hot dogs, chicken tenders and an extensive shake bar including hand-crafted shakes, floats and sundaes. Since its inception, the company has provided more than $127,000 in contributions as part of its "B Charitable" initiative, in which it donates 10 percent of its restaurants' sales to local schools and charities on the 21st of each month. For more information, visit http://www.burger21.com.

SOURCE Burger 21

Contact:

Ellie Mannix

Fish Consulting

(954) 893-9150

emannix@fish-consulting.com

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Dwyer Group Celebrates Seven Service Brands

Named in Bonds Top 100 Franchises of 2016

May 09, 2016 // Franchising.com // WACO, Texas  The Dwyer Group, Inc., one of the worlds largest franchising companies of trade service brands, is once again winning top honors as the company celebrates seven service brands listed in Bonds Top 100 Franchises of 2016 (7th edition) by Robert E. Bond.

This has been an excellent year of growth for Dwyer Group and our brands, said Mike Bidwell, president and CEO of Dwyer Group. We are honored to have seven of our service brands named to this years list and we will continue to work together to grow our entire family of service brands while providing top customer service and franchisee support.

Bonds Top 100 Franchises program features detailed analyses of top franchises with more than 50 operating units. Companies are evaluated on the basis of historical performance, brand identification, market dynamics, franchisee satisfaction, level of training, ongoing support, financial stability and various other features.

The following Dwyer Group service brands were recognized:

Aire Serv

Five Star Painting

Molly Maid

Mr. Appliance

Mr. Electric

Mr. Handyman

The Grounds Guys

Our brands would not be where they are today without our talented team members and outstanding franchise owners who work extremely hard to make a difference in their communities through job creation, local support and superior customer service, Bidwell added.

Since 2015, the Dwyer Group roster has expanded to 12 service brands and more than 2,600 franchise locations in 11 countries around the world. Today, those service brands account for more than 3 million service calls and $1.3 billion in system-wide sales each year.

The Bonds Top 100 Franchises, 2016 is currently available on Amazon.com or to view the complete list visit WorldFranchising.com.

About Dwyer Group

Dwyer Group, based in Waco, Texas, is a holding company of 12 franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv, Glass Doctor, The Grounds Guys, Five Star Painting, Molly Maid, Mr. Appliance, Mr. Electric, Mr. Handyman, Mr. Rooter (Drain Doctor in the UK), ProTect Painters, Rainbow International, and Locatec. Collectively, these independent franchise concepts offer customers worldwide a broad base of residential and commercial services. In addition, Dwyer Group operates glass shops in New England under the Portland Glass brand name. Dwyer Group is a portfolio company of The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm. The firms international portfolio includes more than 75 companies. More information on Dwyer Group, or its franchise concepts, is available at www.dwyergroup.com.

Dwyer Group is also on Twitter at @DwyerGroup.

SOURCE Dwyer Group

Contact:

Monica Feid

BizCom Associates

(972) 490-8053

MonicaFeid@BizComPr.com

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Military Veterans Compete for Franchise Fee-Free 7-Eleven Store in Video Contest

Public Invited to 'Like' their Favorite Veteran and Video

DALLAS - May 9, 2016 // PRNewswire // - The field has narrowed. Seven military veterans are competing for the opportunity to own a 7-Eleven franchise without the expense of a franchise fee. The video competition for the semi-finalists in 7-Eleven's OPERATION: Take Command franchise giveaway contest starts today and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, May 22.

Seven semi-finalists were selected from almost 1,900 applications received by 7-Eleven between Jan. 11 and Feb. 26, 2016. One especially qualified and talented military veteran will win a 7-Eleven store. But now, it is up to the voting public to narrow the field.

As part of 7-Eleven's contest to win a franchise, the seven contestants have posted their "Why I Should Win OPERATION: Take Command" videos on 7-Eleven's website. To view the videos and vote, go towww.VeteransFranchiseGiveaway.com. Anyone can vote and vote more than once  but only one time per day per Facebook account for as many days as they like through May 22.

7-Eleven is asking the public to choose the video and personal story they like the best. The top three contenders will be determined by the number of "Likes" their video receives. These three finalists will then have one-on-one interviews with 7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto, who himself is former military. The winner will be announced in June.

Every video "Like" will also help U.S. military veterans. For every vote cast, 7-Eleven will contribute $1, up to $50,000, to Hire Heroes USA, a nonprofit organization that works with transitioning service members, veterans and spouses from military service into civilian success. To learn more about the organization, visit www.hireheroesusa.org.

"Military veterans have proved to be some of our most successful franchisees," said Larry Hughes, 7-Eleven vice president of franchise systems. Not surprisingly, the quality of the service men and women who have applied for a franchise fee-free 7-Eleven store in this year's OPERATION: Take Commandcontest has been nothing short of remarkable. The public has its work cut out for them in selecting who advances to the final round."

The winner will receive a waiver of the franchise fee, valued at up to $190,000, to franchise any of the company's 7-Eleven convenience stores available in the continental U.S. at the contest's culmination.

So who are these seven people? Where are they and what motivates them to compete for a 7-Eleven franchise? Alphabetically, they are:

Jean Cetoute from Richlands, NC

Scott Jackson from Chicago, IL

Aditya Khurana from Harlingen, TX

Estrella Martinez from Woodbridge, VA

Robert Tutor from Sultan, WA

Stephen Valley from Fairfax, VA

Randall Youmans from Fort Washington, MD

To qualify for the contest, entrants had to be 21 years of age or older, a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, an honorably discharged veteran, have excellent credit and at least three years of leadership, retail or restaurant experience. Contestants went through the same qualification process as all 7-Eleven franchise applicants including interviews, credit evaluation, a leadership test, preparing a business plan and budget.

7-Eleven has been recognized by veterans' organizations and publications for its military-friendly business opportunities, hiring practices and philanthropic support for military families. Military veterans serve in every level of the company from store sales associates to headquarters personnel. The retailer also has supported military assistance organizations including Hire Heroes USA, the USO, Reserve Aid, Warrior Gateway and Operation Mend.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. invented the convenience store industry and is the largest convenience retailer in the world. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and licenses more than 10,700 stores in the United States and Canada. Globally, nearly 60,000 7-Eleven stores, operating in 17 countries, serve over 44 million customers every day. For more information, visit www.7-Eleven.com.

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.

Contact:

Stephanie Shaw

Corporate Communications Director

7-Eleven, Inc.

media@7-11.com

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Pieology Opens First North Carolina Location

Popular Fast Casual Custom Pizza Officially Open in Raleigh

May 09, 2016 // Franchising.com // RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, California - Pieology Pizzeria, where pizza lovers go to create artisan-style custom pizzas in endless flavor combinations for one affordable price, is excited to announce the opening of its first North Carolina location in Raleigh. Located at the Stanhope Center, Pieology Raleigh is owned and operated by Segovia Aslan Enterprises, which has secured the franchise rights to open Pieology restaurants across the Southeastern United States. Pieology Raleigh provides a completely personalized dining experience giving guests the opportunity to create a unique, made-to-order pizza or salad using an unlimited selection of over 40 toppings.

Were thrilled to continue our expansion throughout the U.S. with our very first North Carolina location, now open in Raleigh, said Segovia Aslan Enterprises VP of Development, Joshua McBride. All of our locations are exceeding our expectations in their respective markets and truth be told, were excited to bring Pieologys exceptional guest experience to a brand new state.

The Pieology experience starts with fresh house-made dough that is pressed into 11.5-inch thin pizza crusts, which is typically larger than others in the custom pizza space. Guests select from eight signature sauces, moving down the line to choose from more than 40 fresh and flavorful meats, cheeses, vegetables, herbs and spices. The customized pizzas are then stone oven fired to perfection in less than three minutes. To finish, guests have the option to add after-bake Flavor Blast sauces, including fiery buffalo, pesto and BBQ, to really make it their own! Pieology also offers gluten-free crust, whole wheat crust and a selection of seven signature pizzas, which can be customized upon request.

Pieologys custom salads allow guests to create made-to-order salads by choosing from three fresh lettuce options of organic field greens, romaine hearts or spinach. Guests then select from any of Pieologys large variety of toppings, including sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans and candied walnuts, along with a choice of five dressings made in-house. Pieology also offers a signature Classic and Caesar salad, which can be personalized with additional ingredients upon request. The generous portioned salad and pizza are the perfect pairing for a shareable meal.

Pieology Raleigh features an industrial-chic and friendly environment where inspirational quotes decorate the walls, menus and employee uniforms. The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Pieology Pizzeria  Raleigh

3001 Hillsborough St.

Raleigh, NC 27607

(919) 839-6300

For more information about Pieology, locations and the complete menu, visit www.pieology.com.

About Pieology Pizzeria

Using only the freshest ingredients along with signature sauces and crusts, award-winning Pieology Pizzeria offers hand-crafted, artisan-style custom pizzas in unlimited flavor combinations that are stone oven fired in less than three minutes and always at one affordable price. The recently introduced custom salad program is available at select locations with plans to roll out chain wide by the end of 2016. Founded in 2011 by Carl Chang, Pieology was created from the simple idea to turn Americas most crave-able food into an affordable and interactive experience. The mission of Pieology Pizzeria is to inspire individual creativity in a positive atmosphere where guests can gather with family and friends, while enjoying their delicious pizza creations. Along with providing great food and a memorable dining experience, Pieology is committed to making a positive difference in the communities it serves, one pie at a time. In 2016, Pieology announced a strategic investment from Panda Restaurant Group (PRG), one of Americas largest and most successful family-owned restaurant companies operating more than 1,900 locations around the globe. While the brand steadily expands its U.S. footprint, this alliance provides Pieology with the access to PRG's unlimited resources including real estate, buying power and vendor relationships. For more information, visit www.pieology.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

SOURCE Pieology Pizzeria

Media Contact:

Chelsea McKinney

For Pieology Pizzeria

Powerhouse Public Relations, LLC

(949) 261-2216

chelsea@powrhousepr.com

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Property Management Business Solutions Named Franchisor of the Year by Think Realty Magazine

Leading Property Management Company Hopes to Add Approximately 40 New Offices this Year, Fuels Growth through Leadership and Technology Investments

May 09, 2016 // Franchising.com // SALT LAKE CITY  Property Management Business Solutions, LLC, the franchisor of Real Property Management, the nations leading full-service property management organization, has been named Franchisor of the Year by Think Realty Magazine. The news comes on the heels of a recent announcement that the organization promoted Lukas Krause to CEO and named John Gohde COO.

Think Realty acknowledged 20 companies and individuals in the real estate space who have demonstrated leadership through sound business practices, high ethical standards and dedication to moving the real estate investing segment forward. The award categories included lending, portfolio management, property management, franchising and investing.

It is an honor to be named among some of the industrys top companies in the real estate space, said Lukas Krause, CEO of Property Management Business Solutions, LLC. Earning the distinction of Franchisor of the Year reflects the support and dedication we offer to our franchisees. In the coming years, we plan to continue to elevate property management standards and expand in new and existing markets across the U.S.

Since January 2015, the Real Property Management franchise added 31 new offices. In the year ahead, the brand hopes to introduce approximately 40 new offices to the system and open three corporate offices, which would propel its footprint to reach over 300 offices nationwide. Recent momentum has been driven by investments in technology to improve operations, communications and customer service, as well as recent changes in leadership. Earlier this year, Lukas Krause was promoted to CEO and John Gohde was named COO. Gohde most recently served as Senior Vice President of Franchise Operations at BrightStar Care.

The Real Property Management franchise was recognized this year by Entrepreneur Magazine as no. 1 in the property management category, and a top franchise opportunity for veterans by Military Times, Franchise Times and Franchise Business Review. In 2015, HousingWire Magazine named Krause among some of the industrys rising stars under 40.

The recent growth and recognition we have experienced is a result of the continuous innovation we seek as a franchise system  our vision is to become the most respected property management organization in America, added Krause.

The Real Property Management brand is the leading property management franchise in the nation with more than 275 offices in 46 states. The company specializes in managing single-family homes, townhomes, condos, multiplexes and small apartment buildings. Its services include finding and screening tenants, completing the lease agreements, collecting rent, arranging for any necessary repairs, and processing evictions when necessary. Real Property Management offices also manage the legal compliance for local, state and federal real estate law.

About Real Property Management

Real Property Management is a franchise organization owned by Property Management Business Solutions, LLC, a privately held corporation based in Utah. With over 30 years of industry expertise, Real Property Management offices provide full-service residential property management for thousands of investors and rental home owners from more than 275 independently owned and operated locations throughout the United States and Canada. For more information about Real Property Management, property management services or franchising opportunities, visit http://www.realpropertymgt.com/ or www.propertymanagementfranchise.com/.

SOURCE Real Property Management

Media Contact:

Katherine Boncher

Fishman PR

847-945-1300

kboncher@fishmanpr.com

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Slim Chickens Continues Home State Expansion; Opens Thirteenth Arkansas Location

The Southern Fast-Casual Franchise Brings Slims Chickens to Fort Smith

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. (PRWEB) May 09, 2016 - Slim Chickens, a leader in the better chicken segment of fast-casual restaurants, will be expanding its fresh chicken and unrivaled flavor in its home state of Arkansas on May 9th. The corporate-owned restaurant, located at 7501 Phoenix Ave in Fort Smith, will be the first in the city. And, to pay homage to Fort Smiths history, Slim Chickens will be painting a mural of the famous Garrison Avenue Bridge on one of the restaurants interior walls.

Were so excited to bring the first Slim Chickens to Fort Smith and root ourselves in the community. Slim Chickens was born in Arkansas, and weve seen a consistent demand for new locations as more people fall in love with our brand, said Sam Rothschild, COO of Slim Chickens. Slim Chickens currently operates 12 restaurants in Arkansas, but we continue to see so much opportunity here in our home state, specifically in Fort Smith. 

The corporate team, which now operates 18 locations, is building upon its success and using these locations as a jumping off point to a larger corporate growth strategy throughout the country.

Were looking to continue opening corporate restaurants, along with franchised locations, throughout the country to carry on our expansion, said Rothschild. This brands offerings appeal to so many consumers, and were excited to continue spreading our fresh, southern flavor to fans in Fort Smith, the state of Arkansas and across the country.

Slim Chickens has seen great growth in the last several years, expanding from its home state of Arkansas into Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee and Illinois and emerging as a national player to establish fast-casual dinings better chicken segment.

Our top-of-the-line product offerings have propelled us into a league of our own, with no competitors doing quite what we are doing, said Rothschild. Our freshly made southern dishes and homemade recipes make loyal customers feel good about the food they are eating, and were really proud to be able to share the brand experience with a new community.

Focusing on fresh chicken, the brand has developed a niche in its sector of the restaurant industry for product quality that cant be found anywhere else. With fresh ingredients and minimal freezer space in every restaurant, Slim Chickens honors a commitment to homemade recipes and strong supplier partnerships, ensuring guests can feel good about the food they eat. The down-home Southern brand offers diners hand-breaded or grilled chicken tenders and wings paired with a choice of eight handmade dipping sauces or seven wing sauces for exceptional flavor that has earned admiration from both customers and critics. If guests want to switch it up, Slim Chickens also offers fresh salads, wraps and chicken and waffles. To offset the savory side of the menu, rotating desserts served in Mason jars are also available.

About Slim Chickens

Slim Chickens opened in 2003 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with a focus on culinary excellence in a fast-casual setting. Guests can always expect fresh chicken tenders and wings cooked to order and served with handmade dipping sauces made from scratch. With more than 30 locations today and a fanatical following in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, and Nebraska, the eternally cool brand is an emerging national franchise leading the better chicken segment and intends to grow nationwide to a footprint of 600 restaurants over the next decade. Southern hospitality is not just for the South; everyone, everywhere can appreciate honest food and socializing with friends and neighbors. To learn more about the brand, visit slimchickens.com.

SOURCE Slim Chickens

Contact:

Lauren Boukas

No Limit Agency

+1 (312) 526-3996

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St. Marys County Couple Bringing Specialty Pet Retailer to California

May 09, 2016 // Franchising.com // DENVER  Longtime St. Marys County residents and former owners of St. Marys Veterinary Hospital, Anne and Dr. Kirk Forrest, are looking to create a community for pet enthusiasts to come and be pet people in California. The couple is slated to open Wag N Wash Natural Food & Bakery in the San Souci Shopping Plaza at 22589 MacArthur Boulevard in June.

The new store will be the chains first location on the East Coast, which currently has nine units throughout Arizona, Colorado and Minnesota.

We couldnt be more excited about bringing Wag N Wash to Southern Maryland, said Anne Forrest. After getting to know the franchise owners and staff, we knew that Wag N Wash was the perfect fit for us. Their passion for animals, as well as their exceptional service, is the same philosophy we had while operating the veterinary hospital.

The Forrests are no strangers to the local pet community. Shortly after moving to St. Marys County in 1987, they took over St. Marys Veterinary Hospital and operated the business for 22 years before selling it to the Veterinary Centers of America in 2009.

After selling the practice, we were interested in getting back into business and wanted to stay close to the local pet community. We loved the idea of providing a unique and positive service to our community that people need and love, Anne added. Wag N Wash offers a tremendous opportunity of us to provide dogs, cats and even their humans with a unique experience unlike any other. Where else can you wash em, feed em, and spoil em all in one cool place?

Advertised as one cool place, Wag N Wash offers a community for pet enthusiasts to come, find quality goods and services for their pet companions, and simply be pet people. Among the stores offerings are various brands of all-natural pet foods for dogs and cats, high-end supplements, grooming and washing facilities, and cool toys. In addition, an in-house bakery, rare in the pet store market, offers unique treats such as Peanut Butter Pie, Beef & Turkey Loaf, Liver Bites & Brownies, and a variety of pies, cakes and muffins using human grade ingredients.

Expert nutritional staff is there to help customers make the best nutritional choices; and all the while, furry friends are mingling throughout the store.

Well be more than a pet store or grooming shop. Well be a team of pet lovers who are strongly dedicated to enhancing the lives of cats and dogs, as well as providing pet parents expert advice that will help them transition their pets to a healthier lifestyle, said Dr. Kirk.

The Forrests also have plans to host communal events such as local pet adoptions, dog and cat vaccinations, and pet wellness seminars. We want our store to also be a resource for pet parents wanting to transition their pets to a healthier lifestyle, Dr. Kirk added. We pride ourselves in being pet lovers who understand that they are also beloved family members. Our team will be dedicated to enhancing the lives of dogs and cats right here in California.

About Wag N Wash Natural Food & Bakery

Founded in 1999 and franchising since 2006, Wag N Wash Natural Food & Bakery is a full-line specialty retail destination for cats and dogs that has created a community for pet enthusiasts to come and be pet people. With a mission to recognize, promote, and foster the positive impact that companion pets and their humans have on each other, Wag N Wash provides the full experience  fresh dog treats baking in the oven, natural food, high-end supplements, full service grooming and self-wash facilities and cool toys. Today, there are nine Wag N Wash locations throughout Colorado, Arizona, and Minnesota. For more information, visit www.franchise.wagnwash.com.

SOURCE Wag N Wash Natural Food & Bakery

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Spotsylvania Career and Technical Centers Health Occupations Students of America is a club for students interested in medical or dental careers. Students from Mrs. Stanley's Dental I and Dental II classes, students from Mrs. Dixon's Medical Assistant I and II classes and Nursing classes, as well as Intro to Health and Medical Sciences students from Ms. Dawn D'Addio's classes, went to the State Leadership HOSA Conference in Williamsburg recently.

The students had the opportunity to attend workshops, participate as delegates, do some community service, network with other students from Virginia who are also interested in health and medical fields, and compete in various health care driven events to showcase their knowledge and skills.

The following students were winners of their specific competitive events: Caitlin Hull (RHS) won first place in Oral Pathology and fifth in Extemporaneous Writing. Abby Acors (MHS) won fourth place in Dental Sciences. Jessica Joslin (MHS) and Kim Brown (RHS) won fourth place in Medical Innovations and Elisha Mirabal (RHS) won fifth place in Healthy Lifestyles.

HOSA Attendees included the following participants: (top row from left to right) Mrs. Lori Stanley, Kourie Crismond (SHS), Caitlin Hull (RHS), Kim Brown (RHS), Ally Christman (CCHS), Elisha Mirabal (RHS), Jessica Joslin (MHS), Akirah Smith (RHS), Marshae Babbs CCHS), Mrs. Bonnie Dixon. Bottom row from left to right: Ms. Dawn DAddio, Ariel Romano (CHS), Emma Schramm (CCHS), Alexys Pyktel (SHS), Kayla Snellings (RHS), Jenna Hoffman (CHS), Abby Acors (MHS), Rehema Ndayishimiye (RHS), Chloe Miller (RHS). Not pictured Kaitlyn Deavers (SHS).
MEXICO CITY  Questions arose on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate convicted drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to a region that is one of his cartels strongholds, and a Mexican security official acknowledged Sunday that the sudden transfer was to a less-secure prison.

The official, who insisted on anonymity in talking about Guzman, said that in general the Cefereso No. 9 on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he was being held.

The official said, however, that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

But Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, wondered at the logic of sending Guzman to a lesser lockup in territory firmly controlled by his Sinaloa cartel underlings.

It just doesnt make any sense, Vigil said. He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape.

Officials have not said why they chose Cefereso No. 9 over the 19 other options in the federal penitentiary system for Guzmans surprise, pre-dawn transfer in a high-security operation Saturday.

Some Mexican media have speculated it was a prelude to imminent extradition to the U.S., where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions. But authorities denied that.

The security official said Guzman is still in the middle of the extradition process. The Foreign Relations Department has the final say, and Guzmans lawyers still have opportunities to appeal.

A lawyer for Guzman confirmed Saturday that his defense continues to fight the drug lord being sent to the U.S., and officials have said it could take up to a year to reach a final ruling.

Multiple analysts told The Associated Press that there was no sign of a link between the prison switch and extradition.

In the past, when theyre going to extradite people, they just put them on a plane and they just fly them into the United States, Vigil said. They dont pre-position people. ... He was not pre-positioned in Juarez to get kicked across the border.
The teacher crisis is real, and were not going to work our way out of it simply by making it easier to hire teachers.
Anyone can download the source code from GitHub (which is kind of like Twitter for sharing code), run genetic sequencing data for whatever outbreak they are following through the pipeline and build a web page showing a phylogenetic tree, or genetic history, in a few minutes, he said.

Real-time tracking of genetic mutations during disease outbreaks helps scientists discern what makes viruses so severe and inform public health efforts to contain them, whether setting up treatment and isolation units for Ebola or instituting mosquito control for Zika. The tool can be used to model something as small as a single hospital outbreak or as large as a global pandemic.

Bedford and Neher were among six teams of finalists chosen from 96 entries representing 450 innovators and 45 countries. The sponsors of the competition  The U.S. National Institutes of Health, the British-based charitable foundation Wellcome Trust and the U.S.-based Howard Hughes Medical Institute  announced the first-phase winners Monday at the 7th Health Datapalooza Conference in Washington D.C., which brings together companies, startups, academics and government agencies who believe in liberating health data to improve patient care.

Moonshot goals: Data sharing, collaboration

The goal is to stimulate collaboration  also a key directive of Vice President Joe Bidens National Cancer Moonshot Initiative  by encouraging the development of new tools and platforms that make data open and findable for use by other scientists.

Bedford and Neher, who heads a group at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tuebingen, Germany, met in early 2012 at a flu symposium and started working together on the predecessor to nextstrain in fall 2014. Nextstrain is based on Bedford and Nehers earlier code for analyzing and illustrating patterns of epidemic growth, geographic spread and adaptive evolution of the influenza virus.

Called nextflu, it is now used by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help determine which flu virus strain to include in each years flu vaccine. Influenza mutates rapidly, quickly outfoxing our immune response, which is why we need a flu shot every year instead of one, lifelong vaccination. The goal of the nextflu project is to make sure the vaccine closely matches circulating strains.

While the two scientists will continue working to improve and update nextflu, they wanted to expand the concept to work for other viruses.

"I'm imagining at some point, nextstrain will have all the viruses on it, basically," Bedford said.

Open science

The operative words to describe both nextflu and nextstrain are real time. Scientists have long analyzed and illustrated patterns of epidemic growth, spread and evolution retrospectively. Bedford and Neher are doing it in real time and predictively, a feat made possible by the increasing availability of genomic data  and the willingness of researchers to share that data.

Bedford is quick to point out that the basics of building a phylogenetic tree from sequence data is not that difficult to do (at least for a computational biologist). But by making the coding modular and openly shared, no one has to start from scratch.

There are huge efficiencies to be gained by not having to do the same thing over again, Bedford said. And generally, youll get more out of it if you have more people looking at it.

In a sense, the two scientists recognition in the Open Science competition is a salute toward two types of openness  their willingness to share their coding and the tools dependence on other scientists sharing data on genomic sequences.

In a world of competition to publish in prestigious journals and stake claims to discoveries, the open science movement  the belief that data and methods should be open and shared is not embraced by every scientist. But evolutionary and computational biologists like Bedford and Neher are in the movements vanguard. Its a matter of culture, Bedford believes. One goad is that their fields are the ones most concerned with outbreaks, where waiting to publish can have deadly consequences.

There is a movement away from only sharing at publication to releasing data and manuscripts early, before publication, so it can be commented upon and evolve before its actually published, he said. It is moving away from publication as the only means of scholarly communication.

Bedford believes that efforts such as the vice presidents to promote data-sharing and collaboration help the cause.

Culture is not evenly distributed, so different fields are going to behave differently, he said. But there is definitely a movement toward being more open.

Whats next

For Phase II, the six winning Phase I teams will submit their prototypes, a brief progress report and a case for the award. As befits an open science competition, the proposals will be put to a public vote. The three that rank highest will be reviewed by expert advisers and picked by a panel of judges based on actual benefit and future impact, degree of innovation and level of demand and utility. The winner of the top prize of $230,000, will be announced in late February or early March 2017.

In the meantime, each team of finalists receives $80,000, funding that Bedford and Neher  who now do all of the coding for nextflu and nextstrain themselves  intend to put toward hiring a programmer.

But most of all, this prestigious new prize honoring open science will help further a cause that Bedford and Neher believe in deeply.

Its nice to have the recognition for what Ive been trying to push for a while  this open science, Bedford said. The best part is the outreach and having promotion for what were doing.
TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org Releases the 2016-2017 Top Medical Assisting Schools Rankings

TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org released the 2016-2017 edition of the Top Medical Assisting Schools to help students compare the academic quality of U.S. based schools.

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The TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org rankings focus on academic excellence and cost, with schools ranked on four measures of cost and quality. The rankings emphasize outcomes with graduation and retention rates carrying half the weight in the methodology. The top schools all have low costs, high six-year retention rates, and strong freshman retention rates.

"Taking into account retention and graduation rates shows how well a school supports its students from freshman to senior year," said Janeen Phillips, editor at TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org. "With the amount of loans and increase in debt for students, cost is an important factor to this generation of medical assistants. The process of finding the right program can be overwhelming, but our rankings and reviews are a great place to start."

The Top 30 Medical Assistant Programs delivers independent rankings of the best options available for aspiring Medical Assistants. The annual list offers the best of the best in the world of medical assisting programs in the Health Sciences discipline. The independent research is gathered from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Data points were given an assigned score. Schools are ranked based on weighted score averages.

At the top of the list is Century College's medical assistant program. Offering a diploma to graduates, the program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org). The program features day and online classes during the Fall term and day, evening, and online classes during the Spring term. Graduates are required to complete 51 credit hours and 300 hours of clinical externship and are then eligible to take the Certification Exam of the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA).

Top 30 Medical Assisting Schools 2016-2017

1.Century College

2.Mitchell Technical Institute

3.Renton Technical College

4.Brigham Young University Idaho

5.YTI Career Institute

6.Ohio Business College

7.Alpena Community College

8.Nebraska Methodist College

9.Robert Morris University

10.Carrington College

11.Central Community College

12.Concordia University

13.Davenport University

14.North Iowa Area Community College

15.Highland Community College

16.Western Technical College

17.Spencerian College

18.Everett Community College

19.Mercy College of Health Sciences

20.Fox Valley Technical College

21.Illinois Central College

22.Forrest College

23.Lone Star College

24.Mount Aloysius College

25.Pittsburgh Technical Institute

26.Eastern Idaho Technical College

27.El Paso Community College

28.Southeast Community College

29.Southeastern Community College

30.Chippewa Valley Technical College

"TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org seeks to provide information for aspiring and current medical assistants. From tips to program rankings and information, Top Medical Assistant Programs offers comprehensive guides for today's medical assistants including the latest report - The Top 30 Medical Assistant Programs for 2016-2017." Janeen Phillips - Top Medical Assistant Programs

About TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org: TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org is dedicated to delivering current information, resources, and ratings for aspiring and current Medical Assistants. Offering a wealth of information, TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org promises education institution rankings, accreditations, certification, as well as career and salary tips and the annual Top Medical Assistant Schools Rankings. For more information, please visit http://topmedicalassistantprograms.org/ or contact jphillips@medicalassistantonlineprograms.org.

For more information about us, please visit http://topmedicalassistantprograms.org/

Contact Info:

Name: Janeen Phillips

Email: jphillips@medicalassistantonlineprograms.org

Organization: TopMedicalAssistantPrograms.org

Phone: (707) 595-0736

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/topmedicalassistantprograms-org-releases-the-2016-2017-top-medical-assisting-schools-rankings/114058

Release ID: 114058

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Bull Dog Sod Introduces Free Quote Website Feature

Homeowners can now get a free quote from the company without having to pick up the phone, reports http://www.bulldogsod.com.

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Bull Dog Sod, a premier provider of bluegrass sod lawns in Layton, Utah and the surrounding areas, has announced the introduction of a new free quote feature to the company's website. The feature eliminates the hassle that often comes with understanding sod prices utah and budgeting for the purchase of a sod lawn. It is Bull Dog Sod's aim to make it much easier for homeowners to know exactly how much they'll pay for the material. Homeowners can take advantage of this new feature by visiting the company's website and filling out their short inquiry form.

Daren, a representative of Bull Dog Sod, stated "Having a sod lawn brings so many benefits to homeowners. Not only does sod help to reduce pollution in the environment by producing oxygen, filtering and recharging groundwater, and decomposing pollutants, but it also helps to control soil erosion and provides a safe and comfortable setting for outdoor spaces. Many homeowners want to take advantage of these benefits but aren't quite sure what to expect in regards to price. The new free quote feature on our website makes the process of getting an accurate quote so much easier, which in turn allows families to better budget for their new lawn."

While sod prices utah can vary, the free quote feature at www.bulldogsod.com allows homeowners to get a solid idea of how much it will cost them to purchase enough sod to cover their entire outdoor lawn space. In order to help homeowners get the most accurate quote possible, the company has dedicated an entire page of their website to giving measuring tips for lawns of different shapes. Whether a homeowner has a rectangular, triangular, or circular lawn, these tips will help them ensure that they are giving the correct measurements on the quote form.

As Daren goes on to say, "For the team here at Bull Dog Sod, it is our belief that reaping the benefits of a sod lawn shouldn't be a difficult process for anyone. We've introduced this free quote tool as a way to provide top-notch customer service to homeowners who wish to take advantage of our high-quality bluegrass variety sod without the hassle that sometimes comes along with doing so."

About Bull Dog Sod:

Bull Dog Sod is a provider of high-quality bluegrass variety sod lawns for homeowners in Layton, Utah and the surrounding areas.

For more information about us, please visit http://www.bulldogsod.com

Contact Info:

Name: Daren

Organization: Bull Dog Sod

Phone: (801) 525-1751

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/bull-dog-sod-introduces-free-quote-website-feature/114041

Release ID: 114041

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Janus Capital International has launched an absolute return global bond fund, run by the team acquired when it bought fixed income specialist Kapstream last year.

The Absolute Return Income fund will be run by Kumar Palghat, supported by Janus global macro fixed income team.

Mr Palghat joined Janus in December 2015 when his firm, Kapstream Capital a $7.2bn (5bn) Australian fixed income house founded by the manager, was bought by Janus. Previously, he was head of portfolio management for the Asia Pacific region at Pimco.

The new fund will aim to achieve a positive absolute return with a low correlation to equities and other conventional strategies. The funds ongoing charges figure has not been disclosed.

Janus said the fund will have core holdings in investment grade sovereign, corporate and securitised bonds, alongside some structural opportunities.

The product will complement the Global Unconstrained Bond fund managed by Bill Gross, being the second vehicle to be run by the firms global macro fixed income team, the firm added.

Mr Palghat said: [The fund] aims to avoid the limitations of a duration-weighted benchmark and narrow investment guidelines, instead seeking investments from across global fixed income markets.
Invesco Perpetual has hired a fourth fund manager from Standard Life Investments to join its multi-asset team, ahead of a planned multi-asset income launch.

Sebastian Mackay, an investment director at SLI within its multi-asset team, will join Invesco in September this year as part of the multi-asset team running the Global Targeted Returns fund.

Invesco launched the fund in 2013 after poaching head of multi-asset David Millar and fund managers Dave Jubb and Richard Batty from SLIs Gars team.

Mr Mackay becomes the 11th member of Invescos multi-asset team as the company gears up to launch an income version of its 5.7bn strategy.

Of Mr Mackay, Mr Millar said: His strong macro background from time as an economist on the bond team with me at Swip, combined with the extensive fund management expertise he gained both there and at SLI, makes him the ideal candidate to take forward our offering into the multi asset targeted income space.

Chris Lyes, head of UK retail sales at Invesco, added : With Sebastian joining our multi asset team, this allows us the opportunity to further develop our product offering.

There is strong need for an income type product and it would be a natural progression for Invesco Perpetual.

At SLI, Mr Mackay worked on the Global Absolute Return Bond Strategies fund - the companys bond-focused version of its flagship portfolio - and also on Gars itself.

Prior to joining the firm in 2011, he worked at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (Swip) alongside Mr Millar.
Nationwides move to increase its maximum age for mortgage maturity could see rivals follow their lead, according to several equity release experts.

Earlier today (9 May), the building society announced its decision to increase the age limit for mortgages from 75 to 85, giving it the highest age threshold of any high street lender.

Andrea Rozario, chief corporate officer at Bower Retirement Services, said following Nationwides move it was very likely high street banks would in the building societys wake.

Ms Rozario suggested mainstream lenders are beginning to recognise the mortgage needs of older people, but said affordability will be the battleground.

My concern would be with borrowers understanding of how future changes could still have an impact on their ability to afford a mortgage at that age, i.e. increasing costs of care.

Niche lenders have already begun to act.

At the start of April, the Mansfield Building Society increased the maximum age on its two-year discounted rate by five years from 80 to 85. The Dudley Building Society completely removing upper age restrictions in January and Ipswich Building Society last year made products available to those in retirement and borrowers up to 85 years old at the time of their mortgage term ending.

Mike Taylor, the Mansfields product and marketing manager, said at the time: We are clear we can extend the maximum age whilst being a responsible lender, because each case is individually assessed by an underwriter based on the applicants personal circumstances.

In November, a report from the Building Societies Association committed the sector to reviewing maximum age policies, as more people expect to be paying off their mortgage into retirement.

Halifax research found a third of 18 to 45-year-olds expect to work beyond retirement age to pay off their mortgage, while more than half were concerned paying their mortgage will hamper their ability to save for retirement.

Alice Watson, product manager at Retirement Advantage Equity Release, said Nationwides decision is evidence of the demographic shift in the UK.

The demand for products among people in their seventies and eighties is proven by the continued rise in popularity of equity release. It will be interesting to see if any more providers react to Nationwides move and increase the upper age limit on their products.

However Total Mortgage Network adviser Danny Matthews raised concerns about current lenders who are currently happy to lend to age 70 with no proof of retirement income.

Unless they strengthen their lending into retirement policy, age limit increases are pointless, he said.

However, I do think it is a great opportunity to help interest-only legacy customers to switch to repayment and make it affordable for them to pay off their mortgage.

Advisers need to continue to be confident of a repayment method for those who retire at state age and to assess whether a downsizing or sale of property is realistic for them before the end of the term, if it runs past it, added Mr Matthews.
If you were a Martian coming to Earth for the first time, you might read the investment press and social media and assume actively managed funds are a persecuted minority.

Certainly 2015 was a good year for passive vehicles. Around 40 per cent of the 315bn of net inflows went into index products and exchange-traded funds in Europe last year. But the average for passive flows into the region since 2004 has varied from year to year and only averages 10 per cent.

The cost-disclosure and closet-tracking scandals that burden the active industry are overstated. Research published by Thomson Reuters Lipper found just 2 per cent of funds in popular Investment Association (IA) classifications have lower rolling tracking errors for 2015 than similarly classified index products.

The decision to invest in active or passive vehicles is purely philosophical. If you believe markets are fully efficient, passive is for you. If you believe markets are inefficient, then an active manager will give you the chance to generate excess market returns. Contrary to the well-known disclaimer, past performance is the only indicator of future performance we have

This trade-off can be considerable. In the IA UK All Companies sector for the year ended December 31 2015, the three-year opportunity cost of investing in the best-performing, broad-based tracker fund instead of the best active product was a huge 64 per cent, while in the IA Europe ex UK sector over the same period it was at 46 per cent.

While these excess returns are material, they provide only a snapshot rather than evidence of consistency. Contrary to the well-known disclaimer, past performance is the only indicator of future performance we have, and consistent active fund outperformers can be discovered.

Using a risk-adjusted return metric  such as the 12-month Jensens alpha rolling monthly over five years  can reveal a multitude of opportunities.

By looking at all funds in the IA sectors for the first four months of the year, we can use the average of these rolling monthly observations to identify which products are consistently beating their benchmarks.

In the IA UK All Companies sector there are 235 vehicles with the requisite performance history and a specified benchmark. Some 74 per cent of these funds have an average rolling Jensens alpha greater than zero, meaning they are outperforming the market on a risk-adjusted basis. The average for the sector is 0.20.

In the IA Europe ex UK sector, 80 per cent of the eligible funds are outperforming, with the overall average for the group at 0.16. However, the highly efficient US market appears to pose some problems. Just 15 per cent of the eligible funds have a positive Jensens alpha, and the sector average is -0.13.

There is clearly evidence that active funds  and in some sectors a considerable majority of them  are able to consistently beat their indices. Some sectors fare better than others. The UK Smaller Companies sector, with a 0.61 average, is ranked highest. At the other end the IA Global, Specialist, Targeted Absolute Return and North America sectors are all negative.
It was widely expected that chancellor George Osborne would announce further changes to pensions but, much to the relief of many in the industry, there was no major shake-up this time round.

Pension freedoms continue to have an impact, however. Vince Smith-Hughes, retirement expert at Prudential, says: The legislations importance cannot be overestimated, with the government describing the pension freedoms as the most exciting change to our pensions system for a century.

Concerns that, faced with the prospect of being able to draw down money tax free from their pension pot on retirement, many retirees would run to their nearest Lamborghini forecourt have been unfounded.

Mr Smith-Hughes reveals: Our research suggests the changes have boosted confidence  more than one in three, 34 per cent, of people retiring this year are more confident about their retirement. Providers always welcome legislation that encourages people to engage more in retirement planning.

This years Budget was marked by the unveiling of the Lifetime Isa, or the Lisa as it has been dubbed, prompting many to observe this is the first step towards a Pensions Isa.

Research from the BlackRock Investor Pulse survey released at the end of March shows Britons rely heavily on Isas to fund their retirement, quoting 36 per cent of Isa holders intending to do just that.

Tony Stenning, head of retirement for Europe at BlackRock, observes of the Lifetime Isa: Incentivising people upfront to save for a prolonged period of time  45 years for a pension  is a good thing.

In the US, theres still a thriving annuity market because theyre used as a planning tool rather than a landing point. Tony Stenning, BlackRock

He applauds the idea behind the reforms but admits when people are asked what they want to achieve from their lifetime income in daily retirement, they identify certainty and being able to meet living costs.

In fact, they describe an annuity, he points out. The challenge with an annuity is less flexibility. Lots of schemes are working at giving people the flexibility to be able to land at different places or, indeed, combinations of places.

Instead of landing at an annuity, could you land at an annuity to cover your non-discretionary spend? Could you land for a bit in cash and stay invested in the remainder?

Mr Stenning emphasises there will still be a place for annuities, citing the US as an example: In the US, theres still a thriving annuity market because theyre used as a planning tool rather than a landing point.

Unfortunately, the onus on savers to decide how to fund their retirement coincides with a low-yielding environment. The asset management industry has pushed multi-asset and multi-asset income funds as solutions for those trying to build sustainable pension pots.

Following the latest Investment Association figures for March 2016, Guy Sears, interim chief executive of the IA, says: It is a sign of the times that, with changing pension regulation and uncertainty in the global economic outlook, multi-asset and absolute return products have been popular with retail investors.

These sectors have grown in recent years as our members have reviewed existing products and introduced new funds to meet investors changing needs.

But Mr Smith-Hughes warns there is still confusion about retirement income options. He calls on the industry and government to collectively ensure people are provided with clear, concise information that they can access easily in order to learn more about the changes and the options open to them.

Ellie Duncan is deputy features editor at Investment Adviser
Whistleblowing reports to The Pensions Regulator increased by almost a third over the last year, while enforcement actions more than quadrupled, as small and medium-sized enterprises struggled to meet auto-enrolment requirements.

The regulator received 2,545 tip-offs about rules breaches in the 2015/16 tax year, up 29 per cent on the previous year, according to figures obtained by law firm Clyde & Co.

Non-compliant employers may be liable to fines as high as 10,000 a day, the law firm warned.

Auto-enrolment requirements came into force in 2012 for companies with more than 120,000 employees. Since then, the requirements have gradually extended to smaller employers, in a staging process due to be completed by February 2018.

Clyde & Co. head of pensions Mark Howard said non-compliance issues are likely to get worse over the next two years with the volume of employers who must auto-enrol their employees, warning very small employers without large management teams will find compliance particularly challenging.

SMEs yet to face their enrolment deadlines are not going to have the support of HR departments to help them deal with the administrative headache of enrolling their employees into a pension scheme, he said.

The regulator has put out a lot of guidance aimed at SMEs, but even so, its not surprising we are seeing the number of whistleblowing and enforcement actions increase as the number of employers subject to auto-enrolment grows substantially.

Employers were warned in April that if 28-day escalating penalty notices were ignored, they were at risk of being fined 50 a day by the Pension Regulator for businesses with one to four staff, or 500 a day for those with five to 49 employees.

Failing employers have already been hit with a record number of fines during the first quarter, with 96 escalating penalty notices, bringing the total to 127. One unnamed firm was fined 10,000 for failing to meet its auto-enrolment deadline, even though it had engaged a financial adviser.

Nigel Sycamore, director at auto-enrolment specialist adviser Clear Workplace, said many smaller businesses have not yet accepted the new requirements. We still find at the smaller business end there are some employers who cant believe that this applies to them as it does to the likes of Virgin and Marks & Spencer.

He said in smaller businesses where management is stretched, auto-enrolment often falls between the cracks. However, he said the regulator had got the balance between carrot and stick about right.

The Pensions Regulator will do everything it can to help people comply. But in the end this is about peoples right to a pension, so if businesses refuse to comply, they need to be fined.
Frank Field, chairman of the work and pensions select committee, has written to chancellor George Osborne requesting that new pension legislation be brought forward in the upcoming session of parliament.

According to his letter, evidence gathered suggests gaps in regulation which have allowed potentially unstable master trusts onto the market could put the retirement savings of many thousands of people at risk.

This afternoon, the Work and Pensions Select Committee and Business, Innovation and Skills Committee will hold a joint evidence session on the BHS pension fund.

The Pensions Regulator is looking at whether the owner of British Home Stores will have to plug holes in the collapsed retail chains pension fund.

On 25 April the group officially went into administration, after 88 years of business, putting 11,000 jobs at risk.

The committees inquiry into the Pension Protection Fund and pensions regulation, which is using BHS as a case study, is also encountering concerns over the range and effectiveness of powers available to both the regulator and fund trustees with regards to occupational pension funds, Mr Field said.

Mr Field added pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann said in March she had been pressing colleagues in government for a pensions bill.

He said the Department for Work & Pensions confirmed it has undertaken the necessary preparations for legislation and questioned whether a Pensions Bill should be included in the forthcoming Queens Speech.

ruth.gillbe@ft.com
HM Revenue & Customs sent out 1,468 demands for client information to businesses including financial advisers last year, with a law firm warning the taxmans clampdown on suspected criminal activity will see that number increase.

Using the most recently available data, London-based law firm RPC found the number of so-called production orders issued by the tax office to financial services businesses dropped by 24 cases in the 2014 to 2015 tax year compared to the previous year.

However, given the pressure on HMRC to increase the number of criminal prosecutions for tax fraud, partner at RPC Adam Craggs said the number of orders received by professional service firms, including tax advisers, accountants and lawyers, is likely to increase.

Financial year Number Of Production Orders Issued 2011-12 1671 2012-13 1492 2013-14 1502 2014-15 1468

Source: RPC

The orders, which form part of investigations into tax evasion and money laundering, insist firms provide information and documents within a relatively short period of time.

Firms which fail to meet demands can face criminal liability.

Mr Craggs said this process can be extremely disruptive, especially for smaller firms, and can place professionals, such as accountants, in a difficult position because HMRCs demands fail to take into account client confidentiality.

This means a firm which provides more information than is required might put themselves at risk of a legal claim from their client.

Mr Craggs said: Deciding what is and what is not covered by a demand is not always easy and the potential cost of making a mistake is very high.

It can be very difficult to strike the right balance between providing HMRC with sufficient information and documentation to comply with the production order, and not compromising client confidentiality by providing more information than is necessary.

The RPC partner also pointed out most tax advisers and accountants will not be familiar with the orders and may be unsure of their obligations and what they should do if one lands on their desk.

For example, lawyers and accountants must not tell their clients about a HMRC investigation or it could have serious consequences.

According to RPC, the tax office has issued more than 8,000 production orders over the last five years.

John Stirling, director of Saffron Walden-based financial adviser Walden Capital, said: If a few fraudsters hide a lot of money from the tax man then it falls upon the rest of us to make up the shortfall.

The production order is one of the more powerful tools in HMRCs arsenal - giving them the power to get information that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Though I am generally a libertarian and believe in the right of the individual, there is court oversight in the granting of these orders, and 1,500 a year doesnt seem to be excessive when compared to the scale of tax evasion being tackled.

Mr Stirling said in general terms the orders do not affect many regulated financial advisers.

He said: The types of tax planning most of us indulge in is painfully vanilla, so while undoubtedly some of those orders find their way onto advisers desks, I doubt there are many panicking clients as a result.
Exports of ovine embryos and semen to New Zealand and the USA have been given the go-ahead, potentially opening up a market worth millions of pounds to the UK sheep sector.

Trade with these two countries had been banned since the mid-1990s due to fears surrounding scrapie in sheep and BSE in cattle.

But, following detailed work by the UK Export Certification Partnership, licences for shipping genetic material to these markets are now available.

The resumption of trade will benefit a small but significant segment of the industry  namely breeders and breeding companies, said National Sheep Association chief executive Phil Stocker.

It may also help with discussions that are ongoing to open the US market to sheepmeat and meat products. That would provide millions of pounds worth of trade.

See also: Show ring holds back genetic improvements in sheep

Mr Stocker said there was a ready market for British sheep genetics in the USA. For some time, breeders there have been wanting to access our genetic material as they are desperate for new blood lines. They are impressed by the quality of our stock.

Currently, most UK sheep semen and embryo exports are destined for EU outlets, such as France, Spain and Germany, though export licences are available to more than 60 countries around the world.

Henry Lewis of Export Certification described the agreements with the USA and New Zealand as hugely encouraging.

It reflects well on the UKs reputation for having a strong health status, but also recognises the potential such a depth and range of breeds here in the UK could offer. The UK has had its disease challenges in the past and the new export health certificates we have obtained are symbolic as a step forward.
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Story Highlights 63% say they likely would find a new job just as good

Back to pre-recession levels after tumbling to 42% in 2010

15% say they are likely to lose their job in next year

PRINCETON, N.J. -- After plummeting in 2010, Americans' confidence that they would find a job as good as their current one if they happened to be laid off has been restored. Currently, 63% believe it is very or somewhat likely that they would find a job as good as the one they have, up from 42% six years ago. The current figure is similar to what Gallup measured in early 2007, before the recession.

When Gallup last asked this question, in April 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment rate was 9.9%. This April, it is 5.0%.

Those positive employment trends are likely one factor in Americans' greater confidence in finding comparable work if they were to lose their job. Whether their confidence is warranted is unclear, though, partly because the job growth in recent years has come disproportionately among lower-paying and part-time jobs.

The unemployment rates were similar to the current level -- slightly below 5% -- when Gallup asked the question in 2001, 2006 and 2007. In the 16-year history of the trend, the 2010 measurement is the only one in which the employment situation was dramatically different from the other years.

Upper-Income Workers' Assessments of Prospects Have Brightened Considerably

Six years ago, workers residing in upper-income households and those residing in middle- and lower-income households evaluated their job opportunities similarly, with 41% of each group saying it was likely that they would find a job similar to their current one. Now, upper-income workers (70%) are significantly more likely than middle- and lower-income workers (58%) to believe they could find a job just as good as their current one if they were laid off. This could indicate that the jobs recovery has not been equal among income groups, particularly for middle-income workers.

Workers of differing education levels, ages and genders show similar gains since 2010.

Changes in Perceived Likelihood of Being Able to Find a Job Just as Good as the Current One if Laid Off, by Subgroup Based on adults employed full or part time 2010 % 2016 % Change pct. pts. Age 18 to 34 years 52 73 +21 35 to 54 years 40 60 +20 55+ years 30 51 +21 Education College graduate 48 69 +21 College nongraduate 38 59 +21 Annual Household Income Less than $75,000 41 58 +17 $75,000 or more 41 70 +29 Gender Male 42 63 +21 Female 41 62 +21 Gallup

Younger workers are much more likely than older workers to believe they would find a job just as good as the one they have if they were forced to find one. Currently, 73% of 18- to 34-year-old workers are optimistic about finding such a job, compared with 51% of workers aged 55 and older. Those age differences are typical of what Gallup has found previously and may reflect that younger workers have a wider range of opportunities, given that they are less likely to be established in a particular career or industry than older workers. Partly because of that, employers may prefer younger workers because they would tend to make less money than older workers.

College graduates (69%) are more optimistic than those without a college degree (59%) about finding a suitable new job if needed, as is typically the case.

Working men and working women are equally likely to believe they could find a job just as good as their current one.

Workers See Little Chance of Losing Their Job

Since 1975, Gallup has routinely asked U.S. workers to assess the likelihood that they will lose their job. The vast majority of workers have always viewed being laid off as a remote possibility. Today, just 15% say it is very or somewhat likely that they will be laid off in the next 12 months. That remains down from the high point of 21% in 2010, and essentially matches the historical average of 14%.

Typically, workers' concerns about being laid off are similar by gender and age, but differ by socioeconomic status. Since 2001, an average of 17% of workers without a college degree have said it was likely that they would be laid off in the next 12 months, compared with 10% of workers with a degree. And 18% of workers in lower- and middle-income households worry about being laid off, compared with 9% of upper-income workers.

Implications

The Great Recession and its aftermath produced a period of heightened financial anxiety for many Americans. Amid unemployment rates near double digits, a record-high percentage of U.S. workers worried about being laid off, and workers' confidence in being able to find another decent job if that happened tumbled by 22 percentage points.

By June 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that the U.S. had recovered all the jobs lost in the recession. Americans are just as optimistic now as before the recession that they would find similar employment if they lost their job. At the same time, the jobs recovery has been uneven -- stronger in some industries than others, and showing much more limited growth in middle-income jobs than in lower-paying jobs.

Americans' increasing optimism about their job prospects has been reflected in the growing number of employees quitting their job voluntarily, in most cases presumably because they have found another job. Whether that trend continues -- especially in light of the BLS report showing that April job growth did not meet expectations -- may depend on whether the U.S. economy can grow at a stronger pace than it did in the first quarter of 2016.

Historical data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 6-10, 2016, with a random sample of 525 adults, aged 18 and older, employed full or part time and living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of employed adults, the margin of sampling error is 5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting.

Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 60% cellphone respondents and 40% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.

View survey methodology, complete question responses and trends.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
Whats the difference between writing a story and composing the score for a video game? The answer, according to Petri Alanko - the soundsmith behind Alan Wake and more recently Quantum Break - is simple; there isn't one.

For Alanko, a great score should serve as a musical bridge between a player, the characters, and the world they inhabit. In the case of Quantum Break, thats a world of time-hopping action, morally grey characters, and tough choices.

A musical mixer

It was only natural, then for Alanko to kick off the scoring process by picking the brains of Remedy staffers, asking them an "annoying" amount of questions before finally moving onto what he describes as the "raw material phase" of composition.

At that point, he set about recording, sampling, cutting and manipulating instruments in "questionable ways" and quickly amassed a library of rough-around-the-edges material. Yet, as he continued to experiment he became dissatisfied with the restrictive nature of certain tools, and took it upon himself to find, and even create, more flexible solutions.

Alanko worked with Native Instrument's graphical modular music studio Reaktor. "Somehow most of those ready-built, downloadable Reaktor ensembles are always very poorly interfaced, so that led to the decision to create a set of my own, he says. "When I started collating sounds into drumsets, sample sets, and tonal instruments, I began to notice that I actually preferred some of the sounds I'd recorded in my own way."

"Around then I started earmarking some ideas, just in case, but I didnt write any melodies or harmonies down until a couple of weeks had passed: if the idea survived, it would be worth writing down."

Any ideas that did survive had to resonate with players emotionally. Games arent linear in the way movies are, he says, which means the music has to encourage participation, and remind anyone with a controller in their hand why they picked it up in the first place.

"I avoided overly aggressive cues and music pieces, instead opting for more meandering and sublime movements."

Emotional, though, isnt necessarily synonymous with powerful, and despite Quantum Breaks action-packed trappings, Alanko wanted to tap into the humanistic undercurrent that keeps players invested once the shooting's stopped.

More than a feeling

"I avoided overly aggressive cues and music pieces, instead opting for more meandering and sublime movements to support the [emotional] impact, he explains.

"The action and the sound effects were already there, so I didnt feel the need to push those forward - and the action feels more real if theres sound effect feedback."

He says his approach to creating a score thats both moving and technically fit-for-purpose and isnt too dissimilar from creating a culinary masterpiece.

Just as the great chefs must have an understanding of how flavors work together and compliment each other, composers must learn to master and understand the subtleties of their craft. Do that, he says, and youll create something special.

Making a believable impact from slightly unbelievable starting points requires careful work and sparing use of emotional moments," continues Alanko. "If you eat something overly bitter, sour, sweet or salty, you get tired of it quickly, but if you deliver the goods little by little, the longevity and sense of immersion will increase."

As hard as it can be at times, its also prudent to know when to stop. The phrase kill your darlings is often bandied about in the world of game development, and Alanko is no stranger to the notion of knowing when to reign yourself in.

"With longer projects, it's incredibly easy to lose control and get lost in the swamps of 'music for the dolphins.' "

"With longer projects," he says "it's incredibly easy to lose control and get lost in the swamps of 'music for the dolphins,' and to start making changes to a cue that nobody will ever hear.

"One has to be able to use the analytic side in co-operation with the creative side."

Cause and effects

Alanko was keen to incorporate some of Remedy's homegrown sound effects. The time powers are, after all, what makes Quantum Break tick, and after seeing and hearing them for the very first time, Alanko knew he had to make use of them somehow.

"I still remember the one Friday afternoon, when the environment waving effect was shown for the first time," recalls the composer. "It was sound-driven and struck me with its natural waving effect. I wanted to duplicate that in a slightly slower form, which is why sometimes the roaring basses seem to fluctuate a lot."

Hearing the finished product, a collection of Alanko's work laid out in the form of a 15 track, 49 minute long album, it's easy to think that's all a composer needs to do - create a prerequisite number of songs, and then walk away.

The realities of scoring a game, however, couldn't be more different. You have to take into account player actions, and subsequent in-game reactions, serving up differing cues for multiple eventualities. In many ways, it's like trying to pre-empt the butterfly effect.

Since the audio playback was dealt with using WWise, and the audio integrator was taking care of the setup, my job was relatively straightforward: just provide enough stems to fill their needs," explains Alanko.

"It sounds simple now, but since each of the cues had to fit in with some other pieces, and they needed to be exchangeable.

"Since the changes in audio must happen instantaneously, the delay between the on-screen action and the reaction had to be very short, which after a brief consideration, was solved with a set of really short transformation fill-ins and outros."
Pokemon fans and players are in for a treat. Pokemon Company and Nintendo is set to make a big announcement tomorrow about the pending release of "Pokemon Sun and Moon." As expected, fans all over the world are expecting to hear news and confirmation beyond Pokemon names, release dates and logos.

"Pokemon Sun and Moon" producer Junichi Masuda announced the big reveal will be on May 10, VG 24/7 reported. However, there are no word whether the announcement will come in live from Nintendo or through a simple press release. "Pokemon Sun and Moon" is set for a Christmas release on Nintendo 3DS featuring a special Pokemon Bank to source out Pokemon from previous Pokemon installments such as Pokemon Red, Pokemon Blue and Pokemon Yellow.

Headlines and Global News also reported that the "Pokemon Sun and Moon" will also feature an iconic Pokemon group of three, following the pattern of previous Pokemon sagas. Based on the publicly listed trademark written in Japanese, dedicated fans translated the possible third name of the "Pokemon Sun and Moon" own iconic trio. Keeping up with the theme, an eclipse called Marshadow could be the third name of the Pokemon as it fits right in the ranks of the Pokemon Sun's Solgaleo and Pokemon Moon's Lunaala.

Avid Pokemon gamers are keenly anticipating the official May 10 announcement and the impending CoroCoro for May to confirm and figure out the role of Marshadow in the "Pokemon Sun and Moon" story. Fans are focusing on the patterns and pointed out that Marshadow could be a neutralizer or provide an alternative world above and beyond "Pokemon Sun and Moon".

Based on TechnoBuffalo, the Pokemon company might release more than a sneak peek of "Pokemon Sun and Moon" through descriptions, trailers and screenshots to excite the fans. However, this air of mystery continually maintains the "Pokemon Sun and Moon" hype and the Pokemon company is wise to utilize it in the best way possible.
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia was among the right people enshrined on the memorial wall on Saturday, Oct. 21.
An odd thing happened a couple of weeks ago at a meeting of the Corvallis School District Board of Trustees.

The trustees had gathered to discuss the traits they thought would be most valuable in the districts interim superintendent. (The board must find a new superintendent because Erin Prince has announced her resignation to accept a job with the Chalkboard Project, the Oregon education think tank. Because of the timing of Princes resignation, the board wisely has opted to hire an interim superintendent from inside the district, which will give it time to launch a full search for a permanent replacement.)

In any event, the trustees had gathered for a meeting on a Tuesday night to collect testimony from members of the public as to the traits it wanted to see in an interim superintendent. That, too, was a wise move: Its important that the selection process be as open as possible from start to finish.

But heres the catch: No one showed up from the public.

It is true that the public had a chance before the meeting to weigh in online on the question. And maybe people were exhausted from providing input in the citys somewhat similar Imagine Corvallis 2040 series of public meetings. Maybe, seeing how it was a Tuesday night, everyone was enraptured with The Voice.

In any event, it was a five-minute meeting, likely a record for a school board session. Everyone was able to go home and catch the remaining few minutes of The Voice.

The question remains, of course: What do we want to see from an interim superintendent? The online survey didnt offer any surprises: Common themes in the responses include a desire for someone with vision, integrity, good communication skills, strong community relationships and the ability to be a leader in instruction.

Jennifer Duvall, the district's human relations director, suggested that the lack of surprises might be because this particular search is for an interim, internal, position. She suggested it might be different if this were an extended external search.

Perhaps. But our sense is that there wont be too much difference between the attributes identified in this search and the ones we use in the broader search. And the list should start a handful of traits: strong communication skills, with a proven commitment to transparency; willingness to listen to and incorporate, whenever possible, opposing views; ability to identify and focus on essential issues; and considerable patience with the public process and a sense of humor.

Lets be honest: There arent many harder jobs in Corvallis than superintendent of the school district; in part, this is because everybody here fancies themselves an expert in education. (This is where the communication skills, willingness to listen, patience and humor come in handy.)

But its also important to remember the fundamentals: The goal is to prepare students for a lifetime of learning. With all the static that goes along with our public schools today, its easy to forget that. (This is where the ability to focus is essential.)

Certainly, there will be some differences between the traits we seek in an interim superintendent and the permanent boss. But, like education itself, the list should start with the essentials.
Bad Godesberg attack : Actions of the attackers were especially brutal

An dem Rondell Ecke Rungsdorfer Strae/Rheinallee kam es zu der Attacke. Foto: Axel Vogel

Bad Godesberg Police are searching for suspects in the savage attack on a 17-year-old early Saturday morning.

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The 17-year-old teen who was brutally beaten up early Saturday morning remains in absolutely critical condition according to police spokesperson Robert Scholten. The homicide commission, which was set up immediately following the attack, interviewed witnesses over the weekend. The teen is from Rheinland-Pfalz. Family and friends of the victims remain in shock and are being provided trauma counseling.

The 17-year-old was with friends, walking to the Bad Godesberg train station at around 12:20 a.m. early Saturday morning. They had been partying at the Rheinaue and had taken a bus to Bad Godesberg. From there, they wanted to make their way to the Bad Godesberg train station. They ran into a group of young men near the Rheinallee bus stop at the corner of Rungsdorfer Strae and Rheinallee who verbally insulted the teens.

The teenagers kept on walking, the 17-year-old along with his two friends, both 18 years-old. They were followed by the young men who then approached the 17-year-old and slugged him so hard that he fell to the ground. Even after the 17-year-old fell to the ground, they kept beating him. They only took off when people near by rushed to help the youths. Paramedics had to revive the 17-year-old and he was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. His two friends suffered light injuries.

Scholten said the police deal wth violence all the time but we havent seen anything like this. How the attackers acted was especially brutal. The area where the attack occurred is a popular meeting point because it is at the end of the bus line and is near the city center of Bad Godesberg as well as the train station. Scholten said the police keep an eye on this area in general, but not more than other areas.

Police ask for help in finding the attackers who are described as follows (all male):

One person appeared to be 17-20 years-old, with dark black hair, 1.8-1.85 meters tall, brown skin, stocky build, black hair shorter on the sides and longer on top, black jacket, jeans and spoke German without an accent.

A second person appeared to be 17-20 years-old, with dark black hair, 1.8-1.85 meters tall, brown skin, thin build, wearing white jogging pants, white pullover (Adidas or Nike) and spoke German without an accent.

The third person was older than 18 years-old, long hair, black and curly, shaved on the sides, thin build, full beard, black leather jacket, jeans, and shorter than the other two persons.

Police ask for anyone having information about the incident or the suspects to call (0228) 1 50.

Foto: Axel Vogel An dem Rondell Ecke Rungsdorfer Strae/Rheinallee kam es zu der Attacke. zuruck

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Christiana Figueres : Outgoing Climate Secretary to be honored

Bonn Bonn will put UNFCCC leader in it's Golden Book.

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In July, the chapter of her career as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will come to an end. In their latest session, The Bonn City Council decided to honor Christiana Figueres by putting her name into the Golden Book of the City of Bonn. They want to recognize all she has done to contribute to Bonns reputation as an international city.

Under the leadership of Costa Rican native Figueres, the UNFCCC became increasingly important for Bonn as a major UN institution, and contributed to substantial growth in the amount of climate change work being carried out in the host city of Bonn. Figueres started the initiative Bonn as a meeting hub to strengthen Bonns role as an international conference center.

UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon appointed Figueres in May of 2010 to her current role. On July 6, her term will come to an end. Her successor is Patricia Espinosa, who is currently the Mexican Ambassador to Germany, with her bureau in Berlin.
School security smartphone app launched in Karachi News oi -GizBot Bureau

A smartphone app designed to provide security to about 3,000 schools of Pakistan's Karachi city was launched, a media report said.

Sindh Rangers on Saturday announced the application will help educational institutions in the metropolis alert law enforcers in case of an emergency, Dawn online reported.

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"In case of any emergency or untoward situation, the head of the educational institution is advised to send a message to the system," said a senior Rangers official. He added the message will be received at the central command (Rangers headquarters) and also the cell phones of the zone's company commander, wing commander and the sector commander.

It will facilitate a rapid response. The official stated the system also allows deployment of additional personnel if necessary.

Named 'Rangers School College Protection System', so far 3,000 schools have been registered with the system. Other schools can also apply for induction into the system. "In future, we will add hospitals, shopping malls and media houses into the system," said the Rangers official.

Security concerns have forced closure of many schools in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan after an attack on Bacha Khan University (BKU) earlier this year.

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Last month, the paramilitary force announced a WhatsApp helpline allowing the people of Karachi to send texts, videos and pictures related to any criminal or illegal activity to the force.

Source IANS

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'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.
Counter-ISIL Strikes Hit Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, May 7, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

-- Near Al Shadaddi, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Manbij, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Mar'a, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL command and control node, and ISIL headquarters and destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL fighting position.

Strikes in Iraq

Ground-attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 11 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Al Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle and damaged an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Albu Hayat, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL boat, and an ISIL weapons cache.

-- Near Ar Rutbah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Bashir, a strike destroyed an ISIL command and control node.

-- Near Fallujah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.

-- Near Habbaniyah, a strike damaged an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Hit, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, an ISIL communications facility, destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy machine gun and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

Additionally, on May 5, a strike was erroneously reported. The correct assessment reads:

-- Near Al Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL command and control node, three ISIL rocket rails, and an ISIL bunker.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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China has sound reasons to reject South China Sea arbitration

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:17, May 07, 2016

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines' unilateral attempt at arbitration over South China Sea disputes is not a real attempt to find a solution, but pursuit of selfish gains in the name of "rule of law."

The core of the Beijing-Manila South China Sea dispute is territorial issue, caused by the illegal occupation of some of China's islands and reefs since the 1970s by the Philippines, and the issue of maritime delimitation.

The arbitration violates the basic principles of international law and undermines the integrity and authority of the UN Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).

The court has no right to adjudicate on the case as in 2006, China exercised its right under Article 298 of the UNCLOS and made a declaration excluding compulsory arbitration on disputes concerning maritime delimitation.

The UN Charter and international law advocate peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and negotiation. The UNCLOS respects the dispute settlement procedure chosen by the parties themselves.

Meanwhile, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), signed by China and ASEANcountries, stipulates that disputes be resolved through consultation and negotiation by those directly concerned.

Therefore, China has sound reasons to reject compulsory arbitration. Whatever the result of the arbitration, it will not be binding on China.

The Philippines has distorted and abused the international arbitration mechanism, and reneged on its promise to solve disputes through negotiation.

It is also an outright lie to say that "all bilateral tools have been exhausted."

China and the Philippines have conducted several rounds of consultations on building trust, managing disputes and promoting maritime cooperation and, during these occasions, the Philippines has never talked with China about any of the appeals it mentioned in the arbitration case.

As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out, attempts to pressure China over an arbitration of maritime disputes is "either political arrogance or legal prejudice."

It doesn't hold water to say that filing for an arbitration is upholding international law, while not accepting arbitration violates international law. This is not viable in international practice.

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Nigeria Military Intensifies Efforts to Rescue Civilians Abducted By Boko Haram

by Peter Clottey May 07, 2016

The Nigerian military has launched a military offensive aimed at putting pressure on the Islamist militant group Boko Haram as well as rescue unarmed civilians kidnapped by the militants, according to military spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman.

"We still have remnants of Boko Haram hibernating inside Sambisa Forest so the essence of it is to clear the remnants of Boko Haram in that forest and also intensify our rescue operation and so far the operation is progressing very well. Even though, the other time the [militants] attempted to attack our positionBut of course our troops rose to the occasion, and dealt decisively with Boko Haram militants to the point of killing quite a number of them and recovered weapons anti-aircraft guns, and of course mortal bombs like 81 millimeter, " said Usman.

His comments follow reports that the United States is considering selling 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Nigeria to help the West African country in the fight against Boko Haram.

Washington had refused to sell weapons to former president Goodluck Jonathan's administration over concerns of human rights abuses by the military.

Critics of the Nigerian government say Islamic militants are active and still attacking civilians and soldiers, despite government pronouncements that Boko Haram has been effectively defeated. They have also engaged in suicide bombings using civilians they had abducted.

Usman disagreed. He said the military has been able to thwart numerous attacks from Boko Haram. He said a lot of the militants have either been killed or surrendered to the Nigerian military adding that groups is a shell of itself, incapable of seizing territories.

"If you look at it, the Boko Haram militant caught virtually everybody unawares because let's say six years ago nobody in Nigeria ever thought that we will have a problem of terrorism let alone the magnitude of Boko Haram terrorism as it wereWithin a short period of time let's say from July last year up to this moment, all those gains made by the Boko Haram have been reversed to the point that we have even recaptured not only the villages and towns they hitherto called their caliphate including their spiritual headquarters."

Asked about the efforts to locate and free the abducted Chibok school girls and others kidnapped by the militants, Usman said the military is still working hard to bring the girls back home to their families. He said the military has been able to rescue Boko Haram kidnapped victims including foreigners.

"We have been able to rescue over 12,000 people and I believe that we have more people that are being held hostage by the Boko Haram militant in some of these their hideouts We have been working to also ensure that we rescue them, including the abducted Chibok school girls. And we are hopeful, definitely, wherever they are we will definitely rescue them," said Usman.

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Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, May 8, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

-- Near Manbij, two strikes destroyed two ISIL vehicles and an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Mar'a, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions.

-- Near Palmyra, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Waleed, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL storage facility and an ISIL bed-down location, and damaged another storage facility and bed-down location.

Strikes in Iraq

Fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government:

-- Near Al Huwayjah, a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

-- Near Bayji, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar system.

-- Near Fallujah, three strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL vehicle, an ISIL fighting position, two ISIL mortar systems, an ISIL vehicle bomb, and four ISIL rockets.

-- Near Kisik, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position and suppressed an ISIL heavy machine position.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes struck four separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL vehicles.

-- Near Qayyarah, a strike destroyed 10 ISIL rocket rails.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and suppressed an ISIL heavy machine gun position.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar system.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed three ISIL fighting positions and an ISIL light machine gun.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Six Taliban militants executed by Afghan government

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 2:33PM

The Afghan government has executed six Taliban prisoners as part of a crackdown on the militant group under the country's President Ashraf Ghani.

"In accordance with the Afghan constitution... Ghani approved the execution of six terrorists who perpetrated grave crimes against civilians and public security," the Afghan president's office said in a statement on Sunday.

"This order has been carried out today after... considering the human rights obligations of Afghanistan... and in accordance with Afghan laws," it added.

The move, the first of its kind since the onset of Ghani's presidency in 2014, was conducted by the Afghan government as a reprisal for a bombing attack by the Taliban that killed at least 64 people in the country's capital, Kabul, last month.

Delivering a speech in April, Ghani had vowed to "deal severely with those who shed the blood of our innocent people and soldiers," and "show no mercy when punishing them."

The militant group had responded by threatening "grave repercussions" if the prisoners were executed.

Over the past months, Taliban militants have captured some key areas in the north and south of Afghanistan. The militants have also carried out attacks in the capital, Kabul.

The assaults came in the wake of the failure of a new round of talks in February that aimed at reviving the peace process in the war-ravaged country.

The Afghan government and Taliban were rescheduled to meet for face-to-face peace talks by the first week of March in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but the Taliban denied they would be participating in any upcoming talks in Islamabad.

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity more than 14 years after the United States and its allies attacked the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror. The war removed the Taliban from power in 2001 but insecurity is still rampant in the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops.

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Saudi airstrikes kill 7 in Yemen north

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 2:22PM

Saudi warplanes have carried out a fresh wave of air attacks on civilian areas in Yemen despite international warnings about deteriorating humanitarian crisis.

In their latest attacks on Sunday, Saudi jets killed at least seven people and injured 13 in the northern province of Sana'a.

Yemen's al-Masirah TV said the attacks targeted a main road in the Nehm district of Sana'a province. It said four other attacks were launched by the Saudis on other areas of the province, inflicting losses on properties, cars and farmlands.

Saudi Arabia has been waging a deadly war on Yemen since late March 2015 to restore resigned president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to power. More than 9,400 Yemenis, including 4,000 women and children, have lost their lives in the deadly military campaign.

Yemenis, in return, have launched retaliatory attacks on the Saudi forces and targets inside Saudi Arabia.

The fresh Saudi raids came despite an ongoing round of peace talks on Yemen which is being held under the auspices of the United Nations in Kuwait. The UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed continued to hold separate talks earlier on Sunday with representatives of the Houthi Ansarullah movement and Hadi.

The head of the Houthi delegation to the talks, Mohamed Abdel Salam, condemned the Sunday attacks on residential areas in Sana'a, describing them as a clear violation of a truce deal which is supposed to be holding across Yemen during peace negotiations. He said the attacks on Nehm showed elements inside and outside Yemen are still trying to undermine the peace initiative.

The indirect negotiations came after the Hadi delegation decided to pull out from the face-to-face talks on Saturday in protest at demands by the Houthis, which included consensus on transitional government and withdrawal of a small contingent of US forces operating in the south of Yemen. Houthis and allies say their conditions must be fulfilled before they pull out of territories under their control and lay down arms, as required by a UN Security Council resolution.

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US deploys over 200 soldiers in S Yemen, stations assault ship

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 2:22AM

The United States military has deployed more than 200 US Marines in the port city of Mukalla in the central province of Hadramout, Yemeni media say.

The forces were deployed in the important seaport and oil terminal on Saturday, Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah news website reported.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer with more than 1,200 sailors and Marines as well as a group of vessels aboard were also stationed offshore in the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen's southern coast is now under the control of US troops, who are deployed to the region under the pretext of battling al-Qaeda militants.

On Friday, an Apache helicopter and six Black Hawk choppers also arrived in the al-Anad Air Base in the southwestern province of Lahij.

The deployment of US troops comes a year after the withdrawal of its forces from Yemen. On March 21, 2015, the US evacuated its remaining forces from the airbase "due to the deteriorating security situation" a day after al-Qaeda captured the nearby city of al-Houta.

Pentagon also announced on Friday that it sent a group of its commandos to Yemen.

"The AQAP (al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) remains a significant security threat to the United States and to our regional partners and we welcome this effort to specifically remove AQAP from Mukalla and to degrade, disrupt and destroy AQAP in Yemen," said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

Direct peace talks fail

Meanwhile, representatives of Yemen's former regime withdrew from direct peace talks with Houthi Ansarullah movement in Kuwait. The Saudi-backed delegation said that they pulled out of the negotiations since no progress has been made so far.

Now, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, has to shift back to indirect negotiations and separate consultations. The Saudi-backed delegation has repeatedly left the negotiating table since the start of the talks on April 21.

The peace talks on Yemen entered its third week on Thursday but there has yet to be a breakthrough to establish peace as delegations trade accusations of violating the ceasefire that took effect on April 11.

The Ansarullah movement says ceasefire violations by the opposite side indicate that they are not sincere in reaching a solution to end the conflict in the Arab world's poorest country.

More than 9,500 people have been killed in more than a year of military conflict in Yemen as Saudi Arabia, which backs former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, has been incessantly bombarding areas under the control of Houthis.

The Saudi airstrikes have destroyed the infrastructure in Yemen as the impoverished nation struggles to cope with shortage of food and basic medications due to Saudi blockade of the Arab country.

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Senators lobby US admin. to sell PG Arab states jet fighters

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 2:35PM

A number of US senators have been building up pressure on the administration of President Barack Obama to approve a major sale of jet fighters to some Persian Gulf Arab states.

The bipartisan group of senators believes Washington's delay over the fighter jets deal would threaten America's relationship with its regional Arab allies and their commitment to help fight Daesh (ISIL), according to a Friday report by The Wall Street Journal.

The US daily, which obtained a letter signed by the senators, said the sale of the fighters to Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain has been in limbo for over two years, but the White House has not yet allowed it to go forward partly due to policies that require the US to keep a military edge for Israel in the Middle East and avoid sales to other allies that could take away Israel's advantage.

The letter, which bears the signatures of Senators John McCain, Bob Corker, Jack Reed and Claire McCaskill, argues that a delay was unnecessary and the sale would not undermine Israel.

"We understand that these requests must be carefully considered, but a decision on them has been pending too long," the senators wrote.

The proposed deal, valued at about $9 billion, includes F-16s, F-15s and F/A-18 jets.

The companies that build the aircraft, Lockheed Martin and Boeing, have recently warned they could be forced to close their production lines unless they secure new orders, the WSJ report said.

"Denying the requests will not preclude these countries from purchasing fighter aircraft with advanced capabilities from foreign providers, including perhaps Russia," the senators wrote.

"America must not lose an opportunity to expand our influence in the Middle East and ensure continued US industrial dominance by ceding the field to our competitors or adversaries."

A senior Obama administration official said in a recent statement that "no decision has been made on fighter sales."

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Armenia, Azerbaijan forces resume fire

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 9:27AM

Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan have reportedly resumed fire in violation of a ceasefire that had ended deadly clashes in the disputed Caucasus region of Karabakh last month.

On Saturday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that Armenian armed forces had violated the truce on the contact line with the Azerbaijani armed forces in the conflict area 122 times over the past 24 hours.

Armenian forces shelled Azerbaijani positions both from Armenian territory and from the territory under dispute, it said. "Taking into account the operational situation, the Azerbaijani armed forces delivered 123 strikes upon the enemy positions," the ministry said.

Yerevan had earlier claimed that Azerbaijani forces had violated the ceasefire on the border with Armenia in the early hours of Saturday.

In early April, Azerbaijani and Armenian troops used artillery, tanks, and other armaments against each other on a scale not seen since a separatist war concluded in 1994. According to reports, nearly 75 servicemen from both sides along with a number of civilians were killed in the latest skirmishes between the hostile neighbors.

A Russian-mediated truce went into effect later that month, but sporadic clashes have since continued.

The Karabakh region, which is located in the Azerbaijan Republic but is populated by Armenians, has been under the control of local ethnic Armenian militia and the Armenian troops since a three-year war which claimed over 30,000 lives and ended in 1994.

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Six Taliban Inmates Executed In Kabul Prison

May 08, 2016

by RFE/RL

Afghan officials say six Taliban prisoners on death row were hanged on May 8 in the first set of executions endorsed by President Ashraf Ghani since he took office in 2014.

Local media reported that the executions were carried out in Kabul's Pol-e Charkhi prison.

The presidential palace said in a statement that "in accordance with the Afghan constitution...Ghani approved the execution of six terrorists who perpetrated grave crimes against civilians and public security."

The statement said the executions were conducted after a fair legal process and in accordance with the country's constitution and Islamic laws.

"This order has been carried out today after...considering the human rights obligations of Afghanistan...and in accordance with Afghan laws," the statement said.

Ghani has toughened his stance against the militants after a major Taliban assault on Kabul that killed 64 people and wounded another 340 last month.

Ghani vowed a tough military response against the Taliban and pledged to enforce legal punishments, including executions of convicted militants.

Afghanistan's National Directorate for Security gave the identities of the six condemned men while detailing attacks for which they were convicted.

The Taliban said in a statement that the executions will not "deter them from their goal, as the fight for over the past 10 years has proven."

Even before the hangings, the militant group had warned of "serious reprecussions" if Ghani would approve the death sentences.

The group has been waging an insurgency against the Afghan government since 2001 when it was ousted from power by U.S.-led forces.

Amnesty International had urged Ghani not to sign executions orders.

"By hastily seeking retribution for the horrific bombings that killed over 64 people in Kabul last month, the government of Afghanistan's plans to execute those convicted of terror offences will neither bring the victims the justice they deserve, nor Afghanistan the security it needs," the rights watchdog said on May 4.

Based on reporting by AFP and khaama.com

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-inmates- executed-in-kabul-prison/27722314.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Afghanistan Executes 6 Terror Convicts

by Ayaz Gul May 08, 2016

Authorities in Afghanistan hanged six men on death row who were convicted of "grave crimes against civilians and public security."

Taliban officials swiftly confirmed those executed belonged to the insurgent group and vowed to "take immediate, bloody revenge."

The executions of the terrorists took place in a Kabul prison Sunday on the orders of President Ashraf Ghani, his office confirmed to VOA.

The move came after last month's complex suicide bombing in the Afghan capital that killed nearly 70 people and wounded hundreds more. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly assault.

The attack sparked widespread domestic outrage and international condemnation.

Ghani vowed to intensify his military response to the insurgency and to endorse execution orders of convicted militants.

UN expresses regret

The United Nations said it "regrets the execution of alleged perpetrators of serious crimes and crimes against civilians," and again called for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

"The United Nations notes that there is no conclusive evidence of the deterrent value of the death penalty, and that the use of capital punishment does not contribute to public safety," said a statement released in Kabul late Sunday.

It also encouraged the Afghan government to expedite legal reform, which would allow death sentences to be commuted to life imprisonment.

International rights group Amnesty International had urged the Afghan leader not to endorse the execution orders, saying "hastily seeking retribution for the horrific" Kabul attack will neither bring the victims the justice they deserve nor Afghanistan the security it needs.

The Taliban has claimed there are Afghan security forces and "foreign nationals" in its custody.

The group warned in a statement last week the detainees would also face the same fate if Ghani enforced executions of its prisoners and threatened to target those who passed the death sentences.

The number of prisoners in Taliban custody is unclear. But in recent months Afghan forces, with the help of U.S-led coalition partners, have raided and freed hundreds of people from illegal detention centers the insurgency has set up in Afghanistan.

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Djibouti President Sworn In for Fourth Term in Office

by Mohamed Olad Hassan May 08, 2016

Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh was sworn in for a fourth term in office Sunday in a ceremony attended by several regional heads of states and dignitaries.

Guelleh took the oath of office at his presidential residence in the capital, Djibouti City.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn were among those in attendance.

Bashir's presence

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.

Djibouti, a tiny state in the Horn of Africa, is a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of ICC  the founding treaty of the first permanent international court capable of trying perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

However, Djibouti's government failed to arrest Bashir during his visit to the country in May 2011 to attend Guelleh's previous inauguration ceremony. At the time, the ICC called on the U.N. Security Council to take action over Djibouti's refusal to arrest Bashir.

Guelleh defeated three other candidates in elections held on April 8.

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

Opposition reacts

Opposition politician Omar Elmi Khaire of the Union for National Salvation was Guelleh's nearest rival in the election.

Speaking with VOA Somali, he says for his party, Guelleh's inauguration Sunday meant nothing.

"It means a self-elected man Guelleh has again crowned himself in public. His inauguration means nothing for the Djibouti people, but a one-man political commercial show." Khaire said.

Another opposition leader, Jama Abdirahman Jama, told VOA that Sudan's Bashir should not have been invited to the ceremony.

"He should not have invited a man wanted for war crimes against humanity to be ceremony in the first place," Jama says. "It dishonors the people of Djibouti and would jeopardize the internal aid Djibouti depends on."

Guelleh won his last election in 2011 with 80 percent of the vote. In order for Guelleh to win that election parliament had to change the country's constitution because presidents were limited to two terms.

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Seventh Congress of WPK Opens with Splendor

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 6 (KCNA) -- The Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) opened here with splendor Friday.

Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the WPK, was present there.

The congress was attended by delegates with the right to vote and speak elected at the provincial party conferences and officials of party, armed forces and power organs, economic organs, working people's organizations and those in the fields of science, education, public health, literature and arts and media nominated at the provincial party conferences as observers.

Also present there were congratulatory groups of Koreans in Japan and the General Association of Koreans in China for celebrating the Seventh Congress of the WPK.

Kim Jong Un made an opening address.

He in his address, reflecting the infinite loyalty and ardent reverence of the delegates, Party members, service personnel of the Korean People's Army (KPA) and all other people across the country, extended the noblest tribute and greatest glory to the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

The participants of the congress observed a moment's silence in memory of the anti-Japanese revolutionary war veterans, patriotic martyrs, officials, working people and pro-reunification patriotic figures who laid down their precious lives in the struggle for socialist construction, national reunification and the cause of global independence in loyal support of the guidance of the Party and the leader.

Kim Jong Un declared the congress open.

The congress elected its presidium.

The congress, reflecting the unanimous will and desire of all Party members, service personnel of the KPA and other people across the country, elected Kim Jong Un to its presidium.

Congratulatory messages and silk banners sent by the Central Committee of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front, the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, the General Association of Koreans in China, the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party and the Central Committee of the Chondoist Chongu Party to the congress were introduced.

Also introduced were congratulatory messages, letters, floral baskets, gifts, medals, honorary titles and diplomas presented to Kim Jong Un by heads of political parties and state, political parties, organizations, Juche idea study groups and figures of various circles of different countries, diplomatic corps, economic and commercial councilors corps here, diplomatic envoys and representatives of international bodies here.

Introduced at the congress were congratulatory messages, letters and floral baskets sent to the Seventh Congress and the C.C., the WPK by foreign political parties and heads of parties, friendship and solidarity bodies, organizations for the study of the Juche idea and personages from across spectrum.

The congress elected its secretariat.

The congress heard congratulatory messages to Kim Jong Un from the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and the General Association of Koreans in China and silk banners were presented.

The congress sent congratulatory messages to the service personnel of the Korean People's Army and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces who performed distinguished feats in defending the party congress and to the working people and officials of the institutions, industrial establishments and cooperative farms who performed brilliant labor feats in the 70-day campaign of loyalty.

The congress approved the following agenda items:

Review of the work of the C.C., the WPK.

Review of the work of the Central Audit Commission of the WPK.

On revising the Rules of the WPK.

On electing Kim Jong Un to the top post of the WPK.

Election to the central leadership organ of the WPK.

The congress started the discussion on the first agenda item.

Kim Jong Un began the report on the work of the C.C., the WPK.

The presentation of the report will go on at the second day-sitting. -0- (2016.05.06)

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WPK Seventh Congress Congratulates Working People and Officials on Their Labor Feats in 70-day Campaign

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 6 (KCNA) -- The Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Friday sent a congratulatory message to the working people and officials of institutions, industrial establishments and co-op farms who performed shining labor feats in the 70-day campaign of loyalty.

The 70-day campaign was a great one for consolidating the single-minded unity of the party, army and people of the DPRK as firm as a rock, bringing about a great innovation and leap forward in building a thriving nation, foiling the vicious moves of the hostile forces to put pressure on the DPRK and stifle it and fully demonstrating the dignity and might of the great Paektusan nation, the message said, and went on:

The Central Committee of the WPK together with its Central Military Commission made public joint slogans in order to glorify this year in which its Seventh Congress is to be held as a year of great heyday in building a thriving nation, ardently appealed to all party members to stage the 70-day campaign in the letter to them and clearly indicated the orientation and ways for winning victory in the on-going general advance.

Unprecedented achievements have been made in the above-said campaign thanks to the heroic struggle of the working people and officials who turned out to greet the Seventh Congress of the WPK out of their boundless loyalty and warm patriotism toward the party.

The Seventh Congress of the WPK extended warm congratulations to the working people and officials of the institutions, industrial establishments and co-op farms who creditably fulfilled the tasks before them during the campaign by sharing the thought, will and pace with the party and fully displaying matchless heroism and self-sacrificing spirit.

It expressed belief that they would get united closer around Marshal Kim Jong Un and thoroughly carry through the important tasks set forth by the Congress and make strenuous efforts for the eternal victory of the great Paektusan nation shining with the august names of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il and the final victory in the building of a thriving nation. -0-

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DPRK's Nuclear Deterrence Is Indisputable: Rodong Sinmun

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 6 (KCNA) -- The DPRK's remarkable bolstering of capability for nuclear attack made it possible to mount it on the U.S. imperialists any time it pleases.

Rodong Sinmun Friday says this in a commentary.

It goes on:

The above-said step taken by the DPRK is the indisputable exercise of its legitimate right to self-defence.

However, the U.S. is misleading the public opinion, describing the toughest countermeasures taken by the DPRK one by one as a "challenge" and "provocation" against the international community.

The DPRK's access to nuclear weapons is the direct result of the U.S. hostile policy toward the former.

By persistently pursuing the said policy, the U.S. pushed the DPRK to having access to nukes.

It has stepped up its hostile policy towards the DPRK and its moves for a nuclear war against the latter since it emerged a nuclear weapons state.

The DPRK codified the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and building of nuclear force to cope with the U.S. persistent moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK.

It is ready to respond to any war method desired by the U.S. imperialists, be it a conventional war or a nuclear war or cyber warfare.

It had access to nuclear weapons not to be recognized or approved by others.

As the revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK had already warned, they will continue taking stronger countermeasures as long as the U.S. persists in its hostile policy toward the former. -0-

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Newspapers Editorially Greet 7th Congress of WPK

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 6 (KCNA) -- Newspapers here editorially greet the 7th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) opening today.

Rodong Sinmun says that all the service personnel and people of the DPRK who have created epics on steady victories under the leadership of the party, always sharing their destiny with it, are greeting its congress with the absolute trust in it, the general staff of the revolution which is the most tested one in the era of independence.

It goes on:

Today the WPK which is having Marshal Kim Jong Un as the supreme leader is displaying its dignity as the great guiding force steering the development of the era and history while leading the popular masses' cause of independence and socialism to one victory after another.

The DPRK is the power of Juche leading the building of an independent new world after making a serious breakthrough in the unfair international political order centered on big powers, the order dominated by imperialism and hegemony, and a socialist prosperous power which is translating the people's desire for the greatest happiness into reality, racing against time. This is the dignified picture of the great Paektusan nation led by the WPK.

It has held aloft the red flag of the revolution generation after generation. This is the great victory which can be won only by the WPK, the genuine guide of the people.

Over the last more than three decades the WPK has firmly defended socialism, the life and soul of the people, successfully explored the road of the socialist prosperity in the Korean style and by its efforts and successfully carried forward and developed the great idea and cause of the leaders despite the severe tempest of history.

Through the congress, the WPK will strikingly demonstrate its might as an invincible guiding force successfully carrying out the cause of socialism by consolidating the whole party to be organism and veteran and tested political staff sharing thought, breath and pace with Kim Jong Un.

Minju Joson says that the world will witness what miracle Juche Korea works in the great era of Kim Jong Un in which the DPRK advances full of faith by regarding the immortal and great Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism as the driving force of revolution, the single-minded unity as the invincible treasured sword and the strongest nuclear deterrent as a guarantee for prosperity. -0-

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Press Review

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 6 (KCNA) -- The following are the major news items and articles in the DPRK's leading newspapers Friday:

An editorial says that the Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) will mark a historic watershed in accomplishing the cause of the Juche revolution.

On the occasion of the Seventh Congress of the WPK

Congratulatory groups of overseas Koreans visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and paid tribute to President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il.

The International Institute of the Juche Idea and the Japanese National Liaison Council of Societies for the Study of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism sent floral baskets to the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill.

Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Marshal Kim Jong Un received diplomas of exploits from the Bangladesh Jatiya Party.

Mosaics portraying the great leaders were erected at various units of North Phyongan Province.

Kim Il Sung Prize and Kim Jong Il Prize were awarded to song "We Are the Happiest in the World".

KCNA released a report that the 70-day campaign culminated in a great victory to be specially recorded in the history of the Korean nation.

Stamp was issued in the DPRK to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the Association for the Restoration of the Fatherland.

A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea warned that the Park Gune Hye group of south Korea had better stop recklessly grumbling about the DPRK's nuclear deterrence any longer.

The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea issued information bulletin No. 1105 hitting out at the Park Geun Hye group for crying out for "unification of social systems."

Rodong Sinmun

Kim Jong Un was registered as honorary leader by the Pioneer Party of Indonesia.

The Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the Central Committee of the People's Party of Cambodia sent congratulatory messages to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

A political essay deals with the cheers of the service personnel and people of the DPRK for the Seventh Congress of the WPK.

A commentary says that no one can pull up the DPRK over its bolstering of nuclear strike capability.

Minju Joson

An article says an Iraqi-style solution to issues is unworkable on the DPRK. -0-

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Kim Jong Un Makes Opening Address at Seventh Congress of WPK

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 6 (KCNA) -- Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), made the following opening address at the Seventh Congress of the WPK:

Dear delegates,

Today we are holding the historic Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea amid the grand struggle in which the whole Party, the entire army and all the people, filled with iron nerves and confidence to achieve the final victory of the Juche revolution as soon as possible, are making an all-out, general onward march courageously, thwarting all manner of threats and desperate challenges by the imperialists.

Reflecting the infinite loyalty and ardent reverence of delegates, Party members, service personnel and all other people across the country, I would like first to extend the noblest tribute and greatest glory to the great Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il who are the founder and builder of the WPK, incarnations of the mightiness of the invincible WPK, and eternal leaders of our Party and people.

Comrades,

During the period under review our Party and people have waged a sacred yet arduous struggle to defend socialism and propel the cause of the Juche revolution victoriously under the wise leadership of the great President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il.

In this period our Party's ranks have been deprived of such anti-Japanese revolutionary war veterans as Kim Il, Choe Hyon, O Paek Ryong, O Jin U, Choe Kwang, Rim Chun Chu, Pak Song Chol, Jon Mun Sop and Ri Ul Sol, who, holding the great leaders in high esteem, devoted themselves entirely to the country and people on the long road of the Juche revolution.

And they have been bereft of many faithful revolutionary comrades, including Ho Tam, Yon Hyong Muk, Kim Jung Rin, Ho Jong Suk, Kim Kuk Thae, Kim Yong Sun, Kim Yang Gon, Jon Pyong Ho, Pak Song Bong, Ri Chan Son, Ri Je Gang, Ri Yong Chol, Kang Ryang Uk, Ri Jong Ok, Kim Rak Hui and An Tal Su, who worked with devotion for the strengthening and development of our Party and the victory of the socialist cause.

We have also lost Jo Myong Rok, Kim Kwang Jin, Kim Tu Nam, Jon Jae Son, Yun Chi Ho, Ri Tong Chun, Kim Ha Gyu, Ri Jin Su, Sim Chang Wan and other precious comrades-in-arms in the Songun revolution who performed heroic exploits in the struggle to strengthen and develop the revolutionary armed forces.

In addition, Ri Sung Gi, Im Rok Jae, Chon Se Bong, Paek In Jun, Yu Won Jun, Ri Sang Byok, Pak Yong Sun and other academicians, professors, doctors, writers, People's Artistes and People's Athletes, who bent all their energies and wisdom to developing science, culture and the arts, and sports, and Han Tok Su, Choe Tok Sin, Ri In Mo, Rim Hon Sik, Kim Kwang Thaek and other unforgettable revolutionary comrades and pro-reunification, patriotic figures passed away.

These people devoted their all unsparingly to the victory of the cause of the Juche revolution, reunification of the country and national prosperity, in loyal support of the WPK and the leader; the brilliant victory of our revolution and the present glory of the socialist country are attributable to their priceless blood and self-sacrifice.

To the memory of the anti-Japanese revolutionary war veterans, patriotic martyrs, unforgettable revolutionary comrades-in-arms of our Party and pro-reunification, patriotic figures who laid down their precious lives in the struggle for socialist construction, national reunification and the cause of global independence, I propose to observe a minute's silence.

Comrades,

The Seventh Congress of the WPK has been convened at a historic time when the phase of leap forward in implementing the cause of the Juche revolution is being opened up.

The last decades since the Sixth Congress of the WPK were characterized by grim struggle and glorious victory on the part of our Party and people.

During the period under review the situation of our revolution was very grave and complex.

In the unprecedentedly hard times when the world socialist system collapsed and the allied imperialist forces concentrated their anti-socialist offensive on our Republic, our Party and people were compelled to fight against them single-handed.

The imperialists strained the situation constantly for decades to keep our people from living at peace even for a moment and blocked all the pathways to economic development and existence through all manner of blockade, pressure and sanctions.

In the face of harsh and manifold difficulties and ordeals and the hardships and sufferings worse than those during a war, our Party and people were united more firmly around the Central Committee of the WPK, holding the President and the General in high esteem as the centre of unity and leadership, and made strenuous efforts to defend and advance the socialist cause, following only the revolutionary line of Juche put forward by the great leaders as they braved the storm of history without the slightest hesitation or vacillation.

As there were the wise leadership of the President and the General and the might of single-hearted unity of the WPK, the army and the people around the leader, we were able to etch proud victories in history, smashing the schemes of the allied imperialist forces to stifle the Republic at every step and safeguarding the red flag of socialism and the gains of the revolution to the last.

During the period under review, the WPK embodied the Juche-oriented line of party building of General Kim Jong Il to become a powerful body, ideologically pure and organizationally integrated, in which oneness has been achieved in ideology and leadership and to develop into a motherly party assuming the responsibility for the destiny of the masses of the people, an ever-victorious party with seasoned and sophisticated art of leadership and a steel-strong and promising revolutionary party.

This year when the Seventh Congress of the WPK is held, our service personnel and people achieved great successes in the first hydrogen bomb test and the launch of earth observation satellite Kwangmyongsong 4 which served as landmarks in the nation's history spanning 5 000 years, thus raising the dignity and might of Juche Korea to the highest level possible; in high spirits, they conducted a dynamic 70-day campaign of loyalty to perform great feats and make unprecedented labour successes in all fields of socialist construction.

All the service personnel and people throughout the country displayed the spirit of carrying out the policies of the WPK to the death in response to its militant call for launching the 70-day campaign, thereby making the greatest successes and leap forward in all sectors of the national economy and achieving the brilliant result of exceeding the targets of the campaign set by the WPK.

During the campaign, the electric-power, coal-mining and metallurgical industries and rail transport sector strove hard for increased output and transport to bring about a surge in production, and many units in different sectors of the national economy including the machine-building, chemical, building-materials and light industries and agriculture raised a strong wind to ensure modernization and domestic production of our style and bring about an upswing in production, thus making the distinguished achievement of carrying out the first half-year and yearly national economic plans ahead of schedule.

Our heroic working class of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, scientists and technicians waged an unyielding struggle on the principle of giving priority to self-development to develop and manufacture new machines and equipment based on local efforts and technology, thereby presenting them as gifts to the Congress of the motherly Party. Others across the country wonderfully completed lots of major construction projects, which will be highly conducive to developing the economy and improving the people's living standards, in a short span of time before the Congress to send reports of loyalty to the Central Committee of the WPK.

Those in the national defence science sector that played a magnificent prelude to this meaningful year with a thrilling explosion of Juche Korea's first hydrogen bomb went on to create momentous miracles in defending our national dignity and sovereignty, thus topping off the 70-day campaign and opening wide the door to the Seventh Congress of the WPK, full of pride in being victors.

All sectors and all units, burning their hearts with ardent loyalty to the WPK and extraordinary patriotic enthusiasm, sped up the grand revolutionary march to celebrate the Seventh Congress of the WPK as a glorious meeting of victors. This fully demonstrated the firm faith and will of our service personnel and people who are triumphantly building a thriving nation before the eyes of the world by smashing the hostile forces' vicious manoeuvres geared to sanctions and strangulation, and displayed to the world the indomitable spirit, daring grit and inexhaustible strength of heroic Korea.

The numerous eye-opening events that happened one after another in the run-up to the meaningful Congress of the WPKall these achievements are permeated with the precious sweat, ardent passion and unassuming effort of the Party members who have always thrown in their lot with the WPK and adorned the golden age of socialist construction with uninterrupted revolutionary upsurges.

I would like to extend heartfelt thanks and militant greetings, on behalf of the Central Committee of the WPK, to all the delegates, Party members, service personnel of the Korean People's Army and other people, who have adorned the sacred history of the WPK with hot blood and sweat of patriotism and made a great contribution to celebrating the Seventh Congress of the WPK as a meeting of victory and glory by clasping the weapons of revolution, hammer, sickle and writing brush with a burning conviction to travel one road for ever following our Party.

On the occasion of our Party's significant Congress my warm greetings go to the Anti-imperialist National Democratic Front, Korean Social Democratic Party, Chondoist Chongu Party, south Korean people, Chongryon (General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) and other overseas Koreans' organizations and all the compatriots abroad that are working hard for the country's reunification and prosperity.

On behalf of the Congress of the WPK, I also extend warm thanks and greetings to political parties and organizations, Juche idea study groups, friendship and solidarity organizations and personages from all walks of life in different countries of the world and representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations in the DPRK, that have rendered positive support and encouragement to our revolution and sent congratulatory messages, letters and baskets of flowers to the Seventh Congress of the WPK.

Comrades,

The Seventh Congress of the WPK will sum up the brilliant successes and invaluable experience our Party and people have gained during the period under review and put forward the strategic line and tasks to keep ushering in a great golden age of socialist construction and the direction of advance of our revolution.

This Congress of the WPK will be a historic occasion for setting up another milestone in the struggle for the development of the glorious Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Party and the accomplishment of the cause of socialism.

3 467 delegates have the right to vote in this Congress and 200 delegates have the right to address it; all of them are present here as they have been elected at the conferences of the WPK at different levels.

Among them 1 545 are delegates of Party officials and political workers, 719 delegates of service personnel, 423 delegates of state administrative and economic officials, 52 delegates of officials of working people's organizations, 112 delegates of officials in the sectors of science, education, public health, culture and the arts and the mass media, 786 delegates of hardcore Party members involved in field labour, six anti-Japanese revolutionary war veterans and 24 former unconverted long-term prisoners.

Of them 315 are women.

Present at the Congress are also 1 387 observers.

Fully convinced that this Congress of the WPK will perform its work satisfactorily backed up by high political enthusiasm of all delegates to be a historic meeting that will leave an outstanding mark on the development of our Party and revolution and a meeting for general advance to hasten the final victory of the cause of the Juche revolution, I declare the Seventh Congress of the WPK open. -0-

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Kim Jong Un Calls for Global Independence

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 7 (KCNA) -- The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, in his report on the review of the work of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at its 7th Congress, clarified that the WPK would work hard for the victorious cause of global independence.

He noted that in the period under review, a radical change was made in the world political structure and correlation of forces and the international circumstances of the Korean revolution remained very complicated.

He said:

The WPK has fully displayed the dignity of the country through principled and active external activities even under the grave circumstances and complicated international situation and consolidated the international position and influence of the DPRK.

It is the common desire of humankind and a historic task of the times to realize the global independence.

For global independence, it is important for each country and nation to maintain their sovereignty, holding aloft the banner of independence against imperialism.

The core of the struggle against imperialism is to frustrate the moves of the U.S. and its followers for aggression and war and defend the global peace and security.

Underscoring the need to conduct a vigorous struggle to get the aggressive military blocs, the root of military confrontation and war, dissolved and the military bases for aggression removed from other countries and thus build a new peaceful world, he continued:

All countries and nations aspiring after independence should never harbor any expectation and illusion about the imperialists' cunning double-dealing tactics and hypocritical "aid", but preserve the Juche character and national identity.

The progressive mankind of the world should vigorously struggle for international justice, irrespective of differences in political view, religious belief and economic and cultural development.

It is necessary to reject the imperialists' high-handed and arbitrary practices, double standards and injustice, aimed to violate the sovereignty and right to existence of other countries and nations, and struggle for impartiality in dealing with international issues such as anti-terrorism, dispute and environment.

A vigorous struggle should be waged to defend and victoriously advance the socialist cause.

The Non-aligned Movement should be developed.

Noting that independence, peace and friendship are the invariable foreign policy tenet of the WPK and the principled stand to be constantly maintained in the struggle for global independence, he said:

We will regard the idea of independence, peace and friendship as the invariable guiding principle of our external activities, develop the friendly and cooperative relations with other countries, which respect our sovereignty and remain friendly to us, and strive for regional peace and security and global independence.

The WPK and the DPRK government will take a beeline along the eternal course of independence, Songun and socialism, no matter how the situation and relationship among neighboring countries may change, and play a vanguard role as the defender of independence and justice in the struggle for global independence.

Since it retained the status of a full-fledged independent power, a nuclear power, the DPRK will develop its external relations in conformity with the status.

It is important to adhere to the revolutionary principle and the independent standpoint.

Our Party and the DPRK government will wage a vigorous struggle to radically put an end to the danger of nuclear war, imposed by the U.S., with powerful nuclear deterrence and defend the regional and global peace.

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Kim Jong Un on WPK's Tasks for National Reunification

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 7 (KCNA) -- In his report on the review of the work of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at its 7th Congress, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un stressed that to achieve the reunification of Korea is an important and urgent task facing the WPK responsible for the destiny of the country and the nation.

Recalling that the WPK has made positive efforts to achieve the reunification of the country, the cherished desire of the entire Korean nation, in the period under review, he said:

It is the steadfast resolve and will of the WPK to achieve the independent reunification of the country at any cost.

We should pave the road for reunification, consistently keeping a firm hold on the three charters for national reunification which comprehensively deal with the will and requirements of all Koreans and whose vitality was proven in practice.

National independence and great national unity should be achieved and peace and federal formula ensured. This is the WPK's policy for paving the road to national reunification through implementation of the three charters.

What is urgent at present in achieving the independent reunification of the country is to fundamentally improve the north-south relations.

The north and the south should respect each other and jointly open up a new phase of the improvement of their relations and the reunification movement as fellow countrymen working together for reunification.

The south Korean authorities should renounce the conception of confrontation among fellow countrymen and take a proper attitude toward the other party.

All kinds of legal and institutional mechanism contrary to the reconciliation and unity between the north and the south should be removed to take practical measures beneficial to the improvement of their relations.

The north and the south should positively develop the dialogue and negotiations at all levels in various fields to remove each other's misunderstanding and distrust and jointly pave the way for national reunification and prosperity common to the nation.

In order to improve the north-south relations and pave the wide avenue to the national reunification, the agreements common to the nation should be respected and consistently implemented.

Countries concerned with Korea's division and those around it should do things helpful to its reunification, not inciting distrust and confrontation between the north and the south of it, Kim Jong Un said, adding:

The United States, the very one that caused the division of our nation and has obstructed its reunification, should stop the scheme for putting sanctions and stifling the DPRK. And it should not instigate the south Korean authorities to confrontation with their fellow countrymen but hand off the Korean Peninsula issue.

Japan should discard its greed for reinvasion of the Korean Peninsula and repent and apologize for the past crimes it committed against the Korean nation. And it should not hinder the reunification of Korea.

Those countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula should respect the sovereignty of the DPRK, and they will have to play a positive role in settling the issue of Korea's reunification in an independent and peaceful way to meet the demand and will of the Korean nation.

Kim Jong Un declared that the WPK would fully discharge its noble mission and responsibility in improving the north-south relations and hastening the independent reunification of the country in keeping with the demand and interests of the entire nation. -0-

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Press Review

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 7 (KCNA) -- The DPRK leading newspapers Saturday carry news of the Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).

The Seventh Congress of the WPK was opened with splendor.

Comrade Kim Jong Un made an opening address at the congress.

He started a report on the work of the C.C., the WPK.

The 7th Congress of the WPK sent congratulatory messages to the service personnel of the Korean People's Army and the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, working people and officials of institutions, industrial establishments and co-op farms.

Foreign countries sent floral baskets to the congress.

Kim Jong Un received congratulatory messages from the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and the General Association of Koreans in China.

He received messages of greeting from the Syrian and Ugandan presidents and foreign political party leaders.

He received floral baskets from the presidents of Syria and Nigeria, organizations of overseas Koreans, overseas family members related to the revolutionary activities of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il and foreign countries.

He received floral baskets and congratulatory letters from the diplomatic corps, military attaches corps and commercial councilors corps here.

Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un were awarded diplomas of exploits by the Communist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist-Leninist).

The WPK Central Committee received congratulatory messages from the Central Committees of the Communist Parties of Cuba, China and Vietnam. -0-

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Kim Jong Un Makes Report on Work of WPK Central Committee at Its 7th Congress

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

Pyongyang, May 7 (KCNA) -- The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un made a report on the review of the work of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at its 7th Congress.

He said:

The period since the 6th Congress of the WPK was the one of the unprecedentedly grim struggle in its long history and years of glorious victory which witnessed great changes.

During the period under review a signal victory has been won in the socialist construction and an eternal foundation for accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche has been laid thanks to the great Juche idea, Songun politics of the WPK and the devoted struggle waged by the army and people of the DPRK intensely loyal to the party.

Under the programme of modeling the whole society on the Juche idea set forth at the 6th Congress of the WPK, it has pushed forward the work to model the entire party and the army on the Juche idea and revolutionize, working-classize and intellectualize all members of the society, thereby consolidating the driving force of the socialist cause.

After setting it as the strategic line to put the national economy on Juche, modern and scientific basis, the WPK has organized and mobilized all the people in the struggle for implementing it and thus brought about a gigantic advance in attaining the ten-point long-term goal of socialist economic construction.

The WPK has waged a courageous struggle to defend and advance the socialist cause with the firm will to shatter the imperialists' counter-revolutionary offensive with the revolutionary one.

At a time when the socialist cause was advancing victoriously along the orbit of Juche under the rapidly changing situation and a bright prospect was opening up for national reunification, our party and people suffered the greatest sudden loss to the nation, the demise of President Kim Il Sung whom they trusted and followed like Heaven. It was a bolt from the blue.

The demise of Kim Il Sung was the biggest grief and loss to our party and people and the biggest trial for our revolution.

After the greatest loss to the nation, the imperialists and their followers have reached the height in their political and military pressure, moves for provoking a war and economic blockade. To cap it all, the country was hit by severe natural disasters, bringing untold hardships and trial to the economic construction and people's living.

When the world was concerned about the fate of the DPRK and when the imperialist reactionaries were foolishly trumpeting about "change in line" and "collapse of social system", leader Kim Jong Il solemnly declared his iron will to invariably defend and carry to completion the revolutionary cause of Juche started by the President no matter how arduous the road of the revolution might be, and wisely led the revolution and construction only as intended by the President and the way he did.

By carrying forward the cause of the President under the wise guidance of Kim Jong Il, the WPK has firmly maintained the Songun revolutionary line, the path of winning the steady victory of the Korean revolution, and enforced the Songun politics in an all-round way.

The WPK has bolstered up the People's Army in every way, established state machinery centered on the national defence and transformed and adjusted all fields on the principle of Songun as required by it.

Thanks to the heroic struggle of the service personnel and other people who turned out as one in close unity around the party, the DPRK won victory after victory in the protracted fierce confrontation with the imperialists and the U.S., victoriously concluded the Arduous March, the forced march and honorably safeguarded the security and the sovereignty of the country and socialism.

In the grim struggle for defending socialism, the WPK set forth the high goal of building a powerful socialist nation and waged a strenuous struggle, thus advancing the socialist cause onto a new higher stage.

At a time when historic changes were taking place in accomplishing the revolutionary cause of Juche and Korean-style socialism was dynamically advancing along the road of victory indicated by the Songun politics, our party and people suffered all of a sudden another greatest loss to the nation-- the demise of Kim Jong Il.

All the party members, service personnel and other people seized with the profound grief over the loss of Kim Jong Il, overcame sorrow with strength and courage as befitting his soldiers and disciples and courageously turned out in the struggle to translate into a brilliant reality his lifetime plan and desire in close unity around the Party Central Committee.

At the 4th Conference of the WPK, it clarified the revolutionary faith and will to hold Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as eternal leaders of our party and the revolution and to uphold the great Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism as the eternal guiding idea, and aroused all the party members and other people to the drive for implementing the last instructions of the leaders.

As required by the prevailing situation and the developing revolution, the WPK advanced the strategic line of simultaneously pushing forward the economic construction and the building of nuclear force and worked hard for its implementation.

Thanks to the dynamic struggle waged by the army and people of the DPRK to carry out the strategic line of the party, a sure guarantee was provided for finally concluding the confrontation with the imperialists and the U.S. and accelerating the final victory of our cause.

The WPK organized and waged an all-people general onward movement for building a thriving people's paradise as planned and desired by the great leaders and thus ushered in the new era of the prosperity of the country.

The entire party and all the people have achieved the single-minded unity of the whole society in which they are united closely around the leader in thinking and purpose and sense of moral obligation. This is the great success and feat achieved by our party during the period under review.

Regarding it as its strategic line to attach importance to youth throughout the period of leading the revolution, the WPK has trained the young people as successors to the revolution who carry forward the blood line of Juche, thus building the youth power without an equal in the world.

A spectacular success made by the WPK is that it has implemented the Songun revolutionary line, the military line of self-defence, thus turning the country into an invincible military power.

Our party and people dynamically waged the drive to implement the strategic line of socialist economic construction to lay firm material and technical foundations of self-supporting national economy and provide a springboard from which to build an economic giant.

The WPK has successfully settled the theoretical and practical matters arising in carrying forward the revolutionary cause and faithfully inherited and developed the idea and cause of the leaders.

Kim Jong Un indicated the tasks and ways for developing the Korean revolution on a higher stage and accomplishing the cause of socialism by regarding the idea and exploits of the great leaders as an eternal cornerstone. He went on:

It is necessary to model the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism in order to accomplish the socialist cause and completely achieve the independence of the popular masses.

We should consolidate the position of the political and military power and fly the flag of victory on the eminence of scientific and technological, economic and highly-civilized power by accelerating the building of a thriving socialist nation and thus bring about a decisive turn in the struggle to model the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism.

In order to successfully build a socialist power under the banner of modeling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, it is necessary to strengthen the people's government and enhance its function and role and, at the same time, thoroughly carry out the general line of our party to dynamically conduct the three revolutions--ideological, technical and cultural.

It is imperative to carry through the five-year strategy for the state economic development from 2016 to 2020.

It is necessary to further increase the might of the politico-ideological power and military power.

Kim Jong Un specified the tasks of achieving the national reunification after recalling that the WPK has made positive efforts to reunify the country during the period under review. He continued:

The WPK aroused all the Koreans to the struggle for national reunification based on the idea and line on independent reunification and the proposal for founding the Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo initiated by Kim Il Sung.

In the crucible of the nationwide struggle for the great unity of the nation the Pan-national Alliance for Korea's Reunification was formed comprising broad patriotic forces in the north and the south and abroad, reunification events took place one after another to demonstrate the wisdom of the nation and the movement for national reunification further developed into a nationwide one.

The noble patriotic will for reunification of Kim Jong Il and his bold decision resulted in two rounds of north-south summit and the adoption of the June 15 joint declaration and the October 4 declaration, its action programme, guided by the idea of By Our Nation Itself, the first of their kind in the history of national division. This was an epochal event that provided a historic milestone for independent reunification and opened up a turning phase for national reunification.

Thanks to the wise guidance of the great leaders, the cause of national reunification could advance along the orbit of national independence for decades despite the complicated situation where the separatist forces at home and abroad got all the more frantic in their moves, and the driving force of national reunification could steadily grow stronger to prevail over the anti-reunification forces.

We should consistently keep a firm hold on the three charters for national reunification which comprehensively deal with the will and requirements of all the Koreans and whose vitality was proved in practice and should pave the road for reunification.

Noting that in the period under review, the DPRK's relationship with other countries has developed despite of the persistent hostile policy of the U.S. and its followers and their intensified moves for isolating and stifling it, Kim Jong Un set forth the tasks for the victory in the cause of global independence.

Independence, peace and friendship are the invariable foreign policy tenet of the WPK and the principled stand to be maintained in the efforts for accomplishing the cause of global independence.

It is our Party's goal to build a peaceful world free from war and it is the constant stand of our Party and the DPRK government to struggle for regional and global peace and security.

As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our Republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes, as it had already declared, and it will faithfully fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for the global denuclearization.

The WPK and the DPRK government will improve and normalize the relations with those countries which respect the sovereignty of the DPRK and are friendly towards it, though they had been hostile toward it in the past.

Kim Jong Un noted that the WPK has developed into the great and dignified Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Party, opening up a new path in the building of a revolutionary party, and led the revolutionary cause of Juche along the road of shining victory.

The WPK should be strengthened into the eternal Kimilsungist-Kimjongilist Party and its leadership role be steadily enhanced to successfully carry out the important tasks for accomplishing the socialist cause, the revolutionary cause of Juche under the banner of modeling the whole society on Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, he stressed.

He called for rallying closer around the Party Central Committee under the revolutionary banner of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism and dynamically advancing toward the strengthening of the Party, the accomplishment of the socialist cause, the independent reunification of the country and the realization of the cause of global independence. -0-

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'North Korea may be preparing for another nuclear test

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 12:30PM

A US think tank, using satellite imagery, says North Korea may be preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test in the near future.

The satellite images show vehicle movement at a North site "not often seen there except during preparations for a [nuclear] test," according to the 38 North website, a blog run by the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.

The analysis from 38 North said the imagery of the Punggye-ri test site "suggests that Pyongyang may be preparing for a nuclear test in the near future."

There has been intense speculation that Pyongyang may carry out its fifth test of a nuclear weapon during a congress of the ruling Workers' Party now underway.

A senior US official, asked about the 38 North report, repeated a call for North Korea "to refrain from actions and rhetoric that further destabilize the region" and stick to past commitments to denuclearize.

"Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad," he added. "We are prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation."

The 38 North website reported last month that satellite images showed North Korea may have resumed tunneling at Punggye-ri, activity similar to that seen before the country's most recent nuclear test in January.

The website reported in December that satellite photographs from the two previous months indicated North Korea was digging a new tunnel for nuclear testing.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear power in 2005 and carried out four nuclear weapons tests in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016.

North Korea has vowed to conduct more nuclear testing in spite of stepped-up international sanctions after its previous test and a subsequent space rocket launch seen as a cover for development of its intercontinental ballistic missile program.

Pyongyang accuses the US of plotting with regional allies to topple its government, and says it will not relinquish its nuclear deterrence unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward Pyongyang and dissolves the US-led UN command in South Korea.

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DPRK top leader says DPRK will strive for world denuclearization

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 12:42, May 08, 2016

PYONGYANG, May 8 -- Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un said that the DPRK, as a responsible nuclear weapons state, will strive for world denuclearization and faithfully fulfill obligations of nuclear non-proliferation, state media KCNA reported.

Kim emphasized that the DPRK, as it has already made clear, will not resort to nuclear weapons first unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes, the report said.

He made the remarks when he delivered a report on the work of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at the party's 7th Congress.

Kim stressed that the WPK has worked hard for the implementation of the strategic line of pushing forward economic growth and nuclear development at the same time, which was required by the prevailing situation and the revolutionary cause.

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Kim Pledges No Nuclear Arms Use Unless N. Korea Threatened

by VOA News May 08, 2016

North Korean President Kim Jong Un told a ruling party congress that his country would not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was threatened by other nuclear powers, North Korea's state news agency said Sunday.

Kim also said he was willing to normalize relations with states that have been hostile toward the Pyongyang government, and he called for more talks with South Korea to reduce distrust and the potential for further misunderstandings, the Korean Central News Agency report said.

"As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes," the report quoted Kim as saying.

It was unclear whether Kim's pledge indicated any change in North Korea's often belligerent attitude toward its neighbors and the United States.

In March, North Korea threatened a "preemptive" and "indiscriminate" nuclear strike on the U.S. and South Korea in response to the two nations' joint military drills.

Kim's comments to a reported 3,400 delegates came as South Korean monitors remained on high alert over the threat of further nuclear-related testing by the North in the near future.

The United Nations toughened sanctions against Pyongyang in March, after the communist state's fourth nuclear test and the launch of a long-range rocket that was widely seen as a disguised ballistic missile test.

At the congress, which opened Friday and will last several days, Kim described his five-year plan to simultaneously develop nuclear weapons and boost the country's economy. Analysts say the plan, published Sunday in the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, is doomed for failure because of the heavy international sanctions North Korea will face for developing its nuclear program.

Nuclear activities

The website 38 North, which focuses on North Korean issues, said Friday that commercial satellite images taken the day before over Pyongyang's nuclear test site showed vehicle movement at a command center, where there is often no activity "except during preparations for a test."

Kim opened the seventh Workers' Party Congress on Friday by hailing the country's January nuclear test and February launch of a satellite into space, calling them demonstrations of "dignity and power at the highest level."

"In this year of the seventh party congress, our military and people accomplished the great success in the first hydrogen bomb test and the launch of an Earth observation satellite," Kim said.

In response, Washington called on Pyongyang to "refrain from actions and rhetoric that further destabilize the region."

Few signs of change

Kim was expected to announce major policies and the reshuffling of senior party officials during the event.

But Friday's speech showed few signs of a dramatic change. Instead, the North Korean leader laid out a series of accomplishments that he has made since he took power in late 2011.

Kim also praised the success of so called "70-day battle," a short-term economic campaign to maximize industrial and construction output with limited time and resources.

Since late February, the North's state media have enhanced coverage of the campaign.

The young leader was flanked by Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the country's nominal head of state; and Hwang Pyong So, who holds the rank of vice marshal in the North Korean army and heads its General Political Bureau, a position considered the most powerful in the military after Kim Jong Un.

Some South Korean news organizations speculated Kim Yong Nam could be ousted after the congress.

However, some analysts in Seoul cautioned it was too early to judge the outcome of the gathering, noting the event's agenda still remained unclear.

The gathering is expected to end Monday.

The last party congress in North Korea was held when Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, was president.

The current leader's father, Kim Jong Il, who rarely spoke in public, did not hold a party convention.

Lee Yeon Cheol, Kim Hwan Yong and Baik Sungwon contributed to this report, which was produced in collaboration with VOA Korean service.

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Zarif: Supreme Leader plays pivotal role in foreign policy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, May 7, IRNA -- Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here on Saturday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei plays a pivotal role in shaping Iran's foreign policy.

Zarif made the remarks in a gathering attended by newly elected representatives for the 10th parliament in Iran.

'Foreign policy is an extra-factional and national issue,' he said, adding that Iran's foreign policy is based on the need for constructive interaction with the world.

'The principle is to compile Iran's foreign policy for expediting national interests and Islamic Republic's goals,' he said.

'We are bound to obey the Supreme Leader's guidelines in foreign policy,' Zarif said.

'As long as I'm foreign minister, I would obey the Supreme Leader's guidelines regarding Iran's foreign policy,' he added.

Praising the 9th Majlis prominent role in Iran's foreign policy, Zarif said conducting the country's foreign policy is in dire need of empathy and consultation between all branches of the Government.

Pointing to the newly elected representatives for the 10th parliament, he urged them to help him carry out the country's foreign policy.

He also assured the new parliamentarians that he would consult with them in all aspects of the country's foreign policy.

9060**1771

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Iran sees no limits to holding military drills: Dehqan

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 4:23PM

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the Islamic Republic sees no limits to holding military maneuvers in its territorial waters in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran makes no claims on any grounds in coastal, regional and trans-boundary waters beyond international demarcation lines," Dehqan said on Saturday.

He added that Iran has the right to defend its airspace, land and waters and will "allow no one to carry out any act of aggression."

"We have no limitations to holding military plans and those who came [to the region] from thousands of kilometers away and claim to establish security in the region must know that their presence is a source of insecurity," he pointed out.

The Iranian defense minister's remarks came after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on May 2 that Iran must show off its military power to the US in the Persian Gulf waters.

"The Persian Gulf coast and much of the coasts of the Sea of Oman belong to this powerful [Iranian] nation, therefore we have to be present in this region, [stage] maneuvers and show off our power," the Leader said.

Dehqan further said the US and Saudi Arabia's criticism of Iran over its military drills will not serve their interests.

"The US and Saudi Arabia are trying to destabilize the region to prepare the ground for the [military] presence of the US and extra-regional forces [in the Middle East] so that they can blame Iran for the insecurity that they themselves have created," the Iranian minister said.

He emphasized that this is while Iran contributes to stability and sustainable security in the region

In recent years, Iran has made major breakthroughs in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in the production of important military equipment and systems.

The country has also conducted major military drills to enhance the defense capabilities of its armed forces and to test modern military tactics and state-of-the-art equipment.

The Islamic Republic maintains that its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

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Iran Navy to be equipped with Phalanx system

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sun 8 May 2016 - 13:10

TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iranian Navy will have a local version of the Phalanx, a close Weapon System (CIWS) on military ships.

The system is used for defense against anti-ship missiles, said an Iranian commander.

The Navy Commander of the Iranian Army, Admiral Gholam Reza Biqam, said that the Ministry of Defense of the country performed well in improving the fire Phalanx system.

"The Navy will receive the weapon system once the final tests are carried out," he said.

In March 2015, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, Iranian Navy Commander, unveiled plans for making the locally-made version of Phalanx.

Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) is an anti-ship missile defense system.

End Item

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Security essential for running country's affairs: Leader

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 8:12AM

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says establishment of security is of foremost importance to management of various affairs in the society.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with commanders and senior officials of the Iranian police force in Tehran on Sunday.

"If poverty does not exist in a society but security is also non-existent, the life [in that society] will turn sour," the Leader said.

In the absence of security, important affairs of the country, including education, business, diplomacy, and management of the country would not be possible, Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader stressed that security is one of the main bases for "practical steps and action" which is essential to the implementation of the Economy of Resistance.

Addressing the Iranian nation in his annual message on the occasion of the Persian New Year on March 20, Ayatollah Khamenei chose the rubric 'Economy of Resistance: Practical Steps and Action" as the motto of the year.

Ayatollah Khamenei lauded recent efforts made by the Iranian police to establish security in various fields, warning however, that more steps should be taken in this regard.

The Leader also advised the Iranian police to pay serious attention to establishment of moral security in the society, including by cracking down on miscreants, drug traffickers, and those people who do not show respect for social norms.

Ayatollah Khamenei called on all Iranian officials and nation to protect the existing unity in the country, warning that the enemy seeks to deal a lethal blow to the Islamic Republic by spreading bipolarity and division.

The Leader described the "existence of accurate, overarching and permanent supervision" as essential for having a healthy police force.

Ayatollah Khamenei also emphasized the necessity for establishing security by police force in all residential areas and everywhere that people live, including suburbs of cities, remote regions and small towns.

The Leader mentioned healthiness of the police force as very important given their extensive contacts with people, stressing that "wholesomeness of thought, action and ethics in the police force" will not only win people's support, but also lead to establishment of close contacts between police and people from different walks of life.

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Turkey warplanes bomb PKK positions in northern Iraq

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 5:28PM

Turkish jets have bombed the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq, military sources say.

The Turkish air force conducted airstrikes in four regions in northern Iraq, including Qandil, early on Sunday, destroying ammunition depots, gun installations and bunkers.

The F-16 and F-4 2020 returned home safely after launching the attacks, the sources added.

The Turkish military has been pounding PKK positions in northern Iraq in breach of the country's sovereignty since a ceasefire between Ankara and the group collapsed last July.

Ankara has also been engaged in a large-scale anti-PKK campaign in its southern border region over the past few months.

On Saturday, Turkish forces killed 12 PKK fighters in the country's Mardin, Sirnak and Tunceli provinces, the military said in a statement. Some 11 militants were also arrested in military operations in Hakkari province, it added.

Also on Sunday, a bomb blast took place in Turkey's southeastern city of Nusaybin, killing at least two soldiers. Another soldier was also injured in the explosion that military officials blamed on the PKK.

Turkey's operations against the militant group came after last July bombing in the southern town of Suruc. Over 30 people died in the attack, which the Turkish government blamed on the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group.

After the bombing, the PKK militants, who accuse the Turkish government of supporting Daesh, engaged in a series of reprisal attacks against Turkish police and security forces, prompting the Turkish military operations.

The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey since 1984. The conflict has left more than 40,000 people dead

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Multiple bomb explosions kill 12 in, around Iraq capital

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 4:2PM

At least a dozen people have been killed and dozens more injured in multiple bomb explosions in and around the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, security and medical sources say.

Iraqi security officials said that the largest bomb attack killed three policemen and two civilians in Baghdad's western suburb of Abu Ghraib on Sunday. At least 16 others were also wounded in that attack.

The casualties came after a bomber blew up himself outside a funeral tent for the wife of a local official.

Separately, a bomb explosion in a commercial area in the town of Madain, about 20 kilometers (14 miles) southeast of Baghdad, claimed lives of three civilians and wounded 10 others.

Elsewhere, two separate bomb attacks on commercial areas in Baghdad killed four civilians and wounded 17 others.

On Friday, at least nine people have lost their lives and nearly a dozen others sustained injuries when two bomb explosions ripped through residential neighborhoods near Baghdad.

Latest figures released by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq show a total of 741 Iraqis were killed and 1,374 others injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in April.

According to the UN mission, the number of civilian fatalities stood at 410. Violence also claimed the lives of 331 members of the Iraqi security forces. A great portion of the fatalities was recorded in Baghdad, where 232 civilians were killed.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh terrorists launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of the Iraqi territory.

The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

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Daesh militants besiege 2,000 refugee families in western Iraq

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 5:22AM

Members of the Takfiri Daesh militant group have reportedly laid siege to two villages in Iraq's Anbar Province, which are home to two thousand families, as the extremists continue perpetrating crimes against humanity in the conflict-ridden country.

Local police chief Lieutenant Colonel Aref al-Janabi told Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network that Daesh Takfiris have taken civilians, mostly, women, children and elderly, hostage in Albu Hawi and Hasi villages, which lie north of the city of Amiriyah, located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Fallujah, on Saturday.

He added that Daesh militants have also arrested dozens of young people from the two villages, and prevented the local residents from leaving the area.

Janabi further noted that Daesh terrorists are using scores of the civilians as human shields as tribal fighters together with security forces have launched an operation to retake the two besieged villages.

Elsewhere on the outskirts of the northern town of Hawijah, located about 282 kilometers (175 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad, Daesh members abducted 18 civilians on charges of cooperation with government forces.

A local police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the militants took the people to an unknown location in Hawija, adding that the fate of the abductees remains unclear.

Furthermore, member of al-Baghdadi district council in Anbar Province, Abdul Jabbar al-Obeidi, said on Saturday that Daesh Takfiris have lobbed three mortar rounds at the area, situated about 180 kilometers (110 miles) northwest of Baghdad, on Saturday, with no casualties reported.

He added that the 7th Field Artillery Regiment of the Iraqi Army later gave a befitting response to the attack, incurring losses on Daesh terrorists' ranks.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since Daesh Takfiris launched an offensive in the country in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.

Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.

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Kazakh Police Preempt Land Protests With Arrests

May 07, 2016

by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service

Kazakh police have arrested about two dozen people in Almaty in an apparent effort to preempt new protests urging the government not to pursue large-scale farmland privatization.

The arrests came May 7 as several dozen people gathered in the central square. Police surrounded the gathering and dispersed it immediately, despite the participants saying they had only come to lay flowers at the square's monument to Kazakh independence as the country marks its national Army Day.

Police also arrested some activists in their neighborhoods before they could join the rally. All those arrested May 7 in the square or en route were released shortly afterwards.

Hundreds of Kazakhs have taken to the streets in several cities over the last two weeks in a rare show of public dissent against President Nursultan Nazarbaev's government.

The protesters demand the reversal of a legal reform aimed at launching large-scale privatization of state-owned farmland. The reform includes allowing foreigners to lease plots for up to 25 years, an increase from the current 10 years.

The protests have seen two ministers resign as Nazarbaev has sought to defuse the crisis by declaring on May 5 that he would impose a moratorium until 2017 on the privatization plans.

Kazakh Economy Minister Erbolat Dosaev resigned immediately after Nazarbaev's announcement. Agriculture Minister Asylzhan Mamytbekov resigned on May 6, after Nazarbaev officially reprimanded him for not being fully fit for his post.

The government had previously announced that just under 2 percent of the country's agricultural land would be put up for privatization in an auction process beginning on July 1.

In declaring the moratorium on May 5, Nazarbaev did not say when in 2017 the plan would now be implemented. But he announced the formation of a government commission to oversee land reforms, adding that "we have to do everything to explain to our people the legislation on land privatization via the commission's work."

Demonstrators have also expressed concern that the land auctions would not be done in a transparent way and that the country's elite, rather than farmers, would end up owning the land and selling it at high profit to foreigners.

The government has stressed that while foreigners would be able to rent farmland for up to 25 years, they would not be able to own land or participate in the planned auctions.

Amid the protests authorities have warned that it is a crime to spread "false information about land privatization."

With reporting by Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakh-police- preempt-protests-with-arrests/27721501.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Saudi king Salman sacks ministers in major cabinet rejig

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 3:10PM

Saudi King Salman announced a series of changes in the government on Saturday, sacking some ministers in a major cabinet reshuffle.

In a royal decree, King Salman reformed the ministries of energy, oil, water, transport, commerce, social affairs, health and pilgrimage and replaced ministers in charge of their portfolios.

A decree was also issued by the monarch for setting up a new recreation and culture commission.

However, the most notable change of the portfolios was sacking the long-serving oil minister Ali al-Naimi. He was replaced by Khaled al-Faleh, who acted previously as the health minister. Faleh takes on the portfolio of energy, industry and mineral resources.

Naimi is one of the most powerful figures within the OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). He served more than 20 years in the post of oil minister. Many say he was at odds with Salman's son, Prince Mohammed, a man in his early 30s who reportedly has the final say on many issues in the kingdom.

Other ministries also saw modifications to name and missions, with ministries of labor and social affairs merging to form a single entity while the ministry of water and electricity was totally abandoned. The name of ministry of pilgrimage, which was previously known as Hajj, was changed to include the Umrah, an off-season pilgrimage less important than the main Hajj ritual.

A royal statement issued earlier in the day said the changes in the cabinet were based on some "integrated strategy and several expert studies," adding that the reforms were meant to enable the kingdom continue its "growth and development process." It said the new ministries and bodies will be better able to serve the interests of Saudi Arabia and its citizens. It also wished health and good luck for King Salman who ordered the reforms.

The overhaul comes amid efforts by Saudi Arabia to shore up its finances as the kingdom has struggled year after year with budget deficits as a result of a slump in oil prices.

The Saudi regime is also engaged in a deadly campaign against its southern neighbor, Yemen. The war has further drained Saudi Arabia's vast financial resources.

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Iran Admits Heavy Casualties In Syria

May 07, 2016

by RFE/RL

Tehran says several of its soldiers have been killed in fighting near Aleppo, in what could be one of Iran's biggest losses in Syria since deploying forces to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The Fars news agency on May 7 quoted a Revolutionary Guards official as saying that 13 military advisers had been killed and 21 wounded in the clashes with Islamist insurgents on May 6 in Khan Tuman, some 15 kilometers southwest of Aleppo.

According to Reuters, dozens of people were killed in the battle.

Reports said the attack on Khan Tuman was launched by an alliance of Islamist insurgents known as Jaish al-Fatah, including the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.

Jaish al-Fatah and its affiliates have published on videos and photos on social media of what appear to be the bodies of Iranians or other Shi'ite militias who were killed in Khan Tuman.

Earlier this week, the United States and Russia brokered a cease-fire in the city of Aleppo itself. But fighting in the countryside to the south of the city has escalated in recent days.

In related news, a senior Iranian official has met with Assad and vowed continued support for his government in the country's five-year-old civil war.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, met with Assad in Damascus on May 7.

Syria's state news agency SANA quoted Velayati as saying that Tehran will always stand by Syria because it "knows that terrorism does not target Syria but the whole people of the region."

Velayati's comments came as Russia's Defense Ministry announced that a cease-fire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo has been extended by three days starting on May 7.

The Russian Defense Ministry statement early on May 7 said the extension was made at Moscow's initiative and would also apply to the Latakia region.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-admists-heavy- casualties-syria/27721519.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Turkish shelling in Syria's Aleppo kills 55 Daesh terrorists: Officials

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 8:39PM

Turkish authorities say the country's forces have killed at least 55 Daesh terrorists in the northwestern Syrian province of Aleppo.

The Takfiris were killed on Saturday in retaliation for recurrent rocket attacks on the Turkish border town of Kilis, according to military sources on Sunday

Turkish artillery targeted several regions in the province, destroying rocket installations and three vehicles in addition to killing the terrorists.

Over the past few weeks, at least 20 people have died and some 70 more injured by militant rocket fire on Kilis. According to local authorities, the terrorists cross the border with motorbikes, open fire on the towns, and retreat before they can be targeted by Turkish howitzers stationed at the border.

The town is located some 60 kilometers north of Aleppo and is home to some 110,000 Syrian refugees displaced by the crisis that has engulfed the country over the past five years.

In a separate operation, US-led coalition forces killed 48 Daesh members in various locations in northern Syria.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned lack of support by international forces battling Daesh.

"They have left us alone in our struggle against this organization which is shedding our blood both through suicide bombings and by attacks on Kilis," he said.

"In Syria none of those who say they are fighting Daesh have suffered the kind of losses that we have, nor paid such a heavy price as us," he added while speaking at a film contest in Istanbul.

First casualties since truce

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that three-civilians have been killed and 15 more wounded by militant rocket fire in Aleppo.

According to the UK-based monitoring group, a woman and a child were among those killed in the attack.

The casualties were said to be the first since a US, Russian-backed ceasefire took place in the embattled province on Thursday. The truce is set to expire at 2101 GMT on Monday.

Aleppo has been divided between government forces in the west and militants in the east since 2012.

Khan Tuman liberation

Syrian government jets, meanwhile, carried out attacks on terrorist-held positions in the strategic town of Khan Tuman near Aleppo.

Takfiri militants, led by fellow terrorists from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, took control of Khan Tuman on Friday, shortly before a 48-hour truce in Aleppo was due to expire.

Syrian forces together with military advisors from Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement as well as Iraq's Mobilization Units have converged on the outskirts of the town, located southwest of the provincial capital city of Aleppo, and are gearing up to retake the town.

Iran has slammed Takfiri terrorists' occupation of the strategic village reiterating that the Syrian crisis can be resolved only through political means.

Terrorists and armed groups, erroneously called moderate opposition, have joined hands in capitalizing on the ceasefire in Syria, said Iran's deputy foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, the IRGC announced in a statement that 13 of its military advisers had been killed and 21 others wounded in Khan Tuman over the last few days.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The United Nations special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country's pre-war population of about 23 million.

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Syrian army, allies set to liberate northern town of Khan Tuman

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 10:22AM

Syrian government forces, backed by advisors from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, are preparing to launch a large-scale operation and retake the strategic town of Khan Tuman in Syria's northern province of Aleppo from foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants.

Syrian troopers together with military advisors from Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and fighters from the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement as well as Iraq's Mobilization Units have converged on the outskirts of the town, located southwest of the provincial capital city of Aleppo, and are gearing up for the liberation operation, Fars news agency reported.

Takfiri militants, led by fellow terrorists from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front, took control of Khan Tuman on Friday, shortly before a 48-hour truce in Aleppo was due to expire.

Informed sources, requesting not to be named, told Qatar's al-Jazeera satellite news network that groups involved in the attack included Ahrar al-Sham, Ajnad al-Sham, and other factions under the command of Jaish al-Fatah (The Army of Conquest).

The IRGC announced in a statement on Saturday that 13 of its military advisers had been killed and 21 others wounded in Syria in recent days.

The statement added that the IRGC members were all from Iran's northern province of Mazandaran, noting that they were killed and injured in the town of Khan Tuman.

The town has changed hands between Syrian army soldiers, Daesh Takfiri terrorists and foreign-sponsored militants over the past few months. Syrian soldiers had wrested control over Khan Tuman in last December.

According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people since March 2011.

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UK money in Syria diverted to Daesh: Report

Iran Press TV

Sun May 8, 2016 6:46AM

Millions of pounds of British money channeled to Syria as so-called aid may have ended up in the hands of Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, a UK government report says.

The revelation was made in the December report titled "Assessment of financial risk and fraud" by the Department for International Development (DFID), a British government institution responsible for administering foreign spending, the Mail reported on Sunday.

The money that ends up in Daesh hands came from what London claims to be financial support sent to the war-stricken country.

The UK government has long been providing military and financial aid to the so-called "moderate" militants operating to topple the government in Syria over the past five years.

The DFID conceded that "the most serious risk" to its programs in Syria is "from the large scale diversion of aid, including for the purposes of terrorism."

The value of the money that may have ended up in Daesh hands is about one percent of the total 510 million of British aid that has gone to Syria since 2011, but this still could represent some 5.1 million.

Commenting on the report, MP Andrew Bridgen said that Britons "would be horrified to learn that any of their generously given aid had gone to the death cult" Daesh.

Analyzing the 26.5 million contribution to a humanitarian project run by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the DFID also warned of "a high risk of corruption and fraud," adding, however, that the UN "had robust procedures" to deal with the problem.

This is not the first time that the DFID has acknowledged diversion in its foreign aid.

Back in 2013, the DFID admitted that almost 500,000 of its aid and equipment had reached the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants based in Somalia.

The latest revelation is expected to intensify pressure on British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has pledged to commit 0.7 percent of Britain's gross national product on overseas aid.

Syria has been gripped by a deadly turmoil since March 2011. Damascus says Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are the main supporters of the militants fighting the government forces.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has furthermore displaced over half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million.

British authorities say at least 800 UK nationals have traveled to Syria and Iraq to support or fight alongside the Takfiri terror groups operating there.

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Iran says 13 IRGC forces killed in Syria

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 4:58PM

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says 13 of its military advisers have been killed and 21 others wounded in Syria in recent days.

In a statement on Saturday, the IRGC said the forces were all from Iran's northern province of Mazandaran.

It added that they were killed and injured in the town of Khan Tuman, located in the southwest of the Syrian province of Aleppo.

The statement said the identity of the victims would be released later.

On Thursday, the Syrian army troops delivered a major blow to al-Nusra Front terrorists after the latter launched an attack on the government forces in Khan Tuman.

According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Friday, dozens of the Takfiri terrorists as well as government forces lost their lives during the heavy fighting.

The UK-based group further claimed that the Takfiri militants had managed to retake Khan Tuman and its surrounding villages from the army troops.

The Syrian military is yet to confirm reports about Khan Tuman's fall into the hands of the terrorists. The Syrian armed forces had driven the terrorists out of Khan Tuman in December.

Iran maintains military advisers in Syria, where the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is fighting an array of foreign-backed militant forces, including, but not limited to, those of the Daesh terrorist group.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has furthermore displaced over half of Syria's pre-war population of about 23 million.

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Syrian Regime Fails to Regain Control of Hama Prison

by Jamie Dettmer May 08, 2016

Government forces have failed to regain control of a Syrian prison where nearly 800 mostly political detainees have maintained a revolt for nearly a week.

Syrian opposition leaders warn of a possible massacre of detainees in Hama Central Prison, calling on the international community to take urgent action.

"We believe that the international community is able to prevent any possible massacre against the prison inmates," said Taysir Alloush, a member of the political committee of the Syrian National Council, the Western-backed opposition group.

Conditions at the prison have deteriorated since government forces stormed the prison Friday night and managed to seize the facility's food stocks, say political activists. Videos posted by inmates on social media showed men gasping for breath after government troops fired tear gas canisters in cell blocks. Gunfire could also be heard.

The prison has been surrounded by government forces since Monday, after inmates rioted and seized guards. The immediate cause for the riot was the planned transfer of some detainees to the notorious Sednaya prison run by the country's feared Syrian military intelligence branch north of the capital Damascus.

"Inmates are running out of food and water and even medicines are no longer being given to those in serious conditions," said Syrian rights activist Mazen Darwish, a former detainee. The prisoners have called on the Syrian Red Crescent to help mediate an agreement.

Forty-six detainees were released by the regime last week before talks broke down.

Human rights

International rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, are also raising concern about the likely fate of the Hama inmates, if the government renews attempts to storm the jail.

"This standoff should not end in a bloodbath," said Nadim Houry of Human Rights Watch. "The situation in Syria's detention facilities and prisons is deeply unstable and prison conditions should be a priority for the international community."

In Whatsapp communications with Human Rights Watch, detainees said they had managed on May 1 to seize control of large sections of the prison.

"We began to protest because a military field court sentenced five detainees to death, but these courts do not have the right to issue sentences," Mohamed, one of the prisoners said. "We were able to take over all the security areas, prison wings, the prison restaurant, and the officer's office during our walkabout time in the courtyard."

"During the riot, when the police stormed the prison to stop us from protesting, we were able to capture seven policemen, and the police are afraid to storm us again so we don't capture more of them. Police then used teargas and shot live rounds in the air, but that didn't work to calm us down. So they sent in the head of the prison to negotiate with us," he said.

Rights groups have called for the Assad regime to observe the U.N. Basic Principles of the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which says law enforcement officials must "minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life," and use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect life.

On Friday, Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, tweeted, "Horrible reports of authorities attack on #Syria Hama prison. With regime's record of mistreating prisoners, escalation is alarming."

In February, U.N. investigators released a damning report on the treatment of prisoners in President Bashar al-Assad's Syria, accusing the regime of a systematic, country-wide pattern of prisoner abuse, which they said amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The government's crimes against prisoners included "extermination, murder... torture, imprisonment, enforced disappearance and other inhuman acts," according to the report by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria.

In February 2015, a team of internationally renowned war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts found "direct evidence" of "systematic torture and killing" by the Assad regime, issuing a report based on thousands of photographs taken by a Syrian military photographer of dead bodies of detainees killed while in Syrian government custody.

Geneva peace talks

The U.N. Security Council has repeatedly demanded the release of arbitrarily detained Syrian inmates. Last month, U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said he would appoint a senior member of his team to focus on detainee issues in the now stalled Geneva peace talks.

"Detainees, and their fate, should be at the heart of Syria's negotiations," Houry said. "Their release should be on everyone's priority list."

Meanwhile, Ankara claimed Turkish forces killed 55 Islamic State militants when shelling three rocket installations of the jihadist group in northern Syria. Local Turkish media reported that up to 20 Turkish commandos carried out a ground operation in Syria Saturday night to help guide the shelling of the IS rocket launch pads that have been used to target Turkey's southeastern Kilis border province.

The Turkish border town of Kilis has been regularly hit by IS rockets in recent weeks. Turkish officials say 20 people have been killed and almost 70 wounded in IS attacks.

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Erdogan accuses EU of 'sidelining democracy' in terror fight

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 5:40PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again criticized the European Union for pressing his country to change terror laws, saying the EU is "sidelining democracy" in its own anti-terror campaign.

"Those who criticize us are reduced to sidelining democracy and freedoms when bombs started to explode on their soil," Erdogan said in a speech in the southeastern city of Malatya on Saturday.

Last week, the European Union asked member states to exempt Turkish nationals from visa in return for Turkey curbing refugees' flow to Europe, under a deal sealed between the bloc and Ankara in March. Turkey, however, said it still had to change some laws first, including its terrorism laws which critics say are too broad and impinge on basic rights.

Under the EU-Turkey controversial deal, Ankara agreed to take back all the asylum seekers and refugees, who had used its territory to illegally reach the EU shores in return for a number of commitments from the EU, including a financial aid, visa liberalization and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

"I am going to talk plainly: on the question of visas, let those who call on Turkey to modify its anti-terrorism law start by removing tents set up by the terrorists at the doors of the European Parliament," Erdogan added.

He made the remarks in an apparent reference to tents set up by supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Brussels outside an EU-Turkey summit in March.

In a televised speech on Friday, Erdogan rejected EU's demand to change the country's terror laws, saying Turkey would not change its panoply of anti-terror laws.

"They say 'I am going to abolish visas and this is the condition.' I'm sorry, we're going our way, you go yours. Agree with whoever you can agree," he said.

"When Turkey is under attack from terrorist organizations and the powers that support them directly, or indirectly, the EU is telling us to change the law on terrorism," he continued.

Turkey has been asking the 28-nation bloc to allow its 79 million citizens to enter the bloc's passport-free Schengen zone without a visa, a call that has faced 72 conditions, which are listed in an EU framework titled the Roadmap Towards a Visa Free Regime with Turkey.

Erdogan has previously warned Brussels that Ankara would stop fulfilling its side of the deal if the EU's promises are not kept.

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Erdogan urges vote on presidential system

Iran Press TV

Sat May 7, 2016 8:49AM

Hot on the heels of Prime Minister and longtime henchman Ahmet Davutoglu's resignation, Turkey's president has urged the holding of a national referendum on the introduction of a presidential system to replace the current parliamentary one in the country.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the referendum on Friday, a day after the premier's resignation.

In order to flip the country's ruling system, Turkey needs to make changes to its constitution, which itself requires popular approval.

"In order to be strong, we need to rapidly present a presidential system which is the guarantee of stability and trust to the approval of the people," he said.

Observers say Erdogan may be incrementally accumulating power in his own hands, especially as he indirectly forced out Davutoglu, an ally who, while faithfully following the president's line, introduced nuances of his own in running the country nevertheless.

Erdogan has been haranguing in favor of a presidential system based on the claim that the country cannot be run by two strongmen.

"A car that has two drivers cannot go without an accident. It will inevitably have an accident," Ismail Kahraman, the speaker of the Grand National Assembly (Turkish parliament), who is an Erdogan ally, recently said in description of the bid for a presidential system.

Davutoglu had, however, asserted that such a system would eat away at his sphere of authority. On Thursday, he said he would resign from heading the ruling AKP party and premiership when a special congress session is held on May 22 to pick another person.

The party had already stripped the premier late last month of the power to elect provincial party officials, dealing a body blow to his political leeway.

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German paper questions Erdogan family's immeasurable wealth

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sun 8 May 2016 - 15:58

TEHRAN (ISNA)- German newspaper Bild raised questions as to how Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's children amassed their vast wealth, including one fortune worth tens of millions, when their father only earns some 50 thousand a year as head of state.

Bild newspaper said that while "their father President Erdogan earns some 50 thousand euro per year, his children bathe in luxury. Where does it come from? There is no official data on that account", RT reported.

The article then cites data published by Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet, which stated that everyone in Erdogan's family, including his younger daughter, appear to be into business, dealing in such spheres as cosmetics, instant foods, the shipping industry, and jewelry.

The German newspaper notes that the net worth of one of Erdogan's sons, Ahmet, amounts to some $80 million, with conflicting rumors concerning how he got this money. "A question is in order that does he get support from the Turkish government," Bild writes.

The paper adds that the President's younger son, Bilal, often appears in media headlines "in connection with shady and criminal deals." Indeed, Bilal Erdogan was recently tried in Italy over claims that his estate may be connected to a massive political corruption scandal involving Turkey's ruling AKP party that broke in 2013, rocking the Turkish political establishment. He now lives in Italy, allegedly to finish his dissertation. Along with his sister, he is suspected of corruption and bribery.

Bild also took note of last year's discoveries published by the British news outlet, The Guardian, which uncovered information indicating that Turkish businessmen are actively involved in various deals with ISIL terrorists, such as illegal oil smuggling.

"One of them according to the Guardian data is Bilal Erdogan," Bild points out.

Meanwhile, the Turkish government might soon see one of Erdogan's family members join their family at the helm.

The current Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is effectively stepping down from his position. Davutoglu had championed closer links with the EU and was in favor of introducing visa-free travel for Turks, which was a key part of a deal between Brussels and Ankara to reduce the amount of migrants reaching the EU from Turkish territory.

Davutoglu is seen in Europe as the more liberal face of the government in Ankara, while Erdogan is often blamed for creating a powerful executive presidency that his critics slam as authoritarian.

Bild cites opinions that "in Erdogan's view, Davutoglu has too much influence in the country due to his role in negotiations with the EU and his criticism of the presidential system which Erdogan is building."

Erdogan has yet to appoint Davutoglu's successor, but as the President will no doubt want his replacement to be more malleable, it is speculated that Erdogan's son-in-law, Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, might have what it takes.

Albayrak's appointment as the government's leader would benefit the whole Erdogan family, especially Bilal, who has been accused of involvement in illegal oil smuggling in Syria and Iraq.

Bild states that Albayrak might be "that firm part of the clan" that the Turkish head of state wants to see by his side.

End Item

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Erdogan Blasts West for Leaving Turkey to Fight IS Alone

by Lou Lorscheider May 08, 2016

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing Western powers who are battling Islamic State extremists in northern Syria of failing to help his government fight the jihadists on Turkish soil.

"They have left us alone in our struggle against this organization (Islamic State), which is shedding our blood both through suicide bombings" and by cross-border rocket attacks on the Turkish border town of Kilis. Erdogan spoke Sunday in Istanbul.

His remarks came a day after authorities say Turkish shelling killed 55 IS insurgents in northern Syria, in retaliation for weeks of rocket attacks that have killed more than 20 people in and near Kilis.

Military sources quoted by Reuters said Saturday's Turkish artillery fire was directed at several areas north of the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo. They say the shelling also destroyed three IS rocket installations and three vehicles.

Erdogan's complaint is the latest sign of friction between Ankara and the European Union, which has called on Turkey to reform anti-terror laws that Western analysts say are being used increasingly against the president's critics and opponents.

For his part, Erdogan insists that his country -- facing dual threats from Kurdish rebels and IS terrorism -- needs to strengthen anti-terror laws rather than curtail them.

Last week, Brussels demanded anti-terror reforms as one of five remaining conditions Ankara must meet before its citizens can become eligible for visa-free travel within the 28-nation European Union.

"They (EU envoys) say they are going to abolish visas and this is the condition," Erdogan told supporters in Istanbul. "I'm sorry, we're going our way. You go yours," he said Friday.

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27 April 2016  For the first time in 15 years of tracking by GlobeScan, findings indicate that nearly one in two people (49%) surveyed across 14 tracking countries see themselves more as global citizens than citizens of their country. This sentiment is being driven by citizens of large emerging economies, according to a new poll for the BBC World Service.

The poll, conducted by GlobeScan among more than 20,000 people worldwide between December 2015 and April 2016, is being released as part of the BBC World Service Identity Seasona Spring season of broadcasts on the World Services 27 language services exploring stories about how people identify themselves around the world.

Among all 18 countries where this question was asked in 2016, the poll suggests more than half (51%) see themselves more as global citizens than citizens of their country, against 43 per cent who identify nationally. This is the first time since tracking began in 2001 that there is a global majority who leans this way, and the results in 2016 are driven by strong increases since 2015 in non-OECD countries including Nigeria (73%, up 13 points), China (71%, up 14 points), Peru (70%, up 27 points), and India (67%, up 13 points).

Looking at the 14 tracking countries that have been surveyed repeatedly since 2001, a growing divide appears on the topic of global citizenship between respondents from developing economies and those from industrialised countries. At the height of the financial crisis in 2009, views were fairly similar across the two country groupings, with 48 per cent in seven OECD countries seeing themselves more as global citizens than national, and 45 per cent in seven non-OECD countries. This sentiment has continued to grow at a strong pace since then among respondents in emerging economies to reach a high of 56 per cent in both 2015 and 2016. Conversely in seven OECD countries it has followed an opposite trajectory, dropping to a low of 39 per cent in 2011 and remaining at low levels since (now at 42%). This latter trend has been particularly pronounced in Germany where the poll suggests identification with global citizenship has dropped 13 points since 2009 to only 30 per cent today (the lowest since 2001).

The poll also asked about the level of approval for different demographic developments changing the population make-up of their country, and results indicate public opinion is generally quite supportive of a number of trends shaping global society. In the 19 countries surveyed for this series of questions, three quarters (75%) of respondents approve of intermarriage between different races or ethnic groups, and more than six in ten (63%) approve of immigration from other countries (with 31% disapproving). Similar degrees of openness are observed on accepting refugees, with 62 and 57 per cent respectively supporting their country admitting refugees fleeing conflict generally, and from Syria in particular. On all of these statements, German attitudes stand out due to the unusually high percentage of respondents choosing neither agree nor disagree, or that it depends. A majority of Germans (54%) nonetheless approves the acceptance of Syrian refugees.

GlobeScan Chairman Doug Miller commented: The polls finding that growing majorities of people in emerging economies identify as global citizens will challenge many peoples (and organisations) ideas of what the future might look like.

Other Findings

An additional question on the poll gave respondents a broader range of options to reflect on how they consider their identity. Results reveal the complexity of the issue and show how people can identify in different ways.

When offered a choice between five distinct identities, more than one in two citizens (52%) across 19 countries define their most important identity as citizens of their country, outnumbering those who view themselves as being a world citizen (17%), a resident of their local community (11%), or who identify themselves primarily through their religion (9%), or their race or culture (8%). Out of 19 countries, majorities or strong pluralities in 16 countries describe being a national citizen as the most important feature of their identity. National citizenship is the strongest in Kenya (84%) and Ghana (81%), followed by Russia (70%), Nigeria (68%), and Chile (64%).

Three countries stand out in the way their populations think about self-identity. Spaniards are by far the most likely to identify with world citizenship (54%). For 56 per cent of Indonesians, belonging to their local community is the strongest defining identity. And for Pakistanis, a strong plurality (43%) identify first as a member of their religion.

The results are drawn from a telephone and in-person survey of 20,823 adult citizens across 21 participating countries in total. Not all questions were asked in all countries. The poll was conducted for the BBC World Service between December 2, 2015 and April 15, 2016 by the international opinion research and consultancy firm GlobeScan and its national research partners. Within-country results are considered accurate within +/- 2.8 to 3.7 per cent 19 times out of 20. Urban-only samples were used in Brazil, China, Indonesia, and Kenya.

For participating countries and detaild findings, see below. For full methodology, question wording, and research partners, please see the drop-down links at the bottom of this article.

Participating Countries

Urban-only samples were used in Brazil, China, Indonesia, and Kenya.

Detailed Findings















Media Contacts

For media interviews, please contact:

Stacy Rowland, Director, Public Relations and Communications, GlobeScan Direct: +1 416 992 2705 stacy.rowland@globescan.com



Doug Miller, Chairman, GlobeScan Direct: +1 519 370 0300 Mobile: +1 416 230 2231 doug.miller@globescan.com



Lionel Bellier, Associate Director, GlobeScan Mobile: +44 (0) 789 601 1645 lionel.bellier@globescan.com



About BBC World Service

BBC World Service is an international multimedia broadcaster, delivering a wide range of language and regional services on radio, TV, online and via wireless handheld devices. It uses multiple platforms to reach its weekly audience of 166 million globally, including shortwave, AM, FM, digital satellite and cable channels. Its news sites include audio and video content and offer opportunities to join the global debate. BBC World Service offers its multilingual radio content to partner FM stations around the world and has numerous partnerships supplying content to news websites, mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices as well as TV channels. For more information, visit bbcworldservice.com

Methodology In total 20,823 citizens in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and the United States were interviewed face-to-face or by telephone between December 2, 2015 and April 15, 2016. Polling was conducted by GlobeScan and its research partners in each country.

In Brazil, China, Indonesia, and Kenya, urban samples were used. The margin of error per country ranges from +/- 2.8 to 3.7 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Country Sample Size (unweighted) Field dates Sample frame Survey methodology Type of sample Australia 802 February 29  March 21, 2016 18+ Telephone National Brazil 804 January 25  February 12, 2016 18-69 Face-to-face Urban1 Canada 1020 March 724, 2016 18+ Telephone National Chile 1200 December 2, 2015  January 5, 2016 18+ Face-to-face National China 1055 April 215, 2016 18+ Telephone Urban2 France 1055 February 22  March 3, 2016 18+ Telephone National Germany 1001 February 418, 2016 16-70 Telephone National Ghana 1053 March 16  April 12, 2016 18-65 Face-to-face National Greece 704 March 1628, 2016 18+ Telephone National India 1269 March 1530, 2016 18+ Face-to-face National Indonesia 1000 March 1226, 2016 18+ Face-to-face Urban3 Kenya 1010 March 420, 2016 18+ Face-to-face Urban4 Mexico 999 March 1822, 2016 18+ Face-to-face National Nigeria 800 March 924, 2016 18+ Face-to-face National Pakistan 1000 February 19  March 5, 2016 18+ Face-to-face National Peru 1205 March 1427, 2016 18-70 Face-to-face National Russia 1020 March 921, 2016 18+ Face-to-face National South Korea 1000 March 2024, 2016 19+ Telephone National Spain 815 February 29  March 29, 2016 18+ Telephone National United Kingdom 1005 February 22  March 13, 2016 18+ Telephone National USA 1006 February 29  March 13, 2016 18+ Telephone National In Brazil the survey was conducted in Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Curitiba, Goiania, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Sao Paulo, representing 23 per cent of the national adult population. In China the survey was conducted in Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Hefei, Kunming, Nanning, Shanghai, Shenyang, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xian, Xining, Zhengzhou representing 14 per cent of the national adult population. In Indonesia the survey was conducted in Bandung, Jakarta, Makassar, Medan, and Surabaya, representing 27 per cent of the national adult population. In Kenya, the survey was conducted in seven out of the eight former administrative provinces targeting the 45 per cent of the adult population in urban and mixed settlements. The survey sample included urban populations in 30 counties representing 64 per cent of all counties. The counties included in the sample were: Bungoma, Busia, Embu, Kajiado, Kakamega, Kericho, Kiambu, Kilifi, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Kisumu, Kitui, Kwale, Laikipia, Machakos, Marsabit, Meru, Migori, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Narok, Nyamira, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Siaya, Trans Nzoia, Turkana, Uasin Gishu, Vihiga.

Research Partners Country Research Institute Location Contact Australia GlobeScan Toronto Robin Miller

robin.miller@globescan.com

+1 647 528 2767 Brazil Market Analysis Florianopolis Fabian Echegaray

fabian@marketanalysis.com.br

+55 48 3364 0000 Canada GlobeScan Toronto Robin Miller

robin.miller@globescan.com

+1 647 528 2767 Chile Mori Chile Santiago Marta Lagos

mlagos@morichile.cl

+56 2334 4544 China GlobeScan Toronto Robin Miller

robin.miller@globescan.com

+1 647 528 2767 France Efficience 3 Paris and Rheims Thierry Laurain

thierry.l@efficience3.com

+33 1 4316 5442 Germany Ri*QUESTA GmbH Teningen Bernhard Rieder

riquesta.rieder@t-online.de

+49 7641 93 43 36 Greece MRB Hellas Athens Vivian Antonopoulou

vantonopoulou@mrb.gr

+30210 6971000 /+306944 414756 Ghana Business Interactive Consulting Limited Accra Razaaque Animashaun

info@bigghana.com

+233 302 783140 / +233 302 782892 India Team C Voter Noida Yashwant Deshmukh

yashwant@teamcvoter.com

+91 120 424 7135 Indonesia DEKA Marketing Research Jakarta Ratna Mulia Darmawan

ratna.darmawan@deka-research.co.id

+62 21 723 6901 Kenya Research Path Associates Ltd. Nairobi Charles Onsongo

charles.onsongo@rpa.co.ke

+254 20 2734770 Mexico Parametria Mexico City Francisco Abundis

fabundis@parametria.com.mx

+52 55 2614 0089 Nigeria Market Trends Lagos Jo Ebhomenye

joebhomenye@hotmail.com

+234 1734 7384 Pakistan Gallup Pakistan Islamabad Ijaz Shafi Gilani

isb@gallup.com.pk

+92 51 2655630 Peru Datum Lima Urpi Torrado

urpi@datum.com.pe

+511 215 0600 Russia CESSI Institute for Comparative Social Research Moscow Vladimir Andreenkov

vladimir.andreenkov@cessi.ru

+7 495 650 55 18 South Korea East Asia Institute Seoul Wonchil Chung

cwc@eai.or.kr

+82 2 2277 1683 Spain Sigma Dos Int. Madrid Petrana Valentinova

petrana@sigmados.com

+34 91 360 0474 United Kingdom Populus Data Solutions London Patrick Diamond

pdiamond@populusdatasolutions.com

+44 207 553 4148 USA GlobeScan Toronto Robin Miller

robin.miller@globescan.com

+1 647 528 2767
Sydney, Australia (ABN Newswire) - Atrum Coal NL (ASX:ATU) is pleased to announce it has received the required permits to start mining activities at its flagship Groundhog Anthracite Project ("Groundhog"), located in British Columbia, Canada.Highlights:- Bulk Sample Permit and associated permits have been received from the BC Government- Total bulk sample size of 100,000 tonnes approved for extraction by way of surface cut-and-cover and underground mining- Atrum is now permitted to begin bulk sample mining activities, designed to supply customers trial cargoes of Groundhog Ultra 10% ash anthraciteGroundhog North Mining ComplexThe British Columbia Government approved the permits required to start bulk sample mining at Groundhog.The permits include:1. Amendment to Atrum's Mineral & Coal Exploration Activities & Reclamation Permit (commonly referred to as the Bulk Sample Permit) to mine the bulk sample; and2. Special Use Permit to use an existing railbed subgrade for land access to move equipment to the mine site and truck the bulk sample to the railway connection point.Executive Chairman, Bob Bell commented:"Obtaining the Bulk Sample and associated permits is a major step forward in the development of the Groundhog Anthracite Project and Atrum as a Company.To date, the company has successfully achieved a number of important milestones in exploration and planning. This includes delineating a rare deposit of ultra-high grade anthracite, and the design of the bulk sample project to take into account the interests of affected aboriginal groups.The awarding of these permits allows us to move to the next phase of our development as a mining company, and begin construction at our Groundhog North Mining Complex. We are excited by the opportunity to produce additional test material for our customers, and look forward to selling the first cargo of Groundhog North anthracite.The awarding of these permits is the result of an extensive, iterative review process, involving officials from several ministries within the British Columbia Government, Aboriginal Groups, and the Company. We thank all who participated for the time and energy spent reviewing our project application and advising the approved final permits.The granting of these permits demonstrates Atrum has the capability to satisfy regulatory requirements to undertake mining activity at Groundhog, and underpins our investment in the jurisdiction of British Columbia."These permits allow Atrum to begin mining activities at Groundhog designed to extract a bulk sample of up to 100,000 tonnes of anthracite from Groundhog North. The ultra-high grade lump and fine anthracite produced from the bulk sample are expected to be sold to customers for trials in blast furnace and sinter plants, with the potential to provide a portion of the product for beneficiation for specialty industrial users. These customer trials are required to secure long-term offtake agreements for supply of Groundhog Ultra High Grade 10% ash anthracite. Atrum Coal NL (ASX:ATU) is an emerging metallurgical coal explorer and developer.The Company has a substantial coal position in British Columbia which, as a region boasts:- Abundance of high quality PCI, coking and anthracite coals- Well developed rail and port infrastructure with excess capacity- Access to deep sea ports- Competitive shipping distance to Asia- Positive government stance on miningThe Company is building a quality portfolio of metallurgical coal assets suited to the Asian export market and the Board of Directors have a strong track record in identifying and developing world class coal assets in Australia and abroad.Bob Bell, Executive ChairmanM: +1-604-763-4180E: rbell@atrumcoal.comTheo Renard, Company SecretaryM: +61-430-205-889E: trenard@atrumcoal.comNathan Ryan, Investor RelationsM: +61-420-582-887E: nathan@atrumcoal.com
GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - Angkor Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE: ANK) ("ANGKOR") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Definitive Agreement ("DA") with Blue River Resources ("Blue River") to explore ANGKOR's 100% owned Banlung tenement in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The agreement gives Blue River initially the right to participate in up to a 50% interest of the Banlung license after the completion of a total investment of US$3.5 million in exploration expenditures over a 4-year period. Once the first 3 options have been satisfied, Blue River may then exercise their option on an additional 20% interest of the Banlung tenement through the commission and completion of a bankable feasibility study on the property or portion thereof.

Blue River Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration and development company, focused on discovering and developing copper deposits in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt of British Columbia and Washington State.

"I am pleased to announce this agreement with Blue River today. The beauty of this anomaly is its close proximity to surface -- making it easier to work on, and quicker to move to a development strategy if warranted," said Mike Weeks, President of ANGKOR. He continued, "We will now move full steam ahead with exploration plans at Okalla West to build our understanding of the depth and layout of this gold anomaly with an eye towards operationalizing the area."

"There are great synergies here, and we are keen to get on the ground and build shareholder value for both companies moving forward," stated Griffin Jones, President of Blue River. "We have been looking for the right opportunity to explore outside of the traditional markets for Blue River. Angkor Gold and Cambodia are the perfect fit with the country's growing infrastructure, and significant potential as a developing world-class mining sector."

Today's announcement follows a previous release of surface data on the Banlung tenement dated October 13, 2015 where ANGKOR disclosed the discovery of a 2 km2 gold anomaly.

Highlights:

ANGKOR will receive a non-refundable US$100,000 exploration payment from Blue River, and grant Blue River the following earn-in Options: Option #1 - Based on additional Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$900,000 from June 30, 2016 through March 30, 2018, Blue River will be granted a 10% interest on the Banlung Tenement; Option #2 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,500,000 no later than 2 years following the date that Option 1 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a 30% interest on the Banlung Tenement for a total of 40%; Option #3 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,000,000 no later than 1 year from the date Option 2 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a further 10% interest on the Banlung Tenement for a total of 50%; Option #4 - Based on the completion of a Bankable Feasibility Study on the Banlung Tenement, or portion thereof, Blue River will earn a final 20% interest on the Banlung Tenement for a total of 70%.

Upon completion of the 4th Option, ANGKOR will maintain a 30% free-carry on the Banlung Tenement, or can convert at its discretion, to a 5% Net-Smelter Return.

"Our plans are to advance exploration quickly and efficiently on the Banlung tenement with specific focus on the Okalla West prospect initially but to also capture and comprehend the Banlung intrusive structure," continued Weeks. "It is a large property with lots of potential."

"In addition to the gold anomaly at Okalla West, the discovery of olivine-pyroxenite rocks in the south-west of Okalla West prospect, coupled with the cobalt, copper, chrome, nickel and vanadium termite mound anomalism in the same area keeps the door open to the potential for economic base metals within the mafic complex," stated John Paul Dau, VP of Operations. "These early indications on Okalla West show the great potential of the area as a flagship project for both companies," he concluded.

ANGKOR has plans to continue its current work programs on two of its priority prospects -- Halo and Peacock prospects, on two other licenses. These work programs include PEACOCK Prospect on the Koh Nheak license and Halo Prospect on the Oyadao South licenses, including:

PEACOCK -

2.5 - 3.5km of trenching and composite assay sampling over priority areas defined by moderate to high intermediate IP anomalies, mapped breccia zones, interpreted IP fault zones, associated with rock gold assay results of 1.85 to 31.8 g/t Au

A further 2 x 1km depth section IP surveys

Test drilling based on these results

HALO -

Construct access road

7.3km of shallow trenching for structural mapping, composite geochemical sampling and spectral analysis to better define the mineralization, structures and alteration zones

Soil pH testing of termite mound samples within the identified phyllic zone, to correlate hydrothermal alteration with areas containing base metals

10km 2 intermediate surface IP survey over the phyllic alteration zone and 3 x depth section IP surveys based on the results of the surface IP

intermediate surface IP survey over the phyllic alteration zone and 3 x depth section IP surveys based on the results of the surface IP Detailed 1:2,000 scale geology mapping

Test drilling based on the results of the above programs and surveys

The QP for this release, which he wrote and approved, is Kurtis Dunstone, BSc Geology, Senior Project Manager for ANGKOR. Mr. Dunstone has fifteen years post graduate mining and global exploration industry experience, across Australia, Canada, Papua New Guinea and Cambodia, and is a current member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists.

ANGKOR's seven exploration licences in the Kingdom of Cambodia cover 1,448 km2, which the company has been actively exploring over the past 6 years. The company has now covered all tenements with stream sediment geochemical sampling; the company has flown low level aeromagnetic surveys over most of the ground; drilled 21,855 metres of NQ core in 190 holes; and has collected in excess of 110,000 termite mound, and 'B' and 'C' zone soil samples in over 20 centres of interest over a combined area of over 140km2, in addition to numerous trenches and detailed geological field mapping. Exploration on all tenements is ongoing.

ANGKOR GOLD CORP.

Angkor Gold Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange, is Cambodia's premier gold explorer with a significantly large land package and a first-mover advantage with excellent relationships at all levels of Government (local to national).

Blue River Resources Ltd.

Blue River Resources Ltd. has a 100% interest in two mineral properties in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt, The Castle Copper Project near the Copper Mountain Mine, Princeton, BC and the Mazama Copper Deposit, Okanogan County, Wa.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/5/6/11G097110/Images/image1-fdfe227695f1933e87a6ff427eba1742.jpeg


Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 9, 2016) - Blue River Resources Ltd. (TSXV: BXR) (OTCPINK: BRVRF) ("BLUE RIVER") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Definitive Agreement ("DA") with Angkor Gold Corp. to explore Angkor's 100% owned, 150 sq. km, Banlung tenement in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. The agreement gives Blue River initially the right to participate in up to a 50% interest of the Banlung license after the completion of a total investment of US$3.5 million in exploration expenditures over a 4-year period. Once the first 3 options have been satisfied, Blue River may then exercise their option on an additional 20% interest of the Banlung tenement through the commission and completion of a bankable feasibility study on the property or portion thereof.

Blue River Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration and development company, focused on discovering and developing copper deposits in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt of British Columbia and Washington State.

Today's announcement follows a previous release of surface data on the Banlung tenement dated October 13, 2015 where ANGKOR disclosed the discovery of a 2 km2 gold anomaly.

"I am pleased to announce this agreement with Blue River today. The beauty of this anomaly is its close proximity to surface - making it easier to work on, and quicker to move to a development strategy if warranted," said Mike Weeks, President of ANGKOR. He continued, "We will now move full steam ahead with exploration plans at Okalla West to build our understanding of the depth and layout of this gold anomaly with an eye towards operationalizing the area."

"There are great synergies here, and we are keen to get on the ground and build shareholder value for both companies moving forward," stated Griffin Jones, President of Blue River. "We have been looking for the right opportunity to explore outside of the traditional markets for Blue River. Angkor Gold and Cambodia are the perfect fit with the country's growing infrastructure, and significant potential as a developing world-class mining sector."





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Highlights:





ANGKOR will receive a non-refundable US$100,000 exploration payment from Blue River, and grant Blue River the following earn-in Options:

Option #1 - Based on additional Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$900,000 from June 30-2016 through March 30, 2018, Blue River will be granted a 10% interest to the Banlung Tenement;

Option #2 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,500,000 no later than 1 year following the date that Option 1 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a 30% interest to the Banlung Tenement for a total of 40%;

Option #3 - Based on Exploration & Development Expenditures of US$1,000,000 no later than 1 year from the date Option 2 is exercised, Blue River will be granted a further 10% interest to the Banlung Tenement for a total of 50%;

Option #4 - Based on the completion of a Bankable Feasibility Study on the Banlung Tenement, or portion thereof, Blue River will earn a final 20% interest to the Banlung Tenement for a total of 70%.

Upon completion of the 4th Option, ANGKOR will maintain a 30% free-carry on the Banlung Tenement, or can convert at its discretion, to a 5% Net-Smelter Return.

"Our plans are to advance exploration quickly and efficiently on the Banlung tenement with specific focus on the Okalla West prospect initially but to also capture and comprehend the Banlung intrusive structure," continued Weeks. "It is a large property with lots of potential."

"In addition to the gold anomaly at Okalla West, the discovery of olivine-pyroxenite rocks in the south-west of Okalla West prospect, coupled with the cobalt, copper, chrome, nickel and vanadium termite mound anomalism in the same area keeps the door open to the potential for economic base metals within the mafic complex," stated John Paul Dau, VP of Operations. "These early indications on Okalla West show the great potential of the area as a flagship project for both companies," he concluded.

Technical information contained in this news release was reviewed by Jonathan Soper, P. Eng., a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101.

ANGKOR GOLD CORP.

Angkor Gold Corp. is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture Exchange (ANK) and is Cambodia's premier gold explorer, with a significantly large land package and a first-mover advantage with excellent relationships at all levels of Government (local to national).

BLUE RIVER RESOURCES LTD

Blue River Resources Ltd. has a 100% interest in two mineral properties in the Quesnel Trough Copper Belt, the Castle Copper Project near the Copper Mountain Mine, Princeton, BC and the Mazama Copper Deposit, Okanogan County, Wa.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

BLUE RIVER RESOURCES LTD.

/s/ Griffin Jones

Griffin Jones

President, Director



For further information contact:

Griffin Jones, Tel: (604) 682-7339

www.Blueriv.com
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSX VENTURE:UCU)(OTCQX:UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to update on the early-stage performance of the SuperLig-One rare earth element ("REE") separation pilot plant (the "Plant" or "SuperLig-One").

Pregnant leach solution ("PLS") derived from the Company's Bokan-Dotson Ridge project in Alaska has been treated by the first circuit of the SuperLig-One Molecular Recognition Technology ("MRT") Plant, at the IBC Advanced Technologies, Inc. ("IBC") Utah facility, to separate and recover the REE contained therein, as a group.

Since announcement of the completion of SuperLig certifications, PLS analysis, automation control verification, water testing, and process flow testing of the Plant (see Ucore Press Release dated April 4, 2016), PLS has been run through the first processing circuit of the Plant, with the following results:

Rare Earth Class Separation from Gangue Metals - The REE, as a group, have been separated from the impurity metals in the PLS ("Gangue Metals"). The Gangue Metals are non-REE constituents such as iron, thorium, uranium, zinc, copper, nickel, titanium, zirconium, and other trace base metals. This early-stage separation of REE from Gangue Metals distinguishes SuperLig-One from other, less selective technologies such as solvent extraction and ion exchange ("Legacy Separation Technologies"). In the case of Legacy Separation Technologies, Gangue Metals are co-extracted with the REE, necessitating the use of excessive separation stages downstream in order to achieve the same purity levels obtained by SuperLig.

Rare Earth Element Recovery - The REE, as a group, have been recovered at the > 99% level, leaving essentially no REE in the tailings. This accomplishment replicates prior lab-scale work, permitting practically all of the REE originally present in the PLS to be available for commercial utilization. Legacy Separation Technologies result in appreciable quantities of REE remaining in the tailings.

Rare Earth Element Purity - The purity of the recovered REE, as a group, have been qualified as > 99%. The paucity of impurity metals in the pure REE solution, resulting from the initial SuperLig circuit, greatly facilitates subsequent separation of the individual REE.

Verification of Results and Confirmation of Scale-up Parameters - The results have been verified analytically at IBC using inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy ("ICP"). The results obtained are consistent with the previous lab-scale test work performed at IBC, confirming that the SuperLig-One Plant is scaling as expected.





"We're pleased with IBC's continued rapid progress towards confirming the use of MRT for the separation of rare earth elements at pilot scale," said Jim McKenzie, President and CEO of Ucore. "To see the results of the Rare Earth Class Separation, completely consistent with those predicted at bench-scale, provides us with further confidence regarding the ability for SuperLig to scale to full production levels. We look forward to releasing ongoing results as they become available."

The next stages of operation will consist of running pure REE solution sequentially through each unit operation in the Plant to accomplish the following:

Removal of Scandium (Sc) - Sc is a highly valued REE used in advanced aluminum alloys for the aerospace sector.





Class Separation of Light REE (lanthanum to neodymium plus yttrium) and Heavy REE (samarium to lutetium) - Separation of remaining REE (scandium having been separated earlier) into these two groups is an important juncture, since heavy REE are more valuable as a group, scarcer on world markets, and contain more of the Critical Rare Earth Oxides ("CREOs").





Separation of Individual REE - This phase of the SuperLig-One pilot program will demonstrate separation of Heavy CREOs, as defined by the U.S. Department of Energy. These separations will produce terbium and europium at over 99% purity, plus dysprosium at 99.99% purity. The remaining solution containing heavy REE (holmium to lutetium; gadolinium and samarium) and light REE (lanthanum to neodymium and yttrium) will be retained for future separations, as required.





After confirmatory testing of each unit operation, the Plant will undergo a continuous run of PLS.

For further information on the SuperLig-One Pilot Plant Mission Summary, please see the following link: http://ucore.com/superlig-one

For background on the traditional approaches to the separation of REE and the historical advance offered by MRT, please refer to the recently published White Paper on Separation of Rare Earth Elements, entitled "Molecular Recognition Technology: A Green Chemistry Process for Separation of Individual Rare Earth Metals," at the following link: http://ucore.com/academic-papers

Steven R. Izatt, President and CEO of IBC, has approved the scientific and technical content of this news release and is the Qualified Person responsible for its accuracy. Mr. Izatt, Registered Member SME, holds a B.A. degree in Chemistry from Brigham Young University ("BYU"), as well as an M.S. in Chemical Engineering Practice and an M.S. in Technology and Policy, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT").

Background

Ucore Rare Metals is a development-phase company focused on rare metals resources, extraction and beneficiation technologies with near term potential for production, growth and scalability. On March 3, 2015, Ucore announced the right to acquire a controlling ownership interest in the exclusive rights to IBC SuperLig technology for rare earths and multi-metallic tailings processing applications in North America and associated world markets. The Company has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan project. On March 31, 2014, Ucore announced the unanimous support of the Alaska State Legislature for the investment of up to USD $145 Million in the Bokan project at the discretion of the Alaska Import Development and Export Agency ("AIDEA").

Cautionary Notes

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, research and development timelines, and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include exploitation and exploration successes or setbacks, research and develop successes or setbacks, continued availability of financing, and general economic, market or business conditions.

MRT is at advanced testing stages and has yet to be proven, at a commercial scale, for the separation of rare earth elements. The Company has not yet released an economic assessment on the use of MRT for the separation of rare earth elements and does not yet have any specific contracts for the processing of rare earths using MRT.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - May 9, 2016) - Entree Gold Inc. (TSX:ETG)(NYSE MKT:EGI)(FRANKFURT:EKA)("Entree" or the "Company") welcomes the May 5, 2016 announcements that formal notice to proceed approval has been given for the next stage in the development of the world-class Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia by the boards of Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. ("Turquoise Hill"), Rio Tinto and Entree's joint venture partner, Oyu Tolgoi LLC ("OTLLC"). This was the final requirement for the re-start of underground development at the Hugo North Lift 1 block cave, including Lift 1 of the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture's Hugo North Extension deposit. The announcements also noted that an updated Oyu Tolgoi Feasibility Study (the "2016 Feasibility Study") has been completed including a re-estimate of capital, and all necessary permits have been granted. Underground construction is expected to re-commence in mid-2016.

Stephen Scott, President & CEO of Entree said, "We are very pleased and excited by these announcements which represent very significant milestones for the project and all stakeholders, including the people of Mongolia and Entree shareholders. This historic decision is another step towards realizing the significant value from this world class project and is a clear signal of improved investor confidence in Mongolia as an attractive place to do business."

According to Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill the notice to proceed decision follows the December 2015 signing of a $4.4 billion project financing agreement with international financial institutions and export credit agencies representing the Governments of the United States, Canada and Australia, along with 15 commercial banks, for the development of the underground mine, including Lift 1 of the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture's Hugo North Extension deposit.

Turquoise Hill further reported that pre-start activities for the underground started in August 2015 and have included ramp-up of the owners and engineering procurement and construction management teams, re-estimation activities, detailed engineering and early procurement for equipment and materials required for necessary critical works that are key enablers for recommencement of underground lateral development mining activity. Appointments to key roles in the underground team are well underway, with key staff starting in Q1 2016.

Entree has a carried interest in two of the Oyu Tolgoi project deposits - the Hugo North Extension copper-gold deposit and the Heruga copper-gold-molybdenum deposit (the "Entree/Oyu Tolgoi JV Property"). These deposits are the northern-most and southern-most, respectively, in the 12 kilometre-long Oyu Tolgoi series of deposits. The resources at Hugo North Extension include a Probable reserve, which is included in the first phase ("Lift 1") of underground mine development. The Probable reserve (September 20, 2014) for Hugo North Extension totals 35 million tonnes grading 1.59% copper, 0.55 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold, and 3.72 g/t silver. Entree holds a 20% carried interest in this mineral reserve through the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture.

A second lift for the Oyu Tolgoi underground block cave operation, including additional resources from Hugo North Extension, has been proposed but has not yet been modeled within the existing mine plan.

Under the terms of the joint venture, Entree elected to have OTLLC debt finance Entree's share of costs with interest accruing at OTLLC's actual cost of capital or prime plus 2%, whichever is less, at the date of the advance. Debt repayment may be made in whole or in part from (and only from) 90% of monthly available cash flow arising from sale of Entree's share of products.

Turquoise Hill expects to publish an updated National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") independent technical report relating to the project in the second half of 2016. Once Entree receives all required information relating to the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi JV Property, it will report on the impact of the 2016 Feasibility Study.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Robert Cinits, P.Geo., Entree's Vice President, Corporate Development, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has approved the technical information in this release. For further information on the Entree/Oyu Tolgoi JV Property, see the Company's technical report, titled "Lookout Hill Feasibility Study Update", with an effective date of March 29, 2016, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ABOUT ENTREE GOLD INC.

Entree Gold Inc. is a Canadian mineral exploration company balancing opportunity and risk with key assets in Mongolia and Nevada. As a joint venture partner with a carried interest on a portion of the Oyu Tolgoi mining project in Mongolia, Entree has a unique opportunity to participate in one of the world's largest copper-gold projects managed by one of the premier mining companies - Rio Tinto. Oyu Tolgoi, with its series of deposits containing copper, gold and molybdenum, has been under exploration and development since the late 1990s. Additionally, Entree has also been advancing its Ann Mason Project in one of the world's most favourable mining jurisdictions, Nevada. The Ann Mason Project hosts the Ann Mason copper-molybdenum deposit as well as the Blue Hill copper deposit within the rejuvenated Yerington copper camp.

Sandstorm Gold, Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill Resources are major shareholders of Entree, holding approximately 15%, 11% and 9% of issued and outstanding shares, respectively.

This News Release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and resources; the realization of mineral reserve and resource estimates; the timing for first Entree/Oyu Tolgoi joint venture development ore; anticipated future costs; construction and continued development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine, including Lift 1 of the Hugo North Extension deposit; potential metallurgical recoveries and grades; plans for future programs and budgets; plans for future technical reports; anticipated business activities; corporate strategies; requirements for additional capital; uses of funds; and future financial performance.

In certain cases, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budgeted", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate" or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". While the Company has based these forward-looking statements on its expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee of Entree's future performance and are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, local and global economic conditions, legal proceedings and negotiations and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the status of the Company's relationship and interaction with the Government of Mongolia, OTLLC, Rio Tinto and Turquoise Hill. With respect to the construction and continued development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine, important risks, uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and information include, amongst others, the timing and cost of the construction and expansion of mining and processing facilities; the timing and availability of a long term power source for the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine; the timing to satisfy all conditions precedent to the first drawdown of project financing; the impact of the delay in the funding and development of the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine; delays, and the costs which would result from delays, in the development of the underground mine; and production estimates and the anticipated yearly production of copper, gold and silver at the Oyu Tolgoi underground mine.

Other uncertainties and factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by forward-looking statements and information include, amongst others, whether the size, grade and continuity of deposits and resource and reserve estimates have been interpreted correctly from exploration results; fluctuations in commodity prices and demand; changing foreign exchange rates; actions by Rio Tinto, Turquoise Hill and/or OTLLC and by government authorities including the Government of Mongolia; the availability of funding on reasonable terms; the impact of changes in interpretation to or changes in enforcement of, laws, regulations and government practices, including laws, regulations and government practices with respect to mining, foreign investment, royalties and taxation; the terms and timing of obtaining necessary environmental and other government approvals, consents and permits; the availability and cost of necessary items such as power, water, skilled labour, transportation and appropriate smelting and refining arrangements; and misjudgements in the course of preparing forward-looking statements.

In addition, there are also known and unknown risk factors which may cause the actual results, performances or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others, risks related to international operations, including legal and political risk in Mongolia; risks associated with changes in the attitudes of governments to foreign investment; risks associated with the conduct of joint ventures; discrepancies between actual and anticipated production, mineral reserves and resources and metallurgical recoveries; global financial conditions; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; inability to upgrade Inferred mineral resources to Indicated or Measured mineral resources; inability to convert mineral resources to mineral reserves; conclusions of economic evaluations; future prices of copper, gold, silver and molybdenum; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining government approvals, permits or licences or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities; environmental risks; title disputes; limitations on insurance coverage; as well as those factors described in the Company's most recently filed Management's Discussion and Analysis and in the Company's Annual Information Form for the financial year ended December 31, 2015, dated March 30, 2016 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws.
SHARE Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, is one of the new characters introduced in "Captain America: Civil War." (Zade Rosenthal) Marvel's flagship character, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), finally returns to his roots after five films at Sony Pictures. (Film Frame) Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), also known as Agent 13 of S.H.I.E.L.D., is a returning character, while Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) is new in this movie. (Zade Rosenthal)

By Andrew A. Smith Tribune News Service (TNS)

"Captain America: Civil War," stars nine previously established superheroes, plus a handful of pre-existing villains and supporting characters. But even with enough characters to qualify as a third Avengers film, "Civil War" finds time to introduce several more.

As usual, the characters on screen will have a number of differences from their comic book counterparts. But it's worthwhile to look at those comic book versions for hints as to how their doppelgangers will act on screen _ not just in "Civil War," but in Marvel Cinematic Universe films yet to come.

Here are the new kids:

 Black Panther: Introduced in 1966, the Panther is arguably the first major black superhero _ yet he isn't really a superhero at all.

The Panther, real name T'Challa, arrived full-blown in the pages of "Fantastic Four" as the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. That kingdom had been blessed by the existence of a huge cache of a rare mineral called vibranium, a metal which absorbs vibration. That advantage jump-started Wakandan science far ahead of other nations, and they used their technology to remain largely hidden and apart from the world.

Nevertheless, years ago a German soldier of fortune named Ulysses Klaw (ne Klaue) invaded Wakanda to obtain vibranium. He was confronted by T'Challa's father King T'Chaka, whom Klaw murdered. The young T'Challa took Klaw's hand, but the mercenary escaped and later became a supervillain. (Klaw appeared in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," losing his hand there as well.)

Upon his father's death, T'Challa underwent a ritual to become king, which involved certain herbs, training and a vision quest. At the conclusion he gained the approval of the Panther God at the heart of Wakanda's major religion, and donned the sacred Panther garb, which has a lot of vibranium weaponry _ and happens to look a lot like a Western superhero outfit.

T'Challa is also an engineering and strategic genius. As the world's most-prepared man, some call T'Challa Marvel's Batman. Ridiculous. T'Challa has a lot more money.

So to call the Panther a superhero is underselling him. He's a head of state, the head of a state religion and the head of high-tech military. He's a moral man, yes, so he will fight bad guys. But his prime directive at all times is protecting Wakanda, and even his membership in the Avengers (he joined in 1968) was in service to that. Plus, he has a number of warrior "wives" named the Dora Milaje as his personal bodyguard, whom you do not want to mess with.

Chadwick Boseman ("42") plays T'Challa in "Civil War," and will star in the solo movie "Black Panther," which premieres in 2018. It's good to be the king.

 Everett K. Ross: Ross is a U.S. State Department attache, who was assigned as a liaison to T'Challa during the Panther's second series in 1998. The bulk of that series was written by fan favorite Christopher Priest, who also invented Ross. (In an issue of "Ka-Zar," a Tarzan knockoff. Seriously.)

According to Priest (on his terrific website, digitalpriest.com), Ross was modeled on Chandler Bing of "Friends," in that he was good at his job but terrible at interpersonal relationships. Further, his real purpose was to be the white reader's POV character, so that white kids would have more interest in buying a book starring a black hero, and to allow the Panther to remain somewhat at a remove _ an enigmatic genius whose plans we would never know. It worked, as Priest's version of "Black Panther" ran 62 issues, the longest the Panther has ever maintained a solo title.

Ross is played by Martin Freeman, who has shown serious acting chops in "Sherlock" and "Fargo."

 Crossbones: This isn't actually a new character in the MCU _ Brock Rumlow (played by Frank Grillo) was a Hydra goon in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" who was badly injured and carried out on a stretcher at the end. He's back in this movie in supervillain mode.

In the comics, Rumlow is the right-hand man of the Red Skull _ skull and bones, get it? _ who can give Cap a run for his money in single combat.

 Zemo: When Captain America was thawed out in 1964, the news enraged a masked man hiding in the jungles of South America. He was Baron Heinrich Zemo, a Nazi scientist who had battled the Star-Spangled Avenger in World War II, which resulted in a purple hood being permanently glued to his face. (How did he smell? Terrible.)

Zemo had never really appeared in any 1940s "Captain America" comics _ Stan Lee and Jack Kirby made him up out of whole cloth in 1964 _ but he was retroactively established as one of Cap's main World War II enemies, and also the man responsible for Bucky's death. (Cap's wartime partner Bucky Barnes was dead, dead, dead in the early 1960s, and remained so until 2005 when writer Ed Brubaker dreamed up the "Winter Soldier" story.) So Cap and Zemo had some unfinished business, which resulted in Zemo being crushed by an avalanche in 1965. (Oops. Spoiler!) But Heinrich's son Helmut carries on in the purple hood to this day, so it's not as if we're short a Zemo.

There were a lot of warmed-over Nazis in 1960s Marvels, not just Zemo but Baron Strucker and Hydra and the Red Skull and a few others here and there. That was perfectly acceptable in those days, because WWII was still in living memory. In today's "Civil War," though, Zemo (played by Daniel Bruhl) will be from Sokovia, the country Ultron and the Avengers trashed a few movies back. Zemo is a Sokovian terrorist with a mad-on for the Avengers, so he's not a Nazi and not a baron and not particularly a Captain America-specific bad guy. Also, he doesn't appear to even own a purple hood. Alas.

 Miriam Sharpe: In the comic book version of "Civil War," a group of young superheroes named the New Warriors were filming a reality show when they took on a villain whose power was _ for real _ to blow himself to smithereens. Nitro, as he was called, would then reform, and blow up again. But when Nitro blew himself up in a town named Stamford, Connecticut, while battling the Warriors, he killed some 60 children and more than 600 civilians overall. The public was outraged, resulting in the Superhuman Registration Act, which is what splits the heroes in a security-vs.-privacy argument. The face of "the Stamford Incident" was an activist named Miriam Sharpe, whose children were killed by Nitro.

Absolutely none of that will be in the movie. There will be no New Warriors, no Nitro and no Stamford. But there will be a Miriam Sharpe, played by Alfre Woodard, who will likely play the same kind of role _ a reminder of what happens when superheroes aren't careful.

 Spider-Man: I couldn't find any information on this new character. Sorry.

Ha ha! Seriously, Spider-Man has only recently become available to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, thanks to a deal with Sony Pictures, which owns the movie rights to the wall-crawler. Not only will a teenage Peter Parker appear in "Civil War" (played by Tom Holland), but he will star in his own solo movie by Marvel Films, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," in 2017.

In the "Civil War" comics, Spider-Man was pivotal, first allying with Tony Stark and then switching to #TeamCap. The loss of his secret identity resulted in his Aunt May being shot, which resulted in a deal with the devil (called Mephisto in Marvel Comics), which resulted in Parker's status quo changing so that he was single again, with his marriage to Mary Jane utterly erased from everyone's memory.

So, yeah, that was a pretty big deal. It'll be hard for the movie to top that, so they probably won't try. And who cares? Spidey's back in the Marvel Universe, and all's right with the world.

Well, except for that whole Civil War thing.

___

Contact Captain Comics at capncomics@aol.com. For more comics news, reviews and commentary, visit his website: comicsroundtable.com.
Traditional Mexican dancers with Ballet Azteca entertain family, friends and community members.

SHARE PHOTOS BY Adam Sauceda/Standard-Times El Paseo de Santa Angela was flooded with revelers this weekend as the Southside Lions Club hosted its 30th Cinco de Mayo celebration in San Angelo. The event featured traditional dancing, a carnival, car show and roughly 30 vendors.

By Adam Sauceda of the San Angelo Standard-Times

San Angelo's Southside Lions Club hosted their annual Cinco de Mayo celebration this weekend at El Paseo de Santa Angela.

Although Cinco de Mayo fell on a Thursday this year, Lions treasurer Bob Salas said the festival, which features music, food and dancing, was moved to the weekend to accommodate attendees.

"We're trying to catch everyone on a Friday to make sure some people can come out here and enjoy themselves," Salas said. "If you make it too much during the week, it's hard for them to come out."

Despite its humble origin, with only a handful of vendors, Salas said the 30-year-old event now features 20 to 30 vendors, a carnival and car show, and it boasts attendance of more than 2,000 people per night.

Aside from all of the other attractions, the Cinco de Mayo crowd's favorite would have to be the dancers with Ballet Azteca.

Troupe members, who wear traditional costumes and dance to popular traditional songs, are always admired by the crowd, according to director Mary Lou Robbins.

"They love the costumes," she said. "They love watching the dancers perform, and we enjoy performing for them, and sharing our culture through music and dance ... We like to bring a little of Mexico to San Angelo and to Texas."

Salas said all proceeds from the event go to programs such as scholarships for local students attending Angelo State University, eyeglasses for those in need and the Lions Camp in Kerrville for disabled children.
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Ted Cruz got at least one thing right in naming Carly Fiorina as his running mate in his futile bid to win the Republican nomination: the proper attributes for a vice presidential candidate.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump could do worse than to base their choices on the Cruz parameters for prospective running mates: knowledge and experience, judgment and character.

Vice presidential choices are always important; one out of three has become president, including four of the last nine. But the choice has become more important in an age in which candidates must pass intensive media scrutiny and perform before millions in a single vice presidential debate. An added factor this year is that Trump will be 70 next month, and Clinton 69 in October.

Since Jimmy Carter made Walter Mondale the first significant vice presidential partner, most nominees have wisely picked someone qualified to play a significant governmental role, rather than serve primarily as political attack dog, ticket balancer or traveling envoy. That could be especially important for Trump, given his lack of governmental experience.

Trump's unpredictability makes assessing possible GOP choices hard. But it would seem sensible for him to pick someone with the Washington experience he lacks, like Mitt Romney selected Rep. Paul Ryan and George W. Bush picked Dick Cheney.

His top Washington ally has been Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a former federal judge. A small group of GOP lawmakers that met in March with Trump included another prospect, Sen. Tom Cotton, an ambitious young Arkansan and Iraq War veteran.

Another possibility is a former GOP foe such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who enthusiastically endorsed him and could complement his blue-collar appeal. But the blunt Christie may be too similar to Trump and, besides, has very low approval ratings in his home state. Another Trump endorser, Ben Carson, is popular with GOP conservatives but also has no governmental experience.

On paper, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida seems a natural fit. Though Trump denigrated him as "little Marco" and lured him into the political gutter, the young Cuban-American senator and former state legislator would provide generational, ethnic, geographic and experience balance.

Thanks to Tuesday's victory in Indiana, Trump won't need to make a deal to reach the required 1,237 delegates. And his repeated denunciations of Cruz as "lying Ted" and their continuing enmity make the Texas senator an unlikely vice presidential choice. That leaves Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who would bring both state and federal experience, though he has adamantly rejected the idea. He wouldn't be the first to change his mind.

Three women who have been suggested, if Trump wants to counter likely rival Clinton, are Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Gov. Susanna Martinez of New Mexico. All three backed Rubio, and Haley was particularly critical of Trump.

Agreeing to be Trump's vice president might involve a gigantic leap of faith, both in terms of what life would be like and politically. History says being on a losing ticket doesn't benefit future ambitions.

As for Clinton, the Democratic front-runner's campaign did something unusual recently in providing a list of people under consideration that looked very much like a real list, not one leaked for political purposes.

Two names stood out, by virtue of experience and background: Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Kaine, a former mayor and governor, is a Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic designated to speak for Clinton on foreign policy issues. Brown is a populist with positions similar to those of Bernie Sanders, such as requiring banks to down size. Both have won several statewide elections in major swing states.

The other three were former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, an African-American who was assistant attorney general under Bill Clinton; Virginia's other senator, Mark Warner, also a former governor; and Tom Perez, the secretary of labor. Another Hispanic sometimes mentioned is Julian Castro, the secretary of housing and urban development and former San Antonio mayor. So is Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

But given how Trump has disparaged minorities and women, the likely first major party female nominee might prefer a qualified white male like Kaine or Brown, rather than a minority or a woman.

Carl P. Leubsdorf is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. Contact him at carl.p.leubsdorf@gmail.com.
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The following editorial appeared in Tuesday's Waco Tribune-Herald:

One of the great successes of America and the envy of many allies in Europe is our collective ability to effectively assimilate immigrants, legal and otherwise. Sure, sometimes the transformation takes a generation or two to click, and, yes, xenophobia is a problem, but the overall success has made our culture richer, our people more appreciative of our founding values and our nation more of an example of how to blend differences into vigor and strength.

Which is why the findings of a year-long project by Georgetown University Law Center researchers are so damning, particularly revelations that some schools in Texas are declining to enroll the children of immigrant parents  a violation of a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision that slapped down what was then a Democratic-run Texas Legislature that ordered school districts to refuse the enrollment of students not legally in this country.

The Supreme Court majority correctly cited the almighty 14th Amendment as legal grounds to ensure equal protection of such children, who, after all, shouldn't be held liable if they were brought here illegally by parents. More importantly, the justices noted that a consequence of such actions, if allowed to stand, would be "creation and perpetuation of a subclass of illiterates within our boundaries, surely adding to the problems and costs of unemployment, welfare and crime."

Indeed, if Republicans and Democrats ever do get around to reaching compromise on immigration  possibly during the next president's administration, judging from comments by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan  then refusing to educate immigrant children now could prove disastrous, especially if immigration reform allows youths legal status if not outright citizenship.

"To be sure, like all persons who have entered the United States unlawfully, these children are subject to deportation," the late Justice William Brennan wrote in 1982. "But there is no assurance that a child subject to deportation will ever be deported. An illegal entrant might be granted federal permission to continue to reside in this country or even to become a citizen."

Even Republicans such as former Texas Gov. Rick Perry have wisely noted the importance of ensuring that children of immigrant origins be afforded educations. If these children do become legal residents or even citizens one day, we best ensure they're taxpaying Americans who contribute to the betterment of us all.
The hunt for loyal delegates to the Republican National Convention  for weeks, a shadow primary that threatened to wrest the nomination away from Donald Trump  appears to have come to an end.Trump vanquished his rivals at the ballot box and, for the first time, he pulled off the same feat in this weekends delegate elections, punching tickets for dozens of allies from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Minnesota. Ted Cruz, who quit the GOP primary on Tuesday, had skewered Trump in these quiet battles at state and local GOP conventions. But his forces were nowhere to be seen Saturday.Trumps supporters carried more than half of the 68 delegate elections in the four states holding contests this weekend  and most of the others were party elders who have vowed to support the GOPs nominee, even if they havent explicitly backed Trump. Trumps campaign also showcased a tighter relationship with party insiders, coordinated with state-party leaders to make sure pro-Trump paraphernalia littered the convention halls and that banners reading Defeat Hillary! Vote Trump! lined the rooms. A banner in South Carolina was even signed by delegates and marked for delivery to Trumps New York headquarters as a memento of his success in the state.
Long-awaited federal rules announced Thursday that will ban e-cigarette sales to minors and require safety reviews for vaping products were greeted with outrage from the industry and applause from many, but not all, health advocates.The controversial regulations could have a particular impact in Pennsylvania, the only state besides Michigan with no age limit for e-cigarette sales.The Keystone State "should be dramatically affected for the better by the new federal law," said Cliff Douglas, vice president for tobacco control with the American Cancer Society.The Pennsylvania Medical Society -- which has pushed to extend all tobacco safeguards, including age restrictions, to e-cigarettes -- applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration action as a "step in the right direction to protect the health of our country's citizens.""Vaping activists often portray e-cigarettes as less harmful than their tobacco cousins, using this as an excuse not to regulate," said society president Scott Shapiro, a physician in Montgomery County.Those in the vaping industry -- as well as some tobacco control advocates -- argue that the devices are a helpful smoking-cessation tool. They say they fear the new regulations will hurt public health in the long term by keeping some smokers hooked. At the same time, they say the rules could kill most vaping businesses by requiring them to submit to FDA safety reviews that could cost $1 million per vaping product.Thousands of small companies, many of them mom and pop shops, make and sell such products."This is not regulation. It is prohibition that will cost lives, kill jobs, and further entrench America's largest cigarette companies," said Gregory Conley of Medford, president of the American Vaping Association, a nonprofit advocacy group funded by the vaping industry.Conley predicted that Americans will buy vape juice, oils, and devices from overseas if the new rules cripple the U.S. industry. "For the first time in American history, consumers will have to go to the black market to purchase a far less hazardous alternative to a completely legal product -- deadly cigarettes," he said.Brian Santangelo, owner of three Liberty Vapor stores in the Pennsylvania suburbs of Lansdale, Phoenixville, and West Chester, said he does not sell to minors, even though the state has no age restriction.A former chain smoker, Santangelo said he tried to kick the habit with nicotine gum and $800 worth of hypnotism sessions. Four years ago, an "entry level e-cigarette" enabled him to break his cigarette addiction."We're fighting the fight to get people off nicotine," he said.Bill Godshall, executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania, a former three-pack-a-day smoker who once worked for the American Cancer Society, also says e-cigs are "harm-reducing.""I'm not saying [e-cigs] are safe, but they're safer. They reduce risk. It's about harm reduction; you're not inhaling smoke. There is no carbon monoxide, and there is no tar. They're not going to give you cancer."The rules issued by the FDA, which come five years after the agency first announced its regulatory intent, would also extend long-standing restrictions on traditional cigarettes to a host of other products, including hookahs, pipe tobacco, cigars, and nicotine gels. However, the rules do not address e-cigarette flavorings or marketing, which public health advocates say are especially aimed at youngsters.E-cigarettes, invented in China and introduced to the United States in 2007, are battery-powered devices that convert liquid nicotine into a inhalable vapor. While they don't have many of the toxic chemicals that are in tobacco smoke, e-cigarettes have not been extensively studied, and there is no scientific consensus on potential benefits or harms from vaping.Federal data show e-cigarettes have caught on among teenagers, raising concern that vaping may be a gateway to smoking. More than 15 percent of high school students reported recently using e-cigarettes, up more than 900 percent over the last five years. High school boys are also fans of small cigars, smoking them at the same rates as regular cigarettes."Millions of kids are being introduced to nicotine every year, a new generation hooked on a highly addictive chemical," Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burell said. "We cannot let the enormous progress we've made toward a tobacco-free generation be undermined by products that impact our health and economy."Public health groups have opposed legislation in some states to ban e-cigarette sales to minors. That is because the laws did not extend all tobacco control provisions -- including smoke-free areas and taxation -- to e-cigarettes.In Michigan, for example, the American Cancer Society and other groups persuaded the governor to veto an e-cigarette age-restriction bill because it did not go far enough. In his veto letter to lawmakers, Gov. Rich Snyder wrote that creating a new class of vapor products rather than defining e-cigarettes as tobacco would "unnecessarily sow confusion" and "send a mixed health message to the public on a topic that is already complex and confusing."In Pennsylvania, a bill that would add "nicotine-delivery products" to the law that bans tobacco sales to minors passed the House; a Senate version is in the judiciary committee.Philadelphia, in contrast, has prohibited the sales of e-cigarettes to minors, and banned vaping in workplaces, restaurants, and other public spaces since 2014. New Jersey restricts e-cigarette sales to those 19 and older."The situation in Pennsylvania is similar to Michigan," said Douglas at the American Cancer Society. "The tobacco industry lobby is good at creating legislation that in part will do something the public health community is looking for, but includes poisonous provisions. . . . E-cigarettes are enormously complicated."
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that private prearranged discussion of public business, whether in person or electronically, is a violation of the Ohio Open Meetings Act if the discussion involves a majority of a public body's members.In a 5-2 ruling, the court ruled that email correspondence between four board of education members and the school superintendent from the Olentangy School District in Delaware County constituted public business. Together, via email, the prepared a response to an editorial in The Columbus Dispatch that they found displeasing.The fifth member of the school board appealed the action to the Supreme Court after his opening meetings lawsuit was dismissed at trial level and his appeal was rejected by the Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals.
The Judicial Inquiry Commission Friday charged Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore with violating ethical rules, over his attempt earlier this year to stop probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.The six charges led to Moore's immediate suspension in the role. The Alabama Court of the Judiciary, which removed Moore in 2003 and will consider the charges, could order the chief justice removed a second time, though other sanctions could come down.The Judicial Inquiry Commission accuses Moore of failing to act with impartiality and refusing to follow "clear law" in issuing his Jan. 6 order, which came six months after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down bans on same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. Moore is also charged with acting while a lawsuit over the constitutionality of same-sex marriage was pending before the court.The Court of the Judiciary removed Moore from office in 2003 after he refused to obey a federal court order requiring the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the Heflin-Tolbert Judicial Building, where the Alabama Supreme Court sits. Moore was re-elected in 2012.In a statement Friday, Moore said the JIC "had no authority" over administrative orders related to probate judges."The JIC has chosen to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organizations which support their agenda," the statement said. "We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail."Moore called the complaints "politically motivated" at an April 27 presser conference. His attorney, Matt Staver, said the orders reflected "a disagreement between state and federal courts on an issue."In his January 6 order, Moore argued that the Obergefell ruling only applied to the plaintiffs in the case, and that probate judges could not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples until the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by the Alabama Policy Institute and the Alabama Citizens Action Program. The groups, which oppose same-sex marriage, challenged a January 2015 order by U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade which struck down the state's bans on same-sex marriage.For the most part, Alabama probate judges ignored Moore's order. In its charges, the JIC noted that Moore was "bound by the United State Supreme Court's interpretation and application" of the U.S. Constitution. The JIC noted that the Obergefell decision specifically struck down state bans on same-sex marriage throughout the nation."Clearly, probate judges could no longer exercise a ministerial duty to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples based solely on their same-sex character," the complaint states.The charges state that Moore "knowingly ordered" the state's probate judges "to commit violations of the Canons of Judicial Ethics and "abandoned his role as a neutral and detached chief administrator of the judicial system."Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which filed the complaint, said the Court of the Judiciary should remove Moore "for the good of the state.""Moore has disgraced his office for far too long," the statement said. "He's such a religious zealot, such an egomaniac that he thinks he doesn't have to follow federal court rulings he disagrees with."The chief justice, an outspoken social conservative, has made no secret of his feelings on same-sex marriage. In March, Moore said proposed American Bar Association rule change intended to expand protections for LGBT individuals was "subordinating an attorney's ethical duties to the sexual orthodoxy du jour."That same month, the Alabama Supreme Court dismissed outstanding petitions in the API case. Moore, who recused himself from the case, rejoined it to write an opinion attacking the U.S. Supreme Court in Obergefell for trying to "invoke the grief, sorrow and compassion associated with a Greek tragedy.""Riding a tidal wave of emotion, the ensuing tears and pathos then suffice to fertilize a new constitutional right nowhere mentioned in the Constitution itself," Moore wrote.Most of Moore's fellow justices issued opinions in the case that attacked Obergefell. Associate Justice Greg Shaw called Moore's interpretation of the relationship between federal and state law "silly."The Southern Poverty Law Center filed its first complaint against Moore in January 2015 after Moore wrote a letter to Gov. Robert Bentley saying Granade's initial ruling "raised serious, legitimate concerns about the propriety of federal court jurisdiction" over same-sex marriage laws. The SPLC continued adding to its complaints as Moore signaled his unwillingness to obey Granade or the U.S. Supreme Court.Alabama's Chief Justices serve six-year terms, but no person to hold the title has served a full term in 21 years. Chief Justice Drayton Nabers, appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to replace Moore, was defeated for re-election in 2006 by Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sue Bell Cobb. Cobb resigned in 2011 to spend more time with her family. Chuck Malone, appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley after serving as Bentley's chief of staff, was defeated by Moore in the 2012 Republican primary.Former Chief Justice Perry Hooper was narrowly elected in 1994, but waited ten months to be sworn in while bruising fights over the election results went through the courts.
The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an Oregon law setting a $3 million cap on the amount of damages that injured people can collect in lawsuits against the state or its employees.The much-anticipated ruling won immediate plaudits from state agencies, but also a host of other publicly funded institutions and organizations -- including cities, counties, school districts, Oregon Health & Science University, the state's seven public universities and TriMet.If the ruling had gone the other way, it would have represented the first chink in the armor of laws that limit tort claims and aim to protect public bodies and other taxpayer-supported organizations from huge payouts.But people who have been injured because of mistakes or wrongdoing by public agencies or their workers criticized the 5-2 decision. Plaintiffs' attorneys across the state have been poring over the ruling, trying to understand its implications.The Supreme Court indicated that it was trying to balance the needs of some -- apparently the injured people -- with the ability of public entities to provide benefits to all.Those disappointed in the majority's opinion include Klamath Falls parents Lori Spiesschaert and Steve Horton, who brought the case at issue. The parents sued OHSU on behalf of their son, Tyson Horton, for a botched liver surgery in 2009 that nearly killed him when he was 8 months old.Two days after the surgery, the boy was flown to Stanford University Medical Center in California for a set of life-saving surgeries, including a liver transplant. His mother donated part of her liver.After a 2013 trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court, a jury awarded Tyson more than $12 million, finding that his past and future medical expenses amounted to more than $6 million and that he deserved another $6 million for pain and suffering.But with the Supreme Court ruling, $3 million is all Tyson will ever receive from OHSU. OHSU already has paid that amount.His past medical expenses for the Stanford care already have exceeded that, at $5 million, said his mother.David K. Miller, one of the Portland attorneys for the boy, said Tyson's parents can't appeal further because the Supreme Court is the highest court in the state."It's very disappointing not only for the Horton family, but in my opinion, for all Oregonians," Miller said.Spiesschaert told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she 's devastated by the ruling."The Oregon Supreme Court took the jury's decision and basically threw it out the window," Spiesschaert said. "It was a two-week-long trial. (The jurors) took their time and very carefully came up with their verdict."Spiesschaert said she and Steve Horton, now divorced, might be forced into bankruptcy because they can't afford to pay Stanford the remaining millions of dollars due. She said her understanding after talking with her son's health insurance companies is that they won't pay bills stemming from medical negligence."The thing is, Stanford deserves to be paid," Spiesschaert said. "For three months, Tyson had one foot in the grave. They put him back together despite all odds."Spiesschaert said she worries about the future."The worst part of it is not so much the bankruptcy -- we can survive that," Spiesschaert said. "The worst part is not being able to afford to care for Tyson."The boy fought dangerous infections in the first two years after his transplant. Now 7 years old, he has a compromised immune system and can't be vaccinated against diseases such as the chicken pox, Spiesschaert said. And if he caught something like chicken pox, it would spur immediate hospitalization, she said.Although he's healthy now, Tyson faces regular medical monitoring and the possibility that his body will one day suddenly reject his donated liver, said his mother. If that happens, he will likely die because his body can't endure another liver transplant, she said.Spiesschaert also suffered complications from donating part of her liver. She was hospitalized for a month and still has lingering side effects.The high court noted that it was aware that $3 million didn't cover the boy's medical expenses, but "we cannot say that the $3,000,000 tort claims limit on damages against state employees is insubstantial," wrote Justice Rives Kistler, in an 84-page majority opinion.The state Legislature could make changes to Oregon's tort limit law that would affect future cases, but any move to do that would no doubt trigger a battle with publicly funded agencies that argue raising or abolishing the limits would come at great expense to taxpayers.Cities, counties, school districts, TriMet and former Gov. John Kitzhaber had filed friend-of-the-court briefs urging the Supreme Court to support the tort claim limits law.The limits used to be far lower -- $200,000 for an injured person suing OHSU -- until the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Jordaan Michael Clarke. The boy was 3 months old when he suffered profound brain damage, blindness and paralysis after being deprived of oxygen for 14 minutes while recovering from surgery at OHSU. Clarke's expenses skyrocketed into the millions.In response, the 2009 Legislature raised tort claim limits to a maximum of $3 million for injured people. The Legislature allowed for periodic increases, and today the limit against the state or its employees stands at about $4 million.On Thursday, OHSU pointed to that legislative action, in making the following statement:"OHSU respects the Oregon Supreme Court's decision and appreciates the effort the Oregon Legislature made in 2009 to update the Oregon Tort Claims Act. A tort cap is critical to ensuring that public entities like OHSU, police and fire districts continue to provide the essential, advanced and high-risk services the public needs.At OHSU, we do our collective best to heal and to advance health. We deeply regret the surgical error that occurred and what this has meant for the Horton family. OHSU fully disclosed the surgical error to the family at the time it occurred and did not charge the family for any costs, waiving all OHSU bills. OHSU also provided the family with $3 million allowable under the tort cap.This decision recognizes that Oregon's tort cap balances the need to provide the essential, advanced and high-risk services the public needs with the need to compassionately supply reasonable financial compensation in those rare instances when someone is harmed."The high court specifically upheld the $3 million cap for OHSU -- but also said the limit applies to an OHSU employee -- the surgeon who mistakenly snipped key blood vessels in the boy's liver.After the 2013 trial, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Jerry Hodson ruled the $3 million limit didn't apply to the surgeon -- but the Supreme Court reversed Hodson's ruling.Five justices supported the $3 million limit for OHSU and the surgeon: Kistler, Thomas Balmer, Jack Landau, David Brewer and senior Justice Pro Tempore Virginia Linder. Justices Martha Lee Walters and Richard Baldwin dissented.
State worker exodus

Seeking to beat back a chronic staffing shortage, the head of the state prison system announced a $10 million-a-year plan Thursday to raise wages by 80 cents an hour for thousands of workers, with some of them temporarily receiving more than that.Department of Corrections officials say they are using existing funds to pay their workers more and don't need approval from lawmakers. They have not spelled out where they would find the savings allowing them to grant the raises.The wage increase comes at a time when prison workers are routinely being forced to work double shifts because of staff shortages.Among the facilities facing staff shortages are Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, juvenile facilities that share a campus 30 miles north of Wausau. Those sites are the subject of a yearlong investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse, child neglect, excessive use of pepper spray and other potential crimes.The pay increase applies to officers, sergeants and the front-line workers at the juvenile prisons, known as youth counselors and advanced youth counselors."These changes will increase DOC's ability to recruit and retain qualified employees to fill critically important positions at the Department of Corrections," Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher said in a statement.The move is one of Litscher's first major acts since taking the reins of the department in February. Litscher previously served as corrections secretary under Republican Govs. Tommy Thompson and Scott McCallum.Union officials welcomed the raise but said it should be considered only a first step toward fixing the staffing shortage after state workers saw their take-home pay cut in 2011 when they were required to pay more for their benefits."It's long overdue. It starts the climb back for the last five years of takebacks," said Troy Bauch, a representative with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 32.Starting June 26, the employees will receive an increase of 80 cents an hour.In addition, those working at facilities with particularly significant staff shortages will receive an additional 50 cents an hour from May 29 until early January. With the two raises, they'll be getting an extra $1.30 an hour for seven months.The bonus raise applies to employees at Lincoln Hills, Copper Lake, Waupun Correctional Institution, Green Bay Correctional Institution and Columbia Correctional Institution.Additionally, some employees will receive merit bonuses between now and the end of June, Litscher said.The across-the-board increase will bring the starting wage for correctional officers and youth counselors to $16 an hour. Sergeants and advanced youth counselors will receive $16.76 when they start the job.The state's difficulty in recruiting and retaining prison workers is part of a larger workforce problem for GOP Gov. Scott Walker's administration, which lost nearly one in eight employees across state government last year to factors such as retirement and competing employers.In all, 3,600 workers outside the University of Wisconsin System moved on from their state jobs in 2015, which was 23% more than in 2014 and nearly twice as many as in 2010.About 680 public safety workers left in 2015 for other jobs or retirement, or about 12.3% of the nearly 5,500 workers in that area.In 2011, Walker signed the law known as Act 10, repealing most union bargaining for most public workers and increasing state workers' benefit contributions by an amount equal to about 8.5% of their take-home pay. That year, retirements jumped as employees sought to avoid fundamental changes to their retirement benefits, which didn't end up materializing.But with the recession still deep, relatively few employees resigned to take other jobs. That has changed as the economy has improved in subsequent years and private-sector hiring has picked up.The state offered across-the-board raises of 1% in 2014 and 2015, along with some merit increases for select employees, but no increases in the current two-year budget.One consequence of higher employee turnover is more vacant jobs, which are challenging in prisons that have to be staffed at all times.The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last month that almost one in five jobs stand open at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake. That adds up to nearly 30 openings there.Twenty-eight youth counselor and advanced youth counselor jobs remain unfilled out of the 146 front-line positions at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.While more workers are hired, the state has had to pay for hotel, meal and travel costs for officers who are temporarily shifted from other Wisconsin prisons.
On Saturday, in the morning, at the Australian-American War Memorial, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended the Australian-American Associations 74th Anniversary Memorial Service of the Battle of the Coral Sea where the Governor inspected the guard and laid a wreath.
On Sunday, in the morning, at the Brisbane Boys College Chapel, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey attended the Mothers Day Service.
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GIS - 09 May, 2016: Respect and care for self and others, Honesty, Integrity and Success through hard work are the core values that all Mauritians are called upon to develop, uphold and share with a view of building strong families. Respect and care for self and others, Honesty, Integrity and Success through hard work are the core values that all Mauritians are called upon to develop, uphold and share with a view of building strong families.

The imperative to place these core values at the centre of family life was highlighted by the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Marie-Aurore Perraud, on Friday 6 May 2016 in Port Louis during a press conference held on activities that will be organised in the context of the International Day of Families, observed on 15 May. The theme for this year is Families, healthy lives and sustainable future.

The Minister is of the view that the loss of values has dire consequences not only on families but also on society with social ills such as crimes, domestic violence, child abuse, teenage pregnancy and adultery on the increase. Thus the introduction of the concept of Le Mur des Valeurs, a mural painting activity based on core values, which, according to the Minister, will take place in primary as well as secondary schools, women centres, community centres, social welfare centres, youth centres and in district and municipal councils across the island from 7 to 15 May 2016.

The Mural painting, displaying the core values, will reflect our commitment to build strong families and to show that values are the way to happiness, affirmed Mrs Perraud.

In line with the theme chosen for this years International Day of Families: Families, healthy lives and sustainable future, Mrs Perraud also invited all Mauritian to seize the opportunity of the various activities being organised for the occasion to develop and nurture family values.

It is noted that the official celebration for this years International Day of Families is a Family Day at the Esplanade of Port-Louis Waterfront on 15 May 2016 to encourage families to participate collectively in activities that would contribute towards family bonding.

Other activities scheduled include a Training of Trainers Programme on Family Values; a half-day workshop on Population Dynamics: Population Growth  Key Challenges, and promotional offers at leisure parks, cinemas, shopping malls, and restaurants for families to spend time together during the weekends of 14 and 15 May, and 21 and 22 May 2016.

Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email:

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GIS - 0 9 May 2016: Under your leadership, Mr. Secretary General, the world has seen a renewed and reinforced sense of multilateralism which resulted in the successful outcomes of several major international Conferences such as the Financing for Development, The Sendai Conference on Disaster Management, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, and COP 21. The successful implementation of these outcomes, he underlined, will lead to a paradigm shift in the world economic order where global alliances for a common cause will replace the traditional North-South relations.

This statement was made yesterday by the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, during a banquet hosted at Le Meridien Hotel, Pointe aux Piments, in honour of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, who is currently on an official visit to Mauritius.

The Prime Minister recalled that due to the unflinching commitment and drive of Mr Ban Ki-moon, world leaders came together and adopted an inspiring 15 year Blueprint enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I am delighted that many of the goals of the 2030 Agenda correspond to the Priority areas in my Governments Vision 2030 Economic Mission Statement laying down the National Blueprint for our development path, said Sir Anerood Jugnauth, adding that Mauritius has agreed to host the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub to enhance capacity building of SIDS in accessing climate finance and will be contributing 1 million US dollars to the fund.

On the other hand, we strongly feel there are still some areas where much remains to be done, he said, stressing that one particular concern is the issue of the reform of the United Nations and the question of representation in the Security Council.

I share the view that a comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council where Africa, Latin America and SIDS are adequately represented has to be undertaken and completed as soon as possible, underscored Sir Anerood Jugnauth.

Moreover, he said that as far as Mauritius is concerned, we remain fully committed to the principles and objectives of the UN charter. Respect for democracy, rule of law, the welfare of our people and good neighbouring relations are enshrined in the psyche of all Mauritians.

For his part, Mr Ban Ki-moon said that it is a great honour for him to be here at a critical time for the international community and our shared efforts are to build a sustainable world for all.

A few weeks ago, he recalled, the UN had broken the record for the highest number of countries to sign any treaty or convention in one day when world leaders gathered at UN Headquarters on 22 April to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Mauritius was one of them, and you went on to become the 16th country to ratify immediately as you signed this agreement. That was a demonstration of great commitment for humanity, stated the UN Secretary-General.

Mauritius, he said, may be on the frontline of climate change but is also on the frontline of climate actions. He congratulated Mauritius for not only signing the treaty but also ratifying the Paris Agreement on Climate Change on the same day. You are setting an example for the world. Going forward Mauritius will have a key role to play in ensuring implementation of this important agreement, he added.

Mr Ban Ki-moon also congratulated Mauritius for taking the bold step of jointly managing with the Seychelles the extended continental shelf in Mascarene plateau. This is also a first in the world and an excellent example of promoting the blue economy with the full consideration of environmental protection, he remarked.

The UN Secretary-General stated that he was pleased to see that Mauritius continues to maintain the position of the most competitive economy in Sub Saharan Africa.
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GIS - 09 May, 2016: Sao Tome & Principe is envisaging to establish a privileged relationship with Mauritius and reinforce further the cooperation given the similarities shared between the countries as island states. Sao Tome & Principe is envisaging to establish a privileged relationship with Mauritius and reinforce further the cooperation given the similarities shared between the countries as island states.

This was at the fore of discussions on 6 May 2016 during a courtesy call by the Prime Minister and Chief of Government of Sao Tome & Principe, Mr Patrice Emery Trovoada, on the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

In a statement, Prime Minister Patrice Emery Trovoada, expressed interest to collaborate with Mauritius in various economic spheres namely: tourism, financial services, trade and commerce as well as on issues with regards to the environment, among others. He reiterated the common vision of both countries in terms of encouraging Mauritian investors to invest in Sao Tome & Principe and vice- versa through the signing of an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement which he said will boost further trade and investments.

The Prime Minister of Sao Tome & Principe also announced that a technical delegation will visit Mauritius before the end of this year to accelerate the legal framework and procedures that will translate the political vision that have been discussed with Prime Minister Jugnauth into concrete actions. He also emphasised the need for a joint public-private partnership towards the realisation of several projects that will reap mutual benefits for both countries.

According to him, the creation of wealth and employment can be achieved through the joint collaboration between the public and private sector while government must ensure and provide the necessary conditions and framework for the private sector.

He concluded by reiterating the interest of Sao Tome & Principe to reinforce cooperation with Mauritius and study the Mauritian economic model.

The Prime Minister and Chief of Government of the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, was on official visit to Mauritius from 5 to 7 May 2016 during which he also signed an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.
(TNS) -- A new microwave backup to the region's 911 emergency telephone service will add a layer of reliability in case of violent storms or an accidental slicing of a fiber-optic cable.The South East Texas Regional Planning Commission will spend about $3.3 million to erect 12 towers and equip five existing towers with the technology, said Pete De La Cruz , director of the commission's 911 program.Although it could become the primary system for Jefferson, Hardin and Orange counties sometime in the future, for now it's designed as a backup, De La Cruz said.Recently, a contractor in Lumberton building a new dentist's office sliced through a fiber-optic cable bundle in the ground.The bundle contained the cable that connected to the Hardin County Sheriff's Office 911 dispatchers at the courthouse in Kountze.No emergency calls were missed because all the Hardin County calls were routed to the Silsbee Police Department , the second location for incoming emergency calls in Hardin County.But it did demonstrate a vulnerability of the 911 system, De La Cruz said.Everyone with telephone service - whether it's a landline or wireless - pays 50 cents a month for 911 service, a fee that goes to the state comptroller.The local agency that maintains the 911 system - in this case the regional planning commission - creates a budget for improvements and submits it to the Legislature, which approved the microwave system for Jefferson, Hardin and Orange counties last year.The regional 911 system serves a population of about 385,000 and averages about 400,000 calls a year, De La Cruz said.Southeast Texas was the first regional 911 system in the state, he said. The system became operational on Dec. 12, 1991.That was when the regional system required every resident to have a street address, particularly in rural areas, where people were comfortable giving directions like "third house after the oak tree that split after it was hit by lightning."In the past 25 years, fiber optic cable has been installed for 911 service, with a new technology upgrade completed just a couple months ago, De La Cruz said.When people with landlines call 911, a box on a dispatcher's screen appears that shows the phone customer's name, address and the appropriate responding agencies.When a caller with a wireless connection calls in, the information that appears is less detailed but pinpoints the caller's location with the device's onboard GPS system.De La Cruz said the microwave system presents the possibility for texting 911. He said it's working in a limited area in Dallas and that a test was completed in College Station a couple of months ago. The challenge lies in routing an emergency text to the appropriate dispatchers.Twelve agencies in Southeast Texas receive 911 calls, De La Cruz said.In Hardin County, calls go to the sheriff's office in Kountze and to the Silsbee police department.In Jefferson County, calls go to the sheriff's office, the Beaumont police, Port Arthur police and to Nederland police, which also handles calls for Groves and Port Neches.In Orange County, calls go to the Orange sheriff's office, city of Orange police and to police departments in Bridge City and Pinehurst.
Making an improvement to the rule

When the FBI takes over a criminal site

Measured changes are appropriate

Imagine that a criminal investigator has identified one or more computers that are part of ongoing criminal activity. Unfortunately, the people operating these computers are hiding them. The machines could be anywhere in the world, using anonymous email or tools like Tor to conceal their location.The investigator also has a tool, a carefully engineered piece of software, which she calls a Network Investigatory Technique, or NIT, that will cause a targeted computer to reveal itself. Once she sends the software to the computer shes investigating, it will reply with a message saying, I am at this location. The rest of the security world calls the NIT malicious code (malcode for short) and deploying it hacking, because the software exploits a vulnerability in the targets computer, the same way a criminal would.Federal court rules currently say she can use this tool only if she gets an electronic search warrant from a judge. But the computer could be anywhere: to which court should she go to get the warrant?This is not a hypothetical problem. Online investigations face this problem all the time, when tracking down fraudsters or those issuing threats using anonymous emails , botmasters who have compromised thousands of computers around the planet or purveyors of drugs or child pornography . The current federal rules of criminal evidence (in particular a section known as Rule 41 ) require investigators to seek warrants from a magistrate judge in the federal court district where the target computer is located.But if investigators dont know where in the country, or indeed the world, the computer is, the existing rules effectively dictate that there is no judge who could approve a warrant to actually find out its specific location. In essence, the rule is, The investigator can get a warrant to hack these computers to reveal their location only when she knows where they already are. That rule might have made sense before the digital age, but in todays digital world it forces an end to promising investigations.At the request of the FBI, the U.S. Supreme Court has proposed changing the rule to allow any magistrate judge in the country to approve an electronic search warrant under one of two conditions: either the targets are using technological tricks to conceal their location, or the crime being investigated involves a mass break-in, compromising computers in at least five separate federal judicial districts. Congress has until December to review the changes.The Electronic Frontier Foundation has an excellent summary of the civil liberties objections . They include the potential for the government to seek warrants from sympathetic judges, who might not closely scrutinize requests, or who might accept more spurious definitions of concealment by technological means, thereby undermining the laws protections. They also fear that the FBI may seek to hack computers outside the U.S., and that searches could reach beyond criminals' equipment and involve innocent peoples computers that had been taken over by wrongdoers.I am in the minority among my civil liberties colleagues, but I believe this change is necessary, reasonable and proportional. If a computer search would qualify for a warrant if its whereabouts were known, why should simply hiding its location make it legally unsearchable?The need for these types of searches is not theoretical. The  Silk Road  case is a prime example. This website, hidden through Tor to make it supposedly impossible to locate, acted as an online eBay for drugs. Until the FBI obtained the servers location, investigators were stumped, unable to identify the person, called Dread Pirate Roberts, who was operating the site.Once agents identified the computer, all the pieces fell into place, quickly leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of Ross Ulbricht. The FBI almost certainly hacked the server but never bothered to get a warrant to do so. This was a decision which, but for a bizarre tactical choice by the defense, might have lost the case. Under the revised Rule 41, it would be straightforward to obtain a warrant to hack the server: there was certainly enough probable cause.Another large set of cases involve child porn distributed through Tor. The FBI routinely takes over websites that do this, and may for a few days or even a couple of weeks deliver surreptitious software to visitors, software that tracks their location, before taking the site down for good. In cases involving notorious sites like PedoBook and Playpen, the FBI may hack hundreds or thousands of computers with a single warrant.The FBIs experience in taking over the Playpen server is a particularly good example of the need for a revision to Rule 41. The warrant request established probable cause for each computer to be hacked; the malcode identified individual visitors for prosecution (and associated their identities with their user names on the site).The FBIs malcode itself was almost certainly reasonable, doing the minimum necessary to identify the target computer to authorities and no more. Even defense experts in a previous case acknowledged that the FBIs malcode both operated as advertised and did not exceed the scope of the warrant. However, almost all of the targeted computers were outside the federal court district where the FBI ran the captured Playpen server. As a result, this critical violation of the current Rule 41 may very well result in hundreds of pedophiles going free Hence the need for the measured changes proposed to Rule 41. It doesnt enable the FBI to get a warrant that lets the agency hack just anywhere. It applies only when the FBI cant determine where the targets are or when there are simply too many known targets that getting a warrant in every district would result in an explosion of paperwork without actually protecting anybodys rights. Because if people accept that the FBI should have the right to hack with a warrant and probable cause, extending this authority to enable hacking a computer in an unknown location represents only a small expansion in authority, not some vast overreach. Despite some people raising concerns , it is also highly unlikely to affect U.S. diplomatic relationships. Its true that it the rule change could result in the FBI hacking systems outside the United States if the computers location is hidden. But no matter their location, target computers arent hacked until the FBI has shown probable cause theyre involved in criminal activity in the United States. When this happens the FBI will do what it has done in previous cases like the Playpen case: notify local law enforcement of the evidence collected, and let that countrys authorities take over.Overall, the change to Rule 41 seems reasonable. It addresses a real-world problem, it comes into play only when a computers location is unknown or the targets are too numerous, and does not reduce the key protection and oversight that already limits such hacking: the need for probable cause presented for a judges approval and search warrant which specify with particularity what the hacking should search for (with the ability to enforce these restrictions in the code).
(TNS) -- When the Internets legions of Hillary hecklers steal away to chat rooms and Facebook pages to vent grievances about Clinton, express revulsion toward Clinton and launch attacks on Clinton, they now may find themselves in a surprising place  confronted by a multimillion-dollar super PAC working with Clinton.Hillary Clintons well-heeled backers have opened a new frontier in digital campaigning, one that seems to have been inspired by some of the Internets worst instincts. Correct the Record, a super PAC coordinating with Clintons campaign, is spending about $1 million to find and confront social media users who post unflattering messages about the Democratic front-runner.In effect, the effort aims to spend a large sum of money to increase the amount of trolling that already exists online.The plan comes as Clinton operatives grapple with the reality that her supporters just arent as engaged and aggressive online as are her detractors inside and outside the Democratic Party.The lack of engagement is one of Clintons bigger tactical vulnerabilities, particularly when compared with rivals such as Donald Trump, whose viral social media attacks are legion, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is backed by a passionate army of media-savvy millennials.Some experts on digital campaigns think the idea of launching a paid army of former reporters, bloggers, public affairs specialists, designers and others to produce online counterattacks is unlikely to prove successful. Others, however, say Clinton has little choice but to try, given the ubiquity of online assaults and the difficulty of squelching even provably untrue narratives once they have taken hold.At the same time, however, using a super PAC to create a counterweight to movements that have sprung up organically is another reflection of the campaigns awkwardness with engaging online, digital pros said.It is meant to appear to be coming organically from people and their social media networks in a groundswell of activism, when in fact it is highly paid and highly tactical, said Brian Donahue, chief executive of the consulting firm Craft Media/Digital.That is what the Clinton campaign has always been about, he said. It runs the risk of being exactly what their opponents accuse them of being: a campaign that appears to be populist but is a smokescreen that is paid and brought to you by lifetime political operatives and high-level consultants.The task force designed to stop the spread of online misinformation and misogyny is the brainchild of David Brock, a Clinton confidant who once made a career of spreading such misinformation and misogynistic attacks against her and Bill Clinton. His critics say he kept his taste for dirty tricks when he switched sides to become one of the Clintons most valued operatives.The mere mention of Correct the Record makes some critics seethe. Super PACs are typically prohibited from working in tandem with candidates, but Correct the Record is doing just that by exploiting a loophole in campaign finance law that it says permits such coordination with digital campaigns.Clinton herself is saying we need campaign finance reform, said Paul Ryan, deputy executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, an advocacy group. Yet her lawyers are pushing the boundaries to get around campaign finance laws.Brock referred questions to Elizabeth Shappell, a spokeswoman for the super PAC, who emailed a brief statement saying that Barrier Breakers, as the effort is labeled, is only engaged in positive content, even when responding to offensive content, and is always identified as Correct the Record, she wrote. The email also emphasized that Correct the Record is spending the million dollars in a way that it argues is legal under rules governing super PACs.The reaction to the initiative from supporters of Sanders has been predictable  and it has not been to reconsider their vitriol toward the front-runner.When actor Tim Robbins was confronted on Twitter after making the dubious assertion that election fraud is robbing Sanders of votes, he accused tweeters who challenged him of being paid shills for Brock. Within an hour, he had directed a variation of the same message at 88 tweeters:Dear @CorrectRecord operatives, Thank you for following todays talking points. Your check is in the mail. Signed, @davidbrockdcThose independent tweeters who challenged Robbins were not on Brocks payroll. Correct the Record is not paying activists outside the organization to send messages, although it is arming them with instructions, talking points and infographics for posting.But the Robbins response confirmed a well-established rule of social media: The kind of confrontation Correct the Record is manufacturing almost never wins converts.Social media scholars say thats not necessarily a problem.It will get the people already supporting Hillary Clinton riled up and more excited, said Filippo Menczer of the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research at Indiana University, who researches how and why misinformation takes hold on social media. Campaigns are grappling with the reality that there is no proven strategy for stopping the spread of even demonstrably false attacks on social media, he said.This is a big problem, and we are nowhere close to knowing how to solve it, he said.Correct the Record says it has already engaged with 5,000 Clinton attackers as part of this campaign. A lot of what gets posted online has been pretty benign, including images of a smiling Clinton alongside such phrases as Love & Kindness and Thank you for Breaking Barriers with Hillary.The campaign has been given credit by Sanders loyalists, however, for all manner of things that it has had nothing to do with, including posting pornography on pro-Sanders Facebook pages, which resulted in them being temporarily taken down because of a Facebook software glitch.David Karpf, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, said Clinton supporters are using the tools they have at their disposal  limited though they may be  to provide a counter-narrative to the increasingly hostile postings coming from some Sanders supporters whose hopes for victory are deflating. Theyre also getting ready for battle against Trump, he said.Even if it doesnt stamp out the rumors and attacks, this is the best they can do right now, Karpf said. In this day and age of campaigning, they absolutely have to do it.That may be true, but the effort seems unlikely to be a game changer for Clintons campaign, said Dan Gillmor, who teaches media literacy at Arizona State University.I suspect it will be hard for paid operatives to win a trolling war against people who dont need to be paid to troll, he said.
Toro Rosso could become the first customer of Honda's engines in F1.

That is the claim of the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, who said rumours of the Red Bull-owned team's interest actually dates back to 2015.

But it is believed Ron Dennis still intends to fiercely defend an apparent clause in his works contract with the Japanese manufacturer that guarantees exclusivity for McLaren.

That, however, is at odds with a new rule in F1 guaranteeing that teams will not be left without customer deals.

"Last year, as Honda was new, we said they could supply only one team but according to the rules manufacturers must have the ability to supply more teams," Bernie Ecclestone is quoted as saying.

"Their (Honda's) problem was the exclusive agreement with McLaren," he added.

Turun Sanomat correspondent Luis Vasconcelos reports that Toro Rosso chief Franz Tost is now pushing for a three-year Honda deal, for the period 2017-20.

The Faenza based team currently uses 2015-spec Ferrari units.

Honda appears open to the idea of supplying customers.

"We don't have any plans but we have already promised the FIA that we would have the potential to supply a second or third team, so we are preparing that," said the Japanese marque's new F1 chief Yusuke Hasegawa.

(GMM)
Godavari Tributes Mother Tongue On Mother's Day

USA: Godavari, the fastest growing South Indian restaurant chain in the world has associated with Coolphabets to bring the Mother Tongue close to all the Indians from this Mothers day.

Godavari in collaboration with Coolphabets a start up with a unique concept of teaching our arterial languages to our next generations using different variety of merchandise like T-shirts, Mugs and many more is promoting the native languages along with Native food.

All the locations will start using the placemats with the alphabets in Telugu and many other Indian languages so that it would be a unique concept of teaching our language to the kids during their visit to Godavari locations.

This Mothers Day as we salute the unparalleled love from mothers all around the world towards kids due to which we all made this far, we want take a moment and invite you all to enjoy the lavish lunch buffet at all Godavari Locations Across USA on this Mothers Day Weekend.

Get Ready to Surprise your Mom with a Unique Lunch Buffet at all our Locations Across USA that would be serving the best of the South Indian cuisine with an entirely unique Moms recipes like Kamju Pitta fry, Amma chetah Almond Chicken, Venna Idly, "Avakai Naatu Kodi Biryani" and many more.

The science of good food and the science of passive learning served just right from Godavari and Coolphabets.com.

Go. Explore and find out what dish will take you close to your moms love.

With Love to All & Respect to Moms!!!

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

Press note released by: Indian Clicks, LLC
TOUCH NINE Salutes Mothers On Mother's Day

USA: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY wishes from TOUCH NINE - an Authentic North & South Indian Cuisine In Irving, Texas.

Call 469-914-6767 to reserve your seat for our special Mothers Day Lunch buffet. Limited seats available.

We at Touch Nine wanted to bring in a exquisite combination of North and South Indian carefully Chosen Menu so you can experience a home style cooked food.

Our visited patrons mentioned after relishing the food @ TouchNine they felt like they are in their home and tasted the original which will make us very delight full overtime.

Some of the items which our customers frequently orders Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani, Shrimp Biryani, Chennai Talapakattu Biryani, Goat Sukka, Lamb Chops, Tandoor Lobster, Tandoori Shrimp, Chicken Sukka, Nellore Fish Pulusu, Mouth Watering varieties of Dosas, Aloo Tikka, Samosas, Dhabha ka style Dhal Tadka, Dhal Makni, Chicken Butter Masala, Chicken Tikka Masala, Palak Panneer, Tandoori Chicken, Fish Tandoor, with varieties of Desserts every day.

We are serving buffet from 11:00 AM to 02:30 PM Weekdays and 12:00 PM to 03:00 PM over the Weekend.

We are very well reviewed by many guests who visited us that encourages us to serve the community even better going forward. Our Service, food and ambience speaks largely about us as we cordially invite Dallas MetroPlex community to visit TOUCH NINE and experience the unique experience of an Authentic Indian fine dining service.

TOUCH NINE Banquet Hall, Can accommodate plug and play for any of your office conferences/important life events with 200 inch Custom Made Screen (first ever in Dallas) and with Pixel Epson projector, which suits best for any Corporate meetings, Birthdays, Engagement Parties, Marriage Anniversaries, Anna Prasanam, Baby Showers, Dance parties or Get-togethers.

Patrons who organized events with us had a great experience and are very happy with Touch Nine team for the service, Food and place. Come book your next event with us and you can receive a special discount within next 4 days.

We have full bar to cater your needs, all in one place.

TOUCH NINE can come to you: we deliver, and do out door catering as well, for any kind of party or get together out door TOUCH NINE does not compromise on taste, quality and quantity of the order for further inquiries and making reservations please reach us at 469-914-6767.

Call for Corporate Events: Vijay Vempati @ 469-914-6455.

Catering: Ravi Maganti @ 469-914-6767.

General Information Radhika@touchnine.com.

Press note released by: Indian Clicks, LLC
Heroine Scare Of Secret Cameras!

In the past, a Bollywood heroine had to face a lot of embarrassment when she went to Paris. A secret camera installed in the bathroom of the hotel in which she stayed captured her images.

It came to light when the video clippings of her nude pictures started doing rounds through MMS. She had to keep silent without lodging a complaint with the police since she would land in more troubles if the case is booked on her complaint.

Her episode, however, was a lesson for other heroines. That is why, Priyanka Chopra is feeling inconvenient to stay in hotels, particularly when she goes abroad.

Instead of staying in hotels, Priyanka is planning to construct her own house in America. It would be safer for her, as she is trying for more roles in Hollywood. This was revealed by Priyanka herself. She says there is no tension in ones own house.

So, instead of staying in hotels and feel scared of secret cameras, it is better to have ones own house!
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Naidu On Foreign Trip: What's Up?

Its holiday time for Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu again.

He is leaving on a foreign tour along with his family members for a week on Sunday night and will be returning to Vijayawada on May 15.

As usual, he has kept the media and his own party people in the dark as to where he is going and officials are not disclosing the details on the pretext of security reasons.

Generally, he goes to his favourite holiday destination Singapore or Dubai. But this being summer, Dubai is very hot and hence, the guess is that he might have gone to Singapore. Occasionally, he also prefers to go to Switzerland or Mauritius.

But if the destinations are disclosed, it will lead to speculations that he would have gone on some secret mission.

And everybody knows Naidu has business interests in Singapore and one does not have to explain what Switzerland and Mauritius are known for. So, what is up, Mr Naidu?
Revanth Statement, Worth Reading!

Surprising as it might sound, Telangana TDP is of the view that it was TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and not TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, who had pulled down NTR government in August 1995 coup.

The comments were made by TDP flood leader in Telangana Assembly A Revanth Reddy, in response to the open letter written by IT Minister K T Rama Rao the other day.

According to the letter, it was KCR who had conspired to dethrone NTR and make Chandrababu Naidu as the Chief Minister, so that he (KCR) too would get benefits. It was only after the coup that KCR could become a minister in the Naidu cabinet.

Ask your father whether it is a fact or not, Revanth told KTR.

He also pointed out that the TRS leaders were abusing him whenever he questioned the loot of KCRs family members.

As long as the leaders are there in the TDP, they are treated as Telangana betrayers. But the moment they join the TRS, they become paragons of virtue. How is it possible? he asked.

Revanth also made another interesting comment. You go to Amaravati and share biryani with Chandrababu Naidu. Both of you hug each other at your farm house when Naidu comes there to attend Yagam. Kavitha invites YSR Congress party leader Bharati to Bathukamma festival. While all of you enjoy good relations, how can you treat us as villains and Telangana betrayers? If at all there is any Telangana betrayer, it is KCR, he alleged.

It is interesting. Does Revanth really feel that there was a conspiracy against NTR to make Naidu as the Chief Minister? And KCR and Naidu are hobnobbing with each other?
Why Is Naidu Still So Hungry?

Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu does not seem to be content with whatever he had already usurped from YSR Congress party. He is still hungry to attract as many MLAs and leaders as possible from the rival party.

Call it luring or purchasing, Naidu has already got as many as 17 YSR Congress party MLAs into his party. Still, he is not satisfied.

His latest catch, according to reports, is Ramireddy Pratap Reddy, who is all set to join the TDP in a day or two. And Naidu is learnt to have given green signal not only to the MLAs, but also senior leaders who are eager to jump the fence.

Indications are that former minister and YSR Congress party West Godavari district unit president Kothapalli Subbarayudu is likely to join the TDP. It is a sort of homecoming for Subbarayudu, who was a minister in Chandrababu Naidu cabinet twice in the past.

And Naidu is learnt to have promised him to make him an MLC in the next turn and take him into the Cabinet, if possible.

So, Naidu is hell bent on destabilising the YSR Congress party to the maximum extent. But Jagan is confident that he can overcome this crisis by engineering reverse migration before 2019 elections.
The Republican electorate may have given up on any critical analysis of Donald Trump pronouncements, but the rest of the country can't afford to live in a state of denial.

Take for instance Trump's idea of "cutting a deal" with the nation's creditors  in other words, not paying our debts.

This isn't merely nonsense, it's dangerous talk to say the full faith and credit of the U.S. government can be negotiated.

As RedState says:

"Such remarks by a major presidential candidate have no modern precedent. The United States government is able to borrow money at very low interest rates because Treasury securities are regarded as a safe investment, and any cracks in investor confidence have a long history of costing American taxpayers a lot of money."

How so? Consider who holds much of our national debt.

Yes, foreign governments. But also our state and local governments, including their pension funds. And private pension funds. U.S. banks and insurance companies. Mutual funds. And, of course, people who buy good old-fashioned U.S. Savings Bonds.

In other words, we do. So if Trump wants to shortchange debt-holders, he'll be shortchanging the American people.

That just can't happen. But it's incredible that the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party  which once prided itself for financial responsibility  could propose such a preposterous idea.

And then there's his apparent belief that when a husband cheats on his wife, it's because his wife is an "enabler."

Given Trump's personal history, I'm sure that idea soothes his conscience, if he has one, but I don't think it's going to help lift his standing among women.
Le Coq Rico. Photo: Tirzah Brott/New York Magazine

At certain distinguished dining establishments, the staffers will talk to you about wine in enticing and endlessly learned ways, and at others, they will spin elaborate tales about the quality of the days asparagus, or the fresh oysters, or even the pizza pies. But at Antoine Westermanns civilized new Flatiron District bistro, Le Coq Rico, the topic is chickens. Do you have all the birds tonight? I overheard the connoisseur at the next table say as I sat down to my dinner one evening. The mans voice carried the kind of knowing, arch tone that can send distress signals throughout an unprepared dining room, but the server at this upscale chicken house was prepared. We dont have the Cornish tonight, he said, referring to the famous hen in the same way a sommelier might discuss a young vintage of Puligny-Montrachet. The chef thinks they need a couple more weeks to develop.

Westermann won three Michelin stars at a restaurant called Le Buerehiesel in that famous goose capital Strasbourg, and he helped pioneer this kind of haute poultry cooking at the original Le Coq Rico in Paris. With its wood floors and generically modish bistro furniture, this is a simpler version of that first restaurant, and on busy evenings, the slightly ungainly space (two narrow bars with a dark dining room in between) can feel as crowded as a proverbial chicken coop. But when you open your menu, you will find the age of each whole bird listed next to their not-inconsiderable price (at $95, that Cornish hen actually costs as much as a middling Montrachet), and if you ask politely, the wait staff will provide a pocket-size book, penned by the chef himself, describing the history and lineage of the pampered, boutique breeds you are about to devour.

Which may be why several of my guests who visit France often, and like to denounce the grim, gulag state of the industrialized American chicken every chance they get, felt like theyd ascended to some kind of rarefied poultry heaven. This is especially true in the early stages of dinner, when the knowledgeable server brought us Westermanns offal platter (chicken hearts stuck with bits of apple on little bamboo spindles being the highlight), and a series of carefully fashioned Eggz dishes (tangy deviled eggs, soft-cooked eggs crusted with almonds over fresh asparagus, and sunk en meurette, with mushrooms and bacon in a delicious red-wine reduction). We also enjoyed a tartly dressed salad ringed with sizzled chicken livers, and a classic rendition of foie gras en croute (velvet duck foie, a scrim of gelee, a fresh pastry crust) that, at $32 for a single slab, cost roughly $8 per bite.

Which brings us to the delicate subject of the cost of dinner at Le Coq Rico. Before my merry band of tasters and I even got to the impressive roster of whole roasted birds, we had to fight our way through a blizzard of smaller entrees, some of which were worth their inflated price tags and others that were not.

A small, watery $34 fricassee consisting of bullet-hard chicken chunks and barely visible shreds of Maine lobster tasted, according to one of my slightly peevish guests, like an elevated form of hospital food. My gamy, perfectly roasted squab breast ($34, and packaged, intricately, in softly braised cabbage leaves) was a pleasure to eat, on the other hand, and Westermanns bountiful, strangely underseasoned, tough-boned Alsatian baeckeoffe (an entire bird, simmered in Riesling and a medley of farm vegetables, for a cool $120) was a little bit of both.

A similar unevenness plagues the impressive Whole Birds section of the menu at Le Coq Rico, although much of this, in fairness, is a matter of taste. I wasnt wild about my leathery portion of the imposingly large Catskill guinea fowl, although the leg that I spent several minutes gnawing on was improved by the lustrous house chicken jus, which is served with all the birds in a little cream jug. The pride of the list is the Brune Landaise, a French breed that has been raised for 110 days, according to the chefs little poultry book, by Mennonite farmers in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. My Francophile friend loved the moist and muscly quality of the meat, although if youre going to plunk down close to a hundred bucks for a single chicken, and youre hooked on the plump, fat-injected texture of the gulag-raised American bird, I recommend the familiarly salty, crispy-skinned Barred Plymouth Rock.

The sheer size of the mature to share birds at Le Coq Rico can also be a bit of a challenge (I finished most of the Plymouth at home, over the sink), but whatever you do, save room for the festive house desserts, which look like theyve been transported directly from the kitchens of some grand Proustian-era Parisian hotel. Im thinking of the vanilla-and-strawberry vacherin, which the pastry chef, Matthieu Simon, who did a three-year stint in that other great Continental dessert capital, Vienna, constructs like a baronesss hat, with a base of twirling pink sorbet and vanilla ice cream, a cloud of whipped Chantilly cream, and a pointy top of meringue. The pink house souffle (cut with rhubarb) and the ile flottante (spun egg whites resting in a pool of creme anglaise) are studies in the mostly vanished art of confectionary lightness, and if its heft you want, call for the mille-feuille, which contains raspberries and freshly whipped egg-colored custard hidden in its puffy pastry layers and is roughly the size of a bread box.

Rating: 2 stars



Le Coq Rico

30 E. 20th St., nr. Park Ave. S.; 212-267-7426; lecoqriconyc.com

Open: Daily for weekday lunch or weekend brunch and dinner.

Prices: Appetizers, $12 to $32; entrees, $24 to $120 (including many to share).

Ideal Meal: Eggs en meurette and/or duck foie gras terrine, roasted squab in braised cabbage with a side of potato puree or rice pilaf, the ile flottante (or any other dessert).

Note: If you want to observe the chicken cooks at work in their white toques, the best seat in the house is at the second dining counter, in front of the open kitchen.

Scratchpad: One star for the best of the ambitious poultry cooking and another for the superb desserts.

*This article appears in the May 16, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.
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This is the first mother's day, Rory Feek and his two year-old daughter Indiana are spending without Joey. On March 4th this year, Joey passed away after a nine month bout with terminal cancer. Their last album together Hymns that Are Important to Us was released less than a month before Joey's death. The hymns album was not only a #1 album on both Billboard's Christian and country music charts, the couple were also nominated for a Grammy earlier in the year.

On the first mother's day without Joey, Rory reflects on being a father. "I love being a father. I always have. Joey always said that that's part of what attracted her to me when we first met. But neither she, nor I, had any idea how important that would be to us years later.

For years after Joey and I got married, I dreamed that God might bless her and me with a baby. A baby that we could love and cherish and raise together. A child that was part her, part me, and all Him. And part of that dream was that I might be given a second chance at being a father. So when Indiana came along, it was a dream come true in more ways than most people know."

Naturally, Indiana brought the Feeks great joy. But when Joey discovered she had cancer, she was saddened and hurt. Rory writes: "Joey sat beside me on a glider on our back deck and cried and cried. But not because of the news that the cancer had spread and there was nothing more the doctors could do. She cried because Indy was going to lose her mama, and I was going to be a single father again. Joey knew how hard it had been for us for all those years before she came along and she was upset that she was going to leave me in the same situation."

However, it was prayer and God who helped the couple with their doubts and fears. "But we just did what we always did when we were confused and hurt and scared... we got on our knees, held hands and we prayed. Soon, our tears were replaced by hope and trust that God's plan was perfect and that somehow, someway... everything would be okay. We never cried over that again. We just celebrated everyday that we were given together, and tried our best to prepare for the day when those days together would be no more."

On Mother's Day, Rory and Indiana went to Joey's grave (behind their home) and celebrated with her. "Though my beautiful wife sleeps in a bed of clover behind our farmhouse, we still celebrate her on this special day and lift her up and give her flowers. This is not my day. It is hers. Joey loved being a mother more than anything else in the world. And she is still Indy's mama."

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Published on 2016/05/08 | Source

"Mrs. Cop 2" ended with Kim Beom receiving the death sentence.

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On the episode of "Mrs. Cop 2", Ko Yoon-jeong (Kim Sung-ryung) set out to save Oh Seung-il (Lim Seulong) who was taken hostage by Lee Ro-joon (Kim Beom).

Lee Ro-joon threatened Ko Yoon-jeong to kill Detective Oh if she didn't come soon enough. Ko Yoon-jeong hurried there and had a gun pointed at her by Lee Ro-joon's men. Lee Ro-joon had his gun pointed at Oh Seung-il. At the end of the struggle, Oh Seung-il was at the safe end of the gun while Lee Ro-joon was on the other. Then, Lee Ro-joon's man shot Oh Seung-il and Lee Ro-joon ran away while Ko Yoon-jeong was attending to Oh Seung-il.

This was a moment where Ko Yoon-jeong and Lee Ro-joon could have ended their ill-fated relationship and put him in the hands of law. However, Ko Yoon-jeong didn't give up and continued to look for Lee Ro-joon. She then gained information that he was trying to leave for Brazil and headed for Incheon International Airport. In the end, Ko Yoon-jeong and Lee Ro-joon came face to face in a shady storage room.

Lee Ro-joon told her to shoot him but Ko Yoon-jeong said, "Let's do this the way you did. If you're lucky, it'll end with me killing myself, otherwise you'll take the blame for killing a cop too. Ko Yoon-jeong could have easily settled the deal between them but she didn't kill him so easily. "I want to kill you, but I don't want to be the one to kill you", said Ko Yoon-jeong as she randomly put bullets into her pistol. She shot herself in the head, but it was empty. She gave him the gun and he shot her. Lee Ro-joon was evil to the end and Ko Yoon-jeong knew it.

The gun ended up in Ko Yoon-jeong's hand and she shot him. He was caught. The court sentenced him to death. This was the moment the powerful who had it easier than the weak, finally paid their toll. The ending of "Mrs. Cop 2" raised anticipation for a season 3.
Published on 2016/05/09 | Source

On the episode 13 of KBS 2TV's Monday & Tuesday drama, 'Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho', Jo Deul-ho (Park Shin-yang) was falsely charged for murder.

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On this day, Jo Deul-ho was arrested all of sudden for the Lee Myeong-joon murder case. Sin Ji-wook (Ryu Soo-young) asked Jo Deul-ho, "Why did you kill him". Almost all of the evidences were indicating the criminal was Jo Deul-ho. As Jo Deul-ho answered, "Because I wanted to kill", Sin Ji-wook asked, "So you want to make a confession?" Jo Deul-ho then asked him back, "Isn't this the answer you wanted to hear from me? Do you think I killed him?".

Jo Deul-ho again said, "Don't you have a pride in you? What makes you be so certain to suspect me? All those evidences are too obvious that I could get rid of or cover up if I wanted. Why do you think I would advertise everywhere that I killed someone?" After Sin Ji-wook heard this, he said, "You've got 48 hours to present alibi to flip over all the evidences, otherwise this is the end of your life".

Jo Deul-ho asked him, "Can't you think the real murderer is running away at this moment, after getting rid of all the actual evidences? Do you want to bet? Whether or not I can prepare the evidences to invert all of the previous evidences of yours within 44 hours?" Although Jo Deul-ho acted confidently, he blamed himself for not having protected someone again after Sin Ji-wook left the room.

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me Minister Malcolm Turnbull has officially confirmed that Australia will go to the polls on Saturday July 2, now that Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove has given the nod of approval for a double dissolution election.Turnbull confirmed his plans for a double dissolution election on Sunday night and says both house of Parliament will be dissolved on Monday.Last month Turnbull announced plans for a double dissolution election after the Senate rejected legislation to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission for a second time.The restoration of the ABCC is a very important part of his partys economic plan, Turnbull says, and the upcoming election will give Australians the opportunity to decide whether the resurrection of the building industry watchdog is necessary.The election will be a clear choice for voters, Turnbull told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra."To keep the course, maintain the commitment to our national economic plan for growth and jobs, or go back to Labor, with its higher taxing, higher spending, debt and deficit agenda, which will stop our nation's transition to the new economy dead in its tracks, Turnbull was quoted saying by the ABC "It is the most exciting time to be an Australian, he says."But we must embark on these times, embrace these opportunities, meet these challenges, with a plan and we have laid out a clear economic plan to enable us to succeed."Turnbull says "every measure" the Coalition had set out in last weeks Federal budget promotes stronger economic growth and more jobs."And that is why we are asking the Australian people for the privilege of governing this country for three more years to secure our prosperity, to secure our future," he says.Turnbulls 55-day election campaign focuses on jobs, growth and economic management, while cautions that at the election of a Labor government would "stop our nation's transition to the new economy dead in its tracks", Fairfax Media reported.However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has vowed protect schools, hospitals, workers' pay and conditions and to act on climate change, Fairfax reported.
The following information is provided by local law enforcement agencies.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Compiled by Jessica Isaacs

The following were provided by the Watauga County Sheriffs Office.

April 26

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 996 Fallview Lane Unit 1 in Boone.

INCIDENT: Drug violations were reported at 897 Wilsons Ridge int. in Boone.

ARREST: A female suspect, 41, of 2571 Longhope Road in Todd, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance on prison/jail premises. She was held under a $10,000 secured bond and will appear in court on May 18.

ARREST: A male suspect, 21, of 4725 Elk Creek Road in Deep Gap, was charged with felony PWIMSD methamphetamine, maintain veh/dwell/place for controlled substance and larceny. He was held under a $25,000 secured bond and will appear in court on May 18.

ARREST: A male suspect, 27, of 1110 Pedro Shoun in Mountain City, Tennessee, was charged with felony true bill of indictment. He was held under a $50,000 secured bond and will appear in court on June 14.

April 27

INCIDENT: Vandalism and communicating threats were reported at 115 Long St. Unit 3 in Boone.

INCIDENT: Obtaining property by false pretense was reported at 546 H Stanley Miller Road in Deep Gap.

ARREST: A female suspect, 75, of 711 Possum hollow Road in Blowing Rock, was charged with trespassing and will appear in court on May 16.

ARREST: A male suspect, 38, of 553 Troy Norris Road in Boone, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

ARREST: A male suspect, 35, of 295 Rush Branch Road in Sugar Grove, was charged with OFA. He was held under a $5,500 secured bond and will appear in court on may 13.

April 28

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 149 Hensels Lane in Boone.

INCIDENT: Fraud was reported at 1527 Bairds Creek Road in Vilas.

INCIDENT: Fraud was reported at 3505 Alpine Blvd. in Alpine, California.

INCIDENT: Assault on a female was reported at Laurel Branch Road and Old U.S. Highway 421 in Zionville.

ARREST: A female suspect, 41, of 1125 N.C. Highway 194 N in Boone, was charged with three counts of school attendance violation law and will appear was scheduled to appear in court on April 28.

ARREST: A female suspect, 49, of 9189 N.C. Highway 105 S in Banner Elk, was charged with failure to appear. She was held under a $500 secured bond and will appear in court on May 13.

ARREST: A female suspect, 30, of 269 Farthing Hayes Road in Boone, was charged with school attendance law violation and will appear in court on May 18.

ARREST: A female suspect, 41, of 691 Sherwood Road in Vilas, was charged with RDO and injury to real property. She was held under a $500 secured bond and will appear in court on June 14.

ARREST: A male suspect, 40, of 3852 Pine Swamp Road in Fleetwood, was charged with cyberstalking and will appear in court on June 14.

April 29

INCIDENT: Fraud was reported at 177 Wildwood Crossing in Boone.

INCIDENT: Resist, delay and obstruct was reported at 3661 Silverstone Road in Zionville.

INCIDENT: Larceny from buildings was reported at 2876 Howards Creek Road in Boone.

ARREST: A male suspect, 53, of 1458 W. King St. Apt. 201 in Boone, was charged with injury to personal property and harassing phone call and will appear in court on June 17.

ARREST: A female suspect, 40, of 3661 Silverstone Road in Zionville, was charged with resist/delay/obstruct and will appear in court on June 17.

April 30

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering, larceny and vandalism were reported at 230 Clark Swift Road in Vilas.

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering and larceny were reported at 1865 and 1989 N.C. Highway 194 N in Boone.

INCIDENT: Vandalism was reported at 336 Old Johns River Road in Boone.

May 1

INCIDENT: Flee to elude was reported at Skateworld, 100 U.S. Highway 321 N in Vilas.

INCIDENT: A missing person was reported at 184 Hodges Gap Road in Boone.

ARREST: A male suspect, 23, of 2381 Kellersville Road in Banner Elk, was charged with felony flee to elude arrest and resisting public officer. He was held under a $10,000 secured bond and will appear in court on June 17.

ARREST: A female suspect, 30, of 293 Red Maple Lane in Boone, was charged with FTA child support. She was held under a $561 bond and will appear in court on May 17.

May 2

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 668 Mabel School Road in Zionville.

INCIDENT: Purse snatching and trespassing were reported at the original Mast Store in Sugar Grove.

INCIDENT: Aggravated assault was reported at 223 Randolph Drive in Boone.

INCIDENT: Larceny was reported at 290 Hidden Creek Road in Boone.

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering a motor vehicle and larceny from a motor vehicle were reported at 943 New River Hills in Boone.

INCIDENT: Domestic dispute involving a firearm was reported at 304 McGuire Road in Sugar Grove.

INCIDENT: Larceny and obtaining property by false pretense were reported at 301 Ray Brown Road in Boone.

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering a building and felony larceny were reported at 12472 U.S. Highway 421 S in Deep Gap.

INCIDENT: Breaking and entering a motor vehicle and larceny from a motor vehicle were reported at 854 New River Hills in Boone.

ARREST: A male suspect, 22, of 713 21st Ave. NE in Hickory, was charged with contempt of court/perjury/court violations. He was held under a $10,000 secured bond and will appear in court on May 31.

ARREST: A female suspect, 38, of 1386 Sampson Road in Boone, was charged with second degree trespassing and will appear in court on May 24.

ARREST: A male suspect, 28, of 574 Fallview Lane in Boone, was charged with felony identity theft and financial card fraud. He was held under a $25,000 secured bond and will appear in court on May 16.

ARREST: A male suspect, 26, of 7615 Old U.S. Highway 421 in Zionville, was charged with child support. He was held under a $600 secured bond and will appear in court on June 16.

ARREST: A male suspect, 65, of 244 Devils Den Road in Banner Elk, was charged with OFA/FTA. He was held under a $3,000 secured bond and will appear in court on June 8.

ARREST: A male suspect, 42, of 887 Slabtown Road in Zionville, was charged with OFA/FTA. He was held under a $10,000 secured bond and will appear in court on June 7.

May 3

INCIDENT: Burglary, larceny and vandalism were reported at 10575 N.C. Highway 105 S Unit 1 in Banner Elk.
On May 4, 2016, John Anthony Stines, age 33, plead guilty to four counts of attempted first degree statutory sexual offense.

On Oct. 12, 2015, a 5-year-old girl reported to her mother that Mr. Stines, her stepfather, had touched her inappropriately. The child was interviewed at the Childrens Advocacy Center of the Blue Ridge and disclosed that Stines had sexually abused her on four separate occasions at their residence in Deep Gap, North Carolina. The Watauga County Sheriffs Office conducted further investigation which corroborated the victims account.

Superior Court Judge Gary M. Gavenus sentenced Stines to serve a minimum of 16 years and a maximum of 24 years in prison. Stines was also placed on the Sex Offender Registry for life and ordered to wear a satellite-based monitoring device for life.

I continue to be committed to aggressively prosecuting offenders who would take advantage of the most vulnerable among us, District Attorney Seth Banks said in a statement. I would like to thank Assistant District Attorney Matt Rupp for his hard work on this case. I would also like to thank the Watauga County Sheriffs Office and the Childrens Advocacy Center of the Blue Ridge for their roles in brining John Anthony Stines to justice.

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By Bob Garver

The highlight of Captain America: Civil War is a six-on-six superhero-on-superhero battle. For simplicitys sake, well call the sides Team Captain America and Team Iron Man. Team Captain America consists of Captain America (Chris Evans), The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). Team Iron Man consists of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).

Why is everybody fighting one another? The seeds are planted when U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt, a carryover from the Incredible Hulks portion of the Marvel Universe) suggests that The Avengers operate under the supervision of the United Nations. Iron Man believes in changing the teams image from that of unsupervised vigilantes, but Captain America is jaded by the corruption of S.H.I.E.L.D. and not ready to answer to another organization. Another factor is The Winter Soldier. Captain Americas compromised best friend is apparently responsible for an attack on the United Nations that kills Black Panthers father (the man is the least-harmed explosion victim Ive ever seen) and is definitely responsible for an attack on the family of a member of Team Iron Man. But the biggest reason is that its simply time to break up The Avengers.

There are twelve superheroes in this movie. There were ten at the end of the last Avengers movie and this isnt even an Avengers movie because Thor and Hulk are sitting this one out. The team is getting too big. It needs to remain at a manageable number as its ranks grow. Halving them here is a good way to do it, except that having both halves in the same movie somewhat defeats the purpose. Its no doubt exhausting to have to come up with something for every one of them to do. And unfortunately its just as exhausting trying to keep up with all of them.

Not that the new characters are introduced inefficiently. We get Black Panthers origin here, and its typical, but quick. Were spared another retelling of Spider-Mans origin, the film correctly assumes that we already know it. Ant-Man shows up with no more explanation than Look who I brought along. With too many characters bouncing around, the brevity is appreciated.

The villain in this film is Zemo (Daniel Bruhl). Who is Zemo? Hes nobody. Normally when I describe a villain that way, its because hes a stealthy, secretive type who doesnt leave clues about his identity. But in this case, I say it because hes been treated like he doesnt matter. Hes taking on cinemas greatest team of superheroes, but hell be the first to tell you hes no supervillain. And yet his identity as a rando works very much to his advantage. This kind of role is Bruhls specialty; initially dull, yet he gradually wins you over.

Thematically, Captain America: Civil War has a lot in common with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Both films see their heroes struggle with tough decisions about how much power they should be allowed to have. Both films see their heroes have to answer for collateral damage from their previous films. And of course both films see their heroes fighting one another. This one will rightfully go down as the superior film, but the other was so miserable that this one is superior just by being average. The action is decent but typical, even from a superhero vs. superhero standpoint (its not like we havent seen some of these guys fight each other before). The storylines with Captain America, Winter Soldier, Iron Man, and Zemo toward the end are compelling, but many of the supporting characters seem forced into the movie just so the advertising can push the all-star cast aspect. This movie does superhero fallout better than Batman v. Superman, but that doesnt mean that it gets it quite right.

Two Stars out of Five.

Captain America: Civil War is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of violence, action, and mayhem. Its running time is 146 minutes.

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The Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority will be moving to the historic Robbins House on Park Avenue June 7. In association with the move, the Visitor Center, currently housed in BRAHM, will close June 1. TDA Executive Director Tracy Brown said that the reopening of a new visitor center on the completed 321 Bypass may be an option in a couple of years.

Brown said that the move and closure were a result of several factors, including the establishment of a North Carolina High Country Host visitor center at the Appalachian Ski Mountain Welcome Center, diminishing use of the Blowing Rock Visitor Center in recent years and the opportunity to colocate TDA offices with the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. The TDA will move into office space with the Chamber at 132 Park Avenue on Tuesday, June 7.

Numbers for visitor centers in general have been dropping slightly each year and we have seen a corresponding and dramatic increase in web site visits, along with the use of mobile devices, which have become hand-held, virtual visitor centers.

We work so closely with the Chamber that its much easier to work across the hall rather than down the street, so its always been our intention to move back in with the Chamber at some point. The way our current leases were expiring, it made sense to align both TDA and Chamber leases and get into the same building now, Brown said.

Chamber Executive Director Charles Hardin was equally enthusiastic about the impending move of the TDA to its Park Avenue location. The Chamber is excited to have the Blowing Rock TDA with us again. It has been the intention of both organizations since the DOT purchased the old Visitor Center building on Valley Boulevard to eventually be back under one roof. There are many activities which the Chamber and the TDA work together on that will be more streamlined and efficient under one roof. The cost savings from this colocation will enable precious funds to be more effectively utilized to promote and advertise Blowing Rock as a destination, Hardin said.

Brown said because the TDA is a member of High Country Host, and because of the proximity of their new visitor center to the Blue Ridge Parkway and Blowing Rock, hes certain theyll do a great job of providing the information on Blowing Rock that future visitors may be seeking.

The current site of High Country Host in Boone is owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, who recently sold it to a developer, prompting the move to the new Appalachian Ski Welcome Center. Brown said that discussions with the DOT regarding a future move of the TDA and Chamber to a Bypass site are ongoing.

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Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, in collaboration with Watauga County Cooperative Extension, is opening a food storage hub in the lower level of the Agricultural Services Center on King Street in Boone.

Watauga County approved use of a storage space in the Ag Center to assist our farmers, and construction is nearing completion. The food hub will provide farmers with storage space and will include walk-in freezers for storing beef, pork, & chicken, a walk-in cooler for products requiring refrigeration, like vegetables and other produce, and shelving for storing dry goods such as honey, molasses and grains.

Area farmers will be able to rent space for a nominal fee. Preference for renting the space will be given to Watauga County farmers. The Food Hub is expected to open June 1. There is a survey for local farmers to help us assess interest in storage space and anticipated uses.

If you may be interested in cooler, freezer, or storage space for your agricultural products, please contact Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture at (828) 386-1527, or the Watauga County Cooperative Extension at: (828)264-3601.or simply come by the Ag Center on King Street in Boone.

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Fresh off the heels of their first-ever nonprofit food vendor appearance at MerleFest, Hospitality House announces an expansion of services into Wilkes County.

As a resident of Wilkes County, I have been looking for additional opportunities to assist the ever-increasing number of homeless individuals and families in my home county, states Hospitality House executive director Tina Krause. We started this process nearly three years ago, engaging several concerned citizens and local congregations; to see it coming to fruition moves us another step forward.

As the only twenty-four hour homeless service agency in the seven-county region of Wilkes, Ashe, Avery, Watauga, Alleghany, Yancey and Mitchell, Hospitality House has been serving Wilkes since 1995. During 2015, Hospitality House provided a total of 35,725 nights of food, shelter and supportive services, with Wilkes County residents making up fourteen percent of that total.

The fifty-two Wilkes County residents supported by Hospitality House last year, equates to one person per week being transported to Boone for assistance.

Says Wilkes County native and Hospitality House board member Gary Newman; Being able to assist folks, right here on the ground in Wilkes County, has been of goal of mine since joining the board of directors in 2014.

The physical expansion into Wilkes will begin with two Scattered Site Housing locations that will serve families and individuals living with a disabling condition. This program facilitates independent living for residents in the community, while also providing supportive services and intensive case management.

Several prominent businesses, individuals and churches have been instrumental in making this extension of services a reality.

Its really exciting for all of us to partner with you, and the local churches, to do something to help you expand services here in Wilkes County, states a representative from a local firm that wishes to remain anonymous. From what we have learned about Hospitality House, it seems clear that the housing needs in our region are great. I hope this can be the beginning of a long chapter in your story.

Hospitality House, a proud member of the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, continues to work in partnership with several local church congregations and mission teams and is closely aligned with the Wilkes County Department of Social Services, Wilkes County Schools, Wilkes Regional Hospital, The Health Foundation, h.o.p.e. Ministries and United Way of Wilkes.

For additional information, please contact Todd Carter at [email protected] or 828.264.1237 ext. 107.

To learn more about Hospitality House, visit them online at www.HospHouse.org, follow them on Twitter @HospHouseBoone or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HospHouse

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*Release from Mountain View Speedway:

Lets go racing.

On May 6, 2016 the Honorable Resident Superior Court Judge Gary Gavenus denied the Town of Boones Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order against the Speedway operators.

When this decision was handed down it was welcome news for race fans of all ages who are anxiously awaiting the exciting dirt track action at the Speedway this Saturday, May 7.

It is unfortunate that the Town of Boone continues its vendetta against the Speedway but the Speedway and race fans are thrilled that the Courts of Watauga County handed down this fair and just decision. On Saturday the gates open at 6 p.m.

All race fans are encouraged to bring a can good that will be donated to the Hospitality House of Boone, and if race fans bring this can good they will receive a dollar off the admission price. In addition a portion of the Speedways proceeds goes to Camp New Hope in Ashe County which is a camp for kids with special needs.

Next Saturday night, May 14, 2016 the fifty-fifty raffle proceeds will be donated to Ryan Possum Mullis so mark your calendars and be sure to attend to help support Mr. Mullis and his financial need due to medical reasons.

Most importantly come on out and support the only racing in the High Country and let the Speedway and the drivers know how much you appreciate their family friendly activities and excitement every Saturday night.

The Speedway is located on Roby Greene Road.

See you at the Races.

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By Jesse Wood

The public comment period for the proposed establishment of the Appalachian High Country AVA (American Viticultural Area) is now open. The 60-day public comment period, which began yesterday, will end on July 5, 2016.

If this is approved in the coming months, an Appalachian High Country AVA will put our region on the map  as far as the wine industry is concerned.

The proposed local AVA is a 2,400-square-mile area in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia that features 21 wine-grape growers and 10 wineries in portions or all of these eight counties: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties in North Carolina; Carter and Johnson counties in Tennessee; and Grayson County in Virginia.

The High Country Wine Growers Association is responsible for applying for the local AVA through the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The application was submitted in October 2014.

Oh man, I think its going to be something else, Jack Wiseman, owner of Linville Falls Winery and a member of the HCWGA, said when announcing the application in the fall of 2014. This will tell the rest of the world where the [grapes were] grown and where the wine was produced.

Part of the application process includes demonstrating how it differs itself from other AVAs, such as the Yadkin Valley AVA, which is the closest AVA, located down the mountain off of U.S. 421.

The geography, elevation, weather, climate and soil is all different between Yadkin Valley and the proposed Appalachian High Country AVA. With that covered and unless opposition to the local AVA mounts, which isnt likely, or something unforeseen arises, HCWGA members see official approval happening come October.

I cant imagine anybody down there [Yadkin Valley opposing our AVA]. The more the merrier because what you want is a wine trail where [wine connoisseurs] could start at Yadkin Valley and work their way up here, said Steve Tatum, owner of Grandfather Vineyard and Winery, on Wednesday.

An official AVA approval would allow for an Appalachian High Country label to identify local wines and highway signs designating the region as a wine country, for two examples. Local wine leaders also say that the designation would improve the economy.

If you look at AVAs established in other areas, there is no doubt they have improved the economy in that area. Look at the Yadkin Valley, they are very distressed, but thats a tourist area now. Its really good. We already have that going for us, but obviously this will help add to that, Tatum said.

On May 18, from 3 to 5 p.m., the High Country Wine Growers Association will meet at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone to answer questions regarding the status of the petition and the remaining steps that need to be finalized.

[But] most importantly to discuss how we can all work collaboratively together to jointly market the new AVA name! As our neighbors to the east in Yadkin Valley have shown, an AVA can bring a tremendous increase in tourism and visitors to our area who want to experience the unique wines that can only be produced here in the Appalachian High Country, wrote Johnnie James of Bethal Valley Farms, a winegrower who spearheaded the AVA petition process, in an email to HCWGA members. While no one owns the name, it is a brand like Napa Valley that we will all share and can leverage the advertising and marketing that each other does.

For more information and to comment, click the links in the federal notices below:

Notice No. 158, Proposed Establishment of the Appalachian High Country Viticultural Area. This notice proposes to establish the Appalachian High Country viticultural area in portions of northeastern Tennessee, northwestern North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia.

To view all documents and comments related to this proposal, go to Docket No. TTB20160003 on the Regulations.gov website. To comment electronically, use the Regulations.gov comment form for Notice No. 158. To submit comments by postal mail or hand delivery, see the instructions in the notice. Comments on this proposal are due by July 5, 2016.

Proposed Establishment of the Appalachian High Country Viticultural Area

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, proposing to establish the approximately 2,400-square mile Appalachian High Country American Viticultural Area in all or portions of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, and Watauga Counties in North Carolina, Carter and Johnson Counties in Tennessee, and Grayson County in Virginia.

The proposed viticultural area is not located within any established viticultural area.

TTB is making this proposal in response to a petition filed by a local wine industry member on behalf of a local association of vineyard and winery owners. TTB designates viticultural areas to allow vintners to better describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase.

You may submit comments on this proposal and view copies of the proposed rule, selected supporting materials, and any comments TTB receives about this proposal at the Regulations.gov website (https://www.regulations.gov) within Docket No. TTB20160003.

A link to that docket is posted on the TTB website at https://www.ttb.gov/wine/wine-rulemaking.shtml under Notice No. 158.

Alternatively, written comments may be submitted to one of these addresses:

U.S. Mail: Director, Regulations and Rulings Division, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street NW., Box 12, Washington, DC 20005; or

Hand delivery/courier in lieu of mail: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, 1310 G Street, NW., Suite 400, Washington, DC 20005.

Comments on this proposal must be received on or before July 5, 2016.

HCWGA Release on May 4

The High Country Wine Growers Association is pleased to announce that on May 3, 2016 the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) proposed to establish an approximately 2400 square mile Appalachian High Country viticulture area in all or portions of the following 8 counties: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell and Watauga Counties in North Carolina; Carter and Johnson Counties in Tennessee; and Grayson County in Virginia. The original petition requesting consideration was filed with the TTB in October 2014 and included the following:

-Evidence that the area within the proposed AVA boundary is nationally or locally known by the AVA name specified

-Explanation of the basis for defining the boundary of the proposed AVA

-Narrative description of the features of the proposed AVA affecting viticulture such as climate, geology, soils, elevation, etc.

-United States Geological Survey (USGS) maps showing the location of the proposed AVA with the boundary drawn

-Detailed narrative description of the proposed AVA boundary based on the USGA map markings

This was a significant undertaking and required the assistance of ASUs Department of Geography and Planning, Blue Ridge Environmental Consultants, local Cooperative Extension offices, as well as significant input from the local growers and wineries. The shared funding for this project was the 8 county governments included in the AVA petition as well as a few select wineries. This was truly a community team effort that should be celebrated by the entire area.

Currently there are approximately 21 commercial vineyards planted in the proposed AVA area representing approximately 71 acres. Another 37 acres are planned pending approval of the AVA. In addition there are 10 bonded wineries within the proposed AVA.

In order to put the name Appalachian High Country on a bottle of wine, 85% of the grapes used to make the wine must have been grown within the boundaries of the AVA. Thus, it will be a unique bottle of wine that cannot be found anywhere else in the world except right here in High Country! As weve seen with the establishment of the other 233 AVAs around the country, the economic ripple effect on the local economy is significant as it will bring more tourists who will rent more hotel rooms, eat more meals at our restaurants, and visit many of our other wonderful venues while they are here in the mountains. In addition, it will help create new opportunities to farmers with fallow land previously focused in tobacco or Christmas tree farming.

The High Country Wine Growers Association is hosting an information meeting on Wednesday, May 18, at 3:00 pm at the Watauga Ag Extension Office in their downstairs conference center. The public is invited to attend.

For questions, call Johnnie James at 407-808-1617.

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By Jesse Wood

U.S. Congresswoman Virginia Foxx addressed the Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk and the Rotary Club of Avery County at a joint meeting on May 3. With the redrawing of North Carolinas 5th District, Congresswoman Foxx addressed the members of the two clubs as her constituents for the first time.

Foxx represents the county where she grew up for the first time.

North Carolinas 5th Congressional District now consists of Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Avery, Forsyth, Surry, Stokes, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yadkin counties. This district was amended prior to the 2016 primary by the N.C. General Assembly after the courts ruled that the 2011 redistricting was unconstitutional.

Because of the timing of the court ruling, the congressional primaries were pushed back to June 7.

Foxx is one of five people  three Democrats and two Republicans  running for the 5th Congressional District of North Carolina in the U.S House.

Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk is seeking her seventh term as the representative for the 5th Congressional District.

In announcing her 2016 candidacy Foxx said, Our nation is at a historic crossroads. President Obama and his liberal allies have tried to take us down a road of government coercion, higher taxes and soul-crushing regulation. North Carolina voters from all walks of life tell me virtually every day that we cannot go any farther down that road.

They are rightwhich is why Im running for Congress.

Each week, the Kiwanis meets on Tuesdays over the lunch hour on the campus of Lees-McRae College.

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The Longmont Times-Call and select media sat down with Michelle Wilkins after Lanes conviction in February.

By Jesse Wood

On Friday, a Colorado judge handed down a 100-year sentence to the woman that cut a fetus from the womb of a former Appalachian State University student last year, according to the Denver Post.

Chief District Judge Maria Berkenkotter remarked on all of the things that the victim, Michelle Wilkins, who was 26 years old at the time of the attack, wont ever be able to do with her daughter, Aurora.

Auroras parents will never get to scoop her off a grocery store floor during a tantrum or hang her artwork on the refrigerator, Berkenkotter said, according to the Denver Post.

They wont get to watch as she decides who she is or what she wants to do with her life, Berkenkotter said. Ms. Lane, you stole that from Michelle.

In February, Dynel Lane was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, two counts each of first- and second-degree assault and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

In March 2015, Lane attacked a pregnant Wilkins who was responding to a Craigslist ad to buy baby clothes at Lanes home in Longmont, Colo.

Her visit turned into a horror story as Lane attacked Wilkins and cut out Wilkins unborn child, a girl who didnt survive. After attacking Wilkins, Lane told her boyfriend, David Ridley, who had already been tricked into believing that Lane was pregnant and didnt know of the attack, that she had a miscarriage, according to a police report of the incident.

The couple drove to the hospital with the 7-month-old fetus, where hospital staff noticed that Lane didnt show signs of recently giving birth. She admitted to detectives that she cut Wilkins abdomen and removed the fetus.

After the attack, Wilkins was able to lock herself in a room of Lanes home and call 911. She told authorities where she was and they picked her up, bringing her to the same hospital that Lane was at, the Longmont United Hospital.

During the sentencing hearing, Wilkins showed a picture of Aurora swaddled in a blanket. Her dark hair was thickest around her tiny ears, the Denver Post reported.

This is a picture of her, Wilkins said looking at Lane.

The Post reported, Wilkins again expressed forgiveness for Lane. But she also shared her frustration in Lanes refusing to acknowledge us or apologize.

You left me there to die multiple times, Wilkins said. The only tears that you cried during the trial were those of your own self-pity.

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Watauga High School student Devin Hollars won first place in the state level SkillsUSA carpentry competition, which had a field of 40 tough competitors.

Jason Matthews, carpentry teacher at the high school, remarked that that Hollars exemplified tremendous skill and patience in a very high pressure and intense competition.

Hollars will now go to Louisville, Ky. in June to represent the high school and North Carolina in the National Carpentry Competition.

Hollars is one of a number of WHS students that won recognition in state level career and technical education competitions this spring.

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(Forbes) Today we want to talk about another speaker at Sohn, Jeff Smith, of the $4 billion activist hedge fund Starboard Value. Smith is a Wharton grad and a former managing director at Ramius, a multi-billion hedge fund. You might have heard of Starboard Value from its activist investments in Darden and, more recently, Yahoo. But we have been following them for years because of their outstanding performance. We think theyre the best pure activist hedge fund in the business today.

To read this article
The European Commission proposed on Wednesday that the visa requirements be lifted by the end of June due to the progress Turkey has made in meeting the benchmarks of the roadmap towards the visa-free regime, particularly over the past couple of weeks.

A proposal to grant Turkish citizens visa-free access to the European Union has come under criticism from both politicians and researchers in Finland.

The visa-free regime would be a step in the right direction, estimated Carl Bildt, an ex-Prime Minister of Sweden.

Charly Salonius-Pasternak, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, expressed his bewilderment with the remarks of Bildt on Twitter. I would've said yes 15 years ago. But now my answer is no as Erdogan & Co. have taken action, he wrote.

Li Andersson (Left Alliance), Sanna Marin (SDP), Erkki Tuomioja (SDP) and Ozan Yanar (Greens) have similarly voiced their concerns about the regime in light of recent developments in Turkey.

You cannot grant a visa exemption to Turkey at a time when human rights violations are on the rise, democracy and freedom of speech are being limited, and the development of Turkey as a legal state has taken a turn into a worrying direction. Finland must condemn the attacks by Turkey against opposition members, minorities, journalists, scholars and civilians, the quartet writes.

The proposal will also be presented to the Finnish Parliament for consideration as it requires approval by every EU member state and the European Parliament.

The European Union has imposed a total of 72 requirements for the introduction of the visa-free regime but may have to turn a blind eye to some of the requirements as Turkey has made visa-free travel a condition for its commitment to its migrant agreement with the European Union.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: AFP / Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
A taxi driver who admitted to sexually assaulting a female passenger has apologised to his victim.

Yomi Matti (50) avoided jail after he was given a three-month suspended sentence in March.

Just a handful of taxi drivers have had their licence revoked after being convicted of crimes.

Speaking to the Herald after the case, Matti explained he was unable to renew his licence due to the garda investigation into the crime. He confirmed he no longer holds a licence.

Matti has apologised to his victim - but insisted the incident was a misunderstanding.

Nightmare

In what the judge described as the "ultimate nightmare scenario" for an unaccompanied woman in a taxi, he was found guilty of repeatedly touching her thigh.

Matti said that he was very sorry for what had happened. "I didn't mean anything," he said.

"She said I touched her leg, I swear to God, I have a family of four kids, I have a wife and this is my livelihood. Why would I do something to jeopardise my life?

"I swear to God, I didn't mean anything," he said.

Matti said he would drive his taxi in future, if given the chance. However, current legislation will not allow this.

"This is my livelihood. I'm extremely sorry, I'm very sorry," he said. "She said I touched her about 10 times, each time about two seconds. I don't remember doing such, but it's her word against mine," he added.

"If I fought the case and if I had lost, I go to jail. I don't want to go to jail," he said.

In court, Matti pleaded guilty to sexual assaulting the woman on November 1, 2014. A garda told Blanchardstown District Court the victim had taken the taxi from Harcourt Street in the early hours of the morning. She was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Touched

"On the way out, the driver touched her on the leg on a number of occasions, that is the crux of it really," the garda said.

Matti - from Huntstown Lawn, Clonsilla - had no previous convictions of any kind. A victim impact statement was presented to the court. Reading this, the judge said it was a "very fair report" and the garda said he had agreed that the victim was a "very genuine young lady".

"Her motivation was totally unselfish in reporting the matter," Judge McHugh said. "She just didn't want it to happen to somebody else."

Matti, originally from Nigeria, has lived in Ireland for 15 years and had worked as a taxi driver for six years. He was ordered to pay 1,100, which he had brought to court, as a token of remorse to be given to the victim either to keep or donate to charity.
The damaged windows of the home of Michael Frazer

The family home of notorious gangland target Michael Frazer, which is protected with blast-proof windows, has been shot-up in another attack.

The shooting took place on Knocknarea Avenue in Drimnagh at the home of Frazer's innocent parents. Frazer has survived five previous attempts on his life.

More than nine shots were fired at the front of the house - which now features a reinforced door after the previous one was severely damaged in a grenade attack in 2008.

In that attack a fragmentation grenade was thrown through the front door and exploded in the small hallway of the house, sending shrapnel ripping through the ceiling.

Hitman

But on Friday morning the house was targeted once again, despite the fact that Frazer (35) no longer lives there.

The bullet-proof windows absorbed the impact of nine shots

Frazer, once aligned to gangland's 'Fat' Freddie Thompson, previously fled Ireland after repeated attempts to kill him.

But the car dealer is back in Dublin, despite the threat to his life.

He is in the sights of the Kinahan cartel, one of the country's most dangerous crime gangs. The cartel includes former pals in the 'Fat' Freddie Thompson mob and thugs associated with gangland hardman Paul Rice.

Frazer survived a brutal attack three years ago, when he was shot in Clondalkin.

In August 2014, he narrowly escaped with his life when a hitman's gun jammed in another failed assassination.

In March 2013, Frazer drove himself to Clondalkin Garda Station after he was blasted in the upper body in a church car park on Bawnogue Road in Clondalkin.

He escaped from the shooting in his Mini Cooper and made it as far as the garda station "pumping blood" before he collapsed in the front office.

Gardai believe this gun attack was carried out by a notorious hitman who is the chief suspect for two murders in west Dublin.

Frazer then survived separate murder attempts in the south inner city, Firhouse, Drimnagh and Islandbridge areas between July and November of 2014 before he finally fled the country. Drimnagh man Frazer, who had been living in the capital's south inner city, has been a main target for many of the country's most dangerous criminal groups.

Frazer - who has no serious criminal convictions - is no stranger to violence.

All these incidents were linked to the now-defunct Crumlin/Drimnagh feud.

Because of his previous friendship with 'Fat' Freddie, Frazer was a long-term target for the rival Brian Rattigan gang during the bloody feud that saw 15 people killed.

Sources said there had been some suggestion that Frazer had "sorted out" some of the disputes.

It is believed the latest attacks on Frazer were related either to money or personal issues, which have resulted in a price being put on his head.
The new Government is coming under pressure to ensure what happened to the Clerys workers never happens again.

The head of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Patricia King, has told a conference that the findings of the recent Duffy Cahill report must now be implemented. She said it would be a fitting tribute to the staff who lost their jobs.

It came as it was reported that the State was taking legal advice over whether it could recoup the cost of paying statutory redundancy to the 460 workers.

Staff at Clerys learned in June of last year that they were to lose their jobs, just hours after the store building was sold.

A liquidator was appointed and staff were entitled only to statutory redundancy.

The report - by Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy and company law specialist Nessa Cahill - found that there should be increased compensation for workers amounting to two years' pay if a 30-day notice and consultation period wasn't respected.

It also said that workers whose jobs were wiped out without notice should get two years' pay instead.

The recommendations to extend the existing provisions of the Companies Act to give greater protections to workers are designed to prevent what happened to the 460 staff at the iconic Dublin department store from happening again.

The report also noted that while the transaction that led to the Clerys closure was lawful, "it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that it would be preferable if it were not".

Ms King said the Clerys "debacle" was "one of the worst pieces of behaviour".

Embarrassed

During a discussion at the Financial Services Union conference, Ms King said she remembered going over to the Department of Jobs, two days after the Clerys closure, and being greeted by a senior civil servant whom she recalled as saying that he was "very embarrassed" by what had happened.

She said it had been noted at the time that what had happened with Clerys was within the law.

"The importance [of the Duffy Cahill review] is going to be in getting it implemented," Ms King said.

"The tribute to the Clerys workers and the legacy of the Clerys workers will be when we get the law changed to say, 'You can't do that'.

"That will be a very positive, albeit extremely painful, period of time for those workers."

The iconic department store had been owned by OCS, a unit of US-based private equity firm Gordon Brothers.

It sold the building to a consortium called Natrium, which is a joint venture between Irish firm D2 Private and funds managed by the UK-based Cheyne Capital.

Natrium also acquired the operational side of the department store, but this was immediately sold by the new owners for 1 to a UK insolvency expert and the store closed.

A new investigation has been launched into the closure.

It also emerged at the weekend that the Department of Social Protection has appointed senior counsel to advise it on whether it can recoup the 2m cost of paying statutory redundancies to the 460 workers.
Addiction to texting and social media is leading to more and more marriage break-ups, relationship counsellors have warned.

Therapists have said they are increasingly advising couples stuck in rocky relationships to switch off their smartphones when they return home from work in a bid to save their relationships.

Counsellors at the Relationships Ireland charity said almost every couple who has sought help since the start of the year has cited a partner's constant use of mobiles or tablets as a major issue.

Communicating

They said the problem has become so prevalent that in some cases couples have resorted to communicating via text rather than talking to each other in the family home.

Tony Moore, a therapist with the organisation, said: "People seem to be on their phones the whole time now and that's something that seems to have increased since the start of the year.

"If someone is at home and on their phone the whole time, whether it be texting or Facebook, it means there is a problem in the relationship and that they are losing touch with their partner.

"It's now very common for couples to be sitting together in the same room and spending their whole time on their phones or tablets.

"People often don't realise they're addicted, but they are.

"It's even got to the stage in some cases where a couple communicate to each other by texting at home, because they've lost the ability to have a proper conversation.

"I've found that to a certain degree this problem is affecting nearly every couple we see.

Intimate

"It leads to huge problems and creates a distance if one partner is spending all their time posting Facebook updates rather than being intimate and it makes the other person in the relationship feel angry and rejected.

"If couples are serious about saving their relationship, I'd advise them to make a strict rule to turn off their phones completely when they get back home."

Meanwhile, Relationships Ireland has warned that Euro 2016 could be the final straw for hundreds of rocky relationships across Ireland, as tensions among couples reach an all-time high.

Therapists are anticipating a sharp surge in demand for their services, as exasperated partners become fed up in the days following the end of the tournament, which kicks off in France next month.
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Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said she is an Indian and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of underhand tricks by linking her Italian origin to the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal.

I came here in 1968 as daughter-in law of late Indira Gandhi. I lived my whole life as an Indian. Till my last breath I will be here and my ashes will mingle with this land, she said in Thiruvananthapuram, accusing the RSS-BJP of hounding her for 48 years about her birth in Italy. On the verge of tears she started saying she has to say something personal than political.

I know PM Modi is unable to understand my feelings. I dont know why hes resorting to underhand tricks. But I am sure people of this country will understand me, she said at an election rally, adding her 93-year-old mother and two sisters still live in Italy. Sonia, however, did not say anything on the copter deal that has crippled proceedings of the ongoing Parliament session.

Read | Everyone knows who has relatives in Italy: Modi targets Sonia on Agusta

The Congress chief began her address by paying tributes to the Puttingal temple tragedy victims and the law student who was brutally murdered in Kochi ten days ago. She said killers of the Dalit girl who was raped in Kerala will be nabbed soon. The BJP had earlier attacked the Congress chief and Rahul Gandhi for ignoring the brutal death of the student.

I challenge him (PM Modi) to show at least one BJP ruled state that has a better health & educational achievement than Kerala:Sonia Gandhi  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

Coming down heavily on BJP, Gandhi said the partys dream of opening an account will remain a mirage. The party cant open an account in the state. It cant breach the strong secular fabric of the state, she said. She said the BJP never believed in democratic values and has destabilised two governments -- in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

India is my home.Its here that I'll breathe my last,& here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones:Sonia Gandhi pic.twitter.com/DZYf58FruG  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

She said the Prime Minister, who was roaming around the world, has no time for dying farmers. She criticised Modi for neglecting the plight of rubber and coconut farmers of Kerala. I am sure people of Kerala will stand united to foil the partys design to establish its base in the state, she said.

She also criticised the Left parties for practising a politici of negativism and annihilation. Despite many bitter experiences, the Left is still turning its back on development. It always pursued a negative economic agenda, she said.

The Left always adopted an anti-development policy. If it comes to power, the state will go backward. Leave alone development, it has got an ambiguous stand on liquor policy, she said, lauding the Chandy governments policy that she claimed has been made a model by many states.

Read | AgustaWestland row: Cong slams PM Modis remark about Sonia Gandhi

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Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been ruling Bollywood for the last two-decades but he says he doesnt celebrate success and loves fulfilling desires of his children. I am a fakir that ways, I dont celebrate success. If you meet me for seven days I would be in the same pants. I love giving things to people. I dont buy anything for myself. I dont have the requirement to spend money on myself, said Shah Rukh.

I dont have any personal desires, I love fulfilling desires of my children. I dont listen to music so I dont buy speakers. I have lot of shoes, but all that comes from shootings because I wear sneakers, he said.

Read: What makes Shah Rukh Khan a marketing genius

Read: Where are the fans? Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fans BO collections dip

However, Shah Rukh says his expenditure is mostly on his lifestyle. I love big things, so we have a big house, big office and big films, my money gets spent on all this. The only time I spend money is on filmmaking. I dont go out to restaurant, I eat at home and that too same food. I dont buy new clothes. And whatever I have an excitement for, I am already endorsing it, he said.

After achieving immense success, Khan now has a huge empire- a film production company, VFX studio, IPL team, investments in companies and properties abroad. I feel I should do something new as I have got the opportunity to do it. A lower middle class boy comes from Delhi has not even a penny to his name, parents are not there, orphan and you get these opportunities, added Shah Rukh.

Watch: The making of Shah Rukh Khans Fan

But if I dont do all this (investments in IPL team, VFX studio), then I would be the biggest star at leisure doing my acting, endorsements and take some holidays, he said.

The Fan star is aware that he may fail at doing things, but he is more content with taking risks and trying out different things. I may fail but at least I gave it a shot. We all will fail, we all will have an end to our career one day, so lets try something new, the 50-year-old actor said.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
Actor Shahid Kapoor and wife Mira Rajput, who were holidaying in Italy, have returned to India. The couple was clicked walking hand-in-hand at Mumbai international airport on Sunday evening, and we couldnt miss Miras baby bump. The 21-year-old Delhi girl is reportedly in her second trimester.

Read: Yes, I am going to become a father, says Shahid Kapoor

Mire and Shahid returned from a holiday, which is being termed as babymoon.

Rumours of Miras pregnancy started doing the rounds when she was clicked at a fashion week in April. She, too, posted a picture along with fashion designer Masaba Gupta on Instagram, and captioned it: Two Ms and a Bum #sayheytobey - little M (sic), which further fuelled the speculation.

#Repost @mira.kapoor with @repostapp.  Two M's and a Bum #sayheytobey - little M  A photo posted by Masaba (@masabagupta) on Apr 2, 2016 at 1:09pm PDT

A confirmation, however, only came in recently when hubby Shahid spilled the beans at a promotional event of his upcoming film, Udta Punjab. When a reporter asked the actor if he was going to become a father soon, he had replied: Haan main baap banne wala hoon. Kya kar lega tu?
Actor Nargis Fakhri, whose origins trace back to Pakistan, says that at a time when there are divides between cultures and races she would like to cross borders for work. She would like to spread one message -- were all the same inside and working together is the key to moving forward.

Be it Ali Zafar, Fawad Khan or Mahira Khan, Bollywood has welcomed Pakistani actors with open arms. And Nargis shares that she would like to travel to Pakistan with her craft.

Read: I might do a sex comedy in America, but not in India, says Nargis Fakhri

Asked if she would consider working in the Pakistani industry, Nargis, who picked an action-comedy film Spy for her first Hollywood outing last year, said: Im not the one to rule anything out.

With Pakistan being in my blood, I would certainly look at opportunities to travel there, Nargis told IANS in an email interaction.

The actor, who will portray Mohammad Azharuddins second wife Sangeeta Bijlanis role in Azhar, feels that with stardom comes responsibility.

Read: I want to meet Sangeeta Bijlani, says Nargis Fakhri

She said: I believe that as actors, we have a phenomenal platform to spread positivity and influence people in the same way. In a time where there are divides between cultures and races, I would love to use my position to show that we are all the same inside and working together is the key to moving forward.

Nargis took the first step towards the world of glamour as a model in 2005. After Rockstar, she did films in a wide variety of genres ranging from serious to fun like Main Tera Hero and Madras Cafe.

Watch: Emraan Hashmi romances Nargis Fakhri in Azhar song

Post Azhar, Nargis will be seen in Housefull 3 and Banjo.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Susmit Ghosh, a resident of Noida travels everyday to Gurgaon for work. He works with a multinational company and did not mind the long commute, because of his office-provided cab. But since the Supreme Court decision to ban petrol and diesel taxis in the national capital region, Ghosh is finding it difficult to get to work. Now he has to drive all the way to Gurgaon and he is not enjoying it.

Ghosh is not the only one and more and more companies are looking at ways to work around the ban.

From flexible timings to putting up a desk to handle car-pool data, NCR based companies like Cairn India, Zopper.com, Oxigen and BPOs such as Incedo are trying to solve the conveyance concerns of their employees.

Headquartered in Gurgaon, Cairn India, one of Indias largest private oil and gas exploration companies, has a dedicated Car Pool Corner to help employees connect for pooling cars. To make carpooling policy stronger in the company, we have introduced an automated help desk, which maintains a database for employees to pool cars. It also listed even- and odd-numbered cars for pooling during the Odd-even days, says a spokesperson.

Last week, National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), group of Indian information technology services companies, had highlighted the concerns for BPO sector saying the ban could lead to a possible loss of $1billion. However, companies have started negotiating with their travel partners to find ways around this ban. We have asked our transport vendor to deploy CNG cabs on the routes and he has asked us for time to buy new cabs, said spokesperson at Gurgaon based tech BPO, Incedo.

Many startups, located in NCR, have introduced flexible working hours. We have introduced flexi hours for the employees; which makes the situation slightly easier to handle as they can commute by public transport when the traffic is less, said Neeraj Jain, Chief Executive Officer at Zopper, Tiger Global-backed hyperlocal white goods start-up.

Few companies are promoting shuttle services. Meher Sarid, president- corporate affairs, Oxigen, a payment solution provider, said, We encourage employees to use shared shuttle services to travel point to point at fixed times. Companies are also approaching to their logistics partner to arrange for law compliant vehicles for transport.

With the governments decision, nearly 50,000 diesel cabs are off the roads in the national capital region (NCR) applicable from May 1, 2016.

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Mark Zuckerberg wanted to connect people, so he built Facebook. When on a snowy night in Paris in 2008, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp couldnt get a cab, the two were inspired to set up Uber.

And, when one night, 18-year-old Ritesh Agarwal was forced to check into a hotel after being locked out of his apartment in New Delhi, the below-par services  torn mattresses, leaked taps and useless sockets  gave birth to OYO Rooms, which will soon be renamed only OYO.

Thats how large companies are built  by solving a personal pain point, says Agarwal, a college dropout and the first Asian to graduate as a Thiel Fellow (the Thiel Fellowship backed by PayPal founder Peter Thiel requires its Fellows to drop out of school and start their own businesses).

THE BEGINNING

Agarwal started in 2012 with Oravel, a software to list-and-book budget and premium accommodations, before going on establish OYO Rooms in 2013. But Oravel soon hit a dead end  there were many players in that space  Expedia, MakeMyTrip and Ibibo, to name a few.

During his days at Oravel, for three-and-a-half months, Agarwal hopped on from one hotel to another, trying to understand the need of travellers. At some hotels, no one would pick up the phone, while there would be no signage at others. Mattresses would be torn, plug points would not be working properly, and so on and so forth.

So, Agarwal started talking to hotel owners, asking them to hand over the property. OYO would refurbish them  put up clean mattresses, equip them with high-speed WiFi and good toiletries.

As Agarwal told Rajesh Yadav, OYOs first client: If the property loses money, I will take the brunt. If it makes money, we split it up.

But refurbishing entire hotels had its own problem  it took time to make money. So Agarwal decided to take up a few rooms at a time. This helped in showing quicker liquidity, he says.

Soon hotel owners wanted more rooms to be run by OYO. From 42% a year ago, OYO holds 71% (or 65,000 rooms) of the inventory in the 6,000 properties it is currently present. It recently raised $100 million from SoftBank and other investors. Grapevine says OYO is valued at almost a billion dollar, or maybe just short of it.

NOT JUST AN AIRBNB CLONE

Agarwals journey has not been the stuff that dreams are made of. In January, Kunal Pandya, CEO of software development firm Ncrypted, alleged that Agarwal was not a coder, and that Oravel was Ncrypteds client. There were also logistical issues. Sometimes Agarwal couldnt find the right properties, sometimes it was unviable to launch in certain cities. Last year, hotel aggregators, including MakeMyTrip, Ibibo and Yatra, banned inventory from OYO, and investors started questioning the companys business model. What is the global equivalent of OYO? they would ask. Agarwal would say none, not even San Francisco-based home-stay rental major Airbnb, which has often been considered as OYOs inspiration.

Our ambition is to take up any piece of real estate, standardise it and put it online, Agarwal says.

Airbnb is just one of OYOs many problems, and with the US company announcing grand plans for India, the competition is only going to hot up.

Back home, OYO is up against Rocket Internets Zen Rooms, FabHotels, Stayzilla and Wudstay, among others. There is also ZO, which OYO is trying to acquire.

Agarwal is also lining up his artillery.

The 22-year-old has signed contracts to add 100,000 rooms to OYOs exisiting 65,000. In the next five years OYO will have a million rooms, cornering a third of the market. Besides the bed-and-breakfast OYO Homes, there is Flagship, which is expected to give a Taj Vivanta-kind of experience. OYO has 25 such properties. There is OYO Premium, where the service quality is a tad higher than the Rooms.

Agarwal wants to standardise every piece of real estate  even temples, if he can. They dont look great, he says. Why only temples, Taj Mahal is also on his mind. Its in a very bad state, there are spider webs as you enter.

Who knows, soon Agarwal may be seen cleaning up those webs.

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Delhi high court on Monday sought the Income Tax departments response on Vodafones plea challenging an order directing special audit of its accounts for assessment year 2012-13.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vibhu Bakhru issued notice to the IT department and asked it to file its reply by July 28 on Vodafones plea.

The telecom major has challenged the departments March 31 order directing special audit of its accounts for the assessment year 2012-13.

It alleged before the court that the order has been passed to buy more time.

Advocate Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the department, refuted the allegation.

The company had earlier moved the high court in March this year challenging the departments show cause notice to it on why special audit be not carried out.

The plea was later disposed of by the court after the company agreed to file a reply to the show cause notice of March 11.

Vodafone had made the submission two days after the court, in a subtle warning, had told the company that it would be taking a risk if it did not file a reply to the IT departments show cause notice.

The government had earlier told the court that by not responding to the notice, the company was trying to delay the assessment process beyond the March 31 deadline.

In its notice, the department had asked the company to show cause why its 2011-12 financial records should not be subjected to special audit to arrive at the total income for assessment year 2012-13.

In its show cause notice, the department had said that during course of assessment proceeding, the information and details asked vide various questionnaire have not been submitted till date and you yourself submitting the reasons that due to extreme voluminous of records the specific information cannot be furnished or requesting to grant some more time to furnish details which itself is concrete evidence that records of assessee are voluminous and accordingly need thorough investigation by special audit.
A Dalit woman, who alleged that the son of an Uttar Pradesh politician abducted and raped her in 2014, was jailed three times and suffered fatal injuries when police arrested her a fourth time on April 29. The 20-year-old died on Monday morning.

She had alleged that Gurdeep, the son of BSP leader Mahendra Katiyar, abducted her on December 1, 2014, and repeatedly raped her in captivity before she managed to escape two days later.

Fearing for her safety, she went to Kamalgunj police station. But they drove my daughter out, telling her to bring me along. They never registered a case against Gurdeep, her father said.

The father worked at a brick kiln of Katiyar in the Kamalgunj area of Farrukhabad district.

Four hours after she approached police, Gurdeep lodged a complaint alleging that she had stolen two cellphones, a pistol and a wallet from him. This time, police seemed too eager to uphold the law. The woman was arrested an hour later and sent to prison.

She got bail in March but was arrested again under the gangster act, imposed on the basis of Gurdeeps complaint. Police said she was a lady don, affiliated to a gangster.

On July 14, 2015, she approached court to file a rape complaint against Gurdeep and an unidentified man. Though police registered a case, they quickly followed it up with a final report in court.

Later, they arrested her a third time, charging her with intimidation and blackmail.

The traumatised and scared woman took a social activists help and met Kanpur DIG Neelabja Chowdhary on April 29 this year.

She told the DIG that the people she was fighting were powerful and it was only a matter of time before she was implicated in another fake case. I have been sent to jail three times in my fight for justice. Please ensure a fair investigation in the case, she said in a written complaint.

After hearing her out, Chowdhary ordered an inquiry.

We told him (the DIG) that she didnt have any criminal record before Gurdeeps case. We asked him to prosecute her if she is a criminal, or else give her justice, said Sanjeeba, the activist.

But hours after her meeting with the DIG, police arrested her on the charge of possessing 500 grams of charas, a narcotic.

She was brutally tortured in police custody. When her condition deteriorated, they took her to the magistrates house around midnight to place her in judicial remand, said a person known to the woman. But she could not be sent to jail  So police took her to LLR Hospital in Kanpur.

Police dismissed the allegation. They said the woman was injured when she jumped out of a moving jeep. But they have failed to explain why she was produced before a magistrate at night, without the family being informed.

She was conscious for two days at the hospital, before slipping into coma on May 4. Still, no magistrate came to record her statement, said Verma. Her body bore tell-tale signs of being whipped.

The woman died of her injuries in the general ward of the government hospital.

She had an injury on the right side of the head and the front that led to clotting in the brain and swelling, said neurosurgeon Gajendra Singh, who treated her.

The doctor said the woman was only partially conscious when she was admitted to the hospital. She was shifted to a ventilator later.

Kamalgunj SHO Saligram Verma said the woman threatened him to release two arrested criminals on April 26. I have the recording of that conversation. I got a case registered on April 29 and arrested her the same day. She was produced before the ADJ that night and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. However, she jumped from the official jeep near the police lines and suffered fatal injuries, he said.

BSP strongman Katiyar did not want to speak on the allegations against his son. I will not comment. The law is taking its own course, he said.

Read: Family, police pressure: Why most rape victims turn hostile during trial

Read: Only 12% of those charged with raping children convicted in Delhi

(Victims name changed to protect her identity)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday accused the Centre of not reining in app-based taxi services such as Ola and Uber with party leader Ashutosh taking to Twitter to take on the cab aggregators.

AAP govt banned OLA/uber but HIGH COURT asked not to take coercive action against them. They are running illegally in Delhi, he tweeted.

The app-based operators recently faced flak over surge pricing during the second phase of odd even from April 15-30.

Saturday nights incident of an Ola cab driver allegedly molesting a 24-year-old Belgian woman in CR Park also brought the taxi operator and their drivers under scanner.

Why OLA/Uber not providing informations abt driver/car? Why dont they comply the license conditions? Why Modi govt cant ban their server? AAP govt banned Ola/Uber but Modi govt says it cant ban Ola/Uber. Why Modi/BJP want to protect OLA/Uber, Ashutosh asked on Twitter.

In March last year, the AAP government had asked the Centre to block the IP addresses of Ola and Uber so that their mobile app becomes dysfunctional. The government also rejected their licence applications.

Despite the ban, they continue to run. Through the chief secretary of Delhi, we had written to information and technology ministry as only it can block the IP address, which will automatically ban the app. We are taking action through traffic police but to ban them completely, we want to ban the app first, said a transport department official.

But according to the law, states have the power to notify policies for taxi operators. Central guidelines can only help them in framing policies.

Also read: Ola cab molestation: Cong, BJP target Kejriwal over Delhi crime rate

The Delhi government is in the process of framing a policy for taxi aggregators to restrict surge pricing and ensure security. It is taking suggestion from companys representatives and will come out with the policy later this month.

A discussion on the policy for taxi aggregator is on and it should be ready in three weeks. The central government has prepared a guideline but we are not bound to agree to it. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wants a policy where the public doesnt feel harassed. We will fix a maximum fare limit and the aggregators cannot charge more than that in any circumstances, said a transport department official.

The union ministry of road transport had issued guidelines for ride hailing services, identifying them as on-demand information technology-based transportation aggregators and not taxi companies.

According to them, the aggregators must not own or lease any vehicle, employ any drivers or represent themselves as a taxi service, unless also registered as a taxi operator.

Several states tried to ban ride-hailing services or have them register as taxi operators but companies continue to claim that they are just aggregators.

Also read: Ola driver who molested Belgian woman deleted call log to evade arrest

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A Class 9 student died on Sunday, allegedly a day after taking iron/folic acid supplement at a Delhi government school.

The parents of the girl, who died at Hindu Rao Hospital, claimed her health deteriorated after she was administered her weekly dose of iron supplement at her school.

The girl had been given the tablets on May 4 along with other students, said Directorate of Education (DOE) officials. The next day the girl complained of stomach ache. Her mother was called and she was sent home as the school suspected she was having menstrual cramps.

The parents said they took their daughter to a local doctor where she was administered a saline drip. But when she was being administered glucose, her hands started swelling and she was referred to Hindu Rao where she died.

The Delhi government has ordered an inquiry into the death by the sub-divisional magistrate of Saraswati Vihar. The girl studied at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya, Wazirpur, a government spokesperson said.

There might be some other reason behind her death. We will send someone to investigate what happened. These tablets are given every Wednesday to school children across Delhi and no adverse reaction has ever been reported, an official from the health department said.

Iron-folic acid tablets are considered to be extremely safe by doctors. Iron and folic acid tablets do not cause any reaction, especially such severe reactions. The compounds naturally occur in many food items like spinach, apple, etc. It is given to children who are growing so that they do not get anaemia, said Dr SP Byotra, head of department of medicine at Sir Ganga Ram hospital. The medicine is routinely given to pregnant women too.

Adverse reactions of the deworming tablet, which is given once a year in February along with the iron-folic acid tablets, have been reported. This year more than 180 children complained of uneasiness, nausea and abdominal pain from Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh on National Deworming Day.
Even rains fail to ensure good air quality in Delhi during monsoon, as per the data collated by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The comparative data also revealed that air in Varanasi and Faridabad was more polluted during winters but it became better in the two cities during monsoon.

Pollution in Varanasi and Faridabad was less than that in Delhi between July and August (monsoon), making Delhi more polluted on an average in 11 months. Rains wash out a lot of pollutants, especially those related to dust.

Where Delhi recorded an average air quality of 138 in July  the cleanest month  Faridabad recorded 100 and Varanasi 85. Though during winters, both cities were more polluted than Delhi.

According to CPCB data collated between May 2015 and March 2016, out of Delhi, Varanasi and Faridabad (the most polluted), Delhi had the highest average pollution.

Delhi stood at 248 out of 500, Varanasi at 234, and Faridabad was at 223. These quantities are Air Quality Index figures where 500 is the worst and 0 the best.

In 2014, the World Health Organisation had called Delhi the most polluted city in the world.

CPCBs data in January this year showed that north Indian cities such as Varanasi, Kanpur and Lucknow were highly polluted as were smaller cities such as Agra and Faridabad. Pollution in Varanasi and Faridabad was more than that in Delhi in December and January.

Delhi becomes the most polluted on an average over 11 months because of poor air quality in monsoon months.

Delhi did not see a very robust monsoon last year and the pollution levels in July, August and September remained high. The monsoon, however, was weak in Faridabad as well. Cities in Uttar Pradesh also did not see heavy rains. Their performance on the air quality index was better.

According to air quality expert, Gurfan Beig, the type of data collection could be the reason behind Delhis poor show. In Delhi, the standard of air quality monitoring is very high because it is automated and because it has a number of stations in different locations. Most of these other places, however, have manual stations  only 1 or 2 in number. It is possible that Delhis figures are higher because of more accurate reporting, he said.

According to Centre for Science and Environment executive director, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, one reason for the high pollution in monsoons could be local pollution from combustion,such as emission from industries, vehicles and open burning which cannot be washed away.

Dust pollution is easily washed away by rains but emissions from combustion are tougher to remove. If the pollution in nearby areas such as Faridabad is reduced, it means local sources of pollution are to blame for the bad air quality, she said.
The Juvenile Justice Committee has asked the civic bodies and the Delhi government to complete a survey by June-end on the rate of dropouts, drug abuse among schoolchildren and the reasons behind them.

In November, in the wake of rising drug abuse and crimes by government and corporation school students, the panel asked the agencies to carry out the survey.

Senior officials said the survey was to be completed within 30 days, but it is yet to be finished in most parts of the city. The east and south civic bodies have completed almost 90% and 70% of the survey, respectively. However, the north MCD has only been able to complete 40% of the survey, said the official.

It is unclear how the government schools fare on the survey execution.

The juvenile justice panel had also asked the agencies to appoint educational and vocational counsellors in schools.

Also read: Remedial classes: This summer break, its back to school for some

A government source said data from all corporation and government schools indicated that 326 counsellors were required.

The vacancies for the counsellors will soon be floated. Apart from a basic degree in psychology, the counsellors must also have experience in dealing with children who indulge in drug or substance abuse, said a high ranking official.

Corporation officials said the counsellors will help students fight peer pressure, overcome familial constraints and provide necessary guidance to parents, apart from providing career guidance.

The panels guidelines said that once the survey is completed, schools will have to take special note of dropouts and bring them back into the mainstream.

Authorities will also have to prepare special study material to ensure that students dont indulge in drug abuse

Even though the report is being compiled, there have been cases where the students or children have consumed tobacco and cigarettes, if not drugs. Subsequently, an attempt is being made to counsel the students so that they dont indulge in substance abuse in future, said a high ranking corporation official.

The Juvenile Justice Committees, headed by sitting judges of high courts, supervise and monitor the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, in areas under their jurisdiction.

The Juvenile Justice Committee has asked the civic bodies and the Delhi government to complete a survey by June-end on the rate of dropouts, drug abuse among schoolchildren.

Oppressed children take to drugs, crimes, say experts

Sameer, a 10-year-old has been admitted to a drug rehabilitation centre for the past six months. For two years, he used inhalants to get a high.

Eleven-year-old Ram has a similar story. I have 11 siblings out of which three were involved in drugs and eventually I began using them too, said Ram.

He adds that his father was an alcoholic too, which eventually led to an early drinking habit.

Sameer and Ram, are not isolated cases. They are among 54 other juveniles who are enrolled in a shelter home for juveniles run by Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM) near Delhi Gate.

These kids, rescued from railway stations, and streets, had resorted to begging, stealing and pick pocketing for money.

The kids we rescue are mostly broken, they narrate stories of physical abuse and come in fear. Its this continuous oppression which leads them to be impassive and aggressive in nature, and also indulge in drugs, said Janhavi, a counsellor for the drug rehabilitation centre.

She adds that children are often found with knives, blades and drugs in their pockets when rescued. The shelter home works closely with hospitals to come up with a treatment plan for their detoxification. They are provided basic amenities at the home

A study by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) on 182 juveniles in correction homes, said only 25% of them were studying at the time of committing the crime. The figure is lower in cases of heinous offence such as murder and rape (10%).

School and health facilities are the rights of every child. The government must have good counsellors to groom the child so that they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions, said Rishi Kant, an activist with child rights NGO Shakti Vahini.

The report says that under achievement and truancy are related to children dropping out of school.

A child who experiences neglect, non attachment and disruption at home tends to carry these to school. Itmoves through low self-esteem, poor behaviour and school exclusion, and ends in offending, the report said.

Weak bonding between family members is also a reason for rising juvenile crimes, the report said. All names changed to protect identity

--Apeksha Jain
While cab drivers continue to commit crimes, the legality of web-based cab aggregators plying in the city is unclear. Transport authorities said the criminal record of these cab drivers could not be verified.

The governments transport department said these web-based cab aggregators were plying illegally. A senior transport officer said one needed a permit to run transport services in the city. Ola last applied for permission in September 2015. The transport department rejected their application and since then Ola has not submitted another one. A spokesperson for Ola said, We are law-abiding corporate citizens and all our operations are within the ambit of the law.

Read more: Ola driver arrested for molesting 23-year-old Belgian woman in Delhi

Senior transport officers said a PSV badge tells you if the drivers background has been checked. It is mandatory for the drivers of government commercial vehicles and taxis to have a PSV badge. However, the number of drivers in OLA with a PSV badge is unknown.

Commercial drivers should have PSV badges that are provided by the transport authority. Having a PSV badge means that the driver can be trusted. His background has been checked by the police. A cab aggregator, such as Ola, lets drivers even without a PSV badge work for them. They have to submit their own police verification, which is just an eyewash, said an officer.

A driver is given a PSV badge only after the local police visit his home, speak to neighbours, check his record and send verification forms to the drivers permanent residence. On the other hand, in the police verification, drivers usually submit an online police clearance that is available for `250 and a soft copy of photograph and a voters identity card. The police do not check the authenticity of the voters identity card.

An Ola driver said it took less than two hours to get associated with the company. Go to their Gurgaon office and ask for the forms. If you do not have a PSV badge, they will ask you to get a police verification. Within two hours, they will give you Rs 5,000 and you begin working for the company, said a driver.

Traffic police officers said that they could take action only if the government made the status of these companies clear. They should issue strict guidelines if they want to ban the cabs. If they make it clear and really want to act, the operations of the companies can be stopped in a day, they said.

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St. Stephens College will conduct a written test for admission to its undergraduate courses this year too, despite opposition from teachers.

The written test was introduced by former principal Valson Thampu in 2015. Students who had the required cut-off set by the college had to sit for a test and interview for final selection.

With new principal John Varghese taking over in March this year teachers were hopeful that the written test would be done away with.

There were various teachers who had opposed the test. The principal, however, decided to retain it, said a teacher who did not want to be named.

The college allots 85% weightage for results of the class 12 board exams. The remaining 15% is divided between the test and the interview.

The decision was taken at a meeting held on May 6. The meeting authorised the constitution of an admission committee consisting of teachers of the college.

Stephens being a religious minority college conducts its own undergraduate admissions. Jesus and Mary College also conducts its own admissions. For the remaining 61 colleges of the Delhi University, the admission process is centralised.

St. Stephens College offers 10 undergraduate courses  Bachelor of Arts in Economics, History, Philosophy, English, Sanskrit and pass course. Bachelor of Science is offered in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and BSc pass.

A source in the college said that for the first time the principal has himself taken on the role of the head admission tutor.

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City planning can be a dull subject. Even the big controversies around it rarely inspire anything beyond newspaper reports. Not until it is the story of Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses. A Marvellous Order is an opera about the two individuals and the future of a great city.

Robert Moses was one of the most powerful unelected officials in New York City. From late 20s to the mid-60s, he built all the big power plants, housing projects and roadways in New York. He is centrally concerned with traffic and creating access for cars, says the narrator of the opera.

Journalist and self-taught urbanist Jane Jacobs focus was pedestrians and what make a neighbourhood vibrant and functional... what makes you want to live there. Looking out of the window from her home in Greenwich Village, she observed her neighbourhood for what works and what doesnt, and put them down in a 1961 classic, The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

Moses planned a highway that would have demolished Jacobs Greenwich Village neighbourhood, including the iconic Washington Square. She and her neighbours fought back. In the end, David won. Goliath was removed and his dream project scrapped.

There is more to Jacobs story than her fight. She left behind ideas that were relevant not just for New York City in the 60s. They make sense in any metropolis, including contemporary Delhi.

Eyes on the streets: Youve probably heard that phrase before. It was Jacobs who coined it 55 years ago. For her, a well-used city street is apt to be a safe street. In Delhi, successive surveys have shown that unlit bus stops, subways and deserted streets are the citys most unsafe spaces.

Also read: A lesson from Natural History Museum fire: How to kill our heritage

Jacobs wrote that in order for a street to be safe, there must be eyes upon the street... eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street. They could be neighbours, shopkeepers, vendors, or even children playing on sidewalks, providing a kind of an informal surveillance.

Mixed Land Use: For Jacobs, cities were organic, spontaneous, and untidy by nature. She advocated integration of different uses, whether residential or commercial. These intricate mingling of different uses in cities is not a form of chaos. On the contrary, they represent a complex and highly developed form of order, she wrote, opposing retail-free public housing projects. For her, street life was the essence of city living. Today, the concept is best showcased in Jacobs Manhattan.

The need for concentration: Jacobs didnt like the idea of suburban living. You cant rely on bringing people downtown, you have to put them there, she wrote, arguing that we could reduce the damage on environment by living in densely populated areas and walking to work. For her, not TV or illegal drugs but the automobile has been the chief destroyer of American communities. With nine million vehicles, perpetually clogged roads and the worlds worst air quality, Delhi could bet on this thought.

Harvard economist and author of Triumph of the City, Edward Glaeser thinks Jacobs ideas are a solution to global warming. If billions of Chinese and Indians insist on leafy suburbs and the large homes and cars those suburbs entail, then the worlds carbon emissions will soar. The critical question is whether, as Asia develops, it will become a continent of suburban drivers or urban public transit users, he writes.

Preserving the old: Jacobs wrote that a city zone must mingle buildings that vary in age and condition, including a good proportion of old ones so that they vary in the economic yield that they must produce.

One of Indias oldest living cities, Delhi could have provided the best of this mingling. But except the well-preserved Lutyens Zone, the national capitals other heritage areas, including the 378-year-old walled city, resemble slums. World over, old neighbourhoods are where creativity thrives and local economy flourishes. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings, she wrote.

If alive, Jacobs would have turned 100 on May 4. Nobody said it better than her about great cities that they have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.

shivani.singh@hindustantimes.com

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States are quick to demand central funds to tackle drought, but show little drive to implement water conservation plans

We are floating on water, Gulabi Bai said with a straight face. It wasnt a rhetorical statement; it was a rap on my wrist for enquiring about the severity of the water crisis in Jatara village in Madhya Pradeshs Tikamgarh district, one of the worst-affected districts in the drought-hit Bundelkhand region, which comprises seven districts of Uttar Pradesh and six of Madhya Pradesh. This drought is the 13th in 15 years.

As I travelled from Jhansi to other districts of Bundelkhand, the scene was frightening. The land is pre-dominantly brown with a few patches of greenery around fast-depleting waterholes, dry river beds, empty hand pumps and wells. In many wells, there was no water even at 80 feet. Everyone, especially women, seems to have only one primary job: Search for water. So intense is the scarcity that it is leading to social tension between the water haves and have-nots. Many Scheduled Caste families complained about upper castes cornering water tankers; others talked about how panchayat heads of big villages are refusing to send tankers to smaller villages.

View | Photo Essay | Bundelkhand: Parched and desolate

As in Marathwada, the tanker mafia is making a killing here too: Providing less water than what the government is paying for and, in some cases, compromising on water quality. This lack of availability of water is bound to impact the Centres grand Swachch Bharat plans and also impact the health of the people. Besides shortage of drinking water, drought also poses the threat of hunger and malnutrition. A report released by Swaraj Abhiyan on Monday said 40% villages in Bundelkhand region of MP are left with two or less functioning hand-pumps.

Read | The water mafia is sucking India dry

Women, children and the elderly are bearing the brunt of this endless drought. Its summer holidays now, but children recounted how teachers would send students back to their homes during classes to quench their thirst since the hand pumps in schools were dry. How will they ever learn like this, asked an anxious mother.

Leave alone daily life, celebrations are also on hold: Marriages will be held only after the rains because, as one elderly man said: How will we host guests in this situation? The elderly are waiting for the rains for one more reason: They hope a good monsoon will bring back their family members who have migrated to cities for jobs. At Jhansi railway station, families with children, pots, pans and their meagre belongings can be seen leaving the region in droves. With the State almost abdicating its responsibilities, NGOs such as Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan have opened community kitchens to feed the elderly and the disabled in some villages.

Read | Now, water wasted for UP CMs helipad in drought-hit Bundelkhand

This wasnt my first visit to rural India. But I cant remember seeing so many bovine creatures walking aimlessly along the highways. With no fodder and water for the cattle, farmers are forced to release them. For a farmer, the cattle are not only draught animals but also a sort of fixed deposit to tide over emergencies.

A report in Down To Earth says that the Centre has spent `15,000 crore in the past decade to create water-harvesting structures. That includes the `7,000 crore package for Bundelkhand announced by the UPA at the behest of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. With this money, over 116,000 harvesting structures (700 check dams and 236 minor irrigation projects) were constructed in Bundelkhand between 2006 and 2015. But the impact of such structures in harvesting rainwater has been limited because of the bad construction quality and wrong location. In places, where quality check dams have been built, there is water  for example, in Chandrapur village, Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh. Thanks to the villages water-harvesting efforts, the groundwater level around the area has improved so much that villagers have left one pond exclusively for cattle.

Severe water crisis is not new to Bundelkhand but its rulers had found ways to tackle it. To drought-proof the area, the Chandelas and Bundelas, the Rajput clans who ruled these areas between the 10th and 16th centuries, built a network of tanks and ponds to harvest rainwater in good seasons. Many of them lasted centuries and some are still functional. But thanks to the State apathy in maintaining them and encroachment by the public, most have been destroyed.

Read | Bundelkhands drought-ravaged land leading to farmer suicides

Check dams and water-harvesting structures, however, alone cannot minimise the impact of such back-to back drought on people. Preparing for drought requires action on several fronts: Setting up constitutional, legal and institutional frameworks for monitoring, early warning systems based on identified indicators, relief measures, financial and economic support and dedicated financing. In other words, several departments have to work seamlessly. But the State has failed in this too. Thanks to delayed payments and corruption in the MGNREGA, which could stop migration, people have lost interest in it. The agriculture departments extension services, which could have helped farmers to decide on crops that take less water, are almost non-existent.

Read | Shifting IPL matches or good rains wont end our water woes. Heres why

While drought relief and management are important, a shift in public policy from drought management to drought mitigation is necessary, writes Indira Khurana, policy lead at IPE Global, an international development consulting company, in Reflections on Managing Water. Mitigation measures must include reducing soil erosion, augmenting soil moisture, slowing rainwater drainage and improving the efficiency of water use.

Kunal Shah, director, disaster management at World Vision India, said that drought or no drought, India is facing a grave water scarcity and only funds and schemes will not be enough to drought-proof the country. The State must involve communities in building and maintaining the water-harvesting structures. In fact, in many places I found people who are ready to walk long distances for water but wanted government to clean up/deepen wells.

There is tremendous anger among people but Bhopal, Lucknow and New Delhi dont seem anxious. On May 6, only 80 MPs were present during a debate on drought in the Lok Sabha when 10 states are drought-hit.

Read | 116 farmers committed suicide in 2016; 10 states reeling under drought

Late last week, the CMs of three drought-hit states met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav demanded funds to buy 10,000 tankers and `11000-crore central assistance. The demands of the two other chief ministers  of Maharashtra and Karnataka  were on similar lines. Its a pity that states are quick to demand central funds to tackle drought. But they show little leadership when it comes to devising and implementing long-term community-based water and land management plans to drought-proof their states.

@kumkumdasgupta

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While the confrontation between the government and the Opposition about the AgustaWestland scam commands national attention and the experience of 330 million people in drought conditions boggles our imagination, a political storm is again building up in some of Indias universities.

Students at JNU are on an indefinite hunger strike since April 28, joined by teachers, protesting the punishments meted out to the students by a high level enquiry committee over their alleged role in the controversial protests on February 9. Meanwhile, there is a nasty confrontation between pro-ABVP students and students and teachers of Left persuasion at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, with the BJP terming the entire university as a hub of anti-nationals.

Read | JNU teachers join students, go on relay hunger strike

The health of students on strike at JNU is reportedly deteriorating; Umar Khalid, the history student, who was arrested on sedition charges and subsequently released, was taken to AIIMS after his sugar, sodium and potassium levels fell. This has now become a battle of attrition between the authorities seeing the punishment of students as a denouement for the saga that began in February and the students who see this as unjustifiable coercion for expressing alternative political views.

Stiff fines have been imposed on 14 students; three students have been rusticated for varying durations and one has been barred for five years. The students want a rollback of all punishments. Their cause has received strong support from the faculty and alumni for several reasons, not least because proper procedures were not followed by the enquiry committee. The students were not given a chance to represent themselves nor was evidence against them made available to them. The mystery about who raised the anti-national slogans on February 9 is yet to be solved and those responsible for airing doctored videos have not yet been apprehended.

Read | Its red vs saffron as Jadavpur University goes the JNU way

The authorities seem to be relying on summer heat to break the will of the students, who are pressing on with principle on their side. That is an unwise strategy for the administration to follow. Hunger strikes are not predictable phenomena and even if the authorities bank on the use of force to break them up there are other consequences to be mindful of.

Turmoil in JNU and other campuses is likely to become the rallying point for more political confrontation, even as Opposition parties set in train their strategies for the general election in 2019. Support for students may wane owing to absences from the campus in the summer, but it will likely resume in July. In short, instability is assured but the nature of the political dividend from charged nationalism debates in universities is not. A single incident can veer a controversy in unexpected ways, as Rohith Vemulas suicide demonstrated. Wiser heads should urgently push for a face-saving resolution in JNU.

Read | After WB polls, Cong unites with Left to combat BJP at Jadavpur varsity
Till a few years ago, when 17-year-old Mayank saw his father, who is a farmer, toil in the fields in the scorching heat, he hoped to change his familys fortune one day. After cracking the JEE Mains this year, he is now one step away from fulfilling his dream.

Despite coming from a poor background, Mayank is the first to get formal education in several generations of his family. Youngest among his four siblings, the Sultanpur lad scored 136 marks in JEE Mains this year. Confident of cracking the JEE Advanced as well he said, I have worked very hard for the last two years. The onus of changing my familys fortune is on me.

Mayank is not the only student from a financially poor background to get this opportunity. Forty-seven out of the 58 students studying at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Pipersand, have qualified the JEE Mains and are hopeful of cracking the advanced stage as well.

Read more: 16-year-old beats cancer, scores 95.8% in ICSE

Set up for rural children, JNVs are co-educational residential schools fully financed and administered by the government of India through an autonomous organisation, Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. These students who mostly come from rural humble background have proved that facilities alone do not matter. It is the perseverance that counts, said principal JC Gupta.

Forty-seven out of the 58 students studying at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Pipersand, have qualified the JEE Mains and are hopeful of cracking the advanced stage as well. (Deepak Gupta/HT photo)

JNV Lucknow has a good track record of students cracking the prestigious exam. In 2014, 47 out of the 50 students cracked JEE Mains while 34 cleared JEE Advanced. However, in 2015 only eight students cracked the exam. This year, all eyes are on schools topper in JEE Mains Amit Yadav who scored a total of 210 marks with 74 in mathematics.

Amardeep Saini, who scored 189 marks in the exam, also wants to crack the advanced stage to change the fortune of his family. Saini has three sisters and two brothers and his father is the sole earning member in the family.

We are hopeful that all the 47 students who will appear in JEE Advanced on May 22 will do well. Amit is very bright and we are confident that he will make it to one of the IITs in the country, said vice-principal of JNV Neeta Upadhyay.

The Dakshina foundation has also played an instrumental role in theses students success. It signed an MoU with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti according to which specialised teachers prepare students for the JEE Mains and Advanced. One of the teachers, Mohammad Ashfaq, said that these students were extremely bright. With a little guidance they will outshine in the exams , he said.

For most students, JNV is like a home away from home where senior students not only guide their juniors in academics but also look after them like their family. Stanzin Angmo of Class 11 says, We feel so proud of our seniors who cracked the exam. They have always been there to guide us.

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Uncertainty continued over the result of the Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) in Andhra Pradesh with officials waiting for the Supreme Court order on NEET.

The results which were delayed till 5 pm due to hearing of the states petition in the apex court, was postponed again.

State human resource development minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao told reporters that they were waiting for the Supreme Court orders.

As soon as we receive copy of the order, we will take a decision, he said following reports that the Supreme Court completed hearing and is expected to pronounce orders any time.

The results may be declared later today or Tuesday morning.

The results were earlier expected at 11 am but the authorities postponed the same till evening as the Supreme Court was expected to deliver its judgment by afternoon on a petition by the state government seeking exemption from the apex court orders regarding National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions into medical and dental courses.

Read more: Andhra EAMCET results on May 9, SSC on May 10

The minister had said earlier that if the state is exempted from NEET, results of both engineering and medical streams will be announced. In case of an adverse judgement, results of only engineering stream will be declared on May 9. The results of the medical stream will be announced later after consulting legal experts.

More than 2.90 lakh students had appeared in EAMCET, which was held on April 29, a day after the Supreme Court delivered its judgement, asking all states to follow NEET.

Despite the confusion after the court order, Andhra government went ahead with the examination.

EAMCET convenor Sai Babu said though the number of students who wrote the test was more than 37,000 compared to last year, the results were being announced a day ahead of the schedule.

Within half-an-hour after the declaration of results, SMSes will be sent to students, informing them about their ranks.

The candidates can also see the results at www.apeamcet.org.
Rejecting the states demand for their own entrance examinations, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that all admissions to medical and dental courses would be held on the basis of a single National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

It is also clarified that only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies, a bench headed by justice AR Dave said.

However, the court gave relief to students who complained of not getting enough time for NEET-1 held on May 1. It said students would be allowed to appear in the second phase of the test on July 24, provided they gave up their NEET-1 score.

Prima facie, we do not find any infirmity in the NEET regulation on the ground that it affects the rights of the states or the private institutions, the court said.

The bench asked the RM Lodha committee, constituted to oversee the Medical Council of Indias (MCIs) functioning, to supervise the NEET to ensure total credibility of the examination to be held by the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education).

The ruling ends days of uncertainty for students who filled up forms for the states common entrance tests.

Read: Admission to private medical colleges only via NEET, clarifies SC

The CBSE, the court said, could reschedule the date to accommodate more students. The CBSE expected 250,000 students to participate in the second phase. But the order could lead to a rush with more students grabbing the opportunity. The NEET-1 saw the participation of 650,000 students.

A constitution bench of the Supreme Court agreed on April 11 to review a 2013 verdict quashing an MCI notification on the NEET, resulting in the revival of a common test for admission to all medical and dental colleges.

Acting on a petition filed by a non-profit trust, the bench on April 28 asked the MCI and the CBSE to conduct the NEET this year.

The board told the court it had decided to name the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) as the NEET-1 and fixed the tests second phase for July 24. Results would be declared on August 17 and the session would begin by the end of September, the board counsel said.

However, the states and unaided institutions, including minority ones, moved applications contending their examinations were pre-scheduled with students already preparing for them. Another objection raised was that several students opted for state tests because the papers were in vernacular languages. NEET papers, however, are in two languages  Hindi and English.

The MCI and the Centre had also come out in support of the states, though both opposed the idea of private colleges holding their own exams. The top court had in a recent judgment disallowed unaided institutions tests, preferring a state government paper for having a level-playing field in medical education.

The NEET did not affect the rights of a minority, justice Daves bench said. The court found no merit in the Centre and MCIs contention, too. NEET only provides for conducting entrance test for eligibility for admission to the MBBS/BDS course. We thus, do not find any merit in the applications seeking modification of order April 28, the bench held.

Only other contention relates to perceived hardship to the students who have either applied for NEET-2 but could not appear or who appeared but could not prepare fully thinking that the preparation was to be only for 15% All India seats and there will be further opportunity to appear in other examinations, the bench noted, opening a window of hope for such students who can sit for the NEET-2.

Though the court upheld a state governments competence to hold examinations for medical admissions, it said the central law prevailed because education was in the concurrent list.

Read: Maharashtra for NEET from 2018
For Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, family comes first and for the sake of their kids, the estranged couple has been spotted enjoying together in Paris.

The 44-year-old actress and 43-year-old actor were seen vacationing with their kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel, along with a female assistant, E! Online reports.

In the French capital, the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice star was seen with the assistant carrying a couple of pizza boxes and other take-out as they headed to a hotel where the family was staying.

"Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck reunited in the City Of Love!" pic.twitter.com/B2ndOGBi4a  Molly Lambert (@mollylambert) May 8, 2016

The duo also hit a nearby restaurant and ice cream shops with their kids.

An insider revealed that the couple was really excited to show their kids Europe, adding that Garner plans to travel back and forth to Paris while Affleck shoots his upcoming movie, Justice League Part One in London.

A source told PEOPLE, At first they were alone and appeared to be affectionate, then were joined by the kids.

Garner and Affleck, who announced their divorce in late June 2015, have been spotted together often, usually with their children.

Read: Im fine with Jennifer speaking about divorce, but I wont, says Ben Affleck

Additionally, the couple is still living with the kids at the same property in Los Angeles.

Read: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner still living together and hating it

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Hollywood actor Ellen Page is in India to shoot her show Gaycation, which explores the lives of the LGBT community in various countries. While works keeping her busy in Mumbai, the Juno star made time to catch up with scriptwriter Apurva Asrani and celebrate the latters dogs birthday.

It happened to be my dog Doobies ninth birthday and Ellen brought him some lovely presents too, shares Asrani, who wrote the script for the film Aligarh, which is about a gay couple.

Ellen and her best friend Ian Daniels came home to chat with me about Aligarh and the state of LGBTQ rights in India. I am also one of the guests on the show that shes shooting.She was extremely moved by our film and thought that Aligarh was relevant to the US audience, too. She came out (of the closet) in 2014 and I came out in 2015. It was great chatting with her as we are both united by the same cause, the writer tells us.

Read: I was so nervous: Ellen Page on her coming out speech

Ellen and Daniels have already shot parts of the television documentary series in the US, Japan, Jamaica and Brazil. The show will try to understand the gay culture of India. The struggles and the resistance that the community faces here, and how people in the country are still homophobic, says a source. According to several reports, 29-year-old Page also plans to shoot in Delhi and Varanasi.

Hollywood actor Ellen Page is in India to shoot for her show Gaycation. She also met scriptwriter Apurva Asrani (of film Aligarh fame) at latters residence in Mumbai. (Photo: Facebook/Apurva Asrani)

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The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised a protest rally on Monday to counter the demonstration by students of Jadavpur University (JU) a few days ago.

The JU students had taken out a rally to protest against the alleged molestation of some students by outsiders (ABVP activists) on Friday night. The screening of Vivek Agnihotris controversial film Buddha in a Traffic Jam had triggered clashes and caused tension on campus on Friday, following which some JU students had alleged that they were molested.

Declaring war against the students, ABVP leaders threatened to chop off their legs once they stepped out of the university campus. The Leftists, students, teachers and a section of non-teaching staff have turned the university into a den of anti-national

activities, Subir Halder, West Bengal secretary of ABVP, said.

We will not allow these anti-national activities here. We will chop off their legs if they dare to venture out of the university campus, Halder said. I have learnt that some students and teachers of the university have created a human chain outside the universitys gate to stop us from entering the campus. Dont worry my comrade friends, we are not going to enter the campus, Halder added.

He also pointed out that the Left-minded students had shown intolerance by creating trouble on the campus during the film screening.

Carrying the tricolour and shouting slogans, ABVP and BJP activists took out the rally from Gol Park till the Jadavpur police station. There was also a scuffle between the protesters and the police when the demonstrators tried to break the barricades and enter the university.

A section of students and faculty members also staged a demonstration on campus against the ABVPs bid to saffronise the varsity.

We have seen how in the name of screening a movie, the ABVP activists indulged in molesting students. We all have gathered here to resist their evil designs. We are here to resist fascist outfits like the ABVP and the BJP, said a student.

(With IANS inputs)
Savitribai Phule Pune Universitys department of Communication and Journalism (DoCJ) received a parcel on Monday containing explosive substance and a threat letter with a warning to not invite Kanhaiya Kumar to the campus. A similar parcel was received by the Film and Television Institute of India recently.

According to police, the parcel was addressed to head of DoCJ, Madhavi Reddy, and contained suspected explosive substance, a detonator and a threat letter cautioning her to ensure that Kanhaiya Kumar does not come to the campus.

Deputy commissioner of police, Sudhir Hiremath, said the parcel was delivered at the department on Saturday, the same day that FTII received the envelope. It came to Reddys notice on Monday, he said.

The campus where DoCJ is situated is known as Ranade Institute, situated on the busy Fergusson College road.

The letter received by the journalism department has striking resemblance with the one received by FTII, Hiremath told Hindustan Times.

According to Deccan police, where the FIR was filed, a probe has been launched to check if both parcels received by FTII and DoCJ have been sent by the same person.

Police probing the FTII letter said the explosive substance found in the parcel appears to be ammonium nitrate. Based on the investigation, police suspect that letter has been sent from Pune itself.

The letter, typed in English, says Kumar is speaking against the nation and that will not be tolerated. It then goes to on warn the institute against permitting Kanhaiya Kumar to visit the campus.

Last year, an envelope containing explosives and a letter was delivered to pro-Maratha outfit Sambhaji Brigade. The recent parcels have striking similarity with the one delivered at Sambhaji Brigades office, according to police.

Last month, ahead of Kanhaiya Kumars visit to Pune, students of the journalism department had invited him to their campus.

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The Rajya Sabha witnessed multiple adjournments on Monday as the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying and using the AgustaWestland row as an election issue.

Congress MPs created pandemonium in the Rajya Sabha, forcing two adjournments in the pre-noon session over Prime Minister Narendra Modis allegation during an election rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

A little after the house met, Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad quoted a newspaper report from a election rally addressed by Modi in Kerala and said the government was using the deal to malign Congress.

We discussed AgustaWestland in both houses. In neither houses did any one say that UPA leaders took money. Neither has the (Italian) court said that UPA leaders took money, Azad said.

We have said since beginning that the purpose (behind this row) is not to discuss the issue inside the house, it is to use it outside the house and use it in elections to malign the Congress leadership. It is similar to what happened in the 1980s with Bofors, said Azad.

The issue is being raised because it is being used against the Congress in the elections, Azad said.

He read out a newspaper report which said Modi as saying at an election rally that a UPA leader took money to buy the helicopters.

Why didnt the prime minister speak in either house? When it was decided that there should be action, why is he making it an election issue?

Azad also wondered if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing the issue, will be influenced by what the prime minister says.

The CBI comes under the PM. if he is using this language, the CBI will be affected.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi repeated the governments stand that guilty in the AgustaWestland case would be punished.

Those who have given bribe are in jail, those who have taken bribe will be in jail very soon, Naqvi said.

Congress leader Anand Sharma asked the prime minister to give a clarification in the house.

The PM must substantiate the statement he has made. He has said that the court has indicted Congress leaders, he said.

Congress members then trooped near the Chairmans podium raising slogans against Modi, calling his a liar.

In the ruckus, the house was briefly adjourned.

When the house reassembled, Kurien said the chair cannot take cognizance of what has been said outside the house.

Sharma then said: The prime minister has contradicted his defence minister. He is pre-empting a decision.

Congress members again trooped near the chairmans podium, forcing an adjournment first till 12 noon and then till 2 pm and finally till 11 am on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made public on Monday the BA and MA degrees of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought an apology from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for accusing Modi of lying about his educational qualifications.

BJP president Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley held aloft the Bachelor of Arts degree issued by Delhi University and the Masters of Arts degree from Gujarat University at a press conference in New Delhi.

Before making such baseless allegations about someones personal life, one should have verified the facts. I am very ashamed that such a day would come that Ill have to make public the PMs degrees, said Shah.

Accusing Kejriwal of lowering the level of politics, he sought a public apology from the Delhi chief minister.By raising this issue without any substantial proof, Kejriwal has lowered the level of politics. He has committed a sin to defame the nation. Kejriwal should apologise to the nation, he added.

PM Modis MA degree in Political Science. Photo: BJPs Twitter Handle.

(Modis BA degree.)

He also asked Kejriwal on what basis he levelled the charges against the prime minister. Shah said he will write to Kejriwal. Jaitley said Modi completed his studies under difficult circumstances.

He said Modi travelled from Gujarat to give his BA examination. During the day he used to stay at the ABVP office in New Delhi.

Those who claim to be common man should at least praise him. Isse bada aam admi ka koi aur udahran nahi ho sakta. (There can be no greater example of a common man), Jaitley said.

He said such an allegation had come from a party whose several legislators are being prosecuted for disclosing fake degrees.

There is no other political party other than the Aam Aadmi Party whose leaders are being prosecuted for disclosing fake degrees, he said.

Politics of adventurism is being treated as substitute for governance in the Union territory, said Jaitley.

Arvind Kejriwal ji has not only lowered down the standards of public life but has also defamed the nation across the world: Amit Shah  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

Kejriwal, a bitter Modi rival, last week accused Modi of lying about graduating from Delhi University with a BA and obtaining a Masters in Political Science from Gujarat University

Modi has often cited the journey from his humble beginningsas a tea vendors son to national leader to win support from the

countrys poor. Having a degree fits the narrative of a man with the grit and determination to succeed.


A 55-year-old woman died and 30 pilgrims were injured when a bus plunged into a valley in the forest area of Maredumilli in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

The bus carrying 35 devotees from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was returning from a Ram temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana, police said.

The victims were proceeding to take a holy dip in Pushkar ghat of Godavari in Rajahmundry.

When the bus reached Tiger Camp in Maredumilli forest area, the driver lost balance while negotiating a narrow curve, and the bus plunged into the valley, the police said.

According to the police, the 30 injured have been rushed to Rampachodavaram government hospital.

The body has been sent for postmortem while four others escaped unhurt, he added.

As it was a forest area, rescue teams took time to reach the spot and begin work, police said.
Days after an allegedly abusive audio clip killed 50 years of peace in Tawang, another has raised suspicion about Chinas role in the anti-dam movement in Arunachal Pradesh.

A complaint against anti-dam activist Lobsang Gyatso  who was arrested on April 28 for disrespecting and questioning the nationality of Tawang Monastery abbot Guru Tulku Rinpoche  was based on an audio clip that allegedly contained his rant against the abbot in the Monpa tribal dialect.

Gyatso, 36, who is a senior lama at Tawang Monastery, claims 95% of the monasterys monks are with him in the movement against mega dams that threaten the fragile Eastern Himalayan ecosystem.

A week before the arrest, another audio clip had Gyatso allegedly speaking against MLA Pema Khandu after 16 people working on the latters five-star hotel project near Tawang died in a landslide.

Khandu represents Mukto assembly constituency elsewhere in Tawang district but is a resident of Bomdir, 10km from Tawang town. In that audio clip, Anna Lama (Gyatso) is heard saying he can organise foreign funding if the Indian government cannot provide help to locals. He was earlier accused of taking orders from Beijing, and it all adds up, Tawang Zilla Parishad chairperson, Jambey Tsering, told HT.

On the basis of Tserings complaint, the police arrested Gyatso on April 28 and shot two of his supporters who were demanding his release on May 2.

Khandus brother and local MLA, Tsering Tashi, accused of being involved in some of the districts hydropower projects, also suspected Gyatso had foreign backing. The audio clip is self-evident, he said.

Discrediting our movement by linking it with China or any other country supposedly against Indias bid to be a major hydropower producer is very easy. There must be proof, Gyatso, who heads the Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF), said. The government can always order a CBI inquiry to find out whos with whom, an SMRF member said. He reminded BJP parliamentarian Tarun Vijays May 2012 statement in the Rajya Sabha seeking a central probe if the anti-dam monks were being provoked by China, as alleged by the UPA-II government then.

What is happening in Tawang is a battle between the powerful and people who feel threatened by the proposed dams. But things can be sorted out without animosity and bloodshed, Jamphel Tsewang, vice-chairman of the district peace committee, said.

A dozen big hydropower projects with a total installed capacity of generating 2,792 MW of electricity are proposed in Tawang. The NGT ruling against one of them  the 78 MW Nyamjang Chhu in Zemithang  based on SMRFs petition last month reportedly angered the dam lobby.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday called for a shutdown in Gaya over the alleged murder of 20-year-old Aditya Sachdeva by Rocky Yadav, the son of Janata Dal (United) legislative council member Manorama Devi.

The police is yet to arrest Rocky who is still on the run, nearly 36 hours after the incident.

Read more: Bihar road rage: Parties condemn Gaya youths killing, demand probe

The police said member of the legislative council (MLC) Manorama Devis son, Rocky, sprayed bullets on a car in which Aditya Kumar Sachdeva was travelling with four friends after an altercation over overtaking. A bullet pierced through the rear windshield and fatally hit Adityas head. He was in the back seat.

Read more: Bihar road rage: JDU MLCs husband, bodyguard arrested

The BJP also took on the state government, demanding the resignation of chief minister Nitish Kumar for his failure to check the rising criminal incidents in Bihar.

Opposition leaders made a beeline for Adityas home while their supporters shouted slogans against chief minister Kumar.

The hotheaded son of a politician got angry  and shot dead a youngster. Bindi Yadav is a known criminal, said Sushil Kumar Modi, the partys state unit president

Gaya MLA and the leader of the Opposition, Prem Kumar, said the murder proves the return of jungle raj in the state. Bihar is burning, an atmosphere of fear pervades the state, he said.

Devis husband, Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav aka Bindi, and guard Rajesh Kumar were arrested on Sunday. A carbine and 70 rounds of ammunition were found in Devis home, Magadh Range DIG Saurabh Kumar said. The couples son is on the run.

Bindi, a construction businessman, was taken into custody for allegedly helping Rocky escape. The father was jailed in the past for keeping 6,000 rounds of ammunition for a banned weapon in 2011.

He pleaded innocence, saying his son was assaulted by the youngsters, who were drunk. After all, everybody has the right to self-defence, he said. But he acknowledged that his son has a licenced weapon and it might have gone off during the scuffle.

The police said Rocky decided the quarrel by arms after Aditya, a prominent Gaya traders son, and his friends allegedly ignored signals to let his Range Rover overtake their Maruti Swift on a narrow road. Aditya and his friends were returning home from a birthday party in Bodh Gaya.

An infuriated Rocky squeezed past the Swift and stopped a little ahead. He was holding a revolver and hurling abuses. Fearing for their lives, Adityas friend who was behind the wheels sped past Rockys car but came under a volley of fire from behind, an officer said.

The friends took Aditya to Gayas Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Legislator Devi denied her sons role in the murder. But the recovery of the Delhi-registered Range Rover from her home put her in a spot.

Family sources said Rocky had brought the car from Delhi, where he is preparing for the civil services after graduation. He stays mostly in Delhi and arrived in Gaya a few days ago for a short holiday. Being the son of Bindi Yadav and Manorama Devi, he is pampered. Carrying a pistol and moving in a Range Rover is enough to change a youths mindset, said a neighbour, who didnt wish to be named. The road rage took political overtones as angry Gaya residents put up road blockades on Sunday.

.
A shutdown called by BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest the killing of a teenager allegedly by a ruling party legislators son, hit normal life in Bihars Gaya even as the prime accused remained on the run.

Rocky Yadav, the son of legislative council member Manorama Devi of the ruling Janata Dal(United), allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Read more: Jungle raj returns: Protests erupt in Gaya over road rage

His father, Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav also known as Bindi Yadav, a criminal-turned-politician, was with him in the car along with a bodyguard.

While Rocky has been absconding since the incident, his father and the bodyguard were arrested and produced in a local court on Monday, Gaya senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

The court sent him to a 14-day judicial remand.

We are looking for the accused inside and outside the state, Malik said.

Jungle Raj has returned

Bandh supporters led by NDA leaders Prem Kumar and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and district Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) leaders staged a massive rally and shouted logans against CM Nitish Kumar.

The Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce, members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and a large number of students from schools and colleges also joined the protest march.

Read more: Bihar road rage: BJP calls for shutdown in Gaya over Adityas murder

Law and order across the state has collapsed and the ruling party leaders are indulging in criminal activities. MLAs of the ruling party are committing crimes with impunity and the police instead of taking action, is trying to cover up the cases, Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) Prem Kumar told reporters.

Manjhi said that the killing of the student has once again proved that the Jungle Raj 2 is back in Bihar. Demanding the immediate arrest of the culprit, Manjhi said there must be a speedy trial to ensure punishment to the accused.

BJP workers asked shopkeepers to bring down shutters, burnt tyres, blocked roads and urged people to support the shutdown. However, train services remained unaffected and long distance buses continued their services.

Under attack from the opposition to act, Nitish Kumar said his government will not spare the guilty and law will take its course. He added a manhunt is on to nab the accused.

Read more: Bihar road rage: JDU MLCs husband, bodyguard arrested

Nobody can be allowed to take law in their hands. Strict action is being taken, he said.

The CM said a departmental action has already been taken against the politicians bodyguard and he has been suspended.

Cycle thief to multi-millionaire

The story of the rise of Bindi Yadav, who has many criminal cases against him, is a typical rags-to-riches tale. He was once caught for stealing a bicycle and arrested after a huge cache of cartridges of AK 47 was recovered from him.

There are 11 criminal cases lodged against Bindi in the Gayas Rampur police station area, where Aditya was killed. He was nabbed with around 5,000 cartridges in 2011. He has malls, hotels and around 15 petrol pumps in Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Delhi and surrounding areas. He is also into road and building construction as well as real estate, a police official said.

Known for his enormous clout, Bindi was once associated with the erstwhile Janata Dal. He also contested from Gurua assembly constituency on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a constituent of Bihars ruling grand alliance whose other two members are JD(U) and Congress, ticket during the 2010 assembly polls.

Bindi Yadav allegedly helped Rocky escape after the crime. Police said its preliminary investigation shows that Rocky got into a fit of rage after Adityas car allegedly did not let his Land Rover vehicle pass. The row resulted in the teenager being shot dead.

Police said the silver Land Rover, which is worth at least Rs 1.5 crore, has been recovered from Rockys parents house.

Superintendent of police Malik said the vehicle was bought recently and has a temporary Delhi registration number.

It was brought to Gaya just a couple of days ago. There are just five such vehicles in Gaya, she added.

The licenced pistol used by Rocky, a member of a rifle club in Delhi, is also expensive.

It is .32 bore Italian-make pistol, costing around Rs 10 lakh. The licence for pistol has also been issued from Delhi, a family member said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made public on Monday what it said were Narendra Modis university degree certificates, seeking to blunt opposition allegations that the prime minister had fabricated his education qualifications.

The party deputed its top leaders  Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley -- to defend Modis qualifications that became a subject of intense speculation after Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed the prime minister had faked them.

I am very ashamed that such a day would come that Ill have to make public the PMs degrees, Shah said, holding aloft what he said were Modis degrees, a Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University and a Master of Arts in Political Science from Gujarat University.

Before making such baseless allegations about someones personal life, one should have verified the facts.

Shah accused Kejriwal of lowering the level of public discourse in the country and sought an apology from him.

But within an hour of the BJPs press conference, Kejriwals Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said Modis certificates were forged, citing what it said were glaring discrepancies in various details on the documents.

Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki jarurat hai (One needs brains even to copy), AAP leader Ashutosh said.

His name in the BA mark sheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in the masters degree it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi,

Read: BJP releases PM Modis BA and MA degrees, asks Kejriwal to apologise

Watch | PM Modis degrees made public

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Later, Kejriwal also tweeted that Modis BA degree was a fake that belonged to a person of the same name from Alwar, Rajasthan.

The documents released by the BJP showed Modi cleared the BA exam in the third division in 1978 as an external student, obtaining 489 marks out of 1200. He cleared English, Hindi and history on multiple attempts, taking an extra year to complete the three-year course.

The row over Modis certificate is the latest in a series of showdowns between Kejriwal and the BJP, a rivalry that has often played out bitterly between their supporters on social media. On Monday, Twitter lit up over the controversy, with many users sympathetic to Modi trending #kejriwalsaysorry.

The BJP says the attack over Modis education is part of a smear campaign by political rivals unhappy with his rise from a tea seller at a railway station to become the countrys prime minister.

Jaitley said Modi completed his studies in difficult circumstances, travelling from Gujarat to New Delhi to appear for his BA examination. He stayed at the ABVP office in the city during those days, he said.

Those who claim to be common man should at least praise him. Isse bada aam admi ka koi aur udahran nahi ho sakta. (There can be no greater example of a common man), Jaitley said.

He said such an allegation had come from a party whose several legislators are being prosecuted for disclosing fake degrees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graduation (L) and post-graduation degrees that were shown by BJP president Amit Shah and finance minister Arun Jaitley during a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi. (PTI)

Delhi University vice-chancellor Yogesh Tyagi refused to comment on whether Modis degree certificates were genuine.

As far as sealing of records is concerned I have not issued any such orders and if the university department dealing with RTIs has done in its own capacity, I am not updated about it, Tyagi told PTI.

The Congress reacted to the documents released by the BJP, saying they raised new questions about the prime ministers qualifications.

Modis duplicate degree certificate for his MA states that he passed with entire Political Science, party chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

The final mark sheet, which states Modi passed his exam, is dated 17th Feb 1979. But, his degree certificate is dated 1978.

In India, there is no educational qualification that is required for the PM but these questions now can lead to other doubts about the PM.

Read: PM Modis degrees produced by BJP fake and forged, says AAP

Read: Have not issued orders to seal records of Modis degrees: DU V-C
The Congress on Monday said that Prime Minister Modi must make a statement in the Parliament on the AgustaWestland issue.

Protesting party MPs trooped into the well of the Rajya Sabha, demanding that the PM come to the House and make a statement.

Following the protest, the Upper House was adjourned first till 11:42 am and later till 12:36 pm.

The issue also rocked the Lok Sabha with the Congress members staging a walkout in protest against PM Modis remarks on Sonia Gandhi at a Tamil Nadu poll rally.

Earlier in the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said the terrorised Congress is trying to project the AgustaWestland scam as August revolution, adding that it wont get any political benefit from doing so.

They are terrorized and restless and thats why they are talking rubbish. It seems they are trying to project the Agusta corruption as August revolution, in which the leader is protesting sitting on dharna and doing satyagraha. This is not a freedom fight but a campaign that is going on in regard to corruption and scam, minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told ANI.

So, if you try to get political benefit from that, it wont help. It is our advice to those who are desperate to let the law do its job. The innocent should not be worried and it is normal for the guilty to be worried, he added.

Naqvi further stated that the middlemen are becoming restless and the brokers are being terrorized, which is a clear sign that the fearless brokers are very much worried.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is questioning former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi in connection with the scam.

The agency last week questioned Tyagi and his cousins, Sanjeev, Rajeev and Sandeep besides advocate Gautam Khaitan questioning them about finances, firms established by them and their relations with European middlemen in helicopter deal.

The questioning revolved around accounts of IDS Tunisia and remittances received by it. CBI claimed that Khaitan was being evasive during questioning and concealing information.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar earlier last week, without taking names, had attacked top Congress leaders, suggesting their involvement in the VVIP chopper scam during a reply to a discussion in the Parliament.

Alleging that the procurement process in the AgustaWestland deal was violated, Parrikar said that the former UPA regime had created single-vendor situation to benefit from the same.

Parrikar said the UPA regime tried to take the longer route of writing to the embassy and the court etc. instead of taking action against the company.

He also said that the government probe will focus on the role of those named in the judgment of the Italian court.

The Agusta deal was signed in 2010 and was cancelled in 2014, after the allegations of corruption surfaced.
Congress will hold a demonstration on Tuesday to protest against the move to omit details of the contribution of first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru from two chapters of a new textbook.

The references to Nehru have been removed from two chapters in the revised social science textbook for class 8, which will be introduced from this academic session in schools affiliated to Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education.

The contribution of Nehru in making modern India has been removed from the text book which was done with mal-intention by the BJP government in the state. To oppose this move, a demonstration will be held tomorrow, PCC vice-president Archana Sharma said.

The references which have been omitted should be included in the text book again, she said.

The demonstration at the civil lines railway crossing will be led by the PCC Chief Sachin Pilot.

Though the book is not available in the market yet, the information has been uploaded on the website of the Rajasthan State Textbook Board, which publishes the book for the state education board.

Read: Textbook in BJP-led Rajasthan excludes Nehru, Congress cries foul
Congress members walked out of the Lok Sabha on Monday protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks on Sonia Gandhi at election rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

They staged the walkout during zero hour after their repeated attempts to raise the AgustaWestland chopper issue was not allowed by the chair.

Congress members led by Mallikarjun Kharge wanted a clarification from the government on a statement by Modi on the controversys Italian connection to target party president Sonia Gandhi.

As soon as the house assembled after the weekend, Kharge was on his feet waving newspaper clippings and demanding the right to speak.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan directed members to take up the listed questions even as BJP members insisted that the house must continue with Question Hour.

The issue was raised in the presence of house leader and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Kharge was soon was supported by his party colleagues like Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Jyotiraditya Scinda. Chowdhury kept saying: Our leader must be listened to.

The chair was unmoved. In the din, Congress members were heard saying: This is not fair.

Modi on Sunday targeted Sonia Gandhi over the helicopter deal at election rallies in Kerala, saying it was not the Indian government but a court in Italy that had named the Congress chief.

Do you have anyone you know in Italy? Do you have relatives in Italy? he asked the crowd. He went on: Everyone knows who has an Italian connection.


A delegation of top Congress leaders on Monday met home minister Rajnath Singh and asked him to improve security of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi after he received a death threat.

The team, including Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, treasurer Motilal Vohra, Congress deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, met Singh and apprised him about the alleged threat to the Congress vice-presidents life.

The home minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received, Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.

A home ministry official said that Singh, after the meeting, asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to take up the issue seriously and ensure propection to Rahul.

Sharma said the Congress delegation also raised issue of proposed en mass shifting of around 400 officers of SPG and bringing in new people to replace them.

SPG requires rigorous training. Its personnel are brought from CISF, CRPF, BSF and central agencies. So its a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel, he said.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediately family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children -- Rahul and Priyanka -- are SPG protectees.

The threat has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Puducherry on May 4. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in Puducherry tomorrow, for a public meeting.

The letter was reportedly sent to V Narayanswamy, who was Minister for PMO in the UPA government. The letter has allegedly claimed Congress has been responsible for closure of industries in Pondicherry and has threatened that Gandhi will be blasted when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.
The Congress lashed out at the Narendra Modi government on Monday for imposing Presidents Rule in Uttarakhand and questioning the assembly speakers ruling on whether the budget had been passed or not, while the BJP defended the decision and questioned the Congress record in the regard.

Today, it appears, a central minister is even above Supreme Court and the constitution, Congress member Gaurav Gogoi said in Lok Sabha while participating in the debate on the Uttarakhand budget.

It appears you are the judge, you are the jury and you are the executioner, he said in reference to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who earlier made a strong case for imposition of Presidents Rule under article 356 in the party-ruled hill said.

Gogoi also made a veiled attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying while he talks of cooperative federalism, but in your heart its Congress-mukt (free) India.

Stressing that the constitution is very clear about one thing - that article 356 can be used only as a rarest of rare, he said that the Modi governments decision to dismiss Congress governments in Uttarakhand and earlier in Arunachal Pradesh was prompted by BJPs electoral defeat in Delhi and Bihar.

You show patience and wait for the elections to make it Congress-free, Gogoi said.

You cannot change governments in Uttarakhand like that. This can only happen with the consent of the people of Uttarakhand, said the Congress member from Assam.

Earlier, Jaitley and Saugata Roy of Trinamool Congress clashed repeatedly over the role of the assembly speaker.

Roy insisted that speakers ruling either way both in parliament or in state assemblies cannot be questioned by anyone including a minister in the union cabinet, while Jaitley, htting back, charged him with being charitable to the Congress party.

Jaitley held that that the recording of Uttarakhand assembly proceedings of March 18 show that speaker had declared a failed budget passed.

This itself was no better violation of the constitution as the state assembly speaker had saved a government (led by Harish Rawat) when it should have resigned that day, he argued.

Roy however sought to clarify his party was not being soft towards Congress as it is committed to maintain an equi distance from both Congress and BJP.

Defending the government decision to impose central rule, BJPs Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishanksaidf that from very beginning it was clear to the legislators that the speaker of the assembly was being partial in saving the Congress government led by Harish Rawat.

Why did not he allow division of votes as demanded by members. There is written record of the proceedings, said Nishank, who is a former Uttarakhand chief minister.

He said in 1992 Congress itself had abused article 356 and dismissed as many as four BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and also charged Congress with dismissing Arjun Munda government twice in Jharkhand.

They have no moral right to talk about article 356, he said.
Congress plans to move an appropriate motion in Parliament against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his allegation during an election rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

Congress parliamentary party will decide on the appropriate motion to be brought against the Prime Minister, partys chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.

He was asked about indications by Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader in Lok Sabha, to bring a privilege motion against Modi in the House.

Surjewala attacked the Prime Minister for levelling baseless allegations against the Congress chief and accused him of indulging in petty mud slinging. He claimed that Modis action is blinded by his insatiable desire to seek revenge against the Congress leadership.

He alleged that the Prime Minister was resorting to muck raking when maintaining integrity of democracy is his responsibility.

In Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Shantaram Naik has already given a notice of breach of privilege against the Prime Minister and defence minister Manohar Parrikkar to chairman Hamid Ansari. Congress had created a ruckus in Parliament against Modis comments during an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram.

Modi had said: Madam Soniaji, aap ki ye himmat. You and Congress leaders are making statements that false allegations are being made against you. Did Modi or the Modi government in the last two years even once take the name of Congress in the helicopter deal?

We have never used any name even once. Investigation agencies were doing their jobs. Nobody in Hindustan gave the name. The name has come from Italy.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya is shuttling between Delhi and Dehradun, overseeing his campaign against deposed chief minister Harish Rawat. A day ahead of the trust vote in the hill state, he told Kumar Uttam that Congress MLAs will revolt against Rawat on the floor of the house. Excerpts:

The Supreme Court has barred nine rebel Congress MLAs from participating in the trust vote. Has this come as a setback to you?

We had the support of 27 MLAs on March 18 when the Appropriation Bill was defeated on the floor of the House. We continue to have the support of these many legislators even today. We never counted on the support of these MLAs. We expected this order.

So what makes you so confident about Rawat losing Tuesdays trust vote?

The present crisis that he is facing is not because of the BJP. It were Congress MLAs who revolted against him on March 18. Rawat has badly treated his legislators when in power. They feel suffocated under him. They will revolt against him on the floor of the house when trust vote is moved. Rawat will lose because of reasons created by him. We have nothing to do.

Is BJP engineering defection in the Congress?

Why should we? The Congress is falling like pack of cards. While mafia surrounded Rawat during his chief minister days, MLAs were treated like peons. The administration and police were scared of mafia close to Rawat but not the legislators. Congress MLAs have self respect that Rawat did not take care of. They will seek revenge. Rawat is caught on tapes, twice, offering bribe. This exposes his insecurity. Even those Congress MLAs, whom he tried to bribe, spilled the beans.

Is the BJP expecting BSPs support in defeating Rawat?

It is a decision that they have to take. We cannot dictate. But one thing I am sure of is that Rawat will be defeated on Tuesday.

There are rumours that BJP MLAs will resign en mass if Rawat wins. Is there any truth in it?

(Laughs) It is a figment of imagination.

Will the BJP form government in case Rawat fails to win trust vote?

It will be early to comment on that. Tomorrow, trust vote is to decide if Rawat has numbers. He didnt have it on March 18. He doesnt have it today. He will not have it tomorrow. We will take a call on government formation after defeating him.

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With Congress creating a storm in Parliament over the Prime Ministers charge that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in AgustaWestland case, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said Narendra Modi has done nothing wrong and the party should wait for the inquiry to complete.

The Prime Minister has done nothing wrong. He has addressed a public function and there he said what was already in the public domain, what was there in the court observation also, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said outside Parliament after the disruptions in Rajya Sabha over Modis remarks in the chopper deal scam.

Congress created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing repeated adjournments in the House over Modis allegation at a poll rally that the Italian court had named Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

Asked whether Modi would respond over the issue, Naidu said, What is there to answer? They (Congress) have everything to answer. Inquiry is on and let it be completed.

On the Prime Minister taking names, Naidu said, He has not taken any name. He mentioned only those names that appeared in the part of the judgement or annexures to the judgement.

He further said, There is no need for clarification. The Prime Minister only said whatever was in the facts. No one took name. If anybody has taken name then Congress member Abhishek Singhvi has taken the name. We have not taken any name.

Attacking Congress, he said, They are trying to disrupt the House unnecessarily. Now, it has become their habit to disrupt the House somehow or other by creating obstruction and diverting the issue.

Minister of State Jitendra Singh said, The issues which were taken up outside Parliament, cannot be taken up inside the House. Whatever was said at the rally can be answered at rally only. They are unable to answer inside and outside that is why they are resorting to such tactics.

The Rajya Sabha saw four adjournments in the first two hours because of the continued uproar and sloganeering by Congress members, leading to washout of the Zero Hour and Question Hour.

In the Lok Sabha too, the issue generated heat soon after it assembled for the day with Congress members raising the matter.

The Congress questioned how Modi could make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both the Houses last week.
Both Houses of Parliament on Monday witnessed repeated disruptions as the Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks that an Italian court mentioned party president Sonia Gandhis name in connection with the AugustaWestland chopper deal.

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, argued that during debates in the House over the issue, no one accused the UPA leadership of taking money. He and deputy leader Anand Sharma argued that since the CBI comes under the Prime Minister, his remarks would influence the probe.

Later in the day, Congress MP Shantaram Naik gave a notice of breach of privilege against the PM for his misleading comments.

In the Lok Sabha, Congress floor leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, the PMs comments was aimed to influence the CBI and ED, the two agencies probing the scam. Its a serious issue and the party may move Privilege Motion against the PM, added Kharge.

Both Houses debated the chopper scam at length last week, but the issue returned on Monday as Congress leaders referred to Modis poll campaign where he allegedly said that UPA leaders took money.

The Upper House got adjourned for the day after repeated disruptions. The Congress walked out of the Lower House after protests.

As the Congress stormed into the well in Rajya Sabha and demanded the PMs clarification in the house, the Finance bill 2016 could not be taken up. After repeated adjournments, deputy chairman PJ Kuriens stayed the proceedings for the day. Kurien said that the PMs remarks were not made in the House so, he cant take cognizance of it.

Parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiaha Naidu later refuted Congress claims and told the media, The PM has done nothing wrong. He has addressed a public function and there he said what was already in the public domain, what was there in the court observation also.

Led by Congress V Hanumantha Rao, Kumari Selja and a dozen other MPs, the opposition members demanded an apology from the PM for speaking on Augusta Westland issue outside the parliament.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told Kurien that on policy issues, members are saying that these kind of statements cannot be made outside Parliament. We have demanded a Supreme Court-monitored CBI inquiry. Before the policy be implemented...Can Prime Minister make statement outside Parliament, Yechury asked.

(With PTI inputs)
The 10 men detained by Delhi Police for suspected ideological leaning towards banned outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) have now been released due to lack of adequate evidence.

While four of them were released on Saturday after they were reportedly counselled and de-redicalised, guardians of the remaining six released on Monday had to give undertakings ensuring that their wards will be on the right path henceforth.

Read more: I was dubbed terrorist, my reputation is dented: JeM suspect

Delhi Polices anti-terrorism unit Special Cell had picked up 13 men from Delhi and UP after a series of late night raids on May 3, following which three -- Sajid, Sameer Ahmed, and Shakir Ansari -- were arrested and the remaining 10 detained for questioning.

Read more: No evidence found, cops free 4 of 10 suspected JeM operatives

The remaining six youths have been let off with the condition that they have to make themselves available for questioning whenever summoned. Their guardians have given undertaking that they will make sure the boys lead their lives in the right path in future, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Arvind Deep said.

Their is no arrangement with psychiatrist for the six unlike the other four who have to visit a clinical psychologist on a regular basis. The psychologist will provide the investigators with a report on their progress every week, he said.

Police sources said the youths were released after no evidence of their direct involvement in either making the IEDs or being a part of a larger operation was found. During the investigation, the chats on their WhatsApp accounts and Facebook messenger were analysed. But nothing incriminating was found.
Agricultural land was flattened, irrigation lines damaged, and electric poles and trees uprooted to make way for the Vichar Mahakumbh extravaganza in Ninora, a hamlet 10 km from Ujjain, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state issued notices to 62 farmers in October 2015 and acquired 550 bigha farmlands for the event to be held from May 12.

For the three-day event, which will host religious gurus and public intellectuals, the state government has erected three centrally air-conditioned auditoriums with 3,000 capacity each over 18 acres, lavish cottages and as many as eight helipads.

We were told that temporary structures would be built on the land in view of Simhastha, but now they have erected huge auditoriums, halls, guesthouses and helipads on our land, said 67-year-old Ramnath Yogi, a farmer.

He said the administration paid Rs 4,000 per bigha as compensation for the land, but the crop loss the farmers would face for at least a year after the event was not taken into consideration.

The government denied the allegation. In the other parts where the Simhastha mela authority has acquired land for vehicular parking or other purposes, the land owner will be paid Rs 240 per bigha. We had included crop compensation and land rent and are paying Rs 4,000 per bigha to farmers in Ninora, said a district administration official.

Each helipad, 30 metres in diameter and constructed with solid concrete and bitumen, will cost around Rs 8 lakh, said a public works department official requesting anonymity.

Ujjain, barely 10 km away, has a helipad, and Indore, 50 km away, has an airport, said a Ninora villager. Though officials promised to return the land in the same condition it was acquired, farmers are sceptical.

Our lands have been compressed by at least one foot, irrigation lines and bore wells have been damaged, electric poles and trees were felled, said another farmer. After such heavy constructions, the land will take at least one year to rejuvenate.
Policewomen in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday became a part of a contingent to offer the guard of honour to a chief minister for the first time in history as Mehbooba Mufti assumed office in Srinagar after the state capital shifted from Jammu following a six-month break.

Kashmir inspector general of police SJM Gillani said policewomen from the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) were also a part of the team.

The police contingent that offered the guard of honour to the first woman chief minister of the state had 30 women and 60 men, and the guard of honour was led by a policewoman - Sandeep Kour, a deputy superintendent of police.

(Waseem Andrabi/ Hindustan Times)

It was done for the representation of women in the police force and I am proud that we have here, for the first time, a woman chief minister, Kour told Hindustan Times.

Dressed in green and sporting dark sunglasses, Mehbooba received the guard of honour in the presence of other ministers and top civil servants in a ceremony organised in front of the civil secretariat building in Srinagar. She was escorted by director general of police K Rajendra.

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti receives guard of honour. (Waseem Andrabi/ Hindustan Times)

The state government ceased to function from Jammu on April 29 and reopened on Monday in Srinagar, as a part of the biannual shift popularly known as the Durbar Move. In November, the capital will again shift to Jammu.

Although the shift provides government officials with a respite from the harsh climatic conditions, critics say the move puts a massive financial burden on the state.

Watch: Mehbooba Mufti receives guard of honour. @htTweets pic.twitter.com/9cS2kRiJR5  Abhishek Saha (@saha_abhi1990) 9 May 2016

(Waseem Andrabi/ Hindustan Times)

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The Uttarakhand high court on Monday decided to uphold speaker Govind Singh Kunjwals decision to disqualify nine rebel Congress MLAs, a day before the crucial floor test to decide the fate of chief minister Harish Rawat, has brought the focus back on the anti-defection law.

HT explains pros and cons of the controversial law that is often invoked just before trial of strength to manipulate numbers in the House.

Added to the Constitution as the tenth schedule by the 52nd amendment during Rajiv Gandhis tenure as the Prime Minister in 1985, the anti-defection law aimed to check the Aya Ram, Gaya Ram (frequent defection by legislators) phenomenon in Indian politics.

The Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Fifty-second Constitution Amendment Bill, 1985 read: The evil of political defections has been a matter of national concern. If it is not combated, it is likely to undermine the very foundations of our democracy and the principles which sustain it.

Read: Uttarakhand: After HC setback, SC to decide fate of rebel Cong MLAs

Disqualification under anti-defection law

According to the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, a member can be disqualified in two circumstances.

First, if he/she voluntarily gives up membership of a party (paragraph 2(1)(a)). Second, a member also incurs disqualification when he/she votes (or abstains from voting) contrary to the directive issued by the party (paragraph 2(1)(b)).

In the 1994 Ravi Naik vs. Union of India case, the Supreme Court (SC) said: Even in the absence of a formal resignation from membership, an inference can be drawn from the conduct of a member that he has voluntarily given up his membership of the political party to which he belongs.

Read: Uttarakhand floor test: Supreme Courts order is unprecedented

Expulsion under anti-defection law

Under the anti-defection law, even an expelled legislator is required to follow the whip issued by the party on whose ticket he was elected to the House and vote for his/her original party during a floor test.

In G Viswanathan versus Honoble Speaker, Tamil Nadu State Assembly, the Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that an expelled member was bound by the partys whip even after expulsion, and failure to adhere to it would result in his/her disqualification from the House.

Paragraph 2(1) read with the explanation clearly points out that an elected member shall continue to belong to that political party by which he was set up as a candidate for election as such member. This is so notwithstanding that he was thrown out or expelled from that party, the SC ruled.

However, the top court provided relief to Samajwadi Party leaders Amar Singh and Jaya Prada on November 15, 2010, declaring that they could not be disqualified from Parliament under the anti-defection law even if they defied the whip of their former party.

The matter was referred to a larger bench to resolve contradictions on the important constitutional issue and still remains pending before the Supreme Court.

Split and merger under anti-defection law

According to the Tenth Schedule, it requires at least two-third members of a legislature party to form a new political group, or merge with another political party without getting disqualified under the anti-defection law.

Paragraph 3 of the Tenth Schedule originally recognised a split if at least one-third members of the legislature party decided to form or join another political party.

However, this provision was done away with by the 91st amendment to the Constitution in 2003. The amendment, which came into force in January 2004, does not recognise a split in a legislature party.

Instead, it recognises a merger that requires at least two-third members of a legislature party to join another political formation or form a new one without inviting the wrath of the anti-defection law.

Speakers decision subject to judicial review

Paragraph 6 of the Tenth Schedule clearly said that the Speakers or the Chairpersons decision on questions of disqualification on ground of defection shall be final as all such proceedings shall be deemed to be proceedings in Parliament within the meaning of article 122 or, as the case may be, proceedings in the Legislature of a State within the meaning of article 212.

Further, Paragraph 7 said, Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, no court shall have any jurisdiction in respect of any matter connected with the disqualification of a member of a House under this Schedule.

While upholding the Constitutional validity of the Tenth Schedule, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in Kihoto Hollohan vs Zachillhu and Others (1991) declared paragraph 7 unconstitutional. It also said the Speakers decision was subject to judicial review as he acted as a tribunal while deciding cases under the anti-defection law.
Normal life was badly hit on Monday in Bihars Gaya town by a shutdown called by BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to protest against the killing of a teenager, allegedly by a ruling party legislators son.

Rocky Yadav, 30, allegedly shot dead Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, on Saturday night for overtaking his car on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road.

Rocky is the son of legislative council member Manorma Devi of the ruling Janata Dal (United).

His father Bindi Yadav, a criminal-turned-politician, was with him in the car along with a bodyguard.

While Rocky has been absconding since the incident, his father and the bodyguard were arrested and are to be produced in a local court on Monday, Gaya senior superintendent of police Garima Malik said.

We are looking for the accused inside and outside the state, she said.

Bandh supporters led by NDA leaders, Prem Kumar and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and district RLSP leaders staged massive rally and raised anti-CM slogans.

Manjhi said that the killing of the student has once again proved that the Jungle Raj 2 is back in Bihar.

The Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce, ABVP members and a large number of school and college students also joined the protest and sought peoples support for bandh.

Read | Bihar road rage: Parties condemn Gaya youths killing, demand probe

BJP workers asked shopkeepers to down shutters, burnt tyres, blocked roads and urged people to support the shutdown.

Look, it is 100% shutdown in Gaya town. Vehicles are not running. People are angry with what happened to Aditya and his family, Prem Kumar said.

This latest incident has vindicated his stand that jungle raj has returned to Bihar, he said.

Police said its preliminary investigation shows that Rocky got into a fit of rage after Adityas car allegedly did not let his Land Rover vehicle pass. The row resulted in the teenager being shot dead.

The accuseds vehicle has been recovered from his parents house, police said.

Bindi Yadav has a criminal record. He was earlier arrested after a huge cache of cartridges of AK 47 was recovered from him.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav said that proper action would be taken against any one found guilty.

Tejeswi belongs to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a constituent of Bihars ruling grand alliance whose other two members are JD(U) and Congress.

(With inputs from IANS)
Hours after Hizbul Mujahideen militant Waseem Ahmad Malla was killed in Shopian on April 7, a Facebook profile Ess Eff with around 4,000 friends had uploaded a photo of his body saying, May Allah accept his shahadah. The photo was liked by around 1,100 netizens.

Another profile of Minnat Ul Lah put out a similar message with a picture of two bodies with the hashtag #Kupwara_SHAHEED (InShaAllah), soon after three LeT militants were killed on April 21.

A scroll down the two profiles reveals content that supports armed rebellion against India and encourages people to join it. Photos of young Kashmiri militants with rifles adorn the Walls of such profiles and the captions read mujahids.

Like these two, thousands of profiles and pages are active today, said the police. Officers of the cyber crime police add that such activity is like a double-edged sword. While the percentage of real propaganda is quite less in the clutter, monitoring the active accounts often acts in the states favour as it allows them to keep a tab on what messages being circulated, they said.

A silent mind is more dangerous than the one that speaks out. If they stop uploading, then how will we come to know whats going on. We can track and take action against any profile  serious or fake  which we feel is offensive, said a senior police officer.

In past, police have blocked many such accounts and registered cases against alleged operators. But all it takes for a new account on Facebook is a new e-mail address. HT found that many such users have written about being back after account was taken down.

Many such accounts are operated from across the border, show police investigations.

A senior police officer told HT that many such profiles have been tracked to Pakistan and operators across the border often try to interact with like-minded youth in Kashmir for information on gun-battles in that youths locality or photos of militants killed there.

Social media experts said knowing that the content is highly anti-national and the cyber crime branch constantly monitors the web, had the user been in India, he/she would have been very scared to be at it.

While most of these accounts appear to be run by sympathisers, sources in cyber crime branch told HT militants also use social media platforms and the police are on the lookout to track their location.

What makes the content on these accounts unique is that they are not available elsewhere on the internet. This hints that such account operators have their private cache distributed using a different messaging mechanism, said social media activist Pratik Sinha, who recently researched and blogged about such profiles.

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The Supreme Court upheld on Monday the disqualification of nine rebels Congress MLAs from Uttarakhand and barred them from participating in a trust vote in the state assembly on May 10.

The lawmakers had gone to the top court after the Uttarakhand high court earlier in the day upheld their disqualification by the assembly speaker.

The Supreme Court verdict is seen by many as good news for sacked chief minister Harish Rawat, who has to prove his majority in the 71-member House. His government plunged into a crisis after the nine MLAs sided with the opposition BJP during a debate over the budget in March.

Here are the highlights of the days events related to political battle in Uttarakhand -

5:15pm:

- Former Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said in Lok Sabha, They (Congress) couldnt save their home but continue to level allegations on BJP.

- He also said, If somebody is solely responsible for instability in Uttarakhand, it is Congress party and its government.

5pm:

- Harish Rawat, after the SC order, said, BJP should give up politics of defection. We should be allowed to serve the people.

- Indira Hridayesh said, This is a big relief for us, weve the majority and we will prove it.

- She also said, We have got justice from both high court and Supreme Court.

- Union minister Venkaiah Naidu said, Weve to have a relook with regard to anti-defection law vis-a-vis powers of the Speaker.



4:30pm:

- Nine disqualified Uttarakhand Congress MLAs wont participate in the floor test in assembly On Tuesday, the Supreme Court refuses to allow them to cast vote.

3:10pm:

- Uttarakhand high court issues notice to BJP rebel MLA Bhim Lal Arya, next hearing is on May 16.



3pm:

-Congress leader Ambika Soni, on high court order, said, I think Uttarakhand high courts order is right and the Supreme Court will also declare its order.

1:55pm:

- The Supreme Court says it will pronounce its order at 4 pm on petition of 9 disqualified Uttarakhand MLAs who have challenged decision of high court.

1:45pm:

- The SC says voting in floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly shall take place tomorrow (Tuesday) as directed.

- The apex court rejects Congress stand that principal secy (legislative and parliamentary affairs) is an outsider in the House.

1:30pm:

- Hearing on 9 disqualified Uttarakhand MLAs plea begins in Supreme Court.



1:20pm

- The Supreme Court appointed principal secretary (legislative assembly & parliamentary affairs) Jaidev Singh to oversee floor test proceedings in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.

12:30pm:

- Mobile phones prohibited in Uttarakhand Assembly, Sec 144 imposed from 4 PM today in Dehradun.

11:30am:

- Harish Rawat, on sting row, said, If Kailash Vijayvargiya, Amit Shah and Shyam Jaju, the people who were involved in horse-trading, are ready for narco test, I will also present myself as first volunteer for the same.

- Im confident the people who stood with me in time of crisis, stood with Congress in last 4 years, will support Congress.



11:15am:

- Harish Rawat, on HC order, said, We are grateful to Uttarakhand high court and welcome the order. Justice has been done with us today, Im confident justice will be done with us tomorrow (Tuesday) and in future.

- Harish Rawat, on CBI summon, said, I have requested CBI for some time and I am hope that they will understand the situation and grant me the same.



HC order on rebel MLAs: What it means

The judgement will make the BJPs task difficult in the confidence vote to be sought by Rawat on Tuesday as it will be left with only 28 MLAs including Bhim Lal Arya whose loyalty to the party is in doubt. Though suspended by the BJP Arya continues to represent the party in the House.

It may give Rawat an advantage in the floor test which will now be held in the Assembly with an effective strength of 62 in which the winning side will need 31 MLAs for a majority.



11am:

- Centre demands that principal secretary legislative & parliamentary affairs be made observer for floor test proceedings in Uttarakhand assembly.



10:55am:

- Centre moves Supreme Court seeking modification of its earlier order.

- Venkaiah Naidu said, Now the new method is you disqualify the dissenter & then hold floor test. What is this tamasha? It is a joke of democracy

- Venkaiah Naidu said, What is happening in Uttarakhand is naya loktantra followed by kutantra of the Congress party.

- Vijay Bahuguna, rebel Congress MLA, said, There will be debate in Supreme Court at 2pm today. Lets see what the decision will be.

Also Read | Who are the nine rebel Congress MLAs

10:30am:

- Nine rebel Congress MLAs on Monday approached Supreme Court for urgent hearing against Uttarakhand high courts order dismissing their plea which challenged their disqualification.

- The apex court likely to hear the plea of the rebel Congress MLAs in afternoon today.

- Eight rebel Congress legislators who had challenged their disqualification, said they will fight till they get justice.

- Shailendra Mohan Singhal, one of the rebel MLA, said, We honour high courts decision but we will mull all the available options till we get justice.

- Congress president Kishor Upadhyay said he is sure that Congress will win the trust vote on the floor of the House on Tuesday.



10:20am:

- BJPs Madan Kaushik files a writ in Uttarakhand HC for the disqualification of BJP rebel MLA Bhim Lal Arya.



10:15am:

- The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday dismissed the petition of nine rebel legislators who had challenged their disqualification from the assembly for alleged anti-party activities, a day before the trust vote.

The single bench of Justice U C Dhyani announced in the court that he has dismissed the petition by rebels and a detailed order is expected soon. The option before the rebels is to move the division bench of the high court challenging the single bench order.

Also Read | More fireworks likely as Parliament to take up Uttarakhand budget



What is the crisis

The disqualification of the rebel MLAs has brought down the House strength to 61, paving the way for the 27-member Congress to win the May 10 trust vote if it garners the backing of six outside MLAs.

File photo of sacked Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat addressing the media in Dehradun. (PTI)

While ordering that the floor test be conducted on Tuesday, the Supreme Court had stated that the rebel MLAs cannot participate in the voting if they continued to remain disqualified at the time of the voting.

In the 70-member assembly, the BJP currently has 28 MLAs, the Congress has 27, and the BSP has two. Besides this, there are three Independent MLAs, one belonging to the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P), and nine Congress rebels.

The Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand was reduced to a minority on March 18, after nine rebel Congress MLAs sided with the BJP on the Appropriation Bill. The Centre used the opportunity to impose Presidents rule in the state, an action that drew widespread criticism from opposition parties.

Full Coverage: Uttarakhand crisis

Also Read | Uttarakhand: Cong, BJP issue whips to MLAs ahead of floor test on May 10

With inputs from ANI
Fresh trouble erupted for the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh after media reports emerged that it paid Rs 14 crore over four years for advertisements to undeserving websites, many of them run by the same people or their families.

The Opposition has accused the government of spending exorbitant amounts to polish chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans image.

The matter came to light after a list of websites that received advertisements was prepared by the government for 2012-15 in response to a question in the state assembly by Congress MLA Bala Bachchan.

An English daily found that several members of the same family, including relatives of journalists, retired bureaucrats and politicians, had received money from the state for different news websites that carried similar content.

Under a new policy announced a fortnight ago, a website is eligible for government ads only if it receives a minimum of 2,000 visits a day, said public relations principal secretary SK Mishra. The web portals were given two-three months to fulfil the norms to continue getting advertisements.

Public relations minister Rajendra Shukla revealed in the state assembly that of the 235 websites that were paid in that period, 26 received Rs 10 lakh or more, 81 between Rs 5 and 10 lakh, and the others less than Rs 5 lakh.

However, journalist Anurag Upadhyay, whose wife runs www.dakhal.net  one of the websites, claimed the amount was paid in seven-eight years but was presented in a way it appeared that a large sum was given in a short span of time.

The bigger issue is the crores paid to societies, NGOs and event management companies, he said, adding that an inquiry should be conducted to find out what services were provided to the government in return.

Deputy leader of the Opposition, Bala Bachchan, told HT that the overall payment to media was Rs 92 crore and the websites were just a part of it. Rs 66 crore was paid to NGOs and others.

He said he raised the question in the assembly to find out if the money earmarked for publicity of government schemes was spent honestly, but the government has not been able to furnish this information so far.

State BJP vice-president Vijesh Lunawat, however, justified the expenditure. He said digital medias presence is growing and it is one of the most effective mediums for the government to reach out to the people.

State Congress chief spokesperson KK Mishra said the party was following the matter closely and would move court if the need arose.
An anonymous death threat to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi triggered concern about his safety on Monday as a UPA-era move to upgrade his security was buried after the NDA came to power in 2014.

The Puducherry unit of the party received an unsigned letter, which says the 45-year-old Congress leader will be killed at an election meeting the way his father was assassinated in 1991.

Rahul Gandhi is protected by the special protection group (SPG) along with his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The previous Congress-led UPA government had reportedly sought to raise his security detail to almost the level reserved for the prime minister. It was done after intelligence agencies moved a file for his security upgrade as Gandhi was travelling across the country during the 2014 Lok Sabha poll campaign.

Read: Congress asks Rajnath to improve Rahuls security after death threat

There are two levels of SPG protection, one for the PM and another for former PMs and their family members. When the UPA government was in its last months, the security establishment was asked to include Rahul Gandhi in the top tier, a senior official said.

But the NDA government never took it up, sources told Hindustan Times.

It could not be verified why no decision was taken on that initiative. Home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi did not respond to text messages and phone calls. His predecessor Anil Goswami said: Look, I am not in office now (he was removed in February 2015). I dont remember anything.

A Congress delegation led by senior leaders Ahmed Patel and Motilal Vora asked home minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday to beef up Gandhis security after the May 5 threat letter. Singh assured prompt action and security enhancement.

The partys Puducherry leader V Narayansamy received the letter, which says: Your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former Prime Ministers son and be blasted (sic) while attending a meeting.

Gandhis father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was killed by an LTTE suicide bomber during a public rally at Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

In some recent security reviews, it was found that there were occasions when inadequate personnel were deployed for peripheral security during Rahul Gandhis public programmes. Instructions were then issued to make adequate arrangements, an official said.

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India denied, on Monday, any involvement in the political developments in Nepal which it described as purely political including Kathmandus decision to recall its ambassador here.

It is easy to blame external factors for your internal political issues. India has no role in the political happenings in Nepal. Even Nepals decision to recall its envoy is purely political as he is a senior leader of Nepali Congress, a government source said on Monday.

His remarks come in the wake of the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepals envoy to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, by the Nepalese government.

Upadhyay continued to stay put in his post in New Delhi after his countrys government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied that he had colluded with India to topple the KP Oli dispensation in Nepal.

Nepal has also dismissed rumours that it was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as baseless and said these were attempts to damage bilateral ties.

Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Raes expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandaris maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding Upadhyays recall.

Nepal had on Saturday cancelled the visit of Bhandari to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepals unhappiness with India over the latters alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.
Legislators of the grand alliance (GA) have a knack for putting Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in a tough spot by breaking the law with disconcerting regularity.

The latest incident involves Janata Dal(United) legislator Manorama Devis son Rocky Yadav, who allegedly shot dead a Class 12 student with his licenced pistol on a trivial issue of overtaking in Gaya.

Her husband, Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav also known as Bindi Yadav, is known in the area for his muscle and money power.

Read | Bihar youngster shot dead after overtaking car of JD(U) leaders son

The National Democratic Alliance leaders in Bihar are already pointing fingers at the state of affairs saying that the murder of the student has once again proved that the Jungle Raj 2 is back in Bihar. Jungle Raj is a euphemism for deteriorating law and order when the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was in power.

This year, a number of alliance bahubali or strongman legislators have already created uncomfortable situations for Kumar on his home turf.

It all started with JD(U) MLA Sarfaraz Alam, who was in the news for allegedly misbehaving with a couple on the Rajdhani Express. The incident caused a huge uproar but he later got a bail.

Congress MLA Sidharth grabbed headlines after being accused of kidnapping a girl. The girls father lodged a case against him, but in a dramatic turn of events, she appeared before Patna SSP Manu Maharaj to reveal that she had actually married the MLAs driver.

The MLA and his father were also present during the press conference. She gave the MLA a clean chit and police accepted it.

Read | Bihar road rage: Hunt on for politicians son, Nitish vows strict action

Rashtriya Janata Dals (RJD)bahubali MLA from Nawada, Raj Ballabh Yadav, is in the jail after a Nawada schoolgirl accused him of raping her. He evaded arrest for a long time, but had to ultimately surrender on March 10.

Raj Ballabh, known for his clout in Nawada and a criminal past, was denied bail by a Biharsharief court on Monday, stating that he might influence the probe if he is set free. Police have already filed a detailed chargesheet in the case.

JD(U) MLA Bima Bharati and Purnea MP Santosh Kushwaha were accused of allegedly being involved in the escape of notorious gangster Awadesh Mandal on January 17.

More recently, a sting video showed Narkatiaganj Congress MLA Vinay Verma offering alcohol to his guests in another embarrassment to the Nitish government that imposed a complete ban on sale and consumption of liquor on April 5. Two FIRs were lodged against him. However, during raids at his residence, liquor could not be found.

Mokama legislator and former JD(U) leader Anant Singh is already in jail. Over a dozen cases of murder, extortion and kidnapping have been lodged against him at Kotwali, SK Puri, Shashtri Nagar, Patliputra and Bahadurpur police stations. The jailed MLA has got bail in six of them but is behind the bars in connection with other criminal cases.

Read | Jungle raj returns: Protests erupt in Gaya over road rage

All this has given the opposition BJP enough ammunition to attack the Nitish government for allowing the state to slip into Jungle Raj. They have renewed their pre-poll allegation that his tie-up with RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who along with his wife Rabri Devi ruled the state for 15 years until 2005, is promoting Jungle Raj 2 in the state.

Kumar, on his part, has been claiming credit for much-improved law and order due to enforcement of prohibition and trying to play down such incidents as aberrations.

The BJP is trying to politicise crime incidents. The fact is that Bihar is way behind in crime compared to BJP-ruled states, as per National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data, he said on Monday after his weekly janata durbar.

On the Gaya road rage issue, Kumar said while there was no control over criminal incidents, the follow-up action is what matters the most.

Read | Road rage: JD(U) MLCs husband, guard sent to 14-day judicial custody

Who can guarantee that no criminal incident will take place? There are many facets to a crime. But there is a rule of law in the state which implies that anybody involved in a crime cannot escape the long arm of the law, the CM said reacting to a question that the BJP is claiming the incident to be an endorsement of the return of Jungle Raj.

The chief minister was also critical of the BJP for its attempt to attach an angle to an act of crime.

It is more important to bring the culprit to book than to ponder over the person involved. We attach more importance on what happened than who is involved. This helps us to deal with the situation with an even hand, Kumar said.

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The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking CBI enquiry against Indian offshore bank account holders named in the Panama papers.

A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh issued notices to Centre and the CBI on the petition filed by advocate M L Sharma.

A Multi Agency Group (MAG) of various investigative agencies has been formed by the government to go into the disclosures made in the list which includes about 500 Indian entities.

The Panama Papers leaks contain an unprecedented amount of information, including more than 11 million documents covering 2,10,000 companies in 21 offshore jurisdictions.



Each transaction spans different jurisdictions and may involve multiple entities and individuals.
The reconstituted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament may take up for discussion the CAG report on AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. Both houses of Parliament debated the matter last week, following an Italian court order confirming payment of bribe to influential Indian politicians, senior bureaucrats and Air Force officials to secure the deal in the previous UPA government.

The BJP has targeted top functionaries of Congress for having received financial benefits from middlemen and the political slugfest is unlikely to end soon, with its plans to rake the issue in the PAC. The PAC is one of the three financial committees of the Parliament and it ascertains whether the money granted by Parliament has been spent by the government within the scope of the demand. The appropriation accounts of the government of India and the audit reports presented by the CAG mainly form the basis for the examination of the committee.

Headed by K VThom as (Congress), the committee will meet later this month to decide the matters to take up for discussion. The CAG had presented a report to parliament on this matter in August 2013.

A decision on the issues to be taken up by the PAC this time will be finalised in our first meeting likely in a fortnight after the end of the session. We are keen that the AgustaWestland issue is taken up and it will be taken up, a member of the panel said.

Thomas, however, remained guarded in saying the committee usually takes up any issue examined by the top auditor after it submits its report in Parliament. All these issues will be decided when the PAC meets, he said.
Moves by the government and the opposition to not allow their political differences to come in the way of the business of legislation are reaping rewardslawmakers are spending more time discussing urgent issues and bills have been sailing through Parliament.

With only five more working days to go before its end, the second half of the budget session has seen the Lok Sabha and opposition-dominated Rajya Sabha working to pass bills despite disruptions and heated debates.

Productivity level was 120% in the Lok Sabha and 90% in the Rajya Sabha, according to New Delhi-based PRS Legislative Research.

Productivity in the Rajya Sabha is seen as surprisingly high, given that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main opposition party Congress had at the beginning of the second half of the budget session decided to corner each other over a series of issues, including the Uttarakhand political crisis, Panama Papers trailing black money and alleged corruption in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

The research group measures productivity by the number of hours spent in productive timewithout disruptionsout of the scheduled working hours that the two houses are allotted.

Productivity reaches beyond 100% when lawmakers meet for more than the allotted time.

Productivity level was 120% in the Lok Sabha and 90% in the Rajya Sabha, according to New Delhi-based PRS Legislative Research.

Ministers claim that the turnaround happened after senior leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) approached Congress leaders and suggested the two sides hold discussions on the Parliament deadlock.

This followed a meeting called by parliamentary affairs minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on 27 April, which is thought to have led to a breakthrough between the opposition and government.

During the first two weeks of the current budget session, the Lok Sabha has passed six bills including the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015, the Railways Appropriation and Finance Bills. The lower house also discussed the demands for grants of six ministries, development of north-eastern region, skill development and entrepreneurship, housing and urban poverty alleviation, social justice and empowerment, civil aviation and tourism, said a senior minister.

The Rajya Sabha has so far passed seven bills including the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015, and discussed the working of the ministries of health and family welfare and human resource development. The drought situation was also discussed, the minister added.

Last week, the two houses also held a discussion on the alleged irregularities in the AgustaWestland helicopter deal with both sides levelling allegations against each other.

The government plans to present and discuss the Uttarakhand budget for 2016-17 and passing of the Uttarakhand Appropriation (Vote on Account) Bill, 2016, to replace an ordinance. The decision could lead to fresh political trouble between the opposition and NDA members because former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat is scheduled to prove his majority on the floor of the house on Tuesday.

We are a responsible opposition party. We have always maintained that we are not against legislative business. As and when bills have come for the consideration of the house and if we have no objection to be raised, we have supported them. We wanted to raise some contentious issues in this session which we are already doing. That does not mean that it has to hamper the functioning of Parliament, a senior Congress leader from the Rajya Sabha said requesting anonymity.

The Congress held a protest march against the Union government on Friday to raise the issue of the centre allegedly toppling elected governments in Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

Political analysts say that the breakthrough in the second half of the budget session happened because of the tactical steps taken by the government to ensure a smooth session.

There has been some tactical floor management on the part of the government. They have reached out to the opposition parties and ensured that work happens in the session. Parties like the Trinamool Congress and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are interested in having a collaborative relationship with the centre, especially with elections going on in their states, said Jai Mrug, a Mumbai-based political analyst.

The TMC and AIADMK are incumbents in the states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. While polling in West Bengal is over, Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on 16 May and the results will be announced on 19 May.

Also, one has to keep in mind that for bills like the MMRDA, there is a lot of pressure from corporates and industries on all political parties and they await legislative clarity on such issues, Mrug added.

Last week, the Rajya Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2016, or MMRDA, which aims to make it easier for mergers and acquisitions of steel and cement companies reeling in the aftermath of the collapse of global commodity prices.

This article was first published in Livemint.
A photojournalist of an English language daily was electrocuted on Monday evening while trying to take photographs of the water train parked at a Jhansi railway station.

As per reports, Ravi Kanojia, 34, who worked with The Indian Express, Delhi, went to the railway station along with a colleague at around 4.45pm. He climbed atop one of the 10 wagons of the train to take some photographs of the quality of water inside. As Kanojia opened the iron lid, he came in contact with a high-voltage overhead electricity line. His body, in flames at the time, was flung some distance away and he died on the spot.

Senior police officers and railway officials rushed to the site on getting information of his death.

Ashish Mishra, senior commandant, Jhansi RPF, said the incident would be investigated.

Within an hour of the incident, the train was moved to Ratlam. Railway officials, however, refused to comment on its movement.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav expressed his condolences over the scribes death and announced compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the victims family.
Hiding your history while applying for government services could lead to disqualification from the selection process.

A woman aspirant applying for the post of constable in the Delhi Police learnt the same the hard way when her candidature was disqualified after it was found during the verification process that she had an FIR registered against her.

In February 2013, the Delhi Police had called for applicants to fill 522 posts of female constables (executive).

Anju Devi Jatav from Alwar in Rajasthan applied for the post, clearly mentioning in her attestation form that no FIR was registered against her.

After going through the physical endurance, measurement and a written test, she was declared provisionally selected, subject to verification of character and antecedents, medical fitness and final checking of documents.

However, during the verification process, the Delhi Police found that an FIR was registered against her in Alwar in a criminal case where the local court had convicted her and directed her to pay Rs 100 as fine.

In January 2015, her candidature was cancelled for trying to seek appointment by adopting deceitful means through mala fide intention.

In her appeal before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), it was contended that she was named as one of the accused persons in the FIR and the case was registered on a trivial issue between the families and neighbours. She claimed that she was roped into the issue because of family enmity. Jatav argued that the court had granted her the benefit of Section 12 of the Probation of Offenders Act, which shields her from getting disqualified from service even if she is found guilty of an offence.

The tribunal, however, said suppression of such information or making false statements amounts to moral turpitude. It noted that the purpose of seeking such information was not to find out the gravity of the offence, but to judge the suitability of the job seeker to continue in service. It has a clear bearing on the applicants character and antecedents in relation to her candidature for selection and appointment to the post of constable (executive) female, the tribunal remarked.

The tribunal dismissed Jatavs plea, noting that despite clear warning given at the top of the attestation form that not furnishing information or concealing any fact would be treated as disqualification, she deliberately and willfully suppressed fact of her involvement as an accused person in a criminal case.

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Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday received a death threat following which senior party leaders will meet Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

According to reports, Puducherry Congress received a letter threatening the life of Rahul Gandhi on Monday.

Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Rajeev Shukla, Motilal Vora and Anand Sharma will take up the matter with Rajnath Singh, asking him to step up the security for the party vice-president.

Rahul Gandhi, along with other members of his family are protected by the elite Special Protection Group. Only Prime Ministers and former Prime Minister of India and members of their immediate families are protected by the SPG, apart from the Gandhi family.

The law was amended to include the Gandhi family under SPG cover after the assassination of Rahuls father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi during an election campaign in Tamil Nadu in 1991.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Monday received a death threat following which senior party leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking him to step up security for Gandhi.

HM has assured prompt action & security enhancement for this person: Anand Sharma after meeting HM pic.twitter.com/g2lSybzXUT  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

According to reports, Puducherry Congress received a letter threatening the life of Rahul Gandhi .

Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit Karaikal on Tuesday for a public meeting.

According to reports, the letter claims Congress is responsible for closure of industries in Pondicherry and threatens that Gandhi will be blasted when he addresses the meeting in Karaikal.
The Uttarakhand high court on Monday dismissed a writ petition challenging the disqualification of nine Congress rebel MLAs on the grounds that their conduct showed they had voluntarily given up party membership.

The order, delivered by a single judge bench of Justice UC Dhyani, may prevent the rebel Congress MLAs from casting their votes during the floor test on May 10. Now, former chief minister Harish Rawats chances of winning the trust vote hinges on what the Supreme Court decides on the rebel MLAs appeal  to be taken up at 2 pm.

Soon after the judgment was delivered, Rajeshwar Singh  counsel for the rebel Congress MLAs  said they would approach the apex court to demand a stay on the order.

The 57-page judgment delivered by Justice UC Dhyani said the petitions were dismissed because the speakers order had not violated the principles of natural justice  as alleged by the rebel MLAs. Referring to the petitioners contention that they were not given sufficient time to respond to speaker Govind Singh Kunjwals order, the court observed: It is apparent from the documents on record that though the speaker did not grant the petitioners an opportunity to their liking, it cannot be termed as an insufficient opportunity.

Read: Live: Hearing on 9 rebel Uttarakhand MLAs plea begins in SC

Commenting on Kunjwals role in the matter, the court said that a judicial or quasi-judicial authority cannot be a mute spectator in such a situation  he is expected to regulate and control the proceedings. The court rejected the argument that the speaker had passed the impugned order in undue haste to meet the deadline for the vote of confidence in the assembly.

There is a saying that justice delayed is justice denied, but on the other hand, justice hurried is justice buried. A quasi-judicial authority is expected to keep a balance between the two. The court does not find from the documents on record that the speaker passed the impugned order in undue haste, the judge wrote in his order.

Justice Dhyani said that the pendulum (of justice) had swung from one pole to another during the course of the arguments. The petitioners were victim of their own actions, not knowing that it had taken them so far. But they should not forget that they are responsible lawmakers, he said.

Read: Uttarakhand: After HC setback, SC to decide fate of rebel Cong MLAs

The court held that the petitioners deserved to be disqualified under Paragraph 2 (1) (a) of the tenth schedule of the constitution. It said that the rebel MLAs had established by their conduct that they have voluntarily given up membership of the Congress even if they did not join any other political party.

Justice Dhyani, however, held that the petitioners were free to look at other legal options. As it is a matter of survival for the petitioners (rebel Congress MLAs), they deserve yet another opportunity if it is available to them in law, he said.

The single judge bench of Justice Dhyani had ordered on March 29 that the floor test in the Uttarakhand assembly be held two days later, and while the rebel MLAs can also exercise their franchise, their votes should be kept in sealed envelopes.

A double bench of the high court later stayed the order.

Kunjwal had disqualified nine Congress rebel MLAs on March 27 for indulging in anti-party activities by standing with BJP legislators on the Appropriation Bill. Eight of them, barring Vijay Bahuguna, moved the high court challenging the decision.
Seven Amritsar pilgrims were among 19 killed in two bus accidents in Kangra and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh in the past 24 hours.

A private bus (PB-02-CR-5571) on its way from Amritsars Chaitta village to the revered shrine of Jwalaji in Kangra district  skidded off the road and rolled down a gorge near Dhaliara, around 60km from Dharamshala, on Sunday, killing seven Amritsar residents, including three women. The police said 33 people were injured in the accident.

The deceased were identified as Chandan (16), Anil Sharma (50), Suman Kumari (40) Banarsi (62), Saurabh (32), Surinder (40) and Satish (20). Police said four people died on the spot and three succumbed to their injuries in a hospital.

The injured were rushed to the Dehra civil hospital from where 13 were referred to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, in a serious condition. A total of 40 persons were travelling in the bus.

Kangra superintendent of police (SP) Sanjeev Gandhi said: Prima facie it appears that the bus was being driven at a high speed. The police have registered a case of negligent driving.

Kangra deputy commissioner Ritesh Chauhan said the administration had released ex gratia of Rs 25,000 to the kin of deceased and the injured have been given a relief of Rs 5,000 each.

Mandi mishap snuffs out 12 lives

In another incident, at least 12 people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and 42 others injured when a Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus fell into a gorge at Galu near Jogindernagar, 60km from Mandi, around 9pm on Saturday.

The overcrowded bus with over 50 people on board was on its way to Rekong Peo in Kinnaur district from Dharamshala.

Witnesses told police that the cause of the accident was overloading and bad condition of the road.

A portion of the road caved in when the bus was overtaking another vehicle, said a survivor. Locals said the road had been dug up for laying telephone cables.

Most of the injured were admitted to the Jogindernagar civil hospital while 18 were referred to Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda.

Mandi deputy commissioner Sandeep Kadam, superintendent of police Prem Thakur, Jogindernagar sub-divisional magistrate Rahul Chauhan and police personnel reached the spot supervised the rescue operation, which continued till the wee hours of Sunday. Area residents were the first to launch the rescue operation and local taxi operators voluntarily ferried the injured to the hospital. The police have registered a under Sections 279, 337 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code against the bus driver. The deceased were identified as Uttam Singh of Draman in Kangra district, Neeraj Kumar of Blah in Mandi district, Krishan Kumar of

Nurpur in Kangra, Devender of Padhar in Mandi, Sunita Devi of Nerchowk in Mandi, Kamla Devi of Kinnaur and Kanhiya Lal Gupta, Pushpa, Rashmi Gupta, Rajat Gupta, A Asvik, all from West Bengal. One body is yet to be identified, the police said.

Himachal governor Acharya Dev Vrat and chief minister Virbhadra Singh have mourned the death of passengers.

The CM also met the injured in at the Tanda hospital and announced ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased, Rs 10,000 to seriously injured passengers and Rs 5,000 to passengers with minor injuries. He also directed officials to give free treatment to the injured persons.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, who was summoned by CBI in connection with a sting that showed him in negotiations to bring back rebel MLAs, did not appear before the agency on Monday.

Rawat said he has sought more time from the CBI.

I hope that the agency will understand our practical problems and will provide us more time. I have clearly said I will present myself before CBI and will provide them whatever information they ask for, he told reporters in Dehradun.

The former chief minister said he was also ready for a narco test.

According to the CMs media in-charge Surendra Kumar, Rawat cancelled his Delhi visit as he has to attend the meeting of Congress MLAs on Monday before the crucial floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Tuesday as per the Supreme Courts direction.

Rawat had faced allegations of horse-trading after a purported sting video allegedly showed him negotiating to bring back rebel legislators.

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 had questioned the journalist allegedly involved in the sting operation at its headquarters in New Delhi as part of its preliminary enquiry.

The Supreme Court had on Friday ordered a floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly on May 10 when Rawat will seek a vote of confidence.
The Bihar government will take strict action against those guilty of murdering a Gaya man in a road rage incident, chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday but appeared defensive about mounting protests against the main accused, a JD(U) legislators son.

Legislative council member Manorama Devis son Rocky allegedly shot dead a Gaya trader over a late-night tiff on overtaking, triggering a wave of condemnation and opposition allegations that the government was losing its grip on law and order.

Police has already swung into action. There will be no laxity in bringing the culprits to book. For how long can anyone run from the long arm of law, Kumar said, adding raids are on to nab the accused.

Read: Bihar youngster shot dead after overtaking car of JD(U) leaders son

But he appeared to bristle when asked the government was considering action against the JD(U) MLC. What action can be taken unless investigations reveal her involvement, he shot back.

The comments came on a day shops remained shut in Gaya as the town observed a bandh with the local BJP legislator taking out rallies against the state government. Rockys father and bodyguard, who were in the car with him, were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

BJP workers protest against the Bihar government over Aditya Sachdevas death in Gaya. (PTI)

Since storming to power last October, the Grand Alliance government  comprising the Janata Dal(United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress -- has been repeatedly embarrassed by legislators courting controversy.

Grand Alliance leaders have been accused of misbehaving with women, abduction, rape, and flouting the law in the past eight months, giving the BJP ammunition to attack the government. The Opposition says Bihar is witnessing the return of Jungle Raj, a reference to RJD chief Lalu

Prasads tenure as CM that is notorious for a law and order breakdown and party strongmen running amok.

Kumar has repeatedly dismissed these allegations and said on Monday that police had full freedom to investigate. The Inspector General of Police is monitoring the case. A special investigation team (SIT) has been constituted.

He admitted he felt bad about such occurrences but said no one had control over crime. Who can guarantee that no criminal incident will take place? There are many facets to a crime. The law will take its own course. My job is to ensure this, he said.

The bodyguard has been suspended and a departmental proceeding has been being initiated against him. This is a criminal act and legal action will also be taken, the CM told reporters.

Kumar was also critical of the BJP for its attempt to attach an angle to an act of crime. It is more important to bring the culprit to book than to ponder over the person involved. We attach more importance on what happened than who is involved. This helps us to deal with the situation with an even hand, Kumar said.

Read: Bihar road rage: Parties condemn Gaya youths killing, demand probe

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The Uttarakhand high court upheld on Monday the disqualification of nine MLAs from the state assembly for alleged anti-party activities, a day ahead of the trust vote for deposed chief minister Harish Rawat.

However, the rebel MLAs approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing against the high court verdict. The matter is expected to be taken up at 2 pm.

We honour the high courts decision, but will mull all the available options till we get justice, Shailendra Mohan Singhal, one of the rebel MLAs, told HT.

As we anticipated the HC judgment, we prepared in advance to move the Supreme Court... We will cross the bridge when we come to it, said Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, another disqualified legislator.

If the Supreme Court upholds the high court verdict, the Congress would need the support of just six outside MLAs to prove its majority in a trimmed 62-member state assembly on May 10. While the Congress has 27 MLAs in the changed scenario, the BJP lays claim to 28. The Progressive Democratic Front, on the other hand, has six members  two from the Bahujan Samaj Party, one from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, and three independents.

The high court single bench of Justice UC Dhyani pronounced its verdict after hearing the arguments of the rebel MLAs, speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and Congress chief whip Indira Hridyesh.

Live: Cong-BJP battle over Uttarakhand rebel MLAs reaches Supreme Court

Appearing on behalf of the rebels, senior lawyer CA Sundaram said the rebels were disqualified on the basis of three actions  submitting a joint memorandum with opposition members to governor KK Paul against Rawat, boarding a bus with BJP MLAs, and taking a chartered plane with them to Delhi.

Sundaram replied that the rebel Congress MLAs only wanted Rawat removed, and were not against the Congress party. Though the counsel admitted that they had boarded the bus provided by the district administration with BJP MLAs, he said they did so only in view of the law-and-order situation. He denied allegations that they took a chartered flight to Delhi, contending that it was a commercial one that also happened to be transporting the BJP legislators.

Kapil Sibal, the speakers counsel, countered the MLAs contention by pointing out that there was no commercial flight from Dehradun to Delhi after 5 pm.

Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal disqualified nine Congress rebel MLAs on March 27 for indulging in anti-party activities. Eight of them, barring Vijay Bahuguna, moved the high court challenging the decision.
AB de Villiers construction of a T20 innings can be a matter of detailed analysis. Yes, its a known fact that the South African possesses a vast array of shots but to sweep a yorker off a medium pacer Sandeep Sharma for six takes special talent, hand-eye coordination and faith in your ability.

His ability with the bat and the acceleration he provided proved to be the difference in Royal Challengers Bangalores thrilling one-run win over Kings XI Punjab on Monday.

As RCB, who again benched Chris Gayle, wobbled after quick strikes from Kings XI Punjab spinners KC Cariappa and Axar Patel who accounted for KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Shane Watson in the space of eight balls, the onus of getting to a decent total fell on AB.

He did exactly that and with a target of 176, RCB bowlers, who have leaked runs aplenty in this tournament, had a score to defend. Despite Murali Vijays lone battle with an 89 off 57 balls and a late charge by Marcus Stoinis, who made an unbeaten 34 off 22 balls, RCB bowlers kept their wits about as Kings XI fell agonisingly short.

ABs masterstroke

De Villiers had ambled to 25 off 21 balls at the end of the 15th over with just 113 on the scoreboard. It was the business end of the innings and AB was geared up to go all out.

Sandeep Sharma, Punjabs best bowler this season, fired in a yorker. Against most of the players, it would have been a dot or at the most a quick single but AB swept it over backward square leg boundary for maximum. The next nine balls saw the South African complete his half-century, his fourth in this IPL. The next five balls saw AB reach 64, helpin RCB to yet another 170-plus score. AB found an able partner in Sachin Baby (33) and together they added 88 runs off 55 balls.

The platform was set by KL Rahuls breezy 42 and Virat Kohlis cameo of 20 as the duo stitched together 63 runs for the first wicket. This is the ninth time in as many matches that RCB have put up at least 170 on board.

Vijay knock in vain

A decent start of 45 gave Kings XI Punjab a glimmer of hope with Hashim Amla getting 21 off 20 balls along with skipper Murali Vijay. No doubt Kohli looked tense. After all his bowlers had failed to defend scores of 191 against Delhi, 170 against MI, 180 against Gujarat Lions and 185 against KKR.

As Watson provided the first breakthrough by removing Amla, it was Yuzvendra Chahal who provided twin breakthroughs to give RCB an upper hand. Wriddhiman Saha was run out for 16, and off the next ball Chahal accounted for David Miller, stumped for zero, to restrict the KXIP chase. Stoinis and Farhaan Behardien scored 35 off the last 18 balls but fell short by a run as Chris Jordan somehow denied that vital boundary in the end.

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Raj Kandhari, 44, director of Swaraj Builders and Developers Group, shot himself in the head at his Sanpada residence on Monday. He has been admitted to the MGM hospital in Vashi and his condition is critical, said doctors.

According to the police, Kandhari shot on the right side of his head with his licensed pistol between 2pm and 2.20pm. Kandhari stayed with his mother, sister and other relatives on the eleventh floor of Raj Uday building, which was developed by his group. He was alone in the room at the time of the incident, said police.

The other family members were near the kitchen and a help was taking lunch for him. As she passed the hall, she heard the noise. She rushed to the bedroom and found him lying in a pool of blood, said Dhanraj Dayama, assistant commissioner of police, Nerul division.

The police have found a note in his diary in Hindi stating: Jeevan mein toh uttar-chadav ate rehte hei, iska samna karna chahiye It is however, not clear when it was written.

One of his family members told Hindustan Times that Kandhari was depressed and was on medication for the past six months. Sahaji Umap, deputy commissioner of police, zone 1, said, His family members have told us that he was depressed for the past several months because of financial reasons. He has projects at Ulwe, Panvel, Chembur, Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane among others, but the business is reportedly not doing well. That could be one of the reasons why he decided to take the drastic step.

Kandhari has a project, Swaraj Lagoona, in Panvel, which is stuck owing to new rules and regulations introduced by the local authorities. He was struggling to get a new no-objection certificate (NOC) from NAINA for the project. He had loans to be repaid. We are not sure if the investors were putting pressure on him to hand over the flats, another police officer said.

Nirav Shah, a committee member of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, Navi Mumbai, said, The real estate market is not doing well in Navi Mumbai. All builders are facing problems because of this. Kandhari is a friend. We used to meet at least once a week. However, we didnt know he was facing any problem.

Manohar Shroff, another member of MCHI, said, We are not getting timely approval for our projects from the state. We are ready to build affordable houses and sell flats at reasonable prices. The government should also understand our problems.

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A strange calm prevails in Kul Gehna, a tiny village in the Bet area on the banks of the Sutlej. Its streets are filled with gun-toting policemen, some of them wielding lathis, signalling every visitor to a halt.

We cannot allow outsiders, even mediapersons, says Bikramjit Singh, an assistant sub-inspector, as his subordinates ran their hands over us, checking for drugs. Usually people from the cities come here to buy chitta.

Kul Gehna and villages adjacent to it have been under virtual siege for the past few days as police swung into action following the death of three youths in the past two weeks.

Police suspect the youths died of drug abuse, and decided it was time to act against the village where everyone sells chitta, Punjabi for white, powdered synthetic drugs.

The deaths of the youths, aged 18 to 22, are a grim reminder of how deep the rot of drug abuse has crept into the largely agrarian society in Punjab.

But it also exposed the state governments tall claims that it was acting tough  here was an entire village, which proved otherwise.

Smuggling of chitta is a means of living for the majority of the villagers here. In the last four days, many on bikes and in cars ran away after seeing us, says a cop manning one among a string of check-posts.

Some drug addicts take chitta by injecting it into their veins it becomes five times stronger that way.

On Saturday afternoon, villagers performed the Bhog of one of the dead men, who was at his in-laws. There were around 40 to 50 people mourning, but no one was willing to talk about how the youth had died.

Outside, however, the road told a lot of stories through used spoons, syringes and lighters. But sarpanch Balbir Singh says the village has been demonised. Police and some others have been defaming my village, one or two houses may be involved in smuggling drugs, but they are blaming the entire village. If police find drugs, they are free to take action, he said.
Around 1,000 cops, who descended upon the Amritsar central jail on Sunday morning, recovered 21 mobile phones, eight SIM cards, a few adapters, 308 syringes and some drug injections besides Rs 14,000 from inmates.

Read more: Mobiles, drugs, cash seized from Punjab jails

Led by Amritsar police commissioner Amar Singh Chahal, the cops raided the jail premises around 5am when most inmates were sleeping. Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) J Elanchezhian, additional deputy police commissioner (ADCP, headquarter) Deepak Hilori and ADCP (investigation) Lakhbir Singh were also part of the raiding team.

ADCP Lakhbir Singh said the raid aimed to unearth mobile phones getting slipped into jails. Of 21 mobile phones seized from the inmates, four are smartphones. Although some drug injections have also been recovered, we are yet to verify whether these were used as medicines, as there are some patients in the jail too, he said.

Gurdaspur SSP Jagdeep Singh Hundal addressing a press conference after the check at the Gurdaspur central jail on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Sources said when cops entered the jail, some prisoners got alerted due to the commotion and threw mobiles phones and other material outside their cells. Most of the items were recovered from bushes, they said. The jail authorities refused to comment on the development.

Six inmates booked in Gurdaspur

Six mobile phones, a SIM card and 430 grams of narcotic powder were recovered from six inmates at the Gurdaspur central jail during a three-hour raid conducted by senior superintendent of police (SSP) Jagdeep Singh Hundal along with around 200 cops from Gurdaspur and Batala police districts on Sunday.

Later, addressing a press conference in his office, SSP Hundal said the recoveries were made from inmates Sawinder Singh of Dharmabad, Prabhjit Singh of Tibber, Hira Lal of Gurdaspur, Rajeshwar, alias Pappu, of Gagra, Rajesh Kumar of Amritsar and Gurmeet Singh of Ghanie Ke Bangar.

The SSP said cases under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act had been registered against the six at the Gurdaspur city police station.

They will be brought from the jail on production warrants for interrogation to know about others involved in the crimes, he said.

The SSP said one of the accused had hidden a mobile phone in an empty toothpaste cover by cutting open its lower end, while another had hidden the mobile phone in one of his boots.

Hundal did not rule out the possibility of leaking of information about the raid because the inmates had tried to hide objectionable items.

The SSP said on his request, the Gurdaspur deputy commissioner had deployed four duty magistrates for the search of the jail. The raid, which began at 5.30am and ended around 8.30am, was carried out on orders from higher officials, he said.

The Gurdaspur central jail superintendent, DK Sidhu was very cooperative to the police during the search operation, he said.

Cops find no drugs at Patti subdivision jail

Sixteen mobile phones were recovered during the raid at the Patti sub jail early on Sunday morning.

The raiding party included sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Amandeep Singh Bhatti, superintendent of police Jagmohan Singh and deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) Davinder Singh Sandhu, Jagjit Singh Rai and Satpal Singh. They were accompanied by 16 inspectors and hundreds of constables.

The raid was conducted at 4am, during which the officials checked all cells. Police have been organising seminars of drug abuse in Tarn Taran district for more than a month, during which people have raised the issue of drugs being used in the Patti jail. During the raid, however, no drugs were recovered, said officials. Sources said the inmates had learnt about the raid a day in advance, due to which they had disposed of all drugs.
Running swiftly, barefeet, from one vehicle to another to get maximum alms, 10-year-old Chanchal strives hard to outdo his fellows in a span of 69 seconds as he pastures commuters to fetch some money at the Sector 34-35 light point. Similarly at the busy Sector-34 market, Sonu, 14, can be seen seeking alms or food, and catches up with Chanchal at the light point.

Chanchal said he studies in Class 3 and stays in Sector 22. When asked about his earnings, Chanchal evades the question and ran away.

From the archives: Drive against child begging losing steam across Chandigarh

Chanchal and Sonu are among hundreds of kids who are deprived of living a normal life  just like any other child of their age  because of the ever-growing menace of begging in the City Beautiful.

Though the Chandigarh administration has announced several proposals to improve the situation, the menace continues to grow unabated.

The Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR) had conducted a survey last year to get to the depth of the begging menace. Now once again, the administration is mulling to launch a strategic plan to rehabilitate such children. A visit to some prominent places, including Sector 34-35 light point, markets of sectors 15, 17, 22, 26, 34, 37 and 44, reveal such children are now made to beg under the guise of seeking balloons. Even infants are not spared. Women carrying babies, as small as six-month-old  asleep most of the time  can be seen asking for alms in the scorching heat.

The CCPCR survey highlighted there are over 1,200 child beggars across the city, of which 40% go to schools. After attending school, they take to the markets and prominent light points to seek alms; during weekends, they work fulltime.

Most beggars, mostly children of migrant people, are from states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

CCPCR chairperson Devi Sirohi says, Its a complete racket drawn out to use children as a bait to fetch money. They are given targets by their masters, and every day in the evening, they have to report to them with the earnings of the entire day. Recently, it was found about 10 children were putting up in a bus in Manimajra.

She added, A detailed plan is being prepared to rescue them, and a mass sensitisation drive will be carried out across the city to put an end to the menace. Deputy commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi will also hold a meeting in this regard this week.

Given drugs by their masters

The city has over 1,200 child beggars and majority of them are found in Sector 20 and its surrounding areas like Sectors 15, 17, 20, 22, 34, 35, 40, 44 markets. Aging between 10 and 14, most of them are putting up in colonies of Hallomajra, Dadumajra and Colony Number 4. Many of them attend schools and beg only during weekends, earning around Rs 300-500 a day.

They also do some other menial tasks like selling balloons, toys and tissues. To tap to the rush, they sit outside temples and mosques on Tuesday and Thursday. It has been learnt some of them are even provided drugs by their masters.

Earlier plans failed

During a drive started in August last year, the administration had planned to pick all the children found begging on the city roads for rehabilitation. However, during the month long drive, many parents had raised voice by shouting slogans against the administration for rounding up their children. Another similar effort by the administration also failed due to no sustained efforts.

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The Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) has appealed to farmers not to commit suicide and promised to resolve all agriculture-related issues on priority after assuming power in Punjab.

On coming to power, the AAP will not allow banks or the government to acquire, confiscate or auction agricultural land, said senior journalist Kanwar Sandhu, who heads the party manifesto committee, in Mansa on Sunday. He along with partys kisan wing president Gurveer Singh Kang and leader Chander Suta Dogra held a four-hour interactive session with farmers as part of the Punjab dialogue here.

Sandhu motivated people to form small groups to counsel and prevent farmers from committing suicide.

During the interactive session, farmers raised issues related to crop diversification, food processing and sale of spurious pesticides and fertilisers besides unemployment, fee hike in private schools and excessive expenditure in electioneering.

Responding to a query on how the party planned to check migration due to families selling off their ancestral land, Sandhu said AAP will focus on generating employment by setting up agro-based industries.

Earlier, while opening the dialogue, AAP leader Chander Suta Dogra highlighted the achievements of the AAP government in Delhi. The Delhi government has sent notices to several private schools over fee hike. If voted to power, our party will take similar steps in Punjab, said Dogra.

Farmers union skips meet

Criticising the AAP programme in Mansa, Ruldu Singh of Punjab Kisan Union said the party was just the B-team of the Congress. Why has Kejriwal not spoken anything against big corporate houses? Why has the party remained quiet over the recent tragic suicide by a mother-son duo in Barnala? AAP is only befooling people by playing politics over the issue of farmer suicide, said Ruldoo Singh, who has been sitting on protest for the past one month, demanding waiver of farm loans.

District president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan group) Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha said although they had been invited to the dialogue, they chose to skip it. We dont want to endorse any political party. If they (AAP) are genuinely concerned about the issue (farm crisis), they can meet us in person, he said. AAP leader Kanwar Sandhu said the party will try to have a meeting with the farmers union.

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An imposter who enjoyed VVIP treatment for two days by claiming to be the assistant director general of civil aviation (ADGC) was arrested at Sri Guru Ramdas International Airport here on Sunday.

The accused has been identified as Mohan Lal, who hails from Chennai in Tamilnadu. He even presided over a meeting of airport officials on the pretext of surprise checking and raided different sections of the airport over the past two days, said sources.

The airport officials got suspicious when he began to seek certain classified information. Following this, they contacted the Delhi headquarters to enquire about his arrival. The Delhi officials told the local officials that the officer was present at his office and had not gone to Amritsar.

The airport officials immediately called the police, who arrived at the airport and asked the imposter to show his identity card, but he failed to produce it. Subsequently, cops arrested him along with his assistant, identified as Gauri Shankar, said police sources.

Shankar told the police that Mohan Lal had cheated him as well. He said he paid Mohan Lal Rs 7.5 lakh to get the job and was receiving a monthly salary of Rs 22,000.

Cops said the accused had cheated several people, including a Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer and and unemployed youth, besides cheating some persons on pretext of installing mobile phone towers.

His motive behind visiting the airport is not clear yet, said sources. During the preliminary investigation, it has been learnt that Mohan Lal was living at Amritsar for past some time. In view of sensitivity of the issue, cops are taking no chances. The accuseds interrogation is still going on.
Rajdeep Kaur, 35, sister of gangster-cum-politician Jaswidner Singh Rocky, who was murdered at Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh last week, will contest the 2017 elections from Fazilka the assembly segment.

Gangster-politician Jaswinder Rocky shot dead near Parwanoo

The announcement was made at Rockys bhog ceremony at Fazilka, which was attended by representatives of various political parties, including Akali MP from Ferozepur Sher Singh Ghubaya.

Rockys family and well wishers want Rajdeep to carry on public welfare works through politics, said Rockys aide Amjed Khan.

Addressing the gathering after the bhog, speakers demanded stern action against Rocky.

The 39-year-old gangster-cum-politician 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 and had polled over 39,000 votes, but lost to Bharatiya Janata Partys Surjit Kumar Jyani by a thin margin of 1,600 votes from his native town Fazilka.

Who was Rocky? Gangster-politician drove in fast lane of infamy

Born in a farming family at Chugian Kesar Singh village, Rocky did his schooling from Fazilka. His tryst with crime, that too within the family, came when he was barely 20, when he got a case registered against his brother, Romi Singh, for firing a shot at 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.

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 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.
Pigeons outnumber patients at the community health centre (CHC) of Bareta town in Mansa district. Its three young doctors smirk at their paltry salary of Rs 15,000 a month, make do without a nurse or specialist, and one of them just came to know about his transfer to the doctor-less primary health centre (PHC) of off-the-grid Phafre Bhai Ke village.

Read more: 95 doctors refuse to take Punjab govts Rs 15,000 salary bait

For almost a year, the Bareta centre was locked up, given up for dead, until a month ago the team of three arrived to resurrect it, with no paramedical support and with six-odd private clinics competing in the town of 1-lakh population. Thrown into difficult-terrain Sangrur, Mansa, Bathinda, Muktsar and Fazilka districts, besides Pakistan border areas such as Tarn Taran, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur, the young doctors coming in have accepted all the challenges.

The subdivisional hospital at Moonak in Sangrur district has specialists in medicine, surgery, and gynaecology, but it has an another problem  they run the outpatient departments (OPDs) as well, struggling with a daily average footfall of 200 in the absence of medical officers. It is among the 100-odd top priority hospitals of the Punjab health department. The list includes district hospitals, 41 sub-divisional hospitals, and 37 CHCs. The sick hospitals of Bareta in Mansa and Rama Mandi in Bathinda district arent even lucky to find place on this schedule.

CHC in private hands

A government hospital in private hands, the Rama Mandi CHC is a peculiar case. The postgraduate students of Bhuccho Mandis Adesh Medical College and a contractual ayurvedic doctor from National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) run its show. Second-year gynaecology student Dr Divjot sits in the OPD with classmate Dr Nancy of third-year medicine. We refer the patients to Talwandi Sabo (subdivisional hospital), said Dr Divjot, when asked how they manage surgeries without specialists.

With no radiographer hired, patients depend on outside shops for even a simple X-ray examination. Thats none of our concerns, said Dr Divjot.

Members of the hospitals paramedical staff said many patients were referred to the private Adesh college even for deliveries. We do not force them, said Dr Divjot.

SMO-less hospital

Crowded with poor patients from Rama Mandi and other far-flung Mansa and Sangrur places, the Tawandi Sabo subdivisional hospital in Bathinda district has urgent requirement of a senior medical officer (SMO). Five of its eight posts of emergency medical officer (EMO) are vacant, and the facility serves 72 villages of Bathinda.

A young MO (medical officer) and a senior doctor were struggling with the rush of emergency cases, while officiating SMO Dr Darshan Kaur was away on deputation. Her second-in-command, an ophthalmologist, explained the rush: There are no MOs at Maur and Rama CHCs and at a few other rural centres. Dr Darshan Kaur explained over telephone her own challenges: We want police protection, as the EMOs preparing the medico-legal reports (MLRs) of patients injured in frequent fights in rural pockets are often forced to show serious injuries to make ground for police case.

No cure for chemists

The radiologist at Talwandi Sabo quit a month ago, leaving the field open to private diagnostic centres from Bathinda to Mansa, who fleece patients for CT and ultrasound scans that are common in the Malwa belt. In the absence of radiographers, general doctors manage the ECG at several centres. The areas last radiologist also left the Bathinda district hospital a month ago.

A tuberculosis patient at Talwandi Sabo paid Rs 1,500 outside for medicine, while a man with a broken leg shelled out Rs 11,000 at a chemists shop facing the Mansa district hospital. I will look into the matter. The TB patients must get all medicine free of cost inside the hospital only, said the Talwandi Sabo officiating SMO. Patients at the mercy of chemists is the scene in every district, even after an SMO of the Phagwara civil hospital was suspended recently for similar reasons.

Kids not treated well

As the state is short of paediatricians, with a recent advertisement seeking 111, Mansa district is a glaring example where private child clinics exploit the opportunity.

The long queue of mothers with children in laps is a daily scene at Guru Nanak Child Hospital, Mansa, where the government district hospital has only three posts of paediatrician. Private hospital owner Dr Daljit Singh Gill, who was government MO in 1999, recalls: The job was suffocating, and I realised I had better prospects in my own practice. He examines 50 cases a day.

Mother o mother

The new mother and child health (MCH) centres in district hospitals have own worries. For moving paediatricians from main hospitals to these centres in the absence of adequate paramedical staff is a big ask. The two child specialists at the Mansa district hospital now sit in the adjoining MCH centre but cant do much without nurses and other support. Its a similar case at the Rupanagar MCH, crowded for want of nurses to assist doctors.

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Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday announced that the worlds largest high-end electric bicycle manufacturing facility with a capacity of 15 million cycles would be established at Ludhiana over 300 acres of land.

Addressing a joint meeting of the Indian and Chinese bicycle associations at the China Cycle-2016 exhibition at Shanghai in China, he announced that the mega project would be known as Cycle Valley, and would provide employment to 1.5 lakh persons, a spokesman here said.

We are the world leader in manufacturing the common mans cycle. But now the demand is for high-end as well as electric cycles. We are inviting world players to set up shops in Punjab. The local industry will also be benefitted as we are requesting then to tie-up with world manufacturers for providing ancillary support, he said at the conclave.

Sukhbir also announced that the Hero Group would be the anchor client as well as strategy partner for the Cycle Valley and that the best manufacturers and ancillaries in India and abroad would be invited to set up their units there.
Hitting back at Punjab Congress ex-chief Partap Singh Bajwa for saying his expulsion from the party was inconsequential, former Vidhan Sabha deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh has said it is doublespeak, as Bajwa was among the first to praise his critical write-up in HT against state party president Captain Amarinder Singh.

Claiming that Bajwa had even taken the clipping to party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Bir Devinder said: I wonder how people change their colours overnight like chameleon. He said two other senior leaders, whom hed name later, also had liked his Captain-bashing in the press, and everyone is miffed with Amarinder but no one has the courage to speak.

Read: Exit of Bir Devinder, Jagmeet Brar inconsequential: Partap Singh Bajwa

Bir Devinder even released a text message of appreciation from Bajwa. Sent at 7.38am on March 29, it reads: Excellent write-up in HT (Can Congress rescue itself before Punjab poll). Forwarding it to VP (Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi). Every Congressman in the state shares your sentiment.

There are two other senior leaders who either texted or called me after reading the article, and now they are talking otherwise, said the former deputy speaker. He claimed to have enough material to expose the unprincipled manoeuvrings against the Congress interests.

He said he wished to remind Bajwa that when he was inconsequential all through his tenure as state party president, we never made fun of him, despite suffering his unimpressive and embarrassing presidency. In spite of many attempt, Bajwa could not be contacted for comments. Amarinder had got Bir Devinder expelled after the write-up.

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Independent MLA Simarjit Singh Bains and his 15 supporters were arrested by the Ludhiana police on Monday after a protest against the suspension of services of a Punjabi news channel by a cable network operator turned violent.

More than 500 supporters, including women, of Bains gathered outside the Grand Walk Mall on Ferozepur road. Bains had organised the protest against the Fastway cable network accusing it of suspending services of Zee Punjabi news channel.

Sensing that situation could go out of control, cops from different police stations of the city were deployed in front of the mall housing the office of the cable network.

As soon as supporters of Simarjit and his brother Balwinder Singh Bains, also an independent MLA, along with members of Team Insaaf tried to enter the mall, police stopped, leading to an altercation. Later, police resorted to baton charge to disperse them. In the melee, turbans of many protesters, including Simarjit, fell off.

The protesters then hurled stones at police personnel. Later, Bains and his 15 supporters were rounded up They were booked under sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 334 (voluntarily causing hurt on provocation), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) of the Indian Penal Code.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (crime) Balkar Singh said 10 cops were injured in stone-pelting by protesters.

Balwinder Singh Bains said an interview of his brother Simarjit was telecast on Zee Punjabi news channel after which viewers made a demand for its re-broadcast. The Fastway cable network suspended the services of Zee Punjabi channel immediately when it was about to broadcast the interview again. We organised the protest only to highlight how the cable mafia was gagging the media, said Bains.

Fastways version

Chief executive officer (CEO) of Fastway Peeyush Mahajan said: We havent stopped relaying Zee Punjabi channel. The channel has been shifted to platinum package and HD network. There is no restriction on watching the channel.

HT reporter roughed up

Hindustan Times reporter Harshraj Singh, who was present at the spot, was also cane-charged by police. The cops assaulted Singh even as he revealed his identity to them. Later, a delegation of mediapersons went to the commissioner of police office where they were assured of action against the guilty cops.
Comedian-turned-AAP leader lambasted the Congress party in a veiled attack on Sunday, saying successive governments had forced people to respect only chacha and bapu, referring to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.

Nehrus birthday is celebrated as Childrens Day.

Our governments have taught us that we should worship only two people  one is chacha and the other bapu. Even if you dont wish your own uncle, it has been made compulsory for us to wish this chacha. Wont talk much about bapu, but we have to move beyond these things, Ghuggi said while addressing volunteers of the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.

Ghuggi made the comments in reference to his allegations that the martyrdom of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had been neglected. Congress leaders were not available for comment.

Meanwhile, rubbishing reports that AAP had sidelined HS Phoolka, Ghuggi said on Sunday the party did not include the Supreme Court lawyer in its political affairs committee or the national executive because he had quit active politics.

Phoolka ji is such a senior leader of AAP how can anybody ignore him? It was he who opted out of active politics with an aim to contest cases related to the 1984 (anti-Sikh) riots. If he is interested to come back, the party will welcome him, Ghuggi said after addressing a meeting of volunteers for the Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat.

Ghuggis comments came in reply to questions by journalists over the video clips on social media which showed Phoolka asking his supporters to not to contact him.

Volunteers ire

While Ghuggi addressed the gathering, a party worker, probably in his 60s, interrupted by saying that a few police officers had entered the party only to get assembly tickets and that the party should put a check on such intruders.

The hall, where cop-turned-politician Sajjan Singh Cheema and Jasvir Rai from Jalandhar were also sitting, burst into laughter.
The owners of jewellery shorroom Forever Diamonds were planning to shut business in the city and settle abroad. This is what a woman employee at the showroom has told the police.

Diamonds are Forever, a lie isnt: Sec 17 heist was owners drama

On Saturday, a case of cheating was registered against the owners of Forever Diamonds, Rajneesh Verma and Vinod Verma, for stage-managing a loot of jewellery valued at Rs 14 crore.

The case was registered after the manager, Ajay Kumar, stated before a magistrate that Verma brothers enacted the loot drama to claim insurance.

Verma brothers had also got the computers data deleted, it is learnt. Chandigarh Police have deployed cops outside a private hospital in Panchkula where Vinod Verma got himself admitted on Saturday. Police said they were waiting for his discharge to arrest him. Rajneesh Verma is learnt to have gone to Delhi.

The first challenge before the police is to identify three people, including a woman, who were roped in by the jewellery store owners to play robbers role. the police can make a headway in this regard after interrogation of the owners after their arrest.

We are businessmen, not robbers: Owner

Interacting with journalists at Dhawan Hospital, Panchkula, Vinod Verma, one of the owner brothers of Forever Diamonds, said they were businessmen and not robbers. We did not stage-manage the loot, he said. He said the manager and the salesgirl of the showroom were giving statements under police pressure.

He alleged that the police were trying to frame them. He assured cooperating with the police in the investigations.
In the past one year, Panjab University has signed about 10 memoranda of understanding (MoU) with foreign universities, exploring opportunities in student exchange programmes, research and faculty exchange visits. However, there is nothing to show in terms of results, making it nearly a fruitless exercise.

Not a single delegation of students or faculty has visited a foreign varsity all these years despite having agreements for the same. However, foreign students do visit the PU, most recent was a delegation of faculty and students from Western Sydney.

As per experts, MoUs are signed mainly to impress the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for a better ranking or grade. Since 1999, Panjab University has signed 51 such syndicate-approved pacts with foreign varsities (see box). Some of the varsities are non-descript and least to offer.

Pacts are signed and no attempts are made thereafter to implement the agreements.

On April 28, 2016, the European Union (EU) had evinced interest for increasing research and academic cooperation and exploring opportunities for international collaboration with Panjab University (PU). The European Union had even offered to help the PU students of all the subjects. The delegation had come from institutes of France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland and other Europian countries.

On March 16, 2016 PU and Antioch University, Seattle (USA), had signed a MoU for mutual cooperation in the areas of training, education and research, and on April 8, 2016, PU signed a pact with University of Wuerzburg, Germany, for student exchange and collaborative research in the subjects of economics and political science.

However, the MoUs also mention that the financing for the activities shall depend on the availability of funds.

The varsity has also signed pacts with University of Waterloo and Western Sydney University in the recent past.

PU vice-chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover said, It is presumptuous to conclude that there is no implementation. Academic exchanges are on; these things take time to get translated into visible research output.

Prof Deepti Gupta, dean international students, Panjab University, said they were in the process of setting up an entrepreneurship cell on the campus. We are working out a plan to send out students and faculty to Western Sydney whose faculty and students also visited us recently and stayed on the campus for two days. They have sent us an invitation to send our engineering students to visit their campus in June or July this year. We do not know how are we going to manage with funds but we are trying our best.

Some pacts PU inked with foreign varsities

Panjab University syndicate and senate have approved memoranda of understanding with 51 foreign universities since 1999.

Nottingham Trent University (2015)

Birmingham University (2015)

National Institute of IST, Japan (2015)

Fayetteville State University, USA (2015)

University of Nottingham (2015)

University of Western Sydney (2014)

University of Fraser Valley, Canada(2012)

Fancy Barristers Professional Corporation, Canada & New York Law School (2009)

Pokhara University, Nepal (2009)

Universite Paris Dau-phine, France (2005)

University College of Fraser Valley (2004)

Simon Fraser University (2004)

University of Hiro-shima, Japan (2000)

University of Manitoba, Canada (1999)

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The Shanghai municipal agriculture commission will partner with the Punjab government and transfer technology to help farmers grow Chinese vegetables for boosting states diversification drive.

The assurance was given by Shanghai agriculture commission vice chairman Feng Zhioyong during an interaction with Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who is touring the country.

Zhioyong said the commission had already visited Punjab and would identify areas of mutual interest for sharing of best practices.

Speaking on the occasion, Sukhbir said Punjab was promoting food processing industry in a big way and urged Chinese companies to invest in the sector. He also gave details of the tax concessions as well as availability of pre- cleared sites and speedy clearances to set up industry in the state.

Business delegate Bhavdeep Sardana of Sukhjit Starch suggested that Punjab could use Chinese agriculture technology in soya bean processing and farmers in Punjab could grow vegetables used in Chinese cuisine.

Following the meeting with officials of the agriculture commission, the Punjab delegation also visited the state-owned bright milk plant in Shanghai, one of the biggest producers of ultra heat treated (UHT) milk in China. Sukhbir suggested during the visit that Chinese expertise in this sector be used to rejuvenate Verka and produce UHT milk in Punjab which could be marketed successfully during summer months when the supply is short.

Earlier, high-end bicycle manufacturers offered support to Sukhbirs cycle valley proposal.

Sukhbir along with Hero Cycles chairman Pankaj Munjal discussed the exact nature of investment which could flow into the cycle valley that is being planned in Ludhiana.

Read: In Shanghai, Sukhbir proposes electric cycles plant in Ludhiana

Pankaj Munjal, while discussing the business model of the new integrated cycle park, said the company was in the process of tying up with Chinese bicycle manufacturers for different segments.
With just two days to go for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumars rally in Dhanbad, women groups and political and social organisations are strengthening their anti-liquor campaign across the district .

Nitish, also a senior Janata Dal (United) leader, will address a rally at the town hall on May 10. He is visiting the city on the invitation of the Nari Sangarsh Morcha(NSM), which is calling for prohibition to be enforced in the state. Other organisations like the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P), Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) and several NGOs have also joined the bandwagon.

According to reports, JVM-P chief Babulal Marandi has been invited to participate in the rally. The meeting of the two leaders on one platform will assume importance as their parties are holding talks for the formation of a political entity at the national level to fight the BJP .

The JD(U) is holding a door-to-door campaign in the district to mobilise people for the rally. The party has also installed posters and banners at important localities to ensure that Nitish gets a massive welcome when he arrives via Bokaro.

NSM also organised demonstrations and rallies in different parts of Tundi, Baliapur, Katras, Baghmara and other localities, calling for a ban on liquor. Our drive is purely apolitical and Nitish Kumar has been invited to give the women a guideline on how to fight for a total ban on liquor, NSM president Chanchalla Devi said. Around a fortnight ago, she led a delegation meet Nitish in Patna.
Reigning superstar of Telugu films, Mahesh Babu, adopted a village in Andhra Pradeshs Guntur district and launched several development works on Sunday. The total spending on the projects is about Rs 2.14 crore.

Mahesh adopted Burripalem, his ancestral village, under the Smart Village - Smart Ward programme launched by the Andhra Pradesh government. Maheshs recent blockbuster Srimanthudu propagated the theme giving back to the society and its in this spirit that he chose to adopt Burripalem. He also adopted a village in Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.

Mahesh Babu plays Harsh Vardhan in Srimanthudu, the sole heir of his father's business empire, who returns home to challenge a politician, whose writ runs large in his village, enslaving the villagers. (SrimanthuduTheFilm/Facebook)

My grandmother and father (yesteryear superstar Krishna) did their bit for the development of the village. Now, I want to take it forward. This is a great opportunity for me, Mahesh said on the occasion.

Accompanied by his brother-in-law and Guntur MP Galla Jaydev and Tenali MLA Alapati Rajendra Prasad, Mahesh arrived in Burripalem Sunday afternoon and spent some time in his ancestral house before launching the development works. Thousands of people thronged the village to catch a glimpse of the superstar.

Read: Mahesh Babus Brahmotsavam trailer launched, film to release on May 20

Mahesh will spend over Rs 2.14 crore for the construction of an Anganwadi building, a community hall, additional classrooms in the local school, laying of water pipelines, development of roads and drains in the village, according to the MP.

I wanted to adopt this village under the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, but guidelines came in the way as Burripalem is the native place of my in-laws. So I asked Mahesh to take up the task and he readily agreed, Jaydev said.

Burripalem would be developed into a model village, as envisioned in the SAGY, and a smart village under the Smart Andhra Pradesh programme of the state government, he said.

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Instead of resolving, the mystery around Pratyusha Banerjees death is getting darker as a blame game rages between her parents and boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh. While her parents have written to home minister Rajnath Singh seeking a probe into her death by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rahul claimed on Saturday that the parents of the 24-year-old actress used to mentally torture her.

Read: Pratyusha was tortured by Rahul, he should rot in jail, say her parents

Rahul has also issued a defamation notice to Neeraj Gupta, who had claimed to be his lawyer when he was admitted to the Shri Sai Hospital after Pratyushas death.

Pratyusha Banerjees parents at a press conference.

On April 1, Pratyusha, who shot to fame for her role as Anandi in Balika Vadhu, allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself inside her flat in suburban Goregaon. Two days later, a case under IPC sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 504, 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) was registered against Rahul based on a complaint lodged by the actresss parents.

Rahul claimed in an interview to Times of India, He (Neeraj) has tarnished my image. He accused me of pushing Pratyusha into drugs, hitting her and siphoning money from her. He also accused me of having no source of income and being a fraud. He was never my lawyer but a self-appointed one. Its his moral duty to not talk about his client in the media. Some others also accused me, saying they wanted to know the truth... but now, I am fighting back to know the truth. Where are they now?

He also said he will file defamation cases against actress Kamya Punjabi, producer Vikas Gupta and common friend Leena Dias. Rahul said in the interview, Kamya owes Pratyusha Rs 2.5 lakh. Pratyusha had even messaged her once asking for the money. Vikas claimed that he had a video of me slapping Pratyusha. I demand to see it.
As the setting suns light flooded a meeting of Utah County Republicans, Melanie Sorensen described her concerns about her partys presumptive presidential nominee.

First, she spoke about Donald Trumps suggestion that he may violate party orthodoxy and back a minimum wage increase. Then, she addressed his tendency to take different sides of the same issue. Then, the image he projects to the world.

Im certainly a Never Hillary person but I may also be a Never Trump person, said Sorensen, 42, a homemaker who spends countless hours volunteering for the GOP. Its a nightmare. Im living in a nightmare.

Voters in this slice of deeply conservative Utah are experiencing an acute version of the political panic attack thats gripped much of the GOP since Trumps remaining rivals dropped out last week.

Utah County, 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, was never going to support Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. Its home to Brigham Young University, and 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney won 88% of its voters against President Barack Obama. But its also the conservative heart of Utah, whose voters were among the most resistant to Trump in the nominating contest.

The billionaire won only 14% of the votes at the Republican caucuses in March. Trumps boastful, populist approach offends many in a deeply religious state that values humility, personal ethics and traditional conservative values. Whats more important to us is the life led, the character of the candidate for office, said Robert Craig, 55, a businessman and another member of the Utah County partys executive committee.

The way Utahs Republicans grapple with Trumps nomination may say a lot about his viability in November. No presidential nominee in recent decades has won the White House without overwhelming support from voters of his own party  typically 90% of them or more  but the GOP is badly splintered over Trump.

US House Speaker Paul Ryan, representative from Wisconsin, set off a firestorm last week when he said Trump had not yet earned his endorsement. The last two GOP presidents  George W Bush and George HW Bush  said they wouldnt attend the partys July convention where Trump awaits the nomination.

Some Utah Republicans are grudgingly lining up behind Trump. US Representative Chris Stewart, who called Trump our Mussolini in March, now calls for party unity. While Mr. Trump wasnt my first choice, we must move forward and unite to defeat Hillary Clinton, he said.

KC Bezant contemplated what to do as he hurried back from his lunch break to the furniture store in the University Mall where he works. Not a big fan, he said of Trump. Bezant voted for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the caucuses. Another salesman, David Bauer, 69, met Bezant as he walked in.

Are you going to vote for Trump? Bezant asked Bauer, who had also supported Cruz in the caucuses.

Yeah, Bauer answered. I dont like Hillary. Ill vote for him. Not voting is just putting another vote in Hillarys back pocket.

Yeah, Bezant said. Ill do it.

Not everyone in the store was as sanguine.

Tammy Pawlowski, 58, was horrified when Trump said this year that he never had asked God for forgiveness. Shes Mormon, and repentance is a big thing for us, Pawlowski said. We have to be accountable to somebody  we need to be accountable to God for what we do and to people. If youre not going to be accountable to anyone, then you dont care about anyone but yourself.

Pawlowski said she might actually end up voting for Clinton: I would actually pick her over Trump.

In more than two dozen interviews of Republicans in Orem, Pawlowski was the only one who said she might vote for Clinton. But some were seeking third-party escape hatches from what they considered to be an impossible choice. I keep hoping for a do-over, said Amy Gertsch, 40, a professional pet blogger who preferred Sen. Rand Paul, an early dropout.

At the county GOP meeting, between the Pledge of Allegiance and a discussion of local races, executive committee members were trying to find a reason to support their partys nominee. What could help Donald Trump move more people in the Republican Party to his side is to pick a vice president, and have more people around him, who are conservative, said Joe Phelon, 44. Heads nodded approvingly, and an excited murmur rippled through the room when someone mentioned a rumour that Trump would select US Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, chairman of the House committee investigating the 2012 attack against Americans in Benghazi, Libya, as his attorney general.

Were waiting to see what Mr Trump would do, said Ben Summerhalder, 63. If we were voting today Id have to hold my nose  hes boorish, hes not a conservative.

Some are more open to Trump. The billionaire was software developer Lowell Nelsons third choice out of the 17 Republicans who competed for the nomination, and Nelson backed Cruz in the caucuses. But now Trump will get his vote.

He has stood firm against the trade deals and on immigration, Nelson said. Anything to get the establishment, the neoconservatives, angry, Im OK with that.

But even in this group of loyal, hard-core Republicans, some thought they wouldnt vote for the nominee.

A no vote, said Anna Standage, 49, is still a vote.
Bangladesh on Monday summoned the Pakistani high commissioner to lodge a protest over Islamabads reaction to a Supreme Court judgment that confirmed the death penalty for Jamaat-e-Islami chief and 1971 war crimes convict Motiur Rahman Nizami.

The statement issued (earlier) by Pakistan Foreign Office is totally unacceptable, secretary of bilateral affairs in Bangladesh foreign office Mizanur Rahman said.

During the meeting, Rahman handed over a note verbale to Pakistans high commissioner Shuja Alam.

Read: Bangladesh Islamist party leader to hang for war crimes

Read: Jamaat chief shifted to Dhaka Central Jail, execution imminent

Officials familiar with the meeting said the envoy met Rahman for 15 minutes as Dhaka conveyed its distress over the Pakistan foreign offices statement on May 6 that expressed deep concern over the dismissal of Nizamis review petition by the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

They said Alam told Rahman that he would convey the protest to Islamabad.

The envoy was summoned a day after Bangladeshs junior foreign minister Shahriar Alam said We are disappointed with Pakistans reaction. We never welcome anyone interfering in our internal issues.

I find this a serious issue, as these war criminals are trying to assure future generations with the notion that Pakistan as a state will be by their side. Otherwise why would Pakistan be so saddened by Nizamis death penalty? he said.

The Pakistani statement had said there is a need for reconciliation in Bangladesh in accordance with the spirit of tripartite agreement of April 1974 which calls for a forward looking approach in matters relating to the events of 1971.

Read: Nizami death penalty: Stop interfering, Bangladesh tells Pakistan

We (Islamabad) have also been following the reaction of the international community and human rights organisations to the controversial trials in Bangladesh, related to events of 1971, it said.
BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been detained in North Korea and is to be expelled from the country over reporting.

He was one of three BBC staff, along with producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard, detained on Friday as they were about to leave North Korea.

He was questioned for eight hours by North Korean officials and was made to sign a statement.

The BBC team was in North Korea ahead of the Workers Party Congress, accompanying a delegation of Nobel prize laureates conducting a research trip.

The North Korean leadership was displeased with their reports highlighting aspects of life in the capital.

The countrys National Peace Committee told a press conference in Pyongyang that the step was taken against the correspondent for attacking the North Korean system and non-objective reporting during the filming crews stay.

The correspondent will be banned from entering North Korea again, the committee added.
Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday raised the spectre of war breaking out in Europe if Britain votes to leave the European Union, a forecast promptly dismissed as nonsense by the Brexit camp, historians and others.

In an unlikely alliance, Cameron was joined by former foreign secretary David Miliband of the Labour Party while making another case for Britain remaining in the EU during the June 23 referendum. Cameron also ridiculed pro-Brexit claims by his justice secretary, Michael Gove.

Cameron said: Isolationism has never served this country well. Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at a much higher cost.

He added, The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price that this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe.

Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt? Is that a risk worth taking?

Freed from the office of London mayor, Boris Johnson got onto a bus that will traverse the country to enlist supporters for Brexit. Delivering a speech before setting off, he rubbished Camerons claim that Brexit could disrupt peace and stability.

As the EU referendum pits Tories versus Tories, Johnson accused Cameron of corroding public trust by promising to reduce immigration but failing to achieve it year after year.

Johnson said: The biggest single threat that I can see is that people on the Remain camp will continue to run scare stories about world war three, or bubonic plague, or whatever it happens to be, and they may in the end inadvertently do material damage to peoples confidence about this country.

He said he didnt think Cameron could seriously believe that leaving the EU would trigger war on the European continent given that he was prepared only a few months ago to urge that people should vote leave if they failed to get a substantially reformed European Union.

The Vote Leave camp said Nato, not the EU, kept Britain safe and accused Downing Street of losing the plot. It pointed to analysis by the Historians for Britain group, which described the suggestion the EU had prevented wars as groundless and historically illiterate.

Cameron mentioned India three times in his speech, challenging the Brexits camps claim that India and Britain will have better relations outside Europe.

(From) America to Asia, from Australasia and the Indian subcontinent, our friends and our biggest trading partners, or potential trading partners, are telling us very clearly: its your decision. But we hope you vote to stay in the European Union, he said.

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Britains former spy chiefs have asked voters to keep the United Kingdom inside the European Union, arguing that the alliance gives their nation an edge in gathering anti-terrorist intelligence and underpins continental peace.

Sundays published appeal by former MI5 director-general Jonathan Evans and former MI6 chief John Sawers sparked a fierce rebuttal from campaigners seeking a British exit from the 28-nation EU in the June 23 referendum.

The intelligence experts joint interview in the Sunday Times newspaper emphasized their view that EU membership meant Britain could shape key policies on sharing anti-terror intelligence. Sawers said in an accompanying video interview that a British exit would weaken the bloc and potentially promote its political unraveling.

Pro-exit campaigners countered that a non-EU Britain would share intelligence unhindered and defend its borders better.
Anti-establishment firebrand Rodrigo Duterte secured a huge win in the Philippine presidential elections, according to a poll monitor, after an incendiary campaign dominated by his profanity-laced vows to kill criminals.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, hypnotised millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nations twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years.

And after a record turnout of voters in Mondays elections, Duterte scored a commanding victory, according to data released by the PPCRV, a Catholic Church-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally the votes.

With 88% of the vote counted early on Tuesday morning, Duterte had an insurmountable lead of 5.84 million votes over his nearest rival, administration candidate Mar Roxas, according to the data.

Its with humility, extreme humility, that I accept this, the mandate of the people, Duterte told AFP as the results came in.

What I can promise you is that I will do my very best not just in my waking hours but even in my sleep.

Duterte had 38.6 percent of the vote, with Roxas on 23.12 percent and Senator Grace Poe in third with 21.76 percent, according to PPCRV.

Poe, the adopted daughter of movie stars, had already conceded just after midnight on Tuesday.

As a staunch supporter of electoral reform, I have a firm belief in the voice and sentiment of our people. I honour the result of our elections, Poe told reporters in Manila.

I congratulate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and pledge my support in working to heal our land and to unite our people toward the continued development of our country.

In the Philippines, a winner is decided simply by whomever gets the most votes.

Threats to kill

Duterte, a pugnacious 71-year-old, surged from outsider to the top of surveys with cuss-filled vows to kill tens of thousands of criminals, threats to establish one-man rule if lawmakers disobeyed him and promises to embrace communist rebels.

He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex.

Duterte caused further disgust in international diplomatic circles with a joke that he wanted to rape a beautiful Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot, and by calling the pope a son of a whore.

Departing President Benigno Aquino, whose mother led the democracy movement that ousted Ferdinand Marcos three decades ago, had warned repeatedly the nation was at risk of succumbing to another dictatorship.

I need your help to stop the return of terror in our land. I cannot do it alone, Aquino said in an appeal to voters in a final rally on Saturday in Manila for Roxas, his preferred successor and fellow Liberal Party stalwart.

In his final rally on Saturday, Duterte repeated to tens of thousands of cheering fans his plans to end crime within six months of starting his presidency.

Forget the laws on human rights, said Duterte, who has been accused of running vigilante death squads in Davao.

If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, Id kill you.

Elite rule

Aquino, who is limited by the constitution to a single term of six years, had overseen average annual economic growth of six percent and won international plaudits for trying to tackle corruption.

However, his critics said he had done little to change an economic model that favours an extraordinarily small number of families that control nearly all key industries, and has led to one of Asias biggest rich-poor divides.

This criticism hurt Roxas, a member of the wealthy classes widely seen by many as lacking empathy for the poor.

Another key message of Dutertes campaign was his pledge to take on the elite, even though his vice presidential running mate was from one of the nations richest and most powerful families.

Poe had seen her popularity slide after critics pointed to her taking US citizenship then later giving it up.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, the early favourite, was in a distant fourth place, according to the poll monitor, after crumbling under the weight of a barrage of corruption allegations.

In an intriguing sub-plot, former dictator Marcoss son and namesake had a slight lead in the race to be elected vice president, according to the poll monitor, which would cement a remarkable political comeback for his family.
A French lawmaker resigned as vice-president of the National Assembly on Monday after being accused of sexual harassment by fellow politicians, a rare development in a country where such allegations are usually kept under wraps.

Denis Baupin, who did not surrender his seat as an elected member of the lower house of parliament, rejected the accusations in a statement published on his website.

Following the accusations in the media, Mr Denis Baupin wants to underline...that these are defamatory and baseless lies, the statement said, adding he had resigned to protect the reputation of parliament and to defend himself.

Baupin is the husband of housing minister Emmanuelle Cosse. He recently left the pro-environment Greens over disagreements about party strategy.

He came under sudden pressure to resign after female party officials and lawmakers went on the record on Monday in French media to level accusations at him.

Sandrine Rousseau, a Green party spokeswoman, told France Inter radio and Mediapart online media, which first revealed the case, that one day in October 2011, he pressed me against the wall, holding my breasts and tried to kiss me.

Lawmaker Isabelle Attard said: It was an almost daily harassment with provocative, salacious text messages.
As forest fires raged through the Canadian province of Alberta last week and the city of Fort McMurray had to be evacuated, an Indo-Canadian real estate magnate decided to lend a helping hand to those fleeing the flames.

Navjeet Dhillon, better known as Bob, founder and CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp, based in Calgary, Alberta, tracked the disaster and the resultant exodus and offered 100 apartment units rent-free for three months for those escaping Fort McMurray. Nearly 90,000 persons left that city.

They lost their jobs, lost their homes, they were lucky they still had their cars and they drove out. We tried to help them in this difficult time, Dhillon said. The bulk of the units were occupied within hours of being offered, the vast majority in Edmonton, the closest major city to Fort McMurray. Our staff worked 24 hours to accommodate them, Dhillon said.

Navjeet Dhillon, founder and CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp, tracked the disaster and the resultant exodus and offered 100 apartment units rent-free for three months for those escaping Fort McMurray. (File Photo)

Mainstreet is a major player in the real estate market in Canada, with nearly 10,000 units and Canadian $1.5 billion in assets. Dhillon, who was born in Japan, raised in Liberia and did his schooling in Shimla, described this as corporate charity.

Read | Canada: Massive Alberta wildfire expected to burn for months

This, of course, wasnt the first time his company has put its assets to such use. As Syrian refugees were coming into Canada, Mainstreet put 200 suites at their disposal, again free of rent, upfront for three months and subsidised over a 12-month period. But this particular case was different, as Dhillon said, With the Syrian refugees, we had lots of time. First of all, the government announced it and they went through the screening process and after the screening process, they went to Montreal and from Montreal they came to Calgary. So, it was a lead time of almost two months. Here we had lead time of 15 minutes. Dont forget the city was burning and people exiting. So there was zero lead time for us to get our act together and get this thing done.

The first time he did this was when another forest fire caused evacuation of Slave Lake, also in the province of Alberta, in 2011. The biggest contribution you can do as a corporate citizen is residential accommodation. When they come here, whats the first thing you need? Its accommodation. Thats the kind of work where we step up to the plate. It is something we can give and contribute to because its our business, Dhillon said.

Read | Out of control Canada fire doubles in size, getting unpredictable

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Irans defense minister issued a vague denial after a media outlet close to the elite Revolutionary Guard said Monday that it had test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) two weeks ago.

Gen. Hossein Dehghan told the official IRNA news agency that the military has not conducted a missile test with the range that was published in the media, without elaborating. He did not say whether the military had conducted a recent missile test.

The earlier report was carried by Irans semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard. The Guard is in charge of Irans ballistic missile program.

Tasnim quoted Gen. Ali Abdollahi as saying the latest missiles could strike within eight meters (yards) of their target. Eight meters means nothing, it means its without any error, he said, without elaborating.

Iran has long boasted of having missiles that can travel 2,000 kilometers, placing much of West Asia, including Israel, in range. Iran says its missiles, which could also strike US bases in the region, are key to deterring a US or Israeli attack.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles  one emblazoned with the phrase Israel must be wiped out in Hebrew  setting off an international outcry.

The nuclear deal reached with world powers last year does not include provisions against missile tests. When it came into effect in January, the Security Council lifted most UN sanctions against Tehran, including a 2010 ban on testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The council nevertheless adopted a resolution last July which calls on Iran not to carry out such tests.

The United States has maintained and expanded its own sanctions related to Irans missile program.
A US-led coalition air strike has killed a senior Islamic State leader in Iraqs Anbar province, along with three other IS jihadists, the Pentagon said Monday.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the May 6 strike near the town of Rutba -- deep in the Anbar desert -- targeted Abu Wahib, ISs military emir for the vast western province.

Wahib was a former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in ISIL execution videos, Cook said, using an acronym for the IS group.

We view him as a significant leader in ISIL leadership overall, not just in Anbar Province, he added. Removing him from the battlefield will be a significant step forward.

The men were traveling in a vehicle when they were hit. Cook provided no additional details and did not specify if a warplane or a drone had carried out the strike.

The killing of Wahib is the latest in a series of attacks on senior IS leaders in Iraq and Syria, where the jihadists still control huge tracts of land despite an intense US-led air campaign dating back to August 2014.

Some other recent targets include Suleiman Abd Shabib al-Jabouri, an ISIL war council member, Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli -- the IS groups second-in-command also known as Haji Imam -- and Omar al-Shishani, the man known as Omar the Chechen, who was effectively ISs defense minister.

In February, US special operations forces captured Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, who was described as a chemical weapons expert.

Since the start of 2015, weve targeted and killed more than 40 high-value ISIL and Al-Qaeda external attack plotters. We have removed cell leaders, facilitators, planners and recruiters, Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren wrote online last week.

Despite many significant coalition gains against the IS group, the jihadists still control the key cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, and assaults to recapture the towns are not expected for months.
A feminist author hit back at Pakistan on Monday for censoring her article on Muslim women and sex, saying the ban exposed the depth of gender discrimination in the deeply conservative Islamic country.

Egyptian-American Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning journalist who is a vocal public speaker on womens rights, penned a opinion column entitled Sex Talk for Muslim Women that ran in Fridays edition of the International New York Times.

The article was available online in Pakistan but the newspaper version, published by the local Express Tribune, featured a blank spot in the opinion pages where Eltahawys article had been.

Eltahawy told AFP that the decision to ban her article exposes that authorities think a woman who claims ownership over her body is dangerous... and must be silenced.

You cant afford to publish such controversial articles about Islam, a senior source at the Express Tribune told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked about Eltahawys article.

In the piece, Eltahawy discussed her decision to have sex before marriage in defiance of her own upbringing and faith, and detailed her many conversations with other women of Muslim and Arab descent suffering under the sexual straitjacket of virginity imposed on them by men.

Where are the stories on womens sexual frustrations and experiences? she wrote.

My revolution has been to develop from a 29-year-old virgin to the 49-year-old woman who now declares, on any platform I get: It is I who own my body. Not the state, the mosque, the street or my family. And it is my right to have sex whenever, and with whomever, I choose.

Taboo and shame

Women have fought for decades to establish rights for themselves in Pakistan, where so-called honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace.

Last week a teenage girl in the countrys northwest was strangled and her body set ablaze after a village council ruled that she must die for helping a friend elope. The killing sparked fresh anger from rights activists.

Eltahawy said the censorship showed a woman who disobeys and who openly claims sexual liberation and pleasure is dangerous and must be silenced.

She cited backlash in the country to Pakistani director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoys Oscar win in February for a documentary about honour killings.

So many Pakistanis attacked her for making Pakistan look bad and not enough attacked what is actually making Pakistan look bad -- men who are ready to kill women for daring to believe they have the right to consent and agency over their bodies.

Conversations about Muslim women and sex must be had, she said, adding she was unaware if the article had been censored in any other country.

That sex is happening but shrouded in taboo and shame... As women of colour and women of faith, we need to see women who look like us. Sex positivity isnt the domain just of white feminism.

But, she said a recent trip to Lahore for a literary festival introduced her to wonderful young feminists who keep my tenacious optimism intact.

The more feminists such as the ones I met push, the greater the space theyll create for everyone.
Bangladesh on Monday began countdown for the execution of fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami as he was shifted to Dhaka Central Jail from a suburban prison even as the Supreme Court released its full judgement reconfirming his death penalty for 1971 war crimes.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and the three-other judges of the bench have signed the judgment dismissing his (Nizamis) review plea... We have released the full text of the judgment required for its execution, a Supreme Court spokesman told reporters here.

He said the copies of the final judgment were being sent to Bangladeshs International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD), which originally handed down the death penalty. The trial court would send the documents to Dhakas district magistrate and the prison department for subsequent actions.

The full judgement was released hours after the 73-year- old convict was move to Central Jail from a suburban prison, signalling that his execution was imminent.

Meanwhile, elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces overnight joined the police in riot gears to enforce a tight vigil around the Central Jail, where the officials said the noose was ready for him to be hanged.

I cant tell you when his (Nizamis) death sentence will be executed but I want to say that the verdict will be carried out after exhausting all legal procedures, home minister Asaduzzaman Kamal told PTI.

Nizamis final appeal against his death sentence for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan was rejected by the Supreme Court on May 5.

He (Nizami) heard himself the news that the Supreme Court has rejected his final review petition (seeking reversal of its own previous judgment) as he has been provided with a one-band radio at his (prison) cell, a prison official said.

He said prison authorities were ready to execute the apex court verdict soon after the copy of the court judgment reached them but the procedure required them to ask the death row convict if he wanted to seek presidential clemency.

Jamaat on Saturday, however, said: question doesnt arise at all to seek mercy to anybody else except Allah.

Nizamis his eldest son and lawyer Najib Momen supplemented the party statement, saying he (Nizami) will not seek clemency to the President.

Momens comments came after Nizamis family members including his wife saw him in Kashimpur jail on May 6 when they were allowed to meet him for 40 minutes.

President Abdul Hamid has earlier rejected two such prayers by 1971 war crimes convicts, including Nizamis top aide then, who were subsequently executed late last year.

A former minister in ex-premier Khaleda Zias BNP-led four-party coalition government, Nizami has been in jail since 2010, when he was arrested to be tried 1971 war crimes.

He was given capital punishment in October 2014 by the tribunal after being convicted of superior responsibility as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr militia forces in 1971.

He was particularly found guilty of systematic killings of over 450 people alone in his own village. Four politicians have so far been hanged for war crimes since 2010.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has got a new companion at his Ecuadorian embassy refuge in London: a kitten.

The 44-year old received the 10-week old female kitten as a gift from his children, WikiLeaks said. A spokesperson added that the kittens name would be chosen by the public and announced next month.

The kitten, whose name would be chosen by the public, was given to the WikiLeaks founder by his children. (REUTERS)

Assange took refuge at the embassy building in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden. He is wanted there for questioning over allegations of a 2010 rape, which he denies.
Questions arose on both sides of the border about the decision to relocate convicted drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman to a region that is one of his cartels strongholds, and a Mexican security official acknowledged Sunday that the sudden transfer was to a less-secure prison.

The official said that in general the Cefereso No. 9 prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he had been held. The official wasnt authorized to discuss Guzmans case publicly and agreed to do so only if not quoted by name.

The official said, however, that Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

But Michael Vigil, the former head of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, wondered at the logic of sending Guzman to a lesser lockup in territory firmly controlled by his Sinaloa cartel underlings.

It just doesnt make any sense, Vigil said. He has that part of his empire, he has the infrastructure there and he has people who would assist him in terms of engineering him another escape.

Officials have not said why they chose Cefereso No. 9 over the 19 other options in the federal penitentiary system for Guzmans surprise, pre-dawn transfer in a high-security operation Saturday.

Some Mexican media have speculated it was a prelude to imminent extradition to the US, where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions. But authorities denied that.

The security official said Guzman is still in the middle of the extradition process. The Foreign Relations Department has the final say, and Guzmans lawyers still have opportunities to appeal.

A lawyer for Guzman confirmed Saturday that his defence continues to fight the drug lord being sent to the U.S., and officials have said it could take up to a year to reach a final ruling.

Multiple analysts told The Associated Press that there was no sign of a link between the prison switch and extradition.

In the past, when theyre going to extradite people, they just put them on a plane and they just fly them into the United States, Vigil said. They dont pre-position people. ... He was not pre-positioned in Juarez to get kicked across the border.

Altiplano is considered the countrys highest-security prison, and many had thought it to be unescapable. That belief was shattered in July 2015 when Guzman fled the facility through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that accomplices dug to the shower in his cell, complete with a motorcycle modified to run on rails laid down in the passage.

Cefereso No. 9 is just off the Pan-American highway about 14 miles (23 kilometers) south of downtown Juarez, in the middle of the barren, scorching Chihuahuan Desert. Other than a university campus about 2 miles (3 kilometers) to the east, there is hardly anything else for miles in any direction.

Governor Cesar Duarte of Chihuahua state, where Juarez is, bragged about the facilitys ability to hold Guzman, saying at a news conference that the transfer posed no risk for his state and was a sign of its improvements on security matters.

There will be no escape, Duarte told local media. If he was brought here from Altiplano its because the security conditions are way above those of Altiplano, thats what the federal government settled on.

Authorities said the move was due to security upgrades at Altiplano and also part of a routine policy to rotate inmates for security reasons. Analysts said officials may also have wanted to shake up his confinement to thwart any escape plans that could have been in the works.

Vigil said it would be a mistake to try to hold Guzman in the Juarez prison for long.

If they keep him there for a prolonged period of time, the Mexican government certainly is risking that he escapes, Vigil said. And if he escapes, it would just completely decimate the credibility of the Mexican government.

According to a 2015 report by the governmental National Human Rights Commission, Cefereso No. 9 got the lowest overall quality rating for any of Mexicos 21 federal prisons at 6.63 on a scale of 0 to 10. Altiplano was the 10th best, with a rating of 7.32.

Cefereso No. 9 got low marks for guaranteeing a dignified stay and for handling inmates with special requirements. It got middling scores for guaranteeing prisoners safety and well-being, and for rehabilitation.

It was also listed as somewhat overcrowded, with 1,012 inmates living in a facility designed to hold 848. Authorities acknowledge overcrowding is a widespread problem throughout Mexicos penitentiary system.

Overall, Cefereso No. 9 got a yellow evaluation for 2015 on the reports stoplight-style rating system. That was improved from red in 2014, even if its numerical score was still the countrys lowest.

Governability was the only area where the prison received a green, or good, rating. Altiplano also got a green rating for the category.

El Chapo first broke out of prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the worlds most-wanted fugitives. He was recaptured in 2014, only to escape the following year. Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January, after he fled a safe house through a storm drain.

Guzman was returned to Altiplano, where officials beefed up his security regimen. He was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 16-inch (40-centimeter) layer of concrete. Prison authorities also restricted his visits.
The son of al Qaedas late founder Osama bin Laden has urged jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight in the war-torn country paves the way to liberating Palestine.

The Islamic umma (nation) should focus on jihad in Al-Sham (Syria) ... and unite the ranks of mujahedeen there, said 23-year-old Hamza in an audio message posted online.

There is no longer an excuse for those who insist on division and disputes now that the whole world has mobilised against Muslims, he said.

His undated message comes after al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri also urged jihadists in Syria to unite, despite his continued rejection of the rival Islamic State (IS) group and its proclaimed caliphate.

The matter of unity today is one of life and death, Zawahiri said in an audio message posted online on Saturday.

Either you unite to live as Muslims with dignity, or you bicker and separate and so are eaten one by one, he added, according to SITE Intelligence monitoring group.

Read: Unite or die: Al Qaeda chiefs message for jihadist fighters in Syria

Al-Qaedas Syria affiliate Al-Nusra Front is a rival of IS, which is an Al-Qaeda offshoot whose leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014 declared an Islamic caliphate across territory seized in Iraq and Syria.

Bin Ladens son said Syria is the best battlefield leading to liberating Al-Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem.

The road to liberating Palestine is today much shorter compared to before the blessed Syrian revolution, he said.

US intelligence officials have said that Hamza was the favourite son of the 9/11 mastermind who had been grooming him to take over as al Qaedas leader.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on Monday published online detailed data from the Panama Papers trove on more than 200,000 secret offshore companies.

The searchable database built on just a portion of the documents leaked from the Panama law firm Mossack Fonseca reveals more than 360,000 names of individuals and companies behind the anonymous shell firms, the ICIJ said.

Reports already published in April based on the explosive dossier linked some of the worlds most powerful leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister David Cameron and others to unreported offshore companies.

The data forced the resignations of Icelands prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, and Spains industry minister Jose Manuel Soria.

Until now access to the total cache of 11.5 million documents, originally provided by a mysterious John Doe, was restricted to the ICIJ and a select group of international media.

In the public interest

ICIJ said on Monday it is publishing some of the information catalogued in a database in the public interest, as a global movement against tax evasion and the secrecy accorded the beneficial owners of anonymous shell companies gains force.

The database allows users to explore the networks of companies and people that used -- and sometimes abused -- the secrecy of offshore locales with the help of Mossack Fonseca and other intermediaries, the ICIJ said.

But it said it was not making available raw records online, nor was it putting all the information from the records out, in part to prevent access to bank account details and personal data of those mentioned.

The data came from nearly four decades of digital archives of Mossack Fonseca, one of the leading firms in the world for creating secret companies.

It is not known how the documents came to light; Mossack Fonseca says its computer records were hacked from abroad.

However they were obtained, John Doe first provided them to the German newspaper Sueddeustche Zeitung, which then approached ICIJ to organize a collective analysis of them.

Criminals, filmmakers, footballers

Reports thus far have focused on scores of high-profile individuals: political leaders, celebrities and a few criminals.

- Icelands Gunnlaugsson was forced to resign when his name was linked to an offshore company.

- Britains Cameron ended up admitting he profited from an offshore firm started by his father.

- Putins closest circle was named in the revelations, prompting the Russian leader to claim the Panama Papers was a US plot against him.

- Argentine President Mauricio Macri was also linked to offshore companies.

- China censored media and online social networks from mentioning links between the families of Chinese leaders with offshore entities.

- Other notable figures made uncomfortable by the documents include Argentine football star Lionel Messi, Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan and Spanish movie director Pedro Almodovar.

Mossack Fonseca on Thursday issued a cease and desist lawyer to the US-based ICIJ, saying that to put up the information publicly would violate attorney-client privilege.

But ICIJ says it is important the public be able to look at information on any offshore company in the Panama Papers.

We think that information about who owns the company should be public and transparent, Marina Walker Guevara, deputy director of the ICIJ, told CNN.

She stressed, however, that this is not disclosing private information en masse.

Since reporting on the Panama Papers started at the beginning of April, Panamas government has been struggling to persuade the world that it is not a haven for tax-dodgers and money launderers.

Read: Panama Papers report says New Zealand prime place for rich to hide money

The Panama Papers: All about the biggest leak, people and what they did
Wealthy Latin Americans are using secretive, tax-free New Zealand shelf companies and trusts to help channel funds around the world, according to a report on Monday based on leaks of the so-called Panama Papers.

Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister John Key to take action after local media analysed more than 61,000 documents relating to New Zealand that are part of the massive leak of data from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm.

The papers have shone spotlight on how the worlds rich take advantage of offshore tax regimes.

Mossack Fonseca actively promoted New Zealand as a good place to do business due to its tax-free status, high levels of confidentiality and legal security, according to a joint report by Radio New Zealand, TVNZ and investigative journalist Nicky Hager.

Opposition Labour Party leader Andrew Little said the government must act to preserve New Zealands reputation by shutting down the system that sees our country implicated in a massive global network of tax avoidance.

The New Zealand government said last month it would begin a review of its foreign trust laws after the Panama Papers highlighted vulnerabilities in its legal framework that made it a possible link in international tax avoidance structures because its foreign trusts are not subject to tax.

Green Party co-leader James Shaw said that review doesnt go far enough. He called on Key to stop defending the tax avoidance industry and demanded a full inquiry.

United Future leader Peter Dunne, who was the ministe for Revenue from 2005 to 2013, called on the government to take action by reviewing its current disclosure rules and broadening its network of tax information exchange agreements.

These revelations challenge the identity of New Zealand - we do not want to be seen as a country that enables tax evasion, he said.

Key dismissed concerns that international tax avoidance was rife in New Zealand.

New Zealand is barely ever mentioned, its a footnote, Key told TVNZ in reference to the Panama Papers.

The Panama Papers: key facts on the huge journalists' investigation into tax evasion. (AFP)

Widespread investigations

Governments across the world have begun investigating possible financial wrongdoing by the rich and powerful after the leak of more than 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca.

The papers have revealed financial arrangements of prominent figures, including friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin, relatives of the prime ministers of Britain and Pakistan and of Chinas President Xi Jinping, and the president of Ukraine.

According to the report, Mossack Fonsecas main contact in New Zealand was allegedly Robert Thompson, co-founder and director of accountant firm Bentleys New Zealand, the registered office of Mossack Fonseca New Zealand.

Thompson was listed in more than 4,500 Panama paper documents, the report said.

Thompson said in his experience, the use of trusts for tax evasion was not common and his firm did not assist people to illegally hide assets.

I think the assumption that all New Zealand foreign trusts are being used for illegitimate purposes is unfounded and based largely on ignorance, Thompson was quoted as saying by Radio New Zealand.

When contacted by Reuters, Bentleys New Zealand said Thompson was not in the office.

Graphic on the size and scope of the Panama papers leak. (AFP)
Donald Trump wants to make America great again but Sikh Captain America feels the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is making America hate again.

Donald Trump has certainly been a candidate whose words have been alarming for someone like me, who happens to be at the front lines of bigotry in post-9/11 America, said Vishavjit Singh, a Washington-born Sikh artist-activist in his mid-40s who occasionally transforms into Sikh Captain America.

Singh, who is a political cartoonist, on occasions transforms into Sikh Captain America, a costumed soldier with a turban who fights bigotry and champions cultural understanding through public appearances and talks.

As the film Captain America: Civil War plays at theatres, Singh drew a stark contrast between Trump and Captain Americas alter ego, Steve Rogers -- two iconic New York characters born in the 1940s.

Captain America as a character would stand in complete opposition to Donald Trump and his candidacy. Today, besides ISIS, the festering of extreme right-wing and supremacist forces at home will be targets for Captain Americas wrath, he was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

The artist also creates cartoon campaigns, such as the Send Sikh Note To Trump postcard campaign, in which he and some of his fans send Trump a postcard every day with a message focused on processing our anger inspired by his jingoistic madness into small kernels of humour and compassion.

He might be full of himself, overstuffed with his achievements with a towering skyscraper of an ego, but even deep inside him resides seeds of benevolence, Singh said. I wish him well; I wish him compassion; I wish him to realise the violence of his words; I wish him a landslide loss in the elections for his own good, he said.

Captain America was born in New York during World War II, from the minds of Jewish creators and future comic-book legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who introduced their super-soldier by having him deliver a haymaker to the jaw of a reeling Hitler.

Read: Capt Sikh America fights racial bais

Sikh Captain America was also born in the Big Apple for socio-political reasons, as Singh was planning to attend his first New York Comic-Con as an exhibitor in the fall of 2011.

Some of my art is informed by my own experience on the streets of America and being targeted as an outsider -- at times as a threat just based on my looks, Singh said. So I had this vision of an American superhero fighting hate and intolerance.

No other superhero seemed better placed for this task -- I dont think I would have selected Superman or Batman, Singh said.
With six months to go, the US election campaign has boiled down to an unprecedented contest that could transform Americas role in the world. Democrat Hillary Clinton, a fixture on the political stage for a quarter-century, is set to face Donald Trump, a brash billionaire real estate mogul who has never held elected office.

The story so far has been one few could have predicted, in which a TV reality star reviled by the Republican Party establishment now has a clear shot at the presidency against the Democratic heir apparent. It promises to be a bitter and unpredictable contest between candidates with starkly different visions for America and its international relations. The future of US immigration laws, military posture and trade policy are at stake.

Heres a look at key questions about the campaign and how the Nov 8 vote could affect the world:

How did Trump become presumptive Republican nominee?

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Lynden, Washington. (Reuters)

Few gave Trump a chance of success when he declared his candidacy last June. Rivals for the Republican nomination underestimated his appeal and spared him attacks. Yet as Trumps over-the-top persona and outrageous commentary attracted blanket media coverage, he quickly emerged as the front-runner. He was the most entertaining of the 17 candidates, and appealed to Republican voters disaffected by Washington politics. He tapped into popular anger, particularly among working-class white Americans roused by his blunt talk on stagnant wages, illegal immigration and terrorism. His appeal has not been dented by his disparaging remarks about women, or by international condemnation of his proposals for a wall along the Mexico border and a ban on foreign-born Muslims from entering the US

Is Clinton destined to win the presidency

Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrate at her New York primary campaign headquarters. (AP)

This is Clintons second presidential bid after losing the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama in 2008. If she secures the nomination, which seems near-certain, she would enjoy significant advantages over Trump. An Associated Press-GfK poll last month showed that while 55 percent of Americans said they had a negative opinion of Clinton, 69 percent said the same of Trump. The Republicans populist message may appeal to some blue-collar workers, including some Democrats, but he has offended many and polls badly among female voters and Hispanics.

Clinton has her own problems. The anti-establishment sentiment that has fueled Trumps rise goes beyond Republicans. Long seen as a shoo-in for the Democratic nomination, she has struggled to shake off a challenge from veteran lawmaker Bernie Sanders, who has had surprising success for a socialist candidate in the US He has attacked Clintons ties to Wall Street and previous support for free trade deals, winning a passionate following, especially among young voters. A controversy over Clintons use of a private email server when she ran the State Department has added to perceptions that she is untrustworthy.

The electoral math favors Clinton. US presidential elections are decided not by the popular vote, but by a state-by-state count of electoral votes. Most of the 50 states are predictably Democratic or Republican, so the race can turn on the results in a dozen or so swing states, that are less predictable. Democrats had the advantage in those states in the past two elections. Trump maintains his candidacy can shake up the political map, although he lacks solid backing of his own party for fundraising and getting out the vote. Still, few thought he could win the nomination, so it shouldnt be assumed he cant win the presidency.

How do Trump and Clinton differ on foreign policy?

A spectator's sailboat flies a United States flag near the Statue of Liberty during an America's Cup sailing event, Sunday, May 8, 2016, on the Hudson River in New York. (AP)

Clinton served as Obamas first secretary of state. She was an architect of administrations strategic push in Asia, and instrumental in bringing Iran to the negotiating table to rein in its nuclear program. The world powers that most challenge US global pre-eminence, China and Russia, have become more assertive during Obamas second term, and chaos in the Mideast has intensified. Clinton is seen as more hawkish than Obama, but is unlikely to deviate significantly from current US foreign policy. One area where she publicly differs with Obama is on trade . Candidate Clinton has opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact that she promoted when she was top diplomat.

As with domestic policy, Trump is a wild card. Presidential candidates routinely talk tougher on the campaign trail than in office - and Trump is notoriously flip in his remarks - but his proposals could cause ructions. He has threatened punitive taxes on Chinese imports which could set off a trade war between the worlds two biggest economies. He says TPP is a disaster. More controversially, he has questioned long-standing US alliances in Asia and Europe. He says Japan and South Korea dont pay enough for US military protection and has suggested they could get nuclear weapons so they rely less on America for defense. Hes also said that the NATO alliance is obsolete and hed have no problem if it broke up.

Will a Clinton-Trump contest be as angry and confrontational as the Republican primary campaign has been?

Hillary Clinton's supporter Shirley Boggs holds a sign during the Democratic Caucus for the US Democratic presidential candidate at the Emporia High School in Emporia, Kansas. (REUTERS)

Trumps rhetoric and tough positions on hot-button issues have had shock value, and fueled confrontation at his rallies. But the most indelible mark hes made on the campaign has been his put-downs of political rivals. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush, was tagged as low-energy. The arch-conservative Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was labeled as lyin. The trash-talk has often been outlandish. Last week, Trump floated an unsubstantiated claim that Cruzs father appeared in a 1963 photograph with John F. Kennedys assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald - citing a report first published by the freewheeling tabloid the National Enquirer.

Trump has already taken at aim Clinton. He branded her husband, former President Bill Clinton, as a sexual predator, and labeled Hillary Clinton disgusting for returning late from the restroom during a commercial break of a Democratic debate. Hes repeatedly charged that she lacks stamina - although she traveled nearly 1 million miles while secretary of state. Most provocatively, he contends that shes relying on the womans card for her presidential bid.

Theres little reason to expect that Trump will ease up on the insults. How the more cautious Clinton responds is unclear. Shes likely to drill down over Trumps suitability for office. She has called him a loose cannon and a blustering, bullying guy. She has also said his anti-Muslim statements make him the best recruiter for the Islamic State group.

What happens next in the election campaign?

Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump holds a plane-side rally in a hanger at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio. (AP)

Both parties formalize their presidential nominations at conventions in the second half of July. The last of Trumps rivals bowed out last week, leaving no contest, but the Republican convention will be closely watched to see whether party leaders will swallow their pride and rally behind him. Clinton has yet to see off the challenge from Sanders, but shes virtually assured of securing the majority of Democratic Party delegates who determine the nomination. Shell have to win over Sanders supporters but faces a far easier task than Trump in unifying her party. Each candidate must also choose a vice presidential running mate before the conventions.
Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump goes into the next set of nominating contests, starting West Virginia and Nebraska on Tuesday, as the only candidate still standing.

In the Democratic race, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton in polls in West Virginia (they wrapped up Nebraska in March), but the frontrunner is way ahead in the count of delegates.

Both races are trying to move, in a way, to the next stage, the general election, with the frontrunners, Trump and Clinton, focusing their attacks on each other increasingly.

Trump is also waging another war  against Republican leaders, who remain leery of his candidacy, and some of whom have said publicly they wont support him.

Some conservatives are even exploring a third-party candidacy against Trump, who, with 1,068 delegates, is just 169 short of the 1,237 required to win the Republican nomination.

With both Nebraska and West Virginia already in his bag by default, Trump will get there, preventing a messy contested convention, but can he get his party behind him?

Experts and analysts say the rift between Trump and his opponents is too deep to be repaired, and the presumptive nominee is not helping with his fiery rhetoric.

In fact, Trump doesnt seem too keen on party unity either.

Does it have to be unified? he said, when asked in an ABC interview Sunday. Im very different than everybody else, perhaps thats ever run for office. I actually dont think so.

He added: I think it would be better if it were unified. I think ... there would be something good about it. But I dont think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense.

Clinton is facing a somewhat similar situation on the Democratic side. With just 155 short of the 2,383 delegates needed, she has a lock on the nomination now.

With an eye on general election, she has been reaching out to Sanders supporters urging party unity arguing differences in the Democratic party are far less severe than those on the other side.

She is expected to lose West Virginia, a coal-rich state where 400 of the 500 mines shut down in the last eight years, because of her position on climate change, support for clean energy.

With a win in the state, Sanders might find one more reason to continue his race, but his path to the nomination is disappearing  with 1,454 delegates, he has way too much ground to cover
A California student was embarrassed and distressed after a picture of her wearing an Islamic head scarf, or hijab, appeared in her high school yearbook with the false name Isis Phillips, a Muslim advocacy group said on Sunday.

The senior at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga and her parents were embarrassed after seeing the picture in the yearbook and have suffered a great deal of emotional and psychological distress, according to an emailed statement by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.

The schools principal has apologised for what she described as a misprint, and CAIR said its legal team would meet on Monday with the family and school officials, and seek an investigation of the incident, a spokesperson told Reuters.

ISIS is one way to refer to Islamic State, the militant group that has seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria and claimed responsibility for bombings in Europe. The United Nations defines Islamic State as a terrorist group.

A student who worked on the yearbook said the printing of the wrong name was a mistake, and that a student named Isis Phillips had transferred from the school earlier in the year, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

The yearbook page has been posted and shared numerous times on social media, including by the student who was pictured, whose name is Bayan Zehlif, according to the New York Daily News.

I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this. Apparently I am Isis in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, lets be real, said the statement on what appears to be Zehlifs Facebook page.

Reuters was not able to independently verify that the page belongs to the Muslim student, or whether that is her real name.

CAIR declined to provide the name of the student. Officials at the high school could not be reached for comment.

Susan Petrocelli, the high schools principal, said officials were going to correct what she described as a misprint. At least 200 yearbooks have been distributed, CAIR said.

Los Osos High School is taking every step possible to correct and investigate a regrettable misprint discovered in the yearbook. We sincerely apologize, Petrocelli said in a statement on Twitter.
More than 250 passengers and crew members on board a British cruise ship which was en route to Canada were sickened by the gastrointestinal condition norovirus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The cruise ship, the Balmoral, was docked at the Portland Harbor in Portland, Maine, over the weekend and is the first of 76 cruise ships that are expected to visit the city within the year.

The Balmoral, operated by Fred Olsen Cruises, had 919 passengers on board, and according to the CDC, 252 - 27 percent - of them have gotten sick. In addition, the agency says eight of the 520 crew members on board have also been infected.

The cruise ship left Southampton, England on April 16 for a 34-day "Old England to New England" cruise, making stops in Portugal and Bermuda before making its first stop in the U.S. at Norfolk, Va., last month.

At the time, CDC officials reported that 153 passengers and six crew members had been sickened by the norovirus. Health officials and an epidemiologist boarded the ship when it arrived in Baltimore on April 30 to assess the outbreak and the response. Specimens collected by the CDC during that check confirmed the existence of norovirus.

Prior to the health check, the cruise line put out a press release on April 29 saying that "a gastro-enteritis type illness has affected a number of guests."

When the Balmoral docked at Portland this weekend, local media reported witnesses seeing surfaces constantly being wiped down, which is consistent with the new procedures that the CDC said the cruise line has in place.

In a statement, the said CDC said the cruise line has taken actions in response to the outbreak, including increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures, collecting stool specimens from passengers, daily reporting of illness and dispatching public health and sanitation managers from the cruise line's corporate office to oversee sanitation procedures.

The Balmoral's next stop is St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, and it is expected to reach port sometime on Monday. The cruise ship can hold up to 1,350 passengers and is the largest and newest ship in the cruise line's fleet.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Donughts and coffee go together like peanut butter and jelly, so it should come as little surprise that JAB Holding Company, the German firm that has been buying coffee companies left and right, has purchased Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in a move to expand its ever-growing coffee empire.

Though doughnuts and coffee may go hand-in-hand, JAB may very well be just as interested in Krispy Kreme's coffee as its doughnuts. At the very least, it may have taken notice of the doughnut brand's efforts to focus more on its coffee and coffee-based products as of late. Last year, CEO Tony Thompson stated that he wanted to increase coffee sales which only made up 5 percent of sales as of December.

JAB will purchase Krispy Kreme for $21 a share, or about $1.35 billion, representing a premium of more than 25 percent from Friday's closing price. As part of the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter, Krispy Kreme will remain independently operated from its headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C., and will no longer trade on the public markets.

"This transaction puts us in the best possible position to continue to spread that joy to a growing number of people around the world while delivering significant value to Krispy Kreme shareholders," Krispy Kreme Chairman Jim Morgan said in a statement.

With the deal, JAB Holding Company will add Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to its trove of coffee-oriented businesses, including Peet's Coffee & Tea, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Caribou Coffee and Keurig Green Mountain.

"We are thrilled to have such an iconic brand as Krispy Kreme joining the JAB portfolio," Peter Harf, senior partner at JAB, said in the statement. "This is yet another example of our commitment to investing in extraordinary brands with significant growth prospects."

JAB may be working on an expanding its coffee empire, but it has dabbled in may other markets outside of it as well. It owns a stake in the consumer products company Reckitt Benckiser and has purchased brands such as cosmetics maker Coty and women's shoemaker Jimmy Choo.

Wells Fargo provided financial advice to Krispy Kreme, while Barclays and BDT & Company advised JAB.

Click here to see the full press release.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
An international team of researchers has discovered the remains of dinosaur-era fossils in Antarctica that are between 67 million and 71 million years old. Twelve scientists that traveled to the James Ross Island area from February through March made the discovery.

"We found a lot of really great fossils," said Steve Salisbury of the University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences and a member of the research team. "The rocks the [sic] were focusing on come from the end of the Age of Dinosaurs."

Most of the fossils were discovered through the examination of shallow marine rocks, meaning they are likely ancient ocean-dwelling animals.

"We did find a lot of marine reptile remains, so things like plesiosaurs and mosasaurs - a type of marine lizard made famous by the recent film 'JurassicWorld,'" Salisbury said.

The team also stumbled upon a few dinosaur remains and hope to publish the findings on these fossils at a later date upon further examination. The remains will be shipped to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and results of the study will not likely be ready for another year or two.

It was no small feat to reach the research area, with Salisbury and his team first flying to South Africa and then making their way to the Antarctic peninsula by ship, using helicopters and inflatable boats to reach the shore.

"Crossing the Drake Passage can be kind of rough - some of the biggest seas in the world occur in that area - so most of us just bunkered down for the time we were crossing it," he said. "I've tried to get to Antarctica to do this research several times before, but sea ice has prevented us from making land."

In addition to the unearthing of dinosaur fossils, the new expedition also led to the discovery of new areas that will help lay the foundation for further research in the region.

"We found a lot of new ground to continue the search," Salisbury said. "So, we'd all really love to get back down there at some point soon."

"What we found or didn't find isn't as important as the fact that we were actually there, trying to do it," he added. "If that inspires other people to get into the hunt for fossils, then I'll be very excited."

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
S ince work began on the high-speed Crossrail line seven years ago this month, property prices along the east-west route have been steadily rising.

In the last year alone, average prices have soared by a third, with further rises predicted to exceed local house price growth by 3.3 per cent a year until the route, which was recently renamed the Elizabeth line, opens at the end of 2018.

However, there is still value to be found along the line because average house prices on a third of the line are still under 350,000  with average prices in the 10 cheapest areas below 285,000.

The 13 cheapest areas on the Lizzie Line 1 /17 The 13 cheapest areas on the Lizzie Line Chadwell Heath Av. house price: 246,000



Located in the London borough of Redbridge, commuters will be able to reach Paddington in 34 minutes - 16 minutes less than the current journey time of 50 minutes. City workers will be able to reach Canary Wharf in 23 minutes rather than the current time of 33 minutes. As a result, house prices rose by 19 per cent over the last year. Slough Av. house price: 253,000



London-bound commuters will be able to travel into Liverpool Street in 39 minutes, cutting 9 minutes off the current travelling time. From December 2019, four trains in each direction will serve Slough station. In 2016 house prices rose by 24 per cent. Rex Goodmayes Av. house price: 255,000



Once the Elizabeth Line is fully running, commuters will be able to cut their journey time into Paddington of 48 minutes down to 32 minutes. Trains will arrive into Canary Wharf in 21 minutes - down from the current 31 minutes. Thanks to improved transport links, house prices in the area have rose by 19 per cent in a year. Seven Kings Av. house price: 256,000



City commuters will be able to cut their journey time from 29 minutes to 19 minutes once the Elizabeth Line opens. Trains will arrive into Paddington in 30 minutes - cutting 16 minutes of the current journey time. s such, house prices in the area rose by 19 per cent in a year. Southall Av. house price: 262,000



Located in the London borough of Ealing, commuters from this suburb will be able to reach Liverpool Street in just 24 minutes - almost twice as fast as the current travelling time. The travel time to Canary Wharf will be cut down to 31 minutes from 50 minutes. As a result, house prices have risen by 11 per cent in a year. Alamy Romford Av. house price: 268,000



The journey into Paddington will be cut by 19 minutes, reducing the commuting time to 37 minutes. Plus, travelling to Canary Wharf will take 27 minutes instead of the current 37 minutes. Thanks to the Elizabeth Line, house prices have risen by 27 per cent in a year.



Read our full area guide on Romford Daniel Lynch Burnham Av. house price: 268,000



Commuters from this Kent village will be able to cut their train time by a third - with 21 minutes being shaved off their 64-minute journey to Liverpool Street. Those travelling into Canary Wharf will also reduce their journey time from 70 minutes to 49 minutes. As such. prices in the area rose by 21 per cent in the last year. Gidea Park Av. house price: 277,000



Commuters will be able to shave 10 minutes off their journey into Canary Wharf, taking it from 39 minutes to 29 minutes. A direct train to Paddington will take 40 minutes - down from the previous 58 minutes. House prices in the area have increased by 15 per cent over the last year. Harold Wood Av. house price: 278,000



City commuters will be able to cut their 43 minute journey into Canary Wharf down to 32 minutes when the Elizabeth line opens. There will be 12 trains running each hour at peak times. House prices in Harold Wood have risen a staggering 30 per cent in a year. Denis James Langley Av. house price: 282,000



Travelling into central London from this Berkshire town will take just 29 minutes to reach Bond Street station- shaving 19 minutes off the current journey time. Canary Wharf travel time will be cut down to 43 minutes from 68 minutes. From December 2019, up to four trains an hour will travel in each direction. House prices have risen a comparatively modest by 7 per cent in the past year. Alamy Reading Av. house price: 318,000



A fast and frequent train service already links Reading to Paddington in around half an hour, but when the Elizabeth line arrives, commuters will have direct links to Bond Street in 55 minutes, to Liverpool Street in 61 minutes, and Canary Wharf 67 minutes. Prices have risen by just over 23 per cent in the last year.



Read our full area guide on Reading Daniel Lynch Brentwood Av. house price: 332,000



Brentwood, which is best known as the setting of TV show The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) already has a train service to Liverpool Street, but the Elizabeth Line will link the town to Tottenham Court Road in 40 minutes. Buy-to-let landlords have made it a competitive market place for one- and two-bedroom flats and so over the last year prices have risen by 16 per cent.



Read our full area guide on Brentwood Daniel Lynch Forest Gate Av. house price: 347,000



This Zone 3 town on the edge of Epping Forest neighbours Stratford and Leytonstone. An existing overground train to the City takes 13 minutes. Once the Elizabeth line opens Tottenham Court Road will just be a 17-minute train ride away. Gentrification is in full force and prices have risen by 17 per cent over the last year.



Read our full area guide on Forest Gate Graham Hussey

Three hotspots to watch

1. Reading



House prices in Reading, the westernmost Crossrail station, average 318,000, but two-bedroom flats within a mile of the station start from 215,000.

"London's booming economy has benefited Reading, but it more than holds its own as a thriving town," says David Fell, research analyst at Countrywide. "With the price gap between Reading and London at an all-time high, last year more Londoners than ever before left the Capital for a life in the Berkshire town."

This commuter hotspot is undergoing significant regeneration, with new homes near the revamped station under construction in the town centre and overlooking the canal.

Three and a half acres of office space, shops, restaurants and 300 flats are also under construction. Once complete, Station Hill will be the largest mixed-use development in the Thames Valley.

A fast and frequent train service already links Reading to Paddington in about half an hour, but when the Elizabeth line arrives, commuters will have direct links to Bond Street in 55 minutes, to Liverpool Street in 61 minutes and Canary Wharf in 67 minutes.

> Read our full area guide on Reading

2. Brentwood

At the other end of the line, Brentwood, best known as the one of the settings of TV reality show The Only Way Is Essex, has average house prices of 332,000, with two-bedroom flats sitting at around the 275,000 mark.

There are very few new developments and the town has a boutique feel, with lots of popular independent shops, which is what attracts - and retains - residents.

Brentwood already has a train service to Liverpool Street, but the Elizabeth line will link the town to Tottenham Court Road in just over 40 minutes.

One- and two-bedroom flats have been flying off the shelves over the last six months, with buy-to-let landlords have been investing because of Crossrail," says Carl Gable from Beresfords. "The recent changes in stamp duty slowed this down  we expect this to be a temporary lull and we're already seeing interest come back.

> Read our full area guide on Brentwood

Forest Gate

Rapper Plan B and actors Idris Elba (Luther and The Wire) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave) spent their formative years in this east London town on the edge of Epping Forest.

This Zone 3 district has Stratford and Leytonstone as neighbours and has an overground train to the City that takes 13 minutes. However, once the Elizabeth line opens, Tottenham Court Road will be a mere 17 minutes away.

Its not only the Crossrail effect that has put a rocket under Forest Gate property, says estate agent Rash Cheema from Spencers. The area was first boosted by the Olympic Games in 2012, followed by the opening of the nearby Westfield shopping centre.

Gentrification is in full force, says Cheema. A trendy pizza restaurant has opened opposite the station and high-profile foodies are moving into the area. But the locals arent keen on sky-high new builds ruining the local vibe.

The area known as the village and the roads running up to Wanstead Flats have become particularly desirable, with prices on a par with Leyton and creeping up to Walthamstow levels. Average prices are still 347,000, with two-bedroom flats selling for around 275,000.

> Read our full area guide on Forest Gate
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The rate of decline in top line revenue performance at Doha hotels has accelerated in the first three months of 2016 as the city, and wider Qatar economy, continues to face challenges, according to the latest data from HotStats.

The rate of decline in top line revenue performance at Doha hotels has accelerated in the first three months of 2016 as the city, and wider Qatar economy, continues to face challenges, according to the latest data from HotStats.

Year-on-year, RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) decreased by 20.4% in Q1 2016, with declines in room occupancy (-7.5 percentage points) further exacerbated by falling average room rate (-12.3%). This is well ahead of the 4.6% year-on-year decline in RevPAR recorded in Q4 2015.

For the month of March, RevPAR dropped by 13.3% year-on-year, to $161.02 from $185.64. Whilst Doha hoteliers successfully reduced overhead costs by 2.8% for the month, payroll costs increased by 0.2% to $84.79 per available room, or 22.7% of total revenue.

As a result of the movement in revenue and costs, profit per room fell by 11.5% for the month, contributing to the 20.3% year-on-year decline in Q1 2016.

Whilst Doha hosted OPEC discussions which planned to freeze the production of oil in order to stabilise pricing, the collapse of the talks has coincided with the continued decline in oil prices, suggesting hotels in Qatars capital will face a challenging operating environment throughout 2016.

No Sign Of Recovery as Jeddah Hotel Profit Performance Continues to Slide

Profit per room at hotels in Jeddah declined by 22.3% year-on-year in March, which contributed to the 23.2% decline in GOPPAR in Q1 2016, as the economy of Saudi Arabia continues to face challenges due to the ongoing decline in oil prices.

The continued decline in revenue and increasing costs has meant profit per room on a rolling 12-month basis has now dropped below March 2014 levels and is 14.8% lower than the peak in October 2014, recorded at $178.62.

The 14.7% year-on-year decline in RevPAR for the month was as much a result of the 7.1 percentage point drop in occupancy and the 6.3% drop in achieved average room rate. Challenges in costs, including a 2.1% increase in payroll and a 1.3% increase in overheads, added to the woes of Jeddah hoteliers in March, with profit conversion for the month dropping by 6.4 percentage points, to 40.0% from 46.4% during the same period in 2015.

Manama Hotels Cut Costs But Cant Stop Profit Drop

Whilst astute Manama hoteliers successfully reduced cost levels in both payroll (-3.5%) and overheads (-5.3%) on a per available room basis in March, the savings were not sufficient to offset the 6.6% drop in TrevPAR.

As a result, profit per room at hotels in the Bahrain capital fell by 6.9% year-on-year in March, to $77.70 from $83.50 during the same period in 2015.

Hotels in Manama have managed to recover volume since Q4 2015, with occupancy increasing slightly (+1.2 percentage points) on a rolling 12-month basis, to 54.8%. However, this has been at the expense of achieved average room rate, which has plummeted in the last six months, with the greatest margin of year-on-year decline recorded in October (-14.6%), February (-13.5%) and March (-9.7%).

In line with the GDP of Bahrain slowing to an estimated 3.2% in 2015 from 4.5% in 2014, profit per room has been on a downward trajectory since mid-2015 and was recorded at $55.30 in the 12 months to M

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Last summer, Diddy and 50 Cent embarked on what became known as the Vodka War, as each rapper (especially 50) sent shots at one another in an effort to prove the superiority of his respective brand of vodka. French Montana proved that he was indeed worthy of his Ciroc Boy title when he entered the feud on behalf of Puffy by posting an Instagram video of himself dumping a box of EFFEN vodka, the brand that 50 endorses, into the trash. This is what I feel about your bullshit, said French while performing the reckless stunt.

A new video has surfaced of French clowning EFFEN, and once again, it ends with him throwing 50s drink of choice into the trash. This time, however, French was only able to get his hands on one bottle. Before he ended up settling for a less extreme course of action, he threatened to break the bottle against the wall and also suggested urinating in it. The hilarious scene went down at the Power 105.1 studio in New York, while French was extremely intoxicated, which is evidenced by his behavior as well as the Hennessy bottle he clutches with his non-EFFEN hand.

Who drinks this fucking Four Loko? asked French before finally saying goodbye to the fifth of Dutch liquor.

French Montana
The music industrys traditional model of revenue stream has collapsed in the past decade, which in turn has affected the way in which artists distribute their music. The Grammys have yet to adapt to these changes (read: include music that is released for free).

The Grammys outdated rules disproportionately affect hip hop, a genre in which many of the most popular artists  Chance the Rapper, Future, and Young Thug to name three  have released much of their most popular music for free. According to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences bylaws, a musical release can only qualify for the Grammys is if it is a commercially released in general distribution in the United States, i.e. sales by label to a branch or recognized independent distributor, via the Internet, or mail order/retail sales for a nationally marketed product. Recordings must be available for sale from any date within the eligibility period through at least the date of the current years voting deadline (final ballot).

A petition filed on Change.org is asking the Academy to update their rules to better suit the modern landscape of the music industry. Not all artists should be forced to release their music for free, writes Max Krasowitz, author of the petition. But the ones who do should not be punished for doing so.

Petition
The award winning English folk duet will be bringing their acoustic act to Dublin.

English folk stars Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker have announced a show for October 29 in Whelan's.

The duo will bring their mix of intricate guitar playing and haunting vocals to the upstairs stage of the Dublin venue.

Their most recent album, Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour was released in 2015 under their own label, Folk Room.

They met in London and began performing together there in 2009. Their influences include Sandy Denny, June Tabor and Nic Jones.

Tickets are priced at 15 and go one sale Thursday May 14th and 9am from Whelan's website and ticketmaster.ie.

Listen to the single 'Silverline' from Nothing Can Bring Back The Hour below.
He's won an record winning 17Brit Awards and on top of that Williams has sold 70 million albums worldwide. So it's unsurprising that Sony Music UK have jumped at the chance to sign Robbie Williams.

The best-selling British artist of all time, 11 UK No.1 albums and selling 1.6 millions tickets in one day are only a handful of the accolades Williams is the beholder of.

Today Williams announced the news that he has been signed to Sony Music UK and that an album will be on its way in the coming year.

Managed to keep this secret for a whole week: I'm working on my new album with @SonyMusicUK x https://t.co/PSJoSN92cE #excited #newalbum  Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) May 8, 2016

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This is a first in Williams career and will see him leaving his home of Universal Music. The lucrative deal with Sony will reunite Williams with Guy Chambers who collaborated on some of Williams biggest hits including 'Angels', 'Millennium' and 'Let Me Entertain You'.

Sony will oversee Williams eleventh studio recording which will be released through their subsidiary Columbia Records. Williams is thrilled with the new partnership; "The team at Sony are professional, incredibly hungry, and have a great energy. They're inspired, I'm inspired. I'm more ready than I ever have been and I'm totally convinced I'm in the right place. I look forward to working on this album, which is an album I'm immensely proud of, in this exciting new partnership with Sony Music."

No set date has been given to the album's release but it is expected to hit shelves in the forthcoming year. Watch this space.
The Texan rock quartet return to Ireland with their sights set on the Whelan's main stage.

Austin rock band White Denim are to play Whelan's on August 16 armed with their latest album Stiff.

The indie psych rockers will arrive with a new LP full of "adrenaline-fuelled sing-alongs" showing off their "staple technical abilities". Stiff is the group's sixth album and was released on March 25 on the Downtown Records label.

Tickets for the show are priced at 18.50 and are available from ticketmaster and Whelan's.
On Friday the stock of Preston Corp (OTCMKTS:PSNP, PSNP message board) dropped to a close at $0.565 for a loss of 6.6%. Despite logging three red sessions out of the last four the company is still trading at extremely unrealistic price levels. Just how unrealistic?

Well, let's just say that at the moment the market cap of the company stands at nearly $41 million while the latest quarterly report it filed showed that at the end of December 2015 PSNP had:

 $4233 cash and total current assets!!!

 $67 thousand total assets

 $139 thousand total current liabilities

 ZERO revenues

 $21 thousand net loss

Seeing such a dismal balance sheet should also explain why the latest PR published by the company failed to get investors even remotely excited.

On May 3 PSNP announced that they have executed a preliminary lease agreement on a gold mine in California. The project has permitted status to proceed with commercial production. Preston Corp will have to fund a minimum of $250 thousand this season while the capital costs for bringing this project into production are expected to reach $4-$5 million. Currently the company may struggle to find even the first $250 thousand let alone such massive amounts of funds.

The fact that back in March PSNP were touted by a paid pump should also be taken into consideration.

PSNP believe that the potential return on investment could reach 50% per annum. Is this enough to offset the numerous red flags surrounding the company? Ultimately, it is up to you to decide.
NEW YORK (AP) - Ah, the thrill of thumbing through the racks of designer bargains at T.J. Maxx, Nordstrom Rack and other discount stores.

At these so-called "off-price" chains, you can save, on average, 60 percent on name brands, much of it on goods that are in season.

During the Great Recession, shoppers flocked to these stores, and the trend isn't slowing down. Industry leader TJX Cos., which operates HomeGoods, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx, has added more than 1,000 stores since 2009 and now operates nearly 4,000 units. In clothing and footwear alone, these chains are ringing up sales of nearly $50 billion, or 15 percent of total sales for that category. That's a 40 percent increase since 2009, according to RBC Capital Markets.

Scott Tuhy, credit officer at Moody's Investor Service, expects market share in the off-price arena to increase to 9.8 percent in 2018, up from 6.6 percent in 2009. The growth has been partly at the expense of department stores.

These stores are offering more perks and sprucing up their environments. For example, Macy's new group of off-price stores called Macy's Backstage offers stations to charge your cell phone. But not everything is a big deal and so navigating the bins of discounts takes some skill.

"Know what you want, and what is a good price," said Benjamin K. Glaser, features editor at DealNews.com, a leading comparison shopping website.

Here are seven tips on how to save money and get the most out of shopping at T.J. Maxx and other stores.

1.DO RESEARCH AND SHOP FREQUENTLY: Look through the department store catalogs before venturing out.

"You'll have a strong idea of items you will be looking for and might find that particular item or a way to recreate the look," said Suruchi Bhatia, founder of BellaRuchi, a personal styling service in Boston. And shop at least once a week to see what's new. Saks Fifth Avenue's OFF Fifth stores receive new merchandise almost daily.

2.TIME YOUR BUYS: Get to know the sales clerk or store manager. Each store has a basic rhythm as to when certain types of merchandise arrives, and they can give you that information.

For example, one store could be getting shipments of towels every Tuesday. Also sign up with stores' Twitter and other social media accounts or emails to get alerts on arrivals of new items.

Shop a few weeks after traditional department stores host their big sales events, says Bhatia. New items begin trickling in after the sales, particularly post winter holiday sales, she says.

3.SIGN UP FOR LOYALTY PROGRAMS FOR EXTRA SAVINGS:

Many of these stores offer loyalty programs so shoppers can get extra savings. At Saks Fifth Avenue's Saks Off, customers can get updates and more savings by signing up for the More program on the website.

Members can get exclusive discounts and early access to private sales and also be alerted to new arrivals. TJX's loyalty program offers customers opportunities for free giveaways, as well as private parties, which means first dibs on designer finds. Members of TJX Rewards credit card will receive a $10 reward coupon to use in the stores for every $200 spent.

4.GET THE REAL THING: More than 50 percent of the merchandise at these chains is made specifically for them, says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at market researcher NPD Group.

Even major brands are designing goods specifically for these stores. The remainder is excess inventory from brands or full-price retailers. A big clue: if you see racks and racks of a specific brand that has depth in sizes, chances are these designs were created specifically for the chain.

If you're not sure, check the seams of the clothing, says Bhatia. Macy's new concept called Backstage doesn't currently buy any merchandise made specifically for the off-price sector. The goods for its first group of stores that debuted last fall are either designed for full-price department stores or are the best of the clearance merchandise from its Macy's stores, says Vanessa LeFebvre, senior vice president of Macy's Backstage.

5.DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON PRICES: To figure out what kind of deal you're getting, don't just look at the manufacturer's suggested price, says Cohen.

The so-called list price makes no pledge to represent the fair value, and often it's inflated to make the discount look better. So pull out your smart phone and compare prices of the skirt or other items and what they actually sold for on Amazon.com and other websites.

6.INSPECT FOR FLAWS: Off-price stores may have moved away from the image of stale and damaged goods. But shoppers still need to check for flaws. If it's clothing, check for holes and snags in the material. For food and beauty products, check expiration dates, says DealNews.com's Glaser. And haggle for an additional discount if you find an imperfection.

7.DON'T GET CARRIED AWAY: Sure, there are racks and racks of merchandise with slashed prices, but that doesn't mean you should go overboard. Stick to a budget and buy what you need, not what you think is just a good deal.

"No matter what a great deal it is, it is not a good deal if you're not going to use it or wear it," said Cohen.
Saudi King Salman overhauled his government over the weekend, taking the next logical step in consolidating his power and taking firmer control over the nation's struggling economy.

Some oil industry observers hope the government's new leaders will convince OPEC to cut production and drive up prices and boost government revenues, but that's highly unlikely since the deputy crown prince taking greater control is the same man who scuttled a deal to freeze oil production last month.

The most important change in the Saudi government for outsiders is the retirement of Petroleum Minister Ali Al-Naimi, who has been talking about stepping down for over a year. With the next OPEC meeting less than a month away, now was the time to appoint Naimi's successor.

The natural choice was the chairman of Saudi Aramco, the national oil company. Khaled Al-Falih, 55, is a close ally of the king's son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The surprise was the king's decision to expand the ministry's portfolio to include electric power and mineral resources, which will give Falih enormous authority over 73 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Falih's appointment, and a dozen other changes announced over the weekend, signals the further ascendancy of Mohammad bin Salman, whose only obstacle to more authority is that he's only 30-years old. Saudi succession has generally moved from brother to brother, with power only moving to the next generation once all the sons are dead.

King Salman, 80, is the last of the second generation of Saudi royalty, which means his presumed heir is his 56-year-old nephew, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef. Salman's decision to give his son so much power, however, throws into question who will take power when the king dies.

Mohammad bin Salman has proven unafraid to shake up the status quo. When Naimi called OPEC members together last month to freeze production, Salman stepped in to stop the deal. He's also cutting popular government subsidies for fuel and he claims he can eliminate the country's economic dependence on oil by 2020.

The deputy crown prince has also taken a hard line against Iran. He's responsible for sending Saudi troops to Yemen, supporting the execution of a Shiite cleric and demanding that Iran participate in any cuts to OPEC oil production.

In short, Mohammad bin Salman wants his country of 30 million people to become more independent and assertive, which is a change for a nation that has relied on foreigners for protection and income. The economic crisis in Saudi Arabia due to low oil prices works to the prince's advantage because it presents an opportunity to instill permanent changes in Saudi society.

On a larger scale, the Saudi royal family also understands that a rising oil price not only boosts their government's revenues, but it also generate income for their enemies in Iran, Russia and the Islamic State Group. That's why the evolving Saudi regime is unlikely to give oil prices an artificial boost.

Prices will rise as supply and demand balance, but the days of the Saudi king manipulating supply to live off the out-sized profits has ended thanks to deepwater drilling, hydraulic fracturing and oil sands mining. There are simply too many alternatives now to Saudi oil.

The new regime is focused on thriving in spite of low oil prices, understanding anything else is a fool's game. But with change comes instability, and an ambitious young prince could divide the royal family. That's the real danger to oil markets. not price manipulation.
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Lacey Huckaby was 18 when she met her mother for the first time. It was Mother's Day 2005.

Their meeting was more fate than coincidental.

Huckaby, who is black and was adopted as an infant by a white family, knew her biological mother's name, Bettie DeBruhl, when she was growing up. But she was told by her adopted family that her biological mother had died.

During Huckaby's freshman year in college, she went looking for a clue, some detail about the woman who gave her life.

So on Mother's Day a decade ago, Huckaby found a phone listing for a Bettie DeBruhl and called it from an H-E-B gas station in Huntsville, where she studied biology at Sam Houston State University.

DeBruhl, who was working as a vice president at a public relations firm and was living in Houston, answered the call. Their conversation was emotional and tearful. DeBruhl begged Huckaby to drive to Houston that day.

"We hugged for 15 minutes. It was the most emotional moment of my life," says Huckaby, now 29.

The mother and daughter spent the next nine years getting to know each other and becoming friends. They celebrated on Mother's Day but called it their "anniversary of friendship."

DeBruhl died in 2014.

At the time of Huckaby's birth, DeBruhl was living a fast life filled with partying and drinking. She already had one child, a son, and decided to give her daughter up for adoption to a friend, Ronnie Huckaby, a white, gay man who managed a Montrose bar.

He had already battled cancer and lost an arm. The cancer returned a year after the adoption, so he and his little girl moved to Vidor, a town known for its deep ties to the Ku Klux Klan, to raise her with his family. He died of brain cancer when Huckaby was 7, so she was raised by his parents and two sisters with their children.

Huckaby never knew she was black. She was told she had coily hair and tanned skin because her mother was Hawaiian.

Her grandmother, Lillian Huckaby, would drive her to Beaumont to a black hair salon so Huckaby could get her hair done. Each time, her grandmother would wait in the car. Huckaby recalls she looked more like the people in the salon than her own family. "I knew I was different. Everything about me was different, but it was all I knew," she says.

Huckaby also says she was raised in a loving family who provided the foundation she needed. "Everything I know has to do with how my grandparents raised me. They told me I was beautiful and smart."

Brandy Lopez, 34, a cousin who grew up with Huckaby and now lives in League City, said Huckaby was showered with affection. "Everyone really protected Lacey because we all knew she was different. She got even more love after her dad passed."

Huckaby attended school in nearby Orangefield, where she was a prom queen and was well liked. But she never had a black friend until college when her roommates, all of whom were black, introduced her to a "new world."

"They taught me everything about being black," she says. "They made me watch black films, listen to Luther Vandross and watch every episode of 'Martin.' "

After meeting her birth mother, it all came together. Huckaby felt as if a void had been filled. It also helped that she and DeBruhl looked so much alike.

Their relationship, however, wasn't always easy. DeBruhl continued to drink for some time, and Lacey struggled with feelings of abandonment.

"My mom had this wisdom, and she helped me to be diplomatic. She always knew she wanted to be better. She was smart and talented, but she was so aware of her flaws."

When DeBruhl became sick with lung cancer in 2014, she lost her hair from the treatment. In support, Huckaby shaved her head and found head wraps for them both to wear. "It was so hard to feel beautiful with a bald head at first. We found a web site, ProjectTribe.com, and loved the concept of wearing a "crown" and feeling like beautiful queens," she says.

That October, Debruhl died at age 53.

The same year, Huckaby's grandfather died, her childhood best friend was killed in car accident, and a cousin died in his sleep at age 30. The previous year, her aunt and the mother of her close friend also died.

Huckaby believed death was her burden and had six hearts tattooed on her right arm to represent the lives lost.

She was living in Doha, Qatar, designing a hospital training curriculum for Cerner Corp. and commuted to Houston during her mother's illness. After her death, she traveled as much as she could, logging six countries in her passport. She also wrote a book, "I Forgive Her," which will be published by Xlibris this fall.

Huckaby shared details of life in the Middle East, feelings about her mother and dealing with loss on her blog on lhuckaby.com and her Facebook and Instagram accounts. Her posts resonated with followers. She also conducts seminars to help mothers and daughters with bonding and forgiveness.

"With me being so transparent on social media, I've gotten so many people who have said they struggled in their relationship with their mom," she says. "I realize now we don't go through the storms for us, it's for other people. Everything I've experienced is to help other people."

Her life took another turn last April when an old friend, Darrance Tezino, 32, contacted her through Instagram. The two had worked together in high school at The Buckle store in Beaumont. Tezino flew to Doha a few weeks later. They fell in love, and Huckaby moved back to Houston in January.

The couple plan to marry on July 28, Huckaby's birthday.

Love, she says, has helped her to heal.

"I started being so open to love," she says. "Instead of crawling into a hole and being depressed, I just wanted to love. It was the only thing I could feel."

She also knows her mother would be happy for her.

Home: Upper Kirby area

Personal style: "I have a conservative style that has been influenced by living in the Middle East for three years," she says. "I love any accessories for the hair."

Style heroes: Vanessa Coore and Courtney Brand. "In another life, I hope to be as bold as Vanessa and as sleek as Courtney."

Number of shoes: 15 pairs. "I hate shoes."

Favorite accessory: Head scarves from Project Tribe

Item you should toss but can't: Flip-flops

Trend you'll never wear: Jumpsuits

Collectibles: Passport stamps

On bedside table: Flowers and jewelry

Recent purchase: Wrap dress for Easter

Most regrettable purchase: "Crazy-expensive dress that I wore one time."

Morning or night person: A creative night person

Favorite vacation destination: Cape Town, South Africa

Favorite sound: Beach waves

Must follow on Instagram: @Brandichantalle

Favorite word: Magical

Favorite cocktail: Margaritas

Favorite hobby: Reading blogs and travel articles

Favorite movie: "John Q"

Best advice ever received: "Be unapologetically yourself, always!"

Surprising thing about you: "My favorite music is '90s country."

Guilty pleasure: Crunching Cheetos as loudly as possible
As winter gave way to spring and the 2016 presidential primaries steadily ticked off, America's tea party movement had every reason to believe fortune was in its corner. The once-unimaginable dream of getting its anointed champion into the White House just might - with a little last-minute luck - come true.

All Ted Cruz had to do was win in Indiana, friendly territory. His supporters back home in Texas, ever enthusiastic, already were making plans for a convention fight that could change the course of history.

Less than a week later, Cruz is off the stage, his campaign suspended. His tea party faithful across the state are stunned and uncertain of the next step. Donald Trump's blowout win in the Hoosier State spurred talk of third-party runs and internal revolt, though in truth the shock has not worn off enough for them to think clearly.

"I don't know what the answer is right now - it's too soon," said Maggie Wright, a tea party leader from North Texas who became a Cruz backer when he was a little-known candidate in the 2012 U.S. Senate race. "We're kind of in limbo."

Cruz's unlikely Indiana denouement gave front-runner Trump a clear path to the GOP nomination, suggesting there is no way to stop him from amassing the 1,237 delegates needed for a first-ballot nomination. But supporters like Wright have said they will try to be elected as delegates to the national convention in Cleveland in hopes of continuing the battle in an intramural arena.

"We are not giving up," said Wright, who spent 51 days in Iowa in the run-up to that state's caucus gathering, where Cruz prevailed. "We don't know what is going to happen in Cleveland. I am praying there is still a way."

Not on the Trump train

If nothing else, the tea party faithful are that - filled with faith. Not just in Cruz, but in the holiness of a cause based on constitutionally limited government and lower taxation. What started in anger and frustration about seven years ago already has changed the face of politics. But its adherents say they are "sick" that Cruz likely won't get the chance to pit his true conservative values against Hillary Clinton in November - a contest they are convinced he would have won.

Early media reports that the tea party movement might support an independent bid for the White House was just talk, movement leaders say, but they agree there is no enthusiasm for Trump among those who paved the way for the raft of "outsiders" who have ousted longtime establishment Republicans around the country.

"I don't think they will work for (Trump)," said Ray Myers, head of the Kaufman County tea party. "We're going to support the nominee, but we are going to go to the convention and have a heck of a floor fight for Ted."

Should they fail, Myers said, they will come home and concentrate on down-ballot races, urging people to ignore the name at the top and just vote straight-ticket. Despite their dismay that Cruz was unable to stem Trump's rise, they would not support any sort of "parachute candidate" offered by Republican leaders as a last-ditch alternative at the national convention, Myers said.

"Ted was more presidential from the get-go and he still is," he said. "Trump is an anomaly. He just showed up and said, 'I'm the guy.' And as it turned out, he was. His message resonated."

Cruz's strategy was following the plan: using tea party support to stay in the race as other candidates fell, gaining victories where he could, especially in states that awarded more delegates through caucuses and grass-roots selection processes. What neither he nor anyone else counted on was Trump's continuing popular surge.

A gut decision

The Cruz camp had figured that once the field was down to two or three, he would prevail on the strength of his intellect and his unique blend of constitutional expertise and Christian rectitude. That so many fellow Senators and party stalwarts in Washington dislike him, supporters saw as a badge of honor that would help, not hurt, in a contested convention.

But the expected cap on Trump's potential with voters proved illusory. Cruz's tea party backers, especially in Texas, say Trump succeeded by simply stealing part of Cruz's message, albeit in a shallow and sometimes crude way. They don't believe people involved with the movement found Trump appealing, but they concede that some sympathizers felt otherwise.

Some expert political observers agree.

"He channels one of the motivational tools of the tea party-type candidate - displeasure, if not disgust, with the establishment candidate, their rage against the machine or anger with the system, " said Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University. "Trump was able to capture that share of the voting public that was voting for a person or for 'anti' rhetoric, rather than for policy and principles."

While Cruz unquestionably was the tea party favorite among the 17 GOP candidates, opinion polls showed that for voters self-identifying as tea partiers, the preference was not so clear. A March 9 poll from Florida, for example, gave Trump a 48-40 edge over Cruz among tea party voters. In Ohio, Cruz maintained an edge in one poll, but only 38-33.

Trump actively courted well-known tea party activists, a dalliance that started when he was considering a run for the presidency in 2012. He attended the South Carolina tea party convention in January 2015 and spent time with key activists, two of whom were involved in his campaign. He pursued tea party support in New Hampshire, Michigan, Nevada and elsewhere, picking up converts here and there. He even managed to get the endorsement of Sarah Palin.

Cruz's beliefs may mirror those of the tea party perfectly on an ideological basis, but Trump succeeded in tapping into frustration and disappointment at a gut level. That emotional attraction may have overshadowed Trump's deviation from tea party orthodoxy, including past support for government bailouts.

What galls those in the Texas movement, whose recent successes include Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton, is what they see as Trump's conservative facade. Many think he's a wolf in sheep's clothing, not a Republican at all - a conservative of convenience.

There's always next time

Beyond that, they mourn what they see as a lost opportunity. Cruz was poised to take advantage of a field with no clear favorite and a likely Democratic opponent with high "negatives." But it didn't happen.

"There is real disappointment on the part of the tea party that is committed to deep principles," said Jim Lennon, one of the founders of the Kingwood Tea Party. "The emotional ties and philosophical ties to Cruz and his vision for America, his belief that principles are laid down in the Constitution for running a fair America - that won't stop."

Lennon, like many tea partiers, considers Trump "a con man" who stepped in at an "opportunistic" moment and took advantage of all the work done by the movement to till the earth and sow the seed.

Now what?

Cruz is still young. So is the movement that brought him to the public eye. The revolution they are fighting is still in its early days. Back to work.

"Tea parties in the state ... have been successful in getting people elected," Lennon said. "They are part of the political process. That won't change."

Meanwhile, until the GOP nominating process is completed, they will pray for a miracle.
The attorney for the man charged with killing Harris County Deputy Darren Goforth last August filed a motion Friday to stop his client's transfer to a state mental health facility.

Shannon Miles was declared incompetent to stand trial and put on a fast track for a transfer out of the Harris County Jail after a Texas senator intervened. Miles' attorney called the intervention a "knee-jerk reaction."

At the Feb. 9 hearing at which Miles was declared incompetent, attorney Anthony Osso said the judge gave his team at least 10 days to gather medical records and complete additional testing in hopes of identifying the exact cause of his mental illness before his transfer. This could lead to better treatment at the mental health facility.

Osso said he wants to explore the causes of Miles' schizophrenia and psychotic episodes. An expedited transfer would be in violation of Miles' rights to due process and equal protection under the law, the motion stated.

John Whitmire, D-Houston, said it was a "no-brainer" for him.

"Miles is charged with a very serious crime against a coworker of the people charged with providing safety and welfare," Whitmire said. "It's in everyone's interest to have him removed, to begin being treated at Vernon state hospital. On any given day, Harris County Jail is not safe for anyone."

Miles is charged in the fatal Aug. 28 shooting of Goforth, who was filling up his patrol car at a gas station.

Later, it became known that Goforth was with a woman with whom he'd been having an affair when he was killed.

A homicide detective and another deputy have been fired from the sheriff's office for having a relationship with the witness. A third deputy was fired Friday for engaging in inappropriate communications with the witness in the case, the sheriff's office announced Friday.

Osso said he spoke Friday with Whitmire, who expressed concerns about Miles' safety. Miles has been kept at the Harris County Jail since August, and Osso said this is the first time he'd heard these concerns.

Prior to the incompetence ruling, Whitmire said there was no other way to get him out of the jail and into a mental health facility.

If other inmates learned a senator stepped in to expedite Miles' transfer, he could be in danger if he were to return to the county jail, Osso said.

"It's an 'each man for himself' environment," he said.

Osso agrees his client isn't getting the restorative, therapeutic care he would get at a mental health facility, but said he gets capable care at the Harris County Jail.

He doesn't want the bumped-up stay to lead to any premature decisions. "I don't want the state to rush to trial to seek the death penalty," Osso said.

Due to a backlog, under normal circumstances Miles' transfer could take more than three months. Once there, he would have a 120-day stay at the state hospital in Vernon. The hearing to halt Miles' expedited transfer is set for Monday at noon.
Convicted rapist and kidnapper William Reece led police to the remains of Jessica Cain and Kelli Cox, who vanished in Texas nearly 20 years ago. His attorney says he has admitted responsibility for their deaths and for the slaying of Laura Smither, a 12-year-old Friendswood girl who disappeared while jogging. He also has been charged with strangling Oklahoma newlywed Tiffany Johnston.

Yet, several weeks since the remains of Cain and Cox were discovered in remote Houston-area fields, three weeks after they were identified through dental records, and eight months since Oklahoma authorities charged Reece in Johnston's murder, the victims' families are still waiting for some kind of resolution.

No charges have been filed in the Cain, Cox or Smither cases, and Reece has not returned to Oklahoma to face prosecution.

That may soon change, according to Reece's Houston attorney, Anthony Osso, who said he has been talking to law enforcement authorities in Texas and Oklahoma about when and how to charge Reece. He expects a decision about charges to be made within the next week.

The process has been complicated because the locations where the victims disappeared and where their bodies were found cross jurisdictional lines.

Smither's body was found in Pasadena on April 20, 1997, two weeks after she was last seen in her Friendswood neighborhood. Cox, a 20-year-old University of North Texas student and young mother, went missing down the street from the Denton Police Department on July 15, 1997. Johnston was abducted from the Sunshine Car Wash in Bethany, Okla., on July 26, 1997, and her body was found the next day. Cain, a Galveston teenager, disappeared on Aug. 17, 1997 in Clear Lake after attending a cast party for a high school musical.

Osso is hoping to negotiate plea agreements to avoid trials in the Texas cases before Reece faces the charges in Oklahoma, which were the catalyst for his cooperation with authorities.

After advances in DNA testing linked Reece to semen found on Johnston's body, Oklahoma authorities charged him last September with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Reece hopes his cooperation with investigators will help him avoid the death penalty in that case, said Osso.

"Taking the death penalty off the table is a requirement for any plea agreement," his attorney said.

Kathy Dobry, Johnston's mother, wants Reece returned to Oklahoma as soon as possible.

"It's been a long road," she said, "and I want justice served for Tiffany and for the other girls."

Law enforcement agencies have reviewed other cold cases with Reece, but Osso said his client is not responsible for those crimes. He doesn't anticipate charges in other cases.

Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady, whose office will be handling the Cain and Smither prosecutions, said he has been talking to Osso but no agreement has been reached. Jamie Beck, with the Denton County District Attorney's office, said her office had not talked to Osso about the Cox case.

Denton County police investigators would like to interview Reece to get more details about Cox's slaying, cementing the case against him and getting answers for her family, "who have been on edge for 19 years," said spokesman Shane Kizer.

Jan Bynum, Cox's mother, says the questions that haunted her for nearly two decades - Where is Kelli? Is my daughter alive? - have been replaced by a new set - How did Reece get Kelli in his car? Why was he in the Denton area?

While she desperately wants those answers, she can wait for investigators to nail down the case before charging Reece. She does not want anything to go wrong and risk jeopardizing the prosecution on a technicality.

After all, that is why Reece was out on the streets in 1997.

Reece spent almost 10 years in prison for two rapes in Oklahoma before being released in October 1996, after an appeals court cut his sentence because of a prosecutor's improper comments.

He returned to prison in 1998 to serve a 60-year sentence for kidnapping Sandra Sapaugh. Sapaugh, then 19, had stopped to fix a flat tire in Webster when Reece forced her into his truck, she testified. She escaped by leaping from the vehicle as they were driving on Interstate 45.

"I sure don't want a technicality messing anything up for Kelli's case, for the Jessica Cain case, for Laura Smither, for that young lady up in Oklahoma," said Bynum, who has raised Cox's daughter, Alexis, now 20. "I'm willing to be patient."
Carl Whitmarsh used to joke that when he died, there would be as many people ready to dance on his grave as to cry over his death. A towering figure in Harris County Democratic politics, Whitmarsh rarely held his punches against those he disagreed with, but was a loyal friend and supporter of those on his side.

Whitmarsh died over the weekend at 64. The cause was not immediately clear, but he had been in ill health for years. The Harris County Democratic Party announced Whitmarsh's death in an email to members Sunday evening.

"He was a somewhat cantankerous and often polarizing figure, but his primary role was in keeping everybody honest," said Lane Lewis, a close friend of Whitmarsh's and chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party. "I suspect there are people sharpening their knives as we speak without him keeping them in check."

Whitmarsh served as executive director of the county Democratic party; as an aide to Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, the vice presidential pick on Michael Dukakis' 1988 ticket; and most recently, as president of the Oak Forest Area Democrats, a group active in northwest Houston. Throughout his decades behind the scenes in politics, he helped hundreds of candidates get elected, said State Sen. John Whitmire, a close friend.

Whitmarsh grew up in Brenham and studied political science at Texas Tech University, according to his Facebook page. On his profile, he called himself a "Texas Democrat without prefix, suffix or apology who got to Houston as fast as he could."

"His legacy would be one that elections matter," Whitmire said. "You've got to be involved. You have a responsibility to be involved."

Whitmarsh had one of the deepest Rolodexes in Houston, able to get anyone's "number, email, birthday, dog's name, child's name or address," Lewis said. His institutional knowledge, and his roots in the state's Democratic politics, were unparalleled.

Last year, when Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee tried to entice Whitmarsh to attend an event by offering to introduce him personally to Hillary Clinton, Whitmarsh agreed to show up without telling anyone he had driven Clinton and her husband around the city decades earlier when they campaigned here. Clinton, to Jackson Lee's surprise, greeted Whitmarsh like an old friend.

"Carl Whitmarsh was a dear friend," Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement. "There was no greater supporter than Carl. And no greater defender of the little person, those who were discriminated against and those who had nothing but their dignity. Carl was a mighty force of nature when he went after those he believed were hurting others or just plain wrong-headed about issues. But when he was your friend, Carl would go to the ends of the earth to help you."

Besides politics, Whitmarsh loved reading - mainly history and biographies - and the "Real Housewives" franchise, which he called his guilty pleasure. Really, he liked it because it was the only show on TV more hot-headed than him, Lewis said.

At the news of Whitmarsh's death, an outpouring of remembrances flooded his Facebook page. Friends honored his "unwavering party loyalty" and called him a "true warrior."

Whitmarsh backed candidates in local races as recently as last week, when he used his wide network to support Jarvis Johnson in his successful bid for the state representative slot Turner vacated when he took office as mayor.

"It won't be the same without him," Whitmire said, "but he would have us all stay committed to Democratic principles and go forward."
Thousands of Houston-area peace officers report to work each day without proper certification that they are mentally fit for duty.

Nearly a year after Houston psychologist Carole Busick and her husband were indicted for allegedly not providing proper psychological evaluations to law enforcement applicants, only a fraction of the local officers certified with the substandard exams have been retested, a Houston Chronicle investigation has found.

The scandal revealed widespread problems with mental health screenings and left more than a dozen local law enforcement agencies scrambling to balance hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential retesting costs against the liability of keeping an unfit officer on the streets.

"If you threw a dart at a map of Harris County, you'd hit an agency Busick had performed evaluations for," said Gretchen Grigsby, a spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, which investigated the psychologist's practices. "It was jaw-dropping,"

The Harris County Sheriff's Office - by far the largest agency affected by the screening snafu - has retested only 82 of the 1,860 current employees evaluated by the Busicks, giving top priority to civilian jailers who have applied to become sworn peace officers.

Many agencies have decided not to rescreen employees at all unless behavioral or job-related problems surface, despite recommendations from the state that all officers should be retested. And at least one peace officer screened by the Busicks already faces criminal charges and a civil lawsuit in an off-duty road-rage shooting.

The Busicks, both 67, deny wrongdoing and believe they have been treated poorly by state officials.

"They have not been dealt a fair hand by TCOLE," said Michael Hinton, their attorney.

Real 'evaluation'?

State investigative reports obtained by the Chronicle reveal that questions were raised several times over the years about the quality of the Busicks' work.

At least four similar complaints had been registered with TCOLE since about 2007, but investigators had gotten "limited response" from the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, according to the reports.

The latest investigation began with an anonymous tip from a would-be peace officer.

The job applicant said he went to the Busicks to gain the needed "L3" certificate saying he was fit for the job. He took the required psychological test, paid the $100 cash fee and walked out with a clean bill of mental health.

But the certification process seemed hurried and haphazard, without even a face-to-face interview with the psychologist who signed the paperwork. So the worried job applicant wrote a letter to the state agency.

"I'm not sure this was a real 'evaluation,' " the applicant said in a written complaint obtained by the Chronicle. "I wondered if my experience means there are some  deputies out there carrying weapons who had similar 'evaluations' as mine? If so, could there be some crazy deputies in Houston carrying weapons?"

Carole Busick had a long history of performing evaluations for law enforcement. She has been a licensed psychologist in Texas since 1984 and has no record of disciplinary actions or complaints in her file at the licensing board, investigators noted. Her husband, Don, is a licensed professional counselor and served as office manager.

Applicants were asked to fill out a standard personality test, known as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, along with written questionnaires and other tests.

Potential candidates are screened to weed out those who would not make good law enforcement officers.

"It's not a fine-grained psychoanalytic exploration of the officer's psyche; it's really just there to screen out gross psychopathology," said Dr. Laurence Miller, a Boca Raton, Fla.-based forensic and police psychologist. "It's to make sure you don't have officers who have severe mood disorders, who are psychotic, who might be cold-blooded psychopaths."

It appears to have been a lucrative business. The Busicks had exclusive contracts with some agencies, charging $100 to $125 for the screenings and up to $800 for more complicated evaluations. Records show the couple had collected nearly $190,000 since 2010 just from the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

But in 2014, after receiving the anonymous tip, TCOLE began investigating allegations that Busick performed evaluations without the face-to-face meetings that have been required by the state since at least 2012.

In August, a Harris County grand jury indicted Busick and her husband on charges of tampering with a governmental record. If convicted, the felony carries a penalty of up to 10 years in jail and $10,000 in fines.

Hinton, the couple's attorney, decried the charges as the "harsh" product of a grand jury that "had already made up its mind."

Busick would do face-to-face interviews immediately when asked by certain departments, he said. The first time she ever received a written notice that face-to-face screenings were required was when investigators arrived at her office with search warrant in hand.

"If they had received the guidelines, they would have started complying with them immediately," he said. "I think they felt they were adequately doing their job  and conducting adequate testing."

The couple frequently called TCOLE for guidance, Hinton said.

"They were always told, 'Use your best judgment,' " he said.

After TCOLE raided the office, Carole Busick immediately agreed to stop performing the police evaluations. The couple has now reached an agreement with prosecutors and is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, Hinton said.

They have agreed to surrender their licenses and retire from practice.

"Dr. Busick wants to put this behind her," he said. "If that's her wish, as her lawyer, I'm going to abide by it."

Rescreening urged

State officials are now reviewing agency rules regarding psychological screenings and have urged law enforcement departments to rescreen all those evaluated by Busick.

A special panel is studying the process.

"At this point in time, we can't tell them 'you must do this,' and obviously there are some financial implications there," said Grigsby. "We have worked with them to the best we can. (But) there are some liability concerns down the line if (they) don't."

Some law enforcement experts said screenings of officers should not be shipped out to private contractors. Most large departments - including the Houston Police Department - handle psychological screenings in-house.

"Privatization always comes with risk. And that's just what this is an example of," said Charley Wilkison, executive director of Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, a statewide organization. "So (if) there's a public servant that's been duly tasked with this kind of really important work  their interest would be in the truth and serving the public and department that they're part of."

After being contacted by the Chronicle, the Harris County Attorney's Office said it is working with county law enforcement agencies to make sure all peace officers are rescreened.

"The general intention is to rescreen everyone - it's just going to take some time," said First Assistant County Attorney Robert Soard.

At the Harris County Sheriff's Office, about 300 of the 2,148 employees Busick evaluated no longer work there, but it is not known whether they moved on to other agencies.

"We're taking the situation seriously; it's not a passive thing whatsoever," sheriff's spokesman Ryan Sullivan said. "TCOLE's recommendation to rescreen and recertify every employee is a great recommendation. It's a hell of a lot more feasible for a small agency that might have been impacted. But we're an extremely large agency."

The financial burdens could be daunting for some cash-strapped agencies.

"The sheriff's office and taxpayer ends up - because of the failure of this private contractor - between a rock and a hard place," said Larry Karson, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Houston-Downtown.

Liability is also an over-arching concern. A Precinct 6 reserve deputy constable screened by Busick was charged in the 2014 shooting of a 20-year-old woman during what investigators said was an off-duty road-rage incident. Kenneth Caplan, who is no longer employed at the constable's office, is set to stand trial May 16.

A civil lawsuit against Caplan and Busick stemming from the shooting says a proper evaluation would have uncovered a questionable work history. Caplan held 21 jobs over five years and had been fired from 12 before going to work for Precinct 6, according to the suit.

"If Defendant Busick had conducted anything remotely resembling the required face-to-face interview and/or had performed anything remotely resembling an appropriate background interview, then  defendant Busick would have known that defendant Caplan likely failed to have the requisite psychological and emotional fitness/health to be a peace officer," the suit says.

Widespread problem

The dilemma facing local law enforcement is not unique to Harris County or Texas.

In August, officials in Maryland suspended its contract with a psychological testing company accused of cutting corners when evaluating future police officers.

The company was sued by relatives of an officer who killed herself, saying she had been cleared for duty before she was ready.

Karson, the UHD professor, cited a case in which a fire marshal who had been rejected by the Los Angeles Police Department went on to become one of the most high-profile arsonists in U.S. history.

In Texas, some law enforcement leaders believe the problem has been overblown.

"If the state is not making it mandatory that everyone should be rescreened  and people are adequately doing their job, then it's not an issue," said David Cuevas, president of the Harris County Deputies' Organization.

Other law enforcement leaders and experts, however, remain concerned about the impact on local communities. Even a small percentage of unfit officers pose a danger, they said.

"The problem is that with even 1 percent of those individuals who somehow were not identified and have some real problems," said psychologist Miller, " that's still lot of officers out there that can cause some trouble."
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AUSTIN - The Texas Legislature will consider establishing statewide regulations for rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft, a powerful lawmaker said Sunday, a day after Austin voters dealt the industry a setback by upholding rules imposed by the Austin City Council.

The regulations, which will be considered in next year's legislative session, will aim to be "consistent and predictable" for the companies, said Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, a rideshare supporter.

"It has become increasingly clear that Texas' ridesharing companies can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anti-competitive regulations," Schwertner said. "As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition."

Uber and Lyft have reduced drunk driving and provided jobs, Schwertner's said.

Schwertner was among several state lawmakers to decry Saturday's vote in Austin, which upheld regulations requiring that rideshare drivers undergo fingerprint background checks and that companies report data about operations, among other rules.

Uber and Lyft spent more than $8 million to defeat the regulations through a proposition campaign, but 56 percent of voters rejected it.

The companies responded by saying they would no longer operate in Austin, starting Monday.

"Local control turns to local tyranny again in Austin," tweeted state Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving. "#txlege needs to intervene."

Another lawmaker, Republican state Rep. Tony Dale of Cedar Park, tweeted a photo of a request for an Uber car to come to the Texas Capitol and a simple message: "See you in 2017."

The drama appears to mirror a situation that played out last year, after Denton banned fracking. In response, lawmakers approved a bill that essentially banned fracking bans, and Denton was forced to repeal its law.

Threats to leave city

Statewide regulations would affect Houston, where a battle over the rideshare application companies also is playing out. The state's largest city imposed its own rules requiring fingerprint background checks 18 months ago, prompting Lyft to leave the city.

Uber stayed, but its general manager recently wrote a letter to the Houston City Council saying that it would ultimately leave if the regulations were not repealed.

"We have worked hard and taken extraordinary steps to help guide drivers through the current process in Houston," said the general manager, Sarfraz Maredia. "However, a year and a half later, it is clear the regulations are simply not working for the people of this city."

Late last month, Uber again threatened to stop operating in Houston unless city leaders amend local regulations the company said are making it tough for them to recruit drivers.

The ultimatum, the latest in Uber's tense relations with Houston, drew a strong rebuke from city leaders.

"This is just not how we do business in Houston," said Mayor Sylvester Turner, who added the city "will not compromise on public safety."

Taxi firms in almost every city around the globe have fought Uber and similar ride-hailing companies, saying they are unregulated and taking advantage of the taxi industry by ignoring traditional safety practices. Regardless, riders have flocked to the smartphone-app ride services.

Houston officials have insisted fingerprint checks of Uber drivers are necessary to ensure public safety.

In rebuffing Uber's latest ultimatum, Turner reiterated that numerous Uber driver applicants have failed the fingerprint check. One, the mayor said, had 24 aliases and five birthdays, making Uber's favored Social Security check unproductive.

Background checks

Fingerprinting applicants became a matter of public scrutiny after a Houston driver was accused of sexually assaulting a passenger in April 2015. A grand jury declined to indict him, but the issue divided Uber and Houston because he was operating on the Uber smartphone platform without a city license. Houston officials said he would have failed their background check because of a prior federal drug conviction, which Uber's background check did not catch.

Still, Houston is an outlier. Only New York City - a huge taxi market where Uber drivers must have the same license as a cabdriver - also requires a fingerprint background check, though Houston officials quickly noted that other cities are considering requiring it.

Uber has already left Corpus Christi and Galveston over fingerprint requirements.
More than a dozen local police agencies have been forced to decide whether peace officers should be retested for mental fitness after a criminal investigation into a Houston psychologist raised questions about the screenings.

Some already have rescreened all affected employees. Others say they won't retest any until behavioral problems or other concerns arise.

A Chronicle survey of local agencies found more than a dozen that had already begun dealing with the aftermath of the substandard testing conducted by psychologist Carole Busick.

Harris County Sheriff's Office

Busick performed 2,148 screenings for the sheriff's office, but about 300 of those employees no longer work there. Only 82 of the 1,860 current employees Busick evaluated have been retested.

Precinct 1 Constable's Office

About half of the 260 sworn officers in the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office had been screened by Busick. Only one has been retested so far - and passed without incident, said Alan Bernstein, a department spokesman. The precinct now has decided to rescreen everyone.

Precinct 2 Constable's Office

About 15 of the department's 55 officers had been screened by Busick, and none has been rescreened. Chief Deputy Jerry Luman said officers would be rescreened only if suspicions arise.

Precinct 3 Constable's Office

The constable's office found 28 members of the staff had been screened by Busick. Four reserve deputies making the jump to full-time positions have been rescreened, said Precinct 3 Lt. Milton Rivera.

Precinct 4 Constable's Office

The Precinct 4 Constable's Office has about 110 deputies screened by Busick, and all will be rescreened, said Constable Mark Herman.

Precinct 5 Constable's Office

Slightly more than half of the department's 300 deputies had been screened by Busick, and officials are still assessing how to proceed with retesting, a spokesman said.

Precinct 6 Constable Office

Precinct 6 officials declined to discuss how many employees may have been tested by Busick, but at least one deputy screened by the psychologist has been charged with shooting a 20-year-old woman during a road- rage incident in 2014. A lawsuit stemming from the shooting has been filed against Busick and former Precinct 6 reserve deputy constable Kenneth Caplan.

Metro Police Department

All 81 officers and three dispatchers evaluated by Busick have already been retested, said spokesman Jerome Gray.

Katy Police Department

Katy Police Capt. Bryon Woytek said his agency found 27 officers who had been screened by Busick. The department rescreened everyone.

Waller County Sheriff's Office

The Waller County Sheriff's Office found 10 employees whom Busick had screened, said department spokesman Capt. Brian Cantrell. All 10 were rescreened, and all passed.

Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

Two candidates who applied for jobs with the sheriff's office had been screened by Busick, a spokesman said. They were told they needed to obtain new certifications.

Houston ISD Police Department

HISD used Busick as the sole contractor to provide mental evaluations for peace officer candidates, said spokesman Jason Spencer. Of the 210 current officers, all of those hired in the past two years have been retested. The department is working with a new contractor to establish a protocol for reviewing older psychiatric evaluation and to determine if further action is needed, he said.

Fort Bend ISD Police Department

Five of the department's 53 sworn police officers had been screened by Busick at one time or another. All have been re-evaluated.

Agencies with no officers screened by Busick

The Houston Police Department screens its own candidates. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office reported no officers screened by Busick. Others reporting no questionable certifications included the Harris County Precinct 8 Constable's Office, the Brazoria County Sheriff's Office, the Pearland Police Department, the Cy-Fair Independent School District's Police Department, the Pasadena Police Department and the Montgomery County ISD Police Department.

Agencies that did not respondto requests

The Harris County Precinct 7 Constable's Office did not provide information about whether or how many staff members were screened by Busick.
REYNOSA - Merlen Gonzalez stood between two rows of empty bunk beds, gazing as her daughter played on the migrant shelter floor.

After three months, Gonzalez, 21, had lost count of the mothers and children who had briefly occupied the beds here. Sooner or later they all cast their lot with a smuggler promising safe passage to Texas, while Gonzalez stayed behind.

She had trusted a smuggler who lost control of a van crammed with hapless immigrants. Several people died in the crash and Gonzalez's 4-year-old daughter, Jennifer, was injured when she was ejected from the vehicle. The sight of it tumbling across a Tamaulipas highway is seared into her memory.

"We can't go back, because there is nothing for us in Guatemala, but I'm scared to continue on," said Gonzalez, whose daughter is recovering from injuries that included a gash on her arm.

More than 32,000 immigrant families, a majority of them from the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, were caught entering the U.S. illegally between October and March, up 120 percent compared with the same six-month period a year ago. The total of 27,754 unaccompanied children apprehended since October is nearly as high as the same six-month period in 2014.

Rescues of immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley have surged 27 percent in that span compared with all of fiscal year 2015. Sixty two immigrants have died so far this year, nearly as many as the 67 recorded a year ago, with the hottest and busiest months still ahead.

"What is totally unacceptable is the atrocities smugglers commit," said Manuel Padilla Jr., the U.S. Border Patrol sector chief in the Rio Grande Valley.

Padilla, who heads up the busiest corridor for illegal immigration across the length of the 2,000-mile Southwest border, wants immigrant families like the Gonzalezes seeking asylum to turn themselves over to U.S. authorities on an international bridge, rather than to smugglers.

It's unclear how many immigrants actually hire smugglers, in part, because immigrants apprehended in Mexico report using smugglers far less than those caught by Border Patrol, according to a report by El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, a Mexican research institute. While as many as 11 percent of Central Americans have told Mexican officials they used smugglers, more than 50 percent of those apprehended by U.S. officials said they had hired a smuggler.

In the spring of 2014, when the number of immigrants fleeing murderous gangs and crushing poverty spiked, smugglers began utilizing the low-risk (to them), high-reward tactic of leaving their human cargo on the riverbank, and instructing them to seek out border agents on their own.

A safer way

When Border Patrol agents found a 2-year-old girl from El Salvador left by a smuggler near the banks of the Rio Grande in late April, Padilla insisted there is a safer way.

"She could have very easily been handed over to Mexican authorities or to authorities at the port of entry without putting her in unnecessary danger of having her cross the river," Padilla said.

Instead, the toddler was placed in an inflatable raft, then entrusted to a group of 14 immigrants about to push off the banks of the Rio Grande to cross the narrow channel illegally. She wore a white T-shirt with the name and telephone number of her mother, living in the country illegally.

The girl remains in Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement, and she is expected to be reunified with her mother soon, El Salvador's consul in McAllen said.

Over the past two weeks, the frequency and variety of abuses against immigrants has grown disturbingly routine. Several days ago, a 2-year-old Honduran boy was left behind by smugglers. A Border Patrol camera captured footage of the boy wandering alone in the brush near Hidalgo. At the station, an agent found the names and telephone numbers of the child's parents on the boy.

In yet another incident, Border Patrol agents responding to a 911 call in Brooks County found a severely dehydrated 13-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister from Mexico who had stayed with her after their smuggler left them in the unforgiving brushland. They were rushed to a Corpus Christi hospital, where the 13-year-old girl was placed on a breathing tube, which has since been removed as her health improved.

Immigration authorities were overwhelmed in 2014 as smugglers directed a flood of 68,000 Central American children into the Rio Grande Valley. Since then, the government has built infrastructure and streamlined policies to better manage the sudden influx of people. What Padilla is suggesting is a further tweak.

"He's presenting an interesting option that could make some sense," said Doris Meissner, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. "We are talking about a large majority of Central Americans who are going to pursue a claim for asylum, and presenting themselves at the port of entry does allow for a safer entry into the country."

There is a precedent for large-scale processing of immigrants at ports. Customs and Border Protection officers have been processing Cuban immigrants by the thousands since 2014, paroling them into the country under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act through ports on the Texas-Mexico border. Once Cubans enter the country they can ask for asylum, which nearly all will receive.

Still, the number of Central American immigrants entering Texas at official ports remains low, with roughly 3,140 crossing between October and April. And unlike Cubans, CBP processes most immigrants for expedited removal, then transfers them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

By contrast, Border Patrol or ICE may release an immigrant who enters the country illegally with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.

Little progress

La 72 migrant shelter in Tenosique on Mexico's southern border has served as a barometer of sorts for the flow of Central American migration. Last month, the shelter registered a record 1,570 migrants fleeing violence and poverty, surpassing even the busiest months of 2014. Of the 11,500 migrants that La 72 served a year ago, 1,500 reported suffering some type of crime or human right violation by smugglers and Mexican authorities.

Facing pressure from the United States to crack down on illegal immigration at its southern border, Mexico ramped up enforcement and deportations nearly two years ago. And still it has done little to stem the tide of migrants. Observers say immigrant smugglers have adapted their methods; in some cases, they pay off authorities and in others forge new routes, at no small risk to migrants.

Between January and March, Mexican immigration authorities deported more than 32,200 immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

For many, life in El Salvador is untenable. The country is one of the deadliest in the world, and teenagers like Brian Serrano, 14, are at the center of a brutal gang war. He watched as gangs forced his friends into their ranks, but when they came for him he stopped going to school.

His mother, Iris Serrano, 30, knew they would find him soon enough. She scraped together $11,000 and began asking around for a reliable smuggler.

"I wasn't going to go with just anybody," she said from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, which has for the past two years served as a temporary shelter for migrants.

In mid-April, Serrano left her home in San Salvador with Brian and her 7-month-old son, Matthew. She put her faith in God when hunger pangs set in or a frigid night holed up in a stash house kept her awake, and she steeled herself to creeping fears.

Now safely in Texas, she warned her sister in El Salvador from following in her footsteps. Her family had been lucky but many others suffer far worse, she reasoned.

"I don't want her to live that experience," she said. "How many have died coming here in search of something better? But I understand," she said of the desperation spurring her countrymen to migrate, "of course I do."
WASHINGTON - It is a bitter but basic fact in health research: Black Americans die at higher rates than whites from most causes, including AIDS, heart disease, cancer and homicide.

But a recent trove of federal data offered some good news. The suicide rate for black men declined from 1999 to 2014, making them the only racial group to experience a drop. Infant mortality is down by more than a fifth among blacks since the late 1990s, double the decline for whites. Births to teenage mothers, which tend to have higher infant mortality rates, have dropped by 64 percent among blacks since 1995, faster than for whites.

Blacks are still at a health disadvantage compared with whites. But evidence of black gains has been building and has helped push up the ultimate measure - life expectancy.

The gap between blacks and whites was seven years in 1990. By 2014, the most recent year on record, it had shrunk to 3.4 years, the smallest in history, with life expectancy at 75.6 years for blacks and 79 years for whites.

Part of the reason has been bad news for whites, namely the opioid crisis. The crisis, which has dominated headlines - some say unfairly, given racial disparities - has hit harder in white communities, bringing down white life expectancy and narrowing the gap.

But there also has been real progress for blacks. The rate of deaths by homicide for blacks decreased by 40 percent from 1995 to 2013, according to Andrew Fenelon, a researcher with the National Center for Health Statistics, compared with a 28 percent drop for whites.

The death rate from cancer fell by 29 percent for blacks over that period, compared with 20 percent for whites.

"Blacks are catching up," said Samuel Preston, a demographer at the University of Pennsylvania. "The gap is now the narrowest it has been since the beginning of the 20th century, and that's really good news."

Better access to care

The history of health for black Americans has been one of deep inequity. At the start of the 1900s, life expectancy for blacks was nearly 15 years less than for whites, according to federal data. This was partly because infant mortality was so much higher for blacks. But it was also because blacks, who were subjected to discrimination and segregation, faced worse living conditions and had almost no access to medical care.

Well into the 1950s, cancer was known among researchers as a "white disease," in part because fewer blacks lived long enough to die from it, said Keith Wailoo, author of "How Cancer Crossed the Color Line."

Life expectancy for blacks improved in the 1970s as Medicare and Medicaid increased access to health care and helped integrate hospitals after the abolition of Jim Crow laws.

Smoking had started to decline and new treatments for heart disease, including blood-pressure medications, drastically improved health for everyone.

Then came a lost decade. From 1982 to about 1995, blacks' progress in life expectancy stalled, dragged down by homicides, AIDS and fallout from the crack epidemic.

Life expectancy in 1993 stood at 69.2, down from 69.4 in 1982. There were five years of outright declines during the period, unprecedented in modern times, said Sam Harper, an epidemiologist at McGill University.

Since then, blacks have experienced health improvements on a number of fronts.

One profound change has been the decline in violence during the past two decades. The cause is still a matter of intense debate. The decline came after the institution of contentious tough-on-crime policies, but some researchers point out that similar declines happened in Canada, where no such policies were enacted.

Homicides have decreased for everyone since the early 1990s, but have gone down faster for blacks. As a result, the black-white gap in deaths from homicides fell by 40 percent from 1990 to 2010 in the largest metro areas across the country, according to Michael Light, a sociologist at Purdue University.

Harper, who has written extensively on the racial mortality gap, said it was difficult to tell whether any of the improvements were because of specific policies aimed at lifting blacks' health. But he said the gains were clear.

Call for caution

And while for some causes, like AIDS, the percentage drop in the death rate may have been similar for blacks and whites, Harper said, the absolute decline in the number of deaths per 100,000 was larger for blacks over the past 15 years, because they had started at far higher rates. (The decline in black deaths from AIDS accounted for about a fifth of the narrowing of the mortality gap with whites from 1995 to 2013, Fenelon said.)

"There has been true progress for blacks," Harper said.

Dr. Otis W. Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, said faster declines in cancer mortality for blacks were driven largely by substantial drops in deaths from lung cancer. Smoking has declined faster for blacks than whites, and in most of the past 15 years, blacks havehad lower smoking rates than whites.

"I think it's something to be celebrated. It's a very good thing," Brawley said. "But we need to be very cautious," he added, pointing out that overall, black death rates from cancer were still higher than those of whites.
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No solutions

Regarding "Anti-establishment fury doesn't explain Trump" (Page A21, Friday), Charles Krauthammer is right; Trump's primary wins aren't logical, neither is a tantrum.

The Trump phenomenon is a result of the frustration built up from the angst and anger over various problems facing America, without any thought of solutions. Ask any of his supporters what he'll do in office, and you'll get a cult-like mantra of making America great, deporting Mexicans and jobs for all, but no actual plans to achieve these goals.

Unfortunately, unlike a tantrum, Trump can't just be ignored; we have to put up with him for at least six more months.

Bob Gayle, Houston

Keillor on target

Regarding "Politicians prefer PDFs: Public Displays of Faith" (Page A17, Thursday), Garrison Keillor is a hoot. His less-than-reverent humor is spot-on with today's politicians and left me in stitches. We might say a (private) prayer of thanksgiving for Keillor's wit and talent as a wordsmith. And if the evangelicals are offended, neither Keillor nor I will care.

Rosemary Mackin, Houston

Tough on Cruz

Regarding "Back to Work" (Page A16, Thursday), the editorial proceeded to excoriate Ted Cruz and to canonize President George H.W. Bush. The suggestion was made that Cruz should take lessons from Bush. Really?

The undeniable fact is that Bush was rejected by voters, apparently after they concluded that he was unfit for another term.

Hank Taylor, Bryan

Plastic bags

Regarding "Want a plastic bag in NYC? It'll likely cost you 5 cents" (Page B5, Friday), I lived in Canada for several years and never saw plastic bags scattered along the roadsides, on public and private properties. The reason: a plastic bag cost 7 cents. It worked great, as no one wants a handful of pennies in their change. It is a program that is long overdue with no downside.

Mary Hill, Houston

Fed up

Regarding the letter "Inconvenient truths" (Page A20, Friday), I'm not a Trump supporter, and I'm not sure I could hold my nose and vote for him, even though I believe Hillary would be worse for this country if elected. Trump's rise however, wasn't the result of bigotry and hatred as the writer seems to think.

Donald Trump along with Bernie Sanders have touched a nerve of the American people. Their rise, albeit with different philosophies, shows that a combined 60 percent of the voting population are fed up with the current political system. There's a good chance Sanders could be leading in the Democratic race if it wasn't for the super delegates assigned by the party elite to support Hillary.

As all the political pundits point out this is a different year for politics. The left likes to claim bigotry and hatred drives the Republicans. The right claims the Sanders phenomenon is being driven by socialist leaning millennials.

Both of these ignore the obvious, which is the rejection of politics as usual run by the Republican and Democratic elite. People who think they know what's better for us than we do.

Ken Dropek, Houston
As we move into the last week of the Second Regular Session of the 98th General Assembly, the Senate is hard at work, passing as much meaningful legislation as possible before adjournment. This week, my fellow senators and I advanced a measure that would work to safeguard the integrity of our states elections. The democratic process is the foundation upon which our great country is built, and it needs to be protected from fraudulent threats.

House Bill 1631 would modify certain voting identification requirements to make the election process safer from in-person voter fraud. The bill would require voters to present a valid photo ID, or another acceptable form of ID as outlined in the bill language, before they are able to cast a ballot.

The legislation requires voters to provide a valid photo ID  like a non-expired Missouri drivers/non-drivers license, a passport or a military license  before being certified to vote. If an individual does not have a valid photo ID, that person can still vote by signing a statement swearing that they are the person they claim to be, under penalty of perjury. If no statement is signed, the voter can still vote provisionally. Voters without a valid photo ID can obtain one paid for by the state.

This bill will not put unnecessary strain on Missouri voters. What it will do is ensure our election process is as fraud-free as possible, and that the true voice of the people will be represented through a system where honesty is a protected right. Facts show voter ID laws are intended to protect voters from dishonest tactics used by people looking for an advantage at the expense of a fundamental right. In April 2015, more than two dozen votes were cast in Kinloch, Mo. by voters who registered at vacant addresses. The mayor-elect was later barred from being sworn-in as a result of the alleged fraud. The Kansas secretary of state is prosecuting three cases of double-voting, and two of those cases are in Johnson County. After the August 2010 Kansas City Democratic Primary, two relatives of winning representatives pleaded guilty to fraud. The representative won the election by a single vote.

This legislation will protect against instances like these. If HB 1631 is passed in the House, it will only go into effect if Missouri voters approve an amendment to the State Constitution  House Joint Resolution 53. The amendment would add a provision authorizing the Legislature to implement voter ID requirements, and the Senate gave initial approval to the resolution this week.

We have only one week left this Session, and your state lawmakers will be hard at work until adjournment on May 13. This means we have a short amount of time left to get the final version of HJR 53 approved by the Legislature before it goes on a ballot to be decided by the qualified voters of this state. House Bill 1631 is now on the governors desk, awaiting his signature.

Mike Cunningham is a Republican member of the Missouri State Senate, representing District 33. Contact him at 573-751-1882 or www.senate.mo.gov/cunningham
The following are excerpts of reports generated by the Texas County Sheriffs Department:

A 20-year-old Licking woman reported on May 7 that her dog had been stolen.

The woman told an investigating officer that the registered Rottweiler was chipped, and a scan by a monitoring company had placed it in the St. Louis area. The officer determined a St. Louis man had taken the dog while on a float trip in Texas County and transported it to St. Louis.

The officer and the woman made contact with the man and he said he was not going to return the dog because he was too busy. The man instead surrendered it to a St. Louis animal shelter.

A probable cause statement was sent to the county prosecutor seeking charges against the man.

A 30-year-old Bucyrus woman reported on May 6 that a concrete bench valued at $100 had been stolen from the Ellis Prairie Baptist Church Cemetery. The bench reportedly has an image of Jesus engraved on one of its legs.

There are no suspects.

An 80-year-old Elk Creek woman came to the TCSD office May 6 to report that a Norwood man and woman, ages 39 and 37, had sold thousands of dollars worth of her cattle at the West Plains sale barn without her permission. A report about the case was sent to the county prosecutor.

A 61-year-old Cabool man reported May 7 that a Stihl 290 chainsaw valued at $324 had been swiped from a barn at his Highland Street residence. There are no suspects.

A deputy was dispatched at about 7:45 p.m. May regarding a report of an alarm going off at Success School. The officer observed that all doors at the school were locked.

A deputy was dispatched at about 7:30 a.m. May 7 regarding a report of horses in the yard of a Reed Road residence at Licking. Upon arrival, the officer was advised that the horses owner had retrieved them.

A deputy was dispatched at about 10:15 a.m. May 7 regarding a report of a combative woman at a Kelly Road residence at Raymondville. A woman at the scene told the officer the woman had been hitting, kicking and biting people. She was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

An deputy was dispatched at about 5 p.m. May 6 regarding a report of train cars loose on the tracks in the Dunn area. The officer was unable to locate any loose cars.

An officer on April 27 investigated a report of a meth lab being dumped on a Cabool womans Highway M property.

The officer located two acid generators at the scene and they were seized for disposal.

The woman said she didnt know who might have dumped the equipment.

A deputy was dispatched at about 7:20 p.m. May 5 after a Yukon man reported finding plants in a field at his Big Creek Road property that might be marijuana plants. The officer determined they werent pot plants.

A 73-year-old Houston woman reported on May 5 that several items had been stolen from a grave at the Emery Cemetery, including a concrete bench valued at $200, a concrete plaque valued at $100, some solar lights and a flag. There are no suspects.

A 47-year-old Bucyrus man reported on May 3 that cash and several items with a total value of $5,877 had been stolen from his Highway AA residence. The man told an investigating officer that while he was in the hospital, his nephew and his nephews girlfriend had swiped the goods.

He stated the pair might be headed to Texas, Colorado or Washington.

Texas County Jail admissions

May 3

Eddie D. Volner  MDOC hold

Edward L. Bleckler  MDOC hold

Lonnie R. Royal  writ (to appear before judge)

Twalla J. Cole  60-day commitment

Cynthia J. Moore  house for Dent County

May 4

Shawn D. Sharp  property damage, leaving scene

Jace E. Williams  12-hour commitment

George E. Terrill  house for Dent County

Ronnie G. Eberschloe  non-support

May 5

Derek M. Roberts  48-hour commitment

Dustin R. Frazier  failure to appear (non-support)

Jonathan S. Carroll  DWI, driving while revoked

May 6

Daniel K. Labbee  stealing, trespassing

Denny Sisler  body attachment

Nathan K. Hale  driving while suspended

Ashley D. White  DWI, driving while revoked

May 7

Jace E. Williams  36-hour commitment
Preliminary data from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shows that turkey hunters checked 44,187 birds during Missouris 2016 regular spring turkey season April 18 through May 8.

Top harvest counties were Franklin with 961 birds checked, St. Clair with 878 and Texas with 861. Young turkey hunters harvested 4,167 birds during the 2016 spring youth season, April 9-10, bringing the overall spring 2016 turkey harvest to 48,354.

Get more information on spring turkey harvest numbers by county atextra.mdc.mo.gov/widgets/harvest_table/

The 2015 overall spring turkey harvest was 48,432 birds with 4,441 harvested during the youth weekend and 43,991 during the regular spring season.
Fort Leonard Wood is scheduled to hold a deployment ceremony for the 509th Engineer Company at 2 p.m. Monday on Gammon Field.

The company-sized element of soldiers are slated to deploy to Korea for more than six months.

The unit will provide engineer support capabilities to U.S. Army Pacific Command.
Caroline Carrie Alicia Goforth, 35, of Licking, passed away May 5, 2016, at Mercy Hospital, Springfield, Mo., after a long fought battle with Lupus. Carrie was born Aug. 22, 1980, in Houston, Mo., to James and Delaina (Morgan) Lee.

She was preceded in death by her grandpa, Victory Morgan, and uncle, Darrell Lee.

Carrie grew up in Raymondville and graduated from Licking High School. She attended Metro College in Rolla and received her degree. She worked as a nurse in Dr. Dales office in Houston, Mo., until her health began to fail.

She married Michael Goforth on Sept. 25, 1999, and to this union two children were born, Alyssa and Peyton.

Surviving are her children, Alyssa and Peyton Goforth of Licking and their, father Michael; her parents, Jim and Delaina Lee of Raymondville, Mo.; two brothers, Lonnie Lee and wife, Jeramy, of Houston, Mo., and Darrell Lee and wife, Jackie, of Summersville, Mo.; eight nieces and nephews; her grandparents, James and Gail Lee and Eula Morgan; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Before her health began to fail, she loved riding horses and before her children were born, she was known as the crazy fun aunt. Carrie had just started back to college to study criminal justice. Her kids were her whole life; she enjoyed being involved with whatever they decided to do. Even though her life on earth was short, she gave the best of herself to her family and friends and lived life to the fullest.

Carrie will be missed by all and will always remain in our hearts.

Services are 11 a.m. Monday, May 9, 2016, at Evans Funeral Home with Pastor David Jett officiating. Burial was in Friendship Cemetery under the direction of Evans Funeral Home. Pallbearers were Lonnie Lee, Darrell Lee, Taylor Lee, C J Lee, Noah Lee, Nickie French and Seth Backues. Honorary pallbearer was Stetson Lee.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests that donations be made to the Carrie Goforth Memorial Fund c/o Evans Funeral Home. To send an online condolence, please go to www.evansfh.com.

PAID
Jack Lee Jake Warren, 62, passed away Monday, May 2, 2016, at his home in Jefferson City.

He was born Sept. 21, 1953, in Kansas City, son of Leonard and Allie Maw Warren. He and Vicki Young were married April 15, 1978.

He spent his early childhood in northeast Kansas City before moving with his parents to Santa Fe, N.M., when he was in high school. After high school, he returned to Missouri, where he attended Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar. He graduated in 1977 with a bachelors degree in religion and psychology

He was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in April 2013.

He was preceded in death by his parents

Survivors include his wife, Vicki; two sisters, Judy Bennett and Jody Reid; two brothers, Daryl Young and Steve Young; and many other family members and friends.

Memorial services were Saturday, May 7, at Bradford Funeral Home with the Rev. Daryl Young officiating. Inurnment was in Summersville City Cemetery.
Ralph Glen Johnston Sharp, 93, passed away Wednesday, May 4, 2016.

He was born Aug. 26, 1922, in Clear Springs, son of Ben and Mattie Sharp. He and Joyce Smith were married Dec. 2, 1949. He later married Dorothy Grogan in 1970.

He was a member of the Missouri Restaurant Association and Restaurant Board.

He attended grade school at Clear Springs and moved onto high school in Willow Springs. He joined CCC Camp at age 17 and then went to Blooming Rose Camp at age 18. The next year, he moved to St. Louis and worked at Century Electric until he was drafted into the Army.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a granddaughter.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy of the home; two sons, Dean and David Sharp; a sister, Helen Smith of Pittsburgh, Kan.; and his grandchildren.

Services were held Monday, May 9, at Clear Springs Community Church. Burial with military honors was in Willow Springs City Cemetery under the direction of Bradford Funeral Home.
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h tech companies worldwide currently battling for candidates, thinking outside the box is crucial for any recruitment drive. HRD talked with Catriona Staunton, Atlassians head of APAC recruiting, to see how this global software firm has attracted new recruits in this competitive marketplace.One of the firms biggest challenges is the lack of good candidates in Australia, she said.We just dont have people in the technology industry with 10-plus years experience in the numbers that we need because the industry is still relatively new here.To overcome this, Atlassian recently ran an international recruitment campaign to nab five user experience (UX) designers in five days.We chose to visit four cities that our research showed had a strong supply of UX talent: London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Stockholm, she said.We needed a big-bang campaign idea to really get that group of people to sit up and notice us as a great place for designers to work.The big campaign hook was the location of Atlassians headquarters, Sydney, as this was an asset which set the firm apart from most other software companies.We came up with the hiring tagline Were seeking Design Thinkers, Talented Tinkerers and Wannabe Surfers to join us in the sunshine of Australia, she said. Before flying our interview team to Europe, we ran an online advertising campaign with that tagline to warm up our target UX audience.Atlassian then took that surfing idea to the next level, Staunton said, by strapping a company-branded surfboard to a VW Kombi van and driving it around the streets of Europe.We used the hashtag #UXSurfers to allow people to follow our little hiring bus as we travelled around Europe interviewing and picking up UX Surfer hires along the way.The firm was amazed with the response to this hook, she added. My Twitter feed was full of tweets from people who saw our bus or our ads  and thats the sort of branding that money really cant buy.Overall, the recruitment campaign was a success with the five hired UX designers already making an impact at the company, Staunton said.Their families are loving their new lives in Sydney, and theyre helping us scope out our next international hiring adventure.
arge Canterbury employer has been reprimanded for its unfair and hasty investigation process after the Employment Relations Authority found the organisation had given an unjustified disadvantage to one long-tenure employee.No good and fair employer could have made the decision the [Canterbury District Health] Board made, stressed authority member James Crichton, who stated that employee Stephen Reader had suffered as a result of the organizations untenable action.This is not a small employer; this is a large well-resourced employer with significant human resources capacity and it is difficult to see why such an employer would adopt such a cursory approach, he added.Crichton agreed that mental health nurse Rader had been unfairly affected by his employers actions when he was given both an informal warning and a subsequent written warning for the same complaint.Last year, Reader was the subject of a two-pronged complaint made by one patient  while both parties agreed on the fundamentals, there were some notable discrepancies in the separate accounts.In the first issue, the patient  identified only as Patient A  claims Reader used the N-word to refer to his family in a derogatory way but Reader insists it was used in an informal discussion about rap music.In the second incident, Patient A was preparing a meal and needed a sharp knife  when Reader handed him one, he admits to saying; Dont do it  a comment he accepts was inappropriate considering the patients history involving a stabbing.However, Patient As account was more embellished and suggested that Reader repeated the observation and used actions to mimic defending himself.Charge nurse manager Tony Keatley dealt with the verbal complaint in line with Canterbury District Health Boards policy and engaged with both Reader and Patient A to devise a remedy that both men felt appropriate.Ultimately, Reader sent a letter of apology to the patient and underwent additional training to prevent similar mistakes in future  but, oddly, the issue didnt end there.After receiving a written complaint about the same issues, the regional forensic psychiatric service manager  referred to only as Ms. Kearney  effectively overturned the initial decision and chose to re-investigate.Accompanied by her colleague Phillip Patira, Kearney interviewed a witness to the first incident, and later Reader, before issuing the 30-year veteran employee with a written warning on the basis of serious misconduct.While Patira did interview Patient A, Kearney never spoke to the man and Patira stressed that he had not been the decision-maker in issuing the written warning to Reader.However, adjudicator Crichton said it wasnt clear why Kearney came to a different conclusion following her own investigation and criticised her for failing to speak to Patient A.I would have thought that when confronted with competing views of two significant incidents involving a professional staff member with a blameless record, the least that an investigator would do is to interview both protagonists, he commented.Crichton not only ordered the warning to be removed from Raders previously unsullied employment record but he also confirmed that Reader has a personal grievance.CDHBs actions are unjustified and have clearly caused Mr Reader disadvantage, he wrote, referring to the anxiety and depression the employee suffered as a result of the poorly-handled investigation.It is difficult to understand why the Boards investigation of the matter, looked at as a totality, was so cursory, he said.The decision-maker effectively spoke to a witness to the first incident, never spoke to the complainant at all, then had one meeting with Mr Reader, took no account whatever of the fact that the matter had already been dealt with informally, and then made a decision on the spot to find both serious misconduct and identify a penalty, without giving Mr Reader any opportunity of further input into the question of penalty, as good practice would suggest.
Bruce MacDonald has a story that will be told at family dinners for generations to come.

The Nova Scotia man, who works in the oilsands, was one of the legions of people evacuated from Fort McMurray, Alta. after a menacing wildfire got dangerously close to the city, according to CBC News.

But when MacDonald returned to Cape Breton, he found his home had burned down.

Imagine fleeing Fort McMurray fire only to arrive home in CB to find your home burned to the ground. More at 12:05 pic.twitter.com/GLbaA7ywbu  Maritime Noon (@CBCMaritimeNoon) May 9, 2016

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"There's ashes and some timber. Pretty much everything was lost in that fire," said his brother, Norm.

CTV News reports MacDonald's son was in the home when the fire started, but the family luckily made it out safely.

If that would've happened through the night, he would have lost his whole family," Norm said.

'Blown away' by fundraiser

In the meantime, the MacDonalds are currently staying with residents who live nearby.

On Friday, Norm launched a GoFundMe fundraiser, a crowdfunding website. The initial goal was $10,000, but as of Monday more than $14,000 has been raised.

"They're really blown away. They really weren't expecting it," Norm's wife Cindy told CTV News.

The wildfire in Fort McMurray has torched 1,600 structures and forced the mandatory evacuation of more than 80,000 from the city last week.

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On Mothers Day, a number of celebrity exes reunited to show their kids what family is all about.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, for instance, got together with Dem babies for a special early Mothers Day meal. In an adorable Instagram snap of the whole family, Cannon wrote: A little dinner after Karate Class!!

A photo posted by Nick Cannon (@nickcannon) on May 5, 2016 at 7:23pm PDT

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Carey and Cannon announced their split in 2014 after six years of marriage. Despite this, the two have remained on good terms and made it clear that co-parenting their five-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, comes first.

In 2015, Cannon opened up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show about how his kids are his and his ex-wifes number one priority.

Its all about unconditional love, he said. And knowing because they were so young, this is what they know: They know Mommy and Daddy still love each other, but more importantly they love us.

Drew Barrymore and her ex Will Kopelman also got together (sort of) over the weekend to celebrate Mothers Day. The couple, who called it quits in February, has two young daughters: Olive, 3 and Frankie, 2.

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On Sunday, Barrymore spent the day with Kopelmans mother, Coco, and his sister, Jill Kargman, for a Mothers Day buffet. Kopelman, however, was not shown in the photos.

#newschool #iloveauntyjill #iheartgrammy #happymothersday #greatmoms #2016 @jillkargman @cocokopelman A photo posted by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore) on May 8, 2016 at 11:26am PDT





With my favorite yummy mummies for Mother's Day buffet #bloodymarys @drewbarrymore @cocokopelman A photo posted by @jillkargman on May 8, 2016 at 9:59am PDT





And finally, exes Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck took Mothers Day to a whole new level when they took their kids on a weekend trip to Paris. Garner and Affleck are parents to 10-year-old Violet, seven-year-old Seraphina and four-year-old Samuel.

A source told Us Weekly, They were acting like a normal family, but I dont think there was any romance between Ben and Jennifer. They were just acting like great parents. The kids were really happy!

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The couple announced their divorce in June 2015 after 10 years together. Despite this, the two released a statement saying that they are committed to their kids. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children, their statement read.

Since then, the couple has proven this, as evidenced by their recent trip to France. Now thats #CoParentingGoals at its finest.

Also on HuffPost
Elise Boissonneault's wedding dress was lost in the Fort McMurray wildfire.

On Saturday, she got married with two.

Boissonneault and her fiancee were among the more than 80,000 people who had to evacuate from Fort McMurray, Alta. last week. A gargantuan wildfire, which prompted the largest fire evacuation in Alberta's history, destroyed the seamstress' shop that held her dress, according to CTV News.

Elise Boissonneault and her husband, Brandon Phillippo, got married on the Toronto islands. (Alex Neary/Wild Eyed Photography)

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When she arrived in Toronto, the Toronto Star reports, her wedding photographer Alex Neary put out a call to social media: does anyone have a spare dress?

The response: yes. A lot of dresses. Offers came in from across the country within hours.

In the end, local bridal shop Lea-Ann Belter Bridal donated two dresses  one for the ceremony and one for the reception  after seeing Boissonneault struggle to choose between them.

Elise Boissonneault in her wedding dress on May 7, 2016. (Alex Neary/Wild Eyed Photography)

"It's honestly so touching I really can't describe the feeling I have, it just gives me butterflies to think that people would do such a wonderful thing," Boissonneault told The Canadian Press.

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On Saturday, the 29-year-old and her now-husband Brandon Phillippo celebrated their big day.

"It was perfect," Neary told CTV News. "It was a little chilly, but other than that it was amazing. Everything went according to plan, they were just so happy."

(Alex Neary/Wild Eyed Photography)

With files from The Canadian Press

Also On HuffPost:
The Fort McMurray wildfire is now being considered a disaster on the level of Hurricane Katrina.

The reason? It could damage Canada's economy worse than the impact the 2005 hurricane had on America's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Fort McMurray's losses could total as much as $9 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Canada's 2016 GDP is estimated to be $1.8 trillion  so losses of $9 billion would be equivalent to 0.5 per cent.

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By contrast, Hurricane Katrina cost approximately US$60.5 billion, against GDP of US$13 trillion  an equivalent of about 0.465 per cent.

The hurricane hit the oil and gas industry based out of the Gulf of Mexico particularly hard, shutting down 95 per cent of oil production in the region, according to ABC News.

The Fort McMurray fires have forced economists at major banks to lower projections for Canada's economy, which was expected to grow by as much as 1.5 per cent in the second quarter, The Financial Post reported.

BMO Capital Markets economist Benjamin Reitzes told the newspaper it's now unlikely the economy will grow at all.

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Labour disruption

It's still too early to determine precisely how much of Canada's economy could be hurt by the wildfire. The blaze has destroyed an estimated 1,600 structures and displaced approximately 88,000 people.

Nevertheless, economists expect to see Alberta's 7.2 per cent unemployment rate jump next month, The Calgary Herald reported.

"It will be temporary, it's not the same thing as a systemic downturn in the economy," ATB financial chief economist Todd Hirsch told the newspaper. "But I do expect the main number to be kind of severe."

The unemployment rate could grow to as much as 15 per cent, Herb Emery, research chair with the University of Calgary's school of public policy said.

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And while those numbers could improve once reconstruction efforts begin, Emery said the Fort McMurray area "may never recover to what it once was."

"When we return to whatever the new normal is, how many jobs are there going to be in [the Fort McMurray region]?" he asked.

"I suspect a lot of people up there were trying to wait out the low oil prices, hoping their businesses would come back. And this might be the blow where they say, 'it's not worth going back.'"

A quick restart for the oilsands

The oilsands may provide a rare bit of good news for Fort McMurray amid the wildfire.

Producers such as Syncrude and Suncor could restart operations within days, so long as they shut down safely, Bloomberg reported.

But bringing production back online could also depend on how many workers are available after so many people were evacuated from the area, Harold York, vice-president of integrated energy at consulting company Wood Mackenzie told the news agency.

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So far, only Nexen's oilsands operation have been damaged from the wildfire, and that was minor.

Assuming that oilsands operators start production back up in 10 days, they will have lost 14 million barrels since the fire started, according to Goldman Sachs.

Approximately half of oilsands capacity was estimated to have been shut down as a result of the fires, according to Reuters.

Also on HuffPost:
The subject line read: "United for Fort McMurray."

The body of the email  sent to Liberal Party supporters Thursday  featured a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, and interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose meeting to discuss the devastating wildfire that has displaced more than 80,000 people.

The email linked to the Canadian Red Cross and reminded recipients that the federal government will match donations for Fort McMurray relief.

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But at the bottom of the email, Liberals were also encouraged to donate to the party.

And that ask did not sit well with Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux, who represents the riding of Edmonton Riverbend.

Jeneroux rose in question period Monday to charge that as organizations and business unselfishly come together, the Liberal government was trying to benefit from a natural disaster.

"The Liberals took a non-partisan meeting with the official Opposition and turned it into a Liberal Party fundraising email," Jeneroux said.

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"Can the prime minister explain how it is appropriate for the Liberals to take advantage of this tragedy for a partisan gain?"

As Goodale rose to respond, he faced a few shouts of "shame" from across the aisle.

'All Canadians stand together'

The public safety minister said the federal government has been supporting the Alberta government "every step of the way." Officials have been working with the Canadian Red Cross, first-responders, and businesses to make sure Fort McMurray has the support it needs, he said.

"Every agency and department of this government has been thoroughly engaged to make sure that all Canadians stand together. And surely it's a time for that, not that!" he said, pointing back at Jeneroux's direction.

Ambrose thanked Trudeau, Goodale for meeting

The exchange deviated from the non-partisan remarks Ambrose delivered last Thursday on the wildfire. In a speech to the House of Commons, Ambrose thanked both Trudeau and Goodale for meeting with her "at short notice," and for "making sure that all of us, particularly MPs who live in the region, have all of the updated information."

Trudeau, who spoke to the House about how Canadians come together in difficult times, hugged the interim Tory leader at the conclusion of her speech.

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Hours later, however, the Conservative Party released a video to Facebook critical of how the prime minister made a "Star Wars" joke to members of his caucus last week before addressing the situation in Fort McMurray.

"Skip the jokes, and make a real difference," the Facebook post read, linking to the Red Cross donations page.

ALSO ON HUFFPOST:
Fort McMurray will rebuild.

Thats the spirit among Albertans who had their lives uprooted by an inferno that started last week. A mandatory evacuation order forced more than 80,000 people from their homes  and it's unclear when they'll be allowed to return.

Despite now being spread across Alberta and even other parts of Canada, Fort McMurray residents are finding comfort in supporting each other on Facebook groups, particularly by sharing photos of their favourite local spots. Not only for themselves, but for the world.

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(Photo: Sinead Cusack)

"I want people to see what a beautiful place Fort McMurray is and will be again," Casey Onucki told The Huffington Post Canada.

They point out theres more to Fort McMurray than these fires, and much more than its industrial footprint. Beyond its oil facilities are neighbourhoods, communities, and beautiful backtrails.

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(Photo: Jennifer Lynn McKenzie)

Jennifer Lynn McKenzie shared a photo of a part of a trap line that has been in her boyfriend's family for generations. She believes it's been destroyed by the fires.

We have been lucky enough to run our sled dogs in this area for two generations but unfortunately the land where we keep our dogs was hit," she wrote on Facebook. "But we are strong and will rebuild.

We asked some Fort McMurray residents to share photos of the home they know.

The response was overwhelming:
j4m3z via Getty Images Perscription bottle on its side with contents spilling out.Similar Images:

By all accounts we are in the midst of a deadly drug epidemic so severe and widespread few people in North America will remain untouched by it. In case you think I'm exaggerating, right now we have probably the highest rates of narcotic abuse and deaths in modern history.

Critics have begun pointing the finger at the medical system and its prescribers -- well-meaning doctors and specialists who've been giving too many patients excessively powerful opioid medications to deal with modest pain. But we can dig deeper and look at the relationship between medical education and pharmaceutical company influence as a significant contributing factor.

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Typically the suggestion of an epidemic is hyperbolic, but it doesn't seem so in this case. Last week, Dr. Perry Kendall, the provincial Health Officer in British Columbia, said that B.C. has a bona fide "public health emergency" on its hands, mostly due to the alarming number of overdose deaths linked to prescription opioids.

There were more than 200 opioid-related overdoses so far this year in B.C., and if those numbers continue, there'll be 800 by the end of the year.

Opioids include prescription narcotics like Oxycontin, hydromorph Contin and fentanyl (which some say is 100 times stronger than morphine). Dr. Kendall said that there were more than 200 opioid-related overdoses so far this year in B.C., and if those numbers continue, there'll be 800 by the end of the year.

What's happening in B.C. is just a small microcosm of what is happening across Canada, where we have some of the highest rates of prescription opioid consumption in the world. From 2006 to 2011, use of opioids in Canada rose by 32 per cent and that rise has continued unabated, despite efforts to slow it down.

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The United States is also in full-on damage control mode, trying to stem the incredible numbers of deaths due to opioids. In 2012, there were 259 million prescriptions written for opioids -- enough to give every American adult their own bottle of pills. Since 2000, the overdose death rate in the U.S. has risen by 200 per cent and there were nearly 19,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2014.

Two weeks ago, I sat in a room while Dr. Vivek Murthy, the new Surgeon General of the United States, told the assembled crowd that he was driven to make the opioid epidemic a top priority in his administration due to the devastation he's seen in communities all across the country.

"Physicians need to be retrained to think twice -- or three or four times -- before writing that first opioid prescription."

He told us the U.S. experiences an overdose death every 24 minutes and the life expectancy of white, male, middle class Americans is dropping.

The problems, as well as potential solutions, are incredibly complicated, but I agree with Dr. Murthy when he says that curbing society's exposure to opioids -- particularly those that come from a prescription pad in a doctor's office -- is absolutely vital. As he said: "Physicians need to be retrained to think twice -- or three or four times -- before writing that first opioid prescription."

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It's important to recognize that liberal prescribing of opioids is a very recent problem and, since the mid-1990s, can be linked to the message-crafting activities of the pharmaceutical industry which helped shape both patient perceptions of pain and influence how doctors thought about the safety of these drugs. Doctors were increasingly encouraged -- sometimes through industry-funded educational activities or by using textbooks on pain management paid for by the makers of opioids -- to prescribe the drugs for a much wider population of patients experiencing pain.

If revising the messaging around opioids was a business-oriented strategy of the opioid makers, we cannot place the blame solely upon them. Some of that blame has to do with the co-dependent relationship between physician education and the drug industry, which funds a substantial portion of physician education in Canada.

Is this epidemic not dire enough to finally build the absolute firewall we need between physician education and the pharmaceutical industry?

We need unbiased, safety-oriented messages around the appropriate use of opioids and knowledge of their wicked addiction potential. We also need to remind ourselves, both patients and prescribers, that any incredibly powerful and effective drug can also be incredibly dangerous and destructive.

The focus to tackle the addiction problem has to be serious, multifaceted source control. We need greater access to addiction treatment facilities, and methods to rescue people from the depths of addiction, certainly. But we also need to curb society's underlying dependence upon drug company money for doctor training.

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Eli Ben Boher

Recently, the Jewish world paid homage to the Holocaust through Yom Ha'shoah -- The Day of Remembrance.

On this day and others I realized I am a member of an incredibly creative people, the Jewish people who have raised the consciousness of millions of individuals about the Holocaust, genocides and our need to stand up tall and brave against evil. I say this not out of arrogance, but more so, out of great pride.

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One wonders, however, with all the Holocaust books, films, theatre, lectures etc., is there more to say and if so in what capacity.

Recently, this question was answered through the creation of a documentary entitled, Blind Love: A Holocaust Journey to Poland with Man's Best Friend, (Blind Love). Blind Love focuses on Nazis persecution of both Jews and the disabled through the story of the remarkable pilgrimage of six blind Israelis, and their guide dogs, to the former sites of Nazi genocide.

The film, directed by Eli Rubenstein, the director of March of the Living Canada, sensitively describes the journey of six Israelis and their guide dogs to Poland to visit former concentration camps and once thriving sites of Jewish life and culture. (March of the Living is an international program that brings students and Holocaust survivors to Poland to study the history of European Jewry and the Holocaust. On Holocaust Remembrance Day, the participants march from Auschwitz to Birkenau in memory of all victims of Nazi genocide and against prejudice, intolerance and hate.)

The genesis of this trip and the film occurred ten years ago during Eli's visit to the Israel Guide Dog Centre for the Blind in central Israel. When the clients of the Centre heard about Eli's involvement with the March of the Living, many told him it was their life long dream to visit Poland to learn, first hand, about the Holocaust. One person stated most of her family had perished in the Holocaust and she wanted to honor their memory by walking on the same ground where they had fallen.

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Eli was told, "We blind people have many challenges, but I know when I hear the stories of the Holocaust survivors, my life will feel like honey in comparison."

Blind Love is truly an eye-opening and compelling film. At one point during the documentary the participants were standing in a circle in a remote forest in northeastern Poland, the site of a mass grave, where 1400 Jews were shot. One of the blind women, her voice breaking, read a testimony in Braille of a mass shooting, ending with the heartbreaking question of an innocent little Jewish girl asking the Nazi, while he was burying her alive: "Why are you throwing dirt into my eyes? " The blind participants remained standing in stunned silence, their patient guide dogs by their sides, innocently unaware of the brutal legacy of this clearing in the forest.

One often wonders how visually impaired people 'see' the world and what conclusions they draw through touch. 'Blind Love' lets us into their vision of life when we see participants led by their guide dogs through the massive Warsaw Jewish cemetery, stopping to trace their hands across the inscriptions of the tombstones, so they can decipher the writing. Similarly, we watch as the blind participants feel the wooden bunks in the former Auschwitz barracks and the metal grate around the gas chambers where so many suffered and perished.

One of the other salient points of Blind Love is the reality that 'man's best friend' is often used for the betterment of person-kind, and sometimes, as the Nazi' did, toward the torment of humanbeings. This point was highlighted when a Holocaust survivor met the blind delegation in Auschwitz. He expressed to the group his memories how dogs were used by the Nazis over seventy years ago to maim and kill their hapless Jewish prisoners, and how moved he was to see dogs on that day, helping, not attacking, those who are now visiting Auschwitz.

In perhaps the most moving scene in the film, Liron Artzi, a young blind Israeli female lawyer, falls to her feet in the former gas chambers of Majdanek, crying incessantly. Her dog, Petel, lovingly licks the tears from Liron's face, as Michael Enright (CBC), the narrator of the film explains: "Here a dog tries to comfort her master showing endless love and affection in a place of endless hate and cruelty. Blind love instead of blind hate."

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Blind Love is a finely woven documentary framing the tragedy of the Holocaust and the senseless murder of Jews, non-Jews and people with disabilities (deemed by the Nazis as "life unfit for life"and often viciously attacked by trained dogs). But the film does not stop there. The viewer is also given a healthy dose of hope and compassion for the visually impaired, their four-legged companions and the human-race. Here, seventy years after the Holocaust, Israeli Jews returned who are visually impaired returned to former sites of mass murder, with their gentle guide dogs whose entire life is dedicated to helping -- not harming -- their owners and others. What a wonderful site!

We are left with the understanding that blindness does not stop someone from wanting and deserving to be a completely equal member of society, participating in experiences that one might have thought not possible. We comprehend that participants, like any other participant on the March, witnessed and learned as much, if not more, than the fully sighted people who go on the same pilgrimage to Poland. Essentially, we learn that is not just with one's eyes.

Blind Love is being shown at the Edmonton Jewish Film Festival (Monday, May 23rd), in Ottawa in the fall, as well as on Israel TV. Currently the film is being show on CBC's Doc Channel. It has already been shown in Victoria at a special screening and in Toronto as part of a Toronto Jewish Film Festival event. Eli Rubenstein, the Director of the film Blind Love: has been National Director of March of the Living Canada since 1989. This is the first documentary he has directed.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The health of Canada's indigenous people lags substantially behind other Canadians -- and the tragic reality is well documented. Sadly, the data regarding poor health status for indigenous populations shows us this is true across all major illnesses and across all age groups.

In other words, being an indigenous person in Canada is too often a dangerous reality. But it doesn't have to be this way.

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First, let's look at the evidence. Infectious diseases remain a major source of illness among indigenous populations. Tuberculosis is epidemic in many communities. Seasonal respiratory viruses are a common cause of serious illness and death among babies and youth.

Chronic illness, like diabetes, is rampant, and too often escalates in a need for dialysis and limb amputation. Mental health issues and suicide outbreaks have been recently in the news in communities like Attawapiskat and Pimicikamak, but they aren't unique -- such crises happen far too often in indigenous communities throughout the country.

These phenomena are also not new, and while Canada has been good at documenting health crises, and collecting evidence, we've been poor at doing anything about it.

Canada has too often dealt in colonial terms with indigenous peoples, undervaluing, oppressing and discriminating against them -- leaving deep scars.

What we know is that much of the serious health issues in indigenous populations is related to what researchers like to call "the social determinants of health" -- low levels of employment, crowded living conditions and limited access to quality education. Indigenous health is also impacted by environmental factors and underperforming health and social services.

So who is responsible and what can be done?

The federal government provides services like health and education to Canada's indigenous peoples following its constitutional responsibility and a series of treaties and acts. The recent Supreme Court ruling (Daniels vs Canada) has confirmed that this responsibility now includes Metis people and so-called "non-status Indians" too.

Our collective relationship with indigenous peoples has been a strained and somewhat sordid interaction. Canada has too often dealt in colonial terms with indigenous peoples, undervaluing, oppressing and discriminating against them -- leaving deep scars. More recently, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has described a shameful era of government intent and church-sponsored support for what has now, and in our view accurately, been described as cultural genocide.

The future, however, could -- and should -- be a promising one. The demographic of indigenous peoples is young in relation to the rest of Canada. And indigenous young people are increasing and achieving higher levels of education. They also have high expectations of joining growing, committed, and increasing politically astute and (critically effective) communities.

Canada should not waste the potential of indigenous youth by repeating mistakes of the past.

Health care is constitutionally a provincial responsibility. In the last 15 years, the shared involvement of two levels of government in health policy have been in part defined by two Health Accords (2003, 2004) focused on mutually agreeable priority areas, such as primary care, mental health, wait times and home care. The new Liberal government has signalled an interest in a new set of discussions regarding a future accord.

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Indigenous health should be our shared provincial-federal priority going forward.

Any new accord should do two things. First, a substantive fiscal transfer from the federal government to the provinces is required to focus on health care access, primary care, mental health and chronic disease management in indigenous populations.

The federal government and the provinces need to make indigenous health an urgent priority.

Ten years ago, the Kelowna Accord committed $5.1 billion of new federal investments in social development, including $1.3 billion just for health care. As we know, the Accord was never implemented, thereby making the gap even wider and the situation more desperate. We suggest that the Kelowna financial framework should be urgently updated and translated into concrete initiatives in support of indigenous social and health policies.

Secondly, uncertainty over the responsibility for indigenous health needs to end. All levels of government need to agree on objectives and goals, but the transfer of program control should be given directly to indigenous authorities.

This can be accomplished through the establishment of 'indigenous health authorities.' Several successful models already exist around the world and in Canada. In British Columbia, for example, the First Nation Health Authority is in its early stages, but it is a step in the right direction despite a limited mandate that doesn't address all health and social needs.

The federal government and the provinces need to make indigenous health an urgent priority. It would be a prudent investment in everyone's future Canada. Time is up.

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The Wind Energy Institute on Prince Edward Island's North Cape.

Long before you get to the North Cape of Prince Edward Island, you see them on the horizon. Wind turbines, spinning in tandem, go from the size of your pinky to towering edifices as you get closer to Seacow Pond along highway 12.

Just beyond the road, freshly-launched boats of all sizes tug against the ropes securing them to the wooden docks. All around, fishers inspect their motley boats and traps in preparation for impending lobster season.

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We are on our way to the Wind Energy Institute of Canada on the northwest tip of, what the locals call, "the Island."

As we reach the termination of Highway 12, the red rocky beaches of the North Cape surround me on three sides. There is a lighthouse and wind turbines of every shape and size. Here, the PEI Energy Corporation operates a 13.6 megawatt wind farm while the Wind Energy Institute has its own 10 megawatt wind farm in addition to an assortment of wind turbines small and large undergoing various tests.

Today nearly 147,000 people make their home in this lush agricultural maritime province. Often called the Cradle of Confederation, the seeds of our nation having been sewn here in 1864 at the Charlottetown Conference.

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The economy of PEI is fueled by agriculture, tourism and the fishery. Also, the province just happens to have the highest level of wind power integration in North America.

The Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICan) evolved out of "The Atlantic Wind Test Site, which was founded on North Cape in 1981. Scott Harper, the CEO of WEICan, meets me outside the institute.

"Its location was its prime focus," says Harper. "There's a very strong, solid wind regime with 300 degrees of exposure to the ocean, which made it an ideal test ground for turbines of various stages,"

Wind farm a working lab

With research money drying up, the institute rebranded as WEICan in 2005 and in 2008 decided to christen their own 10 megawatt wind farm as a living lab and innovative means of generating 85 per cent of their revenue.

Today they foster relationships with 10 universities, work as consultants with industry, and are recognized as experts in wind energy integration.

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"With Prince Edward Island being a fairly small province, we can put 10 megawatts of wind in, which in Ontario or Alberta would be a very, very small part of the system," says Harper. "We're actually relevant here, it's a major portion of our generation."

"The other thing that's interesting about PEI is, with the exception of some diesel that's there for peaking and back up, the energy that's produced here is the only on-island generation," says Harper. "We rely on connection to the mainland for the remainder of our electricity. So as we see our penetration over the last few years has gone from one or two per cent to 26 per cent, and we believe will be 30 per cent this year."

With an average wind speed of nearly 9 metres per second, the North Cape is pretty much the ideal location for the institute and their wind farm.

"Our turbines have a 93-metre rotor with a two megawatt generator. Our capacity factor last year was around 51 per cent, which is quite high."

Walking the talk - wind powers the institute and PEI

Capacity factor is geek speak for the percentage of electricity produced by a wind turbine, compared to its rated capacity An average of 51 per cent capacity factor is considered among the best in Canada. During the winter, PEI's wind resource is even stronger.

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"This past January we had a very solid month," says Harper. "It seemed the wind blew every day, our capacity factor just tipped over 69 per cent."

Two years ago the institute installed a two megawatt battery storage system to learn more about how energy storage can help integrate renewable energy.

Harper says they have used the batteries to help provide power for their own use when the wind isn't blowing. They're testing energy storage for time shifting, demand and energy avoidance, diesel displacement and frequency regulation.

"We are seeing some value coming to us for these means now. I wish I could say it was paying for the battery fully, it isn't," says Harper.

He says the batteries are helping the institute work with partners to examine different uses of battery storage to determine the value the services provide.

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The Wind Energy Institute does consulting work, undertakes research and even has the expertise to certify wind turbines. But, like many involved with renewable energy, Harper and his team know that wind isn't the answer to every energy problem.

PEI has only had about 67 solar systems installed since 2008, but Harper wonders if solar can compliment wind power: "Solar is likely to be generating at those peak times of the day when the sun's still out and energy use is high," says Harper who explained that wind tends to be stronger in winter and at night while solar is stronger in the summer and during the day.

PEI is now developing a new energy strategy. It looks like the province will invest in two new undersea cables to New Brunswick to assure they have a reliable supply from off-island.

There are some who say PEI is tapped out on it's renewable energy, but after speaking to the energy minister, the CEO of the PEI Energy Corporation, Summerside's utility manager and Scott Harper of the institute it seems pretty clear PEI is determined to do more.
Mathieu Belanger / Reuters Parti Quebecois leader Pierre Karl Peladeau speaks after being elected during a ceremony at the convention center in Quebec City, May 15, 2015. Canadian media mogul Peladeau was chosen to head the separatist Parti Quebecois on Friday, following an often fractious leadership race over the accommodation of religious minorities and how to take the French-language province out of Canada. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger

With the recent resignation of Pierre Karl (PK) Peladeau, another nail has been added to the coffin of the Parti Quebecois and the struggle for a independent Quebec.

Without too much of a historical deep-dive, the modern Separatist movement was incubated by the autocratic reign of Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis. Lasting from the 1920s to the late 1950s, the Duplessis era can be overwhelmingly characterised by the grande noirceur (or great darkness) that blanketed the province. During this period, Quebec was a principally confessional state where the church reigned supreme in most matters spiritual and temporal. "Popish" moral imperialism was rampant and social mobility was near impossible.

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As is often the case in times of oppression, many leading lights came out of this period -- both separatist and federalist -- and the Church educated a great many of them at Jesuit-run colleges throughout the Province. However, the stage was being set for a cultural uprising.

Many of the early disciples of Separatism -- including Rene Levesque -- were forged in the crucible of the Duplessis era and subsequent leaders including Lucien Bouchard were reactions to its pernicious nature. Whether you count yourself as a Sovereigntist, Separatist, or Federalist -- or avoid these labels entirely -- there is a certain rosy hue of admiration through which one can look at these iconic figures. Say what you will about their politics, these men (and women) had gumption. However, it should be noted that Bouchard has since eschewed his separatist absolutism.

Enter PK Peladeau, rising to power on the coattails of the foundering leadership of Pauline Marois. Whatever tendrils of separatist legitimacy Pauline Marois clung to, Peladeau had none of this and no tint of history will paint him as a champion of social democracy, equality of opportunity or in the same light as his predecessors. While a competent enough politician, Pauline Marois was already fighting a much larger ideological battle before the appearance of the arguably arriviste Peladeau.

With each passing year, the revolutionary, separatist ideologies of the 1960s and 1970s fade into obscurity as a new Quebec emerges.

The crux of that battle is this: Quebecers no longer overwhelmingly support becoming a sovereign and independent nation. Over the few past decades, the Federal government (rightly or wrongly) has created a new and unique identity for Quebec. This new political and cultural reality has granted more autonomy to the Province than any other -- even going so far as to recognize Quebec and Quebecers as a distinct society.

Quebec has arrived on the world stage, essentially leads its own foreign policy and in many ways acts as a sovereign nation -- without the pesky requirement of raising an army for defense and the definite perk of federal equalization payments. Fait accompli, some might say.

Rhetoric around PK ("privileged, "billionaire," "overwhelmingly pro-business") aside, it's hard to imagine a world in which he could have ever served as a beacon of Separatism. Perhaps M. Peladeau has come to this realization himself, though one can only wish a man well for a valiant (if misguided) effort in the face of an insurmountable challenge.

With each passing year, the revolutionary, separatist ideologies of the 1960s and 1970s fade into obscurity as a new Quebec emerges. This new Quebec is united by its differences and is facing the 21st century as a cosmopolitan, multi-lingual international actor. While rural life remains rooted in traditional values, in my opinion it is next to impossible to argue that a Quebec independent of Canada would be more economically, culturally or linguistically free.

In speaking of the Separatist movement itself, the fact that its most ardent militants have retired on pensions that would have made their younger selves fume is fairly indicative of its demise. At this point, I believe that only one questions remains. Just how many more nails can this coffin take?

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The main thesis of Phil Gurski's book The Threat From Within suggests that there is no root cause of radicalization amongst youth in the West. Based on years of experience in Canadian intelligence, he cautions against over-simplification and highlights a dozen indicators as markers of extremism. As such, the solutions he posits are also multi-faceted.

Gurski suggests that the profile of a radicalized person cannot be generalized. Through case studies of home-grown terrorism in the West, he shows how the radicalized include "men and women, immigrants and native-born, converts and born Muslims, married and single, highly educated and high-school dropouts, people on social assistance and those with high-paying jobs."

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Gurski's thesis vindicates Muslim converts who feel they have been unfairly stigmatized, as recent high-profile terrorism cases have comprised of converts. Likewise, his thesis resists blaming mental illness, poverty, alienation, sexual frustration and lack of job opportunities as factors causing radicalization. Indeed, he showcases how highly intelligent people with fluent English and high-paying jobs have been complicit in home-grown terrorism.

Based on this analysis, generally those with a simplistic and fearful orientation would blame Islam for terrorism. However, Gurski cautions against such anti-Muslim bigotry. He writes:

"Muslims around the world have been criticized for "not doing enough" ... this criticism is unfair and unfounded. Community leaders have frequently and continuously raised their objections to and otherwise outright rejected terrorism. As some have pointed out, including the Counter Terrorism Center at West Point in the United States, all the Al Qaeda groups combined have killed many more Muslims than they have kuffar" (disbelievers).

This does not mean that a particular Islamist narrative can be discounted. Gurski paraphrases that "there are three things necessary ... for radicalization to violence: narrative, narrative and narrative." Muslim scholar Javed Ahmad Ghamidi has also identified a bastardized religious ideology among the causes of Muslim terrorism and has emphatically argued for the proliferation of a counter-narrative.

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However, Gurski cautions about the limits of counter religious arguments as extremists often flout the authority of Muslim Imams and elders. The arrogance of extremists stems from their exclusivism as they reject "different interpretations of Islam."

Gurski's analysis on radicalization includes factors that have been observed by rational members of the Pakistani society, which reels from decades of indoctrination since the military rule of the 1980s. These factors include "perceived oppression of Muslims, a rejection of life in the West [and] a fascination with foreign conflict," often seen through the lens of conspiracy theories.

Muslim extremism will have to be destroyed by Muslims, just as it is only Christians who can effectively counter Christian fundamentalism and Jews who can thwart Jewish extremism.

Since Gurski rejects a single cause behind radicalization, he offers multiple solutions, which include building trust through community outreach by law enforcement agencies. He also delves into the drawbacks of revocations of passports and cancellation of citizenship. However, he is interested in "developing a series of stories without trying to deconstruct what the extremists are saying." This necessitates the importance of positive and progressive Muslim role models.

Given Gurski's powerful analysis, Muslim extremism will have to be destroyed by Muslims, just as it is only Christians who can effectively counter Christian fundamentalism and Jews who can thwart Jewish extremism.

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Fortunately, there exist community-driven campaigns to isolate extremists by various Imams and young Muslims. Media campaigns that expose the lies, hypocrisy and zulm (oppression) of extremists may also be useful. This is especially true when extremists highlight the plight of Muslim women and children but then enslave non-Muslim women and children.

Canada's strength does not lie in its military might but rather in its diversity. Indeed, with many diverse opinions and healthy debates, extremist voices get drowned out. This means that instead of meddling in foreign countries, which often creates the conditions for radicalization and feeds the narrative of colonialism and oppression, it is much more important to nurture diversity at home. Indeed, military expeditions may kill extremists but do not destroy extremism.

The same is true for Islam. Competing Islamic narratives should have the power to marginalize supremacist streaks employed by exclusivists and violent extremists alike. This necessitates modeling mainstream Muslim spaces that are gender-equal, LGBT-affirming and religiously plural to include Shias, Ismailis, Bohras and Ahmadis, amongst others.

In practice this means inter- and intra-faith marriages and joint celebration of religious festivals. It is also important to invest in humanities and the fine arts as they allow for multiple interpretations. Indeed, both exclusivists and extremists, who share their ideology, reject all of this as "Western" imports. The fact that many exclusivists attacked the Study Qur'an for its perennialism is a grim reminder of this reality.

Nevertheless, when such spaces are affirmed, Muslims will be able to draw upon the diverse wisdom of Islam and thwart the potential of cognitive dissonance that arises due to a conflict between the dictates of a frozen faith and contemporary society. Indeed, Muslim youth deserve to be nurtured in a truly pluralist society instead of being segregated through false exclusivist religious narratives.

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When Muslims are able to have true intra-faith harmony, as minority Muslim denominations face the brunt of extremism, they will drastically limit jihad like the Ahmadis. They will be able to effectively destroy extremism and just as there are no Ahmadi and Ismaili youth involved in terrorism, the same will hold true for Sunnis as well.

In essence, combating extremism necessitates defining the ummah (community) as not exclusive to Muslims, but one that includes Jews, Christians, atheists, pagans, and any and all sentient beings. As the Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi says, "No religion is higher than humanity."

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It probably never crossed Richard Dawkins's mind that his book, The God Delusion, would reach out to Arab audiences in their own language. When I met him in Switzerland at Denkfest, organized by the Swiss Freethinker's Association, he was surprised when I said I had read The God Delusion in Arabic. He told me that he was not aware of the translation, and nor had he had any official request for it. I explained that it had been the work of an Iraqi friend called Bassam Al-Baghdadi, who lives in Sweden.

To say that Bassam's work has been well received would be an understatement. The pdf was downloaded ten million times, with 30 per cent going to Saudi Arabia. Bassam said that there were over 1,000 downloads on the very first day after he uploaded it, and the numbers only climbed as the translation was picked up and shared on the blogs, websites and forums of prominent Arab atheists.

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The book has prompted unprecedented controversy and debate in the Arab and Islamic worlds. The translator received death threats and accusations of conspiring with the Zionists to corrupt the youth. He was forced to close his social media accounts and stop posting for a while. Futile attempts have been made to resist the waves of reason now reaching Arab shores, through toothless apologetic articles and books. There is even a book called The Atheism Delusion, published by Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

In the Arabic translation of The God Delusion, under the title, Bassam added the words: "This book is banned in Islamic countries." It is fortunate and wonderful that the banning of books in the Arab and Islamic worlds is no longer feasible in our new age of information. I was able to read the book while I was still in Morocco, where I was born. Some atheist friends even managed to get hold of the book in Saudi Arabia. The dark times of censorship, in which knowledge for the people was confined to carefully curated books and resources, are gone and will never return.

Reading The God Delusion made me uneasy at the start.

By chance, I had come across Richard Dawkins's works years earlier, when I happened to stumble upon an official French translation of The Selfish Gene, in the library of my uncle, who was very interested in biology. I knew nothing of the author's background at the time, nor did I understand very precisely the theme of the book. My uncle wasn't there to explain it to me, so I took the book with me to my biology class and asked my teacher for clarification on certain aspects. He seized it from me, looking almost afraid, and shouted: "Don't bring this filth here again! It is just bullshit!"

Did my teacher really believe the book was that bad? Or was there another reason for his reaction? Perhaps he was afraid. I know there are atheist professors in Morocco who are compelled to pretend to be Muslim in front of their students. But I doubt this was the case here, because I think his reaction would probably have been calmer and more poised.

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In spite of this early chance encounter, my respect and admiration for Richard Dawkins really date from when I first read The God Delusion, in Arabic. I began to seek out his articles, and his documentaries on YouTube. Reading The God Delusion made me uneasy at the start. Even though I was by then already a freethinker, free from religious dogma, the book touched me deeply and had a profound influence on the shaping of my thoughts and ideas. The more I read the more I felt that I had a deep agreement with the author, and even a personal connection, as though the book had been written by somebody I knew closely. I felt as if he was speaking my inner thoughts and doubts.

I also remember how strongly The God Delusion provokes you to think, shattering misconceptions and flawed but long-cherished arguments. It was an important milestone in my intellectual journey to freedom, and as big a milestone in my personal life.

I come from a conservative religious family. When I was a child my father took me out of school for a year so I could study Islamic jurisprudence and memorize the Qur'an, in accordance with the wishes of my grandfather who wanted me to be an Imam. Paradoxically, this intensive study of my faith was one of the biggest contributing factors to my abandonment of it.

I read The God Delusion when I was in high school. The name Richard Dawkins, along with those of other great thinkers, became synonymous to me with rationality and freedom of thought. I admired the concepts of free thought and expression, concepts that Western writers and their readers take for granted but which are taboos and even crimes in the world I came from. Even today, long after leaving the Arab world behind, the name Richard Dawkins brings the same feeling of compulsive fear, almost like a post-traumatic stress disorder.

Those who have never lived under such circumstances may find it difficult to understand or appreciate that feeling. Try to imagine reading a forbidden book in secret and then going out into the street or sipping tea with your family with a lurking, lingering fear that the criminal things you've been reading will somehow bubble out on their own, exposing your viciousness and treachery to everybody. Imagine the guilt of having such thoughts among people who would think you evil or even dangerous if they knew.

Eventually I could not keep my "criminal" thoughts to myself any longer, and I paid the price for my honesty and my love for freedom. That's why I'm writing these words not from Morocco, but from Switzerland. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Richard Dawkins, and to others who guided my journey from the hells of religious dogma to the oasis of free thought and enlightenment.

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This blog was originally posted in The Richard Dawkins Foundation
With love of photography via Getty Images Cute beautiful newborn baby girl on a pink blanket inbeautiful tiny dress and a pink flower hairband looking at camera interested

Whenever I tell someone new that I had my first daughter (Isabella) while we were living in the U.S., I'm usually asked how I could have survived with little to no maternity leave.

My response almost always shocks them: "A hell of a lot better than in Canada."

The very first time I blurted out the answer, I felt unpatriotic. I'm a born and bred Canadian and by the time my second daughter (Elia) was born less than two years after Isabella we had resettled in our hometown.

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Plus, how in the world could I favour a country that doesn't actually recognize maternity leave. Yes, the U.S. offers 12 weeks unpaid leave under its federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for a number of medical reasons, one of which is birthing a baby or caring for a newborn. But, I just can't classify that as maternity or parental leave in its truest sense.

Despite the inner conflict, I stood by my statement and still do.

It comes down to the exceptional community of working mothers that surrounded me during my first pregnancy.

Now, before I go any further, let me very clearly say that I was a woman of exceptional privilege when compared to most expecting and new mamas in the U.S.. I worked for a progressive company that offered incredible benefits. Among others, I received two weeks paid parental leave followed by six months' job protection during which a percentage of my salary was paid. In 2009, such policies in the U.S. were near non-existent.

So, what made my experience that much better in the U.S.? It comes down to the exceptional community of working mothers that surrounded me during my first pregnancy.

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I had exceptional working mom role models

By the time I hit my early 30s I was coming to terms with the idea of being child-free. Babies and kids just didn't fit with my career-conscious mentality. That all changed when I got to work alongside and socialize with so many incredible women.

Some were childless, others child free, but so many were working mothers. And, all of them were killing it at work.

I'd watch them easily transition from an affectionate story about what their kid said the previous night to commanding a meeting room of mostly men in navy suits. They openly left the office at 4:15 only to take a conference call on the train at 4:30 so they could pick up their kids on time. And, I watched them progress in their careers, taking on exciting and challenging projects before earning their next promotion.

I was curious at how they handled it all, so I asked a lot of questions. They never let on that it was easy. They openly spoke about the discrimination they faced, the support they had at home and the struggles in their daily juggle. Despite all that, they made it seem possible.

I was given a license to stay ambitious

After I announced my first pregnancy at work, the head of my business took me aside and said these words to me: "I know you're pregnant and I want to be sure you stay healthy, but unless you tell me otherwise, I will not lower the bar for you."

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Remembering that conversation and the intensity in her eyes still brings me to tears. Her words washed away so many of the fears that had overtaken me since seeing the double stripe on the pregnancy stick.

I was part of a community of working moms

I returned to my job when Isabella was 20 weeks old. It wasn't easy to leave her, but I was ready to get back to work. In the weeks thereafter, I felt a great sense of belonging.

In the elevator or on my way to the mother's room to pump, working mamas would welcome me back, ask how I was doing, and offer a tip or two on what worked for them. For a new mama trying to figure it all out, the unsolicited advice was priceless.

All this to say, these women provided me with the solid footing I needed to start my family. And, when I did, they made me feel normal that my desire to be a mom didn't diminish my desire to keep on my career track.

I returned to Canada when I was three months pregnant with Elia. I assumed in Canada, with all of its progressive policies, that my experience would only be better. It just wasn't. My growing belly had most people at work, in my social sphere, and even, in the office elevator question my ambition.

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Most of the time I felt isolated, lost and full of guilt. Worse than that, the idea that something was wrong with me -- because, you know, good mothers don't want to pursue careers -- began to seep into my subconscious.

Four years later, my ambitious flame has rekindled and I now see it as my responsibility to pay it forward. I'm dedicated to sharing my experiences, insights and the lessons I've learned along the way, so new mamas have the solid footing they need to mingle their career success with all the love and fun their families provide to make one big crazy good life.

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tonymelony via Getty Images Malware, virus, ransomware, Red Skull laying on hex data.

Ransomware is one of the fastest growing areas of cyber crime. The intended target is often small and medium sized businesses, because they have fewer resources compared with larger organizations. Historically, the root word ransom refers to a criminal demanding a payment in exchange for releasing someone or something that has been taken.

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Ransomware is defined as malware or malicious software, designed to take control of computer system. The attacker kidnaps or encrypts the victim's data and demands payment in exchange for a key that decrypts or makes the data visible again. Typically, ransomware spreads through email attachments, infected software programs and compromised websites.

On March 31, 2016, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) issued a statement to address the growing number cases with ransomware.

It is difficult to know the exact number of ransomware incidents because victim organizations often don't report a breach. According to the 2015 article in the Wall Street Journal, about 30% of ransomware victims pay to regain their data, estimates Tom Kellermann, chief cyber security officer for Trend Micro Inc."

In one case, a small Houston company, Advantage Benefits Solutions experienced a ransomware attack on a single computer. This quickly spread to the server and backup system. A ransom note appeared on the infected computer's screens saying:

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"Pay $400 within 72 hours to unlock the data."

The company initially decided to not pay and wanted to regain access to their files. The small business was advised by their IT provider to pay the $400 because the alternative was to spend 'thousands of hours' to break the encryption code.

In a higher profile case in February 2016, a Los Angeles hospital paid $17,000 after it was hit by a ransomware attack, as reported in the Guardian newspaper. According the president and CEO of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, the hospital lost all access to its computer systems. The quickest way to restore their systems and administrative functions, including access to patient files, was to pay the ransom.

I was recently interviewed by Global News about the risk of ransomware to governments. Governments and larger organizations with more resources and IT expertise have options such as capability break encryptions. They are usually better equipped to with frequent and reliable backups that allow the company to rollback to an earlier backup of files, prior to the hacking incident. Smaller organizations mistakenly assume they will not be targeted. Hackers know smaller organizations are more vulnerable and more likely to pay.

Marc Goodman in his book, Future Crimes offers 5 best practices that organizations - large and small - can follow to protect against ransomware.

1. Back up your information frequently.

You can backup your data to an external hard drive or use a cloud provider service. Both options are recommended. If your physical location experiences a natural disaster, fire or theft, it is ideal to have a physical device backup stored at a different location. Use built-in operating backup tools that come with your operating system to do backups. If using a cloud backup service, encrypt data before uploading for an added layer of protection.

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2. Perform regular software and security updates

All software comes with bugs and vulnerabilities. The vendors who create a software issue software and security updates for your operating systems, computer programs and apps. Some of the more common applications used by criminals are browsers, plug-ins, media players, Flash and Adobe Acrobat. Keep automatic updates turned on for computers and mobile devices to minimize a breach.

3. Use good judgment with email and web browsing

Banking or shopping online should only be done from a computer or device that is on a network that you trust. Never use a public computer or an Internet cafe with free WIFI for sensitive website browsing.

Be careful about clicking on a link or opening an attachment, even if it looks like it came from someone you know. Get inot the habit of reviewing email message headers for fake emails. Criminals use generic names like "First Generic Bank Customer" to avoid the time it takes to send customized emails. Also, the sender may look authentic with the same font, color and logo of a company you recognize. However, upon closer inspection, for example, you may notice www.ciitibank (two i's is fake) instead of www.citibank.com. You may observe bankofamerica.accountupdates. com is fake (accountupdates.com is the real website operated by criminals). When in doubt, do not click on a suspicious message.

4 Use complex passwords

Passwords should be long and contain a mix of upper case, lower case and symbols. Each site or account should have a different password. According to Instant Checkmate, it is reported nearly three out of four people use the same password for more than one site, while more than three out of five smartphones users do not use a passcode to protect their device. One third of people use the same password for every website with weak passwords like '12345.'

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5. Get a password manager

Get a password manager. A password manager remembers dozens or hundreds of passwords you use, so you don't have to. In recent years, they have added features that enhance security and further protect customers. The most popular password managers are 1Password, DashLane, LastPass, RoboForm, StickyPassword and LogMeOnce, which charge a monthly or annual subscription fee.

What is the best way you can protect yourself? Perhaps, the best decision is to use a password manager regularly. Password management software works across platforms on any computer and any device. The main purpose of a password manager is to remember the dozens or hundreds of passwords you use, so you don't have to. In recent years, they have added features that enhance security and further protect customers.
sldesign78 via Getty Images Canadian and Pakistan flags. Vector illustration.

Some Toronto-based Ethnic Urdu newspapers and some Pakistani-Canadian community leaders on social media are urging Punjabi Pakistani-Canadians particularly to not mention Punjabi as their mother tongue in Census Canada 2016.

Another example of such an opinion is on Facebook, where a Pakistani Canadian wrote, "I request all Pakistani and Indian Muslims (no matter what regional language they do speak) should write Urdu as their mother tongue so that government can count total number of Pakistani and Indian Muslims living in Canada. I further urge Pakistani Christians to write their language too as Urdu in order to show solidarity with other Pakistanis."

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On the same page, a commentator responded to the above posting, "The idea of a census to gather facts. Encouraging people to write something that is not true defeats the purpose of the census. If your mother tongue is not Urdu then please do not write Urdu. To do so is not helpful."

Another very active Pakistani Canadian wrote on Facebook, "Please put your language as Urdu,

Other words like "Punjabi" are very much deceiving for you, It benefit others but not you"

One can clearly find bigotry, betrayal and false facts imposition in above statements.

Urdu is neither a major language of Pakistani Muslims nor Indian Muslims.

On the other hand, Canada's statistics website suggests the following punishment and offences on reporting wrongly, "for every refusal or neglect, or false answer or deception, guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to both"

Apart from this legal debate, let's analyze the insecurities of Pakistani-Canadians in terms of not recognizing Punjabi as mother tongue of Punjabi Pakistani Canadians: First, they don't want to count themselves with Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus. Secondly, they declare Urdu as their Muslim language.

Both assumptions are based on false historic facts.

Urdu was and is one of the prominent languages of India. Urdu is neither a major language of Pakistani Muslims nor Indian Muslims. Bengali, Punjabi, Gujrati, Marathi and Malayalam are major languages of Sub-continent Muslims. Urdu was imported to then newly born country Pakistan through Urdu speaking migrated Muslims of UP and Delhi states of India mainly.

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Otherwise, Bengali, Punjabi, Sindhi and Pashtu were major languages of 1947's Pakistan.

The state of Pakistan soon declared Urdu as state (national) language due to Urdu-speaking elite bureaucracy.

But Bengali majority Muslims refused to accept Urdu as their national language, eventually that led to breakdown of Pakistan in 1971.

However, the elites of Punjabis, second large Pakistani community neglected their heritage and imposed Urdu on themselves to take charge of vested interests in the name of Pakistani patriotism.

Unfortunately, this Urdu-Punjabi Muslim complex resulted killing of Bengali students in Dhaka who were asking recognition of their mother tongue in a rally in Dhaka on February 21, 1952. United Nations has now declared that day as International Mother Tongue Day.

As in 21st century, all civilized nations have understood the respect of Mother Tongues but some Pakistani-Canadian groups in Canada are urging Pakistanis to lie about their mothers and her language heritage in Canada Census 2016. Absolutely, it's a shame.

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Why are they so insecure?

They argue that by writing Punjabis as their mother tongue, Pakistani Canadians would lose their real count. That's not the fact.

In Canada Census 2016, there is a question 16 in Step E: "Where was this person born?" Answering "Pakistan" would be sufficient enough to determine correct numbers of Canadians of Pakistani origin. So there is no need to lie about Mother Language from Punjabi to Urdu.

So Pakistani Canadian can certainly avoid identity crises paranoia and falsehood one nation obsession in 2016 Census.

We Canadians, Pakistanis, Indians and rest on this planet make nationhood by carrying so many identities and languages simultaneously.
The five things you need to know on Monday May 9, 2016

1) JEZ WE KHAN'T

Jeremy Corbyn is set to address the PLP tonight and after last weeks elections it will be a real chance for both him and his critics to take the temperature of the Parliamentary party.

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Corbyn wants to try to heal the divisions and will no doubt stick to the narrative that the council results were in fact not the disaster many had predicted. The final tally for all seats came in yesterday and it was this: Con -48, Lab -18, LD +45, UKIP +25. The Local Govt Information Unit think tank says thats effectively a no change election given thousands of seats up for grabs. it goes further, saying local councils have come to the rescue of both the two main parties (by doing a good job in the face of Government cuts).

Corbyn may want to ram home Labours success in Bristol, where it not only won the mayoralty but yesterday had the seat needed to run the council. But many MPs think last week was just not good enough, with no progress in taking Tory councils and no answer to the UKIP rise.

Sadiq Khans election has given the moderates the alternative power base they hoped for and the Mayor is certainly using it to warn Corbyn of the need to reach out to non-Labour voters and business. This is the central problem that even some around Corbyn accept needs much more work: just what is the pitch to ensure Labour-Tory switchers?

Speaking of which, we have got some new focus group research among Nuneaton voters which makes grim reading for Jez. The good news is voters dont like the Tories, and think Osborne is slimy. The bad news is many think Corbyn is 'scruffy' and not leadership material. As for the PLP, men blame the splits on JC, but women seem to blame the MPs for the divisions. One focus grouper said Its just a shambles.. how can you vote for someone to run the country when they cant even sit in the room together?

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As for sitting in the same room, those Jez-We-Khant tensions are obvious. While the leader travelled 120 miles to Bristol for a victory photocall with Marvin Rees, no such event could be sorted a mere 3 miles from Corbyns home to Londons City Hall. Khan yesterday told Marr I think we are seeing each other tomorrow. That sounded more like a brush-by in Portcullis House than an actual victory parade. Theres even talk that the first time Khan and Corbyn may meet is actually at the PLP, where the Mayor will get a heros welcome as his leader looks on. That would certainly be provocative, if so.

John McDonnells Westminster Hour interview last night had a lovely ice-cream van jingle in the background. And the Shadow Chancellor was offering 99s with double flakes all round, even to Jezzas critics, suggesting they should all get shadow jobs. Still, he reprimanded Caroline Flint for misquoting him on the local elections. McDonnell also ruled out himself running for the leadership..

As it happens, Ken Livingstone looks like hes on the BBC Radio London Vanessa Feltz show. You know, the one where he last talked about Hitler and the Jews and got himself suspended

2) CHURCHILL? OH YES

No.10 has got what it wanted today: wall to wall coverage on the BBC and on front pages of the PMs warning that Brexit could lead to war in Europe. OK, David Cameron didnt explicitly put it like that (his speech was cannily done early) but he came close enough, and wont be upset with the blood-curdling headlines.

This is in part an attempt to target older voters (just as they were targeted in the final days of the Scottish referendum campaign), and several World War 2 veterans have backed him. Just how successful this tactic will be is unclear, however. Pensioners can actually remember what life was like before the UK was in the EU - and many of them seem unenthusiastic about its benefits. Younger voters have nothing to compare the current deal with, so are more likely to worry.

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As it happens, as extreme as the warning is, the domino/contagion effect of Brexit is one of the things that really does worry other European capitals, as well as Washington. The ultimate break-up of the EU could indeed lead to a return to cross-border tensions, territorial and trade disputes.

As with most of the Project Fear attacks, the Brexiteers can easily respond: well if leaving the EU is so dangerous, why on earth would a PM hold a referendum at all? Particularly as his first duty is to keep the nation safe. Cameron invoked Churchill, but Vote Leave point out Churchill never wanted to be part of a United States of Europe.

Downing Street thinks it has pretty much won the economic argument but knows that migration and security is one of the Brexit camps best cards. Gove told Marr that the open borders policy like hanging out a welcome sign for the terrorists, a bit like ex-MI6 chief Richard Dearlove has warned.

Yesterdays ex-MI6 and ex-MI5 warnings about Brexit were pretty effectively rebutted by Michael Howard too. He pointed out the US has no legal framework for intelligence sharing with the UK yet still functions effectively. But as with the economic case, the Brexiters have to at some point admit there would be uncertainty during the long period of sorting out new arrangements.

3) PESTO ALLA GIORGIO

George Osbornes appearance on the new Peston on Sunday (and what a refreshing watch that was) had lots of news lines, not least the way he grabbed with relish Gove finally admitting that he did not want the UK to be part of the EU single market.

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The FT has splashed its front page with the story, as until now no leading Brexiteer has coughed on this key issue. Gove, like Dom Cummings, rejects the Norway/EEA model. The Chancellor was withering, referring to Gove as a mere campaigner: We've just had the Leave campaign admit we'd leave the single market. That would be catastrophic.

Osborne also warned that house prices will fall under Brexit. And for good measure, he also joked that the UK would work with the next US President whoever she may be. That was an echo of Obamas White House correspondents dinner gag - but it was striking nonetheless.

But it was his words about the Tory leadership that were perhaps most intriguing. Normally Osborne ducks this whole question, yet here he was, sans tie, giving a strong hint that he was very much interested.

And the killer line was his warning that the next Tory leader had to be someone who had sober, serious, principled answers to the big problems the country faces. Yep, that was a less than veiled attack on Boris. The perception that Boriss Brexit decision has defined him as unprincipled is certainly common among some of his former pro-EU backers. Boris is perceived by some MPs to have had a poor war so far on the EU referendum. Some even say his support among MPs is currently nowhere near enough to get on a leadership ballot. Lets see.

Chuka Umunna has blogged for us on why ethnic minority voters want to stay in the EU.

Meanwhile, Matthew Elliott from Vote Leave finally appears before the Treasury Select Committee at 2.30pm. Expect a bit of needle.

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BECAUSE YOUVE READ THIS FAR

Watch Mark Rylance at the BAFTAs declare woe to any Government that tries to undermine the BBC or Channel 4

4) WEEKEND DEFECT

Theres a glimmer of hope of an end to the long-running dispute between junior doctors and the Government, with talks at ACAS starting today.

Yet some of the more militant doctors may seize on the new Oxford University research declaring there is no evidence of a weekend effect on death rates. It points out that stroke data relied on by the Government was deeply flawed because patients were admitted for low risk operations from Monday to Friday.

Prof Peter Rothwell says: If you look at those studies that have actually done the due diligence and looked at real data - gold standard data - there's very little evidence indeed of a weekend effect. It really is an excellent example of how poor quality data, badly interpreted, can lead to the wrong answer.

He says Jeremy Hunt and David Cameron had acted in good faith but had been "badly misled" by their advisers. "Looking at where we are now, you could only describe it as a shambles," he said. Ouch.

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As it happens, Jeremy Hunt is before the Health Select Committee to talk about the impact of the spending review on his department. Maybe well get a short update on the talks?

5) CHILD REFUGE

But for last weeks big PMQs U-turn, today was set to be the crunch vote on Dubs amendment to the Immigration Bill. David Cameron saw the looming defeat and changed tack on child refugees from Europe, yet as the vote still looms there are continued questions about just what the Government will do.

Of course, it was partly the genius of the Dubs amendment to not include any figures, for fear of it being ruled out as a money bill move, while stating there should be a specified number. Yvette Cooper and some bishops have written to the PM to demand more details on timing and numbers.

One proposal is to at least take 300 children by September, and all those from the Calais camp. Theres also pressure to admit not just Syrian refugees but Afghans and others.

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At the recent 'International Peace Summit' held at Regent's University London in partnership with the Tutu Foundation UK, Nontombi Tutu, daughter of the great Archbishop Desmond Tutu, spoke of a South African proverb that states 'In times of flood, wise people build bridges and fools build walls.' She was not referring directly to Donald Trump but he would benefit from thinking carefully about her words.

We live in times which are witnessing a flood of growing problems, turmoil and injustices that threaten to overwhelm us. Here in Europe, thanks largely to the past stability of the European Community, with the exception of the Balkan crisis, we have been fortunate in peacefully working together over the last 60 years. However, this position is becoming increasingly fragile.

In other parts of the world - Syria, the Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Far East, North and Sub Saharan Africa, society is continuing to become more fractured, and other regions are starting to show increasing signs of disruption. We must consider how we can work together more peacefully, particularly given the grave danger emerging around the edges of the European Continent.

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The International Peace Summit, which focused on resolving conflicts through mediation, proved to be a unique forum for debate and insight into some of the most pressing issues facing global society today. This ranged from how psychology can be employed to resolve conflicts, through to how breakthroughs in community relations are helping shunt outdated terrorist philosophies into insignificance for younger generations.

The core lesson from all the speakers was that we should concentrate on the prevention of conflict, violence and terrorism, and not simply seek to resolve matters after they have become a problem.

Sir Hugh Orde, former President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "One of the most interesting programmes I ever saw was in Belgium where a local councilor didn't want more armed police, he wanted more community police. Front line police with a long-term community focus are needed. Sadly we are becoming more reliant on charities for this."

Peter Sheridan OBE, Chief Executive of Co-operation Ireland, former Commander for Londonderry and then Deputy Chief Constable with the Police Services NI, agreed that early intervention was crucial. He added: "Less than 1% of Government spending is on early intervention. I couldn't have got 10,000 to spend on that, but it was no problem for me to get 1.5 million for a murder investigation.

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Serving London Metropolitan Police Officer, Sakira Suzia, a recipient of the Commissioners' Bravery Award for her role during the 2011 London riots, added: "A great problem is to fall prey to stereotypes and treat people inappropriately. It wasn't just the young looting during the riots. I saw suited-and-booted professionals too. People are opportunists and they thought they could get away with it."

Of all the event's discussions on subjects covering the psychology of conflict and mediation between Israel and Palestine and Serbia and Kosovo, it was perhaps Nontombi Tutu's speech that hit the high note for its message on the need for greater humanity in our lives.

She spoke gracefully on the challenges of growing up black and female in apartheid South Africa, and about her present life in the United States where she says it is easy to see what 'building walls' looks like in a time of crisis. The predominant thinking there, she noted, is that the reason for a problem is always somebody else. The attitude has become "if we can just get rid of the culprit, then all of our problems will be solved."

Nontombi continued: "When we see Palestinian women saying they are proud of their son being a suicide bomber, we answer 'how can they, they are not like us!?' My question is 'what has happened to a mother for that to be her response?'"

If there is a crisis then everybody suffers. There must be a way to find a common cause so that we can all come out of the other side intact. When we say our enemies are so far removed from who we are, there is no room for conversation. We should not turn people into monsters in our minds, although we often seem more comfortable taking this approach.

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The world of men's grooming is quickly changing and with it, so are the stigmas revolving around men looking after themselves in this way. MMUK MAN announced last week that turnover is surging towards the 1m mark this year, a clear indication of just how far we have come.

Back in 2011 when I began working on my brand new male makeup concept, the reaction of friends, colleagues and those within the male grooming community were predominantly negative. A lot of people I spoke to about men wearing male cosmetics at that time, believed that the bulk of my potential customers would be gay guys between the ages of 24 and 35. Now, five years on, having accrued a client base of over 30,000 men across the UK and beyond, it fills me with great pleasure to say that they couldn't be further from the truth!

Since 2013 in particular, the plate tectonics of male grooming have seismically shifted. From what began with our customers wanting a simple foundation or concealer to cover spots and blemishes, has quickly evolved into an ever deepening cosmetically hungry wolf pack of modern men, keen to further enhance their grooming education. With our product range expanding into the likes of clear mascara, beard filler and matte finish bronzers over the past couple of years, I believe, such an illustration, shows how thousands of men will continue to get on board in the coming years.

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Of course the stigmas around men taking care of themselves to such a degree are still apparent. However, I have been fortunate enough to witness firsthand the breaking down of social barriers towards the acceptance and promotion of the male beauty market in recent years. In a selfie obsessed culture, where a simple app, or Instagram filter can improve the tan, texture and evenness of your skin, it's not at all surprising why more and more everyday blokes are learning to blend it like Golden Balls himself.

If I were to ask 1,000 male Huffington Post readers who are interested in male makeup, I predict that less than 30% of you would be gay gentlemen who more than know your way around a makeup bag. Based on my own knowledge from within the market, as much as 30% of those genuinely taking an interest in cosmetics would do so to cover confidence damaging skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and spots. The remainder would consist of guys over 40, keen to achieve a fresher and younger looking complexion for both personal and business engagements, as well as gentlemen wanting to battle the winter blues with tinted and bronzing products specifically designed for men.

The entire make-up of the male cosmetics market features many different components - components which should not be collated and branded as purely a 'gay only thing'. Social acceptance towards men wearing makeup is dramatically on the rise, especially as we see the likes of George Clooney and David Beckham constantly looking red carpet ready. The MakeUpIsGendelress campaign by male beauty vlogger Jake-Jamie Ward is further evidence why the job isn't quite done. He is on a continued mission to raise awareness for men wanting to improve their appearance with targeted products and has been backed by some key celebrity figures, including Katie Price.
I have a confession to make. I've fallen in love. The head over heels variety. But this time, it's not with a man; nor a woman, for that matter. It's with a city. It's with Rome. I have fallen completely and utterly in love with Rome; and I suspect it's going to be a life-long affair.

One can't help but be enchanted by the heady mix of truffle-laden pasta and architectural splendour. It's intoxicating. But anyone who's ever been will already know this, of course. I think I was cast under its spell long before I had ever been: watching La Dolce Vita a couple of times had done the trick, but my bewitchment was crystallised in that first Roman hour, when I drove through the city under a gigantic, lambent moon.

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Walking through Rome is better, though, as walking generally is. Sauntering through its tiny, cobbled streets, there is much pleasure to be gained - perfect espressos are for the taking, the mellifluous drizzle of Italian conversation reverberates off alleyway walls, and one doesn't have to walk for long before stumbling across yet another piazza; derelict, perhaps, but always hideously beautiful.

No wonder Bernini sculpted St. Theresa as he did: call it what you want, spiritual bliss, or the throes of orgasmic ecstasy; I'd have the same expression on my face if I were to live permanently amidst such prolific beauty. Indeed, few things in life can inspire such shudders of aesthetic delight as the Trevi fountain seen at three in the morning, without the gawping hordes of heinous tourists. The undulating curves ooze such gorgeousness that its beauty is practically dripping on the floor. It is Baroque at its best.

Ah, Rome. The winding alleyways and the grand piazzas; the magnificent ruins, the intimate cafes, the excellent coffee; the elegance and the romance; the sheer power and grandeur of the Vatican... It's all a bit much, actually. In fact, alongside my newfound love for the city, was the experience of something quite oppressive and quite Other. You see, there was something unseen, something latent; something almost imperceptible, which made me feel ill at ease.

As much as I loved the gigantic Latin inscriptions strewn all over the shop (they signal history and culture, and gave me an opportunity to try and decipher them with my schoolgirl Latin), the ubiquitous presence of antiquity was, frankly, overwhelming. One felt the constant threat of suffocation from the past. In Rome, life feels intermingled with death, such is the presence of the past. All that has been, still remains; the crumbling ruins of an Ancient Empire stand defiant, triumphant; permeating each and every present moment with the reminder of what once was.

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The remainders of Ancient Rome are undeniably glorious; but they soon begin to feel stifling. I couldn't help but feel that the Rome of today is somewhat overshadowed. The city has a history of epic proportions, and, depending on how you perceive it, this history can feel like an oppressive vapour.

Bizarrely, despite this slightly unsettling air, my love for Rome is not diminished. It's almost part of its theatricality, and it makes for a heady concoction: Rome's Pagan past commingles with its Catholic present, evoking a mixture of sex and death, where lovers frolic next to the site of Caesar's murder; where funeral processions march amidst voluptuous buildings that tantalise the viewer with their curves, and where St Theresa moans in ecstasy above the altar.
James Cleverley, Conservative MP for Braintree, has blogged about their much criticised London Mayoral campaign - saying that we will have to get used to this sort of personal and aggressive political campaigning from now on. Why? Because thats what the Americans do. It appears, that there is a new rule - that we have to do what the Americans do - no matter how vile and divisive.

Of course that's nonsense - we don't have to accept anything just because the Americans do it. Lets hope Mr Cleverley doesn't take a fancy to politics North Korean style.

He was referring to the failed Tory campaign to elect Zac Goldsmith - the campaign that seemed shaped around saying that Labour's Sadiq Khan was strongly associated with terrorism - this argument best summed up in a dreadful article written in the Mail newspaper by Mr Goldsmith illustrated by a picture of the bomb damaged London bus from 2005. The article was a depressing indication about how far the Tories were willing to go to win - a new low in UK politics.

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It would be bad enough if the Tories actually believed there own dreadful accusations but, it is becoming increasingly clear that they were merely saying it to win votes. It would be slightly more honourable if they actually believed what they were saying.

The cynicism of these tactics was revealed in a BBC Radio interview with Tory Defence Minister Michael Fallon when he repeatedly dodged the issue when asked if, given what they said about Sadiq Khan during their campaign, did they now think London was safe with him as Mayor?

I listened to this broadcast and as I understood what Mr Fallon said - he seemed to think that these sorts of accusations were simply what you say during an election and that he was now looking forward to working with Khan. It had been Tory business as usual? Of course - the BBC will have to watch it's back even more keenly asking questions like that.

If Mr Fallon and the other Tories really believed their own nasty accusations then they should now be shouting from the rooftops that London is not safe with Mr Khan in charge. Of course - they won't be doing that.

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Owen Jones wrote in the Guardian that we should not forgive or forget this racist campaign by Zac Goldsmith - I think he is right. If this sort of campaigning is accepted as normal then it will lead to worse tactics and further devalue politics and democracy in this Country.

To be fair their campaign has been criticised by some within the Conservative Party and of course the tone of it doesn't represent the attitude of all Conservatives - but it does reflect the cold blooded cynicism of some of the most senior Tories. They want to win at all costs - they will say almost anything to win - even if they don't believe it and they will tell us that we have to put up with it because thats what they do in other Countries. How inspiring.

There is a very crude expression which seems to address this situation 'don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining'.

What is most surprising about Mr Cleverley choosing to defend this type of campaigning - besides it being a cynical and destructive - was that it failed so badly - that Goldsmith was so roundly defeated. Their nasty campaign didn't even work - why would they want to repeat it?

It was a matter for London voters to choose their Mayor - but it would have been depressing for many more people if the Tory campaign had succeeded. It is a relief that their cynical tactics were recognised by London's voters for what they were.

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'Leave' campaigners want to blur where Britain's ethnic minority communities stand on the upcoming European Union referendum. Today I and other Labour colleagues from Britain's different ethnic minority communities are setting the record straight: ethnic minority Britons are stronger, safer and better off in the EU.

Twenty Labour parliamentarians, including me, have signed an open letter making the case that ethnic minority Britons overwhelmingly benefit from Britain's EU membership. We are Labour activists and supporters of different ethnicities, backgrounds and generations. With roots that lie beyond Britain, we are all children of the Commonwealth too.

Those on the 'Leave' side of this debate argue we can offset the UK leaving the European Union with our membership of the Commonwealth. I believe this is a false choice and that we should not be forced to choose between one or the other - our participation in both is vital. Being a member of the European Union helps us amplify the 'Great' in Great Britain because our country is stronger inside the European Union, rather than isolated on the fringes. As Baroness Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, made clear yesterday - Commonwealth countries worry about the knock on affects on their influence in the EU if Britain leaves.

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Of course, Britain's ethnic minority communities are not some homogenous whole. But, there is no doubt, our communities benefit from Britain's EU membership and we all stand to lose a great deal if we leave.

At home the EU has secured a range of employment protections for ethnic minority workers, including against discrimination in the workplace. We are able to travel freely to other EU countries, whether for work or leisure, without being subject to arduous passport checks, delays and VISA requirements. Our communities are hugely entrepreneurial - ethnic minority business owners and investors appreciate the benefits of being able to trade in the Single Market, its security, equal regulation and access to millions of potential customers.

Beyond the EU, where many of us have family, diaspora communities want to keep connected to their heritage. The EU already has trade agreements to ease restrictions and tariffs, for example with Jamaica and Pakistan. Further deals are being negotiated including with Japan and Malaysia.

In terms of international aid, every 1 the UK spends through EU institutions is matched by 6 from other member states. This not only delivers better lives for the world's poorest but tackling problems in areas where the UK has no large presence, like in parts of Africa.

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This positive case for our EU membership stands in stark contrast to the Leave campaigns who have failed to put a convincing case for our exit from the EU and are now, in desperation, anchoring all their arguments around immigration having promised not to do so. This is not surprising - it is straight from the UKIP playbook.

But ethnic minority families like ours, having been scapegoated in the past for society's problems, will have no truck with an approach that seeks to play on people's reasonable concerns about immigration by setting different groups against each other. For this reason our communities reject attempts to blame all of the UK's problems on more recent immigrants.

We cannot turn our backs to the world. While globalisation and migration present challenges, they will still be there even if we leave the EU. The 21st Century has brought huge change, but it is here to stay. Closing ourselves off to the world will not extend our influence and ability to control our own affairs - quite the opposite. Our membership and influence in the EU tempers the excesses of globalisation and helps us make it work for our local communities. The EU is not perfect, but we have to be in it to reform it.

Leaving the EU would put all of this at risk and would be a leap into the dark, not least because the Leave campaigns cannot tell us what 'out' looks like - they cannot even agree among themselves. What we do know is that if we leave and the economy suffers a shock - as a wide range of independent experts predict - it will be youth unemployment that rises the most, and a disproportionate number of young ethnic minority Britons are already out of work.
Last Friday al-Kammouneh, a Syrian refugee camp a stone's throw from the Turkish border, was attacked from the air killing dozens in a suspected war crime.

"Look here! They're all women and children! No one else!" screamed an elderly refugee from among the wreckage in a widely circulated video. "Where is the world? Where is it?"

Most of the refugees in the camp had fled from Aleppo, a city that is not a part of the 'cessation of hostilities' that now has a tentative hold over swathes of Syria.

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The ceasefire has been brokered by the Russians to free up the forces of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad to wrest back full control of Aleppo.

This means more urban fighting and it means more refugees fleeing to camps like al-Kammouneh and eventually to camps in Turkey to the north.

This is to say that the dynamics of Syria's civil war mean that the refugee crisis engulfing the Levant and to a lesser extent Europe will not be resolved any time soon.

Turkey is currently hosting around two million refugees. Lebanon, a country half the size of Wales, is now hosting 1.2million Syrian refugees, more than the total number of refugees in Europe from any nationality.

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Amid this David Cameron assumes any contortion he can to try and keep Britain's doors closed to a meaningful number of people made refugees from the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria.

He says, with a straight face, that the "first choice" of Syrian refugees is to stay in tents in Turkey or in crowded tenements in Beirut.

His government announces a jobs programme in Jordan, a water stressed country which already has some of the highest youth unemployment on Earth.

Anything to keep potential Ukip voters onside by not providing commensurate assistance to people caught up in the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.

According to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to ask for asylum. If it is everyone's right to ask for asylum, it is incumbent on our government to allow asylum-seekers to ask for that help.

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The arms-length attitude of our government to the humanitarian fallout from the Syrian civil war, shirks our responsibility to uphold universal rights.

Letting in a few hundred refugees here and a few hundred there when he needs to appear politically magnanimous, while otherwise doing everything he can to keep refugees out of Europe and "in the region", is the height of cynicism.

Britain needs to work with Europe to help provide opportunity for these people to rebuild their lives by contributing to our societies and economies.
A proposed Puget Sound shipping terminal for Montana coal is dead after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied it a permit Monday.

Citing the fishing rights of the nearby Lummi Nation, Corps Col. John Buck determined that as currently proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal could not be permitted.

Valued at $700 million, the port was to be located near Ferndale, Wash. The Lummi Nation had cited treaty rights in January 2015 when it asked the Army Corps to reject the project.

"Today was a good day for the Constitution and treaties in general," said Tim Ballew, of the Lummi Indian Business Council. "The federal government through its agencies upheld its decisions that were made in the past."

The Lummi treaty with the U.S. government recognized that the tribe's existence evolved around fishing, Ballew said. It granted the Lummi fishing rights in perpetuity.

The port was advocated by Cloud Peak Energy and the Crow Tribe of Montana. Those port proponents have an agreement for a coal mine on Crow Reservation. The coal was to be shipped from the Pacific Northwest.

The Crow have a right to profit from the coal on their land, said Darrin Old Coyote, tribal chairman. He said the Army Corps killed the coal port before the Crow had a chance to formally make its argument.

Word that the Army Corps would deny the permit began circulating in February after Buck met with U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-MT. Zinke and U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-MT, had countered that the Crow Tribe had a right to profit from it's coal and was losing out to the Lummi Nation.

The Gateway Pacific Terminal is incredibly important to Montana, the Crow, and even to the blue collar workers in Washington State because it is literally the gateway to economic prosperity and rising out of poverty, Zinke said Monday in a prepared statement. Furthermore, to kill a project before an Environmental Impact Study is completed sets a terrible precedent  as an advocate of conservation, I fear for the future of our lands and resources. Its a sad day in America when even our Army Corps of Engineers can be wooed by special interests.

Daines, who advocated for the Army Corps to finish an environmental study of the port and make a decision later this year or in 2017, said Monday that no tribe had ever before been allowed to kill a project before a study was completed.

The Gateway Pacific Terminal would provide access to international markets for Montana coal and agriculture products  including Crow coal  creating much needed economic prosperity," Daines siad in a prepared statement. "Once again, the federal government is trampling on Montanans livelihoods and I will fight tooth and nail to ensure Montanans have a voice in Montanas future.

The Army Corps seemed indicate that the project could be retooled and reproposed. John Marshall, Cloud Peak CEO indicated the port's partners would regroup.

We are very disappointed with the Army Corps decision today. Supporters worked relentlessly to help stand up to the anti-fossil fuel groups seeking to deny GPT a fair, timely permitting review, Marshall said. GPT has been subjected to an unprecedented parallel process imposed by the Corps that served to pick winners and losers among Native American Tribes with differing interests in the project. We are working closely with our partners, SSA Marine and the Crow Tribe, as well as other stakeholders to review our options in light of the Corps' decision.
*Aya Waller-Bey [2015] is a Detroit native and Georgetown University alumna. She is currently pursuing a MPhil in Education in the Arts, Creativity, Education and Culture route as a Gates Cambridge Scholar at the University of Cambridge. When she is not studying Hip-Hop Based Education, she is reading about Black Feminism. Follow her daily musings at Twitter and Instagram at aya__marie, and see what's she reading here.

On September 23, 2015 I nervously sat in a courtroom with my family as the judge sentenced my 19-year-old sister to two years in prison for unarmed robbery and assault with intent to do bodily harm. Before I could give a proper goodbye or tell her how much I love her, she was whisked away in her orange jumpsuit with tears falling from her eyes. Eight hours later, I boarded a flight to London, England.

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Like my sister, I was embarking on a new journey. But unlike her, I was headed for one of most prestigious universities in the world. She was beginning a journey that takes her away from her family and three-year-old son and includes timed phone calls, mandatory line-ups and suffocating cells; mine would include academic inquiry, posh dinners and conversations with people from all over the world.

I never really had a moment to digest what happened that morning in the courtroom. Instead, I have spent the last six months avoiding Cambridge faux pas, such as sitting down in hall before the Fellows at the high table. I've learned how to cycle on the left side of the street and tried my hand at punting on the River Cam. While as a vegan I have not been able to indulge in the local cuisine of fish and chips, I have drunk my share of English tea and taken advantage of cheap flights and travelled to various parts of Europe and northern Africa.

Whilst my family background is not emblematic of the norm at Cambridge, it illustrates the value of access to opportunities. Beyond my nationality and my status as a Gates Cambridge Scholar, I cycle through Cambridge as a Black woman who was the first person in her family to attend or graduate from college. I carry not only a backpack, but also the stress and worry of my parent's financial situation, my little brother's well-being and my sister's incarceration. I do not roam the streets of Cambridge as simply a Master's student concerned about exams and essay deadlines, but as a woman carrying the guilt of survival.

Survivor's guilt is not uncommon for first generation college students and I am no exception. Every time I board a flight I think about how, at 47 years old, my mom has never travelled by plane. Each passport stamp represents the freedom I have to travel, reminding me of the limitations and confinement that not only my sister endures in jail, but the financial imprisonment of my parents. I so often wish that my family could share the experiences and luxuries I've been afforded.

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Nevertheless, navigating Cambridge as not only a Black woman, but also American poses new challenges as I try to reconcile the privileges and statuses that my nationality affords me and the disadvantages my race and gender identities impose. Consequently, I find myself wanting to connect with my Black peers, but uncertain about where in the puzzle I fit. The collegiate system fragments the already small Black population and, as a African American, I often feel out of place at events hosted by the various Black ethnic societies and organisations, unable to satisfy the question 'no, where are you really from?"

Furthermore, though I attended Georgetown University - an elite, predominately white institution, for undergrad - it pales in comparison to the feeling of privilege and elitism that Cambridge can induce. Given that Cambridge is the wealthiest university in Europe and only 24.4% undergraduates and 36.6% postgraduates identify as Black Minority and Ethnic (BME), assimilation and conformity pose comfortable options for those who do not look like or come from the socio-economic backgrounds of the average Cambridge student. Furthermore, unlike colleges and universities in the United States, universities in England do not report racial and ethnic groups separately and use one label BME - in which the legal definition includes any group other than White British. As a result, the figures tend to mask the lack of Black students and I walk around my college and campus most days not seeing one Black student, administrator or professor.

Finally, as I head into the last few months of my Master's I am reminded that my presence at Cambridge has defied incredible odds. In the US where I worked as an Admissions Officer and coordinator of multicultural recruitment, 11 percent of low-income, students who are the first in their family to attend college will have a college degree within six years of enrolling, according to the Pell Institute. In addition, just 1 percent of first generation college students gain admission and decide to pursue a PhD.
Technology is transforming healthcare. The pace of biomedical science and genetics is leading to the discovery of new diagnostics and new drugs at an extraordinary pace. Cancer for example is now becoming a treatable and in some cases curable and preventable disease.

Digitalisation is transforming individual care, systems safety and performance, and research. It is putting patients in control, allowing diagnosis and treatment from home to reduce avoidable hospital admissions. The explosion of health Apps and handheld tools is radically empowering and supporting patients and clinicians. Breakthroughs in robotics and MRI are revolutionising surgery and diagnosis. For example the Proteus digital pill tracks its own absorption allowing doctors and healthcare systems to finally understand who is taking their pills and whether they are working. Personalised algorithms also allow nurses to have individual alerts on patients conditions 24/7.

This is all great news for patients. We all want to be safe in the knowledge that we can access the best care and most innovative treatments available.

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But this progress also raises some big questions for healthcare systems around the world. How are we going to afford all this technology? How are we going to change our care pathways to focus less on hospitalisation and 'seeing the Doctor' and more on intelligent self-management of conditions? How will we value and pay for drugs which cure a disease rather than just prolong life?

These are the questions Prime Minister David Cameron and I set out to tackle in our groundbreaking 10 year UK Life Science Strategy, in which we committed to invest in the transformational technologies of genomics and informatics, and change the landscape for innovation adoption in the NHS. The NHS needs to modernise, and by embracing technology and innovation we believe we can accelerate that process and make the UK a leader in the development, testing, adoption and reimbursement of novel healthcare technologies.

As the world's only comprehensive, universal healthcare system underpinned by world class public medical and clinical research and billions of industry and charity research, we are committed to using our genetic and informatic infrastructure to pioneer a new deal with industry as partners in innovation.

That's why we launched the 100,000 genomes project to sequence 100,000 entire genomes of NHS patients and combine with hospital records to form the worlds first at scale 'Reference Library' of genomic medicine - the NASA of Precision Medicine. Its why we committed to open up the NHS datasets of anonymised cohort studies for research, committed to put 1 billion a year into the National Institute for Health Research to fund our NHS clinical infrastructure, and launched the Accelerated Access Review.

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The fantastic gathering of leaders in digital healthcare at Health Datapalooza in Washington DC is the only place in the world to be this week for those who want to harness the power of big data and develop pioneering innovations that are transforming 21st century medicine and healthcare.

Last year, I attended this conference as the UK's first ever Minister for Life Sciences. 12 months on I am back to report on the lessons learnt in the UK and our ongoing commitment through to 2020.

Our latest estimates show that since we launched the Strategy for UK Life Sciences in 2011 we have attracted more than 6 billion in new investment and created up to 17,000 new jobs. That is true growth that is helping to build a stable and safe economy, attract even more investment from across the world, including the US.

And it's global growth. This is a global sector and whilst nations compete for investment we also need to collaborate for research and to ensure regulatory and reimbursment frameworks are aligned. Here in Washington I'm looking forward to meeting Vice President Joe Biden and continuing our collaboration with White House Health policy leaders on Precision Medicine, Genomics, Digital Health and Accelerated Access.

However, we can only progress these technologies if the public trust us with their data. That's why in the UK we have set up a powerful new National Data Guardian, Dame Fiona Caldicott and commissioned independent reviews of data security from her and the Care Quality Commission, due to be published shortly.

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Precision Medicine is changing the way we adopt, assess and reimburse innovative treatments into our health systems. That's why I have introduced the Early Access to Medicine Scheme, made Electronic Health records mandatory and launched the Accelerated Access Review to reform our processes for the development of drugs, devices and diagnostics. The aim is to come up with new ways of making sure the most innovative treatments can reach patients as quickly as possible.

The US is also reforming its pathways with the FDA Breakthrough Designation and the 'Faster Cures Act', making it easier and cheaper for companies to bring drugs to market.

This isn't just good for healthcare systems and clinical outcomes. Most exciting of all, the quiet revolution of Precision Medicine and digitalisation is about a profound change in healthcare from a 20th century model in which healthcare was something done to patients to a 21st century model in which we empower active healthcare citizens to take more control of their health and life choices and chances.
The Protection Racket is an old, pure form of criminality.

It evolved in places with little policing and even less insurance cover. There was no way to avoid a visit from barbarian raiders - other than to pay another set of thugs, or maybe the same gang, to leave you alone - for now.

The Protection Racket is a business model that evolves to fit all contexts. The better ones move with the times, make the most of technology and try to look 'legitimate' on some level.

Ad Blockers are set to become one of the best. And Ad Blockers create opportunities for other gangs, not just the Blocker makers, to shake everyone down.

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Depending on what numbers you believe, nearly 40% of mobile net users block ads in some form - especially in North America. Even once you push that figure right down, as the most tech savvy tend to be over represented in tech oriented surveys, Ad Blockers satisfy a need for at least 200 million people worldwide.

This need is one all marketers, especially those in media, should be ashamed exists. Most adverts always have been poorly targeted, badly conceived and just something in the way of what consumers want to do. The Digital world has made all this worse.

Browsing, especially on mobile, has declined into parasitical dysfunction harder than a glob of bubble gum rolled down a hill of hornets nests and broken glass. It never was great, but the desperate need for media owners to replace print media pounds with digital media pence, fast - means more ads.

'Ad Tech' turbocharges the rot.

The spray and pray ad tech buffet means people are paying, and waiting, to receive things they not only did not ask for, but are irrelevant. Up to half of mobile data, especially in Europe, is taken up by adverts less targeted than an SA80 on Full Auto pointed upwards by a disinterested ground sloth. At midnight.

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Most ad tech is about volume, price and speed - not context. What is extra dangerous is that it can look something like successful at first glance.

Spray and pray marketing damages brands badly but month on month delivers the numbers. The volume of spraying means a lot less praying is needed than ever before. Sure, a lot of those views are fictional given the billions in fraud and invisible inventory but who wants to have that conversation with a client?

Enter the Ad Blocker.

It means faster browsing, better battery life, fewer crashes and a nicer experience. Win, win, win and more win. But the developer who made the Blocker and gave it away for free has to eat, too. What to do? Time for a shakedown.

The Mafioso Menu is adorably predictable:

Strong arm brands to submit themselves to a 'White List' of 'acceptable' ads.

'Encourage' people to 'Donate' to their favourite sites, perhaps even monthly - inclusive of a little facilitation fee for the lovely people that made it all possible.

Offer a back door deal to ensure the Blockers work less well on certain sites.

Strangely, some of the biggest providers of syndicated brand content are allowed through by the biggest Ad Blockers. There are also reports big Blockers are letting through some ads on Axel Springer properties.

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Maybe use a charity tie up to show what magic happens when Ad Blockers let you through. The partnership was with Amnesty International, to increase awareness of Internet censorship but irony is long dead.

You do not need any understanding of business, or be a fan of gangster films to see where this is going.

Larger marketers and publishers will hurt more from blocking, and pay to get past it. They will pay for more expensive, harder to block ad units. Native partnerships with publishers. Technical countermeasures - and sometimes, Protection Money to make the Blocker barbarians go away.

Ad Blockers know how powerful they are as a broadcast media channel - if you can unblock all charity content for a day, what about all content from a brand? It will be more likely to get noticed for sure.

Consumers will not care about the hypocrisy.

Some wacktivists will vent via their mid afternoon Twitter feed. But for real people, a product that blocks the majority of interruptive marcomms, except when it allows a charity, or a popular soft drink, or maybe an airline through sometimes will feel fine.

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These gangsters are gentle. Only the richest and cuddliest will be allowed on their White List - and few overall. Not only would a big list annoy consumers, it would reduce the value of the media space (yes media space) the Ad Blockers are selling. A lot of shifty operators will get cut out - making consumer experience better. Small brands, agencies and startups will be smothered, making the world even less fair.

The Blockers are extracting value between the purchase of an ad unit and its appearance on a channel. They sit there like electric trolls under a bridge of dumb ad tech, exacting a (small-ish) tax on brands that have paid to appear on the other side. They are selling the right to buy media space they do not own.

No risk, all reward. Criminal genius. What about the other Godfathers hungry for a protection payoff from brands, agencies and consumers?

First in line are media owners.

The majority of media companies viewed the Internet not as the distribution medium of the future, but just another way to promote an existing product. Pay walls came late, and other than for premium content providers, few have worked.

The Times pay wall stabilised print circulation (a noble aim) but does not drive online revenue. Ad Blockers give all those that missed the digital boat a chance to force the issue - turn off that Blocker or smash straight into a pay wall. Another Protection Racket writ large.

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The fiscally challenged Guardian tries to guilt Ad Block users into 'Supporting us another way'. In Germany, Bild blocks Blocker users completely. In the UK Trinity Mirror is starting to block the Blockers on big regional titles. The Wall Street Journal may be next.

Second in the queue to claim their due are telecoms companies. Legally they will have the hardest time making the most of Blocker blackmail. But have the most to gain.

Remember that boring but vital net neutrality debate? What if marcomms traffic, which is taking up more and more of that expensive infrastructure was slowed down, or outright blocked if no-one paid to let it through?

Those that pay could be consumers as well as brands. NYU's Scott Galloway - a man worth listening to, has asserted that "Advertising is becoming a tax only poor people pay" . So what about 15% extra on your mobile tariff to be Ad free at carrier level? Or even 25%? And what would a big brand pay to ensure access to millions of a carrier's customers? Quite a lot.

So what does it all mean?

Ad Blockers are not the apocalypse marketers have been led to assume. Any decently run Protection Racket gives a good scare but then squeezes, not strangles, its victims. They have to keep you alive for another payday.

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Think of Ad Blockers as a media channel and it will hurt less. A lot of media is heavily overpriced based on funny numbers and clownish assumptions. One more market distortion when there are already so many will not spoil the party.

Making better content that people will want to see and share will help sneak past the Blocker Brigade. Media owners becoming more like the old New Yorker, where adverts were curated as part of and a complement to the experience - rather than a Myspace miasma of irrelevant mass served nonsense would make Blocking less attractive. The New York Times does this well. Their native Netflix work is amongst the NYT's most popular content full stop - editorial or not.

But there are bigger problems.

Most people would avoid most marketing messages if they could, but marketing pays for all the services we get online for free. Most marketing of the digital era has been far more interruptive and annoying than anything that came before. History and learned consumer behaviour cannot be changed, no matter how much great work marketers do.

Ad Blockers are a clever, blatant and shameless Protection Racket. Extorting brands, agencies, publishers and carriers alike. Consumers will join them soon.

Big brands will find a way to get through - they always do. The dodgy, the random and the ugly will have a harder time. So will the small, the new and the independent. Shutting out the little guy will be the biggest legacy, and foulest crime of the Ad Blocker Gang.

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Reflecting on the Westminster Hall debate about children's homes (19th April) an often-used quotation comes to mind, 'If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got."

Ann Coffey MP expresses her frustration that in 21 years of involvement in debates about Children's Homes, the issue of distant placements has seen no improvement. She, and others contributing to the debate, urged Sir Martin Narey who is conducting a review of children's homes in the context of wider children's services to tackle the issue.

This is not new territory. There is a plethora of reports over decades. Providers and researchers in the past two years have published many reports and given strategies. The reasons we have the current issues have been deeply analysed. They are historical, financial, ideological, strategic, and pragmatic. All combine to keep matters as they are; we rerun the same issues over decades.

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What is striking about the contributions from MPs and from the Minister for Children, is that they recount a history of initiatives, programmes, guidance and inspection that has not brought noticeable improvements. The word "staggering" was used in the debate.

Contributors to the debate variously target different parts of the whole system for criticism in failing to adequately address the issue. Providers are subjected to praise but also sharp criticism as if they were solely responsible for shaping the current supply landscape. Commissioners are roundly identified as both having the powers and responsibility to shape the sector and also having failed to influence that very landscape. One surprising suggestion in the debate was of local authorities accessing capital budgets to develop more of their own provision.

The issue is not ownership.

If you are new to this debate you might think that there is a need for core data, a needs analysis completed nationally using the same methodology giving then drawing together local authorities and providers to agree what is need and where locally, regionally and nationally. You would be right to see these are necessary for sound business planning. Providers and researchers have been calling just this over an extended period of time.

What stops this happening? Maybe it is the complexity.

Anyone studying the sector quickly becomes aware of its complexity. Indeed the debate recognises the huge and complex task confronting Sir Martin Narey. It should not be surprising that national initiatives devised around a theme or generic topic can become entangled by numerous case-by-case examples that can emerge to test any proposed change. It would take extraordinary levels of assiduousness, persistence, and leadership allied to prioritisation of resources to bring about lasting and effective change in this sector.

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Is something missing? Can it be put in? A parent can make extraordinary efforts to champion his or her own offspring's future. Maybe it's seeing ourselves as parents for the children in the care of the state? Perhaps therein lies a path to improvement. We have the idea of corporate parents already but maybe we need to give more focus on the parenting?

Parents advocating for their own child can be a formidable force. Parents can overcome differences of opinion that they may individually hold in order to come together to take on the school, the hospital, or whichever institution they are tackling. Parents will prioritise how their funds are spent to put the needs of their child first.

Do we take this role and responsibility when acting as the parents of a child in state care? The children and young people have been given various titles, Looked After Children, Children in Care, Child Looked After. What do we mean by 'looked after' and 'care'? Do we, as a combination of providers, commissioners, legislators and regulators overcome our differences to advocate for the needs of the child in a unified manner? Do we prioritise resources to meet those needs above others?

The Westminster Hall debate offered an insight that over decades the State, and those of us asked to act on its behalf, has not yet grasped its true surrogate parent role. The debate, though congenial, offered insight and evidence that serial initiatives have not been championed in a committed parenting manner.

If we keep doing what we've always done....

So what could be done differently? Many ideas will have been offered to Sir Martin Narey on this topic and it is likely he has not found the sector wanting when he asked for opinions to inform his review. Children's homes providers and workers await his report and subsequent government actions with great interest. The future rests on it.

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The debate heard many recognisable statistics quoted throughout. Let's highlight some observations that illustrate that the challenges of the sector are not insurmountable.

At any point in time between 5,000 - 5,500 looked after children are reported by local authorities as being placed in children's homes. Ofsted statistics suggest there are around 1,700 homes registered in England offering around 7,700 places. These are very modest numbers. The scale or volume handled by the sector is in fact small enough to underline that effective solutions could be found.

Not all 150 local authorities in England who have responsibility for looked after children have their own homes, yet almost all local authorities use children's homes, often used as a last resort when all other care settings have been tried and failed.

There are many different types, sizes and functions of children's homes. It is clear that not every child in need of a home would fit every type of home or existing cohort of residents. This generates the need to have a permanent over-supply. It is this seeming inefficiency that makes the sector effective. Without it, the sector cannot respond to the volatile and sometimes unpredictable demand that it faces.

The focus of the debate was to encourage as many types of homes available as locally as possible. There is another aspect to that discussion not in the debate, to meet the local demand then we will need to accept a greater level of vacancy level and 'inefficiency' from one perspective to gain on another.

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There is substantial cost to that built-in inefficiency model. Regulation requires homes to be fully equipped and staffed to be able to take even one placement. It is close to a fixed cost model. With more local provision offering guaranteed vacancies costs will rise.

Yet the interaction of purchaser and provider is currently driven by reducing unit costs. The recent ICHA State of the sector report gave an early warning over the parlous state of our children's homes providers. Repositioning of homes from some areas to another will cost and providers do not have the funds. The sector needs to be able to work not from vocation but sound business planning.

The debate heard a call for co-commissioning. Providers have been calling for open, transparent dialogue for years. It is needed. Repositioning of homes from some areas to another requires open, trusting dialogue.
Being green is no longer only a concern for tree-hugging stereotypes. It is creeping into the consciousness of the political classes, and is starting to be taken seriously as the life-and-death issue that it is.

Just a few years ago, the idea that 171 world leaders would come together and make public commitments to slow global warming would have been preposterous, dismissed as an idealistic dream. But it happened, just months ago, at COP21.

Before we get swept up in the back-slapping that accompanied COP21, we must remember that promises and collaborative gestures are just that - gestures that have yet to be turned into real, trajectory-changing action.

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Let's face the facts: our planet is on a course for self-destruction. Long-term planning has its place, but the time to act cannot come too soon. Although leaps and bounds are being made in environmental enlightenment, the hangover of old politics drags its heals and grinds progress to a snail's pace. What we need is a total step-change away from these old protocols; we need a young, fresh perspective.

Too often are young people viewed as the apathetic, naive and inexperienced class. Look closer, and you'll find young leaders in the making, but also - more importantly - you'll find young leaders already leading. There are uncountable people under the age of 30 who are carving their own way in the world, undeterred by the creaky and cobwebbed structures that have been laid down before them.

These fresh-faced leaders rage against the machine not because they are rebels without a cause, but because they recognise that the machine is broken. They have yet to be conditioned by the business-as-usual approach to social change, and are part of what is by all account the most empowered generation in history. They're starting to get their voices out there, and everyone should listen up - I can promise you that many of them know better than you.

It is no coincidence that the world's most ground-breaking and life-changing innovations have been created and grown by people in their twenties. Take Facebook, Uber, Airbnb, as just a few examples - each of these fresh ideas has transformed the way the world functions, all with the underlying theme of collaboration and communication. Let's take the hint - the entire world should be working together for the greater good of all, actively cooperating in our equal stewardship of our planet.

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Young people today have grown up surrounded by natural disasters, famine, and melting ice caps. Their supposedly juvenile view that sees this as unacceptable is, in fact, the most inspiring and refreshing perspective. Untainted by incumbent worldviews, they have the clarity and the courage to reject the status quo.

Now that new media has destroyed the wall that kept disruptive voices out of real decision-making, young leaders have the platform and impetus to demand transparency, accountability and responsibility for the world we share.

According to Horizon Media's Finger on the Pulse study, 81% of millennials expect companies to make a public commitment to good corporate citizenship, and the majority see themselves as global citizens with a responsibility to make the world a better place. There is no escaping this demand - this is the rising workforce we're talking about.

No longer are business leaders and their companies judged solely on financial successes. The profit-purpose discussion has expanded these metrics into how individuals and corporations are somehow improving the world.

This overwhelming sense of social responsibility has put environmental issues front and centre. Most people you meet under the age of 30 will tell you that climate change is one of the most impending threats the world faces. This just isn't the case for older generations of politicians - old men in dark suits who encourage each other to focus on everyday, tangible issues. It is the younger generation that has come with fresh eyes to realise that effects of climate change are an everyday reality for many citizens, and are a tangible prospect for all of our futures.

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Young leaders therefore have a key role to play in increasing political action on climate change. The One Young World Environment Summit, which is being held in Arizona towards the end of May, will bring together young environmental leaders and world experts to discuss solutions to environmental challenges and the role young leaders can play in solving them. It's bringing together those with power and experience with those you have an avid hunger for change, both inspiring and empowering one another in equal measure. Convening these two groups that give a damn will be a catalyst for cross-generational, innovative thinking and demonstrable action.

In the UK, the EU referendum debate has begun to bring environmental sustainability into question, and without seriously addressing this, campaigners will miss out on crucial support. As with many a political vote, the final outcome relies on the youth voting bloc. The same group that we've learnt care strongly about environmental issues. The answer is clear - politicians have to devote as much effort to convincing the population of their environmental policies as they do on the other most concerning public issues, terrorism and the threat of poverty.

Political action must include the demands and wishes of the young, for it is their world and their future we are fighting to save. I have seen the power of youth, and I am steadfast in my belief that they can lead the way to a more sustainable future.
I'm not a Londoner. Quite the opposite: I live in the wilds of Northumberland. Because of this, I had very little emotional 'investment' in the London mayoral election. Despite my relative insouciance, I found myself pleased with the outcome (as pleased as a committed Green could have been) and horrified by some of the reactions to Sadiq Khan's election in equal measure.

The negativity began as Khan was making his victory speech. Paul Golding, 'leader' of far-right group Britain First, turned his back in protest at the outcome of the election. As one might expect, no one really cared and Golding ended up looking like a bit of a plonker, frankly. Then came the inevitable apocalyptic hashtag. #LondonHasFallen was deployed by hundreds of unabashed racists to decry the election of the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital city. Over-dramatic, much?

Interestingly, when you try to enter 'Sadiq' on an iPhone, it autocorrects to 'Sadie'. Even on mobiles, Muslims are invisible. Let's be honest, when push comes to shove, we prefer our Muslims shut away from wider society, spending their time learning to recite the Koran or butchering animals for halal meat. Why? Because heaven forbid Muslims play a full part in British society or help to enrich the lives of their fellow Brits. When Nadiya Hussain baked her way to victory on The Great British Bake Off last year, it was apparently because she was Muslim, an obvious token of the much-hated 'political correctness' that has become every racist's weapon of choice when faced with the reality of their own Neanderthal views. Of course, those of us with a modicum of social awareness know that in many ways, Hussain's success came despite her religion and because of kilos of talent and tablespoonfuls of charm. After all, the news aside, how many other hijab-wearing women have you seen on TV at all, let alone baking the perfect, quintessentially British Victoria Sponge?

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There is a certain tragic irony behind the fact that Britain First and the BNP (yes, they still exist, apparently) performed best ('best' meaning anything above 0.5% in their case) in areas described as largely 'white working-class'. Watching Sadiq Khan speak so passionately about his background, what struck me was not his race, nor his religion, but rather the joyous transition from Etonian privilege a la Boris Johnson to a mayor in tune with the lived experience of the everyday Londoner. The son of an immigrant bus driver, brought up on a council estate, Khan brings to City Hall a sound grasp of the reality of life for 'ordinary' people that Zac Goldsmith, despite cringeworthy photo calls 'down the local', could only dream of. It is precisely that broad insight that should unite all those of us devoid of silver spoons in our mouths in delight at Khan's ascension to the mayoralty. It's exasperating that instead of seeing beyond race and religion and acknowledging the bond of solidarity between Londoners that have striven to forge their destiny, rather than had everything handed to them on a silver platter, so many allow themselves to be exploited for political gain by the likes of Golding and co.

I'm not saying Sadiq Khan is perfect. In truth, I have never really paid him a great deal of attention. Neither am I necessarily under any illusion that he is some sort of working-class messiah. He has much to prove as the British politician with the largest personal mandate in UK electoral history. Nonetheless, it is a milestone in our history that we should celebrate. We should be proud to see this son of Pakistani immigrants achieve what he has. We should recognise - and indeed commend - his decision to be sworn in at a multi-faith ceremony at Southwark Cathedral.

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Dear Mr. Corbyn,

We are writing on behalf of Indonesian people in the UK. As your admirers, we were surprised to read your statement published in the Guardian online edition - Helen Davidson's article titled "Jeremy Corbyn on West Papua: UK Labour Leader calls for independent vote" on 6 May 2016. We are very disappointed that you could come up with such a short-sighted conclusion about Papua and West Papua, which is simply groundless and reflects your very limited knowledge about the two provinces.

One of us has lived in Papua and we have been educated about Papua since our early age. We know exactly what life is like in provinces of Papua and West Papua. Even those who had visited Papua and West Papua could see that socio-economic development in the two provinces is comparable and in some cases exceeds other cities/countries in the South Pacific.

Your statement has very much undermined and hurt the feeling of 250 million Indonesians among them are 3.9 million living in 42 districts and cities in the provinces of Papua and West Papua. Every 5 years, the registered voters in Papua and West Papua, including those overseas, voluntarily take part in elections that internationally regarded as free and fair. Like other Indonesians, we in Papua and West Papua freely and directly voted for our President, Parliamentarians, Governors, Mayors and Regents. Even all of our Governors, Mayors and Regents are ethnic Papuan. We are dismayed that you believe people in Papua and West Papua do not enjoy democracy. We are puzzled that you said that we are not free to choose, free to govern and free to determine our own future. Instead, you should be cautious about the claims made by Benny Wenda and other individuals that they are representing people of Papua. Who are really they representing?

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It is difficult for us to understand your support over Benny Wenda and his friends' accusation that the Indonesian Government persecuting, oppressing, and even conducting genocide in Papua and West Papua. The facts are the two provinces have been enjoying 5-8% of annual economic growth which lifted millions of people out of poverty, accelerated infrastructure constructions, increasing population growth, improving education and healthcare and other remarkable achievements. One of us was there.

It is truly against your personal and the general British values to support racists like Benny Wenda and his friends who are always prejudiced against Indonesians from non-ethnic Papuan background living and working in Papua and West Papua. They ridiculously believe that non-ethnic Papuan people migrating to the two provinces are part of the Indonesian Government's program to wipe out native Papuans.

It, of course, cannot be ignored that Papua is still facing many development issues including corruption, the lack of human resources of local governments and it is further exacerbated by the complicated topology of Papua. For example within the last few years, at least eight Regents were listed as corruption suspects. In addition, the Governor of Papua for the period of 2006-2011, Barnabas Suebu, has been imprisoned for a corruption case that cost the state 10 billion IDR. However, instead of spreading rumours and triggering conflicts and polemics in Papua, it is wiser to unite and start working together with local governments and communities to develop Papua.

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As Indonesians, we feel the need to enlighten you about some of misleading information that Benny Wenda and his friends have been campaigning throughout these years:

Benny Wenda and his supporters argue that access for foreign journalists to Papua and Papua Province are restricted. The truth is among 22 visa requests only 5 were declined due to administrative matters. In 2015, all journalists' requests to visit Papua have been granted.

Benny Wenda and his supporters claim that natural resources and money are siphoned away from Papua. The fact is the special autonomy law gives the local governments in the two provinces a much bigger share of local revenues, a privilege that other provinces of Indonesia do not enjoy. Both provinces receive 80 percent of forestry, fishery and mining sectors revenues, and 70 percent of oil and gas sector revenues. On top of receiving financial transfers from the central government, Papua also receives additional special autonomy funds of up to two percent of the total national General Purpose Funds (GPF). The GPF for Papua and West Papua is eight percent of the total national GPF and is almost as big as the GPF for West Java, a region with 12 times the population of Papua and West Papua. On a province-to-province comparison, the GPF for Papua and West Papua is bigger than the combined GPF of East Java and West Java, provinces with 20 times the population of Papua and West Papua.

It is true that there were allegations of human rights violations by Indonesian security forces that killed four individuals who attacked a security office in Panlai in 2014. But there was an error in the handling of the conflict when there was a mass riot. It has not been reported that the incident took place as the result of a fight between two young individuals, rather than Papua's development issues. If we look at the data on violence perpetrated by the separatist movement from 2009 to 2014, there were 166 cases of violence involving the OPM. In 2012, three policemen were killed in Lanny Jaya. In 2013, an ambulance carrying several patients was fired on in Puncak Jaya, causing the death of one volunteer from the Indonesian Red Cross. Furthermore, two policemen were assassinated in Lanny Jaya in 2014 while carrying out a community empowerment programme. Two more police officers were killed in Puncak Jaya while helping to lift chairs and tables in a church. Last year, three policemen were killed in Sinak, while the most recent incident was the killing of four construction workers. These conditions should open the eyes of various parties, especially the Papuan Independence Movement as well as other groups, in order to place the issue of human rights violations in Papua in a more proportionate position. Over the years, human rights violations in Papua have been voiced as a justification to support their intention for Papuan independence. Nonetheless, those who call for independence prefer to remain silent when violence is committed against police officers or other security forces.

Benny Wenda and his friends in ULMWP strongly object Indonesia's membership in the MSG. One should know that there are about 11 million Indonesians of Melanesian descent concentrated in five provinces in the eastern part of Indonesia (East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua) making Indonesia the home to the largest population of Melanesian ethnicity in the world. As such, not only is Indonesia's membership in MSG very relevant, but also opens up greater mutually beneficial cooperation between the South Pacific nations and Indonesia - one of the world's largest economies.

Most recently Benny Wenda and his friends tweeted about hundreds of people being arrested due to supporting ULMWP on 2 May 2016. However, they did not tweet the facts that the same day afternoon those arrested were released nor tweeted other events celebrating the returning of Papua and West Papua to Indonesia on 1 May 2016.

We dearly remember your saying the importance of having a connected heart and head. However, your conclusion about Papua and West Papua is based merely on empathy for certain groups without factual supports. It is very unwise of you to listen only to the few but ignore the many.

The world is facing increasing challenges in managing democracy, human rights, multiculturalism and pluralism. Just like the United Kingdom, we in Indonesia are committed to pushing forward human rights, pluralism and multiculturalism. Both countries should work hand in hand in addressing those challenges on the basis of equality, mutual respect and understanding.

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We thank you.

Sincerely,

Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Media Wahyudi Askar
A day after a solar eclipse swept across Southeast Asia, Indonesian villagers thought they had been blessed by an angel fallen from heaven when a beautiful doll washed up on a beach.

Reports of a holy offering spread like wildfire through the community, after one of their number found the doll when he was fishing off the coast.

The expectation of divine blessing was increased as solar eclipses have a deeply spiritual significance in Indonesia.

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In Great Britain we are not so easily amazed and associate eclipses with special editions of Blue Peter.

On the island where the Komodo dragon lives, when the sun became obscured by the moon, locals thought that a chariot had raced across the sky and blocked out our star and the gods sent a celestial being to bring good tidings, or some such nonsense, who cares?

The doll was real, no doubt about that.

The man who found it took it to his home in Kalupapi village, where it was treated with the reverence and respect that it deserved.

It was treated as an angel and given a fresh change of clothes and a nice new headscarf to wear every day and pictures showed it sitting up in a chair, all life-like but inanimate, like something from a child's bedroom in a Stephen King film.

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When the story of the heavenly marionette started to spread - that it was sent from the gods, that it cried and had human characteristics - police feared that social unrest might ensue so they went over to take a peek.

What they saw when they got there was a doll all right, but not any old doll, because this was a speciality figurine.

No ordinary puppet was this. This was a dolly with a unique purpose.

This was a blow up erotic aid. What they had dressed up in their finest finery was in fact an inflatable sex doll.

The police explained that the villagers were simple people, they had no television, they had no internet and so their minds had not become sullied by the outer reaches of modern perversions.

After investigating, the officers confiscated the doll and took it to the local police station, a move they said was intended to stop false rumours from spreading.

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In recent weeks legitimate concerns about anti-Semitism and its relationship to the conflict in the Middle East have been used as weapons to gain party advantage ahead of the local elections, and, on both sides of the argument, to boost egos or settle old scores within my own Party. They are too important for that. So please forgive me if I try to stick to the issues instead.

Anti-Semitism, like all racism, is pernicious. Whether born of ignorance or of prejudice, it has no place in any political party or in society.

I have always believed this, but seeing two places for myself made it more real for me. One was visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum in Israel. Seeing Auschwitz-Birkenau with a group of sixth-form students from the West Midlands had even more impact on me. You see the railhead where over a million were brought into the death camp, to then be crammed together in sheds, waiting to be murdered on an industrial scale. Six million died in what the Nazis called 'the final solution to the Jewish question'. It's an experience that never leaves you. A lesson about where racism can lead.

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I am not Jewish, I do not claim to have lived my life under the spectre of anti-Semitism. However, I have personally been the target of anti-Semitic abuse, harassment and threats in recent years. The person doing it was arrested and convicted. Somewhere along the line he had convinced himself that I was Jewish and that my advocacy for Palestinian human rights showed that I was some kind of sinister double-agent. His image was fantasy but the impact of the threats was real - not only on me but on my family and staff too.

So when Jews or any other religious or ethnic group feel they are experiencing racist attitudes in any political party, I know we must take it seriously. That is why Jeremy Corbyn has been right to set up the inquiry led by Shami Chakrabarti. But if the inquiry is going to chart how we more effectively tackle anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other racism, it is likely that it is going to have to try to define these things. That is not going to be easy.

Most people commenting on the need to fight anti-Semitism also emphasise that this should not mean stifling legitimate criticism of the actions of the state of Israel, particularly towards the Palestinians. However, there are those who use allegations of anti-Semitism as smears to do precisely that. Take a look at some of the abuse I and others get on social media and you will see what I mean.

It's dangerous territory too. Because in some cases the allegations are well founded. There really are people who try to use the Palestinian issue as a cover for peddling anti-Semitic tropes. So it is understandable that many Jews hear alarm bells ring when arguments about the conflict in the Middle East seem to move to a questions of Israel's right to exist. The threat can feel like it's about more than Israel as a state. It feels like a threat to them as Jews; a threat to their identity, to their right to self-determination and ultimately to their own survival. The collective memory of the Holocaust is real and it is raw. Whatever the arguments about how Zionism developed in the early 20th century or how Israel was created in 1948, nobody should doubt the importance to Jews of knowing there is a refuge of last resort. It's also about more than that. A Rabbi to whom I was speaking recently put it like this. She said that Israel is not only the place where you know your safety as a Jew is paramount. It is also where you know your right be yourself is secure - whatever may happen elsewhere. Durable peace in the region will not be achieved unless the depth of these beliefs is recognised by all.

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There are however, also those who routinely use allegations of existential threats to Israel to silence criticism and to monopolise the parameters of debate about the future. Israel's current Prime Minister is perhaps the best known example of this.

But the difficult questions do not go away. Israel's internationally recognised borders take in around eighty per cent of historic Palestine. Since 1967 Israel has also occupied the remaining twenty per cent - directly in the case of the West Bank and through ongoing military control of access by land, sea and air in Gaza. Colonisation of the West Bank continues through the building of settlements and through a military machine to maintain control. Settlements violate one part of the Geneva Convention, meanwhile the military strategy protecting the rights of settlers above those of Palestinian West Bankers, regularly violates another part of it. The world repeatedly expresses disapproval but the occupation carries on, physically changing the nature of the West Bank in a way that will soon make the creation of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel impossible. Some mainstream commentators say the occupation has done so already.

That is why more and more people are now asking what is left if Palestinians continue to be denied the right to separate statehood that Israel demands for itself. Permanent occupation and military rule for Palestinians living in the West Bank while settlers living there have full rights as citizens of Israel? Or is it time for a different path to peace? If the prospect of two separate states is no longer viable and if occupation based on national, racial and religious segregation is incompatible with democracy, is it time to look for another way forward? Is it time to try to find a way of sharing the land on the basis of equal rights for all rather than of two separate states? It's a question that is increasingly being asked in Israel and in Palestine. It's a valid question to be asked internationally too. Yet there are some who would try to claim that even raising these kinds of questions risks delegitimizing Israel's right to exist and must therefore be anti-Semitic. They are entitled to that view but they are not entitled to demand that others must be silenced.

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For the record, I am someone who still wants the two-state solution to be saved - even at this eleventh hour and fifty ninth minute. That is why I want action, not simply words, to stop the settlement building. It is why I want to see the UK Government act on Parliament's October 2014 resolution to recognize the state of Palestine as unequivocally as we recognize the state of Israel. It's why I'll also carry on talking both to Israelis and Palestinians across the political spectrum. Sometimes I hear outlooks expressed on both sides with which I profoundly disagree. But if continuing to engage with them helps the search for a durable peace, it's worth it.
I've recently returned from a press trip to Italy, where I stayed at a resort with a rather lax policy on door locking. Every night when I collected my key from reception, I returned to my room to find it unlocked. The hotel website says: "Many different souls coexist in here." Aside from a concern that my laptop might go missing, I didn't relish the idea of getting back to my room and finding any of these disparate souls waiting for me.

The first time I struggled with hotel staff for a minimum standard of security, was in Dahab, Sharm el-Sheikh's poorer studenty cousin. I'd finished university and I'd booked myself on a PADI, to put off getting a job. I was shown to a room with a broken bathroom window, that - jagged glass aside - offered easy access from the landing. The hotel staff made light of my concerns - who would climb through my window? Despite the booking being part of a package deal, I checked into another hotel.

In 2013, I was staying at a five star hotel in Cyprus, for a poker tournament. My boyfriend was arriving the next night, so I was spending the first night alone - and when I went to close the balcony door before bed, I found it didn't shut. After quadruple checking, to make sure I wasn't just shit at shutting the door, I called reception. They sent security to show me that of course the door closed - but it did not. My concerns were shrugged aside with: "This is the second floor!"

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I'm sure all manner of men have scaled heights higher than a second floor - from Fathers for Justice to the Milk Tray Man (and I know who I'd rather see abseiling in). Finally - after re-packing all my things - I was moved to another room at gone one in the morning.

I recently discovered there's such a thing as "women-friendly hotels" - with Richard Branson launching Virgin's line last year. Apparently the female friendly features include a peephole, "which allows the guest to see who is there. Good lighting lines the corridors." I've never had a problem with lighting, and I'm pretty sure peepholes are standard. I double checked this with a shout out on Facebook, and the feedback was: "Yep, you always get a peephole - it's the glory holes you pay more for!"

I'm not looking for a leg shaving bench, thanks Virgin (yes, this really is a feature). I've spent a lifetime balancing on one leg in gym showers - I'm not letting that core stability go to waste now. Nor do I need "smaller slippers," or an assurance that housekeeping will be female - when isn't it? I definitely don't want to wake up in a Jane Austen novel, to find "a quiet corner table" has been allocated to me in the dining room, where I may eat before a female staff member escorts me back to my room, thanks Dukes.
A proposal for a meeting house for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will receive a hearing before the Billings City Council on Monday.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 220 N. 29th St.

On April 5, the Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval of special review on the proposed Mormon meeting house, at 54th Street West and Trail Creek Drive. The single-story facility will include a 16,558-square-foot building and a 191-stall parking lot. The church plans a future addition of 2,510 square feet as well as 81 additional parking slots.

The church says its growing and needs additional meeting space for its congregations, which are divided geographically and called wards. Currently, as many as four Mormon congregations share a single building, staggering service times throughout the day.

Some neighbors who live north of the proposed meeting house oppose the proposal, claiming it will increase traffic at Grand and 54th Street West and Rimrock and 54th Street West as well as in their own neighborhood.

The applicant, according to a report by Zoning Coordinator Nicole Cromwell, has provided a full traffic accessibility study for the site that concludes the meeting house will not have a significant impact on existing traffic on 54th Street West. But City Traffic Engineer Terry Smith has not yet approved the conclusion of the traffic study.

Any required mitigation will be determined by Smith. Mitigation could include contributions to traffic management on 54th Street West and Rimrock Road and 54th Street West and Grand Avenue, as well as street frontage improvements on 54th Street West and Trail Creek Drive.

The city council plans other hearings Monday night:

On budget amendments to the 2015-16 budget. One, for $100,000, will allow for demolition and cleanup at the Rose Park pool after a fire damaged the concession stand and pool house. The pool house had been scheduled to be renovated during 2017-18, so another project will be delayed in order to pay for the rebuild at Rose Park.

The proposed annexation of property that will house the LDS meetinghouse will be given a separate hearing.

On ward boundary adjustments resulting from the annexation of land owned by McCall Development and the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch Foundation south of Elysian Road and west of the current city boundary, at Hogans Slough. Ward III boundaries would be affected.

A proposal by the Downtown Billings Partnership board of directors to purchase property at First Avenue North and North 29th Street at a price not to exceed $850,000.

The city councils consent agenda includes these items:

Four bid awards for sanitary sewer and water mains as well as a storm water detention and conveyance system. The four bids total about $5.2 million.

Approval of a $49,615 contract for development of a master plan for Optimist Park.

The approval of a development agreement with School District 2 for Ben Steele Middle School. The agreement outlines the offsite improvements required for the construction of the school, including the school districts contribution to a project that will widen Grand Avenue between 48th Street West and 58th Street West. The agreement also covers traffic signal work and sidewalk construction throughout the area.

Acceptance of a $2,500 donation to the Fire Department by St. Vincent Healthcare employees.
I'm lying in a hospital bed in Bangkok with a drip pumping antibiotics and IV fluid into my arm.

It's exactly one month since I packed my rucksack, jumped on a plane from Sydney and set off to travel Southeast Asia alone.

I wanted to explore places off the usual tourist track but spending the night in a Thai hospital was not exactly on my 'bucket list'.

When you're travelling solo and have lost your voice (I'm on day four of silence) you have a lot of time to think. And what I can't stop thinking about is the kindness of the strangers I've met along the way in the places I've been to so far.

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It was an empathetic Bangkok hostel owner who called the hospital to find out how I could pay for treatment and then hailed me a taxi this morning when he noticed I really hadn't improved overnight.

Previously, it was a selfless American student who lent me her sarong for the day to cover my 'modesty' when I slipped down a muddy bunk and ripped open my elephant pants, while looking for orangutans in the jungle in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

And a caring local tour guide who carried my bag and held my hand for the rest of the slippery walk before offering me the chance to stay another night in the magnificent jungle village of Bukit Lawang for free - simply because our group got on so well that I didn't want to leave.

On the picturesque Gili Islands, in Indonesia, it was the British gin-lover who gave me his copy of Gone Girl to keep when I said how I was suffering from a lack of reading material.

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Then there was the solo traveller from the States who introduced me to Tiger Balm and gave me a tube of Benadryl when my leg got ravaged by mosquitos.

And the Irish best friends who invited me to see a band with them when I arrived in Bali's culture capital Ubud and needed some fun.

In Singapore, a sweet hostel receptionist offered to wash my clothes for me despite a sign above the desk saying "we are not your mother". Please note: I do ordinarily wash my own clothes.

In Krabi, in the south of Thailand, another hostel worker gave me a free air conditioned room upgrade when the mercury hit 40 degrees Celsius.

And in Thailand's north, in Chiang Mai, a German traveller loaned me some extra cash to go to an elephant sanctuary.

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The next day, a Pakistani chef at a night market generously cooked up a free feast of food after befriending someone in our group. Sadly I had to run to catch a flight and never did finish that plate of spicy fried rice and chicken with mint yoghurt sauce.

Boat workers have hauled my large 13kg rucksack onto my back, taxi drivers have insisted on showing me temples while stopping the metre and men in the street have helped me figure out how to buy train tickets or pointed out a good photo opportunity.

I never asked or expected any of these things and the kindness of these people from all over the world has meant I've never really been alone, despite travelling solo.

Yes there have been some scammers too but they aren't the people I will remember from this trip.

Finally, it's the sweet smiling nurses who have treated me with the best possible care during my two nights in hospital. We may not speak the same language - in fact I can't speak at all right now - but sometimes you really don't need words.

So if you're waiting for the perfect travelling companion (i.e someone who doesn't snore, matches your budget and has the same time off work) before you start your adventures... don't.

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New London mayor Sadiq Khan (Photocredit: Getty Images)

Now that the dust is beginning to settle over last week's elections, we can reflect on many significant political achievements. The campaign for London Mayor and the accompanying battle for seats on the London Assembly demonstrated that London is Labour - with the outgoing Conservative Boris Johnson already seeming almost an aberration. No less significant than the election of Sadiq Khan, was the success of Marvin Rees, giving Bristol a black mayor to help right the historic wrongs of that city's association with slavery. The SNP's much-heralded success actually saw them loose a share of the vote and their majority in Holyrood. Labour pipped the Conservatives into second place on votes received, but their own share continued to fall - down another 2% on their 2015 performance.

And the big, and surprise winners, were Police and Crime Commissioners - elected in every instance on a higher - in some case (eg Dyfed Powys) much higher turnout than in previous years.

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Despite the excitement, rows and exhaustive/exhausting analysis, the big winner last Thursday was none of the above candidates or parties. In fact it was none of the above on any ballot in any election that took place - it was the people who didn't vote and the people who couldn't vote.

Hang on, you will say - turnout was up? This is a god news scenario for voter engagement?

And yes, it is true - the appetite to vote was greater not just for PCCs (who saw increases in turnouts of up to 32% and overall participation of up to 49%). In Scotland, turnout rose by 5 points to 55.6%. Wales was up more than 3 points to 45.3%, and in London by more than 7 points to 45.3% for the Mayor and 45.6% (up nearly 5 points) for the Assembly.

But even though these increases are very welcome, you will notice that at very best 9 out of every 20 voters stayed at home. Even for the most powerful directly elected politician in the country, 11 out of 20 were disengaged.

And that is using the last set of relevant elections as a bench-mark. If you want to emphasise the scale of the problem, just look to last year's General Election. There are all sorts of reasons why votes in General Elections are higher than in local ones - but turnout rates were still only 71.1% in Scotland, 65.6% in Wales and 65.4% in London.

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But as well as people who don't vote, there are those who can't vote - because they are not on the Electoral Register. Here the government's drive to implement Individual Electoral Registration (IER) - against the advice of the Electoral Commission and drawing criticism from the Electoral Reform Society - has coincided with an estimated 1.4m names coming off the Electoral Register using 2014 as a benchmark [1]. Those unregistered tend to be groups who are anyway underrepresented in the political process.

All of the above is not healthy. But there seems little appetite for decisive action to address widespread and embedded disengagement with the political process. Moves to expand the franchise to 16 and 17 years olds in forthcoming EU referendum (following huge participation by this group in the Scottish referendum) were blocked by government. There is an antipathy to electronic voting. You could make voting mandatory and fine people who refuse - but that's too much stick and no carrot for my liking. Or you could change the electoral system. Critics say that would not necessarily increase engagement, but it would unarguably make politics more relevant.

A change in our politics is already taking place. Devolution of power means devolution of politics too. We have top up lists and second preference voting. Andy Burnham talks of swapping Westminster for Manchester. But to truly overcome what is still a significant worrying democratic deficit, we must go further. I am delighted to see Sadiq and Marvin in their city halls and admire their remarkable achievements. I hope this will facilitate and inspire more participation in our politics - for the good of us all.
In a small village close to the North Cameroonian border with the Central African Republic, a crisis has been going on for over a decade. It is rarely talked about, it doesn't make the global news headlines and it is largely forgotten - but every day it is destroying lives, shattering futures and preying on some of the most vulnerable within the community.

Since I began working as a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Manager with International Medical Corps in the area I have seen girls as young as 12 entering into marriage without fully understanding what is happening, women with no access to education selling themselves on the street in hope of raising some money for the future, wives prohibited by their husbands from leaving their house to even go to the market and rape survivors refusing psychosocial counselling out of fear for retribution.

Here being the victim of rape and domestic violence still remains taboo.

Today Cameroon hosts more than 200,000 refugees from CAR and other neighbouring countries, the vast majority of which are women and children. The large influx of refugees has put immense pressures on existing health services and secondary needs such as education are often forgotten.

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International Medical Corps, with support from the START network, DFID and UNHCR has been working to fill these gaps and provide healthcare and support to CAR refugees, as well as the vulnerable host communities in the North, East and Adamawa regions of Cameroon.

We have accomplished a lot, but the challenges persist.

I remember one story that has stuck with me from back when I was a social worker in Cameroon's Adamawa region. A young girl who was living in a refugee camp came to the counselling room and asked for our help. She was only 14 years old and despite her young age was getting ready to get married.

Immediately needing to know her story I asked more and more questions, finding out that her uncle had agreed to give her away for 15,000 francs (about 18) and two bags of sugar.

The young girl protested that she didn't want to get married - she wanted to go to school and get an education. She also explained to us that her mother as a woman had no power over the uncle, and so had no say in the fate of her own daughter.

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Early and forced marriage is a common issue here and one of the biggest challenges we face. In this part of Cameroon a girl is often considered a woman once her period starts - tradition dictates that after three cycles she must leave the parental home, regardless of whether she is 16 or only 12.

For these girls reaching womanhood means losing their free will - they lose their ability to dream for their future, any element of choice taken from them and given to a husband. They lose their right to an education.

International Medical Corps works closely with the community to encourage families to allow their young daughters to stay in school, but as gender-based violence remains a taboo subject in the community a lot remains to be done.

Yet for me, each time we manage to help a young girl facing these pressures makes the effort worthwhile.

When I learned about the proposed future facing this 14 year old girl I knew I had to intervene. Together we sat down and discussed the situation with her family. Eventually we convinced them to return the dowry and the marriage was cancelled.

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The young girl left the refugee camp to live with a relative in a different town in Cameroon, from where she was able to go back to school and resume her education.

This is what keeps me going.

I came here because I wanted to help people and while the challenges remain considerable, I am willing to keep fighting. For every person we help - for every life we save - I am reminded of what we can do.

I want to tell their stories in the hope that others will come forward, knowing that we can help them.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman who asked not to be identified because of palace policy said he could not remember the last time the queen had displayed such public affection with a first lady or dignitary.

"It was a mutual and spontaneous display of affection," he said. "We don't issue instructions on not touching the queen."
There is a temptation to lump quantum computing in with technologies such as fusion power in the sense that both have been proposed for decades with the promise of tremendous leaps in performance.

Whilst fusion power continues to frustrate, there are signs of real progress being made in quantum computing. There is barely a tech giant in the world that doesn't have dedicated teams working on the topic, and these teams are beginning to bring quantum computing out of the lab and into the real world.

At the forefront of this is IBM, who recently announced that they would connect up a quantum computer to the web and allow us to play with it. The project involves a 5 qubit machine, with a qubit allowing it to operate in both '0 and 1' states at the same time, thus increasing its potential computational power enormously. A one qubit machine has roughly 16 possible states, but once you get over 300, you begin to exceed the number of atoms in the universe.

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Whilst there is a lot of incredibly technical stuff going on in the background, users will be presented with a collection of symbols that represent each quantum operation. Users can drag these into place, and the computer then executes the command.

Big and small

Suffice to say, IBM's project is not ready, nor even intended for commercial release just yet, but they are one of many teams working on doing just that. To show it's not just the big boys that are beavering away at the problem, a bunch of academics gathered at Nature's London office last week to show off their work.

The event, which was hosted by the accelerator program Entrepreneur First, brought together academics from as far afield as Australia. The day saw projects ranging from the development of quantum machines to aid machine learning to an attempts to network up quantum machines discussed and quizzed by a panel of experts from across industry, academia and government.

It's probably fair to say that quantum computing still has a long way to go before it reaches the mainstream, not least because of the extremely sensitive conditions required to host the computer at the moment. Such is the delicate nature of the process, the computer has to be housed in incredibly cold environments that protect it from intrusion and interference from outside sources. Even a minute change in temperature can mess with its ability to function.

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Such conditions are likely to prevent quantum computing from hitting our desktops or smartphones any time soon, but it shouldn't preclude the use of quantum computing in data centers, where they will gain particular power should Amir Feizpour and Krzysztof Kaczmarek manage to network up the devices successfully and robustly.
GRAFENWOEHR, GERMANY - APRIL 12: U.S. soldiers look at paratroopers from the U.S. Army 173rd Airborne Brigade, the UK's 16 Air Assault Brigade and Italian Folgore Airborne Brigade as they parachute to the ground during a training jump as part of the Saber Junction 16 military exercises near the Hohenfels Training Area on April 12, 2016 near Grafenwoehr, Germany. More than 1,200 paratroopers participated in the jump, one of the biggest airborne training operations in Europe this year. Saber Junction 16, taking place from March 31 to April 24, is the U.S. Army Europe's largest combat training in 2016 and nearly 5,000 participants from 16 NATO and European partner nations are taking part in the exercise. The U.S. military conducts training exercises with NATO-member armed forces as well as partner nations, many of them eastern European nations, on a regular basis. (Photo by Matej Divizna/Getty Images)

In the most accurately forecast and fundamentally predictable plot "twist" in the history of television, principal "Game of Thrones" hero Jon Snow suddenly opened his eyes, gasped deeply and returned from the dead. So has been the fate of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, despite the endless predictions of the "failure" of an "obsolete" NATO, especially several recent broadsides from the Republican frontrunner, Donald Trump.

With the coronation of a new supreme allied commander at NATO headquarters in Belgium, we've seen another orderly transfer of power from one American general, Air Force 4-star Phil "Bawana" Breedlove, to a traditional and excellent new choice, Army General Curtis Michael "Scap" Scaparrotti. Scaparrotti has lots of experience in Europe over the course of his long career, and -- more importantly -- exceptional diplomatic and interpersonal skills that will stand him in good stead as he conducts global operations for the venerable security organization.

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Scaparrotti on May 3 at the Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, southern Germany. (MARIJAN MURAT/AFP/Getty Images)

And make no mistake, NATO is indeed continuing to conduct operations on three continents -- Europe, Asia and Africa -- and has access to 3 million active duty troops, 24,000 military aircraft and 800 oceangoing warships. It is by far the strongest and most capable military alliance in history, with 28 members and soon another -- tiny Montenegro.

NATO's missions include a substantial mission to train and mentor the Afghan Security Forces; a sustaining mission in the Balkans that helps keep the peace there (remember that a couple decades ago the Balkans looked like Syria does today); ships on piracy missions off the Horn of Africa and refugee operations in the Aegean; and a standing command structure of over 10,000 professionals in Europe under the direct command of the supreme allied commander.

NATO has some work to do if it wants to continue to be relevant.

In addition to the global missions directed against transnational threats like terrorism and in support of humanitarian operations dealing with refugees, NATO has some work to do if it wants to continue to be relevant. Like Jon Snow, it is necessary but not sufficient to simply open your eyes and breathe. So what is the plan for the new supreme allied commander?

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First, he should begin by looking at cyber and NATO's vulnerabilities there. Despite the nascent efforts in Estonia at the NATO center of excellence for cybersecurity, there are still big, gaping holes in NATO's readiness, including in the area of offensive cyber action. Despite all the barriers to cooperation in cyber (individual national reticence to reveal highly classified tools, political disagreement over the utility of offensive cyber activity), it will be necessary over the medium and long term to not only defend NATO in the cyber sea, but also to act offensively.

Nuclear-powered submarines moored at a Russian base in Murmansk. (Lev Fedoseyev\TASS via Getty Images)

A second area of focus for the new commander should be the Arctic. Russia is building real military muscle in the vast stretches of the high north, and NATO at a minimum must be ready to respond coherently to probing deployments in the region.

Recent barrel rolls by Russian aircraft over NATO aircraft and zooming fly-bys of NATO warships in the Baltic Sea hardly build confidence. That kind of confrontation needs to be avoided in the Arctic if we are to develop it as a zone of cooperation, not a zone of competition or conflict. NATO needs a strategy for the Arctic, beginning with better surveillance and active exercises and training maneuvers.

NATO needs a strategy for the Arctic.

Thirdly, a new commander would be wise to keep an eye on the NATO mission in Afghanistan. A U.S. withdrawal below the critical level of around 10,000 troops augmented by 5,000 allied troops would be disastrous.

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Scaparrotti must take the forthcoming recommendations of the Afghan mission commander (General John "Mick" Nicholson, who is also brand new and a superb leader), and communicate them without fear or favor both to his NATO chain of command and up the U.S. side. Having had 140,000 troops there during my time as SACEUR, I cannot imagine reducing the current force below 15,000 now -- a huge drop, with virtually all the active combat undertaken by the Afghans. We should not walk away now.

Nicholson in Kabul on March 2. (RAHMAT GUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Fourth, the new commander should put a great deal of emphasis on building more muscle in NATO's special operations headquarters. Currently, this group consists of a few hundred soldiers loosely knitted together and sparingly employed. It is time to consider whether the Alliance needs a special operations component command to stand alongside the land, air and maritime component commands it enjoys in Europe today. Given the likelihood of more SOF missions, this seems like the right move.

And finally, NATO must work hard at building strong partnerships. These are with nations that possess a high degree of military capability, an affinity for the democratic value system NATO represents and a history of operating alongside NATO in its missions. Some of the top candidates are Sweden, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, Japan and South Korea. There are others as well, and the range of missions -- from peacekeeping to counter-piracy to training indigenous forces -- is quite broad.

We should not walk away from Afghanistan now.

All of this presupposes attention directed at the top two challenges facing NATO today: the rise of the so-called Islamic State and its global threat capability and the resurgence of a recalcitrant and pugnacious Russia. The new commander will be immediately at the center of the debate over NATO's role against ISIS in Iraq and how to deter future bad behavior (to put it mildly) on the part of Vladimir Putin's Russia.

It is a big, ambitious agenda. But compared to what Jon Snow is facing as he opens his eyes and sees the chaotic world in "Game of Thrones," there are many sensible strategic and operational options ahead for the Alliance. NATO will continue to be at the center of U.S. and indeed global security -- and there is still a lot of life in the organization.

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Earlier on WorldPost:
In just over one week, NextEra management will hold its annual meeting in Oklahoma City. The parent company of FPL is required by SEC regulations to include all shareholders of record. The annual meeting provides a tiny window to executive management and executive compensation. The corporation is also obligated to announce resolutions proposed by shareholders according to SEC rule. One of this year's resolutions, filed by my wife and me, concerns sea level rise.

"Shareholders request that beginning Dec. 1, 2016, the Board of Directors provide an annual report, prepared at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information, on material risks to operations, facilities, and markets based on a range of sea level rise scenarios projecting forward to 2100 based on best available science." Markets. That means, us.

FPL is the largest business unit of NextEra. Its major market is the eastern seaboard of Florida, defined by low lying topography and extraordinarily vulnerable to sea level rise. The Company's objections, filed in its proxy statement, are not responsive to our resolution.

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For example, of its intention to build two new $20 billion nuclear reactors, NextEra writes: "The sea level rise projections for the Turkey Point project under Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") licensing review were developed in compliance with rigorous NRC requirements and processes, including relying on peer-reviewed data. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates of sea level were used to project sea level rise over 100 years, and, if approved and constructed, the new Turkey Point nuclear reactors would comply with NRC standards for nuclear plants and be built more than 25 feet above current sea level, well above any predicted rise in sea level."

With only a few feet of sea level rise, the region surrounding the Turkey Point Nuclear Reactors will be under water. Even if roadways servicing FPL's nuclear facility are built above the rising seas, it will be impossible to protect farmland, housing subdivisions, and commercial areas in the immediate environs. On this and its markets throughout coastal Florida, the Company is silent.

Ten years ago, I was the mayor's appointee to the first iteration of the Miami-Dade Climate Change Task Force, representing Sierra Club. Over two dozen members volunteered their time to the advisory group authorized by the Miami-Dade County Commission. I resigned after concluding the meetings served the first purpose of paper shuffling by local elected officials.

A decade later, much has changed. Global warming is a top line concern. In January, the World Economic Forum in Davos called climate change the biggest threat to global growth in 2016. Miami is often cited in international press reports as a region with the most to lose from rising seas.

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The issue our resolution seeks to clarify for investors: what will happen not just to FPL Nuclear reactors but to its substations, its ability to service overheard distribution lines, and especially: FPL's coastal markets for electricity. "25 feet above sea level" is the definition of a red herring if ratepayers cannot withstand a few feet of sea level rise.

The Company writes, "There is no justification for the time and expense of the annual report requested by the proposal, particularly when the possible effect of sea level rise has already been appropriately addressed and the analysis is available to the public."

FPL calls our resolution a "waste of time and money". Really?

Some South Florida municipalities, like the City of Miami Beach, have already invested hundreds of millions to fight the significant impacts of sea level rise in the context of protecting billions of dollars of infrastructure serving millions of Floridians; not in 100 years but within the next twenty to fifty years.

A report by the The Southeast Florida Climate Change Compact includes: "In the short term, sea level rise is projected to be 6 to 10 inches by 2030 and 14 to 26 inches by 2060 (above the 1992 mean sea level). In the long term, sea level rise is projected to be 31 to 61 inches by 2100. For critical infrastructure projects with design lives in excess of 50 years, use of the upper curve is recommended with planning values of 34 inches in 2060 and 81 inches in 2100."

FPL's Turkey Point reactors were commissioned in 1973 and are still operation more than forty years later. By that time metric -- forty years from 2020's when FPL's new nuclear reactors would be operational -- South Florida will be staring at 34 inches of sea level rise.

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The following is an excerpt from a talk by Digijaks CEO Alan W. Silberberg at the 2016 GEOINT Symposium.

When you think of Cyber Security, you probably think about your iPhone getting hacked, or your email, or your companies servers, or your credit card, or bank card or health care, or banking, or government information, plus so many others...

But did you ever stop to think about how a huge chunk of all the data populating all those things actually gets there? Not in the sense of how Google asks prospective employees to describe how the internet works. But close. Think Space.

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Satellites are a massive growth industry, for both government and business alike. We have scaled globally from a situation 20 years ago where only a handful of countries could afford to mount in orbit operations on even one satellite.

Now there are literally thousands of satellites in space with more and more getting launched into either permanent or semi-permanent orbits -- along with resulting real space junk and debris following closely along.

There is a correlation of increased launches with smaller launch packages, increasingly smaller and lighter satellite platforms and lower cost; with massive increased consumption and transport of data in both up and down link; and other bands.

All of this has led to a reset of the cyber security needs surrounding ground stations, launch facilities, terrestrial platforms, satellites, rockets, and of course the data. There are multiple types of data flowing into the typical modern communications satellite. Up-link, down-link controls and management software, then data payloads of voice, video, data, etc. and then often reversed in direction again. Add to this the security levels, the control levels and maintenance levels -- and there is a digital river of information coming in and out of every satellite, ground station and in between.

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This is one of the major targets for global cyber war efforts by governments as well as cartel hacker groups and other groups seeking only power and information to then bring money.

One of the key weak points is the people on the ground and their BYOD (bring your own device) methods and practices - whether sanctioned or not.

Along the same lines is the social engineering side of hacking and cyber war and how people's pictures, social media posts, location tags, and other digital exhausts can be combined in a detailed matrix for an attacker to figure out organizational patterns, phrases, colloquialisms and other ways to use psychology against us.

Another key weak point is that many of the cyber security protocols designed for this global data transfer every millisecond is that they are simply outdated and not up to the task of modern efforts to hack and crack this technology and its safeguards and firewalls.

Another key weak point is the ex fil of the data whether through an overall hack, disabling the equipment, or worse -- a hunter-killer satellite.

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tired student girl with glasses sleeping on the books in the library

At the beginning of the semester, I was just another misinformed college student, staying up to maximize study time (or free time) and only sleeping when my head started drooping to the floor.

The Sleep Revolution has had a personal impact on my life and, I hope, an impact on the lives of those around me. The revolution not only champions getting a good night's sleep every night, but also promotes a sound mental state and time management skills. I can't tell you how many times throughout my four years at MU that I've sat in my room, doing absolutely nothing but worry endlessly about my responsibilities.

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It's surprisingly easy to get trapped in an unhealthy headspace. With round-the-clock responsibilities comes the innate guilt and uneasiness of relaxing and taking some time for yourself. But more than anything, that endless stress is just a state of mind. With The Sleep Revolution, Arianna Huffington (read: one of the busiest women in the world) is telling college students and adults alike that it's totally peachy to put the work down for a few moments of zen.



"With round-the-clock responsibilities comes the innate guilt and uneasiness of relaxing and taking some time for yourself."



A month ago, a few large boxes arrived at my doorstep. The Sleep Revolution, now more than just a mental state, had manifested itself in boxes of goodies and knick-knacks. These items became the basis for an event that I held for myself and a few friends, celebrating sleep in both its mental and physical capacities.

At this event, my friends and I talked about our sleep habits, and moreover our unhealthy tendencies brought about by our busy college schedules. Over the past few weeks and months, friends and acquaintances of mine have been eager to talk with me about sleep. But the difference, I noticed, was in how we were talking. Sleep conversations were no longer just venting sessions, but serious attempts at therapy and actual change.

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Heather Finn, a friend and fellow MU journalism student, was excited to tell me about her new focus on nightly routines and positive sleep habits. She talked to me about her new nightly goal - to bed by midnight and up by 7 - and how it seems to work for her when she can manage it. But she also recognized how hard sleep positivity can be in a college environment.

"The average conversation about sleep on campus, in a nutshell, sounds like this: 'I'm sooooo tired.' 'Oh, you got four hours of sleep last night? I only got two.' Sleeping is evidently not cool anymore."

And it's true. Boasting about getting the recommended nine hours of sleep a night isn't exactly a ticket to popularity. But Heather also recognized how college doesn't exactly reflect real life in many ways. During college years, student are taught to work hard and often for the benefit of their future, where they'll hopefully have a real job and a solid work ethic to boot. But, a soon-to-be graduate like myself, Heather recognized the unhealthy habits perpetrated by college atmospheres in particular.

"Throughout college, I've spent many nights working on homework and studying until I feel like I'm going to pass out rather than attempting to have any sort of bedtime routine. I can't say I ever felt like I needed to do anything like that before college. Thankfully, I feel like that period of my life is ending, and I'm starting to care a bit more about taking care of myself and, you know, actually sleeping."

About an hour and a half west of the MU campus, Central Missouri student Anna Robb reflected a similar philosophy. Unlike Heather, however, Anna grew up with a very strict bedtime, which is something she has learned to appreciate.

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"I've continued to keep a fairly static "bedtime" that changes slightly to accommodate for my class, work, and lab schedules each semester. But now that I'm in college, I'm more likely to give up sleep to study or hang out with friends. I tell myself that I'll catch up on sleep on the weekend or when I have "extra" time, but it's impossible to make up for the lost time with a busy schedule like the one I choose to keep."

Anna, despite being very well-educated about the importance of sleep, still falls into college's tempting traps. She likes to take naps, but knows that no matter how refreshing they are in the moment, they tend to throw off sleep patterns in the long run. And also like Heather, Anna attributes much of the temptation to stay awake to the ever-present fear of missing out.



"Boasting about getting the recommended nine hours of sleep a night isn't exactly a ticket to popularity."



Whether the result of #SleepRevolution's impact or not, I was happy to hear that both Heather and Anna have daily routines and rituals that promote sleep and good health. Heather likes to take a hot shower, read and write in a journal before bedtime. Anna likes to meditate during the day and schedules time to sleep in on the weekends.

Both, regardless of particular habits, have their heads in the right place. There IS time to do it all, but, even more importantly, there's time to give yourself a break for the sake of mental and physical health.

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Barrios, slums of Caracas on the hillside

It's a terrible thing to watch the country of your birth slowly tear itself apart in an unwavering death march. That place which first welcomed my half-opened infant eyes is no longer the one I knew, nor the one from the stories I have heard.

I am not talking about the suffering of Syria or the plight of Ukraine, though tragic their stories are. The pain and torment which affects me and tens of millions of others is occurring in the South American nation of Venezuela, one which has tightened the noose around its neck over the last two decades with bad policy after bad policy.

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Increasing international attention to the grave crises affecting Venezuela has led many who know of my heritage to ask me about the situation, seeking insight on the country's suffering.

It might be my close ties, my visiting grandparents who returned just today, or the fact that I still have many more friends and family who reside there, but my response to those who have tried to strike the conversation has been a universal, "I will talk about anything else except this. It just makes me too sad."

This sentiment is felt by many other people I know. Many family friends have established a "10 minute rule" when Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, or Nicolas Maduro come up, echoing that they refuse to dedicate more than 10 minutes to talking about such a depressing event.

I broke my silence a week ago. A close friend asked me how the situation was over there. I managed to explain everything I could, all the while swallowing a tight knot in my throat and fighting back tears.

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Every single friend and family member who I know in or who at one point lived in Venezuela has either been robbed, assaulted, kidnapped, shot, or murdered. My grandfather was rammed in the chest by the barrel of a gun for his gold-chained necklace. My uncle's new car was stolen the day he bought it as he entered the gated parking of his apartment building. My godfather's ex-wife has gone through three kidnappings, with shots being fired into her car during the last attack.

An iPhone or any accessory more luxurious than a Mickey Mouse watch is an invitation for robbery. Thugs on motorcycles lane-split through traffic to knock on car windows for any electronics or high-priced items. Sometimes they'll kill you just because you don't have anything to give.

The same grandfather who was assaulted has also undergone three surgeries in order to replace defective or malfunctioning pacemakers, with the last surgery requiring months of waiting before one could be found somewhere in the country. Two months ago, he had to wait from 2 AM to 3 PM in a line in order to buy a car battery. When the battery malfunctioned last month, he was forced to go back and do it again.

During their last visit here, some family members took back the most basic of supplies in order to keep enduring the crisis. These included toilet paper, canned foods, raw beans, rice, and over-the-counter medications like Tums and Aspirin.

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To put it simply, the country is falling apart.

The worst part is that millions of other Venezuelans are not as lucky as those I know. They are subjected to much more horrifying treatment with no recourse. Many do not receive help or make enough money to pay for these items and have to suffer through one measly meal a day while working for a worthless wage. This is one of the most painful aspects of this disaster.

I've always felt close enough to experience the pain and sorrow of my compatriots while feeling detached enough to not have the right to speak on the matter. Even now, I write this from the air-conditioned comfort of my home in the U.S. But I refuse to be a bystander.

The two years, multiple summers, and countless vacations I spent in Venezuela have made the blood that courses through my veins as red, yellow, and blue as much as it is red, white, and blue. I still remember riding horseback through llanos of Acarigua, eating pork sandwiched in the mountainside village of Galipan, and awing at the tropical island beauty of Margarita.

I remain an optimist, though hard it may be. Gains have been made in the National Assembly, a recall referendum is underway, and the tide is turning against the government. But 15 years of authoritarianism and repression cannot be undone overnight.

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What can be done by each and every person is to inform. Post on social media, talk to friends, become an activist, whether you are home or abroad. If you don't know, ask questions. As the message of the Venezuelan people is disseminated across the world, hope becomes more palpable and the government's grip on power weakened.
A 42-year-old California woman was identified Monday morning as the passenger who died on a plane that made an emergency landing in Billings Saturday night.

Tina L. Matthews cause of death was not immediately available but will be determined in an autopsy set for Monday, said Lt. Bill Jones, Yellowstone County coroner.

Matthews was on a 7:15 p.m. flight from Chicago to San Francisco when a medical emergency caused the aircraft to divert to Billings Logan International Airport. Emergency responders were staged at the terminal when the Star Alliance Boeing 737 landed at about 10 p.m, according to Mike Glancy, operations and aircraft rescue firefighting supervisor.

Paramedics boarded the plane immediately to provide medical assistance but Matthews was pronounced dead at the scene. Glancy said he did not know if Matthews was alive when the plane landed.

The Boeings passengers deplaned while it was inspected by mechanics and refueled. The aircraft departed Billings just after midnight.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a press conference at the United Nations after the Opening Ceremony of the High-Level Event for the Signature of the Paris Agreement April 22, 2016 in New York. / AFP / KENA BETANCUR (Photo credit should read KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Last month, the government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation to legalize physician-assisted suicide for Canadian citizens. The momentum for such a law has been building since the fall, when the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously struck down a criminal ban on the practice. With the Liberal Party's control of Canada's Congress, the House of Commons, the bill is expected to pass in the next few months. Given the geographic and ideological similarities between Canada and the US, is it time for the US to implement a similar law?

The history of physician-assisted suicide -- also known as "right to die" or "death with dignity" -- laws in the US has been long and controversial. In Massachusetts, our home state, such laws have been proposed six times over the last twenty years but failed -- sometimes narrowly -- each time. Currently, assisted suicide is legal in only California, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont, although courts in several more states have protected the rights of patients to end their own lives.

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The question over whether an individual has the right to end their own life with the assistance of a medical professional has long been a complicated one. It draws on debates regarding medical ethics, patient autonomy, the value of human life, issues of societal inequality and mental illness, the professional responsibilities of doctors, and the (im)morality of suicide and murder. Many organized religions formally oppose assisted suicide because it violates their reverence for human life. A few days ago, Pope Francis called assisted suicide "a serious threat to families worldwide." Additionally, some physicians also oppose these laws because of the Hippocratic Oath's provision that physicians will 'first, do no harm'.

In countries like Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany where assisted suicide is legal, the practice is heavily regulated. The Canadian bill follows suit: Trudeau's legislation states that only Canadian residents with "serious and incurable illnesses" who have endured "physical or psychological suffering" will be eligible to qualify to receive the treatment. In Canada, an individual does not need to have a terminal illness to request a life-ending dose of legal medication, but Trudeau's bill states at least two doctors must independently verify that "natural death has become foreseeable" based on the individual's medical circumstances. One situation where death is foreseeable but not inevitable could involve immune system deficiencies that leave the individual susceptible to lethal infections.

The proposed Canadian law will also deter medical tourism by limiting the practice to those on Canadian health insurance, permanent residents, or citizens, ensuring Americans are excluded. In addition, the law will exclude patients with mental illness. Canadians will not be able to request permission to end their life in advance, but only when they are terminally ill.

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These measures will hopefully ensure that people die with dignity and autonomy, and also regulate a common, under-the-table practice. Seventy-seven percent of Canadians support assisted suicide compared to 68 percent in the U.S., a number that is expected to rise. Despite majority support, assisted suicide is contentious in the U.S.

If Canada does pass the law, the U.S. is also likely to consider legalizing assisted suicide. Yet, there are significant barriers to this decision.

On one hand, legalization of assisted suicide could lead to what Will Johnson, president of Canadian Physicians for Life, calls "an unconscionable amount of chaos" in the health care system. Self-interested doctors or family members could abuse the system by encouraging non-critical patients to pursue the option, or arbitrarily label some as incompetent in order to open the option. Some doctors believe that it may undermine the ethics of their practice. Physicians are expected to do no harm, and in Massachusetts, medical practitioners lobbied against legalization because of this cognitive dissonance between saving lives and ending one out of suffering. Many religious groups also oppose intentional killing, further complicating the ethics of the practice. Meanwhile, some fear that the choice could compel insurance companies and governments to influence doctors to not maximize efforts to save a patient's life. A premature death could also preclude miracle recoveries.

On the other hand, there are also significant benefits -- enough to compel several countries to legalize it. First, it gives the patient a choice in the face of insufferable pain and agony to preserve their dignity. Patients will be able to choose to end their lives before their lifestyle dramatically and painfully deteriorates. The choice also affirms a fundamental freedom to decide one's fate. With aging populations, health care costs can be reduced, lessening the burden on the health care system. Moreover, legalizing assisted suicide would allow for full regulation of existing back-room practices to prevent abuse and allow patients to make informed decisions.

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Written by Patricia Sunderland

Since March of this year, I've had the murder of Luis Rodriguez going through my mind. He was killed by police officers in Moore, Oklahoma in the parking lot of a movie theatre.

I watched the horrific video posted on the Facebook page of Don't Shoot on March 14. The video was from the cell phone of Luis' wife, Nair. To hear the escalation, horror, and fear in her voice as she realizes that he may no longer be moving, and her pleas for Luis, "Papa," to please talk to her as well as begging for someone, anyone, to tell her he is alive is almost unbearable. To witness police and medical personnel interacting with Luis' body while an officer engages in calming and diffusing actions with Nair, including keeping her from approaching Luis as well as gently confiscating her phone, only increases the nauseating realism.

Yet it is not only the reality of the death of Luis Rodriguez and the NSFL (Not Safe for Life) qualities of this three-minute video that have made it stay in my head. It is also the question of why his death was not a national news story as were the 2014-15 police-caused deaths of Baltimore's Freddie Gray with a spinal cord injury, the asphyxiation of cigarette-seller Eric Garner in New York City, the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, and the shooting of Laquan McDonald as he staggered in the middle of a Chicago street. If a swirl of cultural realities, stereotypes, and assumptions were at work in catalyzing Luis' death, in what ways have they also been at play in its aftermath?

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Luis' death occurred in the very early morning of hours of February 15, 2014. The video was released 10 days later. The story and the video did appear in local, national, and international as well as Latino and special interest news outlets, for instance The Oklahoman, CNN, Daily Mail, Latinos Post, and Counter Current News. Yet, it was not a "big" news story. You are not alone if you do not remember it or if you never saw the video before just now.

From the news releases and the legal documents for a civil lawsuit filed in 2015, the circumstances and events of the case appear fairly straightforward. Luis, age 44, his wife Nair, and their then 19-year-old daughter, Luinahi, went to the movie theatre and together watched a movie, Robocop. The theatre served alcohol and although there were security officers working at the theatre (two off-duty game warden officers and one off-duty Moore police officer), local Moore police were summoned because of intoxicated patrons in the theatre.

However, Luis and Nair were not the intoxicated patrons. The autopsy revealed no alcohol in Luis' bloodstream. Rather, in the parking lot of the theatre, Nair and her daughter had a dispute and Nair slapped her daughter. In fact, in the video you can hear Nair telling the officer that their daughter "has been treating us like crap" and that she was the one who had slapped her.

An observer had witnessed the slap and reported it to the police who had come to the theatre. In police framing, this constituted a "domestic incident" and "domestic abuse" in need of investigation as can also be heard on the video. Presumably the observer who alerted the police must have put an "incident" and "abuse" frame on the slapping event as well. If not, why report it?

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When the police went to investigate, they stopped Luis and asked for his identification. Luis, meanwhile, was following after his wife, who was angrily on her way to the car and he was trying to get to her to calm her down. He ignored the police request and continued to try to follow his wife. This led to the officer's use of pepper spray and a physical struggle in which Rodriguez was forced down and held to the ground by five officers for handcuffing. His death was caused either by asphyxiation or cardiac arrhythmia catalyzed by rough treatment and beating.

Luis was a large, dark-skinned man; Nair a smaller, light-skinned woman. Culturally, here we go again - the dark-skinned man seems assumed the perpetrator of the domestic incident and the fact that he did not immediately comply with the officers' request signified danger. Luis ends up dead, even though, the reality of his actions were to calm his wife and the reality of his life was of a church attending religious man with a steady blue-collar job as an electrician's helper. By all accounts, he was a calm soul, the kind of person who didn't look for trouble.

The dark skinned man as the violent perpetrator is such a familiar cultural story. The framing of slapping as "domestic violence" (the way Moore's police chief labeled it in a news conference) versus "discipline," (the way Nair labelled it in June 20, 2014 video on the Justice for Luis Rodriguez Facebook page) is also familiar. The killing of dark-skinned men by law enforcement officers, and the lack of criminal charges or convictions, is a far too frequently repeated cultural reality.

But, there lurks another cultural question. Did we not hear of this case because they were Puerto Rican? Does this Black Life end up not mattering as much because it somehow does not fit so neatly in the cultural narrative box? Is it easier to think about Florida's Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman and to pit Black and Hispanic lives as opposing cultural categories? Trayvon Martin was an African American teenager killed in 2012 by the multi-racial Zimmerman, generally referred to as Hispanic.

Maybe. In fact, the final text line on the Wikipedia post about the shooting of Trayvon Martin reads: "The 2013 acquittal of Zimmerman on the charge of murdering Martin, inspired a Facebook posting that included the phrase 'black lives matter,' which later became the name of the Black Lives Matter movement."

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In the tripartite White-Black-Hispanic cultural imaginary of the US, it is somehow easy to conveniently forget the Hispanic part and also to forget that Hispanic often ends up with a truly short end of the stick. Many years ago, I did program evaluation work together with Vilma Santiago-Irizarry at NYC's Rikers Island jail. We would often sit in on empowerment groups held for female inmates. Vilma had a special eye and insight in this setting as she had worked as an attorney before training in anthropology. As someone from Puerto Rico, she also had a special eye and ear for what it means to be labeled as Hispanic or Latino in the US. I remember the particular day when the group conversation revolved around which inmates got what goods, benefits, services, privileges, favors and so on. The Hispanic women were distinctly at the bottom of the barrel on this score. As Vilma basically remarked about this exchange when we later talked about it, "Latinos are always the last, don't fool yourself, always the last."

Very recently, I was also reminded of this when I watched the March 2016 "Why is the 1% So White?" episode of MTV's Decoded, an MTV news show featuring Franchesca Ramsey. (If you have not yet seen a Decoded episode, do so, the show is fascinating from both an anthropological and popular culture point of view). In this one, as part of the discussion of education's role in continued racial disparities and the fact of US school funding based on property taxes, the point was made that the national median value of a white homeowner's house was $85,800; for black homeowners, $50,000; and for Latino homeowners, $48,000. The bottom of the barrel. Again.

As a US territory, Puerto Rico has always been a special case - not a state, yet also not a country in its own right (Puerto Ricans hold US passports). But this non-normative situation seems to continually confuse. As an editor's note at the end of an Oklahoman article published a few days after Luis Rodriguez's death read: "An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Luis and Nair Rodriguez immigrated from Puerto Rico" in 1992. You cannot immigrate to a country of which you are already a part.
Are both parties divided? Well, to some extent, sure.

Protestors in California shouted at Hillary Clinton and her supporters and your social media feed may be full of angry claims from some who so Feel the Bern that they don't ever want to vote for Clinton.

Meanwhile, the only living former Republican presidents announced they won't be endorsing anyone this year and multiple Republican office-holders say they won't attend the party's convention nominating Donald Trump for President.

But this year turns out to be yet another in which the "both sides are the same" narrative falls flat.

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First of all, Democrats are already more unified than Republicans, as are liberals versus conservatives.

Primaries can be divisive, but the most recent CNN poll found that Democratic voters show little disunion.

A whopping 86% of Sanders' supporters say they would vote for Hillary Clinton and only 10% would vote for Trump.

In contrast, 70% of non-Trump Republican voters say they would vote for Trump.

That same CNN poll found 85% of liberals supporting Clinton while only 66% of conservatives supporting Trump.

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Second, Democrats see the nomination fights as more positive and much less divisive for their party than Republicans.

This can be seen in recent exit polls from Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York.

In these three states, supporters of the winning candidate were the largest share of who saw the contest as energized. But still the patterns by party were substantially different, with Democrats averaging 69% feeling energized, compared to just 38% of Republicans.

In Indiana, 72% of Democrats said the primaries had energized the party versus 23% who said it had been divided.

But among Indiana Republicans, only 40% picked energized, while 56% said the party was more divided.

The week before, this same pattern was seen in Pennsylvania. As an analysis for ABC News explained:

The difference between Republicans and Democrats in their view of their respective campaigns' impact on party unity is striking. In the Pennsylvania GOP primary, just four in 10 say the campaign has energized the party, while nearly six in 10 say it's divided it. (In the Democratic race, by contrast, seven in 10 say their race has energized the party.)

And a week before that in New York, 66% of Democrats thought the campaign was energizing and 30% divisive.

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Just 36% of New York Republican voters thought the primaries were energizing, compared to 59% who said they divided the party.

Why the differences?

One reason why Democrats are less divided and find the contest more energizing that Republicans is that their candidates are not really that different on policy positions when looked at in the broader American policy context.

Sure, their supporters can point to particular votes and positions where they diverge, but Clinton's and Sanders' Senate voting records overlapped by 93%.

Donald Trump's temperament and ever-shifting positions aren't in synch with typical Republican elected officials and candidates, even as they have resonated with a plurality and, more recently, a majority of primary voters. The idea of an erratic, ill-informed President Trump with nuclear weapons is troubling.

Thus there really is less unity among Republicans.

Another factor is the difference in how partisans see the political world.

Republicans are less supportive of compromise and more likely to see the world as split into starkly disconnected groups. So when there is disagreement and argument, instead of finding it energizing, there's a sense of division, even estrangement.

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As the 2014 Pew Research study on polarization found, 63% of consistently conservative Americans liked elected officials who "stick to their positions," while 32% prefer ones who make compromises.

Yet 82% of consistent liberals espoused having leaders who compromised, with only 14% saying they should "stick to their positions."

What complicates this is that while liberals strongly favored compromise when posed broadly, Pew found that liberals "are about as likely as conservatives to want political agreements that favor their side." So perhaps we can make too much of this.

However, as Jonathan Weiler and Marc Hetherington discussed in Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics, authoritarianism is found more among Republicans than Democrats.

As Weiler pointed out, one component of authoritarianism is an "us versus them" mentality. What complicates the picture is that authoritarianism especially characterizes Trump supporters and they were the Republican voters most saying they found the nomination fight most energizing.

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"Papers floated in the sky peacefully while there was complete chaos on the ground. Papers. I remember the papers."

***

Two Thanksgivings ago I shared a table amongst fellow Bikram yogis at the warmly decorated Harlem home of one of our instructors, Katya. I sat next to her brother, Kyle.

Kyle was a 6 foot 3, late 40's or fifty-something black man who worked part-time at the yoga studio. When we first met he handed me a set of towels from across the counter as I checked in for class. I remember thinking, 'what's this guy doing working at a yoga studio on the upper east side?' There is something to that saying ... 'more than meets the eye.'

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That Thanksgiving I learned that Kyle was a chef ... a rather talented one ... and that he had worked at the Marriott Hotel that occupied the bottom 22 floors of the Twin Towers, connecting them. He'd also worked as Chef Tournant (a roundsman skilled enough to cover multiple cooking stations) at Cafe Pierre, frequented by kings and queens. It was not uncommon for guests to order a $40,000 bottle of wine accompanying their meal.

***

On September 11, 2001, Kyle arrived for work at the Marriott at 6:45 am. They had three large parties that day, one for 150 guests, one for 75, and the other 50. His boss kept asking him about another big party coming on Thursday. It was Tuesday.

"Just let me get today set," said Kyle, "and then I'll start working on Thursday."

Thursday never came.

***

While inside the walk-in cooler at 8:43am, Kyle heard a muffled rumble. He walked outside and was a little surprised that no one was around, but it was still early.

"A few minutes later," he said, "a guest wearing a suit, like for a business breakfast or something, ran into the back of the house. 'You gotta come look,' he said. 'You can't be in here,' I told him. 'You gotta come look,' he kept saying.

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"I followed him out into the main area of the restaurant. At first I couldn't make out what I was seeing. It was like my eyes and my brain couldn't connect."

"What did you see?" I said.

"An arm ... and then the body parts of probably 200 people. Body parts and luggage ... going far back into the restaurant."

"How far?" I said.

Kyle looked up and pointed to end of the corridor opposite where was sat. We were at a bar inside the Hudson Hotel sitting in two big arm chairs facing the entrance. We looked out into a long hallway going back about 150 feet.

"Probably to the end of this hallway," he motioned with his arm. "Glass was everywhere, and luggage, so much luggage."

"Glass?" I said.

"The restaurant was all glass. Glass ceilings, windows. There was a courtyard. It was a really cool place to work, really beautiful."

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"What was your first thought?" I said. "When you saw what you saw?"

"Terror. There were torsos strapped into airplane seats, with their heads and limbs torn off."

"What!?" I said.

"From the impact. Or from fire. Airplane fuel is very flammable. And these were cross-country flights leaving from Boston traveling to LA."

"So they were loaded with fuel," I said.

"They were loaded with fuel. Everything caught fire. There were burning pieces of metal, water shooting everywhere from the sprinkler systems ... and body parts."

***

"What's the next thing you remember?"

"Abdul. He was a restaurant employee. We were arguing about how to get out of the building, which way to go. I wanted to take the elevator down to the employee level, that's the way I knew best."

"Weren't you worried about taking the elevator?" I said.

"That's what the argument was about. Abdul wanted to go through the restaurant, but I wasn't going to run through all of those bodies. I couldn't do it."

"So what happened?"

"Abdul went his way. I went down the elevator. He didn't make it out.

"On the employee level everything was going on like normal. I couldn't believe it."

"Business as usual?" I said.

"Business as usual. Cooks were making breakfast sandwiches for the employees. They had no idea of what had happened. They were trying to get on the elevator to go upstairs for work and I wouldn't let anybody on. I stood in front with my arms up. They thought I was joking around."

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***

"I had no idea what to expect when I finally walked outside the building onto Liberty Street. I was with one other woman. We stuck together. The first thing we saw was someone running, they were on fire."

"On fire?" I said.

"People got covered in airplane fuel," he said.

I was trying to comprehend this. "Let's say I'm sitting here in this chair, or strapped into a seat on an airplane, and I get doused in airplane fuel, how would I just catch on fire?"

Kyle pointed to the tea light candle sitting on the little round table next to us. "That right there would be enough to ignite you," he said. "There was a lady walking around, dazed. She went up to someone and very calmly said, 'can you help me?' You could see the flesh melting from the bones in her face. She died."

***

"My mother lived in Jersey. She was at home and had a clear view of the towers. She called me when I was still inside. I let her know I was okay and she kept telling me to get out. She was watching it happen.

"I remember the fire department showed up and they were just running into the building."

"Just running in?" I said.

"Running in. Looking up, there was a big fireball in the north tower. It was hit first. I remember the smoke. Orange smoke on one side of the tower, grey on the other. And paper, everywhere. That's one thing anyone who was there remembers, but the news didn't capture the papers."

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"Papers?" I said.

"From the offices. Papers floated in the sky so peacefully while there was complete chaos on the ground. Papers. I remember the papers."

"What else do you remember?"

"People jumping ... from the buildings. The sounds. When the second tower hit, it was like an earthquake. But the sound of the bodies was a different type of sound."

" ... What did it sound like? The bodies?"

His face contorted. "Like a crumbling, bones crumbling. I looked up into the sky and saw people jumping. It was the worst sound ... when they hit.

"Everyone started walking uptown. They shut everything down below 14th Street. No one was allowed in. I climbed up onto the FDR. I was covered in soot. It was heavy. I still had my chef outfit on, even my apron. I covered my face with it and ripped it into pieces and gave it to other people. A lot of people died from cancer later, from breathing in the soot ... everything burned ... computers, bodies, papers. We all breathed that in. A lot of first responders died. They tested the air and said it was safe. But all these people died.

"I walked all the way up to 42nd St. I stopped into a restaurant to sit. They were nice, told me to come in and rest. Everyone was looking at me, just going about their day and I'm sitting there covered in soot. They gave me a burger. I had no money on me. Everything was in my locker at work.

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"People were lined up to get onto boats taking us off of the island, all the tourist cruise boats on the Hudson."

"What's the first thing you did when you got home?" I said.

"I took off my clothes. Sat there for a minute."

"So you had your keys," I said.

"Yeah, I guess my keys were in my pocket. I took a shower. Then decided it would be a good idea for me to go to my mother's."

***

"I don't mean to suggest that anything positive came from this tragedy ... but what happened for you after? There must be something, that changed in you."

He thought for a minute.

"An awakening, I'd say. I was a chef for a very long time, and I was good at it. But I wouldn't say that I ever really wanted to do it. I became closer with my daughter. I found Bikram yoga. My sister convinced me to try it after I'd hit 300 pounds."

"What are you passionate about?" I said.

"Writing."

Kyle recently wrote his first book and is now working on publishing it.

***

"So what did you do after? After everything?"

"I couldn't stop researching. I read everything I could find about Bin Laden, Saudi Arabia, the Bush Administration."

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"What did you discover?"

"Papa Bush was friends with the Bin Ladens. They had dinner together on September 10th."

"2001?"

"2001. And after 9/11, no flights were allowed to take off, except for one out of DC, carrying the Bin Laden kids, who were going to college in the United States."

"What?!"

"And," he said, "... an investigation into the stock market started immediately. The market crashed but some people made a lot of money ... money that was traced back to two families who benefited immediately after 9/11. The Bush's and the Bin Laden's."

***

"So do you think that President Bush Senior knew about the planned 9/11 attacks?"

"I refuse to believe that an American president had any knowledge of the attacks."

'But with what you just explained ... "

"I think somebody knew something."

"You're contradicting yourself."
A view of a Japanese school classroom, traditional wooden desks and chairs, and blackboard. Interior shot, nobody, horizontal composition.

The classroom tech revolution is here already.

That may surprise some people since there's been a steady stream of those saying the education technology revolution is coming. Mostly, though, those promising the edtech revolution are seeing a sweeping, top-to-bottom reformation where education goes primarily online and learning for everyone is personalized and fluid. And that may happen.

But if your eyes are focused on that horizon, you may be missing the real and impactful ways technology is already changing how students learn and teachers teach. Here are a few examples.

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While the complete death of on-paper book publishers has been exaggerated, there's no doubt that digital publishers and publishing platforms are the modern normal. It's a bit of a surprise then that so many classroom education functions are still done on paper. Digital textbooks at all levels have been promised for a while and are just now starting to infiltrate the market. What's more surprising that in-classroom tests and exams are also still, for the most part, done with paper and pencil - literally, old school.

Digiexam is a Swedish company that has developed a digital, cheat-proof testing platform that saves teacher grading time and may be the biggest test-grading advancement since 1972 when Scantron hit classrooms. Their digital testing tools are already in more than 1,000 schools in 45 countries and they're coming to the US. It won't be long before students at all levels will be taking pop quizzes and final exams on work-tracking, instantly gradable digital devices.

A tech revolution is happening at the lower grades as well where teachers are using tools like Belkin's tablet stage to turn personal devises like tablets into new digital chalkboards. Now, anything a teacher or student finds or designs - video presentations, group reading assignments, interactive lessons - can be done and shared on a tablet in a way that everyone can see and participate.

At the post-secondary level, studying for career certifications has gone digital too. HLT has put essential study guides for nursing and other exams into an app. That may not seem transformative but when you learn that their app is among the handful of most profitable ones in the app store, you understand that online study tools such as theirs aren't unused theory - they are already widely used and in high demand.

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Newsela has a digital reading tool that's already in classrooms too. Their program takes news and educational content from top providers such as the Washington Post and adjusts it for each student based on their personal reading level. Using tied comprehension assessments, teachers can watch students read and understand in real time and the class can stay on topic together - regardless of the number of slower or advanced readers in a classroom.

As innovative products such as these make their way into the hands of teachers and students, three things are worth keeping in the front of your mind.

First, that these, and all innovations in pedagogy need practical study. They need outcome data that can be used to improve not only these existing products but inspire new ones. As cool as some of these products are, we should resist temptations to marvel at them and walk away. They deserve testing and scrutiny.

Second, we should also resist the appeal of thinking that technology is something that we will see tomorrow. That kind of thinking may keep us from seeing and appreciating what's here today and stifle us from considering that education improvements are not just what we may be able to do, it's what we are already doing.

Finally, that these products are being used today should remind us that true education innovation doesn't happen in board meetings, venture capital pitch meetings or planning sessions. And change isn't itself in the technology - the innovation and change take place where students learn and teachers teach. It's how new ideas and new tools influence the art of teaching that will make a difference - not the ideas and tools themselves.

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Despite the relentless efforts from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his administration, it appears the Lucas Museum may not have its debut here in Chicago -- at least not at this present moment.

Friends of the Park (FOTP) often mocked as "friends of the parking lot" (you'll see the significance of this a little further down), is a non-profit organization that gate keeps and preserves parks throughout Chicago. They have been in a locked-horns battle with Mayor Emanuel in his efforts to build the Lucas Museum on Chicago's lakefront property.

According to the Lucas Museum's website, it will be a barrier-free museum where artificial divisions between "high" art and "popular" art are absent, allowing you to explore a wide array of compelling visual storytelling. But there's only one problem, FOTP does not think the museum should be built on lakefront property.

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Currently, the site is a parking lot.

Yes, it is literally a parking lot, settled between Soldier's Field and McCormick Place.

It's not a park.

No landmark status. Not even grass.

It's a parking lot that does not get used a majority of the year.

So let's examine this for a moment, shall we?

George Lucas, the multi-billionaire creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, was willing to write a check for over $700 million to leverage a $1.2 billion bond sale to kickstart the project. The loan payment would be made with funds generated by the museum, making the risk nearly zero for taxpayers.

You read that right; No taxpayer funds needed to build the museum. No risk to taxpayers, with the largest contributor to building costs being Lucas, himself. There is a golden opportunity for the cash-strapped city of Chicago to generate revenue, without raising taxes. Am I missing something here?

In my opinion, Mayor Emanuel got this one right.

This museum will be built; either in Chicago or some other city. Why not build something that will create construction jobs and many permanent jobs as well? What is the harm in building this museum? What's the real motive behind Friends of the Park?

Kyle Hillman, a former board member of Meetings Professionals International, a social media consultant and community organizer had this to say;

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Losing the Lucas museum is unfortunate because it will genuinely hurt the dedicated workers in the service area who need the city to invest in new tourist attractors. However, the utter collapse of Choose Chicago should be a greater concern. Chicago can't afford to lose momentum; our city relies too heavily on service industry to help people move into the middle class. We can live without Lucas, but we can't continue to disinvest in tourism and conventions.

Choose Chicago is the tourism bureau that's charged with marketing and attracting tourist and major conventions. The board is made up of business and civic leaders as well as a few elected officials. Under the leadership of CEO Don Welsh, Choose Chicago was able to increase visitation to Chicago significantly.

Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished and Choose Chicago faced a financial hardship when Springfield withheld $7.2 million due to budget crisis. Welsh, consequently, had to lay off nearly 25 percent of the employees. And just a few months ago, Welsh left Choose Chicago to become CEO of the Washington D.C based tourism advocacy group called, Destination Marketing Association International.

Needless to say, tourism is an important factor for Chicago. It is a way to raise funds without "nickel and dimming" the taxpayers.

When it's all said and done, the court battle between Mayor Emanuel's administration and Friends of the Park, is all over the utilization of a parking lot.

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Syrian refugees await approval to enter Jordan at the Hadalat reception area on the Syrian-Jordanian border, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of the capital of Amman, Wednesday, May 4, 2016. The commander of Jordan's Border Guard Forces says the number of Syrian refugees amassed in remote desert areas on the Jordanian border and waiting to enter has risen to a new high of 59,000. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Somali refugee leaders in Dadaab, Kenya. UN Photo/Mark Garten

This September, the United Nations General Assembly will bring together world leaders to address one of the leading challenges of our time: responding to large movements of refugees and migrants.

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War, human rights violations, underdevelopment, climate change and natural disasters are leading more people to leave their homes than at any time since we have had reliable data. More than 60 million people -- half of them children -- have fled violence or persecution and are now refugees and internally displaced persons. An additional 225 million are migrants who have left their countries in search of better opportunities or simply for survival.

But this is not a crisis of numbers; it is a crisis of solidarity. Almost 90 percent of the world's refugees are hosted in developing countries. Eight countries host more than half the world's refugees. Just ten countries provide 75 percent of the UN's budget to ease and resolve their plight.

With equitable responsibility sharing, there would be no crisis for host countries. We can afford to help, and we know what we need to do to handle large movements of refugees and migrants. Yet too often, we let fear and ignorance get in the way. Human needs end up overshadowed, and xenophobia speaks louder than reason. Countries on the front lines of this crisis are struggling every day to meet the challenge. On September 19, the General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting to strengthen our efforts for the longer term. To help the international community seize this opportunity, I have just issued a report, "In Safety and Dignity", with recommendations on how the world can take more effective collective action.

We need to begin by recognizing our common humanity. Millions of people on the move have been exposed to extreme suffering. Thousands have died in the Mediterranean, on the Andaman Sea, in the Sahel and in Central America. Refugees and migrants are not "others"; they are as diverse as the human family itself. Movements of people are a quintessentially global phenomenon that demands a global sharing of responsibility.

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Second, far from being a threat, refugees and migrants contribute to the growth and development of host countries as well as their countries of origin. The better new arrivals are integrated, the greater their contribution to society will be. We need more measures to promote the social and economic inclusion of refugees and migrants.

Third, political and community leaders have a responsibility to speak out against discrimination and intolerance, and to counter those who seek to win votes through fearmongering and divisiveness. This is a time to build bridges, not walls, between people.

Fourth, we have to give greater attention to addressing the drivers of forced displacement. The United Nations continues to strengthen its work to prevent conflict, resolve disputes peacefully and address violations of human rights before they escalate. One powerful new tool is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a blueprint agreed last year by all 193 members of the United Nations that includes a strong focus on justice, institutions and peaceful societies.

Fifth, we need to strengthen the international systems that manage large movements of people so that they uphold human rights norms and provide the necessary protections. States must honour their international legal obligations, including the 1951 Refugee Convention. Countries where refugees arrive first should not be left to shoulder the demands alone. My report proposes a "global compact on responsibility sharing for refugees".

There is a pressing need to do more to combat smugglers and traffickers, to rescue and protect people en route, and to ensure their safety and dignity at borders. More orderly and legal pathways for migrants and refugees will be crucial, so that desperate people are not forced to turn to criminal networks in their search for safety.

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The number of migrants is expected to continue to grow as a result of trade, labor and skill shortages, the ease of travel and communications, rising inequality and climate change. My report proposes important measures to improve global governance in this area, including through a "global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration".

Refugee and migrant crises are far from insurmountable, but they cannot be addressed by states acting alone. Today, millions of refugees and migrants are being deprived of their basic rights, and the world is depriving itself of the full benefits of what refugees and migrants have to offer.

The World Humanitarian Summit I am convening in Istanbul May 23 and 24 will seek new commitments from States and others to work together to protect people and build resilience. I expect the September 19 meeting of the General Assembly to point the way toward solutions to the most immediate refugee and migration challenges, and commit world leaders to greater global cooperation on these issues.

Human beings have moved from place to place across the millennia, by choice and under duress, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Only by upholding our duty to protect those fleeing persecution and violence, and by embracing the opportunities that refugees and migrants offer to their new societies, will we be able to achieve a more prosperous and fairer future for all.

________
I founded and run an organization that includes an orphanage, and I hate orphanages. Just one of the many mind-bending situations you find yourself in when working in community development, halfway around the world.

A good friend and mentor (who was recently profiled on 60 Minutes) once told me that there are two types of organizations that try to aid people in Tanzania, where we both live and work. There are NGOs (non-governmental organizations, including nonprofits and charities) , and NG-EGOs. A good NGO finds a need in a community that they can help to fill, and do their best to connect the resources out there with the communities and children that need them. NG-EGOs, meanwhile, simply do the type of work that they find most satisfying. For example, an NG-EGO might be founded on the logic that the founder personally loves babies, and there are babies in need in Tanzania, therefore they are going to open a baby home. I hear you asking, so what? What could be wrong with that?

Well, first of all, there are already sixteen baby homes within a twenty mile radius, most run by foreigners with a similar story and no connection to the community, as well as a few (usually underfunded) local institutions. In addition, it is currently far easier for struggling families to give up their children to an orphanage, than for them to get the support necessary to keep them. It's also many times more expensive for NGOs to keep children in residential care than to support them while they live with family members. So why are more orphanages being built every day?

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Traditionally, aunts and uncles would take over care of orphaned or abandoned children when necessary, and over half of families in Tanzania still do. However, crippling poverty, exacerbated by the HIV/AIDs crisis, has resulted in many families being unable to care for extra children without putting themselves in danger. Families face the difficult choice, when a relative dies, leaving a young child - take on their care as tradition and loyalty dictate, putting your own children at risk? Or place them into an orphanage where they will at least be safe, and feel more certain that your other kids can attend school, eat healthily, and get medical care? So, families continue to place children in orphanages and baby homes, because it is the best option available to them - not because it is in their best interest or the best interest of the child, simply because it is the best choice available. Because it is much easier and more fun to cuddle a baby than it is to try to attack the roots of poverty, and develop deep knowledge of a community.

The core of this issue is sustainability. From an NG-EGO's perspective, it is personally gratifying and fulfilling to be needed forever, to have an ongoing flow of sweet babies to cuddle. That's what's best for the organization. But what is best for the child? Well, ideally, they wouldn't have been orphaned to begin with - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Once a parent dies, the next best outcome would be to be placed with a loving relative. If that's impossible, then residential care should be considered, as a last resort. An organization with these principles thrives when the community thrives - but if we were somehow 100% effective, we would become happily obsolete.

Residential care is sometimes unavoidable, but it is best when structured so as to minimize the children's disruption from their community, and encourage attachment to long-term caregivers. This sounds complicated, but it isn't - well-funded community-supported institutions with local caregivers are going to provide by far the closest substitute for the normal childhood these children would have had, had their parents survived. When done right, it can create tight-knit family-style homes where children grow and thrive. Volunteers can be useful, but should never be replacements for primary caregivers. More importantly, orphanage care, even really good orphanage care, is never an end goal in itself - it should be a rare fallback in cases where children truly have no other safe options. We need to be focused instead on empowering communities to reduce maternal mortality, and reducing the impact of poverty on children after the death of one or more parents. On building up families' resilience through education, business development, and savings programs. On listening to what the community needs, not what our donors want to give. On giving chances, not charity.

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Donald Trump is the king of tweeting nonsense. But often he does not tweet what he truly means. Let's look at some of his recent tweets followed by what he really wanted to say.

Trump's tweet:

Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics! https://t.co/ufoTeQd8yA pic.twitter.com/k01Mc6CuDI  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2016

What Trump really wanted to say:

"Happy Cinco De Mayo! I use any opportunity possible to shamelessly plug my gaudy businesses. All Latinos are the same and they all love being called Hispanics. And, by the way, I love them! I show them this by calling Mexicans rapists and criminals and by paying very low wages to the Hispanics I employ."

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Trump's tweet:

What a great evening we had. So interesting that Sanders beat Crooked Hillary. The dysfunctional system is totally rigged against him!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2016

What Trump really wanted to say:

"I am so glad that Bernie Sanders won this evening because I so badly want to convince his supporters to support me once Bernie is no longer in the race. The longer he stays in the race, the more intensely I can call Hillary names and try to cozy up to Bernie. If I try to make it seem that both Bernie and I are fighting against a rigged system maybe I can convince his supporters to vote for me. I'm not a real Republican anyway. I'm whatever they want me to be. So perhaps I can con Bernie supporters just like I conned all of those Republican voters during the past year."

Trump's tweet:

Thank you Indiana, we were just projected to be the winner. We have won in every category. You are very special people-I will never forget!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2016

What Trump really wanted to say:

"Thank you Indiana for voting for me. It was a huuuuge victory. If you had not voted for me you all would have been losers and haters and I would have hated you more than I hate Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush. But since you voted for me I'll say you're great people and I will sort of mean it until tomorrow morning when I declare my love for the next state that votes."

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Trump's tweet:

Wow, Lyin' Ted Cruz really went wacko today. Made all sorts of crazy charges. Can't function under pressure - not very presidential. Sad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2016

What Trump really wanted to say:
Dick Cheney was the 46th Vice President of the United States, and was Vice President to George W. Bush. To be sure, Cheney's character is suspect. Many consider him to be responsible for the United States war against Iraq.

Regardless of how you feel about Cheney, it is fascinating to consider how quickly he rose to the top of the U.S. politics.

After graduating from high school, Cheney began college at Yale University but shortly thereafter dropped-out due to poor grades. After a second attempt at college, he dropped out again.

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Eventually, he went back to school, but at the University of Wyoming where he received a B.A. in political science in 1965 and an M.A. in political science in 1966.

By all accounts, Cheney was a fairly average person who found himself in extremely rare situations. It was his ability to 1) put himself in these situations and then 2) rise to the demands of these situations that transformed him into one of the most powerful people in the world.

Here are a few of the lucky incidents that got Cheney into the unique situations that led to his fast-tracked career:

While a student, Cheney entered and won a national writing contest for student political scientists. In response, he was offered a position as an aide to Wisconsin governor Warren Knowles.

While pursuing his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, Cheney took a fellowship to work in Washington, D.C. for Congressman Bill Steiger, a Wisconsin Republican.

While serving as Steiger's aide, Cheney wrote a memo about how Congressman Donald Rumsfeld should handle the legalities in becoming the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity. Steiger showed the memo to Rumsfeld who promptly hired Cheney. The relationship between Cheney and Rumsfeld would go on to dramatically influence every subsequent Republican administration into the 2000's. This relationship radically changed and accelerated the trajectory of Cheney's career.

As a result of being Rumsfeld's right hand, Cheney became the youngest White House chief of staff in history, at age 34, during Gerald Ford's presidency.

The power of situation

Two written documents put Cheney in a rare and unique position. Of course, lots of other effort was involved too. But these two documents, 1) his college writing contest victory, and 2) the written memo, opened doors Cheney didn't even know existed.

Once Cheney walked through those doors, he found himself in a unique and demanding situation. In his new situation, he was required to learn and do things way beyond his current capability. Luckily for him, he also had a powerful mentor who helped him along the way, Rumsfeld.

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Would other people have responded to the same situation as Cheney did? It's impossible to say. However, it's pretty easy to say that if Cheney had not been put in those situations, he probably wouldn't have become the person he became. Indeed, we evolve based on adapting to our environments. Demanding environments will create a different person than less demanding ones.

On being a foster parent



I was recently having a conversation with my uncle, who is 40 years old. A few years ago, he got married to a woman with a young daughter. Parenting has been a new adventure for my uncle. It's been challenging, but he loves it.

During our conversation, he told me he was blown away that I was parenting three kids while going to school and doing everything else I'm doing. He said, "It's crazy everything you're doing, and you're only 28 years old."

I replied, "Age has nothing to do with it. It's about what the situation requires. And truth be told, I'm still living beneath what my situation demands of me to be."

Rising to difficult situations

"Good timber does not grow with ease: The stronger wind, the stronger trees; The further sky, the greater length; The more the storm, the more the strength. By sun and cold, by rain and snow, In trees and men good timbers grow." -- Poem by Douglas Malloch

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Trees that live in hostile environments adapt by shooting forth deep roots and developing strong bark. Conversely, trees that live in easy environments can be blown over with little force.

Similarly, your age and inherent abilities are far less significant than the situations you find yourself in. You will rise or fall to the expectations and demands of your circumstances.

In easy situations, you'll develop a tolerance for laziness. In demanding situations, you'll develop a tolerance for hard work. As you develop tolerances to your environments and adapt to them, overtime you'll subtly and imperceptibly evolve into a different person.

Unlike animals who adapt to whatever environment they've been placed, you have the power to consciously shape your environments. Thus, unlike animals who randomly evolve, you have the power to consciously evolve.

You get to choose who you will become. You are the designer of your destiny.

Don't pursue happiness



"One of the enemies of happiness is adaptation," says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University who has studied the relationship between money and happiness for over two decades.

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"We buy things to make us happy, and we succeed. But only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we adapt to them," Gilovich further states.

You may think that being a millionaire will make you happy, but it won't. Eventually, like everything else, it will quickly become your norm. There is a ceiling effect on the amount of happiness you can experience. Even if something temporarily excites you, you'll quickly revert to your individual homeostasis.

This is why Buddhists strive to eliminate all desires. It is believed in the Buddhist faith that human suffering is the result of wanting. Happiness comes from detaching yourself from all desires and living in pure contentment. This philosophy is the foundation for modern minimalism.

Thus, the goal should never be a destination. But rather, the organic and unending process of continual growth and change. Our goals should always be means, and not ends.

Fundamental attributes needed to consciously evolve

If you want to become amazing at putting yourself in rare and challenging situations, as well as quickly adapting to those situations, you will need two attributes:

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Self-efficacy (i.e., confidence)



Self-efficacy is a well-researched concept reflecting your personal belief in your own capability. Your self-efficacy -- more than any natural ability -- determines how well you can learn new things.

If you don't believe you can succeed, you won't. If you believe in yourself, you'll be able to learn what each situation requires.

Tolerance for ambiguity

Tolerance for ambiguity reflects your comfort level in new and novel situations. Most people are extremely uncomfortable with change and the unknown. However, if you have a high tolerance for ambiguity, you thrive in new situations.

You quickly and mindfully acquaint yourself with your context, and deconstruct the foundational elements. As a result of your high self-efficacy, you challenge yourself to quickly master and learn the unknowns in your new situation.

With enough exposure, you can develop tolerances to just about anything. You can absolutely develop a tolerance for being in new situations. It can become second nature to you, even automatic.

Conclusion

You can't escape the fact that you are continuously evolving as a person over time. Having a conscious awakening is the moment you realize you have complete control over the course of your life. Once you realize this, you get to decide how you will evolve.

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In the 2016 graduation ceremony pamphlet for Little Big Horn College, 33 students are spread out under a variety of academic areas  associate degrees in education, business, Crow studies, community health among them.

Some of those students from the Crow Agency school will go into the workforce. Others will move on to four-year studies.

I want you to get that bachelor's degree. I want you to get that doctorate degree, said Shawn Real Bird, a Crow legislator who gave an impassioned speech at the ceremony in Crow and English.

Various programs encourage tribal college graduates to continue their education in the Montana University System. In the fall of 2015, 89 students  including 12 from Little Big Horn College  transferred. In 2006, that figure stretched up to 124. It was as low as 67 in 2012.

For students on reservations, accredited tribal colleges offer an easier transition to advanced education than traveling to larger state schools filled with students from different cultures.

Crow Agency is almost 60 miles from Billings. Others, like Chief Dull Knife College in Lame Deer, are even farther from a larger town.

The students have a variety of reasons for their choice to attend tribal colleges. Some may not be prepared for the academic rigor of a four-year university. Many are adult students, with children and jobs. Many aren't ready to leave home.

College President David Yarlott introduced the student theme for the graduation ceremony Friday, a quote from Chief Plenty Coups: Education is your most powerful weapon. With education you are the white man's equal; without education you are his victim.

If you think about whats going on in our environment, in our society now, Chief Plenty Coups' quote takes on more meaning, Yarlott said.

"Be courageous"

Its been a tough year. A tough couple years, said James Vallie, the student speaker at graduation.

Heck, its been a tough life, he said, with a little bit of a laugh.

I really didnt care much for school. I always just wanted to work. But (my family) kept pushing me back into school.

He started working as a cook at the college.

I used to see all these students here, everyone graduating and doing really well, he said.

Making sure students do well at the next level can be challenging. In 2014-2015, 183 Native American students earned bachelor's degrees in the Montana University System, second only to an all-time high of 207 the year before.

But retention rates at four-year schools were about 52 percent for Indian students in 2014-15, compared to about 76 percent among the larger student body. A smaller, but still significant gap exists at 2-year colleges.

Yarlott previously said only 15 percent of students who go to four-year colleges graduate if they dont start out at tribal college. If students attend those two-year schools first, their success rate jumps to 85 percent.

The figures are anecdotal. Tribal colleges dont have to participate in the National Student Clearinghouse, which tracks college student enrollment and graduation data. Both Little Big Horn and Chief Dull Knife colleges are working to become a part of the clearinghouse.

We ask the instructors to raise their standards, to raise their expectations, said Little Big Horn College Dean of Academics Frederica Lefthand. If you raise them and challenge (students), they have the potential to meet whatever challenge you give them.

The school tries to connect students to a faculty member at their new university. Moving to a new community and new school can still be intimidating for students.

Above all, you must be courageous, said Denise Juneau, Montana's Superintendent of Public Instruction and a member of the Mandan Hidatsa Tribes, who spoke at graduation.

Home away from home

Reno Charette, who runs the American Indian Outreach Office at Montana State University Billings, works to ease those transitions.

Its nice to have an office they can duck into and they know that they can hear tribal languages spoken here and they will see other native students here, she said.

The office offers academic support, organizes cultural events and helps students manage schedules, with a focus on reaching out to students proactively.

Where you really make the difference is in individualized service to the student, Charette said.

MSUB has about 20 new Native American students who transfer from tribal colleges each year, she said, mostly from Little Big Horn, Chief Dull Knife, or Aaniiih Nakoda College on the Fort Belknap Reservation. The schools retention rate for Native American students fluctuates, from highs of about 50 percent to lows around 28 percent. Another 20 to 60 new Native American students start each year going straight to MSUB.

We tend to get a population of students, much like a tribal college student who is older, has obligations, they have jobs, they commute, Charette said. Our Native population isnt the type that necessarily comes to campus and hangs out.

Rocky Mountain College typically had between 20 and 40 Native American students in the late 1990s and 2000s, but enrollment has waned in recent years, down to two students this year.

Students can feel caught between their heritage and demands of a fast-paced world. But that doesnt mean the two are incompatible. Reservation leaders implored students to combine to the two.

So for the economic development, some things we have started  is because we need to diversify, Tribal Chairman Darren Old Coyote said during a speech at the ceremony, specifically citing the tribe's current reliance on coal revenue.

Terrell LaForge, 22, who earned an associate degree in business administration, hopes to start a service-based business and eventually expand into franchises.

Everything is running around business, he said.

Those franchises would be located around reservations.

As you move forward in your life, always remember where you come from, Juneau said. But a degree will open many doors that you cannot even see right now.
I was driving down Melrose Boulevard one day, minding my own business, headed to West Hollywood to visit my elderly mother, when out of the corner of my eye I spied a colorful sidewalk mannequin. It was a real head-turner - and in my case, a car-turner as well. The mannequin was sporting a full-length, khaki duster embellished with hand-painted designs front and back.

Whooeee, now THAT'S a coat! I thought to myself. I wondered if it would fit.

Of course traffic waits for no man - or no woman - no matter how cool the sidewalk display, so I had to keep moving. But at the next block, I circled back to take a closer look at the mannequin.

My parking karma was working like a charm, so a parking spot opened up right in front of the boutique with the painted duster. The shop was called Flasher Melrose. I stepped inside to let the shopkeeper know I wanted to try on the coat. "Isn't it fabulous?" he said. "It's by New York artist Scooter LaForge."

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I eagerly tried it on, but alas, it didn't fit. Like most clothes in Melrose boutiques, it was a petite size - designed for young, hip, trendy girls and women - skinny girls and women. I had to laugh at myself. What's a zaftig, middle-aged, middle-class woman doing shopping on Melrose? I wondered.

The shopkeeper was a tall, handsome, buff young man named Scott. Seeing my disappointment, he motioned in the direction of a rack of hand-painted T-shirts. "Those are all by Scooter LaForge, too," he said. "The trench coat is something we bought and sent to Scooter to paint for us, but he also paints vintage T-shirts, army jackets, various hats, and other garments. Let's see if we can find something you'd like."

Scott was ever-so-helpful and very kind. When I expressed concern that perhaps the clothes were too "young" for a woman of a certain age, he reassured me that these days - especially in LA - anything goes. "It's all a matter of attitude," Scott said.

This wearable art by Scooter LaForge definitely has an LA look about it - urban and gritty, but at the same time whimsical and funny. Mickey Mouse with four eyes; "crack kills" messages; skulls and zombies galore. Fun fashion, for sure. If only I could find a garment that fit!

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I tried on a few painted T-shirts but didn't find anything that worked for me. But I thanked Scott for introducing me to the work of this unusual artist. Then I went home and Googled "Scooter LaForge" to find out more. And the more I saw, the more I liked.



Photo by Ron Amato.

After graduating from the University of Arizona, he built a successful painting career in San Francisco, then moved cross-country to New York. It was just a few years ago that he began experimenting with painted clothing. He describes himself as a fashion-obsessive but "... thinks of his garments more in terms of artwork than fashion. He says his clothes are more akin to Robert Rauschenberg's 'Combine' paintings, in that LaForge uses every type of material he can get his hands on to create them. The garments are natural extensions of LaForge's visual language: colorful, humorous, wild, loud, and fun." (Forbes, Aug. 4, 2015)

I wanted to contact Scooter so I turned to Facebook to see if he had a professional page - and of course, he does. Social media is critical to the success of artists, musicians, and other cultural creatives these days - so I'd have been surprised if Scooter LaForge didn't have a Facebook presence.

Once I found his FB page, I took a chance and sent him a private message to ask if I might send him a shirt and hat to paint. That way I could pick my own style and be sure of a good fit.

I wasn't sure he would respond, since he's a nationally-known artist who's been profiled in many publications, including Forbes. Patricia Field - who was the Sex and the City costume designer and fashion maven who helped Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat build their careers - sells Scooter's wearable art to trendy, artsy men and women around the world.

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Why would such a successful artist reply to a someone he didn't know - a middle-aged California woman who contacted him out of the blue asking him to paint a shirt for her? Because he's a nice guy, that's why. And nice guys respond to people who admire their work.

Scooter responded very quickly and he couldn't have been nicer - he was warm, friendly, and happy to chat, telling me more about his life and how he got his unusual name. I was impressed with his gentle, approachable, down-to-earth demeanor. He said he'd love to paint my clothing - whatever I wanted to send.

We spent some time discussing ideas for my shirt. Some of Scooter's artistic themes are a tad bit intense for me - I'm more the Doris Day, California girl-next-door type - but other Scooter designs are lighter themes, still quirky but not too far out.

One thing led to another - a couple friendly phone calls, garments sent, Scooter working his magic painting and embellishing, garments sent back ... and then that happy day when the package arrived! I was like a little girl on Christmas morning. I may be a woman of a certain age, but a new piece of wearable art still makes me feel ageless.

Is there a future friendship for a cool, hip, young New York artist and an aging LA hippie chick? Who knows? But what I do know is that wearable art is timeless ... and a woman's desire to express herself through fashion never ends.

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And, as Scooter himself might say ... "How old is beautiful?"



BJ Gallagher loves her new Scooter LaForge "Mickey" shirt!

For more information about the artist and his work, visit him on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SCOOTER-LAFORGE-ENTERPRISES-91243183077/ or visit Patricia Field at patriciafield.com

Photos courtesy of Ron Amato, Johnny Rozsa, Scooter LaForge, and BJ Gallagher. Used with permission.
Conspiracy theories aren't incidental to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, they're one of its driving forces.

The presumptive GOP nominee attacked his former rival Ted Cruz by baselessly connecting his father to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, citing the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer. He brought up debunked claims about the 9/11 attacks to justify his call for the U.S. to commit war crimes by intentionally killing innocent civilians. He has stoked anti-Muslim sentiment by repeating bogus, chain-email-inspired stories about Muslim-Americans celebrating 9/11 and a U.S. general using bullets drenched in pigs' blood to -- in Trump's telling, rightly -- massacre Muslim detainees.

And let's not forget that Trump has for years been attacking President Obama by suggesting that he is a Muslim usurper who was born outside of the U.S. and had a Hawaii state employee killed as part of an effort to cover up his real birthplace. On top of that, he kicked off his presidential campaign by tarring Mexican immigrants as "rapists" and later tweeted a fabricated, racist meme about black crime rates from a neo-Nazi website.

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Polling shows that Trump supporters are disproportionately likely to believe in conspiracy theories, including ones about vaccines and climate science that have been championed by the candidate himself.

It comes as no surprise, then, to learn that Trump has courted the support of some of the country's most extreme and, frankly, bizarre conspiracy theorists.

A new report from People For the American Way, "Trump's Team: The Bigoted, Unhinged Conspiracy Theorists Benefiting From Donald Trump's Campaign," takes a look at six radical pundits and preachers whose profiles the Trump campaign has elevated by inviting them to interview or campaign with the candidate.

This group of supporters includes pastors like Carl Gallups, who has promoted the disgusting claim that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged by government agents and that the parents whose children died were actually actors, and Robert Jeffress, who believes that gay people use "brainwashing techniques" to advance their "miserable lifestyle" and will "pave the way" for the Antichrist.

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Another pastor who has been courted by Trump, James David Manning, has received widespread notoriety for his beliefs that "Obama has released the homo demons on the black man" and that Starbucks injects "semen from sodomites" into their lattes in order to spread Ebola.

Trump has shared the stage with all three at campaign events and has actively sought their endorsements.

He has also boasted about receiving the support of pundits Ann Coulter and Michael Savage, two far-right extremists who have taken credit for the candidate's draconian anti-immigrant stance and harsh rhetoric that demonizes immigrants as "killers" and "rapists."

And, probably most disturbingly, Trump has embraced Alex Jones, a conspiracy theorist broadcaster known for regularly screaming about false flag attacks, chemtrails, alien overlords and homosexuality-inducing juice boxes. Trump, nonetheless, cited Jones' conspiracy theory outlet to defend his debunked claim that Muslim-Americans in New Jersey partied during the 9/11 attacks.

Not only has Trump appeared on Jones' show to praise the unhinged radio host's "amazing" reputation and spread his own conspiracy theories, but his close confidant Roger Stone has also become a frequent guest on Jones' program and is collaborating with Jones on an effort to intimidate Republican convention delegates who won't vote for Trump. In the project that they are calling "Days of Rage," Jones and Stone plan to hold rallies at the hotels where delegates are staying to stop them from "stealing" the nomination from the business mogul.

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CHARLESTON, WV - MAY 05: Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump points to supporters following his speech at the Charleston Civic Center on May 5, 2016 in Charleston, West Virginia. Trump became the Republican presumptive nominee following his landslide win in indiana on Tuesday.(Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images)

As the Indiana election results rolled in last Tuesday night, a friend from London texted me: "Is there a Plan B? And is anywhere far enough away?" To which I replied, "Plan B is to beat him. You can run, but you can't hide."

But the Indiana primary, pivoting as it did on trade, signaled something else: the elaborate faith in a set of invisible hands that underpinned much of modern conservatism, has lost its grip on a huge swathe of the electorate.

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Post WWII conservatism -- the brand forged by intellectuals like William Buckley and politicians like Barry Goldwater -- wove three strands together. American greatness was to be demonstrated by defeating communism. Conservatism would revive rugged individualism by rolling back the New Deal. Third, it pledged to secure the traditional, patriarchal family from the assaults of decadent modernism. Each of these strands was a reaction, against the form modernity was taking.

Conservatives recognized that this was a conflicted coalition. The rural and small town voters who worried about family values had been among the principal beneficiaries of the New Deal. The business Republicans who hated high taxes were also the agents of cultural modernism. And the demands of unity and national mobilization against Communism fitted poorly with state enforcement of traditional values and the shredded safety net that economic conservatives sought.

Conservative thinkers eventually forged their coalition by putting Adam Smith's idea of the invisible hand on steroids. Cultural traditionalists were persuaded that since American society was fundamentally conservative, shrinking the government would prevent the real threat, modernist social engineering by bureaucrats. (Just take democracy's hand off the wheel and all will be well) Suburban business Republicans were assured that they would, of course, remain the senior partners. Traditionalists might curb the social freedoms of the masses, but elites would retain their reproductive rights. (They'll never touch you.) And working class Republicans were indoctrinated that deregulation and liberalized global trade would protect their incomes without the New Deal. American global hegemony and dominance would take the place of unions. (Smith's invisible hand painted red, white and blue.)

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Once this conservative agenda began to be implemented after Ronald Reagan's election, the contradictions started to unravel the coalition. One pillar of the "Fusion" conservatism, the defeat of communism, came to pass. But the fall of the Berlin Wall reopened the question of the historic conservative preference for isolationism. Republican presidents never delivered on the social agenda. As the cosmopolitan shift in the nation's demography and culture that a globalized economy made inevitable felt to social traditionalists like a betrayal -- driving the first wedge into the right-wing coalition. But conservatism still had some powerful glues -- hierarchical instincts within its base, access to enormous financial resources, and the weakening of the liberal imagination. It might have avoided this year's train wreck if Adam Smith's original invisible hand had worked -- if America had been able, simply by deregulating and globalizing, to maintain middle class economics while letting elites gobble up more and more of the pie.

It couldn't. And that is the hidden truth that Donald Trump (and Bernie Sanders) have now injected into our political system, with such vehemence that it seems unlikely to go away. Without conscious government intervention, America cannot sustain middle class incomes in a globalizing, technologically galloping world.

This flies in the face of the existing, bipartisan establishment consensus -- markets, not governments, drive wages. Donald Trump's border wall was originally proposed in 2006 by moderate Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson, to cure an oversupply of low skilled labor and raise wages -- Samuelson preferred to build a wall than raise and broaden the minimum wage. Then House Speaker Richard Gephardt's proposal to tie NAFTA to an agreement with Mexico to permit its wages to rise with productivity were rejected by the Clinton Administration as well as Republicans in 1993.

Otherwise liberal voices like The New York Times shamelessly pled for a combination of trade, labor and immigration policies callously designed to weaken labor markets -- and then lamented the stagnant wages that followed.

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The leadership of both parties has thus been, at best, ambivalent about whether maintaining the New Deal economic order, with policy driven flattening of historic economic hierarchies, was a priority, or even desirable. About a month ago, I watched a brilliant leader of the American establishment lament the nation's turn against social inclusion, multilateral globalism and free trade. His gut told him that in a Clinton-Trump race, Clinton won, but only because Trump was weak, not because Americans still bought the invisible hand economics of free trade, liberal immigration and weak safety nets.

Asked by a listener what the Establishment might learn from this near disaster, he looked befuddled. What, he mused, was there to learn? Surely not to reject tolerance, global cooperation or trade? The idea of a major revamping of public policy to raise wages simply didn't strike him as an option.

But the Indiana primary victories of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders signal the second death of invisible hand politics in the U.S (the Depression was the first). The public no longer accepts the erosion of the middle class. We need immigrants. We need the benefits of broadly liberal global trade. But we can only have them if we also assure, through wage, tax, and trade policy, that higher wages for average Americans -- not maximum opportunity for the fortunate few -- becomes our highest economic priority.
Feet of new born baby under ultraviolet lamp in the incubator

I've always been a planner -- building spreadsheets and crossing items off my to-do list. So when I became pregnant, I naturally sought to plan every last detail so that I would be fully prepared by the time the baby arrived. I gathered lists of friends' product recommendations, bought every parenting book, and signed up for birthing classes for a month before my due date.

I thought I was perfectly prepared. And then my water broke at 33 weeks, and my whole life changed.

My daughter spent the first four weeks of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. For me, this time was marked by a blur of meetings with doctors, pumping incessantly to increase my milk supply, and delicately holding my daughter for brief moments when the nurses said it was alright. I quickly became versed in the vocabulary of prematurity: words like DSATS and Brady's rolled off my tongue and I could tell you my daughter's oxygen level and heart rate at any given moment. Overnight, those "normal" first moments of motherhood became so foreign to me -- I'll never forget being turned away from the post-partum breastfeeding lesson since I didn't have a baby with me, or singing Happy Birthday with my husband through tears when the nurses brought us the 0th Birthday Cake while our daughter slept alone in an incubator many floors below us.

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One of the hardest days of my life was the day that my husband and I checked out of the hospital and had to leave our baby behind. I couldn't face the questions from neighbors who meant well, but didn't understand where my baby was, or answer my friends' congratulatory calls, because what had transpired didn't feel like cause for celebration. As someone who lives to plan every moment of every day, I had messed up the plan on the most important day of all.

I took comfort in the people I met in the NICU and the community of mothers and fathers who were sharing my experience. We spent hours in the pumping room together, learned to breastfeed on top of each other, and had difficult conversations with our families only inches apart. Privacy didn't exist during those four weeks, and we learned to navigate parenthood in the most exposed and vulnerable way possible. We all shared in the joy when our daughters would go 24 hours DSAT-free, or when one of them drank a whole bottle without having a BRADY, and would comfort each other when another one's graduation date got pushed back yet again.

As difficult as this time was, from the beginning I knew that I was very lucky.

As I spent hour after hour watching my daughter's every breath in the NICU, I thought about the babies whose families couldn't visit. The first baby next to us never had a visitor until, late one night, I saw her mom arrive, fresh off her shift as a bus driver, coming to check in on her baby after a long day of driving around New York City. Or the twins down the row who had been in the hospital for more than two months, whose mom had gone back to work so that she could take her maternity leave after they came home. She commuted from her home in Staten Island to her job in Brooklyn to the hospital in Manhattan as much as she could, but too often she just couldn't make it in time.

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That's when I realized that my privilege didn't start with my short commute to the hospital or our incredible pediatrician and family members who visited my daughter daily. It started with having paid maternity leave and working for a company where I never once thought that being in the hospital with my daughter would threaten my job security. Where my paycheck still came every week, even if I had to leave early for a doctor's appointment or work from home because I wasn't feeling well.

Unfortunately, my ability to spend time with my daughter during those first crucial weeks is something that remains out of reach for many new parents. The United States is one of the only countries in the world that does not guarantee the right to paid family leave, which forces many new parents to make the heart wrenching decision to go back to work earlier than they want to -- often while their babies remain in the hospital if they were born prematurely.

Fortunately New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, recently announced the new Family Leave Plan, which will provide up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. This should serve as a model for the rest of the country so that more mothers and fathers can spend those first few weeks at home bonding and caring for their babies.

When people hear the story of my daughter's birth, they remark about how difficult those early days must have been -- and they certainly were. It was rare if a day didn't start and end with tears. But I knew the whole time I was so, so lucky. I had the best nurses caring for my daughter, world-class doctors, and an incredible support system. But I also was able to spend every minute of the day with my daughter in the hospital, and nothing could replace that.
USA, California, Ventura County, Ojai. Congressional elections, November 2006

After several years of experience as an election worker at a busy polling place, I was surprised to find myself dreading Wisconsin's spring primary. Sadly, running elections has grown more daunting with every new voting law passed by the legislature, especially the new photo ID requirement and voter registration rules. Not surprisingly, both voters and poll workers are confused.

Confusion makes my job much harder and less rewarding, but -- far more important -- voter confusion is the enemy of a healthy democracy. The need for public confidence in fair and impartial elections is at the very heart of why I choose to volunteer as a poll worker. I want voters to have confidence in my knowledge of new procedures. I want to serve them well so they enjoy exercising their right to vote. I don't want them to stand in long lines or feel scrutinized as if they were passing through an airport security checkpoint.

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Most of all, I hate telling young voters that their student photo IDs are not on Wisconsin's very short and very specific list of approved forms of voter identification. To them, I apologize and say, "Please promise me you'll get the proper ID and come back. I want you to be able to vote."

My polling place is located in a large Madison retirement community. I recognize most who live and vote there, longtime voters who often sign their names in the poll book with a shaky hand. Many are not able to drive, so they let their driver's licenses expire. If the license expiration date is before Nov. 4, 2014, it is not approved for voting. What do I tell a voter I know well? I have to tell him it makes no difference that his name is in our poll book, that he lives in this building and he has always voted faithfully.

All I can do is let voters lacking an approved photo ID know that they can still "vote" by casting a provisional ballot and presenting the city clerk with the proper ID within three days. But what good is a vote if it's not counted? Of the 123 provisional ballots cast citywide on April 5 by voters without proper identification, only 41 were counted in the end. The rushed process of obtaining a proper ID and getting to City Hall is an obstacle that two-thirds of our provisional voters couldn't surmount. Tragically, that obstacle was put in place despite overwhelming evidence that voter impersonation is essentially non-existent. How can I possibly feel good about my job when the voices of legitimate voters are silenced?

On Election Day, 24,625 voters registered at the 87 polling places in Madison, thanks to Wisconsin's same-day registration option. I usually spend most of my time assisting long lines at the registration table, but I find that task is now more complicated and even troubling.

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For instance, I'm very uncomfortable with current requirements for recording a voter's proof of address. I don't think most Wisconsin banks and businesses realize that registrars must write down the last few digits of people's account numbers when they register them to vote. I know banks and businesses respect their customers' privacy. I know they would not release information to an official in order to verify a voter's address without a court order. So why all the busy work? A few minutes collecting useless information on registration forms, multiplied by 24,625 Election Day registrations in Madison alone, adds up to needless delays that discourage voting.

To make matters worse, Wisconsin legislators cut early voting hours in half and eliminated early voting on evenings and weekends, creating yet more pressure at the polls on election days.

Do you see why I've come to dread my job? I'd like to anticipate the November presidential election with excitement. Instead, I'm upset and worried.

Like Wisconsin, many states have recently passed restrictive voting laws. They include photo ID laws, voter purges, cutbacks in early voting and voter registration drives, the end of same-day registration and more. These measures are undermining faith in our democracy, even as some courts are upholding them.

Congress could help by passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act and modernizing voting laws for the challenges voters face today. Meanwhile, I have a suggestion for Wisconsin legislators and their counterparts in other states: Why not spend a day as a poll worker before you pass more laws that create obstacles to voting?
Censorship.

Quietly, the New York Times is helping to enable the end of censorship in China, and preparing to take advantage of a free and open media in a post-censorship China. In this regard, they are unique amongst their peers - no other media organization has shown anywhere near the same level of determination. Some might call it stubbornness.

The blocking of the New York Times in 2012 fits well within the pattern of how foreign news organizations get treated in China (see a short history below this story). Soon after the launch of the Chinese New York Times in the summer of 2012, the Times published a story (in English and Chinese) about the personal wealth of Wen Jiabao and quickly found both of their websites blocked.

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It is not hard to imagine that in October, 2012, after their sites were blocked, the senior management at the New York Times thought about cutting their losses early and pulling the plug on their Chinese language news effort. Even when the New York Times found that their journalist visas were not being renewed, this hardly affected editorial or the business. The Times actually strengthened their team, hiring journalists who were responsible for some firewall-blocking worthy stories of their own.

The Times recently launched a new Chinese-language product - in print. In May, 2015, they released a publication in Hong Kong and Macau, in simplified Chinese, targeting mainland visitors. The publication includes uncensored news and helps to build their brand with affluent Chinese travelers.

On the launch of this publication, Craig Smith, Managing Director for the New York Times in China, said:

Our Chinese audience has grown enormously through cn.NYTimes.com and we are excited to complement our digital offering by bringing high-quality coverage of world affairs, business and culture to our Chinese readers in print.

The Times have also exploited holes in the great firewall to distribute their uncensored content inside China. In March, 2013 both the New York Times and GreatFire.org news sharing pages on GitHub were attacked by the Chinese authorities.

Most recently, GreatFire has worked with the New York Times to integrate our technique of collateral freedom behind the New York Times Android application. Once downloaded, news stories are constantly updated. No information is censored and because of our advanced circumvention technology, the authorities have not found a way to block the app, or any of our other apps (like FreeBrowser). The authorities back off from taking such action because they understand that this manoeuvre would have considerable negative economic consequences.

Most critical to the Times success in China, senior management have rarely swayed in the face of pressure. Current CEO Mark Thompson said in 2013:

My view is that the New York Times should be seeking to report the entire world objectively and fairly but pursuing stories of public interest wherever we find them - that includes China. We believe not just for ourselves but for all news outlets. It is in all countries' interest to allow journalists to do their work freely.

In 2012, after the websites were blocked, a Times spokesperson said:

China is an increasingly open society, with increasingly sophisticated media, and the response to our site suggests that the Times can play an important role in the governments efforts to raise the quality of journalism available to the Chinese people.

Compared to other news outlets or media companies, it is likely that the Times has benefitted from a consistent approach to doing business in China. That approach has been relatively simple. They have have refused to compromise on their principles and have delivered the same message to the Chinese authorities - that by not allowing their content to be accessible by all Chinese the authorities are doing themselves a disservice.

What have the authorities done in response? Seemingly, the authorities have loosened their controls. Late last year Times journalists started to receive visas to work in China again. Could the New York Times be setting the best path forward for news organizations in China?

Disclaimer: GreatFire.org works with The New York Times to deliver uncensored content to audiences in China.

-----

A short history of news censorship in China

Post-opening up and before the rise of the internet, foreigners who wished to publish in China would have to obtain a local license. Obtaining a license meant paying big bucks, agreeing to self-censorship, losing control over your brand, having no say in day-to-day operations, or a combination of these factors.

The opening of the internet in China presented new opportunities and with it new challenges. Most foreign news organizations were trying to figure out business models at home. A few tried to make inroads into China by publishing news in Chinese. But then the great firewall rose and since then it has simply been a matter of just adding news organizations to the list of blocked websites.

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There are always exceptions and anomalies, but the following guidelines apply for the vast majority of foreign news websites in China.

The question of being blocked or not blocked is relatively straightforward. Organizations who do not agree to self-censor their content get blocked. Even organizations that self-censor may remain blocked. Bloomberg falls into this category. If your organization is involved in any major investigative journalism piece that involves the Chinese leadership, your site will get blocked (see ICIJ). It is not just English and Chinese language news sources that get blocked. French (Le Monde), Spanish (El Pais) and content in other languages will also be blocked.

Organizations that have paywalls in place may not be blocked (FT). Those whose websites are unencrypted (http rather than https) may find that the home page is accessible while certain negative stories are not (FT Chinese). But even the authorities are tiring of this approach and are more likely to block entire sites rather than bother with blocking selective stories.
This coming Wednesday, supporters of carbon pricing will descend en masse upon the Massachusetts State House to advocate for passage of a carbon fee and rebate policy in the Commonwealth. Energy has been a hot topic in Massachusetts over the past several months, as the state looks to meet the carbon emission reduction mandates it set out in the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 while also encouraging growth in the clean energy sector. Massachusetts is at a crossroads and must decide whether it will commit to an economy based not on fossil fuels, but on sustainable, renewable energy.

A key to that shift is carbon pricing, which can align our economy with our commitment to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and already are causing great harm and increasing costs. Massachusetts often has led the nation before - on universal health insurance and marriage equality, for example. The decision we make now on carbon pricing will send a clear signal to the other states considering this policy and to Congress that it is time to step up our game and take serious, stronger action to address climate change.

Carbon pricing emerged from the COP21 conference in Paris with unprecedented, widespread support among government and business leaders as a key to reducing carbon emissions. As President Obama told business leaders, "I have long believed that the most elegant way to drive innovation and to reduce carbon emissions is to put a price on it." In the months since then, the chorus supporting carbon pricing has grown even stronger, as leaders point to the 74 countries and 23 sub-national governments, including British Columbia, which have demonstrated the success of carbon pricing. In BC, for example, fuel consumption declined by more than 16 percent since that Canadian province passed its carbon pricing policy in 2008.

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The United States has been lagging behind, which is why it is so important for Massachusetts to pass carbon pricing now. We are running out of time to make the sensible policy choices that will lead to systemic change. If we do not act, we will pay for it one way or the other, whether in the form of higher health care and public health costs or by repairing infrastructure destroyed by extreme weather. The reality is that New England's way of life will be lost, as we will no longer have the four seasons we are accustomed to and as our coastal communities will face increasing threats.

The proposals put forward in the Massachusetts legislature - for a form of carbon pricing called carbon fee and rebate - are eminently reasonable. They are also tailored to fit an economy that has to import every bit of coal, oil or gas burned here (as our local energy resources aren't fossil-based) by encouraging energy efficiency or clean renewable technologies. One bill, S. 1747, would charge fossil fuel importers a fee based on the carbon content of the fuels. The revenues from those fees would be collected in a special fund and then sent directly on to residents and businesses in the form of rebates.

Each resident would receive an equal rebate from the fund, giving everyone an incentive to reduce their use of fossil fuel in order to keep more of their rebates. Since low- and moderate-income households tend to use less energy than wealthier ones, they would on average come out ahead, according to a study done for the Commonwealth's Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Businesses, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities would receive a dividend from the fund based on their share of the state's employment, and most industries and economic sectors also would come out slightly ahead.

Another developing proposal - S. 1786 - follows a similar model but would invest a small portion of the funds in the clean energy sector. In both cases, Massachusetts would be implementing a policy that encourages residents and businesses to use less fossil fuel, thus reducing carbon emissions while building a more solid, less volatile energy foundation for the economy.

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Effective carbon pricing also results in job growth and strengthens the economy by keeping more of our energy dollars in the local economy, according to the state's DOER study. Instead of sending $20 billion a year out of state to import fossil fuels, that money can be used to grow and expand businesses and create new jobs. In addition, just as British Columbia's clean energy sector experienced tremendous growth once its carbon pricing policy took shape, we can expect similar growth here. Leveling the playing field by making out-of-state, polluting fossil fuel producers pay for the costs they are imposing on residents of the Commonwealth will benefit our strong clean energy sector, a linchpin of the Commonwealth's innovation economy.
U.S. President Barack Obama delivers the commencement address at Howard University in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Obama said this week that Congress should pass legislation to rebuild U.S. infrastructure, raise the minimum wage and crack down on money laundering and tax evasion, after his administration released a plan to make it harder for people to hide money in the U.S. Photographer: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images

I was inspired when I read the text of President Obama's commencement speech at Howard University this past Saturday, May 7, 2016.

Some of you may not know that Howard was founded as an "Historically Black College" (HBCU) in 1866 by missionaries initially as a training facility for black preachers. The school was named after Civil war hero General Oliver Oliver Howard, a white man, who served as the Commissioner of the Freedman's Bureau. The bureau, was founded in i865 as the U.S. government agency to provide post-civil war economic relief, education and legal protection for the 4 million newly emancipated slaves.

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Shortly after its founding the school's focus expanded to include liberal arts and medical training.

Other presidents of the United States have spoken at Howard including earlier commencements. There is something historically unique, however, that America's first African-American President spoke at a Howard University commencement at these equally unique historical cross roads of our 2106 Presidential and Congressional elections.

The content of what President Obama said, and the way in which he spoke it were engaging; at times, powerfully moving.

As an earlier, now elder, wordsmith, I was privileged to serve and assist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in connection with some of his speeches and strategic leadership decisions. He was the 20th century's greatest apostle for justice, racial and economic equality.

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Consequently, I wish Pres. Obama had included, at the outset of his remarks this one seminal thought; expressed in these words: "I know and you should know that I am here as president of the United States because of the votes and work of your parents and grandparents to achieve civil rights and social justice for you and all America."

This would have not been a new thought for this president. On more than one occasion he has, publicly and privately, acknowledged this to persons like Congressman John Lewis, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Amelia Boynton (before her passing last year), a leader of the Voting Rights March across The Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma, AL in 1965.

He also acknowledged to me during my visit with him in his Oval Office, in February 2015 that he knows that he is president because of the earlier work of Dr. King, and other civil rights icons, like Fannie Lou Hamer of Mississippi had done. He mentioned her voting rights leadership in his Howard University commencement address.

There are also other matters, however, that we should know and remember when we watch, listen to or read Pres. Obama's speech at Howard University this past Saturday, May, 7th, 2016

Among these are:

*"Nationwide, the black student graduation rate remains at a dismally low 42 percent. But the rate has improved by three percentage points over the past two years. More encouraging is the fact that over the past seven years the black student graduation rate has improved at almost all of the nation's highest-ranked universities".

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*African-Americans With College Degrees Are Twice As Likely to Be Unemployed as Other Graduates

*A new study finds that 12.4 percent of black college graduates were unemployed. For all college graduates, the unemployment rate stood at just 5.6 percent

*2003-2013 Black student graduation rates increased from 38.2% to 40.3% compared to white graduation for the same years from 55.4% to 60.7%.

*Overall graduation rates a 4 year PUBLIC institutions improved in 2013, for example, for Blacks to 46% compared to 64.7% for white students

*A 2014 study by the Young Invincibles, a nonpartisan education and economic opportunity advocacy group, found an African-American college graduate has the same job prospects as a white high-school dropout or a white person with a prison record

*In February, the unemployment rate for African-Americans was 10.4 percent, while the comparable rates for whites were 4.7 percent

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*According to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics last week, The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent last month. Last year, 23.7 percent of those who are black and unemployed had attended some college and 15.4 percent had bachelor's degrees.

Against this background of existential reality affecting the lives of African-American graduates of Howard and other colleges this or next month, we have a broader context to evaluate some of the following excerpts from Presidents Obama's Commencement address.

Among other remarks, he said:

"If you had to choose one moment in history in which you could be born, and you didn't know ahead of time who you were going to be -- what nationality, what gender, what race, whether you'd be rich or poor, gay or straight, what faith you'd be born into -- you wouldn't choose 100 years ago. You wouldn't choose the fifties, or the sixties, or the seventies. You'd choose right now. If you had to choose a time to be, in the words of Lorraine Hansberry, "young, gifted, and black" in America, you would choose right now."

"it's important to note progress. Because to deny how far we've come would do a disservice to the cause of justice, to the legions of foot soldiers; to not only the incredibly accomplished individuals who have already been mentioned, but your mothers and your dads, and grandparents and great grandparents, who marched and toiled and suffered and overcame to make this day possible. I tell you this not to lull you into complacency, but to spur you into action -- because there's still so much more work to do, so many more miles to travel".

"We cannot sleepwalk through life. We cannot be ignorant of history. (Applause.) We can't meet the world with a sense of entitlement. We can't walk by a homeless man without asking why a society as wealthy as ours allows that state of affairs to occur. We can't just lock up a low-level dealer without asking why this boy, barely out of childhood, felt he had no other options. We have cousins and uncles and brothers and sisters who we remember were just as smart and just as talented as we were, but somehow got ground down by structures that are unfair and unjust."

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"We must expand our moral imaginations to understand and empathize with all people who are struggling, not just black folks who are struggling -- the refugee, the immigrant, the rural poor, the transgender person, and yes, the middle-aged white guy who you may think has all the advantages, but over the last several decades has seen his world upended by economic and cultural and technological change, and feels powerless to stop it."

"To bring about structural change, lasting change, awareness is not enough. It requires changes in law, changes in custom. If you care about mass incarceration, let me ask you: How are you pressuring members of Congress to pass the criminal justice reform bill now pending before them? (Applause.) If you care about better policing, do you know who your district attorney is? Do you know who your state's attorney general is? Do you know the difference? Do you know who appoints the police chief and who writes the police training manual? Find out who they are, what their responsibilities are. Mobilize the community, present them with a plan, work with them to bring about change, hold them accountable if they do not deliver. Passion is vital, but you've got to have a strategy."

"And your plan better include voting -- not just some of the time, but all the time. 50

years after the Voting Rights Act, there are still too many barriers in this country to vote. There are too many people trying to erect new barriers to voting. This is the only advanced democracy on Earth that goes out of its way to make it difficult for people to vote. And there's a reason for that. There's a legacy to that."

"But let me say this: Even if we dismantled every barrier to voting, that alone would not

change the fact that America has some of the lowest voting rates in the free world. In 2014, only 36 percent of Americans turned out to vote in the midterms -- the second lowest participation rate on record. Youth turnout -- that would be you -- was less than 20 percent. Less than 20 percent. Four out of five did not vote. In 2012, nearly two in three African Americans turned out.

"In 2014, only two in five turned out. You don't think that made a difference in terms of the Congress I've got to deal with? And then people are wondering, well, how come Obama hasn't gotten this done? How come he didn't get that done? You don't think that made a difference? What would have happened if you had turned out at 50, 60, 70 percent, all across this country? People try to make this political thing really complicated. Like, what kind of reforms do we need? And how do we need to do that? You know what, just vote. It's math. If you have more votes than the other guy, you get to do what you want. (Laughter.) It's not that complicated."

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"You don't have excuses. You don't have to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar or bubbles on a bar of soap to register to vote. You don't have to risk your life to cast a ballot. Other people already did that for you. (Applause.) Your grandparents, your great grandparents might be here today if they were working on it. What's your excuse?"

"When we don't vote, we give away our power, disenfranchise ourselves -- right when

we need to use the power that we have; right when we need your power to stop others from taking away the vote and rights of those more vulnerable than you are -- the elderly and the poor, the formerly incarcerated trying to earn their second chance."

"So you got to vote all the time, not just when it's cool, not just when it's time to elect a President, not just when you're inspired. It's your duty. When it's time to elect a member of Congress or a city councilman, or a school board member, or a sheriff. That's how we change our politics -- by electing people at every level who are representative of and accountable to us. It is not that complicated. Don't make it complicated."

"Democracy requires compromise, even when you are 100 percent right. This is hard to

explain sometimes. You can be completely right, and you still are going to have to engage folks who disagree with you. If you think that the only way forward is to be as uncompromising as possible, you will feel good about yourself, you will enjoy a certain moral purity, but you're not going to get what you want. And if you don't get what you want long enough, you will eventually think the whole system is rigged. And that will lead to more cynicism, and less participation, and a downward spiral of more injustice and more anger and more despair. And that's never been the source of our progress. That's how we cheat ourselves of progress."

"We remember Dr. King's soaring oratory, the power of his letter from a Birmingham jail, the marches he led. But he also sat down with President Johnson in the Oval Office to try and get a Civil Rights Act and a Voting Rights Act passed. And those two seminal bills were not perfect -- just like the Emancipation Proclamation was a war document as much as it was some clarion call for freedom. Those mileposts of our progress were not perfect. They did not make up for centuries of slavery or Jim Crow or eliminate racism or provide for 40 acres and a mule. But they made things better. And you know what, I will take better every time. I always tell my staff -- better is good, because you consolidate your gains and then you move on to the next fight from a stronger position."

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We quote so extensively from President Obama's remarks at Howard University's recent commencement because we want to provide the reader an accurate context to some of criticism and caveats above and written below.

The president made a direct criticism and wider implied criticism of the "Black Lives Matter" movement that arose following the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and other killing of black men by police nationwide in 2015. It seems to us that he should have ALSO publicly acknowledged that, without the Black Lives Matter movement our nation and our media's attention would NOT HAVE URGENTLY have focused and confronted THIS issue.

Thus, while reminding the leaders and participants in the movement of the importance of registering to vote and then actually voting, the president's comments seemed to demean and diminish the courage and leadership of those committed young participants in the Black Lives Matter movement.

It is not enough to patronizingly lecture that "the perfect "should not be the enemy of the good or the better." He should have not just singled out Brittany Packnett, a leader in the Black Lives Matter Movement, for praise in meeting with him and other establishment political leaders. He should have said, flat out, like "Straight Outta of Compton", that leaders of the Movement, like Dr. King earlier, had forced America's conscience to confront the reality of successive police shootings of black men, in several circumstances where the use of non-lethal force appeared to be an available option to effect an arrest.

In effect, President Obama should have acknowledged that he AND ALL America owe a debt of gratitude to the courage and leadership of the Black Lives Matter movement in highlighting the apparent systemic racism in our criminal justice system when applied to African-Americans in several or our communities, nationwide.
God understands the concept of religious freedom.

Republicans, on the other hand, just don't get it.

The Republican Party is seeking to enact laws all across this country permitting businesses to refuse to serve LGBT people. Approximately 200 discriminatory bills have been proposed in nearly three dozen state legislatures.

And if you happen to work for a company with pious owners, you may be out of luck. Companies owned by religious families have denied birth control coverage to women employees under the company health insurance plans.

This is all being done in the name of "religious liberty."

Republicans argue that Christian florists who are opposed to gay marriage should be able to deny service to gay couples seeking to obtain flowers for their wedding. Otherwise, devout florists would be forced to violate their own religious beliefs by condoning gay marriage merely by providing flowers.

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Similarly, Republicans argue that Christian owners of companies should be able to refuse to provide birth control coverage to their female employees, otherwise, these holy owners would be forced to violate their own religious beliefs by facilitating birth control merely by providing a company health insurance plan.

This is all utterly absurd. These Republicans have taken the concept of "religious liberty" and turned it on its head.

The "liberty" part in "religious liberty" is not intended to empower the believers of a dominant religion, such as, say, Christianity, to give them the "liberty" to impose their beliefs upon everyone else. No. This is a perversion of the term "religious liberty."

Instead, the "liberty" part is intended to protect minority NON-believers to ensure that they have the liberty to maintain their own independent beliefs without suffering any disadvantages imposed upon them by the dominant believers.

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So when Republicans start talking about "religious liberty," just keep your wits about you so you don't get turned around and fall prey to the old intellectual switcharoo.

One case in point is Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Donald Trump recently met with Gov. Pence and called him "terrific," and Gov. Pence has now endorsed Donald Trump for president. Gov. Pence signed a discriminatory religious liberty law in Indiana that unleashed an avalanche of national outrage that forced him to change the law only a week later.

Another example is North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. He signed a religious freedom law that bans cities from being able to enact local non-discrimination ordinances to prevent discrimination against gay people. This caused another public outcry, including demonstrations, boycotts, and rock stars cancelling their North Carolina concerts in protest, including Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, and Perl Jam. It even resulted in the U.S. Justice Department declaring the law illegal and demanding that North Carolina repeal the law. But the North Carolina Republicans do not care. They remain obstinate and continue to defy the request from the Justice Department.

Many prominent Republicans have voiced support for these laws, including Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, and the entire Republican National Committee.

To keep your wits about you, just keep in mind our nation's history because our country was founded upon the accurate version of "religious liberty." Just think of the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower ship in 1620 from Plymouth, England across the Atlantic Ocean and landed at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. These were the folks who put on the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621 and began the festive tradition that we enjoy to this day.

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Religious liberty was the reason the Pilgrims left England for America. They were "separatists" in that their religion did not conform with the official Church of England, and they suffered persecution and discrimination as a result of their religious beliefs. So they came to America where they could be free to practice their own religion without enduring prejudice.

Religious liberty, in fact, was the reason that many people came to America. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island were safe havens for persecuted Quakers. Maryland was a refuge for Catholics. The early American colonies welcomed all sorts, including Dutch Calvinists, English Puritans, English Catholics, Scottish Presbyterians, French Huguenots, German and Swedish Lutherans, as well as Mennonites, Jews, and Amish from various European countries.

Religious liberty was crucial to our towering founding father, Thomas Jefferson. He was adamant about maintaining a strong separation between church and state to prevent government from favoring any particular religion so that every citizen would feel equally welcome in society regardless of their religious beliefs. This principle is now enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution.

Today, the United States has grown to become the most religiously diverse nation in the world with over 2,000 distinct religious groups.

But the Republican Party is seeking to take us backward with these laws that favor the dominant Christian religion and impose hardships upon people who happen to have different beliefs. This directly violates our nation's fundamental principle of freedom of religion.

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Republicans say that Christianity is under attack and needs to be protected. This is utter nonsense. A recent ABC News poll found that 83% of Americans identify as Christians. If anyone needs protection it would not be the 83% majority.

And Christians are hardly under attack here. No one is taking away their rights. No one is seeking to force them to be gay themselves, or to force birth control upon them. No. They are perfectly free to hold their own religious beliefs and live their lives accordingly.

For religious liberty to work, of course, it must be a two-way street and apply to everyone equally. If Christians are permitted to freely hold their beliefs, then Christians must reciprocate and allow non-Christians to freely hold their own beliefs.

If someone believes that being gay is fine under their own religion, then let them hold these beliefs. If someone else believes that birth control is fine under their own religion, let them hold these beliefs as well. There is no justification for discriminating against people who happen to hold differing beliefs by not serving them as customers.

Allowing businesses to refuse to serve customers based upon religious beliefs is a horrendous pathway to slide down and we must resist this as a society.

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Denying service to people would lead to all sorts of division, antagonism, and conflict throughout our entire society. If various people were not welcome at various businesses, not only would this divide people physically, but it would cause people to resent each other and it would breed an environment of hostility. Shockingly, this would take us back to the dark days of discrimination when black people could not sit at lunch counters in diners or ride in the front of buses. This would be disastrous.

A healthy society does not seek to turn people against each other, but instead seeks to promote harmony and cooperation among its population.

But perhaps the most obvious reason against this course of conduct comes down to simple common sense. Just imagine how this would play out in practice.

People would not know whether to enter a store or a restaurant because they would not know whether they might be denied service based upon their religious beliefs. Maybe businesses should post helpful signs. "No Jews allowed." "No gays allowed."

And when a customer walks into a store or a restaurant, how would the employees know what beliefs they hold? Hm. Well, of course they'll need to find out before they can serve these people. God forbid a non-believer should be served a slice of pizza. But how? Hm.

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Well, we'll need another "religious liberty" law that permits businesses to interrogate customers, and another one that requires customers to answer all the questions truthfully.

Good afternoon Mr. & Mrs. Customer. Are you gay? Oh thank goodness. Do you believe in God? Which God? Did you attend church this past Sunday? Have either of you ever committed adultery? When you have sexual intercourse with each other, do you use birth control? Madam, have you ever had an abortion? Do you as a couple engage in any sexual activity that would be regarded as deviant?

Oh, I'm sorry, we don't serve your kind.
A woman died Saturday night after a medical emergency forced her flight from Chicago to San Franciso to divert to Billings.

At about 9:30 p.m., air control at Billings Logan International Airport received notice the Star Alliance Boeing 737 would be making the unplanned stop. The aircraft was above South Dakota at that point and arrived in Billings about 30 minutes later, said Mike Glancy, supervisor for operations and aircraft rescue firefighting operations.

Emergency crews staged ahead of the jets arrival and paramedics boarded shortly after it landed. Glancy said he did not know if the woman was alive when she arrived in Billings but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Passengers deplaned while it was inspected by mechanics and refueled. The aircraft left Billings at about midnight after it was cleared by airport personnel.

The 7:15 p.m. flight from Chicago landed in San Francisco at about 1:20 a.m. Pacific Time, according to Rahsaan Johnson, United Airlines spokesperson.
When I told people that I was going to Belgium, they looked at me like I had gone completely insane. "Are you crazy?," they asked. "It's not safe," they replied. "Aren't you scared?," they questioned. In the wake of a horrific terror attack on Belgium's capital city, people were scared. Fear was palpable. You could feel it chilling you to your bones in the crisp spring air. Part of me wanted to lock my doors and curl up closely with my family under a blanket. Maybe there, they wouldn't find us. If we were together in the safety of our home, nothing could ever happen to us. And then I realized, that's what they want. This is just the tip of what terror is supposed to summon in us. Why should I hide in fear? Why should we let them win? So many lives have already been taken away. Do you want yours to be taken away by fear?

Terrorist events evokes a deep fear in all of us, but it is in these moments of atrocity that we must push through and join together. Travel fosters unity amongst all persons, regardless of age, gender, race, or religion. Travel furthers my belief that love will always win. That's why I booked my flight to Brussels. I booked my trip to be with the people of Belgium, to learn about the customs and culture. I booked my trip to learn. I booked my trip to travel.

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As I landed in Brussels, I received a text message from my family. They asked, "aren't you going to address the elephant in the room? What is going on with security?" Well...nothing was going on. The sun was shining, lovers walked hand-in-hand, and friends drank Delirium on the cobblestone streets. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. All was well and good in Brussels. However, as I walked around this beautiful country, sadness washed over me. It was just months ago that this city was ravaged by terror. My heart goes out to all of those affected by the attacks. What also had an effect on me was the enduring fear this attack had on the world. While I strolled the historic streets of Brussels, I was experiencing Brussels beauty and culture firsthand, but many parts of the United States think of Brussels and only see terror. Instead of thinking of the guild houses of the gorgeous Grand Place in Brussels, people feel distress. And it's not just Brussels. Instead of imagining the beautiful Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, people feel fear. Instead of visualizing the Eiffel Tour in Paris, people feel scared. In the wake of the attacks, so many of us are too afraid to travel to Europe. When Americans think of Europe, they can only think of the attacks. All we see on the news is terror. But what else comes to mind?

We can learn a great deal from the city of Brussels. As the capital center of the European Union, I can't help but notice that this city exudes acceptance. Brussels is a melting pot of cultures, races, and religions. I walked down the Avenue de Stalingrad and heard dozens of languages conversing with one another. I walked through the Congolese quarter and Chinatown in Sainte Catherine; my senses were swept away in delicious fragrances from food around the world. Walking through Brussels is a true 'tour du monde.' Belgium has accepted so many expatriates into its arms and flourished because of it. Keep accepting, Belgium. Don't stop now. You've built a beautiful multi-cultural, tolerant community.

Terrorist attacks are supposed to conjure panic and keep you from connecting with other societies. While the terrorist attacks across Europe, Africa, and Asia in the past few months have not been directly on the travel industry, they have affected it gravely. We travel to connect with the world, to understand different cultures and beliefs, to build tolerance and open our minds to other ways of living. Travel teaches us that just because a culture or religion practices different behaviors, it doesn't make them wrong or bad. When the terrorists attacked Brussels airport, they tried to close borders. When the terrorists attacked Beirut, they tried to sever relations. But while trying to terminate global relations, they actually opened hearts.

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Travel knows not race, not religion, not beliefs. Travel connects strangers across the world by uniting their thirst for curiosity, for education, and for belonging. While these terroristic groups aim to sever ties between countries and seek to cut off global acceptance, it's our duty to stand together in unity and in love.

My husband and I booked a trip to Istanbul last August. The week prior to our flight, there were two shootings at the U.S. Embassy. Family and friends urged us not to go. They said, "we saw the news." "It's dangerous," they alleged. While many places around the world have been war torn, I know that cities and people are never as bad as the news portrays them to be. I talked to a neighbor who had a daughter in college in Istanbul. This mother remarked, "it's a safe city! I wouldn't let my daughter there if it wasn't." Prior to visiting, my husband and I made sure to sign up to the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program or STEP (a U.S. safety program) and let our families know exactly where we were going. We didn't cancel our flights. We traveled.

If you give in to terror and you stay "safe" home in fear of what could be, you are letting the terrorists win. You are giving the terrorists what they want. We are afraid of leaving home and going to culturally significant cities like Paris, Brussels, Beirut, and Istanbul because they're "dangerous." However, terror can strike anywhere, unfortunately as seen in L.A. suburb, San Bernadino. Would you rather live in fear or live freely? We are not just citizens of our own towns and cities. We are citizens of the world.

My wish is that these terrorist attacks do not close your eyes and hearts to the world. We must travel to support the countries and people of the world. We will not forget about you. We will not abandon you. We will stand together with you on our your land, hand in hand. Our weapons of love and unity will always triumph.

Travel is one of the greatest gifts to the world - for education, for expansion, and most importantly, for love. Let's keep it that way.

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I spent 9 months in Greece last year when I witnessed the rise of the political party Syriza. It was the first time in modern European history that a left leaning party rose to national power. Syriza's sensational rise was a direct result of how Greece's own corrupt politicians, who followed the orders of the 1% ruling powers in the European Union (orchestrated by Germany, the IMF, the World Bank and the European Commission) put the Greek people into massive debt. This debt was then used to discipline the country of Greece into absolute enslaved obedience to the policies of the 1% which is called, "austerity." This was a designed program of the 1%, especially Germany, private investors, and above all the banks that systematically forced Greece into selling off their precious public assets including islands, artwork, agricultural and public infrastructure to private corporations and the financial industry. By forcing Greece into debts via corrupt politicians from the mid-90s to 2014, Greece would be beholden to the non-democratic technocrats' agenda no matter what the people of Greece desired. It was a coup d'etat not by tanks (as in WWII when Germany occupied Greece) but by banks. The word we have for this is called, "neoliberalism" an anti-democratic economic ideology that sides with the 1% over the rest of us.

Syriza's rise to power in the national elections in January 2015 was the Greek response to fight against the policies of the 1% designed to literally sell their country off to the rich and powerful. As soon as Syriza took power in parliament the war between the ultra-rich 1% and the people of Greece began. The Greeks wanted their country back, they wanted democracy. The ultra-rich wanted to continue the financial enslavement policies they were not only exacting on Greece but also on Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and other smaller countries on the periphery of the European Union.

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Essentially what the world was observing was a literal class-war waged by the .001% against democracy and the autonomy of countries to make decisions best for themselves and not the banker. I was there observing this war from the streets of Greece even while the US media continued to irresponsibly misrepresent the real issues in order to assist the ultra-rich in succeeding in their scheme to enslave humanity to the financial industry. I even helped organize an international conference, "Democracy Rising" in which leading intellectuals, economists, theorists, political parties, artists, and activists came together to draw awareness of this unjust war leveled against the Greek people.

This war between Syriza and the global financial elites (including the IMF in the US) came to a boiling point in early July 2015 when Greece's Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras called for national referendum (vote). For the first time in decades the people of Greece could democratically vote on whether or not they wanted to continue accepting these dehumanizing austerity financial policies.

Within hours of Tsipras calling for this vote the banks were shutdown and the corporate media (who were siding with the ultra-rich) launched a fear-mongering campaign to ironically scare people into voting against their own democracy and accept another round of crippling economic policies that by any measure was economically impossible to ever repay.

This same war that happened in Greece last year has been taking place in the United States since the early 1980s when Ronald Reagan took office and embraced the economic ideology of "neoliberalism." It has taken three and a half decades for someone like a Bernie Sanders with the help of Occupy Wall Street in 2011, to raise enough awareness that this financial war against democracy is a reality of such proportions that it's difficult to even comprehend. The Sanders platform is designed to call us to arms to finally fight against the financial technocrats who have bought the government and its politicians like for example, Hillary Clinton who represents the face of neoliberalism. The irony of Donald Trump is that its a sign that the billionaire class no longer even needs politicians like Clinton to do its dirty work in waging a war against us, against democracy and against the American way of life forgotten for the better part of the past half-century.

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Back in the the States, I've observed the primary elections of both the Republicans and Democrats, and I cannot help but feel a deja vu: What I saw in Greece last year is happening here in the United States. The media of the ultra-rich (Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc.) are, in their own way, orchestrating a campaign of fear to keep the 99% of us locked into ignorance in order to further perpetuate and spread the power of the ultra-rich against us. There are countless examples of the media manipulating us into accepting a system that has already been bought and sold out from under our democratic control. You can easily observe this when Trump has received over 65% of the election coverage and Clinton the other 30% while Sanders has received less than 3% and yet he has done something so unprecedented in the history of American democracy that it raises serious questions about the credibility of the media that so nakedly peddles the ultra-rich's agenda to the detriment of our future.

Just recently Alex Seitz-Wald of MSNBC published the story that presents Sanders as dangerous to the Democratic National Party. "But Sanders' unique small-dollar fundraising machine" he says, "and commitment to change the party at the convention have kept him alive, and that makes the DNC's transition process this year especially fraught."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the point of a democracy is to contest power so that power is maximally expressed for the people, by the people and of the people. But for the likes of Seitz-Wald and the rest of the anti-democratic media, the core questions that Sanders is raising not to mention the way he's campaigning, are considered a threat and serve as a road-block to the two-party political system that has already sold its soul to the banks. Instead of observing that the way Sanders has raised his campaign funds via a record breaking individual contribution of 27 bucks, which is the most democratic way to raise funds, it's dismissed as a "machine". Such an unsavory metaphor could have never been more misguided. To reduce the millions of financial supports to an impersonal "machine" is not only insulting but gets it exactly wrong. Hillary and Trump (who inherited his funds) are the machine of the 1% not the Sander's campaign.

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Who said History Doesn't Repeat itself?
Renowned human rights activist Hossam Bahgat looks on as an Egyptian court examines a request to issue a travel ban and freeze the assets of him and a fellow rights activist in Cairo on April 20, 2016. / AFP / MOHAMED EL-SHAHED (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images)

Earlier this year, Egyptian authorities notified the Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture--an organization that has spent 23 years undertaking urgent work with survivors of torture and other forms of violence in Egypt--that it must close its doors. The "administrative closure order" came with no details or substantive justification. This action on the part of the Egyptian government has been part of a disturbing trend to intimidate and restrict activities of human rights groups in Egypt.

These unsettling developments in Egypt mirror shrinking space for human rights and civil society organizations in many other parts of the world. In fact, the central theme in the State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released a few weeks ago highlighted "the striking, systemic, and global attack on civil society being undertaken by governments around the world." The report detailed major sustained crackdowns in country after country in all regions of the world. The report also emphasized what the United States government is doing to fight back against this trend.

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As outlined by my CVT colleague Emily Hutchinson recently, in our work to achieve greater strategic effectiveness in the work of human rights and civil society organizations, CVT has witnessed this crackdown first hand. In addition, a common thread among all of our healing projects is that activists and leaders are often those specifically singled out for abuse, whether it is to punish them for their work or to signal to others what will happen if they continue their works.

CVT recently communicated our concerns about the Egyptian government's attempts to restrict the activities of human rights groups in Egypt to Secretary of State John Kerry. In his response to us, Secretary Kerry wrote that he shared our concerns and outlined measures the U.S. government had taken to raise its concerns with the Egyptian government. While we applaud those steps, they clearly have not been enough, as the Egyptian authorities' crackdown continues.

Perhaps Secretary Kerry's efforts to stem this disturbing trend might have been more successful had they been part of a clear and consistent message to the Government of Egypt that such a crackdown would have important consequences for U.S. - Egyptian relations. But at the very time the Egyptian government was clamping down, as mass arrests reached tens of thousands, and torture of detainees was rampant, the United States government announced in March 2015 that it would be resuming military aid to Egypt. That aid--totaling $1.3 billion and making Egypt the second-largest recipient of U.S. military aid--had been halted in October 2013, when the State Department announced that because the Egyptian military had deposed a democratically-elected leader, U.S. military aid would be suspended until Egypt made "credible progress" toward democratic reforms.

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Clearly, that has not happened.

The latest State Department's human rights report strongly criticized Egypt for a range of human rights violations by security forces and military authorities, including torture and the ever-smaller arena for human rights groups to work in the country. Despite the language in that report, I suspect that Egyptian authorities are not worrying that the Obama Administration's protestations will be followed by serious pressure to curb the abuses. Whatever those pressures have been, there has been no letup in the suppression. Indeed, the Egyptian government might even feel emboldened to continue their crackdown on Egyptian human rights organizations.
A general view shows tents housing internally displaced people in Atma camp, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate, Syria March 15, 2016. Picture taken March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

For several years, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has raised the alarm about the unprecedented number of refugees and displaced people around the world, the worst crisis since World War II. Yet during this time, the United States has still failed to respond, accepting a shrinking share of this growing population.

This reinforces an incredibly jarring fact: the United States establishes its refugee limit without regard to the actual number of refugees around the world. America's openness to refugees should be adjusted in order to adequately respond to the global need for resettlement.

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Ideally, American citizens would be able to step up and sponsor refugees, bringing them into the United States and granting them the opportunity to rebuild their lives. But the current reality is that the government controls all refugee resettlement, bureaucrats dither, Congress refuses to act, and refugees continue to exist in a perilous limbo.

Last year, Secretary of State John Kerry apparently thought it was time that the United States respond to crisis, and announced an increase of the refugee quota to 85,000 for this year. This promise has yet to be realized, as the United States has actually accepted fewer refugees this year than at this same time last year.

But even if the quota were filled this year, and filled again next year to the 100,000 Secretary Kerry called for, it would be woefully short of the historic share of refugees and displaced persons that the United States has taken in the past.

On average, America's refugee program has accepted roughly 0.25 percent of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) population of concern--displaced persons and refugees--each year since 1993. This year, that population is almost 60 million people, so if the State Department stuck to this acceptance rate, it would set a target of 138,000 for next year.

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But even this increase is far less than the share of refugees that the United States has taken in its recent history. In 1993, for example, the U.S. refugee program accepted almost four times as high a share of UNHCR's population as it did last year. Today, the same share would be roughly 272,000 refugees.

Some people may well ask whether the United States can integrate that many refugees. Although every refugee group is different, there are many more Americans today to aid the integration process than there were back in the early 1990s. The United States admitted twice as many refugees per capita from 1990 to 1994 than it has over the last five years.

Despite the fact that more Americans than ever want to help, the U.S. government has drastically cut down the acceptance rates of refugees. If Americans were able to sponsor refugees, the response would have very likely put the government's limited reaction to shame.

That is precisely what has happened in Canada. Through its private refugee sponsorship program, tens of thousands of Canadians have raised money through a diverse range of means from filling Church offering plates, to giving up their furniture, to canceling weddings. And remember Canada is a tenth of the size of the United States.

This is why we have pushed, and continue pushing, for a privately funded refugee program. As our paper outlying the idea noted, such a program could be created with almost no changes in the actual operation of the refugee program. This means there is no reason for the administration to wait. Such a program could easily be put into place now.

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Israel celebrates its 68th Day of Independence this week. Let me put my cards on the table. I'm not dispassionate when it comes to Israel. Quite the contrary.

The establishment of the state in 1948; the fulfillment of its envisioned role as home and haven for Jews from around the world; its wholehearted embrace of democracy and the rule of law; and its impressive scientific, cultural, and economic achievements are accomplishments beyond my wildest imagination.

For centuries, Jews around the world prayed for a return to Zion. We are the lucky ones who have seen those prayers answered. I am grateful to witness this most extraordinary period in Jewish history and Jewish sovereignty - in the words of Israel's national anthem, "to be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem."

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And when one adds the key element, namely, that all this took place not in the Middle West but in the Middle East, where Israel's neighbors determined from day one to destroy it through any means available to them -- from full-scale wars to wars of attrition; from diplomatic isolation to international delegitimation; from primary to secondary to even tertiary economic boycotts; from terrorism to the spread of anti-Semitism, often thinly veiled as anti-Zionism -- the story of Israel's first 68 years becomes all the more remarkable.

No other country has faced such a constant challenge to its very right to exist, even though the age-old biblical, spiritual, and physical connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel is unique in the annals of history.

Indeed, that connection is of a totally different character from the basis on which, say, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the bulk of Latin American countries were established, that is, by Europeans with no legitimate claim to those lands who decimated indigenous populations and proclaimed their own authority. Or, for that matter, North African countries that were conquered and occupied by Arab-Islamic invaders who totally redefined their national character.

No other country has faced such overwhelming odds against its very survival, or experienced the same degree of never-ending international demonization by too many nations ready to throw integrity and morality to the wind, and slavishly follow the will of the energy-rich and more numerous Arab states.

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Yet Israelis have never succumbed to a fortress mentality, never abandoned their deep yearning for peace with their neighbors or willingness to take unprecedented risks to achieve that peace (as was the case with Egypt and Jordan, for example, and in the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza), never lost their zest for life, and never flinched from their determination to build a vibrant, democratic state.

This story of nation-building is entirely without precedent.

Here was a people brought to the brink of utter destruction by the genocidal policies of Nazi Germany and its allies. Here was a people shown to be utterly powerless to influence a largely indifferent world to stop, or even slow down, the Final Solution. And here was a people, numbering barely 600,000, living cheek-by-jowl with often hostile Arab neighbors, under unsympathetic British occupation, on a harsh soil with no significant natural resources other than human capital in what was then Mandatory Palestine.

That the blue-and-white flag of an independent Israel could be planted on this land, to which the Jewish people had been intimately linked since the time of Abraham, just three years after the end of the Holocaust -- and with the support of a decisive majority of UN members at the time -- truly boggles the mind.

And what's more, that this tiny community of Jews, including survivors of the Holocaust who had somehow made their way to Mandatory Palestine despite the British blockade and British detention camps in Cyprus, could successfully defend themselves against the onslaught of five Arab standing armies, is almost beyond imagination.

To understand the essence of Israel's meaning, it is enough to ask how the history of the Jewish people might have been different had there been a Jewish state in 1933, in 1938, or even in 1941. If Israel had controlled its borders and the right of entry instead of Britain, if Israel had had embassies and consulates throughout Europe, how many more Jews might have escaped and found sanctuary?

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Instead, Jews had to rely on the goodwill of embassies and consulates of other countries and, with woefully few exceptions, they found there neither the "good" nor the "will" to assist.

I witnessed firsthand what Israeli embassies and consulates meant to Jews drawn by the pull of Zion or the push of hatred. I stood in the courtyard of the Israeli embassy in Moscow and saw thousands of Jews seeking a quick exit from a Soviet Union in the throes of cataclysmic change, fearful that the change might be in the direction of renewed chauvinism and anti-Semitism.

Awestruck, I watched up-close as Israel never faltered, not even for a moment, in transporting Soviet Jews to the Jewish homeland, even as Scud missiles launched from Iraq traumatized the nation in 1991. It says a lot about the conditions they were leaving behind that these Jews continued to board planes for Tel Aviv while missiles were exploding in Israeli population centers. In fact, on two occasions I sat in sealed rooms with Soviet Jewish families who had just arrived in Israel during these missile attacks. Not once did any of them question their decision to establish new lives in the Jewish state. And equally, it says a lot about Israel that, amid all the pressing security concerns, it managed to continue to welcome these new immigrants without missing a beat.

And how can I ever forget the surge of pride -- Jewish pride -- that completely enveloped me 40 years ago, in July 1976, on hearing the astonishing news of Israel's daring rescue of the 106 Jewish hostages held by Arab and German terrorists in Entebbe, Uganda, over 2,000 miles from Israel's borders? The unmistakable message: Jews in danger will never again be alone, without hope, and totally dependent on others for their safety.

Not least, I can still remember, as if it were yesterday, my very first visit to Israel. It was in 1970, and I was not quite 21 years old.

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I didn't know what to expect, but I recall being quite emotional from the moment I boarded the El Al plane to the very first glimpse of the Israeli coastline from the plane's window. As I disembarked, I surprised myself by wanting to kiss the ground. In the ensuing weeks, I marveled at everything I saw. To me, it was as if every apartment building, factory, school, orange grove, and Egged bus was nothing less than a miracle. A state, a Jewish state, was unfolding before my very eyes.

After centuries of persecutions, pogroms, exiles, ghettos, pales of settlement, inquisitions, blood libels, forced conversions, discriminatory legislation, and immigration restrictions -- and, no less, after centuries of prayers, dreams, and yearning -- the Jews had come back home and were the masters of their own fate.

I was overwhelmed by the mix of people, backgrounds, languages, and lifestyles, and by the intensity of life itself. Everyone, it seemed, had a compelling story to tell. There were Holocaust survivors with harrowing tales of their years in the camps. There were Jews from Arab countries, whose stories of persecution in such countries as Iraq, Libya, and Syria were little known at the time. There were the first Jews arriving from the USSR seeking repatriation in the Jewish homeland. There were the sabras -- native-born Israelis -- many of whose families had lived in Palestine for generations. There were local Arabs, both Christian and Muslim. There were Druze, whose religious practices are kept secret from the outside world. The list goes on and on.

I was moved beyond words by the sight of Jerusalem and the fervor with which Jews of all backgrounds prayed at the Western Wall. Coming from a nation that was at the time deeply divided and demoralized, I found my Israeli peers to be unabashedly proud of their country, eager to serve in the military, and, in many cases, determined to volunteer for the most elite combat units. They felt personally involved in the enterprise of building a Jewish state, more than 1,800 years after the Romans defeated the Bar Kochba revolt, the last Jewish attempt at sovereignty on this very land.

To be sure, nation-building is an infinitely complex process. In Israel's case, it began against a backdrop of tensions with a local Arab population that laid claim to the very same land, and tragically refused a UN proposal to divide the land into Arab and Jewish states; as the Arab world sought to isolate, demoralize, and ultimately destroy the state; as Israel's population doubled in the first three years of the country's existence, putting an unimaginable strain on severely limited resources; as the nation was forced to devote a vast portion of its limited national budget to defense expenditures; and as the country coped with forging a national identity and social consensus among a population that could not have been more geographically, linguistically, socially, and culturally heterogeneous.

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Moreover, there is the tricky and underappreciated issue of the potential clash between the messy realities of statehood and, in this case, the ideals and faith of a people. It is one thing for a people to live their religion as a minority; it is quite another to exercise sovereignty as the majority population while remaining true to one's ethical standards. Inevitably, tension will arise between a people's spiritual or moral self-definition and the exigencies of statecraft, between the highest concepts of human nature and the daily realities of individuals in decision-making positions wielding power and balancing a variety of competing interests.

Even so, shall we raise the bar so high as to ensure that Israel -- forced to function in the often gritty, morally ambiguous world of international relations and politics, especially as a small, still endangered state -- will always fall short?

Yet, the notion that Israel would ever become ethically indistinguishable from any other country, reflexively seeking cover behind the convenient justification of realpolitik to explain its behavior, is equally unacceptable.

Israelis, with only 68 years of statehood under their belts, are among the newer practitioners of statecraft. With all its remarkable success, consider the daunting political, social, and economic challenges in the United States 68 or even 168 years after independence, or, for that matter, the challenges it faces today, including stubborn social inequalities. And let's not forget that the United States, unlike Israel, is a vast country blessed with abundant natural resources, oceans on two-and-a half sides, a gentle neighbor to the north, and a weaker neighbor to the south.

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Like any vibrant democracy, America is a permanent work in progress. The same holds true for Israel. Loving Israel as I do, though, doesn't mean overlooking its shortcomings, including the excessive and unholy intrusion of religion into politics, the inexcusable marginalization of non-Orthodox Jewish religious streams, the dangers posed by political and religious zealots, and the unfinished, if undeniably complex, task of integrating Israeli Arabs into the mainstream.

But it also doesn't mean allowing such issues to overshadow Israel's remarkable achievements, accomplished, as I've said, under the most difficult of circumstances.

In just 68 years, Israel has built a thriving democracy, unique in the region, including a Supreme Court prepared, when it deems appropriate, to overrule the prime minister or the military establishment, a feisty parliament that includes every imaginable viewpoint along the political spectrum, a robust civil society, and a vigorous press.

It has built an economy increasingly based on innovation and cutting-edge technology, whose per capita GNP exceeds the combined total of its four contiguous sovereign neighbors -- Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

It has built universities and research centers that have contributed to advancing the world's frontiers of knowledge in countless ways, and won a slew of Nobel Prizes in the process.

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It has built one of the world's most powerful militaries -- always under civilian control, I might add -- to ensure its survival in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood. It has shown the world how a tiny nation, no larger than New Jersey or Wales, can, by sheer ingenuity, will, courage, and commitment, defend itself against those who would destroy it through conventional armies or armies of suicide bombers. And it has done all this while striving to adhere to a strict code of military conduct that has few rivals in the democratic world, much less elsewhere -- and in the face of an enemy prepared to send children to the front lines and seek cover in mosques, schools, and hospitals.

It has built a quality of life that ranks it among the world's healthiest nations and with a particularly high life expectancy, indeed higher than that of the U.S.

It has built a thriving culture, whose musicians, writers, and artists are admired far beyond Israel's borders. In doing so, it has lovingly taken an ancient language, Hebrew, the language of the prophets, and rendered it modern to accommodate the vocabulary of the contemporary world.

Notwithstanding a few extremist voices of intolerance, it has built a climate of respect for other faith groups, including Baha'i, Christianity, and Islam, and their places of worship. Can any other nation in the area make the same claim?

It has built an agricultural sector that has had much to teach developing nations about turning an arid soil into fields of fruits, vegetables, cotton, and flowers.

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Step back from the twists and turns of the daily information overload coming from the Middle East and consider the sweep of the last 68 years. Look at the light-years traveled since the darkness of the Holocaust, and marvel at the miracle of a decimated people returning to a tiny sliver of land -- the land of our ancestors, the land of Zion and Jerusalem -- and successfully building a modern, vibrant state against all the odds, on that ancient foundation.
The jury is still out on whether Trump is a racist, but tolerance of race-baiting--when it helps the home team--may explain why he trounced the Republican field. Now that he is the last candidate standing we should deal with another elephant in the room.



Long before declaring his candidacy in June 2016, Trump made headlines by challenging President Obama's citizenship status. Obama, to our amusement, roasted Trump for this at a White House correspondents' dinner by playing a clip from the Lion King--his birth video! Few people, especially Republicans who supported birtherism and refused to condemn it, are laughing at Trump now. They are too busy trying to figure out how he won, and whether he can be stopped. Apparently, some Republicans are even considering the unthinkable--supporting the Democratic nominee. Others have decided to sit this election out, also unthinkable.

When the birther movement was taking off, one spin, which made it appear reasonable to some folks, was to raise doubts about Obama's honesty. Of course this was not a new tactic. South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson did it when he shouted, at the President, "You lie," during a health care speech to Congress. A few Republicans condemned this breach of decorum, but others wondered aloud whether there was truth to this, and used the occasion to fire up their political base against Obamacare.

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Anyone with good sense, watching these antics unfold, knew that the birther movement to expose President Obama as a fake U.S. citizen was a blatant example of a race-baiting dog whistle. Why do politicians find it so difficult to be honest about this? In an MSNBC interview earlier this year, Mitt Romney, who coveted Trump's endorsement in 2012 but declared him a fraud in 2016, went so far as to distinguish Trump's birther attacks on Obama from the "highly offensive" ones he directed at Ted Cruz and others during this campaign season. So, how can we expect politicians to deal with the elephant in Trump Tower that stole their supporters when they refuse to be honest about their culpability in creating Trumpmania by preaching, practicing, and pardoning race-baiting?

It is clear that race-baiting is highly offensive. Senator Lindsey Graham apparently agrees. But this is not news. It always has been, whether politicians are talking about Willie Horton, welfare queens, or the War on Drugs to rally their supporters. What should now be painfully clear to the Republican establishment is that this can bite the elephant in the ass when it gets out of control and no longer serves the home team.

The road to birtherism was never paved with good intentions. And, as we have seen during the endless media coverage of Trump's run, it is a short step from that to an anti-political correctness presidential platform that promises to "tell it like it is," "make America great again," and to do it by making everyone else pay. This sounded wonderful to some people until it became clear that Mexico wasn't going to be the only one paying. They would be on the hook for a wall. But the Republican establishment may pay the highest price--losing the supporters they were banking on to put "a reliable Republican conservative" back in the White House.

Looking the other way when the race-baiting dog whistle is blowing creates an opportunity for a candidate willing to forego political correctness by calling Mexicans rapists, Muslims terrorists, brushing off tough questions from a journalist by suggesting she was on her period, and even accusing a POW of being a fake war hero. It is now clear that much more than hurt feelings are at stake when this toxic climate is created and tolerated. For the right kind of political candidate--with tons of money, willing to say what it takes to keep the cameras rolling, and not beholden to the establishment--capitalizing on these things can be the winning ticket.

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The pollsters are scrambling to figure out what they got wrong about Donald Trump and why they did not see this coming. Perhaps it was the electoral equivalent of a black swan, Nate Cohn speculates. Maybe Trump wasn't taken seriously because of his reality TV celebrity status. Maybe it was more about an ineffective and divided Republican party with a weak field of candidates. Perhaps big donors like the Koch brothers didn't spend enough money. Perhaps it was an unforeseen side effect of Republican-backed voter suppression laws and the Supreme Court's assault on the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder.
Trump wants to build a wall on the Mexico border but Canada and the US need to build bridges and revamp their NAFTA deal into a customs union to allow workers and goods to flow freely.

Emerging technologies transform exponentially so a trade and taxation refresh is urgent.

The U.S. and Canada are both industrialized societies with strong institutions and little corruption. Language and laws are identical and they must move beyond the free trade agreement as have countries in the European Union. Mexico will remain a favored trade partner, but the border cannot be eliminated due to its weak institutions, crime and low incomes.

But the United States and Canada must leverage their similarities in order to continue to join forces by participating in the new economy of robotics, nanotechnology, biotech, artificial intelligence, computation and energy. Canadians play a large role, but mostly from a distance and with increasing difficulty, due to trade and immigration restrictions.

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The border is a problem.

Without labor mobility to the U.S., Canada's technology clusters are stillborn or, in many cases, abandoned as individuals must export themselves. Without labor mobility, Americans cannot move north and U.S. corporations cannot recruit to the extent they might otherwise in Canada.

The Auto Pact took years of tough negotiations to pull off, as did NAFTA, but the next step is critical and here's how it would work: The border would be replaced with a perimeter around the two countries. This is the goal of Beyond the Borders, but progress has been glacial since 2011.

Today's most valuable assets are on two legs which is why a customs union for workers is essential. An estimated million educated, entrepreneurs from Canada work and live full time in the science, technology, engineering and financial clusters in Boston, California and New York. Many Americans would join clusters in the north but immigration hassles are problematic.

A customs union (and liberalization of bilateral immigration) would allow them to more easily set up shop, or commute, from Canada. Furthermore, many Americans would move north, grabbing the opportunity to move to Canada for social and political reasons, to tap talent here or to simply live in unique regions such as Vancouver Island or the Rockies or with friends and relatives.

Clusters should form where ideas, talent and capital exists irrespective of any artificially concocted border. This is what happens internally in both countries: workers move from state to state, or province to province, to join and contribute to startups and tech transformations.

The same should apply between these two countries: Canadians and Americans can continue to build the world's foremost technology sector if they can freely exchange labor, ideas and capita.

It's important to note the contribution that each country has made to the other: Canada's resource and infrastructure was built in large measure by Americans and great entrepreneurs such as Edison, Chrysler, Disney, Durant, Ford, Louis B. Mayer and the Warner Brothers, to name just a few. In tech, there is Jeff Skoll along with an estimated 300,000 Canadians in Silicon Valley and the same number in Boston/New York in science, tech and finance.

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Emerging technologies are replacing traditional resources and manufacturing sectors and, while those are still important, the next President must designate a dynamic and well-funded innovation sector as a continental economic priority.
When I traveled to Michigan last month as part of a Congressional delegation to hear directly from the families impacted by the Flint water crisis, I had a thought in the back of my head that a similar crisis could happen in New Jersey, particularly in Newark, our nation's third-oldest city. After all, our outdated water infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, aged to the point at which it threatens higher levels of lead in our water.

My fear came true just days after I returned from Flint, when 30 Newark public schools -- nearly half of the district's state-controlled public schools -- were found to have elevated levels of lead in their drinking water.

Regardless of the source -- paint or water -- lead is toxic, especially for young children, whose bodies are still developing. Exposure to high levels can lead to brain and central nervous system damage. So when I hear families voice anger and frustration that their children may have been exposed to lead, I share their outrage. As a parent, I want to know that my children have access to clean, reliable water at school, and I want the same thing for the children of other families.

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One of the best ways to do that is to test for lead in schools. That way, if elevated levels are discovered, we can take necessary steps to protect students. We should not be in the dark when it comes to what is in children's drinking water, and lead testing is essential to identifying problems with that water.

Currently, however, school districts are not required to do so by law. While some schools may routinely conduct drinking-water quality testing, others may go years without testing at all.

We owe it to our children to close this gap in water-testing requirements. We can't simply hope that their drinking water is safe.

That is why I introduced the TEST for Lead Act, legislation that reflects our commitment to America's children by spurring the testing of drinking water for lead in public and charter schools.

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The TEST for Lead Act amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require states to help schools establish programs to test for lead in drinking water if those states receive funding from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. This fund provides federal funding for water systems and state safe-water programs.

The legislation would require schools to test drinking water, including water from faucets used for food preparation, sinks in bathrooms, and water fountains. Testing would be required at least biannually at schools built prior to 1996 and at least annually at schools built in 1996 or after, when regulations were extended to restrict the amount of lead in school faucets.

The TEST for Lead Act would also require local education agencies with jurisdiction over the schools to notify parents, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the state within 48 hours if a level of lead that exceeds a lead-action level, as identified by the EPA, is discovered.

No child takes a drink from a water fountain and thinks about whether that water is contaminated. At least, they shouldn't have to. It's our job to protect our children, and that means ensuring the safety of school drinking water.

I have called on my colleagues in Congress to support the TEST for Lead Act, and I will keep up the pressure on any member who downplays the impact of lead in schools.

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"The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" by Sarit Yishai-Levi (Thomas Dunn Books/St. Martin's Press)

Every now and then, a multi-generational novel such as "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" by Sarit Yishai-Levi (Thomas Dunn Books/St. Martin's Press) comes along, so rich with potent curses, outlandish customs, eccentric characters, and forbidden loves, readers might find the story somewhat incredible and hard to connect to. But to this reader, who happens to be part of a community with similar mores, every detail rings true and immensely pleasurable to relive on the page.

Luna Ermosa, the "beauty queen" of the title, is the most sought-after woman in Jerusalem. But she is unlucky in love. As are the Ermoza men, who are doomed to marry women they do not love and never forget the ones they do. But this is Jerusalem before the independence of Israel, when marriage between the Sephardic Ermozas, immigrants from Toledo, to Ashkenazim is unacceptable and shameful--forget about dating a despised Turk or "Engelish ... tfu on them." It is a time when the word of a parent is sacrosanct and children are expected to marry whomever their parents choose for them. As is the case with Gabriel, Luna's beloved father, and grandfather of the rebellious Gabriela, who is unable to open her heart to her mother, Luna, even when she is on her deathbed.

Decades rush by unmarked and it is often left to the reader to connect dates with historical details woven into the story of the Ermoza family. In this, her first novel, Yishai-Levi, an award winning journalist, expertly depicts the harrowing hardships of life during the British Mandate--the bombings, shootings, curfews, fights between Arabs and Jews. And the endless struggles of different underground factions, the Haganah, Lehi and Etzel, to drive the British out of Palestine and create a Jewish state.

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In the process, Gabriela, aided by her grandmother and aunts, Rachelika and Becky, tries to snap pieces of her family's puzzle together in an attempt to discover why her handsome grandfather was forced to marry an unattractive orphan he does not love. Why her obstinate great grandmother, Mercada, cursed her son before moving to Tel Aviv and refusing to visit him in Jerusalem. Unless it is to drive away his demons, which she successfully does, despite her failure to forgive him.

Most significantly, perhaps, is Gabriela's need to uncover her mother's secret. What sin has Luna committed in her lifetime that even Rachelika, the saint of the family, refuses to share with her beloved niece, Gabriela? And will the discovery free Gabriela from the abusive relationship she is embroiled in and allow her to open her heart to love?

Fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez will find much to love in "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem." The narrative is lush and rife with scandalous secrets of a passionately opinionated family that might find it easier to free themselves from the clutches of war, than from the Ermoza curse inflicted upon them.
America's major alliances date back six to seven decades. Washington has been protecting Europe, Japan and South Korea for longer than most Americans have been alive.

The original justification for this expensive global role was the Evil Empire, as President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union. Aggressive communism had to be contained, and America's allies were in various degrees of prostration at the end of World War II and the Korean War. For a short moment of history, the U.S. had to take on a unique and oversize international role to preserve the "free world."

But that moment passed long ago. Actually even before the end of the Cold War. By the 1960s most of Washington's Asian and European allies had recovered economically. With serious effort -- which one would expect from nations facing serious, even existential, security threats -- they were capable of at least matching their potential antagonists. As the world moved into the 1980s it was evident that only their own lethargy and stinginess prevented America's friends from taking over most, if not full, responsibility for their own security.

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Today it is frankly unbelievable that Washington allows Asians and Europeans to continue cowering behind it. That they prefer not to do more is understandable. But that is no reason for America to do it for them.

The traditional argument for turning the Pentagon into an international welfare agency always was security: We live in a dangerous world, etc., etc. That argument has grown threadbare given how the existential threats that once confronted, or at least plausibly affected, the U.S. have disappeared. No peer competitor, no ideological contest, no contending global power, no countervailing alliance, no cohesive coalition of adversaries, no credible threat to global commerce, no anything at all.

What remains is, well, paltry compared to threats of global and nuclear conflict. Lots of tragedy, irritating inconvenience, abundant frustration, occasional threats to individuals, limited terrorist attacks. Genuine problems, but ones requiring limited, nuanced responses, not big alliances, carrier groups, aggressive wars, foreign occupations, endless bombing, and more. Washington's strategy and force structure remain mismatched to the security threats facing America. The Pentagon could do and spend far less while still safeguarding Americans.

So then, what are the existing alliances for?

Anthony V. Rinna of the SinoNK group suggested protecting commerce. He recently argued: "Managing the threat posed by instability on the Korean Peninsula to the United States' economic interest cannot be done only through a combination of diplomacy and nuclear deterrence. It also requires the continual presence of American conventional armed forces."

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Why?

First, the Republic of Korea vastly outranges its antagonist on virtually every measure of power: 40 times the GDP, twice the population, overwhelming international connections. Indeed, the North's allies of the Korean War, China and Russia, would not support Pyongyang in a renewed conflict. So even if Washington had sufficient economic interests at stake to warrant a defense guarantee in theory, one would not be necessary in practice. Seoul has a greater incentive for national as well as economic reasons to provide for its defense. And it is capable of doing so.

Foreign policy should reflect international realities, which change over time. The ROK was vulnerable to renewed North Korean aggression at the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953. Today, Seoul could do whatever was necessary to deter and defeat the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. There's no need for America to defend that which could be defended otherwise.

Second, the age of mercantilism long passed. The military should not be used to promote economic interests. While economic survival might become an existential issue, that certainly is not at stake with Asian, let alone South Korean, trade. There's also an interest in ensuring navigational freedom, including commercial traffic, as well as keeping hostile forces away from the U.S. Neither of these justifies defending a mid-size ally with modest economic ties to America. At a fraction of today's cost Washington could threaten retaliation against any strike on international shipping -- as it did during the Iran-Iraq war, a far more sensible step than actually entering someone else's war.

Spending billions to defend a trading partner just for its business connections would be a very bad investment. Washington would end up squandering the money of all Americans to protect the profits of select Americans. Moreover, the price if the conventional tripwire is triggered would be paid in blood as well as cash. If the North develops deliverable nuclear weapons, the cost could turn out to be astronomical.

While the U.S. would suffer more if commerce with China and Japan was disrupted, a renewed Korean war likely would have only limited impact on that: Pyongyang's reach is modest and the DPRK would have no incentive to encourage other nations to become belligerents against it. A conflict would be most likely to inflate shipping costs, not end trade, like the Gulf tanker war of three decades ago.

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Third, Seoul's neighbors have far more at stake and should act to limit the damage from any conflict. Indeed, a second Korean war would have a variety of humanitarian, economic, and military impacts on China and Japan. Any effect on commerce would reach well beyond that with America. The best way to constrain the DPRK would be to encourage Beijing to take a more active role, which it likely would do if it knew that it would bear the full consequences of North Korean aggression.

Turning friendly states into long-term military dependents is bad enough. Doing the same for China is bizarre. Washington has been attempting to convince the PRC that North Korea harms Chinese as well as American interests. The best way to make that argument would be to step back and allow Beijing to confront its North Korean problem directly.
The Yellowstone County District Court Clerks office is the busiest in the state with 10,000 new cases filed last year alone.

Montana law spells out the duties of the District Court clerk in keeping precise, accurate records of court filings, actions and payments. The elected clerk must manage an office with more than 20 deputy clerks effectively and efficiently so that people with cases in District Court receive justice.

The Yellowstone County District Court clerks office has been falling short of that responsibility. Evidence is piling up that records have gone missing, documents filed with the clerks office often arent in files even weeks later, minutes of court proceedings arent recorded as required by law.

How can citizens trust such a system? How can the courts keep up with their ever-growing caseload if the judges and attorneys cant even find the official records?

In an interview with The Gazette editorial board, Clerk of Court Kristie Boelter said she had requested and received three additional clerk positions for her office, plus one position that is shared with another office.

What weve heard from folks with business before the court is that often nobody seems to be doing the work they need. Despite Boelters pledge to focus on customer service, complaints abound that no one is attentive to customers arriving at the counter.

Boelter worked as a deputy clerk, quit and then defeated her former boss, Carol Muessig, in 2012. Boelter and Muessig clashed over Boelters absences from work and reassignment within the office.

Some of Boelters Facebook posts have been odd and unprofessional, to say the least. As previously reported in The Gazette, she has criticized District Court judges and referred to them as these corrupt judges. Boelter told us some judges were influencing or manipulating what goes on in our office.

Judges dont want to run the clerks office; they want records to be kept and available as required by law.

Boelter, along with Richard W. Nixon and Terry Halpin, are GOP candidates for court clerk on the June 7 primary ballot. Nixon was self-employed for 23 years as a process server for Montana courts, but his resume doesnt include courtroom or clerical experience.

Terry Halpin worked as a deputy clerk of District Court from 1996 till 1999 when she began working as Judge Russ Faggs judicial assistant, a job she still holds.

Those two decade of District Court experience provide knowledge and skills that will allow Halpin to serve Yellowstone County well as court clerk.

Halpin already has good working relationships with court officials. She understands the importance of timeliness in completing clerk work.

After meeting with all three candidates, The Gazette editorial board recommends Halpin as the best choice. No Democrat filed for this office, so the winner of the June 7 primary will be the clerk in January.

The busiest court clerks office in Montana cant afford 4  more years of the current leadership. A change is imperative.

Editor's note: The text of this endorsement from the Billings Gazette editorial board was printed in Tuesday editions under an incorrect label with an incorrect byline. The editorial was presented correctly online and other electronic platforms.
You reach a moment in your life where you start searching for a purpose. A purpose that is greater than yourself. A purpose where your life is touching to others in a meaningful way to the extent that they pass on the the goodwill that they had received from you. In the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, the advice of the second habit is to always "start with the end in mind." Once you know where you want to end, then you can start, and learn how to get there.

Beginning with the end in mind is to begin today with the image of the end of your life as a frame of reference. What remains as you draw the last energy out of your cells and the last breath from your lungs? The ideas you leave behind and the values you expressed day-to-day are how you will be remembered, more so than by the material things you leave to your loved ones. These values and virtues that remain are your purpose. By keeping your purpose clearly in mind you can make certain you are reaching this goal each day of your life in a meaningful way. Start with simple virtues like courtesy, kindness, humility and a love for all. Add your unique gift or talent that is shared with others, and you will create a lasting legacy of your life.

It's never too late to practice virtue or to discover your gifts. And when you blend your unique talent with service to others, be prepared to experience a real joy!

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Finding your purpose is not enough. You will be a happier person when you are engaged and living your purpose, making every effort to live your virtues and values on a daily basis. Ask others to support you on your new path as you take one bold step after another. With this chosen path, I believe you will find less need to ask the question "what am I here for?" or "what's the meaning of life?"

If you are asking those questions, remember what Abraham Maslow said: "Musicians must make music, artists must paint, writers must write if they are to be ultimately at peace with themselves." This need is what Maslow calls self-actualization. What inspires you? Make it a purpose. Regardless of what kind of day you are having, good or bad, stay on purpose with the activity you enjoy most and gives you the greatest satisfaction or meaning.

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. That's a huge question. Ask yourself what makes you come ALIVE and do that with passion. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive and are willing to act. If you don't have passion for one thing in life that's okay. But, LIVE with passion for this life, life itself. And the way to do that is to act on virtues like love, generosity, gratitude, and compassion.

Here are examples of people who went from "ordinary to extraordinary" by living their purpose based on values and virtues; and in this way they left a great legacy.

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Mahatma Gandhi - Humane leadership

George Washington - Honesty

Helen Keller - Love of learning

Florence Nightingale - Kindness

Mother Teresa - Capacity to love

Dali Lama - Compassion

These ideas are not new. As you think about living your purpose, think about this confirmation from the Upanishads, the sacred Hindu text written 600-300 B.C.
The Grim Sleeper serial murderer's victim scorecard is beyond grim. Lonnie David Franklin, Jr. convicted recently of murdering nearly a dozen women may have murdered at least 25 women in a killing spree that stretched at least from 1985 to 2007. There are lots of theories from police, prosecutors, and media observers as to why he got away with murder for so long. But the one fact about his long term killing spree that repeatedly jumps out is that his targets were mostly poor women. Some were prostitutes, others drug addicted or with petty criminal records. But all, or nearly all were black.

During the early years of his murder rampage, there was the standard charge that police foot dragged in catching the killer precisely because the victims were poor black women. Critics said then that if the Grim Sleeper's victims had been middle class white women, police and city officials would have pulled out all stops to catch the killer. This is not the first time serial killings of poor black women have brought loud shouts of a racial double standard in how police deal with them. The double standard charge has been made against police in serial killings in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, and in the Washington D.C. area. More than a decade ago community groups in East St. Louis were outraged when they learned that city officials turned down offers from the FBI to help in nabbing a serial killer suspected of killing 13 women during a two-year span. Red faced city officials back pedaled fast and accepted FBI help.

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It's not just the race of the victims that have stirred rage. It's also the race of the killers. In Los Angeles and the other big cities, the serial killers have been black. This blows the myth that serial killers are mostly young white males. About one out of five of serial killers are black males. But black on black homicides always fuels suspicion that police take these crimes less seriously.

Police and prosecutors bristle at the charge that they are less diligent when it comes to nailing serial killers who kill blacks than whites. In Los Angeles, police officials pleaded that they were under staffed, lacked the resources, and technology to make a swift arrest when the killings began their years ago. There's truth to that. In the past decade, there's been a tremendous advance in the use of computer matches, and forensic and DNA testing. This has helped police quickly zero in on likely suspects. During the tenures of LAPD Chief Bernard Parks and William Bratton, police went further and set-up special task forces to track down the killer. Yet, it's also true that the serial killer's victims in inner city neighborhoods are not the type of women who reflexively ignite police and public outrage. There are reasons, troubling reasons, for this.

The long running Grim Sleeper killing saga underscores the great threat of murder and criminal violence to many black women. Homicide ranks as a major cause of death for young black females. A black woman is more likely to be raped and assaulted than a white woman. While the media at times magnifies and sensationalizes crimes by black men against white women, it ignores or downplays crimes against black women.

Then there's the drug menace. Nearly half of the women behind bars in America are there for drug-related offenses, the majority are black. Some of the suspected serial murder victims in Los Angeles had a rap sheet for drug use. They easily fit the popular public and media profile of the drugged-out, derelict black woman.

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There's also the notion that these women are dangerous women. The police slayings of black women in some cities, the upswing in violent crimes by women, and Hollywood films that show black women as swaggering, trash talking, gun-toting, and vengeful stoke public jitters about these women. One in four women is now imprisoned for violent crimes, and half of them are black.

According to annual reports from the Sentencing Project on crime and imprisonment in America, for the first time in American history black women in some states are imprisoned at nearly the same rate as white men. They are being jailed at even younger ages than ever. American Bar Association studies have found that teen girls account for more than one-quarter of the juvenile arrests, are committing more violent crimes, and are slapped back into detention centers after release faster than boys. Black girls were arrested and jailed in far greater numbers than white girls.

The crusade to catch and put the Grim Sleeper behind bars for good certainly made the public much more aware of the peril that many black women face on the streets; and part of that peril is the possibility of being the victim of a serial killer. That made police even more determined to nail their killer.

Unfortunately, it took an ugly and embarrassing media spotlight on the gruesome serial killings in Los Angeles to heighten police and public awareness that serial killers come in all colors, and more often than not their victims are poor, black women. Let's hope the conviction and harsh penalty that the Grim Sleeper almost certainly will get and deserves will permanently drive home that peril.
Chef Jasper Schneider must have quite a long grocery list. As Executive Chef overseeing Le Bistro at Santorini, Tokyo Bay, Italia, Cafe Mediterraneo and The Beach Grill, all located on the property of the Cuisinart Resort & Spa in Anguilla, his talents have been put to work on a large scale. I met up with Chef Jasper for the Chef's Table dinner, offered Wednesday nights at Cuisinart, where Jasper cooks, in front of his guests, eight courses of unique local foods and flavors accompanied by four homemade breads and butter from France. I had been slightly intimidated to meet the accomplished Chef Jasper (his impressive resume includes working as a chef at high-end resorts across the United States and as an executive chef in St. Thomas and Turks and Caicos) but I was instantly put at ease by his laid-back and friendly demeanor and easily dived right into getting to know him (and tasting the wonderful concoctions he has created).



As he served the first course on the tasting menu, caviar atop a bed of arctic char sashimi with some dill oil (flavored with herbs from the hydroponic farm on Cuisinart's property), we discussed how he got his start as a chef. He first fell in love with cooking when he moved to Hawaii at 18 years old after high school to, as he put it, "go be a towel boy and go to school." Out to lunch with his father, they saw a vacancy sign at a restaurant and his father encouraged him to apply. He got the job and had an instant knack for cooking gourmet cuisine, which was ironic considering his own palate at that age consisted mostly of eggs, pasta and pizza.



He ultimately ended up back on the East Coast and, after honing his skills at Nick & Toni's in the Hamptons, attended the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Then, while working in Palm Springs, fellow Chef Eric Ripert opened Azur by Le Bernardin at La Quinta Resort & Club and named Jasper the Chef de Cuisine. In the hot summers when the restaurant was closed, Jasper headed to New York and trained under Eric, who became an important mentor to him. During those summers, he learned how to cook with restrained simplicity. "I learned from Eric that everything should complement the fish and make it the star" Jasper says. He also learned, by example from Eric, about mentoring young cooks, and that it's really about fostering a team. "You need to mentor your team to have one. I have worked in three Caribbean islands and I can tell you about each employee and their family members. Guys that worked for me in St Thomas now own restaurants, and it's nice to see them succeed."
Environmental Defense Fund has long argued that methane, that "other important greenhouse gas," should be part of any serious discussion about national and global climate action. This year, we're finally having that discussion.

Thanks to a confluence of recent events in the United States and beyond, methane - which today accounts for one-quarter of the warming Earth is experiencing - has become a topic of global conversation. All we need now is the will to act.

We know affordable and effective solutions exist to prevent, detect and repair leaks in the oil and gas sector. Here are four reasons I believe 2016 may finally be the year we begin to take truly comprehensive measures to address methane pollution, one of our most serious climate challenges today.

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1) Aliso Canyon energizes efforts

The Aliso Canyon disaster is the poster child for what happens when dilapidated oil and gas infrastructure meets poor maintenance, weak regulations and lax oversight.

The methane that leaked from Aliso Canyon between October 2015 and February 2016 has the same 20-year climate impact as burning nearly a billion gallons of gasoline. Our infrared videos of the plume made the crisis visible to millions. And helicopter flyovers of more than 8,000 well pads show that leaks can and do happen anywhere.

During the leak, and even now as the clean-up of the Aliso Canyon disaster continues, no one can deny that this single event helped focus the nation's attention on the methane problem and lack of industry oversight. As a result, natural gas storage facilities are now getting a closer look

A new, federal multi-agency task force will be formed to lead the first-ever review of the nation's 400-plus, aging underground storage tanks. Such efforts are in tandem with new rules now underway to make operators monitor and maintain their equipment.

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As Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz noted recently, "Regrettably, there's a broader theme than Aliso Canyon."



More than 94,000 tons of methane were emitted from Aliso Canyon, the worst natural gas leak in U.S. history.



2) States show the way

Colorado was the first state to regulate oil and gas pollution, and its efforts are yielding a significant decrease in methane emissions at low cost.

California, the nation's second-largest user of natural gas is not far behind. By the end of the year, the state should have a comprehensive new program in place to stop leaks from the well to the household, making it the first state anywhere to do so.

In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced nationally leading controls and more frequent monitoring and repair for wells, pipelines, compressors and other infrastructure to capture methane leaks. Importantly, these proposed protections would cover more than 5,000 wells and facilities already operating.

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Gov. Tom Wolf is proposing better controls and more frequent monitoring and repair for wells, pipelines, compressors and other infrastructure to capture methane leaks. Importantly, these new rules will include the more than 5,000 wells and facilities operating today.

And in Ohio, a new state permitting policy requires natural gas companies to check facilities for leaks on a quarterly basis, using infrared cameras or handheld analyzers - and to quickly fix the leaks they find.

Many of the cost-effective technologies already at work - which can cut methane pollution in half over the next few years - were, in fact, developed in Ohio.



Fixing methane leaks is both affordable and effective.



3) Setting federal priorities straight

New federal regulations are being finalized to step up monitoring of new oil and gas infrastructure nationwide.

But addressing future facilities doesn't help us with the emissions that already exist. Recently revised estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency show that the oil and gas industry pumps more than 9.8 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere every year. That's 34 percent higher than the agency's previous estimates.

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So in March, President Obama also committed to rapidly curbing methane emissions from existing operations. The EPA is in the early stages of researching and crafting this new rule.

Meanwhile, a separate rule addressing methane pollution and waste from already-existing facilities on public and tribal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management is moving forward.

Collectively, these actions will have a real impact on emissions and help us slow the pace of global warming.



Hydraulic fracturing in Utah. Photo: WildEarth Guardians



4) U.S. and Canada methane pact sets global example

Fittingly, Obama's commitment to address methane pollution from existing sources was announced when the leaders of the United States and Canada agreed to cooperate to cut emissions from their respective oil and gas industries.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to make Canada cut emissions by up to 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025, matching an earlier U.S pledge.

The central place of methane in this new pact with Canada - and as a top priority for both governments - underscores the growing international momentum on the issue.

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There is also an opportunity for Mexico to join its northern neighbors and show a North American commitment to action. Addressing the oil and gas sector was among commitments Mexico made under the Paris climate accord.

Oil and gas production carries a responsibility to deal with the impacts that follow - to protect our environment, but also so we can ensure that natural gas accelerates, rather than impedes, our transition to a lower-carbon, clean energy future.

Let's make 2016 the year we, as a global community, realize and act upon this responsibility.



Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Obama sealed a bilateral methane deal in March, 2016.


This visitor from Asia at Kiyomizu Temple is perfect turned out in silk and brocade. Photo by Gail Nakada.

The streets, temples and shrines of magnificent Kyoto are once again full of kimono-clad beauties and dashing men in traditional wear and it's all thanks to tourists.

A few entrepreneurial Japanese came up with the idea that visitors - both foreign and Japanese - might enjoy dressing in elegant kimonos while touring the famous sites of this ancient city for frame-worthy photo-ops. The idea of Kimono CosPlay (costume play) took off like wildfire.

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Ni-Nen-Zaka hill near Kiyomizu Temple is more colorful than ever. Photo by Gail Nakada.

Some of the biggest customers of Kimono CosPlay are visitors from Asia, especially Korea and China. Japanese young women have enthusiastically embraced the trend as well since most have only a rudimentary knowledge of the complexities of kimono dressing. Europeans, Americans, and every nationality in between are giving kimono a try.



Posing among the thousand torii gates at Fushimi Inari. Photo by Gail Nakada.

Don't think of this as a silly masquerade. People aren't running around the city dressed as geisha, samurai or - god forbid - ninja. The shops turn out their customers in kimono exactly as the Japanese wear them.



Visitors from Asia touring Kiyomizu Temple hill in traditional kimono. Photo by Gail Nakada.

No one has a higher service esthetic than the Japanese. The dressers are hyper aware this is the traditional costume of their country and they must do it proud no matter who wears it. Every knot and bow and tuck are perfectly placed.

One reason Kimono CosPlay shops have such an excellent choice of styles and colors is that so many used kimono, obi, and kimono accessories have become available at rock-bottom prices through second-hand stores.

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The percentage of Japanese women wearing kimono has fallen dramatically. Beyond special festival days and celebrations, it is increasingly rare to see women mincing along in these beautiful creations. And actually, who can blame them? Women's kimonos are tight and constricting compared to modern clothes and real split-toed wedge sandals are nothing like flip-flops.



Thanks to tourists, these ancient streets are once again full of people in kimono. Photo by Gail Nakada.

Men, of course, have it much easier. Their kimono are extremely comfortable, simply wrapped and tied with an obi sash low around the hips for that masculine swagger. Some shops also offer the wide, split-legged formal Hakama, as seen in many a samurai movie, to wear over the kimono.



Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto. Photo by Gail Nakada.

Kiyomizu Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine and Yasaka Jinja Shrine are must-see spots for groups in kimono. The three famous hill walks - Kiyomizu Zaka, Ni-Nen-Zaka and Ne-Ne-no Michi - lined with classical Japanese stores and restaurants are places to see and be seen.



Making the climb up Ni-Nen-Zaka. Photo by Gail Nakada.

Prices start for as little as 3000 yen and go up to around 10,000 for a package including hair and make-up. Kimonos can be rented for a few hours or a full day. Many shops have websites, but you can also find them along the famous Gion shopping street and around the foot of Kiyomizu Temple hill.

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The trend is a win-win for Kyoto. Visitors wearing kimono love snapping pictures of themselves at famous locations; other visitors love taking photos of people in kimono at these places; and the Japanese love the fact the streets of Kyoto are once again full of men and women in kimono.
Our nation's current policy on immigration reform and the treatment of refugees is not just disappointing; it is directly opposed to the founding principles and the most enduring values of our nation.

Today, yes today, the United States of America maintains the largest system of immigrant detention camps of any nation on the planet. Not North Korea, not Yemen, not the People's Republic of China, but us. The People of the United States.

Have we not learned the lessons of our shameful internment of Japanese Americans, of Irish immigrants, of our turning away of those fleeing the Holocaust in Nazi Germany?

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One year ago, the American Bar Association put forward recommendations for addressing this injustice:



1) Immediately release families held at the Berks, Dilley, and Karnes family detention facilities, cease expansion of the facilities, and do not renew their contracts for family detention;

2) Permanently abandon deterrence-based detention policies;

3) Adopt a presumption against detention and treat release into the community as the general rule, particularly in the case of families, children, and asylum seekers;

4) When release into the community alone is insufficient, employ an objective risk assessment to identify the least restrictive means of achieving the goals of ensuring appearance at hearings and protection of the community, using electronic monitoring and cash bonds only where demonstrably necessary in individual cases;

5) Establish and adhere to clear standards of care that include unique provisions for families and children that do not follow a penal model; and

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6) Ensure meaningful access to legal information and representation for all families subjected to detention at every stage of their immigration proceedings.

One year later, none of these recommendations have been followed. And the internment of immigrant and refugee families continues with little to no due process.

The truth is deportation rates increase as legal representation declines. Without effective counsel, the population of the internment camps grows and expands. More and more families are interned and detained for months and months. And all of this is done in our name.

Imagine escaping war-like conditions -- or war itself -- and undertaking the difficult journey of traveling to the United States only to be detained at length behind barbed wire fences.

Women and children are dealt the hardest blow.

According to a report released in July 2015, the chances of women and children being granted asylum increase fourteen times when they have proper legal representation. Yet, women and children only acquire representation 14 percent of the time, whereas individuals are represented 45 percent of the time.

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Just a few months ago, an American immigration judge under oath claimed that he has been able to teach three and four-year-old refugee children -- who do not speak English -- how to represent themselves in judicial proceedings.

Are you kidding me?!

These children have fled death gangs in their own countries to seek refuge and asylum in the United States. And our response has been to lock them up and return many of them to these death gangs without the same benefit of counsel that most Americans receive in court when charged with driving on a suspended license.

This is an outrage and should shock the conscience of all Americans.

This is unconscionable, unjust, and un-American.

The enduring symbol of our country is not the barbed wire fence; it is the Statue of Liberty.
I've had a strange and interesting past 18 months. Karmaloop, the company I founded in my parents' basement and ran for 15 years, was pushed into bankruptcy and taken over by a "venture lender" - Comvest Partners II of West Palm Beach. This will be the first of 5 posts about different elements of my experience that I hope will help other entrepreneurs avoid mistakes, and for everyone else, provide a peek into the murky world of venture lending -- a serious piece of our rigged financial system.

I'm a pretty positive guy generally, and I am proud of the brand we built. Karmaloop was more than just a retailer to millions of 18-34 year olds-- it was at the center of a culture that converged around a shared passion for eclecticism in fashion, art, music and progressivism of all stripes (at its peak, Karmaloop had 4 million visitors a month). The brand was a reflection of who our customers were - young people made up of all races from around the globe. And while the website remains, it has been stripped of everything that made it Karmaloop besides the retail.

It's no fun to dwell on the negative. And happily, I have lived my life with relatively little conflict, trying to compromise and find common ground whenever possible. However, I also believe that sometimes it's important to revisit the negative to pull out valuable lessons. If others can avoid my fate, great; if it leads to a closer look at certain unscrupulous financial practices ... all the better.

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You may have already read about the Karmaloop bankruptcy. I kept quiet about the true story during the press coverage because I had a $5+ million personal guaranty being held over my head (more on that later) and was repeatedly forewarned by Comvest not to go off script or they would go after me...I stayed on script..when it was over they went after me anyway!

In a nutshell:

Karmaloop, in about its 12th year of business, took a loan from Comvest, a venture lending institution and private equity group.

We borrowed the money from Comvest to expand and launch some new sites, and company finances started to go in the wrong direction, despite the continued success of our core e-retail business. Karmaloop staff undertook a herculean effort to right the ship, and we cut costs and shed sister businesses - it was painful, but we did it. Comvest, about a year into the loan, began to increasingly interfere and exert pressure (keep in mind that even during our financial distress, Karmaloop never missed a monthly payment to Comvest).

I, during this time of increased hostility and interference, negotiated actively with several potential equity investors and/or acquirers for Karmaloop, but Comvest was checking and blocking me every which way ... it seemed as though they didn't want their loan repaid (from the proceeds of those potential deals), but wanted instead to hobble the company enough that we'd have no choice but to file for bankruptcy, upon which they could swoop in and take the entire company. Welcome to the wild world of loan-to-own venture lending. Again so there is no confusion, I need to draw a distinction between venture lending and venture capital - two dramatically different animals (VCs want the business to succeed and sell, not to falter and subsume it like the loan to own strategies of some venture lenders).

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With Comvest, it became clear that I had a powerful adversary on the inside, and I frantically tried to stop what was quickly becoming a runaway train. In an effort to prevent the looming takeover of my company, not only did I put every penny I had back into my company, but I also leveraged myself to the hilt to borrow money to put into it (btw, this was not very wise). As my money went in, Comvest blocked other capital sources, jacked up fees, interfered wherever possible (among other things, they inserted an incredibly destructive and incompetent full-time advisor, and they simply delayed and dragged when time was of the essence).

In the end, my capital-raising efforts proved futile. Comvest will say that I showed Karmaloop to 160 people and there was no interest, but, in fact, many parties were interested. Comvest got ownership of Karmaloop in the bankruptcy; they scared away other interested parties by setting a very high bid ceiling and, even before the process, by speaking with (i.e. discouraging) any potential investors or lenders I brought to the table. After they got Karmaloop, they pumped in some capital, ran it for a year and flipped it to another company.

The end? Nope ... Comvest came after me personally for $5+ million. Comvest knew I didn't have any money - I had literally liquidated everything (down to my wife's engagement ring and all my savings, 401k, etc.) and (foolishly) put every penny I could find back into Karmaloop to try to save it - yet they came after me anyway. Why? To try to push me into personal bankruptcy and tie me up. Why again? Because I believe and have been told they want the entrepreneur/owner cowed. Banks like Comvest subscribe to the philosophy of always attack; never defend. A strong offense is a strong defense. And even if they can get one penny, they wouldn't think twice about ruining someone's life.

These venture lending/private equity hybrid institutions can destabilize, take, own and operate or sell your company, make a profit and still come after you, the entrepreneur or owner, for additional money because of guaranty language in a bank note.

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The U.S. has a very long list of people who have been screwed by a bank, and many folks have suffered tremendously (completely losing their livelihoods, losing their homes) and are still trying to get their bearings (in the grand scheme of things, I've been fortunate). Given the endless stories of Wall Street bankers looting, flipping, foreclosing, taking, slashing, etc., a great many people in the country are angry at what they see as financial institutions running amok. But it's more than just the "too big to fail" banks. As Paul Krugman wrote recently, "Predatory lending was largely carried out by smaller, non-Wall Street institutions; ....the crisis itself was centered not on big banks but on "shadow banks" ....that weren't necessarily that big."

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/08/opinion/sanders-over-the-edge.html?_r=1

At roughly $2.5 billion in assets, Comvest is considered a "smaller" bank.

"Vulture" capitalism isn't entrepreneurship or enterprise. These financial raiders don't create, they don't build; all they need is a spreadsheet and incredibly one-sided laws. Unfortunately, their gain comes too frequently at the expense of people's jobs and with tremendous collateral damage.

When they use bankruptcy to get complete ownership, the predatory banks control the story, set up fall guys and silence criticism during the takedown through exhaustion and threats to the entrepreneurs/owners. Intimidation worked on me for a time, but now I plan to write and speak about my experience to other entrepreneurs. I will relate it to the larger issues about venture banking going on in the country, but also discuss specifics - tricks and "technical defaults" used to turn the screws, block alternative deals and take over companies - and about what entrepreneurs should look out for.

Additionally, I have some interesting anecdotes about interactions with Comvest - from execs who commute to work by private plane to Palm Beach from their home in the beautiful Bahamas (side note, also a tax haven); the origins of Comvest starting with Value Jet; what I believe was their racist outlook toward my minority-majority management; and importantly, the string of broken promises they made to Karmaloop's customers, its vendors, and me.

Comvest is a $2.5 billion institution, yet once they got control of Karmaloop, they refused (despite many promises to me, including in writing) to pay back refunds due to tens of thousands of Karmaloop's 18-34 year old customers or due to the many small clothing brands our business had previously helped nurture.

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Of course, there are many good banks, and we obviously need banks and lenders, but the inherent conflicts of loaning and also owning, as well as the lopsided laws protecting such institutions, need to be changed. Not to mention the consumer side of banking - and those banks' treatment and exploitation of the vulnerable in our society. I am more fortunate than many, and I know that, and I wake up everyday trying to do new and positive things and I have an amazing family - I never take this for granted.

You may read this and ask: why don't I just sue? That's a lot of people's first reaction ..., "this is America ... sue everybody!". Right? Wrong. I will also talk about why I have no legal recourse to sue. A bank can legally make you sign a release of any wrongdoing the bank may ever undertake in the future (!!) as a condition of their loan. Crazy?

Did I make a lot of mistakes? Yes. Was I incredibly naive or even stupid? Yes. Were there many other solutions to our problems other than the bank taking over ownership of the company? Yes! Is the venture lending system a reflection of the business practices and enterprise we really want in our society? I say, No!

Here's a teaser from my next post, a quote from Rick Icaza, president of UFCW Local 770 in Los Angeles regarding Comvest and Haggen Grocery Stores:

"This is not just a case of an inexperienced, unprepared retailer floundering in a competitive market. This is a case of a profit-hungry Wall Street investor, Comvest Partners, of West Palm Beach, Florida lying to employees and the communities they serve in order to make a quick buck. Now they leave behind a mass of broken lives and stores -- all because they couldn't see beyond the end of their own quarterly report looking out only for itself, without any consideration of where these families will get their next meal."

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http://supermarketnews.com/latest-news/ufcw-locals-slam-haggen#ixzz400rnHnSL
A sign that says 'College Gap Year.'

Recently, President Obama shared the news that his daughter, Malia, would be taking a gap year prior to attending Harvard University. More and more women are pursuing the gap year, a form of study abroad, as a vehicle to help close what they see as a persistent gap in gender equality in the job market. In fact, sixty-five percent of all American post-secondary students abroad during the 2012-2013 academic year were female. They are aptly using this year abroad to gain skills and knowledge prior to entering American higher education and the workforce.

As a study abroad coordinator in higher education for more than a decade, in recent years I have noticed an increase in the number of women who seek the gap year for career-minded endeavors. More and more females are entering my office to gain experience in so called "male dominant" STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. For example, my student Lydia wanted to study Environmental Sciences overseas, so I linked her to a program in Iceland to understand the impacts of global change around the world. Then, there was Joslyn who desired a gap year so that she could break in to the highly popular Anime industry. It was an easy decision to send her to Japanese institution that specializes in this kind of graphic design and animation. Quite interestingly, both students were inspired to take a year abroad in order to surpass the skills of competing males, and in turn, demand equal pay.

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For decades, there has been the narrow view that females simply pursue study abroad gain more knowledgeable in a foreign language, or to take on a liberal arts focus. International education researchers Hoffa and Pearson (1997) helped to perpetuate the stereotype by reporting this: (1) Study abroad participants have primarily come from female-dominated majors such as languages and the liberal arts; (2) cultural values in the United States encourage men to pursue more so called "serious" curricular matters while in college.

This mentality still exists, and women continue to have to shake off this sorely outdated and inaccurate perspective. The reality is that women are "leading" the new evolution in study abroad, pushing for more high-impact programs for career growth and marketability. This is true in "male dominant disciplines." Women are taking gap years to gain currency and expertise in highly competitive fields. Study Abroad institutions and groups are heeding the call to meet their demand.

Of course, gap year participants are not going to have the security detail of Malia Obama. Let's be honest. So called "safe havens" do not exist. The most popular travel and study abroad destination is Western Europe. Yet recent terrorist attacks have plagued its popular cities such as Brussels, Paris, and Madrid. At home, prominent leaders are calling for American isolationism, policing of immigrant neighborhoods, and constructing great walls to secure our borders. Stepping off of the cliff into an abyss of isolation is not a realistic solution.

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Instead, we must learn to better prepare and navigate through potential risks abroad. My book, Look Before Leaping: Risks, Liabilities and Repair of Study Abroad in Higher Education (2016) provides the roadmap, and has "23 best practices" to avoid study and travel abroad risks. Here are just a few:

1. Identity Theft and Protection of Valuables

When protecting yourself from theft, pickpockets may be the least of your concerns in today's high tech world. Hackers can create a fake wireless access-point for you to log onto while assuming you are using the cafe or hotel's free Wi-Fi; they can snatch your credit card information from kiosks that have USB ports, or install card readers in an ATM to access your card number and PIN. Identity theft also frequently occurs when you use your smart phone. My book, Look Before Leaping, is dedicated to these overseas issues and gives ways to protect your identity and other valuables.

2. Threats of Terrorism

With increased activities of terrorist groups like ISIS, increased numbers of global refugees, and constant changes with world populations, you really have to be aware of your overseas surroundings. Kidnapping for human trafficking is often overlooked but is another form of terrorism. A reported 21 to 30 million men, women and children are enslaved today due to human trafficking. It is therefore essential for young women, in particular, to travel with two or more partners. One travel partner is not enough since two people can easily be separated in a crowded market or busy street. The more sets of eyes that are on you, the better.

3. Pre-Departure Orientation

Always go with a provider that gives pre-departure orientation sessions. If they don't offer them, look for another gap year provider. Pre-departure orientation sessions should provide do's and don'ts while abroad, relate potential risks, and tips on staying safe while abroad. In addition, essential information about how to acquire a Passport and travel visa, obtaining proper immunizations, and items to pack are typical at these sessions.

Malia Obama and more and more young women are choosing to take a gap year which will take them overseas. As they do, they are also pushing for more career-driven programs. These smart young women know the importance of getting a "step up" when entering higher education and the workforce in an effort to offset ongoing gender disparities in the job market. In turn, study abroad programs throughout the country are reaping the benefits of a rebirth in growth and cutting edge program design. The latest studies show that 66,408 more students enrolled in study abroad than the previous year. An evolution in study abroad is taking place, and organizers have women to thank for having steered this movement.

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This presidential primary season has exposed serious fault lines in our election system. One has been known for years. The voting rights of African Americans and Latinos continue to be compromised.

Another has become the focus of widespread attention by the media and by ordinary Americans for the first time. There is a vast block of non-aligned voters who are systematically excluded from partisan primaries, where the decisions that effectively determine who will take office are often made. Independents have militantly protested their exclusion from a presidential nominating process organized around party primaries and caucuses.

A look at the recent Arizona and New York presidential primaries helps us understand the interplay between these two voting rights issues.

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The Arizona presidential preference primary took place on March 22. In Maricopa County, the state's largest county and the home of some 1.6 million persons of color, the number of polling places was reduced from 200 to 60 by the county's Chief Election Officer, Helen Purcell [R]. As a result, there were long lines as voters waited - in some cases 4-5 hours - to cast their votes. And, of course, many people never got to vote at all, as there was inadequate notice of the new locations.

The attempts of election officials to justify this action have been unconvincing.

Lawsuits have been brought and complaints filed with the Department of Justice by traditional civil rights forces, joined by the Clinton and Sanders campaigns. But the fact is that had Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act not been gutted by the Supreme Court (Shelby County v. Holder, 133 S. Ct. 2612 (2013)), the polling sites could not have been closed without the permission of the Department of Justice, which would surely have objected.

The election day debacle came on the heels of an intense fight between Arizona's unaffiliated voters and the major political parties. The independents demanded that the parties open their primaries, and the parties said they did not have the power to do so. This legal issue was not resolved, although the lawyer for IndependentVoting.org cited Supreme Court precedent in support of the independents' position. 30,848 persons wrote or emailed the chairs of the parties, and some 20 letters to the editor were published in protest. Statewide media coverage of their exclusion followed a press conference held by independents on the eve of the deadline for voters to re-register into a party in order to vote.

Of the State's 1.2 million independent voters, only 40,000 re-registered. Thousands of others, however, went to the polls. This exacerbated the chaos. Election inspectors, reluctant to tell these voters they were barred, gave them provisional ballots -- a time consuming process that made the waiting time to vote even longer. Some election officials attempted to blame the independents to cover over the impact of closing more than two-thirds of the polling places.

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In New York, the April 19 primary was marred by the allegedly improper purging of some 120,000 voters from the rolls in Brooklyn (Kings County), the largest county in the state. Kings County was covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, and the purge might not have taken place had the pre-clearance requirement still been in effect. It remains unclear whether the purge was the result of incompetence, or an effort to favor a particular candidate or party. In New York and in many other states, elections are run by local boards, the commissioners and employees of which are chosen by party bosses from among the party faithful.

Furthermore, 27% (3.2 million) of the State's registered voters were not permitted to vote. This came as no surprise to the activists and lawyers who speak for independent voters. For the first time, however, it received significant media coverage, and representatives of good-government groups such as Susan Lerner of Common Cause and Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters spoke out against the closed primary for the first time. So did insurgent candidate Bernie Sanders, who has received seventy percent of the votes of independents in states with open primaries. Sanders claimed, plausibly, that he would have won if the primary had been open.

Voting rights violations continue to occur, and not just in Arizona and New York, because our partisan political culture allows them. Most African Americans and other persons of color traditionally vote Democrat, and the Democratic Party will respond aggressively to efforts to repress their votes. The Republican Party, which benefits from such efforts, claims it is protecting against voter fraud, or trying to save the taxpayers money. The result is that voting rights have become a partisan issue, making it difficult to achieve the consensus necessary to protect them.

In the case of independents, neither party will take a stand to remove barriers to their participation across the board, since neither is sure it will benefit. Thus, independents and people of color, the two groups most impacted by restrictions on access to the polls, have had difficulty seeing that their interests are the same. However, more and more young people, of every race and ethnicity, have chosen not to affiliate with a political party. In New York state, 1 in every 8 registered African Americans and 1 in every 3 registered millennials are unaffiliated. In Arizona, 41% of Hispanic voters are registered as independent.

Independents and people of color, together with other fair-minded Americans concerned about our democracy and its future, constitute the necessary majority to force a change in how we understand voting rights, and take the necessary steps to protect and advance them. It is unfair, and un-American, to be taxed while being denied the right to participate fully in the process to elect our representatives. The 1965 Voting Rights Act reformed our democracy in unprecedented ways. Without it, we are seeing various schemes to disenfranchise voters succeed.

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Jockeying for positions on the platform committee of the Democratic Convention has already begun. At this point, the focus is on traditional policy debates - the minimum wage, financial regulation, criminal justice, etc. It's time for both parties to make an unequivocal statement in their platforms in support of allowing all citizens to vote in primary elections and to aggressively work towards Congress passing an amended Voting Rights Act to reinstate (and extend to non-southern states) the pre-clearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act. We cannot stand silent, while our democracy is assaulted and our voting rights are stripped away.
MISSOULA  Former County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg took files from the secure storage area at the county prosecutor's office, Missoula County Attorney Kirsten Pabst announced Monday.

Pabst said the security breach occurred May 3, when Van Valkenburg was seen entering the secure area in the Missoula County Attorney's Office, with the help of maintenance staff. He is identified as "one of the people" who entered the area. She said Van Valkenburg took a box containing "unknown, original files and/or property."

Van Valkenberg said Monday he entered the secure area with permission from county facilities manager Larry Farnes.

"I went to look for some personal property of mine that I thought I might have left behind," Van Valkenberg said.

He said he found one box that contained only personal possessions and that Farnes' assistant looked in the box to approve the contents. Pabst did not contact Van Valkenburg before issuing the statement Monday, Van Valkenburg said.

The incident is being investigated by the Missoula Police Department.

"I don't appreciate what's going on, but I suspect it's part of the county attorney being upset I've asked to appear as an amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) in the Cody Marble case," Van Valkenburg said.

Marble was originally sent to prison in 2002 for raping a 13-year-old boy while they were in custody at the Missoula County jail. In August 2015, the Montana Supreme Court remanded the case back to Missoula County District Court, asking it to re-examine retired Judge Douglas Harkins decision to deny Marble a new trial.

Last month, Pabst announced that she filed a motion to dismiss the case against Marble, which Van Valkenburg had prosecuted. Marble was released April 21 without the judge taking action on Pabst's motion to dismiss.

Pabst said her office is examining its security procedures to ensure a breach of this sort does not happen again. She declined to answer further questions about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.
Chicago paid out $642 million for cases of police misconduct from 2004 through 2015. More recently, in April 2016, the city authorized a $6.5 million payout for two cases of egregious police misconduct.

Now, more than ever, the public is scrutinizing the Chicago Police Department, or CPD. But Chicagoans and watchdogs face a major hurdle when it comes to keeping an eye on bad actors within the force - that's because the Chicago police contract mandates that CPD destroy disciplinary records. What's more, the Fraternal Order of Police, or FOP, actually filed a lawsuit in 2014 to prevent the release of records more than four years old and destroy decades' worth of records, arguing CPD officers would experience "public humiliation and loss of prestige in their employment" if the information came out.

The Illinois General Assembly had the opportunity to consider four bills during its spring session that would have banned the destruction of disciplinary records. Two of those bills, House Bill 6266 and Senate Bill 2233, showed some movement this legislative session, and there's still a chance the issue could come up for a vote before session ends May 31 if politicians want it to.



Records are crucial in preserving officer integrity

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Already, the contract between the FOP and CPD requires the department to destroy disciplinary files within five or seven years, even though an officer may still be on the job and displaying a pattern of misconduct during that time. In spite of this provision, CPD has kept records dating back to 1967.

Thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice investigation into CPD following first-degree murder charges against Officer Jason Van Dyke for shooting and killing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, the 2014 FOP lawsuit to destroy records stalled. Van Dyke was accused of misconduct 20 times, according to data from the Citizens Police Data Project, or CPDP. One brutality complaint alone cost the city $530,000 in damages and legal fees, according to city data dating back to 2011. Despite this, none of the complaints against Van Dyke resulted in disciplinary action.

According to available data, however, most Chicago police are good actors, doing difficult work in a challenging climate. Officers with more than 10 complaints account for just 10 percent of the Chicago police force, according to CPDP data published by CBS Chicago. And that 10 percent of officers accrued 30 percent of all complaints, with an average nearly four times higher than the number of complaints per officer throughout the rest of the force.

Yet it's nearly impossible to fire that small contingent of bad actors from the city's police force.

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Why?

It all goes back to the CPD contract.

The CPD contract protects bad cops at the expense of the public - and good officers



The CPD contract's mandated destruction of disciplinary records essentially tells leadership to disregard wrongdoing after that misconduct reaches its contractual expiration date. But identifying patterns of misconduct is crucial in preventing erosion of community trust, as well as wrongdoing that ends in grievous harm and million-dollar settlements.

That's not the only part of the contract that gets in the way of protecting the public and allowing officials to remove bad officers from the force. The contract also allows for:

Delays in investigations: Officers can get up to a 48-hour delay once a disciplinary interview is requested (for non-shooting complaints).

Officers can get up to a 48-hour delay once a disciplinary interview is requested (for non-shooting complaints). Notice regarding interviews: The manner of interview is highly regulated, and officers are informed of the procedure and investigators ahead of time.

The manner of interview is highly regulated, and officers are informed of the procedure and investigators ahead of time. Transcripts of previous statements: Officers receive copies of their previous statements before being re-interviewed.

Officers receive copies of their previous statements before being re-interviewed. False statements and video evidence: It's nearly impossible for officers to be found guilty of a false statement violation; if an officer makes a misstep, he's allowed to see video footage and fix his statement accordingly.

It's nearly impossible for officers to be found guilty of a false statement violation; if an officer makes a misstep, he's allowed to see video footage and fix his statement accordingly. Polygraph protections: Officers can refuse polygraphs and get access to interview questions prior to taking a polygraph exam.

These examples show how the contract rigs investigations to protect officers from discipline. Provisions such as these stand in the way of police accountability and effective investigation of officers. CPDP data show that 95 percent of the 56,384 allegations available from 1967 to present were found "unsustained."

It's time to reform the CPD contract

CPD's current contract expires in 2017 - an excellent opportunity to adopt a better contract that removes discipline from bargaining and enhances transparency.

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More than anything, Chicago needs reforms to restore faith in its police force. In the wake of the Laquan McDonald shooting, tensions between the police and the community are strained; and the public is especially skeptical of the union, given that the FOP hired Van Dyke after he was stripped of his police powers.

Even before contract negotiations begin, state lawmakers have an incredible opportunity to prevent the destruction of vital police misconduct records.

Illinois General Assembly members can pass HB 6266 and SB 2233, both of which would prevent the destruction of invaluable police records going forward.

After that, next steps should focus on how the contract handles police discipline. Chicago would be wise to follow New York's lead - discipline and disciplinary procedures cannot be part of collective bargaining in New York City, Westchester and Rockland counties, and for the New York State Police.

Without reform, Chicago's police force can't regain the public's trust - and taxpayers will continue to be on the hook for the bad behavior of the officers the contract protects from consequences.
The world has been changing. Some say it is in tumult. Globalization continues and different forms of resistance are in play. The international community has been strong in adopting agendas, but not as strong in delivering them. Therefore, I believe we have to ask ourselves, What is it we are doing wrong? Or is this really the first time we are trying to synchronize our global-development efforts, and we need time to work it out? Complex challenges such as contemporary and protracted conflicts, dire humanitarian situations, migration/refugee flows, the spread of international terrorism and violent extremism require an effective, efficient and more relevant UN system. The UN requires strong leadership that will make it fit for said purpose, and to rebuild trust in the Organization. We also need fresh faces within the System to ensure that needed change happens.

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At the same time, I truly believe that the role of the next Secretary-General will not be to reinvent the wheel, but to ensure to optimize delivering on agreed-upon agendas, including through mobilizing collective wisdom to make a more effective, efficient and relevant UN. To make ever more value for the money invested in it. However, all this will sound like platitudes, too elusive and vague if we do not come up with certain proposals on how to perform better.

In my vision, we need a more robust position in the Deputy Secretary-General, who should have a leading role in dealing with regional and sub-regional arrangements, as well as in the field of mediation and prevention. If elected, I would appoint a female DSG, in an effort to ensure gender parity. I also believe we need to show further commitment to Africa and the developing world by basing the DSG in Nairobi, as one of the UN's headquarters. With reference to peace and security, more efficiency and effectiveness can be brought about by setting up the UN Peace Operations Group, closely supervised by the SG and DSG within the Chief Executives Coordination Board, which also has to be strengthened. This modification can make a difference in supplying the Security Council and the Peace Building Commission with necessary and improved insight, enabling better decision-making and improved coordination. A special tribunal to hold UN peacekeepers accountable for human rights violations, like the sexual abuse uncovered in the Central African Republic, should be considered. By doing all that we can to start true implementation of the peace architecture recommendations.

Turning to the development agenda, the SDGs are great work, but an even greater opportunity for the UN. In order to avoid duplication, it is critical to define leading UN AFPs (agencies, funds or programs) for each SDG in a cluster-shaped structure. Cooperation must be strengthened with multilateral partners and the private sector. Regional Economic Commissions should be important players in establishing Regional Fora for Sustainable Development, consisting of different stakeholders. The UN Development Group should be transformed into a UN Sustainable Development Group, co-chaired by the UNDP Chief Administrator and the Human Rights High Commissioner, thus ensuring a new generation of UNDAFs to fully reflect the complementary Agendas related to development and human rights. We need to use the potential of outstanding individuals from different life spheres to bring SDGs closer to the ordinary people. We should not keep the UN detached from young people, thus an Office for Youth should be established. Additionally, the fact that human rights permeate the whole 2030 Agenda but are at the same time in the core of the peace operation gives that pillar a very prominent role. Therefore, necessary budget reforms need to address a frequent mismatch between the mandates, expectations and core budget appropriations. With only 3.5% of the core budget and a growing need, there has to be a process of identifying duplications and economies in order to strengthen the work of the OHCHR.

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All the above will still sound hollow unless the SG undertakes a deep review of the current budget in line with the need to prepare to deliver on the vast agenda agreed upon globally in 2015. An independent panel from all the regions should be established to ensure fresh external views. The core budget needs to recognize all the SDGs through appropriate program budgeting in order to mirror adequately the cluster-shaped structure of AFPs responsible for the implementation. This is an important tool to mobilize resources for multi-sector implementation of the Agenda, as it should serve as a lever to attract and better coordinate other donors' funds.

The last thing we need is to see the UN becoming irrelevant. If elected, my role and the role of the future UN administration will be to invest best efforts to reflect the needs of the ever-changing world. Nothing lasts forever but the certainty of change. Therefore, we have to work to build a better world for future generations. That is why my vision is about ensuring an effective and efficient UN system in addressing existing and emerging challenges by extending partnerships and strengthening coordination. We need to reinvent multilateralism through the principles of responsibility, inclusiveness and engagement.
Duty of Care: Securing the Safety of the Traveling employees and developing a Plan B.

As fearless as I can be, I am fearful too. I fear for the safety and security of everyone who is living a lifestyle or a dream of traveling around the globe whether for leisure or for business. We hear all the horrific news every day. With this being said, it does not mean that the fear will stop me or any other fearless person from pursuing their dreams and goals.

In today's business ecosystem, doing business globally is the smartest way to build a stable business, as it diversifies the stream of revenue from different markets. Many companies concentrate only on the growth of their global business, thus leaving their employees traveling abroad to fend for themselves when it relates to safety and security issues.

Today more than ever, global companies must realize there is a direct moral, social and, of course, legal responsibility that links U.S. employees on international assignment to their company. Unfortunately, too many C-level executives are not aware that they are ultimately responsible for what happens to their employees abroad. Therefore, Duty of Care is needed now more than ever to understand the Safety and Security obligations towards the employee of any organization. It is imperative for C-suite executives and small business enterprises to take international travel seriously and demonstrate proper care toward their workforce.

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I dealt with Duty of Care issues first hand when my father was on an overseas assignment in Yemen when he had a heart attack. Unfortunately, I had to step in and personally made the arrangements for a medical airlift out of Yemen, making arrangements to pay up all the medical and other bills etc. It surely left an impact on me, as I am also a female business owner traveling solo around the globe. I am declaring Duty of Care Day on October 26, 2016, to help the Corporate world, small business owners, HR and security professionals understand and learn from the global safety and security issues, which include cyber security, identity theft, medical issues, accidents, jurisdiction law issues, even selection of safe and secure accommodations along with choosing the safe travel means or any financial issues

Ensuring the safety of your expatriate workforce and traveling employees involve both workplace and domestic management. The traditional HR and corporate security functions extend far beyond the workplace in order to identify and analyze the foreseeable risks which an expat assignee or business traveler may be exposed to while on assignment. As workforces become more mobile, fulfilling duty of care can seem like a daunting task for employers which are made more challenging by the inconsistent standards across the globe. The balance between having reasonable processes in place to protect staff overseas and conducting business in an efficient and profitable manner can sometimes be difficult.


With his proposals for a registry of Muslims, a ban on their entry into the country, building a wall to prevent illegal immigration, and the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants, Donald Trump, if he were elected president, might trend the country domestically toward fascism. (His election is possible but still unlikely, because the Democrats have an intrinsic advantage on the electoral college map, and President Obama's approval rating has begun to exceed fifty percent, traditionally a key determiner for the outcome of the election of a president's successor.) But what would the world look like if Donald Trump actually became president?

Trump has threatened to pull out of the NATO alliance in Europe and withdraw troops from Japan and South Korea if these countries don't pay up, and remove the U.S. nuclear umbrella from those two nations. (If the United States withdrew from NATO, the U.S. nuclear shield would also stop protecting European NATO members.) Instead, Trump has spoken of having better relations with the nuclear great powers of Russia and China. The Chinese don't even seem worried about his proposal to impose more than 30 percent tariffs on their exports unless they play more "fairly" in the trade realm, because pro-business Republican presidents have traditionally been more friendly to China than human rights-loving Democratic chief executives. Moreover, Hillary Clinton is much more hawkish in foreign policy than Trump. Despite attempts by the interventionist U.S. foreign policy establishment and media to brand Trump's proposals "isolationist" crazy talk, most of his foreign policy program is long overdue.

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The U.S. alliance system, built to contain a rival Soviet superpower during the Cold War, is long out of date. Despite all of his swagger and bluster, Vladimir Putin controls a Russia that is a mere shadow militarily of the old USSR. Furthermore, in the early part of the Cold War, when the United States first sent its military forces back to Europe and opened its nuclear umbrella to protect the European nations from the Soviet Union, most of the downtrodden Western European countries were still cleaning up the rubble from World War II. In contrast, today, the wealthy European Union has a combined GDP of at least five times that of Russia. Furthermore, the British and French have their own nuclear weapons that could deter any Russian aggression on Western Europe. Even though the European Union's combined GDP is greater than that of the United States, the U.S. accounts for 75 percent of the defense spending of the NATO alliance and has effectively promised to sacrifice U.S. cities to protect Western Europe from being overrun by a weaker Russia (even during the Cold War, as bad as any Soviet invasion of Western Europe would have been, sacrificing U.S. cities to stop it would have been worse for Americans).

In East Asia, the U.S. government is also planning to sacrifice New York and Chicago to save Tokyo or Seoul from a nuclear-armed China. These countries were shocked when Trump complained about their freeloading; they cited the host nation support (for example Japan provides about $2 billion a year toward the housing costs of U.S. forces there) making U.S. forces cheaper to station there than in the United States. Of course, this argument is a gross distortion, because the United States, if it didn't need to defend these nations, could save much more by decommissioning these military units and many more stationed in the western United States allocated to East Asian defense. Nowadays, U.S. friends and allies in East Asia have a combined GDP that almost equals China and could and should be the first line of defense against China. Even allowing Japan and South Korea, responsible world citizens for many decades, to get nuclear weapons to protect themselves and their East Asian friends would be better than losing U.S. cities in any nuclear war with China.

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In both Europe and East Asia, the United States could return to the long-forgotten traditional foreign policy of the nation's founders -- which was to have commercial relations with all nations but to avoid permanent and entangling alliances or political intrigue with any of them -- which lasted through most of the republic's history until the Cold War began after World War II. A return to that restrained U.S. foreign policy would instantly make U.S. relations with China and Russia much better.

Unlike countries like Russia or Germany, which have poor geographical and topographical barriers to foreign invaders, the United States may be the most intrinsically secure great power in world history -- with two great oceans as vast moats, weak and friendly neighbors, and the most powerful nuclear arsenal on the planet. The only real, if low probability, threat the country currently faces is from blowback terrorist attacks from people who don't like interventionist U.S. foreign policy abroad, mainly in the Middle East. With the recent domestic oil fracking boom restoring the United States as the number one oil producer in the world, the United States now has little justification to continue meddling in the region (if it ever did).
As a high school senior I was clueless about how a women's college could have a student body that didn't exclusively consist of women. Yet, even in the year I was accepted to Wellesley College -- 2012 -- the percentage of Wellesley College students who identified as women was reputed to be under 100 percent. I concluded that this single-digit percentage represented those male students studying at Wellesley through the school's exchange programs with MIT and other schools in a Northeast college exchange program. That this percentage might include transgender male students attending the college never crossed my mind.

I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area, which has one of the biggest, most visible L.G.B.T. communities in the world. But being in the vicinity of trans people doesn't always promote understanding. Before college, I wasn't taught what it means to be trans. I had only seen trans people on television, through movies like The Hangover Part II and Dateline NBC programs. Until I came to campus, where I saw "all-gender" bathrooms, I'd never thought about the implications of being trans. And I wasn't even completely convinced that gender dysphoria -- the mismatch that results when a person does not identify with her biological sex -- was real. But then I met trans Wellesley students whose chosen gender fit them as naturally as my own assigned gender fit me. Whereas before I had questioned the existence of gender dysphoria, I now felt that it was not my business to question someone's gender dysphoria because it would be unreasonable to judge someone for how they dealt with feelings that I had never experienced. The longer I was at Wellesley, the more I felt that an evolution in your understanding of gender identity was a central part of the Wellesley experience. But that was naive.

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In the fall of 2014, the Board of Trustees approved a new admissions policy allowing trans women to apply for admission. Many alumni, students, staff, and faculty members opined that giving more to trans students meant taking something away from cisgender female students -- biological females who identify as female -- from the prefix "cis," Latin for "on this side of," as opposed to trans, meaning "on the other side of." How could a school, that prided itself on teaching students united by their experience of being born female in a male-dominated society, welcome students who were biologically male? Questions like this one led to conversations about how the college had changed since its establishment in 1870 and the future of the school.

But this new admissions policy tapped into a visceral prejudice against trans people. A fellow Wellesley student blatantly told me that she didn't want a transgender roommate. She said that she would feel uncomfortable changing clothes in front of a transgender roommate. She suggested that the new policy would put students at a greater risk of sexual assault. I was stunned to hear someone so smart say that a minority group was predisposed to sexual violence. Didn't she realize that this argument had been recycled time and time again to justify denying rights to other minorities?

Women who support North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act have echoed this student's same belief. It makes no sense and this fear is unfounded, but I understand where they are coming from. Vigilant neighbors, a driveway gate, motion-sensored outdoor lights, a dog that barks even when the wind shifts, and an alarm system protect my home. Yet, I lock the bathroom door when I'm the only person in my house. I know it's an irrational, symbolic gesture -- anyone who managed to break into my house would have no problem with the bathroom door, which is so flimsy that the house cat has been able to jimmy it open. But a visceral fear of someone attacking me when I am at my most vulnerable makes me act in ways that I can't explain. So, I empathize with women who fear sexual violence even when their fear is disproportionate to the actual risk.

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GOP operative Tyler Sandberg took a Twitter shot at State Sen.Tim Neville (R-Littleton) last month, just after Neville lost his bid to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in this fall's Colorado Senate race.

Responding to an article quoting Neville as graciously saying "the people" had spoken, Sandberg snapped, "And the people support vaccinations."

Sandberg is correct. Neville supported an unpopular bill in the state legislature last year (SB15-077) that would have made it even easier for parents to opt-out of getting their kids vaccinated in Colorado. Progressives have called Neville and others "anti-vaxxers" for supporting the efforts last year (and opposing sensible vaccination reporting this year) given that Colorado has some of the most lax vaccination policies in the country.

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The funny part is, Neville is far from alone in the anti-vaxxer crusade. He's joined by, among others, Republican State Sen. Laura Woods, whose Westminster race in November will likely determine whether Republicans retain control of the state senate and thus stop the Democrats, who have the governor's office and state house, from taking control of state government.

So Sandberg's shot at Neville inadvertently ricocheted into Woods. Or was the salvo intentional?

You don't often see a muckety-muck flack like Sandberg, who's been a mouthpiece for Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Aurora), throwing shade at a candidate who's got control of state government riding on her shoulders. And such an attack should have been spotlighted by reporters.

So I asked Sandberg on Twitter whether his anti-vaxxer aspersion applied to Woods and others as well:

.@wtylersandberg Just saw this, but wondering if you're mocking not only @NevilleforCO but also @SenLauraWoods & others? #copolitics #coleg

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When GQ declared Abbot Kinney the coolest block in America back in 2012, Spencer Falls hadn't yet posted up outside Gjelina with Untho, his van. There's no denying that Falls, an actor best known for his role as Dr. Garrett Whitley on the New Zealand soap, "Shortland Street," has that cool factor that distinguishes him as an Abbot Kinney merchant. Then there's Untho.

Untho isn't just any van; he's a 1980 Volkswagen Vanagon in prairie gold with custom wood floors and a Navaho blanket hanging from the ceiling. Falls tricked it out himself, even going so far as the cut the fabric and sew the curtains. And Untho is filled with flowers, or what Falls dubs, "bouquet art."

"I have this van. It would be rude not to sell flowers out of it," Falls tells me, when I take a break from (window) shopping (seriously, who can afford the good stuff on Abbot Kinney?) Besides Falls' charisma and infectious energy, which make you want to hang with him and sip a $5 green latte, he's got the most interesting flowers arrangements I've seen in a while. And I'm a flower enthusiast. Falls, whose father was an orchardist in New Zealand, is also extremely fond of flowers. And so, about a month ago, Untho's Fiores, a mobile flower shop, was born. "A lady deserves flowers for no occasion and for every occasion," Falls tells me. As for the bouquets, Falls offers "robust arrangements, where you won't find many petaled-flowers. And no roses. Roses are too easy."

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So what kinds of buds will you find? Veronicas, eucalyptus, peonies, and protea (pictured below).



Falls also likes baby's breath to add volume and a "delicate touch" to a bouquet, rosemary for unexpected fragrance, and the silver cock's comb (Celosia argentea) what he calls a "trippy, trippy flower."

When it comes to color, he tells me "white is the black of flowers," and can be very grounding in a bouquet, but colors that pop excite him. "I love the colors of flowers. I'm an earthy neutral toned dude. That's my vibe. The world is too if you think about it, so flowers are a great excuse to engage in color."





His bouquets run from $15 to $25, a bit more for custom arrangements, which might make them the best deal on Abbot Kinney. Bouquets come tied with twine in a burlap sack made from repurposed coffee bags and filled with just enough water so you don't arrive home with droopy flowers. But people come to the van because the whole situation is intriguing. Falls is a Jack-of-all-trades who wants to populate the world with more flowers. "We live in this urban-scape, so flowers connect us back to the earth."

"The flower industry is all about positivity. When you think about it," Falls says, "you give flowers to say 'thank you,' or 'congratulations,' or to express love."

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On weekends, find Untho's Fiores in front of Gjelina, 1429 Abbot Kinney Boulevard

Just in case you need a last minute Mother's Day gift, Falls and Untho will be offering special bouquets for mom.
In the US, now is a better time to be an atheist than ever. The percentage of declared atheists and religiously unaffiliated people in America has risen substantially in recent years. To lack or reject religion is becoming considerably more socially acceptable.



That's why the non-religious, and avowed atheists in particular, need theistic allies to defend them, more than ever.



This seeming paradox is resolved by considering the strong reaction by some conservative religious people against this more tolerant social milieu. They interpret the social acceptability of atheism or agnosticism as an attack on their religion. They equate their loss of cultural dominance as an erosion of their religious freedom.



In fact, the liberty to practice one's religion is not the same thing as expecting others to give it extra social or legal privilege. But this is lost on many folks in the religious right. In contradiction to the Constitution, they are pressing for the Bible to be designated the State Book of Tennessee. They are pressing state legislatures to pass laws to allow them to discriminate against people who don't follow their doctrinal definitions of morality. They are fighting to defend themselves in a "war against religion" that exists only in their fevered imaginations. Really, it is their war against people outside of their fold: atheists, agnostics, irreligious people, gays, lesbians, the transgendered, members of minority religions... and progressive religious people.



We didn't pick this fight. But we're in it. In our progressive churches and temples are gay and lesbian and transgendered people whom we accept and include fully. We perform same-sex marriages. Wedding cakes for gay and lesbian couples get cut in our social halls. So it matters to us when our couples can't get those cakes, or otherwise are treated as second-class citizens. Evangelical culture warriors used to write off progressive Christians as a numerically insignificant crew of heretics. But that is changing as evangelical churches are shrinking. Folks in the religious right are beginning to define us as a force to be reckoned with.



Then there is the constant misunderstanding we get from people who assume that all Christians must be homophobic, bigoted, dogmatic, and self-righteous. The religious right has given all of Christianity a bad name. It's a constant challenge to correct people's perceptions. Giving Christianity inappropriate legal and social privilege is counterproductive for all our churches.



So atheists and progressive Christians have important reasons to engage and cooperate. Our progressive churches include many atheist members, and even some atheist clergy. It is in the very DNA of progressive Christianity to be open, affirming, and inclusive toward atheists. But a lot of progressive Christians fail to include atheists in their interfaith conversations. And a lot of atheists don't know that or who we are.



I've had many conversations with atheists in which I ask them what God they don't believe in. The answer is always the same: they don't believe in a supernatural, Guy-In-The-Sky God. I tell them I don't believe in that God, either. Then some of them get upset, even angry, because I don't fit their stereotype of a Christian. Nobody told them that there are Christians who believe that God is love, that God is one with nature, that God is not on top of everything, but rather is in everything. I've had atheists get frustrated at me because I don't think they are going to hell!



But our fates, our faith and non-faith, are intertwined. After all, the early Christians were harassed for being atheists. They worshiped a divinity that could not be idolized, unlike every other god in the Greco-Roman world at the time. The same accusation is leveled at progressive Christians by conservative Christians, who often assume that if we don't believe in their supernatural God, we can't claim to believe in God at all.



Progressive religious people need to go public about who we are and who we are not, in crisp, clear terms. Otherwise, we'll be continue to be lumped together in the public's mind with right-wing culture warriors who claim to speak for all Christians. And likewise we are called to take public stands in support of our atheist, agnostic, and irreligious friends, not just because we're in this mess together, but also because our faith teaches us that it is the right thing to do.



It starts with conversations that lead to understanding each other. Some folks who are public about their atheism were burned by bad religion. Those of us who have had mostly positive experiences with our religion need to understand the depths of the pain these people have suffered, in order to appreciate the stand they now take. Likewise, atheists who have turned away from religion, or against it, would do well to learn that there are many religious people who do not judge them as evil, misguided, and damned. They need to meet religious allies who will love them as neighbors as they would love themselves.



Our job as progressive religious allies is to normalize the public discourse about atheism. That starts with directly addressing the most common misconception: that you can't be a moral, ethical person without being a Christian or at least believing in God. But religious pluralism is central to progressive Christianity. We believe there is not just one way to live a good life and engage with Ultimate Reality. Our way is one good way, but there are others. We need to include atheism among them. Certainly religion is an underpinning for morality. But morality has even deeper roots. It is hard-wired into human consciousness. Progressive Christians celebrate this fact. It's good news for humanity, not bad news for religion! Our faith encourages the "original blessing" of our best biologically-driven tendencies toward compassion and justice. Atheists can be our allies in striving to live rightly and well in community.



As atheists come out of the closet, they are creating new public institutions, and progressive Christians ought to support them in the process. "Sunday Assemblies" are communities that gather for social interaction and support in cities around the world. They are a lot like churches in that they meet on Sunday mornings for inspirational talks and music followed by "coffee hour". They grew out of atheist groups, but now include all sorts of people who may or may not identify as atheists, but have a common desire to be part of an ongoing, local community that serves its neighborhood. Progressive churches are ideally situated to work with non-religious folks to create similar kinds of communities. In San Mateo, CA, I organized one through the church I served as a pastor. Monthly, we held an event in our church building which brought in authors, speakers, and musicians. It had no religious content in any traditional sense. It attracted a steady crowd of people who would never come to a religious worship service, but wanted to be part of an ongoing community. Some of them were atheists, some were just disinterested in organized religion. Some of our church members attended these events, as well. We had no agenda to "save" or "convert" people to our tradition by bringing them into our building. Our progressive churches have the facilities, the leadership, the organizational structure, and most importantly the open, non-dogmatic attitude needed to establish secular communities in our neighborhoods. We get it that everybody needs community, but not everybody wants religion in order to have it. We can get such groups started and "spin them off" when they are self-supporting, or we can create such communities and maintain them under our organizational umbrellas. We can create these groups as building-blocks for revitalizing democracy at the grass-roots level, engines for increasing citizen engagement with public issues.



We're all in trouble if our atheist, agnostic, and irreligious neighbors suffer discrimination on the basis of their non-belief. If you can be hassled for atheism, then you can be harassed for doctrinal deviation within Christianity or other faiths. Freedom of religion means nothing without freedom to have no religion.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, May 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, many party stalwarts are so upset with the billionaire businessman that they are considering backing an independent party candidate. Others believe that the party will take a such a severe shellacking at the polls in November with Trump that the party could lose control of Congress.

Trump himself put Republicans on notice Sunday in an interview on ABC when he said, "This is called the Republican Party, it's not called the Conservative Party." Trump later added, "I think it would be better if it were unified... there would be something good about it, but I don't think it actually has to be unified in the traditional sense." The question for many Republicans is how can they embrace a candidate who is not a true conservative, and whose extensive use of personal attacks has dragged the campaign into the gutter?

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Conservative commentator William Kristol says the answer is don't support Trump. Kristol called Trump unqualified for the presidency, on CNBC Monday, because of his lack "character and temperament." While ruling out voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton, Kristol said, "We don't need a binary choice. The system is set up to allow independent candidates to get on the ballot." Actually, he is misinformed on the last point. For instance, the Texas deadline for independent candidates to file an application to be included on the November ballot is Monday, May 9. And the application, "must contain 79,939 signatures of registered voters who did not vote in the presidential primary of either party."

Kristol met in Washington last week with former GOP standard-barer Mitt Romney to discuss the prospects for a third party candidate. Romney has been critical of Trump's candidacy, but he has said he is not interested in a third party run. The Washington Examiner reported Romney said he currently could not support either party's candidate. Nonetheless, he lamented, "I am dismayed at where we are now, I wish we had better choices, and I keep hoping that somehow things will get better, and I just don't see an easy answer from where we are."

Many establishment Republicans have decided to focus their attention on the down-ballot races that may be jeopardized with Trump at the top of the ticket. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, in a statement Friday posted on Facebook, said, "In November, I will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, but I will support principled conservatives at the state and federal levels, as I have done my entire life." Neither his brother or father, both former Republican presidents, will endorse Trump. Trump called Jeb Bush "dishonorable" for reneging on his pledge to support the GOP candidate.

The Trump candidacy has left many incumbent Republican Senators and Representatives squirming. Arizona Senator John McCain, the party's 2008 presidential candidate, is in a tough reelection bid this year in a state with a large Latino population. McCain, perhaps walking a fine line on Trump, told CNN, "You have to listen to people that have chosen the nominee of our Republican Party." He concluded, "I think it would be foolish to ignore them." McCain has stressed he is running his own campaign, but recent polls show he is tied with Democratic opponent Ann Kirkpatrick.

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Meanwhile, rhetoric involving Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan has reached the boiling point. Ryan said last week he is not yet ready to endorse Trump. Trump supporter and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin told CNN she would work to defeat Ryan by supporting his primary opponent in his Wisconsin district. Trump is scheduled to meet with Ryan and other party leaders in Washington Thursday, and he has said he would not rule out removing Ryan as the chair of the Republican Convention.

The ongoing political battles involving Trump and some leading Republicans are taking attention away from the still unresolved Democratic primary. These skirmishes are also unsettling for GOP efforts to raise campaign funds. Do donors put their money behind Trump, or instead only target down-ballot races? Yes, while Trump has "expanded" the party base during the primaries, he has also alienated many traditional Republicans.

All attention now turns to Thursday's high-level meetings in Washington. In his book, The Art of the Deal, Trump writes, "The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it. That makes the other guy smell blood, and then you're dead." So he is going into the meetings with confidence and swagger. Afterward, no doubt, the participants will all say they had a good meeting, and agree to work together to win the White House.
Gallery Dogs by Koons and Landseer (Digital collage)

"Edwin Landseer is one of the few, the very few, modern artists, whose works will bear to hang in the same room with the old masters and lose nothing by contrast." - Anna Eliza Bray (British Novelist), 1841

Unless you are a poodle breeder, or a print-collecting British barrister, it is unlikely that you have ever heard of Sir Edwin Landseer's once highly-esteemed doggie picture: "Laying Down the Law." Landseer's canvas, which satirizes the legal profession by portraying the Lord Chancellor as a French poodle, surrounded by glossy-eyed canine mignons, is the work of an artist who was widely viewed as a genius during his lifetime. "Sir Edwin's dogs have generally more expression in them," gushed one Victorian critic, "more intelligence, and more mind, than most portrait-painter's men and women."

Sir Edwin Landseer, Laying Down the Law, Oil on canvas, 28 in  37 inches

After being exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1840, "Laying Down the Law" was promptly acquired by William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire and remains on public view today at Chatsworth House. A mass-market engraving of the subject made by the artist's brother Thomas was hugely popular with the British public: one art dealer of the era chillingly bragged that a single copy of the print was "worth a Jew's eye."

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Today, Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) barely rates a footnote in art history texts--if he is mentioned at all--so it might be worth briefly recounting a few facts of his life. Sir Edwin (knighted in 1850) was a brilliant hypochondriac who abused drugs and alcohol and who could reportedly paint with both hands at once to help keep up with the demand for his work. He was the "unrivaled" animal portraitist of his time. After turning down the Presidency of the Royal Academy in 1866, he died at the age of seventy-one in 1873, nine months after his family reluctantly had him declared insane.

Landseer's anthropomorphized dog pictures, such as "Good Doggie" and "A Distinguished Member of the Humane Society" are now regarded as period pieces, the high-brow antecedents of "Dogs Playing Poker." His reputation did at least linger into the early 20th century: while an art student in Vienna, Adolf Hitler made a rather poor copy of one of Landseer's vaunted stag paintings.

Jeff Koons, Balloon Dog (Blue), at The Broad

The art and career of Edwin Landseer should serve as a reminder of a very important fact: tastes in art can change radically across time and place. To think otherwise -- that you or anyone else has acute enough taste to tell us what art from their era will be considered "great" in the future -- is vanity. Taste is human and variable, subject to momentary infatuation and the magnetism of power and fashion.

I was having some thoughts about all of this as I looked over a recent example of dog art -- Jeff Koon's "Balloon Dog (Blue)"-- which I saw for the first time when I visited The Broad last month. Honestly, I found it pretty dazzling and enjoyed watching the way that the Broad's visitors were drawn to it. The "Balloon Dog (Blue)" makes a phenomenal backdrop for photos, and its reflective surface is irresistible, especially to kids. When I walked past it a second time on my way to the elevator, I even witnessed an homage: a professional balloon man (sorry, but I have lost his name) was posing with a poodle balloon that he had made on the spot. "I have been waiting for months to come here and do this," he told me.

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The balloon man's homage to Koons...

Critics have sparred quite a bit over the "Balloon Dogs," and about Koon's work in general, but the art market has certainly conferred a notable distinction on it in terms of pure cash value: Koons' "Balloon Dog (Orange)" -- a variant on the Broad's piece -- realized $58,405,000 at auction on November 12, 2013, making it the most expensive work by a living artist ever sold. Mr. Broad, with characteristic foresight and shrewdness, paid far less for his by serving as a financier for the fabrication of the prototype of the series.

The staggering $58 mil. price came a bit more than six months after the then-Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Jeffrey Deitch, had argued in a public debate held at Art Basel, Hong Kong that "The market is the best judge of art's quality." By that standard, at least, Koon's "Balloon Dogs" (there are a number of them) are the finest works of contemporary art in the world. And, unlike Sir Edwin Landseer, Koons doesn't have to use both hands at once to keep up with demand: his many fabricators serve as nimble extra hands. As curator Paul Schimmel commented admiringly in a recent public panel: "I think Jeff Koons turns those fabricators into his bitches and gets things that are unbelievable." Nice dog reference!

Like Landseer's "Laying Down the Law," Koon's popular balloon dog series has also inspired expensive multiples: you can buy an "Authentic Jeff Koons Yellow Dog Plate" (Brand new, in box, numbered and signed) on eBay for $9,850 or best offer. Just the thing for your condo in the Marina, right?



As seen on eBay: A Limited-Edition Koons Plate

Who knows what people in the future will think of Jeff Koons, of his sculptures, and of contemporary art in general. If you see "Balloon Dog (Blue) at the Broad, as I did, there is a chance that the sheen and the setting will knock your sense of moderation in taste sideways. Still, it remains to be see if Jeff Koons will be the "Landseer" of American early 21st century culture, a forgettable artist who made "period pieces" for a gilded age of billionaires. It certainly could happen, or maybe just the reverse: the "Balloon Dog" might be our culture's Mona Lisa...

If I were a museum curator today, I would hedge my bets and collect broadly. Yes, I believe I just suggested that museum curators should be a bit more like hedge fund managers. Especially in this cultural situation where markets are seen as taste-makers, reputations can rise and fall rapidly, just like stocks.

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And regarding Landseer, here is a thought: perhaps he is about to be re-discovered, taken up by some mega-dealer who will burnish his reputation and get his friends--whoops, I mean clients--to bid the Landseer market up a few notches. Isn't that how "Blue Chip" taste is determined these days: by a cartel of auction houses, dealers, and speculators?

Besides, dog art apparently remains a public favorite.

Speaking for myself, I'm going to try and keep my own taste independent from the market, and refuse to flatter myself by fantasizing that I have the ability to predict what history will anoint as culturally significant and worth revering. It all just seems too variable to me.

After all, as Oscar Wilde--a Victorian whose reputation has lasted--once wrote:
WILLISTON, N.D.  Gas emissions from the Bakken are having a global impact on the atmosphere, a recent study found, but health regulators say new technology theyre using to inspect oilfield sites should lead to a dramatic improvement.

The North Dakota Department of Health recently began using a $100,000 camera that uses infrared technology to detect methane, ethane and other emissions that leak from well sites.

The huge advantage is that you now see any emissions that are coming out, which were previously invisible to your eye, said Jim Semerad, with the health departments Air Quality Division.

Natural gas produced in the Bakken as a byproduct of oil production is known as a wet gas, meaning it is rich in natural gas liquids such as propane, butane and ethane.

They can be beneficial if theyre captured and separated out, but they can also go directly into the atmosphere if the controls arent there or if the controls arent working properly, said David Glatt, chief of the Environmental Health Section.

On an individual basis, a Bakken oil and gas well is not a significant contributor to emissions, Semerad said.

But multiply that by 13,000 wells in North Dakota, and the impact can be substantial.

The sheer numbers have grown such that we have to take a harder look at them, Semerad said.

A group of scientists also recently took notice of the Bakken while researching why a mountaintop sensor in Europe detected an increase in the globes ethane levels in 2010.

The research team took air samples for 12 days in May 2014 while flying directly overhead and downwind of Bakken oil production areas.

The team found that the Bakken emits about 250,000 tons of ethane per year, or about 2 percent of the globes ethane.

Its pretty remarkable that one location can be emitting a couple percent of the globes ethane, said Eric Kort, assistant professor of atmospheric science at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study. This is illustrative of how activities in one region can actually have a global impact.

The study found that ethane emissions from other U.S. oil production, especially the Eagle Ford, likely contributed to the global uptick as well. A separate study on methane emissions from the Bakken is expected to be released next week.

State health regulators have been working to address emissions from the oil industry for the past several years, but are taking those efforts to the next level.

I do think we can do a better job in the Oil Patch to control emissions, Glatt said.

The health department purchased the FLIR camera, which stands for forward-looking infrared radiometer, with help from a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Several staff members are certified to use the camera and use it as a tool to detect emissions of which they previously werent aware.

Some problem areas theyve identified include emissions that are caused by valves or pipe fittings not sealed tightly enough or equipment that needs to be repaired.

Natural gas flares, if operating properly, should burn off 95 to 97 percent of the gas, Glatt said. But if a flare malfunctions, the gas will vent directly to the atmosphere.

Sometimes it can be as simple as wind knocking out the flame in a flare, Semerad said.

If inspectors find a major leak, they require companies to immediately make necessary repairs or improvements, Glatt said. The health department issues fines to companies that dont comply.

Our goal is if you find a problem, you fix it right away, Glatt said. The longer you take to fix it, then potentially the bigger the fine would be.

Next, the health department plans to implement a program that includes requiring oil companies to conduct their own inspections. Health inspectors would continue doing site visits to verify what the industry submits, Semerad said.

The EPA is working with the state health department to develop this program, which is similar to what power plants already comply with, Semerad said.

Hopefully by 2017, emissions will be dramatically lower, Semerad said.

North Dakotas oil industry has a task force that has been working on this issue with all the major Bakken operating companies participating, said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council. It is one topic that will be addressed at the upcoming Williston Basin Petroleum Conference.

Joel Noyes, chairman of the task force and senior manager for government and external affairs for Hess Corp., said several companies have purchased their own FLIR cameras.

I think there are a number of companies that are being proactive and taking steps to implement this new technology and do other things to inspect and track whats going on out in the field before there are any regulations, Noyes said.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory continues to tie himself in knots trying to explain the indefensible House Bill 2, North Carolina's notorious bathroom law.

Here are four whoppers he's been telling:

1) That the city of Charlotte and now the Federal government, have engaged in unprecedented "overreach." Clearly, Governor McCrory did not take a psychology class while in college. Had he, he would have been introduced to the concept of "projection," whereby humans project their own sins onto others as a way of deflecting their own guilt. The City of Charlotte passed a law, scheduled to take effect April 1, that would have mandated that public bathrooms allow for people to use the facility corresponding with their preferred gender identity.

In response, the Republican dominated state legislature raced back into special session and, twelve hours later, rammed through a sweeping law that the governor quickly signed. Its key provisions:

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a)mandate that bathroom use in all public accommodations be restricted to gender identity as assigned at birth.

b)eliminate all existing local and municipal discrimination protections based on sexuality

c)bar local and municipal governments from passing their own minimum wage laws

d)prevent all individuals from bringing suit in state courts for any employment discrimination claims, not limited to those based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

See the overreach?

The federal government's alleged overreach has consisted in, among other things, only giving the state of North Carolina three business days to respond to the Department of Justice's notice last week that HB2 was in violation of federal civil rights laws. In other words, Governor McCrory is now whining about an affront to due deliberation, notwithstanding that the law he signed came at the end of a hastily called 12-hour special session that blocked any testimony or input from opponents of the bill.

Rash, overreaching, an affront to ordinary democratic processes - the content of HB2 and the manner of its passage hit the trifecta. So, naturally, McCrory is flailing about trying to accuse others of same.

2) Recently, McCrory told Megyn Kelly that it was the left, not the right, that started the controversial discussion over bathrooms. It's a line he's repeated endlessly. In an interview yesterday with Chris Wallace, Wallace pressed the governor to cite a single solitary instance of a transgender individual using the cover of their identity to molest someone in a bathroom. McCrory demurred. Instead, he whined about how it was the city of Charlotte and "liberals" who started this bathroom fight. But if McCrory now accepts the incontrovertible fact that there are no safety issues at stake in bathroom laws like the one passed by Charlotte, then there is no reason to pass a law to overturn it. This was the point Wallace kept making. And McCrory kept pushing this very same, utterly irrelevant talking point in response.

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3) On a related note, McCrory is now desperately trying to test-market the least damaging messaging. Unfortunately, his own previous statements and his putative political allies are not cooperating. In her interview with the governor, Kelly tried to get him to explain how, in women's restrooms, there was a threat to girls or women, when there are only single-use stalls, when most sexual predators are heterosexual men and when a law like this would not address the real threat of gender-based violence in any way. McCrory said he agreed with Kelly and insisted that he never claimed that the law was about safety - that this was a concoction of the left and of "some" on the right. Instead McCrory said, the law was only meant to protect common sense notions of privacy for both males and females.

But a look back at McCrory's public statements on HB2 exposes as a lie his new claim that he has not invoked safety concerns as a rationale for signing the bill.

First, McCrory has repeatedly used the example of men sneaking into girls' bathrooms. He essentially never cites the prospect of girls or women going into male bathrooms. That's because the supposedly gender-neutral privacy argument he tried to slip by Kelly is bullshit.

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Furthermore, on McCrory's single highest profile national media appearance, on Sunday's Meet the Press with Chuck Todd on April 17, the governor responded to Todd's criticisms of the law with an anecdote. It's one that many people don't believe really happened. But it's most revealing. McCrory told what he clearly intended as a heartwarming tale of having walked into an "African American buffet restaurant" in Hamlet, North Carolina and having people walk up to him and thank him "for protecting us." Given McCrory's later fabrication - that the law is not about fear, or protection from threats, one has to wonder: what were those folks thanking him for protecting them from?

McCrory's twitter feed is also chock full of approving references to those who support the governor's efforts at "protecting women and children in public restrooms."

Additionally, as intense criticisms began pouring in upon passage of the law, McCrory's office issued a "myths and facts" sheet trying to debunk all of the "dishonest" things that were being said about HB2.

Here's part of that statement:

Why did North Carolina pass this law in the first place? Answer: The bill was passed after the Charlotte City Council voted to impose a regulation requiring businesses to allow a man into a women's restroom, shower, or locker room if they choose. This ordinance would have eliminated the basic expectations of privacy people have when using the rest room by allowing people to use the restroom of their choice. This new local regulation brought up serious privacy concerns by parents, businesses and others across the state, as well as safety concerns that this new local rule could be used by people who would take advantage of this to do harm to others (my bold).

Finally, even if McCrory weren't being transparently insincere when he told Kelly he didn't like the fact that some on the right were using the fear card, has he called out a single one of those people by name? Has he any intention of doing so? Yes, those are rhetorical questions. Indeed, virtually every right-wing leader in the state has shamelessly played the fear card in defending HB2.

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To provide one of countless examples, here's a statement from McCrory's own lieutenant governor Dan Forrest, in response to last week's DOJ notice:

"To use our children and their educational futures as pawns to advance an agenda that will ultimately open those same children up to exploitation at the hands of sexual predators is by far, the sickest example of the depths the Obama Administration will stoop to 'fundamentally transform our nation.'"

In short, the governor, his office and his allies have repeatedly defended the law by invoking non-existent threats from predators who would take advantage of bathroom provisions like the one passed by Charlotte. Given this fact, and the tremendous damage and he's already inflicted on a marginalized and vulnerable group of people, it is particularly disgraceful for the governor now to try to deny that he himself has slithered his way through such fevered swamps.

4) Lastly, already evident in the above: the governor has endlessly attacked his opponents for trying to "politicize" this issue. This absurd statement is a particularly classic case of projection - the purpose of the bill was, of course, precisely to politicize contempt for a marginalized group and to engender the kind of fear that, its supporters hoped, would motivate like-minded partisans to come to the polls in November. Such motives were particularly obvious in the case of McCrory, an unpopular governor facing a closely contested re-election campaign.

Politics alone - and of the worst sort imaginable - motivated McCrory's signing of the bill.

McCrory's feckless attempts to blame anyone but himself for the awful position in which he's put the state of North Carolina don't change that fact.

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I interviewed James Hedges, Prohibition Party candidate for President of the United States to find out why he was running for POTUS.

JF: Why are you running for POTUS?



JH: The prohibition era has a useful lesson for today's social problems and we would like to keep the memory of the prohibition era alive as an option.

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JF: What are we supposed to learn from the prohibition era (when the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol was illegal from 1920 to 1933).



JH: I'm writing an article on recreational drugs right now. Instead of criminalizing alcohol users, it's criminalizing the alcohol traffic, manufacture, distribution, and sale. There was no big boost in prison population just because they drank. Unlike today's policy of throwing, say, marijuana users in jail. That policy has been great for the prison industry, but it really hasn't made a difference as far as drug use. I see no point in frisking someone and if you find a bottle, throwing them in jail.

JF: Do you think that it's okay for people to make their own?



JH: As long as they drink it at home and stay home until they're sober, and don't beat their wives while they're drunk. A person's home should be his castle. If he wants to make his own and doesn't bother anybody in the process. (Pause) I think he's behaving foolishly. One of our American rights is to do stupid things.

JF: What three things would you do as POTUS?



JH: I would reorient foreign policy away from the American empire and toward defending the American mainland. I think a lot of people in the Prohibition Party don't like the hundreds of thousands of troops we have stationed all over the world. Our efforts to get regime change in the Middle East are counterproductive. Matters are worse now than they were before Bush went to war in Iraq. So one thing we would do would be to focus on American needs at home, rather than trying to make the whole world fit our mold. The other thing we do would be to make undergraduate colleges free for everybody.

JF: How about the private ones?



JH: 150 years ago, free primary school was a big deal.

JF: How about the private colleges, should they be free also?



JH: Yeah. 100 years ago, the big deal was free high schools. Now I think it's time to have free college. In would be in the American interest to have a well-educated population, well-educated workforce.

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JF: And the third thing?



JH: The third thing would have to be alcohol and other recreational drugs. No law can be perfectly enforced. Almost everybody understands that. But we would do as much as we could to minimize the traffic in recreational drugs.

JF: How do you intend to spread the word about your campaign?



JH: We don't really have money for campaigning beyond just ballot access. We rely on the media, frankly, on people such as yourself.

JF: Are you reaching out to the press at all?



JH: A little bit, yeah. A lot of you folks come to us because you want to do feature articles on third parties. In the state where we are on the ballot, we are doing a little bit of publicity. Talk radio and newspapers, internet.

JF: Are you running as a write-in?



JH: We have filed write-in papers in over a dozen states, however our main push is to get on the ballot in maybe half a dozen where the requirements are not very strict. We're on the ballot in Arkansas, Mississippi, Colorado, we've done the paperwork in Iowa and New Jersey, we are working in Florida and Tennessee, and we're thinking about some additional states, maybe Wisconsin, or Minnesota, or Washington.

JF: Did you know that Louisiana is really easy?



JH: Yeah, I forgot to mention that. The filing window isn't open there yet, but we've set aside money to pay the filing fee in Louisiana.

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Male doctor in hospital corridor

Maybe I'm just more attuned to it these days -- your 30s will do that to you -- but lately it feels like everyone I know has a scary story about pregnancy. After the adorable photographs have been posted, the celebratory texts sent, the welcome-back-to-the-world-of-sushi-and-beer meals eaten, they tell you about the darker parts of the experience. The nightmarishly long labor. The NICU. The miscarriages that sometimes came before.

The last thing any of these women should have to worry about -- the last thing anyone who is pregnant, or their family, should have to worry about -- is being denied appropriate medical care because of a hospital's religious affiliation.

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Can you imagine rushing to a hospital after something goes horribly awry with your pregnancy, only to be turned away? Can you imagine learning that your doctor is forbidden from providing the health care you need because that treatment is prohibited by "the Catholic directives" -- a set of religious rules for Catholic hospitals written by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops?

I can picture it all too clearly now. In fact, I can't stop thinking about Jennafer Norris, Mindy Swank, Tamesha Means, Jessica Mann, Angela Valavanis, and all of the other women whose devastating stories of harm at Catholic hospitals helped the ACLU bring to life the news that an astounding one in six hospital beds in the U.S. is now in a Catholic-run facility.

Take Jennafer Norris, for example. Jennafer had recently moved to Rogers, Arkansas, with her husband and two children when she became pregnant after a rare birth control failure. At 30 weeks, she developed severe preeclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy complication, and was admitted to Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas. Jennafer had experienced the same condition during both of her previous pregnancies and absolutely could not risk getting pregnant again, so she asked her doctor to perform a tubal ligation, commonly known as "getting her tubes tied," at the time of her scheduled C-section delivery, when the procedure is safest and most effective.

But the Catholic directives prohibit sterilization, even if a subsequent pregnancy would jeopardize a woman's life, so Mercy Hospital forbade Jennafer's OB-GYN from performing the tubal ligation. The hospital staff informed Jennafer that if she really wanted to receive this medical procedure, she could deliver at another hospital -- but the nearest facility was 30 minutes away. Jennafer was in horrible pain, so dizzy that she could hardly see, and her medical team had repeatedly warned her that she could have a stroke or seizure at any moment. With her health in danger, she and her husband decided that they couldn't risk moving her to another hospital. Jennafer delivered her baby at the Catholic hospital without being able to get her tubes tied during the C-section, when it would have been safest.

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Patients aren't the only ones haunted by denials of care at Catholic-run hospitals -- it can be deeply troubling for their health care providers, too. Dr. David Eisenberg recalls that "the sickest patient [he] ever cared for during [his] residency" was a young woman who was transferred to the hospital where he worked after being denied care at a Catholic hospital. Her water had broken long before her due date, so the pregnancy was doomed. But the Catholic hospital refused to hasten delivery because the directives prohibit abortion even when the woman's life is at risk.

By the time this patient was transferred to Dr. Eisenberg's hospital 10 days later, she had a fever of 106 degrees and was dying of sepsis. She ultimately survived, but she suffered an acute kidney injury requiring dialysis and a cognitive injury due to the severity of her sepsis. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital before being transferred to a long-term care facility.

What's really frightening is that these stories aren't unique. All across this country -- from Arkansas to Illinois and from Michigan to California -- women are being turned away because hospitals are allowing religion to take precedence over medical standards of care. Today one in six U.S. hospital beds is in a facility that abides by the directives. There are now 548 Catholic-run hospitals in the country, an increase of 22 percent since 2001. What happened to Jennafer, and to Dr. Eisenberg's patient, is outrageous and terrifying -- and it could happen to any of us or our loved ones.

Pregnancy is scary enough without having to worry that your hospital might turn you away because the bishops don't approve of the health care you need. We cannot stay silent and let hospitals use their religious identity to discriminate against, and harm, women.
Outrageous, almost sounds like a joke, but the practice of building schools on hazardous waste dumps occurs regularly in Louisiana.

In 1942, New Orleans opened Booker T. Washington, a downtown high school for poor black residents, unfortunately it was placed atop the old Silver City Landfill, loaded with hazardous metals and pesticides. Across town in the 9th Ward, in 1985, Robert Moton Elementary School was built on a garbage pile stuffed with toxic Hurricane Betsy debris. "Students came down with rashes, nausea, and other health problems," reported Grist.

How is such horror even possible?

"Cash-strapped communities that don't have funds to buy a piece of property look at a list of municipally owned land and see the town dump," said New Orleans attorney Andrew Jacoby. "Then convince themselves they can just use that land to build a school."

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Jacoby volunteers with the GreenARMY, a broad environmental coalition led by Lieutenant General Russel Honore, aka the General, the local hero who marched into a disintegrating New Orleans in the days after Hurricane Katrina and restored order. A bill to ban building schools on hazardous waste dumps is just one of several being pushed by the GreenARMY and other environmental advocates in Louisiana's current legislative session, which began March 14th and adjourns June 6th. That these bills even exist spotlights Louisiana's pathetic record in protecting the environment, and its citizen's health. The state is the third poorest in the nation, and recently ranked 47th in environmental quality, and 50th in eco-friendly behaviors.

"It is shameful," said the General. "Our democracy has been hijacked by influential lobbyists who represent the petrochemical industry."

These five bills aim to change that--if only they could pass.

1 & 2. SB 426 and HB 11, Bills to prohibit open pit burning of hazardous military equipment



In the tiny central Louisiana town of Colfax, old military explosives are being burnt in open pits by a Massachusetts-based company called Clean Harbors, releasing arsenic, lead, cadmium, strontium and other toxins into the environment. "They put the debris on a metal sheet and burn it," said the General. "Here we are in the 21st century and they're using Roman army methods."

These burns are illegal under the Clean Air Act, but dirty Clean Harbors, as the General likes to call the company, has been granted an exemption by Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality. Clean Harbors Colfax torched more than 400,000 pounds of "reactive, energetic and explosive waste" in 2013, and almost as much in 2014, according to GreenARMY documents. SB 426, backed by Representative Ryan Gatti (R-Bossier), and HB 11, backed by Representative Gene Reynolds (D-Minden) and Representative Terry Brown (I-Colfax), aim to prohibit Clean Harbors from continuing to burn munitions and waste explosives, though would allow military and state police to continue open burns.

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What's particularly troubling is that alternative technologies exist to dispose of munitions, and Clean Harbors uses these technologies at other burn sites. Still, HB 11 has met significant resistance. Clean Harbors showed up at the State Capitol with workers in company T-shirts and defended their jobs. "I've been doing this for 30 years and still keep hearing the same argument," said Marylee Orr, who directs the Louisiana Environmental Action Network. "They're a good company, and we are trying to put them out of business."

But just what type of company Clean Harbors is, recently became quite clean and clear. According to the General, at a recent committee meeting for HB 11, "the company offered the community [of Colfax] money, a new water system, playground equipment and scholarships, if they would drop House Bill 11."

"My jaw dropped," said the General. "We have that on record, I can send you a copy."

Unfortunately, neither SB 426 or HB 11 appears to be going anywhere anytime soon. The prior bill has not made it out of committee, and last week HB 11 was shelved as a resolution, meaning burns will continue, and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will spend the next year studying them. "This is just a way for them not to vote on it," said the General, disgusted. "Most resolutions don't even get acted on."



Open burning of explosive and reactive material at Clean Harbors Colfax. (Photo by Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality)

3. HB 469, Bill to require pollution monitoring at industrial plants that border communities



The stripe of Louisiana from New Orleans to Baton Rouge is known as "Cancer Alley." More than 150 plants and refineries, many related to the petrochemical industry, are located right next to communities where families live, eat, worship and play. Most of these communities are poor, some were founded by freed slaves. "Everything in their lives is contaminated," longtime Louisiana environmental advocate Wilma Subra recently told MSNBC. The bill would require certain plants to install "fence-line air monitoring systems." These monitors detect hazardous pollutants and would be located downwind of plants and where they border communities. When pollution levels spike, the monitors signal an alarm, notifying first responders and community members.

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"We think this is a no-brainer," said Jacoby. Air monitor costs have dropped in recent decades, and the public health savings stand to be tremendous. Still, for the petrochemical industry, this appears to be too much regulation. The bill is being sponsored by Representative Patrick Connick (R-Marrero) and has been passed by the House Natural Resources Committee, and is scheduled for a vote on the House floor this Tuesday, May 10th. To become law, it must pass the house vote, pass a senate committee, pass a vote on the senate floor, and be signed by the governor. "Getting through all these hurtles," said Jacoby, "will be hard."

4. HB 553, Bill preventing big industry from sucking dry a pristine aquifer used as drinking water



Exxon and Georgia Pacific have giant plants in central Louisiana and "together use about the same amount of water as the entire city of Baton Rouge," said Jacoby. The problem is that both plants and the city draw water from the pristine Southern Hills Aquifer, which is being depleted. As water levels drop, saltwater intrudes, and with continued use and sea level rise, more and more saltwater will intrude. The bill aims to force industry to use Mississippi River water instead of the aquifer, a practice Jacoby says many industrial users have already done. Exxon presently uses some river water, but past bills aimed at forcing them and Georgia Pacific to rely exclusively on river water have failed. "Industry is too strong in the legislature," said Hays Town Jr., founder of Baton Rouge Citizens to Save Our Water, after one bill failed in 2014.

What happens when Southern Hills Aquifer becomes too salty, or depleted? Baton Rouge residents will be forced to drink and bathe in Mississippi River water, which Jacoby says, is basically, "a stream of waste." Despite an admirable effort from Representative Denise Marcelle (D-Baton Rouge), HB 553 recently lost in committee on a 10-7 vote.

"These legislators would do anything for money," said the General. "They'd approve a ham sandwich." But not, apparently, the long-lasting protection of a clean water source.

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Get ready to bathe in waste Baton Rouge--The same "stream of waste" me and all other New Orleans residents already drink and bathe in.

5. HB 371, Bill to ban the building of schools on hazardous waste dumps



Two New Orleans schools have actually been built on hazardous waste dumps. In fact, building schools on waste dumps is common in Louisiana. A similar bill passed the Louisiana house last year but was shot down in the senate. One problem Representative Conrad Appel (R-Metairie) pointed out: Because of Katrina, much of New Orleans can be considered a waste dump. But Monique Harden, co-director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights said it seemed to her like "the committee just wasn't interested in supporting this bill." A new bill is being supported by Representative Joseph Bouie (D-New Orleans), but has gone nowhere. Meanwhile, New Orleans plans to open a new school on the Booker T. Washington site. Harden and others vow to fight it.

"Families don't want to send their children to a school on a toxic waste dump," said Jacoby. And of course, they shouldn't have to.

How to help?



If you live in Louisiana, CLICK HERE to find out who your representatives are, and follow the links to their state websites for contact information. Call, email, fax or send a letter concerning these bills. "There is a sense that these things don't matter," said Jacoby. "But they really do."

"If they get a note or a phone call about a vote, even ten phone calls, it is like something enormous is happening," added Orr. "It's a huge groundswell."

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"We got to empower our people," said the General. "This government was designed to protect us, not to use and abuse us."
The stakes are high.

The media and the world have always celebrated the next Wunderkind, the next "revolutionary" business, the next Google.

It seems sometimes that everybody has eaten the entrepreneurial bug or at least no longer find the employee 'steaks' palatable.

I am going to be the voice crying in the wilderness saying that not everybody can or should start a business. At least, don't go quitting your job anytime soon.

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Here are 5 reasons for my stance:

1. Jobs still exist.

Haven't you wondered why with all the entrepreneurial and 'start your business' Kool-Aid, jobs still exist?

The answer is simple. Jobs still exist because people need jobs.

In these days of jumping on the media bandwagon, it is the rare individual that tells himself the truth and can recognize his own strengths and weaknesses.

Not everybody is suited to start a business. The stakes are too high and the commitment too great to make the decision on a whim. Be sure you have counted the cost and you are aware of the sacrifices starting a business will require.

If you have done all these and find that it will be a sacrifice with uncertain benefits, find a good job that pays the bills and leaves you extra time to dabble in your hobbies and interests.

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2. Financial Insecurity.

One of our chief needs in life is security - especially financial security.

When you are above 21 years old, you are practically an adult in all sense of the word. You have to get an apartment (unless you want to live in your parents' basement). You need to pay the bills and do a lot of adult activities which cost money.

Delaying the process to start your unproven business is only prolonging adolescence and you wake up at age 30 to find that many of your peers are securely in their well-paid jobs with substantial health insurance, married with 2 - 4 kids and have their first mortgage while you were starting the second Facebook.

One consequence of starting a business is that your income for some time will be unstable. As a small business owner, you are concerned with getting new clients, making sure you get paid and retaining enough customers to ensure cash flow for next month.

This is a lot of commitment and uncertainty that many business blogs and Harvard Business Review don't tell you about.

A job, in contrast, gives you financial security; a leverage your small business counterpart can only dream of. According to the guide on Wage Advocates, the minimum wages and overtime pay have continued to be raised in many states to ginger more people to work.

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That said, if you don't have the stomach to become the next Bill Gates, then stick to getting a job.

3. Loss of a social life.

A business, especially in its early stages, requires a tremendous amount of obsession and commitment if the business is to ever take off.

In that time, you would be cut off from your family and your friends. Your social life would be as barren as Mars with only your customers for company.

A job, on the other hand, provides you with just enough social interaction to keep you stimulated. You learn important social behavior and you live as nature intended- in a community and not in isolation.

Also, you have the choice to retreat into your cubicle if you've had enough social stimulation to the admiration of your boss. It's a win-win all around.

You don't want to become the proverbial 40-year old entrepreneur with no friends, no family, and the only people who call him on his birthday are his suppliers.

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The millions you make in your business can never replace the warm and loving relationships with friends and family.

No one on his deathbed wished he had spent more time at the office. So if you know you aren't cut out for entrepreneurship, get a job.

4. It requires a large time commitment.

As I've reiterated in my previous point, starting and growing a business requires a large time commitment and investment with no guarantee of results or reward.

A better investment of your time would be to get a great, well-paying job, save part of your income, invest in passive investments, and live a full life involving all of your hobbies and interests.

The process of getting a job has been tried and tested and works all the time whether in China or Turkmenistan.

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Starting a business is uncertain and essentially breaking new grounds. If you can't stand the wait of being an entrepreneur, you can get a job instead.

5. You could fail.

After all your hard work and effort, you could still fail.

According to Forbes, 90% of startups fail in their first year and less than 60% of businesses pass the 5-year mark.

In the end, not everybody can or should start their own business. Some people are not suited to the roller-coaster ride of entrepreneurship. A better use of their time, talents and energy would be to find a company that appreciates their skills well enough to compensate them generously.

So if you think you can't start the next Microsoft, then there's no harm in getting a good job and being happy in it.
Dear Colleagues:

I am back in Thessaloniki after a day at the unplanned refugee camp at Idomeni, Greece. The camp hugs the concertina wire fence that had been hastily assembled when Macedonia, just on the other side, and like much of the rest of Europe, decided to close its borders to waves of refugees from the war in Syria and those fleeing violence and oppression in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq.

I was there to talk with young Syrians who were trapped in the camp. One conversation with a young woman named Zeina (not her real name) affected me deeply. Of Kurdish origin from the town of Afrin she had been studying physical sciences at Tishreen University in the relatively safe seaside town of Latakia, where Russian forces have a major base.

She had to abandon Syria when her family became a target of the government because her brother deserted. She, her brothers, sisters and parents snuck across the border to Turkey. She worked for a year in a sweatshop, often 70 hours a week, until she had the money to pay smugglers to take her across a narrow slip of sea to the Greek island of Lesbos. From there she traveled to Idomeni in hopes of reaching a sister in Austria. But now she was stuck, unable to go forward and with nowhere to return - Turkey meant slavery-like conditions; Syria, death. She told us she would return to school if she could, especially if it meant a chance to help her family, but in that moment it seemed so unlikely.

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As I looked out over the camp, which represents a failure of Europe and Europeans to respond in a legal and humane fashion to a predictable movement of humanity, I couldn't help but conclude I was seeing something new in the worst humanitarian catastrophe of our generation: the permanent displacement of millions of Syrians. The war in Syria, like wars in the Middle East in the past, isn't just about the regime in Damascus. It's about who will be allowed to live in Syria when it's done. Most of the refugees outside its borders will not be allowed back in. History here is prologue: the same thing happened to the Armenians in 1922 when, in the aftermath of genocide, Turkey banned their return and again in 1948 when the violent creation of Israel displaced the Palestinians.

The 10,000 people at Idomeni are a tiny fraction of those who will be unable or unwilling to return to their homeland, even if the crisis abates. The UN estimates that there are nearly 5 million Syrian refugees, mostly living in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan - and now Europe. Some will go home. In fact some have already gone back. Yet if only 25% of them were to remain outside of Syria, it would mean over a million people for whom the world would need to find a permanent home.

A new massive Syrian diaspora is at hand. The choice that we must make as educators and those who support education is whether to help those young people who are capable of benefiting from higher education and want to go back to school do so, or stand by and watch the formation of an impoverished, angry, politically vulnerable and exploitable mass of young people take shape in ghettos in the cities of the Middle East and Europe.

I'm here in Greece to explore ways that we in the US can start to work with our colleagues throughout the Eastern Mediterranean to build new opportunities for these young people to study and learn.

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All of our colleagues I've met on this mission are eager to help these young people adjust to their new lives beyond their homelands and grow into true leaders of the Syrian diaspora. They understand the value of education, just like the young Syrians like Zeina we met, in providing a future of opportunity; they also know that educated young men and women can provide the critical link between newcomers and the people and places where they have found refuge.

We are as responsible for these young people as we are for the students we see in our classrooms day after day.

Sincerely:
House Speaker Paul Ryan says not so fast, Donald Trump. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)

It's not quite a civil war, but there's a major battle happening in the Republican party. It's a clash between two of the most powerful Republicans: Donald Trump, the party's almost-official presidential nominee, and Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House, the highest-ranking elected Republican.

Here's the deal and why it matters.

What's up?

After Trump won the Indiana primary on May 3rd, the two other remaining Republican presidential candidates, Senator Ted Cruz and Governor John Kasich, dropped out.

The mic was dropped when the Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus declared Donald Trump the "presumptive nominee" and called for party unity. Well, well.

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.@realDonaldTrump will be presumptive @GOP nominee, we all need to unite and focus on defeating @HillaryClinton #NeverClinton  Reince Priebus (@Reince) May 4, 2016

Some Republicans and conservatives lined up to support Trump.

But all hell broke loose when some prominent Republicans started leaving the party, and others declared they were #NeverTrump (and some even said #ImWithHer, meaning they are going to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton).

THEN a big bombshell was dropped by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

What did Ryan say?

Paul Ryan told CNN that he wasn't "ready" to back Donald Trump:

"Well, to be perfectly candid with you, I'm just not ready to do that at this point. I'm not there right now. And I hope to, though, and I want to."

He went on about why he isn't necessarily ready to stand with Trump:

"I think conservatives want to know, 'Does he share our values and our principles on limited government, the proper role of the executive, adherence to the Constitution?' There are lots of questions that conservatives, I think, are gonna want answers to, myself included. I want to be a part of this unifying process. I want to help to unify this party."

Watch the clip yourself:

Speaker Paul Ryan: "I'm just not ready" to support Donald Trump as the GOP nominee https://t.co/xzLaxvkTPe https://t.co/MmTYbECt6N  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 6, 2016

What did Trump say?

Of course, Donald Trump had to respond to Ryan's statement:

"I am not ready to support Speaker Ryan's agenda. Perhaps in the future, we can work together and come to an agreement about what is best for the American people. They have been treated so badly for so long that it is about time for politicians to put them first!"

He went OFF on Twitter:

So many great endorsements yesterday, except for Paul Ryan! We must put America first and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 6, 2016

Paul Ryan said that I inherited something very special, the Republican Party. Wrong, I didn't inherit it, I won it with millions of voters!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 6, 2016

What do Trump and Ryan agree on?

Besides the fact that both call themselves Republicans? That's a tough one. Some think they can find things to agree on.

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The policy differences between Trump and Ryan are bridgeable. The differences in style and institutional loyalties may not be.  Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) May 5, 2016

But what they disagree on is a LOT.

What do they disagree on?

They disagree on policy, approach, tone, conservatism, and overall vision. Ryan and Republicans like him are having a hard time embracing Trump because he doesn't champion smaller government, who takes a dictatorial approach to leadership, and because he has in the past supported things like universal health care and a woman's right to choose.

Meanwhile, Trump and his team say he won the Republican presidential nomination with millions of votes, so voters clearly back his agenda, so suck it, Paul Ryan. Here's his spokesperson, Katrina Pierson, saying just that:

If Paul Ryan doesn't come around to support Trump, he's not fit to be Speaker -- Donald Trump campaign spokesperson https://t.co/Nz8n33TUiq  New Day (@NewDay) May 6, 2016

But Ryan--like many other Republicans--is uncomfortable with Trump's statements on women, Hispanics, and Muslims. He doesn't believe these stances reflect the party's core beliefs and values.

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So Ryan message to Trump: We don't have to agree on issues, but you must tone it down on matters of race and culture if you want my support.  Byron York (@ByronYork) May 6, 2016

They also have differences on economics, tax reform, and trade.

Here's the problem: Trump will pivot, he already is -- but the pivot will take him *further* away from Ryan on economics.  Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) May 5, 2016

Trump's *only* general election strategy depends on striding over the charred rubble of free trade, entitlement reform, etc.  Ross Douthat (@DouthatNYT) May 5, 2016

Ryan is more conservative than Trump will ever be. Supporting a border wall does not erase liberal economic positions  Greg B (@gregb94) May 6, 2016

Ryan wants entitlement reform, yesterday. Trump wants growth and no touching entitlements. Parties SHOULD fight about this!  Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) May 5, 2016

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And he's questioned Trump's conservatism. Ryan knows he's going to have differences on policy with other politicians, but he isn't exactly sure on Trump being a real Republican.

Conservatives wanted to rebuild D.C. - and began the long, hard work in 2010. Trump supporters only showed up this year to burn it down.  Brad Thor (@BradThor) May 3, 2016

All of this is sparking deep, soul-searching conversations about what in the world *is* the "conservative agenda?" What does Republican mean? What is a conservative? And lastly, what does Trump truly stand for, if anything, aside from himself?

Besides the Wall and Tariffs What does #Trump stand for? Cutting government? Less regulation? Lower taxes? Conserve Judges?Give me something  Chuck Woolery (@chuckwoolery) May 5, 2016

Ryan does have some power and support as House Speaker. He is the chair of the Republican National Convention, where Trump is supposed to be formally nominated in July.

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Republican convention won't be contested but it'll still have all the insane drama of GOP women's club forced to put on a Kanye West concert  John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) May 4, 2016

Some say Trump should be careful when it comes to Ryan.

Seriously, if Trump wants to remove Ryan, I see no reason why the delegates can't decline to support Trump as President at convention  Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) May 6, 2016

What are other Republicans saying about it?

It's dividing the party hard and fast.

Some put party first.

These are the die-hard Republicans who will stand with the party, whoever is the nominee.

That includes RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and Fox News commentator Sean Hannity.

Last night, @realDonaldTrump became the likely presumptive Republican nominee https://t.co/Y5GaGxgaMv  GOP (@GOP) May 4, 2016

Sean Hannity endorses Donald Trump, lashes out at Paul Ryan for "sabotage" https://t.co/eBc8Bsq97Y pic.twitter.com/DGEI44BbxK  Media Matters (@mmfa) May 6, 2016

.@RealBenCarson on Ryan's stance on Trump: You don't have another choice, get behind the choice that you have https://t.co/UYIaixwYQx  Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) May 6, 2016

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There's a lot about Donald Trump that I don't like, but I'll vote for Trump over Hillary any day.  Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) May 4, 2016

There is a growing roar of conservatives saying that if Ryan can't back Trump--the party's new "standard bearer"--he shouldn't be House Speaker.

Sean Hannity lashes out at Paul Ryan: "I'm thinking maybe we need a new Speaker" https://t.co/wWR6OSuJm7  Media Matters (@mmfa) May 6, 2016

Trumps spokesperson says paul Ryan isn't fit to be speaker if he won't support. Trump. Which is ... Wow  john r stanton (@dcbigjohn) May 6, 2016

Feel the love as Donald Trump begins to unify the party. https://t.co/PxG4eirAEc via @theblaze  Bryan Fischer (@BryanJFischer) May 6, 2016

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Some put principles first.

These people are Republicans who say they're #NeverHillary but are not "ready" to back Trump either because they don't see their conservative principles reflected in his statements and proposals.

development since yday's announcement - Ryan aide tells @JRubinBlogger speaker may be open to 3rd party candidate https://t.co/N1EtwZylGs  Rick Klein (@rickklein) May 6, 2016

JUST IN: Romney: I wont vote for either Trump or Clinton https://t.co/zIhcBG7wpF pic.twitter.com/xRdOx0TiEB  The Hill (@thehill) May 6, 2016

"Get on the #TrumpTrain or get out of the way!"

"Ok. I'll get out of the way."

"But that's a vote for Hillary!"  John A. Daly (@JohnDalyBooks) May 5, 2016

Some put country first.

#RepublicansforHillary started almost immediately after Priebus said Trump was the "presumptive nominee."

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Still and always #NeverTrump. That means tonight sees the birth of #RepublicansForHillary  Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) May 4, 2016

A poll for my Twitter pals who voted for Romney in '12. If it's Trump v. Hillary, I'll vote for:  Orin Kerr (@OrinKerr) April 27, 2016

Others have left the party--or are considering it.

Some are going unaffiliated or independent, others libertarian.

There. I'm no longer a Republican. I joined the party of Lincoln and Reagan -- I can't belong to the party of Trump. pic.twitter.com/JBg2vikhap  jon gabriel (@exjon) May 4, 2016

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Like longtime Republican strategist Mary Matalin, who switched her party affiliation to the Libertarian Party. She still says she'd vote for Trump over Clinton.

Many Republicans are tweeting out their political frustrations.

Say with with me everybody: I didn't leave the Republican Party. The Republican Party LEFT ME. I'm OUT. Changed party reg. this morning.  Annie  #SpyGate (@bloodless_coup) May 4, 2016

I always thought I'd finally leave the Republican Party because of the politicians, but in the end it's the voters that drive me away.  Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 3, 2016

And many put Trump first.

Call them the Retrumplicans.

I am not a Republican. I am a #Retrumplican. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain #Trump2016   All About The Trump (@trump_stumps) March 30, 2016

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Why does this matter?

Clearly, the Republican party is fracturing because of Trump. He's not a traditional conservative. Many of his ideas are at odds with the majority of the party. He's also anti-establishment--part of why he's doing so well is that he channels frustrations so many right-leaning Americans have with the dysfunctional political process and leadership.

Now that he's the de facto Republican nominee, the tensions that were simmering are now fully boiling.

Trump's chances of winning could be compromised if his party isn't unified before the general election. He needs every vote he can get. And it may make the Republican convention in July all the more chaotic.

RNC Chairman Priebus is trying to pull it together. Ryan and Trump will be meeting sometime next week.

Wouldn't all of us like to be a fly on the wall listening in on that meeting?

This article was written by Patrick deHahn and originally appeared on Kicker. Kicker explains the most important, compelling things going on in the world and empowers you to get in the know, make up your own mind, and take action. For more, check out the Kicker site, like their Facebook page, or subscribe to their email newsletter.
By contributing writer Nathan Zhang for KidSpirit's Heritage issue.



I still remember walking down a dusty country road in the Chinese city of Chongqing early last summer with my dad, my little brother, and my grandmother. We were walking toward a cemetery lined with graves of the forgotten.

A car rushed past, and the sun sent waves of heat down upon us. Far ahead was a shop. We walked closer and closer until we were right next to it. My grandmother spoke in the Sichuan dialect and said, "We'll take five incense sticks and two of each paper money."

After we bought the goods, we trudged up flight after flight of steps, lined with graves on both sides, until we stopped at one grave.  (Zhang Yonglu), 1933-2007. My grandfather.

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We prepared our money and incense sticks, carefully laying them around the tomb. My grandmother then began to lecture my little brother and me.

"Today is a special day. It is when we honor the deceased and make sure they live well in the afterlife," she said, as my dad lit the incense. "The incense will please the dead, and burning money will ensure that they are not poor in the afterlife."

We all took turns praying to my grandfather, wishing him well in the otherworld, and asking him to protect us from harm and make sure all of our family members stay healthy in this world. We burned the money near the tomb and watched in a daze as the paper turned from a light yellow to a dark brown, curling up as the fire consumed it, releasing trails of smoke and our best wishes into the sky.

Honor your dead as you honor the living. That is what filial piety -- or respect and caring for one's parents, brothers, and ancestors -- means in Chinese culture. It is one of the core concepts of Confucianism, and teaches children to be good to their parents: respect them, care for them, provide them with comfort, and of course, never harm them. We carry on this duty even after our beloved ancestors die. Experiences such as the tomb sweeping help me discover more of my culture and heritage. They show me how people are bound together by heritage and how this dedication carries on no matter what conditions we find ourselves in -- war or peace, hard times or happy times.

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Zeng Zi, one of Confucius's disciples, once said, "Filial Piety is the principle of Heaven, the righteousness of Earth, and the (proper) conduct of the people."

This quote sums up the importance of showing unwavering respect and dedication to your parents, grandparents, and ancestors. It teaches me to respect not just my parents but also all parents in the community, to regard everyone as a family member, to consider everybody's opinion, to be patient and calm, and to respect my community as an extended family.

Traditional Chinese society is based on the family, not the individual, as the quote "" ("If the family is in harmony, all things in the world will go well") implies. Family is the basic social unit in Chinese society. For example, in rural Chinese society people use terms such as "Brother," "Sister," "Auntie," and "Uncle" to address other members of the community. We feel that everyone is part of the community and we treat the community as a big extended family, rather than trying to satisfy our individual needs.

Family values, such as respect and caring, bring our society together, help us survive during tough situations, make us feel empathy when another has suffered a loss, and make us relate with one another since we have the same dreams, the same goals, and, most importantly, the same values.

Filial piety is not only special to me, but to everyone in China. The first chapter of the Chinese book  (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child) is called "On Being Filial At Home." This commitment and dedication to parents and siblings is exemplified during the Chinese New Year, when people take leave from their jobs to visit with their parents, brothers, and sisters back home.

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Last Chinese New Year, I saw on television that about 300 million migrant workers work somewhere outside their hometowns or home provinces. During the days leading up to the New Year, there is a massive exodus of workers, as factories close for two to four weeks and workers rush home to see their families. Many oft them go home by train, but those who cannot afford to take the train use other methods to get home. Some ride motorcycles for two to three days straight; others take cross-country buses, which can be a grueling ride of four or five days. Those worst off hitchhike across China for six to seven days and may face unpredictable weather, such as blizzards or hail, as the New Year falls in the winter months. Some who spend days getting home may only spend one or two days with their families before having to make the journey back to where they work. All of them, however, having grown up with the values of caring and respect, think it is worth the time and hardship to visit their parents and other family members.

I had my own experience similar to this. Two years ago, my mom, dad, little brother, and I were stranded in the Houston airport. We were going back to China to visit my grandparents for the New Year. However, we were caught in the middle of a huge snowstorm and our flight was canceled. After three days of rescheduling, we finally made it to China, just in time to see our grandparents for the Lunar New Year, when we gather as a family to celebrate an auspicious new beginning.

Because community is our extended family, filial piety also teaches people morals that go beyond the family, such as compassion, caring, respect, dedication, perseverance, and respect. Other values are present, too, such as treating everyone equally, offering constructive criticism, dealing with the fact that not everything is going to turn out the way you planned, and allowing room for compromise.

Filial piety hasn't affected me in a dramatic or drastic way, but has managed to change my life for the better in small ways -- I view my teacher as my parent, thanking him or her after class, and never having unnecessary outbursts of rage; I try to communicate with my friends and deal with things that would normally be frustrating.

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On the first day of the Chinese New Year, my brother and I kowtow -- kneel down and bow -- in front of my parents, grandparents, and other elders. We do so to show our respect and dedication to them, and in return they give us small red pouches filled with money. This money will allow us to have a happy year and, it is believed, will protect us from malicious spirits in the New Year. Just as our deceased grandfather in Chongqing protects us in the other world from the evils in this one.
Nepal's LGBT community's parade for same-sex marriage. Photo: Nischal Amatya

Nepal is one of the only countries in the Asian region to provide legislative protection for LGBTI people against discrimination but there is no progress in the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Nepal is most open and forward country for LGBTI rights among other Asian countries. Nepal is one of the only countries in the Asian region to provide legislative protection for LGBTI people against discrimination and only South Africa and Fiji precede Nepal in providing constitutional guarantees for LGBTI rights. Constitution has recognized LGBTI rights as being fundamental, however, the same-sex marriage is yet to legalize.

Same-sex marriage became legal nationwide or in parts of Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Brazil, France, Uruguay, Luxembourg, Ireland, Colombia, Denmark, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the case of same-sex marriage, Nepal is still backward in the world.

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In 2007, Nepal's highest court issued a final judgment on matters related to LGBTI rights, which included permitting same-sex couples to marry. Same-sex marriage and protection for sexual minorities were to be included in the new Nepalese constitution. Nepalese lawmakers approved the first LGBTI protections in the country's constitution. However, the new constitution appeared not to address the legalization of same-sex marriage. LGBTI and LGBTI workers had high hope but lawmakers have disappointed them.

Timeline of LGBTI Rights in Nepal

Photo: Nischal Amatya

During monarchy, a homosexual relation between consenting adults was a kind of crime in Nepal. The 2006 Democracy Movement forced the king to reinstate the parliament, which ended up with the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In 2006, Sunil Babu Pant became the first gay parliamentarian in the first Constituent Assembly. In 2007, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered the government to end discriminatory practices against LGBTI and Nepal became the first country in the region to decriminalize gay sex.

In 2011, Nepal added a third gender category to its census and earlier this year, the government agreed to issue passports that would insert an "O" for other option in the gender box. In 2015, Nepal added explicit laws and rights of the LGBTI community in its new constitution.

No Progress in legalization of Same-sex Marriage

In 2007, the court considered same-sex marriage and asked the government of Nepal to form a committee for that. After 3 years, the government formed a committee of experts to study and make a report about same-sex marriage in Nepal.

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After 5 years, the committee of experts formed in 2010 had submitted a report to Chief Secretary in February 2015. This report recommended Nepal adopts same-sex marriage, family protections and strike out discriminatory provisions from the civil and criminal codes. However, new constitution didn't address that issue and the status of that report is unknown.

New Constitution and LGBTI Rights

Under the new constitution, the LGBTI community is protected against discrimination, violence and abuse. Article 12 of the new constitution states that people have the right to have citizenship ID that reflects their preferred gender. Article 18 covers rights to equality and states that the State will not 'discriminate against any citizens based on origin, religion, race, caste, tribe, gender, language or ideological conviction or any other status.' Article 18 also lists LGBTI people among disadvantaged groups that are recognized by the constitution.

Article 18 also replaces language in the old constitution that references 'male and female' and 'son or daughter' with gender-neutral terminology. Article 42 of the new constitution lists 'gender and sexual minorities,' among groups that will have right to participate in state mechanisms and public services based on the 'principle of inclusion.'
OxyContin 80 mg pills are shot in the studio on August 1, 2013. (Photo by Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Welp, we've done it, folks. It's finally come to this. There have been so many deaths from opioid overdose, so many addicts created, so many pills diverted, that the CDC is getting involved. Opioid pain medications, commonly prescribed to treat acute and chronic sources of pain, are a significant cause of morbidity (harm) and mortality (death) in America. In 2014, the CDC reported a total of 47,055 drug overdose deaths in the United States, 61% of which were attributable to opioids.

So how exactly did we get here? Like most things in medicine, there is not one simple answer. But it's not that hard to trace things back a few decades and pinpoint some major influences.

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Pain as the fifth vital sign. In an effort to standardize and improve pain treatment for patients, a national initiative called Pain as the 5th Vital Sign (P5VS) was rolled out in the late nineties. The well-meaning folks who began this initiative were trying to improve the health and well-being of the over 34 million patients in this country that suffer from chronic pain. Unfortunately, a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine in 2006 showed no improvement in pain control after this initiative. However, this practice still persists throughout medicine, despite there being little evidence to support it.

One problem with assessing pain as a vital sign is, unlike blood pressure and oxygen saturation, it's completely, 100% subjective. I can't count the number of times I've had a patient tell me their pain -- on a scale of 1 to 10 -- is an "eleven" or even " a hundred." How do I, as a physician, interpret that? It's impossible. Objective signs of pain -- elevated heart rate, elevated blood pressure, inability to speak comfortably, and certain exam findings -- don't correlate reliably with patients' self-reported pain scales. I've had patients writhing in obvious, excruciating pain who would rate their pain as a seven, and I've had patients casually texting on their smartphone who tell me they have 15/10 pain. Both of these people deserve to have their pain treated, but it often involves a little trial and error to get it just right.

Another issue with the initiative is that the goal is for pain to be a zero out of ten. Often, especially in the case of chronic pain, that shouldn't be the goal. The goal should be getting a patient to the point that they can be functional, so they can reasonably do the things they need to do to be a productive member of their family, their community, and society as a whole. Unfortunately for those with chronic pain, the concept of being pain-free may be unrealistic. If you must be completely sedated before you experience zero out of ten pain, then we've missed the mark. We haven't improved your life, we've erased it. There needs to be a happy medium.

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OxyContin. The time-release version of oxycodone, OxyContin, was brought to market in 1996. It was heavily marketed, both to consumers directly and to doctors. It was supposed to be the best thing to happen to chronic pain in the history of chronic pain (i.e. civilization). We were told the chances of addition were miniscule because of the time-release formulation, and the potential benefits were unimaginable. The pharmaceutical company that made OxyContin (getting a new patent for a drug that had been around for the better part of a century) did a phenomenal job of getting their product out there, and doctors who hesitated to prescribe it were vilified. It was a veritable love fest, reminiscent of an Oprah Winfrey episode. "You get OxyContin! You get OxyContin! Everyone gets OxyContin!"

If you're reading this, you probably know (or at least have a hunch) that things played out a little differently. Oxycontin became one of the most abused prescription drugs to date and is estimated to cause 100,000 drug-related deaths worldwide per year.

Of course, OxyContin isn't the only prescription drug out there making its way through our communities. It seems there are too many to count these days. And at $10 to $40 per pill, they are worth more than their weight in gold. It's not uncommon for people who become dependent on prescription pain pills to end up turning to heroin because it's cheaper and easier to get than a Percocet.



Patient Satisfaction: Patient satisfaction is not, in and of itself, a problem. It's not that we don't want our patients to be happy. It's quite the opposite. But since we're dealing with health issues and not an ice-cream sundae, sometimes it's just not in the cards. For example, sometimes we must tell a patient that their weight is negatively affecting their health. Or their smoking. Or any other number of bad habits. It's the right thing to do. If we didn't do it, we would be doing our patients a disservice. But it's still not always nice for patients to hear. It doesn't necessarily give them a warm, fuzzy feeling when leaving our office, nor does it make them want to send their friends and family to us to receive the same kind of tough love.

In a much talked about study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in March 2012, Dr. Joshua J. Fenton and colleagues reported that the most satisfied patients had an increased hospital readmission rate, had the highest healthcare expenditures, and had a 26% higher mortality rate than their less satisfied counterparts.

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It is not always satisfying to be seen by a doctor, told that you don't need a test or prescription, and be sent on your way. But sometimes that's the best care. Sometimes it's a viral infection, and antibiotics are more likely to hurt you than help you, so we don't prescribe them. Patients often don't feel as if they've gotten their money's worth when that happens, but it is important to remember that your doctor has had a minimum of seven years of training to be able to provide their expert opinion, and that it is much, much harder to provide reassurance than it is to write a prescription or order a CT scan.

In the case of opioid pain medication, not only is it often not medically indicated to use these medications, but we also take a significant risk each time we prescribe them. We risk our patient developing a dependence or addiction, we risk the medications being diverted or abused, we risk saddling patients with side effects that can be worse than their primary complaint (such as severe constipation and even narcotic bowel syndrome), and we risk someone dying from an overdose of medications we prescribed. Not only are we then "doing harm," which we took an oath against, but we could even possibly be implicated in someone's death. I'm sure no one's forgotten Conrad Murray, the personal physician of Michael Jackson, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after Jackson's death. That's an extreme case, sure, but it can happen.

So, what can we do now that we've gotten ourselves into this mess? Stay tuned for my next blog post, The Opioid Epidemic: Where Do We Go From Here?
CASPER, Wyo.  A legislative committee will discuss state laws that entangled Wyoming in the Panama Papers, 11.5 million leaked documents from a Central American law firm accused of helping wealthy people create shell companies to avoid paying taxes.

Of the 214,488 entities mentioned in the Panama Papers, 24 were found to be registered in Wyoming as limited liability companies, according to a statement from Ed Murray, the Wyoming Secretary of State. The leaked client records came from the Mossack Fonseca & Co. law firm, headquartered in Panama City.

The Wyoming Legislatures Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Interim Committee will discuss the state's limited liability company statutes at a regularly scheduled meeting Monday in Lander, Wyo. Murray and some of his staff members will attend. At least one corporate attorney will participate in person and other corporate attorneys will testify via telephone, said committee chairman Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne.

Its unclear whether any of the attorneys will be critical of Wyomings laws, which have tied the state to several shell company scandals over the years. Federal regulators are not attending the meeting. Zwoniter said thats because he believes Wyomings laws have been congruent with federal laws since an overhaul of the statute in 2009.

An investigation by journalists for the McClatchy Co., found that Wyomings laws are attractive to foreigners because they offer anonymity. The state does not require disclosure of the identities of the organizations officers. The state only requires a Wyoming-based address, but a registered agent can suffice. A registered agent must accept mail for the companies and be a point of contact if the company gets sued. The practice has resulted in a cottage industry of professional registered agent companies in the Cowboy State. Some of the companies employees told McClatchy they didnt themselves know really who was behind the limited liability corporations they represented.

Zwonitzer believes Wyoming's laws are mostly strong. The state may be attractive to foreign groups because of a reputation it had before the 2009 reform and because the state lacks an income tax.

Murrays office will suggest the legislative panel change two small parts of state statute, Zwonitzer said. The secretarys office met with attorneys and compared Wyoming law to other states laws, and found the changes necessary, he said.

One change will prohibit companies from advertising that they have shell companies that they can rent or sell to people.

The Casper Star-Tribune found last month many professional registered agents brag online about Wyomings lax corporation laws, which proponents of the laws would describe as business-friendly.

They can still say we have great laws, Zwonitzer said. They cant say, 'We have (shell) companies you can buy.' There are no good reasons why someone would want to buy a shell company that is 30 years old.

The second change requires an additional person be disclosed as representing the company, Zwonitzer said.

It basically mandates you have two separate individuals who have responsibility for the company, he said. And they have to be separate. One cant work for the other.
When my older daughter first suggested repurposing my 1987 prom dress for her prom this year, I was surprised and skeptical. After all, this dress was the quintessential 80's prom dress - layers and layers of taffeta under a princess pink gown, in a delightfully trendy tea length, with puffy Cinderella sleeves. When I wore it almost (can it be!) thirty years ago, I felt like a princess - a like totally awesome princess.

I loved that dress, but as a rule I'm not all that sentimental, nor am I one to hang on mementos, so I'm not sure why I kept it. Maybe it's because my mother and I had such a lovely afternoon shopping for it.

For my junior prom, I had unceremoniously bought a dress on a whim while I was at the mall with my friends. But for my senior year prom, dress shopping was an event. My mother took me to Saks where a sophisticated saleslady with a British accent brought me gown after gown while she chattered on and on about fit and fashion, hairstyles and young love. I felt very grown up and at the same time very young. It was one of those truly magical mother/daughter day.

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Maybe I kept my prom dress because it was keepsake from a fun time in my life. I went to prom with a boy I really liked and all of my best friends. I remember it as the last great night of what had been a fun four years of high school.

Or maybe I hung on to my 1987, princess pink, tea length, puffy sleeved prom dress because somehow I knew that my future daughters (and their friends) would have hours and hours of fun playing with, on, and in that dress.

And indeed they have.

When my girls were little, my prom dress served as a vital part of every fort, tent, and fairy hut they built. It made a lovely nest for dolls and stuffed animals, and of course, it served as the perfect princess gown for many hours of magical play.

I remember standing at my kitchen window watching the kids and their friends play outside when suddenly one of my daughters' playmates came tearing down our long driveway on her bicycle wearing my prom dress, the fluffy pink skirt flying behind her. Last year that same "little girl" borrowed that same fluffy pink dress for her college's "mock prom".

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As a high school drama teacher, I have used my prom dress for a princess costume in various plays, and several boys have borrowed it for school spirit dress up days.

In 1987 I thought my mother paid a fortune for my prom dress. But looking back over the last 30 years, I'd say we've gotten our money's worth from it. Now that my daughter has worn my dress to her prom, I am convinced we have.

For just over a hundred dollars in alterations, my daughter has what I consider the perfect prom dress. It's fun, flirty, and represents some great times in both of our lives.

And in a couple of years when my younger daughter attends her first prom, she will get to wear the 1987 pink princess prom dress too - the updated version.
On the fourth anniversary of the Korean trade deal, its lofty promises have been revealed as putrid pie in the sky: More jobs lost. No exports gained.

Just like NAFTA, just like Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), free traders swore that the Korean deal would shower jobs and economic prosperity down on America.

It didnt happen. Actually, the exact opposite did. In all three cases, the schemes enticed corporations to close American factories and offshore work. That enriched CEOs and shareholders. But it impoverished millions of American workers and bankrupted communities.

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Now, a backlash is evident in the groundswell of support for insurgent presidential candidates on both the left and right who denounce these failed free trade policies. This is an uprising against a quarter century of Washington, D.C., based free-trade boosterism. Its first victim should be the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a massive scheme between the United States and 11 Pacific Rim countries.

EPI chart

Its gonna be great! Thats what the TPP groupies keep saying. Just like the NAFTA junkies did. Remember when the free traders breathlessly said letting China in the WTO would open up its market of a billion consumers to U.S. manufacturers? Instead, tens of thousands of American factories have closed and China is selling its iPhones, televisions and steel to American consumers.

The deal with Korea is the most recent example of just how badly free traders hurt American workers and communities. The promise from free trade promoters was that the Korean deal would expand U.S. business opportunities and support 70,000 American jobs. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimated exports to Korea would rise by at least $10 billion.

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None of that happened. U.S. exports to Korea have been flat for the entire four years. Meanwhile, imports from Korea rose 26.8 percent. As a result, the U.S. trade deficit with Korea more than doubled in just four years.

That means American workers lost jobs. Instead of Americans manufacturing commodities, Koreans did. Then the goods were shipped to the United States duty free under the deal that was supposed to be so great for American workers.

Robert E. Scott, senior economist and director of trade and manufacturing policy research at the Economic Policy Institute, calculated that in just four years, that trade deficit with Korea cost 95,000 Americans their jobs, mostly in manufacturing.

Free traders bragged at the time the Korean deal was signed that it would finally give American car and parts manufacturers access to the Korean market. And if an increase of less than $1 billion worth of vehicle and parts exports to Korea over four years is access, then its a success. By contrast, imports of Korean cars and parts to the United States increased by $10.6 billion over the same period. Frankly, thats ten times more successful. For Korea.

Thats not the kind of news that devastated former car and car part manufacturing towns like Flint and Ypsilanti, Mich., want to hear after that 70,000-job promise made by those Korean free trade deal pushers. Its certainly not good news either to devastated steel towns like Duquesne and Monessen, Pa., where the metal for cars and car parts was once forged.

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The abject failure, the upside-downness of the Korean deal, is illustrated by these two statistics: The U.S. trade deficit with all nations over the past four years declined slightly, by 5 percent. At the same time, the trade deficit with Korea surged up 115 percent.

Clearly, something is very, very wrong with the Korean deal. And with NAFTA, which is still sucking manufacturers like Carrier over the border to Mexico, a corporate desertion announced in February that will cost 2,100 American workers their jobs at two Indiana plants.

And, similarly, clearly something is wrong with Chinas entry into the WTO, considering that U.S. Steel Corp. just filed a petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission asking it to outlaw all Chinese steel because of numerous violations, including five Chinese military officials hacking into the corporations computers to steal trade secrets.

All of the free trade schemes had the same bad effects. But each time a new one is proposed, like the TPP, its cheerleaders say, No, no, trust me, this one is the one. This time its going to be great!

Dean Baker, co-director of Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), and CEPR economist David Rosnick suggested a reason for this. The free traders keep using the same rosy, but broken model to predict results from proposed trade deals.

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That rosy model claims that gains to the U.S. economy from the TPP would be 0.5 percent of GDP when the impact of the agreement is fully realized in 2030. By contrast, another model by different economists found that the deal would cause a loss in GDP of .54 percent by 2025 and cost the United States 448,000 jobs. Frankly, based on experience from NAFTA, China and the Korean deal, the second, less-perky model seems much more realistic.

And thats what Baker and Rosnick pointed out. They compared the projections from the rosy model to what actually happened. They found the model failed, both for Korea and NAFTA. That raises serious questions about why anyone is using it to predict rosy results for the proposed TPP deal.
My father's father was a draft dodger, trying to avoid becoming cannon fodder in the Tsar's Army. It was the very beginning of the 20th century, and my grandfather was a teenager, studying Torah in a shtetl town in Lithuania, which was part of the Russian Empire at that time. My grandfather's father was a Rabbi, and my grandfather, a yeshiva student spending his days in religious studies, was far too young and inexperienced to know how to serve in anyone's army. However, the Russian army didn't need my grandfather to know how to fight; as a Jewish child of the shtetl, he just needed to know how to die.

His parents looked for a way to save him. First, they arranged an early marriage - to a young woman six years his senior. According to family lore, Grandma and Grandpa never got along particularly well. But worst of all, the marriage would not save him from being eligible for the draft. So in desperation, they got on a boat together, to make a home for themselves in the New World.

My father was the first Jewish baby born in the little town in New Jersey where Grandpa worked in a women's shoe factory; and the neighbors came to view the newborn child, to see what a Jewish baby looked like (did he have horns?). Eventually, the anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiments in the community became too much for Grandpa to handle. So, when my father was nine years old, with two more siblings now part of the family, they all moved to Brooklyn. There, the family prospered, and two more children were born.

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While my grandparents spoke and read no English when they first arrived on our shores, their five children were outstanding first generation Americans. My father wound up going to Harvard Law School, and helped pay for his youngest brother's university education. My father enlisted in the army after Pearl Harbor, and became a captain during World War Two. The youngest brother died in that war. My father married and produced my brother and me, two upright citizens who produced five children between us. So our particular story continues.... And some version of this story exists in most households in America today....

All of us human beings are descendants of migrants, taking our first journeys out of the Cradle of Humankind, in Africa. And we've been on the move ever since, sometimes displacing the earlier residents; sometimes assimilating into their dominant culture; and sometimes remaining separate, perhaps unwanted....

But I keep thinking my grandparents, two young Eastern European Jews coming into the US in the early 1900s. To the Americans already here, they probably seemed dirty, foul-smelling, ignorant, and particularly undesirable, being Jewish. Some of the siblings they came with were definitely left leaning, as well (or, in the current parlance, potential terrorists).

And I keep wondering what would have happened if my grandfather had been born twenty years or so later. What would have happened if he had tried to emigrate to the US in the 1920s, after Congress had passed laws that prevented all those immigrants, "yearning to breathe free", from coming to America. Then, he would have joined the millions of others, the "huddled masses... the wretched refuse" who were murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust. Have we learned nothing from the past?

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I keep thinking about all the people today, trying to escape to another place - so that they can worship as they wish; so they can work to provide for their families; so they can make a better life for their families, for themselves. When we read about what is going on in so many parts of the world today - the civil wars, the political repression, the impact of climate change on communities, the conditions of poverty and hopelessness - is it any wonder that people want to find other places to create a life? Who wouldn't try to go somewhere else, no matter the difficulty and danger involved, to make things better for a child, a parent?

How can we turn our backs on millions of people - people just like our parents, our grandparents, our ancestors? How can we live with ourselves, if we fail them? How can we read the poem by Emma Lazarus, carved on the Lady with the Lamp standing in New York Harbor, without blushing in shame?

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teaming shores.

Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed to me.

I life my lamp beside the Golden Door."
About six months ago, our board at UFODATA was privileged to welcome Christopher Mellon as the newest member of our team. Chris spent nearly 20 years in the federal government serving in various national security positions. For the first time, he has agreed to speak publicly about his experiences within government as they relate to UFOs.



Photo courtesy Chris Mellon

It is unusual for a man of Chris's stature to speak openly about UFOs, which gives his statements great weight. His positions during the Clinton and Bush administrations involved high clearances; in fact, there are few people who have enjoyed such deep and wide-ranging access to compartmented programs in both the Defense Department (DoD) and the intelligence community. Chris is the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Reconnaissance Office Gold Medal and the Defense Intelligence Agency Director's Medal.

At DoD, Chris served on a small committee that provided oversight of all DoD special access programs, in order to eliminate potential waste and duplication. The oversight included visits to Area 51 and other sensitive facilities. He also spent over a decade on the Senate Intelligence Committee, involved in oversight of NRO, CIA, NSA and other intelligence organizations. He became the first Congressional official to review all of the NSA's compartmented programs.

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I wanted to know what Chris had to say about Hillary Clinton's implications that the government may be withholding classified UFO documents. Backed by John Podesta, chairman of her campaign, Clinton has been speaking about the need to "get to the bottom of the UFO mystery." Her comments are unprecedented within a presidential campaign.

Here is my recent conversation with Chris Mellon, mainly conducted via email, edited only for clarity.

Q: When did you first become interested in UFOs?

A: I was about seven years old when I saw an old-fashioned amateur movie taken by a friend of our school principal. It showed a huge, golden disc-shaped object serenely moving through sunny, blue skies, passing through cumulous clouds in a manner that would be very hard to fake. I have no idea what became of the movie, but it filled me with wonder and awe. I read everything I could get my hands on afterwards and eventually did a research project on UFOs in college for a physics professor. I remain deeply intrigued.

Q: Did your colleagues in government know you were interested in UFOs? Were you afraid of being ridiculed?

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A: It was something I didn't reveal to colleagues unless I got to know them well and we became personal friends. Even then of course I wasn't a nut about it and I certainly was not obsessed; it was simply a subject of great curiosity. It did not come up often. I was focused like a laser on my duties 99.9 percent of the time.

Q: Hillary Clinton has been asked about UFOs during her campaign. As the former Secretary of State, would she be likely to know if there were any classified government programs involving UFOs?

A: No, I don't think so. I recall instances when White House officials sought briefings on highly compartmented DoD programs and were flatly refused. Access to such programs is on a need to know basis. In general, nobody outside DoD, including the Secretary of State, is deemed to have a need to know. Officials like John Podesta and Secretary Clinton can easily serve for years in senior positions and be avid consumers of classified intelligence analysis but never obtain access to DoD's compartmented programs, which mostly relate to new weapons systems. Information about such programs rarely leaks because it doesn't circulate, unlike the constant stream of leaked information regarding classified intelligence activities.



Chris (right) with former Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen in 1995. Note the inscription: "The Other Man who kept all the secrets." Chris drafted the bill for Cohen that established the US Special Operations Command.

photo  Chris Mellon

Q: Do you think that if Clinton is elected we can expect to learn new information about UFOs?

A: I highly doubt DoD or any other government agency is concealing UFO information. I participated in a comprehensive review of DoD's black programs and spent over a decade conducting oversight of the national foreign intelligence program, an almost totally separate world of secrets. I visited Area 51 and other military, intelligence and research facilities. During all those years, I never detected the faintest hint of government interest or involvement in UFOs.

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Q: Clinton and John Podesta have been focusing on the need for de-classifying government documents. What do you think about that?

A: While a few new, previously overlooked documents might turn up (the bureaucracy is never perfect), I do not believe they would resolve the UFO issue or provide significant new insights. I can think of one lengthy UFO report that is classified only due to concerns over sources and methods. In fact, it identified a convincing conventional explanation for the pilot sightings in this particular case. There are lots of classified documents related to activities at Area 51, where high security is needed. But this is all legitimate stuff the American people would support. They have nothing to do with UFOs, to the best of my knowledge.



Q: Do you recall any incidents involving UFOs while you were in government?

A: Yes, there were a handful of incidents. Knowing of my interest in UFOs, a breathless naval aviator called me one day to report that he was present minutes earlier when a Navy jet landed after being circled by a UFO in broad daylight. The Navy did not pursue the issue as far as I could tell. I also recall the Maui Optical Tracking Facility, which tracks satellites, recording a flight of four or five fiery UFOs traversing the night sky. Nobody knew what to make of it. But no government official expressed the slightest interest even after the tape was featured on ABC's Nightline. I found the utter lack of scientific curiosity due to political correctness highly frustrating.



Q: How do you think the press and public will react if Clinton is elected, makes the inquiries she promised, but comes up empty-handed?

A: I think the conspiracy theorists will be angry and unconvinced, while the general public may conclude UFOs are not a worthwhile topic. If Clinton really wants to get to the bottom of the UFO issue, I think she should officially task NORAD with collection and analysis responsibility. Simultaneously, she should assign the Office of Science and Technology Policy the job of reviewing available evidence, coordinating with other countries and providing scientific assessments and recommendations.

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Q: The taboo against taking UFOs seriously is a huge problem. How can we get more government officials to change this ingrained attitude?

A: I think we have to ask ourselves a key question, and then bring it forward. "Are there UFO cases that are sufficiently well-documented to warrant a scientific investigation of the phenomenon?" In my view, the answer is yes.

The patterns in the data are too strong; the reports from credible witnesses separated widely by time and place too similar; the evidence from videos and trained military and law enforcement observers too extensive; and the independent radar data in select cases correlates too highly with visual observations to safely ignore. Finally, when someone you trust and respect, like a naval aviator, looks you in the eye and tells you he saw something truly extraordinary at close range, it's hard not to take his testimony seriously. It is arrogant, unreasonable and unwise to dismiss such reports. We should simply and impartially follow the trail wherever it leads.

Q: Which credible UFO incidents have you found particularly impressive and convincing?



A: A few stand out in my mind. In November 1989, 13 police officers and hundreds of other witnesses saw two silent triangular craft gliding over Belgium. This was the beginning of a wave of sightings there lasting well over a year. Ground and air radar data were acquired as well. The Belgian Air Force investigated the events in cooperation with a team of scientists and consulted with the U.S. and NATO countries, but could not find a conventional explanation.



An artist's rendition of the Belgium UFO that made repeated visits in 1989-90



Colonel Wilfried De Brouwer, who later became a general, presents anomalous radar readings at a 1990 press conference during the Belgian wave

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On the night of March 30, 1993, over a hundred witnesses in England, including police officers and military personnel, saw a triangular-shaped craft able to rapidly accelerate in seconds from a hovering position. The British Ministry of Defense stated that "none of the usual explanations put forward to explain UFO sightings seem applicable" and concluded that the evidence showed that "an unidentified object (or objects) of unknown origin was operating over the UK."

Similarly, multiple police officers in Southern Illinois saw an object in January 2000 that looked and behaved very similarly to the Belgian and British UFOs. In fact, the Illinois police officers' drawings of the craft are uncannily similar to the depictions of triangular craft produced by Belgian law enforcement officers a decade earlier, as well as many others since.



A Belgian Air Force weather forecaster drew his sighting in 1990

 SOBEP archives

In 2006, pilots and airport personnel witnessed a disc-shaped object hovering over O'Hare airport for over five minutes, yet no government investigation was undertaken.

And, while most sightings have conventional explanations, I think it is stunning how many reports come in regularly to groups like MUFON, with impressive detail, including photos or videos. I often hear from skeptics, "If UFOs are out there how come nobody ever gets a video with all the smartphones around?" That is ignorant, it happens all the time!

Q: Some people believe the more recent sightings in cases such as those you mentioned may simply be US government tests of experimental aircraft. Is that possible?

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A: I can understand why this may seem the most plausible explanation. But I can assure you, those objects did not belong to US Department of Defense. Just before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I was contacted by the DoD Office of Congressional Affairs. They were in a tizzy because Robert Byrd, the powerful Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was challenging them over reports appearing in magazines such as Aviation Week and Space Technology describing an alleged super-secret US aircraft program dubbed "Aurora."

Senator Byrd would use his budget power to punish the department severely if we lied to him or withheld information. We pursued all possible options, double-checking with the appropriate officials while reminding them of the imperative of providing an accurate response. We quickly confirmed what we already knew - that while there are always things on the drawing board, there was nothing remotely resembling such aircraft being operated by the department. We had nothing with the capacity to hover and then silently accelerate at massive speeds.

Also, it is totally uncharacteristic of the US military to conduct experimental tests of new vehicles over populated areas where security would be compromised and innocent civilians placed in harms way. That's completely contrary to military DNA. Alien visitation is actually easier to believe than that level of stupidity being exhibited by the brilliant people developing new aircraft technologies for DoD.

Q: Are you certain there is no government cover-up?

A: It's impossible to prove the negative, so all I can say is that I never saw any evidence of official interest in UFOs. I'd love to believe we have a crashed saucer somewhere, but I've never seen anything remotely supportive of such incredible claims. In my experience, on those rare occasions when UFO incidents involving the government occur, they are highly inconvenient, awkward and embarrassing for the afflicted government officials who want nothing more than to put the issue behind them as quickly as possible! The military seems generally unwilling to investigate even when UFO reports come from our own military pilots or officials in high office such as Fife Symington, the former governor of Arizona. Senior officials are so fearful of being ridiculed that they conceal any expression of interest or curiosity.

Q: Some inside sources have proposed that retrieved hardware from a UFO may exist within a private aerospace company which has become independent from the DoD. In this way, it would be exempt from government oversight and known only to a few people. Do you think this is possible?

A: I find it hard to imagine something as explosive as recovered alien technology remaining under wraps for decades. So while I have no reason to believe there is any recovered alien technology, I will say this: If it were me, and I were trying to bury it deep, I'd take it outside government oversight entirely and place it in a compartment as a new entity within an existing defense company and manage it as what we call an "IRAD" or "Independent Research and Development Activity."

Q: So where does this all leave us, and what is to be done?

A: In my view, calling for the end to an alleged government UFO cover-up is almost certainly a dead end, and does not help inspire anyone in government to become more open to the topic. The UFO mystery is a scientific problem. A true scientist seeks and follows the data no matter how politically incorrect the facts may be. The greatest scientific breakthroughs occur when we verify information that challenges conventional wisdom. That's why I joined the board of UFODATA.

Q: I'm so glad you did. What kinds of new data are you hoping we will collect?

A: Our team of scientists and engineers are designing and will build a large network of automated surveillance stations with sophisticated sensors to capture a wide range of data. The stations will house cameras to record both an image and spectra, a magnetometer, instrumentation to detect radiation, a gravimeter, and more. They will be mobile so that we can readily deploy them to areas that become hotspots of UFO activity. We can then make the data available to the scientific community for analysis.

Q: Do you think UFOs could be visitors from civilizations elsewhere?
On May 17th, 2011 I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer. Before that day I never took a prescription drug to survive. I never visited doctors unless I was a snotty, gross mess. I never questioned death or had any real fear of missing out on anything in the future. I had the ability to be stranded on an island and live. Not that I would want to, but I loved that I had that option. I remember telling my mom after I had Lasik surgery on my eyes, "I don't need anything now, not glasses, not a thing!" That all changed once I had cancer. My world turned upside down and I changed and I'll never be the same person I was on May 16th. I'm reliant on not just one pill, it's five pills to be exact, but I survived. That's the beauty of disease, it makes you live a fuller, more appreciative life.

Now, I never take it for granted the time I have with my family and friends. I find the positive point of view (or side) as much as I can without being annoying. I breathe deeper and count the blessings that I've been so lucky to accumulate. I hug longer, which can be annoying to people at the grocery store, but hugs feel good. Connection with others is what makes people live longer. I think Facebook is a contributing factor to longevity as it's a community of love, except for the cyberbullies, but they need love too, actually, more of it.

Right before my cancer, I lost my mom to another form of cancer so my constant thought was, "She didn't beat it, what makes me any different or more special than she was?" She was pretty special so I didn't think I stood a chance. Especially when the surgeon told me it was a bad kind of cancer. Thankfully, he was wrong, but I faced death and was about to board a plane to travel the globe when the pathologist called with the correct diagnosis. After I healed from the radiation therapy, I did travel to Italy, Israel and France. I took my amazing daughter to Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. I could not leave this Earth without showing her what the world would be like if smoking wasn't banned in public places. Las Vegas is the perfect place to not breathe deep but all the lights are super pretty.

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I tend to evaluate things more quickly to see if it adds value to my life or just depletes my energy reserve. My 81-year-old grandma, who beat cancer almost thirty years ago, has finally decided that she will only do what she wants to do and not do anything just because that's what everyone else wants. And that includes not attending weddings. I don't want to wait to make myself happy in another forty years. I used my cancer card when I was sick, but no one should need a get out of an event free card. People should just do what they want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. Feelings don't count as we have the ability to control how we respond, and although I will miss seeing grandma at a wedding this summer, I am happy for her and her happiness.

The chemical cleaners and processed foods that I used to have around the house and in the cupboard have slowly disappeared, as I become more educated about products and ingredients. I stopped eating cheese but, let's be honest here, I just had to eat cheese in France, I mean that's what you do. My face broke out so bad that I know now that I can't eat cheese, at least not in that quantity. It sucks but my skin clearly, well not so clearly, showed me that it's not healthy for me. My body is the only one I have so I stopped eating cheese again. Chocolate and wine are a completely different story.
There is a line of reasoning in political circles which says that Barack Obama created the phenomenon of Donald Trump.

I aver that Donald Trump is a creation of the post-Watergate media. Collectively we have made running for office so absolutely awful, so fraught for families and careers that only two types of office seekers have the fortitude for public life: the grotesques, who are outside of the norms of the political culture, and the shopworn.

Both are on display as we trudge toward November wondering how in a country of so much talent so little of it has been on the ballot in this primary season.

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The rot, I submit, began with Watergate when publishers and editors came to believe that the mission of the media was not only to scrutinize the policy views of elected officials but also to rip down the bedroom door, peer into the piggy bank and examine every word in print or on tape that a candidate has uttered since high school, whether in jest or earnest.

We confused personal rectitude -- or rectitude according to the norms of public morality of the day -- with sagacity, statesmanship and talent to lead. In the days before Watergate, Jack Kennedy could do with impunity what got Bill Clinton impeached.

Now that Watergate is 44 years behind us, its legacies are many, but two stand out. The first is that journalists in large numbers were suddenly attracted to covering politics in a way that fewer had been previously. The late Arnaud de Borchgrave, who covered 18 wars, noted disapprovingly that young journalists nowadays aspire to cover politics when they used to aspire to be foreign correspondents.

Even in these days of restrained budgets, Capitol Hill, and to a lesser extent the White House, is flooded with journalists, from the national media to the smallest newsletter. Politics is big news and that is good for business. As the incredibly successful Politico editors like to say, "flood the zone."

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But Congress is a deliberative body and moves slowly, so the news maw is fed with gossip. When the secrets of the budget are not clear or hard to get at, there is always the personal conduct of those working on the budget. If a member of Congress goes out to lunch with someone, anyone, a family member, it will be reported somewhere.

Photo Credit: Pete Sousa

We're watching you

Being in public life is now like being on trial day in and day out without knowing what evidence the prosecution has or when it will bring it forward. In fact, being in public life has become God awful and no talented person ought to want to do it.

No wonder no one holding public office wants to stray from the talking points. A few stray words can bring you down, unless you are so outlandish that you have nothing say but stray words in lieu of coherent ones, like Donald Trump.

Watergate washed away unwritten rules under which what political figures did after hours was not fair game. I once saved a cabinet member from a situation with two "ladies" who did not have his best interests at stake. Everyone knew why a certain congressman liked to travel to Mexico -- and it was not for tacos. Publicly, it was debated whether the statesman Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan drank too much and no less a person than that public scold, George Will, defended the New York senator by concluding that the great man drank just enough.

Olin "Tiger" Teague, a revered chairman of the House Science Committee, served drinks to his guests at 11 a.m. -- and if you wanted an audience, you enjoyed a glass of bourbon with the Texas congressman. Today, you are lucky to get a plastic bottle of water during a Capitol Hill visit.

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A Capitol Hill secretary of my acquaintance was proud of the number of congressmen she had bedded, including some in leadership.

The post-Watergate, unwritten rules of scrutiny, which imply that in private conduct there are clues to public greatness, rather than bringing a new morality to politics, only frightened off the talented, the effective and the patriotic and created a space for the outrageous and the shopworn. Look to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and wonder no longer how we got that unappetizing choice to lead the nation.
About four or five episodes into any Netflix binge, we all have the thought: I have to get a job on this show. For most, it only lasts the 10 seconds of credits. But NYC native Matt FX Feldman has followed through. He's the Music Supervisor for Broad City. That means he pairs the soundtrack to every scene in the femmillenial Comedy Central smash hit. Season 3 may be over (tear), but FX isn't taking any time off. He's the mind behind Scooter Island, an up and coming alternative artist collective whose tunes he often places beneath Abbi and Ilana's shenanigans. And not without reason. Scooter Island's single "Breezy" was the jam heard on rooftops round the world last summer. Oh, and he still DJs in his spare time in his spare time as a part of TRIBES NY. When we met at Soho House, he made it sound like serendipity. But it's clear that FX has networked, homeworked, and extracurriculared his way into so many millennials' dream job. Here's how.

FX has always been on the creative track, but you'd be surprised by how similar his career path is to your LinkedIn profile. A classically trained Soprano, Feldman had a brief stint at University in Poland in 2012 before returning to a year of self-described "floundering." FX worked in a mailbox store, as a nanny, and myriad other "weird drop-out minimum wage jobs." His main focuses, it seems, were networking and content creation, before the latter was the 2016 buzzword of the year. He entrenched himself in a creative crowd--the very same actors, artists and musicians I met when he DJed Le Bain three years later, an infamously ritzy NYC nightclub known for its skyline views and rooftop hot tubs. Through it all, FX never stopped making music. On his own, with his friends, and with his friends' friends over tacos on a Friday night. Those late-night beats would eventually make their way into his gigs, onto the Scooter Island EP, and into your living room via Broad City. Those friends would become the likes of Phantogram, AlunaGeorge, and Blood Orange-all of whom FX discovered through these endeavors. Everyone still loves his tacos.

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Through his crew, Feldman made his way into the production office for UK teen drama Skins, where he managed to get a (yes, fire) mix-tape to co-creator Brian Elsley. FX recalls the flurry, how he, "came in and immediately was just like can I meet the music guy? Can I intern for him? Can I send him a playlist? Can I play you some music? And he's like, 'Yea, send me a mix.' And the next day he calls me in and goes, 'Yea, you need to quit your day job.'" Skins only lasted one season, but FX had made his mark. When Broad City needed a last minute Music Supervisor, he got the call.

Three seasons in, most of us might call it quits after landing a spot on one of the most coveted shows on air right now. But FX's hustle is relentless. Between seasons, he's building out his multi-genre collective, Scooter Island: "Music Supervision is someone else's picture with someone else's music, and I hope one day it will be my picture and my music. That feels like the fulfillment of my dream, my distant future, hopefully." The Scooter Island EP is a testament to FX's hustle. Each song is an articulate feeling, the whole album a warm sunny Saturday in NYC. Fittingly, FX has dubbed the genre 'Rooftop Music' and it has led to some seriously innovative collaborations: "Sometimes I'll do a little like, musical cupid's arrow. I'll take two artists, and just be like, oh check out this sick remix this producer did! Oh! I'm making tacos on Friday, you guys should come over! That's generally when the best collaborations come out." So friendship turns into music, leading to features from underground darlings like JunglePu**y.

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So what have we learned today, class? In five years, FX has built a brand for himself in some of the most competitive professional fields, TV production and DJdom, to name a few. Sure, he is gifted. But more importantly, he is unafraid to chase after the impossible or the unheard of. Chances are if you're building three careers simultaneously, one of them will work out. So don't quit your day job, just start grinding at night.


Intel Free Press, Photo  Kee Seng Heng, system validation engineer, Penang, Malaysia.



Standing squarely in front of an archery target, when you draw an arrow back to take aim, creating a triangle of tension on the bow, there is a massive amount of potential energy building up to make the arrow fly. Similarly, right now in the international climate community, there is a growing sense of the tremendous potential at our fingertips.

For a long time, we've had our eye on the target--keeping global temperatures from, at worst, surpassing 2 degrees Celsius. But right now, climate policy and technology are aligning, accelerating progress. In just the past few years, we've seen the adoption and recent signing of The Paris Agreement, significant investments in research and development, and crucial advancements in the clean energy sector.

The potential is growing, and our bow string is getting tighter. The exciting potential of this mounting progress is how it is creating a new space ripe for energy innovation. Right now, emerging technologies in the energy sector could truly transform our future.

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Out of laboratories, think tanks, scientific partnerships and--in some cases--out of the bottom of the sea, ideas for green energy are taking off, some with the power to act as disruptive innovations, changing the accessibility of and markets for the energy sector.

Across the world, scientists are looking to technology to stir breakthroughs in energy consumption. The Nature Conservancy's NatureNet Science Fellows Program partners with leading universities to drive scientific advancements in conservation. Many of this year's fellows are at the forefront of climate science and technology, accelerating innovations to push the boundaries of scalable climate solutions beyond what is currently possible.

At the University of Pennsylvania, new research by a NatureNet Science Fellow is focused on converting waste heat to electricity. Right now, half of all energy generated is lost through inefficiencies such as wasted heat or steam. This research into more flexible thermoelectric fibers creates opportunities to insulate heat waste hot spots--such as building pipes or manufacturing sites--and convert the lost heat into electricity, much like a solar panel converts sunlight. Waste heat recovery is a very big, very exciting opportunity with scalable potential that could significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Other breakthroughs include further improvements in the biofuel field. For a long time, algae production has been studied for its potential to provide sustainable renewable energy, but current production inefficiencies--primarily the energy it takes to keep the algae moving and exposed to sunlight--have prevented its use. To address this issue, a fellow working at the University of Pennsylvania and the NASA Ames Research Center in California is looking at giant clams' unique system for harvesting energy from algae. Living in nutrient-poor waters, the clams contain outer cells with crystals that not only give them beautiful coloring, but make extremely efficient use of the available sunlight to feed the algae in their tissues. It's a process that scientists are working to mimic with technology, which has tremendous potential to revolutionize the use of renewable energy from algal biofuels.

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Research diver from The Nature Conservancy, Mohair McLauda, inspects a huge Giant Clam (Tridacna gigas), on the ocean floor at Kofiau. Photo  Jeff Yonover.

As alternative energy productions develop, new improvements in energy storage are also emerging. Technology and electric car companies, acutely aware of the limitations of today's batteries, are looking to new materials and methods for storage and performance. One promising solution is emerging from a NatureNet Science Fellow working at the Transformative Materials and Devices Laboratory at Yale University. Lithium-air (also called lithium-oxygen) batteries can store more energy per weight than current lithium-ion batteries, but until recently have performed with far inferior life-cycles. Scientists have developed a new and improved architecture for lithium-air batteries that could potentially open up a new era for electric vehicles by giving them the same mileage ranges as cars powered by gasoline. Advancements in batteries also promise crucial advantages for renewable energies.

Technological advancements like these, though still in the early stages, could be transformative for global efforts aimed at achieving climate stabilization goals. Better yet, the political and economic space for these developments is further cultivating their potential. Already, we're seeing major investments in research and development from both the public and private sectors.

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At the UN Climate Conference in Paris, Bill Gates unveiled the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a group of more than two dozen wealthy sponsors that plan to invest in clean energy technology companies. On that same day, President Barack Obama announced Mission Innovation, an agreement among 20 countries--including the world's top three emitters, China, the United States and India--to double public funding for clean energy development by 2020.

Technological progress is essential to climate stabilization goals. The Paris Agreement alone is currently not enough to keep global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels. Even if all the pledges are fulfilled, global temperatures will likely warm by around 2.7- 3.5 degrees Celsius, a range considered catastrophic by many climate scientists. The world needs to reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent in the coming decades--a feat that is out of reach without technological and political advancements.

As budding innovations evolve, the good news is we're seeing that a green energy revolution has already started. What economists and scientists are calling the "Fourth Industrial Revolution" is upon us, and green energy is helping power it.

In 2015, the majority of new power added to the electrical grid came from renewable sources, primarily wind and solar. And for the past two years, renewable energy sources have surpassed fossil fuels in growth. This is indicative of a larger shift in the energy sector. While the U.S. economy has been growing over the past decade, we're seeing a decline in overall energy use--a decoupling that could widen with emerging developments.

The future of our world is closely tied to the future of our energy use. Right now, we are getting exciting glimpses of what that future could look like. As climate policy and technology continue to align and accelerate progress, they create increasing potential for transformative technology to help the world reach our sustainability bull's-eye.
Photo: Derrick Santini

L.S. Hilton grew up in England and has lived in Key West, New York City, Paris and Milan. After graduating from Oxford, she studied art history in Paris and Florence. She has worked as a journalist, art critic, and broadcaster.

Her debut novel and the first in a trilogy, Maestra, is a psychological thriller about Judith Rashleigh, an assistant at a London art gallery. By night, she's a hostess at a champagne bar and is familiar with the ways of the wealthy. When she's fired from her art gallery job, she accompanies one of the champagne bar's biggest clients on a trip to the French Riviera. While there, a fatal accident befalls that client. For various reasons, Judith must assume a different identity, and she turns herself into an extraordinary femme fatale.

Judith Rashleigh is a fascinating character. Tell us a little about her.

She's ambitious and extremely independent, as well as quite funny and just slightly sociopathic [Laughter]. To me, she's a very modern young woman and totally unapologetic about her desires and ambitions. She's also unapologetic about her body. She tends to make some people very angry, which I suppose, is a good thing. I've been living with her for quite some time, and have become very fond of her. She's become a slightly strange friend of mine.

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Maestra's descriptions of the glossy, sleek life of the super-rich are fabulous. Are they based on your own experiences?

I wish they were. [Laughter]. When I wrote the book, I had in mind the sort of books I liked reading when on holidays. I would call them sunburn books--the kind where you tell yourself, 'I'll read one more page before I leave the beach' and before you know it, you've been sunburned.

As an adolescent, I really loved the 70s and 80s blockbusters which were often about pleasure and fun. They took me to different worlds. So, I wanted to write something that would transport the reader to a very different and glamorous world. The exotic locations in the novel enhance that experience.

Judith seems to be a morally complex 'anti-heroine.' Do you agree with that?

I do. In many ways, she is an anti-heroine. At times, she can be quite nasty. The challenge for me was to make the reader stay with and root for her, even though she's horrible in certain respects. She's not a typical heroine in the way she makes her way through the world. But I hope readers will find her a sympathetic character. She's capable of friendship; has a good sense of humor; has a strong sense of fair play; and most importantly, doesn't take herself too seriously.

She's also been described as reminiscent of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Do you feel that's accurate?

Actually, I don't, though I'm flattered by the comparison. Lisbeth Salander is motivated primarily by revenge. Lisbeth was also horribly traumatized as a young woman. And she's considerably more imaginative and violent than Judith.

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Judith is certainly murderous when she needs to be, but she's practically minded. She doesn't kill unnecessarily. Both protagonists are complex and powerful, so in that sense, I can see the connection between them.

You're obviously comfortable with writing graphic scenes of sexual activity. Will you talk about that?

Yes, they are graphic. I think Judith is part of a sexually graphic generation--she's part of the 'hook-up' culture. I think the Internet has changed the way people interact socially and sexually. Like it or not, we've undergone another sexual revolution in the last ten years. People talk and think about sex differently now than before.

For me, the words Judith uses and the things she does are honest and feel modern to me. I describe them so graphically for two reasons: the first is I felt it was realistic for the character and consistent with her voice. These are the words she would use to describe sex. Second, it's a technically interesting challenge for a writer to describe sexuality in an effective way.

I don't know if you're aware of the British Bad Sex Award. It's an award given every year by The Literary Review to a literary novel which is spoiled by a sex scene. The award has been given to John Updike and Jonathan Littel, among other luminaries.

The problem with writing about sex is one person's erotic scene can very quickly become someone else's comic scene. I wanted to write about sex in a way that was clear. To do that, you must get rid of metaphors; you have to minimize adjectives; and you have to use proper nouns. I wanted to write about things adults do, using the words adults use. There was no place for euphemisms or sentimentality in Maestra.



Judith assumes and sheds identities with ease, so I must ask if Maestra partly concerns questions about self-definition.

Yes, I think it very much concerns self-definition. It's about a woman who tries to do things the right way, but that doesn't quite work out for her. She realizes she's been reduced to a sex object, so she turns certain prejudices against the person with those pre-judgements. Her journey is very much towards self-definition. She's not actually interested in money or in living a luxurious lifestyle. She's intent on being free and living her life on her own terms. Her self-definition isn't found in material things. It's found in those things to which she has the most passionate emotional response; and those things involve beauty. She wants to live a gracious life amongst beautiful things.

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I understand Sony's TriStar Pictures purchased the film rights. Who do you see playing Judith?

Of course, that won't be my decision. I would be interested in seeing an unknown actress playing the part. I think readers want to see the character, but not see a star playing her.

Two more books about Judith are coming. Where will her travels take her?

There's a clue in the first book about something quite unexpected happening in the second one. The second book has something to do with Caravaggio and features some Eastern European locations. The third goes back to Italy with certain characters reappearing. But Judith herself evolves over the course of the three books.

Congratulations on penning Maestra, the opening salvo of a trilogy about a ferocious heroine, a page-turning novel that's also been described as dipping into the same psychological waters as Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Sexism and Racism Still Infect Advertising Industry

The lawsuit filed earlier this year by Erin Johnson, the chief communications officer of J. Walter Thompson that led to CEO Gustavo Martinez's subsequent resignation, will surprise no woman who has worked in advertising. Johnson charges Martinez with subjecting employees "to an unending stream of racist and sexist comments as well as unwanted touching and other unlawful conduct" which included rape jokes and comparing African-Americans to apes. In a video used as evidence against him, Martinez says that he "found such different and strange characters in the elevator" in a Miami event "I was thinking I was going to be raped in the elevator -- and not in a nice way." Attendees say a party, largely attended by African-Americans, was taking place.

As a copywriter working for an ad agency which later became part of McCann Erickson, I personally witnessed the Mad Man-style sexism and racism Erin Johnson describes.

Where I worked, all the men had offices and all the women had cubicles, paralleling the pay structure in which women earned an insulting fraction of what men were making. There were two exceptions: a solitary female vice president who told me she achieved her post by "keeping my mouth shut" and a female art director who had an office that was a windowless hole. The male art director had a big office with windows.

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Women account executives were banned from servicing the top accounts because clients would be offended if they were assigned women and think they were getting shabby treatment. Once a note surfaced from a meeting in which a client asked a male account executive "why is the bimbo in the room?" referring to a female employee.

On the birthday of a male vice president, we women were asked to hold lighted cupcakes in front of our breasts for him to blow out as he circled the room.

Why? Because he was a "boob man" they told us. Another woman and I refused. "It is not that I don't have a sense of humor" said my refusenik friend. "It is because on my birthday I am not going to have eclairs to blow out."

When the general manager's door was shut it usually meant the female office manager was in there providing Monica Lewinsky-style ministrations. She would come out beaming, telling me about the "affair." As with Mad Men days, the only power women could hope for was through a powerful man.

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There were no African-American employees. The only African-American on the premises was a man who came biweekly to tend to the plants. Employers would not ride the elevator after he did and literally pinched their noses when he showed up, implying he smelled. I wish I were kidding.

Women and minorities were not the only ones ridiculed and abused by the ad frat boys." Clients were also mocked and deceived--as if they weren't supporting the agency and our wages. As if we weren't eating lavish meals supplied by our restaurant clients and staying in luxurious rooms supplied by our hotels clients. Once a car dealer client asked how much it would cost to do a minor edit on his TV commercial. We all knew it was several hundred dollars but the account executive told the client with a straight face several thousand dollars. What's an added zero or two?

And, speaking of financial excess, production companies and other suppliers who wanted our business were always ready to pack a nose or two with cocaine--and the "snortola" worked.

Why would grown women in sound mind hold lighted cupcakes in front of their breasts as part of their job? For the same reason an Anita Hill would put up with a Clarence Thomas. (Hill is an American attorney who accused Thomas of sexually harassing her while he was her boss at the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.) How do you complain to higher-ups about abuse when it is the higher-ups doing the abusing?
CASPER, Wyo.  The Department of the Interior will be competing with other bidders in 2017 if it fails to purchase two parcels of state-owned land in Grand Teton National Park this year.

An auction would put the land at risk for residential or commercial development.

Wyoming estimates the 1-square-mile parcels are worth $92 million combined, far less than the $1,855 generated annually for the state through cattle grazing on one of the plots of land.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal told federal officials in 2010 that the two parcels had to be sold at their appraised value.

Federal dollars could fund almost half of one parcel's $46 million price. Private donations would account for the rest.

State land use revenue funds schools. Commercial leases generated $243 million last year.
There will be a day of reckoning. Sooner or later the investment community will begin to expect sustainable profitability from their highly touted investments, regardless of how photogenic the CEO may appear at conferences. Training wheels will be removed as funding levels taper off and it will be interesting to see if some of these high-flying brands will stand on their own.

We have already seen what happens when the screw turns against companies like Theranos, where the promise of easy blood testing was laid bare by a brutal Wall Street Journal investigative piece. Instead of buying more black turtlenecks, their founder Elizabeth Holmes is trying to salvage her battered credibility and keep her business afloat.

As I looked at the jarring events over at Square, I wonder about their long-term sustainability. Questions linger whether or not the organization founded by Twitter's Jack Dorsey will find long-term profitability, like what is expected by credit card houses like Amex, Visa, or MasterCard, banks like Bank of America, or non-bank processors like Worldpay.

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On Friday, alarm bells rang loud in the San Francisco tech sector. While Square continues to sustain an ever-expanding growth track in GPV, which is Gross Payment Volume or annual charge volume, (nearly doubling to $10.3 billion in Q1) and its revenues outpaced expectations (adjusted revenues of $146.2 million, again nearly doubling that figure from same period last year) the Q1 loss also doubled to $98.1 Million from the same period in 2015.

Square's senior team was quick to point out that part of the loss stemmed from a lawsuit settlement surrounding its founding technology, the dongle. However, Square has fallen into the classic trap of growing its expense structure far ahead of its ability to generate revenue. Square's CFO replied that the company "(is) still very much in investment mode" and it serves as a signal to the investment community that there will be more red ink to come. Considering that Square remains a tech darling, those comments should suffice for the short term.

Unlike the train wreck over at Theranos, Square's technology works--and works well. The technology of connecting a dongle (as well as a chip-reading EMV card reader) to a smartphone has served to disrupt payment technology in its most fundamental fashion. An iPad or an iPhone can be transformed into a POS terminal--and it can be as mobile as the business owner so long as there is decent cell coverage.

Square remains a great place for a new business to begin to process bank cards and American Express because of its low barrier to entry, minimal underwriting, and ease of use. When you start an enterprise in your garage or on your dining room table, using Square allows you to quickly embrace a plastic-ready audience.

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Square opened up credit card acceptance to whole segments of commercial activity, many of them micro businesses. Many were cash-only due to necessity; accepting Visa or MasterCard was often too much of a hassle or not worth the expense. Square has an easy-to-understand pricing model that starts at 2.75% and moves upward depending upon how merchants transact.

For the past couple of years, Square's senior team has been trying to figure out how to move beyond those micro-merchants and attract larger and more profitable merchant clients.

A brand partnership 2012 with Starbucks was announced with a loud splash but died with a whimper. Starbucks invested $25 Million into Square and soon their 7,000 American locations used Square as their exclusive merchant processor. However, Square lost their shirts to the tune of $71 Million and the relationship ended in 2015, proving once again that technical disruption and profitability often travel on different highways. Square learned the hard way that expectations found within large brands are far different than what they've experienced with smaller micro-merchants.

But here's the rub.

In the payments world, bottom line profitability comes from long-term merchant relationships; you sign them and you keep them. As Square's clients grow their annual charge volume to a certain point, they will find better and cheaper solutions with banks like Chase or Wells, or a non-bank merchant processor like Worldpay. So as merchants graduate into the next stage of growth--it also means they will eventually graduate away from Square.

Also as a merchant grows and becomes more sophisticated, they will need better business tools from their payments provider and Square falls short when compared to its peer group. Most businesses will want better reporting, better chargeback management, or a better understanding how they can manage down their processing fees.

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A larger "tell" is found within Friday's statement. In it they state, "In the first quarter of 2016, we processed $10.3 billion of GPV an increase of 45% from the first quarter of 2015. GPV growth was driven by ongoing growth in our existing seller base and new sellers added during the quarter. Our larger sellers, which we define as those that generate more than $125,000 in annualized GPV, continue to grow at a faster rate than our overall seller base, with GPV from larger sellers increasing nearly 70% from the first quarter of 2015."

Management also mentioned that 39% of the GPV was derived from Square merchants that generated $125,000 or more in annual volume. By the time a smaller micro-merchant graduates into a small business and generates annual volume above $125,000, any traditional bank or non-bank provider should be able easily beat Square's pricing model. While the larger relationship with Starbucks contained a three-year term, merchants who sign the basic agreement found on the Square site are not bound by a contractual term. That means that a sizable chunk of Square's valued 39% can walk away tomorrow should they find a better deal somewhere else.

At this point, merchants should begin think about "Interchange-plus pricing," which is a more transparent approach to merchant processing and something not found within Square's 2.75% pricing model. With Interchange-plus pricing, a merchant see clearly identify the processor's fees that are passed back to the card associations, alongside any additional fees charged to the merchant by the processor itself.

For all of their internet charm and good looks, Square will continue to be an easy entry point for small micro-merchants who want to attract a plastic ready audience. The technology of turning a smartphone into a POS terminal is beyond clever.

However, Square's desire to move to larger merchants will be met by a brutal reality. Once their profitable clients reach a certain level of annual volume, any economic advantage of working with Square evaporates because the larger players like Chase, Bank of America, and Worldpay can do the job of merchant processing far better and cheaper. That means there is little beyond translucent brand loyalty to keep Square's larger merchants as clients.

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This week's "Only in Illinois" starts with a flashback to the Jan. 2, 2014, "Only in Illinois" in which I made a prediction about the future of the Illinois income tax.

At the time, the big question was whether the General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn would make the 2011 temporary income tax increase permanent. That increase, passed in the waning minutes of a lame-duck session in January 2011, raised the personal income tax rate in Illinois from 3 to 5 percent. The intent was to erase a mountain of unpaid bills that had the state many months behind in paying its creditors before the rate fell to 3.75 percent on Jan. 1, 2015, and then 3.25 percent on Jan. 1, 2025.

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But the state was making little headway on its fiscal status even with record tax revenue coming in. If the rates were allowed to decline as scheduled, the state would lose around $1.8 billion in FY 2015 and more than double that amount in years to follow. There was a strong belief that the Democrat-controlled General Assembly soon would make the 2011 rates permanent.

With the governor's race at the time just getting under way, I predicted the General Assembly would take no action on the temporary tax increase until after the 2014 gubernatorial election. If Quinn was re-elected, the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate would extend the higher rates and make things easier on themselves and the newly re-elected Democratic governor. If a Republican won, they'd let the tax rates drop and let him deal with the fallout.

The latter scenario played out, and Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner urged the General Assembly to allow the 2011 rates to sunset as scheduled.

From Rauner's perspective, the financial trouble caused by losing a hefty chunk of tax revenue would pressure Democrats to bargain with him on issues like workers' compensation, property tax relief, term limits, redistricting reform and -- at the time -- establishing right-to-work zones.

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Also, even though the Democrats had not made the higher tax rates permanent during Quinn's last months in office, they passed a budget that assumed they had. Rauner knew coming in that the Democrats' FY 2015 budget was $1.6 billion out of whack, and that created an opportunity to force negotiation.

The Democrats, too, saw an advantage to letting the tax increase expire. Rauner had pummeled them for irresponsible taxing and spending throughout his campaign. If he believed he could pass a balanced budget with roughly $4 billion less revenue in FY 2016, they were willing to let him try.

What should have happened in all this is that Rauner and the Democrats -- which is to say, Rauner and House Speaker Michael Madigan -- should have come together a year ago and hammered out a budget that mixed cuts and saving with the tax increases that both sides had said was necessary.

What happened instead was Rauner in June 2015 vetoed almost all of the budget proposal Democrats sent him. He said it was $4 billion out of balance and he had no choice but to veto it. For their part, Democrats had said all along their budget was imbalanced and asked Rauner to work with them on cuts and revenue. Rauner said he would not do so until the Democrats passed reforms he said are necessary to restore Illinois' economy in the long-term,

Thus, we've got a state operating with no budget and spending far more than it's bringing in. The total could reach $10 billion by June 30, according to Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger.

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Then, in February, Rauner issued his budget plan for FY 2017. He admitted it was $3.5 billion out of balance and urged Democrats to work with him to find cuts and revenue to balance it. But first, they'd need to pass some of his reforms. The Civic Federation, in an analysis released this week, said Rauner's budget actually is out of balance by more than $3.5 billion.

So now we have the absurd situation of both sides having submitted wildly out-of-balance budgets, both sides having admitted that a tax increase will be needed to close the gap but neither side willing to say a word about what state income tax we'll be paying next April.

In January 2014 it was pretty easy to predict what would happen with the Illinois income tax the following year. There were only two choices. This year I'm making no predictions, but I do some explaining on this week's "Only in Illinois."
GLACIAL ICE SHEET, GREENLAND - JULY 17: Water is seen on part of the glacial ice sheet that covers about 80 percent of the country is seen on July 17, 2013 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland. As the sea levels around the globe rise, researchers affilitated with the National Science Foundation and other organizations are studying the phenomena of the melting glaciers and its long-term ramifications. The warmer temperatures that have had an effect on the glaciers in Greenland also have altered the ways in which the local populace farm, fish, hunt and even travel across land. In recent years, sea level rise in places such as Miami Beach has led to increased street flooding and prompted leaders such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to propose a $19.5 billion plan to boost the citys capacity to withstand future extreme weather events by, among other things, devising mechanisms to withstand flooding. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Everyone has heard about climate change caused by fossil fuels, which threatens to raise Earth's average surface temperature by about 3-5C by the year 2100 unless we take major steps toward mitigation. But there's an eerie silence about the other major climate change threat, which might lower Earth's average surface temperature by 7C: a decade-long mini ice age caused by a U.S.-Russia nuclear war.

This is colder than the 5C cooling we endured 20,000 years ago during the last ice age. The good news is that, according to state-of-the-art climate models by Alan Robock at Rutgers University, a nuclear mini ice age would be rather brief, with about half of the cooling gone after a decade. The bad news is that this more than long enough for most people on Earth to starve to death if farming collapses. Robock's all-out-war scenario shows cooling by about 20C (36F) in much of the core farming regions of the U.S., Europe, Russia and China (by 35C in parts of Russia) for the first two summers -- you don't need to be a master farmer to figure out what freezing summers would do to food supply. It's hard to predict exactly how devastating this famine would be if thousands of Earth's largest cities were reduced to rubble and global infrastructure collapsed, but whatever small fraction of all humans don't succumb to starvation, hypothermia or epidemics would need to cope with roving, armed gangs desperate for food.

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Average cooling (in C) during the first two summers after a full-scale nuclear war between the US and Russia (from Robock et al 2007).

Unless we take stronger action than there's current political will for, we're likely to face both dramatic fossil-fuel climate change and dramatic nuclear climate change within a century, give or take. Since no politician in their right mind would launch global nuclear Armageddon on purpose, the nuclear war triggering the mini ice age will most likely start by accident or miscalculation. This has has almost happened many times in the past, as this timeline shows. The annual probability of accidental nuclear war is poorly known, but it certainly isn't zero: John F. Kennedy estimated the probability of the Cuban Missile Crisis escalating to war between 33 percent and 50 percent. We know that near-misses keep occurring regularly, and there are probably many more close calls than haven't been declassified. Simple math shows that even if the annual risk of global nuclear war is as low as 1 percent, we'll probably have one within a century and almost certainly within a few hundred years. We just don't know exactly when -- it could be the day your great granddaughter gets married, or it could be next Tuesday when the Russian early-warning system suffers an unfortunate technical malfunction.

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The science behind nuclear climate change is rather simple. Smoke from small fires doesn't rise as high as the highest rain clouds, so rain washes the smoke away before too long. In contrast, massive firestorms from burning nuked cities can rise into the upper stratosphere, many times higher than commercial jet planes fly. There are no clouds that high (have you ever seen a cloud above you when peering out of your plane window at cruising altitude?), and for this reason, the firestorm smoke never gets rained out. Moreover, this smoke absorbs sunlight and heats up, allowing it to get lofted to even higher altitudes where it might stay for approximately a decade, soon spreading around the globe to cover both the U.S. and Russia even if only one of the two got nuked. Since much of the solar heat absorbed by the smoke gets radiated back into space instead of warming the ground, nuclear winter ensues if there's enough smoke.

Just as with fossil-fuel climate change, nuclear climate change involves interesting uncertainties that deserve further research. For example how much smoke gets lofted to various altitudes in different scenarios? But whereas fossil-fuel climate research gets significant funding and press coverage, nuclear climate change gets neither. Part of the reason is probably that we can already start seeing effects of fossil-fuel climate change, whereas nuclear climate change arrives like ketchup out of a shaken glass bottle: nothing, nothing, nothing, and then way more than you wanted.

We should start treating both kinds of climate change with comparable respect, since there's currently no convincing scientific case for nuclear climate change being a negligible threat compared to fossil-fuel climate change: the size of the temperature change can be comparable, the time until it gets dramatic can be comparable, and the nuclear version might wreak even greater havoc than the fossil-fuel version by being less gradual and leaving society less time to adapt.

Nuclear climate change is better than its fossil-fuel cousin if you're impatient and like instant gratification. To end on a positive note, nuclear climate change also has the advantage of being an easier problem to solve. Whereas halving carbon emissions is quite difficult to accomplish, halving expected nuclear climate change is as simple as halving nuclear arsenals. Many military analysts agree that 300-1000 nuclear weapons suffice for extremely effective deterrence, and all but two nuclear powers have chosen to stay below that range. Yet the U.S. and Russia are currently hoarding about 7,000 each, and appear to be starting a new nuclear arms race. The U.S. is planning to spend $4 million per hour for the next 30 years making its nukes more lethal, which even former Secretary of Defense William Perry argues will make us less safe. Trimming our nuclear excess could not only free up a trillion dollars for other spending, but would be a huge victory in our battle against climate change.

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A frenzy of arrests possessed the Egyptian authority those last few weeks; capturing youth from homes, from cafeterias, from streets, and there's even a case of arrest from the Cairo airport.

Malek Adly, a human rights lawyer, known for his constant chase after the freedom of those unjustly in prison. Malek, the brave and persistent and righteous person, the one that risks his and his little family's life for the sake of his beliefs, was arrested because of his views and because he looked into papers that proved that Tiran and Sanafir, (the two Red Sea islands that were given earlier in April to Saudi Arabia) belonged to Egypt. What kind of a conviction involves "planning to overthrow the state" because of an attempt to prove something?

Sanaa Seif was recently freed from prison by a presidential pardon. She was arrested the first time for planning a protest calling for the freedom of her unjustly prisoned brother, Alaa Abdelfattah. Her brother is sentenced to life. With the paranoia taking over the regime's mind, Sanaa found out she was sentenced to sixth months in prison for insulting a member of the presecution. Yes, just like that, a sentence out of nowhere.

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Ibrahim Tamer Ibrahim, or "Bebo" as his friends call him, an Engineering student at the American University in Cairo, was arrested in the Cairo airport while departing to Athens. The airport... According to Daily News Egypt, Ibrahim was arrested on April 15 while walking near the Press Syndicate and was released shortly afterwards. There was another attempt of arrest on April 23 from his house, but since he was at the airport then, the police arrested him from there. I mean, how desperate does that make of the regime? What's the worst thing that Bebo could have possibly done to be arrested right before the 25th of April protests?

Ezz Eddin Khaled, a 19-year old actor, Arts student, and a member of the Atfal al-Shawarea (Street Children) troupe, was arrested from his house, accused of publishing videos on the internet that insulted the oh-so-holy-state institutions. His troupe's videos are always on the streets in a selfie-format, where they make satirical videos with social, culture, and political commentary. As of now, Ezz will stay held up for four days until further investigation. But with Egypt's court system, you never know.

Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Samy and Ahmed Maher and Nouby and Aya Hegazy and Mahienour Elmasry and Abdelrahman Elgendy and Ayman Aly and journalists and and and... It's an endless list with hundreds of hundreds still in Sisi's prisons and hundreds of hundreds that we don't know of and hundreds of hundreds continuing to join them everyday. Tell me again about freedom of speech and expression and thought?



If your attempt is to break us, then good for you, it worked. Prison does break us. But it doesn't stop us. It never will.



What's next Egypt? Abolish all your youth? Is that how you see the future? A future reliant on people who probably can't even walk without a stick to hold their balance up? A future with no opposition, with no youth, with no hope?
Tao Yuan Airport in Taiwan, five-fifteen, early Tuesday morning. I am tired, sleepy and uncomfortable after my fifteen-hour flight. I push my luggage to the immigration booth and hand over my Bosnian passport to the attendant. My sleepy eyes and my tussled hair might have been why the attendant looks at me suspiciously and why she pulls out a loop to closely examine my passport. After about five minutes and the second attendant who comes over to help with the examination of this strange passport I ask, " Do you get many Bosnian visitors?" The attendant looks at me and laughing says, "No, we don't get any Bosnian visitors."

They eventually let me enter the country without any further incidents. I assume that they will go home and tell their families about this weird passport they saw, with a country that is called Bosnia and also Herzegovina.

So, here I was, Bosnian in Taipei, traveling on business and amazed at how small the world is these days. Bosnian in Taiwan, a girl who was caught in the war storm in the nineties, who dreamed only of the future with studious involvements at college and books, who dreamed of boyfriends and long walks along the river. Back then I knew little about travel and what joys and worries it could bring.

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First time I left Bosnia it was nineteen-ninety nine. I was heading for college in America. If a young person was to read this sentence now, it would sound very common indeed to their powerful, arrogant, world-is-mine-to-behold, attitude. Lots of students get on the plane these days to go to college. However, after five years of war, loss of dignity and necessities, ones life becomes unpredictable and the world out there exists so far away that it seems surreal. My reality was a closed city, bombings, waiting for death to arrive. Open borders and flights were so distant and long forgotten. So, there I was heading to America. I did not know anyone there. I was leaving my family behind and the devastation that was Bosnia at the time. I was scared senseless, much more than your average college student these days. Once I arrived to Chicago and when I was driven by my host family to rural Indiana to be thrown into the American college life, faced with abundance, a beautiful campus, and all the amenities that a student has in the States I realized that I was miles away from home. It felt strangely Star Trek to me, to be transported from one world to another, so seamlessly on a man-made flying vessel, perhaps not as comfortably as I would have been if I was teleported, but still, the journey was only nine hours, a moment really in a human life.

Fast forward seventeen years, a couple of days after my arrival to Taipei I met my college friend that now lives there. We studied together in America. International students congregated at the small mid-western university we attended. We were all transported into a different reality, and some more scared then others. None came from a war as I did, some came from countries that were considered progressive and modern, some from less sophisticated countries (at least compared to the western standards), but I was able to befriend all of them, fascinated with the beauty of the differences between us all, fascinated that I was able to meet all these wonderful people and be so open, after years of the war-prison.

So, a Bosnian and a Taiwanese, unlikely friends, who met in Indiana in the late nineties, early two-thousands, meeting in Taipei, thirteen years after our graduation. We reminisced about our college days, talked about mutual friends, about our families now. We ate traditional Taiwanese food. I tried stinky tofu and I must say it was one of my more adventurous food samplings (not to be repeated though). Certainly, this friendship formed in rural Indiana, meeting of two girls from two different worlds, one from war, another from a country that is greatly industrialized and where air is heavy with pollution, is surreal, science fiction-like experience.

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One thing that war has given me is the opportunity to leave my country. If there was no Bosnian war, I would have probably studied in my hometown, gotten married and maybe traveled much much later in my life. I would have not been brave enough to try new things and meet new people. The war gave me the ability to see the world and meet people, different people and realize that we are all essentially the same, vulnerable, beautiful, with fears and desires and proud of our heritage, willing to share it, with friends and strangers.

There are many things I lost in the war, family members, friends, my youth and my childhood. I developed a fear of loud sounds and I still struggle to understand why there is suffering around us. But those who are responsible for the war then and the wars we wage now are not realizing that they are at risk of creating people who will be displaced and meet other inhabitants of this planet earth. These war refugees would have the ability to understand people from other places and see the uniqueness of their backgrounds and the beauty of it all. They will appreciate friendships and what they have. Waging wars destroys nations, but it also creates courageous and beautiful people, gentile and forgiving, openhearted and willing to coexist to make a better life for themselves and their offspring.
Driving past Lake Chiemsee, south of Munich, Germany, the foot hills of the Alps appear as hints of darkened vapor looming on the horizon. I was half way through my journey to an old Bavarian town steeped in history.

It took 13 months of non-stop work to blast the road leading to the summit of Kehlstein Mountain in the Bavarian Alps. The steep single lane road incorporates numerous 180 degree switchback turns and rock tunnels that lead to a rather infamous mountain retreat.

The road abruptly ends at a small parking lot at the base of the mountain summit. Here you enter a long dark tunnel that leads to a shiny brass elevator. It feels like you are entering the lair of a Bond villain, but it's actually much more chilling. The elevator ride takes just a couple minutes. When the doors open you are in the living room of the Kehlsteinhaus, Adolf Hitler's summer retreat.

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I was among the half a million tourists that visit Hitler's "Eagles Nest" every year. The mountain chalet is now a restaurant where you can order lunch and take in the views that dazzled Nazi Party officials in the 1940s. Built in 1938 in preparation of Hitler's 50th birthday the Nazi leader only made a handful of trips to this stunning retreat before it was captured by American troops in 1945. During the Second World War Kehlsteinhaus was most frequently visited by Hitler's mistress and eventual wife, Eva Braun.

Standing on the summit a strange feeling came over me -- knowing the history of this place. But the Second World War was just 10 years in the history of this region. Going back to the middle ages, Berchtesgaden and this area was known for its' extensive salt mines.

Today, perched 6,000 feet above the Town of Berchtesgaden, Kehlsteinhaus and the mountain summit still affords breathtaking views of the Bavarian Alps. Wild flowers blooming along the mountaintop sway in the breeze as hundreds of tourist navigate hiking trails on the summit.

Tourist buses to the summit run on a strict, very German, time schedule. Pull-offs along the precipitous road allow for buses going down the mountain to make way for the next group of tourists.

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Taken with the surroundings on the summit I wound up missing my departing bus -- which was all the better. Walking back down that steep mountain road afforded some amazing views. The Kehlsteinstrae, the single lane road to the retreat, is an engineering marvel.

Switching to the mountain trail tall stands of enormous pine trees darken dirt paths that lead to pristine alpine meadows. On the trail down the mountain I came across a number of small chalet type restaurants there to provide hikers with a decent lunch to break up their assent, or in my case, descent.
Are introverted people doomed to not succeed in the world of business relationships?

NO. NOT AT ALL.

You just need to network and build business relationships differently than extroverted people do. For an introvert, it is more important to be selective on who to connect with and to embrace quality over quantity of connections.

Let's look at five tips on how to leverage your introverted nature to build out a professional network:

Use social media. You don't have to go to events or meet people in person initially. Social networks like LinkedIn are a great way to reach out to professionals in the industries and roles you are interested in.

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Alternatively, Twitter is a good place to have on-the-fly conversations with creative professionals.

Prepare before an event. Before you go to an in-person event, come up with a brief intro to share about yourself:

- A story or two on your background

- Who are you and what are you about?

- What do you aspire to become?

Write these statements on note cards and practice what you will say. Or even sneak the note cards in your pocket to look at later on.

Focus on a few people. Research ahead of time to see who will be attending the event. After figuring out which attendees you want to connect with, study their career experience and interests. This will give you insight into how to best approach a conversation when you see them in person.

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The less focused you are on trying to maximize the number of people you meet, the less anxious you'll be because the goal is to talk to people with shared interests.. This can result in higher value conversations instead of a bunch of superficial ones.

Enlist a networking buddy. Ask a friend or someone you know ahead of time if they can come to the event with you. Especially when you first start going to networking events it can seem daunting to be in a room full of strangers by yourself.

Even if you didn't go to the event with anyone, you can look for a person at the event to wing with you. Bonus points if you can find a wing with an extremely outgoing personality!

Ask a lot of questions. Introverted people do not like attention directed at them, so they typically talk less than others. They can feel emotionally drained from occasional attention.

Instead of talking about yourself, why don't you ask the other person about their motivations, skills, and interests?

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As long as you are genuinely interested in what they have to say, the other person will think you are great at holding a conversation. But in reality, you let them do all the talking.

Focus on quality over quantity.

As you can see from the tips above, you don't have to change your introverted personality to build a network of professional connections. It's way easier to focus on prioritizing meaningful professional connections rather than trying to go after a lot of people at once.

Just remember, it takes time to become comfortable with putting yourself out there...so be patient!

........

Are you frustrated at your current job and want to transition to a job that you love? I can help you with your career transition and make it less scary!
If you really want to find out about America's economy, whom do you ask -- economists or CEOs? That question is open to debate, but if you believe in the CEO approach, new information suggests that you should be concerned about the current state of the economy. From the view of most economists, America's economy is in relatively good shape even though growth remains relatively low. From the view of business leaders, the short-term outlook for America is not quite as rosy.

The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index is produced through surveys of CEOs. It analyses their plans over the next six months with respect to capital spending, sales, and employment expectations, along with questions to ascertain the reasoning behind the optimism or pessimism. For the 4 quarter of 2015, the index dropped from 74.1 to 67.5. It has slipped three straight quarters from a 2015 peak of 90.1 to reach a three-year low. The long-term average of the index is 80.1.

Why the pessimism in a generally growing economy? There are many reasons, from the CEO perspective. Here are some examples from the survey.

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Regulations - Just about any business survey will find regulations on the top of the list of pessimistic factors. This year was no exception, as excessive regulation was listed as the top cost pressure being applied to businesses. From Dodd-Frank and environmental regulations to financial restrictions, businesses feel that they are under constant regulatory attack.

Tax Policy - Congress allowed bonus depreciation to expire without taking action, depriving businesses of tax breaks. CEOs argue that this must be incorporated as part of broader tax reform -- including lowering the nominal corporate tax rate of 35%, which is the highest of all developed countries.

In the eyes of CEOs, failing to address the corporate tax system is driving the trend of American companies reinvesting (or stashing, if you prefer) profits in overseas subsidiaries -- or, in some cases, becoming foreign-owned companies through mergers and tax inversions. Tax inversions establish corporations with headquarters in foreign countries, thus allowing them to pay taxes to the foreign government at a lower rate. The $160 billion Pfizer-Allergan merger is the most recent example.

Health Care/Labor Costs - Wage pressures have not increased across the board but are affecting certain businesses adversely. Lower-end retail and restaurants are feeling greater pressures. However, almost all businesses are facing increases in health care costs as the effects of Obamacare reach equilibrium.

Terror Events - The spread of soft-target terror attacks, such as those in Paris, could result in a more cautious approach for both consumers and businesses. The survey took place before the San Bernardino shootings, so it is possible that this factor was understated.

Strong Dollar - The downside of having one of the best economies worldwide is that our currency is very high, making exports more expensive. As a result, American companies depending on overseas income find it harder to keep sales income high and sustain growth.

Export-Import Bank - At least this one has since been resolved. Congress did not renew the authorization for the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) during the previous session. Reauthorization has been attached to the Transportation Bill that has passed the House and Senate, and the President is expected to sign the bill into law.

Granted, CEOs are looking through a narrow and self-interested focus in this survey, but they do raise valid points. Policymakers, economists, and legislators would be wise to pay attention and consider whether to adjust their plans accordingly.

This article was provided by our partners at moneytips.com

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It's time to stop brushing things under the rug and face up to glaring problems among Britain's Muslim population.

UK's Channel 4 recently commissioned an exhaustive survey titled "What do British Muslims really think?" The results, published by the reputable polling company ICM Unlimited, span over 615 pages of damning evidence that reveal just how acutely social integration of Muslims in Britain has failed.

Although much of the extensive results confirm that British Muslim attitudes align, for the most part, with the rest of Britain's populace, the few disparities are immensely significant in demonstrating the depths to which extremism and extremist thought is rooted within the British Muslim psyche.

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Among the more promising results, 86 percent of those polled feel a strong sense of belonging in Britain, 91 percent said the same for their area, 88 percent said Britain was a great place to live, and 78 percent showed interest in integrating into British life.

Great, so what's the problem?

Among the most publicized results were those relating to homosexuality, with 52 percent of those polled saying that gay sex should be made illegal and only 18 percent agreeing on its current legal status. Many are taken aback by these results, yet these were perhaps the least shocking from the survey. The acceptance (or non-acceptance) of homosexuality has less to do with being Muslim and more to do with falling outside a certain age bracket, a dynamic that the survey fails to factor in.

But this cannot mean that this statistic should be taken lightly, especially when almost half, 47 percent, deem it unacceptable for a gay person to hold a teaching position. Personal views are one matter, but when half of the Muslims in the country (including employers, decision-makers, etc.) judge an entire group of people on something as private as sexual orientation it opens the floodgates for unending discrimination and bigotry.

As Muslims are loud and unwavering (and rightly so) in exposing injustice when they themselves are at the receiving end of discrimination, why hesitate to extend that courtesy to others?

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Another worrying stat that has emerged from the ICM poll indicates that 39 percent of British Muslims believe wives should always obey their husbands. This sets a disturbing precedent for women in mentally and physically abusive relationships to be rendered incapable of leaving potentially violent situations because of the misogynistic worldview they've been indoctrinated with (and which most certainly isn't the Islam I was taught).

Nearly a third (31 percent) believe a British Muslim man having more than one wife is acceptable, yet challenge that idea with the reverse (women keeping more than one husband) and you'll be met with disgust at daring to think such scandalous nonsense.

Such ideas may seem irrelevant in British society today where law rules supreme over religious ideology, yet it is beliefs such as these that, if unchecked and unchallenged, can plant the seeds of misogyny in generations of British Muslim men to come.

Aside from the ultra-conservative social attitudes, the survey found alarming levels of Islamist ideology embedded within British Muslim circles. Nearly one quarter of those polled (23 percent) support the introduction of Sharia law, more than a third would not completely condemn those who practice stoning as regular punishment for adulterers, and an appalling two-thirds would not tip-off the police if someone they knew was planning to join ISIS.

Unfortunately, the masses are not outraged about these statistics. Instead, they're outraged about this remark by former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips:

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"We are more nervous about Muslims because we feel people will be offended. But my view is that looking at the results of this survey, which have surprised me, that we have gone beyond the situation where we can say, 'OK, don't worry; they will come round in time,' because that is not going to happen. We have to make things change now."

As a British Muslim, I couldn't agree more with Phillips.

Self-awareness and the courage to accept your own shortcomings are imperative first steps to any improvement we can hope for in ridding British society, and the world, of the plague that is extremism--be it social or political. We cannot make any progress until we first accept and define, in no uncertain terms, what we stand against and the values we stand for.

We may criticize Trevor Phillips for his remarks, we may criticize Channel 4 for its messaging, we may poke holes in ICM's methodology, but we cannot deny that these troubling thought patterns exist in British Muslim society.

I invite my fellow Muslims to take a step back from initial emotional responses, understand what these results mean, understand that they don't represent all of us, but also understand that these results have not been pulled out of thin air. These realities continue to exist, and they must be tackled today for a better Britain tomorrow.

All data is sourced from ICM Unlimited's publication.
The following is a speech I gave May 7 at the Princeton University Hindu student commencement. I am especially grateful to the Hindu students at Princeton University, and Vineet Chander, Coordinator of Hindu Life, for hosting me.

First off, I really want to thank Vineet for having me here. I'm not going to lie, I've been begging him for the past few years to have me speak. I think my exact words were, "Put me on, son!"

This topic is so timely, given what's happening here and across the world. I know so many of you are still trying to negotiate the role your Hinduness plays in your daily life. Some of you are more comfortable than others in articulating your Hindu identity. I think the reality is, our faith identities, and how we conceptualize ourselves, are lifelong works in progress. But that work is one of the philosophical underpinnings of Hinduism: the search for truth. It's basically the recognition that how we identify, how we practice, and even what we believe are subject to change, evolution, reconciliation, and hopefully, eventual clarity.

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Before I talk about my own journey, I think it's critical about the term 'progressive Hinduism.' Given how politicized the terms progressive and Hinduism have become on their own, some folks see the combination of the two as either oxymoronic or redundant.

First, let's really understand what the term progressive actually means, instead of the way it's been framed. For my entire adult life, I've identified as a progressive, but most of those years, I conflated being progressive with being on the Left of the ideological spectrum. Many still do, and they view the term progressive as being uncompromising, absolutist, and maximalist in terms of identifying on the Left. But rather than viewing progressive as purely a Left-Right dialectic, or within the realm of liberalism versus conservatism, the root of progressivism is progress. I don't think there's an ideological ownership of what progress means. To be progressive is to want to make the world a better place. I used to think that only those on the left of center could claim that space, but more and more, I'm beginning to realize that being a progressive means working towards the meaningful change that helps the world--even if we don't always agree with those we are working with.

From that sense, the term progressive has evolved in the United States from economic populism in the early 20th century (which was actually mixed with a great deal of nativism) to the Communist-led Popular Front of the 1930s, to the Civil Rights Movements and cultural revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, and finally, to a term that embraced Western liberalism without the stigma of the word liberal in the late 20th century. To be progressive in 21st century America still is bound by the limitations of ideology and politics, which is sad given that I think so many of us want to be the change we wish to see in the world. That's not a Left-Right battle, but instead a calling to our common humanity. It's important to understand that being a progressive also means having an open mind and a willingness to listen to the other. In this sense, our discourses and calls for social justice are dominated by open mouths, but not enough with open ears, open minds, and open hearts. To be a progressive is to be willing to understand that progress takes time, and that our fellow human beings--regardless of their ideological bent--can be allies in that progress. To me, taking an adversarial approach is a very contradiction to what it means to be progressive.

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With that framing, I would argue that Hinduism--at least from how we view the philosophy of Hindu teachings--is inherently progressive. From the scriptural acceptance of LGBTQ rights, to the idea of the divinity of all beings, to the very notion that we must serve all selflessly, Hindu teachings provide a rich database from which we can draw progressive theological inspiration. It should be noted, as Professor Anantanand Rambachan says, that Hinduism is not "anthropocentric," which means our duty to Mother Earth is more than stewardship--instead, it's the inherent belief that we are no more entitled to live on this planet than any other being.

The progressiveness of Hindu philosophy, however, isn't always embraced in practice. While a lot might have to do with how Hindu scriptures have been framed and interpreted, I think we as Hindus certainly deserve some of the blame for not engaging more with texts that bring us so much inspiration. Again, I must emphasize that Hinduism's progressivism isn't defined by a liberal versus conservative or Left-Right paradigm, but rather that its scriptural capacity to produce positive change in the world is undeniable. And Hinduism's inspiration to the world has certainly helped to facilitate the change we wish to see. Hindu teachings--specifically the idea of dharma and the indestructibility of the soul--inspired leaders like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. It helped them to understand and appreciate that while our physical bodies are finite, our soul is on that ongoing journey, and that to prepare for liberation, we must do the best we can to make the world around us a better place.

While Hinduism isn't dogmatic or doctrinal, dharma provides us an ethical foundation from which we can live. It's also premised upon the idea that our divinity comes from within. The idea of restraint, articulated by the 10 yamas, help us understand how to observe the Golden Rule on a daily basis. Being compassionate (daya), for example, is what I would consider a primary virtue of progressivism. I think that the beauty of Hindu teachings is how they can be used in a very practical way for us to just lead better lives, and to help those around us. It should be noted that if Hinduism was not progressive, it wouldn't have survived. When we look at Hinduism solely through the lens of a village in Bihar, a high-rise in New Delhi, or a textbook in Princeton, we fail to appreciate the evolution and progress of Hinduism that helped it survive and thrive in the sugarcane plantations of the West Indies and South Africa, and in the hearts of those who have been inspired by it worldwide for generations. To me, that's hopeful and inherently progressive.

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This brings me to the idea of social justice, which I think gets thrown around too loosely. To me, one of the great tragedies of how we view social, economic, racial, and gender justice is that we put maximum emphasis on outcome. We should aspire to these goals, and be inspired by the possibility for change, but we should also accept that change doesn't come overnight. What I see too often is social justice driven by dogmatism, confrontation, and refusal to accept anything but absolute outcomes. To be honest, I was that way in college, but when I became a journalist and began to see gray areas in how we live in the world, it became harder for me to understand how we view social justice in such absolutist terms. Aspiring for change shouldn't come at shouting down the Other, nor should it be through arbitrarily defining subalterns.

Instead, we need to understand that human beings and institutions are complex, and that change can only come when we appreciate that we might not live to see the final outcome that we wish--but that we can still strive towards it positively. In that sense, Hinduism's conceptualization of social justice is encapsulated in seva and karma yoga--the acts of compassion and service, not their outcomes. In other words, a Hindu inspired social justice movement involves acting for positive change, but not being attached to expected outcomes. There's a story from the Ramayana in which Lord Rama, in his joy over the victory in Lanka, asks Hanuman what he wished for. Hanuman only asked that he be able to continue to serve Lord Rama selflessly. It's a story that still brings tears to my eyes, because it encapsulates why we we need to act and not worry about what we'll get for acting. In a very practical sense, if those of us in social justice were only attached to expected outcomes, we'd all burn out very quickly!

That brings me to my last point: me. When I joined the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) three years ago, I penned a piece basically telling progressives that it's OK to identify as Hindu, in part because I saw folks I knew who are Hindu reluctant to identify as such in certain activist spheres. I've begun to realize that there are complex reasons behind their reluctance, and sadly, a skepticism and animosity towards self-identifying Hindus within certain parts of the South Asian American community. But I've also stopped worrying about that, and focused more on what inspires me. That includes my colleagues at HAF, who aspire for a better and more pluralistic world, and keep on going despite getting their bump and bruises engaging within the "nonprofit industrial complex." The wonderful folks at Sadhana, who have taken seva to a new level with their consistent efforts to preserve matre bhumi in New York City. I am inspired daily my the legacy of my mother, who, though she is no longer here on this earth, paved the path for me to appreciate the strength and spirit that comes from within. Of course, my wife, who inspires me everyday to live a dharmic life. My dad, who in his retirement has become a bhakta. My sister, who still finds time every night to read a chapter from the Gita. My brother, who has a faded Hanuman picture in his car to remind him of the Divine. And my in-laws, whose continuation of Bhakti traditions passed down through generations in Guyana and brought over to Brooklyn, is a reminder that our faith still lives - and thrives. These are just some of my inspirations, and I can tell you that each of you will find your inspiration to strive for progress and continue to draw strength from your Hindu identity.
Whither America? Whither the conscience and soul of America?

A campaign based on negativity leavened with bombastic claims without details of how we are going to fix our problems and how we would pay for any fix, yet all will be terrific, has all but officially captured the nomination of a once proud and revered Republican Party. Voters in GOP primaries and caucuses, including many independents and disaffected Democrats, have latched onto the proverbial "pig in a poke."

Most reality shows last about four months. The danger this election cycle is that Americans, so used to viewing The Bachelor/Bachelorette or The Amazing Race, might think they are watching a season of Survivor or The Biggest Loser while the true reality is that the United States would be the biggest loser if Donald Trump ascends to the presidency. The founding principles of the country might not survive his term of office.

To many, Trump is a candidate to be scorned and derided, to be ridiculed, but mostly, to be feared, not because he is so unqualified and peripatetic in his views and opinions, but rather because of what it says about the American public's willingness to support someone who appeals not to their hopes and aspirations but to their prejudices, anger and resentments.

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Instead of a nation of laws and equal opportunity, we are descending into a nation that reviles any institution that differs with our individual views. The misogynists among us have been emboldened by Trump's attacks on women. Those opposed to marriage between the races have blasted Old Navy's use of a photo of an interracial family in an ad. Religious extremists of varied faiths decry the Supreme Court decision permitting same-sex marriage. They believe the Bible supersedes the Constitution. Unless you are descended from Native Americans, you are the progeny of immigrants. Yet Trump has stoked xenophobia. Respect for our military suffered a blow when Trump demeaned Sen. John McCain and other prisoners of war for being captured. Trump has questioned long-standing alliances such as NATO and raised doubts about the supremacy of civilian control over the military (according to The New York Times, he would empower "military leaders over foreign affairs specialists in national security debates".

It is indisputable we have bifurcated into a nation of haves and have nots. Equally true is that the population has segmented into groups with no memory or historical context for the evil demagogues, both foreign and domestic, can perpetuate and those who recall or remember the history of the not too distant past.

This campaign will test the intelligence of the electorate. It will pit against each other stark differences in tone and substance. Will the public vote to roll back decades of progress in equality and economic opportunity, environmental and product protection, American leadership in the world, or will we opt for barriers and repeal based on a demagogue's populist rantings?

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Sadly, our nation has a history of turning its back on the future. Jim Crow laws followed emancipation. Isolationism and anti-Semitism stoked by the likes of Father Coughlin's radio broadcasts followed victory in World War I. McCarthyism followed our ascendancy as the premiere power in the world after the second world war.
During his five years in office, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has spearheaded remarkable environmental achievements.

He set one of the nation's most ambitious goals for reducing carbon emissions and shifting to clean energy--mandating that 50 percent of New York's electricity come from renewable resources by 2030. Citing major threats to the environment and public health, he showed national caliber leadership in banning hydraulic fracturing in the state. And just recently, his Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) denied a water quality permit necessary for construction of a natural gas pipeline whose 124-mile route would cross 250 streams and sensitive ecological areas around them. In addition, Gov. Cuomo's budget for 2016-17 contains the highest level of environmental funding--$300 million--in state history.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also doesn't shy away from tackling environmental challenges. He leads the coalition of 25 states, cities and counties that have filed a legal brief in defense of President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which would require fossil-fueled power plants--the largest single source of greenhouse gas--to comply with the Clean Air Act by cutting carbon emissions. Building on the unprecedented settlement his office reached in 2014 with Peabody Energy, the world's largest coal company, over misleading statements the company made to investors and the public regarding climate change, it now is conducting a similar investigation into the practices of Exxon.

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New Yorkers should be proud of these leaders' accomplishments, which make our state a better place to live, work and play. But where are they when it comes to ensuring a comprehensive cleanup of one of New York's most important natural resources--the Hudson River, where pollution from General Electric's toxic PCBs poses serious threats to people and wildlife?

Sadly, both are missing in action.

For a powerful look at the serious harm PCBs are causing the Hudson and residents in its riverfront communities, I urge you to watch this short documentary by acclaimed filmmaker Jon Bowermaster. In previous blogs I've detailed how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seems poised to let GE off the hook despite solid, peer-reviewed scientific evidence from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that dredging the company has completed to date fails to achieve the environmental and public health goals the EPA targeted for this cleanup. EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck, who is overseeing the project, declared it a success and allowed GE to dismantle its cleanup operation even before the agency commenced a mandated review of its effectiveness.



In effect, the EPA appears eager to wash its hands of America's largest Superfund site instead of compelling GE to undertake the additional cleanup that will make the river heal faster. Although the EPA has the legal right to seek additional cleanup under its Superfund agreement with the company, it wants to pass the buck, literally and figuratively, to New York, forcing it to pay for the removal of contamination that jeopardizes the health of its residents and halts economic opportunity in dozens of its communities.

A review of the cleanup's goals currently being planned by the EPA offers the best chance to secure additional dredging by GE under the agency's authority. It's unlikely to be an evenhanded, scientifically grounded analysis unless Gov. Cuomo and Mr. Schneiderman take an active role.

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Fortunately, the DEC has taken a positive step. It has joined NOAA and the USFWS--the federal agencies with which it is jointly tasked with overseeing the river's restoration following the cleanup--in advising the EPA it wishes to participate in the upcoming review. The agency should take an additional step and publicly support the federal trustees' alarming analysis that refutes the EPA's premature claims of a successful cleanup.

The governor can once again demonstrate his environmental leadership by publicly demanding that the EPA do the job it set out to achieve. Time and again, he has proven adept at brokering last-minute accords that avert disaster, whether potentially crippling strikes or cancellation of much-needed infrastructure projects. He must step in now and exert his authority to ensure the Hudson does not continue to be the largest Superfund site in the country, a threat to human health and a drag on the upstate economy for the indefinite future.

Simultaneously, he could accelerate the state's preparation to sue GE to remove PCB contamination from the Champlain Canal, which links the upper Hudson River to Lake Champlain. The state's Canal Corporation doesn't have the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to dredge toxic sediments from the waterway. Until the contamination is removed, the channel on this once profitable link between New York City and the Great Lakes will remain too shallow for nearly all commercial shipping.

In addition to supporting the governor's actions, Attorney General Schneiderman should take action against GE for misleading the public and its stockholders for decades about the toxicity of PCBs. An investigative report in the Albany Times Union revealed that GE was aware PCBs cause significant health problems to people and wildlife as early as the 1960s. Yet the company kept this information secret--and according to the Times Union lied to government officials about levels of these chemicals it was releasing into the river. Until 1977, after GE stopped using PCBs, the company line was that it simply didn't know about the harm they caused. As he's doing with Exxon, Mr. Schneiderman should hold GE accountable for its deceit.
US President Barack Obama delivers his landmark address to the Muslim world on June 4, 2009 in the Grand Hall of Cairo University in Cairo. Obama vowed to forge a 'new beginning' for Islam and America in a speech to the world's Muslims, evoking a vision of peace after a smouldering cycle of 'suspicion and discord.' AFP PHOTO/SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

Masters of Mankind (Part 1)

[This piece, the first of two parts, is excerpted from Noam Chomskys new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books). Part 2 will be posted on Tuesday morning.]

When we ask Who rules the world? we commonly adopt the standard convention that the actors in world affairs are states, primarily the great powers, and we consider their decisions and the relations among them. That is not wrong. But we would do well to keep in mind that this level of abstraction can also be highly misleading.

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States of course have complex internal structures, and the choices and decisions of the political leadership are heavily influenced by internal concentrations of power, while the general population is often marginalized. That is true even for the more democratic societies, and obviously for others. We cannot gain a realistic understanding of who rules the world while ignoring the masters of mankind, as Adam Smith called them: in his day, the merchants and manufacturers of England; in ours, multinational conglomerates, huge financial institutions, retail empires, and the like. Still following Smith, it is also wise to attend to the vile maxim to which the masters of mankind are dedicated: All for ourselves and nothing for other people -- a doctrine known otherwise as bitter and incessant class war, often one-sided, much to the detriment of the people of the home country and the world.

In the contemporary global order, the institutions of the masters hold enormous power, not only in the international arena but also within their home states, on which they rely to protect their power and to provide economic support by a wide variety of means. When we consider the role of the masters of mankind, we turn to such state policy priorities of the moment as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the investor-rights agreements mislabeled free-trade agreements in propaganda and commentary. They are negotiated in secret, apart from the hundreds of corporate lawyers and lobbyists writing the crucial details. The intention is to have them adopted in good Stalinist style with fast track procedures designed to block discussion and allow only the choice of yes or no (hence yes). The designers regularly do quite well, not surprisingly. People are incidental, with the consequences one might anticipate.

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The Second Superpower

The neoliberal programs of the past generation have concentrated wealth and power in far fewer hands while undermining functioning democracy, but they have aroused opposition as well, most prominently in Latin America but also in the centers of global power. The European Union (EU), one of the more promising developments of the post-World War II period, has been tottering because of the harsh effect of the policies of austerity during recession, condemned even by the economists of the International Monetary Fund (if not the IMFs political actors). Democracy has been undermined as decision making shifted to the Brussels bureaucracy, with the northern banks casting their shadow over their proceedings.

Mainstream parties have been rapidly losing members to left and to right. The executive director of the Paris-based research group EuropaNova attributes the general disenchantment to a mood of angry impotence as the real power to shape events largely shifted from national political leaders [who, in principle at least, are subject to democratic politics] to the market, the institutions of the European Union and corporations, quite in accord with neoliberal doctrine. Very similar processes are under way in the United States, for somewhat similar reasons, a matter of significance and concern not just for the country but, because of U.S. power, for the world.

The rising opposition to the neoliberal assault highlights another crucial aspect of the standard convention: it sets aside the public, which often fails to accept the approved role of spectators (rather than participants) assigned to it in liberal democratic theory. Such disobedience has always been of concern to the dominant classes. Just keeping to American history, George Washington regarded the common people who formed the militias that he was to command as an exceedingly dirty and nasty people [evincing] an unaccountable kind of stupidity in the lower class of these people.

In Violent Politics, his masterful review of insurgencies from the American insurgency to contemporary Afghanistan and Iraq, William Polk concludes that General Washington was so anxious to sideline [the fighters he despised] that he came close to losing the Revolution. Indeed, he might have actually done so had France not massively intervened and saved the Revolution, which until then had been won by guerrillas -- whom we would now call terrorists -- while Washingtons British-style army was defeated time after time and almost lost the war.

A common feature of successful insurgencies, Polk records, is that once popular support dissolves after victory, the leadership suppresses the dirty and nasty people who actually won the war with guerrilla tactics and terror, for fear that they might challenge class privilege. The elites contempt for the lower class of these people has taken various forms throughout the years. In recent times one expression of this contempt is the call for passivity and obedience (moderation in democracy) by liberal internationalists reacting to the dangerous democratizing effects of the popular movements of the 1960s.

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Sometimes states do choose to follow public opinion, eliciting much fury in centers of power. One dramatic case was in 2003, when the Bush administration called on Turkey to join its invasion of Iraq. Ninety-five percent of Turks opposed that course of action and, to the amazement and horror of Washington, the Turkish government adhered to their views. Turkey was bitterly condemned for this departure from responsible behavior. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, designated by the press as the idealist-in-chief of the administration, berated the Turkish military for permitting the malfeasance of the government and demanded an apology. Unperturbed by these and innumerable other illustrations of our fabled yearning for democracy, respectable commentary continued to laud President George W. Bush for his dedication to democracy promotion, or sometimes criticized him for his naivete in thinking that an outside power could impose its democratic yearnings on others.

The Turkish public was not alone. Global opposition to U.S.-UK aggression was overwhelming. Support for Washingtons war plans scarcely reached 10% almost anywhere, according to international polls. Opposition sparked huge worldwide protests, in the United States as well, probably the first time in history that imperial aggression was strongly protested even before it was officially launched. On the front page of the New York Times, journalist Patrick Tyler reported that there may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion.

Unprecedented protest in the United States was a manifestation of the opposition to aggression that began decades earlier in the condemnation of the U.S. wars in Indochina, reaching a scale that was substantial and influential, even if far too late. By 1967, when the antiwar movement was becoming a significant force, military historian and Vietnam specialist Bernard Fall warned that Vietnam as a cultural and historic entity... is threatened with extinction... [as] the countryside literally dies under the blows of the largest military machine ever unleashed on an area of this size.

But the antiwar movement did become a force that could not be ignored. Nor could it be ignored when Ronald Reagan came into office determined to launch an assault on Central America. His administration mimicked closely the steps John F. Kennedy had taken 20 years earlier in launching the war against South Vietnam, but had to back off because of the kind of vigorous public protest that had been lacking in the early 1960s. The assault was awful enough. The victims have yet to recover. But what happened to South Vietnam and later all of Indochina, where the second superpower imposed its impediments only much later in the conflict, was incomparably worse.

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It is often argued that the enormous public opposition to the invasion of Iraq had no effect. That seems incorrect to me. Again, the invasion was horrifying enough, and its aftermath is utterly grotesque. Nevertheless, it could have been far worse. Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and the rest of Bushs top officials could never even contemplate the sort of measures that President Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson adopted 40 years earlier largely without protest.

Western Power Under Pressure

There is far more to say, of course, about the factors in determining state policy that are put to the side when we adopt the standard convention that states are the actors in international affairs. But with such nontrivial caveats as these, let us nevertheless adopt the convention, at least as a first approximation to reality. Then the question of who rules the world leads at once to such concerns as Chinas rise to power and its challenge to the United States and world order, the new cold war simmering in eastern Europe, the Global War on Terror, American hegemony and American decline, and a range of similar considerations.

The challenges faced by Western power at the outset of 2016 are usefully summarized within the conventional framework by Gideon Rachman, chief foreign-affairs columnist for the London Financial Times. He begins by reviewing the Western picture of world order: Ever since the end of the Cold War, the overwhelming power of the U.S. military has been the central fact of international politics. This is particularly crucial in three regions: East Asia, where the U.S. Navy has become used to treating the Pacific as an American lake; Europe, where NATO -- meaning the United States, which accounts for a staggering three-quarters of NATOs military spending -- guarantees the territorial integrity of its member states; and the Middle East, where giant U.S. naval and air bases exist to reassure friends and to intimidate rivals.

The problem of world order today, Rachman continues, is that these security orders are now under challenge in all three regions because of Russian intervention in Ukraine and Syria, and because of China turning its nearby seas from an American lake to clearly contested water. The fundamental question of international relations, then, is whether the United States should accept that other major powers should have some kind of zone of influence in their neighborhoods. Rachman thinks it should, for reasons of diffusion of economic power around the world -- combined with simple common sense.

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There are, to be sure, ways of looking at the world from different standpoints. But let us keep to these three regions, surely critically important ones.

The Challenges Today: East Asia

Beginning with the American lake, some eyebrows might be raised over the report in mid-December 2015 that an American B-52 bomber on a routine mission over the South China Sea unintentionally flew within two nautical miles of an artificial island built by China, senior defense officials said, exacerbating a hotly divisive issue for Washington and Beijing. Those familiar with the grim record of the 70 years of the nuclear weapons era will be all too aware that this is the kind of incident that has often come perilously close to igniting terminal nuclear war. One need not be a supporter of Chinas provocative and aggressive actions in the South China Sea to notice that the incident did not involve a Chinese nuclear-capable bomber in the Caribbean, or off the coast of California, where China has no pretensions of establishing a Chinese lake. Luckily for the world.

Chinese leaders understand very well that their countrys maritime trade routes are ringed with hostile powers from Japan through the Malacca Straits and beyond, backed by overwhelming U.S. military force. Accordingly, China is proceeding to expand westward with extensive investments and careful moves toward integration. In part, these developments are within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which includes the Central Asian states and Russia, and soon India and Pakistan with Iran as one of the observers -- a status that was denied to the United States, which was also called on to close all military bases in the region. China is constructing a modernized version of the old silk roads, with the intent not only of integrating the region under Chinese influence, but also of reaching Europe and the Middle Eastern oil-producing regions. It is pouring huge sums into creating an integrated Asian energy and commercial system, with extensive high-speed rail lines and pipelines.

One element of the program is a highway through some of the worlds tallest mountains to the new Chinese-developed port of Gwadar in Pakistan, which will protect oil shipments from potential U.S. interference. The program may also, China and Pakistan hope, spur industrial development in Pakistan, which the United States has not undertaken despite massive military aid, and might also provide an incentive for Pakistan to clamp down on domestic terrorism, a serious issue for China in western Xinjiang Province. Gwadar will be part of Chinas string of pearls, bases being constructed in the Indian Ocean for commercial purposes but potentially also for military use, with the expectation that China might someday be able to project power as far as the Persian Gulf for the first time in the modern era.

All of these moves remain immune to Washingtons overwhelming military power, short of annihilation by nuclear war, which would destroy the United States as well.

In 2015, China also established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), with itself as the main shareholder. Fifty-six nations participated in the opening in Beijing in June, including U.S. allies Australia, Britain, and others which joined in defiance of Washingtons wishes. The United States and Japan were absent. Some analysts believe that the new bank might turn out to be a competitor to the Bretton Woods institutions (the IMF and the World Bank), in which the United States holds veto power. There are also some expectations that the SCO might eventually become a counterpart to NATO.

The Challenges Today: Eastern Europe

Turning to the second region, Eastern Europe, there is a crisis brewing at the NATO-Russian border. It is no small matter. In his illuminating and judicious scholarly study of the region, Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands, Richard Sakwa writes -- all too plausibly -- that the Russo-Georgian war of August 2008 was in effect the first of the wars to stop NATO enlargement; the Ukraine crisis of 2014 is the second. It is not clear whether humanity would survive a third.

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The West sees NATO enlargement as benign. Not surprisingly, Russia, along with much of the Global South, has a different opinion, as do some prominent Western voices. George Kennan warned early on that NATO enlargement is a tragic mistake, and he was joined by senior American statesmen in an open letter to the White House describing it as a policy error of historic proportions.

The present crisis has its origins in 1991, with the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. There were then two contrasting visions of a new security system and political economy in Eurasia. In Sakwas words, one vision was of a Wider Europe, with the EU at its heart but increasingly coterminous with the Euro-Atlantic security and political community; and on the other side there [was] the idea of Greater Europe, a vision of a continental Europe, stretching from Lisbon to Vladivostok, that has multiple centers, including Brussels, Moscow and Ankara, but with a common purpose in overcoming the divisions that have traditionally plagued the continent.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was the major proponent of Greater Europe, a concept that also had European roots in Gaullism and other initiatives. However, as Russia collapsed under the devastating market reforms of the 1990s, the vision faded, only to be renewed as Russia began to recover and seek a place on the world stage under Vladimir Putin who, along with his associate Dmitry Medvedev, has repeatedly called for the geopolitical unification of all of Greater Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok, to create a genuine strategic partnership.

These initiatives were greeted with polite contempt, Sakwa writes, regarded as little more than a cover for the establishment of a Greater Russia by stealth and an effort to drive a wedge between North America and Western Europe. Such concerns trace back to earlier Cold War fears that Europe might become a third force independent of both the great and minor superpowers and moving toward closer links to the latter (as can be seen in Willy Brandts Ostpolitik and other initiatives).

The Western response to Russias collapse was triumphalist. It was hailed as signaling the end of history, the final victory of Western capitalist democracy, almost as if Russia were being instructed to revert to its pre-World War I status as a virtual economic colony of the West. NATO enlargement began at once, in violation of verbal assurances to Gorbachev that NATO forces would not move one inch to the east after he agreed that a unified Germany could become a NATO member -- a remarkable concession, in the light of history. That discussion kept to East Germany. The possibility that NATO might expand beyond Germany was not discussed with Gorbachev, even if privately considered.

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Soon, NATO did begin to move beyond, right to the borders of Russia. The general mission of NATO was officially changed to a mandate to protect crucial infrastructure of the global energy system, sea lanes and pipelines, giving it a global area of operations. Furthermore, under a crucial Western revision of the now widely heralded doctrine of responsibility to protect, sharply different from the official U.N. version, NATO may now also serve as an intervention force under U.S. command.

Of particular concern to Russia are plans to expand NATO to Ukraine. These plans were articulated explicitly at the Bucharest NATO summit of April 2008, when Georgia and Ukraine were promised eventual membership in NATO. The wording was unambiguous: NATO welcomes Ukraines and Georgias Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. With the Orange Revolution victory of pro-Western candidates in Ukraine in 2004, State Department representative Daniel Fried rushed there and emphasized U.S. support for Ukraines NATO and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as a WikiLeaks report revealed.

Russias concerns are easily understandable. They are outlined by international relations scholar John Mearsheimer in the leading U.S. establishment journal, Foreign Affairs. He writes that the taproot of the current crisis [over Ukraine] is NATO expansion and Washingtons commitment to move Ukraine out of Moscows orbit and integrate it into the West, which Putin viewed as a direct threat to Russias core interests.

Who can blame him? Mearsheimer asks, pointing out that Washington may not like Moscows position, but it should understand the logic behind it. That should not be too difficult. After all, as everyone knows, The United States does not tolerate distant great powers deploying military forces anywhere in the Western hemisphere, much less on its borders.

In fact, the U.S. stand is far stronger. It does not tolerate what is officially called successful defiance of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which declared (but could not yet implement) U.S. control of the hemisphere. And a small country that carries out such successful defiance may be subjected to the terrors of the earth and a crushing embargo -- as happened to Cuba. We need not ask how the United States would have reacted had the countries of Latin America joined the Warsaw Pact, with plans for Mexico and Canada to join as well. The merest hint of the first tentative steps in that direction would have been terminated with extreme prejudice, to adopt CIA lingo.

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As in the case of China, one does not have to regard Putins moves and motives favorably to understand the logic behind them, nor to grasp the importance of understanding that logic instead of issuing imprecations against it. As in the case of China, a great deal is at stake, reaching as far -- literally -- as questions of survival.

The Challenges Today: The Islamic World

Let us turn to the third region of major concern, the (largely) Islamic world, also the scene of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) that George W. Bush declared in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attack. To be more accurate, re-declared. The GWOT was declared by the Reagan administration when it took office, with fevered rhetoric about a plague spread by depraved opponents of civilization itself (as Reagan put it) and a return to barbarism in the modern age (the words of George Shultz, his secretary of state). The original GWOT has been quietly removed from history. It very quickly turned into a murderous and destructive terrorist war afflicting Central America, southern Africa, and the Middle East, with grim repercussions to the present, even leading to condemnation of the United States by the World Court (which Washington dismissed). In any event, it is not the right story for history, so it is gone.

The success of the Bush-Obama version of GWOT can readily be evaluated on direct inspection. When the war was declared, the terrorist targets were confined to a small corner of tribal Afghanistan. They were protected by Afghans, who mostly disliked or despised them, under the tribal code of hospitality -- which baffled Americans when poor peasants refused to turn over Osama bin Laden for the, to them, astronomical sum of $25 million.

There are good reasons to believe that a well-constructed police action, or even serious diplomatic negotiations with the Taliban, might have placed those suspected of the 9/11 crimes in American hands for trial and sentencing. But such options were off the table. Instead, the reflexive choice was large-scale violence -- not with the goal of overthrowing the Taliban (that came later) but to make clear U.S. contempt for tentative Taliban offers of the possible extradition of bin Laden. How serious these offers were we do not know, since the possibility of exploring them was never entertained. Or perhaps the United States was just intent on trying to show its muscle, score a victory and scare everyone in the world. They dont care about the suffering of the Afghans or how many people we will lose.

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That was the judgment of the highly respected anti-Taliban leader Abdul Haq, one of the many oppositionists who condemned the American bombing campaign launched in October 2001 as "a big setback" for their efforts to overthrow the Taliban from within, a goal they considered within their reach. His judgment is confirmed by Richard A. Clarke, who was chairman of the Counterterrorism Security Group at the White House under President George W. Bush when the plans to attack Afghanistan were made. As Clarke describes the meeting, when informed that the attack would violate international law, "the President yelled in the narrow conference room, I dont care what the international lawyers say, we are going to kick some ass.'" The attack was also bitterly opposed by the major aid organizations working in Afghanistan, who warned that millions were on the verge of starvation and that the consequences might be horrendous.

The consequences for poor Afghanistan years later need hardly be reviewed.

The next target of the sledgehammer was Iraq. The U.S.-UK invasion, utterly without credible pretext, is the major crime of the twenty-first century. The invasion led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people in a country where the civilian society had already been devastated by American and British sanctions that were regarded as genocidal by the two distinguished international diplomats who administered them, and resigned in protest for this reason. The invasion also generated millions of refugees, largely destroyed the country, and instigated a sectarian conflict that is now tearing apart Iraq and the entire region. It is an astonishing fact about our intellectual and moral culture that in informed and enlightened circles it can be called, blandly, the liberation of Iraq.

Pentagon and British Ministry of Defense polls found that only 3% of Iraqis regarded the U.S. security role in their neighborhood as legitimate, less than 1% believed that coalition (U.S.-UK) forces were good for their security, 80% opposed the presence of coalition forces in the country, and a majority supported attacks on coalition troops. Afghanistan has been destroyed beyond the possibility of reliable polling, but there are indications that something similar may be true there as well. Particularly in Iraq the United States suffered a severe defeat, abandoning its official war aims, and leaving the country under the influence of the sole victor, Iran.

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The sledgehammer was also wielded elsewhere, notably in Libya, where the three traditional imperial powers (Britain, France, and the United States) procured Security Council resolution 1973 and instantly violated it, becoming the air force of the rebels. The effect was to undercut the possibility of a peaceful, negotiated settlement; sharply increase casualties (by at least a factor of 10, according to political scientist Alan Kuperman); leave Libya in ruins, in the hands of warring militias; and, more recently, to provide the Islamic State with a base that it can use to spread terror beyond. Quite sensible diplomatic proposals by the African Union, accepted in principle by Libyas Muammar Qaddafi, were ignored by the imperial triumvirate, as Africa specialist Alex de Waal reviews. A huge flow of weapons and jihadis has spread terror and violence from West Africa (now the champion for terrorist murders) to the Levant, while the NATO attack also sent a flood of refugees from Africa to Europe.

Yet another triumph of humanitarian intervention, and, as the long and often ghastly record reveals, not an unusual one, going back to its modern origins four centuries ago.

Noam Chomsky is institute professor emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A TomDispatch regular, among his recent books are Hegemony or Survival and Failed States. This essay, the first of two parts, is excerpted from his new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books, 2016). His website is www.chomsky.info.
Thucydides, Greek historian and the father of political realism once said that, "Ignorance is bold, and knowledge is reserved." Indeed, the ignorance of Islam is bolder and louder than the knowledge that silences it. In a recent opinion piece, Father James V. Schall analyzes political realism as understood by Augustine and Machiavelli regarding Islam, and argues that Islam is inherently violent. This analysis is not done by quoting the Quran or critically analyzing Prophet Muhammad's life, but rather concluding so based on the terrorism seen in the past few decades.

Father Schall claims that the terrorists who commit murder in the name of Islam are not terrorists at all, but in reality "have the better side of the argument and are better witnesses to what historic Islam stands for." Those of us who read the Quran in its historical and holistic context should be "applauded for trying to mitigate the historic record." For Father Schall, the people who really understand Islam are those who are enacting the will of Allah by committing terrorist acts.

What do we know of those who commit murder in the name of Islam?

The 9/11 attackers had visited "Sin City" as many as five times, consuming alcohol, gambling, and visiting strip clubs all through out the country. The mastermind behind the Paris attackers, Abdel Hamid Abaaoud, was found drinking whiskey after the attack despite alcohol being forbidden in Islam. The French journalist Dider Francois, who spent over ten months in a ISIS prison, found the discussion to be strictly political, not religious. Francois stated that "we didn't even have a Quran; they didn't want to even give us a Quran."

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To make claims that terrorists such as ISIS understand Islam better than mainstream Muslims is like saying the KKK understands Christianity better than mainstream Christians. If Islam is just to be understood by the murder committed in it's name, then we cannot forget the murder committed in the name of Christianity. In 2011, Anders Breivik slaughtered seventy-seven people at a youth camp, and killing a child as young as fourteen years old. All in the while Breivik published his Christian manifesto against Islam and immigrants. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh orchestrated the most devastating attack in US history prior to 9/11. Under a Christian agenda, he rigged a van with explosives targeted at a federal building in Oklahoma with the intention of causing the most damage possible. McVeigh killed 168 people and injured more than six hundred.

Father Schall claims that "world conquest" is what all Muslims are ultimately attempting to achieve. History could not be further from the truth. If the indicia of a religion's truth is by certain aspects of its history, as Father Schall claims, then Christianity would have the most blood on its hands. Indeed Christianity had succeeded in world conquest through the guise of colonialism. As articulated in Rudyard Kipling's The White Man's Burden, Christians of the past felt obligated to extend Christendom throughout the world. As Jan H. Boer of the Sudan United Mission states, "Colonialism is a form of imperialism based on a divine mandate and designed to bring liberation - spiritual, cultural, economic and political - by sharing the blessings of the Christ-inspired civilization of the West with a people suffering under satanic oppression, ignorance and disease, effected by a combination of political, economic and religious forces that cooperate under a regime seeking the benefit of both ruler and ruled." For Christians, the word of God compels them to spread Christ-inspired civilizations. One also cannot forget the atrocities of Christian violence manifested in various inquisitions and crusades.

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Of course, history is written by the victors and the violence of Christianity is rarely discussed in comparative religion. But this discussion begs the question, who's right? Certainly the validity of a theology should not hinge on extremists that hijack it. Christianity rebukes terrorism made in its name. To say that these acts of terrorism were inspired by Christianity insults the beauty of Jesus's teachings. To say that terrorism or a violent world conquest is inspired by Islam insults the beauty and peacefulness of Prophet Muhammad's message. Indeed the national movement TrueIslam.com campaign is spreading the knowledge and peacefulness of Islam. Various government and law enforcement officials, including Senator Mike Honda and San Bernardino Chief of Police Jarrod Burguan have promoted this campaign.
Last week, Honduran police arrested several officers employed by the Agua Zarca Dam builder DESA and the country's armed forces as suspects in the murder of Berta Caceres. It was a welcome sign of progress in a troubled investigation.

Today, Dutch financier FMO announced that it plans "to seek a responsible and legal exit" from the Agua Zarca Project. Finnfund, another financier, also plans to take this step.

If the other financiers do indeed drop the Agua Zarca Dam, it will mark an important success for the international grassroots campaign coordinated by partners including COPINH, Friends of the Earth Europe, BankTrack and Both Ends. At the same time, the struggle continues, and the international financiers must learn their lessons from this violent and painful experience.

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The situation on the ground remains extremely dangerous for COPINH activists. As I'm writing this update, the Honduran security forces are responding with brutal force against a peaceful COPINH protest at the country's Presidential Palace. The COPINH activists are simply asking for an independent investigation into Berta's murder. At least three people have been seriously injured, and at least four have been detained, including Francisco Javier Sanchez, who just returned from a visit to the European dam financiers.

In coordination with our international partners, International Rivers calls for the following measures to be urgently taken:

The violent repression against COPINH and its partners in Honduras has to stop immediately. The detained activists must be released, and the Honduran government must guarantee freedom of association and expression.

The people who pulled the trigger on Berta Caceres have apparently been arrested, but we still don't know who gave the orders for this crime. The Honduran government must allow the Inter-American Human Rights Commission to conduct an independent investigation into the murder.

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FMO, Finnfund and the Central-American Bank for Economic Integration must confirm their exit from Agua Zarca, and the project must be officially cancelled. The people who have been negatively affected by it must be compensated.

This is not the first time that FMO and other financiers have supported destructive dams and other projects that led to killings and other serious human rights violations. All dam financiers must respect the right of indigenous peoples to free, prior informed consent regarding projects on their territories, and adopt strict due diligence processes for the respect of human rights, in line with the recommendations of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
If you want to troll North Korea analysts, go the popular Facebook groups where they congregate. Write: "Are the latest round of sanctions good or bad?"

Almost immediately, a firestorm will descend. Egos will be bruised. Trash-talking will ensue. People armed with master's degrees will devolve into all-caps rage. Inevitably, someone will be called a Nazi.

It's quite a sight to behold. But if you aren't involved in North Korean affairs, you aren't likely to know about how sanctions-related questions are absolute bombshells in North Korea forums. That's because the field is largely divided into two camps - sanctioners and engagers. Unfortunately, arguments are commonplace and cooperation between the two is rare. Part of this may stem from the fact that most North Korea scholars are above the age of thirty-five; as non-digital natives, they haven't grown up on the wild, whacky Internet, where tone is easily misinterpreted. (Say what you like about those Reddit-reading Millennials, but in North Korean affairs, they have sharper netiquette and are less prone to digital meltdowns.)

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One person who has been frequently targeted by this foaming-at-the-mouth rhetoric is Felix Abt. Author of A Capitalist in North Korea, Abt spent seven years in the DPRK running a pharmaceutical business in Pyongyang. Abt is either someone setting the groundwork for regime change in the DPRK, or simply a hard currency provider to the Kim regime, depending on who you speak with. Having worked with North Korean refugees for six years myself, I interviewed Abt for The Huffington Post regarding his views on sanctions, ethics, and how business can foster human rights-oriented reform in The Hermit Kingdom.

What do you see as the greatest barrier to change in the DPRK?Not enough change agents such as foreign business people, aid workers, diplomats and even tourists, exposing North Koreans to new ideas. And the few who are still active may soon be discouraged and gone too. One NGO from the United Kingdom is currently operating six bread factories, which helped improve children's health in Rason, Pyongyang, Hyangsan, Sariwon, Nampo and Gwail County. It has just reported it has become difficult to continue to maintain the factories due to new, foreign-imposed hurdles for its import requirements.

Do you think young Pyongyang elites be eager to see Chinese-style reforms?Young elites want more opportunities and are ready to accept changes that would help to bring them about.

How do you perceive the latest round of sanctions?North Korea is now denied to export its most saleable products - namely, metals, minerals, and even coal, which accounts for some forty percent of its exports. With the country losing most of its hard currency income overnight, countless families, trading with imported items across the country, will be pushed out of business and into poverty. The economy, which began to recover in recent years, will tumble and living standards will dramatically fall. Politically, Pyongyang has virtually nothing to lose. The likely result is a combination of more repression and fewer reforms, a shrinking middle class, and sharply rising poverty in the hinterland.

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In your book, you talk about "the culture of aid dependence" in North Korea. How do you define that term? Let me illustrate it with the new U.S. sanctions law HR 757, which allows the export of medicine and food - but not the export of hitherto banned products. That is, certain equipment and chemicals necessary to manufacture medicine and foodstuff in North Korea. It makes North Korea dependent on medicine and foodstuff that is either generously donated or imported at a higher cost. What can aid workers do to avoid feeding this culture?I see it in a wider context. I would like to illustrate it with a striking example: Over the last 70 years, aid worth one trillion dollars was spent on Africa, the continent with the most failed states, and the only continent with a significant increase of hungry people. The Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo has demonstrated that aid [policies] in the world's poorest area, namely in Sub-Saharan African countries, have actually contributed to even more poverty and hunger. Concepts that are not only highly wasteful, but also lead in a completely wrong direction, need to be challenged - in African countries, in North Korea, and anywhere else. Is it correct that the Swiss agency dedicated to development has withdrawn from North Korea? Should it be reestablished? Why?The Swiss development and cooperation agency (SDC) did some exemplary work in North Korea. After the mass starvation in the nineties, it helped, for example, to develop a potato and double crop agriculture which multiplied the quantity of potatoes and substantially increased food output in general. And in the countryside, SDC helped breed millions of goats across the country for producing meat and dairy products. The Pyongyang elite was not the main beneficiary, but the populace in poorer provinces. SDC was also a co-sponsor of the first business school, an important reform project, to help bring responsible capitalism to North Korea. Such projects were aimed at fostering sustainable growth of local economies and at promoting reforms. It's regrettable SDC gave them up due to political pressure by anti-engagement advocates.

Is there any chance the Swiss government will resume aid to the DPRK?Though neutral according to its constitution, Switzerland won't do anything that could displease the U.S. Remember, this is the country which gave up its bank secrecy and ceased to be a tax paradise under U.S. pressure, even while the U.S. built up its own tax heavens. In order to liberate North Korea, should human rights activists prioritize industrial development?If they want to be credible, they should first and foremost demand the lifting of sanctions that don't hurt the elites, but ordinary North Koreans. Sanctions also prevent middle classes, (which, from Indonesia to the Philippines to Taiwan, helped to transform authoritarian regimes to more democratic ones) from prospering. A North Korean entrepreneur who hired dozens of workers told me for example: "I can't expand any more as my plans to import from and export to Europe have been shattered by the financial sanctions which cut off North Korea's banks from the global banking system. I can't go with a sack of money to Europe to pay my suppliers and can't travel with an empty suitcase there to collect my money from my European customers." I personally see it as a two-pronged attack - using both underground and state-approved methods to bring reform to Pyongyang.All engagement helps to change minds and behavior patterns and promotes reforms, as I have experienced myself. Mao Zedong, called in the past "humanity's worst butcher," had been demonized like North Korea's leaders. But a conservative U.S. president stretched out his hand and normalized relations between the U.S. and China. This move helped lift hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty. Seventy years of throttling and cornering North Korea haven't helped to open it up, or make lives easier for its population. How much more time is needed for an approach other than the failed one? Namely, for a peace treaty and normalization at last, like in China's or Cuba's case?

How do you respond to critics who argue that business in North Korea only props up an evil regime?While some of the engagement and conducting of business in North Korea may be seen to "prop up" the regime, it, more importantly, also helps to transform it. The confirmation of the potential success of this approach can be clearly seen in the emergence of China and Vietnam, which was precisely because of such a strategy and of the opening of business to outsiders. Safer, effective and more affordable medicine my North Korean workers and I imported and produced must have helped to save numerous lives of ordinary people, not of the elites, as they had access to expensive imported brand pharmaceuticals instead. This was significant, as the lack of medicine must have killed more ordinary people than food shortages during the last fifteen years. To give you another example, safer mines thanks to 'our standards' and equipment I sold must have saved many miners' lives - and not those of the elites, since they don't work in mines.

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I also introduced a course on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at North Korea's first business school for executives where factory bosses learned that they could only become eligible as part of the supply chains of multinational corporations if staff were correctly remunerated and treated, and if the production was environment-friendly. As president of the European Business Association, the first foreign Chamber of Commerce in North Korea, I lobbied for a level-playing field for all businesses, Korean and foreign, state and private, for reforms and developing a law-based state.


(Photo: Nepal Tourism Board's Facebook)

Politics is taking a new dimension in Nepal as Nepalese leaders are taking self-reliant steps and themselves, finding solutions to the problems they are facing. During the last decade, Nepal had people in the political position who were not doing their assigned tasks which caused massive economic and political downturn. This finally made most of the talented and brilliant citizens to leave the nation for foreign countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Belgium, UK, America and Australia with all their family savings often selling all their properties back in Nepal.

Nepalese leaders are learning now that without themselves doing their allotted task, they had been misleading thousands of Nepalese citizens in the wrong direction.

Earthquake has wrought a major havoc throughout Nepal thus also creating an extra-ordinary opportunity to recreate and rebuild infractructures. Most of the old architectures have today vanished, which represented the ancient age and dynasties. Now is a time to recreate and rebuild by utlizing all the sciences Nepalese people have acquired from Europe, Australia and America. Government of Nepal has a great opportunity to enrich itself by creating an environment where all the talented Nepalese across the world can go back and invest themselves in their country of birth.

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Nepalese outside Nepal have tremendous knowledge of science and engineering today, but do not have proper guidance and space where they can utilize their skills. Nepalise leaders have a responsibility towards rebuilding their country and helping the ailing, motherless children of Nepal. They can't do this without the help from innovative Nepalese leaders who are today residing outside the country. Government needs to create an environment where these intelligent people would want to come back and work for Nepalese Government.



Some of the MIT and Princeton graduates who have returned to Nepal have done a tremendous amount of high quality engineering works in Maharajgunj area. Students who returned from the German schools have created many computer consulting companies while talented engineers returning from Australia have created modern apartment complexes throughout Kathmandu Valley.

At this moment, most of the talented Nepalese citizens and billions of dollars belonging to Nepalese citizens are in Russia, UK, USA or Australia. Even members of the late royal family and Ranas have their funds invested in buying highly expensive penthouses in Manhattan and properties in other parts of the world. Lot of NRN leaders have billions of dollars outside the country.
Presumptive Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump is in the inchoate stages of vetting possible Vice Presidential runningmates. Much media focus is centering on Ohio Governor John Kasich. Electorally, it would make sense to select a popular Governor of a critically important showdown state. No Republican has ever won the Presidency without carrying the Buckeye state. However, it would be unlikely that Kasich would accept the offer. It would not be in Kasich's best political interests to be associated with the Trump brand.

Current polls show Trump well behind Democratic Frontrunner Hillary Clinton. However, Kasich is currently ahead of Clinton in the polls. Should Trump lose in the General election, GOP voters would regret that they nominated Trump rather than Kasich in 2016. This would put Kasich in the electoral catbird seat for 2020. He could spend 2018 on the campaign hustings, stumping for Republican Congressional Candidates, collecting chits and ingratiating himself with GOP benefactors. This could put him in a position as the early frontrunner for the nomination in 2020. Kasich's odds of winning the General Election in 2020 would be good, as Republicans would be galvanized to nominate an electable candidate, having been shut out of the White House for twelve years, and the electoral pendulum would likely swing back to the Republicans, as Americans would have fatigue at the same party occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for so long.

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Beyond those considerations, Trump is not presenting himself as a traditional milquetoast Republican. Trump emphasizes an "America First" policy, which includes economic nationalism, opposing most trade agreements that the U.S. has negotiated in recent years. Trump labels NAFTA (signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993): "The worst economic development deal ever signed in the history of our Country." Kasich voted for NAFTA and other trade agreements when he served in the U.S. Congress. Trump's America First Policy also dictates opposition to most recent U.S. foreign interventions. With respect to this issue, Kasich is wedded to the interventionist bloodline of the party. In addition, Trump often bemoans the influence of large financial institutions on the political process. Ironically, Kasich is a former senior executive at Lehman brothers. Finally, Trump advocates closed borders and deporting the estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants currently in the nation. Alternatively, Kasich favors a comprehensive approach to immigration reform, including a path to earned legalization for undocumented immigrants.

It is quite common for a candidate of one wing of a party to be paired up with a candidate from a competing wing to harness party unity. In 1880, Republican James Garfield, who emphasized Civil Service Reform, was paired with Chester A. Arthur, who had made a career as a beneficiary of the corrupt civil service system and opposed reforms. In 1904, the progressive Theodore Roosevelt was paired with the conservative Charles Fairbanks, and in 1976, the moderate Democrat Jimmy Carter was paired with the liberal stalwart Walter Mondale.

For Trump, selecting a runningmate with a different vision would likely be a non-starter. The media would focus with laser-beam precision on the differences between the ticket mates. Accordingly, Trump's runningmate would need to be an individual who sings from Donald's hymnbook on almost all of the major issues.

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Trump averred he wants to select someone "who is friends with the Senators and Congressmen" (Senators are actually also Congressmen). This would imply that Trump would focus on either a sitting member who has relations with members on both sides of the aisle, or a former member. The former member would likely be someone without lobbyist ties, as Trump has emphasized his independence from members of the unpopular profession.

Trump would have a huge problem persuading a sitting member of Congress to agree to be his runningmate. Few members of the U.S. Congress who are up for re-election would sacrifice his/her political career for what could be a hapless Vice Presidential run. While it is possible to seek re-election to the House or Senate while concomitantly running for Vice President (as Lloyd Bentsen did in 1988, Joe Lieberman did in 2000, and Paul Ryan did in 2012), only a candidate from a reliably Republican state or district facing token opposition would take this risk. Most Representatives and Senators in at least nominally competitive races would not want to be tethered to Trump.

Of the sitting Senators, Trump's biggest booster is U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL). While Sessions is charismatic and is simpatico with Trump on illegal immigration, the two have irreconcilable differences on other issues. Sessions has voted for many of the Trade treaties Trump condemns. In addition, Sessions supports proposals to privatize Social Security. Contrariwise, Trump opposes any changes to the Social Security system, pledging to: "do everything within my power not to touch Social Security, to leave it the way it is."

Trump showcases his opposition to the Iraq War, charging that the U.S-led invasion "destabilized the Middle East." It would not likely be a litmus test for a Vice Presidential candidate to have opposed the Iraq War from the beginning, but the candidate would have to have displayed fierce opposition in the attendant years.

There are two sitting Republican members of the House who fit Trumps brand of Republicanism almost to a tee and who would complement his message on the campaign trail as Vice Presidential running mates. They are both Southern accented less bombastic versions of Trump. The first is Walter Jones of North Carolina. While Jones was an early supporter of the Iraq war, he has since become a vociferous critic. Jones now maintains: "I just feel that the reason of going in for weapons of mass destruction, the ability of the Iraqis to make a nuclear weapon, that's all been proven that it was never there." In 2007, Jones was one of just three Republicans to vote for a bill ordering Bush to bring combat troops home by 2008.

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Like Trump, Jones is an economic nationalist. He has voted against virtually every proposed free trade agreement since he entered Congress. He has co-sponsored legislation to repeal NAFTA and is a leader in the effort to stop the Transpacific Partnership. Jones avers: "free-trade agreements like NAFTA have pushed millions of good paying jobs outside our borders." Jones is also a steadfast opponent of illegal immigration, averring: "It is imperative that we secure our borders and not reward those who have broken our laws with amnesty."

The other member who fits this description is U.S. Representative John Duncan (R-TN). Duncan, a self-professed "non-interventionist," was against the Iraq War from the beginning, despite support for the War from the preponderance of his constituents. In fact, after his vote, Duncan was slated to deliver an address at a Baptist Church in his District. However, inflamed church benefactors and a Church Deacon threatened to leave the Church if Duncan were allowed to address the congregation. In response, Duncan agreed not to show up.

Furthermore, Duncan is an economic nationalist and an adversary of illegal immigration. He recently endorsed Trump, praising Trump for his views on these three issues.

Finally, an interesting choice would be former U.S Representative Gene Taylor of Mississippi. Taylor represented that state's Gulf Coast as a Conservative Democrat. Though popular in the District, he could not withstand the 2010 floodtide against Democrats and barely lost his seat. He has since become a Republican. Taylor was one of the most charismatic members of Congress, excoriating federal Budget deficits, advocating for a balanced Budget Amendment, and disparaging free trade agreements. Taylor introduced a resolution in 2010, "to provide for the withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement." While Taylor voted for the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, he came to question the futility of the war effort. In 2006, Taylor averred: "How do you win a counterinsurgency when 80% of the people don't want you there?" He wanted the President to call for a plebiscite among Iraqi citizens to see if they want U.S. troops to stay. A two-thirds majority vote would be required. If the referendum did not muster that number, Taylor harshly intoned: "then I'm at the point of saying to heck with them."

Part of the reason why Taylor survived in what was a Congressional District where Republican John McCain garnered 69% of the vote in 2008, was his advocacy for his constituents. This was highlighted in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the district, destroying his home. He became a critic of the manner in which his constituents were being treated by the insurance companies, bemoaning: "Private insurance companies leverage our dollars to find ways to deny us the protection for which we pay good American money." Taylor also lambasted FEMA Director Michael Brown at a House hearing, telling him: "You get an F- in my book."
"The White House petition website is just another politicized mechanism disguised as a hallmark of transparency," says Jesselyn Radack, an attorney for Snowden.

"Ignoring petitions the administration doesn't like, such as the one to pardon my client Edward Snowden, exposes the site as a propaganda tool, rather than a meaningful way of influencing government," she says.
Both campaigns took historic turns after the Indiana Primary. The Donald's art of the steal of the Republican Party nomination was not the more important turn. Republicans offered no good choice anyway. It was Bernie Sanders' Friday letter to the DNC suggesting he will wage a floor fight at the convention and risk party disunity if the Democratic Party continues to steal the nomination from him by means of undemocratic rules and stacking with Clinton loyalists the key committees responsible for those rules. This threat marks a new strategic path to victory that Sanders had mostly neglected until May 6th. Before then he had focused his considerable political capital on arguing about the irrelevant Party platform,

Sanders' fairly narrow May 3d victory in Indiana, a purple state, continued the pattern established in Nevada, Iowa and elsewhere. It confirmed that Clinton's lead in delegates stands on the two very wobbly legs of closed primary states and mostly red (with a couple purple) southern states. The single exception to this pattern is Ohio, where reported primary results showed a 10% discrepancy from exit polls in a manner alleged to be "a likely indicator of fraud." Ohio is closely associated with election theft. Unfortunately, whatever the role of election theft may be in 2016, neither of the other two Clinton factors have much relevance at all to the Democrats' winning map to the electoral college. Nor were these two factors much in play in Indiana, a state that Obama narrowly won in 2008, turning this red state purple for the first time in two generations.



Closed primaries and caucuses are held in about half the states at public expense for the Party's declining 29% share of the electorate. Clinton's identity politics appeals to the Democratic party faithful who dominate such elections. Those who see all politics as identity politics remain loyal to a corrupt party which provides little more in exchange than the surface image of empty symbols. In a "one person, one identity" society you can buy a faux "Woman Card" from Clinton. But you will not get from her a restored democracy in which the 99% of women or other voters can achieve authentic policy reforms, even reforms most relevant to any pandered identity.

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Clinton and Obama criticize Sanders for thinking democracy is possible in America. Tavis Smiley has demonstrated that under Obama blacks "have lost ground in every major economic category." It would not be surprising to find the same result for women in a Clinton restoration. Throughout American history racism and patriarchy have been linked in eras of general oligarchic oppression. Their victims typically emerged from that oppression together in periods of general democratic progress. Clinton will only deepen the contemporary plutocratic form of such oppression based on the system of political corruption which her family helped construct. Identity politics will not save you, but only divert from attaining democratic reforms which may.

Clinton will, of course, not have the benefit of closed elections in November. Independents, although excluded from closed primaries, nevertheless do determine general election outcomes. They are the 40% or more of the electorate interested more in recovering democracy from the plutocratic establishment which controls both corrupt parties than in the identity politics/culture war distractions from democracy that the parties have on offer. Independents therefore favor Sanders whose express priority is to reclaim power from plutocrats, "the billionaire class" villains of Sanders' standard campaign speech.

Such a political "revolution," overthrowing plutocracy in favor of democracy, would enable majorities to secure the New Deal-style reforms that he labels "socialism." The scare quotes are needed here to indicate Sanders' peculiarly American usage of that term, which can only be understood as standing in contrast to the American "capitalist" proposition that democratic majorities should not determine the economic structure of their own society. In Sanders' "democratic socialism," the socialism part is a natural consequence of the democratic part. Sanders' platform consists of reforms with which majorities already agree. Such social and economic policies that a majority supports can only be blocked by plutocratic corruption of the democratic process. Closed primaries shut out a large share of voters from a key step in that process.

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Independents allowed to vote in Indiana's open primary provided Sanders' margin of victory over the sheep who vote as instructed by the plutocratic Party establishment. The victory that Independents gave Sanders' in Indiana was modest compared to, say, the Wisconsin primary, because Indiana also has southern influences in its Ohio River Valley counties that voted for Clinton. Only pollsters who have consistently underestimated the impact of Independents in open primary and caucus states, and those who believed their underestimates of Sanders. But Indiana's confirmation of Clinton's limited source of support did, apparently, finally draw Sanders' attention to the strategic move he must make if he is to win the nomination in the face of discriminatory Democratic Party rules.

Trumpalooza

The Indiana result that dominated the news cycle was not about Sanders but rather Donald Trump's elimination of Senator Cruz. This took Trump and many others by surprise. It is discussed here not to further exhaust the oxygen in the room that the plutocratic media spent on advertising Trump, but to note its significant impact on the only campaign that matters in 2016.

Though the identity politics narrative has assigned them the villain's role, Trump's voters are nevertheless owed the nation's debt of gratitude for eliminating the possibility that "Lucifer" (Lyin' Luc?) Cruz will get anywhere near the Oval Office in this election cycle. But for Trump, Cruz could have been one email server indictment, or high-level resignation from the FBI, away from power. It is still worrisome to contemplate that, if Trump should lose, a Clinton presidency could further alienate enough voters from her corrupt and undemocratic Party so that Cruz-family dominionism would make a comeback in 2020. Such a Clinton-Cruz sequence is an even scarier prospect than a one-term transitional Trump regime. As one writer said: "Trump is ridiculous, but Cruz is ... truly frightening.... and he'll be back. Take appropriate precautions."

If, in addition to at least temporarily sidelining "Lyin' Ted," Trump can also be blamed for creating a crisis in, or even destroying, the Republican Party, he can't be all bad. With the Clinton organization back in full control of the Democratic Party, alienated plutocrats like the Kochs would already have their parachute named Hillary Clinton in hand as they bail out of their old disintegrating party for this new Democratic Party alliance of "strange bedfellows." Like the civil rights era witnessed a complete ideological reversal when the former Party of Lincoln become the "southern strategy" party of the New Jim Crow, and vice versa, we might be witnessing the final step in a comparable reversal as the Democratic Party, the former party of labor, is promoted to senior partner in the duopoly Party of Plutocracy.

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No one can know where the Trump rump of the Gutted Old Party will land up in the absence of adult supervision greased by plutocratic pay-offs. Who can say whether Trump's offensive reactionary culture wars against Muslims and Mexicans will prove any less symbolic than Hillary Clinton's liberal identity politics in its actual impact, or lack thereof, on public policy? Trump doubtfully knows himself.

Perhaps the most important favor to the country done by Trump and his supporters, especially the Indiana primary closers, is giving Trump a large enough victory to help drive Ted and family, out of the race earlier rather than later. This allows Trump to begin the campaign he has promised: "We're going after Hillary Clinton." Trump will predictably raise those "personal attack" issues about the corrupt Clinton organization that Sanders declines to discuss. Trump's campaign against Clinton and her plutocrat backers may provide the superdelegates a foretaste of Clinton's weakness as a candidate well prior to the Democratic Convention. This may heighten their sensitivity to the issue of integrity as Trump goes about presenting evidence to back up his charge against "Crooked Hillary Clinton, perhaps the most dishonest person to have ever run for the presidency." This development can only help Sanders in the remaining primaries from which Clinton will be distracted by Trump, and even more importantly in his fight within the party over greater integrity of the nomination process, which is the condition Sanders has now laid down "to have a unified party."

This appreciation of Trump's contributions, however inadvertent they may have been on his part other than as was necessary to make the deal, does not even include what Jeffrey St. Clair called the "Trump L'Oeil ... Greatest Spectacle on Earth" depictions of iconoclastic policies, "as if Trump has stepped right off the pages of Ralph Nader's Dickensian romp of a novel, Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!" (2011). Such policy positions can be subject to hourly changes, because the campaign thinks nobody cares about policy, but only its maker. Yet Trump's loose cannon for policy missiles creates cover for Sanders' critique of plutocratic foreign, trade and other policies as if they were bipartisan positions rather than subjects censored by the mass media.

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ROI

The most important of the issues where Trump as cleared some space is that of the corrupt plutocracy itself. Whether credible or not, Trump has at least toyed in public with the idea that he will not be taking big money from plutocrats as do their usual "puppets." He apparently got this far mostly on the basis of his celebrity, media smarts, a relatively modest personal loan to his campaign and about $12 million in small contributions. Trump might try deploying Sanders' crowdfunding strategy with his own supporters. Meanwhile, to avoid blatant hypocrisy, Trump's current line of attack against "Corrupt Clinton" might restrain somewhat his natural temptation to put his own hand in the normally large open pockets of plutocrats. Since, as The Hill notes, "Trump has not endeared himself to many on K Street, having attacked lobbyists during the primary campaign.... few lobbyists have come out in support of Trump."

This suggests the possibility that Trump may, instead of extending his hand for the usual dance with plutocrats and their lobbyists, and their party establishment, may instead follow the political axiom about dancing with the ones that "brung 'em" - the voters who bought his billionaire populist image. This would require his employing an entirely different business model for his campaign than the current model of systemic plutocratic corruption. And then, an hour later, maybe not.

This section explores the potential consequences to the country of the choice Trump makes, a choice that was not available to Obama, nor to the Clinton organization which is thoroughly enmeshed with plutocracy. Trump's choice will determine how strong a candidate he will make against Sanders, which is reason to explore the choice in some detail.

It is no doubt easier for Sanders' supporters seeking the recovery of democracy from plutocrats than it will be for the identity politics crowd that supports Clinton to contemplate a Return on Investment (ROI) calculation to define the potential difference between the Trump and Clinton forms of corruption. It is the relative ROI factors that is causing the rats to flee the Republican ship pirated by the new Cap'n Donald in order to back Clinton as the more reliable friend of plutocrats. To start, Clinton took their money during the primary and defended her blatant conflict of interest by challenging Sanders to attempt the near impossibility of proving the subjective intent element of quid pro quo bribery. Trump has bragged that he did not take their money. Yet. And he can speak from experience about how political investments buy lucrative conflicts of interest, while assuring that outsiders to the deal cannot prove subjective intent.

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The current bipartisan model of corrupt politics which the Clintons helped create, and which Trump and Sanders are disrupting in different ways, was described by, among many others, Robert Scheer, The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street (2010) 241-42, 246. Scheer explains that "the only difference in the two parties' programs was over who best served Wall Street and hence deserved to be more handsomely rewarded with campaign funding ... [In] both the Clinton and Obama White Houses ...Democrats proved to be as eager to please as their Republican rivals." That eagerness has been rewarded. For example, "Goldman Sachs' PAC and its employees gave $24.5 million to federal political campaigns in the period 1999-2009. Most of that money went to Democrats." Evilsizer, "Names In The News: Goldman Sachs," (May 11, 2010).

Strong support for this partisan contest for the spoils of influence peddling by the post-Clinton Democratic party is provided in an academic study by Michael J. Cooper, Huseyin Gulen, and Alexei V. Ovtchinnikov, Corporate Political Contributions and Stock Returns (2010). The authors developed a comprehensive database correlating publicly listed firms' political campaign contributions to their share appreciation. The data broadly confirmed "the idea that companies make political contributions because the contributions create value for the company." The author's regression analyses could not attribute this value to any other factor than "abnormal" (i.e. political) Return on Investment (ROI). Their data also showed that the "incremental impact on abnormal returns is greater for contributions to Democratic candidates." The Clinton organization is justifiably trusted to give a higher ROI, more bang for the buck. This suggests that the Democrats' identity politics diversion is even more effective than the Republican's counterpart culture wars is in enticing the mass of partisan voters to support the plutocracy against their own economic interests. Trump's Republican voters, for the first time in decades, seem to have started massively voting their own interests, and therefore not that of the plutocratic party establishment. Democratic voters have done the same. But if Democrats have rebelled against the plutocratic establishment in the same numbers in fact, the results are different because the Democratic Party has necessarily rigged up stronger defenses against progressives, since unlike Republicans they occasionally have some.

Obama perpetuated the Clinton template, taking money from Wall Street and then appointing Robert Rubin acolytes and other corporatist Democrats, such as Larry Summers, to key financial regulatory positions where they were able to return an ROI in the form of bailouts and policy concessions many times Wall Street's investment in Obama. The largest bailout went to Rubin's Citibank itself as described by Robert Kuttner, A Presidency in Peril: the Inside Story of Obama's Promise, Wall Street's Power and the Struggle to Control Our Economic Future (2010) 123-29, 203. Kuttner furnished the evidence that "Wall Street still reigns" under Obama that justified Cornel West labeling Obama a "mascot of the Wall Street oligarchs" and a "puppet of corporate plutocrats."

Obama has produced profitably for Wall Street, signing a bill only last year -- when he lacked any political excuse for not vetoing it -- that cut their taxes by a half trillion and vastly expanded the scope for their political corruption to pay for the favor. Clinton, who is clearly running for Obama's third term with contributions from the same sources, can only be expected to act the same as Obama in serving up a high ROI for their mutual benefactors.

According to a CNN poll, Trump's presidential election project is facing perhaps 4 to 3 odds against his success. Trump himself has cited a Rasmussen poll to show he might actually have even odds or better before he has yet made much of an investment in the second phase of his project. He appeals to twice as many Democrats as Clinton does to Republicans, and he wins 37 to 31% among Independents. If Trump were to spend a billion of his reputed fortune to get elected he could then steal back, through ordinary every-day Supreme-Court-legalized petit corruption, at an ROI expected for his real estate speculations of comparable risk. But the country would still be far, far better off than it is now under the Obama practice of systemic Clintonian political corruption. Trump could theoretically become the only plutocrat able to plunder the country since he does not need to invite his fellow plutocrats to the table. This is why Charles Koch finds his ROI so "disappointing" in a Trump world, though he started the primary season saying "I expect something in return" for large political investments in Republicans.

If Trump does not take Koch's money or any other big money from plutocrats, but rather continues to largely self-finance, with the help of small contributions like Sanders, then he does not have to give away any policy favors to the Kochs or any other plutocrats who currently are wary of him for that very reason. Obama gave plutocrats everything the wanted, as will Clinton. The ordinary rate of return to plutocrats in the current systemically corrupt model of politics is extraordinarily high. According to all available information the ROI for political investments is in a different ballpark than your ordinary real estate speculation. Alex Gibney's film Casino Jack records convicted briber and uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff promising returns of approximately 4000% on generic lobbying expenditures which were used in part to pay off influential members of Congress. See generally, Peter H. Stone, Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010). In 2010 routine MIC profits of around $25 billion plus equity gains were made against lobbying expenditures of about $64 million, for about a 40,000% return. A more rigorous analysis found that lobbying expenditures for one law exempting repatriated corporate earnings from taxation yielded a 22,000% return on investment. See Raquel Meyer Alexander, Stephen W. Mazza, and Susan Scholz, Measuring Rates of Return for Lobbying Expenditures: An Empirical Analysis under the American Jobs Creation Act (April 8, 2009).

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Another study, by the House of Representatives Minority Staff, Hitting the Jackpot: How the House Energy Bill (H.R. 4) Rewards Millions in Contributions with Billions in Returns (2001), probably shows a more typical ROI. This study found: "The cumulative value of the campaign contributions of the coal, oil and gas, nuclear, and electric utility industries in the 2000 election cycle was $69.5 million; the cumulative value of the tax breaks and subsidies for these industries in H.R. 4 is $36.4 billion. If the campaign contributions are viewed as a form of 'investment' in the legislative process, the 'rate of return' on this investment is an astounding 52,200%." Other ROI's of over 5000% for oil subsidies to 77,500% for medicare pharmaceutical overpricing have been reported. See also Clayton D. Peoples, "Contributor Influence in Congress: Social Ties and PAC Effects on U.S. House Policymaking." 51 The Sociological Quarterly 649-77 (2010).

A study by the Sunlight Foundation titled Fixed Fortunes studied "200 of America's most politically active corporations [which] spent a combined $5.8 billion on federal lobbying and campaign contributions" between 2007 and 2012. According to the Sunlight study the 200 gave $597 million to political committees and spent $5.2 billion on lobbying. The Fixed Fortune 200 accounted for 26 percent of the total spent by 20,500 paying lobbying clients. When limited to these 200 top investors, presumably the most effective of all influencers, their ROI soars to the high range. Those 200 corporations received $4.4 trillion in federal business and support which "represents two-thirds of the $6.5 trillion that individual taxpayers paid into the federal treasury." For the average "dollar spent on influencing politics, the nation's most politically active corporations received $760 from the government," for a 76,000% ROI. A high ROI indicates how incredibly cheap it is to buy a politician.

Back at the low ROI end, another study calculated that for each $5.3 million in government contracts politicians receive an additional $201,220 in campaign contributions. Since there is a total of over $500 billion of annual federal procurement, this study suggests that this one profit center alone would account for at least $20 billion worth of kickbacks to politicians,. This last number sounds too high, given that this is just one source of kickbacks, and the ROI at a mere 2,500% seems too low, especially since it does not include lobbying costs. If accurate, this study would define the minimum in the range of returns on political investments available in the systemically corrupt plutocracy where government has been for sale ever since Buckley v Valeo (1976) legalized corruption.

This survey of available studies of the ROI in politics can only be suggestive of the ROI for a president. Assuming an ROI of 50,000%, or a multiple of 500, this would far exceed the Donald's ordinary real estate investment ROI for a venture having an even chance of success. If he decides to self-finance, rather than sell out to the plutocracy as Clinton has, he could profit handsomely yet at the same time save the country considerable money because of his lower ROI expectations. This possibility that their most profitable investment opportunity could be terminated during a Trump term is what is causing plutocrats to shift to Clinton. It is the same consideration that Trump's voters intuited, without all the math, when they supported a billionaire, even if a confessed briber, as a means to reduce the influence of money in politics.

If Trump would go all-in by promoting effective anti-corruption reform like a Jack Abramoff-style reformed practitioner of the black arts, something that Clinton and her neoliberal Democrats cannot do, Trump might become even more popular. But plutocrats would get even more alarmed at the potential long-term shuttering of their lucrative business model and give Clinton even more support. They know that Sanders will attempt this reform, and seem to worry that Trump might as well. This analysis leaves three choices in the 2016 election for near term and long term prospects for the plutocratic business model: 1) Sanders' definite no-ROI, and certain effort for systemic reform; 2) the Donald's possibly low-ROI, and conceivable attempt for systemic reform; and 3) the certain continuation of the status quo high-ROI, with the faux reform of another Clinton.

It's all about that ROI in the marketplace for politicians.

Sanders Goes Strategic

In Indiana, exit polls again showed that about 30% more Democratic primary voters find Sanders "honest and trustworthy" than they do Clinton. That much of the audience normally does not figure out the trick while a professional is still performing it. It took many years for a majority to figure out Obama. Sanders again overwhelmingly won voters under 45 (68%). These voters are the source of his success. But true to the pattern caused by his continuing refusal to give blacks a good reason to vote for him rather than the leading practitioner of identity politics, he again won only 26% of the 18% share of the Indiana Democratic primary voters who are black. Sanders has failed to communicate how plutocracy is inherently a civil rights problem, because those on top profit from disenfranchising to the point of enslaving those on the bottom. Specifically banksters got away with defrauding black homeowners out of enormous wealth in real estate, because they own the system. This is why Clinton, and her plutocratic backers, will only aggravate the current civil rights crisis, notwithstanding her family talent for identity politics. Sanders has also failed to take the best opportunity to dramatically and decisively demonstrate that blacks, and especially black women, are an indispensable and valued component of his progressive coalition and of its top leadership. Until May 6, Sanders unfortunately remained as resolute in this neglect of good strategy on this and other matters as he is with respect to the unwavering content of his campaign speech.

Where it counts, in open primary blue states where independent voters are not excluded from participating in the nation's taxpayer-supported presidential election run-off process, Sanders wins or virtually ties primary elections, and commonly overwhelms Clinton with landslide victories in the caucus states. Sanders has generally held his own in the non-southern red and purple states like Indiana, and even won handily in many western red states. Purple state outliers, Colorado, where Sanders won in a landslide (18%), and Ohio, where Clinton maybe did the same (13%), cancel each other out. The states remaining for Sanders to catch up to Clinton comprise a similar mixture of red states (e.g., West Virginia where Sanders is polling ahead), both open and closed election states, and blue states (e.g. Oregon, where Sanders is competitive). They are all outside the South - aside from Kentucky, a red border state. Time is also on Sanders side in that these final states in the run-off know him better than the early states did, and will likely provide more support than the similar early states.

Predictably good outcomes for Sanders in the remaining states and territories will not be sufficient to gain enough pledged delegates to win, although these contests will narrow Clinton's current lead of about 300 delegates. To win Sanders therefore requires a convention strategy that will include a challenge to the DNC rules.

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Without any apparent support from the Sanders campaign, activists in New York are taking on the quintessential case of closed-state corruption that provides one essential leg of Clinton's lead. Closing run-off elections to outsiders, as New York does, preserves duopoly power. Sanders correctly told the Washington Post that "the convention and the Democratic National Committee can change the rules and can create a scenario that makes it clear that we want open primaries in 50 states in this country." But Sanders needed to do more than complain about closed primaries, and then say that he "accepts" the rules that he calls "dumb" and "absurd" for allowing such primaries. He needed to recalibrate the focus of his campaign on the reform of undemocratic DNC rules such as the rules that treat closed primaries as the equivalent of open primaries

After a long delay during which the strategic capacity of his campaign was doubted by this writer, Sanders has finally at nearly the last minute taken a decisive first step toward challenging the undemocratic rules of the Democratic Party. On May 6, 2016, Sanders formally protested the DNC's outrageous refusal to "assign even one" Sanders nominee to the key Rules Committee and also for its selection of other broadly unrepresentative standing committees. He charged that "the Democratic Party is not open to the millions of new people that our campaign has brought into the political process, does not want to hear new voices, and is unwilling to respect the broader base of people that this party needs to win over in November and beyond." Sanders threatened if "the process is set up to produce an unfair, one-sided result, we are prepared to mobilize our delegates" for a floor fight at the convention. Doubts whether the Sanders' campaign would be ready to wage such a floor fight over a rule change are somewhat allayed by this first known strategic action by Sanders' campaign. This will mark an important, historic, turning point in the campaign, if it is followed up with further effective strategic action to contest undemocratic DNC rules.

One kind of rule change would address the problem of closed primary states that Sanders mentioned. Sanders needs to prepare his delegates for this floor fight at the convention to change the rules so as to discount the credentialing of delegates from closed primary states. The discount of delegate strength would be based on documentation of the extent to which Independents were excluded from participation in the closed primaries, and the results were therefore unrepresentative of actual voter choice. The rules should factor-in poll results about Independents who were undemocratically denied a vote in what should be an open run-off election process, if the results are to be credentialed as democratic. The issue is really not what is good for the party, as Sanders expressed it, but what is good for democracy, and required under the constitutional principle of one person, one vote,

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To help demonstrate this proposal, for example, 1.8 million New Yorkers voted in their state's closed Democratic Primary. Sanders claims that 3 million Independents were excluded. If solely for purposes of discussion we apply the nationwide ratio for Democrats to Independents of about 3 to 4, and assume equal turnout rates, an open primary would have included 2.4 million additional New York voters. Some of those Independents, around a third, might have voted for Trump or another Republican, Polls show that 74% of these voters do not consider Clinton "honest and trustworthy." (Q36) Rounding up to 75%,the figure of 70% of Independents that some pollsters claim vote for Sanders, Sanders would have received very roughly an additional 1.2 million votes, and Clinton the other 400,000. New York would have thus given Sanders about 57% of its vote in an open primary, exactly reversing the closed primary results. This alone would reduce Clinton's national delegate lead by 62 delegates. Similar calculations could be made for the four subsequent closed primaries which wrongly awarded more than double the delegates than New York did. Flipping those numbers as well would reduce Clinton's lead by a total of almost 200 delegates. Add to this number similar recalculations for the many other closed states, and Clinton's remaining 100 delegate lead would quickly evaporate going into the final round of contests after Indiana.

The above calculation is admittedly back-of-the-envelope and would require more reliable data to support its conclusions. It is presented here to make the point that closed primaries distort election results. The undemocratically help to nominate candidates who the American people dislike. In a vicious cycle, the more the party nominates disagreeable candidates, the more people leave the parties, and do not bother to vote at record levels, as in 2014. This creates more Independents. This year the two parties are set to nominate the most unpopular pair of candidates anyone can remember. A quarter of voters are so disgusted at the likely choice they report they cannot vote for either one. It is the year to break this cycle by contesting undemocratic party rules that produce such results. The party that acts first will reap the benefits of nominating a candidate who has net public acceptability, like Sanders, rather than having 20% to 40% more people who strongly dislike them than who strongly like them.

This one rule change could, as roughly calculated above, alter the outcome of the Democratic convention by shifting more than 200 pledged votes from Clinton to Sanders, in order to redress the intentional discrimination by duopoly parties against excluded Independent voters. A truly strategic campaign would already have been making its case against this systemic discrimination in court, claiming that closed primaries constitute a denial of equal protection under the 14th Amendment and even a denial of freedom of speech on the theory that voting is a First Amendment right. Cf. Doe v. Reed, 561 U. S. 2 (2010)(signing a referendum petition is speech). One should not be required to take loyalty oaths to, or involuntarily associate with, a corrupt party for a fixed period of time as a condition for exercising the right to vote in a run-off election. The run-off phase of an election is equally important as the general election phase. Every voter has an equal right to participate in elections which is denied by closed elections. The Constitution protects that right.

Though there is some adverse precedent on the books, e.g. Rosario v. Rockefeller, 410 U.S. 752 (1973)(upholding New York's exclusionary election rules for "preservation of the integrity of the electoral process"), closed primaries likely would not satisfy modern concepts requiring strict scrutiny of First Amendment violations. There now exists a narrower remedy for "party raiding" than excluding Independents. Criminal law enforcement against such conspiracies to abuse the run-off process, assisted by modern data mining, should suffice to preserve the integrity of the process against raiding. In any event, a high profile lawsuit against the DNC for facilitating the denial of constitutional rights of Independents, even if it were ultimately held non-justiciable, would prepare the public for understanding the constitutional dimensions of a convention fight over the same issue. One thing Americans agree on is the authority of the Constitution, even if not its meaning. The New York election fiasco provides a perfect context to support such a constitutional attack on a process inherently corrupt in conception and even further flawed in its execution.

Instead of taking such strategic actions to challenge closed primaries, and other undemocratic rules, the campaign originally expressed its interest in diverting its hard-won political capital at the convention into influencing the contents of the Democratic Party Platform. The Platform will have nothing at all to do with winning the nomination, much less the policies that will ultimately be pursued by Democrats if Clinton were to win. Clinton organization hacks actually encourage Sanders "to fight for a progressive platform. That won't hurt." A direct agreement between Sanders and Clinton clearly announced to the public rather than buried in the anonymous and irrelevant propaganda sheet which is the platform would be clearly preferable for increasing the likelihood of later compliance. But it would seem foolish to depend upon an agreement with someone whom a clear majority of the American people do not find honest and trustworthy. Far better to demand significant political change that can be delivered prior to the election. Democratic Party rule changes can be completed prior to the election. So can a recess appointment of a progressive Supreme Court justice.

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Independents in blue and purple states will provide an electoral college victory, but not Clinton's red state supporters who represent most of her delegate advantage that is not the product of closed primaries. This should concern any part of the Democratic establishment which may be more interested in winning the election in November than in the pay-offs that superdelegates may have received, or expect to receive, from the Clinton organization. This provides motivation to avoid alienation of Sanders' Independent supporters who demand democratic reforms. The problem is that Sanders needs to get beyond the vacuous "electotainment" of talking about policies in the platform. Sanders needs to bear down on the strategic demands necessary to win the nomination this year, or at minimum clear the way for democratically conducted run-off elections in future years. Even in his historic May 6 letter Sanders continues to divert attention to the Platform committee, which is totally irrelevant to accomplishing anything of importance to his supporters. One hopes that this reference to platform change was inserted only as something to be bargained away in his sustained attack on the stacked Rules Committee which will control who gets the nomination in a contested convention.

Superdelegate strategy still in the haze

Even if Sanders wins rules changes on closed primaries, he will still likely have a superdelegate problem. Sanders has repeatedly appealed to the establishment, as represented by the superdelegates, to shift their support to him. He requests first that, in the states which he or Clinton has won by landslides, superdelegates should vote as their constituents have. This sounds reasonable, but it is contrary to the existing rule. Sanders' proposal would modify the current rule that leaves discretion entirely with the superdelegates. Enforcing this proposal would require a floor fight at the convention. Though Sanders has not yet suggested there will be a fight on this issue, Diane Russell of Maine who persuaded her state convention to adopt such a rule has said "I think you'll see this be an issue at the national convention. And if nothing happens, if nothing changes, you're going to see a real backlash." Rep. Russell, who speaks much more directly than Sanders on this issue, continues: "The superdelegate system is flawed, it is anti-democratic, and it needs to be changed." She should be hired by the Sanders campaign to manage the floor fight on this issue. The campaign can drop one of its TV ads to pay her to coordinate with other state conventions so delegates can be prepared for the fight in advance. If the rule is not changed as Russell demands, Sanders' proposal is probably meaningless in the form of a reasonable request, as Sanders presents it.

But even if Sanders persuaded superdelegates to implement this "winner-take-all" superdelegate rule, that would still leave Sanders hundreds of delegates short just among the superdelegates. As one analyst writes "mandating a way in which superdelegates have to vote doesn't really help Sanders much at all." He would thus still lose the nomination even if he did make up the difference among pledged delegates in the remaining run-off contests, which is surely a daunting task absent the closed primary rule change. Therefore this plea would seem to need further strategic thought. Sanders may have selected the worst of two alternative ways he could advocate a change in the Superdelegate rule. He should have advocated proportional distribution of the superdelegates rather than the landslide winner takes all approach. Under a proportional rule it would be theoretically possible for Sanders to win if he did win a majority of the pledged delegates.

By limiting his proposal only to landslide states, Sanders opens up the possibility for a second rule that he proposes for assigning the remaining delegates from non-landslide states. To get the rest of the way, Sanders appeals to superdelegates to exercise their discretion, as intended they should, to pick the strongest candidate against Trump, especially as shown by polling in the battleground states. This proposal would be difficult to formulate as a rule, without raising difficult questions. Should polling always be given preference over legitimate and experienced professional political judgment about who will make the strongest candidate? Or should judgment prevail? What is a legitimate basis for such judgment? The only legitimate basis suggested by this analysis would be that superdelegates from closed primary states should be mandated to cast their votes in a manner to compensate for the exclusion of Independent voters, or to compensate for exit poll disparity. DNC Rules could mandate use of Superdelegates for such democratic purposes.

The Superdelegate provision was placed in the DNC rules in 1982 to avoid precisely the situation in 1980 when Ted Kennedy was ahead of President Carter in the polls, but the party establishment preferred the sitting President Carter as the candidate more likely to win in November. Kennedy undermined Carter's chances for reelection with lasting disastrous consequences to the country generally classified under the rubric "Reagan." Instead of making a close analysis of why Kennedy failed to attract support in the primaries, the party establishment was empowered to exercise their unfettered discretion in expectation that they would block another counterproductive candidacy like Kennedy's. But in the era of Buckley this solution has become an instrument of corruption.

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Sanders' current proposal, then, is more an ad hoc political argument that he will be the better candidate, than a principle to be captured by a new rule. If the Democratic Party cared more about winning than it does about plutocrats he might win that argument. But if Clinton has done what Obama did to her in 2008, these superdelegates are bound to her not by political judgment but by pecuniary inducement. Sanders' second proposal based on a political appeal to reason may thus be a losing, even naive, strategy.

In addition to these two related innocuous but probably ineffectual pleas to superdelegates, which superdelegates are free to ignore, Sanders should be advocating the adoption of a conflict of interest recusal rule for application to the superdelegates. They could not ignore an ethical rule adopted by the convention as if it involved a question of personal political judgment. As a traditional ethics rule applied to government officials it would be both familiar to politicians and fairly easily formulated. Superdelegates, and also the members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee who approve rules changes, should be required first to disclose any pecuniary inducements from the Clinton organization, and then to recuse themselves from voting for Clinton in cases where any reasonable person would conclude that such inducements would create a conflict of interest. Not to suggest such a rule to buttress his two other requests would seem to naively ignore the way the Clinton organization wields power with resources derived from an influence-peddling "fundraising powerhouse" that "has no equal."

The conflict of interest enforcement approach has several benefits. First it is an ethical and moral question that goes to the very heart of the corrupt political system against which voters in both parties are protesting. By advocating such a simple litmus test of integrity in the nomination process, Sanders would more clearly distinguish his campaign from Clinton and the corrupt party she controls. The problem goes well beyond the party. Polls have shown that as few as 17% of Americans think the government even has the "consent of the governed," i.e., is still a democracy. Other polls confirm public understanding that, as Jimmy Carter has said, the United States is not a democracy because of money in politics. Such a demand that the Democratic Party reform to restore enforcement of conflict of interest rules to political investments would be consistent with such widely-held public views, if not with the views of the tiny percentage of eligible voters who enable Clinton corruption.

Second, raising this conflict of interest issue would be of value in explaining Sanders' principal campaign message against the lack of integrity in government, by showing precisely how he will accomplish his reform goals. In a recent abuse of office, Obama attacked Sanders by alleging: "When people put their faith into someone who can't possibly deliver his or her own promises, that only breeds more cynicism." Many have overlooked that Sanders' "democratic socialism" prioritizes the need to first restore democratic process before any of his popularly-supported "socialist" policy reforms will be possible. Corrupt influence peddling that prevents any such policy reforms is largely attributable to the fact that politicians have freed their campaign finance practices from existing conflict of interest rules. Sanders can win his revolution against the control of government by "the billionaire class" if he robustly prosecutes violations of traditional conflict of interest recusal law. Recusal (disqualification) would prohibit influence peddling politicians from exchanging policy for the corrupt payoffs received under the guise of campaign financing legalized by the Supreme Court.

Advocating the conflict of interest recusal rule in the context of a dramatic, televised, credentials fight at the convention would provide the answer to Obama's (and Clinton's) plutocratic propaganda. It would constitute an educational moment about how conflict of interest rules could be changed in all three branches of a corrupt government, if they can be imposed on the Democratic Party. In this moment Sanders could explain that these rules can extend to campaign finance without permission of the Supreme Court, unlike the piecemeal proposals given lip-service by Obama (and Clinton) to ineffectually regulate the supply-side of money in politics.

On the other end of the spectrum, too, some followers seem to believe that Sanders' campaign proves they can now directly pursue socialism, for example through a third party, without first recovering democracy. Education is needed on the prerequisite of achieving democracy first, and how to do it, before other policy goals can be successfully pursued. Contrary to Obama's fatuous edict, Sanders very well can deliver on his promises to enact programs supported by majorities, provided he can keep the focus on what is required to restore integrity to the democratic process.

Third, it is understandable that Clinton's delegates would resist changing the superdelegate ground rules at the last minute in the manner Sanders suggests in order to make them responsible to the strong preference of their states' voters, and also to the original failsafe function of superdelegates to select the strongest candidate in case the people fail to do so. They can simply respectfully disagree with Sanders' premises for shifting their allegiance. Such a request, though reasonable if raised by Sanders at the outset, can even be dismissed as sour grapes on his part at this stage of the process. Clinton superdelegates might argue that he waited too long, suggesting that Sanders would not be objecting if the shoe happened to be on the other foot. A moral principle by its nature will be more difficult to resist in this manner. Conflicts of interest are immoral as well as enabling the theft of a nomination. There is no time period for introducing such a rule because it is an enduring principle. This provides Sanders high ground, that is not subject to differences of mere political opinion.. Asking to change the rules so he wins rather than Clinton, absent such a moral principle, will not be treated as high ground.

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Fourth, it is quite possible that if the Sanders campaign can organize its own pledged delegates behind this issue as the very opening floor contest over credentials, much as Ted Kennedy waged a rules floor fight in the 1980 convention, Sanders might attract enough of the Clinton identity politics crowd to win this issue on the high ground of morals and ethics. Clinton's delegates are not all committed to Clintonian corruption. Some of those who remain ignorant of it, or are in denial, might well be persuaded that ordinary rules of integrity should apply the superdelegates. Who can support, in principle, buying the votes of superdelegates? If the Party resists integrity in its nomination process, that would be grounds for abandoning the party as too corrupt to support, not just unfair or politically unwise. Clinton is vulnerable to the charge of corruption in the general election and cannot afford a party split over this particular issue.

If the convention supports recusal of superdelegates who are in the pocket of the Clinton organization, the remaining delegates might be sufficient to win other close rules fights, such as the reform suggested above for a rule to handicap closed-primary results. By winning the issue of integrity Sanders might even flip the superdelegates vote to favor him rather than to overwhelm him. There are likely few superdelegates, other than those conflicted by the Clinton organization, who would still favor Clinton as the nominee against the evidence that Trump can defeat her, though not Sanders.

The Donald himself tweeted directly to the point: "I would rather run against Crooked Hillary Clinton than Bernie Sanders and that will happen because the books are cooked against Bernie! ... The dysfunctional system is totally rigged against him!"
Residents of McKenzie County and surrounding areas are invited to an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Alexander City Hall to learn about radioactive waste in light of a proposed disposal facility in the county.

The meeting will be hosted by the Dakota Resource Council to discuss an application by Indian Hills Disposal to dispose of up to 50 picocuries of radioactive waste at a landfill operation 5 miles north of Alexander.

Darrell Dorgan, chairman of the North Dakota Energy Industry Waste Coalition, will review the history of the North Dakota Department of Healths new radioactive waste disposal program and how communities are responding.

Dunn County landowner David Schwalbe will provide information about the Oaks Disposal site in Montana, which has been accepting up to 30 picocuries since 2014. Larry J. Heilmann, a biochemist who has worked with radioactive isotopes, will talk about the wide range of potential impact to humans from the main compounds found in radioactive waste  uranium, radium and radon.

The meeting is being held at the request of Alexander resident Larry Novak, who attended a similar meeting in Dunn County.

This will bring a different perspective to what is happening in the area of waste management for the oil field companies, Novak said in a DRC press release.

The Health Department is evaluating IHDs application.
We keep hearing that the Republican Party is on track to suffer an epic split over the presumed nomination of Donald Trump. But what exactly does this mean? What happens once the 2016 election is over?

On one side are traditional business conservatives, devoted to government-bashing, low taxes and pro-corporate globalization -- coupled with dog-whistle appeals to racism. This establishment has delivered all recent GOP nominees, despite the Tea Party takeover of much of the Congressional Republican Party -- until this year when the party elite was upended.

Since Reagan, the business right has papered over the cracks in a coalition that used social conservatism to win votes of a suffering working class. Now, Trump has demolished that phony alliance.

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Trump's brand of rightwing populism is anti-tax but not anti-government, and is occasionally anti-business. In place of government-bashing, Trump substitutes a crude form of political and economic nationalism. He has turned voter wrath against the financial elites in the GOP who have been calling the shots.

But what recourse do traditional conservatives have if they want to trump Trump? For starters, they could just withhold their support, as the Bush family is doing. Or they could withhold money.

The trouble, however, is that this is the year when the usual suspects have been revealed as politically impotent. The Bushes are history. It doesn't matter to most conservative voters that the Bushes aren't backing Trump. If it did matter, Jeb Bush would not have performed so pitifully.

As for the billionaires, some, like Sheldon Adelson, are already sucking up to Trump.

There are so many very rich people involved in politics today that Trump is likely to get all the money he needs, even if he's too cheap to dig into his own (somewhat exaggerated) fortune.

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Some Republican leaders will even go so far as to vote for Hillary Clinton. And there is also talk of some kind independent conservative Republican insurgency, as a kind of ad hoc third party to divert votes from Trump.

Technically, an independent could still qualify for ballot listing in all states, according to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News. The deadlines are as early as June in some states and as late as September in others. But all require petitions with thousands of signatures, and a campaign would need to get its act together soon.

A traditional conservative might also try to run on the Libertarian Party line, as a way of getting on the ballot. However, former New Mexico Republican governor Gary Johnson -- a genuine libertarian -- already has that ballot spot and would be difficult if not impossible to dislodge in favor of an orthodox conservative.

The Libertarian Party convention meets in just three weeks, over Memorial Day weekend. Its delegates tend to be purists; they are libertarians because they reject the traditional GOP. They are not about to help the Republican elite out of a jam.

As part of his libertarian creed, Johnson not only supports legalization of marijuana -- he's a pot entrepreneur and CEO of a startup called Cannibis Sativa. Smoke that, Karl Rove!

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This leaves the rather pathetic alternative of a write-in campaign. That would divert a few votes from Trump -- maybe a few million votes -- and increase the likelihood of a Clinton win.

But this may be just what lot of Republican leaders want. A write-in effort will allow them to help Hillary without having to endorse her. Then, when Trump goes down in flames, they (and not he) can pick up the pieces of their party.

Just as the GOP in Congress relentlessly blocked Obama at every turn, they will try to make Clinton look like a failed president. And just as the Republicans gained large numbers of seats in both houses two years into Obama's first term in 2010, the Republicans can hope for big pickups in 2018, setting them up to take back the White House in 2020.

Unfortunately for the Democrats, fully 22 Democratic senate seats are up in 2018, many of them in usually red states, such as Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota and West Virginia. So even if Democrats take back the senate in 2016, they could well lose it two years later.

So my bet is that there will be no coming together between the Republican establishment and Trump, and that efforts by Republican leaders to block Trump's election to the presidency will only intensify.

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However, the story does not end there. Even if Hillary Clinton is the next president, the emergence of Trump (and Sanders) in 2016 reflects vast unease and legitimate pocketbook grievances in America. There is no sign of that abating.

The scale of change it will take to restore the economic prospects of the young and the working class makes Bernie Sanders' proposals look puny. If Clinton fails to make real progress -- whether due to Republican blockage or the limits of her own imagination -- the anger will only fester and grow.

Trump may well be blocked in 2016, but we haven't seen the last of Trumpism.

--

Robert Kuttner is co-editor of The American Prospect and professor at Brandeis University's Heller School. His latest book is Debtors' Prison: The Politics of Austerity Versus Possibility.
Dear Leader Kim Jong-un opened the first Workers' Party congress in North Korea in 36 years with the bold declaration that he "will make Korea great again!"

"Unprecedented results will be accomplished," he proclaimed. "Everything I promise is incredible!" He pledged that, under his leadership, "North Korea will win, win, win! We'll win so much that the Korean people will get tired of winning. Believe me, it will be totally unbelievable!"

"I don't like losers," he added with what one journalist described as a smirk. (The journalist has not been seen since.) "I like people who weren't captured!" When a party member stood up during the Dear Leader's speech, Mr. Kim paused and shouted: "Knock the crap out of him, would you! I'd like to punch him in the face!" Military police immediately rushed up to the standing man, shot him in the head, and dragged his limp, bleeding body from the assembly hall. Dear Leader and the entire assembly burst into applause.

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"By the way," Mr. Kim reminded the delegates, "I'm really smart--and I'm really rich. I know a lot of words, too!"

North Korea's Dear Leader has previously said of South Koreans: "They're bringing drugs; they're bringing crime" into the North. "They're rapists--and pregnant South Korean women try to cross the border and give birth to anchor babies so they can enjoy all the incredible--I mean, literally incredible--benefits and luxuries of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." Mr. Kim promised to build "the biggest wall the world has ever seen--it will be YUUGE!--to keep the people from the south out of North Korea. He yelled to the assembly, "And who's going to pay for the wall?" Every person present shouted in unison: "South Korea!" "We will have a Deportation Force to get rid of them all!"

Noting that the Party Congress was beginning on May 5th, Mr. Kim tweeted: "Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Pyongyang! I love Hispanics!"

Dear Leader focused much of his attention in his address on nuclear weapons. He made it clear that he really likes them and that he will continue to use them to threaten other nations. "I would never take any of my cards off the table," he declared. "We must always be unpredictable in our dealings with other nations." He stated his policy towards the United States succinctly: "Bomb the shit out of them!"

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Dear Leader then mocked a reporter who has a disability. After shaking in a spastic manner for several moments, Mr. Kim proclaimed: "There's no place for creatures like that in our beautiful country--but I do enjoy laughing at them!" All delegates in the hall broke into uproarious laughter. When it subsided, he said, "But, of course, for the good of the nation, we must exterminate all these defective so-called humans." Thunderous applause from the delegates erupted, followed by shouts of "Kill them all!"

Insisting that his leadership is the greatest in the world, Mr. Kim testified, "Everybody loves me! Oh, the blacks, they love me! I ate a big slice of watermelon during black history month--oh, the blacks, they just love me!"

"I love the women!" Dear Leader shouted. "It's true that many of them are fat pigs, slobs, bimbos ... and, by the way, I absolutely don't like them when they have blood coming out of their--wherever. Like that goofus bitch Park Geun-hye in the American-occupied south. But, trust me: I love the women. Hell, I married three of them! And, by the way, the number of women I've committed adultery with! I haven't kept count, but--trust me--it's totally incredible!"

"My hands, by the way, are very big--and another part of me has no problem, I guarantee you. It's YUUGE. I guarantee. Women like that, you know! I'd rather win with women."

"As you all know, I am a strong believer in torture--and not just this wimpy waterboarding stuff--I'd go stronger, have a real manly kind of torture--the kind you don't come out of alive!" [Wild cheering from the Congress delegates.]

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Turning to the economy, Mr. Kim simply proclaimed: "I will bring back all the jobs that have been lost to China--every single one of them!. Trust me!" When a woman near the back of the hall said in a low voice, "How?" military police immediately grabbed her and hauled her out of the building. It appeared that one of them was holding a knife to her throat. Not seeming to notice that little incident, Mr. Kim continued: "I know how much people love to work in coal mines, and, believe me, all the miners will soon be back in the environment that they love so much!"

The Jung-un, as he is affectionately known by his loving people (Mr. Kim enjoys a 100 percent approval rating in North Korea) also declared "a total and complete ban on Mongolians entering North Korea until we can find out what the hell is going on."

Dear Leader concluded his lengthy address by assuring the party: "Everything I say I'm going to do, I do! And, remember this, above all else: I am totally incredible. I'm absolutely unbelievable! Trust me!!"
"If the United States is ready to establish relations with Cuba based on international law, there will be no obstacle to reconciliation between the two countries."



Blandine Hugonnet

Vatican Radio

http://fr.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/03/21/visite_historique_de_barak_obama_%C3%A0_cub/1216894

Interview - US President Barack Obama arrived in Cuba on Sunday, March 20, 2016, in order to ratify the rapprochement between Washington and Havana. This was a historic visit, the first by a sitting US president since 1928. Diplomatic relations between the two countries had resumed in the summer of 2015.

Recently, the United States relaxed their measures on trade restrictions and travel. But the thorny question of the economic embargo remains: For now, Congress refuses to lift it. This was an issue discussed at the meeting between Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. For his part, the US President wishes to break with the current policy of isolation vis-a-vis Havana, which he considers to be obsolete and sterile.

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Salim Lamrani is a lecturer at the University of La Reunion, and a specialist in relations between Cuba and the United States. He reflects on the issues raised by that visit. Salim Lamrani was interviewed by Blandine Hugonnet.



Blandine Hugonnet: What does President Barack Obama's visit to Cuba signify?

Salim Lamrani: It signifies the recognition of the Havana government and the existence of the Cuban Revolution. It is also a recognition of the failure of a hostile policy toward Cuba conducted by the United States for more than half a century, whose approach has changed since the famous statement of December 17, 2014.



BH: How was the United States' policy toward Cuba ultimately a failure?

SL: The US has imposed economic sanctions on Cuba for over half a century. These sanctions are the main obstacles to the development of the country and affect adversely the most vulnerable population groups, namely the elderly, sick children and women. The initial goal was to end the Cuban revolutionary process, to overthrow Fidel Castro and isolate Cuba. Today, the result is the exact opposite as the US finds itself isolated within the international community on the issue of economic sanctions. In October 2015, for the 24th consecutive year, 191 of 193 countries voted in favor of lifting the sanctions. Even Washington's most loyal allies demanded an end to a policy that dates back to the Cold War and is no longer relevant.

BH: What process led to this appeasement between the US and Cuba?

SL: The Cubans have always demonstrated their readiness to maintain normal relations with Washington, provided that the principles of international law are respected. These primarily include sovereign equality, reciprocity and most importantly - it's something that Cubans take very seriously - non-interference in internal affairs.

It is important to recall that the dispute between Washington and Havana is asymmetric. This is not bilateral hostility. It is the United States that has imposed sanctions on Cuba and demanded a regime change.



BH: What was the significance of Pope Francis in the resumption of relations?

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SL: The Vatican and Pope Francis played a decisive role in the rapprochement between the two countries. In the historical statements made by President Raul Castro and President Obama, both were keen to emphasize the positive and constructive role of the Vatican. Pope Francis played a mediating role that was fundamental. With his authority, his prestige and his willingness to find a peaceful solution to this conflict, he built a political dialogue and diplomatic bridge between the two nations. Cubans are very grateful. As are US citizens. We need to recall that the majority of the American public supports the resumption of normal relations between the two countries.

BH: President Barack Obama leaves office this year? What is his purpose in reviving the dialogue? What is his strategy?

SL: I think President Obama wants to go down in history as the person who adopted the most constructive policy toward Cuba and who corrected an obvious anomaly. It was indeed curious to witness the degree of separation between two peoples so close, Cubans and Americans, separated by only 150 kilometers. These are two populations who share the same history, the same geography and have many cultural elements in common. Cubans are highly influenced by the culture of the United States. President Obama has heard the call of the international community and his own citizens and adopted a position that is appreciated worldwide.

BH: What will the consequences of this warming of relations between the United States and Cuba have on the two peoples?

SL: It is undeniable that the half-century old political dispute between Washington and Havana has broken the spiritual bond between these two peoples. It has also greatly influenced a Cuban society that has been forced to live under this siege. I believe that this dialogue will allow US citizens to discover Cuba and Cubans to reconnect with their neighbors.

From an economic point of view, if President Obama manages to end the sanctions, the main obstacle to the island's development will have been lifted and Cubans will benefit from a better material standard of living.



BH: Do you believe this resumption of dialogue to be viable and sustainable?

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SL: It all depends on the will of the United States. I insist again on the asymmetrical nature of the conflict since it is Washington that imposes sanctions on Cuba. Cuba is ready to have normal relations with its Northern Neighbor as long as its independence, its social model and its political system are respected. If the United States is ready to establish relations with Cuba based on international law, there will be no obstacle to rapprochement between the two countries.



Translated from the French by Larry R. Oberg

Doctor of Iberian and Latin American Studies at the University of Paris IV-Sorbonne, Salim Lamrani is a lecturer at the University of La Reunion, and a journalist specializing in relations between Cuba and the United States.
There are hundreds and thousands of agencies and consultants in the search marketing space, and all of them that are worth their salt will look into three primary things to improve your site:

Checking to make sure your technical structure is well set up Setting up consistent on-site content production Creating a strategy to improve your off-site backlink profile

The methods might change, the tools might be different, but all search marketers will be touching on these three primary points to improve your search marketing.

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I'm writing this to educate you on what to look for, but also so that you can start focusing on some of these things yourself before you're ready to make a full commitment to this beyond just your own input.

So, here's what they would specifically look into and how they would update your site:

1. Checking to make sure your technical structure is well set up

Think about the technical structure of your site as the foundation upon which you would build your castle.

You wouldn't want to be putting all this effort into something that's basically going to crumble from its roots over time, would you?

This is why the technical structure of your site being well optimized for search is so paramount.

There are a few primary things to make sure are set up properly that I would recommend you research that a search marketer would immediately check for:

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Navigational link structure - making sure you're sending equity to the right places On-page links - shouldn't have more than 100 at a time Canonicalized URLs - you could potentially be splitting the backlink equity of your domain in half if you don't have properly canonicalized URLs Sitemap.xml - a sitemap.xml is the primary source that bots should crawl to get a gauge on the prioritization of pages on your site, as well as get an entire crawl of your currently accessible URLs Nofollow tags - you could potentially be blocking pages of your site that are extremely important and not even know it using these tags Robots.txt - the very first spot web crawlers hit when they come to your site, you should be letting crawlers know where to go and where not to go here Schema Markup - Schema markup can help your site stand out better in the SERPs (search engine result pages) which will increase your click through rates dramatically Site load speed - if your site load speed is slower than 2 seconds Google will start discounting it in the rankings, Google wants to get people to the content they're searching for as soon as possible, so it's important to have a fast site Responsiveness - if your site isn't responsive and is split into multiple mobile subdomains it could be splitting the equity of your site and effecting its overall rankings, as well as sending bad usability signals to Google which could hurt your site Google Webmaster Tools & Bing Webmaster Tools - using both of these free tools can be invaluable to your search performance, because Google and Bing readily report issues directly to you through the interface if they notice anything out of the ordinary coming from your site. You can disavow bad links that could be hurting you, see where crawl errors are happening, and directly submit your sitemap.xml to Google to help their trust metrics improve the rankings of your site

There are plenty of other things that search marketers would look for, but those are some of the main ones that would have the fastest quick wins of any of the other items typically found in what is referred to as a "Technical Audit."

2. On-site content production

Second up a quality search marketer will always look at content performance and production on your site.

Whether you're running a web publication that publishes 30 blog posts per day, or a local mom and pop shop that hasn't written a blog post ever, there's always opportunities for improvement.

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Search marketers looking into your content production would typically look for a few things that would immediately show if you're targeting your content properly:

Frequency - how often have you been publishing? Is your publishing consistent? Some content is better than none, but ideally you should be putting content out at a consistent rate, whether that be 2 blog posts per month, 4 blog posts per month, or even 1 post per month Targeting - how are you targeting the content that you're producing? Are you targeting direct keyword queries that you have researched? Are you answering questions your customers might have about your products or industry? Are you using trends to guide your content calendar? If your industry is seasonal are you riding the seasonality curve with your content? All of these things are very important, whether you're posting 30 posts per month or one. Quality - how in depth is your content? If you were to Google the keywords you're trying to rank for, and you clicked on the pages ranking for #1-3 is your content at least 3x better, more researched, more informative, more entertaining than those 3 articles or resources? If not, you need to improve it drastically to be so. You shouldn't approach your content from a position of "500 words per article" ever, you should be approaching your content from what is needed to rank well for the target you're shooting for. Promotion - how well are you promoting your content? Are you sharing it on social media? Are you using paid promotion on social media to increase initial interest in it? Are you looping in influencers or people with large followings to increase the exposure of your articles? Are you creating a private network of writers or influencers that help give you feedback on articles? Are you tapping into social communities like LinkedIn Groups, Google+ Communities, Slack Teams and things of that nature to get your content proactively in front of more people? Explosive growth doesn't happen by itself, it has to be made. Following - how well are you cultivating your following? Do you have an email list you're nurturing? Or a web community on your site? A Slack Team you're inviting people to and engaging with? Are you focusing on any one specific social network to dominate it with your presence like Twitter or Instagram? This should be heavily considered when thinking about how to target and promote your content.

These are all incredibly important ways to improve your content performance. Each point rests on the others to be successful, so they should all be done in unison to be successful, if any of these 5 pillars is broken the whole structure falls.

A good search marketer would look into your content production to find the broken pillars and educate you to essentially prop them back up in what we'd refer to as a "Content Audit."

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3. Off-site back link profile

A site simply can't rank well without a good backlink profile.

Links still make up the lion's share of Google's ranking algorithm, and it's like that for a reason. A link on the web is the ultimate "voucher" for the quality of another source. You need more people vouching for you.

A search marketer would immediately look into your backlink profile to see a few things about your site:

Authority - how high authority are the links pointing to your site? Are you getting really high quality mentions or reviews from very large publications and websites? Or are you only getting mentioned by a lot of low quality sites? The higher authority a site is, the more influential its links will be to your rankings depending also on how relevant it is to your keywords. Quality - what's the quality of the backlinks pointing to your site? Are they from illegitimate sources? Do you have potential negative backlinks pointing to your site? If so they will need to be cleaned up through a disavow cleanup campaign. If you have low quality links pointing to your site they could be doing more harm than good. Relevance - how relevant are the links pointing to your site? Are they coming from sources that are in your industry or make sense? If you have a bunch of random links from random sources they won't help you rank for your keywords and could even potentially hurt you. Anchor text - how many links directly mention your keywords? How many are brand-related? How many are just miscellaneous "click here" links? Keyword-specific anchor text will always help you rank the best for those keywords, but you shouldn't have too many of these or they will start to look unnatural. This is why it's important to have a fair share of branded links and other types of links as well. Orientation - where are these links pointing to? If you're trying to get a certain landing page to rank above other pages it will help that page the most to have links pointing directly to its URL rather than to the root domain of your site.

These are the 5 things a search marketer would immediately look for in your backlink profile to assess if you have a good quality backlink profile or not.

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Focusing on increasing links based on these 5 points will dramatically help your site rank better. Get high-authority links from relevant sites that have a quality reputation with good anchor text, pointing to the pages on your site that you want to rank.

If you can't get this naturally, try to work on the pages of your site to make them enticing to link to under these circumstances.

Giving away the farm

I'm basically giving away the farm with this post. These are the highest leverage items if you look at SEO and search marketing in general from an 80/20 analysis perspective.

You will have great effect by focusing on these items regardless of hiring a full-time search marketer or SEO consultant, but it does help to have someone go more in-depth on these items for you beyond what was outlined here.

So use this guidance until you're ready to hire someone to help you with this, whether it be a full-time employee or a consultant like one from my agency.

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TOPSHOT - Pope Francis takes part in the award ceremony of Germany's famed Charlemagne Prize, given to public figures in recognition of contribution to European unity, on May 6, 2016, at the Vatican. / AFP / POOL / ANGELO CARCONI (Photo credit should read ANGELO CARCONI/AFP/Getty Images)

"Following Francis" is a monthly blog on the latest happenings of Pope Francis. It is prepared exclusively for The WorldPost by Sebastien Maillard, Vatican correspondent for La Croix, Rome.

ROME -- Whenever the issue of European unity was raised at the Vatican over the past few decades, the only answer was the need for the continent to rediscover its Christian roots. Pope Francis has never said these roots did not exist, a sentiment that was dear to his two predecessors. This was just not his point. In an important speech on Europe that he delivered on May 6, he defined European identity more widely.

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Francis was addressing a gathering of European leaders inside the Vatican, which included the heads of the three main European Union institutions (Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission, Martin Schulz of the European Parliament and Donald Tusk of the European Council), along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Matteo Renzi, the prime minister of Italy. Francis was probably the only non-European present.

Francis meets Merkel at his private library on May 6. (Vatican Pool/Getty Images)

The Charlemagne Prize, which was granted to him, rewards an outstanding contribution to European unity each year. Pope Francis has not achieved much so far. But at a time when "Europe is going through turbulent times and faces what may be a decisive test of its unity," as Martin Schulz put it bluntly in his opening address, EU leaders thought turning themselves towards Francis could be helpful when facing reluctant -- if not Eurosceptic -- public opinions.

"New Europeans"

They proved to be right. The pope knew he was speaking to a union in a state of disrepair. He was careful not to craft a speech as tough as the one he delivered in Strasbourg on Nov. 25, 2014. This time, he addressed the issue at the heart of the ongoing refugee crisis that's dividing the 28 EU member states: European identity.

Foreign migration from the Mediterranean is regarded as a threat to this identity, traditionally based on Christian roots. But Francis took another view: "The identity of Europe is, and always has been, a dynamic and multicultural identity."

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"The roots of Europe, were consolidated down the centuries by the constant need to integrate in new syntheses the most varied and discrete cultures," he went on. In other words, identity is never closed and settled once and for all. And it is based on more than just religious grounds. This stands true also on the so-called "Old Continent." This is why he once called the migrants seeking a better life in Europe the "new Europeans." In his speech on May 6, he called on Europe's "capacity to integrate" them, thanks to its ever-evolving and plural identity.

Francis welcomes a group of Syrian refugees at Ciampino airport in Rome following a visit to Lesbos, April 16. (REUTERS/ Filippo Monteforte/Pool)

For Francis, this integration capacity does not rely only on nations, but also on cities. "Many of our cities are remarkably beautiful precisely because they have managed to preserve over time traces of different ages, nations, styles and visions," he said. As former archbishop of Buenos Aires, his native city, Francis believes in urban identity and in the capacity of large cities to manage diversity through sound urban policies.

This was most relevantly illustrated the same day Francis delivered his speech, when Londoners elected the Muslim son of a Pakistani bus driver, Sadiq Khan, as their new mayor. It strongly echoes Francis' pledge for Europe to become once again a place that integrates diversity in a unique fashion, a place "where being a migrant is not a crime."

"The rebirth of a Europe weary"

So what is left for the Christians in Europe to do? The pope did not call on them to be nostalgic of some Christendom but to go out there and live the Gospel. "Only a Church rich in witnesses will be able to bring back the pure water of the Gospel to the roots of Europe," he declared in his Charlemagne speech.

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The refugee crisis challenges Catholics in Europe directly in this regard. Last September, Francis asked for each parish or monastery throughout the continent to welcome at least one family of refugees, from whatever faith. In April, he himself brought back three Muslim families who had fled from Syria to Lesbos.

Migrants walk past a church in the so-called 'Jungle' migrant camp in Calais on March 1. (PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)

The other challenge put forward by the pope in his Charlemagne speech, which he hopes "witnesses" from his church will act upon, is the fight against youth unemployment and the shift towards a more social market economy. "To the rebirth of a Europe weary, yet still rich in energies and possibilities, the Church can and must play her part," he declared to the political leaders gathered in the Vatican, even though a clear separation between religious activities and political ones stands as a core principle in Europe.

Not referring to the Christian roots of the continent therefore does not mean Francis asks his Church to shy away. On the contrary, he wants it to be at the forefront of a fresh new energy.

Earlier on WorldPost:
Money and manacles

Criminal justice reform is one of the few legislative issues that could move forward in this highly partisan election year. But this long-awaited reform is in serious danger because of efforts by big corporations and their allies to include a "get-out-of-jail-free" card for white collar offenders. A few members of Congress are insisting that so-called "mens rea reform legislation" be included in the bipartisan criminal justice reform bills that have been painstakingly negotiated in the House and Senate.

If we were to open these bills up to include other issues, there are plenty of items Democrats and Republicans would like to raise. Insisting on adding mens rea is a poison pill that threatens this long-term, bipartisan effort to reduce the prison population, prevent recidivism, and protect public safety.



Mens rea is a Latin term meaning "guilty mind" and in our legal system it represents the criminal intent or state of mind that a person must have in order to be held guilty of a crime. Of course, it is well-established in the American justice system that ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. But supporters of mens rea legislation claim that many innocent Americans are being sent to jail for actions that a reasonable person wouldn't know were wrong.

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Mens rea advocates cite a few prosecutions to justify their argument. But a few cases don't constitute a crisis, and in fact most of these cases were later dismissed or overturned



When you look closely at the specific cases highlighted to argue for reform, the details often don't live up to the hype. For instance, advocates have frequently pointed to the case of race-car driver Bobby Unser. Former Attorney General Ed Meese said at a recent Senate hearing that in 1996, Mr. Unser was "criminally prosecuted for wandering into federal land during a blizzard that nearly took his life." In fact, multiple courts found that Mr. Unser rode his snowmobile into a federal wilderness area for recreational purposes and that maps of the area were widely available. He was fined only $75 and not given a jail sentence.

If the cause of mens rea reform were so compelling, you would think advocates could offer more recent examples that involve more dramatic consequences than a small fine and no jail time for a well-to-do celebrity.



And rather than propose a solution targeted at the specific statutes they believe should be reformed, the corporate backers of these provisions have proposed a change that would institute a mens rea requirement across the criminal code, even where Congress intentionally did not include one.

The benefits of such a mandate are questionable, but the harm caused by the proposed mens rea reform legislation would be dramatic. By raising a new defense against corporate accountability, it would make it much harder to prosecute corporate crimes that endanger the environment or the health of consumers. For instance, a white-collar criminal could only be found guilty of bank fraud if he knew he was robbing a bank that was FDIC-insured. And it would be much harder to prosecute individuals that sell adulterated food or drugs, because prosecutors would have to prove the defendants knew that their actions would result in harm.

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The Justice Department recently prosecuted Jensen Farms for selling cantaloupe contaminated with Listeria, which resulted in at least 33 deaths and 147 hospitalizations. This prosecution may well have been impossible if the mens rea bill had been law.
The award for most deliberate and egregious burying of a lead has just been handed out.

It goes to NBC News, for a story entitled, "Bernie Sanders Makes Things Awkward for Hillary Clinton's DNC Takeover."

Put aside for a moment that the story's central premise is the uncritical repetition of a nonsense: the idea that a major-party convention can't -- as in literally cannot be -- planned without a nominee being declared at least a month and a half in advance. We know that's untrue because, up until a week ago, that's exactly what the GOP was (with minimal public grousing by RNC Chair Reince Priebus) planning to do.

More importantly, in the context of Democratic National Committee rules -- which, as DNC officials Luis Miranda and Debbie Wasserman Schultz have both explained to the media repeatedly, dictate that super-delegates cannot be tallied until July -- there can be no doubt about which sentence in the above-cited NBC News story is the most important. It's this one, about what the Clinton campaign and the DNC have been up to since April (more than three months prior to the Party's late-July convention):

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Back-channel conversations have already begun between Clinton's campaign and the DNC about what role the party will play in the general election. These discussions are happening out of sight for now to avoid the appearance of collusion before the party has formally selected a nominee.

Where does this information appear in the article? In the very last sentence, of course.

That's the spot in a hard-news article reserved for (assuming there's no "kicker") the least important piece of information in the article.

Or it would be, had not some editor at NBC News switched the rules around.

That's something that's becoming not just a trend in, but a cancer upon, the 2016 presidential election, so let's go back in time to find the root of the problem. If you can, cast your mind all the way back to February 19th -- less than 90 days ago. On February 19th, only two states -- Iowa and New Hampshire -- had held primary votes for the Democratic presidential nomination. The results in Iowa (a tie) and New Hampshire (a landslide victory for Bernie Sanders) had at that point made Sanders the front-runner for the nomination.

Sanders was the leader in the popular vote.

Sanders was the early leader in the all-important pledged-delegate count.

And here's where the super-delegate count stood on February 19th:

Hillary Clinton: 451

Bernie Sanders: 19

Now it's May, and we're being told that the sole purpose of the Democratic "super-delegate" has all along been to acknowledge the popular-vote and pledged-delegate leader.

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Except that's nonsense.

Hillary Clinton courted hundreds and hundreds of super-delegates at a time when there was no popular-vote or delegate-count leader, and in 2016, as in 2008, she worked hard to keep her super-delegates even in those times she was neither the leader in the popular vote nor the leader in the delegate count.

The reason for this is that super-delegates have absolutely nothing to do with the popular vote or the delegate count.

And Clinton knows it.

Moreover, plenty of super-delegates -- most notably former DNC Chair and Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean -- have said it loud and clear. Super-delegates are tasked with (a) declaring themselves as early as possible in order to scare from the Democratic primary anyone who hasn't sufficiently greased the wheels of the Democratic Party machine, and (b) casting their vote at the Party's summer convention for whichever candidate is best positioned to win the general election. Incidentally, these are both great reasons to abolish super-delegates -- as the State of Maine just did, in effect, by forcing their super-delegates to vote along popular-vote lines -- but they're the reality of what super-delegates are (and mean) right now.

So Bernie Sanders saying that he plans to go to the Party's summer convention and argue that he's best positioned to win the general election is the veritable dictionary definition of "playing by the rules." Meanwhile, Clinton and her camp suddenly discovering some unstated principle about the connection between super-delegates and the popular vote, or super-delegates and the pledged-delegate count, is pretty rich -- given that Clinton picked up 86 percent of her super-delegates (451 of 523) at a time when she was well behind in both measures. Calling Clinton a hypocrite on the issue of super-delegates would be unkind; it would be more accurate to say that, on the subject of super-delegates, as on so many other subjects, there is no evidence that Clinton has any core principles whatsoever.

While the media can give Clinton a pass on waffling about super-delegates -- and they have, in fact entirely -- what it cannot do is claim that Sanders' position is the unprincipled and inconsistent one. Not only has Sanders not changed his unfavorable view of super-delegates, his position on super-delegates tracks with how the Party itself treats these individuals: as people who, per Luis Miranda and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, cannot and do not vote, and therefore cannot and must not be tallied, prior to the Party's convention in Philadelphia this July.

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So, to recap: the DNC has told the media that super-delegates can't and don't get tallied for purposes of declaring a nominee until July; Sanders has taken the same view; yet the DNC has since April, we now learn, been working with the Clinton camp behind the scenes to have the Democratic primary declared over on June 7th.

And we have every expectation that the media -- despite this video -- will comply.

So, to recap: Clinton approached hundreds and hundreds of super-delegates in 2015, before any American had voted or any candidate taken a popular-vote or pledged-delegate lead, and asked for their endorsement on the basis of super-delegates being tasked with supporting the Party's strongest candidate; Sanders has accepted that view of super-delegates' role; Clinton, now leading by a large margin among super-delegates and pledged delegates alike, has suddenly changed her view to the "principled" position that super-delegates must support whoever wins the popular vote and the pledged-delegate count; the media has treated Clinton's about-face as honorable and Sanders' consistent position as a betrayal of his core principles.

So, to recap: the traditional mechanism for assessing which primary candidate has the best chance to win in the fall is general-election polling, which research tells us hits an "accuracy spike" in April, at which point it's about as accurate as August polling; Bernie Sanders led Trump by more nationally and in every battleground state in April polling; the media and the Clinton campaign spent April talking about how general-election polling has no value; now that Clinton seems almost certain to be the Democratic nominee, both the media and the Clinton camp have suddenly declared spring polling inviolably predictive and reliable.

So, to recap: the media has consistently reported on Hillary Clinton's efforts to reach out to Sanders voters; the media is unable to provide any example of this happening other than Clinton gamely refusing to call for her opponent's concession a month earlier than she conceded in 2008; Clinton's camp in fact said it planned to "disqualify" Sanders from the presidency, that his campaign was "destructive", that he could go "fuck himself", and that its most likely VP nominee was a moderate with no ties to the progressive movement whatsoever.

Quite the olive branch.

I've been covering presidential elections for the past four election cycles, and the media coverage for this particular cycle has been so uniformly disgraceful that we can reasonably expect this -- in conjunction with Hillary Clinton lately running one of the smuggest, most tone-deaf, and least transparent campaigns in postwar American politics -- will lead to one of the lowest November turnouts in recent memory.

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Barring a Sanders concession -- which the candidate has assured the nation is not forthcoming -- if the national media and the Clinton campaign declare victory at any time prior to the July convention, it will not only be a contravention of the rules laid out for the media and the Democratic Party by the DNC but such a dramatic dereliction of journalistic principles that both the Democrats and indeed the nation will deserve whatever they get come November. The media has been slapping progressives in the face for a year now; and the Clinton campaign has gleefully joined in over the last few months; so when young, working-class, and progressive Americans stay home in November, don't you dare turn around and blame it on us.
In recent years, commercial and population centers in the U.S. have experienced record and sustained droughts. Such water scarcity imperils the health of Americans and the economic and environmental security of our country. California, with its unprecedented water restrictions and raging wildfires, is the best-known example, but far from the only state to have had its lifestyle disrupted by water scarcity. And the future doesn't augur well: As many as 40 of our 50 states are projected by the U.S. Government to have water supply concerns by 2025 and already nearly one-third of the country's land mass is facing water scarcity challenges. This situation resembles water crises that Israel faced in its past. Recognizing that it could not grow into a vibrant, secure state in the face of perpetual drought, Israel invested in an array of technologies and infrastructure to change its destiny. Today, Israel stands water-secure, weather independent, and in fact provides both water and water know-how to its neighbors and to countries around the world. Last week, the U.S. Congress took a wise and important first step toward leveraging Israel's water expertise. In its consideration of The Water Resources Development Act of 2016 ("WRDA bill"), the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed three provisions that would streamline, deepen, and incentivize U.S.-Israel water cooperation, enabling the U.S. to immediately tap into transformative Israeli water technologies.

Incentivized local and private sector water cooperation with Israel



The WRDA bill creates a powerful new incentive for private companies and local governments to collaborate with Israel in the area of desalination. It does so by creating a new priority, within an existing desalination grant program, for potential grantees who demonstrably leverage the experience of Israel in desalination.



As no country is more advanced in the application of desalination technology than Israel, which now obtains the equivalent of more than 80% of its drinking water from desalination, this Congressional approach makes great sense. An Israeli government agency turned into a private company, IDE Technologies, is the primary contractor of the Carlsbad Desalination Project, which is the largest desalination plant in the Western hemisphere and which recently won the 2016 Global Water Award for Desalination Plant of the Year. While U.S.-Israel desalination cooperation has been productive - as evidenced by Carlsbad - its full potential has not been realized. The WRDA bill could change that.



Enhanced government-to-government water collaboration



Although there is much to be gained from incentivizing private and local sector water collaboration with Israel, the sheer scale of large water projects requires the commitment and attention of the Executive branch of government. The U.S. would, therefore, also benefit from a Presidential-level forum facilitating regular communication with the Israeli government on technology and water scarcity issues. The WRDA bill creates that forum by instructing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a coordinated strategic plan that strengthens research and development cooperation with Israel in water technology.



Authorized technology transfers and exchanges with allies



Lastly, the WRDA bill creates an international outreach program which authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in pursuing water development projects throughout the country, to engage in research, development, training, dialogue, and technology transfer with our allies. This policy would not only draw us closer with these countries important to us, it would also ensure that American communities receive the very best the world has to offer when the Army Corps addresses their water challenges. In light of Israel's expertise across the range of water resource technologies, this new program will accrue to the benefit of the U.S.-Israel relationship and provide - at limited cost - the Army Corps with significant new resources with which to address the prevalence of access-to-water- issues across our country.



Since nothing happens by itself, and especially so in Washington, DC, there is praise to go around for the work of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works for having identified prudent solutions to pressing water scarcity problems. This has been a bipartisan effort. Republican Committee Chairman James Inhofe and Democratic Ranking Member Barbara Boxer, in particular, have shown great vision in developing new and creative paths forward to increase our growing country's water supply. For our sake, the full Senate and the House should be encouraged to pass these provisions as part of the WRDA bill.
The year 2009 began for many on an anxious note, on the heels of the 2008 financial crisis. Layoffs were everywhere. Foreclosures stalked them from town to town. By the fall, unemployment in America hit 30 million, over 10% of the population. But life goes on. Bills come in, mortgages come due. Looking for a job in this environment is no doubt a daunting, if not impossible, task. Against this backdrop, I profiled several entrepreneurs who managed to turn adversity into opportunity during the dotcom bust.

Kansas farm girl Michelle Munson is one such entrepreneur. Munson bucked her family's multi-generational agricultural tradition - raising cattle and growing wheat, corn, and soybeans - to study computer science. After a brief stint at IBM, she went to work for two technology startups in a row. Both went under, and Munson was laid off for no fault of her own.

"At the end of my time with the second company, I was burned out on startups," she recalls. "It was an ironic situation because startups are what I love. I poured myself into these companies. I worked almost as hard for them as I do now. But I was very disillusioned because I felt both had mismanaged their direction and their placement. I couldn't imagine working for someone else again."

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So she didn't. In 2003, with $20,000 in seed money from her parents, Munson started her own venture, Aspera. She brought aboard her mentor, engineer Serban Simu, and the two developed software that transfers large data files at high speeds.

Fast forward five years. Emeryville, California-based Aspera had 400 customers and 42 employees. Munson and Simu took control of their destinies and built a profitable, multimillion-dollar company. What's more, they maintained full control as Aspera remained a self-funded venture for those five years.

Munson's message to the glut of engineers who had received pink slips: "Look at Aspera. The company I was at canned us all, and that's how I got here."

Michelle Munson and Serban Simu, her co-founder, were married in November 2009. In December 2013, IBM acquired Aspera.

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Today, at the wake of the 2016 tech layoffs that threaten 260,000 people, these stories are especially important as evidence of how high the human spirit can soar. In the face of adversity, it is human endeavor, and human endeavor alone that can turn the tide. Of all the options before us, the one that presents the greatest potential as a solution for economic turnaround is this: entrepreneurs get to work, innovators apply their creativity, and in the process companies get built, jobs get created. To find work for 260,000 people, this process needs replication at a monumental scale. But necessity being the mother of all invention, my hope is that this downturn will spawn an unprecedented level of entrepreneurship and innovation, positioning us for a vibrant, robust future.
Born in Colombia, his family, moved to the United States when he was five years old. Since childhood, he says he knew he would work in the automobile industry as he was fascinated with cars. At 14 years old, he wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Board of General Motors offering his insight on how to turn the company around, and the Chairman responded with a 3 page letter addressing the strategies he laid out in his letter, perhaps for the first time planting a seed in this 14 year old's head that he could make a difference in an industry he loved. When it was time for college, he chose a school in Michigan, so he could be a stone's throw from the car capital of the world, and while in school he interned at General Motors. Upon graduating he got offered a job with a newly established brand in the auto industry, Saturn, where he would call on the dealerships opening across New England. Soon thereafter, the 25 year old car enthusiast was hired by one of the largest car dealers in New England to become the General Manager of Saturn of Warwick (RI) and, eventually, Vice President of several of his dealerships, staying there for 12 years. At the age of 38, he received a call from Mercedes-Benz, asking him if he would be interested in buying a struggling Mercedes dealership in Cleveland. He bought the besieged dealership, turned it around in less than a year, going from 10-15 sales a month to more than 100 per month, earning the prestigious Best of the Best Award from Mercedes, and continuing that tradition now for a decade.

His name is Bernie Moreno. The 49 year old father of four today has more than 15 dealerships in Ohio, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Florida, with more than 900 employees, representing 30 brands. I met with Moreno and toured his Burlington, Massachusetts Mercedes-Benz dealership, which I can only describe as the Four Seasons of car showrooms. It is here where I learned everything there is to know about building a one of a kind experience for employees and for customers the Bernie Moreno way. He is young, ambitious, and determined, and he has built one of the largest automotive groups in the country on the foundation of one simple principle, which is branded everywhere you look throughout the workplace, The Best or Nothing. Here are Bernie Moreno's three simple strategies to building a brand by never compromising on quality, service, or experience... here's how to build a Best or Nothing kind of empire:

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Unforgettable Experience: Everything about Mercedes-Benz of Burlington is unforgettable. It's a picture of luxury from the moment you drive in with its oversized glass walls inside and out, a driveway paved in bricks, and pleasant service attendants and concierge team members waiting for you at every turn. This is the only Mercedes-Benz dealership in the country that has an AMG Elite Center. Mercedes-AMG is the high performance division of Mercedes. AMG independently engineers, manufactures, and customizes racing quality vehicles for every day buyers. This section of the showroom has a floor to ceiling television wall where clients get to see how these cars are built by hand and then have the opportunity to custom select their own AMG vehicles for special order. Mercedes-Benz of Burlington also offers a 5 minute check-in guarantee. Anyone who brings their car there for service gets waited on within 5 minutes, even if no appointment is booked, and for cars there for an annual service call, there's a guarantee that it will be completed within 45 minutes, car wash and all. And, by the way, if you are ever stuck waiting for something at this dealership, rest assured you won't be bored. There's a Mercedes-Benz boutique where one can buy all sorts of Mercedes gear. There's a coffee bar that features Ospina Coffee, a special Colombian coffee that is only available in the United States if you visit a Bernie Moreno dealership. You can enjoy coffee or espresso and a bite to eat at the coffee bar or lounge around in any of the luxury living room seating areas around the space. Need a manicure? Visit the on-site nail bar where you can pick from a variety of nail colors, all of which match the Mercedes vehicle colors. I visited with Moreno on site on a Friday morning, where I expected there would be a service center full of people waiting, especially with customer amenities like these. Yet, there were only a handful of people lounging about. The reason, said Moreno, is that they have more than 100 loaner vehicles. Most customers drop their cars for service and they leave 5 minutes later in a Mercedes loaner, and will stop back later to pick up their own car. Moreno says that most of their customers come to Mercedes of Burlington initially because they need service. Once they experience the level of care that has gone into making it an unforgettable experience for the client, they keep coming back, they refer their friends, and they eventually buy their next vehicle from Mercedes of Burlington. Moreno says that by exceeding client expectations at every dealership he owns, he has created a massive unpaid sales force of raving fans who go out and sell his value proposition for him daily.

Take a Number: Sometimes it feels as if we live in a "take a number" society, where customers feel as if it's difficult for their comments or complaints to be heard, and where it feels like if we need anything, most companies have a "Yah....take a number...we will get to you," approach to doing business. With Bernie Moreno, take a number takes on a whole new meaning. In fact, Bernie Moreno makes his cell phone and email address available to anyone who wants it. He's even gone so far as to include his cell phone number in some advertisements because he wants people to know that he's so confident in his value proposition he's comfortable taking your call if you have a question, comment, or complaint. Moreno says that he feels that one reason his employees are so customer focused is because he is. "How can I expect my employees to deliver the absolute best in service if I am not willing to do it myself?" Moreno services thousands of customers per year, and his phone rings throughout the day with clients from around the country. He doesn't screen his calls, he answers them. His philosophy is that the greatest opportunity for growth for his company is in listening to what unhappy customers have to say. Moreno says that too many companies forget that the only reason they even have a business is because someone trusted them enough to spend their hard earned dollars on them. He says it makes no sense that the owner or employees of a company would be hard to get a hold of, as he believes it should be the other way around. Customers are supposed to be hard to get, not the vendor that they want to work with, explained Moreno. In this vein, right before you walk through the doors into Mercedes of Burlington, there are 201 bricks cemented next to the foundation of the building with names engraved into each one. Moreno explained that they opened on February 1st of 2015, and so they decided to cement the names of their first 201 customers at that location into the walkway lining the foundation of their building as a reminder to every employee that the foundation of their success as an organization begins with the customer.

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Build Around Your Personal Values: As I toured the Burlington location with Bernie, I was impressed by the attention he paid to each customer and each employee, or team member as Bernie would refer to them, we walked by. He knew every team member by name. He stopped to chat for a moment with customers, offering to turn a television on or to change a station. He was outgoing and personable, which I totally get, because he owns the business. What's even more impressive is that his employees are very much like him, going out of their way to service each person who walks through their doors. So, I was curious as to how one finds employees who are willing to deliver over the top service. Moreno says it's simple. He says that by showing the team members how important they are to him, they go out of their way to show customers how important they are to Mercedes of Burlington. How does he demonstrate his love to his people? First, Bernie knows all their names. He spends time at all of his dealerships monthly so he can be amongst his people to get to know them. He doesn't have his own office, he sits in the glass cubicles just like his people. The sales people are not allowed to work more than 50 hours per week, which is rare in the car industry. What's even more rare is that his Mercedes dealership closes on Sundays and the latest they are open on weeknights is 8pm. "Do we lose money by doing this? Probably. But the payoff is that my team members get to spend quality time with their families," explained Moreno. Bernie says it's his job to focus on his employees so that they can focus on his clients. Moreno says that how an entrepreneur lives his personal life becomes a lens for how he or she builds a business. Bernie says that his wife and kids come before all else in his life, and that work life balance is something that matters immensely to him. As such, he wants to provide the same for his employees. He says that if you study companies that deliver phenomenal service, they do so by having happy employees, so his "The Best or Nothing" philosophy extends beyond the customer experience, to his team member experience.
Faith Harron, a student at Century High School and intern at The Bismarck Tribune, was named High School Reporter of the Year for 2015 by the North Dakota Newspaper Association during a conference over the weekend.

"Faith Harron's reporting and writing demonstrate maturity far beyond her years. Though still a student, she writes like a seasoned professional," wrote one of the judges.

Harron has written about a variety of subjects ranging from a community effort to produce a film, "The Good Father," which was shown in April during the Dakota Digital Film Festival, to a local clogger who performed at the Carolina Opry.

The advertising department at The Bismarck Tribune also gained recognition. Shawn Decker and Jean Hill took first place for their ad series "GeeWilLiquors."

Two inducted

Glen Froseth, retired publisher of the Kenmare News, and Mike Jacobs, retired editor and publisher of the Grand Forks Herald, were enshrined Friday as the 53rd and 54th members of the North Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame.

The longtime newspapermen were recognized at induction ceremonies in Crosby during the 130th annual convention of the North Dakota Newspaper Association.

Both men are former presidents of NDNA. Froseth served in that capacity in 1983, and Jacobs in 2002.

Also Friday, Jack Zaleski, editorial page editor of the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, was recognized for 50 years of service to the newspaper industry.

Officers named

Sara J. Plum, editor of county newspapers in Minnewaukan and Lakota, has been elected president of the North Dakota Newspaper Association.

Plum was elected Saturday. She succeeds Cecile Wehrman, publisher of The Journal in Crosby and The Tioga Tribune.

Harvey Brock, publisher of the Dickinson Press, was elected first vice president of the association. Jill Denning Gackle, general manager of a Garrison-based newspaper publishing company, was tabbed for second vice president.

NDNA members also welcomed a new member to their board of directors. Stacy Swenson is group publisher for Country Media Inc. papers in Killdeer, Hettinger, New England and Langdon. She has 15 years of newspaper experience in South Dakota and North Dakota.

Paul Erdelt, publisher of the Steele Ozone and Kidder County Press, was re-elected to a spot on the NDNA board.

Members of the associations Hall of Fame Committee also were elected, included Neal Shipman of Watford City, Jackie Thompson of Grafton, Terry Schwartzenberger of Napoleon, and Mike Jacobs of Gilby.

Education Foundation directors re-elected

Three members of the North Dakota Newspaper Association Education Foundation board were re-elected.

Aaron Becher, general manager of The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead; Jim Fleming, director of the Child Support Division of the North Dakota Department of Human Services; and Jack McDonald, a media attorney in Bismarck, were elected to new three-year terms.
In the course of an average workday, many of us perform tasks in a variety of fields that could potentially put our health and welfare at risk. While our jobs may seem harmless, the fact is that workplace injuries can and do happen anywhere. On-the-job injuries result in pain and suffering, as well as heavy financial losses for millions of people. Knowing the first steps to take after a workplace injury is something every employee should be aware of. Unfortunately, most workers are unaware not only of the risks inherent in their job, but also of their rights to compensation for any work-related injuries they suffer.

Avoiding Common Workplace Injuries

The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that approximately three million on-the-job injuries occur each year. While not all of these injuries were considered serious, over one-third of them were severe enough to require time off work in order to recover. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, through its Research Institute for Safety, works with the BLS to compile a yearly Workplace Safety Index, outlining the most common types of work-related injuries that occurred over the course of the year. The following list includes the most common workplace injuries, as well as the underlying causes and what you can do to prevent them.

Overexertion: Often resulting in sprains and strains to the lower back, overexertion is the most common type of workplace injury and is caused by using excessive physical effort when pulling, lifting, carrying, and pushing items. Ways to prevent overexerting yourself include using proper lifting techniques, enlisting the aid of other employees, and stopping if you feel sore or experience lower abdominal pain.

Falls from heights: Another extremely common type of workplace accident, falls from heights are often caused by inadequate scaffolding or improperly maintained ladders, as well as from inadequate railing or lighting in stairwells. These types of falls can result in spinal cord injuries, head trauma, and multiple fractures. Prevent falls by making sure equipment is properly maintained, using safety harnesses, and making sure stairwells have the appropriate lighting and handrails.

Slip, trip and falls injuries: These falls occur at same height, yet can still cause serious damage. Slip and fall injuries are often due to wet or slippery floors and obstacles in walkways, and may result in sprains, torn ligaments and fractures. Prevent these by making sure pathways are clear of debris, and use 'Watch Your Step" signs.

Being struck by objects or equipment: This includes injuries due to falling or swinging objects, such as items falling off shelving or falling from scaffolding above. Injuries may include bruises, cuts, and lacerations, as well as head trauma and brain injuries. Prevent this type of accident by making sure items are secured properly, and wear a hard hat when in construction areas.

Roadway accidents: These may involve a car accident in a company vehicle, or being hit by a car or truck as a pedestrian. Injuries often include broken bones, cuts, spinal cord injuries, and head and brain trauma. Prevent these accidents by always wearing a seatbelt when driving, not driving a truck without the proper training, and by paying attention when walking on roadways or areas with vehicles.

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Caught in or compressed by object: These accidents typically occur where heavy machinery is being operated, or where goods are being loaded or unloaded. These accidents may result in internal injuries, multiple fractures, and spinal cord injuries. Use extra safety when operating machinery, and make sure you are visible to forklift and machine operators.

Repetitive motions: People who perform the same task repeatedly, such as stuffing envelopes, data processing, and answering phones may suffer injuries such as sprained or torn ligaments, migraines, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Avoid these types of injuries by using the proper ergonomics at your desk or work station, and take frequent breaks.

What To Do If You Are Injured at Work
People gather in front of Milan's Duomo cathedral during a gay rights demonstration prior to a vote at the Italian parliament to change laws on recognition of rights for same-sex couples, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. Italian premier Matteo Renzi has said that the government might considering resorting to a confidence vote to hasten approval of the law that will allow civil unions, but not marriage, for gay couples. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Tony Spence, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, a news organization he worked at for 12 years, was recently forced to resign. His resignation appears to have come about due to personal tweets he made regarding gender identity legislation in North Carolina and religious liberty measures in Mississippi, along with other issues related to LGBT rights.

Spence's tweets, which can be viewed here, are mildly controversial at best. In my view, the only tweet which may have upset anti-LGBT rights groups is when Spence states "Stupid evidently contagious": a reference to a link included in his tweet about a Tennessee bill denying counselor services to patients based on religious grounds.



Outside pressure from Catholic blogs appear to have influenced the decision by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in demanding the resignation of Spence. If this is true, LGBT Catholics and their allies have a credible reason for being upset over this and other cases of discrimination.

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This wasn't the first time a Catholic employee was forced to resign or was fired over the LGBT issue. Last year, Margie Winters, the religious director at Waldron Mercy Academy for eight years, was fired from her job after parents at the school complained Winters was in a same-sex civil marriage.

Father Warren Hall, director of the campus minister at Seton Hall University, was also fired last year after expressing support for the No H8 Campaign on Facebook.

Rick Estridge, vice president of overseas finances at Catholic Relief Services and employee for 16 years, was pressured into resigning last year after a self-described Catholic defense group publicly outed him as a civilly married gay man.

In his new exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis reaffirms the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, stating, "every sign of unjust discrimination is to be carefully avoided." Yet, such teachings don't seem to be applied consistently throughout the Catholic Church.

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Why didn't Patricia Jannuzzi, a New Jersey Catholic school teacher suspended for her anti-gay Facebook posts, lose her job?

Why didn't Cardinal Archbishop Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez of the archdioceses of Santo Domingo get reprimanded after calling U.S. ambassador James 'Wally' Brewster, not once but twice, a 'maricon'(slang for 'faggot' or 'sissy')?

Archbishop Rodriguez isn't the only church official using the term 'maricon' to insult and belittle LGBT people. In Peru, Monsignor Luis Bambaren, Bishop emeritus of Chimbote, said this about one of their elected officials: "Congressman Carlos Bruce is making a fool of himself with all of this, appearing -- excuse me for the term -- like a faggot in the middle of everything." Bambaren later apologized for using such language.

Unfortunately, this discrimination goes beyond name calling. To understand the double standard on the LGBT issue, one has to look at the mindset of some leaders within the Catholic Church in relation to the sex abuse scandal.

In 2009, the Vatican's representative at the UN, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, stated the sexual abuse of children by priests was a homosexual problem, not a pedophilia problem. Earlier this year, Cardinal Raymond Burke publicly blamed gay clergy for the Church's sexual abuse scandal. On top of that, Burke believes the "feminization" of the Church caused some clergy to become confused about their sexual identity, resulting in many of them committing sexual abuses.

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Despite these assertions from Burke and Tomasi, a 2006 report shows the increase of gay clergy actually coincided with a drop in sex abuse cases.

Still, even though Burke and Tomasi have been proven wrong, how many others within Catholic leadership hold these discriminatory views towards LGBT people and women? Why is the hateful and destructive language by Burke, Tomasi, Rodriguez, and Bambaren allowed to continue virtually unopposed while the voices of Spence, Winters, Hall, and Estridge; voices advocating peace, love, and compassion, are silenced?

Many on both sides of the LGBT issue are rightly asking: where does Pope Francis stand?



Few may have noticed it at the time, but Pope Francis opened the door to a softening of relations towards LGBT people when he acknowledged during his visit to Philadelphia the definition of sacramental and civil marriages has separated. "Until recently," Francis said to bishop and clergy gathered at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary at the Chapel of St. Martin of Tours, "we lived in a social context where the similarities between the civil institution of marriage and the Christian sacrament were considerable and shared. The two were interrelated and mutually supportive. This is no longer the case."

While at the Vatican embassy in Washington D.C., Pope Francis met privately with a longtime Argentinean friend and former student Yayo Grassi, a gay man who brought his partner, Iwan Bagus, to the meeting. This private meeting was largely overshadowed by Pope Francis supposedly meeting with Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis. Despite claims by Davis supports, the Vatican later confirmed "the only real audience granted by the Pope at the nunciature was with one of his former students and his family."

It should be noted that while a Cardinal in Argentina in 2010, Pope Francis privately signaled openness to civil unions for LGBT couples as a compromise to legalizing same-sex marriage. It was said that Francis held this stance because he thought Argentina wasn't ready for a same-sex marriage law.

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In Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis states, "It can no longer simply be said that all those in any "irregular" situation are living in a state of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace."
Mother and son on top of slide at playground

EVANSTON, Ill. -- On Mother's Day this year, I was counting my blessings. I had the world's greatest mom -- she was the most generous spirit I know.

But we didn't always make it easy on her. Deadbeat son that I am, I delayed typing my college thesis on T.S. Eliot until pretty much the last minute my senior year, and my mother, as usual, bailed me out.

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She showed up at dusk with my parents' dog, Menke, at Baker Library at the Harvard Business School, where my father worked. Bedraggled, sleepless and a bit crazed, I met her with my suitcase full of poetry books and stacks of drafts and notes, and we settled into dad's office after he went home.

Without complaint, without a scold, without any judging, my mother worked all night long typing the 64-page opus and 12 more pages of endnotes and citations on an IBM Selectric typewriter. It was an epic save.

I have been thinking about that night as we approached Mother's Day this year and about how lucky so many of us are to have had parents who did everything for us and asked for nothing in return.

I keep thinking I have to call her, but I can't this year. She left us six weeks ago. She was 96. I am 62. It doesn't matter how old you are. There is no one like a mom.

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In the end, it is the little things - the daily acts of kindness, nurture, teaching, encouragement--that add up to being the major ones in a person's life. If we are fortunate enough to have had parents who cared, showed up and made us better, we are blessed. They do this from the moment we are born. All we can really do in return, as a friend told me, is to try to make them proud.

Research on early child development points to the importance of nurturing infants and toddlers with language, laying down a solid foundation for learning, especially in the early years, when our brains are being shaped and mapped for the lives that lie ahead. My mother sang me songs. My father made me memorize poems.

In one of my favorites, Wordsworth wrote, "The child is father of the man." Today he might have said "woman," as well. The point is that our characters, outlooks and inspirations are wired and instilled in us early on. This evolving child is the ancestor and guide leading us into our adult personas.



More than anyone else, our parents shape us into people we become. That is a sleep-deprived, fretful and thankless job at times -- often rife with human rights violations. But on this Mother's Day, I can't think of a more important or meaningful one.

Words matter. Attention matters. Role models matter. If we have good ones, they shape how we learn and conduct ourselves, as well as who we are and what kind of character we develop. We learn by their example, as well as their words

Our socioeconomic background matters, too, of course. If we are lucky to have had enough resources, a stay-at-home mom or dad, or attentive teachers in daycare or preschool, we carry their handiwork in our language, learning and prospects.

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Sandra Waxman, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, wrote recently in the Huffington Post, "In many low-income homes, where parents must work multiple jobs and where childcare alternatives rich in language exposure are well beyond economic reach, young children may hear up to 30 million fewer words than their more advantaged peers. When they enter preschool, these children are already at a disadvantage."

Life is unfair, no doubt, for so many. I realize that I grew up advantaged and privileged in my suburban background. Wishing that same opportunity for others won't make it so. It is a challenge in a nation - in a world -- where most people don't.

But my mother also gave back. She taught us to do the same and to treat everyone the same. She took in our friends, some for years at a time, when they were in trouble and needed a safe place until they were ready to take on the world again. We still call them "inmates" of the family home in Brookline, Mass. It's a proud and exclusive club.

Mom was also a serious volunteer. Born in 1920, the year women earned the right to vote in America, she worked in New York City as a secretary as a young woman and she volunteered to raise money for the Junior League, the Red Cross, British war relief and other causes in the lead-up to World War II.

She met my father at a friend's apartment on South Yates Avenue in Chicago, and they married in 1950. She had two boys in Chicago--giving us and our half-sister her full attention during those years. Later, when we moved to the Boston area, she volunteered for her church, for the poor and for the elderly in her later years.

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"Never one to sit at home and twiddle my thumbs," she once said, "volunteering has always offered me a way to build connections through my love for people."

She was leveraging networks for the public good long before there was an expression for that. Yet, it was her love for people that instilled in her children the importance of treating others the way you want to be treated.

Unless they dissed you. "If a person kicks you once, it's their fault," she used to say. "If they kick you again it's your fault."

She only had a high school education, but a CEO friend called her one of the best teacher's he ever had.

All her life, people called her "Mouse," her childhood nickname, yet she had the spirit of a giant. She had her share of tragedy, and she overcame some early hardships. She touched so many people with an extraordinary generosity and affection--perhaps, in a way, she was trying to redeem her early missteps.

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She had grace and grit, elegance and humor, strength, integrity and patience. What I'll remember most vividly, though, on Mother's Day this year, is her laugh. She loved to laugh, entertain and welcome everyone to her warmth, with no judgment, nothing but support, love and acceptance. And endless laughter filled the house. That's why so many beat a well-worn path to her door over the years.

Moments before she died the night of March 31, she laughed aloud. Who does that? I can hear her laughing today, roaring, "honking," as she called it. I always will.

My mother came to me in a dream the day after we got home from her funeral in Boston. She was sitting in her favorite chair looking ahead, not at me directly, but she told me not to forget to call her or to ask her questions. I won't forget, Mom. And I'll try to pay you forward, always.
After 149 years of public education, Chicago State University escapes last month's deadline for closing -- but the university faces grave uncertainty past July 1. The state's refusal to act in a meaningful way is just an example of the Anti-Black actions and policies that are harming Black people in Illinois.

For months, the university, whose students are predominantly Black, has been in crisis due to Illinois' failure to pass a budget to provide funding for the school. At the end of April, CSU received partial funding of $20,107,300 under an emergency funding bill for higher education. This money only keeps the University open for the next four months and does not fund the approaching fall semester.

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We will not stand for this. Pink slips have gone home to 300 staff members -- a full third of the school's employees -- and students' educational futures are in peril, as our billionaire governor, Bruce Rauner, is sitting pretty. We demand that our communities are invested in and that CSU be fully funded.

Our collective met with CSU students on April 25, 2016, days before the university's 358 commencement. We heard testimonies from students who are directly impacted by the looming closer of Chicago State. We listened to a young mother from the surrounding area talk about how CSU has given her the opportunity to provide a better future for her daughter. She will more than likely have to drop out of college if CSU closes because of higher tuition cost at other institutions, lack of child care, and the fact that Rauner also viciously cut the Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants and other financial aid. This mother's story is just one account.

At a symbolic ceremony, students this week burned faux degrees to represent the very daunting fact that they may never walk across the stage at a CSU commencement. As they gathered around the quad, Charles Preston, a CSU student just shy of graduation, said, "Tonight we take these diplomas to self-determine our own futures, burning them is a representation of the struggle that is going to happen after tonight." The crowd then chanted, "Save CSU, Black Education is good for our health, Save CSU budget or else!" We cannot let their academic futures burn in ashes.

Many people are to blame for the budget impasse and CSU's position, among them being Governor Bruce Rauner and Rauner-appointed Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education Reverend James T. Meeks and Rauner-appointed CSU trustee Reverend Marshall Hatch. It is disturbing to anyone who cares about Black life and public education that this is our reality in Chicago. Despite the faux-concern that many of our city and state leaders, both elected and undemocratically appointed, claim to have for Black Chicagoans, the efforts to provide for our well-being are minimal at best.

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Just over 83 percent of CSU students are Black. 71.5 percent are women, and many are parents and nontraditional students. The school is ranked first in the state in awarding bachelor's degrees to Black people in the physical sciences, health professions, hosts unique projects like Emmanuel Pratt's Aquaponics Facility, a vertical farm that trains students in green entrepreneurship. Over the course of its existence on the South Side, it has provided thousands of students and community members with tools they need to survive in a world that does not believe in or provide options for Black people. The campus is used a space for community organizations, is the area's largest public library -- accessed by all community members, and the campus provides a safe space for South Side residents, almost all Black, to exist in a world that has never welcomed them.

As we fight for CSU's funding, we are fighting to get a killer cop off the city's payroll once and for all. Four years ago, 22-year-old Rekia Boyd was murdered by off-duty police officer Dante Servin. Rekia was simply hanging out with her friends in a park. While Officer Servin still is being paid by the Chicago Police Department -- a Department that receives $4 million a day, nearly 40 percent of the Chicago budget -- we are fighting to keep open a public space. Clearly there is no regard for Black life in this city. CSU requires just $5 million a month to run, and we spend almost that amount daily on an institution that is killing our people.

The political system as it stands is a failure for Black people and it is especially harmful to Black women, whether we seek higher education or not.

Servin, if fired -- there is a hearing at the end of May to decide this, is likely to receive a pension that will be paid for by the tax dollars of Chicago and greater Illinois residents. When there is money for cops who murder but not for public education that benefits Black people, we see who our governing bodies truly serve.

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It is undeniable that our current political system in Illinois is stacked against Black people at every level, and we see the ways that Black women in particular bear the brunt of this violence and then are forgotten. Shame on Illinois. We demand that the city and state Remember Rekia: stop wasting our tax dollars on police officers who kill and otherwise brutalize Black people and instead make full investments in institutions like Chicago State University. Our futures depend on it.

#RememberRekia #SaveCSU #DontPayDante

-Kofi Adamola Xola

-Joan Fadayiro

-Imani Jackson

-Tess Raser
Being a cheetah researcher in Kenya's Maasai Mara, I'm often asked how many cheetahs there are in the region. It's an important question, especially for conservation as it is crucial to accurately estimate population sizes and to monitor trends into the future.

In the early 1900s it was believed that around 100,000 cheetahs roamed the earth. The most recent estimate by the International Union for Conservation of Nature puts the figure at 6,600 - mainly in eastern and southern Africa - amid fears that the fastest land mammal is racing to extinction. Cheetahs are now extinct in 20 countries and occupy only 17% of their historic range. The remaining populations that are of global importance are found in southern Africa - Botswana, Namibia and South Africa - and in East Africa - Kenya and Tanzania. Of all of these locations least is known about cheetahs in Kenya.

We set out to address this gap by designing and conducting an intensive field survey based on search-encounters of cheetahs in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and its surrounding conservancies. Accurate estimations are important, especially when trying to determine whether a population is stable, increasing or decreasing.

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But deriving an answer is more difficult than it might seem. The population size of any species is obviously affected by a number of factors including births and deaths and the fact that individuals move in and out of an area.

In the case of cheetahs, there are further complications. It is unrealistic to assume that every individual will be sighted during a survey. They are generally not easy to find partly because of their extensive ranging behaviour. In Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, home-ranges for both semi-nomadic females and males are around 800 km2 and in Namibia they are on average 1647 km2.

The process of counting

Our research covered about 2400 km, an area half the size of the Great Salt Lake in the US. The data for this study were collected during a three month period. The time period was to minimise the impact of birth or deaths and immigration or emigration. Over the three months a team of five field vehicles drove 8400 km, roughly the distance from South Africa's Cape Town to Gibraltar off the coast of Spain, in search of cheetahs.

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Once cheetahs were found, the necessary information, including the identity of the cheetah - determined by its unique spot pattern - was recorded. These data were then analysed using an advanced Bayesian Spatially Explicit Capture Recapture model. This statistical model incorporates information on when and where a cheetah was sighted and when and where the cheetah was subsequently resighted during the survey period.

The method is more robust than those used previously because:

The spatially explicit method used can distinguish visiting animals from those that reside permanently within the surveyed area, avoiding potential overestimation of numbers. This can be compared to counting the population of Manhattan in the daytime, which would give a vastly inflated figure because of the influx of commuters from neighbouring areas. It accounts for the probability that cheetahs are seen, thereby addressing the potential problem that not every single individual in a population is likely to be seen which would underestimate the numbers. It does not conclude results in the way that is often done in surveys based on, for example, animal tracks.

What the results showed

The results showed a density of 1.28 adult cheetahs per 100km2. This is lower than previous figures published and estimates based on so-called expert opinion. This may be because the tools are now available to accurately estimate numbers. This number seems low, but it is higher than estimates currently available for other areas in Africa. In Algeria there are an estimated 0.02 to 0.05 per 100km and in Botswana 0.61  0.18 cheetahs per 100km.

But this does not mean that cheetahs in the Maasai Mara are not threatened. Cheetahs face a kaleidoscope of threats. These include habitat loss, prey depletion and human-wildlife conflict. With the results from our current study we will now be able to determine the impact these threats have on cheetahs.

The Maasai Mara is one of the few remaining strongholds for the global cheetah population. This study provides the data needed to quantify and monitor threats and conservation efforts going into the future. The analysis, which was spatially-explicit, revealed hotspots of cheetah activity. The next step is to determine how the distribution of these high-density areas is correlated with environmental variables like habitat, prey, predators, or human factors including livestock grazing.

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But the relevance of the study goes beyond cheetahs in the Maasai Mara. These measures also provide important information about big cat ecology that can aid conservation. For example, India has been considering the reintroduction of the African cheetah. Even in a prey-rich area like the Maasai Mara, the density of cheetahs is low. This suggests that the resource requirements for these cats are perhaps much larger than would currently be available in the Indian subcontinent. In addition, the method can be applied to other areas and other charismatic species like lions. Researchers are therefore encouraged, where possible, to move away from numbers based on expert opinion and estimate populations using more robust survey methods.

Femke Broekhuis, Researcher, Project Director Mara Cheetah Project, University of Oxford
Having outlasted all his opponents, Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. Hillary Clinton is closing in on locking up the Democratic nomination.

Clinton and Trump may have won the primaries, but are they really representative of what the American people want? In fact, as we will show, it is John Kasich and Bernie Sanders who are first in the nation's esteem. Trump and Clinton come last.

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So how has it come to this? The media has played a big role, of course, but that Trump versus Clinton will almost surely be the choice this November is the result of the totally absurd method of election used in the primaries: majority voting.

This is a strong statement. But as mathematicians who have spent the last dozen years studying voting systems, we are going to show you why it's justified and how this problem can be fixed.

The problem with majority voting

With majority voting (MV), voters tick the name of one candidate, at most, and the numbers of ticks determine the winner and the order of finish. It's a system that is used across the U.S. (and in many other nations) to elect presidents as well as senators, representatives and governors.

But it has often failed to elect the candidate preferred by the majority.

In 2000, for example, George W. Bush was elected president because of Ralph Nader's candidacy. In the contested state of Florida, Bush had 2,912,790 votes, Al Gore 2,912,253 (a mere 537 fewer) and Nader 97,488. There is little doubt that the large majority of those who voted for Nader, and so preferred him to the others, much preferred Gore to Bush. Had they been able to express this preference, Gore would have been elected with 291 Electoral College votes to Bush's 246. Similar dysfunctions have also occurred in France.

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Imagine how different the U.S. and the world might be today if Gore had won.

The 2016 primaries

A quick glance at the U.S. presidential primaries and caucuses held on or before March 1 shows that when Trump was the "winner," he typically garnered some 40 percent of the votes. However, nothing in that result factors in the opinions of the 60 percent of voters who cast ballots for someone else.









Jim Young/Reuters





As Trump is a particularly divisive candidate, it is safe to suppose that most - or at least many - of them strongly opposed him. The media, however, focused on the person who got the largest number of votes - which means Trump. On the Democratic side of the ledger, the media similarly poured its attention on Hillary Clinton, ignoring Bernie Sanders until widespread enthusiastic support forced a change.

The source of the problem

An election is nothing but an invented device that measures the electorate's support of the candidates, ranks them according to their support and declares the winner to be the first in the ranking.

The fact is that majority voting does this very badly.

With MV, voters cannot express their opinions on all candidates. Instead, each voter is limited to backing just one candidate, to the exclusion of all others in the running.

Bush defeated Gore because Nader voters were unable to weigh in on the other two. Moreover, as we argue further on, majority voting can go wrong even when there are just two candidates.

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The point is that it is essential for voters to be able to express the nuances of their opinions.

What is to be done? Use majority judgment

Majority judgment (MJ) is a new method of election that we specifically designed to avoid the pitfalls of the traditional methods.

MJ asks voters to express their opinions much more accurately than simply voting for one candidate. The ballot offers a spectrum of choices and charges voters with a solemn task:

To be the President of the United States of America, having taken into account all relevant considerations, I judge that this candidate as president would be a: Great President | Good President | Average President | Poor President | Terrible President

To see exactly how MJ ranks the candidates, let's look at specific numbers.

We were lucky to find on the web that the above question was actually posed in a March Pew Research Center poll of 1,787 registered voters of all political stripes. (It should be noted that neither the respondents nor the pollsters were aware that the answers could be the basis for a method of election.) The Pew poll also included the option of answering "Never Heard Of" which here is interpreted as worse than "Terrible" since it amounts to the voter saying the candidate doesn't exist.

As is clear in the table below, people's opinions are much more detailed than can be expressed with majority voting. Note in particular the relatively high percentages of voters who believe Clinton and especially Trump would make terrible presidents (Pew reports that Trump's "Terrible" score increased by 6 percent since January.)

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Using majority judgment to calculate the ranked order of the candidates from these evaluations or grades is straightforward. Start from each end of the spectrum and add percentages until a majority of voters' opinions are included.

Taking John Kasich as an example, 5 percent believe he is "Great," 5+28=33 percent that he is "Good" or better, and 33+39=72 percent (a majority) that he is "Average" or better. Looked at from the other end, 9 percent "Never Heard" of him, 9+7=16 percent believe he is "Terrible" or worse, 16+13=29 percent that he is "Poor" or worse, and 29+39= 68 percent (a majority) that he is "Average" or worse.

Both calculations end on majorities for "Average," so Kasich's majority-grade is "Average President." (Mathematically, the calculations from both directions for a given candidate will always reach majorities at the same grade.)

Similarly calculated, Sanders, Clinton and Cruz all have the same majority-grade, "Average President." Trump's is "Poor President," ranking him last.

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To determine the MJ ranking among the four who all are rated "Average," two more calculations are necessary.

The first looks at the percentage of voters who rate a candidate more highly than his or her majority-grade, the second at the percentage who rate the candidate lower than his or her majority-grade. This delivers a number called the "gauge." Think of it as a scale where in some cases the majority grade leans more heavily toward a higher ranking and in others more heavily toward a lower ranking.

In Kasich's case, 5+28=33 percent evaluated him higher than "Average," and 13+7+9=29 percent rated him below "Average." Because the larger share is on the positive side, his gauge is +33 percent. For Sanders, 36 percent evaluated him above and 39 percent below his majority-grade. With the larger share on the negative side, his gauge is -39 percent.

A candidate is ranked above another when his or her majority-grade is better or, if both have the same majority-grade, according to their gauges (see below). This rule is the logical result of majorities deciding on candidates' grades instead of the usual rule that ranks candidates by the numbers of votes they get.

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When voters are able to express their evaluations of every candidate - the good and the bad - the results are turned upside-down from those with majority voting.

According to majority judgment, the front-runners in the collective opinion are actually Kasich and Sanders. Clinton and Trump are the trailers. From this perspective the dominant media gave far too much attention to the true trailers and far too little to the true leaders.

Tellingly, MJ also shows society's relatively low esteem for politicians. All five candidates are evaluated as "Average" presidents or worse, and none as "Good" presidents or better.

Majority voting's failure with two candidates

But, you may object, how can majority voting on just two candidates go wrong? This seems to go against everything you learned since grade school where you raised your hand for or against a classroom choice.

The reason MV can go wrong even with only two candidates is because it does not obtain sufficient information about a voter's intensity of support.

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Take, as an example, the choice between Clinton and Trump, whose evaluations in the Pew poll are given in the first table above.

Lining up their grades from highest to lowest, every one of Clinton's is either above or the same as Trump's. Eleven percent, for example, believe Clinton would make a "Great" president to 10 percent for Trump. Trump's percentages lead Clinton's only for the Terrible's and Never Heard Of's. Given these opinions, in other words, it's clear that any decent voting method must rank Clinton above Trump.

However, majority voting could fail to do so.

To see why, suppose the "ballots" of the Pew poll were in a pile. Each could be looked at separately. Some would rate Clinton "Average" and Trump "Poor," some would rate her "Good" and him "Great," others would assign them any of the 36 possible couples of grades. We can, therefore, find the percentage of occurrence of every couple of grades assigned to Trump and Clinton.

We do not have access to the Pew poll "ballots." However, one could come up with many different scenarios where the individual ballot percentages are in exact agreement with the overall grades each received in the first table.

Among the various scenarios possible, we have chosen one that could, in theory, be the true one. Indeed, you can check for yourself that it does assign the candidates the grades each received: reading from left to right, Clinton, for example, had 10+12=22 percent "Good," 16+4=20 percent "Average," and so on; and the same holds for Trump.

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So what does this hypothetical distribution of the ballots concerning the two tell us?

The first column on the left says 10 percent of the voters rated Clinton "Good" and Trump "Great." In a majority vote they would go for Trump. And moving to the tenth column, 4 percent rated Clinton "Poor" and Trump "Terrible." In a majority vote this group would opt for Clinton. And so on.

If you add up the votes in each of these 11 columns, Trump receives the votes of the people whose opinions are reflected in four columns: 10+16+12+15=53 percent; Clinton is backed by the voters with the opinions of columns with 33 percent support; and 14 percent are undecided. Even if the undecided all voted for Clinton, Trump would carry the day.

This shows that majority voting can give a very wrong result: a triumphant victory for Trump when Clinton's grades are consistently above his!

A bird's-eye view

Voting has been the subject of intense mathematical research since 1950, when the economist Kenneth Arrow published his famous "impossibility theorem," one of the two major contributions for which he was awarded the 1972 Nobel Prize.















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This theorem showed that if voters have to rank candidates - to say, in other words, who comes first, second and so forth - there will inevitably be one of two major potential failures. Either there may be no clear winner at all, the so-called "Condorcet paradox" occurs, or what has come to be called the "Arrow paradox" may occur.

The Arrow paradox is familiar to Americans because of what happened in the 2000 election. Bush beat Gore because Nader was in the running. Had Nader not run, Gore would have won. Surely, it is absurd for the choice between two candidates to depend on whether or not some minor candidate is on the ballot!

Majority judgment resolves the conundrum of Arrow's theorem: neither the Condorcet nor the Arrow paradox can occur. It does so because voters are asked for more accurate information, to evaluate candidates rather than to rank them.

MJ's rules, based on the majority principle, meet the basic democratic goals of voting systems. With it:

Voters are able to express themselves more fully, so the results depend on much more information than a single vote.

The process of voting has proven to be natural, easy and quick: we all know about grading from school (as the Pew poll implicitly realized).

Candidates with similar political profiles can run without impinging on each other's chances: a voter can give high (or low) evaluations to all.

The candidate who is evaluated best by the majority wins.

MJ is the most difficult system to manipulate: blocs of voters who exaggerate the grades they give beyond their true opinions can only have a limited influence on the results.

By asking more of voters, by showing more respect for their opinions, participation is encouraged. Even a voter who evaluates all candidates identically (e.g., all are "Terrible") has an effect on the outcome.

Final grades - majority-grades - enable candidates and the public to understand where each stands in the eyes of the electorate.

If the majority decides that no candidate is judged an "Average President" or better, the results of the election may be rescinded, and a new slate of candidates demanded.

It is a practical method that has been tested in elections and used many times (for judging prize-winners, wines, job applicants, etc.). It has also been formally proposed as a way to reform the French presidential election system.

Reform now

It should come as no surprise that in answer to a recent Pew poll's question "Do you think the primaries have been a good way of determining who the best qualified nominees are or not?" only 35 percent of respondents said yes.

Democracies everywhere are suffering. Voters protest. Citizens don't vote. Support for the political extremes are increasing. One of the underlying causes, we argue, is majority voting as it is now practiced, and its influence on the media.

Misled by the results of primaries and polls, the media concentrates its attention on candidates who seem to be the leaders, but who are often far from being deemed acceptable by a majority of the electorate. Majority judgment would correct these failings.





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Weiner raises the train-wreck documentary to new heights. Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg's all-access view of the downward spiral of Anthony Weiner's 2013 mayoral campaign couldn't be more relevant or entertaining at this moment as the Donald squares off against the Democrats, nominee TBD. (OK, stop hounding me, Hillary.) A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that the race has, according to Yahoo, become an unpopularity contest: the number one reason to vote for Trump is to block Hillary; similarly, the primary reason to vote for Hillary is to stop Trump.



In that light, despite his flaws, Weiner appears relatively likeable and benign. In found footage from Congress, Weiner's a progressive firebrand; at home, in shorts, his skinny pale legs bare, he picks up his toddler's blocks from the floor and stows them in their box. He's the dutiful daddy pushing the expensive stroller beside his perfect wife, Huma Abedin, now being investigated as part of the Clinton email scandal.

There is no question that agreeing to be the subject of a documentary was ill-advised, and yet former Congressman Weiner, he of the unfortunate name and sexting habits, emerges as a full-on New Yorker in the best and worst senses. He boogies with a flag on a Labor Day float during the Caribbean Parade on Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway, connecting with the crowd; he gobbles a deli sandwich while talking a mile-a-minute in the back of a car as Canal Street rolls out beyond his right shoulder; in a moment of flagging spirits, he rattles off a series of corny did-you-hear-the-one-about jokes to his teary campaign manager, coaxing her to smile; he flips the relentless local press the bird through the smoked glass of his black SUV; and calls an Orthodox Jewish constituent the profane names you'd call a stranger who just insulted your spouse.

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Yes: a more polished candidate would have slunk away without flipping the bird. A more put-together politico, someone with the steely nerves of Weiner's wife Huma, who he married in 2010, would have been discreet. In every seething glare at her husband, the long-time Hillary Clinton campaign staffer makes it clear that, like her boss and mentor, Huma would never have gotten herself in this sex mess in the first place.

For anyone who didn't read a Post headline in that era ("Weiner Rise And Fall," "Weiner's Second Coming," "Weiner: I'll Stick it Out," "Weiner Pulls Out"), Weiner got caught with his pants down while in Congress for sexting inappropriate crotch shots. He resigned. In an unenlightened moment, he decided to run for mayor of New York. During that campaign more dirt emerged: a phone-sex relationship with a Las Vegas dealer who, cajoled by radio provocateur Howard Stern on camera, decides to turn adversity into opportunity and grab her own fifteen minutes.

The awkward, sticky truth at the core of the Kriegman-Steinberg doc is that they have captured a complicated portrait of an abrasive, charismatic and flawed man who is as much a New Yorker as the corner hot dog stand. As Weiner stumbles, a punchline and a political punching bag, the film morphs into the kind of nature documentary where a lion pounces and consumes a gazelle at the communal watering hole. And, surprisingly, sometimes we root for that gazelle, that twitchy Jewish guy with the forlorn pictures of his Johnson captured forever in their cotton-knit boxers. Or, at least, I did.

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In the light of the current Trump circus, Weiner seems relatively benign. He's never bankrupted a company. He would never call for Mexico to build a wall between our countries. He wouldn't deport Muslims. He's a scrappier fighter than Clinton, relishing conflict as only an unreconstructed New Yorker can. Dems and Republicans criticize Bernie for his age; Brooklyn-born Weiner is a spry 51. Sure, he had a sex scandal but so did Bill Clinton. And Weiner, unlike Clinton, never actually touched his victims - he sexted and texted naughtily, something revealed to general laughter in a scene where Bill Maher and Jane Lynch do a staged reading of one of these sex-talk sessions.
The other day I pulled a tattered copy of The Chomsky Reader off a bookshelf of mine. Leafing through some of the Vietnam-era essays collected in that 1987 paperback brought to life a young Tom Engelhardt who, in the mid-to-late 1960s, was undergoing a startling transition: from dreaming of serving his government to opposing it. Noam Chomsky's writings played a role in that transformation. I stopped at his chilling 1970 essay "After Pinkville," which I remember reading when it came out. ("Pinkville," connoting communist influence, was the military slang for the village where the infamous My Lai massacre took place.) It was not the first Chomsky essay I had read. That honor may go to "The Responsibility of Intellectuals," which he wrote in 1966. ("It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and to expose lies. This, at least, may seem enough of a truism to pass without comment. Not so, however. For the modern intellectual, it is not at all obvious.")

"After Pinkville" still remains vividly in my consciousness from that long-gone moment when a growing sense of horror about a distant American war that came to feel ever closer and more brutal swept me into antiwar activism. Its first sentences still cut to the heart of things: "It is important to understand that the massacre of the rural population of Vietnam and their forced evacuation is not an accidental by-product of the war. Rather it is of the very essence of American strategy." Before he was done, Chomsky would put the massacre of almost 500 Vietnamese men, women, and children into the grim context of the larger crimes of the time: "It is perhaps remarkable that none of this appears to occasion much concern [in the U.S.]. It is only the acts of a company of half-crazed GIs that are regarded as a scandal, a disgrace to America. It will, indeed, be a still greater national scandal -- if we assume that possible -- if they alone are subjected to criminal prosecution, but not those who have created and accepted the long-term atrocity to which they contributed one detail -- merely a few hundred more murdered Vietnamese."

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So many decades later, something still seems painfully familiar in all of this. Thanks in part to the nature of our media moment, we remain riveted by acts of horror committed against Europeans and Americans. Yet "concern" over what the U.S. has done in our distant war zones -- from the killing of civilians at weddings, funerals, and memorial services to the evisceration of a hospital, to kidnappings, torture, and even the killing of prisoners, to drone strikes so "surgical" and "precise" that hundreds below died even though only a relatively few individuals were officially targeted -- seems largely missing in action. Unlike the Vietnam era, in the present moment, lacking the powerful antiwar movement of the Vietnam era, "none of this," to quote Chomsky, "appears to occasion much concern." Indeed.

There are, however, exceptions to this statement and let me mention one of them. A half-century later, Noam Chomsky is still writing with the same chilling eloquence about the updated war-on-terror version of this American nightmare. His "concern" has not lagged, something that can't be missed in his new book, Who Rules the World?, which focuses on, among other things, what in the Vietnam-era might have been called "the arrogance of power." At a moment when the Vietnam bomber of choice, the B-52, is being sent back into action in the war against the Islamic State, he, too, is back in action. Check out his latest piece, "American Power Under Challenge," from his new book.
My history met its future in August of 1990. Then it was buried under the reality of moving from my parents' home to a dorm room at a small historically black college in Mississippi. Over the next four years, that college would come to be a haven for my academic abundance, the cultivation of my religious journey, development of my leadership skills, birth of lifelong friendships, and protection of my naive and sometimes broken heart.

Simply put, the years from 1990-94 were epic. In 1994, I graduated from epic only to spend the next two decades trying to create that same type of experience for college students as a college instructor, advisor, administrator, and student services coordinator.

While I'm not really sure if any of my students would use the word epic to describe their experiences, I know that I dedicated a lot of time to make sure their college years were memorable. By the early 2000s though, I realized that what I really wanted was impossible. I wanted to teleport myself back to the early 1990s.

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Sure, I could watch A Different World reruns or rent Spike Lee's School Daze to get my memory fix, but that fix would only last so long. And while I love my life, I do sometimes wish I could return to the days of old. One weekend not too long ago I did that - with my teenage children - who are now beginning the college search process for themselves.

It was epic.

We attended a 90s reunion weekend at my HBCU, Tougaloo College, a located on the northern edge of Jackson. That weekend I reclaimed the word epic, and my kids were able to make true connections between academics and the other important life stuff to consider when choosing a college.

This particular weekend, those other things included hanging out on the yard, witnessing their momma practice sorority strolls from YouTube videos, and hearing about memories from living in a dorm on stilts.

Here's what my college reunion taught my kids:

1.You make lifelong friendships in college. Through my college years, whenever college alums visited campus to tell us about the adventure we were just beginning, they were all very serious in talking about the friendships that endured in their post-college years. I've preached it to my students over the years, and my kids have definitely heard it more than once. My sorority line sisters have added so much value to my life, it is unreal.

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2. Mom does know how to have fun. I laughed a lot, I danced a lot, and I barely got any sleep. They saw me reminiscing with old friends as they explored the campus, and they asked questions about "life back then." I wasn't fussing, reminding anyone about homework, or limiting screen time. We could relax and have fun as a family.

3. Social media can be the platform for making connections, but real life interactions are the key to sustaining those connections. The cafeteria was our Facebook, the yard was our Twitter, and the yearbook was our Instagram. Even though many of us have flocked to those platforms and are a part of groups and pages that all relate to our college years, nothing beats reconnecting in person. I am thankful I was able to meet wives, husbands, children and other family members of classmates in person.

4. Despite the flag drama and the racist rhetoric, Mississippi is and always will be home. Through the years I've gotten some weird looks when I use the phrase "Heartfelt Mississippian." Even though I grew up in Chicago, both of my parents are from Mississippi and we would travel a lot during my childhood. My grandparents were there, my aunt and uncle were there, my cousins were there. Everyone I love is there. That is where they lived and fought for social injustices and the right to vote. How could it not be home?

5. College is more fun when it's a family affair. My grandfather and I attended the same college. I have two older cousins who attended the college. And while I was a student, five other cousins were also students. As an only child, it was fun to be able to participate in the banter across the Thanksgiving table as to which school is better. And even if I didn't participate, I knew in my heart (just as I'm sure the rest of my family thought) that Tougaloo was the best college. Ever.

6. Diversity exists in more ways than one at an HBCU. I went to an HBCU because I felt at home when I visited the campus. What I didn't realize was that while skin color may not be much of an issue, diversity exists in other ways. HBCUs are a mecca of artsy students, nerdy students, entrepreneurial students, traditional college-aged students, and returning adult students. Differences exist within all people, and my HBCU was a safe place for the birth and development of many schools of thought for young minds.

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7. The civil rights movement was founded in the halls and on the grounds of HBCUs. Fifty years ago, Tougaloo College was pivotal in the civil rights movement. Students rallied and supported some of our greatest leaders on the subject of race and equality in Mississippi's capital. When my parenting conversations get tough about race relations in our country today, I always tell my kids about Tougaloo's history and involvement in human rights initiatives, because even if they don't attend college there, it will always be a part of who they are.

Have you had an amazing time attending one of your reunions? Tell us about it below!
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speaks at a campaign rally in New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S., May 8, 2016. REUTERS/Dominick Reuter

The Vermont Senator is poised to arrive at the Democratic convention as the stronger candidate to take on Trump.

Senator Bernie Sanders would defeat Donald Trump relatively easily in a general election, according to the latest polls. An average of the three most recent major polls predicts a victory of more than 14 points, which would be a landslide in modern presidential politics.

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CNN/ORC, May 1: Sanders obliterates Trump by 16 points

IBD/TIPP, April 28: Sanders defeats Trump by 12 points

USA Today/Suffolk, April 24: Sanders defeats Trump by 15 points

As the country adjusts to the notion that a xenophobic, racist billionaire will be the Republican candidate for the presidency in November, no doubt many hope the strongest candidate emerges from the Democratic Party to defeat him.

The polls are clear on who that candidate is.

And at this point, it isn't just the polls. Political analysis of the two Democratic campaigns also indicates Bernie Sanders is the stronger candidate.

Analysis Beyond the Polls

Independent Voters. Most important of all, Bernie Sanders polls extraordinarily well among independent voters and new voters. In fact, he's the only candidate this year who polls consistently stronger among independents than Donald Trump, which explains his advantage in poll after poll. The Clinton campaign often complains that it "struggles" in open primaries -- such as Indiana -- where independents get to vote. Well, the general election is one big open primary. Everyone gets to vote. Independents will decide this election, and according to the polls and according to actual votes already cast, they prefer Bernie Sanders first, Donald Trump second, and Hillary Clinton last. Some might say November is a long way off, but historically April and May polls have proven accurate about presidential elections. We've already seen in the primaries and caucuses how well Bernie does when independents are allowed to vote.

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Approval Ratings. The next most important predictor of electoral success is approval ratings. Bernie Sanders has approval ratings that historically place him comfortably among the winners of the last three decades of presidential elections. Trump and Clinton, by comparison, have among the worst approval ratings of any candidates in history who have reached this stage. Simply put, whichever party gets to nominate Bernie Sanders will win. He's the most popular politician in the country right now. This chart shows the last 35 years of presidential candidates and their approval ratings.



Presidential candidates of the last 35 years and their approval ratings.

Money. Over the last three months, the Sanders campaign has raised more money than either of the other two candidates. The Sanders campaign doesn't accept money from Super PACs -- which makes his haul even more impressive. He has attracted an unprecedented number of contributions from small individual donors: over six million contributions, averaging just $27 each. News reports in the corporate media suggested last week that contributions to Sanders have been down because he raised just $26 million in April after over $40 million in March; these reports blithely discount the facts that $26 million is still an astonishing haul for a single month and that this $26 million puts his campaign over $200 million raised in under a year, without corporate contributions, which is not just remarkable but was considered utterly impossible until... 2016. Bernie asks the thousands of people at his rallies to contribute -- or he sends out an email to the millions of Americans who love his political ideas -- and they donate online within minutes or hours. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, often jets back to New York or Los Angeles after campaigning in a primary state because she raises her money via private dinners for wealthy contributors in the largest coastal cities. Her campaign has also recently been targeting wealthy Bush family donors, which seems to indicate either that her sources of money are drying up or that beneath the rhetoric she really is politically conservative.

It's important to note that the Sanders campaign also has been raising money for down-ticket progressives, while the Clinton campaign has come under fire for funneling over 90 percent of money ear-marked for state parties to her own campaign. This matters to party leaders across the country.

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Enthusiasm. Thousands have been packing Sanders rallies on short notice, coast to coast, for six full months now. Even in supposedly apathetic states such as Indiana, last week, and West Virginia, today, thousands are turning out. People supporting Sanders are unusually excited about his politics and his candidacy. Hillary Clinton's rallies in contrast often attract a few hundred people and, at times, an equal number of protestors.



Rallies on May 5. Bernie Sanders in West Virginia, left; Hillary Clinton in LA, right.



In addition, according to Personal Democracy Media, which studies the intersection of politics and technology, roughly nine million people have organized online to support the Sanders movement. Hundreds of Facebook pages, Reddit forums, and Slack channels help supporters communicate every day, and they do it for free. The Clinton campaign, by comparison, has far less support online and has gone so far as to pay over $1 million to bloggers and others online to bolster her campaign. Free organic enthusiasm of the kind we're seeing in the Sanders campaign will translate into feet on the ground in crucial swing states on election day.



Scandals & the FBI. A huge amount has already been written about Hillary Clinton's various bad decisions throughout her career, including the ongoing FBI investigation into her illicit use of a private email server. She might be indicted during the campaign, and this further weakens her as a candidate in a potentially ugly campaign against Trump. Nominating someone under FBI investigation just feels risky. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, has a remarkably clean record for someone who has been in elective office for over 30 years, perhaps the cleanest of any presidential candidate in 100 years.

Get Ready for a Contested Convention

Supporters of Donald Trump probably hope that Hillary Clinton's current lead of 279 delegates carries her to the nomination. They've openly declared she's the candidate they would prefer to face. But with 1,698 pledged delegates to Bernie's 1,419 at this point, Clinton is not likely to win enough delegates in the remaining primaries to reach the 2,383 needed to clinch the nomination before the Democratic National Convention in July. Many of the remaining states favor Bernie Sanders in the polls. But Sanders too is unlikely to reach the needed number of delegates. This means a contested convention to determine the nominee.

If Clinton goes into the convention with a substantial lead, given her close connections with the power brokers of the Democratic Party, many think she would receive the nomination.

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Unpledged convention delegates and ordinary Democratic voters, however, will have to consider the reasons listed above before sending their weaker candidate to the general election, particularly if Bernie Sanders wins more pledged delegates during the next six weeks.

Thus the convention in Philadelphia promises to be a contentious affair with thousands or possibly millions of people in the streets. Fireworks of both the political and the pyrotechnic variety will be flying, and party leaders will likely disagree with each other as they struggle to align with the will of ordinary voters.
Colorado's high court today struck down the rights of Coloradans to enact local fracking bans. It's no surprise, given the massive sway of the oil and gas industry in the state. The suit was brought against Longmont (which passed a popular fracking ban in 2012) by Governor John Hickenlooper and his industry cronies. While it's easy to be discouraged by this decision, the fact is, it will help activate citizens to pass statewide ballot measures to ban fracking in November.

And let's not forget: the movement to stop fossil fuel development just keeps winning.

On Earth Day, New York governor Andrew Cuomo put a stop to the Constitution pipeline, a dangerous project to shipped fracked gas from Pennsylvania into New York, intersecting almost 300 bodies of water. His action sent a clear message that protecting the safety of the state's drinking water was more important than expanding Big Oil's profits. And the move didn't come out of nowhere; the same grassroots pressure that successfully pushed Cuomo to ban fracking in 2014 pushed him to reject this dirty fracked gas pipeline.

It wasn't just Earth Day that brought good news for the planet. Two days before, the Kinder Morgan energy behemoth canceled a gas pipeline that would have run through parts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The company faced stiff opposition from activists and residents of the towns where the pipeline would have been constructed.

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While it's good to see Big Oil pull the plug on a bad idea, citizens must put pressure on their elected officials to make sure fossil fuels stay in the ground. That's what the residents of Prince George's County in Maryland did this month, convincing the County Council to pass a resolution banning fracking. The vote was unanimous.

Even government regulators that are accustomed to green-lighting dirty energy projects are changing their tune. Last month in Oregon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said no to a massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Coos Bay. The battle against the Jordan Cove terminal and over 200 miles of pipeline goes back over a dozen years -- proving once again that dedicated, sustained activism is what will win the fight against corporate greed. And then the Oregon LNG company announced that it's ending its plan to build an export terminal and pipeline in the state.

The fact is, activism -- when we apply enough pressure to our decision makers -- works. We've seen it in New York, where Governor Cuomo banned fracking in 2014 and stopped the Port Ambrose LNG facility. While Cuomo has emerged as a climate hero, other Democratic governors haven't been as responsive to their constituents on climate matters, even though the Democratic establishment is feeling the activist pressure to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Despite his rhetoric, Governor Jerry Brown in California continues to frack even in the face of the huge climate disaster in the Porter Ranch community. In addition to Governors Hickenlooper in Colorado, Tom Wolf and Gina Raimondo (Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, respectively) continue to support the fracking industry and related infrastructure despite mounting opposition in those states.

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While some politicians and regulators are finally catching up with the science, Big Oil isn't going to give up without a fight, of course, but they are clearly worried that the narrative on dirty energy is shifting.

What's the next step? Keep up the pressure -- and amp it up a few volts. The March for a Clean Energy Revolution will hit the streets of Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention this summer -- where Democratic leaders around the country will convene -- to call for a ban on fracking, to keep fossil fuels in the ground, to stop dirty energy and make a swift, meaningful transition to renewable energy.

We're winning -- and we plan on continuing to do so. We'll see you in Philadelphia.
Imagine you found an old photograph in a junk bin in an antique store, paid sixty-eight cents for it, and then upon closer inspection realized it was a never before known image of Billy the Kid, his gang, and their women, playing croquet...imagine you had pretty much found the Holy Grail of Old West tintypes! Then imagine you had to go about the daunting task of making the world not only aware of your discovery, but making them believe in its authenticity.

For the last six years the hypothetical scenario just outlined has been the daily reality of Randy Guijarro, a man who by now many in the western memorabilia world know well as the owner of the Billy the Kid Croquet tintype and viewers of the documentary "Billy the Kid: The New Evidence", which airs frequently on the National Geographic Channel, know as perhaps the luckiest antique "picker" alive. You see Randy and his wife Linda are the owners of what many believe is only the second authenticated image of Billy the Kid, and the only known image of Billy the Kid with his gang (known as the Regulators and immortalized for my generation by the cast of the Young Guns film franchise). The photo also features their wives and close female associates. Oh yeah, and to add to the distinctiveness of the photograph the group are all dressed in their Sunday best, without a gun in sight and engaged in a croquet match...not exactly a tableau many would associate with the rugged band of outlaws.

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The Croquet Tintype: Believed to have been taken in the fall of 1878 on the Tunstall Ranch in New Mexico

This past Friday and Saturday, May 6-7th, Witherell's Old West Show rolled into the picturesque farming community of Grass Valley in Northern California and Randy's tintype was displayed for the first time publicly since he dug it out of dusty box in the now closed Fulton's Follies antique store in Old Town Clovis, California back in 2010. "I believe in divine providence and the only reason I went into that store that day was because a parking spot opened up right in front," said Guijarro. He walked inside the store to find a couple of gentlemen who had just brought in the contents from a storage unit they had bought in an auction (think of the A&E reality show Storage Wars). At the bottom of a cardboard box were some cabinet cards and a 4x5 inch tintype. Randy had two dollars in cash on him and offered to buy the three photographs in the bottom of the box. The offer was accepted and he walked out of the store, at that time unaware, that he had a photograph, that once authenticated, would be insured by Kagin's Auction House for $6,000,000.

Enlargement of Croquet Tintype: Close-up of the figure purported to be Billy the Kid

But back in 2012 Randy was still a man with just a dirty image of a group of people from the 19th century standing around playing croquet. And so it was at the very same show that took place this weekend, the Witherell's Old West Show in Grass Valley, that Randy and his wife Linda first tried to have their antique store find authenticated.

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With the photo in his breast pocket Randy sought out Brian Lebel, the man who in June of 2011 brokered the sale of the only authenticated photo of Billy the Kid to date, the famous Upham tintype, to billionaire businessman Bill Koch of the Koch Brothers for a record-setting $2.3 million dollars. At that time it was the most expensive photo ever sold at auction.



Upham Tintype: Believed to have been taken in Fort Sumner, New Mexico circa 1879 or 1880

Randy showed Lebel his junk store find and it seemed that Lebel was initially interested but that was only until author and Western aficionado John Boessenecker walked by and basically shot down the photo's authenticity by saying there was no provenance. Provenance is a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality. Lebel said to bring him proof of provenance and then they would talk.

Thus began what has now become a four-year journey to authenticate the tintype. And it is a journey that has spawned one television documentary along with countless articles, online debates and one book in progress. Along the way, Randy and Linda have assembled a team of experts ranging from the official historian for the U.S. Marshals Service, David Turk, to Steve Sederwall, a retired US Marshall who is now a private investigator and mayor of the town where Billy the Kid once roamed, to Will Dunniway, the leading historian of nineteenth-century photography in the country, who all support the claim that the tintype is indeed authentic.

This past weekend Randy and Linda arrived at the Witherell's Old West Show to a very different reception than they received four years ago. This time they were there to stand next to the Kagin's booth where the Billy the Kid Croquet tintype was prominently displayed. Where once upon a time Randy and Linda had been laughed at as wishful thinkers with delusions of grandeur this time they were greeted by many supporters, not the least of which were school teachers who want Randy and Linda to share their love of history and refusal to give up with their students.

Left to Right: Randy Guijarro, Linda Guijarro and Don Kagin

As for the authenticity of the photo, Jeff Aiello, the executive producer of the documentary about the quest to authenticate the tintype that aired on the National Geographic Channel said, "If you look at the statistical probability of all of the known people in the photo, who have been put through the facial recognition software test, being in the same place, which still exists and we can authenticate, at the same time, under circumstances that are well documented in a several extant documents, it is just mathematically inconceivable that this photo isn't the real deal."



Only time will tell if the photo will sell and for how much. But in the meantime, its appearance on the scene has sparked an explosive discussion on the social history of the Old West and ignited hope for many amateur collectors who may have other valuable historical artifacts that have previously been disregarded by the academy of Western aficionados. Perhaps Randy's find will inspire others passing by piles of old photos in antique stores and on tables at swap meets to take a second look at the anonymous faces from days gone by.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Spokane, Washington, U.S., May 7, 2016. REUTERS/Jake Parrish

I lived and taught in a rural and conservative area in Pennsylvania for nine years, an area that's "flyover country" for Beltway elites. Back in 2008, I remember how the locals went gaga over Sarah Palin's visit to the area, and how crestfallen so many people were when Barack Obama was elected president. I remember how people sported Bush/Cheney stickers on their cars and trucks (even the faculty at the largely vocational college at which I taught), long after these men had left office. Sadly, I also recall a lot of Confederate flag license plates, especially on trucks, but there were also people who flew them at home from their flagpoles. This was not about "heritage," since Pennsylvania was Union country in the Civil War. No - it was about being a White "redneck" and taking the country back from, well, the "other" - Blacks, Muslims, immigrants, anyone considered to be an outsider, anyone part of the "influx," a racially-loaded word that referred to outsiders (where I lived, mainly Blacks from Philadelphia and its environs).

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Rural PA, previously Sarah Palin country, is now Trump country. In the recent presidential primary, fifty thousand Democrats in PA changed party affiliation so they could vote Republican. An educated guess: they weren't switching parties to vote for Kasich or Cruz. They were caught up in Trump hype about making America great again!

That's a slogan to be reckoned with. Some say it's a racist dog whistle. Those with ears attuned to the frequency hear the message as "making America great again by making it White again." There's truth to this, but the message is also one of nostalgia. Trump, like many of his followers, has recognized that the USA is no longer NUMBER ONE in all things, and he's got the balls (as his followers might say) to say it plainly. No BS about America being the exceptional nation, the bestest, the kind of nonsense that flows freely from the mouths of most U.S. politicians. America is acting like a 99-pound weakling, Trump says, and he's the Charles Atlas to whip us back into shape.

Trump's vulgarity, his elaborate comb over, his tackiness, the shallowness of his knowledge (especially on foreign affairs), have contributed to the establishment's ongoing dismissal of him. A recent article by Glenn Greenwald and Zaid Jilani documented the many dead certain (yet dead wrong) predictions of Trump's imminent demise, even as he was winning primary after primary and gaining in the polls. The establishment elites just couldn't believe that a man not vetted by them - a man best known for bloated casinos and lowbrow reality TV - could be a viable candidate for the presidency. And indeed they continue to predict his imminent demise at the hands of one of their own (Hillary Clinton) in the fall. Yet as I wrote back in July 2015, Trump is not to be underestimated.

What exactly is the appeal of Trump? Speaking his mind is one. Yes, he's vulgar, he's boorish, he's ignorant, he's sexist. Just like many of his followers. In a way, Trump revels in his flaws. He has the confidence to own them. Many people are attracted to him simply because (like Sarah Palin) he's not a typical mealy-mouthed politician.

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Another obvious appeal: He's a rich celebrity who acts like a rube. Indeed, he acts like many regular folks would if they'd just won a Powerball jackpot. He's got the trophy wife. He's got a lot of pricey toys (How about that Trump jet?). He doesn't have much class, but so what? Trump is Archie Bunker with money, a blowhard, an American classic. What you see is pretty much what you get. And that's a refreshing feature for many of his followers, who have little use for complexity or nuance.

For all that, let's not ignore Trump's positions (such as they are) on the issues. He's against a lot of things that many Americans are also against. He's critical of immigration. He's more than wary of Muslims. He despises "political correctness." He's against trade deals (so he says). The Chinese and Japanese come in for special opprobrium as trade cheaters. "And China! And China!" Trump declaims as he launches another round of attacks on the Chinese for stealing American jobs. Trump's followers believe they've finally found their man, someone who will stand up to the Chinese, the Mexicans, the Muslims, and all those other foreigners who are taking their jobs and hurting America.

Trump is a master of scapegoating. But more than this, he takes positions that show a willingness to depart from Republican orthodoxy. He's expressed support for Planned Parenthood (except for its abortion services) because of the health care it provides to women. He's outspokenly critical of U.S. wars and nation-building (as well as Bush/Cheney and company). He wants to rebuild America's infrastructure. He wants to force America's allies to pay a greater share of their own defense costs. He's not slavishly pro-Israel. He's not enamored with neo-conservative principles and the status quo in U.S. foreign policy. He wants to put "America first." As far as they go, these are respectable positions.

Yet I've not come to praise Trump but to explain, at least partially, his appeal and its persistence. Trump's negatives are well known, and indeed I've written articles that are highly critical of him (see here and here and here). Most of Trump's supporters are aware of the negatives yet plan to vote for him regardless. Why?

Desperation, to start. Americans are drowning in debt. They're scared. Not just the lower classes but the middle classes as well. Just consider the title of a recent article at The Atlantic: The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans: Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency. Times are far tighter for ordinary Americans than Beltway elites know or are willing to admit.

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In tough times an unconventional candidate like Trump (or Bernie Sanders) offers hope - the promise of significant change. What does Hillary Clinton offer? So far, more of the same. But scared or desperate people don't want the same, with perhaps a few more crumbs thrown their way by establishment-types. They want a political revolution, to quote Bernie Sanders. They want freshness. Authenticity.

Strangely, despite all his flaws and insults and bigotry, or rather in part because of them, Trump seems more genuine, more of a candidate of the people, than does Hillary. Bernie Sanders, another genuine candidate with big ideas, beats him handily in the fall, I believe. But Bernie is being elbowed out by the establishment powerbrokers in the Democratic Party. The big money (of both parties) is pegging its hopes on Hillary. It's already predicted her sobriety and "experience" will triumph over Trump's wildness and inexperience.

Given the record of "expert" predictions so far in this election, as well as Trump's own track record, I wouldn't be too confident in betting against The Donald.
By Robert Souza The grandeur of Brazil is captivating: jewel-blue waves constantly cascade onto the golden sand of sunlit beaches, acai palm trees decorate the rainforest, and Christ the Redeemer overlooks the nation from atop Rio de Janeiro's superlative summit. But beyond the beautiful landscapes lies a country plagued by corruption and inequality. The Petrobras scandal, a corruption affair of unparalleled proportions in a modern democracy, illuminates this reality. However, a silver lining has emerged as the investigation of this scandal could engender a deviation from the climate of impunity from which Brazilian elitists have long operated. Last year, Brazilian authorities inadvertently began unearthing the Petrobras scandal after arresting a well-known money launderer, Alberto Youssef, for what was the ninth time. Unbeknown to prosecutors, things would be different this time. Youssef prefaced his interrogation with an alarming conjecture: "Guys," he reportedly told prosecutors, "if I speak, the republic is going to fall." And speak he did. Youssef divulged shocking information that led to the uncovering of a massive kickback scheme involving many elitists from Brazil's public and private sectors. Starting in 2004, a small cartel composed of construction executives surreptitiously devised a strategy to inflate contract prices and significantly overcharge Petrobras, Brazil's state-run energy company, for their services. Free to charge exorbitant sums, these construction executives accrued enormous profits. A select group of Petrobras employees in the know were rewarded handsomely for turning a blind eye. Additionally, and unsurprisingly, since Petrobras is 51 percent government-owned, much of the dirty money was sent on a circuitous route to the pockets of various political figures. Considering losses to Petrobras itself amounted to an estimated $5.3 billion, there was more than enough money to go around. According to David Segal's compelling piece in The New York Times, kickbacks included: "Rolex watches, $3,000 bottles of wine, yachts, helicopters, and prostitutes," among other things. Such a vivid display of corruption, happening concurrently with Brazil's severe economic recession, has necessitated political accountability. The problem is that inequality and corruption are thoroughly embedded in Brazilian culture, and inadequate political accountability predates Brazilian independence. Inequality has been ingrained in Brazil since the pervasive avarice of colonial times, when Portuguese colonists grew rich off the exploitation of slaves. A caste system was developed, and the problem was exacerbated as class boundaries were firmly established with the passage of time. Even after Brazil abolished slavery in 1888, the Brazilian elite retained their political, social, and economic advantages. Consequently, even in a post-slavery Brazil, inequality and corruption remained customary and the problems persisted unmitigated. So given how long Brazilian elitists have enjoyed a secure grip on unchecked power, the Petrobras scandal itself should come as no surprise. What is most surprising about this scandal, aside from its unexampled magnitude, is that members of Brazil's elite class are actually being investigated and convicted. Thus far, 93 people have been convicted of crimes relating to Petrobras, most of them well-connected politicians and business magnates. That number is expected to increase as the recent revelations of the Panama Papers, a trove of leaked documents from a Panama-based law firm specializing in shell companies, linked at least 57 Brazilians to the Petrobras scandal.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - JANUARY 21: All women contingent of CRPF during the rehearsal for Republic Day Parade on January 21, 2016 in New Delhi, India. Annual parade is held at Rajpath on January 26 to mark India's Republic Day Celebrations, which extends for 3 days. The parade showcases Indiaas Defence Capability, Cultural and Social Heritage. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI--Breaking yet another proverbial glass ceiling, the country's largest paramilitary force, CRPF, is set to deploy over 560 women commandos for undertaking anti-Maoist operations in select left wing extremism-affected states.

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The ambitious plan to deploy such a large number of women in the most challenging combat theatres in the country's internal security domain got moving, with a batch of 567 women passing out from the force's training centre in Ajmer last week.

CRPF Director General K Durga Prasad told PTI that the full batch will now be deployed in phases in LWE areas in the company formation style, which means about 100 personnel at one time.

These women who passed out on May 6 from Ajmer have been trained keeping in mind the LWE tasks rendered by us. We thought to give them the toughest assignment in the initial years of their service itself. Initially these women personnel will be deployed in one company at a time and after some time their deployment and work utility will be scaled up, Prasad said.

The DG added the force has already created living infrastructure and barracks for these women at certain locations while more such facilities will be created in due course of time. The CRPF, officials said, has been working on the concept that if Maoists can have women in their ranks, why not the security forces.

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Recently, border-guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had declared that it will post its women personnel in full combat role in its units along the Sino-Indian border. The latest batch of Central Reserve Police women personnel have been trained for 44 weeks in jungle warfare, unarmed combat, smart weapons firing and other drills after which they got commissioned in the 232nd battalion of the force.

This is the fourth mahila battalion of CRPF. A CRPF battalion has about 1,000 personnel. Officials had earlier said the induction of these women squads will be made in West Bengal and Jharkhand. The force had initiated a plan in this regard last year when two small teams of these women personnel were sent for familiarisation exercises and based in CRPF camps in the worst-affected Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and some sensitive LWE hit areas of Jharkhand. Officials said the women personnel, once deployed, will be operating from active CRPF bases and will carry arms and undertake patrols like their male counterparts.
Facebook/Gladson Dungdung

Jharkhand-based human rights activist Gladson Dungdung has alleged that he was offloaded from an international flight on Monday morning for what he suspects to be a backlash to his recent book on mining in Saranda Forests and the resulting human right violations.

Dungdung was on his way to London from Delhi to attend a workshop on environmental history and politics of south Asia in Sussex University when he was offloaded, he said in a public Facebook post today.

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"The reason told to me is that my passport had been impounded in 2013, therefore, they will send it back to RTO, Ranchi for verification," he wrote, adding that his passport was returned to him after verification in 2014, following which he even travelled to Denmark and London to attend international conferences in the last two years.

He claimed that he had not faced any problems with international flights since. However, Dungdung's book, 'Mission Saranda: A War for Natural Resources in India', was published last year, and this is his first international trip after that. "Therefore, I'm sure that this is a clear impact of my book."

He returned to Ranchi on Monday after he was unable to board his flight. Dungdung told HuffPost India that he got his boarding pass and was at the immigration desk when he first got inkling of what was to come. "As soon as the immigration officer heard that I worked in the human rights field, he walked away to talk to his superiors, returning only 15 minutes later," he said. "Then he called the Air India staff asking them to remove my luggage since the system apparently showed my passport had an 'impounded' status."

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Dungdung's passport was earlier impounded because of a "sensitive report" from state police, just a few days before he was expected to speak about the conditions of tribals in India in a conference in Germany and Thailand.

"Defaulters of millions of INR like Mr. Vijay Malaya cant be offloaded but activists like me are bound to be offloaded," wrote Dungdung on Monday. "However, my fight for the Adivasis' ownership rights over the Natural resources, Adivasi identity, Human Rights, Ecology and against unjust development processes will continue till they take away my right to life forever. Jai Adivasi!"
Hindustan Times via Getty Images NEW DELHI, INDIA - MARCH 13: Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat at his residence on March 13, 2012 in New Delhi, India. Upset over being ignored for the job of chief minister of Uttarakhand, Harish Rawat claimed that he has support of more than 17 party MLAas out of total 32. Only 13 party MLAas were present during oath taking ceremony of Vijay Bahuguna. (Photo by Sanjeev Verma/ Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

DEHRADUN -- Ahead of the 10 May trust vote in Uttarakhand, a new purported sting video targeting deposed Chief Minister Harish Rawat emerged today, prompting BJP to accuse him of trying to "buy" legislators.

As the political fight over the Uttarakhand crisis escalated, Rawat accused the NDA government and the BJP of indulging in "politics of blackmail" and creating "unrest" in the hill state. He also alleged that the Congress MLAs were being threatened and their phones tapped by central agencies.

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A purported sting video targeting Rawat which allegedly showed a conversation between rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat and Congress legislator Madan Singh Bisht was released today by a private news channel in Delhi.

Bisht is purported to have said in the video that Harish Rawat was giving the money he had earned from mining to his MLAs to keep his flock together.

BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari alleged that the video showed that Harish Rawat was "himself involved in horse-trading".

"Earlier also there was a sting and now also a new sting video has come out in which the MLA is himself saying that the Chief Minister is giving Rs 25-30 Lakh to his own MLAs to placate them," he claimed at a press conference in New Delhi.

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The Congress hit back alleging that BJP was hatching a conspiracy against Harish Rawat ahead of the trust vote. The party also wrote to Governor K K Paul, demanding that BJP leader and Uttarkhand incharge Kailash Vijayvargiya be kept away from the state till the trust vote takes place as he was "trying to vitiate the political atmosphere" in the state.

"I charge the central government and the BJP that they are trying to create this politics of siege and unrest in this state. I have decided that after 10 May result, all these blackmailers who are blatantly trying to trap people by offering financial and other allurements, who are trying to blackmail the people, we will launch a fight against them under the leadership of Kishor Upadhyaya," Rawat said.

The Congress leader alleged that his phones and those of his relatives and aides were being tapped. "Central agencies are harassing Congress people through various ways," he alleged.

"Central agencies are openly being misused and not only my MLAs but political leaders are being threatened," he said.

"Our MLAs and leaders are getting threatening messages from conduits who are posing as relatives, well-wishers and acquaintances," Rawat told reporters in Dehradun.

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"I am also being kept under surveillance as if I am an anti-national," he alleged.

Rawat had faced allegations of horse-trading earlier after a purported sting video allegedly showed him negotiating to bring back rebel legislators.
HuffPost India

In the last four years, the Madhya Pradesh government has spent 14 crore on advertisements in 234 "news" websites, many of which carry outdated information and are run by journalists or their relatives, an Indian Express investigation has found.

These websites have received advertisement amounts ranging from 10,000 to 21.7 lakh, according to a response that is being prepared by the government to a question in the state assembly by Congress MLA Bala Bachchan, reported Express.

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Even though several of these websites are not frequently updated, spokespersons from the state government told Express that these advertisements were sent out to capture the "new medium" of websites, since they are "the new news media".

"Money was given to popularise this new medium, no matter who runs those sites," Anupam Rajan, commissioner for public relations, Madhya Pradesh, told Express. We have now revised the policy of giving advertisements to web sites. Before giving any money, we check whether they are actually working or not."

He added that the government now had more checks in place that documented the popularity of a website before handing out advertisements.

Shockingly, the Express investigation found that some of these websites carried the same articles, and many owners were the wives of well-established journalists in Madhya Pradesh. While one editor of an English media organisation  Nitendra Sharma, editor of the English daily Free Press  did not think it was a "big issue" that his wife was running a Hindi news website that received several lakhs in the form of government advertisements, Anurag Upadhyay, another former television journalist whose wife runs a website, has no dateline for its reports and yet received 19.7 lakh for advertisements. A few have broken hyperlinks, missing images, or rely on Twitter and Facebook feeds of government social media pages.

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One senior editor of a national English daily, Gireesh Sharma, who is the resident editor of The Pioneer in Bhopal admitted that even though it was "unethical" for his wife to run a news website and receive lakhs in government money for advertisement, it "wasn't illegal".
michalz86 via Getty Images Realistic fiery explosion busting over a black background

NEW DELHI -- The long and short of this tragedy is that people stood around taking videos of a man being charred to death in Pune, even as he cried out for help.

The Indian Express today reported that Popat Bansode, a 55-year-old cobbler, was burnt alive in a fire triggered by an electric transformer blast close to where he worked in Pimpri-Chinchwad.

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Instead of helping him, people took videos of him being burnt alive on their cellphones, and posted these on YouTube.

Even though my partially disabled father shouted for help, nobody helped my father. There was a major traffic jam that compounded the problem. However, people were insensitive and just wanted to merely see my father burning as if it was some drama in progress," Somnath Bansode, the victim's son, told The Indian Express.

"They even took videos of the incident but nobody was humane enough to help douse the flames, he said.

While shopkeepers said that it would have been impossible for locals to contain the fire, Akash Dhotre, a friend of Somnath, said that the flames could have been doused if somebody had got a bucket of water. "Look at this video, it clearly shows how insensitive people have becomethey can record the incident on cellphones, but will do nothing to help a dying man," he told the newspaper.

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Nirmala Bansode said nothing was left of her husband when she saw him. There was nothing left of himno face, no hands, she told The Indian Express.

Bansode's family has refused the Rs.20,000 which the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. offered as immediate relief, The Indian Express reported.
ARUN SANKAR via Getty Images All India Congress Party vice president Rahul Gandhi addresses an election rally in Chennai late May 7,2016, ahead of voting in state assembly elections in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. / AFP / ARUN SANKAR (Photo credit should read ARUN SANKAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Gandhi family scion Rahul Gandhi received an assassination threat following which the opposition party leaders met Union home minister Rajnath Singh to request the government to beef up Gandhis personal security, according to news reports.

Singh assured the delegation there will be prompt action and security enhancement.

The letter with the threat to blow up Gandhi into pieces during his visit to Puducherry was sent to former union minister V Narayanasamys house. The anonymous letter blamed the previous Congress government for the sorry state of affairs of local industries where load men and workers were affected by the policies of the Congress party, The Times Of India reported.

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The Congress vice president is scheduled to address a public rally tomorrow in Puducherry, where assembly elections will be held next week on May 16.

Home ministry officials after the meeting with the Congress delegation told The Economic Times, security procedures for Gandhi, who's an SPG protectee, will be reviewed.

The Gandhi Family is protected by the Special Protection Group - the highest level of security in the country. After former prime minister and Rahul Gandhis father Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during an election campaign in Tamil Nadu in 1991, the law was amended to widen the SPG protection to families of former prime ministers.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Caren Firouz / Reuters Sikh devotees participate in the Baisakhi festival at Panja Sahib shrine in Hassan Abdel April 13, 2015. Hundreds of Indian Sikh pilgrims arrived into Pakistan to celebrate the Baisakhi festival with Pakistani Sikhs at the shrines of Panja Sahib and Nankana Sahib, the birth place of Sikh faith founder Guru Nanak Dev. REUTERS/Caren Firouz

NEW DELHI -- Those who trim or shave beard and hair, smoke or drink alcohol cannot vote in the elections to Sikh religious bodies, with President Pranab Mukherjee giving assent to a bill passed recently by Parliament.

The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Act, 2016, which changed the provisions of a 91-year-old law that regulated administration of Gurdwaras in Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, got the Presidential nod on Thursday, according to an official notification.

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As per the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, every Sikh who is above 21 years of age and is registered as a voter, will be entitled to vote in the elections to Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) constituted to look after the overall administration and management of the religious shrines of the community.

The new law makes it clear that "no person shall be registered as an elector who trims or shaves his beard or 'keshas', smokes and takes alcoholic drinks".

The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was introduced in Rajya Sabha by Home Minister Rajnath Singh on March 15, this year and passed the next day. The Lok Sabha passed it on April 25.

The development assumes significance as the law, which fulfils the long-pending demand of the Sikh community to bar Sahajdhari Sikhs from voting, comes ahead of Assembly elections due in Punjab next year.

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Replying to a debate on the Bill in Parliament, the Home Minister had said the demand for not giving voting rights to Sahajdhari Sikhs  those who shave their beard or hair  was made by SGPC members and office bearers.

The Sahajdhari Sikhs have no religious sanction as far as the fundamental tenets of the religion are concerned. This nomenclature was added to the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925 under certain circumstances prevailing then.

The Bill has proposes to remove the exception given to Sahajdharis in 1944 to vote in elections to select members of the Board and the Committees constituted under the Act.
Adnan1 Abidi / Reuters A demonstrator holds placards during a protest in New Delhi December 29, 2012. A woman whose gang rape sparked protests and a national debate about violence against women in India died of her injuries on Saturday, promoting a security lockdown in New Delhi and an acknowledgement from India's prime minister that social change is needed. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi (INDIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW)

Two men have been arrested in Pune for dragging a 22-year-old woman out of car and attacking and abusing her for wearing short dress and roaming around with men, according to a news report.

Almost a week after the woman lodged a complaint, the Kondhwa police has arrested two of the accused, Amit Mukhedkar and Shubham Gupta, on Sunday and is on the hunt for the rest.

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"How can you wear such a short dress and roam with two males at such a time? In Pune, this is not allowed," the woman was told by the drunk men in the wee hours of May 1, Mid-Day reported.

"At 5.30 am, while we were passing by the Lullanagar main signal, one car started driving parallel to our car. The window glasses were tinted, but a man rolled down the glass and peeped into our car," the woman told the newspaper.

The men abused the woman, who was returning home after a sangeet rehearsal of one of her friends, and followed the car to her place. Upon reaching her home, they intercepted the car and dragged her out of the car.

When one of her male friends tried intervening, he too was abused and attacked by the group.

"I dialled 100, but no one answered. The cops arrived an hour later and filed an NC (non cognisable) complaint. After I got to know what an NC is, I visited the Kondhwa police station so many times. I finally managed to file a proper case on Sunday," the victim added.

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DA plans new diversion program for first-time felony drug possession

Change in law that allows Community Correction officers to oversee cases of those placed on diversion makes program possible.
A group of emergency physicians is placing the blame on insurance companies for unaffordable and unsatisfactory medical treatment.In a poll released Sunday, nine out of 10 emergency physicians told the American College of Emergency Physicians that insurers are misleading patients by offering affordable premiums on policies that actually cover very little. The study also found that 8 in 10 emergency physicians say that their patients sacrifice care because of the out-of-pocket cost, co-insurance or high deductibles.Thats a more than 10% increase over six months, when emergency physicians were asked the same question.Each day, emergency physicians are seeing patients who have significant co-pays, up to $400 or more, for emergency care. It might as well be $4,000 for some people, said ACEP President Jay Kaplan. "Patients should not be punished financially for having emergencies or discouraged from seeking medical attention when they are sick or injured. No plan is affordable if it abandons you when you need it most.Kaplan said the narrow provider networks included in insurer plans are also contributing to high medical costs, which results in patients receiving additional bills from medical providers. In fact, 60% of physicians said they had difficulty finding in-network specialty care for their patients.The ACEP president suggested insurers were orchestrating these narrow networks purposefully to increase their own profits at the expense of the consumer.Insurance companies must provide fair coverage for their beneficiaries and be transparent about how they calculate payments, Kaplan said. They need to pay reasonable charges, rather than setting arbitrary rates that dont even cover the costs of care. Insurance companies are exploiting federal law to reduce coverage for emergency care knowing emergency departments have a federal mandate to care for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.Narrow insurance plans have come under fire from insurance regulators, consumer groups and healthcare providers since their growth in popularity under the ACA. The National Association of Insurance Commissioner released a model law last year that would require insurers to include enough healthcare providers for consumers to get the services they require without unreasonable travel or delay.Health insurers, meanwhile, have said they are raising premiums and narrowing networks merely to stem heavy losses and remain competitive in the individual marketplace.Indeed, a recent study from the Heritage Foundation suggests that insurers with narrow provider networks tended to lose less money than those with broader coverage. In aggregate, insurers participating in the Affordable Care Act exchanges generated substantial losses offering coverage, despite receiving federal subsidies through the laws reinsurance program. Specifically, the authors allege that total losses among insurers were in excess of $2.2 billion, despite receiving net reinsurance payments of $6.7 billion.In that environment, narrowing coverage is not a matter of boosting profits but of minimizing losses, companies say.In fact, insurers worry that in 2017, significant rate hikes will be needed just to keep pace with the rising cost of medical care and the increase in sick patients among their policyholders.If you thought it was going to get fixed in a year or two, youd stick around, said Robert Laszewski, who runs Health Policy and Strategy Associates. The implications of that are that the program just isnt working in its current form.The federal government has dealt with the clash over narrow networks by setting new requirements on how insurer plans are displayed through online exchanges. Beginning this year, insurance carriers will be allowed to sell health plans with limited provider networks, but they will be labeled as such on HealthCare.gov through a series of new ratings.Maximum out-of-pocket costs for consumers under the ACA will also increase next year to $7,150 for an individual and $14,300 for families.
The rise of technology in the financial services sector is set to surge and a poll of consumers in Europe shows that they are willing to change providers if their tech needs arent met.More than a third (37 per cent) of those surveyed by Fujitsu said they would change their insurer or bank if they didnt offer up-to-date solutions to aid interaction.Todays customers are no longer guarded, said Francois Fleutiaux, Senior Vice President and Head of Sales, EMEIA, Fujitsu. When it makes interaction more convenient they are willing to embrace innovation. They may not know where they need it until it is offered, but this is where technology comes to the fore - it is the engine that is driving consumer expectations forward and the financial services sector has to live up to this new pace of change.While the biggest tech names have not entered the insurance market so far; except for Googles short-lived comparison service Google Compare; the Fujitsu poll found that a fifth of the 7,000 consumers questioned, would consider buying insurance from Google, Amazon or Facebook.Another important takeaway from the survey is that 97 per cent of respondents are happy for insurance firms to use their data to offer them a wider range of services. This includes 59 per cent who would be happy if insurers use of their data could lower their mortgage premium; 47 per cent who would allow its use so insurers could recommend products and services; and 36 per cent who would like them to use data to help improve their credit rating.Arizona is to join the other 49 states in providing a health program for children of low-income families. KidsCare in Arizona will be introduced following a decision by the state legislature Friday. The program, Arizonas version of the federal Childrens Health Insurance Program was put on hold in 2010 due to budgetary issues.Arthur J Gallagher has added BR Rhymer Insurance of Winnipeg to its growing firm. The acquisition was by the international division of the firm and BR Rhymer will now be part of AJG Canada having operated under a franchise agreement for more than 20 years.Arthur J Gallagher is seeking further Canadian partnerships and states on its website: In Canada, we are seeking to expand our reach and add to our family of expert resources to better serve our clients.It is understood that the Winnipeg brokerage, which trades as Ranger Insurance, will continue to operate from its existing office post-merger but that founder Blaine Rhymer will be retiring.
The overall reserve position for private carriers improved in 2015. NCCI estimates the year-end 2015 reserve position to be a $7 billion deficiencydown from $10 billion in 2014. Estimated reserve redundancy in Accident Year 2015 accounts for much of this reduction.

Average lost-time claim frequency across NCCI states declined by 3% in 2015.

In NCCI states, the preliminary 2015 accident year average indemnity cost per lost-time claim increased by 1% relative to the corresponding 2014 value. For medical, the preliminary average cost per lost-time claim decreased by 1% relative to that observed in 2014.

The workers compensation residual market pool premium volume remained flat between 2014 and 2015, and the average residual market share remained stable at 8%. The latest NCCI data shows that total residual market premium declined in the first quarter of 2016 compared with the first quarter of 2015.

While the change in overall medical severity has lessened in recent years, prescription drug costs per active claim continued to increase.

The extended low-interest-rate environment threatens investment results over the long term.

Ongoing challenges to the industrys renowned Grand Bargain could impact future benefit levels and put upward pressure on loss costs

The workers compensation market is steadily improving and continues to transform, the National Council on Compensation Insurance found in its annual State of the Line workers compensation market analysis.The rating and data collection bureau found much to celebrate in the industrys performance in 2015, including a combined ratio for private carriers of 94% and an increase in total market net written premium of 3% to $45.5 billion.This was driven primarily by an increase in payroll, NCCI found."Overall, 2015 was another positive year for the workers compensation industry, said NCCI Chief Actuary Kathy Antonello. The combined ratio improved, claim frequency continued to decline, and operating results were strong. While the 2015 results are encouraging, we hope for continued diligence of workers compensation system stakeholders to ensure a strong and competitive system."Other market indicators and trends highlighted in NCCIs 2016report include:Even so, the workers compensation industry faces challenges.The positive industry results we reported today are welcome news for industry stakeholders, NCCI President and CEO Bill Donnell said. In addition to the positive financial results, though, we see a significant transformation under way.Donnell stressed the importance of new monitoring technology and expanded automation, as well as a change in how employees work.The regulatory environment is transforming with new participants and shifting agendas, he added. In addition, the frequency and potential severity of system challenges are creating levels of uncertainty as we move forward this year.Specifically, the NCCI is watching:The NCCI provides the State of the Line report on an annual basis after gathering data, analyzing trends and preparing insurance rate and loss cost recommendations.
Clarksburg Hopes to Name School Project Manager in June

CLARKSBURG, Mass.  School officials hope to have a finalist for owner's project manager by June for the school project.



Superintendent Jonathan Lev told the School Committee on Thursday that the bidding materials are ready after consultation with the Massachusetts School Building Authority.



"We've gone back and forth with the MSBA on this [request for services]," Lev said. "It's 35 pages or something of material to outline the process."



That was slightly cut down from the original document but still includes criteria on a point scale for initial and final interviews to guide a subcommittee of the School Building Committee in recommending a contract. The committee's final selection will be submitted to the MSBA for vote at its July meeting.



"We feel we'll get a lot of people interested in this project," Lev said, adding that the owner's project manager selected will then have the primary responsibility for preparing bid documents for the architect and contractor.



The superintendent said Laura Wood, a member of the School Building Committee, has been integral in the process. Wood is a Clarksburg resident with children in the school but is also the procurement officer for the city of North Adams.



"Laura Wood has been very, very helpful," he said. "Any questions on the RFS will go to her."



Principal Tara Barnes reported that the Parent-Teacher Group is raising funds for Chromebooks to reach the school's goal of one for each student.



The need for the technology became apparent as pupils were taking the Partnership for Assessment for Readiness for College and Careers tests this past week. The tests are taken online, as next year's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (2.0) are expected to be. As students took them for testing, other students weren't able to use them for projects or classes.



"You can really see the need for the Chromebooks right now, so you can understand the need for investment," Barnes said.


[Note: This is the first in an occasional series evaluating the remaining presidential candidates and their views on economics and liberty.]

In the history of American politics, there has never been a candidate quite like Donald Trump. He is an Ivy League-educated New York billionaire appealing to populists across the country. He is a crony capitalist who loves bureaucracy and yet has convinced voters that he is the anti-Establishment candidate. He is profoundly ignorant about economics and openly hostile to freedom, and yet on the verge of securing the nomination of what was once the Americas conservative party.

He is, as he claims, a sort of artist.

Yet for all his contradictions, understanding Trump is rather simple. The first step is to understand that he cares less about principles or policy than he does about process.



Trump brags that he is not a politician. In many ways, this is true. Many politicians are concerned primarily about their political principles and are not all that interested in the details of government policies. They tend to rely on outsiders (such as think-tanks) to help them choose fitting policies that align with the principles. Some other politicians believe that policies and principles are all but inseparable. They tend to be policy wonks that pay close personal attention to the details of government policies.

While Trump may have some non-negotiable principles and even some policies that he cares about, his primary concern is not with either principles or policies  he cares about the process. And the one process he deeply cares most about  the one that almost defines his personality  is deal-making. Trump thinks that he is an artist and that deals are his art form.

In the opening line of his book, The Art of the Deal, Trump writes:

I dont do it for the money. Ive got enough, much more than Ill ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. Other people pain beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. Thats how I get my kicks.

Trump thinks he is the Michelangelo of deals. If you do not understand that fact you will never understand Trump, and you will always be confused by his actions.

Even those of us who recognize this fact, however, can have a difficult time processing what it means because we do not consider deals to be an art form. We can appreciate (if not truly comprehend) the singular focus on music by Beethoven, or painting by Rembrandt. But the idea that anyone could be obsessed by deals is completely foreign to us. We think, Surely, there must be more to it. But there isnt. For Trump, it really is all about the deals.

As Scott Alexander says in his recent review of The Art of the Deal:

[T]heres still something alien about Trump here, even moreso than with the populist demagogue of the campaign trail. Trump the demagogue is attacked as anti-intellectual. I get anti-intellectualism because  like all isms  its an intellectual idea, and I tend to think in those terms. But Trump of the book is more a-intellectual, in the same way some people are amoral or asexual. The world is taken as a given. It contains deals. Some people make the deals well, and they are winners. Other people make the deals poorly, and they are losers. Trump does not need more than this. There will be no civilization of philosopher-Trumps asking where the first deal came from, or whether a deal is a deal only by virtue of its participation in some primordial deal beyond material existence. Trumps world is so narrow its hard to fit your head inside it, so narrow that on contact with any wider world it seems strange and attenuated, a broken record of deals and connections and hirings expanding to fill the space available. On the other hand, he made a billion dollars and will probably win the GOP nomination. So theres that.

To understand Trump we must see him as he sees himself: as the greatest solo deal-maker in modern history, if not in all of human history. Trump is a deal-maker and his focus is not on consistency in principle or coherence in policy-making, its in securing deals.

But who exactly is he making deals with? Currently, there are three main deals he has on the table. Hes making deals with primary voters, GOP leaders (who his supporters consider the Establishment), and the Democratic Party.

Of the three groups, Trump cares the least about primary voters. As hes said before, his supporter have a cult-like devotion to him that he can all but take for granted. He doesnt really need to woo them, but he needs their support to secure a better deal with the Republican establishment. And to his credit, its working. The problem is that many of his supporters dont realize (or simply dont care) that they are nothing more than a bargaining cheap in a side deal with the Establishment.

For better or worse, Trump has no intention of actually implementing many of the promises he has made to his supporters. Hes been rather open and honest about that fact, pointing out that hes mostly exaggerating to secure a better deal later on. He also believes his supporters dont really care about principles or policies either. Primary voters had 15 other candidates  all of whom cared more about policy and principle than Trump  and rejected them all for the Deal-Making Artist.

To get elected, he believes, he doesnt need to sell his policies he just needs to sell himself by getting voters excited about his abilities as a deal-maker. If that requires a bit of exaggeration, then so be it. As he wrote in The Art of the Deal:

The final key to the way I promote is bravado. I play to peoples fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. Thats why a little hyperbole never hurts. People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular. I call it truthful hyperbole. Its an innocent form of exaggeration  and a very effective form of promotion.

Using hyperbole to gain support of the voters, though, is merely the first step. What he really wants is the backing of the Republican leadership.

Although he isnt winning over the true believers who embrace economic freedom and small government, Trump is proving he can appeal to the Establishment. Within the last few weeks former House speaker John Boehner and former Vice President Dick Cheney have announced they will support him if he gets the nomination. Most other Establishment leaders have too and others will surely follow. They recognize that Trump is someone they can work with. He is, after all, like them: a deal-maker.

Which brings us to the third deal on the table: Trump is trying to close a deal with liberal Democrats.

Most candidates wouldnt even hint that they are willing to compromise with liberal Democrats in the general election, much less months before theyve even secured the Republican nomination. But for many reasons, it is not surprising that Trump would be reaching out to them now.

For most of his life, Trump was registered as a Democrat (he has has changed his party affiliation five times since registering as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987). Hes donated to the political campaigns of liberal Democrats, including to his new rival, Hillary Clinton. On many issues, he takes positions that are far to the left of the Republican mainstream.

Yet despite his life-long allegiance to liberalism, its still surprising to hear him claim he will be adopting the message of a self-proclaimed socialist. A few weeks ago Trump said on MSNBC, Bernie Sanders has a message thats interesting. Im going to be taking a lot of the things Bernie said and using them.

So what does that mean? In the next post well look more closely at some of the leftist economic issues that Trump is proposing to adopt.
New Medicare incentive rewards some hospitals whose quality doesn't measure up

Ann Arbor, Michigan - Changes to a federal program to add incentive payments to hospitals that controlled spending has resulted in some poor performers receiving bonuses through a plan originally designed to improve quality, University of Michigan researchers have found.

The Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program, established in 2013, was amended last year to include a provision that in order to earn a share of the $1.4 billion in value-based incentive pay hospitals would need to measure up on spending practices before, during and after hospitalization, as well as on quality.

The U-M School of Public Health and Medical School analysis of nearly 2,700 U.S. hospitals found that of the facilities considered low-spending, 38 percent had received bonuses when only quality was measured in 2014, and that number jumped to 100 percent in 2015 after spending was added as a measure of performance. Under the new rules, 17 percent of low-quality hospitals got bonuses, none of which had been rewarded a year earlier.

"We think this could be a fairly easy fix. This is not by any means a flawed program. It just could be improved to make sure the bonuses go to hospitals that meet a threshold of both quality and spending," said first author Anup Das, a medical student and doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the U-M School of Public Health.

"Since quality and episode-based spending aren't perfectly correlated, without those thresholds, hospitals can get bonuses without ideal spending or quality performance."

In the article appearing in the May issue of Health Affairs, senior author Lena Chen said the program should be able to achieve both goals with some adjustments.

"Creating balanced incentives for providers to deliver both high quality and low cost care is difficult. CMS has other programs where a minimum quality threshold must be met before a provider is eligible to receive a financial reward," said Chen, U-M assistant professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System.

Das said the spending incentive makes sense for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services goals, which are to improve patient care before, during and after a hospital stay.

"The reason behind the longitudinal episode-based measure is CMS wanted hospitals to work with providers outside the hospital, so this new measure evaluates spending three days before a hospitalization through 30 days after discharge," he said.

The program authorized through the Affordable Care Act allowed the centers to reward or penalize hospitals for their performance. In the first year, hospitals either gained or lost up to 1 percent of the amount of a Medicare payment, depending on various measures of quality. After spending was added to the mix, they gained or lost up to 1.5 percent of the reimbursement.

The researchers found that decreasing the weight of quality measures and adding the spending metric had some other consequences from year 1 to year 2 of the analysis.

Large hospitals, defined as 500 or more beds, were 7 percentage points more likely to receive penalties in 2015 in part because they outspent others by nearly $5,700 on average.

Teaching hospitals were 9 percentage points more likely to be penalized, also due in part to a similar higher-level spending.

Low-spending hospitals had a modestly better patient experience than higher spending facilities.

High-spending hospitals had higher rates of adherence to clinical processes for 7 out of 12 measures but their 30-day mortality rates were not much different than those of lower-spending hospitals.

Medium-spending hospitals had a much better chance at the bonuses after the spending measure was added, jumping from 45 percent in 2014 to 63 percent last year, whereas higher-spending hospitals had a lower likelihood of getting rewarded, going from 47 percent to 35 percent.

Those hospitals with low-quality that were rewarded received relatively smaller bonuses than hospitals of higher quality, with low-quality facilities getting an average of 0.18 percent more, and the lowest spending/highest quality hospitals receiving 1.40 to 1.77 percent.

Other authors: Edward Norton and Andrew Ryan of the U-M School of Public Health, David Miller of the U-M Medical School and John Birkmeyer of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System. Norton, Ryan, Miller and Chen are affiliated with the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
Smartphones uncover how the world sleeps

Ann Arbor, Michigan - A pioneering study of worldwide sleep patterns combines math modeling, mobile apps and big data to parse the roles society and biology each play in setting sleep schedules.

The study, led by University of Michigan mathematicians, used a free smartphone app that reduces jetlag to gather robust sleep data from thousands of people in 100 nations. The researchers examined how age, gender, amount of light and home country affect the amount of shut-eye people around the globe get, when they go to bed, and when they wake up.

Among their findings is that cultural pressures can override natural circadian rhythms, with the effects showing up most markedly at bedtime. While morning responsibilities like work, kids and school play a role in wake-time, the researchers say they're not the only factor. Population-level trends agree with what they would expect from current knowledge of the circadian clock.

"Across the board, it appears that society governs bedtime and one's internal clock governs wake time, and a later bedtime is linked to a loss of sleep," said Daniel Forger, who holds faculty positions in mathematics at the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and in the U-M Medical School's Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics. "At the same time, we found a strong wake-time effect from users' biological clocksnot just their alarm clocks. These findings help to quantify the tug-of-war between solar and social timekeeping."

When Forger talks about internal or biological clocks, he's referring to circadian rhythmsfluctuations in bodily functions and behaviors that are tied to the planet's 24-hour day. These rhythms are set by a grain-of-rice-sized cluster of 20,000 neurons behind the eyes. They're regulated by the amount of light, particularly sunlight, our eyes take in.

Circadian rhythms have long been thought to be the primary driver of sleep schedules, even since the advent of artificial light and 9-to-5 work schedules. The new research helps to quantify the role that society plays.

Here's how Forger and colleague Olivia Walch arrived at their findings. Several years ago, they released an app called Entrain that helps travelers adjust to new time zones. It recommends custom schedules of light and darkness. To use the app, you have to plug in your typical hours of sleep and light exposure, and are given the option of submitting your information anonymously to U-M.

The quality of the app's recommendations depended on the accuracy of the users' information, and the researchers say this motivated users to be particularly careful in reporting their lighting history and sleep habits.

With information from thousands of people in hand, they then analyzed it for patterns. Any correlations that bubbled up, they put to the test in what amounts to a circadian rhythm simulator. The simulatora mathematical modelis based on the field's deep knowledge of how light affects the brain's suprachiasmatic nucleus (that's the cluster of neurons behind the eyes that regulates our internal clocks). With the model, the researchers could dial the sun up and down at will to see if the correlations still held in extreme conditions.

"In the real world, bedtime doesn't behave how it does in our model universe," Walch said. "What the model is missing is how society affects that."

The spread of national averages of sleep duration ranged from a minimum of around 7 hours, 24 minutes of sleep for residents of Singapore and Japan to a maximum of 8 hours, 12 minutes for those in the Netherlands. That's not a huge window, but the researchers say every half hour of sleep makes a big difference in terms of cognitive function and long-term health.

The findings, the researchers say, point to an important lever for the sleep-depriveda set that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is concerned about. A recent CDC study found that across the U.S., one in three adults aren't getting the recommended minimum of seven hours. Sleep deprivation, the CDC says, increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and stress.

The U-M researchers also found that:

Middle-aged men get the least sleep, often getting less than the recommended 7 to 8 hours.

Women schedule more sleep than men, about 30 minutes more on average. They go to bed a bit earlier and wake up later. This is most pronounced in ages between 30 and 60.

People who spend some time in the sunlight each day tend to go to bed earlier and get more sleep than those who spend most of their time in indoor light.

Habits converge as we age. Sleep schedules were more similar among the older-than-55 set than those younger than 30, which could be related to a narrowing window in which older individuals can fall and stay asleep.

Sleep is more important than a lot of people realize, the researchers say. Even if you get six hours a night, you're still building up a sleep debt, says Walch, doctoral student in the mathematics department and a co-author on the paper.

"It doesn't take that many days of not getting enough sleep before you're functionally drunk," she said. "Researchers have figured out that being overly tired can have that effect. And what's terrifying at the same time is that people think they're performing tasks way better than they are. Your performance drops off but your perception of your performance doesn't."

Aside from the findings themselves, the researchers say the work demonstrates that mobile technology can be a reliable way to gather massive data sets at very low cost.

"This is a cool triumph of citizen science," Forger said.

The work is funded by the Army Research Laboratory, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation.
Team wins prize for bringing rentable refrigeration to Indias food supply chain

Cambridge, Massachusetts - A team of MIT and Harvard University students won the first-ever MIT Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize on Thursday night for an idea to make Indias temperature-controlled supply chain for food  or cold chain  more affordable.

The team, GoMango, is developing smart, modular, refrigerated shipping boxes that can be rented out individually to cut costs and save billions of dollars in spoiled perishable goods in India. This innovation earned GoMango the first-place prize of $12,000 at the competition, which was organized by the student-run MIT Food and Agriculture Club to support early-stage ventures focusing on food and agriculture sustainability.

For the competition, six finalist teams pitched ideas to a panel of judges from academia and industry, and a capacity crowd, in the Samberg Conference Center. A team of MIT students, Safi Organics, earned the $8,000 second-place prize, and a team of MIT and Harvard University students, Ricult, won a $5,000 third-place prize. Other inventions included edible eating utensils, nanosensors for plants, and robotic hay compactors.

Competition co-sponsors were MITs Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-W AFS) and Rabobank, one of the largest banks in the world that caters specifically to food and agribusiness clients.

Keynote speaker was Brent Overcash, who directs Emerging Technologies for the Food + Future coLAB, a collaboration between Target, the consulting firm IDEO, and the MIT Media Lab.

Rentable cold chain

In GoMangos pitch, team member and MIT alumnus Naren Tallapragada 13, now a PhD student at Harvard University, said refrigerated trucks are rare in India, because theyre too expensive for producers and wholesalers to rent or own. By some estimates, there are as many refrigerated trucks in Boston as there are in the whole country of India.

With shipping routes sometimes spanning hundreds of miles in very hot temperatures, nearly 40 percent of Indias fruit and vegetables spoil before reaching customers, Tallapragada said: This means hundreds of millions of people are malnourished [and] billions of dollars are wasted.

To address the issue, GoMango invented refrigerated boxes that can be collapsed, and stored in partnering cold-storage warehouses. Food producers and wholesalers can rent exactly as many boxes as needed and stack them on traditional dry trucks, which cost roughly $100 less than refrigerated trucks.

Boxes are stuffed with packs filled with innovative phase-change materials, much like giant ice packs. Theyre kept frozen until packed with food  such as fruits and vegetables and meats and fish  and liquefy throughout a trip to keep contents cool for up to three days. Each box also connects to the Internet to track location, temperature, humidity, and payment information.

We think that we can have a great social impact by getting more food to market, affordably and in an environmentally friendly way, thereby doing our part to keep the developing world healthier, wealthier, and a cleaner place, Tallapragada said.

GoMangos prize money will go toward developing commercial prototypes to pilot in India in the coming months. Other presenting team members were Francesco Wiedemann, a visiting researcher in the Changing Places group at the MIT Media Lab, and Juan Carrascosa, an MIT Sloan School of Management student.

Advancing food-systems innovation

The prize competition is another in a growing list of MIT initiatives  including J-WAFS, which was launched in 2014  that caters to students interested in food and agribusiness entrepreneurship, said MIT Food and Agriculture Club President Sarah Nolet, an student in MIT Sloan and fellow in the System Design and Management Program.

Theres so much interest around food systems innovation, around changing the food systems, and even just understanding it, and there hasnt been a good place to go to explore that," Nolet said. With J-WAFS, the Food and Agriculture Club, and now this prize, were giving people who are interested some place to hang their hats, get involved, and join our community.

The competition started last fall, with a generator event that brought together more than 100 student entrepreneurs to meet and form teams. Dozens of teams then submitted ideas and were winnowed down to nine finalist teams that were matched with mentors from academia and industry. Mentors worked with the teams for three months to help them develop the final business plan submissions and presentations.

Judges and organizers then chose six teams to compete on Thursday. The other three competing teams were: Plantae.io, which is developing nanosensors to put on plants to monitor their wellbeing; Food Ware, which is developing edible eating utensils; and Iron Goat, which is developing a robotic hay compactor that boosts yields.

In his welcoming remarks, J-WAFS Director John H. Lienhard V, the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of W ater and Food, said the prize competition furthers MITs longtime mission of promoting agricultural innovation. He pointed to the inscription along the ceiling of MITs Lobby 7 that reads: Established for Advancement and Development of Science its Application to Industry the Arts Agriculture and Commerce.

Our focus on agriculture is literally carved in stone, Lienhard said. The prize tonight continues that tradition, and expands and amplifies [innovation] in food and agribusiness.




This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
Notice Asking Women Advocates Not to 'Arrange' Hair in Open Court in Pune Sparks Outrage
SNELLING of Huntsville, a leading executive search and employment services firm, was recently recognized at Snelling's national convention in Phoenix, Arizona, for the firm's outstanding performance in 2015. Each year, Snelling owners and corporate team members gather to recognize the Company's top performing franchisees and recruiters nationally.

The Huntsville team brought home awards in six categories. The Huntsville office, which is locally owned by Paul and Kathryn Brashier, was recognized as Office of the Year in the Snelling network. Additionally, Paul Brashier was recognized as Regional Manager of the Year for Snelling's southeast region. This is the second consecutive year that Brashier has received this honor.

"Snelling's Huntsville franchise has a long history of outstanding performance. They are consistently one of Snelling's top performing offices in our national network and their growth in 2015 outpaced the staffing and employment industry as a whole," said Ralph Peterson, Snelling's Chief Executive Officer. "The Huntsville team's exceptional performance is indicative of the outstanding customer service they provide to their North Alabama clients and the strong local leadership provided by Paul and Kathryn Brashier."

The Huntsville team was also rewarded for the firm's executive search performance. George Barnes was recognized for his recruiting efforts with the Firm's Silver Circle Award. Barnes retired from Snelling in September 2015. MJ Gillikin also received the Silver Circle award as one of Snelling's top-performing recruiters. Recruiters provide executive search services to the Firm's local and national clients, and outstanding performers are recognized based on their annual production.

Huntsville's staffing team was recognized for their top-five performance in 2015. Hollye Hatfield, who leads the staffing team, received the Firm's Bronze Circle Award for her performance as a leading staffing manager in the Snelling network. The staffing team works with clients to provide temporary, temp-to-hire, direct-hire and payroll service to the firm's North Alabama clients.

Huntsville owner Kathryn Brashier commented, "Our firm's performance is indicative of a seasoned team of search and staffing experts who take great pride in their work and consistently go above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent customer service for our clients and our candidates. Being recognized for our performance is a pleasure, but our true reward comes when we help great companies and outstanding talent come together."

Hollye Hatfield, Senior Staffing Manager; Kathryn Brashier, owner; Paul Brashier, owner, and MJ Gillikin, senior executive recruiter.

About Snelling

Snelling of Huntsville is an executive search and staffing services firm, locally owned by Paul & Kathryn Brashier. Snelling has served Tennessee Valley businesses for over 50 years and is a founding member of the North Alabama Better Business Bureau with an A+ Rating. Snelling provides customized employment solutions for its clients by recruiting and placing professionals in a variety of fields including accounting, engineering, sales and customer service, human resources, legal, and administrative professions. In addition, Snelling's medical division provides staffing solutions for clinical and administrative medical professionals.
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Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games are among the fantasy books singled out by a private school headteacher for damaging the brains of young children.

Graeme Whiting recently published a lengthy blog post on The Acorn Schools website, arguing that parents should ban their children from reading mythical and frightening texts that he believes contain deeply insensitive and addictive material.

Whiting, who stands for the old-fashioned values of traditional literature, wrote in The Imagination of the Child that buying sensational books marketed at children is like feeding your child with heaps of added sugar. He called on parents to protect their children from dark, demonic literature carefully sprinkled with ideas of magic, of control and of ghostly and frightening stories and expressed bizarre outrage at the lack of a special licence required to buy such books.

The stars of Harry Potter now and then Show all 14 1 /14 The stars of Harry Potter now and then The stars of Harry Potter now and then 488016.bin WARNER BROS The stars of Harry Potter now and then 357903.bin Getty Images The stars of Harry Potter now and then 108190.bin Reuters The stars of Harry Potter now and then 26-Ghosts.jpg Alliance Films The stars of Harry Potter now and then daniel-radcliffe-kill-darlings.jpg Larry Busacca / Staff The stars of Harry Potter now and then daniel-radcliffe-fame.jpg Alberto E. Rodriguez / StaffActor The stars of Harry Potter now and then emma-watson-young.jpg Steve Finn / Staff The stars of Harry Potter now and then watson.jpg The stars of Harry Potter now and then emma-watson-colourful.jpg Getty Images The stars of Harry Potter now and then 40-coppola.jpg Merrick Morton The stars of Harry Potter now and then emma-watson-ban-ki-moon.jpg Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / Stringer The stars of Harry Potter now and then rupert-grint-young.jpg Anthony Harvey / Staff The stars of Harry Potter now and then rupert-grint-young1.jpg Steve Finn / Staff The stars of Harry Potter now and then rupert-grint.jpg Stephen Lovekin / Stringer

I want children to read literature that is conducive to their age and leave those mystical and frightening texts for when they can discern reality and when they have first learned to love beauty, Whiting said. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games and Terry Pratchett, to mention only a few of the modern worlds must-haves, contain deeply insensitive and addictive material which I am certain encourages difficult behaviour in children; yet they can be bought without a special licence and can damage the sensitive subconscious brains of young children, many of whom may be added to the current statistics of mentally ill young children.

For young adults, this literature, when it can be understood for what it is, is the choice of many!

Whiting listed his favourite authors as Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Dickens and Shakespeare, yet failed to acknowledge that these writers often drew on similarly supernatural and violent themes in their novels, plays and poetry.

Children are innocent and pure at the same time and dont need to be mistreated by cramming their imagination that lies deep within them with inappropriate things, he concluded. Beware the devil in the text! Choose beauty for young children!

 $65,000 for Harry Potter chair

Pupils at The Acorn School in Nailsworth, Gloucester, do not wear uniform or take state exams. It was founded by Whiting in 1991 and earned an outstanding rating in Ofsteds latest report.
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The trick for Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux is balancing hardcore arthouse movies with films that provide glamour, escapism and red-carpet opportunities for the legions of paparazzi who continue to descend on the worlds most famous film festival.

Read more of our Cannes 2016 coverage

Opening the festival with yet another Woody Allen film, romantic comedy Cafe Society starring Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg, is a safe if slightly dull choice. Allen is so revered in France that there is little danger of the film (which is not in competition) being savaged by the critics in the same manner as Grace Of Monaco two years ago.

It is also a considerable coup for Cannes to have landed Steven Spielbergs The BFG, starring Mark Rylance as Roald Dahls Big Friendly Giant. Huge budget studio movies dont need Cannes. However, Spielbergs relationship with the festival stretches back to the early 1970s (The Sugarland Express won the festivals Best Screenplay award in 1974). Spielberg is a former Cannes jury president and clearly likes coming back.

As ever, there are certain films that havent made the cut. Oliver Stones Edward Snowden biopic Snowden was widely tipped as a Cannes contender but either isnt ready or the festival has decided it isnt worth the fuss that showing it would entail.

This years press conferences are bound to be lively. Danish maverick Lars Von Trier wont be in attendance, but there are plenty of other outspoken directors who share his ability to put their feet in their mouths. Fresh from his very controversial Rolling Stone article about Mexican drug dealer Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, Sean Penn will be unveiling his new feature, The Last Face, starring Charlize Theron and Javier Bardem. Penn is a very talented filmmaker whose films as a director tend to be in a similar vein to those made by the likes of Bob Rafelson and Hal Ashby in the 1970s. It is just a pity that he hasnt made more of them and gets so sidetracked with other projects.

It may be a little late for Dutch director Paul Verhoeven to try to re-invent himself as a feminist nearly 25 years after Basic Instinct but he is in competition with what looks like one of his most intriguing and unusual films. Elle, Verhoevens first film in French, stars Isabelle Huppert as a rape victim who stalks her assailant.

The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Show all 14 1 /14 The films to know about at Cannes 2016 The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Julieta Director: Pedro Almodovar

Starring: Adriana Ugarte, Emma Suarez

What's it about? The Spanish filmmaker's 20th film is based on three short stories from Alice Munro's 2004 book, Runaway which tracks a woman's search for her missing daughter. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 American Honey Director: Andrea Arnold

Starring: Sasha Lane, Kate Mara, Shia LaBeouf

What's it about? In British filmmaker Andrea Arnold's (Red Road) American road movie - her first film set and filmed outside the UK - a teenage girl who gets caught up in a whirlwind of hard partying as she crosses the Midwest with a band of misfits. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Personal Shopper Director: Olivier Assayas

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Nora von Waldstatten

What's it about? Stewart reteams with French filmmaker Assayas following Clouds of Sils Maria for this ghost story set in the fashion underworld of Paris. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 It's Only the End of the World Director: Xavier Dolan

Starring: Lea Seydoux, Marion Cotillard, Vincent Cassel

What's it about? Xavier Dolan (Mommy) returns with this film based on the play Juste la fin du monde which tells the story of a terminally ill writer who returns home after 12 years to announce his impending death. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Paterson Director: Jim Jarmusch,

Starring: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani

What's it about? An original film from Amazon Studios that follows Paterson, a bus driver in the city of Paterson, New Jersey who lives an inhibited life compared to that of his wife, Laura. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 I, Daniel Blake Director: Ken Loach

Starring: Dave Johns, Hayley Squires, Micky McGregor

What's it about? Written by Paul Laverty (the man behind Loach's Palme d'Or winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley, the film follows the titular protagonist, a joiner who seeks financial felp from the state following an illness. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Loving Director: Jeff Nichols

Starring: Joel Edgerton, Michael Shannon, Marton Csokas

What's it about? Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special follow-up tracks an interracial couple based in Virginia sentenced to prison in 1958 for getting married. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 The Handmaid Director: Park Chan-wook

Starring: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Tae-ri

What's it about? The Oldboy director's latest South Korean film follows an heiress who falls in love with a petty thief. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 The Neon Demon Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring: Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks

What's it about? Winding Refn's third consecutive film to compete for the Palme d'Or, this horror thriller follows an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles where 'her vitality and youth are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means to get what she has.' The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Cafe Society Director: Woody Allen

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively

What's it about? Woody Allen's latest will open the Festival. It is a New York romantic comedy set in the 1930s with a cast including Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll and Judy Davis. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 The BFG Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Mark Rylance, Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader

What's it about? Based on the Roald Dahl classic, the story follows a young girl named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) who befriends a friendly giant. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Money Monster Director: Jodie Foster

Starring: George Clooney, Jack O'Connell, Julia Roberts

What's it about? A money-oriented live TV show is interrupted when the presenter is taken hostage by a blue-collar worker compelled to turn to violence following his recent financial losses. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 The Nice Guys Director: Shane Black

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe

Reason to see: Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) and his razor sharp wit return in a comedy set in 70s LA. The films to know about at Cannes 2016 Captain Fantastic Director: Matt Ross

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn

What's it about? In the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father who devoted his life to raising his six kids with an irreverent education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the 'real' world.

Meanwhile, out of competition, Jodie Foster is presenting her thriller Money Monster. The film stars George Clooney as a Wall Street financier and TV personality The wizard of Wall St held hostage by a disgruntled investor (Jack OConnell).

Jim Jarmusch actually has two films in the festival. One, Gimme Danger, is a documentary about Iggy Pop, while the other, Paterson, in competition, stars Adam Driver as a blue-collar New Jersey bus driver. Danish provocateur Nicolas Winding Refn is back in Cannes with his latest US feature, Neon Demon, an LA-set horror movie starring Elle Fanning, Jena Malone and Keanu Reeves.

The real question about this year's Cannes competition selection is just how many of the movies competing for the Palme D'Or (the festival's main prize) will be turning up at cinemas near you.

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These are very turbulent times for what might loosely be called auteur-driven filmmaking. The Cannes competition represents the very best of such filmmaking. Once the festival is over, though, if a movie isn't in English and doesn't boast stars, it is increasingly shunted to the margins. British cinemas, like those elsewhere, much prefer showing blockbusters. Films that you have to barge and fight your way into in Cannes may not even surface in the UK or will end up being seen not in cinemas but on Netflix and Amazon.

The 2016 line up is full of familiar faces. Pedro Almodovar is in competition for the umpteenth time with his new feature Julieta, which he has adapted from short stories by Nobel prize-winner, Alice Munro. Belgiums best known filmmakers the Dardenne brothers are also back, vying for their third Palme DOr with The Unknown Girl, about a doctors quest to discover the identity of woman who died after being refused surgery.

Defying the rumours that he was on the verge of retirement, venerable British director Ken Loach returns with I, Daniel Blake, the story of a joiner in his late fifties who needs help from the state for the first time after falling ill.

There aren't that many women directors in competition  a lack that the festival continually promises to address but never actually does so.

British director Andrea Arnold (whose debut feature Red Road was a prize-winner 10 years ago) is back in competition with her first US film, American Honey. This is bound to stir up plenty of media interest if only because it co-stars Shia LaBoeuf  and he always trails controversy in his wake. The film is about a teenager from a troubled home who runs away with a sales crew that roams across America, hawking magazine subscriptions.

German director Maren Ade is also in competition with her new film Toni Erdmann, about a bizarre father/daughter relationship, and veteran French director Nicole Garcia returns to competition with her latest feature From The Land Of The Moon, a love story set just after the Second World War and starring Marion Cotillard.

The Dardennes and Loach are masters of politically engaged, social realist filmmaking. Their movies invariably tug at the consciences of festivalgoers who realise just how superficial and mercenary the rest of Cannes can seem. "Whores everywhere," one of the characters in Irwin Shaw's novel Evening In Byzantium says of the festival. "In the audience, on the screen, on the streets, in the jury room... this is the living and eternal capital of whoredom for two weeks every year.

Paradoxically, at least as far as cinephiles are concerned, the festivals competition is actually an oasis  one of the few places in which cinema is still regarded as an art and not just as a business. For a few days at least in Cannes every year, the mind-numbing dominance of Hollywood blockbusters is forgotten.

Cannes Festival runs 11-22 May.
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Captain America: Civil War has finally reached cinemas around the world and, as with all superhero films, fans have begun dissecting each and every frame of the film.

Thankfully, the Russo brothers have kept in with the long-standing Marvel tradition of including dozens of Easter eggs and subtle references throughout the film, some more obvious than others.

Here are 10 of the best. ** Spoilers below **

 Captain America: Civil War IMAX Featurette

1. The speech Sharon Carter gives at her aunt Peggys funeral - the one where she talks about planting yourself like a tree trunk - is almost identical to a pep talk Captain America gives to Spider-Man in the Civil War comic books.

2. The words used to brainwash Bucky may very well have hidden meanings. The numbers One, Nine, and Seventeen could very well be related to his birth year 1917, while Freight Car could refer to the train he falls out of in the first Captain America. Theres also the word Homecoming, which is likely a nod to the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming.

3. When Iron Man analyses Captain Americas fighting pattern in the final fight, this is a direct nod to their first battle in the Civil War storyline, when Tony Stark does exactly the same thing. Cap also knocks off his helmet, very similar to in the comics.

Captain America: Civil War (YouTube)

4. At the end of the film, Captain America throws down his shield. In the comics, Steve Rodgers gave up the Cap name numerous times, famously becoming Nomad.

5. The Raft - which, in the comics, is a Marvel super-villain prison - is used as the prison in which the captured Avengers are kept. In the Civil War storyline, prison 42 is used instead.

6. In one of the post-credit scenes, we see Spider-Mans logo shining out, something that often happened in the comics. Also, his two suits - both his self-made one and Tony Stanks made one - are comic book references, the former being very similar to Ultimate Spider-Mans. In the Civil War comics, Peter Parker is also given a Stark made suit, similar to in the film.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man

7. There are a tonne of nods to Black Panthers comic books. Notably, the bodyguard who comes face to face with Black Widow is a Dora Milaje, and is likely either Nakia and Okoye.

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8. Captain Americas I could do this all day line from the final fight is the same line he utters in the first movie after being beaten up by bullies.

9. Throughout the film, Vision and Scarlett Witchs relationship is hinted at numerous times. Having already laid part of the foundation in Age of Ultron, having the pair stuck in the Avengers compound facilitates their relationship blossoming.

10. Reference time: the box Bucky is housed in after being captured is D23, a reference to the Disney fan club, D23. Jim Rash from Community also makes an appearance, playing the same character as he does in the series, Dean Pelton. Theres also an Arrested Development reference, and one of the Russo brothers appears in the film (Joe stars as the dead psychiatrist who Zemo kills).

33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 Show all 34 1 /34 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 1. Captain America: Civil War Release date: 6 May 2016. Iron Man and Captain America are set to face off in this superhero blockbuster that will feature nearly all the Avengers but wont be an Avengers film. It will also mark the first time Spider-Man will feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Sony having made a deal with Marvel Studios. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 2. X-Men: Apocalypse Release date: 27 May 2016. Following the success of Days of Future Past, Apocalypse will follow the young X-Men team as the battle against Oscar Isaacs titular villain as he gathers his four horsemen; Magneto (Fassbender), Angel (Hardy), Storm (Shipp), and Psylocke (Munn). Expect carnage and no Wolverine. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 3. Suicide Squad Release date: 5 August 2016. The first supervillain film, Suicide Squad is also based in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe, where Batman and Superman live) and will introduce the world to Margot Robbies Harley Quinn and Jared Letos Joker. One of the more exciting upcoming DC films thats for sure. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 4. Doctor Strange Release date: 4 November 2016. Benedict Cumberbatch will debut in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Captain America and Iron Man live) as the Sorcerer Supreme. The film already has an incredible cast, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachael McAdams and Tilda Swinton. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 5. Untitled Lego Batman film Release date: 20 February 2017. Kicking off 2017 is the Lego version of Batman, who will lead his own spin-off, having already featured in the amazing Lego Movie. Will Arnett voices the titular character, while Zach Garfianakis - from the Hangover - will voice The Joker. But will he better than Leto? 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 6. Untitled Wolverine film Release date: 3 March 2017. Having not starred in X-Men: Apocalypse, Wolverine will return to the big screen in a solo film which was recently made R-Rated following the success of Deadpool. It is expected to be Hugh Jackmans last outing as the titular character. Fox 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Release date: 5 May 2017. Chris Pratt and the crew are returning to space in the sequel to the surprisingly successful Guardians of the Galaxy. According to director James Gunn, the film will not feature Thanos, even though he will to play a major role in phase MCU Phase 3. Cast includes newcomers Kurt Russell and Pom Klementieff, as well as, rumour has it, Sylvester Stallone. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 8. Wonder Woman Release date: 23 June 2017. Gal Gadot is returning to the DCEU in her very own film, marking the first female-led superhero film on this list. Chris Pine is on board to play Wonder Womans love interest. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 9. Untitled Spider-Man reboot Release date: 7 July 2017. Yes, it is another Spider-Man reboot, having previously been redone with Andrew Garfield as the lead. However, this time it is part of the MCU, with Tom Holland as the titular character, and a heavily rumoured cameo by Iron Man could be in the pipeline. We can dream. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 10. Untitled Fox film Release date: 6 October 2017. In a strange announcement, Fox decided to withhold the release of Gambit until a future, as-yet unannounced date, which could be here, or this could be a completely separate project. Many suspect Deadpool 2 could nicely fit here, Fox capitalising on the success of the first film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 11. Thor: Ragnarok Release date: 3 November 2017. Chris Hemsworth will be returning as the Norse God in his third solo MCU film. Flight of the Conchords Taika Waititi is on board to direct, and promises a fun adventure that will likely lead into Marvels next project, Infinity War. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 12. Justice League Part One Release date: 17 November 2017. Hot on the heals of Thor comes Justice League Part One, the first DCEU team-up flick which will see Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg work together to fight bad guys. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 13: Untitled Fox film Release date: 12 January 2018. Kicking off 2018 will likely be the second Deadpool film, but then again, this could very well be another X-Men team-up. Theres also talk of an X-Force film, with Deadpool and other mutants teaming up to fight evil. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 14. Black Panther Release date: 16 February 2018. The first non-white male-led superhero film in the MCU comes in the form of Black Panther, with Chadwick Boseman reprising the titular role, having also starred as the Panther in Civil War. Creeds Ryan Coogler is on to direct what could be a very exciting film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 15. The Flash Release date: 16 March 2018. The Flash will be the first DCEU film since Justice League, and sees Ezra Miller take the lead. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were supposed to pen the film before Disney snapped them up for the Han Solo-film, leaving Seth Grahame-Smith to take charge. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 16. Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 Release date: 4 May 2018. And so, we finally get to the point of all these Infinity Stones! Thanos will be the big bad, with the Avengers needing to team up to defeat their biggest foe yet. It has previously been described as the end of the Avengers as we know it. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 17. Ant-Man and The Wasp Release date: 6 July 2018. Peyton Reed will be back to direct this surprise sequel to one of the better received MCU films. While the name is ridiculous, at least Marvel are finally having a leading female superhero. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 18. Untitled Fox film Release date: 13 July 2018. Again, not much word on this one except it is thought to be X-Men spin-off New Mutants, something Josh Boone has been hit up to write. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 19. Animated Spider-Man Film Release date: 20 July 2018. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal - the team behind the live-action Spider-Man films - are producing this unrelated animated adaptation of the hero. Because you can never have too much Spider-Man, right? 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 20. Aquaman Release date: 27 July 2018. Another Justice League spin-off, Jason Momoa plays the leading man. Furious 7s James Wan is on to direct, but little else is known about the film. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 21. Captain Marvel Release date: 8 March 2019. Weve hit 2019, and the first confirmed superhero film will be the first proper female-led MCU film. No-one is confirmed to be in the titular role of Carol Danvers just yet. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 22. Shazam Release date: 5 April 2019. Dwayne Johnson stars as the villain in this DCEU film which will be somewhat separate to the other DC films. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 23. Avengers: Infinity War Part 2. Release date: 3 May 2019. The conclusion to the long drawn MCU saga. Expect a big finish with at least a few planets being destroyed. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 24. Justice League Part Two Release date: 14 June 2019. Soon after the Infinity War story reaches its conclusion, so will the Justice Leagues. Not much is known, except Darkseid will likely be the villain for at least one of the parts. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 25. Inhumans Release date: 12 July 2019. The concept of Inhumans (or Marvels mutants) has already been introduced in TV, through Marvels Agents of Shield, yet the film is expected to introduce the Royal Family who have yet to be seen in the show. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 26. Cyborg Release date: 3 April 2020. Having debuted in Justice League Part One three years previously, Cyborg will finally be making his own outing, with Ray Fisher as the titular character. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 27. Untitled MCU film Release date: 1 May 2020. The first of three untitled Marvel films. There are a couple of contenders, the first is a likely sequel to Spider-Man with Sony, or a third Guardians of the Galaxy film, thus finishing the trilogy. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 28. Green Lantern Corps. Release date: 19 June 2020. Before you start to worry, this has nothing to do with the Ryan Reynolds-starring flick that hit cinemas a little while ago. Instead, this will be another DCEU film that will likely spin-off from Justice League after the Green Lantern Corps cameo in one of the parts. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 29. Untitled MCU film Release date: 10 July 2020. As well as Spider-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy sequels, a Doctor Strange or Black Panther one could fit in nicely here. Or perhaps Black Widow may finally get the solo-film she deserves. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 30. Untitled MCU film Release date: 6 November 2020. Some speculators also think a Blade film could fit in here, marking over 20 years since the first Blade. But many believe the character may be better suited to a Netflix series, as with Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Theres also talk of a Runaways film reaching cinemas at some stage. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 31. Untitled Ben Affleck Batman film Release date: TBA. Now were onto the TBA release dates, the first of which is a Batman solo film, written and directed by Ben Affleck. When this is due, no one is quite sure but expect it sooner rather than later if Batman v Superman is a success. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 32. Suicide Squad 2 Release date: TBA (rumoured 2017). A sequel to Suicide Squad is expected to come in 2017 according to recent reports, but nothing has been confirmed. If the first is successful, it should come as no surprise for Warner Bros to rearrange their schedule to fit in this surefire hit. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 33. Venom Release date: TBA. This is an odd one, as it has been confirmed Sony are wanting to release a Venom film completely unrelated to the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. Venom, as you may know, is a Spider-Man villain, intrinsically linked to Spider-Man, so it seems odd they would release a film unrelated to the rebooted project and not linked to the MCU. 33 Superhero films set for release between 2016 and 2020 Anything else? Well, now you mention it, theres also that sequel to Fantastic Four that has seemingly been dropped by Fox. Plus, theres the Gambit film which has been put on hold (but will likely fill an untitled Fox slot so we havent added it extra). Then again, it could be shoehorned in somehow Marvel

In other Captain America: Civil War news, we did a comprehensive piece comparing the film against this year's other superhero brawler, Batman v Superman. Read it here.
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Tobey Maguire starred in two perfectly good Spiderman films before an abhorrent third outing put an end to his web-slinging antics.

Consequently, fans reflect upon Maguire's time as Peter Parker in the Sam Raimi trilogy with fairly mixed emotions.

Another wayside-thrown actor later (Andrew Garfield) and the costume is now in the clutches of 19-year-old Tom Holland who made his debut appearance in last month's Captain America: Civil War, the character now officially freed up to star in both Sony and Marvel films.

Critics were impressed with Holland's initial appearance - and so too was Maguire who has expressed his sentiments via Instagram.

Upcoming Marvel films Show all 10 1 /10 Upcoming Marvel films Upcoming Marvel films In 2019: Inhumans 12 July 2019 Upcoming Marvel films In 2019: Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 3 May 2019 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2018: Black Panther 6 July 2018 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2018: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 4 May 2018 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2017: Thor: Ragnarok 3 November 2017 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2017: Untitled Spider-Man 28 July 2017 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2017: Guardians of the Galaxy 2 5 May 2017 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2016: Doctor Strange 4 November 2016 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2016: Captain America: Civil War 6 May 2016 Marvel Upcoming Marvel films In 2015: Ant-Man 17 July 2015 Marvel

In response to a witty internet meme which sees Maguire's version of the character watching Holland in action with relative unease, the actor praised his successor.

"Haha seriously, who made this. @tomholland2013 good job! You are great as Spider-Man. Keep it up!" he wrote.



Following his Spidey swansong, Maguire has since starred in The Great Gatsby, Labor Day and television mini-series The Spoils of Babylon.

Holland's next appearance as the superhero will arrive with Spider-Man: Homecoming. The film, released in 2017, will also feature Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark.
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In an attempt to make the Mercury Prize somewhat less controversial, the rules have been revamped to include a general public vote.

This year the judging panel will choose a longlist of 12 albums for music fans to vote upon. The album that has the highest number of votes will move forward to a shortlist, as will five other albums (selected by the judges).

From the final six albums, a winner will be decided by the judges, whom this year include the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Jamie Cullum and Kate Tempest.

"2016 marks the start of a new era," Mercury Prize director Dan Ford told the BBC. "The changes will enable music fans to play a part in the process for the first time, whilst ensuring that the Prize maintains its reputation for celebrating the best British and Irish albums, based solely on artistic merit.

Last year's Mercury Prize winner, Benjamin Clementine (Micky Clement)

The public will be able to cast their votes online once the longlist is announced on the 4 August. At the final ceremony, all six finalists will perform and there will be a special, one-off collaboration to mark the prizes 25th anniversary.

While the full judging line-up will be announced later, DJ Annie Mac, Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice, and producer Naughty Boy were also confirmed to be on the panel.

Music festivals guide 2016 Show all 20 1 /20 Music festivals guide 2016 Music festivals guide 2016 Horizon Where: Bansko Ski Resort, Bulgaria When: 12-17 March Price: From 175 Line Up: Ame, Goldie, Nina Kraviz, John Talabot, Lady Leshurr, Craig Charles Music festivals guide 2016 Live At Leeds Where: Leeds, UK When: 30 April Price: 32.50 Line Up: Jess Glynne, Circa Waves, Mystery Jets, Band of Skulls, We Are Scientists Music festivals guide 2016 Primavera Sound Where: Barcelona, Spain When: 1-5 June Price: 175 Line Up: Radiohead, LCD Soundsystem, Sigur Ros, PJ Harvey, Tame Impala, Beach House, Suede, The Last Shadow Puppets Primavera Music festivals guide 2016 Best Kept Secret Where: Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands When: 17-19 June Price: 147.50 Line Up: Beck, Editors, Two Door Cinema Club, Beach House, Bloc Party, Caribou, Half Moon Run Best Kept Secret Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Glastonbury Where: Worthy Farm, Somerset When: 22-26 June Price: 220 Line Up: Coldplay, Muse, Jeff Lynnes ELO, PJ Harvey, Jess Glynne (TBC) Music festivals guide 2016 Roskilde Where: Copenhagen, Denmark When: 25 June-2 July Price: 2,020 DKK Line Up: LCD Soundsystem, New Order, PJ Harvey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foals, Tame Impala, Savages, Skepta, Tenacious D Simon Frsig Christensen / Roskilde Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Hideout Festival Where: Zrce Beach, Croatia When: 26-30 June Price: From 152.90 Line Up: The Martinez Brothers, Joris Voorn, Waze & Odyssey Hideout Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Bilbao BBK Where: Bilbao, Spain When: 7-9 July Price: From 69 Line Up: Arcade Fire, Pixies, Tame Impala, Foals, New Order, Hot Chip, Father John Misty, Years & Years, Wolf Alice Music festivals guide 2016 Open'er Where: Gdynia, Poland When: 29 July-2 August Price: From 130 Line Up: Bastille, Florence + the Machine, Foals, LCD Soundsystem, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The 1975, The Last Shadow Puppets, Wiz Khalifa Open'er Festival Music festivals guide 2016 Electric Love Where: Plainfeld, Austria When: 7-9 July Price: 119 Line Up: Alesso, Zedd, Tiesto, Chase & Status, Steve Aoki, Knife Party Music festivals guide 2016 Melt! Where: Ferropolis, Germany When: 15-17 July Price: From 136 Line Up: Two Door Cinema Club, Disclosure, Jamie xx, Sleaford Mods, Skepta, Jamie Woon Music festivals guide 2016 Sziget Where: Budapest, Hungary When: 10-17 August Price: From 215 Line Up: Bastille, Bloc Party, M83, Sigur Ros, Bring Me the Horizon Music festivals guide 2016 Flow Where: Helsinki, Finland When: 12-14 August Price: 165 Line Up: Sia, New Order, The Last Shadow Puppets, Jamie xx, M83, Chvrches, Four Tet, Stormzy, Daughter, The Kills Flow Festival / Jussi Hellsten Music festivals guide 2016 Rock En Seine Where: Paris, France When: 26-28 August Price: From 119 Line Up: TBC Music festivals guide 2016 Oasis Where: Marrakech, Morocco When: 16-18 September Price: From 110 Line Up: Bicep, Derrick May, Tale of Us, Dixon, Dusky, Hunee Music festivals guide 2016 Latitude Where: Henham Park, Suffolk When: 14-17 July Price: 205.50 Line Up: The Maccabees, The National, New Order, John Grant, Beirut, Father John Misty, Chvrches, Grimes Music festivals guide 2016 Bestival Where: Robin Hill, Isle of Wight When: 8-11 September Price: 190 Line Up: The Cure, Major Lazer, Hot Chip, Fatboy Slim, Craig David, Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Tourist, Katy B Music festivals guide 2016 Isle of Wight Where: Newport, Isle of Wight When: 9-12 June Price: From 186 Line Up: Queen + Adam Lambert, Stereophonics, Faithless, Iggy Pop, Adam Ant, Buzzcocks, Sigma, Jess Glynne Music festivals guide 2016 Citadel Where: Victoria Park, London When: 17 July Price: From 54 Line Up: Sigur Ros, Caribou, Lianne La Havas, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats Music festivals guide 2016 End of the Road Where: Larmer Tree Gardens When: 2-4 September Price: 195 Line Up: Joanna Newsom, The Shins, Animal Collective, Bat for Lashes, Teenage Fanclub, Devendra Banhart, Savages, Cat's Eyes Sonny Malhotra

Last years winner was Benjamin Clementine with his album At Least for Now. Since his big win, the artist toured Europe and the US but has yet to release a follow-up record.
 BBC's Jeremy Bowen Follows PLO Dictates | Main | WSJ Op-Ed: Israelis are Happy 

May 09, 2016

Politico Downplays Palestinian Terrorism

In a May 5th article in Politico's U.S. Edition, entitled "State Dept. assures Leahy on Israeli human rights scrutiny", author Nahal Toosi misleads readers as she downplays Palestinian terrorism, and transfers blame for the violence onto Israel She writes:

In recent months, Palestinians have staged numerous attacks, many with knives, against Israeli security forces, who have often responded with gunfire. The violence has put both sides on edge and has led to allegations of overreaction by the Israeli military.[emphasis added]

Does Toosi consider Eitan and Naama Henkin, the young couple murdered in front of their children on October 1st to be "security forces"? How about 22-year-old yeshiva student Aharon Banita-Bennet, who was stabbed to death on his way to the Western Wall with his wife and two young children, who were stabbed as well? Or 18-year-old Ezra Schwartz from Massachusetts who was shot to death on November 19 while doing volunteer work during his gap year in Israel? Or 21-year-old Hadras Buchris who was stabbed to death as she waited for a ride on November 22? Or 45-year-old Rabbi Reuven Eduardo) Birmajer who was stabbed to death on December 23 near Jaffa gate? Or Dafna Meir, the mother of six, who was stabbed to death inside her home on January 17? Or 29-year-old Taylor Force, an American tourist who was stabbed to death on March 8?

These are just a few of the civilians who lost their lives lost their lives after being targeted by Palestinian terrorists, not to mention the dozens who were wounded and nearly lost their lives in such attacks. Anyone acquainted with the events in Israel over the past 6 months is well aware that Palestinian terrorist attacks have not just been aimed at Israeli security forces but at innocent civilians, including women, children and elderly victims. These attacks, which include 147 stabbings, 87 shootings, 43 car rammings and 1 bus bombing, have killed 34 people, 28 of them civilians, including two foreign nationals and an off-duty policeman. Of the 447 who were wounded in these attacks, nearly 200 were civilians and included several Arab and foreign national civilians .

But by falsely suggesting that these Palestinian assailants were targeting Israeli security forces who responded excessively with "gunfire" , Toosi succeeds in twisting the events completely.

CAMERA contacted both the journalist and news editor at Politico who refused to correct the erroneous reference to Palestinian violence stating that they "believe the story can stand as is."





Posted by RH at May 9, 2016 02:27 PM

Some information about Nahal Toosi - https://lucyahood.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/lucytest4.pdf

Posted by: Paul at May 10, 2016 08:56 AM

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Recording the sounds of his home on the island of Ushant (Eusa in Breton) off the coast of Brittany to tape  the sea dragging stones along the beach, crows calling to one another, the wind across the flat plains  Yann Tiersen has borrowed part of that wild landscape and brought it to London.

Wandering from piano to violin to toy piano and back again in a loose T-shirt and jeans, the slightly awkward way Tiersen moves under the gaze of his audience belies the grace and emotion he evokes with each instrument once he reaches it. Very little is said aside from the odd thank you for applause  so much so that those two words eventually add some (perhaps unintended) comic effect to the evening.

At the beginning and midway through the performance a female voice reads the work of Breton poet Anjela Duval. "Porz Goret" is the first track Tiersen unveiled from his new score, and in which the waltzing harmonic progressions add weight to the lightest characters he makes with the right, so filled with yearning it makes your heart ache.

La Dispute, while used to depict the idealistic postcard perfection of Amelies Montmartre, comes from Tiersen's earlier work and evokes more of the sparsely inhabited island of Ushant Tiersen clearly cares for.

He makes his music so accessible to his audience; he wants them to understand the landscapes that inspire him. Stylistically his work is filled with nostalgia but is also innovative, constantly shifting and seeking to build on that landscape he evokes with each note.

An encore seems devised for the sole purpose of retrieving another beer  Tiersen arrives back onstage with the bottle then sets it down for Sur le fil, a chilling violin solo that builds into a ragged, breathless frenzy; Tiersen stomping his foot Romany-style.

It is an abrupt way to finish: Tiersen picks up his beer and flicks on the old-fashioned tape recorder, making his exit as it begins whirring again.
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Late Eurovision legend Sir Terry Wogan will be at the forefront of Graham Nortons mind when he leads the BBCs commentary on Saturday night.

Wogan, who sadly died of cancer aged 77 earlier this year, fronted the song contest from 1971 until 2008. His dry, sardonic remarks became synonymous with Eurovision night, despite producer Christer Bjorkman recently accusing him of totally spoiling it for British audiences.

Follow the rest of our Eurovision 2016 coverage here

Norton is fully aware of Wogans legacy and has praised him for taking a role that wasnt really a role at all and totally transforming it into the job it is today.

Recommended Read more Our verdict on every song bidding for Eurovision glory

When I am doing the commentary I still hear Sir Terry in my head as I am sure lots of other people do too, he said. I think this year it will be bittersweet because we will all be thinking of Terry and I am sure I will say a few words about him as the night goes on as it is a night that will forever be associated with him.

Norton has also revealed that he will be toasting Wogan during song number nine, which is when he said it was time to crack open the Bucks Fizz.

Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Show all 43 1 /43 Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Cyprus: Minus One Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Albania: Eneda Tarifa Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Poland: Micha Szpak Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Lithuania: Donny Montell photo by Gediminas Zilinskas / www.zilinskas.net Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants San Marino: Serhat Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Romania: Ovidiu Anton Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Switzerland: Rykka Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Greece: Argo Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants The Netherlands: Douwe Bob Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Belgium: Laura Tesoro Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Austria: ZOE Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Germany: Jamie-Lee Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Denmark: Lighthouse X Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants United Kingdom: Joe and Jake Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Spain: Barei Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Iceland: Greta Salome Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Ireland: Nicky Byrne Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants France: Amir Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Italy: Francesca Michielin Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Australia: Dami Im Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Montenegro: Highway Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Serbia: ZAA Sanja Vucic Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Georgia: Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Armenia: Iveta Mukuchyan Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Czech Republic: Gabriela Guncikova Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Moldova: Lidia Isac Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Bulgaria: Poli Genova Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Belarus: IVAN Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Ukraine: Jamala Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Azerbaijan: Samra Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Russia: Sergey Lazarev Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Malta: Ira Losco Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Latvia: Justs Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Hungary: Freddie Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Macedonia: Kaliopi Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Estonia: Juri Pootsmann Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Croatia: Nina Kraljic Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Bosnia & Herzegovina: Dalal & Deen feat. Ana Rucner and Jala Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Slovenia: ManuElla Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Finland: Sandhja Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Norway: Agnete Meet the Eurovision 2016 contestants Israel: Hovi Star

Sir Terry always warned me not to have anything to drink until that point, he said. During song number nine this year the host country Sweden will be performing and I will be encouraging everyone to raise a glass.

It has all worked out very nicely as Swedish people in the arena will be cheering their song in the stadium as everyone back in the UK will join me and say cheers to the memory and legacy of Sir Terry Wogan.
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Wildlife experts have launched a study into how a strain of leprosy affects the UK's endangered red squirrels.

Little is know about the leprosy bacteria, which causes swelling and hair loss to the ears, muzzle and feet and has spread among the species.

The study aims to find out how the disease affects the animals, how it is passed between them and how conservationists can control the spread.

Leprosy was first identified in the species in Scotland in 2014 but is believed to have existed among the squirrel population for centuries.

Post-mortem examinations have also found it in the few spots in England where red squirrels can still be found such as on the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island - an island owned by the National Trust in Poole Harbour, Dorset.

The research project will focus on Brownsea Island where the disease is thought to have existed for a while but has only recently been detected.

The island has an estimated population of 200 red squirrels.

Previously, the major threat to the species had been from their North American cousins - the grey squirrel (Getty)

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh will work with the National Trust and the Dorset Wildlife Trust, which manages a large nature reserve on the island.

Humane traps will be used to capture the squirrels for health checks, taking blood and other clinical samples before returning the mammals to the wild.

The island location will enable the researchers to study the animals in a contained location.

The public will still have access to the island while the research is being carried out as the risk to humans from the disease is negligible.

Lead researcher Professor Anna Meredith, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "The aim of our study is to find out how and why red squirrels catch leprosy, and how it affects individuals and populations.

"This disease appears to have been in squirrel populations in Scotland and England's south coast for some time.

"With this research we aim to help conservationists better understand the disease in this iconic species."

Until recently, the biggest threat to the native red squirrel population has been from their grey cousins which were brought over from North America in the 19th century.

Where not to visit if you love animals Show all 9 1 /9 Where not to visit if you love animals Where not to visit if you love animals Monkey shows Chimpanzees are forced to perform demeaning tricks on leashes and are often subject to cruel training techniques. Animals who are confined to small, barren enclosures and forced to perform unsurprisingly show symptoms of stress and depression. Chimpanzees have been documented rocking back and forth, sucking their lips, salivating and swaying against enclosure perimeters in distress. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Marine parks Some parks confine orcas to concrete tanks and force them to perform meaningless tricks for food - many die in captivity. Orcas are highly intelligent and social mammals who may suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, when they're held in captivity. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Tiger shows Tigers are forced to live in an unnatural and barren environment and have to endure interactions with a constant stream of tourists. Since tigers never lose their wild instincts, across the world they are reportedly drugged, mutilated and restrained in order to make them safe for the public. However, every year, incidents of tiger maulings are reported at this type of tourist attraction. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Donkey rides Sunning on the beach is great for humans  we can take a quick dip or catch a bite to eat when we get too hot or hungry. But it's pure hell for donkeys who are confined to the beach and forced to cart children around on the hot sand. Some donkey-ride operators at beach resorts in the UK even keep the animals chained together at all times. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Swimming with dolphins Some marine parks use bottlenose dolphins in performances and offer visitors the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Unfortunately, people are often unaware that these animals are captured in the wild and torn from their families or traded between different parks around the world. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Canned hunting Lions are confined to fenced areas so that they can easily be cornered, with no chance of escape. Most of them will have been bred in captivity and then taken from their mothers to be hand-reared by the cub-petting industry. When they get too big, they may be drugged before they are released into a "hunting" enclosure. Because these animals are usually kept in fenced enclosures (ranging in size from just a few square yards to thousands of acres), they never stand a chance of surviving. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Running of the Bulls Every year, tourists travel to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls. The bulls who are forced to slip and slide down the town's narrow cobblestone streets are chased straight into the bullring. They are then taunted, stabbed repeatedly and finally killed by the matador in front of a jeering crowd. The majority of Spaniards reject bullfighting, but tourists are keeping the cruel industry on its last legs. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Horse-drawn carriages City streets are no place for horses. The animals toil in all weather extremes, suffering from respiratory distress from breathing in exhaust fumes as well as numerous hoof, leg and back problems from walking on pavement all day long. As easily spooked prey animals, horses subjected to the loud noises and unexpected sounds of city streets are likely to be involved in accidents, even deadly ones. Getty Where not to visit if you love animals Zoos The zoo community regards the animals it keeps as commodities, and animals are regularly bought, sold, borrowed and traded without any regard for established relationships. Zoos breed animals because the presence of babies draws visitors and boosts revenue, yet often, there's nowhere to put the offspring as they grow, and they are killed, as we saw with Marius the giraffe in Denmark. Some zoos have introduced evening events with loud music and alcohol which disrupt the incarcerated animals even further. EPA

Not only do the larger grey squirrels out-compete them, they are also carriers of the squirrelpox virus - which is deadly to the red variety of the species.

The red squirrel population has now fallen to 140,000 in the UK, with the majority found in Scotland.

Leprosy was once rife among human populations in Europe and Asia but is now treatment with antibiotics.

According to the World Health Organisation, over 213,000 cases were reported around the globe in 2014 but it is no longer classified as a public health problem.

Additional reporting by PA
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Corsetry is experiencing a revival. I dont mean the exposed sort, the kind of spangled lace-up get-ups sported by Dita von Teese, whittling her waist to 16.5 inches and made to be seen. Rigby and Peller, whose clientele runs the gamut from Queen Elizabeth to Lady Gaga, strictly admonished my misuse of knicker-nouns: a corset is outerwear there, a basque is the shaping garment underneath. And then theres shape wear, which is a whole other thing entirely.

The notion that women would be quite so willing to truss themselves up in whalebone, satin and cambric in 2016 seems archaic. Much of it can be traced back to another Rigby and Peller client, Kim Kardashian, who brought the notion of waist training to the fore roughly two years ago. In 2015, in response, the Victoria and Albert museum acquired one of the veritable slew of waist training cinchers that flooded the market. Its is currently on public display in the museums new exhibition, Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear - devoted to both underwear and the outerwear its influenced.

It feels like an interloper alongside picturesque brocade eighteenth century stays and ribboned Belle Epoque corsets: by contrast, the waist trainer seems quasi-surgical, simultaneously modern and quaintly old-fashioned.

Which is a good summary for the re-emergence of corsetry, at a time when the term Feminist is experiencing a media revival and when the first female president is seeming a distinct possibility. Corsetry and feminism arent mutually exclusive: many saw the 1989 Blonde Ambition get-up of Madonna, conical breasts of her Jean Paul Gaultier quilted satin corset piercing through a double-breasted business suit, as an embodiment of a new ball-busting wave of feminists. Likewise, Vivienne Westwoods popularising of the basque in the 1980s - an outwear garment based on an underwear style from 200 years prior - as a powerful female call-to-arms, of women ironically re-embracing and celebrating the traditional trappings of femininity without feeling denigrated. The same is true of von Teese and her reclaimed showgirl garb, an exaggerated form of retrograde femininity, a parody, tongue very visibly in cheek.

The JML compression belt, labelled the "Miss Belt" (boots.com)

The Kardashianised waist trainer, and its many spin-offs, seems part of a different world altogether. But the look has hit the mainstream: the mass retailer JML offers a product called Miss Belt, which a representative firmly emphasised was not a waist-trainer, but rather an aid for an instant hourglass figure - a shape wear product. The official jargon dubs it an Instant Slimming Effect Dual-Compression Waist Shaper. The contraption consists of a stiff panel of fabric, boned with plastic stays, which fastens tight and is then cinched in further with a velcro band. The visual effect resembles a trussed ham; physically, it feels like being punched in the gut.

Yes, I tried it - shape wear isnt just for women, as the popularity of the mens range launched by the foundation garment company Spanx aptly illustrates, as well as the few mens corsets - or body belts in the V&A exhibition, worn until the 1950s.

What we tend to think of as the history of foundation wear was that all women abandoned girdles in the sixties, and since then weve been happily liberated, states Edwina Ehrman, curator of the V&A show. I dont think this is true - I dont think that ever really went away. Ehrman cites mainstream womens magazines as emphasising underwear to smooth the line and trim the figure from the sixties through to today. Then came the launch of Spanx in 2000 - a company valued in 2012 at north of $1 billion, based around hosiery and underwear with built-in compression, that brought the term shape wear to the modern wardrobe vernacular. Isabel Baert, Global Head of Buying at Rigby & Peller, cited the fancy, beribboned basques and corsets the lingerie purveyor sells as specialist and often restricted to wedding trousseaux. However, where we have seen a marked increase in recent times in shape wear is within the sales of bodies - all in one pieces - both for ready-to-wear and made to measure, says she. Within the business, a third of all made to measure requests are now for bodies. They dont come cheap: 715 is the outright cost, with repeat pieces at 650, but cheaper versions are offered by retailers as diverse as Marks & Spencer, Topshop, Asda and Sainsburys.

Corset, 1890-1895 (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

Shapewear is a light-weight alternative to Kardashian-style waist training - which is itself referred to as waist taming in the corset industry. The Kardashians corsets (no additional k) are more akin to girdles or the aforementioned shape wear than traditional steel-boned corsets, which can affect extreme body transformation if worn for sufficient periods. Back in the 19th century, corsets were customary - but extreme tight-lacing, drastically reducing the waist to a fabled, Scarlet OHara esque 18 inches, was seen as extreme even then. It was denounced in the pulpit, condemned by medical professionals and caricatured, but still continued. Waist training was popular with the nouveau riche - it enabled them to show their fashionability, says Ehrman. If they had a very narrow waist, it was a sign of gentility, although they came from much humbler origins. How very Kardashian - although their waist trainers nip at their waists rather than crush their internal organs. The corset maker Mr Pearl - who creates custom corsets for von Teese, and for Gaultier - is himself tight-laced to an 18-inch waistline. He wears a variety of corsets throughout the day, and whilst sleeping, only removing the corset to bathe. Few today are so committed.

What the waist-trainer, the compression belt and shape wear share, is time. They all seem from a time bygone, but all offer a decidedly modern quick-fix. Rather than long hours in the gym or thousands of press-ups promoted in the seventies and eighties, a garment can do all the work for you, instantaneously. But how many people did work on their bodies? Seriously! asks Ehrman. We use it [underwear] to mould our bodies to the currently fashionable silhouette.

The desired silhouette, however, is virtually Victorian in its exaggerated, bombastic curves - waist trained, butt lifted (another type of underwear on show at the V&A) - a trussing and hoiking and manipulation of the flesh. As plastic surgery soars in popularity and plummets in price - the UK market is worth an estimated 3.6 billion, with round 750,000 procedures performed annually - this is, possibly, fashions reflection of the need to knead, squeeze and transform your silhouette. In 1876, the artist Edouard Manet declared that the satin corset is perhaps the nude of our time." a hundred and forty years later, perhaps the nude of our time is a pair of Spanx. Probably sported by Kim Kardashian.

"Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear" is at the Victoria and Albert Museum until 12 March 2017. More information at vam.ac.uk
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The most famous fashion model in the world is skinny, sure. But shes not all that tall.

Were talking 11 1/2 inches at most - they dub it "playscale".

Im talking about Barbie - a fashion phenomenon since her inception in 1959. Currently, shes the subject of an exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, an institution that has honored designers including Yohji Yamamoto, Christian Lacroix, Louis Vuitton and Dries van Noten, but is currently overrun with pint-sized garments created by over sixty designers, including Alexander McQueen, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Armani and Dior. There are also plenty more designed anonymously, by hands hidden in the headquarters of Mattel, in the small city of El Segundo California. Mattel have made trillions of those tiny garments, and in turn made billions from Barbie. In fact, sales of the toy turn over a billion dollars or so a year (figures have seesawed over the past few years); Mattel have claimed that three dolls are sold every second.

The profits may not last, but Barbies cultural significance has been cemented. Shes been idolised, vilified, remade and remodeled with each decade. Her most recent 2016 incarnation comes via three new body shapes - Tall, Curvy and Petite - for a line dubbed Fashionistas. And, ultimately, Barbies least volatile and most fruitful relationship is possibly with the fashion world.

Dolls have a long history with fashion - back in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, dolls called Pandoras were sent from court to court to illustrate the latest modes in miniature (although some Pandoras were life-size). During the reign of Marie Antoinette, many were fashioned with her features. After the second world war, the French couture industry turned to dolls to publicize its wares once again - leading couturiers created the "Theatre de la Mode", a series of dolls dressed in the latest fashions and set in scenery designed by Jean Cocteau and Christian Berard. The corps of dolls toured the world as PR for the French fashion trade. But it wasnt until 1959 that the fashion doll became a plaything for children, rather than a tool for adults. The originator was Barbie - granted, she was based on Bild Lilli, a German doll with similarly pneumatic proportions, peroxide hair and fashionable wardrobe. But Bild Lilli was devised as an adult plaything, although she became popular with children. Barbie was just for kids, but nevertheless the phrase fashion doll was endlessly used in reference to her.

It seems old-fashioned now, but Barbie is still a decidedly fashionable doll. A few years ago, the chief critic of American Vogue.com Sarah Mower staged a dolls tea party and explored the impact of the doll on fashion at Port Eliot, in a fashion adjunct to their famed literary festival. Barbies by far outnumbered any other doll in the room. And Barbies impact is, of course, fundamental. Barbie is the first body many fashion designers get their mitts on - Christopher Kane still kits out a Barbie a season in miniature versions of his collections key looks, while Erdem Moralioglus first dress was a pale blue number made on his sister's Skipper doll, surreptitiously stolen by him aged six.

Of course, nascent designers seize on anything to dress - Alber Elbaz, formerly of Lanvin, made his first clothes on chess pieces. Jean Paul Gaultiers first corset was built on his teddy bear. However, Barbies idealised brand of femininity is a natural mannequin for fashion designers budding hopes and dreams. Speaking of starting out, the American designer Jason Wu actually began his career designing dolls - he created a range for Integrity Toys titled Fashion Royalty; their success, with adult specialist collectors, provided the seed money for his fashion line.

Wus origin in the doll business is interesting to note, when admiring his trademark brand of frothy, embellished femininity. Wu marked himself out from his New York contemporaries via his propensity for a ball gown, and how adeptly he could turn them out. The Smithsonian hold two examples: Wu created both of Michelle Obamas gowns for her husbands inauguration as president, in 2009 and 2013. More obviously, Jeremy Scott devoted his second Moschino womenswear show to Barbie, blasting the saccharine 1997 Aqua hit and sending models out in Mattels trademarked Barbie Pink. The evening wear section, Scott said, featured life-sized recreations of previous Barbie evening gowns. Reviews were mixed.

Many - including I - had an issue with dressing women as childrens playthings. Its simultaneously infantalising and a sexualisation of childhood, as well as the added anti-feminist message inherent in a man transforming grown models into objects, to be toyed with and then discarded. Besides, the notion of blowing up Barbie clothes was done more interestingly by Martin Margiela, who used the distorted scale to disturb rather than mere act as set dressing. Nevertheless, its a sign of Barbies polarising position in popular culture that even gentle referencing - pink, plastic, bouncy blonde hair - could elicit such violent reaction.

Its possibly also the reason that designers have - and will continue - to both dress Barbie, and reference her. Because Barbie is known across the world, her appeal wide, her countenance instantly recognisable. When the French shoe designer Christian Louboutin created a Barbie doll, limited to 1,000 pieces and sold exclusively on net-a-porter.com, it sold out in a day, generated a global waiting list of 15,000 and became the fasting-selling product on the fashion website. In short, fashion needs Barbie more than Barbie needs fashion. Shes a mass medium to get your message out on, presumably to the fashion consumers of the future. Not so different to those eighteenth century Pandoras, after all.
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Its ten at night, Im getting ready to go to bed so I check Instagram for a few minutes - and an hour and a half later I find myself buying shoes from this shop based in Seoul called @herenow_shop - they have less than 10k followers, theyre super cute

Over the phone, Eva Chen, a former Conde Nast editor turned head of fashion partnerships for the social media app Instagram  someone who definitely has more than 10,000 followers recounts a familiar tale of late-night online shopping. Familiar save for one small detail: it happened on Instagram. Or rather, through it. With no "Buy Me" button, you have to click on an accounts profile link to land on a shopping page  which is an endearingly non-pushy approach that adds a feeling of discovery to proceedings. Its not reshaping the way we buy clothes, but it is changing the way were sold them.

Instagram's head of fashion partnerships, Eva Chen (Getty)

With over 400 million monthly users, Instagram is the eighth largest social networking platform in the world. But in the fashion world, its probably number one. Last year the Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded the app its media award, previously bestowed upon journalists and photographers. And arguably, Instagram has shifted more product more directly than any of those.

Compared with other social media platforms, the viral nature of Instagram is much more potent in spreading a commercial message when it comes to fashion. A designer doesnt need a large following to get attention: one Instagram picture - just one of the 80 million posted every day  can be rapidly re-grammed, driving users to the original source. If a high-profile Instagrammer (such as the much-followed Chen or the social-media-mogul-model Cara Delevingne, who boasts 29 million followers) feels excited enough to re-gram your product, you could be onto a winner. Hawking a shoe or a handbag off the back of that publicity can quickly equate to big bucks.

The new generation of shoppers are inspired by lifestyle as much as product, Chen explains, citing Balmains Olivier Rousteing, Givenchys Riccardo Tisci and Marc Jacobs as examples. You're on this journey with them, sure, a very glamorous and cool journey with those guys. And with new young designers, you also get to grow with them.

Eva Chen of Instagram (centre) at a Ralph Lauren show (Getty), by Alexander Fury

Indeed, given how well-documented the wares of Rousteing, Tisci et al are  on and off Instagram  the discovery of new talent (read: new stuff to buy) via Instagram can feel special  and sometimes the journey starts right from the very beginning, as it did with Matteau Swim (12.7K followers), an Australian swimwear line by stylist Ilona Hamer. We actually joined Instagram when we first started working on the label three and a half years ago, Hamer says, but we only placed a holding image there. It was August last year when we started posting our campaign images - to tease our launch - that the account really came to life. In the tease phase we were building a gallery of images that represented our brand and we've just grown from there. Curate is a key word I go back to."

Its that glimpse into a designers mind, as well as their stock cupboard, that makes Instagram so intriguing, turning a feed into a living mood board. The best designers arent just posting cold, hard product; theyre giving insights into their working methods, their mind-sets and the inspirations behind their work. Which in turn helps them to sell the stuff

Given the rhetoric being thrown around by huge conglomerates about the importance of the experiential  generally meaning, for example, houses like Chanel taking a bunch of journalists on a jaunt to Havana for their 2017 Resort collection next month  its surprising more labels arent seizing on Instagram as an opportunity to tell a story, and seduce consumers. Especially when it reaches not just a few hundred press, or a few thousand magazine or newspaper readers but, potentially, millions - and most importantly, around the globe. (On a recent trip to Seoul, Stella McCartney invited 17 year-old Korean Jina Han and her 36,000 followers to share moments from the brand's events on McCartney's account.)

Thats the pull of Instagram for Ruth Chapman, the co-founder of Matchesfashion.com  an established name, with a healthy quarter-million Instagram following. For her, its all about storytelling. So her posts include engaging captions and cutesie-poo emojis (a rainbow is a current favourite), as well as product numbers that enable users to accurately search for pieces on the site. And it turns out that an inspirational story can lead to as many checkout clicks as a covetable garment.

The more creative pieces are the most engaging ones, says Chapman. For example, if we show an image of a real woman and share her philosophies in a straightforward way, followers will engage with it much more strongly than with just a handbag. She pauses. Though handbags can gain high 'likes' too. (Case in point: a Lanvin number bagged 1,572 likes a few days ago.)

Away from commerce, many designers also find Instagram a creatively energising way to unravel their processes. For Megan Trimble, the co-founder of London-based Zanzan Eyewear (25.1K followers), curating images has been a life-long passion, from tearing pictures out of magazines to a messy desktop of scanned files. When apps like Pinterest and Instagram came along, it was a revolution to me. I could now share them with other people, she says.

But it also gives entry to a creative community not easily reachable. When it caught on with the fashion world, it became a truly indispensable way of communicating our brand, she continues. We realised that more like-minded people were joining in the fun and it gave us direct access to them - other designers, editors, stylists, photographers. It broke down a lot of barriers that once stopped us from contacting people.

ZanZan Eyewear's mix of inspiration and product on their Instagram (@zanzaneyewear), by Alexander Fury

Indeed, as well as models being booked for shows and campaigns based on their Instagram profiles and (crucially) numbers of followers, IMG has signed over 11 models through the platform. Whats more, artists are being urged to collaborate with designers, such @unskilledworker, discovered by Alesandro Michele at Gucci.

Georgia Cherrie, who along with Paris Mitchell launched the Mercantile vintage store (11K followers) in New Zealand last year, agrees. It is crucial; we definitely view it as a necessity to our communication. Instagram has helped us connect with press, ambassadors and customers we otherwise might not have had the opportunity to align ourselves with or discover. Including myself, a New York-based writer. How else would I come across a New Zealand-based vintage dealer?

Nevertheless, quantifying the impact of Instagram is tricky. Whether the number of likes directly equates to sales numbers remains to be seen (although Chen's aforementioned back-of-the-car snap of those shoes resulted in over 7,000 likes and the Here Now pom-pom trimmed style is now on pre-order). Its interesting to measure what sunglasses are popular by likes but this doesn't necessarily reflect what sells, says Trimble. There was a kind of purity to Instagram initially but this is changing now, with paid ads appearing. We try not to be so pushy with selling and hope that our curated inspirational pictures encourage people to dig a little deeper and that way end up at checkout.
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If you remain unconvinced that todays prevailing fixation with gender-fluidity in society at large has its roots firmly in the fashion world, then let Christopher Bailey convince you. The Burberry designer has long grappled with the inherent conservatism entrenched in the heritage brand while still providing fashionable updates each season  ones that will get the tills ringing for more than just those check-lined rain coats no less. As such, hes something of a bellwether in British fashion - not least for the visibility of the brand with which he lets his ideas run wild. And wild he has been known to run, incorporating bold signatures including animal print, Hockney-esque primary colour palettes and even metallic finishes reminiscent of sweet wrappers. Style statements all.

But for spring/summer 2016 Bailey took things in an altogether more delicate direction, dubbing his collection strait-laced he was in fact referring to the abundance of that particular fabric rather than anything more prim and proper. In fact, lace in menswear is altogether more progressive than priggish, thanks to the fact that its seen as primarily a fabric for the fairer sex.

Thats an old-fashioned attitude though, says Astrid Andersen, who has long been a proponent of the holey-stuff in collections that nevertheless virtually bristle with machismo. Lace was originally created for men because embroidery was too feminine. I find it interesting how our society and roles of gender have changed this in time, says the Danish designer. I always want to portray a look that reflects both the masculine and sensitive side of my man and playing on feminine fabrics has always been in my design identity. And when it comes to lace the designer knows her stuff, collaborating with Sophie Hallette, a French lace house established in 1887. I work closely with Sophie Hallette to only use the most premium and precious materials, says Andersen. Lace is simply such a stunning material I love working with it. And every season I want to display this in new and interesting ways.

Andersen says that the emotional fragility of the fabric chimes with the male muses she channels, but its admittedly not a fabric for everyone.

Its daring, says Darren Skey, head of menswear at Harvey Nichols. Lace looked incredible on the catwalk, especially at Gucci where the bold colours and applique floral embellishments showcased the craftsmanship in the collection. But it may struggle to translate into commercial sales. And he should know about such matters: the London department store last week launched its new menswear department after nine months of refurbishment, proof positive of how important the male market is today.

Show pieces can be tricky to work into your everyday wardrobe, says Skey. The key is to choose one statement item and ensure the rest of your look is pared back to compensate. When styling a lace shirt, Id layer it with a plain T-shirt or vest. An easier way to buy into the look is through sheer panelling and layering  a basic T-shirt with semi sheer details will look great with a pair of jeans for a daytime look.
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Facebook has won a huge court ruling in China against another company using a very similar name.

The decision is an unexpected victory for Facebook, against another firm that had a drink called face book. But its perhaps more important as a symbol of the sites growing influence in China  and a potential sign that it might soon be unblocked in the country.

Facebook executives including Mark Zuckerberg have been working hard to win around Chinese officials and get access to the hundreds of millions of people who use the internet there. That has included Mr Zuckerberg going on a run in the very smoggy Tiananmen Square, in what seemed to be a publicity stunt.

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

The company is just one of a range of Western sites that are stuck behind Chinas Great Firewall. But local reports have suggested that the new ruling indicates Chinas authorities are warming to Facebook, and that it might be let onto the other side of the notoriously strict internet rules.

Like Apple, Facebook is looking to China partly because it is difficult to find growth elsewhere. Both companies are seeing slowing adoption apparently because most people who would use their products already do so  but moving into China would open up a huge base of new customers.

Facebook has had much more luck than Apple, which last week lost a case in China over the rights to the iPhone brand name. Chinese courts require that companies prove that their name is well known in the country to uphold trademarks  and one ruled last week that it wasnt sufficiently famous.

That means that another company can continue to make the phone cases, handbags and other leather goods that it sells under the name IPHONE.

Xintong Tiandi trademarked the name IPHONE in 2010  before Apples handsets went on sale in China, but years after the iPhone first came out and almost a decade after Apple filed its trademark, in 2002.
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Greek police have used tear gas on protesters throwing petrol bombs outside parliament in central Athens as Greek lawmakers debated controversial tax and pension reforms inside.

The reforms, which will cut the amount of money given to 7.5 per cent of pensioners, were agreed by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in order to unlock further international bailout money needed to keep Greece afloat.

But they are unpopular with the Greek people, who turned up in their thousands to protest.

Some 18,000 people are said to have turned up in Athens and another 8,000 in Thessaloniki on Sunday, police said. Police used tear gas after petrol bombs were thrown.

Parts of central Athens were closed to traffic and police presence increased in the city, although the protests were smaller in scale than those in February.

The reforms include reducing Greece's highest pension payouts, merging several pension funds, increasing contributions and raising taxes for those on medium and high incomes.

They are part of a package demanded by Greece's European creditors, the IMF and the EU, in exchange for $95 billion in bailout funding approved last July.

Greece also agreen to hike VAT and put measures in place to automatically cut spending if it fails to hit suplus targets.

Greek riot police officers dodge petrol bomb thrown by protesters during minor clashes following a protest outside parliament in central Athens where lawmakers were discussing controversial tax and pension reforms May 8, 2016 (Reuters)

The IMF is trying to force Greece to put in an additional 3 billion in contingency measures in case the agreed cuts are not enough to meet the programme's budget surplus targets.

Athens reportedly said it was "politically impossible" to legislate for such a plan.

Greece: A new age of austerity and anger dawns Show all 2 1 /2 Greece: A new age of austerity and anger dawns Greece: A new age of austerity and anger dawns 364833.bin GETTY IMAGES Greece: A new age of austerity and anger dawns 364834.bin EPA

Eurozone officials have said the rift between the IMF and Greece on this point could jeopardise the agreement to release the bailout money at a meeting of ministers in Brussels on Monday.

Greece must secure 3.5 billion in time to a debt repayment in July. On Monday, ministers will discuss for the first time the possibility of granting debt relief to Greece.

The governing Syriza party has long demanded debt relief in return for sweeping austerity measures but this is the first time that it has been tabled for talks after the IMF said that the Eurozone must consider reducing Greece's debt.
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A BBC reporter, a producer and a cameraman have been detained in North Korea and are being expelled from the country, the BBC has said.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were detained on Friday as they were about to leave the reclusive communist state.

Mr Wingfield-Hayes was questioned for eight hours and made to sign a statement by North Korean officials, the corporation said.

The team has now been taken to the airport.

All three were in Pyongyang ahead of the Workers Party Congress. They were accompanying a delegation of Nobel prize laureates on a research trip.

Another BBC journalist, Stephen Evans, the Seoul correspondent, is still in Pyongyang.

He said the North Korean leadership was displeased with their reports.

Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea A man cuts the hair of a young boy at an apartment building in Pyongyang. High rise apartments are a common form of accommodation for people living in the capital city AP Photo/Dita Alangkara Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea North Koreans pause to give way for passing vehicles as they cross a road in Pyongyang. AP Photo/Dita Alangkara Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea North Koreans wait for public transportation at a bus stop in Pyongyang AP Photo/Dita Alangkara Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea A woman and her daughter walk past a North Korean flag hung on a utility pole as part of celebrations of the Liberation Day in Pyongyang AP Photo/Dita Alangkara Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea People attending the conference for national reunification as they observe their 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, marking the end of World War II, in Panmunjom AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea A man looks at items at a stamp shop in Pyongyang AP Photo/Dita Alangkara Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea North Koreans participate in a closing event for its celebration of the 70th anniversary of Korea's independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, at the truce village inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas in Panmunjom, North Korea. The country changed it's timezone on the occasion. North Korea introduced 'Pyongyang time' and pushed back its clocks by half an hour on 15 August, the same as before the Japanese occupation when the standard time used by the Korean empire was eight and a half hours ahead of GMT, instead of nine hours, which is Tokyo time EPA/KCNA SOUTH KOREA OUT Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea People attending the conference for national reunification as they observe their 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, marking the end of World War II, in Panmunjom AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea Youths and students attending an evening gala at the Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, marking the end of World War II AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT Everyday life in North Korea - in pictures 'Ordinary life' in North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to mark the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation REUTERS/KCNAATTENTION EDITORS

Mr Evans said Mr Wingfield-Hayes was singled out over some of his reports for TV and online.

Speaking live to Radio 4's Today programme he said: "They were, as I understand, at the airport waiting to get on a flight.

"Just as they were about to board the flight, Rupert was held back.

"He was then taken to a hotel, a separate hotel to where we were and interrogated for eight hours."

An interrogator told Mr Wingfield-Hayes he had been the official to prosecute Kenneth Bae - a Korean-American missionary who was sentenced to 15 years' hard labour in the country.

Mr Evans said that Mr Wingfield-Hayes was told to sign a confession confirming that his work had been inaccurate and the authorities were particularly concerned about two incidents.

In one, Mr Wingfield-Hayes had questioned whether a visit by VIPs to a hospital had been staged by the authorities to make it seem better than it was, and another one when a cameraman was asked to delete pictures.

He said he believed his three colleagues were currently at the airport waiting to leave.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the North Korea's National Peace Committee, said news coverage by Mr Wingfield-Hayes distorted facts and "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country".

He said Mr Wingfield-Hayes wrote an apology, was being expelled and would never again be admitted into the country.
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Emma Watson has urged the new Mayor of London to put a statue of a suffragette outside parliament.

The actor, feminist campaigner and UN ambassador has signed an open letter calling on Sadiq Khan to erect a statue in Parliament Square by February 2018.

Writing in an open letter in The Telegraph today, Caroline Criado-Perez, who launched the campaign back in May, explained that all eleven statues in Parliament Square were men and argued the suffragettes needed to be honoured in front of the institution they were barred from.

The open letter has been signed by a number of high-profile women, such as JK Rowling, Caitlin Moran, Bridget Christie and Alison Moyet and also has the support of a number of female MPs such as Jess Philips, Caroline Lucas and Stella Creasy.

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.

Criado-Perez described the day she decided to launch the campaign while jogging through central London.

It was only when I reached St Jamess Park, that I realised I was already composing the petition text in my head, she writes. I accepted a tweet wasnt going to be enough. I couldnt let this lie.

In two years time, it will be nearly 100 years since women won the argument that our sex does not render us incapable of participating in the running of our country, she added. Nearly a century has gone by, and yet Parliament Square continues to tell us that democracy is a mans world.

The campaign has not specified which particular Suffragette they want to stand outside parliament.
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The interview is shown in black and white, as if to warn viewers of the serious business ahead. Bright, bubbly, "Frozen" actress Kristen Bell is sitting in an armchair, across from YouTube show host Sam Jones. The video starts in the middle of their conversation because the interview has been trimmed down into short, viral-ready clips.

"I'm extremely co-dependent," Bell says, "I shatter a little bit when I think people don't like me. That's part of why I lead with kindness and I compensate by being very bubbly all the time, because it really hurts my feelings when I know I'm not liked. And I know that's not very healthy, and I fight it all the time."

The clip lasts four minutes, and in it Bell reveals she started medication for her mental-health issues at a young age.

"I still take it today and I have no shame in that, because my mom had said to me, 'If you start to feel this way, talk to your doctor, talk to a psychologist, see how you want to help yourself,'" she continues.

The interview was posted in early April, but recently picked up by celebrity news sites, just as intended. The sites wrote about Bell's admission not as gossipy tabloid fodder, but in a congratulatory way, praising the actress for her honesty. Beneath the articles, readers' comments are overwhelmingly positive. "I completely relate to her," one Facebook commenter wrote. "Power in #Solidarity!"

Reading this might make you feel a little "...so what?" And that's why it's significant: Celebrities admitting they struggle with depression is now non-news.

Mental-health issues have always been shrouded in stigma, despite data showing they impact about 18 percent of American adults. Because people tend to mimic the actions and opinions of celebrities they admire, interviews like Bell's make a small dent in that stigma. Add her small dent to that of Chris Evans, who in the middle of promoting himself as the unshakable Captain America, discussed dealing with anxiety in Rolling Stone.

Add those to the comments made by Sarah Silverman, Lady Gaga, Jon Hamm, Gwenyth Paltrow, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lena Dunham, Ryan Phillippe, J.K. Rowling, Jim Carrey... you can feel the stigma shrinking, and you can see it in research.

In a survey conducted last year by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 35 percent of adults older than 26 said they believed seeing a mental-health professional was a sign of strength. But among younger people, 60 percent agreed getting mental-health help was the strong thing to do. Those aged 18 to 25 were far more likely to have already reached out for help: 51 percent had received some kind of mental-health treatment, including therapy and medication, compared with 37 percent of older adults.

"Years ago when Rolling Stone did a story on Bruce Springsteen, and he shared that he was in treatment for many years from depression and thoughts of suicide, I had an influx of young men calling for psychotherapy," psychologist and author Deborah Serani recently told Forbes. "His disclosure helped... along the lines of 'Hey, Springsteen was depressed, and he reached out for treatment. I can too.'"

That was the sentiment in reaction to Bell: Readers shared her interview alongside posts about their own panic attacks, struggles with medication and suicidal thoughts. But occasionally, someone would point out an issue no amount of stigma-breaking can fix.

"Therapy helps, if you can get it..."

"How about 7 kids no money for food for heat for no lights no money for the kids lunch."

"I've tried medicine when I was young, but when I became of age I couldn't afford it anymore, I'm a poor folk, no insurance, so I just cope."

The cost of mental-health care is out of reach for many Americans. Last year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that fewer than half of the 43.6 million Americans with mental illnesses are receiving treatment.

"We're seeing a shift in the stigma of mental health in emerging adults," said psychologist Anne Marie Albano, in a release regarding the ADAA findings. "But until we can improve access to mental-health care, it is unlikely that this generation will receive the support and care for a long-term change in mental well-being."

Perhaps the next wave of celebrity PSAs won't be about accepting the need for mental-health treatment, but advocating to make it easier to access.

Copyright Washington Post
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A woman who stands to gain around $70 million from the ailing media mogul Sumner M Redstone has vowed to prove that her former lover was mentally unwell when he cut her out of his fortune.

Los Angeles judge David Cowan weighed up dismissing the case after listening to a taped testimony of Mr Redstone calling Manuela Herzer a f***ing b**** and that he wanted her out of his life.

Ms Herzers lawyers argued that the 92-year-olds outburst might be due to serious cognitive impairment and that she is concerned for his mental wellbeing.

They also said aborting the trial after one day would be a great disservice to Redstones best interests because, if his decisions are the product of mental illness or undue influence, the proceedings are not only reasonably necessary, but essential, to protect him, as reported by the New York Times.

Mr Redstone is a director and controlling shareholder of CBS and Viacom, two of the worlds largest media companies.

Manuela Herzer pictured in October, the same month she was turfed out of Mr Redstone's mansion (Rex)

Ms Herzer, 52, was his companion and was in charge of his healthcare until last October, when Mr Redstone apparently changed his mind and ejected her from his mansion near Beverly Hills.

She was also struck off as his health care agent  the person to decide on his treatment should he become incapacitated. A further blow came when she stood to lose a fortune of $50 million, as well as the $20 million mansion.

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.

Mr Redstones lawyer Robert Klieger argued that his client was in full command of his faculties when he turfed Argentinian-born Ms Herzer from his house. He added that she had tried to cut him off from family and friends, as well as his daughter Shari Redstone.

His interests are held in a trust created by his five grandchildren. The seven voting members of the trust include his daughter and Philippe P Dauman, the chief executive of Viacom, who have both sparred on how the money should be allocated.

Leading Ms Herzers case is Dr Stephen L Read, a psychiatrist who examined Mr Redstone in January. Mr Read said the businessman lacked decision-making capacity and failed to even identify a simple array of coloured shapes like circles and stars.
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the history between the UK and Argentina, the south American country has the least amount of admiration for Queen Elizabeth II in comparison with other countries.

In YouGov's poll of the world's most admired people of 2016, the monarch was named the second most admired woman in a survey of 30 countries.

However, when specifically applied to Argentina, the Queen was ranked 18th out of 20 in a list that also includes Shakira, Victoria Beckham and Kate Middleton. She was most admired in the UK as well as other commonwealth countries like New Zealand, Canada and Australia. China and Germany also ranked her as the most admired woman, with the latter placing her one position in front of their Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The map below shows the countries in which the Queen was given a high position in the shortlist of 20 'most admired women' and the countries where she was given a lower ranking.

Where the Queen ranks on the list of 'most admired women' across the world (http://www.statista.com/Independent) (Statista/Independent)

The most admired woman in the world was Angelina Jolie who has established herself as a prominent campaigner against gender and sexual violence in war zones and continually voicing the plight of refugees.

Other countries more aligned with Argentinas view of the long-reigning Royal were Mexico and Brazil, who ranked her towards the end of the top 20.

Overall, 17 countries placed Queen Elizabeth in their top five, including the UAE, Russia and South Africa.

World's most admired 2016 Show all 40 1 /40 World's most admired 2016 World's most admired 2016 1.Bill Gates 11.3 % voted Gates the most admired man in the YouGov poll World's most admired 2016 1.Angelina Jolie 9.1 % voted Jolie the most admired woman in the YouGov poll World's most admired 2016 2. Barack Obama 7.1 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 2. Queen Elizabeth II 6.7 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 3. Xi Jinping 6.2 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 3. Hillary Clinton 5.8 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 4. Jackie Chan 5.3 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 4. Oprah Winfrey 4.9 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 5. Stephen Hawking 5.1 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 5. Michelle Obama 4.5 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 6. Vladimir Putin 4.4 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 6. Celine Dion 4.0 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 7. Mark Zuckerberg 4.4 % of admiration (men) Reuters World's most admired 2016 7. Malala Yousafzai 4.0 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 8. Dalai Lama 4.3 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 8. Angela Merkel 4.0 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 9. Narendra Modi 3.8 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 9. Aung San Suu Kyi 3.6 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 10. Jack Ma 3.7 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 10. Sandra Bullock 3.0 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 11. David Beckham 3.2 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 11. Shakira 2.9 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 12. Lionel Messi 3.1 % of admiration (men) Getty World's most admired 2016 12. Madonna 2.9 % of admiration (women) AP World's most admired 2016 13. Pope Francis 3.0 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 13. Emma Watson 2.7 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 14. Brad Pitt 2.8 % of admiration (men) Getty World's most admired 2016 14. Taylor Swift 2.5 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 15. Warren Buffett 2.7 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 15. Meryl Streep 2.4 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 16. Billy Graham 1.6 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 16. Kate Middleton 2.3 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 17. Andy Lau 1.5 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 17. Ellen DeGeneres 2.1 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 18. Donald Trump 1.3 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 18. Jennifer Lawrence 2.0 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 19. Jay Chou 1.1 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 19. Victoria Beckham 1.9 % of admiration (women) World's most admired 2016 20. Bernie Sanders 0.7 % of admiration (men) World's most admired 2016 20. Marine le Pen 0.4 % of admiration (women)

Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was ranked higher than Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama in the list of most admired men in the world, was unsurprisingly ranked highest in Russia.

Egypt, China, Saudi Arabia and Morocco also hailed him as someone to admire, while the UK, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia and Singapore placed him further down in the rankings.
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Quentin Letts has apologised for poking fun at Andrew Marr and calling the British broadcaster Captain Hop-Along.

In his Daily Mail column about the rival Sunday morning television programmes hosted by Marr and Robert Peston, he made an implicit reference to Marrs stroke.

We have Andrew Captain Hop-Along Marr growling away on BBC One, throwing his arm about like a tipsy conductor, Letts wrote.

The Daily Mail columnist has since expressed regrets for his comments. I have contacted him to apologise. Ive left a message and sent a text and put a tweet up, Letts told The Independent.

Marr had a stroke in January 2013 and was in hospital for two months but returned to presenting his BBC show eight months later.

The Stroke Association have criticised Letts comments, saying the physical repercussions of strokes should not be mocked.

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.

The devastating physical impact of a stroke is no joke, said Alexis Wieroniey, the Deputy Director of Policy.

Quentin Letts should apologise for his offensive and prejudiced comments about Andrew Marrs disability. Sadly this demonstrates that discrimination against people with a disability still exists, and it is vital that we take a stand against it.

Stroke is one of the biggest causes of disability, and across the UK there are over one million stroke survivors like Andrew Marr who are rebuilding their lives. With the right care and support, as well as compassion from those around them, stroke survivors can and do make fantastic recoveries.

Letts comments have also prompted controversy on Twitter.

Tragic, ankle-biting Quentin Letts in today's Mail. (Andrew Marr of course had a near-fatal stroke in 2013), wrote one user.

While another said, Letts comments are disablist in extreme & he should apologise.

The Andrew Marr Show declined request for comment.
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Nasa has released 56 of its patented technologies into the public domain, in a move which could be a great help to private space companies like SpaceX.

Among the trove of newly-public inventions is a method for manufacturing carbon nanotubes, which is apparently 20 times cheaper than current techniques, a super-efficient rocket engine, and a tougher type of aerogel, a futuristic material which Nasa uses to capture samples of comet dust.

Another notable invention now open for manufacture by everyone is a 'smart' nozzle for turbine engines, which could drastically improve the performance and efficiency of aircraft.

Recommended Read more SpaceX successfully lands Falcon 9 rocket at sea for the second time

All the technologies released were developed for Nasa's space missions - but like enriched baby food, portable cordless vacuums and memory foam mattresses, many everyday products had their beginnings in the space programme. We'll have to wait and see how this latest batch of patents makes it into the commercial world.

Daniel Lockey, from Nasa's 'Technology Transfer' programme, said; "By making these technologies available in the public domain, we are helping foster a new era of entrepreneurship that will again place America at the forefront of high-tech manufacturing and economic competitiveness."

He added the huge release will encourage entrepreneurs to "explore new ways to commercialise Nasa technologies."

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

The newly-public patents will doubtless be useful to SpaceX, Elon Musk's private space company, which itself has made space travel cheaper and more efficient by perfecting the vertical rocket booster landing.

SpaceX is already collaborating with Nasa by taking on contracts to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. The Independent has contacted the company to find out more about future joint ventures.
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Urgent action is needed to combat a yellow fever epidemic in Africa amid signs it is turning into a global health emergency and a severe shortage of the vaccine, academics have warned.

With nearly a billion people at risk from the deadly disease in Africa and Latin America and the danger of an outbreak in Asia, immunologist Professor Daniel Lucey and Lawrence Gostin, a professor in global health law, called on the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare an emergency saying delays over Ebola had "cost lives".

And they also said that because of the surge in new infectious diseases in recent years  thought to be driven in part by climate change  the world should now set up a permanent committee to decide how to respond as new threats emerge.

Angola is in the grip of its worst yellow fever epidemic since 1986 with more than 250 deaths, and the disease is spreading rapidly  Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all reported cases.

Peru has had at least 20 cases and there have also been several in China after people returned from Angola with the disease.

In an article called A Yellow Fever Epidemic: A New Global Health Emergency? in the journal JAMA, the academics, of Georgetown University in Washington DC, warned: The looming threat of a severe yellow fever vaccine shortage exists amid epidemics in Africa and potentially in Latin America and Asia.

Millions of people are due to be immunised as this is the only effective way to protect people against the disease, normally spread by mosquitoes.

But a shortage could spark a health security crisis and the WHO should consider reducing the dose to make the vaccine go further given the worlds vital health security interests, the academics wrote.

The WHO, they argued, should also urgently convene an emergency committee to mobilize funds, coordinate an international response, and spearhead a surge in vaccine production.

Prior delays by the WHO in convening emergency committees for the Ebola virus, and possibly the on-going Zika epidemic, cost lives and should not be repeated, they wrote.

Acting proactively to address the evolving yellow fever epidemic is imperative.

 Angola yellow fever outbreak spreads

Since the 17th century there have been sporadic outbreaks of the disease outside its normal range in southern Africa and South America, usually in sea ports.

This happened in Europe in 1730 and 1821, when the UK was affected, and there have also been outbreaks in the US, such as in New Orleans in 1905, Memphis, Tennessee, in 1878 and Philadelphia in 1793.

Yellow fever kills people in a particularly nasty way. It initially causes symptoms such as fever, a significant backache, shivering and vomiting for about three or four days.

But shortly after they seem to recover about 15 per cent of patients are hit by a much worse fever that gives them the jaundice from which the disease gets its name.

They can then start bleeding from the eyes, nose and stomach, with further vomiting and cramps. About half of those who get this more severe strain will die as a result. There is no treatment.

In pictures: Ebola virus Show all 62 1 /62 In pictures: Ebola virus In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker from Sierra Leone's Red Cross Society Burial Team 7 carries the corpse of a child in Freetown In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health workers from the Sierra Leone's Red Cross Society Burial Team 7 is sprayed with desinfectant after removing a corpse from a house in Freetown In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers from Sierra Leone's Red Cross Society Burial Team 7 prepare to remove a body from a house in Freetown AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers from the Sierra Leone's Red Cross Society Burial Team 7 place a body in a grave at King Tom cemetary in Freetown In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Mustapha Rogers of the Red Cross talks as health workers from the Sierra Leone's Red Cross Society Burial Team 7 remove a corpse from a house in Freetown In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A citizen from Mali arrives at a hospital in Murcia city, south-eastern Spain. The protocol for a possible case of Ebola has been activated as the man, who arrived from Mali to Jumilla town in Murcia province five days ago, presents clinical symptoms of high fever and vomiting EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Kenyan medical workers show how to handle an infected Ebola patient on a portable negative pressure bed at the Kenyatta national hospital in Nairobi Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker sprays disinfectant onto a college in Monrovia, Liberia AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A burial team in protective gear bury the body of a woman suspected to have died from Ebola virus in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Healthcare workers in protective gear work at an Ebola treatment center in the west of Freetown, Sierra Leone AP Photo/Michael Duff In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A healthcare worker in protective gear is sprayed with disinfectant after working in an Ebola treatment center in the west of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A member of the NGO U Fondation leaves a house after visiting quarantined family members suffering from the Ebola virus in Monrovia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola sign placed infront of a home in West Point slum area of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian man carries his sick brother suspected of having Ebola after being delayed admission to the Island Clinic Ebola Treatment Unit due to a lack of beds at the clinic on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers remove the body a woman who died from the Ebola virus in the Aberdeen district of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker fixes another health worker's protective suit in the Aberdeen district of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers spray themselves with chlorine disinfectants after removing the body a woman who died of Ebola virus in the Aberdeen district of Freetown, Sierra Leone In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A woman crawls towards the body of her sister as Ebola burial team members take her sister Mekie Nagbe (28) for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Sophia Doe sits with her grandchildren Beauty Mandi, 9 months (L) and Arthuneh Qunoh, 9, (R), while watching the arrival an Ebola burial team to take away the body of her daughter Mekie Nagbe, 28, for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Varney Jonson (46) grieves as an Ebola burial team takes away the body of his wife Nama Fambule for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Family members grieve as Ebola burial team members prepare to remove the body of Nama Fambule for cremation in Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian burial squad carry the body of an Ebola victim in Marshall, Margini county, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola burial team dresses in protective clothing before collecting the body of a woman (54) from her home in the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola burial team carries the body of a woman (54) through the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus An Ebola burial team dresses in protective clothing before collecting the body of a woman (54) from her home in the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health workers in protective gear carry the body of a woman suspected to have died from Ebola virus, from a house in New Kru Town at the outskirt of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Volunteers in protective suit bury the body of a person who died from Ebola in Waterloo, some 30 kilometers southeast of Freetown FLORIAN PLAUCHEUR/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Nowa Paye (9) is taken to an ambulance after showing signs of the Ebola infection in the village of Freeman Reserve, about 30 miles north of Monrovia, Liberia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Medical staff members burn clothes belonging to patients suffering from Ebola, at the French medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Monrovia PASCAL GUYOT/AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A medical staff member wearing a protective suit walks past the crematorium where victims of Ebola are burned in Monrovia In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian burial team wearing protective clothing loads the body of a 60-year-old Ebola victim after retrieving him from his home Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Sick women rest while hoping to enter the new Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ebola treatment center near Monrovia, Liberia Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Hanah Siafa walks in the rain with her children Josephine, 10, and Elija, six, while waiting to enter the new Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ebola treatment center in Monrovia, Liberia Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus UNICEF health workers walk through the streets, going house to house to speak about Ebola prevention in New Kru Town, Liberia. The virus has killed more than 1,000 people in four African countries Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Local residents watch as public health advocates stage an Ebola awareness and prevention event in Monrovia, Liberia Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Public health advocates stage an Ebola awareness and prevention event in Monrovia, Liberia. The Liberian government and international groups are trying to convince residents of the danger and are urging people to wash their hands to help prevent the spread of the epidemic Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Hanah Siafa lies with her children Josephine, 10, and Elija, six, while hoping to enter the new Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ebola treatment center Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker examines patients for Ebola inside a screening tent, at the Kenema Government Hospital AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A health worker cleans his hands with chlorinated water before entering an Ebola screening tent at the Kenema Government Hospital, about 86 miles from Sierra Leones capital Freetown AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Aid workers and doctors transfer Miguel Pajares, a Spanish priest who was infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia, from a plane to an ambulance as he leaves the Torrejon de Ardoz military airbase, near Madrid, Spain AP Photo/Spanish Defense Ministry In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian money exchanger washes hands between customers as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus while conducting business in downtown Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian health worker sprays disinfectant on a drivers boots to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus at the Christian charity Samaritan Purse head offices in Monrovia, Liberia. Over 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa in 2014 making it the world's deadliest outbreak to date according to statistics from the World Health Organisation EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian taxi driver wears protective gloves as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus whilst driving in downtown Monrovia, Liberia. Many Liberians have taken to wearing gloves and washing hands after every interaction in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian money exchanger wears protective gloves as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus while transacting business with customers in downtown Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A woman from Liberia takes food to a sick relative in the Ebola isolation unit at the ELWA Hospital where US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined having contracted the Ebola virus. Over 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa in 2014 making it the world's deadliest outbreak to date according to statistics from the World Health Organisation EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus The disease has now spread to Liberia and, for the first time, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, killing at least 672 people in 1,201 cases, according to the World Health Organisations latest figures AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Health specialists prepare for work in an isolation ward for patients at the Medecins Sans Frontieres facility in southern Guinea AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian street vendor wears protective gloves as a precaution to prevent infection with the deadly Ebola virus while transacting business with customers in downtown Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A nurse from Liberia sprays preventives to disinfect the waiting area for visitors at the ELWA Hospital where a US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined in the hospitals isolation unit having contracted the Ebola virus, Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Staff of the 'Doctors without Borders' ('Medecin sans frontieres') medical aid organisation carry the body of a person killed by the virus In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberia man (right) talks to a nurse (left) about the health of his relative who is in the isolation unit of the ELWA Hospital where a US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined having contracted the Ebola virus, Monrovia, Liberia EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A nurse from Liberia walks to spray preventives to disinfect the waiting area for visitors at the ELWA Hospital where a US doctor Kent Bradley is being quarantined in the hospitals isolation unit having contracted the Ebola virus EPA In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Staff of the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse put on protective gear in the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Lagos State Health Commissioner Jide Idris, speaks, during a news conference in Lagos, Nigeria. No one knows for sure just how many people Patrick Sawyer came into contact with the day he boarded a flight in Liberia, had a stopover in Ghana, changed planes in Togo, and then arrived in Nigeria, where authorities say he died days later from Ebola AP Photo/Sunday Alamba In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Staff of the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse put on protective gear in the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia. An American doctor battling West Africa's Ebola epidemic has himself fallen sick with the disease in Liberia, Samaritan's Purse said AP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Protective gear including boots, gloves, masks and suits, drying after being used in a treatment room in the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A Liberian man holding a Civet being sold on a roadside as bush meat in Lofa County. Bush meat is one of the major carriers of the Ebola virus. The Liberian government and International partners have warned people to not eat it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that a total of 888 Ebola cases including 539 deaths have been recorded in West Africa since February AFP In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus People unload protection and healthcare material at Conakry's airport, to help fight the spread of the Ebola virus and treat people who have been already infected AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Body of evidence: health workers transport a casket of a nun whose death resulted from an Ebola infection in Zaire in 1995 Getty In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Peter Piot in Yambuku, northern Congo (then Zaire), in 1976, where he was part of the original team to discover the Ebola virus J Breman In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus A member of Doctors Without Borders helps to unload protection and healthcare materials in Guinea Getty In pictures: Ebola virus Ebola virus Doctors in protective gear work inside the Medecins Sans Frontieres isolation ward as Guinea faced the worst ever outbreak of the Ebola virus Getty Images

Since the 1980s, the medical community has reported a range of new disease threats, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus, bird flu and swine flu.

There are thought to be a number of reasons for this, including the growth of the human population coupled with the ease of international travel; the global trade in animals and plants; the loss of natural habitats which has forced animals to look for new places to find food; and climate change, which has enabled animals to move to different places.

Scientists are concerned that yellow fever could reach Britain naturally as the climate gets warm enough for Asian tiger mosquito to flourish. The insect has spread from its native territory in south-east Asia to Europe in just 20 years.

The Zika virus - in pictures Show all 5 1 /5 The Zika virus - in pictures The Zika virus - in pictures A three-month-old, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil. A rise in microcephaly cases is thought to have been caused by the spread of the Zika virus in affected countries Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A mother holds her baby who has microcephaly Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A five-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A pediatric infectologist examines a two-month-old baby, who has microcephaly, in Recife, Brazil Getty Images The Zika virus - in pictures A baby affected with microcephaly

Professors Lucey and Gostin said it was time for the world to set up a permanent body to monitor new diseases.

Global health advocates should not have to call for convening an emergency committee for each new international health threat, they wrote.

Instead, the WHO should establish a standing emergency committee to meet regularly to advice the director-general whether to declare an emergency, take necessary steps to avert a crisis or both.

The complexities and apparent increased frequency of emerging infectious disease threats and the catastrophic consequences of delays in the international response, make it no longer tenable to place the sole responsibility and authority with the WHOs director-general to convene currently ad hoc emergency committees.

The WHO, which said last month that yellow fever was a threat to the entire world, said that holding an emergency committee meeting on yellow fever was "under discussion".

"The Angola outbreak is of particular concern because of its urban nature and the possibility of international spread," it said, adding that more than 11.6 million doses of the vaccine had been sent to Angola and another 2.2 million doses "on their way" to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

WHO is also helping Angola and DRC to carry out mass immunisation campaigns in the affected areas, detect new cases, and control mosquitoes and other disease vectors.

It added: "WHO is actively monitoring possibilities of international exportation to other countries and heightening global surveillance to identify newly affected countries."

On its website, WHO warns: "The risk of international spread is greater than before. In the past devastating outbreaks occurred mainly in sea ports. Today, most cities are connected to most of the world by more rapid means of transport, train or plane.

So far, the virus circulation has remained within the borders of historically endemic countries, but the virus could spread quickly and cause epidemics in areas with a high density of vectors and a non-immune population.
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A 101-year-old is thought to have become the oldest defendant in British legal history after he appeared in court charged with historical sex offences.

Ralph Clarke appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court charged with a total of 29 offences committed against three children between 1974 and 1983 and was granted unconditional bail.

The pensioner, who was born in March 1915, did not enter a plea during the brief appearance.

He will appear at Birmingham Crown Court for a plea hearing on 6 June.

Clarke faces 15 counts of indecent assault, two of inciting a girl to commit an act of gross indecency, 10 allegations of gross indecency and two of attempting to commit another sexual offence.

Some of the offences are believed to have taken place in Clarkes lorry and in a garage workshop, the Birmingham Mail reports.

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His solicitor, Khizar Hyatt, said he understood the charge but indicated Clarke would enter a "not guilty" plea.
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The mother of 15-year-old girl who was a victim of revenge porn, has described the polices decision only to caution the offender as absolutely disgusting, in light of evidence he targeted at least four other victims over several months.

The woman said the perpetrator lifted pictures of her daughter from Facebook, altered them with sexual imagery and uploaded them onto a pornography site.

She also claims the man made threatening phone calls to her daughter referencing sexual acts.

Police arrested a 36-year-old man of Eastbourne, East Sussex on 27 April after receiving complaints from four victims in Eastbourne, including the teenager, that images had been posted onto the porn site without their consent.

The man admitted to the offences, which took place over five months. He was cautioned by Sussex Police for one offence of revenge porn and three related offences, relating to the four complaints.

Police said they are reviewing allegations of a similar offence made by a fifth woman, but no crime has been recorded.

The teenager's mother, who remains unnamed for legal reasons, told the Guardian her daughter was made aware of the images after being contacted by another victim.

The teenager reported her complaints to the police who gave her a crime reference number and interviewed her. Police later told her daughter the man had been given a caution but not charged.

The mother said: I think its absolutely disgusting Who knows if he is doing this to other girls. Its terrible that he has not gone through the justice system. It caused her real distress.

Revenge porn is a term used to describe sexually explicit media that is publicly shared online without the consent of the pictured individual. Posting revenge porn images and videos online became a criminal offence in England and Wales in 2015, with offenders facing up to two years in jail.

A BBC Freedom of Information request from 31 forces in England and Wales between April and December 2015, found children as young as 11 are among more than 1,000 alleged victims of revenge porn who reported offences in the first year of the new law coming into effect.

It found around 11 per cent of the reported offences resulted in the alleged perpetrator being charged, while 7 per cent resulted in a caution.

Laura Higgins, from the Revenge Porn Helpline, told the Independent: For first time offenders a caution may be suitable, but in this case a catalogue of offences including contacting the victim by telephone points to more concerning obsessive, stalking behaviour, which happened over a long period of time. I dont think a caution sends a good message and it is not deterrent."

A Sussex Police spokesman told the Sun: The decision to caution the suspect was made by police.

This decision fits the national framework for out-of-court disposals, and simple cautions are available for adults for any offence, including some serious offences.

The Independent has contacted Sussex Police for comment.
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An Ancient Egyptian statue described as an irreplaceable masterpiece has now probably left the UK after its sale for nearly 16m by a British museum to a mysterious private collector, campaigners have said.

The Government had put an export ban on the 4,500-year-old statue of Sekhemka, amid attempts in Egypt to crowdfund enough money to buy it.

Campaigners in the UK and the Egyptian antiquities minister Mamdouh al-Damaty were appalled that the statue would no longer be on public display, with Mr Damaty describing its sale by Northampton Borough Council as a moral crime against world heritage.

Following the lifting of the export ban, the Save Sekhemka Action Group UK said in a statement: It is with great sadness that we report that the statue is now likely to have left the UK for an unknown fate thus making our campaign work over the past three years and 10 months invalid.

It is regrettable that during this time we have found no official support for our campaign from the great national museums and that the impartial condemnation of Northampton Borough Council by Arts Council England and the Museums Association made no impression.

It has been rumoured to have been sold to either a private American or Qatari collector.

Arts Council England has stripped Northampton Museum of its accreditation status until at least 2019, meaning it is no longer eligible for a string of public grants and other funding, because the sale breached conditions covering the disposal of historic artefacts.

The limestone statue, which is about 2.5ft high, shows Sekhemka and a smaller figure, assumed to be his wife, kneeling beside him. The scribes ability to read and write at a time when very few would have conferred significant status.

Spencer Compton, the second Marquis of Northampton, acquired the statue during a trip to Egypt in around 1850, but it was donated to the museum by the family about 30 years later.

The Sekhemka Action Group added: In view of the revelations from the so-called Panama Papers showing the unethical and anonymous trade in high-end antiquities for tax purposes or money laundering it is high time that the Arts Council England, the Museums Association and the museum world insist that the UK Government ends the right to anonymity in auction rooms.

In the same way that property owners must soon declare the beneficial owner, so must and should purchasers of high end art and antiquities.

The action group said it would end its campaign but wished our Egyptian colleagues well in their continuing attempts to seek legal redress over the unethical sale of Sekhemka.

Finally we appeal to the rumoured American buyer of Sekhemka  please lend the statue permanently to the Brooklyn Museum, New York, which is already looking after a damaged statue of a similar age and personage, in order that Sekhemka may again be on display thus fulfilling some of the conditions laid down in the 4th Marquess of Northamptons Deed of Gift.

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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

A spokeswoman for Northampton Borough Council said it did not know where the statue was.

We dont have the faintest idea because we sold it nearly two years ago, so its something we are not kept informed about, she said.
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A British-Iranian mother and charity worker has been detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, separated from her one-year-old baby daughter and held without charge in solitary confinement.

The family of charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 37, is issuing an urgent appeal for David Cameron to use the newly strengthened relationship between the West and Iran to overturn her outrageous and arbitrary detention.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes British passport was confiscated, along with that of her baby, Gabriella, when she tried to return to London after a two-week holiday visiting family in Tehran.

Human rights attacks around the world Show all 10 1 /10 Human rights attacks around the world Human rights attacks around the world China Escalating crackdown against human rights activists including mass arrests of lawyers and a series of sweeping laws in the name of national security. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Egypt The arrest of thousands, including peaceful critics, in a ruthless crackdown in the name of national security, the prolonged detention of hundreds without charge or trial and the sentencing of hundreds of others to death. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Gambia Torture, enforced disappearances and the criminalisation of LGBTI people; and utter refusal to co-operate with the UN and regional human rights mechanisms on issues including freedom of expression, enforced disappearance and the death penalty. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Hungary Sealing off its borders to thousands of refugees in dire need; and obstructing collective regional attempts to help them. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Israel Maintaining its military blockade of Gaza and therefore collective punishment of the 1.8 million inhabitants there, as well as failing, like Palestine, to comply with a UN call to conduct credible investigations into war crimes committed during the 2014 Gaza conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Kenya Extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances and discrimination against refugees in its counter-terrorism operations; and attempts to undermine the International Criminal Court and its ability to pursue justice. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Pakistan The severe human rights failings of its response to the horrific Peshawar school massacre including its relentless use of the death penalty; and its policy on international NGOs giving authorities the power to monitor them and close them down if they are considered to be against the interests of the country. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Russia Repressive use of vague national security and anti-extremism legislation and its concerted attempts to silence civil society in the country; its shameful refusal to acknowledge civilian killings in Syria and its callous moves to block Security Council action on Syria. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Saudi Arabia Brutally cracking down on those who dared to advocate reform or criticise the authorities; and committing war crimes in the bombing campaign it has led in Yemen (pictured) while obstructing the establishment of a UN-led inquiry into violations by all sides in the conflict. Getty Images Human rights attacks around the world Syria Killing thousands of civilians in direct and indiscriminate attacks with barrel bombs and other weaponry and through acts of torture in detention; and enforcing lengthy sieges of civilian areas, blocking international aid from reaching starving civilians. Getty Images

After being stopped at the check-in desk on 3 April, she was transported to an unknown detention facility some 1,000km away in Kerman Province.

Speaking to The Independent, her British husband Richard Ratcliffe said his wife was being interrogated daily and had been given no access to a lawyer or to see her daughter, who is being cared for by her grandparents. The family understands she has been made to sign a confession under duress, but does not know its contents.

Addressing the Prime Minister, Mr Ratcliffe said: Please, do whatever you can to bring my wife home and bring my daughter home.

Richard Ratcliffe and his wife, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been detained without charge in Iran

Nazanin and Richard married in 2009 in Winchester. They met when they were both studying masters courses in 2007 (Family Handout)

The authorities in Iran have confirmed they are holding the British citizen, her husband said, but refused to say on what grounds beyond the fact it is a serious investigation involving national security.

A project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation development charity, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has visited her family in Iran four times since Gabriella was born in June 2014.

And her husband said it was absolutely crazy she could be implicated in such apparently serious charges  a fact which will itself bring suffering and cruelty on her extended family in Iran.

Nazanin is a kind, caring and very sociable person, a lovely and loving wife and mother, and it will be breaking her heart to be so far from her baby, Mr Ratcliffe said.

He called on Mr Cameron to use whatever pressure [he] can to bring her at the very least out of solitary confinement.

She draws strength from being with family and friends and other mums, being stuck away in solitary confinement will be killing her, he said.

Barbara Ratcliffe, Mr Ratcliffes mother, said the whole family is frantically worried about Nazanins safety.

We have been given false information and hope that she would be detained for a couple of days more and that was a month ago and still no Naz. We desperately need both Naz and Gabriella home.

Mr Ratcliffe has started a petition on Change.org calling on the Iranian government to Free Nazanin, and said he hoped it could show there is a community of people who care for her.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told The Independent: We have been providing support to the family of a British-Iranian national since we were first informed of her arrest, and will continue to do so.
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It is a claim that, if true, would mean Britain is about to make one of the biggest economical mistakes in its history, a blunder that would damage our country's finances for decades and almost inevitably cause the Government to fall.

For, according to Keith Barnham, an emeritus professor of physics, the total subsidy paid to the planned Hinkley Point nuclear power station by the British taxpayer could reach a staggering 53 billion over its lifetime  and the main beneficiaries will be French.

He argues that such is the likely growth of renewables that the UK will not actually need the Hinkleys electricity, so it will be sold abroad. And, he says, the most likely customers are in France, home of energy giant EDF, which is expected to build the plant.

Questions about the viability of the 18bn power plant have been raised following problems with reactors of a similar design.

Senior company engineers and unions at EDF are believed to be concerned that building Hinkley Point could ruin the company. EDF has put off a final decision on the project by several months.

Because of the expense of building a nuclear plant, the Government has had to guarantee a high price for its electricity. If that is significantly above the market price, the UK taxpayer will pay billions.

This would defend on market conditions for years to come and how much the demand for electricity rises as vehicles and the economy generally stop using fossil fuels.

But, in an article for The Independent, Professor Barnham, of Imperial College London, argues that the expansion of renewables will mean that by 2029 there will be no demand for continuous and expensive nuclear power in the UK.

It could all end up being exported to countries with fewer renewables, like France, at a price massively subsidised by Britains hard-working bill payers, he writes.

If Hinkley starts in 2025 with the performance Department for Energy and Climate Change expects, the nuclear subsidy will be around 820m each year on the no-subsidy renewable scenario.

The subsidy will double should the second Hinkley reactor come on stream around 2030, leading to a total bill, over the 35 years of the guarantee, of 53bn, which could all end up supporting low electricity prices abroad.

He suggests the Governments decision to cut subsidies for onshore wind and solar power was designed to keep the level of subsidy down by reducing the growth in electricity supplies. This would increase the wholesale price so that it is closer to the price guaranteed for Hinkleys electricity.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change [DECC] is predicting a much lower subsidy of between 4.4bn and 19.9bn, Professor Barnham says, because they hope the natural gas price will rise and the renewable expansion can be halted.

The nuclear price guarantee could be a vote loser at the 2020 general election, when it will be clearer how soon the UK will have an all-renewable electricity supply, he adds.

The figures that Professor Barnham uses to back up his assertions are sufficiently complicated that an energy market expert at a leading think tank declined to comment, saying it would take several days of consultancy time for them to meaningfully enter the debate.

Others were sceptical, but said it was not unlikely that some of Hinkleys power would be sold overseas with the growth of a network of electricity interconnectors that can transfer electricity efficiently over long distances.

Phil Taylor, Siemens professor of energy systems at Newcastle University, said Professor Barnham had made a very bold set of statements.

I think theres a huge amount of uncertainty about what our energy markets and requirements will look like by the time this nuclear power station will be built and operational, he said.

Its possible that some of that is true, but its very uncertain, its a very bold thing to claim.

He said he thought Hinkleys baseload power would be very useful and needed because of the rise in demand for electricity.

However Professor Taylor added: Whether we have done the right thing by guaranteeing such a good price for that nuclear power for such a long time is another matter.

We may have locked ourselves into some expensive electricity for the future, but I would be surprised if we didnt need it.

A DECC spokeswoman said a new nuclear plant was necessary.

Keeping the lights on is non-negotiable and this Government is taking responsible decisions on how we are going to power our country now and for the next generation, she said.

Nuclear is part of this plan and can provide continuous power, irrespective of whether the wind is blowing and the sun is shining.

It will also create thousands of jobs for working families and businesses across the UK. Hinkley alone will power nearly six million homes, create more than 25,000 jobs and give us 60 years of reliable electricity for the cost of 35.

The National Grids most ambitious green future scenario for the expansion of renewable energy says that nuclear power would still be needed.

The commissioning of the first new nuclear power station, during the first part of the 2020s, is a cornerstone of the Gone Green generation mix as the country continues on its pathway to achieve the 2050 environmental targets, it says.

However the National Grid itself declined to comment of Professor Barnhams claims.

James Court, head of policy at the Renewable Energy Association, said Hinkley Point was in danger of becoming a white elephant.

Mr Court said diesel and nuclear plants were being subsidised and the Government would likely help fund new gas plants this year.

Weve got the crazy situation that diesel, gas and nuclear are being subsidised, but the cheapest renewables, onshore wind and solar, are not, he said.
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Jeremy Hunts claim that more patients die in NHS hospitals at the weekend has ben challenged by new research suggesting his central assumption is based on flawed data.

The Health Secretary has cited a previous study by Englands Chief Medical Officer Sir Bruce Keogh to make the case for seven-day NHS in England  and a new contract for junior doctors.

But now researchers from Oxford University have questioned whether the information used in the original study was attributed correctly.

The academics found more than a third of patients recorded as being admitted for a stroke were actually in for other things  often low-risk, routine procedures carried out on Monday to Friday.

They said these coding errors distorted the mortality figures, making them appear better for patients admitted on weekdays.

Without the mistakes, they argued, there was no "weekend effect".

They added that these errors were likely to commonplace across other emergency admissions and not just for data on strokes.

"There's a wealth of poor-quality evidence based on hospital administrative data," said Peter Rothwell, the lead author of the report and professor of neurology at Oxford University.

"If you look at those studies that have actually done the due diligence and looked at real data  gold-standard data  there's very little evidence indeed of a weekend effect.

"It really is an excellent example of how poor quality data, badly interpreted, can lead to the wrong answer."

 Jeremy Hunt doorstep

He said government ministers had acted in good faith but had been "badly misled" by their advisers.

"Looking at where we are now, you could only describe it as a shambles," he said.

"We need to step back and work out to begin with is there a problem here that needs solving. The high-quality data suggests there's no problem to be solved."

In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Doctor in acute medicine, Melissa Haskins, holds up a 'I ain't afraid of no Hunt' sign whilst striking with other junior doctors outside her hospital, St Thomas' Hospital in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Accident and emergency junior doctor, Jennifer Hulse, holds a homemade placard outside St Thomas' Hospital as she strikes with colleagues in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Demonstrators and Junior doctors hold placards as they protest outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, in Basingstoke during a strike by junior doctors Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Demonstrators and Junior doctors hold placards as they protest outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, in Basingstoke during a strike by junior doctors Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike A supporter displays a slogan on her bag during a junior doctors' strike outside St Thomas' Hospital in London Reuters In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike The picket line outside King's College Hospital in London PA In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike The picket line outside King's College Hospital in London, as thousands of junior doctors begun the first all-out strike in the history of the NHS after the Health Secretary said the Government would not be "blackmailed" into dropping its manifesto pledge for a seven-day health service PA In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Junior doctors and supporters take part in a strike outside the Royal United Hospital in Bath Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Doctor in acute medicine, Melissa Haskins, holds up a 'I ain't afraid of no Hunt' sign whilst striking with other junior doctors outside her hospital, St Thomas' Hospital in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Dave Prentis, UNISON general secretary visits a British Medical Association picket line at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, to show support for striking junior doctors on the second day of the union's annual health conference PA

The publication of the study comes as doctors' leaders and the Government return to the negotiating table today in an effort to break the deadlock over the controversial contract for junior medics.

The British Medical Association will hold fresh talks after Mr Hunt agreed to a five-day pause in the imposition of the new junior doctors' contract.

The talks will be held at the conciliation service Acas.

Dr Johann Malawana, chairman of the BMA's junior doctors committee, said he hoped "real progress can now be made to ending this dispute".

But he said that any contract - whether agreed or not - should be put to a referendum of junior doctors.

The Department of Health also expressed optimism that the talks could be successful.

We look forward to the talks starting tomorrow, which will be held under the auspices of Acas  and the Secretary of State will suspend the introduction of the new contract for a five-day period to facilitate this, the department said in a statement.

"We are very pleased that Sir David Dalton, a highly respected independent NHS leader, will be returning to lead the Government's negotiating team on the small number of outstanding issues that separated both parties in February."

Dr Malawana wrote on Twitter that he would "welcome" working with Sir David again and would "try and find a solution for junior doctors".

He added: "Will be tough week but juniors want talks."

An Acas spokesman said: "After consultations with both parties in recent days, both the BMA and government representatives accepted an invitation from the chair of Acas, Sir Brendan Barber, to take part in five days of intensive talks to seek to resolve outstanding differences in the current junior doctors' dispute."

The agreement to resume talks follows a wave of industrial action launched by junior doctors in recent months, which saw thousands of operations cancelled after negotiations reached an impasse, with Mr Hunt threatening to impose the controversial contract.

The resumption of negotiations has been brokered by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in an effort to end the dispute.

Mr Hunt has insisted that discussions should not concern 90% of the issues already agreed but should focus instead on outstanding contractual issues.

Junior doctors stopped providing emergency care for the first time in NHS history during their most recent walkout, which went on for two days last week.

 Jeremy Hunt says junior doctors' contract is likely to be his 'last big job in politics'

More than 125,000 appointments and operations were cancelled and will need to be rearranged, on top of almost 25,000 procedures cancelled during previous action.

The dispute began when the Government took steps to introduce its manifesto commitment of a seven-day NHS.

Mr Hunt wants to change what constitutes "unsocial" hours for which junior doctors can claim extra pay, turning 7am to 5pm on Saturday into a normal working day.

Currently, 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday and the whole of Saturday and Sunday attract a premium rate of pay for junior doctors.

Despite the Government offsetting this change with a hike in basic pay of 13.5 per cent, it has proved to be a sticking point with the BMA.

The imposed contract, due to come into force in August, will still allow premium rates for Saturday evenings and all of Sunday.
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The Muslim charity paying for 'Allah is Great' bus adverts has responded to criticism of their campaign.

The posters are being paid for by Islamic Relief, an international humanitarian organisation founded in Birmingham in 1984. The ads display the slogan 'Subhan Allah', meaning 'God is Great' or 'Glory to God', and will start appearing on buses in five UK cities this Friday.

Elements of the media have criticised the campaign, pointing out that cinemas recently refused to screen a Church of England advert containing the Lord's Prayer.

 MP: PM's remarks Islamophobic

But Islamic Relief spokesperson Martin Cottingham suggested that this was not a fair comparison, and that the Islamic Relief ads were more similar to fundraising campaigns that Christian charities such as Christian Aid or Tearfund regularly carry out without controversy.

He told The Independent: "It's important to emphasise that Islamic Relief is not a proselytising organisation. We are inspired by faith, but our money goes to people in need  people of all faiths, and of none.

"A lot of Christian charities have fundraising campaigns around Christmas, as it's a time when people give generously. Ramadan is very much in parallel with that. It's a time when Muslim charities would want to appeal to their community."

"I am a Christian, and I've worked here for five years. When the Lord's Prayer controversy was rife, not one of my Muslim colleagues were offended by that campaign. They thought it was a shame that it didnt get an audience, and I would hope that people would be open-minded about this campaign in the same way."

Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Show all 5 1 /5 Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Tackle the housing crisis Khans key policy is an ambitious target to make 50 per cent of all new homes being genuinely affordable, and improving conditions for people renting Getty Images Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Freeze transport fares Khan says he will freeze London transport fares for four years and introduce a one-hour bus Hopper ticket, paid for by making TfL more efficient and exploring new revenue-raising opportunities. He claims Londoners wont pay a penny more for their travel in 2020 than they do today Getty Images Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Make London safer Resore neighbourhood policing, tackle gangs and knife crime, and a new plan to tackle the spread of extremism, and a review of the resourcing of our fire service Getty Images Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Restore London's air quality Pedestrianise Oxford Street and prioritise measures to improve Londons air quality Getty Images Sadiq Khan's 5 most significant policies Make cycling and walking safer More segregated cycle routes with a promise to spend money improving dangerous junctions Getty Images

The campaign is being represented in the media as a fundraiser for victims of the Syrian Civil War, but Mr Cottingham explained this was also inaccurate.

"The media coverage has focused a lot on Syria, but we work in 33 countries around the world. We have had a constant appeal for Syria running throughout the conflict, and our appeal in Ramadan is more about the entirety of our work.

"The bus campaign is part of a wider appeal, which will use videos, posters and leaflets to focus on our projects in Bangladesh, Kenya, Syria and Gaza. Our annual Ramadan appeal generates between a third and a half of our annual income.

"It's also an opportunity to get across the meaning of Ramadan, as a time of spiritual reflection when Muslims give to those less fortunate than themselves, but it's a charity fundraising campaign first and foremost."

British Muslims donate more than 100 million to charity during Ramadan each year, while Islamic Reliefs Ramadan Appeal raises up to 20 million annually.

The Advertising Standards Agency says it has not received any complaints about the campaign.
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A leading Tory has claimed the new London Mayor Sadiq Khan has jihadi associates in close proximity to influence.

Dr Arujuna Sivananthan, chairman of the British Tamil Conservatives, reportedly said he shuddered at the thought of newly elected Mr Khans associates having influence at the Metropolitan Police.

According to ITV, Dr Sivananthan, an entrepreneur in the care business, tweeted on Saturday: I now shudder at the thought of @SadiqKhans #Jihadi associates now being placed in close proximity to influence @metpoliceuk.

The now-deleted message was posted shortly after Sadiq Khan was announced as the winner of the mayoral election.

Following criticism of his tweet, he claimed his concern was that Mr Khan was not repudiating ideology of people he has stood with.

He wrote: I'm raising a legitimate concern about @sadiqkhan not repudiating ideology of those he's stood with

He later added that he was not a racist and was glad London has its first Moslem (sic) mayor. Just wish it wasnt @sadiqkhan.

Dr Sivananthan is described on the British Tamil Conservatives website as an active local Conservative and avid fundraiser, who is a firm believer in the Conservative principles of Individual Liberty and Civic responsibility.

His comments come in the wake of criticism of the Tory mayoral campaign which saw Mr Khan accused of links to Islamic extremists.

Mr Khan has described the Conservative party electoral tactics as straight out of the Donald Trump playbook and claimed he had been fighting extremism and radicalisation all my life.

The Independent has contacted Dr Sivananthan for comment.
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The chief executive of Barnet council has stood down after a blunder left many residents in the area unable to vote in the local and mayoral elections in London.

An investigation was launched after it emerged that thousands of names were missing from electoral lists at all of the north London authority's 155 polling stations on Thursday. The probe will examine how many of the 236,196 voters were affected.

Andrew Travers, the councils chief executive, is now leaving by mutual agreement following the incident which residents branded an absolute shambles.

A council spokesman said: Following the events during the morning of Thursday's elections, it has been decided, by mutual agreement, that Andrew Travers, chief executive, will leave the council.

The review will conclude by the end of May and the findings will be presented publicly to the general functions committee.

The council also said it will assess the appropriateness of the arrangements in place for the June 23 referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Mr Travers, who was in post for three and half years, said: "I have enjoyed my time at Barnet and I believe the changes we have put in place and the continued programme of growth and transformation will enable the borough to continue to thrive."

Deputy chief executive John Hooton will take over while a new council boss is found.

In pictures: Local elections 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Local elections 2016 In pictures: Local elections 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson and wife Marina leave after casting their votes at a polling station in Islington, north London PA In pictures: Local elections 2016 Northern Ireland First Minister, Arlene Foster (C), Rhonna McMahon (R) and Paul Robinson leave after casting their vote for the Assembly Election, at Brookeborough Primary School in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland Reuters In pictures: Local elections 2016 Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Islington, north London PA In pictures: Local elections 2016 David Cameron and Samantha Cameron cast their votes in the London Mayoral Election in London Getty Images In pictures: Local elections 2016 Labour Party Mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan and his wife Saadiya pose outside The Richardson Hall St Alban's Church Centre in Streatham after casting their votes in London's Mayoral and Assembly elections Getty Images In pictures: Local elections 2016 Britain's Conservative party candidate for Mayor of London Zac Goldsmith and his wife Alice leave after voting at a polling station in the Barnes suburb of south west London AP In pictures: Local elections 2016 George Osborne casts his vote in the London Mayoral Election in London Getty Images In pictures: Local elections 2016 SNP supporter Trish Traynor outside a polling station at St Ninian & Triduana RC Church in Glasgow as the polls open in the Scottish Parliament election PA In pictures: Local elections 2016 Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale (right) with partner Louise Riddell outside a polling station in Edinburgh after casting her vote in the Scottish Parliament election PA In pictures: Local elections 2016 SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon with her husband Peter Murrell after casting her vote at Broomhouse Community Hall polling station in Glasgow as Scotland goes to the polls in the Scottish Parliament election PA

Andrew has overseen Barnet Council during a significant period of challenge and opportunity, delivering changes to services to ensure we get the best value for the taxpayer and securing the council's financial position. He leaves with my thanks and best wishes, said Barnet council leader Richard Cornelius.

Arjun Mittra, a Labour councillor for East Finchley ward, said last week that the logistical nightmare affected every one of the boroughs 155 polling stations. Out of the seven people who came to my polling station in the first 10 minutes, only one was able to vote.

He added: They were very angry  I had one lady who was crying because she was so upset.

 Voters in Barnet turned away

She had come at 7am to vote because she was going away for the day, she said she was disenfranchised. It's a disgrace.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, head of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, was also unable to vote after he and his wife were found not to be on the list. His office said the "disappointed" couple had attended the polling station on their way to the airport, before flying to Amsterdam to spend the weekend with Holland's Jewish community.

Additional reporting by Press Association
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Boris Johnson has been accused of breathtaking hypocrisy in his attempt to pull Britain out of the EU as after he dismissed an argument he himself made less than two years ago as wholly bogus.

In a keynote speech outlining why he believed Britain would be better off outside the EU Mr Johnson claimed there was no truth at all in the claim that the EU had helped Bring about 70 years of stability on the Continent.

The argument we might broadly call the peace-in-Europe argument  that the EU is associated with 70 years of stability, and we need to stay in to prevent German tanks crossing the French borderis wholly bogus, he told journalists and Leave supporters at an event in London.

But Mr Johnson was picked up on his remarks by the ITVs political editor Robert Peston who pointed out that it was remarkably different sentiment from the one he expressed in his acclaimed biography of Churchill published just two years ago.

What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UKs exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EUs single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.

In it he wrote: It was his (Churchills) idea to bring those countries together, to bind them together so indissolubly that they could never go to war again - and who can deny, today, that this idea has been a spectacular success? Together with Nato the European Community, now Union, has helped to deliver a period of peace and prosperity for its people as long as any since the days of the Antonine emperors.

A Britain Stronger in Europe source said: We knew Boris was in favour of having his cake and eating it but who knew he was in the business of selling books and disowning them?

Boris has turned his back on his long-held belief in the peace and prosperity the EU has brought but its hardly surprising, given that just months ago he was still telling friends he is not an Outer.

This decision is too important to be swung by whatever position Boris feels like taking from one week to the next. This breathtaking hypocrisy shows he cannot be trusted with Britains future.
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Disability benefit cuts are among policies changing things for the better, the new Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb has said.

Mr Crabb made the claim at his first Work and Pensions Questions session in the House of Commons, during which he was asked how he differed from his recently departed predecessor Iain Duncan Smith.

Owen Smith, Labours shadow work and pensions secretary, has urged a U-turn on ESA cuts, telling Mr Crabb that disabled people would be be disappointed he wont reverse them.

He also cited changes to pensions for women born in the 1950s and cuts to in-work benefits incorporated into Universal Credit.

But Mr Crabb defended the Governments approach, saying there was no reason to change it.

We are a government that has helped deliver the changes that has seen a huge fall in workless household, were seeing nearly half a million more children growing up in a home, seeing a mum or dad going up to work, he said.

There is no reason to change policies that are changing things for the better for those who have least in our society.

7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013  a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute  without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise

The Government dropped plans to cut the Personal Independence Payment disability benefit after Mr Crabbs predecessor resigned over it.

However ministers are ploughing ahead with cuts to Employment and Support Allowance, which will see some new claimants lose 30 a week.

Research by disability charities has previously suggested the cuts will make it more difficult for disabled people to find work and that it would hinder the Governments goal of halving the disability employment gap.

The Disability Benefits Consortium also found that the current rate of ESA has left around a third of claimants struggling to afford to buy food.

Those cuts will take place from April 2017 and will apply to new claimants put into the Work Related Activity Group. They were passed by MPs earlier this year.
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Boris Johnson has accused David Cameron of getting "nothing" from his EU renegotiation and says he cannot understand why he isn't campaigning to leave.

In a personal attack on the Prime Minister, Mr Johnson said he had got no "real change" from Brussels which was still intent on building "a country called Europe".

The personal nature of his remarks in a speech in London will further infuriate Downing Street that thought it had an agreement with the London Mayor to stop the personal attacks that dominated the start of the campaign.

But Mr Johnson liberally quoted from Mr Cameron's "Bloomberg" speech in which he laid out what reforms to the EU he wanted in order to recommend a vote to stay.

Mr Johnson said none of these goals had been achieved and accused the Government of "systematic subterfuge" in how it portrayed the nature of Britain's current relationship with the EU.

Comparing the EU to the Italian mafia, he also warned of a campaign of "subterfuge" to hide from the British public constitutional changes which he said were being introduced with the aim of creating "a country called Europe".

The Uxbridge MP - who is the leading figurehead of the Leave campaign - said that the Remain camp relied on the three "wholly bogus" myths that membership of the EU boosts the economy and helps preserve peace and that a desire to quit the 28-nation union is anti-European.

What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Show all 5 1 /5 What's the European Parliament ever done for us? What's the European Parliament ever done for us? A cap on the amount of hours an employer can make you work The Working Time directive provides legal standards to ensure the health and safety of employees in Europe. Among the many rules are a working week of a maximum 48 hours, including overtime, a daily rest period of 11 hours in every 24, a break if a person works for six hours or more, and one day off in every seven. It also includes provisions for paid annual leave of at least four weeks every year Getty Images What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping the people of Britain to avoid smoking In 2014 MEPs passed the Tobacco Products Directive strengthening existing rules on the manufacture, production and presentation of tobacco products. This includes things like reduced branding, restrictions on products containing flavoured tobacco, health warnings on cigarette packets and provisions for e-cigarettes to ensure they are safe What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping you to make the right choices with your food Thanks to the European Parliament, UK consumers have access to more information than ever about their food and drink. This includes amount of fat, and how much of it is saturated, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and so on. It also includes portion sizes and guideline daily amount information so people can make informed choices about their diet. All facts must be clear and easy to understand What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Two year guarantees and 14-day returns policy for all products Consumers across the EU have access to a number of rights, from things which are potentially very useful, to things which used to be annoying. For example, shoppers in the UK receive a two-year guarantee on all products, and a 14-day period to change their minds and return a purchase, these things are useful www.PeopleImages.com-licence restrictions apply What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Keeping your air nice and fresh (and safe) Believe it or not, although the situation is improving, some areas of the UK have appalling air quality. A report by the Royal College of Physicians released on 23 February says 40,000 deaths are caused by outdoor air pollution in the UK every year. Air pollution is linked to a number of illnesses and conditions, from Asthma to diabetes and dementia. The report estimates the costs to British business and the health service add up to 20 billion every year

"I am a child of Europe. I am a liberal cosmopolitan and my family is a genetic UN peacekeeping force," said Mr Johnson, who broke briefly into a German-language rendition of Beethoven's Ode To Joy to prove his point.

"I can read novels in French and I can sing the Ode To Joy in German - and if they keep accusing me of being a Little Englander, I will.

 What to believe about the EU referendum

"Both as editor of the Spectator and Mayor of London I have promoted the teaching of modern European languages in our schools. I have dedicated much of my life to the study of the origins of our common European culture and civilization in ancient Greece and Rome.

"So I find it offensive, insulting, irrelevant and positively cretinous to be told - sometimes by people who can barely speak a foreign language - that I belong to a group of small-minded xenophobes; because the truth is it is Brexit that is now the great project of European liberalism, and I am afraid that it is the European Union - for all the high ideals with which it began - that now represents the ancien regime."

Mr Johnson's speech follows the Prime Minister's equally high-profile intervention earlier on the same day.

In what was billed as his most emotive speech so far making the case for Britain remaining in Europe, the Prime Minister evoked the image of rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries as evidence of the price this country has paid to ensure peace and order in the continent.

"Either we influence Europe, or it influences us, he said.

And if things go wrong in Europe, lets not pretend we can be immune from the consequences.

Senior Government strategists said the speech was a deliberate attempt by Mr Cameron to move the remain campaign up a gear and move the focus away from the economy and on to other areas which they believe will swing support behind a stay vote.

Addressing the supporters of Brexit, Mr Cameron said that throughout history British affairs have been intertwined with the affairs of Europe for good or ill.

And he argued that a move to leave the EU now would make the continent and the world an inherently less stable place.

Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt? he asked.

I would never be so rash as to make that assumption.
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Second World War veterans have warned against the UK leaving the European Union, saying it would bring instability to the continent.

Four war heroes, including the former head of the military Field Marshal Lord Bramall, have recorded messages of support for the Remain campaign as the Prime Minister prepares to highlight the human cost paid by Britain in bringing peace to Europe.

David Cameron will refer to the serried rows of white headstones in cemeteries in Europe in his speech on Monday to illustrate the historic ties between the UK and its neighbours.

He will say: "Our history teaches us: the stronger we are in our neighbourhood, the stronger we are in the world.

"Isolationism has never served this country well. Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at much higher cost.

"The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe.

"And if things go wrong in Europe, let's not pretend we can be immune from the consequences."

RAF veteran and NHS campaigner Harry Leslie Smith said: "Britain is stronger in Europe because it reflects the values my generation fought for in Europe during the Second World War."

What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Show all 5 1 /5 What's the European Parliament ever done for us? What's the European Parliament ever done for us? A cap on the amount of hours an employer can make you work The Working Time directive provides legal standards to ensure the health and safety of employees in Europe. Among the many rules are a working week of a maximum 48 hours, including overtime, a daily rest period of 11 hours in every 24, a break if a person works for six hours or more, and one day off in every seven. It also includes provisions for paid annual leave of at least four weeks every year Getty Images What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping the people of Britain to avoid smoking In 2014 MEPs passed the Tobacco Products Directive strengthening existing rules on the manufacture, production and presentation of tobacco products. This includes things like reduced branding, restrictions on products containing flavoured tobacco, health warnings on cigarette packets and provisions for e-cigarettes to ensure they are safe What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Helping you to make the right choices with your food Thanks to the European Parliament, UK consumers have access to more information than ever about their food and drink. This includes amount of fat, and how much of it is saturated, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and so on. It also includes portion sizes and guideline daily amount information so people can make informed choices about their diet. All facts must be clear and easy to understand What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Two year guarantees and 14-day returns policy for all products Consumers across the EU have access to a number of rights, from things which are potentially very useful, to things which used to be annoying. For example, shoppers in the UK receive a two-year guarantee on all products, and a 14-day period to change their minds and return a purchase, these things are useful www.PeopleImages.com-licence restrictions apply What's the European Parliament ever done for us? Keeping your air nice and fresh (and safe) Believe it or not, although the situation is improving, some areas of the UK have appalling air quality. A report by the Royal College of Physicians released on 23 February says 40,000 deaths are caused by outdoor air pollution in the UK every year. Air pollution is linked to a number of illnesses and conditions, from Asthma to diabetes and dementia. The report estimates the costs to British business and the health service add up to 20 billion every year

D-Day veteran and former Royal Marine Patrick Churchill warned: "If it breaks or we are not in that union, then countries will fall apart.

"The only solution is to bind together, hold together, there we find strength."

Field Marshal Lord Bramall, former chief of the defence staff, said: "We would be going backwards, not forwards in what we set out to cure after the terrible tragedies of the Second World War."

Recommended Read more Higher turnout among older voters could tip Britain into Brexit

RAF veteran David Meylan said: "We sacrificed many, many men in both world wars and this was to establish a peaceful and a prosperous union. We can't sacrifice that now."

The European Union was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2012 in recognition of six decades of work promoting peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights.

Nobel committee president Thorbjoern Jagland praised the organisations role in transforming Europe from an continent of war into a continent of peace.

But Brexiters have dismmsed the argument that the UK is safer in the EU.

David Cameron will refer to 'serried rows of white headstones' in Europe as he makes the 'patriotic' case for Britain to stay in the EU (Getty Images)

Justice Secretary Michael Gove told the Daily Telegraph that voting Leave on 23 June was the only way to stop the influence of rogue European courts and to deport terrorists instantly.

He said the European Court of Justice was currently considering the legality of Britains surveillance regime and attempting to assert legal control over what our intelligence agencies can and cannot do.

The eurosceptic MP said life in this country would change because Britain would be safer.

Additional reporting by PA
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Police in Scotland are assessing whether to launch a criminal investigation into two former DWP ministers handling of so-called disability fit-to-work tests.

Disabled activist John McArdle of the Black Triangle campaign lodged a complaint with police in March against Iain Duncan Smith and Chris Grayling, according to the Disability News Service news agency.

He told police in Edinburgh that the two ministers had ignored a coronors concerns about the safety of the tests, which are used to judge whether a disabled person receives benefits.

He also produced evidence of suicides he said were related to fitness-to-work tests.

Mr McArdle says the ministers may be guilty of willful neglect of duty by a public official, which is a criminal offence.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, willful neglect can be the result of a positive act or a failure to act.

There must also be an element of knowledge or at least recklessness about the way in which the duty is carried out or neglected, the CPS explains.

The test is a subjective one and the public officer must be aware that his/her behaviour is capable of being misconduct.

The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned Show all 16 1 /16 The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "One case where the claimants wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Its Christmas Day and you dont fill in your job search evidence form to show that youve looked for all the new jobs that are advertised on Christmas Day. You are sanctioned. Merry Christmas" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You apply for three jobs one week and three jobs the following Sunday and Monday. Because the job centre week starts on a Tuesday it treats this as applying for six jobs in one week and none the following week. You are sanctioned for 13 weeks for failing to apply for three jobs each week" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A London man missed his Jobcentre appointments for two weeks because he was in hospital after being hit by a car. He was sanctioned" 2011 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Youve been unemployed for seven months and are forced onto a workfare scheme in a shop miles away, but cant afford to travel. You offer to work in a nearer branch but are refused and get sanctioned for not attending your placement" 2013 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "You are a mum of two, and are five minutes late for your job centre appointment. You show the advisor the clock on your phone, which is running late. You are sanctioned for a month" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man with heart problems who was on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) had a heart attack during a work capability assessment. He was then sanctioned for failing to complete the assessment" Rex The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man who had gotten a job that was scheduled to begin in two weeks time was sanctioned for not looking for work as he waited for the role to start" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Army veteran Stephen Taylor, 60, whose Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) was stopped after he sold poppies in memory of fallen soldiers" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man had to miss his regular appointment at the job centre to attend his fathers funeral. He was sanctioned even though he told DWP staff in advance" 2014 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Ceri Padley, 26, had her benefits sanctioned after she missed an appointment at the jobcentre - because she was at a job interview" Jason Doiy Photography The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "A man got sanctioned for missing his slot to sign on - as he was attending a work programme interview. He was then sanctioned as he could not afford to travel for his job search" 2012 Getty Images The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Mother-of-three Angie Godwin, 27, said her benefits were sanctioned after she applied for a role job centre staff said was beyond her" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Sofya Harrison was sanctioned for attending a job interview and moving her signing-on to another day" The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Michael, 54, had his benefits sanctioned for four months for failing to undertake a weeks work experience at a charity shop. The charity shop had told him they didnt want him there" Getty The most ridiculous reasons people had their benefits sanctioned "Terry Eaton, 58, was sanctioned because he didnt have the bus fare he needed to attend an appointment with the job centre" Getty Images

A spokesperson for Police Scotland told the Disability News Service: Police in Edinburgh received a report of misconduct in public office on 23 March 2016.

The individual who made the complaint has been spoken to and we are awaiting further information to assess this matter and establish what actions are required.

SNP MP Tommy Sheppard has reportedly written to the chief constable of Police Scotland asking to be kept informed of any investigation.

 Angus Robertson questions David Cameron on benefit fraud

Campaigners have long accused the DWP's fit-to-work tests of causing deaths and have pointed to a number of suicides that took place in light of sanctions.

The Department for Work and Pensions said it would not comment on a police matter.

It is important we make sure that people are receiving the right support, and they are not simply written off to a life on benefits," a spokesperson said.

"The Work Capability Assessment has been improved dramatically since 2008 following a number of reviews, including five independent ones.
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Theresa Mays call for the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) risks derailing the Governments pledge to improve care and protection for mental health patients, the countrys top psychiatrist has said.

Dropping out of the ECHR, which the Home Secretary proposed in a speech last month, and scrapping the Human Rights Act, which was a Conservative manifesto commitment, would drastically reduce the legal avenues open to people with mental illnesses to challenge decisions about their care, said Professor Simon Wessely, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RPsych).

Mrs May said last month that the ECHR added nothing to the UKs prosperity and could bind the hands of Parliament. Downing Street has said the Prime Minister has not ruled out withdrawing the UK from the ECHR, while replacing the UKs own Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights is Conservative party policy.

But in an article co-authored by RPsych policy analyst Greg Smith, Professor Wessely said that either reform should be of serious concern to anyone providing or receiving mental healthcare.

Both threaten to remove legal frameworks which have quietly been safeguarding and bolstering the rights of psychiatric service users for decades, they write.

The Coalition government legislated to achieve parity of esteem between mental health and physical health services by 2020  meaning that both should be considered of equal importance. But Professor Wessely warns that leaving the ECHR or scrapping the Human Rights Act, or both, could wreck that ambition.

While Mrs May wants both, but is backing the Remain campaign in the EU referendum, the Justice Secretary Michael Gove wants to remain in the ECHR, but leave the EU, and scrap the Human Rights Act.

Professor Wessely said that either course of action would remove legal mechanisms that had made huge strides in closing the current gulf between physical and mental health support, and could continue to secure improvements.

If the Government is serious about parity of esteem  which it certainly professes to be  then neither May nor Goves proposal should be on, or anywhere near, the table, he and Mr Smith conclude.

Among the gains secured through the ECHR, they list a number of legal victories which led to changes in the law, such as those fought for by the mental health charity Mind in the 1980s, which guaranteed regular reviews of detentions under the Mental Health Act

The Human Rights Act, meanwhile, has helped secure a legal precedent that mental health hospitals must demonstrate that a patient should remain in detention, rather than the burden of proof falling to the individual to demonstrate they must be released. It has also guaranteed a change in the law allowing mental health patients to challenge decisions in cases where family members are designated as their nearest relative for legal purposes, despite a history of abuse.

A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on the RPsych article.
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The findings of the long-awaited Chilcot report will be published at the beginning of July - shortly after the EU referendum - a spokesman for the inquiry announced today. Here is a timeline of the events, starting with the attack on the World Trade Centres in 2001 and ending with the announcement of the reports publication date:

11 September 2001

Terrorists belonging to al-Qaeda use hijacked aeroplanes to kill 2,996 people in attacks on the east coast of the US.

12 September 2001

Tony Blair promises George W Bush that the UK will support the US, whatever the President decides to do.

14 September 2001

Congress authorises President Bush to use all necessary and appropriate force against terrorists.

7 October 2001

A US-led coalition begins its aerial attacks on Afghanistan. By the time combat operations come to a formal end on 28 December, the Taliban has been overthrown; but Osama bin Laden remains at large.

25 March 2002

Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary, warns Blair that invading Iraq would be legally dubious

4 April 2002

An MI6 briefing appears to convince Blair that the WMD threat from Libya is far more serious than that from Iraq

6 April 2002

Tony Blair visits President Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Some witnesses report that, following a private meeting between the two, Blairs stance on Iraq tightened; but Blair himself has disputed claims that he gave an undertaking in blood to go to war in Iraq.

Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on Show all 31 1 /31 Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20169.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20158.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20159.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20160.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20161.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20157.bin AFP/GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20162.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20163.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20164.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20136.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20165.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20138.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20139.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20140.bin AFP/GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20141.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20142.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20156.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20155.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20154.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20152.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20151.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20150.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20149.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20148.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20147.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20145.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20144.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20143.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20135.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20166.bin GETTY IMAGES Where are they now? The faces of the Iraq war five years on 20167.bin GETTY IMAGES

7 April 2002

Blair explicitly mentions the possibility of regime change in a speech.

May 2002

General Tommy Franks, commander of US forces, tells Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge that he hopes the UK would be alongside the US in attacking Iraq.

June 2002

Tony Blair asks defence officials to outline options for UK participation in military action against Iraq.

16 July 2002

Blair tells MP no decisions... have been taken about military action.

23 July 2002

Senior members of the government meet with senior defence and intelligence figures to discuss the build-up to war. A note of the meeting, known as the Downing Street memo, was later published, appearing to confirm that military action was now considered inevitable.

24 September 2002

The government publishes a dossier about the threat from Iraqs weapons of mass destruction. A foreword by Tony Blair states that Saddam Husseins military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them. It is subsequently alleged that this dossier was sexed up for political reasons.

2 October 2002

Congress authorises President Bush to use military force against Iraq.

8 November 2002

UN Security Council passes resolution 1441, insisting that weapons inspectors be allowed back into Iraq and calling on the regime to give up its WMD or face the consequences.

12 May 2003

Paul Bremer becomes Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

23 May 2003

Paul Bremer dissolves the Iraqi army, along with other key elements of the Baathist state.

2 June 2003

In a BBC interview, former International Development Secretary Clare Short accuses Tony Blair of having misled the Cabinet on the eve of war.

13 July 2003

Iraqi Governing Council established.

18 July 2003

David Kelly, an expert in biological warfare, is found dead after being named as the source of quotations used by the BBCs Andrew Gilligan to suggest that the dossier of September 2002 had been sexed up. Lord Hutton is appointed to chair a judicial inquiry into his death.

3 September 2003

New Iraqi government established.

2 October 2003

Report of Iraq Survey Group reveals absence of evidence of WMD in Iraq.

13 December 2003

Saddam Hussein is captured near Tikrit, after nine months in hiding.

28 January 2004

The report of the Hutton Inquiry is published.

3 February 2004

Lord Butler is appointed to chair an official review of the intelligence on WMD on which the British government reportedly based its decision to take part in the invasion of Iraq.

2 March 2004

Bombings in Baghdad and Karbala kill nearly 200 people: the worst attacks since the fall of Saddam.

28 April 2004

A CBS report brings photographic evidence of the abuse of prisoners by US forces in Baghdads Abu Ghraib prison to worldwide attention.

8 June 2004

UN transfers sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Iraqi Interim Government.

14 July 2004

The Butler Review is published. Its conclusion is that some of the intelligence used to justify attacking Iraq was unreliable and that more weight was placed on the intelligence than it could bear.

November 2004

More than 1,350 insurgents are killed when the US uses overwhelming force to recapture the rebel-held city of Fallujah.

14 September 2005

Bombs in Baghdad kill 160 people and injure more than 500.

15 October 2005

Iraqs new constitution is approved in a referendum.

15 December 2005

Iraqs first post-Saddam parliamentary election.

30 December 2005

Saddam Hussein is executed.

20 May 2006

New Iraqi government succeeds transitional government.

10 January 2007

In the face of insurrection, the US announces a surge of 20,000 extra troops to increase security in Baghdad.

28 May 2009

The last British combat troops leave Iraq.

The controversial 2003 invasion of Iraq, spearheaded by Tony Blair, has been the subject of the Chilcot inquiry since 2009, which is set to report back this summer (AFP/Getty)

15 June 2009

Gordon Brown, Tony Blairs successor as Prime Minister, announces that an inquiry will be set up, under Sir John Chilcot, to learn the lessons of the conflict.

24 November 2009

The Chilcot inquiry holds its first public hearing.

7 March 2010

Inconclusive parliamentary elections result in the formation of a government in which Nouri al-Maliki continues as Prime Minister.

January 2011

In Syria, protests begin against the Assad regime; the civil war to follow will destabilise the entire region, including Iraq.

2 February 2011

The Chilcot inquiry holds its final public hearing.

12 May 2011

Sir John Chilcot says that his report will be published, at the earliest, in the autumn of 2011.

16 November 2011

The Chilcot inquiry announces that it cannot publish report before summer 2012 if it is to do justice to the complexities involved.

18 December 2011

The last US troops leave Iraq, after nearly nine years of combat that cost 4,488 US lives and left 32,226 soldiers injured.

16 July 2012

Sir John Chilcot says that he cannot report before mid-2013.

6 November 2013

The Chilcot inquiry announces that it cannot proceed with its work due to an impasse over the release of key documents (including exchanges between Blair and Bush).

29 May 2014

The Chilcot inquiry says that it will publish the gist of exchanges between Blair and Bush, but that full transcripts will remain secret.

10 June 2014

The extremist group known as Isis captures Mosul, along with large swathes of northern and western Iraq.

29 June 2014

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Isis, declares a new caliphate over 250,000sq km of Iraq and Syria.

16 October 2014

William Hague and David Cameron say they hope the report will be published before the 2015 general election.

21 January 2015

Sir John Chilcot confirms that his report will not be published before the general election in May 2015.

28 January 2015

Chilcot agrees to appear before the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee to answer questions about progress

The inquiry will be able to publish some details of what Mr Blair said to Mr Bush although not what the President said to the Prime Minister (Getty Images)

4 February 2015

He tells committee that he will not give a timetable for publication. He also informs MPs that one of the panel members, historian Martin Gilbert, has died.

October 2015

He tells PM he will finish report by April 2016

8 November 2015

Falklands veteran Simon Weston described the inquiry as an insult to the memories of every single person that died

9 May 2016

Publication date (July 6) announced by Sir John Chilcot and David Cameron
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A Cape Town waitress has responded to the Oxford University student who refused to tip her until white residents in the country return the land to black residents.

Ashleigh Schultz, a waitress at Obz cafe who was left in tears after the incident, said Ntokozo Qwabe should be disciplined by the university but revoking his scholarship is not going to help.

Mr Qwabe had posted on social media he was left feeling elated by the incident at the cafe earlier this month. The 24-year-old waitress said to the Daily Mail that Oxford should have a word with him.

She said: Oxford isn't a place where racists from South Africa are fit to go. It's a privilege to be there. He is far more privileged than me.

He's at Oxford and I can't afford to study and then I get harassed! But he doesn't deserve to lose everything for that for being a little bit of an idiot.

She added: What made me cry was the fact that someone could be so rude without understanding somebody else's circumstances. I can understand protests and aiming at political figures and stuff like that. But you can't go into a restaurant and demand your land back.

I have got nothing to do with this. I'm not racist in any way, shape or form. I wasn't rude to him once. I get the idea of what he is on about but, you know, pick your fights basically.

Mr Qwabe wrote in his post, now deleted after his Facebook account was suspended, that he was "unable to stop smiling" after the incident.

He said his friend wrote on the receipt: "We will give a tip when you return the land."

The Facebook post which appears to be written by Ntokozo Qwabe. He says later 'go to your fellow white people and mobilise for them to give us our land back.' (Gofundme.org)

"The waitress comes to us with a card machine for the bill to be sorted out. She sees the note and starts shaking," he added.

"She leaves us and bursts into typical white tears (like why are you crying when all we've done is make a kind request? lol)."

Mr Qwabe said the act had brought "the pressing issue of land onto the agenda" by causing other restaurant staff to come and speak with them.

"The part where we take up arms hasn't even come and y'all are already our here drowning us in your white tears? Really white people. Wow [...]

"Moral of the story: the time has come when no white person will be absolved. We are tired of 'not all white people' and all other bulls***. We are here, and we want the stolen land back."

 8 questions you could face

Mr Qwabes actions led to more than $6,000 being raised for Ms Schultz on a Gofundme page.

The Independent has contacted Mr Qwabe for a comment.
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A proposal to lower the barriers to corporate sponsorship inside Americas National Parks, including Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, is stirring alarm among conservationists and other groups concerned that their unique status as places of pristine tranquility is under threat.

The plan, which remains open to public comment until the end of this week, would not allow companies explicitly to advertise inside the 411 national parks. However, it envisages numerous other ways of rewarding business willing to donate cash to the system, including the display of their logos on buildings and alongside exhibits or interpretive programmes.

Recommended Read more Fort McMurray wildfire could burn for months

The revised rules would also require park superintendents actively to solicit funds from corporations, a new duty that critics say would distract them from their regular duties of caring for the parks, the flora and fauna within them and the visitors who flock to them.

The National Park System, NPS, has been exploring ways to expand on its base of traditional philanthropic support from private individuals by offering opportunities for corporate support for ten years already. Last year, it waived its own rule barring dealings with the alcohol industry by teaming up with Anheuser-Busch, the beer giant, for a parks marketing campaign.

It is penury that is driving the NPS even deeper into the corporate embrace. With insufficient funding from Congress and regular fund-raising falling short, the parks now have a $12 billion maintenance backlog. In the Grand Canyon the only pipeline supplying facilities with fresh water is so old it ruptures about thirty times a year. They have sewage leaks in Yellowstone.

Not only would big corporations have the chance to win naming rights for some key features inside the park and put their logos also on things like pathway bricks, visitor lockers and even on the backs of seats in educational theatres, they would also be allowed to franchise NPS signage for their own advertising, an attractive option for companies wanting to stress the outdoors and nature.

Critics, however, see a slippery slope. At what point will The Arches National Park in Utah be brought to the American public by McDonalds, the Zion National Park in the same state by the Israel Tourism board and Old Faithful by the makers of Viagra?

Unlike Disneyland, our national parks serve a purpose far beyond immediate visitor enjoyment and revenue generation; they are supposed to preserve the best of our natural and cultural resources for future generations, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, states on its web site. The group also objects to the notion of park rangers becoming fund raisers.

It is both unprecedented and unseemly to use tax dollars to solicit donations and cultivate potential donors, PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch noted. This plan would put fundraising on a par with conservation in our national parks.

Opponents of the changes also argue that the more the parks take money from large corporations, the more they will become beholden to them. At what point, for example, might a company like American Express or Victorias Secret ask for privileged access to one park or another for corporate events or customer outings?

The director of the NPS, Jon Jarvis, stirred a furore of controversy five years ago when he blocked an attempt to ban the sale of water in plastic bottles in the Grand Canyon after objections were raised by Coca Cola. Already a major donor to the system, the soft beverage giant had been selling large volumes of its own Dasani bottled water brand in the park.

First unveiled in March, the proposed changes in policy were defended by Jeff Reinbold, the park systems associate director for partnerships and civil engagement. The great thing about the policy is it protects those features of the park that are important to all of us, he told The Washington Post, but it gives us new opportunities and new tools to respond to donors eager to do deals with the parks system and impatient with current rules that make that difficult.
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The impeachment process against Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff has been delayed after the lower house's vote was annulled, marking a significant victory for the embattled leader.

A senate vote on whether to accept the impeachment process was scheduled for Wednesday, but the acting house Speaker's intervention means the matter will go back to the Chamber of Deputies.

It is currently unclear whether the vote will go ahead.

Ms Rousseff has been accused of violating fiscal laws while closing gaps in the budget using money from state banks.

She could face suspension and a trial if the vote is successful.

However, she denies allegations of wrongdoing, and insists that the impeachment is politically motivated.
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Donald Trump has refused to make peace with Republican house speaker Paul Ryan and has also declined to rule out blocking Mr Ryan from serving as the upcoming conventions chairman.

Republicans have urged Mr Trump to act in a more presidential manner and become more co-operative. There has been little evidence of a turnaround in behaviour as Mr Trump has reversed two of his key policies last week, vowing to raise the minimum wage and leverage higher taxes on the rich.

Im going to do what I have to do  I have millions of people that voted for me, Mr Trump said on ABCs This Week.

So I have to stay true to my principles also. And Im a conservative, but dont forget, this is called the Republican Party. Its not called the Conservative Party, he said.

Recommended Read more Trump would OK higher taxes for people like him

Mr Ryan has said he is still unable to endorse Mr Trump, just days before their so-called peace talks in Washington on Thursday.

They last spoke in March, before the New York Primary, although Mr Trump insisted to NBC News that he had a friendly call with him three weeks ago and was blindsided as a result.

Id like to have his support, but if he doesnt want to support me thats fine, he said.

But he did mention the "binding pledge" to support the nominee that other Republicans like former rival Jeb Bush are moving away from.

Trump supporter and fromer Alaska governor Sarah Palin, told ABC News that Mr Ryans career is over for not supporting him.

Four of the last five Republican presidential nominees  George Bush, George W Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney  have announced they will skip the convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr Trump is the Republican nominee in all but name since Ted Cruz and John Kasich both quit the race last week. He could face a hurdle however, if Mr Cruz's nearly 600 delegates align to vote against Mr Trump.

The real estate mogul needs the magic number of 1,237 delegates at the convention to become the nominee.

Mr Trump has broken party lines with his more moderate stances on issues like Planned Parenthood and has even spoken against sweeping anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina, saying transgender people should be able to use any bathroom they want.

His popularity has ascended as the outsider, self-funding his campaign and criticising the rigged political system.

The spat within the party has had an effect on funding, according to the New York Times.

The Republican convention faces a $7 million shortfall in sponsorship. Traditional sponsors like Walmart and Coca Cola have reportedly been reconsidering their commitments.
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A Mexican judge has ruled that drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman can be extradited to face charges in the United States - days after he was moved to a prison on the US border.

Reuters said that on Saturday, Guzman was moved to a high security prison in the northern city of Ciudad Juarez on the US border, and a senior Mexican security official said the kingpins extradition was in motion and would happen by mid-year.

Guzman, boss of the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, was for years the world's most wanted drug trafficker until his capture by Mexican Marines in February 2014. He then embarrassed the government by escaping from prison through a tunnel last July.

Sean Penn shakes hands with Mexican drug lord Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman in Mexico, in the photograph shot for the Rolling Stone magazine. Sean Penn has been mocked for Rolling Stone magazine article detailing his meeting with drug lord El Chapo

The government recaptured him in January and President Enrique Pena Nieto said soon afterwards that he had taken steps to ensure Guzman was extradited as soon as possible.

He faces charges ranging from money laundering to drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder in cities that include Chicago, Miami and New York.

Juan Pablo Badillo, one of Guzmans lawyers, said his client's legal situation was still being processed and that to extradite him now would be a violation of his human rights.

Badillo said there were nine appeals pending against Guzmans extradition. However, government officials have said in private that the decision to extradite the drug lord is essentially a political decision dependent on the president, the news agency said.

A government source said on Monday nothing was likely to happen to Guzman for weeks.
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A 15-year-old boy believes he has discovered a forgotten Mayan city using satellite photos and Mayan astronomy.

William Gadoury, from Quebec, came up with the theory that the Maya civilization chose the location of its towns and cities according to its star constellations.

He found Mayan cities lined up exactly with stars in the civilization's major constellations.

Studying the star map further, he discovered one city was missing from a constellation of three stars.

Using satellite images provided by the Canadian Space Agency and then mapped on to Google Earth, he discovered the city where the third star of the constellation suggested it would be.

Dr Armand La Rocque said satellite images showed a man made structure beneath the canopy

William has named the yet-to-be explored city in the Yucatan jungle K'aak Chi, or Mouth of Fire.

Daniel De Lisle, from the Canadian Space Agency, said the area had been difficult to study because of its dense vegetation.

 Teenager discovers planet

However, satellite scans of the area from the RADARSAT-2 satellite found linear features which "stuck out".

"There are linear features that would suggest there is something underneath that big canopy," he told The Independent.

"There are enough items to suggest it could be a man made structure."

Discoveries that change the way you see the world Show all 30 1 /30 Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discoveries that change the way you see the world Million-year-old human footprints discovered Million-year-old human footprints have been discovered on the beach as Happisburgh, Norfolk Discoveries that change the way you see the world The world's oldest face Scientists discovered the worlds oldest face, which belongs to this 419 million-year-old fish - an ancient sea predator that might also re-write the history of our evolution from the seas Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of the ancient forest Ancient forest revealed by storms. The recent huge storms and gale force winds that have battered the coast of West Wales have stripped away much of the sand from stretches of the beach between Borth and Ynyslas. The disappearing sands have revealed ancients forests, with the remains of oak trees dating back to the Bronze Age, 6,000 years ago. The ancient remains are said by some to be the origins of the legend of Cantrer Gwealod , a mythical kingdom now submerged under the waters pif Cardigan Bay Discoveries that change the way you see the world Bowhead whale genome, linked to cancer resistance, DNA damage repair and increased longevity, mapped by scientists In a UK-based study, scientists working together with scientists in Alaska, Denmark, Ireland, Spain and South Korea successfully mapped the genome of the bowhead whale - the longest-living mammal - identifying a number of genes that are linked to cancer resistance, DNA damage repair and increased longevity PA Discoveries that change the way you see the world Researchers develop 'imaginary meal' pill An 'imaginary meal' pill called fexaramine has been developed by researchers at the Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory Discoveries that change the way you see the world Scientists prolong lifespan of flies Scientists at the Institute of Cell Biology, in Switzerland, have successfully managed to prolong the lifespan of flies, activating a gene that destroys unhealthy cell Discoveries that change the way you see the world Green tea can help cure oral cancer Green tea can help kill off cancerous cells, say researchers Discoveries that change the way you see the world Mars once had a large ocean covering a large portion of its northern hemisphere Almost half of the northern hemisphere of Mars was once covered by a large ocean that held 20 million cubic kilometres of water: more than the Artic Ocean Discoveries that change the way you see the world Offices playing natural sounds can boost worker moods and improve cognitive abilities Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute learned that offices which play natural sounds such as ocean waves, trees and bird calls can boost the moods of workers and improve their cognitive abilities, as well as providing privacy (by masking speech) Discoveries that change the way you see the world Impact glass may exist on Mars Brown University researchers found that spectral signals indicate the existence of impact glass on the surface of Mars, with specific deposits conserved in craters Discoveries that change the way you see the world Fathers experience weight gain Fathers have been found to experience weight gain and a rise in their body mass index (BMI), according to a research conducted by Northwestern Universitys Feinberg School of Medicine. The study, which followed over 10,000 men throughout a 20 year period, also revealed that the men who didnt become fathers actually lost weight Discoveries that change the way you see the world The world's oldest skull Divers Alberto Nava and Susan Bird discover the world's oldest skull found in an underwater cave in Mexico, believed to be the earliest trace of first Americans Discoveries that change the way you see the world Scientists create intelligent mice that do not experience fear or anxiety Scientists participating in a joint University of Leeds and Mount Sinai Hospital study managed to alter a gene within mice; improving their intelligence and reducing their ability to feel anxious or fear. The discovery could prove instrumental in research into age-related cognitive decline, such as Alzheimers or schizophrenia Discoveries that change the way you see the world Paralysed man walks again The brain-computer interface system will be improved by developing an implantable version, say experts. A 26-year-old male who had suffered a spinal cord injury which had paralysed him from the waist down was given the ability to walk again by scientists, who rerouted brain waves to electrodes on his knees.The doctors responsible said that he was the first person with paraplegia caused by a spinal injury given the ability to walk without relying on manually controlled robotic limbs Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of the medieval royal palaces Archaeologists in southern England have discovered what may be one of the largest medieval royal palaces ever found  buried under the ground inside a vast prehistoric fortress at Old Sarum. The probable 12th century palace was discovered by archaeologists, using geophysical ground-penetrating x-ray technology to map a long-vanished medieval city which has lain under grass on the site for more than 700 years Discoveries that change the way you see the world The world's rarest diamond This rare diamond that survived a trip from deep within the Earth's interior confirmed that there is an oceans worth of water beneath the planets crust Discoveries that change the way you see the world Virtual reality can revolutionise healthcare Cardiologists at the Institute of Cardiology in Poland have successfully used virtual reality to restore blood flow to a blocked artery, leading the way for it to revolutionise certain aspects of healthcare, in surgical procedures and during training. Using wearable virtual reality equipment, similar to that of Google Glass, developed specifically for the surgical procedure, doctor completed the difficult procedure Discoveries that change the way you see the world Puppies born by IVF in the US After years of failed attempts, scientists at Cornell University successfully bred the world's first puppies born through IVF, allowing for research into the conservation of endangered breeds and protection of those that are at risk of disease Discoveries that change the way you see the world Cancer is caused by environmental factors Research into the causes of cancer concluded that, on the whole, it is due to environmental factors, not, as was previously thought, bad luck Discoveries that change the way you see the world Fossil fight 'Astounding' fossil find from Montana revealing two dinosaurs locked in mortal combat Discoveries that change the way you see the world Fusion reactors could become economically viable Researchers at Durham University and the Oxfordshire Culham Centre for Fusion Energy have found fusion reactors could become economically viable ways of generating electricity in just a few decades, telling politicians and policy makers to begin the process of planning for their introduction and the replacement of nuclear power stations. Analysis by these researchers has found that the costs associated with fusion power shows its feasibility, when compared with traditional fission reactors, generating electricity at a similar price Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of the whale skeletons Chilean and Smithsonian paleontologists study several fossil whale skeletons at Cerro Ballena, next to the Pan-American Highway in the Atacama Region of Chile Discoveries that change the way you see the world Discovery of The Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls are almost 1,000 biblical manuscripts discovered in the decade after the Second World War in what is now the West Bank. The texts, mostly written on parchment but also on papyrus and bronze, are the earliest surviving copies of biblical and extra-biblical documents known to be in existence, dating over a 700-year period around the birth of Jesus. The ancient Jewish sect the Essenes is supposed to have authored the scrolls, written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, although no conclusive proof has been found to this effect Discoveries that change the way you see the world Complete mammoth skeleton discovered The first complete mammoth skeleton to be found in France for more than a century was uncovered in a gravel pit on the banks of the Marne, 30 miles north-east of Paris. Picture shows experts at work making a silicon cast of the mammoth's tusk Discoveries that change the way you see the world Byzantine mosaic discovered Plans for a walkway at the centre of the furious dispute over Jerusalem's holiest site were delayed by the discovery of a Byzantine mosaic Discoveries that change the way you see the world Neolithic 'lost avenue' - prehistoric stone circle discovered The discovery of a Neolithic 'lost avenue' was described as one of the most important finds of the last century. Since the 1700s, archeologists and historians have argued over the existence of the huge sarsen stones, which were unearthed at the site of the world's biggest prehistoric stone circle at Avebury in Wiltshire Discoveries that change the way you see the world Ancient gold found near Stonehenge Gold fitting for a dagger sheath (around 1900 BC.) found near Stonehenge Discoveries that change the way you see the world The Rosetta Stone discovery The Rosetta Stone is a basalt slab inscribed with a decree of pharaoh Ptolemy Epiphanes (205-180 BC) in three languages, Greek, Hieroglyphic and Demotic script. Discovered near Rosetta in Egypt Discoveries that change the way you see the world We are made from stardust In 1957, a paper was published which said we are all made of stardust. Well, not quite that, but almost. Four scientists of the University of Cambridge, Fred Hoyle, William Fowler and Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, had conducted extensive research into stellar nucleosynthesis, the theory that all elements are created in the oldest chemical factories in the universe - stars. This paper, called Synthesis of the Elements in Stars, but better known as B2FH because of the initials of its authors, was at odds with the theory common at the time that all the elements were synthesised during the Big Bang. B2FH argued that when a star ages and dies it will enrich the interstellar medium with heavier elements, from which new stars - and, presumably, we - are formed Discoveries that change the way you see the world Optical fibres discovery The internet is a truly incredibly thing, but we all hate it when it works too slowly. Thats where optical fibres come in. Made of a high quality extruded glass called silica, they guide light through a process of refraction, and in doing so are able to transmit bandwidths at a remarkably high speed and over remarkably long distances. As such, they are used in telecommunications and computer networking to speed up internet connections, able to do so due to the fact that the total internal refraction of light means very little data is lost. And the best thing about optical fibres is when at Imperial College London they were first demonstrated to be able to bend light by Harold Hopkins and Narinder Kapany, dubbed the founding father of fibre optics

Dr Armand La Rocque, of the Remote Sensing Laboratory at the University of New Brunswick, said one image showed a street network and a large square which could possibly be a pyramid.

He told The Independent: "A square is not natural, it is mostly artificial and can hardly be attributed to natural phenomena.

"If we add these together, we have a lot of indication there might be a Mayan city in the area."

Dr La Rocque said William's discovery could lead archaeologists to find other Mayan cities using similar techniques.

William's discovery will be published in a scientific journal and he will present his findings at Brazil's International Science fair in 2017.

The story was originally published with different pictures, which have now been changed because it appears although William analaysed them he did not use them as the basis of his claims.
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The devastating Fort McMurray wildfire could rage for months before firefighters are able to control it and will likely be the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history.

While the fires growth has eased a little in recent days, around 20 per cent of homes in Fort McMurray have been destroyed, according to a local politician. David Yurdiga said it might be years before the city was returned to normal.

Around 100,000 people have fled from the western Canadian city and the surrounding areas. The situation remains too dangerous for most people to return to the city, and the blaze still covers 700 square miles.

Church services were held for those who have been forced to flee (AP)

Alberta premier Rachel Notley said the fire had destroyed around 1,600 building and killed two people, according to Canadian media. Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfire said the fire could continue to burn in forested areas for months.

Bloomberg News said it was anticipated that the fire would the costliest natural disaster in the countrys history with losses potentially reaching C$9.4 bn ($7.3bn).

Insurance losses could reach that high if nearly all homes, cars, and businesses in the Fort McMurray area were destroyed and owners filed a claim to insurers, according to a research note to clients from Bank of Montreal analyst Tom MacKinnon.

He said its more likely that one-quarter to half of assets would be damaged, leading to total insurance industry losses of C$2.6 billion to C$4.7 billion, as much as quadruple the costliest Canadian natural disaster.

A quarter of Canadian oil production has been forced offline (AP)

The fire has struck in the heart of Canadas energy industry and the mass evacuations forced as much as a quarter of Canadas oil output offline. The region contains the third-largest reserves of oil in the world, behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

There are more than 500 firefighters battling the blaze in and around Fort McMurray, along with 15 helicopters, 14 air tankers and 88 other pieces of equipment, the government of Alberta reported.

Though no rain is forecast this week, weather conditions should become somewhat more favorable for firefighting efforts, according to AccuWeather Canadian Weather Expert Brett Anderson.

Much cooler conditions will return to the region which will also result in an increase in relative humidity, he said

The second most-costly natural disaster was the ice storm of 1998 in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, which caused about C$1.6 billion in insured losses, the company said. The Slave Lake Fire caused about C$700 million in losses to insurers.
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A California high school has apologized after misidentifying a Muslim student as Isis Phillips in the school yearbook.

Bayan Zehlif, a senior at Los Osos High School, responded to the schools apology on Saturday and shared an image of the yearbook caption on social media.

I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this, Zehlif wrote on Facebook. Apparently I am Isis in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, let's be real.

Mat Holton, the superintendent of Chaffey Joint Union High School District, said Zehlif was incorrectly identified as another student. He also said that both families have been contacted and the school will investigate the yearbook staff.

If they find that a student acted irresponsibly and intentionally, administration will take appropriate actions, Holton told the Los Angeles Times. The school will assure students, staff and the community that this regrettable incident in no way represents the values, or beliefs, of Los Osos High School.

The yearbook was distributed to 287 seniors at the high school, and officials have halted further printing to fix the error.

Susan Petrocelli, the schools principal, offered an apology, and also characterized the incident as a misprint.

LOHS is taking every step possible to correct & investigate a regrettable misprint discovered in the yearbook, Petrocelli wrote on Twitter. We sincerely apologize.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said that school officials will meet with leaders of the advocacy group on Monday.

We join with the family in their concern about a possible bias motive for this incident and in the deep concern for their daughters safety as a result of being falsely labeled as a member of a terrorist group, Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIRs Los Angeles chapter, said in a statement. No student should have to face the humiliation of being associated with a group as reprehensible as Isis."
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A Pennsylvania high school student was banned from entering her prom after wearing a suit instead of a dress.

Aniya Wolf, a junior at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, said that a school official grabbed her by the arm and threatened to call the police after she wore a tuxedo to the school dance on Friday.

Ive always been like this, ever since I was little, Aniya told ABC27. I was always more masculine. You wouldnt catch me playing with any Barbie dolls, Ill tell you that right now.

Aniya said shes worn pants to school for the past three years and openly identifies as a lesbian. Both Aniya and her mother Carolyn said they received a last minute email from notifying them of the dress code explaining that girls must wear a dress to the dance.

Carolyn then called the school to complain about the notice, and to inform them she had just purchased a new suit for her daughter.

I told them that I had read the dress code that was given to the students and I didnt think that it precluded her from wearing a suit, Carolyn told the station. I said that this was very unfair, particularly at the last minute. We had gone out and bought a new suit. I think my daughter is beautiful in a suit.

Still, officials at Bishop McDevitt High School placed the blame on Aniya for not following the dress code.

The dress code for the prom specified girls must wear formal dresses, the school said in a statement. It also stated that students who failed to follow the dress code would not be admitted. Bishop McDevitt will continue to practice acceptance and love for all our students. We simply ask that they follow the rules that we have put into place.
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The Republican governor of North Carolina has shown little willingness to back down to federal demands and repeal his sweeping discriminatory law against LGBT people in the state.

Pat McCrory was given until 9 May to repeal the House Bill 2, which legalises discrimination in education and employment against people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, as well as forcing transgender people to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate.

Speaking to Fox News, governor McCrory was asked whether he will repeal the law.

Im looking at all my options and one thing the nation has to realise is this is no longer a North Carolina issue, he said.

Its the federal government being a bully, he added.

The US Department of Justice warned last week that the state law passed in March violates civil rights protections as well as Title IX laws which forbid discrimination in education based on gender.

The University of North Carolina has 17 campuses and risks $1.4 billion in federal funding if it does not comply with the federal law. UNC President Margaret Spellings said they must follow the state law but HB2 is sending a chill through the university system.

The governor agreed that it would make sense to be warned of consequences if they enforced separate bathrooms for white and black people as race can be clearly defined, but he said the Justice Department is trying to define gender identity, and there is no clear identification or definition of gender identity.

Boys who may think they are a girl can go into a girls locker room, shower room or restroom facility, he said.

North Carolina house speaker, Republican Tim Moore, told the Raleigh News & Observer that the state will take no action by the federal deadline.

In all candour, with all due respect, we think that the Obama administration is playing politics and it shouldnt, he said.

Mr McCrory told Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly last month that HB2 came about to "respect the privacy" of young people.

If the state law is enforced, it would prevent local governments in the state from protecting its LGBT citizens.

Various celebrities and artists have boycotted the state after the law was signed, like Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen. Deutsche Bank and PayPal also announced they would freeze expansion plans in the state.
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The controversy over North Carolinas restriction on transgender peoples use of lavatories, has taken a new twist after the state authorities filed a lawsuit against the US government.

Last week, the US Justice Department warned the state government that it had until the end of Monday to scrap a law regarding access to public bathrooms or risk losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. It said that the restriction breached the 1964 Civil Rights Act. On Monday, the North Carolina government claimed in its legal submission that the Justice Departments position was baseless and blatant overreach.

"I do not agree with their interpretation of federal law. That is why this morning I have asked a federal court to clarify what the law actually is, Goernor Pat McCrory said at a news conference. This is not a North Carolina issue. It is now a national issue."

Gov Pat McGrory said the US government's claim had no basis (AP)

The US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, held a press conference in Washington DC on Monday afternoon announcing her department's civil rights lawsuit demading that North Carolina repeal the law which she called state-sponsored discrimination and serves only to harm innocent Americans.

The Justice Department suit says the law has caused transgender people to suffer emotional harm, mental anguish, distress, humiliation, and indignity. It seeks an order that would prevent the law's enforcement.

Earlier, Mr McCrory had revealed he had little intention to back down over the bill he signed, which forces transgender people to use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate.

Speaking to Fox News, he was was asked whether he will repeal the law.

Im looking at all my options and one thing the nation has to realise is this is no longer a North Carolina issue, he said. Its the federal government being a bully.

Mr McCrory said in his lawsuit that while the Justice Department could warn of consequences if North Carolina established separate bathrooms for white and black people, he said the agency went too far in contending that transgender people enjoy similar civil rights protections.

We can definitely define the race of people. Its very hard to define transgender or gender identity, Mr McCrory said, according to NBC News.

House Speaker Tim Moore said: "That deadline will come and go. We don't ever want to lose any money, but we're not going to get bullied by the Obama administration to take action prior to Monday's date. That's not how this works."

Mr McCrory said he had made a request for more time, beyond the 5 p.m. deadline, to respond to the federal government, but that was denied.

The lawsuit was filed with the assistance of private law firms, not Attorney General Roy Cooper, who is running to replace Mr McCrory and has said he does not support the bathroom law.

Mr McCrory said in a statement that he filed the lawsuit to ensure that North Carolina continues to receive federal funding until the courts resolve this issue.

The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina, the statement said.

They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a women's locker room, restroom or shower facility.

In March, Mr McCrory signed a sweeping law that ended anti-discrimination protections for lesbians, gays and bisexuals. It also stopped transgender people from using lavatories that did not match the gender they were born with.

The legislation was introduced after the city of Charlotte earlier passed its own bill to permit transgender people to use public toilets that correspond with their gender identity, rather than their gender at birth.

The North Carolina bill has sparked protest from activists, business and musicians. Bruce Springsteen was among many performers who cancelled concerts in protest over the bill.
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The latest release of the Panama Papers includes the name of a Mississippi businessman whose father killed 14-year-old Emmett Till - one the most high-profile racialized killings in the pre-Civil Rights US.

Harvey Milam - son of a man who admitted to killing Till, JW - showed up in the latest leak of the 11m documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in April. The documents implicated numerous heads of state, businessmen, and celebrities in money laundering and tax evasion scandals, with the help of the law firm Mossack Fonseca in Panama.

Recommended Read more Americans featured in new Panama Papers

According to the ICIJ, Mr Milam was a client of Michael B Edge, who was an "unofficial representative" of Mosseck Fonseca questioned by the FBI in 2000.

Mr Milam was reportedly sued by the Nevis-based insurance company, Condor Insurance Limited, who claimed that he cheated investors by fraudulently transferring the insurers assets to other companies. The insurance company accused Mr Milam of transferring $313m in assets to Condor Guaranty, Inc, to put them out of the reach of creditors, the lawsuit filing reads.

The suit was reportedly settled in 2012. Mr Milam never admitted to any wrongdoing.

JW MIlam (right) Rex

Mr Milams father, JW, along with his half-brother Roy Bryant, lynched Till on 28 August 1955 for apparently whistling at a white girl in Money, a small town in the Southern state. The two men kidnapped Till, beat him, and shot him with a Colt .45 pistol. Tills body was recovered in the Tallahatchie River three days later.



Both JW and Mr Bryant were acquitted by an all-white jury. JW later admitted to the killing in a 1956 article in Look magazine that graphically describes the killing.

Chicago boy, JW said, I'm tired of em sending your kind down here to stir up trouble. ... I'm going to make an example of you - just so everybody can know how me and my folks stand.

JW and Mr Bryant reportedly sold their story to Look for $3,500.

The acquittal of the two confessed killers exposed the level of racial injustice in the US South, and is widely considered a pivotal moment that helped spark the Civil Rights movement.
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Donald Trump has done the equivalent of measuring for curtains in the Oval office, appointing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to lead the transition team that would lay the road from a win in the general election to his inauguration as the next American president next January.

The bold announcement came as Mr Trump continues to face significant turmoil in the higher ranks of the Republican Party over his ascent to becoming its presumptive presidential nominee after four months of bruising primaries.

On Monday, the billionaire businessman was giving scant sign that he would be willing to make peace with Republican house speaker Paul Ryan, who so far has eschewed endorsing him. The two are to meet for peace talks on Thursday in Washington DC. He also declined to rule out blocking Mr Ryan from serving as co-chairman at the partys national convention in July.

Responding to the challenge, Mr Ryan said on Monday that he would step aside from presiding over the national convention if Mr Trump, as the nominees-in-waiting formally asked him to.

In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mr Ryan also slammed talk of a possible third-party run to try to derail the Trump train, saying it would be a disaster for our party. Among those approached by anti-Trump conservatives to consider such a bid has been the 2012 Republican nominee, Mitt Romney.

Republicans have urged Mr Trump to act in a more presidential manner and become more co-operative. There was further alarm after Mr Trump suggested on Sunday he would reverse two of his key policies, vowing to raise the minimum wage and leverage higher taxes on the rich.

The resulting furore forced the candidate on Monday to attempt to clarify his remarks on taxes which had appeared to represent a rupture from Republican orthodoxy of keeping taxes low for the wealthy as party of the trickle-down model for economic growth. He said he had meant only that taxes on the rich might be higher than he had suggested in his own economic plan released last September but not that they would be higher than they are now.

I'm not talking about a tax increase. I'm talking about a tremendous tax decrease, OK? Mr Trump protested on the Fox Business Network, saying proposals always change in negotiations with Congress but that he was committed to cutting taxes. I'm not talking a raise from where they are now; I'm talking about a raise from my low proposal.

After abandoning his own doomed bid for the nomination, Governor Christie stunned his own partys leadership by endorsing Mr Trump at a crucial time during the primary contests in March, becoming the first Republican with a national profile to do so.

It has long been assumed that he expected a big job in return. That would mean more than just chairman of the transition team. A seat at the cabinet table would surely be his, if not the number two spot as vice presidential nominee on the Trump ticket.

Mr Trump told NBC News that he had been blindsided by Mr Ryans decision to hold back from endorsing of him, noting that they had spoken by telephone in March and that the call had been friendly.

But he is also making clear in interviews that if he doesnt get the support of Mr Ryan or indeed of the so-called party establishment as a whole, he will live with that. Id like to have his support, but if he doesnt want to support me thats fine, he said.

But a press release announcing the Christie appointment, insisted that Mr Trump is working toward unifying the party by working with several Republican leaders now voicing their support for Mr. Trump and his candidacy.

Trump supporter and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, told ABC News that Mr Ryans career is over for not supporting him. Four of the last five Republican presidential nominees  George Bush, George W Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney  have announced they will skip the convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mr Trump is the Republican nominee in all but name since Ted Cruz and John Kasich both quit the race last week. He could face a hurdle however, if Mr Cruz's nearly 600 delegates align to vote against Mr Trump. He needs the magic number of 1,237 delegates at the convention to become the nominee.

Mr Trump has broken party lines with his more moderate stances on issues like Planned Parenthood, which runs womens clinics nationwide some of which offer abortions, and has even spoken against sweeping anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina, saying transgender people should be able to use any bathroom they want.

His popularity has ascended as the outsider, self-funding his campaign and criticising the rigged political system. The party divisions are having an adverse effect on funding, according to the New York Times. The Republican convention faces a $7 million shortfall in sponsorship. Traditional sponsors like Walmart and Coca Cola have reportedly been reconsidering their commitments.
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Having bested his other opponents in the Republican primaries, Donald Trump is inching closer and closer to becoming the official nominee as the July convention approaches - and has shifted his focus to the election.

Mr Trump has moved toward attacking his next likely candidate, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, and other prominent Democrats in his path, such as Massachusetts Sen Elizabeth Warren.

But as he has moved to appeal to a wider electorate outside of the primaries, Mr Trump has taken on some criticism for his many reversals on critical policy positions.

Whether speaking on raising the federal minimum wage, increasing taxes for the wealthy, or abortion, the only thing the New York real estate mogul has proven is that he will not budge on only one matter: his willingness to say anything to maintain his controversial campaigns upward trajectory.

And on six critical issues, Mr Trump has pivoted between positions, muddling his exact stance on these certain issues.

Minimum Wage

Mr Trump told NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday that while he wishes to do away with the federal minimum wage, employers should pay workers more on a state-by-state basis.

I have seen what's going on. And I don't know how people make it on $7.25 (5) an hour, he said.

Now, with that being said, I would like to see an increase of some magnitude. But I'd rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide.

However, during a November Fox Business debate, the presumptive Republican nominee felt differently about how much US workers earned, making it clear that he did not sympathise with workers who are fighting for a $15 (10.42) minimum wage.

I cant be [sympathetic]  and the reason I cant be is because we are a country that is being beaten on every front, he said. Taxes too high, wages too high, were not going to be able to compete against the world.  I would not raise the minimum.

Taxing the wealthy

In the same Meet the Press appearance, Mr Trump went against a major core policy that has been a fixture of conservative politics for decades, and said he would likely increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans.

The thing Im going to do is make sure the middle-class get good tax breaks, because they have been absolutely shunned, he said. For the wealthy, I think frankly its going to go up - and you know what, I think it should go up.

In a tax plan released by the Trump campaign last year, all Americans would receive tax breaks, but the wealthiest would still benefit significantly.

In an analysis by the Tax Policy Centre, the top one per cent of earners would receive a tax cut of more than $275,000 (17.5 per cent after-tax income). Individuals in the top 0.1 per cent of earners would receive a cut of at least $1.3m (19 per cent of after-tax income).

Middle-income households would receive a cut of about $2,700 (five per cent of after-tax income) in the plan. The lowest-income households, however, would not benefit quite as much from Mr Trumps proposed tax plan as those with the highest incomes, with a cut of about $128 (one percent of after-tax income).

Campaign finance

Mr Trump has touted his $10bn worth in his campaign, highlighting the point that by self-funding he cannot be bought out by lobbyists.

By self-funding my campaign, he wrote in a September post on Facebook. I am not controlled by my donors, special interests or lobbyists. I am only working for the people of the US!

But in a 4 May interview, he told the Wall Street Journal he was reversing that position as well.

Ill be putting up money, but wont be completely self-funding, as I did during the primaries, he said.

Abortion

Mr Trumps position on abortion came under scrutiny in March when he told MSNBCs Chris Matthews that he supported a ban on the procedure, and women who undergo it should face punishment.

If abortion is banned in the US, youll go back to a position like they had where people will perhaps go to illegal places. But you have to ban it, Mr Trump said, adding, There has to be some form of punishment.

He quickly walked back the comments - which the Clinton campaign called horrific and telling - in a statement released by the campaign.

This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination. Like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions, which I have outlined numerous times, he said.

But Mr Trump had been previously supportive of womens right to choose.

In 1999, he told the Associated Press: I believe it is a personal decision that should be left to the women and their doctors.

And in his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, he wrote, I support a womans right to choose, but I am uncomfortable with the procedures.

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'

Health Care

Mr Trump is opposed to a single-payer healthcare system and believes the industry should remain privatised.

[Single payer] works in Canada. It works incredibly well in Scotland. It could have worked in a different age, he said in the first GOP debate last year. What I'd like to see is a private system without the artificial lines around every state.

However, he said the opposite in a 1999 interview with CNNs Larry King.

If you cant take care of your sick in the country, forget it, its all over. ... I believe in universal healthcare, he said.

He expanded on the idea in his 2000 book.

Immigration

The most prominent facet of Mr Trumps campaign has been his stance on immigration. He announced his candidacy in June 2015 by referring to Mexicans as criminals and rapists, and promised he would build a massive wall on the US southern border.

But when it comes to skilled immigrant labour, Mr Trump does not give quite as clear cut an idea of his position. According to the Washington Post, Mr Trump switched his stance on H-1B visas, which the US grants to skilled foreign workers at the request of business firms who need their expertise.

During a CNBC debate in October, Mr Trump said he supported skilled foreign workers, and that they should stay in the country.

Were losing some of the most talented people, he said. They go to Harvard. They go to Yale. They go to Princeton. They come from another country, and theyre immediately sent out. I am all in favour of keeping these talented people here so they can go to work in Silicon Valley.

Following the debate, his campaign released a statement with a contrary position on the visa program.

The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay, Mr Trump said in the statement.

I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labour program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions.
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Its been an interesting few days for smokers in California. On one hand, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill raising the states smoking age from 18 to 21; the measure, which applies to any tobacco product including electronic cigarettes, goes into effect on 9 June. On the other hand, by the end of this year, California could be the worlds biggest legal marijuana market.

Backers of the so-called Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), which would legalise weed for recreational use in the Golden State, announced last week that they had collected 600,000 signatures in support of the measure  close to twice as many as the 365,880 they needed to get the bill on the ballot at this Novembers election.

The law, if passed, would permit adults of 21 or over to possess as much as an ounce of marijuana and grow up to six cannabis plants for personal use. It would create the framework for a distribution and retail market, managed by a new California Bureau of Marijuana Control, with a 15 per cent tax on all cannabis product sales.

Recommended Read more Canada says it will start decriminalising cannabis next spring

In a statement, the states Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom  who supports the measure  said California voters would finally have the opportunity to pass smart marijuana policy that is built on the best practices of other states, includes the strictest child protections in the nation and pays for itself while raising billions for the state.

Mr Newsom said AUMA would have a dramatic effect on criminal justice, doing away with many of the low-level drug offences that fill California courtrooms. It would also benefit the environment, with a crackdown on illegal marijuana farms that use water diverted illegally from public waterways  a problem that has exacerbated the states recent long, deep drought.

AUMA is backed by a coalition of marijuana industry, medical and civil rights groups. Its most prominent individual supporter is the controversial Silicon Valley investor Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder and former President of Facebook, who has sunk more than $1m of his own fortune into funding the initiative, now commonly referred to as the Parker measure.

In 1996, California became the very first US state to legalise marijuana for medical use <p> </p>

The bills critics include the California Police Chiefs Association, whose president, Ventura County Police Chief Ken Corney, voiced concerns that it could lead to an increase in addiction. This is bad for our communities, he told the Los Angeles Times. This is bad for our youth and its a broad commercialisation [of drugs], a for-profit, money-making model.

In 1996, California became the very first US state to legalise marijuana for medical use. Today, possession of an ounce or less of the drug is punishable only with a small fine. But while several states have taken the leap and legalised the cultivation and retail of recreational weed, California has struggled to regulate its vast, semi-legal marijuana industry.

California, the most populous state in the US, is also its biggest cannabis producer by far, with an annual harvest of legal, semi-legal and thoroughly illegal marijuana crops that together are worth more than $30bn per year, according to a 2014 estimate by Mother Jones. Thats more than the states top 10 legal agricultural commodities combined.

The most recent serious effort to legalise recreational pot use was in 2010, when a ballot measure was rejected by 53 per cent of voters. Another initiative failed even to reach the ballot box in 2014, after its supporters ran out of funds to collect sufficient signatures. But a poll last year found that 55 per cent of Californians are now in favour of full legalisation.

In fact, for the past three years, a majority of all Americans have favoured legalising weed, according to Gallup. Since the last California vote failed in 2010, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia have all legalised recreational use of the drug, and Colorado, Washington, Oregon have introduced legal weed retail and taxation.

Last year, Colorado made more money in weed taxes than it did from alcohol <p> </p>

In 2014, the first year of legalisation, Colorado pot businesses sold almost $700m worth of medical and recreational weed. Last year, they beat that total comfortably, with recreational sales outstripping medical for the first time. The state made more money in weed taxes than it did from alcohol, not to mention all the new jobs being created in the so-called green rush.

The number of marijuana crimes in the state has shrunk exponentially  and there has been no major measurable increase in adult usage. Police have complained, however, of the difficulty of enforcing certain laws such as drugged driving. Colorado was also forced to introduce extra legislation to govern edibles  popular but potent pot-infused food products.

Experts warn that two years is not long enough to determine the effects of legalisation, but it was enough to convince other states. Several, such as Nevada and Massachusetts, plan a vote this year. California, though, is not only bigger than any other US state, but also than any country to have toyed with legalisation, including Portugal, Uruguay and the Netherlands.

Chris Lindsey, senior legislative analyst at the non-profit Marijuana Policy Project, said the Colorado experiment would provide lessons for legalisation in California. California will be able to sidestep, or at least manage more effectively, some of the growing pains of the Colorado system, he said.

The fundamental question of whether or not legalisation makes sense has been answered, Mr Lindsey added. Weve already got Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska that have either rolled out, or are in the process of rolling out, a workable system. But the significance of California is its size.

A major new legal industry could add billions to California coffers, with new taxation, new jobs and increased weed tourism. There are now 24 states where medical marijuana is legal. If AUMA passes in November, experts believe the legal recreational and medical marijuana industries in the US could be worth $23bn by 2020  three times as much as this year.

In recent months, Americas neighbours have also made moves towards legalisation: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked his justice ministers to study the possibility, while Mexicos Supreme Court ruled that individuals should have the right to grow and distribute cannabis for personal use. California could be a model not just for the rest of the US, but for the world.
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Two brothers who allegedly gang raped a 14-year-old girl in Pakistan were reportedly able to settle the case by paying a compensation of 1200kg of wheat, after police took no action against them.

Named locally as Mustaq Mangrio and Suleman Mangrio, the pair allegedly raped the girl, referred to as Miss R, in a small village in the Umer Kot district of the country's Sindh province.

An open letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission, apparently based on information received from the Sindh Rural Partner Organisation and Veerji Kohli, chairman of the Umer Kot Union Council, said the rape was confirmed at the district hospital, and that local police lodged a report.

However, the letter says police did not take action against the brothers, instead allowing them to be dealt with by a traditional tribal court, called a Jirga, which decided the alleged rapists would be let off if they agreed to pay 1200kg of wheat in compensation for their crime.

The case attracted media attention, which led to the eventual arrest of one of the brothers, but left the other free.

The letter claims the alleged rapists were powerful landlords, who employed 14 members of the girls family.

It goes on to say: The landlords of Sindh are particularly notorious for unimaginable human rights abuse of the farmers who work in their fields.

Many cases of rape go unreported due to the fear of the powerful landlord who exerts great authority and clout in his area.

The Asian Human Rights Commission is asking members of the public to write letters to the Sindh government, urging them to arrest and prosecute the alleged rapists.
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Kim Jong-un has been named chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea at a rare party congress held in Pyongyang.

The first congress of the Workers' Party in 36 years, which opened on Friday, was scheduled to promote Kim to the "top post" of the party, according to state media.

During the congress, Kim Yong-nam, head of the North's parliament, read a roster of top party positions, calling Kim Jong-un Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea for the first time.

Workers' Party Congress in North Korea Show all 12 1 /12 Workers' Party Congress in North Korea Workers' Party Congress in North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to the crowd as he presides over a mass rally and parade in the capital's main ceremonial square, a day after the ruling party wrapped up its first congress in 36 years by elevating him to party chairman Reuters Workers' Party Congress in North Korea North Korean parade participants wave decorative bouquets of flowers and carry their country's national flag as they march with a model of the Unha pace launch vehicle at the Kim Il Sung Square. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans celebrated the country's newly completed ruling-party congress with a massive civilian parade featuring floats bearing patriotic slogans and marchers with flags and pompoms AP Workers' Party Congress in North Korea People react as they see North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a mass rally and parade in the capital's main ceremonial square, a day after the ruling party wrapped up its first congress in 36 years by elevating him to party chairman in Pyongyang Reuters Workers' Party Congress in North Korea High party and military officials react as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears at the beginning of a mass rally and parade in the capital's main ceremonial square Workers' Party Congress in North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is accompanied by high party and military officials as he presides over a mass rally and parade in the capital's main ceremonial square, a day after the ruling party wrapped up its first congress in 36 years by elevating him to party chairman, in Pyongyang, North Korea, May 10, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj Reuters Workers' Party Congress in North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un waves from a balcony of the Grand People's Study House following a mass parade marking the end of the 7th Workers Party Congress in Kim Il-Sung Square Getty Images Workers' Party Congress in North Korea Attendees cheer the arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during the 7th Workers Party Congress Getty Images Workers' Party Congress in North Korea A hostess and security guard stand inside the April 25 Palace, the venue of the 7th Workers Party Congress Getty Images Workers' Party Congress in North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the first congress of the country's ruling Workers' Party in 36 years Reuters Workers' Party Congress in North Korea Party representatives sit in the hall of the April 25 House of Culture during the party congress in Pyongyang AP Workers' Party Congress in North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong Un listens during the party congress in Pyongyang. North Korea has brought in more than 100 journalists from around the world to make sure that the 7th Congress of its ruling Workers' Party gets global attention. Four days into the event, they allowed a small number of foreign journalists into the conventional hall where the congress was taking place Workers' Party Congress in North Korea A general view shows the April 25 Palace, the venue of the 7th Workers Party Congress in Pyongyang Getty Images

Kim had already been head of the party, but with the title of first secretary.

His predecessors will keep their posthumous titles. Kim Jong-Il remains "eternal general secretary" and Kim Il-Sung is still "eternal president".

The congress, which began Friday, has celebrated Kim's successes on the nuclear front and promised economic developments to boost the hermit nation's standard of living.

However, the congress has mostly put Kim front and centre in the eyes of the people and the party as the country's sole leader.

 What you're not allowed to say in North Korea

On Sunday, Kim Jong-un delivered a three-hour speech to delegates to review the country's situation and progress since the last congress was held, in 1980, before Kim was born.

He announced a five-year economic plan, the first made public since the 1980s.

During the speech, he said North Korea was a responsible nuclear state and said it would not use its nuclear weapons first, unless its sovereignty was threatened.

The speech underscored Kim's dual focus on building up the country's military while trying to kick-start its economy, which has seen some growth in recent years but remains hampered by international sanctions over its nuclear program.

Additional reporting by AP
Hospital Week Pic.jpg

Singing River Health System employees celebrate National Hospital Week (courtesy photo)

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- Sunday marked the beginning of National Hospital Week, in which hospitals across the nation celebrate the women and men who support the health and well-being of their communities through dedication and compassionate care.

From Sunday through Saturday, Singing River Health System employees are being treated to activities including an employee picnic and a pancake cook-off.

With more than 2,500 employees, including more than 200 physicians, Singing River Health System is one of the biggest health care providers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and one of the largest employers in Jackson County.

SRHS is a community health system comprised of two hospitals - SRH of Pascagoula and Ocean Springs Hospital in Ocean Springs. These two locations provide primary care medical clinics and more than 30 award winning specialized service lines, according to information provided by the system.

"We have excellent facilities and technology at Singing River Health System, but it is our outstanding employees, physicians, and volunteers that set us apart," Richard Lucas, hospital director of communications, said in a news release marking the occasion. "We are so very proud of our health care team, a team that takes its mission to the community very seriously and passionately."

Additional activities within National Hospital Week include an employee health and wellness fair, team participation in the annual Scrub Shirt Scramble relays and a celebrity pancake cook-off with proceeds benefiting the Singing River Health System Foundation.

For more information about Singing River Health System, visit www.singingriverhealthsystem.com.
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A student who was accidently given access to millions by her bank has been arrested as she tried to fly home to Malaysia.

A banking error led to Sydney-based Christine Jiaxin Lee, being given access to an unlimited overdraft in her Westpac bank account. The 21-year-old made withdrawals totalling AU$4,653,333.02 - around 2.3million.

While some of the money has since been recovered, about AU$3.3million is still outstanding, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. The police accused her of placing some of the money into other accounts.

Ms Lee was stopped at Sydney airport while trying to fly to Malaysia on an emergency passport.

Living in Australia as a chemical engineering student at the University of Sydney, Ms Lee is now involved in a court case over the funds. Accused of not telling the bank about the issue, she is also charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

Some of the money was allegedly spent on designer handbags and luxury apartments. But police alleged around $33,000 was transferred every week into private accounts in other banks.

She was released on bail after her boyfriend, Vincent King, posted a $1,000 bail.

He expressed shock over the allegations and claimed he had no idea his girlfriend had the cash.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Thats big money, he told reporters, adding she was a good girl.

However, Lisa Stapleton, magistrate at Waverley Local Court, raised doubts over whether any law had been broken if the bank had inadvertently allowed Ms Lee access to the money.

It isnt proceeds of crime. Its money we all dream of, she said, adding the vast quantity of money amounted to a lot of handbags.

They gave it to her, Ms Stapleton said. If that was proved to be the case, then Ms Lee would owe the money to Westpac and have to pay it back, but she wouldnt necessarily have broken the law.

However, prosecutors said the bank and police had attempted to talk to Ms Lee about the money but she had not responded to emails or phone calls, news.com.au reported.
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A team of British police officers is heading for the Greek island of Kos to look for new witnesses in the search for toddler Ben Needham who went missing almost 25 years ago, according to his family.

Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he vanished on July 24 1991 after travelling to the island with his mother and grandparents.

Over the years there have been a number of possible sightings and a range of theories about what happened to the youngster, who would now be 26.

Earlier this year, South Yorkshire Police announced that they had received extra funding from the Home Office to help in the search.

Now, the official campaign to find Ben, headed by his mother, Kerry, confirmed that a team of officers will fly to Kos on Tuesday.

In a statement, Help Find Ben Needham said 10 officers were travelling to the island hoping to "find new witnesses as they urge islanders to come forward with any information which might help the case".

It said the officers will give a press conference at the farmhouse from where Ben went missing.

He had been taken to the site, in Irakles, by his grandmother, Christine Needham, to visit his grandfather, who was helping to renovate the run-down building.

Ben Needham's mother and sister appearing on Greek televsion to appeal for information about his whereabouts (Alpha TV)

Ms Needham said: "We believe someone on Kos does know something - and if they do please come forward. It doesn't matter how insiginificant they think it is - if they have information let the police know."

In January last year, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings secured 700,000 of special funding from the Home Office to allow South Yorkshire Police to commit further resources to the investigation into Ben's disappearance.

This year, a further 450,000 was approved by the Home Secretary.

The Home Office backed a South Yorkshire Police operation in 2012 when land was excavated on Kos, near the farmhouse from where Ben went missing. No trace of the little boy was found.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 New Conservative Party leader and incoming prime minister Rishi Sunak waves as he leaves from Conservative Party Headquarters in central London having been announced as the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA 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

In 2014, South Yorkshire Police asked the Home Office for the Special Grant Funding to follow up information the family believed had never been properly investigated.

In May last year, Ben's mother, sister and grandmother travelled to Greece with South Yorkshire Police detectives to make a direct appeal on a Greek television show about missing people.

Police have investigated a number of new lines of inquiry as a result of the programme and the ongoing investigation into the toddler's disappearance.

British and Greek police looking for clues on the island of Kos in 2012 (Getty Images)

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said: "The lives of Ben Needham's family were ripped apart when he disappeared more than twenty years ago and their determination to find him has not diminished. They are more desperate than ever to find answers about what happened to him.

"It is likely that someone out there knows what happened to him and we will be appealing to people in Kos who have information to come forward and tell us what they know. The force is working closely with the Greek authorities to ensure a number of lines of existing inquiry are explored.

"We are also hoping that the offer of a Crimestoppers' reward of up to 10,000 could be an incentive for someone to finally come forward after all these years - it is not too late to tell us what happened and finally allow us to unearth the truth."

The Operation Ben team can be contacted on 0114 296 3022 or opben.needham@southyorks.pnn.police.uk

PA
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The on-going achievement of peace and unity across Europe since the creation of the European Union is celebrated each year on 9 May, praising in particular the defence of human rights and parliamentary democracy that has been protected across the continent since 1949.

Its little wonder, then, that Denmark is officially the happiest country in Europe, where its citizens have high levels of trust in the governments system of parliamentary democracy, and, as one resident put it: no worries.

Denmark has been named the happiest country in the world three times since 2012, according to a number of factors outlined by the UN in its World Happiness Report 2016.

These include GDP per capita, healthy years of life expectancy and social support, the idea of trust, as measured by a perceived absence of corruption in government and business, and the perceived freedom to make life decisions.

We have no worries, said Knud Christensen, a 39-year-old social worker from Copenhagen. And if we do worry, its about the weather. Will it rain today, or remain grey, or will it be cold?.

The 10 happiest countries in Europe Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 happiest countries in Europe The 10 happiest countries in Europe Denmark Coulourful houses and boats seen in the Nyhavn district in Copenhagen The 10 happiest countries in Europe Switzerland The 10 happiest countries in Europe Iceland Iceland, Northern Lights The 10 happiest countries in Europe Norway Wheel deal: cycling in Norway Visit Norway The 10 happiest countries in Europe Finland Getty The 10 happiest countries in Europe The Netherlands The 10 happiest countries in Europe Sweden AFP The 10 happiest countries in Europe Austria Sean Gallup/Getty Images The 10 happiest countries in Europe Germany Getty Images The 10 happiest countries in Europe Belgium The city hall on Brussels' Grand Place is illuminated during a light show, December 30, 2015 Reuters

Of the European countries outlined in the global report, Denmark is closely followed on the happiness scale by Switzerland, Iceland and Norway  the UK, which is due to vote on its membership of the EU this summer - does not rank inside the top 10, instead placing at number 13, just behind Ireland.
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Whats so funny about Europe? Well, what with the refugee crisis, the Greek debt crisis, half of Britain wanting to leave the EU and Ukraine being at war... not a lot at the moment.

One man, however, is determined to alter that perception.

Romain Seignovert, a Brussels-based Frenchman, has released a book documenting the jokes Europeans tell about their neighbours.

De Qui Se Moque-t-On? (Who Do We Make Fun Of?), is a collection of 345 jokes from countries across the continent.

Mr Seignovert, who owns the blog europeisnotdead.com, believes much of the continents shared sense of humour has been lost in the intensely political context in which Europe is most often discussed in these days. However, on Europe Day, he tells The Independent humour is a universal characteristic which is best shared.

Its brotherly, its like teasing, he says. Its a way of getting to know the other. Mr Seignovert, who has lived in a number of European cities and flat-shares with people of several different European nationalities, believes the jokes are made because people on the continent do care about each other, after all.

The collection of gags, which took three years to collect, often play on national stereotypes, sometimes in a rather harsh sense. But Mr Seignovert insists all the jokes are made in good humour.

Laughing together means there is a friendship there, he says. Otherwise, there would just be indifference. I tried to show we care about our neighbours.

Along with listing the jokes, Mr Seignovert includes some context on why certain types of jokes are popular in different countries.

For instance, French jokes about the Belgians originate from the 18th century, when Belgian workers were imported to northern France and employed as strike-breakers  much to the chagrin of the French, who have since told jokes about the simple minded Belgians:

Why do Belgians have pommes frites, while the Arab world has oil? Because the Belgians got to choose first.

However, the Belgians also struck back against the arrogant French:

After God created France, he thought it was the most beautiful country in the world. People were going to get jealous, so to make things fair he decided to create the French.

Much banter between the Nordic countries can be traced to the 1970s, Mr Seignovert says, when a Swedish newspaper asked its readers for jokes about the Norwegians:

Why did the library in Oslo shut down? Someone stole the book

The Norwegians later countered with their own efforts, spawning an fraught exchange between the two countries.

Of course, the Germans cant be left out of any conversation about European humour. Many jokes are told about them by the Polish, although the origins can perhaps be traced back to less funny reasons:

Have you ever heard about Miss Germany? Me neither

Despite Mr Seignoverts obvious admiration for the good-humoured cultural richness of the Europe, he fears it could be harmed if Britain chooses to leave the European Union. Britain is part of the European family, he says. There are many ties between us -- even your Monarchy is from Europe!

If Brexit were to happen it would be a sad thing, it would break ties and decrease opportunities for sharing our cultures.

The Best of the Rest:

The Irish on the (repressed) Brits:

Diplomacy according to Brits: the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.

The Portuguese on (disdainful) Spaniards:

- How do you recognize a Spaniard in a library?

- He is the only one to look at a world map of Madrid

The Albanians on the (deviant) Greeks:

- What do you call a Greek with 300 hundred wives?

- A shepherd.

The Estonians on the (introverted) Finns:

- How do you know a Finn is terribly in love with his wife?

- He almost tells her.

The Latvians and Lithuanians on (slow) Estonians:

- I told some Estonian fellows that theyre slow, says a Latvian

- What did they reply? Asks his friend.

- Nothing, but they beat me up the following day

The Italians on themselves:

- Why does the Pope always kiss the ground after a flight?

- Only someone who has already travelled with Alitalia will understand.
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A teenage Catholic girl who converted to Islam has been banned from attending a school in the eastern Paris suburbs because her skirt is too long.

The headteacher of the school in Montereau-Fault-Yonne told the 16-year-old that the length of her skirt meant that it was an ostentatious religious symbol  something forbidden in state schools in France since 2004.

A meeting will be held at the school with the pupils parents to try to resolve the dispute, following a rash of similar incidents in other French schools last year.

Long skirts if worn as a fashion statement are allowed in French schools. Long skirts worn as sign of allegiance to Islam  or any other religion  may fall foul of the 2004 law which enforces the principle that state schools are secular.

The council of state, the final arbiter of the meaning of French laws, has been asked to rule on the long skirt issue but has not yet done so.

The girl has been named only as K De Sousa, French of Portuguese origin. She converted to Islam, with the blessing of her family, a year ago. The French education system investigated whether she was part of a radical Islamic movement and decided she was not.

Her mother Marie-Christine de Sousa told French magazine LObs: My daughter respects the law. I respect her religion. Until now, the school has made no comment on the way she dresses.

Apart from chattering in class, she has no problems and doesnt say much about her conversion. People shouldnt jump to conclusions.

K De Sousa wears a headscarf in public but takes it off when she reaches school, as the 2004 law demands. The law was enacted after a series of rows in French schools about the wearing of headscarves. It was broadened to ban all ostentatious religious symbols to avoid seeming to stigmatise Islam.

A handful of schools in France have begun to interpret long skirts won by Muslim girls as a religious symbol. Most do not.

The education board covering K De Sousas school admitted that dialogue between the school and her family had not gone entirely serenely.

Talks will resume on Monday, a spokesman said.

It is in everyones interest that this young woman should pursue her schooling normally. A long dress or skirt is not, in itself, a motive for excluding a pupil.
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Poland will not be accepting a single refugee "because there is no mechanism that would ensure safety", the most powerful politician in the country has said.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski is the leader of Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party. PiS takes a nationalist, right-wing stance on most issues, vocally opposing EU plans to house and feed refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war and other humanitarian crises.

In a political broadcast published on YouTube, he said: After recent events connected with acts of terror, [Poland] will not accept refugees because there is no mechanism that would ensure security."

The European Union has recently suggested that countries should be asked to accept a quota of refugees, or pay 250,000 (200,000) for each asylum-seeker they turn away.

The money raised would be given to countries such as Greece, Germany and Italy who are currently housing a disproportionately high number of refugees.

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.

But Mr Kaczynski also spoke out in opposition to these plans, which would see Poland asked to meet a quota of 6500 refugees or provide over 1.6bn (1.25bn) in support for the humanitarian effort.

"Such a decision would abolish the sovereignty of EU member states  of course, the weaker ones," he said. "We dont agree to that, we have to oppose that, because we are and we will be in charge in our own country,

 Poland: Thousands march in support of refugees in Warsaw

Since taking control of the Polish government in 2015, the autocratic PiS has seized control of state media and the civil service, as well as passing a law to cripple the Polish supreme court by landing it with an unworkable caseload.

In 2015, Mr Kaczynski claimed that refugees were bringing various parasites and protozoa to Europe, including dystentry and cholera. PiS were elected on a vehemently anti-refugee and Eurosceptic platform.

With a population of nearly 40,000,000, Poland has a lower quota than other large European nations, though it is also a relatively poor country.

Last year, Eurostat found Poland accepted just 0.21 asylum-seekers per 1000 citizens, compared to 0.5 per thousand in the United Kingdom or 8.43 in Sweden.
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Slovakian border officials shot and wounded a Syrian refugee when they opened fired at a car carrying migrants from Hungary into Slovakia, authorities have said.

The unidentified 26-year-old woman is thought to be in a stable condition after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from her back, according to a hospital in Dunajska Streda, southern Slovakia. The hospital added it had also treated two other migrants suffering from dehydration.

According to Reuters it may be the first reported incident inside Europes passport-free Schengen zone where migrants have been shot at. Just last month Turkish border forces were accused of using live bullets to drive away refugees fleeing violence between so-called Islamic State forces and opposition groups in war-ravage Syria.

Recommended Read more Syrian refugees help Canadian bush fires victims after

The Financial Administration, which runs the customs service in Slovakia, said in statement that officers had stopped four passenger cars entering the country from neighbouring Hungary in the early hours of Monday. Three cars complied with an order to stop but the fourth tried to escape and endangered three officers, it added.

"The officers fired warning shots and when the car did not stop they fired at the car, injuring one person," it added, without elaborating further.

Andrew Stroehlein, Europe media director for Human Rights Watch, told the Telegraph: It is outrageous that Slovak authorities are shooting at innocent people fleeing war.

How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a bottle of water towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian armoured personnel carriers are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian police spray water cannon on migrants at the "Horgos 2" border crossing into Hungary, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee reacts after Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee gestures as Hungarian riot police use water cannon to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border A refugee throws a stone towards Hungarian riot police after they used water cannon and pepper spray to push back refugees at the Hungarian border with Serbia near the town of Horgos How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees protest as Hungarian riot police fires tear gas and water cannon on the Serbian side of the border, near Roszke How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Migrants shout slogans as they stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen run as they are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Hungarian riot policemen are deployed at the border crossing with Serbia in Roszke Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees stand in front of a barrier at the border with Hungary near the village of Horgos, Serbia Reuters How Hungary welcomes its refugees - in pictures Serbia-Hungary border Refugees wait at the Horgos 2 border crossing EPA

He added: Officials said the car was driving dangerously and endangering their officers but there have to be ways of giving chase to a car without resorting to shooting at it.

Speaking at the time of the incident on the Turkish border, Gerry Simpson, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: As civilians flee Isis fighters, Turkey is responding with live ammunition instead of compassion.

The whole world is talking about fighting ISIS, and yet those most at risk of becoming victims of its horrific abuses are trapped on the wrong side of a concrete wall.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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A young man attempting to take a selfie accidentally knocked over a 128-year-old statue, leaving it shattered in the street.

The 24-year-old had climbed up next to the statue of Dom Sebastiao on the Rossio train station facade in Lisbon, Portugal, to get the perfect picture.

But once standing next the statue, he inadvertently toppled the free-standing sculpture off its pedestal.

The man, who has not been identified by police, attempted to flee the scene but was caught by officers and is expected to appear in front of a judge.

A spokesperson for Infrastructure Portugal said it was not yet known when it would be fixed.

Rossio station, built in the Neo-Manueline style, was completed in 1890 and is now a protected building.

The shattered remains of the statue (Infraestruturas de Portugal)

The statue's subject, Dom Sebastiao. ruled Portugal between 1557 and 1578, dying in battle at the age of 24 during a crusade of his own making in Morocco.
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A young woman attacked by a group of men has claimed police told her to dress less provocatively, not travel late in the evening and dye her hair.

The 20-year-old, identified only by her first name Sabrina, said no one came to her aid when four men stole her handbag and threw her to the ground in Vienna.

She said the city's police then told her to dress less provocatively when she went to report what had happened.

"At first I was scared, but now I'm more angry than anything. After the attack they told me that women shouldn't be alone on the streets after 8pm," she told Heute.

"And they also gave me other advice, telling me I should dye my hair dark and also not dress in such a provocative way.

"That is a massive insult."

Sabrina, who is a student studying theatre, said she was standing at the platform on Vienna's main Westbanhof station when a man speaking in a foreign language approached her and ran his fingers through her hair.

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

Despite telling him to leave, he disappeared only to return with three companions who stole Sabrina's handbag and her debit cards.

The group then pushed her to the ground in an attack which left her needing hospital treatment for bruising to her head, spine and hips.

It is not the first time Austrian police have appeared to place the onus on women to be safe, with Vienna's chief of police Gerhard Purstl telling women in January after sex attacks in Germany not to go out alone in the evening.

He said women should avoid "suspicious-looking areas."

Meanwhile Sabrina said no one on the train platform helped her or tried to intervene in the attack by the men, who she said she understood to be from Afghanistan.

"The police told me that attacks are now a daily routine. And it's going to get worse," she said.

Support for Austria's far-right, anti-immigration Freedom Party has surged in popularity in Austria since the country took in asylum applications from refugees fleeing wars in the Middle East.

Around 11 sex attacks happen every day in the country, according to figures released by the interior ministry in March 2016.
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A US-led coalition airstrike has killed a senior Isis leader in Iraqs Anbar province, according to the Pentagon.

On May 6, a coalition airstrike targeted Abu Waheeb, Isil's military emir for Anbar province and a former member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq who has appeared in ISIL execution videos, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said, using an another acronym for Isis.

It is dangerous to be an Isil leader in Iraq and Syria nowadays.

There was no independent confirmation of Waheebs death, which has been declared killed on previous occasions. The Pentagon also said that three other extremists had been killed in the strike.

More follows...
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The Israeli government has been accused of seizing land belonging to a Palestinian family and handing it over to be used for the new headquarters of a radical Zionist organisation.

According to an investigation by Israeli news source Haaretz, the land has been given to Amana, an NGO which builds illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank.

The group was formed as an offshoot of the messianic Zionist movement Gush Emunim, and is run by Ze'ev Hever, a convicted terrorist.

Israel rejects Gaza truce call Show all 64 1 /64 Israel rejects Gaza truce call Israel rejects Gaza truce call 108241.bin AP Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107921.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 108152.bin AFP Israel rejects Gaza truce call 108101.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 108083.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 108084.bin Israel rejects Gaza truce call 108102.bin Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107983.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107788.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107786.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107746.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107742.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107741.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107743.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107744.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107745.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107704.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107705.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107706.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107707.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107708.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107709.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107721.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107722.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107723.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107724.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107725.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107445.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107420.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107384.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107287.bin AP Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107288.bin Getty Images Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107289.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107442.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107444.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107447.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107449.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107452.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107453.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107454.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107455.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107456.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107457.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107458.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107459.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107460.bin Reuters Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107421.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107422.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107423.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107424.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107425.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107426.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107427.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107428.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107430.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107431.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107432.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107433.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107434.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107435.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107436.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107437.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107438.bin Getty Israel rejects Gaza truce call 107439.bin Getty

The Israeli government has helped Amana set up new headquarters on the land, Haaretz reported, without informing the Abu Ta'ah family that their land was being expropriated.

Officials have been accused of redrawing existing property maps and hiding vital documents from the property's owners.

Speaking to Haaretz, head of the family Abu Ta'ah said: We knew all my life that we had this land. When my mother was supposed to receive her National Insurance Institute stipend, they told her she would not receive it because we have land.

Why is it forbidden for us to build while they are permitted? They are not the owners and I am. Theres no justice.

 Ken Livingstone calls creation of Israel a 'catastrophe'

In 2005, Amana handed over 913,000 shekels (168,000) to the Israeli government for the use of a large swathe of East Jerusalem land which the state had first expropriated in 1968.

But in 2009 an additional 3000m of land, which the Ta'ah family says belonged to them, was reportedly secretly added to the construction plans.

Development of new Amana headquarters has since begun on the site, protected by Israeli police. A petition by the family has been rejected by the Jerusalem District Court

In an investigation earlier this year, the Israeli government's own fraud squad found that 14 out of 15 transactions carried out by a subsidiary of Amana were fraudulent.

Amana-owned company Al-Watan forged documents and staged handovers of cash to stooges posing as Palestinian land-owners, to make it appear that they were legitimately purchasing land rather than forcibly seizing it.

Under a law originally introduced by the British administration in 1943, the Israeli government is entitled to expropriate any private property for governmental or 'public' purposes, often without compensation. In practice, the power is used to seize land belonging to Palestinians and build homes for Israelis.
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A 25-year-old Indian woman has allegedly been tortured to death by her employers in Saudi Arabia.

Asima Khatoon, who went to the Gulf state to work as a house maid, reportedly succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment for chest-related disease at the King Saud hospital.

She passed away after medical treatment failed to save her.

10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty

Her family claimed she had previously complained of being mentally and physically harassed.

"She went there and she was assaulted there," a member of Ms Khatoon's family, from Hyderabad, told News 18.

"She was kept in a room, they did not feed her. She told me she has been tortured and she asked me to bring her back at any cost," the family member alleged.

 Cameron on arms trading with Saudi Arabia.mp4

In a phone call made several weeks ago, she reportedly asked her parents to rescue her.

Her stay had reportedly been extended by her employers illegally after her visa expired.

The Telangana state government had earlier asked India's external affairs ministry to intervene and rescue her, India Today reported.
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Documents showing how thousands of individuals and companies are linked to the Panama Papers tax dodging scandal are about to be published online, meaning members of the public will be able to search through the data.

The database is being published at 7pm BST by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

Here's how to search the highlights of the 11.5 million files in the leak to see which politicians, businesspeople and corporations have links to offshore tax havens. With nearly a quarter of a million offshore entities to sift through, there's still plenty of headline-grabbing stories in there waiting to be found.

What's the point of this database?

If it took a team of researchers just five minutes to analyse a file for evidence of wrongoing, they would still have to work day and night for over a century to make their way through the 11.5 million files in the Panama Papers leak.

As such, what you're seeing here is a version of a programme used by many of the 100 news organisations and 400 journalists involved in processing the leak. It contains a selection of key data, not the full multi-million page haul of documents.

This is the first time that documents from the Panama Papers are being made publicly available in bulk, and it's the largest ever release of information about offshore companies.

World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Show all 15 1 /15 World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Petro Poroshenko President of Ukraine World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Ayad Allawi Allawi Iraqs Vice-President between 2014 and 2015, and the countrys interim prime minister from 2004 to 2005 World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud King of Saudi Arabia World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan President of the United Arab Emirates, Emir of Abu Dhabi World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Sigmundur Davi Gunnlaugsson Prime Minister of Iceland World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Sergey Roldugin Close friend of Vladimir Putin World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Emir of Qatar 1995-2013 World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Li Xiaolin Daughter of Li Peng, the former Premier of China (The current vice-president of state-owned power company China Datang Gorporation and former CEO of China Power International Development, she has been nicknamed Chinas Power Queen World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Rami Makhlouf Cousin of Bashar Assad, the President of Syria World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Hafez Makhlouf Cousin of Bashar Assad, the President of Syria World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Clive Khulubuse Zuma Nephew of Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Maryam Nawaz Sharif Safdar Daughter of Nawaz Sharif, prime minister of Pakistan World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Hasan Nawaz Sharif Son of Nawaz Sharif, prime minister of Pakistan World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Hussain Nawaz Sharif Son of Nawaz Sharif, prime minister of Pakistan World leaders linked to 'Panama Papers' Alaa Mubarak The eldest son of ousted former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Read more here

What information can I search for?

The database will contain information on "more than 200,000" offshore entities, owned by individuals in over 200 countries. These entities were set up by individuals or corporations in order to benefit from lax taxation regimes in 21 different tax havens, from Panama itself to Nevada in the United States.

You'll also be able to see the names of directors and shareholders of many of these companies, as well as the "true" owners of some organisations. (Where Mossack Fonseca had this on record in many cases, the 'true' owner is still a mystery.)

The database also includes 100,000 documents from a previous ICIJ investigation into offshore tax havens.

Thousands march on Downing Street calling for Cameron to resign over Panama Papers scandal

What information will be left out?

ICIJ emphasise that this is not a "data dump". Top investigative journalists are still processing information from the leaks, so not all the Panama Papers can be released at this stage.

The privacy of individuals named in the documents also has to be protected: the database will not include email exchanges, personal data or records of back accounts and financial transactions.

How do I use the programme?

Visit the database here. Once the database goes live you'll be able to search for corporations and individuals by name, as well as look through country-by-country lists of potential tax-evaders.

Advanced guidance on how to break down information on hundreds of thousands of offshore bodies into manageable chunks is available on the ICIJ website.
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In the Western popular imagination -- particularly the American one -- World War II is a conflict we won. It was fought on the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, through the rubble of recaptured French towns and capped by sepia-toned scenes of joy and young love in New York. It was a victory shaped by the steeliness of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the moral fiber of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the awesome power of an atomic bomb.

But that narrative shifts dramatically when you go to Russia, where World War II is called the Great Patriotic War and is remembered in a vastly different light.

On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin will play host to one of Moscow's largest ever military parades to mark the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. More than 16,000 troops will participate, as well 140 aircraft and 190 armored vehicles, including the debut of Russia's brand new next-generation tank.

Britain during WWII - in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 Britain during WWII - in pictures Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1939: A squadron of Spitfires took part in mimic 'air alarms', during a speed demonstration at Duxford Aerodrome Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1939: British railway workers fit floodgates below river level at Underground Stations Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1939: A patient on a stretcher is loaded into a Green-Line coach ambulance when being evacuated from Guy's Hospital in London Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1939: Metropolitan Police Constables wearing gas masks line up to enter a mobile gas chamber at East Ham Police Station, London Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1939: A young female British Navy officer sitting astride a minesweeper's cannon and lighting a cigarette whilst two officers look on Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1939: Schoolchildren crowd Ealing Broadway Station in London, some of the first youngsters to be evacuated to the country during World War II Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1940: Bells rescued from the belfry of St Giles in Cripplegate, London, which was bombed during a night raid Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1940: A projector, operating from its sunken sandbagged emplacement, at a searchlight station in the London area Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1940: Auxiliary Territorial Services personnel sealing and preparing a Churchill tank for export to the Soviet Union Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1940: An Australian soldier leaps from a tank during training exercises in Britain Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1940: A man flies a Union Jack on a bomb site. The area was bombed twice, and the second time it tore the flag in two Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1941: A policeman coaxing his pony to leave an area which is being evacuated due to the discovery of an unexploded bomb Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1941: Charles de Gaulle (C), Chief of the French Free Forces, inspects the French colonial troops during during his visit of a military base in Great Britain Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1941: US politician Wendell Willkie viewing the bomb damage to the Guildhall during the Blitz, London Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1941: Men, women and children stand with their belongings on a pavement in Clydeside, in the aftermath of a severe bombing raid Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1941: The famous American 'Eagle' Volunteer Air Squadron, formed during WWI, takes its place in the ranks of the RAF Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1942: Work in progress of the decks of almost completed ships, being built for the merchant navy Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1942: Two London buses passing through thick smoke screens during Civil Defence Service training operations Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1942: A British ship (either the Cathay or the Karanja) on fire in Bougie Harbour (Bejaia), during the North African 'torch' landings. The Luftwaffe bombed three of the Allied ships as they attempted to reach shore Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1943: American soldiers viewing some of London's raid damage during a tour Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1943: A crashed German Messerschmitt is towed past the Houses of Parliament in London Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1943: The wreckage of Sandhurst Road School in Catford, south London, the day after it was partially destroyed in a German bombing raid Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1944: Extensive manoeuvres for invasion being carried out by American Sherman tank units in Britain Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1944: Rescue workers searching through the rubble of a block of flats destroyed by German raids in London Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1944: Bomb damaged buildings in London's Pall Mall after an air raid Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1945: British officers liberated by the 9th Army from Brunswick Oflag 79, the largest British officers' camp in Germany Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1945: Essex-class fleet carrier USS Franklin after suffering a hit by a Japanese dive-bomber off Japan, during war in the Pacific Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1945: The scene in Farringdon Road, London, after a V-2 rocket had fallen in daylight on the Central Markets Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1945: VE day, held to commemorate the official end of Britain's involvement in World War II, is celebrated by crowds at Trafalgar Square in London Britain during WWII - in pictures WWII 1945: Soldiers from the Women's Royal Army Corps in their service vehicle, driving through Trafalgar Square during the VE Day celebrations in London

It's a grand moment, but few of the world's major leaders will be in attendance. The heads of state of India and China will look on, but not many among their Western counterparts. That is a reflection of the tense geopolitical present, with Putin's relations with the West having turned frosty after a year of Russian meddling in Ukraine. When Russia's T-14 Armata tank broke down at a parade rehearsal on Thursday, the snickering could be heard across Western media.

Unfairly or not, the current tensions obscure the scale of what's being commemorated: Starting in 1941, the Soviet Union bore the brunt of the Nazi war machine and played perhaps the most important role in the Allies' defeat of Hitler. By one calculation, for every single American soldier killed fighting the Germans, 80 Soviet soldiers died doing the same.

Recommended Read more The truth about Hitler and Zionism

Of course, the start of the war had been shaped by a Nazi-Soviet pact to carve up the lands in between their borders. Then Hitler turned against the U.S.S.R.

The Red Army was "the main engine of Nazism's destruction," writes British historian and journalist Max Hastings in "Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945." The Soviet Union paid the harshest price: though the numbers are not exact, an estimated 26 million Soviet citizens died during World War II, including as many as 11 million soldiers. At the same time, the Germans suffered three-quarters of their wartime losses fighting the Red Army.

"It was the Western Allies' extreme good fortune that the Russians, and not themselves, paid almost the entire 'butcher's bill' for [defeating Nazi Germany], accepting 95 per cent of the military casualties of the three major powers of the Grand Alliance," writes Hastings.

The epic battles that eventually rolled back the Nazi advance -- the brutal winter siege of Stalingrad, the clash of thousands of armored vehicles at Kursk (the biggest tank battle in history) -- had no parallel on the Western Front, where the Nazis committed fewer military assets. The savagery on display was also of a different degree than that experienced farther west.

 World War II Animation from IWM

Hitler viewed much of what's now Eastern Europe as a site for "lebensraum" -- living space for an expanding German empire and race. What that entailed was the horrifying, systematic attempt to depopulate whole swaths of the continent. This included the wholesale massacre of millions of European Jews, the majority of whom lived outside Germany's pre-war borders to the east. But millions of others were also killed, abused, dispossessed of their lands and left to starve.

"The Holocaust overshadows German plans that envisioned even more killing. Hitler wanted not only to eradicate the Jews; he wanted also to destroy Poland and the Soviet Union as states, exterminate their ruling classes, and kill tens of millions of Slavs," writes historian Timothy Snyder in "Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin."

By 1943, the Soviet Union had already lost some 5 million soldiers and two-thirds of its industrial capacity to the Nazi advance. That it was yet able to turn back the German invasion is testament to the courage of the Soviet war effort. But it came at a shocking price.

In his memoirs, Eisenhower was appalled by the extent of the carnage:

When we flew into Russia, in 1945, I did not see a house standing between the western borders of the country and the area around Moscow. Through this overrun region, Marshal Zhukov told me, so many numbers of women, children and old men had been killed that the Russian Government would never be able to estimate the total.

To be sure, as Snyder documents, the Soviet Union under Stalin also had the blood of millions on its hands. In the years preceding World War II, Stalinist purges led to the death and starvation of millions. The horrors were compounded by the Nazi invasion.

"In Soviet Ukraine, Soviet Belarus, and the Leningrad district, lands where the Stalinist regime had starved and shot some four million people in the previous eight years, German forces managed to starve and shoot even more in half the time," Snyder writes. He says that between 1933 and 1945 in the "bloodlands" -- the broad sweep of territory on the periphery of the Soviet and Nazi realms -- some 14 million civilians were killed.

By some accounts, 60 percent of Soviet households lost a member of their nuclear family.

For Russia's neighbors, it's hard to separate the Soviet triumph from the decades of Cold War domination that followed. One can also lament the way the sacrifices of the past inform the muscular Russian nationalism now peddled by Putin and his Kremlin allies. But we shouldn't forget how the Soviets won World War II in Europe.

Copyright: Washington Post
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Students in Spain are reportedly being made to undertake a course on exorcisms as part of their studies.

The series of compulsory seminars are being taught at the University College of Barberan and Collan, which is part of the Complutense University of Madrid - one of the oldest institutions in the world - and is also said to be funded by Spains Ministry of Defence.

According to Spanish newspaper El Diario, the colleges entire student body - all of whom are members of military families - will have to attend the theological conference centred on the fields related to the devil, exorcisms, being possessed, and hell.

Local media reports have described how some students have expressed outrage at the new move, however, no one is yet known to have made any formal complaint.

A spokeswoman for the college confirmed to The Local there was, indeed, a new seminar on exorcism, though the site reports she was unable to confirm any other details.

Entitled The Evil, the seminars will be carried out by Roman Catholic priest, Father Jose Antonio Fortea Cucurull, author of the 2004 book, Summa daemoniaca, a treatise on demonology which also includes a how-to exorcism manual.

In 2010, the priest made headlines in Colombia after telling a local newspaper the existence of the devil was real, but that he did not havehorns, wings, or a tail.

Student news in pictures Show all 34 1 /34 Student news in pictures Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain a student demonstrator during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures South Korean policemen detain student protestors during a protest against South Korean President Park Geun-Hye outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The protesters demanded that the parliament takes steps to impeach President Park Geun-Hye EPA Student news in pictures Filipino demonstrators face off with anti-riot police during a protest near the US Embassy in Manila, Philippine EPA Student news in pictures Hundreds of protesters including Indigenous People, students and militant groups marched towards the US Embassy to protest against the presence of US military troops and condemning the violent dispersal which left at least forty people hurt including twenty police officers and three people who were run over by a police van EPA Student news in pictures A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students Student news in pictures A man holds up a photograph of a missing student with a caption reading 'We are missing 43,' during a meeting marking the 25-month anniversary of the disappearances of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero, in Mexico City. A federal judge in Mexico has ordered that a once-fugitive police chief be held on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of 43 students AP Student news in pictures Miguel Perez, an intern student from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, puts away his cell phone before walking into the operating room at the Dr. Isaac Gonzalez MartInez Oncological Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Once they complete their general surgery training, many residents are moving to the United States in search of better wages, one of the main factors linked to the current shortage of specialists in the Island Student news in pictures Fewer EU students have applied to start university courses in the UK next autumn. There was a 9% fall in the numbers who had applied for courses, according to admissions service UCAS. PA wire Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela. Masses of protesters jammed the streets of Venezuela's capital on the heels of a move by congress to open a political trial against Maduro, whose allies have blocked moves for a recall election AP Student news in pictures University students protest against President Nicolas Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela AP Student news in pictures Thousands, most of them high school students, march during a demonstration in Madrid, Spain, on a one day strike to protest about the country's education law that increases the number of annual exams AP Student news in pictures Students gather on the west mall to confront the Young Conservatives of Texas student organization over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action Student news in pictures Donald Parish Jr, right, confronts Electrical and Computer Engineering senior Dewayne Perry over a controversial bake sale on The University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas. The Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of Texas-Austin sparked the protest with an affirmative action bake sale. The club encouraged students to buy a cookie and talk about the disastrous policy that is affirmative action AP Student news in pictures Brigham Young University announced that students who report sexual assault will no longer be investigated for possible violations of the Mormon-owned school's strict honor code that bans such things as alcohol use AP Student news in pictures Students of secondary education march to protest against the final examinations and LOMCE (The Improvement Quality Education Law) law, after a call by trade unions, in Murcia, Spain EPA Student news in pictures South African police have used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesters who had marched to the parliament building to call for free university education, where the finance minister was giving a budget speech AP Student news in pictures Police break up student protests outside the parliament in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures South African Policemen fire rubber bullets at student protestors in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures A student protestor is hit by a rubber bullet in Cape Town, South Africa AP Student news in pictures An injured student is helped by colleagues during protest outside the parliament during South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's medium term budget speech in Cape Town, South Africa Reuters Student news in pictures Plaintiffs and bereaved families of elementary school students killed in the tsunami that followed a major earthquake in northeastern Japan in 2011, show banners that say 'victory in a suit filed with the Sendai District Court' in Sendai. A Japanese court ordered municipalities to pay $13.7 million dollars to families of school children who were swept away to their deaths by the 2011 tsunami Getty Student news in pictures A group of student at Ewha Womans University calls for a thorough investigation into those involved in years of engagement with state affairs backstage by Choi Soon-sil, a personal confidante of South Korean President Park Geun-hye, at the school's front gate in Seoul, South Korea EPA Student news in pictures Students raise placards during a strike action called by the student union, in Madrid against university entry exams Getty Student news in pictures Libyans throw a newly graduated student into a fountain as they celebrate during the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Libyans celebrate as they attend the graduation ceremony for students from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Al-Arab University in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi Getty Student news in pictures Thousands of Thai Catholic students take part in mourning tributes and in singing the Thai Royal Anthem to honour late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Saint Dominic School in Bangkok, Thailand EPA Student news in pictures Students of Silpakorn University paint portraits of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures A student of Silpakorn University paints a portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the university campus in Bangkok Getty Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend PA wire Student news in pictures St Andrews University students take part in a foam fight known as Raisin Monday in the Lower College Lawn behind St Salvator's Quadrangle following the Raisin Weekend, an annual tradition where student 'parents' inflict tasks on the unfortunate first-years they have adopted as 'children' as part of a mentoring scheme PA wire Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) take part in a practice in Havana, Cuba Reuters Student news in pictures Students at the Cuba's National Ballet School (ENB) wait in line to enter a classroom in Havana, Cuba Reuters

A similar week-long course in Italy, Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation, has been known to attract hundreds of students each year, including priests, their assistants, medical professionals, and teachers.

Delivered by the Sacerdos Institute at an educational institute known as the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, the courses site describes how it delves into the reality of the ministry of exorcism with its theoretical and practical implications.

It also covers a wide range of issues and subject areas, including spiritual, medical, neuroscientific, pharmacological, and criminological in order to allow students to be able to distinguish whether cases are genuine of of a medical nature.
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Sleep in the slammer

On 1 June the former Old Street Magistrates Court and Police Station reopens as the Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch, after a 40m refurbishment. The Grade II-listed building, where East End criminals including the Kray twins appeared, has been converted into 128 guestrooms and suites, along with restaurants, bars, a bowling alley, spa and cinema. The facilities are spread across the original building, where period features have been retained, and a modern extension. shoreditch.courthouse-hotel.com

Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch

Bedfordshire to Biscay

San Sebastian, one of the few big Spanish cities without direct flights from the UK, is set to get an air link from 26 July. Air Nostrum, part of the IAG group (along with BA and Iberia), will fly from Luton. iberia.com

La Concha, the bay at the heart of San Sebastian, at sunset (Simon Calder)

Going Loco

Loco2 is now available as a free iPhone app. The app has the same search functionality as the rail booking website, with a simple interface for making reservations, and the ability to download and store mobile tickets. An Android version is also in the works. loco2.com

France vacances

Sawdays has added a new section to its website specifically for French gites and holiday homes. Properties are divided into categories including Family Friendly Cottages, Coastal Cottages and Gites With Pools. sawdays.co.uk/french-gites-and-holiday-cottages

Canopy beds

The first hotel in Hiltons new Canopy lifestyle brand opens to guests on 1 July. Set within six connected houses, Canopy by Hilton Reykjavik City Centre will have bikes for guests to borrow, a coffee shop-cum-deli and a colour scheme inspired by the Icelandic landscape. Theres also a restaurant and bar and a 24-hour fitness centre. canopy.hilton.com

Greek escapes

Olympic Holidays has added two little-known Greek islands to its programme. Milos, accessed by Ferry from Santorini, has a central caldera and colourful rock formations. Ithaca, an hour west of Kefalonia by ferry, is the legendary home of Odysseus. Packages start at 470pp and 587pp respectively, including flights, ferries and a weeks B&B. olympicholidays.com

Take a ride

A new motorcycle trip with Nomadic Knights will take bikers along one of the worlds hairiest roads. The two-week Roof of India  the Recce tour departs 30 July, taking in little visited parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Cliffhanger  a rough track hewn into the side of vertical cliffs in Kashmir. From $3,980pp (2,843pp) including half-board accommodation, motorbike hire, fuel and support throughout the trip. Flights extra. nomadicknights.com

Motorbiking in Kashmir (Iain Crockart)

Maya by train

Guatemalas tourism authority has announced plans to build a railway line to the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador. One of the countrys key archaeological sites, located in the jungle in the northern region of Peten, El Mirador currently is only accessible by foot, and therefore only during the dry season in March and April. The new rail link, which doesnt yet have a completion date, will be able to transport up to 100 tourists a day. visitguatemala.com
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Q A young friend of mine is due to travel to St Lucia on her honeymoon. Her travel firm has recently emailed to say that Zika virus has been found there. She is now worried about the consequences of this. She is not pregnant but would be considering children in the future and has concerns about the long-term effects. Apart from not wanting to fall ill on their very expensive honeymoon, do you have any advice for the couple with regards to changing island, or will they find the same situation everywhere in the Caribbean at the moment?

Name withheld

A Congratulations to your friend for her impending marriage, and sorry to hear about her concerns about the long-term effects of this mosquito-borne virus.

Zika is basically harmless to the vast majority of people who contract it. The symptoms are unpleasant: headache, fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes). About four-fifths of the people who catch it display no symptoms, but Zika can cause complications for the children of pregnant women. It has been associated with the condition known as microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads.

The World Health Organization says: The geographical distribution of Zika virus has steadily widened since the presence of the virus was confirmed in October 2015. St Lucia is one of many Caribbean islands in which it has been transmitted locally by Aedes mosquitos.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a useful Q&A on Zika in pregnancy, available at bit.ly/CDCZika, On the subject of future pregnancy, it says: Based on the available evidence, we think that Zika virus infection in a woman who is not pregnant would not pose a risk for birth defects in future pregnancies after the virus has cleared from her blood. That usually takes a week, with a maximum of two weeks. Based on this expert opinion, I cannot see that there would be any advantage in switching destination away from St Lucia.

Indeed, it is possible to infer from the CDC information that contracting Zika when there is no intention to conceive could in one sense be beneficial: From what we know about similar infections, once a person has been infected with Zika virus, he or she is likely to be protected from a future Zika infection.

In terms of not wanting to get ill - well, an uncharitable person might point out that they are clearly not too risk averse, since they chose to go to a tropical island at a time of year when mosquito activity increases. A rigorous regime of avoiding mosquito bites will help protect against Zika, as well as the unpleasant Chikungunya Fever.

Every day, our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a readers question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
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CWTCH WOODLAND CAMP, Pembrokeshire

Three wooden cabins  two for couples and one for a family of four  are tucked away in this spruce woodland neighbouring Westfield Pill Nature Reserve. Insulated and furnished with in-built beds and woollen rugs, they are accompanied by toilets, a shower and a well-equipped communal kitchen  surprising given the off-grid setting. Aside from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, there are plenty of other excellent trails nearby, including the Lansker Borderlands route, following the eastern bank of the Daugleddau Estuary, two miles from the campsite.

Inside one of Cwtch's cabins

From 90 per night for two people.

Cwtch Woodland Camp, Barn Lane, Rosemarket, Pembrokeshire (01646 672139; cwtchcamping.co.uk).

KOA TREE CAMP, Devon

Named after a Hawaiian tree used for crafting long-boards, this surf-centric site in North Devon marries luxury with adventure. Yurts, log cabins and bell tents provide plenty of choice, while extra facilities include a "surf shack" kitchen, private, underfloor-heated bathrooms and a snug rainy day room with games, books and Wi-Fi. Theres is a packed schedule of activities, from cookery courses to outdoor cinema evenings, and the sites own surf school takes new and experienced boarders out to nearby Sandymouth Beach.

A yurt at Koa Tree Camp

Short breaks (MonFri or FriMon) from 240 for three people.

Koa Tree Camp, Hollacombe Farm, Welcombe, Bideford (01288 331009; koatreecamp.com).

WILD LUXURY, Norfolk

In the meadows of a popular North Norfolk farm shop, this off-grid site at Thornham Bay is within easy walking distance of the beach. Safari tents  sleeping six in a double, bunkroom and quaint two-child "cupboard bed" come complete with a grand kitchen to match that of any coastal cottage. Holme Dunes Nature Reserve and Titchwell Marshes (home to an array of grey seals) are on the doorstep and, when youre all beached out, the farm has a playground and animals to occupy the children.

Wild Luxury is great for families

Two-night weekend stays from 269 for up to six people.

Wild Luxury, Thornham Bay, Hunstanton, Norfolk (01485 750850; wildluxury.co.uk).

DRY ISLAND, Ross-shire

Reached via a 50-metre footbridge, Dry Island sits in sheltered Badchro Bay where, along with the sole family house, three wooden cabins enjoy views across the dinghy-dotted waters. All are fully-furnished: Badachro Bothy, with sofa-beds, heating and a private bathroom is the most basic, while Otter Cabin has a fitted, modern kitchen, double bedroom and French window access to a private beach. Dolphins, porpoises, seals and otters all frequent the bay and shellfish safaris with the local creel fisherman are highly recommended.

Dry Island's enchanting setting

From 50 per night for two people.

Dry Island, Badachro, Gairloch, Ross-shire (01445 741 263; dryisland.co.uk).

COTNA ECO RETREAT, Cornwall

Streams running through this 10-acre smallholding  home to hens, horses and vegetable-filled poly-tunnels  all trickle towards the quaint harbour village of Mevagissey, two miles away. The beaches of Gorran Haven, Hemmick, and Vault are closer still and an easy half hour walk from your yurt. Furnished with a double bed, wood-burner and cooking facilities, the two Mongolian-style structures are also joined by an atmospheric straw bale studio, with rough, honey-coloured interior walls housing a kitchen, brass-bedded bedroom and an en-suite bathroom.

Cotna's cosy yurts

From 75 per night for up to four people.

Cotna Eco Retreat, Cotna Barton, Gorran Churchtown, Cornwall (01726 844867; cotna.co.uk).

THE BELLS OF HEMSCOTT, Northumberland

At the foot of the dunes behind the seven mile sands of Druridge Bay, Hemscott Hill Farm hosts a scattering of wild camping pitches alongside 12 glamping bell tents and a shepherds hut. Facilities are relatively basic  compost toilets, shower shacks and dishwashing sinks  and tent furnishings range from large comfy beds with bedside tables to a simple mattresses and little else. Campfires are permitted and, though the site moves from meadow to meadow for grazing purposes, youre never more than 15-minutes walk from the beach.

Get back to nature at The Bells of Hemscott

From 70 per night for two people.

The Bells of Hemscott, Hemscott Hill Farm, Widdrington, Morpeth, Northumberland (07876 344509; thebellsofhemscott.com).

LOVELAND FARM, Devon

Bright, modern and luxurious, the five geodesic domes at Loveland Farm offer an array of 21st-century comforts (including plush private bathrooms and a film projector opposite your bed) amid charming 19th-century farm buildings. Still a working smallholding (if a rather unusual one) the farm hosts pigs, alpacas and a pair of Asian water buffaloes, grazing beyond the six-acres of camping space. Its little more than a mile to the nearest beach and the South West Coast Path and a 15-minute drive to historic Clovelly harbour.

Luxury comes as standard in Loveland's geodesic domes

Two-night stays from 230 for two people.

Loveland Farm, Hartland, Bideford, Devon (01237 441894; lovelandfarmcamping.co.uk).

WHEEMS ORGANIC FARM, Orkney Isles

An hours ferry from mainland Scotland, Wheems Farm on South Ronaldsay Island is a rugged, hilltop site with excellent views. Two sparsely furnished wooden pods were the first foray away from regular camping but its the new Mongolian-style yurt that really stands out. Inside there are throws, pillows and cushions in abundance, along with a double bed, wood-burner and gas hobs (if you dont want to share the communal kitchen). Its an easy wander down the slope to a pristine sandy beach, the starting point of a 10-mile coastal hike.

Wheems' new Mongolian yurt

Yurt prices start from 45 per night for up to four people.

Wheems Organic Farm, South Ronaldsay, Orkney (01856 831556; wheemsorganic.co.uk).

STANLEY VILLA FARM, Lancashire

Lakeside Stanley Villa Farm has a decidedly rural feel despite its location, just 15 minutes from Blackpool. There are 24 purpose-built camping "bugs"  fully insulated wooden pods with double glazed windows, two single beds and a campfire pit outside  while a lakeside lodge houses a communal kitchen and bathrooms. Anglers of all level are welcome, with rods for hire and fishing lessons available. Morecambe Bay, the Forest of Bowland and the Ribble Estuary Nature Reserve are all within a half-hour drive.

Stanley Villa Farm's "bugs"

From 47 per night for two people.

Stanley Villa Farm, Back Lane, Weeton, Preston, Lancashire (01253 804588; campingbugs.co.uk).

GRAIG WEN, Gwynedd

Between sandy Barmouth Bay and the mountains of Snowdonia, Graig Wen campsite boasts a fantastic estuary-side location. Two yurts and an octagonal wooden "caban" are tucked among a copse of birch trees, providing privacy and tranquillity, even if it is at the cost of the best Mawddach River views. Inside, cosy beds, wood-burners and sheepskin rugs are all included. Various events are hosted throughout summer, including fire-making workshops, foraging weekends and bush craft courses. Hike Cader Idris or bring bikes to cycle to Fairbourne beach.

Privacy at Graig Wen

Yurts (sleep 2 and 5) and caban (sleeps 2) from 160 for a 2-night break.

Graig Wen, Arthog, near Dolgellau, Gwynedd (01341 250482; graigwen.co.uk).

All campsites mentioned can be booked at www.coolcamping.co.uk and feature in Cool Campings new Glamping Getaways book (2nd Edition, Punk Publishing, 16.95).

Click here to find other campsites in the UK
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Hundreds of passengers on board a British cruise ship have fallen in with norovirus, health officials have confirmed.

At least 252 passengers and eight members of staff on board the Balmorals Old England to New England cruise have fallen ill with the stomach virus since leaving Southampton last month.

Now on its way to the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the ship has undergone inspections by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to the ships owners, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

The company said in a statement: Balmoral has now left the US and is due to arrive in Saint John, New Brunswick later today [9th May 2016]. At no point has Balmoral been quarantined in any port on this cruise, and is continuing as planned.

Fred. Olsen has been undertaking extensive sanitisation measures and cleaning of the ship, following the company's strict illness containment and prevention plan.

The Balmoral, which contains mostly British holidaymakers, has suffered similar outbreaks in previous years.

Evidence of the norovirus was confirmed on board while the ship was docked in Baltimore last week, where experts from the CDC carried out an environmental health assessment to evaluate the outbreak.

Despite the CDC proposing action including increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, the number of incidences later soared to more than a quarter of those on board.

Fred. Olsen said it believed the highly-contagious gastric illness was brought onto the ship, and is spread by person-to-person or surface-to-surface contact.

For this reason, outbreaks of the illness are most commonly found in areas such as hotels, schools and hospitals, as well as cruise ships, where a high volume of people are in close confines.

On Monday [May 9], a Fred Olsen spokesperson said the number of guests who have been confined to their cabins with the virus had reduced to just 15 out of a total of 1,434 guests and crew members on board, but the figure is yet to be confirmed by health experts.

In 2010, at least 310 people on board the Balmoral were reported to be suffering from a vomiting virus when the ship docked in Los Angeles.

A confirmed outbreak of the winter vomiting virus hit more than 100 people on the same ship during a cruise of Scotland in 2009.

The DCD has reported 10 outbreaks on ships docked in the US so far this year, compared with 12 for the entirety of 2015.

Fred. Olsen said it was co-operating fully with all the necessary maritime agencies and authorities, and will continue to make every effort possible to ensure the safety and well-being of all its guests and crew on board, which is of paramount importance.


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Everywhere seems to host a literary festival these days, but the one thats currently underway in Fowey, Cornwall, is one of the best-established and builds on a genuine literary connection in Daphne du Maurier, who used to live in the town and set many of her novels hereabouts.

Its also a great chance to visit a particularly gorgeous part of Cornwall, and Foweys closest beach, Readymoney Cove  a lovely, sheltered sandy affair with rock pools to explore. Easy to access via a footpath from the town, it can be almost covered during high spring tides, but the water is crystal-clear and the backdrop is superb. The house where Daphne du Maurier lived during the Second World War lies on one side of the cove, while the medieval ruins of St Catherines Castle crown the hill on the other.

Unfortunately Readymoney Cove is only a small beach and can get pretty crowded during the summer  partly because its so close to town but also because its such a safe and picturesque place to go for a swim.

Nonetheless, if you can bear the crowds  or, even better, are able to visit when its quieter, say on a midweek morning  its as magical a spot as you could find on a bright and sunny Fowey day.

Martin Dunford is the Publisher of Cool Places, a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)
Clinton gives commencement address at daughter Chelsea's private school 'Dad, the girls want you to be wise

the boys just want you to be funny'

Addressing a sea of graduates that included Chelsea Victoria Clinton, who is headed this fall to attend Stanford University, the president continued:

"Even though we're staying home, your parents are graduating, too. Our pride and joy are tempered by our coming separation from you."

"You are not the only graduates here today," Clinton said, his voice steady, his tone paternal.

WASHINGTON -- Speaking more as a father than as a president, Bill Clinton began to let go of his only child yesterday in a poignant ceremony in which he urged the graduating class of Sidwell Friends School to briefly consider the trepidation of their parents as they send their young ones out into a perilous world.

"Indulge your folks if we seem a little sad or we act a little weird. You see, today we are remembering your first day in school and all the triumphs and travails between then and now.

"A part of us longs to hold you once more, as we did when you could barely walk, to read to you just one more time, 'Good Night, Moon' or 'Curious George' or the 'Little Engine That Could.' "

Clinton's plea did not fall on deaf ears.

Moments after Chelsea accepted her diploma from the school principal, Bernard T. Noe, she doubled back across the stage to give her dad a long, affectionate hug.

Chelsea Clinton, the 25th name called in Sidwell Friends' senior class of 122, wore a white dress, following the custom of the school, where caps and gowns are eschewed.

Officials of the Quaker school, in cooperation with the first family, made the commencement invitation-only, although the White House described the ceremony, and the speech was piped into the White House.

The prep school has long been a haven for Washington's elite.

But no president had spoken at graduation ceremonies since 1907, when Theodore Roosevelt's son, Archie, attended Sidwell.

In the school's institutional memory, Roosevelt's address -- "The American Boy" -- is not considered a highlight.

"I do not care how nice a little boy you are, if when you are out, you are afraid of other little boys," Roosevelt told the class of six, three of them girls.

In introducing Clinton, Sidwell's board chairman, Ralph C. Bryant, gently suggested that the president do a little better.

"Well, Mr. Bryant, I may not hit a home run today, but I won't be quite as off as Teddy Roosevelt was," Clinton quipped.

"Even good people have bad days."

The president began by recounting Chelsea's response when he had asked her what ought to be mentioned in the speech.

"Her reply was, 'Dad, I want you to be wise, briefly,' " Clinton said. "Last night, she amended her advice: 'Dad, the girls want you to be wise; the boys just want you to be funny.' "

The president tried, but the occasion proved too emotional for him -- or the first lady -- to waste on laugh lines.

"We find ourselves fighting back tears as we contemplate what our days will be like when our daughter leaves the nest," Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote in her syndicated newspaper column.

The first lady recounted how her own mother, having driven her )) from Chicago to Wellesley College in Massachusetts, had burrowed in the back seat and then cried all the way home.

"I can only hope I show as much restraint as she did before I climb into the back seat myself," Mrs. Clinton wrote.
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Lauri Love is a hacker. He is alleged to have infiltrated the websites of the United States Federal Reserve, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the US Missile Defence Agency and accessed the personal information of 104,000 employees of the US Department of Energy. In June 2016 he faces a hearing which will decide whether he is extradited to the United States to face trial. The 30-year-old has Aspergers and lives with his parents in Stradishall, Suffolk.

Kids will always play pranks. In previous years the worst it might be was wrapping toilet roll around the teachers house on Halloween. Now kids have the means to play pranks on a massive level.

So a 16-year-old kid somewhere around the world can find out the flight that the CEO of Sony Video Games is on and have that flight grounded because they make a bomb threat.

This might be good fun for them, but we cant live in a world where flights are arbitrarily grounded because kids think its funny.

We cant really live in a world where Xbox Live or Playstation gets bombarded into not working on Christmas Day because some kid finds it humorous.

 Hackers gain access to sensitive US military data

Eventually someone is going to think its funny to turn off the electricity in a hospital. While these systems have some resilence, the more connected, the more complex they get, eventually somebodys idea of a joke is not going to be funny in a very tragic way.

We are getting to the point that we have an unsustainable situation in terms of internet security.

We are addicted to the shiny things that technology allows us to do, things that were not possible before, things that are very alluring, but the risks are less transparent and they are often hidden

So you can get a pacemaker, which you can control with software and thats great, and it can adapt to the patients heart rate. But now somebody can turn it off. If they just take the time to read it and understand it and because somebody didnt appreciate that you have to put in difficult, strong, robust security measures, somebodys life has been put in the hands of one of these 16-year-old kids.

The more that technology infiltrates our world, the more this will go on. We have the Internet of Things where your toaster has a webserver on it. Your fridge will keep stock for you and order more beer when you need it. But the people who make fridges dont know how to make secure software, and the people who make toasters arent paid to understand that attackers can turn that toaster into a spy that listens to your conversations and then informs your wife that youre having an affair, or records that racist conversation and plays it to your boss. So there are risks emerging at a fast rate.

Some of these things are not possible yet, but give it a couple of years, and they will be. There are people already being spied on by their baby monitors. Somebody can get your WiFi password from your doorbell because someone decided your doorbell needs to be on the internet.

The concept of the hacker has attracted a lot of different connotations in recent years. It tends to bring up a lot of different associations in peoples minds. In the culture Im in, it tends to be somebody who understands technology, likes technology and makes it do new things. Tim Berners Lee, who created the World Wide Web, was a hacker. But more recently, it also means a person who commits computer crime, which has more negative connotations.

I am a hacker. I like technology and I would like to use it to make the world a better place. I also believe theres a lot to be done that could help bring many of our brightest and best kids back into society.

'Waterboarding of the mind': Computer hacker Gary McKinnon to find out if he'll be extradited to the US as mother slams appeal process Show all 2 1 /2 'Waterboarding of the mind': Computer hacker Gary McKinnon to find out if he'll be extradited to the US as mother slams appeal process 'Waterboarding of the mind': Computer hacker Gary McKinnon to find out if he'll be extradited to the US as mother slams appeal process pg-26-extradition-3-epa.jpg EPA 'Waterboarding of the mind': Computer hacker Gary McKinnon to find out if he'll be extradited to the US as mother slams appeal process mcKinnon.jpg

The first thing is for people in the Government to realise that you cant prosecute your way out of this problem. Just like with the drugs problem, people thought if you arrest enough people then they would stop using drugs, and that didnt work - although it has taken about 60 years for people to start realising this. Locking people up is not going to help them.

So we must change the attitudes of people who are drawn towards experimentation because of their curiosity. Most of what might be considered illegal hacking is conducted without any criminal motive, any attempt to cheat or make malicious gain, but rather, it's the natural human desire and drive to understand the world in which we find ourselves.

These people could be drawn together in a way that gives them an environment to develop these skills so that they can be productively harnessed. (Thats not to say we should be drafting teenage hackers to work in GCHQ to keep us safe from the terrorists).

Obviously school provision is not sufficient and we could have more hacker spaces. Id define these as a self-organised space, where people come together to work on different projects. Its generally a space where the rent is paid for by the people who use it, or they will have some whip round.

The idea is to give them a space to have their talents nurtured in a less judgmental environment but also with a bit of mentorship. On the other side of the equation it means working with corporations and government to say what can you bring to the table in terms of these young talented people, and what can they provide the Government in terms of security services.

 Anonymous hackers declare"war"

Theres certainly a desperate need for help. Pretty much any large corporation realises it needs to spend money making things more secure, and its that bit between spending money and making things more secure that is difficult at the moment.

It requires some of this talent - and theres a lot of talent out there - so we need to build bridges. We need to create that space where people can come together and overcome some of the mutual distrust and find a constructive way to move forward - this is how I aim to nurture future talent.

Without doubt we have great, great minds in the UK. They are at risk of not being harnessed because the traditional system by which people end up in particular roles in society hasnt quite caught up with this change in society.

Its a win-win situation if we build this better approach.

An extended version of this article first appeared in freuds' Cyber Security Journal and is reprinted here with permission
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For reasons of national security, against a pervasive and persistent terrorist threat, Kenya is to close its two largest refugee camps in Dadaab and Kakuma. Between them, they house more than 600,000 refugees.

As some of the largest camps in the world, they have acquired iconic status. They represent decades of an open-hearted Kenyan response to those fleeing wars and persecution in our sub-region.

But some of the largest terrorist attacks, such as the 2013 Westgate atrocity, have been planned and executed from Dadaab. The Al Shabaab terrorist group has been able to take advantage of the camps overcrowded and under-resourced conditions, and most importantly the limits to policing United Nations run sites, to operate with an alarming degree of freedom.

Terrorism has killed hundreds of Kenyans, and injured thousands. It has also led to frequent Western country travel warnings that in their broad  and inaccurate  generalisations have ruined the livelihoods of thousands of families.

The Daadab refugee camp is home to almost half a million Somali refugees who fled their country due to decades of civil war. Since its inception in the 1990s, the camp has been clouded in controversy ranging from smuggling of goods and weapons from the neighbouring Somalia, to harbouring terrorists today.

The Kenyan governments most pressing constitutional and moral responsibility is to ensure the security of its citizens from the risk of violent attack. Our intelligence and security forces have known for a long time that these camps are a dire threat to our peoples security.

This is not a decision without controversy and pain. Kenya, after all, has been a proud contributor to regional peace and security. In the Good Country Index, which measures what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, Kenya is ranked 26th. It is 20th in contributing to international peace and security.

We are proud of that status, and will continue to sustain it in the broad spectrum of peace, security and trade arrangements that have led to it. However, as a country with limited resources, facing an existential terrorist threat, we can no longer allow our people to bear the brunt of the International Communitys weakening obligations to the refugees.

We have observed with dismay the environmental damage that the camps have caused to the detriment of host communities. The camps were built for a fraction of their population.

There has also been a fall-off in the voluntary international funding for the camps in Kenya, in favour of raising budgets in the northern hemisphere to refugees headed to the West. International obligations in Africa should not be done on the cheap; the world continues to learn the ruinous effect of these persistent double standards.

At great cost, our troops have liberated large swaths of Somalia from the hold of Al Shabaab, yet we are still presented with a picture of a country to which none of its refugee diaspora can resettle, while UN workers traverse much of that liberated territory with relative safety.

In April 2016, the 590th meeting of the African Unions Peace and Security Council, a decision was made on the situation of refugees in the Dadaab Refugee camps in Kenya. The PSC acknowledged the legitimate security concern of Kenya that the Dadaab Refugee Camps, in existence for more than 25 years, have been infiltrated and have become hideouts of Al Shabaab terrorist group, which exploits the camps to plan and carry out attacks against Kenyan institutions, installations and civilians.

 Somali refugees living in fear in Kenyas Dadaab camp

The Council deplored that the Dadaab Refugee Camps have been deprived of their humanitarian character and function by the Al Shabaab terrorist group. It further stressed that the burden of refugees is the responsibility of the international community as a whole and not individual countries alone.

That is a faithful analysis of the reality. We have moved to disband the governments Department of Refugee Affairs. This is the first step to the permanent closure of the camps.

UNHCR, alongside its fellow humanitarian actors and donors, should now seek to ensure that the closure and repatriation is done in an expeditious and humane manner.

In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee children at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees queuing for food at the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees' tents at the Kara Tepe camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees at the Oxy transit camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees waiting to board ferries to the Greek mainland in Mytilene, Lebos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees waiting to board ferries to the Greek mainland in Mytilene, Lebos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees waiting to board ferries to the Greek mainland in Mytilene, Lebos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos The graves of drowned refugees in Mytilene, Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos A building used to house unaccompanied children at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees queuing to register at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees at the Moria camp in Lesbos In pictures: Refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugees arriving on smugglers' boats from Turkey in Lesbos

Our action is taken at a time when a growing number of countries  rich and poor alike  globally are limiting refugee entry on the grounds of national security. For much lower populations than Kenya has hosted for decades. We understand their reasoning at a time when the International Community is challenged and, unfortunately, far too paralysed in the face of metastasising terrorist threats.

Kenya has stood on the front-lines of challenging terrorism, upholding humanitarianism, and pursuing global peace and security. We, however, have no grounds to keep compromising the security of our citizens in the face of foot-dragging, double standards and lack of commitment in the rapid resettlement of Somali refugees in their homeland.

They deserve to participate in the political development of their country, which Africa and Kenya have shed blood to stabilise, while our people deserve every measure we can take to secure their lives and property.

Dr Karanja Kibicho is the Kenyan Principal Secretary for the Interior, which includes National Security
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In movie parlance David Camerons speech today on why Britain should stay in the European Union would be best summed up as Project Fear The Sequel: This time its really serious.

Having warned over the last few months that a vote to leave would result in financial and economic armageddon, the Remain camp is now moving into the territory of real Armageddon.

In a speech this morning Mr Cameron conjures up the image of British war dead in cemeteries across Europe and comes close to implying that a vote to leave would make conflicts in the future much more likely. Given the grave warnings he is issuing it rather begs the question of why the Prime Minister ever entertained the notion that he might advocate a leave vote in the first place.

 David Cameron invokes UK war dead as he makes case for EU as guardian of peace

So should we take his stark rhetoric with a colossal pinch of salt? Actually no  he is making several entirely valid points.

Recommended Read more Cameron to invoke war dead as he argues for EU as guardian of peace

The first is that over the years the EU has ushered in a period of unprecedented peace and security in Europe. From the wreckage of the Second World War, Europe has created a system of cooperation and integration that has not only made us more prosperous but safer as well. It successfully integrated the east of the Continent after the collapse of communism with the carrot of economic prosperity linked to the development of democracy and civil society.

The EU was also instrumental in bringing about an end to the conflict in the Balkans by offering the prospect of a better future than war to its citizens. On countless occasions over the last 50 years the EUs endless meetings and hated bureaucracy have nipped conflicts and disputes in the bud  favoring boring compromise over exciting conflict.

Now it is undoubtedly true to say that Britain pulling out of the EU would not, in itself, put any of these gains in jeopardy. But there is a very real risk that it could lead to a domino effect over a period of years that would. From the financial crisis in Greece (and to a lesser extent Spain and Italy), to the unprecedented numbers of refugees arriving on the Continent, the EU has never been under greater strain.

At such times the desire of individual nation states to close themselves off and put up financial and physical barriers to the rest of the world is compelling. Britain is not alone in this. If we were to vote to leave it would provide a significant boost to anti-European sentiment across the continent. We might be the first country to leave, but we probably wouldnt be the last.

 What to believe about the EU referendum

And in such an environment the gains of cooperation, dialogue and mutual understanding that have been hard won over the decades would unravel far faster than anyone might predict today.

As Cameron puts it: Can we be so sure that peace and stability on our continent are assured beyond any shadow of doubt? Is that a risk worth taking? I would never be so rash as to make that assumption.

So yes, it is Project Fear the Sequel. But that doesnt mean the fear isnt justified.
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It was inevitable that someone prominent in the EU debate would eventually ignore Basil Fawltys advice. All those falling over themselves with outrage that David Cameron has dared mention the war, while suggesting that leaving the EU would make another one more likely, should read the entire speech.

In it, he sets out what is actually a rather grand vision of Britains past, present and future as a leading European nation  bound to its neighbours, willing to work with them, but not afraid to lead them when necessary. Read in full, the speech has as much of 'Project Hope' as it does 'Project Fear'  and how refreshing that is in this EU debate.

Because Project Fear  while often devastatingly effective  is not always enough.

Look at London. Zac Goldsmiths campaign to be mayor will go down in political history for its negativity  and it lost, resoundingly so. An attempt to spook people into voting against Sadiq Khan failed for numerous reasons, but, broadly speaking, it didn't take off because voters arent stupid. They resent being treated by politicians like children who can be frightened by bogeymen.

The EU referendum debate is different, and the London campaign, with its ugly undertones of Islamophobia, is not entirely instructive. While the hinted dangers of Sadiq Khan in City Hall were illusions, the ramifications of leaving the EU are real and substantial. So it would have been foolish in the extreme for the In campaign not to strongly warn about the economic risks. Nor should we delude ourselves that one of the worlds most powerful countries parting company with the worlds wealthiest economic alliance will do anything other than breed global instability.

And yet, the polls and the experience of campaigners on the doorstep, point to one thing  people are not yet convinced. Many feel slightly patronised. They want to know what Brexit might mean, but crucially, they want to hear a case for staying in the EU, not just the case for not leaving it.

Which is why they should read Camerons speech in full  and why it is a terrible shame that Downing Street chose, on Sunday, to brief journalists on the single section of it that was guaranteed to produce doom-laden headlines in Mondays news bulletins.

The full speech is not merely a prediction of how awful things might become if we leave the EU, but a celebration of how fine a job we and our European neighbours have done, rebuilding a continent together from the ashes of 1945. It was, in a way, reminiscent of another political speech that invoked the image of British soldiers lying in European war graves: Gordon Browns thunderous intervention in the Scottish Independence debate two years ago.

Both contained a nuanced vision of countries whose proud independence and unique qualities are not diminished by close friendship with powerful neighbours, but enhanced by it. But while Browns passionate speech is still remembered as a turning point in that campaign, the way Camerons own intervention has been mishandled means it will be seen as a mere continuation of 'Project Fear'.

Dave Brown on David Cameron Show all 11 1 /11 Dave Brown on David Cameron Dave Brown on David Cameron 4 March 2016 Boris Johnson campaigns for Brexit Dave Brown on David Cameron 20 January 2016 Cameron's response to Tata Steel job cuts Dave Brown on David Cameron 5 January 2016 Cameron's reaction to Saudi Arabia executions Dave Brown on David Cameron 3 December 2015 Cameron called the opponents of military action in Syria "terrorist sympathisers" Dave Brown on David Cameron 2 December 2015 Cameron and the Syria bombing vote Dave Brown on David Cameron 19 November 2015 Cameron moves toward a second vote on bombing Syria Dave Brown on David Cameron 21 October 2015 Xi Jinping is lauded at a state banquet as British steelworkers lose their jobs, largely as a result of cheap Chinese steel imports Dave Brown on David Cameron 8 October 2015 Tory conference responds to Camerons keynote speech Dave Brown on David Cameron 6 October 2014 Clegg attempts to distance himself from Cameron Dave Brown on David Cameron 27 June 2014 Cameron and EU re-negotiation Dave Brown on David Cameron 1 December 2012 Cameron, Murdoch and the Leveson Report

The other thing Browns speech had which Camerons (mostly) lacked  and which, in these heady days of early summer, might start to count for more and more  was the kind of political poetry that inspires people. Compare and contrast. From Browns speech: What we have built together by sacrificing and sharing, let no narrow nationalism split asunder ever. And from Camerons: Today I want to set out the big, bold, patriotic case for Britain to remain a member of the EU. Yawn.

In fairness to Cameron and his speechwriters, there was also some quite stirring stuff about Churchill, Spitfires, the rebuilding of Europe, and the liberation of the Eastern bloc from Soviet tyranny. If people are to be persuaded to go out and vote In, they will need more of this.

Yes, the risks of leaving are great; that is a fair message. But its an unpalatable one for many a patriotic Brit to swallow. If they are going to guarantee a vote to Remain, Downing Street need to have more confidence in their positive vision of Britain in Europe.

Which begs the question: is David Cameron really the right man to win this vote for Remain? For a man who only a few months ago was sitting on the fence, saying we would be perfectly alright inside outside the EU, the stronger the case he makes for the EU, the more of a hypocrite he appears.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the risk is that by failing to do the statesmanlike thing and back the EU from the beginning, Cameron sacrificed his credibility in the eyes of those wavering voters, waiting to be inspired.
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Sundays Bafta TV Awards were dominated by the BBC. Not only did the corporations shows pick up many of the nights big gongs, but it was also the subject of several impassioned defences, notably from Mark Rylance and Peter Kosminsky  respectively star and director of Wolf Hall.

Some might contend that luvvies standing up for the Beeb is rather like turkeys voting to abolish Christmas. There was also a hint of theatre about Kosminskys attempt to draw a parallel between government proposals for the BBC and the actions of authoritarian regimes in Russia and North Korea. Even so, he was not being overly dramatic when he described Britains public service broadcasters  Channel 4 as well as the BBC  as the envy of the world.

The government maintains that changes to the BBCs mode of operations are important to secure value for money and to ensure that rival, privately-run, broadcasters are better able to compete. Yet it is hard to avoid the conclusion that attempts to limit the corporations remit and, however indirectly, its independence are driven by party politics and by dogmatic ideology.

On the party political front, the BBC has long been viewed with suspicion by some Conservatives, who regard it as a refuge for both hard Marxists and soft liberals  neither of whom can be trusted. There is no good evidence of an anti-Tory bias, in news or elsewhere. Indeed, 50,000 people signed a petition last summer accusing the Beeb of bias against Jeremy Corbyn. More tellingly, BBC journalists are regularly cited as being the most trusted by the public  John Whittingdale might not like the results of such surveys, but they speak volumes.

Ideologically, free marketeers within the Conservative Party worry that the BBC is anti-competitive: which is true in the sense that it has a guaranteed income from the license fee; but false in that it still has to compete for audience share against well-funded rivals. Whittingdale seems hell-bent on giving ITV et al an easier ride by suggesting to the BBC that it shouldnt put up Strictly Come Dancing against X Factor. But if he thinks that Strictly is to blame for X Factors decline, he obviously didnt watch last years series. We should demand excellence from all, not give bad programming a free pass by clearing the schedules for it.

When the governments white paper is published on Thursday it is also expected to include a proposal that staff earning over 150,000 ought to have their salary details published  which appears to be an attempt by John Whittingdale to be on the other end of a privacy invasion.

Most troublingly, though, it is anticipated that the government will propose transferring oversight and regulation to a combination of Ofcom (a regulator enshrined in statute) and a new board of trustees  the chairman and deputy chairman of which would be appointed by ministers. This, at a stroke, would alter the terms of the covenant between the Beeb, the government and the British people. The Secretary of State and the Prime Minister will offer words of reassurance and explain that this will not impact on the BBCs independence. But it feels very like the tip of a slippery slope down which comforting platitudes disappear very fast.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the BBC is one of Britains great institutions, deserving of all the Baftas its awarded. Perfect? Perhaps not, and it is right that its remit and the use of license-payer should be open to an appropriate level of scrutiny. But beyond that, meddling ministers should turn on, tune in  and then butt out.
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The EU referendum debate has hardly been characterised by great harmony. Yet it may be about to enter a new phase of viciousness, now that the party political elections of last week are out of the way.

Michael Gove and George Osborne gave a hint over the weekend that the respective Leave and Remain campaigns were going to get feisty. The two men, cabinet colleagues, clashed over the question of whether a Brexit would damage our trading links with Europe: the Chancellor claimed jobs would be lost and the economy wrecked; Gove professed to a lack of imagination when he said he did not believe Germany would ever impose swinging tariffs on exports.

As the new working week began, the biggest beasts came pounding forward. The Prime Minister told us that the EU has helped to preserve peace in Europe since the Second World War and that, in an unstable world, we should disregard institutions that foster cross-border amity at our peril. Boris Johnson meanwhile, free of the London mayoralty, condemned the creeping bureaucracy of Brussels and its attempts to interfere in the UKs affairs.

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Its all Punch and Judy stuff really. But how should the media respond? We have seen in recent weeks extensive coverage of elections to the UKs devolved Parliaments and Assemblies, to local councils and mayoralties. In Scotland, the SNP tried largely to avoid focusing on a possible second independence vote during its campaign; it went for upbeat messaging, concentrating on day-to-day policies and achievements. For the Tories, pushing anxieties about a possible independence re-run (and having them reported by news media) was designed to get out the pro-Union vote  and it seemingly worked, the Conservatives overtaking Labour as Scotlands second party.

Likewise, the campaign for the London mayoralty was characterised by attempts on behalf of Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative candidate, to portray Sadiq Khan as a security risk. It was negative and at times nasty; and once again the hurly-burly got its inevitable air time. This time, attempts by the Tories to bring out the fear vote backfired spectacularly and Khan won with ease.

For those campaigning ahead of the EU referendum, it may be hard to discern clear lessons from these more parochial exercises in electioneering. In particular, the inability of either side to know with certainty what the consequences of Brexit actually are means they are both shooting in the dark to a degree. In their own ways, both the Leavers and the Remainers are tapping into our fears  either of the known or the unknown.

But the issue for the media is the same: do we play along, reporting claim and counter-claim as they arise? Or should we refuse to report anything that we think is wrong, unfair or negative? If we did that, there might not be much left of course.

There is a third way, which is to report the positions of both sides, then put them under appropriate scrutiny, busting the myths and exposing the nonsense. That, ultimately, is what journalism is about  and is why there will be plenty of that to come from The Independent over coming weeks.

Even this approach, however, is wont to be criticised. Bust a myth propagated by one side and its supporters will claim a conspiracy; place a story about the Remain campaign ahead of one about the joys of Brexit and we will be accused of favouritism.

But in any event, will the media really have much impact on this most crucial of public votes? I have argued before that the media has less of an effect on political elections than many suppose. Indeed, it is arguably rather patronising to assume that people are unable to think for themselves, especially now that there is such ready access to a range of primary sources. When it comes to the EU referendum debate there is a great deal at stake, but proportionally little detail about what the outcome might mean in practice. Yet I remain unconvinced that the media will have a casting vote.

A great many people know already how they will mark their ballot paper on 23rd June: none of the politicking or analysis they hear or read between now and then will change their minds. For the undecided, emotional triggers (the weather; Union Flag bunting; a chance meeting with a continental type) are more likely to carry the day than a pontificating politician or a leader column in a newspaper.
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Jeremy Corbyn is scruffy, old-fashioned and weak, according to focus groups in a Midlands swing seat carried out by GQRR, the opinion research company.

James Morris of GQRR and Ian Warren of Election Data conducted two group discussions last month with Nuneaton voters who had voted Labour in 2005 or 2010 but who had switched to the Conservatives last year, when the MP Marcus Jones was returned with an increased majority. The seat had been identified by Labour as one of 23 ultra-marginals Ed Miliband needed to win. When the result came through just before 2am on Friday 8 May 2015, it was the moment the Labour leader realised the election was lost.

Milibands leadership was one of the main reasons given by the groups for voting Conservative. I couldnt imagine him as prime minister, not in a million years, said one man. Ed Miliband was sort of trying to talk his way through, he was just rubbish, he just couldnt stick up  he seemed to contradict himself all the time, said a woman.

But Corbyns image among these voters was if anything worse. You want a charismatic leader and to me hes more like Worzel Gummidge, said one woman. The groups were asked to write down the first words that came to mind when they thought of Corbyn and, apart from best of a bad bunch and dont know enough about him, their views were negative (see table below).

Nuneaton focus groups, 25 April, GQRR

The swing voters, especially the men, thought Corbyn was particularly weak on world affairs. I imagine him in the White House  hes like someone who got lost from the tour, said one. Another said: If the country was about to get blown up he wouldnt press a button to retaliate in this day and age you dont want someone in charge of the country that people might think twice about you know  oh bloody hell, he means business.

The groups  of eight women and eight men  had little love for the Conservatives, and a low opinion of politicians generally, but James Morris of GQRR commented: While the circumstances allow for a Labour recovery, we heard little to suggest it would happen. None of the men we spoke to said they would vote Labour if an election were held tomorrow, and only a couple would even consider the party today, most preferring to consider Ukip or even the Lib Dems instead. This is despite all of the men having voted Labour in 2005, and all but three in 2010.

The focus groups were carried out on 25 April, before the headlines about anti-Semitism. The full GQRR report is here. The transcript of group 1 is here and that of group 2 is here.
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What a weekend it has been. The sun is shining, we have a Muslim Mayor in London, and the junior doctor contract negotiations are back on after the Academy of Royal Colleges intervened, asking for a a five day pause without ifs, buts, and maybes.

Lets be clear about one thing: doctors have not backed down from their position. In fact, both the government and the BMA have returned to the negotiating table without any preconditions  and the collective sigh of relief was palpable. Finally, a conclusion to this long-running dispute is within reach.

However, confirmation that talks would restart was soon followed by a rebuttal by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who asked for written reassurance from the BMA asking that the 90 per cent of the issues (already) agreed must not be revisited  including the misguided principle of delivering a seven-day service while maintaining strict cost neutrality. Hunt stipulates that the only area that the BMA should be willing to negotiate over is the single biggest area of disagreement, that of Saturday pay.

The BMA junior doctor committee agrees  as it always has  that talking is the only way to break this impasse. Industrial action had always been a last resort when pushed into a corner.

But the BMA has specifically asked for agreement based upon three principles: the junior doctor contract must not be discriminatory; it must not hamper recruitment and retention in specialties already in crisis; and it must deliver an evidence-based, fully resourced, world class healthcare service. Nothing about Saturday pay there, because, as junior doctors have always said, to turn this into a dispute about pay would ignore the greater issues of patient safety and ensuring a sustainable workforce for a future NHS.

There is still work to do on our three key demands. The Equality Impact Assessment conducted by the government about the junior contract admits discrimination against part time working, women and lone parents, but justifies it but stating it is "proportionate" as it achieves a "legitimate aim". This retrograde step attacks everything that has been achieved in medicine over the past 60 years: 55 per cent of medical students are women, currently 44 per cent of registered doctors are women (up from 10 per cent in the 1960s) and 54 per cent of junior doctors are female, yet women are under-represented in medical leadership and academic roles with only 32 per cent of consultants being female and only 24 per cent of medical directors are women. There is increasing discomfort within all political parties that this contract pours concrete on the glass ceiling already in place.

Meanwhile, data from Health Education England confirms that hundreds fewer junior doctors have applied to continue their NHS training in the key specialties of paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Medical school applications have fallen by 13.5 per cent in two years ago with negative publicity about the NHS suggested as part of the reason (as well as the rising cost of university education, with the debt accrued over the course of a medical degree estimated at 70,000).

In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Doctor in acute medicine, Melissa Haskins, holds up a 'I ain't afraid of no Hunt' sign whilst striking with other junior doctors outside her hospital, St Thomas' Hospital in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Accident and emergency junior doctor, Jennifer Hulse, holds a homemade placard outside St Thomas' Hospital as she strikes with colleagues in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Demonstrators and Junior doctors hold placards as they protest outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, in Basingstoke during a strike by junior doctors Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Demonstrators and Junior doctors hold placards as they protest outside the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, in Basingstoke during a strike by junior doctors Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike A supporter displays a slogan on her bag during a junior doctors' strike outside St Thomas' Hospital in London Reuters In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike The picket line outside King's College Hospital in London PA In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike The picket line outside King's College Hospital in London, as thousands of junior doctors begun the first all-out strike in the history of the NHS after the Health Secretary said the Government would not be "blackmailed" into dropping its manifesto pledge for a seven-day health service PA In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Junior doctors and supporters take part in a strike outside the Royal United Hospital in Bath Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Doctor in acute medicine, Melissa Haskins, holds up a 'I ain't afraid of no Hunt' sign whilst striking with other junior doctors outside her hospital, St Thomas' Hospital in London Getty Images In pictures: Junior doctors first all-out strike Dave Prentis, UNISON general secretary visits a British Medical Association picket line at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, to show support for striking junior doctors on the second day of the union's annual health conference PA

Rota gaps are common place, with doctors often being asked to work extra shifts. The new junior contract will worsen these gaps by stretching the already thin workforce across the weekend to provide cover for the as yet undefined seven day NHS. As doctors on the frontline, we know all too well that trying to force seven day service out of existing staffing will only need to more exhausted, demoralised doctors and unsafe practice.

Put simply, there has been a conflation of issues. To date, there is no evidence that changing junior doctor contracts will lead to a seven day NHS. The imposed junior contract will take the same number of junior doctors and spread them more thinly over seven days resulting in less coverage overall. This means that, despite increasing coverage over the weekend, there would be fewer doctors during the week to provide both a routine and emergency service. Senior politicians, commentators and academics all agree that the imposition of the junior contract is not the answer to address any weekend effect. The weekend effect is not about pay  its about safety.

Now we have the chance for a solution. Hope is spreading among the 54,000 junior doctors. The question of who blinks first is moot; everyone needs a resolution to this situation  the doctors, the government and, lest we forget, the patients who have unwittingly become a casualty in this dispute with countless appointments and procedures being postponed.
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A number of countries have decriminalised cannabis for personal use. None of them have descended into anarchy, so whats preventing the UK government from following suit?

The Conservative government claims to be in favour of evidence-based policies  in rhetoric, at least  yet successive UK governments have signed up to the United Nations international drug convention, a convention based on prohibition and the war on drugs, neither of which have any evidence of working.

But does signing up to UN drug conventions matter when agreements can be sidestepped by individual states? Portugals decision to decriminalise all psychoactive substances in 2001 being a case in point.

And Portugal is not alone. It is now 25 years since the Czech Republic effectively decriminalised the possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use. And in 1994, Switzerland introduced heroin-assisted treatment, a form of state-sanctioned heroin supply for certain users. But it is with cannabis that the most significant developments have occurred. In late 2013, Uruguay took the decision to legalise the recreational use of cannabis (as opposed to decriminalise where possession can lead to a fine, but not a criminal record). It was the first country to do so since the global drug prohibition framework was established by the United Nations in 1961.

Uruguay demonstrates that policy alternatives are possible without any international enforcement. Several US states have followed Uruguay, extending liberalisation to recreational as well as medical cannabis users. But the UK remains steadfast in its resolve, maintaining that current policy is working.

False logic

The UK is looking increasingly out of step with many other countries when it comes to its approach to drugs in general and cannabis in particular. In the aftermath of changes in the US, polling suggests increasing numbers of UK citizens are also in favour of a change in the law.

The Home Office acknowledges that there is no obvious relationship between the toughness of a countrys enforcement against drug possession, and levels of drug use in that country. Convictions relating to cannabis use have reduced by 46% over the last five years. This could suggest that cannabis has been quietly and partially decriminalised. Yet the government maintains its outdated and dogmatic tough approach to drugs when making public statements about cannabis.

The government claims that prohibition works because cannabis use has declined in the UK in recent years. This decline in use may account for some of the fall in cannabis conviction rates. But if we follow the governments false logic in relation to prohibition and simply wait for cannabis use to fall further, assuming it does (a very big assumption), then it would take a further five decades before their aim of eliminating cannabis use is achieved.

But such simplistic interpretation of the data is clearly wrong. Although cannabis use has fallen it ignores what is happening with certain sub-groups of cannabis users. For example, an increasing number of young people are accessing drug treatment services as a result of using potent strains of cannabis.

Individual and covert commercial growers have used advances in seed technology and access to hydroponic growing equipment to cultivate more potent varieties of cannabis. There is little doubt that stronger strains of cannabis elevate the risk of developing a range of health problems such as psychosis. Increasing potency is a compelling reason to change the current legal position, not one that endorses it.

What are the options?

Although the drugs debate is commonly framed as a debate of two extremes  legalise or criminalise  there are actually many options. For example, Beau Kilmer, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center suggests an incremental approach to regulation (see chart below).

This proposal could inform a new policy approach which has the potential to enhance health at a population level. Introducing state regulation would provide users with a cannabis product that has been tested for potency and supplied without the risk of harmful additives. It would also generate revenue, adding to our collective wealth. Evidence supporting such a change is accumulating across the world thanks to those jurisdictions that have moved beyond an ideological commitment to the drug war.

The governments duty is to protect the people it serves. With cannabis it fails to meet this obligation in two ways. First, it outsources the production and supply of a widely used product to organised crime, meaning that there is no quality control or regulated standards of production. This leaves people who use cannabis conducting daily experiments with their health. Second, by publicly endorsing prohibition yet quietly allowing its agencies to do the opposite, it lacks credibility. Its difficult to work out who this policy serves other than a few elite criminals who control the production and supply of cannabis.

Ian Hamilton, Lecturer in Mental Health, University of York and Mark Monaghan, Lecturer in Crimimology and Social Policy, Loughborough University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Liz Scully, a Moore St trader in Dublin selling Canary Island frozen tomatoes in February 1986 (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection)

Barbara Brannigan from East Wall, Dublin purchasing tulips in Moore St, Dublin in Feb 1986 (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection)

It's been the centre of buying, selling, gossiping and, more recently, protesting since the mid-1850s.

Moore Street was originally named after a family of planters who arrived in Ireland in the middle of the sixteenth century.

Now, it is host to Dublin's oldest food market and an ongoing controversy over the proposed destruction of some of the buildings.

The Moore family arrived in Ireland in the mid-1500s and were awarded the land for their services to Britain.

Expand Close Barbara Brannigan from East Wall, Dublin purchasing tulips in Moore St, Dublin in Feb 1986 (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Barbara Brannigan from East Wall, Dublin purchasing tulips in Moore St, Dublin in Feb 1986 (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection)

In 1728, the First Earl of Drogheda Henry Moore founded Moore Street along with Earl Street, Henry Street and Drogheda Street (we see what he was doing here), which is now O'Connell Street.

Moore Street was buzzing by the 1850s and was home to an architect's business as well as a printer, mattress maker and a few food shops.

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Whatsapp Liz Scully, a Moore St trader in Dublin selling Canary Island frozen tomatoes in February 1986 (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection)

The markets that used to take place nearby spread onto Moore Street and, by the beginning of the 1900s, the street was famed for its local food produce.

It has played witness to many an interesting story, including the events of 1916 when the Provisional Government took the decision to surrender following the 1916 Easter Rising.

Moore Street has recently hit the headlines due to the plans to develop parts of the street into a commercial complex. The battle has been played out in a courtroom and last month a judge declared a number of the buildings a battlefield site worthy of "unique commemoration".

Our flashback photographs

Moore Street (images are exactly 55 and 30 years ago, plus a current one)

 86 moore street 2 (Barbara Brannigan from East Wall purchasing frozen tulips in Moore St Feb 1986)

 86 moore st 1 (Liz Scully, a Moore St trader selling Canary Island frozen tomatoes, Feb 1969)

 Moore (Moore Street, Dublin, October 27th 1961)

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The ideals of the 1916 Rising should be revived to give people with disabilities a key role in scrutinising how the government ensures their protection, respect and human rights, campaigners have said.

A high-level United Nations report called for people directly affected by state services and supports to be given the job of a watchdog.

But eight years after Ireland signed up to the expansion of equal rights under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities it is still to be ratified.

Emily Logan, head of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission which commissioned a report on how the Government is progressing the UN rules, said political will is needed to pass laws which reflect the need to cherish all citizens equally.

"There is now an opportunity for cooperation across the Houses of the Oireachtas to enact legislation that would reflect the values of rights and equality publicly invoked in this year of State commemorations," she said.

It is estimated that 600,000 people in Ireland live with disabilities.

Ms Logan said: "The convention places the full and direct participation of people with disabilities at the centre of the monitoring process.

"It represents a step change away from the paternalistic, charitable and medical models to an emancipatory approach based on independence, dignity and self-advocacy.

"The convention recognises people with disabilities as active participants in their own decisions, and equal partners in State action on disability."

The UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas Aguilar, launched the report in Dublin Castle.

It found no single umbrella organisation for people with disabilities exists to represent the full diversity of all those affected by services, supports and reforms of care.

It recommended that Ireland adopt a similar approach to Malta which has appointed people with disabilities to be watchdogs.

Ireland is one of one of three EU countries not to ratify the UN convention and at least five new laws have been planned but have not come into operation, subsequently delaying progress.

The last government gave commitments to have the legislation enacted and commenced by the end of this year.
University College Dublin is rolling out a Master's Programme in Behavioural Economics next year, supported by funding from AIB.

The AIB Chair in Behavioural Economics involves the appointment of a professor to the UCD School of Economics and the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy.

The bank said the position has already been advertised and is expected to be filled later this year.

It's estimated that the State-owned bank is contributing around 1m to the project, which also includes the creation of a new UCD-AIB Behavioural Economics Laboratory at the south Dublin university.

A spokeswoman, however, declined to comment on the estimate.

In total, the initiative involves the recruitment of a post-doctoral fellow, the development of a programme of research, the establishment of the Master's Programme in 2017, and the creation of a new UCD-AIB Behavioural Economics Laboratory at UCD's campus in Belfield.

Behavioural economists study how social and emotional factors influence economic decisions, using psychology and other disciplines to shed light on how and why we behave as we do when it comes to finance and money.

AIB chief executive Bernard Byrne said he believes behavioural economics can help provide insight to aid in solving problems facing the economy and society.

"At a national level it can assist governments in designing policy levers to encourage more progressive and efficient outcomes," he said.

"For individuals, it helps businesses really understand how best they can serve their customers' real needs."
When I wake up in the morning, I sometimes have to think about where I am. I'm based in Barbados, but we've also got a home in Cape Town and another one in Atlanta, Georgia, where I worked for quite a while. My daughter and grandson are based there, and that's the whole family. My wife goes back there a lot, and that's where our dog still is. Then in summer, we live in France.

The common denominator in all of those places and the time of year that I'm there, is that I can wake up in the morning and the sun is shining. I was brought up in Africa, and I don't like cold weather, so I just don't live where it's cold. Light is very important to me, too. So, I open up the door and look outside and see a beautiful view. It may be the Caribbean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, blue skies and mountains, or olive trees in Provence. On average, I get up around 7am. My wife, Pamela, travels with me a lot. We've been married for 46 years. Over the past 20 years in my career - I was with Coca-Cola for 43 years - I would have travelled at least half of the year. I found it tiring, but very interesting. I have lived and worked in 11 countries on five continents.

In the mornings, I'll have fresh fruit and a smoothie. I usually have my breakfast by the computer while I do my emails. I want to see what's come across the tracks. I probably get 30 emails a day, and I deal with everything straight away. My goal is to have that list of emails done before I go to the gym. I'll normally have a look at the news online. Then I spend an hour-and-a-half in the gym every morning. I do 10km on the bike, and then the trainer comes in. I do an hour with him. He makes sure that I don't push myself too much.

I have different trainers in each home. I've only been able to find the time to do this since I retired. I'm semi-retired. My wife calls me a serial failed retiree, and she's right. But she supports it. I know that I cannot and should not become what is defined as a normal retiree. I've seen them. They age more quickly, and their conversational scope is reduced.

I've always been interested in history, geography and politics, and they are all current-type things. Therefore, I'll continue to be active in things that interest me.

In all our homes, I've got an office. I talk to my stepbrother, Mervyn, for an hour at least, four days a week. We're very close. He is a smart guy. Back in 2013, Mervyn and my investment adviser phoned to tell me about the CHQ building. They were looking for properties for me in Dublin, and, in between appointments, they had a coffee there. They were told that it was for sale. They sent me pictures of it and write-ups, but the auction was on before I could get across. We put in a bid before I'd even seen the building. It was a ghost-town, but I had a feeling about it. If you're going to be successful, you have to take risks. I paid 10m for it.

When I saw it, I fell in love with it. I didn't see the shopping centre that had failed, because I hadn't seen it as a shopping centre. I just saw this empty building, and I thought it was fabulous. It was full of light, and in the middle of the financial district. And the old vaults were perfect for the other project which I have funded - Epic Ireland.

During the day, I look after my investments. I must make money to keep going. Money is not a motivator, but it is how you keep score in life. It's an enabler. I've been paid very well and I've done well with my investments. But I give quite a lot to charity. Also, it enables me to give money to causes I like, and I'm interested in; things like Epic Ireland in the CHQ building, which opened yesterday. It's a 21st-Century interactive museum, which tells the story of the Irish people who emigrated.

Normally, this is told in a very sad way, because it was very sad. You have to cover that, but also move past that. The other piece of the story was not being told. What came out of it was heroic and has to be celebrated. Look at the imprint that the Irish have made on the world. We should be proud and want to tell those stories. By the way, not all the people were successful in the right way. We've got a rogues gallery, too. Even today, like everywhere else, it's not a nation of angels, and those that left didn't end up as angels.

I always had this thing about going back to Ireland to tell the story of the Irish people. I was born in Downpatrick, but left Ireland when I was 10 years old. My father wanted to get out because he saw more opportunities abroad. I fell in love with Africa. There was a strong Irish diaspora in Zambia, and my father was head of the Wild Geese Society there. He also used to run a St Patrick's Night ball there. He worked in fingerprints and ballistics in the police. When he was trying to train the first Zambians in the force, he had been told that the work was too difficult for them. That was the mindset of a lot of colonial people, typically sectarian, but he was far from that. In fact, he wanted to get out of Northern Ireland because of sectarianism. Although we were a Protestant family, we're a rugby family and we think of Ireland on a unitary basis. That's why Epic Ireland is about the island of Ireland.

In the evenings, Pamela and I eat out a lot. Then we'll have a drink and a chat before bed. I do lot of reading, but I don't read fiction because I don't have time. Having a grandchild has changed my life, but I'm actually a bad grandfather, because I'm not there enough. That's the sad part, but that's the choice. You can't do everything.

I switch out the light and go to sleep straight away. I'm not a big dreamer. I do my dreaming when I'm awake.

See epicirelandchq.com

Pre-booked tickets recommended and available online. Open seven days a week, 9am to 7pm. Adults 16, family ticket 40 (two adults and two children)
Dublin Airport has been shortlisted for the Airport Council International (ACI) Europe's 'Best Airport Award, in the airports with over 25 million passengers per year category.

Dublin will be up against Heathrow, Frankfurt, Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

The ACI awards recognise excellence and achievement across a whole range of disciplines including retail, security, operations, facilities, community relations, environmental awareness and customer service.

Dublin Airport Managing Director, Vincent Harrison said: "I am immensely proud to see Dublin Airport shortlisted for such an esteemed award. It is a testament to hard work, dedication and commitment of the airport's employees.

"We constantly strive to improve the passenger experience, and to make Dublin Airport one of the best in the world."

The winners will be announced next month at the ACI General Assembly in Athens. Dublin Airport has welcomed 5.5 million passengers in the first three months of the year, a 17pc increase over the same quarter last year or an extra 817,000 passengers so far this year.

It comes just days after IAG warned that the expansion of Aer Lingus' transatlantic services will be slowed if Dublin Airport doesn't deliver infrastructure improvements to alleviate aircraft congestion there.

Banking on a Hillary victory

Brexit and a Hillary Clinton failure: two things that would make Donald Trump happy.

They're also equally unlikely, with the probability of either around 20pc, according to Standard Bank's Head of G-10 Strategy, Sean Barrow.

He emphasised that it's a subjective call - which, at a time when professional pollsters have produced a string of high-profile failures, may do little to tarnish its authority, Bloomberg has reported.

In contrast with the 5,000/1 odds overturned by the English Premier League champions Leicester City, and manager Claudio Ranieri, below, current polling on these events is too conservative, he has written in a note to clients. Barrow gives Hillary an "over 80pc chance" of victory, compared to 73pc shown in bookmakers' odds, while the probability of the UK staying in the EU is the same, he says, even though bookies assign it a two-thirds probability.

Currency markets are already taking into account the possibility of an end to the UK's 43-year membership of the European bloc, but they don't appear to be giving much credibility to the idea of President Trump.

Walsh: retiring not on the radar

Willie Walsh has insisted he isn't hanging up his wings just yet, despite turning 55 later in the year.

The boss of airline group IAG, which owns Aer Lingus and British Airways among others, said he would have been expecting to retire at 55 in his previous life as a pilot.

But now that he's moved into the corporate world, he's got other plans.

"I was 17 when I started as a pilot," he told the Sunday Telegraph.

"For the first 18 years that I was flying, I was getting used to the idea of having to retire at 55 but now that I am approaching that age, I've realised that 55 is very, very young."

Walsh, known for being much more diplomatic than his Ryanair counterpart Michael O'Leary, once again reiterated his admiration for the latter.

Although O'Leary recently dismissively said that Walsh "hasn't done much so far" with Aer Lingus, the latter is generally more complimentary about O'Leary.

Walsh said Ryanair's transformation since O'Leary pledged to improve customer service has been "stunning".

"You have to give him [O'Leary] credit that when he decides to do something, he certainly goes about it" Walsh said.
Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers:

Irish Independent

* Growth of activity in Ireland's construction sector slowed for the second month in a row in April, to its weakest reading since November.

Although the sector continued to remain comfortably in expansion territory, new orders and employment both rose at a softer pace.

* University College Dublin is rolling out a Master's Programme in Behavioural Economics next year, supported by funding from AIB.

The AIB Chair in Behavioural Economics involves the appointment of a professor to the UCD School of Economics and the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy.

* The Central Bank issued its first Prohibition and Suspension notices against finance executives last year, but has declined to give any details about them for legal reasons.

The details were contained in the Central Bank's annual report, but when asked for comment, the bank wouldn't say anything further. "Due to legal constraints we cannot provide any further information on these decisions," a spokeswoman said.

The Irish Times

* Aldi and Lidl have made further gains in their Irish market share with nearly one in four Irish shoppers doing their groceries in either of the two German chains.

According to a report in The Irish Times, in the 12 weeks up to April 24th Lidl had an 11.2pc share of the market while Aldi had a combined share of 10.9pc.

* The new Government will have to green light a move to float Allied Irish Bank this month if it is to added to the stock market by the end of the year.

According to a report in The Irish Times, the Government would need to keep it within the time frame to meet a mid-November flotation date.

* The Central Bank is looking to proceed with its ambitions to make Ireland a cashless society by issuing a request to tender to supply a cashless payment system for user in restaurants and shops near its new headquarters.

The bank is encouraging its own staff to stop using notes and coins.

Irish Examiner

* April's pace of growth in the Irish construction industry fell again from February's record high, with growth rates in new orders and employment in the sector also slowing.

According to the Ulster Bank Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) business sentiment picked up to a 17-month high.

* The Irish software sector is driving professional migration to Ireland, according to new data from LinkedIn.

According to a report in the Irish Examiner, there was a 36.1pc increase in LinkedIn members based in Ireland working in the sector than compared to last year.

* Irish economists have added their name to an open letter that urges world leaders to tackle offshore tax havens.

Dr Stephen Kinsella from University of Limerick, Prof Brian Lucey from TCD, and Dr Tom McDonnell from the Nevin Economic Research Institute are among 13 Irish people to sign the letter.
Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, the architect of the 2014 switch in OPEC policy that's since roiled the energy market, companies and entire economies from Mexico to Nigeria, is leaving his post.

An 80-year-old who rose from modest Bedouin roots, al-Naimi headed the ministry for almost 21 years, steering the world's largest crude exporter through wild price swings, regional wars, technological progress and the rise of climate change as a key policy concern.

"During my seven decades in the industry, I've seen oil at under $2 a barrel and $147, and much volatility in between," al-Naimi told a gathering of the who's who of the American oil industry in February in Houston.

"I've witnessed gluts and scarcity. I've seen multiple booms and busts."

The departure of al-Naimi, who for years could move markets just by uttering a few words, is the latest sign of how the country's young Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is stamping his authority over oil policy.

Khalid Al-Falih, chairman of Saudi Arabian Oil Co, the state-owned producer, will replace him as minister of energy, industry and mineral resources. Al-Falih is known to be close to King Salman and to Prince Mohammed.

"Khalid has been integral to the current oil policy of Saudi Arabia and has worked very closely with the deputy crown prince," said Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University in New York and a former White House oil official.

Saudi oil policy is unlikely to change with al-Falih. If anything, Prince Mohammed has insisted that Saudi Arabia will continue to defend its market share and won't agree to any oil output freeze to curb the global glut without the participation of other major producers.

"We don't care about oil prices," Prince Mohammed told Bloomberg in an interview in April, "$30 or $70, they are all the same to us. We have our own programmes that don't need high oil prices."

Major oil markets were closed on Saturday when the official Saudi Press Agency reported al-Naimi's replacement, citing a royal decree. Benchmark Brent crude futures ended trading on Friday at $45.37 a barrel in London, down 5.7pc for the week. US West Texas Intermediate crude closed on Friday at $44.66 in New York, or 2.7pc lower for the week.
Alan Tobin had signs erected in his constituency reminding the public about rules regarding listed/restricted dog breeds

A county councillor is facing huge backlash on social media following a Facebook post he made about 'dangerous' dogs.

Meath Fine Gael councillor Alan Tobin wrote about new signs he has had erected in his constituency which highlight the list of 10 restricted or listed breeds of dog including German Shepherds and Rottweilers.

The signs include photos of the dogs and instruct owners that, while in public, all the breeds must be leashed and muzzled, wear a collar bearing the owner's name and address, and be under the control of a person over 16 years of age.

The rules come under The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998.

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"As a dog owner I'm absolutely delighted that signs I've asked for, with pictures, showing the dangerous breeds of dogs have been erected over the past week,"wrote Tobin.

"It still amazes me that some people think these dogs are ideal family pets."

The post went viral and garnered 56,000 shares and 110,000 comments, the vast majority of which criticised the councillor.

Maeve O'Donoghue wrote, "What an un-educated statement to make...mind you I'm not surprised considering Fine Gael are completely ignorant when it comes to animal welfare in Ireland. Good luck to you because you just made a HUGE mistake posting such a stupid comment."

Maeve's comment drew more than 23,000 likes from other people but Tobin replied, "It's not a statement its the law Maeve," which drew 544 likes.

Another posted an image of their pet and captioned it, "Say hi to Zoe. A GERMAN SHEPHERD who takes on the role of mammy to abandoned kittens. Here she is with a three week old kitten snuggled into her. You really are an uneducated moron. I'm embarrassed for you."

Many more posted images of their beloved family pets which feature on the list. While many commenters are from Ireland and Northern Ireland, others are weighing in the debate from the UK, across Europe and as far as the US.

However, Alan Tobin's post as it stands now on the councillor's Facebook page has just 56 shares and features predominantly supportive comments.

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"Excellent idea Alan spent Christmas minding my poor dog after he was attacked by a band dog who had no muzzle or lead poor thing is still scared on a walk." wrote one.

Another says, "All dogs should be on leads in the community no matter what breed it is".

Twitter was also full of reactions - both supportive and negative.
Barely in her mid-thirties, Rostrevor crime writer Claire McGowan has made a name for herself as a sharp exponent of Ulster noir. This fourth novel starring her forensic detective Paula Maguire follows the The Lost, The Dead Ground (both of which are being adapted for TV by the BBC) and The Silent Ground.

McGowan was fascinated by theme of hunger persistently cropping up in the Irish context; famine, hunger strikes, sinning and fasting as part of eerie religious dogma. It is all poured like molasses into this dark mystery surrounding the disappearance of the 22-year-old daughter of a Home Office life peer in McGowan's fictional border town of Ballyterrin.

The case is shrouded in peculiarities from the get-go. Alice vanished on July 31st - the Celtic festival of Lughnasa - along with a local religious relic. The day of her disappearance matches that of one Yvonne O'Neill in a cold case from the time of the Maze Hunger Strikes that bears striking similarities. Maguire and her partner Helen Corry encounter hints of anorexia, self-harm, rape and drug taking when they investigate Alice's college campus circle but no one in this world of social media and bitchiness seems to be talking straight to the detectives.

McGowan makes things interesting for Maguire by keeping her home life and impending marriage to her journalist husband a running headache, with mixed results. She does, however, brew a strong sense of the victim (via regular diary extracts) and navigates us nicely towards a chilling denouement.
The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

In the prologue to this hearty volume, Bill Bryson recalls with typical wit a meeting with his publisher.

Pound signs glinted in his eyes as he convinced the US non-fiction Goliath to rediscover the island of Britain on the 20th anniversary of his gargantuan bestseller Notes From a Small Island.

That Bryson was taking British citizenship at the time - via an exam which he details hilariously - was further sign that the time was right.

Bryson could more or less pen a 300-pager about a trip to the supermarket and it would zing with brilliance, so it's surprising absolutely nobody to confirm that  Little Dribbling (here in paperback) is yet another outstanding, laugh-out-loud Bryson travel log.

Perhaps what is most appealing as Bryson gets older is the grouchiness that he is now bringing in alongside his mastery as a researcher and anecdote teller.

Here, there are hoots of fun to be had as he despairs over bad grammar, slouching youths, crappy service and a family trip to McDonald's.

He calls out stupidity and ugliness when he sees. But he is not one of the most loved writers in the world for nothing, and can still sing with wonderment about natural beauty and firecrackers of historical trivia.

Britain, he insists, "cherishes fair play" and this chimes with his approach to his adopted homeland.

Travelling loosely north on what he dubs "the Bryson Line" (an imaginary south-to-north axis that is, by his reckoning, the longest line you can draw through the island), he is simply magnificent company for every step of the way.

A treat.
Whenever a list appears depicting historical figures most hated by the Irish, Sir Winston Churchill - alongside people like Oliver Cromwell and Margaret Thatcher - usually features in the top 10. Churchill's relationship with Ireland - a nation he once described to the British Parliament as "a small poor, sparsely populated island, lapped about by British sea power" - was diabolical. In 1912, giving a speech at Celtic Park in Belfast, advocating Home Rule - of which he was an ardent supporter - Churchill, at a time when sectarian hatred was rife, reiterated his father's divisive phrase, that "Ulster will fight and Ulster will be right".

As First Lord of the Admiralty, in August 1915, Churchill, with poor military planning, led thousands of young Irishmen - like lambs to the slaughter - to their deaths at Suvla Bay in Gallipoli.

In May 1920, as a key member of the War Office, Churchill was responsible for the recruitment and deployment of the Black and Tans and the auxiliary cadets; two ruthless emergency police forces set up to crush the IRA. Both treated the law, and the Irish civilian population, with contempt.

During World War II, as Britain's prime minister, Churchill spoke about saving the Irish "from themselves." In his victory speech, Churchill turned sourly to Dublin's role, patronising de Valera's government, whom he claimed had frolicked with fascists, despite their so-called neutrality. He even insinuated that Britain could have taken Ireland by force during this uneasy period, but refrained from doing so out of goodwill, honour and decency.

Paul Bew, a professor of Irish politics at Queen's University, and a member of the House of Lords, covers this ground, and much more, in this concise book: which attempts to salvage some good from the wreckage that was Churchill's disastrous relationship with Ireland.

Lord Bew is a measured historian of notable experience.

And structurally, this is a well crafted tome. But one should approach his commentary and analysis- despite the sense of balance he brings to his work - with slight caution. The thesis he presents here - as he admits himself - is one that runs against the tide of most conventional narratives of modern Irish history. Still, the historian must be given credit for pointing out his subject's numerous flaws.

Namely, Churchill's failure to take responsibility for the Gallipoli disaster in 1915; Churchill's lack of knowledge about the drastic sea change in Irish nationalism after the Easter Rising; Churchill's insensitive language in parliament towards the Irish, where he claimed that allowing a nation across the Irish Sea to become a Republic was akin to offering a country up to a miserable gang of human leopards in West Africa; and then there is Churchill's cheap and inappropriate swipe at the Lord Mayor of Cork, Terence MacSwiney: just before he died on hunger strike in a Brixton prison in 1920.

Churchill's critics, Bew posits, accuse him of being a Hibernophobe, and tend to see his Irish legacy in black and white terms.

Churchill did, however, the historian believes - to paraphrase Othello - do the state some service.

Bew reminds us here that it was Churchill, as both Secretary of the State for the Colonies in 1921, and as chairman of a Provisional government of Ireland committee, who played a crucial behind-the-scenes-role in the Anglo Irish Treaty: particularly in his diplomatic games of poker with Michael Collins, whom he greatly respected and admired.

Churchill did want to see a united Ireland. But the nation he envisioned was one that would be a dominion of the British Empire.

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Bew certainly gives a passing mention here to Churchill's imperial 18th century mindset.

But he doesn't analyse it scrupulously enough. One needs to comprehend Churchill's moral and ideological compass to understand how he saw the Irish people.

It's not just nationalist historians who labour this point. Conservative-imperialist historians say it too. Lawrence James, in his book, Churchill and Empire, has argued that Churchill was a fervent advocate of social Darwinism: viewing the Anglo-Saxon-English-speaking races at the top of the pile.

The Celts, the Indians, the Egyptians, the Russians, and everybody else? Well, Churchill saw them as second class "savages, "rascals", and "rapscallions", who could learn a thing or two about civilisation from the British Empire: which he believed was gracefully guiding mankind towards perpetual progress.

Even historians and commentators of a more nuanced and moderate persuasion predominately view Churchill as a John Bull-like-figure, who epitomises everything that's wrong with British imperialism: hubristic, self-righteous, hypocritical, and full of grandiose notions of paternal-democratic-values, obsessed with hierarchy, class, and loyalty to the Crown.

Lord Bew makes a real effort here to paint a well-rounded view of Churchill's relationship with Ireland, warts and all. And the book is a brilliant and fascinating read in parts.

It's unlikely, however, to alter Churchill's existing poisonous Irish legacy. The damage has already been done.
As the great Sinatra sang if I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere. He was warbling about New York of course, that fabulous but notoriously difficult metropolis from where the happy news reaches us that an Irish woman is triumphing on Broadway.

The Corn Exchanges production of Eimear McBrides award-winning novel A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing has entranced critics and audiences alike with the legendary Ben Brantley of the New York Times rhapsodising about the production which leaves an indelible mark on the memory. McBrides hotly anticipated new novel The Lesser Bohemians will be published in the autumn by Faber. You go girl!

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Another feisty female novelist continues to make waves with her fights for writers rights. Joanne Harris, author of the delicious Chocolat, caused a rumpus in literary circles when she pulled out of an unnamed British festival earlier this year, citing high demands and low pay as unacceptable. La Harris flies into Dublin on May 19 to give the keynote address to the industry at WordCon, a conference organised by Words Ireland, a new grouping of seven Irish literature organisations, including the Irish Writers Centre, Stinging Fly, Childrens Books Ireland and Ireland Literature Exchange. For their first conference, which takes place at the National Library, theyve also invited authors Louise ONeill, Nuala Ni Chonchuir and Pat Boran to share their experiences of festivals at home and abroad. Leading festival directors will also discuss the subject in a bid to improve the payment and treatment of writers and illustrators at literary events.

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The previous evening sees a giant literary event taking place in cities across Europe, including our own fair capital. Book lovers can get a flavour of contemporary European writing in Words on the Street as works from a dozen countries are read (in English) by well known cultural and media figures in Temple Bar. David Nicholls who wrote the memorable, bittersweet love story One Day will join Phelim Drew, Ger Ryan, Owen Roe, Fiachna O Braonain and Pat Kenny et alia for European Literature Night on May 18. Readings will be held every half hour in striking venues including The Button Factory, City Halls Council Chamber, The IFI and the Liquor Rooms.

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Ill miss all of the above as Ill be in Florida but travelling with me is Anne Tylers new novel Vinegar Girl. This is a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, part of the Hogarth Shakespeare initiative, commemorating 400 years since the Bards death and joins a glittering lineup of reimaginings: Margaret Atwoods Tempest, Tracy Chevaliers Othello, Winters Tale by Jeanette Winterson, Jo Nesbos Macbeth, and Hamlet retold by Gillian Flynn.
The last time I met Ewan McGregor he was wearing a full beard and a chunky jumper. The beard did little to disguise his handsome features but it gave him an air of gravitas and maturity (aided no doubt by the fact that the facial hair was for a role and not a bewaxed hipster statement.)

This time the Scottish actor bounces into the room wearing black skinny jeans, a tight black sweater and a skinny black scarf, looking for all the world like a man in his 20s. I'd love to know what his secret is as he is, in fact, 45.

I doubt he's had 'work' done as, trust me, I looked, and I couldn't see any evidence. I'm left convinced he has a 'picture in the attic'.

McGregor is here to talk about his new film Our Kind of Traitor in which he plays Perry - a university professor who inadvertently becomes embroiled with the Russian mafia. Central to the film is Perry's relationship with Dima (the wonderful Stellan Skarsgard) a bagman for the Russian mob. Dima, in an effort to save himself and his family from the new boss, switches sides and begs Perry for his help.

Funnily enough, it was not the relationship with Dima which initially attracted McGregor to the script. "He's damaged his marriage," McGregor tells me referring to his character. "I thought it was a really fascinating place to start a movie from. The fact that (Perry) has hurt his wife and hurt himself by having an affair. Usually a story would start with a perfect marriage that falls apart that either does or doesn't get back together. And that really appealed to me."

Perry's wife Gail (the very beautiful Naomie Harris) is a successful barrister and it is after she leaves him alone in a Moroccan restaurant (they're on a romantic holiday attempting to rekindle their marriage) that Perry meets Dima. Stellan Skarsgard gives an outstanding performance, being attractive (to the audience and Perry) whilst giving off a palpable air of menace. Dima is in direct contrast to Perry who, at the start of the film, is a bit of an eejit.

If the audience were in any doubt about Perry's foolishness, he proves it by agreeing to accompany the obviously dangerous Russian and his equally dangerous cronies to a party after just meeting them.

You get the impression that in real life McGregor would have more sense. He's not a star who appears in the headlines for the 'wrong' reasons and has been married to Eve Mavrakis for 21 years. The couple have four daughters and with McGregor's lithe figure and glowing good looks, it's near impossible to believe the eldest is 20.

Instead, I'm astonished to hear that McGregor did something similar to Perry. The incident happened just over a decade ago when he was filming a motorcycle trip from London to New York with his good friend Charley Boorman. "We were crossing the Ukraine (and) we got stopped by a policeman because we were going too fast," the actor recalls.

The policeman asked the pair in a mixture of mime and broken English where they were staying. "We were heading towards a town that was just a dot on the map," McGregor continues. "We didn't know anything about it. We said we were looking for a hotel or camp site. The policeman started pinching his arms to indicate that the local hostelry was, quite literally, a fleapit."

As instructed, McGregor and Boorman followed their new acquaintance. "He guided us back through this town, through very impoverished streets, tiny houses, mud - it was not a place with any wealth at all."

Finally, the small convoy arrived at a shop. "Outside," McGregor says laughing, "looked like the extras cast of Goodfellas, all these guys in leather jackets, like in a mob film. They parted and this guy walks through them. He had a black moustache and his name was Igor; he pointed to his black BMW and the policeman waved goodbye to us."

Video of the Day

McGregor and Boorman followed the BMW until it arrived at a big house with "big metal gates and there's two guys outside wearing more leather jackets. They swing the gates open, we drive in and they close the gates behind us."

I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't the plot of one of the actor's films and I'm waiting for the bit when he says that he and Boorman saw sense and gunned their bikes into the distance. But no, as if to compound the 'you couldn't make it up' factor, the pair settled in for the night and their host, Igor, said in broken English "My house. Your house," which any fan of mob movies will know as "mi casa es su casa." (I can't help but wonder what McGregor's wife said when he told her this story.)

That evening their host threw a party in their honour. A lot of men arrived wearing shoulder holsters with guns. "One guy arrived in a three-piece pinstripe suit," McGregor elaborates, "I'm not joking!"

McGregor was able to draw on this experience when it came to making Our Kind of Traitor which is based on a John le Carre novel. When Dima asks for his help in getting information to Britain, Perry has no hesitation, even though it means he's putting his own life at risk.

McGregor tells me that he would probably make the same choice as Perry. He refers back to Igor. "I definitely got the sense that (he) was a very dangerous man and I'm sure there would be many things in his life that I wouldn't approve of, but (having met his wife and kids) if he'd come to me and said 'my family will be killed unless you help me,' I would have helped."

The actor shot to international fame two decades ago playing heroin addict Renton in Trainspotting (based on the novel by Irvine Welsh) and he is now getting ready to make Trainspotting 2.

Isn't he worried about damaging the legacy of the first film which is a cultural touchstone for so many? "The danger is if you make a poor sequel," he agrees, "but I think ... well you can never know 100pc, but I think if there was any doubt once we saw John Hodge's script ... none of us were in any doubt that we were going to do it."

McGregor looks far too fit and healthy to be a convincing heroin addict, but no doubt, when the time comes he will look the part. He always does.

Our Kind of Traitor opens on May 13.
More than one million people have watched the video on YouTube.

A typical teenage boy who plays violent video games and is annoyed by his mother is the star of an emotional short video that has won 59 awards, a Disney contract and the hearts of viewers.

'The Present shows the young boy receiving a present of a disabled puppy from his mother. The boy is less than impressed and wants nothing to do with the three-legged dog.

It may not sound like a film that would tug at heartstrings, but the end has viewers melting.

The short video was inspired by a comic book strip by Brazilian artist Fabio Coala Cavalcanti and was made into a short film by Jacob Frey and Markus Kranzler. These students created in back in 2014 as part of a graduation programme in a German college.

The film went on to win 59 awards worldwide including Best Animated Short from Summer Slam Film Festival and Best Animation from the Los Angeles Film Festival.

The film isnt only award-winning, it also landed the creators some of the best jobs in animation. Today, Frey works at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kranzler at Pixar Animation Studios.

Not bad for two college graduates!
Prince Harry and Michelle Obama meet the USA Invictus Team ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

Prince Harry and First Lady Michelle Obama meet the USA Invictus Team ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

ORPrince Harry, Sir Keith Mills, George W Bush and Laura Bush chat at a reception ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

ORLANDO, FL - MAY 08: Prince Harry meets Former President George W Bush at a Symposium of Invisable Wounds at the Shades of Green resort at Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

Prince Harry, Sir Keith Mills and George W Bush chat at a reception ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

Prince Harry was given an awkward TV moment when he was asked whether he would like to marry George W Bush's daughter Barbara.

Jenna Bush Hager told the Prince that her sister was "available" if he wanted to date her.

Jenna said that, like the Prince, her sister wanted children and was currently single - and jokingly called him "brother-in-law".

She made the proposal during an interview on NBCs Today show, where she is a correspondent, after the start of the Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida.

Expand Close ORLANDO, FL - MAY 08: Prince Harry meets Former President George W Bush at a Symposium of Invisable Wounds at the Shades of Green resort at Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus) / Facebook

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Whatsapp ORLANDO, FL - MAY 08: Prince Harry meets Former President George W Bush at a Symposium of Invisable Wounds at the Shades of Green resort at Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

She asked him: "Does it make you laugh people are already asking about children? It's sort of jumping ahead?"

The Prince replied: "I have no idea. I don't even have a girlfriend."

Mrs Bush Hager said: "You know what, I have a single sister and she feels the same way. Listen, she's available!"

The Prince, 31, laughed and said: "We can talk maybe off air."

Expand Close ORPrince Harry, Sir Keith Mills, George W Bush and Laura Bush chat at a reception ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus) / Facebook

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Whatsapp ORPrince Harry, Sir Keith Mills, George W Bush and Laura Bush chat at a reception ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

After the interview Mrs Bush Hager joked that she should call him "brother-in-law Harry".

She added that she gave her sister Barbara, 34, the founder of Global Health Corps, a health and human rights organisation, the "heads up" about what she was going to do and that her sister was "humiliated".

Elsewhere in the interview the Prince said that his grandmother the Queen is "definitely my boss" and agreed that when she talks, he listens.

He said: "My grandma has always been the boss. But my god, she gives amazing advice and she let's us cruise around doing what we think is right."

Expand Close Prince Harry and Michelle Obama meet the USA Invictus Team ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Prince Harry and Michelle Obama meet the USA Invictus Team ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus)

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The Prince added that mistakes were "part of growing up".

He said: "You've got to find your own path and if you slip off people don't tell you you've slipped off then you sure as hell work it out yourself."

In a separate interview, Michelle Obama said Prince George was the "cutest baby" and recalled seeing him with Prince Harry during a visit to Kensington Palace last month.

She said: "I have to say that the most precious thing, if you haven't fallen in love with it already, is to see him lift his nephew."

Expand Close Prince Harry and First Lady Michelle Obama meet the USA Invictus Team ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando 2016 at ESPN Wide World of Sports on May 8, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus) / Facebook

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She added that she was surprised to hear the toddler say: "Uncle Harry, you're so quiet."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Whimsical understanding comes through in a new play about the Big Fellow.

With the plethora of literary and dramatic material being produced around the centenary of the 1916 Rising, it is perhaps understandable that a few people seem determined to produce a counterpoint in works specifically about Michael Collins. So far, he has barely had a mention (and none that I've heard) in the celebrations of the centenary. But he was there, even if in a minor capacity.

And he was no Johnny Come Lately who joined up only on his return from London in 1915; he had been closely involved with the IRB while living there.

Co-Motion Media has stepped in with The Big Fellow, a play by Declan Gorman about Collins based on the Frank O'Connor biography of the 1930s. It has the dead Collins interrogating the writer in 1936 about his version of events. Collins is incredulous that in the years since his death he and his comrades have been painted into saintly plaster casts, non-drinking, non-swearing, chaste and fervent. And O'Connor and he thus come to an understanding, having started their dialogue with the enmity of old adversaries, O'Connor having taken the Republican side in the Civil War.

The one to emerge as exactly a dreary, almost inhuman plaster-cast figure in both men's eyes is Eamon de Valera. O'Connor was unflattering in the original work; Gorman is unflattering in his choice of events, and his two characters, Gerard Adlum as O'Connor, and Cillian O Gairbhi as Collins, are equally unflattering towards the Long Fellow.

Declan Gorman directs the two actors with a combination of physical energy and historical passion that is totally engaging, and leaves you with a better understanding of two important men in our history, even with their separate bitter warts very much intact.

But once again, the Irish propensity for infantilisation is present: Collins is referred to as "the lad from London" in 1916: he was 26 years old, for heaven's sake, not 14.

The Big Fellow is at Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin, and will tour regionally until the end of May.

* * * * *

Even a taste of the combined genius of Oscar Wilde and Michael MacLiammoir is fairly well guaranteed to be a treat. Which makes the latter's tribute/compendium from the 1960s, The Importance of Being Oscar, an ideal lunchtime theatre vehicle.

It's necessarily truncated from the original for the time-slot (at Bewley's Lunchtime Theatre at Powerscourt in Dublin), but it's still a pleasure, MacLiammoir's sardonic wit and empathy with Oscar's ultimate tragedy mixing smoothly with some of the most celebrated extracts from the great man's writings: Lady Bracknell (of course); Lord Goring from An Ideal Husband, De Profundis (Oscar's agonised letter from prison to the treacherous Bosie), and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

It's also pleasant to get a view of the great writer that pre-dates the revisionism which for a number of years now has been trying to paint him into the frame of an anti-monarchist/nationalist/rebel republican. (MacLiammoir correctly described him as having shaken the dust of his native island from his feet as quickly as he could.)

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Michael Judd, despite some slightly infelicitous mispronunciations of standard English of which neither Mickey Mac nor Oscar would have been guilty, gives a worthy and worthwhile performance, directed by Sinead Colreavy with incidental music by Nico Kean. It's a Bewley's co-production with Banba's Crown Theatre.
Con Colbert's neices Sr Christine Colbert, from the Sisters of St Louis, Carrickmacross, and Sr Nora Colbert, from the Sisters of the Holy Rosary, Cavan, at the Stonebreakers' Yard in Kilmainham Gaol yesterday Photo: Steve Humphreys

Four key figures executed in the aftermath of the 1916 Rising have been remembered at the Stonebreakers' Yard of Kilmainham Gaol. Con Colbert, Eamonn Ceannt, Michael Mallin and Sean Heuston all faced firing squads from the early hours of May 8, 1916.

Families, political representatives and members of the Air Corps and Naval Service gathered together yesterday to commemorate their deaths.

Con Colbert, originally from Limerick, was a prominent member of the IRB and the Irish Volunteers.

He was sentenced to death after he had assumed the command of his garrison in order to save the life of his superior officer, a married man.

Con's niece, Sr Nora Colbert, said she only realised the extent of her uncle's involvement in the Rising in recent years.

"In our own family, we were even forbidden to talk about it. I think it was emotional and hard on the family," she said.

"When we were young, we did not get all this education they are getting today on how the Rising started and what the whole thing was."

Later, Br Paul Murphy read Michael Mallin's last letter to his pregnant wife, Agnes Hickey. Mallin had been sentenced for leading a garrison of rebels to the Royal College of Surgeons.

"My darling wife, pulse of my heart, this is the end of all things earthly," Mallin wrote.

Br Murphy also read the memoirs of Fr Augustine Hayden, who accompanied Sean Heuston to the yard.

"During the last quarter of an hour, he spoke of once again meeting Padraig Mac Piarais and other leaders who had already gone before him," he recalled.

In spite of the poignancy of the four separate services, relatives came together to share stories and celebrate the lives of their ancestors.

Some family members hadn't seen each other in years. Others had never even met before.

For Una O Callanain and her family, the ceremony was cause for celebration and a family reunion. "We're having a huge gathering in a hotel," she said. "There's 170 of us getting together. We've been planning this since Christmas."

Fewer attended the ceremony to honour Sean Heuston, who has no known surviving relatives.

Damien Cassidy, chairman of the Kilmainham Gaol Board of Visitors, said placing a wreath on behalf of Sean's family was a "huge honour".

"This particular yard has an immense feeling for me," he said. "We are standing on the blood of the 1916 heroes and heroines who were imprisoned here."

Education Minister Richard Bruton and Minister of State Paul Kehoe also placed wreaths in honour of the four men.

A service in memory of Thomas Kent will be held in Cork today, while James Connolly and Sean MacDiarmada will be remembered in Kilmainham on Thursday.
Thomas Kent on the left and William Kent being led across Fermoy Bridge in May 1916.

The only Easter 1916 rebel executed outside Dublin was commemorated in the Cork prison yard where he was shot.

Relatives of Thomas Kent (50) including his niece, grandniece and grandnephew attended a special Defence Forces ceremony in the old Cork Prison to mark the exact anniversary of his execution.

Special tributes were also paid at the spot in the prison yard where, for 99 years, Thomas Kent lay buried.

The tributes were led by Junior Defence Minister Paul Kehoe, Defence Forces Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Mark Mellett and Brig General Philip Brennan.

"Thomas Kent longed for a free Irish Republic. Today we live in a free Irish Republic," Mr Kehoe said.

"We have come together today to remember Thomas Kent and to honour his memory."

Prayers for the executed patriot and commander of the Galtee Brigade of the Irish Volunteers were read out by Defence Forces chaplain, Fr Gerry O'Neill, and Irish Prison Service chaplain, Fr Alan Kelly.

Wreaths were laid at the spot where he was executed by his niece, Kathleen, and his grandniece, Nora who had an honour guard of Cpl Alan Dully and Cpl Peer O'Flynn.

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To further honour his memory, a special public exhibition on Thomas Kent's life was opened in the old Cork Prison with further material at the Collins Barracks museum.

On the instructions of Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Mr Kents grave was located in Cork Prison yard and his remains exhumed last year.

He was reburied with full military honours last September in the Kent family plot in Castlelyons in north Cork at the request of his family.

To mark the patriots centenary, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) yesterday opened the old jail to the public to allow viewing of his execution spot.

The public were also allowed view a special plaque erected on the old Cork Prison wall in 1966 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising and the cell in which Mr Kent was held prior to his execution.

The Kent family said they were delighted to see his sacrifice being recognised.

"We are very proud of the sacrifice he made for Ireland and we are also delighted to see that his memory is being commemorated in this way," Nora said.

The patriots other descendants include his niece, Prudence Riordan, his grandniece, Norma Riordan, his grandnephew, Michael Riordan and his great-grandniece, Hazel Riordan.

Despite Irish Volunteer contingents being on standby in Cork city, Kerry, Wexford and other major centres the only serious fighting in Easter 1916 took place in Dublin and at Castlelyons in north Cork.

Thomas Kent, his brothers and mother resisted an attempt by a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) contingent to seize arms from their farmhouse on May 2-3 1916 because they were known Irish Volunteer and Gaelic League members.

Several of the Kent brothers had previously been jailed for land rights agitation.

In the four hour gun fight which erupted, senior RIC constable William Rowe was fatally wounded.

Thomas Kent's brother Richard was later shot and killed trying to escape.

Thomas was captured and executed in Cork Prison on May 9, one week after being marched across Fermoy bridge with a military escort.

He was sentenced to death by a military court martial on May 4 for taking part in an armed rebellion and in waging war against his majesty the King, such act being of such a nature as to be prejudicial to the defence of the realm and being done with the intention and for the purpose of assisting the enemy.

The iconic stone bridge across the River Blackwater was renamed Kent Bridge in his honour last Monday  100 years after he was forced to walk across it barefoot and in shackles by an armed British escort.

His brother, David, who was injured in the gun battle, was also sentenced to death but his sentence was later commuted to a prison sentence.

Yet another brother, William, was acquitted before a military court martial later released from custody.

With Roger Casement, who was hanged in London for his role in attempting to smuggle German arms to the Easter Rising rebels through Kerry, Thomas Kent was the only rebel executed outside Dublin for the events of 1916.
AN ARMED raider escaped with a small quantity of cash from a Cork post office.

Gardai are hunting for the lone raider who robbed Little Island post office in Cork shortly after 10.30am today.

The raider ran into the outlet wearing a balaclava and demanded cash from shocked staff.

He was armed with a sawn-off shotgun though it is unclear whether it was a real or fake firearm.

The man grabbed a quantity of cash before fleeing the outlet.

No shots were discharged during the raid and it is understood no staff members were injured.

However, staff were left deeply traumatised by the incident.

Cork and Midleton Gardai raced to the scene and began a man hunt in the area.

It is unclear whether the raider was operating alone or if he had an accomplice waiting in a vehicle parked nearby.

Gardai mounted check-points in the area as part of their investigation.

Anyone who spotted suspicious activity in the Little Island area between 9am and 11am is asked to contact gardai.

Gardai also began a painstaking examination of CCTV security camera footage from the Little Isalnd area in a bid to identify the getaway vehicle of the raider.
A Dublin glamour model is to sentenced in June for assault after she admitted she jumped on a woman and then began to bite and scratch her.

Bridget Byrne (26), who works under the name of Ava Van Rose, was ordered by Judge John Cheatle to appear again at Dublin District Court on June 13.

He was given a victim impact statement on Monday and adjourned the case to allow time for a pre-sentence probation report to be completed.

Byrne had pleaded guilty earlier to assault causing harm to Helen Guinan at a house at Wheatfield Avenue in Clondalkin, in Dublin, on October 20, 2013.

The model, who also starred in the short-lived reality show Infectious, had initially indicated she would contest the case on the grounds that she acted in self self-defence. However, in February, defence solicitor Brian Keenan told the court she was pleading guilty.

Garda Gerard Clifford of Ronanstown station has told Judge Cheatle that Ms Byrne has a daughter with Helen Guinan's partner. There had been a row over their arrangements for the child to be collected.

Gda Clifford said that mother-of-three Byrne, who has no prior criminal convictions, turned up at Ms Guinnan's home. Gda Clifford said that when the door was opened Byrne jumped on Helen Guinan in the front hall and put her fingers in her eyes, she was biting her left hand and scratching her face.

The woman suffered cuts to her face and the skin on her hand was broken. A medical report was handed in and Gda Clifford agreed with the defence solicitor that the injuries were superficial and that it was a minor assault.

Gardai received a complaint two days later and they interviewed Ms Byrne, who now has an address at An Luasan, Ballybrit, Co. Galway but is from Clondalkin in west Dublin.

Gda Clifford also agreed that Byrne did not have any prior criminal convictions and has not come to garda attention since. The garda agreed that that the row was over family matters.

A district court conviction for the assault could result in a fine and a possible sentence of up to one year's imprisonment.

Mr Keenan said that his client has worked as a model and hopes to resume her education to study to become a personal trainer. He asked the court to take into account her guilty plea and the fact that she has no prior convictions.
A man jailed for an aggravated burglary has moved to appeal his conviction on grounds that retention of his DNA sample beyond a 12 month deadline - and before he was charged - amounted to a breach of his Constitutional right to privacy.

Eamon Murphy(48), of Attracta Road, Cabra, Dublin 7, had pleaded not guilty at Longford Circuit Criminal Court to aggravated burglary at An Draigheann, Ballymahon, Co Longford on July 3, 2011.

He was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with the final three suspended on October 25, 2015.

The Garda investigation into the burglary established that entry into the dwelling was gained through a rear patio door. A blood stain had been left on the door from which swabs were taken.

On November 21, 2011, Murphy was arrested and a forensic sample was taken from him by way of a buccal swab, otherwise known as a mouth swab.

He was not charged until January 9, 2013 and no application was made to the District Court to retain the sample within the requisite 12 months, the Court of Appeal heard.

Opening an appeal against conviction in March, his barrister, Ciaran O'Loughlin SC, submitted that the retention beyond the allowed period breached Murphy's constitutional right to privacy.

He said section 4 of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence) Act 1990, used painstaking language to make it clear that every record of the sample, and thus the very fact that the sample was taken, was to disappear from the record.

Unless proceedings are instituted within the time limit or unless an application is made to a court to not destroy the sample, then the result is to be as though the sample was never taken, he submitted.

The intention behind the provision stipulating that the sample and record be destroyed after 12 months where criminal proceedings had not been instituted was, presumably, to ensure that forensic samples were not kept in perpetuity, the court was told.

In additional submissions today, Mr O'Loughlin submitted to the court a European Court of Human Rights case known as 'S and Marper versus the UK'.

In replying submissiosn today, counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Dominic McGinn SC, said a DNA profile was a meaningless set of figures and was not private.

If there had been a breach of Murphy's privacy rights, it was at the stage where his sample was taken but that was done in accordance with law, Mr McGinn said.

He said the 'S case' was concerned with the indefinite retention and the potential for changes in science to permit the State to mine bodily samples in the future.

If Murphy had never been charged, concerns were understandable, counsel said, but he was charged  although six weeks after the statutory deadline, Mr McGinn said.

It was exactly the kind of inadvertent non-adherence with statute that was covered by the Supreme Court case known as 'JC', Mr McGinn submitted.

Mr Justice George Birmingham, who sat with Mr Justice Alan Mahon and Mr Justice John Edwards, said the court would reserve judgment.
An Armagh man suggested his partner's daughter be put on birth control while he was secretly sexually assaulting her, a court has heard.

Darren Davidson (37) was today jailed for nine years abusing the girl from when she was aged between 13 and 16 years old while he lived in the family home in Monaghan.

Davidson emigrated to Australia after being interviewed by gardai about the offences. He was arrested in the UK the following year and consented to extradition back to Ireland.

The now adult woman told the court in a written statement that she does not wish to be a victim but feels the abuse will always be with her.

She said she found the trial process incredibly difficult due to having to be in close proximity to Davidson but was glad she went though with it.

When I look at my younger sister I feel I have protected her and that makes the trial worth it, she said.

She said she decided to make a complaint to gardai because the abuse was getting more frequent and severe and she felt she had to protect her siblings.

I was no longer going to stand being a sexual object for him, she said. The woman added that when Davidson went to Australia she thought the torture was never going to end.

Noting the ongoing psychological effects, Mr Justice Robert Eagar said she displays classic symptoms of being abused by someone they trust.

He said that without any mitigating factors he would have imposed a 12 year sentence. However he took into account Davidson's good work history, his character references and his condition of epilepsy.

Mr Justice Eagar imposed a ten year term with the final year suspended and ordered Davidson be registered as a sex offender.

Davidson, formerly of Dungormley Estate, Newtownhamilton, Armagh was convicted last March at the Central Criminal Court of eleven counts of sexual assault with an object, sexual assault and defilement at the victim's home between 2008 and 2010.

Caroline Biggs SC, prosecuting, said Davidson moved in with the girl's mother and started abusing her after she turned 14. The first time it happened he she had fallen asleep on the couch and woke up to find Davidson with his hand inside her pants.

On other occasions he used a vibrator and told the victim to moan. Another time she woke up in her bed to Davidson molesting her. The final charge relates to abuse which took place while the family were on holiday in America.

Around this time the victim's mother became concerned about his behaviour such as going to sleep in the girl's bed or walking around her in his boxer shorts. At one point he suggested to her that her daughter be put on the pill. She asked why and pointed out the girl was not sexually active and did not have a boyfriend.

The girl told her mother about the abuse in 2010 and she took the children and left the house. Gardai were alerted and Davidson was interviewed. However the investigation stalled when he emigrated to Australia.

He was arrested in Manchester Airport while on a visit to Northern Ireland and extradited to this country.

Defence counsel Felix McEnroy SC said Davidson has since married another women who is a vet and she is standing by him. He said his client worked as a carpenter until he lost his job in the recession. He then attempted to set up a driving school.
A man has been arrested in Dublin on suspicion of raping a woman in Belfast in 2003, where he is wanted by the PSNI.

The man was brought before the High Court in Dublin today on foot of a European Arrest Warrant, issued by the UK authorities.

At the arrest hearing, Detective Sergeant Jim Kirwan, of the Garda Extradition Unit, told the court that he arrested the man this morning in Dublin.

Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly said that she was satisfied the man in court was the man named in the European Arrest Warrant and remanded him in custody until May 27, when the case is listed for mention again.
CONSULTANTS at a private hospital must ensure adequate cover in their absence after a patient died nine days after surgery to remove varicose veins.

Karen McCabe (46) of Bewley Drive, Lucan, Co Dublin underwent radiofrequency oblation, a procedure to remove varicose veins at the Bons Secours Hospital in Dublin on August 6 2014.

Her vascular surgeon, Professor Austin Leahy went on a break to his Co Kerry holiday home two days later. On August 15, Ms McCabe died due to a blood clot in the lung believed to have originated in the lower leg.

An inquest into her death heard that she presented at Beaumont Hospital on August 14 and died the following morning. She had contacted the Bons Secours Hospital three days before her death complaining of pain in her knee and difficulty walking.

Expand Close Karen McCabe's husband Michael and daughter Shauna, age 13 / Facebook

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A resumed inquest at Dublin Coroners Court heard from Bons Secours Senior House Officer (SHO) Dr Kingsley Opputeh wanted to admit the patient and carry out a scan on August 13, but only Prof Leahy could authorise Ms McCabes admittance to the Bons Secours. Prof Leahy had left specific instructions that he should be contacted via text message if he was needed but network coverage in the area was unreliable, the court heard.

He noticed a missed call from a general Bons Secours number and did not reply because it was not a specific number, the court heard.

Bons Secours Hospital Manager Mike Tonery confirmed it was hospital procedure that consultants must take responsibility for admitting patients but said never again would an SHO be prevented from admitting a patient because a consultant was not available. He said he had personally with the hospitals consultants to ensure adequate cover be organised where appropriate.

Never again will it happen that a patient wont be able to be admitted without a consultant, he said. Mr Tonery said under new measures introduced in the wake of Ms McCabes death, the SHOs first option was to contact the primary consultant, followed by the second consultant and failing that could refer patients to a recently opened medical assessment unit within the hospital that operates within office hours.

Out of hours, all other options exhausted, they should refer to Accident and Emergency at Beaumont, Mr Tonery said, adding that transport could be provided.

Barrister for the McCabe family, David Holland said if Dr Oputteh had been able to admit the patient, a scan could have been carried out and treatment such as clexane, a medication to treat Deep Vein Thrombosis in the legs, could have been administered.

Had Dr Oputteh been able to put his plan into effect an ultrasound would have been performed either that night or the following morning, Mr Holland said.

...That fact of (Dr Oputtehs) inability to put the plan into effect was at least part of the causative sequence that lead to Karen McCabes death, he said. Ms McCabe was given clexane at Beaumont Hospital, where she presented the day before her death.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell returned a verdict of medical misadventure and endorsed the new arrangements made at the Bons Secours in relation to attendance of patients at the hospital.

A statement from Karen McCabe's family was read by their solicitor Kathrina Bray after the inquest.

After 18 long and difficult months the family are comforted by the fact the coroner has returned a verdict of death by medical misadventure and that the coroner has identified a number of risk factors that lead to the unfortunate and untimely death of the late Karen McCabe.

"The family is comforted by the fact that learnings have occurred in the Bons Secours hospital and that new cover arrangements when consultants are unavailable have been put in place.

"Unfortunately for Karens family nothing can bring her back.
A second man has been arrested by gardai investigating the gangland murder of Eddie Hutch.

The man, who is aged in his late twenties, was arrested this evening in Dublin. He is currently being questioned at the Bridewell Garda Station.

He can be held for up to seven days.

Earlier today, a man in his thirties was arrested in connection with the murder and is being questioned at Mountjoy Garda Station

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Hutch, a brother of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch, was shot dead at his home on Poplar Row, last February 8.

The arrests are the first to be made in connection with the murder which was ordered in retaliation to the fatal shooting of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel just three days earlier.

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Gardai have confirmed that the man was arrested earlier today in the Dublin area and is currently detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007 at Mountjoy Garda Station.

He can also be detained for up to seven days.

Investigating Gardai are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to contact the incident room at Mountjoy Garda Station on 01-666 8600, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda Station.
The crackdown on gangland crime that followed the murder of 'Sunday Independent' journalist Veronica Guerin needs to be repeated now on a wider scale, former finance minister Ruairi Quinn has warned.

As gun violence continues on Dublin's streets, the fight against gangland crime needs to be co-ordinated across Europe, he said.

The former Labour politician called for a renewed crackdown in an interview for a documentary, 'Veronica Guerin: A Legacy' being screened on RTE One television at 9.35pm tonight.

The crime reporter was shot dead by criminals in Dublin 20 years ago. Her brutal murder led to the Government setting up the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) to confiscate the proceeds of crime.

Mr Quinn was the Minister for Finance when legislation set up CAB.

He said: "There is a real crisis here in Ireland but specifically in the greater Dublin region.

"I think what we have to do - and the current generation of young politicians are going to have to look at ways of doing it - they are going to have to do what we did in the past, but this time it has to be done at a European-wide level.

"We don't need another Veronica Guerin. One Veronica Guerin, her murder, her sacrifice, should be enough. It was enough in the beginning, the question now is, 'is it enough still?'"

Former CAB chief Felix McKenna said: "In 1996, we caused massive disruption to organised crime and 20 years later the Criminal Assets Bureau is still causing massive disruption to organised crime.

"Disruption in itself does not dismantle the organisation. Really, long term, these people need to be convicted of major crime. They need to be sent to prison and they need to be kept there."

The programme asks whether the journalist's legacy has been honoured, as the country finds itself in the midst of a spate of murders by drug gangs.

Her husband Graham Turley, who appears in the programme with their son Cathal, said: "We had all these promises from the ministers at the time and it was all going to be done and dusted. Twenty years down the road, we are back to stage one now.

"There is crime and there's drugs and there's huge amounts of money, it is just going to steamroll on and on and on. The legacy is a thing that has been scattered a little bit."
A MAN has been rushed to hospital in Co Donegal after being rescued off Buncrana pier, while a search continues this morning for a swimmer who got into difficulty swimming in the Blessington lakes.

The incident in Co Donegal happened around 10pm off the same pier where five people from the same family died on March 20.

Lifeboat crews and emergency services were scrambled to the scene after the man was seen to be in difficulties in the water.

A passerby managed to throw the man a life buoy and he was brought to safety.

An ambulance was able to take the man to Letterkenny University Hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition.

In Wicklow, a search has resumed this morning for a man who was reported to have been spotted in difficulty while swimming in the Blessington Lakes in Co Wicklow yesterday evening.

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The search is centred in the Lackan area on the picturesque Co Wicklow lakes.

Gardai could be seen on the lake shore this morning in a secluded area accessed by a private road leading to a small car park around 5km from Blessington.

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A garda spokesman confirmed the search was ongoing involving Gardai, the Dublin Mountain Rescue, the Glen of Immal Mountain Rescue, Blessington Water Rescue, and the ESB.

Divers from the Garda Water Unit were also due to arrive at the scene this morning.

The search for the missing man resumed at 7am this morning.

Members of the coastguard have described the Blessington Lakes as a vast area to search.

It is believed the man was enjoying the hot weather when he got into difficulty.

Meanwhile, the RNLI has issued a strong warning to those contemplating taking to the water in inappropriate craft in the good weather.

It comes after a father and son were rescued from the freezing waters of Strangford Lough, Co Down on Friday night.

Despite the relatively calm conditions, the men got into serious trouble and the RNLI said it was luck there was not a serious tragedy on their hands.

Their cries for help were heard from the shore and just after 7pm the lifeboat launched from Portaferry to Killyleagh. The men were found by a local boat crew around three miles from the lifeboat station.

Their inflatable dinghy became swamped and the pair ended up in the water. The inflatable craft was fitted with an outboard engine and showed signs of patching on the tube where a repair had been carried out.

The RNLI said the craft was totally unsuitable for the open water and the addition of the motor made it even more dangerous

Portaferry RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Brian Bailie said: "These two men had a lucky escape. If their cries for help had not been heard this could have been an awful tragedy.

"These types of craft are totally unsuitable for the open waters off our coast. Conditions and tides can change at a moments notice and the sea must be respected.

"An inflatable dinghy which may be okay in a supervised indoor pool is not meant for the sea. Also in this case the addition of the power from the attached outboard engine made an unsuitable craft even more dangerous.

"We would urge people to be responsible and check that they are using the proper equipment when they take to the water.

"Conditions on the lough were quite calm on Friday with a force three and a slight sea, yet these people ended up in serious trouble.

"Thankfully they were wearing personal flotation devices but they spent some time in freezing cold water before their cries were heard and they were rescued."
Sabina Higgins, the wife of President Michael D Higgins, has made a strong intervention in the debate on abortion.

Ms Higgins believes a pregnant women being made to carry a pregnancy to full term in the case of a fatal foetal abnormality is "an outrage against women".

The issue of fatal foetal abnormality is regarded as the next area where pro-choice campaigners want abortion allowed under the law.

However, permitting an abortion in such circumstances is currently not allowed under the law and would require a Constitutional referendum. Some women currently travel to Britain to have the pregnancy terminated in such cases.

The comments on the sensitive topic come as the new Government has promised to examine the abortion regime.

President Higgins may ultimately be asked to consider legislation in this area.

The President's wife was speaking last week following a debate between midwifery students in Trinity College about whether Ireland's maternity care has realised the ideals of the 1916 leaders outlined in the Proclamation.

In her remarks, Ms Higgins touched on "choice in the abortion and health".

"There has to be the choice that you know that...what do you call it... that foetal abnormality that the person or persons should be made carry you know and sit in you know these are really outrages against women and outrages against the world and nature," she said.

Her comments are the first time Ms Higgins has spoken publicly on the issue, although she has spoken on gender equality and violence against women.
One of the cars involved in the crash today. (Picture: Martin Murray, twitter)

The Luas Red Line was stopped this evening and there were major traffic disruptions in Dublin following a two-car collision.

One car overturned and four people were brought to hospital following the crash at the junction of the Naas Road and Kylemore Road, in Bluebell.

An emergency services worker explained that they were called to the scene of the collision shortly after 5pm.

Two fire engines, a specialised heavy rescue vehicle, four ambulances, a District Officer and gardai attended the scene.

The condition of those involved in the accident is not known but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatneing.

The Luas red line was stopped for a period of time while emergency workers dealt with the accident.
Charity group Goal have been carrying out work in war-torn Syria Photo: REUTERS / Abdalrhman Ismail

American authorities who suspended work being carried out by Goal in Syria have discovered a culture of bribery and collusion among a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and commercial suppliers.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said charity programmes run from Turkey and Jordan had been involved in bid-rigging and kickback schemes while delivering aid in Syria.

USAID has now suspended 14 organisations and individuals from taking part in US-funded relief programmes.

Goal has been affected by a suspension since April 28, preventing it from using 6.2m of US grant money to procure food and non-food items.

The charity confirmed that it replaced a locally staffed logistics team in Turkey in a move relating to the investigation.

USAID's Office of Inspector General said a cross-border investigation was ongoing after a whistleblower identified and "self-reported" procurement irregularities at an NGO.

"The investigation to date has identified a network of commercial vendors, NGO employees, and others who have colluded to engage in bid-rigging and multiple bribery and kickback schemes related to contracts to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria," said a spokesperson.

"A portion of USAID-funded cross-border programmes in Syria were suspended as a result of this investigation. Several NGOs delivering aid to Syria have terminated staff members' employment based on demonstrated misconduct.

"Aid organisations providing life-saving assistance in Syria and the surrounding region face an extremely high-risk environment. Lack of fully competitive procurements, insufficient oversight and the absence of adequate internal controls for obtaining, storing, and delivering relief supplies can jeopardise the integrity of these relief efforts and deny critical aid to those in need."

Goal said it was continuing to co-operate with the investigation.

It emerged at the weekend that a private firm set up by senior managers at Goal was being examined by USAID.

Noble House Business PLC Ltd provides support services to the NGO sector and was set up in 2013 by three people connected to Goal. The charity's chief operating officer, Jonathan Edgar, set up the company alongside Goal colleagues Jeremy Cole and Ernest Halilov.

Goal said it became aware of the establishment of the company and a potential conflict of interest in 2013. It said staff were told that involvement with potential service providers was not acceptable.

Two of the founding members later left Goal but there is no suggestion that any of them have done anything improper.

"Following the departures of a former employee and consultant, Goal implemented a 12-month cooling-off period, during which it had no engagement with Noble House," said a spokesperson for the charity.

"It was agreed that any potential engagement would be on an arm's-length basis as with any other third-party provider.

"It should be noted that Goal did not engage with Noble House in Syria or for any procurements."

Goal denies that it is the focus of the ongoing investigation. However, it confirmed that a logistics team in Turkey had been replaced by a Dublin-based team on the back of the investigation.

The ongoing inquiry means that some of Goal's aid operations have been halted in Syria.

After lobbying, it secured a partial lifting of the suspension to provide bakeries with stocks of flour held in Syria. It now hopes the World Food Programme will take over procurement, so that Goal can distribute food in the war-torn region.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has waded back into the row over his use of the 'N-word' after writing a blog post in which he frames himself as a civil rights activist.

The Louth TD's use of the N-word while watching Quentin Tarantino's film 'Django Unchained' drew widespread condemnation.

Despite being forced to apologise for the controversial tweet last week, Mr Adams has continued to defend his comparison of the treatment of Northern Irish nationalists to African-Americans.

In a further tweet yesterday, Mr Adams shared a blog entitled "parallels in struggle".

He went on to claim in the lengthy post that there was no difference between the struggles of African-Americans and Irish nationalists.

He wrote: "What is the difference between the attacks on black civil rights marchers walking to Selma and white civil rights marchers walking to Derry? What is the difference between African Americans being killed because of their colour or 11 people in Ballymurphy being shot dead by British troops because they were Irish and nationalist?

"There is none. The struggle in Ireland is about rights. The civil rights struggle in the USA was about rights. The struggles in many other places around the globe are about rights. Sharing in solidarity is what we do."

However, his blog post came under fire from an academic. Limerick historian Liam Hogan, who is researching slavery, described the Adams post as "nonsense" and said that he was "damaging both histories".
The HSE is set to become Fianna Fail and Fine Gael's first test in their minority government arrangement.

Fianna Fail finance spokesperson Michael McGrath said the government's plan to "dismantle the HSE structure" is "not something Fianna Fail supports".

The Cork South-Central TD was speaking on RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland, in response to reports the government is planning to abolish the Health Service Executive and replace it with a new health commission.

"We have reached an agreement with Fine Gael, where certain Fianna Fail proposals will be put ahead," Mr McGrath said.

"Our facilitation of the government, our agreement to allow budges to go through and to not bring down the government essentially... that all depends on the key policies being implemented over the next few years.

"We are part of the government but we are in opposition," he added.

Mr McGrath said Fianna Fail are pushing for a multi-year budget that would facilitate long-term planning in the Department of Health and HSE, but that dismantling the system is not part of their plan.

"[Abolishing the HSE] is something we heard about five years ago as well and nothing happened," he said.

"It's all very fine to say let's abolish and dismantle the HSE but what do you replace it with?

"So that is not something that Fianna Fail supports.

"We want to see a national public health service, a multi-year budget from the Department of Health and the HSE.

"We specifically agreed with Fine Gael that multi-year budgeting would allow for longer term planning.

"A public health service in Ireland is something that has merit and something we can support."

Mr McGrath also told the programme he is hoping to remain in the position of Finance Spokesperson.

According to the Irish Times, the new programme for government details how the HSE will be dismantled and hospital services will be run by statutory trusts which will manage their own assets, recruitment and staff.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is coming under increasing pressure to appoint more women to ministerial roles after his failure to reach a 50-50 gender divide in Cabinet.

Two Fine Gael TDs whose names have been linked with junior minister positions have said that they would like to see more women appointed.

Their call comes after the Women for Election organisation criticised Mr Kenny for not living up to previous remarks indicating he would try to offer half of the Cabinet roles to female TDs.

There are now six women in Cabinet - Tanaiste and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Children's Minister Katherine Zappone among them.

Fine Gael's Helen McEntee and Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy have both said they would like to see more women TDs in the ranks of junior ministers.

Meath East deputy Ms McEntee said: "Of course I would like to see a high proportion of women at junior ministerial level." She said the number appointed to Cabinet was "moving in the right direction", but that she'd like to see a "high percentage" of junior minister jobs going to women.

Of her own chances of getting one of the jobs, she said she wasn't expecting it, but would be "pleasantly surprised" and is interested in the area of education or mental health.

Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy said she would welcome a move by Mr Kenny to appoint more women, but added: "The Taoiseach is his own man and he makes his own decisions."

"I'd love to see more women in positions politically and across the board," she said.

The Offaly TD said that if she was offered one of the jobs, she would do it "with a heart and a half".

Ms Corcoran-Kennedy said that the committees she had participated in, including Environment, Justice and Jobs, would give an indication of the areas she's interested in.

Other female names that have been linked to potential junior minister jobs include Dublin TDs Josepha Madigan and Catherine Byrne. After the Cabinet was announced, Women for Election director Suzanne Collins said the failure to implement a 50-50 split "only increases the urgency of promoting female TDs in other key roles".

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said the junior ministers were unlikely to be nominated or named this week. He also said he wouldn't anticipate Mr Kenny would decide to include more women in their ranks, but said: "We have more women in the Cabinet than there has been in the history of the State. We'll take it from there."

Choices

Meanwhile, Dublin Bay South TD Eoghan Murphy, who had been tipped for a Cabinet position, said it would be "a bit presumptuous to be disappointed" that he didn't get one.

"You never know how these things are going to go. It's a great new team," he added.

He said he would be delighted to get a junior minister role, but added "there's a lot of people there who'd make very good junior ministers.

"There's a lot of strength and depth in the Fine Gael party. So he's going to have difficult choices to make."

Independent Alliance (IA) TDs Sean Canney and Kevin 'Boxer' Moran have agreed to rotate a junior minister post between them, and both have expressed an interest in responsibility for flood prevention.

Their IA colleague John Halligan is also expected to be nominated for a post and said he was interested in the area of sport, but said of Mr Kenny's decision: "What he offers me, he offers me."

Clare deputy Dr Michael Harty said he had not yet been given an indication whether he would get one of the jobs on offer.

He said he would accept one if it came and that health would be the area he was most interested in.
The new Government is coming under pressure to ensure what happened to the Clerys workers never occurs again.

The head of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Patricia King, has told a conference that the findings of the recent Duffy Cahill report must now be implemented, suggesting it would be a fitting tribute to the staff who had lost their jobs.

It comes amid a report that the State is taking legal advice over whether it can recoup the cost of paying statutory redundancy to the 460 workers.

Staff at Clerys learned in June of last year that they were to lose their jobs, just hours after the store building was sold. A liquidator was appointed and staff at the store were entitled only to statutory redundancy.

The report by Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy and company law specialist Nessa Cahill found that there should be increased compensation for workers amounting to two years' pay if an existing 30-day notice and consultation period isn't respected. It also said that workers whose jobs are wiped out without notice should get two years' pay instead.

The recommendations to extend the existing provisions of the Companies Act to give greater protections to workers are designed to prevent what happened to the 460 staff at the iconic Dublin department store from occurring again.

The report also noted that while the transaction that led to the Clerys closure is lawful, "it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that it would be preferable if it were not".

Ms King said the Clerys "debacle" was "one of the worst pieces of behaviour".

"The importance [of the Duffy Cahill review] is going to be in getting it implemented," Ms King said.

"They have made recommendations. The tribute to the Clerys workers and the legacy of the Clerys workers will be when we get the law changed to say, you can't do that."
Newly appointed minister Michael Creed is clinging to a payment worth almost 35,000 that dates back to his time as a county councillor a decade ago.

Mr Creed is among several TDs in line for lucrative payments of a combined 335,000 from local authorities on which they served as councillors.

The Irish Independent can reveal that Mr Creed was in line to be paid a so-called 'retirement gratuity' that Cork County Council has confirmed is worth 34,386.

However, Mr Creed said last night he would seek to have the payment deferred for the duration of his ministerial career.

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Mr Creed is among at least eight TDs - mostly new deputies - who are in line for the taxable gratuity payment, the value of which is based on their number of years as a councillor.

It is paid to those representatives who are aged 50 years old and over after they leave the local authority - even if their reason for leaving is because they have won a seat in the Dail, where a TD's salary is 87,000.

One new TD set to get the payment this year, AAA-PBP's Mick Barry, has said that it should be "scrapped" and that he will use the 29,000 due to be paid to him for local causes and campaigns.

Appointed as Agriculture Minister on Friday, Mr Creed is now in line for a salary of more than 150,000.

The Irish Independent asked if he would be taking the gratuity payment and if the payment was appropriate.

Last night, he said: "I intend contacting Cork County Council and seeking a deferral of the payment.

"This is due to my recent appointment to Cabinet. I will be seeking a deferral for the duration of my period in ministerial office."

The payments to the TDs, including Mr Creed and Mr Barry, are among more than 550,000 in retirement gratuities going to former county, city and town councillors this year.

Cork North Central TD Mr Barry said he believed that the payment was "fair enough" when a councillor loses their seat.

But he added: "A councillor who becomes a TD is like a worker in a job who's got a promotion and I don't see why people should get significant gratuity payments when they've just walked into a better job."

Since 2002, councillors have been paid an annual salary known as a 'representational payment'. This is around 16,700 for what is considered a part-time job - although many councillors argue that they essentially work full-time.

The highest payment is set to be made to Fianna Fail's Eugene Murphy, who put the sum that he will be getting from Roscommon County Council at around 59,000 for his years of service since 1985.

The new TD said he would be donating 12,500 to local causes, though he had not intended on making that public.

"I never made money out of politics," he told the Irish Independent, adding that he estimates he has donated around 70,000 to community groups in his area over the years.

Of the retirement gratuity, he said: "We don't get a pension but I do accept it's a very substantial amount of money, particularly with the state of the country now, and that's why I'm donating so much of the money back."

He said he would use some of the cash for his election costs, as did his party colleague in Louth, Declan Breathnach, who is in line for a payment of 58,700.

Mr Breathnach pointed out that when he first joined the council in 1991 there was no pay for councillors and that he was also working as a teacher while attending local authority meetings.

"The gratuity is there. It is fully taxable. I'm fully tax-compliant. I think a gratuity, as it is named, is clearly recognition in terms of your time and service," he said.

Galway West Independent TD Catherine Connolly is due just over 53,500. She said of her 17-year council career, "I certainly wasn't in it for the money", adding that she took home an average of 230 a week and had chosen to give up a career in law to concentrate on being a local representative.

She said councillors worked long hours and added: "I did my job. I believed it was my duty and that's it, really. Someone has to go into public service and someone has to do the job."

Of the retirement gratuity, she pointed out that it was taxable and "in lieu of a pension".

Other TDs receiving the payments from their former local authorities include Fianna Fail's Pat Casey (39,100), Imelda Munster of Sinn Fein (38,700), and Brid Smith of AAA-PBP (22,200).

Some local authorities have yet to compile the sums to be paid to TDs from their areas.
A pathway for Athlone Institute of Technology to become a university has been included in the Programme for Government, Independent Alliance TD Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has said.

It is understood that the programme was finalised last night and could be published as early as today.

The draft 'Programme for Partnership' document that Fine Gael provided to Independent TDs at the end of last week had promised to support the creation of "Technological Universities" in the regions.

Now Deputy Moran says that the wording in the Programme for Government includes the route for the upgrade of Athlone IT.

"We changed wording in the document to allow colleges such as Athlone to become a university and it's a huge move in terms of allowing it to happen," he told the Irish Independent.

It is understood that the document mentions that ITs won't be required to merge in order to gain university status, which would benefit Athlone's ambitions.

He added: "There's still a bit of work to be done to make it happen but I don't see any problems in relation to that. I won't be found wanting to make sure that it does happen."

Mr Moran - a Longford-Westmeath TD - denied that the inclusion of plans for Athlone amounted to parish-pump politics, saying the change in wording "benefits an awful lot of other ITs around the country".

The draft document presented to Independents had pledged that the regional institutions "will have greater links to industry and will have an enormous impact on our capacity to create and retain jobs in the regions."

Meanwhile, Waterford TD John Halligan has received further assurances on increased cardiac services for Waterford University Hospital from finance minister Michael Noonan.

A copy of the letter, which has been seen by the Irish Independent, confirms that the development of a second cath lab at WUH is in the programme for government, "subject to a favourable recommendation from an independent clinical review of the needs of the region".

That review is to be carried out within six weeks. In the interim the hospital will be asked to review the resourcing necessary to extend the existing lab hours.

"I can confirm that capital and revenue funding will be made available for this development, as will funding for the extension of hours, subject to the favourable recommendation from the independent clinical review," Mr Noonan writes.
Independent TDs Finian McGrath has revealed that he has not paid the water charge Photo: Tom Burke

Two Independent Alliance TDs who have signed up to support the Government have confirmed that they haven't paid water charges.

Finian McGrath - who has been appointed as a 'Super Junior' minister - and John Halligan have both said they oppose water charges and have not paid. Their position puts them at odds with the majority of Government TDs.

Fine Gael has encouraged the continued payment of bills despite a commitment to suspend charges while a commission examines their future.

Mr McGrath made the admission on RTE Radio yesterday.

"I have to put my hands up... No I didn't pay my water charges," he said when asked about the matter by presenter Brendan O'Connor.

He said he refused to pay because "I was very annoyed over the whole setting up of Irish Water and the handling of it and the incompetence of what happened and the amount of money that went into it.

"But I also had a problem in relation to water charges. I was always involved in that campaign over many many years, so I haven't paid."

The Government has committed to establishing a commission to examine the future of water charges. It is due to report back in nine months.

Mr McGrath was asked if he would pay if the commission recommends that charges remain in place. He replied that he would "go with the democratic wishes of Dail Eireann" after the matter was voted on.

His Waterford colleague John Halligan confirmed that he had not paid the charges either.

"I'm like hundreds of thousands of other people that haven't paid it and many politicians," he told the Irish Independent.

Longford-Westmeath's Kevin 'Boxer' Moran - also a member of the group - said: "I've always paid my water bills."

A spokeswoman for Transport Minister Shane Ross confirmed he had also paid his water bill.

Meanwhile, Siptu president Jack O'Connor says he will work with Mr Ross in a "constructive" manner, despite the new minister once describing him as a "waffler".

Mr O'Connor told the Irish Independent last night that he had no agenda and would do his best to "engage" with Mr Ross and other members of the Government.

In 2013, Mr Ross asked his Twitter followers if anybody could name somebody to beat Mr O'Connor as "waffler of the year".

Writing in his 'Sunday Independent' column this weekend, Mr Ross said he had "history" with the Siptu leader.

"God knows how the bearded trade unionist Jack O'Connor and I will get on if we ever have to sit across the table over the Luas strike or any other dispute. Everyone says he is really nice, committed guy, but we have a bit of a history," he wrote.

However, Mr O'Connor rejected the idea that their past would have any effect on future negotiations.
The issue of governance in maternity services has been foregrounded recently in the fallout between St Vincent's Healthcare Group (SVHG) and the National Maternity Hospital (NMH).

In a nutshell, the latter insists that governance in relation to maternal care should remain with the NMH board when it relocates to the SVHG campus. In other words, obstetric and gynaecological clinicians and directors know what's best for their patients.

The threat of intervention in maternity decisions by a religious board has been suggested as being the reason for the impasse. I would guess that it is less about religious control - given that the Archbishop of Dublin and two priests are on the board of the NMH - and that the impasse is more to do with liability and budget.

Issues surrounding women's health and maternity are sensitive and controversial. In Ireland we are accustomed to these crucial issues being kicked around the political arena. What is rare, however, is that the presidential office would comment on the controversy. Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese now have the freedom to make their opinions known on political controversy, but were officially gagged while in office.

It is, therefore, most unusual that Sabina Higgins, wife of President Michael D Higgins, has spoken out publicly about the circumstances in which a woman may be forced to carry a child in the case of fatal foetal abnormality. At a debate in Trinity College last Wednesday, the First Lady stated that this position was an "outrage against women".

The debate was one of many events relating to 1916 that the First Lady has attended. In this case it involved six midwifery students from around the country debating whether the standard of maternity care today meets the ideals set out in the Proclamation of the Republic.

The tragic death of Savita Halappanavar at Galway University Hospital in 2012 is a milestone in maternity issues -and our Constitutional conflict with the mother who is miscarrying. The opposing team in the debate cited this tragedy as confirmation that the standard of maternity care today does not meet the Proclamation's ideals.

Ms Higgins is a former actress and Galway native. In addition to working with Michael D in every campaign and in public life for over 30 years, she has remained involved with the theatre and community arts, working with Druid Theatre, An Taibhearc and obtaining an MA in theatre studies as a mature student.

The First Lady spoke after the debate and said she was neither for nor against the motion. She acknowledged that maternity services had come a long way since she gave birth to four children and praised the encouragement and education provided by nurses to aid new mothers with breastfeeding.

But it is her comments on the incendiary issue of choice that have set the First Lady apart.

Ms Higgins is no stranger to courting controversy. Only a year into the presidency, she visited her friend, Aosdana member and peace activist Margaretta D'Arcy, in Limerick Prison, where she was serving a sentence for refusing to sign a bond to keep away from unauthorised zones at Shannon Airport. Ms D'Arcy was 79 and undergoing treatment for cancer. It was clearly a humanitarian gesture.

The difference between that action and last Wednesday's public declaration is that, according to a spokesperson for the President's office, the prison visit was carried out in a private capacity. While the First Lady is not a directly elected representative, the office of the President is. Michael D's long career as a Labour TD and minister links him directly with Labour's policy on repealing the Eighth Amendment. Again, it is well known that the office of President must be non-political.

Ironically, the President's only daughter, Alice Mary Higgins, was recently elected to the NUI panel of the Seanad and is publicly in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment.

Prior to her election, Alice Mary gave her views on the issue of choice: "What I think is important is that... there is a need for free, safe and legal abortion in Ireland. However, what I would say [is], I don't put forward that legislation alone The most important thing for me is that it reflects society, what society wants."

Last week, it was Sabina Higgins who referred to the question of choice in the case of fatal foetal abnormalities and said, "There has to be the choice.... That a person should be made carry... these are really outrages against women."

The artistic community has long been viewed as being the liberal wing of society. The President is also a poet and a pacifist, a great supporter of human rights. It is somewhat inevitable that, in private, his wife will hold opinions that are close to the hearts of many women and mothers.

One of the largest campaigns to emerge on the issue is the Artists' Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment, which has thousands of signatories and was set up by renowned artists and writers Cecily Brennan, Eithne Jordan, Alice Maher, Paula Meehan and Lia Mills.

While it may not be surprising that an artistic family such as the Higgins might hold these views, Sabina's comments open the way not for reasoned discussion - but for the office of President to be pilloried.

As somebody who concealed the tragedy of dealing with fatal foetal abnormality until the death of Savita Halappanavar, I agree with the First Lady - there should be choice, so that mothers are cared for in Ireland instead of being forced to leave. But there are many who will take this as an opportunity to throw stones at her.
'Some 32pc of the 1,100 abuse allegations reported to the HSE have been deemed to have reasonable grounds for concern, 2pc of which have been in relation to sexual abuse'

A person with intellectual disabilities was left in a foster care home, despite allegations of sexual assault against a carer.

It is understood that the child agency Tusla was made aware of the allegations and removed two children from the home, but a 19-year old was not removed from the home for a while after the allegations, which were made against a carer in the Cork/Kerry area, where the person had been living since 2003.

It is understood that there were no allegations of sexual assault committed on the 19-year-old, referred to as 'Client B'.

The HSE was made aware of the case early this year and it removed Client B from the foster care home within one week of being notified.

It is understood that after consultation with Tusla that its safeguarding and protection team moved the teenager from the location following a review and that the client has been placed in a specialist intellectual-disability residential-placement unit.

The safeguarding team used by the executive operates a zero-tolerance approach to any abuse claims.

Client B was moved from the unit in the south of the country in February.

However, according to reports, Tusla was made aware of the case before 2016, indicating that the person had been there for a number of months before being tended to.

Minister for Social Protection, Finian McGrath, who has a special responsibility for disability, told RTE that he would be "demanding answers" after the state broadcaster examined the case on RTE's 'This Week'.

"It's unacceptable that a 19-year-old with an intellectual disability was left in a foster care situation when two younger children were taken out," he said.

"The main point is that is important to have an immediate investigation into this case. I will be following up and demanding answers because we need the facts and we need the truth."

Barnardos chief, Fergus Finlay said the issue was "very disturbing".

"We've had a number of cases now were it appears decisions have been made to leave people in situations that have previously been identified as being unsafe," Mr Finlay said.

"And obviously like all the other cases, we've got to get to the bottom of it.

"Ultimately, I think we're going to have to face up to the need to properly resource this type of care," he added.

Figures released to the state broadcaster highlighted 1,100 concerns of abuse notified to teams since January, while seven people have been moved from their place of residence since January 2015, five of which have been removed from their family home.

One has been moved from a residential centre and another, 'Client B', from a foster care home.

Some 32pc of the 1,100 abuse allegations reported to the HSE have been deemed to have reasonable grounds for concern, 2pc of which have been in relation to sexual abuse.

The bulk of allegations have been for physical abuse at 12pc, with 8pc of cases alleging that a person was psychologically abused.

Tusla was approached for comment but none had been made available at the time of going to print.
Could this be the worst road in Ireland?

The road at Toughers Industrial Estate in Kildare is littered with large potholes and cracks in the road.

Ironically, it leads to the local NCT centre, which is also located in the industrial estate.

When youre taking your car to the NCT its certainly a problem, local Fine Gael councillor Mark Stafford told Independent.ie.

Its very uneven and heavily potholed. The community have been complaining about it, its certainly a problem that needs to be fixed, he said.

Works are due to begin this Monday to fix the road and will take up to six weeks according to a spokesperson for the industrial estate.

It will affect drivers using one of the many services there as the main entrance to Tougher Business Park will be closed from 8am and traffic will be diverted to the next exit of the same roundabout.

Earlier this year, Independent.ie shared a video of a junction close to Rosslare Harbour, which is a contender for the unofficial title of 'Ireland's worst sign-posted road'.

The video went viral in Ireland and was picked up globally, with the New York Post describing it as "one of the worst junctions ever built".

The popular news outlet titled the video 'Did a drunken Irishman design this road?.

"For drivers in Ireland, going to Rosslare Harbour is a dangerous task. Whoever designed the entrance made some 'interesting' choices, leading to one of the worst junctions ever built," it read.
THE Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty has advised TDs who havent paid their water bills to do so as they wont magically disappear.

Two Independent Alliance TDs who have joined the government - Finian McGrath and John Halligan have both said they oppose water charges.

Expand Close Independent TDs Finian McGrath has revealed that he has not paid the water charge Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook

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Whatsapp Independent TDs Finian McGrath has revealed that he has not paid the water charge Photo: Tom Burke

Ms Dohety has said: The bills are not going to magically disappear and I would advise people whether theyre elected or not elected to pay.

Water charges are being suspended from next month under a deal done with Fianna Fail in return for their facilitating a Fine Gael minority government.

Both main parties have said that householders should pay outstanding bills as its the law.

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The government has agreed to establish a Commission to examine the future of water charges and it is due to report after nine months.

Dublin Bay North TD Mr McGrath yesterday revealed that he has not paid his water bills saying I was very annoyed over the whole setting up of Irish Water and the handling of it and the incompetence of what happened and the amount of money that went into it.

Waterfords Deputy Halligan also confirmed that he hasnt paid. Im like hundreds of thousands of other people that havent paid it and many politicians, he told Independent.ie.

Speaking on RTE Radio, Ms Doherty said paying water bills is the law and added: and if and when we pass a new piece of legislation to suspend the law it doesnt diminish the fact that it is the law and those outstanding bills need to be paid.
Tammy Wynette didn't sing "sometimes it's hard to be a man" but that, in a nutshell, is the premise of clever clogs journalist Tim Samuel's first book.

Who Stole My Spear? stops and thinks about how men have evolved from cavemen to surviving in cut-throat corporate culture and coping with commitment.

Samuels cut his teeth in the BBC, starting out as a cub reporter on Newsnight, before moving into documentary making (most recently The Great Big Romanian Invasion - which sprinkled some reality on the hysterical scaremongering surrounding Britain lifting work restrictions with Romania in 2014). He's also the host of the blokes' version of the Beeb's Women's Hour (calledyou guessed itMen's Hour) on BBC Radio 5 Live.

And so with his investigative nous, Samuels has penned a 'for us, by us' answer to Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman.

How are men in 2016 supposed to act now that the pipe and slippers have been snatched away - the media, technology, failures of organised religion to provide answers, wildly unrealistic dating standards, marriages and monogamy - what's a boy to do?

Samuels sets out many questions, and attempts to answer them with his fair share of soul searching as well as stats. And he lays it all bare - the frustrations, the humiliations, crying in the office, porn, paternity leave - with honesty and humour. There's a real risk that a book like this could become boiled down to a few Cosmopolitan cover lines ('Find out what your man is really thinking in bed!') but Samuels swerves past sensationalism and instead guides the ship with researched argument.

From the outset, he's keen to point out that this is no "sappy tirade for men's rights", not a dominant group whinging, but rather a studious look at where it's all gone pearshaped for men: horrifying male suicide rates, depression, boys underperforming at school, pressure to perform at work, prisons populated overwhelmingly by men and so on.

Samuels isn't asking for a revolution, rather calling for a rethink. The chapters on dating and monogamy will be particularly interesting to female readers, although the latter comes pretty close to excuse-making for cheating men. Samuels posits that perhaps some men just can't help themselves, which reminds me of when as a kid, my older brother would walk towards you swinging his arms wildly and shouting - 'I'm just swinging my arms, if anyone gets hurt, that's their fault'.

Agree or disagree with where he's going, Samuels's willingness to not just to dissect his topics, but his own man brain (actually recent scientific research has shown that there is no such thing as a female or male brain) is laudable.

It's a bit like being a miniaturised Dennis Quaid injected into the body of Martin Short, which is a thoroughly unhelpful metaphor unless you've seen the 1987 movie Innerspace.

The chapter on mental health is moving - men are rubbish at talking about feelings, we've heard that so many times before that it's lost its impact, but Samuels lifts the lid on why men are too proud or simply unaware of the symptoms to realise something is mentally amiss.

And satisfyingly, he offers sensible, sane solutions to make masculinity work.
Monday's Morning Ireland asked: "Is there life outside the solar system?" Possibly, came back the unsurprising answer.

Michael Gillon, research associate of the Belgian Funds for Scientific Research, spoke of three Earth-like planets orbiting a dwarf star 39 light years away with the potential to harbour life; but as to what it might look like out there, he couldn't say.

The attempt by Sinn Fein to defend Gerry Adams's use of the toxic N word on Twitter last week brought to mind a different line from Monty Python's Galaxy Song: "Pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space, because there's bugger all down here on Earth."

Not that Morning Ireland listeners that day heard much about the controversy. Fiona Kelly mentioned it briefly on It Says In The Papers, but there were no reports or interviews on the subject, and there was similar radio silence on Monday's Today With Sean O'Rourke.

That morning, there were the usual mainstays - historian Diarmaid Ferriter made his by now obligatory appearance to explain the differences between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael; Eamon Dunphy came in to talk about the weekend sport; there was even an 18-minute slot on how to get your child to sleep - but Adams's use of the word "n*****" went unremarked.

If any other politician had used the N word - Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, say - who doubts that RTE would have swooped on it like a hawk on a mouse?

The issue was finally broached in Adams's interview with Aine Lawlor on News At One, during which she carefully corrected him on his dodgy historical parallels between the Irish experience and African Americans' treatment under slavery, asking: "What possessed you?"

He continued to insist that, whilst he had been wrong to use that specific word, the differences between being an Irish nationalist and being a slave were only "in proportionality" rather than in kind, adding that he had "many friends who are people of colour".

At which point presumably his colleagues in SF could be found doing a collective face palm

Adams returned for Wednesday's Ryan Tubridy Show, but that merely highlighted the odd way in which RTE dealt with this story. Tubridy's technique cleverly drew out the Louth TD's unnerving, childish whimsicality as he mused on teddy bears, rubber ducks and dreams; but it was still being seen by the media as the equivalent of a funny story at the end of the news. Who else would get away with it?

It's all the more unfortunate that the latest series of Callan's Kicks has now come to an end, because RTE's sole (intentional) comedy show would definitely have had fun with this gaffe. No one wriggles off Oliver Callan's hook.

Summer holidays, be damned. Make him come back. Callan's never been more needed, and his Leo Varadkar is a thing of beauty. Why is Fine Gael in such a mess? "It was like that when I got here."
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Billy Keane Opinion Even a dash to the Croke Park toilet wasnt enough to get rid of space invader who gave me Covid

I did the time, but there was no crime. Banged up I was, under house arrest after two red bars showed up on the Covid test. Im not too bad, thanks for asking. I have it down on a man who was nearly close enough to kiss me at the All-Ireland football final between Kerry and Galway.
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John Downing Opinion Pension reforms are dicey territory  but grand plan by minister Heather Humphreys just might win through

Pension system changes all across the western world have a great propensity to infuriate those most feared by politicians: the grey brigade. And when the oldies take to the streets, they usually play for keeps.
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Mary Kenny Opinion A male contraceptive jab is on the way, but will it truly equalise reproductive control?

It looks as though a male contraceptive vaccine will be available within the next year, according to Dr Amanda Wilson at De Montfort University in Leicester. The jab is called Risug, and it could obviate the demand for vasectomies  which is falling anyway. The vaccine, which has completed its final trials, would be reversible, so it is not as radical as vasectomy.
Since the early 1980s the question of abortion has convulsed the Irish nation on several occasions. Lamentably, some of what has passed for debate on the issue has at times amounted to mere personalised and hurtful abuse.

The incoming Government is pledged to face the issue again via a citizens' assembly. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which was voted in in September 1983, and which has been the subject of periodic controversies since then, will again be scrutinised.

It is to be hoped that our next efforts to address this difficult and divisive issue will at least be measured and respectful of everyone involved. Those involved in the discourse will note with interest the contribution of Ms Sabina Higgins, wife of Uachtarain na hEireann, Michael D Higgins, to a discussion in recent days.

Ms Higgins was addressing a debate of midwives organised by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

She addressed the difficult topic of fatal foetal abnormalities, which is a key issue in the upcoming debate. Ms Higgins expressed her dismay that women in this position were obliged to carry the pregnancy to full term.

"These are really outrages against women and outrages against the world and nature," Ms Higgins said.

Many people will champion the right of the President's wife, the same as any other citizen, to freedom of speech.

But the reality is that Ms Higgins, the President's wife, holds a special position in Irish public life. She is by definition closely associated with the President, and the high office of President, which has a central role in our Constitution.

For those good reasons, her contributions to this debate must be measured and sparing as we enter this vital phase.

New Government must avoid political paralysis

It took all of 10 weeks of pulling and dragging to put it together. And, in the end, it was bundled over the line in a most unedifying fashion. Let us all, however, now avoid undue levels of naysaying. The reality is that there is a huge workload awaiting our new Government.

There is the shameful crisis of homelessness, and problems at many levels in housing. Our health services are beset by many difficulties which urgently require attention.

Industrial relations are like a tinderbox as people who have suffered for the past eight years are seeking their share of the fruits of economic recovery. The list goes on and what the various problem sectors all have in common is an urgent demand for brave political decisions.

The last thing we need now is a weak and indecisive Government. But those of us who closely observed events at Leinster House last Friday may fear that a Government afflicted by political paralysis may be what we actually get.

All of us have been critical of the slow and sometimes lacklustre way our politicians went about government-making. But the political reality now is that we have a Government which most closely resembles the political configuration delivered by Ireland's voters on February 26.

The minority coalition is led by Fine Gael, the biggest party, be it ever so battered compared to the previous election. It has strong involvement from Independent TDs following an election which returned the largest number of such deputies in the State's history.

Now these Government members will be judged by their political courage and radical action.
'Older people should enjoy life and not care about what other people think' Photo: Depositphotos

As people age, they become kinder to themselves, and less critical of themselves. They become their own friend. Many dear people leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with maturing.

Whose business is it if they choose to read or play on their computer until 4am, or sleep until noon? Dancing by themselves to those wonderful tunes of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and if they, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, they may.

Walking the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body, and diving into the waves with abandon if they choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They too will get old.

Perhaps they're sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And they will eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, hearts have been broken. How can a person's heart not break, when they lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car. But broken hearts are what give people strength, understanding and compassion.

A heart never broken is pristine and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect. Hopefully, most will be blessed to live long enough to have their hair turn grey and to have many youthful laughs forever etched into deep grooves on their faces.

So many will have never laughed and so many will have passed before their hair could turn silver.

Don't waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And go ahead and eat dessert every single day.

The body may age, but our minds can stay in eternal spring.

Anthony Woods, Ennis, Co Clare

The unkindest cut of all

I was listening, half-distracted, to the televised contributions from the various political leaders in the run-up to the vote for Taoiseach.

All of the speeches were impressive, unsurprisingly, as each speaker had rehearsed his/her speech for the occasion. But I still found my attention wandering as they spoke.

But then, Clare Daly rose to her feet and it was if a thunderclap had shattered the hum-drum, business-as-usual atmosphere of the chamber. Instead of adding to the predictable rhetoric of the previous speakers, she directed the attention of the other 157 TDs, and a huge TV audience, to the stark, heart-rending reality of what's happening outside the bubble of Dail Eireann. Yawns turned to tears in many a household as she read the letter from the sister of a woman who had taken her own life in response to pressure from financial institutions.

Sadly, the case she cited is just one of countless unspeakable - and potentially avoidable - tragedies that have convulsed households nationwide.

There are laws against harassment, yet a bank can phone someone up to 30 times a day and send warning letters to a person every two or three days.

Officialdom needs to wake up to the consequences of inhuman policies and unnecessarily crass red tape. Vulnerable human beings can only take so much. Sure, financial institutions are in business to make money, but a little human decency doesn't cost the earth.

Thankfully, awareness is growing of the tragedy that is suicide, and it was heartening to learn of the more than 120,000 people who turned out at venues nationwide for the annual Darkness into Light walk in aid of Pieta House.

But this increased focus on what has rightly been called a "permanent solution to a temporary problem" needs to be matched by a determined and compassionate approach by our political establishment.

The cutting of 12m from the State's mental health budget for 2016 wasn't just unhelpful. It was and remains a national scandal, and those behind it should hang their heads in shame.

One of the first actions of the new 'Partnership Government' should be to reverse that ill-advised decision.

One can argue about the merits of belt-tightening, responsible governance, and fiscal discretion, but that so-called re-allocation of funds was, to quote Shakespeare, the "unkindest cut of all."

John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny

Enda's words in the wind

So, finally we had white smoke from the chimneys of Leinster House to announce the new government with Enda Kenny, in his second appointment as Taoiseach, while the electorate that voted for a real change have been left with a skull in their hands, whispering "to be or not to be".

In line with this Shakespearian dilemma, or Kafkaesque charade, are the comforting words by the reappointed leader, who promises to build a better Ireland for all.

No specifics of course, just words to the wind. No reference to giving back what has been taken from State pensions, no mention of how to solve the housing problem, no reference to overhauling the HSE by curing its unsustainable deficiencies and inefficiencies or mention of how to bring some life back to depleted rural areas rather than giving a new fancy name to the ministerial department responsible.

One plan has been mooted, though, which entails investment in the public sector. If this means giving more money to the public servants by raising their salaries, it will be a costly and futile exercise unless the cost of living, meaning rents, insurance policies, cost of general services like electricity, gas, transport, water charges and the likes, is kept in check.

Concetto La Malfa, Dublin 4

Power to the people

Everyone deserves a second chance. Fine Gael now has a chance to put right all that was wrong with its last five years of governance. But if the party's TDs insist that they've done nothing wrong, then they've learned nothing at all, and the poor are most likely to be the sufferers once again.

I hope I'm wrong and that this new set-up will be a breath of fresh air, where everyone gets a fair deal and not at the expense of those who can least afford it.

Simon Harris is to take over the Health Department. With respect to Mr Harris, he will need a little more than machine-gun-type chatter and the spouting of figures to cure all the terrible ailments of the Department of Health.

We can only wait and see what will be offered to us in the near future.

Irish Water is drowning in a sea of its own mistakes and there is no sign of a lifebelt. That was taken away by the power of the people.

Indeed, our new ministers should take notice - people power is here to stay.

Fred Molloy, Dublin 15

Danny and the dinosaurs

Brian Ahern dreams about an afternoon in Kilgarvan (Irish Independent, Letters, May 7) and anticipates watching the sun moving around the earth.

I'm sure Danny Healy-Rae, being a sound bloke, would wish to save him the trouble of a trip to beautiful Kerry and instead suggest that Mr Ahern swing by his nearest forest and observe all the dinosaurs hatching from the many birds' nests in the area.

That would be some spectacle.

Peter Dunne, Durrow, Co Laois
The Irish took over the red carpet last night as a host of our own attended the glittering Bafta TV Awards in London.

Writer Sharon Horgan, who was nominated for an award, and presenters Angela Scanlon and Laura Whitmore turned heads at the glamorous bash.

Whitmore set the trend in a figure-hugging black jump suit. The 30-year-old added a 70s twist to her look with the flared suit, while she wore her loose locks around her shoulders.

But there was disappointment for Horgan as she missed out on a Bafta for her Channel 4 comedy 'Catastrophe'. However, she was a big winner in the style stakes.

With the jumpsuit look proving a popular wardrobe choice on the night, Sharon won major style points for her floral plunge-neck number.

Dublin hunk and 'Poldark' star Aidan Turner was celebrating after the show scooped the Radio Times audience award, voted for by members of the public.

Other winners on the night included Mark Rylance for best actor in 'Wolf Hall' and Suranne Jones for best actress in 'Doctor Foster'. 'This Is England 90' won for best mini-series while 'EastEnders' picked up best soap/drama. Have I Got News For You was chosen best comedy show.
Kanye West surprised wife Kim Kardashian on America's Mother's Day by hiring a string orchestra to perform in their home.

The rapper is known for his over-the-top gifts and he didn't disappoint on Sunday, as mother-of-two Kim woke up to an all-female ensemble playing in their Bel Air, California mansion.

"Mother's Day surprise in my living room!" the thrilled reality star shared on Snapchat.com as she documented the lavish gift.

The musicians all wore flowing white skirts as they performed songs picked out by the couple's two-year-old daughter, North, who joined her mum to watch the private concert.

Tracks included Let It Go from the tot's favourite movie, Frozen, and Annie musical hits It's a Hard Knock Life and Tomorrow.

But that wasn't all - Kanye also had a bench covered in an array of bright pink flowers delivered for his wife, who gave birth to son Saint in December (15).

Kanye previously celebrated Mother's Day in 2015 by filling Kim's hotel room with flowers as they spent the day apart, while he recruited a different string quartet to surprise her with a performance at a restaurant, reports People.com.

Meanwhile, sister Kourtney Kardashian enjoyed a more low-key start to Mother's Day as she shared a photo of her son Mason, daughter Penelope, and baby boy Reign in their pyjamas on Twitter.com.

"Feeling overwhelmed with love & blessings being able to be a mommy to these three angel babies," she captioned the sweet image of her kids with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick. "Happy Mother's Day!"

Kardashian family matriarch Kris Jenner also marked the occasion online in a series of tweets, in which she expressed her gratitude for her growing family.

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"Happy Mothers Day to all the amazing Moms out there!!!" she wrote beside an old photo of herself and her six children: Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Rob, Kendall and Kylie. "Lots of love #myheart #blessed".

She continued, "Happy Mother's Day!! Today is not about the party, the glamour, the guests (although you guys know I love a good party!)... It's about celebrating motherhood & all the blessings that brings!

"I love nothing more in this world than being a mother and a grandmother. My amazing children and my beautiful grandbabies are my everything!! Being there through good and bad... Life's most joyful moments & the most challenging, toughest times, always with unconditional love... that's what being a mother means to me."

Kris' heartfelt comments emerged two days after her only son, Rob, confirmed reports he is to become a father, as his fiancee, model Blac Chyna, is pregnant with their first child.

The couple has continued to shock friends, family and fans since it began dating in January, after announcing its engagement in April and revealing its baby news on Friday.

Ironically, Blac also shares a three-year-old son, named King Cairo, with her ex-fiance, rapper Tyga, who is now dating Rob's youngest half-sister Kylie.
Ronan Keating is set to be honoured for his charity work at an award ceremony in Paris on Monday night.

The former Boyzone star will attend Hollywood actress Eva Longorias seventh annual Global Gift Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel George V.

He will take home the Global Gift Excellence award for his work with the Marie Keating Foundation.

Were off to Paris. Ros being awarded an excellence award in philanthropy by Eva Longorias foundation, Ronans wife Storm told VIP Magazine.

Taking in the view #Paris A photo posted by Ronan Keating (@rokeating) on May 8, 2016 at 9:56am PDT

The cancer research charity was set up following the death of Marie Keating, Ronans mother, in 1998 by the Keating family.

Taking to Instagram, Storm posted a photo of her husband in the citys sunshine yesterday evening, with the caption, Paris, sunshine, and a quick snack.

Expand Close Actress Eva Longoria attends the Global Gift Gala photocall at Madrid Townhall on April 2, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Eduardo Parra/Getty Images) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Actress Eva Longoria attends the Global Gift Gala photocall at Madrid Townhall on April 2, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Eduardo Parra/Getty Images)

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini is another winner at the star-studded event, which is part of the Global Gift Foundation's charitable drive to raise funds for women and children around the world.

The 32-year-old will receive The Global Gift Philanthropist Award, for her work with Cheryls Trust, which she set up to support the needs of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

Expand Close Storm and Ronan Keating / Instagram / Facebook

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She said of the honour: "I am honoured to be this years recipient of the Global Gift Gala Philanthropist Award. Im proud of where I grew up but Im only too aware of the challenges that young people face.

"I want to give back and help young people who feel like theyll never achieve anything reach their dreams and live a happy life."

Expand Close Cheryl Fernandez-Versini will be honoured at the Global Gift Gala / Facebook

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The former X Factor judge was photographed arriving in Paris earlier today with her boyfriend Liam Payne.
By Alyson Klein and Andrew Ujifusa

Political pundits attribute much of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trumps success to his willingness to stand against the so-called Washington establishment. So where does that leave the folks who have advised Republican candidates on education policy for years? Will they go to work for him if hes elected or help his campaign? We asked around, and heres what we heard.

 Marty West, a professor of education at Harvard University who advised Gov. Mitt Romneys Republican presidential bid in 2012 and has worked with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., on K-12 issues, isnt about to sign onto the Trump trainand he doesnt know anyone else who is.

The central challenge for any presidential candidate, especially on the Republican side, is to translate his or her vision into a policy agenda that respects the federal governments limited capacity to effect change, West said. Trump has picked up Republican talking points including on school choice, the influence of teachers unions, the importance of local control, [but] he does not appear to have given any thought to what it would mean to take action on those issue from Washington.

Its not all about Trumps edu-views, which West acknowledges are a wild card at this point. West has other problems with the candidate. His behavior over the course of the campaign should disqualify him, West said.

And hes glad that Alexander and other Republicans in Washington were able to get what West sees as a big win for the GOP on education policy&dmash;the Every Student Succeeds Actover the finish line before a potential Trump presidency. Now, Washingtons role in K-12 policy is much clearer, West said, and states will be able to lead the way.

 John Bailey, who is the vice-president for policy of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which was started by one-time Trump rival Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, said he wouldnt work for or advise Trump. (Importantly, Bailey was speaking only for himself, not for the foundation, or anyone else associated with it.)

Why not? I just dont believe he has an agenda, Bailey said, who also advised Gov. Romneys presidential bid. It troubles me greatly how dismissive he is of many key groups, whether its women, immigrants or minorities. But Bailey doesnt think that Trumps ascension to likely nominee means the end of the so-called education establishment"there are plenty of GOP governors, state chiefs, and governors who want to pursue a serious policy agenda on K-12, he said, and theyll still need help.

 Andy Smarick, who served in the U.S. Department of Education under President George W. Bush, has a different take. Hes happy to provide advice to any policymaker who wants it. But he has no idea at this point who Trump is listening to on K-12.

In my adult life Ive never seen a top-tier candidate be so light on policy, Smarick said. Ive never seen a candidate so light on governing principles. I dont know if he believes in parental choice. I dont know if he believes in Title I portability. Ive never been in a position of not knowing what the North Star of a major candidate is on education policy.

So where should anyone interested in getting a sense of where Trump will take the nations schools look? Smarick suggested the real estate moguls eventual vice-presidential pick might be a good place to start. If Trump were to tap, say, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, that pick may end up having a major influence on policy, and that could trickle down to Trumps K-12 team. Still, Smarick said, its a totally open question.

 Once every couple of months, Rick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute, hosts a dinner gathering of about 25 conservatives who work in education policy, including some who worked in President George W. Bushs Education Department, as well as for GOP governors. Fewer than five of them, Hess told us have indicated theyd be willing to work in a Trump-led department. And conservative education advocates at the state level might not be good candidates for department jobs either, he added, because many of them are likely to have been partisans for Sen. Cruz. (Hess also writes an opinion blog for edweek.org .)

But Hess also said if some veterans of the Bush Education Department and other conservative Beltway mandarins go to work for a Donald Trump department, they might be able to get a lot done and have a lot of sway over a candidate who hasnt thought a lot about (and may not ultimately care much about) K-12 policy.

It is irresponsible to leave the guy rudderless, Hess said, describing that attitude.

Among those dinner-gathering conservatives, Jeb Bush was the standard from a K-12 policy perspective, according to Hessbut the former Florida governors campaign woes took also took a lot of the luster off that idea before the Iowa caucuses. (Last Friday, Bush said he will not vote for Trump or Hillary Clinton .)

Image: Screen capture of Donald Trumps Facebook video about education

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Sir Terry Wogan's life will be celebrated in a special event at Westminster Abbey, the BBC has announced.

The veteran broadcaster, known for his velvety voice on radio and television, died of cancer on January 31 aged 77.

Limerick-born Sir Terry, one of the UK and Ireland's most famous stars, was hailed as a "national treasure" following his death.

The BBC press office tweeted: "A Service of Thanksgiving for Sir Terry Wogan will take place at Westminster Abbey on 27 September. Further details in due course."

Leading figures in showbusiness and politics have paid tribute to the much-loved personality, with Prime Minister David Cameron saying he was "someone millions came to feel was their own special friend".

He was last on air on BBC Radio 2 on November 8, and days later was forced to pull out of presenting Children In Need at the last minute due to health issues.

Sir Terry has already been remembered in a special episode of Songs Of Praise.

He had spoken in recent years about not believing in God after the death of his three-week-old daughter Vanessa in 1966.

Meanwhile, last month a Eurovision boss said Sir Terry "totally spoiled Eurovision" by mocking acts in his commentary.

He was accused of creating a generation of Britons who see the show as irrelevant and "kitsch" by Christer Bjorkman, the Swedish producer of this year's contest, who said he would "never" have given him the job.

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The Scandinavian country is known for its earnest Eurovision entries and has won six times with contributions that went on to become smash hits, from Waterloo by Abba in 1974 to Euphoria by Loreen in 2012.

Sir Terry first fronted the BBC's Eurovision coverage in 1971, and h is stinging commentary proved to be one of the many highlights of his career.
X-Men star Alexandra Shipp has said there are not enough "strong powerful, black female roles" in Hollywood.

The actress, 24, said she relished the chance to get to play the fiery young mutant Storm in the latest film.

Speaking at the global fan screening of X-Men: Apocalypse at the BFI Imax cinema in central London, she told the Press Association: "It is really exciting because there aren't enough strong, powerful black female roles out there, and I am really happy to be able to portray one of them."

She revealed that while she was a little daunted to step into the shoes of Halle Berry, who used to play the character, she was determined to put her own take on the comic book character.

She said: "It is very scary, but I had to tell myself 'Alex, this has to be your interpretation, it can't be a copycat of anybody else's, it has to be you'.

"So I had to stay true to that."

She joined her co-stars Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy and Oscar Isaac for the special screening on Monday night.

Hundreds of screaming fans braved the rain to catch a glimpse of their favourite X-Men stars.

Lana Condor is making her big screen debut playing the mutant Jubilee in the film.

Describing her character as a "sassy woman with youthful energy", she said it was great working with strong, powerful women like Lawrence.

She told the Press Association: "It is amazing, I am so proud to be a woman in this industry and be able to play such a strong, confident girl.

"And I think it is going to be amazing for young girls to see it as well."

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Asked if she hoped other Hollywood studios would take note, she laughed and said: "That would be awesome because at the end of the day, a girl needs a job."
Deborah Veale was visiting her dad Ken at Saint Joseph's in Shankill when she was, as she puts it, "nobbled by the force that is Siobhan Grant". Fundraiser for Saint Joseph's, Siobhan explained that she was hoping Deborah might help her in her efforts on behalf of the centre, which is Ireland's only care centre solely dedicated to people suffering from dementia. Using the Butterfly Approach, which aims to create an environment that is closer to a home than a hospital, it aims to become Ireland's first Dementia Village.

"I thought she meant getting a few designers to give clothes to something," Deborah says. It's typical of Deborah's modesty that she wouldn't see herself as a potential linchpin for a huge fundraising event. In fact, Deborah has long been one of Ireland's top designers, creating timeless clothes that work for women of all ages. Her designs have been worn by former President Mary McAleese, who commissioned outfits to wear during Queen Elizabeth's visit. "That gave me such confidence, because it embraced me at a level that I might have thought I was at, but didn't really know I was." Deborah is in the process of re-emerging after a self-imposed exile from design. Shortly after the Queen's visit, her beloved younger sister Alacoque developed terminal cancer, and she temporarily gave up designing. It was only last autumn that she relaunched, after three years of no collections. As sometimes happens after life-changing events, one re-evaluates, and Deborah says she has returned to work with a whole new approach.

"I'm not necessarily listening anymore to the market telling me what they want - say there's a demand there for occasion wear, and then you feel you have to deliver that. Now I only make very small limited collections. It's truer to what I enjoy, what I look at; everybody from my daughter, a young working woman, to my mom, who is an amazing 75 years old, to Mari O'Leary, who was wearing one of the jackets at the show. I'd rather make ten really nice pieces, than 300."

This creative freedom is largely possible due to her thriving second business, DV Professional, which designs corporate uniforms, with clients including the Merrion Hotel, Ballyfin House, and the Marker Hotel. Her husband, Charlie Hanrahan, runs this side of the business.

"It gives me the freedom to make clothes that I want myself." Following her conversation with Siobhan, the inaugural Lexus Irish Fashion Collective show came together astonishingly quickly. In Trinity for a meeting about the corporate uniforms side of the business, the location was sorted. Lexus came on board as the sponsors. Lorraine Keane, a long-time friend and fan of Deborah's clothes, agreed to host the event. Mari O'Leary took on the PR, and got in contact with Philip Treacy, who counts the iconic beauty as a muse. He agreed to headline. Deborah and Philip studied fashion in NCAD at the same time. "I was the year ahead of him, we always got on." Years ago, when Deborah was in college, Philip offered to make her a hat to finish off an outfit of hers that had been short-listed for an award. Eager, they arrived early at the venue, and stored the outfit in the cloakroom. "I went back to get it and the bloody hat had been stolen. And they left the suit, which is worse," she bursts out laughing. "I was so disgusted. I think I got third, I was convinced if I'd had the hat I would have won."

This show, styled by Catherine Condell, featured 12 Irish designers. As well as Treacy, whose pieces were worn with Alexander McQueen, there was Orla Kiely, who continues to benefit from her association with Keira Knightley's stylist Leith Clark, creating clothes that are less fey, but still with a nod to the 1960s. Aideen Bodkin showed classic dresses. Helen Steele's clothes would work equally well hung as artwork on the wall. Deborah's own contribution was a black and white collection of simple tailored pieces. Mariad Whisker showed a beautiful collection that had a minimalist, 1990s feel to it. Her daughter Domino, who DJ-ed on the night, also proved a perfect model for the line, wearing a pair of bold striped trousers. Roisin Linnane, with jewellery by Melissa Curry, provided the bold colour of the night. Mary Donoghue, for Ireland's Eye Knitwear, showed clever knee and full-length gowns in modern shapes using traditional fabrics. Umit Kutluk's collection was gentle power-dressing. Sharon Hoey's bridal wear was a subtle collection of gowns many of which could easily double as black tie dresses. Simone Rocha, who is a friend of Deborah's daughter Sorcha , herself a buyer for Penneys, finished the night with a collection exclusively available at Havana boutique in Donnybrook. While there was the usual compliment of quirky dresses, there was also a number of styles suitable to a more mature wardobe.

The evening was a huge success, and Deborah is already planning next year's event."What they're trying to do with the dementia village is make life easier for everybody," explains Deborah. "You realise that as a family you can't cope anymore. It's kind of shocking really, when the penny drops. You realise, coming out of St Joseph's, thank God for these people, because they are doing something that as a family we can't do anymore.

"And I love going in there and I love going in to see him, and I'm very proud of the person that he is, even now. I love the care and the attention to detail that they give him. They're amazing people."

Deborah Veale is available from deborahveale.ie and currently from Arnotts. To assist in Saint Joseph's efforts, tel: (01) 282 3000 saintjosephscentre.ie
A school in California has been forced to apologise after a hijab-wearing student was mistakenly named Isis in her yearbook.

Bayan Zehlif, a student in the city of Rancho Cucamunga, 40 miles east of Los Angeles, received her yearbook last week. But beneath her photo she saw that she had been named Isis Phillips  and she believes the caption was deliberate.

Expand Close The Los Osos High School yearbook referred to Bayan Zehlif as Isis Phillips / Facebook

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Whatsapp The Los Osos High School yearbook referred to Bayan Zehlif as Isis Phillips

I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this, she wrote on Facebook.

The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, lets be real.

Isis used to be a relatively common name, after the Egyptian goddess of love and magic. Since 2000, it has been in the top 1,000 girl names in America and in 2014, 396 baby girls were named Isis, according to US Social Security data.

Susan Petrocelli, the headmistress, said a student named Isis Phillips used to attend the school.

If there is a student that has responsibly and intentionally committed this, we will take the appropriate action that is necessary, she said.

The yearbook staff for Los Ososs Our Story apologised on Twitter, calling the incident a mistake.

We are extremely sorry for what occurred in the yearbook. It is our duty to represent the students of Los Osos High School and by mis-tagging and giving the incorrect name, we failed to do so, they said.

It is our fault and this is absolutely inexcusable on our part. We are currently working in coordination with the school and district office to remedy this situation.

We should have checked each name carefully in the book and we had no intention to create this misunderstanding.

The school has so far printed 287 yearbooks, out of 3,000 that will eventually be distributed. They have corrected the caption for the next print run.

Last week a student in Arizona was sent to prison for exposing himself in the school yearbook photo.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has insisted he would not use nuclear weapons unless the country was under threat.

Kim said he was ready to improve ties with "hostile" nations and called for more talks with rival South Korea to reduce misunderstanding and distrust.

Speaking at the third day of his party's congress in Pyongyang, he also urged the US to stay away from inter-Korean issues.

"Our republic is a responsible nuclear state that, as we made clear before, will not use nuclear weapons first unless aggressive hostile forces use nuclear weapons to invade our sovereignty," Kim said in a three-hour speech.

At the congress, he also announced a five-year plan, starting this year, to develop the North's moribund economy and identified improving the country's power supply and increasing its agricultural and light-manufacturing production as critical parts of the programme. He also said the country must secure more electricity through nuclear power.

It was first time that North Korea has announced a five-year plan since the 1980s and detailing it in such a public way demonstrated that Kim is taking ownership of the country's economic problems, something that his father, Kim Jong Il, avoided as leader.

Kim stressed that the country needs to increase its international trade and engagement in the global economy, but he did not announce any significant reforms or plans to adopt capitalist-style marketisation.

Market-style business has become more common in North Korea, in large part because of its economic crisis and famine in the 1990s, which made it impossible for the government to provide its citizens with the necessities they had come to rely on and forced many to learn how to fend for themselves.

But while the realities on the ground have shifted, officials have been reluctant to formally embrace significant reforms.

Kim said that North Korea "will sincerely fulfill its duties for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and work to realise the denuclearisation of the world".

The North is ready to improve and normalise ties with countries hostile to it if they respect its sovereignty and approach it in a friendly manner, he said.

Despite the talks about more diplomatic activity, Kim also made it clear that the North has no plans to discard its "byongjin" policy of simultaneously developing its nuclear weapons and its domestic economy.

In a speech published by the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper, Kim described the twin policy as a strategy the party must permanently hold on to for the "maximised interest of our revolution".

Many outside analysts consider the policy unlikely to succeed because of the heavy price North Korea pays for its nuclear programme in terms of international sanctions that keep its economy from growing.

North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and followed with a satellite launch in February that was seen by outside governments as a banned test for long-range missile technology and which brought tougher UN sanctions.
Peace talks on the conflict in Syria are being held in Paris (AP)

A fragile and limited ceasefire in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and its surrounding countryside has been extended for the third time, for another 48 hours starting at 1am on Tuesday morning, the Syrian military said on Monday.

The extension came a couple of hours before an earlier ceasefire was set to expire at 12:01 on Tuesday morning. It is not clear why the one-hour gap was planned between the new ceasefire and the expiring one.

Just hours before the government announced the ceasefire, the United Sates said that a new agreement with Russia would replace localised, piecemeal ceasefires in Syria with a revived, nationwide truce. It was not clear if other announcements regarding cease-fires in the rest of the country would follow.

A joint US-Russia statement made no explicit reference to ending the practice of pursuing partial truces.

The extremist groups the Nusra Front, al Qaida's branch in Syria, and its more powerful rival the Islamic State group, are not included in the ceasefire agreement. An intricate landscape where government troops, extremist groups, and Western-backed rebels operate, often side by side, has made an earlier cease-fire reached in late February difficult to sustain and monitor.

But also, elusive political talks have also hardened positions, endangering the ceasefire. World leaders are struggling to get faltering peace talks back on track.

Aleppo has seen the worst violence since an earlier cease-fire reached in late February collapsed. Nearly 300 civilians were killed in several days.

Syria's military said the new ceasefire would expire at midnight on Wednesday.

There were limited breaches of the most recent five-day ceasefire from both sides.

Multiple air raids on Monday struck rebel-held areas while shelling hit government-controlled parts of the northern city of Aleppo, two opposition monitoring groups and Syrian state media reported.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committee said the air strikes hit several areas in Aleppo, including the neighbourhood of Rashideen. Monday's air strikes came a day after opposition fighters shelled the government-held neighbourhood of Midan, killing a child, state media and activists said.

Opposition activists also reported air raids and shelling on the town of Khan Touman, just south of Aleppo, which was captured Friday by a coalition of insurgent groups including the Nusra Front. The battle left at least 13 members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards force dead as well as troops and pro-government gunmen.

The town was captured by a coalition known as Jaish al-Fatah, or Army of Conquest, an ultraconservative group led by the Nusra Front, and the jihadi militias Jund al-Aqsa and Ahrar al-Sham.
The extradition of drugs lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States has been given the green light by a judge in Mexico.

Mexico's foreign ministry now has 20 days to decide whether to approve his extradition and Guzman also has the right to appeal.

Mexico's Judicial Council said the judge had agreed the legal requirements laid out in the extradition treaty between the two countries had been met.

Any extradition attempt can be delayed or stopped by a request to the court by lawyers for the Sinaloa cartel leader.

Guzman was moved on Saturday from a prison outside Mexico City to one in Ciudad Juarez near the US border. Questions have been raised about the decision to relocate the convicted drug lord to a region that is one of his cartel's strongholds.

A Mexican security official has confirmed transfer was to a less secure prison.

The official said the Cefereso prison on the outskirts of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is not as impregnable as the maximum-security Altiplano facility near Mexico City where he had been held.

Guzman is being held in a maximum-security wing where the same protocols are being enforced as in Altiplano, including 24-hour monitoring via a camera in his cell.

Guzman first broke out of another prison in 2001 and spent more than a decade on the run, becoming one of the world's most-wanted fugitives. He was recaptured in 2014, but slipped out of Altiplano, which many previously had thought was inescapable, in July 2015 by fleeing through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel that went up into the shower in his cell.

Mexican marines re-arrested him in the western state of Sinaloa in January.

He was returned to Altiplano, where he was placed under constant observation from a ceiling camera with no blind spots, and the floors of top-security cells were reinforced with metal bars and a 16-inch layer of concrete.

Media reports are speculating that the move suggests an imminent extradition to the US, where he faces drug charges in seven jurisdictions but this is denied by authorities.

A lawyer for Guzman said his defence continues to fight the drug lord being sent to the US and officials have said it could take up to a year to reach a final ruling.
A quick-thinking mother saved her daughter's life after she broke her neck in a horrific waterslide accident by cracking her tooth to allow her to breathe.

Adele Olcer, 41, jumped into action after little Zara, aged five, fell backwards out of a double rubber ring on a high-speed slide in Turkey, banged her head and was knocked unconscious.

Mum-of-two Adele was then forced to watch her daughter lifelessly slump down the rest of the flume to the shallows below.

But mother's instinct kicked in and Adele grabbed Zara and managed to get her in the recovery position. Finding her jaw was locked, she cleared her airways by cracking her tooth before the youngster was rushed to hospital.

Doctors said Zara could have been paralyzed - but she spent three weeks in hospital before returning back to the UK to make a full recovery.

Adele, of Rotherham, South Yorks., said: "My initial reaction was she was dead - I turned her over when I got to the bottom and her eyes were open.

Expand Close The resort of Kemer, Turkey (Photo: Google Maps) / Facebook

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"I thought that was it. She wasn't breathing and her jaw was locked."

As the tunnel slide opened out, Adele, who was sat in the front ring, and Zara, who at this point had fallen out the ring, collided and the little girl came to a stop, face-down and lifeless.

As Zara's panicked dad and sister had been waiting next in line and frantically made their way down the steps towards them.

Cash and Carry manager Adele sprang into action and pushed one of Zara's teeth in to help open her mouth, move her tongue and clear her throat.

Describing the horrific ordeal, Adele said: "I could see what had happened and was screaming, I tipped myself out of the ring to try and get to her but the water was so powerful I couldn't do anything so I had to wait until we came to a stop."

"Then I heard her breath and so I put her in the recovery position until the ambulance arrived," she recalled.

"I had done an advanced first aid course a week before we went on holiday with work, which is what I think made me stay calm."

Zara broke bones in her neck and skull, broke her arm in two places and was left with double vision after the accident at the picturesque Nirvana Lagoon in Kemer.

Adele, of Rotherham, South Yorks., said: "It was horrendous, I can't begin to tell you what was going through my mind.

"On top of it all when she got to hospital the doctors did very little until we could prove we had insurance.

"Of course, you never keep those documents on you, so it took us about half-an-hour of going through emails to prove we had insurance."

Medics later told the family, including dad Firat, 39, and Zara's older sister Isabel, aged nine, that things could have been much worse - if the break had been a quarter-of-an inch nearer to her spine, she would have been paralysed from the neck down.

Zara was kept in hospital abroad for three weeks, while Adele's father Frank, 74, who was holidaying with the family flew home with Isabel.

Firat's colleagues at Asda in Handsworth raised 2,300 to cover the cost of keeping both parents by her side.

Zara was then looked after by Sheffield Children's Hospital as an outpatient following her return home.

Speaking about her daughter's injuries, Adele said: "Her broken arm wasn't even picked up until we got home - we did keep saying that it didn't look right."

Zara had to wear a neck collar for four months and could not return to school full-time until September 2015.

She was given the all clear in December and Adele said her daughter was now back to her normal self.

Adele said: "We know how lucky we are - so many children have similar accidents and are not as lucky as Zara."

Adding: "This year we've booked to go away, but we've been very careful not choose one near a waterpark or a pool with a slide."

Zara has marked her recovery with a fundraiser to raise money for people who have not been as lucky.

The family have collectively raised 1,600 for Sheffield Children's Hospital's spinal cord injury centre to date - which helped to care for her when she returned to the UK.

Zara also completed a sponsored 2.2-mile bike ride around Rother Valley Country Park, which Firat ran with her, while sister Isabel swam a mile in 49 minutes at Rotherham Leisure Centre.

Proud Adele said: "They were both so excited for their challenges, and watched each other along with a couple of friends and family."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Prince Harry has spoken of his struggles to find a partner, his difficulties in filling the "gaping void" left by his mother and his inner turmoil at the scrutiny that dominates his life.

However, the 31-year-old says he is focusing on work over his love life - until Prince George, his nephew, starts to make him look "boring".

The Prince said the British royal family is "completely aware we are in a very privileged position", but criticised "incessant" intrusions.

He admitted "massive paranoia" about even talking to women, because of the attention. "Even if I talk to a girl, that person is then suddenly my wife, and people go knocking on her door," he said.

The interest surrounding failed relationships with Cressida Bonas and Chelsy Davy has alarmed the Prince.

"If or when I do find a girlfriend, I will do my utmost to ensure that me and her can get to the point where we're comfortable before the massive invasion that is inevitably going to happen into her privacy," he said.

"To be fair, I haven't had that many opportunities to get out there and meet people. At the moment, my focus is very much on work. But if someone slips into my life then that's absolutely fantastic.

"When people finish work in the City or wherever work is, if you want to have a bit of downtime, you might go to the pub with your mates," he said.

"I do that less, because it's not downtime for me. I don't know who I'm going to bump into, I don't know if someone's going to try and grab a selfie. So there is very little private life."

The Prince said he is still "trying to fill an unbelievable pair of boots" left by the death of his mother in a Paris car crash in 1997.

"What you see is what you get with me," he said. "It's genuine. I will always try and bring an element of fun and happiness to everything I do.

"That probably is subconsciously very much a part of my mother - trying to fill that void. Trying to fill an unbelievable pair of boots, whether it's her . . . or especially the Queen. It's a hard thing to do."

"There's this gaping void, not just in mine and William's lives, but there's a huge gaping void in a lot of other people's lives too," he said.

The Prince indicated he is bothered by his playboy image and criticism that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh carried out more official engagements than him and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge combined.

"I thought long and hard about getting a job," he said. "I did 10 years in the Army - best job in the world. I wanted to be valued in society in that sense . . . I don't get any satisfaction from sitting at home on my a***."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Education researcher Linda Darling-Hammond and former Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson are the most likely picks to be U.S. Secretary of Education for White House candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, respectively, according to an Education Insiders survey by Whiteboard Advisors released Monday. And whos second on the list for Clinton? American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, say these insiders.

The survey of roughly 50 to 75 current and former White House and U.S. Department of Education leaders, current and former congressional staff members, state education officials, and think tank leaders also found that a slight majority of them believe that over the next two years, more states will stop participating in two consortia (PARCC and Smarter Balanced) that were originally funded by Washington and create tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

And these insiders are generally pessimistic about the extent to which both the media and presidential politics will focus on education, although theres some belief that higher education could be an exception.

Im not sure if K-12 will get much attention because the recent reauthorization of ESEA [Elementary and Secondary Education Act) probably means that the next president wont have an opportunity to influence K-12 education (at least not legislatively) unless he or she gets a second term, according to one respondent, none of whom were quoted by name.

Lets go back to the favorites for the next secretary of education. The survey asked respondents for the most likely picks for Clinton and Trump. Heres what they came back with:

Darling-Hammond is the president of the Learning Policy Institute (launched last year) and a professor emeritus at the Stanford University graduate school of education. Shes got a long track record in K-12 policy workher activities range from significantly influencing Californias shift to a new accountability system, to serving as an adviser to the Smarter Balanced testing consortium that creates exams aligned to the Common Core State Standards. She helped to start two charter schools through Stanford, but in 2010 the elementary schools charter was not renewed, and it shut down the high school is still operating . And shes pushed for less testing in American schools .

Weingarten has been an outspoken advocate for Clinton. The AFT acted quickly to endorse the former secretary of state in the Democratic primary last year. By contrast, in 2008, the union waited until the general election to endorse President Barack Obama, who beat Clinton for the Democratic nomination that year.

Chris Edley is president of the Opportunity Institute and the third-most-likely education secretary under Clinton, according to the survey. A former dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley, Edleys work at the institute promotes social mobility and equity by improving outcomes from early childhood through early career. The institute has a special focus on California.

Current Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. also got a few nods to stay on, a possibility hes declined to address directly. And then there are the three potential candidates with direct and current links to higher education:

 Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County whos chaired President Barack Obamas Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans.

 Bob Shireman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation who focuses on for-profit college accountability and quality assurance in higher educationShiremans worked in both the Bill Clinton and Obama administrations .

 Donna Shalala served as the president of the University of Miami from 2001 to 2015 after serving in the Clinton administration.

The top two candidates named for ClintonDarling-Hammond and Weingartenobviously focus on K-12 and not higher education.

Ben Carson, Chris Christie ... and Ted Nugent



As for Trumps potential pick to lead the Education Department, the real estate executive mentioned in March that Carson would be very involved in education in a Trump administration . Trump stopped short of naming Carson, a retired pediatric neurosurgeon, his education-secretary-in-waiting, but that remark might be what led the Whiteboard insiders to put Carson at the top of the heap for Trump.

Carson is a fan of home schooling . And hes called for a reconsideration of the extent to which schools rely on local property taxes , although his exact position on the matter has been unclear.

Andreas Schleicher is the director for education and skills at the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, which administers PISA. Hes been critical of the extent to which recent national efforts to close achievement gaps and raise proficiency rates have actually helped U.S. students match their peers in academic achievement and readiness for life after high school. You might recall that Trump has bashed American students performance on international exams .

Then theres Tony Bennett, the former Florida and Indiana superintendent. In his two jobs leading state education agencies, he was a big fan of charter schools and A-F accountability. But he left his Florida job in 2013 after the Associated Press found that while serving as the Indiana chief, before he was defeated in a re-election bid in 2012, Bennett altered the grade of an Indianapolis charter school founded by a donor to his campaign.

The others to get nods as potential education secretaries include New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and Trump campaign surrogate who thinks teachers unions deserve to get slugged ; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, perhaps most prominent in K-12 policy circles recently for doing a flip-flop on common core ; Ted Nugent (yes, the rock star of Cat Scratch Fever and Stranglehold fame); and Omarosa, a contestant on The Apprentice, Trumps former reality show.

Read the full survey below:

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Russia wants to help build an international security system that transcends military blocs, president Vladimir Putin said at the annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square.

Putin's short speech on Monday also warned against "unacceptable double standards that shortsightedly indulge those who are nurturing new criminal plans".

He made no specific claims, but both the accusation of double standards and the call for a "non-bloc system of international security" echo Russia's frequent criticism of the West and the Nato alliance.

The hour-long parade, in which military equipment including the advanced Armata tank and the Yars ICBM launcher lumbered across the square in Moscow, concluded with a flyover by dozens of military aircraft from helicopters to long-range bombers.
SHARE Beth Batson, with the city of Anderson, shows an artist's rendering of the Church Street Heritage Project during a meeting in July.

By Kirk Brown of the Independent Mail

The National Endowment of the Arts has awarded a $75,000 grant for artwork at the Church Street Heritage Project, which is under construction in downtown Anderson.

The grant awarded to the city of Anderson and Anderson Arts Center will help pay for commissioning and installing up to eight pieces of public art, as well as interactive music and oral history recordings.

City officials are spending $460,000 on the initial phase of the Church Street Heritage Project. The first round of work on the "pocket park" behind the Mellow Mushroom on Main Street is slated for completion in June.

The project is the culmination of a decade-long effort to commemorate the black business district that thrived on Church Street from around 1900 to 1980.

"At its heart, the Church Street Heritage Project celebrates what is unique about Anderson. Church Street was a model of economic vitality in the 20th century that would be enviable to any modern city today," Mayor Terence Roberts said in a statement issued by the city. "We are thankful to the NEA for its validation of this project in the form of significant funding and we are proud to have as our partner the Anderson Arts Center."

Councilwoman Beatrice Thompson, a longtime advocate for the Church Street Heritage Project, also was pleased to learn of the grant.

"It is wonderful to see the effort to honor the cultural and historical significance of Church Street come to fruition. I have a great deal of personal satisfaction and pride as I watch a new generation of leaders work so diligently to see that the past is honored in this meaningful and relevant way," she said in the city's statement. "It will bring the Church Street story full circle as it spurs economic growth and opportunity anew."

The city previously received a $60,000 grant from Duke Energy to place ornate story boxes in the park that will explain the area's history. The grant announced Monday also will help pay for the story boxes, as well as sculptures.

The money for the Church Street Heritage project is among 64 grants totaling $4.3 million that the National Endowment of the Arts is awarding through its Our Town Program. The endowment received 240 applications related to the program this year. The park in Anderson is the only project in South Carolina that received funding this year, according to the endowment's website.

"For six years, Our Town has made a difference for people and the places where they live, work, and play," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Projects such as the one led by the city of Anderson help residents engage the arts to spark vitality in their communities."

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM
FILE PHOTO Charlie Pannell, an Army veteran from Anderson, was wounded in Iraq in 2008. He was found dead Sunday.

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By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail

Charlie Pannell, the Anderson Army veteran who struggled to recover after being injured in Iraq, was found dead at home Sunday. He was 35.

Pannell was a graduate of T.L. Hanna High School and then went to the military. He was injured by an explosion in Mosul in September 2008 and lost his left leg. Since then, the Independent Mail has chronicled volunteers' efforts to make his home more accessible and reported on his hopes to compete in the Paralympic Games.

Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said Pannell's wife, Bethany, found him unresponsive when she checked on him around 3 a.m. Sunday. Shore said Bethany Pannell had just fed the couple's 8-month-old son, Garrett, and then checked on her husband. The cause of Charlie Pannell's death is unknown. An autopsy is scheduled Monday.

"This is certainly an unexpected death," Shore said. "We don't know what we are going to find. His wife was very good about making sure her husband was taking his medication properly. He had just been discharged Greenville Hospital System, where he was being prepared to get a new prosthesis."

Since his injury, Pannell had undergone more than 100 surgeries.

Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of Sunday night. Along with his wife and baby, Pannell is survived by his daughter, MaKynna, and son, Carter.

Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo
PHOTOS BY KEN RUINARD/INDEPENDENT MAIL A man rides a bicycle by T.L. Hanna High School and a McCoy Wright sign that advertises land for sale on S.C. 81 North in Anderson.

SHARE A truck hauling wood enters a construction area of The Arbors at Cobb's Glen, a subdivision off Old Williamston Road in Anderson. A truck with wood enters a construction area of The Arbors at Cobb's Glen subdivision. Anderson County is experiencing growth of new subdivisions and expansions of several existing ones.

By Nikie Mayo of the Independent Mail

Plans for residential growth in Anderson County have taken off the last four months with much of the development focused on S.C. 81 near T.L. Hanna High School.

Alesia Hunter, the county's development standards manager, said recently her office has processed preliminary paperwork for several proposed subdivisions and for expansions of long-established existing ones since January. If all the different projects come together, she said, it would result in the construction of at least 300 new homes.

"I think there's more activity around 81 right now because of the school and the new VA clinic," Hunter said. "People always take notice of an area as activity increases there, and I think you're seeing that along 81, though we certainly have developments happening in other areas as well."

The latest proposed subdivision, tentatively called Pennington, will be detailed for the county's planning commission this month.

One of the largest projects in the works is a proposed 84-lot subdivision on 62 acres near North Pointe Elementary School in Anderson. T. Walter Brashier, the owner of the property, is a well-known minister and developer in Greenville County who has real estate projects throughout the United States. The subdivision, now known as North Pointe, has already received some preliminary county approvals.

"We built the elementary school with population growth in mind," said Kyle Newton, spokesman for Anderson School District 5. "Obviously, with all of our schools, we are always keeping track of student growth, and for us, slow and steady growth is best."

Another subdivision on Vandiver Road of S.C. 81 calls for 20 to 25 homes on 32 acres. The subdivision is backed by Energy Conversion Corp. The company also is developing Hanna Crossing, which is expected to include medical office space near the high school.

Eddie Kinsey, the vice president of Energy Conversion Corp., said plans for the subdivision are preliminary. Kinsey said he knows the company, owned by his father-in-law Roy Jeffcoat, will use local contractors.

"There's what I call a supply case on S.C. 81," Kinsey said. "Demand is high there and supply is a little low. I deal with a lot of young professionals with young kids who don't have time to build. They want something that is ready for them to move into, and the space along 81 is hot right now."

The uptick in building isn't just focused on new subdivisions. Edgebrook Forest, which is near the East-West Parkway, also has a proposed expansion in the works, Hunter said. The expansion will include town houses, but it is not yet clear how many will be built.

Cobb's Glen is also expanding. Construction is underway at The Arbors at Cobb's Glen, a subdivision on Golden Eagle Lane off Old Williamston Road.

Anderson County Administrator Rusty Burns said the proposed growth and the ongoing building send a message about the area.

"The potential of having this many new homes shows that things are happening here," he said. "It shows that this is a good place to live and raise a family."

Follow Nikie Mayo on Twitter @NikieMayo
Real Estate Bill comes into Effect on May 1

The long awaited Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (2016) came into force on May 1. After an eight year long process, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) was finally able to notify 69 of the total 92 sections of the Act on April 27. This sets in motion the operationalization of the rules and regulatory infrastructure required by the act.

RELATED: Pre-Investment Advisory from Dezan Shira & Associates

Section 84 of the Act directs the central and state governments to formulate the rules under the Act within a maximum time frame of six months, by October 31, 2016. Section 20 of the Act directs the appropriate government to establish the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) within a year of the Acts commencement. The RERA will decide on the complaints of buyers and developers within a stipulated period of 60 days. Till the RERA gets set up, Section 20 empowers the appropriate government to designate any officer as the interim Regulatory Authority, preferably, the Secretary of the Department dealing with Housing. According to the Act, these regulatory authorities have only three months to formulate regulations concerning day-to-day functioning. Section 43 of the Act calls for the establishment of Real Estate Appellate Tribunals within one year, by April 30, 2017. The tribunals will resolve disputes over the orders of Regulatory Authorities within 60 days.

To save time and ensure uniformity in implementation, the Ministry of HUPA will formulate a Model Rules and a Model Regulations for Regulatory Authorities framework under the Act, for the benefit of states and union territories. The Real Estate Act intends to boost the sector by creating a transparent environment for consumers, ensuring credible transactions, and the efficient and time bound execution of projects.

Single Window Clearance Mechanism to include Satellite Phones and Drones

Indias latest initiative in trade facilitation involves a single window clearance system, accommodating requirements of the environmental and telecom industries. Customs ports will also have a dedicated Facebook page to serve as a social media interface so that clients can interact with officials, and leave complaints and feedback. This will promote query solving and quality improvement.

The new single window clearance system ensures that all processing rates and legal paperwork such as customs declarations, applications for import or export permits, certificates of origin, and trading invoices related to items such as satellite phones and drones will be lessened to increase efficiency and save time. The governments reforms will positively impact the half a dozen or so startups that rely on drones in India, which are being used for purposes such as aerial photography, pollution monitoring, topographical assessment, meteorology, traffic monitoring, and policing and wildlife protection.

The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), led by Najib Shah, has said it will continue to experiment with trade incentives so as to improve overall commerce conduct in the country.

Government Supports Regulation to Curb Fraud in Electronic Transactions

Answering questions in the Rajya Sabha (upper house of parliament), the Minister of State for Finance, Jayant Sinha, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working towards a regulatory framework to curb fraud in electronic transactions.

India is known for its heavy dependence on cash transactions  about 87 percent of transactions are made in cash  as customers fear threat of fraud/loss of money while making electronic payments. This is why the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India (BCSBI) came up with a recommendation in 2014 to limit customer liabilities in case of fraud in transactions through electronic channels. In addition, the RBI launched its Payment System Vision Document 2012-2015 that sought to establish the roles and responsibilities of banks and customers in electronic transactions to minimize fraud, fix responsibilities, ensure zero liability protection to increase customer confidence, and even disincentivize usage of checks above a certain threshold limit by customers and corporates.

Regardless, the above proposals have yet to be converted into successful regulation. What is more favorable in the present context, however, is the current governments agenda to promote the ease of doing business in the country via wide-ranging economic and regulatory reforms.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email india@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.





Managing Your Accounting and Bookkeeping in India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we spotlight three issues that financial management teams for India should monitor. Firstly, we examine the new Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) system, which is expected to be a boon for foreign companies in India. We then highlight common filing dates for most companies with operations in India, and lastly examine procedures and regulations for remitting profits from India.

Using Indias Free Trade & Double Tax Agreements

In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we take a look at the bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that India currently has in place and highlight the deals that are still in negotiation. We analyze the countrys double tax agreements, and conclude by discussing how foreign businesses can establish a presence in Singapore to access both the Indian and ASEAN markets.

Passage to India: Selling to Indias Consumer Market In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we outline the fundamentals of Indias import policies and procedures, as well as provide an introduction to engaging in direct and indirect export, acquiring an Indian company, selling to the government and establishing a local presence in the form of a liaison office, branch office, or wholly owned subsidiary. We conclude by taking a closer look at the strategic potential of joint ventures and the advantages they can provide companies at all stages of market entry and expansion.
Recently Sidharth Malhotra posted a pic on Instagram, to show that he has started shooting for his next film. Speculated as second installment of the 'Bang Bang' franchise, the film however is not called 'Bang Bang 2'. The smoking hot Jacqueline Fernandez will also be kick starting the shoot opposite Sidharth for this film, which is directed by talented duo of Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK.

As per our sources, Sidharth and Jacqueline, who have been paired for the very first time opposite each other, will have a 8 days long schedule in Mumbai and will be shooting across various locations in the city. They will also be shooting for the film in Miami and Malaysia.

During the Miami schedule, lots of action sequences in the sea will be picturised on Sidharth and Jackie with a large team of Hollywood stuntmen and action directors. Fly-boarding and hover-boarding, which involve rising above the water to pull off innovative stunts in the water wearing a jetpack, are on the agenda. "After Miami, the unit will return to Mumbai before heading to Malaysia for the final schedule. All the travel paperwork and schedules have been locked," added the sources.

The film will be shot abroad from June to December and is scheduled to release in 2017.
The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax and rightly so. We generally do not commonly see in a tax a diminution of freedom, and yet it clearly is one, not just in India, but all over the world. The general belief is that unlimited power to tax involves, necessarily, the power to destroy, which may not be entirely wrong.

Tax in laymans words, is basically charged for the overall welfare of the nation, to provide better facilities and infrastructure. What we have always needed is fundamental tax reformation, which has never been defined in precision. Several tax propositions have been tossed aside, and if some agree to a defined tax structure, the others would revile the aforesaid.

Today, it takes more brains and effort to make out the income-tax form than it does to make the income. To be honest, taxation is the price which civilized communities pay for the opportunity of remaining civilized, and to continue being civilized, the government must allot appropriate skill development policies in place along with the additional changes in tax policy. Purposeful tax deduction is to leave more money where it belongs: in the hands of the working men and working women who earned it in the first place.

The essence being, key to revenue growth is a tax reform that closes loopholes and that is pro-growth. Then with a growing economy, that's where your revenue growth comes in, not from higher taxes. The nation should have a tax system that looks like someone designed it on purpose, thats when the greater good of larger employment is encouraged.

There is no doubt that an economy like India has the power to step back and change the tax systems to acquire larger disparities of wealth.The current budget has certainly been reformed with respect to Tax-Free withdrawal up to 40% of accumulated corpus. With this the government must also focus on encouraging some investment with respect to skill development because every time in this century weve lowered the tax rates across the board, on employment, on saving, investment and risk taking in this economy, revenues went up, not down.

There is presently no tax on withdrawal from employee provident funds and other superannuation funds. In the recent budget, the government has proposed that withdrawal in excess of 40% of the accumulated corpus will be taxed.

The Finance minister also agreed that the idea behind the proposal was not to raise revenues but to achieve the policy objective of creating a pensioned society. The government has also fairly withdrawn the proposal to limit tax-free contribution by the employer to the provident fund of an employee to Rs.1.5 lakh per annum.

What we must understand is that,

four F's in a good tax system: it ought to be flatter, fairer, finite and family-friendly, and also that the Tax system should be the same for everybody which would thereby help in creating equal opportunities. Also, most importantly, when the income tax is flawed for a number of reasons - it discourages economic growth, encourages a bloated government and dispirits mass skill development.

tax breaks to large corporations, so that money can trickle down to the general public, in the form of extra jobs. For, a nation to tax itself into focusing only towards wealth is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. The overall emphasis here must be concerning skill development, increasing employment, educating the mass and finally uplifting the deprived segment. This is the only way the country could march towards being nearly developed.

People make several assumptions when it comes to tax, even the mention of these three letters could get you Goosebumps and scare the bejesus out of you while you still pray for no tax increase.Following some backlash from the salaried class, the Finance Minister decided to make some changes in the budget policies with respect to the EPF withdrawal.Benjamin Franklin rightly quoted that, In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.there are about 3 crore people whose monthly income is less than Rs.15, 000. They are called eligible members of EPF. For this 3 crore people, there is going to be no change in status of taxation. They can withdraw their 100 per cent corpus when they retire without any taxes.The Government must always apprehend and incorporate the essentialTo conclude, I strongly suggest that the Government must allotThe best tax law is the one that gets the most feathers with the least squawking.Well, give it a thought!The author is President, Enactus India




Its standalone core operating profit of Rs. 1,466.82 crore for the quarter, clocked growth of 11.28% yoy and 2.52% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 18.46% expanded by 129 bps yoy and 53 bps qoq.



For the year ended March 31, 2016, the company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 4,082.37 crore, declining by 5.4% yoy. Its standalone revenue for the period stood at Rs. 31,987.17 crore, registering growth of 3.84% yoy.



Hindustan Unilever's core operating profit stood at Rs. 5,729.92 crore, recording growth of 10.02% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 18.02% expanded by 111 bps yoy.



For the year ended March 31, 2016, the companys consolidated net profit stood at Rs. 4,082.37 crore, declining by 6.43% yoy. Its revenue for the period stood at Rs. 33,193 crore, registering growth of 3.82% yoy. Operating profit of Rs. 5949 crore, grew 9.89%. OPM stood at 17.92% for the quarter under review, expanded by 99 bps.



HUL Q4FY16: Volume growth disappoints: Hindustan Unilever (HUL), FMCG behemoth, reported standalone net profit of Rs. 1,089.59 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, registering growth of 7.02% yoy and 12.17% qoq. The companys revenue stood at Rs. 7,945.66 crore, up 3.52% yoy but down 0.44% qoq.Its standalone core operating profit of Rs. 1,466.82 crore for the quarter, clocked growth of 11.28% yoy and 2.52% qoq. Operating profit margin for the current quarter at 18.46% expanded by 129 bps yoy and 53 bps qoq.For the year ended March 31, 2016, the company reported standalone net profit of Rs. 4,082.37 crore, declining by 5.4% yoy. Its standalone revenue for the period stood at Rs. 31,987.17 crore, registering growth of 3.84% yoy.Hindustan Unilever's core operating profit stood at Rs. 5,729.92 crore, recording growth of 10.02% yoy. Operating margin for the current period at 18.02% expanded by 111 bps yoy.For the year ended March 31, 2016, the companys consolidated net profit stood at Rs. 4,082.37 crore, declining by 6.43% yoy. Its revenue for the period stood at Rs. 33,193 crore, registering growth of 3.82% yoy. Operating profit of Rs. 5949 crore, grew 9.89%. OPM stood at 17.92% for the quarter under review, expanded by 99 bps. HULs net revenue grew 3.5%, lower than 4.4% against IIFL of Rs. 8,312 crore. During the quarter, the company reported a 4% volume growth as against IIFL expectation of 5%. The growth in the quarter continued to be impacted by the phasing out of Excise Duty incentives (-110bps), one-time credit for excise duty refund in the base quarter and marginal price de-growth. HULs PBT before exceptional increased by 8.6% to Rs. 1,462 crore. Exceptional gain stood at Rs. 43 crore in Q4FY16 as against Rs. 179 crore in Q4FY15. Lastly, PAT increased more or less in line with IIFL estimates.

Result Highlights: (Rs. in crore)

Reported Results IIFL Estimates Variance (%) Standalone Revenue 7945.66 8311.99 [4.41] Standalone Net Profit 1089.59 1107.34 [1.60]





Management Comments: Harish Manwani, Chairman commented, In challenging markets and a deflationary cost environment, we have delivered another year of competitive and profitable growth. The consistency of our performance is a result of managing our business dynamically, and executing our strategy with even greater rigour and discipline. Our sustained focus on investing behind brands, sharpening our executional capabilities and driving market development has enabled us to keep winning with consumers in a rapidly changing market. Hindustan Unilevers board of directors at its meeting held on May 09, 2016, inter alia, recommended a final dividend of Rs. 9.50 for the financial year ended March 31, 2016 on Equity Shares of Re. 1 each. The Company had earlier paid an interim dividend of Rs. 6.50 per share on November 02, 2015. The total dividend for the period amounts to Rs. 16.00 per Equity Share of face value of Re. 1/- each.Harish Manwani, Chairman commented, In challenging markets and a deflationary cost environment, we have delivered another year of competitive and profitable growth. The consistency of our performance is a result of managing our business dynamically, and executing our strategy with even greater rigour and discipline. Our sustained focus on investing behind brands, sharpening our executional capabilities and driving market development has enabled us to keep winning with consumers in a rapidly changing market.

Standalone EPS for the quarter stood at Rs. 18.47.Bloomberg estimated the companys consolidated net profit at Rs. 1,070 crore.Hindustan Unilever is currently trading at Rs. 864.25, up by 11.3 points or 1.32% from its previous closing of Rs. 852.95 on the BSE.The scrip opened at Rs. 850 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 869 and Rs. 849 respectively. So far 969206(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 184573 crore.The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 1 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 944 on 08-Jul-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 765.35 on 27-Jan-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 869.45 and Rs. 844.8 respectively.The promoters holding in the company stood at 67.21 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 19 % and 13.79 % respectively.The stock is currently trading below its 50 DMA.
the philanthropic arm of Infosys, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indiana leading Science Institute in the country, to provide opportunities for economically weaker students to pursue high quality science education and research through scholarships, fellowships and travel awards.As part of the MoU, the corpus fund of INR 5 Crore named aswill continue in perpetuity to benefit a minimum of 50 students annually. The grant will be used towards the establishment of Infosys Foundation Scholarships which will be awarded to BS-MS students, Infosys Foundation Fellowships endowed to integrated PhD students and Infosys Foundation Travel Awards to PhD students who have excelled in their research work.The grant is aimed at fulfilling the Foundations objective of creating equal opportunities for students from poorer backgrounds and advancing the quality of research done at Indian institutions. The establishment of scholarships, fellowships and travel awards provides opportunities for students at different academic levels to gain from the grant.
a global leader in skills and talent development, once again revolutionizes the IT training and education landscape by introducing pioneering programs in Digital Transformation. The company will now offer futuristic programs likeThrough this significant move NIIT aims to totally re-align the Skills and Career Group to the changing future-skill-sets requirement of the industry to help create job-ready talent pool for the fast evolving global economy.India, with a strong technology ecosystem of MNC R&D centers, service providers, IT global in-house centers and startups, is well placed to play a key role in the digital era. Indian talent can potentially power the digital transformation for enterprises around the world, and become a moon-shot economy. According to a survey, India is home to a digitally ready talent pool of 500,000 engineers suitable to execute digital transformation projects. This is expected to increase to over a million engineers trained in digital transformation technologies by 2020. Owing to this massive growth in demand, already today any entry-level and experienced professional with Digital Transformation Skills attracts 50% to 60% higher salaries than those with traditional IT skills.Information technology has changed the way people work and the next ten years will be about transforming the businesses across all industry sectors. According to industry experts, digitally transformed organizations are 26% more profitable than their industry competitors. Global Spending on digital transformation technologies is expected to cross $2.1 Billion by 2019. By 2018, 35% of IT resources will be spent to support the creation of new digital revenue streams, and by 2020 almost 50% of IT budgets will be tied to digital transformation initiatives. All of these indicate that Digital transformation is going to drive the next phase of growth in the IT Industry. The process has already begun and is rapidly accelerating, with both IT companies as well as IT departments of large corporations scrambling to address the acute shortage of skills.We pioneered the category of IT Training in India way back in 1981. Having trained over 35 Mn people in IT over the last 34 years, we expanded our expertise to other sectors as well and have been instrumental in creating trained workforce as per evolving industry needs. With our keen understanding of the changing skills requirement of the industry we are now focusing on the Digital Transformation needs. This move indicates our commitment to create a talent pool armed with futuristic skill-sets aligned to the industry, working closely with our key clients in the technology sector around the world as well as with the software industry association.In October 2015, NIIT launched a revolutionary initiativeto create multi-skilled and multi-disciplinary full-stack programmers.has received overwhelming response from startups and major IT companies alike. Armed with first-hand knowledge of the talent requirements of technology backed organizations and an established proof of success in servicing the stringent internal reskilling requirements of these firms, NIIT will now offer retail training programs in Digital Transformation Technologies under the DigiNxt portfolio, to young aspirants wishing to enter the digital services industry, as well as to young IT professionals wishing to reskill themselves for the new digital world.While working onwe understood the significant talent requirement of the IT companies who are looking for professionals who can help them drive digital transformation strategies. Therefore, we have introduced pioneering programs in Digital Transformation tailor made and endorsed by the industry, to address the massive skill-gaps faced by the IT sector.According to MIT Centre for Digital Business, 77% of organizations consider missing digital skills as the key hurdle to their transformation strategy. Therefore, Indian & Global IT Companies are investing heavily in building digital transformation skills to enable their clients transform digitally. As organizations are building talent pool, the most-sought after skill sets include: Product Engineering, Business Analytics, Cloud Technology and Architecture, Mobile Apps, Internet of Things and Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence.To cater to this need,is introducing career programs inwith DevOps, Big Data & Data Sciences, Web Technologies, Databases Systems, Cloud Computing, Mobile, Infrastructure Management Services (IMS), Cyber-Security, Enterprise Application, Telecom & Embedded Systems, Project Management, Internet of Things (IOT), Visual Design, Game Development, Design Thinking, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Virtual Reality. Graduates and graduating students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will be eligible to apply for these programs.
Arvind Ltd ended at Rs. 287, up by Rs. 10.3 or 3.72% from its previous closing of Rs. 276.7 on the BSE.

The scrip opened at Rs. 280 and touched a high and low of Rs. 288.95 and Rs. 277.1 respectively. A total of 1781793(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 7411.58 crore.

The BSE group 'A' stock of face value Rs. 10 touched a 52 week high of Rs. 365.5 on 06-Jan-2016 and a 52 week low of Rs. 216.2 on 16-Jun-2015. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 293.5 and Rs. 272.6 respectively.

The promoters holding in the company stood at 43.78 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 38.98 % and 17.24 % respectively.

The stock traded above its 200 DMA.

Arvind Ltd has announced that a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company will be held on May 12, 2016, inter alia to consider the matter regarding fund raising options available to the Company by way of issue of Non-Convertible Debentures upto Rs. 500 crores on a private placement basis subject to approval of shareholders.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India is eyeing over 20% sales growth this fiscal, according to reports.

"We hope to sell over 20% more units this year. The second assembly line in Gujarat, with a capacity of 0.6 million by the end of this quarter, should help us end the near six-month waiting for the Activa now, " Senior Vice-President for Sales and Marketing Yadvinder Singh Guleria reportedly said.



The company reported 26.51% increase in total sales at 4,31,011 units in April.
The total income from operations grew 97% YoY from Rs. 930 crores in Q4FY15 to Rs. 1,829 crores in Q4 FY16. Q4 FY16 EBITDA (inc. Other Income) grew 92% YoY, from Rs. 174 crores to Rs. 334 crores. EBITDA margins for Q4FY16 were 18.3%. Q4 FY16 PAT grew 78% YoY from Rs.118 crores to Rs. 209 crores.



For the financial year ended March 2016, Revenue, EBITDA, PAT were Rs. 4,414 crores, Rs. 758 crores and Rs. 452 crores respectively. EBITDA margins for the full year were 17.2%.

Sales for the quarter were 328 MW and full year sales were 826 MW. The company achieved its highest ever annual installations by commissioning projects with a cumulative capacity of 786 MW during FY16. This translates into a growth of 187% in annual commissioning over the 274 MW commissioned in FY15. In the process, the company has also doubled its market share over the previous year. Inox Wind enjoyed ~23% market share in FY16 with the leading position in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.

Devansh Jain, Executive Director of the company stated that The year gone by has been a momentous year for Inox Wind and the wind industry. We are delighted to maintain our position as the countrys fastest growing wind energy solutions provider. With more than 2,000 MW of sales to date, the projects installed by Inox Wind will aid in curtailing over 2.5 Million Tonnes of carbon emissions annually. During the year, Inox Wind doubled its manufacturing capacity to 1,600 MW by commissioning its integrated manufacturing unit in Madhya Pradesh, which is amongst the largest manufacturing facilities in Asia. The wind industry has delivered beyond expectations with the highest ever annual installations at 3,472 MW in FY16, a growth rate of ~50% over the previous year. We are pleased to play a leading role in helping the government achieve the nations target of 60GW of installed wind capacity by 2022 and further contributing to the Prime Ministers flagship Make in India Campaign.

The government of Indias thrust on the development of renewable sources of energy is emphasized by the revised tariff policy which levies no inter-state transmission charges and losses for power from renewable sources and introduces the Renewable Generator Obligation. With a supportive regulatory framework, Indias wind market is expected to continue to be one of the worlds fastest growing.

The scrip opened at Rs. 291.75 and touched a high and low of Rs. 295.05 and Rs. 233.5 respectively. A total of 6720848(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 6458.93 crore.

The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 10 touched a 52 week high of Rs. 484.9 on 18-May-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 217 on 29-Feb-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 294.5 and Rs. 266 respectively.

The promoters holding in the company stood at 85.62 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 6.82 % and 7.56 % respectively.

The stock traded below its 200 DMA.

Inox Wind stock ended 17% lower at Rs. 241 after Q4 results.
U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. will travel to Pine Ridge, S.D., on Thursday for a firsthand look at the issues affecting Native American students.

King will visit Red Cloud Indian School where he will meet with teachers and administrators and visit classrooms. The private K-12 school was featured prominently in Education Weeks 2013 multimedia reporting project on education on the Pine Ridge reservation in 2013

He will also visit Wolf Creek School , a pre-kindergarten through 8th grade campus, where he will meet with teachers and tribal leaders and eat lunch with students.

More than a third of American Indian children live in poverty, and just two-thirds graduate from high schoolthe lowest of any racial or ethnic demographic group in the nation.

Those troubling statistics have drawn the attention of several federal agencies and the White House. In 2015, President Barack Obama launched his Generation Indigenous (Gen I) initiative , a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of the Interior, which seeks to address barriers to success for Native American youth .

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Photo: A school bus travels an unpaved route on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. -- Swikar Patel/Education Week
will call into Krishnapatnam on April 17th , 2016 and Kattupalli on April 19th, 2016. Both these calls are strategic and are aimed at supporting the growth of local businesses in the hinterland covering Andhra Pradesh, Northern Tamil Nadu and Eastern Karnataka.Commenting on this announcement,Our decision to call on these ports reiterates Maersk Lines commitment in bringing value to our customers. Both these calls will enable us to be closer to our customers. We are here for the long haul and want to grow profitably with the market. These calls will result in faster transit times for our customers in these areas, thus reaching out to a global market place in a cost-effective manner.These calls to Krishnapatnam and Kattupalli will help Maersk Line leverage port efficiencies and reduced transportation time.
Saudi Arabia on Saturday dismissed its long-serving Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi as part of a major government shake-up. Naimi held the post of Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister for more than two decades. on Saturday dismissed its long-serving Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi as part of a major government shake-up. Naimi held the post of Saudi Arabia's Oil Minister for more than two decades.

Naimi has been replaced by Khaled al-Falih, previously Health Minister, who takes the enlarged portfolio of energy, industry and mineral resources, according to a royal decree.

Falih is also currently the Chairman of state oil company Saudi Arabian Oil Co., better known as Saudi Aramco.

Saudi Arabia also announced a new central bank governor and scrapped the Ministry of Electricity & Water.

The Oil Ministry has been renamed the Ministry of Energy, Industry & Mineral Resources.

The revamp follows last months announcement of an ambitious plan to transform Saudi Arabias economy to reduce its dependence on oil.

Naimi was the architect of the 2014 shift in OPEC policy to avoid slashing production amid a global supply glut.

Under his guidance, Saudi Arabia focused on protecting its market share and driving out less-competitive players, including the US shale producers.
Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Ltd has signed its fourth franchise agreement for its upcoming store in Patna, Bihar.



The stock was flat at Rs. 69.60.



The stock has hit a high of Rs. 71 and a of Rs. 69.



Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri Ltd is currently trading at Rs. 69.45, up by Rs. 0.1 or 0.14% from its previous closing of Rs. 69.35 on the BSE.



The scrip opened at Rs. 71 and has touched a high and low of Rs. 71.6 and Rs. 69.15 respectively. So far 429186(NSE+BSE) shares were traded on the counter. The current market cap of the company is Rs. 462.78 crore.



The BSE group 'B' stock of face value Rs. 10 has touched a 52 week high of Rs. 165.9 on 20-Jul-2015 and a 52 week low of Rs. 47.4 on 01-Mar-2016. Last one week high and low of the scrip stood at Rs. 72.7 and Rs. 66.3 respectively.



The promoters holding in the company stood at 74.12 % while Institutions and Non-Institutions held 7.28 % and 18.6 % respectively.



The stock is currently trading above its 200 DMA.
Born on 9th May, 1540, Maharana Pratap, the ruler of Mewar is regarded as one of the greatest warriors in Indian history. Pratap was born to founder of Udaipur, Uday Singh II and Maharani Jaiwanta Bai. He is remembered most for his onslaughts against the Mughals and has been a subject for books, films and television serials. Bharat Ka Veer Putra- Maharana Pratap, the television series based on him has been both critically and commercially acclaimed. Yet, there are a few things you don't know about him.

Today, on his 477th birth anniversary, we recall the brave hero.

1. Maharana Pratap was 7 feet 5 inches tall.

#happy #birthday. #maharanapratap ji @rajput_unity A photo posted by rana somnath (@ranasomnath58) on May 8, 2016 at 10:22pm PDT

Yes, it is said that Maharana Pratap was 7 feet 5 inches tall. He wore a 110 kg armour and was always ready to take on his rivals with just his two swords each of which weighed 25 kg. In fact, his armour and swords are displayed at a museum in Udapiur, Rajasthan, even today.

2. Maharana Pratap had 17 sons and 5 daughters from 11 wives.

Good morning everyone Have a nice day  @faisalkhan30 @roshniwaliaa  #RoSal #MaharanaPratap #bffs #memories  A photo posted by Faisal and Roshni  (@faisal_roshni_fans) on May 8, 2016 at 8:57pm PDT

Maharana Pratap had 11 wives. Ajabde Punwar, daughter of Rao Ram Rakh Panwar was his first wife. His son and successor Amar Singh, was born to Ajabde.

3. Maharana Pratap is regarded as Indias first freedom fighter because he never surrendered to Akbar.

Maharana Pratap was the only Rajput king from the 16th century who was ready to defy Akbar, and succeeded too. Though, there was a point in time when he thought of surrendering to the Mughal ruler, but a letter from famous Rajput poet Prithviraj convinced him not to.

4. Maharana Prataps valour was on display in the battle of Haldighati.

476th birth anniversary of d great warrior MAHARANA PRATAP #love#respect#maharanapratap#maharanapratapmemories#jairajputana  A photo posted by @kavya_tomar on May 8, 2016 at 10:43pm PDT

Akbar decided to fight against Maharana Pratap in 1576. It was during this battle that Maharana Pratap used the Guerilla Warfare tactics. Mughal army had the strength of two lakh soldiers whereas Rajputs were only twenty two thousand in number. The turning point came again in 1582 when Rana Pratap inflicted a crushing defeat to the Mughal army in Dewair. He managed to regain most of his lost land of Mewar except Chittor.

5. Maharana Pratap was the first king in India to use the Guerrilla warfare

#throwback  #Maharanapratap #memories @faisalkhan30  A photo posted by Faisalkhanfc1 (@faisalkhanfc1) on May 2, 2016 at 4:20am PDT

The guerrilla warfare had been in existence before, but Maharana Pratap was the first ruler to use it in an organised form, as a result of which he succeeded in giving a blow to the Mughal army. Although, Akbar is regarded as a great fighter of all times, yet Maharana Pratap battled him with confidence. There was a time when almost the whole of Rajasthan was under the control of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, but Maharana Pratap continued to fight against him for 12 years to save Mewar. Akbar tried various means to defeat him, but Maharana Pratap remained unbeatable till the end.

6. Maharana Pratap had a very strong association with the indigenous tribe of Mewar - Bhils.

The tribe of Mewar called the Bhils always supported Maharana Pratap and fought with him till the end. They even sacrificed their lives for the honour of their ruler. According to a myth, Rana Pratap made his descendants promise that until he wins back Chittor, he would sleep on a straw bed and eat off Pattras (leaf Plate). Eventually, Rana Pratap did not get Chittor back. Still, even today, many Rajput followers keep that promise and place a leaf under their plates and a straw under their beds.

7. Maharana Pratap criticised his son Amar Singh for capturing women from the enemy camp.

Today is the Birth anniversary of Great Maharanapratap #maharanapratap #kuvarpratap #sketch #BKVPMRP @faisalkhan30 A photo posted by Sushma R (@sushr9) on May 8, 2016 at 5:15pm PDT

Once, all the women folk from the camp of Rahim Khan-e-Khana, who was campaigning against Maharana Pratap along with a Mughal officer, were caught by Amar Singh. He arrested them and brought them in front of his father Maharana Pratap. However, when Maharana got to know about the arrest of the women from the enemy camp, he gave instant orders to set them free and sent them back to their camp.
The INS Vikrant was the Indian Navy's first aircraft carrier and the only one in south asian region in the 1960s. It was the 'mother' to the pilots who flew fighter jets into the war off it's decks. It served the nation during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and played an important role in liberating Bangladesh. And it was all down to the men who had the guts to fly and land on a small floating airstrip. Landing on her decks took nerves of steel and especially at night as finding the sailing airstrip was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Here's the story of the men who were lucky enough to be part of the folklore.

Sons of Vikrant

Sons of Vikrant

Sons of Vikrant

Sons of Vikrant

Sons of Vikrant

Sons of Vikrant

Watch the documentary here
1. Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor's new poster from Befikre is damn hot!

A new poster of Befikre was revealed online and it has Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor kissing each other! We just can't wait for the film.

2. Mother of a cancer-survivor kid writes an open letter to Salman Khan!

Prem Leela  #beingsalmankhan #prdp A photo posted by BOLLYWOOD TURKEY (@yaren_khan) on May 4, 2016 at 9:29pm PDT

Mother of a 4 YO kid wrote an open letter to Salman Khan. Excerpts of the letter include, "As a mother, I can't express how relieved and grateful I am to see my child healthy, happy and so full of life. Last two years have been a nightmare for us but the way Ryka lits up when you are on screen, is seen to be believed. All she wants for her fifth birthday is that you, her hero, Salman Khan wishes her Happy Birthday."

3. Ranbir Kapoor gets pissed off with a photographer, angrily snatches away his camera.

Ranbir Kapoor has time and again misbehaved with the media and today again reports claimed that he snatched a photographer's camera while he was trying to click Ranbir.



4. 'Bhootnath' completes 8 years and it made Amitabh Bachchan happy and nostalgic.

Big B took to twitter to express his feelings on Bhootnath completing eight years.

5. Karan and Bipasha are honeymooning in Maldives, gets a warm welcome with a personalised cake!

Honeymooners Karan and Bipasha got a warm welcome at a resort at Maldives and what was sweeter was the cake that was specially designed and made for them.
Sun Pharma, Indias biggest pharmaceutical company, has signed an agreement with an international non-profit research organisation to test a new plant-based drug against dengue.

wikimedia.org

The non-profit, known as the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), identified the alcoholic extract of Cissampelos pariera Linn (Cipa extract) as a potent inhibitor of all four dengue viruses (DENVs) prevalent in India.

The drug has completed pre-clinical work and will now go through clinical testing.

The agreement between Sun Pharma and ICGEB will see the drug through all phases of clinical studies.

ICGEB will provide its technical and pre-clinical expertise and work exclusively with the drug maker for the development of the drug and clinical treatment strategies based on botanical and phyto-pharmaceuticals, according to a joint statement.

Sun Pharma will fund the entire programme and also provide royalty post commercialisation to ICGEB, which has applied for a patent for the drug, said Kirti Ganorkar, a spokesperson from Sun Pharma.

If all goes well, the botanical drug will hit the market in four years.

paleogym.co.uk

The company is working on an internal timeline of four years to bring it to the market, said Ganorkar.

"But drug development is always complex and there can be surprises," he adds.

As of November 2015, the government has simplified the process of registration and testing of plant-based drugs, and Cipa is the first to take advantage of these regulatory changes.

As of now, 60-100 million people suffer from dengue every year, and it costs the world $8.9 billion annually.

deccanchronicle.com

A group of health economists at Brandeis University in the US has published a comprehensive assessment of the economic burden that dengue fever imposes on 141 countries and territories around the world where active dengue transmission has been identified.

At an estimated cost of USD 8.9 billion annually, the price tag for dengue exceeds that of several other major infectious diseases such as cholera, rotavirus gastroenteritis, canine rabies and Chagas disease, said Donald Shepard, lead author of the study

Dengue is the world's fastest growing mosquito-borne disease, currently threatening about half the world's population or almost 4 billion people and leading to an estimated 60-100 million symptomatic dengue cases every year.

Cover images via wikimedia.org and medicaldaily.com.
Pratyusha Banerjee's sudden suicide came as a shocker and her parents are clearly not happy with the ongoing legal procedures. Hinting at Pratyusha's troubled relationship with Rahul and police's carelessness, Pratyusha's parents have now submitted a letter to Union home minister Rajnath Singh to entrust the probe into her death to the "most premier investigation agency'' in the country to ensure justice for their daughter. Pratyushas parents personally handed over this letter to Rajnath Singh.

According to the letter, Soma Banerjee stated in the letter that just because she wasnt familiar with the Marathi language, when she had informed the police about possible foul play in the death, police still registered it as a case of suicide on 1st April.

The letter states that "Her death is a murder, which is being shown as a case of suicide." In a two-page letter written in Hindi, Soma Banerjee clearly stated that Pratyusha's death has been "shown as having committed suicide by hanging herself from a fan in a room, which had no tables to even climb on"

In a conversation with TOI, Pratyushas parents Shankar and Soma revealed that the minister has also assured them that he would look into the issue.

They said they have not named any agency as they did not wish to upset the probe that was being carried out by the Mumbai police right now. The letter mentioned that Pratyusha (24) came in contact with Rahul Raj Singh last June who within days "entrapped her in his love game". "On the pretext of celebrating her birthday last August, Rahul demanded Rs 2 lakh from us and had been harassing her mentally and physically and reduced her bank balance to zero a day before her murder," the letter stated.

The letter also stated that even when there were adequate materials with the police (in the form of call data records, witness statements and site panchnama) hinting at murder, police still didnt choose to register it as a murder case.

(With inputs from The Times Of India)
We believe if you break even a twig in this forest for your personal need, misfortune strikes you."says 90 year old Fateh Singh, and its the best explanation of why centuries old Mangar forest, despite being located between construction-obsessed Delhi and Gurgaon, is still 6 lakh trees strong.

That fear has kept the forest alive for nearly 1,000 years.

It is home to birds, leopards rare insects and flowers, and it was peaceful - until builders driven by the greedy revenues of luxury condo, office, mall and nightclub construction tried to take over. And now, locals have won a six year battle to save this precious land

After a six year battle which raged in the courtroom, on the streets of Gurgaon, and in people's hearts, state government declared it a no-construction zone. To fend off illegal logging, the state forest department deployed guards. It is like a mini war situation out there, Mrigendra Dhari Sinha, conservator of forests in the area told the Washington Post . For many people, steel and glass buildings are the only expression of development. But we need water and forest, too.

With the NCR's record of generating inhuman amounts of pollution, Gurgaon locals have realised the forest's importance, organising awareness that generate hundreds . It was only recently that that the 1943 acres of land in the Aravali hills, located along Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, was officially demarcated as the Mangar Bani forest.

Why is the forest important?

Along with the green cover and shelter for biodiversity, there's an immediate concerns for Gurgaon's locals - water. Environmentalist Chetan Agrawal, who has been fighting for the protection of Mangar Bani for years explained: "Mangar Bani, along with the Aravalis, plays an important role in the recharge of groundwater. Protection of this area is also important for conservation of water," he added.

"Along with this it is also needed to reduce temperature, prevent flooding and desertification," said Agrawal adding that Aravalli is our ecological assets. And it's not like Haryana has enough green forest cover to begin with - concrete jungles have reduced it from 33% to 4%, the second lowest in the country after Punjab.

How was the forest land sold off?

Much before it was formally acknowledged as a forest, the land here belonged to the panchayats, who sold it to the highest bidder, RP Balwan, former conservator of forest (Gurgaon), explained: "We have always been rooting for Mangar to be declared a forest. But this is panchayat land that was later bought by private builders. The government can buy it and then declare it a forest." By the time people woke up and realized what was happening, much of the forest was already sold to real estate companies, said villager Sunil Harsana, 28. Villagers blocked the takeover when they realized that the buyers actually wanted to cut trees and construct.
In early December 2015, Deloitte resigned as auditor of Alok Industries. The unusual decision  as few companies change auditor in the middle of the year  was informed to stock exchanges.

alokind

But the brief communique went largely unnoticed as most analysts had by then stopped tracking the debt-ridden textile company which, together with its subsidiaries, had borrowed close to Rs 20,000 crore from banks in India. After four months, banks are now about to order an audit to trace the "end use of loans" taken by Alok. Last week, the lenders, led by State Bank of India, sounded out firms such as Chokshi & Chokshi and Grant Thornton to carry out a forensic audit of Alok.

Read more here

But this is not enough. Here are 5 more stories that will surely make you get up and take notice

1. These 22 Fake Universities Have Been Running In India For Over 15 Years!

India has 22 fake universities, which have been running for over a decade! UP leads with 9 fake universities, followed by Delhis 6, while 7 other states have a university each not approved by the UGC.

Read more

2. New Law Proclaims Death Penalty For Anyone Hijacking An Indian Plane!

The Rajya Sabha has recently passed the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014, which awards death penalty to hijackers, even if ground handling staff and airport personnel are killed during such acts. Previously, hijackers could be tried for death penalty only if hostages, such as flight crew, passengers and security personnel, were killed. The amendments in the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014 were cleared by the Cabinet In July 2015.

Read more.

3. 22-Year-Old Dragged Out Of A Car And Beaten Because She Was Wearing A Short Dress!

A 22 year old girl was dragged out her car and beaten at daybreak on a Pune street. Her crime was wearing a short dress, while roaming "with two males at such a time", her attackers said.

Read More

4. Your Hill Station Drive Is About To Get Shorter As Himachal Pradesh Will Get 17 New Highways This Year!

wikimedia

In January this year, the Centre committed 6000 km of new highways this fiscal year, and it looks like they're sticking to their target. The government has given an "in-principle approval" for 17 new national highways in Himachal Pradesh, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

Read More

5. The Most Expensive Object On Earth Is Being Built In England, But It's Not The Costliest Human Creation Ever

What's the most expensive thing on planet earth? Well, here's some context - it will cost 18 times more than the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building! It's a new nuclear power station being built in England. It will, according to environmental NGO Greenpeace, cost up to 24 billion  6 billion more than an initial estimation, Metro reported.

skyscrapercenter.com

Greenpeace has petitioned to stop construction, after an French energy firm revised the estimated cost. Talking about the cost, Steve Thomas, emeritus professor of energy policy at Greenwich University, said: Nuclear power plants are the most complicated piece of equipment we make. Cost of nuclear power plants has tended to go up throughout history as accidents happen and we design measures to deal with the risk. Read more.
The battle over North Carolinas so-called bathroom law heated up Monday when the state and the U.S. Department of Justice filed dueling lawsuits over the federal agencys assertion that the law, known as H.B. 2, violates federal civil rights laws.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory first sued the Justice Department rather than comply with a Monday deadline it had given the state to halt the laws application.

Later Monday, the Justice Department counter-sued the state , McCrory, and the University of North Carolina system, alleging that the state was in violation of Title VII, Title IX, and the Violence Against Women Act when it enacted a provision in H.B. 2 that restricts access to restrooms and locker rooms in public schools and buildings on the basis of biological sex, not gender identity.

They created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security, a right taken for granted by most of us, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in an afternoon news conference, where she compared the fight over the states law to civil rights battles of the past .

Lynch said the Justice Department would retain the option to withhold funding from the university system and the states department of public safety in the future.

The Justice Department put North Carolina leaders on notice last week that states law violated sex-discrimination protections by creating the first state-level restrictions on which restrooms and locker rooms transgender students can use in public schools and by limiting restroom access for employees covered by federal employment laws. Federal officials gave the state until today to respond.

But, rather than assure federal leaders he would delay the bills implementation, McCrory sued for relief from a radical reinterpretation of the Civil Rights Act.

The Obama administration is bypassing Congress by attempting to rewrite the law and set restroom policies for public and private employers across the country, not just North Carolina, McCrory said in a statement. This is now a national issue that applies to every state and it needs to be resolved at the federal level. They are now telling every government agency and every company that employs more than 15 people that men should be allowed to use a womens locker room, restroom or shower facility.

At an afternoon press conference before the Justice Department filed its counter suit, McCrory said the agency had denied his request for a two-week extension to respond to its letter. The agency offered the state one week if McCrory publicly agreed with its interpretation of the civil rights laws, which he said he would not do.

Ultimately, I think its time for the U.S. Congress to bring clarity to our national anti-discrimination provisions under Title VII and Title IX, he said.

The states suit focuses on Title VII employment laws, but the Justice Department has also said that North Carolinas law violates Title IX, which puts the states federal funding for K-12 schools, colleges, and universities at risk. That federal interpretation of Title IX was recently upheld as valid by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., which said a lower court erred by not siding with the federal agencies interpretation of the law. It remanded the decision back to the lower court for reconsideration, a decision that has been challenged by the Virginia school district at the heart of that case. The 4th circuit has jurisdiction over North Carolina.

Bob Stephens, McCrorys general counsel, said the governor left it to the University of North Carolina, which also received a letter from the Justice Department, to respond to the Title IX claims. The Justice Departments counter suit focuses its Title IX claims on the university system, and does not mention the states public schools.

Because an appeal of the 4th Circuits decision is still pending and because the lower court has not reconsidered its ruling on Title IX, Stephens said the ruling did not apply to public schools in North Carolina.

Title VII refers to sex discrimination in employment. Federal courts have previously held that employers violated the law by firing or refusing to hire people who were transgender or transitioning between genders.

Before the suit was filed, McCrory discussed the states showdown with the Justice Department on Fox News Sunday.

Watch the latest video at &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.foxnews.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;video.foxnews.com&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

This post will be updated.

Related reading:

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Some students have resilience stronger than steel. Diagnosed with cancer just months before his final papers, Raghav Chandak is one such example. The boy emerged a true champion when he scored 96% marks in his ISC board exams even after missing his classes to fight the disease.

One juggled class notes and chemotherapy, another took his exams from a hospital bed. But as the ISC results revealed that Raghav Chandak had scored 95.8% and Diganta Chakrabarty notched up 91%, the chapter of pain seemed to have been closed.

Eighteen-year-old Raghav, from Heritage School, couldn't attend classes for six months after being diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, a form of blood cancer, last year. "He would have done better had he attended classes regularly," said his businessman father, Manoj. But, "the illness steeled his nerves. He focused more and more on his studies. It was amazing to see him fight like a champion."

ndtv

Diganta, a DPS New Town student, battled a severe respiratory disorder. As he solved calculus problems, a tube drained out leaked air from his lung.

"I was inspired with the level of his confidence and guts," said a doctor who attended to Diganta Chakraborty, who suffers from a severe respiratory disorder.

Raghav Chandak, who missed classes for six months for to undergo chemotherapy, credited his school and teachers for his success. Teachers held special classes for him and offered him guidance before the exams. "Without their help, he couldn't have achieved this. But his grit is remarkable," said his businessman father Manoj. Raghav wants to take up computer science.

examindia

Diganta, who appeared for his biology and maths papers from the hospital bed, told TOI, "I hadn't expected this much. But I was determined to do well." He wishes to study aeronautical engineering. "The illness set me back. Had I been able to take all my tests normally, I would possibly have scored higher. But I am ready to move on," Diganta added.

"We're thankful to the school authorities for making special arrangements so that my son could take the exam from hospital. The doctors not only saved him but ensured that he didn't lose a year," said his father Debasish, an electrical engineer based in Pune.
The son of a lawmaker of Bihar's ruling JDU is yet to be arrested two days after he allegedly shot dead a 19-year-old boy for overtaking his SUV in Gaya.

ndtv

Rocky Yadav, who is in his twenties, is the son of Legislative Council member Manorama Devi, who belongs to the JDU or Janata Dal United of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

His father and the lawmaker's husband Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav or Bindi Yadav, told a court today that he could get Rocky to surrender only if he is released. Mr Yadav, jailed in the past for carrying illegal weapons, was arrested yesterday for helping his son run away.

ndtv

The state government, repeatedly accused by the opposition BJP of bringing back "jungle raj (lawlessness)" in Bihar, has set up a Special Investigating Team to track down Rocky Yadav.

"No one will be spared, however powerful," said Tejaswi Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister.

The opposition BJP has called for a shutdown in Gaya, about 100 km from state capital Patna.

On Saturday night, Aditya Sachdeva, a businessman's son who had just taken his Class 12 exams, was in his Swift car with his friends when he reportedly sped ahead of Rocky Yadav's Range Rover.

Aditya's friend alleges that Rocky Yadav and his guard fired in the air and forced them to stop the car. "They punched us. When we tried to leave the spot, someone fired at the car and a bullet hit my friend," he said.

ndtv

The security guard who was with Rocky in the SUV has been arrested. He reportedly told the police that the bullet was fired from the personal revolver of the politician's son, "accidentally".

Bahut ganda kaam kiya hai,sakhti se Police karyawahi kare:Lalu Yadav, RJD on youth allegedly killed by JDU MLC's son pic.twitter.com/gB5l3rZRbO  ANI (@ANI_news) May 8, 2016

A man sitting in the front seat of Rocky's SUV was allegedly holding a gun too.

The guard has told the police that Rocky wanted to "teach Aditya and his friends a lesson".

Youth shot dead by unidentified persons in Bihar's Gaya late last night. pic.twitter.com/FhZgkMCumf  ANI (@ANI_news) May 8, 2016

Mr Yadav has alleged that his son was beaten up by Aditya and his friend and they were drunk. However, he admitted that Rocky carried a licensed revolver. "It must have happened in the fight while he was trying to defend himself," he told the police.
In January this year, the Centre committed 6000 km of new highways this fiscal year, and it looks like they're sticking to their target.

reuters

The government has given an "in-principle approval" for 17 new national highways in Himachal Pradesh, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

These national highways include stretches of state highways:





wikimedia

57 km: Bhota-Nerchouk

47 km: Ranital-Kotla

62 km: Rohru- Bhalidhar-kiari-Kotkhai

153km: Chailla-Sarahan- Narayangarh

106 km: Taradevi-Nalagarh-Ghanouli

118km: Neripul-rajgarh-Banethi

125 km: Mandi-Chailchouk-Nagan

78 km: Narkanda rohru

14km: Takshal to Nogli

This adds up to 1368.20 km, and Gadkari said he will include more roads after consultation with MPs to bring the total road length to 1500 kms in this year: "If the state government helps in land acquisition procedure, the ministry under him will not hesitate in widening the every national highway in Himachal Pradesh.

Cheap electric buses, and water landings!

wikimedia

And instead of diesel buses polluting the regions where these highways are coming up, Gadkari announced plans for cheap electric buses: "ISRO has developed Lithium batteries for buses which are 30 per cent cheap to its European version, once the commercial production is on India shall have electric buses on low price. There's already an impetus to diesel taxis to convert their vehicles to CNG kits.

Other exciting plans include the artificial water bodies created due to big dams in Himachal, which can be used for water landing planes here,

India's Upcoming Highways Might Get Leafy Green Underpasses For Animals To Cross Them Safely!

Abu Dhabi Is Going To Help India Build Some Of The Best Roads In The World!
For years, Google Maps have been showing territories of J&K and Arunachal Pradesh with dotted lines signifying that the region is disputed.

But now, the new maps dont highlight the area with dotted lines. Instead, both states are shown in sync with the official territory of the country.

google

The move is seen as an intimidating effect of Modi governments draft of The Geospatial Information Regulation Bill 2016, soon to be tabled in Parliament. As per the legislation, it would be compulsory to take the approval of government to publish and disseminate any geospatial information.

lotpot.com

No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form, the draft bill states.

Geospatial information refers to the data which has been captured through aerial instruments such as satellites, airships and unmanned aerial drones. It is used to prepare topographical maps.
Dr Ravindra Kohles story has been one of devotion, dedication and countless selfless sacrifices he made to serve the people of Melghat, a tribal area in Maharashtra, and one of the most impoverished regions in the country.

NewIndianExpress

Several adversities and challenges did mar his quest of a healthy Melghat where children arent dying of malnutrition; farmers arent committing suicides and tribals are getting into mainstream.

But despite all odds, he stood, worked and played a vital role in making Melghat, an area with one of the highest Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) a better place for children to take birth, live and prosper.

malyalam.yourstory

When I came here 1985 after completing my MBBS (1983), I was shocked to see the condition of tribals living in this area. IMR was around 200 per thousand children which was one of the highest in country. But over a period of time, things have improved and now IMR is around 40 which I believe would go down as government as well as the local groups are working hard in this direction, said a modest Dr Kolhe who doesnt seek credit for this metamorphosis.

Ravindra Kolhe and Smita Kolhe, the doctor couple has spent a better part of their lives in Melghat, the impoverished tribal region of Maharashtra known for appalling stories of malnutrition, farmer suicides and other issues in order to make lives of the people of Melghat better.

Indian Express

The doctor couple, especially Dr Ravindra who spent chunk of his heydays thousands of miles away from galore of cities like Mumbai and Pune is like a Messiah for the area. But he seldom accepts it.

I did nothing. I just tried to give them what they should have got from the state long back. Change is inevitable. But still its long way to go. The government has also done great job but Melghat still requires a helping hand from the government especially in making the people self-dependent, said Dr Kolhe.

Dr Smita has been his companion since 1988. But she too didnt come in his life that easily. Kolhe tells that how he was rejected by almost a 100 girls because of the conditions he would put before them. His conditions were: First, the girl should be ready to walk for 40 km (the distance to be covered to reach Bairagarh). Second, she should be ready for a Rs. 5 wedding (court marriages at the time cost Rs. 5). Third, she should be willing to manage financially with Rs. 400 per month (Dr. Kolhe charged Re. 1 per patient and had almost 400 patients every month). And lastly, she should be ready to beg too, not for herself but if needed, for the welfare of others.

Tribal societies are very rigid and they dont accept people especially those who believe in reason and logic; and Dr Kolhe did have his fair share of problems.

After spending two and half years, I got some sort of acceptance in the society here. I had three patients on my first day in the clinic. In 15 days, the number increased to 25 and then more. Since then, there has been no looking back. People believe in medical science. Although they still believe in treating their ailments with the help of tantriks, but the number has gone down substantially, added Kolhe who also helps farmers by advising them about high yields seeds and other modern agricultural practices.

dna

Despite improvement in things over a period of time, Kolhe thinks that unless agricultural development takes place in the region which would make farmers self-reliant, any measure would only have temporary effect.

According to him, electricity is the major issue in the area which prevents the development of a reliable irrigation system mandatory for the economic development of the farmers.

Health infrastructure has increased by manifolds, but power infrastructure is yet to get a reboot. Farmers here usually get power for three-four hours a day which isnt enough at all. You would get surprised, if I tell you that the closest feeder from Melghat is 90 km away. Economic prosperity can be achieved through sustained agriculture and electricity is a must for it, added Kolhe who has two sons.

Rohit and Ram-his two sons too never complained that their father spent his whole life in a jungle while serving the tribals. Infact, Kolhes younger son Rohit has employed himself in agricultural sector in Melghat itself whereas Ram, the elder one has followed his fathers footsteps and is doing his MBBS.

Without the support of my children and wife, I couldnt have come this long. They never complained that why I didnt provide them with the luxuries of city. They always stood by me, said Kolhe while

Unlike majority of the activists, Kolhe doesnt criticise the government. Infact he supports the state in whatever has been done till date. He thinks that NGOs cant be answer if the scale of the problem is as colossal as Melghat's; and unless government plays a role, things cant be moved.

NGOs have limitations. They can never become an answer for the state and its machinery of welfare. The state has done well. Although its still a long way to go. When we started, there were only two primary health care centres and four doctors. Right now, there are 13 PHCs and 72 doctors. Fight is still on for Melghat to become independent and self-sustaining, said Dr Kolhe.
In a bizarre incident, an Italian economist was kicked off an airplane in the US because a female passenger raised alarm after seeing him scribbling something in some strange language which appeared Arabic to her.

An Ivy League European economist Guido Menzio was flying from Philadelphia to Syracuse, and was busy working on his research paper of differential equations on price setting that he was to present.

TOI

But when the female co-passenger saw him scribbling something which resembled Arabic, she raised an alarm which resulted in the flight returning back to the terminal where Menzio was de-boarded and thoroughly questioned.

This is not the first instance where flights have been delayed and passengers de-boarded due to paranoia in the US. Anybody whos not completely white, or a Muslim or someone who speaks language other than English can be subjected to a gruelling investigation at US airports.

Although the airline officials maintained that in the age of terrorism, even the slightest suspicion calls for immediate attention to avoid any possible threat. But no amount of explanation can compensate for the reputation and time Menzio lost during the course of the investigation.

Later Menzio told media that despite being treated respectfully throughout the incident, he is baffled and disturbed by the broken system that doesnt collect the information efficiently.

He also said that a quick check could have told the security officials that he was a distinguished Ivy League economist with a tenured associate professorship at the University of Pennsylvania as well as stints at Princeton and Stanford's Hoover Institution.

Menzio also spoke about the ignorance of his fellow passenger. A security protocol that is too rigid  in the sense that once the whistle is blown everything stops without checks  and relies on the input of people who may be completely clueless, said the frustrated Menzio.
When the new age dawns upon us, we'll all be flying to work in Lilium, beating the endless rows of honking metal that take over the streets every morning.

About to hit the markets soon, this egg-shaped wonder of a plane will be the answer to our prayers. Bear with my nauseating positivity today - this news is literally making me hop towards Neverland.

Lilium Aviation

This has even got the European Space Agency (ESA) excited. Touted to be the world's first electric vertical take-off and landing plane, Lilium won't need the use of airports to make it fly. It will make do with helipads. Hell, it can even make do with your backyard!

Lilium Aviation

Recognising its environment-friendly benefits, the ESA has indeed highlighted that the plane won't require airports. At a top speed of 250 mph (402 kph), Lilium would only require a clean weather and an uncongested airspace to make its flight, reports Daily Mail.

Lilium Aviation

And being an electrically-powered machine, there will be no noise and pollution. One can fly it close to the urban lands and make it an integral part of their every day lives!

Lilium Aviation

Designed by four German engineers (Daniel Wiegand, Patrick Nathen, Sebastian Born and Matthias Meiner), their website describes Lilium as: "Elegance, speed, comfort and sustainability  fusing to a new form of traveling, defining a completely new form of freedom."

Lilium Aviation

Lilium will roll out in 2018. Looks like we'll have to wait for a little before knowing how much this beauty costs!
A bipartisan Senate coalition is calling for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act, which provides timber revenue for rural schools and communities located near national forest land.

More than 30 lawmakers sent a letter to Senate leaders in late April encouraging the reauthorization of the program , according to Montanas Flathead Beacon. In the letter, lawmakers called the program a critical safety-net for communities near federally-owned forests because those communities are unable to tax that land. Money from the timber program is used to support many community services, including schools, transportation infrastructure, and local law enforcement agencies.

The timber revenue program was enacted in 2000 and expired in 2006, but received multiple extensions until it expired again in 2014. In 2015, the program was extended as part of a doc fix  bill, and $285 million was paid to 41 states and Puerto Rico.

In March, rural schools and communities in 41 states and Puerto Rico received a total of $272 million in funding , which is the final payout from the 2015 extension. Without a reauthorization, rural school districts stand to lose a substantial amount of funding. In 2014 when the program expired and the funding formula reverted to one that was created in 1908, some districts lost up to 95 percent of the funding they historically received from the bill.

Sen. John Tester told the Flathead Beacon that if the act is not reauthorized during this years legislative session, it may be included in another bills amendment or addressed after Novembers election.
Obama: TTIP Necessary To Protect Megabanks From Prosecution By Eric Zuesse May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - On May 7th, Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten, or German Economic News, headlined, USA planen mit TTIP Frontal-Angriff auf Gerichte in Europa or U.S. Plans Frontal Attack on Europes Courts via TTIP, and reported that, Americas urgency to sign TTIP with Europe has solid reason: Megabanks must protect themselves from claims by European investors who allege that they were cheated during the debt crisis.  The U.S. Ambassador to Italy has now let the cat out of the bag on this  probably unintentionally. In this particular case, the megabank thats being sued isnt American but German, Deutsche Bank, which the U.S. Ambassador to Italy has cited as his example to defend, perhaps so as to appeal to Germans to protect their megabanks against lawsuits from foreign investors (such as Italians) who complain. In that case it was investors in the Italian city of Trani, population 53,000. The smallness of the city was an issue the Ambassador raised against the suits having been brought there. Reuters headlined on May 6th, Italian prosecutor investigates Deutsche Bank over 2011 bond sale, and reported that, An Italian prosecutor is investigating Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) over its sale of 7 billion euros ($8 billion) of Italian government bonds five years ago, an investigative source told Reuters. A prosecutor in Trani, a town in southern Italy, is investigating because Deutsche Bank allegedly told clients in a research note in early 2011 that Italys public debt was no cause for concern, and then sold almost 90 percent of its own holding of the countrys bonds. The U.S. bond-rating agencies are also subjects in this suit, because Trani had relied upon their ratings of those bonds. The Obama Administration (through its Italian Ambassador) seems thus to be saying, in effect, that unless TTIP is passed into law, Europes megabanks (and the U.S. bond-rating agencies, S&P, Moodys and Fitch) will be able successfully to be sued by cheated investors, just as has been happening with such American banks as JPMorgan/Chase and Goldman Sachs in the United States, which  since TTIP hasnt yet been in force anywhere, including in the U.S.  were forced to pay billions to cheated investors. Apparently, Obama would be happier if those suits had been impossible in the U.S. The argument here, though only implicitly, seems to be that TTIP is the way to protect megabanks and the bond-rating firms. It concerns specifically the selling of sophisticated derivative investments. If this is the argument behind the remarks by Obamas Italian Ambassador, John Phillips, hes obliquely warning Europeans that unless TTIP gets signed, their megabanks might similarly be forced to pay billions to investors who were cheated. As quoted by Reuters, he said that, in the U.S., its highly unlikely that such a case would be brought outside the major financial centers, where prosecutors have both jurisdiction and expertise in securities fraud prosecutions, and that megabanks need the protection thats provided by such prosecutors, since they possess expertise in securities fraud prosecutions. Phillips was clearly implying that small-city prosecutors (such as are allowed to prosecute such cases in Europe) arent such experts, as are needed in order to protect the megabanks. Reuters characterizes Phillipss argument as asserting, Italys justice system was deterring investors. However, no clarification of the meaning of that statement was provided by Reuters. DWN alleges that under the TTIP such a court-issue would probably not even have been raised but would simply have ended before an arbitration panel, in which the aggrieved investors exert no influence and where it would be almost impossible for these investors rights to be protected. Another example is cited, where the German city of Pforzheim successfully sued, at the Federal Court of Justice, the U.S. megabank JPMorgan/Chase, and where that court allowed Pforzheim to seek accumulated damages of 57 million euros. Under TTIP, a megabank fined this way might in turn sue the nations taxpayers to restore the megabanks ensuing loss of profits. If the cheated investors win, taxpayers might thus end up bearing the cheated investors losses. Under TTIP, the fined company would be arguing that the law under which it had been fined is in violation of TTIP and thus constitutes a violation of that treaty, so that the violating government is obliged to be paying the fine  the law against fraud would itself be violating the fined companys rights. If the three-arbitrator TTIP panel rules in the megabanks favor, the government would need to pay the fine it had assessed against the bank, and no appeals court exists for any of these arbitration-panels rulings  these rulings are final. Obama and other proponents of that system, which is called ISDS for Investor State Dispute Settlement, say that its a more efficient way of handling such disputes. In international commercial affairs, it not only eliminates appeals courts, it gradually eliminates democracy, by fining the government into ultimate submission to these three-person panels of international-corporate- accountable arbitrators . On the same basic idea, Benito Mussolini was praised for making the trains run on time. Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of Theyre Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRISTS VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
Washingtons Terrorism as Usual





The foreign-policy establishment marks 15 years of failure in the War on Terror.



By Philip Giraldi

May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " American Conservative " - - Its been almost a decade and a half since 9/11, but the foreign-policy establishment still cannot admit that continuous American intervention in the Middle East has been a failure.

I recently attended a conference entitled Hindsight: Reflections on 15 Years of the War on Terror. With a wide range of highly respectable speakers, I naively expected that the panels would conclude that the so-called global war on terror had been a misguided project ab initio , that the United States continues to repeat mistakes in its national security policy that promote rather than discourage terrorismand that the terrorism threat itself has been grossly inflated for largely political and economic reasons.

Apart from a single comment by a former U.S. Army general who correctly characterized American involvement in the Middle East as an overly robust response to what is in reality a low threat, low national interests situation for Washington policymakers, I was greatly disappointed. Everyone seemed to accept without any real question the presumption that the United States has a preemptive right to use military force to change foreign governments, ignoring that factor as a source of terrorism and only criticizing those actual interventions that have been badly implemented like Iraq and Libya.

Some of the speakers predictably were either promoting personal agendas or the agendas of their political patrons and employers. One keynote speaker blasted Republican foreign policy positions while praising Bill Clinton, and by extension Hillary, for their brilliant foreign policy team, which tempted me to shout out the name Sandy Berger! followed by the Balkans! and Sudanese pharmaceutical factory! The same speaker also refused to address a reasonable question about the well-attested massive Israeli spying operation in the U.S. in 2001, denying that it existed. Indeed, neither Israel nor Palestine were mentioned at all in an hour and a half panel discussion on foreign policy challenges coming from the Middle East, an omission that one has to consider to be curious.

While some speakers robustly condemned erosion of personal liberties due to increased security, it was all carefully done in a legal context, which is what I personally find most annoying about existing criticism of the war on terror. What is legal and what isnt appears to trump how certain developments actually play out in practical terms and it should be accepted that any White House can always find a Department of Justice lawyer willing to affirm that nearly anything is legal, meaning that the distinction is meaningless.

Increasing oversight was promoted by several speakers, which is also a type of legal remedy. Admittedly, some panelists did note that existing oversight does not protect against abuse as the overseers generally do not oversee at all. Officials from all branches of government instinctively and consistently collude with the expectations of the administration, meaning that oversight does not equate to either transparency or accountability. And there was no consideration by panelists whether torture, rendition, data collection and telecommunications backdoors actually enhance national security. This was to my mind a major omission as the public is generally deluded into thinking that the enhanced interrogation and acceptable ethical lapses funded by the hundreds of billions of dollars invested annually in the warfare state are making us safe.

Only one speaker mentioned that existing terrorism cases in the U.S. generally come out of FBI entrapment operations, that the government has rarely caught terrorists in flagrante and that fewer than 50 Americans have been killed by Islamic terrorists since 9/11, suggesting the extent to which the terror threat has been dramatically hyped for reasons that have little or nothing to do with ISIS or al-Qaeda. A pressure cooker bomb plot cited by New Yorks Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism as a great success involved a Muslim student who was reportedly only thinking about doing something but who did not even possess the pressure cooker that he was allegedly considering using as a weapon. Muslims arrested for terrorism plots rarely have the capability to carry out any offensive actions and are frequently reliant on FBI informants to provide them with a gun doesnt work or a bomb that doesnt explode. Or in this case possibly a pressure cooker with a hole in it.

There were nearly four hours of more and the same, to include hubristic snapshots of Russia and China as eternal enemies and several comments suggesting that Syria would not be so bad now if we had taken down Bashar al-Assad a few years back. After an unctuous hymn of praise regarding the effectiveness of the New York Police Department notably minus any mention of its domestic spying operations directed against Muslims, it occurred to me that the narrative being fed was conditioned by one overriding factor: nearly every speaker benefits personally from the continued existence of the war on terror. They are all part of the establishment and supporters of the Washington foreign policy consensus even if they dont identify themselves that way. Even those academics and lawyers who criticize the war frequently do so in a restrained and high-minded fashion because the status derived from being a player in the continuation of the unending global conflict is as much in their interest as it is in the interests of those who are working for the government or a defense contractor.

Few in the United States and in Western Europe challenge the nature of the terrorist threat and governments have learned that if they shout terrorism often enough they will get a free pass on budgets and on approving legislation that restricts the freedom of the average citizen. Freedom is, unfortunately a zero-sum game, power taken from the people is gone forever and is given over to what we Americans have begun to call the unitary executive, a transitional process welcomed by heads of state in both parliamentary and presidential government systems.

The war on terror is the driving concern that fuels much government aggrandizement as well as spending. Depending on what one includes in the numbers it is plausible to suggest that as much as $1 trillion per year is being spent to fight against the alleged threat. The counter-terror wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the most expensive in U.S. history and they are not over yet. The ongoing intervention in Afghanistan, justified by President Obama as a war to prevent a resurgence of al-Qaeda, continues to cost more than $3 billion per month and is currently undergoing a surge, as are also operations in Iraq, Libya and Syria.

The federal government employed 2,726,000 as of 2014 compared to 1,500,000 in 2001, not including the military, which itself has 2,100,000 personnel in uniform, including reserves. Most of the new hires have been directly related to the War on Terror for manning the 200 post-9/11 military and CIA bases that have sprung up around the world. The number of reported federal employees does not include contractors, who add considerably to the payroll. More than half of the employees in key sectors within the intelligence community and at the Defense Department are contractors and every contractor costs three times as much as a normal employee.

It is projected that Uncle Sam will spend $4.2 trillion in 2017 compared with $1.863 trillion in 2001, $503 billion of which will be borrowed, reversing 2001s budget surplus of $127 billion. The Department of Homeland Security, which did not exist prior to 2001, gets $40 billion and employs 180,000; the intelligence agencies get an estimated $100 billion and employ 100,000; the FBI gets nearly $9.5 billion; and the Department of Defense gets $632 billion, which does not include a slush fund to cover the war in Afghanistan and other contingencies. In 2001, the Pentagon budget was $277 billion. When all the increases are added up and compared to the baseline of 2001, the war on terror currently costs the American taxpayer directly more than $500 billion per year as part of an overall defense and national security budget that approaches $1 trillion. As there may be only 100 or so terrorists interested and plausibly capable of attacking the United States directly, that works out to something like $10 billion per year per terrorist.

And that is only at the federal level. Most states now have their own departments of homeland security, and most have dramatically increased both the numbers and firepower of their police forces. There is full-time security manning the entrances of nearly all federal and state and even many local office buildings and schools. The total costs of state and local expenditures to counter the essentially bogus terrorist threat might well exceed the federal expenditures, and then there is the spending on security, often mandated by the government, in the private sector. The conference I attended also demonstrated the extent to which universities, institutes, and security firms have become part of the huge and growing terrorism business, all feeding off of the false assumption that the twenty-first century is the age of the terrorist.

Apart from the benefit to defense industries, money spent directly on the war on terror is essentially wasted. But even as bad as all those numbers in terms of current spending are, consider for a moment the legacy costs and institutional damages that are not so readily visible. Professor Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University estimates that Iraq will cost as much as $5 trillion when all the costs, including interest paid on borrowed money and medical treatment for life for the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers, are paid off. The bill for Afghanistan, which appears to lack an exit strategy, will be proportionate, depending on how long the U.S. stays there and at what commitment level. The money spent and the debt continuously incurred explain in part why the United States stumbles along with an antiquated infrastructure and a dysfunctional health-care system. The country cannot continue wasting resources on overstated terrorist threats without paying the price at home.
US Ambassador to Hungary

Overthrow Assad, Let in Refugees, and Fight Russia...or Else! By Daniel McAdams May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Ron Paul Institute " - If anyone wants a short course on what's wrong with US diplomacy look no further than US Ambassador to Hungary Coleen Bell's speech Friday to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament. In typical diplo-speak there was plenty of flowery language about shared values, fish swimming together in the same water (?), sappy poetics like "together, out of that winter, we would force the spring," and talk of together being "part of the worlds greatest military and political alliance."



But make no mistake: Inside Ambassador Bell's velvet glove is an iron fist, poised to strike should Washington's annoyingly independent-minded Fidesz-led government step out of line on the big issues. And by "big" issues it should be understood that the US means the issues it considers in the interests of its own foreign policy, not those in Hungary's interest.



Message to Hungary: do as we say or you will be sorry.



Ambassador Bell's previous job was as a television soap opera producer, but raising more than two million dollars for the election of Barack Obama "earned" her the position of top US diplomat in Hungary.



The former television producer does know how to deliver her lines, though. She lectured the Hungarians about Syria, explaining to them that ISIS and Assad are both equally evil and both equally to blame for the disaster that is Syria.



ISIS has flourished in Syria, she told the Hungarians, because it "exploits the chaos of civil war in Syria, a conflict that has now claimed more than 250,000 lives." But she does not mention that it was US backing for "regime change" in Syria -- beginning at least in 2006, as we learn from a critical Wikileaks-released US Embassy Damascus memo -- that created that very chaos she blames for the rise of ISIS.



In fact it is propaganda to call what is happening in Syria a "civil war," as the forces battling the Syrian government are all sponsored by foreign powers like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the US. It is a proxy war against the Syrian government, not a civil war.



She then tells the Hungarians ISIS will never be defeated in Syria until Assad is overthrown: [W]e know we wont be able to defeat Daesh in Syria unless we also deal with the civil war and particularly with Assad. Because as long as Assad is there, he remains the most powerful magnet for foreign fighters and recruits to Daesh. Does she assume Hungarians are so stupid that they believe that by attacking and beating ISIS back nearly to Raqqa (with Russian assistance), the Syrian government of Assad is actually benefitting ISIS? Attacking ISIS means Assad is on the side of ISIS?



"Since February, the cessation of hostilities reduced the violence in Syria, allowing millions of Syrian civilians to take the first steps toward reclaiming a normal life," says the Ambassador, without even mentioning what brought the ceasefire about in the first place: Russian participation along with the Syrian army in the decimation of al-Qaeda and ISIS positions in northwest and central Syria. In fact it is absolutely bizarre that in the world of Ambassador Bell (and the State Department hacks who drafted her speech), the Russian intervention against al-Qaeda and ISIS simply never took place or was too inconsequential to mention.



Is any Hungarian so ill-informed that he would believe such nonsense?



Bell used the tragedy in Syria to pressure Hungary on the (largely American-made) refugee crisis. Hungary's firebrand prime minister, Viktor Orban, has, along with several of his central European counterparts, stood up to Brussels' (and Washington's) demands that Hungary take in tens of thousands of migrants who heeded German Chancellor Angela Merkel's call to come to Europe and enjoy lots of free stuff.



Last month Orban told Hungarian Radio that if he accepts the EU migrant resettlement plan, it would be determined not in Hungary but in Brussels who we have to live together with, and how the ethnic composition of the country will look in future. He has rejected such a notion.



"Every sovereign nation has the right and an obligation to protect its borders," Bell told the Hungarian Parliament, "But every nation, as a part of the international community, also has a fundamental obligation to help refugee populations seeking safety."



Translation: your sovereignty is not determined by you, but rather by us. It is a practice articulated by Orwell in 1984 whereby a person can think two completely contradictory thoughts at the same time seemingly without any mental conflict.



But here is where the iron fist inside Bell's velvet glove glints in the sun. She pointedly condemned the Hungarian government position by praising those in Hungary who hold the opposite view, i.e. the Hungarian opposition: We commend the humanitarian spirit of Hungarian leaders, law enforcement and military personnel, and ordinary citizens who are responding to this crisis with generosity and compassion. Then she gives Hungary Washington's marching orders: We continue to stress that any solution to these migration challenges should focus on saving and protecting lives, ensuring the human rights of all migrants are respected, and promoting orderly and humane migration policies. That includes the support of all Member State governments for the refugee agreement forged between the EU and Turkey. Translation: Hungary must support the EU agreement with Turkey which would see tens of thousands of migrants settled in EU member countries, including Hungary itself. The problem is that the Hungarian parliament explicitly rejected Brussels' forced migrant settlement plans for Hungary and plans to hold a nationwide referendum on the subject. Bell is saying here that Hungary's elected representatives and even the Hungarian voter must be ignored and Brussels' dictate obeyed.



When it comes to Russia, Ambassador Bell also has some instructions for Budapest: Moscow is your enemy and don't you forget it.



She told Hungarian parliamentarians:

As many Hungarians have reminded me, you need no introduction to the nature of Russian aggression. Your response has always been to show resolve. Our best weapons, in fact, are resolve and solidarity. Weapons? Quite a loaded word.



Orban has been seen in Washington as insufficiently enthused about sanctions on Russia, which hurt Hungarian trade and business interests. Ambassador Bell makes it clear that Hungary must adhere to US demands of Russia, even if they are completely incoherent: As the United States and Hungary have both stated many times, Russia has a simple choice: fully implement Minsk or continue to face sanctions. Russia must withdraw weapons and troops from the Donbas; Russia must ensure that all Ukrainian hostages are returned; Russia must allow full humanitarian access to occupied territories; Russia must support free, fair, and internationally-monitored elections in the Donbas under Ukrainian law; and most important, Russia must restore Ukraines sovereignty. That last point should be taken to mean that Russia must ignore the will of the people of Crimea who voted in overwhelming numbers to re-join Russia after just 25 years as part of independent Ukraine.



Not to worry, Ambassador Bell is confident that Budapest will do everything Washington tells it to do: More than this, Hungary is equal to the great challenges of our times, and the United States is counting on you. To stiffen their spine, US Ambassador Bell reminds the Hungarians that they are part of "our global order" and touts the great examples set by the US, including: Our system of international economic, political, and social norms and institutions have kept the peace and fostered prosperity for decades. Whether it is international law, environmental protection, trade regulations, anticorruption laws, child labor laws, human rights safeguards, the nonproliferation regime, public health systems, international financial institutions, UN peacekeeping, or a robust civil society  these norms and institutions give life and stability to our global order. In the era of NSA spying on innocent Americans, Guantanamo, CIA torture, weapons sales to the world's worst dictators (Saudi Arabia for one), destruction of the environment by the US war machine, "regime change" operations that violate the sovereignty of other states, and outright aggression in opposition to US and international law (Libya, etc.), Bell's suggestion that "our global order" is the pinnacle of civilization should get a laugh out of most Hungarians. In fact, from Libya to Syria to Ukriane to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the US interventionist attempt to forge a global order with blood and bullets will go down in history along with the authoritarianisms of the 20th century as one of humanity's darkest chapters.



Here is the short version of Ambassador Bell to Budapest: "to be our partner means you do what we say whether or not it is in your interest."



Funny, that was Moscow's message to Budapest from 1948 to 1989. Copyright  2016 by RonPaul Institute.
Putin Plays Energy Chess with Netanyahu By F. William Engdahl May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " NEO " - On April 21 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Moscow for closed door talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The media reported that the talks were over the situation in Syria, a theme where Moscow has made certain a regular hotline dialogue exists to avoid potential military clashes. It seems, however, that the two discussed quite another issuepotential Russian involvement in developing Israels giant offshore Leviathan gas field in the Eastern Mediterranean. Were the two to strike a deal, the geopolitical implications could be enormous for Putin and Russias strategic role in the Middle East as well as for the future of the US influence in the region. Israeli press reported the Netanyahu-Putin talks as being about coordination between forces in skies above war-torn country, status of Golan Heights According to Russian state media reports, however, in addition, Netanyahu and Putin discussed the potential role of Russias state-owned Gazprom, the worlds largest natural gas producer and marketer, as a possible stakeholder in Israels Leviathan natural gas field. Russian involvement in the stalled Israeli gas development would reduce financial risk for Israeli offshore gas operations and increase the gas fields security, as Russian allies like Hezbollah in Lebanon or Iran would not dare target Russian joint ventures. If the Russian reports are accurate, it could portend a major new step in Putin energy geopolitics in the Middle East, one which could give Washington a major defeat in her increasingly inept moves to control the worlds center of oil and gas. Russian interest Many outside observers might be surprised that Putin would be in such a dialogue with Netanyahu, a longstanding US ally. There are many factors behind it. One is the leverage Russias President has through the presence of more than one million ethnic Russians in Israel, including a cabinet member in Netanyahus government. More importantly, since the Obama Administration went ahead, over vehement Netanyahu protests, to sign the nuclear deal with Iran in 2015, relations between Washington and Tel Aviv have chilled to put it mildly. The situation is being skillfully mined by Putin and Russia. Washington wants to force a political reconciliation between Netanyahu and Turkeys Erdogan, including a deal in which Turkey would become a major buyer of Israeli offshore gas, making major purchase agreements from Leviathan. For Washington that would reduce Turkish dependency, today more than 60%, on imports of Russian gas. In return Israel would agree to sell Turkey advanced Israeli military equipment with Washington approval. However bilateral talks between Turkey and Israel are reportedly stalled over numerous differences. This opens a door for Russia to enter. Putin invited Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, to Moscow on March 16 for talks following Russias surprise decision to pull some of its forces back from Syria. Significantly, the visit was sanctioned by Netanyahu, who often is at personal odds with his President. One purpose was clearly to lay ground for the latest Netanyahu Moscow visit. Golan, Leviathan, Turkey What is emerging is a complex realpolitik negotiation between Putin and Netanyahu of the highest geopolitical stakes for the entire Middle East and beyond. The elements as they now appear include possible Gazprom partnership and investment in the development and marketing of natural gas from Israels giant offshore Leviathan gas find. It includes some kind of arrangement between Russia and Israel to guarantee Israeli security from attacks by the Teheran-backed Hezbollah from forces in the Syrian Golan Heights. And it includes a deal in which Israel would walk away from Washingtons desired gas and arms sales to Erdogans Turkey, a deal which would weaken Gazprom and any Russian leverage over Turkey. Israels Leviathan First Leviathan. In late 2010 Israel announced discovery of a massive super-giant gas field offshore in what it declares is its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Its located in what geologists call the Levant or Levantine Basin. The find is some 84 miles west of the Haifa port and three miles deep. They named it Leviathan after the Biblical sea monster. Three Israeli energy companies, led by Delek Energy, in cooperation with the Houston Texas Noble Energy announced initial estimates that the field contained 16 trillion cubic feet of gasmaking it the worlds biggest deep-water gas find in a decade. For the first time since creation of the Israeli state in 1948, the country would be self-sufficient in energy and even in a position to become a major gas exporter. If we flash forward some five or more years to the present, the world and Israels entree as a major energy geopolitical player appear far different. The world prices for oil and natural gas have collapsed dramatically since late 2014 with little sign of serious recovery. Internal Israeli politics have furthermore blocked the regulatory approval for development of Leviathan. On March 28, Israels High Court blocked the Netanyahu governments proposal to freeze regulation changes in the natural gas industry, threatening to delay the development of offshore fields. The court objected to a proposed stability clause, which would have prevented major regulatory changes for 10 years. Lack of an approved government framework has delayed development of Leviathan. Noble and their Israeli partners, Delek Group Ltd. are the two major stakeholders in Leviathan. What has changed as well since Russias earlier foray into Leviathan 2012 is the fact that Netanyahu and the Obama Administration are barely on speaking terms over Iran and numerous other issues. As well, the world oil and gas market is in a depression and Israel could urgently need significant outside investors to develop Leviathan. As well today the Houston, Texas company, Noble Energy, is feeling the negative impact of the energy price collapse of the past two years in the midst of the worst oil industry depression in years and is discussing sales of its stake in various international projects to weather the storm. In October 2015, Israeli sources reported that Vladimir Putin had reformulated a proposal for Gazprom participation in Israels nascent offshore gas development. According to comments of senior Israeli journalist, Ehud Yaari, Putin had expressed renewed Russian interest in Gazproms entering into the Israeli natural gas sector by taking a joint venture share of the huge and costly Leviathan project. Yaari, considered very well-informed in Israeli Middle East politics, also stated that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who opposed a previous deal 2012 with Gazprom, is now reconsidering his 2012 position. In 2012 Gazprom had submitted the highest bid to buy a 30% stake in Leviathan. Noble Energys Israeli partners in Leviathan, led by Delek Energy, then had decided to bring in a strategic partner because they lack the financial wherewithal, know-how, and connections to fully exploit the reservoirs potential as quickly as possible. Cost of developing the gas discovery alone, including building a natural gas liquefaction (LNG) plant, was estimated at $10-15 billion. At that time there was a split among the owners of the Leviathan bloc. Israeli billionaire Yitzhak Tshuvas Delek Group were enthusiastic about doing a deal with Gazprom, given their geopolitical power and marketing ability globally. The US-based Noble Energy was opposed, most likely at the urging of Washington. Gazprom lost that one. In October 2015, a month after initiation of Russias military intervention in Syria, Yaari told the Sydney-based newspaper, The Australian, that Putin had recently told Netanyahu, in return for a Leviathan deal, We will make sure there will be no provocation against the [Israeli] gas fields by Hezbollah or Hamas. Given Russias recent military role in Syria, that was clearly no empty promise. Turkey and Israel Another component of a possible Grand Bargain on energy and security guarantees between Russia and Israel would involve an agreement for Israel to end US-backed negotiations with Turkeys Erdogan in favor of Gazprom investment into Leviathan and Russian security guarantees to Israeli offshore energy projects. In early March this year, US Vice President Joe Biden, who has an uncanny knack to show up in areas where Washingtons neo-conservatives want special concessions or agreements, showed up in Tel Aviv for a meeting with Netanyahu. In closed door talks between the two, according to Israels leading daily, Haaretz, Biden pressured Netanyahu to strike a deal with Erdogan that would see Israels Leviathan gas going to Turkey to replace Gazprom gas. Biden also pressed for Israeli advanced weapons sales to NATO-member Turkey. Since then, secret talks have been ongoing between Israel and Turkey with no tangible success. Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon, speaking on behalf of the Israeli military establishment told Israeli media several times in recent weeks that the IDF demands, as precondition for any detente between Israel and Turkey that Erdogan shut the Hamas command post in Turkey from which Israel claims terror activities against Israel were ordered. Turkey has not agreed. The Israeli military establishment reportedly prefers maintaining military cooperation with Russia over that of any deal with the unpredictable Erdogan. Clearly not by coincidence, only days after the Biden talks with Netanyahu, Putin extended his invitation, not to Netanyahu directly, but more diplomatically, with Israeli President Rivlin. Rivlin was invited to Moscow on the ceremonial pretext of the 25th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries. He acted clearly as a discreet back-channel to prepare the most recent Moscow Putin-Netanyahu talks involving among other items, Gazprom stakes in Leviathan and the future of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights where a suspiciously well-connected US energy company, Genie Energy, whose advisory board includes names such as Dick Cheney and Lord Rothschild, claims to have discovered, via their Israeli subsidiary, a huge new oil find. Recent efforts by Netanyahu to get US President Obama to back a permanent Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights reportedly fell on deaf ears. Likely Netanyahu had in the back of his mind during his talks with Obama the reports of large oil discoveries by the Israeli subsidiary of the US-based Genie Energy. In his Moscow talks, President Rivlin asked Putin to help reestablish the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force presence on the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria, noting that Israel is concerned to make sure Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups are not able to use the chaos within war-torn Syria and a power vacuum on the Golan Heights to set up a base near the border for attacks against Israel. The recent fighting forced the UN to withdraw. What is clear is that the ultimate geopolitical stakes for all sidesMoscow, Tel Aviv, Ankara, Washington, for US energy companies, Israeli energy companies and Russias Gazpromare enormous. To be monitored F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook
When They Killed JFK They Killed America By Paul Craig Roberts May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - In the JFK administration I was a White House Fellow. In those days it was a much larger program than the small insider program it later became. President Kennedys intention was to involve many young Americans in government in order to keep idealism alive as a counter to the material interests of lobby groups. I dont know if the program still exists. If it does, the idealism that was its purpose is long gone. President John F. Kennedy was a classy president. In my lifetime there has not been another like him. Indeed, today he would be impossible. Conservatives and Republicans did not like him, because he was thoughtful. Their favorite weapon against him was their account of his love life, which according to them involved Mafia molls and Marilyn Monroe. They must have worked themselves into fits of envy over Marilyn Monroe, the hottest woman of her time. Unlike most presidents, Kennedy was able to break with the conventional thinking of the time.

From his experience with the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Joint Chiefs Operaton Northwoods, Kennedy concluded that CIA Director Allen Dulles and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lemnitzer were both crazed by anti-communism and were a danger to Americans and the world. Kennedy removed Dulles as CIA director, and he removed Lemnitzer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, thus setting in motion his own assassination. The CIA, the Joint Chiefs, and the Secret Service concluded that JFK was soft on communism. So did the Bill Buckley conservatives. JFK was assassinated because of anti-communist hysteria in the military and security agencies.

The Warren Commission was well aware of this. The coverup was necessary because America was locked into a Cold War with the Soviet Union. To put US military, CIA, and Secret Service personnel on trial for murdering the President of the United States would have shaken the confidence of the American people in their own government. Oswald had nothing whatsoever to do with JFKs assassination. That is why Oswald was himself assassinated inside the Dallas jail before he could be questioned. For those of you too young to have experienced John Kennedy and those of you who have forgot his greatness, do yourselves a favor and listen to this 5 minute, 23 second speech. Try

to imagine anyone among the current dolts giving a speech like this. Look how much is said so well in less than 5 and one-half minutes. Kennedy intended to pull the US out of Vietnam once he was reelected. He intended to break up the CIA into one thousand pieces and curtail the military-security complex that was exploiting the US budget. And that is why he was murdered. The evil that resides in Washington does not only kill foreign leaders who try to do the right thing, but also its own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YafZkjiMpjU Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
Updated

The teacher pipeline is riddled with holes when it comes to diversity in the profession, a new U.S. Department of Education report finds.

Full-service and pre-service teachers of color are falling out at every stage of the pipeline, according to the report on The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce , which was released today to coincide with the departments National Summit on Teacher Diversity.

First, bachelors degree students are less diverse than high school graduates38 percent of undergraduates are students of color, compared to 43 percent of high school graduates. Then, only a quarter of students enrolled in teacher- preparation programs are students of color. And bachelors degree completion rates for students who major in education are significantly lower for black and Hispanic students than for white studentsthere is a 30 percentage point completion gap between black and white students, and a 20 percentage-point gap between Hispanic and white education majors.

Only 18 percent of public school teachers are individuals of color, even as nonwhite students now outnumber white students in U.S. public schools. Black male teachers are the most underrepresented group , with only 2 percent of teachers comprising this demographic. Teacher-retention rates are also higher for white teachers than for teachers of color.

The report concludes by highlighting several of the Obama administrations initiatives to boost educational attainment, including measures to provide two years of free community college in participating states and two years of free or significantly reduced tuition at participating historically black colleges and universities.

The report also spotlighted a couple of school systems that are working to increase teacher diversity, including the Boston district. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. spoke with a group of Boston public school teachers about the districts efforts to attract and retain more diverse teachers. As my colleague Liana Heitin reported, King was there to listen for suggestions on how to improve the school experience for teachers of color in order to raise retention ratesthe districts rate of teachers of color is about 20 percentage points higher than the national average. A quarter of the new teachers hired by the district in the 2015-16 school year were black.

One of Boston Public Schools main initiatives to diversify its teacher workforce is the Boston Public High School to Teacher Program, which identifies high school students who would make great teachers and provides them with mentors, college prep courses, half their tuition, and eventually, if they are successful, teaching jobs in the district. Eighty-seven percent of the participants are black or Latino.

In his short time as education secretary, King has been vocal about the need for a more diverse national teaching corps, which he says contributes to better outcomes in schools.

Its important for students of color to have role models who look like them and share common experiences, he said in a statement with the report. Its just as important for all students to see teachers of color in leadership roles in their classrooms and communities.

The 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes, who is black, has also spoken out about the need to recruit more minority teachers and plans to make that a component of her year-long tour of U.S. schools.

As a child growing up in an urban poverty stricken environment, I only came in contact with one minority teacher. This contact greatly influenced the person I became, she wrote in her application for the award. It is very difficult to explain the feelings of isolation that come when you are in a school and the faculty is not reflective of your culture or heritage.

Update, May 12, 2016: This post has been updated to clarify that of the students in teacher-prep programs, 25 percent are students of color.

Source: Image of National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes courtesy of Waterbury Public Schools; chart via the U.S. Department of Education

More on Teacher Diversity:
Saudi Arabia Faces Collapse

Americas Middle Eastern Ally May Not Survive This Latest Oil Crisis



Petroleum accounts for 90 percent of the country's economy. A depressed market has exposed its fragile fundamentals By Vijay Prashad May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " AlterNet " - Saudi Arabia is in serious trouble. The Binladin Group, the kingdoms largest construction company, has terminated the employment of fifty thousand foreign workers. They have been issued exit visas, which they have refused to honor. These workers will not leave without being paid back wages. Angry with their employer, some of the workers set fire to seven of the companys buses. Unrest is on the cards in the Kingdom. In April, King Salman fired the water and electricity minister Abdullah al-Hasin, who had come under criticism for high water rates, new rules over the digging of wells and cuts in energy subsidies. The restructured ministry was to save the Kingdom $30 billionprecious money for an exchequer that is spluttering from low oil prices. Eighty-six percent of Saudis say that they want the water and electricity subsidies to continue. They are not prepared to let these disappear. They see this as their right. Why, they say, should an energy rich country not provide almost free energy for its subjects? When King Salman took over last year, he inherited a kingdom in dire straits. Saudi Arabias Treasury relies upon oil sales for over ninety percent of its revenue. The population does not pay tax, so the only way to raise funds is from oil sales. As oil prices fell from $100/ barrel to $30/barrel, oil revenues for the Kingdom collapsed. Saudi Arabia lost $390 billion in anticipated oil profits last year. Its budget deficit came to $100 billionmuch higher than it has been in memory. For the first time since 1991, Saudi Arabia turned to the world of private finance to raise $10 billion for a five-year loan. That this country, with a vast sovereign wealth fund, needs to borrow money to cover its bills is an indication of its fragile fundamentals. What does a country do when it enters a period of crisis? It calls the consulting firm McKinsey. That is precisely what Saudi Arabia did. McKinsey sent its crack analysts to the Kingdom. They returnedin December 2015with Saudi Arabia Without Oil: The Investment and Productivity Transformation. This report could have been written without a site visit. It carries all the cliches of neo-liberalism: transform the economy from a government-led to a market-led one, cut subsidies and transfer payments, and sell government assets to finance the transition. There is not one hint of the peculiar political economy and cultural context of Saudi Arabia. The report calls for a cut in Saudi Arabias public-sector employment and a cut in its three million low-wage foreign workers. But the entire political economy of Saudi Arabia and the culture of its Saudi subjects are reliant upon state employment for the subjects and low-wage subservience from the guest workers. To change these two pillars calls into question the survival of the monarchy. A Saudi Arabia without oil, McKinsey should have honestly said, is a Saudi Arabia without a monarchy. What would the McKinsey transformation produce? A productivity-led transformation, wrote the eager analysts, could enable Saudi Arabia to again double its [Gross Domestic Product] and create as many as six million new Saudi jobs by 2030. The Kings son, Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS), took McKinsey at its word. He then copied and pasted the report in his own Saudi Vision 2030. Little of Prince MbSs statement differs from the McKinsey proposal. The eagerness of the Prince shows his lack of experience. It is unlikely that he has read Naomi Kleins The Shock Doctrine, a full-scale assault on the idea of economic transformation. Even more unlikely that he has read Duff McDonalds The Firm, an evisceration of McKinseys smoke and mirrors model. To base an entire countrys future on a McKinsey report seems reckless. But then Prince MbS has a streak of recklessness in him. He led the Saudi war on Yemen  and that has not turned out well at all. The peace talks over that war being held in Kuwait remain stalled. Saudi Arabia made almost no gains in Yemen. Should the man who led Saudi Arabia into humiliating failure in Yemen now be in charge of its economic transformation? Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. Prince MbS has the Kings favor. His talents are measured by the King and not by the people. They will have to tolerate his shenanigans with the economy just as they have had to tolerate his failed war on Yemen. What is Prince MbSs Saudi Vision 2030? Despite the attempts to create some stability in the oil market, there is no indication that oil prices would be raised to safe levels anytime soon. If oil remains below $50/barrel, Saudi Arabia has to revise its own economic project. That means that Saudi Arabia will have to find new ways to create revenues. To shift from an oil-dependent economy to an industrial-tourism-finance economy will require a massive dose of investment. To secure that investment, Saudi Arabia plans to sell a small stake of its state-owned oil firmARAMCO. The plan is to raise at least $2 trillion from that sale and from the sale of other state assets. This money will bolster the depleted Sovereign Wealth Fund, which might otherwise run dry by 2017-2020. The enhanced Sovereign Wealth Fund will be used to develop new industrial sectors such as petrochemicals, manufacturing at the medium scale and finance as well as tourism. Foreigners will be allowed to own property in the Kingdom and entrepreneurial activity will be encouraged by the state. How does all this happen by 2020  the date proposed by Prince MbSor even by 2030the name of the Princes plan? Will Saudi Arabia be able to rapidly transform its population from being satisfied with receipts of oil revenues to being workers in an insecure market environment? History suggests a long period of dissatisfaction amongst the public during this kind of enormous transition. Can the Saudi royal family manage the level of anger and humiliation that this change will evoke? The IMFs director of Middle East and Central AsiaMasood Ahmedis sure that the transition will work just fine. In fact, Ahmed believes that the McKinsey plan is perhaps a little too modest. What the Saudis need to do, said Ahmed, is to attract more private investment to help the diversification plan. Where will this private investment come from? Perhaps from China, which has already signed a large ($2.48 billion) nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is Chinas largest oil supplier. Chinas Sinopec, PetroChina and Yunnan Yuntianhua work closely with ARAMCO to build oil refineries in the kingdom and on the Chinese coastline. Chinese construction companies are building the Haramain railroad that will eventually link Mecca and Madina. China is the largest trading partner of Saudi Arabia. The Binladin group will mothball some of its cranes, but that does not mean that cranes will hang over the skyline of the kingdom. Chinese construction firms are prepared to build the new infrastructural base in Saudi Arabia. Washington, if it is paying attention, must see the drift of its old allyeither into social chaos or into the Chinese orbit. No other alternative exists.
Australian Government Boasts of Helping US Kill Its Own Citizens in Middle East By Mike Head May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " WSWS " - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his senior ministers this week welcomed the reported assassinations, via US airstrikes, of two young Australians in Iraq and Syria and declared that Australia was directly involved in targeting them. Interviewed on Sky News on Thursday, Turnbull went further, warning that other Australians allegedly supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East will be targeted in the same manner. Turnbull hailed the news as a very positive development in the war on terror, while Attorney-General George Brandis said we should be gladdened by this news. These remarksand Turnbulls chilling threat of further assassinationshave not received the slightest criticism in Australias political and media establishment, even though they amount to sanctioning extra-judicial killings as a matter of government policy, without the pretence of any legal process. This development demonstrates the readiness of Australias ruling elite to abrogate even the most fundamental legal and democratic rights as part of the fraudulent war on terrorism. Officially, the death penalty has been banned by Australian law for more than four decades, but these young people were summarily executed, without trial. One victim, 24-year-old Neil Prakash, was said to have been killed by an American airstrike in Mosul, northern Iraq, on April 29. The joint media release of Brandis and Defence Minister Maris Payne said Prakash was targeted because he was a terrorist recruiter and attack facilitator. Prakash was not accused of being an ISIS fighter, nor was he killed on a battlefield. Instead, he allegedly appeared in propaganda videos and encouraged acts of terrorism. These activities may have been crimes under the terrorism laws introduced since 2001, but Prakash was not charged or convicted of any offences. Instead, in the words of Brandis, he was taken out. The other victim, Shadi Jabar Khalil Mohammad, a student believed to be in her 20s, was apparently even further removed from any military combat. According to the official media release, she was killed near Al Bab, Syria, on 22 April 2016, along with her Sudanese husband, Abu Saad al-Sudani. Both were said to be active recruiters of foreign fighters and had been inspiring attacks against Western interests. The only other fact cited to justify Mohammads murder was that she was the sister of Farhad Mohammad, a 15-year-old boy who was shot dead by police in Sydney last October after fatally shooting a police employee. Despite offering no evidence of any involvement in fighting, Turnbull justified the killing of these two young people, both of whom grew up in Australia, declaring they were enemies of Australia who were waging war against Australia. Turnbull indicated that other Australian citizens were on a death list. Asked if Prakash was specifically targeted, Turnbull replied: Yes, and has been for some time. While refusing to elaborate for operational reasons, he declared: We are unrelenting in the war against terrorism  Australians will be targeted. This war has nothing to do with protecting people against terrorism. For more than 15 years, the war on terror has been waged by the US and its allies, with Australia in the frontline, to seek to establish American hegemony over the resource-rich and strategically-vital Middle East. Entire countries have been devastatedAfghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syriafuelling the rise of ISIS. In fact, the US and its partners have funded and armed ISIS and similar militias linked to Al Qaeda in order to oust governments, and then exploited the atrocities of their proxies to escalate their predatory interventions. Interviewed on Sky News, Brandis echoed the assertions of the Obama administration that the US president has the power to routinely select citizens for assassination. At least three American citizens have been killed so far, in flagrant breach of the US law and constitution: Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old son Abdulrahman al-Awlaki and Samir Khan. Brandis confirmed that Australia cooperated with the US in the identification and location of Prakesh. He insisted that it took quite a while to isolate a target in order to avoid killing innocent people and family members of targets. Australia took this responsibility, under international humanitarian law, very, very seriously, as did the US. In reality, the targeting is based on unproven allegations, as well as family links. Moreover, tens of thousands of innocent civilians have been killed throughout the Middle East by US drone attacks and Allied airstrikes. The attorney-general pointed to the integration of Australias military and intelligence agencies into the global operations of the US, referring to the cooperation throughout the Five Eyes countries, which also include Britain, Canada and New Zealand. The joint US-Australian spy base at Pine Gap in central Australia plays a crucial role in pinpointing targets and coordinating US military operations across the region. The Liberal-National governments blatant celebration of the assassinations of Prakash and Mohammad marks an escalation of a bipartisan policy of placing Australian citizens on US hit lists. In April 2015, the Australian reported that an Australian citizen, Mostafa Farag, had been selected for drone execution in Syria, initially by the previous Labor government. A year earlier, another citizen, Christopher Harvard, and a dual Australian-New Zealand citizen, Muslim bin John, were killed in a US drone strike in Yemen. Significantly, Turnbulls government proclaimed the two killings on the eve of calling a double dissolution election of both houses of parliament in an attempt to remove a political blockage to the imposition of deeply unpopular social spending cuts and other austerity measures. Once again, the fraudulent war on terror is being ramped up to try to distract the population and whip up support for militarism abroad and unprecedented attacks on basic democratic rights domestically. In the media, Prakash has been demonised for alleged procurement of young Muslims to attempt a series of terrorist attacks in Australia. These unsubstantiated claims have been splashed throughout the media, prejudicing the trials of a number of teenagers whose cases have yet to get to court. The allegations are also being utilised to bring forward another package of anti-terrorism laws, which will feature detaining and interrogating suspects, as young as 14, for up to 14 days without charge. These measures, agreed to by a meeting of federal and state leaders last month, will also include keeping prisoners convicted of terrorism offences incarcerated indefinitely after they have completed their sentences. In his Sky interview, Brandis said jihadists had to be kept in prison beyond their sentences because they were driven by ideology to violence. This logic could be used against a wide range of supposed extremists, including political opponents, allegedly motivated by ideology. These draconian laws, like the unlawful executions, have the full support of the Labor Party. The Greens, while previously professing opposition to aspects of the terrorism laws, have remained silent on the latest assassinations, as they were on the earlier ones. This alignment behind the criminal activities of Washington goes far beyond killing Australians in Syria and Iraq and victimising vulnerable Muslim youth at home. It is a warning to workers and young people of the brutal methods that will be used by the political and security establishment to suppress opposition to the underlying agenda of war and austerity. The author also recommends: Australian citizen on US drone kill list

[14 April 2015]
How Obama Made Assassination Formal US Policy "All Americans should be outraged at the idea that when were killing large numbers of people in Muslim countries around the world without knowing who they are, that we somehow are not going to pay a price later?"



By Kevin Gosztola Editors Note May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Mint Press " - On May 5, I interviewed The Intercepts Jeremy Scahill about the new book released this week, The Assassination Complex. It has a foreword from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and an afterword by The Intercepts Glenn Greenwald. The book collects the organizations journalistic work based on the Drone Papers, which were provided to the media organization by a whistleblower, who disclosed top secret documents on the governments expansion of assassination policy in warfare on, and away from, declared battlefields. Scahill spoke with me for a little over 40 minutes. It was part of a series of web-based book events, which Shadowproof has planned for this spring. (We plan to have another series in the summer.) Below is a transcript of the interview, and the full interview can be watched by clicking on the below player. Kevin Gosztola: GOSZTOLA: What is the assassination complex? When we talk about the assassination complex, are we talking about a much larger system that includes, for example, the explosion of watchlisting, where people are intimidated and harassed? Typically, they are predominantly Arab Americans, and they have this experience when they try to fly on airplanes. Should we see that as a byproduct of this assassination complex? SCAHILL: Whats interesting in regard to that question is one of the things that we published in this book is the statement by a whistleblower, who provided us with a copy of the 180-plus page of watchlisting guidance, which is really the governments rule book for watchlisting. And it basically maps out a system where individuals have their data and metadata, their names, the people they are in contact with poured into several government databases, one of which has more than 1 million people and growing by the day. Everyone who goes into that system is preemptively categorized as a known or suspected terrorist. I, for one, was on some form of a watchlist when I was doing a lot of travel to Yemen and Somalia, and I would come back into the United States, and I would get pulled aside and they would ask me if I had any weapons training, if I had been in the military. And then, when they would ask me who I was visiting in Yemen and Somalia, I would tell them I am a journalist. Im not going to answer you. Im under no obligation to do that. But Im a white guy, and I am a journalist. I would often see Arabs and other Muslims in the detention center at JFK airport, Area B of JFK airport. I would often come in and see a room packed with people, none of whom were white. I would be called up to the desk before them, and I would be released after them. Once I decided to stay because I was on a flight from Cairo back to JFK, and when we were sitting in the waiting area to board the plane, I was chatting with this young couple and sort of their kids were running around. When we landed, I noticed that this entire family was in Area B of JFK when I was pulled aside, and I went up to them to try to talk to them. Then the agents came up and said no talking in here. You cant talk to them. And then I was processed before them. I was out, and I decided as a test case to wait and see when they came out and they never came out. So I dont know what happened to them. Maybe they were deported, but this was a family with small children. They were terrified sitting in there. The reason I tell that story is because you can end up on a watchlist because your phone number was discovered in the phone of someone else they were monitoring or someone else, whos phone was in the phone of someone else they were monitoring. And no matter why you are in that database, you are designated as a known or suspected terrorist, a KST. Now, that information can trickle all the way to foreign governments and to state and local law enforcement in the U.S. So, if someone gets pulled over by a police officer and they run a check on someone, who happens to be a known or suspected terrorist because their name is similar to someone elses or because their phone number was in the phone of someone that the U.S. government was monitoring, then they are in the situation where a local sheriff or a sheriffs deputy is seeing someone is a known or suspected terrorist, which sounds like an extremely frightening thing. Once youre in that database, you are assigned whats called a TPN number, and its basically like a terrorist tracking number. Every single person who has ever been killed in a drone strike intentionally, meaning the intended targets, has been assigned a TPN number. One of the things that has not gotten a lot of attention that we reported on is that 16-year-old Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, of course the son of Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed in a drone strikeThis 16-year-old U.S. citizen kid was killed two weeks after his father while he was sitting, having a meal with his cousins, and one of the things that our source was able to provide us with was the fact that Abdulrahman al-Awlaki had a terror watchlisting number assigned to him. Now, was it because they believed he was a terrorist or was it because his father was top on a U.S. hit list? We dont know the answer to that question, but every single person, every bit of innocuous information that gets put into that database results in you being labeled a known or suspected terrorist. Basically, what it is is that is the very first step of a process that can eventually lead to your death by a drone strike. But the vast majority in there are not people that are on the kill list. They are people who posted something on Facebook or Twitter, know people, have made phone calls abroad, or their data ends up in someone elses phone. So, the direct answer to your question is, yes, this explosion of watchlisting is directly related to the assassination program across the globe. GOSZTOLA: Currently, there is a focus at least among Id say human rights organizations toward whatever the Obama administration is going to put out in terms of how theyre going to count civilian casualties and what theyre going to do to show a little transparency because theyve been so secretive about this. And my question to you is, based on your drone reporting, these papers, and what youve had come to you from sources, how should we understand the ways the Obama administration has been concealing civilian deaths? How might this coming announcement about civilian casualties represent an institutionalization of undercounting civilian deaths? SCAHILL: First of all, the White House claimed they were going to put this out over a month ago, and what they said is were going to bebecause you know were the Most Transparent Administration In Historywere going to be putting out this unprecedented level of detail about who we have killed in drone strikes outside of declared battlefields. There are some initial leaks that are coming out that seem to indicate that theyre going to claim they killed somewhere around 60 individuals outside of Iraq and Afghanistan, which of course is just a shockingly ridiculous number given the credible and conservative reporting of the Bureau for Investigative Journalism. Even if you take some of the statistics from the New America Foundation, which is even more conservative, the idea that there would only be a few dozen people killed is just ludicrous. But the reason why I think the President is going to be able to say, with a straight face, that the number of civilians killed has been minimal is not because hes some kind of sophisticated liar. Its because the military and the CIA have colluded to create a mathematical formula for determining when civilians are killed that will almost always result in the number zero. What I mean by that is what the Drone Papers show us, these classified top secret documents, is that when any drone strike is conducted, there is only one objective or target. Each drone strike is aimed at killing one individual, not five individuals (except in the case of signature strikes which we can talk about later). In the case of Anwar al-Awlaki, for instance, Anwar al-Awlaki was the target of a drone strike, but that drone strike also killed Samir Khan, who was a Pakistani American who had gone over to Yemen and was writing for Inspire magazine. He was killed in that strike, but he was not the target of that strike. One Republican congressman said at the time that he was twofer, but Samir Khan would have been categorized as an enemy killed in action (EKIA), even if they didnt know his identity. Now, in that case, you have two outspoken people, who were calling for global jihad, and there was not a lot of sympathy in those cases. But if you look at this horrifying strike against the wedding party in Yemen that happened a couple Decembers ago, where more than a dozen people were killedFirst of all, the person that was allegedly the target wasnt there and wasnt killed but a tremendous amount of other people were killed. And the immediate designation of all of those people was EKIA, and the standard that we reveal in these documents is that anyone whose identity is unknown is preemptively labeled an enemy killed in action unless they are clearly visible as women or small children. And the only way that designation is lifted is if they are posthumously proven not to have been terrorist or militants; you know, terms that are really difficult to define because the United States doesnt respect international law. What this means is that the Presidents advisers can say, oh, we killed so-and-so in Pakistan, and there were ten other enemies killed in action. Unless the President says, Well, do we know that they were enemies? Who were these people? The assumption is just going to be we didnt kill any civilians. Regardless of what you think of the morality of this policy, on a very technical level, I think all Americans should be outraged at the idea that when were killing large numbers of people in Muslim countries around the world without knowing who they are, that we somehow are not going to pay a price later? That this is not going to be any blowback? That should a be a concern of everybody no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.

GOSZTOLA: The other thing that I really appreciate about this work is that, again, we have more information about the war in Afghanistan and how the war is being fought. But so often, we write this off. The Obama administration write it off as the good war. Democrats write it off as the good war. We also dont talk about it. It doesnt pop up in political discussions. Well talk about Iraq, but we dont talk about Afghanistan at all, as far as whats going on. So what were you able to learn from the source that gave you the Drone Papers. SCAHILL: My colleague, Ryan Devereaux, who has worked with me since the Blackwater days, reported outthe Afghanistan part of our story because we realized one person would have to do a really deep dive into those documents because they all pertained to a special operations kill/capture campaign called Operation Haymaker. What the documents say in a nutshell is that during this operation, which spanned the course of the year, but during one five-month period that the military reviewed of this operation being conducted by Joint Special Operations Command, nearly 9 out of 10 people that were killed in mostly drone strike; there were some other forms of air strikes. Their identities were not known, and they were classified as enemies killed in action, which means that only ten percent of the people that were being killed in Afghanistan, which is a much easier battlefield in some cases to conduct drone strikes because you have bases within the country and you can send multiple assets at the same timeThat they were killing a tremendous amount of unknown people. The source for the Drone Papers, who had worked on these high-value targeting campaigns, as the Obama administration likes to call it, really described a sickening system, where there was a cavalier attitude about anyone who was around the cellphone that they believed to be a terrorist. Because the overwhelming number of cases, where people are killed in drone strikes, its not that theyre killing people. Its that youre blowing up a phone that you believe to be held by a person that you are hunting, and many drone operators and people who work on these targeting platforms never even know the actual name of the person that they are targeting. Theyre either given a designation, like Sandbox 1 or Sandbox 2, and those are describing a SIM card or the phone that they have. And then they are given just a number on a screen and so they know they are tracking this series of numbers, and its a way of dehumanizing the enemy. The other part of what Ryan reported on regarding Operation Haymaker is that you have the most elite forces in the U.S. military being unleashed in area of Afghanistan, where there was very little actual al Qaida or radical Taliban activity, and instead what ended up happening is the U.S. militarys most elite forces found themselves pulled into a turf war between rival factions that are based along tribal lines, not political lines, including timber warsfighting over natural resources. These guys that are much vaunted and viewed as superheroes. They killed Osama bin Laden. Theyre in the middle of a battle over trees that are being cut down in Afghanistan and not killing anyone that is even a member of al Qaida. I think they say in there they killed one individual in that whole year-long campaign, who actually had any links to al Qaida. ***

GOSZTOLA: Another critical development in the Obama administration is this expansion of warfare in the continent of Africa, which these documents address. Im wondering when you look at what is in these documents related to the assassination complex, on one hand, please talk about Somalia and whats going on, but also the destruction of an entire country in LibyaHow is the assassination complex fueling that, especially when it seems like were almost into a new second or third round of warfare, where recent reports were that surveillance drones were sent into the country to survey the spread of militias once again? SCAHILL: This is sort of the 1-2-3 punch of the Obama doctrine, where you haveYoure going to use a lot of drones, weaponized drones but also surveillance drones. Youre going to have small numbers of covert operations forces conducting direct actions, meaning targeting people unilaterally, not with foreign forces. And then you have this CIA-military attempt to build up local militia that can essentially implement the agenda of their paymasters from the United States, and of course, that opens the door for huge blowback, as weve seen over and over again throughout U.S. history. Hillary Clinton now is viewed as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party, although Bernie Sanders did have quite an upset in Indiana the other night. But lets just assume for right now that Hillary looks like shes going to be the nominee. Hillary is a legendary hawk. She is about regime change. She has much more common on a foreign policy level with Dick Cheney than she does with her average voter or average supporter. She is part of the bipartisan war party that really has governed this country for many, many decades. She was one of the central people in the utter destruction of Libya, one of the people who was a key player in creating the conditions that led to Ambassador Chris Stevens being killed. Hillary Clinton, if you look at the documents that we have in the book about the kill chain and the bureaucracy of killing, what youll notice about that is at the very beginning of the process you have foreign governments feeding intelligence to the United States. Then it goes all the way up this pyramid, and Hillary Clinton and other American officials are an intricate part of signing off on these extrajudicial sentences for people around the world that are meted out usually in the form of a drone strike. In Libya, in Syria, in Iraq, you now have this world as a battlefield mentality underway and JSOC is being let off the leash again. But I think the dog is now so far away from the yard that you cant even call it back. We dont even discuss foreign policy except through a narrow lens in this election year right now. Theres too many sneezes of Donald Trump to cover, which of his former interns was Ted Cruz sleeping with, and is John Kasichs heart still beating. Thats whats on news all day long. But there are hardcore issues. There is not a single person running for president from either major party that is against the assassination policy, that is against the compilation of a kill list. Bernie Sanders, when asked by Chris Hayes recently at a Democratic town hall meeting, said as its being implemented under Obama, he supports the kill list, and Chris Hayes used the phrase the kill list and Bernie co-signed it. The other thing is Bernie hammers away at Hillary Clinton for her regime change politics, and I think he should, and she deserves to be held completely accountable. She is a total hawkish empire politician. But Bernie Sanders foreign policy is not that much better. Its just that he hasnt been in a position of authority the way that Hillary Clinton has as secretary of state. Now, set aside climate change and other issues. Just looking at military policy. Bernie Sanders signed on to the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998, which was a product of the neoconservative Project for a New American Century. William Kristol, Donald Rumsfeld, Eliot Abrams, Paul Wolfowitzthese guys in 1998 wrote a letter to President Clinton that said you need to take Iraq seriously. Make it a major priority of U.S. national defense policy, and we should make regime change the law of the land. That then was translate into a bill that Bernie Sanders supported it and then signed into law. That was laying the ground work for a point of no return in terms of invading Iraq and overthrowing Saddam Hussein. Bernie Sanders was about regime change at the very, very beginning before Hillary Clinton even was in the Senate. Bernie Sanders then went on to support the most brutal regime of economic sanctions in modern history against Iraq, and I spent a lot of time on the ground in Iraq during that period, where the U.S. policy was to try to starve and sort of target the healthcare system of ordinary Iraqis to try to encourage them to rise up against Saddam Hussein, and it only benefited Saddam Hussein. So, while Bernie Sanders has said some amazing things about various aspects of the crooked criminal nature of various U.S. foreign policiesthe coups in Guatemala and Iran. Its all amazing to hear a major politician say that in the United States, but he gets away with sort of the hypocrisy of just hammering away on Hillary Clintons regime change stuff when he was on the wrong side of decision making in history when he was a lawmaker when the Iraq stuff was just starting. So, I mean, I think the fact that Bernie Sanders has come out in favor of drones, has basically said that he supports the maintenance of a kill list, and believes that these kind of targeted assassination operations make sense means we really dont have an alternative in terms of the major political candidates on this issue. GOSZTOLA: Just to follow up on the political question, and then well get back to the book. An important political question is this issue of people who read our work on a daily basis, people who sympathize with what we do and are out doing organizing, but do give candidates like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton when it comes to drone warfare, when it comes to regime change policies. And I think now its even more stark because I think what you say is very significant, the fact that this elections going to become about Hillary Clinton playing the woman card or its going to become about the misogynistic sleazy attacks of Donald Trump, and the worst thing that people will say is that Donald Trump is going to become president and hes going to have this assassination complex at his fingertips to wield around the world, but the fact of the matter is that there is a real thing that has to be confronted, which is the extent to which the left has made it possible to be available post-election. SCAHILL: You cannot understate the significance of the role that President Obama has played over both terms of his administration in seeking to legitimize assassination as a central component of American policy. In the early days after 9/11, Richard Clarke, who was the counterterrorism czar under President Clinton and then carried over with the Bush people, was called to a secret hearing thats since been declassified, a joint hearing of the House and Senate intelligence committees. The aim of the hearing was the Republicans were trying to blame Bill Clinton for 9/11. They were reviewing counterterrorism policy and why Bill Clinton didnt kill Osama bin Laden. During this secret hearing, Richard Clarke said there was a consensus within the Clinton administration that they did not want to give the impression of running an Israeli-style assassination ring around the world. And so, the Clinton administration put in talmudic regulations before you could actually pull the trigger in an operation that was going to kill someone like Osama bin Laden. You then fast-forward to the Obama era, and were hitting people left and right all over the globe with a very streamlined, almost scientific process for determining who lives and who dies on any given day. The popularity of drone strikes, when it peaked in the seventies at one point [referring to poll numbers], and it didnt decline much at all in the question of targeting a U.S. citizen in drone strikeI think can overwhelmingly be attributed to the fact that Obama was viewed as a transformative figure. He has tremendous support among the liberal base across the country. He is a constitutional lawyer by training. He won the Nobel Peace Prize, and people sort of check their conscience at the door when their guy is in power. Over the past two days, Ive been called both a Bernie Bro and a Hillary Bot, and what seems to not get across to these dingbats is Im not a politician, and Im not a partisan. Journalists, our job is to provide people with critical information. I am not in Bernies camp. I am not in Hillarys camp. I am not in Trumps camp. Real journalists will be the same journalists when there is a Democrat or Republican in the White House, and theyre not going to pull punches or withhold facts just because someone they may like more than the other personThats not journalism. Do I think that Bernie has a tremendous number of great ideas? Of course, I do, but Im not Bernies political advisor. Im a journalist, and I think that Bernie should be whacked with criticism for the hypocrisy of going after Hillary Clinton when he also has been a part of that machine. Hillary is low-hanging fruit to go after because she is so hawkish. Its almost like a parody of the one-party foreign policy system in this country that Hillary is running. Jeb Bush would not be much different than Hillary Clinton on any one of these issues. In fact, he may be a little less hawkish than Hillary Clinton on some of these issues. So, all of these people should be put under the microscope of scrutiny and not because of any of this personal crap that people are talking about. We should have an audit of who they are in public, and so often the focus is on who they are screwing in private. GOSZTOLA: To the book, the issue of secrecy, but lets tie to what we just discussed here. One of the more absurd things that has been said in the last year by people who are whispering to media and are close to Hillary Clinton is that because her emails have information in them about the drone program, theyve claimed that this information is innocuous, even though you are doing really hard work. There are people whose lives are on the line, whose livelihoods are at risk. Theres the ACLU, who is fighting in court to get this information released. Just talk about the secrecy element here. SCAHILL: First of all, Hillary Clinton attempted to say, oh, Colin Powell did this when he was secretary of state and Madeleine Albright did this as well. I mean, Colin Powell still has an AOL address. This is not a fair comparison. Hillary Clinton and her husband setup a private server in a bathroom at their house. This was not just something of convenience. They went to great lengths to circumvent a system that would allow her emails to be subjected to the Freedom of Information Act, and I think one of the big major drudge sirens that should be going off about the Clinton thing is Clinton Global Foundations role in agitating for Hillary to be using that private email. The thing is, Hillary is playing with words because what Hillary is saying is no one sent me classified information or documents on this email. That may or may not be true. Ive heard there were some actual classified documents sent, but well wait and see what comes out. But what we do know is she is playing with the term classified because when Huma Abedin or any of these other advisors or particularly when other officials at the State Department would send Hillary Clinton information about what was happening in a variety of countries around the world, those emails were not classified. But the information in them, when put through the appropriate classification procedure, would certainly have been classified. This is not a nothing burger. Bernie Sanders said we dont give a damn about your emails. We should give a damn about her emails, if for no other reason than the violent double standard. People like David Petraeus and Hillary Clinton and John Brennan have all been involved in leaking information or mishandling classified information and almost nothing happens to any of them. And then youve got Chelsea Manning doing 30 years in a military prison. I was saying last night at an event in New York, just watch the Collateral Murder video. Try to tell me that exposing that operation was not a tremendous act of heroism on the part of Chelsea Manning, and thats true of all sorts of documents that were published then by WikiLeaks. Yet, she is repaid for what I think was an act of patriotism because she was speaking out against these crimes being committed by U.S. peopleShes doing 35 years. Edward Snowden is in exile in Moscow. Tom Drake had his public life ruined. He was smeared and dragged through the mud. Bill Binney had his house raided while he was taking a shower. All of these people, who were whistleblowers, have been targeted in an attempt to destroy them or imprison them. And this administration is waging an all-out war against whistleblowers, and by virtue of that, against an independent press. Then, you have Hillary Clinton, who is the embodiment of the establishment, running around, cackling and laughing off questions about her mishandling of classified information and conspiring with her husband and his organization to setup a private server in her bathroom with the express point of circumventing the laws governing communications of a sitting secretary of state. That is a huge scandal, but instead, we have the Espionage Act being applied to people who try to speak out about unconstitutional activity. GOSZTOLA: I want to talk about these whistleblowers. Ill put it in this context just because I was very moved by your tribute to Father Daniel Berrigan over on Democracy Now! and Ive been reading about him. When I think about the way that people who are part of the liberal establishment turn these people into sort of radical pariahs that were not supposed to follow, its very disturbing. It happens a lot to these whistleblowers, like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. You get a lot ofI guess some people might call this hippie-punching. But you have this happening, and its rather disturbing. This is a moral issue. These are people who are taking moral stands regardless of what the outcome may be. Theyre told that theyre not going to be able to change anything, but it doesnt matter because when you think about it, something just has to be done to confront the system regardless of whether the political system can be changed. SCAHILL: Right. Chris Hayes, the other night on his showI think he was the only person in corporate media to do any kind of a meaningful tribute on his show. You know, he and his brother, Philip Berrigan, were radical Catholic priests, who conducted the most high-profile faith-based action of the Vietnam War era, and one of the most high-profile actions against the Vietnam War period when they went into the customs house in Catonsville, Maryland, with seven others and in full view of the clerks stole out of the cabinets draft files that were being used to send young people to the war in Vietnam. Of course, poor people of color were disproportionately sent to that war. And then they burned them in the parking lot with homemade napalm. Daniel Berrigan read a statement on behalf of the group, part of which read, our apologies, good friends, for the fracture of good order, for the burning of paper instead of children. Devastating, chilling, beautiful commentary on the hypocrisy of American society knowing they would be arrested and put in prison for using homemade napalm against pieces of paper while the people that were dropping napalm on villages in Vietnam were being hailed internally as heroes. The countrys position on that, of course, evolved, and eventually, it was viewed as the criminal war that it was by many, many people. But when Chris Hayes played a clip the other night of Daniel Berrigan, it was from 1981. It was Chris Wallace, who is now the host of Fox News Sunday. The most legitimate connection he has to actual journalism is that his father was Mike Wallace, the legendary 60 Minutes journalist, but in 1981, hes interviewing Daniel Berrigan and he says to him, basically, youre a nobody now. Year ago, you were a big deal, and people paid attention to what you were doing. Wallace doesnt mention that one year before that interview, Daniel Berrigan had organized an action as part of the Plowshares Eight, where they snuck into the General Electric plant in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and hammered on Mark-12A nuclear warhead cones, and then sparked a global movement that did that. But Daniel Berrigan responds to Chris Wallace by essentially saying who we are and why we do what we do is not tethered to the other end of a television cord. It was a brilliant response. Should we be concerned with wanting to be effective? Of course, we should, but if youre obsessed with efficacy at the expense of doing whats right, then I think thats the problem that a lot of people face in our society. And its part of the problem with just being attached to our computers all the time. The real work is done away from our electronic devices or our electronic devices are with us when were out doing something. The greatest thing about Dan Berrigan I think is that he showed up. He was always there, and he was fond of saying dont just say something. Stand there. I think theres a lot of wisdom that younger folks, who are concerned about these issues can learn by studying the people who came before them and not just look at the last thing that was tweeted. GOSZTOLA: We have these sources that are coming forward and are willing to share information, even though they may have to flee the United States and no longer live with their families anymore, even though it may make it impossible for them to get a job ever again. But also, in a different part of this, youve got the activists, who some of them are taking action. When I listen to Daniel Berrigan, I thought of them too because we have organizations like CODEPINK or we have smaller community organizations in upstate New York that will go to these air force bases that are actually taking risks. Some are even put on these lists, where theyre not even allowed to be near the base anymore because theyre allegedly going to pose a risk to a colonel, who they dont know. Theyve never ever seen. You also have people traveling. I know Daniel Berrigan talked about being in Vietnam when the U.S. bombs were dropping, and I thought about CODEPINK has gone to Pakistan to visit people and see the destruction there. I just wondered about connecting that part, the fact that there really are people out there challenging this. SCAHILL: During the Vietnam War, one of the things that became very commonin addition to the raids of draft boards that took place in cities around the country, where activists would go in and destroy in some way or another the draft files. Individual people would publicly burn their draft cards, and they would go to jail. There were several cases of young people, who had done this, and they felt they were part of a community that had done this. When they ended up going to jail, they were dropped by everybody, and left in solitary in jail and came out very shattered and destroyed people. Everyone will cheer on someone doing the big action, but then when they have to pay up personally, and they end up going to jail, who is going to continue to support those people when they do it? Thats why I think the lives of Daniel and Philip are so interesting because they had a commitment to trying to spend a solid percentage of their life behind bars. Not just with their comrades who were arrested with them in resistance, but with people who were convicted of everyday crimes or of violent crimes, because those people are also a part of our society. I think that its been disgraceful the way that the New York Times has handled Chelsea Mannings case. They splashed those files and stories about the WikiLeaks files on the front page for a sustained period of time, and they had to be shamed by you and Alexa OBrien and others, independent, low-funded journalists were doing the daily coverage of that trial, and the New York Times had to be shamed into covering it. Plus, the CNN producer was sleeping all the time, according to Alexas tweets. I love following how the one corporate journalist there cant even stay awake during the proceedings. But thats a commentary on why we need independent media, and also why we need to support whistleblowers and amplify their voices. When the government comes for them, speaking out and being there is so essential. You cant just drop people like litter on the ground when you have used the information given to you at risk to publish news stories. You have to be there for your sources. GOSZTOLA: As we wrap, any final thoughts? Anything from the book that you want to share before we conclude? SCAHILL: My pleasure, Kevin. Thank you again for the work that you and your team are doing. I really look forward to seeing what Shadowproof is going to become, and the storys that you are going to be breaking. Our book was a huge collective effort. There are a lot of people, as you know, who are a part of great reporting that dont get the byline. They research for you. They help you with logistical stuff. They lay your website out. They do all these things, and so many people worked on it. What we tried to do is createIts only like 280-pages long, but we tried to create a living document that people could use as a reference to understand the watchlisting process, and what we understand from inside, from whistleblowers, about how the assassination complex works, especially since we know President Obama is going to try historically revise what actually happened over the past two administrations. The other thing I would say is when whistleblowers come under the sights of the sniper scope of the American state, that people be there for them, and that they stand up and not drop them. Chelsea Manning still needs peoples voice and support. Its one thing to be there when the act of resistance is ongoing, and its in the media. Its when the cameras go away, and the sentence is handed down that you really see who is with you and who is not. GOSZTOLA: Thank you, Jeremy. I expect throughout this general election were going to see Hillary Clinton trying to prove to us that shes a smarter warrior-in-chief than Donald Trump well ever be. So, well need your clarity on these issues of the drone war and assassination complex. SCAHILL: Its great: choosing between a fascist and a politician of the empire. Its just a wonderful collection that we have in this country. Published in partnership with Shadowproof. Click here for a full calendar of Shadowproofs live video conversations with writers, journalists, advocates and more.
The Secret Behind the Yemen War



A recent PBS report about the war in Yemen exposed the secret connection between the U.S.-Saudi alliance and Al Qaeda, a reality that also underscores the jihadist violence in Syria, writes Daniel Lazare.



By Daniel Lazare May 08, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - PBS Frontlines Yemen Under Siege, which aired on May 3, makes for powerful viewing. A first-hand look at the devastation that the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and other powers have visited on one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, the 35-minute documentary shows families struggling amid the rubble, children dying from mortar attacks, surgeons operating without anesthesia, and other such horrors. But the most important revelation comes almost as an aside. Interviewing pro-Saudi fighters near the central Yemeni city of Taiz, journalist Safa Al Ahmad suddenly hears shouting. Whats wrong? she asks. Who are they? They dont want me to be here? A soldier explains that the people making a ruckus are Ansar al Sharia, i.e. fighters for sharia. And he just says quite casually, these are Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Al Ahmad says later of the local Al Qaeda affiliate often referred to as AQAP. And he referred to them by their local name, which is Ansar al Sharia. He revealed what is considered an open secret in the front lines, that they [AQAP] had been fighting with all the different factions, the [pro-Saudi] Yemeni factions and the [U.S.-Saudi] coalition against the Houthis. We dont accept you, the Al Qaeda members cry out. On religious grounds, we do not accept you. A non-Al Qaeda fighter says dismissively, They are ISIS. But a second corrects him: No, theyre not. Theyre worse than ISIS. We cant coexist with them. But coexist they do, as the film makes clear. Yet another non-Al Qaeda fighter explains: Islam does not allow for people to be overly strict. We must be moderate. But we have a group here who are strict. But you fight together at the front line? Al Ahmad asks. For sure. At the front, we are together. With that, the documentary lifts the lid on perhaps the single most incoherent aspect of U.S. policy in the Middle East. On one hand, the United States claims to be fighting Al Qaeda, and indeed AQAP, regarded as one of Al Qaedas most aggressive franchises, has been a prime target of U.S. drone strikes ever since the war on terror began. At the same time, though, the U.S. provides military backing for forces led by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Persian Gulf petro-states that welcome AQAP fighters into their ranks as full and active participants in the anti-Houthi crusade. The U.S. opposes Al Qaeda, on one hand, but supports elements that ally with it, on the other. Explaining the War in Yemen As Al Ahmad  a heroic Saudi dissident who has been effectively banished from her homeland for reporting on the plight of the kingdoms Shiite minority  puts it: This is why its so difficult to explain the war on Yemen, because there are so many enemies that find themselves on the same front lines fighting the other enemy. A lot of people who wanted to fight the Houthis, that didnt necessarily agree with Al Qaeda, did join them because that was a ready front for them to go out and fight. And that grew with the ranks of Al Qaeda. And so the situation only got worse from 2012 until now. Where formerly Al Qaeda controlled huge parts of South Yemen, she adds, the groups reach over the last four years has grown to the point where it now constitutes a veritable state within a state. All of which runs directly counter to the official line in Washington, which holds that if AQAP has expanded, it is only because it has taken advantage of the disorderly conditions that the Houthi uprising has imposed. As a U.S. counterterrorism official told The Daily Beast last summer: It is now clear that AQAP has been a significant beneficiary of the chaos unleashed by the Houthi takeover. While the Saudi-led coalition has started to push back the Houthis, they are not able to simultaneously fight AQAP. The net result is that AQAP continues to make inroads and exploit the situation. This vision holds that the Houthis are the prime cause of Al Qaedas expansion, they created the conditions that have allowed it to expand, and poor Saudi Arabia is now struggling valiantly to set things right. Its all quite heartwarming except that Yemen Under Siege shows that the opposite is really the case. Rather than rolling Al Qaeda back, it makes clear that, whatever their misgivings, pro-Saudi forces have come to rely on it as a useful asset in the anti-Houthi struggle and that, consequently, they have encouraged its growth. Since the Saudis are backing the anti-Houthi forces, this makes them complicit in AQAPs expansion. And since the U.S. is backing the Saudis, this makes America complicit, too. Indeed, Americas role is even worse. By subjecting AQAP to periodic drone strikes, it not only winds up killing civilians  such as the 14 members of a wedding party that the U.S. mistakenly targeted in December 2013  but fairly encourages AQAP members to intermingle with other anti-Houthi forces by making it clear that is the one place it will not bomb. The result, in effect, is a highly effective machine for fueling apocalyptic fervor, spreading Islamic militancy, and encouraging AQAP to extend its tentacles throughout the broader anti-Houthi movement. The only ones who are in the dark as to why AQAP can prosper under such conditions are the foreign-policy experts back in Washington. A Broader Pattern None of this is unique to Yemen, meanwhile. To the contrary, it takes place wherever the U.S. pretends to combat Al Qaeda while in fact doing the opposite. The original model was Afghanistan where Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid estimates that the CIA, the Saudis and others poured a total of $10 billion into the anti-Soviet jihad over a ten-year period beginning in mid-1979. Since Islamic militants generally proved to be the most dedicated fighters, the money flowed to extremists such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a notorious fanatic who got his start in the 1970s throwing acid in the faces of unveiled women at Kabul University. His reign as prime minister in 1993-94 and again briefly in 1996 was so brutal and destructive that the Taliban were hailed as liberators when they finally took over and sent Hekmatyar fleeing to Pakistan. The same happened in Libya when the Arab Spring touched down in early 2011 and the White House urged Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, emir of Qatar, to contribute to a growing swarm of anti-Gaddafi rebels. Obama described Al-Thani at a Democratic fundraiser as a big booster, big promoter of democracy all throughout the Middle East, but then confessed: Now, he himself is not reforming significantly. Theres no big move towards democracy in Qatar. But you know part of the reason is that the per capita income of Qatar is $145,000 a year. That will dampen a lot of conflict. In fact, it did the opposite. Happy to oblige, Al-Thani, a major supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, funneled $400 million in the form of machine guns, automatic rifles, and ammunition to Salafist rebels who proceeded to do to Libya what an earlier generation of U.S.-backed jihadis had done to Afghanistan, i.e. reduce it to chaos. [See Consortiumnews.coms Obamas Risky Mission Creep in Syria.] Once again, Washingtons clueless foreign-policy establishment was left scratching its head as to how it had all gone so wrong. Finally, there is Syria, where such perverse policies have generated a tidal wave of violence resulting in millions of refugees and as many as 470,000 deaths. The Bush administration began making threatening noises toward Damascus weeks after invading Iraq in March 2003, although it quickly pulled back once events in its new protectorate began spinning out of control. But three years later, then-U.S. Ambassador to Syria William V. Roebuck suggested that fostering religious conflict might be an easier way to bring down the Assad government. Even though Sunni fears of Shiite proselytizing are often exaggerated, he advised in a diplomatic cable made public by Wikileaks, [b]oth the local Egyptian and Saudi missions here (as well as prominent Syrian Sunni religious leaders) are giving increasing attention to the matter and we should coordinate more closely with their governments on ways to better publicize and focus regional attention on the issue. [See Consortiumnews.coms Obama Tolerates the Warmongers.] Exploiting Religious War Religious war was too good an opportunity to pass up. In June 2012, The New York Times revealed that the CIA was relying on the arch-Sunni Muslim Brotherhood to help channel arms to rebel forces that had already taken the field against Assad. In August, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency reported that Al Qaeda, the Salafists, and Muslim Brotherhood were the major forces driving the insurgency, that the likely outcome was the establishment of a Salafist principality in eastern Syria, and that this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition  i.e. the U.S., Turkey, and Arab gulf states  want in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion. In August 2014, Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes assured Americans that ISIS posed no danger since its primary focus is consolidating territory in the Middle East region to establish their own Islamic State rather than striking out at Western targets abroad. Hence, Americans could count on the violence remaining safely self-contained as Islamic State made life miserable for the Damascus government  an assessment, needless to say, that proved woefully incorrect when ISIS hitmen shot up the Bataclan theater and other Paris targets last November, killing 130 people in all. Thereafter, U.S. policy wobbled ever more unsteadily. Washington still tilted toward Islamic State when it came to combatting Syrian government forces, which is why it refrained from bombing ISIS fighters as they converged on Palmyra in May 2015 even though they would have been perfect targets as they traversed miles of open desert. But it otherwise tilted toward Al Nusra Front, as Al Qaeda is locally known, which it now regarded as less dangerous, or toward groups with which Al Nusra is closely aligned. Moderate these days is increasingly becoming anyone whos not affiliated with ISIL, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. explained in March 2015  and indeed the White House made no objection a month later when so-called moderates joined with Al Nusra to launch a major offensive in Syrias northern Idlib province. [See Consortiumnews.coms Climbing into Bed with Al-Qaeda.] Covering for Salafists Similarly, the U.S. resisted classifying a Salafist army known as Ahrar al-Sham as terrorist even though it collaborates closely with Al Nusra and its ideology is virtually identical, as Stephen Gowans recently noted at the Global Research website. The same goes for a Free Syrian Army unit known as the 13th Division, which the US has long backed even though it maintains a tacit collaboration with Nusra according to The Wall Street Journal and even shared with the group some of its ammunition supplies. Mohammad Alloush, who enjoys strong US backing as the chief rebel negotiator at the Geneva peace talks, is a leader of yet another Salafist group called Jaysh al-Islam, which issued a blood-curdling call to exterminate Syrias Alawite community in July 2013. Jaysh al-Islam, it informed the Alawites, will make you taste the worst torture in life before Allah makes you taste the worst torture on judgment day. But while one might think this would place Jaysh al-Islam beyond the pale, former Ambassador to Syria Robert S. Ford praised it a year later as one of the moderate rebel forces that were making life particularly painful for the Damascus government. Genocide is permissible, apparently, as long as its not too extreme. More recently, Secretary of State John Kerry assailed Assad for bombing rebel positions in Aleppo even though it is clear that so-called moderates have intermingled with Al Nusra fighters to the degree that it is impossible to attack one without affecting the other. After Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for US military forces in Iraq, conceded in a press briefing that its primarily al-Nusra who holds Aleppo, Kerry reportedly pushed to include it among the non-terrorist groups exempt from Syrian government attack under the terms of an Aleppo ceasefire agreement that went into effect on May 5. This was absolutely unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov said, and at the end we managed to strike it down. While the U.S. was happy to see ISIS attack Syrian government forces in Palmyra, it was none too pleased to see Syrian forces attack Al Qaeda in Aleppo, which pretty much tells us where its sympathies lie. If ISIS, Al Nusra, and Al Qaeda-clones like Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam continue to grow, it is not hard to figure out why. The more the Sunni political spectrum shifts in a Salafist direction as sectarian warfare deepens and spreads, the more the advantage goes to a hard core composed of ISIS and Al Qaeda. They are the best fighters, the most dedicated, the best financed thanks to years of support by wealthy gulf contributors, and the best armed thanks to weapons that other groups have relinquished voluntarily or not. Despite friction, the Saudis and Qataris cannot say no to such forces because they see them as increasingly important in a fight against a Shiite crescent stretching from the Houthis in Yemen to the Alawites in Syria. They are allies whose help they cannot afford to forego, which is why the various Sunni forces are coming together at this point rather than pulling apart. Hence the intermingling of moderates and Al Qaeda that we see from Taiz to Aleppo. As for the U.S., it is locked in a dysfunctional marriage with the Saudis from which it is unable to escape. As a result, it winds up in bed with the same forces as well. Like a character in a Somerset Maugham novel, it finds itself returning again and again to the same sordid love affair no matter how hard it tries to resist. Daniel Lazare is the author of several books including The Frozen Republic: How the Constitution Is Paralyzing Democracy (Harcourt Brace).
Many Nigerian states have banned okadas(motorbikes) on their major roads because of the hazards that have occurred over the years. We all have see or head of many people who have lost the use of their arms or limbs due to okada accidents but do we stop even after we have sworn never to be on one? No!!! Its always the fastest way to get somewhere. Some riders, are however more careful than some but anyone who has ever been on a Hausa mans bike, always often has cause to recall the experience. Wondering how it feels? well, INFORMATION NIGERIA brings you these 4 things you are most likely going to experience

Smelling jacket: You think you have seen the last of the smelling gutter you passed on your way to the bus stop until you land yourself on the okada of a very not so clean aboki. From the eyelids, to the jackets to the toe nails, nothing seems to add up but you jump on the okada and go because its the fastest way to our destination.

Its cheap: Unlike other okada people, the aboki bike is cheap. Where an Igbo okadaman or a Yorubaman charges for N200, an aboki would gladly go for just N100.

Dangerously fast: Whether you are spiritual or not, something within you just starts to call on God,the instant the okada rider hits the road. They have absolutely no chills, they could just swerve in front of a trailer like there was a memo that trailers dont crush people any more.

Never know the exact place: As soon as you tell them where youre going, they just rush to give you a price and would only ask you later if you know the place (and lucky if you do) because if you dont, youll just keep going around in circles.

Do you have any experience???
Lekan Shonde, a depot worker in the Apapa area of Lagos State, said his wife of eight years changed after she allegedly started dating the general manager of a publishing company. He claimed to had caught her on the night he allegedly murdered her, speaking to her alleged lover and allegedly telling him, how she enjoyed having sex with him and how he(the lover) was better than her husband in bed. Mr Shonde had said that the last time he beat his wife was three years ago after a disagreement, saying he had never touched her afterwards. INFORMATION NIGERIA having analyzed Shondes statement to PUNCH has these 6 questions to ask

1.Shonde has revealed to PUNCH, that his late wife was working with GTB as a marketer, but she got sacked three years ago. For that period, he was the one feeding her and taking responsibility for everything in the family and stated that he would wash her pants, bathe the children and buy foodstuffs in the house. For someone who goes to work everyday and comes back home to wash the pants of a wife who has no job and bathe their kids,, leaves us wondering.

2.He said his wife went to Abuja and came back on Monday,where she had allegedly gone with her lover and slept together in the same room for four days and when she came back, she didnt know he was inside the house. She started talking with the man on the phone that she really had fun with him and he(husband) didnt know how to make love. He confronted her and she confirmed that she was dating the other man. He asked her to leave the house but she refused. Didnt she have parents or relates he could report to??? Afterall infidelity is a serious offence in Nigerian marriages right??

3. Around 9pm on Thursday(the day he allegedly murdered her), he said they had argument about money, after he found out, she had takenN20,000 and when he asked her to return my money, she said she had spent it. The same woman who had allegedly admitted to dating another man? Hes making her seem very powerful and he was just a puppet in the marriage.

4.On the same night of the alleged murder, that is, three days after she admitted that she was dating another man, and he(husband had asked her to leave the house which she didnt, he said he still bought the food that they both ate because she said she didnt want to cook. Who does that???

5. Also on the fateful night, he said he pushed her hand away from him on the staircase and he left her but noted that she never tumbled or fell. He didnt know anything had happened to her until Friday when he saw her on the staircase and thought she was still pretending and walked away. So, how does someone pretend to be dead on the stairs from Thursday night to Friday morning???

6. He also said I am a Lagos boy and I can be in this Lagos for the next 30 years and nobody would see me, what does he probably mean by that???
Mr. Lekan Shonde, the man who allegedly beat his wife  Ronke  to death and fled to evade arrest, has denied having a hand in her death, in spite of her purported confession that she was unfaithful in their marriage.

Lekan, who is a depot worker in the Apapa area of Lagos State, claimed that his wife of eight years and mother of their two kids, provoked him by bragging about her alleged extra-marital affairs with the general manager of a publishing company where she worked.

Speaking to PUNCH Metro from an undisclosed location where he is currently holed up, the suspect said he regretted marrying Ronke, explaining that his late mother had warned him against the union, but he never listened.

Insisting that he did not beat his wife as widely reported, Lekan, an Abeokuta, Ogun State indigene, said the last time he got into a physical altercation with his wife was three years ago after a disagreement and since then, he had never laid hands on her.

He said, Since I married my wife eight years ago, she has never bought anything into the house. I gave her N5,000 on Saturdays and N3,000 on Tuesdays for soup. I also gave her money to make her hair.

She was working with GTB as a marketer but she got sacked three years ago. For that period, I was the one feeding her and taking responsibility for everything in the family. I would wash her pants, bath the children and buy foodstuffs in the house. She later got a job with a publishing company owned by her uncle.

Tracing his late wifes alleged infidelity to sometime in March when she started dating the general manger of a publishing company, Lekan said she started going to office every day of the week including Sundays when she was supposed to be in church, adding it was all because of this man. She called him Eyitemi (My own).

He continued: Last week Friday, she went to Abuja and came back on Monday. She never told me that the lover was there with her. I learnt later that the lover was there and they slept together in the same room for four days.

When she came back, she didnt know I was inside the house. She started talking with the man on the phone that she really had fun with him and I didnt know how to make love. She again said her private parts were paining her.

He said he confronted his late wife and she confirmed that she was seeing the other man, adding that he asked her to concentrate on a relationship.

Lekan said his wife refused to vacate their home at Tiemo Crescent, off Awori Street in Egbeda, despite his repeated demands for her to leave.

Narrating the incident of that night (last Thursday), which led to her death, the suspect said they had an argument over money.

He said, It was around 9pm on Thursday. We had paid our nanny N20,000. Then we needed to pay our childrens teachers N30,000. I discovered she had taken N20,000 and when I asked her to return my money, she said she had spent it.

I was angry because for the past three months, she didnt allow me to have sex with her. I pushed her hand away from me on the staircase and I left her. She never tumbled or fell. In fact that night, I bought the food that we both ate because she said she didnt want to cook.

I didnt know anything had happened to her until Friday when I saw her on the staircase. I thought she was still pretending. I just left her and walked away.

Asked why he locked their six and four year old kids in the house before leaving, Lekan said he never did, adding that it was his son that closed the gate.

He also denied taking the victims phone away, saying he left it on the bed.

The suspect, who said he had no reason to kill his wife, added that he bought her two cars and always provided for her needs.

He said, Jide, her familys second child lived with me for three to four years. Their eldest daughter, Bolatito, has lived with me too.

Although I am not a saint, I dont drink, I dont smoke. I am a responsible man. The problem with my wife was that she was temperamental. She shouted at me whenever she talked.

I am a Lagos boy and I can be in this Lagos for the next 30 years and nobody would see me, Lekan bragged.

Meanwhile, the only surviving child of three children born by Ronkes parents (her dad died since when they were little) and first born, Bolatito, has asked the police to try and locate Lekan, adding that the family would not want to talk about the incident yet.

She said, My mother just arrived from Ilorin and the family wants to devote time to attend to her; we dont want to talk about the incident. I am not in the right frame of mind to talk.

But all I want to say is that her husband is somewhere out there and has been calling. The police should reach out to the telecommunications company to know where he is. He called me and he said he wanted to see me.

He also said he wanted to see his children and I should tell him where they are because we might never see him again.

The aunt of the victim, Bunmi, explained that the suspect had been threatening suicide, saying their mother had forgiven him.

She said, Mummy is very sad with this, but she has forgiven him and does not want him to commit suicide.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has warned the newly-appointed administrators of local government councils in the state against sleaze, saying anyone caught stealing from the public treasury will be jailed.

Bello gave the warning while inaugurating the new council administrators inside the Glass House in Lugard House, Lokoja on Friday.

The governor enjoined the new council administrators to key into the new direction policy of his administration by improving the lives of their people.

He said, This is a position of trust given to each of you to impact on the lives of your people. Our administration is committed to empowering the people of this state and today, you have been appointed as agents of this initiative.

The funds that come to the local government councils belong to the people and should be used to improve education, health, agriculture and rural infrastructure. The era of stashing away local government funds in foreign and local bank accounts of private individuals is over. Under my watch, the resources of the people will work for them. Anybody caught stealing Kogi peoples money will be jailed.

Gov. Bello noted that his administration had granted full financial autonomy to the Local Government Areas in the state, warning the administrators against being arm-twisted by officials of his government.

I will not demand a dime from you. Any of my officials who demand money from you should be exposed. We are serious about fighting corruption in line with the policy of President Muhammadu Buhari administration at the centre.

That said, we will beam our searchlight on the operations of your respective Local Government Areas to ensure you act in line with the rule of law. Nobody influenced your appointments. I considered you as partners in my onerous task of developing the state.



He also expressed appreciation to the outgoing council chairmen for their cooperation with his government, assuring them of the readiness of his administration to work with their forum.

Speaking on behalf of the outgoing council bosses, the Chairman of the Conference of Local Government Chairmen in the state, Aloysius Okino, described Governor Bello as a magnanimous democrat and a listener who will surely take the state to the Promise Land.
There will be no media coverage of the proceedings of the trial of two major generals being court-martialed in Abuja, it was observed on Monday.

The army officers on trial for undisclosed offences are Major General Patrick Falola, former commander of 68 Nigerian Army reference hospital, Yaba, and Major General Ibrahim Sani, former Chief of Army Transportation and Innovation center.

The special court martial was inaugurated at the Army Headquarters garrison, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja on Thursday.

The spokesman of Mogadishu Cantonment Abuja, Colonel Ali Yusuf, told journalists today that they were barred from the trial so as not jeopardise operations of the army.

Yusuf, however, promised that the reporters would be briefed about the outcome of the cases later.

The court martial is headed by James Gbum, an Air Vice-Marshal.
The Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church worldwide has called on Nigerians to exercise more patience with President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the president will fulfill his campaign promises.

The Church also called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency, declare a state of emergency on alleged attacks by herdsmen around the country.

The Spiritual head of the movement, Reverend Samuel A. Abidoye, made the call at a press conference in Ilorin, Kwara State, to mark the 10th anniversary of his ascension of the head of the C&S Movement, held in Orile-Igbon.

The 94-year-old spiritual leader said: I believe it is not too late for Buhari to change the nation because if he had rushed, he might have failed now. Slow and steady wins the race. Our president will surely deliver, but, I urge him to please find lasting solution to our problems.

We also want to see conviction rather than prosecution in the fight against corruption, he said.

Rev. Abidoye also urged the National Assembly members to be more alive in their business of law making adding that the church frowned at the purchase of 36 SUV at an over bloated N37 million each when Nigerians were groaning under the yoke of hardship.
Miami Police Major's Son Arrested for Suspected Drug Dealing

Dealing drugs is a dangerous business and you can't count on not getting caught. Not even if you are the son of a Miami-Dade Police Department major and have other relatives on the force, and especially not if you leave evidence of your business lying around the house.

Last month in Florida, Tyler Palmer, 20, was arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs after a raid on his home yielded cocaine, marijuana, pills, and cash. The raid was initiated after an Internal Affairs investigation, reports the Miami Herald, but Palmer's dad and other relatives on the force are not considered involved for now.

Papa Don't Preach

Tyler Palmer is the son of Miami-Dade Police Major Arnold Palmer, who oversees economic crimes in the department, so dad is not on the streets rounding up drug dealers. Perhaps that is why he did not notice that his unemployed 20-year-old son had cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines, a scale, and over $3,000 in cash and a stash of clear plastic bags found in his room.

Reportedly, the Palmers have other relatives in the police department, although their identities and roles have not been reported. The department issued a statement regarding the arrest, saying, "The Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) acknowledges the arrest of Mr. Tyler Palmer, who is the relative of several MDPD employees. There is no indication at this time of any involvement by our employees in this case; as such, their statuses with the department remain unchanged. Due to the open nature of the investigation, we will not comment further."

Charges

The young man was in custody as of the latest reports on this story and is in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He faces drug possession and trafficking charges. If it's awkward for him in jail, given his ties to police, he can at least claim some street credit ... or house credit, as it were. The kid might not have been thinking ahead but he's probably the only guy in his cell who can claim he ran his drug business out of a cop's home.

Accused?

If you or someone you know has been charged with a crime, don't delay -- speak to a lawyer today. Many criminal defense attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to assess your case.

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President Muhammadu Buharis advance party is expected to leave Nigeria on Sunday, May 8, to the United Kingdom ahead of the Presidents arrival on Tuesday, May 10.

The summit is holding in London on Thursday, May 12.

A pre-summit conference of development partners, the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Transparency International and other civil society groups will also hold on Wednesday, May 11.

At the pre-summit conference, President Buhari is billed to deliver a keynote address titled: Why We Must Tackle Corruption Together.

The theme of the Anti-Corruption Summit is Exposing Corruption, Tackling Corruption and Driving Out Corruption.

President Buhari is once again expected to urge the international community to move faster on the dismantling of safe havens for the proceeds of corruption and the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.

The Presidents delegation to the Summit will include the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami and the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu.

A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina , said the President was one of the world leaders scheduled to speak at the opening session of the Anti-Corruption Summit with others, including Prime Minister Cameron and the President of World Bank, Dr. Jim Yong Kim.

As an internationally recognised leader in the global fight against corruption, President Buhari will play a prominent part in the summit which will be hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain with many other Heads of State and Government in attendance.

In his address to the summit and interactions with other participating leaders, President Buhari will urge the international community to move faster on the dismantling of safe havens for the proceeds of corruption and the return of stolen funds and assets to their countries of origin.

The President will also reaffirm his administrations unwavering commitment to the fight against corruption and the Federal Governments readiness to partner with international agencies and other countries to identify, apprehend and punish corrupt public officials, the statement read.

Before returning to Abuja on Friday, May 13, the President is expected to have a separate meeting with Prime Minister Cameron to discuss ongoing Nigeria-Britain collaboration in the war against corruption and terrorism, as well as other issues, including trade and economic relations between both countries.
As a firefighter, Jeremy Roberts is used to getting quickly from Point A to Point B. Still, he wasnt quite quick enough Saturday for his daughter, Adeline.

She was born in the front seat of Roberts truck as the firefighter and his wife were heading to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Murrieta, California. When it became clear Adeline wasnt going to wait, Roberts pulled over and used his paramedic training to deliver her.

It was about 4:15 a.m. when the firefighters wife first said it was time to head to the hospital. Parents and baby did eventually get there, but as a trio.

Riverside Fire Department Capt. Tyler Reynolds says Roberts, his wife, Kirsten, Adeline and her brother, Hudson, are all doing great.

Yahoo!
Former Nigerian beauty queen, Dabota Lawson went on her Instagram page to share some wise words with her female fans.

She wrote: 

Praying together is the most intimate act a couple can engage in.

Its time for women to stop entertaining the boffinry of satisfaction that comes from mere social media post . Or the envy that comes from those images you see show casing the picture perfect couples.

Men who prey on women view their victims as less than human . In his mind theyre just variables in a math equation to get to a desired result or conclusion.

Ladies there is no reasoning with him or appeasing to his sensibilities , because ur only a nut in his mind and falling in love is the last thing on his mind .

He will say whatever u want to hear and become the man u always dreamed about to suck u in his world , and once ur locked in he will unleash the wrath of who he really is .

The more u try to get him to be accountable to his behavior , the more he will have u thinking ur losing ur mind , as he tempts to blame u for his cheating and putting his hands on u .

He cant reciprocate ur love , because he disconnected from his own moral compass along time ago . He doesnt operate in right vs wrong , only wins vs losses.

Every woman that gives him his way and lets him treat her like shit is a win & when she finally wakes up and no longer allows him to control her its a loss. RUN AWAY FAST FROM TOXIC MEN!!!!!
A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has admitted that his office was funded monthly by the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

He, however, stated that the funds received by his office were not part of the $2.1 billion arms fund allegedly misappropriated by Mr. Dasuki, who is currently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Okupe, who served under Jonathan from 2012 to 2015 and has been mentioned as one of the beneficiaries of the largesse now known as Dasukigate, said this on his official Twitter handle.

Most of the funds mentioned in Dasukigate are believed to have been used as slush funds for the 2015 general elections.

I was not paid arms deal money. NSA paid for running of my office monthly from August 2012. Dasuki-gate was in 2014, the former presidential aide tweeted in the early hours of Sunday.

He added that President is empowered by the Constitution to run his office as he deems fit. NSA is a staff of the president and subject to his orders.

In trying to explain his tweet as well as another where he said, I Did not take part in campaign, Mr. Okupe insisted that at no point in time was he or his office involved in any aspect of the 2015 presidential campaign.

However, I kept up with my duties as a principal aide of the president and continued media engagement and interface where necessary. I received no special funds for any program or project connected with electioneering.
Evil foster mum Kandyce Downer has been jailed for life for battering 18-month-old toddler Keegan Downer to death after offering her a supposed loving home.

The 35-year-old was convicted on Tuesday, May 3 after a trial at Birmingham crown court of killing Keegan, formerly Shi-Anne at the family home on September 5, 2015.

Downer took in the little girl at her home in Beckbury Road, Weoley Castle, in January The 2015 after she was born to a heroin-addict mother. But she died in September last year from septicaemia, infection, blunt chest trauma and an old head injury after Downer inflicted more than 120 separate injuries on the youngster.

It is a horrific tale of callous conduct, Mrs Justice Frances Patterson sain while sentencing Downer.  It can only be described as vicious. You have shown no remorse. I sentence you to life and you must serve a minimum period of 18 years.

Keegan Downers paternal grandmother (pictured) spoke to the media after todays sentencing. Elaine Downer is understood to be based out of the UK but flew back for the trial.

I never met Keegan before but when I heard about what happened I had to be here. I have nightmares about it. I cant explain how I feel. I know Ive never met her but she was part of me. l will never see her grow up or hear her laugh or watch her get married. I feel terrible about being robbed of that. Its a nightmare but Im pleased justice has been served.

Spokesman for the toddlers former foster family Darren Mahon, who cared for the baby described the killer as conniving and manipulative.

Speaking before sentencing the dad-of-five, aged 41, said his own children had needed counselling since her death.

She has showed no emotion or remorse at all. Hearing the details has been a nightmare. None of us have been able to sleep. When we go to bed we think of her and when we wake in the morning we think of her. Its just heartbreaking what has happened to her. I am just grateful to the police and the way that the paramedics and hospital cared for her even though they could not save her.

Police now fear Downer, who has four other children, only wanted the child so she could pocket extra benefits. Birmingham Crown Court heard little Keegan suffered two broken legs and seven fractured ribs over a significant period.

Downer denied murder and causing or allowing the death of a child. After almost three hours of deliberations, a jury returned a verdict of guilty on both counts.

A trial heard Downer was paid a weekly fee by the local authority to care for the tot. Keegan moved in with Downer and her four other children in Weoley Castle, Birmingham, last January. She was last seen by a health visitor five months before her death  who reported that the youngster seemed fine.

On September 5 last year Downer, a full-time business student, made a 999 call from her family home. When paramedics arrived she told them:

I dont know when she stopped breathing because I was in the bath.

Shockingly, the court heard Downer had delayed calling 999 and instead drove off to dump Keegans old blood-stained mattress, a babygrow and pyjamas near a skip. Jurors were told a post mortem examination revealed 127 separate injuries to Keegans body.

Source: Birmingham Mail
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Monday announced that it would begin to impound vehicles with expired or substandard tyres.

The Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, stated this at a stakeholders forum in Abuja, organised by the FRSC to enlighten motorists on the dangers of substandard or expired tyres.

Mr. Oyeyemi said the measure became necessary in view of recent road accidents usually caused by poor tyre usage by vehicle owners.

What were going to commence immediately is that any vehicle that has expired tyres or substandard tyres, were going to impound the vehicles, the FRSC boss said. Enough is enough to this. All the crises were talking about from February this year to April, they were all tyre-related.

After impounding it (the vehicle), well ask the owner to go and replace it with a genuine one. The passengers well arrange for their continuous journey so as to reduce the pains. But I will not allow an expired tyre fitted on a vehicle to continue the journey, Mr. Oyeyemi added.

He also decried the lack of tyre manufacturing companies in the country and appealed to appropriate authorities to do their utmost best in ensuring that the situation is addressed.

Its not a problem that started today, weve been raising this alarm since Dunlop and Michelin shut down in Nigeria and relocated, the FRSC boss said. So its a result of this that led to over 250 different distorted substandard tyres in the country today and we appeal to Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture to do their very best in looking into this and see how tyre manufacturing plants can be brought into life.

Nigeria is too big not to have a tyre manufacturing plant. That is the bane of the problem we have on ground today, Mr. Oyeyemi noted.

A participant at the forum, Maximus Emeka, hailed the FRSC for organizing the event, saying it has added more value to public understanding of tyre hazards.

Mr. Emeka, a regional manager at one of the public transportation companies in the country, Peace Mass Transit, urged participants to change their daily attitude towards tyres.

Its not just about hearing, its about doing and changing their behaviour towards their tyres, the transporter said. Its about implementation. There will be more value when people make good use of what they learnt from this forum.

Mr. Emeka also pleaded with the FRSC to convene similar forums frequently, saying doing so would afford more Nigerians the opportunity to participate.
At least 73 people have been killed and dozens of others injured after two passenger buses and a fuel tanker burst into flames following a head-on collision in eastern Afghanistan. Many of the dead, including children, were burned beyond recognition as a result of Sundays accident in Ghazni province, near the Afghan capital Kabul.

Jawid Salangi, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni, said the two buses, carrying about 125 passengers from Kabul to Kandahar, collided with the tanker, setting off a fire that quickly engulfed all three vehicles. Afghan army units were rushed to the scene of the accident in Moqor district and managed to save some passengers, but many of the injured were in a critical condition, he said.

Al Jazeeras Qais Azimy, reporting from Kabul, said the drivers were most probably speeding to avoid attacks by the Taliban at the time of the accident. There are Taliban checkpoints on that road, he said. It seems like the bus drivers and the tanker driver were trying to cross the most hostile part of that road as fast as they could. It looks like the bus driver was trying to avoid any Taliban checkpoints, and the tanker driver was trying not to be ambushed by the Taliban, he said.

They were driving quite fast. That is what caused the accident. In a separate development, six Taliban fighters were hanged at the Pul-e-Charkhi Prison in Kabul on Sunday. The executions came only days after the Kabul government vowed to punish people convicted of terror charges. Al Jazeeras Azimy said the executions would send a strong message to the Taliban. These executions show that the Afghan government is now opening a new chapter in the fight against the Taliban, he said. Its the first time that we see a group of six Taliban members getting the death penalty. It kills all the hope for a political settlement with Taliban.
Hundreds of cows and bulls walked the ramp in a north Indian town Saturday in a bovine beauty pageant aimed at promoting domestic cattle breeds and raising awareness about animal health. As farmers led their animals, the panel of experts judged the beasts for their size and overall looks, the length of their horns and, for the cows, their milk-yielding capacities.

According to Scoop, the judges selected 18 winners in various categories, choosing the healthiest and best-looking cows and bulls from more than 630 animals in the contest, held in the farming town of Rohtak in Haryana state. On the ramp, the bovines displayed their individuality. Some sashayed with casual grace, while others dug in their heels and had to be pulled and prodded by their owners to walk for the judges. The winners, representing three different breeds, carried home prizes and a winners sash.

The farmers led their prize cows with pride at the sprawling grounds of the International Institute of Veterinary Education and Research. I have brought my best cow for the show and she has won a prize, Randhir Singh, a farmer from nearby Dwarka village, said as he pointed to a red ribbon tied around the head of his well-groomed cow, which won first place in its category. I wanted my cow to win and she has done me proud.

Prem Singh, the Haryana official in charge of animal husbandry, said only indigenous breeds were allowed to take part in the contest because the state government was trying to popularize local breeds of cows. Farmers from all 21 districts of Haryana participated in the cattle show and pageant, the official said. In recent years, India has emerged as one of the worlds largest producers of milk, although yields from Indian cows are low compared to those in Europe or America. The government is trying to improve milk yields of domestic cows by offering better veterinary support and counseling to cattle farmers.

Yahoo!
A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Jude Idimogu, has appealed to chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to support the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff to stabilise the party.

Idimogu, (PDP-Oshodi/Isolo II) made the appeal against the backdrop of mounting opposition to Sheriffs continued stay in office beyond May 21, when a new national chairman and members of the National Working Committee of the PDP will be elected at the national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The lawmaker told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday that elders in the party need to shelve their personal and sectional interests.

According to him, all hands must be on deck to ensure the success of the party in the 2019 general elections. (NAN)
The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, IYC, has condemned the nefarious activities of the Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group, which has claimed responsibility for recent bombings in the Niger Delta region.

The IYC spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, who condemned the activities of the militant group in an interview on Monday, said that Ijaw youths did not see the justification in embarking on destruction of oil facilities and wreaking havoc on the regions environment.

Omare stated, We do not see the justification in the Niger Delta Avengers embarking on destruction of oil facilities because Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, denounced the group.

I think Tompolo did the proper thing by coming out to inform the entire world that he was not part of the NDA when there were insinuations to the effect that he was behind them.

As with other cases of attack on oil facilities, the Niger Delta environment and people are the ultimate victims and would suffer from these latest attacks. The IYC believes that irrespective of their grievances, there are better ways of expressing them rather than contributing to the further destruction of the already massively degraded Niger Delta environment.

On the marching orders given by President Muhammadu Buhari to the security agencies to unmask those behind the Avengers and put an end to their nefarious activities, the IYC said while it did not support the attacks on oil facilities, the security agencies should not use the presidential directive as justification to attack innocent Niger Delta communities.

Omare added, The security agencies should go after the real culprits and not innocent communities and people in the region. From our experience, the security personnel in a bid to impress their superiors and justify the huge amount of money budgeted for the purpose, always attack innocent communities and people.

This must not be allowed to happen this time around. We would also advise the Federal Government to be prompt in directing security agencies to deal with insurgent groups all over the country including the Fulani herdsmen who have been killing innocent Nigerians just like they have just directed in respect of the Niger Delta Avengers.
Facebook Wins IP Legal Battle in China

According to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook walked away with a ruling in favor of an American company ... in China!

But is this a sea-change for intellectual property rights in China?

How It Began

Despite being blocked in the world's most populous country, Facebook's name still carries a bit of a cache. It may be banned, but Chinese city-goers are aware of it. And its banned status makes it all the more alluring and taboo. Plus, being an American brand certainly isn't a bad thing.

So, when Zhongshan Pearl River Beverages first registered the term "Face Book" with China's Trademark Review and Adjudication Board in 2011, it struck many as being less than coincidental. The company was granted use of the term three years later in 2014.

Revoked

Facebook valiantly objected through the country's legal system. It's a bit of surprise that the Beijing Higher People's Court revoked the lower Board's decision to grant use of "Face Book" to Zhongshan.

But it's not a total victory -- and it could all be a song and dance. After all, the board will have to revisit its decision. And like American courts, remand is rather grudging.

First to File

Unlike America's doctrine of "first to use" (at least, in most American jurisdictions), China operates under the "first to file" system when it comes to trademarking. This means that regional trademark and patent trolls will target celebrated brands, trademark the names locally and drag the Western companies through China's courts or extract a hefty payment for the name rights.

Whether or not Facebook is victorious in the end, the reversal in the social media company's favor does set a tone that companies will at least seemingly get a chance inside China's courts.

Related Resources:
The new face of militancy in the Niger-Delta region, the Niger Delta Avengers, has claimed responsibility for the bombing of Chevron oil facilities at Escravos in Warri, Delta State on Friday, threatening to blow up all oil facilities in the region, including offshore platforms.

The group said it had perfected plans to bomb the Bonga Fpso, the EA Field and tank farms, Bonny tank farm, Escravos tank farm and Forcados tank farm if their 10-point demands were not met by the federal government.

Among the demands by the Avengers is the unconditional release of the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPoB) Mr Nnamdi Kanu and the immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference.

The spokesperson of the Avengers, Mudoch Agbinibo, said the group would not stop its bombing operations until its demands are met.

The 10-point demand contained in a press release on the militant groups website, said NNPC crude and gas pipelines feeding the Warri and Kaduna refineries including the gas line feeding the Lagos and Abuja electricity power supply would be cut off.

It also said President Muhammadu Buhari, the DSS and former Bayelsa governor, Timipre Sylva, should apologise to the people of the Niger Delta and family of the late Chief DSP Alamieyesegha over his death.

According to the group, ownership of oil blocks must reflect 60% for people from oil producing regions and 40% for the non-oil producing regions.

Among other things, the group said the only Nigerian maritime university located in Okerenkoko, Delta State, must commence the 2015/2016 academic session while the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amechi, should apologize to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his statements about the location of the university.

The Ogoniland and indeed all oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation be paid to all oil producing communities, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of IPOB must be released unconditionally as the court said, the Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and let it continue to run effectively, all APC members that are indicted in any corruption related cases should be made to face trial like the PDP members and all oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe this ultimatum, as their business interest in the country must be first target, the statement said.
The man who allegedly killed his wife in the Egbeda, Lagos area, Lekan Shonde, has told PUNCH Metro that his wife, Ronke provoked him by describing vividly how her lover slept with her in a hotel in Abuja.

LAGOS  The 2016 national budget just signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari may have started suffering a major cash flow set back from oil revenue as prices shed $5 per barrel as at last weekend while output dropped further due to Chevron facility bombing just before the budget was signed, Friday.

FORMER Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani- Kayode, has endorsed the aspiration of Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Lere Olayinka, to become the national publicity secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Thisday

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said the federal government will need as much as N1.7 trillion to complete about 206 road projects it awarded in the past.

Daily Times

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the speedy implementation of the recently passed 2016 budget.

Guardian
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said his country will not use nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty is infringed on by others, state media reported. Speaking spoke in Pyongyang on Saturday to thousands of delegates gathered for the first Workers Party congress in more than 35 years.

As a responsible nuclear weapons state, our republic will not use a nuclear weapon unless its sovereignty is encroached upon by any aggressive hostile forces with nukes, the KCNA news agency quoted him as saying. And it will faithfully fulfil its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for the global denuclearisation.

Kim also said North Korea may be willing to normalise ties with states that had been hostile towards it  generally understood to mean the US and South Korea. Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from the South Korean capital, Seoul, noted that Kims latest comments were different from defiant statements made in recent weeks and months.

The idea that North Korea would launch a preemptive nuclear strike has never been really likely, given the military response that would entail from the US, Fawcett said, However, Kims latest remarks do mark a shift in tone.
Close to 55 million voters have started casting their ballots in the Philippines presidential election that could, for the first time, propel a politician from the southern island of Mindanao to power. This could signal a turn away from the policies of President Benigno Aquino and the political centre in the capital Manila.

Polls opened across the country at 6am local time on Monday (22:00 GMT Sunday) and the election pits frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte, an outspoken mayor from the city of Davao, against four other contenders. Duertes strongest challenger is Grace Poe, a freshman senator who is weighed down by questions about her previous US citizenship.

Another candidate Manuel Roxas II, a former senator backed by current Aquino, is battling anti-establishment sentiment, while Jejomar Binay, the current vice president, is facing corruption allegations. Senator Miriam Santiago, a fifth candidate, barely registers in the polls. Duterte, who has faced allegations of human rights abuses and hidden wealth, has anchored his campaign in the fight against crime and corruption in the country.

He said he would declare a revolutionary government if criminality is not solved within the first six months of his presidency. The promise, however, raised concerns in the business community and among other political observers, who have warned against the return of an autocratic rule similar to the time of Ferdinand Marcos 30 years ago. But Duterte has endeared himself to voters with his plain, often expletive-laden talk which got him in trouble on few occasions including the time he cursed Pope Francis, made jokes about rape and threatened to burn Singapores flag.

Aljazeera.
Justine Aisha Kyomugisha died of her injuries at Mulago hospital late last month, after her husband of eight years, Imran Kaliisa poured acid on her. She left behind a seven-year-old daughter. He has been on the run since then until his arrest recently.

According to The Kampala Sun, on the night of January 7, 2016, a domestic quarrel descended into horror when 27-year-old Kaliisa doused his wife, a Container Village-based second hand shoe trader, with acid.

The couple shared a home in Mankindye, Barracks Zone for eight years. Kyomugishas relatives say the couple had been having a long standing feud but they remained supportive nonetheless. However, things took a bad turn when Kaliisa started working in Rwanda six years ago and left his wife.

At times he would return and spend just a day and go back, sometimes leaving her with nothing, they say.

Her family came to her rescue and helped to set up a second hand shoe business in Coontainer Village so she could take care of herself. To Kaliisa, this was the start of the troubles. He tried to dissuade her from working and urged her to hire an attendant.

Meantime a determined Kyomugisha worked hard and grew her business, expanding to Park Yard and St. Balikuddembe market. Kaliisa reportedly got tipped off by friends that his wife had another man thus his decision to return to Kampala to monitor her. He started working in Kikuubo last December. Kaliisa put strict conditions for his wife among which was never to return home late. On that fateful day, Kyomugisha returned home late and Kaliisa accused her of having been out with men. Zamu Nalumansi, a neighbour to the couple, says on the fateful day the couple got into a fight. Kyomugisha fled to her house for refuge, with her terrified daughter in tow.

As Kyomugisha narrated to her what had happened Kaliisa came in hot pursuit and asked her if she had chosen to flee to her neighbour instead of her parents. He then ordered her to go back to the house and pack all her things and leave. Unknown to them Kaliisa, like a crafty hunter, was luring his wife to hell. A few steps out of the neighbours house, with her little girl in tow, Kaliisa, armed with a cup, sneaked up behind and emptied its contents in her face. As it turned out he had just burnt his wife with acid, some of which splashed onto the little girls back. Nalumansi responded to calls for help as her friend screamed in anguish: Help me Taata Shamim has burnt me with acid! Nalumansi too sustained minor burns as drops of acid splashed off Kyomugishas face. Police suspect Kaliisa had for long planned the attack and that the acid had been procured and kept nearby. The criminal investigations boss Katwe police, Benon Ayebare, said a manhunt was ongoing for Kaliisa who fled after the attack. Edna Ayitamya, a sister to Kyomugisha cried out, saying it wouldnt be Kaliisa to carry out such a cowardly act after he abandoned his wife and they looked after her and his daughter. Kaliisa was arrested days ago from areas of Bunyoro after four months on the run. He confessed to the heinous act. He told the Police at Katwe that he always grilled his wife about the numerous phone calls she received at awkward hours of the night, strongly suspecting they were from lovers. She always told him they were only business colleagues. Bothered by the trend, Kaliisa started rummaging threw her belongings to find evidence of infidelity.

It was during one of such fishing expeditions that he found an HIV status card showing she was positive. All hell broke loose. Kaliisa says when he confronted his wife she denied having knowledge of what he was alleging. Out of anger he resolved to punish her in a manner she would never forget, and set about his evil plan that he executed on the fateful night.

Source: New Vision/Kampala Sun
The police on Monday sealed off the Edo State House of Assembly complex to avert possible breakdown of law and order.

At least 10 Hilux patrol vans and an Armoured Personnel Carrier were strategically stationed within and around the state assembly complex.

There were also regular and mobile police operatives positioned at the three entrances to the assembly to prevent access into the complex.

Already, workers of the house of assembly have been prevented by the police from getting to their offices.

Confirming the development, the Edo Police spokesperson, Abiodun Osifo, said that the action was taken to avoid repetition of what happened last Wednesday at the complex when 16 members of the assembly impeached the erstwhile Speaker, Mr Victor Edoro.

Edoro was immediately replaced with Mrs Elizabeth Ativie.

Suspected thugs, loyal to both sides, had after Edoros removal, taken over the assembly complex and engaged in a shooting match.
National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has said that the execution of national railway projects is one of the priorities for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Odigie-Oyegun made the disclosure in Abuja at a dinner held in his honour by Saint Patricks College (SPC), Asaba, Old Boys Association (Abuja Branch) on Saturday night.

The railway will be one of the very first priorities. We will for the first time go from Kano to Lagos through Benin City all the way to Calabar by rail, Odigie-Oyegun stated.

He expressed optimism that the economy will rebound as soon capital projects are awarded.

As at today, the economy is in the process of being reflated; meaning that money is being put into the system, said Odigie-Oyegun. Contractors are being mobilised to go back to work. New contracts will be awarded.

The APC National Chairman said that the APC government would build a credible image for the country and appealed for patience and the cooperation from Nigerians as the administration proffer solutions to the myriad of problems facing the country.

We are not shutting our eyes to the pains of the Nigerian people because it is real. It is genuine. We can only plead for patience. Thank God the APC government has its very first national budget and the implementation of that budget will be passionately pursued.

The result at the end of the day is going to be a more vibrant nation which every Nigerian will be proud of, he said.

Oyegun thanked Saint Patricks College, Asaba Old Boys Association for what he described as wonderful display of love and affection extended to him.
An Ivy League professor aboard an American Airlines flight was questioned after a passenger mistook a math equation for Arabic and possible Islamic code for a terrorist attack. Guido Menzio, an economics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was working on a differential math equation as the Syracuse-bound plane was preparing to take off from Philadelphia. The 41-minute flight was delayed by two hours as the olive-skinned, curly, dark-haired native Italian was questioned.

A blond-haired woman wearing flip-flops and appearing to be in her 30s had passed a note to a flight attendant. American Airlines flight 3950 returned to the gate at Philadelphia International Airport and was met by what he described as an FBI-looking man in black. He learned the woman thought he was a terrorist.

After realizing he was only doing math, the flight took off minus the complaining passenger. The woman boarded a later flight for Syracuse. Menzio boarded the original flight again. Menzio has been a member of Penns faculty since 2005 after getting his Ph.D from Northwestern University. Last year, he was awarded the prestigious Carlo Alberto Medal as the best Italian economist under 40. Menzio was headed to Syracuse to Ontario to speak at Queens University at a macroeconomics workshop.

In a deleted Facebook post, Menzio wrote: The lady just looked at me, looked at my writing of mysterious formulae, and concluded I was up to no good. Because of that an entire flight was delayed. . . . Trumps America is already here. Its not yet in power though. Personally, I will fight back. Americans regional partner Air Wisconsin operated the flight. American Airlines confirmed the woman had raised suspicions about Menzio.

UPI.
A Range Rover worth more than $100,000 was photographed on a London street with an eye-catching paint job seemingly performed by the owners scorned lover.

The Range Rover Revere, which has a starting price of about $108,700, was photographed outside a Harrods store in west London with spray-painted messages that appear to have been written by the owners ex-lover. The messages Cheater, Hope she was worth it, and Its over are visible in photos of the vehicle posted to Twitter by user @kloidaaa.

The Twitter user said she saw the woman spray-painting the car, but didnt snap any pictures until the deed was done. I have no idea who she was  she was just going crazy, she told the BBC. No one tried to stop her. She just left afterwards.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Monday said the next constitution amendment exercise will capture the reduction of age for eligibility into elective offices to allow Nigerian youths to participate fully in the political process.

Dogara, who made the disclosure while addressing students from various institutions of higher learning across the country at the National Assembly complex, also charged the youths to participate more actively in politics by breaking voters apathy and electing leaders who will secure their future and interests.

He said: I am acutely aware that young people often find themselves on the fringes of the political process. We need to develop a structured manner of involving our students and youths in the political process. I think it may not be out of place to lower the age qualification for certain elective offices in the next constitutional amendment exercise.

Mr. Dogara said political apathy among young people is translating to low voters turnout, adding that such an attitude must change.

Many young people are not involved in voting during elections which threatens the representative nature of our democratic institutions,

This country belongs to you but its under the stranglehold of men and women of a generation that have overreached itself. The truth is that nothing will be ceded or conceded to your generation without a fight. In this endeavor, your voices mean nothing if you dont have the votes.

Therefore, all students in Nigeria must not only register to vote and cast their votes during elections, they must also ensure that their votes, count. There is no other better way by which you will earn respect for yourselves and ensure that the gifts you have taken to the university to polish ultimately benefit your generation.

He, however, urged the students to strike a balance between student unionism, activism and academic excellence.

Young students like you possess abundance of passion, drive and the spirit of adventure thus risk taking comes naturally to the young. The idealism of youth must, however, be tempered by the need to excel academically in school. Any student who places activism over academics will sooner than later be left behind by his classmates. You must therefore strike the right balance between activism and academic and social progress.

I believe strongly that the culture of peaceful protest, demonstrations and general activism is not only necessary in a democratic state but is in fact a constitutional right. This ensures accountability of government to the people. Resistance to tyranny, crusade for justice and good governance require courage, patriotism and ideological purity.

It was Martin Luther King, Jnr, who said that: freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed. Indeed, the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny, to paraphrase Prof Wole Soyinka. The culture of protest that I endorse must be uncompromisingly peaceful and non-violent. It must be based on selflessness and not aided by ambition or corruption. It must be for the right reasons and procured only by the purest of motives.

It must not be based on propaganda and misinformation. It must be non-partisan. Students should never allow themselves to be used by politicians to score political points or by state or non-state actors to pick sour grapes on their behalf.

On the issue of youth unemployment, the Speaker assured the students that the Green Chamber takes youth unemployment in Nigeria as a top priority which is why as part of the Sectoral Debates of the House of Representatives, it is engaging the executive on how to diversify the economy and create jobs for our people.

The Senate leader, Ali Ndume, who represented Senate President Bukola Saraki, said it was important for the students to learn the workings of the Parliament

Senator Ndume noted that leadership begins at the level of the students, adding that young ones, are the leaders of tomorrow and hope of the country.

He urged them not to be derailed.
Saudi Arabia has sacked its oil minister Ali al-Naimi as part of a major cabinet reshuffle, state media reported. Naimi was replaced by former health minister Khaled al-Faleh in the overhaul announced on Saturday in a series of royal decrees issued by King Salman.

The Saudi monarch replaced the ministers in charge of the energy, oil, water, transport, commmerce, social affairs, health and pilgrimage portfolios and established a new recreation and culture commission. State television said the oil ministry would now be known as the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mining. Naimi was appointed oil minister in 1995 after serving as the head of Saudi Aramco, the countrys national energy company and one of the richest companies in the world.

The long-serving minister was responsible for Saudi Arabias policy of continuing to maintain oil production at the same rate despite low oil prices. Prices fell to a 12-year low of below $30 in January but have since recovered to around $45. The drop has led to Saudi Arabia revamping its economic polices to take into account a future without a heavy reliance on oil

The countrys Vision 2030 plan envisages a diverse economy involved in global markets driven by a public investment fund. Policies proposed in recent months include a partial public offering of around five percent in Aramco and the introduction of a green card system to grant expatriates permanent residency and reduce the flow of money outside of the country in remittances.

Aljazeera.
The activities of the Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group in the oil-rich region, have forced Royal Dutch Shell to evacuate most of its staff from its production facility, Eja OML 79.

Shell evacuation was carried out by three helicopters weekend. The evacuation saw 98 key personnel airlifted by helicopters from Eja OML 79, run by Royal Dutch Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Corporation, SPDC, where production of 90,000 barrels of oil per day has been halted.

Some staff of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO working at the Bonga field close to the Eja OML 79 were also said to have been evacuated.

Last week, the Niger Delta Avengers blew up Chevron Valve Platform in Abiteye, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. They had earlier in the year, blown up pipelines in the state.
The five governors in the South South geo-political zone elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday resolved to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over security issues in their area.

The resurgence of militants attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the region especially in Delta State and the menace of armed herdsmen, who have been attacking farming communities, were condemned by the governors, who said they would take the issues up with the president.

They, however, did not state the time the meeting will hold at a briefing with reporters in Asaba, the Delta State capital after a meeting yesterday, attended by all of them.

Host Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who briefed reporters on the outcome of the meeting, was joined by Governors Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) and Ben Ayade (Cross Rivers).

Okowa said the meeting also discussed how the PDP would do well in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State  which is the only state controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South.

According to Okowa: We discussed issues concerning our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). You will recall that our convention has been fixed to hold in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on May 21 and we are putting plans in place for that convention.

The Chairman of the committee for the convention is Governor Wike of Rivers State and we use this medium to call on all our supporters and members of the PDP to desist from any form of crisis before, during and after the convention, we accepted as a party and the leadership of the party agreed that the national convention should hold at Port Harcourt. We stand by that resolution.

We tried to map out strategies in order to strengthen the PDP in Edo State.

When asked by reporters to disclose the strategies they took to recapture the state from the APC, Gov. Okowa said: We will not let the cat out of the bag because we are putting things in place at the moment.
The leader of al-Qaeda has urged warring fighters in Syria to unite or risk death while criticising again the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in an audio recording. In the clip, posted online on Sunday, Ayman al-Zawahiri criticised the UN-backed political process to find a solution in Syria and praised al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda offshoot which controls most of Idlib province.

We have to want the unity of the Mujahideen in Sham [Syria] so it will be liberated from the Russians and Western Crusaders. My brothers  the matter of unity is a matter of life or death for you, Zawahiri says. Al-Nusra Front is part of an alliance of armed groups known as Jaish al-Fatah, which is leading battles against Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces and his Russian- and Iranian-backed allies in the southern Aleppo countryside.

In January, al-Nusra Front tried unsuccessfully to convince rival Sunni factions  including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham  to merge into one unit. As successor to Osama bin Laden, Zawahiri has the allegiance of al-Qaeda branches in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. The authenticity of the recording, the first since January, could not be immediately verified, but it had the hallmarks of previous Zawahiri tapes. He is believed to be hiding in a border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Monday in Abuja said that tackling youth unemployment in the country was top priority of the National Assembly.

Speaking during an interactive session between members of the house and students representatives from universities across the country, Dogara decried the level of youth unemployment in the country, saying that employment opportunities were far below the growth in the population of youth.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in 2015, Nigerias unemployment rate was 23.9 per cent, and 60 per cent of our population were youths, translating to about 80 million Nigerian youths.

Youth unemployment rate is over 50 percent; about 64 million Nigerian youths are unemployed.

When one takes into cognisance the sheer number of young people seeking employment, it renders programmes of government and international agencies to mere tokenistic gestures, he said.

Dogara said that while the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) could not provide needed succour to unemployed youths, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme was struggling to absorb recent graduates of the countrys tertiary institutions.

He expressed dismay that educated youths failed to acquire skills currently being demanded in the labour market.

A weak vocational training sector means that, in spite of a large and growing construction sector, skilled construction workers are usually imported from neighbouring countries, he said.

Dogara stated that the ongoing sectoral debates organized by the House would serve as a platform to identify and prioritize key issues of graduate unemployment to be addressed.
When The Sun visited Mavins first lady, Tiwa Savages Richmond Gate Estate in Lekki Lagos, security men in well-starched uniform did not allow them entrance.

According to The Sun, one of them walked towards the team and popped the question:

Please who do you want to see? He was told that the team was going see a resident of the estate, but he demanded that the person should be called on the phone before the team would be granted entry. When the many pleas of the team fell on deaf ears, The Sun crew then disclosed its mission: to see Tiwa Savage. And that instantly made him very unfriendly, and asked to know whether there was an appointment with her.

Oga, you cant see anyone in this estate except you call the person on phone and he or she must tell us to allow you in. Every occupant has their instruction and Tiwa Savage has given us instruction not to let anybody that comes to look for her into the estate without her permission, the gatekeeper said with a tone of finality. After the encounter with the gatekeeper, The Sun crew struck up a conversation with a middle-aged man seen some meters away from the gate, wanting to ascertain whether the songstress actually lives in the estate.

He said: I am allowed to enter this estate because I work there. Tiwa Savage stays here but I havent seen her since the information about her marriage crisis went viral on the internet. I got to know about it like every other person. I saw her with her husband in December last year inside a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV. Her husband was driving the vehicle out of the estate. Sometimes when I see her, I will wave at her and she would wave back. Apart from that, I dont have a personal relationship with her.

The worker explained that some other artistes also live in the estate: Tiwa Savage is not the only artiste staying in this estate. We have Iyanya, Timaya, MI, AY (comedian) and others living here. Even TuFace Idibia has a house here and his wife, Annie Macaulay comes here regularly. Some occupants of the estate bought land and built duplexes on it while others bought semi-detached duplex from the company that manages the estate.

Source:Naij
The Pentagon has acknowledged for the first time it has deployed its troops to Yemen more than a year after pulling out following military intervention by the Arab-led coalition.

The security void created in the wake of the more than a year of war between loyalists of exiled government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Shia Houthi rebels has been exploited by the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Davis said on Friday the US military had also stepped up air strikes against AQAP fighters in the war-torn country.

A very small number of American military personnel has been working from a fixed location with Yemeni and Arab coalition forces  especially the Emiratis  in recent weeks around Mukalla, a port city seized by AQAP a year ago, Davis said.

This is of great interest to us. It does not serve our interests to have a terrorist organisation in charge of a port city, and so we are assisting in that, the spokesman added. He said the troops were helping the Emiratis with intelligence support, but declined to say if they are special operations forces.

AQAP fighters have now fled Mukalla and other coastal areas, due to the government offensive. The United States is also offering an array of assistance to partners in Yemen, including air-to-air refueling capabilities, surveillance, planning, maritime security and medical help.
Vietnamese police have detained dozens of protesters in the capital, where demonstrators gathered for the second time in a week to denounce a Taiwanese company they accuse of causing fish deaths in central coastal provinces. A group of protesters sat on the bank of a big lake in Hanoi on Sunday before police shepherded them on to a waiting bus, witnesses told the Reuters news agency. Demonstrators were also put on buses at a square in front of the nearby Hanoi Opera House.

The fish mass deaths emerged a month ago in the central province of Ha Tinh, where the Taiwanese Formosa company runs a steel plant. Fish also washed ashore in three other provinces along a stretch of 200km. An initial official investigation did not blame the fish deaths on Formosas $10.6bn coastal steel plant and Formosa denies any wrongdoing.

As the scandal unfolded in April a Formosa communications official was sacked after he said Vietnam needs to choose whether to catch fish and shrimp or to build a state-of-the-art steel mill. You cannot have both, the official said. The company later apologised for the comments and has launched its own inquiry but public anger is growing.

Never has the Vietnamese sea been this badly polluted, army veteran Nguyen Manh Trung, 68, told the AFP news agency. Last week, hundreds took to the streets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnams second-largest city, to vent their anger. Demonstrations are rare in Vietnam and are often quickly suppressed by uniformed and plain-clothes police. State-controlled media has not reported any of the demonstrations.
RFD-TV Interview & Crop Progress Blue Line Futures - 39 minutes ago Oliver Sloup was on RFD-TV this morning, sharing his thoughts on the early morning action in the grain markets. Will we ever break out of the range?

Dollar Slightly Lower as Stocks Rally Barchart - 1 hour ago The dollar index (DXY00 ) on Monday fell by -0.04%. The dollar Monday dropped to a 2-week low as a rally in the S&P 500 to a 1-month high Monday reduced the liquidity demand for the dollar. Also, economic... DXY00 : 111.988 (-0.02%) ^EURUSD : 0.98721 (-0.01%) ^USDJPY : 148.916 (-0.04%) GCZ22 : 1,654.1 (-0.13%) SIZ22 : 19.190 (+0.65%)

Nat-Gas Prices Rebound as Dollar Weakness Sparks Short Covering Barchart - 1 hour ago Nov Nymex natural gas (NGX22 ) on Monday closed up by +0.240 (+4.84%). Nov nat-gas Monday rebounded from a 7-month nearest-futures low and closed sharply higher as a weaker dollar sparked short covering... NGX22 : 5.174 (+4.34%)

Crude Under Pressure from Global Energy Demand Concerns Barchart - 1 hour ago Dec WTI crude oil (CLZ22 ) on Monday closed down -0.47 (-0.55%), and Dec RBOB gasoline (RBZ22 ) closed up +2.36 (+0.95%). Crude oil and gasoline prices Monday settled mixed. Global energy demand concerns... CLZ22 : 84.89 (-0.19%) RBZ22 : 2.5050 (+1.22%)

Cocoa Rallies as Rain Delays Cocoa Shipments to Ivory Coast Ports Barchart - 1 hour ago December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22 ) on Monday closed up +31 (+1.34%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22 ) closed up +23 (+1.18%). Cocoa prices Monday posted moderate gains on delays in the transportation... CCZ22 : 2,337s (+1.34%) CAH23 : 1,928s (+1.10%)

Sugar Prices Decline on the Outlook for Higher Global Production Barchart - 1 hour ago March NY world sugar #11 (SBH23 ) on Monday closed down -0.25 (-1.36%), and Dec London white sugar #5 (SWZ22 ) closed down -6.80 (-1.28%). Sugar prices Monday closed moderately lower, with NY sugar dropping... SBH23 : 18.13s (-1.36%) SWZ22 : 526.20s (-1.28%)

Coffee Closes Lower on Outlook for Improved Global Coffee Production Barchart - Mon Oct 24, 2:04PM CDT December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) on Monday closed down -0.50 (-0.26%), and Nov ICE Robusta coffee (RMX22 ) closed down -44 (-2.20%). Coffee prices on Monday closed moderately lower, with robusta posting... KCZ22 : 190.40s (-0.26%) RMF23 : 1,953s (-2.15%)
In 1992, Marvin M. Schwan created a charitable supporting organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation was established for the support and benefit of seven named beneficiariesall organizations associated with the Lutheran Church. The foundation was funded with nearly $1 billion.

The trust instrument creating the foundation specified that it was to be managed by at least two and not more than five trustees. It is the responsibility of the trustees to manage the foundations investments and determine the amount of distributions to each beneficiary.

The trust instrument also provided for the creation of a Trustee Succession Committee (TSC) comprising three to 10 members with the exclusive power to appoint new foundation trustees and TSC members. The TSC had to meet at least annually to review the trustees administration of the foundation.

Since inception, the TSC has been composed of seven members. Marvins two sons were two of the TSC members along with three foundation trustees and two other people who were not affiliated with the foundation in any manner. Therefore, four members of the TSC were independent of the foundation and three TSC members were foundation trustees whose work the TSC was charged with reviewing.

The first point to make about this case is that it was inappropriate to have foundation trustees as part of the committee charged with the oversight of those same trustees. It should have been obvious to everyone that the foundation trustees were not likely to find fault with their own actions. Although the majority of the TSC members were independent of the foundation, any actions against the foundation trustees needed the unanimous agreement of these four non-foundation members. That is a significantly high bar to reach.

Between 1993 and 2013, the foundation made some dubious investment decisions, the result of which was an investment loss of approximately $600 million. The nearly $1 billion foundation was reduced to approximately $340 million as of November 2013.

The two Schwan brothers (Marvins sons) requested information from the foundation trustees regarding these large investment losses. However, their desire for information was not shared by the two other independent TSC members and certainly not by the three foundation TSC members. Thus, only two of the seven TSC members voted to request the underlying financial records of the $600 million investment loss.

The two Schwan brothers sought to obtain a court order for the additional financial information. The circuit court in South Dakota indicated that the brothers lacked legal standing and determined that they were not a trust committee and dismissed their petition. On April 7, 2016, they appealed to the South Dakota Supreme Court. I believe they will lose again.

The key governance point demonstrated in this case is that decisions made by a governing body are the decisions of the body and the opinions or dissenting votes of any member or members of that body are irrelevant to the groups decision. When a board or other governing body votes to take action or does not vote and does not take action, that decision becomes the final decision of that governing body. Any dissenting opinions held by individual committee members are irrelevant. Furthermore, the dissenters have no recourse to compel the majority to adopt their position on the issue.

The only recourse of a minority opinion holder is to reinforce the seriousness of his or her opinion by threatening resignation from the committee. Of course, when this tactic fails to sway the opinions of a sufficient number of others, resignation is appropriate. Continuing to raise the issue for a vote at subsequent meetings is also inappropriate unless the dissenter knows that he or she now has sufficient votes to overturn the prior decision of the body.

In such a situation, the proper procedure would be to make a motion to re-open the discussion of the previously decided issue. When that motion is seconded and passes, the issue would be discussed to the extent necessary and a motion made for certain action (presumably the opposite action than that previously taken by the body) and that motion will be seconded and passed.

The Schwan brothers had only two of seven votes on the TSC. The circuit court ruled that the Schwan brothers themselves do not constitute a trust committee. The trust committee is the seven-member TSC and that body did not request additional financial information regarding the $600 million investment losses.

The court also indicated that as individuals, the Schwan brothers did not have legal standing. The trust instrument indicated the foundation was to be administered by trustees and the trustees actions were to be overseen by the TSC. So while the TSC would have legal standing in a court of law, individual members of that committee do not. Their authority resides in their one vote on the committee. The fact that they were the sons of the foundations founder is also irrelevant.

In general, I have found that board members of public charities do not realize the importance and limitations of their votes on organizational issues. While your vote is very important, a vote in the minority means that you, as a board member, are now supporting the majority decision. If you cant live with that, there is little you can do to distance yourself from the action or inaction that was the majority vote other than to distance yourself from the organization entirely.

See more articles by Frank A. Monti.
By Shari Sutton

Self-storage is a customer-driven business and your facility managers are your frontline, so you must make careful considerations at the time of hiring. Its important to look for individuals who have a strong customer-service and sales background, while marketing experience is a plus.

Your hires dont necessarily need to have self-storage experience, as most of the day-to-day operation of a facility is pretty straightforward and easily taught. Some of the best managers come from entirely different backgrounds with little to no industry experience. What they do possess is sales and service experiencetwo crucial factors for any business. Without sales, you dont have customers; and without satisfied customers, you wont sustain long-term growth. Unfortunately, self-storage owners dont always consider this in their hiring process.

Theres a strong correlation between a customers overall experiencewhat your facility and managers provideand the likelihood that he will become a loyal tenant whos also an advocate for your business and a great source of referrals. To ensure this conversion, here are some factors to consider in regard to staff training and motivation.

Train for Better Performance

Training your self-storage managers is extremely important. Investing in education sends a strong message that you care about your team and their success, which directly translates into how they will care for your business.

Regardless of the size of your portfolio, you can implement an internal training program or combine it with external training for a competitive edge. Most important, teaching new employees should go beyond explaining your software and day-to-day operation. It should cover your environment, your facilitys unique customer experience, and how to actually close sales on the phone.

Training your managers to sell more effectively is a motivating force for continued success and growth. If you have a training program in place, continue to evaluate it to ensure long-term development. If you dont have a program in place, consider making this a priority. Its an investment in your employees and facility thats well spent and will come back to you through an increase in occupancy and higher yield.

Motivate and Build Teams

There are many keys to motivating employees. First and foremost is communication. Statistics show that companies that communicate most effectively are 50 percent more likely to report turnover levels below industry average, compared to only 33 percent for companies with the least effective communication.

Keeping your managers updated on the things he needs to know to succeed, such as new policies or facility promotions, is critical. Theres nothing more frustrating to a manager than having to learn about a new promotion from a customer, or finding out about a new policy after being chastised for failing to follow it. This can be more common with larger operations where it may take longer for new information to trickle down to all facilities.

Most employees want to perform well, and keeping an open line of communication will support this. If youre a local operator with multiple facilities in a market, consider gathering your managers for a monthly strategy meeting. These get-togethers are productive for rolling out new information and provide an open forum for managers to meet with their peers, exchange stories, and discuss what is and isnt working well at their facilities. They can even talk about areas in which they need assistance.

This is also an excellent format for training. Say youve implemented a new feature on your website or updated your lease. Going over these items in a group setting allows managers to ask questions and get real-time answers. Not only will you get great input from your staff, it supports a team environment. For smaller operators, this could be a quarterly function as opposed to monthly. It gives your entire management team an opportunity to contribute to the growth of your organization.

Set Goals

Setting goals with your managers and not just for them gives them buy-in. Its OK to set lofty objectives, but make sure theyre attainable and realistic for your market. Establish weekly and monthly targets. Communication is the key here, so if targets arent being met, you can identify why. If theres a problem, it may not be manager-related; it may be market- or price-related. You wont know unless youre paying attention.

You also need to be flexible and adjust goals when necessary. Theres nothing is more discouraging to a manager than to feel like his goals arent attainable or hes failing.

In setting goals, its important for managers to understand the reports generated from your facility-management software, not just from the perspective of square-foot occupancy, but from the perspective of economic occupancy and how concessions and delinquencies impact it. This should be incorporated into your training process.

Build Recognition Programs

A little credit goes a long way. Its important to realize that not all people are motivated by money. Many crave recognition because its not something we typically get in our daily lives. For example, offer praise to the managers with the highest monthly occupancy increases. If one of your goals is to increase customer feedback, then acknowledge managers whove inspired their customers to write glowing online reviews.

When a manager has an exceptional month, take him to lunch or present him with a special thank you. If you dont create an environment where people enjoy coming to work every day, theyll become order-takers instead of go-getters!

Create Employee Advocates

An employee advocate is a socially engaged employee who creates and shares your brand content on his personal social networks. When employees share content, they reach 10 times as many people as your brands social media pages. Why is this so powerful? Seventy-seven percent of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service when a friend recommends it. An employees friends and other consumers consider them trusted resources. Advocate marketing programs also benefit employees as well by empowering and engaging them, providing opportunities to demonstrate thought leadership, and helping them build new skills.

When implementing an employee-advocacy program, its important to create a social media policy. You have to establish rules to ensure compliance, regardless of how socially savvy your employees might be. First, you have to identify goals. These programs have the potential to reach new audiences, create thought leadership, and establish and improve brand identity.

Recognize your employee advocates, which helps keep them engaged in brand promotion. Share their content on your company website to highlight their successes and offer third-party training to enhance their skills.

You employees are your greatest asset. Giving them the training to succeed, the recognition they deserve, and the empowerment to advocate for your brand not only helps them become more engaged in the success of your storage business, it improves your communication, human resources, marketing and sales.

Shari Sutton is president of Sutton Watkins Advertising & Marketing Inc. and MMS, a division of the company that focuses on self-storage and multi-family housing. Shari has been a respected agency principal since 1998, with expertise in advertising, marketing and senior management. Shes responsible for several prominent accounts, serving as marketing director for Nevada-based StorageOne and overseeing the direct and grassroots marketing efforts of 17-plus self-storage facilities. To reach her, call 702.270.2147; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.suttonwatkins.com.
Economic data from China released over the weekend revealed more signals that stimulus measures by Beijing policymakers are starting to have an effect, if not as large as many had hoped. Both imports and exports were weaker than consensus economist forecasts in April, with shipments abroad falling by 1.8 percent year-over-year versus a prior gain of 11.5 percent. Critically, according to the Administration of Customs, exports actually rose in local currency terms by more than 4 percent versus April 2015, an indication that yuan interventions by the Peoples Bank of China are assisting a modest recovery for activity in the private sector. The Peoples Bank of China foreign currency reserves figures, also released on Sunday, show that the central banks coffers swelled by $7 billion. For investors, the impact of Chinese stimulus is mixed. A rebound in oil imports, which took inbound crude shipments to a record level, was offset by a spike in steel shipments as fabricators aggressively sold into offshore markets. Ultimately for financial assets, the most important data point from Sunday may be the 11 percent contraction of the yuan versus the same month last year, the 18th consecutive monthly decline and a signal that despite improving foreign trade demand at home remains sluggish. Weak domestic demand and rising sexport because of a weak currency may suggest that Beijings efforts to prop up industry are working, but that organic growth remains elusive.

Saudi Arabia appoints new oil chief. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia announced that Khalid Al-Falih, the chairman of Arabian Oil Co., commonly known as Aramco, will ascend to the office of oil minister for the Kingdom, succeeding Ali al-Naimi. In a statement issued upon his appointment, Al-Falih indicated that he intends to continue the path laid out by his predecessor, suggesting that only gradual moderation of production levels is likely. Separately, on Saturday, the Kingdom announced that Fahad Al Mubarak would step down as the governor of the central bank and be succeeded by Ahmed Al Kholifey, previously the deputy governor.

Oil production unhindered by fire. A massive wild fire in Alberta, Canada over the weekend that caused the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents did not affect oil-sands production in the region, authorities say. Although production facilities escaped damage, a significant supply delay is expected as the region recovers. In early trading on Monday, futures contracts for front-month delivery of West Texas Intermediate crude rose by nearly 1 percent to $45.60 per barrel.

Duterte likely to win Philippines presidency. Initial exit polls indicate that Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of Davao City, has a commanding lead in the presidential election in the Philippines. The election cycle has been marred by problems with electronic voting machines that have undermined claims by the countrys election commission that an orderly outcome within 24 hours was feasible. A populist outsider, Duterte has pledged to eradicate government corruption while making controversial statements on law enforcement and religion.

Ouster at Lending Club. On Monday, Lending Club Corp. announced that Renaud Laplanche will resign as CEO of the company. The move comes after an internal audit unveiled a concentrated series of loans to a single counterparty in direct conflict with the companys business model and risk-management policy. First-quarter results fell short of analyst estimates

Portfolio Perspective: Something to Talk About

Economic reports hover somewhere on the border between good and bad. One mistake that we should be aware of is that people who watch and talk about these numbers must have something to talk about. Naturally, any blip in the data becomes a subject for discussion, and its not very exciting to say this is almost certainly statistical noise and is insignificant when seen in the big picture. However, this is often the case. Economic trends turn on a nearly glacial scale; if we parse every release and search for some significance, we will often be misled. In much of this work, the proverbial 30,000 foot view is the right one  maintain an awareness of bigger trends.

It is also worth mentioning that we need to avoid the natural inclination to find points of concern. Too many investors missed too much of the last bull market because they did not understand how stocks could rally based on _____ (fill in the blank with any of a long list of factors). The benefit of a disciplined tactical process is that it makes us focus on the reality of what the market is saying, on what is happening right now and what is most likely to happen in the future, and much of this is strongly bullish. There is a very high probability that stocks will continue higher in the next few quarters.

Structurally, pauses in markets that come after large advances are usually bullish. There are some refinements to that understanding, but this is one of the most important concepts in technical analysis. We can read the last few weeks action in stocks as being a consolidation near recent highs, and, in fact, the entire 2014-present trading range is a very large-scale consolidation near recent highs. All of this is far more likely to be bullish than it is to be bearish. The smart bets are placed on the long side in stocks at this time.

Adam Grimes is chief investment officer for Waverly Advisors in Pittsford, New York.
The drop in oil prices over the past two years hasnt helped the economy to the extent that many analysts forecasted. For one thing, the energy industry has fallen hard. Nonetheless, the negativity from the decline in energy investment should go away over time, insists Donald Kohn, an economist and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

The energy price slump, as economists expected, had a positive effect on consumer spending and should lead to a boost in both business and consumer spending.

Oil prices have plunged 58 percent since June 2014, to $45 a barrel. To be sure, they have recouped a small portion of their losses since touching a low of $26 in February  especially this week, after massive wildfires in and around the Canadian oil-producing town of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Overall, though, the downward trajectory prevails  and has caused great pain throughout the energy industry, leading to a 1.7 percent decline in U.S. business investment on average during each of the past three quarters.

One problem is that the oil and gas fracking boom that preceded the oil price slide required a great deal of capital investment, more so than conventional production techniques, notes Joseph Gagnon, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. As the fracking industry has contracted in response to sagging oil prices, so too has its investment spending. The upshot of fracking is that when the oil price falls, it shows up as a collapse in spending, Gagnon says. And the oil price plummet has been larger and more rapid this time around than in the past, exacerbating that effect. The peak-to-trough decline of 76 percent for the 20 months from June 2014 to February 2016 compares with a 46 percent decline for the 20 months from January 1997 to September 1998.

Moreover, the energy industrys woes have spread into other sectors, just as the housing sectors troubles did in 2008, says Jeffrey Frankel, professor of capital formation and growth at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Already, banks have taken a hit on energy loans.

Another reason low oil prices havent boosted the economy more is that global economic weakness was a primary reason for the price drop in the first place, Frankel says. Although the U.S. economy is stronger than most of those overseas, with growth of 2.4 percent last year, it has lagged typical recoveries. And the slowdown overseas is hurting the U.S. economy, with the trade deficit acting as a major drag on gross domestic product in the past three quarters.

On the consumer side, the picture is mixed. For every penny that gasoline prices fall, consumers save $1.4 billion a year, says Mark Perry, a professor of economics at the University of MichiganFlint and visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. That translates to $75 billion in savings for 2015. There is evidence that some of the savings are being spent.

An analysis from the JPMorgan Chase Institute, using data from Chases 57 million debit and credit card customers, shows that consumers spent about 80 percent of their gasoline savings on other purchases from December 2014 to February 2015. Given that consumer spending isnt soaring and that the savings rate is rising, however, it appears that some of the energy bounty is going toward savings rather than spending.

Consumer spending registered annualized gains of less than 2.5 percent in three of the past five quarters. Meanwhile, the savings rate rose to 5.4 percent in March from 4.8 percent in June 2014.

With interest rates having stayed so low for so long, producing low yields on fixed-income investments, households may be worried that they have to save more for retirement and their childrens college education, Kohn says.

In addition, he and others point out that consumers have sought to reduce their amount of debt since the 200809 financial crisis. American savings habits have received an adjustment, with people more aware of the need for a cushion, Harvards Frankel says. In some ways thats good. But in some ways it means a slow recovery. In any case, if there had not been even modest increased spending as a result of low energy prices, economists agree that the already slow expansion would have been more sluggish.

In the near future low oil prices will probably do more to help the economy. The investment drop from the fracking industry is likely over now, Gagnon says. And the decrease in oil prices lowers costs for companies that are consumers of energy, freeing up money for them to increase investment.

Of course, oil prices have rebounded a bit over the past ten weeks. We may have entered an oil price range of $40 to $60 for the next five years, Perry says. That would mean gasoline prices would stay close to current levels, continuing to help consumers. And it could enable fracking companies to continue or resume production, boosting the energy sector. A climb into the top half of that range might be good for the economy on net, because it is just enough to get fracking going without hurting the consumer, Gagnon says.

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In a statement released today, Human Rights Watch has called on the new National League for Democracy government to make human rights a top priority.

Mr. Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, praised some of the first acts taken by the NLD government.

The NLD-led government has already set the right tone by releasing many political prisoners and dropping charges against hundreds of activists. Mr. Brad Adams said in his media statement that the government had many obstacles to overcome.

Many difficult problems remain, tied to issues such as minority rights, land disputes, and freedom of expression, which require a clear and specific plan of action to tackle successfully.

HRW has officially posted a letter to the new President of Burma, Htin Kyaw, calling for sweeping reforms in the countrys justice system, constitution and the role of the military in political affairs.

Half a century of military rule cant be washed away overnight, but there are many things the new government can do in the short term to set a new tone and direction, Mr. Adams said, The NLD should use its broad mandate to ensure the rights of all Burmese are respected and genuine democratic rule takes hold.
The insurance industry needs to promote itself so its regarded in the same vein as medicine and architecture, says the national manager of a major insurer. Anthony Pagano , national manager commercial intermediaries for Suncorp Group said there was no reason this couldnt be achieved, given the vital role of insurance brokers in Australian society.Pagano spoke to Insurance Business about the challenge of attracting new talent to insurance, which remains an ongoing issue for the sector.They are responsible for offering advice and risk management services to protect peoples lives and livelihoods. Brokers should be at their best when customers are at their worst, helping them recover when the unthinkable happens, he said.In 2015 Vero interviewed some of the young, upcoming leaders of the insurance broking industry as part of Suncorps Insurance Insights White Paper Shaping the future of broking: Leaders of the millennial generation.' The interviewees included the five finalists of the NIBA Warren Tickle Memorial Award for young professionals.Those young brokers expressed the view that the industry had not done enough to establish itself as a fully-fledged profession in the eyes of high school leavers or university graduates, he said.Many young people arent aware how rewarding and exciting a career in insurance broking can be.No two clients and no two days in broking are the same, so it certainly provides a diverse set of skills across a broad spectrum of industries, he said.He said whether theyre sole traders or large, multinational corporations, Australian businesses rely on brokers to guide them through a maze of contractual, legal and financial obligations and support them when it matters most.He also said the development of an undergraduate university degree had the potential to better promote insurance broking as a profession. He said this could be combined with industry-backed scholarships and graduate programs, which are common in other sectors of the finance industry.This would raise the professional standards to the same level as other white-collar industries and provide a boost to the public perception of broking.However, its also important for young people to be aware of insurance broking before they choose any degree, he said.The industry can continue to step up its activities in high schools and job exhibitions, so that students and their influencers  parents and teachers  have greater awareness.Ideally, children will grow up with as much awareness of an insurance broking career as they do of medicine and architecture.
An SA broker has scooped an award recognising excellence in professional practice in the general insurance intermediary sector.Daniel Bullock, from Safeguard Insurance Brokers SA, won the Valerie Baker Memorial Award at a special event hosted by Lloyds on Thursday in Sydney.The award memorialises the achievements Baker made during her lifetime towards the professionalism of the insurance broking and underwriting agency industries and continues her work in encouraging high potential individuals.As the winner of the annual award, sponsored by AIMS, Gold Seal and the Steadfast Group, Bullock receives an all-expenses paid trip to London where he will complete a short course helping him network and increase his market knowledge. He will also take part in focussed learning activities with key underwriters and brokers in the London markets, tour Lloyds of London and meet with senior managers.The judges were impressed with Bullocks success in growing his business and his ability to adapt the business in the face of significant internal changes, according to Gold Seal, as well ashis sustained involvement in IBNA. Sheila Baker , managing director of Gold Seal said, Im so pleased for Daniel. He has long been a strong, positive figure in the intermediary space and I know he will make the most of every minute he spends in the heart of the London Market and at Lloyds.This is the first time a South Australian intermediary has won the award and it speaks volumes to Daniels achievement, both within his own business and supporting the broader insurance community.
The good news is that for the foreseeable future, with certain exceptions, you will not have to tell your clients their premiums are increasing 10 percent or more. Property/casualty carriers collectively, not necessarily individually, have more money than they know how to spend. Here are some facts (per A.M. Best):

Surplus at year-end 2015 is estimated at approximately 270 percent of what it was in 1996. It has increased materially almost every year except 2008. This is in the face of more people, more cars, more property, and more plaintiff attorneys.

Over the past 10 years, earned premiums have increased almost twice as much as claim dollars paid. The industry is making money at a faster pace than claims are being incurred.

Claim frequency, in pure number of claim terms, has decreased materially over the past 20 years.

Claim frequency on a net written premium (NWP) basis has decreased approximately 30 percent.

One often overlooked fact in this day of low investment yields and excellent combined ratios (98 percent reported and only 94 percent on a normalized basis), is net investment income is estimated to be 518 percent greater than net underwriting income.

Carriers are making a lot of money. Collectively, they have no need to increase rates. These results strongly suggest a long, soft market. Moreover, implementation of technology specific to reducing claims, not predictive modeling, will continue to decrease losses further. The more losses decrease, the more surplus will increase. The more surplus increases, the more likely rates will remain soft. Keep in mind, the P/C market cycle changes on decreases in surplus, not profitability.

What might cause surplus to decrease? The obvious factors. Examples include:

A financial crash. If this happens, agents and companies will likely have more to worry about than rates increasing.

A series of large, insured weather catastrophes.

Insurers being faced with large cyber liability claims they did not mean to insure or something similar related to new technology. This would be akin to the asbestos claims decades ago that are still affecting some carriers today.

One or more of these events is likely, but the event is not predictable. If it occurs, we will likely have other issues to deal with, too, so these will not be standalone factors.

These facts mean rates will likely be flat to negative for almost all lines in most geographic locations for the foreseeable future. Some property rates will continue to increase for now, but even within property, new technology already exists that will likely improve results so significantly over time that carriers will eventually even make money in these lines, too. Some carriers already recognize the advantage of this technology and are providing credits. And credits mean decreased prices.

If carriers ever truly awaken to the opportunity afforded by high premiums to give credits for homeowners installing better roofs to resist hail, profits will improve even more. Installing new roofs and technology takes time, but if casualty is already soft and property will become more soft as the technology is installed, the soft market will likely be elongated. This means companies will have to merge, acquire, or invest in agents that generate new sales.

What to Do?

For agents to thrive in the absence of rate increases and likely rate decreases, they must:

Sell, sell, sell new accounts. Agencies must achieve a net increase in accounts annually. To make contingencies, afford expense increases, and survive and definitely to thrive, agencies must have a sales culture. This means stop paying producers that sit around waiting for the phone to ring. CSRs can do that job just as effectively and for less money. Use the difference to invest in sales or marketing, because new sales will be more important than any time in the lifetime of most agencies. Ditch some carriers. Some carriers do not have the financial strength to cut rates enough for agents to sell their products and for the carrier to still make money. Agents need to ditch these carriers. Manage agencies more effectively. Better management is essential because agencies will have to become more efficient. More efficiency will be required because expenses will continue to increase while rates remain flat to down.

This is all good news for the agencies that have a sales culture and are run efficiently. Looking back, these agencies likely will realize this is the best combination for them to succeed. So much of the competition will not wake up in time to proactively address this paradigm change, which means agencies with strong sales cultures will be able to write more business than ever. The same agents that keep waiting for a hard market will fail to keep their clients adequately apprised of rate decreases. This will make them vulnerable. The most effective agents are telling their clients what to expect relative to rates, thereby managing client expectations and fencing off competition simultaneously.

Alternately, companies may squander their surplus on wasteful mergers and acquisitions. Or surplus may plateau and begin decreasing as profits decrease, but that is five to 10 years down the road. If that happens, the best agents coming out of what will be an historic soft market will be perfectly positioned to take advantage of the hard market or continue riding the wave of an even longer soft market.

Topics Carriers Agencies Excess Surplus Tech Property Market
The wildfires ravaging Canadas oil hub in northern Alberta have rapidly spread to an area bigger than New York city, prompting the air lift of more than 8,000 evacuees as firefighters seek to salvage critical infrastructure.

The inferno around Fort McMurray has destroyed homes, forcing more than 80,000 people to flee, disrupted Western Canadas oil-sands operations and may become the costliest catastrophe in the countrys history with insurance losses potentially reaching C$9.4 billion ($7.3 billion).

Responders Thursday were concentrating efforts on protecting key facilities such as the airport and the water treatment plant after the blazes grew to 850 square kilometers (328 square miles), ten times the size of Wednesday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said at a press briefing.

Thats where a lot of work has been going on to ensure the recovery can go along faster if the key infrastructure pieces are still in play, she said. That ultimately has a major impact on the recovery costs down the road between the various levels of government and insurers.

Oil Sands

The wildfire is the latest blow to a province already grappling with the economic toll of a two-year oil price slump in one of the worlds most expensive places to extract crude. More than 40,000 energy jobs have been lost in Canada since the price crash began in 2014.

Royal Bank of Canada estimated that as much as 1 million barrels a day of production was shut because of the blaze, or about 40 percent of oil sands output, as companies including Suncor Energy Inc., Cnooc Ltd.s Nexen, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, and ConocoPhillips reduce production and open work camps to residents escaping blazes in the Albertas biggest-ever evacuation. Inter Pipeline Ltd. shut part of its system in the province. The disruptions pushed up the price of oil sand crude.

Major oil sands sites are near Fort McMurray and are concentrated to the north while the fire is to the south. Fire danger to their operations is likely to be minimal.

More Evacuations

Eighty percent of the oil sands are located deep underground and can only be extracted through an in-situ drilling process, Chelsie Klassen, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said in an e-mail. The remaining twenty percent is minable from the surface and predominantly located north of Fort McMurray. Hydrocarbons can burn under the right conditions, however oil sands would burn at a much slower pace considering its composition with sand.

Changing weather patterns prompted Albertas provincial government Wednesday evening to evacuate two communities more than 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Fort McMurray  Anzac and Gregoire Lake Estates  as well as Fort McMurray First Nation, according to a tweet by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

All Gone

My house and everything I own is gone, Mike Marchand, a crane operator for Suncor, said in a phone interview from Edmonton, where he evacuated with his family after the trailer park where he lives in Fort McMurray went up in flames. Ive never had anything like this happen.

No deaths or injuries have been reported although 1,600 buildings have been damaged. Conditions remained extreme with a total of 49 fires burning and seven considered out of control, according to a government statement Thursday. More than 1,110 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers are fighting the fires.

A total of 25,000 residents of Fort McMurray, about 700 kilometers northeast of Calgary, fled north to nearby sites where companies are flying out workers and making room for evacuees. Shell has shut its 255,000 barrel-a-day Albian Sands mine and Suncor, Syncrude Canada Ltd. and Connacher Oil & Gas Ltd. have also reduced output from the region.

The firefighters efforts have managed to prevent major damage at the citys airport when it was threatened by the blaze Wednesday, officials said. The airport is now being used to help to coordinate response efforts. The same efforts were underway at the water treatment plants, hospitals and major transportation coordinators, said Notley, who marked her one year anniversary of being elected to office Thursday.

Insurance Losses

There is no timeline for when residents might be able to return to their homes or estimates of the cost of the damages. The one hopeful sign was that the wind had shifted Thursday so it was blowing the flames away from the community, officials said.

Insurance losses could reach that high if nearly all homes, cars, and businesses in the Fort McMurray area were destroyed and owners filed a claim to insurers, according to a research note to clients from Bank of Montreal analyst Tom MacKinnon. He said its more likely that one-quarter to half of assets would be damaged, leading to total insurance industry losses of C$2.6 billion to C$4.7 billion, as much as quadruple the costliest Canadian natural disaster, flooding also in Alberta three years ago.

Unpredictable Fire

The annual wildfire season in Western Canada started early this year after a dry winter and low spring rainfall. Officials have yet to identify a direct cause for the inferno, which quickly strengthened Tuesday afternoon and caught emergency responders by surprise.

An out-of-control blaze in 2011 caused an estimated C$700 million ($545 million) in damage after burning 47 kilometers and forcing some oil and gas operations to shut around Slave Lake, also in northern Alberta. Oil sands operations belonging to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and Cenovus Energy Inc. were disrupted last year by a blaze near Cold Lake.

The current evacuation has been hindered by the unpredictability of the fire, which on Tuesday afternoon breached Highway 63, the main road in and out of Fort McMurray, south of the community.

Canadas Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale pledged federal support for Alberta, while the national government dispatches military planes to the region. Fort McMurray faces a long road ahead to rebuild, Goodale said at a briefing. The recovery from this situation is going to take a considerable amount of time.

Disaster Movie

Videos posted to Twitter as residents were trying to escape showed vast tracks of trees being swallowed by fire along Highway 63, the forest floor engulfed in flames and the sky thick with smoke. Helicopters flew overhead on their way to fight the fire.

Sheldon Dahl, a 36-year-old husband and father of three, braved flames that lapped at the sides of Highway 63 as he headed south through a sky of orange in his minivan, smoke seeping into the vehicle for the worst five-minute stretch of the drive leaving Fort McMurray.

It felt like I was in a disaster movie, Dahl said. It was surreal.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Profit Loss Wildfire Energy Oil Gas Canada
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Pittsburgh-area officials want the states regulators to greatly reduce their record-setting $11.4 million fine against ride-sharing company Uber.

The Public Utility Commission fined Uber last month for operating six months in 2014 without the required approval.

The company has said it would appeal and that it was shocked by the fine. Uber said no one was harmed and Pennsylvania has since approved its operation.

The PUC, which also regulates buses and taxis, approved a fine considerably lower than the $50 million recommended by a pair of administrative law judges in November, but still the largest in agency history. The next largest fine, $1.8 million, was levied against an electric company that ran afoul of regulations with a savings plan for customers.

We are writing today to address fairness in business regulations, and especially fairness toward one business  Uber  which is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is poised to invest millions more, the May 3 letter said.

The letter, which doesnt suggest any specific figure for a fine, was signed by the Democratic governor, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

The commission has since granted Uber and its competitor, Lyft, temporary operating licenses that expire in January. The state House Consumer Affairs Committee voted on May 4 to grant ride-sharing companies permanent permission to operate in Pennsylvania. The measure now moves to the full House.

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies Inc. uses citizen drivers who use their own cars to give people rides. Riders request and pay for Uber service through a smartphone app. The PUC raised concerns about ride-sharing because there was no uniform way to ensure vehicle safety and because of concerns over whose insurance would cover damages if an Uber car crashed or otherwise injured someone, among other issues.

Despite those concerns, Uber operated without a license and was cited for each day that occurred.

The Public Utility Commission split 3-2 on the fine, with dissenting commissioners arguing for leniency and a smaller fine because of the regulatory gray area that exists because ride-sharing services dont fit neatly into state transit regulations.

But in ordering the fine, the commission said it must be recognized that Uber has deliberately engaged in the most unprecedented series of willful violations of commission orders and regulations in the history of this agency.

Commission press secretary Nils Hagen-Frederiksen said only that the PUC has received the letter from Wolf, Peduto and Fitzgerald and that it is being reviewed.

Wolf and the others contend innovative companies might be discouraged from investing in Pennsylvania if the fine is allowed to stand. Among other things, they note Uber has picked Pittsburgh as its world headquarters for advanced technology research and for testing self-driven vehicles.

However, this could all be lost if we send the message that Pennsylvania is not a welcoming place for 21st century businesses and other job-creators looking to make our state a home, the letter said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation InsurTech Tech Pennsylvania
A former New Jersey lawyer has been sentenced to serve two years in federal prison after admitting he fraudulently added defendants to more than 100 asbestos lawsuits in New York.

Federal prosecutors say Arobert Tonagbanua deleted the names of actual defendants from copies of legitimately filed asbestos complaints and added the names of clients from his Haddonfield, New Jersey, firm. Prosecutors say he then sent the doctored complaints to those clients, their representatives and insurance companies.

Prosecutors say the scheme generated more than $1 million in bogus fees, costs and settlements. They say Tonagbanua personally benefited from bonuses and compensation bumps.

Tonagbanua pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud.

Prosecutors say the 47-year-old Sicklerville man was sentenced May 5 in a Camden federal court. Tonagbanua must also pay nearly $233,000 in restitution.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits New Jersey
Fire-ravaged Alberta will use drones to investigate the cause of a huge blaze that has scorched the Canadian province and displaced some 88,000 people.

Elevated Robotic Services, which has also deployed drones for mining and construction companies, has contracts with the Alberta government and insurance broker Hub International Ltd., said Mat Matthews, the Edmonton companys operations and safety manager.

The drones use cameras outfitted with infrared, ultraviolet and traditional optical cameras to pinpoint the hottest part of the fire and trace it to its source based on time, wind and other factors. The cameras will shoot about 800 images, which are then stitched together in a process called fire-mapping.

Its like Google Maps but 100 times better, Matthews said at a police roadblock south of Fort McMurray, Alberta, as smoke from the 156,000-hectare (385,000-acre) fire blackened the sky.

The work begins on Tuesday, coordinated with the other air traffic, including air tankers and helicopters.

An Alberta government official confirmed it had a contract with Elevated. Hub was not immediately available for comment.

The images, if successful, will zero down to a spot on the ground with about a 30-foot (9-meter) radius where the fire is believed to have started. From there, investigators will search on foot for the cause, such as a lightning strike or campfire.

The drones that Elevated will use are manufactured by Chinas DJI and sell for $1,900 to $6,500. They are roughly 1 foot wide by 2 feet across, about the same size as those hobbyists use.

Using the more traditional method of gathering images from helicopters, the fires cause could be narrowed only to half an acre, a much larger area to search on the ground, said Ron Windmueller, owner of Droneology, which supplies equipment and other services to Elevated.

Downward wind from helicopter blades can disturb the scene, forcing the pilot to stay about 1,000 feet in the air. A drone can capture images from 100 feet.

Even so, drones pose challenges. Because their batteries last only 45 minutes, they will have to land for fresh ones several times for a fire this big, making it more difficult to precisely shoot different parts of the area, Windmueller said.

Still, the flying technology could help get answers quickly.

If anything, Matthews said, (the drones) will allow them to determine a cause much faster.

(Additional reporting by Matt Scuffham in Toronto; editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire
Cigna Corp.s acquisition by health insurance rival Anthem Inc. may not be approved this year, Cigna said Friday in a regulatory filing.

Shares of both companies declined. An analyst said the delay could be a sign of trouble for the deal, which is one of two pending health insurance combinations being scrutinized by regulators who have expressed concern about further concentration of the health-care industry.

While the company continues to work toward achieving regulatory approval as quickly as possible and to target a closing date in the second half of 2016, the closing will ultimately be subject to the approval and timing of the regulators, Cigna said in its quarterly report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of the complexity of the regulatory process and the dynamic environment, it is possible that such approvals may not be obtained in 2016.

Joe Swedish, Anthems chief executive officer, said last week that he expected the acquisition of Cigna to be completed in the second half of this year. On Friday, Jill Becher, an Anthem spokeswoman, said the insurer continued to expect the transaction to be completed on that timeline.

Anthem agreed in July to buy Cigna in a cash-and-stock deal that valued Cigna at about $48 billion. The transaction, along with Aetna Inc.s pending acquisition of Humana Inc., would reduce the number of big U.S. health insurers to three from five.

The Anthem-Cigna merger requires approval from the Justice Departments antitrust division as well as state insurance regulators. In March, Bill Baer, now the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, called the Cigna deal and Aetnas deal for Humana transformational and said they required close scrutiny from the government.

Matt Asensio, a Cigna spokesman, declined to specify why the insurer cautioned that the deal may not happen this year.

This disclosure reflects our current understanding, based on the breadth and depth of the review and where we believe we are in the process now, Asensio said. We feel that its a dynamic environment, and theres a lot of complexity in the regulatory process, so its possible that the approvals may not be obtained in 2016.

Cigna said in the filing that Anthem may owe it a breakup fee of $1.85 billion if the transaction isnt completed by Jan. 31, 2017. That deadline can be pushed back to April 30, Cigna said.

Cigna fell 1.9 percent to $132.40 at 10:30 a.m. in New York, while Anthem declined less than 1 percent to $136.77.

Peter Costa, an analyst at Wells Fargo & Co., said Cignas disclosure indicates the deal could be delayed or not approved at all. The 10Q deal timing disclosure is a significant item that likely widens the spread, he wrote in a research note to clients.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Legislation
Drivers who worked for ride-hailing service Uber in California and Massachusetts over the past seven years would have been entitled to an estimated $730 million in expense reimbursements had they been employees rather than contractors, according to court documents made public on Monday.

The figure was calculated by attorneys for drivers in a class action against the company, based on a standard rate for mileage reimbursement set by the U.S. government, and on data provided by Uber. Uber disputes the idea that drivers would ever be entitled to that reimbursement rate.

Uber and smaller rival Lyft are attempting to settle legal actions by drivers who contend they should be classified as employees and therefore entitled to reimbursement for expenses, including gasoline and vehicle maintenance. Drivers currently pay those costs themselves.

The proposed Uber settlement would pay drivers up to $100 million. A San Francisco federal judge must decide whether that deal is fair, and the total potential damages at play in the lawsuit will likely bear on his analysis.

According to attorneys for the drivers, the total value of driver claims in the Uber case is $852 million, which includes a tips claim. Uber calculates the total value of plaintiff claims at $429 million.

The $100 million Uber settlement represents about 12 percent of potential $852 million in damages, or about 23 percent of $429 million.

Lyft had agreed to settle its class action for $12.25 million, but a separate federal judge rejected the deal because it represented only about 9 percent of the potential value of drivers claims.

While the deal does not elevate drivers to employees, attorneys for drivers have defended it, saying they faced significant risks had the case moved forward. They also say drivers who have worked several months could be entitled to thousands of dollars each under the settlement.

Beyond the money, Uber Technologies Inc. also agreed to a new policy governing driver termination, including an appeals process for drivers terminated by Uber. The privately held company will also clarify that drivers do not automatically receive gratuities from their fares and will allow them to solicit tips.

Additionally, the company agreed to assist with the creation of a drivers association. Those nonmonetary commitments expire in two years.

(Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Topics Personal Auto
A prostate cancer patient and a cancer treatment provider are suing an Oklahoma health insurer for allegedly refusing to cover proton radiation therapy.

Randy Farland and the Procure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City filed the lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma. It alleges the insurer has refused to cover proton beam therapy to treat Farlands cancer four times in spite of his physicians recommendations.

The lawsuit alleges Farlands claim for Procures services was wrongfully denied and that Blue Cross has interfered with their business relationship.

Legislation passed last year prohibits health insurers from holding proton therapy to a higher standard of clinical effectiveness than other radiation treatments.

A spokeswoman, Ashley Hudgeons, said Blue Cross has not been served with the lawsuit and had no comment.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Carriers Oklahoma
During the conference the representatives of the two groups discussed the proposal recently put forward by the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to hold a 21st Century Panglong Conference.

The Panglong Agreement was reached in February 1947, following a meeting between Aung San Suu Kyis father General Aung San and representatives from the Shan, Chin and Kachin communities. The agreement is named after the southern Shan town of Panglong where the meeting was held.

On paper the agreement stipulated a significant level of autonomy for Burmas ethnic groups in exchange for their decision to support Aung Sans bid for independence from Britain. Aung San, was assassinated just months after the agreement was reached, his successor U Nu, did little to implement the agreement.

RCSS adviser Khuensai, says that the two armed groups used the conference as an opportunity to share ideas for the Panglong conference. These two groups have been allies since 1996. They always hold meeting. During the recent meeting, they discussed giving a class on federalism. The leaders of both groups are the leader and deputy leader of the Ethnic Armed Organizations Peace Process Steering Team (EAO PPST). They havent met since they were elected in March so they held the meeting. The main [objective] was to discuss and set down a program for Daw Aung San Suu Kyis invitation to hold the 21st Century Panglong Conference, Khun Sai explained.

The RCSS Chairman Lt-Gen Yawd Serk and his counterpart from the KNU, Gen Mutu Say Poe, were recently elected to lead the EAO-PPST at the Second EAO Summit which was held among signatories of the nationwide ceasefire agreement on March 24th.
A bill to give $40 million to South Carolina farmers who lost much of their crops in last years massive floods is on its way to a showdown with the governor.

The House voted 85-2 Wednesday to agree to the version of the bill the Senate passed 33-3.

The proposal allows farmers in disaster-declared counties to request grants of up to $100,000 to cover up to 20 percent of their 2015 crop losses.

When 2 feet of rain fell in October, South Carolina farmers lost $330 million of crops near harvest time.

Gov. Nikki Haley has said while she feels badly for farmers, she feels badly for small businesses too, and farmers shouldnt be treated differently. Her office didnt immediately respond to whether her veto threat stands.

Related:

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Topics Flood Agribusiness South Carolina
A West Virginia jury has ruled that a coal company owned by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Justice did not contaminate the drinking water wells of residents, but the plaintiffs attorneys say the jury may have been improperly influenced by the presence of coal employees throughout the trial.

The jury returned the verdict Thursday in the case against Justice-controlled companies Dynamic Energy Inc. and Mechel Bluestone Inc., media outlets reported.

Fifteen families who live near Dynamic Energys surface mining complex at Coal Mountain in Wyoming County had said in a lawsuit that the operation contaminated their wells between 2006 and 2007 to the point that the waters no longer safe to drink.

James M. Brown, a lawyer for the companies, praised the jurys decision, saying testimony from an inspector for the state Department of Environmental Protection was especially important. The inspector testified that the agency had determined the mining wasnt the cause of any damage to the wells.

Fortunately, the facts meant more to this jury of Wyoming County residents than distortions and absurd attempts to allege that mining harmed these water wells, said Tom Lusk, Justices chief operating officer for coal, in a statement. Thankfully, this frivolous lawsuit did not end in more harm to our good West Virginia coal miners and their families.

Kevin Thompson, an attorney for the residents, said his side has been given 10 days to file a written motion. He said it will argue that the presence of United Mine Workers members in the courtroom may have led to some improper influence of at least one witness in the case, as well as the jury.

We are concerned about undue influence on the jury, David Barney Jr., an attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Register-Herald. Trying a case in coal country is one thing, but we are concerned some things occurred that made the jury feel they had no other option but to render the verdict they did, he said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Virginia
The National Weather Service says a tornado struck northern New Hanover County, uprooting trees and damaging some homes.

The storm hit in the Ogden area about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington confirmed late Thursday that the storm was an EF-1 tornado with winds of about 90 mph.

New Hanover County Fire Chief Donnie Hall told the StarNews of Wilmington that one woman was reportedly hit by a falling limb as she surveyed damage after the storm.

An elementary school near one of the impacted neighborhoods was untouched and students were dismissed without issue. One school bus was rerouted because of downed power lines.

Duke Energy reported nearly 700 customers without power shortly after the tornado hit but most service was restored in a few hours..

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm North Carolina
Top Mutual Fund Holders of SalesForce.com Holder Shares $ Value Date Reported Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares 24.60 million $5.67 billion Apr 30, 2021 Fidelity Contrafund 19.00 million $3.80 billion Mar 31, 2021 Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares 18.90 million $4.30 billion Apr 30, 2021 SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust 9.30 million $2.10 billion May 27, 2021 Fidelity 500 Index Fund 7.60 million $1.78 billion Apr 29, 2021

Source: Yahoo! Finance

1. The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX)

The largest mutual fund holder of Salesforce stock is the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX). The fund is passively managed and tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index, which includes all companies regularly traded on the NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The VTSAX owns more than 24.60 million shares of CRM with a market value of $5.67 billion as of April 30, 2021.

The VTSAX had approximately $1.2 trillion in assets under management, an expense ratio of 0.04%, and a five-year annualized return of 17.67% as of April 30, 2021. The minimum investment requirement is $3,000.

Vanguard also offers an exchange traded fund (ETF) called the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI), which has similar holdings to the VTSAX. However, the VTI has a lower initial investment requirement, which is the price of one share.

2. The Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX)

The second-largest fund owner of Salesforce is the Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX). The fund invests in common stocks that are poised for growth and have a market value of over $10 billion.

The Fidelity Contrafund invests 2.9% of its fund in CRM and owns more than 19 million shares representing more than $3.8 billion in market value as of March 31, 2021.

The Fidelity Contrafund has nearly $119 billion in assets under management and an expense ratio of 0.86% as of March 01, 2021. The five-year annualized average return was 20.71% as of April 30, 2021.

3. The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX)

The Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) is the third-largest fund holder of Salesforce.com Inc. The VFIAX is a large-blend growth fund that tracks the performance of the S&P 500 Index.

The VFIAX owns more than 18.90 million shares of CRM for a market value of $4.30 billion as of April 30, 2021. The fund has $732 billion in assets under management and an expense ratio of 0.04%. The five-year annualized return was 17.38% as of April 30, 2021.

Although the VFIAX has a $3,000 minimum initial investment requirement, Vanguard offers an ETF version called the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), which only costs the price of one share as an initial investment.

4. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY)

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is the fourth-largest fund holder of CRM shares. The SPY is managed by State Street Global Advisors and owns approximately 9.3 million shares of CRM for a market value of $2.10 billion as of May 27, 2021. The SPY has $353.30 billion in AUM and a five-year annualized return of 17.25% as of April 30, 2021. The expense ratio for the ETF is 0.0945%.

5. The Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX)

The Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) is the fifth-largest fund holder of CRM, owning nearly $7.60 million shares for a $1.78 billion market value as of April 29, 2021.

The FXAIX tracks the S&P 500 and has $328 billion in AUM as of March 31, 2021. The fund has an expense ratio of .015% and a five-year annualized return of 14.41% as of April 30, 2021.
What Is Austerity?

The term austerity refers to a set of economic policies that a government implements in order to control public sector debt. Governments put austerity measures in place when their public debt is so large that the risk of default or the inability to service the required payments on its obligations becomes a real possibility.

In short, austerity helps bring financial health back to governments. Default risk can spiral out of control quickly and, as an individual, company, or country slips further into debt, lenders will charge a higher rate of return for future loans, making it more difficult for the borrower to raise capital.

Key Takeaways Austerity refers to strict economic policies that a government imposes to control growing public debt, defined by increased frugality.

There are three primary types of austerity measures: revenue generation (higher taxes) to fund spending, raising taxes while cutting nonessential government functions, and lower taxes and lower government spending.

Austerity is controversial, and national outcomes from austerity measures can be more damaging than if they hadn't been used.

The United States, Spain, and Greece all introduced austerity measures during times of economic uncertainty.

1:35 Austerity

How Austerity Works

Governments experience financial instability when their debt outweighs the amount of revenue they receive, resulting in large budget deficits. Debt levels generally increase when government spending increases. As mentioned above, this means that there is a greater chance that federal governments can default on their debts. Creditors, in turn, demand higher interest to avoid the risk of default on these debts. In order to satisfy their creditors and control their debt levels, they may have to take certain measures.

Austerity only takes place when this gapbetween government receipts and government expendituresshrinks. This situation occurs when governments spend too much or when they take on too much debt. As such, a government may need to consider austerity measures when it owes more money to its creditors than it receives in revenues. Implementing these measures helps put confidence back into the economy while helping restore some semblance of balance to government budgets.

Austerity measures indicate that governments are willing to take steps to bring some degree of financial health back to their budgets. As a result, creditors may be willing to lower interest rates on debt when austerity measures are in place. But there may be certain conditions on these moves.

For instance, interest rates on Greek debt fell following its first bailout. However, the gains were limited to the government having decreased interest rate expenses. Although the private sector was unable to benefit, the major beneficiaries of lower rates are large corporations. Consumers benefited only marginally from lower rates, but the lack of sustainable economic growth kept borrowing at depressed levels despite the lower rates.

Special Considerations

A reduction in government spending doesn't simply equate to austerity. In fact, governments may need to implement these measures during certain cycles of the economy.

For example, the global economic downturn that began in 2008 left many governments with reduced tax revenues and exposed what some believed were unsustainable spending levels. Several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Greece, and Spain, turned to austerity as a way to alleviate budget concerns.

Austerity became almost imperative during the global recession in Europe, where eurozone members didn't have the ability to address mounting debts by printing their own currency. Thus, as their default risk increased, creditors put pressure on certain European countries to aggressively tackle spending.

Types of Austerity

Broadly speaking, there are three primary types of austerity measures:

Generating revenue generation through higher taxes. This method often supports more government spending. The goal is to stimulate growth with spending and capturing benefits through taxation.

This method often supports more government spending. The goal is to stimulate growth with spending and capturing benefits through taxation. The Angela Merkel model. Named after the German chancellor, this measure focuses on raising taxes while cutting nonessential government functions.

Named after the German chancellor, this measure focuses on raising taxes while cutting nonessential government functions. Lower taxes and lower government spending. This is the preferred method of free-market advocates.

Taxes

There is some disagreement among economists about the effect of tax policy on the government budget. Former Ronald Reagan adviser Arthur Laffer famously argued that strategically cutting taxes would spur economic activity, paradoxically leading to more revenue.

Still, most economists and policy analysts agree that raising taxes will raise revenues. This was the tactic that many European countries took. For example, Greece increased value-added tax (VAT) rates to 23% in 2010. The government raised income tax rates on upper-income scales, along with adding new property taxes.

Reducing Government Spending

The opposite austerity measure is reducing government spending. Most consider this to be a more efficient means of reducing the deficit. New taxes mean new revenue for politicians, who are inclined to spend it on constituents.

Spending takes many forms, including grants, subsidies, wealth redistribution, entitlement programs, paying for government services, providing for the national defense, benefits to government employees, and foreign aid. Any reduction in spending is a de facto austerity measure.

At its simplest, an austerity program that is usually enacted by legislation may include one or more of the following measures:

A cut or a freezewithout raisesof government salaries and benefits

A freeze on government hiring and layoffs of government workers

A reduction or elimination of government services, temporarily or permanently

Government pension cuts and pension reform

Interest on newly issued government securities may be cut, making these investments less attractive to investors, but reducing government interest obligations

Cuts to previously planned government spending programs such as infrastructure construction and repair, health care, and veterans' benefits

An increase in taxes, including income, corporate, property, sales, and capital gains taxes

A reduction or increase in the money supply and interest rates by the Federal Reserve as circumstances dictate to resolve the crisis.

Rationing of critical commodities, travel restrictions, price freezes, and other economic controls, particularly in times of war

Criticism of Austerity

The effectiveness of austerity remains a matter of sharp debate. While supporters argue that massive deficits can suffocate the broader economy, thereby limiting tax revenue, opponents believe that government programs are the only way to make up for reduced personal consumption during a recession. Cutting government spending, many believe, leads to large-scale unemployment. Robust public sector spending, they suggest, reduces unemployment and therefore increases the number of income-tax payers.

Although austerity measures may help restore financial health to a nation's economy, reduced government spending may lead to higher unemployment.

Economists such as John Maynard Keynes, a British thinker who fathered the school of Keynesian economics, believe that it is the role of governments to increase spending during a recession to replace falling private demand. The logic is that if demand is not propped up and stabilized by the government, unemployment will continue to rise and the economic recession will be prolonged.

But austerity runs contradictory to certain schools of economic thought that have been prominent since the Great Depression. In an economic downturn, falling private income reduces the amount of tax revenue that a government generates. Likewise, government coffers fill up with tax revenue during an economic boom. The irony is that public expenditures, such as unemployment benefits, are needed more during a recession than a boom.

Examples of Austerity

United States

Perhaps the most successful model of austerity, at least in response to a recession, occurred in the United States between 1920 and 1921. The unemployment rate in the U.S. economy jumped from 4% to almost 12%. Real gross national product (GNP) declined almost 20%greater than any single year during the Great Depression or Great Recession.

President Warren G. Harding responded by cutting the federal budget by almost 50%. Tax rates were reduced for all income groups, and the debt dropped by more than 30%. In a speech in 1920, Harding declared that his administration "will attempt intelligent and courageous deflation, and strike at government borrowing...[and] will attack high cost of government with every energy and facility."

Greece

In exchange for bailouts, the EU and European Central Bank (ECB) embarked on an austerity program that sought to bring Greece's finances under control. The program cut public spending and increased taxes often at the expense of Greece's public workers and was very unpopular. Greece's deficit has dramatically decreased, but the country's austerity program has been a disaster in terms of healing the economy.

Mainly, austerity measures have failed to improve the financial situation in Greece because the country is struggling with a lack of aggregate demand. It is inevitable that aggregate demand declines with austerity. Structurally, Greece is a country of small businesses rather than large corporations, so it benefits less from the principles of austerity, such as lower interest rates. These small companies do not benefit from a weakened currency, as they are unable to become exporters.

While most of the world followed the financial crisis in 2008 with years of lackluster growth and rising asset prices, Greece has been mired in its own depression. Greece's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 was $299.36 billion. In 2014, its GDP was $235.57 billion according to the United Nations. This is staggering destruction in the country's economic fortunes, akin to the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s.

Greece's problems began following the Great Recession, as the country was spending too much money relative to tax collection. As the country's finances spiraled out of control and interest rates on sovereign debt exploded higher, the country was forced to seek bailouts or default on its debt. Default carried the risk of a full-blown financial crisis with a complete collapse of the banking system. It would also be likely to lead to an exit from the euro and the European Union.
What Is Hyperledger Sawtooth?

Hyperledger Sawtooth is an open source project under the Hyperledger umbrella, and works as an enterprise level blockchain system used for creating and operating distributed ledger applications and networks particularly for use by enterprises.

Key Takeaways Hyperledger Sawtooth is an open source enterprise blockchain-as-a-service platform that can run customized smart contracts without needing to know the underlying design of the core system.

Hyperledger is an umbrella blockchain development group sponsored by organizations such as the Linux Project, IBM, Intel, and SAP.

Hyperledger Sawtooth supports a variety of consensus algorithms, including Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) and Proof of Elapsed Time (PoET)

Understanding Hyperledger Sawtooth

Developed by the Linux Foundation in collaboration with IBM, Intel, and SAP, the underlying design concept of Hyperledger Sawtooth aims to keep the ledgers truly distributed, and make smart contracts much secure and thus suitable for businesses. It is an implementation of blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS).

In most standard blockchain-based systems, core and applications are hosted and executed on the same platform, which may lead to performance issues as well as security concerns.

Hyperledger Sawtooth segregates the core ledger system from the application specific environment, thereby simplifying the application development yet keeping the system safe and secure. Using this architecture, a developer can build applications in their programming language of choice that can be hosted, operated, and run on the system periphery without interfering with the core blockchain system.

Supported languages include C++, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python and Rust. A Sawtooth application can be based on a core business logic required for a business need, or it can be developed and run as a smart contract virtual machine that has a self-governing mechanism for creating, notifying and executing the contracts between various participants on the blockchain.

The core system allows applications to co-exist on the same blockchain, selects transaction rules, selects the necessary permissioning mechanism, and defines the consensus algorithms that are used to finalize the working of the digital ledger in a way that best supports the needs of an enterprise.

How Hyperledger Sawtooth Works

Sawtooth enables selective permissions  that is, one can easily deploy certain select clusters of Sawtooth nodes with different permissions on the same blockchain. The ledger stores the necessary details about the permissions, nodes and identities.

The operating performance of the Sawtooth network is boosted by the mechanism of parallel transaction execution, which has an upper hand over the serial execution mechanism that often is a bottleneck when dealing with high volumes of transactions on many popular cryptocurrency networks.

Sawtooth supports Proof of Elapsed Time (POET) consensus mechanism that offers benefits of low resource utilization and low energy consumption, and is commonly used on the permissioned blockchain networks to decide the mining rights or the block winners on the network. (For more, see Proof of Elapsed Time.)

Some real-world examples using Sawtooth-based applications include Sawtooth Supply Chain, which helps an enterprise keep track of contextual and logistics-related information of an asset represented on the blockchain, Sawtooth Marketplace, which helps participants trade in specified quantities of digital assets on the blockchain, and Sawtooth Private UTXO, which facilitates digital asset creation and trading, including off-ledger and privately-held transactions.
The debate, which took place on Tuesday May 3rd, was conducted in Shan and included four main speakers. The speakers were Sai Sein Lu from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD)s Hsenwi Township committee, Sai Tu from the National League for Democracy (NLD)s Lashio Township committee, Sai Naw Hseng, a spokesman from the Tai Youth Network and Nang Kem Wan, a representative of a coalition of Shan community based organization (CBO) representing Shan State and border based groups. More than 80 people attended the event.

Sai Hark Khur, SHANs editor in chief, noted that a wide range of topics were covered during the lively discussion. The main issues discussed concerned the amendments to the 2008 constitution, genuine peace in the country and equal rights for all. Another topic also discussed was whether Burmas ethnic issues were the most pressing for the country or whether the ongoing political issues should be solved first.

Aung San Suu Kyi will have to amend the 2008 constitution, said Sai Sein Lu of the SNLD during the debate. This is because her father led the Panglong Agreement. If she does not follow what her father has done, then national reconciliation will not happen.

Sai Hark Khur who moderated the event noted that many in Shan state have questions about the NLDs stance on revising the constitution.

Regarding proposed amendments to the constitution, many scholars have criticized Aung San Suu Kyi, who is not only the leader of the NLD but who is also seen to be pulling the strings from behind the president, he said.

SHAN has conducted four debates so far. In 2015, SHAN held a debate in Taunggyi on the issue of the election and its security, and another debate was held in eastern Shan States Kengtung on the subject of the national 2015 election. In April this year, SHAN conducted a debate in Panglong Township on the issue of the solution to the drug problem in Shan State. Last weeks debate was sponsored by Burma News International (BNI) and USAID.

By Staff/ Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hammered the oil industry in 2020, forcing U.S. oil prices to go negative for the first time on record. In a matter of hours on April 20, the May 2020 contract futures price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) plummeted from $18 a barrel to around -$37 a barrel.

Oil producers were faced with a glut of crude oil that left them scrambling to find space to store the oversupply. Brent crude oil prices also tumbled, closing at $9.12 a barrel on April 21, a far cry from the $70 a barrel that crude oil fetched at the beginning of the year.

The plunge of U.S. oil futures into negative territory was short-lived. But the collapse in demand was so fast and volatile that it led many people to question whether oil would be able to fully recover in 2021.

In this article, we review the key factors that impacted oil prices in 2020.

Key Takeaways In 2020, worldwide demand for oil fell rapidly as governments closed businesses and restricted travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia erupted in March when the two nations failed to reach a consensus on oil production levels.

In April, an oversupply of oil led to an unprecedented collapse in oil prices, forcing the contract futures price for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to plummet from $18 a barrel to around -$37 a barrel.

By the summer of 2020, oil prices began to rebound as nations emerged from lockdowns and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to major cuts in crude oil production.

By year-end, optimism about the planned rollout of multiple COVID-19 vaccines buoyed the market; in November, Brent crude oil spot prices increased to an average of $43 a barrel.

WTI finished 2020 at a price of $49 per barrel, while Brent crude finished the year at a price of $51 per barrel.

Factors Leading to the 2020 Oil Price Drop

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented demand shock in the oil industry, leading to a collapse in oil prices. Demand for oil cratered as governments around the world shuttered businesses, issued stay-at-home mandates, and restricted travel.

While oil prices started strong in January, by April, the impact of reduced economic activity created an oversupply and prices plunged dramatically.

Adding to the freefall in oil prices was an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, initiated in March after the two countries failed to agree on oil production levels. The monthlong price war ended in April when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies agreed to cut overall crude oil production by 9.7 million barrels per day for an initial period of two months, starting on May 1. This represented the single largest output cut in history. Oil production would be limited to 7.7 million barrels per day starting on July 1 and running through Dec. 31, 2020.

OPECs failure to quickly cut oil production to respond to lower demand only added to the volatility and price declines that the oil industry experienced during the early part of the year. Despite the OPEC agreement to reduce production levels, crude oil prices reached some of their lowest levels in more than 20 years by May 2020.

The 1st Half of 2020

During the first six months of 2020, market uncertainties persisted for all energy sources, including liquid fuels, electricity, coal, natural gas, and renewables. High levels of inventory forced Brent crude oil spot prices down from a monthly average of $64 per barrel in January to only $18 a barrel in April.

As summer approached, however, the oil markets started to shift as nations began to emerge from their lockdowns. For the month of June, Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $40 per barrel, an increase of $11 per barrel from Mays average. Production cuts by OPEC and their partner countries (OPEC+) contributed to the decrease in global oil supply and a stabilization of oil prices. In June, OPEC announced that they would extend their deepest production cuts through July.

The 2nd Half of 2020

In the second half of the year, oil prices continued their rebound from April lows. As the year progressed, market expectations grew that OPEC would continue to limit or delay production increases slated for the following year. As expected, on Dec. 3, OPEC and its partner countries announced that they would voluntarily adjust production by 0.5 million barrels per dayfrom 7.7 million barrels per day to 7.2 millionstarting in January 2021.

Optimism about the planned rollout of multiple COVID-19 vaccines also buoyed the market. In November, Brent crude oil spot prices increased to an average of $43 per barrel, an increase of $3 a barrel from Octobers per-barrel average. WTI closed out 2020 at around $48 per barrel, while Brent crude finished the year at around $51 a barrel.

The Bottom Line

Oil prices plunged in the spring of 2020 in response to fears about the rapid spread of COVID-19. This triggered a shock to global economic demand amid the backdrop of an escalating oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia, two major oil producers. The May 2020 futures contract for a barrel of WTI sank into negative territory for the first time ever in April 2020, as oil producers desperately tried to unload crude oil into a market that was suddenly massively oversupplied. The glut spurred Russia and Saudi Arabia to end the price war and prompted OPEC and its allies to agree to production cuts. But while oil prices began to rebound from their historic lows, the failure to act swiftly kept prices low for most of the first half of the year. It was not until the second half of the year that prices mounted a sustained rebound amid further production cuts and a gradual reopening of world economies.


What Are the Panama Papers?

The Panama Papers refer to the 11.5 million leaked encrypted confidential documents that were the property of Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca. The documents were released on April 3, 2016, by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), dubbing them the Panama Papers.

The document exposed the network of more than 214,000 tax havens involving people and entities from 200 different nations. A yearlong team effort by SZ and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) went into deciphering the encrypted files before the revelations were made public.

Key Takeaways The Panama Papers were a massive leak of financial files from the database of Mossack Fonseca, the fourth-biggest offshore law firm in the world.

The documents were leaked anonymously to the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ).

The files exposed a network of 214,000 tax havens involving wealthy people, public officials, and entities from 200 nations.

The anonymous source who leaked the papers did so from Panama, hence the name Panama Papers.

Most of the documents showed no illegal actions, but some of the shell corporations set up by Mossack Fonseca had been used for fraud, tax evasion, or avoiding international sanctions.

Understanding the Panama Papers

The Panama Papers are documents that contain personal financial information about many wealthy individuals and public officials that had previously been kept private. Among those named in the leak were a dozen current or former world leaders, 128 public officials, politicians, hundreds of celebrities, business people, and other wealthy individuals.

Offshore business entities are legal, in general, and most of the documents showed no inappropriate or illegal behavior. But some of the shell corporations set up by Mossack Fonseca were revealed by reporters to have been used for illegal purposes, including fraud, tax evasion, and the avoidance of international sanctions.

Documents Leaked by Anonymous Source

In 2015, Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) was contacted by an anonymous source calling themselves "John Doe," who offered to leak the documents. Doe did not demand any financial compensation in return, according to the SZ. The total volume of data comes to about 2.6 terabytes, making it the biggest data leak in history, and it pertains to the period spanning from the 1970s to the spring of 2016.

Initially, only select names of politicians, public officials, businessmen, and others involved were revealed. One of the immediate consequences of the revelations was the April 4, 2016, resignation of Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson.

On May 9, all of the 214,488 offshore entities named in the Panama Papers became searchable via a database on the website of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The database of offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca reportedly leaked 11.5 million confidential documents.

The Source of the Name "Panama Papers"

The group of documents was referred to as the "Panama Papers" because the leak originated from Panama. However, the Panamanian government has registered strong objections to the name as it appears to put some blame or negative association on the country.

Panama attests that it has had no involvement in the actions of Mossack Fonseca. Nonetheless, the nickname has persisted, although some media outlets that have covered the story have referred to it as the "Mossack Fonseca Papers."

Larger than both the Panama and Paradise Papers, the Pandora Papers are a release of more than 12 million leaked documents that reveal the hidden and sometimes unethical or corrupt dealings of the global wealthy and eliteincluding prominent world leaders, politicians, corporate executives, celebrities, and billionaires.

What Is the Panama Papers Scandal? The Panama Papers scandal involved a leak of 11.5 million confidential documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported the leak, which exposed more than 214,000 tax havens involving high-profile people, government officials, and entities from 200 different nations.

Who Leaked the Panama Papers? An anonymous source, coined John Doe, from Panama leaked the documents to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) for no cosideration.

What Happened to Mossack Fonseca? In March 2018, Mossack Fonseca terminated operations but agreed to continue working with authorities in any ongoing investigations into the Panama Papers scandal.
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Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Continues Acquisition Path With Purchase of ELMS Assets Including Factory in Mishawaka, IN., Enabling EV Production for Retail and Commercial Vehicle Lines

BREA, Calif. - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces the US Bankruptcy Court approval on Oct. 13th, 2022 of its acquisition of electric vehicle company ELMS's (Electric Last Mile Solutions) assets in an all cash purchase.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Announces the I-GO, New Urban Commercial Electric Delivery Vehicle Available Now for European Markets

BREA, Calif. - October 24, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today it has secured exclusive sales, distribution and branding rights to the new compact urban delivery electric vehicle, the I-GO, which is fully EU Standard homologated and certified for sale in select European Markets.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

EV Stocks Driving Higher: (NASDAQ: $MULN) (NASDAQ: $TSLA) (NYSE: $NIO) (NYSE: $F)

Vancouver, Delta, BC - October 20, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering EV and automotive stocks releases a special report featuring Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), covering the continued growth of the EV market as government policy and infrastructure plans sync up with consumer and investor interest in the EV space.

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Breaking AI Stock News: FatBrain (OTCQB: LZGI) Acquires Confidential Computing Platform ZeroTrust to Protect Data Privacy and Accelerate Innovation for Millions of Growth Businesses

NEW YORK, NY - October 19, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, has acquired the confidential computing and privacy intellectual property (IP) plus software assets of Zero2A PTE LTD ("ZeroTrust Platform"), a software company based in Singapore.

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In April of this year, Opera Software launched a Mac browser that included access to unlimited VPN through its built-in feature.

And now the company is launching a new Opera-branded app for the iPhone and iPad, which will grant access to unlimited, and free, virtual private network access. With the VPN access, iPhone and iPad users utilizing the app will be able to bypass restrictions placed on geographical locations, block ads, and even bypass firewalls. They will also be able to block ad-tracking software for good measure.

With the VPN access, users can pretend to be in a variety of locations they really arent, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Singapore, and the Netherlands. The app also supports English, Arabic, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, and Indonesian.

With the new Opera VPN app, we help people to break down the barriers of the Web and enjoy the Internet like it should be, said Chris Houston, president of Opera division SurfEasy.

The Opera VPN app is set to Off by default. However, simply jump into the Settings section and youll be able to switch it on if you wish. Under that, users will find options for blocking ads and blocking trackers, which are also set to off by default.

You can find a link to download the app below, which is free.

Download

Opera VPN  Free

[via VentureBeat
On 4 May a post on the TNLA/PSLF Facebook page claimed that the TNLA had clashed five times with RCSS/SSA troops that day. They then reported that the two groups clashed eight more times on 5 May.

Reached for comment the TNLAs spokesperson Mai Aik Kyaw claimed that both sides had suffered injuries during the clashes.

He said: Fighting is widespread now. There is fighting going on in Namkham, Hsipaw, Namhsan, Kyaukme Townships, he said.

On 1 May the RCSS/SSA released a statement that was critical of the TNLA. It said: Launching an offensive against our army clearly shows their lack of will towards peaceful negotiations and finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Both sides have indicated in public statements that they are willing to have talks, but these discussions have yet to take place. It remains unclear when or if talks will happen.

Colonel Sai La, a spokesperson of the RCSS/SSA, told SHAN that the RCSS welcomes outside mediation from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), the alliance of ethnic armed groups which the RCSS/SSA is not part of but of which the TNLA is a member.

Col. Sai La said: When the statement from Pangsang, the headquarters of the United Wa State Army (UWSA) was released saying that they would negotiate between us. We were very pleased. We welcomed them to help us.

He added: We held a meeting on 26 April 2016 and sent letters to the UNFC, the UWSA and the NDAA. [The National Democratic Alliance Army, an ethnic armed organisation based in Mongla that has not been involved in clashes or signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement.] We want to solve the problem immediately. We want to solve the problem by peaceful means."

Col. Sai La explained that the RCSS has never thought of the TNLA as an enemy.

He said: We live in the same state. We have helped each other when we faced difficulties. When problems happen, its not a good reason to solve these problems with armed force . . . We really hope to solve the problem with peaceful means.

Mai Aik Kyaw, the TNLA spokesperson, told SHAN that because the TNLA leadership cannot travel freely they had asked the UNFC to find a place outside of Burma to hold the talks.

He said: The RCSS, have signed the peace agreement so they can go anywhere.

He also said: Right now, we have to solve the fighting issue. This is because the RCSS has entered our controlled areas and violated our people thats why the fighting has happened. If we cannot solve this problem we cannot talk.

On 2 May, the TNLAs news and information department released a statement accusing the RCSS/SSA of violating human rights in Taang controlled territory. The statement claimed that the TNLA/PLSF had received requests from people living in the area to clear out the RCSS/SSA forces from the area, due to their widespread violations of human rights.

The statement went on to accuse the RCSS/SSA of intrusion in TNLA areas and building camps in their territory.

Mai Aik Kyaw said: We had never fought with the RCSS before. But, after they signed the NCA [National Ceasefire Agreement] they sent their troops into our territory.

By Staff / Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)
The cost of living in Limerick is significantly higher than Dublin, Cork or Galway, according to the latest cost of living index.

And shoppers in the Treaty City pay almost one-third more for their groceries than people living in Dublin or Cork, and a massive 43 percent more than it costs to fill a shopping trolley in Galway.

The latest figures show that on a scale of one to 100, Limerick is the most expensive of the four major cities in the Republic, scoring 92.88 as against Dublins 83.78, Cork, which clocks in at 76.81, and Galway at 73.89.

The index is made up of a combination of expenses including groceries, rent, dining out and transport.

But while consumer prices in Limerick are more than 20 percent higher than in Cork, nearly 26 percent higher than in Galway and 11 percent higher than in Dublin, rent in Limerick is less than half what people are paying in Dublin.

Read more: Forget the blarney! What it actually costs to live in Ireland

Renting a property in Limerick will cost a third less than renting in Cork and more than 28 percent less than renting in Galway.

The price index is compiled from everyday items, such as lettuce, which is less costly in Limerick, and milk and white bread, both of which are more expensive in Limerick than in the capital.

However, buying a new car is easier on the pocket in Limerick than in Dublin.

Those who like a tipple fare better in Limerick than in Dublin  a pint, on average, costs 10 percent less in Limerick. A McMeal at McDonald's, however, will set you back an extra 0.75. Overall, however, dining out in Limerick is a less pricey experience than it is in Dublin or Cork.

H/T: Limerick Post.
Irish people living in Fort McMurray in Canada were among the 88,000 resident who fled their homes as wildfire continues to ravage the area.

Orla Healy from Newbridge, Co. Kildare, has described the rush to pack and leave their home behind as the scariest experience of my life as they joined the bumper-to-bumper traffic attempting to reach safety from the flames.

It was the scariest experience of my life without a shadow of a doubt, to effectively try and pack up your life, Healy told the Irish Times.

To hit the road and see the flames coming after you, thats pretty scary.

Healy and her Canadian partner Dave Boutilier are now waiting out the fire in Edmonton, 236 miles (380 km) south of their home, but authorities are still unable to give any timeline as to when Fort McMurray residents will be able to move back to their homes.

Moving from Kildare in 2010, Healy is among the 5,000 Irish residents who have settled permanently in Canada since the start of the recession.

Now working in an human resources job with a major energy company, she also spoke of the large Irish community that has relocated to Canada, a community who are gathering together to support each other in the wake of the fires destruction.

"I didn't even know what Fort McMurray was back then, said Healy of moving to Canada.

"But soon there were hundreds of Irish people there, working all over, and we took care of one another."

Now gathering in Edmonton, Healy is lucky at least in that her home may have suffered from extreme smoke-damage but is still standing. An older Irish couple who moved to Canada in the 1960s have offered her and her partner their basement as temporary accommodation until they receive word about returning home. The fear still remains, however.

"There aren't wildfires in Ireland," she said. "My partner and I are totally mentally exhausted, but we just can't turn our brains off. That siren sound still freaks me out."

"Fort McMurray is my home. I just love it up there. It's true, we don't know what's going on right now, yes, but we'll go back."

The Irish in Edmonton has shown enormous generosity to their fellow citizens from Fort McMurray. Geraldine Sillery, a 36-year-old office manager originally from Limerick, her fiance Sean Cahill, 32, and their four-year-old daughter Orla have also been offered a place to stay free of charge by a Galway couple they met after spending several nights sleeping on the side of the road on the way to Edmonton.

Leaving Fort McMurray with their residency permits, a few clothes, and just a quarter tank of gas, they stayed on the side of the highway for two nights as traffic was so bad they feared they would run out of gas.

Eventually filling up in the small town of Conklin, they made their way to Edmonton only to learn last Friday morning that their apartment building had burnt down.

"Every morning now, we wake up and think, 'What's happening now? What are we going to do?" Sillery told CBC.

"No matter what, though, we'll go back to Fort McMurray, even if it's just to stand before the ashes of our home. We need that closure. It was four years of memories. My daughter was raised there. I need to be there again at some point."

Many believe that this sense of community will help the town to rebuild quickly, despite the enormous damage. Its believed that this is the worst natural disaster to hit Canada and will cost as much as $9 billion Canadian dollars.

"Here's the thing: in Fort Mac, everyone's from somewhere else. It's 88,000 people who are all one family, and that's what the rest of the country doesn't understand," said a local Welsh man, Gareth Norris.

"We'll come back from this, that much I know."

For the first time in over a week, firefighters began to show some hope on Sunday that cooler conditions and changing winds would take the fire from the oil sands of Fort McMurray.

Orla Healy described the panic of the evacuation to RTEs Morning Ireland: We were told youd better come home, as certain areas of town were under mandatory evacuation. Our area was not, but it was being watched because of the potential of having fire outbreaks.

We rushed home, packed about three days worth of clothes, got passports, packed up food for the pets, and we made the break to try to leave town at that stage, unfortunately fire had broken across Highway 63 and had cut off our route south of town to go to Edmonton.

We were in same boat as a lot of people, about 25,000 of us, the only way we could go was north. We just hit the road, bumper to bumper. We tried to find a work camp to put a roof over our head for the night.

Thankfully, the couple live in an area that has been developed to prevent against such disasters.

The neighbourhood is in the downtown core, near the hospital. A lot of work was done in that area to protect the infrastructure, so we were quite lucky in the location of our house, she told the Irish radio show.

The firefighters put on a great display, they fought for our city. We just happened to be in that locality. Thats part of the reason why we still have a house.

Two neighbourhoods that were destroyed were literally just up the hill from us. We could see the fire coming down the hill to our house.

Thank God we still have a roof over our head. What state it is in we dont know or when we will get back. Were all in limbo. We dont know whats going on.

We were at the Irish Club in Edmonton today. Some of the Irish guys that work with a construction company in Fort McMurray got a call to go back to try and assess damage.

Since it began on Sunday May 1, it is believed that fire has consumed 395,000 acres across the center of Canadas oil sands region.
Pundits, including myself, went through four stages of denial about Donald Trump. First, he wouldnt actually run. Second, his initial lead in the polls was due to name recognition and the fact that people werent yet watching matters attentively.

Third, he would fade just as voters went to the polls and began to take the election seriously. Fourth, the effort led by the Republican establishment and the hard right  proving the maxim that politics can make for strange bedfellows  would finally result in Trumps being vanquished at a brokered convention.

We were wrong on all counts. To the consternation of many Republicans and to the absolute shock of hundreds of millions of onlookers around the world, Donald Trump has pulled it off.

Trump will adjust as surely he did during his primary run. He has already begun a move to the middle. He subtly shifted his stances on abortion (he now favours a termination of pregnancies in cases of rape or incest, or when a there is a threat to a womans life) and on the federal minimum wage (he has recently indicated a willingness to raise it).

Additionally, off the record comments suggest that he is not really serious about building a wall between Mexico and the United States. He now even professes to love Hispanics.

This hasnt been enough to win over many high-profile Republicans, such as the Bush family, Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham. And Speaker of the House Paul Ryan isnt quite sure at the moment if he can support Donald Trump for president.

Herein lies a major quandary for candidate Trump and his party. How far can he go to placate Republican power-brokers whose support he badly needs without alienating the millions of lower income Americans who have taken a chance on him, at least in part, because he rejects the trade deals and militaristic foreign policy enthusiastically embraced by the GOP? These hurting Americans may be Trumps most fervent supporters.

His undeniable appeal to the tens of millions of men and women who comprise the vast and amorphous entity labelled Middle America distinguishes him from the 2012 Republican nominee, Mitt Romney of the 47% infamy, and a lot of other Republican politicians. This appeal is a huge political asset and could render him a threat to Hillary Clinton in crucial states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.

At the same time, how many prominent Republicans will tacitly approve a departure from ideological orthodoxy in the interest of making a credible attempt to retake the White House?

The answer to these questions, and their manifest potential for creating divisions, will determine whether Donald Trump can win the presidency. Can these divergences be reconciled? And of course, the viability of his candidacy may come down to his larger than life (to put it euphemistically) personality more than anything else.

Read more: Fear of Trump as president sends US Irish passport applications soaring

Hillary Clinton faces different challenges. Senator Sanders much stronger than expected performance in the Democratic primary is proof positive that a substantial segment of the party faithful, especially those on the hard left, are wary of the Clintons. That said, it is extremely unlikely that they will opt not to vote for her in November.

Moreover, the Democrats and Independents who have felt the Bern may have made Clinton a stronger general election candidate by fully awakening her to the depth and breadth of the anger and pessimism in the American electorate that Trump is exploiting and she must address satisfactorily to prevail.

Nonetheless, some Democrats now worry that there is an enthusiasm deficit in their base. This contrasts directly with the last two presidential elections, when Barack Obama electrified and inspired the partys core constituencies. But the reality is that Hillary Clinton is a very different person and politician than President Obama; she wont similarly electrify and inspire. That doesnt mean she is a weak candidate, however.

What she can and must do is repeatedly stress her credentials and qualifications to be president, which are extraordinary by any objective measure, and warn Americans about the dangers of selecting someone as inexperienced and erratic as Donald Trump to be the next president. These may be the most persuasive arguments that can be made to those floating voters who arent instinctively drawn to the Republicans or Democrats and typically decide presidential elections.

Furthermore, because personality will be a big issue in this race, Clinton has considerable work to do to win over the hearts and souls of the American people. In this regard, some frank answers  including admissions of error and apologies  to the inevitable questions about what she has gotten wrong in her long career in public life  from trade deals, to the use of military force, to her email server  are warranted and may go some way to ensuring that more voters trust her.

Their campaigns will equally entail careful balancing acts. They each have significant political strengths and weaknesses. Their choice of running mate can help to accentuate the former and, in particular, to vitiate the latter, though not to the extent that is widely perceived. A future column will focus on the men and women Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will consider and why.

Meanwhile, here in Ireland, people are both enthralled and bemused by an American presidential campaign that has already had more than its share of surprises. I suspect there are plenty more to come.

* Larry Donnelly is a Boston attorney, Law Lecturer at NUI Galway and political columnist with IrishCentral.com and TheJournal.ie. He is also a regular contributor to Irish broadcast media outlets on politics, current affairs and law in Ireland and in the US.

Read more: A guide on moving to Ireland in case Donald Trump is elected
Irish American actor Martin Sheen has spoken with pride of the time he was arrested alongside rebel-rousing Irish American priest Father Daniel Berrigan, who died earlier this week aged 94.

Born in the city of Virginia in Minnesota, Fr Berrigan was the fifth child in a German-Irish Catholic family. Fr Berrigan was the first priest to ever be placed on the FBI's most wanted list and the first US priest ever arrested at a war protest.

Fellow activist Sheen described it as the happiest day of my life when he was arrested alongside the priest in New York City in 1986.

It was my first arrest for a noble cause, and it was the happiest day of my life, he said. Sheen is believed to have been arrested as many as 66 times for protesting and taking part in acts of civil disobedience. Human rights activist Craig Kielburger has described the Apocalypse Now star as having "a rap sheet almost as long as his list of film credits.

Sheen had become close to the priest after playing the part of the trial judge in the film In the King of Prussia, which chronicles how Berrigan and his brother Philip, along with six others, began the Plowshares Movement when they broke into the General Electric nuclear missile facility in King of Prussia, PA in 1980.

Read more: The Irish roots of radical Catholic priests - The Berrigans

A radical Catholic priest and a leader of the protests against the Vietnam War, the American Jesuit priest Daniel Berrigan and his younger brother Philip were believed to be the brains and heart, respectively, behind the movement against the Vietnam war in the 1960s. The brothers created a culture of pacifist activism that lasted a generation and between them they spent many years in prison for their activism.

While his brother quit his Josephite order, Dan remained a Jesuit throughout. Dan also served less time than his brother in prison.

The brothers both became famous in May 1968 when they publicly burned Vietnam draft records at a recruitment station in Catonsville, MD and were sentenced to jail terms. Dan would later write a play about their experience entitled The Trial of the Catonsville Nine which was performed off-Broadway in 1971 and later turned into a 1972 film by Gregory Peck.

Despite remaining underground  apart from appearing at protests and engaging in several speaking engagements  the brothers notoriety had grown so much by this time that they had already been placed on the cover of Time magazine.

Berrigan was always willing to put himself in the line of fire in order to save others during the Vietnam War. In 1968 he flew to Hanoi with activist Howard Zinn to secure the release of three American pilots. While there he experienced bombing raids on the North Vietnam capital carried out by the US Air Force which led to his book Night Flight to Hanoi: War Diary with 11 Poems.

It was after the part he played in the protests in Catonsville that Berrigan first went missing for four months and was placed on the FBIs most wanted list. He was discovered by authorities in Rhode Island in August 1970 and rearrested.

He was apprehended again many times after this, but it wasn't until 1981 that his next long stretch in prison was threatened as part of the Plowshares Eight who took hammers to nuclear warheads at a General Electric site. Although originally sentenced to five to ten years, it was eventually overturned.

Martin Sheen was just one of the many who Dan Berrigan inspired to his cause of nonviolent resistance, encouraging them to stand beside him in his fight against war.

The world has lost a great peacemaker and humanitarian and poet and such an inspiration, Sheen said.

Its like youre describing someone that could not possibly have lived, and yet we knew him and loved him and worked with him and celebrated with him.

Although ill health may have kept Berrigan from being physically present at many protests in later years, he was still arrested as recently as 2006, while already in his 80s, for taking part in a demonstration at a naval museum in New York. He also continued to teach at Fordham University in New York City and was a supporter of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The poet, priest and campaigner Daniel Berrigan died April 30, 2016, aged 94.
Christian bakers found guilty of discrimination for refusing to make a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan have insisted their appeal has implications for freedom of expression across the UK.

The McArthur family, who run Ashers Baking Company in Belfast, are seeking to overturn a judgment which found they acted unlawfully by declining the order placed by LGBT activist Gareth Lee in 2014.

Arriving at the Court of Appeal in Belfast, Daniel McArthur, 26, Ashers' general manager, said he hoped the appeal judges would not require the company to "endorse a view that goes against our conscience".

He noted that the appeal is starting two years to the day when the order for the cake was placed.

The Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland where same-sex marriage remains outlawed.

Amy and Daniel McArthur.

"Two years ago today we were asked to help promote a campaign to redefine marriage in Northern Ireland," said Mr McArthur.

"We never imagined that two years later we would find ourselves still living with the consequences of that request."

Four days have been set aside for the hearing before Northern Ireland's Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, and two other top judges at Belfast Hight Court.

An earlier appeal had been scheduled for February but proceedings were postponed after a last-minute intervention from Attorney General John Larkin QC, who advises Stormont politicians on legal matters.

The Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which monitors compliance with the region's anti-discrimination laws, brought the landmark civil action against Ashers on behalf of Mr Lee.

Outside court, Mr McArthur said: "The Attorney General's involvement confirms there are big issues at stake.

"This was never just a case about one little bakery in Belfast. It's always had implications for freedom of expression throughout the UK."

The high-profile case was heard at Belfast County Court over three days last March.

Mr Lee, a member of the LGBT advocacy group Queer Space, had wanted a cake featuring Sesame Street puppets Bert and Ernie with the phrase "Support Gay Marriage" for a private function marking International Day Against Homophobia.

He paid the 36.50 in full at Ashers' Belfast city centre branch but was telephoned two days later and told the company could not fulfil his order.

In evidence, Ashers' owner Karen McArthur said, as a born-again Christian, she knew in her heart she could not make the cake but had taken the order to avoid a confrontation in the shop.

Daniel McArthur also told the court his family could not compromise their religious beliefs, despite the legal ramifications.

Mr Lee claimed he was left feeling like a lesser person.

Delivering her findings, District Judge Isobel Brownlie said the bakers had breached equality legislation and directly discriminated against Mr Lee, contrary to the law.

Ordering Ashers to pay agreed damages of 500, the judge said religious beliefs could not dictate the law.

Ashers Baking Company has six branches, employs more than 80 people and delivers across the UK and Ireland.

Throughout the legal battle they have been supported by The Christian Institute which has organised public rallies and garnered financial backing for the case.
An Irish woman is among a BBC team expelled from North Korea for what is been described as "disrespectful reporting".

35-year-old Maria Byrne from Tullow, Co Carlow is a Senior Producer with BBC's Asia Team based in Beijing.

Maria Byrne, journalist Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and a cameraman were arrested on Friday as they were about to leave North Korea.

They were detained by authorities in the secretive state for what is described as "disrespectful reporting".

They had been there to cover the Workers Party Congress and according to Maria's father, Pat Byrne, who spoke to KCLR this morning, the last contact they had from her was Friday.

He says the family are "completely shell-shocked" at the moment as they have not heard any official word about whether or not she has actually been expelled from the country.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the North's National Peace Committee, said Mr Wingfield-Hayes' news coverage distorted facts and "spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country".

He said Mr Wingfield-Hayes wrote an apology, and was being expelled and would never be admitted into the country again.

The BBC said Mr Wingfield-Hayes' producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard were also detained and expelled.

The three arrived in Beijing on a flight on Monday evening. Mr Wingfield-Hayes said only that he was glad to be out and would have a statement later. His colleagues did not speak.

"We are very disappointed that our reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been deported from North Korea after the government took offence at material he had filed," the BBC said in a statement.

"Four BBC staff, who were invited to cover the Workers Party Congress, remain in North Korea and we expect them to be allowed to continue their reporting."

More than 100 foreign journalists are in the capital for North Korea's first party congress in 36 years, though they have largely been prevented from actually covering the proceedings and the more than 3,400 delegates.

Officials have kept the foreign media busy with trips around Pyongyang to show them the places it most wants them to see - a maternity hospital with seemingly state-of-the-art equipment, a wire-making factory where managers say salaries and production are both going up, and the humble birthplace of national founder Kim Il Sung, which has been converted into a sort of museum-park with a large "funfair" right next door.

About 30 of the journalists finally got a peek at the congress on Monday, for about 10 minutes.
Meath county councillor Alan Tobin has created an online storm after posting on the subject of restricted and listed dog breeds on his Facebook page yesterday evening.

Fine Gaels Tobin, who is a dog owner, posted a picture of a sign he asked to be erected reminding owners of the regulations they must comply with if they have one of the breeds listed.

He captioned the post by saying he was absolutely delighted the sign had gone up.

A screenshot of Councillor Tobin post on Facebook.

As a dog owner I'm absolutely delighted that signs I've asked for, with pictures, showing the dangerous breeds of dogs have been erected over the past week, read the Councillor Tobins post.

It still amazes me that some people think these dogs are ideal family pets.

The dog breeds listed in the post are as follows:

American Pit Bull Terrier

Bull Mastiff

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

German Shepherd

Japanese Akita

Rhodesian Ridgeback

Doberman Pinscher

Rottweiler

English Bull Terrier

Japanese Tosa

The sign also warns the public that, by law, the above breeds must be leashed and muzzled at all times in public places. They also have to wear a collar clearly stating their owners full name and address.

Finally, the breeds mentioned must be under the control of someone over 16 years of age.

The post has sparked a massive and mainly negative online response, receiving over 77,000 shares and nearly 140,000 comments on it so far. People have also been sharing pictures of their own pets.

Disappointed to see Alan Tobin's list of restricted dog breeds this morning. Not only inaccurate but also very ignorant  Jake Heenan (@HeenanJake) May 9, 2016

@jonathanhealy abuse Alan Tobin is getting on FB is shocking. It's not as if responsible owners wear a sign on their head in public #ntlt  Dougal (@DougalCMK) May 9, 2016

@jonathanhealy If these people are as easily angered in real life they might not be ideal dog owners.  Siobhan very little context (@Siobhan2culture) May 9, 2016

I am the proud owner of a family Doberman & German shepherd, they're so scary!  Alan Tobin @loveashbourne pic.twitter.com/Ru7xYZW1nY  Linda Hallomeany  (@LindyMean) May 9, 2016

The Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) have labelled Councillor Tobins post as hideous and inaccurate in a statement released this afternoon.

Councillor Tobin should stick with local issues that pertain to people instead of coming out with hideous and inaccurate comments that have little basis and that are absolutely hurtful to the many species of dog such as staffies and pit-bulls; animals who are troubled animals all because of their build and look, said ARANs John Carmody.

Mr Tobin is sadly going to rubber stamp the already inaccurate view that these animals are dangerous animals and that families across Ireland should be aware - far from it. If anything, these animals are hugely exploited by calculated people who turn them into vicious and nasty blood-thirsty creatures.

Speaking to Newstalk this afternoon Councillor Tobin said he does not think he will take the post down.

Theres awful lot of abuse, look youre going to get abuse, bad language and whatever else from people, said Tobin.

Ive had a lot of message, a lot of emails and things from people saying I support you. Its important that we do actually highlight these things.

I dont know about taking it down. I mean, look, if you believe in something, if you believe (in) striking up a debate and this has been debated all over the country this morning.

Im really surprised about it.

* We have also reached out to Councillor Tobin for a response to the reaction and await a reply at the time of posting.

READ MORE:

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In a world where the number of people over the age of 60 is expected to double to two billion by 2050, Dublin-based startup, Kinesis Health Technologies, has identified multi-million euro opportunities for technology which can be used to reduce the risk of falls in the elderly.

In the US alone it has been estimated that falls by older adults result in costs of $30bn a year, said Kinesis CTO and co-founder Barry Greene, adding that his company was the first in the world to develop a product which can accurately predict the risk of falls.

It has done so by adding technology to the timed up and go, a standard test performed to assess risk of falls. Called QTUG (Quantitative Timed Up and Go) the Kinesis medical device uses body-worn sensors and machine-learning software and is designed for use by health professionals.

It can identify people at risk of falls and also the conditions which might cause them to be at risk such as abnormal gait or muscle weakness, said Dr Greene, explaining that with appropriate intervention the incidence of falls can be reduced by 30-40%.

Since launching the product in late 2014, Kinesis has worked on developing sales in the UK and the US.

Now entering both the Australian and Israeli markets, it has embarked on a funding round with a view to raising substantial private investment to allow it to scale-up and expand.

Our goal over the next five to 10 years is to get QTUG accepted as the de facto standard in fall assessment globally, said Dr Greene.

Set up in 2013 by Dr Greene and CEO Seamus Small at NexusUCD, Kinesis Health Technologies is a spin-out company which uses technology developed during the Technology Research for Independent Living (TRIL) project at UCD.

Using a commercialisation grant from Enterprise Ireland, the two founders licensed the technology from an Intel subsidiary, Care Innovations, and entered an agreement with sensor technology company Shimmer Sensing.

QTUG, a class I medical device which combines Kinesis software with Shimmer sensors, was launched in late 2014. A distribution deal in the US with Care Innovations meant that the company was able to hit the ground running.

Signing with a distributor in the UK and setting up online sales, the founders focused on direct sales in the UK in 2015, attending trade shows and establishing a relationship with the NHS.

Entering the healthcare market with a totally new product has not been easy, said Dr Greene.

Healthcare is a very conservative industry and is slower to adopt new technology than other industries  and healthcare budgets are tight. He believes that Kinesis is now gaining traction though.

In January it was selected as an industry partner in a new NHS initiative called the Innovation Test Bed which will evaluate the use of a range of devices including QTUG.

We will now be deploying our technology for use in two healthcare systems, North East London and Sheffield, said Dr Greene.

The main focus has been on selling to NHS community care providers which offer fall prevention services.

Our product is being used by physios, occupational therapists and in nursing homes and hospitals. Some of our earliest sales were to community care services in Bracknell Forest and Slough.

The company has recently signed a second distribution deal in the UK, with Solutions4Health.

Kinesis has had a small number of sales in Ireland where the device is used in one orthopaedic hospital and by a few community-based physios and occupational therapists.

The fundraising round is expected to conclude by September, allowing the company to double its staff size to 10 and employ additional business development staff as well as technical staff to work on new products.

Our main aim, once we get funding, is to target the US  a vast market which is wide open to adopting new technology, said Dr Greene.

Company: Kinesis Health Technologies

Location: NexusUCD, Dublin

CEO: Seamus Small

Staff: Five Markets: UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Australia

Website: www.kinesis.ie
For two years, Vinny Desautels grew out his hair to donate to children with cancer who have lost their hair during treatment. The 7 year old Roseville, California boy was recently diagnosed with an unknown form of metastatic cancer, according to reports from his family and in local news.

"Doctors are still trying to identify what type of cancer Vinny has," reports KTLA.

For two years, 7-year-old Vinny Desautels grew out his hair to help kids with cancer. "I want to help people so they don't have to go to the doctors to fight cancer," he said. Thirteen inches of hair gone with the snip of some scissors. "And then everyone got excited when mom cut the ponytails off. I was happy," Vinny said. He was happy to help, a moment of selfless service, asking for nothing in return. "During that time he was mistaken for a girl many times, but Vinny took it like a champ and was like, 'Nah, I'm a boy," Vinny's dad, Jason Desautels, said. But life can sometimes take a cruel turn. "My eye was getting heavy," Vinny said. "It is stage 4 aggressive cancer," Jason Desautels said.

The family shares this on Vinny's GoFundMe page.

Our precious grandson, Vinny Desautels, is fighting a battle that no child should have to fight  the fight against cancer.

Vinny is 7 1/2 years old and in 2nd. grade. He is tender-hearted and so loving. He recently donated his hair to "wigs for kids with cancer". Even though he was teased throughout the 2 years of growing his hair out, it didn't deter him from his missionto help a child in need. On Thursday Vinny came home from school complaining about knee pain. When getting ready to take a shower his parents noticed a significant lump on his right hip and brought him to the emergency room. A large growth was identified on his Iliac bone. The next day Friday Vinny had an eye doctors appointment for a swollen eye that has been getting progressively worse over the course of a month ( originally thought to be allergies).They told Dr Martel about the previous evening and how he needed to go back to the doctors about the hip, and were concerned the two might be related. Doc agreed and got the ball rolling for them. They're at Sutter Medical Downtown Sacramento. They're still conducting tests on Vinny. They have identified another malignant mass on the eye that appears to be aggressive. Vinny is taking all of this like a brave little turd. There are many more tests ahead and they're in the hospital for an undetermined amount of time. We have started this Go Fund Me account to ease the burden of his parents, Jason and Amanda. Amanda is six months pregnant and Jason is a combat veteran. Over the next days, weeks, and months ahead they will need to be at countless doctor appointments, hospital stays and surgeries. As you can imagine the normal costs of every day livingsuch as rent, food, gas, car, etcthe medical costs can be astronomical.

Note: Sometimes, viral stories like this about cancer turn out to not be exactly what they seem. I have no insight or ability to fact-check this story, but share it because it certainly seems legit, and truly horrible. Also: We don't have to make this child a hero, or a fighter, or someone who's "battling" and "got this." Cancer patients don't have to be superheroes. We are just people whose bodies are going through a shitty disease. People who deserve affordable, accessible medical care. How great would it be if this child's parents didn't have to launch a viral internet crowdfunding campaign so that their son can receive cancer treatment, and without them going bankrupt?

[Fox40]
For the past three years, negotiators have been working to put together the ambitious Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership  TTIP .

Its backers, ranging from US President Barack Obama to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have argued that its passage would boost economies on either side of the Atlantic by around $100bn.

Critics, such as left-leaning NGOs, have been warning that the agreement will result in the rolling back of citizens rights to the benefit of corporate fat cats and their legal advisers.

Greenpeace has managed to get its hands on a cache of secret documents which provide an insight into how the talks have been progressing.

While the revelations may not have quite the same sex appeal as the Panama Papers, the release of which shone arc lights into the shadowy world of global tax evasion and avoidance, they have certainly set the cat among a flock of fat pigeons.

One strong critic of the deal, John Hilary of Waronwant.org maintains that the documents released show that US corporations would be granted unprecedented access in the area of public health and safety regulation, adding that US investors could have the right to sue for loss of profit in the event of new regulations being passed into law.

Defenders of EU food safety standards and opponents of GM foods are predictably up in arms.

Agriculture producer groups such as the IFA are opposed to any dilution in standards.

Irish farmers are also seeking to water down a proposed trade between the EU and the Mercosur group of Latin American countries, which include the leading beef exporting states Brazil and Argentina.

The newly elected IFA president, Joe Healy, has suggested that Ireland has secured an exemption in the area of beef.

Merkel has, in recent days, said that we will do everything possible to negotiate the TTIP by the end of the year.

However, many believe that if the deal is not clinched before Obama leaves the White House, it could be headed for the bin.

France President Francois Hollande has joined with germanys vice-chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, to express scepticism.

Hollande, in particular, is under pressure from his countrys famously militant farmers and from a voter base which is sceptical about free trade. The anti-trade National Front is also ready to pounce.

Polling by the Bertelsmann foundation has revealed a fall-off in support for the deal among German voters.

In the US, the Democratic frontrunner and one-time supporter of TTIP, Hillary Clinton, appears to have reversed course under pressure from her resurgent rival, Bernie Sanders.

So what has gone wrong? An obsession with secrecy for a start.

The talks have been kept under wraps with suspicions about negotiator intern and backstairs influence by big business being fanned.

There are concerns that corporations could be allowed under the proposed deal to use international courts of arbitration to undermine cherished consumer rights.

According to critics, the oil giant Chevron has lobbied to secure the right for investors to challenge bans on activities within the EU such as fracking.

Chevron is currently suing the government of Ecuador for almost $9.5bn in damages at a commercial court in The Hague over its decision to award that amount to indigenous peoples allegedly affected by the illegal deposit of gallons of toxic sludge into Amazonian rivers.

Other tribunal awards are credited with forcing Hamburg to relax clean water rules while forcing the New Zealand government to suspend the introduction of strict new rules on cigarette labelling.

There are fears that big business and lobbyist allies could influence EU laws operating through a series of technical working groups and committees. The idea that barriers to the advance of GM foods could be lowered has had particular resonance.

The talk is of a race to the bottom when it comes to standards generally.

There is another side to this story, however.

Supporters of the deal have been rather slow to make their case, or at least, inept at securing media exposure.

The truth is that manufacturers and service firms stand to benefit from a lowering of barriers, with Ireland, in particular, well placed.

Former enterprise minister Richard Bruton has been a vocal proponent yet his views have been drowned out by powerful opposition from farmer and environmental groups.

One individual to make a strong case for the treaty has been the US commerce secretary, Penny Pritzker, the heir to a $3bn fortune.

In an interview with the German publication Spiegel Online, she pointed out that of around 50m SMEs in the US and the EU, barely 250,000 are currently trading across the Atlantic ocean. TTIP , if concluded, presents a chance to deal with the rules and regulations standing in the way of doing business together, said Pritzker.

Regulatory duplication is certainly hobbling the efforts of job-creating and innovative SMEs.

Yet sadly, the lack of transparency around the talks has merely added to the sense that the big corporate battalions have captured the process and are set to colonise it for their own benefit  and at our expense.

We have been there before, in the way globalisation has served, in the main, the interests of top executives rather than ordinary workers, at least in the West, and the manner in which the euro project was captured by the finance sector, with such catastrophic consequences.

The TTIP talks could yet be turned around, but only in an environment of far greater transparency.

The Obama administration, and Europes embattled leaders and officials, have gone along with a process which, while seeking to promote free trade, has something whiffy about it.

The time has come to open the windows up so as to expel the stale, rancid air from a series of negotiations which otherwise risk going nowhere very fast.
The figures are notoriously difficult to calculate but the Department of Finance estimates net fiscal space  the amount of money available for tax cuts and investment  is in the region of 10-11bn for the next five years.

However, the final number will depend on factors outside the governments control.

One is how the economy performs in the coming years. EU rules link government spending to long-term potential GDP growth, capping the amounts available to fund budget giveaways.

The rules also force countries to slash debt faster when the economy is performing well.

And, according to the European Commissions latest forecasts, Ireland remains the EUs fastest growing economy with growth of 4.9% this year and is set to stay near the top of the EU league table next year.

Another factor to watch is how EU statisticians classify government spending.

Last week it was reported available fiscal space might be curtailed in a bid by Eurostat, the EUs statistics agency, to reclassify public-private partnerships on the government books.

Ireland has become all too familiar with the EUs penchant for putting semi-state bodies on the books.

The former Fianna Fail government managed to keep Nama off its balance sheet, but last year the Fine Gael-led government wasnt so lucky with Irish Water, which is being counted as a government entity.

The utility is weighing even more on public finances, as the government will lose out on millions of euros in revenue due to the suspension of water charges for the next nine months.

All of these factors will leave the government with even less cash to invest in much-needed infrastructure, which is struggling under the weight of years of underinvestment.

Public investment stands at 1.8% of GDP in Ireland, the lowest in the EU where the average is 2.8%. And then there is the Brexit factor.

Estimates vary as to the impact on Ireland of the UK leaving the EU in a referendum on June 23.

The Economic and Social Research Institute famously said that trade between Ireland and the UK would drop by a fifth in the event of a UK exit from the EU, while employers group Ibec said that Ireland might even make gains, predicting that foreign direct investment into Ireland could increase by 2%.

Another major decision that could go either way for the government is in relation to Apple.

The European Commission is currently investigating whether the tech giant enjoyed unfair tax advantages in Ireland under a sweetheart tax deal it did with the government.

Brussels has already ordered the Netherlands and Luxembourg to claw back up to 30m each from Fiat and Starbucks in similar rulings.

While the money would be a potential windfall for the exchequer, it may scare off other companies thinking of investing in Ireland, and the government has promised to take the EU to court if the ruling is negative.

All of these considerations will be weighed by the EU and distilled into economic recommendations to be published on May 18.

The recommendations will also show whether the governments estimates of available fiscal space are correct.

Last week the EU said the Irish budget deficit will come in at 1.1% of GDP this year thanks to higher growth and lower than foreseen spending. Thats lower than forecast and well below the EUs upper limit of 3%.

But despite the good news, strict EU spending rules will continue to apply, and the government is legally bound to strive for a balanced budget in the medium term - and a structural budget deficit (stripping out cyclical and one-off economic effects and interest payments) of no more than 0.5% of GDP.

The government was already warned by the Commission last year that it risked breaching EU rules because of 1.5bn in extra spending agreed in Budget 2016.

However, Finance Minister Michael Noonan might be able count on the fact that EU budget rules are open to negotiation.The EU has been reluctant to penalise countries - particularly larger, more powerful EU members - for failing to meet their deficit targets.

EU auditors criticised the Commission in a report last month for going too easy on France and Italy, who were not punished despite repeatedly missing debt-reduction targets.

But despite being the EUs star growth pupil, the Commission is unlikely to bend the rules for Ireland.
Last week, Pat Phelan, who in December sold his company Trustev for 40m, announced Nohovation, a new angel investment fund designed to bridge the gap in funding between seed and later-stage fund rounds.

Some 10m will be specifically set aside for Irish companies to grow and scale within the US.

The announcement marks the end of an era. The Irish startup scene is growing up, adolescence begins.

Weve always liked to think that Ireland has a strong entrepreneurial spirit. We had many domestic success stories before the turn of the century.

But it has been since 2008 that we have really begun to grow. With the economic crash, we came to the conclusion that developing companies rather than properties is a better way to secure a future.

Since then weve had our fair share of successes and failures. Nobody becomes the best by getting it right all the time.

In less than a decade, weve learned more in how to create a startup ecosystem than some countries have learned in three.

In that time, weve had major exits, major investments, and even billion-dollar companies, with more on the way.

There has also been a realisation that while Ireland is a great home, its the wider world where you make your money.

A number of weeks ago I was heading to London for business.

At baggage claim in Stansted, I bumped into somebody I had interviewed three or four years ago. We got to chatting about what he was doing now.

He explained how they focused their company to the US market and how it irrevocably changed their business.

In the States the way they do business with you is simple he explained. When they do business with you, its because they want something done.

"There is no grey area. They want you and your skills and will pay for that. They know what they want.

"We are dealing with companies seven and ten times bigger than what we have in Ireland and it shows. Weve been able to hire and bring in some amazing people to make a good product great and its getting better.

In Limerick, I know a company on the brink of a major announcement: A big possible takeover on the cards and a big injection of capital. The negotiations have been ongoing for nearly eight months.

In terms of employees, it is a relatively small firm, but operate for some major companies. And its going to be massive.

The success stories of recent years are numerous: Stripe, Trustev, AMCS, which set an Irish record for investment last year, and NVMdurance, which is moving under the radar with major rounds of investment; it is ripe for a big buyout in the next few years.

Then there is the pay-it-forward approach. It is no longer good enough to do the speech circuit on being a startup. Now its about passing what youve learned on to the next generation.

I recently sat down for an interview with last years Seedcorn Ireland competition winner, Kieran Normoyle.

We talked about whats happened in his business since then. He told me a great story on the value of a good mentor: I was able to get a few hours with this mentor I had been trying to sit down with for months. I talked about how I was going to get Ocean Survivor to market and all things that were going to happen.

"He listened, he did a lot of listening. So I wrapped up my semi-pitch and what happened next was both the best and worst thing to happen to me.

He systematically took everything I had said and pulled it apart. Why it wouldnt work like this, but how it could work like that. I was a rabbit caught in the headlights. He told me I had a lot to think about on the train home.

"It was a steep learning curve, but it provided me with the ability to avoid major failures and move forward.

The grassroots movement of startups in Ireland has provided many people with many lessons.

The daily grind of a startup gives you a lot to think about. What has emerged is a culture that is perhaps foreign in many aspects of Irish life: Talking about your problems, sharing those bone-crunching disappointments, and amazing highs. CEOs are sharing their hard-knock stories so hopefully other startups wont have to.

With the announcement of Nohovation last week, it felt like the last chapter in the childhood of Irish startups.

The first volume signed off with the completion of a circle: Startup grows, scales globally, takes a major investment, sells for big money, moves that money into the investment scene to scale other companies.

All this with Irish people at the helm and Irish companies in mind. It was beautiful to watch.

We talk a lot about Ireland being one of the best places to start a company, but that has been an illusion for a long time. The reality is that we are way behind a lot of other countries.

The Irish scene has depended a lot on the kindness of strangers for a long time: Company founders and CEOs spreading their knowledge and ideas of business.

The movement supporting itself and driving itself internally.

Thats all fine if you want to stay the same.

Were the caterpillar looking to fly, the cocoon needs to break.

The next step will be to bring all those hard-knock stories to fruition.

We need more investment companies to station and we almost certainly need a VC firm stationed in the west. Word on the grapevine is that Limerick is edging the race to get it.

Laws on serial investors, employee stakes in companies, and taxes all need to be reformed.

So we move into a new phase for the Irish start-up scene.

The growing pains of puberty are upon us.
Speaking at the IFA-hosted Making Risk Management Work for Farmers seminar in Co Laois, representatives of Ornua, ICOS, Department of Agriculture and financial brokerage FCStone agreed that an index would be vital platform upon which to build an Irish commodity price hedging industry.

Seminar attendees heard how US farmers manage price volatility by taking fixed prices for 20% or more of their annual milk output.

Either individually or via their co-ops, the US farmers take Class II milk future quotes, fixed prices for future milk output set by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

The Irish dairy sector must decide for itself how much appetite there is for risk management mechanisms, said Brendan Gleeson, assistant secretary Department of Agriculture.

These are commercial decisions which the industry has to decide for itself. Establishing an index to have a properly functioning futures market would be an important first step.

IFA dairy chairman, Sean OLeary, said Irish farmers had gained some experience of hedging in recent years.

He cited fixed price contracts offered by Glanbia and subsequently other co-ops, aided by Ornua, contracts which allow some farmers to receive in excess of 30c/l for some of their milk.

These contracts helped farmers understand the concept of hedging  foregoing the highest prices, but avoiding the lowest, said Mr OLeary.

But fixed price contracts are difficult to deliver depending on market prices. They must not be the only option available from industry: Other forms of hedging or margin insurance instruments need to be developed, by industry and in conjunction with government and the EU.

The conference began with analysis by ex-UCC economist Michael Keane of market changes which meant that volatility would remain a long-term factor for the dairy sector.

John Lancaster, a senior analyst with broker FC Stone, delivered a similar reading of future volatility in input costs including feed, fertiliser and energy.

Charlie Hyland, senior risk manager with FC Stone, said: With a futures market, you might decide to lock in, say, 10% of your milk output at a fixed price. You can sit here today and know what price you can lock in for your March 2017 milk.

It is a fixed price contract with which you have the ability to insure against risk. In the US, many more farmers are now doing this. Some farmers are hedging for themselves, others are doing it through their co-ops. In my view, if you have no contract, then you have no control.

Mr Hyland said co-ops needed to pass on the risks for their fixed price contracts, which is where brokers like FC Stone come in.

Quizzed by an attendee on the cost of providing this insurance, Mr Hyland translated this into an effective cost of 0.05c per litre for milk. The costs for hedging on inputs followed a similar model.

Mr Hyland noted that anyone who hedged their milk at the outset of the Russian import ban could have locked in at 31cpl for future milk. The farmer would have seen a gain of 8-9c/l, with the hedging prices having slid downwards ever since.

However, all of the invited experts repeatedly noted that hedging was not a question of beating the market. Instead, the mind-set required for hedging is to focus on the ability it gives to forward plan a business.

Wisconsin dairy farmer Joe Thome explained how 18 years of price hedging have helped him build his family farm from 400 cattle to 1,300 cattle, with huge increases in cattle weights and significantly improved profits.

His farm, Redtail Ridge Dairy in Wisconsin, has 16 well-paid workers, many of them with him for 10 years or more.

It is not about beating the market, it is about stability in your business, said Mr Thome.

John F Kennedy said you are a fool if you think you are going to sell at the top price all of the time. When Im ahead on price, its great. In times when Im losing by hedging, some people tell me Im a fool to be doing it. Over time, it has worked out even for me.

FC Stones study of 10-year figures for milk price hedging in US markets showed virtual parity on the effective incomes of farmers who took the hedging route and those who did not.

If there is an appetite for this, you should have the processors, the distributors and the farmers come together and make it happen, said Mr Thome. All I can say is that it worked for me.
The Centre for Disability Law and Policy at NUI Galway says a committee of 12 should be jointly appointed with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission as the new watchdog with powers to scrutinise government policies and service provision, and intervene where they are failing individuals.

Its recommendation is made today as Ireland comes under pressure to implement the United Nations Convention of the Rights of People with Disabilities, which the country signed in 2007 but has not yet ratified.

UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas Aguilar, will be in Dublin today to push for action as she launches the NUI report.

She is expected to highlight the fact Ireland remains one of just two European countries, along with the Netherlands, not to have ratified the convention, and to point out much work has yet to be done on setting up the monitoring and safeguarding mechanism it requires.

The convention does not specify what model of monitoring group should be adopted, but does require that people with disabilities are at its heart. Its unofficial motto is nothing about us, without us.

Researchers at NUI Galway examined six countries that have already ratified the convention, and concluded Maltas watchdog was the best example to follow.

They said it would be difficult to appoint an existing disability group to act as a monitor because of the myriad of different organisations working in the field.

In their studies, they identified 18 organisations that should have input but those included several umbrella groups that have dozens of individual members. It was felt none were adequately financed or supported to take on a watchdog role alone.

The creation of a new representative and diverse advisory committee, using a transparent process, would build confidence and trust among the disability community, and with the right support in terms of resources and skills development should ensure robust monitoring of the rights in the convention, they said.

Such a committee would be well-placed to support the IHREC in its role as the independent mechanism by providing up-to-date information on the lived experiences of people with disabilities at grassroots level.

Emily Logan, chief commissioner of the IHREC, welcomed the report and said the convention urgently needed to be ratified.

The convention places the full and direct participation of people with disabilities at the centre of the monitoring process, she said. It represents a step change away from the paternalistic, charitable, and medical models, to an emancipatory approach based on independence, dignity, and self-advocacy.

The convention does not establish new rights for people with disabilities, but states that people with disabilities can not be denied the human rights that apply to everyone else simply because of their disability.

Ireland is behind in making legislative changes that would remove restrictions on people with disabilities asserting their independence. A key new law, the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act was signed but has not yet commenced.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has committed to ratifying the convention by the end of this year.
Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath said he was absolutely horrified at the latest revelations involving a teenager in the Cork/Kerry area which follow on from the Grace scandal in the South-East and a similar scandal in the West.

Im going to find out the exact facts of this case and I will be demanding answers. Ill be talking to Tusla and the HSE, Mr McGrath said.

I would have major concerns about what happened to that young person.

We have to have answers, we have to have the truth and above all we have to ensure that young people with intellectual disabilities are protected.

The latest case was revealed by RTE Radios This Week programme and centres on allegations made by a relative of a foster carer about sexual abuse in that carers home.

Two children were removed from the home as a result of the allegations, but a 19-year-old with intellectual disabilities was left behind and only removed in February this year.

This young person was in the home since 2003, but neither Tusla nor the HSE would say when the allegations were received or when the other children were removed, except to say that these events happened prior to 2016.

No investigation has been launched by the HSE or Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, into the management of the 19-year-olds care because the allegations of abuse did not involve this young person.

Fergus Finlay, chief executive of childrens charity, Barnardos, however, said: If a placement is considered unsafe for two people, it must be considered unsafe for everybody involved.

He said an inquiry was needed into the case and that it could be added to the terms of reference yet to be drawn up for the commission of investigation due to be set up to probe the Grace case.

At the heart of it is a young person allowed to be at risk and we need to know by whom and for what reason, he said.

I would urge the minister to ensure that those terms of reference are sufficiently flexible so that they can examine a range of issues and if there are other cases that need to come forward there should be a three month period with loose terms of reference to allow for a gathering of that data.

Emily Logan, former childrens ombudsman and now chief commissioner with the Irish Human Rights Commission, said the case was deeply disturbing.

Its also very hard to comprehend how two other children would have been removed from that home yet the young person with the intellectual disability would have remained in that environment.

It is understood Tusla removed the two younger children while the HSE stepped in to find a new placement for the 19-year-old, who was technically an adult, but the extent of communications between the two is not clear. Both said it was their policy not to comment on individual cases.

Outgoing minister James Reilly said last week there were 6,398 children in care, 5,950 of them in foster homes, and 447 did not have an allocated social worker.
The US-Ireland Alliance  a non-partisan, non-profit organisation which administers the scholarship programme  has expressed concern that the future of the programme is dependent on finding new sources of revenue.

In its latest annual report, the alliances president and founder, Trina Vargo, said support for the programme in Ireland and the US was often superficial and hype.

She also highlighted how fundraisers hired to find other sources of revenue had cost more money than they had raised.

Concern about the future of the Mitchell scholarships has increased following the decision of the governments in both the Republic and the North that they are no longer in a position to fund the programme due to budgetary constraints.

The Northern Ireland Department of Employment and Learning is no longer providing financial support after this summer while the Department of Education in the Republic has announced it will cease funding the scholarships after 2017.

The programme, which has annual running expenses of around 875,000, had largely been funded by the US Department of State up to 2014.

Since last year funding has come mostly from private partners and contributors as well as the Department of Education which is providing almost 425,000 each year up to 2017.

The scholarships are awarded annually by the Washington-based US- Ireland Alliance to 12 American students to fund a years study at universities and other third level institutions in the Republic or the North.

The cross-border programme was established in 1998 by Ms Vargo, a former political adviser to Senator Ted Kennedy, to honour Senator George Mitchell and his pivotal role in negotiating the Northern Ireland peace process.

In its 2015 annual report, the alliance said the financial support from the Department of Education gave the existence of the scholarships more time and space.

However, it added: We remain concerned about Americas waning attention to and interest in Ireland beyond the superficial and the hype, which often does not match reality.

Ms Vargo expressed concern about whether there was sufficient interest from supporters to ensure the future of the scholarship programme.

The bad news is that there is not much evidence that philanthropists and companies are interested in committing support at the necessary levels, Ms Vargo said.
A joint report by RNZ, TVNZ and Nicky Hager accuses New Zealand of being at the heart of a gigantic money-laundering operation for the corrupt elites of Latin America.

The reporters analyzed 61,000 Panama Papers documents that showed the use of "shelf companies" (companies that are formed and shelved for easy use later) through the Auckland bagman Roger Thompson (formerly of Staples Rodway, now of Bentleys Chartered Accountants, which shares an office with Mossack-Fonseca's NZ headquarters).

They found that Thompson fronted thousands of foreign trusts whose beneficiaries were rich people from Latin America, including members of Mexico's high society; an Israeli arm dealer who sells into the Mexican market; the president of Venezuela's Italcambio bank; a would-be Brazilian illegal chemical exporter; and many other unsavory, wealthy individuals.

NZ Prime Minister John Key has stalled on taking any action to shut down or kerb his country's lucrative money laundering operation.



Mr Thompson is often the sole New Zealand director of the local companies alongside two Panamanian directors. A further Bentleys company, Orion Trust (New Zealand) Limited, is used over and over as a nominee office holder in foreign trusts and companies. The trusts set up have anonymous names such as The Eden Trust, The Oslo Trust, The Milfington Trust and the Omicron Trust Prime Minister John Key said Inland Revenue would follow up any revelations from the Panama Papers involving New Zealand, but was rejecting calls for the industry to be shut down. "It would be, I think be a dangerous decision to make as a knee-jerk reaction just to ban a foreign trust overnight, because we have very good tax rules, they're integrated rules and they're respected around the world."

NZ at heart of Panama money-go-round

[Gyles Beckford, Patrick O'Meara, Jane Patterson, Lee Taylor, Jessica Mutch, Andrea Vance, & Nicky Hager/Radio New Zealand, TV New Zealand]



(via Naked Capitalism)
Simon Coveney said while his views on the proposed Ringaskiddy location for the incinerator were pretty clear, he didnt want to pretend to have powers I dont have.

Its up to An Bord Pleanala now to take account of all the views they have heard and I hope that they will and if they do, that they will refuse it (planning permission).

I will be disappointed if they (waste management company Indaver Ireland) are given it, but I would find myself in court if I interfered, he said.

Mr Coveney recently made a presentation at an oral hearing into an application by Indaver to build a 240,000 tonne waste-to- energy facility in Ringaskiddy, during which he said he believed it was fundamentally the wrong location.

He said it simply cannot be consistent with good planning or existing planning guidelines relating to incineration against a backdrop of substantial investment in education and tourism in the Cork Harbour area.

The hearing continues this week.

In relation to proposals to merge Cork City and County councils, put on hold during the general election, Mr Coveney said he was not taking a position on whether he was for or against a merger but that a way forward would have to be found that everyone can live with.

He said the Smiddy report, which recommended a merger, would inform discussions, as would a minority report that opposed it.

The report will continue to inform the decisions but it wont necessarily define the outcome, the minister said.

I am not anti the merger but I dont have a closed mind to other (governance) structures either.

However, if Cork was to compete with Dublin in terms of attracting investment, Mr Coveney said: Personally I feel we need to look at changing structures.
However, the Labour Court has ruled that it must contribute 30% towards the cost of setting up such a scheme, designed to assist Irish Rail employees who are found medically unfit to continue in their role and for whom redeployment is not possible.

Trade unions representing Irish Rail workers had sought the establishment of an income continuance plan for staff unable to work, as part of an agreement that all employees be subject to periodical compulsory medical check-ups.

The trade unions group, which consists of Siptu, the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union, and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, argued that such a scheme for incapacitated employees should be co-funded by Irish Rail.

They also sought the establishment of a rehabilitation process for staff who acquired a disability as a result of illness or work injury.

The matter was referred to the Labour Court after both sides failed to resolve the issue at local level.

Irish Rail said it must carry out a fitness-for-work medical for each safety critical employee in order to comply with EU safety regulations.

Although the company was willing to assist the unions with the setting-up of an income continuance scheme, it said it was not in a position to contribute to it due to the companys serious financial position. In 2014 it recorded a 2.2m operating deficit, leaving the State railway company with accumulated losses of 135.1m.

It also opposed the formal rehabilitation process for injured workers, claiming it had consistently dealt with such cases in a fair manner but on a case-by-case basis.

The Labour Court ruled that the cost of the scheme to Irish Rail should be taken into account in separate ongoing talks between management and staff on productivity levels. Once such talks were completed, the Labour Court said the 30:70 ratio for contributions to the scheme between employer and employees should be reviewed.
The Today FM presenter narrowly avoided plunging into the ocean as he was spreadeagled in a leap between two vessels.

A finger-tip grasp of a bow rail on the receiving vessel in a two-metre swell prevented him toppling into the ocean.

The 39-year-old, who was wearing a life-vest, had been broadcasting from a tug close to a barge carrying the disused Boeing 767.

The tug I was coming off and the other boat were in huge swells. So there was a very narrow window to get from one to the other. I may have chosen too narrow a window, so I ended up diving on to the bow rail of the boat. It wasnt my most dignified moment but I am here.

I have a long history of making very stupid decisions. But so long as ankles arent broken, legs are unscratched, were good, he joked.

Any ideas how to get Anton off this yoke??? #PlaneSailing pic.twitter.com/QGetUFxqWD  Anton Savage (@AntonSavageShow) May 7, 2016

Mr Savage was in Enniscrone for his re-scheduled programme on Saturday to cover the arrival of the Boeing 767 that travelled by barge from Shannon Airport..

The swell during the morning tide was too threatening for the jet to be beached so that was delayed until the night tide.

The 70-ton plane is now in a 15-acre site in Enniscrone that is to be converted into a glamping village run by funeral undertaker David McGowan.

Mr McGowan, who runs funeral homes in Ballina, Co. Mayo and Sligo, bought the discarded aircraft from Shannon Airport for 20,000.

He rented a giant barge in Southampton for the journey from Shannon with the plane aboard.

When the plane was beached on Saturday night and lifted off by crane a wooden road was built so it could be transferred by giant trucks across the strand to the main road into the village.

The jumbo, called the Big Yoke during eight months of planning its move, has a 140-ft wingspan. The wings were removed to allow it make the journey.

It was previously-owned by Russias second-largest airline company Transaero before its financial collapse last year.

Mr McGowan bought it as part of a plan to turn a disused 15 acres he owns near his home in Enniscrone into the Quirky Nights Glamping Village.

The village, which he describes as the first of its kind in the world, will feature accommodation in different types of transport facilities, including a train, boats, buses and London black taxis. The Boeing 767 will be converted into eight apartments.
The Independent Alliance TDs have been assured of junior ministries but have not been told their roles.

On the Fine Gael side, speculation is mounting as to whom Taoiseach Enda Kenny chooses from his ranks.

A number of first-time TDs have been tipped for appointment, including Josepha Madigan, the Dublin Rathdown TD who had a role in government negotiations with Independents.

Noel Rock, the youngest party member in the Dail and who nominated Mr Kenny for taoiseach four times, will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Simon Harris and receive a junior ministry.

Meath East TD Helen McEntee, whose father Shane held the position of minister of state, is also tipped for a position.

It would be an honour, I wold be pleasantly surprised but I am not expecting it at all, said Ms McEntee.

She added that she would relish the task of minister for state with responsibility for mental health but would also be interested in a junior role at the Department of Education.

As a Fine Gael negotiator, Galway Wests Sean Kyne was particularity respected by a number of the rural Independents and helped gain their trust during minority government talks.

Eoghan Murphy was also a key player in government formation talks and will be hopeful of receiving a call from Mr Kenny.

Catherine Byrne has acted as chair of the Fine Gael parliamentary party and said she enjoys a good working relationship with Mr Kenny. Its up to the Taoiseach, I will have no say in that, I am happy in what I am doing. Other people will make that decision and we will cross that bridge when we get there, said Ms Byrne.

The Dublin South Central TD said she had not heard any rumours that she was due to be made a minister for state.

Wicklows Andrew Doyle, Offaly deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Damien English of Meath West, and Carlow-Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan are all names being floated for positions.

Mr Halligan said: I am after being told I am getting one, but I wont know what until Enda Kenny makes his decision and announces it.

Meanwhile, on Friday Kevin Boxer Moran said he and Mr Canney had tossed a coin to decide which of them would receive a rotating junior minister role first, with Mr Canney winning the toss.
It is believed the company Transdev is seriously concerned about its financial position and has even sought advice from its parent company in Paris about how it should proceed with the situation.

Even before the current campaign of strikes by drivers had taken hold, Transdev had warned that it incurred a loss of 700,000 in 2015 and it was forecasting further losses for 2016.

Up to last Wednesday, there were 10 stoppages, which have resulted in 100,000 per day in fines imposed on Transdev for failing to deliver the service. That is on top of the revenue loss from failing to provide a service to an average of 90,000 passengers per day.

Sources have said the tensions in the depot are at an all-time high, with drivers determined to hold out for a 23% increase.

Several weeks ago, the company issued a communication to staff union Siptu and to its employees warning that workers were being put on protective notice, that their pay could be reduced to cover the cost of further industrial action, and that they could face being removed from the payroll if they refused to perform duties which were an integral part of their contract.

The company followed through on the threat of a pay reduction, with drivers due to see a 10% cut in their wages when they are next paid in a fortnight.

However, it is understood the company could increase that percentage from next month if the action is ongoing and there is no end in sight to the impasse. The company did signal when it announced the 10% reduction that it was only an initial percentage.

It is understood the companys financial position means it cannot keep bearing the brunt of the revenue loss which results from the stoppages.

Already, four more strikes are planned for this month, the first of them next Friday.

There is also speculation that up to eight extra strike days could be announced for the month of June.

To date, in spite of the pay reduction, Luas drivers have resisted the urge to press ahead with a threatened all-out strike.
Europes largest airline said plans by Norwegian Air International (NAI), which are being vigorously opposed by US labour unions and traditional legacy airlines, will result in increased competition and customer choice, a better service, and lower fares for American and European consumers.

The comments are made in Ryanairs submission to the US Department of Transportation (DoT) as part of its final consultation process triggered by its tentative decision to approve NAIs application for a foreign carrier permit to operate a Cork to Boston service this year, and a Cork-New York route next year.

Aviation sources described Ryanairs intervention as hugely significant.

Ryanairs chief legal and regulatory officer, Juliusz Komorek, said they are alarmed at an attempt by four US congressmen to introduce legislation to block the new service.

He described it as an ill-advised attempt to protect the incumbent airlines on the transatlantic market at the expense of consumers.

Ryanair is one of several heavy-hitters who have now lodged submissions in favour of the proposed route ahead of a protest by American unions at the White House on Thursday in support of a new law which could block the service.

NAI, the Dublin-based subsidiary of low-fares giant, Norwegian, has been waiting more than two years for the DoT permit.

After an exhaustive examination of its application, the DoT ruled in April that the airline meets the criteria under the EU-US Open Skies agreement to operate transatlantic flights.

US president Barack Obama has also said there is no legal impediment to the granting of the permit. But four congressmen have introduced legislation in a bid to change the law, which if successful, could block the issuing of the licence.

The European Commission said it is poised to engage in arbitration if there are any more attempts to block the issuing of the licence. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the DoTs decision to tentatively approve NAIs permit is bad news for US airline workers.

NAI is registered in Ireland and will employ flight crews under Singaporean or Thai employment contracts and evade the employment and tax laws of Norway where its parent company is based, it claimed.

This race to the bottom business plan is a clear violation of the US-EU Open Skies Agreement, which has a specific provision that states that the opportunities created by the agreement are not intended to undermine labour standards or the labour-related rights and principles contained in the parties respective laws.

NAIs plan to scour the globe for cheap labour is a blatant violation of the labour provisions in the agreement.

NAIs plans have always been about gaming trade rules, gaining an unfair competitive advantage, and beating down workers rights, wages, and benefits.

NAI has rejected claims it will hire foreign workers and employ them on low wages.

The DoT consultation process ends on May 16, with a final decision on the permit due soon afterwards.
The latest Register of Members Interests shows the toll roads company is among a number of firms that Mr Ross has shares in.

However, a spokesperson for the Independent Alliance last night said: He has done nothing yet but he will do whatever is advised is the correct procedure  either sell them or freeze them.

Mr Ross, who has been an outspoken critic of many of the agencies and organisations he now finds himself the minister in charge of, has also not decided whether he will continue writing his weekly newspaper column while serving at the Department of Transport.

Over the years, Mr Ross has been highly critical of numerous bodies including the Dublin Airport Authority, CIE, and the National Transport Authority.

Yesterday, Mr Ross referred back to the history he has with union leaders who in previous newspaper pieces he said had wallowed in the swamp of bourgeois government patronage.

God knows how the bearded trade unionist Jack OConnor and I will get on if we ever have to sit across the table over the Luas strike or any other dispute. Everyone says he is a really nice, committed guy, but we have a bit of history he wrote in his weekly column yesterday.

With the Luas industrial dispute still ongoing, it is likely that Mr OConnor will be one of the first people the outspoken politician will have to speak with.

Mr Ross will also have to deal with industrial unease among bus and rail drivers, who will also be expecting better pay and conditions if concessions are granted to Luas workers.

The Dublin Rathdown TD said the hard work will begin this morning when he enters the department.

I meet the mandarins, many of whom have been lampooned in this column, he wrote. The difficulties in transport are formidable. Yet the unique background to the formation of the Government suggests that real reform is possible.

Mr Ross added: The omens are good, although the transition will be difficult.

It was already difficult on Friday to see old friends on the opposition benches. It was possibly harder to see recent political opponents in adjoining seats.

But we will embrace a new Dail where the views of everyone must be considered to pass measures.

Past hostilities will need to be forgotten in the interests of the nation, he wrote.
Mr Coveney, who has been tasked with finding immediate resolutions to the housing crisis as well as handling the issue of water charges, has denied he was demoted by Enda Kenny.

The Cork South-Central TD said: The idea that I was given a poisoned chalice to cut me down to size would make sense if I hadnt asked for it. Maybe it will damage me, maybe it wont. I dont intend to be in politics forever, but while I am, I want to take on issues that can change (for the better) peoples lives.

It had been reported that both Mr Coveney and Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar, who are both seen as the top contenders to take over as Fine Gael leader, had been demoted by Mr Kenny when choosing a cabinet on Friday.

Mr Kenny is now due to publish the full programme for government in coming days and will also announce his selection of junior ministers.

Those tipped for positions include Eoghan Murphy, Josepha Madigan, John Paul Phelan, Helen McEntee, and Sean Kyne. John Halligan and Sean Canney of the Independent Alliance are to receive appointments.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Coveney admitted housing was a more dramatic challenge, albeit one he had actively sought out. I wanted a social portfolio as well as an economic one, he said.

Mr Coveney said while he could have sought a different brief that could have been less heated politically, he was not one to shirk challenges.

He said suggestions either himself or Mr Varadkar had been demoted or moved sideways in their new briefs was totally inaccurate.

The idea that the Taoiseach deliberately put us into departments to keep us busy and to keep us quiet is nonsense, he said.

The minister said he was looking forward to tackling the housing and homelessness problem, and that one of his first acts will be to meet with all local authority chiefs executive, as well as stakeholders in the voluntary and private housing sectors, to start mapping out how to build a sustainable partnership that could help resolve the current crisis.

He said some local authorities, particularly Cork and Dublin, would have to deliver more to address the housing crisis, and that they would need budgets from me and probably legislation to fast track the type of housing policies that are needed.

Whether thats a change in planning laws, well have to see, he said.

In relation to Irish Water, which is also part of his portfolio, Mr Coveney said legislation to suspend water charges would be in place within six weeks.

We need to try and take the temperature out of the water debate and make an informed decision, he said

Mr Coveney said personally, he didnt believe paying for water centrally was the best way to go, but that it was his job to find consensus.

The last government failed to build consensus. Its my job now to try maybe I have a bit of a deathwish, I dont know.

Meanwhile, new chief whip Regina Doherty has denied that this new era of legislation through cross-party consensus and numerous new committees would lead to paralysis with little being implemented.

I am willing and open to listen to everyones views but they have to be put respectfully and I do have to genuinely say there are some people in Leinster House who are pretty arrogant with their views because they might disagree with me, and that apparently makes me wrong. I am not wrong, they are not wrong, she said.

We all need to work together and if we find consensus on legislation then that legislation will be better, she said.
Its the culmination of a number of years research by Cal McCarthy and Barra O Donnabhain on the history of the convict prison in Cork harbour which constitutes a major addition to the body of knowledge about the institution and the prevailing social, political, and economic conditions of the period.

The pair compiled the book through informed official historical records and on-site archaeological excavations, and it provides a comprehensive overview of the lives and times of an infamous penal institution.

For almost four decades, the prison was home to Irelands most serious and notorious criminals.

Established in the midst of one of the worst famines in global history, this huge facility became the largest prison in what was then the UK, dwarfing institutions like Dartmoor, Pentonville, Mountjoy, and Kilmainham.

High death rates during its formative years meant many of its malnourished inmates were laid to rest beneath its sod.

Yet Spike Island was to become a beacon of penal reform, influencing modern correctional systems in countries as far apart as the USA and Germany.

The authors say although Spike Islands position in Cork harbour made it ideal for use as a prison, this is not a Cork story but rather an Irish story based in Cork, and one with a significant international dimension.

The book, entitled Too Beautiful for Thieves and Pickpockets, shows Spike Island was the point where individual stories from all over Ireland were woven together.

Moreover, its ripples were felt far beyond the shores of Ireland, as it formed part of a penal system that sent convicts right around the world.

Even after transportation to Australia and other destinations ended, most prisoners were encouraged to emigrate to the US upon release.

The story told in this book is one thats, in turn, dramatic, shocking, touching and humorous.

The life of the prison was vibrant, peopled by the unfortunate of society alongside those who committed serious, sometimes gruesome crimes.

Too Beautiful for Thieves and Pickpockets: a history of the Victorian Convict Prison on Spike Island, is published by Cork County Library and Arts Service.

It will be available to purchase from Liam Ruiseal, the Bantry Bookshop, OMahonys Booksellers, Kennys of Galway and other good bookshops from this Wednesday.


State medical boards are hybrids: part independent regulator, part industry association. They are in charge of handing down professional probations against doctors who do wrong, but the details of which doctors are on probation, and why, are kept from patients.

Until now. Using Freedom of Information requests, Consumer Reports has extracted doctors' probation records for California, assembling them into a searchable spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet is part of the Safe Patient Project, which also includes a state-by-state ranking of medical boards' websites, scoring them on searchability, transparency, and comprehensiveness.

An accompanying feature highlights the inadequacy of the probation system and the extent to which the medical profession seems more interested in protecting its members than protecting the patients. Doctors who've been put on probation  rather than being prohibited from practicing  have done things like performed surgery while intoxicated, leading to the removal of healthy organs (leaving diseased organs in place). What's more, the medical associations overwhelmingly object to doctors being required to inform their patents if they're on probation, and take steps to block patients' ability to look up their doctors' probationary records.

Sites like Yelp, which include reviews of doctors, don't do a good job of calling attention to doctors' documented misconduct. Doctors who've admitted to sexually assaulting their patients, or botching procedures due to negligence, still score high on online review boards.

Most interesting to me was the small number of doctors responsible for complaints, probation, and malpractice payouts. The normal line about doctors and patients is that ambulance-chasing lawyers have painted a target on the back of every doctor, forcing them to resort to mandatory binding arbitration waivers as a condition of care, and gag orders that patients must sign before being seen.

But the numbers tell a different story: malpractice payouts come from a tiny number of doctors whose negligence is undeniable. If you're a doctor and your insurer is paying out to a patient, chances are it's because you did something really bad. Rather than rooting out this minority and making patients safer and doctors more reputable, the professional associations are providing cover for them, hiding their sins behind obfuscation and official secrecy. It's not that patients are suing and threatening doctors willy-nilly: rather, a tiny number of doctors are ruining the lives of some of their patients, leading to massive payouts, which are nevertheless too little, too late.



A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF DOCTORS have accounted for most of the country's medical malpractice payouts over the last quarter century. That's according to an analysis done for Consumer Reports of the National Practitioner Data Bank, a federal repository that has collected disciplinary actions and medical malpractice payouts since 1990. Robert E. Oshel, who worked as the associate director for research and disputes at the NPDB for almost 15 years until he retired in 2008, ran the numbers and figured out that less than 2 percent of the nation's doctors have been responsible for half of the total payouts since the government began collecting malpractice information. Malpractice is considered an inexact indication of substandard care, for many reasons. Cases often settle before trial and without documented findings of wrongdoing. And even the best doctors and surgeons can sometimes face lawsuits. "Still," Oshel says, "when doctors have multiple large settlements against them, it can be a warning sign  suggesting that if licensing boards and hospital peer reviewers were willing to either get these doctors to stop practicing or get retraining, we'd all be better off."

California Doctors on Probation 9-29-15

[Consumer Reports]
The study of 2,000 teenagers also found that the soaring cost of rent is effecting their choice of third level education with 47% saying rents will influence where they go to college or university.

More than half of those interviewed also admitted that their school work suffers because of their heavy social media usage.

School, exam pressures, and the points race were cited as the biggest strains on their mental health.

Three quarters also used a smartphone to study.

The research, conducted by Studyclix.ie, also confirms that Facebook is old hat with 90% of the pupils using Snapchat.

It also confirmed that students have little respect for the current crop of politicians but are more confident than might be expected with most of them happy with their looks.

Co-Founder of Studyclix.ie Luke Saunders said secondary school students are more unsure about their future as they grew up during austerity and recession.

These Irish second level students are much more aware of the difficulties awaiting them when they go to college.

Affordability is becoming an ever more important factor when selecting where to go to college, he said.

This trend was also repeated when it came to purchasing a house with 52% of students stating that it was unlikely that they would be able to purchase a house in their own county once they begin working.

I was not at all surprised to see that 76% of students report using their smartphone to study. In the last three years we have seen a rapid increase in the proportion of our users studying on Studyclix.ie using mobile devices.

The respondents role models are a motley crew: Conor McGregor, Bill Gates, and Barack Obama for the guys and Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Emma Watson for the girls.

Studyclix.ie sorts previous Junior and Leaving Certificate exam questions into topics and, for each topic and question, gives students access to the marking schemes and sample answers to help them understand how they can improve their answering technique.

Its used by 57,031 secondary school students and 23,000 teachers .
By dint of his position in the family, our first born is paving the way for everyone else; his parents and younger brothers. He alluded to going to different places and meeting more people as one of the best things about having recently celebrated his tenth birthday.

But then he came home from Scouts with news that a trip to an adventure centre in Wales is in the offing. It will be his first time away from home by himself. He very much wants to go.

Suddenly I very much wanted him to curl up in an armchair with his books and forget about going to different places and meeting more people until he turns eighteen.

Author of Cotton Wool Kids Stella OMalley reckons this is the perfect opportunity for a ten-year-old to begin to strike out on his own into the great unknown. If we never take our hands off the handlebars, our children will never learn to ride the bike.

OMalley also feels giving children the opportunity to experience a little self-sufficiency is a gift. Initially we feel scared and our instinct is to drag them back under our wing but it is imperative that they are given freedom and independence in small bites growing up.

We cant keep our children wrapped in cotton wool until they are 18 and then hurl them into adult life with the expectation that they are ready now. Thats not how life works.

The 3rd/12th Cork scouting groups (top and above) are all smiles on a day out  however, it can be difficult for parents to let their children free to explore their independence.

Finbarr Burns, Venture Section Leader with the 3rd/12th Cork St Patricks Scout Group agrees and cites camping and outdoor activities as one of the best ways to promote important life skills for our youngsters. The group recently camped overnight in Fota Woods and Finbarr believes the sense of achievement, having mastered the most basic of tasks, is what maintains interest and ultimately drives every scout towards the role of Leader.

Even the 6, 7 and 8-year-old Beavers have to start somewhere. Staying away overnight from their parents and working as a team to overcome the challenges involved, is a milestone in their personal development. Sleeping in a tent, cooking your own food, doing your own washing up, challenging yourself and your team not to get lost, or be last, are tasks that are enjoyed as part of a group; you fail together or succeed together but either way you have fun! These are life skills that will stay with them forever.

Words teeming with common sense and whilst it is always reassuring to hear others speak so positively when it comes to these giant steps our children want to take without the safety net of their parents, what of the elephant in the room? The issue of personal safety.

Kieran Cody Communications Commissioner with Scouting Ireland puts my mind at ease. All of our adult volunteers agree to Garda vetting and must attend a Child Protection training course before they start to work with young people.

When it comes to expeditions away, from a parents perspective, it is only natural to think all sorts of situations can occur.

However, every precaution has been considered and the adult Scouter who will have been working with their Scouts on a week to week basis knows what they are capable of and will ensure they have a great time. All of our training leads to this point.

Stella OMalley is of the opinion that if the child is excited about going away for a three-day trip, then it suggests that they feel able for it.

Let them go. Give them advice on what to do if things go wrong and then watch with pride when they grow two inches in spirit on their return.

I spoke to former scout, and father of four, Cormac Dooley whose eldest is about to embark on a similar trip, and asked him to outline, as a father, the reasons why his son will be going on the excursion.

It will broaden his life experience at a young age. There is a camaraderie in going away with a group, a great sense of excitement, particularly if you are going out of the country.

They will get to experience a different culture albeit similar to their own. When I went away it was as far as Wicklow only but the craic was huge and it was a massive bonding session.

Kieran Cody has the last word. The very essence of scouting, as the worlds largest informal educational movement, is empowering young people to take charge with the support and encouragement of adults.
IF THE ceasefire in Aleppo holds, it could be a real turning point in what has become the worlds worst  and perhaps most geopolitically complex  conflict in recent memory.

After four years of fighting, however  particularly heavy for the last two weeks  its unclear whether the truce will stick. The tactical situation in the city remains largely murky.

For government forces, rebels and their international backers alike, what happens in Aleppo is seen as setting the tone for the rest of the country.

The question now is whether the ceasefire pushes them towards a negotiated settlement that could ultimately begin to restore Syrias stability  or simply represents a lull before yet more battles.

The latter option would be more bad news for the citys beleaguered residents, who have faced ever worsening conditions since the battle over Syrias second city began on July 19, 2012.

Public services within the city, particularly hospitals, have been repeatedly targeted and, according to aid workers, have now more or less completely collapsed. Of the original population of 2.1 million, it is far from clear how many now remain. If there is a truce, it is possible much of the remaining population might use the opportunity to flee  at least if they believe it will not last.

Western officials and analysts say it is extremely difficult to ascertain exactly what the plan is for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian allies  and particularly whether they are playing to the same game plan.

Regaining control of the city outright would be a major win for the Assad government. It remains relatively secure in the capital Damascus, while the city of Homs  along with Aleppo one of the cradles of the original 2011 uprising  was regained from rebel forces in May 2014.

Should they be able to take Aleppo, the city of Deraa remains the only truly significant population centre in relatively moderate rebel hands.

Taking back Aleppo, therefore, would deliver a perhaps fatal blow to those  including many elements of the United States government  who want Assad gone. It might leave the door open for the next US president  whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump  to do a reluctant deal and perhaps build a de facto alliance to target Islamic State.

As always in Syria, however, the reality may be rather more messy. Some experts doubt that Assads government has sufficient forces  even with Iranian-backed support that includes Hezbollah fighters and Afghan mercenaries  to take or, more importantly, hold down the city and still have the energy to fight in the rest of the country.

Not all of Aleppos rebel fighters are the moderates many in Washington see as the best hope for a post-Assad Syria. Islamist group al-Nusra, an enemy of Islamic State but still generally considered an al Qaeda affiliate, is also highly active.

It was blamed for a bomb attack on a hospital over the weekend, a development which, if confirmed, could complicate the situation even further.

For America and the West, the priority remains the fight against Islamic State. Aleppo, in that sense, is little but a sideline  although the group does hold some ground not far outside the city and some believe may benefit from the current fighting.

Much depends on what Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants to achieve. The Russian military intervention in Syria has been in every sense a game changer. In the battle for Aleppo, however, Assads forces appear to be relying less on Russian military hardware.

Western experts believe Moscows ability to scale military support up and down gives Putin considerable influence over Assads actions. At the end of the day, however, they are still both independent actors with distinctly different interests.

Moscow has now positioned itself as Washingtons primary arbiter in Syria. The hope is that Putin, perhaps worried about being dragged further into the kind of quagmire the West has faced in Iraq and Afghanistan, will deliver a deal. Europe in particular is desperate for a fix in Syria that might slow the flow of refugees.

That, of course, makes the situation in Syria part of a much wider chessboard. Some Western officials believe Putins entire Syria strategy is focused on destabilising Europe. Others are much more doubtful.

In Aleppo, much will depend on how those on the ground perceive any truce. If they believe it is only temporary and use the brief lull in fighting to flee the city, that could open the door to a final battle. Alternatively, its possible the Assad regime might already be opening the door to local deals, offering a path to some kind of arrangement and understanding without the need for more bloodshed.

That could even mean finding a way for those to have taken up arms against the regime to cut a long-term deal with the government, unlikely although that might seem for now.

Either would be an approach Moscow knows well. In Chechnya, Russian government forces smashed the city for several years to root out separatist rebels. In time, however, they were able to reassert control, using a carrot and stick approach of economic development, bribes, and other incentives coupled with an ongoing crackdown against those who still resisted.

Sri Lankas government took a similar approach with Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009. In both cases, aid and human rights groups complained that hospitals and other civilian aid facilities were deliberately targeted in the final stages, in part to persuade local populations to flee to areas under government control before the closing battle.

The coming weeks will provide a clue as to whether Damascus and Moscow are working to a similar strategy in Aleppo.

As for the United States and its allies, they seem for now to be adopting the same strategy that they took with both Chechnya and Sri Lanka  watching and protesting from the sidelines, unwilling to take any real action.

Either US or Gulf forces could, of course, take decisive action to support the Aleppo rebels, either through weapons drops, reinforcements, or air strikes on government positions.

That doesnt look likely to happen  and even if it did, it might only prolong the horror and fighting for the population.

The battle of Aleppo is far from over yet.
INDIA is currently facing its worst water crisis in years, with an estimated 330 million people  one-quarter of its population  affected by severe drought.

Ethiopia is also dealing with its worst drought in decades, which has already contributed to the failure of many crops, creating food shortages that now affect around a tenth of the population. Under such circumstances, the risk of tension over resources is high.

In the past, droughts of this severity have led to conflict and even wars between neighboring communities and states.

One of the first in recorded history erupted around 4,500 years ago, when the city-state of Lagash  nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq  diverted water from its neighbour, Umma.

Competition for water sparked violent incidents in ancient China and fueled political instability in Pharaonic Egypt.

Today, actual wars between countries over water resources are uncommon, owing to improved dialogue and cross-border co-operation. But, within countries, competition for scarce water is becoming a more common source of instability and conflict, especially as climate change increases the severity and frequency of extreme weather events.

As we detail in our new report High and Dry: Climate Change, Water and the Economy, limited and erratic water availability reduces economic growth, induces migration, and ignites civil conflict, which fuels further potentially destabilising migration.

This cycle has been apparent in some regions for decades. In Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, periods of low rainfall over the last 20 years have often been followed by spikes in violence, civil wars, and regime change.

And in many parts of rural Africa and India, a decline in rainfall has acted as a push factor for internal or cross-border migration to more water-abundant places, often cities, creating new social pressures as the numbers of displaced people grow.

In our report, we predict that water scarcity could act as a conflict-risk multiplier, fueling cycles of resource-driven conflict, violence, and displacement, especially in already water-stressed regions, such as the Middle East and the Sahel in Africa, where agriculture remains an important source of employment.

Fortunately, there is a way to avoid the cycle of poverty, deprivation, and conflict. If countries take action now to implement effective water-management policies and practices, backed by well-designed incentives, they can not only reverse the slide toward water scarcity, but also raise their rates of economic growth by as much as six percentage points per year.

One water-scarce country that has taken action to improve its resilience to climate change is Morocco. In years of low rainfall, Moroccos river-basin authorities give the lowest priority to crop irrigation, the largest consumer of the countrys water.

But, of course, agriculture remains critical to feed the population. So the government has been investing in modernising irrigation infrastructure to provide farmers with more efficient water services that enable them to adjust more easily to variations in water availability.

The Moroccan authorities are also working to improve groundwater governance, to avoid over-extraction. Farmers engaged in rain-fed agriculture receive support that helps them to make better use of rainfall  such as through the introduction of climate-resilient practices like direct seeding  resulting in higher yields than traditional practices produce during dry years.

The message from Morocco and from our report  is that, with smart water policies and interventions, countries can ensure a climate-resilient, water-secure future.

At the core of effective water-management strategies will be improved planning for water-resource allocation, the adoption of incentives to increase efficiency, investment in infrastructure for improved water security, and better urban planning, risk management, and citizen engagement.

The recently created International High-level Panel on Water, comprising 10 heads of state, will be promoting precisely this agenda to foster better water management globally.

Of course, not every country will follow the same path in safeguarding a water-secure future. But, as countries develop their strategies, they can look to one another for ideas and insights into what works  and what doesnt.

With strong and prudent action, governments around the world can cope effectively with the natural limitations and uncertainties affecting water resources, ensuring that their people and economies are prepared for what might lie ahead.

Laura Tuck is the World Bank Group Vice President for Sustainable Development. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2016.
It is now two weeks since the report landed on the desk of the Minister for Justice and still no sign of it.

The report is the outcome from the OHiggins Commission of Investigation, chaired by former High Court judge Kevin OHiggins. It was established to investigate a series of cases of alleged garda malpractice in criminal investigations in the Cavan/Monaghan division.

These came about following complaints from Sergeant Maurice McCabe, who had served as station sergeant in Bailiboro, Co Cavan.

The report is important on a number of fronts. In the first instance, Alan Shatter was forced to resign as Minister for Justice on foot of the scooping report that preceded OHiggins, conducted by barrister Sean Guerin.

Mr Shatter has called for the immediate publication of OHiggins to finally remove, as he sees it, a stain on his reputation that was delivered by Guerin.

Alan Shatter

Sergeant McCabe is in the same boat to some extent. Since 2007, he endured ferocious opposition to his lonely stance from within the force. It has been acknowledged that he and his family have suffered enormously because he pursued the complaints within the force when he felt they werent properly addressed, and then he pursued another legal route outside the force to have the matter addressed. He is understood to want the whole thing finally out in the open.

The former garda commissioner Martin Callinan is another awaiting the publication. Other members of the gardai who were involved in the cases, and senior officers who conducted the internal investigation into Sergeant McCabes complaints are also waiting to have a cloud lifted from their conduct.

On the face of it, there seems to be little reason to prolong the agony. The day after Frances Fitzgerald received the report, she brought it to cabinet, which argreed to refer the matter to the Attorney General. The only possible impediment to publication would be the prospect of interfering with any future criminal case. Such a possibility is very remote. All of the criminal cases under review are historic, dating from 2007 and 2008. All have been dealt with through the system. The matter at issue is how they were dealt with. Irrespective of any outcome, none of them will be re-entering the criminal justice system.

Apart from the implications for those who are involved in the matter at issue, there is another, more pressing reason for publication. In the vacuum that exists, elements of the report have been leaked out to sway public opinion one way or another.

This is standard fare in scenarios such as this. First impressions tend to be the most lasting. OHiggins runs to 360 pages and if the report follows a trend of a careful judicial balancing act, there may well be something positive for all concerned parties.

Anybody listening to Morning Ireland and the News At One on RTE Radio 1 yesterday would have heard a of the report. The stations crime correspondent, Paul Reynolds, has had sight of the document and he delivered extensive coverage.

Both segments were preceded with a headline that the report has stated allegations of corruption within the force were rejected by OHiggins. Mr Reynolds contributions placed at least as much emphasis on what appears to be criticism of Sergeant McCabe as it did on the transgressions that the sergeant had complained about. The casual listener might have concluded that the complaints now sound like much ado about a few errant and inexperienced grands of ordinary rank. An impression might also linger that McCabe blew the whole issue out of proportion, despite the best efforts of more senior officers to diligently address his concerns in a manner befitting a professional police force.

It will indeed be a major surprise if such an impression survives publication, but we simply dont know until everything is out in the open.

What we do know is that those who hold positions of power tend to be well practiced in the art of spinning in a vacuum.

The most cogent example of such spinning in recent times was that performed by Enda Kenny and his entourage just ahead of the publication of the Fennelly interim report last September.

Fennelly was briefed with examining the circumstances surrounding the departure from office of former commissioner Callinan in April 2014. There were accusations  based on credible evidence  that Enda Kenny had sacked the commissioner without due process or cause. If such an accusation was proved it would have ended Kennys political career.

Martin Callinan

Fennelly delivered his report to the Taoiseach on September 30. The following day, hours before publication, Mr Kenny announced that he was confident of vindication.

He then issued an electronic statement at 5.22pm, attached to a copy of the report. The statement proclaimed his innocence.

I welcome the reports clear and unambiguous finding that the question of removing the former commissioner from his position was not even discussed, Mr Kenny said.

The report confirms that the former commissioner decided tdo retire, and that he could have decided otherwise.

This was a spun version of what was within the report. Fennellys conclusions were much more nuanced. Yet Mr Kenny got out his version of the truth first. And guess what? The reporters couldnt access the attached report to find out the full truth because the system broke down.

Half an hour later, Mr Kenny went on the Six OClock News to re-affirm his innocence with selective reference to Fennelly before Bryan Dobson could have even got his teeth into the report.

IT was days before proper analysis of the report demonstrated that Kennys claim of vindication was highly qualified.

Something similar may be going on now in the absence of the publication of OHiggins. Only publication will tell whether all is as honky dorey as some media reports are claiming. In the meantime, the full truth is suffering in a vacuum.
THESE days, if youre not an outdoorsy sort of person, youre essentially a discard. Everybodys out hillwalking, running, Ironmanning. Except me. I believe if God wanted us to do that sort of stuff, She wouldnt have allowed the invention of 4in high heels, which, lets be honest, are the essentials of a decent life.

Normally, I tolerate all the predictions that my sedentary life will cause me to die young (not possible for a long time now) and that my work/life balance would be so much better if I got out into the country, saw a few trees and encountered a few rabbits. My view has always been that once youve seen one tree youve seen them all. And anything that can breed  as rabbits did in Australia  so they go from 2m to 6m in 10 years is so irresponsible that you dont want to get up close and cosy with them.

The HSE last week handed us sedentaryists the best-ever excuse for nature-avoidance in a warning about Lyme Disease. Now, thats one disease Im never going to get, because the chances of me encountering a tick in the wild are somewhere between slim and none. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread to humans by infected ticks.

Ticks are small, spider-shaped creatures that feed on the blood of mammals, including humans.

I remember my sister, who is naturally outdoorsy, coming home with a tick once and being told that you should never pull out a tick because its legs would stay in you. Instead, a lit match externally applied to it would make it let go. If this approach was adopted, it was concealed from me, perhaps because it would have traumatised me as well as irritating the hell out of the tick.

According to the HSE, the most common symptom of Lyme disease is a red skin rash that looks similar to a bulls eye on a dart board. If Lyme disease is left untreated, a high fever, muscle pain, joint pain, and swelling ensue. In addition, neurological symptoms can present, such as temporary paralysis of the facial muscles. Now, the good news is that fewer than 100 cases happen in this country each year, mostly in late spring and early summer, and also that antibiotics administered early in the infection can be effective.

The ticks causing Lyme disease tend to hang around woodland and heathland areas, where animals such as mice, deer, and sheep become infested with these lads, which seem to be only egging to leap from their carriers to grip on to and infect outdoorsy humans. The issue, of course, is that the humans should have more sense.

Rick Ostfeld of the Cary Institute of Eco-system Studies in Millbrook, New York, who has for decades studied Lyme disease, says that its an ecological, not just a medical problem.

Lyme disease in humans exists, he says, because we are sort of unwitting victims of a wildlife-tick interaction. Were interlopers into this system where ticks and these hosts  the reservoir hosts  pass bacterial infections back and forth.

In other words, if we were sensible and stayed at home, we wouldnt be getting the disease at all. In fact, if Americans over the past couple of decades had been sensible and stayed at home, thousands of beautiful deer would not have been exterminated.

Because, according to science writer David Quammens seminal book about the diseases that increasingly spill over from the animal kingdom to infect humans, thats exactly what happened.

Bambi was in danger the moment the most dangerous tick was given a complicated name. It didnt stick. Complicated names rarely do. People simplified it so that it was known as the deer tick.

Name-giving influences perception, of course, and deer tick reinforced a misunderstanding about the little beast in question: That this blood-sucking, disease-transmitting arthropod is somehow uniquely associated with deer, Quammens writes, pointing out that this is quite simply wrong.

Calling it the deer tick led to a mistake of circularity. If white-tailed deer are the host animals from which deer ticks draw their crucial substance, and deer ticks are the vectors that transmit Lyme disease to humans, it would seem to follow logically that high deer populations must contribute to high levels of human infection.

It does follow logically  but erroneously.

The syllogism would be sound, except that its first premise is oversimplified and misleading.

Deer ticks of the species Ixodes scapularis do not draw their crucial sustenance from deer.

None of that logic applied once the simple assertion took hold that humans get Lyme disease from ticks they get from deer. Instead of looking at issues of protection or addressing the danger of humans disrupting the complex ecology of woodlands by invading them for walking or hunting purposes, the argument boiled down to one cause and one species attracting all blame. That cause and that species was the white-tailed deer.

It presented a possible solution that called for action. The action took the form, in one small island off Cape Cod, of state wildlife biologists going out with guns and destroying 70% of the deer.

Having untypically killed off a large proportion of the beautiful animals on the island, the biologists, fair dues to the murdering lot of them, went on to check if this extermination had delivered a measurable reduction in the tick population carried by the other wildlife in the island.

They found that it had made damn all difference. In other words, outdoorsy types on the island were just as likely to acquire a Lyme-disease infected tick in the now largely deer-free woods as they were before the deer were killed. All of the other animals carried just as many of the bugs as ever they did.

However, the notion that white deer effectively caused the disease had taken hold in rural America to such an extent that one state after another actively encouraged intensive deer hunting, with the objective of radically reducing deer populations.

In went the hunters. Bang went the guns. Down went the deer. And, in one state after another, in went the biologists after the massacre to assess the impact on the infected tick population, finding the same picture everywhere.

Despite all of the scientific evidence, one leading newspaper stated as incontrovertible that the higher the number of deer in an area, the higher the chances are of spreading Lyme disease to humans.

To which statement Quammen responded: Well, actually, no. That simple formula is a false as the notion that swamp vapours bring malaria.

Here in Ireland, nobody has yet blamed Lyme disease on our deer. Perhaps because HSE has given such calm advice on how to prevent yourself from becoming infected: Cover up and wear insect repellent.

Of course, you could also buy yourself a set of weights and work out at home, thereby sparing yourself any opportunity to be introduced to a tick.
Canadian officials say they expect to spend months fighting the wildfire that has destroyed large parts of Albertas oil sands city of Fort McMurray.

There are fears the wildfire could double in size and reach a major oil sands mine - even the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan.

The Alberta government said the massive blaze in the province would cover more than 494,211 acres by the end of yesterday and continue to grow because of high temperatures, dry conditions, and high winds.

Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfires said it was not uncommon to fight such an inferno in forested areas for months.

In no way is this fire under control, said Alberta premier Rachel Notley.

Officials had hoped to complete the mass evacuation of work camps north of Fort McMurray on Saturday.

Thousands of displaced residents got a drive-by view of some of the burned-out neighbourhoods as convoys continued. No deaths or injuries have been reported since the fire started last Sunday.

Notley said about 12,000 evacuees have been airlifted from oil sands mine air fields over the past two days, and about 7,000 left in highway convoys escorted by police. She said the goal was to complete the evacuation from northern work camps by yesterday.

The fire could reach the edges of the Suncor oil sands facility, about 24km north of Fort McMurray. Non-essential staff have been evacuating and efforts to protect the site were under way.

Notley, however, said the plant was highly resilient to forest fires. Oil sands mines are cleared and have no vegetation.

Morrison said the fire is not expected to hit oil sands mines north of Suncor.

The fire and mass evacuation has forced a quarter or more of Canadas oil output offline and was expected to impact an economy already hurt by oil price falls.

The Alberta oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Its workers largely live in Fort McMurray where some neighbourhoods have been destroyed. Many parts of smoke-filled Fort McMurray are burnt and visibility is low. Officers wore masks as they checked homes to make sure everyone was out.

More than 80,000 people have left Fort McMurray in the heart of Canadas oil sands, where the fire has torched 1,600 homes and other buildings. Gas has been turned off, the power grid is damaged, and water is not drinkable.

Officials say there is no timeline to return residents to the city, but the Alberta government has begun preliminary planning, though it stresses that fighting the fire is still the first priority.

About 25,000 evacuees moved north in the hours after Tuesdays mandatory evacuation, where oil sands work camps that usually house employees were used to shelter evacuees. Officials are moving everyone south where it is safer.

Syncrude, a major oil sands mining company, also shut down operations and evacuated. The company said while there was no imminent threat from fire, smoke had reached its Mildred Lake site.

Morrison said the fire was burning away from communities. He said cooler temperatures are expected. We feel that it will hold there if we get some cooler conditions over the next two or three days, he said.

They said a significant amount of rainfall is needed.
On both sides of the Atlantic, populism of the left and the right is on the rise. Its most visible standard-bearer in the United States is Donald Trump, the Republican Partys presumptive presidential nominee.

In Europe, there are many strands  from Spains leftist Podemos party to Frances right-wing National Front  but all share the same opposition to centrist parties, and to the establishment in general. What accounts for voters growing revolt against the status quo?

The prevailing explanation is that rising populism amounts to a rebellion by globalisations losers.

By pursuing successive rounds of trade liberalisation, the logic goes, leaders in the US and Europe hollowed out the domestic manufacturing base, reducing the availability of high-paying jobs for low-skill workers, who now have to choose between protracted unemployment and menial service-sector jobs.

Fed up, those workers are now supposedly rejecting establishment parties for having spearheaded this elite project.

This explanation might seem compelling at first.

It is true, after all, that globalisation has fundamentally transformed economies, sending low-skill jobs to the developing world  a point that populist figures never tire of highlighting.

Moreover, educational attainment correlates strongly with income and labor-market performance.

Almost everywhere, those with a university degree are much less likely to be unemployed than those without a secondary education.

In Europe, those with a graduate degree are, on average, three times as likely to have a job as those who have not finished secondary school.

Among the employed, university-educated workers earn, on the whole, much higher incomes than their less-educated counterparts.

But if these factors account for the rise of populism, they must have somehow intensified in the last few years, with low-skill workers circumstances and prospects deteriorating faster vis-a-vis their high-skill counterparts. And that simply is not the case, especially in Europe.

In fact, higher education has provided significant labour-market advantages for a long time. Judging from the available data, the wage premium for workers in occupations that require high levels of education has been roughly constant in Europe over the last decade.

While it has increased in some countries (Germany and Italy), it has decreased in others (France, Spain, and the United Kingdom).

The difference in employment rates of the highly educated and the less educated has also remained relatively constant, with the less educated actually closing the gap slightly in recent years.

A comparison between trends in the US and Europe further weakens the losers of globalisation argument.

The wage premium is substantially larger in the US (300-400%) than in Europe (50-80%). Other labour-market statistics, such as unemployment rates, show a similar pattern, indicating that higher education is more valuable in Americas labour market.

Yet the US economy is less open to  and less affected by  trade than the European economy is.

The final nail in the coffin of the globalisation-based explanation for the rise of populism in Europe is the fact that the share of low-skill workers (who have not completed a secondary education) is declining rapidly.

At the turn of the century, there were more than 50% more low-skill workers than university graduates.

Today, university graduates nearly outnumber low-skill workers in the work force; following the prevailing logic, the share of voters supporting anti-globalisation parties should be shrinking.

A clear-cut economic explanation for a complicated political phenomenon is certainly appealing. But such explanations are rarely accurate.

The rise of populism in Europe is no exception.

Consider the situation in Austria. The economy is relatively strong, with one of Europes lowest unemployment rates.

Yet Norbert Hofer, the leader of the right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPO) managed to defeat his competitors from both of the centrist establishment parties in the first round of the presidential election last month. Hofers main area of focus was immigration.

The attraction to Hofers anti-immigrant rhetoric is telling, and mirrors a broader pattern across northern Europe.

Amid relative economic stability, rising real wages, and low unemployment rates, grievances about the economic impacts of economic globalisation are simply not that powerful.

Instead, right-wing populist parties like the FPO, Finlands True Finns, and Germanys Alternative fur Deutschland are embracing identity politics, playing on popular fears and frustrations  from dangerous immigration to the loss of sovereignty to the European Union  to fuel nationalist sentiment.

In the southern European countries, however, the enduring impact of the euro crisis makes populist economic arguments far more powerful.

That is why it is left-wing populist parties that are winning the most support there, with promises of, say, tax credits for low-paid workers.

The most extreme case is Greeces leftist Syriza party, which rode to victory in last years elections on pledges to end austerity. (Once in power, of course, Syriza had to change its tune and bring its plans in line with reality.)

Calling the rise of populism in Europe a revolt by the losers of globalisation is not just simplistic; it is misleading.

If we are to stem the rise of potentially dangerous political forces in Europe, we need to understand what is really driving it  even if the explanation is more complex than we would like.

Daniel Gros is Director of the Center for European Policy Studies.
Kim said he is ready to improve ties with hostile nations, and called for more talks with rival South Korea to reduce misunderstanding and distrust between them.

He also urged the United States to stay away from inter-Korean issues, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

Our republic is a responsible nuclear state that, as we made clear before, will not use nuclear weapons first unless aggressive hostile forces use nuclear weapons to invade on our sovereignty, Kim said in a speech carried by the KCNA.

The Norths Korean Central Television yesterday showed Kim delivering the speech at Pyongyangs April 25 House of Culture, wearing a black dress suit, a grey tie, and horn-rimmed glasses that resembled the ones worn by his late grandfather and North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.

He said that North Korea will sincerely fulfill its duties for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and work to realise the denuclearisation of the world.

The North is ready to improve and normalise ties with countries hostile to it if they respect its sovereignty and approach it in a friendly manner, Kim said.

Despite the talks about more diplomatic activity, Kim also made it clear that the North has no plans to discard its byongjin policy of simultaneously developing its nuclear weapons and its domestic economy.

In a speech published by the Norths Rodong Sinmun newspaper, Kim described the twin policy as a strategy the party must permanently hold on to for the maximised interest of our revolution.

Many outside analysts consider the policy unlikely to succeed because of the heavy price North Korea pays for its nuclear programme in terms of international sanctions that keep its economy from growing.

North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test in January and followed with a satellite launch in February that was seen by outside governments as a banned test for long-range missile technology, earning worldwide condemnation and tougher UN sanctions.

The North responded to the punitive measures, and also the annual US-South Korean military drills in March and April, by firing a series of missiles and artillery into the sea.

It also claimed advancements in developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and combined them with threats of pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Washington and Seoul.

Analysts said that the Norths belligerent stance might have been intended at rallying North Korean people around Kim ahead of the congress and also promote military accomplishments to the domestic audience to make up for the lack of tangible economic achievements to present at the party meeting.
As farmers led their animals, the panel of experts judged the beasts for their size and overall looks, the length of their horns and, for the cows, their milk-yielding capacities.

The judges selected 18 winners in various categories, choosing the healthiest and best-looking cows and bulls from more than 630 animals in the contest, held in the farming town of Rohtak in Haryana state.

On the ramp, the bovines displayed their individuality. Some sashayed with casual grace, while others dug in their heels and had to be pulled and prodded by their owners to walk for the judges.

The winners, representing three different breeds, carried home prizes and a winners sash.

The farmers led their prize cows with pride at the sprawling grounds of the International Institute of Veterinary Education and Research.

Lost ashes

USA: The new manager of a Colorado funeral home is trying to find relatives for the cremated remains of about 170 people that were left in the buildings basement after going unclaimed.

Matt Boyle said he moved Rose Memorial Parlour into the Montrose building in October and found the remains during renovations.

Some of the remains have no name and no way to identify who they belong to, or when the person died, he said. Some date back to 1947.

Boyle said he wants to locate the relatives, even though it is not his responsibility.

When we first found it, I felt so overwhelmed, he said. But were trying to do the right thing, and I think thats giving these people a dignified committal.

Two state agencies are investigating allegations of fraud and misconduct with a past owner, the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported.

The first business opened in 1931, and a number of mergers and owners have clouded the investigation.

Grand Junction attorney Joe Coleman, who owns the building, said he did not know about the remains until after a tenant left.

After Boyle moved in, they learned many of the remains were labelled, and they contacted the local historical society and published the names to try to notify families.

Remains not claimed by May 29 will be included in a multi-denominational service at a cemetery.

Bacon masterpiece

Britain: A rare Francis Bacon masterpiece, estimated at more than 20m (25.3m), is among three new works announced for Christies 250th anniversary sale.

Version No 2 of Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe, which is one of the few examples of female nudes in Bacons art, controversially depicts his companion Henrietta Moraes in the grip of a drug trip and set a new auction world record for a work by the British artist when it was sold for $15 (13m) at Sothebys in New York in 2006.

Undie run

USA: Colorado State University students went ahead with Fridays annual Undie Run despite opposition from university officials.

The event started as an end-of-semester clothing donation drive but has devolved over six years into a raucous gathering.

According to KMGH-TV, university police say there were no serious incidents as students ran about in their underwear.

University official said in a campus-wide email it will trash all clothing discarded in the event.

Chilly relations

Russia: A Russian company is trying to cash in on chilly relations between Moscow and Washington by releasing an ice cream called Little Obama.

The product, called Obamka in Russian, is glazed with chocolate and its wrapping features an image of a smiling black boy, wearing an ear ring and holding an ice cream.

With relations at a post-Cold War low since Russias 2014 annexation of Crimea and its intervention in Syria, Russian state media and pro-Kremlin activists have often berated and mocked US president Barack Obama in terms US officials have called racist and insulting.

The company that makes the ice cream, Slavitsa, said it was part of a range aimed at children featuring cheerful characters.

With different flavours and glazes, the ice cream symbolises the main races of people on our planet, it said, adding that the picture of the boy had been inspired by a Soviet film.

Ice cream names need to be memorable. For those with a rich imagination, various associations might arise, but this product is for children and is a long way from politics.

A US official, who declined to be named, told Reuters he saw the ice cream as part of a disturbing pattern.
Turkish warplanes also struck positions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq yesterday.

The attacks come as Turkey is facing twin threats from the PKK and IS, which have carried out six major suicide attacks in the country since July.

The IS has fired rocket salvos almost daily against the Turkish border town of Kilis, which have killed 21 people and injured 70 others since mid-January, prompting the Turkish military to respond.

Anadolu said the military attacked IS targets north of Aleppo on Saturday.

Syrian warplanes attacked Islamist militants near the northern city of Aleppo yesterday, both sides said, as the government tried to push back a major insurgent advance in the area.

Dozens of air strikes hit near the town of Khan Touman, which rebels took from forces loyal to the government and its ally Iran late on Thursday, insurgents and state media reported.

Aleppo  one of the biggest strategic prizes in a war now in its sixth year  has been divided into government and rebel-held zones through much of the conflict. The surrounding region is also crossed by valuable supply routes into neighbouring Turkey.

Syrias army said it had hit terrorist groups hard yesterday, but did not give details of any territorial gains.

Government forces had made significant advances in the northern region after their other main ally Russia entered the war in September.

But the seizure of Khan Touman on Thursday by an alliance of Islamist insurgents known as Jaish al-Fatah, including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, marked a major counter-attack by forces opposed to president Bashar al-Assad.

The loss of the town south of Apello was a particular blow for Iranian troops who suffered one of their biggest single-day losses in the conflict.

A fighter from the Nusra Front  which is not involved in a shaky ceasefire across Syria  said on social media it was now pushing further south towards the town of al Hader, a major stronghold for Hezbollah and Iranian forces.
Burma Arakan States Internally Displaced Left Out in the Cold

Fighting between the Arakan Army and government troops has forced people from their homes and left locals desperate for government and international assistance.

RANGOON  On April 16, celebrations for the Buddhist New Years Water Festival were being held around Arakan State. Music blared throughout towns and villages, and the people ate, drank and merrily splashed water on each other. But for thousands of Arakanese, the festivities were cut short by the sound of gunfire and explosions.

Fighting between the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed organization, and the Burma Army last month engulfed villages in four townships, around 100 miles north of the state capital Sittwe.

Thousands were forced from their homes, and at least 1,500 remain displaced, living in monasteries or other temporary shelters. With more violence breaking out Monday, the displaced people remain reluctant to return home, and a humanitarian crisis is brewing, which activists say is being ignored by international and domestic relief organizations.

Local volunteer groups and civil society organizations (CSO) have been providing food and blankets, but due to poor funding, they are worried that the additional challenges posed by the coming rainy season may stretch their resources to the breaking point.

Wai Hun Aung, a relief worker for the Wunlark Development Foundation, has been visiting the four townshipsRathedaung, Buthidaung, Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun. There he found that some of the displaced people have developed fevers and colds, but his foundation was not allowed to provide any medicine because it had not received approval from the Ministry of Health.

There are many UN and other international organizations based in Sittwe, Win Hun Aung said. But I havent seen any support from them going to the internally displaced Arakanese.

I am really shocked by their hesitation in providing aid for the victims, he said.

The UN distributed non-food items such as sleeping mats, cooking utensils, and hygiene kits on a visit to Kyauktaw on April 26 and 27, Pierre Peron, communications officer from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told The Irrawaddy in an email.

According to an assessment by Wunlark, there are more than 1,700 internally displaced people due to the recent conflict.

Shelling in the Jungle

According to Arakan Army spokesperson Khine Thu Kha, frequent skirmishes have broken out in the area around Lawrama Peak, a mountain that straddles all four of the affected townships.

The Arakan Army claimed that on April 23 and 24 its snipers killed two soldiers and two officers in an ambush on the Burma Army before pulling back into the jungle.

On May 1 and 2, a Burma Army battalion began shelling forested areas around Lawrama Peak, and military helicopters conducted reconnaissance operations in the area. The Burma Army may reinforce its troops on the frontline with three more battalions, meaning the Arakan Army could be facing more than 3,000 government soldiers, according to Khine Thu Kha.

Kyauktaw residents told The Irrawaddy they heard loud explosions coming from the jungle where the Arakan Army is suspected to have camps.

The Burma Army fired artillery randomly into the deep forest in early May, confirmed Khine Myo Tun, spokesman for the Arakan Liberation Army (ALP), an ethnic armed group that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the previous government, ostensibly ending two decades of fighting with the Burma Army.

The Burma Army last week sought to put blame for the recent conflict on the Arakan Army.

Union Minister for Defense Lt-Gen Sein Win told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Burma Army, known as the Tatmadaw in Burmese, was safeguarding the country against all internal and external dangers in accordance with Article 339 of the Constitution, state media reported. The minister painted the Arakan Army as a threat to democracy and instigator of the recent hostilities.

His claims are the same as the ones the military regime used. It shows they havent changed yet, Khine Thu Kha said. In contrast, the civilian government consistently emphasizes democracy and a federal union as their top priorities, things the Tatmadaw still neglects.

Last week, the Union Parliament discussed a proposal to respond to the conflict, but lawmakers opted largely to defer the matter, saying the Arakan Army would be invited to the broader, nationwide peace negotiations expected to be convened by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in the next few months.

The Parliament, which reflects the voices and wishes of people, has neglected the proposal on internal peace and national reconciliation; it has ignored the stance of the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army and the demands on behalf of Arakanese people, an Arakan Army statement responding to lawmakers deliberations read. The Tatmadaw has threatened us openly in the Parliament and appears to be forcing the entire Arakanese people onto the path of armed revolution while pushing them away from the Union.

Captives, Casualties and Alliances

Last week in Naypyidaw, military lawmakers told The Irrawaddy the Arakan Army supported the Kachin and Kokang ethnic armed organizations in their fight with the Burma Army, and had launched unprovoked attacks against the Burma Army in Arakan State.

The Arakan Armys communications officer denied the assertion that they had been attacking Burma Army troops without provocation, and declined to comment on the size and location of the Arakanese groups forces.

In a recent interview with the Democratic Voice of Burma, Arakan Army leader Tun Myat Naing said Burma Army troops had entered Arakan Army territory, resulting in several minor clashes and villagers fleeing the region.

According to the Arakan leader, one of the groups soldiers was killed in the April 16 skirmish, nine were wounded and one was seriously injured. He claimed that Arakan Army forcesfighting on their home turf and accustomed to jungle warfarewere able to inflict 60 casualties on the Burma Army.

The Arakan Army head also confirmed the military parliamentarians statements about their ethnic alliances. The AA has had joint operations with the Kachin Independence Army, Taang National Liberation Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, he said. We have many allies.

Khine Myo Tun, Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) spokesperson, speculated that Arakan Army forces were deep in the jungle around Lawrama Peak and that the group counted around 200 soldiers within its ranks.

Law of the Jungle

Despite the ALP having signed the ceasefire pact with the previous government, its relationship with the military has grown tense.

On April 24, the ALP issued a statement alleging the Burma Army committed war crimes and violated the Geneva Convention by forcing locals to serve as porters and landmine sweepers.

Arakan States minister of Security and Border Affairs, Col. Htein Lin, summoned ALP representative to his office, demanding evidence for the accusations. ALP spokesperson Khine Myo Tun provided 15 audio and video files as evidence, but the ministrys response was instead to file charges of defamation against him.

Those files are proof that war crimes were committed, Khine Myo Tun said.

The ALP has since deployed people to areas where they claim war crimes have been committed to conduct further investigations and gather more evidence.

A villager from one of the areas, U Nga Lone Taung, said he was cut by a broken bottle wielded by a Burma Army soldier, and now he is organizing victims who were forced into labor or physically assaulted by government troops.

Help Wanted

The Wunlark Development Foundation has submitted a request for funding to the Arakan State government. But they are not holding out much hope because they have been told that the previous state administration had already spent half of the 2016-17 fiscal year budget.

I havent heard a specified budget earmarked for the internally displaced people, said Wunlarks Wai Hun Aung.

Min Aung, a National League for Democracy-appointed minister in the Arakan State government, has visited villages and monasteries where the internally displaced are living temporarily. The villagers are afraid of the fighting, he said. They will return to their villages when the gunfire and bombing has stopped.

There is no plan for relocation yet, but it is expected that the displaced people will be able to eventually return home.

Their villages were not burned down, Min Aung said, confirming that a significant portion of the governments budget had indeed already been spent, although he said it was less than 50 percent.

The Arakan State parliament was expected to take up the issue on Monday.

Htet Naing Zaw contributed reporting from Naypyidaw.
Burma Blasts Shake Kachin State as Burma Army Takes High Ground

The Burma Army takes two Kachin Independence Army bases near Hpakant, where a series of explosions also rocked the town over the weekend.

RANGOON  The Burma Army seized two mountain posts from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) over the weekend following two days of fighting, according to local sources in Hpakant, a jade mining boomtown in central Kachin State.

Meanwhile, at least six bomb blasts were reported in Hpakant on Sunday, according to Thet Zaw Oo, a town police officer, who said no one was injured. The perpetrators of the bombings remain unknown. Other sources reported one injury but no deaths.

In April, we detained seven ethnic Shan whom we suspected of trading drugs, said Lt-Col Naw Buu, a KIA commander in Hpakant. We released them on May 3, but the Burma Army was still upset with us for that. Thats why they attacked us.

The mountain outposts are at the vanguard of a line of defenses protecting the KIAs regional headquarters. According to KIA sources, the Burma Armys battalion was still two miles of rough, mountainous terrain away from the groups stronghold, and the fighting was ongoing.

The sources, however, were unable to confirm the casualty figures for either the Burma Army or the KIA.

The weekend hostilities mark the first time fighting has broken out between the Burma Army and the KIA since the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government took power at the end of March. But Hpakant is no stranger to war; in 2011 and 2012, large-scale fighting displaced 90,000 ethnic Kachin as a 17-year ceasefire between the government and KIA broke down.

The Burma Army has continued to fight the KIA and other ethnic armed groups in Shan, Kachin and Arakan states despite pledges from the new civilian government to bring peace to war-weary Burma.

The NLD has announced that it intends to host an inclusive peace conference, though exactly which ethnic armed groups will be eligible to attend remains unclear. The KIA is one of many groups that did not sign last years Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, which was criticized for excluding many of the countrys most active armed groups.

The NLD has not set a timetable for the peace talks, but State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi has been quoted as saying she hopes to convene the dialogue within the next two months.
Burma In Shan State, New Water Sources Combat an Old Scourge

Activists are pumping resources into building wells in Shan States upland areas that can provide water to the residents of its El Nino-scorched villages.

AUNG BAN, Shan State  Never in her life had Grandma Oke seen running water.

Like many other people living in the remote village of Pyu Laung in southern Shan States Naung Taya sub-township, the 75-year-old Pa-O woman had only ever known water from lakes, natural springs in the nearby forest and, of course, falling from the clouds.

But these villagers also knew from experience that these sources of water were not particularly reliable, especially in the summer, when each year the specter of a water shortage looms.

So last week, when water was pumped from hundreds of meters below ground through the villages first drilled well, Oke grabbed her walking stick and went to witness this spectacle: water coming through pipes.

It was the first time in my life I had seen so much water bursting from pipes. I was overjoyed! the elderly woman said.

Around her at the drilling site, young and old alike were also filled with excitement. A local Pa-O music band was playing a traditional tune to celebrate the auspicious momentvillagers knew that from then on they would never have to go another summer without water.

More than 1,600 people from six villages can use this water, said Kyaw Soe, a water project manager at the Brighter Future Myanmar Foundation (BFM), which built the well.

The foundation has been drilling wells for villages suffering from water shortages since 2014, collaborating with the government for equipment and expertise. As of April, the foundation had drilled 110 wells, most of which are in southern Shan State and Upper Burma.

There are a few other organizations also drilling. But if you look at the number of wells and the scale of success, BFM simply outperforms them, said Maung Maung Soe, a former assistant director at the government-run Water Resources Utilization Department in Shan State.

A Drought on the Highlands

Perched at an elevation of about 1,000 meters in Burmas mountainous east, Pyu Laung village is another example of village life in Shan State, the countrys largest state, boasting a population just north of 5.8 million people, some 75 percent of whom live in rural areas.

At least in part because the Shan State governments development plan has yet to reach every corner of the state, it is customary for people in rural villages to go to nearby lakes to retrieve water for domestic use. When it rains, they collect water in large cement tanks, using the water both for drinking as well as for storage for the usually dryer summer months.

Shan State, much like the rest of Burma, has been suffering from an unusually powerful El Nino weather pattern this year. In the southern parts of the state, many springs and wells have already dried up, and the lakes on which local communities rely for domestic and farming purposes have dramatically shrunk since February, leaving many villagers with water access problems that are more dire than they have been in previous years.

As a result, Nan Zi, from Kalaw Townships Lel Gaung village, has had to walk 2.5 miles twice a day to reach a creek that still has water, all while carrying two yellow jerry cans.

This summer is worse than the previous one. There are more people than there is water available [at the creek], said the 46-year-old Pa-O woman.

Yet she explained that this water is unclean, meaning that villagers have to purify the water with Alum before they can use it. A mother of eight children, Nan Zi said the 10 gallons of water she collects are not enough for cooking, drinking and for the cattle at home.

Even the cows dont have enough drinking water, she said.

In Shan States Pindaya Township, known for its cooler weather, the gnawing water shortage was also on display, perhaps even more visibly. Its landmark Pote Ta Lote Lake, a source of fresh water for local residents, has radically shrunk this year, leaving water only in the middle of the lake.

Than Min Htut, head of the townships general hospital, told The Irrawaddy that nearly 60 percent of residents, with Pindaya Townships population totaling some 80,000 people, have been affected by the water shortage and that it has started to take a toll on peoples health, as they have come to rely on any water that is available. In some villages, this means that people have turned to still water from muddy lakes where cattle also quench their thirst. In 2014, a water community water tank in Pindaya Townships Sha Bya village was contaminated, lending anecdotal support to a government census finding from that year saying that 45.3 percent of people in Shan State are without access to clean water.

The most common illnesses here are diarrhea, typhoid and skin infections due to a lack of clean water and personal hygiene. Children are particularly vulnerable, Than Min Htut said.

Lending a Helping Hand

Charity groups in Shan State have been flooded with requests for help from villages hit by water shortages. Many activists have driven water bowsers to villages to distribute water.

Maung Maung Soe, formerly of the Water Resources Utilization Department, said the department could not drill enough wells in the affected areas due to a limited budget.

[The department] only managed to drill one or two wells per year because weve had to share the budget with other departments, Maung Maung Soe said.

In the past, donors have also tried to dig wells in the affected areas as a long-term solution to the water shortage problem, but most of these attempts have failed. (Legend has it that during his travels in Shan State, a thirsty Burmese king asked the local people for water. But his request was ignored. Furious at being rebuffed, he cursed the people to a life in which they would never have enough water.)

Kyaw Tun, a Rangoon-based geologist, said that it is difficult to extract underground water in Shan State because of the overwhelming presence of limestone and the fact that water can really only be detected through cracks in rocks below ground.

If you dont have the technology made available through geophysics, its quite painstaking to extract water [in Shan State] because you dont know where the water is. You have to dig well after well until you finally find it, Kyaw Tun said.

The Brighter Future Myanmar Foundation took on this financial risk, spending between 7 and 15 million kyats (between US$6,360 and $13,630) for each well.

Out of 110 wells, only 71 have been successful, said BFM project manager Kyaw Soe.

Founded by KBZ Bank in 2008, BFM is active nationwide in disaster relief, womens empowerment and community development, though it is mostly known for its attempts to distribute water, drill wells and build community water tanks primarily in southern Shan State. The foundation recently spent $1.5 million to buy its own drilling machine.

Nang Lang Kham, director of the foundation, said the project is the brainchild of her father Aung Ko Win, chairman of KBZ Bank, who experienced water shortages as a school teacher in Bawsai, a lead-mining area in southern Shan State.

The chairman drilled the communitys first well in the summer of 2014, and it still distributes water to the local community there.

Emboldened by a successful first attempt as well as by requests from people from hard-hit villages, we continue doing this work, Nang Lang Kham said. The 27-year-old added that parents in the villages are encouraged to stress to their children not to take water for granted.

I dont want children to have the impression that water just comes from the tap. I want them to value and use this water effectively, she explained.

Yet Nang Lang Kham admitted that merely reacting to water shortage by distributing water and drilling wells was not a durable, long-term solution to a perennial problem.

I want to go beyond this and create sustainability, she said, explaining that, for instance, she would like for the foundation to re-charge underground water by growing trees and engaging in other forms of environmental conservation with similarly like-minded groups.

While the foundation primarily focuses on rural areas, its projects have sought to create ripple effects in cities such as the Shan State capital Taunggyi, where, according to the city administration office, water can only be supplied to 50 percent of the citys population.

On a recent evening, people were queuing at the foundations community water taps that snake around the slopes of the capitals Sein Pan and Shwe Taung quarters, where most of the citys 8,000 residents live. Community leader-turned-Buddhist monk U Khemar Nanda remembers that, back in 2004, similar throngs of people would assemble at his monastery during the summer to retrieve water from the tap connected to a well.

Some 12 years later, that tap is now deserted. Since last year, the foundation has been pumping water up from the ground and into community water tanks, then distributing water from the reservoirs to people twice a day.

This is a merit that these donors can be proud of for the rest of their lives. They did something really good for many people, U Khemar Nanda said.

For Nang Lang Kham, this merit is tied to a sense of service to the community, which she said is in the bloodline of KBZ.

A lack of interest in the community where you run your business doesnt do any good. If you want to exist in that community, you yourself have to be in that community, she said.
Burma Negligence Cited as Deadly Explosion Rocks Mongla

A massive explosion at a non-state armed groups munitions warehouse in Shan States Mongla kills at least two people and injures six others.

An explosion at a National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) munitions warehouse in Shan States Mongla, along the Sino-Burmese border, killed two people and injured six others on Saturday morning, according to the non-state armed group, but locals speculate that the casualties could be significantly higher.

The explosion happened at Border Post 218, more than 50 miles away from the closest Chinese border town, Daluo, said Kyi Maung, a spokesman for the NDAA. He said the six injured people had been sent to a Mongla hospital for treatment.

The explosion, which should not have happened, was due to his mens carelessness, Kyi Maung added.

[The warehouse] is where we store munitions used for mining and road construction, he said. In addition to our negligence, the weather was hot and the blast was strong. It greatly affected us and our neighbors.

Some Mongla residents told The Irrawaddy they estimated about 10 people had died and nearly 40 were wounded. On top of the injuries, nearby houses, hotels and restaurants were damaged.

One Mongla resident described the explosion as massive, an assertion seemingly corroborated by photos of a large plume of smoke rising from the blast site.

Glass windows in houses one mile away shattered because of the shaking, he said, adding that many people died because of the explosion, but outsiders had not been able to go to the area since it is controlled by NDAA troops.

The NDAA said it would investigate the explosion and action would be taken, because on top of the damages and injuries suffered, rations for the troops were also lost.

Kyi Maung said China had offered some relief because a few Chinese tourists were among the injured. Chinese tourists frequent the town, long known as a haven for gambling, animal trafficking and prostitution, and he estimated that about 3,000 Chinese visitors were there on Saturday at the time of the explosion.

The NDAA is a non-state armed group that split from Burmas Communist Party in 1989. It was granted a self-administered zone in eastern Shan State under the 2008 Constitution. The group signed a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the previous government in 2011, but is not a signatory to the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement.
Burma New Bodies Formed on Land Disputes, Other Pressing Matters

President Htin Kyaw announces nine new committees and commissions, aiming to strengthen oversight of state projects and joint ventures, and oversee land disputes.

RANGOON  Burmas President Htin Kyaw has formed nine new committees and commissions, including a National Planning Commission, over which he will preside, and a committee to oversee the countrys protracted land disputes, chaired by the ethnic Chin Vice President Henry Van Thio.

According to a statement from the Presidents Office, the National Planning Commission was formed on Thursday to scrutinize state projects and joint ventures with the private sector, assessing project feasibility, implementation and the prevention of budgetary waste. It can also make suggestions and issue approvals or rejections on projects proposed by ministries and local governments.

Chaired by the president, the commission includes Burmas two vice presidents, all 20 Union-level ministers, the attorney-general, accountant-general, and the chief ministers of all 14 states and divisions.

Among the new bodies, the new National League for Democracy (NLD) government also formed a Central Review Committee on Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands on Thursday to address Burmas complex legacy of land confiscation and the dispossession of impoverished farmers. It will be chaired by Van Thio, one of Burmas two vice presidents. He is an NLD member who was elected to the national Parliament last November prior to taking the cabinet post earlier this year.

The committee is tasked with monitoring state and divisional governments handling of land disputes, and enabling the return of land to dispossessed farmers from government ministries, state-owned enterprises and private companies. The Presidents Office announcement urged that further land acquisition be postponed until disputes are settled in accordance with the law, noting that the issue of land rights was a priority for the new government.

The committees two vice chairmen are the ministers of Home Affairs and of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. Its members are drawn also from the ministries of Defense, Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Industry, and Construction, and include the chief ministers of all states and divisions and the chair of the Naypyidaw Council.

The other newly formed bodies include a National Search and Rescue Committee, a Statistics Committee, a Construction Scrutiny Committee, a Privatization Commission, and a State and Divisional Planning Commission.

All are couched within the executive branch, distinct from existing parliamentary committees with similar portfolios.
Burma Vendors, Officials Debate Future of Mandalays Mingalar Market

Mandalay officials meet with vendors affected by a fire that tore through Mingalar Market in March, discussing plans for future restoration.

MANDALAY  Mandalay officials on Monday met with vendors affected by a fire that tore through the citys Mingalar Market in March, discussing plans for restoring the four-story building.

The engineers and technicians who inspected the safety and strength of the burned-out market building concluded that, going forward, it will need major restoration and reinforcement, which would likely take one to two years to complete.

While we cant tell how much restoration will cost, it will be time consuming. We also dont know if the original building foundation can hold new reinforcement, said Khin Maung Tint, one of the inspecting engineers for the Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC).

According to the committees suggestions, there are two options: either demolish the old building and build a new one, or do major restoration work that would include reinforcing what remains of the buildings structure with additional beams and other measures.

However, the committee cautioned that the original buildings foundation is not strong enough to ensure safety in the event of a disaster, such as an earthquake or another fire.

The MCDC team also said that constructing a new building would require giving tender to a construction company and adding an additional three to four stories to the structure.

The original owners want [to keep only] four stories, but we [the MCDC] do not alone have the budget for restoration. If we hire a company for rebuilding, it will surely add more levels to the building, which the vendors and apartment owners dont want, Khin Maung Tint said. Well let [the owners] decide, but they should keep safety in mind.

The majority of vendors and apartment owners want to keep the buildings restoration work out of the hands of a construction company.

If a company handles reconstruction, it will try to sell our shops and apartments back to us at high prices that we cant afford, said Soe Naing Tun, a Mingalar shop owner. We hope that the new government wont neglect us as we go through this difficulty.

Nandar Myint Thein, a lawyer who lost her office in the fire, echoed that sentiment.

Whether the market is rebuilt or reinforced, we just want our shops and apartments backwithout losing any land or having to spend more money.  Weve suffered enough.

At a City Hall meeting, Mandalays Chief Minister Zaw Myint Maung and Mayor Ye Lwin said they would respect the vendors and apartment owners decision. Ye Lwin also assured them that they would get their property back once the building is ready to reopen.

In the meantime, there are plans to open a temporary market at Maha New Sin playground, located a few kilometers from Mingalar Market, in the near future.

Some 65 percent of stalls at Mingalar Market were destroyed in the blaze on March 22.
Business Burmas Kanbawza Bank to Open Rep Office in Thailand

Kanbawza Bank will become the first Burmese lender to open an office abroad, in a move that could aid remittance flows from migrant workers in Thailand.

RANGOON  Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank is to become the first Burmese lender to open a representative office in a foreign country, after the Bank of Thailand issued the firm a license late last month.

One of the largest private commercial banks in Burma, KBZ Bank was founded in 1994 in the Shan State capital, Taunggyi. Its parent company, KBZ Group, also has considerable interests in aviation, with its own domestic airline, Air KBZ, and a large majority stake in Myanmar Airways International.

As the largest bank in Myanmar, we can use our extensive knowledge of the countrys financial markets to encourage and promote trade, as well as provide advisory services to Thai businesses looking to enter Myanmar, said Than Cho, senior managing director of KBZ Bank.

In the 2015-16 financial year, Thai investment in Burma totaling US$236 million was approved, an increase from approximately $165 million in 2014-15. Bilateral trade between Burma and Thailand over the past five years has been worth $6.8 billion, according to Than Cho of KBZ.

However, KBZ Bank still awaits Thai government approval before it can open a branch office to provide banking servicesthe next step envisaged.

I dont know how long it will take, said Than Lwin, an advisor to KBZ Bank. [Procedures] are different from one country to another. In the case of Thailand, I think it will be swift. It is a bit slow in Singapore.

KBZ Bank has applied to also open representative offices in Singapore and Malaysia.

Since we are doing border trade with [Thailand], I hope [Thai authorities] will grant a license quickly, Than Lwin said. It is likely the branch will be opened within the year if things go well.

Than Lwin also said he hoped that KBZ Banks opening of a branch in Thailand would aid the sending home of remittances for some 3 million Burmese migrant workers in Thailand.

In the past, private Burmese banks have made arrangements with banks in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore with an eye on remittances from Burmese migrant workers. However, most migrant workers still prefer informal systems of money transfersuch as the hundi systeminvolving shadowy networks of brokers stretched across the respective countries, partially due to a legacy of distrust in Burmas formal banking sector.

KBZ Bank and its chairman Aung Ko Win formerly faced Western sanctions for links to senior members of Burmas former military junta. However, the lender is currently ranked highly on the Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB) transparency index, and has been on Burmas official list of top taxpayers for four consecutive years.
5 Security Steps to Protect Users from Ransomware

The increase of ransomware has been discussed in great length over the past year. In my 2016 security predictions round-up, I noted that we should expect to see substantial growth in ransomware attacks, quoting Stu Sjouwerman, founder and CEO of KnowBe4:

Current estimates from the Cyber Threat Alliance put the damage caused by CryptoWall ransomware at $325 million, up 1800 percent since the FBIs report in June 2015.

And Im not the only one who had ransomware on the mind. Others also were concerned about the rise of ransomware. For example, CSO had this to say:

Ransomware will gain ground on banking Trojans and extend into smart devices like coffee makers, refrigerators, baby monitors, cars, wearables and medical devices, often owned by wealthier and therefore more lucrative targets. Most wearables, which collect personal information, lack even basic security features.

Now that the first four months of 2016 have passed, were beginning to see how accurate those predictions were. The recently released Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that ransomware is becoming a favored tool of cybercriminals. A new Kaspersky Lab report revealed that a 14 percent increase in ransomware was detected in the first quarter of this year, and, the companys Securelist blog stated, ransomware has topped targeted attacks as the main theme of the quarter. Also, Enigma Software reported that April 2016 was ransomwares biggest month ever in the United States, with the number of ransomware infections increasing by 158 percent over March.

These numbers make me think now that, while we were correct to add ransomware to our 2016 predictions, I (and I suspect many others) seriously underestimated how much ransomware would take off. After all, ransomware isnt new; it has evolved, like so many strains of malware and other types of cyber attacks have done over the years.

The evolution of ransomware, according to Enigma Softwares spokesperson Ryan Gerding, is the reason for its recent explosion. Gerding stated in a formal release:

Its not just businesses that are being hit by ransomware. Every day thousands and thousands of people turn on their personal computers only to find their most precious photos and other files have been locked up by bad guys.

Yes, ransomware infections appear to be skyrocketing and it will be interesting to see what Kaspersky Labs second quarter numbers reveal. But at the same time, ransomware is also the security issue of the day. Weve seen this happen before  a particular type of threat catches the attention of the news outlets and it is what everyone starts talking about (remember Zeus? Stuxnet? The Target breach?). It doesnt mean that the security issue, in this case ransomware, isnt a serious issue, but, as Newsweek pointed out:

Collecting data from its anti-malware software SpyHunter since 2013, Enigma reports that while ransomware made up the largest percentage of overall malware infections in April, it still makes up less than 1 percent of overall infections, paling in comparison to adware or Trojan horses. For every ransomware attack, there were 133 other infections SpyHunter detected.

Sue Marquette Poremba has been writing about network security since 2008. In addition to her coverage of security issues for IT Business Edge, her security articles have been published at various sites such as Forbes, Midsize Insider and Toms Guide. You can reach Sue via Twitter: @sueporemba.
How to Promote Yourself on the Job

What would compel a technology executive at Facebook to leave such a high-profile, prestigious position to join a startup? For Namrata Ganatra, it was the opportunity to help give young people a chance to invest in the stock market  a chance she could only dream about when she was growing up in India.

Ganatra is vice president of engineering at Stockpile, a Palo Alto-based startup that has made it possible to invest in the likes of Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, Google and Coca-Cola by simply purchasing a gift card for the stock. Thats right  you go down to your local grocery or retail store, pick up a gift card for, say, $25 or $50 or $100, and the recipient of the card owns a fractional share of stock in the company.

In an interview last week, Ganatra, who joined Stockpile just last month, highlighted the appeal of the technology challenges inherent in such a disruptive pursuit:

Its so hard to open up a traditional brokerage account, because account minimums are high, commissions are high, and people under the age of 18 arent easily able to open up a brokerage account. The engineering challenges that come with an innovative product like Stockpile are huge  it boils down to understanding workflow and listening to our customers.

Making it really easy for customers to transact and invest is something that is really exciting, technology-wise. Its a stock-gifting platform as a service  we are really building a brokerage platform as a service, which is exposing the APIs for our partners to be able to do stock-gifting, buying and selling activities. This technology is challenging, because nothing like this exists right now.

That said, it was clearly Stockpiles vision that Ganatra found most appealing. I asked her if her family thought she was crazy to leave Facebook to join a startup. She said her family could relate to the decision just as easily as she could:

I was at Facebook for two-and-a-half years, heading all of engineering for payments, and building and scaling a team that built a lot of innovative products. It was time for me to take on new challenges, and to try something different. Stockpile was a great opportunity that came about  a few things really excited me. My family was able to relate to it the way I was able to relate to its mission to make the stock market accessible, affordable, and easy for everyone.

I wish something like this existed when I was growing up in India  it was just so hard to start investing early. So I can totally relate to that mission, personally.  Only 14 percent of Americans own direct stock, because its too expensive and complicated to open up a regular brokerage account  there are too many barriers. We are breaking down all the barriers, to allow people to invest and save much earlier.

Ganatra went on to explain how her work as head of engineering for payments at Facebook prepared her for what shes doing at Stockpile:

At Stockpile, its really building a financial technology product. I have been in fintech pretty much throughout my career. At Facebook, I learned a lot in terms of building and creating an engineering organization with a great culture. I want to apply that learning here at Stockpile.

First and foremost, I really want to build a meaningful product that our customers love, and is of value to our customers. This is not going to be possible without a great team  my plan is to expand our awesome engineering team, and build a great engineering culture from the lessons that I learned at Facebook.

Ganatra encapsulated those lessons this way:

There are lessons in the sense of building a great culture. So now, I have my own version of what culture means to me, and what Im going to be building at Stockpile. To me, that means an engineering organization that fosters innovation, moves fast, and is built on trust, respect, and consistency. Now, if you look at Facebook, that is definitely an organization that fosters innovation, and we moved really, really fast. That is one of the reasons why I joined Facebook, and I want to build that culture here at Stockpile.

Some of the key principles Ive learned are first, to move fast, while fostering experimentation and listening to customers. Second, to minimize the operational and manual work  to automate as much as you can, because this is the only way to maintain small teams. This is one of the big things at Facebook  every team is really small, and we could scale because everything is automated. There is less operational and manual work that our engineers had to deal with.

The third thing is to foster innovation through a bottom-up culture. Im really a big believer that great ideas come from the bottom up. At Facebook, I was in a leadership role, but we had hackathons pretty much every month, or at least every quarter, to get ideas from the bottom up. Many new ideas at Facebook really came from these hackathons in engineering. Fourth, its essential to be data-driven. Everyone is the company should be aware of key success metrics, and keep track of them.

Last, but not least, is to hire the best. Facebook is known for hiring the best people, and I have learned a lot of those hiring best practices, because I was involved in hiring the engineering and leadership team at Facebook, from the ground up. So these are some of the key principles I have learned, and that I will apply in my new role.

I asked Ganatra about Stockpiles plans for international expansion. She said the current focus is on expansion within the United States, to dramatically increase the number of outlets nationwide that sell the gift cards. But she said that while international expansion will be challenging, its definitely in the cards:

We have partners who are reaching out to make this available outside of the U.S. We havent named a priority list of countries, but we have some interest from countries like Australia, Singapore and India. Those are some of the markets that we are currently looking into, but we havent planned anything else yet. Our first priority is really to get this nationwide within the U.S.

The biggest technical hurdle is to understand peoples behavior in different geographies and markets  how people save and invest. Taxes and regulations need to be figured out as we expand. The same product will not scale outside of the U.S., so we need to learn these user experiences and behaviors to be able to expand internationally. Since we have already built a platform that offers the Stockpile stock gift card within the U.S., I dont see any technology challenge here, other than scaling it nationwide. But international expansion is going to be challenging.

I wanted to get Ganatras perspective on the gender issue in technology, so I asked her what challenges she has faced as a female engineer in Silicon Valley, that she doesnt think she would have faced if she had been male. It was clear that the question struck a chord:

Its really hard being a female engineer, and a female executive in technology. There are many times that Im the only female executive in a room full of men. My working style is that Im very assertive, driven, and hyper-focused, just to get the work done. So sometimes I receive feedback that Im too aggressive, or Im intimidating, because Im just really focused and opinionated.

Getting that feedback is so hard, because its just my working style, and men usually dont get that feedback. We have made a lot of progress for women in technology  I was part of a lot of initiatives at Facebook to hire women in leadership. But challenges remain. Im the only female engineer (on the engineering team at stockpile) right now, and my plan is to hire more.

Ganatra is also the only female on Stockpiles senior leadership team, and I asked her if that matters. Her response:

It doesnt matter in terms of the work that I do  everyone on the leadership team, and everyone at Stockpile, all really deeply care about the mission. So the biggest thing that matters to me is for everyone that we hire to be really deeply ingrained in our mission. Diversity is definitely one of the things I care about  I would love to hire more female executives, and were really making that effort. But overall, my first priority is for everyone to believe in the mission, and to be passionate about making it possible.

In terms of how it is to be the only female executive, as I said, its hard. But everyone here at Stockpile is super nice to me, and they welcomed me with very open arms. So I really love working here.

Turning back to her vision for Stockpile, Ganatra closed the conversation by highlighting another dimension of that vision:

Aside from being a gifting platform, and a brokerage platform, we also serve as a financial education tool for kids  that is another aspect of Stockpile that really excites me. Twenty percent of our customers are under 18, and Stockpile works with non-profits, like Junior Achievement, to help educate kids on the stock market. We are able to give kids the opportunity to buy and sell stock, which will hopefully be a learning experience that will help them throughout their lives.

A contributing writer on IT management and career topics with IT Business Edge since 2009, Don Tennant began his technology journalism career in 1990 in Hong Kong, where he served as editor of the Hong Kong edition of Computerworld. After returning to the U.S. in 2000, he became Editor in Chief of the U.S. edition of Computerworld, and later assumed the editorial directorship of Computerworld and InfoWorld. Don was presented with the 2007 Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity by American Business Media, and he is a recipient of the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for editorial excellence in news coverage. Follow him on Twitter @dontennant.
According to tech experts, the Internet of Things (IoT) will bring a new technological revolution in the near future.

In January 2014, many people could not believe Cisco CEO John Chambers statement that the "Internet of Everything" is potentially five to 10 times more impactful on society than the Internet itself and will represent a $17 trillion market. But just 2 years later, it seems that Chambers' prediction for the Internet of Things could be even on the conservative side.

According to Wisconsin State Journal, today even a low-end estimate of world's connected devices by 2020 is a pretty impressive number. Various tech experts come with different numbers, but all of them are truly amazing figures.

The technology research firm Gartner estimates this number at 26 billion, while Cisco Systems predicts 50 billion. Intel forecasts 200 billion, while International Data Corp. predicts 212 billion.

The point is clear, regardless of how the 2020 predictions turn out. The Internet of Things is here to stay and its size of the market will be measured within a few years in trillions of dollars.

At the GE Healthcare Institute in Waukesha, the third annual Wisconsin Tech Summit explored the potential of the Internet of Things. Most of the participating companies were looking for information management solutions involving devices speaking to other devices or systems.

As broadband Internet access expands and more devices are being created with built-in sensors and Wi-Fi capabilities, smartphone use is exploding and technology costs are falling. This creates a global platform for the growth of the IoT.

According to Tech Crunch, there is no question that IoT is opening in a new era of innovation, connecting the machine and digital worlds to bring greater efficiency and speed to diverse sectors, including healthcare, energy, aviation and automotive. But with more endpoints open to attackers and sensitive data increasingly accessible online, businesses are quickly realizing the vital importance of security.

Managing the IoT revolution is a daunting prospect for tech experts. They must worry about protecting privacy, storing and safeguarding data and making sure there is enough broadband capacity to keep networks running.
The latest online leak suggests that Apple's upcoming flagship iPhone 7 would not feature a Smart Connector.

According to Tech Radar, only last month we heard rumors that Apple will bring the Smart Connector from its line of iPad Pro to the next iPhone. The Smart Connector is a three-pin port that can be used as an alternative charging point, and it also enables users to connect up accessories.

Now, according to the same Japanese blog Macotakara that broke the original story, and it is considered as an usually reliable source of information, Apple's latest Smart Connector hardware innovation will not come to the iPhone 7.

Forbes reports that the Smart Connector feature was clearly visible in a leaked photo of an Apple iPhone 7 prototype. But it seems that the high-tech company decided not to include it in the final design.

In the Apple's iPad Pro range, the Smart Connector enables the Lightning port to deliver both data and power simultaneously. For instance, with the iPad Pro, this means that a third-party keyboard would work the moment it is plugged in and would not need charging or batteries.

As tech experts mentioned at the time when the rumor about the Smart Connector first broke online, it is not all that obvious why Apple would need to feature a Smart Connector on something smaller than an iPad. In case that this still happens, apparently the extra port would likely come on the larger of the two iPhones.

The Smart Connector is not the only connector rumored to be missing from the iPhone 7. There have been plenty of rumors online about the disappearance of the long-standing 3.5 mm headphone jack from the upcoming Apple flagship mobile device.

According to various sources, Apple would consider to get rid of the headphone jack in an attempt to make the iPhone 7 thinner. However, in the next four months until the release of the latest Apple flagship phone, many things can still change.
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook will reportedly visit China this month's end with a view to hold several meetings with the Chinese officials. While this is not Cook's first visit to the Communist nation, nor will he be meeting the Chinese authorities for the first time, his visit assumes significance in view of the recent ban on some of Apple's services in the country.

While Apple has neither confirmed nor denied reports regarding Cook's impending visit to China, sources close the Cupertino tech titan revealed that the meeting will certainly take place, Reuters reported (via Digital Trends.) They feel that this is also a "very poignant time" for a meeting between the two parties.

There is no doubt that Apple is the leading tech company globally and is also considered to be among the most valuable companies worldwide; it does not have the same sway in all markets across the globe. Currently, China is the second largest market for Apple's products and services, only next to the United States, the financial results of 2016's first quarter showed that its earnings have dropped by 11 percent and sales in mainland China were responsible for the decline in revenue, CNet reported.

While the regulators in China have recently banned two Apple services, including iTunes Movies and iBook, in the country, even the iPhone brand is in jeopardy. In fact, the Chinese government has already made its intentions clear that it would decrease its dependence on foreign tech firms. Some experts are of the view that the Chinese ban of the two Apple services are aimed at curtailing the tech firm's growing influence in the country.

These are two vital issues not only for Apple but also for other American tech firms. Therefore, it is almost certain that Cook will take up these issues during his meetings with the Chinese officials and try to sort out the impasse face by the Cupertino tech giant in that country. In addition, he may also explain the company's stand on refusing to hack an iPhone for the FBI to help the agency in its investigation into the San Bernardino massacre.

Although the San Bernardino case may not be of much significance for the Chinese authorities, they would certainly want to get control over the foreign tech firms operating in the country. They may be of the view that if not curbed right now, Apple may deny similar request made by the Chinese government in future, in case there is a similar occasion.
The IBM i development team rolled out Access Client Solutions (ACS) almost three years ago. It remains a work in progress. And thats a good thing. The IT graveyard is filled with products that were unable to show progress. Before there was ACS, there was Access for Windows. It can still be found in a great many IBM midrange shops, despite having one foot in the grave and no sign of a pulse when it comes to progress. The pace of progress established with ACS is not blindingly fast, but its steady and its an indicator of where and how IBM is spending its development dollars. It doesnt get a lot of attention. Its enhancements are not really announced. It is more like they are leaked. The product cycle is not in sync with the April and October Technology Refresh schedule for announcing IBM i updates, therefore, we often are hearing about products that became available months before announcement day. On this occasionthe announcement of i 7.3 in Aprilthe timing was better, but the ACS enhancements were pretty light. Before the next Technology Refresh comes in October, ACS will have some significant enhancements available. Officially, however, those enhancements wont be mentioned until it is TR time again. Tim Rowe, IBM i business architect for application development, wouldnt comment specifically about the forthcoming enhancements, but he hinted that past emphasis are a good place to start the speculation. That clue leads to the database. Rowe also mentioned that he and Scott Forstie, the DB2 for i business architect, would both be talking about ACS during their educational sessions next week at the COMMON Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana. That would be another hint that ACS enhancements on the horizon will be database flavored. Tim Rowe, IBM i business architect for application development.

The ACS tools that were added last month are minor tweaking, but fall in line with the product roadmap. We would always like to see more fireworksbigger bangs and more sparkly thingsbut one way to appreciate the small things is to compare them with getting nothing at all. Heres what all the tweaking is about. The everyday ACS user has a minimal set of requirements. They could be boiled down to a 5250 emulator and a way to monitor and manage spool files. Thats the basics. ACS always provided a view of spool files, but that was it. If a user wanted to manage the files by moving, holding, deleting, or releasing them, it could be done with the old Access for Windows tool, but not ACS. Now thats changed. As more people use ACS, we receive more feedback, Rowe says. When people let us know what they think, we have the opportunity to do something. User feedback was also the reason notification support was added. Notifications of new enhancements only happens twice a year at Technology Refresh time, and its widely acknowledged that TRs come and go without much notice. ACS users let it be known they would like to be advised when incremental updates are available. The notification works like the OS upgrade alert on a smartphone. If you ignore it for a day, a second alert follows up, and that pattern repeats itself until the upgrade is completed. This is not, however, a default setting. If you download the latest ACS, the notification alert requires the user to activate it. Another of what Rowe refers to as incremental updates is an improvement for Run SQL Scripts. The Run SQL interface for ACS was delivered in December 2015. Rowe describes this update as a clean-up of scripts that did not translate well from iAccess for Windows. Tighter integration between ACS and RDi will continue to be a priority in future IBM i enhancements.

The SQL language has a particular set of syntax that are supported, Rowe explains. Some creative coding by users of iAccess for Windowsnot proper syntaxdid not work in ACS. ACS development uses an agile delivery mechanism that results in a continual progression to get all the tools users require. Run SQL Scripts is a great example, Rowe says. Everything that was in the Access for Windows version did not come with the original ACS version, but ACS was useful and functional and in some ways it was improved. It will get additional upgrades over the next few months to complete that entire picture. We figure out a chunk of stuff we want to deliver and we figure out how we can contain it properly and that becomes our target and well deliver it when it is ready. And then well incrementally add more things. Another of the just added enhancements is that Run SQL Scripts are now included within Rational Developer for i. Spool file viewer and management are also integrated into RDi. Rowe says we should be seeing a lot more RDi and ACS integration in the future. Last year the Rational Team moved from the software group to being part of the IBM i development team, Rowe says. A tighter tie between RDi and Access for Windows was asked for repeatedly in the past. Because it would add access to database tooling, Run SQL Scripts and Visual Explain are two tools that could be integrated with ACS. Expect a lot more integration in the future. I see Visual Explain being delivered within RDi when that support becomes available. There are a couple of interesting side notes to ACS. One is that ACS tools will run on operating systems as far back as V5R4. Dont expect IBM to offer tech support on OSes older than i 7.1, however. The other thing not to be expected is IBM revealing the number of ACS downloads. The downloads can be tracked and are measureable with every fix pack that goes out. Each time that happens, Rowe says, the number of downloads increases by thousands. RELATED STORIES Technology Refreshes Go Unnoticed By Most IBM i Shops IBM i Tech Refresh Reiterates Database Emphasis IBM i Tech Refreshes Bring New Features to Explore IBM i Access Turns Its Attention To Database Mobile Access To IBM i Makes The Grade DB2 Enhancements, Free Form RPG, Modernization Top Rowes Big Hits List An IBM i Client for Every Administrative Occasion
This news is not entirely unexpected, but it is difficult just the same. The word on the street is that IBM will be selling off about 2 million square feet of the legendary Rochester Labs in the coming year. That is about two thirds of the capacity of the facility, which once housed over 8,000 employees and was the center of gravity for the IBM midrange since it was conceived in 1969. The Rochester Labs, which were established in 1956, are a bit older and were part of the geographic distribution that Big Blue has always liked in its operations, and in this case, IBM set up a high-tech facility that was within the cultural umbrella of a hot-bed of supercomputing and related technologies that itself and others have benefitted from over the years. There is a reason why so many processor, memory, disk drive, and operating system innovations were embedded in the System/38 and AS/400 systems and why so many technologies that were developed there live on in the Power Systems line today. But IBM has not had manufacturing operations in the facility for almost three years now, having moved Power Systems manufacturing for the Americas region to its factories in Guadalajara, Mexico, back in March 2013. Back when that decision was made, best guesstimates were that IBM had around 2,800 full time employees, and about 200 full timers and 150 part timers would lose their jobs when the manufacturing operations were relocated. We have no idea how many employees IBM has in the Rochester Labs these days, but in a statement from Tory Johnson, vice president of supply chain engineering and the top exec at the labs, IBM said that no one would be losing their jobs as they were relocated to eight of the buildings on the east side of the campus. Johnson added that the consolidation of IBMers into offices set up for more agile and collaborative workspaces would be completed by March 2017. Of the 2 million square feet that IBM wants to sell, approximately 100,000 square feet of space is already getting the tire kicking from outsiders, according to a report in the Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journal. The Rochester Post-Bulletin reports that IBM has around 2,500 employees there, which is consistent with the numbers we have heard. The Rochester Labs had a peak of around 8,100 employees back in 1990, and by 1999, it had around 7,000 employees, and in 2007, that had dropped to around 4,400, and by 2012, it was in the range of 3,200. To give you a sense of the size of this place, the Rochester Labs, at 3 million square feet of space, are about half the size of the Pentagon. The shame is given that Rochester, Minnesota, is consistently rated as one of the best places in the United States to live that Big Blue could not find some way to fill the facility as it has done over the past five decades as technologies shifted, sometimes with tectonic violence. We know that Rochester has a challenge in that it only has two seasonswinter, and getting ready for winterbut the quality of life in these places was high particularly because there were good paying jobs for people to support a community. IBM benefitted from and further cultivated a technology ecosystem in the area, along with the universities in Minnesota and Wisconsin and Iowa and Control Data and Cray, and this is precisely the kind of thing that any Smarter Cities analysis would show. It is amazing that IBM has as many employees that it does in Rochester, considering how much it has slashed its payrolls in three decades here in the United States. And plenty of cynics think that this is the beginning of the end for IBMs presence in the facility. Time will tell. But the heart of the IBM midrange will always been in those cornfields, no matter what Big Blue does. RELATED STORIES Server Manufacturing Moved Out Of Rochester, Minnesota IBM Rochester Gets A Piece Of the PureSystems Action IBM Starts Refurbishing Power Systems Machines In China Taiwan Gets Its Own Power Systems Lab IBM Moves Power Systems Factories from Ireland to China and Singapore IBM Reorganization Tucks Systems Under Software
For the past 12 weeks start-ups have been working with corporate accelerator Slingshot to polish their hopefully, investor attractive, innovative health care apps.

HCF, Australias largest not-for-profit health fund, is leading innovation in the health care industry through its new health-tech accelerator program, HCF Catalyst.

The first corporate backed program of its kind, HCF Catalyst recruits start-up and scale-up Australian businesses and offers them the opportunity to develop and accelerate their businesses, and make a lasting impact in the health care industry.

For the past 12 weeks, nine budding businesses have completed an intensive program run by corporate accelerator, Slingshot, culminating in the Demo Day event on the 11 May in Sydney. They will present in front of an audience of investors, industry opinion leaders and health care stakeholders.

The Demo Day will provide a platform for each start-up to share their journey from an idea to an investor ready product that promises to provide cutting edge and innovative e-health solutions, to fill gaps in the current health care sector.

As the health care industry grows and evolves, HCF remains committed to investing in initiatives focused on keeping healthcare affordable and effective in Australia.

Sheena Jack, Chief Strategy Officer at HCF, says, Our vision is to improve health outcomes for all Australians, which goes hand in hand with our commitment to innovation. Enabling talented budding entrepreneurs to test their ideas, and helping them to succeed in their health-tech endeavours is a crucial part of our commitment, and we firmly believe in investing in the future of health.

Innovation drives reform, and in our sector this is a necessity to address modern challenges and advance the future of healthcare services. Weve been really impressed by the talent of these inventive start-ups, and by giving them the platform to bring their ideas to market, we are opening up the possibility to improve healthcare and save lives.

Our support of Catalyst is just another way that HCF is investing in Australias health, as we continue to push for healthcare reform and transform our business into the future, said Ms Jack.

Start-up and scale-up businesses in the program include:

Curo  empowering carers with smart technology to improve elderly care

Cardihab  CSIRO team helping doctors provide an online cardiac rehabilitation programme

CancerAid - providing a digital health solution centred on oncology patients

Mindfit  helping psychological patients find the right care and receive feedback on their treatment, progress and results

Lookfit - known as "the iSelect of the fitness industry"

Dream Well  Fit for Battle mobile app gamifies running to help motivate users

CareMonkey - provides families with a shareable family health database

Pulse Data Science - builds predictive models using historical claims and clinical data

MyHealthTest  direct to consumer pathology test service

The HCF Catalyst Demo Day is being held on Wednesday 11 May 2016 from 5.30pm  8.30pm at Event Cinemas, 505-525 George Street Vmax Cinema, Sydney. The event is free, but spaces are limited - to register your attendance for Demo Day, please click here, or follow this link for more information.
Millennials  born from 1981 and replaced by Gen X in the mid-late 1990s  are the first generation of tech savvy users that grew up with the internet using smartphones and tablets.

There is a lot written about Millennials  I have two  but let me try and define the essence.

They want it now  instant gratification is the key leading trait, but experiential is also a big part of that. When Millennials dine out, they often search for something exotic, adventuresome, memorable or new to explore during their dining experience.

They want it their way  they dont accept that systems need to be rigid. They want to be able to order pizza their way - half and half, meat on one side, and vego on the other  not conform to the business rules.

They are willing to delay kids, mortgages, and responsibilities  finding themselves - until in their late 30s and 40s and eschew Baby Boomers values of work hard to secure the future.

They are impatient and invented the all-important 90-second rule where they will happily drop one supplier/website/app for another if it is too slow. They expect technology to simply work and wont use clunky interfaces.

They are more giving and will exchange personal information for free or relevant services  their digital footprint is huge.

They are almost all mobile  a PC or Mac is so yesterday.

They are social  pictures of meals, cats, places, things,  litter their Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and other social media pages. They will seek affirmation from their social circle via these means and meet for coffee. But this sociability and affirmation must be sincere and real  the term IRL (in real life) is key to all experiences online.

As customers they realise what wallet-power they have and their focus is on great customer experience (CX), engagement and how much a business tries to please them  its all about them. And with the caveat that all warnings about Millennials are at best generalisations  back to the article.

Chris Adams, Vice President, Food and Beverage, JPAC, of Oracle Hospitality hosted a media and analysts event to review the results of Oracles global research into millennials and how hospitality  food, beverage, hotels and more  need to adapt their services to meet the needs of the next biggest set of wallets.

More than 9,000 Millennials from around the world have discussed their use of technology in hotels, restaurants, bars and coffee shops in a ground-breaking survey that quantifies the impact mobile devices are having on hospitality.



Demonstrating that mobile use is pervasive and reshaping the industry, key findings from Millennials and Hospitality: The Redefinition of Service highlights that in Australia, 36% of millennials have already ordered delivery or take-out using their smartphones, and 24% have used a mobile device to check-in at a hotel.



Mobile is very much here and happening in hospitality, said Adams. The results underscore how technology is altering consumer expectation and presenting hospitality operators with an unprecedented opportunity to win millennials business. It will require a redefinition of service  one that offers millennials tremendous choice, speed, and personalisation based on their individual preferences. Providing such tailored service not only means accommodating consumers use of smartphones but for operators to leverage their own mobile devices to serve them better.



Among the reports other major findings:

Loyalty is a priority for food and beverage: 52% of millennials globally want to use their mobile devices to take advantage of loyalty programs offered by restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Millennials want to be acknowledged with personalised rewards that reflect their individual preferences. For the operator, this offers huge potential in collecting invaluable data about customer behaviour and delivering targeted promotions to drive order value and revenues.

Hotels face a mobile frontier: Make no mistake  millennials in every country are already using their mobile devices to conduct core functions with hotels. Among the findings: 24% of Australian Millennials had checked into a hotel using their mobile while 52% had booked a hotel room through similar means. Only 14% had ordered room service by smartphone, yet room service was the number one request when millennials were asked how else technology could improve their stay.

Gaps exist between desire and ability: In several instances, millennials desire for mobile-driven activities and their experience using them varied significantly. For example, only 24% of Australian millennials reported already having paid with a mobile device, but 44% expressed a desire to do so, suggesting an opportunity to grow the business by meeting demand.

Geography makes a difference: Many similarities exist among millennials around the world, but behaviour and preferences also vary greatly by geography and culture. Japanese millennials, for example, were surprisingly less likely to use their smartphones in hotels or restaurants  only 19% wanted to pay for food or drink by mobile device compared to 44% of Australian millennials.

Voices need to be heard: When evaluating hospitality employers use of technology, more than 35% of Australian millennials who had worked in the industry said that there was much room for improvement. Interestingly, only 18% said their employers solicited their suggestions for improving technology use.

Not all mobile devices are equal: Millennials, no surprise, cant part ways with their smartphones  87% of all survey respondents said they use one daily. The Apple Watch is already being used by 9% of Australian millennials. But other devices are used less than perhaps expected: only 41% reported using iPads and tablets daily.

Adams said, The other significant finding is that the demand for ordering and paying by smartphone is not universal  there are plenty of Millennials that still want personal service when theyre in a hotel or a restaurant. Our job is to help operators adapt and define how technology supports a personalised, flexible service offering.



Oracle Hospitality pursued the research project to aid hoteliers and food, and beverage operators gain a better understanding of millennials, who represent the largest segment of the workforce in many countries. Such insight is essential not only to engage the tech-savvy demographic as customers but to enhance their abilities as employees to deliver stellar guest service. Conducted by an independent research firm, the survey polled participants, ages 18 to 35, in eight countries, including a subset that had worked in hospitality within the past five years.



Anna Jones, Chief Marketing Officer, Guzman Y Gomez, commented, For us, its about listening to what the millennial generation wants and ensuring we are staying up to date if not ahead of the curve. Millennials make up 56% of our customer base and are incredibly important to us. The millennial generation wants a level of personalisation and to be acknowledged by the brands they stay loyal to. When relaunching our mobile app, we worked directly with our loyalty members to understand where the pain points were on our current app and to help develop a new experience that aligned with their needs.
Antivirus and malware companies are all getting better at catching that deadly spam  the main vehicle for malware, ransomware, and career limiting moves!

In independent tests, ESET was rated as the highest security solution for anti-spam by both Virus Bulletin and AV Comparatives.

Specifically, its solutions ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server and, ESET Smart Security were tested by VBSpam Test in AV-Comparatives Anti-Spam Test.

Spam protection is a central part of the multi-layered approach ESET takes to next generation security and we invest considerable effort into keeping our clients safe. We also work hard to keep false positives to a minimum, which is a difficult task in combination with robust spam filtering. Therefore, we are happy that the results of these tests confirm that we can achieve exactly that, comments Palo Luka, Chief Technology Officer at ESET.

Virus Bulletin testing 18 full business email security solutions. ESETs, ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server reached a spam catch rate of 99.999% on the 177 thousand spam emails and recorded the third consecutive VBSpam+ Award.

AV-Comparatives also tested 12 leading consumer security solutions using native antispam capabilities of Microsoft Outlook as a benchmark. On a set of nearly 130 thousand spam emails, ESET Smart Security reached the highest spam catch rate of 99.96% and won the first place in the Anti-Spam Test.

We found the integration of ESET Smart Security into Outlook to be very simple but effective, allowing for the easy marking of mails or addresses as spam. The program blocked 99.96% of unwanted messages in our spam filtering test, the highest score of any product tested, reads the AV-Comparatives report.
63% Australian business may have been hit by at least one security breach, but that is not too bad compared to India (94%), Malaysia (89%), Thailand (88%), Brazil (87%) and Mexico (87%). Japan had the lowest break-in rate at 39%.

Results from the latest CompTIA International Trends in Cybersecurity report has raised eyebrows - the percentages are very high and mean that the majority of Australias medium to large enterprises have been breached.

In Australia, 61% of companies say human error plays the largest part in business security breaches especially for companies in maturing economies. Whether it is being fooled by spear phishing emails, practicing poor password and authentication hygiene, or for financial gain by selling logins and passwords it immaterial.

To counter those threats, 90% of companies now have security training to assess or improve knowledge among employees. Many organizations are also putting a greater value on hiring employees who have IT security certifications, illustrating the increasing demand for professionals with those advanced skills. 80% of IT managers indicate that IT security certifications are very valuable (38%) or valuable (42%) regarding validating security-related knowledge/skills or evaluating job candidates.

Mobile security incidents are occurring at a higher rate with 71% of Australian organisations reporting a mobile-related security incident such as lost device, data policy violation, or staff disabling security features.

Mobile incidents were reported at the highest percentages in Thailand (95%) India (91%) and Mexico (89%); and in the lowest percentages in Japan (60%), the UAE (60%) and the UK (64%).

72% of Australian organisations expect security to become a higher priority over the next two years. The top drivers for a changing approach to security in Australia include:

Change in IT operations (e.g. cloud, mobility) (41%)

Reports of security breaches at other firms (33%)

Internal security breach or incident (32%)

Knowledge gained from training/certification (28%)

Change in business operations or client base. (27%)

Moheb Moses, director, Channel Dynamics, and ANZ Community Director, CompTIA, says, Due to the evolving nature of IT, most organisations have had to change the way their company approaches security. In Australia, as in many other countries, the greatest change has been in IT operations, especially as rms move to cloud or implement new mobility strategies.

Australian organisations are taking steps to assess and improve cybersecurity knowledge among their employees. Practices include new employee orientation, ongoing training programs, online courses and random security audits. 23% rate their cyber security education and training methods as extremely effective.

Amy Carrado, senior director, research and market intelligence, CompTIA, said, The importance of cyber security knowledge and readiness continues to grow regardless of geography, with 79% of companies internationally expecting cyber security to become a higher priority over the next two years.

ESET, a digital protection company, has observed this significant increase in security breaches in organisations and has commented on how to identify and prevent this security risk.



Nick FitzGerald, Senior Research Fellow at ESET, said, The information stored by organisations can be very valuable and profitable for e-criminals. We have seen an increase of these breaches as there is more and more data available such as customer names, addresses, social security numbers and so on. The problem is that security breaches can come from failing to install a secure system, from compromised credentials and often from human error.



Security breaches often come from issues with passwords. The security afforded by passwords is overestimated, being further weakened by users sharing passwords across organisations, devices and even with colleagues. Organisations dont always realise they put their data at significant risk by allowing this.



About This Research

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) International Trends in Cybersecurity report is a quantitative research report on behaviours, techniques, and opportunities associated with IT security across 12 different countries. The collected information came from 1,509 IT and business executives that were divided into two distinct categories: Maturing Economies (Brazil, India, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, and the UAE) and Mature Economies (Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the UK).
What happens when a behemoth economy like China issues its 13th five-year plan. Everyone takes notice. Part of the plan is related to its semiconductor industry. It simply says It WILL form an autonomous IC industry ecosystem'.

The Chinese government has released the 13th Five-Year Plan. This broad national economic roadmap has two main initiatives - the upgrading of modern industries and the expansion of the countrys Internet economy.

This will have significant influence over the development of the Chinese fabless IC design industry according to Ariel Chen, an analyst for the global market research firm TrendForce.

The plan reveals Chinas ambition to set the rules of competition in the global semiconductor market in the era of the Internet of Things. Specifically, the Chinese government wants to guide domestic IC design houses into focusing on areas that are listed as priorities in the Five-Year Plan. The state aims to help domestic IC design houses to catch up technologically with major international competitors, she said.

According to TrendForce, over 50% of all products that came out of the Chinese fabless IC design industry in 2015 were chips for consumer electronics/communication applications and analogue chips. Under the new plan the efforts of Chinese IC design companies will be directed to the following application markets:

Markets for data security products that are independently developed rather than using technologies from foreign suppliers

Data security is a crucial issue affecting all Internet-related activities, and the Chinese government is increasingly concerned about the security certification of domestic IC products. An example of a certification standard that most international semiconductor companies adhere to is the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Chinese IC companies to be more active in improving the security features of their products and designing chips specifically for the data security application (such as Secure Element). The localization of data security technologies would reduce the countrys reliance on foreign suppliers for this type of solutions.

Mobile application processor market that has seen advances due to collaborations with major manufacturers

The plan explicitly states that information communication technology (ICT) is a major development focus. Currently, leading Chinese IC companies HiSilicon and Spreadtrum have made mobile application processors their main products. Compared with foreign competitors, Chinese design houses have received a lot more resources from the state regarding funding and time, Chen noted. However, they have to learn not to rely solely on the price advantage that comes with government subsidies.

Chen also said the collaboration between the Chinese IC companies and major international semiconductor manufacturers will be a long-term trend. There are already many deals under which foreign semiconductor companies provided their Chinese partner's vital technologies in exchange for access to the local market and distribution channels. Future deals between them may even involve mergers and acquisitions.

The plan has also called for concrete actions on the implementation of the new energy vehicle initiative that was formulated under an earlier policy framework known as Made in China 2025. Chen said that though the market for automotive electronics has high entry barriers, the vast size of the Chinese auto market offers ample opportunities for domestic IC design houses. Datang NXP Semiconductors, for instance, is a Chinese automotive electronics company that has become a major player in Chinas new energy vehicle supply chain. As indicated by its name, the company is a joint venture of the Netherlands NXP and Datang Telecom, a locally based telecom equipment provider.

Conclusion

Stick to the plan - lucky 13th - or else.
While reiterating that IA does not condone unlawful downloading  and repeating his criticism that that site-blocking law was brought in last year at the behest of the overseas rights holders after a lobbying campaign - CEO Laurie Patton said the peak body representing Internet users drew the line at unworkable solutions like site-blocking .



According to Patton, site-blocking interferes with the open and trusted essential nature of the Internet and the measures cause operational issues that can lead to interruptions in service, like the ASIC case a few years ago where they inadvertently put 250,000+ innocent sites offline for several days".



It is time to accept the pointlessness of current strategies to deal with unlawful downloading of video and audio content. We join Telstra and other ISPs in expressing concerns about the costs associated with site-blocking law designed to deal with unlawful downloading of video and audio content via overseas websites.





Patton repeated previous concerns that IA feared the costs of site-blocking compliance will be passed on to consumers in the form of increased Internet access fees, and again claimed that site-blocking has not been proven to work in other countries.International experience has found that the effectiveness of site-blocking is more perceived than real and is simply not the solution, its really just a PR exercise. Blocking or closing down offending websites for them only to pop up on a different address or server is akin to playing whack-a-mole.The fact is any user with a modicum of technical knowledge will find a way to access what they want, lawfully or unlawfully. So we are going to inconvenience ISPs and see everyones Internet access fees increase as a consequence of the costs of implementing site-blocking, all for a bit of PR?, Patton questions.Even our prime minister, Mr Turnbull, has argued that rights holders most powerful tool to combat online copyright infringement is making content accessible, timely, and affordable to consumers.The site-blocking law was brought in last year at the behest of the overseas rights holders, after a concerted lobbying campaign. Yet, they were never asked to substantiate their claims of significant financial losses.Internet Australia has also questioned the Productivity Commissions call for an end to geoblocking - the process Patton says where overseas content owners have historically imposed higher charges for DVDs, and now online content, compared with the United States where the bulk of the content originates.Australians have been price-gouged for decades through geoblocking. Countless Australians have come back from the United States with much cheaper DVDs only to find that they wouldnt work.And, while objecting to the site-blocking law IA has repeated its support for the rights of content producers.Internet Australia is committed to effective protection of intellectual property, as an important incentive to innovate and create. However, we maintain it is time to accept the pointlessness of current strategies to deal with unlawful downloading of video and audio content. And, just as airlines are not held responsible for the knock-off DVDs their passengers bring home from their holidays, we dont believe that making ISPs liable by using the Internet to block content is appropriate or fair, Patton concludes.
Australia's largest showcase of manufacturing innovation, information and inspiration is on from 11-13 May at the Showgrounds, Sydney Olympic Park. It is co-located with the 3D Printing and Safety First conferences and expos.

National Manufacturing Week covers diverse areas such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), Energy, Automation and Robotics, Process control and Instrumentation, R&D, and digital manufacturing  all with a heavy tech slant.

Gordon Makryllos, ANZ Managing Director, Eaton has urged manufacturing to have a strong focus on power management. He has penned some interesting thoughts on the subject.

Power Management technology will continue to develop throughout 2016 finding smarter ways to physically integrate the system into facilities and the software within manufacturers business systems. The upcoming Federal election is also set to provide for greater clarity and stability on government energy management policy which has been ambiguous for a number of years. The greater certainty will allow manufacturers to place a renewed focus on power management plans and execute pending projects.

Budgeting for electricity, securing adequate electricity supplies and finding ways to use less power are all common topics of conversation among manufacturers when reviewing their power management requirements. However, ensuring that the power their IT resources rely on is both dependable for supporting both innovation as well as safety can sometimes be an afterthought.

Manufacturers invest large sums of money in their IT infrastructure as well as the power required to keep it functioning. They court the investment to keep them productive and competitive. However, leaving that infrastructure defenceless against electrical dips, spikes and interruptions is counter-productive to the business strategy at the same time as manufacturers are also seeking new ways to create product differentiation and drive innovation in the fast ramping digital economy.

No manufacturer can afford to leave their IT assets unprotected from power issues and here are seven reasons why this is the case.

Even short outages can be trouble. Losing power for as little as a quarter second can trigger events that may keep IT equipment unavailable for anywhere from 15 minutes to many hours. And downtime is costly.

Utility power isnt clean. In practice, electrical power can vary widely enough to cause significant problems for IT equipment. According to current U.S. standards, for example, voltages can vary up to 8.3 percent from absolute specifications. That means that utility services promising 208-phase voltage may actually deliver 191 to 220 volts.

Utility power isnt 100 percent reliable. In the U.S., in fact, its only 99.9 percent reliable, which translates into a likely nine hours of utility outages every year.

The problems and risks are intensifying. Todays storage systems, servers and network devices use components so small that they falter and fail under power conditions earlier-generation equipment easily withstood.

Generators and surge suppressors arent enough. Generators take time to start up, therefore there is a loss of AC power until the generator comes on-line, (typically 10 seconds), and they provide no protection from power spikes and other electrical disturbances. Generators however, are used to provide AC power during long utility power outages. Surge suppressors help with power spikes but not with issues like power loss, under-voltage and brownout conditions.

Availability is everything these days. Once, IT played a supporting role in the enterprise, but now its absolutely central to how most companies compete and win. When IT systems are down, core business processes quickly come to a standstill.

Availability is everything, but power costs must be managed. The cost of power and cooling has spiralled out of control in recent years. Data centre managers are typically held responsible for achieving high availability while simultaneously reducing power costs. Highly-efficient UPS systems can help with this goal, and products are available today that were not an option even a few years ago.

National Manufacturing Week is an ideal time for Australias manufacturers and their supply chain partners to consider the following questions when it comes to power management:
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.
Until now Optus Australias 4G LTE services have been used for fast data transfers with voice traffic going over 3G or earlier. VoLTE allows users with compatible devices to make and receive calls over the 4G network.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are the first devices available with Optus VoLTE, with plans to include more devices underway. Optus post-paid consumer and SMB customers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Canberra CBD metros areas will be among the first to see the rollout of VoLTE.

Dennis Wong, Acting Managing Director of Networks at Optus said, VoLTE provides customers a number of benefits including high definition quality voice calls, faster call connections and the ability for customers to multitask on their device while browsing and making a call over a 4G connection.

Weve been testing and tweaking VoLTE for the best customer experience and were excited Optus customers will start to see the benefits of this technology on our 4G Plus network, Mr Wong Said.

Why is VoLTE better?

LTE is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network. Without getting too technical it is more of a pure IP network using SIP (session initiated protocol) and less of a legacy circuit-switched voice network. It has up to three times more voice and data capacity than 3G and up to six times more than 2G. It uses bandwidth far more effectively because its packet headers are smaller than those in earlier networks.

Compatible phones use a HD Voice (adaptive multi-rate wideband) speech codec and can support the entire audio spectrum  from 20Hz to 20kHz. Another variation is Video (calling) over LTE (ViLTe) but this protocol is not expected to be implemented at this time.

Many modern phones  Samsung S6/S7, iPhone 6/S, LG G4/G5 and Xperia Z/X are VoLTE compatible.

In Australia Telstra has had VoLTE on some of its 4G and 4GX networks for its post-paid customers in most capital cities since September 2015.

The only way a customer knows if they are using VoLTE during a call is that the 4G icon will remain on during a call. On compatible handsets it should activate automatically. There are reports that people with older SIMM cards may not have access to the service. You should see a VoLTE setting under Phone, More, Settings. If in doubt, contact your carrier.

As far as we are aware VoLTE does not count against your current data cap.
The telco withdrew from the auction in 2013 leaving it to Telstra and Optus to purchase in the 700MHzx band. At the time Vodafone said it would only take part in the 2.5GHz auction, not the more expensive 700MHz spectrum.



But, the Department of Communications said on Monday it has received an offer for $594.3 million from Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) to acquire 2 x 10 MHz of the unsold 700 MHz digital dividend spectrum. The total payment is to be made by Vodafone in three instalments over three years.



The Government has said Vodafones offer to acquire 2 x 10 MHz of the unsold 700 MHz spectrum is an unsolicited proposal for a licence term of 11 years and 9 months.





As reported by iTWire , the Federal Government announced in May last year it had directed the media watchdog ACMA to set competition limits on the amount of spectrum that can be bought by any one operator against Telstras recommendation that no limits be set.But Telstras position was opposed by both Vodafone and Optus, with the two carriers saying they wanted to prevent Telstra from further increasing its advantage in regional areas to the detriment of end users.In the 2013 auction, in the absence of a bid from Vodafone, Optus Mobile secured 2x10 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 2x20 MHz in the 2.5 GHz band for $649,134,167, Telstra paid $1,302,019,234 to secure 2x20 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 2x40 MHz in the 2.5 GHz band, while TPG Internet secured 2x10 MHz in the 2.5 GHz band for $13,500,000.In its announcement on Monday of Vodafones offer for spectrum, the Department of Communications says the terms of VHAs proposal are consistent with the Governments spectrum policy objectives, which include maximising the overall public benefit derived from the spectrum by ensuring its efficient allocation and use.It also says that, in addition, VHAs proposal replicates, as far as possible, the rules of the digital dividend auction to ensure that VHA is not advantaged by not participating in that auction process in 2013.According to the Government, as at 30 June 2013, Telstra had approximately 58% of the mobile broadband marketshare, Optus had 17%, Vodadfone (VHA) had 10% and others, including iiNet, iPrimus and TPG, had 16%.
tely, weve been inundated by advertising from Apple Samsung about how great the cameras are on their phones. On my walk to work, I see Apples ad touting the ione 6Ss ability to shoot billboard-worthy photography. And when I turn on the television, I see Samsung boasting about how well the Galaxy S7 shoots in the dark.

ile no phone compares to a good dedicated camera, these are two of the best shooters on the market. But how do they compare? Thats what I wanted to find out. I settled on comparing the ione 6S ($649 on Apple.com), to Samsungs 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 ($633 on Amazon) because both phones are top-of-the-line share a similar price.

The rig

It takes more to compare a pair of smartphones than holding one in each h shooting out into the void. I wanted this to be an accurate portrayal of how these two devices compared against each other in the real world, so I enlisted the help of one of our .tv directors to build a contraption that would hold each phone steady to capture the same shot, with the shutters firing at the same time.

This is our rig. Its comprised of a selfie stick two smartphone-hoisting bike clamps.

The rig, as weve so plainly dubbed it, consists of one heavy-duty selfie stick two metal bike clamps with adjustable smartphone holsters. then positioned both the ione 6S Galaxy S7 at equal length used two Bluetooth controllers to trigger the shutters.

I still used the triedtrue method of shooting with both phones on a stalone by Gorillad ($21.80 on Amazon), but this homemade rig proved to be hy for many shooting situations.

The contenders

The Samsung Galaxy S7 ione 6S both feature impressive cameras, but for entirely different reasons.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes equipped with a rear-facing 12-megapixel camera. It features Dual xel technology, which is fancy lingo for the technology used inside most Canon DSs. This means the camera sensor inside the GS7 has two photodiodes in every pixel of the camera sensor, which allows every single pixel to be a phase-detection autofocus point. It also features optical image stabilization.

The ione 6S also has a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, with a technology Apple calls Focus xels. Unlike the GS7, the 6Ss phase-detection auto focus only locks in on a few select pixels. The 6S also has a smaller aperture than the Galaxy S7 (f/2.2, compared to f/1.7), which lets in less light.

The 6S GS7 both shoot with automatic HDR enabled by default, but I thought it would be best if we focused specifically on testing each phones camera capabilities without this feature enabled. I wanted this to be an exercise in pure pointing shooting, without any extra software tricks.

Shooting outside

The Bay Bridge as shot with the Galaxy S7. The scenery is vibrant the bridge is sharp.

The Bay Bridge as shot with the ione 6S. In this photoss histogram, it shows the ione introduces more purple into the sky, which is why it appears indigo.

en I first started this experiment, I favored the photos taken with the Galaxy S7. They were brighter, clearer, more vibrant on screen than the ione 6Ss. They also required the least amount of editing with an app like Snapseed or VSCO Cam before being exported. But when I sat down to compare the photos with my videographer, -, who does his own professional shooting on the weekends, we noticed that Samsung is overly processing each photo.

In this underpass photo, Samsung overexposes the sky.

The ione 6Ss end result is not as over-processed, which left more detail in the photo.

Take this photo under the freeway, for instance. Youll notice that the Galaxy S7 increases the contrast in the scene. As a result, the sky is overexposed, the scene under the bridge is too dark. Its fine for sharing online, but this would become an issue if you were planning to take this photo into the editing room. The brighter sky means less detail to work with in a post-processing desktop application like ghtroom.

The ione 6S, on the other h, has a tendency of producing pictures that appear flat muted. Its photos were the type that I would probably run through a few filters before posting to Instagram. But despite that, the 6S actually offered more dynamic range than the Galaxy S7 precisely because it doesnt overly process. As a EG, its the better picture to take to the computer or an editing application.

The Galaxy S7: The hood has a magenta hue thanks to the reflection of the sky. But look at how much more detail there is in the photo.

The ione 6Ss Mini Cooper looks flatter because theres not as much contrast. The upside to that is theres more information retained here so that you could edit in in another application if you please.

The ione 6S is also the winner when it comes to color accuracy, which is incidentally what contributes to its dull-looking photos. ok at the photo of a red Mini Cooper shot outside in daylight. The Galaxy S7s end result appears more magenta on the hood of the car because of the reflection of the blue sky from above. The ione 6Ss end result shows that the hood is a firetruck red, which is the color I witnessed with my own eye.

On the left, youll see the ione 6Ss muted greenery. On the right is the overly-sharpened, overly-vibrant Galaxy S7 version.

Samsung is notorious for over-sharpening its photos, too, its singing the same song with the Galaxy S7. This isnt particularly debilitating to the overall look of the photo, but it does introduce extra artifacts speckles. On the plus side, it ensures the end result looks shareable from the get-go.

Shooting indoors

Humans spend about 90 percent of their days indoors, which means that a majority of the time youre shooting with your smartphone, youre likely somewhere inside, away from natural light.

If your primary shooter is the Galaxy S7, youre in good company. Samsungs flagship shoots clearer photos in low-light environments compared to the ione 6S due in part to its wider f/1.7 aperture, compared to the 6Ss f/2.2. But there were still a few times that the GS7 missed the mark because of its excessive processing.

The Galaxy S7s version of the cheesy bar sign offers better white balance, in addition to a more vivid color palette.

The ione 6Ss bar sign appears dull lifeless, though youll notice some of the pinks in the picture arent as saturated as they are on the GS7s version of the photo.

First things first, lets explore how each phone hles indoor shots. The ione 6Ss version of this cheesy bar sign in the darkest corner of my living room looks almost lifeless, as if theres a very thin layer of dust blanketing the wine cabinet the metal sign. The Galaxy S7s end result is brighter more vivid, though theres also noticeable saturation of the pinks blue hues throughout the photo.

Regardless, Samsungs penchant for over-sharpening actually puts at an advantage in this particular situation: if you zoom into the GS7s photo, its sharpened enough that you can actually read Bar s Compadres on the glass diorama.

I prefer this shot over the ione 6Ss (below) because the entire image is in focus, despite the poor lighting.

The colors of the ione 6Ss result feel more balanced, but the phone had trouble focusing in the low light.

A few times while shooting indoors, the ione 6S would lock on an subject then lose focus after tapping the shutter button. This happened when I shot the above photo, thus resulting in a blurry narwhal figurine with wrapping thats hard to parse. The GS7s result offers better overall toning, though it could still use a bit of a punch in editing before it goes to social media.

I was not happy about the way the Galaxy S7 depicted me. I look ghostly, I barely notice any contouring in my face.

The ione 6S was a little more diplomatic with my portrait photo. You can actually see that I have some blush on my cheeks.

The Galaxy S7 struggled with the low-light portrait photo. In an attempt to overcompensate for the dark environment, the GS7 brightened everything up, including the fireplace in the background my face. That kind of automatic editing left me looking blue-hued pale, you can hardly see that Im wearing makeup. I prefer the ione 6Ss portrait photo instead, where you can actually see the color of my blush.

Up close personal

You never know when youre going to want to take an close-up shot of your food, your figurines, or an attractive lavender bush on your walk home. The Galaxy S7 is especially capable of hling the focus on these types of shots, its particularly good at preserving detail up close.

In this macro shot, the Galaxy S7 managed to capture the entire cat figurine keep it in focus.

The ione 6S struggled with its macro shot. It couldnt hold a focus on the cats face.

The Galaxy S7 soared in the macro test, which I shot with the camera rig so that both phones were equidistant. The Galaxy S7s depiction of the cat figurine pictured above appears clearer more detailed, whereas the iones is flatter, with less detail around the cats eyes. The 6S also had trouble focusing on the subject, thus resulting in a blurry cat face.

The Galaxy S7 managed to hone in on the foreground more eloquently blur out the background.

The ione 6S looks good from afar, but upclose youll see that the edges of the leaf are hardly in focus.

At least the ione 6S managed to pull off a depth of field shot, though the extra lighting probably helped it lock its focus. Still, the Galaxy S7s penchant for sharpening things made it so that you can actually see veins on the leaf in the foreground.
Wireless networking device manufacturer Aruba Networks has fixed multiple vulnerabilities in its software that could, under certain circumstances, allow attackers to compromise devices.

The vulnerabilities were discovered by Sven Blumenstein from the Google Security Team and affect ArubaOS, Aruba's AirWave Management Platform (AMP) and Aruba Instant (IAP).

There are 26 different issues, ranging from privileged remote code execution to information disclosure, insecure updating mechanism and insecure storage of credentials and private keys. However, Aruba combined them all under two CVE tracking IDs: CVE-2016-2031 and CVE-2016-2032.

Common issues that are shared by all of the affected software packages have to do with design flaws in an Aruba proprietary management and control protocol dubbed PAPI.

"The PAPI protocol contains a number of unremediated flaws, including: MD5 message digests are not properly validated upon receipt, PAPI encryption protocol is weak; all Aruba devices use a common static key for message validation," Aruba, which is a Hewlett Packard Enterprise subsidiary, said in an advisory.

The impact of these issues vary depending on the network configuration, but the company plans to fix them in Aruba Instant and AirWave Management Platform later this year.

The planned update will change PAPI so that it operates within a secure channel such as DTLS or IPsec, the company said. Until then, customers can apply the recommendations included in the "Control Plane Security Best Practices" document that was published on the company's support portal.

Most of the other flaws were fixed in IAP 4.1.3.0 and 4.2.3.1 and AMP 8.2.0.

There are two issues in IAP that Aruba does not consider security vulnerabilities, but because they're not in line with industry best practices the company will fix them in a future update.

One of them stems from the use of a static password for an engineering support mode that provides additional configuration and diagnostic capabilities, the misuse of which could result in physical damage to the AP hardware. This mode can only be accessed from an authenticated administrative session so potential attackers would already need to have access to administrative credentials.

The other issue stems from the use of a static key to encrypt all passwords stored in the IAP configuration file. If such a file is stolen, an attacker could reverse engineer the platform's code to extract the key and decrypt the passwords.
Technicians from the SWIFT global financial network connecting it to Bangladesh's central bank made it easier for hackers to attack the bank, Bangladeshi police and a bank official have told Reuters.

The technicians worked on Bangladesh's Real-time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, used to transfer money among Bangladeshi banks, three months before hackers attempted to steal US$951 million from the central bank. The work opened up "a lot of loopholes" in bank computer systems, said the head of the criminal investigation department leading the investigation.

Bangladeshi police want to interview the SWIFT technicians to find out whether their actions were intentional or negligent, Mohammad Shah Alam told Reuters.

Police and bank officials told the news agency that a number of actions last October left the bank more vulnerable after the RTGS system was set up and connected to the SWIFT network, which provides messaging services to around 11,000 financial institutions worldwide.

The technicians did not follow usual security procedures, Bangladeshi bank and police officials told Reuters, leaving the bank's SWIFT messaging system remotely accessible, protected only via a simple password and no firewall.

Instead of building an isolated network for the RTGS system and linking that to the SWIFT network, the technicians connected both systems to a network linking 5,000 central bank computers to the open Internet, police officials told the news agency.

In addition, no firewall was placed between the RTGS and SWIFT networks to prevent the exchange of malicious traffic, and the switch used to connect the networks was not a modern, managed model but an old, unused one found at the bank, the agency reported.

The room containing SWIFT networking equipment at the bank was kept locked for security reasons, but the technicians installed a wireless connection, making it accessible from other offices there, securing it with only a simple password and leaving it connected after they left, the officials said.

Finally, a computer was connected to the SWIFT systems without following the usual procedure of disabling its USB port, making it possible for malware to be introduced from a thumb drive, police told the agency.

That port was still accessible when the theft was discovered in February, said the report, citing a bank official.

Hackers appear to have installed custom malware to interfere with the SWIFT messaging system.

During the theft, fraudulent SWIFT messages were sent to the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York seeking to transfer $951 million from Bangladesh Bank's account there to accounts elsewhere. Most of those transfers failed but around $81 million was sent to a bank in the Philippines, much of which remains unrecovered.

SWIFT was not responsible for any of the issues cited by the officials, and rejects the allegations, a company representative told IDG News Service.

"Bangladesh Bank is responsible for the security of its own systems interfacing with the SWIFT network and their related environment -- starting with basic password protection practices -- in much the same way as they are responsible for their other internal security considerations," the representative said.

Officials from Bangladesh Bank, SWIFT and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York are set to meet in Basel, Switzerland, on Tuesday to discuss the bank's security issues.

This story has been updated with a reaction from SWIFT.
Recent Verizon strike 2016 news revealed that the strikers have rejected the company's final offer. This comes after employees walked out on their jobs last month due to alleged unfair terms on their contracts.

The Militant reported that hundreds of members of the Communication Workers of America (CWA) as well as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have revealed that they were not accepting the company's final offer. The company has cut off health care benefits for those who participated in the Verizon strike 2016 and their families on May 1.

"To Mr. Reed - it's just your final best offer if we take it, and we won't take it!" IBEW Local 827 President Robert Speer said in the rally. It was previously reported that Verizon has presented a revised and final contract proposal to the unions that represent about 40,000 workers who are on strike.

The company has offered a wage increase of 7.5 percent over the term of a new contract. "We are putting our last, best final offer on the table," Verizon's Chief Administrative Officer Marc Reed said.

Reed has claimed that the raise "will be greater than the average increase in healthcare expense over the life of the contract." However, those who participated in the Verizon strike 2016 don't agree with the statement.

The company has also promised that if the unions sign the deal by May 20, it would drop the other changes that were imposed on employees. These include the demands for changes in involuntary temporary work assignments to another state as well as modifications in Sunday premium pay.

Meanwhile, according to NY Times, Verizon has been using "institutional deception" to persuade its customers to switch their home phone service to fiber-optic lines. The company has confirmed that it is focusing on its fiber network than maintaining copper lines.

The complaint noted that customers who have issues with their traditional home phone service are told that "fiber is the only fix." Those who refuse to switch are informed that their service would be disconnected within 20 days.
Recent Yahoo news revealed that the company has faced a security breach with its email servers. Apparently, hackers were able to obtain hundreds of millions of accounts and are selling it in Russia's criminal underworld.

Hold Security founder Alex Holden has told Reuters that 272.3 million hacked user names and passwords for email accounts as well as other websites are being traded in Russia's underworld. The accounts were from Mail.ru, a Russian email service, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.

It was noted that this has become one of the biggest number of stolen credentials to be uncovered over the past years. Holden and his firm have been successful in the discovery of some massive data breaches that affected Adobe, JP Morgan and Target.

The current security breach was found out after a young Russian hacker bragged about the stolen credentials in an online forum. It was said to total 1.17 billion records.

Holden added that the cache had about 57 million Mail.ru accounts, out of 64 million, after they eliminated the duplicates. It also contained millions of credentials from Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.

"This information is potent. It is floating around in the underground and this person has shown he's willing to give the data away to people who are nice to him," Holden, who is also the former chief security officer at U.S. brokerage R.W. Baird, said. "These credentials can be abused multiple times."

Mail.ru and Microsoft have confirmed with Reuters that they are already checking if any of the accounts are still active. Moreover, Microsoft has security measures set up for verification.

According to Ars Technica, Google and a Russia-based email service has questioned the validity of Hold Security's report. It seems that most of the rumored hacked accounts are fake.

"More than 98 percent of the Google account credentials in this research turned out to be bogus," a Google representative wrote in an e-mail to the publication. "As we always do in this type of situation, we increased the level of login protection for users that may have been affected."
The recent dismissal of Ali al-Naimi, the influential and long-serving Saudi Arabian oil minister suddenly changes the temperament of the oil price game. His dismissal ushers in a new wave of fear over oil prices.

Prices have rallied recently, but this could abruptly change course based on the policies that the new oil minister, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will begin to implement.

Businesses and jobs not only in the oil industry, but across all business sectors could be affected one way or the other.

Some believe that the removal of the former oil minister cemented the Crown Prince's grip on Saudi Arabia's energy policy.

A number of officials from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said this could mean a more serious politicization of oil-product strategy as the kingdom tries to neutralize Iran which is now attempting to regain its former standing as an oil producer after Western sanctions were lifted.

Al-Naimi was definitely the one person most credited for the drop in world fuel prices that started in late 2014. He led the continued refusal of OPEC countries to reduce their oil production, resulting in an increase in global oil supply that allowed prices to fall.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seemed willing to freeze its output in the Doha, Qatar talks last month but changed its approach. If Naimi wanted to reduce productions, those above him, including the Crown Prince, are not. His dismissal might mean ramping up oil production.

"Mohammed bin Salman has changed everything," said Helima Croft, head of commodities strategy at RBC Capital Markets.

"He doesn't feel the economic burden to have to cooperate with OPEC," she added.
All Politics Blog From Milwaukee, Madison and beyond, a daily dose of political news and glimpses behind the scenes SHARE

By of the

Madison -- State Rep. Andy Jorgensen posted messages on his official state website from time to time asking people to vote for him in his run for Rock County register of deeds.

It happened because the Milton Democrat linked his private Twitter account to his taxpayer-funded website. Anything he posted on Twitter showed up on the site, at least for a while.

For instance, last week a tweet appeared on the state site that said, Spread the word! I'm running for Rock County Register of Deeds! (Vote) August 9th!

Jorgensen took the Twitter feed off his state website Monday, after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel left him messages asking about the issue last week.

He said he did not know his tweets were going on the state site until he was alterted to it by a former staff member who had been contacted by the Journal Sentinel about the matter.

"I didn't realize that was going on," Jorgesen said. "As soon as I did, I took it down. ... It was a mistake on my part that I never intended to do. I just didn't know I did it."

While the feed was up, two tweets would appear on the site at a time. They went away when new tweets flowed into the sites feed.

In some cases, political messages stayed on the site for days at a time.

State law bars using state resources for campaign purposes. In 2012, the state Government Accountability Board issued a memo saying state resources should not be used to create websites that include a mix of political and official messages.

Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester) faced a similar issue in 2010. Vos, who has since become Assembly speaker, said at the time that hed checked with state ethics regulators and theyd told him Twitter feeds on state websites were in a gray area.

Once he was told that, Vos took down his Twitter feed.


By of the

A super PAC funded by the Koch brothers has begun airing a revised ad attacking former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold after three TV stations quit running the original spot.

But the message hasn't changed.

And neither has the response.

Feingold officials said Monday that they will continue to lobby Wisconsin TV stations to pull the plug on the updated commercial.

"Absolutely," said a top Feingold staffer.

The TV commercial by the Freedom Partners Action Fund, which is backing U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, tries to link Feingold to the over-prescription scandal at the Tomah VA Medical Center. But instead of citing just one memo, the revised ad says Feingold received "multiple memos outlining veteran harm."

Freedom Partners is spending $2 million on the ad run. Johnson, a Republican, and Feingold, a Democrat, square off in November.

The substance of the ad is the same -- multiple memos showing veteran harm at Tomah were marked delivered to Senator Feingold, and he did nothing," said Bill Riggs, spokesman for Freedom Partners.

But Michael Tyler, a spokesman for Feingold, said Johnson and his allies knew the original ad was "based on a lie" and the revised version is no better.

"Johnson's allies are now trying to weasel their way back onto the airwaves with more deception," Tyler said.

The original ad focused on a 2009 memo about problems at the Tomah facility. Feingold and the author of the memo contend Feingold didn't receive that memo at the time, prompting Feingold's lawyers to call on TV stations around the state to pull the plug on the ad.

To read their letter, click here.

Three stations -- two in Green Bay and one in Madison -- did just that late last week. During a conference call with reporters on Monday, a lawyer for Feingold's campaign called this move "exceedingly rare." The ad is not running in the Milwaukee market.

The revised TV spot, which was completed over the weekend, sought to bolster its claims by asserting that Feingold received "multiple memos" about problems at the Tomah medical center. Pictured in the ad is part of a 2008 memo in which union officials complained to aides for Feingold and other Wisconsin lawmakers about the hospital's then-chief of staff, David Houlihan.

"The idea (Feingold) had no knowledge of a major scandal unfolding in his state over the course of two years should be alarming to most voters in Wisconsin," said Riggs, the spokesman for Freedom Partners, which is funded by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch. Feingold was ousted by Johnson in 2010.

But Tyler said the '08 memo cited in the revised ad says "absolutely nothing about the tragic overprescription of opioids at the Tomah VA." Instead, union officials claimed in the two-page note that Houlihan was creating a hostile work environment with his authoritarian and erratic management style.

The memo does say Houlihan -- a psychiatrist whose license was recently restored -- was prescribing medication without seeing patients. Some veterans had dubbed Houlihan the "Candy Man" for his supposedly easy and widespread distribution of painkillers.

"The Kochs would rather double down on a lie than accept the truth that Senator Johnson has failed Wisconsin's veterans miserably," Tyler said.

Reached Monday after a campaign event, Feingold ripped both versions of the ad, accusing the super PAC of a shameless attempt to exploit the death of a veteran for political purposes.

Ryan Honl, the Tomah whistleblower featured in the ad, said he stands by everything he said in the commercial. He added: "I wont be intimidated by Russ Feingold or his lawyers attempts to silence me. Unfortunately, this is what happens to whistleblowers, and this is why so many are afraid to speak up."

Feingold's campaign aired its own ad last week criticizing Johnson's office for failing to act on a 2014 complaint on the same issue at the Tomah hospital.

The ad highlights a radio interview in which Johnson said his office may have taken action had this not occurred during an election cycle, when theres an awful lot of turnover . . . when people are looking at doing job interviews and stuff.

Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank listens to debate about a resolution presented by the UW Faculty Senate which expresses a no confidence vote in the universitys Board of Regents during a meeting in Bascom Hall. Credit: John Hart / Wisconsin- State Journal

By of the

The student body president at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is urging the Faculty Senate there not to pass a no-confidence resolution against UW System leaders on Tuesday, saying it would alienate those "who fight for you" and give state lawmakers "ammunition for their next assault on the System."

"Though perhaps well intentioned, this motion and the bill text put forward by the authors is embarrassingly naive and represents a massive misunderstanding of politics in the state of Wisonsin," said a five-page letter from student body president Jake Wrasse to the Faculty Senate.

Wrasse said he has worked with legislators for the past two years in various capacities, lobbying for the Confluence Project, in opposition to the Campus Carry Act, and against cutting state funding to the UW System by the $300 million proposed by Gov. Scott Walker.

"I can tell you that, in my over 100 legislative meetings in Wisconsin, improving the UW System's fortune is not about persuasion," Wrasse wrote. "It is about working with the people in power to build relationships so they may show us some good will. They will decide what happens to the UW System, and I'd rather have us be a part of that conversation than not."

That's why a no-confidence vote against UW System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents would be unproductive, Wrasse wrote.

Tenure wasn't struck from law just because legislators thought it would be more appropriate to have it in UW policy, Wrasse wrote. "They got rid of tenure in state law because many find tenure to be ridiculous; they don't believe in lifetime job secrity, usually because of a very entrepreneurial/capitalist set of beliefs, and they don't want to pay people that they see as 'coasting' in a safe job.'"

Wrasse said he disagrees with that perspective of tenure. "However, an impassioned, rousing argument for tenure is going to have zero impact on this audience. In fact, it will reinforce their belief that faculty are out of touch with the reality they feel most Wisconsinites experience."

"Tenure is politics," Wrasse said. "We're a state entity, and elected officials have power over these policies. It is imperative that you understand the environment in which we operate is dominated by political figures, not best practices from the AAUP or any other agency."

Wrasse said he doesn't understand what the authors of the no-confidence resolution the Faculty Senate will consider Tuesday hope to accomplish.

If Cross were to resign, a multi-month search for a qualified successor would ensue, and that person would come into the beginning of the 2017-'19 budget process with just a few months' experience in Wisconsin, Wrasse wrote.

Also, while faculty say they want Cross and the Board of Regents to work with them, "telling someone you have no confidence in their ability to do their job is a terrible way to initiate a partnership to improve advocacy efforts," Wrasse said.

"Do you want to look foolish and make the budget battle more difficult next year? That's all I'm getting from this."

Wrasse asked members of UW-Eau Claire's Faculty Senate to "have the humility to consider another viewpoint" and "step back from the precipice of this stereotypically ill-informed, pointless motion."

Faculty at UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse and UW-River Falls last week passed no-confidence votes against UW System leaders. UW-Milwaukee faculty are to consider a resolution Tuesday afternoon.
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Smartphone makers such as Apple Inc. and Google and mobile carriers including AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. face an inquiry by U.S. regulators into how they review and release security updates to combat cyberthieves and Internet vandals.

The Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission both issued statements Monday saying they want to know more about how and when vulnerabilities are being patched as consumers and businesses face hacking threats related to their increased reliance on mobile broadband.

"We are concerned" that "there are significant delays in delivering patches to actual devices  and that older devices may never be patched," the FCC said in a sample of letters sent to companies that the agency posted on its website.

The FCC sent letters to the top four U.S. wireless providers  AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile Inc. and Sprint Corp.  as well as to U.S. Cellular Corp. and TracFone Wireless Inc., said Neil Grace, a spokesman for the agency.

The FTC said it had ordered eight companies to explain the process for issuing security updates: Apple, Alphabet Inc.'s Google, BlackBerry Ltd., HTC America Inc., LG Electronics USA Inc., Microsoft Corp., Motorola Mobility LLC and Samsung Electronics America Inc.

The companies are to list the mobile devices they've offered for sale in the U.S. since August 2013, the vulnerabilities associated with the gear, and whether they've offered patches, the FTC said.

Wireless carriers "deploy and encourage all customers to take advantage of the updates to protect their devices and personal information from cyberthreats," John Marinho, a vice president at CTIA, a Washington-based carriers' trade group, said in an e-mailed statement.
The former Laacke & Joys building at 1433 N. Water St. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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The $31 million redevelopment of downtown Milwaukee's former Laacke & Joys building would receive $3 million in loans from two quasi-public lenders, under a new proposal.

Investors groups affiliated with developer Wangard Partners Inc. are seeking two loans, each totaling $1.5 million, from Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit business lender affiliated with the city, and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

MEDC's Loan and Finance Committee is to consider its loan at the committee's Tuesday meeting. Associated Bank is the project's main lender.

The loans would help finance Wangard's conversion of the former manufacturing building, 1433 N. Water St.

Part of the building is being demolished, with a five-story addition developed to create a 113,830-square-foot multitenant office building anchored by Bader Rutter & Associates. The business marketing firm plans to move there from Brookfield in May 2017.

Also, two neighboring buildings will be converted to restaurants, and a 12-story, 140-room hotel could eventually be developed at the site.
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A growing Chicago technology firm that lets people use their mobile phones to pick up on-demand work  sort of like Uber drivers pick up fares  has opened an office in the Milwaukee area.

Shiftgig said Monday that it has opened at 6767 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis  the 10th office for the company since it launched in 2011.

Shiftgig provides a platform for businesses such as restaurants, hotels and retailers to quickly add staffing on a shift-by-shift basis.

The businesses post their needs with Shiftgig, where workers  including bartenders, cooks, housekeepers and call center specialists  use the company's app on their phones to check for available jobs. Shiftgig pays the workers and takes a fee from its business clients.

Besides Chicago and Milwaukee, the company has a presence in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, Miami, New York, Phoenix and Tampa. Most of those have been added in the last year and a half.

During that same period, Shiftgig has grown from 150 business clients to 750. Meanwhile, the company has gone from about 3,000 shifts worked per month to about 22,000.

Shiftgig has received $35 million in funding from investors, including a $22 million round in November.
Radiohead digitally released its ninth album, A Moon Shaped Pool, Sunday. Credit: Associated Press

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Nearly a week before digitally releasing its ninth studio album "A Moon Shaped Pool," Radiohead erased its own digital identity. The band's website became a blank page, its history of Tweets and Facebook posts wiped away, although new messages have followed since.

Now that the album dropped on Sunday, the question remains: Why?

Why remove digital traces before digitally releasing your work?

Such drastic actions stand out in a sea of marketing messages; Radiohead's disappearance from Facebook and Twitter became trending topics.

Of course, we'll never get an answer from the mysterious group.

But Radiohead doesn't do anything flippantly. "Pool," true to its adventurous catalog, attests to that. It doesn't require gimmicks.

You can hear the meticulous craftsmanship and care in every beat of its 53 minutes. More than two decades after its debut album, it still challenges itself with enigmatic and alluring music.

"Daydreaming" is a prime example. The song emerges from a sleepy stupor  symbolized by wavy, unsteady synthesizer  before finding its footing with elegant piano and dreamy strings.

And yet, beneath the shimmering beauty there's unease. By song's end, the music becomes a monster; its frightening moan comes alive by an unnerving churn of cello and the alien sound of Thom Yorke slowly singing in reverse. When flipped, the words Yorke sings translate to "Half of my life," which may refer to the 2015 split from his partner of 23 years, Rachel Owen.

Elsewhere there are songs performed live before the separation  album closer "True Love Waits" was first heard in 1995, the guitar now replaced by ethereal, gorgeous layers of piano and a deep, fleeting electronic murmur.

Yet Yorke consistently sings of alienation and anxiety, of feeling lost, common side effects of being alone. "I'm not living, I'm just killing time," he aches on "Waits." "Truth will mess you up," he repeatedly sings with unhealthy obsession on "Ful Stop," as ambient electronica, Jonny Greenwood's shimmering guitar and brother Colin's rubbery bass slowly swell and recede.

"Panic is coming on strong/so cold, from the inside out," he preciously mumbles on "Glass Eyes," before he's drawn to a path heading down a mountain. "I don't know where it leads," he sings over lush, but reserved, strings, resembling a mix of desire and sadness. "I don't really care."

With this worldview, you can begin to understand why someone might want to start over, why Radiohead did just that online. At least that's my interpretation. You likely have your own, and will develop your own theories about the songs' meanings.

And that's why Radiohead is the most rewarding, arena-filling, mega-festival-headlining rock band of modern times. Aside from the recently departed David Bowie, there's no other superstar rock act still giving us so much to contemplate.

More On Music

Find out about the week's must-see shows, concert tickets and more in the newsletter "Piet Levy's Music Picks." Subscribe at jsonline.com/newsletters.

Piet talks about concerts, local music and more on "TAP'd In" with Jordan Lee, 8 a.m. Thursdays on WYMS-FM (88.9).
Larry Ramirez (left) discusses a prototype trumpet with jazz star Maynard Ferguson in 1977. Ramirez, of Elkhorn, designed custom instruments for great musicians, including Ferguson. Credit: Courtesy of Larry Ramirez

SHARE Larry Ramirez of Elkhorn designed custom instruments for many musicians, such as the colorful trumpets that Miles Davis played. Associated Press

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During the decades he worked for the Leblanc instrument company, Larry Ramirez was the brass whisperer to many star musicians, designing and ensuring quality control on custom instruments they requested.

But no encounter was bigger, and ultimately more surprising, for the Elkhorn man than the one he had with legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (subject of the new movie "Miles Ahead").

In the early 1980s, when Davis returned to public performance after a long layoff due in part to health problems, he asked Leblanc to make him colored trumpets  one black, one bluish. Ramirez, who had met Davis briefly to take some measurements, flew to Denver, where he presented the horns to Davis in his motel room.

The excited Davis pulled a mouthpiece out of his pajama pocket and attached it to one of the trumpets. Stay right where you are, he told Ramirez, still standing. Davis put the bell of the horn up against Ramirez's stomach and began playing softly. This surprised Ramirez, but he wasn't about to question his musical hero.

After a spell, Davis stopped. Ramirez imitated the trumpeter's familiar rasp: I hope you don't mind me using your stomach as a mute. I don't want to wake up my woman. Actress Cicely Tyson, whom Davis married in 1981, was sleeping in the next room.

Hired as trumpet tester

Born in Denver, Ramirez, now 77, embraced trumpet playing as a boy. Thanks to some fortunate timing, he even took lessons from legendary trumpet virtuoso Rafael Mendez, who would stay with Ramirez's trumpet teacher when he came to Colorado.

In the early 1960s, to support his family Ramirez worked long second shifts at the Fisher Body plant in Janesville. In the pit, he was allotted one minute to complete his task on each vehicle, but the nimble Ramirez could do it in 20 seconds. So he would pull a trumpet mouthpiece out of his pocket and practice during those remaining seconds.

A friend told Larry's wife, Gloria, about an opening at the Holton factory in Elkhorn for a trumpet tester. He played "Zigeunerweisen," the Sarasate violin showpiece, as his audition. But what won him the job, Ramirez said, was that he could also play trombone.

Realizing he'd be taking a pay cut to join Holton (later acquired by Leblanc), he turned the job down because he needed more income to support his family. Gloria would have none of this.

"He was going to throw away his dream," she said. She told him to "go over there and you beg for that job."

Ramirez made up the income playing gigs on the weekend, sometimes on weeknights. Soon he was going to night school, too, learning quality control, drafting, even some music theory. For a time, he was gone so much, he said, that Gloria would wake their five children up at 2 a.m. when Larry got home, so the family could gather around the table and eat together.

Working with spare parts, Ramirez invented a hybrid trombone that incorporated the full seven positions of a slide trombone plus three functional valves, extending the musical range of the instrument. His son Anthony joked that the prototype, made from mismatched elements and adorned with electrician's tape, looked like a Frankenstein horn.

But that trombone became the first of several patents with Ramirez's name on them. It found a champion years later in jazzman Maynard Ferguson, who played it enthusiastically and endorsed it under the nickname Superbone. Ferguson also spread the word about Ramirez.

His own voice

In that Denver motel room, Davis looked at Ramirez: You play, don't you?

Ramirez's technique was strong then. "I played like 10 hours a day at the shop because I tested horns all day long," he said.

Davis handed him the trumpet. "I knew he hated people who would copy somebody else," Ramirez said, so he didn't try to mimic Davis' sound. He played a bit of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez  not the way Davis performed it on "Sketches of Spain," but in his own voice. Ramirez remembers Davis telling him: Man, you play pretty good. He introduced Ramirez to Tyson, and the two trumpeters talked about tone and technique for hours.

Later, Ramirez and company made a red trumpet for Davis, too.

After Davis died in 1991 at age 65, guitarist Carlos Santana, his friend and admirer, asked Ramirez to make him a replica of Davis' trumpet. After getting the necessary permissions, Ramirez sent Santana the instrument. The guitarist replied with a heartfelt thank-you letter:

"I cannot begin to tell you of the deep emotions I felt when I actually saw and touched your masterpiece. It feels like an Excalibur."

ABOUT THIS FEATURE

This Is Us is a recurring feature in the Journal Sentinel Green Sheet, with stories on the people, places and things reflecting the spirit and heart of our community.
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The Milwaukee County man already charged with fatally shooting a woman on the interstate in Sauk County has now been charged with another homicide in West Allis earlier that day.

Zachary Tyler Hays, 20, faces one count of first-degree reckless homicide in the May 1 death of Gabriel Claudio-Sanchez, 42, his downstairs neighbor in a four-unit apartment building in the 2300 block of S. 92nd St.

According to the criminal complaint:

Hays knocked on the door of Claudio-Sanchez's apartment about 6:30 a.m. asking for a key to the basement of the four-unit building. A woman in the apartment got a key but when she returned to the door, Hays was gone. He apparently went to his own apartment upstairs, where the woman heard banging.

When he returned again, the woman was at the door with the key but Hays kept yelling that his brother was in her apartment. He eventually took the key and tried it in the basement but couldn't open the door and returned to Claudio-Sanchez's apartment, again loudly asking, "Where is my brother?"

When he began to try to push into the woman's apartment, Claudio-Sanchez came to help her try to close the door, but Hays shot into the door, hitting Claudio-Sanchez.

The woman and two children then ran to the bathroom and called 911. Hays came inside and again asked where his brother was. The woman told police he gave them a blank stare.

The woman identified Hays from a photo array.

Prosecutors say after the incident, Hays and his two brothers apparently headed north. The brothers stopped at a gas station near a Burger King in Wisconsin Dells before getting on I-90/94 in Sauk County.

Zachary Hays had a pistol in his lap and was pointing it at cars as they drove by, his brother said. He began driving erratically, flipping people off and was particularly paranoid about cars with tinted windows, the brother told investigators.

Zachary Hays was watching a black car approaching their SUV and "freaking out" about its tinted windows before shooting toward the car, the brother said.

Tracy Czaczkowski, 44, who was returning to Illinois with her husband and two children, was hit in the neck and died.

Hays continued speeding on the highway for several miles until deputies used road spikes to stop his vehicle in Dane County. He got out of the car, walked toward authorities holding a gun and ignored orders to drop it, officials said. Two deputies fired and wounded him in the shoulder.

Hays remains hospitalized, under guard, at a Madison hospital, said Elise Schaffer, a spokeswoman for the Dane County Sheriff's Office.

In Sauk County, Hays is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of recklessly endangering safety.

Hays' brothers were with him in the car and also were arrested. Jeremy A. Hays, 30, was booked on a tentative charge of being a felon in possession of a gun. He appeared in Dane County Circuit Court on Monday, where his $10,000 bail was changed to a signature bond.

Jeremy Hays described Zachary as acting paranoid ever since he smoked marijuana four days earlier, the criminal complaint says.

A 34-year-old brother has not yet been charged or appeared in court.
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A robbery suspect shot by an off-duty police lieutenant late Sunday morning did not have a weapon, Milwaukee police spokesman Sgt. Timothy Gauerke confirmed Monday.

The 25-year-old Milwaukee man was shot about 11:30 a.m. Sunday outside Sally Beauty Supply in the 7300 block of W. Good Hope Road.

"Preliminary investigation has revealed that suspect in this incident was holding stolen merchandise from the store and not a weapon when confronted by police," Gauerke said in an email.

The lieutenant, who was not on duty at the time, fired several shots after being told about a robbery in progress. Despite being hit, the suspect fled the scene, but he was later arrested near N. 76th St. and W. Mill Road. He remained hospitalized Monday for injuries that are not life-threatening, police said.

The lieutenant, 48, was not injured. Police did not release his name but said he is a 22-year veteran of the department assigned to the investigative and intelligence bureau. As in any officer-involved shooting, he has been placed on administrative duty pending investigation.

That investigation is being conducted by the Milwaukee Police Department Metropolitan Investigations Division, Gauerke said. While smaller departments often elicit outside agencies to investigate nonfatal shootings, state law requires an outside investigation only in fatal incidents.

Police plan to ask the Milwaukee County district attorney's office to file felony robbery charges in the coming days. Police will not release the suspect's name until formal charges have been issued, Gauerke said.
The Congress of Industrialized Organizations marches on Wisconsin Ave. in 1938. Credit: Wisconsin Historical Images, Wisconsin Historical Society

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Step back in time, before World War II when Milwaukee was crammed with parks and industry, with 80 bowling alleys and pool halls, one burlesque show and 2,200 taverns.

It was an era, according to a city guide, when "Milwaukee people are aware that their city, while superficially resembling her sister cities of the Middle West, has her own 'little peculiarities,' and they sometimes bitterly berate her for them."

And yet, residents "regard her idiosyncrasies with the affectionate and amused pride that one takes in one's old Aunt Susan, who always leaves her spoon in her coffee cup."

"She is not suave, or permanent-waved, or 'smart,' but she does as she pleases, speaks her mind, and commands recognition."

That old city lives on in the pages of "Milwaukee in the 1930s: A Federal Writers Project City Guide," published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

Decades after the manuscript went unpublished because of political infighting, and was then placed in the Wisconsin Historical Society Archives in Madison, it is finally in print.

John D. Buenker, 78, an emeritus history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, edited the volume. His wife, Beverly, did the hard, tedious work of retyping the old manuscript, making it ready for the modern age.

At their home in Racine, the Buenkers still marvel over what the book contains. As John Buenker explains in the preface, here is a description of Milwaukee "at the confluence of the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the run-up to World War II."

Beverly recalls the nuggets of everyday life, like the rental rates at Bradford Beach, where lockers could be had for a nickel a day, and towels for 10 cents.

"It's touching," she said.

"It was life on a different scale," he said.

The book was part of the Federal Writers Project, which provided employment to thousands of writers, teachers, librarians, lawyers and other white collar workers desperate for jobs amid the Depression. The American Guide Series produced books on each of the then-48 states, plus territories and regions, and some cities.

The Milwaukee book was sponsored by the Milwaukee County Board, which put up $7,500 in 1935 to cover the cost of production, Buenker writes. It took nearly five years for this unnamed army of authors to complete the manuscript. But then the project ran into controversy in the summer of 1940 as an ad hoc committee of public officials was tasked with editing 16 essays on subjects like the city's history, economic development and cultural institutions.

The officials went over the manuscript, "day by day, word by word," Buenker said.

Not only were these essays ultimately "written by committee," Buenker writes, "but by a committee whose deliberations were constantly disrupted by bitter ideological and partisan conflict."

One committee member objected to the "glorification" of the Social Democratic Party of America, another wondered why the county was in the book-publishing business, and there was a dispute about Milwaukee's "attitude toward World War I."

The full County Board never voted on whether to publish the book, Buenker writes. Once World War II broke out, there were bigger things to worry about.

Eventually, the manuscript was sent to the state historical society.

Around a decade ago, Zane Miller, an emeritus history professor at the University of Cincinnati, encouraged Buenker to take on the project of bringing the guide to the public.

The guide includes just one of the once-controversial essays, as well as 13 tours of city neighborhoods and a tour around Milwaukee County.

"It was the kind of world I grew up in," said Buenker, an Iowa native.

This was Milwaukee before the freeways. When the Milwaukee County Courthouse was in its first decade and jurists differed "as to the merits of the paintings in their courtrooms." When Our Lady of Pompeii Church was the "center of Catholic worship for Milwaukee's Italians." And when Borchert Field, "equipped with powerful lights for night games," was the home of the minor league Milwaukee Brewers.

From the viaducts overlooking the Menomonee Valley could be seen "a panorama of Milwaukee industry  a maze of waterways and railroad tracks dotted by factory chimneys, gas tanks, enormous coal piles, and the squares of stockyard pens."

"How did the city work in those days," Buenker said. "It was very small scale, more personal. People knew each other as individuals. It was more or less a small town."
Terry Cullen appears in a Milwaukee County Court on June 4, 2012. Credit: Mike De Sisti

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Six years after Milwaukee police broke into Terry Cullen's properties, killed his dogs and seized hundreds of lizards, snakes and crocodiles, the internationally known reptile expert has asked a federal court to award him more than $4.4 million in damages.

The May 2010 raids made national news, as police and wildlife officials claimed the exotic animals were being illegally possessed or mistreated, all claims disputed by Cullen, who was ultimately cleared of a variety of charges.

Cullen's lawsuit accuses police of lying to get search warrants, ignoring less destructive options for conducting their investigation, and leaving his business and reputation in tatters, all in violation of his civil rights.

The raids were prompted by an Illinois woman who told authorities that Cullen had assaulted her during a visit to one of his Milwaukee residences to discuss an internship with his reptile rescue and rehabilitation operation.

In 2012, prosecutors acknowledged the victim had serious credibility issues, and agreed to dismiss two felonies based on the woman's claims and several misdemeanors related to Cullen's care and storage of the animals, in exchange for Cullen pleading no contest to fourth-degree sexual assault, a misdemeanor, as part of a deferred prosecution. After he met various conditions of the agreement, the conviction was vacated.

Cullen's friend and business associate, Jane Flint, was also arrested and charged in 2010, but prosecutors later dismissed all charges against her. She filed her own civil rights suit against the city in 2014 over the execution of the dogs, Tibetan mastiffs named Tong and Pogo. That case recently settled.

Many of the seized animals later died.

Cullen blamed a lack of knowledge about the creatures, many of them exotic snakes, lizards and alligators, many on loan from zoos.

His lawsuit estimates the value of all the seized wildlife inventory at $2 million. It also accuses police of taking guns, computers, tools, cash and jewelry from the four residences they searched without waiting for offered assistance from Cullen's staff.

"Instead Defendants deliberately and recklessly rushed to conclusions and took actions that were patently unfair and which violated Plaintiffs' clearly established constitutional rights including their rights to due process, and freedom from unreasonable searches, seizures and permanent deprivations; amongst others," the suit reads in part.

In addition to the damages sought for the lost animals, Cullen seeks another $2 million in lost income, and more than $400,000 for his costs to repair damage to his four properties caused by the raids and subsequent alleged failure by the city to secure them adequately, and for repairing his reputation on the internet, where stories of his case spread around the reptile conservation world.

It also seeks unspecified punitive damages.

Police knew for about a week before they served a search warrant at one residence owned by Cullen, where Flint was staying, that there were four large dogs inside. The day of the search, Flint told detectives she would come home immediately from work to confine or remove the dogs before officers conducted the search for endangered reptiles, or could have a friend get the dogs sooner.

But officers, including members of a tactical team, did not wait. After they entered, they shot two of the dogs with assault rifles, shortly before Flint arrived. The surviving dogs, Mung and Shombu, were led out in catch nooses.

Contrary to Milwaukee police policy, no use of force report was written about the shooting of the dogs until months later, according to Cullen's suit, and video being taken by police stops right before the dogs are killed before restarting again after they're dead.

The suit names as defendants two police officers, several yet to be named individuals in the Police Department, the city and a yet to be identified insurance company. The city attorney's office does not comment on pending litigation.
Wolves like this gray wolf shown in a file photo have have killed or injured livestock or pets in 14 cases in Wisconsin so far in 2016. Credit: Associated Press

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Two Republican lawmakers from northern Wisconsin said Monday they would convene a Great Lakes wolf summit this fall involving public officials, scientists and citizens from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan to push for state management of wolves.

The legislators are calling for the summit in the wake of a federal court's decision in December 2014 that returned protections of the Endangered Species Act to the western Great Lakes wolf population.

"Our intent is to send a crystal clear, grass-roots message that it is irresponsible to ignore this issue any longer," the legislators said in a statement, titled "Enough is enough."

Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) and Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake) called for the summit, noting that wolves have killed or injured livestock or pets in 14 cases so far in 2016, according to Department of Natural Resources records.

The most recent example occurred last week in Shawano County when a young female cow ready to have her first calf was killed. The case "showcases the unfortunate results of a wolf population being allowed to run rampant in Wisconsin," Tiffany and Jarchow said.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., in 2014 struck down the federal government's 2012 decision to remove gray wolves in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan from the federal list of endangered species. The suit was brought by the Humane Society of the United States.

The decision ended Wisconsin's wolf hunting season.

The implications of the court decision is Wisconsin, in most cases, lost its ability to use lethal means to address wolves considered to be problem animals.

Since the court decision, David MacFarland, carnivore specialist with the DNR, said the agency had relied primarily on nonlethal means to control nuisance wolves, including the construction of 19 miles of fencing, and the use of electric fences, sound and lights and posting guard animals.

"It's not that we are doing nothing," MacFarland said. "In fact we are doing quite a bit."

He said one wolf was killed last year by authorities in far northern Wisconsin with approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after the wolf was observed "getting uncomfortably close to people and was getting near buildings and barns."

MacFarland said that his agency would act to protect public health, but he also said that there were no known cases of wolves harming humans in Wisconsin.

The DNR reported that the April 2015 off-reservation wolf population was estimated at 717 to 742 wolves.

Wolves returned to Wisconsin in the mid-1970s. In 1989, DNR biologists estimated the wolf population was about 80.
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson was already facing a tough re-election fight in Wisconsin against Russ Feingold. Now he has to worry about the potentially convulsive impact of Donald Trump on the top of the Republican ticket. Credit: Associated Press

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson was already facing a tough re-election fight in Wisconsin.

Now he has to worry about the potentially convulsive impact of Donald Trump on the top of the Republican ticket.

With a staggering level of discord dogging Republicans over their presumptive nominee, many in the party fear GOP turnout will suffer this fall, hurting candidates up and down the ballot.

"All the polls ... show (Trump) losing considerably to Hillary Clinton, and that is going to perhaps cost us the Senate, including Sen. Johnson's seat, and put the House in jeopardy."

That's how the dean of Wisconsin's congressional delegation, Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, put it back in March, when Trump's critics in the party were still hoping to defeat him and openly advertising their alarm.

"This potential nominee would destroy (Wisconsin) Republicans down ballot if this were to hold."

That's how Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke put it in a February tweet after a Marquette University Law School poll showed Trump viewed negatively by two-thirds of Wisconsin voters and trailing Clinton by double-digits in the state.

Johnson's re-election fight against Democrat Russ Feingold will be a prime test of those fears.

The one-term Republican is already trying to buck history. It has been 36 years since Republicans won a Senate race in Wisconsin in a presidential year, when turnouts are larger, more liberal and more favorable to Democrats than they typically are in midterm elections.

Johnson is also trying to buck months of polling in which he has trailed Feingold.

"Put Mitt Romney, George W. Bush or Dwight Eisenhower on the ticket, and that would be a tough race for Ron Johnson no matter what," said University of San Francisco political scientist Ken Goldstein, who spent many years at the University of Wisconsin.

Johnson trailed Feingold by only 3 points among likely voters in the last Marquette poll. But one thing Johnson can probably not afford is a GOP electorate divided or demoralized about its presidential nominee.

In Marquette's last Wisconsin poll (taken March 24-28), only 72% of likely GOP voters said they would support Trump over Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee; 8% backed Clinton, 15% said they supported neither and 4% didn't know. By contrast, Clinton got 85% of the voters in her own party, with 7% saying Trump, 7% saying neither and 1% who didn't know.

That's 19% of Republicans saying "neither" or "don't know," compared with 8% of Democrats.

"That's an important asymmetry," said Marquette pollster Charles Franklin.

Will those Republicans deeply reluctant to vote for Trump go to the polls and support the party's other candidates, or stay home?

"That's the big unknown. ... If they stay home, then it's zero votes (from that group) for everybody down the ballot. We've got to get a lot closer to the election to get a serious sense of that," Franklin said.

"The big concern I have at this early stage is ... if (Trump's) presence on the ballot is going to depress Republican turnout," said Mark Graul, who ran President Bush's 2004 re-election effort in Wisconsin.

Graul said you could also make the opposite argument  that Trump "is going to turn out more Republican voters than usual."

"I think it's way too early to say," he said.

But Trump's 13-point loss in Wisconsin's April 5 primary is a danger sign for state Republicans, as are Trump's startlingly poor numbers in southeastern Wisconsin, the reddest part of the state.

Trump's image among GOP voters in that region is overwhelmingly negative. He lost by roughly 40 points in Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties, which account for almost a fifth of the Republican vote in Wisconsin.

Republican candidates rely on those counties for massive turnouts and lopsided margins to counter the landslides Democrats reap in presidential years from Milwaukee and Madison.

"Those folks are not going to go to the polls and vote for Hillary Clinton," Trump strategist Rick Wiley, who once ran the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said last week.

But will they produce the same massive margins they did for Gov. Scott Walker in his three victories, or for the Mitt Romney-Paul Ryan ticket in 2012?

Walker won those counties in his recall fight by more than 150,000 votes.

Romney won them by more than 130,000.

But John McCain, a candidate who didn't energize Republicans, won them by fewer than 90,000 in 2008.

Trump has consistently trailed Clinton in statewide polls this year.

If he loses to her by 5 to 10 points, Johnson has to substantially outperform Trump to win his Senate race against Feingold.

That would require a level of ticket splitting we haven't seen from Wisconsin voters in recent cycles. Walker suggested last week that it could happen, because Wisconsin voters have shown they are "independent."

But ticket splitting has been in sharp decline in Wisconsin: More than 20% of voters split their tickets in major races before 2000; that number has dropped methodically since then, plunging to 6% in 2012.

It's possible Trump's presence on the ballot could reverse this decline, since he's a unique candidate who jumbles some political lines.

"He is certainly not like any other candidate either party has ever seen at least in my lifetime," Graul said.

But for Johnson to benefit, ticket splitters would have to skew in his favor. In other words, there would have to be more Clinton-Johnson voters than Trump-Feingold voters.

But the reverse was true in the most recent Marquette poll: 13% of Clinton voters said they favored Johnson in the Senate race while 17% of Trump voters said they favored Feingold.

History is hardly a perfect guide, but there is no real precedent in recent decades for a Republican Senate candidate in Wisconsin to significantly outperform the party's presidential ticket. Even Tommy Thompson, with his long history of landslide victories in the state, barely outperformed Romney in his losing 2012 Senate bid.

The outcome of the presidential race in Wisconsin could affect any number of "down-ballot" races besides the U.S. Senate contest, from the open-seat fight for the 8th Congressional District that includes Green Bay to legislative seats.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he's not worried about Trump's impact on legislative races because Republicans have historically done well in state Assembly and Senate contests despite repeatedly losing the presidential vote here.

"The last time a Republican carried the state for president was 1984. I was in high school. We all started with the assumption it would be tough for any Republican to carry Wisconsin in a presidential cycle," Vos said. "We know we have a difficult political environment, (but) we've got a 20-year track record of doing what we need to do to keep our majorities."

Steineke, the Assembly majority leader, argued last week that Clinton was as much a drag on Democratic candidates as Trump is on Republicans.

"The Democratic Party is just as dysfunctional as anybody else," he said, pointing to the prolonged battle between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. "They're in about the same position we are."

It's true that Clinton has high negatives compared to past nominees, especially with independent voters. But Trump's negatives are higher, and Democrats simply aren't as divided as Republicans over their presumptive nominee.

The fact that GOP legislative leaders such as Vos and Steineke have so far withheld their support from Trump  just as Ryan, the House speaker, has  reflects the deep unease among Republican leaders about Trump, his politics, and his impact on their party.

Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Wisconsin has widest score gap between Black and white students

The 2022 NAEP test scores are the first nationwide results since the pandemic.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Al-Qaeda central leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, DC, has issued a new audio tape. In it, he said that the only successful revolution launched in 2011 in the Arab world was the Syrian, because it followed the right path, throwing up groups devoted to holy war and the implementation of a puritanical version of Islamic law.

At the same time, al-Zawahiri attacked Daesh (ISIS, ISIL), a breakaway from al-Qaeda, and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

He called for volunteers to go to Syria to help those he called the holy warriors, a reference to the Support Front (Jabhat al-Nusra), the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria that has pledged allegiance to al-Zawahiri.

Al-Qaeda in Syria leads the Army of Conquest coalition and has a battlefield alliance with several so-called moderate Free Syrian Army factions. Syrian al-Qaeda has been attempting to disrupt the ceasefire worked out by the US and Russia with the Syrian regime and the remnants of the Free Syrian Army (mostly Muslim Brotherhood).

Al-Zawahiri urged his followers to struggle against the conspiracies hatched in Syria to do away with jihad or holy war. He said that the chief conspirator was Saudi Arabia, which he accused of having been midwifed by the British and which he said is a lackey of the United States.

Al-Zawahiri said that al-Qaeda in Syria did not want to impose itself as the Syrian government. Rather he said, when the Muslims choose a leader, al-Qaeda will support him. He said this is because his organization is not made up of students of political power but rather of students of how to implement religious law.

Al-Zawahiri, who murdered nearly three thousand innocent civilians, now says that al-Qaeda doesnt want to impose itself on anyone or behead anyone, whereas Daesh is all about coercion. He castigated them as neo-Kharijites, referring to an early Islamic puritanical sect.

Recognizing that the Support Front is under enormous pressure to renounce its ties to al-Qaeda central, al-Zawahiri warned that if they did so, theyd just then be further pressured to negotiate with the brutal Syrian Baath regime, and to accept shameful diplomatic deals. Then afterward, they would be thrown in jail, as happened to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (which had renounced violence and played by the rules of electoral democracy, and was, al-Zawahiri says, shafted by the Egyptian military in the end).

Some American analysts, partisans of the hard line fundamentalist factions in Syria, saw al-Zawahiris instruction to al-Qaeda to let the people choose their leader as a positive. Why havent they learned yet that these seedy terrorist organizations play mind games with people, including being passive aggressive? The Nusra Front or al-Qaeda in Syria already holds territory, and it has forcibly converted and stolen from members of religious minorities such as the Druze. Al-Zawahiris speech is dishonest tradecraft, not a sign of a mellower al-Qaeda. The Nusra Front controls vast swathes of Syrian territory. My guess is that they wont relinquish an inch of it as a result of al-Zawahiris speech.
MONTREAL, QC--(Marketwired - May 09, 2016) - Falco Resources (TSX VENTURE: FPC)

Top Quartile Project at All-In Sustaining Costs of US$427/oz Au, net of By-Product Credits

All-In Cost (CAPEX plus OPEX) at US$660/oz Au

Annual Gold Production of 236,000 Ounces for 12 Years

After-Tax IRR of 16.0%;

Falco Resources (TSX VENTURE: FPC) ("Falco" or the "Company) is pleased to announce the results of a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) for the Company's 100% owned Horne 5 Gold Project ("Horne 5 Project") located in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. The PEA indicates that the Horne 5 Project represents a robust, high margin, twelve year underground mining project with attractive economics in the current gold price environment. The study was prepared by BBA Inc., under the direction of Mr. Luc Lessard, P. Eng., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Messrs. Robert Wares, P. Geo., Francois Vezina, P. Eng. and Christian Laroche, P. Eng., Osisko Mining Group's technical team and included contributions from the geological and engineering teams at InnovExplo Inc., Golder Associates Ltd., and WSP Canada Inc. At a gold price of US$1,250/oz and using an exchange rate of C$1.00 = US$0.75, the study shows that the Horne 5 Project would generate an after-tax net present value ("NPV") (at a 5% discount rate) of $667 million and an Internal Rate of Return ("IRR") of 16.0%. In this scenario, the mine could become the next significant gold producer in Quebec, with a production profile averaging 236,000 ounces annually over the life of mine, with an all-in sustaining cash cost of US$427 per ounce net of by-product credits and all-in cost (CAPEX plus OPEX) estimated at US$660 per ounce. Falco intends to move forward and immediately initiate a Feasibility Study on the Horne 5 Project, which is planned to be completed in the first semester of 2017. The Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") study, which has been initiated by WSP, is expected to be completed in the first semester of 2017.

Luc Lessard, Falco President and CEO commented: "We are very pleased with the results of the new preliminary economic assessment on the Horne 5 deposit, which shows the promise of bringing this world-class deposit back into production after a more than 40 year dormant phase, subsequent to having previously produced over 11 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. The study firmly establishes the Horne 5 Project as one of the best undeveloped gold projects by value and margin in today's gold-price environment. The Horne 5 Project benefits from being situated in one of the world's best mining jurisdictions where a high level of underground mining expertise is readily available. We believe our advantageous location and existing infrastructure has the potential to positively impact the long term viability of the Horne 5 Project." He further noted, "The study marks a significant milestone for our Company. At a US $1,250 per ounce gold-price, Horne 5 could generate more than $6.8 billion in gross revenue, deliver total life of mine, after-tax net present value of $667 million, and payback capital in approximately 4 years. Further upside to this evaluation is anticipated through optimization studies and continued successful exploration."

The PEA envisages an underground mine with a life of approximately 12 years, targeting 63.8 million tonnes of volcanic-massive sulfide material with an average diluted grade of 2.60 grams/tonne gold equivalent (g/t AuEq) or 4.8 million AuEq ounces (1.6 g/t gold, 15.5 g/t silver, 0.19% copper, 0.85% zinc). The study incorporates an underground crushing facility which would be followed by a conventional Semi-Autogenous-Ball milling-Crushing ("SABC") circuit on surface with a capacity of 15,000 tonnes per day, along with three selective flotation circuits to recover copper, zinc and pyrite concentrates. The pyrite concentrate would be further reground and leached along with the pyrite flotation tailings in respective carbon-in-pulp ("CIP") circuits. The facility would enable Falco to produce 3,051,000 ounces of gold over the life of mine ("LOM"). The study also outlines several opportunities to further enhance economics (see below) and the current resource remains open to the west and at depth. Several untested targets remain to be evaluated and Falco is confident that additional resources can be identified in the near term through continued drilling campaign (see Falco press release of April 26, 2016). The realized project would have a significant impact on the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region, with the potential of generating over $6.8 billion of gross revenue and contributing 525 permanent, well remunerated jobs.

PEA HIGHLIGHTS

ALL AMOUNTS ARE IN CANADIAN DOLLARS UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED; BASE CASE IS STATED USING GOLD PRICE OF US$1,250 PER OUNCE, SILVER PRICE OF US$17 PER OUNCE, COPPER PRICE OF US$2.85 PER POUND, ZINC PRICE OF US$1.00 PER POUND AND AN EXCHANGE RATE OF C$1.00 equal to US$0.75

NPV of $1,131 million at a 5% discount rate and an IRR of 20.0% before taxes and mining duties

NPV of $667 million at a 5% discount rate and an IRR of 16.0% after taxes and mining duties

Mine life of 12 years with peak-year production of 274,000 ounces and average LOM annual production of 236,000 ounces of gold

Net payable gold recovery of 86.8%

3,051,000 gold ounces production at an average diluted grade of 2.60 g/t Au LOM

2,903,000 ounces of payable gold LOM

807 million pounds of payable zinc LOM

194 million pounds of payable copper LOM

23.8 million ounces of payable silver LOM

All-in sustaining costs* of US$427/oz net of by-product credits (including royalties) over LOM, generating an operating margin of over US$823/oz or 66%

All-in cost (CAPEX plus OPEX) is estimated at US$660 per payable ounce

Initial capital costs of $905.2 million (including a $60 million contingency)

Integration of historical & existing underground mine infrastructure

Payback period of 3.8 years pre-tax and 4.1 years post-tax

Gross Revenue of $6.8 Billion and Operating Cash-flow of $2.6 Billion

Commissioning in late 2020

Full production in early 2021

*All-in Sustaining Costs are presented as defined by the World Gold Council ("WGC") less Corporate G&A

Image 1: Processing Facility

The reader is advised that the PEA summarized in this press release is intended to provide only an initial, high-level review of the project potential and design options. The PEA mine plan and economic model include numerous assumptions and the use of Inferred resources. Inferred resources are considered to be too speculative to be used in an economic analysis except as allowed for by Canadian Securities Administrators' National Instrument 43-101 in PEA studies. There is no guarantee that Inferred resources can be converted to Indicated or Measured resources, and as such, there is no guarantee the project economics described herein will be achieved.

PEA SUMMARY (REPORTED IN C$, EXCEPT WHERE NOTED) Total Material Mined (Tonnes) 63,751,000 Average Diluted Gold Equivalent Grade (g/t AuEq) 2.60 Average Diluted Gold Grade (g/t Au) 1.63 Total Gold Contained (oz) 3,345,000 Total Gold Produced (oz) 3,051,000 Total Gold Payable (oz) 2,903,000 Total Silver Payable (oz) 23,800,000 Total Copper Payable (million lbs) 194 Total Zinc Payable (million lbs) 807 Gold Recovery & Payable (%) 86.8% Average Annual Gold Produced (gold ozs per year) 236,000 Total Initial Capital Cost (C$M) $905.2 Sustaining Capital (C$M) $377.9 Site Restoration Cost (C$M) $51.6 Unit Operating Cost (per tonne milled) - Mining $19.67 - Processing $20.63 - Tailing & Water Management $4.27 - General & Administration $2.87 Total Unit Operating Costs (per tonne milled) $47.45

SUMMARY ECONOMICS AT US$1,250 GOLD PER OZ Total LOM NSR Revenue (C$M) $6,776.7 Total LOM Operating Cash Flow (C$M) $2,563.2 Total LOM Pre-Tax Cash Flow (C$M) $2,281.5 Average Annual Pre-Tax Cash Flow (C$M) $261.1 LOM Income Taxes (C$M) $841.4 Total LOM After-Tax Free Cash Flow (C$M) $1,440.2 Average Annual After-Tax Free Cash Flow (C$M) $188.1

Discount Rate 5% Pre-Tax NPV (C$M) $1,131 Pre-Tax IRR 20.0% Pre-Tax Payback (Years) 3.8 After-Tax NPV (C$M) $667 After-Tax IRR 16.0% After-Tax Payback (Years) 4.1

ALL-IN CASH COSTS INCLUDING SUSTAINING CAPEX Mining Cost (C$M) $1,254.0 Processing Cost (C$M) $1,315.4 Tailing & Water Management (C$M) $272.5 General & Administrative Cost (C$M) $183.0 Refining & Smelting (C$M) $415.4 Royalties (C$M) $135.5 By-Product Credit (C$M) ($2,354.4 ) Cash Cost (C$/oz) $421 Cash Cost (US$/oz) $316 Sustaining (C$M) $377.9 Closure (C$M) $51.6 TOTAL (C$M) $1,645.1 All-in Cash + Sustaining Cost (C$/oz)* $569 All-in Cash + Sustaining Cost (US$/oz)* $427 * All-in Sustaining Costs are presented as defined by the World Gold Council ("WGC") less Corporate G&A

SENSITIVITIES BASE CASE IN BOLD Gold Price US$/oz $1,000 $1,100 $1,200 $1,250 $1,300 $1,400 $1,500 $1,600 Pre-Tax NPV 5% C$M $549 $782 $1,015 $1,131 $1,248 $1,481 $1,714 $1,947 After-Tax NPV 5% C$M $301 $451 $594 $667 $739 $874 $1,012 $1,149 Pre-Tax IRR 13.1% 16.0% 18.7% 20.0% 21.3% 23.7% 26.0% 28.2% After-Tax IRR 10.3% 12.8% 15.0% 16.0% 17.1% 18.9% 20.7% 22.5% Pre-Tax Payback Years 5.5 4.8 4.1 3.8 3.5 3.1 2.8 2.5 After-Tax Payback Years 5.7 5.0 4.4 4.1 3.8 3.4 3.0 2.8

FX: C$1.00: US$ 0.90 0.85 0.80 0.75 0.70 0.65 0.60 $0.55 Pre-Tax NPV 5% C$M $446 $647 $874 $1,131 $1,425 $1,763 $2,159 $2,626 After-Tax NPV 5% C$M $237 $365 $506 $667 $840 $1,041 $1,273 $1,543 Pre-Tax IRR 11.7% 14.3% 17.1% 20.0% 23.1% 26.5% 30.2% 34.3% After-Tax IRR 9.2% 11.4% 13.6% 16.0% 18.5% 21.1% 24.0% 27.2% Pre-Tax Payback Years 5.9 5.2 4.5 3.8 3.2 2.7 2.3 1.9 After-Tax Payback Years 6.1 5.4 4.8 4.1 3.5 3.0 2.6 2.2

OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE VALUE

Although Falco considers the PEA results for the base case are excellent, future trade off studies are anticipated to evaluate alternate development scenarios that would be used to reduce the initial capital requirements. Items to be reviewed include location of access development, enhancing ventilation efficiency during pre-production period, improving metallurgical recoveries and usage of reagents, modification to stope size and dewatering methods. In addition, Horne 5 Project has high potential for resource expansion; the deposits in the current resource remain open to the west and at depth, and Falco owns more than 740 square kilometres of land around the Horne 5 Project with targets that remain to be tested. An exploration budget of $7.5 million is planned for 2016.

PEA DETAILS

Contributors

The independent PEA was prepared through the collaboration of a number of industry-recognized consulting firms, including BBA Inc. ("BBA", Montreal, QC), Golder Associates Ltd. ("Golder", Montreal, QC), InnovExplo Inc. ("InnovExplo", Val d'Or, QC), and WSP Canada Inc. ("WSP", Rouyn-Noranda, QC). These firms provided resource estimates, design parameters and cost estimates for mine operations, process facilities, major equipment selection, waste and tailings storage, reclamation, permitting, operating and capital expenditures. A summary of contributors to the PEA is included in the Table below:

Consulting Firm or Entity Area of Responsibility BBA Inc. - Electrical and IT infrastructure (supply and onsite);

- Metallurgical testwork analysis, processing plant design, process plant capital costs and operating costs;

- General and Administration operating costs, and financial analysis;

- Overall NI 43-101 integration; InnovExplo Inc. - Geological modelling and resource definition;

- Underground mine design, surface infrastructure (Hoist), production scheduling, capital costs and operating costs; Golder Associates Ltd. - Waste rock, tailings and water management,

- Water treatment plant design, capital and operating costs;

- Underground mine hydrogeology, geotechnical and rock mass characterization; WSP Canada Inc. - Environmental studies, permitting and mine closure plan;

- Paste backfill plant design, capital and operating costs;

- Surface infrastructure design and costing;

Resource Estimate

The PEA is based on an Indicated and Inferred mineral resource estimate completed by independent Qualified Person Carl Pelletier (P.Geo. Geo., B.Sc.) of InnovExplo Inc. This estimate consists of an Indicated Resource and an Inferred Resource using base case cut-off of C$65 NSR per tonne.

Resource

Category Tonnes

(Mt)

AuEq

(g/t) Au

(g/t)

Ag

(g/t) Cu

(%)

Zn

(%) Contained

AuEq (Moz) Contained

Au (Moz)

Contained

Ag (Moz) Contained

Cu (Mlbs) Contained

Zn (Mlbs) Indicated 58.3 2.86 1.82 15.60 0.20 1.00 5.361 3.418 29.273 260.4 1,284.8 Inferred 12.7 3.08 2.10 26.26 0.22 0.57 1.254 0.855 10.705 61.7 158.1

For further details, resource estimate notes and resource modeling notes, please see Company press release of January 25, 2016 and NI 43-101 compliant resource report filed on SEDAR.

CAPITAL AND OPERATING COSTS SUMMARY Capital Costs (C$M) Pre-Production Sustaining Total* Mining (includes development contingency) $247.2 $324.1 $571.3 Mineral Processing Plant $351.8 -- $351.8 Site Infrastructure $98.1 $6.6 $104.6 Electrical and Communication $20.6 $1.4 $21.9 Tailings and Water Management $19.2 $46.0 $65.1 Indirects $108.6 -- $108.6 Site Restoration -- $51.6 $51.6 Subtotal $845.2 $429.4 $1,274.6 Contingency $60.0 -- $60.0 Total Capital Costs $905.2 $429.4 $1,334.6 Pre-Production Revenue** ($61.5) Capital Cost per Payable Oz Au (C$/oz) $312 Capital Cost per Payable Oz Au (US$/oz) $234 CAPEX per Oz (US$/oz) $234 OPEX per Oz (US$/oz) $427 All-In Cost per Oz (US$/oz) $660 * Totals may differ due to rounding. ** The Company anticipates having pre-production revenues during development.

Operating Costs C$/t Milled - Mining $19.67 - Processing $20.63 - Tailing & Water Management $4.27 - General & Administration $2.87 Total Operating Costs $47.45

MINING

The underground deposit is located at a depth of approximately 600 metres to 2,300 metres below surface. The existing Quemont #2 shaft which extends to a depth of 1,200 metres would be rehabilitated. The shaft would provide for the hoisting of mineralized material and waste, services personnel and materials, and the supply of ventilation to the underground workings. Further, Falco foresees rehabilitating several of the old Horne shafts for ventilation purposes and using old underground excavations for tailings disposal. The mine design has taken into consideration the Quemont #2 shaft and ventilation raises to provide fresh air for early works.

The mine has been designed to have low operating costs through the use of large modern equipment, gravity transport of mineralized material and waste through raises, shaft hoisting, minimal mineralized material and waste re-handling, high productivity bulk mining methods and unconsolidated waste rock backfill, where possible. The mine is designed to employ state of the art in terms of technology. Highly automated and using remote control equipment, the mine would be able to operate 21-tonne loaders to transport muck to the ore pass systems. The underground crushing facility would be fed by two ore pass systems. The crushed mineralized material would then be transported via a 600m conveyor to the shaft loading point where it would be hoisted to the surface using 43.5-tonne skips on a continuous basis. The new configuration of the Quemont shaft would also have a dual floor service cage of 2.4 metres by 4.0 metres and a dual floor personnel mine cage. Paste backfill would be used to fill the extracted stopes and strengthen stability of the adjacent stopes and avoid or minimize dilution.

The Company expects to use transverse longhole as the primary mining method and will favor the minimization of dilution to resource recovery. The Company believes the resource dilution will be below 4%.

PROCESSING

A Semi-Autogenous-Ball milling-Crushing ("SABC") facility on surface with a capacity of 15,000 tonnes per day would be used to process the Horne 5 Project mineralized material. The facility would also include a flotation & thickening section divided in three circuits dedicated to recovering copper, zinc and pyrite concentrates. The copper and zinc circuits would have their concentrate filtered to reduce humidity to 9%. Both concentrates would be stored in silos to await shipment. The pyrite concentrate will require a finer grind to achieve improved gold recovery by cyanide leaching, resulting in the requirement to regrind from the primary grind size of 65 micron to the targeted P 80 of 12 microns. The resulting reground pyrite concentrate would then be leached along with the pyrite flotation tailings in separate CIP circuits. Thickeners would be used to maximize water and cyanide recovery and the SO2/air cyanide destruction method would be applied to reduce the cyanide content of the two leach streams. Pyrite tailings from flotation would be used as paste backfill in the new workings and the leached pyrite concentrate would largely be returned underground and disposed in existing historical openings. Water liberated in the underground workings from the consolidated tailings would be recovered, recycled and pumped back to the process plant.

Gold, zinc, copper and silver metal would be recovered. The process plant would produce two concentrates and dore bars. The copper concentrate would have an estimated 18% copper content as well as payable gold and silver, and the zinc concentrate would have an estimated 50% zinc content as well as payable silver. The payable gold recovery is estimated to average 86.8% over the LOM and estimated payable metallurgical recoveries average 74.0% for copper, 67.3% for zinc and 74.9% for silver. Copper and zinc concentrates have been analyzed and are considered to be free of deleterious elements and are expected to be readily marketable to both smelters and traders.

The process plant facility would include a wet laboratory, mill offices, a mill dry, and a maintenance shop.

PROJECT INFRASTRUCTURE AND INDIRECTS

The Horne 5 Project, located within the industrial park and former mine infrastructure (Quemont and Horne Mines) of the city of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, a mining community of over 41,500 people, benefits from great infrastructure. As important as the physical infrastructure in the Rouyn-Noranda region, is the high level of underground mining expertise readily available in the region. The Company believes its advantageous location has the potential to positively impact the long term viability and attractiveness of employment at the Horne 5 Project, given that employees and contractors could work in the community they live in, a rare opportunity in the mining industry.

The Horne 5 Project is located 1.1 km from route 101 and 4.0 km of the Trans-Canada Highway, with all services readily available at site. The Horne 5 Project is also located less than 700 meters from the operating Horne custom copper smelter which uses both copper concentrates and precious metal-bearing recyclable materials as its feedstock to produce a 99.1% copper anode. Development of the future mine would be done on the former Quemont mine site already owned by Falco. Acquisition of land adjacent to the currently proposed mine site would likely be necessary for some of the new infrastructure. Electric power would be supplied to the site at a voltage level of 120 kV originating from the nearby Hydro-Quebec's Rouyn-Noranda substation, approximately 1 km away. At the site, the outdoor substation would lower the incoming voltage to 25 kV using two main transformers of 120-25 kV, 60/80/100 MVA each, for a combined firm power of 100 MVA. Electrical power infrastructure costs were estimated at $20.5 million.

The Horne 5 Project envisions the following key infrastructure items to support the mine to be constructed: site access road, on-site parking area, process plant and paste backfill plant, maintenance shop and warehouse, mine dry and office building, administration building, headframe and shaft house, hoist room, 120kV sub-station and railway spur lines.

Indirect costs such as owner's costs; engineering, procurement & construction management; construction temporary facilities; freight for process & major electrical equipment; pre-operational verifications; commissioning support; vendor representatives; capital spares, one year operating spares; commissioning spares; first fills; and construction temporary power are estimated at $108.6 million. An additional $60 million has been budgeted as contingency for specific direct and indirect costs.

ENVIRONMENT AND SITE RESTORATION

Environmental baseline studies have been initiated to support the permitting process and permit applications will be initiated to support the project timeline.

The Horne 5 Project will require a provincial and federal decree. The project is subject to provincial impact assessment study as forecasted production is over the 2,000 tonnes per day threshold outlined in the applicable regulation. The project will also be subject to a federal impact assessment study.

The Company has already received a certificate of authorization (CoA) under Sections 22 and 31.75 of the Environmental Quality Act issued by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight against Climate Change on March 1st 2016 for the dewatering of the two first levels (100 metres below surface) of the Quemont 2 shaft.

Site restoration costs were estimated at $51.6 million. The site restoration cost estimate for the Horne 5 Project is based essentially on the dismantling of the mine buildings, but also accounts for the restoration of the potentially acid-generating waste rock pile, the temporary surface tailings storage facility and the retention ponds. The Company intends to dismantle all buildings that would have served its mining operations. Given the proximity of the site to the city and the existence of very little infrastructures of this type in Rouyn-Noranda, these buildings could be reused or modified for other uses. This cost estimate includes the cost of site restoration, as well as post-closure monitoring. In accordance with the regulations, the Company intends to post a bond as a guarantee against the site restoration cost.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The Company is committed to taking a proactive approach to its public consultation process and has been working diligently to identify as many stakeholders as possible in the Rouyn-Noranda and Abitibi region. Over the past 18 months more than 24 private and public community meetings have been held with various stakeholders.

Based on our numerous community meetings held throughout the region, there is strong community support for the Horne 5 Project. Development of the mine would bring substantial economic development to the city of Rouyn-Noranda and the surrounding region. A construction workforce of 800 people would be created at the peak of an eighteen months construction period and the mine would provide direct employment for approximately 525 people over its 12-year operating life.

The Company remains committed to working with the citizens of Rouyn-Noranda to build a plan for the Horne 5 Project that would maximize benefits for the community, the Company's shareholders and other stakeholder groups.

PROJECTED TIMELINE*

1. A Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Assessment are scheduled for completion in the first semester of 2017.

2. Permitting activities would be initiated following the completion of the Feasibility Study and EIA to support a 2019 construction start.

3. Commissioning in late 2020.

4. Target full production in early 2021.

* Contingent on a positive feasibility study and obtaining the required financing and permitting approvals

BACK-IN RIGHT & ROYALTIES

As per the terms and condition of the purchase agreement dated March 28, 2011 assigned to the Company in September 2012, the seller under the March 28, 2011 agreement (the "Seller") retains the right to back-in to a 65% interest on any base metal deposit containing more than 350,000 tonnes copper equivalent metal with respect to which the in-situ value of non-base metals is less than three times the in-situ value of all base metals (the "Threshold Resource"). Such right may be exercised by the Seller, further to filing of a NI 43-101 compliant Threshold Resource by the Company, subject to the following conditions:

paying Falco three times the project-specific exploration expenditures;

paying Falco three times the Rouyn regional base metal exploration expenditures up to a maximum of $20 million, which is related to the Threshold Resource;

pay 65% of the development expenditures;

completing a NI 43-101 compliant feasibility study, within a specified period and at no cost to Falco;

Upon exercise of the back-in right and in addition to keeping a 35% interest and benefitting from a 6-month period to finance its share of expenditures subsequent to a production decision, the Company would form a joint venture where unanimous consent shall be required for critical mining decisions.

The Seller also retains a 2% NSR on all metals produced from the Horne 5 Project. The Seller also has rights of first refusal with respect to purchase or toll process all or any portion of the concentrates and other mineral products from the Horne 5 Project.

Falco currently considers that its recent updated mineral resource estimate is a Threshold Resource.

INDEPENDENT QUALIFIED PERSONS ("QPs")

The Horne 5 Project Preliminary Economic Assessment was prepared for Falco under the direction of BBA Inc. by leading independent industry consultants, all Qualified Persons (QP) under National Instrument 43-101. The QPs have reviewed and approved the content of this news release. Independent QPs from BBA, InnovExplo, Golder and WSP who have prepared or supervised the preparation of the technical information relating to the Preliminary Economic Assessment include:

Colin Hardie, Pierre Lacombe (BBA Inc.);

Carl Pelletier, Francois Girard (InnovExplo Inc.);

Mayana Kissiova (Golder Associates Ltd.);

Marie Claude Dion St. Pierre, Annie Lavoie, Issam Hessani (WSP Canada Inc.)

The company's disclosure of technical or scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Luc Lessard, P. Eng., President and CEO of Falco Resources Ltd, who serves as a Qualified Person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS

Furthermore, Falco will be hosting a conference call to discuss the results on Monday, May 9th at 13:00 Eastern time with the Falco Executive and Technical team.

Participants may join the call by dialing:

Toll Free Dial-In Number: (877) 291-4570

International Dial-In Number: (647) 788-4919

A recorded playback of the call will be available two hours after the call's completion until May 23rd, 2016 by dialing (416) 621-4642 or (800) 585-8367 and entering the conference ID# 8919537.

About Falco

Falco Resources Ltd. is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Province of Quebec, with extensive land holdings in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt. Falco owns 74,000 hectares of land in the Rouyn-Noranda mining camp, which represents 70% of the entire camp and includes 13 former gold and base metal mine sites. Falco's principal property is the Horne Mine, which was operated by Noranda from 1927 to 1976 and produced 11.6 million ounces of gold and 2.5 billion pounds of copper. A updated 43-101 mineral resource estimate for the Horne 5 deposit delineated an Indicated Resource of 5,361,000 gold equivalent ounces ("oz AuEq"), including 3,418,232 oz Au hosted in 58.3 million tonnes averaging 2.86 g/t AuEq (1.82 g/t Au; 15.60 g/t Ag; 0.20% Cu; 1.00% Zn) and an Inferred Resource of 1,254,000 oz AuEq, including 854,534 oz Au hosted in 12.7 million tonnes averaging 3.08 g/t AuEq (2.10 g/t Au; 26.26 g/t Ag; 0.22% Cu; 0.57% Zn.) -- see January 25th, 2016 press release for details. Osisko Gold Royalties is the largest shareholder of the Company and currently owns 16.2% of the outstanding shares of the Company.

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 press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" and includes, confirmation of the PEA results (including costs estimates, metal recoveries and expected production) and future upside through additional studies, timeline for achievement of feasibility study and EIA study, positive results of ongoing exploration work at the Horne 5 Project and regionally, realization of anticipated benefits for the Abitibi-Temiscamingue region, timeline for further stage of development and related work at the Horne 5 Project, results of alternate development scenarios to be reviewed by the Company, maintaining social acceptability for the Horne 5 Project, the possibility of the exercise of the back-in right by the Seller. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include the reliability of the historical data referenced in this press release, the reasonability economic assumptions at the basis of the PEA, the risk related to the exercise of the back-in right by the Seller and those risks set out in Falco's public documents, including in each management discussion and analysis, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Falco believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, Falco disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Cautionary Note Concerning Mineral Resources

This press release uses the term "inferred" resources and "indicated resources", we advise investors that while this term is recognized and required by Canadian regulations, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission does not recognize it. "Inferred" resources and "indicated resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an inferred resource will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimates of inferred mineral resources may not form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies. United States investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated mineral resources will ever be converted into mineral reserves. United States investors are also cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an inferred mineral resource exists, or is economically or legally mineable.
VANCOUVER, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Mirasol Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: MRZ, "Mirasol") is pleased to announce that drilling has been initiated at Mirasol's 100% owned Claudia gold-silver project in Santa Cruz province Argentina by Mirasol's Joint Venture partner Cerro Vanguardia S.A. (CVSA - 92.5 % owned by AngloGold Ashanti, the controlling shareholder, and 7.5 % by Fomicruz S.E., the Santa Cruz provincial mining company). CVSA operates the multi-million ounce Cerro Vanguardia Au+Ag mine which abuts Mirasol's 127,680 ha Claudia project which hosts a series of large-scale Au+Ag silver prospects within reasonable trucking distance of the Cerro Vanguardia mill and processing facilities. The Claudia - CVSA JV targets the discovery and rapid delineation of Au + Ag resources that could be developed as satellite pits to the Cerro Vanguardia operation (see news release 1st March 2016).

This first phase of drilling is designed to provide an initial test of a portion of the Curahue prospect, one of five precious metal prospects outlined by Mirasol at the Claudia project (Figure 1, and refer to the Mirasol Claudia Presentation). The Curahue prospect is a 15 km long Au+Ag bearing epithermal vein corridor where Mirasol's mapping, geophysics and trenching has outlined six large, undrilled, vein trends that are mostly concealed beneath thin (1 to 5 m) unconsolidated post-mineral cover.

CVSA has planned an initial 3,500 m, 22 hole, reverse-circulation (RC) drill program as a shallow (25 to 100 m depth) test of the Curahue prospect's Io, Europa and Calisto vein trends. Previous work here by Mirasol trenched through the cover exposing large Au+Ag epithermal veins (see news release 27th July 2015). The results from this initial RC program will be used to prioritize the higher-grade segments of these vein trends for follow-up diamond core (DD) and additional RC drilling. Two splits of samples will be assayed for gold and silver from the initial RC drilling: One sample split will be submitted to an independent accredited laboratory as per standard industry practice for purposes of database integrity; the other split will be assayed at the CVSA mine site laboratory which is able to deliver quick turnaround Au+Ag results which can be feedback into the active drilling campaign to guide follow-up drilling. Future systematic exploration drilling of the remaining Curahue vein trends and other prospects at Claudia will follow-on from successful results of this phase of exploration.

Mirasol's management is pleased with the rapid progress that has been made by CVSA in completing drill permitting and initiating this drilling within 2 months of signing the Claudia  CVSA JV. The initial 3,500 m RC program signals a strong commitment to the project that predicates a minimum of 6,000 m of drilling and a US$2 million exploration spend by the 12-month anniversary of the JV. Successful delineation of a minable deposit at Claudia could expose the company to a relatively low-cost, rapid development scenario leveraging the existing CVSA mine infrastructure and potentially providing near term cash flow to Mirasol.

The Cerro Vanguardia Mine produced 300,000 oz of Au during 2015 and over 1.25M oz Au in the last five years, mining from a series of open-pits, heap-leach and underground operations. Cerro Vanguardia is one of AngloGold Ashanti's lower-cost gold producers, with all-in sustaining costs in 2015 of USD $873/oz (AngloGold Ashanti Q4-2015 report), with total district resources and past production of 8.6M oz Au and 135M oz Ag.

Mirasol is a project generation company focused on the discovery of precious metals and copper resources in the Americas. Strategic joint ventures with metal producers have enabled Mirasol to advance its priority projects, focused in high-potential regions in Chile and Argentina. Mirasol employs an integrated generative and on ground exploration approach combining leading edge technologies and experienced exploration geoscientists to maximize the potential for discovery. Mirasol is in a strong financial position and has a significant portfolio of drill ready gold-silver exploration projects located in Chile and Argentina.

Stephen Nano, President and CEO of Mirasol, has approved the technical content of this news release and is a Qualified Person under NI 43 -101.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control of the Claudia exploration program:

Under the terms of the CVSA-Claudia Agreement, all new exploration is managed by CVSA. All previous exploration on the projects was supervised by Mirasol CEO Stephen C. Nano, who is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101. All information generated from the Joint Venture program is reviewed by Mirasol prior to release. The technical interpretations presented here are those of Mirasol Resources Ltd.

CVSA applies industry standard exploration methodologies and techniques. All geochemical rock and drill samples are collected under the supervision of CVSA's geologists in accordance with industry practice. Geochemical assays are obtained and reported under a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program. Samples are dispatched to an ISO 9001:2008 accredited laboratory in Argentina for analysis. Assay results from drill core samples may be higher, lower or similar to results obtained from surface samples due to surficial oxidation and enrichment processes or due to natural geological grade variations in the primary mineralization.

Forward Looking Statements: The information in this news release contains forward looking statements that are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include: changes in world commodity markets, equity markets, costs and supply of materials relevant to the mining industry, change in government and changes to regulations affecting the mining industry. Forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding future exploration programs, operation plans, geological interpretations, mineral tenure issues and mineral recovery processes. Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward looking statements are reasonable, results may vary, and we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Mirasol disclaims any obligations to update or revise any forward looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.

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 Mirasol Resources Ltd.
VANCOUVER, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Orex Minerals Inc.  (TSX-V: REX) ("Orex"), is pleased to announce that the Phase-II diamond drilling program continues to intercept silver mineralization on the Sandra Escobar Project in Durango, Mexico. Assays for five more drill holes are now available. These include holes SA-16-018 to SA-16-022 in the southeastern region of the project. The Sandra Escobar Project is being advanced by Orex under an option agreement with Canasil Resources Inc.  (TSX.V: CLZ) ("Canasil").

Highlight for this batch of holes is SA-16-019, which yielded 60 metres core length (49.2 m true thickness) grading 205 g/t silver, starting 16 metres vertically below surface. Within this is a sub-interval of 15 metres (12.3 m true thickness) grading 375 g/t silver.

Orex's President, Gary Cope says, "Drilling at Sandra Escobar continues to yield thick intercepts of disseminated silver mineralization. Discussions with consulting firms have started for metallurgical testing and resource estimation studies."

Sandra Escobar Project  2015-2016 Diamond Drilling Program  Holes 18 to 22 Hole From (m) To (m) Core Length (m) True Thick. (m) Ag (g/t) FA SA-16-018 a 50.00 89.00 39.00 31.95 119 Includes 60.00 85.00 25.00 20.48 146 Includes 61.00 64.00 3.00 2.46 224 Includes 61.00 62.00 1.00 0.82 285 SA-16-018 b 120.50 137.00 16.50 13.52 46 Includes 131.00 137.00 6.00 4.91 72 SA-16-019 24.00 84.00 60.00 49.15 205 Includes 42.70 74.00 31.30 25.64 284 Includes 59.00 74.00 15.00 12.29 375 Includes 60.00 61.00 1.00 0.82 1,550 SA-16-020 46.00 113.00 67.00 63.50 88 Includes 46.00 77.00 31.00 29.38 114 Includes 50.00 68.00 18.00 17.06 139 Includes 53.00 55.00 2.00 1.90 228 SA-16-021 44.50 75.00 30.50 28.50 110 Includes 49.00 74.00 25.00 23.36 116 Includes 49.00 62.00 13.00 12.14 132 Includes 52.00 53.00 1.00 0.93 184 SA-16-022 69.00 94.00 25.00 24.00 70 Includes 71.00 85.00 14.00 13.44 86 Includes 76.00 79.00 3.00 2.88 142 Includes 76.00 77.00 1.00 0.96 189

Kluane Drilling Ltd. provides the drilling services utilizing an environmentally low-impact KD-1000 man-portable diamond drill rig.

Silver mineralization is hosted on the north side of a rhyolite volcanic dome. An altered and highly permeable volcaniclastic unit contains disseminations of silver bearing minerals and broadly spaced stockwork veinlets. The current working model has a porphyritic rhyolite unit as an impermeable cap, which may have focused mineralizing fluids into the host permeable volcaniclastic unit.

True thicknesses are estimated based on structural and stratigraphic interpretations. A map showing the locations of the drill holes and a sample cross section are available on the Orex website.

Orex maintains a QA/QC sampling protocol for the diamond drilling program, including the insertion of commercial analytical standards and blank samples. Analytical testing is performed by SGS Mineral Services. Silver values are determined by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Multi-element analyses are also determined using a 4-acid digestion and ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry).

Sandra Escobar Silver-Gold Project, Durango, Mexico

Sandra Escobar is situated north of the town of Tepehuanes, Durango, in the heart of the "Mexican Silver Trend", midway between the mining districts of Tovar and Guanacevi and is 75 km west of Silver Standard's La Pitarrilla. This prolific trend hosts some of the world's largest silver camps and deposits, including Fresnillo, Guanajuato, La Pitarrilla, La Preciosa, Real de Angeles and Zacatecas.

The project consists of 6,976 hectares of mineral concessions and covers multiple mineralized epithermal quartz veins and breccia structures. These veins form a high level silver-gold-base metals system, hosted in andesitic and rhyolitic rocks, centered on a large rhyolite dome complex in the north and silver systems in smaller rhyolite dome complexes to the southeast. Intense alteration zones and fluid flooding in permeable formations indicates the presence of bulk tonnage targets. Excellent infrastructure exists in the Sandra Escobar area, including paved road access, electrical power, water and manpower from nearby communities.

Ben Whiting, P.Geo., and Dale Brittliffe, P.Geo., are Qualified Persons, as defined in NI 43-101, and take responsibility for the technical disclosure contained within this news release.

ABOUT OREX MINERALS INC.

Orex is a Canadian-based junior exploration company comprised of highly qualified mining professionals. Orex has several current projects: the Coneto Gold-Silver Project in Durango, Mexico, a joint venture with Fresnillo PLC, the Jumping Josephine Gold-Silver Project in British Columbia, Canada, plus this newest Sandra Escobar Silver Project in Durango, Mexico, with Canasil Resources Inc.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Gary Cope

President

This News Release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements and Orex undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Orex Minerals Inc.
Managers at PSA Groups Sevelnord light commercial vehicle plant in northern France do not sugar coat the plants recent history  put bluntly, in 2012 the factory dodged a bullet with award of a contract to build a new line of vans.

Free Report What's next for the Automotive industry? The theory of the peak car  particularly in the triad markets of the US, West Europe and Japan  and the need for sustainable transportation have driven the pivot to mobility in the automotive industry. Both of these drivers are motivating OEMs to change, while society at large is interested in sustainable transport. GlobalDatas forward-looking report provides you with insights into the direction that the automotive industry is heading in the next few years. It covers: The forces transitioning automotive to mobility services

CASE megatrends, and their relationship with COVID-19

The way forward for autonomous vehicles

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A booklet, prepared to introduce media attending the recent launch of the redesigned mid-size Peugeot Expert and Citroen Jumpy/Dispatch model lines to their factory, states quite clearly: We must not forget that Sevelnord was struggling in 2012, and serious questions were being asked about its future. Now the award of the K0 project [Expert/Jumpy/Dispatch] and the arrival of a new partner [Toyota, for whom the plant builds Proace derivatives of the PSA vans] are evidence of the groups determination to maintain a strong manufacturing base in Europe and particularly in France.

The plant is part of a northern France automotive cluster. Sevelnord itself is now in PSAs own North Region Manufacturing Division, which also includes Francaise de Mecanique (Douvrin powertrain) and PSAs Valenciennes (gearbox) sites, while partner Toyota, under its own steam, also builds the Yaris in the region, all supported by adjacent supplier final assembly/sequencing factories.

That, an insider told just-auto, is handy when it comes to personnel. There are now a lot of good, well trained auto assembly workers in the region and considerable workforce flexibility. Last year, PSA added an extra shift at Sevelnord for six weeks just as Toyota temporarily reduced staffing so many of those workers hired on at PSA. When PSAs extra shift ended, back to Toyota went the workers.

Having four big assembly plants in the region gives you advantages. The workers have skills and are agile and flexible, I was told. Same with the local suppliers: They can supply all of us or at least two or three of the plants.

Recognising there are common issues, the regional automakers also have their own association/lobby group known as ARIA.

Sevelnord dates back to 1993 when it began building first generation MPVs [minivans]  Citroen Evasion, Fiat Ulysse, Lancia Zeta and Peugeot 806 for a now ending JV with the Fiat Group. Dark clouds formed in 2011 when PSA and Fiat said the Sevelnord JV agreement would not be renewed beyond 2017. Production of the final generation of shared medium vans  some with Fiat badges  was winding down when I visited.

The horizon began to brighten in July 2012 when PSA and Toyota announced they would cooperate on LCVs for Europe with the Proace van replacing the long-nose Hiace Toyota Europe previously assembled for itself in Portugal. A few days later, PSA announced a company-wide competitiveness agreement between itself and three trade unions which altered working conditions with the focus on job mobility and skills development, organisational flexibility, wage restraint and youth employment.

On 1 January, 2013 Sevelnord became a wholly owned PSA Peugeot Citroen subsidiary and the K0 project was assigned to the plant. The first Proace was delivered to Toyota later in the year. Francaise de Mecanique (Douvrin), Sevelnord (Hordain) and PSA Valenciennes were brought under the new Regional Manufacturing Division on 1 January 2015 and on 1 January this year employees became Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (PCA) staff.

The award of the K0 project spurred a 30 months to transform Sevelnord project which included, among other things, a new IT system to streamline the supply chain, plug and play assembly tools and about 150,000 hours of training costing EUR150m  what one insider called a frugal solution. The aim was to right size the plant to improve performance and also improve synergies with the nearby Regional Manufacturing Division plants such as Valenciennes where gearboxes are made and Douvrin (engines). A broad based training and skill enhancement plan was also put in place to ensure staff knew how to use the new technical innovations to best advantage.

It didnt stop there. Now a new, two-year site project  Tomorrow Starts Today  is under way intended to make the plant competitive enough to become the undisputed European leader for LCV production. The project is expected to achieve a 30% reduction in the plants manufacturing costs as a proportion of total vehicle production costs.

Sevelnord is, in many ways, like BMWs Leipzig plant in eastern Germany. It does not press panels nor make engines and gearboxes; they come from other dedicated company factories near and far. The factory instead does what it says on its tin: assemble. There are three main buildings  body in white, paint and final assembly.

Body-in-white

For anyone who thinks knocking up a line of vans is simpler than building cars  let him come to Sevelnord. All those options  long, short, medium wheelbase, one (left or right) or two side loading doors, barn doors, glazed or no, or tailgate, glazed or not. With or without wiper/washer holes. And so it goes, the permutations are endless and door choice often dictates roof pressing, too. Body in white has three brand-new lines  one for doors, flaps and bonnets, one for the chassis and one for side panels. Only two were retooled for K0  the frame line, where the various sub-assemblies come together to make the vehicle body and the final assembly line where the opening modules are fitted. Particularly impressive was the roof fit station where sucker-cup robots choose the correct roof from multiple stacks of panels, hoick it up to the correct body and other robots weld it on. About EUR90m of that EUR150m spend went into the body shop.

PSA has a policy of making group plants more compact with fewer, smaller production lines to adapt to volumes, logistics concentrated at the centre of the facility and suppliers integrated into the plant. This has been achieved at Sevelnord with Yazaki (wiring looms) and Plastic Omnium (fuel tank systems) operating in the BIW plant to final assemble and line sequence parts for the vans.

Value is also extracted from unused areas, if possible, through rental or sale and both Gefco and Altya use space at Sevelnord.

Paint

The KD kit plant party trick of standing visitors in a hand-spray paint booth close to workers painting cars to demonstrate the efficiency of the down-draught to water bath catchment spray droplet extraction system are long gone  these days its probably easier to enter a nuclear plant than get a visitor into a hermetically sealed, dust-free, auto factory paint shop. Despite a willingness to special suit and boot, admission to PSAs Sevelnord paint shop was not forthcoming. Not even a view from The Other Side through glass. So I could not see the new generation surface treatment process with low environment impact, new robots to stretch the sealing strips or fully robotised paint application on which EUR10m was spent. I did, however, see the impressive end result on newly coated bodies arriving by conveyor at the start of the trim line  Sevelnord offers an impressive range of metallic shades as well as the expected commercial white, red and blue (and any other colour you like for a big enough fleet order).

Assembly/logistics

Everyone I met at Sevelnord was particularly proud of the way they have revolutionised the way parts are conveyed from reception bay to the operator who installs them. Kitting processes have been developed on a wide scale to increase quality, flexibility to marketing needs and logistical efficiency. Operators are now given all the parts they need to assemble a vehicle together in a kit that travels line-side with the vehicle. This essentially does away with line-side stocks. The number of handling operations for parts containers has been halved and the IT systems that control the overall supply chain have been replaced. Sevelnord was the first European site, in November 2014, to adopt the Corail programme which transforms the way the supply chain and its IT systems work. It manages and monitors the flow of 3,600 units at the plant a day and is focused on cutting transport costs, stocks and the space needed for storage while improving relationships with suppliers to give them greater visibility.

All this cost about EUR40m. Among new features: a bumper conveyor system, mechanical assembly areas, a dashboard assembly area and computer-guided trays that distribute parts automatically. Many other systems were adapted to accommodate the resized K0 and to operate with the new platform on which the van line is built. Sevelnord now sets the operating standard for assembly and logistics, is the claim.

This is not surprising as the new vans themselves are so complex. Most of the driving aids, safety items and infotainment/connectivity now available for cars are also offered on the new Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota van models and many are optional so its much like the Mini plant in England  hardly any two vehicles following each other down the line are the same so getting the right standard or optional parts to the right operator to install on the right van is critical  hence the emphasis on the logistics.

People

None of this is much good without properly trained workers. Of 2,400 employees at Sevelnord, 82% are production operators, 14% administrative staff, technicians and supervisors and 4% manage. A programme over three years delivered 154,000 hours of training. The factory also works with other companies and public authorities in the Hauts-de-France region to share information on professions, job offers and training needs to build employment pathways between companies  hence that earlier mentioned to-and-fro with Toyota.
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Updated: 2016-05-09 09:22

By Liu Xiangrui and Liu Kun (China Daily)

Women in traditional blue outfits wash clothes along the edge of Longjing Brook.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Sandouping town in Yichang of Hubei province is a rare example of a man-made wonder with natural beauty.

Situated along the midsection of the Yangtze River, the town boasts two areas with the highest grade under China's tourist attraction rating system.

The two areas with the 5A ratings are the Three Gorges Dam, the largest water project in the world, and the Tribe of the Three Gorges area, a picturesque landscape corridor.

Thanks to its unique location, the town is an important stop along the Three Gorges section of the river.

The town's only main street extends along the Yangtze, and we stayed in a guesthouse on the street, which offered a nice view of the river.

In contrast to the turbid water in the lower reaches of the Yangtze, the section here is clear and quiet. On our second morning there, a light haze hung over the river, obscuring the view of buildings on the other bank.

After breakfast, we set out for the Tribe of the Three Gorges area, which turned out to be a good place to appreciate the quiet valley and local culture.

Visitors typically take a ferry boat from the opposite bank of the Yangtze River to the valley entrance, which is connected to the river. Before entering the valley, we were able to enjoy a show that recreated a scene of boat trackers on the bank pulling a traditional sailboat with ropes.

Trackers toiling along the river while singing work songs were a common sight in the region in the old days.

We then follow a wooden corridor into the valley. It extends along the Longjing Brook, whose mirror of light-indigo-blue water is half hidden under thick clumps of bamboo.

It seems an idyllic world undisturbed by strangers walking by.

On the brook, a covered boat moves slowly amid soft ripples with a young girl in a striking red traditional costume standing on it holding an umbrella. Not far from the boat, a man sits quietly on a raft, fishing with a bamboo rod.

For a moment, we feel as if we are in a painting, until we are awakened by a folk song that suddenly starts to resonate in the valley.

We follow the sound and the scenes change as we walk along: A fisherman mends his net on a boat, girls in traditional blue outfits wash clothes along the edge of the brook in front of their wooden houses on stilts, and young couples stand on the mossy stone bridge in the village.
KEARNEY  A Kearney woman failed in her appeal of her sentence for stealing from a doctor and a medical provider.

Buffalo County District Judge Bill Wright ruled County Court Judge Gerry Jorgensen wasnt extreme in sentencing Kellie Wulf, 41, to nine months in jail for misdemeanor theft. Wulf was convicted in June of diverting compensation checks from Allergan, a provider to Central Plains Plastic and Reconstruction Surgery of Kearney, between December 2007 and March 2009 and using the funds for personal use.

Central Plains is owned by Dr. Joel Atchison of Kearney. At one time, Wulf, a registered nurse, was Atchisons nurse manager.

Jorgensen sentenced Wulf in July, but she hasnt serve any jail time because she appealed the sentence, claiming it was excessive. As part of her sentence, Jorgensen also ordered Wulf to pay restitution of $6,440 to Allergan.

Because Wright upheld Jorgensens decision, Wulf will now appear again before Jorgensen so he can establish a date when she will begin her sentence. At press time, that hearing date hadnt been set.

In her appeal, Wulf listed several reasons she believed the to be sentence excessive, including that Jorgensen relied on irrelevant material to make his sentence, that he based his sentence on personal beliefs in Wulfs case, and that he used a portion of irrelevant material of the presentence investigation report when determining his sentence.

But Wright said Jorgensen was well within his discretion with his sentence and the motivation for defendants acts, given her professional background, is more than sufficient to overcome any suggestion that the sentencing judges act was an abuse of discretion.

In his ruling Wright referred to a presentence investigation report the state probation department conducted with Wulf. Results of reports usually arent public record. However, Wright revealed several aspects of the investigation in his ruling.

In the report Wright said Wulf had falsely entered or admitted patients of Central Plains to a breast implant follow-up study sponsored by Allegan. She personally received a rebate for patients she entered into the study at $25 per patient and diverted a $100 rebate intended to Central Plains to her own account.

Wulf signed up at least 45 of Atchisons patients without their consent.

Her motivation for the theft, Wrights ruling said, was she was the nurse manager and thought she deserved to be paid more. She was also piqued or angry with Atchisons wife, who had originally been a good friend, but then had asserted herself in the office in attempt to run it.

The report says Wulf also admitted to being fired from a previous job with Good Samaritan Hospital for theft. The exact time frame of Wulfs employment at Good Sam is unknown.

Wright also noted a portion of Wulfs sentencing hearing when the attorney representing her then told Jorgensen about Wulf retaining 23 Central Plains patient files based upon the attorneys advice.

The court document says at sentencing, Wulfs counsel asked the judge not to punish Wulf for withholding the files because Wulf hadnt been charged with any crime concerning those files. Court records show Kearney attorney Heather Swanson-Murray represented Wulf at that time.

Wrights ruling says the files were used as a bargaining chip to encourage the Buffalo County Attorneys office to reduce Wulfs charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Jorgensen told Wolf at her sentencing: I dont know whether you were acting on somebodys advice or you were acting on that on you own, but quite honestly, to me it shows a lack of remorse right there. People are being victimized in at least the comments that files are not being provided until some kind of deal was swung.

I dont understand that kind of thinking at all. Quite frankly, anybody that had knowledge of it borders on being an accessory to the crime, because those files are evidence of this crime, even though they may not be crimes in and of themselves, Jorgensen said.

Wulf also was reprimanded by the state department of Health and Human Services for the incident with Central Plains, and for the theft at Good Sam. Wulf was never prosecuted for the hospital incident, although HHS ordered her to pay a $500 fine and to complete an ethics class.

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MINDEN  Raindrops glistened on the windshield as the shiny red 1940 Stearman airplane, owned by Harold and Dixie Sint of Upland, taxied down Pioneer Village Field runway.

After a system check, the engine revved, the plane accelerated and then it took off. Lined up beside the runway, the 14 other antique airplanes that were flown in for the 31st annual Nebraska Antique Airplane Association Fly-In seemed to drop away as the plane gained altitude.

The sky was cloudy, but the rain had stopped by mid-morning Saturday. Unfortunately, the showers earlier that morning and the day before kept many pilots away from this years fly-in.

The weather has really been a hindrance, Rick Stratton, who flew in from Chugwater, Wyo., said.

Normally, anywhere from 40-70 planes might show up for the event.

In years past, weve had 80 airplanes or better, Nebraska Antique Airplane Association President Todd Harders of Cairo said.

Even with fewer numbers, a few rare planes made the trip. One of those was owned by Gene Overturf of Columbus. His bright yellow D-17S Staggerwing is one of few in the United States.

You can go to a lot of shows and never see one, Stratton said.

Not too many dumb enough to own one, Overturf joked.

Overturfs plane, like many at the fly-in, has a history. Originally, the plane was part of the air pool in England during World War II. After the war, it was sold for $10. The Staggerwing flew for the embassy in Mexico until the late 1960s.

After a stay in Oregon, the plane ended up in California where Overturf purchased it in 1972 and brought it to Nebraska. The plane was in good condition, and he flew it for 30 years before hiring a Chicago company to do a total restoration. The plane is still flying, although Overturf hasnt done much this summer.

Weve done very little flying due to heat, Overturf said.

The plane, luxurious for its time, has good ventilation, but he said hed get heat stroke just getting it out of the hangar.

Another rare plane sat beside the Staggerwing: Dan Murrays red and silver 1928 TravelAir Model 4000. Murray, from Longmont, Colo., purchased his plane in 1980 in Alamo, Texas.

I rebuilt it and flew it for 25 years and wore it out, and (I) rebuilt it again, he said.

He began rebuilding it last August and finished in December. The flight to Minden was his first trip, and Murray, like many pilots, had a bumpy trip because of the weather.

(I was) in clouds, around clouds, on top of clouds, he said.

Ted Miller of Santa Rosa, Calif., took eight or nine days to fly from California to Minden because he stopped on the way to visit friends. He flies a Stearman, a plan built by Boeing in Wichita as a training plane in World War II.

Most of the pilots who fought on our side in the big war trained in these, Miller said.

His father was a civilian flight instructor in South Carolina. Miller bought his own plane, an old Navy trainer, 12 years ago. The plane sold for $250 after the war and eventually became a cotton duster in Mississippi.

Then, Ted said, it must have hit something big because suddenly the planes log says, airplane put in storage.

The plane was stored in a barn from 1959-1996. In 1996, restoration began, and the plane finally flew again in 2000. Miller bought the plane later that year.

Miller has flown about 300 hours per year and usually makes two annual transcontinental trips. He makes those trips alone, and they take one to two months to complete. Since space is limited, he often ends up sitting on bags of laundry that he stuffs under his seat.

The pilots, along with those who came to look, traded stories and looked at other airplanes. By noon Saturday, Stratton estimated that 50-60 people, both pilots and visitors had come to the event. They had a pancake breakfast Saturday morning, grilled hamburgers for lunch, and closed the day with a banquet.

Most pilots planned to leave by noon Sunday, and some headed to Lakesburg, Iowa, for what Miller called The big one, the National Antique Airplane Association Fly-In that draws 300-350 planes.

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Eldorado Gold Corp. (TSX: ELD; NYSE: EGO) says its Greek subsidiary, Hellas Gold S.A. , has received approval from Greece's Ministry of Energy and Environment for an updated technical study for the Skouries project in northern Greece. This allows Hellas Gold to resume construction at Skouries, which was suspended in January, Eldorado says. The company previously halted work amid a standoff with the Greek government over environmental issues. Paul Wright, president and chief executive officer of Eldorado, says the company is "greatly encouraged by the ongoing interaction between Hellas Gold and the ministry and its technical services. This constructive engagement has contributed to other recent approvals, including the Skouries building permit Olympias installation permit, he adds. I believe there now exists a greatly improved shared understanding, appreciation and alignment between the company and the ministry in regards to the substantial benefits to be gained by the Greek society and economy through the collaborative responsible development of mineral resources in Greece , Wright says.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Endeavour Mining Announces Coming Change In CEO Position

Monday May 09, 2016 10:33

Endeavour Mining Corp. (TSX: EDV; OTCQX: EDVMF) announces that Sebastien de Montessus has been appointed as chief executive officer, replacing Neil Woodyer, who will be appointed non-executive chairman of the board of directors. The changes are to take effect upon the completion of the annual general meeting in late June. De Montessus has been the president and a director of Endeavour since November. Previously, he was chief executive officer of the La Mancha Group since 2012. La Mancha is 100% owned by the Sawiris family from Egypt and entered into a partnership with Endeavor last year. Over the last six months, Sebastien has developed a key role within the team and I am very confident that he is the right person to lead the company forward, Woodyer says. De Montessus comments, "I look forward to leading Endeavour through this pivotal time and carrying on our work developing Endeavour into the one of Africa's premier gold producers.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Endeavour Silver Agrees To Purchase Oro Silver Resources

Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE: EXK: TSX: EDR) says it has entered into an agreement with Canarc Resource Corp. to acquire the latters Oro Silver Resources Ltd. subsidiary. Oro Silver holds the El Compas gold-silver mine property and a five-year renewable lease on the 500-tonne-per-day La Plata ore-processing plant in Zacatecas, Mexico. Under the agreement, Endeavour Silver will pay Canarc C$10.5 million by issuing 2,147,239 common shares of Endeavour at a price of C$4.89 each, representing the 10-day volume-weighted average price of Endeavour's shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Closing, contingent upon regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected no later than June 30, Endeavour Silver says.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Golden Star Resources Completes $15 Million Bought Deal Financing

Golden Star Resources Ltd. (NYSE MKT: GSS; TSX: GSC; GSE: GSR) officials say they have completed a previously announced bought deal offering of 22.75 million shares at 66 cents each for gross proceeds of approximately $15 million. The offering was led by BMO Capital Markets, which has an option to purchase additional shares.The net proceeds of the offering will be used for debt reduction as well as for working capital and general corporate purposes, Golden Star says.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com
Gold Lower Amid Risk-On Trading Day

(Kitco News) - It's a "risk-on" day in the marketplace Monday, as world stock markets were mostly higher overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward higher openings when the New York day session begins. Higher crude oil prices are a main factor providing upside movement in global equities markets. Nymex crude oil prices are higher Monday morning and trading around $45.50 a barrel. A big wildfire in Canada has stopped oil production in that region, which is a near-term bullish factor for the world oil market. The oil markets are taking in stride a big shake-up in the Saudi Arabian government over the weekend, which saw its oil minister fired. The move makes any near-term crude oil production cuts from Saudi Arabia much less likely. OPEC meets in early June to discuss the matter. By Jim Wyckoff, contributing to Kitco News; jwyckoff@kitco.com

Follow Jim Wyckoff @jimwyckoff

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

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BAINBRIDGE ISLAND  Winslow Drug's 60th year in business will be its last.

The venerable Winslow Way pharmacy will close Wednesday and transfer its customer accounts and staff to Safeway, which has agreed to buy the operation.

Winslow Drug owner Justin Ausmeier cited the impending relocation of Virginia Mason and difficulty working with insurance companies as two main reasons for his decision to shut down. But he said the independent pharmacy faced pressure from all sides.

'It was a multitude of things,' Ausmeier said after finishing a busy day behind the counter last week.

Winslow Drug, originally called Vern's Winslow Drug, opened in 1956. Ausmeier bought the business in 2014 after an eight-year stint as a pharmacist at the Island Village Rite Aid.

The downtown drugstore remains busy Ausmeier said, but changes in Winslow, and in the health care industry, made it difficult to carry on.

Winslow Drug is conveniently situated a few doors from the Virginia Mason clinic, providing a steady stream of pharmacy customers. Last winter Virginia Mason announced it would pull up roots in downtown and relocate to a new medical center on High School Road in 2018. The clinic relocation meant Winslow Drug would no longer be convenient for a large percentage of its customers a few years from now.

That change alone might not have forced Winslow Drug to close, but Ausmeier said challenges with the insurance industry were already putting a squeeze on the business.

The drugstore struggled keep its place amid shifting health plan networks, he said. When one carrier dropped Winslow Drug from its network recently, the pharmacy lost 60 customers overnight. Low reimbursement rates for medication meant Winslow Drug was sometimes losing money on the medicine it sold.

'It's tough to eat those losses,' Ausmeier said.

In the end, Ausmeier had to choose between keeping Winslow Drug open as long as possible, or selling the business and securing jobs for his employees while there still was a viable business left to market. He chose the latter route, soliciting an offer from Safeway.

The closure will leave islanders with a choice between Rite Aid, Safeway and Walgreens, all on High School Road. A pending merger between Rite Aid and Walgreens would narrow the pharmacy options further.

Ausmeier said it was a difficult decision to close Winslow Drug, but colleagues and customers have been understanding.

'The support is amazing,' Ausmeier said. 'The doctors are amazing, Bainbridge Island is amazing.'

Winslow Way will lose both a pharmacy and old-fashioned drugstore. The front of the shop carries a menagerie of gifts, knickknacks and essentials. Winslow Drug shoppers can buy a hammer, wrapping paper, toy ferries and novelty coffee cups, all while waiting for their prescriptions to be filled.

'It feels like an island store,' said Jennie Sheldon, who was browsing the greeting card rack Friday.

Sheldon was mourning the loss of Winslow Drug and a string of other Winslow Way mainstays that have shut down in recent years, including Winslow Hardware and Paper Products.

'I don't know what we're going to do in Winslow without a hardware store, a paper store and a drugstore,' Sheldon said. ' It's almost like we need a different main street somewhere else.'

Customers Bob and Joy Wilson said they'd been shopping at Winslow Drug off-and-on for about 15 years. They see doctors at Virginia Mason and understood the relocation of the clinic would be tough on the neighboring pharmacy. That didn't make the news of its closure any easier to swallow.

'We hate to see it go,' Bob said.

'It's all progress, I guess,' he added ruefully.

Winslow Drug is located at 290 Winslow Way E. The store closes at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) NetOps Support Team's Fly-Away Reserve component recently provided IT training support to numerous Northwest Navy commands during a detachment to Naval Station Kitsap Bremerton.

The team provided classroom training in VMware virtualization. This was the second virtualization class in the northwest region. This is significant as sailors are being more exposed to virtualization environments on their ships and submarines. Virtualization enables users to access networked operating systems from a single or multiple stations. This system will help the Navy both reduce its cyber footprint and increase security.

"Ships have limited space for servers and virtualizing the cyber environment makes sense. We need to train the fleet on how to use software like VMware," said Cmdr. Bill Murdoch, Naval Reserve SPAWAR detachment assistant team leader."It saves money, saves space, consolidates hardware, and provides better security."

At the end of the class, those who pass the certification examinations are given a VCA certification for VMware.

"The SPAWAR Reserve Program provides unique military and technical capabilities in support of team SPAWAR's mission, contingency response, and resolution of C4ISR issues that impact current and future fleet readiness," said Cmdr. William Murdoch. "The instructor team brings unique civilian experience to the fleet."

For future training requests, contact Cmdr. Murdoch at william.murdoch@navy.mil or Cmdr. Marty Riley at martin.riley@navy.mil.
Rosemary McLead writes:

I am bored with the Sounds murders. Ive had it up to my nostrils with them. I am bored with Scott Watson. I do not count him as a martyr to the justice system, but as a convicted double murderer. Which is reasonable, because that is what he is. As far as Im concerned he doesnt deserve your sympathy, or mine.

I think of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope, two young people with their whole long lifetimes before them, whose existence was snuffed out  a jury agreed  by this man, who now merits my tax dollars being squandered on him in the name of fashion.

It is fashion, of course it is, because documentaries that cast doubt on criminal convictions are beloved of kindly people who believe the justice system is an evil thing about which they cannot bring themselves to be kind. Many nice people like to believe the world is an evil place, and that dark forces drive the police to frame the innocent. Yes, it happens, but this is how often in this country: not much.

There would be no documentary to establish Watsons guilt for a million dollars.
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A RUFF TIME

The Morristown Canine Carnival will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Morristown Dog Park. Festivities include a dog parade, contests, vendors, food, music and more. Registering your pet for one contest costs $25 and then $10 for each additional contest.

Registration and info: 423-318-0999.

TACOS FOR KIDS

Explore the endless amazing taco fillings you can make at the Williams Sonoma Junior Chef Class at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 14. Then top the taco with sour cream, a yummy salsa or a squeeze of lime juice. The class is suitable for ages 8-13 years and reservations are essential for this free event. More: 865-539-1070, http://www.williams-sonoma.com

YOUTH FISHING RODEO

Children 13 years and under are invited to the 32nd annual Bob Watt Youth Fishing Rodeo at Farragut's Anchor Park, 11730 Turkey Creek Road. Registration starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 14, with fishing to follow from 9:30-11 a.m. The Town of Farragut will provide the bait and a limited number of fishing poles will be available for use during the event. Feel free to bring your own pole.

Prizes will be awarded in various categories and the first 150 kids will receive a free T-shirt. More: http://www.townoffarragut.org . In case of inclement weather call 865-966-2420.

SPRING CRAFT FAIR

Shannondale Healthcare Center, 7424 Middlebrook Pike, is having a Spring Craft Fair in honor of National Nursing Home Week from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, in the main lobby and activities room. Refreshments provided and a raffle to benefit the Alzheimer's of Tennessee.

THE KEY TO A GOOD HIKE

Smoky Mountains Hiking Club heads to the Cumberland Trail on Saturday, May 14.

They will hike and use a "key swap." One part of the group will start at Rock Creek Campground near Nemo Bridge, while the other will begin at the trailhead near Devil's Breakfast Table at Daddy's Creek. They'll exchange car keys mid-hike.

This section is one of the Cumberland Trail's oldest, and remains one of the hardest to visit due to closures of the Catoosa WMA to non-hunters during big game hunts. View the Obed Wild and Scenic River from the overlooks at Breakaway and Blueberry Bluffs. Hike is 14 miles, rated difficult.

Meet at Oak Ridge Books-a-Million, 310 South Illinois Avenue, at 7:30 a.m. Leaders: Hiram Rogers, hiramrogers@yahoo.com, & Mark Shipley, mark.shipley@townoffarragut.org

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State Rep. Martin Daniel has complained to local and state education officials and Gov. Bill Haslam about a fourth-grade reading exercise that incorporates themes from the civil rights movement into English and language arts activities.

Daniel, a Republican representing the 18th District in the West and North Knoxville areas, said the exercise deals with "social injustice" and asks whether this is appropriate for children at a young age.

The exercise describes a student whose textbook is "worn and missing a dozen pages." The student is in a black community where schools receive old, damaged books while those in white areas get new textbooks. Through a court case, the school board agrees to revise the system for providing materials to schools.

In the exercise, the fourth-grade student is asked to explain the cause (why something happens) and effect (what happens).

Daniel has a fourth-grade daughter at Sequoyah Elementary School who brought the exercise home. He said he was "shocked" at the content. Otherwise he is "very happy" with the school, he said.

He discussed his concern with Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre, who wrote to Daniel to say the unit was part of a series, "Reading Street," adopted by the Tennessee Board of Education upon recommendation of the State Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission and of the Knox County school board "through a vigorous process that includes teacher recommendations and opportunities for public review and input."

Daniel wrote to the county school board  with copies to Haslam, the chairs of the state House and Senate education committees, the state textbook commission and the state Board of Education  that he is concerned the subject matter "subtly, but unnecessarily, injects a dose of 'social justice' into our impressionable youth."

He requested the Knox County school board take steps to ensure course materials in the future do not contain "plots that seek to indoctrinate our children as to social justice or political ideology."

School board Chairman Doug Harris said he is not aware of any other complaints about the reading lesson. Among those Daniel said he heard from were Knox County school board members Terry Hill and Mike McMillan and incoming school board member Tony Norman, who also received the letter.

Mike Edwards, president and CEO of the Knoxville Chamber who is on the state Board of Education, said the board receives "complaints that tend to go everywhere."

Social studies and the way history is portrayed are where people seem to disagree the most, he said.
(AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

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By News Sentinel Staff

KNOXVILLE  A man was injured Sunday after another man missed his practice target and shot him in the arm, according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office.

According to a news release, authorities were alerted to the shooting just before 3 p.m. at Hickory Creek Road at Fallen Oaks Lane in West Knox County. Deputies said 32-year-old Robert Mathis was shooting at a target to check the accuracy of the sights of his weapon when the bullet went beyond a backstop, down an embankment and through a wooded area, striking a vehicle.

Benjamin Fawver, 33, was seated in the vehicle and was struck in the left arm, according to the Sheriff's Office. Fawver was taken the University of Tennessee Medical Center with a wound that was not believed to be life-threatening.

The news release did not specify the type of gun Mathis was firing.

No charges have been filed. The sheriff office's major crimes unit is investigating the incident.
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By News Sentinel Staff

KNOXVILLE  A Knoxville man is accused of stalking, attacking and raping his pregnant ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage, according to court documents.

Rodrigo G. Sanchez, 25, remained jailed in lieu of $220,000 total bond Monday morning after being arrested in connection with repeated assaults against the 21-year-old woman.

The episode began about 5:30 p.m. Friday when the father of the woman's daughter came to pick up the child from the woman's East Knoxville apartment, according to arrest warrants.

Sanchez was there, despite having a no-contact order while free on bond in connection with a pending charge of domestic assault against the woman. Sanchez previously had showed up at her residence after he was released from jail in January, and had been calling her nearly every day until returning to the apartment over the weekend.

Sanchez accused the woman of cheating on him with the father of her child, the warrant states. He then punched her in the face and body with his fists, knocked her to the floor and "kicked her several times in the abdomen in an attempt to harm her unborn child," the warrant reads.

He also dragged her by the hair, beat the woman with a wooden towel rod all over her body and struck her with a phone charger cord.

The woman, who is 18 weeks pregnant with Sanchez's child, told police she had ended her relationship with him in January.

Later Friday night, Sanchez forced the woman to have sex with him.

"(The victim) stated that she refused him but was afraid to resist due to the previous assaults," the warrants state.

Saturday morning, the woman's brother and two friends came to her apartment after being unable to reach her by phone for several days.

They overheard an argument during which Sanchez refused to let the woman see a doctor to check on the health of her unborn child.

When the woman attempted to leave the apartment, her brother and two friends witnessed Sanchez shove her against a wall and punch her in the face, the warrants state.

The woman's brother pulled Sanchez away from her and police were called. Officers later documented numerous red marks and bruises all over her body.

"Outlines from the towel rod and phone cable could be obviously discerned and were in several locations," the warrants read.

Sanchez is charged with rape, aggravated assault, aggravated stalking, domestic assault (second offense) and kidnapping.

More details as they develop online and in Tuesday's News Sentinel.
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By Bob Fowler of the Knoxville News Sentinel

CLINTON  This was much more than a roundup of ordinary, street-level drug dealers, Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said during a news conference Monday afternoon.

This was a complex, large-scale, yearslong investigation that delved into two drug conspiracies and resulted in 119 indictments being returned against 35 people, Clark said as officials from four law enforcement agencies stood behind him.

Large amounts of cocaine, many of it more than 300 grams at a time, were involved and all but one of the transactions occurred within school zones in Oak Ridge. Marijuana sales were also involved.

The charges in the cocaine cases are Class A felonies, which rank just behind murders under sentencing guidelines, and first-time offenders in such instances face between 15 to 25 years behind bars, Clark said.

Those convicted of drug crimes within school zones are required to serve 100 percent of their sentences, the prosecutor said. He said the cases involved school zones around Oak Ridge High and Woodland and Linden elementary schools.

Clark said the co-conspirators were involved in a "drug-trafficking organization as opposed to isolated sellers of cocaine."

After indictments were returned last Tuesday, the roundup began 4 a.m. Thursday, Oak Ridge Police Chief James T. Akagi said. Between 70 and 80 law enforcement personnel from several agencies were involved, he said.

Clark said "tens of thousands of dollars" were seized, along with 18 vehicles, and three search warrants were executed. In every instance, weapons or ammo were found at each arrest location.

"By all means it was a successful operation," Akagi said.

Clark wouldn't say whether there a kingpin in the conspiracy cases, but a man well known by police and with an extensive criminal record  Christopher Black, 28, of Oak Ridge, is listed under both conspiracy investigations.

Most of the defendants are from Oak Ridge, but Madisonville and Kingston residents were also indicted. Arraignment is May 23 in Anderson County Criminal Court.

The initial investigation began in 2012 and employed many of the conventional methods used in drug investigations  undercover agents and informants. That method was "ultimately unsuccessful," Clark said.

New partners  the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the 7th Judicial District Drug Task Force  were brought on board in 2015. That's when the "unconventional means" were put to use, but Clark declined to elaborate on those methods.
Madeline Rogero

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By Megan Boehnke, megan.boehnke@knoxnews.com

Knoxville officials will move forward with overhauling the city's outdated zoning ordinances after Mayor Madeline Rogero agreed to find the roughly $300,000 needed to hire a consultant for the job.

The funding will come from savings in the current budget cycle and an amendment will likely go before City Council in the coming weeks, Rogero said Friday. The Metropolitan Planning Commission plans to solicit bids from consultants late this month or early June, MPC Executive Director Gerald Green said.

"With all the new development and redevelopment happening throughout the city  not just downtown  we've consistently found ways in which current zoning code didn't meet the realities of today and the desires of people who live here," Rogero said.

City Councilman Marshall Stair also has been a vocal proponent of rewriting the city's nearly 50-year-old zoning ordinances, calling them "broken" at a council meeting late last year.

"We have a suburban zone in a non-suburban area," Stair said at a December meeting during a debate over a parking variance. "It requires all this parking, and unless you want just a giant surface parking lot all through Central (Street) and Broadway, we have to grant these variances. It's a tough situation, and it's really the result of a broken zoning code."

The current codes date back to the 1960s or 1970s, when zoning focused on separating residential neighborhoods from commercial areas, Green said. There's no consideration for pedestrians, bicycles or mixed use  the only place in Knoxville where residential and commercial buildings are side-by-side is downtown.

There also are no universal design requirements or landscaping obligations, Green said.

Rogero, whose background is as an urban planner, said she's long known the updates were needed and the daunting task was one she wanted to tackle during her tenure as mayor. It's also something she considered last year when she and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett were searching for a new Metropolitan Planning Commission director.

Green, the top planner in Jackson County, N.C., took over the commission in August. He oversaw the rewriting of zoning ordinances in Asheville, N.C., while working as a planner there. The amount of time and work involved is too much for MPC's current staff, which is why the city will need to hire a consulting firm, he said.

In the meantime, MPC staff has been working on a new mixed-use zoning code to be used along the city's corridors, beginning with Bearden. The proposed ordinances were unveiled to the public at a meeting last week, and once passed, will likely fit in with the future updates to the rest of the zoning code, Green said.
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By News Sentinel Staff

The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Division of Consumer Affairs is reminding residents that scammers continue trying to trick consumers and businesses into providing information that leads to identity theft, drains bank accounts, and ruins credit reports.

Several Better Business Bureaus have recently reported that scammers are again weaving their trusted name into their ploy pitches because they know that the public views them as a trusted entity, according to a news release from the state.

In one example, a Better Business Bureau said that a woman received a call from "Chris Gabriel," who identified himself as a representative of the agency. To sound official, the caller gave her an ID number and said the call was about her Citibank card, which he knew everything about. Because she trusts the Better Business Bureau, she gave him some information, but realized soon after that she had made a mistake.

She immediately hung up, canceled her card and called the Better Business Bureau.

Another Better Business Bureau shared a similar story where a scammer called a business claiming to represent them and asking for bank routing details and the owner's Social Security number claiming it was to update payment and contact information.

The Better Business Bureau is urging consumer and businesses to never give out personally identifiable information until they have confirmed who they requesting party is and why the information is necessary.

They suggest asking a number of questions before providing personal or financial information including the person's full name, the business' name, the street address for the business and a call back number.

Also ask if they are listed with the Better Business Bureau and what their rating is.

If you expect to spend a lot of money, ask for their local banking name and location. Now that you have gathered the information, check them out and make an informed decision by visiting www.GoBBB.org.
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By Frank Munger of the Knoxville News Sentinel

The government announced Monday that the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge had completed the disposal of 2,247 containers of so-called mixed waste  containing both radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals  more than two years ahead of schedule.

The federal plant was required to get rid of the stored wastes by September 2018 under terms of a commissioner's order from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The mandate is part of an agreed-upon Site Treatment Plan for dealing with legacy wastes generated decades ago by facilities on the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge reservation.

According to the announcement by the National Nuclear Security Administration, most of the wastes were shipped to EnergySolutions' disposal facility near Clive, Utah. The other containers were sent to the Nevada National Security Site for burial.

Geoff Beausoleil, manager of the NNSA's Production Office, said removal of the old wastes was a "key priority" for the federal agency.

"Completing this removal project two years ahead of schedule is a significant achievement," Beausoleil said in a statement.

The project took place over the past five years. The NNSA did not have a cost estimate on the waste-disposal effort.

The "vast majority" of the waste inventory consisted of solid materials and did not require any special treatment. However, many of the waste containers had to be repackaged to meet federal transportation requirements for shipping uranium.

A smaller portion of Y-12's waste inventory required a series of treatment and processing activities to prepare the materials for permanent disposal.

"These wastes were split among containers to reduce the uranium content and then 'rocked up' for disposal, meaning a small container of the waste was placed inside a larger container that was then filled with concrete," the NNSA said in the announcement.

The most challenging work involved organic solutions stored in bottles, the agency said.

"These required processing and several splits to sufficiently reduce the uranium content to meet shipping requirements and stabilization/solidification to meet disposal requirements," the NNSA release stated. "In total, the waste left Y-12 in 193 shipments."
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The New York Times recently reported on the community response to the murder of Zaevion Dobson. Absent from that response is any effort by elected leaders to address gun violence. State Rep. Eddie Smith, who represents Zaevion's district, astonishingly sees no connection between the 15-year-old's murder and the need for gun control. Smith incredulously remarks: "Criminals will always find a way. I'm a Christian, so I go back to Cain and Abel. It didn't involve a gun. It involved a rock."

How likely is it that Zaevion and his 12-year-old cousin, JaJuan Latham, would be alive today if their assailants threw rocks instead of firing bullets? How many of the 32 students slaughtered at Virginia Tech would be alive today if Seung-Hui Cho had only rocks instead of two handguns? How many of the 20 dead children would be alive today if Adam Lanza had walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School with pockets full of rocks instead of firearms? How many of the nine dead members of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church would be alive today if Dylann Roof had only rocks to throw instead of a Glock to shoot?

Smith's nihilistic argument that killers will always find a way to kill cynically ignores the reality that guns are ubiquitous in this country and killed 13,000 innocent people in 2015. Smith's response is typical of those feckless politicians who slavishly bow to the National Rifle Association, an organization that claims to defend the rights of citizens but is really about working on behalf of gun manufacturers and sellers to obstruct any laws or regulations that would save lives. Smith identifies himself as a Christian. I would love to know what sort of gun he thinks Jesus would carry.

Edward T. Sullivan, Oak Ridge
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The letter "Atomic bombs sent message to the Soviets" is so full of inaccuracies that a comprehensive response is impossible. The facts around Hiroshima and Nagasaki are straightforward.

Anti-bombing historians claim the Soviet Union's entry into the Pacific War caused Japan to surrender. Not true. Only a tiny group of historians believe this theory. They are called revisionist historians, which is the most damning of labels for a historian.

Estimated casualties of 27,500 during an invasion is an absurdly low number. More than 900,000 Japanese soldiers confronting 900,000 American troops would result in horrific numbers. Six months of prior fighting in the Pacific would indicate a massive number of deaths on both sides.

Surrender terms did not preserve the emperor's power at all. This is yet another "fact" that anti-bombing critics claim but cannot prove. Opinions come cheaply. Facts are hard-earned things. Cherry-picking numbers off websites that support your claims is not doing impartial research. It is propaganda of the most dangerous kind.

President Barack Obama, if he goes to Hiroshima, can put the entire controversy to rest. He can say, "I have looked at the facts, as they were, in August of 1945 and I fully support President Truman's decision to use atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Every future president should support Truman's decision."

It will never happen.

Richard Cook, Oak Ridge
By Lee Hyo-sik





Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has decided to stop producing cigarettes in Korea, officials at its Korean unit said Sunday.

Currently, the company leases part of KT&G's Shintanjin plant in Daejeon to produce Mevius and other cigarette brands after importing tobacco leaves and other raw materials. This is not to pay a 40 percent tariff imposed on imported cigarette goods.

But the company has opted to produce cigarettes abroad, probably in its Philippine plant, and bring them to Korea, even if it pays the 40 percent of the value of the goods as a tariff. Korea increased the tariff imposed on cigarette imports in 2001 to encourage multinational firms to build plants and hire workers here.

"We haven't made a final decision yet. But it is true that we are leaning toward ending cigarette production in Korea," an official at JTI Korea said. "The issue has exclusively been handled by our global headquarters. Halting production at the Shintanjin plant is part of its efforts to optimize worldwide operation."

JTI, headquartered in Geneva, estimates that it is cheaper to make cigarettes in its plant abroad and ship them to Korea, despite the 40 percent tariff, according to the official.

The company reportedly feels uneasy about continuing to share business information with KT&G, its largest rival that accounts for 60 percent of the Korean market.

"It would be better for JTI Korea to make products in Korea for Korean consumers because we can respond to changing market trends in a timely manner," the official said. "Nonetheless, we will continue to do our best to bolster our market share and better serve our customers."

JTI Korea is the smallest foreign cigarette manufacturer in Korea, accounting for about an 8 percent market share. Its two larger competitors  Phillip Morris International (PMI) Korea and British American Tobacco (BAT) Korea  each hold 21 percent and 11 percent.

PMI Korea operates a cigarette plant in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, while BAT Korea runs a production facility in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Both companies import tobacco leaves and all other materials, and make cigarette products for Korean consumers.

In April, JTI was allowed to sell its Mevius LSS Wind Blue to Korea's armed forces for one year, along with PMI's Marlboro Gold Original cigarettes.

This marked first time the military opened the door to foreign cigarette makers. In 2007, the defense ministry began holding an open bid, but until last year foreign makers could not break KT&G's monopoly.
By Lee Hyo-sik



The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is prying open the door for domestic companies seeking to explore business opportunities in Cuba, following the lifting of a U.S. embargo on the Caribbean nation.



Korea's largest business association with 140,000 members said Monday that its chairman Park Yong-Maan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with his Cuban counterpart Orlando Hernandez Guillen, president of the Cuba Chamber of Commerce, to boost business cooperation between the two countries.



The KCCI expects the agreement will help serve as a steppingstone for automakers, electronics firms and other consumer goods makers here looking to enter the Caribbean nation. KCCI said it has been maintaining ties since 1998 with the Cuba Chamber of Commerce, established in 1961 with 800 members.



The association plans to send business delegations to Cuba, as well as hold seminars and other meetings both in Korea and Cuba to bolster exchanges among business leaders.



"Cuba has emerged as a promising market in Latin America but it's hard for Korean firms to make inroads into the nation because the two sides have not yet established diplomatic ties," said KCCI Executive Vice Chairman Lee Dong-geun said. "The latest MOU is expected to bring the two sides closer and help local companies enter Cuba."



Lee said Korean businesses should take advantage of Cuba's opening to the outside world, calling on local builders, healthcare providers and energy firms, among others, to more actively test the waters for business opportunities there.



On Tuesday, the KCCI will hold a Cuban investment forum at its headquarters in downtown Seoul, inviting a wide range of domestic companies interested in the island nation.



At the forum, Hernandez will make a sales pitch for Cuba, urging Korean businesses to invest in his home country, according to KCCI officials.



The Cuba Chamber of Commerce has been placing top priority on attracting foreign investments to help upgrade its aged industrial infrastructure and create jobs after the lifting of the decades-old U.S. sanctions.




By Nam Hyun-woo

More than 70 percent of individual savings accounts (ISAs) opened at banks have balances of less than 10,000 won, casting doubts on the effectiveness of a range of newly introduced financial products, ambitiously introduced by the government to "increase public wealth."

According to Financial Supervisory Service data submitted to rep. Min Byung-doo of the Minjoo Party of Korea, some 1.37 million ISAs were opened at banks between March 14 and April 15. However, some 74.3 percent or 1.01 million of them were opened with balances lower than 10,000 won.

Some 28,000 or 2.0 percent of at-bank ISAs were found to have less than 100 won, with their aggregated amount standing at a mere 1.5 million won.

The number of ISAs having more than 10 million won was some 22,000, accounting for 1.6 percent of the total, even fewer than those with less than 100 won.

This seems to show that a significant number of customers opened ISAs as favors to their acquaintances working at banks. Since one person can open only one ISA, banks have fiercely competed to garner more customers. Bank workers, forced to meet a certain ISA quota, asked their acquaintances to open an ISA at the bank they are working for.

Among the banks, Nonghyup had the lowest average amount, hovering at around 100,000 won.

"After the excessive competition between financial institutions, there are too many empty ISAs,'" said Min.

An ISA is a type of savings account where tax is not collected from interest earned or gains from investments up to a set amount. Various types of other financial products are also attached to the account.
Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min) performs a shamanic ritual in the film "The Wailing."

/ Courtesy of 20th Century Fox Korea







Poster for "The Wailing

By Yun Suh-young

"The Wailing," or "Gokseong" slated for release on May 12, is not the simple crime thriller that it appears to be in the trailer  it's deeper and scarier.

What initially starts as a story about a policeman uncovering a series of mysterious deaths in his village becomes more than just an investigation of a suspect. It delves into complex questions such as, why some people become victims, to what extent people can trust others, and what is the true face of good or evil  is good hidden behind evil or evil disguised as good? But the director leaves these questions unanswered, letting the audience do the work.

People start dying one by one in a once quiet village where policeman Jong-gu (Kwak Do-won) lives. However, the deaths, apparently murders, are strange and horrific. Victims display savage behavior and become mentally deranged before dying. Rumors begin to spread, attributing the cause to wild mushroom intoxication or to a stranger in the village known to be Japanese. When his daughter starts to show the same symptoms as other victims, Jong-gu starts tracking down evidence. Believing the words of Mu-myeong (Chun Woo-hee), a witness who claims that the stranger is to blame, Jong-gu calls in Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min), a shaman, to resolve the case with "gut," a shamanic ritual. He also invites a priest to join the search for the killer.

The film transforms a thriller into a metaphysical inquiry, blending religious elements from local shamanism, Christianity and Catholicism. The movie starts with a phrase from the Bible, Luke 24:38-40, "And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.' And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet." In the end, the film shows a demon with a nail-pierced palm, repeating the same phrase from the Bible.

"Trust" and "doubt" seem to be the underlying keywords in this film, although the director doesn't answer his own questions. Toward the end of the film, Jong-gu is in utter confusion about who to trust and who is telling the truth. The figure causing him confusion tells him to trust before the rooster crows three times, reminiscent of a scene in the Bible where Jesus says the same to Peter. Jong-gu doubts, however, and exacerbates the situation.

The film is a mix of comedy, crime thriller, horror, occult and zombie genres, confusing the audience in terms of the film's identity.

Throughout the 156 minutes, audiences will feel like they are riding on a rollercoaster of fear, shock and confusion. The intensity of the imagery will linger in their minds and their confusion about the story and the ending will follow them outside the theater, leaving them feeling uneasy and unresolved. Who is speaking the truth and who should be believed? Who is good and who is evil?

The open-ended and ambiguous ending is apparently what the director intended.

"I mulled over the ending and decided I had to leave it open. It was something that I couldn't dare speak of. This result came from multiple interviews I had with leaders from several different religions," said director Na Hong-jin during a press screening on May 3. This is his third feature film and a return in six years since "The Yellow Sea" (2010). His other previous work includes "The Chaser" (2008).

"It is up to the audience to interpret the film. They can interpret it any way they like. You can take it in as it is, or you can twist it."

Regarding the inclusion of religious elements in the film, Na said he could not "understand the causes of such crimes although they might have a logical reason."

"So I had to take it outside of the realm of reality. It all started from the question, 'Could there be another reason?' Is there a God? If there is, would he be always good? I thought that could change depending on how I felt," he explained.

This is not a film for people who like clear-cut endings with a straightforward message. Although rated PG 15, the film is more for adults than teenagers because it features terrifying and intense scenes and is also difficult to understand.

The film will be screened in the Out of Competition section at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18 and will be released on May 27 in North America.

President of Fox International Production Tomas Jegeus, who was also attending the press event, said he was glad to find a director such as Na.

"He is a man with a unique vision, a unique way of presenting the movie. We're lucky to find a filmmaker of this caliber in Korea," said Jegeus, adding that Fox will increase production of Korean films.

"In Korea we didn't even make one film a year. Next year onwards we're planning up to 3-4 films a year," he said.
Five renowned South Korean chefs will team up with two American cooks to host a series of collaborative dinners in New York City next month under the theme of fermentation, the event's organizer said Monday.



British magazine Restaurant will join hands with Seoul-based gourmet magazine La Main to host "Korea NYC dinners" from June 9-11.



On the first night, two Korean chefs, Jang Jin-mo of A&ND Dining and Choi Hyun-seok of Elbon The Table, will host a dinner with Brooklyn-based chef Carlo Mirarchi of Blanca.



Another Korean duo, Kang Min-goo of Mingles and Tony Yoo of 24 Seasons, will work with Dan Barber of Blue Hill in Greenwich Village to present dinner the next day.



All four Korean chefs will collaborate with renowned chef-restaurateur Yim Jung-sik to create a gala Korea NYC Dinner at Jungsik's New York branch in Manhattan on June 11.



The list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2016 will be announced on June 12, and the chefs will hold an after-party following the awards ceremony on the next day.



Participants will also gather for a conference on June 12 to discuss the theme of "Korean fermentation," an essential part of Korean cuisine.



"There are many celebrity Korean chefs who can introduce fine Korean cuisine to the world, but they had very limited opportunities to stand on the global stage," Jang Eun-sil, the event's organizer and chief of editor at La Main, said during a press conference. "I hope this collaborative dinner series will give them a chance to promote Korean food and fermented cuisine."



Jung, who runs the two-star Michelin restaurant, hoped that the event will help widen the base for interest in Korean food, or hansik, in the global market.



"There were fewer than 20 Korean restaurants in Koreantown in Manhattan 10 years ago, but now, there are over 100 Korean restaurants. You can't eat at famous restaurants in dinner time without standing in line," Jung said. "Several Michelin-starred restaurants in New York use kimchi and ingredients. I think hansik will draw more attention through various cuisines and interpretation."



Preparing for the event, the Korean chefs have toured across the nation to discover new ingredients and craft a fresh way to present the cuisine.



"Although Korean chefs are good at cooking, Korean cuisine is relatively lesser known in the global market," said Choi, who cooks at the Seoul-based Italian fine restaurant. "I will reinterpret Korean soy sauce in Italian cuisine to familiarize foreigners with the fusion dish. I will focus on making a dish that can create more interest in hansik."



The most distinguished characteristic of Korean fermented food is the variety of ingredients, mostly vegetables.



"There is no other country that uses this wide range of vegetables for fermentation, which turns into various forms of side dishes," said Kang Min-goo, whose restaurant ranked 15th among The World's 50 Best Restaurants last year.



In 2013, the annual practice of making kimchi before winter, known as "gimjang," was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List.



Other typical fermented foods are sauces, or jang, of all kinds, including ganjang (soybean sauce), gochujang (red pepper paste) and doenjang (soybean paste).



The list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants is selected based on a poll of international chefs, restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics. The restaurants are often forerunners of molecular gastronomy, with most of the restaurants serving haute cuisine. (Yonhap)




President Park Geun-hye's job approval rating edged up after her recent groundbreaking visit to Iran and amid lingering tensions on the Korean Peninsula, a new poll showed Monday.

A poll released by polling agency Realmeter on Monday showed 35.9 percent of people approved of the job Park is doing, up 4.9 percentage points from a week earlier.

Those who disapproved of Park's job performance came to 59.9 percent, down 4.5 percentage points from a week before.

Realmeter said conservatives -- the key supporters of Park -- rallied around her after she secured economic achievements from her trip to Iran.

Park and her Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, observed the signing of nearly 20 out of 66 memorandums of understanding worth up to $45.6 billion. Seoul hopes the MOUs pave the way for South Korean companies to eventually win massive infrastructure projects under way in Iran.

Tensions persisted on the Korean Peninsula over North Korea's possible provocations amid its rare congress of the ruling Workers' Party.

Park's job approval rating plunged to 31 percent in the fourth week of last month following an election rout by her ruling Saenuri Party in mid-April.

Meanwhile, Moon Jae-in, a former leader of the main opposition Minjoo Party received 27.1 percent, up 1.9 percentage points from a week earlier, according to the poll released by local pollster Realmeter.

Moon's party received a big boost from the parliamentary elections in April, in which it secured 123 out of 300 seats up for grabs. The party has become the single largest party in the upcoming parliament that starts work on May 30.

Moon is trailed by Ahn Cheol-soo, a co-leader of the minor opposition People's Party, with 17.2 percent; former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon in third with 12.1 percent and Kim Moo-sung, former head of the Saenuri Party, with 7.4 percent.

The survey was conducted on 2,028 adults from May 2-6 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, the pollster said. (Yonhap)
By Kim Bo-eun



The local government, education authorities and parents who lost their children in the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy have agreed to move the memorial space from Danwon High School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, to a new venue.



They held a ceremony at a joint memorial altar in Ansan, Monday. The agreement came after months of conflict between the involved parties.



After most of the high school's second grade class were killed in the ferry sinking during a school trip to Jeju Island in April 2014, 10 classrooms in the school remained as memorial places. The classrooms have been preserved as they were before the disaster occurred, only with the addition of messages and gifts from visitors paying their respects to the victims.



Instead of conserving the actual classrooms, the parties reached an agreement to build a separate facility near the school to remember the tragedy and commemorate the victims.



Construction of the facility is slated to be completed by September 2018. Until then, the desks, chairs and other equipment in the classrooms will be temporarily housed in an annex of the Ansan Office of Education.



Besides setting up and managing the new facility, the parties also agreed to host a memorial ceremony every year and build a commemorative sculpture on the school's grounds.



Gyeonggi Provincial Government and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education (GPOE) have set aside 9 billion won to construct the facility and Ansan City is set to provide administrative support.



"We hope that all those involved do not forget today's agreement and promises, and remember the lesson learned from the Sewol disaster," a GPOE official said.



The victims' parents had been at odds with the parents of other students currently attending the school over the issue. The former had been requesting for the memorial classrooms to be preserved, while the latter claimed the school needs to use them again, due to the lack of space for current students.



Meetings to resolve the issue began on Feb. 28, mediated by the Korea Conference of Religions for Peace. Nine meetings took place over 65 days, and the agreement was reached in a final meeting May 2.



To keep the memorial classrooms and prepare spaces for new students at the same time, the school has been using computer rooms, music rooms and libraries as temporary homerooms since the new school year started in March. It moved the principal's office to a container outside the school building.




By Jun Ji-hye

The military said Monday that it will prioritize strengthening its capabilities for conducting preemptive strikes on the North's nuclear and missile facilities after Pyongyang reaffirmed its nuclear ambitions at the Workers' Party congress.

The military said it will speed up the development of technologies for the Kill Chain and Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) systems.

The Kill Chain is a system designed to carry out a preemptive strike against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile facilities if Seoul is faced with an imminent threat, while the KAMD is a low-tier air defense program.

The Ministry of National Defense plans to put them into service in the early 2020s.

The Kim Jong-un regime vowed to continue its nuclear program by declaring itself to be a nuclear state during the seventh congress of the ruling Workers' Party that kicked off Friday.

"As far as the North declared parallel pursuit of nuclear and economic development as its permanent policy direction, we expect the North to continue to carry out additional nuclear tests and test-fire ballistic missiles in a bid to make its nuclear and missile capabilities near perfect," said ministry spokesman, Moon Sang-gyun.

The ministry said, among other issues, 13 kinds of weapons, including the Global Hawk unmanned aerial aircraft, the Taurus long-range air-to-ground missile and the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile interceptors, which are core assets forming the Kill Chain and the KAMD, will be put into service in 2021.












By Kim Da-hee

A foreign couple died after falling from the roof of a three-story building in Itaewon, central Seoul, Yongsan police said.

They said an American man, 31, and a South African woman, 26, fell at around 2 a.m. on Sunday. They were rushed to hospital, but died from serious head injuries and loss of blood.



"They were kissing before the incident," a witness said.
/Courtesy of Twitter



By Lee Jin-a

Incheon will get tough on tax collection from foreign residents from August.

According to Incheon Metropolitan City on Monday, foreign residents owe 550 million won ($472,000) in taxes.

Like Koreans, foreigners who live in the city must pay residential taxes. Residents who bought a car or a house, or who own a car must also pay acquisition taxes and automobile taxes.

Many foreigners miss the payment dates because of lack of awareness. To help resolve the problem, the city will distribute English-language notices in August and October.

For residents owing more than 5 million won, city officials will visit their companies and homes to press for payment.

Next year, Incheon also plans to restrict visa extensions for foreigners who fail to pay taxes. The plan will become effective if the Ansan Branch of the Immigration Office, which used the same policy from May 2 to December 31, confirms its effectiveness.


By Kang Seung-woo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's "nuclear-first" policy is expected to push his country into deeper diplomatic and economic isolation, analysts said Monday.

Kim said at the Seventh Workers' Party Congress that his country, as a "responsible nuclear weapons state," will strive for world denuclearization, according to the Korean Central News Agency. His remarks are regarded as repeating his nuclear ambitions.

"North Korea's confirmation that it will pursue nuclear arms through Kim's speech can prevent the country from removing current difficulties and even deepen its isolation," said Chang Yong-seok, a senior researcher at the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University.

Kim Youl-soo, a professor of international political science at Sungshin Women's University, also said that Kim's declaring the North as a nuclear power has dashed the international community's hopes for a conciliatory message.

"Rather than unveiling peace-making efforts that the international community anticipated, he made it clear that his nation will continue to pursue a nuclear sprint, which will further isolate the country from the world," he said.

In the wake of Pyongyang's continued nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, the repressive state has been estranged from the international community, following the imposition of harsh sanctions that are wreaking havoc on the North Korean economy.

The White House also urged the North to give up its nuclear development to avoid isolation.

"We obviously are aware of the risk that is posed by North Korea's effort to develop nuclear weapons and systems capable of delivering those nuclear weapons. As a result, North Korea has faced increasing isolation," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Friday.

"There is a path that North Korea can take to come out of the wilderness, to emerge from isolation. But it will require them to renounce nuclear weapons and demonstrate a clear commitment to ending their provocative actions, and denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula."

China has served as the lone backer for the North in the international community, but the latter's recent provocations have irked the Chinese government and frayed relations.

Analysts said that the poor rapport between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim may worsen the isolation, among others.

"This time, China sent a congratulatory message without mentioning the North Korean leader and it shows the present state of ties," said Chang.

When the North held the party's 70th anniversary in October last year, China sent Liu Yunshan, the Chinese Communist Party's fifth-ranking leader.

"Without backing from China, it will be difficult for the North to seek foreign economic cooperation," Chang added.

To make the North's situation worse, Russia, its long-time ally, has reportedly decided to freeze all financial transactions with North Korea and suspend the imports of mineral resources from the belligerent regime as part of implementing the U.N. resolution in March, described as the harshest-ever by the U.N. Security Council.

With no sign of change in the North's behavior, the country may face tougher pressure from the international community.

"Cooperating with six-party members and the international community, South Korea is set to continue pressing North Korea with the U.N. resolutions until it shows sincerity toward denuclearization," said a foreign ministry official.

"After the North's congress ends, nearby countries may discuss the outcome of the event."

In addition, should the North go ahead with a fifth nuclear test or another launch of a ballistic missile, it would be placed under tougher U.N. punishment, analysts said.
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al- Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah delivers a personal letter from Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. / Joint press corps



By Kang Seung-woo

President Park Geun-hye met with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Monday, to discuss ways of deepening the two nations' partnership in infrastructure, health care and information and communications technologies, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The Prime Minister arrived in Seoul on Sunday on a four-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. It was his first visit to Korea since he took office in December 2011. Seoul is the third leg of his four-nation Asian tour that includes Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Japan.

They also met with each other last year, when President Park was on a trip to four Middle Eastern countries and agreed to step up cooperation in energy, medical and railway services, and information and telecommunication technology.

"President Park expressed satisfaction last year's agreement has made progress, expecting the bilateral cooperation to expand in other fields including culture," Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.

According to Park's office, the Kuwaiti prime minister hoped that the Middle East country will expand cooperation with Korean companies in its infrastructure projects.

When the Prime Minister arrived at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on Sunday, he stressed the nation's keenness to enhance bilateral relations in vital and important sectors that would serve the interests of both countries, especially in the technology, energy and investment fields, according to the Kuwait News Agency.

The trade volume between the two nations was tallied at $9.89 billion last year, according to the Korea International Trade Association.

Kuwait is a member of the six-nation, anti-Iranian Gulf Cooperation Council that also includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

In this respect, the meeting drew attention, raising speculation that it was arranged to soothe Sunni-ruled countries, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, because Park made a state visit to Shiite-ruled Iran  the first time for a Korean president  earlier this month and agreed to improve economic ties.

However, the presidential office rejected the idea, saying that the meeting was fixed ahead of Park's Iran trip.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti Prime Minister delivered a personal letter from Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to President Park in the meeting.
Humidifier disinfectant victims want to prevent recurrence





Ahn Seong-woo, whose wife died after using a toxic humidifier disinfectant, covers his face during a rally in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, April 19. He has been staging protests against the disinfectant manufacturers and the government for years. / Yonhap

This is the first in a three-part series on a scandal over a humidifier disinfectant which was allegedly responsible for more than 140 deaths.  ED

By Kim Se-jeong

In February 2011, the wife of a Busan resident, Ahn Seong-woo, 40, collapsed suddenly and was transferred to the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital.

The eight-months-pregnant wife died three days later, and so did her unborn child.

Ahn had no idea why his wife suddenly developed lung damage and died, until the government announced that August that humidifier sterilizers were the cause of mysterious cases of lung disease and the deaths of many people, mainly pregnant women and children.

His eight-year-old son was also affected by the disinfectant, but he survived and is listed as a category 1 victim, meaning he has serious lung damage and will live with it for the rest of his life.

The disinfectant brand which the family used was Cefu, made by a small local company, Butterfly Effect.

The sense of guilt has never left Ahn.

"I bought the disinfectant for her," Ahn recalled. He spent two years in a remote temple, mourning them.

Ahn's story is just one of countless cases where those who used the humidifier sterilizers died or suffered from lung disease.

The disinfectant was first sold in 1994, and in 2001, Oxy Reckitt Benckiser began producing its product with polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG).

In 2011, more than 20 kinds were available on the market, and over 8 million people bought at least one of them. Such products are not sold outside Korea.

Although the number of confirmed victims has reached 530 including 146 dead, no one  the manufacturers or the government  has taken responsibility since the announcement in 2011.

When Ahn returned home from the temple, his parents wanted him to start a new life. Instead, he became a full-time activist.

Last November, he joined a national bike rally with activists and other victims. He began a weekly protest in front of the Oxy Reckitt Benckiser office on Yeouido, southern Seoul.

He set up tents outside the Oxy office every Monday night for an overnight protest.

He and many other families of the victims say what they want is to lay bare the truth behind the deadly products and bring those responsible to justice.

Things have changed since January this year, as the prosecution launched an intensive investigation into the case. Ahn moved his protest to the prosecutors' office in southern Seoul.

It is unlikely that he will receive compensation from the Cefu maker because the company went bankrupt. But compensation is not the reason why he is so devoted to this protest.

"Right now, my son is too young to understand death. When he is old enough to understand and asks me about his mother's death, I want to be able to tell him that I didn't sit idly by," he said.

The recent developments, including the prosecutors' investigation, apologies from involved companies and the government's move for support, are not enough for him.

"It took five years to get here. Way too long," he said.





Unrecognized victims

After the 2011 announcement, the government received requests from alleged victims to offer financial support for medical fees. It categorized the people into four groups: categories 1 and 2 for those who had pulmonary fibrosis, and categories 3 and 4 for those with other lung diseases or problems in other organs.

Although those in categories 3 and 4 used the disinfectants and developed such illnesses, the government has not offered them financial support, saying their symptoms were not serious enough.

A woman surnamed Lee, 41, from Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, has been fighting for those in categories 3 and 4. She and her teenage son are in category 4. They used a disinfectant made by SK Chemicals and distributed by Aekyung between 2009 and 2010.

Lee and her son were diagnosed with asthma. They also have skin problems and visit a doctor every month. She believes the disinfectant was the cause of the problems.

"I never had asthma. I found the same symptom in my son. I find it among many other victims."

The single mother hasn't been able to work since being diagnosed in 2010. "I receive a basic living allowance, but that's not enough."

Lee has called on the government to revise the categorization rules so that all people can receive support.

The government accepted this only last week, saying that it will conduct research into the correlation between the disinfectants and non-lung diseases.

But Lee is skeptical of the pledge.

"I am losing faith in the government," Lee said. "It is making empty promises under pressure, and when the issue stops making headlines, it will change its stance again."

Kim Sun-mi, 31, is a category 4 victim and is fighting against the chemical maker in court.

She used the disinfectant for almost 18 months starting in 2008. She was pregnant with her second child, Won-ho, when she began using it. Her two children are also category-4 victims diagnosed with asthma. Won-ho was only 10 months old when he was diagnosed, and he spent a lot of time in the hospital growing up.

Kim is not in good condition. Collapsing due to breathing problems is part of her everyday routine, she said.

"I used the half the instructed amount of the product. I think that saved us."

Kim filed a damages suit against SK Chemicals in 2014. As an individual, the court battle has been tough; but she said she will never give up.

"I am doing this for my children so that they will have a better life. Also, I don't want something like this to happen again, and hope that what I am doing will ensure this."
By Kim Hyo-jin





Rep. Park Jie-won

Rep. Park Jie-won, the floor leader of the minor opposition People's Party, urged President Park Geun-hye, Monday, to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to resolve the nuclear issue.



"In order to resolve the North's nuclear conundrum, what we need the most is President Park Geun-hye to approach and persuade Kim Jong-un, delivering international stance on the matter through a summit," Park said during a TBS radio interview.



"Holding a summit is the only way to address inter-Korean conflict. Working-level talks have yet to reach achievements as the negotiators have only traded barbs."



Park argued that the South Korean government should step up to find a breakthrough against North Korea.



"In defiance of our hope, Kim is sticking to the country's nuclear program while expecting economic development. And he keeps making hawkish remarks against the U.S. It seems there's no solution to be presented by the North's side," he said.



"It's time for Seoul to put its upmost diplomatic efforts so Pyongyang and Washington can open negotiation on the nuclear program," he said, stressing the South's leverage role.



The remarks came after Kim reaffirmed his plan to keep the nuclear program.

In his speech during the first congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in 36 years, Saturday, Kim mentioned that his country would "faithfully fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearization."



He also proposed to resume the inter-Korean military talks, saying that U.S. troops stationed in the South should be withdrawn first.



Regarding the proposal, floor leader Park said, "It's just a meaningless gesture. If the South agrees, then the North will request some additional conditions."



"But it is still necessary that we respond to the proposal actively so that the isolated country can come out for the negotiating table."
President Park Geun-hye, surrounded by South Korean and Iranian business leaders, speaks at a business forum between the two nations during her visit to Tehran, May 3. / Yonhap



Closer Seoul-Tehran ties can mar friendship with Riyadh, analysts say



By Yi Whan-woo



South Korea is on a tightrope between Iran and Saudi Arabia after the government overly lauded econoomic cooperation with Terhan during President Park Geun-hye's historic visit there last week amid escalating rivalry between the two Middle East nations.

Analysts warned that exaggerating the Seoul-Tehran economic relations can mar South Korea's friendship with Saudi Arabia, although they positively assessed Seoul's emphasis on support from Iran for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

To pursue balanced diplomacy in the Middle East, experts urged the Park administration to take into account rapid change in the regional economy as well as religious conflicts involving Shiite-dominant Iran and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia and other Arab states.

"The Saudis have been attributing all the region's trouble to Iran and pressing everyone to back it, but any realistic policy in the region requires avoiding backing one side over the other in the Saudi-Iranian rivalry or the Shia-Sunni divide," Leon Sigal, director of the Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Program, wrote in an e-mail.

Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong University, said: "Creating a negative perception can cause a serious problem in Middle East diplomacy more than one can imagine."

"And the government excessively highlighted its deal with Iran on economic cooperation for domestic political reasons," he added.

Park was the first South Korean leader to visit Iran  from May 1 to 3  amid growing calls to join the international rush after a landmark nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015.

Iran has sought to rebuild its economy after the country and six world powers  the U.S., China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and Germany  agreed to lift decades-long sanctions on Tehran in return for curbing its nuclear program.

Saudi Arabia has been against the U.S.-led nuclear deal due to concerns that it may concede its regional hegemony to Iran and add to its woes over falling oil prices.

Since January, tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia has intensified after the execution of prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr in line with Riyadh's sectarian policies and Iran let an angry crowd attack the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran.

Under such circumstances, it was reckless for the Park government to highlight the possible economic benefits from 66 memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed between South Korea and Iran during the presidential visit, according to Park Won-gon.

Involving infrastructure projects, the MOUs can lead to contracts worth 42 trillion won ($37.1 billion) if the two sides carry them all out: but only six of them were legally binding.

"With low oil prices affecting the economy of Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim countries, we should be careful about exaggerating our economic ties with Iran," he said.

Yu Dal-seung, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies' (HUFS) Department of Persian, agreed.

"Iran can sign MOUs with multiple countries for certain industrial projects and I'd say South Korea boasted as if it will exclusively carry out those projects with Iran," he said. "We should carefully revise our Middle East diplomacy and ensure to avoid any situations that can push us into an Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict."

The analysts said Saudi Arabia may press South Korea if it reckons Seoul's diplomatic policies in the region are biased toward Tehran although it is not likely that Riyadh will actually take retaliatory measures.

"It may threaten South Korea by to banning crude oil exports in extreme circumstances but it will not actually do so," Yu said.

He added such a strategy can be employed to woo its people amid economic concerns and turn their attention to outside factors, saying "mentioning those issues may help stabilizing its kingdom."

Park Won-gon said the fact that Saudi Arabia accounts for over 30 percent of South Korea's oil import worldwide may make Seoul a good target for Riyadh.

Citing that Saudi Arabia is seeking to restructure its oil-dependent economy, he suggested bolstering Seoul-Riyadh economic ties in information technology, health and medical care and other fields that South Korea excels at.

Meanwhile, analysts speculated that falling oil prices may limit Riyadh's leverage on Seoul if they have diplomatic conflicts.

"As the world is awash in oil and prices remain low, its revenues will leave it in a worse shape to use financial leverage," Sigal said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Arabic professor at HUFS said "I believe South Korea shouldn't worry too much about where to buy crude oil nowadays."
By Jeffrey I. Kim

Recently I visited Brazil and Chile at the invitation of the Inter-American Development Bank. The bank informed us that Korea's foreign investment ombudsman system was well known to many countries and they wanted to adopt the Korean ombudsman system.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been considered one of the most effective elements that brings industrialization and growth and was welcomed by developing and emerging countries. Along with the increasing trend of FDI, however, the business grievances of foreign investors have also increased in the host countries. Moreover, people realize that inserting the clause of the ombudsman's role in a free trade framework would make the free trade negotiating process a lot easier. Consequently countries try to benchmark the Korean ombudsman system.

Korea has been effectively running the foreign investment ombudsman system since its adoption in 1999. Thanks to its successful operation, the system was adopted for the Korea-China free trade agreement (FTA). After this, a handful of countries including Vietnam, Russia, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Brazil, and Chile have been trying to emulate the Korean ombudsman system.

Strictly speaking, the foreign investment ombudsman institute does not belong to any government organization or agency. Because of its legal background, the institute is politically and financially independent. The budget for running the ombudsman institute comes from the central government.

The foreign investment ombudsman system was created by the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. The foreign investment ombudsman is selected through multiple processes. The ombudsman is appointed by the nation's President on the recommendation of the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy through deliberation by the foreign investment committee. This committee mostly consists of vice ministers of various ministries. In this manner, the ombudsman's professional authority and personal integrity are thoroughly examined. By tradition, this appointment is a three-year term and can be renewed a few times.

Under the leadership of the foreign investment ombudsman are three units  administration, an advisory group of officials and the ombudsman's assisting staffs. Several staff are deployed from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) to provide administrative support, 22 officials are dispatched from the local and central government agencies to deliver consulting service to foreign investors and 10 "home doctors" give special treatment to foreign-invested companies which are suffering business grievances. KOTRA maintains a very effective global network by running 123 Korea Business Centers covering 83 countries. The ombudsman can fully utilize KOTRA's resources.

Among the three units in the ombudsman's institute, the home doctors unit is worth explaining. The ombudsman alone cannot resolve all grievances. The ombudsman's tailored service for foreign investors is possible because of support by the professional staff. Their previous occupations include accountants, lawyers, labor dispute specialists and financial executives. In the foreign investment ombudsman office, they are called "home doctors."

Home doctor may be synonymous with the term, "family doctor" who knows a patient's chronic illnesses like a family member in order to provide preventive care and health education to patients. The family doctor keeps the patient's illness confidential unless the patient says otherwise. Likewise the home doctors in the foreign investment institute are supposed to provide foreign investors with needed services. They give information on tax exemption, visa extensions, labor disputes, bookkeeping, location support, cash subsidies, etc. They even check the validity of the existing rules and regulations.

However, home doctors can be a two-edged sword. Currently each home doctor has 30-50 foreign companies in mind for continued care. When they register as foreign-invested company, they are assigned to a relevant home doctor and receive necessary assistance and guides. When they bring the case of grievances to the ombudsman's office, they are assigned to a single home doctor or a team of home doctors depending on the seriousness of the matter.

Home doctors are the first contact point for foreign investors. If the home doctor fails to be kind, attentive or sincere from the beginning, he cannot be considered trustworthy. Then they will never call back again and the grievance will not be resolved. If this prevails for some time, the entire ombudsman system may collapse. So the appropriate incentives should be provided for the home doctors. They need to receive training on customer-oriented attitudes periodically.

Jeffrey I. Kim is a foreign investment ombudsman, a presidentially appointed troubleshooter for investors and entrepreneurs from overseas. He earned a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Chicago and taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and Sungkyunkwan University.
Thailand's top military leader has met with senior South Korean leaders in Seoul to discuss ways to bolster bilateral defense cooperation, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday.

Thai Chief of Defense Forces Sommai Kaotira met with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and JCS chairman Gen. Lee Sun-jin for separate talks, which Seoul officials say served as an opportunity to further strengthen the two countries' military exchanges and cooperation in the defense industry.

The Thai defense chief arrived on Monday for a three-day visit during which he is scheduled to tour the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom near the heavily fortified border and the South Korean Army's 1st Corps.

Thailand is one of the countries that fought under the U.N. banner in support of South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. It sent some 6,300 troops to the peninsula during the first major armed conflict of the Cold War. (Yonhap)
The United States urged North Korea on Sunday to honor commitments and obligations to give up its nuclear program after the North's leader said he will continue to pursue his trademark policy of simultaneously seeking nuclear and economic development.



"We are aware of the comments and continue to call on North Korea to focus on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its commitments and international obligations," a senior U.S. administration official told Yonhap News Agency on background.



Earlier in the day, the North's leader Kim Jong-un told the Workers' Party Congress that he will "permanently" defend the pursuit of his signature "byeongjin" policy," making clear that he has no intentions to give up nuclear weapons.



Calling the North a "responsible nuclear weapons state," Kim also said the country won't use its nuclear arms first unless its sovereignty is threatened by other countries with nuclear bombs, and will fulfill its nonproliferation obligations and push for global denuclearization.



By "global denuclearization," Kim apparently meant the North won't denuclearize unless everybody else does.



The State Department also urged Pyongyang to carry out its commitments.



"U.N. Security Council resolutions require North Korea to suspend all activities related to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and to abandon them in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner," State Department spokesman Ory Abramowicz told Yonhap.



North Korea has conducted four nuclear tests so far: in 2006, 2009, 2013 and January this year. The country has also conducted a series of long-range missile and rocket launches since 1998. In its most recent launches in late 2012 and February this year, the North succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit.



Analysts have warned that it is only a matter of time until the North develops nuclear-tipped missiles. Some experts have recently warned that the communist nation's nuclear arsenal could expand to as many as 100 bombs by 2020.



The six-party talks aimed at resolving the North Korean standoff have been stalled since late 2008. North Korea demands the unconditional resumption of negotiations, while the U.S. says that Pyongyang must first take concrete steps demonstrating its denuclearization commitments. (Yonhap)




The United States and its allies "will not stand unmoved" in the face of North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, a senior American diplomat said, calling for the communist nation to forswear its weapons programs.



Frank Rose, assistant secretary of state for arms control, verification and compliance, made the remark last week as he talked about U.S. efforts to strengthen missile defense, including the potential deployment of the THAAD system in South Korea.



"The Obama administration is committed to strengthening our missile defense posture around the world, especially on the Korean Peninsula," Rose said at an Air Force Association event Thursday, according to a State Department transcript.



"The United States and its allies will not stand unmoved in the face of North Korea's provocative ballistic missile launches and nuclear test explosions," he said. "Simply put, North Korea cannot obtain the security, prosperity or respect it seeks without negotiating an end to its provocative nuclear and missile programs."



Shortly after the North's long-range rocket launch in February, South Korea and the U.S. jointly announced they would begin official discussions on the possible placement of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea.



China has strongly opposed the possible THAAD deployment, claiming the system, especially its radar, could be used against it, despite repeated U.S. assurances that it is only aimed at defending against threats from North Korea.



Rose stressed that no final decision has been made on THAAD, and the system is not aimed at China at all.



"Despite some claims, THAAD's single-stage interceptors deployed in (South Korea) would not have the range or capability to intercept Chinese (intercontinental ballistic missiles) headed to the U.S.," he said.



The THAAD radar wouldn't add much to the U.S. capability, Rose said, pointing out that the U.S. already has two similar radars in Japan, and we have other sensor capabilities in the region, such as the sea-based X-Band radar, Cobra King, and the Cobra Dane radar in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.



"It is the threat from North Korea's extended-range SCUDs and Rodongs that is the driver of a potential THAAD deployment to the ROK," Rose said of the North's missiles.



"While we will continue to engage China on missile defense, we have made clear to them that as long as North Korea continues to develop, test and deploy ballistic missiles, we will work with our allies to defend against that threat, including through the deployment of effective missile defenses," he said.



The U.S. has offered to discuss China's technical concerns about THAAD several times, but Beijing has yet to take us up on the offer, he said. (Yonhap)




South Korea on Monday dismissed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's proposal for cross-border military talks as "insincere," urging Pyongyang to move toward its denuclearization.



During a key congress of the North's ruling Workers' Party of Korea late last week, Kim made the overture, saying "talks and negotiations" between the two militaries are needed for peace and reunification of the Korean Peninsula.



"It is hard to believe that there is sincerity in its offer of military talks given that the North has laid bare its intention of developing nuclear weapons," a military official said on the condition of anonymity.



"The North should stop its provocations and show its willingness to denuclearize through actions," he added.



Seoul officials believe that should the military talks be held, the North might exploit them to pressure the South to stop its propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the tense inter-Korean border, which observers say could jeopardize the despotic regime in Pyongyang



In retaliation for the North's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, the South resumed its broadcasts. The North has called the broadcasts a "threat to its communist system," as they underscore South Korea's economic achievements, the benefits of liberal democracy and the importance of human rights, and call for the restoration of the divided nation's homogeneity.



The South Korean military has put loudspeakers for the 24-hour broadcasts at 11 locations along the military demarcation line. It plans to deploy 40 additional loudspeakers along the border by the end of November.



Seoul officials also presume that Pyongyang would raise the longstanding issue of redrawing the current maritime boundary, called the Northern Limit Line (NLL), should the bilateral military talks resume.



The communist regime has long disputed the NLL, arguing that it was drawn unilaterally by the then U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) after the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. It argues the NLL should be redrawn further south.



In June 2006, the two Koreas struck an agreement over a set of measures to prevent accidental clashes around the NLL. But that agreement has fallen through with Pyongyang frequently violating the de facto sea border. (Yonhap)




South Korea's military is moving quickly to improve its defense systems after North Korea vowed to continue its nuclear armament as a self-proclaimed nuclear weapons state, the government said Monday.



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made it clear during a rare gathering of the ruling Workers' Party over the weekend that he will stick to his signature "byeongjin" policy, which calls for developing the country's nuclear weapons and economy in tandem.



He also said his country, as a "responsible nuclear weapons state," would not use nuclear arms first unless its sovereignty is threatened.



South Korea, in response to a series of provocations, has been in the process of developing a set of missile detection and defense systems, known as the Kill Chain and the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD), with the aim of putting them into service in the mid-2020s.



Amid the North's evolving threats, Seoul plans to put these systems at the top of its defense spending priorities.



The Kill Chain and the KAMD also form part of Seoul and Washington's 4D Operational Concept that seeks to detect, disrupt, destroy and defend against potential nuclear and missile attacks from the North.



"South Korea and the U.S. will draw up the details of the 4D Operational Concept during the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue (KIDD) meeting in Washington, D.C.," a government official said on the condition of anonymity.



The two daylong bilateral talks are scheduled to open in Washington later in the day. The official said the meeting will cover ways to create implementation programs for the operational plan.



Under the Kill Chain system, South Korea plans to improve its surveillance of North Korean military facilities by deploying unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the Global Hawk and the F-35A fighter jets, starting in 2018.



To improve its strike capabilities on North Korean nuclear and missile sites, the South Korean military also plans to deploy the German-made Taurus air-to-surface missiles in the second half of the year.



The Taurus has a range of more than 500 kilometers, making it capable of striking nearly all parts of North Korea from the central regions of South Korea. (Yonhap)




BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, left, interviews a North Korean at an amusement park in Pyongyang. / Screen captured from YouTube



By Park Si-soo

BBC correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes has been detained and expelled from North Korea for a report "deemed disrespectful" to leader Kim Jong-un, according to the BBC Monday.

The journalist, who was in Pyongyang to cover the much-hyped Workers' Party congress, was questioned for eight hours and made to sign a statement, according to the British broadcaster.

He was deported along with his producer Maria Byrne and cameraman Matthew Goddard. Their minders took them to the airport, the report said.

The BBC's Stephen Evans, who is still in Pyongyang, said the North Korean leadership was displeased with their reports, which had highlighted aspects of life in the capital.



According to the Associated Press, O Ryong-il, secretary-general of the North's National Peace Committee, said Hayes distorted facts and spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country. He said Hayes was released after writing an apology and would never be allowed to visit the country again after his expulsion on Monday.

The BBC has not revealed further details.
Delegates from the U.S. and North Korea sign a ceasefire agreement for the Korean War at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in this photo taken July 27, 1953. With the war halted for 63 years by the agreement, rumors erupted recently that China is pushing the U.S. to sign a peace treaty with the North in return for removing its chronic headache -- the North's nuclear program. / Korea Times file



By Yi Whan-woo

Rumors are circulating that China has proposed signing a peace treaty with North Korea to the United States in return for Pyongyang's freezing of its nuclear weapons program and re-entry to the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).

Citing diplomatic sources, the Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo reported Monday that China has brought up peace talks between the U.S. and North Korea to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War.

"It's my understanding that China asked the U.S. view on striking a peace deal with North Korea as a precondition for Pyongyang to freeze its nuclear program and return to the NPT," a source was quoted as saying by the Seoul-based daily.

The source added Beijing's proposal was built on discussion between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in February concerning the replacement of the Korean War armistice with a peace agreement.

A different source also told the newspaper that China also offered to capitalize on various dialogue channels, including six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, after the U.S. did not accept its proposal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs flatly denied the reports, saying "South Korea and the U.S. remain unchanged in their view that Pyongyang's denuclearization is the priority for any dialogue with North Korea."

The rumor comes after a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report in February on clandestine negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang to formally resolve the inter-Korean conflict.

The discussion failed following North Korea's fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, according to the report. But it still triggered concerns in South Korea that it is being left out of regional talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul then refused to reveal whether the U.S. shared the existence or results of one-on-one dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

It was also speculated that Kerry and Wang made had a deal over the peace agreement in convincing China to join the U.N. Security Council (UNSC)'s toughest sanctions against North Korea on March 2.

Some intelligence authorities speculated that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may have mentioned global denuclearization in his speech last week after taking China's latest proposal from the U.S. into account according to the JoongAng Ilbo..

In a statement carried out by the Korean Central News Agency, Sunday, Kim told the ongoing Seventh Workers' Party Congress that the country will "faithfully fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearization."

His remark was seen questionable because he also declared his country as a nuclear state in defiance of the NPT. It only recognizes the U.S., China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France as nuclear powers and prohibits the rest of the world from owning nuclear arms and also transferring related nuclear technology to other countries.

Meanwhile, North Korea refused to engage in any dialogue on April 12 concerning its nuclear program, including possible talks to discuss its denuclearization and a peace treaty at the same time.
A group of South Korean firms with facilities at the now-defunct joint industrial park with North Korea filed a complaint Monday, challenging the constitutionality of a government decision to close the inter-Korean industrial complex.

The complaint, filed with the Constitutional Court of Korea, came about three months after the Seoul government shut down the joint industrial park located just north of the Inter-Korean border in Kaesong, North Korea.

The Feb. 10 decision was made in line with intensifying international sanctions on the communist North for its recent series of military provocations that included a Jan. 6 nuclear test.

Immediately following the shutdown by the South Korean government, Pyongyang expelled all South Korean employees of the 124 South Korean firms then operating in the Kaesong complex.

"We had continuously asked the North Korean government to run the Kaesong complex under regulations and rules agreed upon between the two Koreas, but it turned out that our own government violated our property rights by shutting down the Kaesong complex with no legal basis," the Kaesong firms said.

The businesses earlier argued the damage will easily amount to trillions of won, considering the amount of finished goods and materials they were forced to leave behind, along with their production facilities and equipment.

Also joining the petition against the government are some 50 business affiliates and partners of the Kaesong firms, claiming damage from their loss of business, according to lawyers representing the firms.

"This petition is not asking the Constitutional Court to review whether the decision by the government was necessary for national security or other public interest," said Kim Gwang-gil, one of two counselors representing the group.

"It is strictly asking the court to decide whether the government decision was legitimate under the law." (Yonhap)
Cameroonian asylum-seeker Kedis Kome, center, with his pregnant wife Marieclair Njie Ebenye, left, at the George E. Doty Memorial Hospital in Seoul on May 3. Sister Kwon Clara, the head of Sisters of Mary Seoul branch which oversees the hospital, dropped by their bedroom. / Korea Times photo by Kang Hyun-kyung







Patients give the hospital staff thank-you notes to express their gratitude for free medical treatment they received.

/ Korea Times

By Kang Hyun-kyung

On May 3, a healthy baby girl was born to a Cameroonian asylum-seeker couple at the George E. Doty Memorial Hospital in Seoul.

Kedis Kome, the father of the newborn, believes he and his wife Marieclair Njie Ebenye were lucky to find the hospital, which provides free medical treatment to marginalized people like them.

"It is difficult for me to imagine how I will take my daughter back to the same cruel place, in case things don't turn out the way we planned," the jobless father said, referring to his and his wife's refugee status application in Korea, for which they are still waiting for the result.

Their baby was delivered hours after Ebenye got a shot to facilitate childbirth, as she was already six days past her due date. Kome never left her side from the moment they arrived at the hospital, tending to her as she endured labor, which began around noon. He heaved a sigh of relief after his wife delivered their second child without any major problems.

The couple's journey to Korea began last year when Ebenye, then Kome's girlfriend, fled Cameroon for fear of a forced marriage to a community elder. Kome said following her father's death, Ebenye's extended family discussed her future and decided to marry her to a community chief as his third wife, in accordance with African traditions. In Cameroon, forced marriage still exists, and community chiefs, called "fon," are allowed to have many wives.

"At that time, we were already together," Kome said. "She couldn't accept (her family's decision to marry her off) and came to Dubai to meet me. Then, I was working as a guest worker there."

Kome was searching for ways to be able to live together with his girlfriend in a foreign land and concluded that they must seek asylum. "In Dubai, people don't take in refugees, so we tried to find other countries that accept refugees."

The couple's first child is now in Nigeria, where he was taken by Kome's mother. Kome, who has been jobless for the past 10 months since he and his wife arrived in Korea, is worried about his family's future. The couple barely makes ends meet with the money sent every now and then from his family in Cameroon.

Since its establishment in 1982, the Doty hospital, named after its American benefactor and tucked away in the city's residential northwestern district of Eunpyeong, offers hope to sick and poor people who have no one else to rely on. The late George E. Doty, a partner and the financial controller of investment bank Goldman Sachs, donated $1 million to the hospital project after hearing from American priest Aloysius Schwartz about the poor health status of some 2,000 Korean boys and girls attending the vocational schools run by the Catholic foundation Sisters of Mary in Seoul.

Over 3 million of the poorest of the poor have since benefited from the hospital, including some 7,000 babies who were born there.

Sister Kwon Clara, the head of the Sisters of Mary Seoul branch which oversees the Doty hospital, said patient demographics have significantly changed since the mid-2000s, and many poor immigrants and refugees have started seeking the hospital's free medical services.

According to her, many poor patients flocked to the hospital in the 1980s and 1990s because medical services were not accessible to them at that time. Universal medical insurance was introduced in Korea only in the early 2000s.

"Our hospital was always crowded with patients, and their numbers went far beyond our capacity. So we had to screen the patients," she said. "We interviewed patients and their family in advance to check if they really needed our help and had no family to pay their medical bills. If there were any adult children who could pay their sick parents, we told them to go to other hospitals for poor citizens."

Things have changed a lot since the 2000s after the compulsory medical insurance was introduced, which made medical services affordable for ordinary citizens. Kwon said large hospitals have also begun to establish their own charities to lend a helping hand to poor patients.

"These meaningful developments together have resulted in a decrease of patients in our hospital. We took this as a very positive change because a decrease of patients means fewer needy people," she said. "Around that time, we began to discuss whether the Doty hospital should downsize or not in an effort to divert our financial resources to other charitable purposes."

Ultimately, however, Doty did not downsize because a new group of patients have started visiting it from 2004  foreign workers, female migrants and even refugees, who all live with a poor social safety net.

Some 39,000 patients from 91 countries have benefited from Doty hospital since 2014. "Their nationalities vary, and some of them came from the countries that I haven't even heard of before," Sister Clara said. "Among the inpatients, many are here for childbirth."

Her 30 years of service there are full of heartwarming, and what some would say miraculous, stories. According to her,, some of those who got help from the hospital later became donors, staff or social workers there themselves. Some of the beneficiaries visit the hospital with their now adult children, who were born there decades before.

"I remember one of them donated their monthly salary to us to express his gratitude for performing surgery on his mother some 20 years ago," Sister Kwon said. "Many of the women who delivered their babies here said thank you again and again until they left the hospital. They knew this hospital was with them and helped them when they were going through probably the toughest days of their lives."

She said the immigrant patients are likewise very grateful, giving the hospital staff thank- you notes to express their gratitude. In a two-page letter, an Indian man said his wife got free medical treatment at the hospital, and he appreciated the hospital staff for their warmth. He and his wife came to Korea because their parents didn't approve of their marriage.

Sister Clara said all those heartwarming stories were possible thanks to Rev. Schwartz and the hospital's late benefactor, Doty.

"Mr. Doty was a warm person," she recalled. "He was here several times after the hospital opened. After his death, his son and daughter started helping us." Doty died in 2012 of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 94.

"When he was alive, Father Schwartz told me that Mr. Doty was an aspiring philanthropist and had a plan to establish a charity just like Sisters of Mary to help the poorest of the poor," Sister Clara said. "Father Schwartz advised Mr. Doty to remain a generous donor because he appeared to be more talented in making money than being a charity worker. Father Schwartz then told him that he himself would take care of the poorest of the poor with Mr. Doty's donations."
By An Junseong

There has been a series of news coverage on lucrative stock investment case related to a senior prosecutor in Korea. His name is Jin Kyung-Jun and is the current commissioner of Korea Immigration Service under Ministry of Justice. He allegedly obtained insider information and purchased then-unlisted stocks of Nexon, a Korean game developer, in anticipation of the enlisting at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

According to the Korean Government Ethics Act, prosecutors and judges are required only to report their incomes on an annual basis. Public disclosure requirement is applied only to senior levels such as senior prosecutors. Jin's stock transaction has been under strict scrutiny. He was ranked the sixth among 1,813 senior government officers with the total asset of over 15 billion won. Without mandatory disclosure requirement, it would have never been discovered at all. If the Government Public Ethics Committee finds any false entry, serious omission, misentry, or extortion, he shall be subject to one of the followings: warning, fine up to 20 million won, public notice on daily newspapers, or request for dismissal.

A legal loophole has been found: no conflict of interest test is available for junior judges and prosecutors in Korea. Such a test is applied only to the senior positions. It is unlikely that Jin would face any criminal penalty since the statute of limitations has already run for all the criminal charges, including bribery under the Korean Criminal Code and using undisclosed information under the Securities and Exchange Act. The controversy centers on two issues: The first is the possibility that Jin knowingly purchased the stocks at a lower price by taking advantage of his prosecutor's position. The second is the fact that Jin silently kept them during his tenure at the Financial Intelligence Unit where all the financial information, including unlisted stocks, is gathered for government supervision and investigation.

U.S. Department of Justice has two financial disclosure requirements for its employees. The former requires employees above GS-15 and administrative law judges to file a public financial disclosure report within 30 days of entering or terminating a covered position and annually. It is designed to identify potential or actual conflicts of interest. The latter requires employees at GS-15 or below to file a confidential financial disclosure report when it personally and substantially participates through decision or the exercise of significant judgment which could have an economic impact on a non-federal entity.

If any federal officer or employee of the executive branch, who personally and substantially participates through decision, approval, recommendation, investigation, or otherwise, has a financial interest, the person shall be imprisoned for not more than five years for willful violation. In addition, the Attorney General may bring a civil action with a maximum penalty of $50,000 for each violation or the amount of compensation which the person received or offered for prohibited conduct, whichever amount is greater.

The U.S. government has stricter ethics regulations in three respects. First, it has a broader scope. All federal judges, upon request, are required to file public financial report. Second, conflict of interest test applies to junior prosecutors as well. Third, it has a stronger penalty provision. The lump sum of $50,000 would prohibit de minimis violation whereas the forfeiture part would prohibit any mega transaction just like Jin's case.

In order to prevent any reoccurrence of the above, the current government ethics rules need to be strengthened. Conflict of interest test, regardless of seniority, should be applied to all the judges and prosecutors. In addition, mandatory disclosure requirement should also be extended to top 10 percent of judges, prosecutors and other employees of the Ministry of Justice respectively. Furthermore, it is time to consider the possibility in tolling the statute of limitations until the termination of government employment for ethics violation investigation and prosecution.

The writer is a visiting professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at the Yonsei University and an attorney-at-law. Write to junseong@hotmail.com.
The Ministry of Education recently announced that 21 universities out

of 75 were chosen to be funded through the Program for Industry Needs-Matched Education (PRIME) project, the largest government subsidy program for higher education institutions.



This program is designed to nurture science and technology education to meet the growing demand for experts in these areas. To comply with the program, universities will expand engineering and natural science departments while downsizing those in the humanities.



There are multiple problems with the PRIME program that policymakers need to think about and produce countermeasures to assuage the growing concerns of students.



First, the government-led restructuring program lacks consideration for high school students. Their position should be given priority in any university-related policy because their strenuous education is geared solely toward university entrance. Universities selected for the PRIME program are reportedly planning to readjust the student quota starting in the 2017 school year. With only six months left until the university entrance examination, the ministry's announcement makes it even tougher for seniors, particularly those who are aiming to major in humanities, to prepare for university as the student quota will be reduced. Also, PRIME could affect current university students as some may face the closure of their departments.



Second, the PRIME project disrupts the very nature of higher education and degrades universities into job-training schools. The government sees this program as a way to deal with youth unemployment, which has gotten worse under the Park Geun-hye administration. A recent state survey shows the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 29 hit 12.5 percent in February, the highest since 1999. But from a larger perspective, a disregard for the humanities and more focus on industry-friendly majors will not be good for promoting balanced growth and competitiveness of Korean universities.



There are several other issues that universities need to think about. The controversy over PRIME should serve as a wakeup call for schools in Korea. Those that did not make it on the list of PRIME beneficiaries are complaining that the selection process was biased. But universities should not rely on government funding to carry out intensive restructuring to stay competitive. They need to self-fund their own reform strategies. It is hard to believe that Korea's universities, which charge some of the highest tuition fees in the world, are depending on the government to finance their restructuring.




Young leader must declare a halt to 5th test first



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reiterated previous claims during a rare ruling party congress that opened Friday, while showing no signs of change.



The young dictator made clear his country has no intention of giving up its nuclear program, saying, "We will boost our self-defensive nuclear force both in quality and quantity as a responsible nuclear weapons state.'' He advocated a policy of "not using nuclear weapons unless our sovereignty is threatened by another nuclear power and striving for global denuclearization.'' But his remarks are seen merely as rhetoric, considering their contradictory nature of possessing nuclear arms and pursuing denuclearization.



Kim proposed military talks between the two Koreas, saying such talks would reduce the possibility of an armed conflict on the border. But the sincerity of his proposal is also clearly in doubt, given that it has been made on the assumption that the North is a nuclear weapons state. All this implies is that Pyongyang will hold on to isolation, regression and control, while keeping its nuclear program intact. Experts say Kim is trying to shift from a "military-first'' to "nuclear-first'' policy.



Kim, who is believed to be 33, urged the United States to halt its hostile policy toward the North, replace the current armistice agreement with a peace treaty and pull American forces out of the Korean Peninsula  all stereotypical comments. The underlying message is that Kim has no intention whatsoever to give up his nuclear arms.



On inter-Korean relations, Kim said improving the relationship was an urgent mission facing the two Koreas and asked Seoul to change its attitude toward Pyongyang. Yet the North's overture seems nothing more than propaganda that carries no sincerity, given its continuing nuclear threats.



In the congress, the reclusive state's biggest political event held for the first time in 36 years, he reconfirmed his "byeongjin'' doctrine of both economic and nuclear development. Kim unveiled a five-year economic plan to improve efficiency and output across key sectors. But this plan is certain to fall through, taking into account that his "byeongjin'' policy is another rejection of calls from the international community to give top priority to the North's moribund economy.



What is most disheartening is that the North has not shown any hint of reform and openness since the opening of the congress, let alone any specific moves to provide a clue to resolve the current nuclear gridlock.



One has to wonder why the impoverished regime in Pyongyang decided to hold the congress. There is no question that North Koreans will suffer greater pain as long as the young North Korean leader defies international sanctions and tries to build his personality cult to strengthen his power base.



What is needed urgently is for Kim to declare a halt to a fifth nuclear test, and to begin talks for denuclearization of the peninsula. The next step would be to look for ways to improve his people's livelihoods by gradually removing the self-imposed international isolation.




South Korea on Sunday downplayed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's vow to "strive for the denuclearization of the world," stressing that the pledge was no different from Pyongyang's erstwhile stance against its own denuclearization.

During the ongoing congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Kim said that his country would "faithfully" fulfill its obligation for non-proliferation and strive for global denuclearization. He also vowed not to use nuclear arms first unless the North's sovereignty is encroached upon.

"While (he) calls his country a responsible nuclear-armed state, (he) mentioned the denuclearization of the world. That means that (the North) would not seek denuclearization," a senior government official told Yonhap News Agency over the phone, requesting anonymity.

"What the North meant by the denuclearization of the world is that it would abandon its nuclear arms when the entire world gives up nuclear weapons."

He added that there was no "positive message" from Kim's statement.

Pyongyang has already claimed itself to be a nuclear-weapons state, an argument denied by Seoul and Washington. It has long argued that it is pursuing a credible "nuclear deterrence" due to the U.S.' "hostile" policy towards it.

The reclusive state has already called itself a nuclear power in its constitution and adopted a controversial dual-track policy of simultaneously developing nuclear arms and its debilitated economy -- two goals Seoul has said were "incompatible." (Yonhap)
SK Broadband CEO Lee In-chan introduces the company's business blueprint following SK Telecom's proposed takeover of CJ HelloVision, during a press conference at the company's headquarters in central Seoul, in this March 8 file photo. Under the proposed deal, SK Broadband, SK Telecom's subsidiary, will merge with the nation's largest cable TV operator. The deal is currently waiting for approval from the government.

/ Courtesy of SK Broadband



By Lee Min-hyung, Kim Yoo-chul

With the proposed takeover of CJ HelloVision (CJH) by SK Telecom intensifying debate in media circles, foreign regulatory agencies' recent decisions in similar cases are gaining media attention.

This came as the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairman Choi Sung-joon recently stressed it would comprehensively review decisions made by its overseas counterparts before approving the takeover deal. Choi also visited the KCC's U.S. counterpart, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), last month.

He previously said the combination of a mobile carrier and pay-TV operator is unprecedented, so the government agencies  including the KCC, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), would remain as careful as possible.

One of the recent overseas cases came from a decision by the European Commission (EC). Late last month, the regulatory agency said it was considering issuing a statement of objection for a proposed merger of Italian mobile carrier Wind and telecommunications operator 3 Italia.

The move came about two months after the EC decided to launch an in-depth investigation of the deal, amid concerns over a possible telecom monopoly.

Given the KCC chief's previous remarks, the EC's intensified response to the merger is expected to cast a massive shadow on the deal between SK Telecom and CJH.

"The EC case will leave the nation's regulatory agencies _ including the KCC and the MSIP _ in a dilemma over the takeover deal," said an LG Uplus spokesman. "Given the growing concerns over the deal, expectations are that SK Telecom may voluntarily withdraw its decision to take over CJH.

"The EC decision came amid worries that the deal between Wind and 3 Italia may raise telecom fees, hurting customers' right," said the spokesman. "The EC plans to issue its final decision as early as August. Even though the agency may not disapprove of the deal, it is expected to attach a strong regulatory measure to the controversial takeover deal, in a move to protect the competitive landscape within the telecom industry."

Another regulatory measure for a telecom takeover came from the London-based regulation agency Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which recently sent a statement of objection to the EC over the merger between mobile operators 3UK and O2. The CMA asked for disapproval of the takeover deal unless a regulatory measure is set in place.

This was not the first time that the CMA issued a complaint over the deal, citing concerns that the merger may hurt the nation's fair trade ecosystem. The agency said the deal is likely to reduce the quality of mobile services and increase telecom fares, with the two companies failing to offer remedies to dispel such worries.

Stressing such concerns, the agency urged the EC to make a cautious decision, which the CMA said shows its disapproval of the deal.

"The Korean government is expected to take more time before making its own decision over the deal, considering such a sensitive M&A landscape in the telecom industry," said the spokesman.

SK Telecom unveiled last November its plan to acquire the nation's largest cable TV operator for 500 billion won ($433.91 million). This has since sparked a strong backlash from its rivals  KT and LG Uplus, which claimed that the deal will help SK Telecom expand its monopolistic posture into the broadcasting sector.

SK Telecom, for its part, also dispelled such worries, arguing that it will invest heavily in developing the nation's media industry after the takeover deal.

The nation's three regulatory agencies have yet to make their decisions over the deal. They voiced their consensus that the case should be taken seriously, given strong reactions from various media circles.
Rodrigo Duterte / Korea Times file



By Kim Da-hee

The Philippines presidential election opened Monday, raising concerns whether Rodrigo Duterte, dubbed "the Filipino Donald Trump," will be elected or not.

It appears Duterte, 71, controversial long-time mayor of the southern city of Davao, will most likely be elected unless something unpredictable happens.

A Pulse Asia poll conducted from April 26-29 had Duterte leading with 33 percent of the vote. Other candidates, former government minister Max Roxas and Sen. Grace Poe, polled 22 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

Duterte has garnered great support with his tough-guy rhetoric and anti-crime agenda. Some have likened him to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

In fact, his strong stance against crime has transformed Davao city from the murder capital of the Philippines to one of its safest cities.

"I will execute 100, 000 more criminals and dump into them Manila Bay to fatten all the fish there," he said on TV. "Forget the laws on human rights."

Last year, he called Pope Francis a "son of a whore" for holding up Manila's traffic during his official visit.

Duterte's uncensored comments about women also made international headlines.

"Because she was so beautiful, the mayor (Duterte) should have been first (to rape her). What a waste," he said about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary worker taken hostage during a prison riot in 1989.



When the Australian and American ambassadors complained, he responded, "Shut your mouth." He said that if elected he would cut relationships with the countries.
For an inferno deemed "out of control" and 0% contained, firefighters battling the Fort McMurray wildfire are actually optimistic.

That's because several bits of good news are on the horizon: The weather is starting to cooperate. The blaze is headed to sparsely populated areas. And firefighters from across Canada are suiting up to join the battle.

The Fort McMurray wildfire in Alberta has already torched 400,000 acres -- half the size of Rhode Island. But that's far better than the roughly 500,000 acres officials feared would be gone by now.

"We're very happy we've held the fire better than expected," Alberta fire official Chad Morrison said. "We hope to see continued success over the next few days. For us this is great firefighting weather."

The slowdown of the fire is the best news Canadian officials have shared since the fire started May 1.

And the record-high temperatures that scorched northern Alberta last week will dip to below average and stay in the mid-50s through Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.

But the fire is still 0% contained and burning "out of control," the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry department said.

"We may be turning a corner, but it's too early to celebrate," said Ralph Goodale, federal minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. "This beast is an extraordinarily difficult problem."

Inferno moves east

After forcing more than 90,000 people to flee their homes in Alberta, the blaze now is heading east toward Saskatchewan province.

"We're working closely and collaboratively with the Saskatchewan government to assist them with their preparations," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said.

Luckily, the path is sparsely populated -- unlike the Fort McMurray area, which has already lost more than 1,600 homes and other buildings.

Residents won't be allowed back home for quite a while. In the meantime, all Canadian public schools will accept evacuated children.

Notley said she will visit Fort McMurray with some journalists to assess the devastation Monday.

"There will be some dramatic images coming from media over the next couple of days," she said.

Offers from Quebec, Russia

The mammoth blaze has posed a colossal challenge to the 500 firefighters, 15 helicopters and 14 air tankers on the scene.

So firefighters from as far east as Quebec and New Brunswick will join the battle this week.

Even Russia has offered to send aircraft to help fight the fire, the country's state-run Sputnik News agency said.

Canadian authorities are considering the proposal, Sputnik said.
The price of LITRO gas cylinders would be further reduced in the first week of November in accordance with the

Read more
PRESS RELEASE

Evidence of New IMF Letter: Greece and Next Puerto Rico Defaults Likely To Coincide

May 7, 2016 (EIRNS)A letter from International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, sent to European finance ministers and leaked to the Financial Times, offers evidence that Greece may add to Puerto Rico in a wave of large early-July debt defaults.

Lagardes letter has been reported today to be a demand that the Eurogroup of euro area finance ministers agree to some debt writedown ("debt restructuring") for Greece, or the IMF will withdraw from the third "Greek bailout" program forced on the country last year. These bailouts are simply bailouts for City of London and other large European banks, not for Greece, as exhaustive studies have proven. The country is driven deeper into economic austerity and impoverishment by each one.

The FT wrote May 7:

"The International Monetary Fund has told eurozone finance ministers they must immediately begin negotiations to grant debt relief for Greece despite German opposition, upending carefully orchestrated negotiations ahead of an emergency meeting on Monday. "In a letter to all 19 ministers sent on Thursday night and obtained by the Financial Times, Christine Lagarde, the IMF chief, said stalemated talks with Athens to find EU3 billion in contingency budget cuts, which have gone on for a month, had become fruitless and that debt relief must be put on the table immediately, or risk losing IMF participation in the program."

Lagardes letter does not in fact say any of this, nor offer any support for this FT attempt to repair the IMFs reputation in Greece, as a more relentless tightener than even German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, of the screws of austerity which have already ruined the country and cut down its population. Lagardes letter does charmingly say,

"a clarification is needed to clear unfounded allegations that the IMF is being inflexible, calling for unnecessary new fiscal [austerity] measures andas a resultcausing a delay in the negotiations and the disbursement of urgently needed funds."

More importantly for the bankrupt trans-Atlantic financial system, Lagardes letter makes clear that the "agreement" into which Greeces government was strangled and choked last year, is absolutely unworkable. That agreement was for a "primary budget surplus" of 3.5% of GDP with which to pay debts, something neither Germany nor other major European countries have ever achieved. Lagardes letter says that even the IMFs stringent new austerity demands could achieve, at most, a "primary surplus" of 1.5% of GDP. The difference is nearly 2.5 billion/year.

"Let there be no doubt that meeting this higher target would not only be very difficult to reach, but possibly counterproductive," wrote Mme. Lagarde.

Thus both Greece and Puerto Rico have multibillion-dollar or -euro debt payments in early July on which they will probably simultaneously default, with Europes financial system already in crisis. And at the same time, the United Kingdom will have just had a referendum on leaving the European Unionone in which, thanks to Barack Obamas backfiring intervention April 27, the "Leave" vote currently leads in polls.
Can reading Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and The Lord of the Rings cause brain damage in children?

The principal of a British private school says yes.

In a lengthy blog post that went viral over the weekend, Graeme Whiting, the headmaster of the Acorn School in the English town of Nailsworth, claimed that popular fantasy books can damage the sensitive subconscious brains of young children, many of whom may be added to the current statistics of mentally ill young children.

Whiting also criticized books by authors George R.R. Martin and Terry Pratchett, claiming they contain deeply insensitive and addictive material which I am certain encourages difficult behaviour in children.

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The principal lamented the fact that children can buy these books without a Special licence.

Buying sensational books is like feeding your child with spoons of added sugar, Whiting wrote, heaps of it, and when the child becomes addicted it will seek more and more, which if related to books, fills the bank vaults of those who write un-sensitive books for young children!

Whiting praised the old-fashioned values of traditional literature, offering as examples William Shakespeare, John Keats, Charles Dickens and Shelley. (He didnt specify whether he meant Percy Bysshe Shelley, author of The Necessity of Atheism, or Mary Shelley, author of the pioneering horror novel Frankenstein.)

The principal ended his post with the lines, Beware the devil in the text! Choose beauty for your young children!

Admirers of authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling reacted to Whitings blog post with disbelief.

In the Guardian, fantasy author Samantha Shannon criticized Whiting for hypocrisy, noting that Shakespeares Titus Andronicus

has a character who is brutally raped and mutilated by attackers, and later murdered by her father.

The logic of dictators and book-burners throughout history, crystallised in all its nonsensical glory: that imagination can only flourish when its kept inside a cage, Shannon wrote.

And at Bustle, writer Kristian Wilson contends that Whiting is clearly Voldemort in disguise, and suggested that the principal probably hasnt read the authors he claims to love.

If he had, Wilson wrote, hed know that Wordsworths Lucy poems are full of dead women, Keats Lamia is all about sex, the Shelleys wrote tales of torture and horror, Dickens body of work is full of prostitutes and orphans, and Shakespeare covered every graphic and occult theme you can think of.

Not everyone disagrees with Whiting. Nikki Ellis, a former teacher at the Acorn School, told the [Plymouth] Herald that she shares Whitings views on fantasy novels.

For me, having read the first book of Harry Potter and watched one of the movies I feel that the darkness of the books is so palpable that it wasnt the sort of thing that we would want to expose young children to in their formative years, Ellis said.

Whiting founded the Acorn School in 1991. The schools motto, according to its website, is Have courage for the truth.

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Welcome to California Inc., the weekly newsletter of the L.A. Times Business Section.

Im business columnist David Lazarus, and heres a rundown of upcoming stories this week and the highlights of last week.

Trading begins today on a down note after the Labor Department reported Friday that job growth slowed sharply in April to a seven-month low. The nations public- and private-sector employers added 160,000 net new jobs last month. The figure was below analysts expectations and well off the 208,000 net new jobs added in March.

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LOOKING AHEAD

Power outages: A state Senate committee plans to question California energy agencies on Tuesday about their warnings that Southern California will face blackouts if the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility remains closed this summer. The Senate Energy, Utilities and Commerce Committee hearing will explore blackout warnings that were included in a report released last month by the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Independent System Operator. Critics of the report say there are alternatives to Aliso Canyon that could work.

Forceful financials: Burbanks Walt Disney Co. will report its fiscal second-quarter earnings Tuesday. Investors will be looking for details of Star Wars merchandise sales in the most recent three-month period and information about the state of the companys cable TV business. Analysts polled by FactSet Research predict that Disney will report $2.3 billion profit on $13.2 billion in revenue, a boost from the $2.1-billion profit and $12.5 billion in sales during last years second quarter.

Cable merger: The California Public Utilities Commission will hold a key vote Thursday on whether to allow Charter Communications to swallow Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks. The $71-billion-plus acquisition is expected to dramatically reshape the pay-TV and Internet-service market in the United States. It would create the second-largest cable TV company and Internet service provider, and the third-largest pay TV provider, in the nation, with more than 23 million customers in 41 states. The Federal Communications Commission gave its approval on Friday.

Consumer spending: The Commerce Department releases April retail sales figures on Friday. The consensus prediction of analysts is that the numbers will show a healthy 0.8% rise, according to FactSet Research. The previous report, for March, showed a 0.3% drop in sales. That was largely fueled by a 2.1% plunge in consumer auto purchases  the steepest such fall in more than a year. The retail report provides the first indication each month of Americans spending, which drives 70% of the economy.

THE AGENDA

Mondays Business section explores the world of financial advisors, who critics say might put their own interests before those of clients. As baby boomers retire, younger Americans  particularly millennials  are questioning the conventional approach to retirement planning as their bank accounts grow big enough to start investing. Theyre moving on to automated programs known as robo-advisors that spit out suggested portfolios and investment options.

STORY LINES

Here are some of the other stories that ran in the Times Business section in recent days that were continuing to follow:

Tainted scopes: At least three patients died last year at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena in an outbreak of septicemia suspected to have been caused by tainted medical scopes, according to a newly discovered regulatory report. Huntington Hospital officials had confirmed in August that three patients were sickened the previous month but declined to say more about their condition. They later told Olympus Corp., the scopes manufacturer, of the deaths, according to the companys report to federal regulators. Hospital officials said this week that they believed patient privacy laws prevented them from telling the public that the patients had died.

Tesla loss: Tesla Motors reported a larger first-quarter loss compared with a year ago, but the report nearly was overshadowed by news of the planned departure of two of the companys key manufacturing executives. The electric car maker also said it has ramped up production of its new Model X sport utility vehicle, whose prior delays contributed to the financial losses. Teslas first-quarter loss was $282.3 million, compared with a loss of $154.2 million a year earlier. The company confirmed that Greg Reichow, vice president of production, and Josh Ensign, vice president of manufacturing, were leaving. The departures unsettled investors and drove Teslas stock price down sharply.

Redstone trial: The lawsuit over Sumner Redstones mental competency got off to an explosive start on Friday when the media mogul said in a videotaped deposition that he felt hate for Manuela Herzer, the former girlfriend whose lawsuit alleges Redstone is no longer capable of making his own decisions. Earlier in the week, a court filing alleged that Redstone gave Herzer and a second former girlfriend, Sydney Holland, $150 million from 2010 to 2015. Both women had acrimonious partings with the 92-year-old billionaire last year. The personal affairs of Redstone, the chairman emeritus of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., have been dragged into public view by the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Streaming service: Hulu, the streaming service owned by major TV networks, confirmed that it is developing a cable-like digital service that would stream feeds of live programming from broadcast and cable TV channels. Chief Executive Mike Hopkins said the service is expected to launch in 2017 and would enable subscribers to enjoy live sports, news, and events  all in real time, without a traditional cable or satellite subscription. The Santa Monica-based company is in active negotiations with Disney, Fox and NBCUniversal for access to their broadcast and cable networks, which include ESPN, Disney Channel, Fox News, FX and others. No word on pricing.

Not so wonderful: The last chance to make a case for Pom Wonderfuls health claims just got poured down the drain by the nations highest court. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review an appeals court decision that health claims in Pom Wonderful advertisements misled consumers. The move ends a nearly six-year battle launched by the company, part of the agricultural empire of Beverly Hills power couple Lynda and Stewart Resnick, against federal regulators, who questioned the science behind claims that drinking pomegranate juice could cheat death by preventing heart disease and prostate cancer.

WHAT WERE READING

And some recent stories from other publications that caught our eye:

Ethics question: ProPublica says that Dr. William De La Pena, a member of the UC Board of Regents, has been allowed to keep his seat despite a secret investigation that concluded he violated ethics rules by trying to strike a financially beneficial deal between his eye clinics and UCLA, part of the university system the regents oversee.

Click like? If you really want to know what Facebook thinks of journalists, says Gizmodo, all you need to do is look at what happened when the company quietly assembled some to work on its secretive trending news project. The results arent pretty.

End of privacy: According to Quartz, Microsofts new pact with Google could signal the beginning of the end for personal privacy. Two of the worlds most powerful companies will henceforth be mutually invested in making sure neither regulators nor legislators interfere with peeking over users shoulders.

Good for everyone: The Atlantic looks at a new White House report that links higher hourly incomes to lower rates of lawbreaking. The research on this is really clear and really consistent; it cuts across party lines, says Jason Furman, President Obamas chief economist.

Family values: Bloomberg Businessweek sets its sights on Jared Kushner, Donald Trumps son-in-law and a member of the candidates inner circle. In his effort to portray himself as a staunch supporter of Israel, Trump likes to mention that he has Jewish grandchildren. He has Kushner to thank for that.

SPARE CHANGE

Its tempting to cite the Seinfeld bit about someone embracing Judaism solely for the jokes. Instead, heres a classic routine along these lines from Woody Allen.

For the latest money news, go to www.latimes.com/business. Until next time, Ill see you in the Business section.
State regulators announced Monday that they have reopened the case involving the premature shutdown of the San Onofre nuclear plant, which closed after a replacement steam generator leaked.

The California Public Utilities Commission said it is reevaluating the settlement agreement that left ratepayers on the hook for $3.3 billion of the cost of closing the plant. The commission is giving parties involved in the case the opportunity to comment on whether the agreement was reasonable given that representatives of the plants primary owner, Southern California Edison, engaged in secret talks with regulators over the closed nuclear plant.

This is really a remarkable development, said Michael Aguirre, a San Diego lawyer who has criticized the settlement as unjust. The cost of closing the power plant really should have been borne by the investors.

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See the most-read stories this hour >>

The ruling follows a $16.7-million fine in December against Edison for failing to disclose the talks. Commissioner Catherine J.K. Sandoval and Administrative Law Judge Maribeth Bushey issued the ruling reopening the case.

In light of our December 2015 penalty levied against Edison ... it is prudent to review whether the settlement reached before those disclosures remains in the public interest and in accordance with our settlement rules, Sandoval said. It is important to reopen the record and hear from the parties through their filings in the CPUCs proceeding.

The fine was imposed because of Edisons failure to report back-channel communication between Edison representatives and commission representatives. In particular, the ruling that accompanied the fine cited a meeting between Michael Peevey, who was commission president, and Stephen Pickett, who was Edisons vice president for external relations, during an energy industry junket in Warsaw.

Notes from Picketts meeting with Peevey, the judge said, indicated that they discussed how costs might be allocated in a settlement if San Onofre were to permanently close. The notes came to light in April, when they were filed as part of a federal lawsuit.

The judge called into question remarks by Pickett in an April 2015 statement in which he said he didnt recall anything of substance discussed with Peevey at the meeting. But later, the judge noted, Pickett said in an email that he was working on San Onofre at the meeting with Peevey.

Edison decided to decommission the plant after a small amount of radiation leaked in one of two replacement steam generators. The faulty replacement generators were installed in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, Edison permanently closed the nuclear plant.

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The closure led to a settlement agreement approved by the utilities commission. Under the deal, the plants owners  Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric Co.  would pay $1.4 billion in reactor closing costs; their customers were left on the hook for an additional $3.3 billion.

In previous comments on the settlement, consumer advocates the Utility Reform Network and the Office of Ratepayer Advocates estimated that the actual settlement agreement obtained between $780 million and $1.06 billion more for consumers than the terms of the secret talks. Under the settlement agreement, ratepayers are receiving $400 million in benefits from a settled insurance claim with Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited.

The commission noted that Mondays ruling institutes a ban on all secret communications with all commission decision makers and advisors to commissioners, including procedural communications.

ivan.penn@latimes.com

For more energy news, follow Ivan Penn on Twitter: @ivanlpenn

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Greece is making a renewed move for the Parthenon Marbles. The Museum of Modern Art is offering buyouts. A board member for L.A.s Museum of Contemporary Art is going to work for Donald Build the Wall Trump. Plus, a gun sculpture is censored at a Texas university, gender in museums, Moscows terrible art, a history of female robots and the historic photography of L.A. forefather Charles Lummis. Theres a ton to read in todays Roundup:

 New Yorks Museum of Modern Art may have just received a $100 million gift from David Geffen, but the institution is nonetheless offering buyouts in advance of its expansion and renovation.

 At a Texas university, where campus carry laws will soon allow students to brandish weapons in school, a students gun sculpture is not allowed.

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 Museum of Contemporary Art chief curator Helen Molesworth talks about gender imbalance in museums. Related: The Metropolitan Museum of Arts chief digital officer, Sree Sreenivasan, says he will not participate in all-male panels.

 Greeces cultural authorities are working on new legal avenues to have the Parthenon Marbles returned from England, including a possible appeal to the United Nations.

A view of the British Museum in London, which is facing an ethics investigation. (Leon Neal / Pool via AP )

 A couple of British museums face ethics investigations on whether they allowed a sponsor  BP  to have undue influence on their affairs.

 From the Department of Further Art Patron Hijinks: The uber-wealthy and highly esteemed Sackler family, whose name adorns wings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum, owe part of their fabulous wealth to the controversial painkiller OxyContin. Plus, art scion Steven Mnuchin, who sits on the board of the Museum of Contemporary Art here in Los Angeles, is going to be Donald Trumps finance chairman. (More on him here.) Which makes me wonder if MOCA, a public institution in a city that is half Latino, needs to think long and hard about its relationship to Mnuchin.

 Technical problems are holding up the Guggenheim Museums golden toilet. Greg Allen parses the complex details of manufacturing a pooper out of gold.

 Sort of related: One of the highlights at this years Frieze fair in New York was an ass  and by ass I mean donkey.

 The Japanese artist who made a kayak in the shape of her vagina had some of her work (figurines inspired by her vagina) declared pop art by a court. But she is still guilty of distributing obscene images.

 A cross between This American Life and the movie Her. SFMOMAs new museum app sounds like it is earnest and terrifying. Or terrifyingly earnest?

 Speaking of which, California Sunday has a sweet photo essay of works from SFMOMAs collection of photography.

An installation by artist Maurizio Cattelan at the Frieze Art Fair in New York last week. (Justin Lane / EPA )

 Will a Hollywood talent agencys investment in the Frieze Art Fair signify a possible West Coast version of the fair? No one is saying just yet.

 KCETs Artbound premieres on Tuesday (Im hosting!) with a new one-hour documentary devoted to the life and legacy of L.A. forefather Charles Lummis, journalist, preservationist, activist, man about town. Part of what made Lummis so influential was his early embrace of photography, and he was key in recording numerous indigenous communities on his journey west from Ohio. This post gathers some of his most striking images.

 In related news: D.J. Waldie has a pretty terrific essay on the meaning of the journey to California, be it the westward crossing of the 19th century or the northbound journeys Mexican and Central American immigrants make today.

 How Pershing Square achieved its current state of homeliness.

 Why Moscow has suddenly been filled with tacky, terrible art. (ArtsJournal)

 Lobbying for a bike-friendly crossing at the San Diego-Tijuana border.

 Curbed has a timeline of LAX improvements. Though Im not sure Id list the opening of Rock & Brews as an improvement. I would have taken a Yum Yum Donuts instead.

 Although these A.I. helpers talk like women, they are still not exactly programmed to know what a woman would say. A history of men who build female robots.

 And last, but not least, your moment of men praying bitchily in Western art history (contains salty language).

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
In a victory for media mogul Sumner Redstone, a Los Angeles judge dismissed a lawsuit that challenged his mental competence, removing one of the clouds that have been hanging over his familys corporate empire.

Mondays ruling  on what would have been the second day of the trial  doesnt entirely end the legal drama with Redstones former girlfriend, Manuela Herzer. She promptly vowed to appeal and immediately filed a new lawsuit against his family members. But the decision eliminates a major distraction for Redstones executives, particularly at the struggling Viacom, which can now focus on shoring up the lagging performance of its Paramount Pictures film studio and cable networks such as MTV and Comedy Central.

If the lawsuit had succeeded, with the judge finding that the 92-year-old billionaire was mentally incompetent, it could have set off a prolonged corporate tussle over who has ultimate control over Viacom and CBS Corp., the other large media company controlled by the Redstone family.

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Instead, the case was instrumental in mending a rift between Redstone and his daughter, Shari Redstone, and it firmly established her as the moguls heir apparent.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David J. Cowan did not expressly rule on whether Sumner Redstone was mentally competent. But Cowan concluded Redstone was in command of his faculties enough to recognize and articulate  despite a severe speech impediment  the person he wanted in charge of his healthcare.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour >>

Shar  Shari, the mogul said last week during a dramatic 18-minute videotaped deposition that clearly moved the judge.

In brief but compelling testimony, Redstone overcame his very significant ailments, including inability to speak clearly and what looked like much pain in swallowing to provide the testimony, Cowan wrote in his ruling. The court was able to see the strong conviction he had about what he said. He seemed very alert. He was composed and did not appear angry.... There are no legal grounds not to follow his stated wishes.

Immediately after Cowans decision, Redstones legal team gathered in the courthouse hallway around Shari Redstone, 62, and her son Brandon Korff, who lives in Los Angeles. As Shari Redstone hugged the lawyers who handled the case, tears began streaming down her face.

I am grateful to the court for putting an end to this long ordeal, said Shari Redstone, who is vice chair of Viacom and CBS, in a prepared statement. I am so happy for my father that he can now live his life in peace, surrounded by his friends and family.

The case provided a rare window into the rivalries, infighting and jockeying for power among the people who desperately wanted to stay in the billionaires orbit  and the harsh consequences when they fell out of favor. Herzer filed the petition in late November after Sumner Redstone removed her as the agent in charge of his healthcare. He also removed her from his will.

Herzer, who was accompanied in court by her children and friends, declined to comment.

Her attorney, Pierce ODonnell, expressed disappointment after Cowans decision, saying he did not have the opportunity to call several witnesses, including Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, to try to demonstrate that Redstone was under undue influence by those who surround him.

ODonnell also announced that Herzer had promptly filed a lawsuit demanding at least $100 million from Shari Redstone, her two sons, five nurses for Redstone and his longtime chauffeur from Paramount Pictures, Isileli Tuanaki, who also serves as house manager.

The new suit says Shari and her henchmen orchestrated Herzers ouster from Redstones Beverly Park home last fall, and robbed her of the $70 million that he planned to leave Herzer before he cut her out of his will in mid-October.

The suit alleges intentional interference with an expected inheritance, breach of contract and invasion of privacy. It contends that one of the nurses, Joseph Octaviano, regularly communicated via email with Shari Redstone and her younger son Tyler Korff to alert them about the goings-on the moguls home beginning in mid-2014 when his health began to decline.

In an interview, one of Redstones lead attorneys, Robert Klieger, dismissed Herzers latest legal volley as preposterous.

Sumner Redstone has not appeared in court. After Cowans decision, Redstones attorneys trooped to his home overlooking Beverly Hills to deliver the news. Redstone was incredibly emotional, incredibly happy, and thankful to everyone around him, including his family, Klieger said.

Meanwhile, Redstones legal team also was preparing to file a lawsuit against Herzer and another former girlfriend, Sydney Holland, whom Redstone booted from his home in late August after learning of her affair with another man, according to court records. That suit is expected to seek $150 million that Redstone provided the two women over a five-year period, and it will contend that Herzer and Holland took advantage of Redstone and that their treatment constituted elder abuse.

ODonnell called the legal threat laughable, adding that Redstone freely gave the gifts to the women. This is obviously a desperate act, he said.

Viacom and CBS shareholders were alarmed by Herzers initial lawsuit, which was filed in late November, because it alleged that Redstone was a living ghost, reliant on a feeding tube and prone to crying spells.

Within three months, Redstone was forced to step down as executive chairman of CBS and Viacom. Even that action became controversial because Shari Redstone refused to support her fathers hand-picked lieutenant, Dauman, in the role of Viacom executive chairman. Shari Redstone and Dauman are among the trustees who will oversee the media moguls voting shares after he dies or becomes incapacitated.

Sumner Redstones unequivocal testimony made Cowans decision easier, legal analysts said.

It starts from the basic premise that each of us has the right to make decisions about our own heathcare, said Anthony Szczygiel, a professor emeritus at the University at Buffalo School of Law who specializes in elder-care issues. Once you set aside all the sexy details about this particular case, it really came down to that.

The two sides nearly reached a settlement last month that would have paid Herzer as much as $30 million, but it unraveled over several issues, including whether Redstone would cover Herzers legal expenses should Shari Redstone or any other family members sue her. Redstone himself also dug in his heels.

They misjudged Sumners appetite for paying Manuela Herzer any more money, Klieger said, adding that Redstone was our best

witness. There is no question that Sumner Redstone was the one who won this case.

The turmoil surrounding Redstone had been a concern among investors who have been anxious to see a turnaround at the New York-based Viacom.

At the end of the day, this is background noise and what matters is the underlying performance of the two media companies, said Brett Harriss, a research analyst for Gabelli & Co.,

the second-largest voting shareholder in Viacom and CBS.

CBS is down nearly 6% over the last year. Viacom is down 38%, reflecting investor concerns that the companys channels and studio have fallen far behind rivals.

On Monday, CBS and Viacom shares barely budged. Viacom closed down 2.15%, or 89 cents, to $40.43 a share. CBS shares slipped nearly 3%, or $1.68, to $56.00. The two companies are valued at $42 billion.

meg.james@latimes.com

MORE:

Sumner Redstone says his former girlfriends received $150 million from him

Sumner Redstone trial showcases family rifts, betrayals and lavish spending

Hulu officially confirms cable-like digital bundle, says its set to reach 12 million subscribers

YouTube now bigger than TV among advertisers target audience

meg.james@latimes.com

Follow @MegJamesLAT for the latest on the business of Hollywood.

UPDATES:

9:27 p.m.: Updates with additional details and background

10:20 a.m. This article has been updated throughout with comments from Shari Redstone, more comments from the judge and information about additional lawsuits.

8:52 a.m.: This article has been updated with comments from the judge in the case.

This story was originally published at 8:36 a.m.
Heres an impressive figure: 852,000.

Thats how many copies Drake sold of his new album, Views, during its first week on sale  enough by a wide margin to give the Canadian rapper his sixth straight No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, according to the trade magazine. The number also reflects the biggest single-sales week for any album released so far in 2016, including Beyonce's Lemonade, which moved 485,000 copies in its debut week.

Hold up, though, because heres a really impressive figure: 245 million.

Thats how many times tracks from Views were streamed in the albums first seven days of availability  a record, said Billboard, which noted that the sets streaming total more than doubled that of the previous record-holder, Lemonade, which had 115 million streams in a similar period.

Views streams amounted to 163,392 of what Billboard calls streaming equivalent albums. That means the albums official first-week tally, as reflected on the Billboard 200, is 1.04 million equivalent album units.

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Behind Views, Lemonade came in at No. 2 on this weeks chart with 321,000 units, followed by two titles by the late Prince: the Purple Rain soundtrack at No. 3 and The Very Best of Prince at No. 4. Rounding out the top 5 was Anti by Rihanna.

Twitter: @mikaelwood
When a zombie apocalypse strikes, its survival of the fittest. And the Abigail yacht crew proves fitter for survival than a murderous band of marauders on Captive, Episode 205 of AMCs Fear the Walking Dead.

Sea raiders working for Connor (Mark Kelly) have seized the yacht and returned to base with abductees Alicia Clark (Alycia Debnam-Carey) and Travis Manawa (Cliff Curtis). That base is a dry-docked ship near the Mexico border.

Connors younger brother Reed (Jesse McCartney) and two guards intended to bring Abigail into port and presumably slaughter the crew. But expert marksman Luis Flores (Arturo del Puerto) saved the day when he arrived in a launch with Alicias brother Nick (Frank Dillane).

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Luis killed the guards while Alicias mom, Madison (Kim Dickens), impaled Reed.

Suddenly Maddie has leverage, figuring she can swap Reed for Alicia and Travis. Luis objects, however, insisting they sail south to Baja immediately.

I need half a day, Maddie tells Abigail skipper Victor Strand (Colman Domingo). Shes calling in a favor for rescuing Strand when he nearly died of hypothermia in the ocean.

Okay, Strand agrees. Half a day.

You can have your brother when I get my family back, Maddie informs Connor over the radio. Hes alive, she adds, not mentioning Reeds near-fatal injury. You want him? Trade!

Meanwhile, Alicia is treated as a recruit, not a prisoner. Jack (Daniel Zovatto), whos smitten with Alicias beauty, shows her how to track boats by radar so Connor can decide which ones to spare and which ones to target.

This is the new world now, Jack remarks. This one lives, this one dies.

While Alicia has value to Connor (and Jack), Travis does not. Hes locked in a cage and may fall victim to a revenge killing.

Remember Charlie (Michelle Ang), that survivor from doomed Flight 462? She and Jake (Brendan Meyer), a boy who suffered terrible burns in the jet crash, were prevented from boarding Abigail by Travis. Instead, they were towed in a life raft until Strand cruelly set them adrift.

Charlie lived because Connors people found her at sea. Sadly, Jake didnt make it. Choking on blood and near death, Jake begged Charlie to end the misery. She reluctantly strangled him.

You did what you had to do, Travis says.

I did what you made me do, Charlie bitterly replies.

So its not surprising that when Connor asked what Charlie could offer, she vindictively provided intel on Abigail. In return, Charlie gained control over Travis.

Not for long, though, because Connor accepts Maddies offer to exchange Travis and Alicia for Reed. That deal becomes problematic, however, when Travis son Chris (Lorenzo James Henrie) impulsively shoots Reed in the face.

After Reed turns, Daniel Salazar (Ruben Blades) conceives a plan. The idea is to bind Reeds hands, put a hood over his head and let this zombie loose on Connor.

Maddie bravely carries out the prisoner swap by herself. She balks when Connor produces Travis but not Alicia.

Youll get her when I see my brothers all right, Connor yells.

Thats Maddies cue. She sets Reed free and he viciously tears into his horrified brother.

Having a birds-eye view of the carnage is Alicia. Now its her turn to escape.

My family came back for me, she tells Jack as he pleads with her to stay.

Im sorry are Alicias parting words before speeding away in a launch with Mom and Travis.

So apparently its on to Mexico for the intrepid Abigail crew. A mansion in Baja could offer shelter from the apocalypse. Or perhaps its just another false hope in a sea of peril.
Think of a pirozhki as a tricked out, Russian-made, artisanal hot pocket. This is, of course, oversimplifying the addictive, Moscow-originated bread buns, but you kind of get the idea.

Shaped like a torpedo, a pirozhki features a glistening bread shell around meat, cheese or vegetable filling. You can find them at a handful of Los Angeles bakeries, but some of the best pirozhki are served out of Igor Avramenkos shiny 1964 Bambi Airstream.

Ive had an idea of combining traditional Russian-Ukrainian gastronomy and a food truck format for quite some time, said Avramenko, who opened his pirozhki Airstream last year. The idea was to find a product that would perfectly blend these two concepts. Pirozhki just seemed like a perfect fit.

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Every morning around 5 a.m., Avramenko, who was born in Krivoy Rog, an industrial city in Ukraine, starts making pirozhki. He estimates that he makes about 350 pirozhki per day, by hand, using organic ingredients he says he finds at local farmers markets.

Avramenko said he used his Ukrainian grandmothers recipe, making the dough with milk, butter, flour, sugar and salt.

There are five kinds of pirozhki, including beef, chicken, spinach, cheese and potato. Avramenko has named each one for a certain feeling: cheese is freedom, spinach is energy, potato is perfection, meat is power and chicken is courage. So order accordingly.

Pirozhki and borscht made by Igor Avramenko at his airstream trailer located in the courtyard of the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

The pirozhki look and taste like a cross between an empanada and a baked char siu bao. The dough is soft but savory, and the crushed potatoes, ground beef and spinach and cheese filling inside, just hot enough. The lacquered bun is almost crisp, and the ratio of dough to filling is almost perfectly even.

One pirozhki is a snack, two are a meal, and two  plus a cup of borscht  are a hearty dinner. The borscht, served cold and made with beets, carrots, celery, tomato, potato, grilled onions and cabbage, is an electric poppy color  like it was plucked right out of a Beatriz Milhazes painting. Served in plastic drink cups, the borscht may not look like anything fancy, but its zapped with bright vegetable flavors, and it will serve as a jolt of freshness between bites of pirozhki.

Avramenko parks his Airstream in the courtyard of the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery in the L.A.'s downtown Arts District five days a week, so you can eat your bread buns surrounded by pieces of modern art. And the Airstream, it can be argued, depending on your affinity for mobile quarantine facilities (what NASA used them for), is also a piece of art.

Avramenko said hed searched for more than two years for a classic 1960s Bambi Airstream. He found one in Nevada, then spent seven months converting it into the food trailer. He stripped it down completely and installed a stainless steel kitchen, then took the time to fabricate a curved tinted glass window to retain the structural integrity. Then he found a yellow 1965 GMC truck on Craigslist to tow it. He gave the truck a complete restoration too.

Well, I guess the Airstream has always represented the freedom of the American dream to me, so it seemed natural to combine an Airstream concept with my passion for my grandmothers cooking, said Avramenko. Pirozhki places my family traditional values with my love of American culture. I guess its just my destiny to combine my two passions into one.

You can find the Pirozhki Airstream in the Hauser Wirth & Schimmel gallery Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Avramenko said hes also looking forward to a collaboration with Wes Whitsell, the chef of Manuela, the restaurant thats scheduled to open at the gallery this summer.

901 E. 3rd St., Los Angeles. www.pirozhki.la.

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For the Record

May 12, 5:07 p.m.: An earlier version of this story said the Airstream opened earlier this year. It opened last year.

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Los Angeles County and Orange County breweries took home top honors last week at the World Beer Cup awards in Philadelphia. Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach was awarded Champion Large Brewpub and Noble Ale Works in Anaheim earned the title of Champion Small Brewery. Several other L.A.-area breweries also earned medals in the competition.

Held every two years and organized by the Brewers Assn., the World Beer Cup awards bronze, silver and gold medals in nearly 100 categories covering every style of beer, from light lagers to barrel-aged stouts. The beers and judges come from breweries around the world, and this years competition included more than 6,000 beers from nearly 2,000 breweries.

The Los Angeles County craft beer scene was honored with a total of seven medals and Champion Brewer honors, and Orange County breweries earned 11 awards and Champion Brewer honors as well.

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Beachwood Brewing led the Los Angeles area contingent with three medals: a gold medal for Mocha Machine coffee stout, a silver medal for Kilgore stout, and a bronze medal for Utter Love sweet stout. Three Weavers Brewing in Inglewood earned a gold medal in the Imperial red ale category for Blood Junkie, and Eagle Rock Brewery took gold for its Belgian-style Flanders ale Yearling. The West Covina location of the B.J.s Restaurant and Brewery chain also scored a gold medal in the robust porter category with P.M. Porter. And Smog City Brewing in Torrance won a silver medal in the American-style amber/red ale category with a silver medal for its Sabre-Toothed Squirrel.

>>Los Angeles craft beer guide

In Orange County, Noble Ale Works in Anaheim made a statement by winning a gold medal in the most competitive category in the competition: the American-style IPA. The brewery won gold (beating out 275 other beers) with the I Love It! IPA, which also won the 2014 Los Angeles IPA Fest. Noble Ale Works also won a bronze medal for Nobility in the Imperial IPA category and the fan-favorite Gosebusters won silver as a German-style sour ale. The three medals earned the brewers the honor of Champion Small Brewing Company, and cemented the brewerys reputation as one of the regions best IPA breweries.

The lauded TAPS Fish House brewpub also took home a trio of medals, with two silvers and a bronze in the American-Style Pilsner, American-style dark lager, and Schwarzbier categories respectively. Bottle Logic Brewing in Anaheim won a brace of silver medals for Cobaltic Porter and Darkstar November while nearby the Bruery Terreux  the sour beer-producing offshoot of the Bruery  was awarded a silver for Oude Tart, also in the Belgian-style Flanders ale category. Tustin Brewing Co. joined Beachwood on the medal podium in the Coffee Beer category with its Portola breakfast stout, that like Beachwoods gold medal winning Mocha Machine, uses a special roast of beans from Orange Countys Portola Coffee Labs. Artifex Brewing in San Clemente finished out the haul for O.C. breweries with a silver in the American-style Imperial stout category.

With 287 total medals being awarded, the 18 wins from breweries in L.A. County and Orange County represent nearly 6% of all the prizes and one-third of the 49 medals won by California breweries. The awards may serve as proof that craft beer in Southern California has grown beyond the scene in San Diego, and Los Angeles County and Orange County breweries are now getting recognized as some of the best in the Golden State.

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For the Record

May 9, 2:20 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said the L.A. and O.C. breweries won a total of 17 awards at the World Beer Cup. They won a total of 18. This post was also updated to include information on Tustin Brewing Co.'s award.

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Soo Bong Oh first got on the bus sometime after the elderly neighbor across the hall passed away.

It may have been seven, eight years ago, or maybe its been more than 10. At 85, the years blend into one another.

The neighbor lady, who was illiterate, had a hunched back and lived alone, occasionally hinted at her regular jaunts to one or another of Southern Californias myriad casinos. She was going to the Indian, shed say.

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After the woman died, Oh heard a rumor among the Korean seniors in their building that several thousands in cash was found squirreled away in the ladys apartment, presumably from her gambling runs.

Oh had never gambled before, not even with friends. But for a senior living alone in a tiny apartment in a foreign land, the days are long and any excuse to get out welcome.

So she hopped on one of the several dozen tour buses that sit spewing exhaust along Olympic Boulevard, waiting to shuttle gamblers from Koreatown to many of Southern Californias dozens of casinos, from Santa Barbara to San Diego County.

The buses depart Koreatown daily, leaving as early as 6:30 a.m. A few years ago, one casino honored the owner of a Koreatown-based tour company for delivering her 1 millionth customer to the gambling hall. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Camped in front of one colorful dinging slot machine, and then the next, it didnt matter that she didnt speak English or that shed never worked in the U.S. She forgot about the good-for-nothing husband who died years ago, the children and grandchildren she seldom saw, the aches and pains that come with her advanced age. The hours whizzed by.

After that first visit left her feeling alive with adrenaline for the first time in years, Oh joined the fraternity of Koreatown seniors who make the weekly or daily pilgrimage.

Sometimes Oh wonders how things would have turned out if she never got on that bus, never got that first taste. At times, she resists going for a few weeks at a stretch.

Then the casino sends a coupon for a free buffet or advertises a giveaway of colorful cast iron pots, and she finds herself on the bus once more.

::

The buses depart daily, leaving as early as 6:30 a.m. and returning as late as 4 a.m., offering essentially free rides  after the casinos incentives  across Southern California.

Most are run by independent bus companies that are compensated by the casinos for each customer they bring. A few years ago, one casino honored the owner of a Koreatown-based tour company for delivering her 1 millionth customer to the gambling hall.

In Koreatown, the buses have found a steady and reliable customer base in elderly immigrants, many of whom are widows or widowers living alone in senior apartments. The riders come from a group that is largely invisible, low-income or poor.

The popularity has led to a clog of buses idling along Olympic Boulevard and nearby side streets, taking up parking, obstructing businesses views and waking residents at odd hours.

For more than a decade, city officials, police and the neighborhood council have been fielding complaints from businesses and residents but have been unable to do much more than shuffle the problem from one block to the next. In January, one bus that had returned from Morongo Casino killed an elderly woman crossing the street in a hit-and-run that remains unsolved.

For the seniors who ride the buses, the service is both a blessing and a curse: a welcome distraction and pastime  an air-conditioned one for the long summer days  but at the same time a habit that seniors say can quickly become disastrous for their finances, especially for those on Social Security.

::

On a cloudless Thursday, Oh, with a tightly permed dyed hairdo and a spring in her step that makes her look younger than her age, boarded the noon bus outside a Koreatown bedding store.

She forked over $20 to the man collecting the fares and plopped down amid a group of Korean seniors in the front of the nearly full bus. Once at the casino, she knew shed be receiving $35 or more in gaming credits on her casino club card.

Across the aisle, a bespectacled, graying gentleman perused an Armenian newspaper.

She gossiped with other regulars about how healthy the driver, a pot-bellied man with salt-and-pepper hair and a chevron mustache, looked despite his recent surgery for colon cancer.

Vamonos! a voice yelled from the back.

Vamonos! the driver bellowed, maneuvering bus No. 203 into midday traffic.

Once you start, its hard to get out of it. I wonder if Ive set foot on the wrong path.  Soo Bong Oh, 85

Once you start, its hard to get out of it. I wonder if Ive set foot on the wrong path, Oh cautioned a newcomer. But its great for passing time.

Oh nodded off once the bus hit the freeway, heading east to San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland. The bus zipped past billboard after billboard beckoning motorists to nearby casinos. Im just working till my big break, one read.

::

On her first few trips, Oh went with other seniors. Soon, she started going on her own. She doesnt talk about it with any of her neighbors or her children, who she knows will frown upon her habit.

The regulars all recognize one another, but they dont exchange full names or ask too many personal questions. For example, although Oh has frequently tapped the services of the silver-haired man who lends people a couple of hundred dollars when they run out of cash (for a 10% fee), shes confused about whether hes a Mr. Lee or a Mr. Kim.

In one breath, Oh ping-pongs between cursing the bus operators and wishing all the casinos would disappear, and talking about what a stress reliever it is and how soundly she sleeps after a day at the slots. She carries in her wallet the receipt from a random hot seat drawing she won last year, for $1,000. She has no idea what the slip says or why she won it, but her eyes spark with excitement as she shows it off.

About an hour and a half after leaving Koreatown, Ohs bus pulled into the casino, sliding into a herd of other tour buses, some with signs in Vietnamese, others with Chinese lettering.

Watch your step off the bus, and good luck to everrrrrybody! the driver hollered before bursting into a guttural rendition of O Sole Mio.

Oh whipped out her Emerald Club member card, which the casino upgraded after shed been gambling there for years (according to the casinos website, that means shes played at least $50,000). A casino employee swiped it on a hand-held device to load it with the bonus gaming dollars.

She made a beeline for the penny and five-cent slots she likes, disappearing into a throng of gamblers and a cloud of cigarette smoke at the center of the casino floor.

::

Oh had a few thousand in savings. That evaporated  mainly into the slots  over the years, she said. Now shes living on her $875 monthly Social Security check and the pocket change her son sends her occasionally.

On the plus side of her gambling balance sheet are the set of cast iron pots, which shes unsure how to use, and a nice duvet and pillow set that sits untouched on a shelf in her apartment. The jackpots she used to win seem fewer and farther between.

She contemplated the pattern: Its good and fun, but at the end its always tragic, she said.

This day, a few hours in, Oh was up $300. She went to the food court for a late lunch and paid for a burger with the food credits on her club card. She wolfed down half, then wrapped the rest in napkins and tucked it away in her bag.

She promptly returned to the slots. She halfheartedly dabbled at one with leprechauns flinging gold coins, then circled a cluster of penny slots waiting for a seat to open up. At the first opportunity, she swooped in and got comfortable, right hand at the ready on the play button.

::

Bus No. 203 left at 6:15 p.m. and headed west toward Los Angeles, chasing the waning sun.

Those who had won whispered excitedly about it. Those who had lost sat wordlessly, and others knew not to ask how theyd done. Oh had ended the day ahead. She looked for Mr. Lee (or was it Mr. Kim?) to repay her gambling debts, but hed stayed behind at the casino.

Her flip phone rang  it was her son  and she vaguely answered questions about her day and hung up. She mused out loud about the independence the bus gives her. Sure, she could ask her son for a ride, but she resents being a burden to her children.

This way you get some outside air, and you have a purpose, she said.

Even so, Oh pledged to herself, as she has countless times before, that this would be her last time.

The bus slogged through rush-hour traffic and reached the city with the last of the days sunlight. Oh bid a hasty farewell to the regulars, hopped out and set off into the night.

victoria.kim@latimes.com

Twitter: @vicjkim

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As harassment allegations increased against a surfer gang known as the Bay Boys, Palos Verdes Estates officials dismissed the problem as urban legend and discussed ways to avoid further public and media scrutiny, correspondence obtained by The Times shows.

The messages among City Manager Tony Dahlerbruch, Police Chief Jeff Kepley and City Council members indicate that city leaders repeatedly downplayed the alleged harassment by the Bay Boys against other surfers at Lunada Bay. The documents were obtained through the California Public Records Act.

Beachgoers and witnesses have accused the Bay Boys, some of whom are reportedly middle-aged, of bombarding outsiders with dirt clods, slashing their tires and assaulting them in the water  sometimes coordinating the attacks with walkie-talkies.

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One alleged victim said she was sexually harassed and doused with beer in retaliation for appearing in a news article about the problems.

If blaming victims of perpetuating an urban legend is the official position of Palos Verdes Estates, it is disappointing.  Kurt A. Franklin, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs

Earlier this year, an El Segundo police officer who says he has been harassed by the Bay Boys joined other alleged victims in a class-action lawsuit.

The officer, Cory Spencer, and Diana Milena Reed, the alleged harassment victim, asked a federal judge to prevent members of the gang from congregating at Lunada Bay, one of the states most coveted surf breaks. The suit also targets the city of Palos Verdes Estates, asking a judge to require officials to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by the group of surfers.

The exchanges show that when Assemblyman David Hadley (R-Torrance) had a conference call with city officials earlier this year, offering to intervene with state resources, Dahlerbruch and other Palos Verdes Estates leaders rejected the overture, saying they feared it would draw more media attention.

Kepley rejected recommendations from former law enforcement officers from other areas on ways to police the matter more aggressively with sting operations and more frequent patrols, according to an email he sent to a council member.

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This is an old story and one that I do not consider news or worthy of news coverage, Kepley wrote in a memorandum that also conceded that the Police Department had done likely not enough to rid Lunada Bay of harassment.

Kepley declined to comment for this report.

In a March meeting with California Coastal Commission staffers trying to promote public access, city officials argued that the problem was merely urban legend, according to a memorandum Dahlerbruch wrote to the City Council.

Critics have long argued that locals treat the rock and sand shore at Lunada Bay as if it were their own private beach. The commission staffers suggested ways to make sure people from outside the city can get to the water, including improved trails and better signage.

Councilman James F. Goodhart said in an interview that none of the public access proposals have received consideration from the council.

The commission staffers had also said Palos Verdes Estates needs to remove or get permits for a stone fort illegally built by some of the Bay Boys at the shores edge.

In another piece of correspondence, Dahlerbruch told the council that the Lunada Bay Homeowners Assn. is urging the city to focus on policing the bullying in hopes that the existence and use of the patio becomes irrelevant.

Goodhart said no staff recommendations to permit the fort or tear it down have since been delivered to the council.

In a memorandum, Dahlerbruch reported to the council that he also made a personal visit to the fort, where he received a friendly greeting and was offered a beer. He did not respond to subsequent questions about whether the illegal alcohol use resulted in a police response, and the city declined to immediately respond to a request for any related police reports.

The lawsuit against the city alleges that some of the trouble has been alcohol-fueled.

The citys municipal code prohibits alcohol consumption at public spaces, including Lunada Bay. It doesnt bother me if they are drinking beer there, Goodhart said. I dont know if its illegal or not on our coastline.

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Said Kurt A. Franklin, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs: The problem of violence directed at non-resident beachgoers at Lunada Bay is real.... If blaming victims of perpetuating an urban legend is the official position of Palos Verdes Estates, it is disappointing.

The hostility toward outsiders is not unique to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Surf breaks in Hawaii, Oxnard, La Jolla and Hollister Ranch in Santa Barbara County have similar reputations. In Lunada Bays case, its the rocky reef and points of land on both sides that helped earn its prized status, allowing waves to unspool as one ridable ribbon.

And news about a group of largely affluent white surfers in a placid community of multimillion-dollar homes terrorizing less privileged, multicultural outsiders has generated stories in publications around the world.

Some in the community have pressured city officials to support the Bay Boys or at least to refrain from caving in to demands that Palos Verdes make it easier for nonresidents to visit the stretch of public beach.

What threat are the Bay Boys to our city? Robert Van Dine, a longtime resident of Palos Verdes Estates, wrote in an email to the City Council. The argument can actually be made that they keep a cap on crime.

In a note to the city manager and police chief, Councilman Goodhart acknowledged the residents concerns. Regarding the media focus on the Bay Boys, he said: We need to be smart about this unprecedented attack on our city.

Palos Verdes Estates, he said, should consider not communicating with reporters to send a message that it would not tolerate sensationalizing stories about our city.

In recent weeks, the police chief and city manager have stopped answering questions from The Times about Lunada Bay.

Complaints about the gang go back years. But videos that surfaced last year have fueled new debate about access to the area.

garrett.therolf@latimes.com

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U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. wants colleges to stop asking applicants about their criminal histories early in the admissions process, he announced at UCLA on Monday.

Asking prospective students for information about their criminal history can prevent them from finishing their applications, King said.

Because a disproportionate number of people who have been charged with crimes are people of color, the U.S. Department of Education says, these questions add one more barrier to those that disadvantaged students already face when seeking a college education.

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Rather than asking how do we limit opportunity, we should be asking how do we broaden opportunity, King said. How do we ensure that our educational institutions welcome all students who want to improve themselves?

The Department of Education sent a guide called Beyond the Box to presidents of colleges across the country. The guide comes with a letter that urges them to attract a diverse and qualified student body without creating unnecessary barriers for prospective students who have been involved with the justice system.

We must ensure that more people ... have the chance at higher education opportunities.  U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr.

In addition to King, several activists, including actor Tim Robbins, and students spoke about their experiences trying to apply to college after serving their sentences.

Daryl Atkinson called himself someone who has been impacted by the box. In 1996, he was incarcerated for a first-time nonviolent drug crime in Alabama, and served the mandatory 40 months on a 10-year sentence. He said he went to jail with a high school diploma and left the same way, because Alabama is not as progressive as some other states.

After leaving jail, he completed his associates degree with a 4.0 GPA and summa cum laude honors, but was rejected from a state school in South Carolina after disclosing his record.

The only thing I could attribute that denial letter to was my past criminal history, he said.

He turned to his family for support and ultimately was accepted into a different school. He eventually earned a law degree and now serves as a fellow at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced he would create a challenge that would convene all our institutions of higher learning, admissions leadership, to see if we can have a playbook on how to make colleges more accessible to people who have been incarcerated.

Garcetti proposed learning from UCLA, and said he might ultimately take the results to the U.S. Conference of Mayors to encourage other cities to follow suit.

Lets get the competitive juices flowing and get universities to say, Im not a great university until I have a program thats addressing it, he said.

King made the announcement at UCLA because he considers the University of California to be a model system in this regard.

The UC system has never asked for information related to applicants criminal backgrounds, said Stephen Handel, UCs associate vice president of undergraduate admissions.

Once students are admitted, he said, specific campuses can ask for criminal histories on housing application forms.

According to a 2015 Center for Community Alternatives study, two-thirds of a sample of 2,924 people with felony convictions who began applications to State University of New York never finished the applications, in part because of questions concerning their convictions.

In an interview, King conceded that this is an area where very limited research has been done.

He called for additional research but also pointed to the UC system, where, he said, we have generations of students who have  graduated without those questions being asked as part of the admissions process.

Kim Hunter Reed, deputy undersecretary of education, said the government wants universities to ask themselves whether they truly need applicants criminal histories, and if they decide they do, to delay asking about that history until an applicant is further in the admission process.

Though the federal government has no means of enforcing the proposal, officials hope to influence universities to be more sensitive toward people who have been in prison.

The proposal follows other attempts to keep people with criminal backgrounds from being permanently stigmatized, including the Second Chance Pell Pilot program, which gives incarcerated Americans a chance to receive federal Pell Grants to pay for college.

Students and parents have long cited campus crime as a major concern in college selection, and the federal government has been outspoken on the need to reduce sexual assault on college campuses, but Reed said that there is no tension between those issues and the governments efforts to make it easier for applicants with criminal backgrounds to get into college.

The FAFSA, the federal form that students can fill out to apply for financial aid, does ask about criminal backgrounds. Reed said the question is legally required, but officials have tried to limit what it asks for. Members of Congress are revisiting the question, she said.

According to the federal report, 66% of colleges collect criminal history information from all prospective students, and 5% seek it from only some students. Schools in the California State University system dont ask applicants about their criminal backgrounds.

The Common Application, an application form used by about 700 universities, including Stanford and USC, has a question that asks whether students have ever been convicted or adjudicated guilty of a felony, misdemeanor, or other crime.

For the next admissions season, the Common Application will get rid of the other crime category, said senior director Aba Blankson, because people found it to be ambiguous. The organization is researching other potential changes, including whether asking students about their criminal history can have adverse effects on their applications.

Twitter: @Joy_Resmovits

UPDATES:

7:40 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information.

This article was first published at 3 a.m.
Perhaps the most nerve-racking duty of a senior class president at Scripps College in Claremont is securing a speaker for commencement. And Jennie Xu thought she had nailed it by booking Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of State.

Here was a pioneering woman who fled political persecution as a child and became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Americas chief diplomat. Like Xu and her classmates, Albright also attended an all-women college.

She was our top choice, Xu said. I was really, really ecstatic.

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But that feeling has been far from universal. Some of Xus classmates denounced Albright as a war criminal. Others said they were outraged by Albrights insinuation that they could wind up in a special place in hell if they didnt support Hillary Clintons historic run for the White House. And 28 professors vowed not to share the stage with Albright when seniors don their sage green caps and gowns May 14.

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Im deeply disgusted that on the happiest day of my life (up to this point) I have to sit quietly and smile at the cameras of my parents and grandparents while this woman tells me to go out into the world and be amazing, even though according to her, Im going to hell, senior Kinzie Mabon wrote in a campus newspaper.

Protesting commencement speakers has become an annual tradition at college campuses these days. But for the 960 undergraduates at Scripps, the prestigious all-women member of the Claremont Colleges, the debate over Albrights invitation this year has gone to the heart of the institution, centering on what constitutes a modern female role model.

Albrights response to the kerfuffle has been diplomatic: Learning to understand differing opinions and being cordial to those with whom one disagrees are crucial life skills not just for ambassadors but for women in any number of careers.

People have a right to state their views, she said. I also think they have a duty to listen to people that they might disagree with.

The search for commencement speakers who will entertain and inspire without offending students notions of political correctness has become increasingly fraught on campuses.

Its a lose-lose for colleges, said attorney Ari Cohn of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, who tracks the disinvitation of commencement speakers. Select somebody whos interesting, and somebodys going to oppose it. Or select somebody whos boring, and everyones going to oppose it.

UCLA learned that lesson in 2009, when Golden Globe-winning actor James Franco was asked to deliver a commencement address. An editorial in the Daily Bruin dismissed Franco as not as esteemed as a commencement speaker of UCLAs caliber should be. Franco backed out, citing a scheduling conflict.

And the same speaker could be celebrated by one university but condemned by another. Albright is also headlining graduations this year at Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government and the University of Denver, where her selection was welcomed without controversy.

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Among those joining the discussion on the Scripps campus is Nicole Zwiener, a senior majoring in media studies who said she had hoped to hear from someone like Rupi Kaur, a feminist writer and photographer, or Emily Schuman, a Scripps alumna who launched the popular lifestyle blog Cupcakes and Cashmere.

Those are just two women that I look up to, Zwiener said.

Others lamented that the choice of Albright was a missed opportunity to advance the conversation about diversity.

Race issues are super important, said Grace Poole, a senior majoring in art. Having a woman of color, giving them that access to speak, is very important.

The selection process at Scripps is complicated by the fact that students, not the administration, are tasked with picking their commencement speaker. And unlike some schools that pay as much as $100,000 in speaking fees, Scripps only covers travel costs.

Denise Nelson Nash, the college presidents chief of staff, said the process was meant to be an empowering opportunity for students. Theyre the ones looking for someone who is going to inspire them, she said.

Xu had seen the senior classes before her scramble to find their speakers in time. So she began canvassing her classmates when she was still a sophomore, sending out email surveys and hosting office hours at the popular Motley Coffeehouse.

Celebrities were in demand, but student leaders had to be realistic.

There was a lot of support for Ellen [DeGeneres], for example, but we didnt have the connections, said Grace Dahlstrom, who serves as class co-president with Xu.

So when a student said her family had an in with Albright, Dahlstrom and Xu jumped at the opportunity. Albright was locked in by March of their junior year  before the class ahead of them had found its speaker.

Dahlstrom was thrilled and said she felt a special kinship with the former secretary because she had gone to Wellesley College.

We all share a connection of being proud of, and being excited about, attending a college of driven young women, she said.

In her campus op-ed, Mabon acknowledged the work it took to secure Albright and gave her credit for breaking barriers. But being the first woman to do something impressive does not give you a free pass on human rights, she wrote. If my time at Scripps taught me anything, it has certainly taught me that.

Human rights were also the sticking point for the 28 professors who pledged not to participate in the official commencement procession. They cited Albrights foreign policy role during the Clinton administration  a time when U.S.-led sanctions were blamed for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children and the United Nations declined to intervene in the Rwandan genocide.

She supported several policies that led to the deaths of millions of people, they wrote in a joint letter. Even so, they said they would still attend the graduation ceremony as spectators to support their students.

Kimberly Drake, who teaches courses on protest writing and literature, said a commencement speech was different from other kinds of guest lectures, which include Q&As and give the audience a chance to engage with the speaker.

Such events deliberately call for the expression of different or opposing views, said Drake, who helped draft the letter. But standing on stage at graduation could be perceived as tacit support for the values represented by Madeleine Albright.

Nancy Neiman Auerbach, a professor of international political economy, added that the protest offers a parting lesson for seniors. In my view, we are modeling for our students who are graduating a lifetime of political engagement, she said.

A similar backlash unfolded at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., when International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde was selected as commencement speaker in 2014.

Although Lagarde was ranked the fifth most powerful woman in the world that year by Forbes magazine, more than 500 faculty members and students at the all-women college signed an online petition criticizing the IMFs role in the strengthening of imperialist and patriarchal systems that oppress and abuse women worldwide.

The protests prompted Lagarde to withdraw one week before graduation.

Albright said she was committed to speaking at Scripps. Encouraging young women to work hard, open their minds and pursue challenging careers never gets old, especially when there are still so many barriers for them to break, she said.

Theres plenty of room in the world for mediocre men, she said. Theres none for mediocre women.

rosanna.xia@latimes.com

Twitter: @RosannaXia

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A man suspected of killing his estranged wife and her mother in Clovis is on the run and possibly riding a stolen mountain bike through San Luis Obispo County, authorities said.

Clovis police found two women stabbed to death inside a house in the 700 block of West Omaha Avenue at about 4 a.m. Saturday after receiving a call from a woman inside the house.

The Fresno County sheriff-coroners office on Sunday identified the women as Tierney Cooper-McCann, 36, of Fresno and Judith Cooper, 68, of Paso Robles.

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Police have named Dave Thomas McCann, 47, as the primary suspect. Ty Wood, a spokesman for the Clovis Police Department, said McCann and Cooper-McCann were married but estranged.

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McCann came to the Clovis Police Department on Friday, requesting a civil standby as he went to the residence to retrieve some personal property because he had moved out of the home, Clovis Police Capt. Tom Roberts said at a news conference Sunday.

McCann was cooperative, seeking our help in recovering some property, Roberts said.

Officers accompanied him to the house, where he picked up some personal effects, had a short interaction with someone there and then left, Roberts said.

A woman called police early Saturday to report the stabbings. Roberts would not confirm the womans relationship to the victims or suspect but said police were concerned for her safety.

Wood said both of the women lived at the house where their bodies were found.

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McCann is believed to have fled Clovis in a 16-foot white Penske moving truck. Authorities in Paso Robles, more than 100 miles from the crime scene, found the truck in a commercial area on Saturday night, Roberts said. Police said a Facebook tip led them to the vehicle.

McCann is believed to have abandoned the truck and stolen a gray and tan 15-speed mountain bicycle with disc brakes and a small tool kit under the seat, police said.

Authorities searched two Paso Robles residences near where the truck was found for evidence and for the suspect, but he was not found, Roberts said, adding that Clovis police were working with authorities in San Luis Obispo County on the investigation.

He is on the run, he is very dangerous and we really need everyones help, Roberts said, adding that the suspect may be armed.

Roberts said McCann had ties to England and Ireland and that there was some concern that he would leave the country. Police, he said, have taken precautions to address that.

McCann is described as 6 feet 2 inches, weighing about 220 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Anyone with information has been asked to call the Clovis Police Department at (559) 324-2800.

There have been no confirmed sightings of McCann since the bodies were found, police said.

The homicides are the first and second of the year in Clovis, Wood said.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

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A 16-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has been placed on leave after he got drunk, sat in the front of a tamale vendors car and was disarmed by bystanders, authorities said.

The deputy, whose name was not released by authorities, was relieved of duty with pay Wednesday as sheriffs officials moved forward with an administrative investigation, sheriffs spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said.

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The deputy, who was off-duty at the time, was briefly detained about 1:11 a.m. May 2 by Sacramento police.

He was visiting the area to attend law enforcement memorial events that were scheduled that week, said Sgt. Bryce Heinlein, a Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

The deputy was reportedly intoxicated when he entered an open front passenger door of a parked car and sat there. The car belonged to a vendor who was selling tamales in the 1400 block of R Street in downtown Sacramento, he said.

Two people associated with the car tried to remove the off-duty deputy from the vehicle.

As they tried to take him out of the car, they spotted a firearm on the deputy and disarmed him. Eventually, the deputy walked away and was later detained by police.

There was no indication that the weapon was displayed or used in the commission of any crime, Heinlein said.

Sacramento police took possession of the firearm and immediately notified L.A. County sheriffs officials about the incident.

Thats when the deputys supervisor responded, took the gun and escorted him back to the hotel.

Sacramento police are assisting the sheriffs department with their investigation.

Officers dont always arrest intoxicated people, and most dont go to jail, Heinlein said.

Officers use their discretion, weighing the options that are available to them to the circumstances they are presented with in each incident, he said.

Officers can choose to take an intoxicated person to a hospital, a detox facility, jail or release them to a friend or family member.

In this case, Heinlein said the deputys conduct is not in line with the standards of our profession.

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A portion of the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance is scheduled to reopen Monday night, more than a year after a large explosion at the facility injured four workers and damaged equipment.

The refinery is set to restart operations in the fluid catalytic cracker unit between 7 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday. Torrance city officials said they expect that process will temporarily increase emissions, but that they are not expected to exceed state and national air quality standards.

It is anticipated that the restart will result in higher particulate matter for about six hours, the city said in statement to residents.

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The South Coast Air Quality Management District said the refinery will need to shut down a pollution control device as a safety precaution, which could result in up to 600 pounds of particulate emissions.

The district said it analyzed the short-term excess of emissions and didnt expect it to have negative effect on residents.

1 / 3 Damage caused by an explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance. (Christina House / For The Times) 2 / 3 An explosion and fire at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance damaged the facility and injured four people. (Christina House / For The Times) 3 / 3 A Torrance police office sets up a barricade closing off Del Amo Boulevard near the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance after Wednesday mornings explosion. (Christina House / For The Times)

Before restarting production operations, the refinery was required to notify 11,000 homes in the surrounding area and place door hangers on homes within about a mile of the refinery, according to the district. The refinery had planned to restart the unit Saturday, but the operation was delayed.

We want to ensure that residents have adequate and proper notice of the rescheduled refinery restart, said Wayne Nastri, the districts acting executive officer. Meanwhile, we will be monitoring air quality before, during and after the start-up to assess any potential air pollution impacts in the community.

Investigators concluded that the Feb. 18, 2015, explosion was the result of a hydrocarbon release from the fluid catalytic cracker unit into the electrostatic precipitator  a filtration device that removes fine particulates and controls air pollution. The hydrocarbon release caused the electrostatic precipitator to explode.

Eight workers had to be decontaminated, and four suffered minor injuries and were sent to hospitals.

After the blast, California Division of Occupational Safety and Health ordered Exxon Mobil to shut down the unit until it could demonstrate safe operation.

In August, Cal/OSHA issued 19 citations, most of which were classified as serious, for workplace safety and health violations at the refinery. Exxon Mobil was fined $566,600 in penalties in connection with the explosion.

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A high school yearbook is supposed to be a keepsake, but for a Muslim student in Rancho Cucamonga it will be a painful reminder of being misidentified as Isis Phillips in a photo that showed her smiling and wearing a hijab.

Bayan Zehlif, a student at Los Osos High School, posted a photo from one of the yearbooks pages on Twitter and Facebook. The caption below the photo did not have her name but instead identified her as Isis Phillips.

Years ago, such a blunder might be dismissed as a simple misprint, but Isis  once a popular baby name  is today often associated with the acronym for the extremist group Islamic State.

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I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this, Zehlif wrote on Facebook. Apparently, I am Isis in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, lets be real.

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Chaffey Joint Union High School District Supt. Mat Holton said Zehlif was incorrectly identified as another student named Isis. He said the school has contacted the families of both students and assured them that an investigation will be conducted.

I guess I'm Isis in the yearbook... pic.twitter.com/hMc0dVu8dM  Bayan (@BayanZehlif) May 7, 2016

If they find that a student acted irresponsibly and intentionally, administration will take appropriate actions, Holton said. The school will assure students, staff and the community that this regrettable incident in no way represents the values, or beliefs, of Los Osos High School.

Holton said the issue surfaced on Friday after the school distributed 287 yearbooks to its seniors. He said the school halted any further release of the yearbooks until it fixes the error.

Students who already received yearbooks are being asked to return them, Holton said.

The incident sparked anger on social media from people accusing the school of espousing hate and calling for the students and staff members responsible to be held accountable.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for a thorough investigation in a statement released Sunday, alleging that the incident may not have been the first for the school.

The statement said Zehlif and her family had suffered emotional and psychological distress and that she probably would not return to school until the issue is resolved.

We join with the family in their concern about a possible bias motive for this incident and in the deep concern for their daughters safety as a result of being falsely labeled as a member of a terrorist group, said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the councils Los Angeles chapter. No student should have to face the humiliation of being associated with a group as reprehensible as ISIS.

Los Osos Principal Susan Petrocelli apologized on Twitter. She said the school was investigating the regrettable misprint.

The schools yearbook staff also issued an apology.

It is our duty to represent the students of Los Osos High School and by mis-tagging and giving the incorrect name, we failed to do so, the Twitter post. We should have checked each name carefully in the book and we had no intention to create this misunderstanding. It is our fault and this is absolutely inexcusable on our part.

zahira.torres@latimes.com

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A 49-year-old man died Sunday after he and two other swimmers were rescued from the water near the Venice Beach pier.

Lifeguards received a report at 5:30 p.m. of three distressed swimmers who were about 50 yards offshore, just north of the pier, said Lidia Barillas, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Lifeguards made contact with each of the swimmers and were bringing them to the shore when one of the swimmers lost consciousness, Barillas said.

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Once onshore, lifeguards began giving the man CPR. He was in grave condition when paramedics rushed him to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, said Margaret Stewart, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The mans name was not released pending notification of family.

Lifeguards made several rescues over the weekend as swimmers got caught in strong rip currents, Barillas said.

The lifeguards have been busy, she said.

For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

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Peter Sana Ojeda, reputed godfather of the Mexican Mafia in Orange County, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in federal prison for federal racketeering charges.

United States District Judge James V. Selna said that Ojeda, despite being 74, still represented a danger to the community, according to the U.S. attorneys office in Los Angeles.

In January, Ojeda was convicted on one count each of racketeering and committing violent crimes to support a racketeering conspiracy.

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The jury found that Ojeda was involved in the operation of Mexican Mafia activities in Orange County, which included conspiring to commit murder, extortion and narcotics trafficking.

The jury also found that Ojeda was involved in plots to kill other gang members as part of a turf war. That plotting occurred while Ojeda was in prison, prosecutors argued.

Ojeda  who is also known as Sana and The Big Homie  has been in federal custody since he was indicted in a prior racketeering case in 2005.

Ojeda is a career criminal and a Mexican Mafia leader, which means he is intimately familiar with the violence, drug trafficking and extortion that fuels this criminal organization, U.S. Atty. Eileen M. Decker said.

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Prior criminal cases against Mr. Ojeda have not had any deterrent effect, but todays sentence makes it unlikely that Mr. Ojeda will ever be able to walk freely on the streets where his criminal organization has caused so much harm, Decker said.

The trial, which began in November, offered an inside look into the clandestine organization that wields power within the prison system and among Latino gangs.

Ojeda ordered Latino street gangs in Orange County to pay taxes that consisted of a portion of proceeds gangs earned from criminal activities, including drug trafficking, according to the attorneys office. In return, gang members could exert influence over their neighborhoods and territories and seek protection from the Mexican Mafia.

Suzie Rodriguez, the 53-year-old girlfriend of Ojeda, was also found guilty in the conspiracies for acting as a messenger between Ojeda and local gang leaders during his stay in a Pennsylvania federal prison. Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing June 6.

In 2006, Ojeda was convicted on racketeering charges as well.

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The judge imparted words of advice to Ojeda, the Orange County Register reported.

When you return to prison, you need to lead a different way of life than you have led, Selna said, according to the newspaper.

I understand, Ojeda responded.

Follow me on Twitter @brittny_mejia

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

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A San Francisco police officer suffered chemical burns after a woman poured bleach onto him from a sixth-floor window, authorities said Monday.

The officer was talking to a victim and witness about an argument involving a dog bite at about 11:06 p.m. Saturday outside a building in the 100 block of Hyde Street, said Officer Albie Esparza, spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.

As the officer investigated the dispute, a 47-year-old woman poured bleach from the window.

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The officer was struck on the face and was taken to an area hospital, Esparza said. The officer suffered injuries that were not life-threatening, Esparza said.

The woman, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a caustic chemical.

For breaking news in California, follow VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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Widow tries to stall removal of a family tree in San Diego

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All Marie Ostwald wants is for the pepper tree that has graced her front yard to stay standing as long as she is alive. I just need a couple more years, she wrote on a Facebook post over the weekend that she titled: A Mothers Day plea.

City officials said last week that the tree, which stands some 35 feet high and has a trunk that is 4 feet in diameter, was unstable and had to be cut down.

I just ask that the tree stay as long as Im alive, Im 91 now. I make a plea to Mayor [Kevin] Faulconer to step in and save our lovely tree. Hes my last hope. On Monday, Ill sit with the tree and ask the workers not to take it. I ask other mothers in the neighborhood, if you have time tomorrow or in the next couple of days, will you sit with me? If I have enough support, I think they might not take her. I just need a couple more years, she wrote on the social media site.

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On Monday morning, six women had come out to support Ostwald after hearing her story.

Mayor Faulconer also heard her plea and his office sent out the following message.

Marie Ostwald, a 91-year-old Allied Gardens resident, asked the city to help her save a tree she and her late husband planted.  The roots from the tree were cracking the adjacent sidewalk and some of its root system had to be removed in order to make repairs. However, the city is pausing plans to remove the tree in its entirety. Staff will ask a second arborist to review the trees stability to determine if there is any risk of the tree falling. Mrs. Ostwald, I want you to know that we heard you. Happy Mothers Day.

Ostwald was overjoyed when she heard the news and said she was grateful to the mayor for his consideration.

I am very happy, she said. I want to cry.

Ostwalds husband, Whitey, died in 2005 after having a stroke. The couple, who raised four children at the home, had planted the tree shortly after they moved in.

We planted it. We grew up with it, said Ostwald, adding that the thought of losing the tree makes her very emotional because her heartstrings are attached to the leafy tree with red blossoms.

The problem started a couple of weeks ago when Ostwald said she contacted her councilmans office and requested that some work be done on the sidewalk. All I wanted to do was help the city, she said.

Crews came and the work was done. I was so happy, Ostwald said. But the next thing she knew, more workers came out and told her the tree had to come down.

Now, she hopes city officials will reconsider altogether and save the tree once and for all.

Please save the tree for a little while longer, she said.

debbi.baker@sduniontribune.com

Baker writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

UPDATES:

3:53 p.m.: This article was updated with the San Diego mayors response to Marie Ostwalds plea to save her pepper tree.

This article was originally published at 12:16 p.m.
A man who was fatally shot in South El Monte Monday morning may have been targeted by an estranged, jealous ex-lover of a co-worker, sheriffs deputies said.

Homicide investigators say that at about 8:30 a.m., the gunman rode a bicycle up to Baby Blue Fashion Inc. on Alpaca Street and asked for one of the employees by name.

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When the worker stepped outside, the man shot him, officials said. The gunman and a woman who works at the business have children together, said Lt. Steve Jauch. It was rumored that the victim and the woman were dating, he added.

But before the man could ride away, the victims co-workers wrestled him to the ground and held him until deputies arrived. Officials are not releasing the identity of the suspect or his victim. The victims family identified him as 22-year-old Higino Gonzalez, CBS2 reported.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

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William Schallert, a veteran TV performer and Hollywood union leader who played Patty Dukes father on television and led a long, contentious strike for actors, has died.

Schallert died Sunday at his home in Pacific Palisades, said his son, Edwin. He was 93.

Though usually seen in secondary roles, Schallerts lean, friendly face was familiar for roles in two classic sitcoms  as a frustrated English teacher to Dwayne Hickman and his pals in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-'63) and as the harried father alongside Patty Duke in The Patty Duke Show (1963-'66). (Duke died in March at age 69).

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In 1979, Schallert was elected president of the 46,000-member Screen Actors Guild, a post held at one time or another by James Cagney, George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston and other screen notables. Most of them had little to do but conduct meetings and issue statements. With Schallert it was different.

In 1980 he led the union as it staged a 13-week strike over such issues as actors pay for films made for the new cable television industry.

He told the Los Angeles Times his message to actors was that we have to respect ourselves as artists and recalled the pre-union days when actors were sometimes expected to work until midnight and be back at work six hours later.

Schallert was defeated in his bid for a second two-year term as SAG president in 1981 by Lou Grant star Ed Asner, who had strongly criticized the agreement the union had reached to end the strike. Asner ran into his own controversies as SAG chief by taking stands critical of U.S. foreign policy, and he decided not to seek a third term in 1985. He was succeeded by none other than Schallerts former screen daughter, Duke.

Schallert said in 2008 that his greatest accomplishment as SAG president was the formation of a committee for performers with disabilities.

We had established committees for all of the various ethnic minorities, women and seniors. Im a big beneficiary of that right now because Im 85 and I still work.

Among his later TV roles were guest shots on Desperate Housewives and True Blood. In 2008, he played Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in Recount, HBOs Emmy-winning dramatization of the 2000 presidential election.

In all, Schallert appeared in hundreds of movies, television series and specials, playing characters and walk-ons. He was a messenger in Singin in the Rain, a Union soldier in The Red Badge of Courage and an admiral in Get Smart. In addition to Justice Stevens, he played such real-life figures such as Gen. Mark Clark in The War Years and Gen. Robert E. Lee in North and South Book II.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 1966, Schallert lamented being cast as the second man through the door, or supporting player.

I did come close to a lead once, he said. This was a pilot I made for a series named `Filbert. But when the producers calculated the series would cost $75,000 per episode, they figured a top name would be needed in the lead to assure success. So they gave up the project. It was a hard pill to swallow.

William Joseph Schallert was born in 1922 in Los Angeles. His father, Edwin, was drama editor of the Los Angeles Times from 1919 to 1958.

William spent his high school years in a seminary. After military service he graduated from UCLA and went to England on a Fulbright scholarship in 1952. He studied repertory theater and lectured on American theater at Oxford University.

In his early years he was a founding member of the Circle Theater in Hollywood. The director was Charlie Chaplin, whose son Sydney was a cast member.

Schallert recalled that after a preview performance, Chaplin would suggest a couple of things to correct. When it was about 5 or 6 in the morning, Schallert said, Oona [Chaplins wife] would say `Come on, Charlie, let them go home. Theyve got a performance to do tonight.

Moore is a television writer for The Associated Press.

Biographical material in this story was written by The APs late Hollywood correspondent Bob Thomas.
Nebraskas new senator spent his first year as fresh arrivals to Capitol Hill are supposed to: head down, hard at work, zero speeches.

No more.

The rise of Donald Trump to GOP presidential nomination turned the senator, Republican Ben Sasse, into one of Trumps most outspoken opponents in Congress, and Sasses pronouncement that he will not back Trump ahead of Tuesdays Nebraska primary brought him an onslaught of attention. But hes been at it since long before House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and others piled on against Trump last week.

For months, Sasse has sketched out his philosophical underpinnings late at night on social media, and he is seriously floating the need for a third option in the presidential race.

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Though many would like Sasse, the former president of a small Lutheran liberal arts college, to lead such a ticket, he prefers instead to sit by the Platte River late into the night after his kids are asleep and tweet questions and comments to, and about, Trump.

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Ignored my phone most of today. Voicemail is now overflowing with GOP politicos telling me Sure, Trump is terrible, but '" he wrote after Trump all but clinched the GOP nomination last week. But we have to support him, because the only choice is Trump or Hillary. ummm, WHY? #Neither.

Sasse released an open letter on Facebook last week  a follow-up to one he wrote in February  sketching out why he would be supporting neither Trump nor Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

This letter is for the majority of Americans who wonder why the nation that put a man on the moon cant find a healthy leader who can take us forward together, he wrote. Our founders didnt want entrenched political parties. So why should we accept this terrible choice?

The senators musings are being met with mixed response. Trump is expected to do well in the state  Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts is on board, as are other GOP leaders. Attacking the front-runner has exposed Sasse, who had never held public office until becoming a senator in 2015, to criticism.

Before the Never Trump part, he was a rock star, said Jon Tucker, chairman of the Republican Party in Douglas County, where Omaha is located.

Tucker said Republicans in Nebraska still like Sasse, but he had an eye-opening moment while passing the hat for $1 donations during debate watch parties and voters wouldnt give to the GOP because of what Sasse was up to.

I dont see people with draft Sasse T-shirts walking around Nebraska, he said.

But Mark Fahleson, who nudged Sasse to run for Senate and recently took in an Alan Jackson concert with Sasse and both their families, sees in his friend a thoughtful politician who is just trying to the influence the debate.

Do I think he will run for president this cycle? No, Fahleson said. My guess is hes not done this cycle speaking out.

At 44, the Harvard- and Yale-educated Sasse has had a robust and varied career  working initially as a corporate turnaround specialist, but eventually returning to academia and then pursuing government jobs in President George W. Bushs administration. He also worked briefly as the chief of staff to a Nebraska congressman, and was a tutor and proctor for the House page program.

More recently, he was the president of Midland College in his hometown of Fremont, when he launched a 16-month bus tour to win the Republican nomination to replace a retiring senator.

Some say Sasse has talked about running for president since he was young, and they view his third-party musings as simply political positioning for an inevitable candidacy.

But those familiar with the senators thinking dismissed that as inaccurate. His office said he has zero interest, at the moment, in the White House. The very conservative father of young home-schooled children, he is focused on his family and job, his aides said.

The answer is no. Sen. Sasse has been clear when asked this before: He has three little kids and the only callings he wants  raising them and serving Nebraskans, a spokesman said. The senator declined a request for an interview.

In many ways, those who have watched Sasses short congressional career see an arc. Rather than becoming the next rabble-rouser, as headlines predicted, in the mode of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, he instead used his maiden speech late last year to urge his peers to do the hard work of debating issues beyond partisan soundbites. He became a spokesman for a more elevated civic discourse.

Conservatives will need to find a third option, he wrote back in February. Mr. Trumps relentless focus is on dividing Americans, and on tearing down rather than building back up this glorious nation.

Days before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1, Sasse stayed up late one night trolling Trump with personal and policy questions on Twitter. In one, he said Trump brags about affairs with married women and asked whether he repented or whether he thinks it matters.

Trump responded a few days later that Sasse looked like a gym rat.

How the hell did he ever get elected? Trump asked.

Sasses Facebook posting last week, though, caught more widespread attention

Most Americans can still be for limited government again  if they were given a winsome candidate who wanted Washington to focus on a small number of really important, urgent things  in a way that tried to bring people together instead of driving us apart, he wrote.

I think there is room  an appetite  for such a candidate.

Washington perked up, envisioning Sasse as a white-knight savior for a GOP in turmoil. Breathless commentary ensued; conservative writer William Kristol tweeted over the weekend about his outreach to Sasse as well as to former nominee Mitt Romney.

Back home, though, talk of a President Sasse was met with a pragmatic Midwestern shrug.

Hes very much his own person, and I think Nebraskans respect that, said Phil Young, a former executive director of the Nebraska GOP. It just kind of depends on how far he wants to take this.

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

Follow on Twitter @LisaMascaro

UPDATES:

8:15 p.m.: This story was updated with background on Sasses first speech from the Senate floor.

This story was originally published at 12:39 p.m.
Good morning. It is Monday, May 9. Motion-activated cameras are capturing the wildlife of San Francisco. Heres what else is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Did the killings continue?

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He was called the Grim Sleeper because of the 14-year gap in between his killings, but police believe Lonnie Franklin Jr. never stopped attacking women. Franklin was convicted last week of murdering nine women and a teenage girl. During the penalty phase of his trial, prosecutors plan to introduce that Franklin killed at least five other women between 1988 and 2002. I dont think he stopped killing, said LAPD Det. Daryn Dupree. Los Angeles Times

Controversial speaker

Students at Scripps College in Claremont thought they had nailed it when they secured Madeleine Albright, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of State, as their commencement speaker. But then came criticism of Albrights record. Twenty-eight professors say they will not share the stage with Albright at the May 14 ceremony. Los Angeles Times

Just the facts, maam

How did the California Coastal Commission get scientists to change their opinion on Newport Banning Ranch, which would be the largest coastal project in years if approved? Staff initially determined the site deserved protection thanks to its incredibly unique array of sensitive coastal species and habitats. But when commissioners saw that recommendation, they echoed developers arguments that the site was a brownfield and pressured the staff to revise its assessment. Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT AND CLIMATE

Risky environment: California has found a way to cope with drought, wildfires, rising sea levels and other high-risk ecological realities. Perhaps because Californians exist in a perpetual state of precarity, they have been more willing than many to respond proactively to new environmental threats and challenges visible on the horizon. Boom

Dry brush: It could be a busy fire season thanks to El Nino, which brought enough rain to grow tall grasses that can ignite dry forests. Well basically have more lighter, flashy fuels along roadsides once they dry out, said Amy Head, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

Special delivery: When police pulled over a speeding vehicle near downtown Los Angeles early Saturday morning, they found two frantic passengers  one of whom was about to give birth. The police escorted the couple to the hospital and it was there, inside the car, that Messiah Tindley was born. Los Angeles Times

L.A. original: In a city that is constantly changing, Yucas in Los Feliz is something of a constant. The 8-by-10-foot space has been serving tacos and burritos since 1976. I just did what I thought people would like. And they really liked it, said Mama Socorro Herrera. Los Angeles Times

Hot spot: Take a look inside Highland Park Bowl, which just got a $2-million renovation. You could tell there was great potential there, said Bobby Green, head of the design team. Curbed LA

Crime map: These L.A. homes were once the scene of the crime. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Political influence: How have Uber and Lyft come to dominate politics in Sacramento? Muscles, goodwill and a power struggle. Even delays are de-facto victories for Uber and Lyft. Theyre continuing to grow their share of the market while cabs are struggling under the strict rules legislators and regulators put on the taxi industry long ago. Los Angeles Times

Making changes: It was a year ago that a scathing audit came out detailing how the City of Industry had paid its former mayors companies more than $326 million over 20 years. And while work is underway to turn around the city, some say the City of Industry isnt any better off. The city isnt looking at itself at all, said Doug Johnson, a fellow with Claremont McKennas Rose Institute of State and Local Government. San Gabriel Valley Tribune

CRIME AND COURTS

Police shootings: San Diego Dist. Atty. Bonnie Dumanis reversed course and released video of three officer-involved shootings. The position represents a major departure from historical practices, but we recognize the times have changed, Dumanis said. All of the officers in the videos were found to be within policy when they shot men that were armed or believed to be armed. San Diego Union-Tribune

Remembering Mom: Mothers Day can be a particularly difficult time for children who have lost their mothers to violence. Here, some of those mothers are remembered. Los Angeles Times

Calls for resignation: Hundreds of protesters calling for the removal of Police Chief Greg Suhr are expected to rally outside San Francisco City Hall today. Five demonstrators who had been on a hunger strike for the same cause ended that protest Saturday. The whole San Francisco community took the step to demand the hunger strikers suspend their hunger strike so they can return to the front lines and help shape this movement and the pursuit of justice for the black and brown citizens of San Francisco, said a spokeswoman for the Frisco Five. SFGate

Bailing out: A federal judge in Oakland will hear arguments this week that the money bail system violates the Constitutions Equal Protection Clause. Critics of the system argue defendants pretrial freedom rests on how much money they have. Its a dirty little secret in the system that bails result in guilty pleas just because people want to get out, and thats wrong, said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi. KQED

Trade dispute: An Orange County entrepreneur is in a legal fight with a Middle East bank over an idea he had a decade ago  the ability to send payments via a mobile device. Farooq Bajwa is represented by the law firm of Boies Schiller & Flexner  chaired by David Boies, among the countrys most well-known attorneys. Nothing is more bitter than a failed marriage  that is often the context of a trade secrets case. Its a relationship entered into with hope and optimism that goes sour, said Robin Feldman, a professor with Hastings College of the Law. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Expensive taste: One writer visited GOOPs pop-up shop in San Francisco. The effect was almost like perusing Gwyneths home in Brentwood, California, except with price tags. Rooting around for the tag was like a tiny adventure: Would an item be overpriced?  Would it be bananas? BuzzFeed

Fewer perks: Dropbox is getting rid of some of its employee perks  a shuttle to San Francisco, gym washing services, unlimited dinner guests. The move is expected to save the tech firm $38 million a year. SFGate

Setting the scene: Southern California acts as the backdrop for Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witchs Accuser, an unconventional opera. Los Angeles Times

Back together: Twenty-four years after they ended their relationship, two old flames reconnected in this California love story. New York Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco will have low clouds and a high of 63 degrees. Sacramento will be sunny and 78. Los Angeles will have clouds as temperatures reach a high of 70. There will be sunshine and a high of 75 in Riverside. San Diego will have clouds as temperatures reach 69 degrees.

AND FINALLY

This weeks birthdays for notable Californians: Director George Lucas (May 14, 1944), Rep. Jackie Speier (May 14, 1950), City Atty. Mike Feuer (May 14, 1958), Rep. Mimi Walters (May 14, 1962), Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg (May 14, 1984) and Sonoma State President Ruben Arminana (May 15, 1946).

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.
If coal is indeed king, it is the lord of a shrinking realm, which ought to be good news for the environment. With the nations electricity production shifting to cleaner sources of power, U.S. coal consumption is declining.

But heres a problem: As major coal-mining companies watch their sales diminish domestically, they are struggling to find export markets in which they can continue to do business.

And what have we really gained if coal that the U.S. doesnt use just gets shipped to other countries for them to burn?

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Thats the question that needs to be answered as officials consider a proposal to build a new coal port in Oakland as part of the conversion of a decommissioned Army base. There are a lot of problems with the proposal, which well get to, but just from an environmental standpoint, it is a bad idea. Earth is teetering on  and may already be falling off  the edge of a cliff that will lead to catastrophic changes in the environment. Rising seas. Species extinctions. Collapsed ecosystems and fluctuating food security for humans. The culprit: humans, and our reliance on carbon-spewing fossil fuels. The absolute worst of those is coal. So if were serious about combating global warming and its attendant environmental disasters, why make it easier for other countries to continue down the coal-burning path?

The proposal arises from the redevelopment of the decommissioned, 330-acre Oakland Army Base at the foot of the Bay Bridge. The California Capital and Investment Group, with which the city of Oakland contracted in 2012, proposed to build a 30-acre Oakland Bulk and Oversize Terminal to handle alfalfa, grain, potash, wind turbine parts and other products. Chief Executive Phil Tagami wrote in a December 2013 newsletter that the developers plans did not include the pursuit of coal-related operations at the former Oakland Army Base.

Yet reports surfaced in early 2015 that coal was indeed part of the mix, which the developers had kept secret to avoid public opposition. How much coal? Estimates run as high as 10 million tons a year, which is about five times the combined volume of the states other coal docks in Long Beach, Stockton and Richmond. The coal could end up being shipped via open-top rail cars, a practice that, without mitigation (such as spraying the load with a chemical sealant), can spread more than 600 pounds of coal dust per rail car over the course of a 400-mile trip. Coal dust, which causes black lung disease among miners, contains lead, mercury and other elements that can be toxic even in light concentrations, and is linked to heart and respiratory diseases.

The coal would come from mines in Utah, where four counties and the state government have concocted a scheme to take $53 million in federal mine lease-fees  money meant to support infrastructure and other public projects in communities affected by mining on public lands  and invest it in the Oakland port project. The goal is to provide a link to foreign markets for the Utah coal. Note that with the exception of port jobs in Oakland  which would exist no matter what products were to be shipped  the only thing California gains from this project is an environmental headache.

The port developers say they will use covered rail cars and covered facilities in Oakland, but environmentalists are right to be skeptical given the lack of transparency so far, and the fact that open-top rail cars are the industry standard. The most likely path is through the Donner Pass north of Lake Tahoe to Sacramento, across the Central Valley to the port in West Oakland, where the overwhelmingly low-income residents already suffer from elevated cases of asthma and other pollution-related ailments.

Thats just the kind of information that should be included in the projects environmental impact report, but because coal was supposedly not being considered when the report was done, that impact was not assessed.

Thats absurd. The city of Oakland should order a supplemental environmental report and, if the deleterious effects of the project are as bad as expected, the city should pull the plug.

This is a project that would harm the local environment  and the global environment as well. If we need to wean the world from coal, why would Oakland build a dock to export it?

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
An editor and a bureau chief of a Turkish newspaper were sentenced late last week to five years in prison for the crime  at least its a crime in Turkey  of publishing an article that embarrassed the government. The sentences, which are under appeal, are part of a growing effort by President Tayyip Erdogan to squelch criticism and dissenting views, the latest in a troubling series of events that included the government take-over of an opposition newspaper and the resignation of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu after he contradicted some of Erdogans positions.

Turkey is a longtime U.S. ally in a part of the world where reliable friends are sorely needed. As a part of NATO, Turkey is entitled to military protection from fellow member nations, but such oppressive behavior raises serious questions about the relationship with the U.S., as well as the European Union, which Turkey has sought to join.

Journalism and human rights groups have condemned the moves. The Times editorial board objected in March when Erdogan took over Zaman, then the nations largest newspaper, and noted the broader crackdown on a free press:

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The takeover of those outlets follows similar actions against other news organizations. In October, authorities ordered the seizure of Koza Ipek Group, which operated several television stations critical of the government. Meanwhile, prosecutors have pursued more than 1,800 cases of insulting the president since Erdogan, a former prime minister, was elected president in 2014.

Such stifling of political opponents is impossible to reconcile with the preamble of the treaty establishing NATO, which invokes the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law

The Obama administration also objected, but not particularly strenuously, after Erdogans government raided the newspaper office with water cannons. Whether a more significant U.S. reaction to these crackdowns may be in the cards is hard to determine, but given how much the U.S. government tiptoes around Turkey, it doesnt seem likely. As Ive noted before, the administration still defers to the Turkish insistence that the Armenian genocide not be called a genocide.

The two journalists under sentence are Can Dundar, editor-in-chief of the Cumhuriyet newspaper, Erdem Gul, the newspapers Ankara bureau chief. The story that drew the governments ire tracked a shipment of weapons two years ago by Turkish intelligence forces into Syria, part of a flow of weapons that Reuters later reported on, including the repercussions faced by local Turkish officials who intercepted some of the shipments.

Whether the shipments were illegal is a matter for the Turks to settle. But jailing journalists for doing their jobs flouts the NATO treaty preamble that embraces the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. Turkeys transgressions demand much more than a finger-wagging by the international community.

Follow Scott Martelle on Twitter @smartelle.
To the editor: In their creative freeze proposal to stem North Koreas nuclear program, Robert Litwak and Robert Daly implicitly argue that the route to induce Chinas cooperation is U.S. abstention from new ballistic missile defense deployment in South Korea. (Beijing opposes deployment.) (How to put North Koreas nukes on ice, Opinion, May 6)

But leaving the South vulnerable to the Norths nuclear intimidation even under a freeze is asking Seoul to bear too much.

Still, the freeze, however imperfect as a proliferation containment measure, is a good idea. How to get Beijing on board without sacrificing South Koreas security remains the issue. One alternative would be public discussion about returning U.S. nuclear weapons to the South, which were withdrawn in 1991.

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Just mentioning that would draw Chinas concern and perhaps be leverage enough to get its leadership to press North Korea to halt further nuclear development.

Bennett Ramberg, Los Angeles

The writer served as a policy analyst in the State Departments Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration.

..

To the editor: Litwak and Daly dont seem to have considered the possibility that North Koreas push to develop a nuclear arsenal could be quite rational behavior on its part.

The U.S. and its allies have demonstrated their willingness to invade countries whose regimes they find objectionable. North Korea, along with Iran and Iraq, was named by President George W. Bush in 2002 as a member of the axis of evil, aiming to threaten the peace of the world.

The regime in Iraq, despite not having weapons of mass destruction, was toppled by the U.S. invasion in 2003. Iran, despite having agreed with the U.S. and European countries to limit its ability to produce a bomb, is still under threat of attack, with U.S. presidential candidates having promised to tear up that deal if elected.

Recall Moammar Kadafi, who dismantled Libyas nuclear program in 2003 but was deposed and killed in 2011.

North Koreas behavior could simply indicate that it is following the lessons of recent history to ensure its survival.

Gerome Torribio, Pomona

..

To the editor: The generation of Americans born after World War II remembers it well: the frequent duck-and-cover school drills (our last pathetic defense against nuclear annihilation), the school assemblies for the viewing of a government-sponsored documentary depicting the effects of a nuclear explosion, and the dull ever-present fear pervading our otherwise perfect post-war lives.

Our children never had to endure this. Instead, they are blessed with little concern for a renegade nation that will soon possess possibly 100 nuclear weapons and the capability of delivering them to the U.S.

It amazes me that this millennial dictator Kim Jong Un can threaten to annihilate us preemptively and we all seem to shrug it off. Can you imagine if Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had said these words? He wouldnt have dared because of a U.S. response.

Our governments response to North Korea is lame by comparison.

John Francis Smith, Studio City

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Hillary Clinton finished her swing through California on Friday with a rally, a visit to her Oakland field office and a series of fundraisers  a triple-barreled approach to campaigning in the Bay Area.

Hundreds of supporters gathered at a school to hear Clinton rail against Donald Trump, who became the presumptive Republican nominee this week when his final rivals, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, dropped out of the race.

The Democratic front-runner reminded her audience that Trump had pledged to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally and suggested that women should be punished for having abortions, a stance he later reversed.

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Clinton reserved some of her harshest comments for Trumps behavior toward women.

He doesnt think much of equal pay for women, because he doesnt think much of women, she said.

There was no mention of Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator who is Clintons rival for the Democratic nomination. He has pressed on with his campaign, despite having little chance of closing the delegate gap.

Before speaking at the Oakland rally, Clinton visited her downtown field office, the first of several the candidate has opened around the state. It was plastered with placards and homemade signs, and buzzing with volunteers.

Although Californias primary is still a month away, mail-in ballots already are being distributed and supporters have been dialing voters in hopes of securing their support.

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We treat every day from May 7 to June 7 as election day, said Arielle Goren, a Clinton campaign spokeswoman.

The campaign will be training volunteers on Saturday in Oakland, and theyll be enlisting female supporters to reach out to female voters on Mothers Day.

Reena Sekhon-Johl, 36, who lives in nearby Pleasanton, said she signed up to volunteer a few weeks ago after a distressing conversation with a longtime friend who is supporting Trump.

I donated to Hillary Clintons campaign. I bought a shirt. I signed up to volunteer, she said.

Sekhon-Johl said she hoped Democrats would unite around the partys nominee after the prolonged primary rivalry.

We are not a Hillary or bust campaign, she said. We are for whats best for the nation.

It was a common theme among Clintons volunteers here, who often spoke positively about Sanders while expressing hopes that his supporters would eventually rally behind Clinton.

We need to be united, said Juan Cerda, 32, of San Francisco. Its about bringing a great coalition together.

Cerda volunteered for Clinton in Iowa and brought his parents from Bakersfield to the Oakland field office to help make phone calls. His father, David Cerda, 66, a mechanic, said Clinton was the right candidate for farm workers.

They want something new, they want someone to help their sons and daughters to have a better life, he said.

Clinton signed his hat as she shook hands and posed for photos with supporters.

Speaking alongside Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Clinton urged the volunteers to reach out to as many California voters as you possibly can.

I cannot do it without you, she said. We still have some work to do to remind people theres a big primary.

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian



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When the Internets legions of Hillary hecklers steal away to chat rooms and Facebook pages to vent grievances about Clinton, express revulsion toward Clinton and launch attacks on Clinton, they now may find themselves in a surprising place  confronted by a multimillion dollar super PAC working with Clinton.

Hillary Clinton's well-heeled backers have opened a new frontier in digital campaigning, one that seems to have been inspired by some of the Internet's worst instincts. Correct the Record, a super PAC coordinating with Clinton's campaign, is spending some $1 million to find and confront social media users who post unflattering messages about the Democratic front-runner.

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In effect, the effort aims to spend a large sum of money to increase the amount of trolling that already exists online.

The plan comes as Clinton operatives grapple with the reality that her supporters just arent as engaged and aggressive online as are her detractors inside and outside the Democratic Party.

The lack of engagement is one of Clintons bigger tactical vulnerabilities, particularly when compared with rivals like Donald Trump, whose viral social media attacks are legion, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is backed by a passionate army of media-savvy millennials.

https://twitter.com/kthalps/status/723557188946538496

Some experts on digital campaigns think the idea of launching a paid army of former reporters, bloggers, public affairs specialists, designers and others to produce online counterattacks is unlikely to prove successful. Others, however, say Clinton has little choice but to try, given the ubiquity of online assaults and the difficulty of squelching even provably untrue narratives once they have taken hold.

At the same time, however, using a super PAC to create a counterweight to movements that have sprung up organically is another reflection of the campaigns awkwardness with engaging online, digital pros said.

https://twitter.com/nobarriers2016/status/720967517070602242

It is meant to appear to be coming organically from people and their social media networks in a groundswell of activism, when in fact it is highly paid and highly tactical, said Brian Donahue, chief executive of the consulting firm Craft Media/Digital.

That is what the Clinton campaign has always been about," he said. "It runs the risk of being exactly what their opponents accuse them of being: a campaign that appears to be populist but is a smokescreen that is paid and brought to you by lifetime political operatives and high-level consultants.

The task force designed to stop the spread of online misinformation and misogyny is the brainchild of David Brock, a Clinton confidant who once made a career of spreading such misinformation and misogynistic attacks against her and Bill Clinton. His critics say he kept his taste for dirty tricks when he switched sides to become one of the Clintons most valued operatives.

The mere mention of Correct the Record makes some critics seethe. Super PACs are typically prohibited from working in tandem with candidates, but Correct the Record is doing just that by exploiting a loophole in campaign finance law that it says permits such coordination with digital campaigns.

https://twitter.com/Karoli/status/725103568743604224

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Clinton, herself, is saying we need campaign finance reform, said Paul Ryan, deputy executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, an advocacy group. Yet her lawyers are pushing the boundaries to get around campaign finance laws.

Brock referred questions to Elizabeth Shappell, a spokesperson for the super PAC, who emailed a brief statement saying that Barrier Breakers, as the effort is labeled, "is only engaged in positive content, even when responding to offensive content, and is always identified" as Correct the Record, she wrote. The email also emphasized that Correct the Record is spending the million dollars in a way that it argues is legal under rules governing super PACs.

The reaction to the initiative from supporters of Sanders has been predictable  and it has not been to reconsider their vitriol toward the front-runner.

When actor Tim Robbins was confronted on Twitter after making the dubious assertion that election fraud is robbing Sanders of votes, he accused tweeters who challenged him of being paid shills for Brock. Within an hour, he had directed a variation of the same message at 88 different tweeters:

Dear @CorrectRecord operatives, Thank you for following todays talking points. Your check is in the mail. Signed, @davidbrockdc

Those independent tweeters who challenged Robbins were not on Brocks payroll. Correct the Record is not paying activists outside the organization to send messages, although it is arming them with instructions, talking points and postable infographics.

https://twitter.com/TimRobbins1/status/724694123697971200

But the Robbins response confirmed a well-established rule of social media: The kind of confrontations Correct the Record is manufacturing almost never win converts.

Social media scholars say that's not necessarily a problem.

It will get the people already supporting Hillary Clinton riled up and more excited, said Filippo Menczer of the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research at Indiana University, who researches how and why misinformation takes hold on social media. Campaigns are grappling with the reality that there is no proven strategy for stopping the spread of even demonstrably false attacks on social media, he said.

This is a big problem, and we are nowhere close to knowing how to solve it, he said.

See the most-read stories this hour >>

Correct the Record says it has already engaged with 5,000 Clinton attackers as part of this campaign. A lot of what gets posted online has been pretty benign, including images of a smiling Clinton alongside such phrases as Love & Kindness and Thank you for Breaking Barriers with Hillary.

The campaign has been given credit by Sanders loyalists, however, for all manner of things that it has had nothing to do with, including posting pornography on pro-Sanders Facebook pages which resulted in them being temporarily taken down. (The pages went down as a result of a Facebook software glitch).

David Karpf, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, said Clinton supporters are using the tools they have at their disposal  limited though they may be  to provide a counter-narrative to the increasingly hostile postings coming from some Sanders supporters whose hopes for victory are deflating. They're also getting ready for battle against Trump, he said.

Even if it doesnt stamp out the rumors and attacks, this is the best they can do right now, Karpf said. In this day and age of campaigning, they absolutely have to do it.

That may be true, but the effort seems unlikely to be a game changer for Clinton's campaign, said Dan Gillmor, who teaches media literacy at Arizona State University.

I suspect it will be hard for paid operatives to win a trolling war against people who dont need to be paid to troll, he said.

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evan.halper@latimes.com

follow me: @evanhalper
President Obama has been criticized, blamed and pilloried over the years, but he seems to be suffering from a new affliction. He feels misunderstood.

Obama is embarking on a legacy-burnishing media tour, giving lengthy magazine interviews and addresses in which he has mourned the American publics lack of awareness of his big wins in foreign and economic policy and bemoaned his inability to better communicate those achievements in a fractured media environment.

Saving the world economy from a Great Depression  that was pretty good, he deadpanned recently.

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Yet as Obama complains of being ignored by voters, they are weighing in on his presidency too  and appear to be more pleased than ever with him. Obamas favorability is on the rise and he is now the most popular American politician being tracked by polls. With approval ratings in the low 50s, he is more popular than President Reagan was during his final year in office. One survey last week even showed that Americans approval of his much-derided strategy to fight Islamic State increased significantly in the last six months.

The disconnect between Obamas complaints and the publics acceptance of him shows the perils of more than a decade in the Washington bubble. As much as aides insist Obama is focused on the long term, his laments show he seems to be absorbing Washington-flavored criticism anyway  the kind that his opponents find a reason to make no matter what he does.

Obama surely understands that he is on his set-the-record-straight mission at a time when Americans have an increasingly positive view of him and his policies, said James Thurber, a presidential historian at American University and author of two books about the Obama presidency. Nonetheless, he would like more support for his policies and presidency, Thurber said.

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The midterm election of 2010, when Republicans took over the House and the tea party influence began to fuel a staunch opposition to Obamas agenda, helped create the political environment in which Obama has been trying to tell the story of his presidency.

Ever since, Obama has been in a defensive position trying to protect the gains  and sell the merits  of his first two years in office, when he passed healthcare reform and the economic stimulus.

But Americans just dont get his economic achievements, he insisted to the New York Times Magazine last month.

If you ask the average person on the streets, Have deficits gone down or up under Obama? Probably 70% would say theyve gone up, Obama said with some justifiable exasperation, according to the magazine, because the deficit has declined during his presidency.

Polls show that a large majority of Americans believe the opposite to be true, setting up a challenge for the White House truth-squadding campaign.

Hes been in a defensive mode since 2010, Thurber said. And now hes in a defensive mood too.

An impulse to set the record straight is not unusual for former presidents. President Lyndon B. Johnson tried to get biographers to focus on civil rights and Medicare over the Vietnam War. President Carter has told crowds he would have been reelected if only he had sent one more helicopter to get the hostages out of Iran.

President George W. Bush took a different approach, recalled Dana Perino, the White House press secretary for his final 18 months in office.

When aides would prepare briefing memos about his accomplishments to prepare him for interviews about his legacy, Perino said, Bush would discuss biographies he was reading about George Washington  the first George W., as he put it.

It comforted him to think that, if historians were still dissecting the first presidents legacy, the 43rd could set aside anxiety about his own.

I worried about his legacy more than he did, said Perino, now co-host of The Five on Fox News. I didnt really see how wise and correct that was until a couple of years after the administration had ended. Because peoples perceptions about events and the consequences of decisions change over time.

Obama seems intent on correcting what he sees as errors in the record now. A student of messaging, he knows the first drafts of history are being written.

He can use the power of the presidency to get people to think differently about what he has done, Thurber said. And thats clearly what hes doing.

Obama went on at length in an Atlantic cover story about his views on a dizzying array of foreign policy topics: the Arab Spring, Libya, even his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and whether the U.S. fight against Islamic State militants in Syria prompted Putin to send Russian troops into Ukraine. Obamas response appeared to betray some impatience with critics.

Look, this theory is so easily disposed of that Im always puzzled by how people make the argument, he told the magazine. I dont think anybody thought that George W. Bush was overly rational or cautious in his use of military force. And as I recall, because apparently nobody in this town does, Putin went into Georgia on Bushs watch, right smack dab in the middle of us having over 100,000 troops deployed in Iraq.

The return of the explainer in chief is due in part to the White Houses concern over the effect that voters muddled view of Obamas presidency could have on the coming presidential and congressional elections.

Democrats taking office in 2017 probably would keep Obamas policies in place. Republicans are campaigning to dismantle them. The elections outcome is especially crucial for a president who bet so much of his accomplishments on wielding executive power, including the Iran deal and engagement with Cuba.

When voters are comparing economic strategies, they need to understand that Obamas approach included reducing the deficit by three-fourths, said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

Its particularly important for people to understand as they consider whether or not they should elect someone who will build on that progress or scrap it, Earnest said this week, trying to frame the election between Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump as a referendum on Obamas policies.

Part of the blame for faulty impressions rests with Obama himself, Thurber argued. Obama tends to wade in so deeply in any discussion of issues that he often leaves people confused rather than enlightened.

Some critics have a different take on the idea that Obama is misunderstood.

Maybe, they say, people understand what Obama has done perfectly well, and they just dont like it.

If youre in Ohio, you think the stimulus package was a joke, Perino said. Theyre not going to be convinced that it wasnt just because the White House says were not getting enough credit for all that we did.

michael.memoli@latimes.com

christi.parsons@latimes.com

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If youre running a political campaign and want an effective ad attacking your opponents, you need not only to be clever, you have to get the timing right.

Thats a key, early finding from a team of researchers who have set out to answer a question on which hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign spending turn every four years: How do the ads that stream into our living rooms actually change the minds of voters?

By far one of the most effective ads the researchers studied so far was a spot titled Quotes that attacked Donald Trump for his insults of women. The ad, produced during the Republican primaries by Our Principles PAC, a group formed by Republicans opposed to Trump, featured female narrators reading statements by Trump that disparaged women.

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Bimbo, dog, fat pig, the narrators read, reprising some of Trumps most controversial comments. After nearly a minute of such remarks, the ad concludes: If you believe America deserves better, vote against Donald Trump.

The ad obviously did not stop Trumps victory in the Republican primaries. But the research indicates that it  or something like it  could have high impact with general-election voters.

The researchers  a team of political scientists led by Lynn Vavreck of UCLA and John Geer of Vanderbilt University in Nashville  have set out to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge of how political advertising works. Each week, as part of a project dubbed SpotCheck, they show pairs of political ads to a representative sample of 1,000 American adults to see which ads move voters and to tease out some of the reasons why.

Their project gauges the effectiveness of ads by measuring how much an ad engages viewers and whether it changes how the voters see the candidates. The Times plans to follow the progress of their research during the presidential campaign, writing periodically about what they learn and the insights their findings offer into how candidates influence voters.

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The results on Quotes were one of the most interesting things that Ive seen in my 15 years of studying the subject, Vavreck said, because they illustrated how important it is to get the timing right.

When tested in the first week of April, Quotes scored a 783 on the researchers SpotCheck effectiveness scale, the second-highest score of any ad tested to date. (The highest so far was a pro-Trump ad.)

Compared with people who did not see the ad, those who watched Quotes were significantly more likely to end up with an unfavorable view of Trump  64% of those who saw the ad viewed him unfavorably, versus 55% of those who did not see it. The difference primarily involved women. Those who watched the ad were 19 points more likely to disfavor Trump than those who had not.

Crucial to its effectiveness, 83% of the people who saw the ad in the test said it made them angry.

Just two weeks earlier, however, the researchers had tested the same spot and found something very different: At that time, it had less impact on Trumps favorability, fewer viewers were engaged by it or said that it made them angry and fewer rated it as either fair or memorable.

Overall, rather than being among the most effective ads, Quotes in that test ranked as middling.

The reason for the large discrepancy is not some random fluctuation, said Vavreck. Instead, the difference reflects the impact of intervening events.

When the ad was first released and initially tested, Trumps attitudes toward women, although controversial, were not a prime topic of political conversation. But then, on March 30, in a town hall interview with MSNBCs Chris Matthews, Trump said that there has to be some form of punishment for women who have illegal abortions.

As news rapidly spread about the remark, Trumps campaign tried to walk it back, issuing a statement saying that Trump believed that doctors who perform abortions should be punished, but not the women who undergo the procedures. The conflicting statements only heightened coverage of the issue.

The conversation nationally about politics for three days turns to, Wow, what does he really mean by that? Vavreck said. When the researchers tested the ad a few days later, The effectiveness gets turned way up.

In other words, its not enough for an ad simply to be clever or have good visuals. It also has to connect with the audience at a time when voters are primed to pay attention to the message.

Thats a key element for campaign strategists. Political ads can have an important effect on shifting how voters see a candidate or an issue, but that effect seldom lasts for more than a few days. Strategists need to move rapidly to take advantage of an issue when an event puts it in the spotlight, the research indicates.

The ads ability to move voters also helps demonstrate a theme that Geer has emphasized for many years in his work: Negative ads, for all the criticism they receive, often provide information that voters find useful.

Both times the ad was tested, more than six in 10 viewers rated it as negative. But that did not stop it from affecting their views. In the second test, when the ad had its greatest effectiveness, a majority rated it as fair.

Although commentators often denounce negative ads  and the public dislikes them in theory  the evidence suggests that in practice, voters often find them useful. There is also little evidence that negative ads turn off people from voting  indeed, campaigns that feature sharp attacks between candidates often also have high turnout.

That will be important in 2016. With both Trump and Hillary Clinton heading toward the general election campaign carrying highly unfavorable images, this years campaign likely will test voters tolerance for negativity.

David.Lauter@latimes.com

For more on politics and policy, follow @DavidLauter

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12:13 p.m.: This article has been updated to add additional data from the research findings.

This article was originally published at 11:44 a.m.
As Bernie Sanders prepares for the California presidential primary, he has a local ground force that he leans on as one of the sponsors of my campaign: nurses.

They typically focus on healthcare policy. But when they weigh in on more purely political pursuits, they have gained a reputation as the mischief-makers of California politics. They have thrown all their might  and that of their affiliated super PAC  behind the Vermont senators uphill presidential bid, despite Sanders expressed disdain for such outside spending groups.

They are not as big or as wealthy as the political action committees or California unions backing Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, but the nurses have proved adept at putting better-funded rivals on the defense.

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Instantly recognizable in their pastel scrubs, they stalked then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger around the nation in 2005 to protest his effort to increase the patient-to-nurse ratios in state hospitals and emergency rooms. In 2010, they introduced the public to Meg Whitmans illegal-immigrant housekeeper. The billionaire abruptly fired her before running for governor as a staunch critic of employers who hire immigrants in the country illegally.

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Now, the California Nurses Assn. is campaigning for Sanders as the presidential race heads toward the states June 7 primary.

Even as Sanders ability to win the nomination has grown increasingly unlikely, he has pledged to continue his campaign through California and is expected in the state this week.

The critical question is what kind of effect the nurses will have  and what tactics will they use  as they try to boost Sanders over Clinton on their home turf.

Labor observers say Sanders benefits from being associated with the nurses, the first national group to endorse him in August, and a profession that is viewed warmly by the public.

When Bernie comes to California, the fact that the nurses support him legitimizes his candidacy. Heres a union thats powerful and important in California, said Nelson Lichtenstein, a labor historian at UC Santa Barbara.

But others are skeptical, notably because of the decades-long long relationship that Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have with Californians. They also question how effective the nurses tactics will be in a Democratic primary.

They are successful at being disrupters  protesting, crashing town halls, interrupting rallies, said GOP consultant Rob Stutzman, a former top advisor to Schwarzenegger and Whitman. Its hard for me to imagine them going out and antagonizing Hillary Clinton, somehow its going to hurt her in California.

Political consultants in California note that unlike the Republicans that the nurses have targeted in the past, Clinton is backed by more powerful unions. The nurses have 90,000 members in California, compared with 700,000 for the Service Employees International Union.

They are definitely a factor in California, although there are other unions that are stronger politically, said Roger Salazar, who coordinated labor efforts to boost Gov. Jerry Browns 2010 bid over Whitman and a Clinton supporter. They have become very expert at being visible thorns in peoples sides. Thats a compliment by the way, not an insult.

There is perhaps no better example than their efforts against Whitman.

They dogged Whitman throughout her 2010 campaign, dressing an actress as Queen Meg, in a red velvet fur-trimmed cape, white gloves and a sash. She followed the billionaire around the state proclaiming, Healthcare for the rich, education for the few, prisons for all.

More significantly, the nurses doomed Whitmans already faltering campaign when they connected Nicky Diaz, the immigrant in the U.S. illegally whom the former eBay chief employed as a housekeeper, with celebrity attorney Gloria Allred.

The resulting images  of a tearful Diaz describing how she cleaned Whitmans Atherton mansion and shuttled her children to school for years before she was dismissed like a piece of garbage  reinforced public perception of Whitman as a heartless corporate chieftain. Brown beat Whitman by 13 points.

RoseAnn DeMoro, the executive director of the California Nurses Assn. and the National Nurses United, which the California group co-founded in 2009, said Sanders is a natural fit.

For all of our signature issues, hes been an advocate his entire life, DeMoro said, pointing to his support for universal single-payer healthcare. This is organic for us.

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She said many were shocked when the union backed Sanders, despite the vast majority of its members are women.

Sanders for the nurses is almost the ideal candidate. Its too bad he isnt a woman, DeMoro said with a chuckle. Sanders is a game-changer, she said, whereas Clinton represents the status quo, at best.

Two thousand California nurses have traveled the country stumping for Sanders, registering students to vote in Wisconsin, monitoring caucuses in Nevada and trailing the candidate in a crimson Bernie bus, emblazoned with the slogan: The Most Trusted Profession TRUSTS BERNIE.

They have started organizing in California, running phone banks, hosting rallies for him around the state and erecting more than two dozen billboards. The bus arrived in Berkeley on Thursday.

The National Nurses Uniteds super PAC has spent more than $2.4 million to back Sanders.

Despite the support from the nurses political action committee, Sanders often proclaims falsely that he is the sole presidential candidate who doesnt have a super PAC.

There is a difference between the nurses super PAC and the one for Clinton: The nurses committee is funded by union dues, whereas the pro-Clinton super PAC accepts donations from individuals who can write seven-figure checks.

A Clinton-allied group has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging illegal coordination between Sanders campaign and the nurses super PAC  a charge that the Sanders campaign called frivolous.

The nurses, for their part, dismiss talk that their tactics will not be effective in the race.

They always underestimate us because were women, DeMoro said before turning her sights to the California primary. Were going to have a lot of fun.

seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema

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If you registered to vote at the DMV, check again
If youve visited the DMV in the last few weeks, you may have noticed that you can now complete your voter registration at the same time you renew your drivers license  without having to fill out a separate form.

But its a little more complicated than that.

Unless voters also stop to answer questions at a computer terminal in another room, they will be registered as having no party preference. Voter advocates say this two-step process could disenfranchise thousands of voters, especially those who still want to vote in the Republican Partys closed presidential primary.

Since the terminals were rolled out April 1, the Department of Motor Vehicles has registered more than 14,000 voters in its offices statewide. Of those, 4,747 people  more than one-third  did not complete questions posed at the touch screens.

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The machines, located in a separate room and typically used to administer written drivers tests, now ask several optional questions, including language preference, if a person wants to be a permanent vote-by-mail voter and party preference.

We really think people are going to slip through the cracks here, says Lori Shellenberger, voting rights director for the ACLU of California, which last year threatened to sue the DMV over voter registration issues.

The DMV says the new system improves upon the largely paper-based one it previously used and is a major step toward the eventual implementation of the states new motor voter law, which is expected to add millions of Californians to the voter rolls. In an email sent after this article was originally published, DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez disputed the way voter advocates had characterized their new system, saying the agency doesnt view it as a two-step process.

But voting rights activists say theres more work to be done.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla, the states top elections official, did not respond to specific questions about the issues the advocates raised. He stressed in a statement that he is concerned when anyone finds it cumbersome to register to vote. We should work with advocates and simplify the process, he said.

Registrars say the DMV does not have the smoothest system.

I used to tell voters, You dont come to me to register your car, so dont go to the DMV to register to vote,  says Gail Pellerin, the registrar for Santa Cruz County. She has been critical of the agencys protocols in the past.

When the National Voter Registration Act was passed in 1993, it required state DMVs to register citizens to vote. Then-Gov. Pete Wilson refused to implement the law, calling it another unfunded federal mandate. Along with several other governors, he sued to block it and lost.

A sign advertises a touch-screen machine, a new process for voter registration at the Department of Motor Vehicles in Santa Ana. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times )

Since then, Californias drivers license application has asked whether citizens want to register to vote or change their registration. Until last month, answering yes meant having to fill out a separate voter registration card stapled to the back of the application  with much of the same information already listed on the drivers license form.

DMV employees had to ship completed forms to the secretary of State for data entry. For years, voting rights activists argued the process was too cumbersome and violated the law.

They did the minimum they had to, and it wasnt enough, said Shellenberger. Every election... we got countless calls from people who thought theyd registered to vote at the DMV but didnt show up in the database when they showed up to vote.

Kathryn Swartz-Rees, a recent transplant from Chicago, says it took her nearly three months to get registered after she visited a DMV office in January. The clerk there didnt mention anything about registering to vote, Swartz-Rees said, but she filled out a form anyway.

After checking on her registration repeatedly for six weeks, she called the L.A. County registrar, where an employee seemed unsurprised that her DMV registration hadnt gone through. It just seemed like this was not an uncommon thing to hear, that either this paper application disappeared or didnt get filed, Swartz-Rees said. She finally registered to vote online instead.

Last year, a coalition of groups including the ACLU and League of Women Voters sent a letter to the DMV, threatening to sue if the agency didnt come up with a more streamlined process.

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For the Record

May 10, 2:54 p.m.: This post has been updated to clarify that the DMV and the Secretary of State jointly requested and were granted $2.3 million to upgrade voter registration systems, including incorporating the signature pads. An earlier version of this post erroneously stated that a Senate budget committee approved the DMVs request for $3.9 million last week.

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The DMV and Secretary of States office asked for and were granted $2.3 million to incorporate signature pads already at counters so citizens could complete their voter registration with one transaction.

At about the same time, the New Motor Voter Act was winding its way through the Legislature and was ultimately signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The law requires the DMV to automate voter registration by electronically transmitting drivers data to the secretary of State unless the person opts out.

Anticipating a surge in voters registering in field offices, DMV officials quickly pivoted from their plan to use the signature pads to instead use more plentiful touch-screen terminals.

We were nimble and responsive and were able to identify a solution  without negatively impacting our DMV customers, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said at a legislative hearing last week, adding that each DMV field office has only one or two signature pads. We were mindful not to have customers waiting in long lines.

Voter advocates and local election officials say theyve seen the DMV turn a corner in its commitment to the voter registration mission.

They just had to get the democracy bug, Pellerin says. It seems like were all working together more now than, lets say, four years ago.

Pellerin and other county registrars have applauded the DMV for its recent initiatives, including rigging its online drivers license renewal system to automatically enter a drivers data into the secretary of States online voter registration system if the person indicates her or she wants to register to vote.

Results from that effort, launched March 30, already have had an impact: More than 12,970 voters have been registered through this portal as of April 28, compared with 915 voters who followed a simple link on the DMVs website the month before.

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But Shellenberger and other voter advocates say the fact that early data show so many people are walking out of DMV offices without going to the touch-screen machines is a glaring problem that should be fixed before the New Motor Voter law is implemented in July 2017.

Shiomoto told lawmakers at the hearing that her agency is open to making adjustments, and has already added employee ambassadors at each field office. They are tasked with shepherding people to the touch-screen terminals to complete the voter registration process. Bright pink slips of paper printed with a checklist are supposed to help guide them, too.

For voters who leave the DMV office without completing the touch-screen questions, the secretary of State plans to send follow-up letters, instructing the voter to register all over again  either online or by filling out a paper form. But because the voters language preferences are not known, the letter that will hit mailboxes will be in 10 languages, including Spanish, Hindi, Korean and Khmer. That makes the letter more likely to be ignored, activists say.

The DMV has asked lawmakers for another $3.9 million to continue implementing the New Motor Voter Act. After voter advocates and elections officials sent letters raising their concerns, an Assembly budget committee voted 3 to 2 last week to approve the request but also added language requiring the DMV to implement a one-step voter registration process by next year. It remains unclear whether that language will be adopted as part of the final budget this June.

In the meantime, many elections officials say they are advising voters who registered at the DMV to double-check, or to just register online ahead of the June 7 primary. The deadline to register is May 23.

Voting rights activists say they will continue to press for a seamless process.

It has felt like the system is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, Shellenberger testified at the hearing last week. At some point, something may have to give.

For more on California politics, follow @cmaiduc.

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UPDATES

4:36 p.m.: This article has been updated with a comment from DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez.

This article was originally published at 12:05 a.m.
Did an email from your favorite airline warn you that your miles are going to expire? Rather than risk losing them, the airline might suggest redeeming those unused miles for premiums as diverse as magazine subscriptions, gift cards and flat-screen TVs.

There are, however, easier and cheaper ways to keep those miles active. Here are nine ways to minimize your toil and trouble or preserve your miles and points:

* Choose the right program and know the policies. Most frequent-flier programs have mileage expiration rules. The notable exceptions are JetBlue and Delta, whose SkyMiles do not expire so you dont have to worry about earning or redeeming miles within prescribed time frames.

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If your accounts are with other airlines whose miles do expire, it pays to know their specific policies. American Airlines, for example, extends the expiration date of all your miles 18 months from the date of your most recent activity (earning or redeeming). Alaska requires only that you earn or spend at least one mile every two years.

* Credit-card earning counts. For airlines, the point of maintaining your mileage accounts is to earn or spend miles by flying. If you have your airlines co-branded credit card, the miles you earn by spending on it qualify as account activity and reset your accounts expiration date each billing cycle you use it to make purchases.

* Book an award. Redeeming your miles is also considered an activity that will reset the countdown to expiration. If you are sitting on a stash of miles, put some of them to use by booking an award ticket.

* Transfers points. If your airlines frequent-flier program is a transfer partner of another points program, such as American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards, or even a hotel program such as Starwood Preferred Guest or Marriott Rewards, transferring those points to your frequent-flier accounts also qualifies as activity and resets the expiration clock. Be aware that you usually need to transfer in increments of at least 1,000 points.

Some large hotel chains also allow you to convert your accumulated points into miles with their airline partners, and that resets the clock too. For example, Marriott has dozens of partners, though the value you get from your points with such a conversion may vary.

* Look for other partners. Airlines often partner with all kinds of companies, not just other airlines, to offer fliers bonus miles for, say, renting cars, booking a hotel or cruise or even changing power or cable companies. Check your airlines Web page on mileage partners to see whether you can earn miles through everyday purchases or transactions.

* Buy miles. Maybe. Buying miles from the airline is a quick and easy way to reset the expiration clock. You can usually buy miles in parcels of 1,000 for around $30, depending on the airline. Although large mileage purchases or transfers generally are not cost effective, a transaction like this can be worth it if you have a lot of miles at stake.

* Shop around. Many of the major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta, Southwest and United, host online shopping sites with links to major retailers such as Bloomingdales and Target. When you log into such sites with your frequent-flier information, you click on the link to the retailer where you want to shop and you will be redirected to that website.

By completing this extra step, you usually can earn multiple points per dollar on purchases you make on those retailers sites, which count toward resetting your frequent-flier accounts expiration date. Whats more, you can spend as little as a dollar on something -- a song from iTunes, perhaps -- and that activity will take care of your expiration conundrum.

* Dine out. Several of the major airlines also partner with Rewards Network, a company that fields a huge network of affiliated restaurants. To participate, log onto your airlines affiliated Rewards Network site (you can usually find the link in the airlines information page on mileage partners), set up an account and link it to one or more of your credit cards.

When you eat out and use that credit card to pay for your meal at one of the participating restaurants, you can usually earn three to five bonus miles per dollar and refresh your mileage account to boot.

* Call and ask nicely. Have your miles already expired? It never hurts to call an airlines frequent-flier desk and ask nicely whether those miles might be reinstated. Most airlines will charge a one-time fee -- from $50 to thousands of dollars -- but agents sometimes will waive it.

Alaska Airlines recently did this for me, not only rebooting my inactive account but also re-crediting it with the 2,001 orphan miles in it that had expired. All it took was a two-minute phone call.

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Question: I recently had surgery on my hand and am quite certain that the handprint will no longer match that on the Global Entry database. I have two international trips coming up and Id really like my Global Entry to be up to date. What should I do?

Don Brown

Long Beach

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Answer: Brown doesnt have to do anything to use his Global Entry privileges, which include expedited re-entry into the United States and screening at domestic airport security, all for $100 for five years.

Customs and Border Protection, which administers Global Entry, said it is fingerprints, not handprints, that are used for identification. The re-entry kiosks at immigration, a spokesman said, use four fingerprints from one hand to validate who you are.

If something were amiss at re-entry, the spokesman said, the traveler would get expedited screening from a Customs officer.

But what could go wrong with fingerprints?

Ask a criminal. Or a bricklayer. Or a nurse. Or an older person. Or someone taking certain medications.

Any one of those categories may create problems with this form of biometric identification.

Biometrics? Isnt that a new thing? How can prints be biometric?

The word biometrics seems to conjure all sorts of futuristic notions about how we will be identified, but the truth is that fingerprints, which are classified as biometrics, have been used as identification in criminal work since about 1900, according to Biometrics for Dummies, by Peter Gregory and Michael Simon, dummy being the category I fell into by thinking I knew more about biometrics than I actually do.

In fact, when I considered the issue, which has implications and applications for travel, I realized I didnt really know what biometrics is.

But James Wayman, a senior fellow in the Office of Research at San Jose State University, does. Biometric technologies recognize persons (human bodies) automatically based on biological and behavioral traits, he said in an email These technologies include fingerprint, iris, face and hand shape recognition, all of which are being currently used in travel systems around the world.

(Biological traits, Dummies said, include your signature, voice, gait and keystroke. Typing? Yes. The rhythm of someones typing [or keyboarding as we tend to call it these days] is as unique as someones signature, it said. Who knew I was betraying myself even as I write this?)

But its my fingerprints, not the way I type, that are on file with Global Entry, and its the fingerprints that many criminals worry will betray them.

Fingerprints can be both intentionally and accidentally scarred to avoid recognition, Wayman said. It is said that John Dillinger, the famous U.S. criminal, intentionally scarred his fingerprints.

No wonder. As anyone who has watched a police procedural knows, fingerprints are unique. Or are they? In his memoir, Written in Blood, author and forensic scientist Mike Silverman wrote, Although everyones fingerprints are, theoretically, unique, there are prints which can be very similar and this can occasionally cause difficulties.

He noted that a suspect in the Madrid train bombing of 2004 was wrongly (sorry) fingered. Despite the way fingerprint evidence is portrayed in the media, all comparisons ultimately involve some human element and, as a result, they are vulnerable to human error, Silverman wrote. The wrongly accused man received a $2-million settlement.

One more problem, Wayman noted: Fingerprints are easily damaged. Bricklayers handling rough material can sometimes wear down their prints, according to a 2009 article in Scientific American. Nurses prints may be less distinct, its thought, because of repeated hand washing. Older people are harder to recognize through fingerprints than younger people, Wayman said, but that seems to be caused by biological changes to the skin rather than injury. And certain kinds of medication, including a kind of chemotherapy that can induce hand-foot syndrome, may create havoc with prints.

The good news is that people who want to get through security faster wont be denied just because they may have problems with their prints, Customs said.

Wayman has been working with the SmartGate program, an Australian system that relies on mathematically based facial recognition, he said in a phone interview. It measures distances between certain facial features and compares your passport picture. Weight loss or a face-lift wont interfere with the computations.

That may, indeed, be the wave of the future. Some of these more futuristic technologies may seem a bit invasive until you consider that 5.6 million sets of fingerprints were stolen from U.S. federal employees last year in a hack attack. Unlike a password, a fingerprint isnt quite as easily changed.

One day, the distance between our facial features or the structure of our irises may be our keys to returning to the U.S. For now, fingerprints get the thumbs up for the nearly 3 million people who have Global Entry.

Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.
North Korea has expelled a BBC journalist after deeming his reporting disrespectful to the government of Kim Jong Un.

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, who traveled to Pyongyang to cover the visit of three Nobel laureates to the country last week, was detained Friday at the Pyongyang airport, colleagues said.

He was later taken to a hotel and interrogated for hours, then made to sign a confession. It not immediately unclear what the statement said. Two other colleagues who were with Wingfield-Hayes were separated from him and taken to another hotel while he was questioned.

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Wingfield-Hayes and his colleagues were allowed to rejoin other colleagues Saturday and were finally being allowed to leave Pyongyang on Monday afternoon, colleagues said.

North Korean officials made it very clear they did not like the contents of his reports, said fellow BBC reporter John Sudworth. It was a huge amount of pressure to find himself under. Wingfield-Hayes was told that he would not be welcome back in Pyongyang.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the Norths National Peace Committee, told the Associated Press that Winfield-Hayes coverage spoke ill of the system and the leadership of the country.

More than 100 foreign journalists are in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, this week to cover the Seventh Workers Party Congress, a high-level political gathering. Officials appear particularly sensitive about critical coverage this week and have in fact kept the invited press far from the congress venues.

Authorities were apparently displeased with several of Wingfield-Hayes reports from the reclusive country, including one on a hospital that questioned whether the overall reality of medical care was different from what was presented at the highly stage-managed visit to the hospital.

The Nobel laureates visit was arranged by the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation. Among those in the delegation was economics laureate Finn Kydland from Norway, who works at UC Santa Barbara.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

At the hospital we are shown a million-dollar CT scanner. The science park library is crammed with row upon row of new computer terminals, hundreds of them, Wingfield-Hayes wrote in one of his dispatches. But everywhere we go is oddly devoid of any real looking people. The hospital is virtually empty. In one room, a group of tiny pajama-clad children are exercising on gym equipment designed for adults. They look bemused, and so are we.

He mentioned that one of the other laureates, Israeli physician Aaron Ciechanover, wanted to ask the doctors about childhood cancer treatment, but the white-robed staff looked confused. Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein, who chairs the IPFs advisory board, is starting to have his suspicions, the report said.

1 / 13 Girls practice a flag routine to be performed during celebrations for the Workers Party Congress. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 13 People participating in rehearsals for performances at the upcoming Workers Party Congress head home. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 13 Flowers are being planted at a major intersection in front of a propaganda billboard for the party congress. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 13 The April 25 House of Culture, where the congress is to be held. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 13 A poster for the 7th Workers Party Congress. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 13 People head home after taking part in rehearsals for performances at the political gathering. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 13 A propaganda billboard in Pyongyang. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 13 Schoolgirls heading home from rehearsals. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 13 Some Pyongyang residents check a national flag hanging along a street in the capital. The city is being heavily decorated for the Workers Party Congress and generally spiffed up. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 13 People participating in rehearsals for a candlelight procession wait in an underpass near the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 13 A mural featuring founding father Kim Il Sung near the stadium named after him in Pyongyang. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 13 A worker cleans the street in the run-up to the congress. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 13 People participating in rehearsals before the congress head home. (Julie Makinen / Los Angeles Times)

I dont think these are real doctors, Alfred told the interpreter, according to Wingfield-Hayes. Can we find some real doctors for the Nobel laureates to talk to?

North Korean authorities also may have been displeased with one report on Kim Jong Un that said: What exactly hes done to deserve the title marshal is hard to say. On state TV the young ruler seems to spend a lot of time sitting in a large chair watching artillery firing at mountainsides. The use of the word corpulent to describe the North Korean leader was also described as objectionable.

After leaving Pyongyang, the Nobel delegation held a news conference in Beijing about its visit.

Students and scientists in the DPRK are hungry for knowledge, education and international input, and to expose them to the thinking of foreign scientific and thought provoking minds is well worth the effort, said Alfred, using the initials for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

The prince said the delegation aimed to give the young generation in North Korea a voice, a voice seldom heard of and listened to, a voice that could provide hope for peaceful changes. He called it an opportunity not to be missed, because we change nothing by not going, we change nothing by not engaging.

Ciechanover, who received his Nobel in chemistry, said the best thing the group found was the excitement of the students.

They are knowledge hungry, he said. Their English was striking. Some of them spoke really fluent English.

But British scientist Richard J. Roberts, a Nobel laureate in medicine, indicated that the members of the delegation could not be sure that they were being told the truth by North Koreans.

I constantly asked people, do you have access to Internet? And they very often would say yes. But to be frank they dont have access to Internet, except for foreign professors, Roberts said. I get a feeling that some of the senior graduate students might have some access. But in general, in order for them to get onto the Internet, they need to go through somebody else. What mostly happened is that they tell someone that they would like to get this or that or other, someone else will go and download it, put it onto that intranet and theyll have access to it.

If you dont have access to Internet, he added, you cannot do cutting-edge science.

Yingzhi Yang in The Times Beijing bureau contributed to this report.

Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China

MORE FROM NORTH KOREA

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To cheers of long life! North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un received the new title of chairman of the Workers Party of Korea on Monday, formally bolstering his status 4 years after he came to power following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Un previously held several top titles, including general in the Korean Peoples Army, member of the Party Central Committee and vice chairman of the Party Central Military Commission. His new rank was bestowed on the fourth day of the Workers Party Congress, a top-level political gathering in the authoritarian nation that is the first of its kind since 1980.

More than 100 foreign journalists were invited to Pyongyang, the capital, last week for the congress, but when the proceedings began Friday, reporters were kept away from the April 25 House of Culture where thousands of delegates and Kim were convening. Instead, guides have bused journalists to a silk factory, a wire factory and the birthplace of Kim Il Sung, North Koreas founding father and Kim Jong Uns grandfather.

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 Los Angeles Times reporter Julie Makinen speaks to Pak Chang Hwa, a 50-year-old construction worker in Pyongyang.

On Monday, about 30 reporters were allowed to enter the April 25 House of Culture, but were allowed to stay for only about 10 minutes. Reporters from Reuters, the Financial Times, CBS, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times were among those excluded.

Government guides -- who almost always accompany foreign journalists when they leave their designated hotel -- told this Los Angeles Times correspondent that she was not invited to the venue because her reports from recent days were not beautiful. Pressed for specifics, one guide said: Ask yourself.

Tension between foreign reporters and government authorities in Pyongyang has been running high in recent days. A correspondent from the BBC, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, was detained at the Pyongyang airport on Friday as he was about to leave the country with two colleagues at the end of a weeklong reporting trip following several Nobel laureates on a visit to the country.

BBC colleagues said Wingfield-Hayes was separated from his colleagues, taken to a hotel and questioned for eight hours. He was then made to sign some sort of confession. On Monday, he left North Korea along with his colleagues and flew to Beijing.

O Ryong Il, secretary-general of the Norths National Peace Committee, said Wingfield-Hayes coverage had distorted facts and denigrated the leadership of the country. He said Wingfield-Hayes would never be admitted into the country again.

Among the reports that apparently irritated the North Koreans were one about a visit to a hospital in which Wingfield-Hayes said the facility looked staged, and another on Kim Jong Un that said: What exactly hes done to deserve the title marshal is hard to say. On state TV the young ruler seems to spend a lot of time sitting in a large chair watching artillery firing at mountainsides.

The April 25 House of Culture has been decked out in red banners with a yellow logo of a hammer, sickle and writing brush. Inside, the stage was draped in a heavy red curtain with portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il hung at the center.

Kim Jong Un delivered opening remarks Friday at the congress, as well as a three-hour speech Saturday emphasizing the need to reinvigorate the moribund state-run economy, though offering few specifics on how to do so. He reiterated his commitment to developing nuclear weapons, saying that the nation would not use them first -- unless its sovereignty is threatened.

Michael Madden, editor of the website North Korea Leadership Watch and a visiting scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said Kim Jong Uns sartorial choices at the congress  black pinstripe suits, a gray tie, and horn-rimmed glasses  are part of the young leaders attempts to associate himself with his grandfathers legacy.

Party representatives sit in the hall of the April 25 House of Culture during the party congress in Pyongyang, North Korea, Monday, May 9, 2016. (Wong Maye-E / Associated Press)

Based on his wearing of a suit, his eyeglasses, use of older political appellations and a lot of the rhetoric hes used during the last five years, in our American context we would call Jong Un a hipster, said Madden.

On one hand, there is a matter of paying homage to his grandfather as a calculated political decision  to remind DPRK citizens of a different and happier time. But on the other hand, the suits and glasses and hairstyle are something he sincerely likes. The suit is not only a callback to his grandfather, it also places him as something of an equal with other senior party cadres who wear Western suits from time to time. North Koreas formal name is the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

Rather than Western suits, Kims father, Kim Jong Il, favored a customized silk-wool Zhongshan suit, commonly called a Mao suit, as supreme leader. A serious movie buff who produced films himself, he patterned his style after that of Elvis Presley and legendary producer and Paramount Pictures executive Robert Evans, said Madden, citing sources close to the Kim family.

Kim apparently did not use a teleprompter during Saturdays three-hour marathon, instead reading from a sheaf of notes that he frequently consulted.

Madden called Kim Jong Uns oratorical stamina fairly impressive.

While he could have delegated reading some portions of the Central Committee Work Report to other cadres, for example, Kim did the whole thing himself.

He is taking public ownership of party affairs while at the same time conveying his dominant position in the Norths political culture by sheer monopolization of time at the Congress, Madden said.

We have a lot of evidence suggesting that Jong Un edits and amends his speeches, makes last-minute changes to them before he delivers them, he added. That clues us in about his personality  it might be [that] hes neurotic about whether he will be understood or about how clearly he communicates; it could also be a sign of perfectionism.

In naming Kim chairman, the Workers Party has revised its charter and changed the title of its top leader. Chairman was the title Kim Il Sung held from 1946-66, but that was later changed to General Secretary. Kim Jong Il held the title of general secretary, and after his death he was declared general secretary in perpetuity.

Kim was present but did not speak Monday during the brief time foreign journalists were present in the April 25 House of Culture.

The congress was officially declared over on Monday night. Government guides have indicated it will be followed by a large public parade or rally and perhaps a candlelight march on Tuesday or Wednesday. Thousands of Pyongyang residents have been seen in recent days on the streets of the capital, rehearsing for some kind of large celebration.

Follow @JulieMakLAT for news from China

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North Korea detains, interrogates, expels BBC journalist

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Rodrigo Duterte, a tough-talking mayor who has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump, appeared to have won the Philippines presidential election Monday as he piled up a large lead in unofficial returns and a key rival conceded defeat.

Initial vote counts showed Duterte winning by at least 5 million votes, according to the Philippine Star newspaper. The final vote count will be announced this week.

Supporters say Duterte, 71, has a proven track record in fighting drugs and crime, having transformed the city of Davao, which he led for 22 years, from a den of lawlessness into a rare bastion of security in a troubled region. His nickname is the Punisher.

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Yet Dutertes rise has shocked the countrys political establishment, and critics have raised concerns about his many profane comments and alleged human rights violations. While campaigning, he joked about rape and infidelity, promised to clean up crime by killing thousands of criminals and warned that he might declare a revolutionary government if he does not get his way in Congress. He has acknowledged overseeing death squads, mercenary groups that executed suspected criminals in Davao.

Millions of Filipinos turned out to elect their 16th president in one of the most closely watched and emotionally charged elections in recent memory. Amid tight security, polls opened at 6 a.m. at 92,000 clustered precincts nationwide; they closed at 5 p.m.

Filipinos chose from 44,871 candidates vying for positions from the president to city councilors. More than 100,000 police officers were dispatched nationwide to guard against political violence and unrest, according to local news media.

Duterte went into the election with a wide lead in opinion polls, followed by Sen. Grace Poe, whose campaign drew attention to her inspirational life story  she was abandoned as an infant and raised by movie stars.

Front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte clenches his fist prior to voting in his hometown in Davao city on May 9, 2016. (Bullit Marquez / AP)

With nearly 90% of precincts reporting by Tuesday morning, Poe was running third, behind former Interior Secretary Manuel Mar Roxas II. But neither was close to Duterte, who appeared set to win in a landslide.

Poe said that she called Duterte to congratulate him and that she was giving way to the candidate whom the majority of our countrymen have chosen, according to the local news website Rappler.

Join the conversation on Facebook >>

The vice presidential front-runner, Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who declared martial law and imprisoned tens of thousands of opponents during his rule from 1965 to 1986.

Manila has been in the grip of election fever for months, its streets clogged by rallies and plastered with colorful campaign posters.

In Pasay City, an impoverished district in Manila, voters flocked to Jose Rizal Elementary School to cast their ballots.

Corruption and drugs are the biggest issues here, said Juanito Orpilla, a 39-year-old City Hall employee, and he hoped the next president would arrest and put to jail the guilty ones.

No. 1, theres no discipline, said Len Pryde, 67, a retired warehouse supervisor. We need a good leader, with an iron arm.

Authorities and local newspapers have reported several incidents of election-related violence. The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, the Philippines leading electoral watchdog, told local media that a child was killed when a polling station was bombed in Shariff Aguak, a municipality on the southern island of Mindanao.

On Saturday, a candidate for mayor in Lantapan, a remote southern town, was shot and killed.

In Forbes Park, Manilas richest neighborhood, voters lined up in neat rows to cast ballots in a sunny atrium at a government office. Some voters said they hoped to preserve the countrys political status quo. (Duterte is widely considered an unpredictable, anti-establishment candidate).

The economys moving up, and the last thing that you want is someone who will keep it down, said Jopie Luz, 57, a local official. You know stocks are down, investments are stagnant, people are holding on to their money because of uncertainty about [the] next president.

I think [the elections are] OK; its peaceful, Yoklin Pua, 73, a former engineering professor at De La Salle University in Manila. The people decide who they want to vote for, so ultimately the people deserve who they voted for. If we have martial law again, people deserve it.

De Leon is a special correspondent

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In Syria, Libya and Iraq, men accused of homosexuality have been stoned to death, shot in the head and thrown off high buildings, according to human rights activists.

In some countries of sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, lesbians and transgender persons face high rates of violence and rape. And in Bangladesh last month, two gay rights activists were hacked to death in the capital, Dhaka.

Still, Randy Berry, the first U.S. special envoy for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, remains hopeful.

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In the job for a year, Berry says his position -- to which he was appointed by Secretary of State John F. Kerry -- was born out of a deep concern about the continuing levels of discrimination and violence against members of the LGBTI community.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

The post has provided an opportunity for the U.S. government to elevate the conversation with members of other governments, civil society and the private sector about the importance that we place on a level playing field with equal dignity and rights under the law.

Berrys title originally covered only LGBT persons but was recently expanded to include intersex individuals -- those born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesnt seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male, according to a definition from the Intersex Society of North America.

Over the last 12 months, Berry has traveled to 42 countries around the world, including Jamaica, Turkey, Uganda, Indonesia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Israel and the Holy See. In a recent interview, Berry reflected on progress as well as challenges that remain.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Randy Berry, the first U.S. special envoy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, speaks May 3 at UCLA. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

In general, how would you characterize the status of LGBTI individuals around the world?

After all of these travels and engagement and all that I learned over the last year, I am more hopeful than ever  because I see a remarkable number of innovations, points of leadership around the world that have nothing to do with anything that were doing.

I think what were seeing is a global movement that is happening because innovations have been realized in other places. I think there is more to be positive about in the global situation than there is to be negative about.

I dont want to give any kind of impression that I dont think there are grave challenges. I am deeply concerned in those countries that are leveling the harshest types of punishment against members of the community right now.

And which countries would those be?

I would say anywhere where there is an active enforcement of criminalization statures on the books.

A lot of times there is an over-focus on Africa. Clearly, this is an area where there are a lot of challenges for members of the community in a number of countries. But I think that [focusing on Africa] is a little too simplistic in terms of the realities.

Some of the greatest civil society innovation and really interesting leadership Ive seen come from African civil society workers, who are having decent, productive, quiet conversations with leaders in government. There are things happening that may not percolate to the level of broad attention, but I think there are seeds of hope in a lot of these places.

In a global sense, we see that nearly 80 countries have some sort of criminalization statute on the books. Most of them dont enforce them. My area of concern is principally on those that both criminalize and then actively prosecute, which draws that down to a much smaller number.

For those that dont actively enforce, or have said they wont enforce, then lets move ahead. Lets move forward with decriminalization. Mozambique did it last year. The government of the Seychelles has announced plans to do it. The Bahamas moved with decriminalization. These are not impossible tasks.

The bodies of two leading gay rights activists, who were hacked to death, are brought down from an apartment in the Bangladeshi captial of Dhaka on April 25. (Rehman Asad / AFP/Getty Images)

What are the key challenges when you arrive in a country and have to speak to government officials? And whats your strategy?

The greatest single global challenge is one of ignorance, which is daunting. But ignorance can be addressed through education and visibility and awareness.

So I think its important to start out from a basis of making sure that our interlocutors understand that we are talking about an issue of identity, because so often it is perceived that what were talking about is ascribing human rights values to a behavior, which is not the discussion at all.

You mentioned that there are those who argue that if you remove criminalization then suddenly everyone will become gay.

Thats an issue of ignorance and we can work with that. But it requires a degree of visibility. It requires providing an alternate narrative to those who would promote that.

Once you get some traction on this reality, that were talking about an issue of identity, to then talk about the issue of violence and discrimination as it pertains to that.

If you can establish that connection between sexual orientation [and] gender identity, with gender, with race and say, Well, these are all characteristics that are inborn to a person, is discrimination and violence ever warranted? Is that a cultural value of this society? And of course its not.

But it requires people to start looking at those intra-connected issues to realize that discrimination is discrimination is discrimination, regardless of the basis.

Gay rights activists march in a rally May 1 in St. Petersburg, Russia. (Dmitri Lovetsky / Associated Press)

One of my strategies oftentimes in places where you dont have folks who are out or visible, is generally, in any public comment [to] make it clear that I am gay myself and Im in a senior position with the full trust and confident of the president of the United States.

It provides an alternate narrative, because in places where gays, lesbians, transgender, bisexual and intersex people have been forced to the margins of society, you have this presumption that theyre on the margins of society because thats the nature of being LGBTI, when its actually the nature of discrimination.

Does the U.S. government think about imposing sanctions, or travel bans, on officials that commit violations against LGBTI peoples? How does the U.S. use its leverage?

I put a primary focus on using our convening authority to have a conversation, because I think there are certain types of compliance and behavior that you can force, but at the end of the day, what we really want to keep our focus on is long-term change. And you cant achieve that through force. Youve got to achieve that through education, through conversation, through exposure to the ideas.

What I think is not necessarily wise is to assume that we can engage on the same basis everywhere.

In each case we need to take a look at the level and nature of our engagement and you have to take cultural, religious, traditional values in hand. You dont have to agree with them, you just have to know the nature of the opposition youre dealing with and then chart out the best way forward. Im not a huge fan of punitive measures, because I think if we engage early enough and clearly enough we can steer off some of the worst outcomes in most places.

How do you respond to criticism that the U.S. hasnt gotten its own house in order with regards to LGBTI affairs, while its trying to tell other countries what to do?

By saying thats a completely valid observation. We dont have our house in order.

But what I think is important is that we remain honest and transparent about what this path has looked like for the United States and the fact that were still walking on it. But I dont think that should stop us from engaging in this conversation of what a process of leadership can look like. Change doesnt happen overnight.

Sun Wenlin, right, and his partner, Hu Mingliang, leave the court April 13 after a judge ruled against them in Chinas first same-sex marriage case. (Gerry Shih / Associated Press)

What have been your biggest accomplishments?

I think weve seen a number of successes. For example, we have seen renewed leadership in a number of countries calling for decriminalization, or beginning conversations in public space.

Theres been an interesting debate that have opened up in Jamaica, for example, where media particularly in the last couple of years has really taken on a much more active role in reporting more sensitively and objectively on this issue--where there had been a tendency to sensationalize or make LGBT people into two-dimensional characters. The leading newspaper on the island has called for decriminalization to occur. Can you mark that as a success? I dont know. But its a big step forward.

Also, we have seen the emergence of new voices on this, which we have very much encouraged. Take a look at whats happening in Latin America. Take a look at whats happening in a country like Malta -- which is very traditional, heavily Catholic -- where you couldnt get a divorce in 2011. It moved to passing a civil unions bill in 2013, following it up just a few months later with the worlds most comprehensive gender identity law.

Whats your priority going forward?

Going forward there are a lot of issues were going to work on, but three principal goals.

One is to reinforce our global alliances on this. There are a number of countries [that] have looked at internal and domestic regulation and law, that have taken significant steps. I think were going to see this emerge much more as a global story -- leadership from Asia, from Taiwan, who have made great strides; from Japan, from Vietnam, which has a remarkable process of change ongoing. Five years from now, I think youre going to see a very different leadership structure globally on these issues.

Two, were going to continue our work with the business community. I believe there is great utility in having this conversation in economic terms, not as a punitive or threatening measure, but simply to say that in the U.S. we have learned in a difficult process that this has everything to do with economies and vitality and embracing diversity, which pays. Companies have the ability to have those conservations with governmentsto simply say that we know this improves your economy, to be inclusive, so why wouldnt you do it.

Number three -- one area of deep concern I have after travelling so much -- is to see the persisting levels of violence, especially against members of the transgender community.

The levels of violence against the transgender community spiked last year. So we are going to be using our space and our programming to address issues of violence more broadly, but with a particular focus on transgender issues.

For more news on global sustainability, go to our Global Development Watch page.

And follow me on Twitter: @AMSimmons1

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Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann abruptly resigned Monday amid intense criticism from his ruling Social Democratic Party and growing support in the country for a right-wing populist party with a strong anti-migrant message.

Faymann, whose party was routed in April 24 elections, told a news conference in Vienna that he was resigning immediately as both chancellor and party leader after more than seven years in power. The move was remarkably hurried in a country famed for its political stability and where successions are usually first lined up long in advance.

Faymann had appeared shaken by the hostile reception he received at a rally May 1 and said Monday he asked himself if he still had the strong backing of his party.

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And I have to answer no to that question, he said. The government needs a new start with new power. If you dont have that support, you cant do the job.

The Austrian government faced criticism for issues such as unemployment in addition to its handling of the migrant crisis that is challenging countries throughout Europe and the Middle East.

Vienna Mayor Michael Haeupl will take over temporarily as party leader while Vice Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner, from the conservative Austrian Peoples Party, will take over running the grand coalition government for the time being. Snap elections are possible in the Alpine country that has been one of the main transit nations and destinations for many of the hundreds of thousands of migrants from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan arriving in Europe in the last year.

Faymann, 56, was under attack for his center-left partys dramatic fall in recent elections amid a sharp shift to the right in Austria and for his zigzag course on refugees  at first allowing some 90,000 Syrians into the country of 8.5 million but then slamming the door shut in March in a futile attempt to shore up dwindling support that, analysts said, was too little, too late.

Its a sign of the increasing nationalism in Europe, said Thomas Jaeger, a political scientist at Cologne University, of Faymanns surprise resignation, noting that working-class voters had been abandoning the Social Democrats in droves in Austria over the refugee question. People think their countries need to close the gates. Faymann at first tried to combat that sentiment and then he did an about-face. That cost him a lot of credibility.

The country and especially Faymanns Social Democratic party were still struggling to sift through the wreckage of the first round of the April 24 election for a new Austrian president. Even though the post is ceremonial with limited powers, both the Social Democratic party and its coalition partners were routed, failing to reach the second round for the first time in post-World War II history.

The far-right Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer finished first with 35% of the vote. Hofer is favored to win the May 22 runoff election against the second-place finisher, independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen.

A far-right party in Austrias northern neighbor, the Alternative for Germany, has also surged to record high levels, winning nearly 25% in a recent state election and getting 15% in national opinion polls. In Denmark, a far-right partys rise has led the government in Copenhagen to tighten restrictions on migrants.

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Arizona accused the Tucson Police Department of detaining people at traffic stops for an undue amount of time as an illegal tactic aimed at investigating their immigration status.

A Letter to the Law

In an open letter sent to Tucson Chief of Police Chris Magnus, the civil liberties group explained that their review of recent Tucson police action has found that the extended traffic stops were in fact constitutional violations which went beyond a requirement in Arizona's SB 1070 law -- the controversial legislation which allows for officers to make determinations on the immigration status of those they pull over.

These practices go well beyond Section 2(B)s requirement that officers make a reasonable attempt to determine immigration status, and reflect fundamental misunderstanding of the Fourth Amendments prohibition on prolonging stops and limits on the authority of local police to enforce immigration laws, the letter says.

The ACLU informs that the officers were actually going out of their way to transfer custody of those they stopped to the U.S. Border Patrol. The unconstitutional stops occurred in about 85 out of the 110 cases reviewed in records from June 2014 to Dec 2015.

According to staff attorney with the ACLU of Arizona. James Lyall, the data gathered shows that the stops lasted anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours before the Border Patrol finally arrived.

"The majority of the stops we reviewed lasted between one to two hours. Most of these incidents were routine traffic stops -- many involving minor infractions, such as suspended license or lack of insurance -- which would ordinarily result in field release, but in these cases led to prolonged detention, sometimes including transport to the custody of Border Patrol. In some cases, families with young children were detained in order for the parents to be handed over to Border Patrol agents," Lyall says.

The letter highlights over 20 examples in which traffic stops were unconstitutional. The ACLU sees that the abuses which they have noted are compounded by what they have called inadequate guidance, training, and oversight.

What Will Homeland Security Do?

Aside from the letter send to Magnus, the ACLU also sent a second letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, complaining of the Border Patrol's participation in the prolonged traffic stops. We are writing to request an immediate investigation of improper U.S. Border Patrol involvement in local law enforcement activities in southern Arizona, specifically Border Patrol responses to routine stops initiated by local police, reads the letter to Johnson.

The ACLU of Arizona has stressed that as Border Patrol involvement in local law enforcement activities has become common throughout the country, so too have reports of civil rights violations tied to these activities.

These incidents cause profound harm to individuals and families and undermine communities trust in law enforcement, they explain.
With a Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump general election match-up all but set for this November, more attention is being given to how much the two candidates differ on the issues that have most dictated the campaign season.

The issue of immigration arguably stands as the most hotly contested of all, and thus far the views expressed by the two couldn't be more different.

Trump Takes Hardline Stance

In the case of Trump, recently declared the presumptive Republican nominee, the New York businessman has taken on a hard-line stance on the issue, deriding Mexicans as early as the official launch of his campaign as criminals and drug dealers.

Since then, Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants if he is elected and build a massive wall along the southern border he insists the Mexican government will pay for to further keep them out and tripling the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

The unwavering, hard-line stance could prove to have consequences for Trump and the entire GOP. A recent Washington Post-Univision poll found that four out of every five Latino voters now has a negative image of him.

In addition, former Mexico president Vicente Fox recently compared Trump to Hitler and insisted he would not pay for that "fu**ing."

Fox later added, "He has offended Mexico, Mexicans [and] immigrants. He has offended the Pope. He has offended Chinese. He's offended everybody."

Even more recently, Trump was forced to have to scale a wall to enter one of his own campaign events in California after protesters turned out in droves to raise their voices against his proposed policies, with immigration being chief among them.

Clinton Pledges Support for DAPA

Meanwhile, during a recent speech in California Democratic front-runner Clinton reaffirmed her pledge to comprehensive immigration reform, vowing to keep all of President Obama's executive actions on the issue in place and putting an end to family detention if she emerges as his successor.

While branding Trump a "loose cannon," Clinton also reiterated her support the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DAPA), which gives undocumented immigrants who entered the country before their 16th birthday an opportunity to obtain a two-year work permit and avoid deportation.

"This [immigration reform] is at the top of my list," she previously declared during a MSNBC/Telemundo town hall. "It's going to be introduced, and then I'm going to work as hard as I can to make sure we get it moved through the congressional process."

Liberal-minded Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the only other still active presidential candidate and he too has pledged his allegiance to a plan of comprehensive reform.
NASA is hoping to engage the public early Monday to view the transit of Mercury across the Sun.

Agency scientists will also be on hand to greet spectators who turn out at the Greenbelt, Maryland facility for the rare celestial occurrence. Mercury only passes between the Earth and the Sun about 13 times per century. The last time such a trek took place was roughly a decade ago in 2006.

Telescope of High-Powered Binoculars Needed for Live Viewing

Live viewing will require either a telescope or high-powered binoculars equipped with solar filters made of specially-coated glass or Mylar. In lieu of that, NASA officials are offering various other options for public viewing, including viewing images on NASA.gov, other social media type coverage and the airing of a one-hour NASA Television special.

Planet Will Emerge as dot Crossing Clinton Edge of Sun

Scientists report Mercury will appear as a small black dot crossing the edge of the sun at approximately 7:12 a.m. At around 10:47 a.m., the planet is expected to take a voyage across the face of the sun, exiting the golden disk at approximately 2:42 p.m.

The entire nearly eight hour sequence will be visible to those across the Eastern part of the country, while those in the West can observe in progress sometime after sunrise.

Images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will be posted at: http://www.nasa.gov/transit

NASA also will stream a live program on NASA TVand theagency's Facebook pagefrom 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The airing will be accompanied by a round-table discussion featuring a panel of:

Jim Green, planetary science director at NASA Headquarters in Washington

Lika Guhathakurta, heliophysics program scientist at NASA Headquarters

Nicky Fox, project scientist for the Solar Probe Plus mission at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland

Doug Hudgins, Exoplanet Exploration Program scientist at NASA Headquarters.

Viewers can ask questions via Facebook and Twitter using #AskNASA.
John Oliver sees similarities between Rodrigo Duterte and Donald Trump, branding the death-squad endorsing Philippines presidential front-runner the "Trump of the East."

The "Last Week Tonight" host tore into both men during a recent segment, opining of Trump, "Obviously, the big news here in the U.S. is that Donald Trump is now the presumptive Republican nominee for president. That's right, this sentient circus peanut now holds the future of a major political party in his tiny, raccoon paw-sized hands-which is frankly a little surprising because the Internet repeatedly told me I had 'destroyed' and 'eviscerated' him."

Duterte Leads in Early Voting

From there, Oliver set his sights on Duterte, the longtime mayor of the city on Davao, off the island of Mindanao, who was leading in early voting for president on Monday, May 9.

A former prosecutor, Duterte's tough-on-crime platform has included a vow to kill all the country's criminals. An admitted womanizer, Oliver also played a clip of Duterte attending a recent wedding where he took to the microphone and offered to the crowd, "I don't have money to give, but I could give your wives something else, and this is for the wives only. Men, I'm sorry, but you don't get anything, because I'm not a queer."

Reports are since Duterte has been mayor, extrajudicial death squads have killed over 1,000 people, with him admitting that "he's got blood on his hands."

Still, Oliver ranted at the time of the show's taping Duterte held an 11-point lead and looked well on his way to securing a higher office.

"Duterte has seemed like he is trying to test the limits on basic human decency," Oliver marveled.

Trump's Controversial Positions

By comparison, Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants and build a wall along the Mexican border to further keep them out. He has also called for a "complete and total shutdown" of Muslims allowed to enter the U.S. and blasted Pope Francis as a "very political person" who "doesn't understand the problems our country has" when it comes to immigration.

He added of the Pope's recent decision to stand by the border alongside immigrants, "I think Mexico got him to do it because Mexico wants to keep the border just the way it is because they're making a fortune and we're losing."

Near the end of his segment, an exhausted Oliver sought to finally encapsulate the depths of his disgust in the flash of a single image, raising an edited photo of Trump and Duterte shaking hands in the White House.

"We could be treated to this as an official state visit," he warned.
Divisions are mounting among voters in Massachusetts on the issue of making leisureliness marijuana lawful. States like Washington, Alaska and Colorado have made the use of marijuana legal for recreational purpose. A survey conducted by the Suffolk University/Boston Globe on Saturday showed that 43% of Massachusetts electors wanted to authorise the sale of marijuana to people above the age of 21 while 45.8% opposed the idea of legalising marijuana.

Meanwhile, 11% of voters said that they were unsure. With 4.4% point margin of error, those backers and adversaries of the possible November election question are in a cybernetic tie. But, since the election question was last surveyed, those figures have moved minutely toward adversaries of marijuana authorization. The opponent team was led by Governor Charlie Baker, mayor of Boston Marty Walsh and Attorney General Maura Healey, as reported by Boston.

The survey results of July 2014 poll showed 48% of electors backing marijuana authorization while 47% opposed the motion. The recent survey discovered that over 50% voters supported the idea of legalization. When asked whether people should be able to cultivate their own marijuana, nearly 40% said that people should be able to harvest their personal marijuana, with 50% opposing the belief and about 10% remained silent.

Backers of marijuana authorization wanted the drug to be regulated and taxed in the same way as that of alcohol. They opposed the deceitful way of handling the drug in a dissimilar class than alcohol. But, adversaries feel that authorisation of marijuana could put minor people under risk and also hurt actions to address the opioid hurdle across the region.

Meanwhile, authorities in Victoria proposed a more lenient law enabling dispensaries to operate 200 metres away from schools and also to hold marijuana edibles. THE GLOBE AND MAIL reported that procrastinating the eventual authorisation of marijuana has significances, particularly the furious racing among people competing to sell seed when it is authorized. Some armed forces have stopped arresting people for holding marijuana while the rest round them up in masses. Few cities have strictly controlled the land use for growing marijuana.

CBC stated that many thousands of people in Canada are still viewed as criminals, despite the sanction of marijuana for medical and personal purposes. The federal government has been pledging Canadians to authorize the sale of marijuana from the commencement of Trudeau's election campaign. The stay between the pledge and execution of the rule has formed a moral and lawful quagmire, which is hard to navigate, writes THE PEAK.

There is a great dilemma on the issue of marijuana legalization. Many want the drug to be legalised for medical and personal purposes, while others are anxious about the minor population and argue the effects of the drug on these minors.
Family and friends are expected to gather Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Ashlee Mosher.

Mosher, 29, of Easton, was one of the three people who died early Friday in a fiery crash along Willow Park Road in Bethlehem Township. One occupant managed to escape and is listed in serious condition at at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, according to police.

Authorities have yet to identify any of the victims from the crash, including the survivor, who was identified by friends and family members Sunday as Terrell Barclay Jackson.

The vigil is planned from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at Riverside Park on Larry Holmes Drive in Easton. Candles will be provided, friends of Mosher said.

Mosher leaves behind four young children -- three girls and a boy. Friends and family said the four children were "her world."

The driver moments before the wreck was seen going an estimated 90 to 100 mph on Pembroke Road, Bethlehem Township police said.

A Freemansburg officer went to stop the vehicle shortly before the 1:20 a.m. crash, but it turned onto Willow Park Road and a short while later struck three vehicles parked on the shoulder. The vehicle burst into flames.

Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek pronounced three occupants dead at the scene. He said it could take some time to identify the victims.

Services for Mosher are pending.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A robber told a Lehigh University student he had a knife and to hand over everything he had, Bethlehem police said.

Carlos Al Morales-Avila

Carlos Al Morales-Avila, 41, of the 700 block of Cherokee Street in Bethlehem, shortly before midnight Friday allegedly asked a 21-year-old male victim for a cigarette while parked at Pantry One on East Morton Street. Court records indicate the pair didn't know each other.

Police said the victim got into Morales-Avila's car because it was raining and the pair smoked cigarettes. Morales-Avila then began driving around the area of Five Points and stopped in the 500 block of Fiot Street, police said.

Morales-Avila allegedly got out of the car and told the victim he would be right back. The victim got nervous and took photographs of the vehicle's license plate and sent it to a friend, according to police.

Morales-Avila returned a short while later and allegedly told the victim, "Look man, I have a knife on me, so make it easy and give me whatever you have."

The victim gave Morales-Avila $80 if he would leave him alone, police said. Morales-Avila then dropped the victim off at a fast food restaurant.

The victim returned to the Lehigh University campus and notified university police. The victim later was able to identify Morales-Avila when an officer stopped Morales-Avila, authorities said.

Police found a crack pipe in Morales-Avila's vehicle during a search, court records said.

Morales-Avila is charged with robbery, theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arraigned before District Judge Robert Hawke, who set bail at $50,000.

In lieu of bail, Morales-Avila was taken to Northampton County Prison.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A young bear found wandering around a densely populated neighborhood was captured this weekend outside an elementary school in Bethlehem, according to a report.

Police told WFMZ TV-69 News that about 9 p.m Saturday "dispatchers were flooded with calls about a bear seen in the area of Livingston Street and Ramblewod Lane near the Freemansburg border."

An officer with the Pennsylvania Game Commission tranquilized the bear after it climbed a tree outside Marvine Elementary School; the bear fell to the ground but was not hurt, WFMZ reports.

The one-year-old, 150-pound bear was tagged and released back into the wild, according to the report.

Nick Falsone may be reached at nfalsone@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickfalsone. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A plan for a tractor-trailer driving and repair school will be discussed Tuesday at a public meeting in Palmer Township.

The school needs conditional use approval and a building height approval, according to the planning commission agenda for the meeting at 7 p.m. in the township building.

Werner Enterprises proposes the 67,000-square-foot facility for 1460 Tatamy Road, across from Raub's Farm Stand.

A plan from Werner submitted in February included 75 parking spaces for truck tractors, 169 spaces for trailers and 179 car parking spaces. It's unclear whether the plan has changed since then.

The planning commission postponed making a recommendation in February over concerns about stormwater drainage. The planning commission makes a recommendation to the board of supervisors, which has the final say.

Planning commission member Bob Blanchfield said Monday there was a delay in disseminating the latest plans. He just received them but hadn't reviewed them as of Monday afternoon.

In February he said the site had a small course to train drivers, but most training is done indoors on simulators.

Fred Thayer, Werner's director of corporate communications, said in February the school would accommodate about 50 students. There would be an average daily volume of about 50 tractor-trailers per day, he said.

He didn't immediately return an email Monday looking for an update.

The plan from February called for preserving a home and garages along Tatamy Road. The school would go on 26 acres behind them. Barns on the property are slated for demolition. The driving course is on a 2.75-acre plot. The tract borders Palmer Industrial Park on the west and north.

Werner Enterprises is based in Omaha, Nebraska. The international trucking company was founded 60 years ago and has a facility in Upper Macungie Township.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
An apparent blind eye turned by the authorities to an increase in violence against prison officers was near the top of the agenda at the the Prison Officers Association (POA) annual Conference in Athlone.

John Clinton, General Secretary said the harm done is made worse by a loss of pay.

In the past year several prison officers who were seriously injured and unable to return to work - on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer  had their pay cut and consequently were unable to pay their household or medical bills. Neither the Accommodations Policy nor the Serious Physical Assault Scheme were equipped to deal with the situation these officers found themselves in  through no fault whatever of the individuals involved.

Mr Clinton argued that prison life has become one of appeasement of the offender while Prison Officers continue to be the subject of vicious assaults.

Official figures show that there were 91 assaults on prison officers last year which is approximately two per week.

Somewhere in the white noise that has become public opinion, and this opinion is at its most strident within the Irish Prison Service, it seems that it is ok to only punch a prison officer.

Nothing short of outrageous violence is deemed worthy of availing of the new Serious Physical Assault Scheme. While this extension to our sick leave provisions is welcome it is largely inadequate, as all of you are aware. Officers are presently out on long term sick leave arising from assaults that apparently do not fit the criteria, he said.

Mr Clinton said it was disgraceful that a state employee should end up on the breadline because they have been viciously assaulted at work.

I ask again that  where officers are injured as a result of an assault on duty, and are no longer fully operational as a result of that injury, that they are facilitated within the service to work in an appropriate area with no loss accruing to them until they regain full fitness and return to work. This surely is not too much to ask, he said.

Unfounded complaints were also a hot topic.

Such a complaint, with no basis whatever, can bring the career of a good and hardworking officer to a halt. This is just not right. In fact the better you do your job as a prison officer, complying with rules and procedures, the more likely you are to become the victim of a vexatious complaint, said Gabriel Keaveny, Assistant General Secretary.
The jury in the trial of a Monasterevin prison officer who faced serious drugs charges has failed to agree on a verdict for the most serious of the charges.

The jury in the trial of a Monasterevin prison officer who faced serious drugs charges has failed to agree on a verdict for the most serious of the charges.

Trevor Gleeson (33), whose address is listed as Mountrice, Monasterevin, was arrested on December 22, 2009, following a short pursuit by Gardai at Grey Abbey Road, Kildare town.

Mr. Gleeson did not contest the fact that he was caught with drugs in his possession, but in his trial at Naas Circuit Court, his lawyers offered a defence of duress saying he was under threat from associates of the Limerick-based McCarthy-Dundon criminal gang to play a role in getting the drugs into the Midlands prison where he worked.

The trial before Judge Leonie Reynolds heard evidence that prior to his arrest, a man who is known to Gardai got into Mr. Gleesons car and gave him a bag of drugs.

Evidence was also heard of six interviews conducted between Mr. Gleeson and investigating Gardai where members of the McCarthy Dundon gang were named and idenitifed as being involved in a campaign of significnant and serious intimidation suffered by Mr. Gleeson.

According to transcripts of the interviews with Gardai, this included threats to kill him, to burn out his home, as well as making it clear that they knew what kind of car he drove, where he lived, where his wife worked and when she was pregnant.

At another point he was approached by a man in an underground car park in the Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, with a gun. He knew these people meant business, senior counsel for the defendant, Damien Colgan, told the jury in his closing argument last Friday.

It was proposed by his defence team that the defendant was identified as being vulnerable because he worked in the prison and had, in the past, a gambling problem.

The trial heard that Mr. Gleeson claimed he received no instructions as to what to do with the drugs and that it was his intention to dump them in a bin at Eurospar, Kildare town, in order to buy himself some time.

Mr. Gleeson faced one charge of dangerous driving, four counts of possession of the drugs and four counts of the more serious charge of possession of drugs with intent to sell or supply them.

The jury was sent away on Tuesday evening, December 11, to consider their vedict. They returned on Wednesday morning with a not guilty verdict to the charge of dangerous driving.

Later that day, they returned with a guilty verdict in the charges of possession of the drugs. It was a majority, rather than unanimous verdict, meaning that not all jurors agreed with it.

This morning, Thursday, December 13, the jury re-started their deliberations at 10.30am and at 11.50 returned to confirm that they were unable to agree on a verdict.

The case has been remanded back to February 26 for DPP directions.
The Slow Adventure in the Northern Territories - or SAINT Programme  is a three year programme being run with support from The Northern Periphery and Arctic 2014-2020 under the EU Programme for Promoting Entrepreneurship to realise the potential of the programmes areas competitive advantage.

The seven partners taking part in this three year project are Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Derry, Highlands of Scotland and Leitrim.

Slow adventure is a form of tourism which favours slow, immersive journeys through our landscape, culture and heritage.

This includes wild food, wildlife, comfort in the outdoors and enhanced engagement with place.

The SAINT Programme aims to create a series of best practice case studies and develop the Slow Adventure concept for the county by working with a number of SMEs.

By taking a collaborative approach to Slow Adventure Tourism they will benefit from the lessons learned in other partner countries and likewise can share experiences to the benefit of other locations.

The development of the concept of Slow Adventure in the county offers an alternative to the conventional visitor experience.

They are offering to support companies interested in tapping into this market and creating new and immersive ways of exploring their stunning landscape, their heritage and culture. This Slow Adventure project capitalises on some of their key assets.

As part of this innovative project, representatives from the seven areas met recently in Kuusamo in Finland.

Representing Leitrim SMEs were Hans Wieland from The Organic Centre in Rossinver and Zoe Dunne from The Leitrim Surf Company in Leitrim Village.

Over the weekend they experienced traditional Finnish culture and attended a workshop on digital media on how best to promote Slow Adventure Tourism into the future.

Both The Organic Centre and The Leitrim Surf Company used the opportunity to develop partnerships and share experiences with other partner SMEs.

Sinead McDermott Tourism Officer Leitrim said, This is a great opportunity for SMEs in Leitrim to network with SMEs from other countries that have similar businesses under the Slow Adventure Tourism concept.
9 May is Europe Day.

The date was chosen because it is the anniversary of the military victory of the democratic Allies over fascism in Europe in 1945 and, in 1950, the date of the Schuman Declaration in which Robert Schuman, French foreign minister, called for a Coal and Steel Community to promote peace and prosperity.

The best way to celebrate Europe Day is to help the Liberal Democrats INTogether campaign.

* Antony Hook was #2 on the South East European list in 2014, is the English Party's representative on the Federal Executive and produces this sites EU Referendum Roundup.
The party whose membership card I currently have sitting in my wallet, our party, is without a doubt a broad church, but I think it reasonable to presume that the vast majority of Liberal Democrats would profess to value liberty and democracy  at any rate, the two are described as fundamental in the Preamble to the partys Constitution. In the light of such principles, strong support of the European Union seems a little bizarre to me.

Movement towards centralisation and ever closer union contradicts aspirations for increased dispersal of power and encouragement of diversity. I would expect us Liberal Democrats to aim for government to be as open, accessible and close to people as possible, but we seem willing to allow our lives to be brought under the purview of Brussels bureaucrats, with most UK citizens having little idea of how policy is made or who represents us. A brief study of the EUs history reveals how many times constituent nations have tried and failed to reform it, and, worse, how many times those in charge have ignored referenda which have gone against their wishes. Rather than by the people, for the people, the EU is first and foremost government by elites for the furthering of an agenda most UK citizens do not support.

An exasperating misconception is that voicing the desire to leave the EU means wanting to turn your back on the rest of the world. Perhaps this is the sad vision of a sect of impulsive, isolationist Kippers, a dream held by those emotionally trapped in an era before globalisation and WTO regulation standardisation. Many, however  particularly the young and liberal  look forward to a global Britain. Our party has always been committed to bettering not just this country but the world, highlighting the positives of immigration and seeking to aid developing nations, and this perspective equally pushes me to leave. The EUs brand of free movement leaves non-Europeans discriminated against in their quest to emigrate. Further harm is done to citizens of the developing world by EU policies on tariff escalation and food export preferences: the most helpful thing we can do to aid poorer nations is to trade freely with them, and EU regulation prevents this. Developing nations  the countries in the world which most need our help  find their growth stunted by our Unions actions.

The leap in the dark is another interesting myth: of course there will be change, but the inevitable couple years of renegotiations mean its not quite the dramatic switch some seem to fear. Its unlikely that post-Brexit Britain would look all that radically different on the surface; the key changes would be seen in core facts about the nature of UK democracy. Fundamentally, neither Remain nor Leave can tell you what this country will look like in ten years. All leaving the EU does is guarantee that, whatever the situation is in a decade, the people making all the decisions will people who live in this country, co-cultural with us and dependent upon UK voters support.

Overwhelmingly, I feel European elites want the EU to develop in a very different way to what most UK citizens want. Eurosceptic movements have sprung up across the continent and (unfortunately extreme and illiberal) anti-EU parties have seen their vote shares rocket. People are tired of feeling ignored, like they have no influence over the rules which govern them. Nothing is so important to me as individual liberty, autonomy and democracy and these values are leading me to vote Leave on the 23rd of June. Personally, I see no reason why this is at all at odds with my being a Lib Dem.

* Anne Cremin is a member of the Sutton Coldfield and Erdington party. She is a 20 year old student, Co-Chair of Oxford Students for Britain and Board Member of Liberal Leave.
I love it when Bernie Sanders calls for the USA to be more like social democratic Europe. Unfortunately, thats not all he is campaigning for.

On his campaign web page, he says:

If corporate America wants us to buy their products they need to manufacture those products in this country, not in China or other low-wage countries.

That statement is very dangerous.

Over the last fifty years, there has been a dramatic fall in world poverty. Not just in China, but across the developing world. This has transformed the lives of hundreds of millions. Have a look at the following chart from https://ourworldindata.org. There is still far too much absolute poverty, but the downward trend is extremely good news.

Click on the graph to see the full size version.

This trend is under threat from protectionism.

There is a debate to be had about environmental standards and exploitation in the developing world, but thats not what Sanders website says. It argues that jobs should go to Americans, rather than poor people in the developing world.

Theres now little chance of Sanders becoming president, but he will campaign until the democratic convention. If he continues to argue for protectionism, hell strengthen the hand of others, like Donald Trump who are arguing the same thing.

Of course, protectionism wont work. Itll cost many more US jobs than it saves.

But its also deeply immoral. Many of Sanders supporters are very idealistic. If they agree that we should let the poor work their way out of poverty, they should pressure Sanders to change his stance of protectionism.

Before we Brits get too smug, we in the UK often make the same kind of mistake.

In politics, it isnt easy to make the right choices. Lets commit ourselves to facing up to hard realities, so that the good we do is not outweighed by the unintended harm.

(This is a shorter version of an article published in Middle Vision)

* George Kendall is the acting chair of the Social Democrat Group. He writes in a personal capacity.
A WREATH was laid at the entrance to Colbert Station yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of the execution of Limerick man Con Colbert following the Easter Rising.

The Mayor of Limerick City and County, Cllr Liam Galvin, attended the ceremony along with Freda Colbert-Kerr - a direct descendant of Con Colbert who was born in Castlemahon in West Limerick.

Ms Colbert-Kerr, who was born in the city, told those at the event, which was organised by Iarnrod Eireann, that her cousin was an ordinary man in an extraordinary time.

Con Colbert  who was a member of the secretive Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB)  was one of four men who were shot at Kilmainham Gaol on May 8, 1916.

Fifty years later, the then government, decided to name railway stations across the country to honour those who were executed. As a result, Parnell Street Station was renamed as Colbert Station on April 10, 1966.

Before laying the wreath yesterday afternoon, Mrs Colbert-Kerr said she is proud to be related to Con Colbert.

In honouring Con Colbert today, we remember, above all, his courage, vision, bravery and self-sarcifice. Con was known to be very self-disciplined, deeply religious and dedicated to the cause, she said adding that he was also a great lover and supporter of the Irish language.

Dr Brian Murphy, OSB, of Glenstal Abbey delivered the oration at yesterday afternoons ceremony.

Meanwhile, a life-size sculpture of Con Colbert was unveiled at his one-time home in Moanlena, Castlemahon yesterday evening.

The sculpture is located at the gable of the house where a memorial plaque was erected in 1966, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

Mayor Galvin, who attended both events, said the people of Limerick city and county are proud of the contribution Con Colbert made a century ago.
FOOD store Costcutter is opening in the heart of OConnell Street.

The convenience store chain, which has 1,700 outlets across the UK, Ireland, Poland and the Channel Islands, is to open at the former Imasa clothes store which closed two years ago.

The company is seeking to employ a manager at present, with more jobs likely to follow.

Trader Helen ODonnell says she is disappointed another food store is going into the city centre.

I would prefer to think people would come in the city and need more. That they would visit fashion shops, shoe shops, and things which bring people in. Limerick is quite well served by supermarkets considering there is quite a low percentage of people living in the city centre, she said.

However, she admits that there is very little the retail lobby can do to prevent developments of this type.

These are private properties, and no-one can control who they give the lease to. But I would say it is disappointing to see that so many of these prime sites are being taken over by stores like this, she said.

Instead, Limerick City should be targeting attractor stores.

We need TopShop, and other stores like this in the Arcadia group like they have in other major city high streets, Ms ODonnell told the Limerick Leader.

The news of Costcutters second store in the city  the other is at the Greenpark Shopping Centre  comes as Dealz prepares to open its second outlet here.

The grand opening of the discounters second store at the Henry Street-Bedford Row junction happens this Thursday morning.
When Limerick actor James Hayes left for London with 20 in his back pocket in 1963, little did he know that his ambitious gamble would soon land him on stage in front of Sir Lawrence Olivier.

It was, in some senses, an arrogant move, he says, as he had no grounding in theatre and his only induction to great acting was viewing the stars on the silver screen.

Born in Limerick, he moved to Mitchelstown, and returned to Limerick at the age of eight, where as a young boy hed sit on the wooden benches in Savoy cinema and the Grand Central, while a student at CBS Sexton Street.

I loved it; we used to run from cinema to cinema as wed no TV then. I think I learnt more about watching great actors in the cinema than subsequently.

The magic of the cinema, coupled with the suggestion that he might meet the girls through dramatic circles spurred him on, and they were right.

To pay his way through drama school at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he worked as a security guard  once for The Beatles  and served drinks to Miss World contestants at the Lyceum Theatre, then a Mecca Ballroom.

He met his wife  whos mixed race Jamaican  next door to the drama school  and they spent 20 years together, before divorcing but are still very close.

While still a student, he was picked to play a small role in Andorra in the inaugural season of the National Theatre at the Old Vic and soon he appeared in front of Lawrence Olivier in The Dance of Death.

I was really frightened. He took me for a walk around the room, we had a chat and then he said: Off you go, old boy, motioning him onto the stage.

Olivier would salute me and talk to me sotto voce as he came off and that was the highlight of my Olivier days.

As they say, the rest is history, but Hayes is still counting his good fortune.

I kind of thought I'll have a go and if it doesn't work I'll go back to Limerick. There were no grants in those day, and I wouldn't have gotten a grant anyway being a foreigner, but I managed to save enough for a term at the Guildhall and later got a scholarship. I've been lucky and worked all the time, and 50 odd years later here I am still working.

My first salary was 17 a week and we worked so hard but they were really exciting times. It's a tough life, but if you really, really want to do it just go for it, and watch other people and work out how they do things. A lot of young people now seem to be desperate to get into the media, but there's about 90% of the profession out of work.

His resume is now so long its embarrassing, and he has worked with many of the greats  Maggie Smith, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Gambon, Ian McKellen, Penelope Wilton and Anne-Marie Duff.

Now 75, the veteran actor who has appeared in more National Theatre productions and was part of the Nationals original Old Vic Company, is now on a whistle-stop tour around the world with The Abbeys latest production of The Plough and The Stars.

Regarded as one of the greatest plays in Irish theatre, it is 90 years since it has first performed in Dublin amid riots, and its second time coming to the Lime Tree  which Hayes has never seen  after it heralded the theatres opening in 2012.

For the first time in years, this play will lead him back to his native city, where some of his family still reside, and onto the stage in the Lime Tree for the first time.

Set amid the tumult of the Easter Rising, The Plough and the Stars is the story of ordinary lives ripped apart by the idealism of the time.

Coinciding with Easter 2016, the Olivier Award-winning director Sean Holmes will bring a new perspective to Sean OCaseys absorbing play.

Hayes and others have described it as a very radical production, with many modern intones, from the set to costumes.

Speaking from Cork after performing a matinee for 900 school children, the play will then move on to Wexford, then Limerick for five nights next week, then Washington, then Galway, back to Dublin and onto Toronto.

Running from February 1 to October 31, its a hectic schedule for any actor, not least a 75 year-old.

Keeping the brain working gets more difficult as you get older. I have to work harder at learning lines. You always find that the adrenaline of the theatre - it's a very strange thing - I'm sure racing drivers have it too  it just keeps you going.

It can be especially hard at 11am.

It's not a natural time for actors, but you cannot short change an audience. You have to give it your full energy. You can't just say It's only a morning show. We've done it at least 50 times now and we have about another 50 to go.

Does he ever get bored of playing a part a 100 times in less than a year?

I'd be a liar if I said I didn't, but as an actor it's your skill to keep it fresh all the time as if it's just happening in the moment.

When you're doing a great play with great dialogue it's such fun, it's when you're doing the not so good plays that you have to work much harder.

His time on stage and playing alongside the greats has led him to write an account of his time in the theatre, entitled Shouting in the Evenings, which is self-published through Matador and is due out this summer.

He acted alongside Anthony Hopkins three times, and alongside Maggie Smith once, describing her as fantastic, formidable, formidable.

He recalled one memorable moment with her in a piece he wrote for The Guardian in 2013, to mark the 50th anniversary of the National.

We used to have a little tatty canteen over in Aquinas Street and there were two women, Rose and Lil, who would make these wonderful lunches. Rose was very ebullient, she'd be: Allo, darlin', what can I get you? and Lil was this little creature in the background, barely taking up space.

There was a wonderful day when Maggie Smith was queuing for some food and someone said: Isn't Rose marvellous? and she said: Mm, but Lil's the better part. The little character in the background is a better part than the flashy one!

Like most actors, he said hed love to get a crack at King Lear, though thats not an opportunity that arises for many frequently.

The other part hed love to play is a one-man, one-act play of less than 60 minutes  Krapp's Last Tape by Samuel Beckett, which premiered in 1958. John Hurt, Harold Pinter and Michael Gambon have all claimed the part in the past, and it has a particular appeal for Hayes.

It's a wonderful part. In the play he plays old tape recordings of his memories of the past. He's a sad, lonely man whose life is kind of empty.

I've been very, very lucky. I've been all over the world, and to be paid to go and do a play in those places, I prefer it to a holiday. It's a high tension game acting. I love working, and I don't know what to do when I'm not working.

-The Plough and The Stars runs at the Lime Tree, Mary Immaculate College, from Tuesday, May 10, to Saturday, May 14, at 8pm. A number of matinee performances for younger audiences are sold out. The performance on Thursday, May 12, at 8pm will be audio described and captioned.Tickets are priced at 30, or 22 for students, OAPs, and the unwaged. limetreetheatre.ie
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Tattoos found at the mummy's neck show several Wadjet eyes  a sign associated with the divine and with protection.

More than 3,000 years ago, an ancient Egyptian woman tattooed her body with dozens of symbols  including lotus blossoms, cows and divine eyes  that may have been linked to her religious status or her ritual practice.

Preserved in amazing detail on her mummified torso, the surviving images represent the only known examples of tattoos found on Egyptian mummies showing recognizable pictures, rather than abstract designs.

The mummy was found at a site on the west bank of the Nile River known as Deir el-Medina, a village dating to between 1550 B.C. and 1080 B.C. that housed artisans and workers who built the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. [In Photos: Egypt's Oldest Mummy Wrappings]

Stanford University bioarchaeologist Anne Austin was examining human remains at Deir el-Medina for the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology when she first glimpsed unusual markings on a mummy's neck.

Austin initially thought the markings on the neck had been painted there, she told Live Science in an email. According to Austin, it was a common practice in Egypt at that time to place amulets around the neck before a burial. She suggested that amulets could have been drawn on the skin for the burial as well, which could have been the case for this torso.

But further investigation of the mummy revealed that these ancient illustrations  and others on the body  were unusual, hinting that they might be a more permanent skin adornment than a painted design, she said.

Tattoos of two cows facing each other found on the arm. (Image credit: Ann Austin)

"As we started to analyze the markings on the arms, we realized that these markings were shrunken and distorted," Austin said. "Therefore, they must have been made prior to mummification."

Together with archaeologist Cedric Gobeil, director of the French Archaeological Mission of Deir el-Medina, Austin cataloged dozens of tattoos, many of which have yet to be identified. But a number of them were recognizable and had religious significance.

"Several are associated with the goddess Hathor, such as cows with special necklaces," Austin told Live Science. "Others  such as snakes placed on the upper arms  are also associated with female deities in ancient Egypt."

The mummy's neck, back and shoulders were decorated with images of Wadjet eyes  divine eyes associated with protection.

Ghada Darwish, an Egyptian archaeologist, using infrared light and a sensor to see tattoos otherwise hidden in visible light. (Image credit: Ann Austin)

The Wadjet eyes on the neck may have carried yet another layer of meaning: Additional images known as nefer symbols, "the sign of beauty or goodness," appeared between them, Austin said.

"At the nearby site of Deir el-Bahri, the combination of the Wadjet and nefer have been interpreted as a formula for the phrase 'to do good,'" Austin said.

Austin explained that the symbols' position on the woman's throat  directly over her voice box  may have signaled that whenever the woman spoke or sang, she invoked a ritual power to do good.

These figural tattooed images  the first of their kind found on an Egyptian mummy  provide important clues about the significance and symbolic nature of tattooing within ancient Egyptian culture, Austin said.

"Interestingly, all of the tattoos found so far have been exclusively on women, though we are curious to see if that trend continues as more tattoos are identified," she added.

Follow Mindy Weisberger on Twitter and Google+. Follow us @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
In this image, the second skin has been applied beneath the woman's right eye, but not her left.

A new, invisible "second skin" may help to restore healthy, youthful skin to older faces, according to a new study.

The artificial skin  made of a silicone polymer and applied in a two-step process of spreading two creams onto the skin  can tighten a person's real skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and under-eye bags, according to the findings, published today (May 9) in the journal Nature Materials.

"We are excited about it; it is a brand-new material," study co-author Robert Langer, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told Live Science.

One day, the second skin could be used to help people with certain skin conditions, such as eczema (which causes the skin to become red, rough and itchy), or people who have inflammation in their skin, by serving as a vehicle for storing and releasing drugs used to treat these conditions, the researchers said. It could also provide sun protection if sunblock ingredients were used along with it, the researchers said.

Normally, the properties of human skin change over time due to aging or diseases, and these changes may cause the skin to lose some of its capacity to provide a barrier to toxins or microorganisms, as well as change the appearance of the skin. In the new study, in a series of tests, the researchers examined whether a silicone material they had created would work and be safe to use in a small group of people, which included 12 people with under-eye bags and 22 people with dry skin. [10 Technologies That Will Transform Your Life]

The researchers applied two different creams to the people's faces. Once these creams were together on the skin, they formed an invisible film.

This series of images shows a "tenting test" performed on the skin. The skin is briefly gently pinched, and then allowed to recoil to its original position. (Image credit: Olivo Labs)

In one experiment, the researchers found that the second-skin material reinforced the real skin beneath it while making it look smoother and preventing it from losing moisture.

In another experiment in the study, 25 people tested how durable the second skin was. The researchers found that the material stayed on the people's skin through the end of a 16-hour period of daily wear. However, on two people, the boundary between the second skin and the person's actual skin became visible after wearing for this length of time, the researchers noted in their study.

The study participants did not report any skin irritation during the tests, according to the study. [4 Common Skin Woes, and How to Fix Them]

Representatives of Olivo Labs, a company that participated in the development of the second-skin technology in collaboration with Langer and other researchers, said they could not disclose at this time when it would be commercially available or how much it would cost.

Zhenan Bao, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University who was not involved in the new study, said she was impressed with the new results. "It is amazing work," Bao told Live Science.

Her own research group has been working with electronics that can allow synthetic materials to experience the sense of touch, she said. "It would be amazing to combine [her research group's findings] with some kind of second skin and to create a skin that looks and feels like skin and can also sense like skin," she said.

Follow Agata Blaszczak-Boxe on Twitter. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science.
For the past two years, a mysterious wasting disease has devastated starfish living along the West Coast, turning countless individual animals into goo. But now, a record number of surviving starfish babies is giving some researchers reason for cautious optimism.

The Oregon coast currently has a thriving community of juvenile starfish (or sea stars), with some places seeing populations with as many as 300 times the typical number, researchers said. That's welcome news, as up to 90 percent of sea stars in Oregon showed signs of the deadly wasting disease from June to August 2014, reports a new study published May 4 in the journal PLOS ONE.

Starfish rising

The high starfish numbers don't mean the deadly disease is gone, however, the researchers said. Another round of the wasting illness could kill the juvenile sea stars, including the purple ochre (Pisaster ochraceus), known as a "keystone" species because of its influence on the marine ecosystem, the researchers said. [In Photos: Sick Sea Stars Turn to Goo]

The leg of this purple ochre sea star in Oregon is disintegrating, as it dies from sea star wasting syndrome. (Image credit: Elizabeth Cerny-Chipman, courtesy of Oregon State University)

"When we looked at the settlement of the larval sea stars on rocks in 2014 during the epidemic, it was the same or maybe even a bit lower than previous years," study lead author Bruce Menge, a professor of marine biology at Oregon State University, said in a statement. "But a few months later, the number of juveniles was off the charts  higher than we'd ever seen."

The juvenile starfish aren't the result of elevated starfish births or a massive re-settlement. Rather, these particular sea stars "just had an extraordinary survival rate into the juvenile stage," Menge said. The big question is "whether they can make it into adulthood and replenish the population without succumbing to sea star wasting disease," he said.

Perhaps this generation had a high survival rate because there was more food available, the researchers said. After the wasting disease killed off the majority of adult starfish, the young sea stars would have had more mussels and barnacles to eat, the scientists said.

Cause of sea star wasting

The wasting disease left innumerable starfish with twisted arms that eventually disintegrated into slimy ooze. The epidemic spanned from Alaska to Baja California and also sickened sea stars on the East Coast.

But it's anyone's guess what causes the disease, scientists said. Some attribute it to sea star-associated densovirus, and others said warmer waters triggered the disease's spread. But the new study found no association between water temperatures and the epidemic in Oregon, Menge said.

"The sea temperatures were warmer when the outbreak first began," he said. "But Oregon wasn't affected as early as [were] other parts of the West Coast, and the outbreak reached its peak here when the sea temperature plummeted and was actually cooler than normal."

As the tide rolls out, the ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) preys on, albeit slowly, mussels and barnacles. The sea star uses its sticky tube feet to attach to rocky surfaces in high wave-energy environments. Sea star wasting syndrome can cause the starfish to lose their grips, however. (Image credit: National Park Service)

Interestingly, researchers at Cornell University in New York found evidence of densovirus in sea stars, the water column and marine sediments. The virus occurs naturally, but may become harmful to starfish experiencing stress, the researchers said.

"Something triggered that virulence, and it happened on a coast-wide basis," Menge said. "Ocean acidification is one possibility, and we're looking at that now. Ultimately, the cause seems likely to be multifaceted." [Marine Marvels: Spectacular Photos of Sea Creatures]

Several clues provide hints about the disease. Sea stars that were continuously underwater, including those in tide pools, were more likely to die than were sea stars living on rocks that were usually above water, the researchers found.

Also, adult starfish were more likely to die than juveniles, probably because the older individuals had been exposed to the wasting disease for a longer period of time, the researchers said.

Menge and his colleagues have studied sea star habitats for more than 30 years. The loss of these creatures has already thrown the ecosystem out of whack, the researchers said. For instance, during the past two years, there has been a population boom in gooseneck barnacles, likely because adult sea stars weren't there to prey on them, the researchers said.

Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Original article on Live Science.
PSA, TIL, Terminal Link and APM Terminals in the race to operate the proposed 5m teu transhipment hub at the waterway's Pacific entrance

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) has announced that four terminal operators have made the shortlist to design, develop, finance, construct, operate and maintain the new Corozal Container Terminal, a transhipment hub being built at the Pacific entrance to the Central American waterway.

Seven companies expressed an interest in the project by the Request for Qualifications deadline of March 11, but it is The Hague-headquartered APM Terminals, CMA CGM port operating arm Terminal Link, Mediterranean Shipping Cos Terminal Investments Ltd and Singapores PSA International that will put their case forward to the ACP to be the preferred bidder.

Japans Mitsui OSK Lines, Panamas own Manzanillo International Terminal and Ports America also put their names forward for the project.

For the four pre-qualified tenderers, the next stage will involve the issuance of the Request for Proposals in order to grant the concession according to the terms and conditions of the RFP and the ACPs acquisition regulations.

Panama Canal administrator Jorge Quijano said that the considerable interest shown in the new facility and indeed from some of the worlds leading terminal operators only demonstrates its potential.

The new Corozal Port is among the most advanced synergistic business initiatives, providing new products and services to customers in the maritime industry, he said.

The new port is certain to enhance the canal's offering and revenue base.

In its first phase, Corozal Container Terminal will have an initial capacity of 3.2m teu and in the second, or at full build-out, it will boast an additional 2m teu to bring the total capacity to more than 5m teu.

The port will profit from an existing double-stack railway link and a major transisthmian highway and roadways, and being at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal will also look to benefit from the larger vessels set to travel through its third set of locks in the second half of 2016. More than 14,000 vessels make the crossing through the Central American artery each year.

The Corozal Container Terminal will primarily serve as a transhipment facility, distributing cargo to the west coast of South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

First published on www.lloydslist.com
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Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 09 2016

On Saturday, April 16th the Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Explorer Post participated in the 7th Annual Huntington Station Spring Cleanup organized by Friends of Huntington Station Latin Quarter (HSLQ), Huntington Station Happy Helpers ...

Huntington Station, NY - May 6, 2016 - On Saturday, April 16th the Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Explorer Post participated in the 7th Annual Huntington Station Spring Cleanup organized by Friends of Huntington Station Latin Quarter (HSLQ), Huntington Station Happy Helpers (HSHH) and Huntington Matters. Over 20 Police Explorers interacted with the community as they picked up trash, swept the sidewalks, and removed debris with their Advisors, COPE Officer Angela Ferrara, CSU Officer Annette Rios-Hoyt, and Civilian Sandra Lynch-Ferrara. Community Liaison Officer Claudia Delgado and Sergeant John Oakley worked with the Explorers and over 100 other volunteers to clean both sides of New York Avenue from Pulaski Road to W. 14th Street in Huntington Station. The Explorers Second To None T-Shirts could be seen down several blocks as the group enthusiastically filled dozens of trash bags.

All of the volunteers enjoyed donated treats and beverages from 7-Eleven, and a complimentary lunch from Guiseppes Pizza and Pasta in appreciation of their efforts. Officer Angela Ferrara assisted Huntington Matters organizers in the planning of the Spring Cleanup by coordinating with the Huntington Manor, Melville and Halesite Fire Department Explorer programs to participate as well.
Local News, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 09 2016

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that Nassau County will once again host a Marine and Navy Helicopter Landing in Eisenhower Park on Saturday, May 28th as part of the Fleet Week 2016 ...

East Meadow, NY - May 6, 2016 - Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano has announced that Nassau County will once again host a Marine and Navy Helicopter Landing in Eisenhower Park on Saturday, May 28th as part of the Fleet Week 2016 activities in New York City. The free event, billed Raid New York will be the largest Marine/Navy helicopter landing on Long Island. Spectators are invited to board the aircraft once landed and meet with military personnel.

Navy Landing at 10:00 a.m.

The U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, based in San Diego, California will perform an aerial parachute demonstration showcasing the skills of the Naval Special Warfare Team. The team is celebrating their 42nd Anniversary this year. In addition, a combined team of members from the U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team (EOD) and a Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron will present a mine countermeasures demonstration. The EOD technicians are stationed in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Marine Landing at 12:00 p.m.

The CH-53 Sea Stallion Helicopters and AH-1W Cobras will perform an area sweep and transport a Marine Raid Force to the landing zone. Marines will perform an assault demonstration, after which the helicopters will land and will be available for public display, along with the weapons typically used by a Marine Corps Rifle Platoon. Marines supporting this event are part of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force from the II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina.

The Helicopter Landing will be taking place on the Kite Field, just south of the Veterans Memorial in Eisenhower Park, with parking at fields 6 and 6A. Northwell Health will also have a presence at the event, providing support for participating military personnel.

At 930 acres, Eisenhower Park is the largest park in Nassau County and is centrally located in East Meadow with entrances at Hempstead Turnpike at East Meadow Avenue and Merrick Avenue at Stewart Avenue. For more information about this event, please call (516) 572-0200 or visit the website.
Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: May 09 2016

A Coast Guard Station Shinnecock rescue boatcrew rescues two boaters in distress near Moriches Inlet on Long Island, New York, Sunday.

Two boaters were rescued after their 19-foot recreational vessel became disabled.

Hamptons Bay, NY - May 8, 2016 - A Coast Guard Station Shinnecock rescue boatcrew rescues two boaters in distress near Moriches Inlet on Long Island, New York, Sunday.

At approximately 1:00 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sounds Command Center (SLIS) received a distress call from a disabled 19-foot recreational vessel, advising that they have lost power, their anchor was not holding and they requested Coast Guard assistance.

The vessel was transiting in Moriches Bay with two people aboard.

SLIS issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and directed Coast Guard Station Shinnecock to launch Coast Guard Station Moriches.

After the initial call the vessel was pushed out of the inlet, through breaking surf, causing one of the people aboard, a 41-year-old male, to sustained a back injury when he fell and struck his back on the side of the boat.

Station Moriches arrived at the entrance of the inlet but could not safely get out of the inlet due to weather conditions on-scene.

Station Shinnecock was directed to launch their 47-foot Motor Life Boat (MLB). A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) small boat in the area also launched with medically trained personnel who could assist.

Once on scene NOAA's small boat was unable to assist due to weather and draft concerns. They made multiple attempts to pass a line to the vessel before backing off to reevaluate.

The NOAA small boat lost sight of the distressed vessel when Station Shinnecocks MLB arrived on scene.

The NOAA small boat returned to base and the MLB began searching for the vessel based on its last known position.

Station Shinnecock relocated the vessel and while attempting to come along side the rescue crew located a survivor in the water.

The rescue crew pulled the subject aboard and began treating him for symptoms of hypothermia.

The rescue crew located the second boater in the water due to a flashing strobe light on his life jacket. Once on board he was treated for symptoms of hypothermia and Station Shinnecocks MLB departed en-route Oaklands Marina.

Station Shinnecock safely transported both of the rescued boaters to Oaklands Marina in Hampton Bays, New York, where Emergency Medical Services were waiting.

SLIS issued a Safety Marine Information Broadcast for the unmanned adrift vessel and briefed local salvage companies.
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Al Qaedas propaganda arm, As Sahab, has released a new message from Osama bin Ladens son, Hamzah. It is the second time Hamzah has spoken on behalf of al Qaeda since last August. Hamzahs message has been paired with a speech by Ayman al Zawahiri on both occasions.

Hamzahs latest discussion, titled Jerusalem Is But a Bride, Its Dowry Is Our Blood, was released online earlier today.

Hamzah speaks at length about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that Muslims everywhere must participate in our Palestinian brothers intifada by killing Jews and striking their interests worldwide. Muslims must purge their beloved Palestine of the Jews and their Western supporters, according to Hamzah.

In addition to personally supporting the Palestinians cause, Hamzah points to the jihad in Syria as being key to the effort to liberate Jerusalem. Osamas heir calls on the ummah (worldwide community of Muslims) to raise a large army, drawing in experts who can wage war on Israel.

The best preparation field for raising this great army is in the blessed Levant, he says. The path to liberate Palestine is far closer today, Hamzah claims, because of the Syrian revolution. Therefore, the Islamic ummah must focus its efforts on the jihad in the Levant, guiding and directing it, spreading awareness of sharia, and uniting the mujahideens ranks there.

Hamzah adds that there are no more excuses for those who sow division in the mujahideens ranks, because the entire world has supposedly united against Muslims. His words are a thinly-veiled critique of the Islamic State, which al Qaeda blames for sowing discord between jihadist factions in Syria and elsewhere.

This is not the first time al Qaeda has sought to link the war in Syria to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In a message released last November, for example, Zawahiri argued that the jihadists must establish a state in Egypt and in the Levant in order to mobilize the ummah to liberate Palestine. The al Qaeda chieftain said this project requires unity and the mujahideen should avoid hostilities among themselves. Hamzah explores this same basic theme in his latest address.

As was the case in August 2015, when al Qaeda released its first message from Hamzah, the younger bin Laden does not show his face. Instead, the audio of his speech is embedded in a video production.

Hamzahs talk is bracketed by archival material of his father. The video opens with a clip of Osama saying that the blood of the Palestinians sons is the same as the blood of our sons. Osamas words fit neatly with Hamzahs narrative, which is likely why this clip was included. The video ends with more footage of Osama.

The video also includes footage of Ibrahim al Rubaish, a former Guantanamo detainee who became one of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsulas most senior ideologues. Rubaish was killed in a US drone strike last year.

In the clip replayed by As Sahab, Rubaish warns against Muslims restricting the concept of brotherhood to membership in a group or organization. The AQAP theologian stresses that brotherhood encompasses all Muslims. A screen shot of Rubaish, as shown by As Sahab, can be seen on the right.

Rubaishs sermon is intended to buttress Hamzahs own warnings in this regard. The junior bin Laden denounces the fanatic who supports one group or faction over others. Hamzah says that ones love for a group should never trump ones love for other Muslims simply because they dont belong to the same organization.

Hamzahs and Rubaishs words are undoubtedly aimed at the Islamic State, which al Qaeda accuses of placing the interests of its own faction above those of other jihadists and Muslims.

Hamzah echoes the words of his father, telling our brothers in Palestine that your blood is our blood.

He then concludes by praising the jihad in each of the areas where al Qaeda and its regional branches operate: Yemen, the Levant, the Khorasan (an area that includes Afghanistan and Pakistan), Somalia, North Africa and the Maghreb. Hamzah swears that they will maintain the jihad started by our leaders in each of these areas until victory is achieved.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
The Afghan Taliban said it would give top priority to retaliate against government agencies involved in the execution of jihadist prisoners and claimed it has thousands of fully armed martyrdom seekers at its disposal who are awaiting to take revenge.

The Taliban issued the statement yesterday on its official website, Voice of Jihad, after the Afghan government executed six jihadists, including a member of al Qaeda, for various attacks in the country.

One of the jihadists executed yesterday by the Afghan government was Khan Agha, who was better known as Abdul Rahman, according to Khaama Press. Rahman was involved in the assassination of National Directorate of Security Deputy Director Dr. Abdullah Laghmani on Sept. 2, 2009. Laghmani was one of 23 Afghans killed in a suicide attack inside a mosque in the city of Mehtarlam, the capital of Laghman province. The NDS captured Rahman and three associates in December 2009, and was described as a Taliban commander in the province. Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders often are members of both groups.

The Afghan government has indicated that it would continue to execute members of the Taliban and allied groups. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid responded by threatening agencies involved in the executions.

From now onwards, Allah willing, the Mujahideen shall make all enemy bodies involved in martyring Mujahideen inmates as their top priority during military planning, Mujahid said. They will not be allowed to breathe peacefully nor will they ever be able to feel security.

We have thousands of fully armed martyrdom seekers awaiting to take revenge, we shall never relinquish our turn, Mujahid concluded.

While Mujahids claim that the Taliban has thousands of martyrdom seekers may be seen as boastful, the groups has conducted numerous attacks against Afghan and Coalition facilities using multiple suicide bombers and armed fighters over the past decade. The Taliban possesses the infrastructure to recruit, indoctrinate, train and deploy these suicide assault teams throughout Afghanistan.

Such attacks are commonplace in Afghanistan, and many often take place in the capital of Kabul. In one of the more complex attacks that employed martyrdom seekers, the Taliban assaulted Camp Bastion, a sprawling military base that was shared by US Marines and British troops and located in the middle of the Dashti Margo desert in Helmand province. On Sept. 14, 2012, a 15-man Taliban team penetrated the perimeter at the airbase, destroyed six USMC Harriers and damaged two more, and killed the squadron commander and a sergeant. Fourteen of the 15 members of the assault team were killed, while the last was wounded and captured.

The Taliban has given some clues about the organization of its martyrdom units. It has identified two key leaders of its Suicide Groups. Mullah Taj Mir Jawad has been described as the head of a martyrdom-seekers battalion. Jawad swore allegiance to Mullah Mansour in a video released by the group in September.

Qari Abdul Raouf Zakir, the commander of the Talibans suicide groups, also swore allegiance to Mullah Mansour in the same video as Jawad. Qari Zakir, who was designated as a terrorist by the State Department in November 2012, has long commanded the Haqqani Networks suicide operations.

The Haqqani Network is an al Qaeda-linked Taliban subgroup that operates throughout Afghanistan and is based in Pakistan, where it is supported by Pakistans military and the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI). Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operational commander of the Haqqani Network, serves as Mullah Mansours deputy and as the head of the Talibans military.

The Taliban has also promoted suicide teams in its propaganda. The Muaskar ul Fida, one of several suicide squads operating in Afghanistan, swore allegiance to the Talibans new emir in November 2015.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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A lot has changed for the iPad since the last Work Beyond Mac column.

It turned out the iPad Pro was real, and as big as the rumors had claimed. Apple even revamped the iPad Air 2, matching the names, specs, and features of its bigger brother. iOS 9 added multitasking features to the iPad that were once nothing more than a dream. Having the ability to use two apps at one time on the iPad fundamentally changed how users put the iPad to workat least, I know it did for me.

For the most part, the iPad Pro line is exactly I had hoped it would be. I now use the 12.9-inch iPad Pro as my lone laptop, with an iMac often sitting idle on my desk.

As with nearly everything in life, theres always room for improvement and the iPad Pro is not exempt. There are aspects I really really love about the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, and then there are changes I can only hope are made with iOS 10 and a second-generation iPad Pro. Here are eight of those changes, in no particular order.

A smarter Smart Connector

The iPad Pros Smart Connector was originally touted as a way for accessories to connect to the tablet. Power is provided by the iPad, and data is transmitted to the iPad from the keyboard. In the last few months, however, weve seen just how versatile the Smart Connector actually can be.

Logitech just announced a charging base for the iPad Pro that uses the Smart Connector to power the iPad Pro. Firmware updates to Apples Smart Keyboard Cover and Logitechs Create for iPad keyboard have both used the connector as a means to install the new software. Obviously, theres a lot of potential with the Smart Connector, and its time Apple really unlocks its smarts.

I envision a docking station that looks similar to Logitechs new charging base, but instead of serving a single purpose it would add ports for syncing photos from a camera, attaching a microphone, or possibly even an external hard drive.

True Tone on both models

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is equipped with ambient light sensors that are constantly monitoring and changing the color temperature of the tablets screen.

When you read about a True Tone display, its all too easy to dismiss it as an unnecessary feature. But after using it for several weeks, and then going back to an iPad display without the same tech, the value of True Tone becomes apparent. Photos and videos simply look better, and the screen is easier to look at over extended amount of time.

Apple The Smart Connector could attach more than keyboards, and 3D Touch could speed up jumping between apps.

3D Touch

Im still struggling to find a daily use for 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s. I often forget about the feature until I accidentally trigger it when scrolling through Tweetbot. With that said, however, I think the addition of 3D Touch on the iPad would make the feature feel more like the right-click mechanism it tries so hard to simulate on the iPhone.

Its perhaps more important to have such a feature on the iPad because of the constant back and forth from keyboard to screen and back to keyboard users do. Instead of requiring several taps to select and manipulate a file in iCloud Drive or a compose an email in Mail, a single press on an icon and the following selection would streamline the entire process.

Now that I think about it, after the iPad Pro was released cries for Apple to add trackpad support to the tablet were abundant; if done right, 3D Touch could eliminate the need for a trackpad.

Fast charging

Shortly after Apple announced the smaller iPad Pro in March, news broke of an updated listing for the companys 29W USB-C wall adapter and a USB-C to Lightning cable acting as a fast charging solution for the 12.9-inch iPad. This combination of accessories arent included when you purchase an iPad Pro, forcing users to spend an additional $75-$85.

In my own testing, the 29W wall adapter cuts total charging time of the iPad Pro in half. This is something that should be included in the box of every iPad Pro. Five hours to fully charge an iPad Pro with its included charger is just too long.

A face-lift for multitasking

Multitasking on the iPad Pro is leaps and bounds better than it was a year ago. With a quick gesture from the right side of the screen, I can open another app and continue working with two apps in full view. However, picking an application from the slide over view is a downright frustrating, horrible experience.

Theres no discernible methodology for the order of which app icons are placed in the list. I used to think it was most recently accessed apps, but thats not the case; I often have to scroll to the top of the list to find an app I was just using.

If the nearly endless list of app icons isnt going away, Apple should at least make this list smarter and easier to understand.

Split view drag and drop

Often times I find myself copying and pasting a photo or text from one open app to another when using iOS 9s split-view feature. Its a process that works, but it could be easier. More specifically, a simple drag-and-drop feature to share a small subset of various content types (text, links, photos, etc.) between two apps would been a boon for getting work done faster on the iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro is killer at multitasking, but dragging an image from one side to another, or opening two Safari tabs side-by-side, would take its productivity up another notch.

Side by side Safari

Safaris multiple tab support is handy, that is until you want to view more than one tab at the same time. With iOS 9 offering split-screen capabilities, adding the ability to view two (maybe more?) Safari tabs at the same time should be a no-brainer.

More powerful iCloud Drive

An improved iCloud Drive app is needed, offering more robust features similar to what OS X offers in Finder. In its current form, the iCloud Drive app doesnt offer more than a means to view files and open them in select apps.

Having native support for common tasks such as creating a ZIP archive, downloading a file from a website, or renaming a file shouldnt require Workflow-type apps.

Over the coming weeks Ill try to tackle some of these complaints and figure out solutions with apps and accessories that are currently available. And who knows, maybe iOS 10 will put an end to some of the iPad Pros shortcomings we dont have too much longer to wait until we find out,.

In the meantime, its a pleasure to have revived the Work Beyond Mac column. I hope it helps you as much as it does me.
In my very first column in this Private I series, back in October 2014, I raised the spectre of Touch ID being used against you. Approaching two years later, its clear that my and other peoples concerns werent idle speculations. A court recently required a convicted felon, immediately following her sentencing, to unlock a phone with her fingerprint.

Thats not the first case, and there are likely to be many more. Back just after I wrote my column, a Virginia court agreed that police could demand a man charged with choking his girlfriend provide his fingerprint to unlock his phone. (He was acquitted months later.)

Thomas Fox-Brewster at Forbes, in writing a few months ago about the job-issued iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters the FBI was trying to unlock, discussed unlocking phones with fingerprints from criminal records and even dead people using sensor-hacking techniques.

(It seemed that courts had more general agreement that someone couldnt be ordered to provide a password to unlock a device or an encrypted drive, as it would violate the constitutional protected against self-incrimination. But child pornography cases in 2012, 2013, and a current one had judges ordering decryption. Appeals courts opinions have varied, and the Supreme Court hasnt yet weighed in.)

As opposed to the Department of Justices efforts to get Apple to create a custom GovtOS that would let the FBI run unlimited passcode-unlocking attempts against an iPhone, these cases seem a lot more straightforward. Someone is charged with a serious crime, potentially from a grand jury (as with the strangulation case), or has already been convicted. Or isdead.

Changing your behavior or the phones

The governments interest in obtaining information related to the commission of a crime or the intent to commit one would seem to have clear, compelling public interest without the unpleasant side effect of worsening privacy for a billion or more people.

Not all governments are just, however, and not everyone who wants you to unlock your phone is a legitimate, legal agent. If you currently use Touch ID and you live in or plan to travel to a country in which the rule of law regarding human rights and personal liberty is on the low end of the scaleor youre concerned that you could be physically forced to unlock your phone, but youd never give up your passcode in any caseyou can change how your iOS device is locked.

Touch ID can be active and yet disabled for unlocking in a variety of ways:

Forty-eight hours after the last time you unlocked your iPhone or iPad with Touch ID or a passcode, Touch ID is disabled until the phones passcode or password is entered again. (In some of the cases in which a judge ordered an arrested party or convict to unlock a phone, the timeout had long since occurred.)

After an iOS device is powered down and back up or force restarted, Touch ID cant be used until the passcode is entered. Some people routinely power cycle their phone before bed; others power the phone down if they expect trouble.

Touch ID is disabled after five unsuccessful attempts to unlock with a fingerprint. Tapping incorrectly several times, especially with an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s, or 6s Plus, effectively locks the phone, too.

Some security experts have suggested Apple and other phone makers could have a panic fingerprint: You could set one of your fingers as a lock or wipe option, and no one attempting to force you to unlock the phone would know which finger it is.

If all of this has persuaded you to walk away entirely from Touch ID, its critical to remember that numeric codes are now considered relatively easy to break, whether by criminals, forensics firms, security agencies, or police departments.

Instead of a very weak four-digit code, or a strong but still crackable six-digit one, set a long, easy-to-remember password. I now use one that employs multiple words and some simple punctuation. Its easy for me to remember, and relatively fast for me to enter.

Im still using Touch ID. The convenience outweighs my concerns as Im neither an activist nor living in a country in which Im concerned at the moment about my door being kicked in by national police in the middle of the night. (If youre a criminal of the generally accepted variety, like a burglar, I recommend making it easy for the police to gain access to your phone.)

But its not difficult to modify your behavior or give up on this ostensibly key feature of newer iPhones and iPads if it doesnt suit your own risk profile or just your level of comfort about how your device could be unlocked.
Interview with Chris Jones, CEO of Digiterra

Can you start by telling our audience a little about Digiterra and also about your individual leadership style?

Digiterra is a services organisation; focusing on the business to IT continuum, with about 60% of our business generated from business consultancy and 40% from an IT base. Our business service interrogates each area of our clients value chain, seeking to understand where breakages exist and providing answers on how best to address them. We assist our clients to better deliver against their strategic objectives, improve and enhance their processes, map and align their technology and finally work closely with their people to implement solutions that not only make sense to them but also improve the way that they do business. When we engage, we do so bring to the fore a combination of, contextual understanding, a set of disciplines and methods, and the right supporting technology that enables senior management to present their key drivers in such a way that is easily understood. At a functional level Digiterra combines its Echelon approach with leading software technology in the areas of Corporate Performance Management, Business Intelligence, Enterprise Architecture and Enterprise Resilience Management. These ingredients are combined in a very particular manner to deliver a very differentiated outcome of high quality and value.

My leadership style is mostly contextual in nature, and would vary from being democratic to more assertive, depending on the situation and audience. For the most part, we have a very mature level of consultants within Digiterra. Its our staff and Management team that have addressed some of our biggest challenges. The nature of our business is client facing, so the type of challenges that we address are not only internal but in most circumstances, involve and require a customer centric perspective. I see my strategic role as paving the way for the future direction and long term sustainability of our business, but with a clear understanding that this is only achieved through the collective involvement of the entire organisation.

How long have you been in London?

London is a new but exciting market for Digiterra. We have been in London for just one and half years. We solve complex challenges within complex situations; London has its fare share of big and complex environment, specifically for corporates based purely on their volume and size. Delivering senior management solutions requires exactly what Digiterra provides. We see great potential and a wonderful experience through our engagements with our clients in the UK.

We have a very mature level of consultants within Digiterra.

What are some of your core value propositions?

If I have a look at the European market, the best value proposition that we bring to the market right now is a great in-depth product and experience at a much reduced price by means of comparison to the European market. Our price point comparison favours us quite a lot and the quality of service is still there at the same time. From a local market perspective there has been an increased demand that we have found within the market when it comes to our types of services. I think that organisations are moving towards a shared services type model so where a few years ago outsourcing was a very big trend, it is now changing somewhat for us. We have seen that there is a shift between organisations that would ideally want to outsource to countries like India etc. from a development perspective to needing the deep domain expertise to stay in house. That has brought across a blended model and we see an increase in demand when it comes to integration, software development and business intelligence.

In terms of the product offerings, what are some of the key advantages of Digiterras products, for example the strategic dashboard tool kit?

When we have a look at the productisation of the services that we provide, Board International, Adaptive Insights and Echelon are three key components for us. All three of them are products, one was born out of a methodology rather than a pure functionality productive based element and the other two are pure features and functions product based elements. Board and Adaptive Insights are very similar; they both focus on corporate performance management. What this allows the market is a capability to very quickly and effectively at an executive level understand the state of the organisation and be able to make credible decisions based on the information that they are seeing in front of them. Most importantly it allows them to do it on a self-consumption base meaning that they can put the information that they see important to them, customise it in the way that it needs to be presented and deliver it to their contemporaries within their organisation itself. When you look at the corporate market which is our client base itself, one of the challenges there is purely just the complexity of getting the right information to the right people to be able to make the right choices and decisions. What Board International and Adaptive Insights do for that client base is that it provides them with that capability quickly and easily either through a cloud based solution or an on premise solution. It incorporates things from excel spreadsheets to enterprise resource planning products to supply chain products. It deals with the entire value chain components and brings them through in a dashboard that allows those people to be able to see in gauges and rev counters where they are standing at any point in time. With your typical amber, green and red I can see whether things are looking good and I can see if they are not looking good and whether that be an issue of HR, finance, budgeting, forecasting processes, supply chain, sales and marketing, customer relationship management etc. We pool through together all of that data and we present it in a dashboard for the executive.

Its kind of like Captain Kirk on the bridge!

Exactly. If you had to say to any corporate, what is the thing that you need so that you can make credible decisions? they would say I need the ability to take all of this information, package it into a one pager so that I can understand it clearly and decipher the information, drill into it, share it, handle it as it needs, add variables, subtract variables as I understand the data in front of me and I can use it to make credible choices and decisions going forward.

Are these products that you designed yourself, or have you amalgamated them from a number of different software applications?

The products we provide as part of consultancy solution are tier 1 market leaders in their own right, and have achieved substantial market recognition. Based on the contextual requirement from our clients we would provide a part or the entire product suit in conjunction to our Echelon approach.

Do you have exclusivity to distribute them?

When it comes to Echelon, we hold the exclusive rights to this approach. The combination of our packaged products and our methods provide a differentiated outcome. Should a client wish to acquire one of the products that we resell, they do have options to approach other resellers, but not at a price based differential.

What differentiates the company overall within the corporate performance management and BI market? How will you seek to position yourselves as a player globally?

The differentiator is between implementing a piece of technology and understanding the subject matter of that space that you are engaging in. The factors of what the client is trying to achieve whether it is cost reduction, process improvement, improvement of efficiency, consolidation etc. To be able to first of all understand the context is very important. One of our differentiators is that we are not a product implementation organisation; we are a consultancy organisation that happens to use what we believe is the right tool set to bring the right answer to the table. It is never a one size fits all, or a one implementation fits all approaches; it is always context based. Our differentiator is that we first seek to understand our clients ecosystem. The second is that we interrogate not only the areas that we are delivering against, but all the peripherals around it: things like organisational change, making sure our client is ready for that kind of change, and making sure we understand all of the independencies between the touch points that can affect the outcome of what they are trying to achieve. One thing would be for me to give you a number and that number if I just give you a straight number will have a meaning, but if I start adding the right pieces of information around what that number means it can change its face and its value for you completely. What I am really trying to say is, what we do is that we make sure we understand all the variables that influence the choices that the clients try to make. If I dont know what you are trying to achieve, it is very difficult for me to give you that right information or in this context the right number.

You have mentioned you have multiple partners in the corporate performance management and business intelligence space and you have recently partnered with Orbus software, the UK company. What advantages will this give Digiterra? Do you have any other exciting partnerships in the pipeline?

This has all been part of our new strategy over the last two years. It is a strategy that has been in the planning phase last year and the year before and this year we are in the year of execution so these are relatively new partnerships that we have to date but very exciting ones. They have complemented our consultancy capability tremendously and they have allowed us to have a reciprocal relationship with the product vendors that can add value in both directions. What I am trying to say is we are not just a sales house that will take your software and on sell it to the next person saying here is a piece of software, here is the price tag, there is the owner, thanks very much. We are not just a vendor. What we do is take our consultancy capability and our expertise to market with our partners that we have built a relationship with. The kind of conversations that we are having with a lot of our partners is that they are saying we are a software organisation and when they wake up in the morning they are keenly focused on the code that they are coding and the products features and functions and the next version that needs to go to market. It is not that they are not interested, but for their focus to be on how well that technology is being implemented in the market is a far bigger ask of them. If they can take that hassle away and say listen, here is an organisation that will allow us the capability to worry about the effectiveness of its implementation within the market and we can focus on delivering good products that is a really good combination.

Are there any other partnerships?

No we think for the time being we have filled our stable and it is about not trying to chew off more than you can at any point in time. We chose these particular products and partners quite strategically. It took us quite a while to choose them. It wasnt a one direction thing; we didnt go to market and say please could we become your partner. Conversely they werent actively seeking us; we jointly came together with each partner, chosen specifically in a package that we believe the market would like. The response has been quite favourable to date.

So it was like a courtship.

Yes there was a courtship that had to happen! Well put!

More generally now, how would you describe Cape Towns business communitys mentality overall? I know it is a nebulous question.

Well I understand why it is asked. Cape Town is a mature market in many instances and a cautious market in other instances. We have found that there is good entrepreneurship that comes out of the region and there is deep domain expertise and experience that comes out of this region. The reason why we have been attracted to this market for the last five years is because it brings as many challenges as any of the other markets that we have engaged with thus far. What Cape Town is trying to achieve from an economic perspective is as bold as anywhere else. The conditions are unique and it does make them slightly more reserved in some instances and more considered in others but I think that once the choices are made, they tackle it with both hands.

Is it a big enough market for you?

The size of the market is big enough most definitely. There are some large organisations that are represented within this particular region. We see opportunities for growth in this region as well and a lot of the organisations that are based within Cape Town are multinational in their thinking if not in their practice; they have aspirations to move offshore and that is in alignment with our strategic value. We see a good reciprocal nature here because of that.

From your prospective what are some of the main challenges and constraints in the business environment within the Western Cape and Cape Town?

The Western Cape in my mind needs to realise that it is as good as it says it is from time to time. It needs to take the bull by the horns and move forward. It has good infrastructure, it has a local government that is intent on listening and providing value to the community and I think it is well poised. The important thing for Cape Town is to be able to take up that challenge and move forward in a faster pace. I think that the only thing that keeps it back is itself truth be told.

It should be more self-confident?

It needs to be more self-confident and this particular region can grow tremendously if they are willing to move on the opportunities more aggressively.

For you what is the best thing about running a business in Cape Town? Do you think the region really has a future as a tech hub?

The price point makes it quite favourable as a tech hub; I believe that the incubation programs that take place within the region are really encouraging. They are good starting points. There is a large untapped market within the region that will require lots of investment over the medium to long term. Do I think that it is going to be a region to be reckoned with? They are doing all of the fundamentals correctly and that makes it quite exciting.

Given the parlous state of the South African economy lately, and because of the tough macroeconomic environment, would you say that South African businesses are as uncertain as they are insecure currently? If so, how can a firm like Digiterra help to alleviate some of these uncertainties and help companies learn how to prepare for multiple possible futures?

Are you making reference to South African companies and their view or foreign investment opportunities?

Just the overall backdrop to the anaemic growth that is hankering the country.

You need to divide this into sectors. If we have a look at the financial sector, it is quite a buoyant sector, they have made decisions over the medium term quite a while back already, of their investments and innovation drive that they are trying to do. For them, technology is playing a critical role from an enablement perspective. I think the investments are being made there on the local front. Some of the larger financial institutions have put a stake in their investments and are well down the line into that program itself. If we have a look at the media sector, I think of the media sector within the African context; a lot of South African firms look to Africa as their natural growth point. If we have a look at the conditions from a political perspective and the uncertainty within the region, I think South African businesses are still quite buoyant about the opportunities in Africa in the media sector in particular. The competition is really tough and it is calling for renewed innovation and thinking as to how they take their products and services to market. There is a dominant set of players and there are followers. There is ample opportunity in that space; it all depends on whether or not they are willing to take up that opportunity. From some of the larger players in the market when it comes to media, we have seen willingness for them to engage in the African market quite aggressively and they have learnt some good lessons along the way. They are now starting to yield some of the benefits of those lessons that they have been learning over the last five to ten years. If I look at the manufacturing sector, it is probably the least buoyant that we see when it comes to the demand of our kind of services. They have internalised a lot and there have been tough market conditions. I believe that there is huge opportunity in the manufacturing sector because we have a large labour pool that could be utilised and which is now underutilised for manufacturing. It is still too early; we havent seen enough programs that are driven to drive that. From a foreign investment perspective I would imagine that wouldnt be such a bad place to be. If I have a look at the oil and gas sector, for the Western Cape it is becoming more and more prominent and alternative energies are becoming a key focus point for South Africa. There are both plenty of opportunities for foreign investment and local companies. I would say that the financial sector will continue to grow, the media sector will go through some change and maybe some rethinking, I think that the manufacturing sector has potential and I also think that the oil and gas sector is going to see some growth out of this region from gas, shale and also alternative energies. When it comes to commodities, that is kind of like the big question mark for us right now. Digiterra as an organisation has invested tremendously into the coal sector and our consultancy services within that particular space. It is very quiet at the moment; it is a tough market, cost and consolidation is the order of the day but if commodities is to turn at any point in time I think that that could open up a whole bunch of opportunities in the region.

And Digiterra can service each of those verticals?

We do service all of those verticals quite well yes.

Finally, what would you say are some of the most forbidding hurdles that are currently hampering South Africas growth potential? Which sectors do you think have the most promise to really start to unlock value in the years ahead?

The most obvious hurdle that is talked about is foreign investment. Until such time as the political landscape is more settled, it will create a hampering effect on both local and foreign business.

I would rather talk about opportunities that we have seen both locally and globally and where there is potential, within our particular space and focus more specifically on the IT consultancy side. We see good opportunity when it comes to co-sourcing, outsourcing, shared services concepts etc. Shared services within the South African context is still quite a limited style for organisations doing cost consolidation. If you have a look at shared services per say, the concept is I take all the primary elements whether they be finance, HR, sales and marketing and I say which of these key components could I put into a shared service that I can get economies of scale and reduce my overall costs and improve efficiency?. If we have a look at the European market as our trading north, we see that the concept is quite widely accepted, so offshoring or near-shoring and a combination of shared services is adopted and is far more mature than it is in South Africa. The opportunity for shared services and the concept within the client base is something where we dont see potential right away but in the near midterm we see huge potential. Also in a bidirectional way purely based on our cost of resourcing and the depth of experience that we have, we see huge opportunity in the European market for growth into that space. Europe and the UK already make use of South Africa that is why Cape Town has been labelled as a hub for contact centres for arguments sake. We see more potential for things like business process outsourcing, shared services centres and IT outsourcing opportunities. I think that the opportunity for foreign organisations sits squarely within the oil and gas sector. In the short term there is good opportunity there. I think within the manufacturing sector, as a South African and as a businessperson I see it as having most potential but we are yet to see tangible opportunities put in place for that though.

Historically South Africa has always been very strong in manufacturing. It has been one of its core enterprises with lots of car building, ship manufacturing, heavy engineering etc. It has been the backbone of the economy traditionally.

When it comes to engineering it has always been the support of the mining sector. If you look at motor manufacturing I think that definitely in the Eastern Cape it is the sector that has the most traction. If you have a look at the clothing and fabrics industry, that has taken a huge hammering over the last ten to fifteen years if not longer. That is purely from a global competitive standpoint yet I think the quality produced in South Africa offers opportunity once again. We would love to see it.

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Supported by slow fleet growth and ongoing positive refinery margins, VLCC earnings in Q1-2016 were up from a year ago, but down from Q4-2015 as we expected at $58,367 per day for VLCC (+5.7% year on year).

For the minor crude oil carriers, rates were down from Q1-2015 and Q4-2015. Rates in Q1-2016 were $37,914 per day for suezmax (-25% year on year), $30,197 per day for aframax (-24% year on year).

For the oil product tankers, Q3-2015 stands out as the peak quarter of the current cycle. Earnings in Q1-2016 were the lowest since Q3-2014 when the markets started to rise.

The same patterns of slightly falling freight rates reappears in the time charter market. BIMCO recommended back in January putting some capacity away on time charter.

Time charter rates have dropped somewhat since then. Our recommendation remains to balance your exposure to market by seeking a fixture in the time charter market.

BIMCO believes that having a volatile oil price gives a stronger oil tanker market than one where oil prices are stable  high or low. Volatility in oil pricing and growing arbitrage opportunities due to price differences between the same oil products in different places around the world provides a lot of business.

Trading in crude oil and oil products is an important demand component, one that often provides a boost to tanker demand in the market. This supplements the demand coming from the end consumers of oil.

While all eyes are on how quickly Iran can ramp up production and increase its exports, neighbouring Iraq is not letting go of its market share without a fight. Iraq exported an average of 3.26 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) through its southern terminals in March, up from 3.22 million bpd in January 2016 and 2.5 million bpd in the full year of 2010.

Iraqs oil production hit an all-time-high in January 2016, with crude oil output from across the whole country, including Kurdistan (0.6 million bpd), averaging 4.775 million bpd.

Reports of 2.2 million bpd being exported in February tell us that Iran is ramping up export capacity steadily. This will bring more oil to the market and hopefully positive economic growth in Iran that will have a general positive impact on shipping.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast global oil demand to grow by 1.2 million bpd in 2016, while estimating that demand grew by 1.8 million bpd in 2015. Both numbers provide solid demand growth for oil tankers.

Currently oil supply is also coming down, limiting stock building, which we have seen on a large scale since mid-2014, when oil prices started to come down. BIMCO has argued that bloated oil stocks represent a risk to tanker demand going forward, but we also note that the new stock levels may become permanent, and if that is the case, we will not see tanker demand come under pressure due to that. Time will tell.

Independent Chinese teapot refiners continue to support crude oil imports into China as they take advantage of the extended allowance to export more refined oil products in 2016. In particular, the VLCCs may continuously benefit from this in the coming months. This is a growth in demand that has caused congestion around main discharge areas.

In February, China imported a record of 8 million bpd. While March saw 7.68 million bpd landed. This compares to the 2015 average of 6.7 million bpd. The dominant part of the increase is due to the teapots. Q1 imports hiked by 13.4% year on year.

As strong as the demand side is, the market acknowledges that changes during 2016 to the freight market fundamentals may result in lower earnings going forward. Asset prices for crude oil tankers, as well as oil product tankers started to decline in August 2015, not dramatically but in response to the outlook.

Only 37,000 DWT handysize product tankers seem to defy forecasts. The key development will therefore be the large inflow of new tonnage, especially crude carriers, and how big an impact that is going to have on freight rates.
Winterthur Gas & Diesel (WinGD) and its two-stroke engine manufacturer Hyundai Heavy Industries - Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD) announced the successful testing and delivery of their first IMO Tier III compliant Wartsila X72 diesel engine.

Built at HHI-EMDs works in Ulsan Korea, the six-cylinder, Wartsila X72 diesel engine employs a compact, pre-turbocharger selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. The system is supplied by HHI-EMD and at a shop test on 23rd March 2016, it demonstrated its ability to reduce the engines NOx emissions below the limitations of IMO Tier III for vessels operating in ECAs. Likewise at the shop test, the Wartsila X72 engine demonstrated its compliance with the NOx limits of IMO Tier II without exhaust after treatment.

Commenting on its pre-turbocharger SCR system, HHI-EMD notes that locating the SCR catalyst in the hotter exhaust gases before the turbocharger turbine is designed to reliably achieve the temperature level required for the NOx-reducing reaction of the exhaust gases with the urea reducing agent.

Following the test, the 15,080 kW rated engine (74.7 rpm) was delivered to HSHI (Hyundai Samho Heavy Industry) in Samho-Eup, Yeongam-Gun, South Korea, where it will be installed into a 159,000 DWT Crude Oil Products Tanker.
The demand for container shipping is really not going anywhere at the moment. Indicators for growth in the first months of 2016 point to limited overall demand and huge variations from trade to trade. In addition, all numbers are impacted by Chinese New Year, which disrupts most trade figures for the first months of any year.

BIMCOs own data for the United States (US) imports on the east coast shows an increase of 6.5%, a significant rise even above the strong level seen in 2015. The west coast imports of loaded containers are only impressive in comparison with the very poor volumes seen in 2015.

These were impacted heavily by the conflict between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) which clogged up the main ports.

Volumes going into Europe from Asia dropped 6.8% in Jan-Feb 2016 from the year before, according to Container Trade Statistics (CTS). Its not just the volumes via transhipment that used to go into Russia which caused the volumes to drop.

Mainland Europe demand continues to be weak in itself. In 2015, volumes transported from Asia to Europe dropped by 3.6%. Out of which, volumes going specifically to Russia dropped by 24.2%.

Head haul TEU-miles globally were down 1.2% in Jan-Feb 2016 (as measured by SeaIntel) compared to the year before. A similar negative development was seen in 2013, whereas 2014 and 2015 saw sailing distances grow faster than underlying TEU demand.

This drop in demand for container shipping was also reflected in freight rates on all the container routes out of Shanghai covered by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange. Nearly all of the head haul freight rates sit at their lowest levels on record by mid-April.

Both trades going to US east coast and west coast are 50% below a six year average for April. For Shanghai to Europe it is slightly worse. The exceptions are to destinations in East Japan and Santos, where rates are above the 2015-level but still below the six year average.

Bunker fuel prices have followed the crude oil prices down from USD 560 per mt of 380 cSt bunker fuel oil in Singapore in 2014, to USD 292 per mt in 2015 and currently costs USD 177 per mt. This has encouraged some liner companies to exploit the lower fuel costs to sail the longer route and avoid the costly canal tariffs in the Suez Canal.

As BIMCO has previously highlighted (in relation to avoiding piracy by re-routing round the Cape of Good Hope) low enough bunker prices open up for the possibility of longer sailings to cut out the expensive Panama Canal and Suez Canal transits. Today, the re-routing option from Europe or the US is a lot cheaper than going via the Suez Canal.

This has prompted the Suez Canal to make an unprecedented move - offering 30% discounts to containerships sailing from the US East Coast back to Asia. Surely, this initiative is also a welcome present to the Panama Canal, which will be opening up its new locks for business shortly.

For the shipping industry, this is a very positive move, as canal transit is normally very costly. The opening of the new set of locks in Panama mean more competition for Asia-US East Coast trades  something that we could hope would drive down canal transit fees.

Liner operators currently engaged in negotiations for price and volume contracts, find themselves exposed. They are no longer shielded from the poorly performing spot market, as more and more contracts become index-linked.

Managing capacity by the individual companies in the industry is at the centre of the recovery.

As demand is not expected to grow at a pace needed to match the capacity of new ships entering the fleet, extensive idling of the modern and efficient ships in the fleet and continued demolition of the inefficient ships will improve the market both in the short and mid-term.

For the longer term management of capacity, a low level of contracting for newbuildings must be maintained. 2016 is off to a good start on all these parameters.
On 10 February 2016, the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) hit 290. At that point, a bulk carrier regardless of its size, age and fuel-efficient qualities earned a time charter average of USD 2,417-2,776 per day.

Whereas the three smaller segments have seen higher earnings since then, capesize earnings lost ground up until the end of March. By mid-April, the gap closed and capesizes are back on par with the pack. Despite the fact that earnings have doubled in those two months, they remain below OPEX levels for the largest part of the fleet.

Despite the many attempts by steel mills around the world to fend off Chinese steel from their home market, Chinas steel export volumes did not fall significantly in January and February.

Export dropped by just 1.6% to 17.85 million tonnes. New data for March showed exports of 10 million tonnes. In 2015, China flooded the world market as 112 million tons were exported, bringing down scrap steel prices in the wake of it.

Global crude steel production for January and February combined was 5.6% lower than in the same period of 2015, according to Worldsteel. Crude steel production in China was down 6.5% at the same time.

The three key items to watch out for in 2016 are Chinese imports of coal and iron ore, as well as how much dry bulk tonnage is going to be demolished. Nothing else really matters to an extent that can either improve or damage the fundamentals of the dry bulk shipping market.

For the coming months: April-July, BIMCO expects transported volumes to grow slowly - as they seasonally do - from the first quarter into the second. This ought to underpin the freight market.

Notably, we expect a new record volume of combined grain and soybean exports this year from Argentina and Brazil. We do not anticipate a massive rise in freight rates for handysize, supramax and panamaxes on the back of this, as ships are already waiting around the main loading areas. Nevertheless, it should give a boost in confidence, a confidence that Moore Stephens in March assessed to be at a record low.

Another positive indication of China not being as vulnerable as some may believe, which is supporting the soft landing trajectory, is the improving domestic steel prices, seen since mid-February.

In the international markets, spot iron ore prices have also rebounded from USD 41 per MT at the beginning of 2016 to see USD 56 per MT in mid-April. Very different from the peaks of the past, but a positive indicator in the midst of all this surrounding uncertainty.

We are still worried about the sustainability of freight rates in the years to come. Our main worry is that demolition activity will slow down as the BDI improves.

If shipowners slow demolition of ships considerably, the fleet will keep growing. This will widen the fundamental imbalance further because we forecast the demand side to grow slowly in the coming years.

In order to reverse several years of adding capacity in excess of demand growth, we need to develop a multi-year trend of negative fleet growth. BIMCO assess the current utilisation rate of the dry bulk fleet at the low end of the 70s.

Looking further ahead, coal imports into India may change. If the retained political vision of making India self-sufficient in thermal coal becomes reality. Surely the jury is still out on that.

In November 2013 the then Indian Power Minister Goyal was very confident, when saying India may stop thermal coal imports in two to three years, as domestic production would increase. Mr. Goyal, now being Indias Energy Minister repeated the exactly the same words in April 2016. We want to completely stop its import over the next two to three years.

India imported 171 million tonnes of thermal coal in 2015, slightly down from 176 million tonnes in 2014. SSY expects India to import 170 million tonnes of thermal coal in 2016.
AWO members converge on Washington D.C. for another record-setting barge-in; new leadership elected

The American Waterways Operators (AWO) 2016 Spring Convention attracted more than 200 members to Washington, D.C. April 19-21, including 36 first-time attendees.

The annual event included a day of organization-wide and sector-specific meetings to discuss priority industry issues, the 14th Annual Barge-In, the Annual Membership meeting, at which AWOs new member leadership was elected and new members of the Board of Directors were enrolled, and the Board of Directors meeting. Members elected Jim Farley of Kirby Corporation as Chairman of the Board and Ted Tregurtha of Moran Towing Corporation as Vice Chairman.

At the Annual Membership Meeting on April 21, outgoing AWO Chairman David Sehrt, Ingram Barge Company, said his chairmanship had been focused on member commitment and engagement, which originated in the goals of the Task Force on Future Missions and Capacity of AWO to increase the sense of connectivity that AWO members have to the association.

In 2015, we embraced this challenge, conducting personal visits with each and every carrier member to thank you for your membership, listen to your needs and priorities, and learn how AWO can provide greater value to you in the future, Sehrt said. This initiative highlighted one of the truly unique characteristics of AWO  the strong member-staff partnership that we enjoy.

AWO President & CEO Tom Allegretti thanked Sehrt for his great leadership and remarked on the incredible amount of time he had given to the industry during his term as Chairman.

He has listened carefully to understand how members see their association and how they perceive and derive value. He has taken these messages to every AWO meeting that occurred during the course of his term as chairman and has participated personally in many of the individual member visits that we conducted during our membership campaign. That took him from the swamps of Louisiana to the corridors of Manhattan.

Allegretti then listed some of the years accomplishments under Sehrts leadership, including a stronger commitment to member engagement; ensuring that all members understood the changes to the Responsible Carrier Program and working to ensure that Subchapter M will be implemented in a manner that does not disrupt members operations; supporting the AWO PAC; and working to improve AWOs relationship with the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau.

Allegretti shared with the Board of Directors his annual assessment of the state of the association. Allegretti said he is confident that AWO is well positioned to meet the challenges and provide value to members in what he described as a tough year ahead.

Allegretti cited AWOs 2015 Organizational Accomplishments document, which highlights successes achieved and progress made over the past year. He also noted the set of Organizational Metrics approved by the Board last year, which provide a snapshot of organizational performance across the full range of AWOs missions  advocacy, safety, public affairs and communications, member engagement, operations, administration and finance.

Allegretti said that another important means of assessing value was the 2015 membership outreach and engagement campaign, in which AWO senior staff and member leaders conducted visits with every AWO carrier member. This outreach effort produced strong affirmation of the value of AWO from members and increased members sense of connectivity commitment to AWO, thereby strengthening the organization.

Looking ahead to the challenges of 2016,Allegretti said, We know that member expectations will be higher than ever. They will continue to expect us to get hard things done. They will continue to expect flawless financial management. They will continue to expect increased effectiveness in our regional advocacy. They will continue to expect us to lead on safety. The bottom line  they continue to expect us to deploy our resources effectively on all fronts.
Singapore-listed ship repair, marine engineering and dry bulk shipping company COSCO Corporation (Singapore) Limited has recorded a net loss of USD 11.7 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to a net profit of USD 4.2 million in the corresponding quarter of 2015.

The deep is attributed mainly to the poor shipbuilding and dry bulk shipping businesses.The group booked lower revenues from shipyard operations and dry bulk shipping.

Revenue fell by 27% year-on-year to $716.6 million owing to lower contributions from shipbuilding and dry bulk shipping, partially offset by higher revenue from ship repair.

Turnover from dry bulk shipping and other businesses decreased 45.2% to $5.7 million in Q1 2016 on decreased charter rates.

As the world shipping market continues to face tonnage overcapacity pressures, new shipbuilding orders have fallen to a low level in Q1 2016. The group will thus continue to face pressure in the shipbuilding segment, Singapore-listed Cosco Corp said.

Under such challenging circumstances, new orders started to decline in 2014 and this continued throughout 2015 and into Q1 2016. Some customers have delayed accepting delivery of projects upon completion and it is possible that more customers will seek to delay delivery of projects or seek deferment of payment schedules," the statement said.

It added: "Any rise in wages, prices of raw materials required for production as well as higher financing costs may exert even greater downward pressure on the operating margins of the Groups shipyard operations. "

As at end-March 2016, the groups orderbook stood at approximately $7.6bn with progressive deliveries up to 2018. These include modules of drillship and FPSO contracts for certain Brazilian customers amounting to around $1.4bn.

This orderbook is subject to revision from any new, cancellation, variation or scheduling of orders that may arise, Cosco Corp warned.

Already, the group announced last month that Sevan Drilling and Cosco Qidong shipyard agreed to exercise the second option to extend the delivery date of Sevan Developer for another six months up to 15 October 2016.

Pressing forward, we must keep our fingers firmly on the pulse of the market, remain agile and leverage on our strengths and competitive advantages to tide through this difficult time, Wu Zi Heng, Vice Chairman and President, said.
Two tankers ship diesel in rarely used route.



Brazil has joined a list of countries exporting diesel to Europe, reversing a traditional route and underscoring a weakening of the largest South American economy.



At least two 37,000 tonne cargoes of diesel, on the tankers Torm Gunhild and MT Alexandros, have sailed in recent weeks from Brazil to Europe, according to Reuters ship tracking data and traders.



Torm Gunhild is heading to Venice and is chartered by Italian oil company Eni while MT Alexandros has been chartered by trading house Glencore and is set to discharge in the Canary Islands.



Traders linked the rare arbitrage to Brazil's economy, which has struggled with a deepening recession in recent years. Its economic output fell 3.8 percent in 2015 and is expected to decline by the same amount in 2016, according to the International Monetary Fund.



According to trade sources, one of the cargoes loaded distillates off the coast of Brazil from a vessel that originated at India's Reliance oil refinery.



Diesel consumption in Brazil, which imports much of its needs from the United States, Asia and, at times, Europe, has also been on a steady decline.



"We do not expect diesel demand to increase significantly until the wider economy recovers," consultancy Energy Aspects said last month.



Europe is the world's main hub for diesel due its heavy use. A sharp increase in diesel refining capacity around the world has led over the past year to a sharp increase in supply, in Europe in particular, putting heavy pressure on diesel refining margins.



France's Total is offering to sell a 270,000 tonne cargo of diesel into Europe, which would be the largest cargo ever sold in the region, according to traders.



By Ron Bousso
The Next Generation Marine Power & Propulsion event was held in the Grand Harbour conference venue looking out over the Port of Southampton where cruise ships, oil tankers and the world's largest container vessels ply their global trade.

The event brought together a broad and unique marine industry group from the UK, EU and US. A dynamic program, including three keynote speakers and 20 presenters, highlighted the latest technology and opportunities for the maritime sector worldwide  and the future for next generation marine power certainly looks bright.

Professor Ajit Shenoi, Director of Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute (SMMI), opened the conference with a keynote, Global Marine Technology Trends  2030 and Beyond. He highlighted the recent report, produced jointly with Lloyds Register and Qinetiq, which identified 18 technologies that are likely to shape the future of the marine and maritime sectors up to 2030. Advanced engines, alternative fuels, propulsion energy saving devices, hybrid and renewable sources of power and emissions abatement are all identified as likely technologies that will shape the future.

Captain Don Cockrill, Secretary General of UK Maritime Pilots Association, opened Day 2 with a keynote, Powering the Modern Port  Ships, Tugs and the Hidden Fleet of Support Vessels. As a Master Mariner and Maritime Pilot he has an insiders view of our ports, where ships load and discharge their cargoes. His overview showed that there is a complex diversity of maritime workhorse vessels that make essential contributions to the safety and efficiency of port operations. The variety of their diverse and often innovative propulsion designs was highly relevant to the audience.

Captain Andrew Moll, Deputy Chief Inspector of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), opened Day 3 with a keynote, How Emerging Technology can Create Problems at Sea as well as Providing Solutions. Evidence from accident investigation indicates that the introduction at sea of emerging technologies can create unforeseen problems. On the technical side it can be difficult to assess what checks and balances to apply to new technologies, with the result that old rules and standards are initially applied until sufficient experience is gained for adjustments to be made.

John Haynes, Next Gen Event Organizer & Chairman, announced that the Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) had released MGN 550, Guidance for Safe Design, Installation and Operation of Lithium-ion Batteries, on April 28 to coincide with the Next Generation Marine Power Workshop. In October 2015 he brought together a working group to assist MCA Technology during the Hybrid Marine Power Conference at the RNLI Lifeboat College. The high level panel included hybrid, battery and electric subject matter experts from sectors including automotive, aviation and power grid. In January 2016 he presented on Hybrid Superyachts and Tenders at the London International Superyacht Forum, where MCA released the draft Battery MGN.

New MGN 550 - MCA Guidance for Lithium-ion Batteries

The UK MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency) has issued MGN 550 (Marine Guidance Note) on, 'Guidance for Safe Design, Installation and Operation of Lithium-ion Batteries.'

In recent years the use of lithium-ion batteries in the marine industry has risen mainly due to improvements in technology and the economic or legal drivers which require the cutting of fuel costs and exhaust emissions.

Lithium-ion and other battery technologies have become viable energy storage options due to their high energy density and capacity for high charge/discharge rates which allow them to be used for hotel or auxiliary loads and low power applications including low speed propulsion.

The guidance aims to facilitate safe and environmentally-friendly lithium-ion battery solutions for vessels utilizing lithium-ion batteries as part of a hybrid power system or as the sole source of propulsion power.

UK Hybrid Ferry Announced for Isle of Wight

Coincidentally, on the last day of the Next Generation Power conference UK operator Wightlink Ferries announced that they have signed a contract to build a new Hybrid ship for the Portsmouth to Fishbourne. The new ferry will be slightly larger than the flagship Wightlink ferry St Clare and will be the most environmentally friendly ever to serve the Isle of Wight route.

John Burrows, Interim Wight Link Chief Executive, said, This major investment in our services will allow us to carry more cars, lorries and other vehicles to and from the Isle of Wight and help us improve reliability and punctuality, especially at the busiest times of the year. Hybrid battery technology will reduce our carbon footprint and help us to operate more efficiently and quietly.

It will cost over 30 million and enter service in 2018 using hybrid battery technology, as well as conventional fuel, to reduce emissions and make the vessel quieter. The new ferry will have two fixed vehicle decks to hold the equivalent of 178 cars and space for more than 1,000 people on board with luxurious and comfortable seats and cafes. The Cemre shipyard in Turkey has won the contract to carry out the work.
1860 - While off the Isle of Pines (now named Isla de la Juventud) near the south coast of Cuba, the screw gunboat Wyandotte captures the slaver William, which carries 570 Africans.



1926 - Lt. Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd and Chief Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett report reaching the North Pole in their heavier-than-air-flight aircraft. Both receive the Medal of Honor for this event.



1942 - USS Wasp (CV 7) launches 47 RAF Spitfires, British carrier Eagle accompanies Wasp and launches 17 additional Spitfires.



1945 - German submarine U 249 surrenders to PB4Y-1 Liberator from (FAW 7) off the Scilly Islands, England, becoming the first to do so after hostilities ceased in Europe.



1952 - USS Douglas H. Fox (DD 779) launches a boat raid on the inner harbor of Hungnam, Korea, and returns with two prisoners and two small sailing junks.



1992 - USS Ashland (LSD 48) is commissioned in New Orleans, La. Following the ceremony, the dock landing ship sails for its homeport at Little Creek, Va.





(Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division)
China's imports of crude oil rose 7.6 percent in April from a year ago, customs data showed on Sunday, lifted by continued strong demand from domestic private refiners.



The high April inflows were a result of the strong appetite of small domestic independent "teapot" refineries. Beijing has granted licenses to more than 20 of them since last year to import crude for the first time.



China imported 32.58 million tonnes of crude oil in April, data from the General Administration of Customs showed, missing a Reuters forecast.



Thomson Reuters Oil Research and Forecasts had predicted that the total crude arrivals for April into China would reach 33.14 million tonnes, up from a March reading of 32.61 million tonnes.



On a daily basis, April imports were 3.1 percent higher from March to 7.92 million barrels per day (bpd).



On a net basis, after factoring in exports of 440,000 tonnes, China's April crude imports were 7.26 million bpd in April.



Armed with quotas that could make up a fifth of total Chinese crude imports, domestic independent refineries are among the bright spots in the global crude oil market as they ramped up throughput, at the same time adding to China's swelling fuel exports.



In the first four months of the year, China imported 123.7 million tonnes of crude oil, or 7.46 million bpd, up 11.8 percent over the same period a year earlier.



China also imported 2.51 million tonnes of oil products in April and exported 3.68 million tonnes, leaving net oil product exports at 1.17 million tonnes, customs data showed.



(Reporting by Winni Zhou and David Stanway; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Paul Tait)
Australia and Thailand are co-hosting a peacekeeping exercise involving over 100 participants from the IndoPacific region from 9-20 May 2016 in Bangsaen, Thailand.



Commander Australian Defence College, Major General Simone Wilkie, who is in Thailand to open PIRAP JABIRU 2016, said the exercise is a fantastic opportunity to bring together representatives from 22 Indo-Pacific militaries, police forces, and non-governmental organisations to consider the current issues facing peacekeepers and to identify strategies to meet the future challenges.



The true value of the PIRAP JABIRU series is that it enables participants to develop a much deeper understanding of contemporary multi-dimensional UN Missions and most importantly how we can work together to achieve optimal results, MAJGEN Wilkie said.



MAJGEN Wilkie also said that Exercise PIRAP JABIRU 2016 provides the Australian Defence Force and international attendees with the opportunity to consider the evolving nature of peace operations and help to maintain successful regional collaboration in the future.



Todays missions are concerned with ensuring stability, promoting good governance and human rights, providing humanitarian assistance and assisting in the disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of former combatants.



Participants will be tested by realistic scenario-based problems that reflect contemporary UN operations including how to protect vulnerable populations such as women and children, understanding peacekeepers rights and obligations under international and domestic law and how to maintain logistics support in often austere environments. Participants will work together to develop comprehensive approaches to these problems, she said.



The PIRAP JABIRU biennial series, which commenced in 1998, reflects Australias close bilateral ties with Thailand, including a strong history of peacekeeping cooperation.



Thailand is a very important security partner for Australia. We share similar approaches to regional security and a history of cooperation, including in recent operations in Timor-Leste, the Gulf of Aden and operations in Sudan and South Sudan, MAJGEN Wilkie said.



This year marks the 69th anniversary of Australias first contribution to UN peacekeeping missions, including in; Korea, Lebanon, Cyprus, Cambodia, Rwanda, Timor-Leste, Sudan and South Sudan.


Singapore-headquartered port operator PSA International Pte Ltd has set up a corporate venture capital arm, PSA unboXed, with an initial fund size of S$20 million ($14.66 million) to invest in startups.



PSA said it would seek to invest in companies developing logistics solutions, including robotics and automation in container and cargo handling operations.



"Through PSA unboXed, we want to encourage creative ideas that can improve and revamp logistics technology, increase port productivity and enhance the integration, security and performance across the constituents of global supply chain logistics," Group Chief Executive Tan Chong Meng said in a statement.



PSA counts itself among the world's largest port groups, with involvement in around 40 terminals in 16 countries.

Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan
SAAM SMIT Towage (SST), a joint venture between SAAM and Royal Boskalis Westminster which operates in Canada, Mexico Panama and Brazil, has received a new tugboat to join its fleet in Panama.

Built in Rumania by Damen shipyard, SST Rambala belongs to the ASD 2913 series and is characterized by being a compact, maneuverable and powerful tugboat, ideal for crowded ports and waterways with limited space, as well as including firefighting capacity, SST said.

The new vessel has a length of 29 meters, CAT 3516C 6772 BHP at 1,800 rpm (total) engines, and an 83 tons bollard pull. It will provide services in Manzanillo Terminal Internacional (MIT).

The purchase of SST Rambala is a proactive decision that seeks to prepare our fleet in Panama for the opening of the Canals new locks, which is expected to increase the size of the ships docking in the countrys terminals, explained Marcelo Jullian, CEO of SAAM Smit Towage for Mexico, Canada and Panama.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board hopes to recover the voyage data recorder from the cargo ship El Faro, which sank during a hurricane killing all 33 crew on board, over the next two to three months, an agency official said on Thursday.



A surveillance trip to the site where the ship sank last year, some 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) below sea level off the Bahamas, pinpointed the location of the recorder on April 26.



It should contain navigational data and the last 12 hours of audio on the ship's bridge, Brian Curtis, acting director of the Office of Marine Safety at the NTSB, told reporters. He spoke after the voyage to locate the recorder returned to port in Massachusetts.



"We know where it is but it is still a tall challenge. That voyage data recorder is in the middle of the ocean under 15,000 feet of water," Curtis told reporters at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Falmouth, Massachusetts. "We would like to get out there over the next several months, two to three months."



The 790-foot (241-meter) El Faro, owned by Sea Star Line LLC and operated by TOTE Services, went down off the Bahamas on Oct. 1 while on a cargo run between Florida and Puerto Rico. It was the worst cargo shipping disaster involving a U.S.-flagged vessel in more than three decades.



It may take time to extract data from the recorder due to its long immersion, Curtis said, noting that the device was designed to withstand the pressure of being submerged under as much as 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) of water.



"We're much more optimistic today from the work we've done," Curtis said. "It can only be a benefit to the investigation."



In his final transmissions, El Faro's captain reported that the ship was losing propulsion and taking on water.



Company executives have said the decision to attempt the voyage and set the ship's route, despite the dangers posed by a severe storm, were the responsibilities of the captain, who went down with his ship.



Reporting by Scott Malone
The South Korea government plans to drop its forceful measures to push ailing local shipbuilders to merge with each other as mergers or additional cash outlays to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) are unlikely to boost their bottom line, reports Korea Times.

The Korean ship buildes are under heavy pressure on accumulating debt and zero new building orders in April.

The creditors have been urging the ship builders to carry out their respective restructuring plans as well as come up with additional rescue measures as they struggle with mounting losses. The top three shipbuilders were opening up a possibility of significant restructuring measures including that of a merger.

Informed sources said that the Seoul has recently scrapped a plan to forge a "big deal" between the three shipbuilders.

"Pressuring shipbuilders to merge with each other or pumping them with more cash won't help the three shipbuilders,"said government sources.

An official at SHI said the Samsung Group's shipbuilding unit has no plans to acquire stakes in Daewoo Shipbuilding, though he said SHI was notified by the government to implement a contingency plan to keep the shipbuilder from complete fallout.

"Considering the snowballing debts of the shipbuilders, there are no private companies with enough financial resources to carry out such mergers in Korea," he said.

Critics still remain as experts claim that current level of the restructuring through the governmental injection isn't just good enough.

"They are just in a survival mode, on the inhaler, waiting for storm to go away," an industry expert said. "The recession may prevail longer than they expect. And the government cannot help them forever. In order to compete with Chinese shipbuilders in the global market, they should focus on what they can do better through merging. "

Meanwhile Koreas top three shipbuilders recorded improved performances during the first quarter of this year, according to industry insiders.

The worlds No. 1 shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries reaped its first profit in 10 quarters with a net profit of 244.5 billion won ($210 million), although most of the profits were from non-shipbuilding activities.

Moreover, the troubled DMSE recorded a net profit of 31.4 billion won compared to its 1.1 trillion won net loss last quarter.

Samsung Heavy Industries additionally saw improved performance, with a net profit of 15.9 billion won compared to a 42.9 billion won net loss last quarter despite a 21.6 percent decrease in revenue and 79.6 percent decrease in operating profit.
SHIPPINGInsight announced the agenda and identified keynote speakers for the fifth Fleet Optimization Conference & Exhibition. The annual event will take place October 18-19, 2016, at the Stamford Marriott Hotel and Spa in Stamford, Conn.

Capt. Michael Wilson, president & COO of Laurin Maritime (America), will serve as conference chairman. John D. (Jack) Noonan, COO of Chembulk Tankers, and Capt. Norbert Aschmann, CEO of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, will deliver the keynote addresses on Days One and Two. James Watson, president of Americas Division at ABS; Esa Jokioinen, head of the Blue Ocean Team at Rolls-Royce, Frank Coles, CEO of Transas Marine Ltd., and Angus Campbell, managing director of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (UK), will be session keynoters.

The conference agenda will consist of four themed sessions: Regulatory Compliance, Connected Ships & Cybersecurity, Big Data & Shipping Intelligence, and Fuel & Propulsion. Each session will include two panels followed by an open-discussion Q&A-driven roundtable of experts. The third annual SHIPPINGInsight Award will be presented at a gala luncheon to a shipowner and technology partners for achievements in ship and fleet optimization.

New for 2016 will be a special interactive roundtable of shipping company executives, who will share their perspectives and answer questions from conference delegates.

The exhibit hall is being expanded to accommodate 50+ booths this year in response to growing demand from companies wishing to showcase their technologies and solutions.

The key to the success of SHIPPINGInsight is its format, bringing together shipowners and managers with technology companies in an intimate setting that encourages sharing of ideas and best practices for meeting the challenges of ship operations, said SHIPPINGInsight co-director Frank Soccoli. Already we have commitments from over 34 shipping company executives to participate in the 2016 event. In addition to the formal conference sessions and exhibits, we provide ample opportunities for informal networking.

We are assembling an impressive group of over 70 speakers and moderators for this years conference, said SHIPPINGInsight co-director Jim Rhodes. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for you to learn from experts and network with your peers in the international shipping industry.

Last years SHIPPINGInsight had 169 delegates from seven countries, including 25 shipping companies. There were 58 speakers and moderators, 49 exhibitor booths, 36 industry sponsors, seven media sponsors and five supporting organizations, according to Rhodes. Campbell commented: The conference sessions were valuable, and I was especially interested to learn more about cybersecurity and the U.S. perspective on LNG as a marine fuel. I enjoyed the open-dialogue roundtable sessions addressing pressing topics for the shipping industry, and networking with technology suppliers to help me better understand available solutions.
Austal Limited announced it has secured an order worth nearly $11.8 million from the U.S. Navy to provide engineering and management services for advance planning and design in support of the Post Shakedown Availability for the Littoral Combat Ship Montgomery (LCS 8).

The cost-plus-award-fee order is against the previously awarded Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) N00024-15-G-2304 for the Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship program. Austal will provide design, planning and material support services for the vessel, including program management, advance planning, engineering, design, material kitting, liaison and scheduling.

Austal has delivered three Independence-variant LCS to the U.S. Navy; two as subcontractor (LCS 2 and LCS 4) and one as prime contractor (LCS 6) under a separate 10 vessel, $3.5 billion contract awarded by the U.S. Navy in 2010. The program grew to 13 vessels when the U.S. Navy funded an additional ship, LCS 26, to Austal in April 2016. Austal has seven LCS under construction at its U.S. shipyard in Mobile, Alabama, with Montgomery (LCS 8) scheduled for delivery later in the year.

Austal is constructing ten 103-meter Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessels under a $1.6 billion contract from the U.S. Navy, with six already delivered and the remaining vessels under construction at Austals US shipyard. Austal is also procuring long-lead materials for EPF 11 and EPF 12 under additional contracts from the U.S. Navy.
A naming ceremony was held on April 22, 2016 for Svitzer Deben, Svitzers new Damen ASD 3212 80-metric-ton bollard pull escort tug for the Port of Felixstowe.

Marc Niederer, Managing Director of Svitzer Europe, hosted the naming ceremony, which saw Svitzer Deben blessed by Sister Marian Davey before Alyson Cheng, wife of Clemence Cheng, CEO of Hutchinson Ports UK, named the tug. Representatives from all parties in the Port of Felixstowe and Harwich Haven Authorities joined the celebrations.

Built at Damen Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam, Svitzer Deben was delivered earlier this year to the expanding Port of Felixstowe, which has attracted regular calls from some of the worlds largest container vessels. Svitzer said it is continuously investing in newer and larger tugs to handle these mega-vessels safely and without delay. Svitzer Deben is a clear sign that we are investing in the future of Felixstowe, Niederer said.

The newly built Svitzer Deben is equipped with a 2,800mm controllable pitch propeller, a hydraulically driven double drum forward winch, a single drum aft winch, two Caterpillar 3516C HD+ TA/D engines and two Rolls Royce US255 P30 CP Special thrusters.

Svitzer Deben is already working in the port, complementing the fleet consisting of Svitzer Shotley, Svitzer Sky and Svitzer Stanford.
Forces from Bulgaria, Romania, France, Great Britain and the United States will conduct a multi-national exercise to improve collective defense in Eastern Europe.



U.S. Marines and sailors of the Combined Arms Company and Black Sea Rotational Force are scheduled to participate in Platinum Lion 16-3 at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, beginning May 9, 2016.



During the exercise, the Service members will conduct integrated platoon offensive operations, maneuver training, air assault training and mechanized integration aimed at collectively increasing combined arms skills, anti-armor tactics and other capabilities needed for combat.



The Bulgaria-based Combined Arms Company arrived in August 2015 to support NATO allies and partners in the region and to bolster multi-national exercises with mechanized capabilities. The CAC is a supplemental unit to the Black Sea Rotational Force, a semi-annual rotation of Marines and Sailors based in Romania to respond to a broad range of military operations in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility.



For questions regarding the Combined Arms Company or Black Sea Rotational Force, please e-mail the BSRF Public Affairs Office at kathleen.obrien@usmc.mil.


Price Of Gold Is Breaking Out But Commercial Traders On The Wrong Side?

Price of Gold: The activities of the commercial traders in the COT data is closely watched by the market participants, as they are believed to be the smartest of the lot. They take deliveries on their bets, unlike the speculators, who have no interest in taking a delivery.

If you have followed the commercial traders, without paying attention to my proprietary predictive trend and cycle analysis for the price of gold and silver, you would be sitting on large losses, due to their short positions which mean they expect price to move lower.

The commercial traders short positions are currently at record levels which are more than twice of that as compared to last years readings. Since the beginning of the second half of February of 2016, the commercials have been increasing their short positions during the time that gold was closer to $1220/oz.



Daily Price of Gold Chart and Analysis:

However, if you have followed my recommendation, you would have maintained that once the price of gold crossed the $1190/oz. levels, it was destined to go higher.

However, the head and shoulder formation which developed after gold broke above the $1190 resistance trend line I did feel it would correct for a few weeks.

Instead, the price of gold did not correct, rather it consolidated with this what looked to be a head and shoulders pattern then broke out to the upside and rallied. Once a bearish pattern fails, it becomes very bullish which is what has happened in this case. I was quick to alert my subscribers to buy as soon as the pattern was broken and turned bullish.

However, the current price of gold at $1300/ oz. could offer some resistance, but the resolution of the trend in due time is going to be very strong. The pattern target of the current move is $1350/oz.

What about the poor mans gold, Silver?

The chart indicates that in the last three weeks of April of 2016, the commercial traders have added to their short positions continuously, however, they have been proven wrong once again with the breakout in silver returning 20% during the month of April of 2016.

Although we take note of the commercial positions, I strongly believe in my analytic models which have provided excellent returns, over many years.

Once above the $16/oz. levels, I have had no doubt that silver was ready for a sharp run-up. Therefore, I will be advising my private subscribers as to when to purchase silver, against the bias of the commercial traders and I am confident that my subscribers will reap a windfall when the time is right.

Conclusion  Current Investment Strategy of the Mega-Rich

Do you really want to follow the smart money? Then follow the billionaires and the big banks as I have been doing. Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, manages the largest hedge fund, in the world. His fund manages over $160 billion in assets. Today, his fund is bullish on gold. He recently stated if you dont own gold there is no sensible reason other than you dont know history or you dont know the economics of it.

Stanley Druckenmiller has been purchasing a large long-term position in gold. He made an average of 30% of an annual return in his fund since 1986. So, what is he buying now?

He has an $880 million position in gold, right now. Do you think you should now be following the really smart money, today?

Follow the smart money! Gold is for the long-term investor, well looking forward 3-5 years at least.

Get My Daily Live Price of Gold Market Analysis, Forecast & Trade Alerts: www.TheGoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen

Join my email list FREE and get my next article which I will show you about a major opportunity in bonds and a rate spike  www.GoldAndOilGuy.com

Chris Vermeulen is Founder of the popular trading site TheGoldAndOilGuy.com. There he shares his highly successful, low-risk trading method. For 7 years Chris has been a leader in teaching others to skillfully trade in gold, oil, and silver in both bull and bear markets. Subscribers to his service depend on Chris' uniquely consistent investment opportunities that carry exceptionally low risk and high return.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

Chris Vermeulen Archive

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Wellred Books proudly presents a work eighty years in the making. Leon Trotsky's unfinished biography of Stalin, the most extensive ever edition of the book completed from the original archive material. Here is the story behind the book.

Introduction by WellRed Books

On 20th August 1940 Trotskys life was brutally ended when a Stalinist agent brought an ice pick crashing down on his head. Among the works left unfinished was the second part of his biography of Stalin.

Trotskys Stalin is unique in Marxist literature in that it attempts to explain some of the most decisive events of the 20th century, not just in terms of epoch-making economic and social transformations, but in the individual psychology of one of the protagonists in a great historical drama. It is a fascinating study of the way in which the peculiar character of an individual, his personal traits and psychology, interacts with great events.

How did it come about that Stalin, who began his political life as a revolutionary and a Bolshevik, ended as a tyrant and a monster? Was this something pre-ordained by genetic factors or childhood upbringing? Drawing on a mass of carefully assembled material from his personal archives and many other sources, Trotsky provides the answer to these questions.

In the present edition we have brought together all the material that was available from the Trotsky archives in English and supplemented it with additional material translated from Russian. It is the most complete version of the book that has ever been published. On the eve of the centenary of the October Revolution, we believe that Trotskys Stalin is relevant and inspiring as never before.

Please support our kickstarter campaign to publish the book here

Trotskys Stalin was commissioned by the New York publisher Harper Brothers in February 1938 and was first published in English in 1946. Stalin was Trotskys last major work. However, his life was cut short by a Stalinist assassin on 20th August 1940. The book was never finished.

While Trotsky worked on the book, the manuscript was being translated into English by Charles Malamuth. Following his assassination, the unfinished manuscripts were handed over to Malamuth, not simply for translation, but in fact to edit the work for publication.

Whatever Malamuths talents, this was a political task for which he was completely unsuited. When the book was finally published, the new edited version contained large chunks of material inserted by the editor, which were clearly in violation of Trotskys political thought. Despite indignant protests from Trotskys widow, Natalia Sedova, the offending material was retained by the publishers.

The prime reason for the republication of this newly-expanded edition of Trotskys Stalin is to put right this violation and to insert the material that was excluded by the editor. This project to republish Trotskys original Stalin in this updated form has been more than a decade in the making. The volume removes Malamuths political insertions, which amounted to more than ten thousand words, and restores the original manuscript from unpublished material deposited in the Trotsky archives at Harvard University.

Contemporary montage of Bolshevik leaders of the revolution. Note Stalin is not included. Courtesy of David King

This new edition is the most complete ever published in any language, including in English or Russian, and has increased the size compared to the original over thirty percent. It represents the most extensive work ever undertaken to rebuild the book, and comprises nearly a hundred thousand more words than the original 1946 edition. Malamuth explained that he had left alone the first seven chapters, except for a few deletions of repetitious material.

We have taken the liberty of restoring this material as best we can. Rather than follow Malamuths arrangement, we have chosen our own, following the chronology of events. The editing of this material to ensure the maximum continuity was carried out by Alan Woods, who also translated the bulk of the Russian material.

The Trotsky archives

In 2003, while on a political trip to the United States, I visited Boston and took advantage to visit the Trotsky archives at the nearby university. Trotsky had agreed that the material would be dispatched to Harvard for safe keeping. The archives are leaving [for the United States] this morning on the train, wrote Trotsky on 17th July 1940, a little over a month before his assassination. (Writings supplement 1934-40, p.863)

I was astonished by the vast amount of material contained in the archive. My attention was drawn to the material about Trotskys last book - Stalin. To my amazement I discovered that there were nine large manuscript boxes in the archive, the Harper Manuscripts (items H1  H28), containing the all the preparatory materials for the Stalin book. These contained all the original files, the drafts, proof galleys, press cuttings and notes, handwritten and in typed form, as well as a number of boxes containing all of Charles Malamuths English translations of Trotskys Russian originals.

Harvard University

The first thing that strikes you about the Stalin collection are the different layers, built up like geological strata, which were eventually used to produce the first half of the book, that is to say, up to and including 1917. These first drafts contained hand-written and typed texts, the second drafts that were completely typed, translated and then passed back to Trotsky for further correction, editing and polishing. Trotsky certainly took a great deal of pride in polishing his writings as well as seeking to improve upon the English translations, so that the meaning could be as precise as possible.

My first visit to Harvard simply identified what was there. On subsequent visits, I asked to see the entire archive on Stalin, which was delivered to the reading room on a large trolley. The files containing the materials are housed in large archive boxes and numbered in separate folders (bsmRuss 13.3) H1  H28. These also contain all the paper clippings and various materials that were translated into English but not used in the final edition of the book, including the original drafts, held in folders H14  H19.

Charles Malamuth

The first part of Stalin deals in a masterly fashion with the role of the individual in history, tracing the evolution of Stalin from a young boy in the Seminary to a professional revolutionary in the years before the Revolution of 1917. However, the incomplete second part, which, even in the mutilated published edition, contains extremely interesting material, was marred by the additions introduced by Charles Malamuth. This was not simply bridging material as he maintained, but was made up of whole chunks of text in certain chapters, which clearly contradicted the political line of the book.

When Trotskys widow, Natalia Sedova and Trotskys attorney, Albert Goldman were shown the text, they vehemently objected to the books publication in this vulgarised form. Esteban Volkov, Trotskys grandson, also tried unsuccessfully to prevent the books re-publication in the late 1960s.

How did a man like Malamuth end up editing Trotskys Stalin? Charles Malamuths knowledge of Russian was certainly useful and his talent was put to good use in translating some of Trotskys articles. Trotsky, as we will see, was never very impressed by this young sympathiser or his abilities. Nevertheless, Trotsky was badly in need of help and had to work with the material at his disposal.

On 15th February 1938, (the day before the murder of Leon Sedov, Trotskys son, in Paris), Trotsky was approached by Harper Brothers, the American publishers, with an offer of $5,000, to be paid in installments, to write a biography of Stalin. Trotsky, who was deeply affected by the tragic loss of his son, was not at all at keen about the publishers offer. The death of Sedov was a devastating blow to Trotsky and Natalia, a further act of revenge by Stalin. Moreover, Trotsky had already commenced work on another book, namely a biography of Lenin, the first part of which he had already finished in November 1934.

Pressurised by serious financial difficulties, Trotsky eventually overcame his reluctance and accepted Harpers proposal. Charles Malamuth, who had translated some of Trotskys smaller writings, was available, and was therefore given the task of translating the newly-commissioned work. Clearly delighted by the prospect of such a tempting offer, Malamuth wrote in a letter, Stalin promises to be a milestone in my translation efforts. Trotsky however was not totally convinced, but had little alternative given the lack of available Russian translators. Furthermore, he had received assurances that he would be able to personally supervise and sign off all the translations before publication.

The work begins  and the problems

In early April 1938, the work on Stalin began in earnest. On 26th April, Trotsky wrote to Sara Weber informing her that he was now working on the Stalin book. He had however encountered a problem he wanted her to resolve. At every page I am faced with research upon geographical, historical, chronological, biographical, etc., data, and so he asked her, would it not be possible to find an old pre-revolutionary [Russia] encyclopedia in New York?  The question is very important to me because otherwise my work would be handicapped at every step.

Within a few months Malamuth received the Russian manuscript of the first chapter, "Family and School". Things seemed to proceed quite quickly. The second chapter was mailed to Malamuth on 16th August and the third chapter on 12th September. But the work did not go so smoothly because of various interruptions. Before the end of the year, Harpers had refused Trotsky financial advances on the grounds that he was slow in delivering portions of the manuscript.

There were other problems with the book. Without asking Trotskys permission, Malamuth had shown the manuscript to third parties, namely Max Shachtman and James Burnham who were leading a minority in the American SWP that opposed Trotskys analysis of the character of the USSR . When Trotsky found out about this he was furious, regarding the incident as a breach of trust. Trotsky complained to Joseph Hansen:

Then, against all my warnings, he [Malamuth] permitted himself a condemnable indiscretion with my manuscript. I protested. His elementary duty should have been to apologise for his mistake and everything would have been in order again. I also find that comrades Burnham and Shachtman committed an error in entering into a discussion with him about the quality of the manuscript without asking him whether or not he had my authorisation to give them the manuscript. The best thing would for comrades Burnham and Shachtman, on their own initiative, to explain that they, together with Malamuth, committed something of an indiscretion and it was best to recognise it as such and let it go at that.

In this letter, Trotsky concluded bluntly: Malamuth seems to have at least three qualities: he does not know Russian; he does not know English; and he is tremendously pretentious. I doubt that he is the best of translators (Writings, supplement 1934-40, p.830, my emphasis  RS) In these few words Trotsky reveals a shrewd appreciation of Malamuths pretentiousness, which was amply demonstrated by subsequent events. However, there was little choice but to continue to use his services.

Trotskys indignation at this indiscretion reflected his deep concern about security and the fear that the Stalin manuscript could fall into the wrong hands. This was a very real danger at the time. Trotsky was engaged in a life and death struggle against the crimes of Stalinism. Stalin was obsessed by Trotsky and was determined to silence him. He therefore ordered his secret police agents - the GPU - to penetrate the Trotskyist movement and carry out the maximum of sabotage.

Stalinist agents had already managed to set fire to his household in Prinkipo where some of his papers and documents were destroyed. The GPU is going to do everything in its power to get its hands on my archives, wrote Trotsky on 10th October, 1936. (Writings, 1935-6, p. 440). A month later, his archives entrusted to the Dutch Institute of Social History were ransacked in Paris and certain documents stolen. In order to render me powerless in face of slander, the GPU is trying to get its hands on my archives, whether by theft, housebreaking, or assassination, stated Trotsky. (ibid, p.462)

Mark Zborowski, a Stalinist agent, had infiltrated the movement in France and wormed his way into Leon Sedovs confidence. Russian speakers were in short supply and the movement was in desperate need of assistance. Eventually, he came to assist in the editing of the Bulletin of the Opposition in Paris. Zborowski, whose party name was Etienne, soon had access to the secure box containing the correspondence between Sedov and Trotsky. Using his position, he regularly passed on information about Trotsky to Soviet intelligence, which was then passed on to Stalin personally. It was Zborowski who ensured that copies of Trotskys writings were placed on Stalins desk before they were even published. Stalin read each issue of the Bulletin of the Opposition, paying particular attention to articles about himself.

Trotsky feared that through burglary or other such means, Stalins agents would try to steal or destroy the drafts. Therefore, all precautions were taken to keep them safe. These fears were well founded. When Stalin was informed about Trotskys new work, he was furious and was prepared to go to any lengths to prevent its publication.

Throughout 1939, Trotsky soldiered on with Stalin, but he was faced with further interruptions, not least the need to leave Diego Riveras household in May, dealing with Riveras break with Trotskyism, and then the legal tussle over the custody of his young grandson, Sieva (Esteban Volkov). Seva was to leave Europe and take up his new home with Trotsky and Natalia in Mexico City on 6th August 1939.

Trotskys assassination

By April 1940, at the time of the first assassination attempt on his life, half of the book had been finished (up until 1917) and the remainder of the book was at various stages of completion. The book was now on hold with work almost completely taken up with the legal dispositions needed for the investigation of the attack as well as the Mexican courts. Trotsky also had to answer a continual barrage of lies and slander from the Stalinist newspapers in Mexico and abroad, as they stepped up their verbal assaults.

By the time of Trotskys assassination on 20th August, the book had still only been half completed, with a large amount of material remaining in draft form in different states of readiness. He managed to check the English translation of the first six chapters, but had not had the opportunity to check the seventh.

A number of myths have been circulated about the Stalin book, mainly by Charles Malamuth himself. Malamuth invented the story that in the August attack some of the Stalin manuscripts were splattered with blood and some completely destroyed. He repeats this in his forward to the Stalin book. Some of the manuscript of the unfinished portion was in Trotskys study, strung out in enormously long strips of many sheets pasted end to end, at the time of the murderous attack upon him, and in the struggle with the assassin portions of the manuscript were not only spattered with blood but utterly destroyed.

Police photograph of Trotsky's studyThere is no evidence whatsoever in the Trotsky archives at Harvard to support this claim. Having examined every single page of the original Stalin material, including the long strips pasted end to end, I can safely say that there is no evidence of blood stains or anything else that would support this fairy tale. No damage at all can be seen. The police photograph of Trotskys study following the assassination reveals some newspapers scattered on the floor following the struggle, but there is no sign of any long strips of galleys proofs spattered with blood. Clearly Charles Malamuth invented this story in order to dramatise the whole thing and thus boost his own role in rescuing Trotskys manuscript. This is not the only example of unscrupulous behaviour on his part.

Following Trotskys death, the American publishers, who owned the rights to the book, placed Malamuth in charge, not only of the translation, but of editing the final book. For them, this was simply a commercial calculation to salvage the book following the authors death. Trotskys views did not enter into their calculations.

Malamuths distortions

As soon as Malamuth had gained access to Trotskys unfinished manuscripts, he continued with his translation. It seems that the method Malamuth used was to verbally translate pages of Russian text to an English-language typist. This can be seen from the numerous misspellings of Russian names in the typewritten drafts. Malamuth then went over these first versions to polish up the translation.

From this point on Malamuth, now translator and editor of Trotskys Stalin, would decide what would go in and what would be left out of the book. He was also free to add his own commentaries as bridging material. The editorial policy in regard to the unfinished portion of the manuscript was to publish Trotskys text entirely except for repetitious and utterly extraneous material, states Malamuth in his editors note. Under the circumstances, extensive interpolations by the editor were unavoidable. In addition, eight pages of text were made up of portions of the authors notes [but] summarised by the editor.

Malamuth used this position as editor to introduce his own political commentary into parts of the book, using extensive interpolations in brackets. These unauthorised additions served to distort and misrepresent Trotskys political standpoint and went against the entire political spirit of the book. They regarded Stalinism as the inevitable outgrowth of Bolshevism  a view that was in direct contradiction to the position held by Trotsky, which is clearly expressed in his biography of Stalin.

To illustrate the extent of these interpolations, it is sufficient to look at the original Chapter Eleven, "From Obscurity to the Triumvirate". Of the roughly 1,200 lines in this chapter, sixty-two percent are by Malamuth and thirty-eight percent are by Trotsky. There is not a single word of Trotsky until after seven-and-a-half pages by Malamuth. All this was passed off in the editors note as simply commentary essential for fluency and clarity!

This political meddling led to bitter exchanges between Malamuth and Natalia Sedova. After being shown the final proofs of the book, Natalia and Trotskys attorney, Albert Goldman, objected strenuously to the content. There is a whole section of letters in the Trotsky archive containing the objections raised by Natalia and Albert Goldman. Their indignation is revealed in their damning comments written on the page proofs: False, completely false Trotskys own and complete ending should be used. Not the edited Life copy. Unacceptable Revision of history! Unacceptable, False revision of historical events. And so on.

Trotskys widows objected to the unheard-of violence committed by the translator on the authors rights. She went on to insist that everything written by the pen of Mr. Malamuth must be expunged from the book. As a concession, they wrote, we could agree to include L.D.s own text  provided it is first checked against the originals by us. They then went on to cross out pages of commentary by Malamuth. But it was all to no avail, the unauthorised commentaries were all maintained in the published version. [Harvard, Folders bM3 Russ 13.3  H12 (1of2)].

Natalia resorted to legal action to prevent publication, but the case was lost. When the book finally saw the light of day, Malamuth cynically announced the publication was taking place without censorship either by Trotskyists or by Stalinists! The publication of Stalin was originally planned for 1941. But while the book was in the process of being printed and distributed to wholesalers, the US government intervened to halt publication. Following Hitlers invasion of the Soviet Union, Roosevelt did not wish to annoy his new ally  Joseph Stalin.

It [Trotskys Stalin] was printed by its publisher, Harper and Brothers, but withdrawn by them prior to public sale late in 1941, writes Frank C. Hanighen, feature writer for La Follettes Progressive in the 1st May 1944 issue. The publishers gave as the reason for withdrawal a concern for the works adverse effect on international relations says Mrs Lombard

Mrs Helen Lombard, a Washington Evening Star journalist, exposed the books suppression.

One member of Congress was asked not to let the book get out of his hands nor permit it to be examined by any other person  State Department officials have made informal suggestions that any quotation from the book would be harmful to Soviet-American relations explained Frank Hanighen. (Reprinted from the British Socialist Appeal, August 1944).

Only in 1946, after Britain and the United States had fallen out with Stalin, did the book finally appear. As expected, the publication of Stalin provoked outrage from the Stalinists. They had cheered the suppression of the book, which they hoped would be permanent. But the times had changed and the indignation of the Stalinists knew no bounds.

Five years after it had been withdrawn to avoid embarrassment to Stalin, it was now seen as a useful stick with which to beat him. And Malamuths insertions provided the necessary adjustments to turn Trotskys work into a weapon in the struggle not only against Stalinism but also against Bolshevism. For their part, Harpers were keen to make money from its delayed publication. The whole episode is characterised by the most blatant cynicism on all sides: the publishers, Malamuth and the US government all conspired to use and abuse this book for their own ends. The one voice that was silenced was that of the author, Leon Trotsky.

Malamuths omissions

When Stalin was finally published, a great amount of the material had been left out of the book, despite being translated by Malamuth who judged this material to be superfluous.

There was therefore clearly a great deal of work to be done in restoring as far as possible the original, although unfinished, text of Trotsky. The first task was to remove the political interpolations of Malamuth. In the archive, we again went through the text in order to identify the gaps and omissions. Fortunately, most of the missing material was numbered and could, with considerable detective work, be reunited with the original text to one degree or another.

On a visit to the archive in 2005, we purchased copies of the missing material in the form of microfilm. With assistance from Philip Wallace at the Trotsky collection at Glasgow Caledonian University, photocopies were produced from the film. Then these copies were meticulously typed up, including all the changes, comments and deletions.

This labour of love took a considerable amount of time. Once accomplished, we were then able to painstakingly piece together the original, but still unfinished, work and to slot together all the missing parts of the book. Any small gaps we missed initially were restored thanks to the help of Steve Iverson in Boston, who made visits to the archives on our behalf.

From the time we first obtained the necessary material to the moment we were ready to publish the new edition more than ten years has passed. We have had the benefit of a dedicated team of people who have sacrificed a great deal of their time and effort to ensure the success of this important project, none of whom were able to work on it full-time. The first task was to copy the missing material in a way that could be transferred to a computer, since the original was in too poor a state to be scanned. This onerous task took about two years and was carried out by Hazel Brookshaw, who struggled single-handedly to decipher and type up all the photocopies into useable word files.

The most complicated and time-consuming task was to find the most appropriate places to insert the new material. This actually involved completely reworking the text, work that proceeded painfully slowly. This was the task of Alan Woods who, using his political judgement and knowledge of Russian, managed to complete this important but extremely complicated and difficult work over a period of about three years. The task was further complicated by the discovery of new material, both in English and Russian. Other material, which did not fit, had to be placed in the most appropriate place and political context.

We would also like to thank Philip Wallace from Glasgow Caledonian Archive of the Trotskyist Tradition for his help in copying the microfilm. We must thank Hazel Brookshaw for typing up the photocopies and later proofreading the completed text. We also thank Ana Munoz for her efforts in typing up the corrections and proofreading. In addition, we wish to thank proofreaders Julian Sharpe, Sion Reynolds, Phil Sharpe and Henry Gray for proofreading. We must especially mention John Roberts for his valuable contribution of further proofreading, footnotes, suggestions and oversight. We would also like to thank Thomas Ford and the other librarians at Houghton Library, Harvard University, for their help and assistance. Thanks finally to Timur Dautov for his assistance in translations from Russian.

In publishing this book we have finally fulfilled the wishes of Trotskys widow, Natalia Sedova, to expunge all traces of Malamuth from the text. Trotskys critique of Stalin and Stalinism stands in its own right as a classic work of Marxism. We fervently hope that our decision to republish this important work by Trotsky, purged of the earlier distortions, will serve to restore Trotskys last work to the place of honour it deserves in the political literature of the 20th century.
Courtney Hill Wulsin, owner, Window of Heaven Acupuncture & Yoga, 94 King Street, Suite 3B, Northampton

Years in business: Three in acupuncture; eight teaching yoga

What do you offer and to whom? I help women with their most personal, secret health concerns. Window of Heaven Acupuncture and Yoga is a women's health clinic utilizing acupuncture, Chinese herbs, private yoga lessons and meditation to address menstrual issues, menopause symptoms, sleep disorders and pre/perinatal health.

Why? What motivates you? My practice is designed with the mother in mind. Every product I sell or service I provide is crafted and delivered specifically for the depleted, overworked modern mother. I'm here to support women through night-weaning, sleep training, colic and reflux because that is what it often takes to help a mother sleep and regain her vitality. I believe a healthy woman is capable of anything, but a healthy mother can change the world. Even if I'm working with a woman 10 years before she gets pregnant or 40 years after giving birth, nourishing the mother is the best way to strengthen our community.

What sets you apart? All acupuncture improves sleep, but my unique understanding of chronic insomnia and infant sleep training allows me to prepare the whole family to sleep through the night. I don't just heal the physical issues; I teach people how to sleep by building confidence, healthy habits and sleep skills. I offer a free hour consult so people know price, duration of treatment and frequency of appointments before they commit.

What mark do you hope to make on your community? I want to teach as many people as possible to sleep. High-quality sleep lengthens life, decreases the risk of disease and eradicates anxiety and depression. People don't just need sleep; they also need to know they can fall asleep on their own. To help educate others about on improving sleep, check out my two upcoming workshops on May 31 at 6:30 p.m. at the River Valley Market and June 5 at 3 p.m. at Cultivate & Nest in Hadley.

Website: www.windowofheavenacupuncture.com

How people can contact you:

413-303-1246

info@windowofheavenacupuncture.com

Voices of the Valley is compiled by Janice Beetle of Beetle Press in Easthampton, a PR and communications firm. www.beetlepress.com. To suggest a subject for this feature, email Beetle at janice@beetlepress.com.


SPRINGFIELD  U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, toured Union Station on Monday with Amtrak representatives and city officials in search of ways to make the revamped depot a vibrant part of the city's future as well as a reminder of its past.

And on Tuesday he plans to tour Boston's South Station with state Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack in search of ways to transplant some of South Station's commercial vibrancy to Springfield. Neal said he'll also continue to make his case, in light of Monday's expected MBTA decision to OK spending more than $2 billion to expand its Green Line, that Western Massachusetts transportation projects need funding just as those in metro Boston.

Neal, a longtime booster of the project going back to his days on the Springfield City Council, led officials Monday past rows of shiny new metal framework and pointed out the spot where the station clock  now undergoing restoration  will once again be installed.

"We want to display the artifacts. We need to be respectful of the history," Neal said. "But we don't want it to be a museum."

Springfield's Union Station is now undergoing an $88.5-million rehabilitation into an inter-modal bus-rail-transit hub with taxi service. The new station will include retail and restaurant space as well as office tenants on the upper floors.

"We are just eight months out from completion," Neal said.

It will include not only train access, but bus berths and ticketing and a parking garage that is already completed.

Neal and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno both said Monday that the city is in talks with possible tenants including office users, retailers and eateries. They said they cannot release details.

Patrick Edmond, Amtrak's director of government affairs, and Patrick Kidd, Amtrak's senior communications specialist, both work with the national passenger rail line's Great American Stations program. They've helped Neal tour restored rail palaces in Los Angeles, St. Paul, Minnesota, and elsewhere.

About 30 cities around the country have redeveloped rail stations like Union Station in the past few decades. Amtrak, in its Great American Stations program, has developed best practices it can share.

"It's about making the station a neighborhood," Kidd said. "There are a lot of people who haven't been here in many years and are not used to coming here."

That means historic displays detailing the station's history and the wider history of Springfield. But is also means great dining, public art and event space.

"There are stations that offer yoga on Saturdays," Kidd said. "You can think about annual events you have in Springfield and of ways to incorporate Union Station.

According to Amtrak ridership stats, 123,200 people took trains to and from Springfield in 2015, down from 133,000 in 2014 and 139,400 in 2013. The main Amtrak route through the Pioneer Valley  Vermonter service between Washington and St. Albans, Vermont  was rerouted at the end of 2014 and in early 2015 after significant track repairs. New stations in Greenfield and Northampton drew passengers.

Greenfield had 5,315 passengers in 2015 and Northampton 11,917. Amherst, a station that was replaced by Greenfield and Northampton, had 12,962 come and go in 2013 and 13,780 arriving and departing passengers in 2014.

The state spent $125 million purchasing and upgrading the "Knowledge Corridor" rail line along the Connecticut River serving Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield. Station platforms were built in Greenfield, Northampton and Holyoke.

Neal said it's hard to get a handle on the true potential for ridership while construction is ongoing on tracks in Connecticut. Once upgraded, the Amtrak line through Connecticut will bring 12 additional trains a day from New Haven north through Hartford to Springfield. Completion on the Connecticut project is about a year away.

With bus traffic, Neal said he expects 5 million to 8 million people to pass through Union Station each year once it is open.

Union Station was built in 1926 but closed in the 1970s.

Neal spoke Monday of his grandmother bringing him to Union Station when he was a boy and the sight of porters pushing luggage carts through the great hall. He pointed out where the soda fountain once was.


WESTFIELD Nefarious labels obscure heroic deeds.

So says the Westfield author of a new book about scoundrels who made America great.

In fact, that's the title of Martin Henley's book that was published earlier this year by Abbott Press.

"We like our heroes to wear white hats and our villains to wear black, but bad people make good decisions and good people make bad decisions," said Henley, a professor emeritus at Westfield State University who teaches online courses in education and administers the university's master's program in elementary education.

"Scoundrels Who Made America Great" highlights the lives of five "scoundrels:"

Wehner Von Braun, who engineered the German V-2 rockets that terrorized

London during WWII and is considered by many to be the "father of the American >space program,"

Anne Hutchinson, the Puritan "Jezebel" who set the mold for modern feminism;

Benedict Arnold, America's most notorious traitor who saved the American

John Brown, the violent abolitionist who gave his life to end slavery;

Iva Toguri, the infamous "Tokyo Rose" of World War II who risked her life to smuggle food and medicine to American prisoners of war; and

Clarence Gideon, a four-time felon who challenged the Supreme Court and changed the Constitution.

There is a brief anecdote about the "scoundrel who got it all started" - Jean Lafitte, the "Robin-Hood" of New Orleans and hero of the Battle of New Orleans, the author said. The piece on Werhner Von Braun appears in the introduction.

The other five are featured each in his or her own chapter.

"Each of these historical scoundrels challenged the status-quo in a unique way and in the process made enemies. These individuals are not martyrs. John Brown murdered people; Benedict Arnold betrayed his country; Clarence Gideon was a four-time felon; Anne Hutchinson was as inflexible as her accusers, and Iva Toguri was convicted of treason," said Henley, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam on an ammunition ship. "If there is a common thread in their unique stories it's that each was a person of action and each held true to his or her convictions."

The process of selection for inclusion in the book varied from one individual to another. The author had a lengthy list of robber barons, show people, politicians, and others like Geronimo, Robert Moses, P.T. Barnum and David Merrick who didn't make the final cut.

Arnold became Henley's "lead-off guy" after he traveled to Fort Ticonderoga in New York and learned about his heroic exploits at the Battle of Valcour Island. He read Toguri's obituary, and selection of Von Braun was the result of a conversation with Anthony Lewis, whose book, "Gideon's Trumpet," was the inspiration for the Clarence Gideon chapter. A friend nominated Anne Hutchinson - of whom he had never heard.

Scoundrel is defined as a dishonest or unscrupulous person, a rogue. "What I have learned is that 'scoundrel' is a relative label that is bestowed during an individual's life based on a variety of circumstances including to a large degree perspective and politics," Henley said. "For example, for the first years of the Revolution Arnold was the ablest American general. His accomplishments magnified his treachery."

Asked if he believes in redemption, Henley replied, "About all I know about redemption is that there is no template. Did Werhner von Braun redeem himself by designing the rocket that took America to the moon? I don't think so, but he is an American hero of the first magnitude. If he had not been so valued for his rocket engineering he would have ended up at Nuremberg rather than White Sands, New Mexico."

And Arnold's victory at Valcour Island in no way counter-balanced his treachery, the author said.

He believes John Brown redeemed himself at his execution by dying for his hatred of slavery, "but many would disagree," he added.

Of the six "scoundrels," only convicted traitor Toguri achieved "a particle of redemption" when she was pardoned by President Gerald Ford, he said.

What distinguishes the "scoundrels" in the book is that dramatic event in their lives helped make America a better country, the author contends. "The events didn't make them better people but did help make America great."

Toguri and Brown were convicted of treason; Arnold's name is a synonym for "traitor;" Hutchinson was convicted of heresy; Gideon lived his life as a no-account drifter. "Not all heroes make good marble statues, but they can provide a blueprint for how to live a principled life," Henley said.

He admires his subjects' tenacity, perseverance and courage. "Each never allowed traumatic events to sway them from their convictions. No matter the magnitude of the calamity facing them, each stayed committed to his or her own internal compass," he said: Hutchinson challenging the Puritan leaders in Massachusetts Bay Colony; Toguri refusing to surrender her American citizenship in World War II Tokyo; Arnold overcoming incredible obstacles to build a fleet that fought the world's greatest navy to a standstill on Lake Champlain.

Henley graduated from the State University at Oswego, New York, with a bachelor's degree in history and earned his master's in education and doctorate in special education at Syracuse University. He is the author of four books and dozens of articles on teaching at-risk youth.

Pleased with the timing of "Scoundrels Who Made America Great," he said, "No matter what one's political leaning, the title provides an intriguing counterpoint to Donald Trump's [presidential] campaign. But the bottom line is this: American history is filled with 'scoundrels,' but few have added a significant chapter to America's greatness as have the six individuals who populate the pages of my book."

"Scoundrels Who Made America Great" is a paperback with 270 pages; the list price $17.99.


AGAWAM When Gaetano J. "Guy" Scuderi, a biomedical engineering student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, traveled to New Zealand to study the Maui dolphin, he learned about more than the nearly extinct species that has an important place in the culture of the indigenous people of New Zealand.

He learned about the people and about himself.

"From this project, I learned that I love to travel and learn about the intricate details of different cultures," said the 2012 graduate of Agawam High School. "I learned more life lessons on this trip than I could have ever imagined."

Many New Zealanders, he explained, value life experiences over material possessions: "They believe that many people die without truly living since they are more concerned with what they have materialistically instead of focusing on the interactions and experiences they have while living."

And for Scuderi, the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and work on this project was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

WPI calls this type of research project an Interactive Qualifying Project, a research-driven, professional-level project that applies science and technology to address an important societal need or issue.

"A signature element of the innovative undergraduate experience at WPI, the project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to apply their scientific and technical knowledge to develop thoughtful solutions to real problems that affect the quality of people's lives and make a difference before they graduate," explained Richard Vaz, dean of WPI's Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division.

Scuderi and three other WPI students worked with the New Zealand Department of Conservation on a seven-week project to help to raise awareness about the Maui dolphin. As part of their project, the students met with members of the local community, indigenous people, local fishermen, New Zealand Department of Conservation, environmentalists, seabed mining interests and others to understand the range of views about the threats the dolphins face and how best to mitigate those threats.

"We learned that the Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) consider themselves as part of the environment. If any of the endemic species go extinct, the Maori feel as if they lose part of themselves," said Scuderi, 22. "The Maori tribes along the west coast of the north island also consider the Maui dolphin as a higher species than humans, since dolphins came before human beings from an evolutionary standpoint. Therefore, Maori respect the dolphin as their elders. ...They consider the dolphin a taonga (treasure) of the sea."

But these treasures are threatened; their greatest threat is set-net fishing along the coastline because they get caught in the nets and drown. They also face other threats such as natural predators (orcas and great whites), pollution and seabed mining.

To mitigate these threats, legislation passed in 2008 creates a North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary. Fishing bans have been placed along many miles of the west coastal waters to help protect the Maui dolphin's habitat.

"In order to determine their habitat, they need the public to report any sightings of the Maui dolphin to the Department of Conservation so that they can use this information to pass legislation that (further) protects their habitat," Scuderi said, adding that sea-bed mining has been prohibited up to two miles off the west coast.

"Like any other species on Earth, if they go extinct, it disrupts the ecosystem and therefore has an everlasting effect on the health of the planet," he said. "Besides that, this dolphin is such an iconic aspect to Maori and New Zealanders along the west coast of the north island that their extinction will really be a devastating blow to these people's moral. The people truly care about the dolphin's survival."

Many people, including surfers and Maori, care about this species and told the students stories of how one of the dolphins saved them from shark attacks.

Scuderi - who participated in the study abroad program from early January to early March - is optimistic about the future of the Maui dolphin. "Even though there are only 55 dolphins left according to the last population consensus a few years ago, the fishing bans and overall increase in public awareness is a great step in the right direction," he said.

The students created an educational video explaining how the public can get involved with the conservation efforts, wrote a children's book entitled "Meet the Maui," to teach children about ways they can help save this critically endangered species and wrote a lengthy formal report.

"The WPI project-based curriculum brings students out of the classroom and their comfort zones and into the global community to apply their knowledge to solve real problems," Vaz said. "Students are immersed in a new setting, solving open-ended problems and working with people of different backgrounds - all valuable perspectives for surviving and thriving in today's global marketplace. They also lean the meaning and magic of teamwork; make a real and meaningful difference in their host community; and gain a competitive edge for any resume, graduate or professional school application."

A graduating senior, Scuderi plans to begin studies in Cornell University's doctorate program in biomedical engineering in the fall.
HOLBROOK

 A 25-year-old man was struck and killed by an MBTA commuter train Sunday night.

The Boston Globe reported that MBTA Transit Police said they were called to the scene near Union Street in Holbrook just after 8:30 p.m. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said the incident occurred on the Lakeville and Middleborough inbound line.

Passengers were removed from the train and continued their trip by bus to Braintree.
Holyoke.salvation.jpg

Members of the Salvation Army Holyoke Corps gathered to celebrate for the 2015 National Salvation Army Week.

(SUBMITTED IMAGE)

HOLYOKE -- It's National Salvation Army week, and Holyoke chapter members will be cleaning a park, giving away ice cream and holding a family carnival with bounce house and popcorn.

"The people of the community are encouraged to come out and join us," said Denise Rodriguez of the Salvation Army Holyoke Corps in an email last week.

The intent of the week of events from May 9 to 14 is to highlight the importance of Americans giving back to their communities, a Salvation Army press release said.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the first Salvation Army Week in 1954 "as a reminder to Americans that they should give freely of themselves," the press release said.

The Holyoke Corps at 271 Appleton St. serves the towns of Holyoke, Chicopee, South Hadley and Granby. Its food pantry is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to noon., the press release said.

"Clients can access the food pantry once a month to receive enough nutritious and sustainable foods," the press release said.

Here are the scheduled Holyoke events, according to Rodriguez and the press release:

Monday -- ceremony kicking off events.

Tuesday -- community service from 2 to 4 p.m. as volunteers clean the park on South Chestnut Street and distribute information about Salvation Army programs.

Wednesday -- free ice cream and freeze pops from 2:50 to 3:45 p.m. at Sullivan, Donahue, Lawrence and Morgan schools.

Thursday -- participation in "Hispanic Celebration" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Holyoke Farmers' Market in front of City Hall on High Street. Also, boys and girls also can register to play in the Salvation Army's new summer basketball league.

Friday -- Family Fun Night from 7 to p.m. at Salvation Army Holyoke Corps, 271 Appleton St.

Saturday -- open house will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Salvation Army Holyoke Corps, 271 Appleton St. along with a carnival with free food, popcorn, games, bounce house and prizes for kids.

The Salvation Army is an international, evangelical part of the Christian church that operates 7,546 centers in communities across the United States, according to its website.

William Booth began the Salvation Army in 1865 to help people in the slums of London, England. Salvation Army Capt. Joseph McFee began what would become the famous "red kettle" collection stations in 1891 in San Francisco, California to raise money to keep poor people from going hungry during the winter holidays, according to its website.

For information, contact Lts. Miguel and Nancy Garces of the Salvation Army Holyoke Corps at (413) 532-6310 or miguel.garces@use.salvationarmy.org
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Connecticut state troopers briefly stopped traffic on Interstate 95 North Monday morning to scoop up a loose dog and carry it to safety.

NBC Connecticut got footage of the troopers rescuing the small dog just after 7 a.m. between Exits 23 and 24.

The television station said the dog was taken via cruiser to the barracks and Fairfield Animal Control will come get it. Anyone who recognizes the dog is asked to (203) 254-4857.
rebecca.linda.jpg

Holyoke city councilors, from left, Rebecca Lisi and Linda L. Vacon.

(FILE PHOTOS)

Updated at 4:26 p.m. on Monday, May 9, 2016 to add a comment from Councilor Jossie Valentin stating that, despite the criticism of their participation in a December 2014 "black and brown lives matter" march, she and Councilor Rebecca Lisi have taken votes that support Police Department funding.

HOLYOKE -- Controversies old and recent were revisited before the City Council voted to fill a vacancy on its board last week.

The council voted May 3 at City Hall to appoint Diosdado Lopez, who served on the council for 20 years before deciding not to run for reelection in 2011, to complete the term of Jennifer E. Chateauneuf, who resigned from the council on April 5. Chateauneuf was three months into her second term as a councilor-at-large at the time of her resignation.

The vote to select Chateauneuf's successor followed sharp words from councilors about how the board arrived at the task of selecting a replacement for one of their colleagues.

Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said it was a "sad commentary" that Chateauneuf felt it was necessary to resign. Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon described having to replace Chateauneuf as, "The most sad occasion of my tenure on the City Council."

Chateauneuf was "harassed, bullied and disparaged" for expressing an opinion, Vacon said, despite talk of need to value diversity in the community.

"This behavior violates the boundaries of civility, previously unseen here in Holyoke, and it's just simply dismaying," Vacon said.

Chateauneuf's resignation came a day after The Republican reported on the councilor's claims that nude photos of her, in a shower at her home, were mailed to her father in December.

The article noted inconsistencies between a March 16 Facebook post she wrote describing the incident and a Dec. 22 police report in which a city detective wrote that, after an investigation involving a visit to her home, "it was believed that the images were not taken from their home." Chateauneuf, in response to questions about the police department's findings, maintained she was the woman in the photographs and that they were taken at her home.

In her Facebook post, Chateauneuf wrote that she was going public with the incident because of a remark made by Mayor Alex B. Morse at a chamber of commerce breakfast roast that morning. At the roast, Morse had made a comment about a controversy involving images posted by Holyoke resident James F. Bickford to the Facebook page of Nick's Nest, the 1597 Northampton St. hot dog restaurant Chateauneuf owns with her husband.

Chateauneuf has described the images as "sexually aggressive," while Bickford has said the images were not sexual in nature. Instead, he has said, some of the images were meant to make fun of hot dogs and others were intended as political criticism of a public official.

Vacon, speaking at the May 3 meeting, said she stood by silently waiting for "leadership in the community" to emerge and defend Chateauneuf, and was so upset herself about what was happening to Chateauneuf that "I couldn't even put the words together." She referred to Bickford by name in her comments.

Bickford has said he did not send or have anything to do with the nude photos Chateauneuf said her father received in December, a point he reiterated after hearing about Vacon's remarks at the May 3 meeting.

"Suggesting that I sent anything in the mail is a lie," he said. "That never happened."

Vacon also criticized Morse for mentioning Chateauneuf at the breakfast roast, and said all Chateauneuf wanted to do was serve her community.

"Let us raise the bar on our political discourse. We can do better," said Vacon, whose comments were applauded.

Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan praised Vacon's remarks as "beautiful" and said he thinks highly of Chateauneuf, whom he has known since middle school.

"The first vote (in the balloting) should go to her," Bresnahan said.

Chateauneuf declined to comment about what transpired at the May 3 council meeting. In an email responding to a request for comment, Chateauneuf called a reporter for The Republican a "piece of [expletive]" and wrote, "No comment now or ever. Do not contact me again."

Past controversies revisited

At the May 3 meeting, Vacon also said it was "hypocritical" that, in her view, outrage is registered only over certain incidents.

She referred to an Oct. 1, 2013 incident in City Council chambers in which Bresnahan and Councilor Todd A. McGee made comments caught on a live microphone. In that case, Bresnahan and McGee were overheard briefly discussing the attractiveness of Councilor-at-Large Rebecca Lisi, who was pregnant at the time, and Todd McGee's wife, former Councilor-at-Large and current City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee, who was pregnant the year before.

Bresnahan and McGee apologized for their remarks after public outcry, which included calls for councilors to undergo sensitivity training. Councilors completed that training last June.

Vacon referred to the October 2013 comments as "in poor taste, (but) not a pattern of harassment."

Lisi, speaking after Vacon on May 3, said some perspective was in order regarding the incidents involving Chateauneuf and the 2013 comments in City Council chambers.

Lisi said Vacon's account was "one particular framing of what happened."

"I think there's a huge difference between the misogynist comments that were made in this chamber and in the past election versus opinions about hot dogs," Lisi said.

Regarding the images Chateauneuf said were mailed to her father, Lisi said: "I think that the jury's still out on where some of these images are coming from." To pin blame on a specific person at this point, Lisi said, "... borders on libel and slander."

Lisi noted, without identifying Bickford by name, that the charge of a harassment complaint against him in court was rejected.

"I just think it's important that if we're going to say that we're going to raise the bar, that we're very aware of the words that we're saying and the accusations that we're making," Lisi said.

Just as Chateauneuf didn't deserve to feel like she had to resign, Lisi said, "I don't think we have the right to point to individual people and accuse them of making Jennifer feel any particular way."

In response to Vacon's assertion that no one stepped forward to defend Chateauneuf, Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin asked where the defenders were for her and Lisi in December 2014.

She and Lisi were verbally attacked, Valentin said, for participating in a "black and brown lives matter" demonstration on Dec. 12, 2014 after the deaths of black men at the hands of police officers in Missouri and New York City.

Critics said the Dec. 12, 2014 demonstration was anti-police featured chants directing profanity at police officers. Valentin and Lisi said they did not participate in such chants, and that the demonstration was intended to spark public discourse about important issues.

But, Valentin said on May 3, she and Lisi were criticized in the wake demonstration, with some questioning their fitness as councilors to make fair funding and other decisions about the police department. The truth is that despite the criticism, she and Lisi have taken votes that support Police Department funding, Valentin said.

"Again, no one in this chamber spoke up and defended us," Valentin said.

Time to 'move on'

During the May 3 meeting, McGee praised Chateauneuf and called for the council to come together. Chateauneuf served the city by running a business and becoming a councilor, he said.

"The job (of being a councilor) is tough. As some people would say in the field, it's a thankless job. Jenn stepped up," McGee said.

The city doesn't need additional "negative press," said McGee, who said sometimes people just need to agree to disagree.

"Let's stop beating each other up....For this council, it's time for us to move on," McGee said.
BOSTON -- Former FBI agent Robert Fitzpatrick, who once served as Assistant Special Agent in Charge in Boston, pleaded guilty Monday to a dozen charges accusing him of lying on the stand during the 2013 trial of James "Whitey" Bulger.

Fitzpatrick, 76, of Charlestown, Rhode Island pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston to six counts each of perjury and obstruction of justice. The Boston Globe reports that Fitzpatrick will be sentenced to two years probation.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said Fitzpatrick served the Boston office between 1981 and 1986 and supervised the FBIas organized crime squad in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Fitzpatrick, who penned the book "Betrayal, Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent Who Fought To Bring Him Down," testified on July 29 and July 30, 2013 during Bulger's racketeering trial.

"During that testimony, it is alleged that Fitzpatrick made false material declarations to aid Bulger's defense and designed, in part, to enhance his own credibility as a former FBI official testifying for the defense," the U.S Attorney's Office said in a prior news release.

Bulger, now 86, is serving life in a Florida federal prison after he was convicted for his involvement in 11 killings during his criminal career that spanned 20 years, the Boston Globe reports.

The U.S. Attorney's Office had a list of several statements made by Fitzpatrick that authorities said were false.

One of the lies authorities said Fitzpatrick told on the stand involved the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis. Fitzpatrick claimed that he "personally found the rifle that was used to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968" and also claimed to have "just missed James Earl Ray, the shooter."

Fitzpatrick, however, was not the first officer at the scene.

Also lies authorities said Fitzpatrick made on the stand include:
An update to this story was published here Monday morning.

SPRINGFIELD  A male victim has been taken to the hospital after suffering at least one gunshot wound in the McKnight neighborhood on Sunday night.

Police have blocked traffic near Bay and Marion streets. Detectives are conducting interviews with neighbors and other potential eyewitnesses.

The shooter remains at large.

The victim's condition is unknown, and so is his age.

A ShotSpotter activation was reported at 9:40 p.m., indicating a single gunshot.

This is a developing story. Stay with The Republican/MassLive for more information as it becomes available.


This updates a story published at 9:24 a.m. Monday.

SPRINGFIELD -- The 26-year-old Springfield man shot Sunday night in the city's McKnight neighborhood has been identified as Jhamal Cruz of State Street, according to police.

Cruz was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at at Baystate Medical Center, where he had been brought by ambulance following the shooting, which was reported at 9:41 p.m. according to police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

Cruz died of a single gunshot wound, he said.

The shooting is the city's third homicide of the year, and the first since March 26, when Jeffrey Freitas of Ludlow was shot in what police have described as a botched drug deal in the city's North End. On January 25, 71-year-old Juan Zayas was shot and killed in front of his home on Brookline Avenue in Springfield's North End.

According to Delaney, police were dispatched to the area of Bay and Marion streets in the McKnight neighborhood after receiving several 911 calls.

Officers responding to the scene found Cruz suffering from a gunshot would and attempted first aid until an ambulance arrived on scene.

The city's Shotspotter detection network recorded a single gunshot for that area, Delaney said.

Police cordoned off the area around the shooting scene, and members of the police Major Crimes Unit worked through the night processing the scene for evidence, he said. Detectives have also been canvassing the neighborhood, interviewing potential witnesses and chasing leads.

Delaney did not disclose any possible motives for the shooting, but did say the shooting is not considered "random in nature." He declined to elaborate.

Commissioner John Barbieri, in a prepared statement, expressed condolences to Cruz's family and said his officers will investigate the homicide with professionalism until there is closure through an arrest and conviction.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact police.

"The public's cooperation in an investigation such as this is critical to a successful outcome," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at 413-787-6355. Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cellphone by addressing a text message to "CRIMES," or 274637, and then beginning the body of the message with the word "SOLVE."
Screen Shot 2016-05-09 at 8.35.52 AM.png

The Boston skyline from the Boston University Bridge.

(Flickr / Bill Damon)

If your wallet is well-padded and you travel often for work, taking a seaplane from Boston to New York City may be right up your alley.

The option could become plausible within the year, as two rival seaplane companies are hoping to run such a service between the two cities.

Tailwind and Cape Air will each test nine-passenger aircraft in Boston Harbor this week, according to the Boston Globe.

And as they do so, the Federal Aviation Administration will be watching; the agency must approve the companies' use the harbor as a take-off and landing zone before the service can take off.

The seaplanes would allow business people to skirt travel options such as bus, train and car that usually take more than twice as long as the flight would take -- about 90 minutes.

"You're really going to be able to . . . get on an airplane at 8 a.m., be at a morning meeting in New York, and turn around and be back by lunchtime," said Cape Air's chief executive Dan Wolf, who is also a state senator from Cape Cod. "We think demand is going to be strong."

But the convenience would come at a price. Both companies have indicated they would charge around $1,000 for a round-trip ticket, the Globe reports.

The FAA wants to see that the seaplanes can safely land in the harbor, which is often crowded with boats. The agency must also consult with other authorities, including city officials and the Coast Guard, before approving the venture.

If the FAA gives the go-ahead, the seaplanes services could launch within a year, the Globe said.

Seaplanes haven't regularly shuttled travelers to Boston since World War II, Andrew Bonney, Cape Air's senior vice president of planning, told the Globe.
Updates story published Sunday night, May 8.

SPRINGFIELD

 A possible suspect in a

Sunday night shooting

that seriously injured a man in the McKnight neighborhood was last seen running south on Marion Street toward Rebecca M. Johnson Elementary School, according to a preliminary police investigation.

Authorities described the suspect as a male of medium height who was wearing a gray sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Officers responded to a 9:41 p.m. ShotSpotter activation indicating one round near 309 Bay St., an apartment building at the corner of Bay and Marion streets. Moments later, police received a flurry of 911 calls reporting a gunshot victim at that corner.

"Much appreciation if we can get (an ambulance) here," an officer in the Major Crimes Unit radioed to dispatch at 9:48 p.m. A dispatcher replied: "They've been telling me 2 to 3 minutes. They've been advised to step on it."

Cruisers blocked the intersections of Bay and Marion streets and Marion and McKnight streets, and additional detective units responded to the shooting scene.

The gunshot victim was taken by AMR ambulance to Baystate Medical Center, but an update on his condition was unavailable. An officer rode in the back of the rig with the victim.

MAP showing approximate location of shooting:
Keenan Brasfield

Keenan Brasfield, who was wanted in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred on Canton Street Friday afternoon, has turned himself in.

(Photo courtesy: Stoughton Police)

STOUGHTON -- Keenan Brasfield, the 24-year-old man wanted in connection to a fatal stabbing in Stoughton Friday, turned himself in at the Stoughton Police Station Sunday night.



Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey and Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara said Brasfield arrived at the station around 8:20 p.m. He was arrested and booked on a murder charge. Authorities said he will be brought to Stoughton District Court Monday.

Police were searching for Brasfield after the fatal stabbing on Canton Street Friday afternoon. Authorities obtained a warrant to arrest him for the killing.

Brasfield is accused of attacking 36-year-old Erwins Albert outside a home at 89 Canton St. shortly before 4 p.m. He then ran from the scene.
HOLYOKE -- Massachusetts State Police have released video shot from the air Saturday during which Air Wing officers direct troopers on the ground to a suspect in hiding. The chase followed a hit-and-run in Holyoke.

The chase began Saturday, May 7, when Holyoke Police requested assistance in finding a male who had fled from a hit-and-run crash with damage to multiple cars and multiple injuries, including two people who needed hospitalization.

The suspect was driving along Lower Westfield Road when he veered into oncoming traffic on the I-91 ramp and struck a vehicle. The suspect then backed up and hit another vehicle, which caused that vehicle to strike a different vehicle.

The driver fled the scene, after which State Police K-9 troopers, troopers from Northampton and the State Police Air Wing responded to assist.

The Air Wing was able to locate the man hiding in dense brush and directed the searchers to his location where he was placed under arrest, State Police said. The capture can be found at about 11:50 in the 14-minute video.

The suspect is now in custody, and will be charged on multiple counts, including two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, operating to endanger, causing personal injury, and operating after a revocation of license.

Two people involved in the accident were treated at Baystate Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
WORCESTER -- A city man wanted in connection to a May 3 shooting in Worcester was found in Rhode Island Friday after Gang Unit officers learned he had gone there.

Xavier Grajales, 19, of Worcester, was caught in Woonsocket, Rhode Island after members of the police department there and Worcester Gang Unit officers found him at an apartment. Grajales is now being held in Rhode Island.

Authorities said Grajales shot another man around 11:15 p.m. on May 3 during a large fight on Merrick Street. Police received several calls about a fight, but then learned several gunshots had been fired. There were about 12 to 15 people fighting, police said.

One stray bullet hit a house and went inside the dwelling. No one in the home was hurt.

About a half-hour after the fight, police were called and notified about a shooting victim. A man called Worcester EMS and reported he had been shot. The man, who was at a Vernon Street address when he called for help, was involved in the Merrick Street fight, police said.



"The victim received a wound to the lower extremity," police said. The injury was non-life threatening.

Police also found two cars that left the scene of the fight. One car had several bullet holes.

Grajales now faces several assault and firearms charges in Worcester Central District Court.

Worcester Police said a juvenile male was found with a gun when police arrested Grajales in Woonsocket. The arrest of the juvenile is not related to the Worcester shooting.
massdot.JPG

The MassDOT board and the MBTA fiscal and management control board hold a joint meeting to discuss the Green Line extension project on May 9, 2016.

(SHIRA SCHOENBERG / THE REPUBLICAN)

BOSTON -- The board of the MBTA on Monday approved a scaled back version of the Green Line extension project.

The project includes 4.5 miles of new Green Line track in East Cambridge, Somerville and Medford, with six new train stations and one relocated station. The original estimated project cost was $1.99 billion, but the MBTA was told last year that the actual project costs could be as high as $3 billion.

The new, scaled-down proposal would cost an estimated $2.29 billion. The stations, maintenance facility and bridges would be simplified compared to the original plan, and a community pedestrian/bike path would be scaled back. The stations would be mostly open-air platforms with weather shelters. The train line would not extend quite as far as originally envisioned. Instead of having people pay their fares inside the stations, they would pay on the train.

The project still requires federal approval.

During a lengthy meeting, board members asked Jack Wright, who led the interim project management team, numerous detailed questions about the proposal, on topics ranging from weekend commuter rail shut-downs during construction to procurement policies to designs of specific stations. Board members also praised the interim team's work.

Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan, a member of Massachusetts Department of Transportation board, said when the interim leadership group was first formed, "It was clear this project was headed to a train wreck." Now, Sullivan said the group has developed "what I hope is a sensible plan."

During a public comment section before the meeting, local officials representing Somerville, Cambridge and Medford all urged the board to go forward with the project. Somerville has committed $50 million and Cambridge committed $25 million.

There is still a funding gap of approximately $73 million between the project cost and the amount of available state, federal and local revenue. That will have to be filled for the project to move forward.

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone called the scaled-back project "a prudent and practical approach. ... We may not like all the decisions, but we understand the necessity of it," Curtatone said.

Cambridge City Manager Richard Rossi said it is unprecedented for cities to be asked to contribute to the cost of a state transportation project. "This is a tough conversation for us," Rossi said.

But Rossi said the city supports the project. "It would be a real disaster for the community if the Green Line does not happen," Rossi said.

State Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-Somerville, said the project must be built. "It is critical for environmental and economic reasons," Jehlen said.

The state committed to building the Green Line Extension as part of a mitigation agreement when the Big Dig was built 25 years ago. Several area residents urged the board to live up to the state's commitment and build the project.

Members of the public, speaking to the MBTA board at its public meeting, said Somerville area residents suffer from the health and environmental impacts of additional traffic going through their neighborhoods. They urged the board to build the expanded train service as a way to mitigate these impacts and improve air quality.

Several Cambridge and Somerville residents and elected officials worried how the cities would find the money to pay for the project. But overall, there was broad support for the Green Line extension. Residents, many wearing green glow sticks around their necks, said the new train service would open up areas to new businesses and housing.
BOSTON - Pablo Sandoval stood in the Red Sox clubhouse Monday with his left arm encased in a bulky, black sling that stabilized his arm at his side.

Sandoval had reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder, performed by Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., last Tuesday.

The source of the injury, especiality the severity of it, had been called into question before Sandoval had surgery. Neither the Red Sox nor Sandoval could pinpoint how he injured the shoulder.

The season-ending surgery made that a moot point.

"I know in my mind what happened there," Sandoval said. "People say that I was faking. People the media was saying I was faking. I don't fake at all. I can prove I can play through pain. I don't have a problem at all. I'm just now focused on doing all my things out there. I got the surgery. Now I'm going to focus on my rehab and get healthy for next year."

"It's not frustrating for me. It's frustrating for [the critics] because they have to do all the reversing on it," he said. "I'm laughing. I don't have nothing to do now that I got it done. The only thing I have to do is rehab and get well as soon as possible."

"He was dealing with a severe injury," manager John Farrell said. "I'm sure there were some questions about the whereabouts and how it came out, but the surgery obviously proves that there was something wrong there. I'm glad that the procedure was done to get it rectified, and now there's a lot of work to be done on the rehab side of it. I don't know if there's vindication because of the surgery, but it suggests there was something serious and legitimate going on."

Sandoval is expecting the birth of his child in the next week to 10 days, so he'll remain in Boston until then before heading to Florida for rehab where the Red Sox will monitor him closely.

He and the team haven't decided if he will rehab near his home in Miami or at Red Sox facilities in Fort Myers.

"That's one of the things we're going to talk," he said. "I better do with the team, that's the most important thing, to be part of this, around the team, be part of this. I just want to be back and healthy."

Follow MassLive.com Red Sox beat reporter @jcmccaffrey on Twitter. She can be reached by email at jmccaffr@masslive.com.
Moment de memoire de laction de tribun qua ete SAJ pendant plus de 60 ans de carriere dans le monde parlementaire depuis la fin des annees 1950 jusqua sa retraite en 2019.

Il est question que son fils, Pravind Jugnauth, actuel Premier Ministre et Leader of the House, prenne la parole, suivi du Leader de lOpposition Xavier-Luc Duval, puis Paul Berenger, Leader du MMM, qui la cotoye pendant des annees comme partenaire ou adversaire, Ivan Collendaveloo, Steven Obeegadoo et Alan Ganoo.

Une seance speciale qui naura que cet hommage selon lagenda, la prochaine aura lieu le 11 juin 2021 et va concerner le budget 2021-2022

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ReadWrite, Monday, May 9, 2016 9:05 AM

Consider the number of the packaged products in the world, and that the possibility that each could be interactive either within the supply chain as part of the manufacturing process or as a retail product that interacts with the retailer and/or consumer. All of a sudden the size of the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes unimaginably big and adding way more packages as well. And right now, UPS and FedEx still leave you a ratty Post-It Note to let you know they missed you. Enter Finlands Magic Add  they enable packages to communicate with people. Readwrite spoke with CEO Samuli Manninen about the company.

Read the whole story at ReadWrite 
by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, May 8, 2016

Chances are that of consumers who have a wearable device on their wrist, that device is a fitness tracker.

Despite all the publicity, hype and glamour around smartwatches, three out of four wrist wearable devices in the U.S. are fitness bands, based on a new wearable tracking study.

More than one in 10 (12%) of consumers in the U.S. own either a fitness band or smartwatch, according to the new Kantar Worldwide ComTech Wearable report.

Thats nearly double the penetration of four major European markets (Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy) in the study.

Fitbit dominates the market, with 62% of the U.S. installed base, which is consistent with other research.

Apple accounts for 7% of the total number of wrist wearable owners.

Not all devices are bought by the person who wears them.

For example, 43% of fitness trackers were gifts, as were a third (33%) of smartwatches.

However, while consumers may not be drawn to jumping into the smartwatch game so they can have the latest technology on their wrist, many seem to be OK with moving to a smartwatch when its time for a new timepiece.

Almost a third (32%) of all smartwatches and 43% of Apple Watches take the place of a traditional watch, when the time comes.

Interestingly, consumers in the U.S. and Europe seem to differ on approach.

In the U.S., smartwatches account for 23% of wrist wearables compared to 55% in the four European countries.

The closest wearable market penetration to the U.S. is Australia at 13%, and one of the lowest penetration markets is Japan, at 4%.

A different study recently pegged the fitness tracker market at reaching 20% of U.S. households, as I wrote about here at the time (20% Have Wearables, 15% More Plan To Get One).

Whether the fitness trackers are making the masses more fit is anyones guess. But at the very least, consumers wearing them know their personal situation, an early behavioral indicator in the Internet of Things.

In the aggregate, that information provides marketers with a wealth of new information and behavioral insights.

The early IoT phase is to outfit millions of people with devices that self-monitor and create personal benchmarks.

The next stage will be for marketers to analyze that data so consumers can be better served by more targeted, relevant and contextual messaging.

And that new data feed will impact messaging across all media.
by Richard Whitman , Columnist, May 8, 2016

In November 2015, the Fundao Dam collapsed in Brazil, destroying hundreds of homes, schools, hospitals and more. In addition, the disaster covered miles and miles of land with mud. Grey Brazil decided to turn the disaster into something positive.

Working with engineers and ecological brick factory Ecobrick, the agency launched a program whereby the mud was used to manufacture ecological bricks. which are said to be 7 times stronger than regular bricks. So far, more than 3,000 bricks have been manufactured by hand.

Plans are in place to ramp up production in a factory setting with a local workforce that will transform over 11 million pounds of mud into 1.2 million bricks by the end of 2016. The bricks will be used to rebuild structures damaged by the collapse.
by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, May 9, 2016

The scene within the Republican party is looking increasingly convoluted in the days following the Indiana primary. We have a presumptive GOP nominee who lacks the endorsement of his partys majority leader in the House of Representatives and is publicly at odds with that same officials legislative agenda.

Still, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan and GOP party chairman Reince Priebus are to meet with presumptive nominee Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, planning to iron out the deep creases appearing in the partys national fabric.

Priebus went as far as to assure Republicans that he thinks Ryan is going to get there. Explaining that in Paul Ryans case, he thought he has 30 more days to feel at ease with a Trump nomination, adding, Paul [was] just being honest with how he felt.

This begs the question, what would 30 days do? Maybe Trump would assure Ryan privately that hell start espousing more traditional Republican policies going forward?

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Ryan does assert that he wants to eventually be able to support Trump, protecting the slowly fading flame of a united party.

Other parts of the old Republican guard, however, do not sound as congenial.

The only two surviving Republican presidents, George H. W. and George W. Bush, will not attend the GOP convention. Nor will they endorse their partys presumptive nominee. Mitt Romney has also rejected the notion of supporting Trump.

Former presidential candidate and U.S. Senator from South Carolina Lindsey Graham explained: Im not going to support somebody I dont believe is a reliable Republican conservative. Another Senator, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, piled on: A third-party candidate is the only solution. This is America. If both choices stink, we reject them and go bigger.

Beyond the difficulties the partys elected officials are facing with Trump in the mix, the base is losing confidence in the party as a whole. According to a Pew Research poll from April, only 68% of Republicans have a positive view of their party, compared to 88% of Democrats, who hold such a view about theirs.

There are a few short months until the Cleveland convention, and Donald Trump is poised to be the GOP nominee. The question is: Will his party accept that and fall in line behind him?

Whether the Grand Old Party breaks apart or sews itself back together, one man dominates headlines. As NBCs Chuck Todd said on "Meet the Press": Donald Trump effectively tells GOP leaders: Its my party, and you can cry if you want to.
by Sara Guaglione , May 9, 2016

Tribune Publishing is ramping up its defenses against Gannetts acquisition proposal. The company today announced that its board of directors has adopted a limited-duration shareholder rights plan to fend off a hostile takeover.

Otherwise known as a poison pill, this rights plan was designed to deter any attempt to obtain control of the Company in a manner or on terms that are not in the best interest of shareholders, Tribune Publishing said in a statement.

The rights plan will trigger when a person or group acquires 20% or more of Tribunes common stock. Each shareholder will then receive a market value of two times the exercise price. The plan will expire in one year.

According to TheWall Street Journal, these poison pills are designed to dilute the value of stock by flooding the market with additional shares if certain conditions are met.

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In other words, this rights plan would make it even more expensive for an investor to acquire a controlling stake.

Based on Gannetts approach and continued hostility, the Board is taking prudent measures to protect our shareholders best interests," stated Justin Dearborn, CEO of Tribune. "The Rights Plan ensures shareholders receive fair treatment and protection in connection with any proposal to acquire Tribune Publishing and retain the opportunity to realize the value of their investment in the Company."

Dearborn added that Tribune stakeholders deserve better than Gannetts current tactics and low-ball price.

Chairman Michael Ferro added in a statement: Tribunes assets and brands, including the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, are worth far more than Gannetts proposal, which is a non-starter. We are focused now on supporting our team as they execute on our plan.

As Publishers Daily previously reported, Dearborn has plans to transform Tribune Publishing by driving revenue from content brands, growing the Los Angeles Times globally and creating digital subscription services.

According to Poynter, Gannett responded to Tribune's new tactic in a statement this morning, calling the move "another roadblock to prevent its stockholders from realizing compelling, immediate and certain cash value for their investment."

On Friday, Tribunes second-largest shareholder, Oaktree Capital Group, publicly urged the board to engage in negotiations with Gannett. Oaktree Capital Group said it would be in the best interest of shareholders for the board to pursue discussions with Gannett to see if an acceptable agreement can be reached.

But Ferro, whose company, Merrick Media, owns a 16.6% stake in Tribune Publishing, told the Chicago Tribune Thursday that the company was "not for sale."

Gannetts original bid offers to buy Tribune for $815 million at $12.25 per share.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, May 9, 2016

Former Department of Commerce official John Verdi will join the industry-funded think tank Future of Privacy Forum as vice president of policy, the group announced today.

He previously served as director of privacy initiatives at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, where he led efforts to forge voluntary privacy standards governing matters such as facial recognition technology and mobile apps.

That effort, which involved convening meetings between advocates and industry representatives, proved controversial. Last June, a coalition of privacy watchdogs walked out of talks centered on facial recognition technology after a contentious meeting at which the advocates and industry representatives couldn't agree on key privacy principles. The departing organizations included the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Center for Digital Democracy, the Consumer Federation of America, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, Consumer Action and Consumer Watchdog.

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Prior to joining the NTIA, Verdi served as general counsel for the advocacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center, where he litigated privacy battles. Among other cases, he was involved in a challenge to Facebook's $9 million settlement of a lawsuit stemming from its Beacon ad program, which told users about their friends' e-commerce activity.

Verdi, who left the Department of Commerce on Friday, will start work at the Future of Privacy Forum on May 23.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, May 9, 2016

A group of pay-per-click marketers are asking the Supreme Court to refuse to review a decision granting them class-action status in a long-running lawsuit against Google.

The marketers -- including law firm Pulaski & Middleman and retailer RK West -- allege that Google placed their ads on "low quality" sites.

Google argues the companies shouldn't be able to proceed as a class because any damages need to be calculated on a company-by-company basis. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled against Google on that point, prompting the company to ask the Supreme Court to hear the matter.

The marketers argue in a brief filed last week that they have proposed "a reliable, classwide method" of calculating the amount of money they believe they are owed.

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They say they presented the lower courts with valid proposals for determining restitution. The 9th Circuit appeared to endorse at least one proposed method -- the "Smart Pricing" approach, which the appeals court described as "the difference between the amount the advertiser actually paid and the amount paid reduced by the Smart Pricing discount ratio."

The pay-per-click advertisers also argue that even if damages need to be calculated individually, they are still entitled to proceed as a class. "The Ninth Circuits decision in this case follows the general rule that individual damage calculations alone do not defeat predominance," the pay-per-click marketers argue.

The battle dates to 2009, when the marketers alleged that ads on Google's AdSense for Domains and AdSense for Errors programs result in fewer purchases than ads on Google's search results pages. Google has since revised its ad policies.
Double vision occurs when a person sees a double image where there should only be one. The two images can be side by side, on top of one another, or both. The condition can affect balance, movement, and reading ability. Binocular double vision only occurs when both eyes are open. If a person closes one eye, the double vision will go away, as it is caused by each eye seeing slightly differently. Monocular double vision may occur when the double vision results from an issue with just one eye. Treatment of double vision depends on the cause and type. Treatments can include eye exercises, specially designed glasses, and surgery. This article will look at the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of double vision. Fast facts on double vision Here are some key points about double vision. More detail is in the main article. Double vision, or diplopia, can result from a range of underlying conditions.

Diplopia can affect just one eye or both.

A childhood squint, or eye turn, can sometimes recur and cause double vision.

Alcohol or recreational drugs can cause temporary double vision.

Treatments can include surgery, eye exercises, or corrective lenses.

Definition Double vision or diplopia is an eye problem that causes a person to see two separate images of the same object. One of the images is fainter and is called a ghost image. People often mistake diplopia as blurred vision. Diplopia can affect one or both eyes. In monocular diplopia, the double image persists even if the other eye is closed. The cause for this is often in the eye and unlikely because of a neurological problem. A person with binocular diplopia sees two images only when both eyes are open. More serious conditions may cause this. Diplopia can be horizontal, vertical, or both (diagonal). Each year, diplopia results in around 850,000 visits to healthcare professionals in the United States. Approximately 95% are outpatient and nonserious, while about 16% are potentially life threatening.

What does it look like to see double? What a person with diplopia sees depends on the type they have. Horizontal: The double image appears side by side.

The double image appears side by side. Vertical: One image appears on top of the other.

One image appears on top of the other. Diagonal: The images are horizontally and vertically displaced from each other. Poor alignment causing double vision can easily be noticeable. However, sometimes it may not be apparent and may appear when people move their eyes in a certain direction. A person can have double vision and not know it. The brain disregards the images from one eye (suppression) to remove mismatching images.

Causes Share on Pinterest Jasmin Merdan/Getty Images Each eye creates its own image of the environment. The brain combines the representations from each eye and perceives them as one clear picture. The eyes must work together to create depth perception. Anything that disrupts this process can cause diplopia. It can be nerve or muscle damage. Certain illnesses can weaken the muscles moving the eyes and produce double vision. Damage to the muscles that move the eyes or the nerves that control eye movement can create a double image. Damage in specific parts of the eye, like the lens or cornea, can also cause diplopia. Causes of binocular double vision A common cause of binocular double vision is a squint or strabismus. This condition occurs when the eyes are not correctly aligned. Strabismus is relatively common in children. However, the condition does not always result in double vision. Strabismus causes the eyes to look in slightly different directions. This condition might be because the affected eye has the following difficulties: they are paralyzed or weak

they have restricted movement

they are too strong or overactive

the nerves controlling the eye muscles have abnormalities Sometimes, a squint can return later in life for people who had a squint as a child. In some cases, the treatment of a squint can also cause double vision. This occurs because the brain had been suppressing signals from one of the eyes in an attempt to avoid double vision. Other conditions that can cause double vision include: Thyroid dysfunction: The thyroid gland is in the neck and produces a hormone called thyroxine. Changes in thyroid function can affect the external muscles that control the eye. This includes Graves ophthalmopathy, in which the eyes can appear to protrude because fat and tissue build up behind the eye .

The thyroid gland is in the neck and produces a hormone called thyroxine. Changes in thyroid function can affect the external muscles that control the eye. This includes Graves ophthalmopathy, in which the eyes can appear to protrude because fat and tissue . Stroke or transient ischemic attack: In a stroke, blood fails to reach the brain due to an obstruction in the blood vessels. This can affect the blood vessels supplying the brain or nerves controlling the eye muscles and cause double vision.

In a stroke, blood fails to reach the brain due to an obstruction in the blood vessels. This can affect the blood vessels supplying the brain or nerves controlling the eye muscles and cause double vision. Aneurysm: This is a bulge in a blood vessel, and it can press on the nerve of the eye muscle.

This is a bulge in a blood vessel, and it can press on the nerve of the eye muscle. Convergence insufficiency: In this condition, the eyes do not work together correctly. The cause is unknown but thought to be due to the neuromuscular ability (the nerves control of muscle function) being abnormal .

In this condition, the eyes do not work together correctly. The cause is unknown but thought to be due to the neuromuscular ability (the nerves control of muscle function) being . Diabetes: This can affect the blood vessels that supply the retina at the back of the eye. It can also affect the nerves that control eye muscle movements.

This can affect the blood vessels that supply the retina at the back of the eye. It can also affect the nerves that control eye muscle movements. Myasthenia gravis: This condition can cause weakness in the muscles, including those that control the eyes.

This condition can cause weakness in the muscles, including those that control the eyes. Brain tumors and cancers: A tumor or growth behind the eye can interfere with free movement or damage the optic nerve.

A tumor or growth behind the eye can interfere with free movement or damage the optic nerve. Multiple sclerosis (MS): MS affects the central nervous system, including the nerves in the eyes.

MS affects the central nervous system, including the nerves in the eyes. Black eye: An injury can cause blood and fluid to collect around the eye. This can put pressure on the eye itself or the muscles and nerves around it.

An injury can cause blood and fluid to collect around the eye. This can put pressure on the eye itself or the muscles and nerves around it. Head injury: Physical damage to the brain, nerves, muscles, or eye socket can restrict the movement of the eye and its muscles. Causes of monocular double vision If double vision is noted when one eye is covered but not the other, this is referred to by eye specialists as monocular double vision. Monocular double vision is less common than binocular double vision. The following conditions can cause monocular double vision or vice versa: Astigmatism: The cornea, or the transparent layer at the front of the eye, is irregularly shaped. With astigmatism, the cornea has two curves on the surface similar to a football instead of being perfectly round like a basketball.

The cornea, or the transparent layer at the front of the eye, is irregularly shaped. With astigmatism, the cornea has two curves on the surface similar to a football instead of being perfectly round like a basketball. Dry eye: The eye does not produce enough tears or dries out too quickly.

The eye does not produce enough tears or dries out too quickly. Keratoconus: This is a degenerative eye condition that causes the cornea to become thin and cone-shaped.

This is a degenerative eye condition that causes the cornea to become thin and cone-shaped. Retinal abnormalities: In macular degeneration, for example, the center of an individuals field of vision slowly disappears, and sometimes there is swelling, which can cause double vision in one eye.

In macular degeneration, for example, the center of an individuals field of vision slowly disappears, and sometimes there is swelling, which can cause double vision in one eye. Cataracts: Cataracts occur in more than half of all people in the U.S., ages 80 years and over. It can sometimes cause double vision in one eye. Temporary double vision Double vision can sometimes be temporary. Alcohol intoxication and drugs such as benzodiazepines, opioids, or certain anti-seizure medications can sometimes cause this. Head injuries such as concussions can also cause temporary double vision. Being particularly tired or having strained eyes can bring on temporary double vision. If correct vision does not return quickly, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Diagnosis Diagnosing double vision can be challenging for an eye specialist because there are many possible causes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests the first step a specialist will take is asking whether the double vision is monocular or binocular. If the double vision is monocular, the problem is more likely to be within the eye rather than in the nerves. It is likely to be less serious. Diagnosis in children Children cannot always express what they see, which can make diagnosis difficult. Physical signs of double vision include: squinting or narrowing the eyes to see

covering one eye with their hand

turning their head in an unusual way

looking at objects from the side rather than facing forward

Treatment Treatment for double vision will usually depend on the underlying cause. Treatment for monocular double vision Treatment varies depending on what is causing monocular double vision, including: Astigmatism: Corrective glasses or contact lenses can often counteract the curvature and correct the passage of incoming light into the eye. Laser surgery: This treatment involves reshaping the cornea with a laser. Cataracts: Surgery is usually the best option. The surgical procedure removes the clouding and the cause of the double vision. Complications include infection, pain, and possibly continued blurry or double vision, but prompt treatment can usually resolve these. Dry eye: If the eyes do not produce enough tears or dry out too quickly, they can become inflamed and sore. This can result in double vision. Often, a prescription for tear substitute eye drops will relieve symptoms. Treatments for binocular double vision Depending on the cause, the treatment for binocular vision varies. Treatments include: wearing glasses

eye exercises

wearing an opaque contact lens

wearing an eye patch

surgery on the muscles of the eye to correct their positioning In certain types of diplopia, botulinum toxin (Botox) may be injected into the eye muscles, causing them to remain relaxed. However, people should remain cautious of Botox treatment in general, as there are certain contraindications. In a 2019 study , contraindications included neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. A prism put into glasses can also help to realign the images from each eye. Prisms can be stick-on (temporary) or permanently ground into the lenses. Stick-on prisms are generally reserved for temporary diplopia or when trying different strengths of prism before getting a permanent one. Eye exercises Exercises cannot treat many of the conditions that cause double vision. However, some exercises can help with convergence insufficiency. A 2017 study found that vision therapy improved vision problems, including convergence insufficiency, in people with vision problems caused by concussion. Vision therapy is a visual program prescribed by optometrists. It includes eye exercises that aim to develop or improve a persons visual skills, such as the following: Smooth convergence Focus on a detailed target, perhaps a thin stick or small text in a magazine. Hold the object at arms length and at eye level. Aim for the image to remain as a single image for as long as possible. Move the target toward the nose in a slow, steady fashion. When the single image becomes two images, the eyes have stopped working together. Focus intensely on bringing these images back together. Once they join, bring the target closer to the nose. When unable to rejoin the images, move the hand back to its original position and start the exercise again. The typical convergence range is 10 centimeters (cm) away from the nose. Aim to keep the image as a single image up to the 10 cm mark. An orthoptist may provide a tool known as a dot card to assist in these steps. Jump convergence Choose a similar target to that in the smooth convergence exercise. Start the target at a 20 cm distance from the nose. Fix the gaze on the target for between 56 seconds. Switch to looking at a fixed object around 3 meters (m) away for around 23 seconds. Switch vision back to the nearer target. A person can repeat this, gradually moving the target closer until they can focus on the object when it is 10 cm away without double vision. The effectiveness of these exercises is restricted mainly to treating convergence insufficiency. If symptoms do not improve, a person should visit a doctor for further testing. Read more about exercises for diplopia here.
After years of increases, the rates of children who are overweight or obese are declining in Canada, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Between 1978 and 2004, there was a significant increase in Canada in the rates of children who are obese or overweight aged 2 to 17 years, from 23.3% to 34.7%, using the World Health Organization's (WHO) revised growth curves.

However, new research from the University of Manitoba shows progress in efforts to combat this health concern. The study, conducted to understand obesity trends in Canada, looked at data on 14 014 children between the ages of 3 and 19 years. The sex distribution of the group was split evenly and 80% of the children were white.

The data came from the Canadian Community Health Survey and the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Researchers found a significant decrease in rates of childhood overweight or obesity between 2004 and 2013, from 30.7% in 2004 to 27.0% a decade later among children aged 3 to 19 years. Both weight and body mass index (BMI) were lower, contributing to the reversing trend. By comparison, obesity rates in children in the United States generally remained static.

"Unfortunately, Canadian children are still relatively heavy. The median z scores for BMI and weight in 2012/13 remained above those for the WHO growth charts," write Drs. Celia Rodd and Atul Sharma, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The authors suggest that the decline in children who are overweight or obese may be because the introduction of BMI growth charts in 2000 has made it easier for health care providers to discuss weight issues with parents. In addition, public awareness has benefited from a variety of intervention programs and media attention.

"Despite a welcome decline in the rates of overweight children and a plateau in obesity, we can't become complacent," states Dr. Rodd. "We must continue to focus on measures to encourage children and their families to maintain healthy weights."

Article: Recent trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Canadian children, Celia Rodd MD, Atul K. Sharma MD, CMAJ, doi:10.1503/cmaj.150854, published 9 May 2016.
A physician has to make many quick decisions when confronted with a stroke patient.

Should treatment be intensive or comfort-based, or somewhere in between?

A physician will recommend a more intensive approach for a patient who may be able to rehabilitate, but it's all about comfort if the chances for recovery are low.

The stakes for these decisions are even higher in cases of brain hemorrhage, a severe type of stroke after which about one-third of patients die within a month. A group of neurologists is encouraging colleagues to slow down, though, before heading out to the waiting room to discuss treatment recommendations with family members.

"There's a lot of variability across centers in terms of how these patients are treated," says U-M neurologist Darin Zahuranec, M.D., principal investigator of a new physician survey published in Neurology. "We wanted to see what role, if any, the physicians may play in that variability."

Huge variation in survey results

Researchers surveyed 742 physicians across the U.S. on two sample cases, describing two patients with a brain hemorrhage. The investigators selected characteristics they thought would elicit varying responses from doctors: differing patient age and severity.

The responding physicians had to predict the 30-day mortality rate and recommend treatment intensity for each case.

"The range of predicted mortality was from 0 percent to 100 percent in most of the cases," Zahuranec says. "I was surprised to see that level of variability among physicians."

Treatment recommendations also ranged widely among physicians, with some recommending comfort measures only and others suggesting full intensive treatment for the exact same patient.

Quality metrics at individual centers often require physicians to document a prognostic score in the chart while treating stroke patients. These prognostic scores are meant to provide a standardized assessment of severity. But the effect of showing doctors these scores has not previously been tested.

To see whether having a model would change the physician recommendations, the research team included prognostic scores for some patients but not for others.

"We wanted to see if you approach treatment differently if you're being told the patient's chance of recovery," Zahuranec says.

In the most severe case, when the score suggested 0 percent chance of recovery, physicians were more likely to recommend comfort measures only. In a mild case, physicians who saw a better chance of recovery were more likely to recommend full intensive treatment with the goal of rehabilitation.

The survey also revealed neurosurgeons tended to be more optimistic about mortality predictions than neurologists, and physicians who saw the most brain hemorrhage cases were slightly more pessimistic than those who saw fewer cases.

Researchers tried to control for physician personality, such as religion or optimism, but none of those measures predicted the physicians' treatment recommendations.

Effect on patient families

Brain hemorrhage patients are not usually able to participate in these initial discussions about their case, so physicians often end up sharing their prognoses with family members, who are eager for the doctor's insight before making a care decision.

Knowing physicians approach these decisions differently, the researchers recommend that clinicians keep the variability in mind before sharing their prognoses with stroke patients and families, who are already dealing with a high-stress situation.

"Do we really know what we think we know when making these predictions?" Zahuranec asks. "My hope for physicians is that we really understand the impact of our prognostic statements."

He recommends physicians first discuss with the family what a good recovery would mean, and what would be important for that individual patient, and then tailor the predictions and recommendations to those wishes.

"These situations are always very difficult for the family and for the physicians," Zahuranec says. "One thing that can make things easier is when the family has a clear understanding of what the patient would want."

This research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and grant support to the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research.

Disclosures: Zahuranec receives research support from the National Institutes of Health (KAG038731). Co-author Angela Fagerlin receives research support from the NIH, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the European Union and the VA Healthcare system. Co-author Brisa Sanchez receives research support from the NIH. Co-authors Meghan Roney, Bradford Thompson and Andrea Fuhrel-Forbis report no relevant disclosures. Senior author Lewis Morgenstern receives research support from the NIH.

Variability in physician prognosis and recommendations after intracerebral hemorrhage. Darin B. Zahuranec, MD, MS, Angela Fagerlin, PhD, Brisa N. Sanchez, PhD, Meghan E. Roney, MPH, Bradford B. Thompson, MD, Andrea Fuhrel-Forbis, MA and Lewis B. Morgenstern, MD. Neurology. DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002676. Published online April 15, 2016.
Future Science Group (FSG) has announced the publication of a new article in Future Science OA, reviewing national and international guidelines for folic acid supplementation, and analyzing its potential risks and benefits in terms of maternal and fetal outcomes.

Owing to the beneficial effect of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects, most international guidelines recommend folic acid as a preconception supplement. What's more, evidence has suggested that folic acid can have an effect on other pregnancy outcomes, such as pregnancies complicated by seizure disorders, preeclampsia, anemia, fetal growth restriction and autism. However, these associations remain controversial and, while the USA has recommended mandatory fortification in some foods, other countries have not followed suit - perhaps owing to potential adverse effects. The new review, "Folic acid supplementation: what is new? Fetal, obstetric, long-term benefits and risks", aimed to synthesize current findings to aid understanding and encourage further research in this area.

Beginning with neural tube defects, Hind N Moussa and colleagues (The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA) go on to discuss national and international dosage recommendations, and suggested timings for supplementation. They then discuss controversies concerning women with epilepsy; preeclampsia, fetal growth deficiency and autism risk reduction; and treatment of maternal folic acid-deficiency anemia. Finally, they turn the focus on potential adverse effects - while many are subtle, research is still largely inconclusive as to whether there is a relationship between folic acid and asthma/allergy, malignancy and twinning.

Considering the future, the authors hope that within the next decade we will gain a greater understanding of folic acid mechanisms, and that we might be moving towards a more personalized therapy approach instead of universal supplementation.

"With the different recommendations available for folic acid supplementation, and the controversies in terms of its risks and benefits, it is clear that more research is needed to clarify the best timing and dosage," commented Francesca Lake, Managing Editor. "This review provides an intriguing overview of where we stand thus far, and we hope it will stimulate further research in this arena."

Folic acid supplementation: what is new? Fetal, obstetric, long-term benefits and risks. Hind N Moussa, Susan Hosseini Nasab, Ziad A Haidar, Sean C Blackwell & Baha M Sibai. Future Science OA. DOI:10.4155/fsoa-2015-0015. Published online April 21, 2016.
Compact system could shorten diagnostic time from days to hours, bring testing to point of care.

A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has developed a device with the potential of shortening the time required to rapidly diagnose pathogens responsible for health-care-associated infections from a couple of days to a matter of hours. The system described in the journal Science Advances also would allow point-of-care diagnosis, as it does not require the facilities and expertise available only in hospital laboratories.

"Health-care-associated infections are a major problem that affects more than 600,000 patients each year, more than 10 percent of whom will die, and incurs more $100 billion in related costs," says Ralph Weissleder, MD, PhD, director of the MGH Center for Systems Biology, Thrall Family Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and co-senior author of the report. "Rapid and efficient diagnosis of the pathogen is a critical first step in choosing the appropriate antibiotic regimen, and this system could provide that information in a physician's office in less than two hours."

While considered the gold standard for diagnosing bacterial infections, traditional culture-based diagnosis can take several days and requires specialized equipment, trained laboratory personnel and procedures that vary depending on the particular pathogen. Emerging genetic approaches that identify bacterial species by their nucleic acid sequences are powerful but still require complex equipment and workflows, restricting such testing to specialized hospital laboratories.

The system developed by the MGH team, dubbed PAD for Polarization Anisotropy Diagnostics, allows for accurate genetic testing in a simple device. Bacterial RNA is extracted from a sample in a small, disposable plastic cartridge. Following polymerase chain reaction amplification of the RNA, the material is loaded into a 2-cm plastic cube containing optical components that detect target RNAs based on the response to a light signal of sequence-specific detection probes. These optical cubes are placed on an electronic base station that transmits data to a smartphone or computer where the results can be displayed.

In this proof-of-principle study, the team used a prototype PAD system containing four optical cubes to test clinical samples from nine patients and compared the results with those acquired by conventional microbiology cultures. Testing for the presence of five important bacterial species -- E. coli, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, and Staph aureus -- and for factors indicating the virulence and antibiotic resistance of specific strains produced identical results with both procedures. But while PAD provided results in less than two hours, the bacterial culture process took three to five days. The team has now designed probes for more than 35 bacterial species and virulence factors, and the overall cost of running the PAD assay should not exceed $2.00.

"This prototype still needs several improvements, including building a self-contained system housing all functions, further reducing the current assay time to less than one hour and expanding the panel of probes to even more pathogens and resistance factors," says Hakho Lee, PhD, of MGH Center for Systems Biology (CSB), co-senior author of the report and an associate professor of Radiology at HMS. "But we can see three immediate applications for a system that can provide such rapid and accurate results - quickly diagnosing a patient's infection, determining whether antibiotic-resistant bacteria are present in a group of patients, and detecting bacterial contamination of medical devices or patient environments."

Support for the study includes National Institutes of Health grants R01 HL113156, R01 EB004626, R01 EB010011, and T32 CA79443; and Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program award W81XWH-14-1-0279.

Ki Soo Park, PhD, and Chen-Han Huang, PhD, of the MGH-CSB are co-lead authors of the Science Advances report. Additional co-authors are Kyungheon Lee, PhD, and Cesar M. Castro, MD, MGH-CSB, and Yeong-Eun Yoo, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials.
Abnormal brain activity hinders memory replay in the apoE4 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how the major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease causes memory impairment. A specific type of brain activity important for memory replay is disrupted in mice with the E4 version of the apolipoprotein E (apoE4) gene, which may interfere with memory formation.

The apoE4 gene creates a protein of the same name that markedly increases a person's risk for Alzheimer's disease and occurs in 65%-80% of people with Alzheimer's disease. In the new research, published in Neuron, the scientists found that the apoE4 protein changes the activity of neurons in the hippocampus -- an important memory center in the brain that is severely affected by Alzheimer's disease. In this region, apoE4 decreases two types of brain activity that are important for memory formation: sharp wave ripples (ripples) and coincident slow gamma activity. During the ripples, prior experiences are replayed numerous times to help preserve the memory of them, and the slow gamma activity that occurs during the ripples helps to ensure that the replay of those memories is accurate.

"When we experience something new, cells in the hippocampus fire in a particular order. Later, these same cells fire over and over again in the same order to replay the event, which helps consolidate the memory so we don't forget it," explained first author Anna Gillespie, PhD, a former graduate student in the Huang lab at Gladstone. "Slow gamma activity that occurs during the ripples organizes the firing of these cells. If this activity is disrupted, the playback will be disorganized, compromising the memory."

Mice with apoE4 had fewer ripples than mice with the normal apoE3 protein, and they had less slow gamma activity during the ripples. Based on these results, the scientists questioned whether these differences in activity affected the ability to form and replay memories.

To answer this, the researchers tested mice that expressed apoE4 in all cells except inhibitory neurons in the hippocampus. From earlier research, the scientists knew that these mice showed no signs of inhibitory neuron death in the hippocampus, and their ability to learn and form memories was not impaired. In the current study, the mice showed normal slow gamma activity despite having fewer ripples. Thus, slow gamma activity--the coordination of cell firing during playback -- appears to be a critical factor in memory consolidation, rather than the number of replay events from the ripples.

"Our research suggests that disrupted slow gamma activity during ripples is a major consequence of apoE4 expression that likely impairs memory consolidation," said senior author Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, a senior investigator at Gladstone. "With this knowledge, we can now work toward correcting or restoring slow gamma activity in the hippocampus to prevent or alleviate memory loss in Alzheimer's disease."

Other Gladstone scientists on the study include Emily Jones, Yuan-Hung Lin, Seo Yeon Yoon, Leslie Tong, Philip Nova, and Jessie Carr. Loren Frank and other researchers from the University of California, San Francisco also contributed to the research.


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But it began to be brought to public attention that hundreds of little girls, even as young as 6 months to ten years, are being regularlyfrom across the length and breadth of India to be brought to these villages, and forced to 'grow up quickly' so that they may enter the 'traditional trade' of the region and rope in the moolah.These children are given unregulated doses of the hormone Oxytocin by the villagers toso that they can be pushed into prostitution in Mumbai or sent to the Gulf, at the earliest.These girls are injected withbecause this hormone variant is more potent than that meant for humans. Besides, veterinary oxytocin is also readily available over the counter under the code name of.' It must be noted that the villagers in this region do not indulge in cattle farming or agriculture to warrant the presence of these drugs at the chemists shop!When injected with this drug, pre- teens 'blossom' and begin to. They also become trusting and more sexually charged - traits that are essential for their compliance.In the male-dominated regions of rural Rajasthan, cursed with a skewed male-female ratio, women fare poorly. However in Girvas and Sodovas there are women everywhere! Apparently, girls here are well nurtured because they are theOxytocin has long been used by dishonest milkmen to boost milk yield in cows and buffaloes and also by farmers who inject it into vegetables to make them grow faster and bigger.Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone secreted by the hypothalamus of the brain. It is also secreted by tissues of the ovaries and testes and acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It brings aboutand the responses to the hormone is markedly increased in women than in men.Traditionally Oxytocin prepares a woman forOxytocin facilitates the release of dopamine, which is responsible for a feeling of wellness, excitement, and bonding. The levels of oxytocin surge stupendously duringpaving way for adult emotional bonding. The hormone is believed to have evolved as a tool to reduce stress and fear of another person in order toOxytocin evidently plays a vital role in bonding not just in humans but in animals too. Although the intricate biochemical reactions need to be clearly elucidated, it is clear that oxytocinassociated with pleasure and social behavior to bring about its final effect.Various studies have effectively contributed to the growing list of oxytocin benefits. It has been understood that this wonderful hormone promotes positive qualities such asand ensures emotional bonding in close relationships.Researchers in the UK and Germany have discovered that when oxytocin is administered to men in the form of athey become more empathetic and caringtraits usually associated with women. This is probably what women have been waiting for eons -to instill sensitivity in uncaring partners!Research has also shown that oxytocin contributes toand helps us to initiate and establish a preference for people we like, by remembering their faces, and differentiating them from those we dislike.The hormone is known to promote. However no research has revealed that it helps to make the mothers that much more endearing to their offspring.Scientists speculate that the "love hormone" may play a significant role in the higher levels of depression and interpersonal stress commonly observed in women, who are twice as often affected as men. It is hoped that future research will throw more light on theand whether it plays a role in controlling emotional and sexual behavior.High, unregulated doses of Oxytocin has. It causes hormonal changes, affects the centre nervous system and can cause seizures.Needless to say, such unscrupulous acts, as mentioned above, will have devastatingon the victims.It is indeed a pity that the cuddle chemical, which helped women to build familial bonds, has been put to use in this loathsome manner, tofor life.Lets hope that the powers that be, which are currently in a denial mode, wake up before the face of India is further tarnished and more damage is done!Source: MedindiaDr Reeja Tharu/S
Adolescents suffering from depression of suicidal tendencies can be cured by timely medical interventions. Teens who commit suicide often talk about it before the attempt. Parents should not dismiss such thoughts as mere threats and should instead take them very seriously and give the child the time they need to open up. If there has been any previous attempt, care should be taken to keep any potential weapon out of their reach.

Parents often feel that asking their children about their depressive feelings or suicidal attempts accounts to "putting ideas into their heads". This may not be true because talking to your children about their feelings can only reflect the care and concern of parents.

Parents and the family members of the depressed teens can adopt the following guidelines to help the troubled teenagers:

Instead of making fun of their problems, or dismissing them, it is important to talk to the adolescents, bothering to really listen to their words.

It always helps to let the children see how much the parents are concerned about them. However, it is important here to show concern without putting the children under any pressure.

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The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

On May 8, 2016, Al-Qaeda issued a new audio message from its leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, after several month of silence. In the message, Al-Zawahiri calls on the jihad groups in Syria to unite because this is a matter of life and death for them. He urges the Muslims of Syria to reject the initiatives of Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region, and assures them that the jihadis will defeat "the Eastern and Western Crusaders war machine" - i.e., both Russia and America - as well as their allies, the Syrian regime and Iran. Addressing the relationship between Al-Qaeda and its affiliate in Syria, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), he hints that the ties between them are strong and that they should remain so, for the world will not accept JN as legitimate in any case, unless it completely changes its nature to suit the superpowers.

The following are excerpts from the message:

"Syria today is the hope of the Islamic nation, for [its revolution] is the only Arab Spring revolution that is taking the correct path - the path of da'wa and jihad for the sake of strengthening the shar'ia and enacting [its laws], and for the sake of striving to establish a righteous caliphate, not the caliphate of Ibrahim Al-Badri [i.e., Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi]...

"This is why the world's arch-criminals [i.e., the superpowers and the international community] have come together to prevent the establishment of a jihadi state in Syria... and have hatched [various] plots and [exerted various] pressures... However, Allah willed it that there should remain one jihad-fighting group [i.e., JN and its allies], comprising the best of the ansar [local fighters] and muhajiroun [foreign fighters], which cleaves to the truth and does not stray from it. The Muslims in Syria rallied around this group, seeing the difference between its correct path and the false path of the extremist Khawarij, the new takfiris [i.e., ISIS]...

"My brothers the mujahideen everywhere, our duty today is to defend the jihad in Syria against the plots being hatched against it, plots which are directed by the pampered daughter of Britain and proxy of the U.S., the state of the Sa'ud [royal] family [namely Saudi Arabia] and its lackeys in the region. The aim of all these plots is to establish a regime in Syria that will present itself as Islamic but will be based on a false Islam that coexists in harmony with secularism and with the concept of the nation-state, with extremist nationalism and with the regime of the international arch-criminals. [This regime] will sacrifice the lives of the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets to call out the natural slogan: '[the Prophet] Muhammad is our commander and our lord forever.'

"The greatest problem facing the world order and our apostate leaders and their governments [today] is that the mujahideen in Syria are standing on the borders of Palestine and threatening what they call 'the state of Israel,' [which is actually] the 51st American state and the largest military base outside America. Therefore, these criminals are compelled to cooperate in order to fight this jihad, kill it while it is still small, and divert it from its path [towards the path] of nationalism, secularism and capitulation to the world order of [these] arch-criminals. This is why they hatch one plot after another: Geneva, Riyadh, ceasefires, resolutions by the arch-criminals' Security Council- an endless series of deceptions, lies and duplicities.

"Our duty today is to support the jihad in Syria with all our might and rally around it, all of us, [both] light and heavy.[1] Our duty today is to call for unity among the muhajideen in Syria until it is liberated from the secularist Nusairi [i.e., Alawite] regime, its partners, the rawafid Safavis [i.e., Shi'ite Persians, referring to Iran], and their allies, the Russians and the Western Crusaders - until a righteous, jihadi Islamic entity is established in this land.

"My brothers the mujahideen in Syria, who come from all over the world, today unity is a matter of life and death for you. You can unite and live a life of honor, or you can stay divided and be devoured, one by one."

Al-Zawahiri then moves on to address the issue of the organizational ties between Al-Qaeda and JN: "There remains an open question that is dealt with extensively in an attempt to distract the Muslims in Syria from their true enemies, namely [the question of] the ties between Al-Qaeda and the dear, honorable and glorious Jabhat Al-Nusra, with whom we are proud to have relations and pray to Allah that he enhance its success and steadfastness. Let me say briefly and clearly: We have said time and again that, if and when the heroic people of Syria establish an Islamic government and choose for themselves a leader, whoever they choose will be acceptable to us. We are not power-hungry. We do not want to rule over the Muslims; we want the shari'a to rule and we want to be ruled as Muslims according to Islam. We call for unity among the mujahedeen in Syria, and urge them to agree on the establishment of a jihad-fighting and righteous Islamic government... that will wage jihad, liberate the lands, and strive to liberate Al-Aqsa and establish a caliphate in the path of prophecy. JN's organizational affiliation will never pose an obstacle to these great objectives that we, as part of the Islamic nation, hope for. [Unlike ISIS] we do not presume to be the patrons [of the Islamic nation], nor do we pounce upon it, demanding to that it swear loyalty to unknown people and to a caliph of surprises.

"Besides, would the arch-criminals accept JN if it left Al-Qaeda? Or will they obligate it to conduct negotiations with the criminal murderers, and then compel it to obey the agreements of abasement and shame and then capitulate to the governments of corruption and subordination... We in Al-Qaeda do not accept a pledge of loyalty unless it is voluntary. We do not force anyone to swear loyalty to us. We do not threaten to blow up or behead [our opponents]. We do not brand anyone fighting against us an apostate, as do the new Khawrij [ISIS], who make baseless claims.

"Al-Zawahiri concludes with an appeal to the Muslims in Syria: "We are part of you. Though we come from different countries, religion and faith unite us. We are with you, waging one war on many fronts against the Crusader arch-criminals and their apostate partners. Your victory is our victory, your dignity is our dignity, and your strength is our strength. Stand fast, oh servants of Allah, against the savage attack of the Crusaders from East and West [the Russians and Americans], who have forged an alliance with the secular Nusairis and the criminal rawafids. Stand fast and fight. Do not let the Crusader war machine intimidate you." Citing former Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, Al-Zawahiri states that "Allah promised us victory," and adds: "It was trust in Allah alone that shattered this Eastern and Western [i.e., Russian and American] Crusader war machine in Afghanistan and later in Iraq, and it is [faith in Allah] that will shatter it in Syria, Allah willing. Beware the seductions of the traitorous and subordinate apostate governments, which will not give you either freedom or dignity, because one who lacks something [himself] cannot provide it [to others]. Your deeds must justify your words when you say: 'death and not abasement.'"
The massive attack on Aleppo by the Syrian regime with the help of the Russian air force, which began immediately following the end of the recent round of talks in Geneva, brokered by UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, between the delegations of the Syrian opposition and regime, sparked many responses from the Syrian opposition and the countries that support it. Alongside the expected condemnation of the Assad regime and its allies, Russia and Iran,[1] there was also harsh criticism against the U.S., and especially against President Obama. The writers stated that Obama declares his support for the Syrian people, but in practice does nothing and even prevents aid from reaching the Syrian opposition, as part of an American-Russian plot to prop up the Assad regime. Most of the accusations were based on an April 28, 2016 report in the London-based daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, according to which the U.S. has "vetoed" the arming of the Syrian opposition and has prevented Arab and other regional states, especially "a large country in the Gulf" (i.e., Saudi Arabia), from arming the opposition with quality weapons and from sending it reinforcements.[2] Criticism was also directed at the Arab and Muslim world for standing idly by and capitulating to the American dictates.

The following are excerpts from some of these responses:

Criticism Of The Obama Administration

Syrian Journalist: Obama Is A Racist Liar, His Nobel Peace Prize Should Be Taken Away From Him

Syrian journalist Hanadi Al-Khatib called to revoke Obama's Nobel peace prize because, throughout the five years of the Syrian crisis, he has not lifted a finger to help the Syrian people and has even cooperated with the Assad regime and with Russia and Iran. She wrote: "American president Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, less than nine months after his inauguration as president. Today, after he has spent eight years in the White House, it seems totally incredible that the Nobel Peace Prize is still in the hands of this American president, who [sat back] watching the sea of Syrian blood, and whose policy was a major factor in [creating] it...

"Obama, who is preparing to leave the White House after governing the world's largest superpower for eight years, has begun issuing a series of confessions and apologies for his political mistakes... These apologies are not a product of his conscience that has suddenly awakened, for if this were the case, he would be apologizing day and night to the Syrians whose death he viewed live on TV in the White House for over five years. Had the conscience of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate awakened, he would have admitted that he was complicit in every drop of blood spilled in Syria by Bashar Al-Assad, Iran and Russia...

"The US is governed today by a racist president, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who lies to the world using the word 'democracy'. This is a president who quickly washes his hands of the Syrians' blood, refuses to establish a safe zone, [sits by and] watches as ISIS - which he claims to be fighting - flourishes and grows for four years, expels the refugees, and boasts to the Syrians that he may possibly take in a few thousand refugees, [and this] while his ambassadors around the world expel the Syrians unless they can demonstrate that they have thousands of dollars in their bank account...

"Mr. Obama, what have you done for world peace that justifies your Nobel Prize? They say you did something for the American people. In the Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, Mother Fatima, in her tent, did much more for 50 Syrian children than you ever did for them, and this without the help of the American treasury. Have you and the Nobel [Prize committee] ever heard of her?... The Nobel Prize should go to the children of Syria, and to the people of Turkey and Greece, who provided them with what the entire world did not provide. Obama [is a] liar. Oh deceitful world, take Obama's Nobel Prize away from him."[3]

Syrian High Negotiations Committee: There Is A Russian-American Plot Against The Syrian People

The Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said in a May 1, 2016 statement: "There is a Russian-American plot that helps the Syrian regime and enables Iran's militias and mercenaries... to attack the Syrian people."[4]

Syrian journalist 'Amer Huweidi wrote in a similar vein: "...Some believe we should thank the U.S. for its (false) positions or role in support of the Syrians, but in reality we, and everyone else, should know that the U.S. had a hand in the events in Aleppo and in triggering them... This is not an American surrender to Russia, but rather an understanding between them. The U.S. claims that it is a friend of the Syrian people and supports the Syrian revolution, but all its actions serve the regime." As an example, Huweidi cited the U.S.'s objections to establishing a safe zone in Northern Syria; its refusal to arm the opposition with quality weapons and anti-aircraft guns; the agreement for cessation of hostilities that left out Jabhat Al-Nusra and ISIS and merely serves the regime; the talks about a ceasefire in the regime strongholds of Latakia and Damascus but not in Aleppo and Idlib, and more.[5]

According to Syrian writer Dr. 'Imad Buzu, the talks in Geneva between the opposition and regime under U.S. and Russian sponsorship were merely a cover, while on the ground the U.S. was putting extreme pressure on the opposition by withholding arms from it and closing the Jordanian and Turkish borders, in order to weaken its hand in future talks. At the same time the regime and its allies enjoyed a free hand to operate. According to him this was "a plot... and therefore any crime committed during this period constitutes a war crime... and a crime against humanity. Partners to this crime include anyone responsible for these talks, including President Putin, Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov, Russian envoy [Mikhail] Bogdanov, President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, as well as UN Special Envoy [Staffan] de Mistura and his advisors... If these talks were merely a charade, then a greater crime than this cannot be imagined, especially in light of the hundreds of dead..." He wondered "what is the legal status of those who could stop this massacre [in Aleppo] and did not do so - such as the current American administration, that not only failed to make a true effort to rescue the Syrian people but did everything to prevent any country or element from providing true and effective aid to the Syrian people, while ignoring the tens of thousands of foreign militia [fighters] that entered Syria to help the Assad gang commit its crimes..."[6]

Hisham 'Abd Al-Wahhab Al-Ziyani, a columnist for the Bahraini daily Akhbar Al-Khaleej, wrote that the attack on Aleppo was the continuation of the Western-Iranian plot to exterminate the Sunnis: "From day to day it becomes clearer that the Russian withdrawal from Syria was nothing but an illusion that the Russians sold to the Arabs and the West. This [fake] withdrawal, which was demanded by [various] countries including the U.S., indicates that there is a Western-Russian agreement to support the fascist and blood-soaked Syrian regime, as part of a Crusader-Safavid [i.e., Western-Iranian] pact to exterminate the Syrian people...



The "world's silence" allows Assad to target Aleppo with Russian and Iranian support (Al-Sharq, Saudi Arabia, May 2, 2016)

"The U.S. plotted with Russia to hand Syria to Iran and exterminate the Sunnis. The U.S. is the chief supporter of the events [in Syria]. It is the one that ordered and agreed... to continue the ongoing bloody [acts] of murder, without the UN Security Council or the EU acting. This was all agreed upon [in advance].

"The Crusader-Safavid war in the region is as clear as the noonday sun - [it involves an] American green light, Russian implementation, [action by the] Safavid-Iranian and Iraqi militias, as well as the militias of the Party of Satan [i.e. Hizbullah], silence on the part of the Security Council silence and inaction by the EU..."[7]

Syrian Journalist: "Obama the Butcher of Aleppo"

In an article titled "Obama the Butcher of Aleppo," posted on the Syrian opposition website orient-news.net, Syrian journalist Ghassan Yassin wrote: "It is clear to everyone that it is the Russian planes that are bombarding Aleppo, together with the remnants of the Assad regime's air force [that uses] chemical [weapons]. However, could Russia have committed its crime without clear and explicit American consent?!

"After the Vienna understandings,[8] the coordination between the Russians and Americans became more evident, and it [even] emerged that their approaches and objectives were perfectly aligned...

"The U.S. wants to punish the opposition for its rejection a year ago of the American plan for training and arming opposition fighters [who would fight only] ISIS and refrain from fighting what remained of the forces of the Assad regime ... Russia, as the loyal ally of Assad, willingly carries out this punishment, which matches its perception that anyone fighting Assad is a terrorist who must be defeated.

"By means of the Russian airstrikes, the U.S. also wants to pressure the [opposition's] High Negotiations Committee to return to the negotiations table in Geneva and to accept the Russian-American proposal to form a national unity government that includes Bashar Al-Assad - [a proposal] that completely contravenes the Geneva I and II declarations that clearly mandate the forming of a transitional governing body with full authority...

"In their declarations [the American officials] demand and emphasize the political solution, but [in practice] they implement the military solution against the opposition and the [Syrian] citizens, in order to force them to accept their concept of a solution, namely that we must accept Assad's [continued presence] and free ourselves to fight ISIS..."[9]



Cartoon on Syrian opposition website: Obama the butcher (Orient-nes.net, April 30, 2016)

Criticism Of The Arab And Muslim World

Alongside the condemnations of the U.S., criticism was also directed at the Arab and Muslim world, including at the Arab League, for failing to help Aleppo. The HNC said in its statement that the Arab League was "absent from the Syrian arena."[10] HNC delegation head Asa'ad Al-Zou'bi, said: "We do not absolve anyone of responsibility for the events in Syria, including the Arab League, since it [should be] the first to address the Syrian issue, provide us with weapons and equipment, and confront the Russian-American-Iranian plot..."[11] He said further: "We do not trust the Arab League, which has disregarded Iran's interference [in Syria]."[12]

Syrian journalist Khalil Al-Miqdad wrote: "The [Arab and Muslim] nation has been standing by for five years while the people of Syria were butchered... Some [of its members] even paid for Putin's and Assad's bombs and missiles that are killing the Muslims in Syria and did everything they could to buy the loyalty of the armed factions, divide the Syrians, and spread hostility among them, for the sake of Assad and his regime, instead of uniting [the Syrians]...

"Iran gathered foreigners from all over the world and sent its forces [to Syria] in broad daylight, allowing [them] to take Syrian land and [spill] Syrian blood, and Russia did the same. Would they have done this had they not been certain that the Muslim and Islamic position was feeble and could not oppose them or even support the Syrians?..."[13]



The world sits watching the attack on Aleppo that was prepared by Israel, planned by Russia and executed by Iran (Al-Sharq, Saudi Arabia, May 4, 2016)

Syrian journalist Iyad 'Issa directed his accusations at Saudi Arabia and Turkey, saying that they had capitulated to American dictates and had prevented the arming of the Syrian opposition. He wrote that Iran, which supports Assad, possesses the courage that its opponents lack. While it dared to directly intervene militarily in Syria, "Ankara and Riyadh hesitated to do so and avoided arming the rebels with quality weapons, bowing to Putin's threats and Obama's instructions. This, despite Putin's inability to enter into a true war of attrition in Syria and the fact that Obama's presidential authority to effectively penalize them had expired. Moscow and Tehran are undoubtedly empowered by the hesitance of the Turkish-Saudi alliance, which missed its opportunity to topple Assad by military means due to the delusions of a political solution..."[14]

In addition to criticizing the Arab states, some writers also called on them, especially on Saudi Arabia and the Islamic alliance it has formed to combat terrorism, to act in Syria. 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, the former editor of Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, wrote: "The massive devastation [in Aleppo] should motivate the countries that, throughout the dark years of the war, stood by [watching] the extermination of the Syrian people and the ethnic cleansing. It is unthinkable that the Gulf states should remain silent and accept this unprecedented escalation. The Syrian people has no one left [to help it]..."[15]

Bahraini columnist Hisham 'Abd Al-Wahhab Al-Ziyani: "It is very sad that the international community, as well as Arab and Islamic countries, remain apathetic in the face of the Crusader and Safavid [i.e., Iranian] war to exterminate Syrian Sunnis... When the aerial war against the Syrian rebels started, they should have been given anti-aircraft guns so that the revolution could win, but everyone avoided this after the U.S. threatened to stop arms deals with Arab and Muslim countries if they delivered U.S.-made anti-aircraft guns to the rebels.

"Qatar's demand to convene an urgent Arab League summit is good, but what can the Arab League do when the [opposing] positions of the foreign ministers of Iraq, Lebanon, and Algeria are known [in advance], as is [the position] of a particular Gulf state [i.e., Oman]... What is funny and sad [at the same time] is the emergence of a Crusader-Safavid war in the region. [This war] will be deterred by nothing except an Islamic coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which we hope will take a [decisive] position on the events in Syria and Iraq."[16]

Writer Dr. Khaled Mamdouh Al-'Azi wrote on a Syrian opposition website: "...The Arab and Islamic world has not heard of [a single] Arab or Muslim state that summoned the Russian ambassador in order to convey its opposition to his country's actions in Syria and to the massacre that is happening in Aleppo with Russia's direct participation and support... It is time that the Arab force established in Saudi Arabia, which was named "Northern Thunder," fulfills its role of intimidating foreigners in order to defend Arab and Sunni peoples that have become live targets for Iran, Russia, the U.S. and Israel."[17]

Endnotes:

[1] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6413, Saudi Columnist Following Pulverizing Of Aleppo: Assad Is The No. 1 Terrorist; Is Putin Any Different From Al-Baghdadi? Is Khamenei More Humane Than Al-Zawahiri?, May 5, 2016.
The Syrian regime regards the battle in Aleppo as a major campaign to defeat what it terms "terrorist organizations" and to thwart the Turkish efforts to establish a buffer zone in northern Syria. The regime prepared at length for this campaign. On April 6, 2016 the Syrian army announced that it had launched a major offensive in the Aleppo region "in accordance with its promise to respond firmly to violations of the ceasefire" by the terror organizations.[1] On April 10, Syrian Prime Minister Wael Al-Halqi announced that the army and the Russian air force were preparing a joint operation to liberate Aleppo.[2] Although Russia denied this, the preparations on the ground continued, and also involved Iran, which reported in early April that it had dispatched Division 65 troops to the Aleppo area.[3] It was also reported that six Iranian combat jets had reached Syria in order to take part in the fight against the Syrian opposition in Aleppo.[4] On April 28, 2016 the Syrian army and the Russian Air Force launched a massive attack on Aleppo that killed hundreds.

In addition to accusing the terrorist organizations of violating the cessation of hostilities agreement that came into effect on February 21, 2016, the Syrian regime blames the escalation in the Aleppo area on Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which, it says, "sponsor" and "direct" the terrorism. Many writers in the official Syrian press also leveled harsh criticism at the U.S., saying that it is behind the Saudi and Turkish actions. One writer in the government daily Al-Thawra even called the U.S. "the head of the serpent" and advised attacking American targets and interests in order to deter it from supporting the terrorists.

Despite the temporary ceasefire that was reached in Aleppo following understandings between the U.S. and Russia, and came into effect on May 5, the Syrian regime continues to maintain its position that a military victory is the only way to restore security and stability to the city.

This report will review the regime's position on the situation in Aleppo.[5]

President Assad: The War In Aleppo Will Continue Until Terror Is Defeated

On April 28, 2016, the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the regime, published an article titled "It Is Time to Launch a Campaign for Liberating All of Aleppo," which indicated that the recent escalation of hostilities in the city had been initiated by the regime. The article stated that Syria's political and military leadership had given the ceasefire and the political process a chance, but now it was time to commence military action to complete the takeover of the city. "Everyone can see that the Syrian regime has concentrated forces and is preparing, along with its allies, for a decisive battle," said the article, and added: "Last Thursday [April 21], the army sent a message to the terrorists and their supporters in the north of Aleppo and in the Handarat refugee camp that it was capable of completing the cordon of the city and its eastern neighborhoods, but that it preferred to give the political process a chance... provided [that everyone understood] that it would resume its activities if the militants and those negotiating in their name did not show flexibility." The article explained that the campaign's objectives were to put an end to the aspirations of Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and to "serve as a meaningful springboard towards eliminating terror." It stated further that "this is a war that the Syrian army is waging on behalf of the entire world against Jabhat Al-Nusra, ISIS and [other] takfiri forces of darkness." The article speculated that the battle would not last long and would completely change the situation in Syria and the region."[6]

The Syrian regime and its mouthpieces adhered to the position that a military campaign was the only way to deal with the "terrorists" even after the temporary ceasefire in Aleppo that Russia and the U.S. agreed upon on May 5, came into force. In a letter of congratulations that Syrian President Assad sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the anniversary of the Allied victory over Germany in World War II, he wrote: "Today the city of Aleppo, like all the cities of Syria, embraces the heroic city of Stalingrad and promise it that, despite the cruelty of the enemies and the brutality of the attack, and despite the numerous victims and great pain, our cities and villages, our people and our proud army, will not accept anything less than the defeat of this attack and a final victory over it, due to the positive effect this will have on Syria as a whole, on the region and on the world."[7]

The claim that the campaign for Aleppo is unavoidable and will continue until terror is fully defeated was also made in many articles in the Syrian government press and in papers close to the regime. These also attacked the American efforts to reach a ceasefire in Aleppo, on the grounds that it would include Jabhat Al-Nusra, which the Security Council has designated a terrorist organization. Dr. Bassem Abu 'Abdallah, a political science lecturer at the university of Damascus, wrote in a similar vein in the daily Al-Watan: "In my opinion, there is no avoiding a decisive campaign in Aleppo, because the events [the attempts to secure a ceasefire] are only a distraction... The campaign is difficult, but the only option is to win it, for this will be a victory of civilization over barbarity, of virtue over hypocrisy and false prophecy, and of sovereignty over subordination..."[8]

'Imad Salem, who writes for the government daily Al-Ba'th, wrote: "The campaign in Aleppo with take place and there is no avoiding it, even if this compromises the cessation of hostilities [agreement]. Its outcomes will determine the contours of the world's new geopolitical map..."[9]

Al-Thawra editor 'Ali Qassem wrote: "...We are not against a lull [in the fighting]; we even believe that it constitutes a spark of hope that could alleviate the suffering of the Syrians. At the same time, it will be difficult, or even impossible, to convince us that violating [international law] will serve [the objective of] a lull, and that ignoring the presence of Jabhat Al-Nusra and the alliances that [other] terrorist organizations are forming with it [is the way to] maintain this lull... A lull with Jabhat Al-Nusra, its proxies and its allies is a violation of international law and of international resolutions, and a wanton act that, in our opinion, the world should not disregard, even for the sake of preserving the cessation of hostilities agreement or preventing the lull from collapsing. [The lull] has no future and no hope of lasting if terrorism and its organizations continue to exist..."[10]

Syrian Foreign Ministry: Saudi Arabia, Turkey Are Orchestrating The Activity Of The Terror Organizations

As expected, the Syrian regime pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which head the camp that opposes it and support the Syrian opposition, claiming that they directed the terror organizations to escalate their attacks in Aleppo in light of the numerous defeats they had sustained on other battlefronts, as well as in the negotiations. In a May 3, 2016 letter to the UN Security Council, the Syrian foreign ministry stated: "While local and international [elements] are engaged in efforts to consolidate the agreement for the cessation of hostilities and for a lull in Aleppo, the terror organizations, under the direction of those who operate them in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, have launched a comprehensive offensive along several routes into the city..." Syrian Information Minister 'Omran Al-Zou'bi said, in a similar vein: "Every time the terrorist organizations and those who operate them fail in their attempts to achieve a military victory in some area, they try to create an explosion in some other area... We hold the governments of the Turkish and Saudi regimes responsible, from a legal, political, moral and criminal point of view, for every drop of blood spilled in Aleppo in the recent days... and for everything that is happening in Syria." Al-Zou'bi stated further: "The truth about the information and the photos that they [Turkey and Saudi Arabia] are falsifying in order to cover up their terror and crimes in Aleppo has been exposed and it emphasizes their impotence and frustration."[11]

Basma Hamed, a columnist for the pro-regime Syrian daily Al-Watan, wrote: "The Qatari-Saudi-Turkish triangle is trying to prevent any harm to its future role, and that is why it is acting to prevent the Damascus axis from scoring a new victory [in Aleppo]... and to thwart the advance of the Syrian army and its plan to purge Aleppo as a preliminary step before advancing on Idlib, Deir Al-Zor and Al-Raqqa with the help of the Russian air force..." She added: "The Aleppo arena has become a complicated arena of local and international struggle. All the warring parties have concentrated their forces [there] in an attempt to take over the city. [Our] rivals understand the implication of the events and is preparing for a confrontation. This, because a victory in Aleppo, coming after the victory in Tadmor, means that the Saudi-Qatari terrorist arm will be amputated, the Syria-Turkey border will be closed to the extremists, and the illusory Ottoman [dream] to build a buffer zone in northern Syria will be shattered..."[12]

Syrian Columnists: The U.S. Is 'The head Of The Serpent; It Should Be Attacked In Order To Deter It

Though the Syrian regime blames Saudi Arabia and Turkey for the escalation of hostilities in Syria, it places the main responsibility for this on the U.S., saying that it allows and even instructs them to do this. 'Ali Nasrallah, a columnist for the government Syria daily Al-Thawra, called to "deliver blows" to the U.S. and its interests, because it is the source of terror. He wrote: "There is no doubt that the escalation occurred against the backdrop of the latest round of talks [between the regime and opposition delegations] in Geneva, and was accompanied by inflammatory statements by various elements, including [former] Turkish [Prime Minister] Davutoglu. Naturally, the statements of the other hostile elements are not uncoordinated, because Washington issues instructions to all its proxies, without exception. It is noteworthy that the American administration continues its hypocrisy and lies... Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are central factors in the aggression, and they do not [even] hide [the fact that] they manufacture, fund and arm the terrorism ... But the U.S. thwarts even the calls to supervise the transfer of funds and weapons and the calls to close the [Turkey-Syria] border... So the struggle is mainly against the U.S. not against its minor proxies, for the U.S. is the exclusive sponsor of terror... Attacking the manufacturers [of terror] is effective and attacking the mercenaries is necessary. [But] the correct course of action is to address the operator and planner, the serpent's head , in order to deter it by delivering the right kind of blows to it and to its interests in order to make it withdraw..."[13]

Syrian Columnists: The U.S. Supports Terrorism; Cannot Take part In Resolving Syria Crisis

Ahmad 'Orabi Ba'aj, a columnist for the government Syria daily Al-Thawra, wrote: "It is true that Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the most aggressive countries that are negatively intervening in Syria, but this aggression would not have continued had the U.S. not done everything in its power to prevent [achieving] a political solution to the crisis in Syria... [These] countries would never have dreamt of doing what they are doing without unreserved American support, and without the American-Zionist coordination, division of labor and approval of the terror that is being perpetrated in the region..."[14]

Al-Ba'th columnist 'Ali Salem called for excluding the U.S. from the efforts to resolve the Syria crisis: "What is happening in Aleppo today cannot be separated from what is happening in the rest of Syria and around the negotiations table in Geneva. [Everything] is part of a precisely-formulated Western plan. The latest [move in this plan] was the immense effort that the American administration invested in preserving what remains of the terrorist [organizations] and ignoring the takfiri organizations' daily violations of the [cessation of hostilities] agreement and their withdrawal of their delegation from the Geneva talks... after all this, [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry, who has never spoken the truth, makes declarations and blames the Syrian state for all the attacks, in a way that corresponds to America's history of hypocrisy and aggression... From now on, the party who has killed, destroyed, expelled [people] and fanned the flames of the crisis [i.e., the U.S.] should not be relied upon to resolve the Syrian [crisis], even if he presents himself as a savior - for behind the good manners and smooth words there hides a cowboy who understands only the language of force and [aims] to achieve his goals, no matter how many people die, and even if this is done by means of cooperating with the takfiri organizations..."[15]

Ba'ath Party Member: The International Community, Which Was Horrified By The Terror In Paris, Is Indifferent To The Terror In Aleppo; The U.S. And U.N. Are Plotting Against Syria

Shahnaz Fakoush, a member of the national leadership of Syria's ruling Ba'th party, criticized the international community that was shocked by the terror attack on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo but did not lift a finger on behalf of terror victims in Syria. She wrote in Al-Thawra: "After the flames of terror struck the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in France, it took less than 24 hours for the world's leaders, and even the robed kings [i.e. the Gulf states], to convene and for condemnations and anti-terror resolutions to start forming in the UN corridors. This happened while terror had been striking Syria for five years but the world remained blind and mute [to this]. Despite this, we [still] hoped for the best and that the West would start getting serious about the anti-terror struggle... But it seems that [the outrage following the Charlie Hebdo attack] was a disease that vanished once the temperature dropped. They called it a massacre, while it was [merely a limited] incident, and forgot the acts of massacre that the terrorists had been committing in Syria for five years...

"[Staffan] de Mistura, you and your ceasefire and your cessation of hostilities [agreement] and the Geneva talks and the files that you carry with you - get away from us, we do not need you. De Mistura is not innocent of the Syrians' blood... After 10 sweltering days [of battle] we hear him talk about the need for a ceasefire in Aleppo. The U.S., de Mistura, the West and even the U.N. are all plotting against Syria and Aleppo... Does a terror attack like Charlie Hebdo have to occur in Aleppo for the world to be shocked?..."[16]

Endnotes:
The MEMRI Russian Media Studies Project has launched a new weekly review, Russia This Week, covering the latest news and analysis concerning Russia from media in Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Cartoon Of The Week



New NATO chief military commander in Europe Curtis Scaparrotti: "[What do you mean,] I do not understand the Russians' concerns?! By promoting NATO forces in Eastern Europe, we are just seeking to get closer to them." (Source: 13 Studiya, May 4, 2016)

In The News

WWII Remembrance Day (Victory Day)

On May 9, 2016, Russia marks the 71st anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II - known in the country as Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

On May 8, NATO military vehicles with U.S. flags that were on display in a downtown square of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, prompted protests by socialist groups. The Russian media outlet Russia Today claimed that as a result of these protests the NATO forces "withdrew."[1]

Russia In Asia: Putin Meets Abe Ahead Of G7 Summit

On May 6, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sochi; the two discussed the Kuril Islands issue and the problem of concluding a peace treaty,[2] and also reviewed prospects for bilateral trade.[3] The meeting was important, since the G7 is scheduled to meet in Japan at the end of May. Russia was suspended from the G8 in 2014, following the annexation of Crimea; however, bilateral Russia-Japan meetings continue to take place, on the sidelines of international gatherings such as the September G20 summit and the November Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.[4]

On May 6, 2016, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov said that Russia needs judicially binding guarantees that the U.S. missile system in Asia will not target Russia. "On our part, we have noted that, despite the unity against North Korea's missile and nuclear escapades...the attempts to use the situation as a pretext for bolstering military presence in that region are absolutely unjustified and rather dangerous," Lavrov said.[5]

Russia-U.S.-NATO Relations: Russian Defense Minister Shoigu Says Russia Will Deploy Three Military Divisions To Counterbalance NATO

On May 6, 2016, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia views the preparations for the U.S.-Georgia military exercises (Noble Partner 2016), set for May 11-26, as a provocation. "[The] declared goal is to train the Georgian Army for participation in the NATO Response Force and enhance Georgia's territorial self-defense capability. The drills will include deployment of NATO member-states' combat equipment in Georgia. Last year, infantry combat vehicles were deployed and now Abrams tanks have also been delivered by ferry from Bulgaria. We regard this ongoing 'exploration' of Georgia's territory by NATO forces as a provocative step aimed at escalating the military and political situation in the South Caucasus. To a large extent, this is encouraged by Washington's and its allies' open connivance with Tbilisi's revanchist ambitions," it said in a press release.[6]

On May 5, 2016, the Russian news agency TASS reported that the U.S. is not planning to deploy missile defense systems in the Black Sea. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance Frank Rose said: "The U.S. missile defense is not directed against Russia, we have been saying this for numerous years. If you look at our policy documents over the past 20 years, we've made this very clear: we are not seeking to negate the Russian strategic deterrent even in Poland. The system in Poland and in Romania is designed to deal with threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic region. It is not directed against Russia."

TASS reported that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the U.S. is finding artificial arguments to substantiate the necessity for a missile defense system. "For the Russian Federation, the situation with the use of medium-range ballistic missiles against targets in Europe is unthinkable. This can only be carried out by terrorists, who by definition are incapable of possessing such weapons and controlling them," Ryabkov said.[7]

On May 4, 2016, NATO's new chief military commander in Europe, U.S. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, who took up the post last week, said that NATO is facing a "resurgent Russia striving to project itself as a world power." took over command of the NATO Allied Command Operations from U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove.[8]

On May 4, 2016, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Russia is to deploy two new divisions in the west and one in the south of the country to counterbalance NATO's increased military presence near Russia's borders.[9] Shoigu had also previously announced the establishment of the three new divisions, on January 12, 2016.[10]

On May 3, 2016, joint Moldova-U.S. military drills, part of NATO's Dragon Pioneer-2016, began in Moldova. Moldova joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program in 1994.[11]

Russia in Syria: Russia Stages A Concert in Palmyra

On May 6, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani. In the meeting, which focused on the Syrian crisis, Doha and Moscow agreed on the need to preserve Syria's territorial integrity.[12]

On May 5, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed via videoconference a concert in Palmyra by the Mariinsky State Academic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of National Artist of Russia Valery Gergiev. The concert, titled "Prayer for Palmyra - Music Brings the Ancient Walls to Life," took place at the ancient town's world famous amphitheater.[13] British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond criticized the concert as "a tasteless attempt to distract attention from the continued suffering of millions of Syrians." Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reacted with sarcasm to Hammond's criticism: "It's very sad that Hammond didn't like the concert. We were all run off our feet to make sure he liked it, everything was done for him. Now we know that he does not know anything about music, and nobody is interested in his comments anymore."[14]

On May 4, 2016, Russian FM Sergei Lavrov told the Russian government-funded media outlet Sputniknews.com that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is not Russia's ally. "Assad is not our ally, by the way. Yes, we support him in the fight against terrorism and in preserving the Syrian state. But he is not an ally like Turkey is the ally of the United States," Lavrov said.[15]

Russia-U.S. Relations:

On May 6, 2016, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was asked about the frequent telephone conversations between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov (25 since January 2016). Zakharova responded in rhyme:

"His heart is in Moscow. His heart is not there.

"His heart is in Moscow, chasing a bear.

"Chasing not grizzly, but Kremlinese.

"His heart is in Moscow, wherever John is."

The four-line stanza was inspired by My Heart's in the Highlands, by Robert Burns. Zakharova added that the international agenda "can be resolved exclusively on condition that Russia takes part."[16]

Russia Vs. ISIS: Russia Doubts The Efficiency Of The U.S.-Led Anti-ISIS Coalition

On May 6, 2016, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vitally Churkin said at a UN Security Council meeting about the situation in Iraq that ISIS is expanding its activities into Libya, Afghanistan, and Europe. According to Churkin, ISIS' increased activities give grounds to doubt the efficiency of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition.[17]

On May 2, 2016, ISIS released the fourth issue of its Russian-language magazine Istok ("The Source").

Russia And Ukraine: Poroshenko Says Russia Is Financing A "Fifth Column" In Ukraine

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Russia is financing and supporting a "fifth column" in Ukraine. He has also called on Ukrainians to unite in order not to "become very easy prey for the enemy in a hybrid war."[18]

On May 2, 2016, the Ukrainian city of Odessa marked the anniversary of the killings of pro-Russian protesters in 2014. The commemoration was overshadowed by a bomb alert.[19]

Russia In The Arctic: Russian Submarine Launches Kalibr Cruise Missile During Barents Sea Trials

On May 5, 2016, the Russian Stary Oskol diesel-electric submarine launched a Kalibr cruise missile during Barents Sea trials. "The missile was launched from the underwater position at a Northern Fleet range in the Barents Sea. The coastal target at the Chizha training range [in the Arkhangelsk Region in north Russia] was accurately hit," said Russia's Northern Fleet spokesman Vadim Serga.[20]

Russia In Yemen: Russia Taking Action in Yemen

On May 6, 2016, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russia is taking an active part in contacts on resolving the crisis in Yemen.[21]

Interview Of The Week: Russian FM Lavrov Talks To Rossiya Segodnya News Agency

On May 4, 2016, the Russian international news agency Rossiya Segodnya published an interview with Russian FM Sergei Lavrov. In the interview, Lavrov says that it is not quite true that Russia supports federalism in Syria and Kurdish autonomy. "When we are asked whether we will support federalization, we say that we will support everything the Syrians agree to among themselves. Will we support Kurdish autonomy? We will if all Syrian sides agree to it. It's possible to enumerate a great many elements of state structure, in the form of questions addressed to us. But afterwards one should not say that we will support whatever decision, federalization, autonomy, etc. We will support any decision the Syrian parties make. That is what our position boils down to. They should conduct the talks independently, for which they have a framework outlined by the UN Security Council, and the available experience of the coexistence of Syrian ethnic, political, and religious groups."[22]

Endnotes:
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Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Mardas departed on Sunday, 8 May, for Amman, where a meeting of the Greek-Jordanian Joint Interministerial Committee (JIC) is taking place on 9 and 10 May, within the framework of the Foreign Ministry activities planned for 2016. Mr. Mardas is being accompanied by a business mission organized by the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry.



Within the framework of the Foreign Ministrys planning for May 2016, four JICs will be convened and Greece will participate in two international meetings of economic interest.



Specifically, Mr. Mardas, as the co-chair of the Greek-Russia JIC, will meet with the Russian co-chair and Transport Minister, Maksim Sokolov, on 12 and 13 May, in Thessaloniki.



On 18 and 19 May, Mr. Mardas will be in Berlin, accompanied by a group of representatives of Greeces business-sector agencies, to participate in a Conference on Connectivity for Commerce and Investments, which is taking place within the framework of Germanys OSCE chairmanship.



On 20 and 21 May, Mr. Mardas will be in Doha, Qatar, where he will address the World Economic Forum. He will then co-chair Greeces JIC meetings with Korea (23 May), Azerbaijan (26-27 May) and China (30 May), all of which are being held in Athens.



These activities are being carried out within the framework of the economic diplomacy planning for 2016. The relevant planning includes the convening of 13 JICs and a total of 16 business missions. It should be noted that only three JICs were convened from June 2013 to January 2015.
LIVONIA, Mich. (AP)  A retired Army medic describes the three-bedroom home donated to his family as "life-changing."

"It is just unreal. It is literally one of those things that seems too good to be true," John Blizinski told The Detroit News (http://detne.ws/1Txgt7r ).

Citizens Bank partnered with the Texas-based Military Warriors Support Foundation to donate the recently renovated brick ranch to Blizinski, his wife, Nicole, and their 2-year-old son. The family had been with John Blizinski's parents in Royal Oak after he took a medical retirement from the Army in January.

Neighbors and Citizens employees, who helped rehab the home, watched from the street Saturday afternoon as the family toured the 1,400 square foot home for the first time, with Nicole Blizinski wiping away tears.

Blizinski served in the Army for nearly seven years. He received the Purple Heart in 2012, along with a Combat Medic Badge, two Army Commendation Medals and two Army Achievement Medals. His wife also received the Order of Saint Joan d'Arc award for her work mentoring Army spouses.

The couple not only got the keys to their new home Saturday but as a surprise, Citizens Bank partnered with White Star Movers, to transport all their furniture from storage a day early.

Nikki Hammer, who lives across the street, said her excitement for her new neighbors extends to her brother, who is also ex-Army and lives an hour away. He wants to meet Blizinski.

"They are fighting for our country," Hammer said. "They deserve everything we can do for them."
Despite Flipping in Surf 4 Times in a Year, Marines Say New ACV Is the Future of Amphibious Warfare

Some Marine veterans familiar with the vehicle and its operations have worried about the reliability of the ACV.
The small contingent of U.S. troops sent into Yemen as a "liaison team" in the multi-sided civil war will be staying there for a while, with no plans for an immediate pullout, the Pentagon said Monday.

"It's going to be a limited period of time, but I don't have a particular deadline" for the withdrawal of the troops who were believed to be from the Special Forces, said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook.

In disclosing the presence of the U.S. troops in Yemen, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday the troops had been in the country for about two weeks and their stay was expected to be on a "short-term" basis.

Their mission was mainly to coordinate intelligence and surveillance for forces of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and troops loyal to the Yemeni government, in a drive against the al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula terror group.

Davis would not say how many U.S. troops were on the ground and neither would Cook.

The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer with Marines from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Group aboard and the guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely and USS Gonzalez were positioned off the Yemeni port of Mukalla.

Fighters affiliated with al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula reportedly have been driven out of Mukalla by the Arab coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia.

However, Cook said at a Pentagon briefing the U.S. troops in Yemen were "still in country, still providing that liaison role, particularly in support of intelligence sharing."

Yemen's civil war began in March 2015 when Shia Houthi tribesmen overran the capital of Sanaa and ousted the Sunni-led government. About 125 U.S. Special Operations troops, who had been in Yemen for action against AQAP, were withdrawn from the country as Sanaa fell.

In addition to the small team of U.S. forces on the ground, the U.S. military is also providing the Arab coalition with intelligence support, advice and assistance with operational planning, maritime interdiction and security operations, medical support and aerial refueling, Davis said last week.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, and the Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Yemeni government in exile have been involved in peace talks in Kuwait for several weeks.

The Saudi state news agency SPA reported Monday that Saudi air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Yemen, but Saudi officials pledged to continue the peace talks despite the "serious escalation," Reuters reported.

--Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Depending on your PT test, the order of swimming may best be determined by where it is in the order of events of that test.
MAY 13: FOXs Ken Rosenthal reports that an announcement on Reyes could come as soon as today, and he hears the same as Heyman: Reyes is expected to be suspended for at least 60 days. Interestingly, however, Rosenthal suggests that Reyes will not be suspended an additional 60 days on top of his paid administrative leave, but rather will repay the money he earned on leave and be suspended for an additional 26 games (or more, if the suspension proves lengthier than 60 days).

Rosenthal also adds that the delay in determining a punishment for Reyes has not been due to any differences between the commissioners office and the MLBPA, but rather due to difficulty in obtaining the necessary information to make a final ruling.

MAY 8: Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes could be facing at least a 60-game suspension under the leagues domestic violence policy, with some sources estimating that Reyes could be sidelined for closer to 80 games, MLB Networks Jon Heyman reports.

A suspension has seemed inevitable ever since the alleged incident between Reyes and his wife took place in Hawaii last November. Criminal charges against Reyes were dropped in March since Reyes wife wasnt willing to participate in the case (nor has she been willing to participate in MLBs investigation of the incident) and the shortstop has been on paid administrative leave while the matter has been examined by the league and the players union.

The policy gives Commissioner Rob Manfred the ability to discipline players in such alleged domestic violence situations even if no criminal charges are filed. Aroldis Chapman, for instance, is nearing the end of his own 30-game suspension for an offseason incident, though as Heyman notes, Reyes incident has been considered to be a more serious matter due to the severity of the alleged violence.

Reyes was owed $22MM by the Rockies this season, so a suspension in the range of 60 to 80 games would cost him roughly $7.33MM-$9.77MM (as a reminder, players are paid over the 180-day MLB calendar, not strictly the 162-game season). Beyond this season, Reyes is also owed $22MM in 2017 and a $4MM buyout of a $22MM club option for 2018. There has been speculation that once Reyes suspension is up, the Rockies will simply release the shortstop and eat the rest of the money owed to him in order to cut ties as quickly as possible.
Chevrolet is launching ChevySmallCars.com, an all-new lifestyle-oriented website focused on its small car offerings, the Spark minicar, Sonic and Trax small SUV.

DETROIT, MI - Spotting trends among buyers of its three smaller vehicles, Chevrolet said Monday it has launched the ChevySmallCars.com "lifestyle-oriented" website.

The website, which focuses on the General Motors brand's Sonic, Spark and Trax models, has video content produced by Funny Or Die and hosted by comedian Al Madrigal. Funny Or Die will also host videos made from the partnership.

The website has information on and customization tools for the Sonic, Spark and Trax, as well as youthful stuff such as a mixtape and an in-car musical performance.

Chevy said it also plans to partner with media outlets such as Mic, Complex and Thrillist for concentrated key markets.

"Sonic, Spark and Trax customers are likely to be first-time new car buyers and traditionally are more likely to stay with the brand as their needs and lifestyle changes and they need to move up to a bigger sedan or SUV," Steve Majoros, Chevrolet director of cars and crossovers, said in a release. "We've introduced a lot of new vehicles in the last few years and the new website is a great way to expose a portion of our portfolio that not everyone knows about."

The move by Chevy also comes as automakers struggle to sell smaller cars.

The Associated Press reported Monday that April supplies of small cars on dealer lots rose to their highest level in seven years. Americans in general have been buying larger vehicles as of late, especially trucks and SUVs.



For Chevy, two of the three models featured in its new website could use a boost.

Deliveries of the Chevy Sonic fell 11 percent in the first four months of this year and deliveries of the Spark have dropped 36 percent during that same time. However, GM has been winding down some of its sales to fleet customers.

Sales of the Trax have risen 39 percent through April this year.

David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.
Tulip Time "The Hollander" beer

Pub brewer Steve Berthel is proud to use 100% Michigan ingredients in the Tulip Time beer from New Holland Brewing, "The Hollander".

(Amy Sherman)

HOLLAND, MICHIGAN-- One of the state's most popular festivals, Tulip Time in Holland is filled with flowers, wooden shoes, and windmills. But did you know that there is also a special beer made just for Tulip Time? New Holland Brewing teamed up with producers from across the state to make this all Michigan beer.

"The Hollander" is made with 100% Michigan ingredients. It's a saison style that comes in at 6.9% ABV. It'll be available through mid-May at the pub, as well as at various Tulip Time events throughout the city.

Pub brewer Steve Berthel is adamant about using all Michigan products at the downtown 8th street location. He's been focused on local ingredients for several years now. For this edition of "The Hollander" he teamed up with several Michigan producers.

Now on tap, our exclusive 2016 Tulip Time Festival beer, The Hollander! This saison is made with 100% Michigan... Posted by New Holland Brewing Pub on 8th on Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Top Hops Farm in Goodrich, Motor City Malt House in Shelby Township, Pure Mitten Hops in Coopersville, Hop Yards of Kent from Greenville, Hop Head Farms in Hickory Corners were just some of the Michigan businesses that contributed to this beer.

Windmill Island in Holland, which has the only Dutch certified miller in the country, was excited to grind the rye used in this beer. Alisa Crawford has been working there for 14 years. She loves "teaching from an experiential method" and particularly loves getting to use her grain in something so many people can try.

Craft Cultures from the Upper Peninsula propagated the yeast used in the beer from cultures taken from Lake Superior. This is one of the coolest things I've heard about in the craft beer world lately, and a pure Michigan take on beer.

Check out our Behind the Mitten podcasts with owner Fred Bueltman and brewer Steve Berthel to learn more about "The Hollander", as well as to hear what's going on at New Holland.

Be sure to have a pint of this all Michigan speciality if you visit Holland during Tulip Time this year.

Amy Sherman is on the Life + Culture Team for MLive. She covers food, beer, travel and Michigan's Best along with John Gonzalez. Email her at asherma2@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Periscope.
Plum Market.JPG

Charles Woodson is hosting a wine tasting of TwentyFour wines at Plum Market on Wednesday May 11, 2016.

(Melanie Maxwell | The Ann Arbor News)

ANN ARBOR, MI - Former University of Michigan defensive back and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson returns to Ann Arbor Wednesday night for a wine tasting and meet and greet.

The event will be held at Plum Market located at 3601 Plymouth Road on May 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will feature Woodson's personal brand of wines, TwentyFour

Attendees will receive a bottle of 2010 TwentyFour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that will be signed by Woodson at the event, an exclusive tasting of the wine, a meet and greet, photo opportunities and appetizers will be served.

Additional bottles of TwentyFour wine will be available to purchase as well. Tickets for the event are $150 and can be purchased on the Plum Market website.

Plum Market hosts weekly wine events at The WIneBar located inside of the Plymouth Road store. The store opened last November and is the second Plum Market store to open in Ann Arbor.

Matt Durr is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Email him at mattdurr@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.
With the fourth year of their partnership with the Power of Education Foundation drawing to a close, the children who attend Breton Downs Elementary School in East Grand Rapids have a very good idea how Haitians live.

Perhaps better than many adults, according to Jen Maternak, director of the foundation, which is headquartered in Haiti.

"These kids understand the culture and not just that there was an earthquake or that Haiti is poor," she said.

On May 6, Breton Downs students experienced "Haiti Day." Many of them came dressed in yellow or green to better understand school uniforms. They saw pictures of the Haitian children, with every student wearing a bright yellow shirt and green pants or skirt.

Students in Haiti are very proud to wear the colors, Maternak said, since "it shows that they are one of the lucky ones who are getting an education."

The local students started their school day with a general assembly at which they recited the Pledge of Allegiance, a daily ritual in Haitian schools. Students there start every day with the pledge and singing the national anthem before being dismissed by grade level, with kindergarten students filing to classes first, followed by first-graders on up.

Breton Downs students followed the daily Haitian routine and filed single-file to their classroom, some in lines segregated by gender.

Second-grader Grady Groenveld and kindergartner Ella Alguire make a stop at the water station.

The day was filled with reminders that life in Haiti is different than it is here.

Each child had one drinking cup, and if they were thirsty, they had to walk to the front of the school to a water station instead of using the hallway drinking fountains.

There were no bells except the one rung by hand by Breton Downs principal Caroline Breault-Cannon.

Even electricity was limited.

"Some of you (students) have already been asking why the hall lights are on," said Cannon. "They are on motion sensors and we can't turn them off. The lights are on in the bathrooms for safety reasons. And some of your teachers may use technology today and that is OK. We are still learning about how the children in Haiti go to class."

Playground equipment was limited to sidewalk chalk, marbles and jump ropes. Teachers demonstrated games traditionally played in Haiti.

Lunch was eaten outside, and if purchased at school, consisted of rice, red beans, pineapple and bananas.

The students did art projects with limited supplies.

"I learned that I can make an airplane with only a few popsicle sticks and a clothespin, and that kids in Haiti sometimes make their own toys," said kindergartner Karsyn Boermsa.

"Students made crafts using recycled items after seeing some examples from students at the Power of Education school," said Breton Downs teacher Katie Vicente. "It was great to see how resourceful artists can be."

Videos of Maternak's most recent trip to Haiti, during which she distributed gifts from the Breton Downs students, were shown. "They were so excited about the pencil sharpeners; they hardly could believe that they each got one," she said.

Focusing on different aspects of Haitian life, students gain a broader understanding of children growing up in a different culture, said Vicente.
bill-engvall.jpg

Comedian Bill Engvall, who finished in the Top 4 of Season 17 of "Dancing with the Stars," will perform at 7 p.m. May 13, 2016 at Tulip Time in Holland.

(Courtesy photo)

Bill Engvall

When: 7 p.m. May 13, 2016

Where: Central Wesleyan Auditorium, 446 West 40th Street, Holland

Tickets: $58

Contact: tuliptime.com or call 800-822-2770.

In his 25-plus years as a comedian, Bill Engvall has done it all.

He has toured the country, starred in his own network television show, recorded top-selling CDs and even toured as part of the groundbreaking "Blue Collar Comedy" tour with Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and Ron White.

Still, the loudest applause he received each night was when he was introduced as a Season 17 contestant on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." Engvall made it all the way to the finale and finished in 4th place with pro dancer Emma Slater.

The reaction from fans is "like 10-fold" compared to anything else, he said in a recent interview on the "Behind the Mitten" radio show, which I co-host with MLive's Amy Sherman.

"It was 12 million people a week for 13 weeks," he said.

"It's one of those things I never saw coming," he added.

Fans who see his show May 13 at Central Wesleyan Church in Holland as part of the annual Tulip Time Festival will get to hear him talk about every day life, and his "DWTS experience."

"Which then led to my knee be replaced, which led to a kidney stone, which led to shingles. I don't think people ever see the dark side of 'Dancing with the Stars,'" he said.

Bill Engvall competed on Season 17 "Dancing with the Stars" with pro dancer Emma Slater. He finished in the Top 4.

All joking aside, he said the injuries are for real.

"It's one of the most brutal things I ever done in my life."

Best known for his signature bit that stupid people should wear a sign ("Here's Your Sign"), the comedian will bring his act to Holland with "a mix of new an old stuff," he said.

Much of the show will come from a special he recorded late last year called "Just Sell Him for Parts," which was inspired by his "DWTS" days.

"After all that stuff I'm scared to go to the doctor anymore because I'm afraid they're gonna look at my wife and go, 'Ma'am, just sell him for parts, it's just not worth it.'"

The biggest question he gets from fans?

"What makes me laugh is when people go, 'Are you still dancing?'

"Hell no," he said. "You learn a specific dance to a specific song for 1 minute and 10 seconds. I got other things to do, like take a nap."

Listen to the entire segment here on "Behind the Mitten":

John Gonzalez is a member of the Life + Culture team at MLive. He covers food, beer, travel, events and coordinates Michigan's Best with MLive's Amy Sherman. Email him at gonzo@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Complete Michigan travel, destination and event information available via Michigan.org
YPSILANTI, MI - The first group of local students are on their way to receiving a full four-year scholarship to the University of Michigan through the Wolverine Pathways program.

The application process for the second session in the fall opened Monday, May 9, offering full scholarships to students in the Ypsilanti and Southfield school districts with its first winter session come to a close on April 30.

A total of 200 students in seventh and 10th grades took part in the program, which features project-based learning encompassing English, science and math. In addition, students participated in community service and leadership opportunities, cultural events, field trips, college prep workshops, internships and visits to the U-M campus.

Project coordinator Dana Davidson said she was encouraged to see a wide range of students benefit from the first cohort, helping them discover their talents and abilities with the help of U-M mentors.

"The design that (U-M associate professor of education) Robert Jagers developed is multi-layered, so it reaches children on a number of different levels, which is exciting to see," Davidson said. "They have different ability levels in the different subject areas. It presents them with a lot of big questions and ideas and allows them to approach them from their different skills levels and get a great deal of experience."

Once admitted, Wolverine Pathways scholars take part in the program every year through the completion of their senior year in high school. The program takes place in three seasonal sessions each year at one location within the targeted school district. In the fall and winter, eight-week sessions run on Saturdays. The program will start back up for a four-week summer session on July 11, with courses running Monday through Thursday.

Around 200 total students were selected by a campus advisory committee for its first cohort, attending a kickoff event in February along with 300 parents. Students were selected based on their credentials, which include a minimum 3.0 GPA in addition to their involvement in extracurricular activities and an interest or involvement in community service. Students must live in the Ypsilanti or Southfield district boundaries, but don't have to attend those specific districts, and must be interested in attending college.

To successfully complete Wolverine Pathways, students must attend and actively participate in 90 percent or more of program activities and maintain a 90 percent or better school attendance rate. They also must maintain good school conduct and a "B" average or better in core academic courses.

The program, which is part of the university's continued efforts to increase the population of underrepresented minorities, has provided students with incentive to perform well in the classroom while encouraging them to be involved in the community, Wolverine Pathways Administrative Coordinator O'Shai Ahmad-Robinson said.

"In talking with several parents about what this program has meant to their children, they believe it is a great motivator for their students," he said. "The students are all bright and smart. All they need is an avenue to show how smart they are and that people do believe in them and their ability to learn."

District facilitator Domonique Weston has been excited to see how students have latched on to their undergrad mentors from U-M, who have discussed a number of topical issues with the middle and high school students during the Saturday sessions.

"It's been really amazing to see some of the undergrads interact with the students during the gaming curriculum in the winter," she said. "The undergrads have been a big part of the program in having discussions with students about social media and how technology has impacted their lives. It has resulted in some really good conversations."

Students interested in participating in the next cohort during the fall can visit wolverinepathways.umich.edu to fill out an application, which consists of three essays and three recommendations from their teachers or other members of the community. Students will have three weeks to complete applications for the fall session.

Martin Slagter covers higher education for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at mslagter@mlive.com or on Twitter.
ANN ARBOR, MI -- An environmental remediation professional is warning some people in Ann Arbor could be exposed to a toxic chemical from contaminated groundwater getting into basements.

Dan Bicknell, president of Global Environment Alliance LLC, recently investigated the potential for basements in the West Park area to flood with groundwater contaminated by the Gelman dioxane plume.

"There's the potential that flooded basements could be receiving dioxane at this time," he said.

Dioxane is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as likely to be carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure. It also can cause kidney and liver damage, and respiratory problems.

Bicknell, a former EPA Superfund enforcement officer, discovered the plume in 1984 as a University of Michigan graduate student and continues to study it.

He presented his latest findings at Monday's meeting of the local Coalition for Action on Remediation of Dioxane, a group of officials and citizens working to address the plume spreading through the area's groundwater.

A number of local and state officials, including Michigan Department of Environmental Quality officials and a state attorney, were on hand.

The DEQ agrees dioxane getting into people's basements is a potential risk, but at this time there's no conclusive evidence to say it has or hasn't happened. Water seeping out of hillsides at West Park is another concern.

Looking at hydrogeological cross-sections and monitoring well data, Bicknell concludes it's highly likely the West Park area already has been impacted.

He's recommending the city, county, Pall Corp. and the DEQ take additional action and investigate to see if that's true.

The plume originated decades ago from the former Gelman Sciences site on Wagner Road and continues to spread, including east into Ann Arbor.

Gelman was acquired by Pall Corp. in 1997, and last year Danaher Corp. acquired Pall Corp.

Bicknell noted the West Park area has a high water table and Pall Corp. identified it and surrounding areas as areas of potential artesian groundwater flow.

He cited a 2007 study by Pall Corp. that looked at monitoring wells going from west to east through Ann Arbor, from Veterans Memorial Park toward West Park, the direction the groundwater flows.

In between monitoring wells to the north and south of that east-west line, he noted, there are only two monitoring wells to cover 2,640 feet and 3,080 feet of space, respectively, in a glacial till aquifer. He believes that's inadequate.

"As you move from west to east, the topography drops off," he said. "And of course, therefore, the groundwater starts rising up."

So, near Veterans Memorial Park, the groundwater is about 65 feet deep, and by the time it gets to the West Park area it's about 10 feet deep, Bicknell said.

"And that's consistent with what Pall had talked about before, where you have areas of potential artesian flow," he said.

Bicknell cited monitoring well reports showing dioxane in concentrations at hundreds of parts per billion on the west side of the city. As the dioxane spreads east, he said, it has the potential to come up near the surface in the West Park area, but there's no shallow well at West Park to see if that's happening.

Bicknell said it's a problem that there's only one shallow well between Veterans Memorial Park and West Park. The well is located just west of the Dexter/Jackson split, where Bicknell cited a dioxane reading of 230 ppb.

The distance from that shallow well to West Park is about 2,800 feet, and the plume could travel that far in 5 to 7.6 years, Bicknell said.

Given that dioxane was detected at the lone shallow well back in 2002, Bicknell believes it's likely the plume has reached the West Park area by now.

"There definitely is need for further investigation in this area," he said, suggesting more monitoring wells and investigations of flooded basements.

Bicknell is recommending the city conduct a survey of property owners to determine the extent of basement flooding in the West Park area and surrounding areas where there might be a high water table or artesian conditions.

He also is recommending additional monitoring wells in the shallow portion of the aquifer in the West Park area and to the west, as well as sampling of the Allen Creek in the West Park area during dry weather conditions to determine whether infiltrated groundwater contains dioxane. He said there also should be sampling of people's sump pumps in the West Park area.

Bicknell said the DEQ also should develop state criteria for dioxane exposure via flooded basements. He said the new rules the DEQ is proposing do include vapor intrusion into buildings as an exposure pathway, but he argues that's different from exposure to contaminated water in a flooded basement.

"That has exposures such as incidental ingestion and dermal contact, which the vapor intrusion doesn't have," he said.

Lastly, Bicknell suggests more work should be done to determine if there are other areas where basement flooding might expose people to dioxane, such as the Park Road-Jackson Road area and near the Sister Lakes.

Vince Caruso, a member of the Allen's Creek Watershed Group, said during Monday's meeting there's water seeping out of the hillsides at West Park all year round. He said he also talks to a lot of homeowners in the area who have regular intrusions of water in their basements in the spring and fall.

"There are some real concerns that we may be in a situation where we're getting this compound in the basement, and you may have offices in the basement, you may have play spaces in the basement," he said. "We want, at all costs, to avoid that potentiality. And so we need to know -- are we going to have that? Or do we already have it now? And what can we do to stop it?"

The DEQ is encouraging property owners with concerns about potential dioxane contamination to contact Dan Hamel, the DEQ's project manager for the Gelman plume site, at 517-780-7832 or hameld@michigan.gov.

Though the DEQ is proposing to reduce the allowable level of dioxane in drinking water from 85 ppb to 7.2 ppb, dioxane still will be allowed to travel through Ann Arbor to the Huron River at up to 2,800 ppb, which is unchanged from the current standard. There were some concerns about that at Monday's meeting.

Bob Wagner, the DEQ's Remediation and Redevelopment Division chief, said 2,800 ppb is the standard for protection of surface water and doesn't have anything to do with basements or indoor air.

"And we agree with you -- currently there are no criteria established by the court that would be protective of basements or indoor air," Wagner said.

"And we've heard the concern with respect to basements and seeps," he said, mentioning concerns about exposure to dioxane from seepage at West Park.

"Our new rules provide for criteria for dermal contact with contaminated groundwater -- for 1,4-dioxane -- and also provides for indoor screening levels that trigger the need to evaluate whether it's a risk."

While there might be water seeping out of hillsides at the park or entering people's basements, Wagner said data needs to be collected to determine the risk and to ask the court to establish risk numbers for those exposures.

"So, we need to establish, for a flooded basement, to some extent, what would be typical," he said. "Size does matter. Infiltration matters. We have to get down into the weeds, into the science, and say, 'The average basement in Ann Arbor that has contaminated groundwater entering it at X concentration represents this risk.' So, we have to know that. We have to know square footage. We have to get some information, some data, just basic stuff."

Following a back-and-forth discussion between DEQ officials and local citizens and officials at Monday's meeting, Bicknell said it seems they're all in agreement that they need to further investigate the matter.

Ryan Stanton covers the city beat for The Ann Arbor News. Reach him at ryanstanton@mlive.com.
BAY CITY, MI -- A 38-year-old Bay City man is prison-bound for attempting to snatch a woman's purse on Thanksgiving Day.

Christopher D. Gardiner Monday, May 9, appeared before Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran for sentencing. The judge ordered Gardiner to be imprisoned for two to 15 years, with credit for 169 days already served.

Before the judge imposed sentence, defense attorney Kim Higgs said his client has a long history of substance abuse issues. He asked Sheeran to let Gardiner participate in the Michigan Department of Corrections Special Alternative Incarceration program, which includes substance abuse treatment.

The judge granted Higgs' request.

Gardiner apologized for his crime.

"I'm very, truly sorry and, um, I make no excuses and, um, to say that I've learned my lesson and this will never happen again," he said.

Gardiner in January pleaded guilty to one count of assault with intent to rob while unarmed. The charge is a 15-year felony.

The prosecution did not dismiss any other charges, but agreed not to seek a habitual offender sentencing enhancement.

When he pleaded, Gardiner said he was in the parking lot of Big Lots, 1001 N. Euclid Ave. in Bangor Township, the evening of Nov. 26 when he accosted a woman he didn't know and tried to take her purse.

"I realized what I was doing and I stopped and ran away," he said. "I tried to grab it and I let go, your honor. I did not mean her any harm, your honor."

Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Jeff Stroud asked Gardiner if he knocked the woman to the ground.

"When I let go, she fell," Gardiner replied.

The 47-year-old woman told Bay County sheriff's deputies she was putting items in the back of her vehicle when Gardiner pushed her to the ground and tried stealing her purse. The woman managed to fend off the man, who then jumped in a Taurus driven by a woman and containing a child in the back seat, court records show. The Taurus had a plastic Kroger bag over its license plate, the woman told deputies, according to court records.

At 9:25 p.m., deputies at Walmart were approached by a woman who read about a description of the Taurus on Facebook and said she had recently seen it at Younkers, 4131 E. Wilder Road, inside the Bay City Mall. Deputies went to the Younkers lot and found a Taurus matching the description, its license plate still covered by a Kroger bag, court records show.

Inside the Taurus at the time was Melissa K. Gardiner, 39, and her 12-year-old son. A short time later, the woman's husband, Gardiner, approached deputies, according to court records.

The Gardiners initially denied any wrongdoing, but Christopher Gardiner later admitted to trying to rob the woman in the Big Lot's parking lot, court records show.

"I didn't want to hurt her," he told deputies, according to court records. "I just wanted the purse." He went on to say he was hard-up for money and that he wrapped his vehicle's license plate in plastic, court records state.

Melissa Gardiner maintained she had no knowledge he planned a purse snatching. She said she thought he planned to steal some dog food in Big Lots, court records show.

The alleged victim later arrived and identified Gardiner as the man who accosted her, court records show.

Melissa Gardiner is charged with accessory after the fact to a felony for her role. Her case is scheduled for a settlement conference in Bay County District Court Friday, May 13.
BAY CITY, MI -- A 46-year-old man is returning to prison for breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home, holding her at knifepoint and threatening to kill both her and himself.

Bay County Circuit Judge Joseph K. Sheeran Monday, May 9, sentenced Michael D. Denman to concurrent prison terms of 10 to 20 years and 40 months to five years. The judge gave him credit for 132 days already served. Sheeran also set a restitution hearing for June 20.

Denman in March pleaded guilty to single counts of first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of property between $1,000 and $20,000.

Defense attorney Bruce K. Mannikko said Denman learning his ex was in a new romantic relationship was "more than my client could bear."

Denman, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit, stood before a courtroom podium to express his contrition.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, a lot of bad choices," Denman said. "Chemical dependency and alcoholism both play a part. It all comes down to the bad choices I've made."

He apologized to his victims, his family and his friends.

"Me returning to the Department of Corrections is basically me letting them down," he said. "I made a promise to them when I was on parole there would be no more slip-ups, that I was going to say straight. I lost my focus on that. I'd like to apologize to the court and Bay City as a society in general for the mistakes that I've made. I'm fully prepared -- mentally, physically, and spiritually -- to return to the Department of Corrections and fix myself."

Denman on Dec. 29 broke into a home in Bay City's South End next door to his own house. The victim, who is 52, and Denman previously had a romantic relationship.

"I went into the garage and proceeded to smash all the windows out of a van," Denman said in his March plea hearing. "Also, another van outside the garage. I did the same thing to that one.

"I did enter the residence with intent to speak to (my ex), but it didn't really go as planned," Denman continued. "I ended up holding her in the bathroom with a knife for about two hours. I ended up giving her the knife, and I went home. I told her not to say anything, and she was going to hear me out."

The prosecution dismissed single counts of unlawful imprisonment, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Denman's victim told police Denman entered her home at about 4 a.m. as she and her boyfriend slept. She went into her bathroom, and Denman was there with knife in hand, she told police.

"Michael told me that he was planning on killing me and my family and then kill himself," she told police, according to court records. "He said that if he couldn't have me, then nobody can."

Denman also pointed the knife toward his own stomach and told the woman to push it in, she told police.

The woman talked with Denman and he left her home, court records show. He left the knife behind, and police later located it.

At the police station, officers read Denman his Miranda rights. After suffering an apparent panic attack requiring medical attention, Denman gave a narrative to police, court records show.

Denman told police he was intoxicated but recalled smashing the windows of the two vans and then entering the woman's home, retrieving two phones from a nightstand and smashing them, court records show. He added that he has had anger issues since his ex started dating her present boyfriend.

"I stood over the bed watching them while they slept," he told police.

He then confronted his ex in her bathroom, holding the knife alternately toward her and himself.

"I didn't want to hurt her, but I was gonna kill him," he told police, referring to the woman's boyfriend, court records show.

The Michigan Department of Corrections' website does not specify Denman's previous convictions.

As Denman left the courtroom Monday, escorted by a Bay County Sheriff's deputy, he thanked Sheeran. The judge wished him good luck.
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American news giant CNN and local media outlet SkyNet have signed a deal to offer content broadcast in Myanmar language.





The multi-year agreement, inked on May 6 between CNN International of Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific and Shwe Than Lwin Media Company  which runs SkyNet  will result in Myanmars first round-the-clock local language news network.

The deal  which also includes a training program  is to be renewed annually, according to Shwe Than Lwin Media Company.

CNN International vice president of content sales and partnerships Greg Bietchman said Myanmar was an exciting market.

[Establishing the] first local, 24-hour news channel is a significant milestone, and its our privilege to be affiliated with an organisation that aspires to CNNs vision and value, he said.

The deal has not been without controversy, however.

Local media outlet The Irrawaddy reported on May 7 that SkyNet has been implicated in a graft scandal that involved a media company that took part in the annual New Year in Nay Pyi Taw by staging a pavilion, according to a statement by the Presidents Office, and a K5 million bribe to a government officials personal assistant.





SkyNet was the only media group to have a Nay Pyi Taw pandal during Thingyan this year, the report said.

Meanwhile, Shwe Than Lwin owner U Kyaw Win has close ties with the former, Union Solidarity and Development Party-dominated government and the military junta, as previously reported by The Myanmar Times.

Shwe Than Lwin Media CEO U Ko Ko said SkyNet wont start airing content on its new station, Channel One, for at least one year due to a lack of capacity and human resources.

We will need more quality staff for this channel and more discussion with CNN, he said.

The American news networks Hong Kong bureau chief told The Myanmar Times CNN wont make decisions on news production and expressed confidence that SkyNet will report news without bias and safeguard editorial freedom  something U Ko Ko said the owner would give the editorial team.
The Yangon Stock Exchange needs larger and more experienced investors to start trading as its current buyers lack experience, industry sources said at an Oxford Business Group capital market debate last week.





The individual traders dominating the new bourse  also called retail investors  are poor at assessing a companys financial health, analysing cash flows and determining the fair value of shares, sources said at the May 5 event.

Institutional investors, such as banks or insurance firms, are typically more sophisticated, better able to assess risk and trade larger amounts. It is this class of investors that the YSX needs, industry sources said.

First Myanmar Investment (FMI) became the first firm to list on the YSX on March 25. Trading volumes soared, with over 140,000 shares changing hands on March 29 alone. But the market has since cooled  just over 6000 shares were traded on May 6.

A market dominated by retail investors can be problematic. Those buyers may treat investing as gambling, said Amara Investment Securities director Neville Daw, adding securities companies must educate their clients about basic practices like share valuation.

FMI first listed its shares at K26,000 and watched their value climb to K41,000 in less than a week. But the shares have slowly crept back toward their listing price, and closed at K28,500 on May 6.

YSX director U Thet Tun Oo agreed that some investors were likely treating investing as gambling. But YSX regulations that restrict trading volumes and price movements prevent dishonest trading, he said.





Foreign buyers are a potential source of institutional investment, but foreigners are not allowed to purchase shares on the YSX. Once the Myanmar Companies Act has been passed it will be possible to admit foreign buyers, although with set limits, said U Thet Tun Oo. The revised legislation will go before parliament this year.

Thura Swiss CEO U Aung Thura said the countrys new bourse needs a professional class of institutional investors. But finding candidates in the local market may prove difficult.

Public or private sector entities like insurance companies or pension funds could potentially invest on the YSX, although as private insurance firms were only established in 2013 they lack the excess funds to make investments, he said.

Some six or seven securities companies have recently started operations. Those with underwriting licences are allowed to buy shares for their own trading purposes, but most are only doing so for clients because few firms plan to undertake initial public offerings, he added.

U Zaw Lin Aung, director of KBZ Stirling Coleman Securities, said that securities firms were waiting for the market to become more liquid before they started to invest.

Were still waiting as demand seems low at the moment, he said.

Industry sources are expecting trading volumes to increase when Myanmar Thilawa SEZ Holdings Public Ltd lists later this month. That firm received permission to list on May 6, and will become the second firm on the YSX on May 19, according to a YSX announcement.

An official from the Securities Exchange Commission said he is hoping that 10 or more companies can list this year. There are four companies already engaged in the listing process, he said, noting other public firms would be applying for permission.

As of May, the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration lists around 200 public companies. A new over-the-counter market is in the works, which would provide an exchange for firms that do not meet the YSX listing criteria, U Thet Tun Oo said.
Yangon's pre-eminent five-star Victorian hotel is to undergo an extensive six-month refurbishment before reopening in November in a bid to rekindle its past splendour.





At a closing celebration on April 28, Olivier Trinquand, vice president of Strand Hotel & Cruise, unveiled the new design which will attempt to recreate the magic of The Strands luxurious former self.

The 31 suites that have housed numerous distinguished guests will be the focus of the renovations. Adorned with a crisp black and white colour scheme and fresh decorative touches, they will be stocked with new furniture, fittings, lighting and bed sheets. Modern audio-visual features, air conditioning and electric curtains will provide the contemporary twist.

The lobby and other public areas will also receive significant attention. Classic features, such as the ceiling fans, chandeliers, and inlaid marble and teak wood flooring, will remain, while the traditional rattan furniture will be upgraded.

Mark Murraybrown, The Strands operations manager, told The Myanmar Times that it does need to be spruced up for it to continue being a top-of-the-range-hotel.

He explained the scale of the renovations required a full closure. For reference, it took four years to overhaul the heritage building the last time it was properly refurbished back in 1993.

There will be no structural changes, he said. It is a very sturdy building. Nonetheless the historic buildings exterior is in need of maintenance, and the plumbing requires upgrading.





The Strands cafe is to be rechristened Canal Lane and will continue to serve both Myanmar and Western cuisine, and  most importantly  afternoon high tea will be preserved. A Michelin-starred chef will lead an as-yet-unnamed restaurant and grill, formerly The Strand Signature, offering a fine dining option, which will be complemented by a completely altered, moodier bar serving all manner of drinks.

The Strands traditionally clad staff, described as part of its soul and its greatest asset, are to receive extensive training including extra English and Myanmar language courses for the staff and management. Efforts will be made to integrate service with the hotels new communication systems.

We are making many improvements; we are not embarking on a whole new project, Mr Murraybrown said. It will be all hands on deck.

From its current location facing the Hlaing River from Strand Road, the iconic hotel has shared Myanmars turbulent history. Opened in 1901 by the Sarkies brothers, it once rivalled Raffles of Singapore for status as the premiere high-end luxury accommodation in the region. However Japanese occupation and military rule saw it descend into a state of disrepair. Taken over and relaunched in 1993, it regained much of its elegance and its position at the heart of Yangons high-brow social scene.

It remains to be seen whether it can regain its mantle as, the finest hostelry East of Suez.
Tourism Minister U Ohn Maung has launched a 100-day program to boost community-based tourism in six destinations. The aim is to relieve pressure on overcrowded sites like Mandalay, Bagan and Shwedagon Pagoda, while bringing more benefits to local communities.





Ministry of Hotels and Tourism director U Myint Htwe said community-based tourism (CBT) was being promoted because it was increasingly popular throughout the world. The ministry has selected six sites: Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State; Loikaw, Kayah State; Thandaunggyi, Kayin State; Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in Shan State; Myaing township in Magwe Region; and the Irrawaddy dolphin conservation centre based in six villages in Mandalay Region.

The countrys first-ever eco-tourism site, the Indawgyi wildlife sanctuary, was established by the ministries of tourism and environmental conservation in 2013.

The plan entails helping local residents provide bed-and-breakfast accommodation, with package tours organised by Inn Chit Thu organisation and other travel companies with funding from Fauna and Flora International.

Two ethnic Kayan villages, Hta Nee La Leh and Pan Pet in Loikaw township, have been offering CBT since 2014 with US$1.9 million in funding from the Netherlands Trust Fund.

A five-minute documentary about Kayah State won the Diamond Award at a competition held alongside the worlds largest travel show, ITB Berlin, on March 10.

During his visit to the villages of community-based tourism during Thingyan, the tourism minister promised to provide improved water and electricity supplies, and better transportation within 100 days. He is also trying to reduce the three-day period necessary for the issuance of a permit for foreigners to visit the area, said U Nay Moe Aung, managing director of 9 Generation Force travel company.





Weve got a lot of bookings for Kayah for next year, he said, and added, There is a plan to extend CBT and home stays into other villages in Kayah State, depending on the political situation.

Thandaunggyi in Kayin State started offering B&B stays last year and now intends to open training classes in hospitality, regional guiding and spoken English, while extending the itinerary into Latetho, Thandaung and Bawgali towns in Taunggyi township this year, with support from the Hans Seidel Foundation and Peace Nexus.

Four villages in Nyaungshwe and Taunggyi townships in Shan State are already open to tourists. Plans to open up another five villages are being developed by the Parami Development Network and Golden Island Cottages, with funding from the Pa-O National Organisation. And in Myaing township, Magwe Region, six more villages will be added to the four that are already offering CBT, supported by ActionAid Myanmar International.

The Irrawaddy dolphin conservation project, in six villages between Myingun in Mandalay Region and Kyaukmyaung in Sagaing Region, also plans to offer B&B accommodation and other hospitality training with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society.
An upsurge in fighting between two ethnic armed groups in northern Shan State has displaced as many as 2500 villagers over the past week, while clashes in Rakhine State have added to the wave of IDPs in the west of Myanmar, according to aid workers.





Mong Myo Aung, general secretary of the Taang Student and Youth Organisation, said yesterday that nearly 2500 IDPs had fled fighting in several places, including the townships of Namkham, Mong Ton, Hsipaw, Namsan and Kyaukme.

On the other side of Myanmar, United Nations workers said 300 more villagers had fled recent clashes between the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, and the Tatmadaw, bringing the total of IDPs from that conflict since last month to about 1400.

In northern Shan State, the Kyaukme township administrative office said it had registered 1037 IDPs since fighting between the Taang National Liberation Army and the Restoration Council of Shan State flared again on May 1.

U Tin Maung Thein, chair of the Ziwitha Philanthropic Organisation in northern Shan, said government aid had not yet arrived but there was enough rice and oil for the short term in Kyaukme.

The two ethnic groups are accusing each other of torching civilian homes.

Tai Freedom, an online agency close to the RCSS, accused the TNLA of setting fire to 52 houses and a monastery in Ho Pan village, part of the Mong Wee area in Namkham township, on May 6.

The TNLA denied the accusation the next day. It said the RCSS had sent troops into that village and then government forces had opened fire with heavy weapons. The village was already burning when TNLA forces entered, the ethnic Taang group said.





TNLA spokesperson Mai Aik Kyaw said both sides had suffered casualties, but he gave no details. The group reported eight clashes with the RCSS on May 5.

Tai Freedom also accused two other ethnic armed groups, which it did not name, of supporting the TNLA in its offensives.

Mong Myo Aung told The Myanmar Times that it was not clear who had destroyed the houses but he urged all armed groups to stop harming civilians.

Locals are getting desperate about their isolation in an increasingly complex conflict.

Who should they rely on? asked Sai Aung Myint Oo, executive member of the Shan Youth Network in Yangon. Which groups will protect them? Government, party members, MPs? We have not seen any moves by them.
Evident confusion over hierarchy within the government dominated social media reports on President U Htin Kyaws first foreign visit.





As the envoy prepared to depart from Nay Pyi Taw on May 6, the state counsellor, who has repeatedly said she would be above the president, earned the respect of her followers as she positioned herself behind the president and the first lady, at least in public. A video showed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi gently guiding First Lady Daw Su Su Lwin to walk in front of her, to the delight of her supporters.

She is so lovely, Mother Suu, one Facebook user commented.

Thats why I love her, said another.

Vice President Henry Van Thio also seemed unsure of his place when he welcomed the delegation upon their return to Nay Pyi Taw. It again took a gesture from the state counsellor to assure him that, when outside of the marble halls of the government complex, he ostensibly outranks her.

The state-backed Global New Light of Myanmars report on President U Htin Kyaws meeting with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit did not mention Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, suggesting the bilateral meeting had been between the two presidents.

According to the state newspaper, the president expressed his willingness to see Lao play a greater part in the region and pledged to support Laos ASEAN Chairmanship.

The Global New Light added that U Htin Kyaw and his party met with Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith. His delegation also included Minister for Information U Pe Myint.





Daw Aung San Suu Kyi reportedly met with the vice chair of Laos national assembly, Somphanh Phengkhammy.

U Htin Kyaw fulfilled several other diplomatic duties before the delegation returned home the same day.
Ethnic parties are disenchanted with the National League for Democracy and must forge their own agenda going forward with the peace process, according to the leader of one of the largest ethnic alliances.





U Khun Tun Oo, head of the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) and chair of the Shan National League for Democracy, said ethnic people cannot count on the ruling party.

Ethnic people have only the UNA or the NBF [National Brotherhood Federation] or the current ethnic representatives of parliament to rely on for ethnic affairs. Ethnic people can no longer rely on the NLD, he said during an opening speech at a UNA meeting on May 7.

The UNA is comprised of eight political parties  the Shan National League for Democracy, the Arakan National Party, the Mon National Party, the Karen National Party, the Kachin National Democracy Congress, the Shan State Kokang Democratic Party, the Kayin National Party and the Zomi Congress for Democracy. Collectively the UNA parties won over 40 seats in Pyidaungsu Hluttaw in the 2015 general election.

Historically, the UNA has maintained close ties with the NLD, supporting the partys bid to revise the 2008 military-drafted constitution for instance.

But ethnic parties and the NLD have faced a growing rift since the election, a schism that has only deepened after the NLD undertook appointing the state cabinets without consulting ethnic parties, even in states where the NLD won a minority of the local hluttaw seats. Ethnic parties and alliances sidelined by the NLD have questioned the partys commitment to federalism and the peace process after it already broke power-sharing pledges.

U Myint Khine, a member of the central executive committee for the Shan State Kokang Democratic Party, said that the UNA has lost trust in the NLD government after it failed to work together with the ethnic groups.

We arranged to hold talks with the NLD but it has not happened, he said.





UNA co-founder U Aye Thar Aung, who is also deputy speaker of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw and a central executive member of the Arakan National Party, told The Myanmar Times that the ethnic parties need to unite to solve their own problems independently.

We are seeing the government prioritise changes to other sectors, but we havent yet seen any progress with the peace process. The government shouldnt just continue with the previous governments arrangements. Inclusivity is very important for the peace process, he said. The Arakan Army was not among the eight signatories to the ceasefire agreement, and has not been invited to the political dialogue.

U Aye Thar Aung also criticised State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis vision for a second Panglong conference  a second iteration of the historic accord her father Bogyoke Aung San brokered with ethnic leaders in exchange for their assistance in fighting for independence.

If there is no peace, a second Panglong conference will be meaningless and a federal Union wont really emerge, he said. The government should invite all ethnic armed groups, including the [Arakan Army] AA, to sign the ceasefire first.

The UNA meeting also addressed last weeks parliamentary debate over ongoing clashes in Rakhine State, with Lieutenant General Sein Win, Union Minister for Defence, demanding the AA surrender and accusing them of behaving undemocratically.

The AA is fighting against democracy. Under a democratic system, people have the right to present their demands via members of parliament, he said at the May 4 hluttaw session.

U Khun Tun Oo said at the UNA meeting that the Rakhine issue is very bad for the NLD government.

NLD spokesperson U Nyan Win shot back at the UNA by saying that ethnic affairs cannot be solved by one party, alliance or government alone. All parties must collaborate, he said.

We are making progress for ethnic affairs and the AA issue will be understood soon. We agree that we have to meet with the UNA, but we cannot say the date yet, he said.
Renewed fighting and a new wave of villagers seeking aid and shelter in northern Shan State have cast the spotlight on parallel efforts by ethnic armed groups and the government to revive Myanmars stalled peace process.





Clashes between the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and forces of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) were reported to be continuing in recent days. The TNLA has also accused the Tatmadaw of using artillery against its positions.

Fighting was also reported last week in Rakhine State between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group, and in Kachin State with the Kachin Independence Army.

Such conflicts involving a web of ethnicities and armed groups have highlighted the failure of the nationwide ceasefire agreement spearheaded by the previous military-backed government last year, leaving Daw Aung San Suu Kyi a complex legacy as she tries to get the peace process moving in a new direction after months of inaction.

Her government is expected to hold talks tomorrow with representatives of the eight so-called signatories of the ceasefire accord as a first step toward launching a broader peace conference. The second Panglong conference would bring in major ethnic armed groups that refused to sign the ceasefire agreement or were excluded by then-president U Thein Sein and the military.

I dont want to comment on that matter as it is a very sensitive issue, said U Tin Myo Win, tipped as the new governments chief peace negotiator, when asked about the upsurge in fighting.

Parallel to the governments slow-moving efforts, ethnic armed groups are also trying to broker a halt to the fighting in Shan State.





Over the weekend, the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP)  one of the non-signatories  called for a truce between the TNLA, also a non-signatory, and the RCSS which signed the pact. The SSPP, which was involved in heavy fighting with the Tatmadaw late last year, said the recent clashes were taking place close to its own headquarters and areas of control.

We refrained from getting involved in the conflict and maintained our neutrality, not provoking conflict by not encouraging either of the two sides, the SSPP said.

The TNLA has accused the RCSS of using the ceasefire pact to expand its area of control, with the help of the Tatmadaw. The RCSS, mainly based in the south of Shan State, denies the accusations and says it has long had a military presence in the north.

The SSPP is one of several influential groups in the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) which is dominated by ethnic armed groups that did not join the ceasefire pact last October. The UNFC has failed so far to broker talks between the TNLA and the RCSS.

Last month State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi called for a wide-ranging peace conference to be held within two months and modelled after the historic 1947 Panglong conference held between her father Bogyoke Aung San and some ethnic leaders.

On May 4 some members of the eight signatories had an informal meeting with U Tin Myo Win, who is also Daw Aung San Suu Kyis personal doctor and joined her in talks with the military during the transition period following last Novembers elections.

Members of the armed groups who met the doctor said they sent a letter through him to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi requesting a continuation of the peace structures put in place by U Thein Seins government as the building blocks of the peace process.

One item on the agenda for tomorrows expected talks is Daw Aung San Suu Kyis proposal to establish a National Reconciliation and Peace Centre that would take over from the now-defunct Myanmar Peace Centre set up by the previous government.

Signatories of the ceasefire pact want also to preserve the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee, established under the ceasefire agreement to implement political dialogue. The UPDJC has 16 members, including representatives of the government, the military, political parties and the ethnic armed groups that signed the ceasefire. Given the elected governments scant representation, some analysts expect Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to scrap or modify the committee.
A landslide caused by the collapse of a waste heap in Hpakant on May 5 killed at least 10 jade miners, according to local residents, who continue to call for better safety and environmental regulations.





The itinerant miners were buried in the landslide while scavenging for jade in a refuse pile at 9pm at night, Daw Kie Yar, a resident of the area, told The Myanmar Times.

The slag heap was formed by waste dug out by Yadanar San Shwe Company and Triple One Company, according to locals. Both companies are said to be conducting rescue operations. Four bodies have been retrieved.

Triple One Company also operated the mine where a landslide killed 114 workers  up to another 100 were left missing  in a single accident last November, when a giant pile of tailings collapsed. Dozens more have reportedly died in landslides surrounding Hpakant mines since then, as companies continue to flout environmental and safety rules.

Area residents have staged protests in recent months calling for mining firms to improve safety in the area, and an agreement with companies was reached in February to reduce the size of tailings piles.

In March, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Myanmar Yanghee Lee released a report in which she called for an urgent review of the jade mining industry. The report said 37 landslides in 2015 killed more than 150 people.

The government has said it will step up supervision of jade mining in Hpakant following a visit to the area by U Ohn Win, the Union minister for natural resources and environment, last week. Director general of the ministry U Win Htein has said that the ministry wants tailings to be discarded in old mine workings, but that discussions over disposal are continuing with the state government.

The number of people buried under the latest landslide is uncertain, because the number of itinerant diggers at work on the waste heaps at any one time is not known, but locals have put the number at 10.





Daw Kie Yar said that she hoped the victims families would be paid compensation, as they were driven to the dangerous work out of poverty.

I dont know if they will give compensation or not. I hope there will be some support for the funeral. People who are seeking jade here are considered thieves and trespassers, but actually people are made to steal for a living because they are oppressed, she said.

According to official figures, 858 companies mine 8025 plots across Hpakant township. But by watchdog group Global Witness count, the illicit mining of jade from Hpakant was worth some US$31 billion in 2014 alone.

Translation by Emoon
A Rakhine MP is pressing parliament to debate resolving citizenship issues in the western state in accordance with the controversial 1982 citizenship law.





Daw Khin Saw Wai, a Pyithu Hluttaw representative from Rathedaung township, submitted a proposal on May 6 calling on the government to address the citizenship status of Muslims living mainly in Rakhine State whom she referred to as Bengali, but who self-identify as Rohingya.

Bengalis, who are not a national race of Myanmar and come from the Myanmar-Bangladesh area, have illegally entered the country and that causes unrests in the state, she said. The MP added that she thought it was time to re-start the citizenship scrutinising process that has been on hiatus since the former government revoked temporary white-cards.

Daw Khin Saw Wai called it sad that, despite the enactment of the 1982 Citizenship Law, the citizenship issue has remained unaddressed.

I firmly believe that we can identify who are fake or real [citizens] if we start inspection under the 1982 Citizenship Law. Otherwise, it allows all illegal residents to move in and out of the country without restriction, she said.

Under the earlier 1948 Citizenship Law, anyone born in Myanmar was considered a citizen. But the 1982 law restricts citizenship for communities whose ancestors entered the country after 1823.

The Rathedaung township representative said that previous governments were partially to blame as they instituted the white card system. According to government figures, there were nearly 800,000 white-card holders in Myanmar, with over 660,000 in Rakhine State.

MP U Aung Thaung Shwe seconded the proposal.





We hear every day about issues concerning illegal immigrants in the international community. Buthidaung and Maungdaw are close to Bangladesh, a densely populated country, and the growing numbers of illegal immigrants caused riots in 2012, he said.

Communal conflict between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in 2012 killed over 200 people and displaced over 100,000, mostly Muslims, many of whom continue to live in IDP camps.

The NLD-led government has thus far not revealed its policy on the citizenship issue. Last week, it asked the US embassy to stop using the word Rohingya, after nationalists called for the government to take a stance on the issue.

Speaker U Win Myint has not yet announced when the proposal will be discussed in parliament.

Translation by Zar Zar Soe
As tensions between police and barricade-stampeding protesters continued to escalate outside the entrance to the Letpadaung copper mine over the weekend, the Sagaing chief minister agreed to broker emergency talks.





Villagers organised a swelling protest column at the end of last week after Wanbao Mining Company, which jointly operates the mine along with military-owned Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd, said operations would resume on May 5.

The numbers of protesters and police both quickly swelled in a standoff in front of the mine. Protesters broke through barbed wire barricades and police phalanxes on May 5. Police called in back-up and activists worried that the violence of past crackdowns could be on the verge of reigniting.

Over the weekend the number of police protecting the controversial mine expanded to around 1000,according to one protest organisers count.

U Thein Naing, the Salingyi township National League for Democracy chair and a region hluttaw MP, arranged for a temporary truce yesterday. Sagaing Region Chief Minister U Myint Naing has agreed to meet with the villagers and hear their complaints if they temporarily halt the protests, he said.

A date for the meeting has not been finalised, but will likely take place within the next three days, the MP said.Protest leader Daw Mar Cho confirmed the terms of the truce.

We agreed to temporarily stop the protest, she said, adding that yesterday evening the residents planned to decide on conversation points for the chief minister meeting.





The first topic must be compensation for the land. If he has time, we will also talk about the company not following the instructions of the investigation committee, she said, referring to a 2013 parliamentary inquiry into the copper mine, spearheaded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. And we also have to discuss the environmental impact, Daw Mar Cho told The Myanmar Times.

She added that on numerous attempts to file a land-grabbing case against the mine  including as recently as May 7  the township police have refused to accept it.

MP U Thein Naing said executive members of the NLD will also be invited to the upcoming negotiations.

It is reasonable that the locals feel upset about not getting compensation and are angry to see the project resuming before that is resolved, he said. We will try to negotiate with government departments and the company. If that does not solve it, I will submit this problem to the hluttaw.

The contentious mine has proved an early test of the NLD government, pitting it between promises to solve land grab issues and diplomatic ties to China.

Locals have long objected to the Chinese-backed mega-project, which evicted thousands of farmers from the Monywa area starting in 2011. Demonstrators have decried the land grabs and alleged lack of compensation as well as environmental degradation caused by the behemoth copper mine. The protests have brought locals and activists into numerous clashes with police and government troops during crackdowns.

In November 2012, dozens of monks and activists demonstrating against the project were attacked with white phosphorous, a disfiguring chemical weapon. In December 2014 Daw Khin Win, of Moe Kyo Pyin village, was shot dead, reportedly by police.

The 2013 investigation into the Letpadaung mine led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi recommended that construction should continue if certain conditions were met, such as better transparency and an environmental impact plan. Locals say those demands have not been fulfilled, and yet the project is moving forward.

According to the protesters, the investigation commission said that 1900 acres of land would be returned to the farmers, but the farmers have yet to be given anything. The company has said the villagers have refused a compensation plan.

Representatives for Wanbao in Myanmar could not be reached for comment yesterday.
With the old military regime, there were countless good reasons to criticise the way government functioned. Top leaders abused their high status, enriched themselves and brutalised opponents.





Wherever you looked around the country, there were issues that demanded attention including tough topics like human trafficking, drug production, HIV, civil war, child soldiering, economic malaise, forced conscription and crony capitalism.

Most of these old issues are still on the agenda. But now that the National League for Democracy has a much greater say in how the government runs they can no longer expect somebody else to fix these problems.

What they are also learning is that there are few simple solutions. Getting political prisoners released last month was pretty straightforward. Most of what needs to happen next will require administrative nous and sharp judgements about risk and reward.

As the former government learned, the problems facing Myanmar are deep-seated and rarely amenable to quick resolution. A key point is that the Union Solidarity and Development Party ended up taking many of the easier decisions  the proverbial low-hanging fruit.

Former President U Thein Sein, whatever the constraints of his mandate, made some necessary and important changes, particularly in the mechanics of the economy. He deserves credit for that and also for the way he graciously surrendered power.

So, now that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is state counsellor and U Htin Kyaw is president, where should they focus the governments attention?





Near the top of the list is Myanmars anxious relationship with China. For better and for worse, this relationship will determine the overall health of the ongoing reform process. It covers so many facets that it is impossible to simplify.

My personal rule of thumb is that almost any Myanmar conundrum has an acute China angle.

There is still no clear, public indication of how the NLD proposes to handle its giant, muscled-up neighbour. It would make sense that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in her new role as foreign minister, has already learned enough to appreciate the immense difficulties of her position.

Next, there is the issue of relations between the majority and the minorities. For now, it probably helps that the NLD commands the elected numbers in most of Myanmars ethnic states and has strong showings almost everywhere else. Its weakest performances at last years election were in Rakhine and Shan states. It is not a coincidence that these are the two parts of the country primed for more strife in the short term.

In both cases local conditions are now the NLDs problem and it needs to find new ways of deploying state power to manage the potential for crisis. If things go badly wrong in Rakhine State, for instance, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be expected to show leadership.

The prevailing challenge is that if she talks about the Rohingya in inclusive terms, she risks alienating a very large proportion of Myanmar society. The NLD will count on the support of these Buddhist voters at the next election.

Of course, with skill and good timing the NLD leadership may be able to de-escalate any looming emergency. But that assumes they have the confidence of the Buddhist population in Rakhine State. Northern Rakhine State, in my experience, is the one place in Myanmar where the type of vitriol usually reserved for Muslims is also commonly applied to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lurking in the background is the challenge of setting up an economy that delivers benefits to the mass of people. Recent forecasts of a sustained surge in economic growth mean the government should have more resources to share around.

Can the NLD therefore improve the quality of life for the tens of millions of Myanmar citizens who scrape by on a few thousand kyat per day? They often do backbreaking work, in extreme environments, with little prospect of greater reward. Improving their pay and conditions, even by 20 or 30 percent, would be a huge achievement.

Structural changes in the economy are another story again. Cronies, military-backed conglomerates and narco-warlords still exert over sized influence on the distribution of Myanmars wealth. It seems unlikely that the NLD can mount a full-frontal assault on any of these powerful interests, at least not in the short term.

Instead, they will need to find new mechanisms for gradually shifting economic conditions for the people-at-large. Because further reforms will not go smoothly, the NLD and its supporters will also need to get used to criticism.

A democratically elected government benefits when it is held to account. Non-NLD legislators, including from the USDP, have a unique responsibility in this regard. Their scrutiny of the governments proposed laws should be thorough and professional.

The media, universities, NGOs, international organisations and foreign governments also have a role to play. As it grapples with tomorrows policy conundrums, the NLD will often deserve their close and critical attention.

 New Mandala

Nicholas Farrelly is director of the Myanmar Centre at the Australian National University and co-founder of New Mandala. His column appears each Monday.
[May 09, 2016] Asia Foundation's Lotus Circle Honors First Lady of Afghanistan Rula Ghani and Carnegie Corporation of New York

The Asia Foundation and The Lotus Circle, a community of U.S. individuals, foundations, and corporations who raise private capital to rapidly respond to challenges and opportunities facing women in Asia, will honor First Lady of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mrs. Rula Ghani at the sixth annual Lotus Leadership Awards Gala in New York City on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Mrs. Ghani, selected as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2015, will be recognized for her efforts to improve living standards for Afghan women. Dr. Vartan Gregorian, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, will accept a Lotus Leadership Award on behalf of the institution for its partnership with The Asia Foundation to improve access to university and advanced level education to Afghan women. Proceeds from the evening will support innovative women's empowerment projects at The Asia Foundation. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509005269/en/ The evening is a platform for advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls and is attended by global leaders. Former U.S. First Lady Laura Bush will offer a special video message to First Lady Rula Ghani. In 2015, journalist and author Sheryl WuDunn, and Dr. Ranjana Kumari, a leader in the women's rights movement in India, were honored. In 2014, Asia Foundation Trustee Ambassador Melanne Verveer, appointed by President Obama as the First U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, introduced a video appearance by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in which se congratulated Nobel (News - Alert) Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus on his Lotus Leadership Award. Former ABC 20/20 correspondent Lynn Sherr, who has reported on women's issues for 30 years, hosts the gala.



Mrs. Ghani is being recognized for her encouragement of Afghan women, affected by decades of conflict, to now reclaim the country's history of strong female leadership. Said Mrs. Ghani: "We need to give Afghan women the tools to succeed." Asia Foundation President David D. Arnold noted that "the progress of Afghanistan is not ensured unless there is an increase of education and opportunities for women. As First Lady, Madame Ghani is a wonderful champion of women's education and gender equality."

After the Taliban regime fell, Afghan women had one of the highest illiteracy rates in the world-only 10 percent of Afghan women could read and write. In 2012, Dr. Gregorian announced the Carnegie Corporation Scholarships for Afghan Women, a $1 million grant to The Asia Foundation that has enabled women from diverse backgrounds to gain university degrees. Said Dr. Gregorian: "Together we are empowering inspiring, self-reliant individuals and institutions-through knowledge-so that they are able to tackle the complex development challenges of their country." Mr. Arnold added: "The Carnegie Corporation understands that women's education is essential to help address pressing economic and social needs in Afghanistan. Their scholarships are providing life-changing opportunities that make all the difference." The Asia Foundation is at the forefront of empowering women across Asia. In Afghanistan, this includes a focus on girls' and women's education as the key to strengthening women's participation in social, political, and economic life. In the Foundation's 2015 Afghan Survey of 9,586 Afghan citizens, Afghans listed education and illiteracy (20.4%) and unemployment/lack of job opportunities (11.3%) as the two largest problems facing women. The Foundation began working in Afghanistan in 1954 and re-opened its Kabul office in 2002. The Lotus Circle is a membership community that enables The Asia Foundation Women's Empowerment Program to pilot projects that empower women and eliminate barriers that constrain their opportunities. In India, where violence against women is an epidemic, The Lotus Circle supported SafetiPin, a mobile app which allows users to pinpoint unsafe areas for women. In Bangladesh, funds allow women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses using e-commerce websites. The Asia Foundation is grateful to Premier Sponsor Bank of America Merrill Lynch. MasterCard (News - Alert) and Vista Equity Partners are Golden Benefactors. Bravia Capital; Carnegie Corporation of New York; EY; Kirkland & Ellis; and Morgan Stanley are Benefactors. Special thanks to The Estee Lauder Companies and Tiffany and Co. The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Our Women's Empowerment Program develops women's leadership, increases women's rights and security, and creates new political and economic opportunities for women. Read our In Asia blog for more. Engage with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Follow #LotusCircle for updates. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509005269/en/

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[May 09, 2016] Manatt Deepens Intellectual Property Capabilities on East Coast

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, today announced that Irah H. Donner has joined the firm's New York office as a partner in the Intellectual Property practice group. He comes from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, LLP, where he was a partner. Concentrating on software, wireless, digital and other technology patents and prosecution, technology audits, and intellectual property transactional due diligence, Donner focuses his practice on the counseling, acquisition and enforcement of intellectual property rights. His practice has a particular emphasis in the patenting and protection of computer software and hardware, including Internet- and financial-related systems. "Irah's impressive background in computing hardware and software technologies and his substantial patent law experience will complement a number of our practices, including our emerging and leading fintech and healthcare technology practices," said Yasser El-Gamal, co-chair of the firm's Intellectual Property practice. "He will be an immediate asset to those clients and others with intellectual property concerns in the computing industry, providing superior patent advice, prosecution and transactional work. We're pleased to welcome Irah to the firm." Donner comes to Manatt with significant software engineering experience, having earlier in his career designed software applications for large-scale computer systems in the facility analysis and control field while a member of Bell Communications Research's (News - Alert) technical team. He has also designed software-implemented controllers for functional electrical stimulation of paralyzed muscle at the Cleveland Veterans Administration Hosital.



"I was very impressed by Manatt's multifaceted structure and innovative approach to client service, offering both legal counseling and business consulting," said Donner. "The entrepreneurial spirit and creative energy of the firm excites me to continue growing my IP practice on such a modern platform. I look forward to working with this talented group." Donner is the latest in a series of new partners joining Manatt across the country this year, including consumer financial services lawyer Richard E. Gottlieb in Los Angeles; former director of the Florida Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division Richard P. Lawson in New York; tax attorney Robert Duran and former Southern California Edison (News - Alert) Co. managing attorney Beth Fox in Los Angeles; employment and labor litigator Adrianne E. Marshack in Costa Mesa, Calif.; and former Obama administration health policy official Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in Washington, D.C.

Manatt's Intellectual Property lawyers work with a broad range of IP-intensive industries, creating and refining strategies for protecting and monetizing some of the most significant and valuable product innovations, brands and content in the marketplace. They provide top-notch transactional and litigation services, including procurement, counseling, registration, brand protection, mediation, arbitration, trial and appeal. The firm is nationally ranked for excellence in IP litigation and copyright law on the U.S. News & World Report list of "Best Law Firms." Donner earned a B.S., with high honors, an M.S., and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University. He is author of the books "Patent Prosecution: Law, Practice and Procedure Before the U.S. Patent Office" (9th Edition 2015) and "Constructing and Deconstructing Patents" (2nd Edition 2015) by Bloomberg (News - Alert) BNA. About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is one of the nation's leading law and consulting firms, with offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange (News - Alert) County, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Sacramento), New York (New York City and Albany) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents a sophisticated client base-including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies-across a range of practice areas and industry sectors. For more information, visit www.manatt.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509006214/en/

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EL (real name; Elom Adablah) had the night of his life when he was crowned VGMA 2016 Artist of the Year Sunday morning. But theres still so much we may not know about the Koko star. Here are a few facts which might surprise youor not.

1. Movie Scores: Aside making music, hes acclaimed for his skills at scoring movies. In 2010, he won Best Original Soundtrack for the movie A Sting in a Tale at the African Movie Academy Awards. He also won Best Score Award for Checkmate at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards.

2. Label Boss: Hes also president of BBnZ Live, the record label on which he is signed. The label is also home to other music forces as Kojo-Cue, Shaker and DJ Mic Smith.

4. Best Album on his very first attempt: His debut album, Something ELse (Akwaaba, 2012) won Album of the Year at the 2013 edition of the Ghana Music Awards. The project, a 24 track double CD spans various genres and contained such ubiquitous hits like One Ghana and Obuumo. On only his sophomore installment, ELOM, he garnered the most nominations at the just ended VGMAs, and won the topmost prize for the night.

5. Widely considered Azonto pioneer (actual pioneer): Together with Nshorna Music, he produced Sarkodies You Go Kill Me, which is among the foremost songs in the Azonto craze.

6. Social Commentator: Like hiplife stalwart Obrafour, and lately Sarkodie, EL too, is concerned about speaking out against the ills of our society and ineptitude in governance, and uses his craft to register his displeasure at the way things go sometimes. His most relevant example is State of the Nation Address, off his mixtape The Bar II (BBnZ Live, 2015).

7. Host, 4Syte TV: EL also had a brief stint with 4Syte TV in their early days. He hosted a countdown show then.

8. Performed on the same stage with Lauryn Hill, twice: Its every artists dream to stand next to the big players in world music. For nearly two decades Lauryn Hill had released only one album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). But that was enough to secure her a place in music royalty, because it was obviously an excellent album. In 2014, BBnZ brought down the Killing Me Softly crooner to headline their annual music festival; The AfroBeats Big Weekend Festival, where he shared the stage with Ms Hill. In April, he repeated this feat, this time, on Lauryns Diaspora Calling, held at the Kings Theatre, Brooklyn -New York.

9. Jack of trades other than making music: EL eyes other avenues aside making music. In a 2012 interview with ghanafilla.net he said:

I will always be married to my music, but most likely in the future I will invest into fashion, Radio and television.

He also made an impressive cameo for Shirley Frimpong-Mansos 2013 film Potomanto, which he wrote scores for, as well.

10. Best gift to his mum on Mothers Day: Like we already know, Sunday morning was super for him He even shed tears under his shades when he was announced as Artist of the Year. Shortly after, he dedicated the awards to his mum, Mrs Adabla on the occasion of the Mothers Day celebration. He tweeted:

My Awards is my gift to my mum for Mothers Day.

As a mother, that must make you so proud, that your son has actualized this beautifully at 32. This must be her most memorable Mothers Day gift so far.

Major congratulations to EL once again for his superior feats at this years VGMAs.

@myershansen on Twitter
A general view of the courtroom during a trial at the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 14, 2014. By Kim Ludbrook (Pool/AFP/File)

09.05.2016 LISTEN

Johannesburg (AFP) - A white South African judge was at the centre of a social media storm on Monday after Facebook comments emerged in which she suggested rape was part of black culture.

Political parties rushed to condemn the messages, which sparked fresh outrage after a series of recent Internet postings underlined racial tensions in South Africa, 22 years after the end of apartheid rule.

"In their culture a woman is there to pleasure them. Period," wrote Judge Mabel Jansen, who sits in the High Court in the capital Pretoria.

"It is seen as an absolute right and a woman's consent is not required."

Jansen added: "I still have to meet a black girl who was not raped at about 12. I am dead serious."

"Murder is also is not a biggy. And gang rapes of baby, daughter and mother (are) a pleasurable pastime."

The opposition Democratic Alliance party said it would report the messages to the country's Judicial Services Commission to be investigated.

Her comments were "not only hurtful and demeaning", but undermined "the dignity of our people," the party said.

The women's league of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) lambasted the judge.

"Her comments made on Facebook where she claims that the rape of young children is part of black culture, are purely racist and misrepresentation of facts about black culture," it said.

The league questioned whether Jansen would be able to deal fairly with cases of rape in court.

Jansen told Business Day newspaper that her postings had been misrepresented.

"What I stated confidentially to somebody in a position to help has been taken completely out of context and referred to specific court cases," she said.

"The real issue... is the protection of vulnerable women and children and an endeavour to cure the pandemic."

The messages, posted a year ago, were part in a Facebook conversation that was made public on Sunday.

Anger erupted earlier this year when Penny Sparrow, a white realtor and DA member, complained on Facebook about black people littering beaches and likened them to "monkeys".

In the ensuing uproar, local government employee Velaphi Khumalo wrote in another viral Facebook message that blacks should act towards whites "as Hitler did to the Jews".

Official statistics showed that 43,195 rapes were reported in South Africa between April 2014 and March 2015, though most rapes are not reported to police.

Africa Check, a fact-checking project devised by but independent of the AFP Foundation, recently dismissed reports that a woman or child was raped every 26 seconds in the country.

The project said the number of rapes committed each year in South Africa could not be accurately estimated due to lack of research.
08.05.2016 LISTEN

By Edmund Quaynor, GNA

Koforidua, May 8, GNA - Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, the Eastern Regional Minister, has called for the introduction of refilling of the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) drugs in the home of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Region.

She said such a practice could help reduce the tendency where some of the PLHIV could not sustain their treatment because they could not get money for transportation from their homes to the treatment centers.

The Regional Minister was speaking at an Eastern Regional Consultative meeting on the 'First 90 Campaign' organized by the Ghana AIDS Commission.

The 'First 90 Campaign' is a global campaign which is aimed at getting 90 per cent of all PLHIV is Ghana to get tested to know their HIV status by the year 2020.

The First 90 campaign forms part of a UNAID global campaign under the Sustainable Development Goals which aims at eliminating AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 and as a short term target towards the 2030 goals, countries all over the world are to ensure that, 90 per cent of PLHIV in their countries who know their HIV status, have access to treatment and also 90 per cent of PLHIV on treatment have their HIV viral load suppressed by 2020.

Ms Frempong expressed the hope that with the same zeal and commitment with which the Eastern Region worked to help reduce the HIV prevalence in the Region from over 7 per cent to its current status, the First 90 campaign in the Region could be successful.

She called on corporate organizations to help in the mobilization of funds locally to support the campaign.

Dr Sampson B. Ofori, an HIV Consultant, suggested the introduction of door to door testing and counselling of HIV among the strategies to be adopted to help the Region to achieve the target for the First 90 campaign.

Ms Golda Asante, an official of the Ghana AIDS Commission, said Ghana is among 13 countries in the world that records high new HIV infections and high HIV related deaths.

She said the success of the 90-90-90 campaign in the country would help reduce new HIV infections and deaths.

Ms Asante said for the country to achieve the target set, there is the need for the country to move from institutional testing and counselling of HIV to community mobilization and self-testing.

She said if the country is to achieve the target set in the First 90 campaign, there would be the need for a policy review to enable the country to introduce self-testing of HIV and the use of trained non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations and the media to ensure a successful campaign.

Mr John Eliasu Mahama, Coordinator of the First 90 Campaign, called for local mobilization of resources to ensure a sustainable campaign.

GNA
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Folks, there shouldnt be any iota of doubt in anybodys mind that I am one of the fiercest critics of the NPPs Akufo-Addo; and I am for a good reason adamant that he has nothing to offer Ghana (Ghanaians) that will make any difference. Nothing from him and all those catalyzing his book and rogue politics strikes me as fundamentally radical to change the status quo. Its all about harping on the failures of the Mahama-led administration and promising to bring down the moon for Ghanaians. What will be the benefit of the moon if it is brought down to the earth?

In his bid to be voted into office as Ghanas President, Akufo-Addo is ferociously spearheading the NPPs doom-laden politics of attrition, making his presence felt for the wrong effect. In criticizing him and feeding public discourse with issues aimed at torpedoing him, I am more than clear in my critical comments that he isnt worth the voters bother because he has nothing up his sleeves to warrant the noise he makes. In effect, Akufo-Addo hasnt learnt any useful lesson from what caused his two previous defeats; as such, he hasnt added any value to himself and the NPPs brand of politics.

What we saw of him for Elections 2008 and 2012 is still evident as Election 2016 approaches, even if he has succeeded in clouding his own sky with other damaging miscalculated moves. That is why his self-serving claim that at 72 years, he is not too old to be Ghanas president strikes me as ludicrous. (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/I-m-not-too-old-to-be-president-Akufo-Addo-437048 ). Of course, he must be reacting to taunts that he has seen the primer of his life and is too worn out now to place himself in the way of the vagaries of the Presidency. And in truth, those vagaries call for much toughness, including physical strength to cope with the workload or exigencies (not what weve seen of Akufo-Addo napping at functions or tripping at a church event).

But I am not really keen on damning Akufo-Addo on the basis of raw age except to ridicule him for comparing himself to other old folks such as the Ivory Coasts Alassane Ouattara and Nigerias Gen. Mohammadu Buhari in a vain attempt to suggest that age isnt a liability for him. History recalled here for emphasis: for Election 1979, the late William Ofori-Atta of the United National Convention suffered a similar fate when Ghanaians dismissed him as too old to be elected into office. They pointed him to the Osu cemetery. Of course, old age may take away the agility of the body but it has its merits too, that is, if properly harnessed. If he wins Election 2016, he will set the record as the oldest to have ruled Ghana in our democracy. But winning Election 2016 on the basis of age isnt a prospect to relish now.

Fair enough for Akufo-Addo to equalize the matter this way; but what he has failed to factor into that comparison is the commendable accomplishments of President Ouattara and Gen. Buhari that endeared them to the hearts of the voters. In truth, records show that neither President Ouattara nor Gen. Buhari carried as much baggage to the elections as Akufo-Addo has done. We must be plain about this point of departure, which makes the age factor a non-issue.

Lets take President Ouattara first. As a respected economist, his performance at the IMF is commendable. Beyond that, he was the Prime Minister of the Ivory Coast under the Late Felix Houphouet Boigny. He is loved by the Ivoirians, which justifies why the attempt to neutralize him on account of his being a Burkinabe citizen backfired. No amount of subterfuge by Laurent Gbagbo could hurt him. Instead, Gbagbo ended up being a victim of his own mischief. Assuming the reins of governance, then, was a matter-of-course for President Ouattara. If Akufo-Addo simply cites his age to bracket his own Fate, thereby, he will be doing so only to come across as pitiable.

The same applies to Nigerias Gen. Buhari, a successful military officer and former ruler of Nigeria who bounced back on account of the voters love for him. His ascendancy has its own intricacies that have nothing bright for Akufo-Addo to capitalize on. The conditions in each country at the time should also be considered. The Ivoirians havent regretted choosing Ouattara. Is it the same for the Nigerians? I wonder. Its all about leadership acumen and a display of admirable skills to woo voters, which is not working well for Akufo-Addo of Ghana.

Here is why: Akufo-Addo is often cited as a successful lawyer whose 40-or-so years practice has established him as a pillar, even if he is still clouded in mystery regarding his inability to substantiate his law qualifying certificate before being enrolled in the Ghana Bar or to confirm that the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, indeed, certified him. He was enrolled at that institution (with a 3rd class degree, contrary to the institution strict admission requirements that no one below second (upper) degree qualified for enrollment); but no record exists on his completion of the mandatory pupillage to deserve being certified at the end of his training. The honorary Doctor of Law accolade that the staunch NPP supporter, Prof. Obeng Mireku (Dean of the Fort Hare University in South Africa), has engineered for him wont add any value to him. We must always remember that the future is built on the present just as the present itself must be built on the past.

Akufo-Addo has ever been the President of the Greater-Accra Regional branch of the Ghana Bar Association and is credited with training lawyers often in the news for defending his cause and anything to do with the NPP. In politics, he is credited with defending human rights (which defence will not hold water if viewed against many instances when he has been found wanting) but also derided for other reasons which his flagbearership of the NPP for Election 2016 has exposed.

For 12 years, he represented the Abuakwa North constituency in Parliament but left little behind for which he should be praised. His performance at the Ministries of Justice/Attorney-Generals Department and Foreign Affairs isnt sterling. Its all known and needs no further elaboration. The implications of whatever he did can be summed up in his hasty bid to replace ex-President Kufuor as Ghanas President. We dont need to recount his agony at Elections 2008 and how he deepened it at Election 2012 when the voters spurned him.

I shall return
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Although he may have some bragging rights here to say that both President Ouattara and Gen. Buhari had faced similar upsets only to bounce back in success after several attempts, in his case, there is little to prove that he has brightened his corner for a rebound. The factors that dimmed his light at the previous elections still muddy his waters. Unfortunately, he has added more to them to deepen the hole. Lets now see why Akufo-Addos age alone isnt the determinant of his electoral fate.

CRISIS IN THE NPP

The most important factor eroding confidence in Akufo-Addoand which will converge with other factors to deal a death-blow to him at Election 2016is the crisis in his own NPP as a result of his miscalculations. For Elections 2008 and 2012, the NPP was a united force that operated with one voice. Not so for Election 2016 when the party is splintered because of the Gestapo tactics being used by the Akufo-Addo faction to either intimidate, de-voice, or alienate anybody perceived as not supporting Akufo-Addo. Even in the Ashanti Region, considered as the NPPs birthplace and stronghold, there is division in the ranks because those supporting Akufo-Addo are at the throats of alleged opponents.

In the funniest political construction, such people are written off as NDC moles working hard to torpedo Akufo-Addo for the good of President Mahama or Alan Kyerematen. We already know of claims of an Agenda 2020 and why an Akufo-Addo faction will adamantly gore anybody characterized as an internal foe. The rabid punitive measure of suspending Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyepong, and Sammy Crabbe, among others, is a self-destructive one that has darkened Akufo-Addo all over the place. His leadership acumen is on the line, especially if one places current happenings against the background of the peace that had existed in the NPP before the previous elections. If Akufo-Addo couldnt win those elections with a united NPP front, what guarantee is there that he can do so at Election 2016 with a divided house, his 72 years of existence on this troubled, sickened, wretched earth notwithstanding?

It is beyond question that the NPP on its own cant dislodge the NDC from power. It needs more than itself to do so, which means counting on floating voters. But which floating voter will root for it, considering the tearing apart going on? On this score, it will be politically immature for the NPP people to continue harping on the failures of President Mahamas administration as the means to win voter support. The voters will definitely expect more than that.

In Ghana, where the love for peace, security, and national stability is paramount (considering the spate of terrorist activities in the world), Ghanaians will want to have a leader who will do things to ensure a congenial atmosphere, not one whose public posturing and public utterances portend danger. Akufo-Addos negative public image in terms of his own utterances (All-die-be-die, for instance) and his refusal to admonish members of his party preaching or threatening violence is a negative for him. So also is the persistent recourse to physical actions to silence critics within and outside. The conclusion is that Akufo-Addo is already seen in the public sphere as not a unifier. How, then, can he be entrusted with the reins of power (the destiny of Ghana), his old age notwithstanding?

OTHER ISSUES

Other issues that make Akufo-Addos narrowing of his inadequacies to the age factor portray him as not well-cut-out for the high office that he has set his eyes on. A careful analysis of reasons given by those who dont want him as Ghanas President says a lot. From the way he has managed to eliminate his opponents (or those with divergent views) from the helm of the NPPs affairs, there is much concern that he isnt accommodating. Not being accommodating means wanting to have things done his own way surely, a malevolent bully or dictator! In a democracy, this kind of mindset and attitude is dangerous and u8nappealing to the voters. Akufo-Addo has sown this dangerous seed.

Although there is much talk that Akufo-Addo is not corrupt, happenings in the NPP under his watch make people jittery. For instance, the manner in which Freddie Blay, Abankwah, and Ken Ofori-Atta have done magic with the NPPs financeswhich would precipitate the internal wrangling and lead to the axing of Afoko and Agyepongtongues are wagging to the disadvantage of Akufo-Addo. He is said to have benefited from the manouevres of Blay and his team. At this point, it is more than ridiculous for anybody to claim that Akufo-Addo isnt self-acquisitive or corrupt. He is. If he isnt, why cant he act conscionably to right the wrong? An aspiring President who presides over corruption in his own political party cant be trusted to protect the national coffers or fight a genuine fight to rid Ghana of corruption.

Probably, the new aspect of Akufo-Addos campaign strategy is the active involvement of his wife in the rhetoric. But what she has said so far has rather tipped the scale toward a lamentably ludicrous angle for him to contend with. She comes across as hollow. Saying that My husband is not corrupt; he does what he promises or that an NPP government will have the welfare of Ghanaian women as its focus isnt vote-grabbing. The truth is that Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo herself has a lot of questions to answer when it comes to morality. She is carrying a baggage that is too heavy for her. I will leave this part for later. In truth, then, she comes across only as someone making her voice heard just in pursuit of the objective of becoming Ghanas First Lady. Politically, she is hollow. So also is the wife of Dr. Bawumia. The truth is that people know much about the negatives of these people and will freely feed public discourse with them when the need arises. Is there any benefit, then, to be derived from using them in the electioneering campaigns?

I shall return
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Now, back to Akufo-Addo and his lackluster political mobilization efforts. We have observed how the NPP is fixated on opening external branches and making noise as if there is much to gain from them. The reality that Akufo-Addo and his team are running away from is that the NPPs structures at the national, regional, constituency, and unit levels are tattered. They arent as vibrant as they used to be. Instead of reactivating these structures and using them for good, Akufo-Addo and his henchmen are more interested in dealing with international branches of the party, apparently to secure funds. If the internal organs arent dormant, who will reach out to the electorate for Akufo-Addos good? The truth here is that the NPPs structures are dormant, which explains why the division in the house is pushing Akufo-Addo and his team toward mere technicalities regarding the voters register and their focus on empty criticisms of the Mahama-led administration.

LACK OF CONVINCING CAMAPIGN MESSAGES

We now turn to the lack of any cogent and consistent workable campaign message. The Akufo-Addo team has nothing to offer Ghanaians. Their tendency to gush out promises to do what they perceive as gray areas in the lives of Ghanaians has waned. For Election 2012, Akufo-Addos promise to institutionalize a fee-free senior high school education turned out to be a double-edged sword that cut him to size. The voters saw through that smokescreen. What he and his team have for Election 2016 is weak. No talk of restoring allowances to trainee nurses and teachers will earn them any support. Or levelling the field in terms of religious affiliation. Desperation at its peak!!

So, in the absence of the easy-way-out, what do they have? Nothing except scare-mongering, using Dr. Bawumiahs skewed analysis of the Ghanaian economy as a gateway. He has so far succeeded in dredging up nothing but animosity toward himself and a negative for the NPP. Talk about his lies and use of religious extremism and you can see the extreme desperation facing Akufo-Addo. In twisting facts to serve the NPPs narrow-minded political interests, Dr. Bawumia has left ugly traces behind to cause disaffection.

The mistaken belief here is that hammering on those concoctions and alarming Ghanaians about the failures of the Mahama-led administration could translate into votes at the polls. Not true. From the reaction of people in areas so far visited by President Mahama on his Accounting to the people tour, evidence exists that the government has won the hearts of the people. If the NPP isnt scared stiff by that evidence to misplace its priorities, what else will make its Akufo-Addo fall back on the age factor to attempt redeeming himself? The fratricide in the NPP ranks with the active support of Akufo-Addo is scary. Too bad for these people!!

WHAT NEXT?

Folks, there is a lot more to talk about; but we will end it here to say that the NPPs Akufo-Addo is still at sea. He doesnt seem to know how the tide is flowing, which is why he is talking about irrelevant issues and putting himself on the spot at the wrong time. We acknowledge the fact that age is important in human affairs because human life is finite. When the time comes for one to lose it all, it happens in a flash. In our Ghanaian situation, old age has its advantages and demerits. If in old age the individual isnt perceived as doing or offering anything better than what has been known about him/her in earlier times, no amount of witchery or prayer can change public attitude toward that person. In political terms, it is a serious matter, especially when an appeal to the conscience of voters is the only way for one to know ones fate at the polls.

Akufo-Addo needs to know rightaway that the problems that his flagbearership of the NPP have caused thus far and the fact that he hasnt yet proved to be a different person that he was when he lost Elections 2008 and 2012 will largely inform the voters electoral decisions on November 7.

Unless the chameleon in him changes colour to appear otherwise, he still remains what he has been all these years. Will he continue to peg his chances on the age factor? Only when he is ready to lose again. And I will be more than happy for him to lose again because he still doesnt get it that he is not the preferred candidate of the voters. In truth, the NDC has more supporters than the NPP does, which explains why it is easy to predict that the NPP cannot outdo it on its own, all by itself. It will need the support of the other political parties and floating voters; but that support wont be automatically given if the one leading the NPP scares the voters.

For Akufo-Addo, whatever may be his main headache, it is obvious that his age will be one niggling impediment. But beyond it are the real issues that will inform the decisions that the voters will make at Election 2016. If he still thinks that his age is the deciding factor, he will be deceived. In any case, age is not what he has any control over. The other factors militating against him are. And those factors are changeable. Does he have the capacity to change them for his own good? Not that I wish any good for him in the elections, though.

I shall return
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General (A-G), Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong has released all but one document regarding the controversial Metro Mass branding contract between the government and Smarttys Management and Productions to pressure group OccupyGhana Movement.

According to officials of the group, the report the A-G delivered to the Chief of Staff after her initial investigations to uncover the underhand dealing was not handed to them on the ground that it is confidential and privileged.

On April 13 the Human Rights Court gave its ruling in a controversial case brought by some members of OccupyGhana asking for full disclosure of governments contract with Smarttys Production over the 116 branded Metro Mass buses to them.

A revelation that the rebranding of 116 buses cost the country the sum of 3.6 million cedis caused public outrage compelling the government to retrieve 1.5 million cedis from the Ghanaian company which executed the contract, Smarttys Management and Productions Limited.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Anthony Yeboah ordered the A-G, who was one of the respondents, to give all the documents on the bus branding except documents regarding trade secrets, and national defence to the group.

In accordance with the ruling, the A-G in an affidavit dated April 26, filed on 28th April 2016 and sworn to by the Director of Research at the Ministry of Transport, Lawrence Kumi, gave her word to release the documents to the group.

A statement signed by OccupyGhana said true to the Mrs. Appiah-Opong's word, she has delivered the documents but withheld one from the group.

We have delivered these documents to our legal and audit teams for their review and advice, the statement further said.

Read full statement below:

8th MAY, 2016

OCCUPYGHANA PRESS STATEMENT

OCCUPYGHANA RECEIVES M.M.T. BUS BRANDING DOCUMENTS FROM ATTORNEY-GENERAL

OccupyGhana is pleased to announce that it has received from the Honourable Attorney-General and the Ministry of Transport, 22 documents covering the Smarttys Transaction ("Transaction.")

It would be recalled that by a letter dated 1st February, 2016, OccupyGhana requested from the Honourable Attorney-General, documents covering the Transaction. However, by a letter dated 3rd February, 2016, the Honourable Attorney-General declined to provide us with the documents on the ground that there was a pending legal action with respect to the same matter.

Not satisfied with this response, OccupyGhana issued a Press Statement dated 7th February, 2016, in which it announced its intention to seek legal redress against the Honourable Attorney-General. On 18th February, 2016, OccupyGhana commenced legal action against the Honourable Attorney-General, in the exercise of our right to information under article 21 of the Constitution.

In the meantime, the other action to which the Honourable Attorney-General referred, as the basis of her refusal to give the documents to us, was heard and determined by the High Court against the Attorney-General. While we waited for our action to be heard, we received word from the Honourable Attorney-General that she would make the documents available to us. True to her word, by an Affidavit dated 26th April 2016, filed on 28th April 2016 and sworn to by one Lawrence Kumi, Director of Research at the Ministry of Transport, the Honourable Attorney-General has delivered to us, documents relating to the Transaction, except one. The Honourable Attorney-General refuses to give to us, the report that she delivered to the Chief of Staff after her investigations on the ground that she considered that as confidential and privileged.

We have delivered these documents to our legal and audit teams for their review and advice. We will keep Ghanaians appraised and updated with the findings of our legal and audit teams, and as we have promised, should we find that any laws were broken or anything was done that was illegal, wrong or untoward, OccupyGhana will pursue the matter to its logical and legal conclusions.

Yours in the service of occupying hearts and minds for God and Country

OccupyGhana
The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akufo-Addo has reiterated age is not a factor when it comes to the presidency, but competence and ability to deliver count.

Inaugurating the South African branch of the NPP on Saturday, at Illovo in Johannesburg, the three-time presidential candidate of the main opposition party noted, the NDCs bid to play the age card to secure victory in the 2016 elections will not wash.

According to the 72-year-old, there are living examples in the sub-region to prove that presidents above 70 can provide solutions.

Alassane Ouattara, who I am talking about, in Cote dIvoire is two years older than me. Muhammadu Buhari is three years older than me, and you see what he is doing in Nigeria, the former foreign affairs minister told the gathering.

The so-called young man that we have is plunging our country into a ditch. Lets elect the so-called old man to come and take our country out of the ditch.

Describing 2016 as a critical year for Ghanaians, the NPP flagbearer urged all party members to put their shoulders to the wheel and help push the elephant into the Jubilee House.

That is the task ahead of us. We cannot allow it to be said by our children and grandchildren that at the time when it was necessary to rescue our country, our generation failed the task. We cant do that.

Let this be the generation that saved Ghana, so that, one day, when the history books are being written they will say it was in our grandparents time, when Akufo-Addo was president, that we changed the fortunes of our country, he said.

Present at the event were NPP MP for Oforikrom, Hon. Elizabeth Agyemang; NPP Director of International Relations, Charles Owiredu; NPP South Africa branch Chairman, Kwaku Odame; NPP South Africa branch vice Chairman, Professor Amoateng; founding member of the NPP South Africa branch, Mr. Enoch Peprah; Political Assistant to Nana Akufo-Addo, Francis Asenso Boakye; and Press Secretary to Nana Akufo-Addo, Eugene Arhin, and hundreds of Ghanaians, amongst others.
A Ghanaian Professor of law based in the United States of America has accused the Supreme Court of poisoning the minds of the public with what he terms increasingly confused, inconsistent and misleading statements about generally accepted matters of law.

The criticism from Prof. Kwaku Asare comes in the wake of recent confusion that greeted the judgment of the highest court of the land in the voters register suit filed by Abu Ramadan and one other.

The judgment was initially interpreted to mean the Electoral Commission had been ordered to delete names of voters who registered with NHIS cards.

However, that is turning out to be a wrong interpretation.

Prof. Asare in a write up copied to Starr News particularly took on a member of the panel Justice Gbadegbe for holding that those who registered with NHIS cards should remain on the electoral roll.

Below is the full statement by Professor Asare.

I write only to express my concern that the Supreme Court is poisoning the minds of too many people with its increasingly confused, inconsistent and misleading statements about generally accepted matters of law.

I am particularly disturbed by Justice Gbadegbe's recent holding in the Abu Ramadan case that, "as the registrations were made under a law that was then in force, they were made in good faith and the subsequent declaration of the unconstitutionality of the use of cards should not automatically render them void."

This is a seriously misleading statement of law. Ghana's Constitution is the Supreme law of the land and any law that violates it is no law at all.

It is a proposition of law that has been affirmed everywhere and too often that "an Unconstitutional Act, Regulation, Statutory or Constitutional Instrument, though having the form and name of law is in reality no law, but is wholly void, and ineffective for any purpose.

Further, the unconstitutionality dates from the time of the enactment and not merely from the date of the decision so branding it."

An unconstitutional law is as inoperative as if it had never been passed. Thus, an unconstitutional law cannot and does not impose duties; confers no rights; creates no office; bestows no power or authority on anyone, etc.

It is therefore untrue that the impugned registrations were made under a law that was then in force. The law was never in force, if it was unconstitutional as the Supreme Court tells us. It also follows that the right the law conferred was conferred unconstitutionally and carries no legal weight.

The Supreme Court knows this dogma. That is why the same Supreme Court invalidated international business contracts signed without the involvement of Parliament, as required by the Constitution (e.g., FAROE).

To further appreciate the issue, suppose parliament passed a criminal statute that is subsequently declared

unconstitutional by the Court. Yaw Oppong is convicted under the law, in good faith by the Attorney General. Yaw wants his conviction to be voided and released from jail. Will it be a reasonable answer for the Court to say, "Mr. Oppong, as your conviction was made under a law that was then in force, it was made in good faith and the subsequent declaration of the unconstitutionality of the criminal statute should not automatically render your conviction void." That, of course, will be absurd! And so is Gbadegbe's declaration!.

Of course, the Court may have good reasons to want to save the registrations. If that is the inclination, the Court could and should have stayed away from the constitutional question. After all, the Constitution does not talk about NHIS card so there is no compelling reason to answer the question whether the use of NHIS card violated the Constitution. Proof of citizenship (whether by birth certificate, passports, guarantors, blood test, etc.) is a statutory or regulatory matter not a constitutional issue!

The Court should have answered a narrower question, such as whether the use of the NHIS card is sufficient to establish citizenship and if not whether the registrations should be voided.

On this narrower question, the Court could say the use of the NHIS card is not sufficient to establish citizenship but the registration should not be voided on equity grounds.

That is, the Court could step in with some equity doctrine to save the registrations, as it appeared inclined to do.

The Court is after all a Court of Equity and Equity can step in and do all sorts of crazy thing (e.g., the cy-pres doctrine, estoppel, etc.)

BUT for the avoidance of doubt and the sanity of our constitutional jurisprudence, it must be emphasized that a card or anything procured through unconstitutional means is incurably void. It is legally strange and unmistakably flawed to suggest otherwise.

Da Yie!
President John Dramani Mahama has described as false, reports that government has scrapped allowances meant for teacher trainees in the country.

According to him, what his government did was to "swap" and not "scrap" the policy as teacher trainees could access funds from the Students Loan Trust to finance their education just like students in any tertiary institution.

Addressing students of the University of Education, Winneba as part of his Accounting to the People tour in the Central region, Mahama explained that swapping the allowance with the loan scheme will help address the inequality in funding teacher education at all levels in the country.

"The problem with the payment of the allowance is that apart from the huge cost implication for the national budget, it also compels governments over the years to scale down the number of students entering into the college of education.

"All the colleges were given a quota up to which they could admit because of the implication for the national budget. This system meant that even highly qualified SHS graduates willing and able to enroll as teacher trainees found themselves wickedly denied access because the colleges could not admit them as a result of the quota system.

President Mahama stressed that the payment again denied many the chance of achieving their dreams as teachers so as to be able to care for their families.

"The quota system had therefore become a binding constraint hindering access to teacher training education. This state of affairs also deprived many from joining the noble profession and for securing a future for themselves and their families.

"When we came into office we found that the thirty eight colleges of education were in fact operating at less than 40% of their capacity while 1000s of eligible students sat at home. There was a need therefore for government to act decisively in order to address this unjust and unfair imbalance ".

"Government therefore decided to swap the teacher training allowances with the student loan scheme as it is operating in all other universities that train teachers. By so doing, government will be able to plough back the Ghc282milion that would have been paid to teacher trainees in expanding education so that we can employ more teachers. We need more money to build more schools, to build more community schools. We would have spent gthat to pay teacher trainees alone," he added.

President Mahama added that the replacement of the teacher trainee allowance has again reduced pressure on government budget.

"The continuous payment of the allowance was inimical to the progress of teacher education in the country. Not only did it affect intake but also was a huge toll on government's purse with government having to reduce the quota given the teacher training schools."
Mogadishu (AFP) - Islamic jihadists killed three police officers in a bomb and gun attack on a police station in the Somali capital on Monday, city authorities said.

A suicide car bomber and a gunman also died, as did two civilians, apparently shot by police responding to the attack claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-aligned Shebab. Other civilians were also wounded.

"The attack involved two Shebab members, one of them driving a car loaded with explosives, and another tried to storm the police headquarters but was shot dead. We have lost three policemen," said Abdifatah Omar Halane, spokesman for the Mogadishu city administration.

He added that two civilians were also shot dead.

"Two other civilians were shot dead separately at a nearby street," Halane said, adding that the police believed to be responsible had been arrested.

The Shebab militants are fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, and launch regular attacks in the city.
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Women should learn to be mothers that they naturally are, starting this Mothers' Day. Motherhood may be defined in different ways by the various dictionaries, but all of them do stress the compassion aspect of a mother. Mothers and women in general, do not take love for granted, so they often demand it from their male counterpart; appropriate as it is though, it would not be too much to ask them to extend same to their children? Well, those saying we are doing that already should tell if they now care for their sons (boy child) as they do for their daughters (girl child).

Sure they do, is the immediate response I will get. I thank them for that. If so where do they draw the line between the growing child and the man, to be so mean to the adult male in the "Gender Equality Campaign"?For example, they are happy to imprison the man for up to twenty years for misunderstanding their "Yes" and "No" in sex, even in societies where playing-hard-to-get by women is the norm, and a woman proposing love to a man is virtually a taboo! What is the woman imprisoned for here? Nothing! And you championing Women Empowerment term this "Equality" and fair? Please think again, with or without the usual the foreign pressure.Women have callously blamed men for what they call Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) because as you cleverly put it, that is what the male wants. If so tell me what the woman wants, or they do not know what they want? By the way, who are men blaming for their circumcision.

Are men blaming women because women desire circumcised male and few are those that will tolerate uncircumcised men! It is obvious that the competition with men with their excision did not help anybody after all.Now that female genital excision is seen to be a messed-up practice, women have found men as the usual easy target to blame whereas no man would be allowed anywhere near where the operation is happening! Why do we not hear of long term imprisonment for FGM perpetrators as in rape cases, if not because they are women! Watch out android appreciate that, for the same way women messed up with excision in their attempt to do what men are doing, so will this needless attempt to be equal to men eventually backfire if caution is not exercised.

In some African maternal inheritance societies, when the sisters of a deceased brother maltreats the widow with unnecessary widowhood rites by playing on the beliefs and fears of the widow, just because the sisters could not benefit enough from their late brother, the African man is the one blamed for these rites that they do not even take part in! Is this fair? Well the Akan "wise saying" is that, "It is the man who has to drink bitter medicine," but then I will appeal to the other saying that "If one keeps mute about their haircut, they end up with a bad one.

" I am therefore talking on behalf of men in saying that we are also humans with feelings!Mothers! Go out there and start reviewing your campaign policies, for it is a big shame that the same "discrimination" to push males even in the harsh rough and tough work during the era of "ignorance" could be continued, overturned though, by the highly "educated" women of today.

If attention given one gender was good, why seek to change it, and if it is bad, then why continue discrimination even as the UN and all national Constitutions frown on it?So on this Mothers' Day, please women, start being "mothers" not only to your boy and girl children, but also to the men your other half that do the rough, tough and risky work.

As the last of Creation, women are most endowed to manage and keep whereas men execute, but let it start from the home minus the selfishness, jealousy, haste and needless competition. Let us all appreciate our African shortcomings as well as our strengths and evolve together towards greatness rather than follow induced sporty rivalry, no matter it's source. May we all be blessed with understanding, compassion and fortitude on this Mother's Day.
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Accra: 8th May, 2016. The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, H.E Dr. Keith Christopher Rowley arrives in Ghana today for a four-day visit at the invitation of His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama. The visit is aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries.

Dr. Keith Christopher Rowley has been in office since September, 2015. While in the country, Dr. Rowley and his 12-member delegation will hold bilateral talks with President Mahama and members of Cabinet, meet with some Ghanaian businessmen and lay a wreath on the tomb of George Padmore, a Trinidadian Pan-Africanist Journalist, a close ally of Ghanas founding father, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who died in Ghana after residing here for many years.

The two Heads of State will visit the Tema Oil Refinery and the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO) after a luncheon at the Flagstaff House. Thereafter, Dr. Rowley is scheduled to visit the Elmina Castle and the Atuabo Gas Plants.

Ghana- Trinidad and Tobago relations dates as far back as the post colonial era. The visit offers an opportunity for Ghana to tap into the rich Oil and Gas experience of Trinidad and Tobago. It also offers an opportunity for discussions on other business prospects in the two countries.

H.E Dr. Rowley says, I am delighted to be in Ghana, the home of our forebears. This is a home coming for us and we shall leave no stone unturned in fostering much closer collaboration with the government and people of Ghana. Whiles we share our expertise in the oil and gas sector, we look forward to learning from the Ghanaian experience in other sectors he emphasized.

Dr. Rowley is expected to leave Ghana on Wednesday, 11th May, 2016.
File Photo

09.05.2016 LISTEN

The story has been circulating on the various Ghanaian media websites for quite some time now; I just decided to give it the pass that it obviously deserved until events and activities worthy of prompt attention and discussion had slowed down a bit. First of all, only a very desperate detractor of the Akufo-Addo-led main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) would buy into the inexcusably silly narrative of key party operatives, with the predictable exception of Messrs. Paul A. Afoko and Kwabena A. Agyepong, having flown in some four Serbian combatants to train party executives for the possibility of launching a Rwanda-type of full-scale war with the objective of ousting the election-rigging National Democratic Congress (NDC), whose General-Secretary has, by the way, categorically stated for media consumption that his party has made a fine art of effectively and perennially rigging elections in the country in its favor.

Of course, those who have been studiously following my columns are well aware of the fact that I have a head-scratching problem with the media operative to whom Mr. Afoko chose to tell, or sell, his story, namely, the editor-publisher of that scandal-sheet called Africa Watch Magazine, Mr. Steve Mallory (aka Kwadwo Osei). Indeed, even as I write, I have in the Inbox of my E-mail letters from two young women detailing their wanton and flagrant exploitation by the editor-publisher of Africa Watch Magazine.

The letters were specifically written and posted to me unsolicited because, according to the writers, they had read several of my articles which pointed to my being full of spite and disdain for Mr. Mallory. One had even offered to interview yours truly for an article in the Atlantic Monthly, the globally renowned magazine, because she intended to teach the editor-publisher of Africa Watch Magazine an unforgettable lesson in ethics which would also see his career completely and thoroughly obliterated from the media firmaments.

One of the complainants described herself as an African-American and a very hardworking professional saleswoman, with considerable media sales experience, who had been hired to market the Mallory scandal-sheet to college students across the American northeast. She had fulfilled her part of the bargain, she painfully noted in her letter, only to be hoodwinked and contractually stiffed by Mr. Spiv Mallory. It well appears as if this Edweso/Ejisu Boy is involved in some form of Ponzi Scheme, in which he serially robs Peter to pay Paul; in this particular instance, perhaps, Naomi to pay Nora.

The second letter writer, who was then touring a couple of European countries with her father, a Kenyan-born professor, along with some study-abroad students, sounded especially desperate to get back at Mr. Mallory. She appeared to be the one who referred the other woman to me. Both had worked for the Africa Watch Magazine at different times and had been left high and dry by their former boss, after the Ghanaian-born magazine proprietor had presented them with decent working conditions on paper.

Naomi, not her real name, did not want her former boss to have any wind of either her contact with me or our several phone and textual interchanges, which left me wondering that, perhaps, she had struck more than a purely professional relationship with the Africa Watch Magazine editor-publisher. I did not hesitate to probe into this aspect of her relationship with Mr. Mallory which she promptly denied.

When we spoke on the phone, Naomi let it on to me that after putting considerable pressure on Mr. Mallory, including the threat of getting me to do a media expose on the man, she had managed to receive a quite decent fraction of the money owed her. The debtor had also given Naomi his good word  which she considered to be worth the monetary equivalent of shinplaster  that the rest of his debt would be liquidated in no time.

Well, as of this writing, some two years later, it is not known whether the onetime Akufo-Addo media point-man in the United States ever fully settled his debts. Not that it is my lookout, having already made it categorically clear to these two wounded women that, indeed, while I had absolutely no affection or fondness for the man, nevertheless, I did not also intend to take undue advantage of his scandalous foibles to score cheap political points. But I still keep the letters in my Inbox and do read it from time to time for a good laugh or two.

Does anybody in his/her presence of mind really believe that if the key operatives of the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party wanted to start a civil war in Ghana, the alleged conspirators would be training for such a decidedly dangerous exercise within the benign and cozy confines of a hotel located in the Accra metropolis, and then in full public view? You see, when someone hates your guts or is filled with venom for you, even when you good-naturedly greet them with Hello, there! s/he would angrily and bitterly report to her/his fellow detractors that you have called his beloved mothers chastity into question.

Mr. Afoko claims that the purported Serbian-managed military training for some New Patriotic Party executives took place sometime in April 2014. And so the logical question to ask here is this: Why did the then-NPP National Chairman wait for two long years in order to publicly disclose the same? Or has Mr. Afoko simply forgotten the fact that his apparently deliberate failure to promptly report this treasonable offence to our security agencies makes him even far more criminally culpable than the people he seeks to so publicly incriminate?

Indeed, as then-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Afoko actually stood far more guilty of the treasonable crimes he now conveniently claims had been committed by some key operatives of his own party on his blind side (See Afoko Lied About Serbians Training NPP Officials  Baako Kasapafmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 4/28/16).

The estranged former NPP Chairman has been fingered for having, indeed, officially addressed the opening session of the alleged military training confab he now claims to have been totally unaware of. Mr. Afoko vehemently denies addressing any such military-training confab.

But, here again, the question remains: Why did Chairman Afoko not promptly report the subversive elements among the top-echelon membership of his party to our national security agencies, if he really wants Ghanaians to believe that he was the sole patriot among the hoodlum pack?

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Debt is the slavery of the free! - Publilius Syrus

Debt is defined as A sum of money that is owed or due [Oxford Dictionaries]. It is created by the difference between income and expense. There are two types of debt; good debt and bad debt.

Good debt is an investment that will grow in value or generate long-term income. They include; mortgage, student or study loan, business loan etc.

Bad debt is debt incurred to purchase things that quickly lose their value and do not generate long-term income. These consumables include; clothing account, car loan, furniture, appliances, luxury items, flashy lifestyle, store credit cards, credit cards, holiday loan, restaurant meals etc.

Whether it is good debt or bad debt, debt must be managed. People get into extreme debt as a result of many reasons. Some of them are avoidable and others unavoidable. Here is a list of some of the explanations.

Avoidable Debt

Avoidable is preventable and unnecessary. It is created by choice and mostly because of lack of discipline, pride, lack of financial wisdom, poor judgement and poor decision making. This type of debt can be prevented by getting the knowledge and ability to make better decisions.

Keeping up appearance. Many have fallen into the debt trap trying to Keep Up with an image. This is prevalent amongst recent graduates and younger families.

Poor investment decisions. When you borrow money to invest, be prepared to lose it, therefore seek good solid advice before engaging in any business activity.

Poor financial management by failing to plan and control personal finance well. Inability to resist impulse purchases and lack of knowledge on how to buy goods and services effectively. Disciple is needed.

Gambling, alcoholism, drugs and other addictive habits cause financial ruin.

Little savings and lack of or absence of reserve funds for emergency. You need to build a reserve to use when disasters like accidents, death or sickness strikes.

Unmonitored credit card and over draft usage. Note that financial institutions are not friends. They are businesses. Their aim is not to protect you, but to protect themselves at your expense.

Short-term loans or payday loans. They will say to you You can take it. Just pay me when you get paid. First check your budget to see if you can afford it, if not, let it pass. Many people buy unnecessary things just because they were told pay when you get paid.

Unavoidable Debt

This type of debt is caused by crisis beyond our control. However when disaster strikes, it calls for us to make the best financial decisions so that lose is minimised.

Medical Expenses and ill health. Sickness, especially chronic illness, can attack anyone at any time. When not covered by a medical aid, it can drain all the finances and leave people in debt struggling to make ends meet.

Underemployment and lose of employment causes a sudden cute of income. This can be mitigated by a corresponding reduction in expenditure. In general aim to create 3 months cash reserve.

Divorce or separation also causes sudden loss of income and huge legal fees. During family conflicts difference of opinions normally spill into financial discipline.

Reduced Income. Distressed companies can cut salaries to stay afloat during hard economic times.

Inflation and interest rate increase. Mortgages and loans are at the mercy of fluctuating interest rates. This causes increase in repayment rates amounts. On the other hand inflation causes increase in prices of goods and services.

How is your debt situation? If not good seek help. For some trick to get out of debt see my articles Stop Debt Right There! Part 1 and Stop Debt Right There! Part 2 .

If you enjoyed this article, share it with your most favourite friends!

Please share your thoughts, ideas and comments below!

 Copyright 2014 by Its My Footprint, www.itsmyfootprint.com .

About Taka Sande:

Taka Sande is an author, an entrepreneur and development activist. He has a passion for making a difference by influencing and adding value to peoples lives. He is the founder of the blog Its My Footprint, http://www.itsmyfootprint.com /. You can also follow him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .
09.05.2016 LISTEN

In the Holy Bible, it is stated that God created man before a woman. Many people still do not understand why God took this action but I believe He might have used man as a rough draft (sketch) before coming out with the final masterpiece, in this case the woman. This clearly shows how unique and precious women are as far as God's creators are concerned. Probably, people who beat women, especially their wives and girl friends might be unaware of this, but it must be pointed out to them that, a woman is the epitome of tenderness, care and wisdom.

In Ghana and other parts of the world, women's contribution to nation building cannot be over-emphasized. This could be seen in all sectors of the Ghanaian economy  agriculture, health, education, public service, trade, among others.

One therefore wonders why our women continue to face discrimination, abuses and prejudice in this modern era despite the higher percentage of women as against men in population. For instance, the 2010 Population and Housing Census in Ghana puts our women population at 51.3% as against 48.7% of men.

This unfortunate situation therefore calls for more pragmatic policies geared towards gender equality in all spheres of life so that the livelihood of the Ghanaian woman could be improved. In his Inaugural Address in June 2000, at the UN Session in Beijing, our own Kofi Annan who was the then UN Secretary General remarked; The future of this planet depends on women. The implication is that without women, development and the survival of the human race will remain elusive.

The onus therefore lies on all stakeholders, especially the various political parties in Ghana to ensure that the welfare and empowerment of the Ghanaian woman feature prominently in their plans, policies and programmes. The clandestine introduction of 'Cash and Carry' in the Health sector by the current government, the high increase in transport fares, school fees, and destruction of several market centres in the country have all contributed to the deterioration of women's welfare. Our women would be happy to see the re-introduction of free maternal care, efficient national health insurance scheme, accessible and affordable loans and equal opportunities.

In celebrating their Day today, it is imperative we all join our women to make their Day a wonderful one. Our mothers have nurtured us right from infancy and made us what we are today. Let's show our sincere gratitude to our dear mothers, wives, nieces, and daughters.

Whilst we ask for God's blessings and protection for them, we shouldn't forget to give our maximum respect, love, care, and support to our women. For those who still see their mums as witches, and thus refuse to take good care of them, God should touch their hearts and minds for them to realise that, Mother's Love is incomparable to any love in this world, for it is sweeter and everlasting.

On behalf of Patriotic Ambassadors for Peace (PAP), I wish all our women, a Happy Mothers' Day!

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang,

Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri

(0202471070 //0547851100 // 0264931361)

"Vision, coupled with persistency, results in true success"
09.05.2016 LISTEN

Gradually the Ghanaian construction market is getting filled with foreign artisans and if care is not taken every area of our construction and civil engineering will be taken by foreigners. According to a story in the daily graphic of December 22, 2015, Ghana is paying dearly for the neglect of technical and vocational education and training since foreigners take over jobs that require technical skills. This the report says was captured in a strategic plan of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

As a professional in the built environment I can attest to this fact that foreigners have now invaded our construction market. Currently if you request for a skillful tiller they bring you someone from Togo. If you ask for someone to do first class painting you might not get a Ghanaian. Now we even have Chinese doing block laying here in Ghana. We have foreigners fixing drywalls. Others are doing electrical and installation of air conditioners. We pay hugely for all these.

I keep telling myself if we have imported engineers, doctors and now importing artisans then sooner we shall be importing labourers into this country to work for us.

We have got to this state as a country in my view due to the following:

Neglect of technical education

Technical education for a very long time have been neglected and was also not made attractive. We rather paid and continue to pay attention to secondary education than technical education. There are numerous very good secondary schools in Ghana but how many good technical schools do we have. Some of these few technical schools do not even have basic tools for training of their students.

Again it is unattractive to get trained technically. I say this because it becomes difficult for one to move on the career path smoothly if one decides to go technical unlike going secondary. Here in this country when one completes secondary school with the requisite grades he or she has the chance of continuing at the university. But when one completes technical school his woes starts, he cannot go to the university directly like his counterparts from secondary schools.

He first as a requirement need to go in for mandatory practical attachment, come in to do intermediate certificate then continue to do technician certificates parts 1, 2 and 3. His path ends here or he goes to write SSCE/WASSCE before he can go to the university or the polytechnic. So whiles it takes about ten years for someone who takes the path of secondary education to obtain a first degree it takes about fourteen years for the one who decides to go technical. For this reason most people prefer going secondary instead of technical.

Lack of practical trainers.

A number of trainers in our institutions are the first class students who get to continue their education right after their first degree. After first degree they move straight to have second degree and PhD then coming back to teach at our universities. The question is what practical experience does this person has. Academically he or she will deliver rightly but what of the practically of it? If we want to turn out persons who are practically and skillfully good, in my view we should complement the training with the use of engineers and technicians on field.

Lack of regulation and certification

According to the Engineering Council Act, 2011, all engineering craftsmen are to be registered, licensed and regulated for the practice of engineering in ones chosen field, being in masonry, automobile, carpentry, painting, electrical, plumbing etc. Currently only a fraction of these craftsmen are registered and whether they are regulated or not only God knows.

I will not be surprised if almost all the foreign craftsmen practitioners in this country do not have any certification for the practice of the work they undertake. No one regulates them so they just flood in. In my view it will be appropriate if the engineering professional bodies will take it upon themselves to train artisans, certifies them and regulate their practice. This when done will reduce the chaff of artisans we have on our markets.

Poor incentives

I spoke with one mason on a site about the poor works we see from our own Ghanaians. I asked him why we dont have good masons on the market. He told me that all the good ones have neglected the profession because they are not paid well. According to him the minimum wage was not enough so experienced artisans leave the field to do other things whiles inexperienced persons get on to the markets that is why we see shoddy works here and there. Again I have also observed that most private developers do not engage right persons since they are not ready to pay the right fee. They engage inexperienced artisans who they can pay a little fee. In return we see lots of bad work.

Poor supervision

Supervision on the part of some site foremen and supervisors also leads to shoddy works on the part of Ghanaian artisans. Since most of these supervisors are not technically good they are not able to identify the problems of these artisans on our fields. Just like a blind man leading a blind man, they all end up in a ditch. In my view local construction and engineering firm associations should collaborate and have training workshops for their site supervisors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I suggest all the engineering professional bodies in the country like Ghana Institute of Engineers, Institution of Engineering and Technology, Ghana Institute of Construction etc should consider training trainers then these trainers will embark on nationwide training of artisans in professional execution of works so that we as a nation will have very fine and skilled artisans so that we will not rely on foreigners for common jobs like masonry, joinery, tiling, painting, skimming (undre) electrical, plumbing etc. Also the engineering council of Ghana should begin regulating the practice of engineering craftsmanship whiles I urge all prospective developers to engage persons with requisite certification.

Engr. Samuel OTENADU

( [email protected] ) 0244715372

The writer is a professional construction engineer into private practice
I am not an ethnic narcissist, but I cannot hold my breath for yet another feat that makes me, first of all, a proud catholic and second of all, a native of Nandom community, a proud Nandome. I would imagine the tears of joy of my fellow natives at the ordination of Rev. Fr. Richard Kuuia Baawobr as the new Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wa in the Upper West Region of Ghana, this weekend.

Bishop Richard Kuuia Baawobr took over from the Most Rev. Dr. Paul Bemile, who retired after presiding over the Wa Catholic Diocese for some 21 years. Cast in the mold as Blessed Dery, Saint Peter Porekuu Dery, this quiet, scholarly religious giant would hold a diocese together for these years of his priestly vocation owing to his calm demeanor and him, being a good shepherd. We have less time and space to catalogue his achievements here, but suffice it to state that the number of new parishes created under his episcopate are probably as a result of the ever increasing number of congregants which we must attribute to his qualities as a good religious leader. Indeed, numbers matter a lot and hold a group together as well.

And so, it came to pass. Its been good tidings for the Catholic Church, but most importantly for the Diocese of Wa, where the Most Rev. Richard Kuuia Baawobr will begin his new vocation. The newly ordained Bishop, the Most Rev. Richard Kuuia Baawobr has promised not to let down the congregants as he has requested them to help him achieve the best results for the Diocese. Let me assure him of the unflinching support from Catholics, who are very benevolent people and will surely give him the necessary support to expand his flock.

Again, in defense of my ethnic narcissist feeling breeds great pride to hail from Nandom. A community exuding with academic excellence in the field of scholarly work. A recent op-ed on a ground breaking medical research by one of our own Dr. Methodius Tuuli has been spot on internationally and yet many of our kindred have brailed the trail in the medical field before him in the cast of Drs. Gyader, Delle, Kabir and quite recently Drs. Felix T Dery, Ambrose Ire and the list goes on. (Dont be offended if your name is not mentioned, we are proud of your scholarly medical contribution)

From the academia with Prof. Aloysius Denkabe, Prof. Bulber, Dr. Naazie, Rev. Dr. Yanyouru, Dr. S.K Bemile and the young list of uncountable doctors serving in various fields of their academic achievement and prowess cannot be overlooked. And from the laity, my own dad Mr. E. S Kuunifaa, Mr Gerald Bamfo, Mr Stanilaus Zaato, late Messieurs Terbobri, Sanziri, Niifaakang, and Anglaaire - these guys contributed immensely and yet they have been so imperceptibly recognized for what they did for the community.

And from a religious standpoint, the numerous reverend sisters of the Mary Immaculate Conception are a remnant of great devotion for a call to serve. Indeed, in my own village, Vapuo, boasts of at least a reverend sister from a household. The countless FIC Brothers within the Nandom community, the numerous priests of various priestly vocation are a joy to the community.

All of this religious achievement stems from the good fortunes of our beloved Blessed Dery, who fought tirelessly to expand the church and the faithful alongside the very kind hearted white forefathers of blessed memory, Rev. Fr. Remigius McCoy and co. They did what they did for us so that we may have light. We did really have the light thanks to the torch bearers in the mold of Cardinal P. Dery of blessed memory, His Grace, Archbishop Philip Naameh of the Tamale Archdiocese, now Bishop Emeritus Most Rev. Dr. Paul Bemile, Most Rev. Peter Paul Ankyier, Bishop of Damongo and the newly ordained Bishop of Wa Diocese, Most Rev. Richard Kuuia Baawobr.

In all of this, there is such a great feeling to hail from Nandom. There is a feeling of pride which is unsurpassed to think about.

We definitely celebrate the accomplishment of Bishop Emeritus Most Rev. Dr. Paul Bemile. We thank him for his service to the Diocese. To borrow Isaac Newtons phrase, we Nandome, are seeing further because we stand on the shoulders of giants. Most Rev. Richard will see more because his great stature added to that of his predecessor will allow him to achieve the best that he has requested to accomplish for his new diocese. Congratulations, Bro.!

Cletus D Kuunifaa

TMC Group

Can be contacted at [email protected] , [email protected] or follow him on twitter @ckuunifaa
Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia

09.05.2016 LISTEN

The NPP-China branch is very pleased to officially and publicly announce that the political avatar and Vice Presidential Candidate of our great Party, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be embarking on a week visitation to China from June, 5th-12th , 2016 to interact with Ghanaians and also visit NPP supporters.

This important visit is part of the branchs effort to rally Ghanaians in China to support the movement for change in the political leadership of our beloved country, Ghana.

Unlike the NDC which thinks that Ghanaians abroad are unproductive elements enjoying the pleasures of advanced communism and capitalism, the New Patriotic Party believes that Diasporans are a pool of energetic men and women with the intellect and resources that can be tapped into for Ghanas development. Thus the need to regularly confer with them.

As part of his visit, Dr. Bawumia will be interacting with Ghanaian students in various Chinese Universities, Businessmen and women, teachers, and other professionals.

As a keynote speaker who will deliver a speech as he is famous for some of his thought-provoking addresses that always spark the minds of Ghanaians to intensify the call for change for a better Ghana.

The well-read economics scholar will be accompanied on his trip by Freddy Blay (Ag. Chairman- NPP) , Hon. Kennedy Agyapong (Member of Parliament- Assin-Fosu), Otiko Djaba (National Women Organiser-NPP) ,Kwabena Boadu (Press Secretary to Alhaji Bawumia), and other National Executives of the NPP.

We are by this publication calling on all Ghanaians in China to save these dates and meet Alhaji Bawumia as he talks about the need to actively participate in the call for change and why that change, in the current state of our nation, is non-negotiable.

Dont miss out on these historical gatherings!

It is your call to duty. And it is our collective call to save our motherland from the incompetent and corrupt jaws of John Mahama and the NDC.

God bless our homeland, Ghana!

God bless NPP

God bless us all.

And God bless China.

For more information call:

Mr. Anthony Darko

+8613724102946

Nana Kyei Baffour

+8615580214166

Mr Abbey Patrick Thomas

+8613993173440

Adu Brenya Poku

+8613804059474

Mr. Twum Barima

+8615062249514

.........Signed...........

National Organizers

(NPP-China Branch)
SOUTH Africa Tourism (SAT) has sponsored a team of Ghanaian and Nigerian tour company executives to experience some of the interesting destinations in South Africa ahead of INDABA. SAT is the the tourism development and marketing arm of the Republic of South Africa and organisers of the tourism trade show known as INDABA, which brings together thousands of exhibitors, buyers and media from Africa and the rest of the world every year.

Ahead of the 2016 edition of INDABA, a selected number of top managers of travel and tour companies as well as leaders of travel and tour associations from Ghana and Nigeria were sponsored to experience interesting destinations in Johannesburg and environs as well as Sun City before flying to Durban for the INDABA.

Among the team from Ghana were the President of the Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) Mrs. Nancy Quartey-Sam, radio presenter and the unions Media Relations Officer Gilbert Abeiku Santana Aggrey and CEO of Kumasi based Dodi Travel and tours, Mr. Arhmed Naaman.

The team from Nigeria included the president of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) Mr. Bernard Bankole, president of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) Mr. Nkereuwem Onung, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NANTA Mr Stephen Isokariari and the National Secretary NATOP Mrs. Ime Udo.

Also on the trip was a team of media personnel made up of reporters, bloggers and broadcasters from the two countries.

KLOOFZICHT LODGE & SPA



A view of Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa from the balloon

The first place the team visited was the Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa. Nestled at the foothills of the Zwartkops Mountains in the Cradle of Humankind, the lodge is about forty minutes drive from Sandton. Kloofzicht Lodge, which comprises sixty suites, overlooks six exquisite fly fishing dams and the lower reaches of the Blaauwbank Spruit, which meanders through the Zwartkops gorge. Five-star hospitality and service is the trademark of Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa and can be found from its conferencing and banqueting to wedding, leisure and spa facilities. The team had an amazing five-star spa treatment while spending two nights at the Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa.

CRADLE OF HUMANKIND



Mohammed Tanko Kwajaffa (right) of SA Tourism takes a photo with two members of the team at the Cradle of Humankind

The team had the rare opportunity of visiting the museum and caves at the world renowned Cradle of Humankind. This is an area that has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa in the Gauteng Province.

The Sterkfontein Caves contain the discovery of a 2.3-million-year-old fossil Australopithecus africanus (nicknamed "Mrs. Ples"), found in 1947 by Robert Broom and John T. Robinson. The find helped corroborate the 1924 discovery of the juvenile Australopithecus africanus skull, "Taung Child", by Raymond Dart, at Taung in the North West Province of South Africa. The height of the experience was when members of the team who made it to the caves moaned and groaned while ascending and descending several flights of man made steps or crawling through dwarfsized natural crevices at the depth of the caves. Other members took the easier option to wait for the rest at the cafeteria that serves visitors to the place. Nonetheless, all those who visited the site were happy to have seen the very old mountains and rocks as well as fossils that depict where life on earth actually begun.

LION PARK



Jennifer Awoh of South Africa Tourism feeds a giraffe at the Lion Park

The team drove to the famous Lion Park for a close up view of lions and other animals that inhabit the two kilometer square wildlife conservation enclosure on the outskirts of Johannesburg in the Gauteng Province. The Lion Park is situated near Lanseria Airport and Fourways within distance of Johannesburg and Pretoria. The park has a large variety of predators and large herbivores indigenous to Africa. The Lion Park is home to several lions including the rare white lions and other carnivores such as cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas. It also has other animals such as meerkats, giraffes, zebras, and a wide variety of antelope which roam freely in the antelope area. The antelope area, containing blesbok, gnu, impala, gemsbok, and zebra, is in a separate part away from the lions and other carnivores.

LESEDI CULTURAL VILLAGE



Members of the Ghana and Nigerian team at Lesedi Cultural Village

The next place the team visited was the Lesedi Cultural Village. This is a tourist village which celebrates the cultural traditions of the most dominant ethnic groups of Southern Africa. The village was developed to depict and reproduce traditional dwellings of the Zulus, Sothos, Xhosas and Pedis and it offers demonstrations of cultural activities of these people and how they used to live and still live in the traditional settings. The team learned how the Xhosas treat their women compared to how the others treat their own, it also learned about how the Basotho King Moshoeshoe hatched a plan to defeat the Zulu warrior King Shaka and how Shaka chose a different sword from what his father used because he saw his father as a coward. The height of the visit to Lesedi was the dances of the various ethnic groups as demonstrated by a well-trained and groomed team of dancers. Our team and other teams from elsewhere were very well entertained by the performances they were treated to at the Lesedi Cultural Village. It was followed by dinner at the Villages African restaurant.

HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE



The team is up in the air in the hot air balloon

Very early on Thursday morning the team woke up and set off at 5:30am for a hot air balloon experience. It was blood-freezing cold, but the anticipation for the eminent experience was too good to prevent anyone from bracing the cold and having it. Not too far from the Kloofzicht Lodge, the team drove to the site where the balloons would take off. It was an amazing ride up in the skies over 1,000 feet above sea level and overlooking the Cradle of Humankind. The team was divided in two and each occupied one hot air balloon. The sights from the sky included the lodge and a few other lodges in the neighbourhood, the lakes and streams by the lodges, the scarps and ranges across the cradle as well as a large game reserve with some of the big five gallivanting. It was an adrenaline pumping and yet fun and adventurous to go up in such and entrapment.

SUN CITY EXPERIENCE



An elephant spotted in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve

The team made the almost 150km drive from the Kloofzicht Lodge to the world famous Sun City. Sun City is a luxury resort and casino created by hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of his Sun International Group. It is situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located between the Elands River and the Pilanesberg, about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. It borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. On arrival and after lunch, the team went on a safari in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. This is a reserve that has all the big five (African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard and White/Black rhinoceros). Thankfully three out of these were sighted by the team besides other animals like wildebeest, waterbuck among others. After dinner at the four star Sun City Hotel and Casino and a nights stay in five star Cascades Hotel, the team left Sun City to Durban for the INDABA.

AFRICA MEDIA DINNER



Evelyn Mahlaba, Regional Director for Africa, South Africa Tourism

Evelyn Mahlaba, South Africa Tourisms Regional Director for Africa, hosted a dinner to welcome all media personnel from across Africa to INDABA 2016. The dinner took place on the sixth level of the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. The African themed dinner was lively and an opportunity to get the media personnel who had arrived the cover INDABA a feel of what to expect in the host city. There was food, drinks and music to dance to on that cold night in Durban. Evelyn Mahlaba thanked the media for accepting to attend INDABA and said she hoped they will find the right things to talk about INDABA with their audiences back home.
The objective of the training visit by UK Government communications experts, on 18-19 April, was to reinforce the role and importance of government communications, to share best-practice communications tools and to support Government of Tunisia communicators to develop as a profession.

The UK delegation was led by Alex Aiken, the Executive Director of Government Communications and included Conrad Bird, Director of the GREAT Britain campaign and Cross-Government Campaigns, Robin Gordon-Farleigh, 10 Downing Street News Planner and Ed Pikett, Head of Campaigns at the Cabinet Office.

A conference, hosted by British Ambassador to Tunisia, Hamish Cowell, and attended by close to 50 communicators from across the Government of Tunisia was delivered by the UK delegation. Alex Aiken conducted eighteen senior level meetings over the course of the two-day visit including meetings with President Essebsi and Prime Minister Essid. With the British Ambassador in attendance, both the President and the Prime Minister of Tunisia thanked the UK for its support in Government communications.

In his welcome address to the conference UK Ambassador Hamish Cowell said: Our willingness and ability to speak to citizens must be coupled with a willingness and ability to listen to them, incorporating their needs and preferences, and engaging with them in a way that they want, through their trusted sources of information. The capacity to carry out two-way communication with citizens in a meaningful and ongoing manner is integral to the goals of democracy. Our intention is that with this partnership between our governments and through a strengthening of government communications, we can support Tunisia's democratic transition.

Alex Aiken said: It's an honour to be invited to share our experiences with the Government of Tunisia. Communication, alongside legislation, regulation and taxation, is one of the four main levers of government. I strongly believe that through bilateral programmes such as this, we can support our counterparts around the world to strengthen government communications and support the delivery of our prosperity and security objectives. I look forward to continuing this important programme in collaboration with the Government of Tunisia and strengthening the reputation of the UK as a global leader in government communications.
09.05.2016 LISTEN

It is time again. I am remembering the day of my birth. That is if I really know the day I was born. But it is my adopted day. I know I was born three days before the heavy rains that blessed the land and the peasants sowed their crops. I supposed they had bumper harvest that year otherwise they would have told me when I grew up.

There will be no gong gong. There will be no party. It is time for reflection. And what is there to reflect. It is for certainty that I am now over 3 scores. I do not need to tell you that. It is written all over me. As if this is not enough. It is drummed to me every day. Those who are nice call me Uncle. They dont know that in my youth I was called Uncle Ho so I have been an Uncle for so long. I was one of the donkeys of the Ghanaian Revolution but they respectfully called me Uncle Ho. Today, the nicest ones call me Daddy. Other simply calls me the Old Man. I accept all. Sometimes I laugh. Spending quite more years than half of my lifetime in the UK, I sometimes wonder about those who are in or over 3 scores, do they realise that they are accumulating on years and the wrinkles are all there as identity markers. As for the grey hair we can shave clean.

That we are growing nearer to our six by six plots, our only private property in death and to the land of the dream world. The land that no Ghanaian want to go. In realization that they will go there one day, some spend fortunes in atonement for their sins in the churches and mosques or whatever religious inclinations. In the UK I meet and have friends who are nearer or even over my three scores and more. And we will talk earnestly about what we can do for Ghana. We turn to over exaggerate our importance. We forget that we are yesterday people. That a new era has arisen and is no respecter for the sacrifices of our great Nkrumah and the post independent great people who are now deceased like Emma Hansen, Johnny Hansen, Chris Hesse, Ashiboe Mensah, etc.

Yet we are glued in this alluding place called UK. They do not even know when they will take the next flight home that is barely six hours away. It takes twice that time from Accra to Bolgatanga. Not for me for now. I am here writing in the sweltering heat. I am baking all day long. When I drive and occasionally stopped by the Police, I show my white bear that almost and sometimes guarantee me safe passage, even though they would have preferred some few cedis. Maybe that is the small amenities that I have fought these years for. To show my weathered face to the policeman and go by.

So what message do you have, Old Man this year for us, my sister daughter asked me this April. It was at her wedding celebrations, what they called blessings by the Catholic priest, though they do no marry themselves but bless others for successful marriages. Do they enjoy the trials and tribulations of marriage life?

Well, I have nothing much to say. I do not have anything to offer her. I know with blessings on her she will have children. She and her husband will have many and many years to live and raise their children. This is so for many of our young people. What world is it that we should bequest to them? Should it be a world as it is? As for me I have lived beyond the average age that Ghanaians should dare to live. I am the oldest in the three homesteads in Zanlerigu village, the three houses that we call close family. The others have gone and I am sure hastened by dry alcohol drink call akpeteshie.

So what are issues confronting us today and what should we be doing? I am at a lost. I have to implore on the younger generation to assist me with answers. But I am not a passive observer and will make my contributions.

According to Sulley: There is so much corruption. It is acceptable feature of our national life. It seems the media attention is part of the cathartic or group cleansing that after all it not everybody that applauds corruption.

Interrupts Ama: It is not easy to do anything without paying a bribe. In the state sector corruption and mismanagement are beyond all proportions. Some aspects of corruption have been legalized with management boards paying themselves hefty amounts. They create artificial meetings for more loot.

Kojdo Ansah saps in: In addition to this the NDC government is implementing an unfettered IMF/World Bank economic policy that has grounded the country into a halt. All what they talk about is so-called massive infrastructure projects. It is the duty for any governments to build roads. And moreover the costs are inflated and spiral out of control. They are money making exercise for the NDC and their chief lieutenants. When they privatize like the they are doing to our electricity, they say not. It is not privatization. It is for the private sector to manage the electricity for 20 to 30 years and hand it back to us. Ha. Whom are they deceiving?

Tell me something else. Do you know that cash and carry has returned to the hospitals? The health centres and hospitals have no drugs. Though we all pay for the NHIS through taxes, the NDC and responsible people have collapsed it. Hani-Ah added.

Donkor interjected: Do you know. In the midst of extreme high level of unemployment and poverty, none of the parties are offering any clear alternative. Listen to the new media. It all about NDC and NPP. It is all about who will win the November 2016 elections. There are threats and counter threats. And the two parties equally think they will win otherwise there will be mayhem.

What is the truth and what is falsehood, added Malikah, Either you join the NDC or NPP. To me it seems people have given up and look forward to when their party comes to power and they will join in the loot. Mark my words many votes in November 2016 are for sale. It is possible that some people votes will be bought and that can tilt the balance in favour of the NDC or NPP.

But Old Man want are you not saying anything, ask Ama.

What can I say if these young people want to hear my story and here we go.

For years and years, I have believed in equality. Not absolute equality but social justice. I believe that there are enough resources in this world and in particular Ghana, that can make people live comfortable. I believe we must work and improve the society. I believe that basic and essential services such as education, health and housing must be available to all. I believe our taxes must benefit people. I believe in socialism. Simply equality of opportunity. Not the socialism of the few, where the NDC and NPP are struggling to control the state for the benefit of a minority for themselves. A real socialism that will ensure that people do not go hungry. This is something that is not anachronism. It is something real. Mankind have survived on this planet and taken control of it because we have always looked out for each other. Not the society that we are building today, which is dog eats dog society. We cannot sustain what we are having in Ghana now forever.

Progressive ideas, the right of employment, the right to free health and a home are credible today. In the United States the citadel of capitalism, people are realizing that a tiny proportion of people, what they call the 1% control everything. And that is why Bernie Sanders movement is growing stronger every day. In the UK, one could not have believed that Jeremy Corbyn, would lead the Labour Party. Today he is leading the Labour Party and could be Prime Minister one day. Throughout the world progressive ideas have enable people to move from barbarism to civilization. In Latin American we have had the Morales of Bolivia; former President Luiz Ignacious Lula da Silva of Brazil; Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, etc. Though there are attempts to reverse these achievements in Latin American, the will of the people will survive the turmoil.

In Ghana today we need to build a new movement. A third force, I will call it. A force that is decidedly in the interest of ordinary people and not just for the few. Our politics should be the politics of how to advance our country. Such a force should be a challenge to the existing two party systems. It should struggle and take power from the moribund parties and begin the process of transforming the country.

At this stage, Wuni, a sixteen year old senior secondary school student cut in: We need a Rawlings. I heard during his time there was discipline and order and people were happy. We need the Rawlings revolution.

I smile and said: No my grandson. We do not need a Rawlings. Hmn. Rawlings have not been in power seen 2000. People turn to forget the tragedy he and his P(NDC) visited on this country. In 1979, he stated that he had cut the revolution in the middle. That was during the June 4, 1979 arising. And yes he did cut the revolution in the middle. In December 1981, he successfully carried out a successfully coup detat against Dr. Hila Liman administration. From 1983 onwards after he has purged the genuine progressive (people who really wanted real change in power relations, where ordinary people will have a say) he implemented the most far reaching IMF/World Bank policies in this country with Dr. Kwesi Botchway as the Finance Minister.

Thousands of workers especially in Accra, Tema and Takoradi were laid off. Most of the state industries were either left to decay or sold out for peanuts under his watch. Our tropical rainforest was completely decimated during his reign. He established what was termed the culture of silence. People were afraid to say anything against his regime. Hundreds of ordinary people were killed, chased into exile or disappeared. He wanted to establish one-person rule, the rule of Rawlings. It took courageous people in Ghana to rise up against his rule.

He was dragged to the democracy table by the might and power of Ghanaians who had awakened up to his dictatorship. Even then, he smuggled in Transitional Provisions in the Constitution to ensure that he is not called to account for his misrule. It was during his over 20 years in power, the longest by any government in Ghana, that corruption was legalised and became acceptable. To maintain himself in power he encouraged tribalism and nepotism. So my son, No Rawlings.

My children that is another day that we cannot tell the saga of the Rawlings era in this sitting. We should not make the mistake and despite our present predicaments that we want a Rawlings. People like Rawlings are fraud of society, and we must ensure that people like that do not ever emerge.

But Old Man. What can we do to ensure that the Rawlings, the NDC and NPP do not maintain power forever, asked Oforiwaa.

Power is absolutely important. And it is important to have clear ideas that we can put to the people. For example we must be a party of the people and for the people. The party must be self-financing. Ordinary people must fund the party. We must have ideas on how to manage the economy, how to create jobs, or to become self-reliant, how to cooperate with our neighbours and the world. We should have a movement that believes in the people. The party must believe in accounting to the people. Development must be for the people and they must be engaged in the process. We must not preach virtue and practice vile.

It may not be possible to put such a party before the November 2016 elections. However, we must all vote. WE SHOULD VOTE FOR ONE OF THE SMALL PARTIES. WE SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR NDC OR NPP. A vote for them is a vote for the status quo. We know the small parties have no clear policies and are heavily infiltrated by the NDC and NPP. But all the same a vote for the small parties is a vote against the two parties. We must force the elections to go to the second round. And in the process if the NDC or the NPP wins eventually they will respect us.

And as we talk the clouds were gathering. It was a sign of good omen, that in the long run everything will be okay. If our farmers have good rains. They will sow and we will have food. We will have water to quest our thirst. We will continue another day.

Nyeya Yen
While today's trial of former first lady Simone Gbagbo is an important step towards ending impunity in Cote d'Ivoire, Amnesty International maintains that the Ivorian authorities should reconsider their refusal to comply with their obligation to surrender her to the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to an arrest warrant against her on charges of crimes against humanity. Simone Gbagbo is set to go on trial today in Abidjan on charges of crimes against humanity related to the post-election violence in 2010-2011. More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence that ensued when her husband Laurent Gbagbo refused to relinquish power after losing an election.

Unless Cote d'Ivoire applies to the International Criminal Court to again challenge the admissibility of her case they must immediately surrender Simone Gbagbo to the ICC, said Gaetan Mootoo, West Africa researcher for Amnesty International.

If the domestic trial continues, Cote d'Ivoire must ensure its proceedings comply with international human rights law standards, including the right to a fair trial. Cote d'Ivoire must show the world it is serious about delivering post-conflict justice to victims of all crimes.

Background:

Simone Gbagbo has been charged by the ICC with crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, persecution and other inhuman acts. An arrest warrant was issued against her on 22 February 2012.

In 2014, an ICC Pre-Trial Chamber rejected a challenge by Cote d'Ivoire against the admissibility of the case, which was confirmed on appeal in 2015. Cote d'Ivoire has so far refused to surrender her to the ICC.

Simone Gbagbo's husband, the former President Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Ble Goude, an ally of Gbagbo's and leader of a militant youth group, are currently on trial before the ICC for crimes against humanity in relation to the post-election violence.

Simone Gbagbo was previously convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on 10 March 2015 on charges of participation in an insurrectional movement, conspiracy against the State, and disturbing public order.
09.05.2016 LISTEN

The NPP Ireland has cautiously hailed the recent Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, May 4, this year in a suit by Messrs Abu Ramadan and Evans Nimako directing the Electoral Commission [EC] to get its acts in order in the face of blatant daylight bloats of the Electoral Register. And in their wisdom, the Judges declared it as reasonably inaccurate and untenable to say the least.

Then again, we are also encouraged by the EC statement signed by Mr Amadu Sulley, Deputy Chairman that the Commission has taken note of the highest courts orders regarding cleaning of the existing Biometric Voters Register. In furtherance, that in accordance with the provisions of CI 91, registered voters would be given the opportunity to verify their registration details at all polling centres nationwide as a commitment to transparency. [See www.ec.gov.gh ]

On paper, the above overtures and assurances sound very well if only the NDC machinery of hooligans and hoodlums would allow Law and Order to reign supreme in the country given recent spate of violence everywhere in the state. We must ensure and emphasise that Free, Fair and Peaceful Elections are bedrock of a stable political economy. It is the magnet for foreign direct investments to help boost the ailing economy. The following tools in the form of peace and political stability with strong legislations cannot be over-emphasised hereafter.

In fact, as timely as the ruling might be, it is appalling and disheartening and a big embarrassment in the eyes of the International Comity that the NDC and her functionaries continue to flout our territorial Sovereignty and integrity with impunity by bribing and bussing foreigners from our neighbouring nations namely Burkina Faso, La Cote DIvoire and Togo for an unjust and insane electoral/polls advantage come November 7, 2016.

It appears this machismo [macho] and bully tactic of NDCs Abongo boys has become acceptable trend and the new incumbency tool for the President Mahama led government to entrench itself in power. There are many scenarios of bullying and beating up mercilessly of NPP men and women on the grounds whose crime is only to ensure that the correct and approved regulations and procedures are working. [See Akandoh thugs beat me mercilessly on Ghana web 7/05/2016]. Here, it was reported that Ms Martha Kwayie, NPP parliamentary candidate for Juaboso Constituency was beaten up by NDC thugs under connivance of the incumbent MP for the area who also doubles as Deputy Minister for Forestry and Natural Resources, Mr Kwabena Akandoh. This brute and barbaric tactic must stop immediately, for there are no grounds for it in any so-called modern democracy. We so far often proud ourselves on the Sub-Sahara Region as a Beacon of hope and custodian rule of law including a prime location and attraction for peace cum security in wooing the multi-national firms across the globe.

Apoco-apoco [little by little] our cherished country is being drifted into the path of Presidents Putin and Mugabes brutal regimes/states of Russian and Zimbabwe where ballot boxes are mere show cases like an Automobile Dealerships Showrooms with the support of State Security Agencies and other Apparatuses to please their overlords and paymasters  Asiedu Nketias NDC Party.

In some cases the Police Officers are helpless. Some of them have become agents / puppies of the ruling party and functionaries.

A report on ZAA Radio 99.3 frequency modulation [fm] website dated March 8, 2016 shows enthusiastic police officers in official uniform in a triumphant mood and jubilation on a Police Crew Cab Vehicle accompanying the newly appointed Northern Regional Minister Mr Abdallah Abubakar, who is currently NDC parliamentary candidate for his hometown Walewale in the west Mamprusi district. Waste, waste, waste!!!

Indeed, if it looks like a duck and quacks like duck, then, it is a duck! NPP Ireland only qualms are all about the misuse of our young state scarce resources. Crime wave has soared in the country and in the North, not an exception in recent years hugely due to vast unemployment among the youth and graduates  The trained Nurses are left to their fates. And believe you me, at the time these poor police officers were wasting precious man hours at least 5 robberies were being perpetuated in some corners of the region  we stand to correction if otherwise!

On more striking different note we herewith urge the ever growing loyal and dedicated NPP supporters and activists to remain calm and go about their legitimate duties in the eyes of rules and regulations of the land for the last days are always dangerous. NDC is a dead party walking and would use all foul means in the form of violence and intimidating tactic. Assallam Allainkum, we shall nonetheless overcome shortly. Forward ever in faith.

This election would be fought on the grounds and principles of common sense and would be largely decided by high unabated level of unemployment, high and unbearable costs of living and the rots and loots across all sectors of the national coffers by NDC and her caprices amid whim!

A caution word of advice to our proud sons and daughters in the Country and Diaspora: may we urge you all to lets look back to look forward unto NPP government and examine our undertakings/projects or be it National Health Care with pregnant women unfortunately signing their death warrants at the Deplorable Maternity wards all over, School Fees, Fuel Prices, Costs of doing Business or Putting up a house with reference to [for an instance] price of a bag of cement and other building materials during NPP administration up to 2008 and thereafter till now under President Mahama led government.

Yesterday is gone and we may not recover from it. However, Tomorrow is ours to lose or win. Enough is enough comrades. NPP Ireland is deliberately therefore leaving the continuous deterioration and depreciation of the CEDIS to date to your Judgement. Inept and incompetent NDC administration aided by lack of foresight at the doorsteps of the Central Bank has worsened the value and standing of the poor local currency. It is in a daily FREE FALL piecemeal. Fellow Ghanaians we plead with you all to entrust the administration of our dear country into the hands of NANA AND BAWUMIA NPP led government  The professional managers and specialist political economists of Ghanas struggling economy.

Our Flag bearer Nana Akuffo Addo and running mate Dr Mohammad Bawumia have said it all and provided empirical measures in their commitment to resolving Ghanas seemingly political-economy problems in the face of NDCs mismanagement of the economy.

Frankly Speaking, these compatriots are well organised, decisive, bright and articulate and most significantly have pledged that job creation and support for the private sector as their number one priority should the discerning Ghanaians do us a favour by giving us the mandate to govern in Elections 2016.

Alas, NPP Ireland concludes and states herewith confidently that next NPP Government would be based on 3 overarching themes namely  our Ghana; a conducive place to bring up children; to work and do business and above all, enjoyable place to grow and enjoy the cycle of Golden Age with first class health care and educational facilities.

Thanking you all for your time, attention and interest.

God bless you and Mother Ghana and Africa

ELECTIONS 2016

PLEASE VOTE MASSIVELY FOR NPP FOR A PROPEROUS AND HAPPY GHANA!!!

...SIGNED...

COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE

NPP REP. OF IRELAND
Abdirahman Mahdi, the Ogaden National Liberation Fronts (ONLF) foreign secretary, talks to Al Jazeeras Martine Dennis

 After 30 years of unsuccessful protests, even violence, Mahdi denies it is time for Ethiopias Somali rebel group ONLF to give up their dream of self-determination

 Denies self-determination means secession

 Claims 30% of the women in Ogaden have been raped; more than 30 000 detained

 Claims Ethiopia is boiling and warns: Like the Arab Spring, we are going to start insurrection all over the place.

 Denies he is out of touch with people on the ground now that he is living comfortably in London, or that the ONLF is a pawn of Eritrea

In this weeks episode of Talk To Al Jazeera, Martine Dennis interviews Abdirahman Mahdi, foreign secretary and founding member of the Ogaden National Liberation Fronts (ONLF).

The ONLF was founded in the mid-1980s and took up arms a decade later, fighting for self-determination for Ogaden, officially known as the Somali Region of Ethiopia. Thousands have died since then in a struggle that few outsiders are allowed to witness and which has received little meaningful international support.

After 30 years of unsuccessful protests, even violence, Mahdi denies it is time for the ONLF to give up their dream of self-determination.

How long did South Africa [take to] defeat Apartheid? When you are fighting for your rights, time is not an issue, Mahdi said. My father was fighting for our rights and my children will fight for our rights. For us, justice is the only solution. There is no other way.

He denies that the ONLF is fighting for secession from Ethiopia. ONLF cannot decide what the Somali people want. What we are saying is let them be given their right to decide. For instance, the Scottish people decided that they want to be part of Britain If I give you a choice to live together and you choose, then we can live together. But if I force you and try to use you as a slave, no one will accept. Free choice is not secession; it means you can choose to live side by side.

Ethiopia is home to around 80 different ethnic groups. Like the Somali Region where the ONLF is based, many have their own languages and customs. But Mahdi denies the ONLF vision of ethnic self-determination leads to a divided Ethiopia split 80 ways.

There is nothing wrong with federalism, he says. The issue is not ethnicity in Ethiopia; the issue is when one group wants to dominate the rest of the people. So we are going to dismantle that.

He claims ONLF is an Africanist organisation. We are all Africans we believe in one African nation. There is no value in having little, little mini states.

Instead, he says the ONLF is working with other ethnic groups in Ethiopia, with peaceful mass demonstrations in front of Addis Ababa planned.

Our alliance is now expanding, he says. Like the Arab Spring, we are going to start insurrection all over the place. Ethiopia is now boiling. The regime is now in disarray; theyre divided. The people of Ethiopia have now risen up. They want their rights. We are tired of one clique dominating the rest of Ethiopia.

For example, he points to the lack of resources provided by the Ethiopian government to the Somali Region, which is home to over 4m people. Until recently, we had only one secondary school after 100 years of Ethiopian occupation We had one hospital... Our women have no maternity services."

He adds that the region is under a trade and aid embargo, as well as a military occupation that he claims has seen 30% of the women raped and more than 30 000 people detained. How can you develop people you are raping? he asks. He also claims 500 people have been killed since November.

The only policy they have in the region is to dominate it, to exploit the oil, to consider the people as just a nuisance Even if they allowed 10% of our rights in 1994, this fighting will not have started.

In a tough interview, Mahdi denies allegations of human rights abuses; that he is out of touch with the people of the Somali region now that he lives in London; or that the ONLF is a pawn of Eritrea.

The 25-minute interview is available to watch and embed from YouTube at

For more information, visit http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2016/05/ethnic-somali-abdirahman-mahdi-onlf-ethiopia-boiling-160507083254836.html.
The Attorney-General's Department has failed to pay compensation to a 25-year old man bedridden since 2011 after a police officer shot a vehicle he was sitting in.

Since the Attorney-Generals Department agreed to an out-of-court settlement in February 2013, lawyers for Stephen Arthur say no money has been paid.

But it is now May. If you call the office of A-G, they never call you backit is always one story after the other one of the lawyers said.

The fifth anniversary of the 4 January 11, 2011 shooting was observed in his bed where Stephen is wrapped in baby diapers.

Doctors say he has zero muscle power, urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, erectile dysfunction amongst others.

A medical description which in lay mans terms is translated to mean Stephen will be permanently dependent for the rest of his life.

No hope of regaining the lost functions of his muscles, kidney and anal," the report said.

It all happened through one irresponsible police officer who, in one moment of madness, shot the young man while he was travelling in a Nissan March on at Bowjiase barrier around Kasoa.

The Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS) in a police inquiry has condemned the constables actions. But even before any punishment could be meted out, the constable absconded.

The police say they are yet to find him since his 2011 escape after he was granted bail.

The police took up the victim's medical bills. and put him on a a500 monthly allowance.

He is still enjoying it as at now Public Affairs Director of the Ghana Police Service Supt. Cephas Arthur told Joy News Kwabena Owusu Ampratwum who broke the story.

In its understanding of compensation, the Police Service has recruited Richards brother into the service.

So that his brother can take care of him from his earning as a police officer, the Police Public Affairs Director explained.

Stephen says his brother finds his condition so repugnant he has consistently refused to help him. He says his request for a glass of water was refused and he has had to suffer severe verbal abuse.

I was so worried so I decided to take poison. Stephen Arthur drank a disinfectant, Dettol which was by his bedside in an attempted suicide.

As his system reacted to the harmful substance, Stephen says his tummy began bloating, forcing his brother to rush him to the Police Hospital in Accra.

Stephen has been there since the year began. He does not want to go back to the rented home anymore for fear of his brother.

I dont know where to go. I have no place to go, a man tired of life, the hospital food and tired of the Attorney-Generals litany of excuses said.

At the last meeting with the Attorney-Generals Department in January, a lawyer with the department revealed that his compensation would be due in March 2006.

The Attorney-Generals Department was rushing Stephens compensation through a certificate of urgency, the attorney assured but nothing has been heard since.

The feet-dragging of the Attorney-General has left lawyers frustrated and helpless whilst Mr. Arthur continues to bear indignity in the hospital.

The Police hospital authorities at some point actually wanted him out of the facility because they needed his bed for another patient. He was wheeled out of the ward and left in the yard where Owusu Ampratwum found him weeping.

The only place where Stephen feels he may be accepted is the grave but death does not appear to need him.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
Kumasi, Dec. 25, GNA - Ghanaians have been advised to use the Christmas festivities as a unique opportunity to resolve to shift their emphasis from the practice of mere buying and selling to investing in more productive ventures.

Bishop J.N.K. Boateng, Founder of the Gospel Revival Church of Christ, who gave the advice said this is because the over-dependence on buying and selling was counter-productive, and had negative consequences on the national economy, hence the need to now move away from it. Bishop Boateng gave the advice at a Christmas service held by the Gospel Revival Church of Christ at Sofoline in Kumasi, on Saturday, to mark Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.

He explained that the birth of Jesus Christ signalled and called for a positive change of attitude and approach to planning and implementing schemes, and not for the "maintenance of the old order or way of doing things".

Bishop Boateng also advocated for a change of attitude by workers to their endeavours, saying "the habit of getting to work late and leaving early, should cease with the advent of the birth of our lord Jesus Christ".

He stated that if the country has to develop and progress as expected, then workers in both the public and private establishments should commit themselves to not only being punctual at work but also working assiduously at their workplaces.

Delivering the sermon at the Christmas service at the Lord Brotherhood Church at South Suntreso, Kumasi, Primate S.K. Adofo, Spiritual Head of the church, said it is wrong and misleading to assume that Christmas was just an occasion for parties and wining and dining. He said Christmas is rather a period that offers a platform for Christians to shirk themselves off their greed and arrogance, and to re-place such negative attributes with the spirit of benevolence and generosity.

Primate Adofo said such benevolence and generosity should not just be by word of mouth but rather take the form of genuine and practical sharing of greetings, gifts and resources with the have-nots, poor and street children.

He cautioned that the goodwill and benevolent gesture would have no meaning nor significance to the birth of Christ unless it is extended to the needy and less fortunate ones.
The Secretary-General met with H.E.Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius.

The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Mauritius as a vibrant democracy. They discussed challenges facing middle-income countries as well as the plight of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The Secretary-General expressed confidence that Mauritius will implement the Sustainable Development Goals agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change as successfully as it did the Millennium Developemnt Goals (MDGs). He encouraged Mauritius to exercise its influence in order to get other African countries to sign and ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change. He also encouraged Mauritius to apply for support from the Green Climate Fund, particularly concerning energy efficiency.

The Secretary-General hoped that Mauritius would be represented at the highest level at the forthcoming World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey.

Port-Louis, 9 May 2016
From Michael Boateng, Bechem

The Rotary Club of Sunyani Central has donated a modern 180 bags capacity blood bank refrigerator to the Bechem Government Hospital as part of measures to help reduce mortality due to lack of blood for transfusion particularly during child delivery.

Donating the items, President of the Rotary Club of Sunyani Central, Rotarian Frank Kofi Owusu Debrah disclosed that the equipment was acquired through the collaboration of the Sunyani Rotary Central and its international rotary partner districts and clubs in Nanaimo area, Canada at a cost of GHC24, 750.00.

Rotarian Owusu Debrah continued that aside the Blood Bank Refrigerator, a total of Two Hundred 450ml single Bags for blood collection and storage which cost GHC2. 917.00 were also presented to the Bechem Government Hospital. He said the donation is part of a four year old project instituted by a former President of the Rotary Club of Sunyani Central, Dr. Dai-Anane, who is a retired gynecologist at the Regional Hospital in Sunyani.

According to Rotarian Debrah it was a major concern of Dr. Dai-Anane that maternal mortality should be reduced and the only way to do it is a collaborative effort amongst all stakeholders, which the rotary club of Sunyani Central cannot be left out.

He said Dr. Dai-Anane instituted the project to assist health facilities with blood bank refrigerators because many women die during childbirth. According to him, maternal mortality depends on a number of factors, such as the number and skill level of staff; the availability of drugs, supplies and blood; and the general condition of the facility, hence the need to assist with blood bank refrigerators to store enough blood to save mothers from dying due to excessive bleeding after delivery.

The former President of Rotary Club of Sunyani, Dr. Dai-Anane who graced the occasion expressed satisfaction for the delivery of the blood bank refrigerators, saying currently two of them have been delivered which the Bechem Government Hospital was the first to receive theirs, whilst the Sunyani Municipal Hospital will have theirs soon.

He called on the general public to donate blood to save lives, because the number of people who die due to non-availability of blood at the blood banks at critical situation were on increase. The retired gynecologist called on the Authorities of the Bechem Government Hospital to make good use of the refrigerator and organized voluntary blood donation campaigns and exercises to help stock the refrigerator to save more lives when necessary.

On his part, the Medical Superintendent of the Bechem Government Hospital, Dr. Emmanuel Agyei-Darko commended the Rotary Club of Sunyani for the kind gesture done to the hospital and the people of Bechem and its environs, saying the old refrigerator has been in the hospital for over 25 years and has a smaller capacity to store less that 20 blood, which was a major bane to quality healthcare delivery within the catchment area.

The hospital in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Sunyani organized a blood donation exercise at the Presbyterian Senior High School to get blood to fill the refrigerator at the hospital. Over 85 students of the Bechem Presbyterian Senior High School voluntary donated blood to the hospital, whilst they were given packs of Milo and tins of Milk and four exercise books each with a can of Malta Guinness to replenish the lost energy and blood.
09.05.2016 LISTEN

From Edmond Gyebi, Tamale

About 900 people, including women and children, have been displaced in the Sagnarigu District of the Northern Region following a heavy rainstorm that hit the area recently. The storm also caused extensive damage to several private and public properties including schools, churches. About 9 persons reportedly got injured in the process.

Rainstorm disaster is virtually becoming an annual ritual in most of the districts in the Northern Region, especially in the Tamale Metropolis, Yendi Municipality, Gushegu, Karaga, West Mamprusi, East Gonja, Chereponi, Saboba and Sagnarigu Districts. Hardly will a year pass without these communities witnessing these kinds of disasters.

At the weekend, over 16 communities in the Sagnarigu District of the Northern region were badly hit by another disaster after a heavy downpour. School buildings, electricity poles, churches and several individual houses were affected. While some of the buildings were completely razed down, others also lost their roofing to the storm causing injuries to people.

District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sagnarigu, Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudoo and the Member of Parliament for the area, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini, toured the affected communities to assess the extent of damage and also sympathize with the victims. The DCE, Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudoo, described the disaster as an unfortunate occurrence giving the extent of damage caused.

He said that the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) in the district had been tasked with the responsibility to assess the level of damage and come out with actual figures before relief items could be extended to the victims. Mr. Sorogudoo was suspicious that most of the buildings that were razed down or damaged by the storm were as a result of the use of substandard building materials. He, therefore, encouraged the people to seek the necessary technical expertise and procure the requisite standardized materials before putting up their buildings.

The DCE expressed disappointment at the way people in the various communities in the district had awfully failed to protect a number of tree seedlings planted by the Assembly in the communities to serve as shades and windbreaks. Mr. Sorogudoo nevertheless assured the people of NADMO's support but also called on NGOs and other organizations to come to the aid of the people.

The Member of Parliament for Sagnarigu, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini also expressed worry about the frequent outbreak of disasters in the area. He also attributed the disaster to the absence of trees within the communities and charged the people to also adopt the habit of tree planting to protect their own lives and properties.

The MP was particularly disappointed about the way the communities had allowed the trees planted by the Assembly and entrusted in their care to die. Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini who is also the Deputy Northern Regional Minister promised to partner with the Assembly to ensure that adequate support had been extended to the victims as soon as possible.
Since the liquidation of Nigerian airways in 2003, successive administrations have pondered on the idea of floating a national carrier. This has not resulted in something concrete as the giant of Africa cannot boast of one.

Smaller African countries like Ethiopia and Kenya own Ethiopian and Kenyan airlines respectively. And you begin to question why Nigeria, one of the most attractive African destination does not have one. In line with this, Jovago.com, Africas largest hotel booking portal unveils 5 reasons why Nigeria needs a national carrier.

Promote Nigerias tourism industry

Tourism is huge in Nigeria. There are tourists attractions scattered all over the nation from the Yankari Games reserve in the North to the Obudu Cattle Ranch in the South, Ogbunike Cave in the East and the Idanre Hills in Ondo. One way to promote these destinations is via the national carrier through promotional materials like videos, flyers, photos and exclusive discounts to visit these sites. A national carrier will be committed to the promotion of Nigerias destination than the privately run airlines.

Reciprocate Bilateral Air services Agreement (BASA)

Bilateral Air Services Agreement is an accord nations sign, allowing international commercial air transport move between territories. For now all the BASA agreements signed by Nigeria favours other countries due in part to the fact that she doesnt own a national carrier. In 2015, Nigeria penned 15 BASA agreements and has signed over 78 so far and just a handful is reciprocated by Nigeria. The agreement is lopsided. With a national carrier, Nigeria can reciprocate these agreements.

Earn Foreign Exchange

Foreign exchange is scarce in Nigeria today. The government of the day will tremendously appreciate all avenues to earn foreign exchange. The establishment of the national carrier is one of those avenues. In establishing of the carrier, majority of the stake in the airline will be privately owned while the role of government will be largely supervisory and regulatory.

Symbol of National pride

Emirates, Etihad, and South African airways et al are among internationally recognized airlines in the world. Each airline is a symbol of National pride for their respective nations. Citizens of these countries always want to associate themselves with their airlines. It is also a source of good international relations. Nigeria and Nigerians will feel this way if and when a National Career-Air Nigeria is established.

Affordable airfares

The erratic and indiscriminate change in airfares experienced with private airlines will not be applicable to Nigerias national carrier. The air fares will be affordable for every Nigerian and airfares will remain stable.
There is no denying that a trip to Nigeria is not complete without a taste of Suya. The long thin cut of beef, marinated in delicious spices and grilled over red-hot coals, has over the years become one of the favorite street foods consumed by locals in the country.

You can hardly go 3 miles around certain cities, including cities outside the Northern region where it is said to originate from, without catching a whiff of its tantalizing aroma in the air. Actually, Suya is one foods in the country that is enjoyed to all and sundry irrespective of age, sex, ethnic group or tribe.

If you are visiting and wondering what the fuss is about this mouth-watering delicacy, Jovago.com, Africas No.1 online hotel booking portal reveals 7 reasons Nigerians are obsessed with Suya.

It is absolutely delicious

Unless your taste buds are numb, the taste of Suya on your tongue is one you will remember for the rest of your life. A nibble fills your mouth with a burst of flavor and the luscious taste of meat. Also, the cayenne pepper and ginger adds some zing, making it eternally palatable.

It comes in several varieties

Suya is far from boring. It comes in different varieties! Suya can be made with skewered beef, ram, chevon or chicken. Vegetarians even have their veggie Suya made with mushrooms.

It can be combined with almost anything

Suya is one food you can combine with anything. From bread, to salad, rice and soaked garri, it can serves as the perfect combo. Nigerians have since found creative ways to make the most of this tasty delight. Some chefs now include Suya as an ingredient on other recipes.

It is affordable

No matter how fancy or grand the sales point, Suya is always affordable, and it is no secret Nigerians love anything affordable. Along the street, you can get a stick for as low as 200NGN, or ask a mallam to cut a small portion worth about N100 for you. The sellers who prepare theirs indoors are more expensive, they are found at fancy store and malls. However, the highest you can purchase a stick of suya probably is N2,000. Suya basically gives you gastronomic fulfillment at an affordable price.

It is the perfect finger food for any occasion

From birthdays to weddings, private parties and cook-outs, there is literally no Nigerian event where Suya cannot fit in on the menu. It is mostly served as finger food alongside small chops, samosa and spring rolls.

You can buy it anywhere

Suya is one delicacy that is not hard to find in Nigeria. It is sold at almost every corner of the major cities in Nigeria. The tastiest are found on the street as open air tends to add to its aroma and taste. Usually, you have so many spots to pick from and the locals are always willing to advise you on whose suya is the most palatable. Again, the ingredients for making them are easy to find as well, so those who are hygiene conscious can just make it for themselves at home.

There is no such thing as bad Suya

Suya never tastes bad. Even when it is not properly marinated or properly grilled, it still gives the consumer a measure of satisfaction. The aroma alone can make the stars at night shine brighter.
At any given time, there are about 5,000 planes in the air over the United States, many with hundreds of passengers, all with a story and their reasons for going from A to B.

It was this fact, coupled with the boredom that comes from regularly flying for up to 13 hours to and from the United States for work, that led Eva Liparova to take action.

Tired of inflight movies and determined to get people away from their screens and interacting with each other, she came up with a plan in May 2014.

Liparova boarded her 11-hour London to San Francisco Virgin Atlantic flight armed with a notebook and pen and a quest to collect as many stories from her fellow passengers as possible.

"I work as a theater producer and co-founder at Parrot in the Tank , and most of the time we stage shows that are inspired by real people's stories," she tells CNN.

"So I have this fascination for collecting strangers' stories because I just think that's such a nice way to get through the day.

"My overall aim was to see how many stories could I collect and what could I learn about the types of people who were flying on this particular route."

Stage fright



This wasn't as easy as she had imagined, thanks to the sudden onset of stage fright at 30,000 feet.

"It was quite funny because it took me about four hours to be brave and gather the courage to walk to the first person!" she says with a laugh.

But eventually she did, handing a simple, brown notebook and pen to a woman in the front economy seat.

Inside was a short introduction by Eva and some instructions:

1. Read the last story in this book.

2. Write a response to the question.

3. Ask a new question or use the same question again.

4. Pass the book to the person next to you.

5. If you don't want to write, please pass it on.

6. Return to Eva in seat 42E when done.

In total, 33 people wrote in the book with stories of honeymoons, babies and a marriage proposal among the tales that emerged.

"I guess the loveliest thing is that if you receive the book from somebody and you read the last story, you basically get the other person's context, so the stories acted as a natural icebreaker," says Liparova.

Revealing words

Some entries were more personal than others.

"I think what surprised me most was just the level of how open people were about their personal life," she says.

"There was one story in which a woman mentioned visiting her elderly parents in Yorkshire [in northern England] and she essentially said, 'I think that was the last time I saw my dad.' That's a very intimate thing to share with strangers.

"Then there was a guy flying to San Francisco to ask his girlfriend to marry him -- and then you got this chain of cheering in the following stories.

"It was strange how incredibly quickly you can establish a sense of friendship and community if you go into a situation with complete curiosity."

'Special moment'



One of the honeymooners on the plane was newlywed Kelly Barfoot, who was traveling with her husband following their wedding.

Her entry read:

"2 days after getting married, I am sat on this plane for our honeymoon (a 3 week West Coast adventure!). To seat 59A, good luck with the proposal, I hope she says yes!

"It's good to see what a book like this can do to a bunch of random people, how it brings people together to share stories and adventures.

"My question for you is ... If you could only teach a child one thing, what would it be and why? 60A & 60B."

Barfoot thought the book was a great idea.

"It certainly made you think more about what the other passengers' stories were and why they may have been on the flight," she says.

And the launch of the project on their honeymoon flight made it seem all the more fitting.

"It kind of made the flight feel a bit more special, I'd say. Because it felt like we had something more to say than just 'we're going on holiday.'"

She said her idea for the question she asked the next passenger was inspired by the knowledge that she and her husband were hoping to start a family soon.

Liparova's favorite story?

That honor was bestowed on Flossie Williamson, who was on her way to starting a new life on the other side of the world with a man she had met just six weeks earlier.

"I am traveling to San Francisco en route to New Zealand," Williamson wrote. "The reason for my trip which I have now done twice in a month is because when I visited last time I fell in love.

"All very cheesy but I am now moving to the other side of the world to start my life with a very funny Kiwi.

"I am crazy excited for the move and the adventures I will have.

"If I could click my fingers I would hope that everyone finds that special person and has the guts and courage to drop everything to be happy.

"Wish me luck.

"Written by a slightly crazy, happy girl in 62G."

Williamson remembers the book well.

"I had been watching this book being passed around and people's reactions for hours," she says. "I was at the back of the plane so it took forever to get to me, and I was worried I was going to be asleep and miss out on it.

"I read lots of the other [stories], so many anniversaries, honeymoons. I especially liked the guy on his way to propose -- it seemed that love was most definitely in the air," she said.

As for her offering: "I felt like a bit of a dork when I wrote it because at the time I was sat in my seat looking smug, nervous and grinning from ear to ear, and by telling my story, my neighbors would then know why!

"It couldn't have been a better flight to have written in it."

Liparova's next project is to find the other 31 contributors.

"As a thank you for writing in the book, it would be great to connect with them and simply just hand over all the stories to them because at the end of the day, they are the co-writers of the whole project, so I think it's only fair."
Cairo (AFP) - Two people died and 88 others including firefighters were injured on Monday when a fire spread quickly through a commercial area in downtown Cairo, Egyptian officials said.

It is not yet known what caused the blaze that erupted overnight in a small hotel in the Al-Mosky neighbourhood not far from the Al-Azhar mosque, and spread rapidly to four nearby buildings, police told AFP.

The buildings included warehouses containing plastic materials which helped the fire to spread.

"There are two dead and 88 injured," health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed told AFP.

"Two charred bodies were found in the rubble," he said, adding that most of the injured were suffering from smoke inhalation.

By midday the fire had been brought under control, Cairo fire chief Gamal Halawa said, adding that 16 firefighters and police also suffered from smoke inhalation.
Geneva (AFP) - Kenya's decision to stop hosting refugees could have "devastating consequences" for hundreds of thousands of people, the UN warned Monday, urging the country with the world's largest refugee camp to reconsider.

Citing security concerns, Kenya said Friday that it planned to close refugee camps on its soil and would no longer automatically grant refugee status to arriving asylum seekers.

The UN refugee agency voiced alarm at the announcement, warning against "the potentially devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of people that premature ending of refugee hosting would have."

Kenya hosts some 550,000 refugees in camps in the north of the country.

Dadaab camp in the northeast, the world's largest, mainly accommodates refugees from neighbouring Somalia.

Kakuma camp in the north-west principally hosts people fleeing a civil war in South Sudan.

"The safety of hundreds of thousands of Somalis, South Sudanese and others has (long) hinged on Kenya's generosity and its willingness to be a leading beacon in the region for international protection," UNHCR said in a statement.

"Tragically, the situations in Somalia and South Sudan that cause people to flee are still unresolved today," it added.

A Kenyan interior ministry spokesman said last week that the decision to stop hosting refugees was aimed at Somalis, but that people from other countries might also be affected.

Government and security officials regularly assert that Islamic militants from the Somali-based Shebab group hide, thrive and recruit among Somali refugees, claims denied by independent observers and by refugees themselves who point out many of them have fled Shebab's depredations.

Following deadly Shebab assaults on Nairobi's Westgate mall in 2013 and last year on Garissa university, senior officials threatened to close Dadaab and kick out the refugees.

Kenya said Friday that new arrivals from Somalia will no longer receive 'prima facie' refugee status but will have to argue their cases individually.

However, it also said that the agency tasked with processing those applications, the Department of Refugee Affairs, would be shut down.

UNHCR appealed to Kenya to continue hosting the refugees, warning that it risked worsening the current global refugee crisis if it did not.

"In today's global context of some 60 million people forcibly displaced, it is more important than ever that international asylum obligations prevail and are properly supported," the agency said.

"In light of this, and because of the potentially devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of people that premature ending of refugee hosting would have, UNHCR is calling on the government of Kenya to reconsider its decision," it said.
When production officially began at the worlds biggest concentrated solar power plant at Ouarzazate in southern Morocco in February, the country was widely celebrated for its achievement.

Called Noor 1 after the Arabic word for light, the concentrated solar power (CSP) plant is designed to deliver 160 megawatts of electricity at peak output. It is the first of three stages in a project expected to provide 510MW of generating capacity by 2018.

Unlike photovoltaic technology, CSP uses the sun to heat fluid, which powers turbines that can supply electricity at night. This gives more constant power to the grid. The complex will save 13m tons of carbon emissions over 25 years.

Morocco has set itself ambitious renewable energy targets. A previous goal of generating 32 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2020  which is likely to be comfortably exceeded  was extended late last year to a target of 52 per cent by 2030.

An important spin-off from this drive is the establishment of a local renewables industry. Officials say they want to establish Morocco as a hub for renewable energy, develop industrial capacity in the sector and even begin exporting energy in the coming decades.

But this feat in solar energy production reflects Moroccos Africa ambitions.

With stable growth, a growing middle class and a policy of national and continental economic expansion focused on expanding sectors such as renewable energy, Morocco is emerging as North Africas economic leader with eyes set on continental influence.

Fifteen years ago, King Mohammed VI faced a sizeable challenge: successfully juggling the need for change with the apparent political and economic inertia in his deeply traditional kingdom.

Today, although there is still much to be done, the country has nevertheless achieved the privileged status of a stable, peaceful Arab nation, governed smoothly by a democratically elected Islamist party. The successful transition from traditional kingdom to a modern global player, envied throughout the Arab and Muslim world, means that today more than ever Morocco is a key force in the region.

Numerous institutional and societal advances have laid the foundation for this stability, while economic reforms have succeeded in improving the day-to-day life of the Moroccan people and positioned the country comfortably and sustainably in the global arena.

The transformation of the Moroccan economy is ongoing. Today, the strategy laid out for the country at the highest state level is about to set off on a new phase of development which will see Morocco embark upon a pan-African economic expansion. This strategy is supported by the chamber of commerce and major economic players such as SNI and its shareholdings, which are gradually establishing themselves on the continent. Attijariwafa Bank is now the top banking group in the CFA franc zone by number of branches, and the cumulative economic weight of the five Moroccan banks makes them the major banking force in Africa. Today, 55 percent of Royal Air Marocs traffic goes to African countries, making Casablanca a regional hub. Morocco is also now the best-connected African country by sea routes, according to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, and saw a 20 percent increase in 2015 in the number of containers going through its ports.

The most recent visits by King Mohammed VI with more than 70 entrepreneurs to sub-Saharan Africa bear witness to the strategys achievements on the diplomatic and economic levels, and demonstrate the growing Moroccan influence in Africa. More than ever, the development of this South-South cooperation reinforces the role of the Kingdom of Morocco as a major geopolitical player within the continent and on the global economic stage.

At independence Ghana, like Morocco, had similar continental ambitions.

Ghana's first President Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and Morocco's King Mohammed V played crucial roles in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, now African Union or AU) through their strategic leadership of the Casablanca Group.

The Casablanca Group which also comprised Algeria, Egypt, Guinea, Libya and Mali pursued a radical, progressive stance in the then burgeoning Africa emancipation struggle, and shared values on the question of African unity, which culminated in the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963.

Ghana and Morocco have also been important members of the non-aligned movement since 1961.

But economically, both have since beaten different tracks and churned different results decades after their initial collaboration on pan-African unity.

Life expectancy of the average Moroccan is 76.51 while in Ghana it is 65.75; 221 in every 100,000 Moroccans are currently imprisoned compared to 55 in Ghana; per capita consumption of electricity in Ghana is 206kWh while it is 715kWh in Morocco; Ghanas GDP per capita is $3,500 compared to Moroccos $5,500; Ghana consumes 0.1008 gallons of oil per day per capita while Morocco consumes 0.2604.

Also, the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in Morocco is 24.52 while in Ghana it is 38.52; Morocco has an unemployment rate of 9.50 per cent while Ghana has 11.00 per cent; the percentage of adults living with HIV/AIDS in Morocco is 0.10 per cent while in Ghana it is 1.40 per cent (actually 1,200 people in Morocco and 11,600 people in Ghana die from AIDS each year); 1.30 in every 100,000 people are murdered annually in Morocco compared to 1.70 in Ghana

Moreover, the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income is 40.90 in Morocco compared to 39.40 in Ghana, according to the GINI index.

Also, the annual number of births per 1,000 people in Morocco is 18.47 while in Ghana it is 31.40.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Moroccans are likely to live 10.76 years longer than Ghanaians; use 3.5 per cent more electricity; make 57.14 per cent more money, and consume 2.6 times more oil.

Moroccans will also be 36.34 per cent less likely to die in infancy; be 92.86 per cent less likely to have HIV/AIDS; 13.64 per cent less likely to be unemployed; 23.53 per cent less likely to be murdered; experience 3.81 per cent more of a class divide, and have 41.18 per cent fewer babies.

It is against this backdrop that analysts believe it is time Ghana re-evaluates the lyrics of the old folk song which counsels to, Make new friends, but keep the old; One is silver and the other gold. Morocco, an old friend of Ghanas is gold.

Maybe now is time Ghana compares notes with her old, golden friend to make for a better Ghana, and, an even better Africa?
09.05.2016 LISTEN

By Celestina Seyram Tsievor

Accra, May 9, GNA - The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Christopher Rowley, has arrived in Ghana for a four-day state visit aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries.

A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said the visit was an invitation from President John Dramani Mahama to offer the Ghanaian Government an opportunity to tap into the rich oil and gas experience of Trinidad and Tobago and hold discussions on other business prospects in the two countries.

Dr Rowley and his 12-member delegation would hold bilateral talks with President Mahama and Members of Cabinet, meet some Ghanaian businessmen and lay a wreath on the tomb of George Padmore, it said.

The statement said the two heads of state would visit the Tema Oil Refinery and the Volta Aluminium Company after a luncheon at the Flag Staff House.

Dr Rowley is scheduled to visit the Elmina Castle and the Atuabo Gas Plants thereafter.

'I am delighted to be in Ghana, the home of our forebears. This is a home-coming for us and we shall leave no stone unturned in fostering much closer collaboration with the Government and people of Ghana.

'Whiles we share our expertise in the oil and gas sector, we look forward to learning from the Ghanaian experience in other sectors,' Dr Rowley was quoted as saying.

Dr Rowley is expected to leave Ghana on Wednesday, May 11, 2016.

GNA
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In my view, if theres no debt relief, Greece is likely to default in July. If you own gold stocks, this is a huge risk.

I hope you dont listen to hedge fund managers  theyre losing billions.

During a choppy first quarter, investors withdrew US$15.1 billion from hedge funds. This is the largest quarterly outflow since the second quarter of 2009, according to Hedge Fund Research.

Its alarming

Although, I should say, the numbers not huge. Hedge funds do manage around US$3 trillion in total.

What makes the drawdowns worrisome is the symbolic significance of it all  theyre back to Global Financial Crisis (GFC) levels. Remember those days? The financial market volatility was relentless  and the losses were huge.

Unfortunately, if you thought that was bad, the next financial meltdown  the sovereign debt crisis  will be far worse. The drawdowns will be bigger this time around I think, with the majority losing everything.

Fortunately, you can protect yourself from the fallout of this looming crisis by buying gold shares. But not yet Its not the right time.

Ill explain

How to beat the market

To start, lets talk about fund managers. Most fund managers use the bottom up investment approach. They buy and sell stocks based on fundamentals, financial models and valuations. Macroeconomics dont tend to influence decisions.

Unfortunately, the investment games changed.

I hope you dont subscribe to this approach. What worked in the past wont necessarily work in the future. Following massive central banking intervention, financial models and valuations no longer matter.

Most fund managers  even the best  dont know it. Of course, some think they do. But I have my doubts.

These professionals have excellent track records, some spanning decades. Based on their successes, theyre happy with their way of thinking. I dont expect them to run their businesses any differently in the future. When the next financial meltdown strikes, the bottom up investment approach could wipe out trillions from markets.

The best traders know it.

Compared to most hedge fund managers, traders rely on more than fundamentals. Traders tend to adopt the top down approach, which involves having a macro view first and fundamental view last. I use this approach for Resource Speculator trades.

Based on my research, the commodities bear market isnt over. If Im right, resource and precious metal stocks should hit new lows in the months ahead. For this reason, excel spreadsheets and valuations dont matter  and, therefore, neither do stock brokers.

When the going gets tough, the best traders wont worry. Money can be made on both sides of the market  up and down. When the market starts to turn, being open minded and fluid in your approach should pay off. It allows you to adapt to any changes quickly.

Im not saying it will be easy. In fact, quite the contrary.

Following this massive gold bear market rally, theres a risk that youll become trapped in your opinion. For many reasons, gold is sold as a safe haven. But its not as safe as you thinkat least not yet. There are plenty of reasons why but, today, it comes down to one word: Greece.

Greece  make or break for gold

Last year, the mainstream took us on a rollercoaster ride. Would Greece default or not?

I believed it would. Boy, was I wrong!

In the end, politicians saved the day with a 86 billion bailout deal. In other words, they kicked the can down the road. Unfortunately for Greece, the road isnt very long. Today, were back to where we left offdealing with a county thats dead broke.

Theres no question this wont end well  debts a major source of instability for the global economy. At this point, Greece needs a miracle to avoid default. According to the Financial Times over the weekend,

The International Monetary Fund has told Eurozone finance ministers they must immediately begin negotiations to grant debt relief for Greece despite German opposition, upending carefully orchestrated negotiations ahead of an emergency meeting on Monday. In a letter to all 19 ministers sent on Thursday night and obtained by the Financial Times, Christine Lagarde, the IMF chief, said stalemated talks with Athens to find 3bn in contingency budget cuts, which have gone on for a month, had become fruitless and that debt relief must be put on the table immediately, or risk losing IMF participation in the programme. Athens is facing 3.5bn in debt payments in July that it needs bailout aid to pay, and EU officials have told Greek government officials they do not want messy negotiations to continue during the Brexit campaign  meaning if no agreement is reached this month, leaders will not begin discussions again until just weeks before a possible default.

Indeed, the bailout has stalled

If Greece wants more cash, it must pass its so-called first review. For this to happen, Greece must pass reforms through parliament to satisfy its creditors  the European Commission (EC), European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Unfortunately, two of its creditors  the IMF and the EC  disagree over Greeces progress. For that reason, before it decides to support the bailout and allow Greece to pass the first review, the IMF is pushing for debt relief. This is a problem. Most Eurozone members are against debt relief, especially Germany  the bankrupt nations largest creditor.

In my view, if theres no debt relief, Greece is likely to default in July. If you own gold stocks, this is a huge risk. Remember, the (ignored) Greek referendum, which rejected the bailout terms, was held on 5 July 2015. Gold crashed into this date, sinking further into the week of 20 July. It did not rally, as many gold bugs were touting.

While July is still some time off, start preparing for the worst now. If Im right, gold stocks will be set to crash and burn. Ill be happy that Ive avoided the bullion space for Resource Speculator readers. Im sure they will be too.

If you want to know more on this story, click here.

Regards,

Jason Stevenson,

Resources Analyst, Resource Speculator
The incredible miniature crime scenes of one amazing woman helped change forensics forever. Discover the Nutshell Studies of Grandmother Lee

Imagine you walk into your home and discover a crime scene. Perhaps youve been robbed, with the TV missing and your possessions thrown around. Maybe theres blood on the floor and a stranger lying in your bathtub, unquestionably dead.

Nutshell study:

Red bedroom (detail)

A discovery like this would obviously be very frightening, but public knowledge of forensics is now so high that many of us would immediately follow this simple rule:

Do not touch anything.

Its common knowledge that we take for granted. If you invited a friend over to help you wait for the police, they wouldnt question why you were leaving your home in such a mess. We all know crime scenes can hold hints and clues as to what happened. Its all evidence that a professional might be able to unravel.

Frances Glessner Lee and the Funding of Police Training

This idea of not touching anything in a crime scene wasnt always the case. Until surprisingly recently, most crime scenes would be cleaned and tidied, and items would moved around without a second thought. Criminal cases would routinely be left unsolved because police officers werent trained in the importance of forensics and werent able to take proper stock of a scene.

(By the way, Im not talking about forensics in the sense of evolving technology like residual heat scanners, spectrometry or any fictional apparatus in CSI: Miami. Im talking about respecting the evidence at a crime and how it paints a picture about what took place.)

Nutshell study:

Kitchen (detail)

How about an example? Imagine a beer can found at a murder scene where the victim was known to never drink. If you dont have respect or control over the scene of the crime, you might not know if that beer can was there already  suggesting another persons presence  or if someone else happened by and put it down. Maybe it was the landlord who let you in. Maybe the beer can was put there by someone else assisting the case. A piece of the puzzle is lost.

This respect for the crime scene and the story it can tell is in part attributed to Frances Glessner Lee. Living in the early part of the 20th century, Lee was an American heiress who used her wealth to fund and create The Harvard Associates in Police Science (HAPS) as well as the Harvard Seminars in Homicide Investigation. These seminars were enormously helpful in the training of police officers, who were often completely ignorant when it came to collecting important evidence.

Nutshell study:

Parsonage (detail)

Lees contribution was so important that she soon became known as Grandmother Lee, or the Patron Saint of policemen.

Artefacts of her training are still around today. Welcome to the Nutshell Studies

The Nutshell Studies

Part of Frances Glessner Lees seminars and training for policemen involved the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death. Each Nutshell Study was a perfect miniature of a crime scene, accompanied with accounts taken on the day to assist officers in working out what had happened.

Replicates of homes, apartments and motels were each created down to the size of a shoe box, many of which contained scenes of apparent murders, suicides or accidental deaths that the officers would be invited to inspect and try to explain.

Nutshell study:

Kitchen

Nutshell study:

Red Bedroom

The detail Lee took in these Nutshells cannot be overstated; her intention was to make them as close to reality as possible.

Bodies would be painted in ways similar to how blood pools in cadavers, giving indications as to whether the body was moved after death.

Faces would be carefully detailed with wounds or colouration that  again  would give hints as to the truth of this case.

Lee even learnt about the details of rigor mortis, recreating the effects in her dessicated little dolls.

Intricate details like half-chopped food left in the kitchen of an apparent suicide, open windows and tiny cigarette butts all challenged the officers and helped them take their training into the real world.

Lee made 20 nutshell studies in total and 18 survive to this day, lovingly restored and still used as a method of police training. Theyre not viewable to the public and the resolution to each study is a closely guarded secret!

A Legacy In Police Training

Today, police officers are trained in full-scale nutshell studies. Entire apartments that can be turned into life-sized crime scenes to give them skills that will easily transfer into their jobs, all inspired by those original miniatures.

This is the story of how a woman denied her dream of attending Law School  when upper class ladies didnt need to attend university  ended up becoming one of the most important contributors to the world of police training.

Over time, some of this knowledge has trickled down into the public sphere through the work of the police, making us all a little more knowledgeable about the importance of that size 11 muddy footprint in our small-shoed friends ransacked bedroom.

Photo credits:

T he Nutshell Studies are not open to the public.

The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death may be viewed by the public by appointment.

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

900 West Baltimore Street

Baltimore, MD 21223

Jerry Dziecichowicz, Chief Administrator of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland, and Dr. David R. Fowler, Chief Medical Examiner, gave Erin N. Bush permission to take as many pictures of the Nutshells as she needed for her Nutshell Studies research.

Erin N. Bushs work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
May 09, 2016

What The Russians Remember On Victory Day

On May 9 the Russian people and other people of the former Soviet Union celebrate Victory Day. It was the Red Army of the Soviet Union that utterly defeated the Axis armies in Operation Bagration and on its march to Berlin. Militarily the D-Day invasion of continental Europe by the U.S. and its "western" allies was a mere diversion from the huge Soviet offensives in the east. By end of August 1944 the German forces and their allies had essentially lost the war.

This graph, too little known, shows the huge sacrifices the Russians and others made. It explains why the Russians remember their victory.



purple=military death (millions); green=civilian death (millions); blue=total death (% of population)

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Posted by b on May 9, 2016 at 18:40 UTC | Permalink

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McCrory and other state officials have been under pressure since the U.S. Justice Department warned last week that the law passed in March violates civil rights protections against sex discrimination on the job and in education for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

In letters, federal civil rights enforcement attorneys focused particularly on provisions requiring transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond to their biological sex. A federal lawsuit against the state is possible, the Justice Department said.

"It's the federal government being a bully. It's making law," McCrory said on "Fox News Sunday." The Justice Department is "trying to define gender identity, and there is no clear identification or definition of gender identity." Still, McCrory wouldn't disclose how the state would respond in writing.

"I'm looking at all my options," he said.

McCrory has called the law a common-sense measure. He said it's designed to protect the privacy of people who use bathrooms and locker rooms and to expect all people inside the facilities to be of the same gender. McCrory said Sunday he was not aware of any North Carolina cases of transgender people using their gender identity to access a restroom and molest someone, a fear frequently cited by the law's supporters as the main reason for its passage.

While McCrory agreed that the Justice Department could warn of consequences if North Carolina established separate bathrooms for white and black people, the governor said the agency goes too far in contending that transgender people enjoy similar civil rights protections.

"We can definitely define the race of people. It's very hard to define transgender or gender identity," McCrory said. He added that he had made a request for more time to respond to the Justice Department but that was denied.

The governor has become the public face of the law called House Bill 2, which has been the subject of fierce criticism by gay rights groups, corporate executives and entertainers demanding that the law be repealed. North Carolina has already paid a price for the law, with some business scaling back investments in the state and associations cancelling conventions.

The 17-campus UNC system risks losing more than $1.4 billion in federal funds if they don't comply. Another $800 million in federally backed loans for students who attend the public universities also would be at risk if it's found that enforcing the law violates Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on sex. The letter to McCrory said the law also violates Title VII, which bars employment discrimination.

Repealing the law also would satisfy the attorneys, but GOP lawmakers who run the General Assembly had no plans before to do so Monday.

Senate leader Phil Berger of Eden said last week that he's frustrated because "we have a federal administration that is so determined to push a radical social agenda that they would threaten" federal funding. "I just think the people should be frustrated and people should be angry."

UNC President Margaret Spellings has said that while the university system is obligated to follow the law, it did not endorse the law. Spellings said later she hoped legislators would change the law, which could discourage promising faculty and students from coming to system campuses. McCrory said the system's governing board wouldn't get together until Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Civil liberties groups and several individuals already have sued to challenge the law, which also prevents local governments from passing rules giving protections to LGBT people while using public accommodations such as restaurants and stores. The state law was designed to block an ordinance by the city council in Charlotte.
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With the dust not yet settled in Fort McMurray, one leading lender offers relief to its clients impacted by the wildfire. Bridgewater Bank has 450 customers in Fort McMurray, and it is doing what it can to help them through the disaster.From a very micro business perspective, we have programs in place to assist in times of dire need. We have payment extension programs, short-term loan programs, Peter O'Neill, chief operating officer at Bridgewater Bank, told MortgageBrokerNews.ca. We obviously work with the mortgage insurers who have their own programs we can piggyback on.If we can get a hold of clients or they get hold of us, they feel a lot better about their prospects.Officials reported last week that 1,600 buildings have so far been destroyed by the wildfire, which has covered 400,000 hectares. Large swaths of neighbourhoods and hundreds of homes have been destroyed.One Bank of Montreal analyst estimates total insurance losses will total $9.4 billion.To do its part, Bridgewater has vowed to match employee donations to the cause  it accepts cash and vacation time donations.For its clients, Bridgewater has all hands on deck to provide service. And theyve felt the impact of the tragedy.When were talking to evacuees, whether we call them or they call us, our people are starting to feel it emotionally; things that just tug at your heartstrings, ONeill said. Where we tend to deal with these things as a one-off during a normal cycle of business, its a little different when you deal with them hundreds at a time.Weve provided access to counselors. When you listen to five or six stories in a row, its hard on your psyche.Several industry companies have offered a helping hand, and ONeill  who has taken in several evacuees, himself -- is calling on the rest of the industry to do what they can.
Don't Call it a Comeback: Flipping is Modest by Bubble Standards

Is flipping back in vogue? CoreLogic, in a two-part article published in its blog says activity is up, but so far we are seeing nothing like the level of activity in 2005. Flipping is defined as an investor purchasing a home, renovating and repairing it, and selling it at a profit within a short period of time.

Easy access to credit and home prices that were steadily marching upward fueled record levels of flipping before the housing bubble burst. At the peak in the first quarter of 2005 there were an estimated 80,000 units "flipped," accounting for 6.4 percent of home sales. By the first quarter of 2009 the number of flips had slipped to under 20,000, a little over a 1 percent share.

Now prices have been appreciating at a relatively high rate for the last four years and have set new price peaks in some states. Is flipping back and in what markets?

CoreLogic analyst Bin He recently looked at flipping on both the state and metro levels. As of the first quarter of 2016 flipping made up 4.4 percent of sales but in actual unit numbers flipping is down 70 percent due to a much lower volume of all sale than during the peak quarter.

But if the numbers are down, profits are not. Flips in the first quarter of this year brought in a median gross profit of $56,000, up 17 percent from the $48,000 profit in 2005. However, investors were making a bigger percentage profit in 2009 when the volume was lowest - 47.7 percent compared to 41.1 percent this year - possibly because of a decline in the share of distressed sales which were often purchased at a significant discount.

It takes an investor longer to make to realize that quick profit than before the housing crisis. CoreLogic says the average time to flip during the housing bubble was 150 days, now the average is 154 days and that number appears to be rising.

On the local level CoreLogic found the highest share of flipped properties in Memphis, following by Fresno, California and WinterHaven, Florida. Florida was the strongest state for flipping with seven of the top 10 markets and eight of the top 20 located in the state and seven of the top eight markets in the state (the exception being Winter Haven) are seeing increasing sales. The company said it is too early to label it speculative behavior as activity in all of these areas is well below its pre-crash peak.

There are many factors that contribute to the level of flipping activity in a market, Ben He says. A future blog will look at these factors and discuss the correlation between flipping activity, home price appreciation
Lending Club CEO resigns; Upcoming Events/Training; USDA Rural Developments; Mortgage Credit Less Available

At a car dealership: "The best way to get back on your feet - miss a car payment. Some believe that the CFPB has shifted its spotlight, temporarily, onto pay day, auto lending, and deferred interest credit card payments. But that doesnt mean residential lending wont see its share of attention. Of note last week was the CFPB proposing a rule that would allow consumers to go around arbitration clauses on loans and other contracts to pursue class action lawsuits. We can all expect banks to address the increased risk this change will bring to existing business lines by seeking ways to raise prices around impacted products such as credit cards, auto loans and other loans. And mortgages. And someone can let me know how this helps extend credit to deserving borrowers.

Lenders in Mississippi know a thing or two about rural lending. USDA Rural Development has announced that the maximum mortgage limits for the Direct Home ownership loan program in Nebraska have increased effective May 4. This article has some links to the program that are useful.

AmeriHome's USDA program guide has been extensively updated to highlight changes that became effective on March 9, 2016, with publication of the USDA "final rule." Its program guide additions are notated as New and details are provided in blue font throughout the program guide. AmeriHome is implementing no new USDA overlays with these changes.

Effective with locks starting April 25th Franklin American has updated its USDA price adjustments. The changes are reflected on rate sheet's and the online pricing engine.

Pacific Union Financial posted government product updates. Clarifications and update include FHA HUD Form 92561, Borrower's Contract with Respect to Hotel and Transient Use of Property, VA IRRRL AVM Valuation Option, VA Tax Lien Repayment and USDA annual income calculations.

Plaza Home Mortgage posted guideline updates for VA Fixed and Arm, FHA Fixed, ARM, FHA 203K and USDA. These updates are effective Tuesday, May 3rd. Plaza's Government and LPMI LLPAs have also been updated effective for all new locks as of May 3rd.

Ditech's Conforming, FHA, VA, USDA and Jumbo underwriting guidelines are being updated. The Client Guide and product matrices must be referred to for complete guideline requirements.

Returning to headline company news, is Lending Club on the ropes? I don't know, and it is not a big home loan player, but things aren't looking great for the company. Known as the world's largest online marketplace connecting borrowers and investors, it reported earnings today: solid growth in originations, operating revenue, and adjusted EBITDA, notwithstanding a difficult operating environment. Operating revenue in the first quarter of 2016 was $151.3 million, an increase of 87% year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) was $25.2 million in the first quarter of 2016, an increase of 137% year-over-year. But it will be entering the future without its CEO: Renaud Laplanche resigned as Chairman and CEO. His resignation followed an internal review of sales of $22 million in near-prime loans to a single investor, in contravention of the investor's express instructions as to a non-credit and non-pricing element, in March and April 2016.

Lending Club and other lenders will say their mission is to extend credit to deserving borrowers in an efficient manner. (In fact its website states, "We're transforming the banking system to make credit more affordable and investing more rewarding. We operate at a lower cost than traditional bank lending programs and pass the savings on to borrowers in the form of lower rates and to investors in the form of solid returns.") Many think that "the bloom is off the rose" for that segment of the industry.

On the home financing side of things, however, mortgage credit availability decreased in April according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the MBA which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs Market Clarity business information tool.

The MCAI decreased 0.89 percent to 122.4 in April. A decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening, while increases in the index are indicative of loosening credit. The index was benchmarked to 100 in March 2012. Of the four component indices, the Jumbo MCAI saw the greatest tightening (-1.4%) over the month while the Conforming MCAI saw the most loosening (+.1%). The Conventional MCAI decreased 1.0 percent, while the Government MCAI decreased 0.7 percent over the month.

"Mortgage credit became less available in April as a result of two opposing trends, resulting in a net decrease to the index," said Lynn Fisher, noted MBA VP of Research and Economics. "Investors continued to roll out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's low down payment loan programs, which had a loosening effect on credit availability. However, this was more than offset by tightening among high balance and jumbo loan programs."

The Conventional, Government, Conforming, and Jumbo MCAIs are designed to show relative credit risk/availability for their respective index. The primary difference between the total MCAI and the Component Indices are the population of loan programs which they examine. The Government MCAI examines FHA/VA/USDA loan programs, while the Conventional MCAI examines non-government loan programs. Similarly, the Jumbo MCAI examines everything flagged as "Jumbo" while the Conforming MCAI examines loan programs that fall under conforming loan limits. The MCAI is calculated using several factors related to borrower eligibility (credit score, loan type, loan-to-value ratio, etc.).

Rates? Up some, down some. Certainly LOs are more focused on helping their clients rather than guessing the direction of rates. But on Friday U.S. Treasuries took losses as the weaker-than-expected April jobs report was unable to support the run-up in prices that occurred over the past seven trading sessions. While the Department of Labor reported that the U.S. economy added 47K fewer jobs in April than the Briefing.com consensus estimate of 207K, that miss (and the prior two months' downward revisions) still indicates a robust pace of job creation.

Turning to scheduled news this week in the United States, things are pretty quiet, so volatility may not be a concern. There is zip today; tomorrow are a couple minor things: March JOLTS for job openings, and a $24 billion 3-year Treasury auction. Wednesday we have the MBA Mortgage Index and a $23 billion 10-year Treasury auction. Thursday we'll see Initial Jobless Claims, April Import Prices ex-oil and Export Prices ex-ag., and a $15 billion 30-year Treasury auction. Friday includes April PPI and Core PPI & April Retail Sales and Retail Sales, along with a speech by San Francisco Fed President Williams in Sacramento that I am privileged to be attending.

No one is complaining about rates - they continue to be darned low. In fact, the yield on the 10-year Friday was 1.78%. This morning the yield on the 10-year is sitting around unchanged with agency MBS prices also unchanged - maybe better slightly depending on the coupon.



Training and Events

Not only is there a major capital markets MBA conference next week in Manhattan, but there are plenty of other events coming up tailored more for production folks.

Want to know what MLO's are actually thinking about their current employer and prospects for success? Join a free webinar hosted by Sue Woodard of Vantage Productions with Drew Waterhouse and Steve Rennie (Wed, May 11, 10-11 AM PDT) to hear the results of Hammerhouse 6th Annual Originator Opinion Survey, plus get a full copy of the survey for yourself and information that can help you better prepare to recruit and retain talent based on what is on their mind. Click here to register for: Recruiting Top Producers and Leaders in Today's Market. Seats are limited: http://bit.ly/24nfwcM. And find out which survey respondent won the iPad raffle!

Stop by Fannie Mae's open house in the Manhattan Ballroom (8th floor lobby) at MBA's National Secondary Market Conference & Expo 2016 in New York. On May 16-17 Fannie Mae experts will be on hand to answer questions.

MBA Education is offering Commercial/Multi-Family Insurance webinars. Get guidance managing your risk with 3 different topics to choose from.

Don't miss out on the HUD 184 Training this week on the 13th in Oklahoma City featuring Deanna Lucero, HUD 184 Senior Loan Guarantee Specialist and Michelle K. Tinnin, Native American Program Specialist. This training issponsored by NAPMW OKC.

If you're in New Mexico next week NMMLA's May 12th luncheon welcomes guest speaker Susanne Kennedy. Registration is available now.

What is SWOT? Join Plaza for a webinar on May 9th to discover all aspects of SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat) designed for Loan officers to learn how to effectively deal with competition.

Join Experian for an overview of the latest consumer credit trends on Wednesday, May 25th. Register here.

Keefe, Bruyette and Woods (KBW), announced its Mortgage Finance Conference will be held on Wednesday, June 1 in New York City. KBW brings companies and investors together at many financial sector and subsector conferences held throughout the year. These conferences take place around the world and focus on banks, insurance, and diversified financials (including mortgage finance, asset management, exchanges, payments, and specialty finance, to name a few). For more information, contact your KBW Sales Representative or email us at kbwsales@kbw. com. Click here to view the conference agenda.



Jobs and Announcements

Carrington Wholesale Lending is spreading spread the word to its broker clients that it has removed its LLPAs (Loan Level Price Adjustments) for FHA Streamline loans with credit scores below 640. So what was essentially an add-on to rate has been removed for FHA streamline loans below a 640 credit score. "In addition, don't forget that Carrington has added Conventional Loan Products for its broker partners to further extend Carrington's ability to better meet its broker's needs and assist in building their business. For more information, visit Carrington Wholesale Lending. (For employment opportunities contact Carlos Fernandez at 949-517-7204.)

With the planned opening of its Dallas-Fort Worth site, along with continued growth and demand for its risk mitigation and compliance services, Mortgage Quality Management & Research, LLC (MQMR) is looking to fill multiple positions. Current open positions include one Servicing QC Auditor, two Vendor Management Analysts, an Internal Auditor, and an Operations Due Diligence Examiner to review mortgage companies on behalf of warehouse banks (all positions to be based in Los Angeles, CA or Dallas, TX; except Due Diligence Examiner can be located in Dallas, TX or remote on the East Coast). If you are looking to join a growing company where you can make an impact and be part of a great team and culture, reach out to Tim Cox.

Rushmore Home Loans, a division of Rushmore Loan Management Services is a rapidly growing Consumer Direct mortgage banker in Dallas, TX, and is looking to hire an IT director for the channel. This candidate should have experience in the implementation of Ellie Mae Encompass. Call center technologies including lead management and telephony background is a plus. The role will start out directly managing a small, nimble team and will be given the opportunity to succeed and be part of a dynamic management team for this channel. Rushmore is rapidly growing, acquiring servicing and wants a best in class retention center. The company has deep capital, and all Agency approvals, including Fannie, Freddie and Ginnie Mae. Interested parties can send confidential resumes to me at recruiting@rushmorelm.com.

In personnel news Impac Mortgage Corp. Wholesale announced that Brendan Pawloski has joined the team as a Senior Account Executive. He brings close to 2 decades of experience within the mortgage industry in all aspects of wholesale lending. Brendan's primary territory will be California. He'll report to another new member of the Wholesale team, Regional Manager Marcus Rodriquez. Working within the financial services industry since 1983, Marcus has a strong emphasis on service and best practices. Impacwelcomes them both.

On the flip side Goldman Sachs Group cut about 100 jobs last week to reduce costs after a 40% year-over-year drop in first-quarter revenue. Goldman's fixed-income group has lost 10% of its workforce, up from a typical 5% cut to allow hiring.
Community involvement: I started the Kelsey Logan Angel Fund in 1995 after we lost our own daughter, Kelsey, to cancer. For 21 years I have served as the volunteer executive director and treasurer of the Kelsey Logan Angel Fund. We have a volunteer working board of directors; they also have a passion for children with cancer. My position is full time for much of the year. I fulfill the gift requests, raise money through grants, individuals and newsletters and take care of daily tasks required to run the fund.

Our mission statement is brightening the lives of children age 17 and under diagnosed with malignant cancer. The Kelsey Fund provides gifts for these children and fulfills their special requests.

Why were you compelled to establish the Kelsey Logan Angel Fund?

My husband, Brad, and I saw a need for a charity while our daughter was in treatment. There are other large organizations in place allowing for a single wish request but there were none to fill the gap after diagnosis during the intense treatment; and for many, that time period can be months or years long. Children may apply to KLAF and receive multiple gifts over several years. All children suffering from cancer are eligible for "love gifts" regardless of length of treatment or income. We are of the opinion that there cannot be too many organizations for those less fortunate because of health. Kelsey had a lot to do with it; her goodness inspired us to want to do something for other children struggling with cancer.

What impact has the Kelsey Logan Angel Fund made on children battling cancer?

Families who have a child fighting cancer will be the first to tell you, the spirits and hopes of the family are continually lifted by their child's positive attitude, a fearless will to fight the disease, and a God-given maturity that far exceeds their age. But even the bravest child will eventually have down days and that is why the Kelsey Fund exists. When that day comes our mission is pretty straightforward: create a moment of joy for that child with a special gift. A moment that lifts the child's spirit, generates an unrestrained smile, and restores the twinkle in those loving eyes.

Katie Crump, a child life specialist at Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock sums it up nicely: "The Kelsey Fund is a blessing to patients who are battling childhood cancer. These families and children go through more than most people do in a lifetime on their journey with cancer. While there are few things we can do to make it a little more bearable, the KLAF does just that; it brings them joy in the form of gifts. While the gifts doesnt take the cancer away, it makes it more bearable to these precious children. There is not a better nonprofit to work with, we are blessed by KLAF."

What unexpected lessons have you learned since establishing the nonprofit in 1995?

Serving and helping others has helped me in my own grief. There are a lot of good people who want to volunteer. I have made lasting friendships through my work.

How long has Midland been your home, and why have you stayed?

Midland has been my home since I was in kindergarten. After attending Texas Tech for a short time, I returned and graduated from UTPB. Midland is home to Brad and I because of family, friends, and our businesses that we started many years ago and retired in 2009.
The sudden replacement of Saudi Arabias oil minister Saturday set off fresh speculation over whether the kingdom might shift tactics amid one of the largest oil busts in history.

Longtime minister Ali Al-Naimi refused to maintain Saudi Arabias traditional role as a swing producer and lower crude production, even as oil prices have remained at historic lows since late 2014. This position had been widely viewed as an attempt to put shale producers in Texas and other oil rich states out of business.

The new minister, Khaled Al-Falih, the chairman of state-owned Saudi Aramco and a Texas A&M graduate, offered no signs Saturday he would shift course. But the unexpected nature of the move raised questions about what Saudi Arabias next play might be.

There was a group of us talking about it at Starbucks this morning, and we were all scratching our heads, said Larry Oldham, an oil financier in Midland. You just dont know what these young guys are going to do.

The replacement of the 80-year-old Al-Naimi was just one in a series of sweeping royal decrees on Saturday, as King Salman replaced a number of top ministers and restructured government bodies in the first moves of an ambitious plan to chart a new direction for the kingdom and decrease its reliance on oil revenues.

The decrees were among the first concrete steps in the plan, which was announced late last month to great domestic fanfare by the kings son Mohammed bin Salman, who is about 30 years old and oversees economic policy and runs the Defense Ministry.

The prolonged slump in oil prices has forced Houston-based companies to lay off tens of thousands of people, has rattled real estate markets, and has brought the citys growth to a near standstill. But few market observers said they expect significant swings in oil prices from the news when U.S. markets open following the weekend.

Difficult times

In the short term, Saudi oil exports are unlikely to change, said Praveen Kumar, executive director of the University of Houston Global Energy Management Institute. But he said the fact Al-Naimis strategy to push out U.S. shale production has largely failed so far weakened his position within the kingdom.

He totally underestimated the resilience of the shale producers and their ability to achieve cost efficiency. They thought it would take six months, and that timing was completely off, Kumar said. Al-Naimis been there for decades. Getting him out allows the new power centers in Saudi Arabia to devise the long-term strategy for production and its role in OPEC.

The shift in leadership comes at a difficult time for the kingdom. The regional order over which Saudi Arabia has long prevailed is in tatters, with wars raging in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and with its regional nemesis, Iran, extending its influence. Also, low oil prices have shaken the Saudi economy, causing the government to run huge budget deficits and leaving government contractors falling behind in paying salaries.

Al-Naimis oversight of oil policy for the kingdom, the worlds largest oil exporter, had made him a towering figure in world oil policy, whose mere utterances were closely scrutinized by traders seeking to understand the countrys thinking.

Jim Krane, a fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy, joked even a misplaced comma by Al-Naimi could send the worlds oil markets rising or falling.

His word was the closest thing to gold, he said. Whether or not (Al-Falih) is going to cut the same figure as Al-Naimi, entrusted with so much power and decision making, well have to wait and see. Hes a technocrat in the vein of previous Saudi energy ministers and is considered a safe pair of hands inside and outside the kingdom.

Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp offered kudos: Our heartiest congratulations to Khalid, he said. All part of the Aggie plan to take over the world! Seriously, the education he got here and his success makes all of us very proud that Khalid is a member of the Aggie network and family.

President Michael K. Young noted that Al-Falih, named a distinguished alumnus in 2013, has a robust understanding of the global energy industry and also understands the role of Texas within that sector. Al-Falih has excelled in his numerous roles in government and the corporate world and we wish him continued success in his new appointment with the Saudi Arabian government.

Were optimistic

After graduating from Texas A&M with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1982, Al-Falih went on to spend his entire career at Aramco before being appointed CEO in 2009.

While pundits downplayed the impact of Saudi Arabias move Saturday, in the heart of West Texas oil fields producers were of the mind any change was good news.

Oil prices have rebounded since the beginning of the year and are now trading around $45 a barrel. But some companies in Midland are carrying so much debt even a rise to $60 a barrel was unlikely to be enough to save them, Oldham said.

All Saudi Arabia has to do is change production 1 (million)-to-2 million barrels a day and oil will pop significantly, he said. Were optimistic this could cause a price rise.

---

Fauzeya Rahman contributed to this report, which contains material from the New York Times and Associated Press
The oil and gas sector largely has itself to blame for the financial hemorrhaging many energy companies now face, said Harry Brekelmans, Royal Dutch Shells projects and technology director.

Rather than just low price of oil, redundancies, cost overruns and inefficiencies throughout the supply chain have made the industry far too inefficient during years of growth with $100 per barrel oil, Brekelmans said at at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston,

Our behavior - both inside and outside our respective companies - has allowed cost, risk and inefficiency to spread unchecked across the industrys supply chain, he said.

We had our sights set on more barrels rather than higher returns, Brekelmans added. We were convinced that global demand growth would see us through. But this has left us today with baggage that drags down our industrys performance.

He said companies must jettison that baggage by working much closer together instead of the typical back-and-forth financial disputes between oil and gas producers and the services contractors  hand-shaking instead of arm-wrestling.

A barrel of oil today requires more than 3.5 times the amount of capital from 2004, Brekelmans noted. Oil is being produced in harder-to-reach areas, but that doesnt account for much of the increases. There are more engineering man hours per piece of equipment now than before, he said.

Its not just Shell engineers who have become less productive; its the entire oil and gas industry, he said.

Brekelmans called for an eradication of the current way of doing things and a complete transformation of the supply chain, including often eliminating the middle men and development stages and having producers buy new technology off the shelf.

The sector cannot go back to business-as-usual when oil prices eventually rise and let services and projects costs grow too high again, he said.

He listed the industrys woes: capital investments drying up, hundreds of thousands of job cuts, high project costs, lessened productivity, eroding competence, safety micromanagement, and decreasing quality controls.

As a consequence, our industrys supply chain is being stretched to the breaking point, he said. Our situation can only be relieved through healthier, stronger relationships between us.

He cited efforts like Shells joint industry project with nine other partners like Chevron, BP, Total and Saudi Aramco to standardize a lot of their equipment specifications and procurement processes in order to save large swaths of money.

Changes are being made for the better, he said, but many more changes are needed still.
HOUSTON - At the height of its fury, the oil-market collapse over the past two years squeezed drillers harder than any previous downturn, creating an unprecedented financial crisis for oil drillers. Scores of North American oil companies have gone bankrupt in its wake.

Even after the industry cut hundreds of billions in spending, the average oil company only collects $26 for each barrel they sell at todays oil prices, and that money disappears after cash costs. In February, when U.S. oil prices fell to a 13-year low of $26 a barrel, drillers couldnt generate any cash selling oil - and they still had to pay off their debts.

The difference between the price of a barrel of oil and the cost to get it out of the ground had never been slimmer, an oil specialist said at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

This is, in historical context, extraordinary, said Lars Eirik Nicolaisen, a partner at consultancy Rystad Energy in Oslo, Norway. When you compare this to history, it makes some of the setbacks that weve put behind us in 2009 and the early 2000s look like a walk in the park.

The oil industry has pulled back on spending more than in any previous downturn, with 2015 outlays down $220 billion last year and another 21 percent this year. Around the world, oil fields naturally decline around 10 to 12 percent. The question is, Nicolaisen said, is why global oil production hasnt fallen sharply enough to correct the worlds oil glut by now.

Its because even though the industry has mothballed billions in oil projects, theyre still spending money to pump oil from deep-water installations and other projects that were approved years ago. In 2013 alone, oil companies sanctioned projects with 18 billion barrels in reserves.

In isolation, those previously approved projects added 1.7 million barrels a day to the worlds oil production last year and would add another 1.7 million this year, and another 5.8 million from 2017 through the end of the decade.

Even still, after nearly two years of low oil prices, the global market is set up for a decline in crude production in 2016. And Rystad believes oil demand will rise steadily to 98 million barrels a day by the end of the decade, possibly pushing crude prices back up.

Nicolaisen said crude prices need to reach at least $80 a barrel for oil companies to boost investments in major projects.

Oil prices have never been as low as they were in February this year when you see it from the context of costs, he said. So something has to give. We are convinced oil prices have to give quite a lot.
A 26-year old man was arrested Sunday for allegedly stabbing a man during an altercation at the Fire Water Bar and Grill, according to court documents.

Mark Anthony Meeks Jr., of Gadsden, Alabama, was being held Monday on a $75,000 bond for a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
COLLEGE STATION  While she may still have one semester left before she says goodbye to Texas A&M University, outgoing commander of the Corps of Cadets Alyssa Michalke is thankful for her past four years in the longstanding student organization.

"It's definitely bittersweet, I've poured a lot of my heart and soul into this organization over the past four years and it's going to be tough to walk away from it all," she said.

The Eagle (http://bit.ly/1Wh2yZi ) newspaper reports Michalke said she is particularly glad to have one final semester to make the goodbye a little easier.

"I think that last semester will give me a little bit of closure instead of having to walk away from it so suddenly," Michalke said. "I'll be able to see the cadets walking around on campus, interact with them and see how the class of '17 is doing in their time of leadership as seniors."

She is fully aware, however, of the changes she will face as an ordinary student on campus.

"It's all I've known while I've been in college," Michalke said. "I've gone to every single college class in uniform and it's going to be weird walking around next fall in shorts and a T-shirt watching all the other cadets go to class in uniform."

Leading the largest Corps since 1970 and helping to facilitate the record-high grade point averages throughout the organization, Michalke largely places the credit on her leadership team and subordinates for the successes.

"I can get up on stage and pontificate and motivate cadets all I want, but at the end of the day it comes down to those sophomores, juniors and seniors at the unit level that are responsible for cadets and hold them accountable," Michalke said. "This year hasn't been about me and what I have done, but what my peers and subordinates have been able to accomplish. The Corps would not run nearly as well as it does without those members who work so hard in the shadows, doing their job on a daily basis."

While Michalke is humble about the influence she had over the past year, Corps Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez did not shy away from noting her effect.

"She and her leadership team did an exceptional job this year. This was a very good year for our Corps in many ways, and I attribute a lot of that to Alyssa, her leadership and the leadership of her senior leaders in the Corps," Ramirez said.

He added that in her historic legacy as the first woman to hold the position of Corps commander, Michalke "made 40 years of women in the Corps extremely proud this year."

Michalke said she finds it unfair the women who came before her are not given more credit for paving the path ahead of her.

Having brought a first to the organization, Michalke said she hopes 100 years from now there are no firsts left to achieve.

"I hope that people will be able to see past the color of your skin, your gender, your religion and see you for the leader that you are," Michalke said. "I hope that what I've done this year as Corps commander has set a precedent that no matter what the stereotype may be, you can be successful as long as you work hard, you have a vision and a mission, you stick to it, hold those around you accountable and strive for excellence."

As for her immediate successor, Michalke said she has "no doubt" incoming commander Cecille Sorio and her team will succeed.

Among her advice for the incoming leaders, Michalke said she has encouraged them to learn from her experiences and strive to strike a healthy "work-life balance."

"The one piece of advice that I have that I continue to reiterate to them is to slow down next semester, take it in and even when you're up to midnight working on a paper, remember that you signed up for it and that there are people in the organization who would love to be in your shoes and have the opportunity to lead one of the best organizations on campus," Michalke said. "Smile a little bit, have fun and don't be afraid to cut loose every now and then."

As for what she will miss the most, Michalke had a simple answer  the camaraderie.

From down the halls of the dorm to see who wanted to grab dinner to the sometimes grueling runs, Michalke said she is thankful for the time she got to spend so close with her fellow cadets.

"You get the opportunity to meet and interact with and develop relationships with some of the best people this university has to offer," Michalke said. "I'm definitely going to miss it.
Texas A&M officials announced May 2 that the university would spend $150 million converting an abandoned 2,000-acre air base near its campus in a transformative move to foster product innovation and recruit thousands of undergraduates to new degree programs.

The colleges ambitious, futuristic technology campus will be a place for companies to design and test driverless cars, drones and other autonomous vehicles. As tenants of the research campus, the companies would collaborate with three state agencies, which are part of the A&M system, on research in engineering, transportation and related cybersecurity.

The campus also would house an education center for students who dont quite make the cut for admission to A&Ms College Station main campus.

This expensive effort underscores the competition among universities in Texas and across the nation to bring together college researchers with commercial enterprises to fast-forward product invention and technology advancement.

We must offer new, transformative business models whether we are moving our research from the laboratories into the marketplace, or helping more students to achieve a college education, said John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. It is a big idea, and it is important that the Texas A&M University System nurture big ideas.

At the same time, the University of Texas is in the process of buying about 300 acres in southwest Houston near the Texas Medical Center to build something bold and innovative to foster collaborative research endeavors.

In 2009, the University of Houston bought the old Schlumberger headquarters near its main campus and has spent millions turning it into an energy research park.

Education center

A key part of the A&M project will be the $38 million education center to offer a new four-year college degree path for students who still want to live in Bryan-College Station. Students could start their degrees at the center and graduate from it or transfer to A&Ms main campus.

Although plans for the center are not yet solidified, university officials said there wont be anything exactly like it in Texas. The courses and degrees offered there will require approval from state and education accrediting bodies. Other teaching centers with multiple universities are housed far away from those universities. This one is on the doorstep of A&Ms College Station campus and will be located in the research park that will occupy an area more than twice the size of the universitys main campus.

Its aimed at keeping the roughly 10,000 applicants a year who are rejected from admission to A&M and choose to attend colleges outside Texas. Officials will start small by enrolling a few hundred in two to three years at the new center.

The university should use the academic end of its new campus to test emerging models for higher education, including offering more affordable degrees, having competency-based programs and training faculty in cognitive science, so they can be better teachers, said Raymund Paredes, the states commissioner of higher education.

Paredes said he also would like to see A&M use part of its new campus as a type of museum to display the work done there to show young children and spark their interest in science and related fields.

At Mondays news conference in College Station, A&M officials said their research campus will be unprecedented in part because of the sheer size of it. Called the RELLIS campus  an acronym for A&Ms core values respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selflessness  it will be built on the World War II base the university acquired in 1962.

This will be a magnet for technology companies locating their research to the Brazos Valley and for thousands of additional students to study here, contributing to the local economy, Sharp said. Its a great one-two punch for economic development.

For its transportation study and testing, the research campus will have enough room for driving tracks for autonomous cars, trucks and tractors. Because its an old air base, it has the runways necessary to test aerial vehicles  namely drones  as well. The campus will be so vast that entire portions of it could be blocked off for private companies to test products and technologies without competitors seeing their work.

The campus also will include a center focused on finding better materials and methods for rebuilding Americas ailing infrastructure. Elsewhere there will be room for researchers testing chemical processing safety to do some realistic and explosive tests.

Perhaps they want to try a new type of technology that would be some sort of indicator there could be an explosion. They can test it out here because they can blow things up, said is M. Katherine Banks, engineering dean at Texas A&M.

Spending outlined

The university will spend $25 million to demolish 32 old buildings on the air base tract, rebuild roads and upgrade utilities. A&M will save the chapel and a couple of hangars in recognition of the historic role of training World War II pilots at the air base.

Another $125 million will go toward building seven new buildings, including the Center for Infrastructure Renewal  a $73 million endeavor funded by the state. The university will build a structure for research focused on automated vehicles, robotics, chemical safety and industrial distribution. The site will remain home to a law enforcement training facility, as well.

University officials expect to begin construction work on the project in September and open the first part of the new campus in 2018. All of the $150 million is committed for the project, either from private donations or state funding, Banks said
In an attempt to intimidate his nephew, Aemond threatened to take out Lucerys' eye and later went after the young prince on dragon's back. The situation escalated to a bad one when Lucerys' dragon Arrax blew fire on Aemond's dragon Vhagar.
Someone should sue the President for ...
Sonora, CA  Some positive news to report this morningthe two children that the Tuolumne County Sheriffs Office had been looking for over the past week have returned safely to Sonora.

We reported previously that law enforcement was asking for the communitys help in locating Jacob and Keira Owens. They had last been seen a week ago today when they were picked up from Curtis Creek Elementary. They missed the remainder of the school week and failed to attend a visitation with their father on Wednesday. The Sheriffs Office reports the children had been in Las Vegas with their mother and her boyfriend. The childrens aunt met with the mom, Angela Owens, and brought the children back to Tuolumne County. A Sheriffs Deputy went to their fathers home and spoke with the children over the weekend, and both kids appeared uninjured and in good health.

The Sheriffs Office thanks community members that spread the word and helped Jacob and Keira return home safely.
Still shaken by Donald Trump's triumph, Republican and conservative foes of the billionaire can still cause headaches for the party's presumptive presidential nominee at this summer's GOP convention. But their options are shrinking by the day.

GOP foes of Donald Trump running out of options

The Republican convention's 2,472 delegates must approve presidential nominee

Expect plenty of TV eyeballs this summer for the convention

With Trump's last two rivals - Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich - abandoning their campaigns, there's no remaining talk of snatching the nomination away from him with a contested, multi-ballot battle when Republican delegates gather in Cleveland.



Instead, anti-Trump forces are trying to figure out how to use this July's GOP meetings to keep him from reshaping the party and its guiding principles, perhaps with fights over the platform or even his vice presidential pick.



Many expect Trump to build momentum as the convention nears, narrowing his opponents' options. Even so, here's what may be in store:



IT'S OVER? WHAT NOW?



Trump's foes concede he's likely to arrive in Cleveland exceeding the 1,237 delegates needed to become the nominee. Yet many are still reeling from the contest's unexpected finale last week and are just starting to think about what they could do at the convention that would be productive.



"There's going to be a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot talking between all of us," said Kay Godwin, a Cruz delegate from Blackshear, Georgia. "I wish I could give you an answer right now but I think if I did, it would be out of emotion."



"There are probably some who hope Trump will stick his foot in his mouth or some scandal will come out and that they'll be able to rally everybody at that point, but at this point there's really nothing they can do" to block his nomination, said Jason Osborne, a GOP consultant.



CONTAINING THE DAMAGE



Many Trump opponents see the Republican platform, the party's statement of ideals and policy goals, as a place for a stand in Cleveland. The convention's 2,472 delegates must approve the platform before formally anointing the presidential nominee.



All - including those chosen to support Trump - can vote however they want on the platform. Many conservatives say they will use that vote to keep Trump from reshaping GOP dogma against abortion, for free trade and on other issues.



While it seems likely Trump would prevail, a showdown could be an embarrassment he'd seek to avoid by not pushing divisive changes.



"If the party walks away from any of its clearly cut social, family values issues, it will be an issue," said Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council and GOP delegate from Louisiana. "We're not just going to fall in line because he's the nominee."



Trump has said he would seek to include exceptions for rape and incest to the GOP platform's opposition to abortion. He's also flouted the party platform by repeatedly criticizing trade deals and calling NATO obsolete.



"We'd want to make sure the platform is protected from Donald Trump," said Rory Cooper, senior adviser for the Never Trump political committee.



Trump aides did not return messages seeking comment on his views about the platform.



A RUNNING MATE



Trump has said he'd like a vice presidential candidate with government experience.



Yet, as with the platform, delegates can vote as they please in choosing Trump's running mate. Some opponents suggest they may challenge his choice, either as a protest or to try forcing him to make a different selection.



Recent GOP conventions have formally approved vice presidential candidates by acclamation and no roll call. But if delegates make enough of a fuss, a roll call with plenty of votes for a rival vice presidential candidate is possible.



"He'll probably pick somebody, and that person is not going to have the automatic ratification status that's been traditional," said Roger Stauter, a Cruz delegate from Madison, Wisconsin, who said he would never support Trump.



Others said the convention would likely defer to Trump's thinking about a strategically smart choice.



"He could pick somebody we'd all get pretty excited about," said Shane Goettle, a Cruz delegate from North Dakota.



Conservative talk show host Erick Erickson, a Trump opponent, said he expected delegates to accede to Trump's selection, saying that by July, "the phases of depression and anger" will subside as Republicans accept "their coming defeat."



MUST-WATCH TV?



Many expect Trump - star of his own TV reality shows "The Apprentice" and "Celebrity Apprentice" - to run a more watchable convention than usual.



Beth Myers, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign manager in 2012, was not a Trump supporter during the primaries. But she said Trump knows TV and expects his convention to outshine the Democrats' in stagecraft and draw millions more viewers than usual.



"My guess is that the Republican convention will not be a chaotic, contested convention," she said. "Rather, it will be a production of Trump, Inc., and it will be pretty good live television."



Some of that glitz may not be by choice. Many Republican bigwigs are expected to shun the convention and avoid giving primetime speeches on Trump's behalf.
On most days, Greg Smith is dressed to impress as he walks to and from meetings in downtown Orlando.

Smith's job is business-to-business sales, and that means he talks to a lot of people. Camped out on the corner of Pine Street and South Orange Avenue, a friendly face made a habit of saying "hello" to Smith.

The woman's name is Amy Joe. And on a recent Tuesday, both Smith's and Amy Joe's lives changed during a friendly exchange.

"One day, a client canceled lunch," Smith said. "I was about to pass Amy Joe on the street and say hello as I always do, but this day was different. I stopped and asked Amy Joe if she would like to have lunch with me and also asked her when she last ate."

Amy Joe told Smith that, yes, she was hungry, and they both went to a Mexican restaurant just off Orange Avenue for lunch.

While they were having lunch, Smith wondered if this was something that he could do again and provide Amy Joe with something to look forward to. Amy Joe agreed, and they decided to meet every Tuesday for lunch.

"She was grateful," Smith said. "I remember her saying, 'I don't know why you're doing this for me,' and I said that it doesn't matter. Just meet me and we'll have lunch."

Not every establishment, though, wanted their business.

"It was so embarrassing and crushing to hear somebody say that," Smith said. "I mean, they just came out and said, 'Sir, you're going to have to leave' because of the way that she looked."

The weekly lunches continued, though. Smith learned something else about Amy Joe  a secret that she was ashamed to share.

Amy Joe struggled to read. Smith decided to would check out books for her from the Orange County Public Library and devoted more of his time to teaching Amy Joe how to read. It was a decision that changed Smith's life.

Moved by her kindness and humility, Smith wanted to share his story on Facebook to inspire others.

"After I did the post, so many people came forward wanting to help," Smith said. "They've already donated books and given money to a GoFundMe to benefit not only Amy Joe, but others in the homeless community, as well."

Now, Amy Joe is no longer sleeping on the streets. Smith got the woman set up in a hotel, but he hopes to eventually get Amy Joe moved to more permanent housing.

"It's about making a difference in somebody's life and helping them out," Smith said. "The question you need to ask yourself is who is your Amy Joe?"
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Seven years ago, a teenage Lake County girl was violently attacked, set on fire and left to die.

Tayler's Law named for teenage girl attacked by boyfriend

Law requires Florida students to learn about teen dating violence

Seven years after attack, Tayler Mack still on the path to recovery

Tayler Mack is still recovering to this day and is the inspiration for a new education bill named after her, called Taylers Law. Its a statewide law aimed at bringing awareness and prevention of teen dating violence to Florida's students.

Looking at her now, its nearly impossible to tell that Mack was a victim of a horrific attack.

Its very hard on her, physically and emotionally, said her father, Sgt. Dale Mack of the Orange County Sheriffs Office. He spoke on his daughters behalf at a news conference Monday morning.

In 2009, Mack was 14 years old when her boyfriend, Calva Haskell, 15, stabbed her multiple times and set her on fire in Lake County.

Tayler was able to pick up her bleeding body and get to a neighbors house for help, Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings said.

She survived with serious injuries. Now seven years later, her surgeon said her recovery has passed the halfway point.

In excess of 15 operations, shell require some more, Dr. Richard Klein said.

Law enforcement officials said this is a narrative they see in our communities all too often among teenagers involved in violent relationships.

We used to view this incident initially as a setback, but now we know its a set-up for bigger and better things to come, Sgt. Mack said.

Mack has reason to smile, standing next to the bill that has been named Taylers Law. Its a law that will require all Florida students to learn about teen dating violence and the resources available.

Three out of four of our teenagers either experience teen dating violence or they know someone who is going through it, Rep. Mia Jones said.

And thats not the only way Mack plans to make a difference in the lives of others. She is studying at Santa Fe College in Gainesville to become a nurse.

It is very difficult, both from the physical and emotional standpoint and the pain that she goes through, Sgt. Mack said. So that is why she wants to pursue the medical field and assist people in that way.

Calva Haskell was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison.


Hale County commissioners on Monday agreed to sponsor an application for emergency grant funding to improve the water supply for the Halfway community.

Last year, Halfway Water Supply Corp., working through the county, applied for a similar Community Block Grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality after one of its two water wells stopped producing. Shortly after Halfway submitted its grant application, the state suspended the drought-related emergency funding program as the statewide drought started to ebb after four years.

The emergency funding was tied into the drought emergency, and unfortunately for Halfway it started raining just as they applied, explained Precinct 4 Commissioner Benny Cantwell.

Even though drought conditions have ended for much of Texas, Halfways water crisis remains critical.

This latest round of Community Block Grant funding is for the 2017-2018 funding cycle, Cantwell said.

According to TCEQ, Halfway WSC serves 52 water connections and a population of 100 throughout the community. The community has been on voluntary water rationing for more than a year.

Halfway in its 2016 grant application sought $350,000, to drill a second water well as well as make related infrastructure upgrades.

In other action Monday, commissioners:

--Approved a request by Mike Johnson, president of the Lubbock County Junior Livestock Show Board, for that group to hold the swine portion of its annual county livestock show at the Ollie Liner Center on Jan. 20-21, 2017, the weekend following the Hale County Stock Show. Last year, the Lubbock County swine show was moved to Plainview on an emergency basis after the winter storm Goliath damaged the stock show facilities at the South Plains Fair grounds in Lubbock. Those facilities have not yet been repaired.

--Approved Lubbock UMCs first quarter run report for Abernathy EMS. That unit made eight runs during the period, seven within its service area and one outside the service area.

--Approved the 2015 activity report for Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department, showing a total of nine runs during the year - three within the city, five in Hale County and one in Floyd County. Commissioners also released its annual stipend for 2016 of $12,500.

--Tabled approval of a contract extension with Thyssenkrupp Elevator Co., for routine inspection and maintenance of the courthouse elevator, until commissioners receive a revised contract.

--Approved current accounts payable for April 27 to May 9 of $269,246.56.

--Authorized a county credit card be issued to David Cochran, newly-appointed sheriffs department chief deputy for law enforcement and administration.

--Approving the hiring of Ragino Roque and Robert Riojas as members of Harold Kings Precinct 1 crew.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following sponsored content is a continuation of the Farmer Friday series which spotlights a local producer. This week's article is sponsored by Gebo's.

As far back as he can remember, Cody Gruhlkey knew he wanted to be a farmer.

"I remember pushing my toy tractors and making cornrows on my mom's carpet. I used to get so mad when somebody would step on them," said Gruhlkey with a laugh.

But it wouldn't be long before Gruhlkey got an opportunity to get behind the wheel of an actual tractor - in fact, he was only seven - as the 1993 Plainview High graduate recalled working on his grandparents' wheat farm in Adrian, about an hour west of Amarillo.

"I would go visit my grandparents (George "Pud" and Ruthie) every summer," Gruhlkey said. "When I was about 6 or 7, my grandpa put me on the tractor and let me go."

After his grandfather taught him how to drive the tractor, Gruhlkey said he would plow solo all day long.

"My grandma would pack me a lunch, and my grandpa would drive me about 20 miles outside of Adrian, and I'd get on the tractor and work," Gruhlkey said. "I loved it, and I knew right then, this is what I wanted to do."

Gruhlkey and his brother were born to Perry and Phyllis Gruhlkey and lived in Plainview.

Gruhlkey's father was raised on the Adrian farm but provided for his family by working at Texas Farm Bureau.

But once school let out, Gruhlkey said he spent every summer he could in Adrian, plowing the ground for the next dry land wheat crop.

"I was out there every summer, all summer long," Gruhlkey said.

Out on the land, Gruhlkey said he learned valuable lessons that stick with him today.

"I learned things like the value of hard work and the satisfying feeling you get when you see the product of that hard work," Gruhlkey said.

In the eighth grade, Gruhlkey cut back his time at the farm in Adrian when he landed a job sweeping the floors at James Bros. Implement in Plainview.

Gruhlkey said he worked there after school until his sophomore year, when he was able to work there a half a day through the work program.

Gruhlkey said he learned a lot while working at the implement story, especially with the help of shop foreman Kevin Olson. Olson taught Gruhlkey the ins and outs of mechanics and servicing farm equipment, a skill which Gruhlkey says to this day has saved him thousands of dollars by working on his own equipment on the farm.

"Working five years at James Bros. was the best thing I could have done to make it in farming," Gruhlkey said.

Around the time Gruhlkey was in the eighth grade, his father purchased a quarter section of land so that the family could start producing cotton and wheat outside of Kress.

"He knew how much I enjoyed farming, so he bought that quarter section of land," Gruhlkey said.

Gruhlkey said he worked at James Bros. all week and after school, and during the weekend he would tend to the farm.

At the age of 14, Gruhlkey opted to become an entrepreneur, and with help of his father co-signing the loan, the young boy bought a $14,000 combine to start a custom harvest business, which he still does today.

"I harvested 1,200 acres of wheat and paid for the tractor in the first year," Gruhlkey said.

Gruhlkey soon worked out a deal with his neighbor James Johnson who agreed that Gruhlkey would harvest Johnson's wheat and give him a cut; in return, Johnson would haul the combine to different farms. Gruhlkey said the business grew to include land as far south as Abilene and as far north as Adrian.

Gruhlkey was already an established business owner by the time he graduated from PHS in 1993.

Gruhlkey kept on farming as he and his father kept on acquiring land to farm. Currently, Gruhlkey owns around 1,500 acres of land, but farms nearly 8,000 acres as he rents out sections of land across the South Plains.

Gruhlkey kept the pace until around the year 2000, when he married Heather.

At that time, he cut back on the travel of his custom harvest business to raise his children, Brennan, 12, Austin, 7, and 5-year-old daughter Laney.

"Raising the family on a farm is just ideal," Gruhlkey said.

And the children seem to be following in Gruhlkey's footsteps as Brennan is now starting to harvest.

"They just love being outside," Gruhlkey said.
This next week, Covenant Health Plainview will begin two significant celebrations.

In honor of the education, commitment and tireless effort of the more than 300 employees that answer the calling into health care, Covenant Health Plainview will celebrate its valued staff, including more than 150 nurses. As recognized by the American Nurses Association, Covenant Health Plainview will kick off its celebration on May 6, the beginning of Nurses Week. Nurses Week concludes on May 12 for in honor of Florence Nightingale's birthday.

The purpose of the week-long celebration is to raise awareness of the value of nursing and help educate the public about the role nurses play in meeting the health care needs of our community.

"Our nurses are special people, it is truly a gift. I have been volunteering for the hospital for several years, and every day, I am amazed at their compassion and commitment to our patients," commented Nancy Bowden, Auxiliary president.

"Nursing is not a career we choose; it's a ministry, a calling from something greater. Nursing is not as simple as healing physical ailments; it is tending to the emotional and spiritual needs of not only the patient, but their family too. We are bonded together through our encounters and experiences and support each other through every moment," explains Leslie Hackett, Chief Nursing Officer at Covenant Health Plainview.

Covenant Health Plainview will continue to honor its employees during the American Hospital Association's Hospital Week Celebration May 9-May 13. Your local hospital is where your friends, family and neighbors go to heal, it is a part of the community that fosters health and represents hope. From providing treatment and comfort to the sick, to welcoming new life into the world, your hospital is central to a healthy and optimistic community.

"National Hospital Week, first and foremost, is a celebration of our most valued resource, our employees," Bob Copeland, Interim CEO of Covenant Health Plainview, said. "We're extremely proud of each member of our staff, and we recognize the important role they play in extending our Christian ministry of healing and improving the health and quality of life in our community."

National Hospital Week dates back to 1921 when it was suggested by a magazine editor who hoped a community-wide celebration would alleviate public fears about hospitals. The celebration, launched in Chicago, succeeded in promoting trust and goodwill among members of the public and eventually spread to facilities across the country.

The Hospital Week events will begin with Cookies with Copeland, an open forum Q&A with the newest team member, Interim CEO Bob Copeland. "These past few weeks have been rather busy and I'm looking forward to this time to get to know our staff a bit better. This open session will allow our employees to take a moment to come, ask questions, offer ideas and suggestions, or just have a personal conversation. " said Copeland.

The Celebration will continue on Tuesday with the Management Team cooking and serving up a hot pancake breakfast for each of the employees. The following day, the Covenant Health Plainview Auxiliary will host their annual Nurses Week/Hospital Week Sundae Social. This year, a giving-back component was added with a food drive for the local Faith In Sharing House. The week will conclude with a hot dog luncheon, once again cooked and served by the Management Team.

"Patient satisfaction scores are gaining national recognition, programs created by CHP nurses are being modeled system-wide, and our patient census is at an all-time high - all in the midst of a $40million dollar renovation, there is a lot to celebrate," noted Copeland. Covenant Health Plainview is approaching its next fiscal year with optimism. "We are breaking at the seams which is a good problem to have. We have focused on quality and growth, we have succeeded, and we continue to provide the best care available for Hale County and the surrounding area."
MERIDEN  The Most Reverand Leonard P. Blair, Archbishop of Hartford, presided over a mass at St. Joseph Church Sunday attended by several hundred parishoners celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first graduating class of St. Joseph School.



Among the large Mothers Day crowd were St. Joseph School alumni, current and past faculty members and administrators, students and their parents, along with Mayor Kevin Scarpati.



For a hundred years now, St. Josephs School has strived to provide an environment of excellence for its students, where principles like courage and self-confidence and a love for learning are taught, Archbishop Blair said during his sermon, which centered on the importance of giving glory. Blair spoke of glory, one word that describes the essence of the Bible. The archbishop also explained two Latin phrases centered around glory that were used in the Latin liturgy in use at the Roman Catholic church until the 1960s. Blair said the assembled parishoners should give glory for the 100 years of the schools history, the teachers, pastors and Sisters of Mercy who served as teachers.



A reception followed the one-hour church service in the parishs Rosemary Hall, where parents sat with SJS students, alumni mingled with former principal Sister Georgeann Vumbaco, current principal Katherin Sniffin and Rev. Gerald Dziedzic, the parishs pastor, for a mid-day meal.



Vumbaco, who was an honorary chairperson of the school anniversary festivities, said the mass was the culmination of a number of events that began last October with a gala that was intended to get alumni back together.



The church was filled, Vumbaco said.



Blair spoke after the church service about the importance of longevity in diocese schools such as St. Joseph. Theres two things, the what and the how, Blair said. Theres the what  the Church has been devoted to Catholic education. And then, theres the how. In a different society from a century ago, or even 50 years ago, in order for our mission to continue, we have to adapt and make changes.



Vumbaco noted that three current St. Joseph students with relatives who were instrumental in building the church, participated in the mass, assisting with the offertory gifts. Grace Ivers, class of 2016, and seventh grader Colin Ivers are members of the Ivers family that was instrumental in painting the church, according to parish documents. Erik Suzio, class of 2019, is the great grandson of the Suzio family members that provided the masonry work.



Lisa Suzio, Eriks mom, was busy prepping for the post-mass reception celebrating the schools milestone.



Shes done the bulk of the work for all of us, Vumbaco said.






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Peter Piper Pizza advertises you bring the people, well bring the party, but the guests one family invited to a Laredo location on Friday night brought a different, violent kind of bash.

Laredo Police Department Public Information Officer Joe E. Baeza told mySA.com his department received multiple calls to the restaurant, located at 4600 San Dario Avenue, around 8:45 p.m. for a fight inside the business. A viral video posted on Facebook by a user named David Navarro reveals what happened.

RELATED: Brawl breaks out near Pat O'Brien's in downtown San Antonio, 1 man hospitalized

The violent footage starts with one man punching another, Tim Duncan jersey-wearing individual atop a table. Customers and Peter Piper Pizza employees attempt to pull the men from each other, but the aggression continues while children look on.

A third man gets a slice of the squabble by initially picking up a bench and looks as if he is advancing toward the fight with it in hand. Three women yank the furniture from his hands, but he reappears a few seconds later and lands a few surprise jabs on one of the men involved in the first fight  again, while children look on.

RELATED: Three women arrested in South Carolina following bikini brawl caught on video

Baeza said based off preliminary calls, he believes the fighting was a case of embroiled exs within one family. He added that it was mutual combat situation in which neither party wished to file charges.

Since Navarro posted the video on Saturday morning, it has garnered a reaction from at least 2,000 users, nearly 4,000 shares and a thread of more than 1,000 comments as of Monday.

One customer, a woman named Dennise Ramos, commented on an unofficial business page for the location, asking that those involved be banned from returning.

RELATED: Social media amazed by high-def video of 'girl fight on 6th Street'

They are a danger to children who are your source of money, she said, adding that the situation was a lack of common sense and compassion.

Peter Piper Pizza regional and corporate offices were not immediately available to comment on the brawl, but Baeza said the companys priority Friday night was to disperse the crowd quickly out of the "family-oriented business."

This isn't the first time violence has broken out at a Peter Piper Pizza. In 2014, a fist fight was caught on camera at a Peter Piper in Burleson, and in 2015, a 5-year-old girl was bitten on the ear by another child at a Peter Piper in Chandler, Arizona.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
The Florida man who tossed an alligator into a Palm Beach Wendys drive-thru in what he said was intended to be prank has been ordered to stay away from all of the businesses locations and animals until his case  which includes a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon  is finalized, according to media reports.

On Oct. 11, 2015, Joshua James allegedly threw a 3-and-a-half foot gator through the drive-thru window after receiving his drink order, according to WPBF. He was arrested in February by U.S. Marshals and now faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession and transportation of an alligator, according to WFLX.
A Houston SWAT team spent several hours early Sunday negotiating with a man who barricaded himself in a southwest Houston apartment after he assaulted his girlfriend and commanded his pit bull to attack her.

Houston police responded to an assault-in-progress call at 11:30 p.m. Saturday at an apartment complex at 5500 El Camino Del Rey, near Chimney Rock. Upon arrival, officers found an injured woman and a man who barricaded himself inside when he saw authorities.
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Most of San Antonio cut back on water use during the drought, but some people kept right on sprinkling.

Records from the San Antonio Water System show that consumption by the 100 biggest residential users spiked in 2014 and remained high in 2015 as one of Texass most severe droughts persisted and outdoor watering restrictions remained in place.

The Top 100 used about 108 million gallons in 2015, enough for 2,176 average users, according to SAWS data.

Most of the utilitys biggest users live near others on the top 100 list, according to a review of addresses included in the records.

Of the 100 entries in 2015, all but 18 live in the Dominion gated community between Interstate 10 and Camp Bullis; Hollywood Park, Hill Country Village and Shavano Park just south of Loop 1604; and the near-downtown enclaves of Olmos Park and Terrell Hills. Fifteen asked SAWS not to reveal their addresses.

Click through the slideshow to view San Antonio's 20 top water users of 2015.

The No. 1 user in 2015 was James F. Cotter, president of commercial real estate company Cotter & Sons, whose home on Cotswold Lane in the Dominion used more than 2.4 million gallons. Cotter has appeared on list each year since 2012. He did not respond to a phone message.

NuStar Energy chairman and philanthropist William Bill Greehey came in at No. 2 in 2015 for his Dominion home. Greeheys irrigation contractor said his sprinkler system had leaks, though Greehey also appeared on the list the past four year.

No. 3 for 2015 was the Olmos Park home of James C. Rad and Ashley Weaver. Rad Weaver is CEO of McCombs Partners, the investment strategies arm of the business run by billionaire B.J. Red McCombs. In 2009, the Weavers purchased the historic Kiddie Park on Broadway. Calls to their home and a message left at Kiddie Park were not returned.

Other businessmen that made the lists in 2015 and 2014 were former AT&T and General Motors CEO Edward Ed Whitacre, billionaire oil tycoon Rod Lewis and Gunn Automotive Group chairman Curtis Gunn Jr.

Several on the list have San Antonio Spurs affiliations, including construction equipment dealer HoltCAT CEO and longtime Spurs majority shareholder Peter Holt, who through a spokesman declined to comment.

Amy Sherrill Duncan, who split from Spurs star Tim Duncan in 2014, was No. 4 in 2015 and also made the list for the fourth year in a row. Efforts to reach her at her Hill Country Village home were not successful.

Former Spurs player David Robinsons home in Shavano Park also made the list, though under his wife Valeries name. She did not return a message left with an agent. In 2014, the couple said they would sell the home and move into a penthouse closer to downtown. The Shavano Park home is still listed for sale.

Former Spurs player-turned-commentator Sean Elliott made the list in 2015 for the first time since 2012, when he told the newspaper he and his wife, former Express-News health columnist Claudia Zapata, they would conserve more water. SAWS records indicate they cut their use in half compared to four years ago.

The 10 highest residential water users of 2015

1. James F. Cotter (Dominion)  2,437,311 gallons

2. William E. Greehey (Dominion)  2,271,231 gallons

3. Ashley Weaver (Olmos Park)  2,207,645 gallons

4. Amy Sherill Duncan (Hill Country Village)  1,921,429 gallons

5. David and Suzette Munson (Inspiration Hills)  1,817,884 gallons (leak)

6. Arturo Quintero (no address)  1,756,541 gallons

7. Allan B. Polunsky (Dominion)  1,683,976 gallons

8. Reynaldo Plascencia (Southside)  1,624,125 gallons

9. Tom Turner (Greystone Country Estates)  1,613,507 gallons

10. Peter M. Holt (Terrell Hills)  1,481,238 gallons

The 10 highest residential water users of 2014

1. Veronica Shirk (Far, far Southside, like outside of the city)  2,213,627 gallons (leak)

2. Alexander Zweibach (Off Sendero Verde, far Northside)  1,755,790 gallons

3. Trinity University (Monte Vista)  1,720,629 gallons (leak)

4. Morris A. Miller (Olmos Park)  1,673,500 gallons (irrigation usage)

5. John Stoll (Hill Country Village)  1,559,603 gallons

6. Tom Turner (Greystone Country Estates)  1,547,203 gallons

7. Shalay Peterson (Off I-10 far past Leon Springs, off of Toutant Beauregard Rd.)  1,538,095 gallons (leak)

8. Elijah Homestead LLC (Monte Vista)  1,505,925 gallons

9. William E. Greehey (Dominion)  1,502,186 gallons

10. Leslie N. Negley (no address)  1,495,454 gallons

Some think San Antonio Water System should do more to make sure big water users conserve more. Read an in-depth story about the debate at ExpressNews.com.

bgibbons@express-news.net

Twitter: @bgibbs
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A judge set a $250,000 bail Monday for a San Antonio attorney accused of coercing clients into having sex with him in exchange for money or legal services and videotaping the encounters.

Prosecutors had sought a $500,000 bail for Mark H. Benavides, 46, who had been free since his arrest in November, when bail was set at $15,000. A Bexar County grand jury indicted him in April on 35 counts of sexual assault and compelling prostitution, both second-degree felonies, involving nine alleged victims.

Prosecutor Meredith Chacon told state District Judge Dick Alcala on Monday that the grand jury recommended the higher bail amount after hearing that the evidence against Benavides included more than 250 sex videos.

They found it appropriate, so we stand by that recommendation, Chacon told the judge.

Benavides attorney, Monica Guerrero, argued that the panel had not heard all of the evidence and that Benavides would not be a flight risk because he has strong family ties in San Antonio.

He has a wife, kids, and has no passport, Guerrero told the judge.

After setting bail, Alcala told Benavides that he has to wear a GPS monitor whenever he is outside of his home, and can only leave home for employment purposes. He also is to have no contact with his accusers.

Benavides had sex with women he represented in criminal cases, according to an arrest warrant affidavit following an investigation by the Bexar County District Attorney's Office and the San Antonio Police Department. The encounters happened at motels, his law office and a conference room at the Bexar County Courthouse, the document stated.

The indictment covers offense dates that range from 2009 to 2015. Several women had claimed that Benavides had coerced them into performing sex acts and that he videotaped them. After his arrest, more women came forward, the DA's office has said.

Benavides declined comment Monday through his attorney. A pre-trial hearing is set for June 6.

If convicted, Benavides faces up to 20 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine for each count.

ezavala@express-news.net

Twitter: @elizabeth2863
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Bexar County Sheriffs deputies are still searching for a man wanted in connection with a child abuse case in which two young children were chained and tied up in the backyard of a home on the Northeast Side.

Deandre Dorch, 36, is expected to face a charge of injury to a child for his alleged role in the abuse of a 3-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy who were rescued by deputies on April 28.

RELATED: Tied up outside in the rain, children had been abused for weeks

The Sheriffs Office announced their intention to arrest Dorch on Friday, and have since been unable to find him.

Naturally were concerned about whether he is still in the area, said BCSO spokesman James Keith. He had ties to California and was determined to be a flight risk, but we are still optimistic that we are going to find him.

Dorch will be the third person to face charges in the case. His wife, Porucha Phillips, was arrested shortly after deputies found the two children, along with six others inside the home in the Camelot II subdivision.

RELATED: 2 more parents face charges in 'horrific' San Antonio child abuse case as details emerge

Phillips has been identified as the mother of the six children found inside the home.

Deputies were able to track down the mother of the two children who were bound outside, Cheryl Reed, in California within days of opening the case.

She returned to San Antonio for questioning and was later arrested on charges related to previous cases of alleged abuse.

Anyone with information on Dorchs whereabouts is asked to call the BCSO Tip Line at 210-335-TIPS.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
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SAN ANTONIO  A man who confessed to killing his 2-month-old son sought to retract his confession for the second time Monday, saying he earlier took the blame for his sons death because he didnt want to live after losing him.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Arjunkumar Dipak Rana gave investigators with the San Antonio Police Department a detailed account of how he killed the baby in the early morning hours of March 24 at the apartment he shared with the childs mother in the 3200 block of Northwest Loop 410.

He told investigators that he took the baby into a bathroom, placed his thumbs over the childs neck and tilted his head forward to cut off his breathing.

The affidavit said Rana described how the baby struggled slightly before he became still, and how he listened to his chest to make sure he wasnt breathing. Answering a call for an unresponsive baby, emergency responders took Alexander to Methodist Childrens Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

RELATED: Father accused in death of 2-month-old son

But in an interview Monday at the Bexar County Jail, where he is being held on a charge of capital murder-child under 10, Rana said his confession was a lie.

I didnt kill my son, he said, sitting hunched on a steel stool behind a thick wall of glass.

This is not the first time Rana has sought to retract his confession, made about a week after Alexanders death. When he was arrested last Thursday, he told reporters that hed lied. By then, the Bexar County Medical Examiner had ruled the babys death a homicide caused by asphyxia by neck compression.

Taking slow, deliberate breaths, Rana said Monday that after his sons death, he wanted to die. He said he confessed to Alexanders death because he hoped his statement would result in the death penalty.

I just wanted the death penalty. I just wanted to die, Rana said. I had no reason for living at the time. My son was gone.

RELATED: Authorities still searching for man in connection to child abuse case

The confession had come six days after his sons death, according to the affidavit, when police were called to Ranas apartment for a disturbance.

Me and my wife got into an argument about financial issues, he said Monday about that day, adding that he had been laid off and struggling to pay bills. It was hard on both of us. I told her I just snapped and I just said Im just gonna call the police and just tell them I just killed Alex.

Rana said he hurried to the back bathroom, locked the door, and made the report. He confessed to the dispatcher who answered his 911 call.

He said Monday that between the time he called 911 and the time officers arrived, he had the opportunity to think up a story, something believable.

According to the affidavit, he told police that he was angry because he had to go to work the morning of March 24, and his wife would not get up to soothe the baby. He said then that he was confessing because he felt extremely guilty for causing the childs death.

Fighting back tears Monday, he said he regretted ever saying that he killed Alex.

All I did by saying that was just insult his life, he said. I dont know what happens next.

Rana, held in lieu of $500,000 bail, has declined a court-appointed attorney, according to court officials. He is scheduled to appear at a pre-indictment hearing June 1 in the 175th state District Court.A capital murder charge carries a possible punishment of life in prison or death.

He was a joy in my life. I loved him, Rana said of his son. I was just the happiest man that there could be. I felt like the king of the jungle and he was my prince. I just hope they realize that I wasnt mentally there at the time when I said what I said.

Staff Writer Elizabeth Zavala contributed to this report.

mdwilson@express-news.net

Twitter: @MDWilsonSA
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A fitness trainer received a "creepy" message on LinkedIn days before she was found dead at a North Texas church in April, according to news reports.

RELATED: Texas mother charged in abuse of 3 children including 1-year-old girl who died

Terri Leann Bevers, 45, was found unresponsive at about 5 a.m. April 18 at the Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, about 25 miles southwest of Dallas.

Bevers was a boot camp instructor for a class called "Camp Gladiator" scheduled to start at 5 a.m. that day.

The Midlothian Police Department released footage of a suspect wearing a jacket with the word "police" on the front and back, a tactical helmet, gloves and other protective gear.

RELATED: Former Texas high school football player accused of killing 6-week-old daughter

Search warrants obtained by CBS News show that Bevers showed the "creepy" private message from an unknown man to a friend less than three days before she was killed.

Neither Bevers or her friend knew the man and "both agreed that the message was creepy and strange," according to the news station.

Police also contacted a person of interest who had communicated with Bevers over LinkedIn, a social networking website that's intended for professional networking, since January in messages that "ultimately turned flirtatious and familiar."

RELATED: Report: Mexico man sentenced to 8 years for killing friend, feeding his penis to dog

The warrants also reveal that police believe Bevers was having marital troubles and possibly had extramarital affairs, according to the New York Daily News.

The suspect may have used a cell phone to track Bevers' workout schedules on social media and to record her killing, warrants say.

Bevers was found dead with multiple puncture wounds to her head and chest.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports
Another year, another Sunset review for the Texas Railroad Commission.

For the third time since 2010, the agency, which has nothing to do with railroads, has undergone a Sunset Advisory Commission review. Once again, staff has recommended changing the name, this time to the Texas Energy Resources Commission. This strikes us as fitting and appropriate since the agency regulates the oil and gas industry.

Changing the name would clear a lot of confusion. The public would know whom to contact when it has complaints and concerns about oil and gas drilling, for example. And people just might stop calling the Railroad Commission to report concerns about rail.

The Sunset Advisory Commission has a number of other reasonable suggestions to improve the agency and streamline bureaucracy. These include boosting oversight of drilling operations, interstate pipelines and well plugging. The review also calls for moving the regulation of gas utilities to the Public Utility Commission and outsourcing contested hearings to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Another common-sense suggestion? Having appropriate data to track oil and gas violations. The agency lacks accurate data on total oil and gas violations, major violations and repeat violations. Not only should the agency be tracking these data, but the results should be available online and easily accessible to the public. This is just basic information, and its shocking that in 2016, the Railroad Commission cannot get a handle on such stats.

As reasonable as the recommendations are in this most recent Sunset review, the report sets aside one of the biggest flaws with the Railroad Commission: the agencys structure. This is the elephant in the room. The agencys three elected commissioners receive significant campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry, which creates an inherent conflict.

Previous Sunset reviews have sought to address this structure but have repeatedly run into political walls. In 2011, for example, staff recommended a board of five part-time members appointed by the governor. The commission instead recommended one elected commissioner. Nothing happened.

In 2013, the Sunset commission took a different approach, leaving the agencys three-commissioner structure in place, but recommending limits on campaign contributions.

That idea went nowhere. As the Sunset Review notes, These recommendations also resulted in significant debate during the (legislative) session and were seen as a major cause of the Sunset Bills failure for a second time.

Seeking to get something done, this most recent review sets aside the issue of governance structure, noting the Sunset commission and Legislature are aware of past recommendations. The document speaks to fatigue of undergoing repeated reviews: Such frequent review is hard on agency staff who have their own important jobs to do in addition to attending to the needs of the Sunset review. It also heightens interest in having a positive review and a clean Sunset bill that will finally pass the Legislature.

The Legislature should approve the recommendations in this most recent Sunset Advisory Commission report. These recommendations would make the agency a stronger and more efficient regulatory body, one that is better able to serve the public, and the oil and gas industry. The name change is long overdue.

Unfortunately, though, until the Legislature deals with the uncomfortable reality that railroad commissioners receive substantial political donations from the industry they are supposed to regulate, the agency will be tainted and broken. A new name is needed, but it wont change the agencys industry-friendly dynamic.
Posted on 05/09/2016, 1:00 pm, by mySteinbach

Fairway Ford in Steinbach is looking to raise up to $6,000 for Stonybrook Middle School with Ford of Canadas Drive One 4 UR School program. For every person who test-drives a Ford vehicle at Stony Brook Middle School on May 12, 2016, Fairway Ford and Ford of Canada will donate $20 to the school.

Were excited to partner with Stonybrook to help raise funds for their schoolyard, said Peter Loewen, General Sales Manager at Fairway Ford. Not only is the Drive One program a chance to support extracurricular activities and give back to the community, but it allows us the opportunity to showcase Ford of Canadas high-quality line-up and innovative safety technologies to parents, teenagers and other drivers.

The event, which will be held at 5pm, will feature the Ford F-150, Escape, Edge, Explorer, Focus, Fusion and other available models. During the event there will also be pizza, pop and snacks available from Roccos Pizza, as well as carnival games, bouncers and an obstacle course.

Fairway Ford has participated in Fords Drive One 4 UR School and Community program in previous years in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society, Grunthal Community Centre, Niverville Collegiate, Clearspring Middle School, Mitchell Middle School and Kleefeld School.

To participate, please visit Stonybrook Middle School, 77 Lumber Ave, at 5pm on May 12, 2016. Participants must be 18 or older and have a valid drivers license. There is a limit of one test-drive per household.
Soft drink sales are up in Mexico after the government imposed a 10% tax on sugary drinks.

NEW YORK  Soda pop (tax) flop? The Wall Street Journal reports that sales of soda are climbing two years after Mexico imposed a roughly 10% tax on sugary drinksa bright spot for an industry that has feared it could be cast as the next tobacco.

Imposing the tax two years ago was Mexicos attempt to cap alarming obesity and diabetes rates in a country where per capita soda consumption is the highest in the world. It came at a time when then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg was trying to limit sales of the beverages in New York City, and more countries are weighing a similar tax, writes the news source.

However, after an initial drop when the sugar tax first hit, soda sales are rising in Mexico, making the country a key market for soft drink companies. Underscoring the resiliency of sugary drinks, the tax of one peso per liter has raised more than $2 billion since January 2014, about a third more than the government expected, notes the news source.

Anti-soda groups arent ready to declare the tax a failure, saying that soda sales have been boosted by unusually warm weather. A public health campaign financed by Bloomberg Philanthropies has also stopped running, which asked consumers if they would eat 12 spoonfuls of sugar, about the equivalent of a 600-milliliter bottle of soda.

The sugar tax is an important piece but not the only one, Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies told the news source.

Coca-Cola Femsa SAB, Mexicos largest Coke bottler, said last week that its Mexican soda volumes rose 5.5% in the first quarter from a year earlier. Arca Continental SAB, the No. 2 Coke bottler, reported soda volumes surged 11%.

We know these taxes dont work, said Coke CEO Muhtar Kent at the companys annual shareholder meeting last week.

Other countries are considering additional taxes on soft drinks, including India, South Africa and the Philippines. The American Beverage Association is fighting similar proposals in the United States, and plans to highlight a new study that found Mexicos beverage industry lost about 3,000 jobs in the first quarter of 2014 because of the sugar tax, notes the news source. That survey estimates Mexican soda consumption returned to pretax levels by mid-2015, and found the initial downturn only lowered the average Mexicans daily caloric intake by 6 to 7 calories, or 0.2%.
LONDON  Last week tobacco regulations in Europe became tougher, with the European Court of Justice dismissing legal challenges against tobacco regulations, making it possible for plain packaging and other restrictive measures to be rolled out across the country, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The European Unions top court upheld the 2014 Tobacco Products Directive in its entirety and the decision cannot be appealed. The law bans menthol cigarettes, mandates larger warning labels on cigarette packaging and sets limits on electronic cigarettes, including on how much nicotine they can contain. The court also told Poland and Romania that they have to adopt the new obligations.

The newspaper writes that the high courts ruling is a blow for British American Tobacco [BAT] PLC and Philip Morris International Inc., which in 2014 had filed a legal challenge against certain parts of the directive, including the use of certain product descriptors, the mandatory graphic warning and the ban on certain flavorings. We stand by our belief that the Tobacco Products Directive is a clear example of the EU overstepping the limits of its authority, a BAT spokeswoman told the WSJ, adding, The reality is that many elements of the directive are disproportionate, distort competition and fail to respect the autonomy of the member states.

Marc Firestone, general counsel of Philip Morris International, told the news source that the ruling isnt the final word on the overall legality of plain-packaging laws. Todays judgment is specific to detailed aspects of EU law, and reflects the substantial deference that the Court of Justice often shows to the EU institutions when reviewing EU legislation, he said.

Last weeks ruling also deals a blow to e-cigarettes, which limits the nicotine content of e-cigarette liquids to 20 milligrams per milliliter, requires that health authorities be notified of the products, and bans advertising and sponsorship, notes the news source.

The high court also banned menthol, saying its pleasant flavor makes the products more attractive to consumers.

The ruling also paves the way for the United Kingdom to move forward with its law on plain packaging, set to take effect later this month. Tobacco companies brought a separate case to challenge the legality of the measure, and a decision is expected later this month, notes the news source.

The decision paves the way for the U.K. to go ahead with its own law on plain packaging, slated to take effect later this month. Tobacco companies had brought a separate case in the U.K. challenging the legality of plain packaging, which was heard in December. A judgmentwidely expected to favor plain packagingis due later this month. France and Ireland are among other EU states that have said they would adopt stricter packaging limitations.

Exane BNP Paribas analyst James Bushnell told the news source that the high courts ruling was not a surprise, but clearly not positive, adding, The biggest danger to the tobacco industry is a more global spread of plain packaging as the latest adopters lend legitimacy to the regulation.
CalPERS fiduciary counsel, Robert Klausner, told the Vermont Pension Investment Committee (VPIC) that divestitures that have a meaningful negative economic impact would violate its fiduciary duty. Moreover, he cited CalPERS experience with its divestiture of tobacco stock a cautionary example, thus criticizing his most prominent client. Klausners testimony may have given the Vermont Pension Investment Committee the impression that this was the position that Klausner was taking with other public pension funds, in particular CalPERS. In fact, inn January, Klaunser gave the CalPERS board different advice, namely, that trust law allowed trustees to weigh considerations in addition to profit, and what mattered was the process by which they made decisions like divestiture, not the particular outcome.

This matters not simply because this example illustrates something that a former client of Klausners, the City of San Diego, complained about, that Klausner was all too willing to tell clients what they wanted to hear. This confirms a troubling history of dubious conduct, including a long-runing dispute in Jacksonville over a secret pension fund that the city contends is illegal, and his extensive involvement in pay-to-play, including taking payments from consultants he was warned were violating regulations and were later sanctioned by the SEC.

This testimony also has Klaunser criticizing a major client of his on a matter that is up before its board now. CalPERS is reconsidering its tobacco divestiture decision. That occurred in the early 2000s at the urging of former state Treasurer and CalPERS board member, Phil Angelides.

Finally, Klausner argued, both at CalPERS and Vermont, for not selling socially problematic investments, was that investors can influence companies by being a shareholder and lose that leverage when they sell. That belief is invalid when the problem is the companys core business, and as for tobacco, coal, and oil producers, there is no way to reduce its damage in a meaningful way. As one academic put it, Its like telling a dog to become a cow.

Admittedly, CalPERS divestiture of tobacco stocks was ill timed. Angelides was promoting a broad agenda of socially responsible investing, and his tobacco initiative was one component. What enabled him to persuade the board to sell tobacco stock was that tobacco looked to be on its way to being the next asbestos industry, where the major firms went bankrupt as a result of litigation costs.

The Federal-state tobacco settlement spared the tobacco industry that fate, and those stocks rebounded well. Even so, as well discuss in due course, an analysis of divestiture costs by CalPERS consultant Wilshire is troublingly thin on methodology and looks to include a key assumption that produces higher costs than would have been the case had nature run its course.

Thus while the logic of getting out of tobacco was not financial in nature, the timing was influenced by board members acting out the poor reflexes, of being more willing to sell when a stock is doing badly. If the board approves going back into tobacco, it looks to be the result of the same dubious sense of timing. Tobacco stock have been performing handsomely of late. If CalPERS gets back in, it may well be that the stocks have become fully priced.

Klausners Tell Them What They Want to Hear, Vermont Versus California Versions

Ive embedded Klausners short testimony to the VPIC at the post. Since his written testimony has an omission, well first show how it was understood, then well look at Klausners words. From an op-ed, Divestment violates Vermonts fiduciary responsibility to pensioners, by State Representative Robert Bancroft in VermontBiz:

At the hearing, Robert Klausner, Principal of Klausner, Kaufman, Jensen & Levinson, explained that the push for divestment in Vermont is a clear violation of fiduciary responsibility as it has a material, adverse effect on any objective measure. He explained, It is precisely for this reason that divestment, for non-economic reasons, is a disfavored strategy. Divestment has a real cost which can only be made up, in the final analysis by a greater burden on the pension plan sponsors.

Mind you, the Bancroft op-ed is wrong-headed in that it invokes ERISA and Department of Labor standards, which apply only to private pension funds, not their governmental cousins like Vermonts or CalPERS. True, many public pension funds choose to operate in accordance with ERISA, and some states have incorporated part of ERISA language into their state laws. But citing ERISA as governing Vermonts funds is incorrect.

Here are the key sections of Klausners testimony:

Based on the projected adverse economic effect on the pension systems and the loss of a seat at the table for Vermont in the important question of climate control initiatives, it is my view that divestment is not consistent with the fiduciary duty of the VPIC as articulated in 14A V.S.A. 902. The VPIC has a fiduciary to invest the assets of the pension systems for the highest and best return at a reasonable rate of risk. Divestment of fossil fuels will, according to the CIO result in a foregone return of $9M annually and a loss of $4-$10M in transactional costs which can never be recovered. In relatively small Fund of $4B, that is a material, adverse effect on any objective measure. In 2000, CalPERS divested from tobacco based on the belief that pending litigation against Big Tobacco would eventually drive it out of business. Besides the obvious morality to dispensing with investment in a health threat, the decision to divest had what is always required for an ESG decision; a sound basis in economics. As it has turned out, tobacco did not disappear and CalPERS losses from that divestment have reached approximately $3B.

Notice two things: one is that Klausner, in short written testimony, appears to have dropped the word duty: The VPIC has a fiduciary [duty] to invest. Was that accident or design? Second, in calling out CalPERS poorly-timed tobacco divestiture, he calls it solely a misguided sell at the bottom call, when the former board members to whom I have spoken say the driver was Angelides broader goals, and the litigation issue was not the motivation but moved some fence-sitters.

Contrast Klausners opposition to fossil fuel divestment based on purely economic considerations with his remarks to CalPERS in January:

Robert Klausner: Can you say that anything that has a cost as part of the process of divestment should prohibit you? No. The law in the Unites States has been for trusts has been summarized in a series of books called the restatement. There are restatements of various types, theres a restatement of torts, and contracts, and,and trusts. Its essentially an encyclopedia that takes all of the, the case law thats been developed throughout the United States and puts it together. And in the area of taking into account factors other purely than profit in decision-making for trustees, it says, says well, you cant put anything ahead of the interests of members and beneficiaries, but by the same token its OK to think about things other that the profit. Now what does that mean? It means youre kind of on your own out there. And if you struggle with the impact of these things in the course of your decision-making, youre not alone. And thats why the law gives you a substantial amount of immunity for the exercise of your discretion. In my view, the best exercise of fiduciary responsibility, and this is the best practice in my experience is about the process. Its not about the decision, because youre decisions going to be criticized by somebody no matter what you do. Its all about the process.

Now one could argue that in the case of Vermont, the estimated of cost of divesting from fossil fuel stocks is unjustifiably high. But thats not the case Klausner made. He argued that the material adverse effect was a per se violation of fiduciary duty, and later argued, citing no specific authorities, that divestiture was disfavored. In fact, an article at the Financial Times today show that is false, that the fossil fuel divestiture campaign is gaining supporters at other fiduciaries, including the endowment widely cited as the best-of-breed in investing, Yale:

Student movements have persuaded universities including Yale in the US and the UKs London School of Economics to divest at least the heaviest carbon-producing companies from their investment portfolios. Earlier this year, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which manages the fortune of some descendants of the oil baron John D Rockefeller, said it would also divest from fossil fuels. The campaign group 350.org claims that more than 500 institutions with assets totalling $3.4tn have made some form of divestment commitment, up from 181 institutions with $50bn in assets two years ago, although it is impossible to calculate the value of shares that have actually been sold. The group says divestment is designed to make companies listen in terms they might understand, like their share price. The debate on divestment has intensified since the international climate change agreement in Paris in December, and the issue was repeatedly raised at last weeks Milken Institute Global Conference, which brought together investors, fund managers and others in Los Angeles. Justin Rockefeller of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund said the decision to divest was meant as a symbolic gesture coming from a dynasty whose fortune is derived from the oil industry. If you think that symbolism doesnt matter, think of Rosa Parks, he told the conference.

Lets go back to the claim that the opponents of divestiture made in the Financial Times story, which echo ones Klausner made in his Vermont testimony and his earlier remarks at CalPERS (see starting at 19:30 here), that investors would do better by having a seat at the table and forcing change from the inside.

There are reasons to doubt that argument. CalPERS has been a high-impact corporate activist. But the fund has been the most effective (and profitable) in targeting governance practices that are deficient and hurt shareholders. But there are areas where even with clearly problematic practices, such as CEOs that overpay themselves, insider pressure has not succeeded. One famous example was when a group of unhappy institutional investors paid a visit to Goldmans Lloyd Blankfein in 2009 and told him they wanted him to reduce his compensation. He was unmoved. And in the case of CEO pay, numerous studies have found that lofty CEO pay is correlated with lousy performance. With CEO pay, you are better off dumping the stock than trying to persuade a greedy CEO to be less greedy.

As Phil Angelides said via e-mail,

In his broad criticism of divestment included in those remarks, Mr. Klausner makes at least two fallacious assertions. FIrst of all, he makes the case that engagement with corporations is always the best route to achieve success with respect to important investor goals. That certainly was not the case with respect to apartheid in South Africa and it is certainly not the case with tobacco companies. While engagement can be an effective tool, it is ludicrous to suggest that institutional investors can successfully engage with tobacco companies to mitigate the disastrous effects that their products have on our economy and society. It is a core business of these companies to produce products that addict our children, poison and kill millions of people, and impose enormous public costs. It is not credible to suggest that engagement will result in these companies ceasing the production and sale of these products. Secondly, he assumes that divestment will inevitably result in economic losses. In fact, with a vast universe of investment options from which to choose, thoughtful, prudent investors can replace investments which wreak havoc on society with alternative investments that have a similar or better risk return profile. There is no shortage of viable alternative investment strategies to achieve such a goal. The choice presented by Mr. Klausner  either do well financially or do well by society  is a false choice. Pension funds can invest in ways that meet their financial objectives and strengthen our economy and society and their advisors should help, not hinder, their efforts to do so.

One lawyer took a similarly tart view of Klausners testimony:

In fact, Klausners testimony isnt legal in any way, shape, or form. Its just bland change from within pablum, not even citing the vast body of opinions supporting divestiture as a policy tool laid-down since Apartheid days. He cites the 2015 Wilshire whitewash about lost opportunities for CalPERS as pretty much the only authority that can actually be pinned down. Klausner uses the weasel-word that divestiture is disfavored without referencing by whom  legal scholars or the Koch brothers? He doesnt say.

When the basic operation of a business causes societal harm, the idea that investors can persuade corporate officers to change course is ludicrous on its face. What are they supposed to do, liquidate the business and start doing something completely different? Even if they try to reduce their participation in their current destructive operations and build up in some other areas, why should an investor believe they are capable of competing in an area that is new or largely new to them? For instance, if a Dodgy Dirty Company wants to get into Green Clean industry via acquisition, it will pay an acquisition premium and then may (give the record of acquisitions, probably will) screw it up. By contrast, an investor can move his capital into Green Clean industry as much lower cost. In other words, the persuade old management to do new tricks has the unintended effect of keeping legacy management teams around past their sell-by date.

As Angelides pointed out, divestiture has worked, and the South Africa divestiture program is the textbook example. But it succeeded primarily not by driving down stock prices (which was a less important source of leverage in the 1970s ad 1980s, since the maximize shareholder value theory of management was not yet in vogue) but by mobilizing other actors, particularly customers and governments, to join in demanding fundamental change. From the Chicago Tribune in 2013:

In the mid-1970s, students began to demand that their universities divest stock in all companies doing business in South Africa, but they made little progress. In the fall of 1977, urged on by students, I asked the Hampshire College board of trustees to divest. They agreed, and Hampshire College became the first U.S. college to divest completely from companies either trading with South Africa or doing business in South Africa.. By 1988, 155 universities had divested, and the dollars were significant..faith organizations, unions, cities, counties and states joined in. Investment funds started to take a careful look at companies in their portfolios that had South African ties. In 1986, in response to increasing violence in South Africa and protests in the United States, Congress passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act that banned new investment in South Africa, sales to the police and military, and imports of a number of products Companies began to withdraw from South Africa. General Motors sold its plant in 1986. IBM left South Africa in 1987. Locally, Sara Lee and Borg-Warner got out. Doing business in South Africa became too expensive for U.S. companies One expert at the time argued that companies were leaving because of the ailing economy, not because of pressure. But the weakness of the economy had a lot to do with divestment, which caused a flight of capital, declining exchange rate and inflation. In South Africa, the government realized the damage of being isolated. When I met F.W. de Klerk, the last president of the apartheid regime, in Chicago two years ago, he was clear: When the divestment movement began, I knew that apartheid had to end. And when I met with Mandela in 1990 in New York, he said that divestment was a crucial factor in ending apartheid. The movement against apartheid was led by South Africans, and Mandela was an inspiration throughout the decades, but the actions of U.S. investors gave the movement both visibility and legitimacy and had a decisive economic impact.

There are two lessons here. The first is that contrary to what Klausner and many investment professionals would like to believe, the political and the economic do not sit in tidy spheres. Divestment is a far more overtly political action. And notice how many investors rallied behind South African divestment, when apartheid cost their communities nothing. By contrast, we all pay for the cost of tobacco-induced death and disability, through higher medical costs as well as the emotional toll, and even more for the health and planet-wide damage of fossil fuel use.

Second is that divestment is a way to addressing market defects, just as activism is. Recall that CalPERS recently divested itself of hedge fund investments, without putting the decision in its environmental, social and governance factors box. Yet as we wrote in 2006, and again when CalPERS finally acted, in 2014, by its own admission it was not earning enough in hedge funds to justify the risks and fees. It nevertheless stayed in the strategy as it continued to underperform. CalPERS finally exited, failing to fess up to the performance issues as before, but in fact is now engaging in hedge-fund-type strategies using much lower cost execution. In other words, CalPERS appears to have seen the hedge fund governance problem of excessive fees and lack of alpha (manager outperformance) as unfixable, and voted with its feet. Ironically, a divestiture that was not intended to have political impact appears to be having precisely that result. CalPERS abandonment of hedge funds has made it acceptable for other investors, particularly hidebound public pension funds, to exit or cut back on hedge fund investments, which is turn is leading funds to offer meaningful fee concessions.

Wilshires Questionable Computation of CalPERS Tobacco Divestiture Cost

Last October, Wilshire presented CalPERS with a report on the cost of its various divestiture programs. Its troubling that it covers a full seven programs in mere 17 pages. While it provides tables of numbers by year for each issue, it does not describe assumptions or methodology to allow its work to be checked or challenged. For instance, it refers to its calculation of the cost of CalPERS South Africa divestiture campaign as of 1991. At that point, Nelson Mandela has been released from Robben Island, and he and de Klerk had started down the fraught path to ending apartheid. Although there was domestic violence, the transition was largely orderly. In the absence of international pressure, can one be sure South Africa would not have fallen into prolonged demonstrations and strikes? Although I cannot examine the older work, Wilshire, like many analysts, seems to underestimate the odds and costs of what they regard as tail events.

Lets look at tobacco. Wilshire over-eggs the pudding by comparing CalPERS tobacco free benchmarks against tobacco inclusive standard benchmarks and then uses the difference to estimate the cost to CalPERS. But it is not at all clear how they did the computation. Did they take the value of the stock sold, grossed up for the investment cost, and compound it forward? And they are silent on exactly what tobacco free benchmarks and tobacco inclusive standard benchmarks they are using.

The tobacco stocks that CalPERS sold in the early 2000s were almost certainly largely domestic stocks. CalPERS has reduced its allocation to public stocks of all kinds, and domestic stocks most of all, since then.

In 2000. CalPERS had a 40% allocation to domestic equities. It now has a 51% allocation to public stocks, and half of that to foreign stock, which means the domestic stocks have fallen in terms of their weight in the portfolio by roughly 37%. Wilshire does not appear to have made that adjustment. If this take is correct, that means Wilshire has overstated the cost by a full third.

Its also dubious for Wilshire to have included analyses of the CalPERS divestitures of its investments in the Iran and the Sudan. As a California attorney said via e-mail:

Article XVI sec. 17 of the California Constitution makes clear that the Legislature may ban certain investments  investments in Sudan, Iran, and Thermal Coal are currently banned under the Government Code (Section 7500 et seq.). All this fiduciary duty crap is a smoke-screen  divestiture was in fact sold as sound exercise of fiduciary duty, since tobacco is killing and maiming members and beneficiaries.

Finally, CalPERS staff and other board members have regularly criticized JJ Jelincic for taking issue with some decisions and actions as embarrassing the system, as if public relations mattered more than substance. The requirement that all CaLPERS board members must all sign form the same hymnal is inconsistent with the position view of virtually all other government bodies, that routinely have official making statements that disagree with the views of fellow board members, so long as they state it as their own view. This is routing at far more powerful bodies, such as the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and the SEC. Even more important, the Second Restatement of Trusts, an authority that Klaunser endorsed in his remarks above, imposes a duty on a trutsee to correct breaches of trust by a fellow trustee or trustees.*

But if CalPERS insists on this provincial point of view, Will they hold Klausner to the same standard for his critical remarks in Vermont? If not, they have no justification for trying to gag Jelincic.

_____

* Fron an earlier post:

Here is a discussion of relevant law: Subsection (b) is based on Restatement (Second) of Trusts Section 258 (1959). Cotrustees are jointly and severally liable for a breach of trust if there was joint participation in the breach. Joint and several liability also is imposed on a nonparticipating cotrustee who, as provided in Section 703(g), failed to exercise reasonable care (1) to prevent a cotrustee from committing a serious breach of trust, or (2) to compel a cotrustee to redress a serious breach of trust. Joint and several liability normally carries with it a right in any trustee to seek contribution from a cotrustee to the extent the trustee has paid more than the trustees proportionate share of the liability. Subsection (b), consistent with Restatement (Second) of Trusts Section 258 (1959), creates an exception. A trustee who was substantially more at fault or committed the breach of trust in bad faith or with reckless indifference to the purposes of the trust or the interests of the beneficiaries is not entitled to contribution from the other trustees. A board member of an apparently better functioning board indicated that this information is consistent with his memory of the issue from the fiduciary training he received, that board members are liable for breaches of fiduciary duty of their fellow board members if they failed to take steps to try to remedy the breach. That includes opposing board decisions they believe to be a breach of fiduciary duty. It is thus contrary to law to demand that board members all go lemming-like over the cliff together when they are concerned that their fellow board members are engaged in a breach of trust.

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04262016_Fiduciary_Duty_Panel_Bob_Klausner_Testimony
Its been a good few weeks for opponents of further market concentration. Oil services firms Halliburton and Baker Hughes called off their merger amid a Justice Department lawsuit. New rules on corporate inversions led to an abandonment of the Pfizer-Allergan merger. The White House issued a directive to federal agencies to take steps to foster competition, with an opening salvo of ending the monopoly of cable set-top boxes. The Economist, of all places, started agitating for increased competition amid record corporate profits. The antitrust movement, in short, has gone mainstream.

And yet, even as this happens, Charter and Time Warner finalized their approval to create more concentration in the cable and internet sector, where something like 90 percent of all broadband cable comes from one of

two companies. While the mergers being stopped or resisted by the Justice Department fall under the category of extreme concentration, where the potential harm to consumers and the supply chain is obvious, those that fall just outside that, or even well within it in the case of Charter/Time Warner, are given the go-ahead. The amazing stat in my long profile of antitrust policy from last year is that the Obama Administration willingly gave up on the types of mergers that create market concentration:

But when it came to actual enforcement, the administration largely took a pass. According to data collected by Northeastern Universitys John Kwoka, from 2009 to 2011, for every merger that reduced competitors in a market to four or fewer, the administration made some investigation or challenge. But for mergers that left five or more competitors, they enforced none of them. Historically, a good chunk of those would have been challenged. These are moderately concentrated industries, right on the cusp, Kwoka says. They took a pass on every one of them. Its remarkable and a complete anomaly.

In other words, that the Administration has been doing good work on antitrust lately reflects their own failure to prevent monopolies earlier on, reaching a point where they had to stop the bleeding. Although the Justice Department is talking about blocking health insurance mergers that would take the industry down from 5 major competitors to 3, thats not actually enough. The laxity on industries on the cusp created a situation where rear-guard actions to prevent further concentration only lock in a dissatisfying status quo. And plenty of industries, particularly the platform monopolies in tech like Amazon and Google, remain untouched. The government needs to actually pull out its Section 2 power under the Sherman Act and prevent already existing antitrust behavior from harming the economy. Yet the Obama Administration has pursued only one anti-monopolization deal of this type in their entire two terms in office.

The only way to get the current or future Administration to move on that is through bipartisan pressure from Congress. Weve already seen the example. Since the March antitrust hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first in three years, the enforcement agencies  the Antitrust division of the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission  have been noticeably more aggressive in challenging merger deals.

The question is, wheres the follow-up? And at this point, I have to single out Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic ranking member of the antitrust subcommittee.

The chairman of the committee, Mike Lee, has done a few things that suggest the possibility of bipartisan support on this traditionally more polarizing issue. He investigated the FTCs failure to prosecute Google for anti-competitive behavior. He fought the egg industrys bullying of vegan mayonnaise companies. He expressed concern over the Norfolk Southern/Canadian Pacific merger, which was eventually scuttled.

Klobuchar joined Lee on that last one, but since the promising hearing on antitrust in March there hasnt been a lot of follow-through. Lee and others have displayed a willingness to work across party lines on this. Both sides know that the lack of competition stunts the economy, hurts consumers and producers, increases inequality, leads to the crapification of everything, and furthers instability in the supply chain. The ability to pressure the agencies and the White House is only strengthened when both parties come aboard.

The odd protocols of the Senate demand that the ranking member of key subcommittees like this lead the way on any bipartisan efforts. A junior member stepping out of line doesnt happen all that much. If you want to exert maximum pressure in favor of aggressive antitrust enforcement, you need Klobuchar at the forefront.

In the March hearing, Klobuchar did get in a zinger about pay-for-delay schemes:

When questioned about other cases, the antitrust enforcers appeared to pad their stats. Ramirez, the FTC chair, mentioned on numerous occasions a $1.2 billion settlement with Teva Pharmaceuticals, over a pay-for-delay deal it reached with generic manufacturers, preventing competition to its sleep-disorder drug Provigil. But Klobuchar pointed out that the total harm to consumers in increased prices has been estimated between $3.5 and $5.6 billion. The defendant got to keep 70 to 80 percent of the profits, Klobuchar said. Ramirez only replied that the FTC tries to estimate the appropriate penalty.

But Ive gone through Klobuchars press releases since the hearing. Outside of a victory lap on the end of the Canadian Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger, and a follow-up on pay-for-delay (where the FTC got more aggressive because of her questioning), theres been one advance in two months  a bipartisan letter with Lee urging careful consideration of the SABMiller/Anheuser-Busch InBev merger. That just seems like a wasted opportunity.

Were coming out of one of the most intense periods of merger and acquisition activity in the countrys history. Markets are now so concentrated and ripe for abuse, wrote Chris Sagers of Cleveland State University in the New York Times, and the political will for enforcement so lacking, that our antitrust laws seem increasingly hopeless. Among the only proven motivators to get the agencies working has been when leaders in both parties start yelling at them. Klobuchar hasnt been on the field enough doing the yelling. That has to change.
Study supports natural causes, not alien activity, to explain mystery star's behavior

(Nanowerk News) Sorry, E.T. lovers, but the results of a new study make it far less likely that KIC 8462852, popularly known as Tabby's star, is the home of industrious aliens who are gradually enclosing it in a vast shell called a Dyson sphere.

Public interest in the star, which sits about 1,480 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, began last fall when Yale astronomer Tabetha ("Tabby") Boyajian and colleagues posted a paper on an astronomy preprint server reporting that "planet hunters" - a citizen science group formed to search data from the Kepler space telescope for evidence of exoplanets - had found unusual fluctuations in the light coming from the otherwise ordinary F-type star (slightly larger and hotter than the sun).

The most remarkable of these fluctuations consisted of dozens of uneven, unnatural-looking dips that appeared over a 100-day period indicating that a large number of irregularly shaped objects had passed across the face of the star and temporarily blocked some of the light coming from it.

Cascading comets around a distant star. (Image: NASA/JPL/Caltech)

Media interest went viral last October when a group of astronomers from Pennsylvania State University released a preprint ("The Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations with Large Energy Supplies. IV. The Signatures and Information Content of Transiting Megastructures") that cited KIC 8462852's "bizarre light curve" as "consistent with" a swarm of alien-constructed megastructures.

The attention caused scientists at the SETI Institute to train its Alien Telescope Array on the star to see if they could detect any radio signals indicating the presence of an alien civilization. In November it reported finding "no such evidence" of signals with an artificial origin.

Then a study released in January by a Louisiana State University astronomer threw even more fuel on the fire of alien speculation by announcing that the brightness of Tabby's star had dimmed by 20 percent over the last century: a finding particularly difficult to explain by natural means but consistent with the idea that aliens were gradually converting the material in the star's planetary system into giant megastructures that have been absorbing increasing amounts of energy from the star for more than a century. That study has now been accepted for publication in the peer reviewed Astrophysical Journal.

The Dyson Ring, left, is the simplest form of Dyson structure. Creating a Dyson bubble would be an incredible engineering challenge but it is considered to be far more feasible than surrounding a star in a rigid sphere. (Wikipedia Creative Commons License)

However, a new study - also accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal - has taken a detailed look at the observations on which the LSU study was based and concluded there is no credible evidence that the brightness of the star been steadily changing over this period.

When the LSU study was posted on the physics preprint server ArXiv, it caught the attention of Vanderbilt doctoral student Michael Lund because it was based on data from a unique resource: Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard. DASCH consists of more than 500,000 photographic glass plates taken by Harvard astronomers between 1885 and 1993, which the university is digitizing. Lund was concerned that the apparent 100-year dimming of Tabby's star might just be the result of observations having been made by a number of different telescopes and cameras that were used during the past century.

Lund convinced his advisor, Professor of Physics and Astronomy Keivan Stassun, and a frequent collaborator, Lehigh University astronomer Joshua Pepper, that the question was worth pursuing. After they began the study, the Vanderbilt/Lehigh group discovered that another team - German amateur astronomer Michael Hippke and NASA Postdoctoral Fellow Daniel Angerhausen - were conducting research along similar lines. So the two teams decided to collaborate on the analysis, which they wrote up and submitted to the Astrophysical Journal.

"Whenever you are doing archival research that combines information from a number of different sources, there are bound to be data precision limits that you must take into account," said Stassun. "In this case, we looked at variations in the brightness of a number of comparable stars in the DASCH database and found that many of them experienced a similar drop in intensity in the 1960's. That indicates the drops were caused by changes in the instrumentation not by changes in the stars' brightness."

Even if aliens are not involved, Tabby's star remains "the most mysterious star in the universe" as Boyajian described it in a TED talk she gave last February.

The planet hunters first detected something unusual in the star's light curve in 2009. They found a 1 percent dip that lasted a week. This is comparable to the signal that would be produced by a Jupiter-sized planet passing in front of the star. But planets produce symmetric dips and the one they found was decidedly asymmetric, like something that would be produced by an irregular-shaped object like a comet.

The light from the star remained steady for two years, then it suddenly took a 15 percent plunge that lasted for a week.

Another two years passed without incident but in 2013 the star began flickering with a complex series of uneven, unnatural looking dips that lasted 100 days. During the deepest of these dips, the intensity of the light coming from the star dropped 20 percent. According to Boyajian it would take an object 1,000 times the area of the Earth transiting the distant star to produce such a dramatic effect.

"The Kepler data contains other cases of irregular dips like these, but never in a swarm like this," said Stassun.

Boyajian and her colleagues considered a number of possible explanations, including variations in the star's output, the aftermath of an Earth/Moon type planetary collision, interstellar clumps of dust passing between the star and earth, and some kind of disruption by the star's apparent dwarf companion. However, none of their scenarios could explain all of the observations. Their best explanation was a giant comet that fragmented into a cascade of thousands of smaller comets. (This hypothesis took a hit when the LSU study was announced because it could not explain a century-long dimming.)

"What does this mean for the mystery? Are there no aliens after all? Probably not! Still, the dips found by Kepler are real. Something seems to be transiting in front of this star and we still have no idea what it is!" Hippke summarized.
Chef Peter Jun prepares sushi at The Grape Base at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, FL on Saturday, May 7, 2016. (Photo by Gregg Pachkowski /Special to the Daily News)

By John Osborne, Daily News Correspondent

Opened in 2011, The Grape Base at Coconut Point mall in Estero once stocked 2,000 bottles of wine from all around the world, with a focus on retail sales. But cutthroat competition and shrinking profit margins recently led owner Emile Mourad to flip the script.

"We're more of a sushi lounge now than retail, though we still do quite a bit of retail sales," the Lebanon native said of his 4,000-square-foot establishment at 2301 Fashion Drive, Suite 113, just behind the mall's West Elm store. "It's much more fun and not so competitive now."

Mourad said aggressive pricing from big-box retailers made him decide to put a cork in the retail-heavy approach.

"The wine business is so competitive there's almost no profit," he said. "To make ends meet, you have to have gigantic quantity, and we value the quality of our product over the quantity."

So Mourad decided to combine two of his passions: sushi and wine.

"The premise of our operation now is to pair wine and sushi," he said. "A lot of people drink beer or sake with sushi, and they don't know how wonderful a good glass of wine can pair with a good piece of sushi."

Therefore, Mourad said, he has made it his mission to educate his guests.

"That's what makes us different," he said. "You have Cabernets, Pinot noir, Sauvignon Blanc  there are so many wines that pair well with fish it's unbelievable."

With that in mind, Mourad said the sushi offerings at The Grape Base are now as impressive as the wine selection.

"We have amazing, rolled, fresh sushi," he said. "I work hard to find wild cod sushi, not just farm-raised, because I eat a lot of sushi myself and I want to offer the fresh, good stuff to everybody."

Platters, rolls, fresh-cut fish with no rice and a lot of green salads with fresh sushi on top mark just some of his lounge's offerings, Mourad said.

"We've got everything from spicy tuna to yellowtail-scallion rolls  just a wide variety of everything," he said.

A glance at The Grape Base's sushi menu reveals two pieces of yellowtail sushi or 3 pieces of sashimi (sushi with no rice) for $8. Sea urchin, which Mourad describes as "the caviar of sushi" costs $12 for two pieces. And a steamed lobster tail stuffed with avocado, cilantro and spicy tuna goes for $24.

"It's just delicious  AAA quality," Mourad said.

A healthy approach to sushi marks an especially important consideration at The Grape Base, said Mourad, a father of two who moved to New York City at 16 to escape his war-torn homeland.

"Everything is organic, from the soy sauce to the seaweed," he said. "I want people to find something delicious to eat without needing to go to the doctor once a month."

And even though the rice appears white, it's actually brown, Mourad said.

"It's just one of those things; people want white rice with their sushi," he said "But this isn't actual white rice, which is bleached and does nothing for human consumption. It's several varieties of high-grade brown rice."

Cheese, salami and prosciutto platters provide an alternative to those not into sushi, said Mourad, whose lounge employs six, seats 70 guests at a time and features a deejay on the weekends.

"We've really got something for everyone," he said.

Bartender and server Olivia Skaff said everyone on staff endeavors to provide an unforgettable experience for guests.

"It's a lounge-type setting with great wine and great food and more of an urban-culture atmosphere," she said. "We have a consistent clientele of a bunch of regulars, and we also have big groups of people who have never been here before but fall in love with the place and become regulars themselves."

Regular guest Tom Klament of Estero counts himself among that number.

"The original place was more of a wine store, but now they have very good sushi and the Asian-Italian fusion, with salty meats and cheeses and olives," said the Cleveland native who has been going to The Grape Base consistently for about a year. "There's a diverse crowd, and always a new friend to be made there. Whether from Europe or Florida or out-of-towners, the camaraderie is just great. It's really just a beautiful, very comfortable place where you can go to enjoy yourself and make friends."

And that, Mourad said, is what it's all about.

"Wine and food are celebratory things, so what better way to celebrate than with wonderful food paired with a bottle of phenomenal wine?" he said.

For more information, call 239-949-7774 or see www.thegrapebase.com.
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WASHINGTON  Paul Ryan has little choice but to endorse Donald Trump ... sooner rather than later. To do otherwise probably would cost him speakership of the House, and might end his political career much too soon.

Furthermore, his lack of support would risk him being listed in history as one of the architects of an irrevocably divided Republican Party blamed for another horrendous defeat, with the possibility of creating a permanent third party. You might think that's a bit hysterical; that endorsements or lack of them don't mean that much. That is often the case. But not when the refusal of support comes from the person who is up next after the vice president in the succession to the Oval Office. Ryan is the highest Republican official in the nation.

It is one thing for the two former Bush presidents  George Herbert Walker and George W.  to make it clear they would be unavailable for the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, or for the 2012 GOP nominee  Mitt Romney  to disavow Trump's expected nomination. It is quite another for Ryan to do so. Denying support to the party's presumptive nominee by him would be unthinkable.

That's why the two  Trump and Ryan  will meet this week to come to some kind of an accommodation over direction of the party. The urgency to settle this in Trump's favor is palpable. Too long a delay would cast doubt on the sincerity of a Ryan pledge of support. It would be like President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960, when asked why then-Vice President Richard Nixon, should be president. Eisenhower replied that if given a few days, he would come up with an answer. The remark played a part in Nixon's defeat.

Few people understand the perils of this more than the 1996 Republican nominee Bob Dole. The 92-year-old former Kansas senator and Republican majority leader endorsed Trump Friday, stating what seems obvious  the only way to defeat Hillary Clinton (the expected Democratic nominee) is with a unified party. Dole, a war hero and a highly respected elder statesman, carries as much weight in the endorsement game as anyone except perhaps Ryan.

Current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was quick to throw his unqualified support to Trump despite his earlier opposition to the New York billionaire's candidacy. This, of course, is just another sign that the Republican leadership at most levels  derisively called the "establishment" by conservative detractors  can be expected to fall in line with few exceptions. Even some of Trump's main detractors among his fellow candidates in the primaries have been quick to reverse their positions.

Former candidates like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christy and surgeon Ben Carson endorsed Trump almost immediately after giving up and dropping out. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul also has swung to Trump since ending his campaign. Another early dropout  former Texas Gov. Rick Perry  is on board with Trump. The last two Trump challengers, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, have yet to follow suit.

Is the war over? Hardly.

A number of those pledging support to the party's "nominee" are doing so without naming Trump and with their fingers firmly pinching their noses. That includes Sen. John McCain of Arizona, another former GOP nominee. But two important figures, Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both once among the army of candidates seeking this year's brass ring, have made it clear at this time they want nothing to do with Trump.

Top analysts say that many of the naysayers are maneuvering to bring Trump more closely to their positions on a variety of issues, to moderate his stances that have offended so many voting blocs, including women and Hispanics. Trump may be in the process of calming down his rhetoric, not an unusual action after winning the nomination and heading for the general election. Some observers believe, however, that calming his approach too much might be a mistake, disengaging the angry primary voters who brought him to this point.

One thing seems apparent: If the Republicans are to defeat the Democratic candidate, even one with negatives as high as Clinton's, they must come together quickly. Ryan knows this and can be expected to end any sense of detachment in the matter quickly. Otherwise, the fortunes of the Republican Party and, for that matter, the two-party system as we know it, are at grave risk.
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By T.R. Kerth, Citizen Contributor

Democracy can be frustrating  especially when you hold a free election, expecting the citizenry to vote according to their time-honored conservative principles, but they instead cast a landslide of cartoonishly absurd ballots.

I'm speaking, of course, about the recent voting held in Great Britain. Who did you think I was talking about?

In case you haven't been following the election, it all began when Great Britain decided to build a state-of-the-art $300 million polar research vessel to explore the Arctic and Antarctic, and the National Environment Research Council thought it was a good idea to let the public name it in an online poll.

More than 10,000 Brits cast votes to name the ship the "RRS Sir David Attenborough," after the United Kingdom's respected naturalist and broadcaster who recently turned 90. It warmed the cockles of the Research Council's heart to read those votes, because they affirmed respect for the ship's  and Attenborough's  dedication to the advancement of human knowledge.

Except that all those votes for Attenborough were a drop in the bucket compared to the 124,109 votes cast for "Boaty McBoatface" in an online joke that ran amuck.

British communication specialist James Hand came up with the name and thought it would be funny to "throw it into the ring." But as soon as the name showed up on the online voting site, the website crashed with all the hits it was getting.

"It was actually nothing to do with me," Hand said. "It was my suggestion but the storm that has been created has legs of its own."

The Research Council was aghast, as you might imagine. Their stiff upper lip quivered with outrage.

After all, consider all the scientific wonders that marvelous vessel will discover, followed by a Research Council announcement proudly telling the world: "Great Britain once again pushed the boundaries of science as another stunning discovery was made by our state-of-the-art research vessel  Boaty McBoatface!"

Blimey!

There was so much consternation in Parliament that a government inquiry was scheduled over the Research Council's decision to hold a non-binding public vote to pick a name.

"My committee wants to explore this as an example of science communication," said governmental committee chair Nicola Blackwood. "Was it a triumph of public engagement or a PR disaster?"

Oh, the frustrations of free elections, where voters can choose to soar like eagles  or cackle like Heckle and Jeckle.

Fortunately, nothing like that could ever happen here, right?

I mean, imagine holding a presidential election with more than a dozen qualified conservative candidates, and the electorate voting in landslide numbers for some cartoonish, buffoonish clown likeoh, let's say Rumpy T Rumpface.

A triumph of public engagement? Or a PR disaster?

Of course, there would be more at stake in a presidential election than just the embarrassment of a silly name. After all, a research vessel can still do a good job with a clownish moniker, because it's still full of all that good science stuff. The science will get done, even if the reporting of it might cause a few twinges of embarrassment.

But there's no telling what a President like Rumpy T Rumpface would be full of. So that could be a problem.

Fortunately, the Brits in their infinite wisdom found an answer to their naming dilemma, one that they hope will satisfy everyone.

They went ahead and named the marvelous research vessel the "RRS Sir David Attenborough," the name they had hoped the electorate would have chosen had they taken the whole thing seriously instead of childishly.

But they also honored the sanctity of free elections by bestowing the name "Boaty McBoatface" on a tiny "high-tech remotely operated undersea vehicle," which will perform tasks like finding icebergs  even though British mariners mastered that skill with Titanic efficiency as far back as 1912.

Boaty McBoatface is shaped like a torpedo, but it's actually a little yellow submarine, which, ironically, a quartet of Brits predicted some 50 years ago.

"And the band begins to play."

It's too early to tell if British voters will be satisfied with the Research Council's decision. The whole embarrassing affair could sail off into the sunset as a win-win situation. Or it could be another Titanic mistake.

In any case, if something like that ever happened in an American election, it's certain that Council leaders on this side of the pond would be watching with eager eyes to see how it all plays out in Great Britain.

After all, a conservative American Council would love to find some way to honor the wishes of all those voters who picked Rumpy T Rumpface in their primaries. It would only be right, because the people would have spoken. And in a democracy, as frustrating as it might be, the electorate must be satisfied.

But the grown-ups in the room wouldn't be satisfied until they figured out a way to sink Rumpy T Rumpface like a yellow-haired submarine.

- - -

The author splits his time between Southwest Florida and Chicago. Not every day, though. Contact him at trkerth@yahoo.com. Why wait a whole week for your next visit to Planet Kerth? Get T.R.'s book, "Revenge of the Sardines," available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine online book distributors. His column appears every Saturday.
The victim, Jonthomas Hobbs, was found at 32nd St. SW and Wanda Avenue a few blocks north of State Road 82. (Photo: Michael Braun/The News-Press)

By Michael Braun, The News-Press

Jonthomas Hobbs, a little after noon on Mother's Day, wrote on his Facebook page: "Momma im srry i was so bad growin up but we made it out alive so thank god."

A little more than nine hours later the 17-year-old was dead. The Lee County Sheriff's Office say it was a homicide.

The Bonita Springs teen was found at 9:42 Sunday night at 32nd St. SW and Wanda Avenue in Lehigh Acres, a few blocks north of State Road 82. The intersection where he was found dead-ends into canals. Authorities have released little information about why they are calling it a homicide.

Hobbs, also called JT on his social media page, said he had lived in Lehigh Acres and attended East Lee County High School. Both items listed that he moved on June 20, 2014. He is not currently attending any Lee County school, according to the district.

A 2013 Lee County Sheriff's Office arrest record for Hobbs lists Maddox Lane in Bonita Springs as his last known address.

Detectives told residents in the area where the body was found that it was an isolated incident and the surrounding community was not in any danger.

Linda Leamy, who lives at one of the few homes within eyesight of the crime scene, said she came home shortly before 1 a.m. Monday and at first thought her house was on fire because of the large police presence.

"They told me I was safe," she said of deputies. She said she did not know the victim.

Leamy said that she moved to the sparsely populated area of Lehigh about two and a half years ago from east Fort Myers.

"That's why I moved here," she said, citing killings where she used to live around Ballard Road.

"I'm very surprised," she said of the crime. "At first I was kind of uneasy. I thought the killer might be on the loose.The deputies assured me everything was safe."

Anyone with information should call the Lee County Sheriff's Office at (239) 477-1000. Or, to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1000, call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS. Tips may also be made online at www.swflcrimestoppers.org or by texting a tip to CRIMES(274637) keyword: REWARD
SHARE James Marshall (Photo: Special to news-press.com) Matthew Marshall (LCSO)

By Melissa Montoya, The News-Press

The final months of James Marshalls life were tumultuous.

His son threatened to slit his throat.

The situation became so severe the 58-year-old began sleeping in his room with a chair wedged against his bedroom door . He was so concerned he established a safe word  "Rocky"  to send it to his friend in case he needed police help.

Marshall never got the chance to use it.

Instead, investigators found Marshalls torso wrapped in a sheet in a wooded area behind the Island Cove condo in northeast Cape Coral he shared with his son, on Feb. 22, six days after he was last seen alive.

Almost three weeks later, a suitcase found floating in a canal less than a mile away from his home contained his left arm, thighs and lower legs.

His head is still missing.

The same day police found Marshall's torso, his 33-year-old son Matthew Marshall was detained for skipping out on a bar tab in Cape Coral. More than two months later he was charged with second-degree murder, abuse of a dead body and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in his fathers death.

Court documents outlining the evidence for his arrest show how investigators  through interviews, forensics, technological analysis and tips  pieced together the gruesome death of Marshall and his sons alleged involvement.

Cape Coral police called it a "lengthy and complex" investigation when they announced homicide charges against Matthew on April 26.

"While 'gruesomeness' is subjective, I would say this is certainly one of the most gruesome cases in our departments history," said Cape Coral police Detective Sgt. Dana Coston, public affairs officer.

The police will continue to search for evidence in the case, said Detective Sgt. Bennett Walker.

"Out of respect for the family we do not wish to discuss details relating to the victims remains," Walker said.

A public defender will represent Matthew, according to court records. Matthew is scheduled for arraignment May 31. The Public Defender's Office for the 20th Judicial Circuit did not respond to a request for comment.

Threats

Matthew moved in with his father after Thanksgiving.

Marshall, at 6 feet and 180 pounds, was worried because his 250-pound, 6-foot-4-inch son, who had mental health issues, was strong and unpredictable. But, still the father didnt want to leave Matthew homeless.

By the end of December, the relationship between father and son disintegrated further after Matthew put his dad into a chokehold and threatened to kill him if he didnt drive him to Washington, D.C., so he could assassinate "George Bush and his family."

Marshall escaped, fled his condo and called the Cape Coral police.

Matthew was involuntarily institutionalized under the Baker Act by police officers. He was taken to SalusCare, a Fort Myers-based nonprofit mental health and substance center.

A police officer who transported Matthew to the treatment center told investigators Matthew asked him questions about how the department handles missing persons cases and death investigations.

Matthew also told the officer he wasnt worried about going to SalusCare because he would tell the staff what they wanted to hear, and he knew what to say to the doctor in order to get released.

That incident occurred on Dec. 28, according to Marshall's best friend, 55-year-old Billy Broccio.

Matthew spent three days at SalusCare and was released, Broccio said. Marshall began looking for a permanent facility for his son, he said.

"He was gung ho on getting his son help," Broccio said. "He wanted to make sure his son was getting taken care of."

Todd Cordisco, vice president of public relations & development for SalusCare, said he cannot talk about a specific patient's interaction with the facility or even confirm that Matthew was a patient there in December.

Cordisco said when a patient held under the Baker Act is released, they are provided with follow-up care.

"Treatment is a two-way street," Cordisco said. "They have to show up for an appointment."

Broccio said he doesn't know if Matthew ever returned for care.

He became more volatile after his stay there Marshall told Broccio.

The father received a respite from the toxic situation in late January when his son left to bike to Tampa. He was relieved, but concerned for Matthews safety.

Four days later on Feb. 2, Marshall picked up his son in Clearwater after his bike broke.

Once he was back home, Matthew became more irrational and threatening to his father, leading Marshall to come up with the safe word with Broccio.

But, 14 days later co-workers stopped hearing from Marshall. He was described as a dependable employee, but failed to pick up airline tickets for a cross-country flight to teach investment at a conference.

His co-workers alerted authorities to his disappearance.

Evidence

Multiple witnesses recalled seeing a shirtless man, who fit Matthews description, walk across the condo parking lot, dripping wet, the day after Marshall was last seen alive.

One witness found it peculiar because the man was returning from the opposite direction of the pool.

He had a blank stare, one neighbor said.

During their initial conversation on Feb. 19, Matthew first told investigators he and his father had a good relationship. He said he wasn't concerned for his dads welfare or knew his whereabouts because Marshall traveled a lot.

He said if co-workers were worried, then a missing persons report should be made. Matthew told investigators that he last saw his father on Feb. 16, the last day Marshall was seen alive. He acknowledged he was the only person in the condo since then.

Investigators noted his voice was shaking, he was trembling, and he appeared very nervous.

He told detectives his father gave him a credit card to use for spending money. But everyone else interviewed said Marshall would never provide Matthew with money because he would spend it on alcohol.

Matthew had a tendency to become violent after drinking, they said.

Investigators examined bank statements and noticed Matthew had never used his fathers credit card prior to his disappearance.

On the day police discovered Marshall's torso, they arrested Matthew for an incident on Feb. 17, the day after Marshall disappeared. He failed to a pay a bar tab at BackStreets in Cape Coral after the credit card he used was declined. It was his fathers card. Matthew left the bar angry.

During a second visit to the condo, police and investigators noted a strong smell of chlorine which was absent on their first visit.

A forensic examination tested positive for a large amount of blood that had been cleaned from the shower in the father's bedroom. Broccio, his friend, told police Matthew wasn't allowed to use that shower.

A good father

Marshall told his ex-wife Mary Raveling he was living in fear, but he would rather placate Matthew than put him back out on the streets.

Raveling, 58, who was also threatened by Matthew, declined to comment.

Marshall was the kind of person that always tried to help others, Broccio said.

"He had no clue what was wrong with his son," Broccio said. "If you know Rick, he was a wonderful, generous kind man."

"He was so outgoing and he never looked down on anybody."

He was a good father to Matthew and his younger brother Jordon Marshall, Broccio said.

"You couldn't ask for a better dad," Broccio said.

Jordon Marshall, 31, wrote passionately about his father on his Facebook page.

He truly was an incredible man that spread love every where he went, Jordon Marshall posted on March 5.

He could not be reached for comment.

He was truly ... filled with joy, and I can not express my love for him in words. He was an amazing Father and my role model. The love and sacrifices that he made for me through out my life will live on in me.
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By Alexi C. Cardona of the Naples Daily News

The number of serious crimes reported in unincorporated Collier County in 2015 dropped by 3.1 percent overall, but reports of some categories of crime showed an increase, Collier County Sheriff's Office figures show.

From 2014 to 2015, reports of larcenies, motor vehicle thefts and homicides went down, but reports of sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary went up, adding up to an overall decrease from 5,300 to 5,137 reports.

"These are reductions to already very low crime numbers," said Commander Bill McDonald of the Sheriff's Office community engagement department. "We live in a safe community. As far as rankings of counties throughout Florida, the counties with lower rates of criminal activity are far more rural, far smaller. They're places where you'd expect lower criminal activity."

Citizens reported 321 fewer larcenies, three fewer motor vehicle thefts and two fewer homicides from 2014 to 2015. Sexual assaults rose from 117 to 139 reports. Reports of robbery increased from 155 to 163, and burglaries rose from 798 to 847. Reported aggravated assaults increased from 601 to 685.

McDonald said sexual assault figures are sometimes greater because under the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, sexual assault is grouped with lewd acts and child molestation in addition to sexual battery.

"That category of crimes encompasses several criminal acts," he said.

McDonald said that despite the population growth Collier County is experiencing and will continue to experience, the number of reported crimes has remained low.

"We're committing not to expect more crime with greater population growth," he said. "We follow our crime trends very closely and we're working to keep going in the direction we've been going."
SHARE Jonas Fee Casares Maria Isabel Hernandez

By Daily News Staff

A Hialeah woman and her driver were arrested Friday and accused of stealing thousands of dollars by cashing forged checks at four Bank of America branches, the Naples Police Department reported.

Maria Isabel Hernandez, 52, and Jonas Fee Casares, 34, of Miami, were each charged with one count of uttering a counterfeit instrument and one count of grand theft.

Naples police reported they caught Hernandez as she tried to cash a fake check for $7,200 at the Bank of America on Fifth Avenue South in downtown Naples from the account of a Miami Lakes car towing company

Bank managers recognized Hernandez from alerts issued by two other bank branches warning that a Hispanic woman with a crutch and cast on her leg was trying to cash fraudulent checks at Bank of America branches at Berkshire Lakes, Kings Lake and Rattlesnake Hammock shopping plazas.

Through their initial investigation, police officers said they learned that Hernandez successfully cashed at least one of the fraudulent checks for $7,600. Detectives are still verifying whether Hernandez also cashed checks for $6,900 and $6,600.

Officers believe Hernandez and Casares traveled to the area solely to cash the fraudulent checks.
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By Daily News Staff

The Florida Highway Patrol continues monitoring conditions on U.S. 41 East and State Road 29 while a wildfire burns through 8,500 acres of land in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

The wildfire could cause a smoke hazard and affect visibility during night and early-morning hours, according to the National Park Service.

The fire started Friday evening east of Birdon Road and 3.5 miles south of Upper Wagonwheel Road near Ochopee. The fire was 50 percent contained. The cause of the fire has not been determined, said Big Cypress spokesman Bob DeGross.

FHP spokesman Greg Bueno said troopers continued monitoring road conditions Sunday night into Monday morning and that roadway visibility was good.
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Chris Murphy, Naples

Cage free

Animal rights activists in Florida led a successful campaign to end cruel gestation crates for pregnant sows in the state's factory farms in 2002.

Another example of cruelty that is now coming to an end in Florida, and throughout the country, is the confining of egg-laying hens in battery cages.

Factory farms throughout the state cram thousands of hens inside cages so small they can't freely walk, spread their wings or rest comfortably. Their beaks are cut off when they're still chicks so they don't peck each other to death inside these crowded cages.

Birds caught in cage wire or under feed troughs are trampled by their cage mates and are unable to reach food and water. Hens that die from starvation or stress may be left to rot in cages with hens still laying eggs for human consumption.

California-based Mercy for Animals has led a recent campaign to encourage the largest food retailers in the country to source their eggs exclusively from farms that do not use battery cages. Sadly, of the 15 largest food retailers in the United States, Florida-based Publix Supermarkets hasn't committed to going cage-free.

A commitment to source their eggs from farms that don't force their hens to endure lives spent fighting for space and comfort inside tight battery cages would dramatically reduce their suffering.

Please join me in encouraging Publix to go cage-free. It's the right thing to do and makes marketing sense.
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Ken Riceman, Naples

Progressive, socialist

There have been a few letters from writers professing their love for a progressive and socialist country.

Some are making claims that items like Social Security is a socialist program, thus the U.S. is a socialist country.

How quickly they forget that workers paid into Social Security and, when retired, if they so choose, can draw their Social Security monthly income. How soon they forgot how their liberal leaders in Congress took the Social Security savings account and installed it into the general government fund, where they promptly wasted all the money. (See President Obama $10 trillion debt from his administration he is leaving us.)

Progressives want to make you believe that they can make everything better, but in reality have never done so, with their actions leading to massive unemployment and welfare.

Their main purpose is to lead the country to socialism.

Socialism, as these writers stated in their opinions, has a lot of free stuff for people, forgetting that nothing is free. We all have to pay until the money runs out.

Socialism is like being introduced to a narcotic. It makes you feel good for a short period of time, and makes you want more, when in reality once you are hooked, the drug dealers, those in power, liberals, continue their path to more socialism.

As liberals drift further left it becomes too late and life as we currently know it is gone. If you like this dead-end style of living please leave for Cuba and leave the rest of us freedom-loving citizens alone.

It is extremely important that those in government be honest. Unfortunately many are not. Hillary Clinton has done enough damage worldwide. Time to put her out to pasture.
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Scott Keller, Naples

Union meetings

The district's current collective bargaining agreement with the teachers' union says that union meetings "may" be permitted to be held at any school before or after the official student day.

It does not, however, mandate that unions have the right to hold union meetings at each school. And it certainly does not require taxpayers pay the wages to attend union meetings in a taxpayer-funded school facility within the teachers' work day.

As part of the reporting on the politicking going on at these union meetings, we've learned that someone in the district is authorizing the teachers' unions to hold meetings on the taxpayer dime.

Why is the union taking up even more of the teachers' schedule and having the taxpayers foot the bill?

What does this cost us, the taxpayers? Why are taxpayers supporting wages for union meetings, and who should local voters and taxpayers hold accountable for this misuse of taxpayer resources?

A new union contract is currently being negotiated. Going forward, we must put an end to this practice of spending taxpayer money to pay for union activities. Our teachers should be free to use what little time they have, before or after the official student day, to prepare for what they do best, which is to teach our children.
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Steve Lohan, Bonita Springs

Chairman

Bonita Springs Fire Commission

Well represented

Here we go again. In response to Ed FitzGerald's recent letter, there is nothing worse than a disgruntled city resident.

He blasts the Bonita Springs Fire Commission, yet he served on the board for more than 10 years. He feels that Bonita Springs Utilities should be disbanded and constantly attacks the board members.

He consistently goes after the City Council members of Bonita Springs, accusing them of mismanagement. The only item in his letter that I agree with is that citizens should watch our monthly meetings.

I have been a Certified District Official for 6 years through the Florida Association of Special Districts. It is a two-year process with continuing education after that.

Most of the rest of the board members are almost there as well. To attack and falsely accuse board members who work diligently to provide emergency services at the highest level to the residents of Bonita Springs with little fanfare and a small stipend of a salary is questionable at best and malicious at worse.
SHARE Scott Lowe Market Chief Executive Officer Physicians Regional Health System

By Scott Lowe, Market Chief Executive Officer Physicians Regional Healthcare System

Hospitals are more than a place where people go to heal, or to receive treatment when sick or injured.

Hospitals are often at the very heart of their communities, contributing to the physical, emotional and financial health. During National Hospital Week, Physicians Regional Healthcare System celebrates the more than 1,500 associates who work together 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to ensure quality medical care is available to every person in Collier County.

National Hospital Week was established in 1953, and this year it will be celebrated from May 8-14. The dates overlap the celebration of National Nurses Week (May 6- 12 this year), and were chosen to coincide with Florence Nightingale's birthday, honoring her role in revolutionizing hospital care in the mid-1800s.

This year's National Hospital Week theme is "Healthcare from the Heart," an appropriate tribute to the 5.6 million physicians, nurses, therapists, food service workers, volunteers and many more who care for their neighbors with competence, dedication and compassion.

Physicians Regional Healthcare System is proud to serve Collier County with high-quality clinical services that continue to expand, year after year. In 2015, our hospital touched more than 112,000 lives through inpatient and outpatient care. We performed 13,000 surgeries, and treated nearly 50,000 patients in our ER.

We are proud to be the only hospital in the area to have been recognized by The Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and immunization.

Our Collier Boulevard hospital is home to Southwest Florida's only accredited Bariatric Center. We are the area's leader in the area of robotic-assisted surgery, and have Total Joint Centers for orthopedics that provide outcomes far better than both state and national data.

Both of our hospitals have been designated by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration as Primary Stroke Centers, and our Pine Ridge hospital is an Accredited Chest Pain Center. All of these accomplishments are testament to the dedicated team of health-care professionals who are part of the team at Physicians Regional Healthcare System.

In addition to celebrating the millions of workers dedicated to patient care in the U.S., National Hospital Week also serves as a reminder that hospitals are ingrained in our society. Providing treatment and comfort to the sick, our physicians, nurses, therapists, engineers, food service workers, volunteers  and so many more that complete our hospitals  are indeed at the heart of healthy and vibrant communities.

This year, Physicians Regional Healthcare System is proud to acknowledge, thank and celebrate our associates and other health-care providers, who tirelessly serve the community and personify the 2016 "Healthcare from the Heart" theme.
The Southwest Florida Symphony Endowment Foundation has elected three new members to its board of trustees: Doris Colgate, president and CEO of Offshore Sailing School; Scott Gregory, vice president and business insurance agent, BB&T-Oswald Trippe & Company; and Thomas Kracmer, owner of Cadence Music and principal tuba player in the Southwest Florida Symphony. Gregory serves as board secretary.



Colgate, Gregory and Kracmer join board members Don King and Robert Dienfenbach; President David Hall, executive vice president, CFO and chief operating officer with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank; and Treasurer Corey Vertich, a principal with Uhler and Vertich Financial Planners.



On behalf of the board, we are pleased to have such dedicated and enthusiastic individuals join in supporting the foundations long-term plan of growing the Southwest Florida Symphony endowment, said Hall. We all share a common interest in music, and I look forward to working with each of them in supporting our beloved symphony.



The foundation was established in 2002 to build assets for the long-term financial support of the Southwest Florida Symphony, Lee Countys only professional orchestra. Since then, the endowment has grown to more than $2.75 million. The foundation is managed by an independent board of trustees and receives gifts, provides appropriate investment stewardship and makes regular disbursements of earnings to the symphony. The boards goal is to increase the endowment to $5 million by 2020.



Foundation trustees are chosen from the community for their strong dedication to music and their understanding of and experience in the foresight and fiduciary responsibility required to oversee this cultural financial resource.



For more information about Southwest Florida Symphony and its endowment, visit http://www.SWFLSO.org, or call 239-210-2345.
Naples Municipal Airport has started several improvement projects at the south end of the airport along North Road between Tower Drive and the observation deck. The airport will remove the berm along the sidewalk, relandscape the area and build public restrooms at the observation deck.



To improve water drainage and prepare the area for potential development, the berm is being replaced with attractive and substantial landscaping that will serve as a visual barrier. In addition to the berm removal, the adjacent sidewalk will be raised to increase drainage and usability.



Single-occupancy restrooms, one male and one female, will be built immediately east of the observation deck for public use, open from dawn to dusk daily.



The observation deck has become a popular amenity since it opened in 2011, said Airport Authority Executive Director Chris Rozansky. We added speakers so people can listen to conversations between air traffic control tower and pilots, and Eagle Scouts provided picnic tables, exercise stations, and a bicycle rack. Constructing restrooms adds convenience for those using the deck and the Gordon River Greenway.



Owen-Ames-Kimball Co. is leading the construction efforts and the landscaping work. The projects will take approximately 12 weeks to complete. During construction, the affected sidewalk areas will be closed. The observation deck will remain open for public use during most of the construction.



Naples Municipal Airport welcomed the return of scheduled airline service on Feb. 27 when Elite Airways began flights to Newark, New Jersey, and Portland, Maine. The airport is home to flight schools, air charter operators, car rental agencies and corporate aviation and nonaviation businesses, as well as fire/rescue services, mosquito control, the Collier County Sheriffs Aviation Unit and other community services. During the 2014-15 fiscal year, the airport accommodated 99,569 takeoffs and landings.



All funds used for the airports operation, maintenance and improvements are generated from activities at the airport or from federal and state grants; the airport receives no property tax dollars. The Florida Department of Transportation values the airports annual economic impact to the community at $283.5 million.



For more information or to subscribe for email updates about the airport, visit www.FlyNaples.com.
The Above Board Chamber of Florida is proud to partner with Southwest Florida International Airport to present the Southwest Florida Workforce Summit on Thursday, May 12 at Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers. This extraordinary two-part event will include a free job fair that is open to the public from 10 a.m.  2 p.m. and a luncheon and panel discussion featuring top recruiters from a variety of industries and public officials representing the concerns of businesses here and in Puerto Rico from 11:30 a.m.  1 p.m. A limited number of tickets are still available at www.aboveboardchamber.com.



Southwest Florida and Puerto Rico represent two economies in a state of flux, but on opposite ends of the opportunity spectrum. Southwest Floridas growing economy is experiencing a historic shortage of qualified workers in a wide range of industries. Therefore, employers need to get creative to attract top talent and consider looking further afield to discover a ready workforce. Meanwhile, Puerto Ricos decade-long economic decline has reached a crisis point, which is forcing skilled professionals to leave home in search of greater stability.



Panelists will include: Cape Coral Mayor Marni Sawicki; Brenda Thomas, executive director of the Building Industry Association; Peg Elmore from Career Source Southwest Florida; Kristy Rigot, system director, human resources for Lee Memorial Health System; Jazmin Nievez Alvarez, executive and staffing director from IKON Group; and Kevin Brady, international trade specialist for the Small Business Development at Florida Gulf Coast University.



Also taking part in the summit will be: Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson, Puerto Rico Senator Carmelo Rio, and Puerto Ricos secretary of economic development and commerce, Alberto Baco Bague. Connie Ramos-Williams, president and chief marketing officer of CONRIC PR & Marketing, will emcee the event.



The job fair is free for all jobseekers, and no registration is required. Registration is $30 for members and $35 for guests. Employers who want to attract qualified talent at the job fair should contact Jeanne Sweeney at (239) 910-7426 or Jeanne@aboveboardchamber.com.



Title Sponsor Southwest Florida International Airport has donated two round trip tickets to Puerto Rico to be raffled off at the event. In addition, The Above Board Chamber is grateful to the following additional sponsors:



Gulfshore Business, Lee Memorial Health Systems, Storm Smart Industries, Strategy Corp, CONRIC PR & Marketing, Telemundo, Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Builders Industry Association, Fuller Online Solutions, Guatemala US-FL Chamber of Commerce, Puerto Rico Medical Tourism Corporation, Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce, The CALL Radio Station, Economic Development of City of Cape Coral, Collier Building Industry Association, WINK/MundoMax, IKON Group, Florida Gulf Coast University Small Business Development Center, Estero Chamber of Commerce, Florida Catholic Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Florida Economic Development Alliance



The Above Board Chamber of Florida is dedicated to bringing people of all faiths together within the community, in the workplace and amongst one another. Their mission is to supply members with the tools that will allow them to take every aspect of their lives Above Board. For more information on the event or on how to become a member of the Above Board Chamber, contact Jeanne Sweeney at 239-910-7426 or visit www.aboveboardchamber.com.
Rotary District 6960 District Governor Cyndi Doragh is pleased to announce that two applicants from the district have been selected to participate in the Rotary International Southland Young Professionals Summit in Atlanta this June. Shannon Johnson and Christine Kobie were selected by a panel of judges in a competitive application process to represent the district.



The summit provides a unique opportunity to exchange ideas with delegates representing the 29 districts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Southeastern United States, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname. Johnson and Kobie are rising stars that have both been members of the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South, one of the districts more than 50 clubs, since 2015. They will travel with Doraghs personal representative, District Governor Nominee Designate Sandra Hemsted.



Johnson is Real Estate Manager for Chicos FAS, Inc. and a third-generation Rotarian. Service Above Self was a distinctive part of my upbringing as my Rotary parents, and grandfather, invested countless hours of service throughout our local community and around the world, Johnson said. I was taught that to serve others is to find true happiness, and Rotary is the perfect vehicle for me to give back and serve others. I am so very pleased Rotary acknowledges the value young professionals have to offer and is taking the time to invest in us in an effort to better engage our involvement and commitment in Rotary!



Kobie works in Community Education for Abuse Counseling and Treatment, Inc. as a Violence Prevention Education and Volunteer Coordinator. She said, "It is an honor to represent district 6960 at the Young Professionals Summit. I'm excited for the growth and ripple effect that will begin; I can already feel the energy!"



Rotary is an international organization of business and community leaders working together through friendships and building relationships in an effort to serve others and do good in the world. It is a secular organization open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender or political preference. There are more than 32,000 clubs worldwide composed of 1.2 million individual members. Rotary District 6960 in Southwest Florida has more than 50 clubs.



Rotarys purpose is to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. Rotarys primary motto is "Service Above Self;" its secondary motto is "One profits most who serves best. For more information visit RotaryDistrict6960.org.
Key players in 2022-23 Silly Season Can you hear it? Just listen. That is the sound of the NASCAR rumor mill starting up, and there are plenty of questions to answer for 2023.
WASHINGTON  Legislation that would authorize the use of private flood insurance on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages was overwhelmingly approved by the House late last month, but concerns about its potential impact are beginning to crop up.

The Consumer Mortgage Coalition is arguing that the bill has serious flaws by allowing private insurers to undercut pricing on federal flood insurance policies by offering high deductibles and exclusions to homeowners with mortgages guaranteed by the government-sponsored enterprises.

"It displaces the uniform security instrument's flood insurance protections for GSE loans by preventing the GSEs from rejecting private flood insurance policies that do not provide appropriate protection for the collateral backing the loan," said Anne Canfield, the group's executive director, in an interview.

The bill would also override existing mortgage contract requirements that name mortgage servicers as loss payees. It would allow private insurers to pay insurance proceeds directly to the homeowner to repair flood damage instead of the servicer. That gives homeowners the option of pocketing the insurance monies and leaving the GSEs with flood-damaged homes, some said.

"It doesn't make sense that the lender or servicer is not named as an additional loss payee. That's ridiculous," said Laurie Goodman, director of the Housing Policy Center at the Urban Institute.

The bill would encourage borrowers that make a minimum down payment to take out high deductible flood insurance policies. If a flood hits, they would have little to lose. But Fannie or Freddie could be left to cover the losses if the borrower abandons the property.

"Nobody focused on how this can be very detrimental to the GSEs," Goodman said. "There are a lot of ways to bring private capital into the flood insurance market, but this legislation seems to be the worst."

Canfield first raised the issue earlier this month in a paper warning of hidden dangers to the bill.

Under the bill, "if a private insurer were to issue low-cost policies that have unreasonably high deductibles, or that exclude some probable flood risks, the GSEs or servicers would not have the ability to reject the private flood policy," according to a May 2 report. In addition, "the GSEs or GSE servicers could not reject a private policy on which the servicers are not named as additional loss payees."

The bill is supported by the vast majority of the industry and few wanted to comment on the issues raised by Canfield.

But one industry source who spoke on condition of anonymity said "the concerns raised by the report are all on target."

These issues will likely to be considered when the Senate Banking Committee holds hearings on the flood bill. Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Jon Tester, D- Mont., have co-sponsored a similar private flood insurance bill.

Fannie and Freddie declined to comment on the concerns, as did their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

But Canfield warns the effect could be dire if the bill is not changed.

"This legislation is being considered at a time when the GSEs' capital is heading toward zero and experts are projecting that both the frequency and severity of floods is increasing as the nation's weather patterns change," Canfield wrote in a separate May 5 paper.
Home prices climbed in 87% of U.S. metropolitan areas in the first quarter as buyers competed for a tight supply of listings, the National Association of Realtors said.

The median price of an existing single-family home rose from a year earlier in 154 of the 178 markets measured, the group said in a report Monday. In the previous three months, 81% of metropolitan areas had price increases. Twenty-eight regions had gains of 10% or more in the first quarter, down from 30 markets at the end of 2015 and 51 a year earlier.

Home prices have been climbing as job growth helps fuel demand for a limited inventory of properties for sale. There were 1.98 million previously owned homes for sale at the end of March, down 1.5% from a year earlier, the Realtors group said. The jump in values has made it difficult for many first-time buyers to compete in the most heated areas, said Lawrence Yun, the group's chief economist.

"The solid run of sustained job creation and attractive mortgage rates below 4% spurred steady demand for home purchases in many local markets," Yun said in the report. "Unfortunately, sales were somewhat subdued by supply and demand imbalances and broadly rising prices above wage growth."

The median price of an existing single-family home was $217,600 in the first quarter, up 6.3% from a year earlier, the Realtors said. The most expensive markets were the San Jose, Calif., area, where the median price for a house reached $970,000; San Francisco, with a $770,300 median; and Honolulu, at $721,400.

Home prices declined from a year earlier in 24 metro areas, or 13% of the markets tracked, according to the report.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow opened the twelfth annual NATO Conference on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Arms Control, Disarmament, and Non-proliferation in Ljubljana, Slovenia on Monday (9 May 2016). With the breadth of challenges before us, it is essential that we work together to develop an ever stronger and more comprehensive approach to todays WMD and CBRN threats, he said.

In recent years there have been many positive developments in the field of arms control and non-proliferation, Ambassador Vershbow said. He underlined the importance of the New START Treaty, which reduces the number of nuclear weapons and launchers the United States and Russia can deploy. He further highlighted the importance of last years nuclear negotiations with Iran which led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, calling this a landmark agreement.

Ambassador Vershbow noted that the threat posed to NATO nations by the proliferation of ballistic missiles continues to increase. Our ballistic missile defence is designed to defend our territory, our people and our forces against a range of threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area, and is purely defensive, he said, adding: NATOs missile defence is not directed against a specific country, and that includes Russia.

The Deputy Secretary General stressed that NATO is enhancing its preparedness to defend against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) attacks, including through the Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Excellence; the Combined Joint CBRN Defence Task Force; and the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre. One of the main things we can do is to improve coordination, he said; that is why we work closely with our partners in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. He added that NATOs Science for Peace and Security programme is helping facilitate CBRN first responder training with some southern partner nations.

Other conference participants include a number of senior officials including Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu, Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and Dr. Lassina Zerbo, Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

While in Ljubljana, Deputy Secretary General met with the President of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, and with the State Secretary at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry, Darja Bavdaz Kuret.
FDA approval process more concerned with money than safety and efficacy

(NaturalNews) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is once again having to both defend the legitimacy of its bloated existence, and petition Congress to pass legislation that will allow it to continue collecting "user fees" from Big Pharma in exchange for drug approval. And during a recent testimony, FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg admitted that this lucrative process caters specifically to those industry players who are willing to pay the agency the most money.Every five years, Congress must decide whether or not to re-approve the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), which allows the FDA to charge drug companies millions of dollars for agreeing to review new drug applications (NDI). It is essentially a "pay for play" system where the FDA gives preference to those who play, even if the drugs or devices they have to offer are neither safe nor effective.In 2005, the FDA's annual budget was just over $1.8 billion, with about $350 million of that constituting user fees. For 2012, the FDA is proposing a budget of over $4.3 billion, with more than $1.6 billion of that to constitute user fees. So while the FDA's overall budget has more than doubled within the past seven years, its user fees have skyrocketed nearly fivefold.When trying to defend its budget proposal before Congress -- many have accused the FDA of mishandling the drug approval process and using it to reward the highest bidders. Dr. Hamburg tried to quell the firestorm with anecdotes about how the agency has approved a number of new "life-saving" drugs within the past year, and how it needs more money to make sure it can keep approving them before other countries do (as if approving potentially dangerous, life-threatening drugs is some kind of competition).Dr. Hamburg also admitted that the agency has essentially "lowered some approval standards." These are the words used by(NYT) to make this all happen for the drug industry. But when asked why medical devices were not being given the same rapid approval treatment, Dr. Hamburg stated that "[a] higher percentage of our overall drug program (is supported by fees from drug makers)."Put another way, Dr. Hamburg basically insinuated that if medical device manufacturers were contributing as much in user fees as drug companies are, then they, too, would receive rapid and more frequent approvals. Until then, the agency will continue to focus its energies into approving drugs -- because, after all, Big Pharma will be providing the FDA with nearly one-third of its overall budget in 2012.This sad testament shows where the FDA's true priorities lie -- money. It does not matter whether or not a product is actually safe and effective -- those companies willing to pay the most will be given special treatment and have their products approved more rapidly and efficiently than others. And if Congress once again re-approves the PDUFA, the FDA will continue to cater to the drug industry rather than objectively look out for the best interests of the people.
Skeptic slayer

Other players

(NaturalNews) In the ashes of the Civil War, notes thein a recent blog post , an original American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan, was founded.Shrouded in secrecy, its members targeted blacks but also Jews, European immigrants, Roman Catholics  anyone whom they hated and wanted to disenfranchise. Its members were anonymous underneath white sheets that were carefully hidden in their homes and gathering places, so that members could remain "upstanding citizens" in the light of day.Today's modern Klan is a group calling itself "skeptics"  that is, a largely anonymous collection of pseudo-professionals and intellectuals who seek to disenfranchise those they hate. As thenotes further:Then along came Mike Adams, the skeptic slayer . In recent weeks, Adams and other writers athave exposed a skeptic Grand Dragon  Dr. David Gorski, a.k.a. Orac  who has declared himself infallible in his incessant criticism of alternative medicine As Bolen notes, in his writings and Internet ramblies, "[Gorski] ranges from sniveling, to whimpering, to raging, about people, issues, and subjects in health care he clearly knows nothing about . He goes on and on. Where 100 words would do, Gorski uses 23,421. His personal insecurities are attached to every phrase."Bolen further exposes "Orac" and a familiar tactic used by the "skeptics:""Right after Gorski writes on his blog Respectful Insolence, the 'commenters' begin to appear  within seconds. The first thing you notice is their anonymity. The second is the sheer nastiness of their offerings. The third is that most comments look to be in EXACTLY the same writing style as Gorski himself, which makes me wonder how many internet IDs Gorski actually uses."Who, but the sickest sycophant, posts a critical article, then changes to 10 to 15 different people to post adoring, agreeable comments about his own article?As we reported in recent days, these 'science skeptics' employ all manner of guerilla tactics and propaganda to infiltrate supposedly respected "information" sites to spread corporate misinformation:"Trusted sources confirmed Gorski has administrative privileges on Wikipedia where he writes and edits content under the username 'MastCell.' Under these administrative controls, Gorski and his team of skeptics are thought to have penned a defamatory review of Andrew Wakefield's documentary, a film instrumental in widening the discussion on vaccine safety."Skeptical activists have taken it upon themselves to debunk and control information via Wikipedia on a variety of topics including vaccine safety, alternative medicine, natural health, homeopathy, cancer treatments, the paranormal, astrology and psychic mediums."In other words, if a topic does not fit inside mainstream science's limited paradigm, skeptical activists will go to great lengths to discredit and stifle discussions on topics they consider 'quackery.'"The end goal is to ensure that anyone who dares to offer alternatives to "accepted" science, corporate healthcare and Big Pharma , must be discredited, destroyed and made to appear less than credible. To them, real science that doesn't comport with the views of their corporate masters, is "pseudoscience," and thus, not to be believed.There are other players associated with Gorski as well."At the center of it all is seasonededitor Susan Gerbic, who just so happens to be a close friend of Gorski. Gerbic, we've learned, has played a critical role in the infiltration of," Julie Wilson reported for. "Though she has absolutely no qualifications to do so (her educational background includes a B.A. degree in social history), Gerbic has grown obsessed with 'debunking' pseudoscience. ..."Rupert Sheldrake, a biochemist and plant physiologist trained at Cambridge University accuses Gerbic of propagating 'scientific materialism.'"As Sheldrake himself noted in his blog , "The Guerrilla Skeptics have carried the crusading zeal of organized skepticism into the realm of Wikipedia, and use it as a soapbox to propagate their beliefs."
Next quake could be even worse than predicted

Preparedness is key to surviving a natural disaster

(NaturalNews) As Californians go about their daily lives, many of them remain blissfully unaware of the threat lurking in the background: a monster earthquake that scientists say is long overdue.Southern California Earthquake Center director, Thomas Jordan, remarked that the fault has been unusually uneventful since 1857, when the last big earthquake to hit a southern section struck the area from Monterey County to the San Gabriel Mountains near L.A., in a quake that registered 7.9 on the Richter scale.Scientists are now saying that arrival of the type of massive earthquake that normally strikes every few hundred years is just a matter of time, and it could leave thousands or even tens of thousands of people dead or homeless in its wake.Jordan told the National Earthquake Conference in Long Beach, "The springs on the San Andreas system have been wound very, very tight and the southern San Andreas fault, in particular, looks like it's locked, loaded and ready to go."He added that other areas of the fault, which measures 810 miles in total, are also highly vulnerable. Scientists believe that the Pacific plate should move northwest of the North American plate about 16 feet every century in order to relieve stress, but this has not been happening, which means that stress has been building up to unsustainable levels for more than 100 years.Jordan feels that the state needs to prepare itself for such a devastating event, and commended the city of Los Angeles for its plans to reinforce the city's older buildings made of concrete, as well is its telecommunications networks. The fault does not run under the city itself, but could rock it nevertheless.According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 7.8-magnitude quake could cause as many as 1,800 deaths, 50,000 injuries, and damages totaling $200 billion, in the course of just two minutes.An earthquake of this magnitude has not been seen since 1857, when a quake that started in Parkfield, Monterey County, worked its way down the fault for 185 miles, before heading east from Los Angeles. The power of the quake caused it to liquefy soil and destroy countless buildings, although it is important to note that the areas affected were not nearly as built up at that time as they are now.Making matters even worse, some experts believe that the next earthquake could coincide with one rippling along the adjacent San Jacinto fault line, which happens to run through more densely populated cities, and could escalate the devastation to much higher levels than predicted. This is what is believed to have occurred in 1812, and there is a strong chance that it could happen again, as past geological events are considered good indicators of future ones.While Jordan praised L.A. for its preparedness , other experts believe that the area is not adequately prepared for such a devastating natural disaster . Professor Lisa Grant Ludwig of the University of California said, "In southern California, much of our infrastructure was built to withstand a rupture of either the San Andreas or San Jacinto faults, but not both at the same time."California officials have been working together with state and military officials to set out plans for what to do when "The Big One" strikes. It is believed that civilian and military personnel and equipment would be deployed, including cargo planes, ships and helicopters, along with thousands of soldiers, emergency officials and medical personnel.The Washington State Army National Guard's Lt. Col. Clayton Braun said, "The response will be orders of magnitude larger than Hurricane Katrina or Super Storm Sandy."With experts predicting that a 7.8-magnitude San Andreas fault quake could cut off all four of the area's aqueducts at one time  thereby cutting off more than 70 percent of Southern California's water supply  it is important for people to be aware of the possibilities and prepare accordingly.People living in the area and its surroundings need to prepare themselves for the possibility of being cut off from electricity, food, water and lines of communication and transportation. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that law enforcement can become so overwhelmed in such events that criminals and opportunists could get away with widespread burglary and looting. Therefore, it is essential to have a good supply of drinkable water, nutritious food that does not need to be cooked, a battery-powered radio, water filtration devices, emergency medical supplies and self-defense items, to name just a few.The next earthquake is a question of when, not if, and those who take adequate measureshave the best chance of survival.
Instead of arming the PR wars in service of industry, Cornell University should stand up for science by convening a more honest discussion about GMOs - one that acknowledges the risks as well as the benefits of genetically engineered foods.



Communicating science or propaganda?

Messaging for corporate interests

(NaturalNews)(Story by Stacy Malkan, republished from TheEcologist.org .)The founders of Cornell University, Andrew D. White and Ezra Cornell, dreamed of creating a great university that took a radical approach to learning.Their revolutionary spirit, and the promise to pursue knowledge for the greater good, is said to beat the heart of the Ivy League school their dream became.It is difficult to understand how these ideals are served by a unit of Cornell operating as a public relations arm for the agrichemical industry.Yet that is what seems to be going on at the Cornell Alliance for Science (CAS), a program launchedin 2014 with a $5.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a goal to "depolarize the charged debate" about GMOs.A review of the group's materials and programs suggests that beneath its promise to "restore the importance of scientific evidence in decision making", CAS is promoting GMOs using dishonest messaging and PR tactics developed by agrichemical corporations with a long history of misleading the public about science.CAS is a communications campaign devoted to promoting genetically engineered foods (also known as GMOs) around the world. This is made clear in the group's promotional video.CAS Director Sarah Evanega, PhD,describes her group as a "communications-based nonprofit organization represented by scientists, farmers, NGOs, journalists and concerned citizens" who will use "interactive online platforms, multimedia resources and communication training programs to build a global movement to advocate for access to biotechnology."In this way, they say they will help alleviate malnourishment and hunger in developing countries, according to the video.Dr. Evanega said her group has no connections to industry and receives no resources from industry. "We do not write for industry, and we do not advocate for or promote industry-owned products", she wrote in a blog posttitled 'A Right to Be Known (Accurately)' in which she pushed back against criticisms from my group, US Right to Know.Yet the flagship programs of CAS - a 12-week course for Global Leadership Fellowsand two-day intensive communications courses - teach communication skills to people who are "committed to advocating for increased access to biotechnology" specifically so they can "lead advocacy efforts in their local contexts."The group also has unusual dealings with journalists. What does it mean, as the CAS video states, that it is "represented by" journalists?CAS offers journalism fellowshipswith cash awards for select journalists to "promote in-depth contextualized reporting" about issues related to food security, crop production, biotechnology and sustainable agricultural. Are these journalists also GMO advocates? How ethical is it for journalists to represent the policy positions of a pro-agrichemical-industry group?One thing is clear from the publicly available CAS messaging: the context they offer on the topic of genetically engineered foods is not in depth and comprehensive but rather highly selective and geared toward advancing the interests of the agrichemical industry.For example, the video: Brimming with hope about the possibilities of GMOs to solve world hunger in the future, it ignores a large body of scientific research that has documented problems connected with GMOs - that herbicide-tolerant GMO crops have driven upthe use of glyphosate, an herbicide linked to cancerby the world's leading cancer experts; and accelerated weed resistanceon millions of acres of US farmland, which makes crop production harder for farmers, not easier.There is no mention of the failure of GMO crops designed to ward off harmful insects,or the rising concerns of medical doctors about patterns of illness in places like Hawaiiand Argentinawhere exposures are heaviest to the chemicals associated with GMOs.There is no recognition that many scientistsand foodleadershave said GMOs are not a priority for feeding the world, a debate that is a key reason GMO crops have not been widely embraced outside of the United States and Latin America.All these factors are relevant to the discussion about whether or not developing countries should embrace genetically engineered crops and foods. But CAS leaves aside these details and amplifies the false idea that the science is settled on the safety and necessity of GMOs.Disseminating selective information of a biased or misleading nature to promote a particular agenda is known as the practice of propaganda.Continue reading the full article at TheEcologist.org [1] Cornell.edu [2] News.Cornell.edu [3] YouTube.com [4] AllianceForScience.Cornell.edu [5] AllianceForScience.Cornell.edu [6] AllianceForScience.Cornell.edu [8] AllianceForScience.Cornell.edu [9] EnvEurope.com [10] IARC.fr [11] Harpers.org [12] WSJ.com [13] TheGuardian.com [14] CTVNews.ca [15] Greenpeace.org [16] FoodNavigator.com [17] FAO.org
The Institute's team of researchers recently published a study showing a link between the consumption of sucralose and cancer, sparking a backlash from the industry. Tate & Lyle, which manufactures a sucralose product, stated that "the study results are not supported by previous studies. Sucralose has been extensively researched with more than 110 studies conducted over a 20-year period demonstrating its safety."



The Institute's methodology is much more complete

Phony comparisons and lack of testing

(NaturalNews) Pesticide companies rigorously test their products before turning them loose on the public, right? Because if not, wouldn't they stand a grand chance of being wiped out by a mass class-action suit if their products turned out to really be harmful?Not really, it turns out.As reported by the group GMWatch, which serves as an information clearing house for genetic modification technology, the honorary president of the Italy-based Ramazzini Institute, Morando Soffritti, explained in a recent interview why animal safety tests performed there on controversial chemical substances in the foods we eat and the environment are tougher than those conducted by industry-backed researchers.GMWatch further noted:However, in a subsequent interview with, Soffritti said that there are variances between Ramazzini studies and industry studies that could lead to different results.The Institute chief said that, when compared to studies conducted by the food industry for regulatory purposes, Ramazzini studies:-- don't kill animals two-thirds of the way through their lives. In fact, animals are permitted to live longer, and in the case of a study on sucralose , the entire duration of their normal lifespan. That is done in order to get information about the last one-third of their lives, when most long-latency cancers generally appear. [GMWatch added that scientists don't euthanize humans two-thirds of the way through their lives, either, so the Ramazzini methodology really is the only way to see the effects of chemicals in old age].-- use a larger dose range that includes two low doses so that researchers can assess dose-response relationships as well as the effects of real-life exposures.-- use a greater number of animals per sex and test dosage, so that researchers can minimize the likelihood of "false negatives," as when a toxic effect exists but is overlooked due to the number of animals being too low. False negatives can, of course, put at risk the public's health.In addition, GMWatch notes, the Ramazzini Institute prefers to being dosing animals during the prenatal stage, so as to reveal any effects that chemical substances have on developing fetuses. Indeed, the Institute's sucralose study used that methodology, in contrast to the industry studies.In the end, the U.S.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest defended the Institute's sucralose study as being "more powerful than the industry-funded studies ," GMWatch reported.That said, previous studies by the Institute have been dismissed and criticized by the European Food Safety Authority, or EFSA, for not following Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines."But adherence to OECD guidelines is not a mark of scientific excellence and was never intended to be. OECD guidelines represent a minimum standard of testing that industry studies must reach," GMWatch reported. "They were instituted by regulators in the 1970s and 1980s in the wake of serious industry fraud in pesticide testing.""Industry and regulators must cease pretending that regulatory studies that are conducted to OECD guidelines  and that follow what some scientists have condemned as 'outdated' methodologies  are by definition superior to studies performed by independent researchers," the GMO-focused website concluded. "The latter may have methodologies that reflect up-to-date scientific knowledge and are more sensitive."In January 2015, Natural News reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture refused to conduct studies and testing on foods for glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, manufactured by Monsanto "The American food supply is teeming with deadly pesticides. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), headed by former Monsanto lawyer Tom Vilsack, says people shouldn't worry because pesticides are completely safe to eat," we reported.
No responsibility for mercury poisoning

Vaccine toxicity is real  as experts know



Big government getting away with it  as usual

(NaturalNews) In recent days, and likely after much hand-wringing, a trio of state and city officials have been indicted for poisoning scores of mostly African American residents in the city of Flint with water containing dangerous amounts of lead.As reported by The Associated Press and others, the officials  two state environmental regulators and one city employee  were pivotal in poisoning residents of Flint  a city of 100,000  for nearly 18 months, after a decision was made by a state-appointed emergency manager to begin using the polluted Flint River for tap water as a way to save money while a new pipeline was being built.Because the water was not treated to control corrosion, lead from aging pipes and fixtures leached into water that flowed into homes and businesses, poisoning adults and children with lead concentrations that were 13,000 times higher than legally allowed "This is a road back to restoring faith and confidence in all Michigan families in their government," state Attorney General Bill Schuette said in announcing the first charges to come out of the disaster, which has been properly blamed on a series of bad decisions by bureaucrats and political leaders.He also had this ominous warning: That he "can guarantee" there will be more charges. "No one is off the table," he said.The irony of this particular poisoning is stark, especially when you compare it to the lack of prosecution for officials who are responsible  daily  for poisoning the American people with, another highly toxic substance that is found most commonly in our vaccines."We need to assign mercury to the conditions it causes," Eric Gladen, producer of the documentary film said during a 2008 interview prior to the release of the film. At the time, Gladen announced he would be traveling the country speaking to experts about the link between mercury and autism.Gladen ought to know. A tetanus shot he received in his late 20s nearly sent him over the edge, medically speaking, almost resulting in suicide. The founder of the World Mercury Project eventually discovered that the mercury component of the tetanus vaccine , thimerosal, poisoned him and saddled him with health problems that seemed incurable.And yet, no one has been punished for this crime  and that's what it is, a crime  even after the federal government's premier "health" agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has proven time and again that it is untrustworthy and fraudulent.As we reported in August 2014 , Dr. Poul Thorsen, a Danish scientist who was indicted for stealing millions from the CDC and used it to cover up vaccine dangers and who fled the CDC to avoid further action, nevertheless has not spurred the agency to come clean about his phony "research" that obfuscated the link between autism and vaccines.What's more, the CDC continued to cite Thorsen's "evidence" that vaccines are completely safe and that the debate, in light of those "findings," is over.One by one, Thorsen's research was rebuked and refuted, but the Obama Justice Department allowed him to remain comfortably aloof from his scientific perch at Sygehus Lillebaelt Hospital in Kolding, Denmark (even though the U.S. and Denmark signed an extradition treaty that took effect July 31, 1974).In February 2014, Health Ranger Mike Adams, the editor of Natural News , research director at CWC Labs and author of the upcoming book Food Forensics interviewed mercury toxicity expert Dr. Chris Shade, Ph.D., of Quicksilver Scientific, who explained a little-known truth about mercury toxicity in all its forms.Educated in how mercury exists in our world and how it moves everywhere, Shade explained during the interview:-- How "leaky gut" makes mercury toxicity far worse.-- Why mercury can "fry the kidneys" and cause total kidney failure.-- Why ethyl mercury  the kind found in vaccines  is actually many times more toxic than methyl mercury once it passes through cell walls.-- The two worst sources of mercury exposure for most people.-- How mercury gets transported through the environment, creating multiple opportunities for exposure through air, soil, food, water, etc.-- Mercury speciation and how a detailed mercury analysis of your blood, hair and urine can reveal a wealth of information about your health.-- Which nutritional supplements help increase the body's ability to eliminate mercury from the blood and GI tract.Then, of course, there are "professional" shills for vaccines who pose as researchers like Dr. David Gorski , a pro-vaccine internet troll with ties to the Karmanos Cancer Center, which is notorious for experimental cancer treatments and drugs that have been fast-tracked by the FDA.All the while the CDC and other establishment academic and healthcare organizations warn that too much mercury in certain species of fish is bad for our health and dangerous outright  but none of them says a word about the dangers inherent in vaccines which, as Dr. Shade notes, can build up in our brains and remain there for quite some time.It's appropriate for officials associated with the lead poisoning in Flint to be held accountable. But you may notice a pattern developing here: Once again the federal government has refused to hold anyone any of its own officials accountable, though some EPA officials Why is that?
(NaturalNews) The California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently released a document calledthat highlights the many health hazards caused by the consumption of fluoride. And the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) recently submitted a compilation of its own to OEHHA, which is soon to make a final decision concerning fluoride's toxicity, providing additional evidence that fluoride causes cancer.FAN has been working for many years to raise awareness about the toxicity of fluoride, with the eventual goal of getting it removed from public water supplies. And its most recent efforts involving OEHHA could be the straw that breaks the camel's back, so to speak, as it has the potential to unleash the truth about fluoride on a massive scale, and spark a revolt against its use.According to a recent FAN press release, OEHHA's report was birthed out of an inquiry into the science of fluoride's toxicity. It is also a prelude to the group's scientific advisory board Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC) meeting to be held on October 12 - 13, 2011, which will make a decision on the status of fluoride as a carcinogen.The OEHHA report already states that "multiple lines of evidence (show) that fluoride is incorporated into bones where it can stimulate cell division of osteoblasts [bone-forming cells]," an admission that already recognizes fluoride as a cause of bone cancer. The report goes on to state that fluoride induces "genetic changes other cellular changes leading to malignant transformation, and cellular immune response thereby increasing the risk of development of osteosarcomas."To add to this, FAN presented OEHHA with additional studies from the National Research Council (NRC), the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and several esteemed universities that all illustrate a link between fluoride consumption and various cancers, including liver and oral cancers, and thyroid follicular cell tumors.With this mountain of evidence , the only logical conclusion OEHHA can come to in October is that fluoride is a toxic poison -- and just like lead and other known toxic chemicals already are in California, worthy of being publicly identified as dangerous."While we understand that there will be tremendous pressure put on the CIC and OEHHA by the proponents of fluoride and fluoridation, we ask that the Committee continue to rely on its high level of scientific knowledge and integrity when deliberating and reaching a final conclusion on the carcinogenicity status of fluoride and its salts," wrote FAN as part of its official submission.To read the entire FAN press release, which contains further details about the cancer studies included, visit:
Packets cigarettes costing $40 will force more smokers go into the growing black market for illegally imported tobacco, cigarette makers and retailers claimed.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that British American Tobacco retailers had responded to Turnbull government's $4.7 billion budget hit to tobacco excise. According to the cigarette retailers, crime syndicates that smuggle cigarettes into Australia will be "champing at the bit" at the prospect of increasing their share of the $14 billion industry.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration issued new rules to extend federal regulatory to e-cigarettes. In the video obtained by NY Times, The Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell, announced a ban on the sales to students 18 years-old and below after discussing the percentage increase of students who smoke e-cigars.

"We've agreed for many years that nicotine does not belong in the hands of children," Burwell, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said at a news conference on Thursday, May 5.

Under the new rule, Burwell added that retailers are not allowed to sell e-cigars or any tobacco products to anyone under 18.

According to NY Times, e-cigars were introduced to the market about a decade ago as a device that delivers harmless tar and chemicals that cause cancer. This device vaporizes a flavored liquid which come in different flavors. Users inhale the vapor of the flavored liquid. which is called "vaping."

The new rules will take effect in 90 days. FDA said that e-cigar producers must register with the FDA and provide a detailed account of their products' ingredients and their manufacturing processes. Producers are required to apply with them for permission to sell their products including the vape shops that mix their own e-cigarette liquid.

Meanwhile, the American Vaping Association, a trade group for the industry, were not pleased with the new rules of FDA.

"This is not regulation - it is prohibition," said in a statement.

According to the group, the submission process of the product application to get approved would take more than 1,700 hours and cost more than $1 million.
A huge wildfire in the province of Alberta continues growing and it could spread into neighboring province, Saskatchewan according to Canadian officials.

Due to the current state of the fire, the Canadian officials expect that the massive wildfire will continue burning for months, as reported by Aljazeera. The wildfire has damaged the large parts of Alberta's oil sands. If the blaze can't be stopped, it may reach neighboring province of Saskatchewan.

The Alberta government said on May 7 that the huge blaze in the province will cover more than 2,000sq km by Sunday. If the blaze may continue growing because of high temperatures, dry conditions and high winds. There is a possibility that the massive fire could reach the edges of the Suncor oil sands facility.

BBC reports that the hot, dry and windy conditions are the hindrances why firefighters in Alberta find it difficult to handle the blaze. More than 700 sq miles (2,000 sq km) were covered by the huge fire, which includes areas that are still ablaze.

As the fire continues to grow, 80,000 people from Fort McMurray (the oil city), and thousands are still stuck in the north, were forced to evacuate. The evacuation was planned for May 7, Saturday but moved to May 8, Sunday because the fire is too diffucult to control. The Alberta Emergency Management Agency said on Saturday that the "fire conditions remain extreme,"

"In no way is this fire under control,'' said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

Fortunately, no reports of deaths or injuries have been tallied since the fire started a week ago. However, thousands of people lost their homes.

According to Notley, 12,000 evacuees have been airlifted from oil sands mine air fields over the past two days. Meanwhile, there are 7,000 have left in highway convoys escorted by police. Alberta premier said they want to complete the evacuation from northern work camps by Sunday.
NASA has dedicated an intense amount of research time, funding and resources to carefully scrutinize available information about Mars. Recently, the airborne telescope, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), detected some atomic oxygen within the atmosphere of Mars.

SOFIA positively confirmed that they have detected a small amount of atomic oxygen on Mars.

"To observe the far-infrared wavelengths needed to detect atomic oxygen, researchers must be above the majority of Earth's atmosphere and use highly sensitive instruments, in this case a spectrometer. SOFIA provides both capabilities" said Pamela Marcum, SOFIA project scientist.

According to NASA, the presence of atomic oxygen is integral in the behavior of elements in the Martian atmosphere.

"Atomic oxygen affects how other gases escape Mars and therefore has a significant impact on the planet's atmosphere," declared NASA.

Scientists will then proceed to the next stage of study with their new findings gathered by SOFIA. The atomic oxygen is difficult to quantify, but thanks to SOFIA, the available data can potentially aid scientist in their research.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is the world's largest airborne observatory. It is installed inside a modified version of a Boeing 747 which is capable of flying higher than a normal commercial plane to enable the spacecraft to perform astronomical behaviors, according to a report by Discovery News.

SOFIA has been reporting for duty for some time now and has observed in various NASA space missions projects.

"The advanced detectors on one of the observatory's instruments, the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT), enabled astronomers to distinguish the oxygen in the Martian atmosphere from oxygen in Earth's atmosphere" said the SOFIA Science Center, NASA's Ames Research Center.

Because of the recent findings, scientist and researchers can compare the atomic oxygen of Mars to the Earth's oxygen composition and their properties. It could also possibly assist them in creating a more 'livable' environment for the scheduled mission to Mars.

Currently, SOFIA and NASA are accepting space proposals for space technology projects needing the help of an airborne telescope.
NASA's New Horizon mission was launched in 2006. It was the first mission Pluto's icy system. The New Horizon spacecraft have sent data about Pluto's satellites including Hydra, one of Pluto's smallest and farthest moon. According to the data, it was distinctively proven that Hydra is wrapped in 'nearly pristine water ice.'

Hydra was discovered in 2005 but due to their immense distance to Earth, very little information is available about the moon. The findings coincides with the older studies which stated that Hydra have a reflective surface. Now the latest data explains why. In the latest report by NASA, the recently beamed information known as infrared spectra "show the unmistakable signature of crystalline water ice: a broad absorption from 1.50 to 1.60 microns and a narrower water-ice spectral feature at 1.65 microns." The data was gathered by Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument.

There's a similarity in composition between Pluto's larger moon, Charon, which also contained water ice. But recent finding shows that the grains of ice on Hydra's surface are larger and more reflective on some angles as compared to Charon. "Hydra's deep water bands and high reflectance imply relatively little contamination by darker material that has accumulated on Charon's surface over time" said NASA.

In another NASA report, they describe Hydra's properties. It is an irregular-shaped moon which measures 34 miles 955 kilometers) in length.

Older study suggests that Hydra and Charon might have been joined together in the past. But the question is why they exhibit different icy behavior. "Perhaps micrometeorite impacts continually refresh the surface of Hydra by blasting off contaminants," said Simon Porter, New Horizons science team member from Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

The New Horizon is working to obtain more information about other moons from Pluto so they can compare their compositions and bevahoirs with Hydra and Charon.
The race for space exploration is an advanced technological endeavor requiring intelligence, state-of-the-art equipments and for Elon Musk, superhero-like outfits. The SpaceX founder recently hired an acclaimed superhero costume designer to create their own modern and fashionable version of spacesuits.

If Batman, Spiderman, Superman needed a practical-yet-chic costume in performing their duties, Elon Musk must be thinking that the SpaceX crew should sport a one of a kind spacesuit, too.

In the movies, spacesuits are modified to look "better" or be more "stylish" in today's standard. This must have been behind Musk's intent to create better looking spacesuits.

Musk expressed his intention to make spacesuits look 'badass'. And to be able to create the most classy spacesuit ever, he hired the legendary superhero costume designer Jose Fernandez.

Jose Fernandez have worked with popular sci-fi characters in the movies Batman v Superman, Oblivion, Tron: Legacy, The Avengers, Iron Man and Jupiter Ascending, according to Gizmodo.

Fernandez recently revealed that the SpaceX and Tesla founder tapped him to design his spacesuit.

"I worked with him for six months and at the end of that, we created a suit that they are now reverse-engineering to make functional for flight" said Fernandez in an interview with Bleep. Fernandez was oblivious to the project at first, thinking SpaceX was another Sci-Fi superhero movie before he discovered it's a real space program.

Confirming to the norms is not one of Elon Musk's mottos in life. He always wanted to deviate from the usual, that's why he doesn't want to adapt the conventional design by NASA and created his own 'badass' version of the spacesuit.

The spacesuit will be utilized in SpaceX Mission to Mars scheduled in 2018 according to Mirror in the UK, they said it is Musk's dream to be the first to land a manned spacecraft in Mars.

In anticipation of the announcement and reveal of the 'badass' heroic spacesuit, Fernandez said "The look they are going to unveil in the next few months is something we created here in the studio. He wanted it to look stylish. It had to be practical but also needed to look great. It's pretty bad ass."

Space exploration might look like a comic-con in outer space, but as long as it is functional, it doesn't really matter how the spacesuit looks like. Today, one thing is clear, Elon Musk wanted to dominate Mars, and he wants to do it in style.
A team of international scientists have uncovered a spectacular cache of fossils from unknown extinct primate species in China, helping researchers better understand the course of primate, and our very own evolution.

The unearthed fossils most likely belong to six new species of primates. Four of them are lemur-like members of the strepsrrhine lineage, while the other two belongs to an ancestor of tarsier and anthropoids, human-like monkeys.

The discovery, published in the journal Science, suggest that climate change during Oligocene epoch played a crucial role in the diversification of primates in Asia and Africa. The changing weather during that time may cause primates in Asia to evolve differently from primates in Africa, and may also be at fault for the extinction of some primate species.

According to the report from Washington Post, many scientists believe that ancient primates were able to cross the waters dividing Asia and Africa by drifting in rafts made of matted dirt and vegetation, or fallen trees.

While primates continue to strive and populate Africa which lead to the evolution of ancient humans, primates that ware left in Asia experience a significant decrease due to the cold and dry climate, making tropical forest to recede, while open plains and deciduous trees sprouted throughout the continent.

Because most of the fossils dug-up in China presented more lemur-like structures than primate, apes and humans, researchers believe that during the Oligocene, anthropoids may have been at the verge of extinction in Asia.

Christian Science Monitor described the diversification of primate species in Asia and Africa as "two separate experiments in primate evolution". In which, primates from these two regions were isolated from each other in environments that are greatly different from one another.

"Evolution is incredibly complicated," said K. Christopher Beard, a paleontologist at the University of Kansas to CS Monitor.

"This is a really good example of how evolution on two different continents at exactly the same time yielded almost exactly opposite results." added Beard.


The study of possible landing site for the Journey to Mars led scientists to find out further evidence that parts of the Red Planet is actually blue. The ridges of the Nili Fossae Trough, a candidate landing site, was photographed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and it shows blue, green and red patches.

A news report also confirmed that red is not the only color of Mars. Based from the photos released by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) they said that the reveal Nili Fossae possess "one of the most colorful spots on the Red Planet."

NASA confirms that there is indeed an array of colors under the red planet's bedrock. The Nili Fossae region of the northwest side of Mars is the considered as one of the most colorful regions on the red planet. NASA explains that although the prominent color in Mars is the color red, the other shades such as blue found on the planet is due to the 'homogenized' dust. The composition of the rocks also affects the colors of the surface. NASA said the 'fantastic' colors of Nili Fossae can also be attributed to the rich geologic history of the area.

Fantastic colors lie in the Nili Fossae region of Mars, which has a diverse geologic history https://t.co/ojLNhfxWe8 pic.twitter.com/T6X2A8jtRB  NASA (@NASA) May 6, 2016

In another press release by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, they said that there are seven others possible landing site in Mars. But current studies are looking at this area. The Nili Fossae is a huge crack on the surface of Mars which is a result of a meteor impact. They suggest that the blue color found on Mars may have been due to various minerals found in the area

"The impact caused the Martian surface to deform. The region has one of the largest, most diverse exposures of clay minerals," stated the Mars Science Laboratory.

Again scientists are looking at possible water content in the minerals which might have caused the presence of the color blue. They equate the possibility of any life form in the presence of water on the surface of Mars. That's why scientists are eager to further delve into the compositions of the rocks found on the possible man's landing site on Mars.

The high-resolution image was taking by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera inside the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

With the advancement of technology, scientists were able to update the resources they have gathered about Earth's neighboring planets. A new technology like the HiRISE enables a better understanding of photographs taken from outer space. Hopefully, this will lead to more findings that will make man's landing on Mars feasible.
In 2006, Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet because of its behavior and the elements around it. But the NASA New Horizon mission brought back a ton of data which are currently being interpreted by scientists, and the findings suggest that Pluto is not a planet, or a comet but a hybrid because it doesn't fall under a specific category.

Some of the findings were published last week in the Journal of Geophysical Research and it is stated that the interaction of Pluto with solar wind is nothing the Earth have seen before in our Solar System, making Pluto a hybrid.

Interesting that #Pluto behaves more like a planet when interacting with solar wind. ;-) https://t.co/vQsIemFwtO pic.twitter.com/cSqcrcnDfI  NASA New Horizons (@NASANewHorizons) May 4, 2016

"The results are astonishing. We were fascinated and surprised," said lead author David J. McComas. McComas also manage the Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument aboard the New Horizon.

"We've now visited all nine of the classical planets and examined all their solar wind interactions, and we've never seen anything like this" added McComas.

Solar wind is plasma with charged particles which tears away from the Sun, usually at 100 million miles per hour and have the capacity to succumb everything in its path.

Solar wind interacts with planets and comets in different manners. When it hit a comet, the solar wind slows down while if it hits a planet, the solar wind will divert. But Pluto, which technically neither a planet or a comet, reacts differently with solar winds.

"This is an intermediate interaction, a completely new type. It's not comet-like, and it's not planet-like. It's in-between," said Dr. McComas. These findings led scientists to suggest that Pluto is a hybrid, or an entirely new celestial entity.

The careful scrutinies of New Horizon's data have just begun and scientists are eager to find out more about the hybrid entity in our solar system.

While NASA haven't declared Pluto as a hybrid, they said its behavior is definitely unique. They confirmed that it behaves less likely of a comet and again shows signs of being a planet - creating an entirely new pattern they haven't seen before.

"Pluto behaves less like a comet than expected and somewhat more like a planet like Mars or Venus in the way it interacts with the solar wind, a continuous stream of charged particles from the sun" said NASA in the same report mentioned above.

Experts from the New Horizon are surprised at how much information they are learning from Pluto and the fact that they might be dealing with an entirely new celestial entity.

"These results speak to the power of exploration. Once again we've gone to a new kind of place and found ourselves discovering entirely new kinds of expressions in nature," said SwRI's Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator.
"Game of Thrones" Season 6 Episode 3 has just ended, and right now, we're all aware that Jon Snow is not dead. The former lord commander of the Knight's Watch has ended his watch in a gruesome, heart-wrenching gesture. However, it's not just the story, brilliantly penned by George R.R. Martin, that has captured the hearts of GOT fans. It's also the stunning film locations that the team behind "Game of Thrones" has thoroughly searched to bring life to the famous story.

We've spruced up five breathtaking "Game of Thrones" locations that every GOT-loving wanderer should visit.

1. Dubrovnik, Croatia

Our journey begins where the iron throne lies -- Westeros. Dubrovnik in Croatia was chosen as the set for King's Landing for its strategic location and impeccable architecture. The said place is on a peninsula surrounded by thick stone walls. Dubrovnik, according to Sky Scanner, offers more than just architecture, it's also a place where history and beach life meet.

GOT travelers can taste a hint of history from monuments dating back from the Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian eras while exploring nature in Dubrovnik's rugged mountains and pristine white sand beaches such as the Elafiti Islands. You can also take a boat and enjoy the turqoiuse waters of Plitvice Lakes, Croatia's national park.

2. Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland offers a lot of stunning "Game of Thrones" locations from Castle Ward (Winterfell), Tollymore Forest Park (Forests in the North), Mussenden Temple and Downhill Beach (Dragonstone) and Ballintoy Harbour (Lordsport).

However, the most stunning of all is The Dark Hedges (The Road from King's Landing). Located on Bregagh Road in the small Northern Iceland town of Ballymoney, The Dark Hedges is a magical avenue of old beech trees planted by the Stuart family way back in the 18th century.

If you can remember, Kingsroad is where Ned Stark and his daughters, Sansa and Arya, first went on their journey to Kings Landing, where the catastrophic events for the whole Stark family started.

3. Spain

If you're a die-hard GOT fan, Spain offers a lot of filming locations from the famous HBO series. One of which is Alcazaba of Almeria (Dorne) in the southern coast of Spain. This walled fortress was built in 955 to protect not only the seat of government back then, but also civilian houses, squares and a mosque.

Also located in Spain is the Bardenas Reales, Navarre (Dothraki Sea), which features an amazing desert landscape with rock formations. Here, Daenerys Targaryen meets a Dothraki tribe where she is held captive. What will happen to Khaleesi and her dragons have not yet been revealed, but we'll surely see more of Bardenas Reales Natural Park in the next episodes of "Game of Thrones" Season 6.

Spain also houses one of the most intriguing places among "Game of Throne" fans, the Tower of Joy or Zafra Castle, Guadalajara. This is where Lyanna Stark died. In the latest episode of "Game of Thrones," we had a sneak peek of the famous Tower of Joy; however, believers of the R+L=J theory might wait a little longer to see if their speculations are true.

4. Morocco

Witness where Daenerys Targaryen broke chains and freed the slaves as well as her rise to power in Morocco. Ait-Ben-Haddou, a fortified city located in Southeast Marrakech, is the location of Yunkai and Pentos. As per Sky Scanner, it was also the location of other hit films such as "The Mummy" and "Gladiator." Also in Morocco is Essaouira (Astapor), which, in real life, has attracted tourists for its chill beach life and abundant fresh seafood.

5. Iceland

From the warm weather of Morocco, we now travel to the colder landscape of Iceland to follow the tracks of Jon Snow and the wildlings. The vast mountain area of Vatnajokull is the location for North of the Wall, where White Walkers stroll in undeadly fashion. In real life, though, Vatnajokull is the largest national park in Europe.

If you're eager to see where Jon and Ygritte made love, head to the mystical cave of Grjotagja, which is a small lava cave in Northeast Iceland. The cave houses a thermal spring and is a popular bathing cave in the 1970s.
A preliminary hearing for two brothers accused of killing their San Jose parents on Monday was delayed until Wednesday, and the younger brothers attorney said she wants the boys to be tried separately.

Speaking for the first time, alternate public defender Jessica Delgado told NBC Bay Area she absolutely wants 17-year-old Omar Golamrabbi tried separately from his brother, 23, Hasib Golamrabbi. Both boys were charged April 29 with murdering their parents, Golam and Shamima Rabbi, during the prior weekend.

Delgado wants a speedy preliminary hearing and a speedy trial. Were ready to go, she said.

Relatives Mourn Husband, Wife Killed in San Jose

Both boys have pleaded not guilty to the crimes. Prosecutors have not provided any motives for the killings, though court documents state that Omar Golamrabbi wrote messages on the walls over the parents' bodies. Sources told NBC Bay Area that one of the messages read: "Sorry my first killing was clumsy."

Hasib Golamrabbi is being represented by public defender Andy Gutierrez.

A handful of relatives came to the San Jose Hall of Justice. One woman, who did not want to be identified, said that she wasn't ready to speak, and wasn't sure who to support.
Protests against San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr and police brutality will continue Monday, although the now-infamous hunger strike that five protesters started on April 21 has ended.

Supporters of the hunger strikers, who have been in the hospital since Friday, are calling for a general strike in San Francisco. Organizers are asking supporters to stay home from work, school and stay out of corporate businesses and instead join them in a peaceful, silent protest outside city hall at 8 a.m. Monday.

Meanwhile, the five hunger strikers -- Sellassie Blackwell, 39, Ilych Sato, 42, Edwin Lindo, 29, Ike Pinkston, 42, and Maria Cristina Gutierrez, 66 -- will stay in recovery.

"They are going to be in the hospital for a few days as they reintroduce food into their system," organizer Yayne Abeba said of the five hunger strikers, who have become known as he 'Frisco 5.' "But they're in good spirits and they're ready to get healthy and move on to the next steps of this movement, which has grown from 'Frisco Five' to 'Frisco 500' now."

Since the hunger strike started, there have been a slew of demonstrations in San Francisco, notably one last Tuesday in which more than 400 people marched to the steps of city hall to demand Suhr's resignation.

A protest on Friday at City Hall turned violent, with 33 protesters arrested, city hall damaged, and allegations that police mistreated members of the press.

Protesters allege that Suhr's handling of high-profile police shooting cases, notably those of Mario Woods and Alex Nieto, showed racial bias and prejudice within the department. Then, last month, a San Francisco police officer was caught sending text messages referring to African-Americans as "nigs" and Latinos as "beaners," bringing simmering tensions between the community and police to a boiling point.

Mayor Ed Lee has said that he stands behind Suhr, who has refused to step down.
A small group people showed up in front of San Francisco City Hall Monday morning calling for the ouster of Police Chief Greg Suhr over what they say is a regime of police brutality.

Some of those protesters included white-coated University of California at San Francisco doctors and nurses. "Weve witnessed these police murders and impunity for those murders and we think this is a public health crisis," said Josh Connor, a four-year UCSF medical student.

He and his colleagues joined a larger movement of those who want political leaders to know they're not happy and they're not going away.

"We expect the mayor to know we expect San Francisco to know that this is the way it is going to be from now on," Ben Back Sierra said.

Organizers of the group known as Frisco 5 are asked supporters to stay home from work, school and stay out of corporate businesses and instead join them in a peaceful, silent protest.

A crowd of less than a hundred people attended the protest.

Benjamin Elliott and his wife brought their kids to City Hall to march before taking them to school.

"Justice isn't an idea that just exists on its own, it's something we have to participate in and democracy is not a spectator sport," Elliott said.

A spokesperson for the demonstrators said the goal is a city-wide strike and a shut down of big business.

"The mayor only understands money, so we're going to go after the money," said Yayne Abeva, a protest spokeswoman.

So far, protesters have not been able to get any unions, university students or any other large groups to sign on.

"We don't have anything concrete right now, but we have some things planned for the future," Abeva said.

In a statement through spokesman Albie Esparza, Suhr said he's saying put.

"The chief will not step down or resign," Esparza said. "He is intending on staying in the department as the chief to see the implantation of the police reform he has been working on with the mayor's office" as well as the Department of Justice.

As marchers circled City Hall, two preliminary reports on the police department were released. One of the reports came from the Department of Justice commending SFPD for reviewing its use-of-force policies.

Mayor Ed Lee said he would ask the police commission to move on DOJ recommendations to set up a serious incidents review board and explore having the state or the DOJ perform criminal investigation into officer-involved shootings.

The second report came from the blue-ribbon panel put together by District Attorney George Gascon, who has been critical of the police department and Suhr.

The panel found the department lacked oversight and discipline. The San Francisco Police Officers Association responded, calling the panel's findings one sided and biased.

Suhr on Monday said he is working on the DOJ recommendations with the police commission, as well as reforms already in progress. Suhr also said he respects the protesters and their commitment to reform.

Meanwhile, the five hunger strikers -- Sellassie Blackwell, 39, Ilych Sato, 42, Edwin Lindo, 29, Ike Pinkston, 42, and Maria Cristina Gutierrez, 66 -- ended their hunger strike on Friday after having gone to the hospital.

"They are going to be in the hospital for a few days as they reintroduce food into their system," organizer Yayne Abeba said of the five hunger strikers, who have become known as he 'Frisco 5.' "But they're in good spirits and they're ready to get healthy and move on to the next steps of this movement, which has grown from 'Frisco Five' to 'Frisco 500' now."

Since the hunger strike started, there have been a slew of demonstrations in San Francisco, notably one last Tuesday in which more than 400 people marched to the steps of city hall to demand Suhr's resignation.

A protest on Friday at City Hall turned violent, with 33 protesters arrested, city hall damaged, and allegations that police mistreated members of the press.

Protesters allege that Suhr's handling of high-profile police shooting cases, notably those of Mario Woods and Alex Nieto, showed racial bias and prejudice within the department. Then, last month, a San Francisco police officer was caught sending text messages referring to African-Americans as "nigs" and Latinos as "beaners," bringing simmering tensions between the community and police to a boiling point.

Lee has said that he stands behind Suhr, who has refused to step down.
A passenger plane that possibly had smoke in the cockpit made an emergency landing at Mineta San Jose International Airport on Monday morning, Southwest Airlines officials said.

Southwest Flight 346 out of Phoenix and bound for San Francisco International Airport was reporting mechanical difficulties of possible smoke in the cockpit, which prompted the pilot to divert the plane to San Jose, airline officials said.

The flight made a safe landing at 11:15 a.m., airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said. No injuries were reported.

The plane was able to taxi to a gate on its own power, airline officials said. There were 170 passengers and six crew members aboard the flight,

according to Southwest officials.

Southwest employees will be working with the passengers on the plane to get them to their destination. The plane has been taken out of service for inspection, airline officials said.
Police arrested a suspect over the weekend in the killing of a former San Francisco public defender who was fatally stabbed inside her home.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported 19-year-old Angelo Zamora was arrested Friday and is being held at San Francisco General Hospital under the custody of the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

Marla Zamora was found stabbed multiple times at her home in the 400 block of Arkansas Street in the city's Potrero Hill neighborhood on Friday. She served as the principal trial attorney for the San Francisco public defender's office before retiring in 2007 and going into private practice.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Eileen Hirst said Angelo Zamora was taken into custody in the former public defender's office, which is adjacent to her home. He was booked on one count of murder.

Sources have said the suspect is Marla Zamora's nephew, and he had been living with her.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi said in a statement that Zamora was a wonderful person with a heart of gold.

"She was a fearless advocate for her clients," Adachi said.

Marla Zamora was the defense attorney for Edwin Ramos, who was convicted

in a highly publicized triple murder trial in 2012.

Bay City News contributed to this report.
On a recent morning, as fog was wafting past the tower of San Franciscos Ferry Building, Dorian Clair quietly climbed the stairwell of the towers inner chamber  ascending further into San Franciscos history with each flight.

For nearly two decades, Clair has made this similar trek every few months to attend to the towers original clock which been ticking off time since 1898, the year the Ferry Building opened.

Most of San Franciscos neat antiquities are gone, Clair said, peering into the spinning gears of the aged contraption. This one is still here.

The clock was built by the E. Howard & Company of Boston. It survived the 1906 Earthquake which badly damaged the tower. Clair points out a broken window inside the interior shed that houses the clock  likely a casualty of the clocks swinging parts in the earthquake. Through all the clock has survived  it still keeps pretty good time.

This is 118 years old, Clair said. Id give it hundreds of more years.

The clock survived a natural disaster but it nearly didnt survive a recent remodel project. When the Ferry Building was rebuilt in 2003, Clair said the building managers told him they planned to haul the clock out to sea and dump it  since they lacked the proper paperwork to salvage it.

Clair persuaded them to save it  installing a small electric motor which still powers the clock and doesnt require winding. Twice a year, Clair climbs the stairs in the wee hours of a Sunday morning to adjust the clock for Daylight Saving Time. He prefers to wait until 4am to change the hour, since thats the time he gets up anyway.

This was the city clock of San Francisco and you could see it roughly two miles up Market Street, Clair said wistfully. Nobody pays attention to these old clocks anymore  everybody has a cell phone. Including me.

Clair took his first clock apart 62 years ago. He remembers it vividly because it was his birthday. He was eight.

Since then, hes repaired thousands of antique clocks at his shop in San Franciscos Noe Valley. He doesnt work on modern clocks. There are other people who can tackle those. He looked around his shop stacked high with clocks in every sightline  small pathways cut through the stacks like a rabbit warren. He acknowledged that hes better at keeping time-keepers than actually keeping time.

Clock collecting is a disease but its a socially acceptable disease, he deadpanned. I could be an axe murderer.

Clair not only keeps the Ferry Building Clock running, he also tends to the 1901 clock in Stanfords Clock Tower and sometimes the clock tower at U.C. Berkeley. Perched inside his shop is a tower clock from 1750, with gears and paddles that create a cacophony every hour. It requires 504 cranks a week.

Its fun to watch the chimes go around and it keeps the cat off the front counter, Clair said.

It seemed the only recent thing in Clairs shop was his 20-year old assistant Maxwell Nesbet who works at a desk across a stack of clocks from Dorians work area  and who owns the shops most belaboring task.

Winding day, Nesbet said referring to the Monday ritual. I wind all the clocks that are running in the shop.

Clair seemed as impressed as baffled to have someone at such a young age express an interest in fixing antique clocks.

Max, I think is the only other person I know thats under 60 thats interested in this, Clair said.

Clair lamented the fact that most people now get their time from a smart phone rather than an old clock, although he counts himself among their ranks. Time, he said, is more merciful when its not quite so exacting.

Today we all have a cell phone thats right within a third of a second, he said.  We know exactly what time it is - but does that make life better? Maybe. But not for me.
According to a recent New York Times/Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 62 percent of Chicagoans disapprove of Mayor Rahm Emanuels job performance as the citys mayor.

Nevertheless, the mayors office claimed that despite the numbers, Emanuel is dedicated to improving the city.

"The Mayors focus is on building on the progress we have made with generations-old issues in Chicago, from jobs to education to public safety, Emanuel spokesman Adam Collins said in a statement. We are striving to grow our already record high school graduation rate, to build out our first-in-the-nation free community college program, and extend our record performance of adding 41 corporate headquarters and nearly 100,000 jobs here over the past five years.

And we will continue to invest in everything from technology to training as we work to reduce crime and build trust in the police department, Collins added.

Emanuel most recently came under fire after dash-cam footage of the Laquan McDonald shooting was made public in November of last year. The teen was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014.

The mayor has also caught flack for closing Chicago Public Schools and laying off staff members. The city is currently engaged in a contract battle with the Chicago Teachers Union.

According to the poll, 25 percent of Chicagoans approve of Emanuels job performance. In comparison, 78 percent of Chicagoans approve of President Barack Obamas job performance, while only 16 percent disapprove. Emanuel previously served as Obamas chief of staff.

The poll skewed slightly along racial lines, with 21 percent of African-Americans approving of Emanuels work and 70 percent disapproving. In comparison, 28 percent of whites approved of the mayors job performance, while 61 percent disapproved. Additionally, 21 percent of hispanics disapproved of Emanuels performance and 60 percent approved.

More than half of Chicagoans, 52 percent, identified crime, violence and gangs as the citys biggest problem. Others voiced concerns over education, police and the economy.

Collins said the mayor is currently working to address these issues.

Our work over the past few months alone bears that out as we have expanded our new crisis response and de-escalation training to more police officers, expanded our body camera program to more police districts, and ensured every officer who responds to a call for service is equipped with a Taser, Collins said. This work is our focus, and all these efforts that are right in line with the public sentiment expressed in your poll."
Gov. Bruce Rauner told churchgoers Sunday that he plans to make a trip Poland after achieving the pro-business, union-weakening reforms outlined in his Turnaround Agenda, the Sun-Times reports.

Rauner reportedly said during a visit to Holy Trinity Catholic Church he hopes to soon have reforms in place to "grow our economy and get more value for taxpayers and fund our schools properly," and once those reforms are accomplished, he will "travel the world to create stronger ties with the people of Illinois with nations across the globe."

The first nation he said he plans to visit is Poland.

The congregation at Holy Trinity Catholic Church was celebrating Polish Constitution Day Sunday.

Illinois has been without a budget since July of last year. The impasse has hinged on a battle between Rauner and the Democrat-controlled legislature over the governors agenda.

The Illinois General Assembly reconvened last Tuesday. According to Politico, two bipartisan groups are working on separate budget proposals, one of which accounts for FY2016 and FY2017.

Rauner is pushing state lawmakers to pass a two-year budget and is considering funding special legislative sessions if a deal is not reached by the end of May. The legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 31. After that date, a three-fifths supermajority is needed to pass bills.

Rauners office did not respond to Ward Rooms request for comment on the story.
A suspect accused of robbing a bank on Chicago's Southwest Side was fatally shot by police Monday morning, authorities said.

Police responded to a "holdup alarm" at a Byline Bank on the 4900 block of South Karlov Avenue after security at the bank started chasing a suspect through the neighborhood.

As officers arrived at the scene, the suspect became involved in an armed confrontation, police said in a statement.

"The officers chased the subject down a gangway. The subject turned toward the officers with a weapon," Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said. "One of the officers discharged his weapon, striking the offender."

The suspect was fatally shot and a hangun was recovered from the scene, officials said.

At least one person was shot in a Chicago police-involved shooting Monday.

The shooting happened near Edwards Elementary School.

Authorities believe the suspect may have been involved in the robbery of another Byline Bank branch at 63rd Street and Austin Avenue.

"He has distinctive shoes that he had on today so we think the same individual committed a bank robbery a few days ago," Johnson said.

The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting.
Chicago Police will have an increased security presence at Jones College Prep High School Monday after a social media post threatened violence against the school.

A recent Instagram account titled MAYMAY6th posted the threats over the weekend, with a picture of a gun that tagged someone saying they would be their "first target."

Tomorrow is my rapture, the post began. Tomorrow is when the day of the dead occurs. You may think Im dumb for posting this, go ahead. Hopefully Ill catch you laughing and joking in the hallway so I can quickly end your miserable idiotic life. This is all a game to me. Those who hear me ready to murder and still come are worthless and deserve to die.

Jones College Prep principal Joseph Powers told NBC 5 the school was made aware of the posting Friday and launched an immediate investigation.

Based on the wording, timing, and other factors, we did not deem it a credible threat requiring a lock down of the school, Powers said. The CPS Safety and Security office is utilizing its cyber security team and working with CPD to trace the origin of the posting, so the investigation is ongoing. We are providing additional security measures to assure everyone that they are safe at school.

Police confirmed an investigation did not find the threats to be legitimate, but additional officers would be on the South Loop campus at 700 S. State St. throughout the day Monday as a precaution.

Please be assured that we take the safety and security of our students and staff very seriously, Powers said.

Just last month, Jones College Prep was one of only two Chicago schools to be named among the top 100 high schools in the country.
A driver was killed when their vehicle crashed into a suburban middle school while school was in session Monday afternoon.

Police said the vehicle slammed into a building just before 2:30 p.m. at the Barrington Middle School-Station campus.

Officers and fire personnel determined that the driver of the vehicle suffered fatal injuries after striking the building, the police department said in a release.

The crash happened while school was still in session but no students or employees were injured.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation Monday evening.

Further details on the driver or the crash werent immediately known.
The fire chief in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, admitted to starting a brush fire last month, and blamed it on a cigarette, according to court documents.

Ricky Plummer, 59, of Biddeford, was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with one count of arson in an April 15 fire that burned more than 42 acres in Old Orchard Beach's Jones Creek Marsh.

According to the Portland Press Herald, Plummer has served as the fire chief in Old Orchard Beach since 2014. He has also worked at fire departments in Arundel, Biddeford, Standish, North Berwick and Gray, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Cocoa, Florida.

He made his first court appearance on Monday and his bail was set at $10,000 cash. He is not allowed to travel to Old Orchard Beach or possess incendiary devices.

About a dozen investigators from the state fire marshal's office and the forest service seized computers at the Old Orchard Beach fire station on Friday. They also seized Plummer's town-owned car and his cell phone.

Plummer does not yet have an attorney.

Fire investigators said that, contrary to Plummer's account, no evidence of cigarettes was found in the area where the brush fire started. According to court papers, Plummer was spotted on surveillance footage arriving at the scene in his fire department vehicle.

More than 100 firefighters from southern Maine fought the fire. Smoke was visible from as far away as Interstate 295 in Portland. No one was injured.
The mother-in-law of a fitness instructor slain inside a North Texas church penned her second open letter to Missy Bevers' killer over Mother's Day weekend, urging the person to surrender.

Marsha Tucker, Bevers' mother-in-law, posted the letter on Facebook Saturday, two weeks after her first public message to the perpetrator.

Missy Bevers, 45, a mother to three daughters, was attacked and killed early last month at Creekside Church in Midlothian while getting ready to teach a Camp Gladiator fitness class.

Surveillance video from inside the church shows someone dressed in tactical gear walking around the facility prior to Bevers' arrival. Police believe that person killed her, then fled. He or she has not been located.

In her latest letter, Tucker again urges the killer to come forward, telling the person "it's just a matter of time" before police close in.

My 2nd Letter to the Murderer of Missy Bevers: 5/7/16



It has been 2 weeks since I wrote the 1st letter to you. Almost 3 weeks since you murdered Missy.

I would guarantee your life has been more miserable than ours! Our life has been filled with peace that you wouldn't understand. Something only a God-fearing, saved by Jesus, person truly understands! We have been blessed by so many wonderful people, willing to share our grief, by praying with us, preparing meals for her family and just blessing us with all of their actions in so many ways!

How about you? Are you feeling all the love from your family and friends? Or do they suspect you, thinking something is not right with you?

How did it make you feel when so many people all over this nation, said such glowing things about Missy? You probably sat back and thought, "how little do they really know her." I assume you were jumping up and down when the news about her life was not as perfect as a lot of people thought.

Well, let me tell you a little secret you may not comprehend. No, she wasn't perfect and she never claimed to be. But, the secret is, there is something called "agape" love. Meaning, there really is a love you have, that no matter what you have done in the past or present, you still love them! I know her husband does, her 3 girls, her mom, brothers, all her family and friends.

Sorry, there is nothing that can ever change that! I'm sure that disappoints you. But, it's the truth!!

Are you getting a bit nervous, shaking in your "boots that look too big?" You should be! It's just a matter of time now.

Things would be a lot easier on you to just go ahead and turn yourself in. I'm sure the officials will take that into account.

Go ahead and clear your conscience, you will feel better. No sense in having your family witness you being picked up by the police and leaving that lasting vision on their minds forever! We are all waiting! It's one way or the other!!"

Police have asked the public to closely watch the surveillance video released. They believe someone may recognize the killers walk and mannerisms.

A fitness instructor was found slain inside a North Texas church Monday morning, and Midlothian police are looking for a man seen on video wearing tactical clothing with police markings in connection with her death.

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).
Authorities are searching for a man accused of shooting a police officer in an armed conrontation in central Illinois Saturday night.

Officials said Dracy "Clint" Pendleton, 35, was involved in a shooting with a Mahomet Police Officer on Saturday at approximately 10:45 p.m., according to a release from the Illinois State Police. The officer was shot in the arm, and police believe Pendleton also received wounds before fleeing the scene.

Pendleton is believed to be armed with an AK-47, according to police, and may seek treatment for his injuries at a medical facility.

Mahomet is located about ten miles northeast of Champaign, Illinois. The Champaign County State's Attorneys Office has issued a warrant for Pendleton's arrest on a charge of attempted murder of a police officer. His bond is set at $5 million dollars.

Pendleton is described as a white male, standing 510 and weighing 155 lbs. He has blue eyes and blonde hair. According to police, he may have stolen a 2007 white GMC pick-up truck with the Illinois registration number 165533B.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call 217-384-TIPS, or visit www.373tips.com to submit an anonymous tip.
A Southern California high school student says she was "saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed" when the school yearbook printed the name "Isis Phillips" next to her photo, in which she is wearing a hijab.

The student, who is not being named because her family asked for privacy, took to social media to call out Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga. She first pointed out the error on Twitter, then posted a photo of the yearbook page on Facebook with the following caption:

"I am extremely saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed that the Los Osos High School yearbook was able to get away with this. Apparently I am 'Isis' in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, let's be real."

The photo drew attention from many who criticized the school's mistake. As of Monday, the post had been shared more than 3,500 times.

Chaffey Joint Union High School District Superintendent Mat Holton told the Los Angeles Times the student was misidentified as a peer with the name of Isis.

Osos High School principal Susan Petrocelli offered an apology on Twitter Saturday, saying the school was taking steps to correct and investigate the misprint. [[378581756, C]]

The Osos High School yearbook also responded on Twitter, admitting fault in the error.

"We should have checked each name carefully in the book and we had no intention to create this misunderstanding," the yearbook staff said.

https://twitter.com/LosOsosYearbook/status/728774613551882241

Attorneys with the Greater Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) have been in contact with the student and her family and were investigating the incident.

"We join with the family in their concern about a possible bias motive for this incident and in the deep concern for their daughter's safety as a result of being falsely labeled as a member of a terrorist group," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "No student should have to face the humiliation of being associated with a group as reprehensible as ISIS."

According to CAIR-LA, some 200 yearbooks have been distributed to students at Los Osos High School.

The organization said the student will not likely return to school "until the issue is resolved appropriately."

Holton told the Los Angeles Times yearbook distribution has been halted until the error is fixed.
Powerful tornadoes that swept across southern Oklahoma killed at least two people Monday, officials said.

Bud Ramming, the emergency director in Garvin County, said a man believed to be in his late 70s was found dead in a home. NBC affiliate KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City first reported the death.

And Johnston County Sheriff's Sgt. Stacey Pulley said a man died near the town of Connerville.

After a multi-vortex tornado ripped through southern Oklahoma, a helicopter surveys the damage of several homes and other structures.

Video from KFOR showed the storm producing a tornado that touched down near Wynnewood, as forecasters warned the storm and associated tornadoes may inflict "catastrophic damage."

Some of Monday's weather was so bad forecasters declared a "tornado emergency" for the towns of Roff and Hickory, which were in the path of a storm. A radio station in Coal County received major damage, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

Massive Tornado Hits Oklahoma

"You are in a life-threatening situation," forecasters said when they declared a tornado emergency for Roff, population 725, and Hickory, population 71. "Flying debris will be deadly to those caught without shelter."

Television images showed several homes destroyed, multiple overturned vehicles and trees torn limb from limb. A roof lay near a hay barn after the first tornado reports from near Wynnewood along Interstate 35.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed five miles of the main roadway between Oklahoma City and Dallas as the storm approached. It opened about 15 minutes later.

A massive tornado is captured on camera as it rips through Wynnewood, Oklahoma Monday afternoon.

The rough weather wasn't limited to Oklahoma. Cindy Fay, with the National Weather Service in Hastings, Nebraska, said there were three confirmed tornadoes that touched down Monday afternoon near the cities of Fairfield and Clay Center.

The Storm Prediction Center had warned that a "substantial tornado risk" could develop Monday in portions of the Southern Plains and the Ozarks. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed a five-mile section of Interstate 35 between Oklahoma City and Dallas as the storm approached.

Meteorologists said twisters with wind speeds above 111 mph were possible from eastern Oklahoma to central Arkansas. Hail 2 inches or more in diameter was possible from eastern Texas to southeastern Kansas.

About 41 million people from Houston to Sioux City, Iowa, were at risk for some type of stormy weather.

At least one tornado has touched down in Oklahoma late Monday afternoon.

Video from KFOR showed the twister on the ground. The station reported before 5 p.m. that the tornado on the ground could be up to a half-mile wide. It also received reports of destroyed homes.

Brittany McElhaney Flores captured video of the twister near Wynnewood and posted it to Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFM6lVioW5K/

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West Virginia state Senate candidate Richard Ojeda was brutally beaten during a cookout Sunday  just two days before his primary  Ojeda told NBC News.

The Democrat and military veteran said he suffered eight bone fractures and three lacerations to his face in an attack by Jonathan Stuart Porter, a local Ojeda had known since childhood.

Ojeda's primary opponent, state Sen. Art Kirkendoll, said in a statement that he was praying for Ojeda and wished him a full recovery.

Porter peacefully turned himself in after hiding out in the mountains for six hours, State Trooper Zachary Holden said.

A motive for the assault remained unclear, though Ojeda says it was clearly political.

"I'm challenging the powers that be," he said.
A member of the United States Air Force who was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl who was reported missing in Connecticut has pleaded guilty to traveling to engage in illegal sexual activity with a minor.

What started as an investigation into a missing teen in Plainfield led to the arrest in May 2016 of 27-year-old Nicholas B. Murphy, of Exeter, Rhode Island, who police said was an active member of the US Air Force.

The then-14-year-old girl was reported missing in September 2015 and police learned within hours that she was with Murphy, according to a news release.

Murphy and the teen started speaking on Facebook and they met while he was on leave, police said.

Federal authorities said Murphy knew the teen was sneaking out of her home without her parents' knowledge to meet him and he picked her up and drove to a secluded area where he and the victim engaged in illicit sexual contact.

Murphy was charged with two counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of illegal sexual contact.

He was released on $150,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 13.
A Connecticut State University student died over the weekend and counselors will be available on campus on Monday to help students who are grieving.

A statement CCSU president Jack Miller sent to the school community said administrators learned of the students death on Saturday morning and the students parents and immediate friends were notified.

Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the students family and friends, Miller said in the statement.

The students name has not been released and school officials said on Monday morning that they are extremely saddened.

Because the death of one of our students is a terrible tragedy that affects us all, I want to say that especially at this stressful time of the academic year, it is all the more necessary to keep watch over each other and to support each other. Your compassion and understanding can make an important difference, Miller said in the message to the school community.

Counselors will be available, beginning this morning.
North Haven police have arrested a man accused of burglarizing several apartments in March.

Police said Thomas Dowsett, 32, of North Haven, is suspected of burglarizing several apartments in a multi-family home on Mount Carmel Road in March.

Residents of three of the four apartments said someone broke in and stole computers, a television, cash, jewelry, video games and other items.

Police suspect Dowsett of stealing $4,000 worth of items.

Detectives arrested him on Sunday. He was released after posting a $7,500 bond and he is scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on May 19.
Some parents in Glastonbury are pushing back against a proposal that could close the doors of Eastbury Elementary school for good.

The Board of Education could vote as soon as Monday evening on whether to close the school at the end of the 2017 school year.

Eastbury is Glastonburys smallest elementary school and leaders say closing the school could create a dramatic savings in the long term.

It is the smallest school that we have. Its now down to about 250 students. Its now less efficient to run the school than our larger schools, Supt. Dr. Alan Bookman.

The move to close the school comes in part because its projected that the population that could be served by Eastbury has plateaued, theoretically leaving the school underutilized.

Some parents who spoke with NBC Connecticut said they disagree with the population projections.

Every classroom is full. There are not 15 kids in a classroom. There are 20 and over in every classroom. When they move all these kids, they are going to crowd other schools, Erika Schwartz, of Glastonbury, said.

I think this is such a nice size and such a comfortable atmosphere that it would be nice if they could keep this school going, Erin Kelley, a parent, said.

I know it means a lot to the families here. Id love to see more students be able to come to this school, said Sarah Blake, one of hundreds who has signed the petition to keep the school open.

The superintendent said if the school closure is approved, students and as much staff as possible would be assigned to the districts remaining schools.

You can find the petition to keep Eastbury open here. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/521/333/091/glastonbury-tax-payers-against-the-closing-of-eastbury-school/?taf_id=24927815&cid=fb_na#
State Troopers arrested two people during a traffic stop on Interstate 84 in Tolland early Sunday morning and found hash oil, brownies made with medical marijuana and counterfeit credit cards.

Police stopped a Ford Edge on I-84 west in Tolland at 12:25 a.m. on Sunday because it was driving erratically, speeding and changing lanes without signaling, according to police.

While searching the vehicle, police found the driver with counterfeit credit cards and a fake drivers license, police said.

Police also found 20 envelopes with butane hash oil and 24 plastic foil bags with 1.7 pounds of medical cannabis brownies.

The operator and passenger were arrested.

Jason Glashen-Matthias, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell, credit card forgery, credit card counterfeiting, illegal use of a credit card, criminal impersonation and speeding . Bond was set at $250,000 and he is due in Rockville Superior Court on May 9.

Jeffrey Sanon, 33, of Brighton, Massachusetts, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to sell and interfering with an officer.

Bond was set at $250,000.
A judge entered not-guilty pleas Monday on behalf of a former drifter charged in the slayings of six people in Connecticut in 2003 during what authorities called a serial killing spree involving a van he called the "murder mobile."

A hearing in the case against William Devin Howell was held in New Britain Superior Court. The native of Hampton, Virginia, also waived his right to a probable cause hearing where prosecutors would have to show there's enough evidence to proceed to trial.

Howell, 46, already is serving a 15-year prison sentence for manslaughter in the killing of 33-year-old Nilsa Arizmendi of Wethersfield. She and the six other victims  five women and a man  were killed in 2003 and later found buried behind a shopping center in New Britain.

Howell sexually assaulted three of the women and kept one of the bodies in his van for two weeks, sleeping next to the body and calling the victim his "baby," according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Howell also told a cellmate "there was a monster inside of him that just came out" and described himself as a "sick ripper," according to the warrant.

New Britain police say Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs in Connecticut at the time of the killings.

The other victims were identified as: Joyvaline Martinez, 24, of East Hartford; Diane Cusack, 53, of New Britain; Mary Jane Menard, 40, of New Britain; Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29, of Seymour; Marilyn Gonzalez, 26, of Waterbury; and Danny Lee Whistnant, 44, of New Britain.
West Hartford has negotiated a purchase price to buy the UConn campus in its town, officials said.

West Hartford's town hall office confirmed that the town negotiated a price of $5 million with UConn.

The pirce is down from the $12.6 million offered by Chinese-based Weiming Education Group, which hoped to trun the campus into an international high school.

According to the Hartfort Courant, last Monday the town's manager Ronald Van Winkle presented options for development plans, including plans for a public park.
A judge dismissed a case Monday challenging the mental competency of media mogul Sumner Redstone.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David J. Cowan ruled Monday that he found video testimony from the 92-year-old Redstone convincing. He testified that he wanted his daughter, Shari, to make medical decisions for him if he is incapacitated and that he no longer wanted his ex-girlfriend Manuela Herzer in his life.

Herzer had contended that Redstone, who controls CBS Corp. and Viacom Inc., lacked the mental capacity to remove her from his life last year.

Redstone's attorneys sought to dismiss the case during the first day of a competency trial that began Friday. They argued the billionaire knew what he was doing when he decided he no longer wanted Herzer in charge of making medical decisions on his behalf and that he was not the subject of undue influence of his family members and his caretakers.

The judge had asked attorneys to present their best evidence over the weekend so he could rule. Cowan also viewed video testimony of Redstone, which he viewed Friday after attorneys for both side questioned him at his Beverly Park home.

"The court was able to see the strong conviction he had about what he said," Cowan wrote. "He was very composed and did not appear angry. The court does not believe Redstone had any confusion about what he was asked, about his wishes or the reasons for his wishes."

Asked by one of his lawyers what he wanted the judge to do, Redstone replied he desired that his daughter, Shari Redstone, serve as his health care agent, Cowan wrote.
Authorities said they arrested a man after a high-speed pursuit through Navarro and Dallas counties Monday morning.

Navarro County Sheriff's deputies began chasing the maroon pickup truck on Interstate 45 at about 7:30 a.m., according to authorities.

By 7:50 a.m., the driver had reached the Dallas North Tollway, passing vehicles on the shoulder at speeds exceeding 100 mph.

A few minutes later, authorities said they took the driver into custody near the intersection of Lemmon Avenue and Lomo Alto Drive.

The Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was deployed to assist in the chase.

No further details have yet been released.

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Ride sharing apps -- Many North Texans love the convenience and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price wants to keep it that way.

Uber and Lyft announced Monday they were suspending operations in Austin after voters there rejected a $9 million campaign by the companies to overturn a safety measure that would require them to fingerprint drivers.

Some North Texas cities are also considering proposals to make ride-sharing safer for customers.

"We are looking at Uber, Lyft and taxes too, as less regulation is more. Obviously you want them to be 100 percent safe for people, but the free market will drive this," Price said.

The Fort Worth City Council has been working on the issue for more than a year.

The latest draft of the ordinance has the city in charge of background checks, which was a sticking point in Austin. But council members and the mayor are not sure if the city will be in charge of those checks once the final version is passed.

"The companies fingerprint their drivers themselves and I don't know that we need that additional piece here at the city," Price said.

Dallas worked through its security concerns with the car services in 2013. If a driver applies for a permit with the city then the city does the background check. Uber and Lyft can do their own background checks but the city will audit them.



Price is confident Fort Worth will reach an agreement soon. The ordinance must pass through a committee first before a final vote can be made in June.

Both Uber and Lyft released statements Monday evening regarding the ordinance.
A Fort Worth police officer shot multiple times during a gunbattle was escorted home by his colleagues Tuesday after being released from a Fort Worth hospital almost two months after he was wounded.

Officer Matt Pearce's family invited the public to come and show their support for him as he left JPS Hospital.

He was greeted by a throng of supporters that included civilians, hospital staff, dozens of police officers, Mayor Betsy Price and Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald.

Pearce spoke in a Facebook video before he left the hospital.

"I truly believe I live in the best community on the face of the Earth," he said. "I believe this is really a miracle. They didn't give me very good odds to survive these injuries and here I am -- walking, talking, getting ready to go home."

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price talks about Officer Matt Pearce leaving the hospital and Officer Anthony White with the Fort Worth Police Officers Association reads a statement on behalf of Pearces family and JPS Health Network CEO Robert Earley discuss providing care to Officer Pearce.

Pearce was shot March 15 pursuing a person wanted on a felony warrant and was injured in a gun battle that left the suspect, Ed McIver Sr., dead. McIver was wanted on aggravated assault charges and for jumping bail when gunfire broke out as he fled with his adult son.

Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald discusses Officer Matt Pearces discharge from JPS Hospital two months after he was shot in a gun battle.

McIver's 20-year-old son, Ed McIver Jr., has been charged with attempted capital murder, evading arrest and unlawful carrying of a weapon in connection with Pearce's shooting. The investigation into who shot Pearce, McIver senior or junior, was not immediately determined.

Chopper 5 shows Fort Worth Police Officer Matt Pearce as hes discharged from JPS Hospital and escorted home, two months after he was injured in a gun battle.

Police said Pearce will be sent home to rest before continuing with his rehabilitation in Houston.

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.
Authorities said a semi crashed on Interstate 35W, blocking several lanes of traffic in Fort Worth early Monday morning. [[378614121,C]]

Police said a FedEx truck jackknifed on I-35W near Texas 170 just after 1 a.m. The truck came to rest on the center median of the interstate, closing all southbound lanes for several hours.

As of 6:30 a.m., all northbound lanes of the interstate were closed near Exit 65. The highway reopened several hours later.

Authorities said the driver of the truck was treated for minor injuries at the scene.

Tow trucks team up to clear jackknifed truck that crashed over 35W median at SH170 @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/KSuWhBeogi  Jeff Smith (@JeffSmithi24) May 9, 2016

NBC 5's Jeff Smith contributed to this report.
A Dallas woman is fighting for her life after she was mauled by a pack of dogs.

Antoinette Brown, 52, was heard screaming for help around 3:00 a.m. last Monday in the 3300 block of Rutledge Street.

Jackie Humphrey heard the commotion and called 911.

"I heard her say, 'Somebody please help! Please help me! Please help me!' That's when I called 911," Humphrey said. "The policeman said the muscle had been eaten in one of her arms. He said one of her legs looked like a shark attacked somebody in the ocean."

Brown's mother, Barbara Brown, confirmed her daughter was bitten more than a hundred times and remains in a medically-induced coma at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.

Dallas Animal Services captured six dogs who appeared to be responsible for the attack. Dallas Police did not publicly disclose the mauling until the dogs were rounded up on Friday.

In a tweet to the Dallas Morning News, Police Chief David Brown said officers worked with neighbors to capture the dogs, before the owners could get rid of them. The dogs' owners could face charges, Brown wrote.
Each week, hundreds of people contact NBC5 Responds for consumer help and, so far, we have gotten more than $162,000 back for viewers just like you.

We get all kinds of complaints into our responds line, but this week, planes, cars and a TV service caught our eye.

If Frank Weaver looked happy in the picture he sent us, that's because he is not stuck with a plane ticket he couldn't use. He bought it and tried to cancel soon after, with no luck.

Weaver emailed NBC5 Responds and received about $433 back.

And remember Pam Cannell? She's the North Texas mom who took a dream trip to Scotland with her son, but her rental left her stuck on the side of the road.

"Opened up the trunk, there was no spare tire in there," she said. I'm looking on the ground. No donut. No compressed gas. Nothing."

Cannell said she lost a day of her trip and was charged more that she expected. After our story aired, though, she received the 50 percent off she was promised, to the tune of $244.

And finally, Linda Reid reached out to NBC 5 Responds because of she never got a reward for switching TV providers. We called the company and helped Reid get her $150 back.

They're just three of the hundreds of people we help each week. We're here to help and we respond to everyone not just the ones we put on TV. Just give us a day or two because we get lots of people asking for help.

Here's how to reach us: Call us at 844-573-7763 (5RESPND) or try our new online submission at www.nbcdfw.com/responds.
If Texas is Ted Cruz country, the state's Republican convention is its capital.

At the biennial gathering in 2012, thousands of delegates booed when Gov. Rick Perry dared salute Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who was then battling tea party upstart Cruz in the GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate seat.

Two years later, the same convention felt like a coming out party for Cruz's not-yet-announced presidential campaign. He won the 2016 straw poll by 31 points and delegates waited hours in a line that snaked through the cavernous exhibit hall just to shake hands with their senator.

But when 7,000-plus Republicans from across Texas converge on the Dallas convention center beginning Thursday, four years of Cruz coronations may feel like they're culminating in a let-down. It won't be Cruz's political wake, but the anticipation of bigger things to come for Texas' brightest conservative star will be tempered by Donald Trump so recently bouncing Cruz from the presidential race.

"There's going to be a lot of disappointment," said James Bernsen, a GOP consultant who was spokesman for Cruz's 2012 Senate campaign.

Cruz's inability to topple Trump still stings -- as does his failure to woo a Republican establishment desperate to coalesce around any Trump alternative, even when the Texas senator was the last major candidate besides the billionaire businessman who had a viable path to the party's presidential nomination.

But Cruz did far better than national pundits expected when the presidential race began, likely won't face a credible challenger for Senate re-election in 2018 and could mount a second presidential bid in 2020. He also remains the darling of the tea party activists who will dominate the convention, and counts among his most-enthusiastic supporters both Perry and Dewhurst's successors, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

"It will be a `welcome home' reunion," said Morgan McComb, a North Texas tea party activist and early backer of Cruz's 2012 Senate campaign. "Our love for him has only grown."

Asked about lingering sadness since Cruz left the White House race, McComb evoked Trump: "We are very sad for our nation. There was a clear choice and I tremble for my country."

Cruz has laid low since losing Indiana's primary and dropping out in Indianapolis last week. That means his scheduled address at the state convention could be the first time the political world has seen him since his concession speech -- which struck an optimistic tone but didn't mention Trump by name.

The Dallas gathering won't crackle with the same competitive energy it might have had Cruz remained in the race. That's because the senator's supporters were gearing up to ensure that all the state's 155 presidential delegates went to Cruz -- even though he only won 104 delegates during Texas' March 1 primary, compared to 48 for Trump and three for Marco Rubio.

Though he's now officially out, Cruz partisans will nonetheless control the Dallas convention, where the Texas delegation to July's Republican National Convention in Cleveland will be chosen. Their ranks should be numerous enough to ensure no non-Cruz supporters get Cleveland invites.

Texas Republican rules require delegates to initially vote according to the state's primary results at the national convention. But if no candidate had secured the 1,237 delegates necessary to lock up the GOP presidential nomination, that could have triggered a multi-round convention floor fight where all Texas delegates may have eventually flipped to Cruz.

Now, a contested Cleveland convention looks like a pipe dream, and that means at least 48 Texas delegates will vote for Trump -- even if they aren't crazy about doing so.

Randy Dunning, a Cruz supporter and Texas Republican Party executive committee member, said at least one Texan vying to be an alternate delegate to Cleveland dropped out because he didn't want to attend a "Trump pom-pom session."

Dunning, himself still in the running for Cleveland, said the stakes will remain high in Dallas since those picked for the national convention will still shape the Republican Party platform and "hold Trump's feet to the fire on conservative principles."

"Coming in, he evoked a lot of conservative tropes and those are markers he's laid on the table," Dunning said. "I want to make sure he pays up."
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will help Donald Trump prepare for the White House should he win the general election this November, the presumptive Republican nominees campaign announced Monday.

Christie has been named the chairman of Trumps transition team and will oversee efforts to transition from a campaign to the Oval Office if Trump beats out out the Democratic nominee, according to a statement from the businessman.

"Governor Christie is an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled Transition Team, one that will be prepared to take over the White House when we win in November," Trump said in the statement.

Christie, who ran for the GOP nomination and dropped out after a defeat in New Hampshire, was among the first mainstream Republican politicians to endorse Trump. Trump and Christie have said they were longtime friends.

"I am honored by the confidence being place in me by Mr. Trump and look forward to putting together a first-rate team to assemble an administration to best serve the President-elect and the nation," Christie said in a statement.
An allegedly drunk FedEx driver smashed into a California Highway Patrol car in South Sacramento Saturday morning, sending the officer to the hospital with major injuries, according to police.

Officers say San Lorenzo resident Gregory Ramirez, 41, is behind bars and charged with driving under the influence causing injury and possession of a controlled substance.

Police say Ramirez hit an on-foot CHP officer who was trying to clear the scene of hit and run that had happened earlier on Highway 50 near 15th street.

"A Fed Ex truck in the slower lanes struck the officer and collided with the patrol vehicle," CHP officer Michael Bradley said. "These crashes are so preventable. The patrol vehicle had its lights on, and that's why we tell people to slowdown and move over a lane."

The injured officer is the third CHP patrolman in two months to be hit by a car while responding to a crash.
A San Diego man was in custody Monday on multiple rape-related charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a mother twice and attempting to assault another woman, at knife point, in Balboa Park, San Diego Police (SDPD) said.

Ismael Hernandez, 27, of Chula Vista, was arrested at 9:20 p.m. Saturday.

He was booked into San Diego County Jail and charged with rape, kidnap for rape, digital penetration by a foreign object, oral copulation by force, using a dangerous weapon during an assault, criminal threats, false imprisonment and three counts of attempted sexual assault.

Hernandez is accused of attempting to assault one woman, then sexually assaulting a second woman, twice, SDPD Cpt. Brian Ahern said Sunday.

Hernandez was near 6th Avenue and Cedar Street on Thursday when he approached the first victim from behind, Ahern said. The victim saw Hernandez in the reflection of her car window and was able to fight him off and run away, he said.

Ahern said police believe this is the same suspect that attacked a mother shortly after, twice, at knife point.

The first encounter happened along the 1600 block of 8th Avenue, as the victim walked to her car parked on 9th Avenue.

As the woman walked, Hernandez allegedly confronted and pulled a knife on her, police said. He threatened to kill the victim if she didnt follow his orders.

The suspect brandished a knife and threatened to harm the victim if she didnt do what he told her to do, explained SDPD Capt. Brian Ahearn.

Police said Hernandez demanded the victim walk with him into Balboa Park. He made her walk with him down Date Street, near the Interstate 5 fence. As they made their way to the park, he continued to threaten the woman with the knife.

Police said they went up a staircase on 6th Avenue and entered Balboa Park. That's where the man sexually assaulted the woman, police said.

"It's unspeakable what the suspect forced the victim to do," said Ahearn.

The suspect then forced the woman to walk back to the 1600 block of 9th Avenue near Cortez Hill. At that second location, he sexually assaulted her once more, police said.

The suspect fled the scene. When officers arrived, he was nowhere to be found.

Ahern said Hernandez allegedly attacked the second victim around 10 p.m.

No further details were immediately released. The investigation is ongoing and police are looking into whether there are more victims.
The ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance was expected to resume operations Monday after an explosion last year caused extensive damage to the facility.

The refinery's weekend restart was postponed after company executives cited unexpected operational delays.

ExxonMobil handed out fliers to 11,000 nearby residences and businesses notifying them of the restart, which was supposed to occur between 7 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. The facility will now resume full operations between 7 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday, the company said.

ExxonMobil will shut down a pollution control device for six hours during the 12-hour restart period, which will result in up to 600 pounds of excess particulate emissions into the air.

South Coast Air Quality Management District officials said they do not expect it will expose residents to unhealthy levels but will keep a close watch on the operation.

"We are taking a number of steps to protect nearby residents when the refinery starts up and resumes operations," said Wayne Nastri, acting executive officer of the AQMD. "One of those measures includes deploying an air monitoring network to measure fine particulate levels in the air around the refinery during the startup process."

While some residents were concerned about the delay, others were suspicious.

Resident Jeff Ikemiya said the delay is "worrisome."

"Obviously there are situations that they know, but they're not telling us," he said.

ExxonMobil officials said its restart procedures were "thoroughly evaluated" by the AQMD and are consistent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Refinery Sector Rule and other relevant regulations.

"Full operations at the Torrance refinery will help to maintain a dependable, local inventory of California-grade gasoline, a specialized blend that meets the state's stringent clean-air regulations," according to the company.

A massive explosion occurred at the Torrance refinery on Feb. 18, 2015 when residents for miles around had to grapple with ash, a gas odor and concerns over poor air quality, as well as a surge in gas prices.
Hillary Clinton says she has been following California's water issues from "afar" and as president would be open to having the federal government involved in long term solutions to benefit cities and agriculture.

But the Democratic Party front-runner declined to specifically address the latest dust-up over water deliveries to the southern part of the state.

"We have got to seriously address the California water situation because I know how difficult it has been," Clinton said on NBC4's News Conference program broadcast Sunday. "I have gotten some briefings about the drought which seems to have slightly improved but not for the long term."

Senator Dianne Feinstein, among others, have complained recently that water accumulated from El Nino-related storms in the northern part of the state could have refilled Southern California reservoirs to capacity.

Instead, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restricted the use of pumps sending flows into the California aqueduct for fear they could adversely impact populations of an endangered fish, the delta smelt. Water officials at the Metropolitan Water District estimate that Southern California reservoirs will remain only slightly half filled at the end of the rainy season.

Clinton said she has "the highest regard for Senator Feinstein and Governor Brown" and argued that there must be a role for cities and agriculture in finding a compromise.

"I am going to support, as strongly as I can, a process of Californians to reach the kind of conclusions and there is a role for the federal government to expedite that, to support that, I certainly will be open to it," Clinton said.

The Democratic Party front-runner also spoke on issues from charter schools, illegal immigration and the Pacific Rim trade agreement known as the Trans Pacific Partnership.

She said that while the contested California primary with Sen. Bernie Sanders is her "primary focus," she has needed to turn her attention to Republican Donald Trump.

"We can't let what he says go unanswered and the kinds of insults he traffics in just be the political discourse," Clinton said.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, also a guest on NBC4's News Conference Sunday, will later this month help inaugurate the MTA's Expo Line extension to Santa Monica.

It will be the first rail line into that city since the Pacific Electric Railroad stopped service in the mid 1950s.

"We are going to be able to go from the skyline to the shoreline, watch the sunset off Santa Monica pier and more importantly, bring people off our roads," Garcetti said.

Garcetti says he is "99.9 percent sure" that the transit agency will be going to voters for a sales tax increase to pay for more transit projects in the future.

"It is really to finish the job for ourselves and the next generation so that our children don't live the life that we do, stuck in traffic," Garcetti said. "I think that is what people are more than willing to pay a half cent to do."
Two French bulldogs who were missing for a month were reunited with their owner Sunday after receiving an anonymous call, the Manhattan Beach man said Sunday.

The dogs' owner, Matt Girardi, said he received an anonymous call Sunday at 5 a.m. The mysterious caller told Girardi that his beloved missing pooches were at a fire station in Hawthorne.

The pair of French bulldogs  a brother and sister  went missing on April 13 around 8 a.m. from his Manhattan Beach yard near 35th Street and Laurel Avenue. After plastering the neighborhood with missing posters, Girardi spoke with witnesses and obtained security video that proved his purebred pups were stolen.

He filed a report with the Manhattan Beach Police Department, but detectives had no luck tracking down the dognapper.

After receiving the strange call on Sunday, Girardi called the fire station and was told that his dogs Pablo and Sophie were dropped off overnight.

He picked up the two pups from a nearby animal shelter Sunday afternoon and the three spent the Mother's Day holiday relaxing together as a family.

Girardi said that once the dogs arrived home they received a hot bath and "they've been asleep ever since."

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Manhattan Beach police at 310-802-5140.
After a Muslim student wearing a hijab was misidentified as "Isis Phillips" in her graduating yearbook, Southern California school officials facing widespread outrage are recalling nearly 300 of the books.

Rancho Cucamonga school officials are also investigating what caused the error, Chaffey Joint Union High School District Superintendent Mat Holton said.

Administrators on Monday met with the family of 17-year-old Bayan Zehlif after she took to social media on Friday to call out Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga.

"Seeing the yearbook really hurt, but seeing my classmates go against me like that hurt even more," she told reporters at the offices of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Anaheim.

In a Facebook post that quickly went viral, the student said she was "saddened, disgusted, hurt and embarrassed" by the error, which comes less than two weeks before her school's graduation.

"Apparently I am 'Isis' in the yearbook. The school reached out to me and had the audacity to say that this was a typo. I beg to differ, let's be real," the post read.

The post sparked widespread outrage online, with some calling the misprint "racist" and "islamophobic."

Holton said the student was misidentified as a peer with the name of Isis who no longer attends the school and that the school immediately contacted the student's parents to apologize.

Zehlif said she didn't personally know Isis Phillips, but she has heard a girl with that name had attended the school. The mix-up occurred on a candid photo, and her class photo lists her name correctly, she said.

Los Osos High School principal Susan Petrocelli offered an apology on Twitter Saturday, saying the school was taking steps to correct and investigate the misprint. Holton added the district was working with "school officials and law enforcement to do whatever we can to try to figure out how this could occur."

"We are apologetic to the family and then the Muslim community," Holton said. "Every student in this district should be able to open up a yearbook and it should be a culminating experience... not something that creates pain."

Since the incident surfaced, yearbook distribution was halted and 287 yearbooks were being recalled to replace the page with a corrected version, Holton said. He also mentioned the yearbook accurately identified the student in a number of other photos.

The Los Osos High School yearbook also responded on Twitter, admitting fault in the error. "We should have checked each name carefully in the book and we had no intention to create this misunderstanding," the yearbook staff said.[[378581756, C]]

The student's family is consulting with attorneys with the Greater Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who were investigating the incident.

Zehlif is not returning to school for now out of fear of the backlash from some of her classmates, but hopes to attend graduation next week as her relatives from Jordan have traveled for the ceremony, she said.
Some residents were concerned while others were suspicious as ExxonMobil delayed Saturday's reopening of a Torrance refinery, which was damaged by an explosion last year, until Monday night, citing unexpected operational delays.

ExxonMobil handed out fliers to 11,000 nearby residences and businesses notifying them of the restart, which was supposed to occur between 7 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday, but will now take place between 7 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Esther Navis, a nearby resident, said she was happy about the delay.

"We were really concerned in the neighborhood with the last explosion that happened," she said.

ExxonMobil will shut down a pollution control device for six hours during the 12-hour restart period, which will result in up to 600 pounds of excess particulate emissions into the air.

South Coast Air Quality Management District officials said they do not expect it will expose residents to unhealthy levels but will keep a close watch on the operation.

"We are taking a number of steps to protect nearby residents when the refinery starts up and resumes operations," said Wayne Nastri, acting executive officer of the AQMD. "One of those measures includes deploying an air monitoring network to measure fine particulate levels in the air around the refinery during the startup process."

ExxonMobil officials said its restart procedures were "thoroughly evaluated" by the AQMD and are consistent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Refinery Sector Rule and other relevant regulations.

"Full operations at the Torrance refinery will help to maintain a dependable, local inventory of California-grade gasoline, a specialized blend that meets the state's stringent clean-air regulations," according to the company.

Resident Jeff Ikemiya said the delay is "worrisome."

"Obviously there are situations that they know, but they're not telling us," he said.

A massive explosion occurred at the Torrance refinery on Feb. 18, 2015 when residents for miles around had to grapple with ash, a gas odor and concerns over poor air quality, as well as a surge in gas prices.
A 61-year-old pilot was airlifted to the hospital Sunday after the small four-seater plane he was piloting crash-landed onto a roof near the 10 and 57 Freeways in Pomona Sunday.

"Like a plane just came super low!" Anthony Moreno, witness, said.

The man was airlifted to the hospital following the crash with moderate injuries, LA County Fire officials said.

Reports came in to just before 4:45 p.m. of a plane crashing onto a roof near 971 West Corporate Drive.

Drivers on the freeway began calling 911 when they saw the plane going down.

"Then a few minutes later, cars were going by really fast, then we heard sirens and a helicopter flying really low too," Moreno said.

The California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles County Fire Department were en route to the scene Sunday afternoon after the small Piper Aircraft, on its way to Brackett Airfield, crash-landed onto a roof.

"We saw it hit. We saw the impact. We figured it was a roof and it bounced a bit," Kelly Vella said. "We started going, 'Oh my gosh,' and I called 911."

The plane was slightly wedged into the roof after the landing. No fire or smoke was observed.

The pilot told LA County Fire officials that the plane "lost power," and he went down. He suffered a broken leg, and head injuries.

LA County Fire officials originally said one person was evaluated at the crash site while another was airlifted to the hospital.

The FAA could not comment on how many total were aboard, but LA County Fire officials later said that there was only one person, the pilot, on the small Piper PA 28.

Firefighters said he missed crashing through the building by 50 feet.
A woman's jet-setting lifestyle appears to have ended last month when she was charged in an identity theft investigation that found she used her good looks to prey on people through real estate and dating websites, Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies said.



Maria Christina Johnson, 43, was arrested April 28 at a well-known luxury hotel in Santa Barbara County, where she was staying under the name of one of her victims, officials said. She has pleaded not guilty, prosecutors said. She was being held under one of her aliases at a jail in Lynwood awaiting her next court hearing scheduled for May 11, online jail booking records show.

She's being held under one of her aliases, Maria Hainka, at a jail in Lynwood. Investigators accuse her of orchestrating prolific identity theft for years.



The Washington state native had "no legitimate source of income and lists her occupation as a dog trainer, yet appeared to live the high-dollar lifestyle of the cafe society entirely off stolen identities," according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department news release.



Johnson, who also goes by Maria Hendricks, Gia Hendricks, Maria Christina Gia, or Maria Hainka, has previously been convicted for fraud in cases dating back to 1997, officials said.

She was being held on $2 million bail. It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney.

Investigators found that Johnson made use of her good looks on dating websites and home rental websites to meet her victims. She allegedly gained access to her victims' homes to steal identifying information, opening lines of credit without their permission and changing the victim's mailing address to take control of their identity.

"Once she gleaned information about the victims personal connections, she moved on to steal the identities of their relatives and friends," the news release said.

Johnson allegedly moved into high-end hotels, where she would charge thousands of dollars under her assumed identity. Detectives say she tried to buy a car during one stint at a hotel; she allegedly transferred a cell phone number to her own to complete a deal.

"No one was immune from being exploited," deputies said.

Deputies say she also targeted real estate brokers, to view luxurious homes  possibly to find new victims  and in one instance to steal the identity of the real estate broker.

She was arrested after a Southern California High Tech Task Force Identity Theft Detail investigation, which found she incurred losses of at least $100,000 at the Santa Barbara hotel where she was arrested. The task force is led by the LA County Sheriff's Department, working with the FBI, Homeland Security and other local agencies.

Johnson was arrested in 2011, accused of posing as the wealthy owner of a modeling agency and running up nearly $10,000 in charges on the stolen credit card of a man she met in a Hermosa Beach bar, according to the Torrance Daily Breeze.
Prince Harry kicked off the Invictus Games Sunday, but there is a notable person missing from the important event: his mom, Princess Diana.

The royal sat down with "Today's" Jenna Bush Hager in a pre-taped interview that aired Monday morning and opened up about the inspiration behind his multi-day sporting event and how he wishes his mother could be there.

"That was very happy memories," Prince Harry recalled of his first trip to Disney World with his mother more than 20 years ago. "It's a huge shame she's not here, but I hope she'd be incredibly proud of what we managed to achieve."

Although he hasn't been able to turn to his mother in times of need, the Prince said his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, has been an incredible role model even though she's in charge of a lot.

"My grandmum's always been the boss, but my God she gives the most amazing advice," he explained to Hager. "She lets us cruise around doing what we think is right."

Of course, both he and his brother, Prince William, have made mistakes along the way.

"It's part of growing up," he said. "You've got to find your own path."

And finding his own "path" is what led him to starting the Invictus Games, a competitive event that has wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans competing in different sports. Harry made it clear, however, that this event is more than just friendly competition.

"This is not a sob story  far from it. These guys don't want sympathy," he explained. "All they want is an opportunity to prove to themselves that despite my injuries, whether they be physical or mental, I'm still the same person."

Competition aside, the most this British royal is looking for is for everyone to have a good time in Florida while maintaining an "electric atmosphere" and "full" seats. The latter certainly won't be a problem, as Prince Harry has nailed some pretty A-list names for his event. First Lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and Morgan Freeman all played a role at the opening ceremony.

"I, of course, want to start by thanking Prince Harry for his outstanding leadership and for bringing the Invictus Games here to Orlando," Obama said in her introductory remarks to the immense crowd. "He is truly our Prince Charming, isn't he? And he should be proud of himself for this work."

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Prince Harry: Royal and Rugged

Princess Diana's Best Looks
A crash claimed the lives of three people on Mother's Day in northwest Miami-Dade, police say.



The crash happened Sunday evening around 9:39 p.m. at Northwest 119th Street at Northwest 17th Avenue in northwest Miami-Dade.



Miami-Dade Police say 32-year-old Shakeena Hasty was driving a Chevy Impala was headed north on Northwest 17th Avenue when she crashed into 55-year-old Paul Manreza who was driving a Toyota Corolla southbound and attempting to make a left turn onto Northwest 119th Street.



Hasty was transported to North Shore Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. She didn't have any passengers in the car with her.



Manreza was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center. Police say his injuries are also non-life threatening.



Three passengers in Manreza's car, two males and one female, were killed at the scene, police say.



Two of those passengers have been identified as 25-year-old Roger Castro and his 21-year-old girlfriend, Marisela. The third passenger has not been identified.



Detectives believe speed may have been a factor in the crash.



No further information was immediately available.



Stay with NBC 6 for updates on this developing story.
A Los Angeles man who was attacked and placed in a submission hold inside Miami Beach's Burger King Whopper Bar last month is speaking out about what happened.

The incident was caught on camera and police are searching for the men who attacked Jordan Schaeffer and his partner.

"Even talking about it makes me uncomfortable," Schaeffer said.

The fight happened around 3 a.m. on March 14 at the Whopper Bar at 1101 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach police said.

It was Schaeffer's first time in Miami Beach and he didn't leave with a good impression. Photos show welts, bruises and cuts all over his face.

"We're in 2016 and especially in a city like Miami Beach, where I thought being homosexual would be pretty accepted, it's just not right that anyone should suffer," Schaeffer said.

The 25-year-old was attacked while waiting for food at the Burger King location, which is across the street from the police department headquarters. He said he was targeted because he's gay.

"It was just a simple kiss with my boyfriend," Schaeffer explained. "Then right after that kiss, I started walking over and that's when I was approached by this gentleman."

Surveillance cameras show a man approaching Schaeffer after he came out of the bathroom. Schaeffer said he used a derogatory term for homosexuals.



"'Why don't you show if you're tough or not you little f----,'" Schaeffer recalled.

Police said one of the unidentified subjects appears to have experience in martial arts. He body slammed Schaeffer, put him in a leg hold and took swings at his face.

"It all happened so fast once I got slammed to the ground. It's just kind of a blur," Schaeffer said.

He is now back in Los Angeles and recovering from multiple injuries to his lip, nose, face, wrist and back. But it's the psychological healing that needs the most attention.

"The biggest injury has been all the emotional trauma. We were going to Miami for a relaxing weekend and it was traumatizing, to be honest," Schaeffer said.

His lawyers said if and when the suspects are caught, they should face the heaviest charges.

"We believe this was a hate crime against Jordan because of his sexual orientation," Attorney Douglas Ede said.

Miami Beach Police said they're looking for two men seen in the video, who were allegedly involved in the fight. Anyone recognize them, you're urged to call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
Authorities in south Georgia are investigating the killing of a former Miami-Dade County commissioner during what police describe as a domestic dispute.

Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said paramedics and firefighters forced open the door to a locked room at a home Saturday and found 68-year-old James "Jimmy" C. Burke with gunshot wounds.

Tanner said Burke's wife _ 58-year-old Sonia Burke _ had called 911, saying her husband was having trouble breathing.

Tanner tells The Florida Times-Union reports that arriving police officers found the wife sitting on a couch, and she directed them to the locked room.

Tanner said she was arrested on a murder charge.

The Miami Herald reports that James Burke is former Miami-Dade County commissioner who was sentenced to 27 months in prison for accepting bribes in the late 1990s.
A Long Island man was charged with driving while intoxicated early Sunday morning after he crashed his car into two police vehicles, authorities said.

A 2003 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Johnathan Kunstadt, 22, of Farmington, slammed into two Suffolk County squad cars at about 3:30 a.m. on the William Floyd Parkway in Shirley, investigators said.

Two officers were helping a person having engine problems at the time. The officers and the motorist were standing outside their cars when the crash occurred.

Kunstadt had five passengers in his Malibu at the time.

One passenger, Gunnar Cortes, 22, of Mastic, was taken to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries, police said. Three other passengers were taken to to same hospital with minor injuries.

Kunstadt was scheduled for an arraignment on the DWI charge on Sunday, Information on whether he had a lawyer who could respond to the charge on his behalf wasn't available.
A Connecticut man was arrested on weapons charges after he was allegedly caught at New York's LaGuardia Airport with a cache of martial arts weapons, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The man was allegedly carrying a dagger, three throwing knives and two throwing stars when TSA agents stopped him at LaGuardia on Saturday, authorities said.

The TSA workers notified Port Authority Police, which confiscated the blades and arrested the man, a resident of New Haven, Connecticut.

The man will face weapons possession charges. His name was not released.
A police officer shot and wounded an emotionally disturbed man who charged at him with a dagger Sunday night in Brooklyn, investigators said.

A resident saw a man kicking car doors of parked cars near the intersection of East 68th Street and Avenue T and called 911 at about 7:10 p.m. The man ran into his home on Avenue T and when officers approached, he stood in the window holding the dagger, police said.

At one point, the man ran toward officers who evaded him. He then charged at one officer, who backed away and fired two shots, striking the man once in the abdomen, said Assistant Chief Steven Powers.

"I just heard like three random shots, like 'poof, poof, poof,'" one witness said.

"I thought it was firecrackers. I didn't realize it was gunshots," witness Howard Spector said.

The man wielded a 8-to-9-inch dagger that appeared to be a replica from the 1994 superhero movie "The Shadow," Powers said.

The man, later identified as 27-year-old Simon Zemshin, was taken to New York Methodist Hospital. Information about his condition was unavailable, but he was expected to survive his wound.

No officers were injured.

"He talks to himself. Something was wrong with him," Spector said of Zemshin's emotional state.

Police also found a switchblade in Zemshin's pocket. They said he has a police record and may have been under the influence of the drug K2.

The neighborhood was still shaken up Sunday night after witnessing the chaotic scene.

"I can't believe it can happen here," one resident said.
One man was killed and three other people were seriously injured after the car they were in smashed into a tree on Long Island, according to police.

Moments before the crash, the victims were in a 2005 Honda traveling down Peninsula Boulevard, near Avon Road in Hewlett.

The cars driver, 20-year-old Carlos Salazar, of Queens, somehow lost control of the vehicle and it crashed off the roadway into a tree, police said.

Salazar died at the scene. The three passengers  two men and a woman  suffered traumatic injuries.

The surviving passengers were rushed to a local hospital. Their conditions weren't immediately known.

The Honda was impounded as part of an investigation into the accident.
Police are searching for the man who stabbed two men in Chinatown on Sunday night.

The suspect got into a dispute with the two victims at a location on Eldridge Street at 11:15 p.m.

At some point during the dispute the suspect took out some sort of sharp object and stabbed the victims.

An 18-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in his back and torso and a 20-year-old man was stabbed once in his arm, according to police.

Both of the victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
A woman has been arrested and charged for allegedly stabbing a subway rider in the thigh.

Police say it happened on a southbound No. 5 train at the 86th Street station at around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

They say the suspect, Nicole Brown, stabbed the victim with a sharp object after the 26-year-old New Jersey woman sat beside her.

The Daily News reports that both women got off at the 59th Street and Lexington Avenue station where the victim flagged down a police officer.

Police arrested Brown and charged her with felony assault.

The victim required stitches to close the wound.

Police have not recovered the weapon.

It wasn't immediately clear if Brown had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.
A teenage girl facing a homicide charge in connection with a fight that ended in the death of her 16-year-old classmate in their Delaware high school last month was released to her parents on bail.

The teen, whose identity NBC10 is withholding because she is charged as a juvenile, was released on $13,000 unsecured bail -- $10,000 for a criminally negligent homicide count and $3,000 for a conspiracy count -- to her parents' home, according to court documents obtained by NBC10 on Tuesday.

She was ordered to have no contact with social media or her co-defendants in the case, according to court records, and is scheduled to appear for a case-review hearing May 31.

She is among three girls charged in connection with the fight inside a bathroom at Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington on April 21. Amy Joyner-Francis, 16, died as a result of the fight, officials have said. The other two girls involved face only conspiracy charges.

The Delaware Department of Justice announced the charges Monday after a lengthy inquiry into the fight.

Three teen girls have been charged in the death of a Delaware high school student who died following a fight in a school bathroom last month. NBC10s Brandon Hudson speaks to a councilwoman and friend of the victims family.

After the fight, Joyner-Francis complained about head and chest pain. A school resource officer called 9-1-1, and Joyner-Francis lost consciousness before medics arrived. Medics gave the teen CPR as she was flown to a nearby children's hospital, where she later died.

An autopsy determined the teen died from cardiac arrest due to a heart defect with a contributing factor of "physical and emotional stress due to the fight." The Medical Examiner did not detect any internal injuries or significant blunt-force injuries.

"In laymans terms, the Medical Examiner determined that Amy died from a cardiac incident that she was vulnerable to because of a pre-existing heart condition, but the cardiac incident would not have occurred if she had not been assaulted," a spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Justice wrote.

Joyner-Francis had a large atrial septal defect, a congenital heart condition, that made her more susceptible to cardiac arrest, according to the autopsy.

Investigators also determined that of the three girls who planned the attack on Joyner-Francis, only one of them, a 16-year-old girl, actually hit her.

Based on their investigation, the Delaware Department of Justice charged the 16-year-old girl accused of hitting Joyner-Francis with criminally negligent homicide. The other two girls are charged with criminal conspiracy.

All three girls are being charged as juveniles, though the state Department of Justice is seeking to have the 16-year-old girl tried as an adult.

Prior to the charges, the three students were suspended for the incident.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

Joyner-Francis' death left the Howard High school community reeling. Students held vigils and mourned their friend's death, while parents flooded school officials with calls about student safety. The school held two nights of meetings to allay parents' fears.

NBC10

After the charges were announced Monday, city councilwoman Sherry Dorsey Walker spoke on behalf of Joyner-Francis' family.

"At the end of the day, there is still a life that's lost," she said. "That life belongs to that family. So right now they're heartbroken."

Walker urged Wilmington residents to have conversations about ending bullying in the wake of Joyner-Francis' death.

"I'm just asking that people in the community really start coming together and rallying behind the situation," she said. "We as a community need to recognize and realize what are we doing in the community to make a difference in the lives of our young people."

Walker held a press conference Wednesday afternoon on social media bullying at the Bethel AME Church on N. Walnut Street in Wilmington.
A Philadelphia-based food delivery app catered toward college students and founded by Temple University graduates will be expanding to its second university campus.

Fox School of Business alumni Andrew Nakkache and Mike Paszkiewicz were still students when in 2013 they cofounded Habitat, a food delivery app that officially went to market in April last year.

Habitat works similarly to other food delivery companies that have entered the Philadelphia market like Instacart and Postmates. Users make their orders on the app, and employees  Habitat calls them "runners"  deliver them to their destination. Users also have the ability to make orders for pickup through the app as well.

To read the full article, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
A Philadelphia man sexually assaulted and strangled his girlfriend to death as her children slept in the couple's Kensington home early Monday, then called 9-1-1 to tell police he killed her, authorities. said.

Now, the man, identified as 25-year-old Juan A. Camacho, is facing a slew of charges in his girlfriend's death. Police on Tuesday said Camacho is charged with murder, rape, sexual assault, abuse of corpse and related offenses for assaulting and then strangling 27-year-old Veronica Rodriguez in the couple's house on Rorer Street near Willard early Sunday.

Investigators say a 24-year-old man admitted on a call to 911 that he strangled his girlfriend to death. Police found her body early Monday morning in a home in Kensington where her four children were sleeping at the time.

It appears, according to Rodriguez's relatives in Florida, that she and Camacho had split up, and that Camacho was attempting to win her back when things went terribly wrong and he allegedly killed her. Rodriguez's mother, Maribel Guzman, told NBC affiliate NBC2 in the Fort Myers area of Florida that Camacho had been Facebook messaging her asking how he could win her daughter back.

He later sent Guzman a chilling text message, she said. It read, "I'm sorry I killed your daughter."

A 24-year-old man is in police custody after authorities say he strangled his girlfriend to death in their Kensington home as her four children slept, then called 9-1-1 to tell police what he did.

Camacho also called 9-1-1 about 2:30 a.m. and told emergency dispatchers that he had just choked his girlfriend to death, leading police to respond to the house and find Rodriguez's body in a bedroom. He fled, but police later caught him in the city's Port Richmond neighborhood.

Rodriguez is originally from Florida. Her murder left her relatives there reeling.

"She's a good, good woman," Guzman told NBC2. "Always happy, always bringing the family together."

Guzman last spoke with her daughter on Mother's Day night.

A chilling 9-1-1 call early Monday led police to find a woman strangled to death inside a Kensington home. Police say the womans boyfriend called 9-1-1 to say that he killed her, then fled, but was arrested a few hours later.

Rodriguez's family is now left trying to gather the $6,000 needed to bring her body back to her hometown in Florida, reported NBC2.

"We want her back so much," said sister Vivian Saez.

Harvest Ministries in Lehigh Acres, Florida is accepting donations on behalf of the family.
A memorial was held for a Philadelphia Police officer Sunday night at the same cafe where he was shot and killed exactly ten years ago.

Around 150 officers, family members and friends gathered outside Pats Cafe at Castor Avenue and Arrott Street around 7 p.m. to honor Officer Gary Skerski. A bugle was played in Skerskis memory and roses were dropped on a plaque dedicated to him outside the cafe.

On May 6, 2006, around 10 p.m., Officer Skerski and other officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in progress at the cafe. As Skerski approached the door he was met by the suspect who was armed with a shotgun. The suspect, later identified as Solomon Montgomery, opened fire and shot Skerski in the neck. The 16-year veteran assigned to the 15th District was rushed to Temple University Hospital where he later died from his injuries. He was 46-years-old and survived by a wife and two children.

Montgomery, who was also shot twice during the incident, was apprehended 11 days later. He pleaded guilty to Skerskis murder in October, 2007 and was sentenced to life in prison.




Police arrested a suspect accused of stabbing a young woman and two men in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.

Investigators say the unidentified 29-year-old man stabbed an 18-year-old woman in the stomach, an 18-year-old man in the right hand and a 24-year-old man in the stomach on 400 W. Venango Street at 4:39 p.m.

The 18-year-old woman and 24-year-old man were both taken to Temple University Hospital where they are in stable condition. The 18-year-old man refused medical treatment.

Police arrested the 29-year-old man and recovered the weapon, according to officials. Investigators have not yet revealed what led to the stabbing.




The man who pleaded guilty last year to attacking and raping four girls between the ages of 12 and 17 over the course of three months, terrorizing a Philadelphia neighborhood, will face up to 196 years in prison, a court decided Monday.

Antuane Brown, 25, entered a no-contest guilty plea in October to the four attacks, which targeted teens who were walking or waiting alone in Germantown.

In the first attack, on March 19, 2013, prosecutors said Brown, wearing a mask, grabbed a 12-year-old girl as she waited for a bus to school on Price Street, dragged her into an alley, where he raped and sodomized her. Brown then stole the girl's school ID and told her that if she called police, he would kill her family, prosecutors said.

A little more than a month later, Brown struck again, this time accosting a 17-year-old girl on Chelten Avenue at night April 23, 2013, prosecutors said. In that instance, Brown pointed a gun at his victim and forced her into an alley, where he raped and sodomized her before threatening to kill her and stealing her ID.

On May 19 of the same year, Brown pulled up on a bicycle next to a 15-year-old girl as she walked on Wister Street at night and forced her into an alley at gunpoint, then raped her. A few weeks later, on June 2, prosecutors say Brown struck yet again, that time attacking a 17-year-old girl on Chelten Avenue, jamming a gun into her stomach and forcing her into a field behind a recreation center. He raped and sodomized that victim as well, and then threatened to kill her if she went to police, prosecutors said.

None of the victims listened to Brown's threats, all reporting their assaults to police, who later released video showing part of one of the attacks. Tips eventually led investigators to brown a few days after the June rape, and he was arrested and charged with the crimes.

All four attacks happened within a half-mile of Brown's home, officials said.

Brown could've been slapped with a maximum sentence of 320 years in prison.
Tiffany Newby lights up when she talks about her children, but her path to motherhood hasn't been an easy one.

"Waltie was my eighth child, Newby told NBC 7. My other children were taken due to addiction and some legal obligations to the State of California."

Ten years ago, Tiffany Newby was living on the streets with Waltie who was just three months old at the time.

She spent her nights riding the trolley, just so he had somewhere to sleep.

"It was a struggle, just things like cleaning bottles, when you're homeless with a baby, diaper changing, she explained.

It got to a point, Tiffany said, where she couldn't take it anymore, so she enrolled herself in a year-long residential program at the San Diego Rescue Mission.

She sobered up and changed her life.

"It took me four years at the San Diego City College, because I had 103 units before I left there, Newby said. My confidence, my self-esteem was still low, but they encouraged me, and they helped me get signed into a bachelors. Even though I wasn't in the program anymore, they still helped me get into a bachelors."

From there, she pursued her masters and is now planning to get a Ph.D. in criminal justice.

"I had a life. I had family. I had a home. And here I was sleeping on a sidewalk at one point and living in a riverbed at one point, she said. "But my kids, knowing that I really wanted my children, are what got me goingI have some awesome kids."

After she finishes her Ph.D., Tiffany wants to open a sober-living home for mothers, to help other women like her.
Family and friends of a man killed in a crash on Interstate 8 are helping finish a project he started.

Ulises Plascential Roque, 34, was in the middle of a welding job at a home in El Cajon when he died in a crash in the College area.

His car struck the center median and flipped over. It was then hit by two pickup trucks. Roque was ejected and was hit and killed by at least one vehicle.

Roque's mother and father even came in from Central Mexico where they live to help with the project.

"They had to travel from there to the immigration site in Tijuana, and from there they had to go through all the paperwork to get here. And they only had a couple days' access in the States...They have to leave very shortly," friend David Camacho said.

People who worked with Roque said their friend was a perfectionist, always trying to do the best work possible.

"Always had a happy customer, never, not once that I was with him at least did he have an unsatisfied customer, Camacho, who worked with Roque, told NBC 7. "He used to bring all his material onsite, and he'd build everything handmade. Every single little detail for whatever the job was handmade."

Camacho said Roque hadn't slept in a couple of days because he was trying to meet a work deadline, which may have caused the crash.

"I guess you could say his mistake was overworking himself," he explained. "He was always sending money to his family in Mexico...He wanted to help out his family as much as he could. All the money he earned was always going to Mexico."

Friends and family hope to finish the project this week.

"Now as a family, want to finish this and that way, renew that money to send to Mexico and help them with the funeral and everything, his uncle Javier Roque told NBC 7.

"He inspired me to do many things," Camacho added.

A memorial is planned Tuesday at the Azatlan Mortuary in La Mesa. Roque's body will then be taken to Mexico for burial.
The top five candidates running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer will meet Tuesday for a debate on San Diego's public television and public radio stations.

KPBS expects Democrats California Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez as well as Republicans George Duf Sundheim, Tom Del Beccaro and entrepreneur Ron Unz to take part in the debate.

KPBS will host the debate in San Diego with its partners KPCC, KQED, Capital Public Radio and Univision. The program will air beginning at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10.

The top two candidates in California's June 7 primary will advance to the November general election, regardless of their party.

The first open Senate seat in decades was expected to attract outsize attention and a strong field of candidates, but so far has drawn mostly yawns from voters and prompted a low-profile campaign, although there will be 34 candidates on the June 7 ballot.

Polls show about half of likely voters remain unengaged in the race and undecided about whom to support.

Democrats are strongly favored to retain the seat in November.

The party controls every statewide office and holds a 2.7 million edge in voter registration.
D.C. residents may get to vote in November on whether to make the District the 51st state in the nation, and on Friday leaders released a draft constitution for the state of New Columbia.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and other members of the New Columbia Statehood Commission unveiled the 30-page document Friday afternoon at President Lincoln's Cottage on Rock Creek Church Road, where Lincoln is said to have worked on the Emancipation Proclamation.

"This is a very exciting day for the District of Columbia, soon to be the 51st state," "shadow" Sen. Paul Strauss said, DCist reported. "I am so excited, I am literally getting chills."

The preamble of the document echoes the U.S. Constitution.

"We the people of the District of Columbia desire to become a state of the United States of America, where, like citizens of the other states, we will enjoy the full rights of citizens of the United States of America: to democracy and a republican form of government, to enact our own laws governing state affairs, and to voting representation in the United States Congress," the draft D.C. constitution begins.

The document names the proposed state New Columbia, but Bowser said at the event that the name, which D.C. statehood supporters voted on in 1982, is not set in stone.

"I am personally not opposed to a discussion about the name," Bowser said Friday, according to Washington City Paper.

A Ward 7 resident who spoke during the public comment portion of the event suggested the names Anacostia and Potomac, the paper reported.

The District's 672,000 residents pay federal taxes and fight in wars but lack voting representation in Congress. Statehood advocates argue that making the nation's capital a state is the best solution.

But the effort has gone nowhere in Congress, in part, because the city is overwhelmingly Democratic, and Republicans don't want to hand two Senate seats to Democrats.

To read the full constitution, visit the D.C. statehood website. Comments on the document can be submitted online, and the statehood commission will hold eight townhalls on the document in May and June.

A constitutional convention will be held June 17-18. The constitution will have to be approved by the D.C. Council in order to go before D.C. voters in November.
A moving service held in D.C. on Sunday brought attention to the hundreds of thousands of military moms who can no longer celebrate Mother's Day with their children.

Veterans, families and advocates gathered at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial to raise awareness about veteran suicide.

Each day, 22 veterans take their own lives, according to the Disabled American Veterans and the Spartan Alliance. The two organizations teamed up for the event.

"My son Keith took his life on September 1, 2015. He was 22 years old," said mother Margie Miller.

Dozens of veterans took an oath against suicide, promising to reach out to someone if they think about harming themselves.

"You took a solemn pledge to protect our country. Take that same pledge, the Spartan Pledge and protect yourself. Say, 'I will reach out for help,'" Miller said to the veterans at the service.

"We're trying to buddy up and have a close friend that understands and that has been there," said Dennis Joyner, who

Joyner lost both of his legs and an arm when he stepped on a landmine in Vietnam's Mekong Delta in 1969. He said he understands the heavy toll of serving in a war and it's vital for veterans to have a support group they can depend on.

"It's their families, their friends, no matter what they do it's always there," Joyner said.
A Northern Virginia man facing child pornography charges is also accused of taking revealing photos of unsuspecting women and juveniles and posting them to Twitter.

Matthew Bishop, 37, is accused of taking dozens of photos of women's backsides and chests and posting them to a Twitter account on which he called himself a "creeper."

Investigators are still determining whether those Twitter posts were lawful.

The account also displayed images of teenagers and children, Loudoun County police said. Authorities said Bishop wrote crude comments on each photo.

The Giant grocery store in Greenbriar Shopping Center in Chantilly was a favorite stalking ground, according to authorities, who said Bishop also took photos of women and juveniles at a 7-Eleven, at ATMs and even at a charity fundraiser. Photos of teens shopping were captioned "mall creepin.'"

Police said the "creeper" also ran an account called volleyballperv, which he stocked with photos of teen girls playing the sport and wearing their uniforms.

Women in Loudoun County said they were alarmed to hear someone was publishing secretly taken photos.

"You're in to go to the store and buy stuff. The last thing you want or think is someone's going to take pictures of you," shopper Tiffany Laseter said outside the Giant.

But a Loudoun County detective said he discovered Bishop didn't stop there. Bishop also allegedly shared child pornography with others.

A man at Bishop's home Monday said the suspect was not home. Information on his lawyer was not available immediately.

The investigation began after Loudoun County authorities charged another man with possession of child pornography. That man then went undercover. Officials discovered Bishop was sharing dozens of images of child porn using the app Kik.

In one conversation between Bishop and the undercover investigators, a detective wrote, "Hey! Sorry not trying to blow up your phone. Just adding ya."

Bishop allegedly responded, "Hey, it's cool. Blow it up. Your content[']s worth it."

"They were able to follow it to see exactly what he was doing on his account and see the pornography he was doing, as well as some other very disturbing images he was photographing while in public," Sheriff Mike Chapman of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.

Some of the photos include shots Bishop appears to have taken at his neighborhood pool, and some of photos are of a young relative, authorities said.

Investigators seized electronics and other items from Bishop's home last month. He turned himself in on Monday and posted bond. He faces 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
The Boston Public Schools will hold two family information sessions this week to provide information on water safety.

One will take place on Monday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m. and the other will take place on Tuesday, May 10, at 8 a.m.

The Monday session will be open to the press.

According to the district, "126 of the 38 facilities with active water fountains were tested in recent weeks."

The results showed that four of the facilities had lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agency's action level of 15 ppb.

The district plans to install new water fountains in six facilities: Curley K-8, Another Course to College, Boston Green Academy, Mather Elementary, Trotter K-8, and Lee K-8, after the fountains at these locations were turned on prematurely.

Two Boston Public Schools Facilities Department personnel were placed on leave pending a further investigation.
Hartford Police have arrested a Cromwell High School student in connection with an attempted armed robbery and home invasion that forced the University of Hartford into lockdown last month.

Mayze James, 18, of Hartford, was arrested in connection with the incident on April 28, and police said marijuana and money appear to be the motives.

The victim told police James was wearing a mask and carrying a gun when he broke into the dorm room in B Complex April. The victim fended off the suspect, who fled from the scene.

When describing James, the victim included very distinctive details about his footwear, police said.

After reviewing surveillance footage, investigators determined that the descriptions of the robber and James matched.

Police obtained a warrant for him on Friday, charging him first-degree robbery and second-degree assault, according to the Hartford Police logs.

He posted bond and is due in court on May 19.

Cromwell Public Schools released a statement on Sunday and said Hartford Police notified them of the arrest and it was not a school-related event.

"The district will continue to work with the Cromwell and Hartford Police Departments as their investigation continues. In addition to criminal charges the student will also face appropriate disciplinary action pending the districts investigation," the statement from the school department says. "Cromwell Public Schools takes this situation very seriously and are taking precautions to ensure the continued safety of our students and staff which is always the districts main priority."
Firefighters are battling a fire at a retail store in Amherst, New Hampshire.

The fire at Amherst Kayak & Canoe on Route 101A has grown into a 3-alarm blaze, according to the Union Leader.

Merrimack Fire confirms it's responding as mutual aid to the fire in Amherst.

No injuries have been reported.

Necn is efforting more information on this fire.

Stay with us as it develops.
A Hartford Police officer is being praised after risking his life to save a man.

Hartford Police responded to 2 Arlington St. for a report of a car fire around 8 p.m. Saturday night.

According to officials, Officer J. Suarez found one vehicle engulfed in flames, with the driver trapped inside.

Officer Suarez forced the driver's side door open, and pulled the man to safety.

Neither the officer nor the victim was hurt in the fire, police say.

The man was transported to the hospital for evaluation.

He has not been identified.

Hartford Police applaud Officer Suarez for his service.
The state transportation board and the MBTA's fiscal control board voted to approve a scaled down version of the proposed Green Line extension on Monday.

The vote came after state transportation officials unveiled a redesign of the proposed Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford that would cost $2.3 billion.

Monday's vote does not mean the project is a done deal, only that it will continue to move forward.

The project, originally pegged at about $2 billion, was put on hold after it was determined that the existing design would cost up to $1 billion more than projected.

The state agreed to the Green Line extension back in 1990 as part of an environmental agreement that helped cleared the way for Boston's massive Big Dig highway project. It calls for a 4.5-mile expansion of above-ground light rail service, six new MBTA stations and the relocation of the existing Lechmere Station in Cambridge.

Backers say the project would deliver an economic boost to a densely populated area that has become increasingly popular with young professionals and college students but has few mass transit options.

The modified plan calls for the same number of new stations, but their design would be simplified. For example, passengers would not pass through fare gates before climbing on trains. The MBTA also would renovate, rather than replace, several existing bridges, and a smaller maintenance facility would be provided.

The federal government has committed $1 billion for the extension, funds Massachusetts would lose if the project were scrapped. The state already has spent or committed about $700 million, including an order for new Green Line trains to run on the extension.

Cambridge and Somerville officials offered last week to chip in a combined $75 million to help the state close a funding gap for the project, and $152 million in unused federal highway funds could also be diverted to the project.

But state Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack said that still leaves at least $73 million in unfunded costs.

The new plan must now be reviewed by the Federal Transit Administration, a process that could take months. The MBTA, Pollack said, also would need to hire experts to manage a new procurement process that state officials say was botched the first time around.

"Shame on us if we make the same mistake twice," Pollack said.

Even after Monday's approval, it will be about 18 months at the earliest before construction begins and take an estimated 3 to 4 years to complete.
The suspect in the stabbing death of a man in Stoughton, Massachusetts, has turned himself in to police.

Keenan Brasfield, 24, was wanted in connection to the murder of 36-year-old Erwins Albert.

Police say Brasfield stabbed Albert around 4 p.m. Friday at 89 Canton St.

Albert was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he died from his injuries.

According to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, Brasfield went to the Stoughton Police Department to surrender himself after 8 p.m. Sunday.

Brasfield will be arraigned Monday at Stoughton District Court on the murder charge.
Three New York City men police say bought $10,000 worth of video game systems, cellphones and other items from a Springfield, Massachusetts, store using fake credit cards are headed to court.

They are scheduled to be arraigned Monday on charges including credit card fraud following their arrest at about 5 p.m. Saturday.

The Republican reports that police were conducting surveillance for an unrelated investigation when they saw the suspects involved in what they felt was suspicious activity at a city Walmart.

Investigators say they bought cellphones, iTunes cards and X-Box and PlayStation systems and games. All the merchandise was recovered along with a number of allegedly fake and stolen credit cards.

The suspects were identified as Leonard McMillan, Charles Solomon, and Alvin Adams. It's not clear if they have lawyers.
Police arrested a man who allegedly stabbed three people at a bar early Sunday morning in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Officers responded just after 12:30 a.m. to the Lucky Dog Bar. One person had been stabbed in the chest, another had been stabbed in the shoulder and a third had been slashed in the hands.

The victims were all transported to Beverly Hospital. Their conditions were not known to police.

Thomas Phillips, a 33-year-old Beverly man, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Phillips is expected to be arraigned Monday morning in Salem District Court. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.
Police in Dover, New Hampshire, are asking for help in locating a teenager who went missing Friday.

Mickayla Cantin, 17, did not return home from school Friday. She was last seen at McDonaldss restaurant at 912 Central Ave. at 9:15 p.m.

She was spotted last with an unknown male with dark hair who appeared to be a teenager.

Cantin is 53, 250 pounds, and has faded dyed red hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing flip-flops, black leggings, a white tank top, and a denim button up shirt.

Anyone with information should contact police at 603-742-4646.
Authorities continued to search Monday for a Plymouth, Massachusetts, man in connection with the slaying of a 76-year-old Quincy College professor.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said during a news conference Saturday that police are looking for 24-year-old Tyler Hagmaier in the killing of Vibeke Rasmussen.

Police said Rasmussen was stabbed more than 30 times in her Plymouth apartment Thursday evening. Hagmaier lives in the apartment across from Rasmussen's.

Police found Hagmaier's abandoned vehicle on a bridge in Gill, about 120 miles away, around 9:15 p.m. Friday. Investigators searched the Connecticut River below the bridge but didn't find Hagmaier.

Authorities say Hagmaier has a history of mental illness. They say he should be considered dangerous and should not be approached.

Police said Sunday that they were calling off the search for Hagmaier, but the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing did search the area on Monday morning. It is not clear if the search will continue on Tuesday.
Police are at the scene of a reported shooting at a home in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

WJAR-TV reports that there is a heavy police presence on Carrington Avenue. The exact location of the shooting is not yet known.

No further information was immediately available.
Two former students at the Fessenden School in Massachusetts said Monday that they were sexually abused as young children in the 1960s and '70s and called for a federal investigation into sexual abuse.

"Fessenden knew this was going on and they denied it," said alleged abuse victim John Sweeney through tears.

Barely able to contain their emotions, two alleged victims of sexual abuse at the prestigious Fessenden School, an all-boys boarding and day school in Newton, have come forward decades later to share their stories.

"You people knew it, you knew that we were getting raped!" yelled Sweeney.

Another alleged abuse victim Adrian Hooper said, "I had given up, I just trusted no authority figures in my life, I hated my father for sending me there, I thought it was punishment."

As more allegations of abuse surface at dozens of private schools across New England, 64-year-old Adrian Hooper and 57-year-old John Sweeney are two of 11 alleged sexual abuse victims working with attorney Mitchell Garabedian to try to get some sense of closure.

"Don't hide behind confidentiality agreements, show us the records, show us what you knew," Garabedian said.

Garabedian says even though the statute of limitations has run out on criminal sexual abuse charges, he believes he could still take legal action against the school for what's called fraudulent concealment.

"We want to know what was hidden when and if it was hidden intentionally," said Garabedian.

He and his clients are calling for a federal investigation of the school, as they work on legislation to try to get rid of the statute of limitations for sex crimes.

Sweeney said angrily, "This is like murder, they murdered our souls, there should be no statute of limitations at all for child sex abuse victims!"

The school released a statement saying in part, "In 2011, The Fessenden School acknowledged and apologized for abuses that took place decades ago and offered counseling to anyone who was harmed. We have acted with compassion and concern for the victims."

But Hooper and Sweeney vehemently disagree and vow to continue to fight this.
Vermont-based Orvis, the retailer known nationally for its fishing gear, apparel, and home accessories, will start hosting guided fly-fishing excursions to Cuba starting this October.

"It's becoming easier and easier to travel from the U.S. to Cuba, and to experience the country in a legal and compliant way," Simon Perkins of Orvis told necn in an interview at the companys Manchester flagship store.

"There's still a right way and a wrong way to do it, legally-speaking, but I think people are becoming more comfortable with the idea that Cuba is a destination and a place they can put on their bucket list and go experience."

Perkins explained that, due to standing restrictions on tourism between the U.S. and the Communist-led nation, the Orvis-arranged trips will be classified as cultural, person-to-person experiences. In addition to exploring Cuba's rarely-fished saltwater flats, travelers will also learn about Cuba's music, history, and natural resources, Perkins said.

Earlier this month, Fathom's Adonia, a vessel owned by the Carnival Corporation, became the first cruise ship in 50-plus years to depart Florida for Cuba. Many observers viewed that historic cruise as an indication of the loosening of tension following decades of tension between the U.S. and the Communist-led country.

Last year, the United States and Cuba announced they would reopen respective embassies in Havana and in Washington, D.C., after the countries resumed diplomatic relations.

This weeks announcement from Orvis drew praise from Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, both of whom traveled to Cuba earlier this year as part of a U.S. delegation.

"I'm delighted that Orvis will be offering these trips, not just because this is a Vermont-based company but also because Orvis has an exemplary track record of environmental conservation and sustainable recreation," Leahy said in a written statement in response to an inquiry from necn.

"Fly fishing, as practiced by Orvis, is all catch and release, with small groups and local guides, and Orvis invests a share of its profits each year in conservation projects. It's a win-win proposition for Orvis to bring its Vermont expertise in low-impact outdoor recreation to Cuba. We also have much to learn from the Cubans, who have kept their coastal resources in remarkably good shape."

"It's a great economic opportunity for a Vermont company, a great cultural opportunity for anybody who's going to go fishing, and obviously, it's good for Cuba," added Welch. "I definitely would want to see more of this, and in fact, that's what the president's new policy of opening up diplomatic relations is going to unleash."

Welch noted for U.S.-Cuban commerce to really blossom, Washington would have to lift a trade embargo, a move he said he suspects election year politics will stall.

Orvis said it has been working on orchestrating the excursions to Cuba for 18 months. For more information, click here: http://www.orvis.com/cuba
Police in Hollis, New Hampshire, are seeking the public's help in identifying the vandal or vandals who set fire to a campaign sign for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Hollis Police said a campaign sign at 261 South Merrimack Rd. was set on fire around 12:45 a.m. Monday. Upon arrival, police found the large campaign sign hanging between two trees, fully engulfed in flames.

A police officer was able to extinguish the fire. The owners of the sign said this isn't the first time the sign has been damaged.

Anyone with information on the suspect's identity is asked to call Hollis Police at 603-465-7637.
On Saturday St Stephens in Norwich hosted Bouncing Forwards as part of a national tour by the mental health charity Kintsugi Hope.

On Saturday St Stephens in Norwich hosted Bouncing Forwards as part of a national tour by the mental health charity Kintsugi Hope.

Painting and biblical feasting in Overstrand There will be opportunities to improve your painting skills and indulge in some biblical feasting next month at the Pleasaunce in Overstrand in North Norfolk. Read more

Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more

National award for Dereham Christian bookshop The Green Pastures Christian bookshop in Dereham has won a national award for providing boxes of Christian books to 21 local schools. Read more

Norma's care home jigsaw challenge complete A resident at Norwich-based care home Corton House has completed an incredible 70 jigsaw puzzles in celebration of the homes 70th anniversary this year. Read more

Norwich charity's appeal to support Palestinian students A Norwich educational charity, set up in memory of a Norwich Anglican priest, to support students from a Palestinian refugee camp, is inviting people to support its Christmas appeal  to be launched on November 29. Read more

Norfolk drug and alcohol charity pays tribute to its founder Andy Sexton, CEO of the Matthew Project, introduces a series of tributes from the charity to its founder, Peter Farley. Read more

Cliff look alike at Cromer Church breakfast Cliff Richard tribute performer Will Chandler will be the speaker at a special Mens Breakfast at Cromer Parish Hall next month, and all men are welcome to come along. Read more

Heartsease Lane Methodist church to close As part of a reorganisation of the Norwich Methodist Circuit, Heartsease Lane Methodist Church will be closing towards the end of the year. Read more

Free Julian of Norwich reflection and prayer day The Friends of Julian of Norwich present a free Quiet Half-Day with Robert Fruehwirth, author and former Priest Director of the Julian Centre, on Saturday November 12, 10.30am-2pm. Read more

What it means for us to repent Nigel Fox believes that now is the time for a tide of repentance, and shares his thoughts about what that actually means for our society. Read more

Christmas card shop opens in Norwich church Thousands of Christmas cards from around 30 local Norfolk charities have gone on sale today (October 19) at the Original Norwich Charity Christmas Card Shop inside St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich city centre. Read more

Revelation Christian Resource Centre and Cafe Revelation in Norwich is a Christian resource centre, offering a bookshop, a meeting place and a welcoming refuge for refreshment open to visitors of any faith or none. Read more

Farewell as Yarmouth church leader moves on Captain Marie Burr, the Salvation Army leader in Great Yarmouth, has paid tribute to everyone at the church and charity after she left her post at the end of last month to move to a new role. Read more

Norwich Cathedral chorister in BBC final Norwich Cathedral chorister Alice Platten has her sights set on being crowned BBC Young Chorister of the Year after reaching the final stages of the prestigious nationwide competition. Read more

Norwich to hear pastor, Policeman and tramp tale Essex Baptist Pastor Dave McDowell has been a Policeman, fed orphans in India and lived under a boat as a tramp. He will tell his remarkable story at the October dinner of Norwich FGB on Wednesday October 26. Read more

Pioneer UK leader speaks at Sheringham church Ness Wilson, national leader of the Pioneer network of churches, was the main speaker at a day of teaching and worship held at Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham on 12 October, to be followed up by Word and Worship sessions at October half term. Read more

Norwich event to give tips on bouncing forwards St Stephens in Norwich will be hosting an evening in October with Patrick Regan OBE, as he explores themes from his book Bouncing Forwards. Read more
The Federal Trade Commission today said it issued a 10-page letter to eight leading players in the mobile communications arena requiring them to tell the agency how they issue security updates to address vulnerabilities in smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

+More on Network World: FTC: Best Practices for businesses facing Internet of Things onslaught+

Among the information Apple, Blackberry; Google; HTC America; LG Electronics; Microsoft; Motorola Mobility; and Samsung must provide include:

The factors that they consider in deciding whether to patch a vulnerability on a particular mobile device

Detailed data on the specific mobile devices they have offered for sale to consumers since August 2013

The vulnerabilities that have affected those devices

Whether and when the company patched such vulnerabilities.

The FTC has been critical of mobile communications vendors security practices in the past. In one report the FTC stated that companies, whose apps promise consumer safeguards for their data, follow through on those promises. Specifically, the report recognizes that technology advances found in smartphones can offer the potential for increased data security and encourages all companies to provide strong protections for the data they collect.

+More on Network World: Attention whitehats, The FTC wants you to lead new privacy, security push+

The same report urged consumers to closely examine the apps stated policies on issues like dispute resolution and liability limits, as well as privacy and data security and evaluate them in choosing which apps to use.

In the current letter to vendors the FTC said : The Commission is seeking to compile data concerning policies, procedures, and practices for providing security updates to mobile devices offered by unnamed persons, partnerships, corporations, or others in the United States. The Special Report will assist the Commission in conducting a study of such policies, practices, and procedures. The Special Report must restate each item of this Order with which the corresponding answer is identified. Your report is required to be subscribed and sworn by an official of the Company who has prepared or supervised the preparation of the report from books, records, correspondence, and other data and material in your possession. If any question cannot be answered fully, give the information that is available and explain in what respects and why the answer is incomplete. Describe in detail whether the Company provides notice to consumers regarding each of the following:

i.The period of time that a specific device model will be supported for operating system version or other feature updates that include security updates;

ii.The period of time that a specific device model will be supported for security updates, including the frequency or timing of security updates;

iii. When a specific device model is no longer supported for operating system version or other feature updates that include security updates;

iv.When a specific device model is no longer supported for security updates

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Cloud computing can be a difficult technology to wrap your head around so many users turn to consultants to help them. Whos the best cloud consultant?

IDC says its Accenture.

+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Commercial drones gaining altitude with top IT vendors +

Perhaps it shouldnt be a surprise that Accenture landed at the top of the list: The company is one of the top IT consultants in general and has aggressively pivoted toward helping customers embrace cloud technology.

IDC The size of each bubble represents market share

Another classic IT consultant, Deloitte scored high in IDCs MarketScape report as well, while IBM got solid marks too. PWC, HCL and NTT Data were also listed as leaders, but they each have smaller market share compared to the top three vendors.

A bunching of vendors ranging from Microsoft to HPE, Dell, Cisco, Capgemini, KPMG, TCS and CGI all made it into the list of the top cloud consultants too.

IDC measures consultants based on two key metrics: Capability and strategy. The research firm takes into account the consultancys menu of services and how well aligned they are to customer needs. It also considers the vendors capability to deliver that service to the customers liking and their current market share.

What do cloud consultants actually do? Many offer a range of services, everything from IT consulting (maturity assessment, strategic planning, vendor relationship management); to integration projects (plan, build and design LAN/WAN to support cloud); systems integration (migrating legacy workloads to the cloud, integrating multiple disparate clouds together) and customer application development (integrating PaaS functionality).
Just as the dust has settled on the Superfish controversy, another piece of software installed on Lenovo PCs is causing problems. This time it's due to a major malware exploit.

The problem is with Lenovo Solution Center (LSC) software, which the company describes as "a central hub for monitoring system health and security." LSC is supposed to monitor your system's virus and firewall status, update your software, perform backups, check battery health, and get registration and warranty information.

Unfortunately, it also has a vulnerability that allows a malicious attacker to start the LSC service and trick it in to executing arbitrary code in the local system context, according to researchers at Trustwave SpiderLabs.

The SpiderLabs researcher who found the exploit said it is a pretty bad vulnerability, but it does require an existing user to be logged in in order to pull off any attack, so it could not be exploited remotely like most vulnerabilities.

A fix for the vulnerability has been released by Lenovo and can be downloaded by visiting the software's page on the Lenovo home site. It's only because a fix is available that SpiderLabs disclosed the vulnerability.

This is not the first time there has been a problem with LSC. In December 2015, a hacking group called Slipstream/RoL demonstrated a proof-of-concept exploit that allowed a malicious web page to execute code on Lenovo PCs with system privileges. They did it without warning Lenovo in advance, which was not very cool.
Way back in the old dayssay, five minutes agoif you wanted to take advantage of what a country had to offer, you had to actually go there. But in the age of Everything as a Service, physically locating yourself in the country you want to reside seems so old school.

At least, that seems to be the rationale behind Estonias efforts to offer something called e-residency. As Taavi Kotka, Estonia's CIO, explained in Business Insider last week, "Its called CaaS. Theres SaaS. Were Country as a Service.

Estonia is cooler than you think

Heres the deal. If you didnt knowand theres really no big reason you should havethe Republic of Estonia is a tiny but technically advanced Baltic country of just 1.3 million people. According to Wikipedia, Estonia is often described as one of the most internet-focused countries in Europe, and it boasts an advanced, high-income economy and high living standards. Unfortunately, the population has been shrinking for decades.

The countrys problem, as Kotka told Business Insider, is that its so far north people dont want to be here physically. The only way to increase the population was [to] add them as digital ones." So far, the country has almost 10,000 e-residents. In startup terms, thats quite significant, especially since Estonia is still working on the banking and financial aspects of Country as a Service.

What do e-residents get when they sign up for CaaS? It seems that all Estonians get a unique ID that lets them access many public- and private-sector digital services. E-residents get access to those public services, but the country hopes they will eventually set up online companies digitally based in Estonia.

When the banking issues are worked out, the country plans to promote the concept more heavily. But if CaaS catches on, it could seriously disrupt the concepts of citizenship and residency. Just as SaaS changed the ground rules of industry after industry, think of how CaaS could of disrupt current debates over issues such as immigrationor even what it means to be a nation/state.

What will CaaS disrupt?

What happens if large numbers of people physically live in one country, but they digitally access services and do business virtually in another? Questions of benefits and jurisdiction quickly become very complicated.

And what if countries start competing with each other over their CaaS offerings? Would that create new efficiencies and opportunities? Allow for real differentiation about what various countries actually offer? Or would it simply exacerbate the gaps between digital haves and have nots?

Theres no way to tell what happens when technology meets business meets politics in a situation like this. My bet is that something like CaaS is likely get a foothold in various places and in various ways, but its consequences wont be clear until long after the processes are in place.

For now, though, its just another reminder that if you think a particular industry, activity or infrastructure is immune from the changes wrought by the ever-broadening reach of the internet, the cloud and Everything as a Service, you might want to think again.
Surprise presentation and tributes to hard work

A KINGSCLERE borough councillor received a surprise on April 25 as she bowed out of the role after more than a decade.

Cathy Osselton, one of two Basingstoke and Deane borough councillors for Kingsclere, received a bouquet of flowers at Kingscleres parish council meeting, held at the village club.

The flowers were presented by chairman of the parish council, John Sawyer, who paid tribute to Mrs Osseltons hard work and endeavours on behalf of the village over the past 13 years.

This included battling for affordable housing in Kingsclere, addressing speeding issues in the village, and gaining a reprieve for the public toilets, previously threatened with closure.

Cathy is esteemed among fellow councillors. She served on the (borough councils) cabinet for many years and carried out important work across the borough, said Mr Sawyer.

She was at the forefront of getting work done to scrutinise traffic problems in the village.

Wishing Mrs Osselton good luck in her retirement, Mr Sawyer said that the flowers were a token of thanks.

A former governor at Kingsclere Primary School, Mrs Osselton, who was also involved in organising a petition to save the village pharmacy  the signatures for which this week reached 1,700  thanked everyone for their good wishes.

She said: David [her husband] and I will be moving to Bournemouth, where he is the director and professor of archeology, anthropology and forensics at the university.
Plaque unveiled by High Sheriff

A PLAQUE commemorating a former Bradfield College pupil for his wartime naval heroism has been dedicated at a ceremony.

Lt Cdr Geoffrey Saxton White was the commanding officer of a British submarine in the First World War.

Born in 1886, he attended Bradfield College from 1900 to 1901 before joining Royal Naval training at HMS Britannia.

During the war he and his men were crucial to a naval campaign aimed at disrupting the supply route and communications of the then Ottoman Empire, now Turkey.

In 1918, Lt Cdr White was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross after his submarine was damaged by an explosion and sunk. He remained on deck the whole time and was killed by a shell.

One of the survivors later said: It was credit to us all to think we had such a brave captain... owing to his coolness he saved the boat half-a-dozen times.

The unveiling was performed by the High Sheriff of Berkshire, Victoria Fishburn, and was attended by Admiral Sir James Perowne, headteacher Christopher Stevens and Lt Cdr Whites grandchildren, Lyn Shore, Andrew Campbell and Nicola Higgins.

The citation for the posthumous award of Lt Cdr Whites Victoria Cross, recorded in the London Gazette of May 24, 1919, stated: For most conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty as Commanding Officer of HM Submarine E14 on 28 January 1918.

HM Submarine E14 left Mudros on 27 January, under instructions to force the Narrows and attack the German ship Goeben, which was reported aground off Nagara Point after being damaged during her sortie from the Dardanelles.

The latter vessel was not found and E14 turned back. At about 8.45am on 28 January a torpedo was fired from E14 at an enemy ship... 11 seconds after the torpedo left the tube a heavy explosion took place, caused all the lights to go out, and sprang the fore hatch.

It added: Leaking badly, the boat was blown to 15ft and at once a heavy fire came from the forts but the hull was not hit. E14 then dived and proceeded on her way out.

Soon afterwards, the boat became out of control and, and as the air supply was nearly exhausted, Lt Cdr White decided to run the risk of proceeding on the surface.

Under heavy fire from all sides his submarine limped towards shore to give the crew a chance of being saved. He remained on deck the whole time himself until he was killed by a shell.

The plaque was dedicated at the ceremony, on Saturday, by school chaplain the Rev Stephen Gray.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy and windy during the evening. Showers developing after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Cloudy and windy during the evening. Showers developing after midnight. Low near 60F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Prof. Konstantin Agladze THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES ...insight from the worlds leading experts

In what ways were you able to control the behavior of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) using a laser?

We control their electrical activity. Cardiac cells are capable of producing and transmitting electric signals through changes in a cell membrane potential.

Propagation of this electric signal, as excitation wave through the cardiac tissue triggers cardiac cell contraction.

The excitation waves in the heart are very important to keep coordinated contraction of the cardiac cells, so that heart can fulfill its main function: to pump blood.

Micrograph of heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes)

Images credit: authors of the study

What are arrhythmias and how did you create arrhythmia in vitro?

When a heart loses its normal rhythm  it is called arrhythmia. The most dangerous arrhythmia is tachyarrhythmia caused by the very special sources of excitation: rotating waves.

Cardiologists call them re-entry; physicists often refer to them as spiral waves or rotating waves. They can subdue normal heart rate and what is even worse, they may multiply, independently control activity of different parts of the heart, eventually completely destroying the orchestrated functioning of cardiac cells.

We study rotating waves of electrical activity in the tissue culture: in vitro.

Diagram of the azoTAB isomerization

Images credit: authors of the study

How did you teach the azoTAB molecules to control cardiomyocytes?

The quaternary ammonium group in the molecule does the job to control the electrical activity of the cardiac cell. However, it is not our invention: our colleagues used this molecule to change the permeability of the lipid bi-layer, we just got the idea that it should work in the live cell.

How much is currently known about the way the different forms of azoTAB affect cardiomyocytes?

Our recent paper in PLOS ONE shows that the main mechanism of azoTAB action is modulating the activity of transmembrane ion channels: in the trans- form it blocks sodium and calcium channels, in the cis- form it does nothing.

In what ways will this study help scientists to better understand the mechanisms of the heart?

More precisely, it helps us understand the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmia. Since azoTAB can reversibly change the excitation of the cardiac cells, we are able to use it for modeling different conditions in the experiments with the cultured heart tissue.

We are projecting a computer generated pattern on the layer of cardiac cells. It gives us an opportunity to draw on the cardiac tissue various conducting ways for the excitation waves, different obstacles and also, make this pattern time-dependent. Thus, we can study the conditions for re-entry origination and the ways to extinguish them.

Could this technique have clinical implications moving forwards?

I hope so, yes. Unfortunately, azobenzens are quite toxic, so we are searching for different substances possessing similar features with much less toxicity. Now we have promising results with the substances called stilbens.

What further research is needed before this technique could be used in clinical practice?

We need to find less toxic substance instead of azobenzene. As I mentioned, we already have one candidate, but it is not published yet.

In addition to arrhythmias could this research potentially help with any other cardiac pathologies?

We are focused on the arrhythmia based on the pathological excitation propagation.

What are the next steps in your research?

To show that stilben analogue of azoTAB (we call it c-TAB) works well not only with the cultured cardiac cells but also may be used in the animal experiments.

Also, since azoTAB is capable to control the activity of cardiac membrane ion channels, it is most probably, could be used for controlling nerve excitation.

Some preliminary data strongly indicate that azoTAB ccan control generation and propagation of nerve impulses. In that case, it might open the way for developing very precise light-activated easily reversible anaesthesia.

Where can readers find more information?

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0152018

About Prof. Konstantin Agladze

In 1978 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. He worked at the Institute of Biological Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, then at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Since 2000, Agladze worked in leading research centers in the US and Japan (Florida State University, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, George Washington University, Washington, DC; Kyoto University, Japan).

Agladze is one of the winners of the first contest of the Russian Government megagrants program, 2010. Since 2013 he is a Head of the Laboratory of Biophysics of Excitable Systems, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
Business / Local

by Thobekile Zhou

STRIKING National Railways of Zimbabwe workers have this morning accused Transport Minister Jorum Gumbo of claiming that they have been 15 months outstanding salaries.Gumbo told parliament last week that about $3 million has been released to the workers."The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has agreed to this and we got about $3 million (from companies like Zisco, Zimasco, Makomo, ZPC, Tongaat Hullet and GMB) that we've managed to pay the NRZ workers."We've paid them at least $3 million and we're requesting that they should come back to work and to continue working for the government by bringing in produce from GMB," Gumbo said.However, striking workers today (Monday) disputed Gumbo's account.They said they are now in trouble with their various landlords."Am one of the striking employees and that articles (Chronicle) lacks the trueth' a senior insider told Bulawayo24.com."I think the nation needs some clarification otherwise we are already in trouble with those we owe eg landlords."That $3 million, actually $2,1million which was said to have been paid by GMB was disbursed on 13/04/2016."It was enough for 70-80% of one month salary per employeee."A significant number of employees did not access it as it was taken by the bank loans" said the official.Added another, "NRZ has now resorted to paying only those not on strike."On 29/04/16 they segregationally paid one month transport allowance, $33 yet its 6 months in arrears."On 05/05/16 they paid a range of $175-$450 to those not on strike only yet we are 15 months in arrears."Landlords after reading the article started calling for their rentals which are mostly three months in arrears ,accounts holders such as Edgars thought we have been given something also ."The chronicle article is causing chaos"A bulk of NRZ workers downed tools two months ago demanding unpaid salaries dating back 15 months.
Olympus Medical is proud to announce their partnership with one of Londons largest and busiest teaching hospitals Kings College Hospital (KCH), with the aim of improving patient care, as well as overall efficiency. Through the partnership two new operating theatres have been created featuring upgraded surgical technologies including Full HD (FHD), 3D and 4K surgical imaging platforms and surgical tissue management system THUNDERBEAT.

Olympus is thrilled with what has been achieved through this partnership. Having the opportunity to work closely with procurement, clinicians and theatre management has enabled us to identify the best implementation solution. This new approach maximises efficiency and uptime. We are excited at the prospect of continuing the partnership with Kings to enable transformation and sustainability in health care, commented Mark Graves, Head of EndoTherapy and Strategic Development at Olympus KeyMed.

NHS Background

The NHS is constantly challenged to provide the highest standard of care for the United Kingdoms growing and ageing population. Demand is rising and services are under pressure. As part of the Five Year Forward View, the NHS has been tasked to deliver new ways of providing care. Meeting these requirements for high quality care with available resources will continue to be a challenge. Identifying ways to improve efficiencies in the NHS will be critical to meet the increasing demand.

Guaranteed Performance Solutions (GPS)

In October 2012, Olympus was invited to tender for the provision of a managed equipment service within a theatre setting. Olympus proposed their Guaranteed Performance Solutions (GPS), designed specifically to respond to the changing health service landscape. The aim of this was to improve patient outcomes through efficiency gains, offering the best possible value for money to the trust.

As the name suggests a key element of Olympus provision is the guarantee. Olympus commits to ensure that the latest medical technology, within the scope of the agreement, is available to the clinician precisely when required. It must be fit for purpose and maintained to an appropriate level to enhance the patients experience. The GPS removes the reliance on high residual values typically built into a traditional leasing agreement. As a result, budget planning throughout the term is straightforward and transparent with fixed annual charges and no equipment return fees.

Success for Olympus

In March 2015, Olympus was confirmed as the successful service provider and began preparations for a large scale implementation of mobile imaging equipment and fully integrated turnkey operating theatres.

Throughout the process Olympus worked closely with the Trust team comprising of Senior Clinicians, Divisional Leads and Procurement. The Procurement lead steered the team through the Competitive Dialogue process.

The introduction of this technology to the theatres has been positively welcomed by both clinical and non-clinical teams. Everyone has been very excited to be involved in this important project which will have a significant impact on patient care. The integration of the new ground-breaking technology has been incredibly smooth. The delivery of efficient patient care has been maintained during the entire process and disruption has been minimised which is so critical in a live working environment, commented Kara Hollings, Theatre Service Manager at Kings College Hospital.

Laparoscopic and image-guided surgeries are increasingly taking place in an integrated surgical environment which includes high-resolution video displays, touch-screen control, and archival digital information. The move towards such integrated surgeries can help reduce dependence on mobile equipment, increase patient flow and improve patient outcomes.

Olympus replaced existing, older equipment with 16 mobile 2D and 3D surgical imaging platforms for inpatients and day surgery units. In January 2016, the first of three ENDOALPHA 3D integrated laparoscopic theatres were completed at the Denmark Hill site.

It is very pleasing to see NHS Trusts adopting new technologies which can have such a marked impact on day to day efficiencies in surgery. Ultimately, any solution that can improve patient care whilst saving costs is a positive step forward to help support the delivery of services for the people who need them, commented Mr Asif Haq, Consultant Laparoscopic Colorectal and General Surgeon
Pupils had 3 months to come up with solutions to a variety of high level challenges faced in the healthcare environment and UK market. The challenge encourages Key Stage 4 students to find out more about the world of engineering and technology. It develops skills in idea development, planning and problem solving and exposes students to exciting career opportunities.

Siemens Healthineers inspires the next generation-Next Big Thing 1

The school children presented their prototypes to the judges on Friday, 29th April at the Siemens offices in Frimley. The five schools that participated were, Charterhouse, Gordons, LVS Ascot, Reading Girls School and Tomlinscote School. Around 6-8 students from each school attended. The winners of the challenge were LVS Ascot.

Following the success of previous years, this is the eighth year Siemens has run the challenge with SATRO, It is designed to encourage, inspire and motivate students to make the active choice of a career in some aspect of Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Mathematics and is open to Key Stage 4 (14-16 years old) students.

Teams were provided with a brief to look into Healthcare, with an aim to develop The Next Big Thing on the topic. The students were asked to produce a prototype or scale model to demonstrate the idea and provide evidence of market research and a basic understanding of their market needs. Siemens employees were allocated to each team to act as mentors and visited the schools to support and give direction to the students.

The entries included an app that allows you to check your health instantly, to a device that monitors your brain activity and gives an early warning to epilepsy patients. The students came up with some great ideas on how to improve healthcare. Students also had some time to explore some of our Siemens Healthineers technology, from dazzling students with phantom babies, virtual colonoscopies and the mystical world of laboratory diagnostics.

The winning team, LVS Ascot, proposed a device that would help alleviate bed sores and reduce strain on caregivers. Their solution was very well researched with a lot of thought gone into the usability of their product. The Mayor of Surrey Heath, Councillor Joanne Potter and Councillor Paul Deach, of Surrey Heath Borough Council attended to present the winners with a trophy. Also present were Pauline Hedges, Amalee Gamache and Dr Beccy Bowden from SATRO.

Siemens Healthineers has a long history of developing innovative technology and is pleased to be contributing to an activity, which demonstrates Siemens' commitment to enthuse young people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Peter Harrison, Managing Director of Siemens Healthineers UK said:

Working with local organisation SATRO, this programme enables us to operate a broad, inclusive and effective method for encouraging pupils to understand the link between Science, Technology and Maths (STEM) skills at work.

SATRO is an education charity which inspires and involves young people aged 5  19 across the region about the world of work and business through a broad range of hands-on programmes and challenges delivered in schools and colleges. Last year saw 15,000 young people participate, and SATRO continues to respond to the demand.
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A 25-year-old Indian woman who went to work to Saudi Arabia was allegedly tortured to death. The woman identified as Asima Khatoon hailed from Hyderabad and was working as a maid in Saudi. She was reportedly kept there illegally after her visa expired.



Her family claimed that she had complained to them about being harassed mentally and physically. Asima had, in a phone call a few weeks back, requested her family to rescue her and make arrangements for her return.



The Telangana government had written to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) at the behest of the deceased's family to rescue her from her employer and repatriate her back to Hyderabad.



"She went there and she was assaulted there. She was kept in a room, they did not feed her. She told me she has been tortured and she asked me to bring her back at any cost," Asima family members say.



Telangana Police has written to Saudi authorities seeking details of her death. "She went there for work. She worked there for 4 months but thereafter she developed some health issues. We don't have confirmation about the incidents. We have written a letter to Saudi consulate by secretariat on behalf of state government," Inspector Ramesh said.




Kolkata: Tempers flared at Kolkata's Jadavpur University on Monday as slogan-shouting members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) held a march outside its gates to protest the screening of Vivek Agnihotri-directed political film 'Buddha in a Traffic Jam'.



Rival groups of students had on Friday clashed on the varsity campus over the screening of Vivek Agnihotri-directed political film 'Buddha in a Traffic Jam' triggering chaos during which some girls were allegedly molested and BJP actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly was not allowed to enter its premises.



There was huge police presence in the area to stop the clashes between the ABVP activists and the university students.



ABVP activists held its rally from Gol Park to Jadavpur police station in South Kolkata in protest against the alleged attack on ABVP activists by Jadavpur University students on Friday.







The rally was stopped by the police at Jadavpur PS crossing, some 100 metres away from the Arts Faculty gate of the Jadavpur university.



The ABVP supporters, a few hundred in number, held a sit-in demonstration before they dispersed.



Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri was at Jadhavpur University on Friday to screen his upcoming film his film 'Buddha In A Traffic Jam'. Clashes broke out between student groups over the screening with student wing of the Left party objecting to the film's screening and getting into a scuffle with ABVP activists.



The university students alleged that the ABVP outsiders molested some students when they were protesting against the screening of the movie.



The university authorities have submitted a report to the governor and university chancellor KN Tripathi on Friday evening of the ruckus inside the campus.



Meanwhile, the university authorities, students and ABVP supporters, have all filed FIRs at the Jadavpur PS but no police action has been taken so far.



Rival groups of students had on Friday clashed on the varsity campus over the screening of Vivek Agnihotri-directed political film 'Buddha in a Traffic Jam' triggering chaos during which some girls were allegedly molested and BJP actor-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly was not allowed to enter its premises.



The fracas began after the film's screening ended late on Friday evening, and students from ABVP fought with activists of Left-backed student unions in which a few of them received minor injuries, officials said.
A diplomatic standoff seems to be brewing in Nepal that could turn out to be a huge challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's neighbourhood first policy.



Reports have emerged alleging that the Indian ambassador was indulging in activities against Nepal. According to reports, Ambassador Ranjit Rae along with his Nepalese counterpart in Delhi made a secret visit to the Terai region of Nepal and met with Madhesi leaders.



Following the development, Nepal has recalled its Ambassador in Delhi, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, alleging that he was working against the government of Prime Minister KP Oli.



Both India and Nepal Ambassadors have, however, dismissed the allegations as baseless.



Nepal's Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa also shot down media speculations, terming the allegations as baseless.



Taking to Twitter over the issue, Thapa said, "Some media speculations regarding Nepal govt mulling expulsion of Indian Ambassador Ray is baseless and aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations."



Nepal had on Friday recalled Upadhyay over charges of non-cooperation and indulging in anti-government activities.



Nepal government has levelled three charges against Upadhyay to justify its decision to recall him, with officials on Saturday saying he was working 'against national interest'.



Reports said that the diplomat has been charged with siding with the Nepali Congress opposition in supporting a threat by the Maoist party to topple Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's government.
Met the lovely #EllenPage and her buddy Ian. Gorgeous conversation & a wonderful evening with friends & family. pic.twitter.com/MSQ2TjMNxd  Apurva M Asrani (@Apurvasrani) May 7, 2016



Hollywood actress Ellen Page is in India and doing something that Bollywood filmmakers usually avoid. The 'X-Men: Days of the Future Past' actor is filming the diverse cultures of sexual minorities around the world and has chosen India as one of her shooting destination.The show titled 'Gaycation' explores what life is like for the LGBT community in different countries. The show has so far covered the United States, Japan, Jamaica, and Brazil. The 'Juno' star, anchors the show with her close friend, Ian Daniel.Notably, Page came out of the closet at the THRIVE Conference for LGBT youth in Las Vegas on 14 February 2014. The actress, while addressing the audience said, "I'm here today because I am gay...I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered. And I'm standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain."The actress received a standing ovation as she came out with an emotional speech and stated that how she would like to support those who have difficulty in admitting to their close ones and the society about their orientation.The actress is in India for a few more weeks and is likely to cover Mumbai, Delhi and Varanasi.A source close to a website has stated that Page is here to understand the struggles and the resistance the community faces, the stigmatization as well as the country's homophobia.Well, let's hope this series is able to identify the unknown resistance Indian community has towards the third gender and help to overcome it.In a country where our very own filmmakers either shy away or face controversies by portraying gay characters in lead, 'Gaycation' might come as an inspiration.Till now, Page has met several notable people which includes 'Aligarh' scriptwriter Apurva Asrani. Asrani is also one of the guest on the show. The writer told the website, "age came over to my place recently and met the family. She's an extremely humble, unassuming person who I had a great time interacting, especially about Aligarh which she absolutely loved"(Image Courtesy: Twitter)




New Delhi: Actress Nargis Fakhri, whose origins trace back to Pakistan, says that at a time when there are divides between cultures and races she would like to cross borders for work. She would like to spread one message -- we're all the same inside and working together is the key to moving forward.



Be it Ali Zafar, Fawad Khan or Mahira Khan, Bollywood has welcomed Pakistani actors with open arms. And Nargis shares that she would like to travel to Pakistan with her craft.



Asked if she would consider working in the Pakistani industry, Nargis, who picked an action-comedy film 'Spy' for her first Hollywood outing last year, said: I'm not the one to rule anything out.



With Pakistan being in my blood, I would certainly look at opportunities to travel there, Nargis told IANS in an email interaction.



The actress, who will be seen portraying Mohammad Azharuddin's second wife Sangeeta Bijlani's role in 'Azhar', feels that with stardom comes responsibility.



She said: I believe that as actors, we have a phenomenal platform to spread positivity and influence people in the same way. In a time where there are divides between cultures and races, I would love to use my position to show that we are all the same inside and working together is the key to moving forward.



Nargis took the first step towards the world of glamour as a model in 2005. After 'Rockstar', she did films on a wide variety of topics ranging from serious to fun like 'Main Tera Hero' and 'Madras Cafe'.



Post 'Azhar', Nargis will be seen in 'Housefull 3' and 'Banjo'.


New Delhi: In a major relief for former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the petition of the nine Congress MLAs challenging their disqualification from the Assembly. The Supreme Court refused to pass an interim order on allowing the nine disqualified MLAs to vote in Tuesday's floor test.



There was jubilation at Rawat's residence soon after the Supreme Court ruling was announced with Congress workers flashing victory signs. They also shouted slogans in favour of Rawat.



The former chief minister, whose fate will be decided on Tuesday, sounded confident of winning the floor test.



"I thanks the Supreme Court for this verdict. Uttarakhand witnessed a lot of uncertainty in the last few week. This uncertainty will end tomorrow. BJP should stop horse trading and let the floor test happen. If we win, we will continue our work to develop the state. If we lose, then we will accept the verdict," said Rawat.







Uttarakhand Assembly will witness a floor test on Tuesday under the strict guidelines of the Supreme Court to find out if Rawat enjoys the confidence of the House or not. His government was dismissed by the Centre on March 27, just a day before he was to seek a vote of confidence in the state Assembly.



A specially convened two-hour-long session between 11 AM and 1 PM will take place for the floor test on Tuesday. The special session, where President's Rule will be kept in abeyance, will only have a "single agenda" and no other matter will be taken up for discussion. The President rule shall be revived after the conclusion of floor test at 1 PM on May 10.



The Assembly has 70 elected MLAs and one nominated member. While the Congress has 36 MLAs, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 28 members. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has two, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P). Nine Congress MLAs are rebels. Even the BJP has one rebel MLA.



With the Supreme Court ruling, the effective strength of Uttarakhand Assembly is down to 62 and the halfway mark is now 32. The Congress'effective strength is now 27 including Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal. The party has been claiming that it also enjoys the support of three independent and one UKD MLAs.



The stand of the BSP MLAs is not yet clear.



The Nainital High Court had on April 21 declared the President's rule imposed in the state on March 27 as unconstitutional. The court had also ordered the floor test on April 29. But the Centre moved the Supreme Court and on April 22, the apex court ruled that there would no floor test in the Uttarakhand Assembly on April 29.



The Centre had on May 6 agreed for a Supreme Court-monitored floor test in Uttarakhand.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking on the second sting operation that emerged on Sunday to corner former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat ahead of the crucial floor test on Tuesday.



Sources say that the BJP is relying on the fear created by the sting among Congress MLAs to defeat Rawat. Confident of victory, sources say that the BJP believes that Rawat cannot withstand the double whammy of a second sting operation and the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).



The second sting allegedly shows Rawat's close aide in conversation with Congress rebel MLA Harak Singh Rawat. The sting has been carried out by a private TV channel. The purported sting video allegedly shows a conversation between rebel Congress MLA Harak Singh Rawat and Congress legislator Madan Singh Bisht.



Bisht allegedly said in the video that Harish Rawat was giving the money he had earned from mining to Congress MLAs to keep his flock together.



The BJP is seeking action against Rawat while the former chief minister claims his phones are being tapped and accused the opposition of conspiring against him.







Meanwhile, Congress has said that the former CM will not be appearing before the CBI on Monday in connection with a sting operation against him. The probe agency had summoned Rawat for questioning over a sting operation regarding bribery allegations against him. Rawat is due to face a floor test in the Assembly on Tuesday.



"Tomorrow, he will have to present the vote of confidence. The Supreme Court has mentioned Harish Rawat by name. So there was no question of him going elsewhere," chief whip of Congress legislative party, Indira Hridayesh said.



The Centre on May 6 agreed to hold a Supreme Court-monitored floor test in Uttarakhand Assembly. Rawat, whose government was dismissed by the Centre on March 27, will seek the vote of confidence in the Assembly.



The floor test will be held between 11 am and 1 pm in a special session of Uttarakhand Assembly and the agenda will be whether Harish Rawat enjoys the confidence of the House or not. The proceedings will also be videographed and result of the floor test will be produced before the apex court on May 11.


News / Local

by Staff Reporter

A police woman based at Masvingo Central Police Station, Constable Mercy Dzafunwa (26) will on Friday appear in court facing charges of assault and pulling the genitals of a human rights activist.According to Masvingo Mirror, Dzafunwa allegedly assaulted Prosper Tiringindi, a prominent Masvingo human rights activists and also pulled his genitals.The accused and the complainant have been served with summons to appear at Masvingo Provincial Magistrates Court.Meanwhile on Monday (May 9 2016), Tiringindi and Dzafunwa will again be appearing at the courts in a different case emanating from the same incident where Tiringindi is accused of obstructing the course of justice.Tiringindi says in his statement to the Police that on February 25, 2016 and at around 430pm at Pick 'n' Pay Supermarket in Masvingo he saw a group of people gathering at the parking lots along Leopold Takawira street.He proceeded to the gathering to see what was happening and as he drew closer, Dzafunwa who was in civilian attire allegedly charged towards him and pulled his genitals.The accused then took a Police button stick and started to beat his lower limbs several times and she dragged him to a Police vehicle with the help of other Police Officers and drove off to Masvingo Central.Tiringindi is being represented by Zimbabwe Human Rights Lawyer Philip Shumba
Shortly after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released copies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA and MA degrees, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tore into the claims of the ruling party calling the documents fake.



Pointing at discrepancies in the documents, AAP leader Ashutosh alleged that the Prime Minister's name in BA degree is different from that in his MA degree.



"Modi's name in BA degree is different to that in MA degree. But has the Prime Minister given any affidavit to change the name?" AAP leader Ashutosh said.



He further alleged that the dates in the BA marksheet and degree were also different, saying that the Prime Minister must clarify if he completed his graduation in 1977 or 1978.



The Aam Aadmi Party sought an apology from BJP president Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for producing Modi's "fake degrees".



"It is not a crime to not complete BA. But the Prime Minister must speak the truth about his educational qualification," said Ashutosh.







Earlier on Monday, Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley released copies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA and MA degrees, following an attack by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue.



While releasing the documents at a press conference in the national capital, Shah hit out at Kejriwal saying, "It is very unfortunate that we have to hold this press meet to clarify Prime Minister's educational qualification status."



Shah also said that he would send a letter to the Delhi Chief Minister over the issue, seeking an apology from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader.



Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also attacked the Delhi Chief Minister over the issue, saying "what Kejriwal has done is politics at its lowest level". He added that the Prime Minister "struggled" and did hard work during his student life to get the degrees.



Jaitley even said the kind of allegations that have been levelled against Modi threatens federal polity in the country and such attempts should be defeated strongly while challenging the Delhi Chief Minister to verify his claims. "The politics of adventurism is being treated as a substitute for governance," he said, mounting a strong attack on Kejriwal.



(With PTI Inputs)
Gaya: Bihar is witnessing an intense political blame game following the murder of a youth who was allegedly shot dead by Janata Dal United MLC Manorama Devi's son Rocky Kumar Yadav in Bihar's Gaya district. The Bharatiya Janata Party has called for a bandh in Gaya to protest against what the party calls is "police inaction" in the case.



The BJP has demanded Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's resignation over deteriorating law and order in the state. "It's jungle raj in Bihar. The MLC is from the ruling party and no action has been taken so far. The accused has not been arrested," BJP MLA Nitin Naveen said.



Backing his party colleague, state BJP chief Mangal Pandey said, "The Chief Minister should resign as he is unable to control his party leaders. Several ruling alliance leaders and MLAs have been found to be involved in criminal activities including murder and rape. But Nitish Kumar has failed to act."



But the JDU claimed that those breaking the law, would be dealt with strongly. Assuring action against the accused, JDU leader KC Tyagi said, "Nobody will be spared, no matter if he is from political background. Strict action will be taken in the case."



Dismissing BJP's allegation, JDU leader Sharad Yadav has said that the guilty will not be spared. "All the crimes committed will be looked out by the state. Whatever happened there was really sad. Because of overtaking Rock's car, the boy has been shot to death. The man has committed a heinous crime. He should be handed over to the police," Yadav said.



Devi's husband Bindeshwari Prasad Yadav alias Bindi Yadav and her security guard Rajesh Kumar are in police custody in connection with the murder while the son is still absconding. Police have lanched a manhunt for Devi's son Rocky.







The DIG, Magadh Range, Saurabh Kumar said the incident took place on Saturday night when Devi's son and his men were travelling in a MUV which intercepted a SUV in which Aditya Kumar Sachdeva (20) was travelling along with four friends from Bodh Gaya to Gaya town in southern Bihar.



According to the complaint lodged with the police, Rocky then shot at Sachdeva apparently to teach him a lesson for overtaking his vehicle.



Defending his son Rocky, Bindi Yadav said that his son shot the youth with his licensed revolver in self defence as he was under attack.



The victim's family is demanding justice and action against the killers. "There is something called law and justice in the world. We want justice, nothing else," said Rishi Sachdeva, victim's brother.
The Uttarakhand High Court has dismissed the plea of nine Congress MLAs who had challenged their disqualification from the Assembly. The HC ruling bars the rebel MLAs from voting in the floor test that will take place in the Assembly on Tuesday.



Unfazed by the HC order, the disqualified MLAs have approached Supreme Court against dismissal of their plea in HC and sought an urgent hearing. The matter is likely to be taken up by the apex court at 2 pm on Monday.



The MLAs moved SC moments after Justice UC Dhyani of the HC pronounced his order on the petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision disqualifying them after they joined hands with the BJP during proceedings on the Appropriation Bill on March 18.



Counsel for the MLAs C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India TS Thakur about the HC verdict. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.



"We want the assembly to be dissolved and fresh elections should take place," Rebel MLA Vijay Bahuguna said after the HC decision.



The HC order is a boost to sacked chief minister Harish Rawat as it ensures that the disqualification of the MLAs stays and the rebel MLAs are kept out of proceedings during the confidence vote, unless overturned by the apex court.







While ordering the floor test, the Supreme Court had said that the disqualified MLAs cannot participate in the voting if they continue to remain disqualified at the time of voting.



At present, in the 70-member assembly, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress has 27, BSP has 02, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker. Nine MLAs are Congress rebels and one is a BJP rebel.


Thiruvananthapuram: In a all-out attack directed towards to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Monday said, "I have family in Italy I am not ashamed of. I have a 93-year-old mother I am not ashamed of."



Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibes at her Italian origins, Sonia Gandhi said India is her home and "it is here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones".



The Congress President used an election rally to hit back at Modi after the Prime Minister raked up her Italian roots twice in the last three days while making a veiled attack on her over the controversial AgustaWestland chopper deal.







Sonia's response came while concluding her speech when she said she wanted to share something personal, not politics, about the Prime Minister's statement "about Congress and particularly about me".



"Yes, I was born in Italy. I came to India in 1968 as the daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi. I have spent 48 years of my life in India. This is my home. This is my country," Sonia said while referring to Modi's sarcastic queries to the gathering at his two poll rallies in Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Friday and Sunday whether they had any relatives in Italy.



Sonia said that all her 48 years in India, RSS, BJP and some other parties had always "taunted me to shame me for my birth". "I was born to proud and honest parents. I will never be ashamed of them. Yes, I have relatives in Italy. I have a 93-year-old mother and two sisters. But it is here, in my country, India, it is in this part that the blood of my loves is mingled.



"It is here that I will breathe my last. It is here that my ashes will mingle with yours and my loved ones," she said, pointing out that the sole objecive of Prime Minister Modi was to "indulge in character assassination of his adversaries and 'spread lies'".



The Prime Minister can "sink to whatever depths" to challenge my integrity, she said, but he cannot take away the truth from my commitment and love for India.



"I cannot expect Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to understand this feelings. But I know, I am sure you will," she told the gathering at her second rally on the first day of her campaigning in poll-bound Kerala.



With PTI Inputs.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has clarified that there is no proposal for establishing a Sainik Colony for retired defence personnel in Kashmir Valley.



Mehbooba cleared that no land has been allotted for Sainik Colony. "The demand for it is not by soldiers from outside the state. This is merely a demand as of now. The government has not allotted any land for it till this date," she said.



Mehbooba's predecessor Omar Abdullah had claimed that the state government wanted to set up Sainik Colony for retired defence personnel belonging to the state. The opposition has been saying that ex-servicemen belonging to the state have been demanding land for a housing colony.



Abdullah's National Conference has claimed that there is "unambiguous proof" in official records and wondered if it was an effort to cover up People's Democratic Party's tacit understanding with its partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the sensitive issue.



"There is unambiguous proof that successive PDP-BJP governments headed by Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and (now) Mehbooba Mufti were involved in the process of allocating hundreds of kanals of land for the proposed Sainik Colony in Srinagar," National Conference spokesperson Junaid Mattu said on Sunday.



He said official documents "prove it beyond any reasonable doubt" that the process of identification of land for such colony, from the initial allocation of 173 kanals (about nine hectares) to the subsequent 350 kanals (about 18 hectares), was initiated twice in 2015 and 2016.







"Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took oath of office on March 1 in 2015. The very next month, the Divisional Commissioner (Kashmir) in a letter on April 10 agreed in principle to provide 173 kanals of land for the proposed 'Sainik Colony' in Srinagar and Budgam districts. This is not a matter of speculation or hypothesis, it is a matter of official record," the NC spokesperson said.



The PDP-BJP government had on Saturday asserted that it has not allotted any land for establishing Sainik colony housing project for ex-servicemen in the Valley and slammed such claims saying they were "highly motivated" and "aimed at disturbing peace".
New Delhi: The Special Protection Group(SPG) and the Intelligence Bureau(IB) were on Monday ordered by the Government to take maximum precautions for Rahul Gandhi's security after an anonymous letter threatening to kill him surfaced.



The unsigned letter in Tamil threatening to kill the Congress Vice President at an election meeting in Puducherry was received by a senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on May 5. Rahul is scheduled to address a rally of the Congress-DMK alliance on Tuesday at Karaikal in Puducherry.



Acting swiftly, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi directed the SPG, responsible for the protection of the Congress Vice President, and the IB to take all necessary precautionary measures in this regard.



Mehrishi's missive to the two agencies came soon after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked him to take up the issue seriously and ensure protection to Rahul, official sources said.



Earlier, a delegation of top Congress leaders met the Home Minister and asked him to beef up Rahul's security following the assassination threat.



The team, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; Treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma met Singh and apprised him about the threat to the Congress Vice President's life.



"The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received," Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.



Narayanasamy, an AICC General Secretary and a former Union Minister, said from Karaikal over phone that he had received an 'unsigned letter' at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi.



He said the letter written in Tamil stated that "your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former Prime Minister's son and will be blasted while attending the Karaikal meeting."



Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command. The SPG guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children -- Rahul and Priyanka -- are SPG protectees.



Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.
Kathmandu: Nepal has dismissed rumours that the government was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as "baseless" and aimed at damaging bilateral ties.



Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Rae's expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepal's envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay by the Nepalese government.



Media reports had suggested that the government was preparing to declare Rae persona non-grata (PNG), meaning his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.



However, the Nepalese government rubbished such rumours with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa terming them as "baseless".



"Some media speculation regarding Nepal government mulling expulsion of Indian Ambassador Rae is baseless and aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations," Thapa tweeted.



Nepal's Ambassador to India Upadhyay has continued to stay put in his post in New Delhi, two days after his country's government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the KP Oli dispensation back home.



Nepal had on Friday cancelled the visit of its President to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepal's unhappiness with India over the latter's alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

Two Parliamentary Portfolio Committees, the Minerals Exploration and Marketing and the Higher Education committee will be visiting Zvishavane on consultation missions.Masvingo Mirror reported that they will be meeting people from the same venue at Shabani Mine Club on May 11, 2016 to discuss bills. Zvishavane Ngezi MP John Holder confirmed the meetings."Yes Parliament will be coming to Zvishavane for public hearings and it will be the two portfolios Minerals Exploration and Marketing Corporation Bill and Higher Education committee.It will be a hearing on the mining exploration bill and the Pan-African University bill. They will do their meetings jointly and they want input from the mining community," said Holder.He said a Pan African University will be built in Zimbabwe so the consultations are important to the mining sector."I am hoping that the people of Zvishavane especially those in the mining sector, whether small scale, medium or large scale come together to help with the formulation of policies," said Holder.
The massive blades of wind turbines will not spin during the times they are most likely to kill flying bats, an energy developer says in seeking state permission to build its wind farm atop a Botetourt County mountain.

Apex Clean Energy will turn the turbines off from dusk to dawn every year between May 15 and Nov. 15, when bats are foraging for food. But they could remain on when the wind is blowing faster that 15 mph or when the temperature dips below 38 degrees, conditions that keep the bats grounded.

Those are some of the steps offered to lessen the wind farms potential harm to natural resources, which are detailed in a permit application that Apex filed last week with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

The application, which fills a binder four inches thick, contains the most detailed analysis to date of the environmental impact of putting 25 turbines  each one nearly as tall as the Washington Monument  on top of North Mountain to convert wind to electricity.

What is likely to be Virginias first commercial wind farm is causing some conflict, even among environmentalists.

Supporters, including the Sierra Clubs Roanoke chapter, see renewable energy as one way to save an earth being polluted and warmed by coal-burning power plants. Opponents, including the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council, see the giant turbines as threats to wildlife and its habitat on a pristine mountain ridge.

Apex officials say they are confident they can extract green energy from nature without harm.

There are proven steps we can take to build and operate projects in an environmentally responsible manner, company spokesman Kevin Chandler wrote in an email.

By emitting no pollution and creating no hazardous waste that can pollute rivers and streams, and through managing our impact on wildlife, wind energy is ultimately one of the cleanest, safest, most environmentally responsible forms of electricity generation.

A monthlong public comment period on Apexs application began Thursday. After that, DEQ will have 90 days to decide whether to grant Apex the permit it needs to have the turbines at Rocky Forge Wind spinning by late next year.

The Charlottesville-based company already has obtained local approval from the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors in what was essentially a land zoning process.

Few people live near the 7,000-acre parcel of private land that Apex is leasing for the project. That may explain why opposition was not nearly as strong in Botetourt as it has been in other localities, where nearby residents have complained that proposed wind farms would be a noisy eyesore, cast flickering shadows and devalue their property.

The supervisors granted Apex a special exception permit following a January public hearing in which wind energy supporters outnumbered opponents by about 3 to 1.

Turbine blades and birds

Now, the debate shifts to the nonhuman residents of North Mountain.

The proposed project will result in the deaths of migratory songbirds, bats and perhaps golden eagles with consequent effects on the ecosystem, the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council maintains in a position paper. From its planned spot about five miles northeast of Eagle Rock, the wind farm would be just a few miles from the Rockbridge County line.

A second Rockbridge County organization, Virginians for Responsible Energy, has joined with the American Bird Conservancy in expressing similar concerns. A wind farm has the potential to be catastrophic for eastern golden eagles known to populate North Mountain, the two organizations wrote in a recent letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Apex takes a less dire view, based on data gathered for more than two years by private firms it retained for a detailed environmental analysis.

Professional birdwatchers have logged the number of warblers, sandpipers, owls and other threatened or endangered species. Biologists have peered from helicopters that hovered over the tree line, looking for eagle nests. Bats have been snared in nets for counting and recorded by devices that monitor the ultrasonic calls they make to navigate the sky.

The surveys, which were done in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, are included in Apexs application.

Observations of most North American birds, made during the June breeding season when activity is the highest, indicate that they would not be impacted by the wind farm, the application states. Raptors, or birds of prey that include eagles, hawks and falcons, were not seen in large enough numbers to raise concerns.

There is low eagle use of the area compared to other Appalachian ridgelines and the project poses a low risk of impact, the application stated.

According to the bird conservancy, about 600,000 birds were killed in 2012 after being struck by turbine blades in the United States. With the number of turbines now at 48,000 and expected to increase rapidly, the conservancy projects deaths to approach 2 million by 2030.

The American Wind Energy Association, an industry trade group, counters that the number of birds killed by wind turbines is minuscule when compared to fatalities caused by other man-made objects. About 550 million birds died after flying into glass windows or buildings, the association says, and another 80 million were struck and killed by cars and trucks.

Bats more at risk

Less than four miles from the turbine site, in Peary Salt Peter Cave, surveyors found a bat hibernaculum.

Studies have documented that when bats emerge from hibernation, roosting in trees during the summer, they are vulnerable to being struck by wind turbine blades as they swoop through the sky to feed on bugs and mosquitoes.

Thats what the science says; there are additional mortalities that probably would not otherwise occur, said Mark Ford a professor at Virginia Techs College of Natural Resources and Environment who leads the Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

Four endangered or threatened species  the northern long-eared bat, the Indiana bat, the tricolored bat and the little brown bat  were spotted on North Mountain during the surveys.

Other bats that migrate south for the winter could also be at risk of colliding with the turbines during their spring and fall flights, the surveyors determined after consulting with state and federal wildlife agencies.

As many as 1.3 million bats may have been killed by wind turbines nationally in 2011, according to Bat Conservation International.

In its application to DEQ, Apex proposes a number of steps to minimize the threats. The company will put the brakes on its turbines from sunset to sunrise each year, from mid-May to mid-November, except when the wind is blowing faster than 15 mph or it is 38 degrees or colder on the mountain ridge.

Bats generally do not venture out in cold or windy weather.

These are little guys, Ford said. Theyre kind of like Piper Cubs or Cessnas, so if the wind is too high theyre not aeronautically capable of handling that.

In what it calls its mitigation plan, Apex says it will also avoid cutting trees within five miles of the bats cave and within 150 feet of summer roosting trees for northern long-eared bats from early spring to fall.

And when it builds a road needed to transport the turbines to the mountain top, Apex will conduct blasting before May 1 to allow bats to find roosting sites out of harms way.

Other steps to lighten the wind farms environmental footprint have already been taken, Apex says, with the selection of a site that has existing roads, clearings and a power line that will be used to transfer electricity from the turbines to the power grid.

The mitigation plan also requires Apex staff to regularly monitor the ground around each turbine to check for dead birds and bats, and to record each kill. To test the efficiency of the searches, company officials will secretly place carcasses of birds and bats not killed by turbines in the area to see if they are spotted.

With no other wind farms operating in Virginia, the data will be watched closely by regulators.

Streamlined approval process

The last time a wind farm was approved by the state of Virginia, it was for a 19-turbine project in Highland County that never got built.

Despite strong opposition from local residents, the county board of supervisors granted a conditional use permit for the wind farm in 2005. But the process bogged down when it went to the State Corporation Commission, which at the time was the Virginia agency in charge of regulating wind farms.

After five years of quasi-judicial proceedings  in which lawyers made arguments, witnesses were cross-examined and documents were entered into the record  the SCC eventually approved the project, which by then was struggling financially.

That kind of drawn-out proceeding is unlikely to happen with the Botetourt County wind farm.

In 2010, a change in state law put the Department of Environmental Quality in charge of approving wind farms and solar energy projects. Under a streamlined process called permit-by-rule, DEQ has 90 days to rule on an application from a developer.

Gone is the uncertainty that developers faced with the SCC. In its place is a streamlined administrative process that requires approval once the DEQ determines that applicants have met 14 standard requirements. Some of the prerequisites, such as approval by the local governing body and connection agreements with the power grid, are achieved long before an application is filed.

Critics say the 90-day window does not provide enough time for a detailed environmental analysis, especially considering that the studies submitted to DEQ are paid for by the applicants.

There must be time to properly evaluate the impacts on wildlife and habitats before going ahead with these projects, said Michael Hutchins, director of the American Bird Conservancys Bird-Smart Wind Energy Campaign.

DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden said that if the agency is not satisfied with Apexs mitigation offers, it can withhold approval of the permit until a suitable plan is submitted.

We have a strong proposed management plan for Rocky Forge, Chandler said, and we are confident this project can safely and responsibly generate renewable energy in the Commonwealth for decades to come.

Comments about a proposed wind farm in Botetourt County can be submitted by email to info@rockyforgewind.com or to Apex Clean Energy, 310 4th Street NE, Suite 200, Charlottesville, VA, 22902. There will also be a public meeting to take comments from 5 to 7 p.m. May 25 at the Eagle Rock Library.
Scientists usually shun absolutes. For instance, a hard-and-fast rule stating that no green swans exist in the world someday might be disproved with a freakish hatchling.

But as far as we know  and we are pretty well connected in the world of neuroscience, so wed probably know  we are the first university to have a whole school of neuroscience, said Mike Friedlander, founding director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, and now also Techs vice president for health sciences and technology.

The neuroscience school, which falls under the domain of the universitys College of Science, was hatched to attract not just potential brain scientists, but future lawyers, architects, investment bankers, even journalists and actors, who would benefit from understanding the inner workings of the mind.

It is something that resonates with a lot of people, said Lay Nam Chang, dean of the College of Science. The brain is one thing; the mind is another where you make decisions, take risks, where the emotions sit. If you view it from that point of view, neuroscience touches not just the lab sciences but the social sciences.

The school, its creators said, is responding to student demand. Already more than 200 students have signed on for a program that has yet to start, and Tech predicts that within a few years a thousand students will be enrolled in the new school.

Nobody to our knowledge had elevated the importance and focus of neuroscience to such a high central organizing level, beyond a program or a department to the level of a school, Friedlander said. For Virginia Tech to make a statement we are going to be world leaders in this  it was like the floodgates opened. It tells you there was an enormous demand.

The school is expected to strengthen the bridge between the Roanoke and Blacksburg campuses, be an integral part of the new health and science innovation district that Tech and Carilion Clinic are creating, and possibly make Tech as well -known for brain studies as it is for engineering.

For Virginia Tech, this is a new venture, Chang said. It would not have been possible for me to entertain the idea of starting something like this if it were not for the fact that we do have some extremely well-known neuroscientists over at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Center.

Not one of them majored in neuroscience as an undergraduate. Its an emerging field, made possible by technological advances that allow researchers to peer into the brain in real time and begin to answer questions as old as the universe. Chang said brain studies are capturing more students imagination at a time that educators are seeing more potential in students abilities.

Humans are unique, in one particular area, Chang said in explaining the fascination with neuroscience. We can study ourselves. The brain is absolutely studying ourselves.

Virginia Tech curriculum helps students explore science BLACKSBURG  Lay Nam Chang was getting tired of attending career fairs.

Student demand

When Virginia Tech leaders decided to look at developing an undergraduate neuroscience program, they already were behind other universities that were quicker to respond to the emerging demand.

Were always paying attention to our degrees and whether they need to be refreshed, renewed or fall under a new degree, said Wanda Dean, vice provost for enrollment and degree management.

Dean said industry leaders tell them about the types of employees they are seeking, and students and their parents ask for programs they think will lead to promising careers. All information, including each click on Techs website and question asked at education fairs, is sifted through metrics.

Current students were surveyed about their interest in neuroscience. Those results were combined with prospective students queries and comments from industry sources who said they want engineers who can work as part of a team with people from liberal arts backgrounds, she said.

Elsewhere on campus, Chang was experimenting with Techs new approach to integrating sciences and starting with small groups of students who were prompted to ask questions and work in groups to figure out how to arrive at answers.

Until recently, neuroscience was viewed as too complicated and too elevated a pursuit for kids to grasp right out of high school.

The barrier to go into this is deemed to be too high, Chang said. You need to know a lot about biology. You need to know a lot about chemistry. You need to know about networking.  Thats not something usually delivered in the undergraduate arena.

Approaching science differently  by asking a question and pursuing answers across whatever discipline the trail takes, and by working with other students whose minds are geared differently  results in a different way of teaching.

It would be nice in this sort of thinking [in order] to understand something, look at it in the context of what you want to understand, rather than asking what do I need to know first before I can understand it, he said.

The more traditional approach of learning first arithmetic, then algebra, trigonometry, geometry and so on promotes memorization and stymies curiosity, he said. By the time that you go through all this, youve forgotten why you wanted to study this in the first place.

The new approach, Chang said, is to ask the question.

So he posed one to senior faculty: What is the best way for undergraduates to study the brain?

Friedlander knew who might have the answer: his former colleague at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Harald Sontheimer.

He picked up the phone. I said, You know, Harry, we have a really exciting opportunity here. 

You really have to go big

Sontheimer has a lot of special qualities, but he has a particularly unusual set of qualities, Friedlander said. Hes a world-class neuroscientist in terms of doing his research and works primarily in the medical environment just like [the research institute], but he also has a passion, a commitment and a work ethic toward the teaching of undergraduate students. Thats a rare combination.

Friedlanders 2014 call came at the most opportune moment. Sontheimer had become dismayed that universities were simply knitting together biology and psychology, crafting some new courses and branding it as a neuroscience major.

The quality of such a program is very poor, but the students wouldnt know that, he said.

Sontheimer was on sabbatical writing Diseases of the Nervous System, trying out chapters on undergraduates at Rhodes College in Memphis. The work landed best textbook honors this year in the American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence.

As I was writing it, I developed some strong opinions on how to properly teach undergraduates in neuroscience, he said. You really have to go big and make a big investment. You have to build facilities, recruit top neuroscientists who have been neuroscientists their whole lives and with active labs so the students have hands-on experience. And you have to develop neuroscience as a much broader discipline than it was in the past.

Neuroscience goes beyond studying the functions, structures and diseases of the brain. Electrical engineers might benefit from understanding the brains circuitry. But the brain is also where empathy, decision-making, spirituality and creativity reside.

Lets assume you aspire to be an investor on Wall Street. Understanding the human emotions and how we make decisions as to investing and divesting, what drives the markets, might give you a tremendous edge in your investment strategies, he said.

Lawyers would benefit by understanding how memory is reprogrammed each time an incident is recalled. Sontheimer said he believes neuroscience lays the best foundation for most careers.

I call it the new English major, he said. If nothing else, it teaches the student [that] human behavior and human endeavor can be studied and data obtained and you can make decisions whether as a CEO or a lawyer in a data-driven way.

Sontheimer shared his sweeping philosophy with Tech.

I left them with a six-page report of what they should be doing. I left a timeline, how many professors, return on investment. I predicted 200 students immediately and 1,000 in four years, he said. There was a very high cost  multi-tens of millions of dollars, but a high return of $20 million a year.

He returned to Alabama, thinking his task as a consultant was accomplished.

In March of 2015, I got a call from the College of Science dean asking me if I was interested in implementing my vision, Sontheimer said. I said, Well, did you see the price tag? Are you willing to make that big of an investment? And they said, Yes. 

Seeing what Tech already had accomplished in a few short years, with its partnerships with Carilion Clinic and backing from the state, Sontheimer was convinced the school was all in.

Five weeks later, I was actually here working because I saw there was a lot of work to be done, he said. Already, 200 students had signed up.

Tech by then had won approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for a neuroscience major. Sontheimer now needed to navigate the process to get the agency to approve a School of Neuroscience and to engage faculty members across disciplines to understand the concept and agree to participate.

What were basically doing is going from vertical pillars and silos to a horizontal structure in academia, Sontheimer said. There is no reason why a neurosurgeon, a veterinarian, an engineer and a cognitive neuroscientist wouldnt be in a room working on a problem. That doesnt occur when faculty and students stay within their particular departments, he said.

The higher education council approved the school in March. Some 75 faculty members now are affiliated with it. Sontheimer is hiring new faculty, with five coming on board soon and a like number expected in the next year or two. Students can select from five majors: clinical, experimental, cognitive, computational and social.

The brain university

Sontheimers plan appealed to Techs leaders in Blacksburg who had begun emphasizing experimental learning across disciplines, and to Friedlander at the research institute in Roanoke.

I felt we had an opportunity at Virginia Tech to differentiate ourselves above and beyond the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Friedlander said. We talked about a lot of different things, about being the brain university.

The research institutes labs were filling up with investigators who were securing funding and attracting graduate and medical students and post-doctoral fellows. Fifteen of the institutes 25 research teams are focused on brain research. Friedlander said the institute was reaching capacity.

Meanwhile, Tech, under new leadership, was undergoing a visioning process that was leading toward the formation of what the university is calling destination areas, which will encourage students to cut across disciplines and pursue a more rounded education. Tops on the list: Adaptive Brain and Behavior Across the Lifespan.

Tech and Carilion successfully lobbied for state money to cover much of the $67 million required to build a second research institute in Roanoke. Together, they also are developing a health sciences and technology innovation district. Bringing 1,000 neuroscience undergraduates to Roanoke is integral to the plan.

Already, a few undergraduates are working in labs. So, too, are high school students from the Roanoke Valley Governors School for Science and Technology.

They make me stop and question something Ive been saying for years, that I havent stopped and thought about beyond the jargon, Friedlander said.

Experimental learning across disciplines will change science, he said. Its an experiment. People argue about this legitimately. Is it best to be exposed to a discipline or a program for a long time, or best to be going down a different track and then jump into something?

The field is rapidly changing.

Im old enough to have been to the very first meeting of the Society of Neuroscientists, which has been in existence for 45 or so years. At the first meeting, there were 600 people, he said. This years attendance numbered about 35,000.

None of those people majored in neuroscience as undergraduates, and, quite frankly, hardly any of them studied it as a graduate student. They studied biology, psychology, biochemistry, pharmacology  and got interested in the brain and came to this new field, Friedlander said. Now, my grandson is 6 years old and learning the different parts of the brain.  Thats a very different person when they get to their 20s. Theyll look at problems differently.

How to judge success

After 13 years as the founding dean of the College of Science and 38 years with Tech, Chang plans to retire in July. The School of Neuroscience will be part of his legacy.

The expense of creating the school, building labs and recruiting top-notch scientists is expected to be offset annually with $4 million in tuition from additional students, about $20 million in grants new faculty will bring and attract and another $10 million in contracts, licensing fees and startup companies the research spawns.

Student interest already is stronger than Sontheimers initial projections. Success will be judged through their future employment.

Wed want them to be employed not just in hospitals or in research institutes of neuroscience, but we want some to be lawyers, to go into government, Chang said. We have a school of performing arts. They want students to go through neuroscience  to train them to become good actors and actresses. We want them to go in as many fields as possible.
News / Local

by Staff Reporter

An HIV positive Policewoman who was accused by her husband, a teacher based in Gutu of deliberately infecting him with the HIV virus has been acquitted of the charge by Masvingo Magistrate Collert Ncube.Masvingo Mirror reported that Ncube ruled that it was not conclusive that it was the accused who infected her husband with the virus. He observed that the complainant was also careless in his sexual life and had other partners besides the Police woman.This therefore meant that the source of the virus could be from other partners other than the accused.Ncube also said there was no conclusion as to when the complainant got the virus.He said it was crystal clear that both parties were sexually active before their marriage and said there was no convincing evidence to pinpoint who transmitted the virus, that is when and how.The Policewoman who was facing the charge of Deliberate Transmission of HIV denied the charge saying her husband was already HIV positive after their brief separation soon after their marriage in 2006. She added that after their brief break up, the husband went on to have unprotected sex with his girlfriend while she returned to her former boyfriend who is also a Police officer and they also had unprotected sex.Ncube also said the court was left constrained as to who is innocent between the two parties as the complainant also lived a reckless life as he was involved in intimate relationships outside marriage. He went on to say the virus could have been transmitted by a third part.The complainant told the court that his wife infected him with the virus when they engaged in unprotected sex between the 2007 and 2015 and she was already taking Anti-Retrovirals (ARVs) without his knowledge. This was disputed by the Policewoman who said her husband was fully aware of her HIV status and she also kept her medication in the wardrobe at an open place.
Minister hurt by child violence

He was commenting on the recent death of two-year-old Jacob Antonio Bastaldo of Lendore Village, Chaguanas.

The childs body was riddled with marks of violence and a forensic autopsy has been ordered to scientifically ascertain the cause of the toddlers death.

According to police reports, the childs mother, 18-year-old Precious Virginia Bastaldo, saw Jacob lying on a bed, but he was unresponsive on the weekend.

She raised an alarm and took the child to the Chaguanas Health Facility.

The police report stated that upon arrival at the health facility, doctors pronounced Jacob dead This death comes against the background of both the Childrens Authority and head of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Davanand Sinanan last week confirming numerous instances of children being abused in one way or the other by persons in positions of trust. Examples of such abuses were given.

Asked to comment on the death of little Jacob, as he toured the Port-of-Spain General Hospital in order to bring personal greetings to Mothers Day mothers, Minister Deyalsingh said, I am totally against that type of violence, it is really sad. These children have done nothing to deserve that type of thing and Im really hoping that the Childrens Authority can really get a handle on this.
News / Local

by Thobekile Zhou

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya has assured Zimbabweans that no single individual bank account would be raided to whip out all foreign currency.Mangudya was responding to a question on whether USD deposits from the diaspora would be automatically converted to bond notes."My advise is simple, we are not touching any account. We are building confidence".Mandudya was on a radio talk show - Morning Grill on Monday (today).During Gedion Gono's helm as RBZ governor, central bank would routinely raid corporates and individuals forex bank accounts.
Haitians are illegal immigrants

The Ambassador was speaking at an information session on doing business in the Dominican Republic and Haiti hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce at the Hotel Normandie, St Anns last week.

Asked to state his views on the 2013 ruling of the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic, the Ambassador said it resulted in the implementation of a regularisation policy which has benefitted Haitians.

No country in the world has implemented a regularisation policy that all the illegal immigrants in the Dominican Republic, including the Haitians, he said, speaking with the assistance of a translator.

Thanks to these regularisation policies, 220,000 Haitians were legalised as Dominicans.

This process, which is already finished, our Government has kept it open. The Ambassador said the matter was one of involving immigration by stating the issue was really the entry of undocumented persons under false paperwork.

We have to remember that the big problem that we have in Haiti is not the problem of one Government but is one for CARICOM, he said.

The problem is that people dont have identity papers and travel to the Dominican Republic. He further suggested Haiti was neglecting its duties in relation to migration matters.

The Dominican Republic also has a lot of poverty, the Ambassador said. It has invested millions of US dollars to ensure people living in the DR have their identity papers. This is not the role of the Dominican Republic, it should be a function of Haiti. But Haiti has a lot of problems as well. We want it to be stabilised. He said a stable government in Haiti could result in a more fruitful relationship between the two nations. Haitian and Dominican people are brothers and sisters, the Ambassador said. He then told those gathered, There are persons that dont want Haiti and the Dominican Republic to have good relations. There are also some powerful interests that dont want Caribbean integration. I think that unites us. Earlier, delivering welcome remarks for the event, the Ambassador  who has been in the post for seven years  said of Haiti, We think that the happiness of the Haitian people should be the happiness of the Dominican Republic. Of his nation, he said it was very friendly and is open for business.

It is a country that makes all visitors, all investors feel good, said the Ambassador. He said the Dominican Republic and Cuba should belong to CARICOM.

He said the combined market of the Dominican Republic and Haiti is a market of 20 million persons.

Amcham CEO Nirad Tewarie said subsequent to the 2013 ruling, legislative changes were brought to correct the anomaly which closed the loophole in relation to the status of persons of Haitian descent born in Haiti. CARICOM needs to adopt a different position and realise that all of us are Caribbean people, Tewarie said. In 2015, CARICOM condemned the Dominican Republic.

The Community calls on the Dominican Republic authorities to adhere to the above principles and confirm the citizenship status of Dominicans of Haitian descent, CARICOM said in a statement.

The Community also calls on the Dominican Republic not to engage in the expulsion of Dominicans of Haitian descent and avoid creating a humanitarian crisis in our Region. Yet, CARICOM itself was later criticised for being slow to act on the matter.
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Automotive company Fiat Chrysler has recently announced the voluntary recalling of its 187,436 vehicles in Canada while it tries to address serious safety problems involving the power-steering system in extremely cold weather.

According to the federal transportation ministry, more than 100 consumer complaints were filed before the government reporting a power return hose failure.

"The department is aware of two alleged loss of control events and three cases in which smoke was observed by drivers. To date, Transport Canada is not aware of any major injuries or fatalities related to a failure of the described components," the government agency mentioned in an official statement as quoted by Techmalak.

Acting on the said consumer safety concerns, Transport Canada carried out an investigation and concluded that some of the problems identified include loss of power steering assist as well as potential vehicle fire prompting it to notify the manufacturing to avert accidents before it is too late.

According to CBC News, Fiat Chrysler will be recalling more than 187, 000 Dodge Journeys but Transport Canada said three other cars appeared to have similar technical problems that require recall. These three other models include 2011-2013 Chrysler 200, the 2007-2010 Chrysler Sebring and the 2007-2013 Dodge Avenger.

However, the car company maintained that only the Dodge Journey model is seemingly affected by the issue. Fiat Chrysler said it will make replacement parts available soon and notify their customers promptly and accordingly.

Responding to potential safety claims posed by power-steering fluid leaks, the company said that such leaks are normal at extremely cold conditions upon engine start-up. Fiat Chrysler further noted that steering remains even under such circumstances although it may require strenuous effort to control it.

"FCA maintains that a failure of a power steering return hose on the subject vehicles does not represent a safety risk," the company's official press release reads as quoted by Toronto Suns.

As of press time, there hasn't been any reported incidents linked to the potential car defects.
Swaddling a baby might calm it down, and lead to less crying. However, a study shows that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) can actually go up when babies are swaddled, especially while they sleep on their stomachs or on their sides.

The University of Bristol researchers arrived at this result when they conducted four studies through two decades and three geographical areas across England, Tasmania in Australia and Chicago.

"The focus of our review was not on studies about swaddling - a traditional practice of wrapping infants to promote calming and sleep - but on studies that looked at Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)," said Anna Pease from the University of Bristol's School of Social and Community Medicine and lead author of the study. "We tried to gather evidence of whether there was an association between swaddling for sleep and SIDS.

"We only found four studies and they were quite different, and none gave a precise definition for swaddling making it difficult to pool the results," she added. "We did find, however, that the risk of SIDS when placing infants on the side or front for sleep increased when infants were swaddled."

As the risks for the babies would double on their backs and fronts, scientists found that most babies after being swaddled would tend to move into these positions on their own.

"We found some evidence in this review that as babies get older, they may be more likely to move into unsafe positions while swaddled during sleep, suggesting an age is needed after which swaddling for sleep should be discouraged," Pease said. "Most babies start being able to roll over at about 4-6 months.

"On a practical level what parents should take away from this is that if they choose to swaddle their babies for sleep, always place them on their back, and think about when to stop swaddling for sleep as their babies get older and more able to move."

The study was published in the May 2016 issue of Pediatrics.
News / National

by Staff Reporter

There is a fresh wave of panic over the health status of First Lady, Grace Mugabe, amid unconfirmed reports over the weekend that she has reportedly undergone another mysterious operation in Asia, Spotlight Zimbabwe, has reported.Zanu PF faction members belonging to G40, are said to be shaken by the latest developments, as Grace is alleged to be the kingpin of the group, and her prolonged absence from the country could deal a severe blow to their succession scheming, to land power ahead of Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, should President Robert Mugabe call it quits, as is increasingly becoming the case, after struggling to obtain a clean bill of health himself, senior party members have disclosed.Grace has been in Singapore for the past three weeks, where she flew to await her daughter Bona Mugabe-Chikore, to deliver her first baby with husband, Simba Chikore. Mugabe and Grace, have since become grandparents to a baby boy, whose name is still a tight-lipped secret, with sources saying one of his names is called Gabriel, which is Mugabe's second name.Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare minister Prisca Mupfumira, confirmed Mugabe's grandson's birth on April 16 during a Zanu PF Makonde inter-district meeting at Chinhoyi training centre.Grace has been unwell for some time, but has dismissed worries over her health saying she is "as fit as ever", and can be trusted to lead the Zanu PF Women's League agenda as the influential organ's boss.The first lady underwent her third successive surgery to remove a nagging appendix in the Far East in January 2015, after the first family's annual Christmas holiday in December 2014. For the first time Grace publicly disclosed her medical history, to party supporters who welcomed her back home upon her return in February 2015 at the Harare International Airport. The first operation was in 1986 to remove tonsils and the second one in 1996 when she had gall bladder surgery."Things are not adding up, because she (Grace) has been away for almost a month now. You cannot say they are still welcoming their newly born grandson," said a Politburo member closely following the matter. "We hear she was operated on, but nobody knows her current status. The atmosphere is now very tense, because the succession issue has reached its decisive melting point. Pray for your country."Eyebrows have also further been raised by Mugabe's own silence, and disappearance from the public scene, as he was last seen at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo last month. Other ruling party insiders said, they initially thought Grace was taking a small break away from home, apart from welcoming her grandson, and that the first lady could have decided to re-think her country-wide "Meet the People" political rallies, which have all but peeved some powerful figures in the military."At first we thought she is allowing the dust to settle after raffling feathers in military circles, with her G40 inspired rallies," they said. "However something seems to be wrong, she can't be away this long."Our Asian contacts said Grace could have visited the top-notch Parkway Novena Hospital, which is one of Singapore's most expensive private hospital. Staff at the hospital could not deny nor confirm that the first lady, was one of their patients, citing client confidentiality.The first family is believed to be having a safe house in Singapore, where Mugabe enjoys great hospitality from his hosts, and has of late made Singapore City a second home away from home.
New Delhi:

Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat will not travel to Delhi on Monday to appear before Central Bureau of Investigation for questioning in CD sting matter. He was summoned by the agency on Thursday.



Mr Rawat said he has sought more time from the CBI.



I hope that the agency will understand our practical problems and will provide us more time. I have clearly said I will present myself before CBI and will provide them whatever information they ask for, he told reporters.



The inquiry was registered on the recommendation of the state government and the notification was issued by the Centre. The state is under President's rule.



On the other hand BJP is leaving no stone unturned to ensure doiwnfall of Harish Rawat and also Congress in the state.



The saffron party on Sunday asserted that it will form government in Uttarkhand after May 10, claiming that a new sting video showed that ousted Chief Minister Harish Rawat has lost the support of Congress MLAs and he was bound to lose the trust vote on Tuesday.



"If they think that by giving money, they will save the floor then they are wrong. On tenth, the majority will go against Congress and the new government will be formed by BJP," party leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari told reporters.



Terming Rawat's conduct as "shameful", he said that Congress is performing its "last rites" in the state as they have kept a leader who is "insulting his own party".



(with PTI Inputs)

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Meerut:

Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha said it will continue to observe the Republic Day eve and Independence Day as "black days" and has conveyed it to the police which it claimed was inquiring into a complaint against the outfit over the issue.



Pandit Ashok Sharma, national Vice President of the Hindutva body said that an inspector from Thana Brahmpuri came to his office yesterday and told them that their "actions were seditious".



Sharma said that he told the inspector, who is inquiring into the complaint against the Mahasabha, that the outfit would continue the practice in protest against the Partition.



"The country was divided on the basis on religion on August 15, 1947 and we got a split Hindu Rashtra. It is unfortunate that on January 26, 1950, the provision of Hindu Rashtra was abolished and power seekers adopted India as a secular country.



"The Hindus and the nation were deceived. Since then, the Mahasabha is protesting against the Constitution," Sharma said.



Meanwhile, the Mahasabha claimed that the complaint had come through the Prime Minister's Office but SP Om Prakash said he has no information about it.

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Nainital:

In a boost to sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat, the Uttarakhand High Court today dismissed the petition of nine Congress MLAs against their disqualification, a decision that will bar them from participating in the confidence vote proceedings in the Assembly on Tuesday.



Justice U C Dhyani pronounced his order on the petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's decision disqualifying them after they joined hands with the BJP during proceedings on the Appropriation Bill on March 18.



Today's order of the high court ensures that their disqualification stays and will keep the rebel MLAs out of the proceedings during the confidence vote for Rawat in the Assembly tomorrow ordered by the Supreme Court last week.

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News / National

by Innocent Ruwende

Government is not against the appointment of former NMB chief executive Mr James Mushore as Harare's town clerk, but he must go through the necessary vetting processes in compliance with the Urban Councils Act, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has said.In an interview after a tour of Caledonia last Friday, Minister Kasukuwere commended the city fathers for sending Mr Mushore on leave while the courts are dealing with his matter."We are happy that the city fathers have made the correct decision. We rescinded their decision in the first instance which related to the illegal hiring of the town clerk. The status quo remains. Mushore has no business at Town House."We are not against him but we must follow the law. I am surprised that such an educated man behaves in a manner that does not qualify to be called civilised. You cannot destabilise and disturb the peaceful running of business. If he succeeds at the Local Government Board certainly he would be town clerk with everyone's support," he said.Minister Kasukuwere said the town clerk position required Government support."Let us respect our laws. You cannot wake up in the morning saying this law does not exist because of your own interpretation. There are legal processes that must be followed for any Act of Parliament to be struck off. It cannot be done by word of mouth by an individual. There is a legal process. The Constitutional Court has to make a declaration."I am sure all the people making noise if they are learned people they should know how to follow the laws of the land.He said he had not commented on the issue out of respect of the judiciary.Minister Kasukuwere said he was happy council finally resolved not to dramatise and politicise the issue.He said the decision to send Mr Mushore on forced leave would allow the smooth flow of business at Town House."We want to see workers being paid. The workers have not received their salaries for the past six months, bickering has become the order of the day at Town House. It cannot be accepted. And my dear brother James (Mr Mushore) must just accept to be subjected to all the processes that any other town clerk goes through," he said.Meanwhile, the MDC-T has ordered its councillors to reverse the decision to send Mr Mushore on forced leave.The councillors face unspecified action from the opposition party if they resist.They were made to sign affidavits at Harvest House on Thursday last week after sending Mr Mushore on forced leave without benefits, a month after his controversial appointment.The former NMB chief executive was appointed without following laid down procedures.Government rescinded the appointment saying council violated the Urban Councils Act.Some residents' associations then approached the High Court arguing that Minister Kasukuwere did not have the power to rescind the decision in terms of the Constitution.The associations claimed the minister was only supposed to be notified of the appointment.
Nainital:

In new twists and turns, the Supreme Court on Monday heard petition of the nine Congress MLAs who had challenged the decision of the Uttarakhand High Court which has dismissed their petition against their disqualification by Assembly Speaker.



Supreme Court reserved its order till 4 PM on Monday.



Moments after Justice U C Dhyani of the high court pronounced his order on the petition challenging Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwals decision disqualifying them after they joined hands with the BJP during proceedings on the Appropriation Bill on March 18, the MLAs moved the Supreme Court.



Counsel for the MLAs C A Sundaram mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India T S Thakur about the high court verdict that had come earlier in the day. The CJI asked the counsel to approach the bench which had on Friday ordered the floor test.



Todays order of the high court ensures that the disqualification of the MLAs stays and would keep the rebel MLAs out of the proceedings during the confidence vote for Rawat in the Assembly tomorrow unless overturned by the apex court.



Ordering a floor test on May 10 in the Assembly, the Supreme Court had said if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.



A specially convened two-hour-long session during which the Presidents Rule will be kept in abeyance will be held between 11 AM and 1 PM for a single agenda of floor test, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh had said.



The apex court had said, However, our observation in praesenti will not cause any kind of prejudice to the merits of the case of disqualified Members of Legislative Assembly, which is sub-judice before the High Court.



At present, in the 70-member assembly, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress has 27, BSP has 02, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker. Nine Congress MLAs are disqualified and one is a BJP rebel.

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Melbourne:

According to a new research, there is no link between mobile phone use and brain cancer. The study conducted at the University of Sydney examined the association between age and gender-specific incidence rates of 19,858 men and 14,222 women diagnosed with brain cancer in Australia between 1982-2012, and national mobile phone usage data from 1987-2012.

Despite the widespread use of mobile phones, no rise in tumours was found over 30 years. Taking the age related factors, it was also found that those aged 20-84 years, per 100,000 people) had risen only slightly in males but were stable over 30 years in females.

Researchers also found that there were significant increases in brain cancer incidence only in those aged 70 years or more.

They also compared actual incidence of brain cancer over this time with the numbers of new cases of brain cancer that would be expected if the "mobile phones cause brain cancer" hypothesis was true.

With Inputs from PTI
New Delhi:

Cannes film festival is all set to begin in less than 48 hours from now and excitement about it is on full swing. From stars to fans, everyone is craving for the dosage that is all set to be served in coming few days.



As the curtains will rise on the 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival  starting from May 11 to May 22  there are several movies which have been listed to race and grace the festival.



This year the jury will be headed by director George Miller, best known for his work Mad Max: Fury Road, and he will be joined by Kirsten Dunst, Hannibal star Mads Mikkkelsen, Donald Sutherland, Vanessa Paradis, Katayoon Shahabi, Laslo Nemes (of Son of Saul fame), Arnaud Desplechin and Valeria Golino on the jury.



Before the event goes on floor, here are a few of the films that will keep jury talking for coming days.



1: The BFG by Steven Spielberg



Steven Spielberg is returning to Cannes with The BFG; earlier he had premiered both E.T. and The Color Purple in 1980s. Based on the 1982 book by Roald Dahl, The BFG (short for Big Friendly Giant) is Spielbergs first live action 3D film.



2: Money Monster by Jodie Foster



Watching George Clooney and Julia Roberts in not new for audiences but add Jodie Foster and things do get interesting. This time Cannes is all set to be graced by Money Monster, which presents story of a TV host and his producer being held hostage by one of its investors.



3: Loving by Jeff Nichols



After receiving much praise for Midnight Special and Mud, director Jeff Nichols is all set to style the event with emotional favours of loving, which stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga in the lead roles.



4: Woody Allens Cafe Society



For the third Woody Allen will be opening Cannes Film Festival and this time he is coming up with Cafe Society, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart. The vintage setting and Eisenberg-Stewart chemistry are the highlights which make this film worth praising.



5: Personal Shopper by Oliver Assayas



Kristen Stewart has more to enthral this time, she will also be featured in Personal Shopper by Oliver Assayas  a ghost story set in the Parisienne fashion underworld  for which the actress had won prestigious Cesar award (the only American actress to have won one).



6: Shane Blacks The Nice Guys



Worlds worst detectives comes to competition for the best as Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling starrer The Nice Guys enters Cannes 2016. Directed by Shane Black the film comes with humour and outstanding acting by the stars.



7: Pedro Almodovars Julieta



Adriana Ugarte and Emma Suarez feature in this film, playing the younger and older versions of the title character. Almodovars film is based on three short stories from Alice Munros 2004 book Runaway.



8: The Unknown Girl  Dardenne Brothers



More of a prestige fight comes into foray with we talk about The Unknown Girl  the reason behind this are the Dardenne brothers and its Cesar winning actress Adele Haenel. The film unwraps the story of a doctor who wants to find out the identity of a young woman who dies after she is refused surgery.



9: Its Only the End of the World by Xavier Dolan



Hitting almost every must-watch at Cannes list, the film is finally here and we have no doubt over the huge expectations riding onto it. It is about a writer revisiting his family after several years to inform them that he is dying.



10: Jim Jarmusch  Gimme Danger and Paterson



Like Kristen, Jarmusch also have two films in offering this Cannes. Paterson will be offered in Adam Driver and Gimme Danger.

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London:

In a bid to kill all the negative thoughts wrapping religion Islam, Britain's iconic red buses will be sporting a brand new ad campaign which will slap the phrase glory to Allah on the side panel of buses.



Britains largest Islamic charity aims at generate maximum donations for their Ramadan aid to Syria from the campaign, which will decorate buses with the phrase SubhanAllah.



According to a report by news daily, Public transport has been chosen for the Islamic re-branding in London, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham, and Bradford  all UK locations with high and growing Muslim populations.



The announcement for the new campaign came a day after London crowned its first Muslim leader, Mayor Sadiq Khan. This can be framed as a fatal irony that the two events collided at the same time.



A report also quoted Imran Madden, a British convert to Islam and director of Islamic Reliefs United Kingdom Branch said: There is a lot of negativity around Muslims at the moment involving things such as counterterrorism issues.



We want to change for the better the perception of Islam. The bus campaign is about breaking down barriers and challenging misconceptions.

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Kathmandu:

Nepal has dismissed rumours that the government was mulling expulsion of Indian envoy Ranjit Rae as baseless and aimed at damaging bilateral ties.

Media speculation was rife that the Nepalese government was mulling Raes expulsion in the backdrop of cancellation of President Bidhya Devi Bhandaris maiden foreign visit to India and the controversy surrounding the recall of Nepals envoy to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay by the Nepalese government.

Media reports had suggested that the government was preparing to declare Rae persona non-grata (PNG), meaning his diplomatic immunity would be withdrawn.

However, the Nepalese government rubbished such rumours with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa terming them as baseless.

Some media speculation regarding Nepal govt mulling expulsion of Indian Ambassador Rae is baseless and aimed at damaging Nepal-India relations, Thapa tweeted.

Nepals Ambassador to India Upadhyay has continued to stay put in his post in New Delhi, two days after his countrys government was said to have ordered his recall, and was reported to have denied he had colluded with India to topple the K P Oli dispensation back home.

Nepal had on Friday cancelled the visit of its President to India hardly 72 hours before her departure for Delhi. Though no reason was assigned for cancellation of the trip, it was believed to indicate Nepals unhappiness with India over the latters alleged meddling in the internal affairs of the Himalayan nation.

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Karachi:

Khurram Zaki, a leading Pakistani rights activist and social media campaigner known for his strong stance against religious extremism, was killed by unknown assailants in the countrys financial capital here.

Zaki, 40, was killed last night by four armed assailants who came on two motorcycles and sprayed bullets while he was having dinner at a restaurant in Sector 11 of New Karachi.

Rao Khalid, a journalist who was with Zaki and a bystander were critically wounded in the attack. The assailants fired at Zaki and Khalid and the bystander was caught in the firing, Senior Superintendent of Police Muqaddas Haider said.

No one has taken responsibility for the attack. Zaki, a former journalist gained fame when he launched a Facebook page Let Us Build Pakistan and became editor of a website devoted to working for human rights and spreading liberal religious views.

The page was recently blocked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority for viewers in the country.

He had condemned extremism in all forms and came into limelight when he led a campaign against Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz for inciting hatred against Shia Muslims.

He and other campaigners built up pressure and got a case registered against Aziz.

Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Sial has ordered a probe and sought report from police within 48 hours.

Following the incident, protesters carrying the body of Zaki reached the Chief Ministers House and staged protest. Majlid Wehdat-e-Muslimeen has also announced to stage a protest demonstration outside CM House.

A spokesperson of Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) said that Zaki was not only a prominent civil society activist but also a religious scholar who tended to attend programmes on various TV channels. The MWM spokesperson said they believed that banned sectarian outfits were involved in this gruesome murder.

Zakis assassination came on the same day when Karachi police announced that they had arrested a prime suspect in the murder of social activist Parveen Rehman who was killed in May 2013.

Parveen, who worked for the development of the poor neighbourhoods in the Orangi town, was killed in the same area while returning home.

Last year in September, another prominent social activist and rights campaigner Sabeen Mahmud was also killed in the defence area in Karachi while returning from her office. Her assailants are yet to be nabbed by the police.

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Cairo:

Egypts Interior Ministry says 15 people have been injured in a fire in a busy low-price commercial area in downtown Cairo.

A ministry statement carried by the official MENA news agency says the fire erupted early today morning inside the six-story Hotel Andalusia in the populous Ataba neighborhood.

The flames quickly spread to an adjacent warehouse building. The street is packed with street vendors and small shops.

MENA says army fire engines and dozens from the Cairo Fire Department are extinguishing the blaze. All hotel guests were evacuated.

Six of the 15 injured were treated for breathing difficulties on site. The rest were taken to a nearby hospital and are all reported to be in stable condition. The cause of the blast was unknown and an investigation is underway.

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Manila:

At least 10 people died across the Philippines in election day violence today, as gunmen attacked polling stations, ambushed vehicles and stole vote counting machines, police said.

However authorities described the violence as isolated incidents and that the overall conduct of the elections which will see tens of millions of people cast their votes for president and 18,000 other positionswas peaceful.

In the worst attack, seven people were shot dead in an ambush before dawn in Rosario, a town just outside of Manila known for political violence, Chief Inspector Jonathan del Rosario, spokesman for a national police election monitoring task force, told AFP.

In Guindulungan, a small impoverished town in the strife-torn southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, where warlord-politicians have their own private armies, a voter was shot dead inside a polling station, police said.

A bystander was also killed when a grenade was launched at a market in Cotabato, a major city in the south that neighbours Maguindanao, as people were casting their votes, police said.

In the nearby town of Sultan Kudarat, a stronghold of the nations biggest Muslim rebel group, 20 men forced their way into a voting centre and carted away voting machines, police chief Senior Inspector Esmael Madin said.

In the northern province of Abra, infamous for politicians killing each other, armed supporters of rival mayoral candidates shot at each other, leaving one person dead and two wounded, provincial police spokeswoman Marcy Grace Marron told AFP by telephone.

Police arrested two men and two women with guns after the fighting in the mountainous town of Lagayan, 350 kilometres (217 miles) north of Manila, Marron added.

Still, elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon said the violence would not impact the result, noting they had taken place in known hot spots where extra security forces were in place.

Military spokesman Colonel Noel Detoyato also voiced little alarm. There are isolated incidents. (They) had minimal effect on the conduct of the elections, he told AFP.

Fifteen people had been confirmed killed in pre-election violence since the start of the year, according to the national police poll monitoring taskforce.

Political violence is a longstanding problem in the Philippines, fuelled by lax gun laws, corrupt security forces and political dynasties that often have their security forces.

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Tehran:

Iran has test-fired another ballistic missile, the latest in a spate of tests following the implementation of the nuclear deal with world powers.

Irans semi-official Tasnim news agency Monday quoted Gen. Ali Abdollahi, deputy chief of army headquarters, as saying that the test-firing of the missile, with a range of 2,000 kilometers, or 1,250 miles, was carried out two weeks ago.

Iran, which insists the tests do not violate the deal, is likely seeking to demonstrate that its pushing ahead with its ballistic programme despite scaling back the nuclear program following the deal that led to the lifting of international sanction on Tehran.

In March, Iran test-fired two ballistic missiles one emblazoned with the phrase Israel must be wiped out in Hebrew that set off an international outcry.

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New Delhi:

A delegation of top Congress leaders today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and asked him beef up security of Rahul Gandhi in the wake of an alleged threat to his life. The team, including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Treasurer Motilal Vohra, Congress Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma, and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, met Singh and apprised him about the alleged threat to the Congress Vice Presidents life.

The Home Minister has assured us of prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of the Centre and and the states and SPG will be alerted about the threat that has been received, Sharma told reporters after the 20-minute meeting with Singh.

A Home Ministry official said that Singh, after the meeting, asked Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi to take up the issue seriously and ensure propection to Rahul.

Sharma said the Congress delegation also raised issue of proposed en mass shifting of around 400 officers of SPG and bringing in new people to replace them.

SPG requires rigorous training. Its personnel are brought from CISF, CRPF, BSF and central agencies. So its a matter of concern as to why such a proposal has come up to change such a large number of the personnel, he said.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) guards the Prime Minister, the former Prime Ministers and their immediately family. Sonia Gandhi and her two childrenRahul and Priyankaare SPG protectees.

The threat has reportedly been given in an unsigned letter written in Tamil and posted in Pondicherry on May 4. Rahul is scheduled to visit Karaikal in Puducherry tomorrow, for a public meeting.

The letter was reportedly sent to V Narayanswamy, who was Minister for PMO in the UPA government. The letter has allegedly claimed Congress has been responsible for closure of industries in Pondicherry and has threatened that Gandhi will be blasted when he addresses the Karaikal meeting.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

A HARARE woman, Try Chadyiwa, has taken her ex-lover to the Civil Court claiming compensation for wasted time during the two's cohabitation period.Chadyiwa made the claim before magistrate Barbara Mateko seeking a protection order against her ex-lover, Tinashe Milanda, whom she accused of dumping her after more than a year-and-a-half of co-habitation.Chadyiwa pleaded with the court to order Milanda to either take her back to her parents' home or compensate her for wasted time. "Please tell him to take me back to my parents because I cannot go back alone after such a long time," she said. The court further heard Milanda, who was absent in court, had also deserted the home which he shared with Chadyiwa.However, the woman's application was dismissed on the basis she had approached the wrong court."If you want compensation, you cannot get it under the Domestic Violence Act, seek legal advice and get help on how to approach the relevant court," she said.
New Delhi:

In a huge relief to Harish Rawat government at Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court said all the 9 rebel disqualified Congress MLAs will be not allowed to vote in the floor test. Sacked Chief Minister Harish Rawat will seek a vote of confidence on May 10.

Earlier, a Bench comprising of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh took a decision to keep away the rebel Congress MLAs from participating in the floor test by observing that if they (disqualified MLAs) have the same status at the time of vote of confidence, they cannot participate in the House.

The proceedings were directed to be video-graphed by the apex court which said the confidence vote will take place by division under the watch of the Principal Secretary, Legislative Assembly.

The top court said before the floor test will be initiated, the President rule will be kept in abeyance from 10:30 AM to 0100 PM and during that period the Governor shall remain in-charge of the State.

It said the result of the voting shall be placed before it at 10:30 AM on May 11, 2016, in a sealed cover by the Principal Secretary, Legislative Assembly who will come with the documents in a sealed cover and the video recording of the proceedings.

At present, in the 70-member assembly, BJP has 28 MLAs, Congress has 27, BSP has 02, while there are three independent MLAs and one belongs to Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) lawmaker.

Nine rebel Congress MLAs have been disqualified by the Speaker. One BJP MLA, B L Arya defied the party whip and voted with the government on the Appropriation Bill on March 18.

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Beijing:

Facebook has warded off a threat to its trademark in China with a Beijing court ruling against a Chinese firm to use the famous name for its beverage, providing a rare trademark victory for the US social networking giant in the Communist nation.

The Beijing Municipal High Peoples Court said the local firm Zhongshan-based Zhujiang Beverage had violated moral principles with obvious intention to duplicate and copy from another high-profile trademark, BBC reported.

Zhujiang Beverage, which sells products like milk-flavored drinks and porridge, said it registered its trademark face book in 2011. The company faced objections from Facebook, but gained approval from the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board the countrys trademark authority in 2014 to use it.

Facebook is blocked in China since 2009 but its founder Mark Zuckerberg who is married to a Chinese has recently gone on a charm offencive to access the Chinese market.

Along with other social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook is currently blocked to nearly 700 million internet users in China.

The court judgement was a reprieve of sorts for the Facebook as Apple last week lost its trademark fight in China to a handbag firm which won legal case to retain the name Iphone.

The court ruling in favour of Facebook has led Chinese local media to speculate whether Beijings hard stance against Facebook might soften.

During a recent visit to China, Zuckerberg met with Chinas propaganda chief Liu Yunshan as well as fellow media guru Jack Ma.

In what critics described as a publicity stunt to win Chinas favour, he also went for a run on Beijings Tiananmen Square despite heavy pollution and also achieved celebrity status by making speeches in Mandarin.
Mumbai:

Actor Shahid Kapoor, who will soon be going to be a father, has said that aexcitementa would be an understatement for the feeling of becoming a parent.

On the occasion of his 13th anniversary years in the film industry, the 35-year-old actor was having a Q & A with his fans on Twitter where he was asked,ahow excited he is for the baby?a

aI am good and so is Mira. Thank you. Excited would be a huge understatement,a Shahid replied. Shahid and his wife Mira Rajput, who tied the knot in July last year, are expecting their first child.

Miraas reported pregnancy became a talking point when she walked the ramp at the fashion week last month. The actor, who prefers to keep his personal life away from the limelight, also praised his wife for being areala.

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New Delhi:

The decision to bury the bodies of four JeM terrorists, slain during the Pathankot IAF base assault, was taken after Islamabad dismissed NIAs claims about their identity as unverifiable.

Official sources said Pakistan had been provided with all relevant information, including their addresses and parentage, but the authorities there said the information shared by India could not be verified and it could be treated as unverifiable.

Following this, the NIA, after consultations with the government, decided to bury the bodies at an undisclosed location in the garrison city.

The bodies had been kept in the mortuary of the Pathankot Civil Hospital since January three. The four were killed after an 80-hour gunbattle which began on the intervening night of January 1 and 2.

NIA had shared swabs of the four terrorists with the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) from Pakistan that had visited India in March-April this year. The anti-terror probe agency, which has preserved their DNA samples, had asked Pakistan to collect and send such samples of the people residing in places linked to the slain terrorists whose addresses had been shared with JIT.

The NIA had told the JIT about the identities of the terrorists and later sent supplementary information about their parentage and residential addresses.

One of the terrorists was identified as Nasir Hussain who stayed at Vehari, a town 100 km from Multan in Punjab province of Pakistan. He was the son of Mohd Mansa who lived in house number WB-89, Mohalla Chak in the town.

Hussain was also identified as Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist who had called up his mother Khayyam Babbar minutes before the terror group launched the suicide attack on the IAF base.

Another terrorist was identified as Hafiz Abu Bakar, son of Mohammed Fazil and resident of Gujranwala in Pakistan.

Umer Farooq was stated to be son of Abdul Samad of Madni Road, Mohalla Madisah, Shahdadpur in Sindh province of Pakistan, while the fourth terrorist Abdul Qayum was son of Mohamed Amin, a resident of Chachar, Tehsil Pano Akil, district Sukkur also in Sindh.

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New Delhi:

JNU today formed a four-member committee to look into demands of students who are on hunger strike against punishment in connection with the controversial February 9 event even as three more students withdrew their fast due to deteriorating health condition.

The Vice-Chancellor has decided to form a team consisting of Rector-1, Rector-II, Dean of Students and Registrar to discuss issues related to students and teachers who have been on hunger strike, the university said in a statement.

Solutions can be found only through peaceful dialogue and discussion and not through measures that can also have long term impact on health and adversely affect the academic life on campus. The administration yet again appeals the students to end their strike and come forward to hold discussion of their demands, it added.

The students union, however, said it is yet to take a decision whether to enter into negotiations with the administration or not.

Meanwhile, three students-Umar Khalid, Pratim Ghosal and Parthipan, discontinued their fast after their health deteriorated.

Umar, who is out on bail in a sedition case over the event and has been rusticated for one semester by the university, was rushed to AIIMS in wee hours today when his sugar and sodium-potassium levels fell significantly.

So far, nine students, including JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, have withdrawn from the fast against the punishment by the varsity in connection with the event while 11 others are still continuing with their hunger strike which entered the 12th day today.

JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA), university alumni and mothers residing on the campus have come out in solidarity with the fasting students by going on a one-day relay hunger strike on different days.

Terming the hunger strike to be an unlawful activity, the university administration had last week appealed to the students not to invite outsiders on the campus and resort to constitutional means of putting forward their demands.

Kanhaiya, Umar and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in February in a sedition case over the event and are out on bail now.

While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000, Umar, Anirban and a Kashmiri student, Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varying durations.

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Beijing:

Facebook has warded off a threat by a Chinese firm to use its famous name for a refreshing beverage after a Beijing court ruled in favour of the US social networking giant in a rare trademark case.

The court said the local firm had violated moral principles with obvious intention to duplicate and copy from another high-profile trademark, BBC reported.

Zhongshan-based Zhujiang Beverage, which sells products like milk-flavored drinks and porridge, said it registered its trademark face book in 2011. The company faced objections from Facebook, but gained approval from the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board the countrys trademark authority in 2014 to use it.

Facebook is blocked in China since 2009 but its founder Mark Zuckerberg who is married to a Chinese has recently gone on a charm offencive to access the Chinese market.

The court judgement was a reprieve of sorts for the Facebook as Apple last week lost its trademark fight in China to a handbag firm which won legal case to retain the name Iphone.

The court ruling in favour of Facebook has led Chinese local media to speculate whether Beijings hard stance against Facebook might soften.

During a recent visit to China, Zuckerberg met with Chinas propaganda chief Liu Yunshan as well as fellow media guru Jack Ma.

In what critics described as a publicity stunt to win Chinas favour, he also went for a run on Beijings Tiananmen Square despite heavy pollution and also achieved celebrity status by making speeches in Mandarin.

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Dhaka:

Fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizamis execution seemed imminent after jail officials tonight received the Supreme Court ruling reconfirming his death penalty for war crimes committed during Bangladeshs 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The jail authorities have received the court verdict for further action, an official, who carried the apex courts verdict wrapped in a red coloured folder, told reporters.

The development came nearly two hours after Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha-led four judges bench signed the full text of the judgment, dismissing Nizamis final review plea.

73-year-old Nizamis final appeal against his death sentence for war crimes committed during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan was rejected by the apex court on May 5.

The Supreme Court officials immediately sent copies of the final judgment to Bangladeshs International Crimes Tribunal, which originally handed down the death penalty.

Attorney general Mahbubey Alam said Nizami, the leader of Bangladeshs largest Islamic party, could now be hanged anytime unless he seeks presidential clemency.

He will have to be given a reasonable time to take the decision...but if the answer is no, the government could hang him anytime, he said.

Jamaat on Saturday, however, said: question doesnt arise at all to seek mercy to anybody else except Allah.

Nizamis his eldest son and lawyer Najib Momen supplemented the party statement, saying he (Nizami) will not seek clemency to the President.

President Abdul Hamid has earlier rejected two such appeals by 1971 war crimes convicts, including Nizamis top aide then Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, who were subsequently executed last year.

Authorities last night shifted Nizami to Central Jail from a suburban prison, signalling his imminent execution.

Meanwhile, elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces overnight joined the police in riot gears to enforce a tight vigil around the Central Jail, where the officials said the noose was ready for him to be hanged.

I cant tell you when his (Nizamis) death sentence will be executed but I want to say that the verdict will be carried out after exhausting all legal procedures, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal told PTI.

A former minister in ex-premier Khaleda Zias BNP-led four-party coalition government, Nizami has been in jail since 2010, when he was arrested to be tried 1971 war crimes.

He was given capital punishment in October 2014 by the tribunal after being convicted of superior responsibility as the chief of the infamous Al-Badr militia forces in 1971.

He was particularly found guilty of systematic killings of over 450 people alone in his own village.

Nizami appears to be the last remaining top perpetrators of crimes against humanity as Bangladesh so far executed four war criminals since the trial process began six years ago.

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Aden:

Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition today hit a military base captured by Yemeni rebels north of Sanaa, killing at least 11, a military official said. The raid targeted Al-Amaliqa base which was taken over recently by the Huthi rebels in their northern stronghold of Amran province, the official said.

He said 11 people were killed in the first raid to target the base since the rebels seized it. There was no immediate confirmation of the air strike from other sources.

The government delegation to UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait walked out earlier this month in protest at the takeover of the base by the Iran-backed rebels. The rebels have in their turn complained over alleged air raids by the Saudi-led Arab coalition which they said killed several people.

UN special envoy to Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed today urged Yemens warring parties to make concessions to save peace talks aimed at ending a devastating 13-month war.

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New Delhi:

India has been constantly taking up the US visa fee hike matter with the American authorities and the country has also raised the matter in the WTOs dispute settlement body, Parliament was informed today.

The increase in H-1B and L-1 visa fee issue has been raised with the US at various levels including by the Prime Minister with the US President and recently by the Finance Minister with the US Trade Representative, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She said that the ministry has raised the issue on several occasions highlighting the negative impact of the hike in visa fee, particularly on Indian IT companies.

In a letter to US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Deputy National Security Advisor Caroline Atkinson, it was requested not to incorporate such discriminatory and punitive measures into legislations without due process of notice and comment, as it would seriously impede the on going efforts to take the India-US bilateral trade and investment relationship forward.

India has also taken up the matter on US visa fee hike in the dispute settlement body of the WTO, she said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

The US has informed that the visa fee hike has been done through a legislative action and the role of administration is quite limited, she said.

On December 18, 2015, the US President signed into law, which doubled the supplemental visa fee for H-1B and L-1 visas for a period of 10 years for companies employing 50 or more employees in the US, 50 per cent of which are on these visas.

With this legislation in place, 50:50 companies would now need to pay an enhanced fee of USD 4500 for each L-1 visa nd USD 4000 for each H-1B visa as compared to USD 2250 and USD 2000 previously.

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services data, she said the USCIS has received 124,000 H-1B visa application for 2013-14, 175,500 H-1B for 2014-15, 233,000 for 2015-16 and 236,000 for 2016-17.

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New Delhi:

An Indian woman working in Saudi Arabia, who was allegedly tortured by her employer leading to her death, had died due to natural reasons, External Affairs Ministry said today. Her family had claimed she lost her life because of torture by her Saudi employer.

Reacting to reports about the death of Asima Khatoon in Riyadh, reportedly due to torture by her sponsor last week, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said,On receipt of information, our Embassy in Riyadh sent one of its officials to King Saud Chest Disease Hospital, Riyadh, one of the reputed Hospitals for TB, today.

He was told by the Mortuary In-charge that she was admitted in the Hospital on 27 of last month and later on shifted to the ICU. The death was due to natural reasons and he was informed that all the requisite documents have been handed over to the sponsor for submission to the Embassy.

However, Hyderabad police received a complaint from the deceased womans mother Ghousia Khtoon alleging that her daughter, who left for Saudi Arabia last December, was tortured by her master, which subsequently led to her death.

Khtoon alleged that she received a call on May 2 from Saudi Arabia saying her daughter had some chest complaint and was admitted to a hospital and died the same day, police inspector G Ramesh told PTI in Hyderabad.

Swarup also noted that the sponsor had visited the Embassy on May 3 (by when the matter had not been reported in the media) and again today, for completing the documentation in order to transport her mortal remains to India.

As per the death report, she died on May 2 due to disseminated TB and multi-organ failure. Further, according to the report, she received anti-TB drugs in 2012 for 3 months, the Spokesperson said, adding the Embassy was in touch with the family of the deceased in India to determine future course of action.

According to the sponsor, Asima Khatoon worked for him for 4 months and 16 days in return for which he has deposited five months salary with the Embassy, he added.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

Some Zanu-PF members who were expelled or suspended will have the rulings overturned if provinces did not follow proper procedures in instituting disciplinary action, Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko has said.VP Mphoko also said the raft of votes of no confidence were not the National Disciplinary Committee's baby.VP Mphoko who chairs the newly-established National Appeals and Review Committee said they would review all cases starting this week, hinting some members could be readmitted if it was proven they had no case to answer.Until recently, VP Mphoko chaired the National Disciplinary Committee, which is now headed by party Secretary for Legal Affairs Patrick Chinamasa.
Beirut:

Lebanons militant Hezbollah group and its allies won a vast majority of seats in areas where they ran in local elections in eastern Lebanon, the groups deputy leader said today, a day after the vote took place.

Judicial officials and election observers meanwhile were still counting ballots in Beirut, where a list of outsider candidates has challenged a unified political coalition for control of the municipality council.

A judge inside the ballot counting center, where all tallies were being completed by hand, said he and other officials had not slept in over 24 hours.

We are short-staffed, and weve had to help each other out, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri declared victory for the Beirutis coalition list before official results were announced.

The coalition is headed by Jamal Itani and is backed by groups from across the party spectrum, including Hariris Saudi-backed Future Movement, the Iran-backed Amal group and the countrys three main Christian parties.

Officials from a competing list, Beirut Madinati __ Arabic for Beirut, My City __ said they would not make any statements until official results were known. Madinatis candidates, who have portrayed themselves as non-affiliated technocrats, have vowed to clean up the capitals streets and politics in the wake of a monthslong trash crisis.

Local media reported that Madinati was leading in one of the capitals three districts.

The municipal elections held yesterday in only two areas of the country, the capital, Beirut, and the eastern Bekaa Valley region were the first vote in Lebanon since 2010.

The government has postponed parliamentary elections, citing security concerns linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria. Lebanons parliament has failed to elect a president since May 2014 because of lack of quorum amid political disagreements.

Perhaps reflecting urban disillusionment with the political limbo, the turnout was low in Beirut, only 20 per cent, just slightly higher than the 18 percent who voted in 2010.

The Lebanese capital has seen low turnout in the past, in part because many eligible voters live outside the city. Many in Beirut assumed the vote would be delayed, like other elections.

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Kolkata:

Courting controversy, ABVP state secretary Subir Haldar today threatened to cut off the legs of anti-national Left-aligned students of Jadavpur University (JU) if they stepped out of the campus.

The Jadavpur University is becoming a hub of anti-national elements. If these anti-national Leftist students of JU try to step out of the campus we will cut off their legs, Haldar told a protest rally outside JU campus.

When asked, Haldar later told PTI, What I meant to say is those students who raise slogans to divide our motherland, who raise slogans in favour of separatists cut up our country into separate parts. Then why cant we say that we will take steps to stop such activities.

Protesting against alleged anti-national activities inside JU campus, ABVP today took out a protest march from Goalpark area to Jadavpur police station demanding action against it.

We had earlier decided to take out a protest rally from Goalpark area to Jadavpur university campus. But since we will not be allowed to enter the campus, we decided to sit in front of Jadavpur police station. We raised slogans and protested in a peaceful way, Haldar said.

In a bid to avoid any untoward incident, police had put up three barricades outside the JU campus. JU students came out of the campus and shouted slogans against ABVP but any untoward incident was averted by police.

If ABVP tries to attack JU campus, then they will face stiff resistance, a student of the university said.

ABVP and the Left wing student groups clashed on Friday in the university campus over the screening of Vivek Agnihotri-directed film Buddha in a Traffic Jam, triggering chaos during which some girls were allegedly molested.

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News / National

by Staff reporter

Former Vice President and opposition Zimbabwe People First leader Joice Mujuru yesterday received a global award in recognition of her bravery and courage to stand up against President Robert Mugabe's misrule.The award was presented to Mujuru at an event in Dubai by the International Sherous Forum, a global initiative that gathers leading women in all spheres of life.She was accompanied by two other leading Zimbabwean female opposition politicians Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and MDC-T Thokozani Khupe.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zanu-PF youth league has ordered each of the party's 10 provinces to make own transport arrangements for members attending the one-million man march in Harare on May 25.The youth league's national political commissar Innocent Hamandishe confirmed the move.The proposed march will be held on Africa Day to reaffirm the youth league's support for President Robert Mugabe.The Zanu-PF youth league has set Africa Day on May 25 as the date for its much-touted one-million-men march, which is being organised to show solidarity with President Robert Mugabe.The march is widely believed to be a ploy by the First Lady Grace Mugabe-linked G40 faction in Zanu-PF to outwit the rival Team Lacoste, reportedly loyal to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa.Zanu-PF youth league secretary Kudzai Chipanga said Mugabe was expected to address the marchers.
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DANBURY  Puja Mansaram said she was having a difficult time with her math skills until she decided to take some classes at the Mathnasium in the Danbury Fair mall.

Its probably one of the best decisions Ive ever made, said Mansaram, a New Milford resident who is studying early childhood education. I was having a lot of trouble with my prerequisites so I thought I would give it shot, and now I understand it. I never thought Id be so comfortable with math.

Mansaram is one of dozens of students who have passed through the Mathnasium since the business opened its doors about a year ago in the malls lower level. Steven Heckman started the business, along with his wife Debbie and their son Jeffery, after working for IBM for more than 30 years.

Mathnasium offers individualized tutoring in math skills for children or adults. There are hundreds of locations in the U.S. and internationally, including 15 in Connecticut.

Not only has Heckman seen children improve their math skills and self confidence, but its also helped to improve family relations, he said.

I see how parents struggle and worry about their kids, and its an amazing feeling to know that were providing relief to parents by removing this stress from the relationship with their kids, he said. Unlike many learning centers, students get help with their homework, and help preparing for important standardized tests, including SAT and ACT, right at the center.

Heckman said he has also enjoyed watching his own sons growth during the past year while helping out in the business.

There was a time when Jeff was kind of floating and we werent sure what he was going to do, Heckman said. But when I decided to open the center, he came to me and said he wanted to be involved. I really get a kick out of working with him. He has a wonderful way of getting through to the students and breaking it down to make it easy for them to understand.

He explained that entering students take an assessment when entering the center, which is used to determine each students level of proficiency in certain areas. An individual education plan is then created by the center to meet the students needs.

Its not that kids dont like math, they just dont like being frustrated, Heckman said. Once they start to understand some of the basic concepts theyve been missing, it becomes a lot easier for them.

Jeffery Heckman said hes seen students improve not only in math, but in other subjects, as well.

We introduce concepts in ways kids truly understand, and once they develop confidence in themselves, their whole approach changes, not just to math but to everything they do, he said. It only takes a few sessions to see huge changes in the kids.

dperrefort@newstimes.com
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Former star of MTV's "Catfish," Ashley Sawyer, is the latest of several former reality TV stars who have overdosed or committed suicide.

From popular shows like "The Bachelor" to lesser known, short-lived programs like "Pirate Master," reality TV has been linked to an alarming number of deaths among its stars.

MISSED THE STORY? 'Catfish's Ashley Sawyer died from suspected heroin overdose

These tragedies have perhaps helped fuel speculation that competing on a reality show could be causing serious psychological effects on contestants.

In an article by the New York Post, Jesse Csincsak, winner of "The Bachelorette," Season 4, said the pressure of sudden and extreme exposure is enough to drive some people over the edge.

LIFE CUT SHORT: Celebrities who died young

In fact, in cases like that of former "Bachelorette" contestant Julien Hug, these young people have shown signs of severe struggle with facing life after fame.

"After jetting around like a king to private islands in private helicopters, 'you go off the show and back to your job at Target or bartending, and all of a sudden you're depressed,' former contestant Csincsak says in the Post article. 'It's just inevitable.'"

Take a look through the gallery above to see a few former reality stars who tragically took their lives.

If you  or someone you know  needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
/ Lisa Weir

DANBURY - Mayor Mark Boughton and the top elected leaders of some 70 cities and towns will converge in Cromwell Tuesday to call for state action.

Mayors and first selectmen will recommend changes to legislators in Hartford that will ease the impact of cuts in the 2016-17 state budget, according to a release.
Im not sure if this will finally be Leonardo DiCaprios year, for The Revenant, or if newcomer Brie Larson, in Room, will trump perennial favorite Cate Blanchett for the latter's role in Carol. What I can tell you is that people are inspired by movies and jazzed by Hollywoods award season. But what does that have to do with business?

Related: New Movie 'Joy' Celebrates Something We Already Appreciate: Entrepreneurs

The answer: inspiration. Where do your business ideas come from? From a variety of sources, I bet. Whether its a personal experience, a business experience, a billboard you saw when you were driving down the road or something your significant other said at the grocery store: Inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources.

So, whether you feel like "the king of the world," or believe that you "couldve been a contender" or consider that you should "always be closing": Entrepreneurs can draw a lot from movies. And as we approach Hollywoods biggest night, the Academy Awards, here are a few movie lines that have inspired me throughout my own career:

1. 'The Godfather' (Best Picture, 1972)

Great men are not born great, they grow great.

Isnt that the truth! No one is born with massive amounts of knowledge. If youre smart enough, you acquire some of that knowledge along the way. If youre one of those people who think they know it all, I've got news for you: You dont! That is the first obstacle you must overcome, your own arrogance.

Throughout my career, Ive been called pig-headed, even irrational, but I haven't been bothered by it. In fact, I've welcomed it. Why? Because Ive been smart enough to learn a few things along the way and use that knowledge to grow.

As a young entrepreneur being shown the ranks, I sat in meetings where my boss would say things like, Because its always been done that way. If you expect to be in business a long time, this is one surefire way to cut that shelf life short. And it's not a good mentality to have if you want to grow and be great. Nothing beats experience.

2. 'All the Kings Men' (Best Picture, 1949)

To find something, anything, a great truth or a lost pair of glasses, you must first believe there will be some advantage in finding it.

"Advantage" is the basis of any entrepreneur. The road to entrepreneurship is paved with roadblocks and potholes galore. We all know that, but one thing we entrepreneurs have in common is the belief that we will find success.

We have this dream of the company that we want to build and shape. We have a vision, and well work ourselves to exhaustion trying to make our dream a success, regardless of what the naysayers say (because they will say something about why you won't succeed).

You will find that your business success will not come from any trophies or titles. It will come as a reflection of your truth. Your vision becoming a reality will be the measure of your success, and throughout this process you must stay true to who you are.

What made you become an entrepreneur in the first place? Let that serve as your true north. Being authentic is the key to success -- it has been for me. That and my belief that I can make a living doing something I love doing.

Related: 5 Movies With Great Lessons for Entrepreneurs

3. 'Rocky' (Best Picture, 1977)

Nobody is going to hit as hard as life, but it aint how hard you can hit. Its how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. Its how much you can take, and keep moving forward. Thats how winning is done.

You just read that quote in Sly Stallones voice, didnt you? Thats okay. I did too. Rocky is speaking some truths here. Life is hard enough as it is, but there will come a time where life will knock you flat on your rear end. You must get back up! You must!

Life as an entrepreneur can be lonely. Not everyone will understand your drive, your vision or your passion. There will even be times where there wont be anyone in sight to help you up after life has knocked you down. In my own life, one of my biggest business "knock-downs" involved pheasants.

Those stupid birds taste delicious but have got to be some of the stupidest birds on the planet. I love pheasant, love hunting them, so at first I thought, What could go wrong? After all, I am passionate about this venture, and Im pretty good at business. Little did I know that a prairie storm would wipe away my newest venture.

In fact, the pheasants huddled together and drowned in the storm. And I lost everything. Needless to say, the true takeaway here is that, when life knocks you down, you should get up and hit it back harder. Just dont expect soaring music when you run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

4. 'Million Dollar Baby' (Best Picture, 2004)

Its the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you.

Once again, the life of an entrepreneur can be lonely. You have your dream and vision, but there are people who are incapable of visualizing your dream or are so jealous of your success that they will plant seeds of doubt in your head. Dont let them. Haters are gonna hate, so let them! People will tell you how you should do things.

Tell em to shut up! Write your own story. If others want to write a story, let them write their own.

Your business will need to reflect your vision, not anyone elses. So, stop listening to other voices if you want to be the best "you" possible. Its your dream, your vision.

5. 'Lawrence of Arabia' (Best Picture, 1962)

Big things have small beginnings, sir.

Dont ever think youre too big for your britches. When you give yourself the title of CEO, that doesnt mean youre not going to end up cleaning your own bathroom or taking out the trash. If youre not willing to do something, how can you ask your team to do that same thing?

As CEO of a company, big or small, it can be really easy to lose perspective and let our titles define us. A CEO cleaning his/her own bathroom? Unheard of in some cases. However, I see it as a positive. Why? It keeps entrepreneurs grounded.

For me, humble work reminds me that I come from humble beginnings and that I need to be able to do everything I can for my company to succeed. It also allows me to stay connected, in some visceral way, to all aspects of my business. Disconnection can be a lonely island of entitlement, and you must find that balance between pushing forward and staying grounded. While I encourage everyone to "think big," I also warn, "Dont become too big." That can be a major turn-off for many.

What movie inspires you to forge ahead? Which one dared you to put into motion your dream of becoming an entrepreneur? One thing is for sure: Nothing will happen if you dont at least attempt to get things started. As Master Yoda said, Do or do not. There is no try.

What are your Academy Awards picks?

Related: 4 Movies Every Entrepreneur Should Watch

Related:

5 Famous Movie Quotes That Can Inspire Entrepreneurs

Meet the Young Women Marvel Thinks Will Save the World

'Suicide Squad' Star and Rocker Jared Leto's Top Tip for Startup Founders



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe has all but endorsed the vote of no confidence that was recently passed against Zanu-PF youth league boss Pupurai Togarepi by his executive, after the nonagenarian allowed him to be kicked out of Wednesday's politburo meeting in Harare.Well-placed Zanu-PF sources told the Daily News on Sunday that Mugabe's aides had told Togarepi bluntly that he could not attend the meeting or continue to be a politburo member, until his suspension from the youth league was mediated and finalised by the party's national disciplinary committee (NDC)."Togarepi appeared to have been taken by surprise, as he genuinely believed that the president would save him. But it was not to be, and was subsequently booted out of the meeting," one of the sources said.This was corroborated by a party official linked to Zanu-PF's ambitious Young Turks who go by the moniker Generation 40 (G40) - who are rabidly opposed to embattled Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe."Togarepi had to leave soon after His Excellency's arrival because the president's security told him that he was not welcome. It was an embarrassing scene as he had to leave immediately and he was close to tears because he never anticipated it."Remember that Team Lacoste (Mnangagwa faction) has been blocking the NDC from handling the case as they wanted the president to use his discretion to save Togarepi as an appointee by the president. Lacoste were thoroughly shocked by the decision," the second source said.Togarepi was booted from the youth league by his colleagues last March, together with his secretary for administration Lewis Mathuthu and committee member Sibongile Sibanda - all alleged staunch allies of Mnangagwa.He had until now remained defiant, saying his suspension was a nullity, and that only Mugabe, who appointed him to the post of youth league leader, had the authority to fire him - as Zanu-PF's deadly factional and succession wars continue to escalate.Contacted for comment yesterday, Togarepi - while confirming that he had left last week's politburo meeting prematurely - denied that he had been ordered to leave."I left early because I had other issues to attend to. Do not listen to what your sources are telling you because they have their own agenda."Nothing of that sort happened," he said, while refusing to shed light on how long he lasted in the meeting."Do I have to explain that to you? What do you want to know? Is that a question you would ask all politburo members? I will not respond to that," he said angrily, referring further questions to Zanu-PF national spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo.But Khaya Moyo referred all questions on the matter to secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo, saying he was not in the politburo when Mugabe arrived at the meeting - as he was attending to some other business.Chombo's mobile number was not reachable until the Daily News on Sunday went to Press last night.However, a youth league national executive member asserted that Togarepi was a "Team Lacoste kingpin", adding that he had got his "comeuppance"."The reason why he (Togarepi) had the guts to attend Wednesday's meeting after he had boycotted the previous one was that his faction had told him that the NDC, which they accuse of bias, would not be handling his case because he was appointed by the president."But now his case is closed, and he will not be taking part in any youth league events, including the forthcoming million-man march," the official said.A confident Togarepi told the Daily News on Sunday's sister paper, the Daily News, soon after the youth league's decision to pass a vote of no confidence against him, that he would stay put, saying only Mugabe could fire him."I serve at the pleasure of the president and I will only listen to what he directs me to do. In the meantime, I am actually at work, in the office at the party headquarters," he said then.Announcing the vote of no confidence, Togarepi's deputy Kudzanai Chipanga said his boss had resigned from his post after realising that he was "not equal to the task" of leading party youths.Chipanga also claimed that Togarepi had, in addition, recused himself from chairing the meeting that resolved to elbow him out of the party."He diplomatically resigned after he had acknowledged that he felt that he was feeling guilty that he failed the youth league and we found it prudent to pass a vote of no confidence against him," Chipanga said."We are not going to tolerate anyone who indulges in factional politics and indiscipline in the party. We respect everyone in the party but when it comes to support, we only support one person that is the president."There are some people who want to tamper with the youth league and the women's league but we resolved in 2014 that we have one centre of power, whose wings are the two leagues."So, whoever wants to tamper with those wings will be viewed as attempting to tamper with the centre of power which we are not going to allow," Chipanga added.
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A man and a woman face drug and weapon charges after New York State Police found 100 bags of heroin, numerous painkillers, concentrated cannabis and several firearms inside their Putnam County home, authorities said.

Maheer Issa Jamal, 27, and Liridona Krasniqi, 24, were arrested Friday following a two-month investigation into complaints of drug sales and a reported arsenal of loaded firearms in their home, which is in the Mahopac section of nearby Carmel, N.Y., according to the report.
Opinion / Columnist

In African literary discourse, the centre is the locus-standi that bestows an identity, integrity and legitimation of one's perception of his or her environment. In other words, the centre is the space within which every artist is rooted regardless of how many flights she or he has undertaken away from it. Generally speaking, the centre cannot be purchased or traded as it defines one's origin.But it seems the centre has in recent times become such a flaccid space and constantly being challenged by writers who have embraced globalisation and post-modernism as inevitable survival realistic niches. The reverence of the centre has become nothing but a myth as one can choose his or her national identity.Can this fluidity of the centre explain why Zimbabwe has seemingly become a nation of jokers, seeing everything within the comedian prism inhabited by people lacking agency? From the G40 and Lacoste taunts to the national pledge, from the national pledge to zvihuta and now we have the bond notes becoming a subject of ridicule and derision? What is the role of the artist(e) during these times? Is it simply to craft a small joke, cast aspersions at everything and anything as a way of escapism?Surely, the severity of the myriad of problems the country is facing call for artist(e)s to offer new perceptions or new versions of life. Our artist(e)s need to transcend the commonplace tidbits thrown on social media and begin to embrace the role of being critical assessors, confidence builders and inspirer to excellence.An artist(e) is naturally endowed with the intuitive and cultivated ability to monitor and accurately capture the complexities of human situations and provide not only insights into various dimensions of the problems but more important to be able to give in a direct or subtle way pointers to probable solutions. More than any other group, it is probably to the artist(e)s that we need to turn to for a creative and judicious realisable version of the future.It is this search for the centre, the fluidity of the centre, the artificial deconstruction of the centre that seem to have riled the late internationally acclaimed author Alexander Kanegoni who during a conversation declared that Zimbabwe's prominent contemporary writers were "fakes" given what he perceived as their perennial denial of the existence of the centre or home as a sacrosanct space that can never be traded. And that like a holy grail, that centre must always be jealously protected.Kanengoni believed that it was an exercise in futility for one to attempt to cut his or her umbilical cord or origin in favour of adopted spaces elsewhere particularly in European foreign lands. In usual combative manner, Kanengoni branded these contemporary interpreters as nothing but fake. "They are all fake. They feign everything. They feign not loving Zimbabwe. They feign feeling settled in their new foreign homes. They feign ignorance of the country's birth and feign being aloof to the goings on in the country yet they always refer to Zimbabwe as 'home' in their narrative. Why can't they just be who they are? This is no creativity; it's simply tailor-made for a certain audience, so scripted that one cannot miss the artificiality," he said, frothing.In Kanengoni's reasoning, the nation is always part of the narration. It was inevitable sometimes not to feel sorry for Kanengoni for he seemed to have been living in the wrong era, someone simply watching the world going past him in frustration. Never having the power to halt the myriad of transformations and resigning everything to fate.But maybe Kanengoni was old school- a typical intellectual dinosaur failing to adapt to new ways of existence, always sulking about why the world was behaving in a strange way and wishing that it remained stuck, untouched, unmolested and unabused for posterity.But who really cares? In whose upkeep is that narration? Who are these contemporary Zimbabwean writers? Kanengoni had ready names. NoViolet Bulawayo, Petina Gappah, Brain Chikwava, Tendai Huchu and even some of his contemporaries- the late Yvvone Vera and Chenjerai Hove. But it is the first three he seemed to have a problem with.But again it can be argued whether is fair for Kanengooni to cast such sweeping statements against a generation whose hopes seemed to have been dashed by economic challenges experienced during 2000- 20010 period? Was it fair for Kanengoni to cast such a damning picture of a generation still in the process of searching for the centre, finding its voice- in some kind of a bildungsroman way?As usual Kanengoni was dismissive and referred to the blurb of NoViolet's "We Need New Names" where the author in her own words says: "America is a symbol of opportunity and freedom to many, and I love her for the promise she holds. I was recently surprised to find that I love her more than I knew. I spent this summer in South Africa and was outraged by the ghosts of apartheid that haunts the country. When I experienced injustices that I had never felt in America, I found myself telling people that I couldn't wait to 'go home'. For the first time in my life, I was referring to America, not Zimbabwe. I am not American, I am not even a green-card holder, yet I was calling America my home. You should have seen my face. You should have heard the pride in my voice."Now who should blame Kanengoni for such bluff? More like Thomas Mapfumo singing that everything is big in America  literary and metaphorically and yet year in and year out he talks about coming home in the same way that NoViolet says: "Those of us who give up our homelands live with the quiet knowledge nestled in your blood like an incurable disease; even as we are here, we are tied to somewhere."So what's going on here? Is NoViolet feigning ignorance of the birth of apartheid? Is she ignorant of the real architects of apartheid? Are they not the same Americans who branded Mandela a terrorist? When has America become such a heaven or haven for Africans, for black Zimbabweans, I mean for a mere black woman? Is NoViolet failing to outgrow her own child characters in "We Need New Names" or she is just convoluted. And you have on the other hand Petina Gappah who threatened to deceive with a beautifully woven inaugural short story collection "An Elegy for Easterly" only to later give us the highly pretentious, unrealistic and un-endearing "Book of Memory."Here she is, Rambo-like  the typical social media bully, all knowing and threatening to descend on anyone not giving her the kudus for just being Petina. Always sending cynical posts  telling us how wrong our Shona spellings are, how wrong our grammar is: Hee  you used the wrong word, hee  tell Zimbabweans that there is no such thing as this and that always talking us down as if we are zombies.But I am aware that the sister has managed to recruit a legion of uncritical cheerleaders. Among them, one Ranga Mberi who I have expressed my reservations about this sister's attitude to my brother Ranga Mberi who is always deriding me for being too serious about everything. Zimbabwe needs humour, he is always saying. Oh really! Is that all Zimbabwe really crave for. Is that now the panacea to all Zimbabwe's problems that we make jokes about everything and anything?Then why tell us that hee -I am now done with this job, heee I am the only black person to have done this and the beauty of my life is that I actually don't know what I will be doing but I know I would travel to all corners of the world. Is that humour? Oh please, ko kutivhairira ndokudiii? Tatadzei? All the time reminding us that you have arrived? All the time telling us how far you have gone? Is that how low we have become? Always being told that we are non-performers?But then I forgive with pity. Despite all that boisterousness, I see the umbilical cord is always difficult to disconnect. Like a Sankofa bird why are you always flying looking backwards. Is that not a subconscious craving for the centre, which has been lost in the hazy mazy of globalization and post-modernism? Always looking and referring to "home", always talking to us yet you boast of living it up in America? Of course, I can't say the same about Brain Chikwava. Not because he is a man or his hair is twisted like mine. His Harare North novel clearly summarizes the dilemma most Zimbabweans are going through in England. England remains an alien space and never the centre not matter how much riches one may accrue.Tendai Huchu is a man but I have a different attitude born out of his writings. Too much caricaturisation, too much fakeness in telling our story. No Chikwava is different. Despite traversing on a similar path of leaving and arrival, despite treading and trending on the exile motif, his writing is anchored on the home and that's why for example his character fails to fit in England. Always thinking of raising enough funds to be able to undertake mukwezvo at home. No Chikwava is rooted and rarely pokes fun at Zimbabweans presenting them as needing help, typical of Joseph Conrad's white man's burden.We have talent in this country. Even NoViolet Bulawayo is an exceptional story teller but she has gone off the centre. The Caine prize aesthetics have taken over all her sensibility and she feigns being at home in America. NoViolet is a sad story, her typical limited worldview is glaringly exposed during one of her interviews when she failed to even realise that Chinua Achebe was never a recipient of the Nobel Prize of literature when she confesses that all she wrote in her book was based on mediated knowledge as she was in her beloved America.Zimbabwe needs to start authenticating its centre and stop the hemorrhage of a whole generation growing on the notion of leaving and arriving and an obsession with lure and luster of foreign lands and trying to fit in those alien lands and goes full swing in performing all sorts of antics to be accepted including singing embarrassing sweet praises for the hosts. We are surely not a nation of jokers.The Sankofa bird remains our sign post for moving forward. It teaches us to reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach so as to achieve full potential. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone or been stripped of, can be reclaimed, revived, preserved and perpetuated. We are surely not a nation of jokers.
VANCOUVER, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - American Lithium Corp. (TSXV: LI) ("American Lithium" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding share capital of 1065604 BC Ltd. ("1065604"), a private British Columbia mineral exploration company that holds a right to acquire a series of 69 placer claims and 19 association placer claims, comprising a total of 2,882 acres, located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, and known as the Atlantis Property, ("Atlantis", or the "Property").

Michael Kobler, Chief Executive Officer of American Lithium, commented "We are excited about adding the Atlantis claims in Fish Lake Valley, growing our Nevada lithium portfolio to over 10,000 acres. By combining the geologic data sets generated by both Lithium Corp. and Nevada Sunrise Gold Corporation in the Fish Lake Valley, American Lithium has determined that the geologic and structural features are strongly analogous to the structural and geologic settings at Albemarle's Silver Peak Lithium-Brine operation at Clayton Valley, 25 miles to the southeast. Detailed gravity data acquired by Nevada Sunrise last season confirms gravity lows or basement troughs beneath both the Nevada Sunrise and the Lithium Corp acreage. The structural data confirms a bounding northeasterly striking fault, with northeasterly crossing faults, rich in hydrothermal enriching conduits. The team at American Lithium, given the new data, is now implementing a development program to exploit the Fish Lake Valley assets."

About Atlantis

Atlantis is located in a desert basin that exhibits similar geological and geophysical characteristics to the Clayton Valley basin where lithium brines are known to accumulate in faulted sub-basins, or "traps". Nevada Sunrise made the decision to acquire Atlantis after a review of geological mapping that showed the presence of lithium-bearing rocks in the ranges draining into the Property, and historical ground gravity data that showed a distinct gravity low in the heart of the Atlantis claims. The gravity low was interpreted as a strong indication for the presence of a sub-basin that could host lithium-bearing brines. Dr. John Oldow's more detailed gravity survey work in Esmeralda County in recent years better defined the historical gravity low as a deep, sub-basin, which led Nevada Sunrise to stake additional claims at Atlantis in January 2016, to expand the Property. Geophysical exploration at Atlantis in the form of additional gravity and electromagnetic surveys would assist in determining if conductive brines might be present at depth, followed by exploratory drilling of interpreted geophysical targets.

As part of a regional lithium exploration program, the United States Geological Survey ("USGS") reported in Open-File Report 81-962 (1981) that historical drill hole FL-11a is located outside the eastern boundary of the Property, approximately 3 miles (4.5 kilometres) east of the centre of the interpreted sub-basin. Hole FL-11a was drilled to a depth of 450 feet (147 metres) and encountered lithium values in sediments ranging from 10 parts per million ("ppm") to 115 ppm and averaging 61.7 ppm for 67 samples analyzed. Lithium in sampled ground water ranged from trace at the end of the hole to 21 ppm at a depth of 55 feet (18 metres). American Lithium believes that drilling deeper holes at Atlantis within the area of the interpreted sub-basin could intersect aquifers potentially hosting trapped brines with higher contents of lithium than were encountered in the relatively shallow USGS hole drilled to the east of the gravity low anomaly. Also reported in USGS Open File Report 77-54 (1977) were the collection of 10 surface brine samples with lithium contents ranging 37  350 mg/l (ppm), averaging 159 mg/l (ppm), to the north of the sub-basin.

In consideration for the acquisition of all of the outstanding share capital of 1065604, the Company will issue 4,533,334 common shares and will assume 1065604's obligations to Nevada Sunrise in respect of Atlantis. In order to complete the acquisition of Atlantis, the Company will be required to complete certain cash payments and exploration expenditures to Nevada Sunrise, as well as the issuance of up to 1,250,000 common shares over a period of three years.

All securities issued in connection with the acquisition of 1065604, and securities issued to Nevada Sunrise for Atlantis will be subject to a four-month statutory hold period. Closing of the acquisition of 1065604 remains subject to a number of conditions, including approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, as well as such other conditions as are customary in transactions of this nature.

About the 1065604 Nevada Sunrise Transaction

Atlantis is the subject of an option agreement between Nevada Sunrise and a Nevada-based property vendor. 1065604 has the option to earn an 80% interest in Atlantis from Nevada Sunrise, subject to a royalty in favour of the underlying property vendor, by making payments of cash and common shares to Nevada Sunrise, incurring exploration expenditures, and meeting certain other conditions, as follows:

An initial cash payment of US$48,000 (paid);

(paid); A further cash payment of CDN$100,000 within thirty days of entering into the option (paid);

within thirty days of entering into the option (paid); Incurring exploration expenditures of not less than US$1,000,000 , consisting of US$100,000 on or before the 1 st anniversary, an additional US$250,000 on or before the 2 nd anniversary, and an additional US$650,000 on or before the 3 rd anniversary; and

, consisting of on or before the 1 anniversary, an additional on or before the 2 anniversary, and an additional on or before the 3 anniversary; and Issuing 1,250,000 common shares of the Company, with 250,000 common shares issuable within sixty days of the acquisition of 1065604 by American Lithium, 500,000 common shares issuable on or before the 2nd anniversary, and 500,000 common shares issuable on or before the 3rd anniversary.

John R. Kerr, P. Eng., is the Company's designated Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

On behalf of the Board,

American Lithium Corp.

Michael Kobler, Chief Executive Officer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

SOURCE American Lithium Corp

For further information: Michael Kobler at [email protected]
Claims teams mobilized from across the country

TORONTO, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Aviva Canada has opened a third claims centre at the University of Calgary inside Taylor Family Digital Library (2nd floor). Claims representatives are onsite at all three locations including the Canalta Hotel in Lac la Biche and the Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands Evacuation Centre. Aviva customers and brokers are encouraged to visit these locations, or call 1 866 MYAVIVA (1 866 692 8482). They are available by phone on a 24/7 basis.

Aviva has mobilized their team of claims and catastrophe response experts from across the country to prioritize providing all necessary assistance to customers affected by the Fort McMurray fires and is also working closely with government and industry partners.

All evacuees are reminded to register for support with Aviva's Ready When the Times Comes national disaster response partner, the Canadian Red Cross, by calling 1 888 350 6070 or by visiting www.redcross.ca and clicking on the "Register Now" link for evacuees.

Aviva Canada Claims Centre Locations:

Calgary location: University Of Calgary

Taylor Family Digital Library (2nd floor)

410 University Court NorthWest



Edmonton location: Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands

Edmonton Evacuation Centre

7515-118 Avenue NorthWest



Lac la Biche location: Canalta Lac La Biche Hotel

9905 83 Avenue

Customers can also check www.avivacanada.com and social media pages for more information on Aviva's response and updates on the situation.

About Aviva Canada

Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country providing home, automobile, leisure/lifestyle and business insurance to more than three million customers. A wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, the company has more than 3,500 employees, 25 locations across Canada and approximately 1,500 independent broker partners.

Aviva Canada invests in positive change through the Aviva Community Fund, Canada's longest running online community funding competition. Since its inception in 2009, the Aviva Community Fund has awarded $6.5 million to over 222 charities and community groups nationwide.

For more information visit avivacanada.com, our blog or our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE Aviva Canada Inc.

For further information: Media Contact: Priscilla Wong, Public Relations Specialist, Aviva Canada Inc., Desk: 416 288 6780, Mobile: 647 208 7523, [email protected]
TORONTO, May 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Callidus Capital Corporation (TSX:CBL), ("Callidus") will release its first quarter 2016 financial results on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 after the close of markets.

Callidus will subsequently hold a conference call on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A question and answer session will follow the corporate update.

Conference Call Details

Date: Thursday, May 12, 2016 Time: 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time Dial-in Numbers: (647) 427-7450 or (888) 231-8191 Taped Replay: (416) 849-0833 or (855) 859-2056 (available until May 19, 2016) Reference Number: 93999844

In addition, Callidus Capital Corporation invites you to visit the Investor Relations section of its website at: www.calliduscapital.ca to sign-up for email alerts and conveniently download copies of news releases and other documents.

About Callidus Capital Corporation

Established in 2003, Callidus Capital Corporation is a Canadian company that specializes in innovative and creative financing solutions for companies that are unable to obtain adequate financing from conventional lending institutions. Unlike conventional lending institutions who demand a long list of covenants and make credit decisions based on cash flow and projections, Callidus credit facilities have few, if any, covenants and are based on the value of the company's assets, its enterprise value and borrowing needs. Callidus employs a proprietary system of monitoring collateral and exercising control over the cash inflows and outflows of each borrower, enabling Callidus to very effectively manage risk of loss. Further information is available on our website, www.calliduscapital.ca .

SOURCE Callidus Capital Corporation

For further information: Paula Myson, (416) 945-3226, [email protected]
Iveta Demirova, 16, student at New Westminster Secondary School in British Columbia, Recognized for Novel HIV-1 Treatment

OTTAWA, May 9, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Iveta Demirova from New Westminster Secondary School in New Westminster, British Columbia, has been awarded top honours at the national final of the prestigious Sanofi Biogenius Canada (SBC) competition in Ottawa. The 16-year-old, grade 11 student, was chosen by the judges for her research project exploring the development of a novel HIV-1 therapy.

The results of Iveta's research project, completed with the support of mentor Dr. Ralph Pantophlet of Simon Fraser University, could offer numerous advantages to those living with HIV, which remains one of the world's leading infectious diseases. Although current treatment options have managed to successfully target and suppress the virus among patients, many individuals become resistant to treatment, and it is among this population that Iveta's project could play a significant role.

"I was very pleased with the results of my research and I am hoping that my findings will have an impact within the field of HIV research, and, more importantly, in the lives of patients living with this disease," she said. "I am truly honoured to have won the Sanofi Biogenius Canada competition, and thrilled to have the opportunity to represent the country at the 2016 International BioGENEius Challenge in San Francisco in June."

One of the country's most prestigious student competitions, Sanofi Biogenius Canada pairs exceptional young scientists at the high school level with academic mentors to pursue real-world research projects. These enriching partnerships have resulted in many promising breakthroughs across various scientific fields.

Hosted at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the competition's national final featured the winners of all nine Sanofi Biogenius Canada regional competitions across the country. The nine finalists presented their research projects to a judging panel of esteemed members of the scientific community, including Dr. Robert Tsushima, Associate Dean, Research and Partnerships, Faculty of Science, York University; Dr. Thomas Merritt, Canada Research Chair in Genomics and Bioinformatics, Laurentian University; Dr. Lakshmi Krishnan, Program Leader, NRC and Michael McCluskie, Senior Research Officer, NRC.

"What distinguishes Sanofi Biogenius Canada from other science competitions is the real-life experience that participants gain by working in close collaboration with a mentor. There is nothing more inspiring than having the opportunity to pursue groundbreaking research projects with experts and leaders in their respective fields. Not only is the depth of Iveta's research project commendable, but it is a concrete example of the benefits of programs like SBC, which help transform passion into tangible results," said Mark Lievonen, Canada Country Chair, Sanofi and General Manager, Sanofi Pasteur.

Iveta receives a cash prize of $5,000, a portion of which will go to New Westminster Secondary School, and she will now progress to the 2016 International BioGENEius Challenge in San Francisco in June, where she will submit her work to a panel of pre-eminent international scientists.

Runners-up in this year's national SBC competition were awarded cash prizes ranging in value from $1,000 to $4,000.

Second prize went to Melody Song, a student from Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Melody earned high praise for her research project which focused on preventing disease in Faba Bean crops, and was completed with the support of mentors Dr. Kirstin E. Bett and Dr. Hamid Khasaei of the University of Saskatchewan.

Third prize was awarded to Denis Drewnik, a grade 12 student from Sisler High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, for a project that examined how to protect the canola crop from the devastating Blackleg disease, which can reduce yield by up to 20% and have a devastating economic impact. Denis' project was supported by mentor Dr. Mark Belmonte of the University of Manitoba.

Dina Shehata from Holy Heart of Mary High School in St. John's, Newfoundland earned the competition's Commercialization prize. The Commercialization prize recognizes the project with the most commercial potential and viability. Dina's research focused on developing a low cost gel model for ultrasound training.

About the Sanofi Biogenius Challenge (SBC)



Sanofi Biogenius Canada is a national science research competition open to high school students, which since 1992, has helped almost 5,000 young Canadians pursue real-world scientific research projects that have been the launch pads to future studies and careers. Coordinated by Partners In Research, the initiative is sponsored by Sanofi Canada, the National Research Council Canada/Conseil national de recherches Canada (NRC-CNRC), Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and DelMar Pharmaceuticals.

For more information, visit biogenius.ca, or follow SBC on Facebook (facebook.com/SanofiBiogenius) or Twitter (@biogeniusca) using the hashtag #SBC2016.

SOURCE Sanofi Canada

Image with caption: "Iveta Demirova, 16-year-old, grade 11 student from New Westminster Secondary School in British Columbia, wins first place at the national final of the Sanofi Biogenius Canada (SBC) competition, which took place in Ottawa on May 2 and 3 (CNW Group/Sanofi Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160509_C3527_PHOTO_EN_685655.jpg

For further information: Maxime-Elisabeth Illick, NATIONAL Public Relations, [email protected], Tel.: 514- 843-2322, Cell: 514-475-9131; Mel Kern, Partners In Research, [email protected], Tel.: 519-433-7866 ext. 29
company donates $50,000 and launches national fundraising drive

VAUGHAN, ON, May 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Cara Operations Limited and its employees banded together today to support the people of Fort McMurray with a $50,000 donation to The Canadian Red Cross' Alberta Fires Appeal.

"Everyone at Cara is heartbroken by the scenes of devastation in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas and we want to do our part to help the communities and our associates and franchise partners impacted by this tragedy," said Bill Gregson, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Cara. "In addition to our $50,000 donation, next week, we will also launch a national fundraising drive in all Cara restaurants to provide our guests with the opportunity to help us support the people affected by this national disaster."

From May 10 to 31, financial donations to the Canadian Red Cross' Alberta Fires Appeal will be accepted at all participating Cara restaurants including Harvey's, Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, East Side Mario's, Montana's, Milestones, Prime Pubs, New York Fries, Bier Markt and Landing restaurants.

"We want to sincerely thank Cara for donating to the Red Cross relief efforts responding to the Alberta fires," says Conrad Sauve, president and CEO, Canadian Red Cross. "This contribution will help thousands of Canadians rebuild their lives."

About The Canadian Red Cross Society

Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement  which is made up of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and 190 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies  the Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and throughout the world.

Canadians wishing to help are encouraged to make a financial donation to the Alberta Fires Appeal online at www.redcross.ca/albertafires, by calling 1-800-418-1111 or by contacting their local Canadian Red Cross office.

About Cara

Founded in 1883, Cara is Canada's oldest and largest full-service restaurant company. The Company franchises and/or operates some of the most recognized brands in the country including Swiss Chalet, Harvey's, Milestones, Montana's, Kelsey's, East Side Mario's, Casey's, New York Fries, Prime Pubs, Bier Markt and Landing restaurants. As at March 27, 2016, Cara had 997 restaurants, 959 of which were located in Canada and the remaining 38 locations were located internationally. 88% of Cara's restaurants are operated by franchisees and 66% of Cara's locations are based in Ontario. Cara's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CAO. More information about the Company is available at www.cara.com.

SOURCE Cara Operations Limited

For further information: Media Contact: Katherine Clark, Cowan & Company, [email protected], (416) 462-8773 ext. 55
Call 1-800-607-2424 for 24-hour emergency claims support

LAC LA BICHE, AB, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Economical Insurance is operating its catastrophe response team at the Bold Center in Lac La Biche, as well as at the Northlands Evacuation Centre in Edmonton, providing on-the-ground claims support and emergency funds to policyholders affected by the wildfire in Northern Alberta.

Lac La Biche Evacuation Centre  Bold Center

Second floor

8701 91 Ave, Lac La Biche, AB

Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT, 7 days a week

Northlands Evacuation Centre  Edmonton EXPO Centre

Hall G  East Entrance

7515 118 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB

Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT, 7 days a week

Reporting a Claim

Policyholders and brokers can report claims to 1-800-607-2424 or fax to 1-877-681-2048. When reporting a claim, please provide the policyholder's temporary location and current phone number to help ensure a timely response.

About Economical Insurance

Founded in 1871, Economical Insurance is one of Canada's leading property and casualty insurers, with $2.0 billion in premiums during 2015 and $5.3 billion in assets as at December 31, 2015. Based in Waterloo, this Canadian-owned and operated company services the insurance needs of more than one million customers across the country. Economical Insurance conducts business under the following brands: Economical Insurance, Economical, Western General, Economical Select, Perth Insurance, Family Insurance Solutions, and Economical Financial.

SOURCE Economical Insurance

Image with caption: "Economical Insurance (CNW Group/Economical Insurance)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160509_C4980_PHOTO_EN_685387.jpg

For further information: Doug Maybee, Economical Insurance, (T) 519.570.8249, (C) 519.404.0989, [email protected]
TORONTO, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Foresters Financial is donating $25,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help families who have been affected by ongoing wildfires in Fort McMurray and surrounding Alberta communities.

"At Foresters, we are deeply saddened by this terrible disaster that has affected so many families in the Fort McMurray area and surrounding communities," said Tony Garcia, President and CEO, Foresters Financial. "We sincerely hope that our support of the Canadian Red Cross relief efforts will help families through this difficult time and eventually support them in rebuilding their lives and their community."

As part of Foresters commitment to supporting those affected, the following measures have also been implemented to help affected Foresters members and clients through these challenging times:

Emergency Assistance: Foresters has enacted the Emergency Assistance benefit to all eligible members experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of the wildfires. Members who are directly affected by the wildfires can contact Foresters to receive grants to help with immediate needs.





Foresters has enacted the Emergency Assistance benefit to all eligible members experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of the wildfires. Members who are directly affected by the wildfires can contact Foresters to receive grants to help with immediate needs. Premiums: Members in affected areas who are facing serious financial challenges can contact Foresters to investigate alternative payment arrangements and explore various forms of relief that may best suit their needs.





Members in affected areas who are facing serious financial challenges can contact Foresters to investigate alternative payment arrangements and explore various forms of relief that may best suit their needs. Loans and Withdrawals: All requests for loans or withdrawals will be given priority handling. Members will be directed to their Foresters insurance representative to quickly obtain the necessary forms if their access to postal delivery is hampered or they are not in a position to print the forms themselves.





All requests for loans or withdrawals will be given priority handling. Members will be directed to their Foresters insurance representative to quickly obtain the necessary forms if their access to postal delivery is hampered or they are not in a position to print the forms themselves. Death Claims: Foresters has temporarily amended our processing to handle death claims, as members may have difficulty obtaining documentation in the disaster areas. For claim amounts up to $50,000 , Foresters will accept a copy of the obituary, rather than the death certificate.

Affected members can contact Foresters toll-free at 800-828-1540 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT, Monday to Friday, or e-mail Foresters at [email protected].

The Canadian Red Cross is a humanitarian charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and throughout the world.

To make a donation in support of Canadian Red Cross relief efforts, visit Alberta Fires Appeal at www.redcross.ca/albertafires. Donations could provide relief for those affected in the form of emergency food, clothing, shelter, personal services and other necessities that assist with recovery and resiliency.

About Foresters Financial

Foresters Financial is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. We provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals and make a lasting difference in their lives and communities. Foresters Financial has assets of almost $14 billion, total funds under management of almost $34 billion and a surplus of $2.3 billion (all figures in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2015). For more information, visit foresters.com.

Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries. 413770 CAN (05/16)

SOURCE Foresters

For further information: Jennifer Peckett, Foresters Financial, 647-290-0125 (NA), [email protected]
TORONTO, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Intact Financial Corporation has initiated its catastrophe response plan in light of the wildfires in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas, with over 1,000 claims employees already helping affected customers. Intact Insurance, belairdirect and Canadian Direct Insurance are also on the ground at a number of emergency evacuation centres to assist customers.

"The devastation brought on by the wildfires is unprecedented," said Charles Brindamour, Chief Executive Officer of Intact Financial Corporation. "The scope of the damage and destruction that we have observed in recent days is a reminder of the important role we play in getting our customers back on track."

While early, Intact Financial's assessment of its insured damages using satellite imagery and its exposure geocoding technology ranges from $1.00 to $1.20 per share after taking into account the effect of its reinsurance program and net of tax effects. This analysis assumes wildfires will not return to Fort McMurray.

Helping customers when they need us most

Intact's dedicated team of adjusters, brokers, contractors, vendors and engineers is ready to help its customers to assess damages and begin to restore their lives. To accelerate the process, Intact has mobilized its community response teams to provide assistance and support to its customers over the phone and in person.

Customers can call us 24/7:

Intact Insurance: 1 (866) 464-2424. Customers can also check www.intactassist.com for Intact Insurance's updates on the situation.

belairdirect: 1 (877) 228-2656

Canadian Direct Insurance: 1 (888) 261-8888

About Intact Financial Corporation

Intact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC) is the largest provider of property and casualty insurance in Canada with close to $8.0 billion in premiums. Supported by over 12,000 employees, the Company insures more than five million individuals and businesses through its insurance subsidiaries and is the largest private sector provider of P&C insurance in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador. The Company distributes insurance under the Intact Insurance brand through a wide network of brokers, including its wholly owned subsidiary, BrokerLink, and directly to consumers through belairdirect.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this news release are forward-looking statements. These statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the damages caused by the Fort McMurray wildfires, the terms and operation of the Company's reinsurance program, the anticipated effect of applicable and future federal and provincial tax regulations as well as the Company's potential exposure in Fort McMurray region. All such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbour' provisions of applicable Canadian securities laws.

Forward-looking statements, by their very nature, are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on several assumptions, both general and specific, which give rise to the possibility that actual results or events could differ materially from our expectations expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including our ability to precisely assess the Company's total exposure in the Fort McMurray region in light of on-going events and those discussed in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form and annual MD&A. As a result, we cannot guarantee that any forward-looking statement will materialize and we caution you against unduly relying on any of these forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by Canadian securities laws, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this news release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Please refer to the cautionary note of the Company's most recently filed MD&A.

SOURCE Intact Financial Corporation

For further information: Media Inquiries: Stephanie Sorensen, Director, External Communications, 1 (416) 344-8027, [email protected]; Investor Inquiries: Samantha Cheung, Vice President, Investor Relations, 1 (416) 344-8004, [email protected]
OTTAWA, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - The decline in commodity prices, subpar global economic growth and overstretched Canadian consumers will limit Canada's real GDP growth to 1.6 per cent in 2016, according to The Conference Board of Canada's Canadian Outlook: Spring 2016. While modest, this is an improvement over last year's growth of 1.2 per cent.

"The decline in energy prices has stripped more than $50 billion in export revenues from the economy, and it will take time to recover," said Matthew Stewart, Associate Director, National Forecast. "Further dampening Canada's outlook is the fact that Canadian consumers are stretched due to mounting household debt levels, while softer global growth will take some of the steam out of exports."

HIGHLIGHTS

The Canadian economy is forecast to grow by just 1.6 per cent in 2016.

The current global forecast is a key concern for Canada as it is expected to hurt Canadian export growth.

as it is expected to hurt Canadian export growth. The decline in energy prices alone has removed more than $50 billion in export revenues from the economy.

The impact of low oil prices is most apparent in investment expenditures, which fell by $17 billion last year. With commodity prices expected to remain low, investment in the energy sector is expected to fall by $11 billion in 2016 and remain flat in 2017. Oil and gas investment is not expected to post any growth until 2018, when oil prices start to reach profitable levels for Canadian companies once again.

Non-energy investment has also been disappointing, and the lack of spending to expand capacity will soon limit the ability of manufacturing firms to increase productiona key factor holding back growth in exports this year.

The tepid global growth this year will also be an impediment to the long-hoped-for acceleration in Canadian export growth. The U.S. economythe destination for 77 per cent of Canada's exportswill experience slower growth this year, and this will limit demand for Canadian exports. The eurozone will continue to manage only moderate growth, while the U.K. economy will experience solid but slightly slower growth than last year. At the same time, demand from China is weakening. In sum, Canadian export volumes are forecast to expand at a slightly slower pace than last year, increasing by just 2.7 per cent in 2016.

Consumer spending has been one of the main drivers of economic growth over the last several years. However, record debt levels and sluggish job creation will restrain household spending in 2016. The economy is expected to add just 110,000 new jobs this year, with the gains concentrated in health and education. Given the modest employment gains and a rising unemployment rate, wage increases are also forecast to be weak. Overall, real consumer spending is expected to rise by 1.8 per cent this year.

Economic growth should accelerate to 2.2 per cent in 2017 boosted by the non-energy sector.

The forecast does not include the economic impact of the Fort McMurray wildfires.

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SOURCE Conference Board of Canada

For further information: Yvonne Squires, Media Relations, The Conference Board of Canada, Tel.: 613- 526-3090 ext. 221, E-mail: [email protected]; Juline Ranger, Director of Communications, The Conference Board of Canada, Tel.: 613- 526-3090 ext. 431, E-mail: [email protected]
OTTAWA AND CORNWALL, ON, May 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN will be in Ottawa and Cornwall tomorrow to celebrate Nursing Week with area nurses.

Haslam-Stroud will meet with ONA members from hospitals in the Ottawa and Cornwall regions, as well as a nursing home, to celebrate the role nurses play as skilled care providers and patient advocates. ONA members have chosen the theme, "We are Ontario's nurses. Nurses know." Throughout the week of May 9 to 15, ONA members will celebrate their highly educated and skilled profession and the pivotal role they play in the health-care system.

"ONA members know how valuable their care is in ensuring patients have the best possible health outcomes," said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "That makes us more determined than ever to fight the erosion of RN care in our hospitals, being announced across the province as hospital CEOs cut the front lines to balance the bottom line. In some parts of the province, our members are using their roles as patient advocates to take the fight for safe, quality care to Queen's Park. We know the value of proper RN staffing cannot be overstated."

Nursing Week is marked worldwide to coincide with the birthday of Florence Nightingale on May 12. ONA Bargaining Units in hospitals, long-term care, public health, the community, clinics and industry will mark the week with a diverse array of events. ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud and ONA First Vice-President Vicki McKenna, RN, will travel the province to make site visits to ONA members. Haslam-Stroud is available for media interviews while in the region.

ONA is the union representing 60,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals, as well as more than 14,000 nursing student affiliates providing care in hospitals, long-term care, the community, public health, clinics and industry.

WHO: Ontario Nurses' Association President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN WHAT: Visiting nurses in Ottawa and Cornwall WHEN: Monday, May 9, 2016

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

For further information: Ontario Nurses' Association: Sheree Bond, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2430, cell: (416) 986-8240, [email protected]; Melanie Levenson, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2369, [email protected];
Opinion / Columnist

The former ZANU PF Mashonaland West chairperson Temba Mliswa expresses admiration and envy for the leadership qualities of President Robert Mugabe. His attempts at slighting President Mugabe's economic policies are a question of sour grapes.Mliswa is not sincere as the man was fired from the ruling party. He is saying that President Robert Mugabe should have mercy on long suffering Zimbabweans and should hand over power to any of his deputies. Surely speaking Mliswa was the one who campaigned for President Robert Mugabe in Mashonaland West when he was still in ZANU PF.Mlisaw's efforts to blame President Mugabe's decision making on economic matters is both importune and unfortunate and leads to the conclusion that the leader of the pressure group, Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy (Yard) is a lightweight on the issues of economic importance.It seems that he believes that Zimbabwe's economic woes, past and present should be solely laid at the door of one man and his party. He is in a desperate mode to raise his political profile. Mliswa fools no one except his small group of youths who are characterized by confusion and profusion.The man is either a very stupid man or else there is a method in his madness as he attempts to spruce up his image to gain access to the highest office on this land. Mliswa and his YARD on their own are insignificant coterie of individuals politically; it is who they represent that is a threat; that is the agents of regime change.The truth is that this man suffers from an extreme case of premature self-congratulation and above all he is power hungry. He is simply unfit to rule let alone to govern a country with such a deep and complex history as Zimbabwe. Instead Mliswa should proffer how we should improve the economy.In President Robert Mugabe we have a visionary leader who has proved to be a statesman in the world and has embarked on sound policies which has improved the image of Zimbabweans throughout the world. Therefore Mliswa and his brood of vipers should go to hell.We know that Mliswa is moving towards the formation of a political party via the use and exploitation of the youths, who are not realizing this move. The man wants to form the party so that when the idea of forming a grand coalition materializes he will join others.An attentive examination of the existing political landscape shows that all political parties in Zimbabwe do have their youth's political wings. The idea of forming an all youth's party falls away. In another startling development Mliswa is said to be a member, and representative of a South African based party EFF. The man should be serious not to take people for granted.
OTTAWA, May 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Unifor is proud to partner with the Canadian Red Cross to support the people of Fort McMurray and its surrounding communities as they respond to the devastation caused by raging forest fires.

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the Oilsands, representing over 4,000 workers. Since the evacuation began the union has been working to provide food, shelter and support for Fort McMurray members displaced by the fires.

"We are so thankful that our members and their families, friends and neighbours escaped the fire zone without injury," said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. "Now we are focusing on aiding both our members and the entire Fort McMurray community as they cope with the evacuation and face the daunting task of rebuilding".

Here in Canada and overseas, the Red Cross stands ready to help people before, during and after a disaster. The Canadian Red Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and throughout the world.

"The situation in Northern Alberta is devastating and the damage to homes, lives and communities is extensive," says Conrad Sauve, President and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. "Thanks to the generous support of Canadian individuals and organizations such as UNIFOR, the Red Cross will not only be there to support emergency needs at this difficult time, but to also help people as they rebuild and recover."

On May 9, Unifor National President Jerry Dias and Canadian Red Cross President and CEO Conrad Sauve will announce a substantial contribution to support the disaster relief effort in Fort McMurray.

What: Unifor & Red Cross Fort McMurray announcement

Where: Unifor offices, 301 Laurier Ave. W, Ottawa

When: Monday, May 9 , 1:00 p.m.

Who: Unifor National President Jerry Dias Conrad Sauve , President and CEO, Canadian Red Cross



Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 310,000 workers.

SOURCE Unifor

For further information: please contact Unifor Communications National Representative Kathleen O'Keefe at [email protected] or 416-896-3303 (cell)
EDMONTON, May 7, 2016 /CNW/ - An update on the response to the ongoing situation around the wildfires in Fort McMurray will be held by Ralph Goodale, federal Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Danielle Larivee, Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs, and Don Iveson, Mayor of Edmonton.

Date

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Time

2:00 p.m. (MDT)

Location

Edmonton EXPO Centre at Northlands

Designated Media Area (East of ramp leading to Hall 'D')

7515 118 Ave NW

Edmonton, Alberta

Please note that all details are subject to change. All times are local.

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

For further information: Dan Brien, Office of Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-698-2270; Shannon Greer, Press Secretary to the Hon. Danielle Larivee, Minister of Municipal Affairs, 587-594-0132; Cheryl Oxford, Office of Mayor Don Iveson, 780-289-7762; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657
TORONTO, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - The top professional nursing organization in Ontario says reforms expected in the coming weeks to radically change the way health services are delivered in the province won't succeed unless they include a comprehensive health human resources (HHR) strategy.

Representatives of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), the province's leading authority on nursing and health policy, released a report Monday at Queen's Park outlining what must happen if Health Minister Eric Hoskins wants to achieve his goal of putting patients first  an initiative RNAO supports.

Mind the safety gap in health system transformation: Reclaiming the role of the RN takes an extensive look at recent trends in nursing employment and sheds light on how the minister's priorities to improve the system are completely at odds with the reality of how nursing human resources are deployed today.

RNAO says developing a comprehensive and well-thought out interprofessional HHR plan is a must for any major health system transformation, which is why it is the report's first recommendation. "Given that nurses make up the largest share of regulated health professionals in the province, we are advancing the HHR agenda by issuing this report," says RNAO's newly installed president, Carol Timmings, adding that, "nurses play a central role in delivering health services, and statistical trends in nursing skill mix and organizational models of care delivery don't bode well for patient safety and health outcomes."

"How can we drive the important changes outlined in the health minister's Patients First report without the fuel to make these changes happen?" asks Timmings. "It makes no sense that at a time when patient acuity is increasing in hospitals and in the community sector, RNs are being replaced by less qualified personnel."

RNAO is urging the minister of health and the Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) to issue an immediate moratorium on the replacement of RNs, a trend associated with increased morbidity and mortality. "RNs are being replaced simply to cut costs, but this practice flies in the face of well-documented evidence that shows employing more RNs actually costs less. This is because a higher proportion of RNs results in lower complication rates, and fewer hospital re-admissions," says Timmings. And yet, data shows that between 2005 and 2010, the ratio of RNs to diploma-prepared registered practical nurses (RPN) was 3:1. By 2015, the ratio had shockingly dropped to 2.28:1. Ontario has the second-worst RN-to-population ratio in Canada.

RNAO CEO, Doris Grinspun says, "these statistics must trigger alarm bells, because if the government's goal is to shorten lengths of stay in hospital and re-orient the system towards greater community care, a large influx of RNs is needed to respond to rising acuity levels, especially those of hospital patients deemed the sickest of the sick." That's why RNAO is calling on the ministry to mandate an all-RN nursing workforce in acute care, teaching, and cancer care hospitals within two years, and in large community hospitals within five years.

Given that acuity will continue to increase in home care and long-term care, the report also includes recommendations for these sectors. For example, RNAO welcomes the health minister's promise to move more care into the community. But as patients are discharged from hospital earlier and with more complex care needs, the report recommends every first home care visit be conducted by an RN.

The association says the minister's vision of a more person- and family-centred system also needs to take full advantage of the expertise and legislative authority of nurse practitioners (NP). To that end, RNAO's report includes specific recommendation aimed at removing all barriers that handcuff their ability to fully care for Ontarians, including those who reside in long-term care homes.

Changes in nursing skills mix aren't the only concern highlighted in RNAO's report. The way nurses are increasingly being forced to deliver care is another troubling trend. Grinspun says more and more hospitals are resorting to functional or team-based organizational models of nursing care delivery that result in fragmented care where no one is in charge of the comprehensive care needs of the patient. These models, in which patient care is broken down into a series of tasks that are delegated to various members of the nursing team, have huge implications in terms of quality of care and safety, says Grinspun. "Imagine being a patient or family member and not knowing who your nurse is?"

She says some hospitals are relying on these models to meet bottom line pressures. "Not only are they ineffective, there is no continuity of care. They are the furthest thing from putting the patient first," says Grinspun. RNAO's report recommends that hospitals use primary nursing as the most effective model, where one nurse is in charge and takes full responsibility for planning and delivering all of the care needs of a patient throughout their stay.

The report makes eight recommendations:

MOHLTC develop a provincial evidence-based interprofessional HHR plan to align population health needs and the full and expanded scopes of practice of all regulated health professions with system priorities

MOHLTC and Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) issue a moratorium on nursing skill mix changes until a comprehensive interprofessional HHR plan is completed

Mandate LHINs to use organizational models of nursing care delivery that advance care continuity and avoid fragmented care

MOHLTC legislate an all-RN nursing workforce in acute care within two years for tertiary, quaternary and cancer centres (Group A and D hospitals) and within five years for large community hospitals (Group B)

LHINs to require that all first home health-care visits be completed by an RN

MOHLTC, LHINs and employers eliminate all barriers, and enable NPs to practise to full scope, including: prescribing controlled substances; acting as most responsible provider (MPP) in all sectors; implementing their legislated authority to admit, treat, transfer and discharge hospital in-patients; and utilizing fully the NP-anaesthesia role inclusive of intra-operative care

MOHLTC legislate minimum staffing standards in LTC homes: one attending NP per 120 residents, 20 per cent RNs, 25 per cent RPNs and 55 per cent personal support workers

LHINs locate the 3,500 CCAC care co-ordinators within primary care to provide health system care co-ordination and navigation, which are core functions of interprofessional primary care

Grinspun says RNAO applauds Minister Hoskins for his desire to revamp the health system. "If we are going to shake up the system, we must make sure that it's set up to succeed," adding the most important element in the delivery of health services is front line staff. "Those who provide care day-in and day-out are the ones who will help us deliver the necessary changes Ontarians have been waiting for, and we will do our part to ensure their experiences and health outcomes are the best."

RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Download a copy of the report at www.RNAO.ca/mindthesafetygap

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For further information: To arrange an interview with an RN or NP, please contact: Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 647-406-5605 (cellular), 416-408-5605 (office)
RICHMOND, BC, May 6, 2016 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities and Member for Delta, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough emphasized that supports for Canadians with vision loss are key to an inclusive society. At the Canadian Vision Teacher "Seeing Beyond the Horizon" Conference the Minister spoke about the important work that the British Columbia Vision Teachers' Association has done in teaching, advocating and supporting students with vision loss for the past 30 years.

Minister Qualtrough also recognized that May is Vision Health Month. Vision Health Month is a national awareness initiative designed to educate Canadians about their vision health and eliminate avoidable sight loss across the country. She also highlighted the steps the Government is taking to help those with vision loss, illustrated through the recent tabling of Bill C-11 "An Act to Amend the Copyright Act (access to copyrighted works or other subject-matter for persons with perceptual disabilities). This Bill will lead to the signature of the Marrakesh treaty, which will give Canadians greater access to alternate formats of works, including braille and large-print books.

Finally, Minister Qualtrough reiterated that in the coming months she will be leading an engagement exercise with provinces, territories, municipalities, stakeholders and Canadians that will lead to the passage of federal accessibility legislation.

Quotes

"Congratulations to the British Columbia Vision Teachers' Association for everything that you're doing in support of young Canadians with vision loss. Thank you for making sure all children have a great start in life and have an equal chance to succeed."

 Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough

"The Steering Committee for Seeing Beyond the Horizon 2016 is proud to collaborate with partners such as the Government of Canada in its efforts to improve the lives of children and families. Through community participation and engagement, we can all make a difference for infants, children, youth and young adults who are blind, deafblind, or partially sighted, including those who have additional disabilities, and their families."

 Marilyn Rushton, Chair, Canadian Vision Teacher Conference 2016

Associated Links

Canada.ca/disability

The Marrakesh Treaty

Backgrounder

Vision Health Month

CNIB's Vision Health Month's objective is to help protect people's vision. Approximately 75 percent of vision loss is preventable or treatable. With the support of fellow Canadians, this awareness campaign can have a significant impact on preventing vision health problems whilst providing support and treatments for those with them.

British Columbia Vision Teachers' Association

The British Columbia Vision Teachers' Association has been dedicated to teaching, advocating and supporting students with visual impairments throughout British Columbia for the past 30 years. The executive and members of BCVTA work actively in a variety of different areas:

to represent students with visual impairments to the Ministry of Education, advocating on their behalf

to provide representation to committees such as Provincial Resource Center for the Visually Impaired, Braille Priorities, and POB (Provincial Organizations in the Field of Blindness)

to support and contribute resources and funds to conferences relating to the education of students with visual impairments

to provide communication and information through the circulation of BCVTA executive minutes and local chapter minutes several times each year

Marrakesh

The Marrakesh Treaty establishes international norms to help facilitate access for persons who are blind, visually impaired, and print disabled to published works in accessible formats (e.g. braille, audio and large print books) by requiring Contracting Parties to allow for the making, distributing, importing, and exporting of adapted materials, while ensuring that the interests of copyright owners are sufficiently safeguarded.

Follow us on Twitter

SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For further information: Ashley Michnowski, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities819-934-1122 / TTY: 1-866-702-6967; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
TORONTO, May 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Ontario nurses and First Nations leaders launched a partnership today aimed at eliminating health inequities and improving health care in the province's First Nations communities.

Leadership from the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) signed a letter of intent with Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day to work together to address the physical, mental, and spiritual health needs of Ontario's First Nations.

The agreement was signed on the final day of RNAO's 91st annual general meeting in Toronto, following a panel discussion on First Nations health that featured Chief Day, Chief Wayne Moonias of the Neskantaga First Nation, RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun, nurse practitioner Mae Katt, and Bearskin Lake resident Marty Beardy.

Topics for the panel, which was hosted by CBC News reporter Duncan McCue, included widespread opiate addiction in Ontario First Nations, and the suicide crisis in communities like Attawapiskat, where a state of emergency was declared in April after more than 100 people attempted suicide since September. Panellists also discussed poor living conditions in First Nations, including Moonias' Neskantaga First Nation, which has had a boil water advisory for more than 20 years.

"Recent events remind us that our health system will not be truly universal until it serves all Ontarians equally, including First Nations," says Grinspun. "We can no longer stand by while our First Nations people suffer. It's time to change the long history of discriminatory social, economic and health-care policies that have led us down this tragic path."

Together, RNAO and the Chiefs of Ontario will begin working to urge all levels of government to take action in First Nations communities to prevent suicide, mental health issues and addiction; improve social and environmental determinants of health; and improve health.

RNAO has long advocated for improved health services for First Nations people. The association's 2015 report Coming Together, Moving Forward: Building the Next Chapter of Ontario's Rural, Remote & Northern Nursing Workforce identified strategies for the effective retention and recruitment of nurses in remote Ontario communities  many of which are First Nations  and by building local capacity through supporting First Nations people to become nurses.

"Helping our First Nations communities heal will require decisive, respectful, and collaborative action," says Carol Timmings, president of RNAO. "Nursing will be a large part of these efforts, and we are eager and ready to play our part."





The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit our website at RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For further information: For more information or to interview a nurse, please contact: Daniel Punch, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), Phone: 416-408-5606 / 1-800-268-7199 ext. 250, [email protected]
Ontario has second-worst RN-to-population ratio in Canada

TORONTO, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) and the provincial NDP called on the government to implement an immediate moratorium on cuts to registered nurse (RN) positions today.

At a joint media conference at Queen's Park this morning, ONA First Vice-President Vicki McKenna, RN joined NDP Leader Andrea Horwath in announcing that Ontario hospitals have cut 1,440 RN positions, or the equivalent of three RN positions per day since the beginning of 2015.

"To put the total number of RN cuts in perspective, that's 90 RNs per month gone from front-line patient care and a loss to our patients of 2.8 million hours of RN care in just 17 months," said McKenna.

"The repercussion of such deep RN cuts are serious," she said. "Evidence from multiple studies show that for every extra patient added to an average RN's workload, the patient's risk of suffering complications and even death increases by seven per cent. Patients occupying Ontario hospital beds today suffer from multiple, complex illnesses, and require the skills and education of RNs. Yet years of hospital funding freezes have resulted in the loss of RNs just as patients need their care the most."

McKenna points out that increasing RN staffing saves the health-care system money by lowering the rates of expensive hospital readmissions. "The value of adequate RN staffing cannot be overstated," she said. "One study found the savings associated with the prevention of patient complications by critical care RNs was up to 10 times the cost of staffing the RNs."

In Canada, only British Columbia has a lower RN-to-population ratio.

ONA is the union representing 60,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals, as well as more than 14,000 nursing student affiliates providing care in hospitals, long-term care, the community, public health, clinics and industry.

Visit us at: www.ona.org; Facebook.com/OntarioNurses; Twitter.com/OntarioNurses

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

For further information: Ontario Nurses' Association: Sheree Bond, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2430; cell: (416) 986-8240; [email protected]; Melanie Levenson, (416) 964-8833, ext. 2369; [email protected]
CALGARY, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Oryx Petroleum Corporation Limited ("Oryx Petroleum" or the "Corporation") will announce its financial and operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 after the close of trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Mr. Vance Querio, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Craig Kelly, Chief Financial Officer will host a conference call to discuss the Corporation's financial and operating results on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST, 11:00 EDT).

Conference Call details:

Date: Thursday May 12, 2016 Time: 17:00 CEST (16:00 BST, 11:00 EDT)

Participant Access:





Canada +1 514 841 2154 United States +1 212 444 0896 United Kingdom +44 (0)20 3140 8268 France +33 (0)1 76 77 22 29 Switzerland / Other +41 (0)44 547 8000



Access code to join conference: 6480429



Playback will be available up to 14 days after the live call on:

United States / Canada: +1 347 366 9565 United Kingdom: +44 (0)20 3427 0598 France: +33 (0)1 74 20 28 00 Switzerland / Other: +41 (0)22 592 7553



Access code: 6480429



Playback will also be available on the Oryx Petroleum Website.

This recording is the property of Oryx Petroleum. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written approval from Oryx Petroleum. Please contact our Investor Relations with any questions.

ABOUT ORYX PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED

Oryx Petroleum is an international oil exploration company focused in Africa and the Middle East. The Corporation's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "OXC". The Oryx Petroleum group of companies was founded in 2010 by The Addax and Oryx Group P.L.C. and key members of the former senior management team of Addax Petroleum Corporation. Oryx Petroleum has interests in seven license areas, two of which have yielded oil discoveries. The Corporation is the operator or technical partner in five of the seven license areas. Two license areas are located in the Kurdistan Region and the Wasit governorate (province) of Iraq and five license areas are located in West Africa in Nigeria, the AGC administrative area offshore Senegal and Guinea Bissau, and Congo (Brazzaville). Further information about Oryx Petroleum is available at www.oryxpetroleum.com or under Oryx Petroleum's profile at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE Oryx Petroleum Corporation Limited

For further information: Craig Kelly, Chief Financial Officer, Tel.: +41 (0) 58 702 93 23, [email protected]; Scott Lewis, Head of Corporate Finance, Tel.: +41 (0) 58 702 93 52, [email protected]
Lung Cancer: Is It An Automatic Death Sentence, Or Is There Hope? Canadians Weigh-In Through New Poll

BURLINGTON, ON, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - One in four Canadians said they are a lot more hopeful about a lung cancer diagnosis today versus five years ago, according to a new poll.i And, thanks to new advances in research on Canada's number one cancer killer,ii the scientific community is making progress to better understand the disease. A new study published in The Lancet Oncology reveals the results of the first-ever global head-to-head comparison of afatinib to gefitinib as first-line treatment for patients whose tumours have the most common epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations (del19 or L858R).

The study, known as LUX-Lung 7, was a randomized, head-to-head, Phase IIb trial comparing the first and second generation targeted therapies for the treatment of EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study showed that compared to gefitinib, afatinib* significantly improved:iii

Progression free survival (PFS) (co-primary endpoint; HR=0.73; 95 per cent CI, 0.570.95; p=0.017; median: 11.0 months [afatinib] versus 10.9 months [gefitinib]). iii PFS became more pronounced over time - after two years of treatment, more than twice as many patients on afatinib were progression free compared with those on gefitinib (after 18 months; 27.3 per cent [afatinib] versus 15.2 per cent [gefitinib]) and after 24 months; 17.6 per cent [afatinib] versus 7.6 per cent [gefitinib]). iii The improvement in PFS with afatinib was consistent across pre-defined clinical subgroups, including gender, age, race and EGFR mutation type.

PFS became more pronounced over time - after two years of treatment, more than twice as many patients on afatinib were progression free compared with those on gefitinib (after 18 months; 27.3 per cent [afatinib] versus 15.2 per cent [gefitinib]) and after 24 months; 17.6 per cent [afatinib] versus 7.6 per cent [gefitinib]). The improvement in PFS with afatinib was consistent across pre-defined clinical subgroups, including gender, age, race and EGFR mutation type. Time to treatment failure (co-primary endpoint; HR=0.73; 95 per cent CI, 0.580.92; p=0.0073; median: 13.7 months [afatinib] versus 11.5 months [gefitinib]), reducing the treatment failure by 27 per cent versus gefitinib. iii This was consistent across various subgroups, including EGFR mutation subgroups, race, gender and age. iii

This was consistent across various subgroups, including EGFR mutation subgroups, race, gender and age. Objective response rate (secondary endpoint; 70 per cent [afatinib] versus 56 per cent [gefitinib], p=0.0083). Patients experienced greater tumour shrinkage with afatinib versus gefitinib with median duration of response of 10.1 months and 8.4 months respectively.iii

Both afatinib* and gefitinib demonstrated similar improvements in patient-reported outcome measures with no significant differences in health-related quality of life.iii

This is good news for the lung cancer community including Fernando Aramburu and his wife Michelle from Calgary. Fernando was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in April 2015. "Fernando has been taking afatinib since May 2015," says Michelle. "We know first-hand the importance of new treatment advances and we want others to know that there is hope."

However, a new poll shows there is room for education because 40 per cent of Canadians surveyed say they feel lung cancer is a death sentence.i The survey also revealed Canadians are completely unaware of the specifics of the disease. For example, one in three don't know there are different types of lung canceri and almost half (49 per cent) don't know that cancer patients with certain genetic mutations can be treated with targeted drugs that can provide better results than other treatment options.i

"The LUX-Lung 7 trial results give oncologists more insights into first versus second generation treatments for non-small cell lung cancer," says Dr. Sunil Yadav, Medical Oncologist at the Saskatoon Cancer Center. "For the first time, we now have head-to-head data on the efficacy and safety provided by these two important treatments and specifically what treatment will work best for patients with an EGFR genetic mutation  which make up about 20 per cent of all lung cancer patients."

"This trial points to the need for continued research and innovation in this particular area of oncology." says Shem Singh, Executive Director, Lung Cancer Canada. "As lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada, new approaches to treatment are important for extending survival while maintaining quality of life."

About Lung Cancer

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, in 2015 an estimated 26,600 Canadians were diagnosed with lung cancer, and 20,900 died from it.iv More than half of new cancer cases (51 per cent) were lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancer.v Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, causing more cancer deaths among Canadians than the other three cancer types combined.ii As the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in Canadaii, it's estimated an average of 57 Canadians die from the disease every day.v

Lung cancer is also grossly under researched and under-funded. In 2011, it received only 7 per cent of cancer-specific research funding and 0.1 per cent of cancer donations, despite the fact that it causes 27 per cent of cancer-related deaths.ii

About LUX-Lung 7iii

A total of 319 patients from 64 sites in 13 countries with stage IIIb/IV EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC, who received no prior treatment, were randomized (1:1) to daily afatinib 40 mg or gefitinib 250 mg. Patients were stratified by mutation type (Del19 or L858R) and the presence of brain metastases.

Treatment continued until disease progression or beyond if deemed beneficial by the investigator. Co-primary endpoints were: progression free survival by independent review, time to treatment failure, and overall survival. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate, disease control rate, tumor shrinkage, and longitudinal change from baseline in health-related quality of life.

Adverse events (AEs) in the trial were consistent with the known safety profiles of both treatments. Treatment with both afatinib and gefitinib were generally tolerable, leading to an equally low rate of treatment-related discontinuation in both arms (6 per cent).iii The overall frequency of serious AEs was similar for both (44.4 per cent [afatinib] versus 37.1 per cent [gefitinib]).vi The most common grade 3 related AEs with afatinib were: diarrhea (13 per cent) and rash/acne (9 per cent), and with gefitinib: (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increase (9 per cent). Drug-related interstitial lung disease was reported for four patients on gefitinib and no patients on afatinib.iii

About Afatinibvii

Afatinib was approved by Health Canada in 2013 as GIOTRIF and is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor naive patients with metastatic (including cytologically proven pleural effusion) adenocarcinoma of the lung with activating EGFR mutation(s).

Poll Methodology

This poll was conducted by Environics Research Group through an online survey of 1,035 adults from February 17th to February 19th, 2016. In order to qualify for this survey respondents had to be 18 years of age or older and reside in Canada.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 145 affiliates and a total of more than 47,500 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative "Making more Health" and caring for employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.

In 2015, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 14.8 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 20.3 per cent of its net sales.

The Canadian headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim was established in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec and is now located in Burlington, Ontario. Boehringer Ingelheim employs approximately 600 people across Canada.

For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.ca

*These results are not part of the Canadian label and have not been reviewed by Health Canada

________________________

i Environics Research Poll 2016, Online survey conducted among 1035 Canadians from February 17 to February 19, 2016. p. 6.

ii Charity Intelligence Canada: Cancer in Canada. April 2011, p.39 https://www.charityintelligence.ca/images/Ci_Cancer_Report_April_2011.pdf

iii Park et al. (2016) Afatinib versus gefitinib as first-line treatment of patients with EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (LUX-Lung 7): a phase 2B, open-label, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Oncology

iv Canadian Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/lung/statistics/?region=on Accessed March 16, 2016.

v Canadian Cancer Society's Steering Committee: Canadian Cancer Statistics 2015. Toronto, ON:https://www.cancer.ca/~/media/cancer.ca/CW/cancer%20information/cancer%20101/Canadian%20cancer%20statistics/Canadian-Cancer-Statistics-2015-EN.pdf, p.6

vi Park et al. Afatinib versus gefitinib as first-line treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer harboring activating EGFR mutations: results of the global, randomized, open-label, Phase IIb trial LUX-Lung 7. LBA2, oral presentation at the ESMO Asia 2015 Congress in Singapore, 1821 December 2015.  2015 Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. All rights reserved | Last updated: January 2016. p. 15

vii GIOTRIF Product Monograph

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.

Video with caption: "Video: Medical oncologist Dr. Barbara Melosky speaks to the importance of head-to-head trials and LUX-Lung 7". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160509_C7224_VIDEO_EN_684470.mp4&posterurl=http%3a%2f%2fphotos.newswire.ca%2fimages%2f20160509_C7224_PHOTO_EN_684470.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160509&cnum=C7224

Image with caption: "Afatinib and gefitinib go head-to-head (CNW Group/Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160509_C7224_PHOTO_EN_684464.jpg

For further information: Sheba Zaidi, Environics Communications, 416-969-2652 / [email protected]; Jennifer Mota, Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., 905 631-4739 / [email protected]
Rwanda Drone Network is Potential Model for Other Countries

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - The UPS Foundation (NYSE: UPS) today announced a partnership with Zipline, a California-based robotics company, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to explore using drones to transform the way life-saving medicines like blood and vaccines are delivered across the world.

All too often, critical health products spoil or fail to reach the individuals who urgently need them. This public-private partnership combines a century of global logistics expertise, cold chain and healthcare delivery from UPS with Zipline's national drone delivery network and Gavi's experience in developing countries focused on saving lives and protecting health in the most remote places of the world.

The UPS Foundation has awarded an $800,000 grant to support the initial launch of this initiative in Rwanda.

"Public-private partnerships are the key to solving many of the world's challenges, with each partner contributing its unique expertise," said Eduardo Martinez, president The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS. "UPS is always exploring innovative ways to enhance humanitarian logistics to help save lives, and we're proud to partner with Gavi and Zipline as we explore ways to extend the Rwandan government's innovations at a global scale."

Starting later this year, the Rwandan government will begin using Zipline drones, which can make up to 150 deliveries per day of life-saving blood to 21 transfusing facilities located in the western half of the country. According to the WHO1, Africa has the highest rate in the world of maternal death due to postpartum hemorrhaging, which makes access to lifesaving blood transfusions critically important for women across the continent.

"Our partnership with UPS and Zipline is an exciting step into a new territory for the delivery of medical supplies," said Dr. Seth Berkley, chief executive officer, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. "It is a totally different way of delivering vaccines to remote communities and we are extremely interested to learn if UAVs can provide a safe, effective way to make vaccines available for some of the hardest-to-reach children."

While Rwanda's national drone network is initially focused on the delivery of blood supplies, the plan is to expand the initiative to include vaccines, treatments for HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and many other essential and lifesaving medicines. Rwanda's drone delivery operation is expected to save thousands of lives over the next three years and could serve as a model for other countries.

"The inability to deliver life-saving medicines to the people who need them the most causes millions of preventable deaths each year. The work of this partnership will help solve that problem once and for all," said Keller Rinaudo, chief executive officer, Zipline. "With the expertise and vision of UPS, Gavi and Zipline, instant drone delivery will allow us to save thousands of lives in a way that was never before possible."

About The UPS Foundation

UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation leads its global citizenship programs and is responsible for facilitating community involvement to local, national, and global communities. In 2015, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $110 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation can be found on the web at UPS.com/Foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunization of an additional 500 million children and the prevention of approximately 7 million future deaths.

Zipline International, Inc.

Zipline is a robotics company based in California. The company works with governments to provide reliable access to medical products at the last mile. Zipline's long-term mission is to build instant delivery for the planet, allowing medicines and other products to be delivered on demand and without using a drop of gasoline. Zipline is supported by some of the smartest investors in the world, including: Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, SV Angel, Subtraction Capital, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and Stanford University.

1 Statistic cited in speech given by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, on 3/1/2016. Source: Carroli G, Cuesta C, Abalos E, Gulmezoglu AM. Epidemiology of postpartum haemorrhage: a systematic review. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2008 22:999-1012

SOURCE UPS Canada Ltd.

For further information: Glenn Zaccara, 404-828-4663, [email protected]
Opinion / Columnist

The, up to now, unspoken truth of Mugabe and Zanu PF's corrupt and murderous reign of terror is now coming out. The nation welcomes the launch of Jestina Mukoko's book giving the details of her ordeal at the hands of the regime."The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) national director exposed the horror of the Mugabe regime, recording in detail for the first time, her 21-day torture ordeal," reported Nehanda Radio."She details how she risked being murdered after her December 2, 2008 abduction."Mukoko's harrowing testament is contained in the book The Abduction and Trial of Jestina Mukoko - The Fight for Human Rights in Zimbabwe."We are in this hell-hole today because as a nation we have failed to stand up and say no even when the situation demanded it. When Jestina Mukoko was abducted, as happened to many others before her; the nation responded with the usual deafening silence.2008 was a particularly bad year in Zimbabwe; that was the year Mugabe unleashed the worst politically motivated wanton violence in the country's history. Mugabe lost the March presidential vote to Tsvangirai but cooked up the results to justify a run-off. To make sure he will win the run-off, he launched operation "Mavhotera papi!" (Whom did you vote for!). Millions of Zimbabweans were harassed, beaten and raped in the ensuing violence. Over 500 were murdered in cold blood.What made operation Mavhotera papi particularly nauseating is that the Police, CIO and Army personal did not just turn a blind eye to the Zanu PF orchestrated violence, which is the norm, they were actively involved. It was State security agents who abducted and tortured Jestina Mukoko in tail end of operation Mavhotera papi.If the regime is using the State security agents to deny the people their freedoms and rights, the very institutions to whom the people have to turn for protection; to whom then are the people to turn!What should be noted here is not only has Mugabe corrupted the Police into abandoning their public duty of protecting the people to become his murderous thugs but most important of all he has got away with murder. Mugabe has ridden roughshod over our freedoms and human dignity without a moment's hesitation because he was cocksure he will get away with it! His Zanu PF cronies like Didymus Mutasa who helped him create and nurture this Zanu PF monster too thought they will get away with murder.Didymus Mutasa was the minister responsible for the CIO at the time of the abduction of Jestina Mukoko. He knew the State Agents who abducted and torture her but refuse to name them under the pretext he feared prosecution under the Official Secrecy Act.So Didymus Mutasa places greater emphasis on his oath to secrecy to a tyrant than he does to his oath to the nation to uphold the nation's integrity, constitution and, above all, to protect human life!Comrade Mutasa and a number of his fellow Zanu PF thugs have since been booted out of Zanu PF, they are now fighting Mugabe to get back on the gravy train. Mutasa and his ZimPF friends want to get back into power before they have even bothered to wash the hands red with the blood of the over 30 000 Zanu PF has had murdered by confessing their role in the reign of terror! They are all cocksure the Zimbabwe public will not even notice the blood on their hands!Tyrants like Mugabe and his cronies like Didymus Mutasa have committed serious human rights violation for the last 36 years because we, the people, have encouraged them to by our do-nothing, hear-nothing, see-nothing and say-nothing attitude. Jestina Mukoko was abducted and tortured by the regime because she had dared speak the truth to power!Faced with evil, only worse evil has ever come out of doing nothing about it! After torturing her, the regime thought it had silenced her; but in writing her book, a permanent record for all time of this murderous regime's inhumanity to its own people, she is back denouncing the regime from the roof top.I am pleased and proud that Jestina Mukoko has produced her book about her ordeal. Zimbabwe would not be in the political and economic mess she is in today if only we have more Zimbabweans like her who will speak out in defence of freedom, liberty and justice even when their own freedom, liberty and very lives are on the line.Zimbabwe has suffered a litany of serious human rights violation and economic ruin because of rampant corruption and mismanagement because we had corrupt, incompetent and murderous leaders, yes. But dig deeper and you will find all these things happened because by failing to speak out we failed to nip them in the bud!I salute Jestina Mukoko for speaking out, speaking truth to power, and breaking the deafening silence! She is the rare desert flower that blooms in adversity!
[May 09, 2016] Best and Worst States to Grow Old

SAN MATEO, Calif., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- South Dakota is the best state to grow old, according to a new Caring.com report which examined a variety of financial, healthcare and quality of life categories. Neighboring Iowa and Minnesota ranked second and third, respectively. Click here for more information: https://www.caring.com/articles/best-states-to-grow-old The study found there's generally an inverse relationship between the cost and quality of senior care. South Dakota and Iowa are perfect examples of a sweet spot: they offer excellent care atbelow-average prices. Among the 15 states with the cheapest senior care, just two rank in the top half for quality (South Carolina and Kansas).



The worst state to grow old is West Virginia, which was dragged down by a last-place showing in the healthcare and quality of life categories. New Jersey and New York join the Mountaineer State in the bottom three. These heavily populated neighbors are hampered by very high costs and below-average quality scores. "The main takeaway from this research is that the traditional retirement destinations don't always offer the best mix of cost and quality," said Dayna Steele, Caring.com's Chief Caring Expert and the author of Surviving Alzheimer's with Friends, Facebook and a Really Big Glass of Wine. "This is why it's so important for people to do their homework while they're still relatively young and healthy in order to set themselves up for retirement years that are truly golden."

Florida came in 31st overall (mostly due to below-average healthcare quality) and Arizona tied for 17th. Sources: 2015 Cost of Care Survey (Genworth)

2014 State Long-Term Services and Supports Scorecard (AARP, The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation)

2015 State of American Well-Being (Gallup-Healthways)

Over 100,000 consumer reviews of senior care facilities (Caring.com) About Caring.com With more than three million visitors per month, Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. A Bankrate company headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., Caring.com provides helpful caregiving content, online support groups, and a comprehensive Senior Care Directory for the United States, with nearly 105,000 consumer ratings and reviews and a toll-free senior living referral line at (800) 325-8591. Connect with Caring.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and/or YouTube. For more information: Ted Rossman

Public Relations Director

[email protected]

917-368-8635

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151113/287218LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-and-worst-states-to-grow-old-300264076.html SOURCE Caring.com

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[May 09, 2016] Application Security Market Worth 6.77 Billion USD by 2021

PUNE, India, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report, "Application Security Market by Component (Solutions, Services), Solutions (Web Application Security, Mobile Application Security), Testing Type (SAST, DAST, IAST), Deployment Mode, Organization Size, Vertical, Region - Global Forecast to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market size is estimated to grow from USD 2.24 Billion in 2016 to USD 6.77 Billion by 2021, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 24.8% from 2016 to 2021. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 78 market data Tables and 47 Figures spread through 156 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Application Security Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/application-security-market-110170194.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. Application security is to safeguard applications from vulnerabilities such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting via security testing techniques, which scan the web and mobile applications for security flaws throughout the application development lifecycle. As the frequency of targeted attacks on applications is growing, the market is expected to gain traction in the next five years. Rise in security breaches targeting business applications will drive the Application Security Market The major forces driving the Application Security Market are the rise in security breaches targeting business applications and strong application security regulation and compliance requirements. In today's hyper-connected business environment, there is rapid emergence of digital solutions and devices, which is based on communication between various business-critical applications and data. As these business applications hold critical organizational data, safeguarding them from vulnerabilities is of the utmost importance for any organization. Hybrid analysis (IAST) to play a key role in the Application Security Market Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST), sometimes referred to as "hybrid analysis," is an emerging security testing type, which is a combination of both Static Application Security Testing (SAST) and Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST). Various advantages offered by IAST include false positive reduction, comprehensive vulnerability coverage, entire code coverage that includes the libraries and frameworks, scalability to handle large applications, instant developer feedback o save time, and zero process disruption. The IAST segment is expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period.



Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) vertical expected to grow at the highest rate during the forecast period The BFSI vertical is one of the most omnipresent industries prone to targeted attacks in today's digital inter-connected world. The BFSI vertical is expected to grow at the highest rate from 2016 to 2021, in the Application Security Market. The market is also projected to witness growth in the healthcare, retail, and IT & telecom sectors during the forecast period.

Request for Sample @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsample.asp?id=110170194 North America expected to contribute the largest market share, Asia-Pacific (APAC) to grow the fastest North America is expected to hold the largest market share and dominate the Application Security Market from 2016 to 2021, due to the presence of a large number of application security vendors. APAC offers potential growth opportunities, as there is a rise in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) adoption rate among organizations that in turn are deploying application security solutions to defend against potential threats to protect business-critical applications. The major vendors in the Application Security Market include IBM Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, WhiteHat Security, Veracode, Checkmarx, Qualys, Rapid7, Trustwave, Acunetix, and Cigital, among others. The report covers detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the Application Security Market such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been done to provide insights into their business overview, products and services, key strategies, new product launches, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, and collaborations, associated with the Application Security Market. Browse Related Reports:- Cyber Security Market by Solution (IAM, Encryption, DLP, Risk and Compliance Management, IDS/IPS, UTM, Firewall, Antivirus/Antimalware, SIEM, Disaster Recovery, DDOS Mitigation, Web Filtering, and Security Services) - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cyber-security-market-505.html Security Testing Market by Network Security Testing, Application Security Testing, SAST, DAST, Security Testing Tools, Penetration Testing Tools, Automated Testing Tools, Code Review Tools - Global Advancements, Forecasts & Analysis (2014 - 2019)

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/security-testing-market-150407261.html About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the world's No. 2 firm in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact:

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[May 09, 2016] Integrated Modem-Application Processors Market Plateauing Despite Strong Push from the Leading IC Suppliers; Verticalization and Technology Complexity to Blame

LONDON, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ABI Research, the leader in transformative technology innovation market intelligence, forecasts that standalone application processor shipments targeting smartphones and tablets will grow from 462 million units to surpass one billion by 2020. Market demand for standalone application processors will ultimately limit opportunities for integrated modem-application processor platforms (MODAPs) that currently enjoy a strong push from key suppliers like Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Spreadtrum. "Verticalization in the high-end of the mobile phone market is specifically driving growth in standalone application processor shipments for smartphones and tablets," says Malik Saadi, Managing Director and Vice President at ABI Research. "Apple and Samsung, for instance, use separate app processors and modems in their flagship products." MODAPs offer significant advantages, notably cost, small form-factor, and power consumption, compared with separate processor and modem. These advantages are clear differentiators in the low-end and mid-range parts of the market. However, MODAPs offer less flexibility for addressing the high-end segment of the market in which feature-set differentiation and performance are paramount. To cope with current market conditions, global OEMs are trying to rationalize the number of device models they produce. Many manufacturers use various chipset SKUs for every model launched, and each SKU comes with a different set of features at both the processor and modem levels. Flexibility is paramount, as separating the modem from the application processor is crucial to enable OEMs to mix and match chipsets from various IC suppliers, depending on the segment and region they address. And for mobile application processor platforms, product differentiation is quickly shifting from CPU cores to the use of advanced GPU, DSPs, and ISPs in order to support innovative features and functionalities. These include immersive graphics, sensor fusion, hardware level security and authentication, machine vision, augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence in the future. "The technology commoditization, the great improvement of ARM Cortex core architectures, and stiff competition saw a number of custom CPU vendors exiting the smartphone market altogether," continues Saadi. "This left Qualcomm as the sole supplier of these types of processors." The market share of custom CPUs, from total smartphone processor shipments, collapsed drastically during the last six years, from a staggering 80% in 2010 to 25% in 2015. ABI Research expects the market for these CPUs to become increasingly wedged between captive vendor processors in the high-end and reference designs that systematically use ARM Cortex in the low-end and mid-range. "The erosion of the custom CPU market will continue during the coming years to the point that, by 2020, shipments of these processors are not expected to exceed 5% of the total smartphone processor market," concludes Saadi. "And that is only if they manage to make it to that point." These findings are part of ABI Research's Mobile Device Semiconductors Service (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/mobile-device-semiconductors/), which includes research reports, market data, insights, and competitive assessments. About ABI Research For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com.







Contact Info: Mackenzie Gavel Tel: +44.203.326.0142

[email protected]

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/integrated-modem-application-processors-market-plateauing-despite-strong-push-from-the-leading-ic-suppliers-verticalization-and-technology-complexity-to-blame-300264980.html SOURCE ABI Research

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[May 09, 2016] Taqnia Space, Skyware & Crescent Join Forces to Form Joint Venture with KACST Saudi Arabia as the Technology Partner Aims to Be a Global Manufacturer of Satellite Equipment

TAQNIA SPACE, SKYWARE & CRESCENT have signed a joint venture agreement in Saudi Arabia with KACST as the technology partner. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is an independent Saudi scientific organization with a long experience in research and development. With its current invaluable scientific Saudi resources and technology experts, KACST is considered to be the main technology partner for the new venture in Saudi Arabia. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509006097/en/ Joint venture agreement signing. The person closest is Eng Adbullah Al-Osaimi followed by David McCourt, then HH Dr. Turki bin Saud and finally Prince Bandar M. Al-Saud (Photo: Business Wire) This initiative is the product of a long standing relationship between Crescent Technologies founders Bandar M. Al-Saud and Omar A. Talib and Granahan McCourt Capital principal David McCourt, who have partnered together on multiple telecom, media and technology ventures. The created JV (Joint venture) aims to be a global manufacturer of satellite equipment, with the initial focus on manufacturing an innovative HTS Ka terminal to provide high throughput for satellites fleets around the world. Through their investment, the JV company will establish, manufacture and market the first Saudi high throughput satellite terminals. The new terminal will be serving both satellite service providers and operators in the Middle East, North Africa and worldwide. "With the expected cooperation between the new joint venture and KACST as its technology partner, the Joint Venture and satellite RF manufacturing facility will help to propel the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to become a leader i advanced integrated terminal solutions," said H.H. Dr. Turki bin Saud, President of KACST and Chairman of the Board of Directors for TAQNIA.



"With the contentious changes in satellite market dynamics and the increased demand for high-quality managed satellite services, it has become essential for satellite operators to build their organic engineering expertise that relates to service components and to have a better control on service cost," said Eng. Abdullah Al-Osaimi, TAQNIA SPACE CEO. "We are very pleased to be part of this joint venture with such highly-regarded partners as KACST, TAQNIA SPACE and CRESCENT," said David McCourt, Skyware Technologies founder and CEO. "Skyware Technologies has a reputation for developing sophisticated satellite terminals for government and military use and has considerable experience partnering with major international defense agencies, governments and leading industry bodies, including the European Space Agency."

Crescent Technologies' spokesperson Abdullah Al-Bawardy said: "Crescent is very excited about this opportunity as it sits within our core objective of bringing world-class partners together to create long-standing businesses in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." About KACST: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is an independent scientific organization administratively reporting to the Prime Minister and led by Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud. KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. The science agency function involves science and technology policy making, data collection, funding of external research, technology transfer, human capital development and services such as the patent office. KACST has currently over 4000 employees. About TAQNIA SPACE: TAQNIA SPACE is a Saudi Company owned by Saudi PIF (Public Investment Fund). TAQNIA SPACE objectives are commercializing KACST technologies, operating national Saudi Satellite Assets, supporting sustainable growth of the GDP, diversifying the economy and creating high quality jobs. About Skyware Technologies: Founded by David C. McCourt (Chairman and CEO of Granahan McCourt Capital), Skyware Technologies is a global leader in advanced integrated terminal solutions and satellite RF electronics, with operations on three continents and extensive expertise in the world's most in-demand satellite communications technologies. Its winning combination of high technology and low-cost manufacturing makes its cutting-edge terminal solutions and RF electronics platforms unique in the market. About Crescent Technologies: Founded in Riyadh, Crescent Technologies solves complex challenges across the communications, energy efficiency, healthcare, and security verticals. Crescent partners with the world's leading providers of solutions, intelligence, and resources to bring evidence-based interventions to problems challenging the prosperity and wellbeing of society. About Granahan McCourt Capital: Granahan McCourt Capital, LLC is a private investment firm focused on the technology, media and telecommunications industries. For over 30 years, David C. McCourt, Chairman and CEO of Granahan McCourt Capital, has been an innovator, entrepreneur, and business leader across the technology, media and telecommunications industries. He has founded or bought 20 companies in 9 countries, and is widely recognized as a transformational force in the telecommunications business. In addition to receiving the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' award from Ernst and Young LLP and the Harvard Business School Club of New York, he received the 2014 Award for Outstanding Alumni Entrepreneur from Georgetown University. McCourt was the first Resident Economist appointed by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and is also an Emmy award-winning TV producer. The Economist has described him as having "impeccable credentials as a telecom revolutionary." View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160509006097/en/

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[May 09, 2016] Statement by Matt Simoncini on Detroit Public Schools

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a leading global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems, today released the following statement from Matt Simoncini, President and CEO: "I fully support the Detroit Public School Reform Package that was passed by the Michigan State Senate and is supported by the Michigan Governor and the Mayor of Detroit as well as the Business Leaders of Michigan. This Senate Bill is consistent with the recommendations of the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren. This coalition consisted of a broad cross-section of business and community leaders. I believe it is important that we supprt this bi-partisan effort. A strong and sustainable school system in Detroit is key for future business and economic development in this state," said Matt Simoncini, Lear's president and chief executive officer.



Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA) is one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive seating and electrical distribution systems. Lear serves every major automaker in the world, and Lear content can be found on more than 350 vehicle nameplates. Lear's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of approximately 136,000 employees located in 36 countries. Lear currently ranks #174 on the Fortune 500. Lear's headquarters are in Southfield, Michigan. Further information about Lear is available at http://www.lear.com or follow us on Twitter @LearCorporation.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statement-by-matt-simoncini-on-detroit-public-schools-300265158.html SOURCE Lear Corporation

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[May 09, 2016] 2016 Huawei Canada 'Seeds for the Future' Award Recipients Announced

Work-study program will host 19 engineering students from nine Canadian universities on exchange trip to China MARKHAM, ON, May 9, 2016 /CNW/ - Huawei, one of the world's largest information and communications technology (ICT) solutions providers, today announced the 19 third year engineering students selected to participate in its 'Seeds for the Future' program. Students will be gathering in Ottawa for two days of preparation at Huawei's Canada Research Centre before departing for China on Thursday, May 12, for a two-week professional and cultural trip to China. Now in its second year, 'Seeds for the Future' provides an opportunity for students in over 40 countries around the world to learn firsthand about China and its technology industry. For Canadian engineering students, the program aims to build links between Canada and China, promote a greater understanding of career opportunities in the telecommunications sector, and to encourage participation in the international ICT community. Before they embark on their trip, these students will also have the opportunity to tour Huawei's Canada Research Centre and meet with Huawei's global 5G research team. "Last year's program was a resounding success and we are proud to be hosting a tremendous group of talented engineering students from across the country again this year," said Sean Yang, President of Huawei Canada. "This program creates an opportunity to connect Canadian engineering talent with the innovative research happening in both Canada and China. We hope this experience will help to strengthen the research ties between both countries and help to build a team of young Canadian engineers able to make a significant impact in the global ICT ecosystem." Students selected for 'Seeds for the Future' will be given first-hand learning opportunities through interactions with Huawei staff and visits to Huawei laboratories where they will witness live demonstrations of advanced communications technologies. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the latest skills needed to be successful in ICT and how to be effective in a multicultural business environment. The program also includes an opportunity to experience Chinese culture, and will include a visit to some well-known landmarks, including the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. 'Seeds for the Future' continues to be an important element in Huawei's work with Canadian universities. Since 2011, Huawei has invested over $6 million in advanced communications research projects with universities across Canada. Huawei's Canada Research Centre in Ottawa has played a central role in establishing Huawei as one of the global leaders in transformative 5G technology and innovative research supported by Canadian universities. "Our partners at Huawei have been fantastic and we look forward to continuing to work with them to develop these bright young minds and set them on these promising future career paths," said Jose Pereira, Director, Engineering Career Centre, and University of Toronto. Selected from an impressive list of student applicants, the participants are as follows:







Name University Priyank Malvania University of Toronto Alison Emily Chow University of Toronto Fan Guo University of Toronto Catherine LaRoche-Rioux Ecole Polytechnique Marie-Pier Lafortune Ecole Polytechnique David Gourde Ecole Polytechnique Megan Leach University of Saskatchewan Joseph Orlando Roque University of Ottawa Alexandre Haddad University of Ottawa Travis Morton Carleton University Mate Marinkovic Carleton University Karl Tanguay-Verreault Carleton University Peter Neathway Carleton University Shakil Kanji University of Waterloo Akshay Sapra University of British Columbia Nick Lauer University of Waterloo Scott Aker Western University Dylan Belvedere Simon Fraser University Victor Chun-Bon Simon Fraser University

For more information about the program, please visit Huawei.ca/Seeds-for-the-Future. About Huawei Huawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Huawei's 170,000 employees worldwide are committed to creating maximum value for telecom operators, enterprises and consumers. Our innovative ICT solutions, products and services have been deployed in over 170 countries and regions, serving more than one third of the world's population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees, and was recently name by Interbrand as one of the world's top 100 brands  the first Chinese company to receive this recognition. Huawei Canada has been in operation since 2008. Huawei's innovative wireless products and services support many of Canada's leading telecommunications companies, and Huawei's Canada Research Centre is a national leader in advanced communications technologies. Huawei is proud to be a key part of Canada's ICT Ecosystem. For more information, please visit Huawei online: www.huawei.ca SOURCE Huawei

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[May 09, 2016] Voith and Triton Reach an Agreement

HEIDENHEIM and STUTTGART, Germany, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The technology group Voith and funds ("Triton") advised by the private equity company Triton have signed a contract for the sale of the Group Division Voith Industrial Services. The two sides have agreed that Triton will acquire a majority interest in the entire Group Division and continue it under a new name with new branding. Voith will retain 20 percent in the form of a financial investment and will accompany the transition. The parties have agreed not to disclose any further details of the sales contract. The completion of the sales contract is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities. Within the framework of its Group-wide success program Voith 150+, Voith had announced in 2015 that it would focus the company's portfolio on its technology and engineering competency for the digital age. For this reason, the company has been looking for a new owner of the business covered by Voith Industrial Services and its related activities that are mainly based on the process know-how of the customers, for example in the automotive industry. "With today' agreement we have taken another big step within our restructuring towards making our company a shaper of digital change in the industry," said Dr Hubert Lienhard, President and CEO Voith GmbH. "Through this sale we have cleared the way for Voith to focus on its engineering competency for the digital age and open up new opportunities."



With some 18,000 employees worldwide and sales worth over EUR 1 billion, Voith Industrial Services is currently the world's largest service supplier for the automotive industry. The Group Division showed very good growth during the last fifteen years under the umbrella of the Voith Group. Since then its sales have more than tripled and its business has been clearly focused on key industries and services. Triton finances and supports the positive development of medium-size companies in northern Europe based in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the four Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. In this core region Triton focuses on companies in the areas industry, services, consumer goods and healthcare. The current portfolio of Triton consists of 27 companies with accumulated sales of about EUR 12 billion and a workforce of about 55,000 people.

Voith sets standards in the markets energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, Voith employs more than 20,000 people, generates  4.3 billion in sales, operates in about 60 countries around the world and is today one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe*. * Excluding the discontinued Group Division Voith Industrial Services. www.voith.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/voith-and-triton-reach-an-agreement-300265224.html SOURCE Voith

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[May 09, 2016] Dashlane Continues FinTech Growth; Digital Wallet Drives $5 Billion in Consumer Online Spending

NEW YORK, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dashlane, an award-winning password manager and leader in online identity management, announces that its digital wallet feature has surpassed $5 Billion in online consumer spending. The landmark spending figure comes as Dashlane expands its global presence with high-profile partners in the FinTech industry, having secured a deal with Banamex, Mexico's largest bank. "Dashlane is known for keeping your information safe, and we are quickly becoming the favorite for keeping digital transactions safe, secure and organized," said Emmanuel Schalit, CEO of Dashlane. "Consumers have already made Dashlane a leader in this space and now we are excited to help leading banks, like Banamex, reduce purchase friction and make online shopping one-click everywhere." Online Checkout Made Easy The power of Dashlane's digital wallet is in its ease of use and universal acceptance online. The wallet, which securely stores a host of online payment methods ranging from credit cards to bank accounts, operates seamlessly in the background. During the checkout process, Dashlane automatically detects shipping, billing, and payment form fields and prompts users to select their desired payment. Once selected, Dashlane automatically fills-out all of the necessary forms. A checkout process that typically takes a few minutes turns into one or two clicks, saving shoppers considerable time and keeping their personal and payment information secure in Dashlane, versus storing it on individual e-commerce sites. Dashlane's digital wallet works on all websites and removes the checkout friction that drives shopping cart abandonment for online merchants, which can affct up to 70 percent of potential transactions.



"The unique advantage of using Dashlane for online payments comes from our universal capability," said Schalit. "While other forms of online payment and identity management are limited in scope by device type, operating system, or merchant adoption, Dashlane works everywhere. This helps remove the majority of the friction consumers face when completing online transactions." Global Partnerships

Because online payment is such a prominent aspect of digital identity, Dashlane is launching partnerships with well-known global banks, networks, and emerging FinTech players. These collaborations will enable Dashlane to deliver its powerful identity management and online payments tools directly to clients of these institutions. Dashlane enables bank partners to communicate with their customers at checkout and provide special offers, rewards, and other relevant information. The company recently secured a ground-breaking deal with Banamex, the largest bank in Mexico. Through this deal, exclusive to Banamex customers in Mexico, Dashlane will provide 6 months of Dashlane Premium for free and VIP access to its Spanish-language support, as well as the ability to shop faster using their Banamex credit card stored securely in Dashlane. In addition to offering its premium password and identity management to millions of Banamex customers, Dashlane will enable Banamex to seamlessly deliver even more relevant content to its customers while they shop online. About Dashlane Dashlane makes identity and checkouts simple with its password manager and secure digital wallet app. Dashlane allows its users to securely manage passwords, credit cards, IDs, and other important information via advanced encryption and local storage. Dashlane has helped over 4 million users manage and secure their digital identity. The app is available on PC, Mac, Android, and iOS, and has won critical acclaim from top publications, including: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. Dashlane is free to use on one device, and Dashlane Premium costs $39.99/year to sync between an unlimited number of devices. Dashlane was founded by Bernard Liautaud and co-founders Alexis Fogel, Guillaume Maron, and Jean Guillou. The company has offices in New York City and Paris and has received $30 million in funding from Rho Ventures, FirstMark Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners. Learn more at Dashlane.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dashlane-continues-fintech-growth-digital-wallet-drives-5-billion-in-consumer-online-spending-300265112.html SOURCE Dashlane

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[May 09, 2016] Globant Reports 2016 First Quarter Financial Results

SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Globant (NYSE: GLOB), a digitally-native technology services company focused on creating digital journeys, today announced results for the three months ended March 31, 2016. First Quarter 2016 Highlights Revenue for the first quarter amounted to $73.3 million , representing a 34.5% year-over-year growth.

, representing a 34.5% year-over-year growth. Non-IFRS Adjusted Gross Profit for the first quarter was $33.0 million (45.0% Non-IFRS Adjusted Gross Profit Margin), an increase of $12.0 million compared to $21.0 million (and an increase of 650 basis points compared to 38.5% Non-IFRS Adjusted Gross Profit Margin) in 2015.

(45.0% Non-IFRS Adjusted Gross Profit Margin), an increase of compared to (and an increase of 650 basis points compared to 38.5% Non-IFRS Adjusted Gross Profit Margin) in 2015. Non-IFRS Adjusted Net Income for the first quarter was $8.4 million (11.5% Non-IFRS Adjusted Net Income Margin), an increase of $0.9 million , or 12.0%, compared to a profit of $7.5 million for the first quarter of 2015.

(11.5% Non-IFRS Adjusted Net Income Margin), an increase of , or 12.0%, compared to a profit of for the first quarter of 2015. Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted EPS for the first quarter was $0.24 per share (based on 35.2 million average diluted shares for the quarter), an increase of $0.02 compared to Non-IFRS Adjusted Diluted Profit per Share of $0.22 for the first quarter of 2015. Reconciliations between Non-IFRS / adjusted financial measures and IFRS operating results are included at the end of this press release. "I am very pleased with our first quarter results. Our revenues for the quarter amounted to $73.3 million, representing an outstanding 34.5% year on year growth. This solid growth in revenue was driven by both our top 10 and our non top 10 accounts, which increased by 35.6% and 33.5% respectively, compared to the first quarter of 2015," explained Martin Migoya, Globant's CEO and co-founder. Migoya added: "Globant continues to benefit from the strong market demand for digital services. Companies are embarking on company-wide digital transformations and we are being selected as a strategic partner to help them walk this important path. As our service offering expands with more practices around our Studios and the consolidation of Services over Platforms, we are reinforcing our position as a pure play on digital services, with strong capabilities in emerging technologies. We are in the right place to help our customers create digital journeys in a timely and innovative manner". "Q1 2016 represented a breakthrough in our operating performance, with significant improvements in both our gross and operating margins, driven by the long-awaited normalization of the Argentine Foreign Exchange market. The current margins show the strength of our operation," explained Alejandro Scannapieco, Globant's CFO. Globant completed the quarter with 5,285 Globers, 4,847 of whom were IT professionals. The geographic revenue breakdown for the first quarter was as follows: 82.2% from North America (top country: U.S.), 10.8% from Latin America and others (top country: Chile) and 7.0% from Europe (top country: Spain). 92.2% of Globant's revenue for the first quarter was denominated in U.S. dollars and G.B. pounds and the remaining 7.8% was in other currencies. During the 12 months ended March 31, 2016, Globant served 359 customers, 54 of which accounted for more than $1 million of Globant's revenues. Globant's top customer, top 5 customers and top 10 customers represented 11.6%, 36.4% and 48.4% of the first quarter revenues, respectively. Cash and cash equivalents and investments as of March 31, 2016 increased to $69.2 million from $62.4 million as of December 31, 2015, while borrowings amounted to $0.5 million. Current assets amounted as of March 31, 2016 amounted to $131.3 million, accounting for 56.3% of total assets. Finally, as of March 31, 2015 there were 34.2 million common shares issued and outstanding. 2016 Second Quarter and Full Year Outlook Based on current market conditions, Globant is providing the following estimates for the second quarter and for the full year 2016: Second quarter revenue is estimated to be between $76 - $78 million .

. Second quarter Non-IFRS diluted EPS is estimated to be in the range of $0.25 - $0.29 (assuming 35.3 million average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter).

(assuming 35.3 million average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter). Fiscal year 2016 revenue is estimated to be between $309- $315 million

Fiscal year 2016 Non-IFRS diluted EPS is estimated to be in the range of $1.12 - $1.20 (assuming 35.8 million average diluted shares outstanding for the full year). Conference Call and Webcast Martin Migoya and Alejandro Scannapieco will discuss the three-month results in a conference call today beginning at 4:30pm ET. Conference call access information is:

US +1 (888) 346-2877

International +1 (412) 902-4257

Webcast http://investors.globant.com/ Additionally, a replay will be available via the same dial-in information and in our investor relations website after the call. About Globant Globant (NYSE: GLOB) is a digitally native technology services company. We dream and build digital journeys that matter to millions of users. We are the place where engineering, design, and innovation meet scale. Today, Globant has more than 5,200 professionals in 12 countries working for companies like Google, eBay Classifieds Group, JWT, EA and Coca-Cola, among others, has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in South America by FastCompany, was included in the 2010 Cool Vendor in Business Process Services Report by Gartner, and has been featured in case studies at Harvard, MIT and Stanford. For more information visit www.globant.com. Non-IFRS Financial Information Globant provides non-IFRS financial measures to complement reported IFRS results, in accordance with IAS 34 "Interim Financial Reporting". Management believes these measures help illustrate underlying trends in the company's business and uses the measures to establish budgets and operational goals, communicated internally and externally, for managing the company's business and evaluating its performance. The company anticipates that it will continue to report both IFRS and certain non-IFRS financial measures in its financial results, including non-IFRS results that exclude share-based compensation expense, depreciation and amortization, acquisition related expenses and impairments of tax credits. Because the company's reported non-IFRS financial measures are not calculated according to IFRS, these measures are not comparable to IFRS and may not necessarily be comparable to similarly described non-IFRS measures reported by other companies within the company's industry. Consequently, Globant's non-IFRS financial measures should not be evaluated in isolation or supplant comparable IFRS measures, but, rather, should be considered together with its Unaudited interim consolidated financial statements, which are prepared according to IAS 34. Forward Looking Statements In addition to historical information, this release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business and financial condition, as well as the results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "plan," "expect," "predict," "potential," or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the persistence and intensification of competition in the IT industry; the future growth of spending in IT services outsourcing generally, application outsourcing and custom application development and offshore development services; the level of growth of demand for our services from our clients; the level of increase in revenues from our new clients; the resource utilization rates and productivity levels, the level of attrition of our IT professionals; the pricing structures we use for our client contracts; general economic and business conditions in the locations in which we operate; the levels of our concentration of revenues by vertical, geography, by client and by type of contract in the future; the continuity of the tax incentives available for software companies with operations in Argentina; Argentina's regulations on proceeds from the export of services; our expectation that we will be able to integrate and manage the companies we acquire and that our acquisitions will yield the benefits we envision; the demands we expect our rapid growth to place on our management and infrastructure; the sufficiency of our current cash, cash flow from operations, and lines of credit to meet our anticipated cash needs; the high proportion of our cost of services comprised of personnel salaries; and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the final prospectus for our initial public offering and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although the registrant believes that its expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, its expectations may turn out to be incorrect. The registrant's actual results could be materially different from its expectations. In light of the risks and uncertainties described above, the estimates and forward-looking statements discussed might not occur, and the registrant's future results and its performance may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements due to, inclusive, but not limited to, the factors mentioned above. Because of these uncertainties, you should not make any investment decision based on these estimates and forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this press release whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.







Globant S.A.

Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share amounts, unaudited)













Three months ended





March 31,

2016

March 31,

2015











Revenues



73,326

54,512 Cost of revenues



(41,358)

(34,614) Gross profit



31,968

19,898











Selling, general and administrative expenses



(17,769)

(15,457) Impairment of tax credits, net



-

1,820 Profit from operations



14,199

6,261











Gain on transactions with bonds



-

3,984 Finance income



6,886

2,557 Finance expense



(7,447)

(2,736) Finance expense, net



(561)

(179)











Other income and expenses, net



3

(3) Profit before income tax



13,641

10,063











Income tax



(5,725)

(2,558) Net income for the period



7,916

7,505











Other comprehensive loss net of income tax









Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss:









- Exchange differences on translating foreign operations



409

(604) - Net fair value gain on available-for-sale financial assets



928

- Total comprehensive income for the period



9,253

6,901











Net income attributable to:









Owners of the Company



7,940

7,505 Non-controlling interest



(24)

- Net income for the period



7,916

7,505











Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to:









Owners of the Company



9,277

6,901 Non-controlling interest



(24)

- Total comprehensive income for the period



9,253

6,901























Earnings per share









Basic



0.23

0.22 Diluted



0.23

0.22 Weighted average of outstanding shares (in thousands)









Basic



34,223

33,621 Diluted



35,151

34,481

Globant S.A.

Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, unaudited)

















Mar 31, 2016

Dec 31, 2015 ASSETS









Current assets









Cash and cash equivalents



32,723

36,720 Investments



36,478

25,660 Trade receivables



45,914

45,952 Other receivables



15,328

18,570 Other financial assets



900

900 Total current assets



131,343

127,802











Non-current assets









Other receivables



24,038

20,122 Deferred tax assets



6,953

7,983 Investment in associates



800

300 Other financial assets



1,221

1,221 Property and equipment



28,718

25,720 Intangible assets



7,314

7,209 Goodwill



32,714

32,532 Total non-current assets



101,758

95,087 TOTAL ASSETS



233,101

222,889











LIABILITIES









Current liabilities









Trade payables



3,235

4,436 Payroll and social security taxes payable



23,506

25,551 Borrowings



253

280 Other financial liabilities



5,770

6,240 Tax liabilities



15,190

10,225 Other liabilities



11

9 Total current liabilities



47,965

46,741











Non-current liabilities









Borrowings



206

268 Other financial liabilities



15,100

15,045 Other liabilities



20

- Provisions for contingencies



712

650 Total non-current liabilities



16,038

15,963 TOTAL LIABILITIES



64,003

62,704











Capital and reserves









Issued and paid-in capital



41,082

41,050 Additional paid-in capital



51,482

51,854 Other reserves



(675)

(2,012) Retained earnings



77,183

69,243 Total equity attributable to owners of the Company



169,072

160,135 Non-controlling interests



26

50 Total equity



169,098

160,185 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES



233,101

222,889 Supplemental Non-IFRS Financial Information

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, unaudited)













Three months ended





March 31,

2016

March 31,

2015











Reconciliation of adjusted gross profit









Gross Profit



31,968

19,898 Adjustments









Depreciation and amortization expense



914

1,107 Share-based compensation expense



144

5 Adjusted gross profit



33,026

21,010 Adjusted gross profit margin



45.0%

38.5%











Reconciliation of selling, general and administrative expenses



Selling, general and administrative expenses



-17,769

-15,457 Adjustments









Depreciation and amortization expense



1,334

1,195 Share-based compensation expense



351

9 Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses

-16,084

-14,253 Adjusted selling, general and administrative expenses as % of revenues -21.9%

-26.1%











Reconciliation of Adjusted Profit from Operations









Operating Profit



14,199

6,261 Adjustments









Impairment of tax credits, net of recoveries



-

-1,820 Share-based compensation expense



495

14 Adjusted Profit from Operations



14,694

4,455 Adjusted Operating Profit margin



20.0%

8.2%











Reconciliation of Net income (loss) for the period









Net income for the period



7,916

7,505 Adjustments









Share-based compensation expense



495

14 Adjusted Net income



8,411

7,519 Adjusted Net income margin



11.5%

13.8%











Calculation of Adjusted Diluted EPS









Adjusted Net income



8,411

7,519 Diluted shares



35,151

34,481 Adjusted Diluted EPS



0.24

0.22 Globant S.A.

Schedule of Supplemental Information



















Metric Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2015 Q1 2016



















Total Employees 3,332 3,371 3,567 3,775 4,040 4,512 4,724 5,041 5,285 IT Professionals 3,000 3,050 3,217 3,424 3,694 4,121 4,327 4,613 4,847



















North America Revenue % 79.9 81.1 82.3 83.1 84.1 85.2 84.1 81.7 82.2 Latin America and Others Revenue % 13.0 13.0 11.9 12.0 10.1 9.7 11.5 12.2 10.8 Europe Revenue % 7.1 6.0 5.8 4.9 5.8 5.1 4.4 6.0 7.0



















USD Revenue % 88.9 91.8 93.5 94.6 95.0 94.6 93.3 90.8 91.9 GBP Revenue % 1.3 0.8 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.8 1.4 2.4 0.4 Other Currencies Revenue % 9.8 7.4 5.9 4.8 4.0 4.6 5.3 6.8 7.8



















Top Customer % 7.1 10.1 8.8 8.8 10.2 12.3 13.4 12.7 11.6 Top 5 Customers % 25.4 29.0 29.2 28.9 30.8 32.8 33.2 34.4 36.4 Top 10 Customers % 39.8 44.8 46.2 44.8 47.8 47.7 45.9 46.4 48.4



















LTM Customers Served 266 278 299 296 292 344 343 344 359 LTM Customers with >$1M in Revenue 42 42 45 46 43 43 47 51 49 Investor Relations Contact:

Juan Urthiague, Globant

[email protected]

(877) 215-5230 Media Contact:

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(877) 215-5230 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120802/MX50844LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/globant-reports-2016-first-quarter-financial-results-300264810.html SOURCE Globant

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Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, Monday said that over 800 repentant Boko Haram...

Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi, Monday said that over 800 repentant Boko Haram insurgents are currently undergoing skill acquisition training.The NEMA boss who stated this at a two day Public Hearing on the North East Development Commission Bill, 2016 said that the skill acquisition exercise is being handled by the military and monitored by the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).Although he did not say where the exercise is taking place, it is believed that the repentant Boko Haram insurgents are being hosted in Maidugiri, the capital of Borno State.Alhaji Sidi was responding to the comment of a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kaka Kyari Gujbawu, who canvassed general amnesty for returning Boko Haram insurgents.Sidi said, It is not true that the Federal Government has no amnesty package. There is what is called safe corridor. I do know that 800 plus (Boko Haram) have been registered. I dont want to be specific. They have exited Boko Haram through the window. They are currently receiving various skill acquisition training. The military is handling it. It is being monitored by the Office of the CDS.Hon. Gujbawu had in his presentation at the event said that the NEDC Bill should include amnesty for repentant Boko Haram insurgents because most of the insurgents were conscripted and forced to fight along Boko Haram members.He said that a second life should be given to the repentant insurgents.He also said that provision should be made for the Civilian Joint Task Force members who he said were used and dumped.Gujbawu said that some form of integration in the line of employment should be evolved for the Civilian JTF members who helped tremendously to push out Boko Haram insurgents from Maidugiri.Chairman, Joint Committee on the North East Development Commission Bill, Senator Abdul-Aziz Murtala Nyako, assured that his committee would consider the amnesty aspect critically as well as discuss with the Executive on the issue.Nyako said that it is only after such critical consideration that the committee would determine whether amnesty would party of the Bill.He acknowledged the motion against the insurgency that was moved by Senator Thompson Sekibo and 40 others as part of the off-shoot of the Bill.He said that the NEDC Bill was sponsored by 18 Senators of the North East zone across party lines led by the Senate Leader, Senator Mohammad Ali Ndume.Nyako added that Nigerians should come to terms with the alarming fact that the North East zone is rapidly deteriorating as a result of the insurgency that began in 2009.He said, We often consider death as the most noticeable effect of this insurgency, but we need to look at our current situation holistically.Hundreds if not thousands of schools have been reduced to rubles; magistrates courts that used to resolve communal conflicts have been destroyed; hospitals and small clinics that used to treat nursing mothers, children and the elderly are non-existent, police and law enforcement structures have been demolished; homes, markets, public parks and community centers are completely ruined; women, men and children fleeing their homes have been forced to take shelter in completely foreign communities; our fellow brothers and sisters have been murdered, tortured, raped, dehumanized and rendered homeless.On his, Senator Abubakar Kyari (Borno North) noted that the Borno State Government was already doing something for the Civilian JTF.He noted that the state government has trained them under the supervision of the military and provided vehicles and uniform for the group.Kyari also said that the state government is paying stipends to members of the Civilian JTF out of its meager resources.He noted that it would wrong to say that nothing is being done for the members of the Civilian JTF.Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who inaugurated the Public Hearing, noted that what had been witnessed in the North East demanded special attention from all well meaning Nigerians and not just from government.He said, We must all rise up and say never again. We have seen families wiped out, children orphaned, incomes plunged below a tenth of what they were a decade ago.Families that have survived this onslaught have largely survived with little to live by and now rely directly on handouts for food rations.More than a quarter of the children in this area are either malnourished or in danger of malnourishment. Schools have become deserted and the social fabric of our national unity severely perforated in this area, threatening to create deep set divisions amongst us, fueling animosities amongst Muslims and Christians, leading to the entire economy of the region bleeding profusely.It is in this unique and dire context that we must appreciate the importance and urgency for us as a legislature and government to act, to restore hope and rebuild the North East.Saraki said that for members of the 8th National Assembly, the Bill is more than a National priority, because it reflects our mandate to make laws for the good governance, peace and security of the entire country.He said, The effort at this bill therefore, is aimed at creating the legislative framework to enable government provide the basic structures and capacities that will enable it rebuild the North East.It will also provide an avenue for external collaborators such as international development agencies to make effective contributions towards the region; further ensuring internal stability, a base for restoration, rehabilitation and conflict resolution.All the aforementioned are crucial not only for the sustained futures of the people of the North East but also for the country as a whole.This is a peculiar time in our history. Thankfully we can talk about rebuilding due to the remarkable bravery, patriotism and courage of our Armed Forces who continue to take the fight back to the Boko Haram who have now largely retreated to sporadic soft attacks. We are therefore here to show solidarity to their gallantry and act like leaders of a united and indivisible nation.However, we must not forget that this war against terrorism cannot be won by might but through the hearts and minds of citizens who are certain that they have a secure and guaranteed place within the fabric of our society and thus choose to live and act in harmony towards collective growth. Thus, in making a conscious, collective decision to focus development efforts in this region, we are fostering a strong sense of place and rebuilding a positive, shared identity.It is my firm hope that your contributions to this public hearing would further enrich the bill, deepen our discussion at Senate plenary and help provide us the missing links if any towards the process of giving back hope, belief and optimism to our people that wherever they may be, their welfare and security will remain the central purpose of government.I urge you to make haste in bringing this Bill to pass. Every day we wait to take legislative action, we delay the opportunities that ought to abound within and from the North East.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Katsina urged traditional rulers to spearhead the campaign for peaceful and harmonious co-existenc...





President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Katsina urged traditional rulers to spearhead the campaign for peaceful and harmonious co-existence among the diverse socio-political groups in the country. The president made the call when he visited the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabiru Usman, at his palace in Katsina, Katsina state.He said the call had become imperative in view of the activities of some groups who had been preaching hatred, disunity and divisive tendencies among Nigerians for their selfish motives. He, therefore, enjoined all Nigerians to always ignore those individuals and groups calling for the break-up of Nigeria.President Buhari, who narrated the role he played during the civil war in Nigeria, said over two million lives were lost during the war. The president, who expressed concern over the prevailing harsh economic realities across the country, called on the traditional rulers to assist in educating their subjects on the need to be patient and to always exercise restraints while commenting on state of the nation.He also called on community leaders across the country to introduce monthly or quarterly meeting in their respective communities to address issues concerning their welfare. According to him, such meeting will provide solutions to some challenges facing the people rather than awaiting government intervention to resolve such problems. President Buhari enjoined leaders to always be honest and straightforward while dealing with the people in order to ensure good upbringing of the younger ones in the society.On the current economic hardship being experienced in the country, the president attributed such hardship to dwindling oil revenue occasioned by the unstable global oil price. He, therefore, called on Nigerians to diversify their means of livelihood by engaging in agricultural activities to alleviate their sufferings.The president, who reiterated the determination of his administration to recover Nigerias stolen funds, reassured that the ongoing war against corruption was not selective but aimed at ensuring financial and economic discipline in the country.In his remarks, the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabiru Usman, called on the Federal Government to fulfill its promises of completing the dredging of River Niger as well as the Katsina state water and dam projects to boost irrigation farming in the state. The Emir also called for the federal governments intervention in reviving teacher training colleges to uplift the quality of education in the country.He enjoined Nigerians, particularly the elite, to support and show more understanding to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration by offering special prayers for the success of the government.Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has paid similar visit to the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk Umar, where he reassured Nigerians that his administration would continue to promote programmes and policies that would ensure unity, stability and development of the country. According to him, the 2016 Budget of Change, just signed into law, represents a major step in delivering a new opportunity for Nigeria.He said despite the challenges, his administration has the will, resourcefulness and commitment to not only secure Nigeria and rebuild the economy but also deliver prosperity to the people. President Buhari, however, solicited the support of traditional rulers, religious leaders and well meaning Nigerians to mobilise the citizenry toward serving the interest of the country, at all times.
According to recent reports, unknown gunmen in the early hours of Monday killed five policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Polic...

According to recent reports, unknown gunmen in the early hours of Monday killed five policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Nasiru Halidu.The policemen were ambushed by their assailants in Okobe, Ahoada West LGA of Rivers State, along the East-West road at about 3am.The victims were coming from Yobe State where they went on a special duty and were on their way back to Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital when they were attacked.State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Muhammad, who was almost in tears while confirming the incident, described the development as a sad one.
Salisu Abdullahi, a former director of finance of the Nigeria air force, on Monday, admitted to owning property across three states in the...

Salisu Abdullahi, a former director of finance of the Nigeria air force, on Monday, admitted to owning property across three states in the country.Abdullahi, who had testified against Alex Badeh, former chief of defence, at the federal high court in Abuja, also admitted that some of his property had been marked for investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).However, Abdullahi, a principal witness of the EFCC, while being crossed examined by Samuel Zibiri, one of Badehs lawyers, claimed that he bought some of the property with housing loans.Besides your the property you live in, you have other property that has been marked by the EFCC? Badehs lawyer asked.No. I dont, Abdullahi answered.Badehs lawyer: Tell us the houses you own that have been marked by the EFCC?Abdullahi: The house at No 8b Danube street, Wuse 2, where I live.Badehs lawyer: What of the one in Kaduna?Abdullahi: I have a car park which I purchased in 2002 when I returned from America. Then I have my house at N0 5c Sultan close, Kaduna. Thats where my family live. It was purchased through federal housing loan. I have two uncompleted houses in Kaduna- one is at Tafawa Balewa way, the other one is at Ibrahim Biu road. The proceeds from the sale of my office at Wuye, Abuja, were used to buy the two plots of land that I started developing.Badehs lawyer: What was the value of the property at Wuye?Abdullahi: The time I bought the property it was N45m in early 2010. I sold it for N320m in 2015.Badehs lawyer: How were you paid for the Wuye property?Abdullahi: Through bank transfer.Badehs lawyer: Are you telling this court that these are the only property that you declared before the EFCC?Abdullahi: I also have one at Lamido road in Kaduna.Badehs lawyer: In Kano how many property do you have?Abdullahi: Only the one I live in at Railway Quarters, Kano. I tried to sell it at N80m in 2015. But nobody bought it.Badehs lawyer: All these property that were marked by the EFCC, are they still under investigation?Abdullahi: Yes they are.At this point, Akin Olujimi (SAN), Badehs lead counsel, took over the exercise asking the witness if the defendant bought some of the property he was alleged to have purchased himself.Badehs lead counsel: Has the defendant paid for any of the property himself?Abdullahi: He has never bought a property himself, he inspects the property himself before giving me money to buy it.Badehs lead counsel: Does the chief of staff require a written statement to instruct you to buy an item?Abdullahi: No. I only carry out the order. I dont have an opinion of my own.Badehs lead counsel: Did you ask the defendant for a written instruction in respect of the alleged expenditures?No I did not.Previously in his testimony, Abdullahi, had claimed that Badeh instructed him to buy some choice property for himself and his children in Abuja.
A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has revealed that his office was ...

A former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has revealed that his office was funded monthly by the embattled former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).Okupe, who served under Jonathan from 2012 to 2015, said this on his official Twitter handle.He, however, said he had nothing to do with the arms scam which cost the country over $15bn in stolen funds.Okupe said, I was not paid arms deal money. The NSA paid for the running of my office monthly from August 2012. Dasukigate was in 2014. I did not take part in the campaign.The former spokesman for Jonathan, however, received bashing from several of his followers online who wondered why his office should get security votes.A Twitter user, Ojezs, asked, Youre just implicating yourself. Is it the NSA office that employed you?Another user, Ayoola Ayodeji, wrote, You probably mistake some of us for hungry people. A day will come when you wont be able to sleep because poor people are outside your gate.In his response, Okupe wrote, You guys are idiotic. You wait and pray for the innocent to be punished. It will not happen. You must think some of us are terrified.It had been reported in January that Okupe got at least N1.6bn off Dasuki in three shady cyber security contracts.One of the contracts had instructions to hunt down unfriendly media websites with Distributed Denial of Service attacks.It was believed to be a project conceived to shut down online media platforms perceived as friendly towards Muhammadu Buhari, the then presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2015 election.The other contract was to intercept all optic fibre cables landing in Nigeria. The third was a passive mass and target GSM interception that had the ability to decrypt ciphers and operate undetected.The contracts that were allegedly awarded Okupes cronies, reinforces claims that the former NSA merely doled out cash and contracts to cronies and political associates and violated procurement regulations in the process.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is set to release the documents contained in panama papers in a searchabl...

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) is set to release the documents contained in panama papers in a searchable database at 1800 GMT today.The documents will be accessible to the public at offshoreleaks.icij.org.The US-based organization said the release will not be a data dump' of the sort the Wikileaks group became known for.But it will reveal names and information on 200,000 offshore entities set up by wealthy individuals around the world. The documents are from 2.6 terabytes of data given to a German newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, over a year ago by an anonymous source using the name John Doe.
German Course Teaches Immigrants How To Flirt With Women

Trending News: Germany Offers A Class That Teaches Immigrants How To Flirt

Why Is This Important?

Because who wouldn't want help when it comes to approaching women?

Long Story Short

A German sex therapist offers a class for immigrants and refugees who want to get better at flirting with German women. The classes act as a supplement to a German website designed to teach migrants about sex, hygiene and consent.

Long Story

Imagine yourself as a refugee who recently arrived in Germany. You've escaped untold horrors, including (but not limited to) war, famine and genocide  what's the first thing on your to-do list in your new home? For many immigrants, the answer is obviously "crushslaying some poon," so Germany set up a website to teach migrants about societal norms for sex and sexual hygiene. But if that still isn't enough, a sex therapist is now offering a class for those who want to better understand how to approach and talk to women.

Christian Zech works with the Pro-Familia center, a nonprofit dedicated to sex and family planning. His classes, targeted at immigrants who already speak solid German, are all about how to respectfully (and effectively) flirt with German women. Most of the training revolves around consent and how women are viewed in German society, and eager students can try to spit some game at Jenny, Zech's female assistant.

The majority dont have a clue how to approach the opposite sex in this country, Zech says.

Following several incidents of sexual violence around New Years, public opinion towards migrants took a negative turn. In response, Germany set up a website designed to teach newcomers the basics of sex and sexual hygiene. Twitter reacted the way twitter tends to: badly.

Should I cry or laugh? German TV has guide for refugees: Respect women &gays, dont beat kids https://t.co/8r4yquU8uI pic.twitter.com/I1EGuyIisE  Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) January 18, 2016

I liked the European guides for refugees so I made a similar guide for how the West should behave in the Middle East pic.twitter.com/1R1VOITwaT  Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) January 19, 2016

Hopefully the classes are a more effective tool. Zech believes that only maybe 10-20% of the refugees have negative views when it comes to women, and that even fewer are actually dangerous. Ideally, his class will help the majority of immigrants who just want to integrate with their newfound homeland and maybe get their D wet along the way.

"My job is not to protect the Germans against refugees, but to ensure that both do well together, Zech said.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Is there any way a class like this can be effective?

Disrupt Your Feed

Being a refugee is already hard enough, so hopefully this makes life a little easier.

Drop This Fact

In 2015, Germany accepted 468,000 refugees from Syria alone.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has applauded winger Sheyi Ojo following the youngsters productive performance against Watford at Anfield.'The Reds' were 2-0 winners over 'The Hornets' at Anfield on Sunday and Ojo was largely impressive in the win, a development which has drawn commendation from the Liverpool boss.Ojo, everybody saw already what a wonderful player he is, said Klopp to the Liverpool website.The 18-year-old got a rare start for Liverpool and was a handful for the Watford defence with his pace and trickery and Klopp said he believes the youngster made good use of the rare opportunity to start.We had to give them the opportunity and they took it. They took the chance, he added.Ojo started his career with MK Dons, before signing for Liverpool, where he has now made six Premier League appearances this season.Although he has represented England at junior levels, he remains eligible for Nigeria.
Spokesman of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-kayode, who appeared before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ...

Spokesman of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-kayode, who appeared before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the receipt of N840 million campaign fund last year, was questioned today for over 10 hours by operatives of the commission.gathered that the former minister, who arrived the EFCC headquarters on Formella Street, Wuse 2, at 9:45 am.Fani-Kayode got about N840million from the slush funds allegedly used for the 2015 presidential campaign.He denied any wrongdoing, saying the cash went into the campaign and he accounted for it all.There were indications last night that he might be subsequently transferred to the Lagos office of the anti-graft agency.Spotting a blue dress, the ex-Minister of Aviation arrived at the EFCC office at about 9.30am in company of some aides. He was taken into custody for quizzing at the Operation Unit in the Tunde Idiagbon wing of the commission.All smiles, Fani-Kayode strolled in confidently and interacted freely before being ushered in.A source, who spoke in confidence, said Fani-Kayode gave information on his antecedents and how he came about the N840million.After the preliminary interaction with the suspect, he was given an administrative bail. But he is yet to fulfill the required conditions, said the source.Responding to a question, the source added: I think Fani-Kayode might be transferred subsequently to Lagos to join his colleagues who have been interrogated by our team.He was granted an administrative bail but he has not been able to meet the conditions. We are hopeful that he will get the required sureties.The N2.5billion was shared as follows: Fani-Kayode (N840million); Goodluck Support Group (N320million); Achike Udenwa and Viola Onwuliri (N350million); Nenadi Usman (N140million); Olu Falae (N100m) and Okey Ezenwa (N100million)Of the six people implicated in the scandal, three former public office holders have been questioned. They are Mrs Usman, a former Minister of State (Finance), Udenwa, a former governor, and Fani-Kayode.EFCC detectives allegedly found that the N840million was paid in three tranches into Fani-Kayodes account.A source said: The first tranche of payment involving N350million hit the account on February 19, 2015. Another N250milion was also paid into the account on February19, 2015 while N240million was similarly credited to the account a month later; precisely, March 19, 2015.The balance on this account as at 31st December, 2015 was N189, 402.72.The Goodluck Support Group allegedly received N320millionSimilarly, Chief Olu Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, allegedly received N100m through Marreco Limited, a company where he is Chairman. The fund was credited into the companys United Bank for Africa Plc account No. 1000627022 on March 25, 2014.Both Achike Udenwa and Viola Onwuliri got N350million in two tranches. The first tranche of N150million was paid into their joint account with Zenith Bank on January 13, 2015. The second tranche of N200miilion was credited into their account with Diamond Bank.Okey Ezenwa got N100million.Fani-Kayodes account remains frozen by the EFCC.
Following the attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta by the militant group known as Niger Delta Avengers, Royal Dutch has been compe...

Following the attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta by the militant group known as Niger Delta Avengers, Royal Dutch has been compelled to evacuate most of its staff from its production facility, Eja OML 79.This came as different security agencies and militants held separate undisclosed meetings to re-appraise their tactics, following a fresh directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that the group, which claimed responsibility for the recent bombing of oil/gas installations in Warri, Delta State, be overpowered.Shell evacuation was carried out by three helicopters weekend. The evacuation saw 98 key personnel airlifted by helicopters from Eja OML 79, run by Royal Dutch Nigerian subsidiary, Shell Petroleum Development Corporation, SPDC, where production of 90,000 barrels of oil per day has been halted.Sources said that a small group of staff was left on the platform to carry out skeletal operations. The staff and facility are offered protection by two gunboats belonging to the Military Joint Taskforce.Close to Eja 79 is the Bonga Field, which has a larger production capacity and is operated by another Shell subsidiary, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNEPCO.Sources said some staff had been evacuated from Bonga, while the wider security implication is being reviewed by the company.
John Oyegun, national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), says the government is not shutting its eyes to the pains o...

John Oyegun, national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), says the government is not shutting its eyes to the pains of the Nigerian people because it is real.Speaking in Abuja after receiving an achievement award from the Old Boys Association of Saint Patricks College (SPC), Asaba, Oyegun appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience.He said efforts were being made to pull the country out of the present hardship.Oyegun expressed delight with the signing of the 2016 appropriation bill into law, commending the idea of allocating about 30 per cent to capital projects.He said priority will be given to the execution of critical infrastructural projects like the national railway network, adding that the government will embark on initiatives aimed at diversifying and boosting the economy.We are not shutting our eyes to the pains of the Nigerian people because it is real. It is genuine. We can only plead for patience. Thank God the APC government has its very first national budget and the implementation of that budget will be passionately pursued. he said.In the coming months, the safety net created by the administration to cater for the poorest and vulnerable Nigerians and other economic initiatives aimed at diversifying and boosting the economy will be implemented. The result at the end of the day is going to be a more vibrant nation which every Nigerian will be proud of.As at today, the economy is in the process of being reflated; meaning that money is being put into the system. Contractors are being mobilised to go back to work. New contracts will be awarded. The railway will be one of the very first priorities. We will for the first time go from Kano to Lagos through Benin City all the way to Calabar by rail.He said the administration was in the process of building a solid foundation for the country.
Before he went to the EFCC headquarters this morning, Femi OluKayode took to his twitter page, claiming that no one can battle with th...

Who can battle with the Lord? Who can battle with the Lord? Who can battle with the Lord? I say nobody!  Femi Fani-Kayode (@realFFK) May 9, 2016

@realFFK oga shay now u are GOD abi wating abeg go and prove ur innocent eve GOD kno dey ur side all u people eating nigeria wealth. May 9, 2016

@realFFK Only d one who fights for the masses and picks up those who wouldn't let d people and economy thrive! EFCC is on the Lord's side. May 9, 2016

@realFFK I can only help you pray that you reap what you sow. May 9, 2016

@realFFK if u are with God nobody can touch u but if u had stolen, just 4get it, EFCC will deal with u. #840m from our purse! May 9, 2016

Before he went to the EFCC headquarters this morning, Femi OluKayode took to his twitter page, claiming that no one can battle with the Lord.Fani Kayode wrote: Who can battle with the Lord? Who can battle with the Lord? Who can battle with the Lord? I say nobody!The spokesman of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathans Campaign Organisation, is to be questioned on N840 million he reportedly received a few days to the presidential election. Fani-Kayode was spotted at about 9.30am at the EFCC office in blue native attire.The former aviation minister, who narrowly escaped arrest last Friday when about 10 EFCC operatives stormed his Maitama home in Abuja is to explain why he collected the sum of N840 million and what it was used for.However, many Nigerians have slammed him for bringing God into the episode. They admonished him to go and face the EFCC and answer the allegations against him.See reaction below:
The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Maritime Command, Mohammad Katsina, says it will no longer be business as usu...

The Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the Maritime Command, Mohammad Katsina, says it will no longer be business as usual for pipeline vandals, smugglers and pirates in the area under his watch.To this end, Katsina, who assumed the leadership of the Command in April, said he had created two additional departments comprising of men with special training in diving to serve as quick responders.The Commands Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, said in a statement on Sunday that the AIG announced the creation of the two departments last week at the maiden he held with the officers under his command.According to the statement, Katsina explained that the commanded needed to be restructured for better effectiveness in its operations against smugglers, pirates and pipeline vandals, whose activities he said had increased in recent times.He also disclosed the plan to partner with other security agencies especially in the training of the men under his command in aquatic life and aquatic combat operations.He assured stakeholders in the maritime sector that the positive effects of the restructure would soon be felt.He also said the restructure will engender better discipline among the officers, as all officers were now required to obtain a pass from the administrative department before proceeding on any form of leave and in cases of sickness.Only defiant officers are scared of sanctions. My intention is to fight miscreants and their likes within the 20 states of the maritime jurisdiction of this Command, Katsina said.
About four power plants became idle on Sunday as a result of the attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, bringing the total...

About four power plants became idle on Sunday as a result of the attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta, bringing the total number of plants not generating any megawatts of electricity to 12.There was significant reduction in generation from virtually all the other plants producing electricity, including Egbin in Lagos State and Alaoji in Abia State.The shut power plants are Sapele I in Delta State; Geregu I and II in Kogi State; and Omotosho II in Ondo, with their installed capacities put at 240MW, 138MW, 435MW and 500MW, respectively, according to industry data obtained by our correspondent.As of 6am on Thursday, Sapele I generated 70MW; Geregu I, 142MW; Geregu II, 135MW; and Omotosho II produced 110.2MW.Suspected militants in the Niger Delta had on Wednesday night blown up Chevrons Okan offshore production platform, forcing the oil major to shut down the facility.On Thursday night, a pipeline transporting crude oil to the Warri refinery and a 16-inch gas line, owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, were also blown up by the suspected militants.An industry source said the damage to Chevrons Okan platform on Wednesday had already cut supply of associated gas from the Okan field, adding that the gas supply shortfall worsened after the development on Thursday.Sapeles units ST1 and 2 were said to have been shut down due to gas constraints; with the ST3 undergoing rehabilitation; ST4 and 5 awaiting major overhaul; while ST6 tripped and shut down on gas control valve not following reference point.Geregu I saw its unit GT11 shut down due to gas constraints; GT12 for major overhaul; and GT13 was said to be out on maintenance.At Geregu II and Omotosho II, all the available units are out due to gas constraints.The total national power generation stood at 2,223.4MW as of 6am on Sunday, down from 3,183.9MW on May 5.The slide in power generation has worsened the blackout being experienced in many parts of the country, with many consumers without electricity throughout the weekend.Generation from Egbin, the nations biggest power station, stood at 315MW, down from 1,085MW on March 15. It generated 220MW on Thursday.The stations unit ST1 was said to have tripped on generator CB trouble; while ST2 and 3 were not on spinning reserve due to Egbin G/S management decision. Units ST4 and 5 were reportedly out due to gas constraints.The Egbin power plant, which is situated in Lagos, has the capacity to contribute about 1,320MW to the national grid.As of May 5, eight power stations, including Shiroro Power Station in Niger State, Olorunsogo II in Ogun State, and Rivers and Trans-Amadi IPPs, both in Rivers State, were idle.Shells Afam VI power plant generated the highest megawatts of electricity at 501MW as of 6am on Sunday, the data showed.
The man who allegedly killed his wife in the Egbeda, Lagos area, Lekan Shonde, has spoken to Punch Newspaper , revealing that his wife, ...

I am a Lagos boy and I can be in this Lagos for the next 30 years and nobody would see me.

Culled from Punch

The man who allegedly killed his wife in the Egbeda, Lagos area, Lekan Shonde, has spoken to, revealing that his wife, Ronke provoked him by describing vividly how her lover slept with her in a hotel in Abuja.Lekan, a depot worker in the Apapa area of Lagos State, said his wife of eight years changed after she allegedly started dating the general manager of a publishing company.The Abeokuta, Ogun State indigene, said he regretted marrying Ronke, explaining that his late mother had warned him against the union, but he never listened.Lekan and his wife, Ronke, lived on Tiemo Close, Off Awori Street, in the Egbeda-Idimu area.The marriage, which was blessed with two children, aged six and four, was said to have been marred with domestic violence.The crisis culminated in the death of Ronke on Thursday, after which her husband fled the house and locked up the children with their dead mother.He said the last time he beat his wife was three years ago after a disagreement, saying he had never touched her afterwards.He said, Since I married my wife eight years ago, she has never bought anything into the house. I gave her N5,000 on Saturdays and N3,000 on Tuesdays for soup. I also gave her money to make her hair.She was working with GTB as a marketer, but she got sacked three years ago. For that period, I was the one feeding her and taking responsibility for everything in the family. I would wash her pants, bathe the children and buy foodstuffs in the house. She later got a job with a publishing company owned by her uncle.But my wife changed sometime in March, when she started dating the general manger of a publishing company. My wife was going to the office from Monday to Sunday and she wasnt going to church again, all because of this man. She called him Eyitemi (My own).Last week Friday, she went to Abuja and came back on Monday. She never told me that the lover was there with her. I learnt later that the lover was there and they slept together in the same room for four days.When she came back, she didnt know I was inside the house. She started talking with the man on the phone that he really had fun with him and I didnt know how to make love. She again said her private parts were paining her.He said he confronted his late wife and she confirmed that she was dating the other man, adding that she asked her to concentrate on a relationship.Lekan said his wife refused to leave the house despite his insistence on her leaving.Recounting the incident of that night which led to her death, he said they had had an argument over money.He said, It was around 9pm on Thursday. We had paid our nanny N20,000. Then we needed to pay our childrens teachers N30,000. I discovered she had taken N20,000 and when I asked her to return my money, she said she had spent it.I was angry because for the past three months, she didnt allow me to have sex with her. I pushed her hand away from me on the staircase and I left her. She never tumbled or fell. In fact that night, I bought the food that we both ate because she said she didnt want to cook.I didnt know anything had happened to her until Friday when I saw her on the staircase. I thought she was still pretending. I just left her and walked away.Asked why he shut the gate against his children, he said he never did, adding that it was his son that closed that gate.Lekan also denied taking the victims phone away, saying he left it on the bed.He said he had no reason to kill his wife, adding that he bought her two cars and always provided for her needs.He said, Jide, her familys second child lived with me for three to four years. Their eldest daughter, Bolatito, has lived with me too.Although I am not a saint, I dont drink, I dont smoke. I am a responsible man. The problem with my wife was that she was temperamental. She shouted at me whenever she talked.Meanwhile, Ronkes sibling, Bolatito, said their mother had just arrived in Lagos from Ilorin, Kwara State, adding that the family would not want to talk about the incident yet.It was also gathered that Ronkes brother and the second born of the family, died in a ghastly motor accident in Abuja.Bolatito, who is the first born, is the surviving child of three children.She said, My mother just arrived from Ilorin and the family wants to devote time to attend to her; we dont want to talk about the incident. I am not in the right frame of mind to talk.But all I want to say is that her husband is somewhere out there and has been calling. The police should reach out to the telecommunications company to know where he is. He called me and he said he wanted to see me.He also said he wanted to see his children and I should tell him where they are because we might never see him again.The aunt of the victim, Bunmi, explained that the suspect had been threatening suicide, saying their mother had forgiven him.She said, Mummy is very sad with this, but she has forgiven him and does not want him to commit suicide.A family source revealed that the domestic violence had been on for some time, saying at a point, the matter was reported at a police station.He said the suspect always accused his wife of extra-marital affair.He said, He always beat her because of his belief that she was into an extra-marital affair.The beating reduced a bit when the wife of her late brother who was one month pregnant before his death, moved into the house with them. She stayed for about eight months. She was like her saviour.The Convener of the Women Arise for Change Initiative, Mrs. Joe Odumakin, while condoling with the family, said the group would pursue the case till the end.She said, I am shattered and heart-broken. Their mother had been a widow since they were all little and she has lost two of three children in less than one year. And it is hard to believe that the killer husband has been chatting with people, asking to see his children and blatantly lying that he only slapped her.Neighbours must learn to intervene when they hear unusual noise. And women, who are in abusive relationships, must speak out before it is too late. Lekan should come out and submit himself so he could be tried in a court, where he will have the chance to prove his innocence.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has said that the party was aware of the sufferin...

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has said that the party was aware of the sufferings of the Nigerians.He said the pains were genuine, but appealed for patience from Nigerians.Speaking at a dinner held in his honour by Saint Patricks College (SPC), Asaba, Old Boys Association (Abuja Branch), Oyegun assured that the programmes put in place by the Buhari administration to cater for the poorest and vulnerable Nigerians and other economic initiatives aimed at diversifying and boosting the economy will be implemented in the interest of the people.The APC chairman said We are not shutting our eyes to the pains of the Nigerian people because it is real. It is genuine. We can only plead for patience. Thank God the APC government has its very first national budget and the implementation of that budget will be passionately pursued.In the coming months, the safety net created by the administration to cater for the poorest and vulnerable Nigerians and other economic initiatives aimed at diversifying and boosting the economy will be implemented. The result at the end of the day is going to be a more vibrant nation which every Nigerian will be proud of.Oyegun said the APC government will pay attention to the execution of national railway projects contained in the recently assented N6.06 trillion 2016 National Budget which he said is one of the priorities of President Buhari.While recalling that 30 per cent of 2016 budgetary provision has been committed to capital projects, the APC National Chairman identified the railway projects as one of the critical infrastructural focuses of the administration.He said: As at today, the economy is in the process of being reflated; meaning that money is being put into the system. Contractors are being mobilised to go back to work. New contracts will be awarded. The railway will be one of the very first priorities. We will for the first time go from Kano to Lagos through Benin City all the way to Calabar by rail.He said the administration was in the process of building a new solid foundation and credible image for the country and appealed for patience and the cooperation from Nigerians as the administration works to pull the country out of the present hardships.President of the Association, Ogbuefi Tony Anyameluhor applauded what he described as the focused leadership of the APC National Chairman which led the partys victories in the 2015 General Elections.He urged Nigerians to the patient as the administration works to rebuild the country, saying Many Nigerians will appreciate what God has done by bringing in a party with zero tolerance for corruption, a party that upholds the principle of one person one vote grounded in free and fair elections at all levels.Less than one year of this administration, looted funds are being repatriated and they are going to be judiciously used for the benefit of all Nigerians. No doubt, the APC administration is faced with many challenges which it inherited. What is required from Nigerians is patience as it is easier to destroy than to rebuild.Delivering the dinner lecture, the National President of Saint Patricks College (SPC), Old Boys Association, Col. Paul Ogbebor identified technology as a key driver to achieving economic transformation in the country.Ogbebor ask President Muhammadu Buhari to establish a national construction bank, in line with the infrastructure drive of the administration, adding that the bank will amongst others, check corruption in government payment processes for awarded contracts.Dignitaries at the dinner included the APC Woman Leader, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu; APC National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso; Chairman Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye; Senator Domingo Obende; Chief of Staff to the APC National Chairman, Edwin Ikhinmwin, the Ojisi of Ogwashi Ukwu and Patron of Saint Patricks College (SPC), Asaba, Old Boys Association (Abuja Branch), Chief A.O Okafor and members of the Saint Patricks College (SPC), Asaba, Old Boys Association.
Ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, Sunday, said he had no apology to offer to the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, a...

Ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, Sunday, said he had no apology to offer to the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, a new militant group, which, last Tuesday, issued him a three-day ultimatum to act contrite for allegedly denunciation of the group and its violent activities. The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, apex Ijaw youth organization, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Eric Omare, threw its weight behind Tompolo. It maintained that the militant group should not force him to support their destructive mission, just as the Centre for the Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, and Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative, IPDI, condemned the resort to violence by Niger Delta Avengers.However, Itsekiri and Ijaw leaders, Chief Ayiri Emami and Johnny Michael, who spoke to newsmen on phone, fingered an ex-militant leader for the bombings, saying the militant group was acting his script.Tompolo, who also spoke through his Media Adviser and Consultant, Mr. Paul Bebenimibo: He (Tompolo) will not apologize to them (Niger Delta Avengers). If not for his present issues with the Federal Government, he (Tompolo) would have gone after them and exposed them because they seem to make things difficult for him, as the government is pointing fingers at him, but he cannot do anything in his present situation, Bebenimibo said.He mentioned two prominent Itsekiri and Ijaw activists, both stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Delta state, who he said, are only looking for attention from the government, so they use the happenings to seek relevance from the government, they may be behind these guys.The militant group in a statement by its spokesperson, Col. Mudoch Agbinibo, May 3, took umbrage at Tompolos green light to servicing companies to go about their normal operations, particularly repair of the Forcados Terminal 48-inch pipeline.It declared: We hereby give you a three- day ultimatum to apologize to Niger Delta Avengers in the same national dailies as anything other than that will mean that we shall bring the war to your doorstep by blowing up all oil installations within your backyard (Gbaramatu Kingdom).The group alleged that the former General Officer Commanding, GOC, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, had taken side with the Federal government to fight the Niger Delta people. Two days after the ultimatum, the militant group on Thursday, May 5, bombed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC crude and gas lines and Well D25 in Abiteye, a key gas well operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL.In a statement after the twin attacks, its spokesperson, Col Agbinibo asserted: To keep to our promise, the three (3) days ultimatum given to Chief Government Ekpemupolo has elapsed and he fail to apologize to the Niger Delta Avengers, at 2200hours, Thursday, May 5, 2016, our strike team 4 hit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) crude and gas lines. The Crude line feeds the Warri and Kaduna refineries respectively, while the gas line feeds the Lagos and Abuja electricity power supply.With this development, the Warri and Kaduna refineries will be shut down and all cities that depend on the gas line for power will all be in total darkness like the creeks of the Niger Delta. In same vein, the Niger Delta Avengers strike team 7 at same time 2200hours, Thursday, May 5, 2016, blew up Well D25 in Abiteye. A major gas well belonging to Chevron and also blow up major pipe lines to effectively put the Abiteye, Alero, Dibi, Otunana and Makaraba flow stations that feed the Chevron tank farm out of operation.As at now, Chevron operation in the Niger Delta is zero, he said. The militant group boasted: Located some 100meters away from the blasted Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline is a military houseboat stationed there to protect the oil pipelines. But, we want you public to know that despite the heavy present of military operatives our activities cant be stop and it just waste of fund and time to let the Nigeria military protect oil installations.
From their proposal at the Murtala International Airport, Lagos to their wedding introduction in Ondo state, Nollywood actor Tunde Owokon...

From their proposal at the Murtala International Airport, Lagos to their wedding introduction in Ondo state, Nollywood actor Tunde Owokoniran has being carrying his fans along with every step of his getting married.





Finally the Yoruba actor has walked down the aisle with his sweetheart Akinwinsola mztilapia Tunmise on Sunday, May 8 at NAIM Islamic Centre in New Jersey, United States of America to marry his .





Top Nollywood actress Toyin Aimakhu who was in US attended their wedding. She shared the wedding photos on her Instagram.




The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
Instagram Shooting Threat Prompts Extra Security At South Loop High School

By Mae Rice in News on May 9, 2016 4:53PM



Photo via Jaysin Trevino on Flickr

Jones College Prep had heightened security on its Printer's Row campus Monday after a Sunday Instagram post threatened a Monday shooting at the selective enrollment high school. Police do not believe the threat is "valid," according to a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department, but they nevertheless have "additional resources from the First District deployed at and around the school."

The threat, which has appeared on every social media channel, began on Instagram (on a now-deleted account). Its caption, which begins "Tomorrow is my rapture" and includes statements such as "I like to kill," was paired with a photo of a gun.

The post is shown here:



YsPSA Ys IF you go to Jones College Prep or know any one that goes there DONT GO TO SCHOOL TOMORROW!! PLEASE RT Y pic.twitter.com/ouHJoczBxM  Braceface (@sincerelyybreee) May 9, 2016



The administration at the school is "aware" of the post, according to a recent statement from the school. The statement reads, in part:

[T]he school will have additional security starting Monday (5/9), and are urging everyone to come to school as normal. Students and parents are encouraged to anticipate a longer check-in at the beginning of the day.

CBS reporter Mike Puccinelli tweeted a photo of that check-in in progress, showing students lined up to go through metal detectors this morning:

Students at Jones College Prep line up to go through metal detectors after threat is made online. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/pMPsuA0ZXV  Mike Puccinelli (@MPuccinelliCBS2) May 9, 2016

The police investigation into who made the threat is ongoing.


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.
Logan Square's Ale Syndicate Learns To Share With 3 'Mini-Breweries'

By Ben Kramer in Food on May 9, 2016 2:40PM



Photo provided by Ale Syndicate.

In his book Being and Nothingness, Jean-Paul Sartre dismisses the idea of hidden realities, meaning worlds we cannot see past physical objects. When it comes to Ale Syndicate, the winner of our Chicagoist Beer Bracket, the philosopher is disproven.

Peeking through the brewerys windows, you can see tanks, hoses, and anywhere from 5 to 30 people working at a time. These people, however, dont all work for Ale Syndicate. The building on 2601 W. Diversey Ave. is home to the likes of Arcade Brewery, Around The Bend Beer Co, and Karetas Brewing. The brewery is a multi-cellular organism, held together in one man-made body. This highly active and shared environment is made possible through "Alternating Proprietorship."

Alternating Proprietorship, or Alt Prop for short, is a system which allows individual breweries to brew inside one building, while the building is owned by a single brewery. Ale Syndicates co-founder Sam Evans describes the situation as, entire mini-breweries, legally speaking, inside another brewery.

The mini-breweries have their own federal licensing, accounts, and fermenters. Arcade, Around The Bend and Karetas all develop their own recipes, buy their own grain, and tune the water chemistry to their liking. The only thing they dont have is their own brewhouse or bottling line. This is where Ale Syndicate steps in. Aside from the building, they own the brewhouse and the bottling line, which they share with the others. While Arcade, ATB, and Karetas dont pay rent to stay in the space, they do pay to use the brewhouse.



Photo provided by Ale Syndicate.

The idea for Alt-Prop came through simple exploration. Brothers and Ale Syndicate Founders, Sam and Jesse Evans discovered the system a few years back, when they were trying to start up their own brewery. Once they talked about it with friends Chris Tourre and Lance Curran, founders of Arcade Brewery, they asked if they would be interested in an Alternating Proprietorship. Arcade agreed, so the Evans went after it.

We were the first in Illinois to get this license, recalls Sam Evans.

For Arcade, It made sense to us to get started in that way, remembers Chris Tourre. Its a good way for us to get started with lower capitalization, but at the same time being able to work and feed off one anothers knowledge and help and physical labor, and goods.

The experience level of each brewery is different. Some people have worked with this type of equipment, in this type of environment, for years, while others have never done anything like this outside of their basement. The environment promotes and fosters growth, as well as teaching others the business aspects of running a brewery. The Evans brothers have helped Around The Bend with patents for beer labels, and helped to set up accounts, but they dont take credit for the brewerys success. Referring to ATB owner Dan Schedler, Jesse Evans says, I just gave him enough to be dangerous.



Photo provided by Ale Syndicate.

With all of these breweries under one roof, setting up brew days ahead of time is crucial.

We have a very complex brewing schedule, says Sam Evans. With machinery, we all reserve ahead of time. Scheduling is pretty important when were all sharing the same equipment.

Some of the guys, Byron, the Head Brewer for Ale Syndicate, says Tourre of Arcade, he sometimes just prefers to come in in the evenings, like brew throughout the night, stuff like that. Have less people getting in his way.

Sometimes things get double booked, but Tourre says there are backdoor conversations where both parties can, figure out ways to help each other out so nobody has to get their production screwed up, or anything delayed.

If they need to get something out the door, he adds, we can usually figure out a way to make it happen.

At this moment, four breweries operate inside the building on 2601 W. Diversey Ave. (including AS). Two breweries, 350 Brewing Company and 51st Ward Brewing, have brewed there in the past. Currently, theres as a partnership between Metropolis Coffee and Ale Syndicate, where Metropolis picks and roasts the beans for Metropolis Cold Brew Coffee, which Ale Syndicate cold brews and bottles.

While theres no word of any new breweries moving in, there is a new project currently underway for the Ale Syndicate building.

A full built out taproom, says Sam Evans. For right now, its going to be all the beer Ale Syndicate produces. But were also working on the ability to sell the Alt-Prop beer as well.

Currently in the permitting phase, the hope is to have the taproom open later this year.


Demolition of homes will begin this month to make way for a 55-unit independent/assisted living facility in north Council Bluffs, pending city council approval on a related-issue Monday evening.

The council has been requested to approve the final plat of a two-lot residential subdivision creating the proper zoning for the facility in the 2400 block of North Broadway run by Bethany Lutheran Home.

This would be our third building, said Michael Van Sickle, Bethanys chief operating officer.

The two-story facility would feature 40 independent and assisted living apartments and 15 for those needing memory care, such as having Alzheimers disease, he said. Bethany currently runs a skilled nursing and rehabilitation home at 7 Elliott St. and a 60-unit independent/assisted living facility at 11 Elliott.

We had a market study done and it told us that in the next few years, even now in fact, there will be a need for more assisted and independent living units, Van Sickle said.

Apartments in the two-story facility would range in size from studios to two-bedroom models. A large outdoor patio on each floor is planned, also, Van Sickle said. Garages for vehicles will be available, as well. Those in the independent living area will be able to stay in their own apartment should the need for assisted living ever arise, he added. Typically, those who transition from independent to assisted living must move to another location, he said. Total investment is $12 million, Van Sickle said, and 60 jobs would created.

The councils action Monday evening involves a request from Bethany to divide 12.7 acres of land north of Sylvan Drive and west of North Broadway into two lots, with the new facility planned for the lot with frontage along North Broadway and Sylvan with access from Sylvan. The other lot contains a scenic hillside with a steep vertical slope and undesirable for development. Nevertheless, it would create nice green space for the Bethany residents to enjoy, Van Sickle said.

If the council approves the final plat request, the lot featuring the proposed facility would automatically be zoned for multi-family use allowing work to begin.

Three homes on the proposed location would then be demolished beginning May 23 with construction starting in the fall, Van Sickle said.
20 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week



Get creative with Manifest and ACTIVATE this Friday. Photo by Alexis Ellers.

Movies, music, and wine make up just a few of our favorite things this week.

MONDAY MAY 9

PURPLE RAIN: If youve somehow made it through the last two weeks without seeing Purple Rain, change that on Monday. City Winery is hosting a screening of the late Princes breakout film at 8 p.m. Free with RSVP.



TUESDAY MAY 10



The Messenger. Photo via Music Box's website.

FILM + SCIENCE: The Field Museum goes to the Music Box Theatre for another Cinema Field Trip. Watch a feature film, this time its the documentary The Messenger, and then stick around for a discussion with professionals on the subject matter. The lecture guest will be Director of Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Dr. Peter Marra discussing the migratory patterns of songbirds and their uncertain fate. Tickets are $11.

CONCERT: Tortoise recently put out their first studio album in seven years, and its a welcome return for the quintet who we could only describe as eclectic. Dub, rock, jazz, electronica and minimalism have all touched their standout instrumental work, which spans a quarter century in Chicago. Tickets are $21.



WEDNESDAY MAY 11

THE BLUES BROTHERS: ArcLight NEWCITY & The Second City have teamed up for a film screening series spotlighting comedic alumni. This month, Second City Second Wednesday" presents The Blues Brothers at 7 p.m. followed by a Q&A with Rich Moskal, Director of the Chicago Film Office, moderated by Mainstage Alum, Bruce Jarchow. Tickets are $14.50.

CALABRIAN WINE DINNER: Sample wines from the Calabria region of Southern Italy as theyre paired with a menu from Publican Quality Meats. 7 p.m. Tickets are $75. For reservations, email Kirsten@oneoffhospitality.com.

BOOK EXPO: Book worms should find their way to McCormick Place for BookExpo America in advance of Book Con this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The publishing event features conferences, exhibitors, author signings and more. Visit their website for more information.



The Joffrey Ballet's Cinderella. Photo via Auditorium Theatre's website.

CINDERELLA BALLET: The Joffrey Ballet closes their 60th anniversary season with the fairy tale Cinderella at Auditorium Theatre. The full-length, three-act ballet from Sir Frederick Ashton was originally written for the Sadlers Wells Ballet (now The Royal Ballet) in 1948 and is one of the most popular and lavish productions in the Joffrey repertoire according to Artistic Director Ashley Wheater. Tickets start at 32.

JEWELRY FOR PEACE: Shop jewelry from Andie K at Partnering for Peace from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Rockit has partnered with the jewelry maker to support Ferrer Foundation, a non-profit organization fostering a positive path to success for underserved youth in Chicago. The event will include music, wine and hors doeuvres from Chef Amanda Downing. Tickets are $25.

WOMEN IN WHITES: Celebrate female chefs at The Boarding Houses Women in Whites dinner at 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature courses from ZoA Schor (of the soon-to-be Split-Rail) and Diana Davila (most recently of Cantina 1910 and in the process of opening her own restaurant) plus The Boarding Houses very own Chef Tanya Baker and Pastry Chef Julia Fitting. Owner and proprietor Alpana Singh will set the wine pairings. Tickets are $145.



THURSDAY MAY 12

FARMERS MARKET KICKOFF: If youre itching for signs of summer as much as we are, youll be happy to hear that the Chicago Farmers Markets kick off their season at Daley Plaza this Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Shop healthy, fresh local produce and other products from regional farmers and businesses. For the full season schedule and locations, check the City of Chicago website.

CELEBRATE CHICAGO HEROES: Support Chicagos heroes with Old Style and Joe Minoso from NBCs Chicago Fire from 7 to 10 p.m. at Sluggers. Theyll have complimentary Old Style and food, plus swag giveaways and a vintage 1962 Mac firetruck on site. Free entry with RSVP.

POPULAR MUSIC: Nada Surf has come a long way since their '90s breakout hit "Popular." Over the years the group has transformed itself into a powerful force when it comes to merging emotionally resonant songwriting with powerfully driving melodies. On this year's You Know Who You Are, the band continues to prove they can craft music you want to pump your fist along to while feeling all of the feels. They play Thalia Hall Thursday night and tickets are $25 to $30.

OUTDOOR SAMPLE SALE: Sample sales are great for nabbing good-as-new products for a fraction of the price. This Thursday through Saturday you can shop for your patio at the Merchandise Marts Outdoor Sample Sale. More than 15 showrooms will open their doors to the public to shop outdoor tables and chairs, bar sets, loungers, lighting, accessories and so much more. Free.

COLLABORATION DINNER: Chefs from Osteria Langhe and Roka Akor come together for a one-of-a-kind dinner at 6:30 p.m. The six-course prix fixe menu features Piedmontese and Japanese fare and a portion of the evenings proceeds will benefit Pilot Light. Tickets are $191.



FRIDAY MAY 13

LAKE FX SUMMIT + EXPO: The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events presents Lake FX taking place at the Chicago Cultural Center. The Summit and Expo includes more than 100 talks, panels and workshops for those working in the culinary, fashion, film and media, music, performing arts, technology and design and visual arts fields, but it also includes showcase performances from the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Rhymefest and MONAKR. Many other local artists will perform over the two day event, and its all free. Register on their website.

MANIFEST + ACTIVATE: Every year Columbia College Chicagos Manifest festival takes over the Loop with art exhibitions and more than 100 free public programs. This year theyre integrating with Chicago Loop Alliances first ACTIVATE event of the year. This one day event kicks off at noon and includes live music, fashion shows, gallery walks and so much more. Theres even an adult ball-pit filled with 100 4x8 gold inflatables. Visit the Manifest website for the full schedule and more information.

GOOD VYBES FEST: Head to the Empty Bottle for some Good Vybes this weekend. Its the third festival with the help of Eye Vybe Records, presenting heavy psych from all over the country, including bands from right here in Chicago like Rabble Rabble. Visit event page for lineup and ticket info.

TUSCANY WINE DINNER: Feel like youre spending a Night in Tuscany with a wine dinner at The Florentine. The four-course dinner is presented in collaboration with family-owned and operated winery Marchesi deFrescobaldi. Tickets are $75. For reservations, call (312) 660-8866 or email.

TWEEDY SOLO SHOW: Its time again for Jeff Tweedys annual benefit shows at the Vic. The Wilco frontman performs to raise for the Montessori school. Expect to hear tunes from every stage of his career, from Wilco to Uncle Tupelo to Loose Fur. Tickets are $75.

RECORD RELEASE: Chicago's Twin Peaks release their latest album Down In Heaven this week. It shows the band further tempering their early sonic rowdiness without losing any of the manic garage rock energy they're known for. The '60s-style production makes it sound like the band is telegraphing their songs into the future, buoying melodies along a bed of scrappy pop hooks. Every time we've seen this band live, they've torn up the stage, so expect this new LP's more tempered sound to explode in a live setting when they play Lincoln Hall this Friday. Tickets are $20.
This Unique Local Hot Sauce Will Make You Rethink Spicy Food

By Anthony Todd in Food on May 9, 2016 2:06PM



The new sauce. Photo courtesy of GT Fish & Oyster.

If you go to the hot sauce aisle at your local supermarket, it's all about heat. The heat is sometimes marked in "Scoville units" (the scaled used to measure the heat of peppers), and it's sometimes denoted with fireworks or big red letters, but the message is usually the same: It's all about hot, hotter, hottest.

Not so for Scorch, the latest hot sauce from Chef Giuseppe Tentori and GT Fish & Oyster. Here, it's all about flavor. Fans of GT will be familiar with Tentori's two existing hot sauces, a red and a green version, but Tentori wanted to create something really new with Scorch. That's why he paired up with a farmer and a food scientist to create an heirloom product that combines the best of hot sauce with the flavors of citruswithout a single citrus fruit.

Tentori discovered a unique pepper, the Lemon Drop pepper from Peru, at a local farmers market. "They look like a jalepeAo, but I tested it and said 'holy shit, thats so hot,'" said Tentori. But the heat isn't the only thing that makes this pepper unique. "It doesnt burnyou get a more citrus flavor, and it lingers in your mouth. It doesnt burn like a habanero. I love that about it."



Tentori harvesting the peppers. Photo courtesy of GT Fish & Oyster.

Food scientist Sean McGrath, who Tentori enlisted to help him scale up the recipe, described it similarly. "The pepper tastes just like lemon, its amazing with oysters and seafood," he explained. "It also goes awayit doesnt linger, and you can continue to eat."

But just finding an amazing pepper at a farmers market doesn't mean there is enough of it to bottle. They commissioned a local farmer to grow 800 pounds of these peppers, and McGrath worked to scale up the recipe to semi-industrial proportions. "If you make an error in a five pound recipe, its going to be compounded as you get bigger. If youre off by .1 percent, that is now a 10 pound error when you scale up," explained McGrath.

It's also complicated because not all peppers are the same. "Chilis change throughout the year. I once made a sauce that was on a menu for 1000-unit chain, and it was a habanero sauce, and one crop varied considerably and suddenly we started getting complaints from consumers!" he said.

Peppers vary throughout the year, and the heat of a particular crop can change based on moisture and soil chemistry. That's why careful measurement and constant testing is key.

The sauce doesn't contain any added ingredients and, surprisingly once you taste it, it doesn't contain any citrus. Just peppers, vinegar and salt. "Its not a very complex sauceit lets the chili shine," said McGrath. The pepper is such a great citrus. Its just like youre eating chili and lemon."

For Scorch, McGrath and Tentori prepared about 4000 bottles. They will be served at GT Fish & Oyster, and are available at Mariano's for purchase. If it sells out, they might do another batch next year, but it all depends on the availability of the peppers, so if you want a taste of this sauce, buy it now.
The Danish Cultural Center in Beijing, China is simultaneously staging two exhibitions, namely, "The Weather Diaries" and "Our Arctic Future," both aimed at improving people's awareness of the Arctic in the context of global warming and environmental degradation.

Eric Messerschmidt, director of the Danish Cultural Center, discusses the two exhibitions entitled "The Weather Diaries" and "Our Arctic Future" at the Danish Cultural Center in Beijing, China on May 6, 2016. [Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn]

"The Weather Diaries" exhibits the creativity of the fashion scenes in Iceland, the Danish Faroe Islands and Greenland. The three places are common in their isolation from the rest of the world, limited resources and wild, unpredictable weather, which all in all, breed a roughness, fearlessness and a desire to create.

In comparison, "Our Arctic Future" consists of photos taken in the Arctic region, including the habitats of the Inuit, melting ice and its impacts on shipping lanes, as well as booming Arctic tourism.

The director of the Danish Cultural Center, Eric Messerschmidt, summarized on Friday that the relevance between the two exhibitions is the "important but fragile Arctic cultures, which are undergoing tremendous changes" owing to a series of factors.

Messerschmidt emphasized that in the Arctic region, unlike the Antarctic, there is a permanent residence of around 50,000 people from different countries, and their rights to live should be respected and protected.

"We are talking about the people who live so isolated, outside what we call the mainstream. The exhibitions show that these people have the right to and deserve global attention," he said.

In the big picture, raising Arctic awareness would not only benefit Denmark among other countries around the Arctic Circle, but also all other countries. For example, the northern part of China is close enough to the Arctic region to be affected by the climate change in the Arctic, according to Lars Bo Larsen, the deputy head of the mission of the Royal Danish Embassy in China.

He noted that the Arctic Council, which was established in 1996 by countries with Arctic territory, is central in dealing with social developments, climate issues and sovereign issues between the Arctic coastal nations.

"The council welcomes the engagement of relevant global actors, including China. This is why we welcome China in becoming a permanent observer and seek to integrate China even more in these issues," Larsen said.

The Arctic Council consists of eight Arctic countries, namely Canada, Denmark (also representing the dependencies of Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. In 2013, the council added China, among another 11 countries, to be permanent observers.

Larsen said that China has spent some time "observing what's going on to discover the best way to get involved," so that the country can seize the chance to get itself better integrated.

Even so, Larsen believes that China has a lot to offer in a number of "technical issues," such as search and rescue for ships as well as handling environmental issues and climate change.

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
Ashley Sutcliffe (left), public relations manager at Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, one of Chinas biggest private carmakers, holds a discussion session with his colleagues in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Friday. [China Daily]

Chinese employers with a shortage of highly skilled workers have opened their doors wider to foreign talent.

The trend is being spurred by a new government manpower policy that encourages companies to hire directly from the international market.

Major international headhunting companies have benefited from the change, seeing robust growth in such business in recent years, a China Daily investigation has found.

Spring Professional, a subsidiary of leading human resources company Adecco Group, has operated on the Chinese mainland for more than 10 years.

It says that in the past three years, its annual revenue in China has grown by between 70 and 100 percent, thanks to the growing demand from Chinese companies for international staff.

"Three years ago, 80 percent of our business was to find candidates for multinationals in China. Now, more than 60 percent of our business has shifted to searching for international candidates for Chinese employers," said Xiao Lirong, director for Beijing and Shanghai at Spring Professional.

"Besides the private sector, even State-owned enterprises have become our clients," she said. State companies have traditionally relied on government agencies to introduce overseas talent.

Robert Parkinson, CEO and founder of RMG Selection, another international human resources company that focuses on China, said its annual placement for foreigners in Chinese companies has doubled in four years.

Parkinson said the demand for skilled technical foreign talent is growing as China moves from low-cost manufacturing to more diversified innovative business.

"In the past, foreign talent we searched for focused on marketing or selling. Now, Chinese companies increasingly need technical experts," Parkinson said, adding that this business will continue to grow.

Business for international recruiters is poised to continue soaring after the government pledged to introduce more overseas talent for pillar industries during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), with "the market playing the leading role", instead of government-initiated recruitment.

China targets top overseas talent, including professionals in innovation, breakthrough technologies and new industries, as well as scientists in strategic sectors. The government has simplified the visa application process to hire them.

One example is new-energy vehicles. Last year alone, China manufactured 379,000 such vehicles, a fourfold increase year-on-year, which has demonstrated the shortage of overseas talent.

Audrey Deng, a recruitment manager with more than eight years' experience, said six automobile clients have created more than 80 new positions, mainly for leading experts from countries including the United States, Germany and Japan.

Christine Raynaud, Greater China CEO for Morgan Philips Group, a global recruitment company, said that despite the growing demand, international recruitment is difficult for local and foreign companies in China.

"Chinese firms and brands are internationalizing to compete in global markets, and this means they have to attract and integrate foreign experts on critical projects," she said. "However, the traditional recruitment model is too local' in terms of sourcing and recruiter experience."

Raynaud said the internet could speed up the screening process, but when it comes to the final interview, only professional human resources experts can judge whether candidates are suitable.

Backed by international resources and professional experts worldwide, recruitment firms are expected to bridge the gap.

Deng said, "We have branches in many countries that can help Chinese employers to expand their channels to search for international candidates."
Jack Ma, chairman of the China Entrepreneur Club and chairman of the Alibaba Group. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Alibaba Group chairman Jack Ma thinks Chinese companies should integrate and participate in local markets while going global.

"Globalization is not about opening some factories overseas, nor about speaking good English. It is not about just going abroad, but about integrating and participating in building local markets, creating value, and paying taxes to the local country," he says.

"This is the only way Chinese companies will be able to gain respect. "

Ma was elected as the chairman of the China Entrepreneur Club last month after the retirement of previous chairman Liu Chuanzhi Ma was in Beijing meeting with more than 130 members of the media on Sunday where he shared his understandings about business.

While talking about the prospect of global markets, Ma says that he is quite confident in the recovery of Europe's economy

The Western economic system is clear and complete, and is able to deal with their problem and that only needs time.

Moreover, Chinese companies would have great opportunities in Europe, more than any other areas. He says that as Chinese economy is going to put more focus on consumption, service and technology, in which Europe has strength and a lot to share.

"I personally think Europe is the best place to go, easier than entering the United States, the Asia, and Africa and Latin America markets. The CEC is now increasing communications with the Europe, because we see the opportunities there," Ma said.

Established in 2006 by 31 Chinese business leaders, the CEC is a business organization and NGO, which has been promoting a sustainable development and of economy and socializing entrepreneurship spirits.

At present, most of the member companies are leaders of various industries, and the annual income of the 49 member companies totaled more than 3 trillion yuan.
The Wests Tigers could receive a huge boost ahead of their clash with the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon with up to four players a chance to return from injury.

Aaron Woods, Tim Grant, Mitch Moses and Matt Ballin were all sidelined for the Round 9 win over the Rabbitohs but were at Concord Oval for the side's training session on Monday morning.

Tigers skipper Aaron Woods looms as the biggest inclusion after missing the past three games with an ankle injury he picked up in the Round 6 loss in Newcastle.

The 25-year-old has already amassed 1,044 running metres in just six games and would be a welcome addition against the intimidating Canterbury pack.

The initial prognosis suggested Woods would be back for Round 11  incidentally also against the Knights  but the Blues and Kangaroos prop said he was a chance to return this weekend as long as he pulled up well from back-to-back sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.

"I'd love to play but I've just got to leave it in the physio's hands. He says it's sort of up to me as well but I've just got to make sure the ankle is right by the weekend," Woods said.

"We saw the surgeon last week and he just said I should come back next week for the Newcastle game. That's the goal but if it pulls up good this week then I might be a chance [to play] the Dogs.

"I did a first session with the squad today. I didn't finish the whole session; they just monitored myself and Tim Grant.

"I've done a lot rehab and physio on it. I did a lot of running on it last week but no real skill work. It felt really good out there today.

"We've got a day off tomorrow so we'll see how it pulls up."

Woods brushed off any suggestions his lack of match fitness would jeopardise his chances of being selected for the Blues ahead of the series opener on June 1.

"If you need a game to get yourself ready for Origin then you're kidding yourself," he said.

"I'm just worried about getting on the field at the moment. I haven't really thought about that."

Woods hinted new recruit Matt Ballin was a chance to make his club debut after missing the first nine games with a serious knee injury.

The former Sea Eagles hooker hasn't played since tearing his ACL in Round 24 last year but is on track to make his long-awaited return.

Ballin would provide terrific support for Robbie Farah in the hooking role, but it is more than likely he will be eased back into rugby league via the Intrust Super Premiership.

Regardless of his return date, Woods said he was looking forward to having the 2008 and 2011 NRL Telstra Premiership winner in the side.

"He might be half a chance this week," Woods said when asked about Ballin's fitness.

"I know he's stinging to get out there. He's pestering the physios, he does that much extra work so it's a credit to how hard he's worked over the pre-season with the injury that he had.

"We had him out there for a field session today. Just his talk and his seniority around the place has been great for us. He's a class player and he's been around for years.

"The Manly sides he played in were unstoppable at times so to bring that to our club has helped the boys; especially with the leadership we lost last year."

The NSW representative could be joined in the front row by another man with State of Origin experience, with Tim Grant on track to return after missing the win against his former side with a knee complaint.

"It's been a hard two weeks but in saying that I think I should be right for this weekend," Grant said.

"Today was the first run I had with the boys. The last week or so has been in rehab and in the pool and that sort of stuff but I got through today so I should be right.

"We sort of had the luxury of the rep round to get it right. I missed the Souths game which I would have loved to have played."

Five-eighth Mitch Moses confirmed he would be a definite starter after picking up a quad strain in the warm-up before the South Sydney game.

"It's all good now. I got a few sessions in last week and then had a full session today so I'll be sweet and ready to go," Moses said.

Fullback James Tedesco will not play as he recovers from a fractured shoulder blade he sustained in the Round 9 win.
EAST CHICAGO  A 68-year-old man is accused of sexually abusing a girl when she was 7 to 8 years old, according to court records.

Alberto Rivera, of East Chicago, was charged Monday with child molesting, a Class A felony. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

The girl told police Rivera molested her several times from 2008 to 2010 at an apartment in East Chicago, according to the affidavit. She told detectives the abuse happened so often that she started to believe it was normal.

The allegations came to light after the girl told an older sister about what Rivera had done to her, according to court records. Rivera knew the girl.
MERRILLVILLE  A girl detailed to detectives how sexual abuse that escalated throughout the years started with the man lying next to her, according to court records.

The incidents escalated to Darian L. Brown forcing the girl to have sex at a Merrillville home, according to an affidavit. He was charged last week with two counts of child molesting and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

The incidents happened from May 2010 to January 2016. In January, the girl was taken to an area hospital after she told school officials about the abuse. Brown, 38, of Merrillville, knows the girl.

The girl told detectives Brown one time used a pillow to muffle her cries during the abuse, and another time he locked her in a garage until she stopped crying, according to court records. Brown once gave her a pill, and she has no recollection of what happened next, according to the affidavit.

Brown was being held Monday in Lake County Jail without bail.
PORTAGE  A woman originally arrested on driving while suspended faces more substantial charges after 26 grams of cocaine were found hidden in her vagina.

Angelina Cross, 38 of Portage, also is facing felony charges of dealing cocaine and possession of cocaine and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana.

Police spotted Cross car around 7 a.m. Saturday parked at a local motel on U.S. 20. Police were aware her drivers license had been suspended. About three hours later, police saw a man enter the passenger side of the car and then saw Cross enter the drivers side and begin driving away.

Police stopped the duo just west on U.S. 20 and Cross was placed under arrest for driving while suspended. Police also used a K9 unit to search the car after detecting an odor of marijuana, but didnt find anything illegal.

Cross was transported to Porter County Jail. During the intake process, jailers found 8 grams of marijuana hidden in her underwear and 70 small and one medium plastic bags, containing 26 grams of crack cocaine, in her vagina.
CROWN POINT  Lake County Treasurer Peggy Katona said her offices will have extended hours Tuesday, the final day for paying the spring installment of this year's property tax bill.

Katona said her offices at 2293 N. Main St., Crown Point; 401 Broadway Suite 104, Gary; and 232 Russell St., Hammond, will be open their regular hours from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday. She said her offices will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Property owners can pay during regular business hours until Tuesday at the branch offices of these banks: American Community Bank, BMO Harris Bank, Centier Bank, DeMotte State Bank, Dyer Bank & Trust, First Financial Bank, First Midwest Bank, Horizon Bank, Lake Federal Bank, MainSource Bank, Peoples Bank and the Indiana branches of Tech Federal Credit Union.

She said property owners also can pay online until 11:30 p.m. Tuesday on the treasurers page of the county government website at www.lakecountyin.org

Katona said her offices dont accept credit cards for payment in person, but property owners can use credit cards or e-checks if they pay online. The card company, not county government, will charge a fee for that service.

Katona said that if property owners pay by mail, it must be postmarked by May 10 to meet the spring deadline.

She asks visitor to her Crown Point office to be patient because workers are removing asbestos. The work creates longer lines outside the office. She said anyone calling her office for information must be patient. Her office is receiving a high volume of telephone calls as the deadline approaches.
VALPARAISO  The City Council will hold special meeting and public hearing with resident comments on the proposed human rights ordinance at 7 p.m. May 19 in the auditorium of Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 605 N. Campbell St.

The human rights ordinance proposed by the citys Human Relations Council has been drafted with public input and outlines a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status and familial status.

The May 19 meeting will introduce the ordinance and hear public comment. The first opportunity for City Council to vote on this ordinance will be at the May 23 meeting.

In a 6-2 vote on April 19, the city's Advisory Human Relations Council recommended sending its human rights ordinance to the City Council.

To read the current draft of the ordinance, go to valpo.us and search Human Rights Ordinance.
China's civil aviation authority revoked the licenses of two captains and suspended an assistant captain with China Eastern Airlines' Sichuan branch, after a landing accident that nearly caused a plane crash, officials said yesterday.

Flights on the branch's new highland routes were suspended along with its applications for new routes, charter flights and additional flights, the Civil Aviation Administration told Shanghai-headquartered China Eastern in a meeting.

The administration also fined the branch 50,000 yuan (US$7,700) because the crew of Flight MU5443 from Chengdu to Kangding in Sichuan Province lied to administration investigators after the accident.

The Airbus 319 aircraft suffered damage to its tail and tires when it failed to land at the airport in Kangding in bad weather conditions on May 1. After missing the approach, the aircraft flew back to Chengdu airport, according to a primary investigation with the administration.

The landing failure could have resulted in a serious plane crash, the administration said, adding that the pilot hit the ground too hard at too high a speed under bad weather conditions.

The administration also pointed out that the co-pilot was resting in the cabin during the landing and the assistant captain sitting in the cockpit was not qualified to land at the 4,200-meter-high airport. Carriers operating on the high-altitude route must have two captains on duty, according to regulations.

The crew also violated aviation regulations when they failed to tell passengers to use their oxygen masks when the aircraft was flying at an altitude of over 3 kilometers.

During the investigation, crew members lied about the damage to the aircraft, the administration said, adding that the chief flight attendant lied about the secondary captain being in the cockpit during the landing.

"The airline must solve the problem," Li Jian, deputy director of the administration, told China Eastern.

The carrier assured the administration that the general manager and party secretary of the carrier would be held responsible and sacked if such an incident ever occurred again.
LANSING  The Village Board will begin meetings at 7 p.m., a half hour earlier than previously, after adopting an ordinance amendment.

The board began holding committee of the whole meetings before regular board meetings in early 2015. Discussion of upcoming votes and issues is held during those sessions, forcing meetings to regularly finish after 9 p.m.

Committee meetings will begin a half hour earlier under the new ordinance to allow meetings to finish earlier.

In other business last week, the board adopted an ordinance giving the village exclusive rights to contract solid waste and refuse disposal. Single and multi-family residences with less than three units must use Lansings contracted garbage collectors.

The Fire Department promoted Paul Martin to engineer on April 18 and he was recognized by Chief Ken Verkaik, the board and Village President Norm Abbott.

Martin has been with the Lansing Fire Department for 16 years and been full-time for 11 years, Verkaik said. Martin has 13 certificates from the Illinois fire marshals office

Hes a very valued member of our department, Verkaik said. He is highly skilled in computers, which at times he regrets letting us know. He has been a great help over the years.

Trustee Mikal Stole, chair of the aviation and economic development committee, reported that Lynnie Ques restaurant is moving forward with its plan for a tentative opening of June 1 at its new location at Lansing Municipal Airport.

The airport has been finalizing a plan to construct a dumpster pad for the new business, schedule improvements for the building signage and fix the elevator under the new service agreement. All electrical system code upgrades and repairs also have been made.

Stole also said Airfield Maintenance Supervisor Bill Piekarski obtained certification by the state fire marshal and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that will allow the airport to perform its own testing and reporting requirements on fuel tanks, which saves the village the cost of contracting out that work.

Building Commissioner T.J. Grossi let residents know the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District sent him a memo introducing its Restore the Canopy, Plant a Tree program. Every Wednesday this month, the MWRD will offer residents a chance to visit a water treatment plant and pick up a free oak tree sapling.

Grossi said residents planting new trees should always call the building department to make sure its not invasive or will cause issues with sewer lines.

More information on the program can be found on the Lansing municipal website.
LANSING  A total of 11 foreclosed properties in Lansing will become part of an effort throughout the south suburbs to remove blight and restore buildings and residences to the tax base.

The Village Board recently approved an agreement with the South Suburban Land Bank Development Authority. The village will pursue deeds to the properties in the court system on condition of abandonment.

It would really be a great win for the village, obviously, to get these 11 problem properties back to good use, said Travis Bandstra, director of economic development.

Building Commissioner T.J. Grossi, who put together the list, said one example of those properties was a home on Chicago Avenue. The occupant died and the family couldnt afford the property.

There was no mortgage on the home and the property was abandoned, so theres no bank claiming ownership, Grossi said. So, what its created is a property that the village has had to maintain. Weve maintained it since, I believe, 2009.

Bandstra said at an April 19 committee of the whole meeting that the 11 properties have little hope of being put back onto the books without the land bank's help.

In most cases, the banks no longer even have an interest in these properties, Bandstra said. They have unpaid bills and theyre just sitting there vacant, which obviously leads to a number of issues.

Bandstra said the portion of vacant single-family homes in Lansing is only 1.5 percent, down from a peak of about 8 percent just a few years ago.

Land banks are a regional economic development tool for municipalities with limited ability and financial resources to legally hold, manage and develop foreclosed properties and get them back into productive use.

The South Suburban Land Bank Development Authority formed in 2012 and was made possible by a HUD Sustainable Communities Grant awarded to the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association in 2011. Membership includes 20 south suburban cities and villages.

The land bank incurs all of the legal cost associated with acquiring the deeds, Bandstra said.

Theyll do the work, file the petitions. The village, though, is the one who has to actually do the initial acquisition, Bandstra said. Then, we would essentially deed the properties over to the land bank and put them through their program.

The land bank has a network of investors, lenders, brokers and marketers to sell the properties to potential residents, business owners or developers who will renovate and/or demolish the blighted structures.

Bandstra said the legal acquisitions will take a few months.

Putting these properties back to use will return residents to them, thereby strengthening neighborhoods, improving safety and putting the properties back on the tax roll. If this initiative is successful, we may explore other acquisitions, Bandstra said.
CEDAR LAKE  The Town Council approved the release of tourism dollars to Cedar Lake Ministries, but is going to keep the rest of the money for town promotion.

Cedar Lake Ministries asked for and received $3,800 in tourism dollars which it will use for Internet advertising purposes. Cedar Lake receives a total of $8,192.56 in tourism dollars from the state per year.

Town Councilman Ralph Miller suggested, and other council members agreed, the remaining monies in the fund be used to promote the town in some fashion.

The Cedar Lake Ministries site began as Monon Park until it was acquired by the Moody Church of Chicago. In the 1940s it was acquired by the Cedar Lake Conference Association. Cedar Lake Ministries currently hosts conferences and conventions, children and youth camps, reunions, weddings and banquets, and corporate, family and youth retreats.
A former Hammond lawyer has now indefinitely lost his license to practice law in Indiana.

The Indiana Supreme Court late last week converted a temporary suspension of David Saks law license to a permanent one for his refusal to cooperate with a state investigation of a grievance against him.

The high court hasnt identified who made the complaint or what it was about. It suspended him last year when he didnt answer a challenge from the commission about the grievance.

Saks couldnt be reached for comment. The telephone number to his Hammond law office has been disconnected.
MERRILLVILLE  Police said Monday the identity of a man found dead in a pond Sunday remains under investigation, but they have been working with the family of man reported missing in February.

Several people hunting for mushrooms Sunday in a field near the 3200 block of West Lincoln Highway spotted something in the pond, Merrillville police Detective Cmdr. Jeff Rice said.

The people called police when they realized they might have found a body, he said.

Emergency crews responded to the area, which is behind Schepel Buick GMC on U.S. 30, and the Merrillville Fire Department recovered the mans body.

The body could have been in the pond for some time because of the level of decomposition, Rice said.

Family members reported Francisco Vargas, 29, of Munster, missing Feb. 7 after he walked away from his relatives home in the 900 block of West 59th Place in Merrillville.

Vargas, who has a wife and young daughter, had not been in the right state of mind in the days leading up to his disappearance, his family said. Hes a native of Mexico and moved to the U.S. several years ago with his wife.

Rice said he could not confirm the man found Sunday is Vargas.

Identification of the body by the Lake County coroners office is pending DNA testing results, he said.

Anyone with information about the man found Sunday is asked to call Detective Sean Buck at (219) 769-3531, ext. 348.
"Is there a safety plan in place? We want to know our kids are going to be safe when they go back to the schools. They're not reaching out to us. I've tried to reach out and they're not returning my calls."
The 17th Peace Officer Memorial ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Monday, May 16 at LaPorte High School, 602 F St.

The Peace Officer Memorial is conducted in conjunction with ceremonies being held during National Police Week in Washington D.C. In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week.

This year the LaPorte County Sheriffs Office is collaborating with the Michigan City Police Department as they join together and honor Americas fallen police officers.

Indianas Attorney General Greg Zoeller will deliver the keynote address this year.
The fate of a Michigan City priest accused of engaging in sexual misconduct with a minor 25 years ago is still pending six years later with church authorities in Rome, according to the Catholic Diocese of Gary.

"It can be a lengthy process," said Debbie Bosak, director of communications at the diocese.

Background

The Rev. Terrence Chase was placed on administrative leave in April 2010 after denying allegations of the misconduct at St. Patrick Church in Chesterton where he was serving as an associate priest.

Chase had been the pastor of Queen of All Saints since July 2003, Plaiss said. He also had been pastor at St. Andrew the Apostle in Merrillville.

Chase remains on leave as his case is pending, Bosak said.

"In terms of where he is and what he may or may not be doing, all we can say is that he is not engaged in any public ministry but other than that, we don't comment on personnel issues," she said.
PORTAGE  Dakota Yorke wants to live an authentic life.

Yorke, 18, blazed new ground in Northwest Indiana, becoming the first transgender student to run for prom queen at Portage High School.

She had enough votes from her classmates, and was one of four finalists for the tiara Saturday night at the prom held at Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso.

Yorke placed second in the contest.

"I'm so happy," she said Sunday. "It was so beautiful. I had the time of my life. My feet are still hurting."

Senior Anisa Rayner was crowned prom queen.

"I was so happy for her," Yorke said.

"We were all holding each other's hands when they were announcing the names. I wish nothing but the best for everyone."

The teen said she has wanted to run for prom queen since she was a little girl.

"I can't pinpoint an age," she said.

"I used to watch Disney movies and there was always a princess, and I wanted to be that princess. It makes you feel strong, beautiful and independent."

Yorke has had support from her family and friends. Her mother, Dawn Yorke, her aunt, Victoria Dominiak, and grandmothers, Barb Francis and Pat Russo, were all on hand Saturday helping her get ready for the big event.

Dominiak said she was just as excited as Yorke when the teen decided to run for prom queen.

"I've got butterflies in my stomach," Dominiak said hours before the prom.

Despite all the support from family and friends, Yorke said she is well aware of the haters who don't like or understand her choices, but she said she doesn't pay attention to them. Some have posted negative remarks on her Facebook page about her run for the tiara.

"They need love, too," she said.

Most fellow students support Dakota

Most of the members of the Portage High School Student Advisory Committee, 14 students ranging from freshmen to seniors, said they supported Yorke's choice to run for prom queen -- and her choice to be who she is.

Transgender is officially defined as people who experience a mismatch between their gender identity or gender expression, and their assigned sex.

Yorke, who was born male but identifies as female, said all her life she felt like she was masking who she really is.

"I didn't trust anyone with that information," she said.

"At some point, I decided to be me. You only have one life to live. I want to be 100 percent who Dakota really is."

Portage senior Max Kurtz said he doesn't see why it's a news story.

"Just let the person do whatever it is they want to do. No one really cares," he said.

"The fact that this is news tells me it's a really slow news day."

Senior Kody McGuire said he doesn't think it's right (that Yorke can run for prom queen).

"It's going to happen no matter what I say," McGuire said.

"If he wants to be treated like everyone else, why is it such a big deal? Whey does he have to make a big deal about everything. He's just running for prom queen like anyone else. Why are the newspapers even getting into if if it's not a big deal?"

Senior Amber Nelson said she's had one class with Yorke and doesn't know her well but she said high school students are sometimes in a bubble, cut off from the rest of the world.

"So when things like this happen in our little bubble, it's easy to be disruptive because it's different," she said.

"Whenever something is different, people talk about it. Just because it's a big deal to some, won't mean it's not a big deal to others. Everybody is going to have an opinion. Transgender always gets media coverage.

"People see this young woman running for prom queen and that's something positive for the transgender community. There are people who disagree with it, and you're entitled to your opinion. She has a lot of support. It's something that should be celebrated. This is a way of not just showcasing her but also the steps toward progress that we've made in society," Nelson said.

Portage Principal Jen Sass said there have been lots of calls and questions from the media.

"Regardless of anyone's opinion, we're a high school and we'll always have people who don't like each other but overall our students are very accepting of each other," she said.

Some inspired by Dakota's openness

Sophomore Nahjae Blackwell said she doesn't know Yorke personally but has seen her walking in the halls.

"I stand by her 100 percent," Blackwell said.

"I hope she doesn't let any of the negativity get to her. She is a very bright and beautiful girl. Her spirit is so beautiful. She is so joyful and happy. She always speaks to everyone in the hallway.

"Honestly, she's like my role model right now. She motivates me to be even happier than I am now. Her demeanor is amazing. I agree with what she's doing, and I hope she sticks with her ideals and goes further in life."

Junior Vanessa Warner said she tries to put herself in other people's shoes and think about what they are going through, especially when they get bullied.

Freshman Aurora Larson said he, too, is transgender, and totally understands Yorke.

"It's just how we feel," he said.

"We are not trying to force it on you. If you don't want to hang out with us, we are not trying to force you. I have met people who have tried to accept me for who I am but just couldn't, because their parents raised them a certain way. That's fine. I've met people who accept me automatically.

"Say there is an apple and an orange. You really want that apple but all you can get is the orange, and each day it's like that over and over again. ... It's like being stuck in the wrong skin, and it's annoying. Honestly ... you don't want it," he said.

Freshman Antonio Guzman compared the issue to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump supporters and non-supporters.

"I am not a Trump supporter but I do agree with some of the things he says (but not the outlandish stuff)," Guzman said.

"Just because I don't agree with him doesn't mean he doesn't have the right to run for president. Just because we don't agree with what someone wants to do doesn't mean they don't have the right to do it or be who they want to be."

Dakota's mother and father, John Yorke, said they support Dakota.

Dawn Yorke said last summer before Dakota's senior year began, Dakota left and went to Wisconsin to stay with an older sister for a month or so.

"Dakota left a boy and came back a girl," Yorke said.

Dakota Yorke made her transition her senior year, becoming more fully herself each day. She takes joy in each of her classes, particularly her cosmetology classes at Don Roberts Beauty School in Valparaiso every afternoon, where she said she is fully accepted.

Instructor Chris Gulley said Yorke will earn a cosmetology license and will easily be able to secure a job.

"We're very proud of her," he said.

"She's doing very well in the course. She's been here two years, and she's made her transition since she's been here."

Yorke's friend, Alise Francis, a Portage High School junior, said she thinks it's good for Yorke to be able to express herself and love herself and not care what others think.

"It's encouraging me not to care when people have an opinion about me," Francis said.
China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand conduct joint patrol on the upstream of Lancang-Mekong River in Yunnan Province on March 17, 2015 (XINHUA)

The strongest El Nino weather cycle on record has exacerbated drought in the Mekong River area since the end of last year, and the Mekong River's water level has fallen to a 90-year low. Due to the river's vastly reduced water flow, tens of thousands of hectares of farmland downstream in Viet Nam are likely to be flooded by seawater.

The Mekong River runs through five countries, namely Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam, in the Indo-China Peninsula. It is the downstream of southwest China's Lancang River.

At the request of the Vietnamese Government, China took action on March 15 to pour water into the Mekong River to alleviate the drought downstream even though China itself faces the same threat. In the face of natural disasters, the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River exhibited the spirit of generosity and mutual assistance.

Against such a backdrop, the First Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Leaders' Meeting was held in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on March 23.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang together with top government leaders from the other five countries attended the meeting, which marked the beginning of the new pattern of Lancang-Mekong subregional cooperation. Discussions on common development issues centered on the meeting's theme: Shared River, Shared Future.

New framework

The LMC is set to be a new framework for promoting Lancang-Mekong sub-regional economic expansion.

Because of difficult geographical conditions and outdated transport infrastructure, economic development along the Mekong River remained slow and backward for a long time.

Since the 1990s, however, regional cooperation along the Mekong River has captured the attention of both the countries directly concerned and the international community.

Apart from the LMC, three major regional cooperation mechanisms now exist in the Mekong River area. In order of establishment, the first is the Great Mekong Subregion Cooperation (GMS), which was initiated by the six riparian countries in 1992 under a proposal of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The second is the Mekong River Commission, which was established by Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam in 1995, but could be dated back to a joint downstream survey coordination commission set up by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific back in 1957. The third is the ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation, which is an intergovernmental cooperation framework between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

These three mechanisms have their own characteristics and focus. But, none of them is purely a cooperation organization for the Great Mekong River riparian countries.

The Mekong River Commission, for example, serves as a dialogue platform between four downstream countries. The one which involves ASEAN aims at promoting economic development in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam and integration within the ASEAN Economic Community. It also serves as a platform to enhance economic cooperation between ASEAN and China. With the participation of Japan and South Korea, the mechanism has become a part of the "10 plus 3" cooperation between ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea.

GMS, comprised of six riparian countries, has held summits since 2002. China once regarded it as a major channel to promote Mekong River subregional cooperation. But, the GMS centers on the construction of individual projects, and the ADB must work as a major participant and sponsor. Moreover, it has been difficult for the GMS to work efficiently on facilitating infrastructure construction in the region because Japan, the dominant country of the ADB, focuses on competing with China in many aspects.

Therefore, the First LMC Leaders' Meeting marks a new pattern of multilateral cooperation in the subregion. First of all, the LMC has been established by the six riparian countries along the Lancang-Mekong River on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Secondly, it is designed to build a community of common destiny and to seek broader and deeper international cooperation. The LMC can therefore better meet the common needs of the riparian countries.

Affected by the El Nino phenomenon, the whole Lancang-Mekong River area suffered a severe drought in 2010. Upstream, in southwest China's Yunnan Province, the river almost dried up. At that time, some Western media tried to flare up the tensions between China and the other riparian countries by criticizing China's dam construction upstream. In April of that year, the Mekong River Commission convened the first leaders' meeting where the then Prime Minister of Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva, thanked China for working together with downstream countries to cope with extreme weather conditions. He also expressed hopes to continue such coordination in the future. From then on, finding a way to tap into the potential of cooperation along the Lancang-Mekong River became a priority for the region's leaders.

In November 2014, at the 17th China-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting, held in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, Premier Li called for the creation of the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism in an echo to Thailand's proposal on promoting sustainable development in the region.

Through consultations and talks, the first foreign ministers' meeting of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation was held in Jinghong of Yunnan Province in November 2015. The ministerial meeting released a cooperation document and a joint communique, initiating the process of Lancang-Mekong cooperation.

Common goal

The core value of China's foreign policy centers on equality, mutual benefit and common development.

In recent years, China has proposed the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, which aims at interlinking the development plans of participating countries.

The LMC framework is established on the basis of building a community of common destiny. The shared river brings together six countries that are deeply aware of this objective. For this reason, the LMC framework goes far beyond the realm of economics.

At the first LMC ministerial meeting, the six countries pledged to work together in three major fieldspolitical security, sustainable economic development and cultural and social undertakings. Furthermore, the six countries agreed to prioritize cooperation on connectivity, industrial capacity, cross-border trade, water resources, agriculture and poverty reduction, all of which the development of the region strongly requires.

The first LMC leaders' meeting pushed the subregional cooperation in the Lancang-Mekong area to new heights. In the Sanya Declaration issued at the meeting, leaders agreed to take concrete measures on a total of 26 items. China pledged to provide strong support for cooperation. The declaration mentions, for example, "China's commitment to establishing an LMC fund, providing concessional loans and special loans, and providing 18,000 scholarships every year and 5,000 training opportunities to candidates from Mekong countries in the next three years to support closer cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries."

Though it has a promising future, the LMC framework will face plenty of challenges without question.

The world is undergoing unprecedented and profound changes both economically and politically. Developing countries have been striving to find their rightful place in the world, while power politics has not vanished from the current international order.

The United States is increasingly involved in regional affairs under its Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy. Also, Japan has begun to adopt a more aggressive foreign policy under right-wing political leaders in a bid to take a leading position in Asian affairs. Both countries asserted that China's effort to strengthen cooperation with Mekong River riparian countries is a measure to expand its regional influence. For this reason, they tend to countervail China's influence by offering competing options or by placing obstacles in the way of the China-proposed way of cooperation.

China's release of more water upstream to mediate drought affecting Vietnamese farmland this spring demonstrates the case in point. Some scholars from U.S. think tanks claimed that China wanted to control other riparian countries with water resources. Rather than paying attention to such statements, countries along the Lancang-Mekong River should make efforts to enhance political trust and coordination on the use of water resources through dialogue and consultation.

Countries should seek mutual benefit rather than confront each other in zero-sum games. As long as they work together as a community, their cooperation will bring a promising future.

The author is an associate researcher of the Asia-Pacific region at the China Institute of International Studies
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. Bruce Rauner is renewing his call for a clean bill to fund elementary and secondary education next school year.

The Republicans statement comes in conjunction with a visit Monday to Lyons Township High School in west suburban La Grange and follows last weeks release of Illinois State Board of Education figures on what a Democratic proposal to overhaul the states school funding formula would mean for individual districts.

The governor has said he supports changing the way the state distributes money to school districts, but he wants to fully fund the current formula while lawmakers continue to work on those changes. If lawmakers approve his plan, itd mark the first time in seven years that districts would receive the whole amount state law says they should.

Our priority right now should be funding our schools for the upcoming school year, Rauner said in a written statement. Since day one, I have been committed to building a world-class education system in Illinois that ensures every child goes to a high-quality school and can go on to a high-paying career. Fully funding our schools is a step closer to making that a reality.

Many Democrats argue that it doesnt make sense to put more money into a system that does a bad job of distributing money to poorer districts that need it the most.

I am encouraged that the governor and Republicans recognize the current systems failings, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said in a written statement issued in response to Rauners remarks. They said they want a system that recognizes the needs of rural and low-income communities. Lucky for them, that plan is pending in the Illinois Senate and they will soon get the chance to vote for it.

Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, has been working for the last several years on legislation that would redirect state money to the neediest districts. In an effort to win support from both parties and all parts of the state, Manars latest version includes provisions intended to prevent any districts from losing money in the first year under the new formula.

Despite Republican statements to the contrary, figures the State Board of Education released last week show that Manars bill would do just that.

Had his formula been in place for the 2014-15 school year, the last for which the board has complete data, Lyons Townships funding wouldve been unchanged compared with the current formula.

Under Rauners plan, the district, which spends $2,700 more per student on instruction than the state average, would gain $104,000 next year compared with the current year.

Poorer districts, meanwhile, would see substantial gains under Manars plan.

For example, the Decatur School District, which spends $2,799 less per student on instruction than the state average, wouldve seen $5.3 million more in state funding in 2014-15 had the new plan been in place. Under the Rauner plan, Decaturs funding would go up by $625,000 next year.

Figures for how districts would fare under Manars plan with the level of overall funding Rauner has proposed for next year are not yet available.

With strong backing likely from Chicago and downstate Democrats, passage of Manars plan in the Senate may hinge on additional support from suburban Democrats, some of whom represent districts that would eventually see state funding dip under the proposal, and downstate Republicans, many of whom represent districts that stand to benefit.

GOP senators, like Rauner, have been highly critical of the bill, labeling it a bailout for Chicago Public Schools.

The proposal would direct an additional $175 million to the states largest school district, and the state would begin picking up the tab for Chicago teachers pensions, something it already does for the rest of the state. Chicago would lose $74 million under Rauners plan.

Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, has come out in opposition of Manars plan, despite the fact that 35 school districts he represents wouldve gained an average of nearly $130,000 in 2014-15 under the new formula, according to state board figures.

This debate has to be bigger than who were winners and who were loser under a certain proposal, Righter said.

Really the issue here is, What do we want the school aid formula to achieve? he said.

From his perspective, the formula should aid districts that are doing their part through local property taxes to fund schools but still struggling to provide adequate money due to low property values.

Given its relatively low property tax rate compared with surrounding suburbs, Chicago could do more locally to fund its schools, Righter said, adding that it should also be held accountable for poor financial and academic performance.
MADRID  Three Spanish freelance journalists held captive in Syria for nearly 10 months returned home Sunday, tearfully hugging relatives as they got off a military jet sent to Turkey to bring them back.

Antonio Pampliega, Jose Manuel Lopez and Angel Sastre shook hands with Acting Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria on the tarmac of the Torrejon de Ardoz air force base on the outskirts of Madrid. They then smiled and cried as relatives ran to hug them.

Images on Spain's state-owned TVE television channel showed their arrival but reporters were kept outside the base and away from the three journalists, only catching sight of a dark blue van carrying them from the base.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy posted a photograph of the journalists descending from the aircraft with a caption saying "Welcome!" on his official Twitter account.

"Allied and friendly" countries had assisted in ensuring the journalists' release, his office said in a statement late Saturday.

It highlighted Turkey and Qatar, saying they had helped out "especially in the final phase" of the journalists' liberation.

It provided no information on the captors and how they were convinced to give up the journalists.

The three journalists went missing on July 12, near the city of Aleppo in northern Syria. At the time, the region was under the control of al-Qaida's branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said the journalists left Turkey from the southeastern city of Hatay after their release.

"This adventure has ended happily," Garcia-Margallo said.

TVE said in its afternoon news broadcast that the journalists, after arriving at the base, went to a Madrid cafeteria with friends and relatives, where they received a phone call from King Felipe VI. They told journalists that they did not know where they had been held in Syria.

The broadcaster said Lopez explained that the three had been incarcerated together for the first three months, after which Pampliega was taken away and not seen again until just before the flight home.

Pampliega's mother, Maria del Mar Rodriguez, told the Reporters Without Borders organization that it was "marvelous" to speak with her son.

"He had the same voice he's always had, since he was a boy, and he continually asked my forgiveness for what he'd put me through," she said. "I'm going to prepare him a plate of spinach in bechamel sauce, his favorite dish."

Spain's political leaders, campaigning for a general election on June 26, expressed relief and joy at the captives' release.

"I join in with the happiness felt by their families, colleagues and friends," Rajoy said in another tweet.

The journalists, who provided reports to various media outlets, went to Syria to report on the war that started in 2011.

All three had worked in Syria previously and knew what precautions to take before entering the country, said Elsa Gonzalez, president of Spain's federation of journalists.

Three other Spanish journalists were released in March 2014 after being held hostage by Syrian extremists for months.

The Spanish government has never given details of how it secured their release.
Police are investigating after two men were shot in Brooklyn, and they don't seem to want to help find the person or people responsible.

It happened around 10 p.m. Saturday.

Officers found a 33-year-old man with gunshot wounds to his back, and a 17-year-old who was hit in the leg.

Cops say they were shot near the intersection of Myrtle and Throop Avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Both men were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive.

Police say the men are not cooperating with their investigation.

Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
This week, the federal Department of Homeland Security is testing just how many subway riders would be at risk in a nightmare scenario: terrorists releasing a deadly biological agent in the subways. NY1's Michael Herzenberg filed the following report.



It may have looked like a release of steam, but officials released particles that are meant to simulate a biological attack in the Lexington Avenue subway station at Grand Central Terminal.



It was a test to determine how a deadly biological agent like anthrax could move through the subways. The tiny particles were actually a sugary food additive.



"The sugar is approved by the FDA, so it's a non-hazardous material," said Donald Bansleben, program manager at the Department of Homeland Security.



The study of how a biological agent might spread through the system, propelled by moving trains, builds on a test three years ago of how a deadly chemical gas might spread. The new tests will include more gas sampling as well.

Some, but not all, straphangers NY1 spoke to said they appreciate the study.

"It's great to me," said one straphanger.

"Be prepared," said another. "I don't know if it's going to do any good, but why not take a chance and see what happens?"

"It's just a waste of taxpayers' money," said a third.

Officials say 200 devices will monitor the air at 60 subway stations, most in Manhattan, and at one PATH station in New Jersey. More data will be collected through cloth squares and filters worn by contractors.



"It is for collecting particles on the cloth, and we're also going to collect dosage measurements on us with little filters, and we do comparisons of that to see what lands on people," said David Brown of Argonne National Laboratories.



During the week, the particles and gas will be released throughout the day at subway stations beneath Times Square and Penn Station, in addition to Grand Central. First responders anxiously await the results.



"It will help us better understand where to shelter in place, where to evacuate from, how far and if personal protective equipment is necessary for our responders," said Batallion Chief Bob Ingram of the FDNY.

The testing concludes Friday. The feds say the results will take at least six months to process and publish for the MTA and other agencies.
ELAINE GLUSAC

TOURS

The state of Gujarat in western India  the birthplace of Mohandas K. Gandhi and of the current prime minister, Narendra Modi  has a rich culture and history that most tourists are not aware of. A new trip from Immersion Journeys gives them a chance to discover the region.

The 12-day Gujarat: The Land of Legends, Culture and Crafts begins in Ahmedabad to see Hindu and Jain temples; the Sabarmati Ashram, where Gandhi once lived; and the Calico Museum of Textiles, whose handiwork spans five centuries. Other highlights include Palitana, with 900 carved temples; a safari in Sasan Gir National Park, home to 300 Asiatic lions; the fortified town of Gondal; Bhuj City, including a visit to the Zenana Mahal palace to see its wooden filigree work; and a drive through the Kutch desert region to visit tribes who have lived there for centuries. Prices from $5,295 a person include accommodations, some meals, a driver and guide, game drives and entrance fees.
Moral compromises are mounting, and nearly everyone is starting to accumulate guilt. Chris worries about his having let Reid on board  that Chris froze instead of shooting a pregnant woman. Madison frets about whether or not shes doing the right thing for her family. Alicia feels guilty for falling for Jacks trick. Travis remembers the young woman and badly burned boy he put in a small boat to be dragged behind the Abigail, only to have Strand cut them loose.

That young woman, Alex, was picked up by Connor, and in exchange she offered up everything she knew about the Abigail and its crew. After she and Charlie were cut off from the Abigail, Alex was forced to mercy-kill Charlie and dump his body. When Travis attempts to assuage her guilt  You did what you had to do  Alex is quick to correct him: I did what you made me do.

Of course, Travis is no stranger to mercy killings. He put a bullet in Chriss mother, while Chris himself killed a horrifically maimed man in the wreckage of Alexs plane crash. Mercy has taken on a new meaning in the apocalypse, and compassion is often found where theres a warm gun.

Point is, everyone has blood on their hands and everyone is trying to figure out how to deal. Even Daniel  well acquainted with his own capacity for violence thanks to his history as a torturer during the Salvadoran civil war  is beginning to crack under the trauma. Take the gun, a disembodied voice tells him.

These internal struggles make for intimate drama, certainly not on the same scale as the large set pieces on that other show, where plotlines take on the scope of military incursions. I know from reading your comments that a lot of you feel cheated by Fear the Walking Dead, for skimming over the bulk of the tactical response to the outbreak and going straight to life after the tide has already turned.

Part of the shows current intimate dynamics stems from the setting; after all, theres only so much space on a boat. But I think audiences are also hoping to have more of a sense of what is going on the federal level. By the time that other show got going, there was no government to speak of, and some of the strongest and most captivating parts of the first season of Fear was seeing a vision of what a government response to an outbreak on this scale would look like.

We know that coastal cities have been burned to the ground as part of Operation Cobalt, but we dont know if America is the only country affected by the zombie apocalypse. While our group races south to meet Strands smugglers, it grapples with keeping together while nearing the border, to a new country and maybe a bigger world.
Back in the present, another Stark, Brans little brother Rickon, made his return to the story. Welcome back, Rickon! Sort of. Well, actually, no. I think we all could have done without seeing you this week, because 1. most of us can barely remember who you are, and 2. the whole Ramsay thing.

But back to the oathbreaking zombie at Castle Black. I mentioned earlier that Jon was more or less the same, but thats not quite right. Death hasnt malignantly overhauled him in a Pet Sematary sense, but it has affected his spirit. It was a haunted Jon Snow we saw on Sunday  its unclear whether that derived from the bleak void he encountered on the other side or if hes just deeply bummed about compatriots killing him, which would definitely leave a psychic mark in addition to the stab wounds.

I did what I thought was right and I got murdered for it, he told Davos. Now Im back. Why?

I dont know, exactly. I thought we might see him spare his betrayers and use his new god-like status to begin assembling a loyal force of fighters. But no. Only Olly gave him pause, and even that may have been Jon trying to figure out how the traitorous lad aged four years in a matter of days.

The upshot is a man who has so far been defined by a sense of duty  to his family, to the Nights Watch, to a humanity vulnerable to zombie apocalypse  seems unmoored. To the credit of the show, it has put him on a more complicated, less predictable path. Its one that still seems destined to arc toward a clash with wintry armies of annihilation, among other existential threats. But how he gets from here to there  your guess is as good as mine.
But thats, like, all of it, Catherine says. Its a comment that, given the number of obscenities regularly spewed on Veep, feels almost meta.

What threatens to derail Selina more than anything is the Eagle himself, Bob Bradley (Martin Mull), the folksy, veteran political adviser. He has become Selinas point-person on the recount and her most prized adviser even though nothing he says makes sense. Again, following the bread crumbs of last weeks episode, Bob reveals himself to be completely senile, so much so that he wanders out of a meeting in which hes supposed to be arguing to delay the recount certification.

When Selina remembers that she confessed everything about her hacking cover-up to this man, she realizes shes basically given a shiny-buttoned bomb to a handsy 2-year-old. So she does the only thing she can: She makes him the cybersecurity czar (ah, another czar) and shoves him into a basement office, where he has no cell reception and, presumably, no Wi-Fi. Really, the move could only have been more comedically perfect if Kent  played by Gary Cole, who orchestrated a similar move when he starred in Office Space  had put Bob there himself.

Its remarkable that there are any victories for Selina, and yet she ultimately emerges from this episode very much on her feet. Her public appeal has risen slightly because some are so enamored by her now open romance with Charlie Baird. (Its surprising that Selina forgives him so easily for entertaining the idea of becoming Bill OBriens treasury secretary, even though he apologizes repeatedly. Its the one thing in this episode that feels a tad off.) More important, a box of 10,000 ballots is discovered and Karen, Selinas longtime friend and a highly ineffectual lawyer, manages to argue that the certification should be delayed so those votes can be counted.

There are two people in Selinas orbit that she should be thanking for that mini-recount victory: Kent, who flagged the possibility that there could be missing ballots while Selina mostly berated him for using too many big words, and Amy, who has kept the trains running in Nevada with zero gratitude from her boss. (Amy also gets the best line of the week after she learns that Dan slept with her sister Sophie because he thought Sophie worked for CBS, when she actually works at CVS. Would you mind stopping at ABC News and picking up some Advil? she asks Dan. Oh did I say ABC News? I meant Rite-Aid.)

Last season, Amys frustration with Selina boiled over and she was fired from her post. This season, she has somewhat begrudgingly rejoined the team, only to find shes still underappreciated. If Selina continues to overlook what Amys bringing to the table in the same way she overlooks most things, it seems very possible that our Ms. Brookheimer could lose it again. If she does, surely Catherines camera, if not a Chinese hacker, will be there to capture it.
LONDON  There is one thing to be said for Liam Scarletts new Frankenstein, a lavish costume-and-sets affair at the Royal Ballet that had its premiere at the Royal Opera House here on Wednesday night. It quite possibly has the first dissection scene in a ballet, in which a corpse is dismembered and merry students dance joyously with severed arms and legs.

It takes place in a circular anatomy theater (sensationally designed by John MacFarlane), midway through Act 1, soon after the protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, arrives at university, where he fervently absorbs new-fangled ideas about science and electricity. In Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, the 1818 book by Mary Shelley on which the ballet is based, the heros immersion in these disciplines is a dark, tormented affair that leads to the unholy birth of the Creature that he will find so monstrous.

In Mr. Scarletts ballet, which is set to a commissioned score by the American composer Lowell Liebermann, the tone of the lecture theater scene is creepy (but not frightening) only because it superimposes dismemberment and grotesquerie upon conventional story ballet tropes. So the professor gestures in a caricatural fashion and the students dance in neat rows around the corpse while carrying severed limbs.

The story of Frankenstein has plenty of dance potential. (Wayne Eagling did a one-act version for the Royal Ballet in 1985.) The awakening of the Creature, the newborn lurch into life with its attendant pain and bewilderment, the dark otherness of this alter ego  all can translate perfectly into physical terms, as Danny Boyles 2011 stage version for the National Theater memorably demonstrated. But Mr. Scarlett gives us the birth of the Creature as a sound and light show, with gurgling tubes and dazzling flashes, followed by an anti-climactic rush offstage. And the deeper themes of the novel  parental rejection, death, guilt, the evil within  are mostly lost in a tedious exposition of family backstory that takes up much of the 50-minute first act.
Britain's Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Islington, north London Thursday May 5, 2016.

On May 5, elections were held in Britain for many local councils and city mayors, and for the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies. Before the vote, the biggest question was how will the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn do?

Corbyn, a genuine socialist, was elected the leader of the party with 59 percent of the vote in September 2015. That result shocked the capitalist establishment and mass media, and it also horrified the overwhelming majority of Labour Party MPs, who lean toward the right of the party. As a result, we have witnessed an insipid campaign intended to undermine Corbyn's leadership.

For the last eight months, Corbyn had to fight on three fronts against the Conservative government, the mass media, and sabotage by his own MPs and parts of the party machine. This reached a pinnacle in recent weeks with a bizarre campaign to smear the left of the Labour Party as anti-Semitic. This focus stems from the split between the right and the left in the Labour Party about Israel. The right tend to be supporters of the state of Israel and the left tend to be supporters of the Palestinian cause. With the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, the right have reformulated their arguments, in defence of Israeli governments, around the fear of Islamic fundamentalism.

Many of the Labour right secretly hoped their own party would suffer a heavy electoral defeat on May 5, but the results confounded them. Not only did Labour's vote hold up in England and Wales, but Sadiq Khan, Labour's candidate for the Mayor of London,won a crushing victory over the Conservative Party candidate. Khan is the first Muslim Mayor of London, which is of symbolic significance, but he is on the right spectrum of the Labour Party. However, his victory was not because of Khan as a politician, about whom, people know little; rather, it should be understood as a huge popular endorsement by Londoners for Labour under Jeremy Corbyn.

Nevertheless, the results were not all rosy for Labour. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) faired quite well in these elections. Their main demand is to leave the European Union and a referendum on exiting Europe is to be held on June 23. The result is too close to call.

Another setback for Labour was in elections to the Scottish parliament. There, the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) won and support for the Conservative Party recovered. This pushed Scottish Labour into third place. Labour's demise in Scotland goes back to the way they have controlled politics there for decades. Many Labour Party officials and representatives in Scotland became lazy and corrupted by power, both morally and ideologically, and eagerly supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, orchestrated by Tony Blair and George Bush. The Scottish Labour Party also presided over the privatization of public services and assets. These failures allowed the SNP to profile as a left wing, anti-austerity alternative. They presented Scottish independence as the means to rapidly move towards a more progressive society. In this way, the SNP stole the progressive cloak from Labour.

When the SNP lost the referendum on Independence in 2014, by 44.7 to 55.3 percent, people resented the negative scaremongering of the No campaign. As Labour sided against independence this also undermined its support. Consequently, the SNP emerged as a mass political party. Some of its representatives and most of its members support progressive ideas. The task of winning back Scottish voters to Labour is a big one. Above all, it requires a profile to the left of the SNP.

Last summer, the mass media and the Labour right wing declared that Jeremy Corbyn could not possibly win the Labour leadership election. When he won they declared he would bring electoral disaster to the Labour Party. On both scores they were completely wrong. It seems that the media and Corbyn's opponents in the party lack the means to understand the processes that actually shape political consciousness in society. They imagine that politics is about slick presentation, message spinning, personal appearance, parliamentary ritual and commercial branding. Actually, politics remains governed by class interests and the class struggle; Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party represents the revival of the working class as the main political force seeking progressive change in Britain.

Heiko Khoo is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Ret Turner, an Emmy Award-winning costume designer who worked with many of televisions biggest stars in the 1970s and 80s, including Lucille Ball, Perry Como, Carol Burnett, Andy Williams and Cher, died on Wednesday at his home in West Hollywood, Calif. He was 87 and the oldest working member of the Costume Designers Guild.

His death was confirmed by his niece and closest survivor, Jean Drufner, who said a cause had not yet been determined.

Mr. Turner was introduced to fashion when he was 7 and worked after school in his parents clothing store in Florida. He became stage-struck in college productions, acted in summer stock and headed to Hollywood in 1950 hoping to find work as an actor. Instead, after a stint with a small theater company, he was steered to the wardrobe department at NBC, which he later managed.

He eventually partnered with two other designers whose fashions had become famous on red carpets and on television and film screens, Bob Mackie and Ray Aghayan, and went on to design for The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The Donny and Marie Show, Mamas Family and the Carol Burnett series Carol & Company, as well as Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Dinah Shore and the Kennedy Centers 25th-anniversary show in 1996.
Peter Naylor, head of advertising sales at Hulu, stood on a stage before a roomful of advertising executives who were there to see what the popular streaming service had in store for the year. After trumpeting Hulus new interactive ads, Mr. Naylor made another pitch. We offer you the opportunity to become part of the creative process with us, he said.

Meaning what, exactly?

Goose Island IPA has signed on to sponsor our hit series Casual and integrate into the show, Mr. Naylor said. And in the current season of The Mindy Project, he added, not only does Mindy fall in love with her new Microsoft Surface Book, but she also gets to escape the city in her newly designed Lexus RX.

This kind of advertising through product placement is certainly not new. But Mr. Naylors announcement  made during last weeks Digital Content NewFronts, an annual sales event where companies like Hulu compete for digital advertising dollars  underscored a broader question running through the advertising industry: What exactly constitutes an ad these days?

For decades, 30-second television commercials were the gold standard, and as online video proliferated, many digital ads were essentially repurposed from TV. But in the last several years, advertisers have become more sophisticated, creating digital ads that were divorced from traditional campaigns and were better suited to the many platforms that have become available, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat. Now, online ads interrupt nearly everything.
Prince Mohammed has said that shares of the company will be sold publicly for the first time in its history and that the money will be put into a sovereign wealth fund that will be invested at home and abroad to supplement government revenues.

Saudi Aramco has long been the most effective institution in Saudi Arabia, but it has been intensely private about its finances and how it estimates the kingdoms oil reserves.

Opening up the company would subject it to new scrutiny that could change its culture in unpredictable ways, analysts say. And routing its worth into investments merely shifts the focus from one type of revenue  from oil  to others that are unpredictable and do nothing to increase the productivity of Saudi workers.

Mr. Falih is a Texas A&M graduate in mechanical engineering who worked his way up the ranks of Saudi Aramco, eventually becoming its chief executive. He is viewed by international oil executives and analysts as an agent of change but still a technocrat who has long been tied to the old Saudi Aramco culture.

Oil executives and analysts described Mr. Falih as one of the most sophisticated and cosmopolitan officials in the world of oil, already widely recognized as a leader among the ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, who together control a third of the worlds oil production.

They expect him to encourage a gradual rise in global oil prices while he moves the kingdom away from wasteful domestic energy consumption, a change that will allow the Saudis to increase oil exports in the years to come. He will take over a newly reorganized ministry that will now hold sway over all facets of energy and industry, not just oil.
As Desa Boskovic stepped into the shadow of the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava in Manhattan on Sunday afternoon, her mind grew clouded with memory. It was there that she sought refuge as an immigrant from Serbia in 1973, hopeful for some sense of familiarity in this alien city. Its grand gothic arches have welcomed her every Sunday since, framing her family as they observed baptisms, weddings and funerals. Now she wept as she beheld the scorched skeleton of the cathedral that a week earlier had gone up in flames, generations of devotion reduced to rubble.

This is the place that kept our culture alive here in New York, said Ms. Boskovic, 59. Without it Im just lost.

Her fears were echoed by scores of parishioners displaced by the fire that engulfed St. Sava last Sunday, mere hours after the conclusion of Easter services. For years, the brownstone cathedral on West 25th Street had served as the anchor of Serbian life in New York, but this weeks services began for its stalwart congregants in a home not their own. As a measure of solidarity, the leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of New York offered to house services for the congregation in their churches. At 10 oclock on Sunday morning, nearly 200 still grieving parishioners mounted the steps to Calvary Episcopal Church on Park Avenue South and East 21st Street.
This summer will be her valedictory; the islands parkland will be completed, and it will probably usher in another record number of visitors. There is still much to be done, including attracting private development without alienating the parks newfound fans. Yet Ms. Koch will not be there to enjoy it. After a decade on the job, and on the island, she will announce her retirement on Monday.

The summer of 2005, the year before I started, a grand total of 8,000 out of eight million people came, Ms. Koch said at a cafe in Lower Manhattan later on Thursday. The buildings are vacant, you couldnt bring a bike, you couldnt eat or make art or dance. You couldnt do much of anything. Now we get 8,000 people every Saturday and Sunday.

The hope now is to have that many on a given day. The island, and its 139 acres of parkland, will open on Memorial Day this year, as it has for the past decade. But the ambition is for it to become a year-round destination with millions of new square feet for commerce, culture, and research, as Mayor Bill de Blasio put it during his State of the City speech in February.
In a bright classroom at Public School 160 in Borough Park, Brooklyn, three teachers orbited 28 students, 21 of whom were still learning English.

One teacher, trained to teach English as a new language, drew pictures to go along with words on a whiteboard: a sweater next to seamstress, an apple next to farm. A table by the door was littered with work sheets about firefighters and teachers that included words in English, Chinese and Uzbek, along with colorful pictures all the third graders could understand.

This is what a classroom for children learning English is supposed to look like according to New York States new regulations, which cover everything from how those students are identified to what kinds of teachers they are entitled to.

The reality, however, is trailing far behind.

Im telling you, the whole city is out of compliance, Evelyn DeJesus, a vice president at the United Federation of Teachers, said in a publication put out by the New York City teachers union this year. Its like the Wild West out there.
The caps are supposed to restrain domestic and military spending equally, but defense hawks have insisted on throwing more money at the Pentagon. That doesnt encourage efficiency or wise choices. The panel took $18 billion from a $59 billion off-budget account, which has become a slush fund renewed annually to finance the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and other trouble spots, and is not subject to the budget caps, and repurposed that money for use in the $524 billion base military budget.

The move will underwrite the purchase of more ships, jet fighters, helicopters and other big-ticket weapons that the Pentagon didnt request and will keep the Army from falling below 480,000 active-duty troops. It also means the war account will run out of money next April. Representative Mac Thornberry, the Republican chairman of the committee, apparently assumes the next president will be forced to ask for, and Congress will be forced to approve, more money for the war account. This sleight of hand runs the risk that troops overseas, at some point, could be deprived of some resources, at least temporarily. The full House should reject this maneuver.

Many defense experts, liberals and centrists as well as hawks, agree that more investment is needed in maintenance, training and modernizing aging weapons and equipment. These needs were identified years ago, yet the Pentagon and Congress have chosen to invest in excessively costly high-tech weaponry while deferring maintenance and other operational expenses.

The Pentagon can do with far fewer than the 1,700 F-35s it plans on buying. It should pare back on President Obamas $1 trillion plan to replace nearly every missile, submarine, aircraft and warhead in the nuclear arsenal. Defense officials recently reported that 22 percent of all military bases will not be needed by 2019. Civilian positions will have to be reduced, while reforms in health care and the military procurement system need to be carried out. All of these changes make good sense, given the savings they would bring. But they are politically unpalatable; base closings, for instance, have been stubbornly resisted in recent years by lawmakers fearful of angering voters by eliminating jobs in communities that are economically dependent on those bases.

Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says that sustaining the current military force of roughly two million and paying for all the new weapons systems will cost billions more than Congress has allowed under the budget caps. To maintain sensible troop levels, Congress and the administration need to begin honestly addressing the hard fiscal choices that they have largely been loath to make.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar that has been systematically denied the most elemental rights: citizenship, freedom of worship, education, marriage and travel. Tens of thousands of the Rohingya were driven from their homes by violence in 2012; last year many tried to flee persecution and deprivation in desperate sea voyages.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi  Myanmars leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate  does not want to call them Rohingya, the name they use, because nationalist Buddhists want to perpetuate the myth that they are Bengalis who dont belong in Myanmar. She has also asked the United States ambassador not to use the term. Her advice is wrong and deeply disappointing. The Rohingya are every bit as Burmese as she is.

There are many possible reasons Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi  whose 15 years under house arrest made her one of the worlds best known and most respected political prisoners  might be reluctant to publicly embrace the Rohingya cause. It has been barely a month since she became leader of Myanmars first democratically elected government since 1962, with the title of state counselor, and she no doubt fears antagonizing the Buddhist nationalists who angrily demonstrated outside the United States Embassy in late April after the embassy referred to the Rohingya community in a letter of condolence for Rohingya victims of a boat sinking.
To the Editor:

Kenan Maliks analysis of The British Lefts Jewish Problem (Opinion, May 4) is exceedingly incisive. The left, in general, not just in Britain, has allowed the progressive narrative to be hijacked by people whom Mr. Malik describes as having adopted identity politics.

There is one area, though, in which he may have tripped up. He suggests that criticism of Zionism is criticism of an ideology. It can easily be more than that. If criticism of Zionism means criticism of this or that action taken by the Israeli government of the day, that is one thing; such criticism is obviously legitimate.

But if criticism of Zionism means criticism of the notion that the Jews have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, that is another; it is tantamount to saying that Israel does not have the right to exist despite history. It is easy to see why Jews would be very slow to concede that such criticism is legitimate and why they may infer that it is motivated by anti-Semitism even though it may not be in fact.

DAVID C. NATHANSON

Toronto
To the Editor:

North Koreas Brazen Nuclear Moves (Editorial, May 3) details how the countrys surging nuclear-weapons program defies U.S. calls for denuclearization  amid concerns that Kim Jong-un may accelerate saber rattling to shore up his powerbase. Ironic.

The United Nations Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) is exploring legal provisions for nuclear disarmament. Groups representing over 15 million health professionals have simultaneously called for a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons based on their unacceptable consequences.

Yet, the United States and other nuclear-weapons states have declined to attend the OEWG meeting.

Meanwhile, stateside nuclear-weapons costs will reach one trillion dollars over the next 30 years, with billions spent on mini nuke systems alone. According to Gen. James E. Cartwright, formerly of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Going smaller [makes using this nuclear] weapon more thinkable.

Despite President Obamas 2009 pledge to make a world without nuclear weapons, his administration has presided over a related spending expansion. Presidential front-runners, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump, have stated that using nuclear weapons should be on the table. Talk about brazen.
 Flash

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday urged African countries to come up with mechanisms that bridge regional gaps to unite the continent.

Speaking in Nairobi when he met with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Equatorial Guinea Agapito Mba Mokuy, Kenyatta proposed the establishment of a continental institute to train leaders from different countries on African leadership to be in a position to advance the cause of Pan-Africanism.

"Kenya is a beneficiary of African unity and would wish to host such a training facility to instill a sense of ownership on Africans to advance the continent's agenda in other forums," he said in a statement issued after the meeting.

Mokuy was in Nairobi to deliver a special message from his President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The Kenyan leader expressed his commitment to the ideals of Pan-Africanism that encourages the solidarity of Africans worldwide and unity which is vital to the continent's economic, social and political progress.

He said the East African nation is willing and ready to work with other countries in the continent to ensure the African Union becomes self-financing in order to be able to drive its agenda.

Kenyatta said it is unfortunate that some non-African financiers of the African Union were using the continent's reliance on external grants to advance their agendas at the detriment of the continent.

"We should not allow non-Africans to take advantage of the continent's inability to sustain itself for their selfish interests," the President said.

He said the youth agenda, if not adequately addressed, may be a future destabilizing factor in the continent. He also challenged the various AU commission organs to push the youth agenda in the continent.
To the Editor:

Re Civil Liberties vs. Security as Jihadists Come Home (April 27):

European foreign fighters pose a security challenge that is by its very nature transnational. However, European states are already under binding international legal obligations imposed by the U.N. Security Council. Resolution 2178, unanimously adopted in September 2014, requires states to ensure that foreign fighters are brought to justice and to establish criminal offences for traveling abroad for terrorist purposes. Furthermore, a new E.U. directive on combating terrorism, which would criminalize foreign fighter travel, is currently being debated in Brussels and likely to be adopted shortly. From a legal point of view, European governments thus have no choice but to implement these obligations and to prosecute foreign fighters upon their return, whether effective or not.

It is disquieting that international efforts to counter the foreign fighter threat lack a clear definition of terrorism and contain nebulously defined criminal offences. Europe must resolve its foreign fighter conundrum without losing its credibility as a guardian of the rule of law and fundamental rights.

TARIK GHERBAOUI

Florence, Italy
To the Editor:

Re Being Black in the Land of Allah (Opinion, May 3): Kamel Daouds analysis of religion and race in the Arab world is confused, and he inadvertently silences the voices of Black Muslims.

Mr. Daoud claims that racism in Europe sees skin color while racism in the Arab world sees religion. In fact, anti-black racism in the Arab world and the West is more similar than different. U.S., European and Middle East historians have revealed that anti-black prejudice in all these places is simultaneously religious and racial. In North Africa, the Islam of sub-Saharan Muslims was studied as Islam noir, rejected by both Arab and European scholars of Islam as deviant religion.

Mr. Daoud presents contemporary sub-Saharan Africans only as victims of Islam. He ignores how, for hundreds of years, Black Muslims in North Africa have used Islam as a resource in the struggle against racism. From writing fatwas to dancing in Bori, Stambeli and Gnawa groups, Black Muslims have embraced Islam as a source of healing and liberation.

EDWARD E. CURTIS IV

Indianapolis
To the Editor:

Re Dont Abandon Americas Afghan Helpers (editorial, April 29):

I didnt abandon Tariq, an interpreter and one of Americas Afghan helpers. I met him in Kandahar during my deployment in 2012. After years of advocacy and hundreds of letters sent on his behalf, he received refugee status and arrived with his wife and four children in February.

With the support of my congregation, I rented a pickup truck, filled it with household goods, and drove seven hours to the airport to give his family a warm welcome to America. My two daughters joined me, and we stopped along the way and bought balloons, which we presented with hugs to his three daughters and son as they came through the arrival gate.

I only wish that lawmakers who seek to impose unreasonable eligibility criteria and provide no additional visas to the thousands of other Afghan helpers in the lurch could have shared that moment. Perhaps the experience would infuse their callous calculations with much-needed heart and soul.

(Rev.) CHRIS J. ANTAL

Rock Tavern, N.Y.

The writer is a Unitarian minister.
To the Editor:

Re Crisis in a Cold Place, by Jochen Bittner (Op-Ed, April 28):

In a few weeks, I will travel across the Norwegian border to Murmansk, Russia. But unlike Mr. Bittner, I will not be going to survey President Vladimir V. Putins vast armory. Instead, I am traveling as part of an international team, Russians and Americans included, to study resiliency.

It is an easy task to retool Cold War rhetoric to fit todays icy relations between Russia and the United States. But to say that East-West communication is practically nonexistent is to deny not only the existence of my research but also dozens of daily cooperation efforts.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment are working together to reduce black carbon. American and Russian officials are testing search-and-rescue preparedness in the Arctic Coast Guard Forum. And through trips like mine, science diplomacy is helping both countries better understand the challenges of warmer winters.

The Arctic may be the next crisis zone. Not for NATO, but for the hundreds of communities affected by climate change. As the ice melts, Russia and the United States are working together, as they have for 20 years, to make the Arctic a safer place to work, research and live.
Last fall, the furniture designers Christian Lopez Swafford and Lauren Larson of the brand Material Lust found themselves rethinking the role of textiles in living spaces. They dont have to be rugs on the floor, Larson says. They can be hung on a wall as tapestry or arranged on your bed. She and Swafford recruited the Brooklyn-based artists To Ddsfall to collaborate on Derma, a series of all-black, handwoven works inspired by bodily irregularities. The centerpiece, suspended from the ceiling in Material Lusts newly opened experimental salon, Annex, is a sculptural and richly textured blob (and a nod to Louise Bourgeois, Swafford says), made from scraps of leather, alpaca, wool and cotton, and stuffed with old punk T-shirts. Its called Tumor I, and it really brings together the room.

Material Lust officially launched in 2014, though Swafford and Larson  both raised by artist mothers and Parsons School of Design graduates, and a couple  began the project long before then as a creative release relegated to nights and weekends. Larson describes a set of Him and Her coat racks as their coming-out moment. Those were inspired by a Man Ray photograph, she says, but it led us to look into primitive motifs  like hieroglyphics and alchemical symbols. Swafford says, Were concerned with where our work fits in the historical context of design, and mentions their end-goal to make heirlooms. However, the basis of Material Lust is Oppressionism, or exploiting sexual or uncomfortable imagery.

These days, that provocative tension isnt just in their design  at one point, Swafford says Some people see a rams head, some people see breasts, some people see ovaries, in reference to a sconce  but also in their relationship to the design world. Upset by how they think gallerists work  almost like vampires, finding new talent, churning out objects, getting as much money as they can and, as soon as it stops selling, getting rid of the designers, Swafford says  the duo opened Annex on the Lower East Side, to celebrate an insular group of makers supporting one another.
This kind of behind-the-scenes lobbying has become de rigueur in Washington as the battle over encryption shifts to Capitol Hill. It is the next phase of a bitter divide that spilled into public view this year when Apple refused to comply with a court order to help bypass security functions on an encrypted iPhone used by an attacker in the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting last year. Doing so would have let the F.B.I. gain access to the phone. That case ended after the F.B.I. found an alternative way into the device.

Yet the standoff between the United States government and Silicon Valley tech companies continues  and the flurry of activity around the issue is broadening. Last month, a Senate draft encryption bill, written by Richard M. Burr, Republican of North Carolina, and Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, rallied the attention of both sides. The bill would require tech companies to give access to encrypted data with court orders.

Law enforcement officials immediately announced their support of the bill and began to push lawmakers to back it. Trade groups representing tech companies like Apple and Facebook have flooded into congressional offices, sent letters expressing concerns that the bill weakens consumer privacy and security, and delivered scorching speeches about the proposals.

This is an escalating fight, said Robert D. Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a research firm based in Washington that is funded by tech companies including Google and Microsoft. Its become the focus now in Washington, with hearings and legislative activity.

Law enforcement officials blame tech companies for creating the impasse.

Theres no question our relationship with the tech industry has gotten worse, and now it seems like the tech industry is taking every opportunity they have to put up obstacles in our way, including trying to derail legislative efforts that would give law enforcement what they need to keep people safe, said Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
CHARLESTON, S.C.  The Charleston church where nine African-Americans were shot in what the police say were racially motivated killings has given $1.5 million in donations to family members of the victims.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reported that Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church said it kept about $1.8 million in donations for building maintenance, an endowment and a scholarship fund.

The money was donated to the church in the months after the shootings last June. Church leaders say that only $280,000 worth of donations were specified for the victims families, but that the church decided to add more than $1 million to those gifts.

An additional $78,000 specified for the city of Charlestons Hope Fund will be sent there to be distributed, said Wilbur Johnson, the churchs lawyer.
ATLANTA  Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina is expected to respond on Monday to the Justice Departments warning that a new state law limiting the rights of transgender people is illegal, after he and the federal government failed to reach an agreement that would have allowed him to postpone his reply.

Mr. McCrory said that he could not assent to the Justice Departments condition for a one-week extension  an acknowledgment by him that the law is discriminatory  and would answer by 5 p.m. on Monday.

Im not going to publicly announce that something discriminates, which is agreeing with their letter, because were really talking about a letter in which theyre trying to define gender identity, and there is no clear definition of gender identity, Mr. McCrory, a Republican who is seeking re-election this year, said on Fox News Sunday. Its the federal government being a bully.

The governor said that he was discussing all of our legal options, all of our political options, and he appeared to rule out the possibility that he would take some kind of independent action to undo the law, or at least limit its enforcement, as some people have suggested.
EDMONTON, Alberta  A week after it started, the enormous forest fire that attacked Fort McMurray, Alberta, had abated enough on Sunday to allow police, fire and health workers to move into hotels within the abandoned city.

Although the fire was far from vanquished, lower temperatures and light showers allowed firefighters to check its progress. Rachel Notley, the premier of the province, said the fire was quite a bit smaller than we feared. Instead of reaching half a million acres as forecast, she said, it had covered 390,000 acres by Sunday morning.

The fires path shifted away from Fort McMurray into a heavily forested and unpopulated area closer to the border with Saskatchewan, said Chad Morrison, Albertas wildfire manager. The change in weather, he added, should allow firefighters to start applying a death grip on the blaze over the coming days. But fully extinguishing the flames is likely to take months.

It definitely is a positive point for us, for sure, Mr. Morrison told reporters.

Sunday was the first time that officials had adopted a positive tone when discussing the fire, which began as a small blaze that resisted attempts to snuff it out on May 1. Despite the optimism, though, the fire continued to bring disruption.
Its first modern boom was in the 1970s, when the government decided to place its bets on the costly-to-produce oil sands and billions of dollars flowed into the area. That ended with a thud as oil prices sank in the 1980s, and the sands suddenly seemed like a dying curiosity.

The latest, and much bigger, boom was unleashed in the last 15 years as oil prices soared, along with Chinas demand for crude, and as technology to extract oil from the sands improved.

Fort McMurray, which got its start as a fur trading post in the 1800s, was never as pretty as the forest that surround it; the downtown, which has escaped the wildfire so far, is an architectural time capsule of the 1970s, filled with low-rise buildings thrown up in a hurry. And even at its best, the city has a kind-of town and gown feel, with most of the jobs with big oil companies becoming what locals called fly in, fly out.

Those employees came from across Canada and were immediately bused by their employers to camps closer to the remote oil sands projects, where they worked two-week shifts before returning home.

Still, with so many jobs in welding and construction and transportation, the population ballooned to more than 90,000 at its peak from 38,000 in 2000. Land that cost 27,000 Canadian dollars an acre at the turn of the millennium had reached 1 million Canadian dollars (about $775,000), while new housing developments ate ever deeper into the surrounding woods of black spruce.
 Flash

China and Indonesia have vast room for further pragmatic cooperation to achieve mutual benefits and development, said visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi here Monday.

China and Indonesia pay high attention to bilateral ties, and it is in the interest of both sides to enhance strategic cooperation, said Yang in a written interview with Xinhua after attending the second meeting of the China-Indonesia High-level Economic Dialogue.

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed the implementation of major bilateral economic cooperative projects after the first meeting of the dialogue was held in January last year.

Broad consensus was reached as the participants exchanged in-depth views at the meeting on boosting practical bilateral cooperation in the next phase in fields like trade, investment, agriculture and fishery, infrastructure construction, energy, and finance, said Yang.

As a major intergovernmental cooperation mechanism and an important platform for promoting bilateral practical cooperation, the dialogue provides strategic guidance to the joint promotion of bilateral comprehensive economic cooperation and consolidates the economic basis of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership, the Chinese state councilor said.

"Indonesia's Global Maritime Axis vision and China's 21th Century Maritime Silk Road have much in common strategically," Yang said, noting that they provide vast room for the two countries to advance their bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and Indonesia have fully conducted exchanges and integration in economic development strategies and policies, and the process will continue in the future, the Chinese state councilor added.

As two major developing countries in Asia, Yang said maintaining sound and stable economic development is their shared task, especially at a time when the world economy faces downward pressure.

Minutes of the meeting and economic cooperation documents including a bilateral economic and technical cooperation agreement were signed at the dialogue table.

In recent years, China and Indonesia have enjoyed fruitful cooperation in economic and trade fields, with bilateral trade and investment rising steadily.

Frequent high-level exchanges have brought a number of important consensuses between top leaders of the two countries, said Yang.

Breakthroughs have been made in major bilateral projects like the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail, and Indonesia has been actively involved in the development of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Meanwhile, Chinese enterprises have been promoting cooperation with the Indonesian side in the development of industrial parks and special economic zones, and in areas including infrastructure, power and energy and agriculture.

Yang called for further pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in fields such as market access, production capacity, investment, electric power and marine resources survey and development, fish farming and processing.

The two countries should also cooperate more and provide financing support in infrastructure construction, as well as expand local currency settlement, according to Yang.

The Chinese state councilor also expressed confidence in China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation, saying bilateral trade in 2015 almost stood at the same level as the previous year, even though global commodity prices continued falling.

This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations.

China would like to take the opportunity to advance the effective synergy between the China-proposed Belt and Road initiative and ASEAN's community building, and continue to steadily expand bilateral trade, Yang said.

Yang also called for more cooperation between China and ASEAN in infrastructure construction, interconnectivity and investment as well as in the construction of ASEAN industrial parks and equipment manufacturing.

China will further deepen reform and improve domestic investment environment to attract more ASEAN enterprises to invest in China so as to advance China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation to a new height, Yang said.

China will also continue to support ASEAN to play a leading role in regional integration and push for an agreement on the Regional comprehensive Economic Partnership as early as possible, he said.

China sees ASEAN as top priority while pursuing its neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and is willing to boost cooperation with ASEAN countries including Indonesia and implement the initiative of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in economic and trade fields, Yang added.

Besides attending the second meeting of China-Indonesia High-level Economic Dialogue, Yang also met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo here on Monday.
WASHINGTON  When President Obama first visited Japan in November 2009, he said he hoped someday to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where the United States dropped atomic bombs during World War II.

With his fourth and likely final visit to Japan as president scheduled this month for a Group of 7 meeting for leaders of industrialized nations, the White House is deciding whether Mr. Obama will follow through. No sitting American president has ever visited the cities, because of concerns that such a trip would suggest that the United States was apologizing for the attacks.

The memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are etched in the minds of the world, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to visit those cities at some point during my presidency, Mr. Obama said in 2009.

The calculus for a visit is particularly complicated for Mr. Obama. Political opponents have often falsely accused him of undertaking an apology tour of world capitals in his first year in office, so anything that even hints at atonement would feed that criticism.
LONDON  An impromptu retrospective of the work of the Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid will open in Venice this month during the citys Architecture Biennale. It will be the first Hadid exhibition since her death on March 31 at age 65.

The 10-room exhibition, which will run from May 26 to Nov. 27 at the Palazzo Franchetti, is financed by the Fondazione Berengo, a Venetian foundation that promotes the art of glass making.

The show will offer an overview of 35 years of Ms. Hadids career, from unrealized early projects  including a 1985 plan to transform Trafalgar Square in London  to works in progress, such as a port headquarters in Antwerp, Belgium, that is to open in September and a residential building on the High Line in New York that is due to be finished early next year. The retrospective will be announced this week by Ms. Hadids studio and the foundation.

The idea for a Hadid exhibition came up in October when the Fondazione Berengos director, Jane Rushton, got in touch with Ms. Hadid on a visit to London. Ms. Hadid subsequently designed sinuous, vase-like sculptures for the Berengo glassmaking studio, which have yet to be produced, said Adriano Berengo, the studios founder. Berengo is based in Murano, in the Venetian Lagoon, and has worked with artists including Jake and Dinos Chapman and Joana Vasconcelos.
Business has dropped by half since the stores peak in 2000, when it did about $3.1 million in sales, said Chris Vanderloo, who founded the shop with Mr. Madell and Jeff Gibson after the three met as employees at the music spinoff of Kims Video in the early 90s. (Mr. Gibson left Other Musics day-to-day operations in 2001.)

Rent, on the other hand, has more than doubled from the $6,000 a month the store paid in 1995, while its annual share of the buildings property tax bill has also increased.

Then there are the dreary industry trends: In 2015, streaming nearly doubled from the previous year while CDs sales were down 82 percent from their peak in 2001. And despite the resurgence of vinyl, which now makes up about 60 percent of Other Musics revenue, up from about 20 percent in its first 10 years, theres no real salvation in sight.

Pre-Internet we were a mecca for people, Mr. Madell said. They would come to New York with $300 in their pocket because theyd heard or read about some records that theyd never seen anywhere.
Occasional music seldom outlives the occasion it commemorates, except when, say, a Handel work is involved, as with the Music for the Royal Fireworks or many another toss-off. Alessandro Scarlattis grand serenata La Gloria di Primavera (The Glory of Spring)  which the San Francisco-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, led by its music director, Nicholas McGegan, presented at Zankel Hall on Friday evening  is a fascinating case study.

It harks back to 1713, when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI savored a moment filled with hope. Peace seemed a real possibility, with the first in a series of treaties that would end the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession and leave Charles with substantial gains, including Italian territories (though not Spain). What is more, Charless wait for a male heir had just ended with the birth of Archduke Leopold in April 1713.

But it was just a moment. The infant Leopold died in November, and no male heir followed. Charles died in 1740, having arranged as best he could for his eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, to succeed him as head of the Habsburg line, but strife again ensued: the War of the Austrian Succession and other conflicts.

After the birth in 1713, with the kingdom of Naples now part of Charless realm, it behooved the Neapolitan Prince Nicola Gaetani dellAquila dAragona and his wife, Aurora Sanseverino, to curry favor, so they commissioned a celebratory sonata from their court composer, Alessandro Scarlatti. Scarlatti  the father of Domenico Scarlatti, known for his hundreds of keyboard sonatas  was an astonishingly prolific composer of opera and vocal music, and he produced La Gloria in little more than a month.
Vice, a largely masculine media conglomerate, gets a jolt of female energy on Tuesday with the premiere of Woman, a half-hour documentary series hosted by Gloria Steinem, on its Viceland cable channel.

It doesnt get a lot of Ms. Steinem, however. In the first two episodes, her onscreen contribution  not counting a pro forma introduction  consists of 50 to 60 seconds of narration, split between the beginning and ending of the episode.

Presumably her offscreen contributions of clout, contacts, experience and perspective are considerably greater. What Woman actually consists of, though, are parachute-journalism segments in the typical Vice style, though at the sober end of the spectrum and reported by attractive young correspondents who happen to be female rather than male. Nicely photographed in verdant locations, the segments slide along a scale between absorbing documentary and illustrated Wikipedia entry.

In her introduction, Ms. Steinem says the series will tell a story youve never been told exploring how the status of women around the world correlates directly to the stability and safety of societies. The premiere episode takes on a particularly bleak subject, the systemic rape of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a miasma of violence perpetrated by men foreign and Congolese, armed and civilian.
William Schallert, a familiar presence on prime-time television for decades, notably as the long-suffering father and uncle to the identical cousins played by Patty Duke on the hit 1960s sitcom The Patty Duke Show, died on Sunday in Pacific Palisades, Calif. He was 93.

His son Edwin confirmed the death.

Mr. Schallerts career spanned generations and genres. Over more than 60 years he racked up scores of credits in episodic television as well as noteworthy performances in motion pictures, on the Off Broadway stage and as a voice-over artist.

With his preternaturally mature, intelligent but (by Hollywood standards) unremarkable looks, he was cast almost from the beginning as an authority figure  a father or a teacher, a doctor or a scientist, a mayor or a judge. Most active from the 1950s through the 80s, Mr. Schallert remained seemingly unchanged in appearance and persona over time, and he was still working in his 90s, dismissing any thoughts of retirement.

On television it sometimes seemed as if he was everywhere. A versatile character actor with a comforting presence, he was equally at home in comedies and dramas, with a resume ranging from Leave It to Beaver, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare and The Wild Wild West to Melrose Place, True Blood and Desperate Housewives.
In one of the searing poems in this remarkable new collection, Ocean Vuong juxtaposes chaotic scenes from the April 1975 fall of Saigon with lines from Irving Berlins White Christmas  the song broadcast on Armed Forces Radio to signal that the final evacuation was underway:

The treetops glisten and children listen, the chief of police/ facedown in a pool of Coca-Cola./ A palm-sized photo of his father soaking/ beside his left ear.

As Bing Crosby croons the benediction May all your Christmases be white, the Saigon sky is shredded with gunfire, a military truck speeds through the intersection, children/ shrieking inside./ A bicycle hurled/ through a store window and footsteps fill the square like stones/ fallen from the sky.

This poem, Aubade With Burning City, was based on the memories of Mr. Vuongs grandmother, who recalled that Saigon fell during the snow song. She was married to an American serviceman, and in another poem, Mr. Vuong contemplates the irony of the war: Had his grandparents never met, neither he nor his mother would exist: Thus no bombs = no family = no me.

Born on a rice farm outside Saigon in 1988, Mr. Vuong, who won this years Whiting Award for poetry, was 2 when his family arrived in the United States, after more than a year in a refugee camp in the Philippines. He was the first in his immediate family to learn to read, but he grew up listening to his grandmothers stories and folk songs, and his poetry takes the musicality of that oral tradition and weds it, brilliantly, with his love of the English language.
LONDON  A former investment banker and a businessman were convicted of insider trading on Monday in what the British authorities have described as the largest crackdown on improper trading in Britain.

After a three-month trial in Southwark Crown Court in London, Martyn Dodgson, a former banker at Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank, and Andrew Hind, a businessman and trained accountant, were convicted of conspiracy to insider deal, as insider trading is described in Britain.

The conspiracy began in November 2006 and ended in March 2010, prosecutors said.

The case sprung out of an investigation called Operation Tabernula. The investigation began with a series of raids by the British authorities in March 2010

Three other men who also were on trial were acquitted of criminal charges on Monday.

This was an extraordinary and complex case of a type not prosecuted in this country before, Mark Steward, the Financial Conduct Authoritys director of enforcement and market oversight, said in a news release on Monday.
An Arizona law school that came under fire for admitting applicants who took the more general Graduate Record Exam rather than the traditional Law School Admissions Test has received a reprieve.

The membership body, the Law School Admission Council, has decided not to oust the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

I appreciate the decision not to expel Arizona for our decision to open up J.D. admissions to people who take either test, Marc L. Miller, the law schools dean, said on Monday. J.D. refers to the juris doctorate degree conferred by law schools.

In February, Arizona became the first law school to accept the GRE as well as the LSAT to admit students. That policy drew criticism from those who said the LSAT was the most reliable metric for predicting law school success.
Carrie H. Cohen, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan who helped win the corruption conviction of Sheldon Silver, the former New York State assembly speaker, has joined the law firm Morrison & Foerster as a partner, the firm said on Monday.

Ms. Cohen, who spent nearly nine years in the United States attorneys office for the Southern District of New York, will represent financial institutions, corporations and individuals in white-collar criminal investigations and handle complex civil litigation, among other things, the firm said.

Ms. Cohen, 48, joined the federal prosecutors office in Manhattan in 2007 after working in the New York attorney generals office from 1999 to 2006, where she became the chief of the public integrity unit. In the 1990s, she had worked as an associate at the law firm now known as Vladeck, Raskin & Clark and later at Morrison & Foerster. Ms. Cohen is a graduate of Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

In the attorney generals office, Ms. Cohen helped prosecute Alan G. Hevesi, the state comptroller who pleaded guilty in 2006 to a charge stemming from his use of state workers to drive his ailing wife and resigned from his office.
LONDON  The French oil and gas company Total said on Monday that it had agreed to acquire Saft in a deal that would value the high-technology battery maker at 950 million euros, or about $1.1 billion.

The deal is Totals latest investment in renewable energy technology since the company agreed to pay $1.4 billion for a controlling stake in SunPower, an American solar energy firm, in 2011.

Under the terms of the deal, Total said it would pay 36.50 a share for Saft, representing a premium of 38.3 percent to its closing price on Friday.

Based in Bagnolet in the Paris suburbs, Saft is a designer and manufacturer of high-tech batteries for the manufacturing, transportation, and civilian and military electronics sectors. The company reported sales of 759 million in 2015 and employs more than 4,100 people in 19 countries.
ROME  At the Palazzo Navona, a boutique hotel named for the famous piazza here, guests must place a room key into a slot on the wall to activate the lights and temperature control system in their rooms.

The Palazzos use of the key card device is not unusual in Europe or in other parts of the world, like Asia. Even in countries like Norway where electricity is relatively inexpensive, many hotels use them to reduce energy costs.

American hotels have long resisted key cards or other energy-saving systems. Energy was cheap, and hoteliers feared that guests, who routinely left their rooms with the lights and air-conditioner on, would see any check on their energy use as an inconvenience.

Hotel guests have a feeling that they paid for the space and they can use it freely, and theres a natural tendency not to be too conscious of their energy use, said Brian Carberry, a director of product management for Leviton Manufacturing Company, of Melville, N.Y., which makes key card switches and other energy-saving devices for hotels.
A German billionaire family has been on a breakfast buying binge. The newest item on its plate: doughnuts.

The board of Krispy Kreme, best known for its warm glazed doughnuts, agreed to the companys acquisition by JAB Holding Company and a minority investor, BDT Capital Partners, for $1.35 billion, it announced on Monday. JAB is the investment arm of the Reimann family, the heirs to the German consumer goods conglomerate Joh. A. Benckiser.

Its subsidiary, JAB Beech, plans to add the companys doughnuts to its other quick-serve American breakfast staples, including several coffee chains and a bagel company. In recent years, JAB has acquired the parent company of Einstein Brothers Bagels, as well as Peets Coffee & Tea, Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Caribou Coffee. In December, JAB acquired Keurig Green Mountain for $13.9 billion, its biggest bet yet in building its coffee empire.

Krispy Kreme, founded almost 80 years ago, is most famous for its glazed doughnut, but it also sells a wide assortment of other flavors such as lemon-filled and sour cream. More recently, the company has made coffee a priority with new offerings and promotions.
An experimental malaria vaccine tested in varying doses provided 55 percent protection for one year to a few volunteers, a study released Monday said.

The vaccine, made by Sanaria, contains thousands of live malaria parasites weakened by radiation; the parasites create an immune response but do not persist in the body for long. The radiation is applied to mosquitoes carrying the parasites, which then are gathered from the insects salivary glands.

Several teams, each using a different principle, have tried for decades to develop a malaria vaccine, but complete, long-lasting protection has proved elusive.

In the current study, published by Nature Medicine, 55 volunteers were broken up into five groups who received different doses through different routes. Very high doses injected into muscles did not work. Neither did five small intravenous doses, nor three medium ones.
The idea sounds like fantasy: an invisible film that can be painted on your skin and give it the elasticity of youth. Bags under the eyes vanish in seconds. Wrinkles disappear.

Scientists at Harvard and M.I.T. have discovered that it is not fantasy at all. Reporting on Monday in the journal Nature Materials on pilot studies with 170 subjects, the researchers said a second skin composed of commonly used chemicals deemed safe by the Food and Drug Administration can accomplish that  and in small studies of it, so far no one has reported irritation or allergic reactions.

Undereye bags are just the start. You can soak the film with sunscreen and protect yourself without worrying about sweat or water washing it away, researchers said. They expect it can be used to treat eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions by covering dry itchy patches with a film that moistens and soothes.

The chemicals are siloxanes  their basic form is one atom of oxygen linked to two atoms of silicon  which form polymers, long chains of repeating units. The researchers made a large collection of them by modifying molecular features such as the chain length to get the ones with the properties they wanted.
Ever since Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park opened on Roosevelt Island four years ago, City Hall has been arguing with the nonprofit group that built and runs the park over whether it is fully accessible to disabled people.

The little-known dispute has now reached an impasse, with the de Blasio administration declaring categorically that the park is not accessible and needs to be fixed.

President Roosevelt himself would have been unable to use a 12-by-60-foot sunken terrace at the southernmost end of the memorial. He was paralyzed from the waist down and depended on a wheelchair for mobility.
For decades, Steven Croman was a successful landlord in New York City. His companies bought up more than 140 Manhattan apartment buildings, often filled with rent-regulated tenants. And then, methodically, he pushed them to leave, buying them out of their leases for relatively modest sums or, if that did not work, harassing them until they left, tenants said. He was a regular on worst landlords lists. His tenants even started a website against him.

Mr. Cromans business came to embody in many ways how rent regulations have eroded in the city, putting housing out of reach for more and more people. He was able to deregulate most of his rent-stabilized apartments within just a few years of buying the buildings, enabling him to collect much higher rents.

On Monday, though, his fortunes took a different turn. Mr. Croman, 49, turned himself in to the authorities around 7 a.m. in Lower Manhattan. He was charged with 20 felonies, including grand larceny, criminal tax fraud, falsifying business records and a scheme to defraud, relating to accusations he inflated his rental income to secure more than $45 million in bank loans. He faces up to 25 years in prison. His mortgage broker, Barry Swartz, 53, was charged with 15 felonies.

The New York State attorney generals office, which investigated Mr. Croman for almost two years, also filed a lawsuit against Mr. Croman on Monday, seeking to force him to give up his real estate business and pay millions of dollars in restitution to tenants and penalties.
Many credited the Islamists with drastically reducing banditry, something the army had failed to do. Every time we call the authorities, they fail to show up, a young man told me. Others said the Islamists had intervened to recover stolen motorcycles or cows. The jihadists are the law now, one said.

Villagers also described frequent abuses by the security forces and predatory behavior marring nearly every contact with government  demands for bribes for acquiring ID cards, vaccinating animals, passing checkpoints. Meanwhile, there are few schools or clinics in our villages, one resident said. Other people told me that the government failed to ensure justice in cases of intercommunal violence  tit-for-tat disputes over land or water  or security force abuses.

Ive spoken with dozens of detainees, nearly all Peul, who described torture and mistreatment by the army. Amadou was one of 10 men hogtied, suspended by an iron bar and beaten. In some cases, their teeth were knocked out; others were burned or subjected to mock executions.

Policy circles pulsate with theories about what causes individuals and communities to support groups like Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. And for good reason: Premeditated mass murder of ordinary people in shopping malls, subways and hotels has become tragically common.

Scores of people have died in attacks by Islamist extremists in Mali, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast. The attacks appeared to signal Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrebs escalation of the soft target game, perhaps in competition with the Islamic State. Disturbingly, according to the elders I spoke with, several of the people who helped carry out these attacks were reportedly Peul.

As the world ponders what inspires violent extremism, policy makers should listen to people like Amadou, who are on the front lines. They insist that their young men are not being wooed over the Internet or joining out of religious conviction, but rather, as one imam told me, because the jihadists provide a better alternative to the state. Another man told me that many are unable even to recite the Quran.

The Peul elders and villagers say that the way to stop this has nothing to do with preventing terrorists from using social media or stemming the flow of foreign fighters. They want a government whose security forces protect instead of abuse them; whose civil servants serve instead of exploit them; and whose justice system ensures their right to redress.

Malis partners  especially France and the United States  have too often turned a blind eye to these problems. Instead, they should insist that Mali professionalizes and holds accountable the security forces; better supports the chronically neglected judiciary; and takes concrete action against corruption. Only when steps are taken to address these issues and people finally feel secure in their own basic rights may extremist groups start losing ground.
To the Editor:

Re G.O.P. Unravels as Party Faces Trump Takeover (front page, May 8):

The Republican Party has had it both ways for decades, building its modern legacy on Ronald Reagan, whose original appeal was partly founded on the code-worded states rights racism of the 1960s and 70s.

The big tent it created welcomed fiscal conservatives and moderate voters who cherished traditional American ideals, while providing a welcome back door for racists, America Firsters and others who still yearned for the days when blacks, minorities, non-Christians and others who didnt look or talk like them still knew their place.

In Donald Trumps world, that back door has become the front door of the G.O.P. The traditional party establishment, seeing in the mirror the party it created, reacts with horror and embarrassment.

STEVEN BAVARIA

Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.

To the Editor:

Donald Trump promises America that he will be the Worlds Greatest Negotiator, but is unable to negotiate with the highest-ranking elected Republican officials of the party he presumes to represent. Will he be capable of negotiating with world leaders?
It is worth noting that under the ban on Muslim noncitizens entering the country that Trump proposes, Khan would not be allowed to visit the United States. To use one of Trumps favorite phrases, this would be a complete and total disaster. It would make America a foul mockery in the eyes of a world already aghast at the Republican candidates rise.

Khans election is important because it gives the lie to the facile trope that Europe is being taken over by jihadi Islamists. It underscores the fact that terrorist acts hide a million quiet success stories among European Muslim communities. One of seven children of a Pakistani immigrant family, Khan grew up in public housing and went on to become a human rights lawyer and government minister. He won more than 1.3 million votes in the London election, a personal mandate unsurpassed by any politician in British history.

His election is important because the most effective voices against Islamist terrorism come from Muslims, and Khan has been prepared to speak out. After the Paris attacks last year, he said in a speech that Muslims had a special role to play in countering the terrorism, not because we are more responsible than others, as some have wrongly claimed, but because we can be more effective at tackling extremism than anyone else.

Khan has also reached out to Britains Jewish community, vigorously disavowing the creeping anti-Semitism in Labour ranks that last month saw Ken Livingstone, a former London mayor, suspended from the party.

As George Eaton observed in The New Statesman: Khan will be a figure of global significance. His election is a rebuke to extremists of all stripes, from Donald Trump to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, who assert that religions cannot peacefully coexist.
A Possible Testing Gold Mine

Ncats has perhaps the worlds largest collection of drugs and compounds, some half a million. During a recent visit, an employee who goes by the name Pepper showed how samples are fetched from glass-walled carousels by giant yellow robotic arms in a meticulously programmed ballet resembling an albatross love dance.

Many of the compounds are untested in people. But one collection contains about 2,800 drugs approved in the United States or other countries. Another library holds about 2,000 compounds that have been through some human safety testing.

Those libraries are potential gold mines. If safety-tested compounds block Zika in laboratory cells, they can be tested in people faster than new drugs or vaccines.

We want to focus on the drugs that are immediately useful in people with the disease, said Dr. Christopher Austin, the director of Ncats, noting that similar drug-testing was done with Ebola, yielding some compounds that are in clinical trials now.

The Johns Hopkins researchers needed time to grow more neural progenitor cells, but Dr. Zheng started anyway, first on brain tumor cells he infected with Zika. Three compounds seemed effective - a caspase inhibitor, a Russian antidepressant, and a common vitamin - so he whisked them to other researchers to try.

After receiving progenitor cells, he started again. He found 173 drugs blocked caspase-3 increase, about three dozen did so without harming cells, and one  just one  prevented the Zika virus from killing cells. That drug, which he declined to identify, is not approved but has undergone safety testing and is in a clinical trial with cancer patients, he said.

He sent the drug to Johns Hopkins, where early testing is yielding similar results. But even if results are replicated in mice and humans, hurdles remain, including determining if it is safe for pregnant women and deciding who to treat, since many women infected with Zika have had healthy babies

Also, a drug that can save the cells after theyre infected is not the real prize, Dr. Song said. The best drug would actually prevent the cells from being infected in the first place.
The state has largely shut down its coal-burning power plants, and Mr. Cuomo intends to close the rest of them by 2020. He has set a goal of getting 50 percent of the states electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Mr. Cuomo hopes to shutter the Indian Point nuclear plant north of New York City for safety reasons, but he recently offered plans to save upstate nuclear power plants. Those are at risk of closing because of low electricity prices driven by cheap natural gas, but he argues that losing the plants would take the state backward on emissions. Mr. Cuomo has drawn some opposition on this from environmental groups, who are otherwise largely supporting his approach.

The heart of Mr. Cuomos policy is his intention to enlist market forces in shaking up the utility industry. That plan has a name: Reforming the Energy Vision. Yes, it does sound like something dreamed up by hippies at their commune in the mountains.

In fact, Mr. Cuomo is among the most business-friendly of the nations Democratic governors, and his plan is being led by a former partner at Goldman Sachs, Richard L. Kauffman.

Mr. Kauffman argues that the utilities distributing electrical power are among the most hidebound, least innovative, businesses in the nation. Historically, they were monopolies that made their money by selling more electricity, building whatever power plants were necessary to produce it, and collecting the money to pay for those plants and other equipment in a sort of cost-plus business model. Some of the plants tended to sit idle, waiting to be turned on to meet peak demand a few hours a year  an enormous waste of money.
The worlds space agencies are calling for a new generation of satellites that would be precise enough to map greenhouse gas emissions from individual nations. Their goal is to replace decades of rough estimates with advanced monitoring of what has become one of the worlds foremost concerns.

The plan, based on a growing body of research in space sensors, is delicate politically because the global system could verify or cast doubt on emission reports from the 196 member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was adopted in 1992. If built, the system could serve as an independent way to measure greenhouse gases and encourage lax countries to better comply with abatement goals.

The recent Paris accord, which calls for the verification and certification of emission reductions, essentially gave the plan a diplomatic stamp of approval.

The proposed system of satellites, six to eight in all, would be in orbit by 2030 to map clouds of carbon dioxide, the invisible gas linked to climate change. Rough estimates put the systems cost around $5 billion. It would resemble the global fleet of weather satellites that observe water clouds.
A planned technology museum in Maine grew out of the curiosity of a 10-year-old.

In 2010, Alex Jason traded a minibike and an electric snowblower for an iMac G5 computer, in what turned out to be the start of a giant collection of vintage computer equipment, including 200 Apple machines. It is one of only a few dozen collections of its size and kind in the country.

Alex, now 15, along with his father, Bill Jason, are planning to display the collection, known as Alexs Apple Orchard, in a converted library in Fairfield, Me., soon to be the Maine Technology Museum.

Image Apple computers from 1980-93. Credit... Alex Jason

Among Alexs pieces is a rare Apple I from 1976 that still works and has the original chips. Fewer than 70 of these models are believed to remain, with one selling for more than $900,000 at an auction in 2014.
Even today, 49 percent of voters are registered Democrats in West Virginia, but Mr. Obama won just 35.5 percent of the vote against Mitt Romney in 2012. Mr. Obama won just 59 percent in the 2012 primary in a one-on-one contest against Keith Judd, who was in prison at the time and who will be on the West Virginia ballot again on Tuesday.

The results of these counties have another odd characteristic: a huge number of votes for minor candidates. In Coal County, around 6 percent of the vote went to the former Maryland governor Martin OMalley, and obscure candidates like Michael Steinberg (3 percent), Mr. Judd (4 percent), Star Locke (4 percent) and Roque De La Fuente (2 percent) also picked up support. These candidates combined to receive nearly as many votes as Mrs. Clinton  and in other counties, they actually did.

In the open primaries, as in Texas or Alabama, these conservatives tend to vote in the Republican primary  just as they vote for Republicans in presidential elections. But in closed or semi-closed contests like Florida, Louisiana and Oklahoma, such voters must cast ballots in a Democratic primary if they want to vote in a primary at all. The result: Mrs. Clintons support surges once you cross the state line from Oklahoma to Texas, but the turnout plummets.

The same effect can be seen across the South. Mr. Sanders fared far better in the Florida Panhandle, where a majority of voters are often registered Democrats but Republicans prevail, than he did on the other side of the state line in Alabama or Georgia, with their open primaries.
A Democratic candidate for West Virginias State Senate who was beaten up at a barbecue last weekend said that he suspected the attack had been politically motivated but that he still hoped to leave the hospital in time to publicly watch the results of the state primary election on Tuesday.

The candidate, Richard Ojeda, said by phone from his hospital bed in Charleston that he had been kicked in the head until he passed out at an outdoors campaign event by a man he had known as a child, leaving him with fractured bones in eight places  including his eye socket and jaw  and stitches, bruises and swelling.

A suspect, Jonathan Porter, turned himself in to state troopers late Sunday and was booked on felony charges, including malicious assault and destruction of property, according to a law enforcement official.

Mr. Ojeda said he believed the attack was politically motivated because he had been questioning leaders and publicly calling out entrenched nepotism that he said had resulted in favoritism in jobs and salaries.
They created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security, she said at a news conference in Washington. None of us can stand by when a state enters the business of legislating identity and insists that a person pretend to be something or someone that they are not.

Straying from her usual understated, lawyerly tone, Ms. Lynch, a North Carolina native, grew impassioned as she likened the fight to earlier battles over Jim Crow laws and laws against same-sex marriage.

This is not the first time that we have seen discriminatory responses to historic moments of progress, she said. Addressing transgender people, she added: We see you. We stand with you, and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward.

The Justice Departments lawsuit, filed in a different federal court in the state, argued that North Carolinas law, which prohibits people from using public restrooms that do not correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates, compels public agencies to follow a facially discriminatory policy.

Even before the Justice Department challenged the law in court, the federal government had been examining how it could pressure North Carolina. Last month, federal agencies acknowledged that they were studying whether the law affected North Carolinas eligibility for aid from Washington that helps pay for schools, highways and housing.
But Mr. Becerra also said he saw his future in the House, where he hoped to help lead a major overhaul of immigration laws that Mrs. Clinton has promised to pursue if she wins the White House.

Bullet Train to Nowhere : Construction of the California high-speed rail system, Americas most ambitious infrastructure project, Construction of the California high-speed rail system, Americas most ambitious infrastructure project, has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare

A Piece of Black History Destroyed: Lincoln Heights  a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California  endured for decades. Lincoln Heights  a historically Black community in a predominantly white, rural county in Northern California  endured for decades. Then came the Mill fire

Warehouse Moratorium: As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back. In Californias Inland Empire, As warehouse construction balloons nationwide, residents in communities both rural and urban have pushed back. In Californias Inland Empire, the anger has turned to widespread action

Unlike Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, another rising star in the party who decided to run for the Senate this year rather than wait for other leadership positions to open up in the House, Mr. Becerra declined to seek the seat being vacated by Senator Barbara Boxer of California, who is retiring.

While a Senate race would have been an expensive and risky bet  a run for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001 was a total flop, getting him just 6 percent of the primary vote  winning re-election to the House is a near certainty in his heavily immigrant downtown district, which includes parts of Chinatown, Koreatown and Boyle Heights, a largely Hispanic area. In 2014, Mr. Becerra won 72.5 percent of the vote, a low total for him, only because under a new primary system, he faced a fellow Democrat in the general election. In 2012, the last time he ran against a Republican, Mr. Becerra won 85.6 percent of the vote.

By staying in the House, Mr. Becerra seems to be betting that his arduous campaigning on behalf of Mrs. Clinton  he has held events for her in 10 states and made countless television appearances  and his work to support fellow House Democrats will secure him a continued role in leadership, even if the path is so far uncertain.

In the meantime, he seems to relish his role on the presidential campaign trail, and the speculation that comes with it. For those who play the insider game, Mr. Becerra was part of a three-person presidential delegation to the Vatican for the canonization Mass for Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in 2014. Joining him were John Podesta, the Clinton campaign chairman, who is expected to lead the vice-presidential selection process, and Katie Beirne Fallon, President Obamas former legislative affairs director, whose husband, Brian Fallon, is a spokesman for the Clinton campaign.

Despite such connections, conventional wisdom would suggest that Mrs. Clinton, in a race against Mr. Trump, would need to broaden her appeal among white men. Still, Mr. Trumps unorthodox candidacy may make traditional calculations obsolete. Mr. Torres said Mr. Becerra would have a lot to offer the Democratic ticket, as a son of Mexican-American immigrants who went on to get economics and law degrees at Stanford, and whose reputation is unblemished. Mr. Becerra and his wife, Carolina Reyes, an obstetrician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, have three daughters.
Republicans spent an entire primary cycle searching for Donald J. Trumps weak spot, to little avail.

But Elizabeth Warren, a first-term Democratic senator from Massachusetts, seems to have come up with an answer  or at least a way to rattle the New York billionaire.

On Friday evening, tensions between Mr. Trump and Ms. Warren spilled into a Twitter war, which spanned four hours and more than a dozen posts and insults  Goofy Elizabeth Warren, he called her; a sexist, racist, xenophobic bully, she countered  on both sides.

The back-and-forth, which played out in public rat-a-tat-tat bursts, 140 characters at a time, also offered a vivid preview of how the six months until Election Day could unfold, with the popular Ms. Warren emerging as a unifier of the Democratic base and Mr. Trump  so far, at least  still unable to resist small provocations as he tries to become a more disciplined general election candidate.
For a problem to gain attention, does it need a name and a face?

In at least two areas of American life  policing and politics  that question seems to be central to the debate.

Consider the dire state of policing and race relations in the United States. Much of the American intelligentsia and political class would probably say black men are policed too much. In New York, the police have moved away from stop-and-frisk practices. In Congress, a bipartisan coalition is working on legislation to scale back the prison population boom that disproportionately locks up black men. Across the nation, the Black Lives Matter movement has drawn attention to police shootings of unarmed black men.

Yet over-policing is only one way of looking at the story. Ghettoside, a deep piece of reportage by Jill Leovy, who for years covered homicides for The Los Angeles Times, draws attention to the flip side, the failure to investigate and prosecute the murders of black men  most of them not by police officers, many of them at the hands of other black men.

Ms. Leovys claim is, she admits, not an easy argument to make in these times: that black men are far more often killed by police neglect than by police action  a problem of under-policing, not over-policing.
The Obama administration is urging universities and colleges to re-evaluate how questions about an applicants criminal history are used in the admissions process, part of an effort to remove barriers to education, employment and housing for those with past convictions, in many cases for minor crimes.

Education Secretary John B. King Jr. released a Dear Colleague letter to universities and colleges on Monday along with a guide, Beyond the Box: Increasing Access to Higher Education for Justice Involved Individuals. Among the guides recommendations is a suggestion that colleges consider delaying questions about criminal records until after admissions decisions to avoid a chilling effect on potential applicants.

Noting that an estimated 70 million Americans have some form of criminal record, Mr. King said people who have been involved with the criminal justice system continue to face significant hurdles in obtaining access to higher education or career training.

Most universities ask questions about an applicants criminal record as part of the admissions process. Requests for this information have increased in the past decade or so after several high-profile instances of campus violence.
LAGOS, Nigeria  Young men became entangled in a swirl of flying fists. Gas station workers swatted away boys hoping to fill their plastic cans. A mother with a sleeping baby in her minivan was chased off, rightly accused of jumping the line. A driver eager to get ahead crashed into several cars, the sound of crunching metal barely registering amid the noise.

Nigerians were getting used to days like this.

But then came the ultimate insult to everyone waiting at the Oando mega gas station: A bus marked Ministry of Justice rolled up to a pump, leapfrogging no fewer than 99 vehicles. Service With Integrity was painted on its door. A gas station supervisor who calls herself Madame No Nonsense stepped aside to let it fuel up before anyone else. The crowd howled at the injustice.

Plummeting oil prices have set off an economic unraveling in Nigeria, one of the worlds top oil producers, and the collective anger of a fed-up nation was pouring out.

Starvation in the land of plenty, said Tony Usidamen, a public relations consultant waiting for fuel.
MEXICO CITY  A Mexican judge has ruled that the countrys most notorious drug lord, Joaquin Guzman Loera, can be extradited to the United States, where he would face federal charges of drug trafficking and far slimmer chances of escaping prison, as he has done twice in his home country.

The ruling essentially creates the basis for the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Mexico to grant the final approval for the extradition of Mr. Guzman, known as El Chapo, or Shorty, within the next 30 days.

The ball is now in the Foreign Ministrys court, and they have a month to execute the process or not, said a spokesman for the judiciary in Mexico who could not be identified because of government policy. They have been notified and received the file.

Mr. Guzmans lawyers were notified of the judges decision on Friday night, and Mr. Guzman was told on Sunday, during his transfer to another prison in Ciudad Juarez, near the border with Texas.
DAVAO CITY, Philippines  The front-runner in the Philippines presidential election, Rodrigo Duterte, held a large lead over his closest competitor on Monday, according to an unofficial tally of partial results.

The Commission on Elections reported that with 83 percent of the votes counted, Mr. Duterte, the mayor of the southern city of Davao, had nearly double the number of votes of his nearest rival. Election officials said they would not announce the winner of the race until Tuesday, though one of the leading candidates, Senator Grace Poe, conceded defeat on Monday night and withdrew from the race.

Mr. Duterte had been largely unknown outside the Philippines before he declared his candidacy last November. Since then, he has run a campaign light on specific policies and heavy on tough talk, earning him comparisons to the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in the United States, Donald J. Trump.

Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Duterte has cast himself as an outspoken outsider, and has drawn wide criticism for his comments.
Before its four-day session ended on Monday, the congress bestowed Kim Jong-un with a new top title, chairman of the Workers Party, after he called for a more vigorous development of nuclear weapons and missiles, state-run news media reported. The announcement was made during the 10 minutes that a small group of foreign journalists was allowed, for the first time, to watch the meeting, The A.P. reported from Pyongyang, the Norths capital.

The congress also elevated two of Mr. Kims closest aides  the party secretary, Choe Ryong-hae, and Pak Pong-ju, the prime minister and chief economic official  to join the presidium of the partys Politburo. Mr. Kim leads the presidium, which has two other members: Kim Yong-nam, the head of Parliament, and Hwang Pyong-so, the chief political officer of the military.

Mr. Kim, the third-generation leader in his familys dynastic rule of North Korea, had been widely expected to use the congress to cement his grip on power and have his crucial policies, including the so-called byungjin policy of increasing a nuclear arsenal while rebuilding the economy, adopted as official party lines.

The party meeting took place shortly after the United Nations Security Council imposed a new round of tougher sanctions to punish the North for its recent nuclear and long-range rocket tests. But the decision adopted by the congress upheld Mr. Kims campaign to expand his countrys nuclear arsenal both in quality and quantity by producing more diverse and smaller nuclear warheads.

It also said the country should launch more satellites. The United Nations has condemned the Norths satellite program as a cover for developing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Mr. Kim also said that his country proudly stuck fast to its socialist path of our own choosing by successfully repelling the confusing winds of bourgeois liberalization, reform and openness from around us.
VIENNA  Austrias chancellor resigned abruptly on Monday after seven and a half years in office, having lost control of his center-left Social Democratic Party amid a rightward shift fueled by anxiety over migration.

The chancellor, Werner Faymann, initially supported the decision last year by Germanys chancellor, Angela Merkel, to welcome migrants fleeing war and poverty and to refuse to set a limit on how many might come. But after a ferocious backlash, Mr. Faymann switched course, joining his coalition partner, the center-right Austrian Peoples Party, in supporting border restrictions.

The policy reversal was not enough to stop the right-wing Freedom Party, which has run on a strident Austrians First platform, from capitalizing on the influx of migrants. In September, the party finished second in regional elections in northern Austria.

An even greater shock to the establishment occurred on April 24, when the Freedom Party candidate, Norbert Hofer, won the first round of the presidential election, capturing more than one-third of the vote. He will face a former Greens leader, Alexander Van der Bellen, in a May 22 runoff.
MOSCOW  Hailing the Soviet Union for having brought freedom to other peoples and taking a swipe at the West over unacceptable double standards, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia presided on Monday over the traditional Victory Day exhibition of military might in Red Square.

Among the many weapons on display were warplanes of the type Moscow has deployed in Syria and an updated version of the Buk antiaircraft missile system that, according to Dutch investigators, shot down a passenger aircraft over eastern Ukraine in 2014.

The military parade and flyby in Moscow signaled the start of a nationwide series of such events, an annual commemoration of the Soviet Unions defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 and of the 26 million Soviet soldiers and citizens who died during World War II, far more than in any other country. Smaller parades were held across the country and at a Russian military base in Syria.

After the solemn, lock-step formality of events in Red Square, hundreds of thousands of ordinary Russians streamed through Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities later on Monday holding placards pasted with black-and-white photographs of relatives who fought and, in many cases, died during the war. Known as the immortal regiment, the commemoration began in 2012 in the Siberian city of Tomsk as a private initiative but proved so popular that it has since been embraced and, critics say, hijacked by government authorities. Mr. Putin marched at the front of a huge remembrance procession in Moscow, holding a picture of his father, Vladimir, a war veteran who was wounded fighting the Nazis.
PALMYRA, Syria  For a Russian, there is never a bad time or place for a classical music concert.

And for the concert in the ancient ruins of this war-ravaged Syrian city, staged last week by Russias premier orchestra, the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, the invitation came as improbably as the event itself.

Russias Foreign Ministry called my cellphone on a Saturday morning: Be ready to fly to Syria in a few days. We cannot tell you anything more. But there is a dress code. Bring a bulletproof vest.

So began the latest twist to Russias military intervention in the Syrian civil war, which has been characterized by subterfuge and misdirection since it started in September. Thats when the world was told that giant Ilyushin 76 transport airplanes flying from Russia to Syria were carrying humanitarian aid, when in fact they were bringing soldiers and military supplies.

Airstrikes commenced. The Russians said their warplanes were targeting terrorists; Western governments, however, said the real objective was to prop up Moscows ally, the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
North Korea, which often struggles to feed its own people, is making millions feeding foreigners.

Entities linked to Kim Jong-uns pariah state run an expanding empire of restaurants abroad, complete with singing and dancing waitresses in traditional dress. They cater to tourists and businesspeople, many of them South Koreans, and they pump badly needed hard-currency profits back to the communist North, which is largely cut off from the world economy by sanctions over its nuclear weapons program.

(Because the restaurants handle a lot of cash, they are also suspected of being a convenient conduit for laundering money from some of the Norths sanctions-busting activities.)

There are about 130 of the restaurants, most of them in China, though also in Southeast and South Asia and a few farther afield, in Russia, Mongolia and even the Netherlands. Many are named Pyongyang after the Norths capital. Their menus often feature a specialty of the city, cold noodle, along with many variations on kimchi and, in some Asian locations at least, dog-meat soup.

The North Korean waitresses are said to be thoroughly screened for loyalty and carefully watched by security agents, but there have been reports that some have tried to defect. When that happens, evidently, the restaurant may be swiftly shut down and the rest of the staff shipped home.
Just steps from Fifth Avenues shopping bag scrum, you can sip a coffee in quiet luxury, perhaps nibbling a croissant or more substantial panini imagined by Cesare Casella, the consulting chef. The Italian haberdasher Domenico Vacca has outfitted his shiny new American flagship store with an espresso bar (and a barber shop, beauty salon and private club). When the wine license is approved, a late-afternoon stem of sangiovese will be available, too: DV Cafe, 15 West 55th Street, domenicovacca.com.
OPENING BELLE

By Maureen Sherry

338 pp. Simon & Schuster, $25.

After reading Opening Belle, I still cant tell you the difference between a C.M.O. and a C.D.O., but I do know that being a high-powered woman on Wall Street, the sole breadwinner for three young children and the wife of a man who resents you for your success is a nightmare. Throw in a gorgeous ex-boyfriend and a work environment so hostile and sexist that it makes a frat party feel like Gloria Steinems powder room, and youve got this I dont know how she does it first novel from Sherry, a former managing director at Bear Stearns who, lucky for us, didnt sign a nondisclosure agreement when she resigned after 10 years with the company.

With a sure hand, the author leads us onto the trading floor, where publicly demeaning a woman is a spectator sport. Our heroine, Isabelle McElroy, joins the all-female secret society Glass Ceiling Club. Demands are made, but nothing comes of them. The thing is, when people of your gender make up 1 percent of the company, you just cant beat em. So do you give up your seven-figure salary and move your family off Park Avenue? Sherry gives us a hard-won and satisfying answer.

WHY WE CAME TO THE CITY

By Kristopher Jansma

418 pp. Viking, $27.

Jansmas novel is a love letter to Manhattan. True, its the same love letter so many of us who moved here in our 20s have written: Were gonna make it! Make it big or at least make the rent! Make lifelong friends! Make headboard-clutching love! Like the rest of us, Jansmas characters learn that things dont always work out the way we plan, but if we stick with our city, our city delivers.
Principals embrace charter promising a fair go for new teachers

9 May 2016



Primary school principals are enthusiastic about supporting a new charter guaranteeing a fair go for newly graduated primary teachers.



NZEI Te Riu Roa developed the Beginning Teachers Charter because of concerns that just 15% of new graduates are getting permanent teaching jobs.



Many who get work at all are getting relief work or short-term positions, which often means they dont receive the support and mentoring they need for full certification within six years of graduating.



NZEI President Louise Green said this was a concern, because if we want great teachers for our children, teachers need to be well supported from the beginning of their career.



The charter guarantees that any beginning teachers the school employs will receive the induction and mentoring support they are entitled to. The school also commits to never employing new or beginning teachers on a trial or otherwise illegal fixed-term basis.



Signatory schools receive a certificate and window stickers to show they support beginning teachers. It sends a very strong, positive message to a schools current and prospective teaching staff, said Ms Green.



The Education Council and New Zealand Principals' Federation have expressed their support for the charter. Positive conversations have also been held with the Ministry of Education.



Ms Green said the charter was about creating a shift in practice and awareness, but the long-term answer to a lack of permanent jobs for new graduates depended on the Ministry of Education undertaking workforce planning, which was sorely needed.




LOUISVILLE, Ky.  The revelry after Nyquists Kentucky Derby victory was joyous but subdued, the team behind him all too aware they had completed just one of three chapters in a grander story.

Owner J. Paul Reddam, who lives in Sunset Beach, and trainer Doug ONeill have traveled this road before, in 2012 with Ill Have Another. And make no mistake  they believe they have a horse good enough to repeat American Pharoahs Triple Crown from 2015, just as Affirmed followed Seattle Slew 38 years ago.

We have more wood to chop, and we all realize that, Reddam said Sunday morning outside Nyquists barn. Obviously, everyones ecstatic to have won the Derby. But minds immediately went to, OK, weve got to go to the Preakness. . Everybodys happy, but its a more mature happy.

ONeill was already on a flight home to California, where he planned to make a quick visit before turning around to join his horse in Baltimore. But his racing manager, Steve Rothblum, said Nyquist had eaten well after the race and looked like a million bucks.

The Derby champion will arrive in Baltimore today as a presumptive favorite for the May 21 Preakness, where hell likely face another rematch with his chief antagonist, Derby runner-up Exaggerator. But on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, talk had already moved ahead to whether the undefeated colt could match American Pharoah.

ONeills senior assistant, Leandro Mora, said Nyquist will have a major leg up because he can win in so many different ways.

He has two or three different styles, Mora said. When you only have a closer or only have a speed horse, you always worry, because you dont know whats going to happen when they come out of the gate.

He compared Nyquist to Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown winner who helped him fall in love with the sport when he was a young hot walker in California.

The Preakness field will begin to take shape over the next week. Exaggerators trainer, Keith Desormeaux, said hed like another shot at Nyquist, who has beaten his horse four times now. Exaggerator was gaining ground on Nyquist as they neared the wire Saturday and finished 1 1/4 lengths back. But even as the horses galloped out, Nyquist would not allow his rival to pass. Perhaps he never will.

Steve Asmussen, the trainer of third-place Derby finisher Gun Runner and 13th-place finisher Creator, was non-committal when asked about his horses racing in the Preakness.

Theyre not going to go anywhere in the immediate future, he said. Well give them a couple of days, probably go back to the track with them Wednesday. . Well see how we think theyre doing.

He said both horses seemed to recover well from the Derby and have good races ahead of them. The Hall of Fame trainer was particularly pleased with Gun Runners Derby effort, which briefly had him thinking victory was within grasp.

He was right next to the horse that won the race, Asmussen said. But Nyquist is an undefeated, Eclipse Award-winning, Kentucky Derby champion.

Other possible entrants for the Preakness include Laoban and Cherry Wine, the two also-eligible Derby horses who would have gotten into the field if any of the top 20 had scratched.

Todd Pletcher-trained Stradivari and Bob Baffert-trained Collected, winner of the April 16 Lexington Stakes, are also in the mix. So is Awesome Speed, who won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park on April 9.

The trainers for Suddenbreakingnews, fifth in the Derby, and Brodys Cause, seventh in the Derby, also left open the possibility of running in the Preakness.

Other potential entrants include Adventist, third in the Wood Memorial; Uncle Lino, third in the Santa Anita Derby and Fellowship, third in the Florida Derby.

Regardless of the exact make-up, Nyquist will face a weaker field than he did at Churchill Downs, so most of the questions will center on how hell handle the heavy workload of the Triple Crown.

Its part of the reason ONeill put Nyquist in only two Derby prep races and trained him relatively gently heading into the race. His eye was always on the bigger picture.

Its what were faced with, Rothblum said of the schedule. Its the Triple Crown. With this horse, hes very sound. Hes a wonderful athlete. Hes dead fit, so onward and upward. Would anybody rather wait 30 days or five weeks in between? Sure, but thats not the nature of the beast.

In recent years, Derby winners have tended to arrive at Pimlico just four or five days before the Preakness. But ONeill brought Ill Have Another early in 2012, and that worked out just swell. So hes doing it again.

I think Doug is going to do that because this chapter is done here, Reddam said. As much as its been nice to be at Churchill these last few days, I know he got a really great vibe out of being in Baltimore four years ago. He was running around kissing babies and throwing out balls. I think thatll calm down some, but he really enjoyed the Baltimore leg quite a bit.

He acknowledged the Preakness will be a tenser race as the weight of the history Nyquist could make begins to press closer. Reddam knows what its like to stand on the cusp of the Triple Crown. Ill Have Another was a 4-5 favorite in the Belmont Stakes when ONeill had to scratch him the day before the race because of a swollen tendon.

Already, ONeill has said Nyquist is a better horse than his 2012 Derby and Preakness champion. So its hard for those around him not to think ahead.

I was excited about the Derby but not really nervous, Reddam said. I think Ill be more nervous for the Preakness just because this could all really happen.

One terrifying thought for the rest of this 3-year-old-crop  Reddam and ONeill dont believe theyve discovered the depths of Nyquists talent.

We dont even know how good this horse really is yet, Reddam said. Except for his maiden race, where he really did get tested, he has won every one of his races with a little something left in the tank.
MANILA, Philippines  A brash and tough-talking mayor who has pledged to kill suspected criminals and end crime within six months looked set to become the next president of the Philippines after taking an overwhelming lead in an unofficial vote count in Mondays elections.

The son of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos had a narrow lead in the vice presidential race.

Rodrigo Duterte, the mayor of southern Davao city, had secured more than 14.4 million votes, according to a count of 87 percent of precincts nationwide. The closest of his four rivals, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, had 8.6 million votes. Final results are expected today.

William Yu, the director at the quick count center in Manila, said that considering the lead Duterte had, the race for the presidency was a foregone conclusion.

A victory by Duterte would amount to a massive political shift in the Philippines. Starting as an outsider, Duterte built his popularity with radical pledges to eliminate poverty and end corruption and crime. He has a reputation for fighting crime as mayor of Davao for 22 years, but has been accused of ordering extrajudicial killings to achieve that.

On the last day of campaigning Saturday, he made clear he intends to continue his hard-line approach.

All of you who are into drugs, you sons of bitches, I will really kill you, Duterte, 71, a former prosecutor, told a rally. I have no patience, I have no middle ground, either you kill me or I will kill you idiots.

Statements such as that have won him the nickname Duterte Harry, a reference to the Clint Eastwood movie character Dirty Harry, who had little regard for rules. He has also been compared to Donald Trump, the U.S. Republican presumptive presidential nominee.

Duterte is known for jokes about sex and rape, talking often about his Viagra-fueled sexual escapades, and for undiplomatic remarks about Australia, the United States and China, all key players in the countrys politics. He has threatened to dismiss the Philippine Congress and form a revolutionary government if confronted with uncooperative legislators.

Outgoing President Benigno Aquino III tried to discourage Filipinos from voting for Duterte over fears the mayor may endanger the countrys hard-fought democracy and squander economic gains of the past six years.
FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta  Officials said Sunday they reached a turning point in fighting an enormous wildfire, hoping to get a death grip on the blaze that devastated Canadas oil sands town of Fort McMurray amid cooler temperatures and light rain. Meanwhile, a massive evacuation of residents displaced by the blaze came to an end.

Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfire told a news conference hes very happy and called it great firefighting weather.

We can really get in there and really get a handle on this fire and really get a death grip on it, said Morrison, who answered yes when asked if theyve reached a turning point.

With cooler temperatures in the next three or four days, he said firefighters should be able to put out hot spots. And it has allowed them to further protect fire-ravaged Fort McMurray. I feel very buoyed and happy that we are making great progress, he said.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the wildfire grew much more slowly than was feared and it is now 397,831 acres. She said the blaze is quite a bit smaller than had been expected on Saturday, when officials expected the fire to double in size. She added the city is safe for first responders and said she will visit the city on Monday to assess the damage.

It rained on Sunday. The Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, tweeted a picture of the rainfall and wrote: It was only for a few minutes but the sight of rain has never been so good. Notley retweeted the picture and wrote Heres hoping for much more!

Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said they may be turning a corner but its too early to celebrate and a lot of work remains.

Officials also completed the transport of 25,000 residents out of work camps north of the city. Police and military oversaw a procession of thousands of vehicles Friday and Saturday, and a mass airlift of thousands of evacuees was also employed from the oil sands camps that usually house workers.

No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fire itself. Notley, however, mentioned two evacuees who died in a traffic accident during the evacuation. Her voiced cracked when talking about the two and noted it is Mothers Day. Fifteen-year-old Emily Ryan and her stepmothers nephew, Aaron Hodgson, died in the accident.

The images of Fort McMurray are one of devastation  scorched homes and virtually whole neighborhoods burned to the ground.

More than 80,000 people have left Fort McMurray in the heart of Canada oil sands, where the fire has torched 1,600 homes and other buildings. Gas has been turned off, the power grid is damaged and water is not drinkable. Officials said there is no timeline to return residents to the city, but the Alberta government is sending in a team on Monday to do some preliminary planning.

The fire and mass evacuation has forced a quarter or more of Canadas oil output offline and was expected to impact an economy already hurt by the fall in the price of oil. The Alberta oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Its workers largely live in Fort McMurray where some neighborhoods have been destroyed.

The fire remains west of the Saskatchewan border and Morrison said it hasnt reached the Suncor or Syncrude oil sands facilities north of Fort McMurray and that the mines north are not under threat.

Notley said there will be a meeting with the energy industry on Tuesday and said topics will include the state of facilities and the impact on operations.

About 25,000 evacuees moved north in the hours after Tuesdays mandatory evacuation, where oil sands work camps that usually house employees were used to house evacuees. Officials then moved everyone south Friday and Saturday.

Just over 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Fort McMurray, the main highway into town is blocked off by barricades and police vehicles. More than a dozen media vehicles were parked near the barrier, along with a few volunteers who had trailers full of supplies.

One trailer had a sign on back that said Fort Mac Bound. It carried supplies like clothing, Gatorade and protein bars for firefighters and EMTs, said Steve Jeges, of Olds, Alberta. He said he and others accepted donations for four days in Olds before heading here.

If our services are needed, were staying, he said.

Nearby, 22-year-old Sydney Robinson of Acme, Alberta stood near a trailer she had filled with clothing, water, food and about 20 kennels for animals. She came up on Thursday in hopes that she could help retrieve animals that were left behind in homes, but has not yet been able to get into Fort McMurray.

I just want to help in any way I can, she said.

Trailer trucks bringing three bulldozers passed through the barricade as did other authorized vehicles with supplies.

Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen asked for the patience of residents who are eager to find out if their home has been destroyed.

We are really working hard on that, its a complicated process, whats damaged, whats left, Allen said in a posted video. We really will get that to you as soon as we possibly can. We care about all of you.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had no immediate plans to visit the region. We dont want to distract from the important work right now, Kate Purchase, a spokeswoman for Trudeau said.

Saskatchewan Emergency Management Commissioner Duane McKay said there is heavy smoke in south west Saskatchewan, but no imminent threat of fire to any communities in the province that neighbors Alberta. McKay said the fire remains 15 to 20 kilometers from the Saskatchewan border and 60 to 70 kilometers from any communities in the province. He said whether it crosses the border over depends on weather but they dont see it happening Sunday.

Lac La Biche, Alberta, normally a sleepy town of 2,500 about 175 kilometers (109 miles) south of Fort McMurray, was helping thousands of evacuees, providing a place to sleep, food, donated clothes and even shelter for their pets.
As the military and political battle against the Islamic State group escalates, Muslim imams and scholars in the West are fighting on another front  through theology.

Imam Suhaib Webb, a Muslim leader in the District of Columbia, has held live monthly video chats to refute the religious claims of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL. In a dig at the extremists, he broadcast from ice cream parlors and called his talks ISIS and ice cream.

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, an American Muslim scholar based in Berkeley, has pleaded with Muslims not to be deceived by the stupid young boys of the Islamic State. Millions have watched excerpts from his sermon titled The Crisis of ISIS, in which he wept as he asked God not to blame other Muslims for what these fools amongst us do.

It is a religious rumble that barely makes headlines in the secular West since it is carried out at mosques and Islamic conferences and over social media.

The Islamic State group, however, has taken notice.

The group recently threatened the lives of 11 Muslim imams and scholars in the West, calling them apostates who should be killed. The recent issue of the Islamic State groups online propaganda magazine, Dabiq, called them obligatory targets, and it said that supporters should use any weapons on hand to make an example of them.

The danger is real enough that the FBI has contacted some of those named in the Islamic State groups magazine to assist them in taking proper steps to ensure their safety, said Andrew Ames, spokesman for the FBIs field office in the District of Columbia.

The death threats are a sign that Muslim religious leaders have antagonized the Islamic State, according to analysts who are studying the militant group. Their growing influence also contradicts those who claim that Muslim leaders have been silent in the fight against violent extremism.

This is what hurts ISIS the most. It is Muslims speaking out, said Mubin Shaikh, a Canadian who once joined an extremist Islamist group and now advises governments on countering radicalization. Fear-mongering is what ISIS is trying to do, whether to silence these people or to silence others as a deterrent.

Several of the targeted Muslim leaders said in interviews that, while they were taking the threat seriously, they had no intention of backing off. They have hired security guards and fortified their workplaces, and some keep guns at home.

Its an honor to be denounced by ISIS, said Webb, who frequently engages young Muslims over social media, whether on YouTube, Facebook, Periscope or Snapchat, where he uses the handle Pimpin4Paradise786. I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments in life.

It has only reinvigorated me, he said, to provide the antivenom to the poison of ISIS.

These Muslim leaders say they are responding to fellow believers who are looking for a religiously based rebuke to violent movements that claim to be acting in the name of Islam. They say that extremist groups like the Islamic State group are a threat not just to civil society and security but to the future of their faith.

Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, who is based in Tennessee and runs a popular Islamic educational institute, thundered against the Islamic State group in a Friday sermon at one of Europes largest mosques in March, only three days after the groups suicide bombers had attacked the Brussels airport and train station.

None of our senior scholars of any school  any school  has justified these deeds, Qadhi said at the East London Mosque.

He argued that the terrorist attacks of recent years had clearly violated Islamic teaching because they cause more harm than good, bringing more bombs, more drones and more chaos to Muslim communities, he said.

Who has benefited? Please use the intelligence that Allah gave you, he said. These radical groups have harmed the image of Islam infinitely more than all of the foreign policy of Western lands combined.

These scholars ridicule the Islamic State groups claim to have created a caliphate ruled by a successor to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Instead, in a highly effective bit of rebranding, they call the Islamic State group Kharijites, a reviled group of Muslims who killed women and children and rebelled against the caliphs in the seventh century.

The imams named by the Islamic State group are based in the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia. They represent a broad spectrum of Islamic thought  from spiritual Sufis to puritanical Salafis, and even the more militant Salafi Jihadis.

To the Islamic State groups propagandists, it does not matter that the imams are fervent Muslims or critics of American foreign policy: They are all unbelievers, just like the Shiite Muslims, Christians and Yazidis that the Islamic State group has killed by the thousands in Iraq, Libya, Syria and elsewhere.

This is not the first time that the Islamic State group has targeted Muslim leaders in the United States, but this is the longest list yet. It includes Sheikh Hisham Kabbani, a Lebanese Sufi now based mostly in Michigan who has been warning for years about rising extremism.

The list also includes Salafi-oriented preachers such as Bilal Philips, a Canadian convert who has been barred from several countries because of allegations that he preaches extremism; Tawfique Chowdhury, an Australian doctor who founded organizations and charities that propagate orthodox views of Islam; and Abu Basir al-Tartusi, a Syrian preacher based in London who has spoken in support of al-Qaida, according to news reports.

Cole Bunzel, a scholar at Princeton University studying Islamic history and jihadist ideology, said, What ISIS is saying is that even if you support al-Qaida, even if youre a supporter of someone like Tartusi, youre still not on team Islam.
Shortly after the horrors of 9/11, a curious package landed on Dave Lochbaums desk.

It was flat but heavy. Inside the bubble pack was a battered steel plate, blasted with dents and holes from semiautomatic weapons fire. Each pockmark and perforation was carefully labeled  by hand, in permanent ink  with the type of ammunition used to produce it.

Security forces at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and nuclear plants nationwide had increased their firepower to take on a more formidable terrorist threat. The steel plate, sent by a San Onofre security manager, graphically illustrated what Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer, considered a potentially devastating, increased risk:

More powerful ammunition meant to protect nuclear reactors was capable of piercing control panels and critical piping.

The concern doesnt appear to have been publicly disclosed at the time, but it resurfaced recently after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission allowed nuclear security forces to override state and local gun control laws and possess high-powered weaponry that would otherwise be banned.

Government documents  provided by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit watchdog that keeps a critical eye on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C.  offer a rare glimpse into efforts to secure Americas nuclear power plants that occur out of the public eye and the controversies that can simmer behind the scenes.

Critics maintain that not enough is being done to protect plants and the public. Their issue is not whether those guarding nuclear plants should have high-powered weaponry, but about how much additional security training and hardening of facilities should be required to reduce the risk of collateral damage.

An accidental discharge, friendly fire or all-out firefight during a terrorist attack could potentially cripple a working reactor and release dangerous radiation, experts said.

Risks are different at shuttered plants like San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station because theres no reactor core to melt down. But millions of pounds of nuclear waste remain on site, cooled and protected by intricate technologies that sit beyond the thick containment domes.

The NRC has allowed San Onofre to dial back its emergency plans because it no longer splits atoms, a move that many critics opposed. Operating nuclear plants must work up detailed responses to four levels of emergency, but San Onofre owner Southern California Edison no longer has to prepare for the worst two.

Nuclear power plant security is a nationwide concern. Nearly one-third of Americans  96 million  live within 50 miles of such facilities, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

BIGGER AND BADDER

Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the introduction of bigger and badder weapons at nuclear plants recalls the unanticipated consequences of ocean-liner safety improvements after the Titanic disaster in 1912.

In 1915, the Great Lakes passenger steamer SS Eastland, which had been prone to listing, was retrofitted with a complete set of lifeboats and crank systems to lower them. The steamer was not designed to hold the extra weight. When passengers congregated on the top deck while the Eastland was tied to a dock in the Chicago River, it rolled over, killing 844 people.

Are the bigger and badder weaponry less Titanic or more Eastland? Lochbaum asked.

San Onofres security manager after 9/11 was Marty Speer, who had worked for Edison for 20 years when he raised the firepower issue.

Speer didnt oppose the use of more powerful weaponry to protect the plants, documents show. His concern was that officers get sufficient training to avoid missed shots and inadvertently creating larger problems, no matter which weapons they carried.

He turned to Lochbaum and the UCS because he wasnt satisfied that plant operator Southern California Edison and federal regulator NRC were taking his concerns seriously, according to the recently released documents.

I have raised key issues which have the potential to affect the health and safety of the public as well as the physical integrity of the plant, Speer wrote to the NRC in 2003.

I recognize SCE will not respond to the concerns raised by me in any meaningful way.

Both Southern California Edison and the NRC investigated Speers concerns, documents show. The NRCs response was essentially, Dont let your security officers miss the bad guys, said Lochbaum, whose expertise is often sought at congressional hearings on nuclear matters.

An earlier letter to Speer from NRC Senior Allegations Coordinator Russell Wise in 2002 said a review had concluded that sufficient redundancy and diversity exists in the plant design to make it highly unlikely that a safety function would be lost  because of the use of high-powered ammunition by security force responders.

Plant security must defend against attackers whose goal is to damage or disable safety-related equipment, the letter said. Because such attackers would likely be armed with automatic weapons with high-powered ammunition, the guards must have comparable equipment, it said.

The NRC concluded that Speers concern that high-powered weapons posed an unacceptable risk to safety-related equipment was not substantiated, and it planned no further action on the matter.

Speer retired in 2012 after 30 years at Edison. He could not be reached for comment for this story.

The ammunition available to security personnel at nuclear plants is more powerful since 9/11. But NRC spokesman Eric Stahl said the types of weapons havent changed much. Security officers must be trained on any weapons they carry and must qualify with their weapons annually, he said.

It is recognized that friendly fire could damage some plant equipment should it be struck by weapons fire; however, every effort is made to avoid such incidents, Stahl said.

FIRING RANGE

Since 2001, the NRC has required more training and higher qualification standards for security personnel, he said. Guards must qualify each year with a nationally recognized firing course, earning at least 70 percent of the maximum score for revolvers and semiautomatic pistols and 80 percent of the maximum score for semiautomatic rifles, according to the NRCs published criteria.

A Southern California Edison representative said San Onofre has never had an instance of a security officer inadvertently firing a weapon at plant equipment.

All live fire training and qualification occurs at a firing range about 10 miles from San Onofre and meets or exceeds all NRC requirements, said spokeswoman Maureen Brown.

San Onofres security program is set up to minimize weapon handling while at the plant, and when weapons are carried, they are carried in the safest possible condition for the situation, she said.

When new weaponry is introduced at San Onofre, Edison conducts an analysis that considers the type of ammunition, fields of fire, location of vital equipment, potential adversary routes and security officer training.

The strategy is designed so sufficient equipment is protected to ensure public health and safety, Brown said.

Concerns remain, however.

We have upgraded security at Americas nuclear plants and made it much harder for bad guys to cause mayhem, and thats good, Lochbaum said. But theres all kinds of equipment that could inadvertently be damaged, and not much training on what security officers should try not to hit. 

One simple approach is to reinforce control panels, hallways adjacent to sensitive systems and the like with thicker steel that can withstand higher-powered ammunition.

There are a lot of things not being done, that can be done, to better protect these plants, Lochbaum said.

Environmentalist Gene Stone, who runs Residents Organized For a Safe Environment in San Clemente, would like to see nuclear security embrace the next wave of high-tech weaponry.

There are rounds that will go through one thing, but they will not go through a second thing, because they break up and are no longer viable, said Stone, who served on San Onofres Community Engagement Panel, advising Edison on decommissioning. Obviously, nuclear safety has to be taken extremely seriously in the crazy world we live in today.

NIMBLE, LETHAL FOE

With an eye to growing terrorist threats, Daniel Hirsch, director of the Program on Environmental and Nuclear Policy at UC Santa Cruz, has been pushing the NRC to upgrade security at nuclear power plants since the early 1980s.

Over the years, federal regulators have increased security requirements, he said: Plants must be ready to repel truck bombs as well as teams of attackers who infiltrate on foot. But protections against some other types of attacks, such as by air and sea, are lagging, Hirsch said.

Over the decades of dealing with the NRC, the pattern has never changed, he said. Ive never seen them ahead of the risk rather than behind it. The NRC sees its job as keeping the burden low on the nuclear industry. This is an exceedingly dangerous mismatch between a captured regulatory agency and an adversary that is nimble, lethal and has absolutely no compunction.

Anti-nuclear activist Roger Johnson, a retired psychology professor in San Clemente, said he believes cost is a major consideration in plant security programs.

The NRCs approach has been to guard against a few armed intruders, like a bank holdup, he said. They will say with a straight face that they are secure. What they mean is that they have 100 percent of the security that is required  which is very little.

Contact the writer: tsforza@ocregister.com
SANTA ANA  A long-time Orange County Mexican Mafia chieftain, who continued to control crime in local neighborhoods and jails from a cell across the country, was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison for federal racketeering charges.

Rather than sentence Peter Ojeda to a life behind bars, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna left open the possibility that the 74-year-old could eventually go free.

When you return to prison, you need to lead a different way of life than you have led, the judge told Ojeda.

I understand, Ojeda replied.

Ojeda spent 30 years amassing unmatched power among local gangs, becoming Orange Countys highest-ranking Mexican Mafia leader. Even after a 2006 racketeering conviction, authorities say, Ojeda refused to cede control of the streets.

Its been a life that has principally been dedicated to running the Mexican Mafia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally said.

Ojedas most-recent conviction marked the culmination of a decade-long investigation by federal and local law enforcement that resulted in dozens of other arrests. During that time, Ojeda, and a former ally-turned-rival, warred over control of local gang activity, resulting in a wave of violence in Orange County jails.

Also awaiting sentencing is Susan Rodriguez, Ojedas 53-year-old girlfriend who was convicted of running messages between gang members and Ojeda when he was in the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.

Selna said he opted to give Ojeda a humanitarian sentence. Ojeda, who has about a year to go in his earlier sentence, would be in his late 80s before he has a chance for parole. Then, his probation would require he not interact with the Mexican Mafia.

The judge said the lesser sentence did not diminish Ojedas cunning actions.

There was violence, albeit no actual murders, Selna said. Nevertheless, a process was set in motion from federal prison that was dangerous to the community.

Ojedas attorney, Craig Wilke, continued to deny that his client led the gang conspiracy from inside prison. Instead, Wilke has claimed that other gang members used Ojedas name to bolster their reputations and protect them from reprisals from other gang leaders.

Mr. Ojeda is several thousand miles away, Wilke told the judge. People came to him, seeking his blessing.

Law enforcement officials say the wide-ranging investigation, which came to be known as Operation Black Flag, began as a look into local gangs and drug activities.

We followed it where it led, which was (to) Ojeda, McNally said.

Ojedas month-long trial at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana offered a rare view into the upper echelon of the Mexican Mafia.

By taxing drug dealers and issuing edicts to local crews, the Mexican Mafia has widespread control of gang activity across Southern California. The key to its power is the control over criminal activity in prisons or jails, where those who fall out of favor with the Mexican Mafia could be beaten or killed.

Glenn Navarro, a fellow gang member, testified that he helped run Ojedas Santa Ana crew at Ojedas direction. Also testifying against Ojeda was Armando Moreno, another longtime Orange County gang member, who said Ojeda backed his becoming a made member of the Mexican Mafia in the hours after Ojedas 2006 conviction.

Moreno testified that Ojeda originally tasked him with helping to oversee gang activity across the county once Ojeda was shipped out of state. However, federal prosecutors say the alliance between Ojeda and Moreno didnt last.

Ojeda became suspicious when Morenos crew began asserting themselves in local jails without his direction, prosecutors said. The result was a years-long battle for control between Moreno and Ojeda, as members of their respective crews targeted their rivals for vicious attacks.

Ojeda ultimately won the battle with Moreno, prosecutors said, after he managed to secure the backing of several Mexican Mafia leaders from Los Angeles.

On Monday, he was sentenced to two felonies: racketeering, and criminal conspiracy to commit murder and assault with serious bodily injury. It isnt clear which prison Ojeda will be sent to. He requested a prison in California when asked by Selna. Prison officials will make the ultimate decision.

McNally said that despite the conviction, Ojeda will continue to have the authority he has built up for decades among the Mexican Mafia. However, the prosecutor said the conviction of Ojeda and other Mexican Mafia leaders has helped diminish their roles in directing local gangs.

In the end, Orange County has always been Peter Ojedas county, McNally said.

Contact the writer: semery@ocregister.com
Kroger is recalling bags of frozen green beans, peas and mixed vegetables sold at Ralphs and Food 4 Less, part of a huge, ongoing nationwide recall of frozen produce over possible Listeria contamination.

The recall started in April and has expanded to include hundreds of different types of organic and traditional frozen fruits and vegetables processed by CRF Frozen Foods in Washington since May 2014.

CRF sells its products to more than 40 brands, including Trader Joes and Safeway.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration announced that the recall now includes nearly a dozen Kroger brand products  mixed vegetables, cut green beans, green peas, peas and carrots and vegetable soup mix  sold in Frys, King Soopers, City Market, Ralphs, Food 4 Less, Smiths, QFC and Fred Meyer.

The recall was also expanded to include Pictsweet Company products with green beans and green peas.

Federal health officials say CRF products could be the source of a Listeria outbreak in three states that has hospitalized eight people. Six of the cases are in California, but none in Orange County.

Listeria, a germ that can grow even in the cold temperature of the refrigerator, can be dangerous for pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, according to foodsafety.gov.

More common Listeria symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion and loss of balance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says consumers should not eat the recalled products and restaurants and retailers shouldnt serve them. Kroger says it is removing its recalled products from store shelves.

Contact the writer: jchandler@ocregister.com and @jennakchandler on Twitter
A small airplane crashed or made a hard landing on the roof of a state parole building in Pomona Sunday afternoon, officials said.

The incident was first reported about 4:45 p.m. in the 900 block of Corporate Center Drive, southwest of the junction of the 10, 57 and 71 freeways, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol officials.

After responding to reports of a small airplane in trouble, officials found the craft atop a large building, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores said. There was no initial reports of major injuries.

A single-engine Piper PA-28 crashed under unknown circumstances near Kellogg Hill Road and the 71 (Freeway), Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

One of two people aboard the airplane, believed to be the pilot, was flown by helicopter to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center for treatment, Flores said. The second occupant was not taken to a hospital.

Both pilot and passenger managed to walk away from the damaged airplane, Flores said.

The building the airplane landed on top of was a state parole building run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CHP Officer Alex Rubio said.

The plane was headed to Brackett Field Airport in La Verne, Gregor said. The plane took off from Fullerton Municipal Airport.

CHP logs indicated the airport lost radio contact with the airplane just before the crash site was found.

Further details were not immediately available.

The aircraft is registered to an owner in Fullerton, according to FAA records. The plane was manufactured in 1961 and had a valid, standard-classification flight status.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is expected to return to the Capitol this week, the last of four Republican senators battered and beaten by Donald Trump to trudge back to the world of meetings over cafeteria cod and roll call votes to name the national mammal.

But Cruzs return is more fraught with curiosity than those of the other three, Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida. He made it the furthest, winning 10 states and coming tantalizingly close to pushing Trump to a contested convention, only to drop out on the same day the billionaire developer suggested that Cruzs father had conspired with Lee Harvey Oswald.

The partys presumptive nominee had also insulted Cruzs wife, baselessly alluded to extramarital affairs and labeled him Lyin Ted.

Now the man who helped create an outsider movement in national politics, only to have it eat him alive by the co-opter of that idea, must decide which group among his fellow lawmakers to join. Will he stand with the hold-your-nose set, as Paul has done, and support Trump? Or join forces with Never Trump, as Graham did Friday, and publicly decline to get on board?

Or will he take the route of Rubio, in effect giving a non-endorsement endorsement, saying he will support any Republican nominee, but not explicitly name Trump?

I think all of us will be interested to see what position Sen. Cruz takes, said Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who is more or less in the same place as Graham. After he pretty much excoriated Trump on the final day of his campaign, it would be quite a turnabout if he were to support him now.

Millions of voters are watching, but for now, he wont say. Cruz is currently scheduled to be back in D.C. next week, and thats as much detail as were sharing right now, his spokesman, Phil Novack, said on Friday.

The Senate has long been the cradle of presidential ambition, with each of the 100 senators possessed of the capacity to look in the mirror and see the next president of the United States. But those dreams are so rarely realized that Barack Obama was the first to ascend directly from the Senate to the White House since John F. Kennedy.

Cruzs return nearly coincides with the arrival of Trump, who plans to visit Speaker Paul D. Ryan and other House Republicans on Thursday with the goal of unifying the party. Ryan said last week that he was not ready to give Trump his support.

It is a division Cruz helped create, by pressing congressional Republicans to defy party leaders and their colleagues to shut down the government and repeatedly hold up basic legislation, giving him the distinction of being the least popular member of one of the worlds most exclusive clubs.

But outside the noise and theatrics of the campaign, Cruz also finds himself at a potential turning point in his Senate career, both as a returning failed presidential candidate and as an unpopular firebrand who has been most comfortable as a thorn, rather than partner, to other Republicans.

The Senates clubbiness and customs can make for a pleasant landing after a dispiriting defeat. The Senate can be a forgiving place for those coming back from a run for president, said Jim Manley, a former senior communications aide to Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. You still have staffers at your beck and call, and everyone still opens the door for you.

At the same time, even lawmakers who wore their antagonism of leaders with honor can evolve into statesmen in the Senate. This was the case with Sen. Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania  now best known for his bipartisan efforts at a gun safety law  and Flake, who used to irritate House leaders and is now considered one of the most thoughtful members of the Senate.

Toomey and Flake  when confronted with the way the place works, they moderated, said James A. Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. They changed the institution a little bit, but more the institutions changed them. In the case of Toomey, who is up for re-election, with Trump at the top of the ticket he has to focus on his role in the Senate, Thurber said.

Graham returned to the Senate being, well, Lindsey Graham. He quips, he votes, he goes on television and is funny. Eating a taco is probably not going to fix the problems that we have with Hispanics, he told CNNs Dana Bash last week, referring to Trumps photo on Twitter of himself with a taco bowl. I think embracing Donald Trump is embracing demographic death.

Rubio has become more senatorial in a classic sense than he had been in the last two years, going to the floor of the Senate to fight for money to combat the Zika virus, and traveling to the Middle East.

Marco always believed his purpose in the Senate was to get things done, said Alex Conant, his former spokesman. Thats why he joined the immigration reform effort and spent so much time on foreign policy. When the campaign ended, it was easy for him to get back to work in the Senate.

Pauls return has been decidedly different. He has mostly just walked around looking miserable.

What Cruz will do is anyones guess. Right now he has been resting with his family, and no one seems to have heard from him.

The Senate can change you, Manley said, but if you want to be an effective legislator, 60 votes are key, and bipartisanship is necessary if you want to get anything done. Sen. Cruz demonstrated zero desire to work with his colleagues before he went on the campaign trail, and I doubt very much he will change when he gets back. And that is a problem the Senate does not need right now.
Californians have been adamant: In almost all cases, they want voter approval of tax increases at the state and local levels. Thats why were puzzled that the Buena Park City Council might go ahead with a new 2 percent fee/tax on hotel rooms to finance a Buena Park Tourism Marketing District. It would be on top of the current 12 percent hotel tax for the citys general fund.

Although he formerly was skeptical, Mayor Fred Smith said he now backs the plan, which is supported by 15 of 21 hotels in the city, because more hotels are saying yes, after they talked to corporate executives. This is not money taken from their budget.

A public hearing on the fee/tax will be held at the May 10 council meeting. Only if more than 50 percent of the hotels object is the project likely to be shelved. It will raise about $915,000 annually, which can only be used to promote travel and tourism to Buena Park, Mayor Smith said. We wondered why, if this is such a great idea, the hotels themselves dont just spend their own money. They dont have enough discipline to do that, from what I understand, he said.

Objections came from Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Citing the California Constitution, he said, They certainly need a two-thirds vote of approval by the people of Buena Park because its dedicated revenue to a specific purpose.

What about the argument that its a fee instead of a tax? Mr. Coupal said those loopholes ended when voters enacted Proposition 218 in 1996 and Prop. 26 in 2010. Prop. 26s official ballot summary read, Requires that certain state fees be approved by two-thirds vote of Legislature and certain local fees be approved by two-thirds of voters.

Mr. Smith replied that the council had that same discussion on Props. 218 and 26 and concluded, There doesnt have to be a vote because its not a tax on the people, but a tax by the hotels on themselves to put together into a fund.

Mr. Coupal replied that passing the fee/tax would raise significant legal issues. Indeed, not all the hotels back the tax.

Heres a better idea: Instead of passing the fee/tax, the council should put it before the voters. Although we still wonder why the hotels dont just work together, outside government.
As we get deeper into the presidential election cycle, candidates are being forced to weigh in on topics that are not their signature issues and may be outside their comfort zones.

For example, at this point, we all know that Bernie Sanders gets ginned up over income inequality, but we may not know his positions on subjects that interest him less.

The same is true for Donald Trump, who gained notoriety for his tough stance against illegal immigration, but has given us fewer specifics on his other policy positions, particularly foreign policy and international relations.

Trump recently attempted to address many of these uncertainties by delivering his first major foreign policy speech of the campaign to an audience in Washington, D.C.

Trump promised to put America first and offered a glimpse of how a Trump administration would see Americas role in the world.

One of the points that Trump made that gained a lot of attention was that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should pay their fair share in dues or be on their own.

Trump insisted, [Countries that do not pay] look at the United States as weak and forgiving and feel no obligation to honor their agreements with us.  The countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense  and, if not, the U.S. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves.

According to Trump, only four of NATOs 28 members are paying the required 2 percent of gross domestic product, as required by the charter of the alliance, formed after World War II to blunt the threat to Western Europe posed by the Soviet Union. A NATO report released last summer claims the number of full-paying members is five.

In any case, everybody seems to be in agreement that most of NATOs member nations arent paying their bills, and the U.S. is picking up the slack.

Telling countries to stop being deadbeats about their defense is a perfectly reasonable thing to request  which is why I was surprised that, immediately after the speech, a GOP consultant who was appearing with me on HLNs Daily Share said that Trumps NATO decree made him seem like a mob boss who was demanding ransom for protection.

If thats true, then consider the bank that holds the note on my house to be the Godfather, because those gangsters make me pay my mortgage every month.

Its the darnedest thing.

The reality is that governments contract for services at an agreed-upon price all the time. Some good examples are the relationships between Californias cities and counties regarding policing.

According to Police Quarterly, nearly 30 percent of the 478 cities in California contract with their county sheriff for police services rather than establishing a traditional municipal police department.

Cities typically do this because the county offers a heck of a deal. Police Quarterly found that contract cities are typically newer, less-populous, less-dense, wealthier, have less business activity, lower numbers and rates of reported crime and have fewer arrests than cities with their own police departments.

But the only reason this works is because the contract cities actually pay their bills to the county. If they didnt, the county would either cut them off or risk going broke.

Smaller European countries are getting a bargain by contracting out their defense to NATO. The least they can do is pay their bills.

While its true that looking the other way helps keep these delinquents happy, theres no such thing as a free lunch. Its no surprise the only presidential candidate whos willing to acknowledge this is Trump, the only business owner, rather than career politicians, in the running for either party.

Staff opinion columnist John Phillips can be heard weekdays at 3 p.m. on The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips on KABC/AM 790.
The widening rift in the Republican Party grew deeper Sunday and threatened to upset the July convention as Donald Trump refused to rule out blocking Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House, from serving as the conventions chairman.

Trumps warning was his latest affront to Republicans who have urged him to adopt a more cooperative and unifying tone. And it amounted to an extraordinary escalation in tensions between the partys presumptive nominee and its highest-ranking officeholder.

In a series of television interviews that aired Sunday, Trump demonstrated little interest in making peace with party leaders like Ryan who have called on him to more convincingly lay out his commitment to the issues and ideas that have animated the conservative movement for the last generation.

Im going to do what I have to do  I have millions of people that voted for me, Trump said on ABCs This Week. So I have to stay true to my principles also. And Im a conservative, but dont forget, this is called the Republican Party. Its not called the Conservative Party.

If anything, Trumps candidacy has thrived because of his resistance to party politics as usual, not despite it. He has broken with Republican leadership in Congress on trade, military intervention and immigration policy. And he appears as determined as ever not to fall in line now that he has effectively secured the nomination.

Trumps differences with those in the party who think they have earned more of a right to set its political and ideological course have led to a rupture at the time when Republicans would ordinarily be trying to put the messy personal clashes of the primary contests behind them.

These divisions have played out most openly and vividly around the planning of the Republican National Convention. It is a telling reflection of the state of Republican politics: an escalating spat over going to a party for a party that is coming undone.

Four of the last five Republican presidential nominees  George Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney  have said they will skip the convention in Cleveland, where Trump is expected to be formally nominated.

Ryan, who serves as the conventions ceremonial chairman, has made the provocative declaration that he is not ready to support his partys likely nominee, a rebuke that drew Trumps threat, in an interview with NBC News, to keep him from assuming that role.

The large corporations that usually fund both parties conventions have grown wary of becoming involved. They are holding back on sponsorships, leaving Cleveland about $7 million short of its $64 million fundraising goal just 10 weeks before the festivities begin.

Conventions have always been platforms for different views inside the party, with the understanding that primaries are about our differences and the general election is supposed to be about coming together, said Kevin Madden, a Republican consultant who has worked on several presidential campaigns, most recently in 2012 for Romney.

But the big, open rift that nobody can deny is that theres a lot we still dont agree on, he said.

With Trumps two remaining rivals, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, now out of the race, Republicans have defused their biggest possible crisis before the convention: having a bitter fight for the nomination play out in front of tens of millions on television. But they seemed to be barreling toward another.

Questions over Trumps conservative credentials refuse to die, causing some Republicans to make demands of him that are unheard-of for the partys standard-bearer.

Conservative activists have called on Trump to identify before he arrives in Cleveland people he would appoint as Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices or even vice president, gestures they say would calm fears over the sincerity of his conservatism.

Tony Perkins, a convention delegate from Louisiana who is the president of the conservative Family Research Council and had supported Cruz before he dropped out of the race last week, said Trump could not afford to antagonize any more voters.

The margins he has to work with in terms of electoral success are very small, he said. Unlike other Republican nominees who have been greeted skeptically by social conservatives, Trump faces deep and unrelenting hostility, Perkins added. Now, not only do you have indifference, you have outright resistance to his candidacy, he said.

Having a nominee who engenders such mistrust poses complications for other aspects of the convention. As much as the party gatherings are meant to convey cohesiveness and cooperation, they have also become platforms to highlight diversity and inclusiveness, virtues Trump has not shown an inclination to promote.

Republicans have filled their speaking slots at recent conventions with women, African-Americans and Hispanics, in an effort to overcome an image as the party of old white men. But the list of speakers from the 2012 convention reads like a list of Trumps enemies. Many have denounced him, including Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada, Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia.

And many of them are likely to skip the convention this summer. A spokesman for Sandoval said he did not plan to go to Cleveland. Comstock and Ayotte will stay home and meet with constituents instead. Haleys office has said she has not made up her mind.

Convention organizers in the past have also invited leaders of different faiths, including Islam, to lead the body in prayer.

The stage usually serves as a forum for the party to help elevate its next generation of leaders. But there, too, the list from 2012 is a whos who of officials whom Trump has alienated: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and, of course, Ryan and Cruz.

Trump and Ryan are set to meet privately in Washington on Thursday as part of an effort to bridge the gap between the party establishment and Trump.

How to handle Cruz  and the hundreds of delegates who will go to the convention pledged to vote for him  is another sensitive issue for Trump and his team as they plan for the convention.

Absent an agreement with the Trump campaign, Cruzs nearly 600 delegates could vote against Trump in an embarrassing show of discord.

But Cruz, who has given no indication about what he wants his delegates to do, would most likely benefit from building up good will in the party if he wants to run for president again, as many expect him to do.

It is in Senator Cruzs interests to eventually be visibly supportive of Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, said Paul Manafort, a senior adviser for the Trump campaign who was brought on to help improve outreach to fellow Republicans.

The Trump campaign must also begin raising money to plug any holes in the convention budget, which will exceed $100 million when costs like security are factored in. But some previous corporate sponsors, like Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart, have been reassessing their commitments. Joe Roman, vice chairman of the Cleveland host committee, said the large national corporations that were needed to close the $7 million gap the city is facing were taking some time to line up.

The last five, six, seven million of anything is always the slowest, he said.
Oleg Maksakov, a hairdresser from Sevastopol, Ukraine, has a very unique way of cutting his clients hair  wearing a blindfold and masterfully wielding two pairs of scissors at the same time.

Most clients visiting a hairdresser are worried they might get a bad haircut, but Oleg Maksakovs customers are more worried about getting one or both of their ears sliced off. Thats because the young Ukrainian likes to cut hair with both hands and wearing a blindfold. He has been a hairdresser for 10 years, but only recently took up the dangerous challenge of cutting hair blindfolded. I wanted to test my skill level, he told TSN. First he learned to cut hair with his left hand, than with both hands at the same time, and finally, while blindfolded. Its kind of like meditation, Oleg says. Each haircut for me is extreme. The structure of hair, different people, it all goes a different way every time. According to local media, Maksakov has become very popular after word of his special skills spread in Sevastopol, but his very first client was the person that trusts him the most  his mother.



The gifted Ukrainian started cutting hair when he was just 10 years old. One of his first victims was a long-haired action figure. After seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator, he realized long hair wasnt made the toy look too feminine, so he grabbed the scissors and turned him into a real man. He refined his hair-cutting skill during military school, in Saint Petersburg, and realized thats what he wanted to do with his life. Coming from a military family, he had some trouble explaining to his relatives that hairdressing was his real passion, but says it was worth it because you cannot run away from yourself, otherwise youre just living someone elses life, and youll never truly be accomplished.

Mastering his blindfolded technique began with studying Leonardo Da Vinci. The Rennaissance master wrote his notes backwards and using both hands. He then learned this technique was recommended for developing both hemispheres of the human brain, so he started practicing. Then, during a televised talent show, he saw a little boy with a had pulled over his head, cutting something, and realized nothing in this world in impossible. He decided to apply the skill to his hair-cutting craft and began practicing on mannequins. When Oleg thought he was ready, he practiced on his first living model  his mother. Taking advantage that she usually watched TV while he gave her a haircut, he just closed his eyes. Both her ears remained intact and the hair came out great.

Now Olek Maksakov practices his blind hair-cutting at the salon where he works, but only charges for regular haircuts. The extreme ones are offered for free to patrons brave enough to allow him to sharpen his skills.

Sources: TSN, Vgorode
Most mountaineers wouldnt venture out on an expedition without the proper gear and attire, but a group of Bolivian women have shocked the world by climbing some of South Americas highest mountains  all while wearing their traditional attire of colorful, layered skirts. Dressed in cholita pacenas outfits complete with Andean aguayo shawls and knitted cardigans, they look like typical grannies albeit on a serious mission.

These women, belonging to the indigenous Aymara people of the Andes, would normally stay at home while their husbands worked as mountain guides in the worst of conditions. They would cook at base camps or work as porters, never actually scaling the treacherous peaks themselves. But all that changed a couple of years ago, when Lydia Huayllas, wife of a mountain guide, wanted to know what it felt like to scale the steep, glacial slopes of the 19,974-foot Huayna Potosi mountain.

What do you do up there, how does it feel? she asked her husband, Eulalio Gonzalez. In response, he told her to find out for herself. So she did just that.

Photo: Asociacion Andina de Promotores de Turismo en Aventura y Montana (AAPTAM)

Inspired by her husbands suggestion, Lydia put together a group of 15 Aymara women aged 42 to 50 who shared her ambition and set off to climb the Huayna Potosi mountain. They put on crampons (spiked boots for climbing) under their skirts, got their hands on some mountain climbing equipment like like ropes, harnesses, and ice axes, and off they went. The challenge was tough, but they did have the notable advantage of being well acclimated to the thin air at high altitudes, so there first attempt was a success.

But the mountain climbing cholitas first achievement only left them hungry for more, so they decided to keep going. Their short term goal now is to climb eight mountains higher than 19,700 feet. The first experience was Huayna Potosi, said 50-year-old group-member Dora Magueno. I cried with emotion. And Im strong, Im going to continue and get to the top of eight mountains.

Photo: Asociacion Andina de Promotores de Turismo en Aventura y Montana (AAPTAM)

After Huayana Potosi, these extraordinary Bolivian women have already managed to conquer the mountains of Parinacota (20,826 ft), Pomarape (20,610 ft) and lllimani (21,122 ft). It was like we had arrived in heaven when we reached the top of Illimani, one of the women said. The clouds were below us and emerged as if from a volcano. We could see everything from above. The walls of Illimani are very difficult to climb but we managed it.

Their short-term dream, however, is to plant the flag of Bolivia on the summit of the 22,841-ft high Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of Asia. They will be attempting this monumental challenge this month, and if their prior exploits are any indication, they will make history once again. After that, who knows? But I have a feeling theyll be taking a shot at Everest one day.

So the next time someone tells you that you cant do something, just think of these middle-aged women climbing some of the worlds highest mountains in traditional Aymara garb. That should put things in perspective.

Sources: Reuters, La Razon
The nine-foot, six-inch high Wi-Fi terminals, with large illuminated digital ads on both sides, were blasted by members of the New York Landmarks Preservation Committee May 4.

5-ft., 3-inch person shows size of Wi-Fi terminal,

which is 9 feet 6 inches high.

The size and existence of the terminals, 10,000 of which are planned for the city, is all based on advertising, not providing Wi-Fi, said Sean Khorsandi of Landmark West.

Sean Khorsandi

Its a case of the tail wagging the dog, he told the hearing which was covered by New York Yimby. He said Wi-Fi could be made part of lampposts or church steeples if that were the real motive for the terminals. A major participant in the terminals is Titan Outdoor Advertising, reputedly the worlds largest billboard company. Annual ad revenues of $500 million could be generated by terminals, the city has said.

They have been compared to the monoliths depicted in 2001: A Space Odyssey which were wireless transmitters of an advanced civilization. Astronauts who approached them experienced a loud screeching noise that caused them to grasp their heads in pain and stumble away.

Using our Acoustimeter, we measured the radiation coming from a Wi-Fi terminal at 87th st. and Third ave. May 7 and found it was in the danger zone of the meter up to 20 feet away. Anyone who is hypersensitive to electro-magnetic radiation could not go near one of those terminals. During a half hour spent watching the terminals, we saw no one attempt to use one.

Google Plans Terminals for Other Cities

Google, according to Metering and Smart Energy International, plans to spread such Wi-Fi terminals throughout the U.S.

It says Sidewalk Labs, which operates the Wi-Fi terminals in New York, is a division run under Googles parent company, Alphabet.

Google has plans underway to create its own high-tech municipalities and aims to transform economically struggling cities into examples of smart cities of the future, the site says.

Sections of the site are Smart Meters, Smart Grid, Smart Energy and Smart Water.

The word smart is a hot-button word with EMF health advocates since it means wireless utility monitors. Installation of such monitors is being fought in numerous cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Columbus, Ohio, is a finalist in the Smart Cities competition being run by Google which will award $40 million to the city that wants to fully integrate innovative technologiesself-driving cars, connected vehicles, and smart sensorsinto their transportation network.

Dan Doctoroff, CEO of Sidewalk Labs, expressed his enthusiasm to build a smart city at a speech Feb. 10 at New York University, Metering and Smart Energy noted.

Smaller Terminals Available



Hensley

The hearing was told that there is a model of a terminal without digital advertising that is smaller. It is the same nine-foot height as the terminal with ads but is only about a foot wide since it lacks space for ad panels. Jennifer Hensley, representing CityBridge, one of the 11 entities involved in the construction and operation of the terminals, was present at the hearing. A further description of the smaller terminals is being sought from Hensley and Stacey Levine of Intersection, another of the entities involved. They have yet to respond to any press queries.

Kelly Carroll of the Historic Districts Council asked why the terminals have to be so large? She complained about the dominating presence of these very large fixtures.

Judy Stanton of the Brooklyn Heights Assn. was very concerned about the terminals and wanted them banned from purely residential streets.

Elizabeth Fagen of Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts said the terminals are much larger and more intrusive than payphones. Each one distracts from the streetscape.



EMF health advocates said they regretted that the hearing did not address the dangers of the Wi-Fi radiation to passers by, especially those who are hype-sensitive to such radiation.



A comment on the Yimby site asked why the new terminals could not be the size of mailboxes.

New York Libraries Queried on EMF

Managers of two East Side libraries have been contacted to see if the libraries will offer Acoustimeters to patrons so they can measure the electro-magnetic radiation in their homes and apartments.



Ad giant Titan is a key player in the Wi-Fi terminals.

Previous ad space was much smaller.

The program of the Ashland, Mass., library that does thatis described by Cecelia Doucette in a 23-minute YouTube Video. The link also names other devices for measuring radiation. An Acoustimeter is $353. Jeromy Johnson has links to a package of such devices for $703.

Ashland has been a pioneer in the campaign to educate the public about the dangers of radiation from computers, cellphones, Wi-Fi routers, wireless utility meters, cell towers, printers, cordless phones and other sources, hosting six lectures at the library on the subject.

We have sent the email below to John Bhagwandin, manager of the E. 79th st. library; Gregory Huchko, manager of the E. 58th st. library; the board of the Westhampton library, and directors of libraries in Southampton, Hampton Bays and Quogue. The Westhampton library board meets Wednesday, May 11 at 7 p.m. Citizens are voting on the new budget May 17.

We are asking them if they will follow the lead of the Ashland library and make Acoustimeters or other radiation-measuring instruments available to their users.

Hello Library Director:

This is reporter Jack ODwyer who is writing about the numerous electro-magnetic radiation sources that impact New Yorkers.

There is a large body of knowledge that much of the radiation, and especially the new pulsed kind, is damaging to the body and brain and even fatal although it may take several years for disease to appear. Especially vulnerable are children, babies and fetuses.



Below are links to some of our stories. Our website, www.odwyerpr.com, has more than 200 on this subject, all in the area that is free to the public. A recent story listed 300 notable people who have died of brain cancer in recent years, many in their 40s, 50s and 60s. The deaths started coming about ten years after cellphone came into heavy use.



The media have almost completely ignored this story. Health advocates say media dont want to offend telecom, computer, cellphone and other advertisers by making people be afraid of their cellphones, computers and the thousands of cell towers and antennas that are in any large city.



Will the Libraries Stock Meters?



We want to know if the library will consider buying an Acoustimeter or similar radiation-measuring device that patrons can borrow for a day or two to measure the radiation in their apts. and homes.



The Ashland, Mass., public library has done this and local citizen Cecelia Doucette has done a 23-minute video on how to measure the radiation in a home. The Ashland library has also hosted six nights of discussion of the dangers of radiation.



She found six sources of dangerous radiation and was able to mitigate most of themcomputer, cellphone, cordless phone, microwave oven, router and printer.

The dangers of radiation to children was discussed by a panel of medical doctors and Ph.D.s May 4.



Another printout is the 13-page discussion of the dangers of radiation, the inept media and FCC, and precautions that everyone should take put together by Camilla Rees. It is the best overview of this situation.

Cordially,

Jack ODwyer
Ross Levanto

The role of PR has come quite a long way. In the late 90s, there was the thud effect that served as the primary PR program measurement method of success or failure. Without fail, at some point during the PR review meeting, a PR agency team member would walk to the conference table and toss a large, bound volume of paper onto the center. Skill was required to drop the tome from the perfect height, so it would thump perfectly as it hit the surface. There, for all to see, was the clip book: the impressive collection of articles resulting from the PR teams tireless efforts, separate from other marketing or sales initiatives.

Today, that thud has been replaced by proof of revenue creation, thanks to PRs evolved relationship with marketing, and new ways for marketing, PR and sales to work together. We see that PR and marketing can be greater than the sum of their parts, coming together to enhance the value they deliver to organizations. By harvesting a PR persons skill in creating compelling content, working with marketing automation tools and creating closer alignment to sales, the PR function can more directly contribute to winning major customers and can significantly elevate marketing and communications programs.

PR and content

The written words importance to marketing has grown significantly as a result of a confluence of trends, and the content need is one that PR is uniquely situated to fill. In fact, content marketing remains one of the hottest concepts within PR circles. HubSpot, a software company that establishes a base content marketing program for numerous companies across many industries, went public last year. Marketing automation solutions such as Eloqua, Pardot and Marketo continue to grow their customer bases as well.

Concurrent to the rise of content marketing is the PR industrys relatively newfound role creating web content that affects Google results and Google rankings. Many buyers across industries  and a vast majority in certain industries, such as B2B technology  rely on Google before anything else when it comes to researching a product purchase. Most marketers know that the more content on a given vendors page about a certain topic or industry, the better the chances are that Google will rank that vendor high within relevant search results. Indeed, HubSpot calls its industry inbound marketing, meaning that deploying HubSpot and posting content, customers will find a vendor on Google, creating inbound interest.

Today, Google consistently changes the algorithms used to rank pages within its search results, making it much more difficult for vendors to trick the search engine into having their page listed first. Having tuned out SEO tricks, Google now rewards quality, relevant content instead of prose that merely replicates certain search terms important to a given vendor. The industry is back to where it started, with the recipe for earning website visitors for a given solution requiring the publication of well-written, compelling content about why the solution merits attention  something PR experts live and breathe on a daily basis.

PR and marketing automation

Beyond driving website traffic by appearing relevant to Google, online marketing content is the fuel for campaigns managed by marketing software tools that capture web-based customer leads and subsequently automate how those leads are nurtured. But most marketing teams are so consumed with which marketing automation tool to buy and learn, they forget that without having great content, the tools are useless.

As a result, it is easy to poke holes in much of the marketing content online today. Blog posts are too high-level. Narratives dont always flow. For too long, writers have suffered from bright-shiny-object syndrome: they focus on using clever clickbait headlines and other tricks to earn eyeballs. All the while, their online visitors desperately search for quality content to help them make purchasing decisions.

PR pros are uniquely positioned to craft clever and effective online marketing content that can drive website traffic and leads. Not only is the PR profession writing-based, most PR practitioners are also removed enough from what their companies or clients are selling, allowing them to connect the dots between product features and the needs of the buyer. This makes them the ideal storyteller. Furthermore, the PR person brings additional value by leveraging their perspective from other client engagements and conversations with media, analysts and influencers.

Whatever the resource, the goal here is to create content that entices an audience based on the selling proposition of a product or solution. Where internal product marketers might focus on product features, speeds and feeds when conceptualizing content, PR pros think about the buyers journey and how the product fits into the prospects daily lives. They build drama into their writing. And when that drama is based on research that provides insight into the challenges faced by their target buyer, the result is content that attracts leads and revenue.

PR and sales

Historically, a friction has existed between PR teams and sales departments, one that has become more apparent as PR has evolved. The relationship is front and center when discussing a new marketing and sales concept called account-based marketing. Simply put, account-based marketing means targeted marketing based on a given priority account. Assume for a moment that one given vendor is exceptionally interested in earning the business of a company called Acme; account-based marketing means aligning sales and marketing, content development and ad-targeting efforts to earn Acme as a customer.

Account-based marketing integrates sales, public relations and advertising, given that the Internet has allowed unique interactions among all three. A salesperson might suggest specific proclivities of the key decision maker at a targeted account. The PR person would chime in with the appropriate story that would influence that type of decision maker. From an advertising perspective, the team could consider specific web-based messaging shown on the browser of a web visitor from the targeted company.

What account-based marketing presents is another case where the PR function can have a definitive impact on revenue creation, given that one of its central premises is tracking an account all the way through to customer status. In an ideal situation, the role of PR is measured against acquiring, nurturing and closing the sale. Success in this scenario depends on PR as much as any other component of the strategy. The PR pros ability to write compelling content, understand the buyer journey and remain close to the customer cements PR at the table for account-based marketing.

All in all, the environment in which businesses must operate today has been greatly transformed by the emergence of digital and online playing fields. PR is not immune to this transformation. Content marketing, marketing automation, and account-based marketing have created pathways for PR to directly impact revenue generation. Far beyond delivering the satisfying thud of the clip book on the center of a conference room table, PR people can now point to web-based dashboards showing buyer progression based on PR-driven marketing ideas.

The value of PR is far greater and more intricate than it once was, and it includes tracing PRs impact all the way to revenue creation. The result is a much clearer way to justify increased PR investment.



* * *

Ross Levanto is a Senior VP at ICR.
A new National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) was launched last week by the Minister for Social Protection Ms Joan Burton TD. The service will provide independent, representative advocacy services for vulnerable people with disabilities.

A new National Advocacy Service for People with Disabilities (NAS) was launched last week by the Minister for Social Protection Ms Joan Burton TD. The service will provide independent, representative advocacy services for vulnerable people with disabilities.

It is managed by five Citizens Information Services with teams based around the country with regional offices in Dublin, Westmeath, Offaly, Waterford and Leitrim. The service is funded and supported by the Citizens Information Board.

The keynote speaker Caroline Casey, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of Kanchi outlined the importance of the new service and the benefits of supporting an inclusive society where everyone has something to offer.

Speaking at the launch, Tony McQuinn, Chief Executive, Citizens Information Board commented, Many people with disabilities are well equipped to make their own decisions when they have access to the necessary information and advice.

However, some vulnerable people with disabilities are at a disadvantage when claiming their entitlements or making important decisions. The new National Advocacy Service will give a voice to those who are isolated in the community or who live in residential institutions and who cannot represent themselves. The Service will protect their rights, help them gain their entitlements and make positive changes in their quality of life

The new service follows the completion of a five year pilot Advocacy Programme for People with Disabilities which supported 46 projects nationwide. An independent evaluation report praised the achievements of the pilot programme for the innovative work undertaken and the number of cases (over 6,000) dealt with. The report recommended the development of a national structure to create better co-ordination and a more consistent service for people with disabilities.

Trained advocates will bring positive change for people with disabilities, supporting them to access social welfare, housing and improved living conditions. They can help people reintegrate into the community on leaving a residential institution and link them with local support services.

Feedback from advocates can facilitate change within services, raising expectations, giving people with disabilities more choice, improving their social skills and supporting them to self-advocate.

The new service has five regional based Managers, seven Senior Advocates and 28 Advocates.

The Manager for the South East Region, Selina Doyle said, We are delighted that the National Advocacy Service is being delivered across the South East Region, we have advocates working in Laois, Offaly, Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare, Wexford and Wicklow.

For further information contact Selina Doyle, Advocacy Manager, Co Offaly CIS on 086 0409978

Other speakers at the event included Marie Wolfe, from Galway who spoke about the benefits of an advocacy service that helped her to move to independent living. Also, Angelina Veiga of St John of Gods Carmona Services who spoke about the importance of independent advocacy from a service providers point of view.
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I recently was asked, Can someone have a midlife crisis? This is a great question, as all of us go through personal issues and transitions in our lives.

The term midlife crisis was coined in 1965 by Elliot Jacques, M.D., Ph.D., a Canadian psychoanalyst, to describe challenges during the normal period of transition and self-reflection that many adults experience from age 40 to 60. During these years, an adult may commonly question who they are in this world and in their life, what their purpose is and how have they used their time thus far. These questions can be triggered by the realization of the passage of time or changes that may occur with the physical body, such as a health scare or a lessoned ability to perform physical tasks.

Your midlife crisis, or transition, may occur around significant life events, such your youngest child moving away or finishing college. You may feel it when you are entering a new decade or after the death of a parent.

The emotions these questions and changes prompt may cause you discomfort, stress and confusion, and may lead you to feel that you are in a crisis. Despite this stress, you might experience this time as the beginning of a new and exciting stage of life.

Occasionally, midlife transitions might invoke depression, and its important you recognize these symptoms if youre not feeling quite like yourself:

Have your eating or sleeping habits changed, or are you feeling tired and run down?

Do you have feelings of pessimism or hopelessness?

Do you have feelings of restlessness, anxiety or irritability?

Are you feeling a loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed, including sex and hobbies?

Are you having thoughts of suicide or attempts at suicide?

Do you have physical symptoms, such as headaches or other physical aches or pains, that dont respond to treatment?

Here are some tips to help:

Stay active. Go for daily walks and get some fresh air.

Stay social. Stay engaged with friends and family.

Meditate. Rake a yoga course or learn how to meditate to clear your mind.

Though this is a normal transition of adult development, if you or a loved one believes that you are engaging in out-of-character behavior or making sudden changes to major life areas, such as work or relationships, it can be helpful to seek the support of a professional.
As in any U.S. national election without an incumbent president, this races candidates are painting an ugly picture: The country is going to hell, bluntly asserts the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump.

One of his Democratic challengers, Sen. Bernie Sanders, isnt much kinder, and even Hillary Clinton is starting to focus more on challenges than successes.

To many voters the message is: The economy is terrible, the social fabric is disintegrating and America is losing respect around the world.

Certainly, problems abound. The recovery from the recession has been uneven and is characterized by widening income inequality; wages for the average working family have stagnated for decades; racial tensions in some places have worsened, suicide rates are up, terrorism is on the rise, Russia and China are threatening and the political system is dysfunctional.

But that is hardly the whole or even the dominant story. Politics aside, there is more good news than bad.

For all the inequities, no Western economy has recovered from the recession as well as the U.S. The unemployment rate has been cut in half, with 14 million jobs added over the past six years.

Most other indices are encouraging: Consumer confidence has risen and the housing market has basically recovered. Budget deficits have plummeted, theres less reliance on foreign oil than any time in almost three decades, and the health care overhaul has had more positive consequences than negative ones.

Still, wages are only starting to creep up. While the federal government is frozen, more than one-third of states have boosted their minimum wage. Wages should be a focus of the presidential campaign, and vows such as breaking up the banks or slapping big tariffs on Chinese imports are distractions.

There is progress on the cultural and social fronts, too. Bitter divides remain, but Americans have become more tolerant. Although some politicians still pander to racial prejudices, young people are more open.

The same is true of sexual orientation. Ten years ago, same-sex marriage, even some basic gay rights, was an explosive issue; today, there is wide and growing acceptance.

There are encouraging developments on issues emphasized by conservatives. There are only about half as many abortions as 30 years ago. Teenage pregnancies have plummeted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that the birthrate among American teenagers has fallen to a historic low. This continues a quarter-century of improvement; especially important to experts is that the sharpest drops have been among Hispanic and black teenagers.

And there is good news on crime. Both the murder rate and overall violent crime rate have been cut almost in half since the 1980s. Theres bipartisan consensus to try to do something about the outrageously high incarceration levels, particularly for blacks. There is a chance that even this do-nothing Congress might pass measures.

The world is a dangerous place, but its not as threatening to the U.S. as it was 10 years ago when two wars raged. There is slow progress in the fight against the Islamic State, though future terrorist acts are inevitable and the danger will remain for years.

Critics claim that President Vladimir Putin of Russia has consistently outmaneuvered President Barack Obama. Yet Russia is more isolated today and subject to economic sanctions. And Putins Syrian involvement could become a quagmire. China is more important and has been more aggressive in Asia, but its internal political and economic problems dwarf those of the U.S.

To be sure, many of the problems articulated in the campaign are real. The next president faces a host of economic, national security and social challenges.

But pessimists still should answer two questions: If the goal is to make America great again, what era should we aspire to return to? And is there any country whose hand you would rather have?
GRAND ISLAND, Neb.  Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco was honored Monday as a person who gave her last full measure of devotion, her life when she was killed in the line of duty on May 20, 2015, as she and other officers tried to arrest a shooting suspect.

Orozcos name was unveiled on the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial during the 2016 ceremony Monday. The names of four other officers were also unveiled after research revealed that they also had died in the line of duty.

In addition to remembrances by Gov. Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson, Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer described Orozco not only as an exemplary officer, but as a person who set an example of how to be a good member of society and a good person. Jessica Zmek, the granddaughter of fallen Lincoln Police Officer Frank Soukup, described Orozco as an angel on earth.

Ricketts quoted the Gospel of John in lauding Orozco.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,  he said. We know that is something that each and every one of you that put on the badge are prepared to do to protect us, the people of Nebraska. On behalf of the people of Nebraska, were grateful.

Ricketts went on to say: Unfortunately, in the last year here, we know how those sacrifices can add up. We know that Detective Kerrie Orozco was one of those people who was willing not only to give back to her community, but to give as Abraham Lincoln said, That last full measure of devotion: Her life in defense of our city, Omaha."

The governor also said that he'd met with Kerrie Orozcos family and that "theyre wonderful people. We need to continue to support them as they go about their lives, having lost their mother, their wife. We need to continue to remember all those who make those sacrifices and support those families. They need our help and our prayers. That is the least we can do as Nebraskans.

Attorney General Doug Peterson also honored all officers who put their lives on the line each day to protect their fellow Nebraskans, noting that they often must make life-or-death decisions in a split second. And why do you do that? In my experience with officers, its because of your inner character, its because of your inner core. Its because of your courage and your sense of duty.

Its a shame that we sometimes dont come to the realization day in, day out of how important that is, said Peterson, who noted it sometimes takes a tragedy to make people fully appreciate the job done by law enforcement officers.

Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer said that, most of all, he wanted to thank the family members of fallen officers who were at Mondays ceremony.

It was about a year ago today when Officer Kerrie Orozco died in the line of duty, Schmaderer said. Obviously, that was by far my toughest day as a chief, toughest day for the Omaha Police Department. Im proud to be here to honor Kerrie, though, for what she did. She was an exemplary officer who was shot and killed protecting society, attempting to arrest somebody that was a menace to our society, that was intent on hurting others, had hurt others in the past and who would continue to hurt others if he had not been apprehended.

That was something she did every day, that something that law enforcement across this state and across this country do every day and nobody knows about it."

Schmaderer said that when officers are doing their jobs and think that nobody is watching, they should know that what they do matters greatly and is appreciated. The glimpse we got into Kerries life still resonates today as to how to be a police officer, how to be a member of society, how to be a person in general.

Zmek, a granddaughter of Lincoln Police Detective Lt. Frank Soukup, who was killed in the line of duty, noted that Sunday should have been Kerrie Orozcos second Mothers Day. Kerrie was an angel here on earth long before she began her life in heaven, Zmek said. Orozco loved people and gave up most of her time to teach, guide and help them, she added.

Thomlison said the word professionalism originates with a Latin word meaning to promise. In ancient Rome, a person became a professional by publicly stating what promises they would keep. Thomlison said. For todays law enforcement officers, those promises come in the sworn oath they take upon becoming a member of a police department or some other law enforcement agency.

The granite wall at this memorial site lists the names of law enforcement professionals, those who gave their lives upholding the promises that they had professed to the citizens of this great state, he said. We honor their memory, their promises and their professionalism in the way that each of us strives daily to uphold the promises we ourselves have made.

Other names added to the wall Monday were North Platte Police Chief Hank L. Baker, who died Nov. 1, 1916, after being struck by a train locomotive while searching for an escaped prisoner; McCook Police Chief David L. Martin, who died from an acute heart attack while performing city jail duties on Aug. 27, 1961; Gordon Police Chief Earl L. Milton, who died on April 28, 1932, after a pursuit, a gunbattle and a physical encounter while arresting a suspected bootlegger; and Union Pacific Railroad Watchman Theodore F. Wiser, who was attacked and killed by three people on Sept. 10, 1904, while on duty in the Sidney Railyards.
Forget Modi's degrees, Kejriwal's real gameplan is something else

Feature

oi-Shubham

By Shubham

In India, education matters a lot, particularly as a measure of the social status. If you lack a degree, it is expected that the urban, middle-class will even refuse to look at you. The stories that some great people did well in life despite having little or no formal education serve as examples of brilliance but that brilliance is more admired and less preferred by us Indians. [Dear Kejriwal, how does Modi's educational qualification matter?]

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which will be put to test early next year in Punjab, knows it very well. And it has cleverly made education a strategy to score some brownie points by targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational certificates. AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is refusing to let go the issue because he aspires to expose Modi in the eyes of that snobbish urban middle-class.

He wants to make sure that Modi's 'chaiwala identity' doesn't continue to earn him more sympathy and votes. In a nutshell, through this relentless pursuit to expose Modi's 'lack of education and the pretension', Kejriwal has sounded the bugle for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He just wants to be the PM's main challenger. [BJP gives proof of Modi's degree; seeks Kejriwal's apology]

Kejriwal---A man of limited reach but unlimited ambition

Politics is played more in the mind than in the media and being a manipulator of the media, Kejriwal knows it is important to beat the BJP in the mind game first. The AAP supremo religiously targets Modi for as long as Modi's popularity will dominate India's politics, Kejriwal himself will remain afloat. He is a man of limited reach but unlimited ambition and thus his entire political capital rests on Modi.

Kejriwal made the move on degree after taking into consideration several aspects.

After odd-even formula failed to deliver, Kejriwal as an administrator has taken a hit

First, after his odd-even formula hit a wall, Kejriwal now needs something to divert the attention from on him as an administrator, particularly ahead of the election in Punjab where the AAP will look to dethrone the SAD-BJP regime. It is always good to target Modi, just as he had done after failing to survive as the chief minister of Delhi for more than 49 days in his first stint in 2013-14. He went after the same Modi and contested the Lok Sabha election against him from Varanasi.

A sure defeat was never in the calculation but Kejriwal showed that he believes in adventurism and is never afraid to take risks. The plan had paid off in a way in 2015 when he became the CM of Delhi again after humbling Modi's BJP as the latter went too much after him, targeting him as "AK49".

Exposing Modi to reduce his stature is important for an urban party like AAP

Secondly, the AAP has a genuine problem with the BJP since like the latter, it is also mainly an urban-centric party. Defeating the Congress in the urban pockets is easier but it is much more difficult to take the BJP's place, at least till Modi---the darling of the middle class---is there.

Kejriwal's latest effort is hence to 'expose' the prime minister as a man who 'misled' his supporters on his educational qualification---a vital one to gain recognition in today's India. With no other big leader in the race who can ignite the imagination of the influential middle-class today, Kejriwal's desperate efforts to see Modi's decline is no surprise.

Kejriwal praised Modi a few days ago over the water train; that was too a politically motivated act

Thirdly, the same Kejriwal had a few months ago praised the Modi government to send a water train to the drought-affected Latur region in Maharashtra. He also said that the people of Delhi are ready to send 10 lakh litres to Lature everyday for the next two months (which is twice the volume sent in the water train). This praise was nothing but a political one-upmanship by Kejriwal.

Kejriwal wants to show that he has a heart bigger than anybody else

He not only raised the volume to show his 'bigger heart' than that of Modi's BJP but also to send across the message that his government was the first to rush in with help and that despite its own state having water shortage issues.

So, in case the AAP comes to power in other states, just imagine with what humanitarian alacrity will it work. By targeting the drought-affected Latur, Kejriwal also put focus on the farming community as well, not just in Maharashtra where it had tried to make dents in the past but could not, but also in the poll-bound Punjab where agriculture is big.
In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi

Why a terror angle should not be ruled out in the Coimbatore cylinder blast case

1 killed, 30 hurt as bus plunges into valley in AP

India

oi-PTI

Rajahmundry (AP), May 9: A 55-year-old woman was today killed and 30 pilgrims injured when a bus they were travelling in plunged into a valley in the deep forest area of Maredumilli in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, police said.

The mishap occurred in Rampachodavaram division of the district around 5 AM. The bus carrying 35 devotees from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was returning after a pilgrimage to a Rama temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana, Maredumilli police station Sub-inspector D Ramesh Babu said.

The victims were proceeding to take a holy dip in Pushkar ghat of Godavari here when the mishap occurred. When the bus reached Tiger Camp in Maredumilli forest area, the driver of the vehicle tried to negotiate a narrow curve and lost control over it, after which it fell into the valley, the sub-inspector said.

He said 30 injured have been rushed to Rampachodavaram government hospital. The body has been sent for postmortem while four others escaped unhurt, he added.

Being a thick forest area, rescue teams took time to reach the spot and begin work, police said.

PTI
A dream, a call and some courage: How a 15-year-old stopped her marriage

ABVP's rally against 'anti-nationalism' in Jadavpur varsity

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Kolkata, May 9: Deriding left-leaning students for turning Jadavpur University into a "hub of anti-national activities", the RSS students' wing ABVP on Monday, May 9 took out a protest rally outside the varsity.

With the rally coming days after the screening of Vivek Agnihotri's controversial "Buddha in a Traffic Jam" triggered clashes and caused tension in the campus on Friday, police took no chances and fortified the varsity putting up barricades at the entrances.

Carrying the Indian tricolours and shouting slogans, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists took out the rally from Gol Park to the Jadavpur police station.

"The leftists have turned the university into a den of anti-national activities. Forgetting their own country, they raise pro-Pakistan slogans. This rally is to condemn their anti-nationalism," said ABVP leader Subir Haldar.

On Saturday, a section of varsity students, led by the Left-backed Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU), took out a protest march demanding arrest of ABVP supporters and a campus free of "BJP-RSS-ABVP terror".

Besides Governor K.N. Tripathi seeking a report from Vice Chancellor Suranjan Das over the issue of the clashes and commotion over an open-air screening of Agnihotri's film on Friday, the varsity authorities have lodged a police complaint against outsiders, including three ABVP activists, for allegedly molesting female students during the event.

IANS


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

AgustaWestland: Flouting of no middleman pact will help CBI establish bribery charges

India

oi-Vicky

Bengaluru, May 9: The Central Bureau of Investigation has written to Italy seeking copies of the pact that AgustaWestland entered into with the middlemen.

For the CBI accessing these pacts are extremely important in order to establish bribery charges in this case.

The reason why these pacts become important is because as per the agreement of February 2010, it was decided that no middlemen shall be deployed in this deal. If that was the case what were so many middlemen doing in this deal, the CBI has questioned.

There was no reason for middlemen to be deployed as per the pacts, the CBI has also alleged.

No middlemen as per agreement:

Although it was clearly stated that no middlemen shall be deployed, it became clear from the investigations that the likes of James Christian Michel, Guido Haschke among other walked the corridors of power at New Delhi. Each one of them had entered into a pact with AgustaWestland through companies floated by them.

The idea was to suggest that these middlemen were charging a fee for advise. However this was not the case and the role played by the middlemen became clear during the investigations. Not only did they get in touch with top officials and politicians but also media houses to ensure that the deal was swung in their favour.

The CBI has sought for these documents from Italy. These documents will help the CBI nail the middlemen and also establish that AgustaWestland had deployed these persons only with an intention of bribing the powerful to ensure that the deal swung in their favour.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 9:58 [IST]
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

No vacancy of PM's post for years, focus on Bihar's governance: BJP to Nitish

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, May 9: The murder of a teenager in Bihar, allegedly by the son of a JD-U leader, reverberated within and ouside parliament on Monday as the BJP attacked state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for allowing the "return of jungle raj."

Jungle Raj returns in Bihar? 578 murders reported in state in last 2 months

Union Telecom Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters outside parliament that Nitish Kumar nurtured the ambition to become the prime minister while letting law and order in the state slip out of his control.

"There is no vacancy for prime minister's post for long years. Mr. Nitish Kumar, please focus on governance in Bihar," Prasad said.

Several BJP members raised the issue of law and order situation in Bihar in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, particularly highlighting the killing of a teenager on Saturday by Rocky Yadav, the son of a legislator of ruling Janata Dal (United) Manorama Devi.

As Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members Ashwaini Chaubey (Bhagalpur) and Janardan Singh Sigriwal (Maharajganj) raised the issue, they faced protests from members of Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) and Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

While Sigriwal cited the murder of the teenager, Chaubey said there was a rape incident lately at Sultanganj near Bhagalpur as the state is walking towards "jungle raj".

Rajesh Ranjan (Pappu) Yadav, an expelled member of RJD, also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar.

Aditya Sachdeva, the teenaged son of a businessman, was allegedly shot dead on Saturday night by Rocky Yadav on the Bodh Gaya-Gaya road in an apparent case of road rage.

Rocky's father Bindi Yadav, also a JD(U) leader, was with him at the time of the incident.

The BJP on Monday called a shut-down in Gaya town to protest against the killing.

IANS
Madras HC orders 0.09% more marks to help IPS officer to get first class in ML course

Central notification upheld

India

oi-PTI

Chennai,May 9: The Madras High Court has upheld a notification of the Environment and Forest Ministry exempting from public consultation the proposed expansion of Sterlite Industries (India) Limited at Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.

"In view of the consistent stand taken by all the authorities including SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Ltd) that Sterlite Industries is situated within the SIPCOT complex, we have no difficulty in holding that exemption from public consultation would certainly apply...," the court said, dismissing a PIL from Pushparayan, Project Director, East Coast Research and Development, Tuticorin. "..We do not find any merit in the writ petition and the same stands dismissed," The bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice MM Sundresh said.

SIPCOT had acquired land for industrial park out of which an 319.99 acres was allotted to Sterlite to set up a copper smelter plant as part of its expansion plans. The above acquisition was much before an EIA notification dated September 14,2006 which mandates public consultation as claimed by the petitioner, was issued.

The petitioner had filed the present plea challenging a Ministry's notification in 2009 granting exemption to the company in this regard, contending that it suffers from non-adherence of public consultation.

An office memorandum was issued by the Ministry clarifying that public consultation was not required for projects located within Industrial Estates notified prior to September 14, 2006 which was challenged but the petition was dismissed by the court.

When the above PIL came up before the court on March 23, counsel for the petitioner submitted that Sterlite's expanded unit was outside the area of SIPCOT and thus public consultation is required.

The Bench,oncerned and after going through documents, said "... On a perusal of the notifications also we are satisfied that no public consultation is required for the present case. The petitioner is unable to establish before us that the Sterlite is not situated within the SIPCOT Complex."

PTI
Congress MP gives privilege notice against PM Modi

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 9: Congress MP Shantaram Naik on Monday, May 9 gave notice of breach of privilege against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikkar to Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari on a day Congress created a ruckus in Parliament against Modi's comments in an election rally against Sonia Gandhi on the VVIP chopper deal.

Giving a notice under Rule 187 and 188 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Council of States, Naik said that the Prime Minister has made a "wild charge" against UPA leaders alleging that they had taken money in the purchase of helicopters. Addressing an election rally in Thiruvananthapuram, Modi had said,"Madam Soniaji, "Aap ki Ye himmat.

You and Congress leaders are making statements that false allegations are being made against you. Did Modi or Modi government in the last two years even once take the name of Congress in the helicopter deal? "We have never used any name even once.

Investigation agencies were doing their jobs. Nobody in Hindustan gave the name. The name has come from Italy." Latching on to it, Naik said according Modi it is not his Government that has named UPA leaders but it is a court in Italy which has done so.

The Congress leader said even though Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar read out a long statement in the Rajya Sabha on May 5, he did not say that the UPA leaders had taken money in purchase of helicopter nor did he say court in Italy has done so. "It is, therefore, clear that the Prime Minister has contradicted the Defence Minister.

If the Defence Minister had any proof that UPA leaders had taken money in helicopter deal, why is it that the Defence Minister did not make any statement to that effect in the House. "Was he trying and to misguide the House by reading out a long prepared statement making wild charges to be used by PM during his election rally? Naik asked.

"Defence minister has, therefore, committed a breach of privilege of the House and of the members since his statement differs from that of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has behaved most irresponsibly and misused his position to issue defamatory statement on helicopter deal insulting the institution of Parliament," he said.

Naid requested the Rajya Sabh Chairman that his notice be admitted and it should be referred to the Privilege Committee for appropriate action against the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister.

PTI
Foundation works for Ram Mandir to be ready by October, 'garbhagriha' by Dec 2023: VHP

SC judges hearing Gyanvapi case were associated with Ayodhya matter as well

'Construction of Ram Temple to begin at the end of this year'

India

oi-Mukul

Bhopal, May 9: Suddently, controversial Ram Temple issue has gained momentum, inside and outside the Parliament.

Days after, BJP's Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy raised the issue in the House, now a group of saints has made a major announcement about the construction of temple in Ayodhya.

According to a media report, saints announced that comstruction of Ram Temple will begin from November 9 this year. This major announcement was made in a meeting which was organised during ongoing Kumbh Mela in Ujjain(MP).

Earlier, BJP leader and proponent of Hindutva ideology, Swamy on May 5 (Thursday) urged the government to make a statement on the day-to-day hearing of the case in the Supreme Court.

"I want to say that it (Ram temple) is a very difficult problem.... Both sides are agreed that if the Supreme Court decides, it will be an agreeable solution," Swamy said in the Rajya Sabha amid an uproar from the opposition benches.

He demanded a statement from the government on a day-to-day hearing in the case. "The concern of the house should be (made) known. The Ram temple issue should be decided," Swamy said while raising the issue as a point of order. In response, Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said: "The government should make a statement on day-to-day hearing in the case."

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 13:02 [IST]
The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Thursday, May 5:

If you think of the presidential primaries as a hiring process for nominees, the Republican Party is about to offer the job to Donald Trump. As they say in the executive suite when a personnel crisis arises: Alert the folks in human resources.

While there was plenty of interest in the presidential position, the interviewers  the voters  have settled on a candidate with neither appropriate experience nor a coherent governing philosophy. Instead, he brims with outrageous promises and makes statements that sound at times like hes ignorant of the law (killing the families of terrorists), disconnected from economic reality (demanding that American companies open factories at home) and callous to women and minorities (his sexist put-downs and proposed ban on allowing Muslims into the country).

Sigh. Is HR on the phone yet?

Maybe Trumps tantalizing vow to make America great again and his ability to connect with angry, disenfranchised Republicans (and, yes, even some Democrats) qualifies him for a position as a marketing whiz. Trump these days is the most famous name in real estate, steaks and narcissism.

But hire a businessman and reality TV star as CEO of our multitrillion-dollar government? No thanks. We do not want to see Donald Trump become president of the United States of America, nor even the Republican nominee. As an apprentice  to name-check his former show  he doesnt have sufficient potential to grow into the job.

Yet on Tuesday night, Trump cleared a major hurdle to securing the nomination with his convincing victory in Indiana over Sen. Ted Cruz, who immediately quit the race. Gov. John Kasich, Trumps only remaining rival, dropped out Wednesday. There is now a direct path for Trump to reach the threshold of 1,237 delegates before Julys Republican convention in Cleveland, and to win the nomination on the first ballot.

Trump got this far through vigorous showmanship and a focused message to dyspeptic voters, blasting some surprisingly ineffective competitors out of his way. His appeal among disaffected Republican primary voters is intensely visceral: Hed arrive in Washington a billionaire businessman in a hurry and get things done. After years of gridlock in Washington, who doesnt find the idea of an outsider appealing? The Democrats have their own in Sen. Bernie Sanders.

But once nominated, the numbers would start to work against Trump. He would be the most divisive presidential nominee of our time. Against even a flawed Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton, Trump is a significant underdog. His core constituency of white, socially conservative, working-class voters isnt big enough to get him to victory Nov. 8. About two-thirds of voters view him unfavorably, according to the RealClearPolitics average of opinion polls.

Through the primary season, a majority of Republicans and many conservatives rejected him. Stuart Stevens, a former Mitt Romney strategist, says Trump is unbalanced. Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens uses a literary reference about upchucking to describe his feelings about a Trump candidacy.

They see what we see: Trump is an undisciplined political neophyte who loves the limelight and promises big changes, most of which appear either implausible or too vague to take seriously.

What would a Trump loss to Clinton mean for the fractured GOP? Maybe not so much. Both parties have been shellacked in presidential elections and bounced back. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, creamed Republican challenger Barry Goldwater. In 1972, against incumbent Richard Nixon, Democrat George McGovern carried only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. And in 1984, Republican President Ronald Reagan lost only D.C. and Minnesota to Walter Mondale, D-Minn (stands for minimum).

There is no incumbent this year, so you have to go back to 1928 to find a closer potential comparison: Republican Herbert Hoover in a landslide over Democrat Al Smith. More recently, things looked bleak for the Republicans after Barack Obamas 2008 victory, but then came their 2010 congressional victories.

Analysis has failed everyone this election cycle. All you can say for certain is that Trump is a unique character whose success or failure isnt a true reflection of the Republican Party. At this point, the GOPs energy might be best directed at figuring out what it wants to look like after Trump leaves the stage.

Were still holding out hope that Republicans will find the will, and a way, to replace Trump at the convention. Maybe like this: Dear Mr. Trump: Thank you for your interest in the position. Unfortunately, your qualifications do not meet our needs at this time.
Kanhaiya's open letter to Smriti Irani on Mother's Day

India

oi-Pallavi

New Delhi, May 9: On Mother's Day, HRD minister Smriti Irani received an open letter from JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar. Out on bail on sedition charges, Kanhaiya asked, how a "mother" can punish her children on the basis of fake probes and dcotored videos.

Marred with sarcasm, Kumar wrote, "we are trying hard to study in the warmth of your motherly love. Under your reign, we are learning how to study despite police canes and hunger."

Calling her an anti-rational mother of anti-national students, Kanhaiya extended MOther's Day wishes to Irani on behalf of the students.

He further said,"Today a friend sent asked me how under Mr Modi's regime--where besides our own mother, we also have Mother Cow, Mother India, Mother Ganges and Mother Smriti--how could Rohith Vemula die. I am asking you this because I have no answer. The same anti-national friend also said that Mother Smriti's ministry sent several letters to punish Rohith and was also responsible for withholding his fellowship for seven months."

He further added,"In a great country like India, can a mother force drive her child to suicide? Can a mother accept punishments on her children based on doctored videos and a biased probe? Your children, starving for 11 days, are asking you this question. Please reply, if you find the time. The friend also called you an anti-rational mother of anti-nationals'. I hope you will prove this allegation false in your factual reply."

Meanwhile the indefinite hunger strike by JNU students in protest against the punishments awarded by university in connection with the Afzal Guru event, entered the 11th day on Sunday. Kanhaiya had withdrawn from the fast last week after his health deteriorated and he had to undergo treatment for dehydration and ketosis at AIIMS. So far, six students have withdrawn from the strike while 14 others are still continuing their fast.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 10:54 [IST]
Partial Solar Eclipse 2022: City-wise timings, when and where to watch

With AQI of 259, Delhi's air on day before Diwali least polluted in 7 years

IRCTC update: 190 trains cancelled on October 24; here is the complete list

Delhi LG and CM greet people on Diwali, ask people to be mindful of pollution

Partial Solar Eclipse 2022: Dos and Don'ts for pregnant women during Surya Grahan

Partial Solar Eclipse: Why eating food during a solar eclipse is harmful

#KejriwalSaySorry: When Twitterati slammed Kejriwal & Co for targetting PM Modi

India

oi-Mukul

New Delhi, May 9: BJP on Wednesday slammed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying about his educational qualifications. Party on Monday made Modi's Bachelor of Arts and post-graduate degrees public.

On Social Media, people are expressing their ire on AAP leaders for trying to malign PM. Twitterati are lashing out at Kejriwal for making false allegations against Modi.

Netizens asked why AAP leaders didn't present proof against the serious allegations against Modi.

Earlier, adressing a live press conference BJP president and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley held aloft Bachelor of Arts degree from Delhi University and Masters of Arts in Political Science degree from Gujarat University.

"Before making such baseless allegations about someone's personal life, one should have verified the facts. I am very ashamed today thinking that such a day would come that I'll have to make public the degrees of the PM," Amit Shah said.

Here are the reactions of Twitterati, who are raising big question mark over shallow politics of Arvind Kejriwal.

Hey Kejri, first eat a dead crow.

Then say sorry if you have a gram of ethics left.#KejriwalSaySorry pic.twitter.com/SpRlecOqJL  Kiran Kumar S (@KiranKS) May 9, 2016

IIT degree is not required to create some drama always #KejriwalSaySorry pic.twitter.com/myfAzKK30U  blaster tweets (@blaster_tweets) May 9, 2016

My Marksheet is from 2012 & degree is from 2013.Is my degree fake? Delhi has elected jokers #KejriwalSaySorry pic.twitter.com/9RqVz8VDKf  PK (@PKapoor2902) May 9, 2016

2 mins silence for all those who thought kejriwal would change course of indian politics..#KejriwalSaySorry  Sushant Singh (@me_s3) May 9, 2016

#KejriwalSaySorry is not the right trend. #DelhiitesSaySorry would be the right one!!  Chakravarty Sulibele (@astitvam) May 9, 2016

Dont even expect a bit of shyness in shameless SoniaLal @ArvindKejriwal . #KejriwalSaySorry https://t.co/6HH2qG0s33  Shakuntala Iyer (@shakkuiyer) May 9, 2016

This is only an attempt by Kejriwal to take the attention off #AgustaScam, Rahul & Sonia!! #KejriwalSaySorry  Signora Gandhi (@MrsGandhi) May 9, 2016

Narendra Modiji 's team has come to the front and answered the silly questions allegations of @ArvindKejriwal. #KejriwalSaySorry  ashish shelar (@ShelarAshish) May 9, 2016

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 15:24 [IST]
What is Anti-doping bill? Does India really have a doping crisis?

Lok Sabha remembers Neerja Bhanot

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 9: Lok Sabha on Monday, May 9 remembered Neerja Bhanot, a Pan Am air hostess who died saving passengers on a hijacked flight in 1986, during a discussion on the Anti-Hijacking Bill 2016.

Participating in the debate over the bill, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said she gave her life while securing the passengers. Saugata Roy (TMC) said she was a courageous lady and a film was also made on her recently.

Supporting the bill, B N Goud (TRS) said that proper mechanism should in place for compensating the victims.

Remembering Bhanot, he said Pan Am was a US-based company and they had not provided any compensation to Indian crew members.

Bhanot, the senior-most flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, was shot dead by terrorists who had hijacked the flight in Karachi on September 5, 1986, during her courageous bid to save the lives of passengers.

She became the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime military award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra.

PTI
Get all national, international news updates of May 9, 2016 here.

12:20 pm: Panama papers trove on shell companies released online: AFP.

11:40 pm: Alipurduar(WB) suspicious briefcase in a bus: bomb squad finds only medicines and documents in the briefcase.

11:10 pm: Packet received (letter threatening Kanhaiya Kumar)by HOD Journalism,Pune's Ranade Institute. The letter was received on May 7th but the HOD opened it today, it contains explosive substance. We are registering case: Senior PI Sushma Chavan.

11:00 pm: Letter has been received by Pune's Ranade Institute today containing similar content that FTII recently got: DCP Sudhir Hiremath(Zone IV).

10:40 pm: I have decided that home guards and other workers on duty at Simhastha will be rewarded with Rs.5000 each for their sheer dedication: MP CM.

10:32 pm: Alipurduar(WB): Staffer of North Bengal State Transport Corporation finds a suspicious briefcase in a bus.Police and bomb squad at the spot.

10:30 pm: Meteorological Department issues rain alert for 72 hours starting tomorrow, predict heavy downpour in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

10:25 pm: Saudi defence intercepts ballistic missile fired from Yemen (Source: AFP).

10:20 pm: Earthquake of Magnitude 5.3 hit Andaman Islands at 9 pm today.

10:15 pm: Swaraj Group owner Raj Kandhari commits suicide in Navi Mumbai.

10:05 pm: Some officials,representatives on duty at Simhasth Kumbh 2016 have not even slept since two nights: Shivraj Singh Chouhan,Madhya Pradesh CM.

9:50 pm: Brad Hogg of Kolkata Knight Riders was reprimanded by the Match Referee for using inappropriate language in yesterday's IPL Match in Kolkata.

Brad Hogg reprimanded for using inappropriate language,actions or gestures which disparage or provoke an aggressive reaction during a match.

9:00 pm: PM Modi to meet Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan tomorrow to discuss drought situation.

8:55 pm: India is my home.Its here that I'll breathe my last,& here that my ashes will mingle with my loved ones. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot take away my commitment to and love for India, my country: Sonia Gandhi.

8:50 pm: On receipt of info, our embassy in Riyadh sent one official to King Saud Chest disease hospital. Official was told by mortuary in-charge that she was admitted on 27th April & later on shifted to ICU. Death was due to natural reasons: MEA on reports of death of a lady in Riyadh.

The official was informed that all the requisite documents have been handed over to the sponsor for submission to the embassy: MEA.

8:40 pm: I challenge him (PM Modi) to show at least one BJP ruled state that has a better health & educational achievement than Kerala:Sonia Gandhi.

8:30 pm: Gaya:Bihar Police questioning JDU MLC Manorama Devi at her residence in Gaya in connection with son Rocky, who allegedly shot dead a youth.

8:25 pm: Marksheet provided by Delhi University mentions Narendra Kumar & admission was given on that basis. That is why marksheet of 1981 mentions Narendra Kumar, but he wrote Narendra in exam form of 1982: Dr Mahesh B Patel

8:20 pm: It's common in Gujarat that some difference in names happen. We receive thousand of applications for change of names: Dr. Mahesh B Patel (officiating VC, Gujarat University) On PM Modi degree issue.

8:12 pm: NEET matter: SC says, Common all India test can't be held bad only because it affects the rights of states & pvt colleges. States can't conduct their own exams since Centre's regulation on NEET overrides states' law on separate exams.

SC says NEET doesn't affect rights of minority nor does it impact provisions for reservation.

8:10 pm: Those who appeared in NEET 1 but have apprehension that they had not prepared well, be permitted to appear in NEET 2 if they give up their candidature for NEET 1: SC says on NEET matter.

8:05 pm: NEET matter: SC says all candidates who could not appear in NEET 1 would be allowed to appear in NEET 2.

7:55 pm: We've seen high handedness of Centre, they used all fair & unfair means to topple govts of Arunachal & U'khand: GN Azad

7:50 pm: We have the numbers and we proved it on March 28 when we went to meet Governor: Harish Rawat, Congress on Uttarakhand crisis.

7.42 pm: I will meet Unioin Home Minister tomorrow and demand that President's rule be imposed in Bihar, says Chirag Paswan, LJP.

7.25 pm: They should've waited till tomorrow's floor test to pass U'khand budget, we walked out in protest, says Mallikarjun Kharge.

7.20 pm: Six injured after few tents disintegrate due to dust storm & heavy rains in Ujjain Simhasth Kumbh.

7.10 pm: Uttarakhand Budget Bill passed in Lok Sabha.

7.05 pm: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav announces an ex gratia of Rs 20 lakh to kin of photojournalist Ravi Kannaujia, who died in an electrocution incident.

6.55 pm: Congress walks out of Lok Sabha in protest against Centre's Uttarakhand budget.

6.46 pm: Division of votes was denied for appropriation, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha on Uttarakhand crisis.

6.30 pm: We are more than confident that Congress will prove its majority on the floor of the house, says RS Surjewala on Uttarakhand row.

6.15 pm: In Punjab, three times Akali Dal Govt was dismissed under 356, says Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha on Uttarakhand row.

6.00 pm: A failed budget was declared passed, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha on Uttarakhand crisis.

5.45 pm: Photo journalist covering water train story in Jhansi (UP) electrocuted by the over-head electricity line, passes away.

5.30 pm: If somebody is solely responsible for instability in Uttarakhand,it is Congress party and its Govt, says Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank,BJP in LS.

5.29 pm: Transit of planet Mercury across the Sun, which happens only 13-14 times in a century in Kolkata.

5.15 pm: Congress President Sonia Gandhi addressing an election rally in Thrissur, Kerala.

5.03 pm: No interim relief for 9 disqualified MLAs at Uttarkahand.

4.48 pm: Austrian chancellor resigns after far-right election debacle.

4.30 pm: Matter to be heard on July 12. The disqualified MLAs won't be allowed to participate in the floor test to take place tomorrow on Uttarakhand row.

4.15 pm: Many gather in Bengaluru to witness transit of planet Mercury across the Sun, happens only 13-14 times in a century.

4.07 pm: SC concludes hearing on NEET issue over state Govts plea to hold their separate exams. Court likely to pronounce its order at 4:30 PM, today.

3.53 pm: Woman from Hyderabad who went to Saudi Arabia to work as a 'house maid' allegedly tortured, later succumbs to injuries.

3.51 pm: Rajnath Singh has also assured us that the agencies of Centre & State, SPG will be alert to the threat that has been received, says Anand Sharma.

3.50 pm: Rajnath Singh has assured prompt action and security enhancement for this person, says Anand Sharma after meeting Rajnath.

3.44 pm: The principal secretaries of parliamanentary affairs and the legislative assembly will be present at the floor test at Uttarakhand Supreme Court says.

3.33 pm: Guilty is guilty, law will take its course. My son will surrender, says Manorama Devi (accused Rocky's mother & JDU MLC).

3.15 pm: They have kept my mobile, how will I speak to my son? says Bindi Yadav (father of accused Rocky) on Bihar over roadrage case.

3.00 pm: All mark lists including mark list of 1978 have been included in the docs presented by Amit Shah, says Sambit Patra.

2.45 pm: In the hurry and frustration, Ashutosh did not go through complete docs and is misleading the country, says Sambit Patra, BJP on PM's degrees.

2.30 pm: I think Uttarakhand HC's order is right, SC will also declare its order, says Ambika Soni, Congress.

2.25 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 PM.

2.15 pm: bodies of 2 out of 5 persons who went missing at Ramakrishna beach in Visakhapatnam (AP), recovered by marine police.

2.03 pm: It's perfect time to impose President's rule in Bihar, says LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan.

1.44 pm: Bodyguard has been suspended and arrested. Departmental action already being taken and criminal case will also be pursued against him, says Nitish Kumar.

1.30 pm: Nobody can be allowed to take law in their hands. Strict action is being taken, says Nitish Kumar on alleged killing of youth by JDU MLC's son.

1.25 pm: Arvind Kejriwal ji must apologize to entire nation and must clarify on what grounds he levelled such serious allegations, says Amit Shah.

1.05 pm: Portals of Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) re-opens for public, Annual 'Char Dham' pilgrimage to begin from Monday, May 9.

12.59 pm: Portals of Kedarnath shrine thrown open to devotees, Annual 'Char Dham' pilgrimage to begin from today in Uttarakhand.

12.45 pm: Bindi Yadav and a bodyguard arrested in connection with alleged killing of a youth by JDU MLC's son in Gaya, sent to 14 days judicial custody.

12.30 pm: Power Dept installs coolers for electric transformer to avoid transformer blast caused by heat in Raipur(Chhattisgarh).

12.21 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12:36 PM.

12.15 pm: Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Rajeev Shukla, Motilal Vora and Anand Sharma to meet HM Rajnath Singh at his residence at 3:15 PM.

12.00 pm: Action will be taken against those guilty irrespective of what party they belong to, says ML Khattar, Haryana CM.

11.55 am: PM Modi must come to the House and justify the allegations he has made over Agusta, says Congress' Anand Sharma.

11.25 am: The union government has moved the Supreme Court seeking to appoint the principle secretary of Parliamentary affairs as the observer for the Uttarakhand floor test.

Earlier the government had sought that a retied chief election commissioner be appointed as observer.

11.20 am: Justice has been done with us today, I'm confident justice will be done with us tomorrow and in future: Harish Rawat

Justice has been done with us today, I'm confident justice will be done with us tomorrow and in future: Harish Rawat pic.twitter.com/Mt8rcbopO6  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

11.15 am: Delhi BJP workers stage a protest demonstration outside Delhi Jal Board headquarters in New Delhi.

10.52 am: PM Narendra Modi's meeting with senior Cabinet Ministers underway in Parliament.

10.30 am: Celebration outside Harish Rawat's residence after HC dismissed rebel MLAs plea challenging disqualification

Dehradun:Celebration outside Harish Rawat's residence aftr HC dismissed rebel MLAs plea challenging disqualification pic.twitter.com/movMHYvX6t  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

10.20 am: Pratyusha Banerjee's parents write to Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding CBI probe in the case.

10.00 am: Former Air Chief SP Tyagi reaches CBI headquarters for questioning in the AgustaWestland case

Delhi: Former Air Chief SP Tyagi reaches CBI headquarters for questioning #AgustaWestland pic.twitter.com/hgvRFMet3E  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

9.50 am: Woman naxal killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

9.30 am: Congress issues three-line whip to all its MPs in Rajya Sabha.

9.00 am: BJP calls for shutdown in Gaya today over alleged killing of a youth by JDU MLC's son.

8.35 am: Voting underway in Philippines today to elect a new president.

8.20 am: Supreme Court to pronounce order today over Medical Entrance Tests conducted by states.

8.15 am: Uttarakhand disqualified MLAs plea: HC to pronounce its order today.

8.10 am: Uttarakhand CD sting: Harish Rawat not to appear before CBI today for questioning: ANI

8.05 am: Congress president Sonia Gandhi to address public rallies in Thrissur & Thiruvananthapuram today.

8.00 am: Portals of Kedarnath, Gangotri & Yamunotri to re-open for public today as annual 'Char Dham' pilgrimage in Uttarakhand to begin today.

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

NIA charge-sheet in Malegaon 2008 bombings likely this month

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 9: The NIA is likely to file its charge sheet in the 2008 Malegaon bombings by alleged Hindu terror outfit Abhinav Bharat this month, the anti-terror probe agency said today, days after the Supreme Court asked it to complete the investigation at the earliest.

9 accused in 2006 Malegaon blasts case discharged

NIA Director General Sharad Kumar said the probe in the case has been completed and a charge sheet would be filed before the competent court in Mumbai "most probably within this month".

He denied there was any deliberate delay in submitting the charge sheet and said several accused arrested by Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad had filed cases in the Bombay High Court and Supreme Court.

"Once the courts cleared all the litigations, we expedited our process of filing the charge sheet in the case," Kumar told PTI here. National Investigation Agency (NIA) has listed 14 persons including Lt Col Prasad Shrikant Purohit as accused in the blasts in Malegaon town in Nashik district of Maharashtra on September 29, 2008 in which seven people were killed when two bombs planted on a motorcycle exploded.

The probe was initially conducted by the Maharashtra ATS and later handed over to the NIA.

Besides Purohit, Pragya Singh Thakur, Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Shyam Sahu, Ramesh Upadhya, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay, Rakesh Dhawade, Jagdish Mhatre, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Pravin Takalki have been arrested.

Ramchandra Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange, who are accused in 2007 Samjhuata train blast also, have been named as absconders in this case. Malegaon 2008 blasts changed the course of many probes including the one in Samjhauta train blast case in which 68 people had been killed.

It was for the first time that the role of a Hindu right wing group had come to light in a terror attack.

The case was investigated initially by Joint Commissioner of Mumbai's ATS Hemant Karkare who was killed during the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Before the NIA took over the case in 2011, Maharashtra ATS had booked 16 people but filed charge sheets on January 20, 2009 and April 21, 2011 against 14 accused in a Mumbai court.

Purohit and Pragya had moved several applications before Bombay High Court and Supreme Court challenging the charge sheet and applicability of stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.

The accused have denied any involvement in the twin blasts that rocked Malegaon on September 29, 2008 that left seven dead and several wounded. They have also refuted being co-conspirators in any organised crime syndicate.

PTI
Do RAW, others get a raw deal in the name of 'intelligence failure'?

The NIA, ED dossiers that led to the raid on the PFI

Keep it clean, keep it safe: How the federal agencies raided the PFI

Pakistan generates 80 per cent of social media profiles for Kashmir's youth

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 9: Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials say that at least 80 per cent of the posts in support of Kashmir militants have originated from Pakistan.

The social media team of these Kashmiri militants are on an over driver mode and have been creating scores of profiles to celebrate the martyrdom of the militants.

Ideally such profiles are immediately blocked at the request of the police or the intelligence bureau. However the IB has decided to take a slightly different approach in such cases and want to keep those profiles running for sometime as it helps gather intelligence.

From Pakistan the anti India pages:

There has been a spurt in the number of social media profiles where Kashmir is concerned. While the Hizbul Mujahideen is extremely active on the social media there are many other profiles that post anti India content. Investigations have shown that almost 80 per cent of the profiles are generated from Pakistan.

These terrorist friendly profiles are found extensively on Facebook. IB officials say that they seem to prefer creating accounts on Facebook when compared to Twitter.

Talks with Pakistan foreign secretary just 'courtesy': India

If one does go through the content that is being posted, attempts are made to stir up passions against the Indian government. The posts give a clarion call to the Kashmiri youth to raise arms against the Indian establishment.

IB officials say that in normal course such profiles are immediately tracked and blocked. However the moment these profiles are blocked new ones are created almost immediately.

Hence in many cases we have let these profiles remain active for some months and this helps us in gathering intelligence, the officer also pointed out.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 8:43 [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

Rail connectivity to bring down commodity prices in NE: Modi Govt

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, May 9: With an aim to bring down the price of essential commodities in the north-east, the government today said capitals of all the states in the region will be connected by broad gauge rail network by 2020.

"Rail connectivity has an impact on poverty alleviation. It will bring down prices of essential commodities particularly food grains. All the state capitals of the north- east region will be connected by broad gauge rail network by the year 2020," Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister of State for Planning, Statistics and Programme Implementation said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

He was replying to a question whether the government was aware that development of infrastructure and connectivity is the single most important factor to remove regional disparities.

Singh said Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a centrally sponsored scheme was launched in December, 2000 as a special intervention of the government with broad objective of ensuring sustainable poverty reduction. PMGSY aims to provide good quality all-weather single connectivity to every eligible habitation, he said.

"Since the beginning of the programme, till March 2016 a total of 1,16,310 habitations have been connected against the target of 1,78,000 across the country and a total length of 4,72,627 kilometres of roads has been considered", Rao said.

Besides, the Minister of Road, Transport & Highways has initiated a mega road development programme in North East - Special accelerated Road Development Programme in North-East (SARDP-NE).

As on date, the government has given approval for 2/4 laning of 6,418 kilometres of roads under phase A and Arunachal Pradesh Package of SARDP-NE in entire north-east at an estimated investment of about Rs 33,750 crore.

In February 2009, the Centre had approved a special programme for development of roads in left-wing extremism affected areas including tribal sub-plan in the country spread over 34 districts in 8 states of Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

"The programme envisages development of 5,477 km roads (1,126 km National Highways and 4,351 km state roads) to 2 lane standards at an estimated cost of Rs 7,300 crore", he said. An outlay of Rs 700 crore has been proposed for this programme for 2016-17, he added.

PTI
Pay up or we send you back to jail: Subrata Roy gets SC ultimatum

Seventh Pay Commission: Simple pay structure likely to be introduced; no hurdle in cabinet

India

oi-Jagriti

New Delhi, May 9: The much awaited Seventh Pay Commission is likely to propose a simpler pay structure for its employees, media reported.

The Seventh Pay Commission likely to be implemented from June-July may not face tough time in the cabinet next month.

According to reports, a single tier new band is likely to be introduced for employees where the component of the salary will not be made up in two parts as is the practice one is the pay band and the other being the additional grade pay.

The high-powered panel headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha was set up Sinha to process the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission.

The 7th Pay Commission has recommended a 23.55 per cent hike in salary, allowances and pension, involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore, to central government employees and pensioners.

7th Pay Commission decoded: Know all about salary increment, past pay commissions

The Pay Commission recommendations, when implemented, would have bearing on remuneration of 47 lakh central government employees and 52 lakh pensioners. Subject to acceptance by the government, the recommendations will take effect from January 1, 2016.

Pay Commission will be implemented after cabinet will give it a final approval. Currently, the Implementation cell of the Empowered Committee of Secretaries is trying to address various issues with it.

OneIndia News
Underworld-ISI nexus: A conspiracy that could have shaken India

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 9: The chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency against members of the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate in connection with the Bharuch murders was on expected lines.

The chargesheet goes on to point towards a major conspiracy to create communal clashes in India.

When the investigations had commenced, the NIA had pointed out that the double murders were aimed at spreading communal tension in the country

Killing of Bharuch BJP leaders aimed at triggering wave of communal riots

The NIA's probe still has a long way to go. It would still need to unearth details regarding the operatives in Pakistan and South Africa before closing the case.

In November 2015, two persons Sirish Bengali and Pragnesh Mistry were murdered at Bharuch, Gujarat. The NIA which took over the case found that the intentions behind the murders were to create communal disturbance.

Underworld acting at ISI's behest:

Going by the investigation into the case, it becomes clear that the underworld was operating at the behest of the ISI. NIA officials say that several operatives in South Africa and Pakistan planned these murders.

The only intention was to create communal tension.

They even decided to chose Gujarat as the first area of operation.

They felt that if communal tensions flare up in Gujarat, it would spread to other parts of the country. While the case on hand deals with the murders of Mistry and Bengali, the NIA suspects that these operatives have been planning similar operations in other parts of the country as well.

The main intention was to disrupt peace in the state and ensure that riots on a large scale took place, investigators have learnt. To execute the plan, Javed Chikna a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim had sent his brother Abid to Gujarat in May 2015.

He contacted the shooters and even handed them part of the payment. He promised them a total of Rs 50 lakh for executing the murders. The men who were picked for the operation ran gambling dens in various parts of Gujarat. Abid also instructed these men to identify more Hindu leaders in the state and carry out their execution.

The police have learnt that they planned on a series of murders in a bid to agitate Hindus in the state so that it would lead to major communal riots. The Intelligence Bureau says that this is yet another attempt that had been made to increase communal tension in the country.

An incident in Yavatmal, Maharashtra also made an attempt to kick start a wave of communal incidents. In this incident, an alleged member of the SIMI at the behest of a religious preacher had stabbed a constable protesting the beef ban in the state.

The IB has warned that such incidents could occur in smaller towns of the country and if the police are not watchful there is a danger of the same spreading across the country.

The IB also says that groups from Pakistan in association with the underworld will look to launch such attacks in order to increase the communal divide in the country.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 11:53 [IST]
Fact Check: Images falsely shared with claim that it is chopper that crashed in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand: 9 disqualified MLAs cannot vote in floor test on Tuesday

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 9: The Supreme Court today denied interim relief to the 9 disqualified MLAs in the Uttarakhand assembly.

As a result of this order the 9 MLAs who were disqualified will not be able to vote in the floor test to be held on Tuesday at Uttarakhand. The court posted hearing on the matter to July 12.

The nine disqualified MLAs had moved the Supreme Court after the Uttarakhand High Court had rejected their plea.

(Uttarakhand crisis: HC dismisses plea of 9 Congress MLAs, rebels approach SC)

The MLAs had petitioned the court stating that they be allowed to vote in the floor test to be held tomorrow.

The Bench also appointed principal secretary, legislative assembly and parliamentary affairs, Jaidev Singh as the observer to oversee the floor test proceedings.

When the hearing commenced in the court at 1.30, the Bench made it clear that the floor test will go on in

Uttarakhand as directed by it last week. The Supreme Court had last week given the go ahead for the floor test, but had also stated that the nine disqualified MLAs shall not vote.

Tight security:

As per the directive of the Supreme Court the floor test in Uttarakhand will be held tomorrow between 11 am and 1 pm. Section 144 has been imposed in Dehradun from 4 pm today.

(Sting CD probe: CBI summons Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat)

During the floor test no mobile phones will be allowed inside the legislative assembly. There will be tight security in place. Additional forces have been called in to ensure that there are no untoward incidents reported.

The numbers:

For Harish Rawat to be reinstated he would need the support of 32 MLAs. The Congress has 27 MLAs while the BJP 28. With the Supreme Court refusing to allow the 9 disqualified MLAs to take part in the floor test the votes of the six PDF MLAs and one nominated member becomes extremely crucial for Rawat.

Rawat in order to be back as the CM would need the support of five more MLAs. He would rely on the on the 6 MLAs of the PDF apart from one nominated member who will be entitled to vote on May 10.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 16:55 [IST]
Fact Check: Images falsely shared with claim that it is chopper that crashed in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand: Centre wants principal secretary of Parliamentary affairs as observer

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 9: With just a day to go for the floor test at the Uttarakhand assembly to be held, the Supreme Court has a busy day ahead.

While it would hear a petition filed by the disqualified MLAs at 12.30 PM, another application to appoint the principal secretary of parliamentary affairs as the observer will also be taken up.

The Attorney General on the last date of hearing had said that the government had no problem in a floor test being conducted at Uttarakhand. However he also said that the test must be held under the supervision of the court while adding that a former CEC be appointed as observer.

The centre has now sought modification of the order. It has approached the Bench stating that the principal secretary legislative and parliamentary affairs be made the observer during the floor test to be held tomorrow.

Meanwhile the Supreme Court will hear a plea by the nine disqualified MLAs whose petition was rejected by the Uttarakhand High Court.

The nine MLAs who had been disqualified had moved the High Court seeking a reversal of the order but failed to get any relief. They immediately moved the Supreme Court and the matter has been posted for hearing at 12.30 before a Bench comprising Justice Dipak Misra.

The Supreme Court last week had ordered that a floor test be conducted but also barred the nine MLAs from voting. The court had said that the floor test be held under the supervision of an observer and also directed that the entire proceeding be videographed.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 12:10 [IST]
Four Indian-Americans charged with H-1B visa fraud

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Washington, May 9: Four Indian-Americans have been indicted for hatching a plot to commit H-1B visa fraud, use of false documents and mail fraud among other offences, the US federal prosecutors said in an official statement.

The couple Sunitha Guntipally and Venkat Guntipally, Pratap "Bob" Kondamoori and Sandhya Ramireddi, allegedly used three California corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of more than 100 H-1B specialty-occupation work visa applications, said the statement from the US Attorney's Office Northern District of California.

In a 33-count indictment filed last weekend, all the four are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, false statements, mail fraud, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering and aiding and abetting these offences.

The defendants submitted to the government, or caused to be submitted, H-1B visa application materials stating that the foreign workers named in the applications would be placed at specific companies in the US, the statement read.

However, those companies either did not exist or never intended to receive the foreign workers named in the defendants' applications.

The indictment alleges that through their ownership, direction and control of two companies -- DS Soft Tech and Equinett -- the Guntipallys generated net profits of about $3.3 million and gross profits of approximately $17 million from 2010-2014.

According to the indictment, the husband-wife team founded and owned DS Soft Tech and Equinett where Venkat served as president and Sunitha as vice president of both the firms.

Kondamoori from Nevada is alleged to be the founder and owner of SISL Networks and Kondamoori's sister, Ramireddi from Pleasanton, is alleged to have been the human resources manager and operations manager of all three companies.

In addition, Kondamoori, Sunitha Guntipally and Ramireddi are charged in connection with alleged efforts to conceal the defendants' conduct.

IANS


New Mayor Sadiq Khan accuses David Cameron of 'Trump' tactics

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

London, May 9: London's newly elected mayor, Sadiq Khan, on Sunday compared Prime Minister David Cameron and mayoral opponent Zac Goldsmith to Donald Trump over their "nasty" election campaign.

Khan, the candidate for Jeremy Corbyn's anti-austerity Labour Party, accused both Conservative politicians of attempting to "turn ethnic communities against each other" and using tactics "straight out of the Donald Trump playbook," the Guardian reports.

Pakistani bus driver's son Sadiq Khan is new mayor of London

Khan, who was officially sworn into his new post on Saturday, was apparently referencing Trump's controversial anti-Muslim comments in an article he wrote for Sunday's Observer newspaper.

Khan, who is Muslim, says he hoped the mayoral campaign would focus on issues surrounding housing, transport and air pollution.

Instead, he said Cameron and Goldsmith attempted to win votes by dividing communities.

"They used fear and innuendo to try to turn different ethnic and religious groups against each other - something straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. Londoners deserved better and I hope it's something the Conservative Party will never try to repeat," he wrote.

Khan earlier criticized the Conservatives of running a "really nasty campaign" in their bid to hold on to the London mayor's post, held by Boris Johnson since 2008.

Cameron has yet to congratulate Khan on his electoral win, or even publicly acknowledge it.

The new mayor's comments echo criticism from senior Tories who broke away from their own party's position to condemn the Conservative London campaign as divisive.

"I was disgusted with the tone of (Goldsmith's) campaign and his repeated, and risible, attempts to smear Sadiq Khan and paint (him) as a closet extremist," wrote Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, Mohammed Amin.

Cameron was accused of making racist comments about Khan for saying he "shared a platform" with extremists who support IS during Prime Minister's Questions ahead of the London vote.

IANS
'India won't listen to anyone': Anurag Thakur gives strong reply to PCB

Pakistan off the FATFs grey List: What this means

Pakistans leading human rights activist shot dead

International

oi-Pallavi

Islamabad, May 9: A leading Pakistani human rights activist lost his life to the bullets of Taliban militants. Zaki is known for his strong stance against hatred and violence targetted at Shia Muslims.

Zaki was having dinner with his friend on Saturday when four armed motorbike-borne men sprayed bullets. Both Zaki and his friend were rushed to the hospital where they succumbed to their injuries. Another bystander Aslam was also injured.

Taliban took responsibility of the attack saying that Zaki was targetted for his views on Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz. Police, however, could not confirm the claim by the Taliban faction.

Police investigators, however, say that the killing was more sectarian as both the men killed belonged to the Shia community.

A social media campaigner, civil society activist, blogger and journalist, Zaki is known for his strong views on the Lal Masjid cleric. He came to the limelight last year when he led the campaign against Mr Aziz for inciting hatred against Shia Muslims and got a case registered against him.

He had opened a Facebook page "Let Us Build Pakistan" (LUBP) and became an editor of a website devoted to working ofr human rights and spreading liberal religious views.

The page was blocked by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 12:01 [IST]
Islamic State bomber detained in Russia for attempting attack in India was recruited through Telegram

Why India should get access to Islamic State bomber detained in Russia

With PFI banned, agencies probe international links and hand in ISIS recruitment

Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence

UK: Navy officer flies to Syria, joins ISIS

International

oi-Jagriti

London, May 9: A navy officer who received training at UK's most prestigious maritime colleges has reportedly joined the Islamic State (ISIS), media reported.

According to reports, 28-year-old Ali Alosaim, enrolled on a three year Merchant Navy officer course at the prestigious Marine School at South Tyneside College fled to Syria.

Born in Kuwait, his personal details were found under a cache of ISIS documents leaked to The Mail on Sunday.

Alosaim mentioned himself as a 'navy officer in Britain' on the entry form, which is used by ISIS to track foreign fighters.

This revelation has also triggered security threat to ships and ferries in the country.

No adverse report about Indians held hostage by ISIS: VK Singh

'Someone with his knowledge opens up a whole new area where terrorism can take place,' said Former Royal Navy chief Admiral Lord West.

He was radicalised by watching videos of killings in Syria committed by President Bashar Assad's troops. He is even yet to complete his course to get marine license.

He is not in touch with his family since 2013.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 15:34 [IST]
Even if not contesting 2020 polls, Hillary Clinton will not be entirely out of scene

Hillary Clinton says Julian Assange must 'answer for what he has done'

US polls 2016: Hillary Clinton wins Guam; it looks almost over for Sanders

International

oi-Shubham

Washington, May 9: Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton won the Guam Democratic causes on Saturday (May 7), bagging 59.5 per cent of the votes while her opponent Bernie Sanders won 40.1 per cent.



In terms of votes, Clinton won 777 of them as against Vermont Senator Sanders's 528. With this victory, Hillary got four pledged delegates while Sanders got three.

The Democratic Party chairperson and vice-chairperson, who were uncommitted superdelegates previously, backed Clinton following the caucus results, as a result of which Clinton got the support of all five Guam superdelegates.

Clinton now has 2,224 delegates, including 1,709 pledged and 515 superdelgates. Sanders, who has been giving Clinton a close fight this primary season, has 1,447 delegates of which only 41 are superdelegates. To get the nomination, a Democratic candidate has to win 2,383 delegates.

Sanders trails by a big distance when it comes to the superdelegates and needs to win a significant number of them who are either unpledged or have endorsed Clinton.

The duo will lock horns in West Virginia on Tuesday (May 10) and then in Kentucky and Oregon on May 17.

In the Republican camp, on the other hand, Donald Trump has remained the only candidate in the fray after Ted Cruz and John Kasich withdrew on May 3 and 4, respectively, after the former won a series of contests.

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

Pratyusha Banerjee's parents write to Rajnath, seek CBI probe

Mumbai

oi-Sandra

Mumbai, May 9: Television actor Pratyusha Banerjee's parents on Monday wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and demanded a CBI probe into their daughter's death.

In the letter Pratyusha's parents have pointed out several instances that they claim have been missed by the police officials that point towards a murder and not suicide.

Pratyusha Banerjee suicide: Soon, a biopic to be made on her troubled life?

In the letter (obtained by ANI), her parents have written: "In the report it was revealed that no stool or a high object was found from her room on which Pratyusha could stand and hang herself from the ceiling fan. This clearly shows that police office have investigated the case in a hurry and have termed a murder as 'suicide'."

#PratyushaBanerjee's parents write to HM Rajnath Singh demanding CBI probe in the case pic.twitter.com/ixshJ5mSWN  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

Meanwhile, Pratyusha's boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh alleged that the actress was mentally tortured by her parents. Rahul alleged that all accounts were never in Pratyusha's name but were in her mother's name.

"If I was after Pratyusha's money where is that money? The money must have been deposited in my account and I am ready to get all my accounts checked," he said. He even alleged that the actress bore all the expenses and that her parents had taken a loan in her name.

Pratyusha suicide case: Actress' mother writes to CM, wants crime branch probe

Pratyusha's parents on the other hand have blamed Rahul for their daughter's death. They had earlier written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting for a probe by Mumbai Police Crime Branch into her death.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 11:03 [IST]
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

Twinkle Khanna jokes about Sri Sri, faces flak from his supporters

Mumbai

oi-Sandra

Mumbai, May 9: Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is in the news again and this time we have Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar's wife Twinkle Khanna to thank for the same.

Khanna courted controversy when she 'jokingly' tweeted about Sri Sri. However, in no time she found irate followers of Ravi Shankar, who threatened to boycott her husband's next film 'Housefull 3.'

Khanna had tweeted: "Sri Sri got his nobel foot and half beard stuck in his mouth in a yogic pose that Baba Ramdev perfected a while ago #HolyMenAndHairyTales." But later deleted her comment after facing backlash.

However soon, Darshak Hathi, International Director of the Art of Living Foundation tweeted that Khanna's tweet had hurt the sentiments of Sri Sri's followers and that they would boycott Housefull 3. But soon even Hathi deleted his comment.

Khanna then apologised to the members of the AoL and wrote: "Didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings was meant to be a joke and am old enough to accept an error of judgement on my part."

Didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings was meant to be a joke and am old enough to accept an error of judgement on my part.  Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) May 7, 2016

Hathi too deleted his tweet and said: "My tweet was in response to your tweet which has hurt my sentiments. I appreciate that you have gracefully deleted it. It happens when sentiments are hurt. No Hard feeling. Sorry if you r hurt."

OneIndia News
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

AgustaWestland to Rafale: Journalists under ED scanner

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, May 9: The pay offs in the AgustaWestland deal amounts to Rs 360 crore according to the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Out of the Rs 360 crore that was earmarked to bribe influential people, an amount of Rs 50 crore was set aside for the media alone.

While the Enforcement Directorate has learnt that an amount of Rs 28 lakh had been spent on a journalist and his wife, the ED is also looking into another transaction of Rs 5 crore that was paid off to one journalist in connection with the Rafale deal.

VVIP chopper deal: Michel's driver spills beans on India contacts, funds links

The ED is ascertaining whether this amount of Rs 5 crore was paid off to a journalist in cash or in the form of freebies.

Journalists in the dock

The ED is hot on the trail of the Rs 50 crore that was spent by James Christian Michel the middleman in charge of handling the media. Documents which have been accessed by the Enforcement Directorate suggest that a large chunk of the Rs 50 crore was spent on a media junket to Italy.

The ED says that not all those who went on the junket were part of this scam. However there are a few names we have with us who we suspect had ensured that the narrative in the news was in favour of AgustaWestland.

There is a journalist for whom Michel had earmarked Rs 28 lakh. This looked like a suspicious transaction since the money was spent on the wife of the journalist as well.

Another journalist has come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate and this time it is in connection with the Rafale deal. The ED suspects that middlemen had paid off this journalist a sum of Rs 5 crore.

It may be recalled that senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP, Subramanian Swamy too had said that a journalist who was paid off Rs 5 crore in connection with the Rafale deal is under the lens of the Enforcement Directorate.

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Story first published: Monday, May 9, 2016, 9:17 [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

Congress wary over death threat to Rahul; to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh

New Delhi

oi-Shubham

New Delhi, May 9: Senior Congress leaders were set to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday after the party's unit in poll-bound Puducherry said it had received a death threat against their vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul is scheduled to address a public rally in Puducherry on Tuesday. Puducherry, along with neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala, will go to elections on May 16.

According to the Congress, the threat letter was penned in Tamil.

Senior Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Ahmed Patel will meet Singh and demand adequate security for their leader. They also want the Centre to investigate the matter.

Rahul gets protection from the elite Special Protection Group (SPG), the highest security cover in the country. Only the prime minister and former Pms and their families are protected by the SPG, apart from the members of the Gandhi family.

The law was made to include families of former prime ministers under the SPG cover following the assassination of Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi during the campaigning of the Lok Sabha election in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

Oneindia News
MADISON  With the April election of Rebecca Bradley, five of the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices are now women  comprising the largest female majority of justices on any state Supreme Court in the nation.

While the state trails the national average in percentage of female judges in courts at all levels, the female percentage on the state Supreme Court, 71 percent, is greater than all other states, according to the National Association of Women Judges.

Chief Justice Patience Roggensack calls them the mighty five.

I think its just a sign of the times, said Roggensack, 75, the second female chief justice of the states highest court. Women are working more now and have been for quite some time so theyre getting to the point where they are eligible for these kinds of positions and in the past they were not.

In 1976, Gov. Patrick Lucey appointed Shirley Abrahamson to the court, marking the first time a woman held the position of Supreme Court justice in Wisconsin. She remained the only female on the bench for nearly 20 years, and served as chief justice from 1996 to 2015.

Former justice Janine Geske won election in 1993, becoming the second woman on the high court. Since 2007, females have made up a majority of the court.

Kate Berry, an attorney with the Brennan Centers Democracy Program at New York University School of Law, said historically, courts dont always stay diverse once a woman or racial minority is elected or appointed to the bench.

Theres a little bit of a mythology that once you get an individual on the court that has otherwise never been on the court before  that is a turning point, she said. That hasnt been proven to be true  there are a number of reason why courts struggle with diversity.

Wisconsins high court is different because it has sustained a presence of women on the court, Berry said.

National studies show that the behavior of a court, or the way it decides legal issues, doesnt remarkably change with the addition or subtraction of male or female judges.

The two best studies we have on this right now actually show that the effect of increasing female judges is relatively muted, said UW-Madison political science professor Ryan Owens, who studies judicial issues.

But theres one exception  cases of sexual discrimination in the workplace. The more female judges deciding such cases, the less easy it is for employers to successfully challenge them, Owens said.

The likelihood of a judge deciding in favor of the party alleging discrimination decreases by about 10 percentage points when the judge is a male, according to Untangling the Causal Effects of Sex on Judging, a 2008 study by political science professors Christina L. Boyd and Andrew D. Martin at Washington University and Lee Epstein of Northwestern University. Likewise, the study found that men were significantly more likely to rule in favor of the person alleging discrimination when a woman serves on the panel.

Both effects are so persistent and consistent that they may come as a surprise even to those scholars who have long posited the existence of gendered judging, the professors wrote after reviewing sex discrimination lawsuits filed in the federal courts between 1995 and 2002.

Even courts that have male judges with daughters tend to be more sympathetic to a womans experience of discrimination when deciding cases, Berry said.

According to a 2015 study conducted by Emory University political science professor Adam Glynn and Harvard Kennedy School professor Maya Sen of data on the family lives of U.S. Courts of Appeals judges, judges with daughters consistently voted in a more feminist fashion on gender issues than judges who have only sons.

The study concluded the result was driven primarily by Republican judges.

More broadly, this result demonstrates that personal experiences influence how judges make decisions, and this is the first article to show that empathy may indeed be a component in how judges decide cases, the professors wrote.

Justices on Wisconsins high court agree  saying their backgrounds have more influence on their how they decide legal issues than their gender.

Having been a trial court judge for ten years and then having sat on the Supreme Court for nine years now, I do not think that female judges necessarily decide cases any differently than male judges, said Justice Annette Ziegler, who has been on the court since 2007 and is up for another 10-year term in 2017. Were all very different people with different backgrounds and different personalities and we bring different things to the bench.

Justice Rebecca Bradley said while she didnt see a practical impact of having five of seven justices be females, she pointed out the historic significance of the current courts makeup.

For me professionally, I think its a significant milestone to have five out of seven justices be women and its rewarding to be part of that, said Bradley, whose 2015 appointment to the Milwaukee district of the Court of Appeals marked the first time that court had become all female. I think its an indication that in the legal and judicial profession, women have an opportunity presented to them that I think decades ago they didnt.

Rick Esenberg, president and general counsel of the conservative legal group Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said the only time the court may have decided cases along gender lines was in 2001, when the court ruled 4-3 to allow a man who owed $25,000 in child support for his nine children be banned from fathering any more children while on probation for five years.

The courts four male justices ruled that a man who refused to pay child support could be banned from having any children for five years unless he could prove that he could support all of them, or go to prison for eight years.

The courts three female justices, liberals Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Ann Walsh Bradley and conservative Diane Sykes, dissented, saying that having children is a basic human right guaranteed by the Constitution.

Esenberg said that is a notable exception for a court that typically rules along party lines.

We have five women on the state Supreme Court and we have three who are so-called conservative judges and two who are more liberal judges. Obviously they think for themselves, and have their own judicial philosophy, said Esenberg. In this case, gender does not dictate destiny, it turns out.

Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley did not return phone calls and emails seeking an interview.

For me professionally, I think its a significant milestone to have five out of seven justices be women and its rewarding to be part of that. I think its an indication that in the legal and judicial profession, women have an opportunity presented to them that I think decades ago they didnt. Rebecca Bradley, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
Bihar Road rage: Nitish Kumar assures strict action on Aditya's murder

Patna

oi-Shalini

Patna, May 9: Two days after a 19-year-old was killed by Rocky Kumar Yadav, son of JD(U) MLC Manorama Devi, for overtaking his car near Bodh Gaya Police Station in Bihar, party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said Bindeswari Yadav alias Bindi Yadav, the MLC's husband, and his bodyguard Rajesh Kumar had been arrested and hunt was on for Rocky.

Speaking to Oneindia on Monday (May 9), Kumar said: "The government will take all steps to catch hold the culprit. The victim's family is financially well-off and wants the culprit to be arrested. Till now, the police have raided several places and found 70 rounds of ammunition and a carbine found in the MLC's residence in connection with the murder case of Sachdeva." the victim was identified as Aditya Sachdeva.

According to a police complaint, Rocky Yadav murdered Sachdeva to teach him lesson for 'overtaking' the car. The DIG also said Sachdeva was taken to Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital where he was declared brought dead.['JDU MLC's son is not above law' says JDU spokesperson on killing of youth in Gaya]

Meanwhile, on Monday, the BJP took out a protest against the incident and some supporters led by Anil Swami, president of the party's Gaya district unit, blocked a major road and raised slogans against the police to arrest the prime accused.

When asked about the BJP's allegation that "jungle raj" is back in Bihar, Neeraj Kumar hit out at the BJP, saying: "It's a habbit of BJP to blame the ruling party and say "jungle raj is back". In the past, we have acted in the murder of BJP leaders by arresting the main culprit. We will also fight for justice now."

Kumar, who assured Aditya's family, said: "It's a great loss for the family. As of now, the police are investigating the case. Nobody is above the law and very soon, the culprit will be arrested."

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said in a press meet that nobody can take law in their own hands. "Strict action is being taken," he said.

Guilty is guilty, law will take its course. My son will surrender: Manorama Devi (accused Rocky's mother & JDU MLC) pic.twitter.com/OrwdM7dZVz  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

They have kept my mobile, how will I speak to my son?: Bindi Yadav (father of accused Rocky) on Bihar #roadrage case pic.twitter.com/Azft4k8ozY  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

Nobody will be spared, whoever found guilty will be brought to justice: Nitish Kumar on Bihar road rage case pic.twitter.com/jYzPtCiGGr  ANI (@ANI_news) May 9, 2016

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Relics of Christ's Passion to be Presented at Utah Churches in Celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Contact: Denise Serafini, Apostolate for Holy Relics, 860-496-0648



LOS ANGELES, May 9, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Eight rare Relics of the Passion, with a unique musical and meditative program focused on the Passion of Christ, will be presented at churches in Ogden, Midvale and Magna Utah on May 15, 17 and 18. The event, designed to connect participants to the roots of their faith, is sponsored by 3 churches in collaboration with the Apostolate for Holy Relics (AHR), an organization founded 10 years ago in Los Angeles.

It's very rare to see a group of related holy relics all in one place as is presented in this program. Collections such as this are generally seen only in Rome or the Holy Land and is something that most people only get to see once in a lifetime.



The documents for these relics have been reviewed and authenticated prior to the commencement of the first tour in 2007. Since then, they have been venerated in more than twelve archdioceses and 9 dioceses throughout the world. Because of the Holy Father's declaration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the AHR is pleased to be presenting this extraordinary collection at area churches as part of a nationwide tour promoting God's Mercy.



The Relics of the Passion collection includes: A piece of the True Cross, which was discovered by St. Helena



A piece of the Holy Table from the room where the Last Supper took place



A piece of the Column of Flagellation



A piece of The Crown of Thorns



A replica of the Holy Nail, fashioned using filings from the true nails, making it a relic of a lesser class.



A relic from the head of St. Longinus, the centurion who pierced the side of Christ



A picture of (the effigy of) the Veil of Veronica touched to the original with a Vatican seal attesting to the fact.



A piece of the exterior wrapping for the Shroud of Turin Schedule of events:



Sunday, May 15 in Ogden 2:00 PM at St. James Church 495 N Harrison Boulevard



Tuesday, May 17 in Midvale 7:00 PM at St. Therese of the Child Jesus Church 624 Lennox Street



Wednesday, May 18 in Magna 7:00 PM at Our Lady of Lourdes Church 2864 S 9000 W



Additional information regarding the AHR can be found at relictour.com.

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Petition Aims to Keep Cross in Public Park



SPRING GROVE, Penn., May 9, 2016 /



The atheist group, Freedom from Religion Foundation, filed a lawsuit to get the Cross taken down, despite the historical significance of the Cross, and against the will of the local residents.



America will not be the same country if we allow the Cross of Christ to be erased from the public eye. To erase the Cross from our society is to erase who we are.



The Return to Order campaign invites people to speak in favor of keeping the Cross and our Christian identity.



If you are interested in supporting the city of Santa Clara in keeping the Cross in Memorial Cross Park, please visit the petition site

Share Tweet Contact: Robert Ritchie, 717-309-1990SPRING GROVE, Penn., May 9, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- God loving Americans are signing on to a petition to keep the Cross in Memorial Cross Park in Santa Clara, California. The Cross was donated by the local Lions Club in 1953, and stands in honor to the Catholic Missions that started in 1777.The atheist group, Freedom from Religion Foundation, filed a lawsuit to get the Cross taken down, despite the historical significance of the Cross, and against the will of the local residents.America will not be the same country if we allow the Cross of Christ to be erased from the public eye. To erase the Cross from our society is to erase who we are.The Return to Order campaign invites people to speak in favor of keeping the Cross and our Christian identity.If you are interested in supporting the city of Santa Clara in keeping the Cross in Memorial Cross Park, please visit the petition site www.returntoorder.org/petition/st-clara-cross-persecution/?PKG=RTOE0208
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WOMEN in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) has advocated for the urgent need for institutional sustainable reforms with focus on gender parity within Nigerias corporate and political sphere

Speaking at the 13th CEO/Policy-Maker Interactive breakfast Series held recently in Lagos, the Executive Council Chairperson of WIMBIZ, Olubunmi Aboderin-Talabi, in her opening remarks, pointed out the unconscious bias that can affect the progression of women within the workplace.

According to her, women do the majority of the worlds unpaid labour; they are more likely to be economically disadvantaged; they are treated in some circles as inferior and are vulnerable to violence.

Speaking on the importance of fair representation for all Nigerians, Mrs Talabi said, after the recent 2019 election, the number of female senators dropped from 8 to 7 out of a total 109 available seats. The number of female members of the House of Reps dropped from 19 to 11 out of an available 360 seats.

We only had six female cabinet members, out of 37, during the season of the 8th Assembly. With the dawn of the 9th Assembly, we hope that the number of female cabinet members will not fall, she said.

The interactive session attended by over 90 CEOs and policymakers had the theme for discussion Hidden Figures: The Cost of Exclusion which was chosen deliberately to highlight the cost of exclusion to Nigerias economic growth, and the correlation between gender affirmative reforms and GDP, Economic Growth, Job Creation & Wealth Distribution.
The man fighting for his life

A man is currently battling for his life after he bragged about having the capability to drink 6 bottles of alcohol, without being affected.

Although it is not known which part of the country where the incident happened, it was gathed that the man after taking the drink collapsed as he gasped for breath.

His friends had hailed him after he immediately downed the liquor but, moments later, he couldnt feel himself.

They later rushed to save him.

Reports have it that he has been rushed to the hospital where the medical personnel are doing their best to keep him alive.

Watch video below:
Big Brother Naija, Africas number one reality television show, is making a highly anticipated return on June 30 and Nigerians all over the world are beyond giddy with excitement. Although the show makers, MultiChoice Nigeria, have not officially announced the theme for the new season, graphics and posters reading Spicy Hot have been deployed all over social media to promote the show. Apart from the shows endless supply of drama and sheer entertainment, Big Brother Naija has been able to excite Nigerians, and Africans, in a way that no other show on this part of the Atlantic can.

Somewhere between the colourful characters the show makers select every year and the odd but interesting tasks that the Housemates have to engage in, therein lies the secret of the Big Brother Naija magic formula. One distinct element that Big Brother Naija possesses, is that it has made its success elusive and many times unattainable for copycats and knock offs is its ever-changing nature.

Season after season, the show changes in a way that is unique to its cause but without losing its identity. Its an intricate and delicate balance that MultiChoice has mastered and been able to recreate successfully for three seasons. The first season of Big Brother Naija first aired back in 2006. Much like many first attempts, season one was a glorious run of trail, error and lessons learned. When the show came back in 2017 with the See GoBBe theme, it was clear that the producers had done their homework, made some necessary adjustments and were ready for business.

2018s Double Wahala edition was a result a seamless broadcast of entertainment which had Nigerians everywhere hooked. From classrooms to beer parlors, nail salons, Bible study meetings and social media, Big Brother Naija content was inescapable. As hard as it is to imagine, this new season will be even more riveting and here are a couple reasons why.

One of the biggest criticisms of Big Brother Naija was that it was shot in South Africa, not Nigeria. The shows producer always cited the fact that running a reality show round the clock in Nigeria was not the simplest of tasks. It would appear, however, that theyve been able to crack the logistics code because in January, Mr. John Ugbe, the Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria announced that this years season will take place in Nigeria.

Big Brother Naijas return to Nigeria has definitely set off a new level of loyalty to the show in Nigerians. A number of fan fiction conspiracy theories and jokes have emerged since the announcement as fans speculate how the shows producers will Nigerianize the show as a result of the location.

Another reason Nigerians are more excited for this years edition of Big Brother Naija than theyve ever been is the audition process. Multitudes of hopefuls turned up for Big Brother Naija auditions all over the country earlier this year which definitely raises the stakes for the shows producers because it means they have a bigger pool to fish in. This years audition process also featured the first online audition.

Apart from the over 5, 000 who showed up at venues for audition, MultiChoice also held online auditions. This elaborate selection process has created a lot of buzz about who the lucky men and women in the Big Brother house will be. This is because at the end of the day, Big Brother Naija is about the people who inhabit the house and how much they resonate with the viewers.

If weve learned anything from fans of Efe or even Tobi and Cee-C, it is that Nigerians love an unlikely hero and an underdog they can root for. Nigerians have gotten so passionate about their favourite housemate that theyve organized themselves and bought gifts and hosted parties for them upon their exit from the house. Thats the true magic of Big Brother Naija at the end of the day  looking at your television screen and seeing yourself in someone youve never met. In a day and age when representation matters more than ever, Big Brother Naija has filled a unique space in the hearts of Nigerians  the desire to be seen.
A faction in the Kogi state chapter of the All Progressives Congress has listed conditions upon which the party may consider the embattled governor of the state, Yahaya Bello for a second term in office.

At meeting organized to broker peace between the factions, Senator Alex Kadiri who spoke on behalf of the Kogi state Stakeholders Forum made to demands.

He said the state government should take steps to pay outstanding salaries and pension to workers and pensioners respectively so as to cushion the prolonged hardship they have been experiencing in the state.

Secondly, Dr. Kadiri drew the attention of the governor to the non-implementation of the reports of the two reconciliatory committees led separately by Prince Tony Momoh and General Garba (Rtd), set up by Chief John Odigie Oyegun, the former National Chairman of the party.

ALSO READ: Update: Buhari refuses endorsement of Yahaya Bello

He also reminded the Governor that the resolutions reached during the interactive session with Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo before the last general elections remained unimplemented.

He urged the Governor to take time to read these reports as a basis for further genuine reconciliation.

In a statement issued by the APC spokesperson in the state, Jibrin Abu, governor Yahaya Bello insisted on the for total reconciliation in the Kogi state chapter of the party in order to win the coming gubernatorial election coning in the state.

He urged both sides in the protracted party dispute to resolve their differences and move forward as one united political party, Abu said.

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The Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Fadahunsi has said that the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, was by his behaviour exhibiting traits of the head-boy of a primary school.

He added that members of the ruling APC, who had ambitions during the just-concluded leadership election in the National Assembly, ignored Oshiomhole and disregarded his directives for being too shallow and childish.

The lawmaker spoke on Sunday during a Thanksgiving Service he organised in his hometown at Ilase-ijesha, to appreciate people of his senatorial district over his electoral triumph.

According to Fadahunsi, both the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, and the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, campaigned vigorously across party lines for them to emerge, adding that had it been that both of them relied and listened to Oshiomholes directives, the elections would have gone the other way.

He opined that the consciousness for competence and vibrancy, irrespective of party affiliations, in which the NASS elections were predicated, must be sustained to maintain a peaceful and successful parliament.

Fadahunsi, who won election on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, called for masses-oriented legislation in the ninth National Assembly to better the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

He said, What is called National Assembly is not a one-party affair. It is an assemblage of people from diverse orientations and world views; it goes beyond parochial and myopic thoughts of an individual .

I know how Lawan and Gbajabiamila really campaigned amongst different parties that made up the Senate and House of Representatives, ignoring that childish directives of their chairman which lacked human dignity.

It is certain that if all that Oshiomhole said about chairmanship of committees of the National Assembly could be followed, both the Senate and House of Representatives would be hot, Fadahunsi said.

Speaking on the spate of insecurity in Osun State, the lawmaker said the move by suspected Fulani herdsmen to cause security breaches in the South West has been discovered long ago, regretting that governments in the states that make up the region have not been proactive in their approach to tackle insecurity.

He also blamed traditional institution in the zone for being too relaxed in their domains in the face of suffocating external aggression.

I think there is need for our royal fathers to have a rethink on the way lands are being handed over to some foreigners for undisclosed purpose so that we will not be handing over our lands to those who will later constitute security threat to our people.

On our part, we are making efforts to curb this menace by all possible means, and we have started getting results. We are also encouraging local Fulani herdsmen to help us in identifying criminal elements among them, he said.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Sunday said Nigerians should expect better service delivery from the ninth National Assembly.

Gbajabiamila gave this commitment in Lagos while speaking at a reception dinner organised for him by the state government.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the dinner was attended by prominent personalities including Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau State.

National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; a former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba; and a former governor of Oyo State, Sen. Abiola Ajumobi, were also among those present.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, were with Gbajabiamila to receive guests at the dinner.

The Speaker said though the eighth National Assembly did its best, Nigerians expected the ninth one to surpass the achievements of the last assembly.

He promised that the new assembly would do better than the eighth assembly and would meet the expectations of Nigerians.

Gbajabiamila said the new assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, would do things differently to get better results.

He assured Nigerians that the new House would make hard work and commitment its watchwords in order to meet the aspirations of Nigerians.

There is so much work to be done but little time to do it.We are going to work hard, we are going to do things differently.

We cant do a thing over and over again and get a different result. The ninth assembly is going to do things differently for the good of Nigerians.

The eighth assembly did its best, but we will do better. We will do our best in the service in the service of the country.

We started with a slogan nation-building is a joint task, it cannot be done by one person. The ninth assembly would work for the good of the country.

We will put into practical terms the meaning of leadership; we are not just going to talk the talk, but we are going to walk the talk, he said.

Gbajabiamila promised to be the Speaker of all and not that of any particular region or state.

He thanked the people of Lagos for electing him for a record fifth term in the House of Representatives, saying he would not take their support for granted.

The Speaker also thanked his family members and his colleagues in the House of Representatives for their consistent support.

He said he was indebted to Tinubu for inspiring him politically and helping to nurture his career.

Gbajabiamila said without Tinubu, he would not have got to where he was.

The Speaker said he found the narrative before the House leadership election that a vote him was giving the Speakership to Tinubu very ridiculous.

He said those peddling that were doing so out of ignorance, as Tinubu only wanted the good of the country.

Gbajabiamila thanked the state government for the reception dinner, saying he felt really loved by the gesture.

Speaking, Sanwo-Olu described Gbajabiamila as a very cerebral and competent lawmaker.

He said the state was proud to see him emerge as the Speaker of the ninth House of Representatives.

The governor, while congratulating Gbajabiamila, said people expected so much from him.

He urged him to use his office to better the lot of the people.

NAN reports that the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Ahmed Wase; Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin and other members of the lower chamber spoke in turns, highlighting the leadership qualities of Gbajabiamila.
Opalesque Industry Update - Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America has hired Rosanne Kropp as vice president of Investment Strategies for the Allianz Investment Management (AIM) division. In her new role, Kropp will be responsible for developing and executing U.S. investment strategies, managing more than $100 billion in assets. Kropp will lead AIMs asset liability management, strategic and tactical asset allocation programs and alternative investments in order to optimize performance, income, and liquidity for all managed portfolios. Kropp will report to Allianz Life Chief Investment Officer, Todd Hedtke. Rosanne brings more than 20 years of experience in actuarial and investment management to her new role, said Hedtke. Her expertise will allow us to further strengthen our investment strategy and help AIM continue to deliver consistent, reliable performance and income to our business. Prior to joining Allianz Life, Kropp was senior vice president, head of portfolio management for Genworth Financial in Stamford, Conn., where she managed a $70 billion portfolio of insurance general account assets. She was responsible for strategic and tactical asset allocation strategies and asset manager oversight. Prior to that, Kropp was a senior portfolio manager for Delaware Investments in Philadelphia, Pa., where she directed investment strategy development and implementation, portfolio construction and monitoring, and client relationship management for the insurance unit. Kropp also gained more than six years of experience as an actuary with Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company and Allstate Life Insurance Company. Kropp holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in actuarial science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a CFA Charterholder, as well as a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries.
I decided to write this as an open letter to one of my friends here on OpEd, Jerry Lobdill, because (1) there are way too many characters to fit into a comment, and (2) because I wonder if any of us are coming to the same conclusion. Jerry said something I have been feeling for a long time:

"The Democratic Party is not worth saving, let alone being helped to survive after treating its base as it has done by a shameless abuse of power."



It's actually an open letter to everyone with an opinion, and because your comment is so demonstrative of the quandary we all find ourselves in. Do we keep voting for the lesser of two evils, and let's face it, it's exactly what we have right now? Do we stay home because we don't like our choices? Do we cast a ballot for the opposing side to put the screws to what used to be our own political party, or do we try, once again, to gain support for a third party candidate? It just seems so daunting a task for which there can never be an outcome favorable to all of us.



I've come to the conclusion that regardless who gets the nomination, Sanders or Clinton, come hell or high water we have got to vote - one way or the other, we have to vote. Staying home is not an option.



We have to realize that even if Bernie Sanders wins, we will not receive instant gratification. It will be an uphill battle for the changes he envisions. Nothing will change instantaneously. It just is not going to go down that way, no matter who wins the primary or who wins the general election. Whatever is going to happen is going to occur over years, if not decades, but if we stop pushing, we can guarantee nothing will change.





"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."--Abraham Lincoln, a Republican.



"Today in America, unions have a secure place in our industrial life. Only a handful of reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and depriving working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice. I have no use for those -- regardless of their political party -- who hold some vain and foolish dream of spinning the clock back to days when organized labor was huddled, almost as a hapless mass. Only a fool would try to deprive working men and women of the right to join the union of their choice."--Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican.



"Every advance in this half-century--Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, aid to education, one after another--came with the support and leadership of American Labor."--Jimmy Carter, a Democrat.



What the above quotes show is that in actuality we are not all that different. Regardless what we are called, Democrat or Republican, We The People believe in the same things. We want the same things. We need to unite so we can all achieve those same things. I see a sane path forward if we all hang together and don't self-destruct. We have to be cognizant of the fact that unregulated Capitalism (what we have now) is not much better than unregulated Labor. There must be a happy medium between the two. Right now labor has taken a major hit in the form of "Right-To-Work-For-Less" states. We can change those back with time.



Ike Eisenhower, left of Obama and both Clintons, would never be electable as a republican today

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Reprinted from To The Point Analyses

Part I -- Misuse How do you misuse a racial prejudice? At first glance this ought to appear to be an absurd question. Racial prejudices already constitute the distortion of perception and emotion. Nevertheless, when a particular prejudice has a distinct pedigree and an age-old definition, and then is purposely exploited (particularly by those purporting to represent its victims) solely for political gain, the issue of misuse becomes anything but absurd.





The racial prejudice in question is anti-Semitism, one of the most devastating of bigotries and responsible for untold misery. It has always been defined as hatred of Jews as Jews. This hatred is underpinned by a vast number of historical myths and fantastic conspiracy theories, but at its core, what we have here is close to pure racism -- a Jew is bad not because of what he or she has done, but because of some racial taint.





Now here is the complicated part. This age-old definition has been reformulated by an ideologically driven sub-set of Jewry -- Zionists -- for political purposes. The Zionists have declared that there is no difference between the State of Israel and the worldwide community of Jews and therefore, if you are opposed to Israel you are anti-Semitic. This identification of Israel and the Jews en masse is historically, demographically, and certainly religiously false. But no matter, the Zionists shout this redefinition loudly and endlessly. And, by backing their claim with political pressure and a lot of money, they have managed to get it accepted in some Western political circles. This, then, is what constitutes the misuse for political purposes of a dangerous racial prejudice.





Having laid this foundation, the Zionists are now using this bastardized concept of anti-Semitism as a weapon against those critical of not the Jews as a group, but the political state of Israel, its policies and behaviors, which are, themselves, racist and barbaric. Indeed, it is Israeli behavior, specifically toward the Palestinians, that has encouraged a revival of anti-Semitism after more than a half a century of quiescence -- thus the very striking irony of the Zionist insistence that opposition to Israeli racist policies is itself a racial prejudice. Part II -- Attack on the British Labour Party There are many examples of this Zionist perversion, but the latest one is a full-blown attack on those members of the British Labour Party who are critical of Israel yet not of Jews as such. Charley Allan, a columnist for the British paper Morning Star, has described the resulting atmosphere as a "witch hunt." Below are two examples of isolated statements made by Labour Party members which have caused a purposefully exaggerated brouhaha over the issue of anti-Semitism.





In late April it was revealed that Naseem Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West, had posted on her Facebook account a map that showed Israel transferred to within the borders of the U.S. She labeled it as "a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Shah's posting, which she sourced from the website of the Jewish American scholar Norman Finkelstein, was made at the height of Israel's 2014 invasion of Gaza and pre-dated her election to Parliament. While the suggestion of the wholesale transference of Israel to the U.S. is but a fantasy, associating the U.S. and Israel certainly has an underlying logic. The United States is Israel's major protector and financier. The U.S. Congress treats Israel as a privileged 51st state. And, most of those who emigrate from Israel go to the U.S.





Accusations that Shah's post was an anti-Semitic attack on Jewry were now belatedly raised, leading to her suspension from the Labour Party pending an investigation. She subsequently, and rather abjectly, apologized. Nonetheless, the fact is that Ms Shah's display of the map was not anti-Semitic at all. It was not an attack on Jews as such, and there is no evidence that it was motivated by a hatred of Jews. What is really objectionable is the Zionist effort to perversely manipulate the post as if it really was anti-Semitism, in order to attack those opposed to their own racist political ideology.





The second example concerns the veteran Labour Party leader Ken Livingstone, who is also a former mayor of London. In late April Livingston stated on a British radio program that "Hitler was a Zionist" whose policy was that "the Jews should be moved to Israel." Now this is certainly not a true statement. What is true is that Hitler wanted the Jews out of Germany. Up until 1938 they could leave that country (albeit without any possessions) if they could find another country that would let them in (which wasn't easy). During this time Hitler did not particularly care where the German Jews went, and most who did have the foresight to leave did not go to Palestine.





Though historically inaccurate, Livingstone's statement was not anti-Semitic. Its principal subject was Hitler and the Zionist movement, and, again, there is no evidence that it was motivated by hatred of Jews. Nonetheless, for making his statement Livingstone has been accused of being anti-Semitic, and he too has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.





It would seem that the present Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is running scared, tossing out members like Shah and Livingstone, rather than counterattacking against Zionist offensive with the truth -- that the charge of anti-Semitism is being improperly exploited for political purposes. Corbyn himself, who is of the left wing of the party, and has repeatedly expressed sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians, is probably among the real targets of this campaign of intimidation. It seems that the right wing of the party has joined up with the British Zionists to run Corbyn out of office using, or rather misusing, the charge of anti-Semitism. Part III -- Conclusion Despite what amounts to ever-present paranoia in some circles, there are no signs of a future Holocaust in the making. That does not mean that history holds no important lessons for the Jews. It certainly does. The primary lesson is that the Jews, like other minority groups, need to protect their collective interests by maintaining strong support for universal civil and human rights, as well as the rule of law both domestically and internationally.





However, there is another lesson the past, and specifically the Holocaust, ought to have taught us: that it is dangerously counterproductive to engage in a defense of group interests that involves the persecution of others. To the extent that they have followed this path, the Zionists have failed to learn from history.





Therefore, it is not the Jews as a people who are remiss. It is only those who have abandoned the protections of civil and human rights and now flout international law in favor of a cruel nationalist policy. The Zionist claim that they have pursue this path to protect the Jewish people is highly suspect for, since its founding, Israel has always been the most dangerous place a Jew can reside.





We are led to the conclusion expressed by Professor Stephen Bronner in a deeply insightful work entitled The Bigot. "Disentangling genuine prejudice from a legitimate critique of Israeli territorial ambitions should be the aim of all progressive inquiry into the problem of anti-Jewish bigotry." That critique of Israel's behavior is not only legitimate, but central to future peace in the Middle East.





Zionism is an ideology gone seriously astray. And the use of the charge of anti-Semitism as a weapon against its critics is a dangerous exploitation of that age-old bigotry as well as a betrayal of the lessons of history.


Jewish History

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It was an assessment no one expected from the deputy head of the Israeli military. In his Holocaust Day speech last week, Yair Golan compared current trends in Israel with Germany in the early 1930s. In today's Israel, he said, could be recognized "the revolting processes that occurred in Europe ... There is nothing easier than hating the stranger, nothing easier than to stir fears and intimidate."

The furor over Gen Golan's remarks followed a similar outcry in Britain at statements by former London mayor Ken Livingstone. He observed that Hitler had been "supporting Zionism" in 1933 when the Nazis signed a transfer agreement, allowing some German Jews to emigrate to Palestine.

In their different ways both comments refer back to a heated argument among Jews about whether Zionism was a blessing or a blight. Although largely overlooked today, the dispute throws much light on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Those differences came to a head in 1917 when the British government issued the Balfour Declaration, a document promising for the first time to realize the Zionist goal of a "national home" for the Jews in Palestine. Only one minister, Edwin Montagu, dissented. Notably, he was the only Jew in the British cabinet. The two facts were not unconnected. In a memo, he warned that his government's policy would be a "rallying ground for anti-Semites in every country."

He was far from alone in that view. Of the 4 million Jews who left Europe between 1880 and 1920, only 100,000 went to Palestine in line with Zionist expectations. As the Israeli novelist A B Yehoshua once noted: "If the Zionist party had run in an election in the early 20th century, it would have received only 6 or 7 percent of the Jewish people's vote."

What Montagu feared was that the creation of a Jewish state in a far-flung territory dovetailed a little too neatly with the aspirations of Europe's anti-Semites, then much in evidence, including in the British government.

According to the dominant assumptions of Europe's ethnic nationalisms of the time, the region should be divided into peoples or biological "races," and each should control a territory in which it could flourish. The Jews were viewed as a "problem" because -- in addition to lingering Christian anti-Semitism -- they were considered subversive of this national model.

Jews were seen as a race apart, one that could not -- or should not -- be allowed to assimilate. Better, on this view, to encourage their emigration from Europe. For British elites, the Balfour Declaration was a means to achieve that end.

Theodor Herzl, the father of political Zionism, understood this trenchant anti-Semitism very well. His idea for a Jewish state was inspired in part by the infamous Dreyfus affair, in which a Jewish French army officer was framed by his commanders for treason. Herzl was convinced that anti-Semitism would always exclude Jews from true acceptance in Europe.

It is for this reason that Mr Livingstone's comments -- however clumsily expressed -- point to an important truth. Herzl and other early Zionists implicitly accepted the ugly framework of European bigotry.

Jews, Herzl concluded, must embrace their otherness and regard themselves as a separate race. Once they found a benefactor to give them a territory -- soon Britain would oblige with Palestine -- they could emulate the other European peoples from afar.

For a while, some Nazi leaders were sympathetic. Adolf Eichmann, one of the later engineers of the Holocaust, visited Palestine in 1937 to promote the "Zionist emigration" of Jews.

Hannah Arendt, the German Jewish scholar of totalitarianism, argued even in 1944 -- long after the Nazis abandoned ideas of emigration and embraced genocide instead -- that the ideology underpinning Zionism was "nothing else than the uncritical acceptance of German-inspired nationalism."

Israel and its supporters would prefer we forget that, before the rise of the Nazis, most Jews deeply opposed a future in which they were consigned to Palestine.

Those who try to remind us of this forgotten history are likely to be denounced, like Livingstone, as anti-Semites. They are accused of making a simplistic comparison between Zionism and Nazism.

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[Note to TomDispatch Readers: The remarkable Noam Chomsky has a new book out: Who Rules the World? It's almost too obvious to say, but it's a must-read! I'm particularly pleased that TomDispatch is excerpting the book's final, monumental essay, "Masters of Mankind," as a two-parter, the first of which appears this morning. Let me just remind TomDispatch readers who use Amazon that if you go to that site to buy the Chomsky volume (or anything else under the sun, including Nick Turse's new Dispatch Book) via a TD book link like the ones above (or the cover image embedded in any TD piece), we get a tiny cut of your purchase at no cost to you. It's a small way to contribute to the site. Otherwise, go to your local bookstore and grab a copy of Who Rules the World? Whatever you do, don't miss it! Tom]

The other day I pulled a tattered copy of The Chomsky Reader off a bookshelf of mine. Leafing through some of the Vietnam-era essays collected in that 1987 paperback brought to life a young Tom Engelhardt who, in the mid-to-late 1960s, was undergoing a startling transition: from dreaming of serving his government to opposing it. Noam Chomsky's writings played a role in that transformation. I stopped at his chilling 1970 essay "After Pinkville," which I remember reading when it came out. ("Pinkville," connoting communist influence, was the military slang for the village where the infamous My Lai massacre took place.) It was not the first Chomsky essay I had read. That honor may go to "The Responsibility of Intellectuals," which he wrote in 1966. ("It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and to expose lies. This, at least, may seem enough of a truism to pass without comment. Not so, however. For the modern intellectual, it is not at all obvious.")

"After Pinkville" still remains vividly in my consciousness from that long-gone moment when a growing sense of horror about a distant American war that came to feel ever closer and more brutal swept me into antiwar activism. Its first sentences still cut to the heart of things: "It is important to understand that the massacre of the rural population of Vietnam and their forced evacuation is not an accidental by-product of the war. Rather it is of the very essence of American strategy." Before he was done, Chomsky would put the massacre of almost 500 Vietnamese men, women, and children into the grim context of the larger crimes of the time: "It is perhaps remarkable that none of this appears to occasion much concern [in the U.S.]. It is only the acts of a company of half-crazed GIs that are regarded as a scandal, a disgrace to America. It will, indeed, be a still greater national scandal -- if we assume that possible -- if they alone are subjected to criminal prosecution, but not those who have created and accepted the long-term atrocity to which they contributed one detail -- merely a few hundred more murdered Vietnamese."

So many decades later, something still seems painfully familiar in all of this. Thanks in part to the nature of our media moment, we remain riveted by acts of horror committed against Europeans and Americans. Yet "concern" over what the U.S. has done in our distant war zones -- from the killing of civilians at weddings, funerals, and memorial services to the evisceration of a hospital, to kidnappings, torture, and even the killing of prisoners, to drone strikes so "surgical" and "precise" that hundreds below died even though only a relatively few individuals were officially targeted -- seems largely missing in action. Unlike the Vietnam era, in the present moment, lacking the powerful antiwar movement of the Vietnam era, "none of this," to quote Chomsky, "appears to occasion much concern." Indeed.

There are, however, exceptions to this statement and let me mention one of them. A half-century later, Noam Chomsky is still writing with the same chilling eloquence about the updated war-on-terror version of this American nightmare. His "concern" has not lagged, something that can't be missed in his new book, Who Rules the World?, which focuses on, among other things, what in the Vietnam-era might have been called "the arrogance of power." At a moment when the Vietnam bomber of choice, the B-52, is being sent back into action in the war against the Islamic State, he, too, is back in action. And so here is the first part of an overview essay from his new book on American power and the world. (Expect part 2 on Tuesday.) Tom

American Power Under Challenge

Masters of Mankind (Part 1)

By Noam Chomsky [This piece, the first of two parts, is excerpted from Noam Chomsky's new book, Who Rules the World? (Metropolitan Books). Part 2 will be posted on Tuesday morning.] When we ask "Who rules the world?" we commonly adopt the standard convention that the actors in world affairs are states, primarily the great powers, and we consider their decisions and the relations among them. That is not wrong. But we would do well to keep in mind that this level of abstraction can also be highly misleading. States of course have complex internal structures, and the choices and decisions of the political leadership are heavily influenced by internal concentrations of power, while the general population is often marginalized. That is true even for the more democratic societies, and obviously for others. We cannot gain a realistic understanding of who rules the world while ignoring the "masters of mankind," as Adam Smith called them: in his day, the merchants and manufacturers of England; in ours, multinational conglomerates, huge financial institutions, retail empires, and the like. Still following Smith, it is also wise to attend to the "vile maxim" to which the "masters of mankind" are dedicated: "All for ourselves and nothing for other people" -- a doctrine known otherwise as bitter and incessant class war, often one-sided, much to the detriment of the people of the home country and the world. In the contemporary global order, the institutions of the masters hold enormous power, not only in the international arena but also within their home states, on which they rely to protect their power and to provide economic support by a wide variety of means. When we consider the role of the masters of mankind, we turn to such state policy priorities of the moment as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the investor-rights agreements mislabeled "free-trade agreements" in propaganda and commentary. They are negotiated in secret, apart from the hundreds of corporate lawyers and lobbyists writing the crucial details. The intention is to have them adopted in good Stalinist style with "fast track" procedures designed to block discussion and allow only the choice of yes or no (hence yes). The designers regularly do quite well, not surprisingly. People are incidental, with the consequences one might anticipate. The Second Superpower The neoliberal programs of the past generation have concentrated wealth and power in far fewer hands while undermining functioning democracy, but they have aroused opposition as well, most prominently in Latin America but also in the centers of global power. The European Union (EU), one of the more promising developments of the post-World War II period, has been tottering because of the harsh effect of the policies of austerity during recession, condemned even by the economists of the International Monetary Fund (if not the IMF's political actors). Democracy has been undermined as decision making shifted to the Brussels bureaucracy, with the northern banks casting their shadow over their proceedings. Mainstream parties have been rapidly losing members to left and to right. The executive director of the Paris-based research group EuropaNova attributes the general disenchantment to "a mood of angry impotence as the real power to shape events largely shifted from national political leaders [who, in principle at least, are subject to democratic politics] to the market, the institutions of the European Union and corporations," quite in accord with neoliberal doctrine. Very similar processes are under way in the United States, for somewhat similar reasons, a matter of significance and concern not just for the country but, because of U.S. power, for the world. The rising opposition to the neoliberal assault highlights another crucial aspect of the standard convention: it sets aside the public, which often fails to accept the approved role of "spectators" (rather than "participants") assigned to it in liberal democratic theory. Such disobedience has always been of concern to the dominant classes. Just keeping to American history, George Washington regarded the common people who formed the militias that he was to command as "an exceedingly dirty and nasty people [evincing] an unaccountable kind of stupidity in the lower class of these people." In Violent Politics, his masterful review of insurgencies from "the American insurgency" to contemporary Afghanistan and Iraq, William Polk concludes that General Washington "was so anxious to sideline [the fighters he despised] that he came close to losing the Revolution." Indeed, he "might have actually done so" had France not massively intervened and "saved the Revolution," which until then had been won by guerrillas -- whom we would now call "terrorists" -- while Washington's British-style army "was defeated time after time and almost lost the war." A common feature of successful insurgencies, Polk records, is that once popular support dissolves after victory, the leadership suppresses the "dirty and nasty people" who actually won the war with guerrilla tactics and terror, for fear that they might challenge class privilege. The elites' contempt for "the lower class of these people" has taken various forms throughout the years. In recent times one expression of this contempt is the call for passivity and obedience ("moderation in democracy") by liberal internationalists reacting to the dangerous democratizing effects of the popular movements of the 1960s.

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Reprinted from American Conservative

It's been almost a decade and a half since 9/11, but the foreign-policy establishment still cannot admit that continuous American intervention in the Middle East has been a failure.

I recently attended a conference entitled "Hindsight: Reflections on 15 Years of the War on Terror." With a wide range of highly respectable speakers, I naively expected that the panels would conclude that the so-called "global war on terror" had been a misguided project ab initio, that the United States continues to repeat mistakes in its national security policy that promote rather than discourage terrorism -- and that the terrorism threat itself has been grossly inflated for largely political and economic reasons.

Apart from a single comment by a former U.S. Army general who correctly characterized American involvement in the Middle East as an overly robust response to what is in reality a "low threat, low national interests" situation for Washington policymakers, I was greatly disappointed. Everyone seemed to accept without any real question the presumption that the United States has a preemptive right to use military force to change foreign governments, ignoring that factor as a source of terrorism and only criticizing those actual interventions that have been badly implemented like Iraq and Libya.

Some of the speakers predictably were either promoting personal agendas or the agendas of their political patrons and employers. One keynote speaker blasted Republican foreign policy positions while praising Bill Clinton, and by extension Hillary, for their brilliant foreign policy team, which tempted me to shout out the name "Sandy Berger!" followed by "the Balkans!" and "Sudanese pharmaceutical factory!" The same speaker also refused to address a reasonable question about the well-attested massive Israeli spying operation in the U.S. in 2001, denying that it existed. Indeed, neither Israel nor Palestine were mentioned at all in an hour and a half panel discussion on foreign policy "challenges" coming from the Middle East, an omission that one has to consider to be curious.

While some speakers robustly condemned erosion of personal liberties due to increased security, it was all carefully done in a legal context, which is what I personally find most annoying about existing criticism of the war on terror. What is legal and what isn't appears to trump how certain developments actually play out in practical terms and it should be accepted that any White House can always find a Department of Justice lawyer willing to affirm that nearly anything is legal, meaning that the distinction is meaningless.

Increasing oversight was promoted by several speakers, which is also a type of legal remedy. Admittedly, some panelists did note that existing oversight does not protect against abuse as the overseers generally do not oversee at all. Officials from all branches of government instinctively and consistently collude with the expectations of the administration, meaning that oversight does not equate to either transparency or accountability. And there was no consideration by panelists whether torture, rendition, data collection and telecommunications backdoors actually enhance national security. This was to my mind a major omission as the public is generally deluded into thinking that the "enhanced interrogation" and "acceptable" ethical lapses funded by the hundreds of billions of dollars invested annually in the warfare state are "making us safe."

Only one speaker mentioned that existing terrorism cases in the U.S. generally come out of FBI entrapment operations, that the government has rarely caught terrorists in flagrante and that fewer than 50 Americans have been killed by Islamic terrorists since 9/11, suggesting the extent to which the terror threat has been dramatically hyped for reasons that have little or nothing to do with ISIS or al-Qaeda. A "pressure cooker bomb plot" cited by New York's Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism as a great success involved a Muslim student who was reportedly only thinking about doing something but who did not even possess the pressure cooker that he was allegedly considering using as a weapon. Muslims arrested for terrorism plots rarely have the capability to carry out any offensive actions and are frequently reliant on FBI informants to provide them with a gun doesn't work or a bomb that doesn't explode. Or in this case possibly a pressure cooker with a hole in it.

There were nearly four hours of more and the same, to include hubristic snapshots of Russia and China as eternal enemies and several comments suggesting that Syria would not be so bad now if "we" had taken down Bashar al-Assad a few years back. After an unctuous hymn of praise regarding the effectiveness of the New York Police Department notably minus any mention of its domestic spying operations directed against Muslims, it occurred to me that the narrative being fed was conditioned by one overriding factor: nearly every speaker benefits personally from the continued existence of the war on terror. They are all part of the establishment and supporters of the Washington foreign policy consensus even if they don't identify themselves that way. Even those academics and lawyers who criticize the war frequently do so in a restrained and high-minded fashion because the status derived from being a player in the continuation of the unending global conflict is as much in their interest as it is in the interests of those who are working for the government or a defense contractor.

Few in the United States and in Western Europe challenge the nature of the terrorist threat and governments have learned that if they shout "terrorism" often enough they will get a free pass on budgets and on approving legislation that restricts the freedom of the average citizen. Freedom is, unfortunately a zero-sum game, power taken from the people is gone forever and is given over to what we Americans have begun to call the "unitary executive," a transitional process welcomed by heads of state in both parliamentary and presidential government systems.

The war on terror is the driving concern that fuels much government aggrandizement as well as spending. Depending on what one includes in the numbers it is plausible to suggest that as much as $1 trillion per year is being spent to fight against the alleged threat. The "counter-terror" wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been the most expensive in U.S. history and they are not over yet. The ongoing intervention in Afghanistan, justified by President Obama as a war to prevent a resurgence of al-Qaeda, continues to cost more than $3 billion per month and is currently undergoing a "surge," as are also operations in Iraq, Libya and Syria.

The federal government employed 2,726,000 as of 2014 compared to 1,500,000 in 2001, not including the military, which itself has 2,100,000 personnel in uniform, including reserves. Most of the new hires have been directly related to the War on Terror for manning the 200 post-9/11 military and CIA bases that have sprung up around the world. The number of reported federal employees does not include contractors, who add considerably to the payroll. More than half of the employees in key sectors within the intelligence community and at the Defense Department are contractors and every contractor costs three times as much as a normal employee.

It is projected that Uncle Sam will spend $4.2 trillion in 2017 compared with $1.863 trillion in 2001, $503 billion of which will be borrowed, reversing 2001's budget surplus of $127 billion. The Department of Homeland Security, which did not exist prior to 2001, gets $40 billion and employs 180,000; the intelligence agencies get an estimated $100 billion and employ 100,000; the FBI gets nearly $9.5 billion; and the Department of Defense gets $632 billion, which does not include a slush fund to cover the war in Afghanistan and other contingencies. In 2001, the Pentagon budget was $277 billion. When all the increases are added up and compared to the baseline of 2001, the war on terror currently costs the American taxpayer directly more than $500 billion per year as part of an overall defense and national security budget that approaches $1 trillion. As there may be only 100 or so terrorists interested and plausibly capable of attacking the United States directly, that works out to something like $10 billion per year per terrorist.

And that is only at the federal level. Most states now have their own departments of homeland security, and most have dramatically increased both the numbers and firepower of their police forces. There is full-time security manning the entrances of nearly all federal and state and even many local office buildings and schools. The total costs of state and local expenditures to counter the essentially bogus terrorist threat might well exceed the federal expenditures, and then there is the spending on security, often mandated by the government, in the private sector. The conference I attended also demonstrated the extent to which universities, institutes, and security firms have become part of the huge and growing terrorism business, all feeding off of the false assumption that the twenty-first century is the age of the terrorist.

Apart from the benefit to defense industries, money spent directly on the war on terror is essentially wasted. But even as bad as all those numbers in terms of current spending are, consider for a moment the legacy costs and institutional damages that are not so readily visible. Professor Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University estimates that Iraq will cost as much as $5 trillion when all the costs, including interest paid on borrowed money and medical treatment for life for the tens of thousands of wounded soldiers, are paid off. The bill for Afghanistan, which appears to lack an exit strategy, will be proportionate, depending on how long the U.S. stays there and at what commitment level. The money spent and the debt continuously incurred explain in part why the United States stumbles along with an antiquated infrastructure and a dysfunctional health-care system. The country cannot continue wasting resources on overstated terrorist threats without paying the price at home.
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TeleMental Health Institute and Ohio Psychological Association Partner for Professional Training in Telepsychology

http://www.ohpsych.org/

www.providerpanel.com

www.telehealth.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETeleMental Health Institute and Ohio Psychological Association Partner for Professional Training in Telepsychology02 May, 2016 San Diego, CA The TeleMental Health Institute (TMHI) is delighted to announce its strategic partnership with Ohio Psychological Association (OPA). By joining professional training from TMHI, with OPAs mission of conveying premium support to its members in the behavioral health field, the individual provider will have the ability to leverage the power of technology to expand their programs and assure best practices. OPA is encouraging its members to attend training through TMI to aid increased knowledge of ethical and legal compliance. OPA wishes to thereby reducing negligent practices by professionals who might be unaware of the skills and knowledge required to offer telemental health services.Dr. Marlene Maheu, the founder of TMHI and a pioneer in the field of telemental health, said, "The Ohio Psychological Association has been a frontrunner in telemental health thinking as well as guidelines. She added,As early as 2008, they were the first US-based professional association to develop and promulgate telepsychological guidelines for psychologists. We are proud to have been selected by them to offer continuing education to their distinguished membership.Ohio Psychological Association, is a professional psychological association which serves its members by providing contact to continuing educational programs. It also advocates for better access to mental health care. OPA offers members of the public access to several resources including a psychologist referral program. For more information visitor send an email to postmaster@ohpsych.orgThe TeleMental Health Institute, Inc. is the worlds largest online telemental health training, consulting, credentialing and staffing Institute, devoted exclusively to addressing the emerging opportunities and challenges of telemental health, tele-behavioral health, telepsychiatry, telepsychology, distance counseling, online therapy, speech therapy and other behavioral specialties. TMHI offers convenient 24/7 internet access to 100% online training for continuing education (CE) and continuing medical education (CME) credit for these professionals with two types of Certificate Training Programs. Topics covered by TMHI professional training include risk management and best practices of behavioral telehealth (i.e., legal, ethical, practical or technical issues of video, telephone, email, or text-messaging; choosing apps and other technologies). In addition to professional training, TMHI provides consultation, credentialing and staffing for:Medical groups seeking to expand into behavioral telehealthCommunity mental health centers, addiction treatment facilities, federally qualified behavioral centers, residential treatment facilities and specialty agencies looking to serve more patientsResearch projects needing telemental health program design, standardized protocols and clinical staff trainingSmall group and independent practitioners looking to grow practices, reduce operational costs or re-locate to other statesTechnology companies searching for patient engagement, other behavioral interventions and viable partnersTo register for telemental health-related jobs arranged through the TeleMental Health Institute, complete a profile here:TMHI is located atFor more information about TMHI, send a note to Verlean Walton-Brooks at contact@telehealth.org###The TeleMental Health Institute, Inc. is the worlds largest online telemental health training, consulting, credentialing and staffing Institute, devoted exclusively to addressing the emerging opportunities and challenges of telemental health, tele-behavioral health, telepsychiatry, telepsychology, distance counseling, online therapy, speech therapy and other behavioral specialties.1876 Horse Creek RoadCheyenne Wyoming 82009
Trisotech and InfoSoft Consulting Pen Strategic Partnership Agreement

http://www.trisotech.com

http://www.infosoftconsulting.com

http://www.trisotech.com

Trisotech, the leading provider of highly visual and interactive software tools that help organizations innovate, transform and improve their operations, is pleased to announce that they have penned a partnership agreement with Nigerian-based software and process services consulting provider, InfoSoft Nigeria Limited.Trisotech () announced on March 28, 2016 that they have penned a strategic partnership agreement with InfoSoft Nigeria Limited, a leading process improvement consulting firm that assists government ministries, departments and agencies, financial organizations and Oil and Gas firms by providing solutions and services in business process management and process improvement in Nigeria and West Africa.It gives us great pleasure to form a strategic partnership with Trisotech, said Pius Okigbo, Jr., Managing Director of InfoSoft Consulting. The Trisotech product suite, Digital Enterprise Suite fits our solution offering to deliver end-to-end services that our customers truly desirepeople, process, and technology  solution incorporating the latest in industry standards like BPMN and DMN. With Trisotech we are now a complete BPM, one-stop shop for our customers.Trisotech is excited about partnering with the InfoSoft Nigeria Limited, says Trisotech CSO, George Barlow. Pius and the InfoSoft Consulting team have gained a strong reputation and respect in the BPM and process improvement space in Nigeria.Pius is a recognized leader in the Nigerian software industry and currently heads the Nigerian software association, the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) as its President. He brings to this relationship real leadership in the software space for over 30 years. Pius has also been deeply involved in analytics and his was the first firm to provide such services in Nigeria. Pius has also served in the development of the software ecosystem through presidential and ministerial appointments to special committees on software.Our Trisotech Digital Enterprise Suite, will provide InfoSoft Consulting and their customers with innovative new ways to facilitate visualization, innovation, transformation and improvement in the BPM and process improvement markets by using the Discovery Accelerator, Business Process Modeling, Case Management Modeling, Decision Management Modeling, and data visualization via the Insight Analyzer  all powered by Trisotechs revolutionary Digital Enterprise Graph.About InfoSoft ConsultingInfoSoft Nigeria Limited is a software technology and process improvement consulting firm with deep and diverse skills in software development and support services; business intelligence and business process management. The firm also provides a range of IT consulting services in Nigeria and throughout the West African region. Over the years, InfoSoft has leveraged its services through strategic partnerships and key alliances to deliver value-added services to our customers.Incorporated in 1991, InfoSoft expanded from a small team of IT consultants focused on delivering IT strategic services to a team incorporating highly trained process improvement expertise in Lean Six Sigma and Business Process Management (BPM). In addition, InfoSoft Nigeria has built a strong reputation as a software powerhouse having developed and marketed its own home grown software solutions, such as iX-Trac, in use in the Nigerian capital market for over 19 years now.Website:Trisotech offers highly visual and interactive software tools that help organizations innovate, transform and improve their operations. We bring strategies, design and technology together to provide insight for business and IT in the digital enterprise age. Trisotech customers use The Digital Enterprise Suite to provide new and revolutionary ways for their knowledge workers to collaborate and succeed in an increasingly global, connected and competitive world. Trisotech products are providing visualization, innovation, transformation and continuous improvement help to manufacturing, financial, healthcare, insurance, energy, distribution, government, and many other types of organizations.Trisotech is a privately held company.Website:3100 Cote Vertu. B380Montreal, Quebec, CanadaH4R 2J8
New Outlook "Global Mexico Electrophysiology Devices Market" Market 2016, Demand, Analysis & 2020 Forecast

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Description-SummaryGlobalDatas new report, Mexico Electrophysiology Devices Market Outlook to 2021, provides key market data on the Mexico Electrophysiology Devices market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segments - Electrophysiology Diagnostic Catheters, Electrophysiology Ablation Catheters and Electrophysiology Lab Systems.The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.To Browse a Full Report with TOC @The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.To Download Sample Report With TOC @Scope- Market size for Electrophysiology Devices market segments - Electrophysiology Diagnostic Catheters, Electrophysiology Ablation Catheters and Electrophysiology Lab Systems.- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2007 to 2014 and forecast to 2021.- 2014 company shares and distribution shares data for Electrophysiology Devices market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Mexico Electrophysiology Devices market.- Key players covered include Biosense Webster, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.To Enquire Regarding This Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Aluminium Foil Packaging Market : Size & Forecast 2016 to 2022

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9803

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/9803

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Aluminium foil provides various benefits to the food and packaging industries. The consumers can heat or freeze food items in the foil container directly. Aluminium foil packaging material is a part of the flexible packaging material and is generally formed using aluminium sheets. Aluminium foil can be utilized to wrap around any product for packaging functions. It is produced through the regular casting and cold calling. Aluminium foil packaging is a sort of packaging, which arranges a resistant barrier to safeguard food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals and helps in waste reduction. Aluminium packaging is extremely corrosion-resistant and chemically neutral. Moreover, it is hygienic and non-toxic in nature. The raw materials for aluminium foil packaging is produced utilizing aluminium sheets and it is a part of stretchable packaging material. The major users of aluminium foil packaging include pharmaceuticals, food and beverage industries. Aluminium foil wrap is produced through regular casting and cold rolling and thus it is favorable to be utilized to enclose around any product for packaging functions. The aluminium foil packaging market has showcased an upliftment in its revenue over the past few years and is likely to grow at a higher pace over the next few years till 2022.Robust economic growth along with rising middle population with inclining personal disposable income is anticipated to intensify the growth of global aluminium foil packaging market during the forecast period. The change in life style which includes changed food habits has led to inclining demand for packaging. Besides this, robust demand for aluminium foil packaging in snacks and chocolate industry are also strengthening the growth of aluminium foil packaging market all across the globe. Some of the major opportunities in global aluminium foil packaging market includes technological development to enhance the product quality, reduction in plants lossess, inclination in the obtainability of foils in different forms for crucial mass consumption usages and progress in the exportability of aluminium foils. The global aluminium foil packaging market is foreseen to observe a robust CAGR during the projected period.Global Aluminium Foil Packaging market is segmented by: type, and by regionAluminium Foil Packaging by Type of Packaging:Rigid Aluminium PackagingSemi-rigid PackagingFlexible PackagingAluminium Foil Packaging by Application:Aerosols PackagingTubes PackagingCansDishesLidsAluminium PouchesOtherAluminium Foil Packaging By End-users:HealthcareCosmeticsFood & BeveragesOthersAluminium Foil Packaging By Region:Asia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaMiddle East & AfricaThe Geographically, the global aluminium foil packaging industry can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, Japan, Middle East and Africa. American region captured the highest share in revenue terms in 2014. Followed by it, Europe and Asia-Pacific region grabbed the market. The North American aluminium foil packaging market is likely to be dominant during the forecast period. This is majorly due to change in technology in order to enhance the product quality by the manufacturers in the region. Apart from this, inclining demand for packaged food in Asian region is anticipated to incline the growth of Aluminium foil packaging market in Asia by 2022.Interested in report: Please follow the below links to meet your requirements;Request for the Report Brochure:Some of the key vendors identified across the value chain of aluminium foil packaging includes Ardagh Group, ACM Carcano, Tetra Pack, Zenith, Jasch Foils, Assan Aluminyum, Flexifoil, Amcor, and others. The aluminium foil packaging manufacturers are focusing on development of varieties of packaging in order to gain the competitive advantage in the global aluminium foil packaging market.Request TOC (table of content), Figures and Tables of the Report:The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Aluminium Foil Packaging Market SegmentsAluminium Foil Packaging Market DynamicsHistorical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2015Aluminium Foil Packaging Market Size & Forecast 2016 to 2022Supply & Demand Value ChainAluminium Foil Packaging Market Current Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainAluminium Foil Packaging Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for Aluminium Foil Packaging Market includes:North AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific & JapanThe Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamicsIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trendsKey Competition landscapeStrategies of key players and product offeringsPotential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective towards market performanceAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Worldwide Research "Australia Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices Market" Global Trends & Forecasts 2016-26, Demand

http://www.researchmoz.us/australia-cardiovascular-prosthetic-devices-market-outlook-to-2021-report.html

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=713996

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=713996

Description-SummaryGlobalDatas new report, Australia Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices Market Outlook to 2021, provides key market data on the Australia Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segment - Cardiac Valve Repairs (Mitral Valve Annuloplasty Rings).To Browse a Full Report with TOC @The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.To Download Sample Report With TOC @Scope- Market size for Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices market segment - Cardiac Valve Repairs (Mitral Valve Annuloplasty Rings).- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2007 to 2014 and forecast to 2021.- 2014 company shares and distribution shares data for Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Australia Cardiovascular Prosthetic Devices market.- Key players covered include St. Jude Medical, Inc., Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, Medtronic plc and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.To Enquire Regarding This Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Telecom Services Market in Jordan to reach $1.2bn with CAGR of 1.3% by 2020

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/715985

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/715985

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

The telecommunications market in Jordan generated service revenue of $1.1bn in 2015. Pyramid Research expects Jordans telecom services to grow at a CAGR of 1.3% over the 2015-2020 period to reach $1.2bn in 2020. The growth will be driven by the increasing consumption of mobile data, largely supported by expansion of 4G rollouts and investments in fiber infrastructure. Additionally, operators will concentrate on seizing opportunities in providing bundled packs with smartphone offerings along with developing innovative products/services such as m-banking, M2M and cloud-based services, among others.View Full Report atKey FindingsIn 2015, the overall telecom services revenue in Jordan reached $1.1bn, equivalent to 3.1% of its GDP. From 2015 to 2020, the Jordan telecommunications market will see service revenue grow at a 1.3% CAGR, boosted by rising adoption of mobile data services.Mobile revenue will account for 70.6% of the total telecom market in 2020.Mobile data will remain an important driver of this trend, as it will expand at a 6.7% CAGR from 2015 to 2020.We expect the number of broadband lines to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% between 2015 and 2020, to reach 0.5m by year-end 2020 and a population penetration of 5.9%.Zain Jordan is the market leader with a share of more than 40% of total telecom service revenue. The operator will continue to dominate the market during the forecast period with a focus on enhancing its product portfolio and providing converged services.Operators will continue to explore opportunities in verticals such as M2M, IoT, wearables and cloud services in order to provide service differentiation.Download Sample Copy of this Report atSynopsisJordan: 4G Services Rollout and Expansion of Fiber Infrastructure Will Support Revenue Growth Through 2020 provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Jordan today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2020. It delivers deep quantitative and qualitative insight into the Jordan telecom market, analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing risk factors, based on proprietary data from Pyramid Researchs databases.The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:Regional context: Telecom market size and trends in Jordan compared with other countries in the AME region.Economic, demographic and political context in Jordan.The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plan, SIM registration, national broadband plans, number portability and more.A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony, fixed Internet, mobile voice and mobile data.Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2013 to 2020.The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.In-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice and mobile data services: a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends by network technology and by operator, as well as of average revenue per line/subscription and service revenue through the end of the forecast period.Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in Jordans telecommunications market.Reasons To BuyGain in-depth analysis of current strategies and future trends of the telecommunications market in Jordan, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format, to build proactive and profitable growth strategies.Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in the Jordan mobile communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customers demand.Leverage the graphical information (more than 20 charts and tables in the report based on the Pyramid Research forecast products), to gain an overview of the telecom market in Jordan.Analysis of key telecom players in the markets and major business strategies being adopted by them, to identify the opportunities to improve the market share.Explore novel opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet the requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Jordan.MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
International "Spain Peripheral Vascular Devices Market" -by Applications - Global Trends & Demand, Forecasts to 2016-2019

http://www.researchmoz.us/spain-peripheral-vascular-devices-market-outlook-to-2021-report.html

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=713988

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=713988

Description-SummaryGlobalDatas new report, Spain Peripheral Vascular Devices Market Outlook to 2021, provides key market data on the Spain Peripheral Vascular Devices market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average price data (in US dollars), within market segments - Arteriotomy Closure Devices, Inferior Vena Cava Filters (IVCF), Peripheral Embolic Protection Devices, Peripheral Guidewires, Peripheral Vascular Stents, Deep Seated Artery Stents, Renal Denervation Catheters, PTA Balloons, PTA Peripheral Drug Eluting Balloons (DEB), Aortic Stent Grafts, Vascular Grafts and Tip Location Devices.To Browse a Full Report with TOC @The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for the market category, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular category and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.The data in the report is derived from dynamic market forecast models. GlobalData uses epidemiology and capital equipment-based models to estimate and forecast the market size. The objective is to provide information that represents the most up-to-date data of the industry possible.The epidemiology-based forecasting model makes use of epidemiology data gathered from research publications and primary interviews with physicians to establish the target patient population and treatment flow patterns for individual diseases and therapies. Using prevalence and incidence data and diagnosed and treated population, the epidemiology-based forecasting model arrives at the final numbers.Capital equipment-based forecasting models are done based on the installed base, replacements and new sales of a specific device/equipment in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. Data for average number of units per facility is used to arrive at the installed base of the capital equipment. Sales for a particular year are arrived at by calculating the replacement units and new units (additional and first-time purchases).Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.To Download Sample Report With TOC @Scope- Market size for Peripheral Vascular Devices market segments - Arteriotomy Closure Devices, Inferior Vena Cava Filters (IVCF), Peripheral Embolic Protection Devices, Peripheral Guidewires, Peripheral Vascular Stents, Deep Seated Artery Stents, Renal Denervation Catheters, PTA Balloons, PTA Peripheral Drug Eluting Balloons (DEB), Aortic Stent Grafts, Vascular Grafts and Tip Location Devices.- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average selling price ($) data for each of the market categories. Data is provided from 2007 to 2014 and forecast to 2021.- 2014 company shares and distribution shares data for Peripheral Vascular Devices market.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Spain Peripheral Vascular Devices market.- Key players covered include Boston Scientific Corporation, Abbott Laboratories, Medtronic plc, Cordis Corporation and Others.Reasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and whats the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand and capitalize.To Enquire Regarding This Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Cataract Surgery Devices to Contribute Significantly to Global Ophthalmology Diagnostics and Surgical Devices Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ophthalmology-diagnostics-surgical-devices.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1866

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

A new Transparency Market Research report states that the global ophthalmology diagnostics and surgical devices market stood at US$26.01 bn in 2012 and is predicted to reach US$40.38 bn by the end of 2019, expanding at a CAGR of 6.60% from 2013 to 2019. The title of the report is, Ophthalmology Diagnostics and Surgical Devices Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019.Read More:Vision defects and other infections may lead to a complete loss of vision. Thus, a number of ophthalmological diagnostic and surgical treatment devices play a major role in avoiding the loss of vision and in enhancing the quality of life of people. These devices help ophthalmologists to view the internal eye in detail and in examining the microvasculature of the eye. This helps in accurate diagnosis of the ophthalmic condition. After the diagnosis, patients are prescribed vision care products in case of refractive errors and in severe conditions, surgeries are conducted.As per the report, the increasing aging population and the rising occurrence of ocular disorders are amongst the major factors propelling the growth of the market. In addition, the increasing penetration of new technologies is also augmenting the development of the market for ophthalmology diagnostics and surgical devices. Furthermore, promising growth opportunities within developing economies will also boost the market. On the other hand, the soaring costs of hi-tech ophthalmology devices and the reduced standardization are amongst the chief factors impeding the growth of the market.In terms of product, the report segments the market into diagnostic devices, vision care, and ophthalmology surgery devices. Diagnostic devices are further segmented into slit lamps, autorefractometers, tenometers, fundus cameras, ophthalmoscopes, fluorescein angiography, ophthalmic echography (ultrasound), optical coherence tomography (oct) systems, gonioscopes, keratometers, pachymeters, corneal topographers, perimeters, specular microscopes, corneal topographers, and others. Ophthalmology surgery devices are further segmented into refractive, cataract, vitreoretinal, and glaucoma surgery devices. Vision care is further segmented into spectacle lenses and contact lenses.Amongst the product segments, the segment of vision care held the largest share in the market in 2012 and will expand at a 7.10% CAGR from 2013 to 2019. This is owing to the large consumer base globally, increasing count of software applications, and the rising occurrence of ophthalmic refractive errors. On the other hand, the segment of ophthalmology surgery devices is also experiencing enormous development. In terms of application, the market is segmented into surgical, diagnostics, and vision care.Request Brochure:On the basis of geography, the report segments the market into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World (RoW). Amongst these, Europe and North America led the market by constituting a share of over 55% in the market. This is owing to the availability and acceptability of technological advancement, a large pool of skilled ophthalmology professionals, and enhanced healthcare policies within these two regions. On the other hand, Asia Pacific is predicted to register the fastest growth rate due to the increasing initiatives taken by governments within Asia Pacific countries.As per the report, the key players in the market are Abbott Medical Optics, Alcon Laboratories (Novartis), and Topcon Corporation, among others.The global ophthalmology devices market is segmented into the following categories:Ophthalmology Diagnostics and Surgical Devices Market, by Product TypeDiagnostic DevicesoAutorefractometersoSlit lampsoTonometersoOphthalmoscopesoFundus CamerasoFluorescein AngiographyoOptical coherence Tomography (OCT) SystemsoOphthalmic Echography (Ultrasound)oKeratometersoGonioscopesoPachymetersoPerimetersoCorneal TopographersoSpecular MicroscopesoOthersOphthalmology Surgery DevicesoCataract Surgery DevicesoRefractive Surgery DevicesoGlaucoma Surgery DevicesoVitreoretinal Surgery DevicesVision CareoContact LensesoSpectacle LensesOphthalmology Diagnostics and Surgical Devices Market, by ApplicationsDiagnosticsSurgicalVision CareOphthalmology Diagnostics and Surgical Devices Market, by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificRest of the World (RoW)About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact us:Mr. Sudip STransparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700,AlbanyNY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email:A sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Nanofiber Technology Market : Global Industry Size, Growth, Share And Forecast, 2015-2022 - Brisk Insights

http://www.briskinsights.com/report/nanofiber-technology-market

http://www.briskinsights.com/category/technology-and-media-industry

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According to a recently published report, the Nanofiber Technology Market is expected to grow at the CAGR of 24.63% during 2015-2022. The segmentation of global nanofiber technology market is based on application and geography. The report on global nanofiber technology market forecast, 2015-2022 (by application and geography) provides detailed overview and predictive analysis of various segments and geographies.Browse Full Report with Toc :Global nanofiber market is expected to witness a strong in the forecasted period due to numerous factors driving the market. An increasing application of nanofibers in large number of end user industries such as in automotive industry, healthcare industry, filtration industry etc is the main reason for rising market growth. Nanofibers are gaining high popularity in these sectors due to large number of unique properties it has such as high porosity, permeability of layers, high optical and electrical quality etc. Although there are many other factors which are imposing challenge in the growth of the industry such as serious concerns on health hazards caused by the particles, requirement of high capital investments creating barrier for the new entrants etc.Browse here for all category Reports :Scope of the reportGlobal Nanofiber technology market by application, 2012  2022 ($ billion)1. Aviation and aerospace1.2. Textiles1.3. Healthcare1.4. Filtration1.5. Energy1.6. Photonics and electronics1.7. Composites1.8. AutomotiveGlobal nanofiber technology market, regional outlook, 2012-2022(in $billion)1. North America2.2. Europe2.3. Asia Pacific2.4. Rest of the worldCompany profiles1. Ahlstrom Corporation3.2. Applied Sciences, Inc3.3. Argonide Corporation3.4. Asahi Kasei Fibers Corporation3.5. Catalytic Materials LLC3.6. Daicel FineChem Ltd.3.7. Donaldson Company, Inc.3.8. Dreamweaver International3.9. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company3.10. Elmarco3.11. eSpin Technologies, Inc.3.12. FibeRio Technology Corporation3.13. Finetex EnE, Inc.3.14. Grupo Antolin3.15. Hollingsworth and Vose3.16. Japan Vilene Company Ltd.3.17. Johns Manville3.18. Reade Advanced Materials3.19. Toray Industries, Inc.3.20. Wooree Nanophil Co. Ltd.Request Free Sample :Contact Us :Jennifer SmithOffice 1094109 Vernon HouseFriar LaneNottinghamNG1 6DQPhone : +448081890034 (UK)Website :About Us :Brisk Insights is a global market research firm. Our insightful analysis is focused on developed and emerging markets. We identify trends and forecast markets with a view to aid businesses identify market opportunities optimize strategies.Working in a highly dynamic and multi-dimensional business makes decision making complex. Effective business decisions are a result of the synthesis of market information. Our Research and data analysis is an efficient and cost-effective way of providing robust market analysis and can yield highly valuable intelligence relating to consumers, competitors and markets.Office 1094109 Vernon HouseFriar LaneNottingham
Beauty Drinks Market : Latest Innovations, Drivers, Restraints, Challenges and Key Events in the industry by 2022

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Beauty drink market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth due to the rise in early aging. Other factors that promotes the beauty drinks market are increasing air pollution and busy lifestyle of the customers which leads to early ageing. Air pollutants includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that ultimately results in accelerated ageing. Consumers seek healthy options which eventually supports the beauty drinks market across the globe.Global beauty drinks market is expected to exhibit remarkable growth. Major factors that are expected to propel the demand for beauty drinks market globally are rising number of health conscious consumers across various countries coupled with increasing disposable income of consumers. Moreover, other factor that is expected to support the market growth of the beauty drinks across the globe is the easy availability of beauty drinks through online sales. Various other factors that are expected to fuel the overall market of beauty drinks market are increasing air pollution which eventually leads to early ageing and promotes the demand for beauty drinks market.Global Beauty Drinks market is segmented by: demographic, ingredient, type and regionBeauty Drinks by Demographic ConsumptionTeenagerYounger WomenMature womenBeauty Drinks by IngredientProtein or collagenVitaminsMineralsFruit ExtractsBeauty Drinks by TypeNatural DrinksChemical/artificial DrinksBeauty Drinks By RegionAsia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaThe global beauty drinks market is anticipated to witness remarkable growth during the forecast period. Globally among all regions, Europe is expected to contribute maximum market share followed by North America. Demand for beauty drinks is maximum in Europe due to the more awareness among consumers in comparison to other regions through educational marketing campaigns. However Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market during the forecast period. In Asia Pacific, Japan is expected to contribute maximum revenue due to the high consumer willingness to attain healthy skin.Interested in report: Please follow the below links to meet your requirements;Request for the Report Brochure:Key players that operates in the global beauty drinks market are SIPA spa, THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, Sappe Public Company Limited, Big Quark LLC, DyDo DRIN CO, INC. and Nestle S.A. Various companies operating in the global beauty drinks markets are continuously launching new types of beauty drinks used for different target customer and applications. For instance, Big Quark LLC launched beauty drink named BeautySleep that includes sleep and beauty inducing ingredients.Request TOC (table of content), Figures and Tables of the Report:The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Beauty Drinks Market SegmentsBeauty Drinks Market DynamicsHistorical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2015Beauty Drinks Market Size & Forecast 2016 to 2022Supply & Demand Value ChainBeauty Drinks Market Current Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainBeauty Drinks Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for Beauty Drinks Market includes:North AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia Pacific & JapanThe Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamicsIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trendsKey Competition landscapeStrategies of key players and product offeringsPotential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective towards market performanceAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Honey Market : Historical, Current and Projected industry size and Recent Industry Trends

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Honey is a natural product that is widely used for its healing effects and food preservative application. Honey consists of glucose and fructose and has similar sweetness as granulated sugar. It includes chemical properties, it is used for baking and cereal products applications. Honey possess distinctive flavor in comparison to sugar and regular sweeteners, which make consumers more inclined towards honey. There are various type of honey which includes raw honey, crystallized honey, pasteurized honey and dried honey. Honey is used in various applications such as wounds, burns and cough. Honey includes antioxidant that is used as preventive measure from various diseases. Antioxidant capacity of honey is important in many disease conditions. Honey is used to prevent various diseases such as gastrointestinal, inflammatory neoplastic state and cardiovascular. Global honey market is propelled by the growing awareness among consumers related to home remedies coupled with health benefits associated with its consumption. However major factor that hampers the growth of honey market across the globe is the presence of the price gap among different forms of honey.Major factor that are expected to drive the honey market is that it is used for direct consumption and as ingredients in a various range of food products. Various promotion and marketing activities are used as medium to reach food service sectors and consumers.in order to further enhance their awareness related to the uses and market opportunities. . However, major factors that are expected to hamper the growth of the global honey market across the globe are crystallization of the honey and increasing adulteration of the honey with sugar syrup.Global Honey market is segmented by: type, and by regionHoney by Type:Date HoneyAcacia HoneyBuckwheat HoneyLinden HoneyFlower HoneyOthersHoney By Region:Asia PacificEuropeNorth AmericaLatin AmericaThe Middle East & AfricaThe global honey market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to rising awareness among consumers related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of the honey. Globally, among all regions, North America is expected to contribute maximum revenue in the global honey market followed by Middle East. In North America, U.S. is expected to account maximum market share in terms of revenue owing to the high consumer awareness related to the health benefits associated with the consumption of honey. However Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit maximum market growth owing to the rising population coupled with growing health awareness among consumers.Interested in report: Please follow the below links to meet your requirements;Request for the Report Brochure:Major companies that operates in the global honey market are operating in honey market are Hi Tech Natural Products (India) Limited, LITTLE BEE IMPEX, Phondaghat Pharmacy, Honey Sugar Product and Lamex Foods UK Limited. Companies that manufacture honey are primarily launching wide range of honey products that are available in various packaging types that caters to the evolving needs of the customers. Various companies that operates in the global honey market are investing huge amount in advertising and branding in order to increase the market share to the overall honey market.Request TOC (table of content), Figures and Tables of the Report:The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Honey Market SegmentsHoney Market DynamicsHistorical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2015Honey Market Size & Forecast 2016 to 2022Supply & Demand Value ChainHoney Market Current Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainHoney Market Drivers and RestraintsRegional analysis for Honey Market includes:North AmericaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificThe Middle East and AfricaReport Highlights:Shifting Industry dynamicsIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected industry size Recent industry trendsKey Competition landscapeStrategies of key players and product offeringsPotential and niche segments/regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective towards market performanceAbout UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United StatesUSA - Canada Toll Free: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Metal and Ceramic Injection Molding: Emergence of New Alternative Products to Retrain Market Growth

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Metal and ceramic injection molding have emerged as the key technologies used to manufacture end-components such as medical equipment, automotive components, and electronic gadgets. These power injection molding techniques let metals including titanium alloys, soft magnetic alloys, stainless steel, and low-alloy steels as well as ceramic to be machined with high precision and accuracy to manufacture components for a number of industries. The global metal and ceramic injection molding market is estimated to be worth US$3.5 bn by 2020. The overall market stood at a valuation of US$1.6 bn in 2013 and is anticipated to expand robustly at a CAGR of 11.50% during the period between 2014 and 2020.Growing Demand from Automotive Industry to Drive Global Metal and Ceramic Injection Molding MarketThe key end-user industries in the global metal and ceramic injection molding market include industrial machinery, medical and healthcare, aerospace, automotives, industrial machinery, consumer products, and others including defence and electronics. Automotive sector has been the biggest end-user segment in the overall market. In 2013, the sector accounted for more than 20% in the global metal and ceramic injection molding market.Get free research PDF for more Professional and Technical insights:In the automotive industry, metal alloys are the most common materials used for gears owing to their high strength values and wear resistance properties. Metal alloys are heat-treated to gain the appropriate combination of toughness required for gears. Lately, ceramic and metal injected materials have become popular choices while choosing an alternative material for gears. Ceramic and metal injection pieces can be manufactured in large numbers and are easy to produce than steel alloys. Gears produced with the help of ceramic and metal injection molding offer higher durability. Metal alloys tend to break down during wear. Zirconia oxide, a common ceramic used for injection molding, is wear- and heat-resistant compared to alloy steels. This has led automotive manufacturers to prefer gears manufactured through ceramic injection molding technique.Metal injection molding or MIM technology helps to create massive steel parts with complex features, without the need for secondary machining processes. The high surface quality parts manufactured through this technology requires little or no reworking.Bulk Metallic Glass: The Future Replacement for Metal and Ceramic Injection MoldingHowever, both metal and ceramic injection molding technologies have their own drawbacks. Metal and ceramic injection molding suffer from low fracture toughness. The high melting point of ceramics leads to high cost of final shaping process. The size of ceramic parts also contributes to higher manufacturing cost. The cost of manufacturing parts through metal injection molding is also very high owing to multi-stepped process of the technology.Considering the disadvantages of metal and ceramic injection molding technologies, research studies are being carried out for alternative material for gears. Bulk metallic glass or BMG is a designed compound possessing combined mechanical properties of crystalline metals and ceramics such as low melting temperature, high strength, and resistance to wear and tear. As a result, BMG is being seen as the future replacement for metal and ceramic injection molding.Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.ContactMr. Sudip. S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
4G Commercial Strategies For Faster ROI In Asia-Pacific - 4G Market To Grow at CAGR of 25.1% by 2020

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Availability of 4G services is disparately distributed between developed and emerging countries in Asia-Pacific region. However, 4G has been rapidly gaining ground across the region with the rising demand for data services. In increasing network capacity, mobile operators face challenges such as the shortage of spectrum and high cost of network deployment. The key question for operators is how to achieve their ROI objectives and staying competitive in the marketplace.Operators in the APAC region have been using a variety of commercialization strategies including client segmentation, devices availability, appropriate pricing strategies, effective promotional campaigns to raise awareness and optimal use of various distribution networks. Operators in emerging countries like India and Malaysia are focusing on affordability of 4G services in order to accelerate adoption. On the other hand, operators in developed markets aim to provide advanced services such as M2M/IoT and other data intensive applications to boost 4G adoptionView Full Report atKey FindingsTotal 4G mobile subscriptions in Asia-Pacific is expected to increase by a CAGR of 25.1% between 2015 and 2020. The success of operators to realize returns on investment for 4G services relies on their underlying commercialization strategy.Operators in emerging countries can benefit by offering cost-effective services to the large young population and residential segment. Operators in developed markets should targeting tech-savvy customers with larger data volume bundles, discounted OTT and VAS services and enterprise services (e.g., IoT/M2M and access to data networks).Operators in developed markets offer larger data allowances, and in many cases, unlimited data with free calls and text messages. In emerging markets, operators focus on accelerating adoption by bundling devices with LTE plans as affordability remains a key hurdle in these markets.Distribution strategies are aimed at leveraging existing direct and indirect sales channels to drive 4G uptake. Operators use both their physical retail stores and online websites to drive adoption of 4G service. Physical stores are important to drive take up particularly in rural areas due to tech support available for the population.Download Sample Copy of this Report atSynopsis4G Commercial Strategies in Asia-Pacific report provides an overview of the variety of commercialization strategies operators have adopted in APAC, including analysis of the major components.It consists of:Overview of 4G market trends in APAC highlighting adoption, smartphone sales and frequency spectrum usage.Overview of the key components of mobile 4G commercialization strategies covering client segmentation, products, pricing, promotion and distribution strategies.Analysis and overview of select operators in APAC which have or will launch mobile 4G services.Key findings from commercialization strategies in the region and a set of recommendations for telecom operators and network vendors.Reasons To BuyGain understanding of successful 4G commercial strategies utilised by telcos in key APAC markets.Align product portfolios by selecting suitable commercial strategies needed to ensure faster up-take of 4G services.Quicken the decision-making process by understanding the strategies which underpin commercial 4G strategies in terms of client segmentation, products, pricing, promotion and distribution.Gain understanding of the competitive landscape, to strengthen market positioning and competitiveness.MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Calculating landslides & slope failures

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http://www.fwf.ac.at/en

http://www.prd.at/en

The threat of slope instability will be easier to predict in future. Scientists working on an Austrian Science Fund project have succeeded in developing a new numerical model for this purpose. The model enables the calculation of important physical factors relating to slope stability for the first time. Due to the complexity of the factors involved, this was not possible up to now.Landslides are always good for a surprise  because despite intensive studies and research, their occurrence is still unpredictable. Researchers working on a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF have succeeded for the first time in numerically simulating the fundamental physical processes that have a strong influence on slope stability and incorporating them into simulations and model calculations. This represents a milestone in the reliable prediction of landslides and slope failures.The Power of waterThe physical processes, which Principal Investigator Wei Wu and his team from the Institute of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, have examined, are closely related to the water content of the soil on a slope. Wu explains: "With rising saturation, the water pressure in the soil pores gives rise to reduced soil strength." However, despite the fact that all the alarm bells ring when there is an increase in water pressure in a slope accompanied by reduced stability, it was not possible to calculate or model these processes up to now. "These are highly complex processes which are made even more complex by the soil fabric. Soil is a three-phase system consisting of soil particles, air and water and the basis for the calculation of each phase is different. The models available up to now were unable to take account of this complexity", notes Wu.From California to ViennaThanks to his international network, Wu was able to obtain a special computer code which was developed at Stanford University in California. This code enabled the team, along with its project partner Ronaldo I. Borja from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, to make the key criteria behind the complex processes in the soil accessible in the form of a numerical simulation for the first time. To facilitate this, the code was further developed for its application to unsaturated porous soils. In this way, the scientists succeeded in calculating how spatially separate areas with different levels of water saturation can affect the emergence of localised failure in slopes.Model validation"The calculations were validated with comprehensive model tests", reports Wu. "These proved that our theoretical calculations provided a very accurate description of the actual processes at work here. Numerous different conditions were considered in the model validation. Precipitation intensity emerged as having a very important impact on slope stability", says Wu. "Many slope failures are actually triggered by rain", he adds. To carry out the model tests Wu's team availed of special centrifugal technology in a climate chamber. A miniature model of slope was created in the chamber and instrumented which enabled the testing of the actual subsurface conditions.Model testAs Wu explains, the team gained comprehensive insights from these complex model tests: "We learned a lot about the mechanism that leads to the actual rupture in the slope structure. We succeeded in calculating the energy mobilised by the process and, based on this, the emergence and propagation of slip surfaces. These are areas, in which the soil strength is lower than in the surrounding areas." Another important finding of the study was that even minor changes in the water content can have a significant impact on the soil stability.This model, which was developed as part of a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, could help to identify potentially hazardous slopes in future and thus enable their more efficient monitoring. It can also be used in software for the reliable calculation of slope stability.FWF Austrian Science FundThe Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria's central funding organization for basic research.The purpose of the FWF is to support the ongoing development of Austrian science and basic research at a high international level. In this way, the FWF makes a significant contribution to cultural development, to the advancement of our knowledge-based society, and thus to the creation of value and wealth in Austria.Scientific Contact:Prof. Wei WuUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, ViennaInstitute of Geotechnical EngineeringFeistmantelstrae 41180 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 47654 - 5551E wei.wu@boku.ac.atAustrian Science Fund FWF:Marc SeumenichtHaus der ForschungSensengasse 11090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 505 67 40 - 8111E marc.seumenicht@fwf.ac.atCopy Editing & Distribution:PR&D  Public Relations for Research & EducationMariannengasse 81090 Vienna, AustriaT +43 / 1 / 505 70 44E contact@prd.at
2016 Professional Survey On Thermal Power in China, Market Outlook to 2030 With Market Demand, Analysis, Research, utilities-2025

http://www.researchmoz.us/thermal-power-in-china-market-outlook-to-2030-update-2016-capacity-generation-power-plants-regulations-and-company-profiles-report.html

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Description-SummaryThermal Power in China, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2016 - Capacity, Generation, Power Plants, Regulations and Company Profiles is the latest report from GlobalData, the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the thermal power market.The report provides in depth analysis on global thermal power market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in China(includes thermal, nuclear, large hydro, pumped storage and renewable energy sources) and provides future outlook with forecasts up to 2030. The research details thermal power market outlook in the country and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in China thermal power market. A detailed coverage of energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to thermal is provided in the report.To Browse a Full Report with TOC @also provides details of active thermal power plants in the country, upcoming thermal installation details and company snapshots of some of the major market participants.The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, secondary research and in-house analysis by GlobalDatas team of industry experts.ScopeThe report analyses global thermal power market, China power market and China thermal power market. The scope of the research includes -- A brief introduction on global carbon emissions and global primary energy consumption.- Historical period is during 2006-2015 (unless specified) and forecast period is for 2015-2030.- Detailed overview on the global thermal power market with installed capacity and generation trends, market forces analysis (drivers, restraints and challenges), installed capacity by fuel type, installed capacity split by region, installed capacity split by major countries and cross country comparison among thermal sources such as coal, oil and gas.- Power market scenario in China and provides detailed market overview, installed capacity and power generation trends by various fuel types (includes thermal, nuclear, large hydro and renewable energy sources) with forecasts up to 2030.To Download Sample Report With TOC @- Detailed overview of China thermal power market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity by fuel type, net capacity addition by fuel type, owners share, market size of major equipments such as steam generator and turbine, and information on major active and upcoming projects.- Key policies and regulatory framework supporting thermal power development.- Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country.Reasons to buyThe report will enhance your decision making capability in a more rapid and time sensitive manner. It will allow you to -- Identify key growth and investment opportunities in China thermal power market.- Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for thermal power market.- Position yourself to gain the maximum advantage of the industrys growth potential.- Develop strategies based on the latest regulatory events.- Identify key partners and business development avenues.- Understand and respond to your competitors business structure, strategy and prospects.To Enquire Regarding This Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Bulgaria: Operators Focus On Multiplay Paired With Fixed And Mobile Broadband Rollouts Will Drive Growth

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In 2016, Bulgaria will generate telecom services revenue of US$1.1bn (Lv2.0bn), or 2.3% of the countrys nominal GDP, a 0.9% decline in local currency from 2015. Going forward, market revenue is expected to return to growth in 2017 after several years of revenue decline, mainly driven by fixed broadband and mobile data revenue growth, enabled by wider next-generation fixed and mobile networks coverage and the upsell of multiplay offers by Bulgarian operators. Pyramid Research expects to see overall service revenue grow at a 2.4% CAGR (0.5% in local currency) over the 2015-2020 period. The mobile segment will continue to dominate the telecom market during the 2016-2020 period, stimulated by increasing demand for fast mobile broadband Internet, intensive development of 3G and 4G networks, and growing adoption of smartphones, supported with device subsidization offers. Continued decline in fixed circuit-switched will negatively impact the fixed segment, as fixed voice services will be gradually substituted by mobile voice and VoIP services.View Full Report atKey FindingsThe top two operators, Mobiltel and Vivacom, which both provide mobile, fixed and pay-TV, will account for 59.4% of total telecom service revenue in Bulgaria, or $0.6bn in 2016. Mobiltel will lead the mobile market, while Vivacom will dominate the fixed-line segment.Operators focus on converged offerings and 4G expansion plans will further intensify the competitiveness in the countrys heavily fragmented telecom market.Adoption of 3G technologies will reach 53.5% of the mobile subscription base in 2016 and will continue to increase in forthcoming years; Pyramid Research projects this will lose ground starting in 2019 owing to increasing availability of LTE networks and devices. LTE subscriptions will reach 4.1m, 34.9% of all mobile subscriptions in Bulgaria by 2020, compared with 0.8m (8%) in 2016.The total number of fixed access lines will decline by an estimated 3.7% in 2016 to 2.3m and further to 2.0m by year-end 2020 owing to the continuous decline in circuit-switched lines.FTTH/B will account for the largest share of broadband lines by 2020 and will grow by 0.2m lines from 2016 to 2020, to account for 41.8% of the total access lines  thanks to the operators investments in expansion of fiber networks. The share of cable lines will increase from 11.1% in 2016 to 14.3% in 2020, thanks to DOCSIS 3.0 network upgrades and multiplay offers.Download Sample Copy of this Report atSynopsisBulgaria: Operators Focus on Multiplay Paired with Fixed and Mobile Broadband Rollouts Will Drive Growth provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Bulgaria today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2020. It delivers deep quantitative and qualitative insight into Bulgarias telecom market, analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing risk factors, based on proprietary data from Pyramid Researchs databases.The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:Regional context: telecom market size and trends in Bulgaria compared with other countries in the region.Economic, demographic and political context in Bulgaria.The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, number portability and more.A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice, mobile data.Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2013 to 2020.The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.In-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice and mobile data services: a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends by network technology and by operator, as well as of average revenue per line/subscription and service revenue through the end of the forecast period.Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in the Bulgarian telecommunications marketReasons To BuyGain in-depth analysis of current strategies and future trends of Bulgarias telecommunications market, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format, to build proactive and profitable growth strategies.Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in Bulgarias mobile communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customers demand.Leverage the graphical information (more than 20 charts and tables in the report based on the Pyramid Research forecast products), to gain an overview of the Bulgarian telecom market.Analysis of key telecom players in the markets and major business strategies being adopted by them, to identify the opportunities to improve the market share.Explore opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet the requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Bulgaria.MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Rising Consciousness of the unlimited Advantages of Fleet Management Systems

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Global Fleet Management Market: OverviewFleet management refers to a vast array of telematics solutions designed primarily to empower commercial fleet-based organizations to increase profitability and become more sustainable by bringing a substantial reduction in fuel consumption, tracking average idling times per vehicle, providing better visibility about the performance of the vehicle and driver, mitigating overtime payouts, and a myriad of other benefits. Typical fleet management solutions incorporate features such as satellite positioning, data logging, and connectivity to a central network for real-time data transfer and data communication.Over the past many years, the global fleet management market has witnessed a steady rise in adoption of fleet management solutions on a global front and the introduction of technologically advanced, more sophisticated solutions with new capabilities that go beyond the standard GPS tracking capabilities. The major factors that have led to the increased adoption of fleet management solutions include the rising awareness of the vast benefits of fleet management systems, volatile fuel prices, rising concerns regarding CO2 emissions produced by the transportation industry and the subsequent implementation of several stringent emission-related regulations, and the need to properly manage the increasingly complex operations of commercial fleet-based companies.The report on fleet management market presents a detailed overview of the market and analyzes its crucial segments, on a global as well as regional fronts. The report includes vast qualitative and quantitative facts about the key market elements, collected through primary and secondary research methodologies and narrowed down with the help of industry-best analytical methods.Get More Information:Global Fleet Management Market: Key Trends and OpportunitiesThe global fleet management market is steadily making a shift from the dominance of standalone fleet management systems to subscription-based systems, which were earlier adopted mainly by small- and mid-sized companies. Cloud-hosted services based on recurring, usage-based service fees are emerging as the most popular choices among large-scale commercial fleet-based organizations as well.Many established international commercial fleet vehicle manufacturers have started offering core telematics features as a part of the vehicles. Companies such as Volvo, Mercedes, Renault, and Scania are offering sophisticated fleet management systems in their new generation fleet vehicles in certain regional markets. Due to the rapid proliferation of high-speed internet, wireless connectivity mediums have become more approachable, and fleet-based companies have become more receptive of technological advancements. Especially in developing regions, the demand for fleet vehicles with inherent telematics capabilities would substantially rise worldwide.Global Fleet Management Market: Region-wise OutlookDeveloped regions such as Europe and North America are currently the dominant regional markets for fleet management. Adoption of a variety of fleet management systems in these regions is driven by the highly developed and vast expanse of wireless communication networks, several strict traffic regulations that mandate the installation of a variety of fleet management systems on fleet-based as well as consumer vehicles, and the high level of awareness among commercial fleet-based operators.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactMr. Sudip. S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
PCB Design Software Market Global Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecast, 2015-2025

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Future Market Insights has announced the addition of the PCB Design Software Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015-2025" report to their offering.Every electronic device is constructed using one or more Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Different electronic components such as transistors, registers, capacitors, Integrated Circuits (ICs) etc. are mounted on conductive tracks or pads to form PCB. Previously, PCBs were designed manually, but as the complexity of the electronic devices has increased, the need for more sophisticated PCB design automation software arises. PCB design software is a kind of electronic design automation (EDA) tool. It is used to design layout of circuit. PCB design software not only provides visualization of the circuit but also verifies the working of circuit. This software significantly increases productivity and accuracy of the PCB due to elimination of manual intervention on complex PCB design process. PCB design software plays a very significant role in development of semiconductor industry. PCB design software is used for designing and subsequently manufacturing of automotive electronic devices, industry control systems, building automation, advanced medical electronic devices, communication systems.Global PCB Design Software Market SegmentationGlobally, PCB Design Software market is segmented on the basis of type by design complexity level and geography. On the basis of design complexity level, PCB Design Software market is segmented into  Low End, Mainstream and High End. Low end PCB design software are used by engineers for simple PCB designs. Mainstream PCB design software provide ability to handle moderate to high level complexity and used by specialised team of designers. High end PCB design software is used to design very complex engineering products.Request Free Report Sample@At present, more than half of the total PCB design software market is covered by high end PCB design software. Mainstream PCB design software hold significant market share followed by low end PCB design software. Most of the top players in global PCB design software market are focussing on development of software products that fall in between mainstream and high end category.Global PCB Design Software market: Region-Wise OutlookGlobally, The PCB Design Software market is segmented on the basis of geography into seven regions ? North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Japan, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. The global PCB Design Software market is expected to reflect a single-digit CAGR over the forecast period. At present, share contribution of North America is highest in global PCB Design Software market. Asia-Pacific and japan regions are expected to reflect high CAGR over the forecast period. Market in Latin America and Middle East & Africa are expected to show comparatively slow penetration.Global PCB Design Software market: DriversPCB design software market is driven by continuous efforts to reduce the time to design the PCB for innovative electronic devices. The PCB design software provides production-proven designs to increase productivity and helps the engineers to quickly ramp up to volume production. Increasing use of PCB design software to design complex PCB for applications such as modern automobiles, Communication devices, medical devices etc. is expected to further fuel the market growth globally.Visit For TOC@On other hand, open source PCB designs software pose challenge for fast rapid market growth.Tremendous opportunities lies in developing multisite single PCB design software which can provide scalable integration and accuracy to design PCB for volume production of PCB for electronic devices.Global PCB Design Software market: Key PlayersThe PCB Design Software market is highly competitive market, characterised by active presence of many big players. Cadence Design Systems, Inc., Mentor Graphics, Inc.and Zuken Inc.are some of the top players in global PCB Design Software market. These players are focussing on collaboration with product centric design with advanced PCB solutions. ANSYS, Inc., Altium Limited, Forte Design Systems, Inc., and Synopsys, Inc.are some of the other prominent players in the market. Players in PCB Design Software market directing their efforts to provide PCB design solutions which offer simple and multisite PCB design.Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
LED Market forecast period from 2016 to 2024

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Global LED Market: OverviewDefined by energy efficiency and improved controllability, the advent of light-emitting diodes (LED) is considered revolutionary. By late 2014, LED lighting constituted a substantial share of the global lighting market. The trend is anticipated to continue through the reports forecast period from 2016 to 2024.A light emitting diode is defined as a two-lead semiconductor light source. Being a p-n junction diode, it emits light when activated. The recent developments introduced in LEDs allow them to be used in environmental lighting. LEDs have been witnessing surging demand worldwide due to the advantages they offer over incandescent light sources. These include lower energy consumption, improved physical robustness, longer lifetime, faster switching, and smaller size.LEDs boast disparate characteristics. Thus, their applications are as diverse as aviation lighting, headlamps, automotive, general lighting, forensic, health care, advertising, signals and signage, lighted wallpapers, camera flashes, mobile devices, and electronic devices. LEDs have emerged as a powerful source for lighting; however, they remain somewhat more expensive and require more precise heat and electricity management than compact fluorescent lamps of similar output.The report on light emitting diodes presents key insights into the growth trajectory exhibited by the LED market over the last few years. An in-depth study of the various economic, social, and commercial factors poised to impact the market over the forthcoming years makes a valuable inclusion in the report.Get More Information:Global LED Market: Key Opportunities and ThreatsThe growing awareness among consumers about the benefits of the longer lifespan of LEDs has been leading to their widespread adoption. The market is also expected to gain impetus from the declining prices of LED lamps, their growing application in display back lighting, and the high efficacy offered by LED lamps.In the initial days, the application of LED lighting was limited to certain specific purposes and had not entered the mainstream. The emergence of LED in general lighting applications also helped the market to gain momentum. Given its rapid proliferation, the market for LED lighting is soon expected to surpass the conventional market for CFL. However, the high initial cost of LEDs has been restricting their initial acceptance. Nevertheless, considering the longer lifespan of LED lamps, the overall cost incurred on these lamps is found to be lower than CFLs. This is a crucial factor driving the global LED market.The market also has been gaining from the growing application of LED in display and digital signage or large screens. This, coupled with the falling prices of the technology, would positively influence the growth exhibited by the market during the forecast period. Various technologies are used in the manufacturing of LED products. Chips and components are basic materials used in the production of LED lamps.Global LED Market: Vendor LandscapeEnterprises operating in the global LED market are strategically diverse, as they operate at various levels of the markets value chain. Some of these enterprises focus only on manufacturing LED chips and components, while others are involved in the production of lamps and luminaries. Besides this, there are other companies that are engaged in the delivery and transportation of final products. The rising demand for LED in newer applications would also provide opportunities for the entry of new players in the market.About Us:Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactMr. Sudip. S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Health Benefits Brew Supportive Growth Conditions for Global Green Tea Market

Green Tea Market Research

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A new research report, titled Green Tea Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 20122018, provides a microscopic scrutiny of the global green tea market. With the best market measurement tools, this research report analyzes the global green tea market in complete detail. The research report suggests that studies evidencing green teas positive impact on rising obesity cases, digestive disorders, and cancer are the top reasons for the growth of the overall green tea market.Browse the full Green Tea Market report at :Green tea is essentially made of Camellia sinensis. The leaves of this evergreen shrub are processed in a manner which exposes them to minimal oxidation. The origins of this tea can be traced to China, which makes this country the leading exporter even today. In this extensive research report, the researchers have dissected each segment of the global green tea market to provide an examination of the niche market drivers and restraints influencing the segments. Furthermore, the research report also includes an assessment of the historical data of this market and compares it with the current market situation to map a trajectory for the global green tea market.The global green tea market is categorized on the basis of packaging into iced green tea, green tea bags, and green tea instant mixes. The market is also divided on the basis of flavors into lemon, vanilla, aloe vera, cinnamon, jasmine, and wild berry. In the recent years, the global green tea market has been growing at an accelerated pace due to medicinal benefits it offers to regular drinkers. Some of the well-known benefits of green are the management and prevention of diseases such diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular ailments, tooth decay, and the maintenance of cholesterol levels in the body.Geographically, Asia Pacific region is the biggest consumer of green tea across the globe. Countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and China are expected to keep this pace in the coming years. The factors supporting the proliferation of green tea market in Asia Pacific are exponentially rising population and rising healthcare awareness. Researchers have also predicted that Europe is likely to be the fastest growing green tea market in near future.Enquiry before Buying @Some of the important players operating in the global green tea market are AMORE Pacific Corp, DSM Nutritional Products, Associated British Foods LLC, Numi Organic Tea, Nestle S.A., Tetley GB Ltd, Northern Tea Merchants Ltd, and Oregon Chai Inc. The research report profiles these players in absolute detail and provides a clear understanding of the competitive landscape present in the overall market. Furthermore, the research report also provides an evaluation of the financial overview, research and development strategies, investment outlook, business and marketing strategies, and expansion plans of these key players.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactMr. Sudip. S90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
New Study Shows Manufacturing Demand for Natural Gas Will Grow.

HASIT VIBHAKAR

TUCSON, AZ--(OpenPR  May 9th, 2016) - Today, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Center for Manufacturing Research and IHS Economics released a new comprehensive study that reveals how natural gas has strengthened manufacturing and encouraged U.S. manufacturing growth and employment and highlights the positive impact to communities around the United States.Manufacturers use natural gas for fuel, such as drying, melting, machine drive and space heating, and as a feedstock in refining, chemicals and primary metals sectors. Domestic natural gas has transformed the U.S. economy, made our companies more competitive, created jobs and put money back in the pockets of working Americans.Over the next decade our nations demand for natural gas is only going to grow and much of that growth is from manufacturing, said Hasit Vibhakar CEO & President. Hasit Vibhakar goes on to state, This study unequivocally shows that if our growing demand is not taken seriously by policy makers we will have a serious lack of infrastructure that will jeopardize our growth. Natural gas is responsible for millions of jobs, tens of thousands in manufacturing alone. This study highlights several specific examples of how manufacturers of all sizes have benefitted from utilizing natural gas. We cant afford to let misguided policies rob us of this valuable domestic resource.Key highlights from the study: Natural gas access contributed to 1.9 million jobs economy-wide in 2015.Shale gas put an extra $1,337 back in the pocket of the average American family. New natural gas transmission lines meant more than 347,000 jobs, with 60,000 in manufacturing. Total natural gas demand is poised to increase by 40 percent over the next decade. Key drivers will be manufacturing and power generation. U.S. supply is expected to increase by 48 percent over the next decade to meet new demand. Because energy innovation is lowering production costs, IHS expects energy-intensive industries such as chemicals, metals, food and refining to outperform the U.S. economy as a whole through 2025. Shale gas production has created new flow patterns that are causing existing pipelines to reverse flow and will necessitate the construction of new pipeline capacity.About Hasit VibhakarHasit Vibhakar is a proactive, performance-driven middle market executive with 20 years + progressive expertise in C-level leadership and problem solving for additive manufacturing, advanced CNC manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, supply chain, technology services, and startup operations. Proven track record of enhancing enterprise value and shareholder value. Experienced at building small cap and middle market companies.Hasit Vibhakar is an Industrialist specializing in strategic direction and growth. A seasoned c-level business executive with many years of proven track record of building enterprise value and shareholder value. He has successfully started eight technology, industrial and manufacturing enterprises and all have been successfully acquired at premium multiples in the industry. Prior to being a serial entrepreneur he has been employed with leading aerospace, telecom, technology, industrial and supply chain based companies.Unitron MediaMark GomezA PR Company4570 N. First Ave, Suite 120Tucson, AZ 85718
Global Recruitment Market Report: 2016 Edition By MarketResearchReports.biz

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MarketResearchReports.Biz announces addition of new report Global Recruitment Market Report: 2016 Edition to its database.DescriptionRecruitment is the process of attracting, screening, and selecting a qualified person (from within or outside of an organization) for a job opening. The global recruitment/staffing industry comprises of recruitment or employment agencies providing for services of recruiting staff/employees for various business enterprises in different sectors. Such companies hire these employment agencies to recruit personnel to carry out their business operations. The recruitment market can be segmented into temporary and permanent staffing markets on the basis of job duration.The temporary staffing market is cyclical in nature and establishes high correlation with the global GDP. Permanent staffing market also maintains a positive relation with economic conditions. Both permanent and temporary staffing markets have a positive relation with the deregulation of labor market. The staffing market varies considerably from one country to another with the U.S., Japan and the UK showing the highest degree of fragmentation. North America represented the single largest market measured in terms of revenues followed by Japan, the UK, France and Germany.The EU region continues to struggle with its economic revival, especially France, Spain, Greece, among others. Income growth has also come under pressure from rising unemployment, putting downward pressure on real wages in many advanced economies. With the economic revival in the coming years, sources of new employment opportunities can be expected; however, the continuing challenge in overcoming the problem of skill gap in both advanced and emerging economies will continue to affect the revenue growth of the staffing industry.Most of the mergers and acquisitions that took place in the IT & Healthcare segment and involved middle sized staffing firms as they proved to be attractive acquisition targets, offering geographic coverage and differentiated services. The staffing industry acquisition activities remain primarily driven by privately held strategic buyers, as the larger and better known public staffing companiesDownload Sample Copy of This Report at:Table of Content1. Market Overview1.1 Recruitment1.2 Types of Recruitment1.3 Recruitment Strategies1.4 Industry Definition2. Global Recruitment Market2.1 Global Recruitment Market by Value2.2 Global Recruitment Market by Regions2.3 Global Recruitment Market by Services2.4 Global Recruitment Market by Employment Type2.5 Global Temporary Recruitment Market by Value2.6 Global Temporary Recruitment Market by Regions3. North American Recruitment Market3.1 The U.S. Recruitment/Staffing Market by Value3.2 The U.S. Staffing Market by Segments3.3 The U.S. Temporary Staffing Market3.1.1 The U.S. Temporary Staffing Market by Value3.3.2 The U.S. Temporary & Contract Staffing Market by Volume3.3.3 The U.S. Temporary Staffing Market by Segments3.4 The U.S. Permanent Staffing Market3.4.1 The U.S. Permanent Staffing Market by Value3.4.2 The U.S. Permanent Staffing Market by Types3.5 Canada3.5.1 The Canadian Staffing Market by Value3.5.2 The Canadian Staffing Market by Segments3.5.3 The Canadian Temporary Staffing Market by SegmentsAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactMr. NachiketState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
There's something delightful about the fact that Nicole Meier's youthful admiration of a novel about a world where books are banned eventually led to the publication of her first novel.

Nicole Meier

The Bend author pays homage to Ray Bradbury, author of the science fiction classic "Fahrenheit 451," in both the title and plot of her fiction debut, "The House of Bradbury" (SparkPress, 280 pages, $17). In the book, being published Monday, a struggling writer learns that Bradbury's Los Angeles home is up for sale and decides to buy it, hoping she'll enjoy inspiration by osmosis.

Meier will hold a book release party from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Dudley's Bookshop, 135 N.W. Minnesota Ave., Bend. She answered questions by email this week about her book.

Q: Why did you choose Ray Bradbury as the author whose house your heroine would lust after?

My interest was piqued when I came across a newspaper article featuring the sale of Ray Bradbury's Los Angeles home. I could tell from the photo of the charming yellow house, where the iconic author resided for half a century, that the interior was full of stories. Like my protagonist, I wanted nothing more than to get inside and discover its secrets.

I later learned a developer purchased the home, and planned to raze it to the ground. As a Southern California native, familiar with the neighborhood, I wanted to imagine a world where the house wasn't demolished, but instead purchased by an appreciative writer.

I've been a Ray Bradbury fan since my teens, when I discovered "Fahrenheit 451." I admired him for his storytelling and unique perspective on the culture in which he lived. Plus, he was such a proponent of writers everywhere. You'd be hard-pressed to find another author of his caliber who generously offered so much thoughtful advice to other writers.

Q: Your novel has been called "Eat, Pray, Love" meets "Under the Tuscan Sun." What titles do you think are most comparable to your book?

Because my book portrays a woman inspired by an old home, it's similar to "A Paris Apartment," by Michelle Gable. Also, because I write about a young woman redefining her life in California, I believe fans of "Maybe in Another Life," by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and "Oh! You Pretty Things," by Shanna Mahin will enjoy my book.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

While my story is fictional, I hope to share a bit of Mr. Bradbury's inspirational spirit with my readers. I'm thankful for his many contributions to the literary community. I also hope readers will take a bit of inspiration for their own lives. It's never too late to change your course!

Here is an excerpt from "The House of Bradbury."

***

Mia stood outside the house and exhaled. Something about this moment called for deep breathing, a cleansing. Her arms felt as if they would collapse from the weight of the overfilled packing box, and its jagged corners were poking into her ribs. She needed to set it down, but her feet remained rooted. This was it. Time to walk through the door and begin the rest of her life. If only she could move.

"It's so yellow," Emma said, scowling at the house as she made her way along the narrow, buckled sidewalk. She stood beside her younger sister and gawked.

"It's supposed to remind you of sunshine," Mia said, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Well, it reminds me of something, all right. You're going to have to invest in some paint." Emma reached around and relieved Mia of her load. "Go on," Emma nudged her. "Take the key out and unlock your new house." With one more inhale, Mia climbed the stone steps, gripping the chipped white railing. With the turn of a worn key, she stepped inside.

"Why you would want to live in some dead writer's house is beyond me," Emma huffed, plunking down the moving box at her feet. The women lingered in the front hall, gazing at the void. Mia wrapped her arms around herself, barely able to contain her joy. Emma's arms were also locked into a tight fold as she eyed her surroundings, afraid to touch anything for fear of getting dirty. The two remained silent for a long moment. Little beams of light poked their way through slits in the window coverings. Loose particles of dust danced in the air like glitter, giving the front room a mystical feel.

As she brushed her long chestnut bangs aside, Mia's eyes drifted to the wide rafters of the tall, arched ceiling. Her skin tingled. She couldn't believe her good fortune. It was like being given a private pass into a museum and granted permission to reach out and touch every treasured surface. "Because it's Ray Bradbury's house, that's why," she said, as if that was explanation enough. Emma starred quizzically at her sister.

"You don't get it, but I do. This house has history. This house has a story. All kinds of important works were created here." As Mia spoke she crossed the wood floor to run her hand along a lean, ivory-colored mantel, trailing a finger across the intricate molding. A welling of sentiment lodged firmly in her throat. Breathing in the faint leathery perfume of aged books, she rubbed a layer of fine dust between her forefinger and thumb and thought about what it took to arrive at this moment.

At thirty-eight years old, she had finally purchased her first house. Her own house, yes, but more than that, a house that for the past fifty years belonged to Ray Bradbury, science fiction and fantasy writer, poet, and literary genius. He was someone who was driven by his love of books. He had seemed to care about stories more than any author she'd come across, and that's what Mia found most endearing. When she'd first read the LA Times article announcing that the esteemed author's house was up for sale, wonky bookshelves, ancient kitchen, claustrophobic basement, and all, Mia wanted nothing more than to get inside that house. She pored over every detail of the real estate section, hoping to glean some kind of secret about the late author's home located in the historic Cheviot Hills neighborhood where the likes of Lucille Ball, Stan Laurel, and other Hollywood greats once resided. Without thinking, she'd jotted down the west Los Angeles address and eagerly hopped in her green hatchback to seek it out.

Excerpt courtesy of SparkPress.
Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Radiohead's new album, "A Moon Shaped Pool," is available with high-resolution 24-bit files.

(Radiohead)

For many listeners, a new Radiohead album means gluing on headphones and absorbing the full majesty of the band's latest opus. This week, that album is "A Moon Shaped Pool," another studio triumph with musicianship ranging from orchestral arrangements to backwards vocals. The songs, as usual, are a bit mysterious, but the recordings are never less than vivid. To deliver both convenience and fidelity, the band is selling it in three formats: MP3, 16-bit WAV and 24-bit WAV.

What does that all mean and which should you buy? Here's a quick guide. I'm a Mac user, so it's biased toward that ecosystem: sorry. If you have a Pono player or a pair of Sennheiser HD 800 headphones, feel free to jump in the comments to lecture us on the Nyquist Theorem and dynamic range ratings.

What's 24-bit?

Musicians don't record direct to MP3 or AAC, but to much bigger WAV files which end up shrunk down for your phone. Studio files have two notable metrics: bits, which have to do with volume, and kilohertz (kHz), a measure of frequencies, or the range from bass notes to crispy treble. CDs, for the sake of file size as well as musical considerations, are set at 16/44.1, or 16-bit and 44.1 kHz. New "lossless" digital files, like those of Neil Young's Pono Store, go up to 24/192, which is debatably overkill. You can buy Radiohead's "A Moon Shaped Pool" in a tasty 24/48, which should pretty much cover the scientific range of human hearing and probably surpasses the limitations of your home stereo anyway.

More digital bits allow for more dynamic range--the separation between quiet and loud parts. Recording at 24-bit, rather than CD-quality 16-bit, is pretty common these days, and not necessarily just to sell a hi-res file later: recording with greater range allows for less distortion, leaving cleaner, richer files that can then be algorithmically shrunk down to 16-bit for CD release. Think of it like using a pro-grade DSLR to take a photo for Instagram. (This is a messy analogy, but you get the idea.)

Some dog-eared listeners would argue that the original 24-bit files will sound a little better, if only because they don't pass through a layer of conversion and alteration: after a lot of audio testing, I have convinced myself there can be a difference. If you will be listening to this album on a phone, buy the MP3s. If you will be listening on headphones under $200... buy the MP3s. It's really up to you, your wallet, your hard drive (the files are much bigger) and your sound system to see if that difference is worth it.

These WAV files are huge! How can I save space?

The first thing to do with the "A Moon Shaped Pool" files, if you buy them in 16 or 24-bit, is to convert them to FLAC--a lossless format that (allegedly!) keeps all the data of the original files but shrinks it. MP3s offer a much bigger shrink, but at the loss of some of that data. And you can always convert the FLACs back into WAVs.

On a Mac, I use an app called XLD. Open "preferences," select output format as "FLAC," select the "output directory" (where the FLAC files will wind up), then hit "option" and set the FLAC compression level to "normal." Drag your Radiohead folder into the app and the FLAC files will start coding. Keep the WAVs for safekeeping, if you'd like, or delete 'em. You can also convert them to Apple Lossless (Apple's version of FLAC, essentially) for iTunes playback--iTunes won't play FLACs.

Is iTunes smart enough to play these files properly?

Not really. An annoying part of Apple's OS X operating system is fixed audio playback rates. If you open the Audio MIDI Setup app (hit command+space and search for it in Spotlight), it's probably set to 24/44.1 or 16/44.1. If you're playing back files with different specs, the OS is converting them to its defaults on the fly, which isn't what we want.

You can set these manually--don't bother with this--or play your FLACs back in a program that will automatically control the system settings based on the file itself. I use Swinsian, which is a library-style iTunes replacement app. It's $19.95 after a free trial, so if you'd like to stick with iTunes and just play your Radiohead FLACs separately, another great Mac option is Vox, which is free.

A cool thing: MP3s don't contain a 16 or 24-bit depth number, but they are capable of 48kHz, not just 44.1. This is a setting you can edit in XLD if you're rolling your own files for portability purposes from Radiohead's WAVs. Again, the funky number means it needs the right Audio MIDI setting or app to be played back correctly on desktop.

Sony Electronics President and COO Mike Fasulo speaks about the "h.ear go" high-resolution compact speaker and wireless headphones, at the Sony Press Conference on CES Press Day, January 5, 2016 in Las Vegas. ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Vox also offers a phone app, though on current iPhones, it appears there's not much point to hi-res. According to Mashable's testing, 24/96 files didn't come through the headphone jack in their full fidelity on the iPhone 6.

For PC, apps such as MediaMonkey and Songbird, both recommended by the hi-res store HD Tracks, will do the desktop trick for files at 24/96 and below.

Will I hear the difference?

For me, plugging my computer into my receiver and vintage (but hardly audiophile-grade) speakers shows a pretty clear, but not game-changing, difference in well-mastered 16- or 24-bit files and their MP3 equivalents, most audibly in the bass presence. If you're playing back a squashed recording like, say, Paramore's "Brand New Eyes," it's less of a leap between formats.

On reasonably priced headphones, with high-quality 320kbps MP3s, like the ones Radiohead are selling? Good luck telling the difference. MP3s sound much better now than they did circa Napster, and mastering engineers have figured out how to prep their files for the format (see "mastered for iTunes") to avoid the distortion that can come from very loud ripped CDs or studio WAVs.

Most of the time, I download MP3s or listen to them on Spotify. For Radiohead, well, I made an exception--and it sounded phenomenal in my living room yesterday. If you take the plunge, happy listening.

-- David Greenwald

dgreenwald@oregonian.com

503-294-7625; @davidegreenwald

Instagram: Oregonianmusic
Former Oregon State star offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, the team announced Friday.

Seumalo, the Eagles third-round pick (79th overall), signed a four-year, $3.1 million contract. Seumalo played at center, right guard and both tackle spots at Oregon State. The Eagles could be planning to play him at guard.

In related news, the Eagles also signed former Oregon linebacker Joe Walker to a contract. Walker, a seventh-round pick (251st overall), signed a four-year, $2.4 million deal with the Eagles.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreyCarnold
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Portland Commissioner Steve Novick and Mayor Charlie Hales stand in next to a paving machine in 2014.

(Brad Schmidt/Staff)

The city of Portland values equality. It maintains an Office of Equity and Human Rights, for instance, and has adopted citywide racial equity goals and strategies. This commitment to equal treatment is evident in almost everything the city does and even carries through to taxation, where it can lead in interesting directions. Remember the 2014 proposal, made by Commissioner Steve Novick and Mayor Charlie Hales, to assess a tiered fee for road maintenance designed to charge roughly in keeping with people's ability to pay? The proposal fizzled, but not the message: Portland is equity city.

http://media.oregonlive.com/opinion_impact/photo/agenda-2013jpg-da8a3522a991b9c6.jpg

Editorial Agenda 2016



Get Oregon centered

Better leadership in education

Make Portland a city that works

Build Oregon prosperity

Protect and expand personal freedom

Get pot right

_______________________________

Except when it isn't, that is, as trucking companies that do business here discovered last week. All things, it seems, have their limits.

City Council is in a mighty rush to tax heavy trucks to pay for road maintenance and safety projects. The Council's impulse is certainly good: As long as the city's asking voters to approve a 10-cent local gas tax in order to pay for roads and such, it ought to look for ways to tax big diesel trucks. Equity, right?

Nonetheless, City Council held a first reading last week of Novick's big-rig tax and is scheduled to take it up again Wednesday. It's "very important for us to pass this legislation immediately," explained Novick last week. Why? "The fuel dealers' association, which is opposing the gas tax, is using as their primary argument against the gas tax the fact that it exempts heavy trucks. I think that before Portlanders vote, it's very important for us to let Portland voters know that we are not letting heavy trucks off the hook."

The truck tax suffers from two significant equity problems, as a succession of industry representatives explained to Novick and his colleagues. One of them derives from the way it's calculated, and the other is a cynical product of political calculation.

The heavy vehicle use tax, as it's known, would apply to businesses that pay the state's weight-mile tax and have Portland business licenses, as required for any business that trucks material to a Portland address. So far, so good.

The problem is the tax formula: Businesses would pay the city the equivalent of 2.8 percent of their total weight-mile tax, which reflects their use of roads everywhere in the state. Some businesses' trucks might travel a small number of miles within the city and the vast majority elsewhere in the state. Others' trucks might travel more miles within Portland and fewer miles outside the city. Some businesses, meanwhile, might operate relatively small trucks within Portland and triple-trailer road trains on state highways. That matters because the weight-mile tax is a function of both miles traveled and vehicle weight. Not only does the tax correspond badly (to be generous) to a trucking business' use of city roads, but it also applies inequitably among businesses themselves.

Yet Novick and his colleagues are rushing to pass it before all of Portland's gas-tax ballots are returned in order to send a message. Hurrying a half-baked and inequitable tax into the books in order to ease the passage of a separate tax is simply bad governance. City Council could, of course, revisit and improve the heavy vehicle use tax after passing it, but optimism about that scenario requires absolute ignorance of the city's arts tax.

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Even more cynical, meanwhile, is the Council's decision to keep the heavy-truck tax in effect even if voters reject the gas tax. Why not link the truck tax to the gas tax and allow them to survive or die together? Doing this might be bad for the gas tax, Novick explained Wednesday. The trucking association, you see, "is already opposing the gas tax, and linking the two would give them an added incentive to fight harder against the gas tax." Expediency thus trumps equity.

Novick's conniving, sadly, resonated with most of his colleagues. The only commissioner present on Wednesday who tried to make a case for fair treatment was Dan Saltzman, but his proposal to link the taxes died for lack of a second. Commissioner Nick Fish, who was visiting family abroad, was absent.

Portland's taxpayers really shouldn't be surprised by such scheming and bungling. Novick and his colleagues have already botched the gas tax, after all, dedicating only 56 percent of the revenue - about $9 million per year - to street maintenance despite facing a backlog that would take almost $120 million per year over a decade to eliminate. Then again, by getting both taxes wrong, at least the Council did something equitably.
By Valerie Strauss

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, doesn't talk all that much about education issues, but when he does, it is usually about the Common Core, rankings and spending. And usually he is wrong, wrong and wrong.

In one Trump ad this year, he hit all three in just a few sentences:

"I'm a tremendous believer in education. But education has to be at a local level. We cannot have the bureaucrats in Washington telling you how to manage your child's education. So Common Core is a total disaster. We can't let it continue. We are rated 28th in the world, the United States. Think of it, 28th in the world. And, frankly, we spend far more per pupil than any other country in the world. By far. It's not even a close second."

And on May 2, he said:

Now, if you look at education. Thirty countries. We're last. We're like 30th. We're last. So we're last in education. If you look at cost per pupil, we're first. So we - and by the way, there is no second because we spent so much more per pupil that they don't even talk about No. 2. It's ridiculous.

Talk about ridiculous.

For one thing, the United States is not "last in education." He is presumably talking about education outcomes and appears to be referring to international rankings of students, of which there are several based on different tests given in different countries.

There is, for example, the Program for International Student Assessment, better known in the education world as PISA, which is given every three years to 15-year-olds around the world in reading, math and science. The most recent PISA results available, from 2012, show the United States ranked 17th out of 34 countries and school systems in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in reading, 27th in math and 20th in science. Not the top, but not the bottom.

Another test. known as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, is given every four years to fourth- and eighth-grade students in several dozen countries. The most recent results, from 2011, show fourth-graders in the United States ranked 11th in math and seventh in science out of 50 countries. Eighth-graders in the United States ranked 9th in math and 10th in science out of 42 countries.

And there is yet another international exam, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, which fourth-graders take every five years. It was last taken in 2011, with 53 education systems from around the world participating, and U.S. students wound up ranking sixth.

In fact, in every international rankings, going back decades, the United States has always ranked about average.

It is a frequent exercise among many in the education world to compare spending and student outcomes across countries - even though the comparisons are often between apples and oranges. For one thing, the United States attempts to educate every student and give them a chance to go to college, an approach that is different from that of most other countries. The United States also has a unique funding system in which local property taxes play a significant role, leading to vast inequities from district to district. And it is known that poverty rates correlate to test scores, and the United States has one of the top child poverty rates in the developed world.

Then there are Trump's comments about the Common Core, which he repeatedly says he would "end" or "get rid of" if he became president, sometimes a response to questions about how he would cut federal spending. Either nobody told him, or he is ignoring, the fact that state legislatures individually approved the Core, and only state legislatures can decide to change or drop the standards and the standardized tests that are aligned to them. There is no way he can wave a federal wand and eliminate it all at once.

Could Trump entice the states to drop the Core by dangling federal funds in front of them? After all, the Obama administration used its $4.3 billion Race to the Top competitive program to persuade - critics say coerce - states to adopt the Core; 45 states and the District of Columbia fully adopted the standards, but the rest refused. Spending billions to get state legislatures to dump the Core doesn't sound like something that a president who said he wants to eliminate the Education Department would probably want to do.

As for spending on education, the picture is not as straightforward as Trump says. It is true that the United States spends a great deal on education - and it is also true that way too much is badly spent. But according to a 2014 study by OECD - the most recent data available - Switzerland, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland spend more than the United States per pupil. And when looking at percent of GDP spend on education, here is what the study found:

Trump repeatedly says he wants education to be locally driven, as it has traditionally been. The administration of President George W. Bush increased the federal role with his No Child Left Behind education initiative, which mandated annual standardized testing for most students. The Obama administration stepped up that federal role in an unprecedented way, with critics saying it micromanaged local education decisions. This policy posture sparked a national protest movement against standardized testing and fueled opposition to the Common Core. As a result, Congress, which was supposed to rewrite No Child Left Behind in 2007 but didn't, finally got around to replacing it in December with the Every Student Succeeds Act. The new U.S. K-12 education law sends a lot of education policy-making power back to states and districts.

Congress, therefore, has already substantially done what Trump says he would do if he became president in regard to local control.

This isn't the first time that I, or other writers, have pointed out Tramp's incorrect and exaggerated claims about education. Something tells me it won't be the last.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post
By E.J. Dionne

WASHINGTON -- The first rule in elections is: Go for the votes you can get. By that measure, Hillary Clinton is right to try to put the old Obama coalition on steroids.

Donald Trump will expand the Democrats' opportunities among non-white Americans, and produce Clinton landslides among Latinos. They have good reason to fear and despise the man who has demeaned them.

And watch Republicans for Clinton become a major force in American politics, an alliance of mostly well-off, well-educated voters -- plus women of all classes. The members of the party of Lincoln who support Clinton will see that against Trump, she is the safe and even, by the non-ideological definition of the term, conservative choice.

But Clinton also has to challenge Trump for at least a share among angry and struggling white working-class voters with real economic grievances. Their votes matter if she wants to keep Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania in the Democratic column.

Clinton's visit to Appalachia last week reflected this realism, but it was about more than electoral calculation, since she is highly unlikely to carry either West Virginia (most Democrats think she'll lose its primary on Tuesday to Bernie Sanders) or Kentucky this fall. Believe it or not, there are moral obligations in electoral politics. This is why her Appalachian outreach represented one of the admirable moments of her campaign. A progressivism that writes off the white working class is not worthy of being called progressive.

Trump, of course, mocked her visit and reveled in the pushback she got from voters who are part of his base. She had to offer an apology for her statement earlier this year that "we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business."

Politically, it was not, to be charitable, a wise thing to say. But consider the context of that line at a March CNN town hall:

"I'm the only candidate which has a policy about how to bring economic opportunity using clean renewable energy as the key into coal country. Because we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business, right, Tim? And we're going to make it clear that we don't want to forget those people. Those people labored in those mines for generations, losing their health, often losing their lives to turn on our lights and power our factories."

The media often don't put comments of this sort in context because, as you can see above, it takes a big fat, space-consuming paragraph to make it clear that she was speaking with empathy for coal miners, not consigning them to the economy's dustbin.

And her speech last Tuesday in Athens, Ohio, offered un-glitzy, realistic policies to try to bring back an Appalachian economy that can no longer rely on coal. "At a time when our energy sector is changing rapidly, we need to invest in coal communities," she said. "We need to figure out how to bring new jobs and industries to them, and we need to stand up to the coal executives trying to shirk their responsibilities to their workers and retirees."

Now contrast this with Trump's speech in Charleston, W.Va., on Thursday. "I'm going to put the miners back to work," Trump declared, "and she said I'm going to put the miners and the mines out of business."

The first part of that statement is a policy lie, but not the sort of lie politicians typically get called on. The truth is that for a whole series of reasons (as thoughtful reporting over the years by the Louisville Courier-Journal has shown), the region's old coal economy is not coming back to anything like where it was. In suggesting he can reverse these large economic trends, Trump is making a promise he cannot possibly keep. But a nice sound bite grabs more attention than Clinton's more complicated post-coal revitalization ideas.

In her speech, Clinton acknowledged several times that many of the voters she met with during her Appalachian tour would never vote for her. The trip nonetheless made sense as part of a larger obligation of leadership. Making America governable again requires breaking down barriers that get in the way of empathy across the lines of race and class but also of social status and personal values. And making America a more just nation requires honest talk about policies that can actually lift up those still hurting in our economy.

The hard political truth is that economic justice and empathy are the true alternatives to Trumpian divisiveness.

E.J. Dionne's email address is ejdionnewashpost.com. Twitter: EJDionne.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
Baby.JPG

(File photo)

By Amy Tuteur

My four children were born more than 20 years ago. I had four birth experiences, and I think about those experiences rarely, if ever. In nearly 30 years of motherhood, those acute hours quickly faded into insignificance compared with the reality of my children's daily lives, their milestones, their achievements, their personalities, their challenges and the growth of our relationship as they changed from infants to school-age children to teenagers to adults.

I gave birth vaginally. But it has never occurred to me that this was some kind of achievement, since it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with luck. My children, too, do not much care about the specifics of how they were born. This is, I suspect, typical for women of my generation and the ones that preceded us.

But for today's mothers, the expectations for childbirth and breast-feeding are higher than ever. Women are supposed to have the most authentic possible experience: They should reject pain relief; eliminate C-sections; embrace midwives, doulas and childbirth educators; and even defy standard obstetric recommendations when they conflict with those goals.

Two powerful forces have arisen to push this dogma. First, the crunchy natural-birth subculture has slowly morphed into an industry, mainly catering to the most privileged women in society. Second, a cabal of natural-birth activists -- online, on the air and even inside hospitals -- has formed to shame pregnant women who eschew the right-thinking path. For these forces, childbirth has become less about having a baby and more about having an experience. And those who don't have "the perfect birth" can't possibly be good mothers.

For most of human existence, unmedicated, vaginal childbirth was simply the painful, dangerous, unavoidable way to have a baby. But for the past 50 years, in developed countries, it has no longer been a relief for the mother and the child to survive; it's been a given. So people began paying attention to how, not just whether, childbirth unfolded.

The original goals of this movement were "conscious deliveries," fathers in the delivery room, childbirth education and research into and abolition of practices such as perineal shaving and enemas that either had no benefit or were harmful. But by the 1980s, all of these shifts in medical practice had taken place, and a new goal took shape among activists: following the proper, naturalistic birth philosophy.

Until the 20th century, American midwifery required no formal education -- just a period of apprenticeship. With the rise of modern obstetrics, midwives saw the need to professionalize to compete. Emulating European practitioners, they created the credential of certified nurse-midwife. These are nurses who have undergone additional training in midwifery. The first two schools of nurse-midwifery opened in the 1930s, but the practice truly began to take off in the postwar years. In 1963, there were 275 credentialed nurse-midwives in the United States; by 1995, there were more than 4,000; today there are more than 11,000. The proportion of births attended by midwives has also risen, from 3 percent in 1989 to more than 8 percentin 2013 (12 percent of vaginal births that year).

Doulas and childbirth educators -- women who often call themselves "birth workers" -- have proliferated, too, mirroring the increase in midwives. Membership in DONA International, one of the leading doula certification organizations, increased from 750 in 1994 to 6,154 in 2012. There is a considerable body of scientific evidencesuggesting that the presence of a doula can improve the childbirth experience for women, both physically and psychologically. A doula can rub a woman's back, get cool cloths for her head, and provide companionship and empathy. The benefits exist whether the doula is a family member, friend or hired support person.

As the demand for alt-births has rose, an industry grew to serve it. Though it's difficult to determine exactly how much money the natural-birth industry rakes in per year, it's clearly a growing domain. It has several professional organizations, grass-roots activists and lobbyists working in state legislatures. Midwives make, on average, $75,000 to $99,000 per year across most of the country; doulas are paid $1,200 per birth, on average, according to WhattoExpect.com. The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA), in part a creation of influential natural-childbirth advocate Ina May Gaskin (whose 2003 natural-birth handbook remains a reproductive-health bestseller), is a major professional organization for American midwives but requires no educational credentials of its roughly 450 members beyond a high school diploma.

Women interested in birthing naturally can avail themselves of a variety of educational courses. These classes began gaining popularity in the 1960s; by 1975, the New York Times reported that the majority of hospitals had come to sponsor childbirth classes, compared with just 10 percent in 1970. By 2005, about half of expectant mothers had taken a childbirth class that year or during a prior pregnancy, according to a survey by Childbirth Connection, a nonprofit that studies childbirth and pregnancy. In the Washington area, one can attend birth classes costing anywhere from $160 at Lamaze's local chapter to $375 for a course with an instructor accredited by the childbirth-education group BirthWorks.

Among the more curious practices recommended by natural-childbirthing businesses include "using candles to bring a soft glow to the birth environment," per GivingBirthNaturally.com, which offers its own online courses; using audio tracks to "re-train" the "subconscious mind" to eliminate the pain of contractions, per Hypnobabies, a company selling "real medical hypnosis techniques" for natural-birthing moms; and "steaming" the uterus post-birth per Natural Birth Works, a co-op of midwives, doulas and educators committed to a "natural way of life."

Lamaze, perhaps the most famous brand of childbirth classes, serves as a good test case for the industry's shifting interests. "In the early 1990s, the organization reinvented itself as the champion of normal birth," Charlotte A. De Vries and Raymond G. De Vries wrote in their 2007 article "Childbirth Education in the 21st Century." That means no inductions or epidurals: "Seeking relief from labor pain without drugs protects your baby and your body from injury, helps labor progress, and facilitates breastfeeding, bonding, and other postpartum adjustments," Lamaze's website states, adding with a note of pity that an epidural still might be needed if a mother "can't move beyond [her] fear of labor pain." Rather than teaching strictly the facts about childbirth, Lamaze promotes one particular vision of the birth experience as normal and therefore good.

Ultimately, the natural-childbirth industry aims to shepherd women toward an "ideal" birth experience -- packed with emotional meaning and marketed as absolutely necessary and life-altering -- sometimes at the expense of ideal health care (which is available from doctors at local hospitals). And it shows: A study in Oregon found that the death rate for babies delivered in planned home births with midwives in 2012 was roughly seven times that of hospital-born babies. Data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2006 to 2009 revealed that babies delivered by midwives had higher death rates than hospital-born babies, whether they were born at home or in birthing centers. While not all natural births take place outside hospitals, home births represent an extreme and troubling iteration of the ideology, where the set-up, process and experience are sometimes valued over the outcome.

The natural-childbirth industry markets births more or less like weddings, suggesting to its targets that they have one chance to purchase the perfect day for themselves and their loved ones, as Markella Rutherford and Selina Gallo-Cruz explain in their 2008 paper "Great Expectations: Emotion as Central to the Experiential Consumption of Birth." "The idealization of the birth experience offers a legitimate opportunity to orchestrate another emotional consumer experience in which the bride-now-turned-mother produces, directs, and plays the starring role." Mothers Naturally, an educational program produced by MANA, invites mothers to "create [their] ideal birth environment and be supported physically and emotionally" as they "discover the safe personal care of a midwife."

But like the perfect wedding, the perfect birth is often out of reach; women who buy into the idealized experience can face enormous disappointment, distress and feelings of failure if they have a Caesarean section, choose an epidural or are unable to breast-feed, all of which result, at times, from factors outside mothers' control. A C-section, for instance, is typically done to save the life of a baby who may not survive without it, or whose risk of dying during a vaginal birth is much higher than usual -- such as babies in unfavorable positions or those whose mothers have some obstruction to the birth canal. Yet for mothers in search of the perfect experience, any medical intervention, even a lifesaving one, can become a source of bitter shame. "Too often they're hollowed out, haunted, hurting,"a self-declared "radical doula" wrote recently in New York magazine, referring to mothers whose births didn't pan out as expected. "When they talk about giving birth, they sigh or shrug or burst into tears. Whatever, they say, shaking it off. My baby is here. My baby is alive. That's what matters.

"Bulls---! I never dare say. You matter. What happened to you matters."

But reinforcing that guilt isn't helpful or supportive: It piles emotional distress atop an already stressful time. One mother recently reflected at Ravishly, a feminist website, on transferring to a hospital during a difficult home labor, writing that her son's "health doesn't negate my feeling of failure. His health doesn't heal what I lost."

"I felt inadequate and disappointed after my caesarean," one mother wrote on BabyCentre, a British parenting website. "I was made to feel even worse by people constantly harping on about the wonders of 'natural' birth."

This is tragic. Birth is beautiful, no matter the room or the lighting or the drug regimen. A healthy baby and mother -- the hardest-won goals of modern obstetrics -- matter more than anything else. Mothers already deal with enough judgment from society for their looks, their parenting choices and more. Without adding any benefits, the experience packaged and sold by the natural-childbirth industry only compounds their problems. As a doctor and a mother, I say: Enough is enough.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post

Amy Tuteur is an obstetrician-gynecologist, a former clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School and the author of "Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting." She wrote this piece for The Washington Post.
Ammon Bundy led the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge intending to force a civil court to take up the constitutionality of federal land management policy, his lawyers contend in new court papers filed Monday.

He had expected the government to issue an eviction or ejection claim instead of arresting and indicting the occupiers on federal charges in criminal court.

But as he now sits in a Multnomah County jail facing conspiracy and weapons allegations, he's asking the court to dismiss the indictments, arguing that the federal government lacks jurisdiction over the land that includes the wildlife sanctuary in eastern Oregon's Harney County.

"The Malheur protest was aimed at raising this issue,'' his lawyers Mike Arnold and Lissa Casey wrote in the court documents. "Defendant Ammon Bundy organized his fellow citizens in protest of the expansive and unsupported interpretation of the Constitution that purports to allow the federal government to own and control more territory, and exercise jurisdiction over more land in the Western States, than the States themselves.''

Bundy, 40, is one of 27 people facing federal indictment stemming from the 41-day occupation of the refuge outside Burns. He's pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to impede federal officers from doing work at the refuge through intimidation, threats or force, possession of a firearm or dangerous weapon at a federal facility and using and carrying a firearm in the course of a violent crime.

His lawyers assert that Bundy isn't a member of any militia, isn't an extremist and doesn't hold anti-government views -- underlining each contention in bold type in their 33-page motion and memorandum filled with lengthy footnotes.

They characterize Bundy as a constitutional originalist who adheres to similar philosophies as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork. They contend Bundy didn't lead an armed takeover of the refuge, but organized an "act of civil disobedience'' to lay claim to the land.

"It is from Ammon's understanding of federalism and his genuine belief in originalism, coupled with his own personal life experiences, that he, like a growing body of significant thinkers across the United States, has challenged the federal government's overreach, speaking out against its attendant injustices, and rallying attention to the core question of federal land ownership and related abuses,'' they wrote.

They contend that it wasn't until an impromptu meeting after a Jan. 2 rally in Burns in support of two Harney County ranchers that Bundy, his brother, Ryan Bundy, Robert "LaVoy'' Finicum and others formed the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom group and planned to take over the refuge in a "lawful adverse possession claim."

Federal prosecutors previously have argued that Ammon Bundy's actions at Malheur weren't "born out of impulse'' but were "deliberate and designed to undermine authority at every stage.'' They've alleged that Ammon Bundy and co-defendant Ryan Payne visited Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward last fall and urged the sheriff to protect Burns area ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son, Steven Hammond, from returning to prison on federal arson charges.

Payne and Bundy told the sheriff that if the Hammonds spent one more day in jail, there would be "extreme civil unrest,'' a federal complaint said. By mid-December, a video titled "Time for some camping" was posted on a Facebook community page called "Harney County Liberty News." It showed a man announcing that he was doing some "tactical camping" in Harney County and posing outside a "Hammond Ranch Rd." sign, the complaint says. They allege Bundy and his followers participated in an armed takeover of the refuge and refused government demands to leave the property.

According to Ammon Bundy's new legal filings, the occupiers notified the Harney County Sheriff's Office shortly before they secured the refuge property and buildings and renamed it "The Harney County Resource Center.'' They contacted a utility company seeking to take over the electric and other services and maintained the perimeter to control those who entered and left.

The "visible display of armed and organized militia'' at the refuge was for "lawful protection and political speech,'' his lawyers wrote in a footnote. The occupiers didn't intend to close off the refuge property, but formed a welcome committee to invite the public to visit and drew elected officials, his lawyers wrote.

They argue that the government's bias and "hyperbole,'' as well as the media's "shallow and uninformed'' portrayals of their client, have tainted Bundy's actions and those of his followers.

"Rather than seek legal expulsion, ejectment or eviction, government employees instead went first to the media, and sought to silence and discredit the protest, disingenuously labeling Mr. Bundy and other protestors, extremists and dangerous,'' his attorneys wrote.

While federal agents took action to "forcefully end'' the Malheur occupation, "it did not end the protest,'' his lawyers wrote.

Federal agents and state police arrested Bundy and other leaders of the occupation on Jan. 26 as they were driving from the refuge to a community meeting in John Day. Occupation spokesman Robert "LaVoy'' Finicum was fatally shot by police after he tried to evade officers, swerved into a snowbank at a police roadblock. He jumped from his truck with his hands up, but then reached at least twice into his jacket and was shot, according to the FBI. State police feared he was reaching for a handgun, according to police reports. He was found with a 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun in his left jacket pocket, investigators said.

"The use of force cannot answer the present question, nor stop the national debate about federal government overreach and the treatment of rural America under the thumb of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and USFWS (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service),'' the motion states.

In footnotes, Bundy's lawyers wrote that their client believes two prior U.S. Supreme Court cases that addressed this issue "were wrongly decided and should be overruled.''

A ruling by the nation's highest court in 1935 found that the federal government has an incontrovertible claim to the refuge's wetlands and lakebeds, dating back to the 1840s, when Oregon was still a territory. "Before Oregon was admitted to statehood, the United States is shown to have acquired title which it has never in terms conveyed away," Justice Harlan Stone wrote in 1935.

The Supreme Court found then that the laws of the United States alone control the disposition of title to its lands. The states are powerless to place "any limitation or restriction on that control.''

Ammon Bundy contends that Article 1, Sec. 8 of the U.S. Constitution limits the federal government's powers to acquire and own property and that no prior federal court has answered the question of whether the federal government can hold the "majority of the land within a state."

Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, said in a statement issued last month that the federal prosecution of Bundy and his supporters will help remind everyone of the 1935 U.S. Supreme Court case that left no doubt the eastern Oregon bird sanctuary is under federal control. The Center for Western Priorities is a nonpartisan conservation advocacy group.

Aaron Weiss, a spokesman for the Center for Western Priorities, also cited U.S. Code that allows for a government civil or military force to remove or destroy "any unlawful inclosure of public lands'' when someone asserts their right to a public land without title.

The Bundy motion is among a number of legal motions in the pending federal conspiracy case that are set be argued in court later this month, starting May 23.

-- Maxine Bernstein

mbernstein@oregonian.com

503-221-8212

@maxoregonian
A former Clatskanie police officer who reported his police chief for racist statements says city leaders fired him this spring for blowing the whistle.

In a

filed last week in Columbia County Circuit Court, Zach Gibson argues Clatskanie City Manager Greg Hinkelman retaliated against him for reporting Police Chief Marvin Hoover after he compared African Americans to monkeys and sang the Confederate anthem "Dixie" at the police department.

According to court documents, Hinkelman told Gibson he was being fired for lying during an investigation into whether Gibson made inappropriate sexual remarks to a female fire district employee.

The investigation, Gibson alleges, "was merely a pretext."

"The city's true motives," his suit claims, "were retaliatory."

Gibson "excelled" in his eight years with the department, he writes in the suit. He managed the police dog program and was the firearms instructor for the four-person department. During Gibson's last review, the former chief praised his ability to "keep morale and friendship up."

Then, last summer, Gibson and another officer

.

In their joint complaint, Gibson's coworker Alex Stone wrote that their sergeant had warned the men against blowing the whistle on the chief. The sergeant said "

."

Mayor Diane Pohl stood by Hoover. That September, she wrote a letter to The Clatskanie Chief, the local weekly newspaper, praising Hoover's 13-year stint atop the police department. The City Council allowed Hoover to retire with four months' pay, about $27,000.

Soon after the officers filed their complaint, Gibson began investigating reports that Pohl's husband, Ray Pohl, had exposed his genitals at least twice a week over the past few years while going through a local coffee drive-through. Gibson interviewed the victim and gathered evidence before handing the investigation over to the Oregon State Police, which charged Ray Pohl with 30 counts of public indecency.

Clatskanie, a Columbia County town about 60 miles northwest of Portland, has been home to many scandals over the past few years.

A month after state police arrested Ray Pohl, city leaders placed Gibson on administrative leave. Hinkelman told Gibson that someone from the Clatskanie Rural Fire District said Gibson had made improper sexual comments to a female employee. Hinkelman forwarded the complaint to the state police.



Sex scandals are sensitive subjects for the timber town, an hour's drive northwest of Portland.



In December 2013, four teenage girls sued the town school, alleging boys had harassed them into texting naked photographs of themselves. Last year, the Clatskanie People's Utility District paid a total of $2 million to three employees who accused a superior of groping them.



In Gibson's case, the former police officer said neither city leaders nor state investigators told him the allegations he was facing. In November, the state police cleared Gibson of wrongdoing and ordered him to report back to duty. City leaders hired a private investigator to review the allegations.



Gibson said he met with the investigator in late November. He "answered all questions forthrightly and to the best of his recollection," according to court documents.



In January, Hinkelman and the city's new interim police chief, Stan Grubbs, placed Gibson back on administrative leave, the documents say. Gibson, they said, had violated a department policy "related to untruthfulness." Gibson said they did not tell him what they found in the administrative investigation.



The two sides met in February, and Gibson said he showed city leaders and investigators text messages and other "mitigating facts."



In March, Hinkelman fired Gibson.



In his lawsuit, Gibson claims Clatskanie leaders fired him without a just cause and violated his right to know the allegations against him.



Hinkelman declined to comment.

"We will let it work itself out in the court system," he said.

-- Casey Parks

503-221-8271

cparks@oregonian.com; @caseyparks
Horizon Air growing in Portland market

File photo -- Prosecutors are no longer pursuing a third-degree sexual abuse charge against Heidi McKinney, court records show. A prosecutor didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

(LC- The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com)

Update, 4:26 p.m.: State prosecutors are no longer pursuing a third-degree sexual abuse charge against Heidi McKinney, court records show. The case has been referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office for review, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.

***

A Banks woman faces a sex crime accusation after police said she inappropriately touched a passenger on a flight from Las Vegas to Portland on Sunday.

Officers were dispatched at 9:18 p.m. to meet an Alaska Airlines flight, according to a Port of Portland police report. The alleged encounter occurred in Oregon airspace, police said.

A female passenger had reported she was touched on her breast and genitals without consent. Officers identified Heidi McKinney, 26, as the suspect, according to the report.

McKinney was arrested and booked into a Multnomah County jail on a third-degree sex abuse accusation. She was later released on bail, according to the sheriff's office.

Police said no other information will be released at this time. The investigation will be handed over to the District Attorney's Office.

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com

503-294-5928

@tonyhreports
Updated, 3:19 p.m., May 9, 2016: Patrol deputies also filed a complaint Patrol deputies also filedwith county Chair Deborah Kafoury on Monday requesting an administrative investigation into Staton.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office patrol deputies union issued a vote of no confidence against Sheriff Dan Staton, the union announced Monday.

"Sheriff Staton leads ruthlessly and unpredictably through fear and favoritism, threatening to fire those in his way, yet rewarding those who get in line," union president Deputy Matt Ferguson wrote in a statement released Monday.

"He has fostered an environment of hostility, where those who constructively criticize his actions are met with retaliation, threats, and name-calling," Ferguson wrote.

A spokesman for the sheriff's office was not immediately available for comment.

Staton was cleared of criminal wrongdoing Friday after the Oregon Department of Justice concluded its investigation into allegations that the sheriff created a hostile work environment, improperly investigated citizens and tried to influence a union vote.

The allegation that Staton tried to sway the union stemmed from an April 13 conversation between Ferguson and the sheriff. Ferguson told state investigators he believed the sheriff mentioned a possible promotion for him to block a no-confidence vote by the union. Staton denied the allegation, and the DOJ found no evidence of a crime.

Ferguson told The Oregonian/OregonLive last week that the DOJ findings had not changed the union's concerns.

"Sheriff Staton has lost sight of our community's demands for transparency and accountability," he said in Monday's statement. "We no longer have confidence in his ability to lead our agency."

The union representing corrections deputies doesn't share the patrol deputies' stance.

Union president Sgt. Cathy Gorton said in an email Monday that corrections deputies were "moving past the recent distractions" between Staton and County Chair Deborah Kafoury.

"The situation has had no effect on our ability to get our jobs done," she wrote.

Kafoury and District Attorney Rod Underhill asked the justice department to investigate the sheriff in February after sheriff's Chief Deputy Linda Yankee threatened to sue based on numerous allegations including retaliation, sexism, degrading comments and unwanted touching by Staton.

The county leaders also raised allegations that Staton had made threatening statements regarding the county Charter Review Committee, which is considering making the sheriff's job appointed rather than elected. And they wanted to know if Staton had broken any laws in collecting background information on the committee members, who are citizen volunteers.

Read the full statement from the patrol deputies union below:

Members of the Multnomah County Deputy Sheriff's Association have overwhelmingly voted "no confidence" in Sheriff Dan Staton. This action reflects our strong belief that Sheriff Staton has lost the trust of the County's rank-and-file law enforcement deputies and sergeants. Sheriff Staton has abandoned our core values of professionalism and integrity. He is no longer fit to lead our proud organization.

Whether a new recruit or the Sheriff of our State's most populated county, we all swear to stay true to Oregon's Criminal Justice Code of Ethics. Without compromise, we recognize and accept our positions as a symbol of public trust, and we commit to being above reproach. Yet Sheriff Staton has failed to uphold these basic standards.

Sheriff Staton leads ruthlessly and unpredictably through fear and favoritism, threatening to fire those in his way, yet rewarding those who get in line. He has fostered an environment of hostility, where those who constructively criticize his actions are met with retaliation, threats, and name-calling. His reckless leadership style has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in wasted taxpayer monies paid to remedy his recklessness; funds which instead could have been spent to protect our community.

True to form, our attempts to constructively address his failed leadership were met with threats. Sheriff Staton likens dealing with his law enforcement deputies as "worse than dealing with a bunch of criminals." And he has suggested that cooperation from our organization would lead to our President's promotion to a higher rank, whereas our pursuit of accountability through a no-confidence vote would be met with him "slapping us in the face."

Sheriff Staton has lost sight of our community's demands for transparency and accountability. We no longer have confidence in his ability to lead our agency.

This post will be updated.

-- Emily E. Smith

esmith@oregonian.com

503-294-4032; @emilyesmith
Screen Shot 2016-05-09 at 3.44.46 PM.png

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center is being sued for $3 million by the parents of a baby boy who died, and whose body was misidentified for five months.

The parents of a premature baby boy who died after five days have filed a $3 million lawsuit against St. Vincent Medical Center, a funeral home and a mortuary service, claiming employees misidentified and cremated the remains of the wrong baby.

Norma Arellano and Sergio Maldonado received the ashes of a baby girl instead, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

They held funeral services with those ashes, traveled with the ashes to see family and displayed the urn in a religious shrine, according to one of their attorneys. The parents learned of the mistake five months later from the funeral home and suspect a cover-up by the hospital.

"It's been a devastating experience for both of them," said Portland attorney John O'Hara, who is representing the parents along with Portland attorney George McCoy. "They're both strong family people. They didn't have the baby very long, but they became very close to him. ... The whole thing was just a total shock."

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center's chief executive apologized in a statement emailed Monday to The Oregonian/OregonLive. She said the hospital has made "immediate changes" to avoid such an error from happening again.

Hospital statement

"All of us at Providence are deeply sorry for what happened, and we regret the emotional and spiritual pain and distress we have caused this family. We strive to care for each person we serve with compassion and excellence. It saddens us if an error is made, and compels us to learn and work even harder to ensure it doesn't happen again. People trust us when they come to us for care. Incidents such as this one break that sacred trust. We have made immediate changes to our processes. We want to restore that trust."

Janice Burger

Chief Executive

Providence St. Vincent Medical Center

"All of us at Providence are deeply sorry for what happened, and we regret the emotional and spiritual pain and distress we have caused this family," chief executive Janice Burger said.

The other two defendants listed in the lawsuit -- Gable Funeral Chapel and First Call Plus of Oregon Mortuary Services -- declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

According to the lawsuit:

Arellano and Maldonado's baby, Elijah Maldonado, was born on Jan. 17, 2015. He died five days later because of internal hemorrhaging due to his premature birth.

Two days later, a representative from Gable Funeral Chapel arrived at the hospital to pick up the body, tagged with"Baby Boy Arellano" and a number.

Both a St. Vincent employee and a Gable Funeral employee signed an information sheet confirming the release and pick-up of the boy's body, but the wrong identification number was listed on the transfer form, the suit states. The identification number belonged to a baby girl who had died three months earlier.

The Gable Funeral employee transported the body of the baby girl to the funeral home on Northeast 80th Avenue in Portland, according to the suit.

***

The suit faults St. Vincent's and the Gable Funeral Chapel for allegedly not checking the numbers on the tags and for not recognizing that the body they thought was Elijah's was far too decomposed for a baby who had died two days earlier.

The suit states that all of the employees who viewed the body "should have immediately identified the fact that the remains were those of a body which had decayed for a significantly longer period of time even if they failed to observe the body was female."

The boy's parents went to the funeral chapel, where an employee told them that their son's body had decayed rapidly and they didn't want to see him. According to the lawsuit, the representative told the couple to sign an "identification acknowledgment," and they did.

The baby girl's body was then brought to First Call Plus of Oregon Mortuary Services in Northeast Portland, where an employee there cremated the body.

Elijah's parents created a shrine in their Portland home, where they kept the urn on display next to candles and a prayer book, O'Hara said.

Five months later, the funeral home's director met with them to tell them the cremated remains that they thought were their son's actually belonged to a girl, according to the suit.

"He informed them St. Vincent's was aware Elijah Maldonado had been wrongly identified, and St. Vincent's had deliberately chosen not to contact (them) with this information," the suit states.

Arellano and Maldonado contacted the hospital and discovered that their son's body was still there. They viewed their son's body because they didn't want another misidentification to be made, O'Hara said.

The boy was no longer recognizable because of significant degradation, but they identified a blanket the boy had been wrapped in at the time of his death, the suit says.

Arellano and Maldonado returned the ashes of the baby girl, O'Hara said.

***

In an unusual statement of facts, a hospital spokesman sent out an email responding to many of the allegations in the lawsuit.

"While we do not ordinarily discuss pending legal action, we do think it is important to clarify some important issues raised in the filing," said hospital spokesman Gary Walker.

The hospital didn't try to cover up the mistake, Walker said. It learned of the error on June 23, 2015, and contacted the funeral home to try to learn more. The funeral home independently called the parents, Walker said, before the hospital did.

The hospital intended to contact the parents all along -- and it did on June 26, 2015. It also met with the parents on June 29, 2015, Walker said.

The other baby wasn't alive when she was born, Walker said. The girl's grieving family asked that the hospital arrange for her burial and it was during the process of preparing the girl's body for transport, cremation and a remembrance service in June 2015 that the hospital discovered the mistake, he said.

Both infants had similar last names, Walker said, which was a big contributor to the mix-up.

The hospital scrutinized its processes and came up with some fixes, Walker said. Those include requiring a hospital employee to accompany funeral home or mortuary employees to the morgue.

"Together, they go through a series of checks and double checks to confirm the identity of the remains being transported," he said.

The lawsuit seeks $165 for the costs Arellano and Maldonado paid to have the wrong remains cremated. It also seeks up to $3 million in emotional distress.

Read the lawsuit here.

-- Aimee Green

503-294-5119
Daily traffic

We've warned you, TriMet has warned you, probably your mother warned you. It's time for major repairs and construction on a part of the TriMet MAX line that runs downtown. Although the detours only apply to Red, Blue and Green lines, all lines will feel the pain as many trains are being taken out of service.

Get the whole scoop here, but mostly, be ready for long delays, or figure out another way to get around.

BEAVERTON (2) 8:44 a.m.; Pedestrian struck on Southwest Denney Road near Highway 217.



***

BEAVERTON 8:25 a.m.; Injury crash reported at the intersection of Southwest Scholls Ferry Road and Roy Rodgers Road.

Update 8:39 a.m.; Cleared.

***

HIGHWAY 22 LYONS 8:19 a.m.; Fatal two-vehicle crash on Highway 22, east of Salem at milepost 20 (just west of Lyons). Highway is closed but detour in place.



***

NORTHEAST PORTLAND 7:43 a.m.; Traffic signals OUT at Northeast Columbia Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Traffic backing up in both directions.



Update 8:06 a.m.; Power restored in the area. Signals should be working again soon.

***

GLENN JACKSON BRIDGE 6:50 a.m.; Crash I-205 southbound on the bridge blocks the center lane just prior to Airport Way. Expect slowing.



Update 7:34 a.m.; Cleared.

***

If MAX was never your thing, well good for you. Here are a few other slow spots for your commute.

I-5 southbound Kuebler exit in Salem, (exit 252) is closed through Sunday May 22 for construction.

Later in May, the Hawthorne and Sellwood bridges will be closed for repairs and construction. Expect delays for that work May 20-22 (more on that later in the week).

Check back throughout the morning for the latest commuting updates and follow us on Twitter: @trafficportland
At the rate he's adjusting his policy positions, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump might be indistinguishable from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders by November.

Last fall, Trump rejected suggestions that the national minimum wage should be increased. "I think having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country," the businessman and reality-TV star said.

On Sunday, he took a very different view. "I don't know how you live on $7.25 an hour," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press," insisting that as president he will seek "an increase of some magnitude" in the minimum wage.

Trump is also disavowing a key feature of his own economic plan, which calls for a dramatic tax cut for the wealthy to spur growth, with only piddling tax relief (about $2,700) for the middle class. He now says that this original economic plan, released last year, is only a starting point for negotiations with Congress.

"I'm not under the illusion that that's going to pass," he said on "Meet the Press." "They're going to come to me. ... But the middle class has to be protected. The rich [are] probably going to end up paying more. And business might have to pay a little bit more. But we're giving a massive business tax cut." He added:

"When it comes time to negotiate, I feel less concerned with the rich than I do with the middle class. ... For the wealthy I think frankly it is going to go up and, you know what, it really should go up."

Chuck Todd, the "Meet the Press" moderator, and NBC news writers Mark Murray and Carrie Dann called Trump's comments "a jaw-dropping flip-flop on policy" that "runs counter to today's entire Republican Party and conservative movement."

Trump's shift will make it even harder for Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and other prominent GOP leaders to endorse Trump's candidacy, increasing the possibility of a schism in the party. Todd, Murray and Dann suggested President Barack Obama could use Trump's words to pummel the Republican Congress, saying something along the lines of, "Now that the presumptive Republican nominee is calling for raising taxes on the wealthy, Republican leaders in Congress can now work with me on eliminating ... tax loopholes benefiting the Top 1%."

The British newspaper The Independent cites Trump's flip-flops as "fresh evidence he is making up his policy priorities as he goes along," but more likely it is all part of the plan. Trump is betting that voters have short memories, and indeed that many voters -- especially the all-important independents -- weren't paying close attention during the Republican primaries, when Trump embraced some "hard right" positions and aggressively hit his rivals with schoolyard insults.

This is nothing new. Candidates have always appealed to the base of their parties during primary campaigns and then shifted to the ideological center for the general election. Trump is simply more shameless about it than your typical politician. He is aware that he and Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who has had unexpected success running for president as a Democrat, are in many cases appealing to the same disaffected voters, just from different sides of the partisan divide.

Trump has made statements during the campaign that, if issued by a U.S. president, might cause panic on the world's financial markets. Last week he suggested that the U.S. should default on its sovereign debt "if the economy crashed," a statement so far out there that he felt compelled to walk it back. Sort of.

"It was reported in the failing New York Times and other places that I want to default on debt," Trump said. "I'm the king of debt. I understand debt probably better than anybody. I know how to deal with debt very well. I love debt." He added: "This is the United States government. You never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you. Okay, so there's never a default."

That didn't really clear up the matter, but Trump moved on to talking about the minimum wage and taxes on "Meet the Press."

What would happen if U.S. government bondholders "took a haircut" under President Trump? Acclaimed writer Lionel Shriver's new dystopian novel "The Mandibles: a Family, 2029-2047" -- in which "the U.S. defaults on its national debt and a new international currency replaces the sinking dollar, destroying American wealth on a staggering scale" -- provides one possible outcome.

-- Douglas Perry
Warm weather bring out spring sun seekers

Haze filters the late afternoon sun at Cathedral Park beneath St. Johns Bridge in Portland, May 14, 2014. Photo by Randy L. Rasmussen/Staff

Don't worry, warm weather lovers: higher temperatures should return to the Portland-area later this week.

After a hot Saturday, Sunday was party cloudy with temperatures that stayed in the high 50s and low 60s, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday's nightime lows should land between 45 and 50 degrees.

The overcast skies will continue to start off the work week, with Monday's highs forecasted to land between 65 and 70 degrees. There's also a 20 percent chance of showers on Monday morning, according to the weather service.

But by Tuesday the Portland-area will see sunshine and warmer temperatures, said Matthew Cullen, meteorologist with National Weather Service. Partly cloudy skies and patchy fog on Tuesday morning should transform into daytime highs near 80 degrees.

The heat should stick around, too-- daytime temperatures are forecasted to hit between 80 and 85 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, and then between 75 and 80 degrees on Friday.

This week's heat is forecasted to easily beat typical temperatures, Cullen said. Historically temperatures average closer to 66 to 67 degrees, he said.

"It's certainly shaping up to be another nice week," Cullen said. "This week still puts us way above normal."

Evening temperatures are forecasted to be between 45 and 50 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the weather service. Friday's forecast predicts a slight chance of precipitation and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

So far May weather has shaped up like April's--a few days of high heat followed by normal temperatures and then more warmth-- although it's too early to determine a trend for the month, Cullen said.

The Portland-area is seeing "increasing signs of summer," in May, Cullen said, although it's likely residents will still see cooler times ahead.

Last month was the hottest ever recorded at Portland International Airport, with an average temperature of 57.8 degrees.

For more weather details, see here.

--Laura Frazier

lfrazier@oregonian.com

503-294-4035

@frazier_laura
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Sweet! said Gladwin High School senior Gabe Teffner, from beneath a trout fisherman-style broad-brimmed hat. This is like the best day of the year.

Teffner and about 50 other students from teacher Chad Donahues botany classes were along (and in) the Cedar River in Gladwin County, planting northern white cedar trees and installing 6-foot tall mesh cylinders to protect them from hungry deer.

The trees will help retain heat for deer in winter, and shield the stream and its inhabitants from heat in summer. The projects name is, aptly, Cedars for the Cedar.

I like the idea of planting trees to help the river, said Teffner who, with his classmates, DNR wildlife division staffers, members of Midlands Leon P. Martuch Chapter of Trout Unlimited and other volunteers, would plant about 150 cedars, 50 at each of three sites.

Locations had been flagged in advance, and saplings would be swapped for each flag. Then the cylinders would be placed, and secured with a fence post. The DNR and the TU provide materials and funds; the school provides labor.

Hard work, but, Its definitely fun, said senior Ally Conley. She said project organizer Bill Holler, from the TU chapter, taught us how to plant trees, and what they do to help the river ecosystem.

Whats it like working with kids? Holler broke into a big smile. Terrific, he said. Theyre sponges, eager to learn.

Some mature cedars flank the stream, but other river stretches are open and beg for their cover, Holler said. More than one-half of a tree must be out of the reach of deer for it to survive, he said.

Elan Lipschitz of the Midland-based Little Forks Conservancy, involved in the project for all of its three years, said, Were especially happy that the mortality has been so low. We lost just three of the 100 trees planted last year.

DNR wildlife biologist Bruce Barlow said wire fencing is further lined with a fabric mesh, so that small deer cant use their snouts as pry bars to tip the cylinders and expose the small cedars they find so tasty.

Cedars are more important as ceilings than food, he said. They provide thermal cover for deer, he said, blocking several forms of heat loss to give deer a leg up on winter survival. Conversely, they also provide thermal cover in summer, by blocking heat to create better habitat for the Cedars brook and brown trout, which rely on cold, well-oxygenated water.

The river merits that, said Barlow: Its the only blue ribbon (top quality) trout stream in the Saginaw River system.

The visit to the river was an eye-opener for some students.

I didnt know this place, said Hunter Tackett, and I live about 10 minutes away.

Donahue and many of the same students had traveled to the Chippewa Nature Center the day before, to release into the Chippewa River 55 chinook salmon theyd raised through the DNRs Salmon in the Classroom program. The local effort was also sponsored by the Martuch Chapter of TU.
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP)  The Battle Creek Fire Department is looking for suggestions on the best way to display a piece of steel salvaged from the 9/11 attack on New York City so it will serve as a reminder to the public.

"We are going to reach out to other people, like artists, and ask them, 'How do you think it should be displayed,'" Fire Chief Dave Schmaltz told the Battle Creek Enquirer (http://bcene.ws/1q6jJyK ).
LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A $47 million computer system that came online after the state's unemployment insurance agency laid off about 400 people in 2012 to cut costs has been mistakenly charging thousands of people with fraud, some lawyers say.

State lawmakers are holding a series of legislative hearings, with two scheduled this week, to see what can be done about what they say could be an inordinate number of false fraud charges from the agency.

State Rep. Ed McBroom, a Vulcan Republican who set up a panel of lawmakers to look into the issue, said he wants legislation on the House floor by the end of the month, after an April audit found that hundreds of thousands of phone calls to the agency went unanswered while much of its mail was sent to wrong addresses. It said the agency could do a better job of ensuring due process for those it's accusing of fraud.

An earlier February audit found a strikingly low number of appealed cases from 2013 to 2015 were actually upheld  263 of 3,460, about 8 percent. About 45 percent of appealed cases were dismissed.

"So flip that around, a whopping 92 percent of people accused of fraud didn't do anything wrong," said Jennifer Lord, a Royal Oak attorney working on a lawsuit filed against the agency in the state court of claims. "This fraud program is actually a profit center."

Lord said she believes the agency mistakenly assessed much of the money it levied against people from 2013 to 2015, though officials with the agency said they could not readily confirm how much was actually collected.

But while Rep. McBroom said the issue "dominates our constituent services," he's not sure that means all of the cases not upheld as issued by the computer were necessarily inaccurate or wrongful fraud charges.

"It's possible from what I've seen," McBroom said. "I certainly hope it's not true."

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor ordered the agency to have real people review fraud determinations and also ordered the agency to review some of the adjudications made by the computer system, or risk losing $100 million a year in administrative funding. That's the cost of running the program.

But agency director Sharon Moffett-Massey said the system was working as it was designed.

"It was making a decision based on the best information, the same as staff," Moffett-Massey said. "I do not feel there was a problem."

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sander Levin sent a letter to Gov. Rick Snyder on April 25, urging the agency to review more than 60,000 computer-determined fraud adjudications, in addition to the portion of appealed cases the agency reviewed in fall 2015, the letter said.

The audit and some lawyers say that often those charged never receive notifications and so don't have a chance to appeal.

When the old system detected any discrepancies between information entered by an employer and an employee, it automatically determined the employee to have intentionally entered misinformation, the April audit said. Those individuals are then barred from receiving a free legal advocate through the state.

Lawyers for the Detroit-based Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice argue that the state's unemployment insurance system has deprived "thousands of Michigan's unemployment insurance claimants ... their fundamental rights under the constitution and under the social security act," a 2015 court document said.

The center filed a suit in 2015 in the U.S. District Court in Detroit on behalf of the United Auto Workers union and seven people, alleging the agency was violating applicants' rights and filing unjustified fraud charges "without any factual basis," the 2015 court document said.

Tony Paris, a lead attorney with the center, said they're currently waiting to hear the court's determination on a state motion to dismiss the suit, after the court denied one such motion.
Saginaw American Legion Post 439 will host the Michigan Memorial Vietnam Wall this summer.

The Michigan Memorial Vietnam Wall will arrive Saturday, July 16, at 10 a.m., at American Legion Post 439, 5190 Weiss St., in Saginaw.
May 8 to 14 has been designated as the first-ever national Economic Development Week, a way to draw attention to the role economic development plays in making our communities better places to live and work. Exactly what economic development is and does can be difficult to grasp  and often controversial when it comes to funding such activities, since much of what we do is behind the scenes and the services we provide are confidential.

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) notes that the main goal of economic development is improving the economic well-being of a community through efforts that entail job creation, job retention, tax base enhancements and quality of life. How those goals are focused on and accomplished differs in each community.

At Midland Tomorrow, the economic development agency for Midland County, we focus on both attraction and retention. On the attraction side, we promote our county, its businesses and available sites by maintaining a strong online presence, sending information to site selectors and participating in tours that bring those people to our community, and submitting appropriate properties to requests for proposals (RFPs) from the state or other sources. In 2015, we submitted approximately 25 RFPs and have already submitted a half dozen this year.

Experts in the economic development field estimate that 90 percent of location decisions now start online, so its important to have a solid internet presence. Last year, Midland Tomorrow revamped its website, making it easier for visitors to find the information they need, including available properties, demographics and quality of life information. We also increased our social media presence with regular postings of business and community information.

Even with your best foot forward, a communitys chances of luring a business that will bring hundreds of new jobs is low, especially when youre competing with communities nationwide and even worldwide. Thats why economic development focuses just as much, if not more, on helping local businesses start up, retain jobs and grow.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, analysis of data from the National Establishment Time Series (NETS) shows that 87 percent of jobs come from start-ups and expanding businesses already within a state. And, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates that small businesses provided 55 percent of all jobs and 66 percent of all net new jobs since the 1970s.

At Midland Tomorrow, we interact with local businesses of all sizes and stages on a regular basis  through retention visits where we check in to see what needs they may have, and when directly requested by business owners. Look for an article in the Midland Daily News later this week on some of the businesses we have assisted.

Needless to say, economic development is not accomplished in a vacuum. It requires cooperation and the efforts of local government and numerous partner agencies. Midland Tomorrow works with the city and county, plus various partners  most notably our new affiliation with the Midland Area Chamber of Commerce as the Midland Business Alliance. Other partners include the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance, MichiganWorks!, Momentum Midland and MidMichigan Innovation Center. We all bring different strengths to the table, and we complement rather than duplicate each others efforts.

The biggest professional hurdle for economic development professionals is awareness. We want the community to know we are here to help. If you own a business in Midland County and are even just starting to think about an expansion, or have an employment need, or are looking for financial assistance, potential sites or start-up resources, please contact us. The earlier in the process you are, typically the more assistance we can offer.

Visit our website, www.midlandtomorrow.org for information or call us at (989) 839-0340. Our offices are at 300 Rodd St., downtown Midland. Happy Economic Development Week!

Becky Church is the vice president of operations at Midland Tomorrow, and has been with the organization for 13 years.
SEOUL, Republic of Korea - While elite South Korean Soldiers stand guard in a modified Taekwondo stance, U.S. Soldiers on a cultural tour briefly step across the demarcation line into North Korea and have their pictures taken.

Nearly every weekend in the small, blue conference building that straddles the line between North and South Korea, U.S. Soldiers get the chance to visit the site where the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission hosts negotiations with one of the most isolated nations on Earth.

Nearly every weekend in the small, blue conference building that straddles the line between North and South Korea, U.S. Soldiers get the chance to visit the site where the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission hosts negotiations with one of the most isolated nations on Earth.

The buildings are in a small circular area known as the Joint Security Area, a patch of land within one of the largest no-man's-land on Earth, known as the demilitarized zone. The DMZ was created after the signing of the armistice at that brought an end to the Korean War in 1953, to serve as a buffer zone between the two states. Roughly 160 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, the DMZ splits the Korean Peninsula from east to west.

Soldiers looking to tour the DMZ can sign up through their local Community Activities Center. The tour starts in the morning with a bus ride to Camp Bonifas on the southern edge of the DMZ. There visitors are briefed on procedures for the tour and given a background on the Joint Security Area by Soldiers from the United Nations Command Security Battalion.

Visitors are taken from there by a United Nations bus to the Joint Security area, famous for its blue conference buildings and the presence of Soldiers from both Koreas separated by a thin concrete line marking the border.

Sgt. 1st Class Israel Herrera, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, toured the DMZ as part of his job as a career counselor, but also for personal reasons.

"I've been reading a lot about Korea and its history," said Herrera. "It puts everything in perspective once you get to see it face-to-face."

Soldiers on the tour have an opportunity to go inside the UNCMAC conference building where the center table straddles the line between the two countries.

"My favorite part of the tour was stepping foot and hanging out in North Korea for a couple of minutes," said 2nd Lt. Tyler Laufer, Co. D, 2nd Battalion 12th Cavalry Regiment. "It seemed tense with a level of professionalism on both sides and seeing the Soldiers staring at each other without movement or facial expressions was impressive."

The tour also includes the "Bridge of No Return," and a trip to the Dorasan Observatory near the "Third Tunnel of Aggression." While most Soldiers in Korea want to tour the DMZ because of its uniqueness and historical significance, Ironhorse Soldiers are also taking advantage of the opportunity to reenlist there.

Master Sgt. Stacey Coleman, career counselor, 1st ABCT, said that Soldiers reenlisted at the DMZ on April 9th and explained the opportunities and limitations available to Soldiers looking to do so in the upcoming months.

Soldiers will be allowed to reenlist inside the Freedom House at the JSA, but can not take photos of the ceremony, he said. After the ceremony, reenlistees can take photos outside the building and can enter the blue conference building.

Coleman has conducted reenlistments across the world, to include war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is excited about the latest opportunity for Soldiers.

"Every reenlistment ceremony in a foreign land is special for the Soldier and his or her family, and can be shared instantly around the world," said Coleman. "Conducting reenlistment ceremonies for 1ABCT Soldiers less than 500 meters from the North Korean border symbolizes Freedom and our patriotic duty."
CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea - Eighth Army will send more than 100 personnel to U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys near Pyeongtaek this summer to establish a forward headquarters element for its headquarters relocation next year under the Yongsan Relocation Plan and the Land Partnership Plan.

The consolidation of U.S. forces at two enduring hubs south of Seoul has been taking shape for more than a decade and this summer's move marks a major milestone in the historic re-stationing of the U.S. military communities here in South Korea.

In preparation for the move the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Far East District has been hard at work turning what was once known as Pyeongtaek Airfield during the Korean War into a modern Army garrison with all of the amenities of a flagship installation back in the states.

Among the list of responsibilities the forward cell will perform once they arrive at Camp Humphreys includes establishing relationships with civic leaders in Pyeongtaek, overseeing the final aspects of the construction process, maintaining rear-area operation situational awareness, serving as a mission command node for noncombatant evacuation operation coordination, and overseeing reception, staging, onward movement and integration activities. The cell will continue to grow leading up to the relocation of the main body of Eighth Army personnel next year and take on more responsibility as additional personnel arrive.

While several smaller subordinate units have already made the transition, this will mark the first time Soldiers from Eighth Army Headquarters will move. As this first group settles in, the Transformation and Relocation website will stay up-to-date on what to expect and important things that you and your family should know to better prepare for the move.
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- As part of U.S. Pacific Commands first iteration of the Air Contingent in the Philippines, four U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft and two HH-60G Pave Hawks flew a final mission April 28 in international waters west of the Philippines.

The aircraft, staged out of Clark Air Base, Philippines, conducted air and maritime domain awareness missions for the past two weeks, to provide greater transparency in international waters and airspace.

This represents a significant milestone in our efforts to strengthen our regional presence, enhance partnerships and ensure security while laying the groundwork for all future joint air contingent deployments, said General Lori Robinson, Pacific Air Forces Commander and U.S. Pacific Commands Theater Joint Forces Air Component Commander. We sincerely thank our Philippine partners for providing this exceptional opportunity to strengthen our interoperability.

Throughout their time here, the A-10s flew four missions in international waters and international airspace increasing air and maritime domain awareness while promoting regional stability and security.

Hosting the U.S. Pacific Command Air Contingent was very beneficial to both our forces as it affords us the opportunity to work alongside one another, said Major General Del Rosario, 1st Air Division Commander, Philippine Air Force (PAF). We look forward to future Air Contingents with more opportunities to train with our counterparts through Mutual Defense Board/Strategic Engagement Board events.

As part of the Air Contingent at Clark, pararescuemen from the 33rd Rescue Squadron deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan, also conducted subject matter expert exchanges with Philippine Air Force pararescuemen, pilots and flight engineers, discussing combat search and rescue tactics and procedures. Training opportunities, afforded because of the Air Contingents presence, foster stronger relationships with Philippine counterparts, as well as help respective forces become increasingly interoperable and capable.

Information sharing is key to both our air forces success; we are able to share best practices and experiences to make our operations more successful, said Del Rosario. This contingent gives us the opportunity to strengthen our collaboration and partnership with our U.S. counterparts.

The PAF aircrews also flew aboard the HH-60s affording them an opportunity to familiarize themselves with a U.S. airframe in the event they would need work together during humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations.

In addition to the missions, the A-10s flew 24 training sorties and conducted personnel recovery training in collaboration with the HH-60s. This improves the interoperability between the two aircrafts crews and ensures the pilots are qualified to conduct rescue operations. Training in the airspace over the Philippines allows the pilots of both airframes more freedom of maneuverability and more versatile terrain to practice than normally available at ranges in the United States.

Im so proud of the professionalism all the individuals have shown. We told our Airmen from the beginning this is different  your job is simply to fly and observe, but its an extremely important mission, said Col Larry Card, the Air Contingent Commander.

The missions conducted here that provided maritime domain situational awareness were unlike any the aircrews had flown before, and are vital in ensuring freedom of access to the air and maritime domains in accordance with international law.

These men and women stepped right up to the plate, were excited about the mission and determined the best way to go about it. Im extremely impressed with this team; we have the best Airmen and it shows everyday, Card said.

The Air Contingents continued presence and missions reaffirm both nations commitment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

The A-10s departed the Philippines on April 30, and will be replaced by the second Air Contingent iteration at a later date.
In first-of-its-kind training in the peninsula, special forces Soldiers from South Korea trained with U.S. Soldiers to direct fire from U.S. and NATO aircraft, artillery, and naval vessels from April 18 -28.

Soldiers in the course also learned to provide close air support targeting information to joint terminal attack controllers or forward airborne controllers; how to talk directly to pilots; and autonomous terminal guidance operations providing targeting information to pilots.

The training, hosted by Soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team "Ironhorse," 1st Cavalry Division; and taught by instructors from the 428th Field Artillery Brigade, Fires Center of Excellence, from Fort Sill, Oklahoma, was three years in the making.

"We've been waiting for and preparing for this program for three years, and we finally got it," said Capt. Jong jin Kim, Republic of Korea Army's Special Warfare Training Group. "Because if we have a war in the future we need to be able to combine our live fire, so that's why we're here."

Part of the delay to get into the program was hashing out a Memorandum of Agreement, required for all countries participating.

"The official 2016 Joint Fires Memorandum of Agreement is about to be released, it's just waiting on a few signatures, and new to that will be the Republic of Korea," said Therese Glover, JFO course manager from 428th FA.

ROK Soldiers spent 16 days learning the procedures and techniques to direct fire alongside 11 Soldiers from Ironhorse brigade, two Soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division, three Soldiers from the 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade, and one Soldier from Eighth Army.

The standardized instruction included a classroom portion with simulators. During the course there were six exams, and a final all-inclusive 'check ride' exam, said Glover. All Soldiers in the class, regardless of country, must be able to speak English as part of JFO requirements.

"That's the neat thing about having a memorandum of agreement - it doesn't matter if you go to the Marines, to Germany, or if you go to Australia - they all are in accordance with the MOA," said Glover. "So your training is the same as you got at Fort Sill, same as New Zealand, or the same as the Marines."

During the class, the ROKA students interacted and learned alongside Ironhorse Soldiers. This interaction has helped both students get through the difficult course.

"I speak a little Korean, so the ROKA master sergeant and I are able to interact," said Sgt. Lafond Freeman, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st ABCT.

"Something might happen and I'll tell him a Korean word for it to help him understand.

The intensity from the ROK students helped encourage Ironhorse Soldiers as well.

"Master sergeant pumps me up, seeing him committed to the program - it just makes me want to go as hard as I can," said Freeman.

By the end, seven ROKA students graduated the course, alongside 10 students from Ironhorse brigade. The honor graduate for the course was Republic of Korea Army Capt. Bum Seok Lee from the Special Warfare Training Group, Special Warfare Command.

"It's an amazing experience; I appreciate all the help," said Lee. "I hope we have more after this. The schedule was very tight, with evaluations every day, it was a difficult course."

The course improves interoperability between the US and South Korea.

"You are our link to that joint war fighting capability, whether it be surface to surface, working with the Air Force, or working with the Navy," said Lt. Col. Douglas Hayes commander, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st ABCT, speaking to Soldiers at the course graduation ceremony.
CAMP ZAMA, Japan (May 9, 2016)  Soldiers from U.S. Army Medical Activity-Japan conducted joint, tactical combat casualty care training with Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members April 28 at Camp Zamas Dewey Park.

Capt. James Primm, deputy chief information officer assigned to MEDDAC-Japan, said the purpose of the event was to share and practice combat first aid skills between MEDDAC-Japan and JGSDF units to improve medical care skills and strengthen both nations cooperation.

Today we had a bi-lateral exercise event with the JGSDF (members) and the MEDDAC Japan Soldiers, and we were going over the TC3, which is incorporating medical treatments into a tactical environment, said Sgt. Daniel Galvez, health care specialist assigned to MEDDAC-Japan.

The training was conducted in medical lanes, which covered three phases of casualty care training and incorporated the medical interventions and equipment used by Soldiers  providing JGSDF an opportunity to get a better understanding of how we employ medical treatments in a tactical scenario, said Galvez.

Although it was raining, the training continued as scheduled.

Spc. Mathew Jansen, medical logistics specialist assigned to MEDDAC-J, said the biggest challenge besides being wet all the time was how slippery the area was, especially when going down the hill during the first phase.

Jansen said this was his first time participating and his main role was providing security and helping transport the casualty.

I think even though language was a problem there for a little bit, we actually did pretty well without too many difficulties at all, he said. Leading Pvt. Shinpei Mimura, JGSDF member from a countermeasure medical unit of the Central Readiness Force, said the training was really good and helpful.

There were some difficulties for sure, but interpreters were there for us to translate each time by gestures, he said.

Some JGSDF members came from locations beyond Camp Zama.

We are here from Camp Narashino just for this training, said 2nd Lt. Yutaka Taniguchi, JGSDF 1st Airborne Brigade. We did the same training before, but this time, we learned some new things, said Taniguchi.

Sgt. Daniel Galvez said this training is held roughly twice a year and hopes it will continue in the future.

I truly hope that the JGSDF got a better, more in-depth understanding on how we approach medical treatments in a tactical environment, he said.
Bloomington-Normal

Nature, concrete and abstract; through May 20, Jan Brandt Gallery, 1106 W. Bell St., Bloomington; paintings by Phil Smith; viewing by appointment at janbrandtgallery@gmail.com.

Three Visions  Patterns-Shadows-Nature; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., May 6-28, Eaton Gallery, 411 N. Center St., Bloomington; photography by Mary Jo Adams, Ken Chiu amd Ken Kashian.

ISU University Galleries; noon-4 p.m. Mon., 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Uptown Station, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal; rotating exhibits in three galleries; free; 309-438-8321.

2016 ISU Student Annual; through May 8, ISU University Galleries, see above; juried show open to all ISU students.

IWU Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; school hours, noon-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 7-9 p.m. Tue.; 302 E. Graham St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits; free; 309-556-3391.

Richard Hull; through May 27, IWU Merwin Gallery, see above; paintings and drawings.

Tolerance of the Unexpected; through May 27, IWU Wakeley Gallery; mixed-media works.

McLean County Arts Center; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-4 p.m. Sat.; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; rotating exhibits, sales, rentals, art classes and lectures; free; 309-829-0011.

Bravo Charlie Alpha; through June 11, McLean County Arts Center, see above; paintings by Kevin Goodrich.

Emerging Illinois Artists 2016; through June 11, McLean County Arts Center, see above; juried show of 34 works by 20 Illinois university MFA students.

The Lay of the Land; through June 10, McLean County Arts Center, see above; paintings by Tony Rio.

McLean County Museum of History; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Tue.), 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits; adults $5, seniors $4, students, children under 12 and members free; 309-827-0428.

Challenges, Choices and Change: Making a Home; McLean County Museum of History, see above; new permanent exhibit exploring experiences of people from around the world who made McLean County their home.

Mary Jungels-Goodyear; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun., through May 31, Normal Public Library Art Gallery, 206 W. College Ave., Normal; prints; 309-452-1757.

Prairie Aviation Museum; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun., 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; permanent and rotating exhibits and displays with aerial history themes; adults $5, ages 6-11 $3, 5 and under free; 309-663-7632.

Central Illinois

U of I Krannert Art Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. (until 9 p.m. Thu. during fall and spring semesters), 2-5 p.m. Sun., 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; paintings, porcelain, historical artifacts, traveling art exhibits; $3 donation suggested; 217-333-1861.

Spheres of Influence: African Vessels from the KAM Collection; through May 15, Krannert Art Museum, see above; 24 ceramic pots from regions across Africa.

Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sun. of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; Amity Township Museum; 1-3 p.m. first Sun. of month or by appointment, 510 Main St., Cornell; displays and artifacts relating to history of Cornell and Amity Township; free; 815-358-2973.

Eureka College Burgess Hall Art Gallery; 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays and by appointment on weekends, third floor of Burgess Hall, Eureka College, Eureka; rotating exhibits; free; 309-467-6866.

Simpkins Military History Museum; 1-5 p.m. Tue., Thu., Sat., or by appointment; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; permanent and rotating military history exhibits; free (donations accepted); 309-473-3989.

The Vietnam War 50th Anniversary; through Nov. 30, Simpkins Military History Museum, see above.

Dickson Mounds Museum; 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; displays, special exhibits; free; 309-547-3721.

Lincoln Heritage Museum; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat., Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; Lincoln-era items, audio-visual displays, tours, exhibits, more; adults $7, children/tours $4; 217-735-7399.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water, Peoria; rotating exhibits in two galleries; free; 309-674-6822.

LJ Douglas: Animations and Works on Paper; through June 17, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above. Reception, 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 14.

Our Enchanted Earth; May 13-June 24, Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, see above; sculptures by Nikole Cooney. Reception, 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 14.

Peoria Art Guild; Foster Arts Center, Harrison and Washington streets, Peoria; rotating exhibits, gift shop; free; 309-637-2787.

Peoria Riverfront Museum; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Wed. and Sat., 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thu.-Fri., noon-5 p.m. Sun., downtown riverfront Peoria; permanent and rotating exhibits, planetarium shows, Giant Screen Theater and events; $8-$11; 309-686-7000.

Figures of Strength: Artworks by Sculptor Nita Sunderland; through July 10, Peoria Riverfront Museum, see above; 30 works by Peoria artist, including sculptures, prints, drawings and a painting.

American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition; through May 30, Peoria Riverfront Museum, see above; touring exhibit featuring 100 Prohibition-era artifacts; $3 in addition to regular museum admission.

Museum of the Gilding Arts; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., April-Oct., and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sun., Nov.-March, 217 N. Mill St., Pontiac; displays, history and hands-on exhibits dedicated to the art of gilding and gold beating; free (donations welcome); 815-842-1848.

Pontiac Community Art Center; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat.-Sun., 103 W. Madison St., Pontiac; rotating exhibits; 815-844-5831.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun., 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; Lincoln-themed exhibits, historical displays, special events, more; adults $12, seniors and students $9, ages 5-15 $5, under 5 free; 217-558-8844.

Unfinished Work: The Taper Collection in the Limelight; through May 15, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, see above; new items from Lincoln-themed collection.
BLOOMINGTON  Periods of showers and thunderstorms are possible through Wednesday and some could be strong to severe, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

Mondays high should be around 71 degrees with showers and thunderstorms likely after 4 p.m., according to meteorologists with the NWS. The chance of rain on Monday is 60 percent.

On Tuesday, showers and thunderstorms are likely, with a high near 75 degrees. The chance of rain is 70 percent.

On Wednesday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain with a high near 83 degrees. There is another chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday night.

Thursday will be dry with a high near 70 degrees.

It will be a little cooler on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fridays high will be near 67 degrees and on Saturday and Sunday, the high temperatures are only expected to be around 60 degrees. There is a slight chance of rain on Friday.

On May 9, 1995, severe weather struck central Illinois, with numerous reports of hail and tornadoes. The strongest tornado originated northwest of Springfield around 5 p.m., moving northeast. It affected areas along the Menard/Sangamon County border, especially the small town of Cantrall. The tornado then moved into southern Logan County through the town of Elkhart. The tornado was on the ground for 40 miles, finally lifting in eastern Logan County, about five miles northeast of Beason. Six people were injured by these tornadoes, with damage estimated around $10 million.

Severe thunderstorms also produced two strong tornadoes in northwest parts of Illinois, each of which traveled over 40 miles.
British boxer Amir Khan landed on the canvas during the sixth round of his bout on Saturday night giving Canelo Alvarez his much-deserved win via knockout. Canelo Alvarez is now eyeing to fight Gennady Golovkin next.

A powerful right hand to the chin ended Amir Khan's plan to go up against the big guys in his upcoming fights. ESPN said Canelo Alvarez struggled with the movement and speed of his opponent but he made sure that his punches landed.

The brutal knockout happened in front of more than 16,000 people gathered inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight also made Canelo Alvarez retain his middleweight title after grabbing it from Miguel Cotto six months ago.

"Like I said from the beginning, I knew he was very fast and knew it would be competitive in the beginning," Canelo Alvarez mentioned in the ESPN report. "But I knew time would come to my favor, and you saw that.

Im okay everyone. Thats boxing for you, congrats to @Canelo monster punch, much love to all the fans! #CaneloKhan pic.twitter.com/oQcqZQrsLl  Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) May 8, 2016

The favored winner added that people only saw his power, but did not consider that he still has other skills inside the ring. "I like to surprise everyone," Canelo Alvarez said.

BBC said Amir Khan got knocked out because he lost concentration for a second during the sixth round. It noted that he was ahead by points against Canelo Alvarez because of his technique, but all these ended with a single power punch.

Gennady Golovkin expressed on his Twitter account that he was ready to face Canelo Alvarez after winning against Amir Khan. "Big respect to all fighters tonight. I am ready, @Canelo. #CaneloKhan," the middleweight titleholder noted.

What did you think about the Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan fight? Are you ready for a match between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin? Sound off in the comments below!
During the graduation commencement ceremony of Howard University on Saturday, U.S. President Barack Obama advised African-American students to be proud of their heritage. The POTUS also encouraged them to exercise their right of suffrage.

According to NPR, Obama tagged the university as the "centerpiece" of the black American's intellectual life. President Barack Obama explained that Howard University is a big part of the story of their race in the United States.

"Be confident in your heritage. Be confident in your blackness," Barack Obama told the graduates. "There's no one way to be black. Take it from somebody who's seen both sides of the debate about whether I'm black enough."

President Obama further explained to the students that the status of African-Americans in the society has changed for the better since the time he graduated from college. Obama, however, stressed that there is still a lot that needs to be done especially in terms of justice and employment.

Obama gives commencement speech at Howard Universityand says that Beyonce runs the world https://t.co/Pbxr44eSnS  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 7, 2016

Washington Post said Barack Obama denied that his presidency was the reason why the U.S. is a better nation for black Americans. "No, my election did not create a post-racial society. I don't know who was propagating that notion, but that was not mine."

It was also noted in the same report that the students at Howard warmly welcomed President Barack Obama and even cheered him to stay as president for four more years. Obama is expected to speak in two more commencement ceremonies at the Rutgers University in New Jersey and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

The message of his speech, as per Washington Post, is not really about leaving a legacy, but rather, continuing to push the agenda of his administration until a next president runs the country in January. President Barack Obama is, however, aware that a Congress dominated by Republicans may not enact "significant" laws during an election year.
A controversial Danish religious group is claiming that autism is not just a mere neurodevelopmental disorder. Its members believe that autism is caused by demons.

The Last Reformation, a controversial evangelical Christian group that originated from Denmark, has been staging various healing sessions to help people recover from various conditions, including autism. The group's members claimed that they were able to drive demons out of people with autism.

The Danish Religious Group's Beliefs About The Link Between Demons And Autism

Torben Sondergaard, founder of The Last Reformation, narrated to The Local how he was able to cast a demon out of 9-year-old Australian girl with autism. "She was with her mother and we all prayed and the demon was cast out and she was happy and the mother was happy," he recalled.

Sondergaard, however, clarified that The Last Reformation does not offer cure to autism. He explained that they are only teaching people how to pray so that they may be able to cast demons and heal diseases just like what Jesus did.

Sondergaard also emphasized that the The Last Reformation is not a church or a cult. He affirmed that it is a religious movement with members who chose to detach from the church to live a life with Christ.

Autism Campaigners Are Offended By The Danish Religious Group's Claims

The Danish religious group has been heavily criticized for promoting that people with autism are possessed with demons. The group, which is currently in Spain conducting "spirituality seminars," was welcomed with protests by autism campaigners who found its claims offensive.

Fiona O'Leary, a member of the group Autistic Rights Together and a mother of two children with autism, called the group's claims "dangerous." She said that the group is terrifying vulnerable people and children with autism by conditioning their minds that they are possessed with demons.

"They seem to target vulnerable people," O'Leary stated. "It is truly horrendous what this group is doing."

Do you believe with the Danish religious group's claims that people with autism are possessed with demons? Share your thoughts below.
Canadian authorities reported a massive and dangerous wildfire has scorched the province of Alberta on Saturday. According to the reports, the size of the Alberta wildfire may double in size and reach the neighboring province of Saskatchewan.

Unpredictable And Dangerous Alberta Wildfire

According to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, the Alberta wildfire remains dangerous and unpredictable, noting the province has been "tinder dry." Goodale also added the devastating blaze has forced mass evacuation of almost 90,000 people and burned almost 1,600 structures while sending plumes of smoke to as far as Iowa, CNN notes.

Alberta Wildfire Under Control?

With the massive and destructive wildfire, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said there's no way to tame a fire that is almost the size of Hong Kong (estimated at 156,000 hectares or 385,000 acres). She also noted the fact that the hot and dry conditions plus volatile winds and heavy plumes of smoke have challenged authorities to put out the fires.

"In no way is this fire under control," Notley said on Saturday, as per The Guardian. "The weather today is going to be significantly worse for fighting fires. Officials tell us the fire may double in size in the forested areas today. As well, it may actually reach the Saskatchewan border."

Alberta Wildfire Damages Entire Neighborhoods, Halts Oil Sands Operations

The conditions of the Alberta wildfire remains extreme, scorching entire neighborhoods. Powers grids are also damages while the water is not safe for drinking. Fortunately, no deaths or injuries have been reported, BBC News reveals.

The Alberta wildfire, however, has shut down Canada's oil sands operations including Syncrude and Suncor Energy oil sands. The temporary cessation of operations is igniting concerns about its effect on the Canadian economy since the region has the world's third-largest oil reserves.

Heavy Rains Needed To Put Out Massive Alberta Wildfire

Due to the hot, dry and windy weather conditions, Alberta's manager of wildfire prevention Chad Morrison said heavy rainfalls are needed to thwart the massive Alberta wildfire. But he's hopeful much cooler temperatures are expected Sunday and next week, New York Daily News learns.

"We need heavy rain for sure, the showers won't be enough," Morrison said. "Unless we have a significant rain event of 100mm of rain, we expect to be fighting the fires in the forested areas for months to come."

Alberta Wildfire Response And Reinforcements

The government's response to the Alberta wildfire has been reportedly huge. Authorities said more than 500 firefighters are battling the blaze around Fort McMurray.

Hundreds of firefighters were also assisted by 15 helicopters and 14 air tankers. While more than 1,400 firefighters and 133 helicopters have been deployed to put out the fires across the province.

Meanwhile, officials said the Alberta wildfire moved in a northeast direction and could reach the Saskatchewan border by the end of Saturday.

Do you think the Alberta wildfire will be contained soon? Share your thoughts below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
"The Bachelor" 2016 couple Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell has allegedly called their engagement off. A recent report claims that the couple from the ABC reality series is having countless disagreements over their life in Denver. Is it the end for Bushnell and Higgins?

"The Bachelor" Season 20 Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell are rumored to be facing problems in their relationship. A report from Life & Style Magazine claims that Higgins and Bushnell's issues have started to take its toll on their relationship, reports Celeb Dirty Laundry.

Bushnell was reportedly the one who called the wedding off because she is no longer enjoying her life in Denver. Bushnell is hoping that Higgins would instead choose to move to Los Angeles with her.

"Lauren has been complaining to friends about how unhappy she is and how she has no purpose in Denver. She can't see herself living there permanently so Lauren has called off the wedding until Ben agrees to move to LA," said an insider.

The insider added that "The Bachelor" 2016 Higgins is starting to doubt his feelings for Bushnell. Higgins has reportedly asked Bushnell to look for a job several times, but the latter insists on staying at home all day.

This report, however, appears to be nothing but a rumor. An earlier interview with Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell with ABC News after "The Bachelor" Season 20 finale revealed that the 25-year-old flight attendant was very open to moving to Denver.

"I moved to Los Angeles, just wanting something new. It was never anything permanent in my mind," she said. "The minute it came up and Ben owning a home there, just kind of wanting like a fresh start! And I was ready."

Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell also made it clear that they would like to get married before the end of 2016 or in early 2017. "The Bachelor" 2016 couple also admitted to being open to having their wedding televised on ABC.
Song Joong Ki recently visited Thailand for the second leg of his Asian tour. During the fan meeting, the 30-year-old actor participated in a Q&A, which ultimately revealed some interesting facts about the "Descendants of the Sun" actor. Here are 5 facts you need to know about Song Joong Ki from his Thailand fan meeting:

1. Song Joong Ki Is Not A Romantic Person

Song Joong Ki admitted during his fan meeting in Thailand that he is not as romantic as his character in "Descendants of the Sun," Capt. Yoo Shi Jin. According to the Korean actor, he cannot win over Yoo Shi Jin, whom he described as "super romantic."

2. Song Joong Ki Is Willing To Wait When It Comes To Love

Joong Ki also shared to his Thai fans that while he is not as romantic as Yoo Shi Jin, he is willing to wait for a woman he is in love with. The "Innocent Man" actor was asked if he would still pursue a relationship with a girl he likes if he would be turned down countless times the same way Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) did to his character in "DOTS."

"If she is the woman that I'm truly in love with," Song Joong Ki explained, according to SJKTimes. "I will always be waiting."

3. Song Joong Ki Still Wants To Improve Himself

While Song Joong Ki often gives the impression of being "perfect," the Korean actor admitted that he still wants to improve something about himself. Joong Ki said that he hopes to become as tall as his best friend, Lee Kwang-soo.

4. Song Joong Ki On Doing Love Scenes

Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo's chemistry has captivated the hearts and minds of thousands of fans across the globe. When asked if he had a hard time doing love scenes with his "DOTS" co-star, Joong Ki shared that he found it easier to film love scenes than action scenes because of Song Hye Kyo.

5. Song Joong Ki Is Open To Dating Someone Older Than Him

Song Joong Ki also admitted that he is open to dating someone older than him. This made a lot of fans excited, especially because Song Hye Kyo is four years older than the Korean actor.

Song Joong Ki also participated in a lie detector test during his fan meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. In a translated post on Instagram, Joong Ki reportedly admitted that he cries easily. He also admitted that he thinks he deserves to be called "The Nation's Husband" and that he is charismatic when he laughs, but the lie detector rang twice.

Song Joong Ki also sang his version of "Always" from the "Descendants of the Sun" OST. He also re-enacted some of the popular scenes of the KBS drama with lucky fans.
An 18-year-old boy in London suffered an unusual injury after playing paintball. Hospital workers thought he had appendicitis, but it turned out to be liver damage. Doctors are now warning kids and their parents about the dangers of playing paintball.

In August, the teenager, whose identity was not divulged, was rushed to the emergency room at the North Middlesex University Hospital as he manifested fever and abdominal pains. Dr. Joshua Luck was the attending surgeon for the kid's operation. But when his team cut him open, they saw that this appendix was okay. However, his liver was bursting blood. They were able to stop the bleeding and save the boy. Their findings were published in the BMJ Case Report.

Teenager Playing Paintball Had No Bruises

After the teen's operation, doctors learned that he had been playing paintball days before and was hit twice in the abdomen. He had no bruises around the area and didn't experience any pain until a few days later. Luck told Live Science that in some cases, trauma can arise from "seemingly innocuous events." It could also be accompanied by fever.

The teen was sent home after the operation, believing he was in the clear. However, he was back in the hospital three weeks later. Blood was pooling around his liver, which had doctors worried as he might have injured this again. But tests showed there was no other damage and the liver was functioning normally. His liver was also slowly absorbing the blood as a way of healing, but some livers can heal faster.

Splat! Paintball Blow Causes Liver Damage in Teen https://t.co/ygFgpQ4UPk  Live Science (@LiveScience) May 5, 2016

Paintball Liver Damage, Other Organ Damage

"This represents the first report of paintball related traumatic liver injury," the doctor said, per CBS News. But this is not the first time paintball has damaged organs. Previous injuries to the kidneys and scrotum have been reported before, according to the doctors in their report. This could be attributed to the speed of the paintball gun fires.

"Pellets with muzzle velocities of 100-300 feet per second are potentially harmful to ocular structures and also to the intra-abdominal solid organs," said the doctors, via ABC News. "Participants and physicians must both be aware of the possible dangers associated with this recreational sport."
A University of Pennsylvania professor was suspected to be a terrorist after he was seen solving a Math equation while waiting for his American Airlines flight. Another passenger reportedly interpreted the symbols used in the equation as Arabic characters or Islamic code.

USA Today said economist Guido Menzio was asked for questioning because of the equation he jotted down while he waited in a Philadelphia airport for a plane bound to Syracuse. It was noted that the professor was working on the Math equation needed for a paper at Queen's University.

The incident reportedly caused a two-hour delay on the flight which usually only takes 41 minutes. Menzio was also profiled to verify if he was indeed a terrorist or not.

According to Washington Post, a woman who sat beside the professor inside the plane and saw his notes called the attention of a flight attendant about the scribbles the latter was making. It explained that the witness pretended she was sick and was asked to disembark from the pane. The professor followed her shortly after he was personally approached by the pilot of the plane.

What's scarier; a terrorist or an economic theorist?

Apparently, some can't tell the difference.

Welcome to 2016.https://t.co/Bbi0pTDiOQ  Tom Skladzien (@trsklad) May 9, 2016

However, when authorities told him that the woman suspected him as a terrorist, he just let out a laugh. Menzio explained that he was not writing Arabic characters or a terrorist code but was solving a "differential equation.

"I thought they were trying to get clues about her illness," the professor told USA Today in an email. "Instead, they tell me that the woman was concerned that I was a terrorist because I was writing strange things on a pad of paper."

Menzio also noted that he was treated with respect by airlines and airport personnel. He, however, claimed that there was certainly lack of communication during the incident. "Not seeking additional information after reports of 'suspicious activity' ... is going to create a lot of problems, especially as xenophobic attitudes may be emerging," he added.
Several fans were devastated when the "Attack on Titan" series finally came to a close. Now, the hype for the upcoming "Attack on Titan" Season 2 is cresting once again as reports about its production have been surfacing like wildfire.

'Attack on Titan' Season 2 production underway

Recent reports are claiming that the production for the upcoming "Attack on Titan" Season 2 is now underway. Expected to cover "Clash of the Titans" and "Uprising Acres," te "Attack on Titan" Season 2 is said to be released anytime in 2016.

Despite the fact that Wit Studios has not released any official statement regarding the arrival of "Attack on Titan" Season 2, a Twitter post of Shonen_lord unveiled the lineup projects of the anime producer. The said tweet indicated that "Attack on Titan" Season 2 is up and coming!

Rumor mills are spreading that prioritizing the "Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress" is one of the reasons why "Attack on Titan" Season 2 has been delayed. Though fans were kind of disappointed upon learning that the second installment of the manga series is not on top priority, several are still positive that "Attack on Titan 2" will be released very soon.

Creators to follow original story in 'Attack on Titan' Season 2

While the air date of the much-awaited series remains unknown as of yet, rumor has it that "Attack on Titan" Season 2 is not going to be a sequel of its first installment. News are saying that creators of the "Attack on Titan" Season 2 are planning to follow a plotline with a different story to give something new to its audience.

However, quite some reports also say that "Attack on Titan" Season 2 will cover some incidents in the "Clash of the Titans" and "Uprising Arcs" chapters. Though nothing is confirmed until now, fans are hoping "Attack on Titan" Season 2 to have the same length as the first season.

Do you think "Attack on Titan" Season 2 is set to include the "Clash of the Titans" and "Uprising Arcs" chapters? What are the things you expect to happen in the upcoming "Attack on Titan" Season 2"? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.
Kate Middleton and Prince William have been plagued with several nasty rumors ever since they confirmed that they are officially a couple. Now, new reports are claiming that a divorce is impending as Prince William escapes Kate Middleton's family to party with Prince Harry at Invictis Games.

Prince William uses Invictis Games 2016 to escape from Kate Middleton's family

Rumor has it that Prince William is using the Invictis Games to escape from the commoner family of Kate Middleton. So, instead of celebrating the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's fifth wedding anniversary and Prince Charlotte's first birthday, the big brother of Prince William chooses to attend the Invictis Games in Toronto, Canada.

Several fans have speculated that Prince William is only using the Invictis Games 2016 so he will not be able to meet the commoner family of Kate Middleton. Reports claim that Prince William cannot take Carole Middleton anymore and he has reached his limit.

Aside from not wanting to celebrate his anniversary with Kate Middleton and Prince Charlotte's first birthday, Prince William is also excited to go to Invictis Games to party with brother Prince Harry. Toronto is known to be the largest city in Canada, which means that both Prince William and Prince Harry could have a chance to hook up with girls there.

As a matter of fact, Prince Harry has already jetted off to Toronto, Canada this week to announce that the city is the official venue for the Invictis Games 2016. Prince William will then follow his younger brother after attending to some prior commitments, leaving Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte behind.

Kate Middleton, Prince William divorcing very soon

Though they look extremely sweet with each other in front of the cameras, what people do not know is that Kate Middleton and Prince William are considering to have a divorce. Palace insiders say that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have already fallen out of love after having no enough time for their family.

Both Kate Middleton and Prince William have been very busy doing royal responsibilities, which prohibits them to do the usual husband and wife bonding. Aside from that, Prince William's cheating shenanigans has also contributed to the impending divorce as Kate Middleton thinks she does not deserve to be used.

Sources even revealed that Prince William does not think that Kate Middleton is fit to be the next queen because of her commoner ways. Up until now, Kate Middleton and Prince William have remained silent about the issues being thrown at them.

Do you think Prince William is using the Invictis Games 2016 to escape from Kate Middleton and her commoner family? Do you think Kate Middleton and Prince William will head to a divorce very soon? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.
"Kingdom Hearts" fans have been waiting for the third iteration of their favorite game. Unfortunately, Square Enix is very secretive when it comes to their progress for "Kingdom Hearts 3." However, according to news reports, new details of "KH3" will be unveiled at E3.

'Kingdom Hearts 3' Details To Be Unveiled At E3

GamingBolt reported that fans would soon learn more updates about "Kingdom Hearts 3" next month. Hironori Okayama, producer of "Kingdom Hearts Unchained X" revealed that "Kingdom Hearts 3" would be present at the upcoming E3. This suggests that fans are only a month away from learning "KH3's" progress.

There are rumors that one of the revelations would be the release date of "Kingdom Hearts 3." Is Square Enix prepping fans for the arrival of "KH3?"

Square Enix To Announce 'Kingdom Hearts 3's' Release Date Soon

Parent Herald previously reported that "Kingdom Hearts 3" is delayed. Many believed that the delay was due to "Final Fantasy 15." The latter is slated for release late this year and releasing "KH3" along with it will only confuse gamers and divide the playing community.

Although "Kingdom Hearts 3" will be delayed, fans need not wonder when the title will be available. According to the Bitbag, Square Enix is set to announce the release date of "KH3" soon. Polygon reported that new details of "Kingdom Hearts 3" would be unveiled in the Kingdom Hearts Concert Tour, which will premiere exclusively in Japan.

The first "Kingdom Hearts" Concert dubbed as "First Breath" will open in Tokyo, Aichi and Osaka in August. Per the report, the upcoming "Kingdom Hearts" events would be a great opportunity to look forward to new details about "Kingdom Hearts 3."

For those who are on the other side of the world but still want to enjoy the "Kingdom Hearts" Concert without going to Japan, you still have a chance. Square Enix will also hold a "Kingdom Hearts Orchestra - World Tour" for international fans. It is set to visit London, Los Angeles and New York.

For those interested, here's the "Kingdom Hearts" Concert schedule:

March 10, 2017: Tokyo, Japan (Tokyo International Forum A)

March 18-19: Paris, France (Salle Pleyel)

March 24-25: London, England (Central Hall Westminster)

May 6-7: Singapore (Esplanade Concert Hall)

May 28: Shanghai, China (Mercedes Benz Arena)

June 10, June 14: Los Angeles, California (Dolby Theatre)

June 24: New York, New York (United Palace Theatre)

Are you excited to learn the new details about "Kingdom Hearts 3?" Are you happy about the "Kingdom Hearts" Concert? When do you think will Square Enix released "KH3?" Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Shawano, Wisconsin is charging parents a find if their child is the one who does the bullying. The city council in Shawano passed an ordinance this month against any bullying or harassment.

Parents will first be notified of their child's inappropriate behavior and will be given 90 days to address the issue. Upon the second warning, parents will be issued a $366 fine for the offense. A second offense would result in a fine of almost $700, according to Huffington Post.

It is specifically a bullying ordinance and harassment ordinance that does not allow that kind of behavior, according to Mark Kohl, chief of police in Shawano. The ordinance clearly defined bullying as any behavior that involves the intent to intimate, threaten, slander or emotionally abuse another child. The type of harassment can be in any physical, verbal or written form.

Kohl reiterates though that law enforcement officers will not target playground-type of kid talk, but rather more serious incidents that have a clear effect on the victim. The ordinance, however, is for off-school grounds that happen outside school hours. Schools have their own policies and procedures that law enforcement officers cannot enforce and get involved with.

The new ordinance has garnered plenty of media attention generating both favorable and critical responses. Kohl says that the response has been 99.9 percent positive as police agencies both within and outside the estate have been interested in implementing the same idea in their city.

One benefit of the new ordinance is it will force parents to not ignore their child's bullying, according to Dr. Steven Meyers, a psychology professor from Roosevelt University. The intent is to solicit help from the parents and work in partnership with them, according to Meyers.

In addition, the ordinance potentially forces parents to confront their kids about bullying if it is indeed a problem. On the other hand, critics of the ordinance claim that accumulated fines may increase stress and conflict at home for families who cannot afford to pay them.

Bullying is considered a public health problem as 20 percent of high schools students reported being bullied in 2013, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as cited by WQAD. One in every four children aged 12 to 18 claims they have been bullied sometime during the school year.

Shawano is not the first city where parents are faced with fines due to bullying. Similar efforts have been seen in other Wisconsin cities and another city in California that nearly criminalized bullying.
When visiting this sprawling metropolis, home to over 20 million people plus the millions of tourists passing though every year, savvy travelers must wander off the beaten path and away from overcrowded bars replicated in capital cities throughout the world. If youre looking for another adolescent club blasting top 40 hits, this is not the list youre looking for. These are the places that highlight the unique cultural diversity of Mexico City, the urban heart of Latin America. From techno to Stanley Kubrick, from anarchy to the 1980s, this is a selection of the best and unique nightlife in the Distrito Federal. Wherever youre from, whatever your scene and no matter your budget, theres something here for you.

1. Galaxie Nights



Photo courtesy of Galaxie Nights

If you happen to be in town for one of these bimonthly parties at Bucardon, do whatever you need toditch the children, skip the business dinner, whateverto ensure you do not miss it. Galaxie Nights define party excellence and superiority. I dare you not to dance. In-house DJ and host, DJ DAM, is a wizard on the decks, stringing together absolutely infectious mixes. An alternating cast of guest DJs, doing their part to keep the party groovy, backs up DJ DAM on the ones and twos.

The crowd is lively, beautiful, welcoming and friendly. The sound system at Bucardon is sensitively tuned to a volume where you can still be heard, but also feel the bass in your chest. Hidden like a jewel amid crumbling colonial apartment buildings, the ambiance of the bar is dark, minimal and warm. In short, this is the perfect Friday or Saturday night, and worth planning your trip around.

2. Bang Bang



Photo by Jeffrey Bale

One of the citys unique bars, located in the ultra hip Roma neighborhood, Bang Bang is inspired by Stanley Kubricks retro-futuristic film sets. The 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired smoking room is something to behold, while the rest of the bar offers a sensual and sultry ambiance.

Walking down palm tree-lined Avenida Alvaro Obregon, you could easily miss the small neon sign announcing the bar, but once you enter you will never forget. At a new expanded location, Bang Bang features DJs spinning widely ranging sounds and a famous cocktail bar offering the classic Birds (made with gin, tonic, tangerine liquor, cardamom and rosemary bitters) and killer whiskey sours. Visit during the week if you want to appreciate the decor, but Thursday through Saturday is when the party pops off.

3. La Burra Blanca

This place is no joke. La Burra Blanca is Mexico Citys most famous anarchy punk bar. Though, make no mistake, this is not your average mohawk-misfits-in-studded-jackets punk saloon. This is a true hotbed of Latin American dissident activity and organizing. Not to mention, its one of the cheapest and wildest parties in Mexico City, with some of the best live music around.

Not for the faint of heart, but the true warriors of the night, La Burra Blanca is the black hole where you go to get lost in an epic bender. Innumerable shots of mezcal and gallons of pulque are poured out every minute in this nest of beautiful chaos. No fancy cocktails. No red wine. Here your options include mezcal, pulque, beer and sometimes mojitos. Get home safely.

4. Hosteria la Bota



Photo by Devon Van Houten Maldonado

The local watering hole of literary types, poets and introspective artists, Hosteria la Bota, more commonly known as La Bota, is the ambient antithesis to the pumping parties composing the rest of this list. Like an Applebeesif Applebees was actually coolevery inch of the cavernous space is covered with knickknacks from all over the world. The bar, like its regulars, has a story to tell.

A full and affordable drink menu along with excellent Spanish/fusion style food served in stomach busting proportions makes this place worth a visit. On the weekends, La Bota serves paella, one of the best in the city, and all week you can enjoy tapas, pasta, pizza and tacos Arabes (giant tacos made with pita bread rather than tortillas). La Bota is within walking distance of La Burra Blanca, the perfect place to pregame or have a nightcap.

5. Patrick Miller

Patrick Miller the center of a thriving community of 1980s-loving, spandex-wearing super groupies. This is their church and their temple. If youre not here to cut some rug, then get out of the way. Here people from all walks of life shed their daytime personas and let loose on the dance floor. Dance battles are inevitable.

You may think your local hot spot in downtown wherever gets crowded on the weekends, but you havent seen anything until youve been to Patrick Miller. The crowds alone are an experience to write home about. Moreover, the throbbing mass of sweaty bodies is beautiful for its diversity. Chilangos of every age, background and style converge on this dance floor and let their bodies do the talking.

Devon Van Houten Maldonado is a writer, painter and runner from Boulder, Colorado, currently living and working in Mexico City.
hurt, I thought as I peered down the steep face of the Cerro Negro volcano. Marble-sized black lava rocks blanketed the volcanic terrain that sharply descends 2,382 feet from the peak to the base. With the smell of sulfur filling my nostrils, I sat on a small wooden sled teetering on the ledge preparing to race down at highway speeds. All I could think was, This cant be safe.

A few days earlier, I arrived in Leon, Nicaragua after several hard days of drinking, including a costumed Halloween party, in its rival city Granada to the south. In terms of Nicaraguan politics, Granada is the more conservative city with more affluence and colonial architecture, while Leon is the more leftist city with such PETA night terrors as cock fights and iguana cooking classes. Though iguana probably tastes like chicken, my interests veered toward volcano trekking. Though more expensive, I connected with Quetzaltrekkers non-profit, volunteer-run trekking association in Nicaragua, Bolivia and Guatemalasince the proceeds from my adventures would benefit local children.

I booked a pair of two-day treks. On the first outing, I got to look down upon the bubbling lava of the Telica volcano. On the second trek, I conquered three volcanoes, which included swimming in a large crater lake and riding down the smoldering Cerro Negro.

The history of volcano boarding dates back to 2004 when an Australian thrill seeker named Daryn Webb opened the Bigfoot Hostel in Leon. Originally for personal amusement, Webb and his cohorts tested the Cerro Negro riding down on mattresses, picnic tabletops and even a small refrigerator lifted from a hotel minibar. After a series of oft-painful trial runs, Webb eventually built a wooden toboggan out of metal and Formica-reinforced plywood that provided the ideal high-speed ride. He created what was arguably the first nationally recognized volcano-boarding site.

Bigfoot, which Webb no longer owns, started taking tour groups on boarding adventures, and the hostel claimed it topped 10,000 riders by 2009. That number is now several times higher, and I joined the ranks (albeit with Quetzaltrekkers) in 2011.

at the volcano, we were told to leave our bags in the bus, and the riders were broken into two groups. The first group was only doing the boarding, and they would have two goes at it. The second group was on the two-day El Hoyo trek, and we would only have one ride before starting our ascent up the Las Pilas-El Hoyo volcanic complex.

After everyone stashed their bags in the bus, the guides passed around the boardssmall, flat wooden sledsfollowed by workshop-style safety goggles and green-colored jumpsuits that an inmate might wear picking up trash on the side of the road. A guide told us the prison jumpsuits and glasses protect us from the small lava rocks that will fly into our bodies and faces as we descend the volcano. Perfect.

Then came the board-riding instructions.

Use your feet to steer, lean back to go fast and lean forward to slow down, said our lead guide, Sarah, from Washington state. You can tap your left foot to go right, your right foot to go left and never dig in your heels.

Several more instructions were given that few people remembered, and we finally started heading up Cerro Negro. With intense heat coming from the sky and the volcano itself, it felt a bit like climbing a stair machine in a sauna. Near the summit, it got worse as sulfur fumes tainted the air with the smell of rotten eggs, and the hot rocks under our shoes produced a whiff of burning rubber.

Dont stand in the same place for too long, added Sarah, knowing the hot rocks could melt the soles of our shoes.

has not erupted this side of Y2K, but it blew its top three times during the Clinton years. In 1992, a massive five-day eruption sent a column of ash more than five miles into the air, and the entire area was evacuated as large piles of ash collapsed roofs. In 1995, a series of eruptions lasted 79 days often topping more than 100 daily explosions, and three months later, a second string of explosions spewed out large volcanic bombs. The most recent volcanic activity occurred in the summer of 1999 when three back-to-back-to-back earthquakes triggered a smaller eruption creating new fissures and liquid lava fountains nearly 1,000 feet in height. Cerro Negro is a young volcano, less than 170 years old, but it has erupted dozens of times, and some experts believe another large-scale eruption will occur in the near future. All this activity covered the volcano in black lava rocks and limited any possible vegetation.

This thing looks like it could blow, said one of the trekkers as we walked past a stream of sulfur slowly emanating from some rocks.

The ascent was rather difficult carrying the board and wearing the jumpsuit, but once atop the summit, it was nice to know we could ride down it in a hurry if necessary. Experienced boarders with the proper technique reach speeds of up to 60 mph, while the average rider hits up to 40 mph. Ironically, though, the fastest ride ever was on a bicycle, and it topped both of those speeds combined.

French daredevil Eric Barone already held the land-speed record for snow (138 mph), but he set a personal record of 81 mph descending Cerro Negro in late 2001. Six months later, he revisited the volcano hoping to beat that speed. He reached 101 mph on his first attempt, but Barone still wanted to go faster. On his second attempt that day, he reached an incredible 107 mph before a gradient change broke the bike in two and sent the daredevil flying. Torn shoulders, a broken femur, broken ribs and infection were among the litany of serious injuries. And yes, the guides shared this story before we made our attempts.

When it came time to ride, I certainly was not going to lead the pack, but I gleaned little insight watching the trailblazers in our group. Even in colorful jumpsuits, the riders were difficult to follow between the trail of dust kicked up by the sleds and the sheer height of the volcano. Several riders preceded me, but as the group rapidly thinned out, I had nowhere to hide.

David, youre up! said Sarah.

Oh hell, I thought.

As the guide watched, I sat my ass on the board, grabbed the support rope and pushed myself toward the ledge. Naturally, I had to look down the volcano face, and the distance and gradient both gave me pause.

You ready? Sarah asked.

Hell no, I thought before nodding and pushing off. The adrenaline kicked in almost immediately.

On the rocky slope, my first realization was that this was nothing like snow sledding. Not that I ever sledded down a 2,000-foot mountain, but if I did, the snow would provide a smoother ride than thousands of tiny lava rocks. Most people have experienced driving a car across a bumpy, rocky gravel road, but now imagine driving across that same road at 40+ mph in a Scion iQ. As this online video demonstrates, that is what the volcano ride feels like. As the wooden board picked up speed, it shook wildly, and bumps in the mountainside made it feel like I was catching air. Adding to the chaos, the board kicked up tiny rocks that stung my face, and the combination of dust and goggles made it difficult to see more than 25 feet ahead of me. For most of the ride, I felt as if I were on the verge of wiping out.

Approximately half way downif I had to guessI proceeded to pull my body forward in an attempt to slow down. It only made the ride more woobly. I then touched my heels ever so slightly onto the ground ahead of me, but this merely brought more flying rocks. At this point, my best bet was to lean back and hope for the best. Surprisingly, I made it to the base of the volcano without ever pulling a Barone.

As I waited at the base, more riders came down, and it was actually a thrilling sight. The boards cut a series of trail-like lines in the tiny rocks along the slope, and like exhaust spewing out from the back of a 1970s drag racer, large yet narrow streams of dust followed each rider. It was quite a sight.

All the riders seemed to make it down unscathed, so it was ironic the only person who fully bit the dust was our Evergreen State guide. After the last boarder descended, Sarah attempted to run down the volcano, and she took a nasty tumble about two-thirds of the way down. Despite the volcanic rock face-plant, she got back up and continued running until she reached the base. Everyone immediately checked to see if she was okay.

From wide-smiling lips, she said, That really, really hurt.

At this point, everyone going on the El Hoyo trek already had their gear, and we set off on our two-day hike with a guide named Brennan from San Diego. Everyone else headed back up Cerro Negro with good-spirited Sarah for a second ride. She stayed with the boarders, but it is probably safe to guess she rode down the volcano the second time.

Photo: Jean-Marie Prival, CC-BY

David Jenison is a Los Angeles native and the Content Editor of PROHBTD. He has covered entertainment, restaurants and travel for more than 20 years.
Over the weekend, several luminaries among the British acting community attended and spoke at a reception for British Academy Award-winners. Although it was certainly nice for the likes of Emma Thompson, Michael Caine, Colin Firth and Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith to receive more accolades, the evening took an interesting turn when several of the actors in attendance decided to take the opportunity to sound off on a younger generation of performers. Emma Thompson in particular took a hard stance, saying that the modern crop of A-listers are being cast in films solely for their social media followings.

Were casting actors who have big followings so the studios can use their followings to sell their movie, Thompson said to the audience, according to The Telegraph. The actors are becoming attached in the sort of business way to their social media profiles, and I think thats a disaster.

Dame Judi Dench suggested in her own speech that perhaps the high cost of training for actors was a factor. Michael Caine, on the other hand, had significantly less sympathy, painting the younger generation as money and fame-hungry.

These days they just say Im going to be an actor because I want to be rich and famous, Caine said. And then they do a little part on television and everyone knows who they are. They cant really act. Theyre very young now. I was 30 before I became well known. Ive watched it ruin people. By the time theyre 30, theyre through.

On his own career, Caine seems to own a pair of particularly rosy glasses: I knew I wasnt going to be rich, I knew I wasnt going to be famous, I knew I wasnt going to be a movie star, I just wanted to be a good actor, thats all.

We cant help but question whether every generation of actors has always had a similar opinion of the next generation, but Thompson certainly has a point with her analysis of social media. Its not a good sign if Hollywood is truly more interested in follower numbers than talent as a performer.
The Democratic presidential primary has largely come down to a generational divide. Older Democrats  yesterdays flower children  who grew up through the Civil Rights Era, the Vietnam War, and the southern realignment generally (but certainly not exclusively) prefer Hillary Clinton, while Millennials and younger Americans prefer Bernie Sanders by historic margins.

We have heard these older voters time and again in the media: They see the possibility of electing Clinton as a culmination of years of fighting for equality. Reagans Revolution tempered their expectations, so they view Sanders as a pie-in-the-sky candidate and characterize my generation as naive. Due to a lack of Millennial voices in the media, that characterization has stuck.

It is time to change the narrative, and explain why we Millennials overwhelmingly stand with Sanders.

My generation is cautiously optimistic about social issues. We have embraced legal equality, acceptance, and diversity. Popular culture reflects our attitudes. Though there are many necessary battles to fight  especially in terms of LGBTQ, womens, and racial justice  we are slowly winning the culture war. However, this optimism does not extend to economic issues or political corruption. In an article titled, Like It or Not, the Democratic Party Now Must Answer to Millennials, Truthout notes:

As the 2016 State of the Millennial report noted in its assessment of the challenges facing young people, 48 percent of Millennials now believe that the American Dream is dead.

We have many reasons for this pessimism. The United States has essentially become an oligarchy wherein public opinion is outweighed by the voices of the wealthy, in terms of affecting public policy. Such was the finding of a recent study by professor Martin Gilens of Princeton University, and Professor Benjamin I. Page of Northwestern University. Our government prioritizes the demands of the wealthy. Millennials understand that time will not solve that problem. Thanks to a series of damaging court decisions stemming from Buckley v. Valeo, the amount of money being spent on elections is, as Bernie Sanders says, obscene, and our elected representatives spend half their time fundraising. Moreover, lobbyists write legislation that gets passed into law by our elected officials, who often become lobbyists when they leave office. The system is broken.

Many of us graduated college expecting to be able to attain the kind of lives our parents told us we could have, but the job market we found ourselves in was next to impenetrable  part of the reason Millennials are underrepresented in the media.

Millions of us do not have health insurance because we do not qualify for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. About half of us avoid medical treatment when we get sick to avoid the high cost. Wages have stagnated for decades, but the cost of living has risen steadily. A college degree today is the same as a high school diploma 40 years ago  and thanks the prospect of crippling debt, a large number of us arent even pursuing one. On top of these concerns, many of our family members, friends and peers are the soldiers dying overseas in conflicts which lack clear objectives.

Over the years we have seen that candidates who promise change while taking money from special interests fail to deliver on those promises. Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone made this observation in a recent piece titled, Why Young People Are Right About Hillary Clinton. Transactional, neoliberal politics have largely failed us.

Yet older Democrats call us naive for demanding more, and assure us that this is how we have to win  through incremental change and plenty of compromise. After all, that has been the balance for years: Democrats win social progress while the Republicans seemingly win everything else.

Young progressives are challenging that balance. The changes we are demanding are economic and necessitate swift government action like the New Deal Era reforms  especially to maintain public support. Politically and financially, we cannot afford small victories touted as major successes.

Bernie Sanders unabashed populism is refreshing. He speaks earnestly and honestly about political and economic inequality while taking no money from Wall Street or special interests. He does not illegally coordinate with a super PAC. On foreign policy, he presents us with a choice that isnt more endless, purposeless entanglement overseas. But most importantly, Sanders is reminding us of the power we have when we come together.

We do not accept the idea that what Sanders is proposing is impossible  just as our parents did not accept the social values of their parents. We know the history but did not live it, and have not been disillusioned.

And yet, as Truthout explains, attacking Millennials has become a common way to score political points. For our engagement, we have been met with condescension and disdain. Hillary Clinton said she felt sorry for us because we dont do our research. Bill Clinton accused us of wanting to shoot every third person on Wall Street. John Catsimatidis, the chairman of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for this summers Democratic National Convention said we had better behave ourselves when Bernie loses.

Through this primary we have seen the full extent of the establishment we are up against, and we do not believe the process is fair. We saw the media, the DNC, and corporate America line up behind Hillary Clinton, and watched as hundreds of thousands of voters were disenfranchised due to irregularities in a suspicious number of states including Arizona and New York. Still, all of that has only hardened our resolve. Weve done our research, and were mad.
In February we posted a report titled "Apple CEO on ABC News: Creating Software Enabling the FBI to Unlock an iPhone is Software Equivalent of Cancer." In that report we noted that "At the end of the interview after talking about privacy and security for customers, Tim Cook admitted that if Congress were to pass clear new laws directing technology companies to assist the government in specific cases, then Apple would obey the law. Cook added that "What is going on right now, is we're having our voices be heard. And I would encourage everyone that has a voice, or wants to have a voice, wants to have an opinion, make sure their voice is heard." Well the battle is on in Washington and a new report over the weekend by the New York Times shows us how Silicon Valley is out in full force to make sure that no law will ever interfere with their latest wave of encryption products.

The New York Times reports that "Cyrus R. Vance Jr., the district attorney of Manhattan, visited Washington late last month to argue his case on a pressing issue: encryption.

In a string of meetings with members of Congress, Mr. Vance told central lawmakers that encryption needed to be diminished during criminal investigations. During a 45-minute session with Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine who is on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr. Vance said his office had 230 iPhones that might contain crucial information for cases but were useless because Apple refused to help the police break the encryption on the devices.

Mr. Vance said in an interview about his Washington visit, "I wanted to express a sense of urgency around resolution of this issue."

While Vance may have rung the bell first on Capital Hill, Silicon Valley invaded Washington that same week to drown out Vance's voice. First up were the one-two punch from Microsoft and Google who expressed their concerns about any laws that would force companies to weaken the security of their technology.

The Consumer Technology Association, a trade group that counts Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon among its 4,000 members, spoke to an audience filled with government officials at a lunch hosted by the Media Institute. Gary Shapiro, president of the association told officials that the bill is "dangerously overreaching and technically unsophisticated," and that the "bill would essentially make effective cybersecurity illegal in the United States, pushing companies that take cybersecurity seriously offshore."

This kind of behind-the-scenes lobbying has become de rigueur in Washington as the battle over encryption shifts to Capitol Hill. It is the next phase of a bitter divide that spilled into public view this year when Apple refused to comply with a court order to help bypass security functions on an encrypted iPhone.

Law enforcement officials blame tech companies for creating the impasse.

"There's no question our relationship with the tech industry has gotten worse, and now it seems like the tech industry is taking every opportunity they have to put up obstacles in our way, including trying to derail legislative efforts that would give law enforcement what they need to keep people safe," said Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. For more on this story, read the full New York Times report here.

About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments.
The Book of Concord and the Catholic Mass

Colored version of the Whore of Babylon illustration from Martin Luthers 1534 translation of the Bible, from the Workshop of Lucas Cranach

(4-26-05)



The following dialogue with Lutheran BWL occurred in comments below. Since I did a little work in my reply, I thought it would be appropriate to make it a new paper of its own. His words will be in blue . Citations from the Book of Concord will be in green .

* * *

The RCC doesnt recognize Lutheran orders, nor from what I understand does it think that Lutherans receive Christs true body and blood when they take communion. Thats correct.

I think it has to be judged on an individual case basis (as regards individual opinions). Lutherans, like Anglicans and Reformed, contain both views, and many members seem confused about even their own positions.

To my knowledge, however, Luther and the Lutheran church has always regarded Rome as a christian church, though an impure one with many doctrinal flaws. That includes the sacrifice of the mass. I dont see, however, why you think serious disagreements in this regard makes Luther and the Lutherans, for example, anti-Catholic.

Are you maintaining, then, that every time Luther wrote something which could reasonably be construed as denying that the Catholic Church is truly Christian, it should be taken in this way, as merely his excess in language? There is not a single instance of these utterances that he meant literally? It seems to me that this would be an extraordinary claim, and almost impossible to prove.

First, as you know Luther was prone to uh, exaggerations and harsh, polemical language. This certainly was a big flaw of his, though its worth pointing out his Catholic opponents were at times prone to nasty polemics at first. My point is, however, that Luther should be taken with a grain of salt.

Id be delighted to conclude that they regarded Catholics as more or less equal brothers-in-Christ, but there is too much that suggests otherwise, which has never been adequately explained to me by those like yourself who believe that they were not anti-Catholics (youre welcome to be the first; be my guest). I always say regarding Calvin, that if he thinks I participate in the grossest blasphemy, sacrilege, and idolatry every week at Mass, then that can hardly be squared with thinking that all this is Christian.

As Ive mentioned before, this should work against Reformed Baptist types by showing how Luther and Calvin would see their sacramentology (or anti-sacramentology, however you want to put this) as conflicting with Reformational soteriology. In other words, on the whole it helps you to point out how while Reform Baptist like to claim the mantel of defending the Reformation they actually conflict with the Reformers on numerous and important points. I believe that it is a mixed bag, when it comes to Luther and Calvins view of the Catholic Church. I think they contradict themselves. Ive found it impossible to interpret their views in this vein in a consistent, coherent fashion. On the other hand, Ive written about Luthers more Catholic beliefs (including compiling an entire book of these ).

Not to be nit-picky, but my understanding is that Luther and Calvin saw the RCC not as a false church, but as an impure one, which is an important distinction. They both recognized the validity of Catholic baptisms, and Luther thought the RC also had a true communion. Although Luther was critical of certain elements of RC communion practice (communion in one kind, the mass as a sacrifice) he did famously say that hed rather drink blood with the pope than wine with the Reformed. Just a suggestion, but if you want to take on anti-Catholics, bringing up Calvin and Luthers view of Rome actually helps your case.

So, if the Lutheran disagreement over the sacrifice of the mass makes Lutherans anti-Catholic, why isnt the Catholic church anti-Lutheran since the RC doesnt recognize Lutheran communion?The difference would be if the mass is considered blasphemy and sacrilege and idolatry (whereas we would never say that about a Lutheran service, or any standard Protestant worship service; we would say they convey grace of some sort, even if not technically sacramental).

The above view (where it occurs) would make the mass, by definition, a non-Christian thing. Then you would be in the incoherent, odd position of agreeing that Catholicism is Christian, despite the fact that its central rite is utterly non-Christian (and, far beyond that, anti-Christian, as it is idolatry, blasphemy, etc.). Quite a bizarre state of affairs, there . . .

In fact, the Book of Concord confirms my suspicion that Lutheranism is officially anti-Catholic. Lutherans are bound to this as their confession, so it cant be cavalierly dismissed as some old irrelevant document.

Smalcald Articles [1537], Part II, Article II: The Mass:

The Mass in the papacy must be regarded as the greatest and most horrible abomination because it runs into direct and violent conflict with this fundamental article. Yet, above and beyond all others, it has been the supreme and most precious of the papal idolatries . . .

If there were reasonable papists, one would speak to them in the following friendly fashion:

Why do you cling so tenaciously to your Masses?

1. After all, they are a purely human invention. They are not commanded by God . . . Christ says, In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men (Matt. 15:9).

. . . 3. . . . one can be saved in a better way without the Mass. Will the Mass not then collapse of itself  not only for the rude rabble, but also for all godly, Christian, sensible, God-fearing people  especially if they hear that it is a dangerous thing which was fabricated and invented without Gods Word and will?

. . . 5. The Mass is and can be nothing else that a human work, even a work of evil scoundrels . . .

Accordingly we are and remain eternally divided and opposed the one to the other. The papists are well aware that if the Mass falls, the papacy will fall with it.Before they would permit this to happen, they would put us all to death.

Besides, this dragons tail  that is, the Mass  has brought forth a brood of vermin and the poison of manifest idolatries.

(The Book of Concord, translated and edited by Theodore Tappert, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House / Muhlenberg Press, 1959, pp. 293-294)

Apology of the Augsburg Confession [1531], Article XXIV: The Mass

Carnal men cannot stand it when only the sacrifice of Christ is honored as a propitiation. For they do not understand the righteousness of faith but give equal honor to other sacrifices and services. A false idea clung to the wicked priests in Judah, and in Israel the worship of Baal continued; yet the church of God was there, condemning wicked services. So in the papal realm the worship of Baal clings  namely, the abuse of the Mass . . . And it seems that this worship of Baal will endure together with the papal realm until Christ comes to judge and by the glory of his coming destroys the kingdom of Antichrist. Meanwhile all those who truly believe the Gospel should reject those wicked services invented against Gods command to obscure the glory of Christ and the righteousness of faith.

(Tappert, ibid., 268)

I guess at the end of the day I dont see why strong disagreements among Christians makes them anti.



Not disagreements, but denial of the status of other Christians as Christians. Its the devils biggest victory: if half of the Body of Christ denies that the other half even belongs in the Body at all, then what could be better for the devils purposes? Well always be hopelessly divided. So the world keeps going to hell because (anti-Catholic, anti-Protestant, anti-Orthodox) Christians cant even recognize fellow believers.

If we all recognize each others baptisms, why is this anti stuff even a real question? Its not like Lutherans are Reformed or fundamentalist Baptists or something.

Because (obviously) if anti-Catholicism is entrenched in both the founding confessional documents and the founders of a religious point of view, then it will continue on, because it was in the roots from the beginning. How Lutherans square the realities of these aspects of the Book of Concord, I dont know, but it creates an internal contradiction if one says that they follow the Lutheran confessions, yet dissent on the nature of the Mass and so forth, and are not themselves anti-Catholic.

How would you square these two things, BWL, if you have become aware of some passages that perhaps you were not aware of before, in the Book of Concord? Im very curious. There may very well be a way that ecumenical Lutherans reconcile this, through some interpretive means that I am not yet aware of. Id be more than happy to be educated by those who feel that they have a solution to this apparent dilemma for ecumenical Lutherans. Please (you or friends of yours who might help us better understand) teach me . . . I dont want division; I would love for there to be a way to reconcile these two things. No one would be happier than I would be to learn that there is some coherent explanation of this, so that anti-Catholicism is not necessary to hold as a confessional Lutheran.

***

Meta Description: Portions of the Lutheran confessional Book of Concord are vehemently anti-Catholic, even equating the Catholic Mass with Baal-worship.

Meta Keywords: anti-Catholic, anti-Catholicism, antichrist, whore of Babylon, Lutheranism, Lutheran anti-Catholicism, Catholic Mass, Book of Concord, Lutheran-Catholic relations, ecumenism
Have a look at the beginning of this article, from last week:

Last Friday, as soon as their mother climbed in the shower, five Sharp children bolted down the driveway of their Auburn, Kan., home. Before they left, according to testimony in a Wednesday hearing, they took the guns out of a cubbyhole in the house and stashed them at the end of the drive. Then they got a ride from a neighbor to the Shawnee County sheriffs office in Topeka. And on Wednesday  three months after making headlines when they performed for armed occupiers who had taken over a wildlife refuge in Oregon  the children were taken into state custody because of abuse allegations. At the end of a 2 1/2 -hour hearing in Shawnee County District Court that included testimony about alleged beatings that brought the childrens father to tears, a judge found probable cause that allegations of physical and emotional abuse were true. He placed seven of the children into the temporary custody of the Kansas Department of Children and Families. Any time Im going to hear testimony that a child has been beaten to the point we have abrasions, broken skin and bleeding  thats disturbing, said Judge Steven Ebberts.

As you may remember, the Sharp children sang at the Oregon wildlife refuge in January during the standoff between self-styled patriots and government forces.

The childrens parents were divorced in 2012. Their mother denies the abuse, though she does not deny using a rod. She claims she is being persecuted by the government for her role in the standoff. The children were homeschooled, which helps explain the reason they engineered such a daring and dramatic escape:

At Wednesdays hearing, a childrens department social worker said the office had received three reports this year about the childrens welfare. The first, she said, was in February, alleging a lack of supervision. She said they went to the home, but Odalis Sharp told them to leave. They scheduled a meeting, but she did not show up and later called to say she wasnt in Kansas. A second report was made April 12 alleging emotional and physical abuse. The worker said she called the sheriffs office and asked them to try to assess whether the children were safe. But again, Sharp would not let them see the children, the worker said. The third report to the agency was Friday, the worker testified, when some of the children ran from the home. When children attend school, a social worker can visit the school and meet with them there. When children are homeschooled, that same social worker has to try to gain access to them in their home. That can be difficult when parents like Odalis deny that access. A social worker can go to a judge for a warrant, but with only a tip to go on, and no further evidence, it can be difficult to obtain one, and social workers are generally severely understaffed, with scads of other cases on their plates. In this case, the children determined that their only way out was to run. But before we head too far off track, I want to bring your attention to a detail I noticed the moment I first read the article:

Before they left, according to testimony in a Wednesday hearing, they took the guns out of a cubbyhole in the house and stashed them at the end of the drive.

They hid the guns. The article does not directly state why the children hid the guns but the import is fairly clearthe children were worried their mother would use the guns to cow them into staying and putting up with her abuse. This story brings up in stark contrast one of the least-talked-about aspects of the gun control debateguns use in domestic violence. And no, Im not talking about using guns to defend yourself against an domestic abuser, because that happens only rarely. Im talking about the role guns play in the hands of the domestic abuser.

When we talk about gun control, the focus tends to be on mass shootings or, increasingly, terrorism. While we tend to conceptualize mass shootings with a model like Columbine or Sandy Hook in mind, in over half of mass shootings, an intimate partner or family member is among the victims (edited to add: indeed, Adam Lanza, the Sandy Hook shooter, shot and killed his mother before driving to the school).

And then theres this:

Over the past 25 years, more intimate partner homicides in the U.S. have been committed with guns than with all other weapons combined.

And this:

[P]eople with a history of committing domestic violence are five times more likely to subsequently murder an intimate partner when a firearm is in the house.

Have a look at this statistic:

From 2001 through 2012, 6,410 women were murdered in the United States by an intimate partner using a gunmore than the total number of U.S. troops killed in action during the entirety of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined.

Or check out this data:

When an abusive partner has access to firearms, statistics show that domestic violence is more likely to turn deadly. According to research published in the American Journal of Public Health, the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide for women by 500 percent. More than half of women murdered with guns are killed by family members or intimate partners.

In the spring of 2014, the Hotline conducted its own 8-week focus survey on the use of firearms in domestic violence situations. The survey revealed how the presence of a firearm in an abusive relationship intensifies the fear of abuse victims and escalates the violence directed towards them, regardless of whether or not the survivor is married, dating or being stalked by the abuser.

Its no wonder the Sharp children felt the need to hide their mothers guns before running. The presence of guns in the home increases the risk of homicide at the hands of a domestic abuser fivefold, but a victim of domestic abuse does not have to read the statistics to know that. They know that. As the Hotline focus study revealed, the presence of a gun intensifies the fear of abuse victimsand for good reason. It adds one more thing into their calculations when trying to find a way outone more very dangerous, deadly thing, one more point where they could be killed.

I very much hope that the Sharp children find safety and are able to build a new life away from what they suffered at their mothers hands, but the fear that their mother may have access guns and come after them will likely long outlast any physical scars they may have. We need to center the role guns play in domestic violence situations in any conversation about second amendment rights and gun control. And lest someone suggest that victims of domestic violence should simply turn their abusers gun against them, let me remind you that women who shoot their abusers are not infrequently tried for (and even convicted of) murder.

Besides, does anyone really want to be in the position of arguing that the five Sharp children who hid their mothers guns and ran should instead have turned those guns on their mother? No, they did what was likely the most sensible thing they could do in their situationthey hid the objects they knew presented a threat to their life and wellbeing, and they got the hell out of there. Lets make sure we include the danger those guns posed to those childrenand not in an abstract, their mother could have shot them sense, but in a very real, visceral, they were in actual fear that their mother would shoot them sensein future discussions of gun control.
Patna: Former Union Minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, to protest against the rising prices of petrol under the Modi government, took a rickshaw from Patna Airport to the Congress guest house to score political points against the Center.

Accompanied by dozen of party workers who also took rickshaws to follow their leader, Ramesh sat with party state President Ashok Chowdhary amidst the chants of anti-Modi slogans.

Reports said there were cars waiting for the former Central Minister at the airport but in a pre-calculated move, Ramesh chose to ride a rickshaw to undermine the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Once at the Congress guest house, Ramesh launched a tirade against the Prime Minister saying the BJP was anti-poor and anti-farmers who were the most affected by the continuous rise in the petroleum price.

"When the crude oil was selling $140 per barrel, the Congress-led UPA government had reduced the price of petrol to Rs. 70 per liter. Now that the oil price is down to $65 per barrel in the international market, the Modi government has failed to drop the prices as petrol today are selling for Rs. 73 per liter," the Congress leader said.
Patna: Dozens of protestors surrounded the Patrakar Nagar police station in Patna on Monday after a man in custody ended up in a local hospital allegedly after being brutally beaten up by the police officials.

Demanding the arrest of the police station in-charge and other constables in the police station, protestors accused the cops of brutalizing one Pappu Sahni who was taken into custody on Sunday night following a complaint of assault against two women.

Reports said Sahni, believed to be a Janata Dal  U worker, barged into the home of one Akhilesh Prasad on Sunday night and engaged in an altercation with the residents. In the process, he slit the hand of Prasad's sister-in-law and beat up Prasad's wife over an ongoing land dispute.

The family members somehow managed to call the police who arrested Sahni and locked him up in the police hold-up at Patrakar Nagar police station.

However, on Monday morning when Sahni's relatives came to see him, they found him beaten up and in need of hospitalization.

Police, meanwhile, denied roughing up Sahni saying he was beaten up by the people outside Prasad's house and was brought in that condition to the lock-up.
Patna: Patna observed Red Cross Day on Sunday by taking out a number of rallies to spread awareness about the importance of donating blood in the lack of which many patients die regularly at hospitals across the state.

Speaking on the occasion, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union Minister Dr. C. P. Thakur said that serving the interest of the humanity without any discrimination based on caste, race, or religion should be the goal of all.

Emphasizing the unbelievable role that the Red Cross plays in any emergency situation, Dr. Thakur urged the students to associate themselves with the humanitarian organization and be prepared to offer help to those who need it.

Meanwhile, at the Kargil Chowk, students and citizens of Patna formed a human chain in support of the Red Cross. The Director of the Patna chapter of the Red Cross R B P Yadav paid floral tribute to the founder of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Henry Dunant at the Red Cross Bhawan near Gandhi Maidan.

Noted physician Dr. A A hai, Dr. R. N. Singh, Dr. D K Srivastava, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Dr. B B Sinha, Dr. S J Ashraf, Dr. Shaibal Guha and several other prominent doctors were present on the occasion.
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"We're not used to seeing growth in our check business," said Deluxe's Tracey Engelhardt, who reports a 6% to 7% increase in revenue for check orders from businesses and consumers in each of the last three quarters, driven by various factors originating from the pandemic.
Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer's Daughter: Help My Father Before It's Too Late

05/09/16

Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Abdolfattah Soltanis Condition Deteriorates; Needs Urgent Hospitalization



Abdolfattah Soltani



Abdolfattah Soltani, an imprisoned human rights lawyer, requires immediate hospitalization following his most recent transfer to Evin Prisons infirmary for heart problems, his daughter, Maedeh Soltani, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.

In recent months this is the fourth time my father has been taken to the prison infirmary for chest pains and severe heart palpitations. But unfortunately my mothers requests for my fathers medical furlough for hospitalization have not been accepted so far, said Maedeh Soltani.

On Tuesday [May 3, 2016] my father suffered chest pains and his cellmates took him to the infirmary and then he was brought back to the ward. My father has become very thin. His body has melted away. His frequent visits to the prison clinic are not a good sign, said Maedeh Soltani. These incidents show hes very sick and he needs immediate treatment. I hope he will be transferred to the hospital before its too late.

My mother puts in a request for my fathers medical furlough almost every week. But Mr. Hajiloo, the prisons judicial official, doesnt pay any attention, added Maedeh Soltani. He only takes the requests and says they will be reviewed. Shouldnt they care about a prisoners health? Theres a persons life at stake.

Abdolfattah Soltani, a prominent attorney and human rights defender, was previously hospitalized for 41 days in 2013 for heart and digestive problems and returned to Evin before he had fully recovered. He was granted medical furlough on January 17, 2016 for 21 days, and again returned to prison prior to full recovery.

Political prisoners in Iran are subjected to harsh conditions over and above their prison sentences, which typically include the denial of medical furlough and critically needed medical care.

Abdolfattah Soltani, who represented a number prominent dissidents and political prisoners prior to his arrest on September 10, 2011, is serving a 13-year prison sentence for being awarded the [2009] Nuremberg International Human Rights Award, interviewing with the media about his clients cases, and co-founding the Defenders of Human Rights Center with Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi.

In April 2015 his daughter told the Campaign that Abdolfattah Soltani was being refused medical leave because he hasnt agreed to repent.
Iran test-fires long-range ballistic missile

05/09/16

Source: Press TV

Iran recently test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers and accuracy to within eight meters, a senior Iranian military official says quoted by the Tasnim news agency.

Two weeks ago, we tested a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers and an error margin of eight meters, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ali Abdollahi said on Monday.

Iran's armed forces regularly conduct ballistic missile tests in a demonstration of the country's deterrent power.

Such tests have come under scrutiny by the West since a nuclear agreement with Tehran went into force in January.

The tests do not violate the nuclear agreement but Western powers have sought to pressure Iran into halting them.

The United States and several European powers have said the tests defy a UN Security Council resolution that calls on Iran not to test nuclear-capable missiles.

Tehran says it doesn't have any non-conventional weapons program and its missiles are not aimed at carrying nuclear warheads.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said missiles are key to the Islamic Republic's future.

"Those who say the future is in negotiations, not in missiles, are either ignorant or traitors," the Leader said in March.

"If the Islamic Republic seeks negotiations but has no defensive power, it would have to back down against threats from any weak country."

President Hassan Rouhani has also said Iran won't accept any limitations on its missile program and ordered an accelerated production of missiles in response to new US sanctions.

Ignoring the nuclear agreement, the US slapped new sanctions on two more Iranian groups in March for their alleged involvement in the countrys ballistic missile program.

Washington is flaunting the sanctions threat under the argument that Iranian missiles could theoretically one day still carry nuclear warheads.

Iran has said it will never produce nuclear weapons because they are banned under a fatwa issued by the country's highest religious authority.

A Press TV survey has found that the United States is looking for a pretext to impose sanctions on Iran.

Some 58% of participants in the poll, carried out through April 3-May 7, thought the US is asking for fresh excuses to sanction Iran over its missile capabilities.

About 33% said Washington has been trying to make Irans military vulnerable through targeting its missile program.
British-Iranian Woman Detained In Iran

05/09/16

Source: RFE/RL

A British-Iranian citizen has reportedly been in jail in Iran for over a month. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliff, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters foundation, was detained at Tehran airport on April 3 by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) while returning to London where she lives, her family said.



Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliff



The reason for her arrest is not clear and according to her family there have been no charges against her.

Zaghari-Ratcliff, 37, was transferred to an unknown location in Kerman Province. She is being reportedly held in solitary confinement and has not been able to access a lawyer.

The passport of her 22-month-old daughter, who has only British citizenship, was confiscated. She remains in Iran with her grandparents.

The family of Zaghari-Ratcliff have been informed that her interrogations relate to "national security." The family have also said that she has been forced to sign "a confession" under pressure.

Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on the case.

The IRGC has in past months arrested a number of Iranians and also at least two Iranian-Americans.

With reporting by the BBC

Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
The Viability Of Central-South Asian Energy Projects

05/09/16

By Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL



Officials from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India meet at a TAPI project meeting in Herat, Afghanistan, in April, posing in front of a poster of the leaders of their countries.

Officials from Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India meet at a TAPI project meeting in Herat, Afghanistan, in April, posing in front of a poster of the leaders of their countries.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Central Asia-South Asia electricity transmission project, known as CASA-1000, is scheduled for May 12 in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

The leaders of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan are coming to join Tajik President Emomali Rahmon for the event.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif were just in Central Asia in December, in Turkmenistan, for the inauguration of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline.

The two projects would be a significant financial benefit to exporters Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan and provide a much-needed boost to the power supplies in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

However, despite governmental and popular support in these countries for the projects, TAPI and CASA-1000 face significant obstacles and, in the end, it's possible neither will be realized.

To look at the two projects, what they mean for the region, and their chances for success, RFE/RLs Turkmen Service, known locally as Azatlyk, conducted a Majlis, a panel discussion, to review the aims and possibilities of TAPI and CASA-1000.

Azatlyk Director Muhammad Tahir moderated the talk. From Glasgow, Dr. Luca Anceschi, professor of Central Asian studies at the University of Glasgow and one of the leading authorities on the TAPI project, participated. From New York, Casey Michel, author of many articles about Central Asia, including the recent report published in The Diplomat magazine -- CASA-1000 Groundbreaking Planned for May -- joined the discussion. In the studio in Prague we had Abubakr Siddique, author of the acclaimed book, The Pashtun Question, and also chief editor of RFE/RLs Gandhara website, which is dedicated to Afghan and Pakistani affairs. I came up with a few comments also.

The CASA-1000 involves building a 1,222-kilometer power transmission line to carry some 1,300 MW of electricity from hydropower plants in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan into Afghanistan (300 MW) and on to Peshawar in Pakistan (1,000 MW). TAPI is supposed to bring some 33 billion cubic meters of gas annually along a pipeline some 1,735 kilometers long to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.



Map of the CASA-1000 Project



Speaking about what CASA-1000 would mean for the importers, Siddique recalled, We have seen in the past few years that Pakistan has really suffered because of chronic electricity shortages. The result of that, Siddique said, is a lot of industries closed, a lot of rioting...there were just [recently] protests in Peshawar and other cities because of power cuts.

Siddique said besides bringing needed electricity to Afghanistan, CASA-1000 is very important because it establishes Afghanistans status as a main transit country between Central Asia and South Asia.

TAPI would help Afghanistan cement a role as a transit country. But it is the instability in Afghanistan that is often given as the primary reason neither TAPI nor CASA-1000 are possible. The panel discussed growing instability in Afghanistan in the areas along the two projects routes.

But there are other problems, further upstream.

Financing, in the case of CASA-1000, is not an issue. Michel explained the project has "finances from Washington, London, and the World Bank" and at a cost of a little over $1 billion right now, its not nearly as expensive as TAPI is.

TAPI does cost more, as Anceschi said. Its going to be a very expensive proposition, talking about $10 billion, [and] we know that there is not a commercial champion coming from the Western world.

No major financial organization or any individual country has shown an interest in providing the large funding needed for TAPI, or for operating the project.

In the absence of such a partner, Anceschi noted, The commercial champion, if you want, the consortium leader, is Turkmengaz, which does not have either the money or the expertise to run this program."

Turkmengaz has pledged to fund 85 percent of TAPI and operate the project, despite the fact it is doubtful Turkmengaz has that much money and the company has no experience managing a multinational project.

Evidence of a lack of funding is already becoming clear. Since the end of April, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov made proposals to Qatar and Saudi Arabia to invest in TAPI, seeming to disregard the fact both are competitors for the same energy markets.



TAPI Pipeline



Since the launch of TAPI in December 2015 the Turkmen state media (the only media in Turkmenistan) has reported on progress in laying pipeline on Turkmenistans territory. But there is no evidence any work has been done and even these state media reports have failed to include images of construction work.

I havent spoken or heard from anyone who can confirm that he or she actually saw the work progressing, Anceschi said, adding that considering the low prices for gas on world markets, the window of profitability for TAPI seems to be closing rapidly.

CASA-1000 has the necessary money behind it to see the project realized. But Michel pointed out that as concerns the energy source, We know where its coming from for TAPI, as pertains to CASA-1000, thats one of the big questions.

Hydropower plants (HPP) in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will supply the electricity for CASA-1000. But there has been less precipitation in Kyrgyzstan in recent years and reservoirs there, particularly the massive Toktogul reservoir, are low on water. In 2013, Kyrgyzstan exported electricity to Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan is now importing electricity from Kazakhstan and also from Tajikistan. Tajikistan is exporting electricity to Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan in the summer.

In the winter, Tajikistan suffers from power shortages, even severe shortages when the winters are especially cold.

Tajikistans Nurek HPP will provide electricity to CASA-1000. But Nurek started operations in 1972 and is now in need of repair, which the cash-strapped Tajik government is unlikely to able to afford.

Two of Tajikistans newest HPPs are foreign-owned. Sangtuda-1 is also a contributor to the CASA-1000 transmission line. The Russian government and Russian companies own more than 70 percent of Sangtuda-1. When Russia funded and helped construct it, the agreement stipulated Russian ownership until Russian loans and expenses for Sangtuda-1 were repaid. Sangtuda-1 has never shown a profit due to the chronic debt of Tajik state power company Barki Tojik, which itself is short of money due to unpaid bills, mainly of state or state-sponsored organizations.*

So CASA-1000 has the financial backing, but its uncertain the necessary power source is there. TAPI has the power source but its funding is unclear.

The discussion ranged also to the potential role of Iran in this South Asian energy equation, insurgencies along the project routes, the individual policies of governments involved, and how these policies could complicate or derail entirely the projects and even further into other areas.

*Iran is the majority shareholder in Sangtuda-2, completed under similar repayment terms as Sangtuda-1. Sangtuda-2 is also in debt.

Copyright (c) 2016 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Shahrdad Rohani appointed conductor of Tehran Symphony Orchestra

05/09/16

Source: Tehran Times

TEHRAN - Maestro Shahrdad Rohani, who has led some prestigious orchestras, including London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, took on a new role as conductor of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra on Sunday.



Shahrdad Rohani conducts a stringed orchestra during the 31st Fajr International Music Festival at Milad Tower in Tehran on February 15, 2016. (Tasnim/Mohammad Delkesh)

Shahrdad Rohani conducts a stringed orchestra during the 31st Fajr International Music Festival at Milad Tower in Tehran on February 15, 2016. (Tasnim/Mohammad Delkesh)

The appointment was announced in a press release by the Rudaki Foundation after Ali Rahbari quit his job as conductor in protest over a new decision by the foundation's Artistic Council for Orchestras to set up a center with the assigned task of managing the Tehran Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra.

Rohani has been the guest conductor for Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony and the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras.

New decision by Rudaki Foundation sparks controversy in Iran orchestras.

The decision, which was made during a session of the council on Saturday, provoked controversy.

It was deemed as offensive to Ali Rahbari, the conductor and music director of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, and Farhad Fakhreddini, the director of National Orchestra.

Consequently, Rahbari and Fakhreddini left the session in protest over the decision.

After Hassan Rouhani won the presidential election in 2013, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance asked Rahbari and Fakhreddini to direct the two orchestras, which had almost been dissolved under the administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"I think that Mr. culture minister and his assistant want to undermine my long career in the world," Rahbari told the Persian service of ILNA on Saturday.

He called the decision a snub and said that he would never tolerate it.

According to Rahbari, the foundation was scheduled to sign new contracts with the orchestra's musicians who have threatened to abstain from performing if their contracts were not renewed.

He said that the orchestra may shut down as a result.

Meanwhile, the orchestra is scheduled to perform the closing concert at the 33rd Shanghai Spring International Music Festival on May 18.

Due the recent disagreements in the management of the orchestra, Rahbari said that the concert will likely be cancelled.

Earlier in March, Rahbari quit his job over interventions by some people whom he called "inexpert individuals who have no knowledge of orchestral music."

However, he returned in early April after Culture Minister Ali Jannati and Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs made a promise to justify the interventions.

Eighty-year-old maestro Fakhreddini, who founded the National Orchestra in 1998, also said on Saturday that he no longer would be the conductor of the orchestra.

"I am the founder of the orchestra and they should ask my view about any plan for the orchestra," Fakhreddini told reporters after left the council's session.
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This summer, a spate of new features are headed to Windows 10 by way of the Anniversary Update, Microsofts next major revision to the OS. Chief among the additions is Windows Ink, an experience specifically designed for digital pen users.

The full Ink experience is still months awaylonger, if you wait on the fruits of Microsofts partnership with Wacom, which will reportedly yield a special Ink pen by the holidays. But thanks to the recent, massive Windows 10 Build 14322 that Microsoft released to its Insider beta testers, weve had a chance to try out several aspects of Windows Ink, including Ink Workspace, Sketchpad, Sticky Notes, and more.

Click the new pen icon to launch the Windows Ink Workspace apps.

If you havent actually worked with digital ink before, relax: Windows Ink is an optional way to interact with Windows, in much the same way you can use either voice or keyboard to query Cortana. Many of Microsofts existing applications already include pen support in some form or another: Clicking the stylus thats attached to a Surface Pro 3 or Surface Pro 4, for example, launches a pen-optimized version of Microsoft OneNote. With Ink, Microsoft is making the pen more central, presumably in an effort to convince consumers they need a pricey, pen-enabled Surface tablet rather than a cheaper, more traditional laptop. (And lets not forget about the pen-centric, $22,000 Surface Hub aimed at organizations).

The Ink Workspace: A Start menu for Ink

Nothing within Windows 10 insists that you should immediately begin inking, but youll probably notice a small icon in the lower-right corner of the screen. Click it (using the mouse cursor is fine) and youll launch the Windows Ink Workspace.

The Windows Ink Workspace puts pen-enabled Windows apps at the top, with more granular settings down below.

Think of this as a Start menu for Ink applications. You wont see any Live Tiles or other notifications in Ink Workspace, but there are several large landing areas to launch pen-specific applications. At this point, that includes Sticky Notes, Sketchpad, and Screen Sketch.

First, though, its worth visiting the Settings menu, where you can configure your digital pen properly. Clicking into the Settings menu via the link at the bottom of Ink Workspace takes you to the standard Bluetooth configuration screen. If you own a Surface Pro 4, for example, chances are your pen is already paired and ready for use. Instead, use the left-hand rail and navigate to the Pen settings, which are far more useful.

If youre a lefty, like I am, setting up your pen for left-handed use will affect the palm rejection and general performance of the pen. Several other toggles are optional: For example, you can have your device display a small cursor as your pen tip nears the screen. Or you can configure your PC to display a handwriting panel for ink input, instead of displaying a soft keyboard, when the keyboard is detached.

The Pen menu also lets you configure what happens when you click the eraser button on top of the stylus: Clicking it once launches OneNote by default, while double-clicking saves a screenshot. Holding it launches Cortana, so you can ask her a question. You can modify all these behaviors, if you so choose. One thing you cant configure, however, is the small, hidden secondary button on the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book stylusits simply not represented in the Settings menu.

Returning to the Ink Workspace, youll notice a small array of icons for recently used apps at the bottom of the screen, as well as a link to pen-enabled apps within the Microsoft Store. Right now, the suggested apps are entirely weighted toward drawing, but more may be on the way.

Sketchpad: A richer Whiteboard

If youre familiar with the Whiteboard interface used in Microsofts Surface Hub, youll likely notice the similarities in Windows 10s Sketchpad app. (That is, after youve relaunched following the seemingly inevitable crash when Sketchpad is first opened.)

Both Sketchpad and Whiteboard skew toward minimalism: Whiteboard supports a pair of pens, a few digital ink colors, plus a lasso tool to move ink around. Sketchpad offers a few more options: You can choose from among a digital pencil, a pen, and a highlighter. Microsoft provides options to adjust the line widths and colors, and the ability to crop the image and share it, but thats about it.

Windows Ink Sketchpad allows you a minimal number of pens and tools to illustrate your ideas.

Microsofts one nod to whimsy, the digital straight edge it showed off at Build, acts realistically. You can place the ruler and then draw, and if your stylus drifts below the edge the line will continue, straight as an arrow. Nevertheless, its just a hipster conceit that ignores the proper way to ink a line: Click once, extend the line to its endpoint, click again. Having to actually draw said line just seems silly, especially because if you accidentally extend that line just a bit too far your only option is to erase the entire line and start over. On the other hand, the French curvewhich apparently will appear in a future updateseems far more worthwhile.

Mark Hachman I still like Microsofts Fresh Paint app for its realistic paint physics, but its far more complicated than Microsofts bare-bones ink apps.

At this point, the number of drawing apps accessible to Windows 10 users is almost humorous: Theres the classic Paint, of course, and my favorite app, Fresh Paint, which was added as part of Windows 8. In some ways, OneNote offers you a richer experience, as you can annotate your own ink. Now theres Sketchpad, and the Surface Hubs Whiteboard appand those are just the Microsoft-authored applications.

Screen Sketch: Sketchpad with a purpose

Like may of Microsofts applications, Screen Sketch simply repurposes one specific aspect of another appin this case, Sketchpad, or else the digital inking capabilities of Microsoft Edge.

Windows Ink lets you annotate whatever is on your screen at the time.

Screen Sketch allows you to simply take a snapshot of your desktop and scrawl notes upon it, using the Sketchpad interface. Its all extremely simple, with an implied workflow that consists of launching the app, writing something like See this or Here next to a circled block of text, then sharing it with a friend or colleague.

Sticky Notes: Bare-bones note-taking

As far as note-taking is concerned, I lean toward OneNote for the richest experience, and Google Keep when I just want to jot down a shopping list for the store. Ive never really seen the point of Sticky Notes, which have no apparent permanence and only clutter up your screen. With the new Windows Ink experience, you can simply replace your typed reminders with scrawled notes.

The out-of-focus perspective on Windows Inks Sticky Notes is kind of cool, but you cant really save or act on the note at this stage.

Fortunately, Microsoft appears to have a plan in place to enrich Sticky Notes over time. At its Build conference, Microsoft showed Sticky Notes that could recognize a jotted reminder, and transform it into an instruction to Cortana. Im intrigued by the capability, though not sure the average user will ever take advantage of this.

At this point, thats all Windows Ink has to offer. But Microsoft plans to integrate inking more deeply into future revisions of Windows 10, and in more subtle ways. One feature Im particularly interested in trying out is drawing a route in Maps, which will automatically calculate its distance. (A paper route, for example.)

While still a work in progress, the Windows Ink suite of apps and utilities are part of Microsofts mission to change the way we interact with our PCi.e. toting a Surface tablet around a workspace, rather than treating it like a traditional laptop. But Microsoft has spent decades tweaking and massaging apps for the traditional notebook and desktop, and far less time developing a user interface and purpose for pen-based computing. At this point, Id say that Windows Ink needs a bit more spit, polish, and feedback from usersexactly what the Windows 10 Insider program sets out to do.
Wireless networking device manufacturer Aruba Networks has fixed multiple vulnerabilities in its software that could, under certain circumstances, allow attackers to compromise devices.

The vulnerabilities were discovered by Sven Blumenstein from the Google Security Team and affect ArubaOS, Arubas AirWave Management Platform (AMP) and Aruba Instant (IAP).

There are 26 different issues, ranging from privileged remote code execution to information disclosure, insecure updating mechanism and insecure storage of credentials and private keys. However, Aruba combined them all under two CVE tracking IDs: CVE-2016-2031 and CVE-2016-2032.

Common issues that are shared by all of the affected software packages have to do with design flaws in an Aruba proprietary management and control protocol dubbed PAPI.

The PAPI protocol contains a number of unremediated flaws, including: MD5 message digests are not properly validated upon receipt, PAPI encryption protocol is weak; all Aruba devices use a common static key for message validation, Aruba, which is a Hewlett Packard Enterprise subsidiary, said in an advisory.

The impact of these issues vary depending on the network configuration, but the company plans to fix them in Aruba Instant and AirWave Management Platform later this year.

The planned update will change PAPI so that it operates within a secure channel such as DTLS or IPsec, the company said. Until then, customers can apply the recommendations included in the Control Plane Security Best Practices document that was published on the companys support portal.

Most of the other flaws were fixed in IAP 4.1.3.0 and 4.2.3.1 and AMP 8.2.0.

There are two issues in IAP that Aruba does not consider security vulnerabilities, but because theyre not in line with industry best practices the company will fix them in a future update.

One of them stems from the use of a static password for an engineering support mode that provides additional configuration and diagnostic capabilities, the misuse of which could result in physical damage to the AP hardware. This mode can only be accessed from an authenticated administrative session so potential attackers would already need to have access to administrative credentials.

The other issue stems from the use of a static key to encrypt all passwords stored in the IAP configuration file. If such a file is stolen, an attacker could reverse engineer the platforms code to extract the key and decrypt the passwords.
Google is considering a big visual shake-up for its search results that renders links in black instead of blue.

Google has been testing black search result links internationally since Friday or Saturday, according to TheSEMPost. Previously visited links appear in a lighter shade of gray, rather than the current purple.

Its unclear whether Google will roll out black links to all users, but keep in mind the search giant routinely tests visual tweaks among a small percentage of its users. In a famous example, Google once experimented with 41 shades of blue to determine which one provoked the most clicks.

But unlike that subtler test, black links are easy to notice, and many test subjects arent happy with the change. A handful of Google help forums are now filled with grievances, and as the Telegraph reports, some users have taken to Twitter to express their frustration. (One complaint: Its too hard to tell the difference between clicked and unclicked links.)

If Google doesnt decide to make black links permanent, test subjects should have their links restored to blue and purple before long. In the meantime, some users report that logging out and back into their Google accounts, or resetting Chrome settings, may restore the old look.

Why this matters: Worldwide, Google serves more than 1 trillion search results per year, so even something as simple as a color change can provoke a loud response. The switch from blue to black links would be striking, but Google will likely back off if it doesnt produce an uptick in clicks.
While Microsoft may be sounding the alarm about the end of the free upgrade period for Windows 10, one group of users shouldnt have to worry: those who use assistive technologies.

Microsoft plans to end its one-year free upgrade program on July 29, after which Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users will have to pay for the privilege of using Windows 10. But that deadline will not apply to users of technologies designed for disabilities, Microsoft said in a blog post.

We are continuing to deliver on our previously shared vision for accessibility for Windows 10 and we are committed to ensuring that users of assistive technologies have the opportunity to upgrade to Windows 10 for free as we do so, Daniel Hubbell, a Microsoft accessibility technical evangelist, wrote.

Its unclear how many computer users actually make use of assistive technologies, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2012 that 33 million Americans have a disability that makes it difficult for them to carry out daily activities.

Examples of assistive technologies in Windows 10 include Narrator, a screen-reader app that vocalizes text; Magnifier, a digital magnifying glass for those with poor vision; and Speech Recognition, which allows you to control your PC using your voice alone. Microsoft also lists a number of certified third-party assistive accessories, including literacy software and Braille keyboards.

Why this matters: Unfortunately, Microsofts blog post leaves many questions unanswered and a company spokesperson couldnt elaborate on details, for now. Until then, you have to wonder: What constitutes a user of an assistive technology? Will Microsoft make this determination, or is there a way for a user to self-certify that they are in fact disabled? Conversely, will there be methods in place to ensure that the loophole isnt used by able users to take advantage of the waiver? And how long will disabled users have before this offer expires? Microsoft has promised us answers, but we dont have them right now.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission and Federal Trade Commission have opened parallel inquiries into the way smartphone security updates are issued and handled by major mobile carriers and device makers.

The two agencies say they are responding to the growing amount of personal information held in smartphones and a recent rise in the attacks on the security of that information.

The FCC has sent letters to AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and U.S. Cellular asking for information on their processes for reviewing and releasing security updates for mobile devices. The FTC has asked for similar information from Apple, Blackberry, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, and Samsung.

The companies, which control the vast majority of mobile contracts and smartphone handsets sold in the U.S., have 45 days to respond, at which time the two agencies will analyze the responses and share data with each other.

The inquiries havent risen to the level of a formal investigation or rulemaking, but they could depending on what is discovered.

Were attempting to get an assessment on the state of what carriers do to push out patches for device vulnerabilities, how quickly they do it, and what are some of the barriers and challenges they have, said Neil Grace, a spokesman for the FCC.

As part of its inquiry, the FTC is asking for information about when device makers learn of vulnerabilities from software and chip vendors and when or if they issue security updates.

Because cellular carriers customize the software on their devices, its often not possible for operating system vendors like Google to push updates directly to consumers. The updates have to be submitted to carriers and then work through the carriers own control process before being released.

Part of the motivation for the inquiry was the Stagefright vulnerability that hit hundreds of millions of Android phones last year. Stagefright left phones vulnerable if a user clicked on a specially formatted MMS message.

Google provided a fix but had to wait until cellular carriers pushed the update to customers. On older phones, some consumers might not have received the update at all.
In the early days of computing, developers were often jacks of all trades, handling virtually any task needed for software to get made. As the field matured, jobs grew more specialized. Now were seeing a similar pattern in a brand-new domain: big data.

Thats according to P.K. Agarwal, regional dean and CEO of Northeastern Universitys recently formed Silicon Valley campus, who says big-data professionals so far have commonly handled everything from data cleaning to analytics, and from Hadoop to Apache Spark.

Its like medicine, said Agarwal, who at one time was Californias CTO under former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. You start to get specialties.

That brings us to todays data-scientist shortage. Highly trained data scientists are now in acute demand as organizations awash in data look for meaning in all those petabytes. In part as a response to this, other professionals are learning the skills to answer at least some of those questions for themselves, earning the informal title of citizen data scientist.

The profession is subdividing, Agarwal said.

The result is that theres now a multipronged approach to both tools and education.

It used to be that anybody who was in the business world needed to learn PowerPoint and Excel, Agarwal said. Probably five years from now, Microsoft Office will have something combining Excel, R and Tableau. Its just natural. If theres this new class of citizen data analysts, theyre going to need new tools.

They can learn these skills in a variety of formats and places, and with varying areas of focus. Even as hard-core quants are acquiring ever more sophisticated skills to help meet the demand at one end of the spectrum, traditional business people are getting more savvy about data analysis and presentation.

Northeastern offers eight-week bootcamps in data analytics aimed at a broad spectrum of business people, as well as more intensive certificate programs for professional data scientists. Specialized masters degree programs are also in the works.

My sense is that it will take two to three years to even out the shortage, and tools will become much more sophisticated, Agarwal said. Were still not automating things as much as we could.
Critics of San Bernardino Democrat Cheryl Brown have a new nickname for the Inland assemblywoman  Chevron Cheryl.

A coalition of groups seeking to derail Browns re-election bid launched a campaign around the moniker last week. The effort involves a website, a Twitter account, an Internet video and a roving mobile billboard in Browns district, all intended to portray Brown as a perk-indulging puppet of big business.

Browns record puts the profits of polluters above ensuring clean air and drinking water for the people of our district, who suffer from some of the worst pollution in the country, Hakan Jackson of CCAEJ Action said in a news release.

The anti-Brown campaign is inspired by a $1 million contribution by the Chevron oil company to an independent expenditure committee backing Brown, which paid for a mailer touting Browns environmental record. By law, the committee cannot coordinate activities with the Brown campaign.

Brown is being challenged by liberal Democrat Eloise Reyes in the 47th Assembly District, which includes part of the city of San Bernardino as well as Rialto, Grand Terrace, Colton and Fontana. Reyes, an attorney who ran for Congress in 2014, is being supported by a group that includes labor unions and environmental activists.

The Chevron Cheryl campaigns sponsors are listed as Neighbors United for a Stronger Middle Class to Support Eloise Reyes for Assembly 2016  Major Funding provided by the United Food & Commercial Workers Western States Council.

Brown, who is part of a moderate block of Assembly Democrats, incurred the wrath of liberals last fall when she opposed a portion of a climate change bill that would have cut petroleum usage by motor vehicles in California in half by 2030. The final bill, which Brown and other moderate Democrats voted for, was stripped of that provision.

Brown has said she opposed the petroleum use language because it would have adversely impacted her constituents, many of whom commute long distances to work and dont have the access to public transportation enjoyed by other parts of California.

The race for the 47th, which also features a Republican candidate, is being closely watched in Sacramento. Browns supporters include elected Democrats, business groups and the California Democratic Party, which endorsed her earlier this year.

In a telephone interview, Brown said she voted for the toughest fracking law ever in the United States  I voted for 6,000 bills and thats all they can pull out. My opponent does not have a record so she has to resort to name-calling and false statements.

Im doing it for the people, Brown added. They can say whatever they want to say about Chevron Cheryl.

She also questioned whether the Chevron Cheryl mobile billboard added to air pollution and whether it used gasoline bought at a Chevron station.
California blazed a trail to legalize medical marijuana 20 years ago. But the Golden State is only now confronting the full complexity of regulating consumer safety and business practices in an industry that has ballooned to an estimated $2.7 billion annually.

Its no simple task, requiring startup-like coordination and enforcement across a dozen state agencies looking to rein in a sector of the economy that has thrived in a decidedly spotty patchwork of local oversight.

Californias lack of control over the industry thus far has not gone unnoticed, according to John Hudak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who focuses on marijuana policies.

The states medical marijuana program is in many ways the laughingstock of marijuana policies in the United States, Hudak said. Its a significant example of everything that can go wrong, serving in many ways as a proxy system for recreational marijuana.

One measure of the challenge ahead? The state is expecting tens of thousands of cannabis businesses  from growers to distributors, testing labs to retail shops  to begin seeking one or more of 17 types of licenses starting Jan. 1, 2018.

And the regulatory challenges for the new system could skyrocket if voters approve the recreational use of pot later this year.

Three agencies will actually issue licenses. Nine more have been charged with various oversight and review responsibilities.

That includes the Medical Board, which must step up procedures to investigate and discipline doctors who arent adhering to ethical standards in recommending marijuana for patients. The Department of Justice will conduct background checks on all licensees. And the Board of Equalization will issue seller permits to all retailers, oversee tax collections and help develop a system to trace the movement of all cannabis products.

Its absolutely a positive development in that the state is finally doing something which should have been done after (medical marijuana use) got passed in 1996, said medical marijuana activist Lanny Swerdlow of Whitewater. The regulations they have established are unfair. Theyre complex. Theyre expensive.

But theyre workable.

Larry Gaines, chairman of Cal State San Bernardinos criminal justice department, said he believes the states overdue regulatory effort derives from the realization that legalizing recreational use of marijuana is around the corner.

The Marijuana Policy Project of California is seeking to get a voter initiative on the November ballot asking the electorate to legalize recreational use.

I think the next time we put it on the ballot, it will probably pass, he said. The states really looking at this and saying  weve got to have some kind of control over it. I think this (act) is a good first step.  Well wait to see what problems crop up and deal with it.

AGENCIES THAT BENEFIT

The departments that stand to gain the most employees and biggest boost to their budgets in the coming fiscal year are the Department of Fish and Game and the State Water Resources Control Board. Each agency will get more than 30 new positions to help mitigate impacts marijuana cultivation has on the states waterways.

All told, the state expects to add 126 jobs and spend $24.6 million on the new regulatory effort in the coming year alone.

Overseeing the process is the new Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, created within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The BMMR  referred to as Bummer by some in the industry  will regulate all transportation, distribution and sales under the direction of Lori Ajax.

Ajax said shes been meeting at least weekly with other agencies involved in the new regulations. Leaders from each department also have been consulting other states that have more robust policies in place to regulate both medical and recreational marijuana.

There are nuances to launching programs involving multiple agencies, Ajax said. But so far, the process has gone smoothly.

Everyone is just on board to meeting the 2018 deadline to begin issuing licenses, Ajax said.

Heres a look at how several key state agencies are gearing up for the task.

CULTIVATING NEW WAY OF BUSINESS

There are an estimated 50,000 cannabis cultivators in California, and thousands of them are expected to apply for growing licenses under new regulations enforced by the Department of Food and Agriculture, according to agency spokesman Jay Van Rein.

Several Inland cities, including Desert Hot Springs in Riverside County and Adelanto in San Bernardino County, recently have approved allowing commercial growing operations.

Cultivation licenses range from allowing outdoor grows under 5,000 square feet up to 20,000-square-foot warehouses. The department is charged with setting limits on the number of grow sites larger than 10,000 square feet.

Amber Morris, who spent the past decade overseeing plant health and pest prevention services, was named chief of the departments new Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program. Van Rein said officials are in the early stages of drafting rules for cultivators.

Unlike with other types of agriculture his department regulates, Van Rein noted, the cannabis law calls for criminal background checks on applicants. It also requires the department to create a track and trace program that allows authorities to follow cannabis plants through the distribution chain, from their growing plots to their purchase by customers.

Although the track and trace requirement is complex, it is helpful that other states have gone before us, Van Rein said, alluding to enforcement programs in states that have legalized recreational pot, such as Colorado and Washington.

TESTING FOR SAFETY

Businesses producing edibles, concentrates and other marijuana products also will have to answer to the state Department of Public Health.

The department is hiring additional staff to oversee manufacturing and laboratory testing of pot products, according to Miren Klein, assistant deputy director for the departments Center for Environmental Health.

Under the new system, all marijuana products must be sent to a licensed lab for testing before they can be sold to consumers. Labs will check marijuana flowers for pesticides, mold and other contaminants, along with how potent they are. Extracts will be tested for concentration and purity.

Currently, Klein said medical cannabis testing labs are approved by their local city or county. Under the new law, theyll have to obtain state licenses. And she expects many more labs to open in anticipation of the spike in demand for testing.

Along with a license for labs, Kleins department will issue two types of licenses for manufacturers. One will be for companies that use nonvolatile chemicals to extract cannabis from plants in concentrated oils. The other is for companies that use potentially explosive chemicals such as butane in the extraction process.

The regulations call for a limit on the number of licenses for companies using volatile substances. That cap is being worked out, Klein said.

Officials are in the early stages of developing regulations on the methods that labs will be required to use, assessing how much it will cost to license those labs and creating guidelines for regular audits to ensure theyre following protocols.

Cannabis is a new oversight area for her agency, but Klein said her department is quite knowledgeable regarding the handling and storage of food that dovetails with this new commodity.

KEEPING PESTICIDES IN CHECK

For now, there are no clear standards for the types and amounts of pesticides that can be present in medical marijuana.

The Department of Pesticide Regulation expects to begin by hiring three scientists to analyze chemical studies and help determine what levels are safe for the public, according to department spokeswoman Charlotte Fadipe.

The department has shared general rules about pesticide use with growers, she said. But because federal law doesnt allow for marijuana cultivation, Fadipe pointed out there are no pesticides specifically registered for use on marijuana.

At this point, she said its not clear how many cultivators are using pesticides safely or whether major changes in cultivation practices are needed.

We are relying on anecdotal information and reports from other states at this point, Fadipe said.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

There are a lot of unknowns about how the new state regulations will work. At least six follow-up bills are pending in the Legislature, covering everything from a training program for industry employees to substituting the word cannabis for marijuana in the law.

One ongoing and contentious regulatory issue is whether the cannabis distributor system should be modeled on the states system for the alcohol industry, where beverage makers have to turn their products over to a third party to transport and sell them to stores.

Distributors are needed in a state as large as California, said David Weidenbach, who runs the packaging company Collective Supply and helped draft the new state oversight law as a board member with the California Cannabis Industry Association. But he also said many industry insiders are worried the state will be too restrictive when it comes to distributors, making it more difficult and costly to move products to customers.

Overall, Weidenbach said he considers the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act a major victory for Californias cannabis industry.

Its a start that was desperately needed, he said  especially considering voters approved the sale of medical marijuana in 1996. There has been virtually zero progression since, he said.

Staff writer Michael J. Williams contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9690 or michaelwilliams@pressenterprise.com
Mothers are so seldom given the credit they deserve. Is there a way to truly repay them for enduring childbirth, toddler temper-tantrums and sleepless nights spent worried about their teenagers?

Well, Wienerschnitzel did its part Sunday, May 8, by offering moms a free pick-me-up for their hard work. Mothers were given a free chili dog, small fry and small soda  with acceptable forms of proof of mom-bership being photos of their kids, embarrassing childhood tales or their children in the flesh.

By about 1:30 p.m., a handful of moms had taken advantage of the deal at the fast-food hot dog hub on University Avenue in Riverside.

Judy Becker and her two grown kids, Hope and Richard, stopped by after church. Becker, 54, was celebrating her 23rd Mothers Day. She heard about the promotion from an employee at a different Wienerschnitzel. As she finished her free soda, she looked across the table at her 24-year-old son.

Shes awesome, Richard Becker said of his mom. All I can say is, be happy that you have your mom around when you do. Lifes not granted to us, so just be happy.



MORE ON MOTHERS DAY

Riverside mom has housed 30 foster children, adopted 10

Mothers whove lost children to violence know a different kind of grief

Across the restaurant sat 27-year-old Kansas Morgan and her 10-year-old daughter, Janiyah. Morgan works and is going to UC Riverside, studying to become a teacher. She said a free lunch was a small but significant kindness.

Im one of those people  no ones going to take me out to dinner  its just us, she said, swatting away her daughters hand as Janiyah reached for her moms french fries.

Its nice that Im being celebrated  even though every day should be Mothers Day.

Janiyah says her mom works really hard and she admires her for it. Even though other kids have more stuff, Janiyah said her mom is much cooler than her friends parents.

Emad Taleb, who worked behind the counter Sunday afternoon, said he texted his friends so they could stop by to give a free chili dog to the woman who had given them so much.

I feel like mothers get way too much underappreciation  People dont respect or appreciate how much mothers really do and their role in society is far too important to be forgotten, the 16-year-old said. So this is the least we can do.

Contact the writer: amillerbernd@pressenterprise.com, 951-368-9567
Violence against the Muslim community has soared amid the 2016 election campaign and in the wake of the San Bernardino attack, according to a report by Georgetown Universitys Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

The report, dubbed, When Islamophobia Turns Violent: The 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections, found anti-Muslim attacks initially tripled as Donald Trump, now the presumptive GOP nominee, called for shutting down mosques after the Paris terrorist attacks and the Dec. 2 mass shooting in San Bernardino.

There were 53 total attacks in December 2015, including 17 incidents that targeted mosques and Islamic schools, and 5 that targeted Muslim homes, the report found.

Thats compared to only two anti-Muslim attacks when the presidential election season began just nine months earlier, according to centers findings.

The report documented about 180 reported incidents of anti-Muslim violence between March 2015 and March 2016.

The dehumanization of this minority faith group at best prevents Americans from viewing Muslims through an empathetic lens. At worst, it leads to their violent victimization, the report read.

Trump has continued to make anti-Muslim remarks as his popularity soars.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, on April 29, condemned Trumps use of a debunked anti-Muslim myth about U.S. Gen. John Pershing executing Muslim prisoners in the Philippines using bullets dipped in pigs blood.

Mr. Trump, because of his continued use of Islamophobic rhetoric, must shoulder at least part of the blame for the recent spike in anti-Muslim bias, discrimination and hate crimes, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement.

Here in the Inland area, UC Riverside faculty and students were recently hit with anti-Muslim vandalism when vandals targeted the Department of Ethnic Studies in March. Photos of women students were defaced, an image of a Palestinian flag was torn, and a pornographic picture was placed atop a book about Islam.

Dylan Rodriguez, chairman of the Ethnic Studies Department, referred to the anti-Muslim vandalism as symbolic and cultural violence encouraged by some presidential candidates

Racism and Islamophobia go hand in hand, he said. This is why its crucial to understand these forms of symbolic and cultural violence as the logical product of a specific kind of political climate.

He said the Islamophobic, racist, and misogynist rhetoric circulating among some major U.S. presidential candidates, encourages and enables these reprehensible forms of harassment and intimidation.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9462 or amolina@pressenterprise.com
A man was shot to death Sunday afternoon, May 8, in the parking lot of an Ontario convenience store.

The shooting was reported at 2:45 p.m. at the Stop and Shop parking lot at 130 N. Benson Ave., according to an Ontario Police Department news release. The man had been taken to Montclair Hospital Medical Center before police arrived.

The man died at the hospital, the news release said. Authorities had not released his name as of 11 p.m. Sunday, but described him as a 23-year-old Ontario man.

UPDATE: Montclair man identified as parking lot shooting victim

Police are unsure what caused the shooting. The news release did not say if any suspects or persons of interest were in custody.

Anyone with information about the shooting may call Ontario Police detectives at 909-395-2925 or 909-395-2729. Information can be submitted anonymously by calling 800-78-CRIME (27463) or online at www.wetip.com.
When Carlos Pena-Ascencio arrived in the United States three years ago, he spoke little English and hadnt been to school in five years.

Pena-Ascencio fled his native El Salvador alone after a cousin and an aunt were killed in gang-related violence. He received political asylum in the nation and enrolled at Riversides North High School. He now plans to graduate in June and study to become a journalist or doctor.

His dream wouldnt be possible without money from the government.

His counselor, Erin Martinez, helped him fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as FAFSA. He qualified and is on his way to Riverside City College in fall.

Its money I dont have, said Pena-Ascencio, 18. Without it, I would have to get a full-time job, maybe two.

Pena-Ascencio is among the 84 percent of North seniors who completed the financial aid forms as part of a countywide push to boost college enrollment.

The Riverside County Office of Education started a contest, Race to Submit, two years ago to get more kids to apply. Schools that finished first in each category by the March 2 deadline  small, medium, large, charter and alternative schools  receive honorary banners in fall.

Besides North, awards will go to John F. Kennedy Middle College High School in Corona, Heritage High School in Menifee, San Jacinto Valley Academy in San Jacinto, Nuview Bridge Early College High School in Nuevo and La Familia High School in Thermal.

RUSH TO APPLY

The number of high school graduates who applied for financial aid jumped from about 40 to 60 percent from 2013 to 2015, said Catalina Cifuentes, the agencys college and career coordinator.

The countys goal is to have 90 percent  9 out of 10 students  file applications by 2019, she said.

So far in 2016, 19,025 applications have been submitted  an increase of 615 compared to this time last year.

The forms are required for low-income students to get state and federal grants and also for work-study aid, student loans and most private scholarships for college, universities and trade schools.

Almost two-thirds of county students are eligible for free and discount-priced lunches and typically receive some form of financial aid if they apply, officials said.

In winning large school honors, Heritage High School jumped from 75 percent in 2015 to 88 percent this year, counselor Cheri Adame said.

The school hosted bilingual parent nights to explain financial aid and how to complete the forms. It also had a fiesta and raffled prizes including prom tickets, graduation week activities, extra graduation tickets and debt forgiveness for students who owed money on overdue books.

School officials ran daily reports to find students who hadnt filed. One night, Perris Union High School District Superintendent Jonathan Greenberg helped call almost 600 parents across the district whose kids hadnt submitted.

UNUSUAL AND OUTSTANDING

What they are doing is unusual and outstanding, said Lupita Cortez Alcala, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission in Sacramento. They are going above and beyond.

Officials are pushing students to grab a share of the millions of financial aid dollars that go unclaimed every year. California students in 2014 lost out on nearly $400 million in Pell Grants because students who qualified didnt fill out the forms.

Adame said some parents are afraid to complete the application because they have to report their tax information, prompting fears of identity theft. She said some undocumented parents worry their personal data could get forwarded to immigration authorities and result in their deportation, though school officials say the information is confidential.

Certain undocumented students can fill out a separate form, the California Dream Act Application, that allows them to receive Cal Grants, other state aid and private scholarships.

The effort has led to a small hike in the number of students enrolling in college the semester or quarter after they graduate from high school. Still, barely half of the countys roughly 30,000 graduating seniors are pursuing post-secondary education every year, Cifuentes said.

We have a lot of work to do, she said.

BREAKING BARRIERS

Financial barriers are a key reason why students accepted by universities never enroll, Cifuentes said.

Another hurdle is the low number of Inland adults who finish college. A 2015 report from the Lumina Foundation, an Indiana-based education and research group, showed that 27 percent of the regions adult residents had a college degree, putting it at the bottom of the most populated metropolitan areas in the country.

Many students are the first in their families to go to college, Cifuentes said. We need to hold their hand if they dont have anybody at home helping them apply for financial aid.

Martinez said a lot has changed since she became a counselor in 2006.

Financial aid was not something we dealt with, she said. We didnt have parent nights. It was what the colleges did.

Now, counselors are knowledgeable and better trained to provide information and answer questions and the entire school is getting involved. Counselors work with teachers and directors of programs such as Advancement Via Individual Determination, which prepares students for college, Martinez said.

Elisa Ramos, a 17-year-old North student, received a Cal Grant of more than $5,000 per year to pay for her studies at UC Riverside this fall. Her parents separated and her mom recently got a housekeeping job.

Ramos, who worked part-time at a fast-food restaurant until last month when she quit to focus on her classes, wants to become a high school counselor.

If I didnt have financial aid, I wouldnt be able to reach my goal, she said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9292 or swall@pressenterprise.com
In the 10 years since her daughter was killed in a car-to-car shooting, Belinda Lane has searched ceaselessly for the man believed to be driving the other vehicle, posting frequently to social media seeking information on his whereabouts.

Last week, her efforts paid off when a tip she received over Facebook in 2014 led authorities to the suspect, who had been a fugitive since charges were filed in 2007.

Police believe Sotelo  who was 17 at the time but is charged as an adult  was driving the car from which Julio Heredia shot Crystal Theobald on Feb. 24, 2006, said Riverside police Lt. Christian Dinco.

Heredia and several others had been driving around in two vehicles, seeking to avenge a shooting from earlier that day. Police say they mistook the car Theobald was in for one belonging to a rival gang.

Also in the car with Theobald were her boyfriend, who was shot in the abdomen, and her brother, who was uninjured. Lane was in a nearby car, and she said Heredia pointed a gun at her before firing the shots that killed Theobald.

In addition to the murder charge, Sotelo faces three attempted murder charges related to the boyfriend, brother and mother, and two counts of discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling.

Heredia was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2011. Ten other defendants have pleaded guilty to an array of charges, from witness intimidation to attempted murder to gun and gang charges.

Lane had been working social media since her daughters death to find the killers. She set up fake MySpace pages and began communicating with Sotelo in 2006, which led to detectives bringing him in for a voluntary interview.

Sotelo provided information that moved along the investigation, but police didnt have enough evidence to detain him at the time. He disappeared almost immediately.

Lane kept up her posts on social media, and in 2014, she received a reply that said Sotelo was in Mexico. Lane said she forwarded the information to detectives, who worked with the FBI and Mexican authorities to extradite Sotelo.

Lane said she breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when she learned of the arrest.

My sister gave me a mother-child statue and I wrote a message on the statue promising her that if it took my last breath I was going to get him and give her justice so she could rest in peace, Lane said. Friday I was able to fulfill that promise and thats everything I could ask for.

Lane said of Detective Rick Wheeler and the other detectives who have been working the case: Theyre all my hero. They stayed on it and treated the case like it had just happened no matter how much time had lapsed.
Monday, May 9 marks the first day mail-in ballots can be sent to voters for Californias June 7 primary election.

Heres a look at the top races and what voters need to know:

WHAT WERE VOTING ON

Voters will choose candidates to compete in the November election for the presidency; U.S. Senate; House of Representatives; state Senate and the Assembly.

Central committee seats for political parties and local offices, including the Riverside and San Bernardino county Boards of Supervisors, Riverside mayor, judicial posts and the Riverside County Board of Education also are on the ballot, as is a state ballot measure that would allow the Legislature to suspend Assembly or Senate members without pay.

RELATED: A guide to local races on the June 7 primary ballot

When it comes to legislative and congressional seats, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the general election.

Important tip: There are 34 U.S. Senate candidates, but you can only vote for one of them. Otherwise, your vote will not count.

OPEN OR CLOSED?

The primary is a little different when it comes to the presidential race.

The Democratic, Libertarian and American Independent parties allow voters unaffiliated with a political party to vote in their primaries.

But the Republican presidential primary, as well as those for the Green and Peace & Freedom parties, are open only to voters registered with those parties.

If youre a no party preference voter who wishes to vote in the Democratic, Libertarian or American Independent presidential primary, you can request one of those parties ballots at the polls or by mail if youre a vote-by-mail voter.

So, no, you cant request a ballot to vote Republican  for or against Donald Trump  unless youre truly registered as a Republican.

TOP LOCAL RACES

Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey faces five opponents for a four-year term. Riverside voters also will decide on ballot measures that would allow the city attorneys office to prosecute misdemeanors and give raises to City Council members.

Voters from Temecula to Hemet will determine whether Third District county Supervisor Chuck Washington will receive a four-year term. He is opposed by Murrieta Mayor Randon Lane and Hemet Councilwoman Shellie Milne.

In the First District, which includes most of the city of Riverside as well as Wildomar, Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore, incumbent Supervisor Kevin Jeffries is running for re-election. His opponents are community activist Britt Holmstrom and Debbie Walsh, who worked for former Supervisor Bob Buster.

In San Bernardino County, the Board of Supervisors seats held by Robert Lovingood, James Ramos and Josie Gonzales are up for election. Gonzales is running unopposed.

HOW TO VOTE

If you have registered to vote by mail, look for your ballot in your mailbox. Then mail it back or drop it off at a polling place by 8 p.m. June 7. You have until May 31 to request a mail-in ballot. Ballots must be postmarked on or before June 7 to count.

You dont have to wait until June 7 to cast your ballot in person. Starting Monday, the registrars of voters in Riverside and San Bernardino counties allow voters to cast ballots at the registrars offices.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 27 through 29, early voting will be available at the Galleria at Tyler mall in Riverside, The Promenade mall in Temecula and the Westfield Palm Desert mall.

The last day to register to vote is May 23. To register, you must be at least 18 years old, a citizen of the United States and a California resident, and you cant be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction. You must update your registration if you have moved or want to change political parties.
If youve ever flicked on a TV in Australia at some point over the past few decades, chances of you encountering the name Grundy are nigh on 100%.

Reg Grundy, one of Australias most successful, highest profile, and most influential television producers, has died at the age of 92. Grundy reportedly passed away in the arms of his beloved wife Joy at the couples estate in Bermuda.

Grundy Television was the company largely responsible for producing the bulk of Australias locally-made TV throughout the 70s and into the 80s, after being founded by Grundy in 1959.

Grundys knack for talent and producing nous saw him bring a swathe of iconic shows to Australian small screens, including the likes of The Young Doctors, Prisoner, The Restless Years, and Sons and Daughters.

But it was Grundys eye for US TV game shows that brought him the most success, importing formats and adapting them for the Strayan screen. Shows like Sale Of The Century, The Price is Right, Family Feud, Wheel Of Fortune, Blankety Blanks, Blind Date, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? were all produced under the Grundy label.

Inarguably, though, Grundy TVs greatest achievement is the still on-going Neighbours, launched on the Seven Network in 1985 before subsequently migrating to Ten the following year, the show is Grundys legacy, having now aired some 7,360 episodes in its 31-year history.

Informally, Grundys name also entered the Australian lexicon as a rhyming slang term for undies.

The Grundy Television company still operates today; in 1995 Reg Grundy sold the company to Pearson Television, who subsequently merged both it and Crackerjack Productions in 2006 to form FremantleMedia Australia.

Vale, Reg. Without his influence, Australian TV would be a very, very different place.

Source: The Guardian.

Photo: Peter Carrette Archive/Getty.
Oh bloody hell. Before you read this, just know that it contains some absolutely garbage opinions, okay? And the reading of said opinions might cause your blood pressure to spike / actual mental distress.

Still in?

Okay, here we go: the Daily Telegraph has today published a piece from Tim Blair in which he attacks the very nature of identity, arguing  somewhat incoherently  that Caitlyn Jenner, as a transgender women, is no different to Belle Gibson, who lied to everyone about having cancer.

in perhaps the worst take of all time, Tim Blair says Belle Gibson faking cancer = Caitlyn Jenners transgenderism ?? pic.twitter.com/K0hIg0uwQW  Josh Butler (@JoshButler) May 8, 2016

Bruce Jenner is a 66-year-old man who has lately taken to wearing frocks and referring to himself as Caitlyn, he writes, and honestly, it only gets worse from there.

Blairs entire argument seems to be that if anyone and everyone can get away with whatever identity they claim, regardless of basis in actual fact, then why are we even bothering to vilify Gibson? Surely she, as someone who identifies as a cancer sufferer, be only receiving of our praise for her bravery?

No, you giant bellend.

Blair brings up Rachel Dolezal, the American woman who was the subject of widespread vitriol (not to mention a few Halloween costumes) when it emerged that she was pretending to be black. But her entire story seems to escape Blairs argument, because he instead uses her as another example of someone we should praise. (Again, we are meant to salute her bravery. ????? Literally nobody said this, Tim.)

He then equates this to light-skinned Aboriginal people claiming full Aboriginality, which he says is a denial of reality. Probably, in Blairs world, youre supposed to prove your race against a Bunnings colour card.

But here we get to the real kicker, his trump card, if you will, although if the US elections go the wrong way well need to find another descriptor: the video that went viral in April where Joseph Backholm visited the University of Washington and asked students about his identity.

Its seen as something of a slam dunk for bigots (hes executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington), because Backholm, a 175cm white guy, managed to get college kids to say he was a 195cm Chinese woman. But if you actually watch the video (already teaming with bias), the students are being led down a path of unrelated questions to arrive at that conclusion.

And finally, Blair gets to Gibson.

If young white woman Gibson had claimed she was Aboriginal, Australians would be expected to believe her. If Gibson had taken to wearing tradesmans apparel and wandering into mens toilets, we would be asked to respect her gender choice.

And then later:

Why does Jenner win awards for courage while Gibson is damned as a fraud and pursued through the courts? Should we not heed the compassionate, caring words of that University of Washington student: I feel like its not my place, as another human, to say someone is wrong or draw lines or boundaries? Its just plain discrimination, is what it is, and I urge Gibson to take legal action against those who deny her believed reality. Shed have every chance of winning. As an 80-year-old Nigerian elf lady, I know exactly what Im talking about.



Meanwhile, transgender people are *actually* discriminated against, and remain at a significantly higher risk of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide than heterosexual and cisgendered people. Up to 50% of trans people have attempted suicide at least once.

But yeah, lets continue paying total fuck knuckles for opinions that actively work to encourage this kind of bigotry and mental ill-health. Sound good? Cool. BREAK.

Source / Photo: Daily Telegraph / Instagram.





Hey mates, if you are feeling suicidal / in crisis, please call Lifeline in 13 11 14. For 24/7 counselling, call BeyondBlue on 1300 22 46365. To find out more about mental health and LGBTI people, read this report.
PEDESTRIAN.TV co-founder Oscar Martin has a damn-decent gig, when hes not dealing with ratbag staff This time round, the legends at Visit Noosa offered him a lil ~micro-adventure~ to shrug off them pre-winter woes, which he happily took with travel compadre Vitoria Triboni (whose Instagram you can get amongst HERE), who volunteered to share her thoughts/feelings/emotions re: Noosa. Keep reading for some top-notch insights before heading to Visit Noosas website HERE to plan your own sunny-side-up vaycay.

Hey good and loyal readers, Oscar here.

Just when you thought my self-indulged schmuckery couldnt be topped, enter Brazilian bombshell (and my good mate), Vitoria Triboni.

Shall we?

Im a sucker for adventure and spontaneous trips done right. Your pennies may not stretch to Europe or Rio Olympics this winter, however a 1.5 hour plane ride north (from Sydney) will take you to warmer waters, fantastic surf and mouth watering food of the shire of Noosa.

Thanks to our friends at Visit Noosa, Vitoria and I enjoyed an A+ weekend escape to the Sunshine Coast, which I cant recommend highly enough  and neither can Vitoria, who volunteered to write the entire review (Yaaaaassss).

Take it away, Vitoria (note: read to yourself in South American / Portuguese / English tone). Next stop Brazil?

Lets be honest, Noosa was not on top of my list as one of those places I thought would be a fun getaway. Typically known for families, wealthy couples, some might even call it Mosman by the sea I decided anyway to pack my bags to give it a shot and here are my surprising findings.

STAY

Let me save you the time: book a room at Seaheaven Apartments. Theres accomm to suit any budget and the location gives you front-row seats at Hastings Street. For those who dont know where that is, its the main street in Noosa  and home to all the buzzy restaurants, bars, shops etc.

Check out the video above  the rooms are epic! Its like having staying in your own little slice of heaven. After a few whiskeys, enjoy a relaxing bath before you head out. Pack your fridge with some booze so you can start having a few before you start having a few more.

EAT

Make sure you go to Zacharys Gourmet Pizza Bar! The best Italian joint in town is located, very conveniently, 30 easy steps from your door. While eating a killer pizza and knocking down some great cocktails, chat to either Eric or John  both great blokes who own the place.

Go to Bistro C for breakfast Bloody Marys. Its AMAZING  situated smack-bang on the water and serves breakfast, lunch + dinner.

10 Boutique Cafe is the place to sample local produce and your first point of call for great coffee & fresh juices.

Embassy XO is a 10 minute drive from the town centre at Sunshine Beach Village. if youre feeling like Yum Cha is the only fix for your fun the night before!

Our last stop was Rococo Noosa for lunch. It was music to my ears to hear the acoustic sounds of the spanish guitar while reflecting, telling stories and trying to piece together the weekend (AKA The Hangover Part 4) on what was a cracking weekend vacay in Noosa.

DRINK

Head to a bar called Village Bicycle, which offers cheap and cheerful fish tacos and good tequila  the perfect recipe for success! Surrounded by vintage bicycles on the walls and beautiful people (as well as backpackers), the atmosphere is perfect for balmy-evening tipples.

Another option for a pre-dinner cocktail is Miss Moneypennys, overlooking Hastings Street. Dont go past their trademark drink, the Belvedere Bloody Mary: vodka shaken with a house-made bloody mary mix of tomato juice, horseradish, wasabi,

worcestershire sauce, paprika, roast capsicum, dill, garlic, tabasco, lemon

juice, celery salt and pepper *drools*.

DO

When you wake up hungover as hell, I recommend you and your buddies book a surfing lesson with Noosa Learn To Surf.

I dont care if you already know how to surf, I guarantee plenty of laughter watching your mates getting smaaaaaashed; 1) Because they either dont know how to surf, or 2) Are still fked up from last night.

Pick up your 4WD from U Explore 44 and head to Noosa North Shore for a relaxing arvo driving across neverending white sand.

See you there!

Vitoria xxxx

Photos: Oscar Martin / Supplied.
FILE - In this May 1, 2016 file photo Austria's Chancellor and head of the Social Democrats, SPOE, Werner Faymann listens to a speech during the traditional May Day celebrations oin Vienna, Austria, Sunday, May 1, 2016. Faymann announced Monday, May 9, 2016 that he will step back from all his posts. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, file)
East Jordan asks voters for fire equipment millage

East Jordan is asking voters for a 1.5 mills increase for fire equipment in the upcoming November election.
15 Ways to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Cincinnati-Style Chili

Cincinnati-style chili is celebrating its 100th birthday on Oct. 24.

By Danny Cross, Maija Zummo and CityBeat Staff Oct 24, 2022

Certain cities are in part defined by their native cuisines. Although at times stereotypical, one cannot debate the value of partaking in a hot slice of New York-style pizza in the Big Apple, a hunk of deep dish in Chicago or a greasy cheesesteak topped with Cheez Whiz in Philadelphia...
Dean Tennant - Higher Calling:

Suit to Shred:

Jacob Shreds Queenstown:

RAW 100 - Jake Newell:

Au Boulot - Brice the Shaper:

TchoukTV - Thomas Guibal:

Dancin' Ourselves Clean:

Hey, Vector:

Hacked:

Throwing it back to the original. Video: @mindsparkcinema @TMcCaul has important business to attend too.New Zealand looks amazing.We set out to create a video of awesome riding, with the idea of hucking a fair few fire road gaps - unfortunately when we arrived, there wasn't a lot of possible gaps but we made do. As always with Jake, some rally car antics took place in the carpark with the bike sketchily strapped to the roof (no car or bike were injured in the making).A short portrait piece on Brice Cantenot, a shaper and builder of the trails in the Verbier Bikepark.Thomas Guibal is a new French Devinci Diplomatic Team rider who just received his new Wilson Carbon 27.5 frame. Let's go along for the first ride on a secret trail in the Ubaye Valley.Random tacky May days call for laps!Troll Under the Bridge.Nick Larsen from Charge Bikes was one of the 17 frame builders invited to build a bike for the Hack Bike Derby event held in Somerset, in the UK earlier this year. This video documents the design and build of his bike and the race weekend itself from his eyes.

Hacked from Charge Bikes on Vimeo.

Commencal Meta 2016:

Looks like fun.

COMMENCAL META RANGE 2016 - Sunny days are here from COMMENCAL on Vimeo.

The Adventure Dispatch - Sarah Swallow:

Kevin Kalkoff - Full Speed:

Travis Hughes - Welcome to Odyssey Pro:

Simple Session 2016 - Finals Highlights:

Mike Carroll's "Yeah Right" Part:

Mark Williams:

Red Bull Stratos - The Full Story:

Valentino Rossi - The Doctor Series Episode 1/5:

In this episode of The Adventure Dispatch, we head out on an overnight ride with Sarah Swallow through the Humboldt Redwood State Park. Sarah is an expert when it comes to creative route planning, which is why we're happy that she decided to share her methodology for sub-24-hour overnight riding (S24O). So take notes or just enjoy the scenery and get motivated, because you're about to learn what happens when you saddle-up, slow down, and take notice of the world around you.French Shadow rider Kevin Kalkoff spent a week in Phoenix, Arizona last month and proceeded to pedal full speed on his BMX at every spot he went to.Travis is only 17 years old. Madness.So many amazing moves pulled here.SOTY 1994Street slayer.October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner ascended more than 24 miles above Earth's surface to the edge of space in a stratospheric balloon. Millions across the globe watched as he opened the door of the capsule, stepped off the platform, and broke the speed of sound while free falling safely back to Earth. Felix set three world records that dayand inspired us all to reach beyond the limits of our own realities, and reimagine our potential to achieve the incredible.The Greatest of All-Time is the first of five episodes from the Valentino Rossi: The Doctor Series and examines the appeal and reach of arguably the fastest and most popular motorcycle racer in the history of Grand Prix and MotoGP. Opinions and insight are provided by Valentino himself plus Colin Edwards as well as the Italians inner circle and from the close-knit community back in his hometown of Tavullia.Title Photo by: qfoto To check out videos submitted by fellow Pinkbike members that didn't quite make Movie Mondays here
Allergan and Richter Announce Positive Phase III Results for Ulipristal Acetate 5 and 10 mg in the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids

Details Category: Small Molecules Published on Monday, 09 May 2016 09:51 Hits: 1555

Phase III study met all co-primary and secondary endpoints and achieved statistically significant results

DUBLIN, Ireland and BUDAPEST, Hungary I May 9, 2016 I Allergan Plc (NYSE: AGN) and Gedeon Richter Plc. today announced positive results from Venus I, one of two pivotal Phase III clinical trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of ulipristal acetate in women with uterine fibroids.

The study included 157 patients, with 101 patients randomized to ulipristal acetate 5 and 10 mg and 56 to placebo. The study met all the co-primary and secondary endpoints with both ulipristal treatment arms achieving statistically significant results over placebo (p<0.0001). The co-primary efficacy endpoints were percentage of patients with absence of uterine bleeding and time to absence of uterine bleeding. Significantly more patients in the 10 mg group (58.3%; p<0.0001) and the 5 mg group (47.2%; p<0.0001) achieved absence of bleeding compared to placebo (1.8%).

"We are pleased with the positive efficacy and safety results demonstrated in this clinical trial. Uterine fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the US. Ulipristal acetate has the potential to offer the first and only non-invasive long-term treatment option for women suffering from uterine fibroids in the US," said David Nicholson EVP and President of Global R&D, Allergan.

The secondary efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with absence of uterine bleeding from Day 11 to end of treatment and the change from baseline in the UFS-QOL revised Activities subscale at the end of treatment. Significantly more patients in the 10 mg group (58.3%; p<0.0001) and the 5 mg group (43.4%; p<0.0001) achieved absence of bleeding from Day 11 to the end of treatment compared to placebo (0%). The improvement from baseline in the UFS-QOL revised Activities subscale was significantly greater in the 10 mg group (59.0; p<0.0001) and the 5 mg group (52.1; p<0.0001) compared to placebo (21.2).

The UFS-QOL is a disease-specific symptom and health-related quality of life questionnaire. This questionnaire is an established instrument to assess disease impact on patient's well-being in women with uterine fibroids.

"We are delighted with this significant step forward for ulipristal acetate as it confirms and underlines that it could provide medical therapy to many women suffering from this condition," said Dr. Istvan Greiner, Research Director of Gedeon Richter Plc. "We remain committed to the development of women healthcare products which improve quality of life for the female population in all age groups."

There were no treatment-related serious adverse events. No patients discontinued ulipristal acetate treatment due to adverse events. The most common adverse events ( 5%) on ulipristal acetate treatment were hypertension (N=6), blood creatine phosphokinase increased (N=5), hot flush (N=5), and acne (N=3).

Venus I is the first clinical trial to report topline results. The second of two clinical trialsVenus IIis anticipated to be completed this year with topline results expected in the first half of 2017. A new drug application for the treatment of uterine fibroids is planned to be submitted in 2017.

About Venus I

This study was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in premenopausal women between 18 and 50 years old with cyclic (22 to 35 days) abnormal uterine bleeding in 4 of the last 6 menstrual cycles, menstrual blood loss 80 mL as measured by the alkaline hematin method over the first 8 days of menses, 1 discrete uterine fibroid of any size and location observable by transvaginal ultrasound, follicle-stimulating hormone 20 mIU/mL, and uterine volume 20 weeks by exam. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1:1 to ulipristal acetate 5 mg, 10 mg or placebo for one 12-week treatment course followed by a 12- week treatment-free follow-up period. African-American women represented 69% of patients enrolled. The average BMI was 31.7.

The Venus I trial, is the first completed pivotal study of ulipristal acetate for uterine fibroids in the US population. It is designed to meet FDA requirements for approval.

About Ulipristal Acetate

Ulipristal acetate, an investigational drug for the medical treatment of uterine fibroids, is a selective progesterone receptor modulator (SPRM), which acts directly on the progesterone receptors in 3 target tissues: the endometrium (uterine lining), uterine fibroids, and the pituitary gland. Ulipristal acetate exerts a direct effect on the endometrium (suppressing uterine bleeding) and direct action on fibroid size by decreasing the formation of new fibroid cells and promoting fibroid cell death. The safety and efficacy of ulipristal acetate is being evaluated in two phase 3 US studies of more than 550 adult women of reproductive age. Ulipristal acetate is protected by a patent that expires in 2029.

The Venus I trial builds upon data collected from prior efficacy and safety studies of ulipristal acetate for fibroids conducted in Europe, where ulipristal acetate is marketed under the trade name Esmya by Gedeon Richter, and is currently approved for the pre-operative and intermittent treatment of moderate to severe symptoms of uterine fibroids in adult women of reproductive age.

In Canada, ulipristal acetate, available under the trade name Fibristal, received Health Canada approval in June 2013 for the treatment of moderate to severe signs and symptoms of uterine fibroids in adult women of reproductive age, who are eligible for surgery. To date, more than 300,000 women have been treated with ulipristal acetate for fibroids in over 50 countries.

About Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids, also known as myomas, are the most common benign tumors that affect up to 80 percent of women in the United States by the age of 50. Studies show that the incidence of uterine fibroids is more prevalent among African-American women. Fibroids are the leading cause of hysterectomies in the US and cost the economy over $34 billion each year.

Fibroids are made of muscle cells and other tissues that grow in and around the wall of the uterus, or womb. Symptoms of uterine fibroids can range from mild to severe and have the potential to impact a woman's day-to-day functioning. Symptoms often include, but are not limited to, abnormal uterine bleeding including long, heavy, and/or irregular menstrual cycles, passing clots; bulk symptoms including pelvic pain, pelvic pressure, and abdominal distortion; infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. The cause of fibroids is unknown.

About Allergan

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a unique, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model  Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing innovative branded pharmaceuticals, high-quality generic and over-the-counter medicines, and biologic products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of best-in-class products that provide valuable treatments for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics, gastroenterology, women's health, urology, cardiovascular and anti-infective therapeutic categories, and operates the world's third-largest global generics business, providing patients around the globe with increased access to affordable, high-quality medicines. Allergan is an industry leader in research and development, with one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry and a leading position in the submission of generic product applications globally.

About Gedeon Richter

Gedeon Richter Plc. (www.richter.hu), headquartered in Budapest/Hungary, is a major pharmaceutical company in Central Eastern Europe, with an expanding direct presence in Western Europe. Having reached a market capitalisation of EUR 3.3 billion (US$ 3.6 billion) by the end of 2015, Richter's consolidated sales were approximately EUR 1.2 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) during the same year. The product portfolio of Richter covers many important therapeutic areas, including gynaecology, central nervous system, and cardiovascular areas. Having the largest R&D unit in Central Eastern Europe, Richter's original research activity focuses on CNS disorders. With its widely acknowledged steroid chemistry expertise, Richter is a significant player in the female healthcare field worldwide. Richter is also active in biosimilar product development.

SOURCE: Allergan
French Senate Approves Shared Player Liquidity

May 09, 2016 Jason Glatzer Editor

The French Senate approved an amendment to its gaming regime last week to allow for shared player liquidity with other countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area.

French gaming regulator Autorite de regulation des jeux en ligne (ARJEL), who has been pushing for an amendment to be adopted for some time with hopes that it would jumpstart the country's struggling ring-fenced online gaming market, informally announced its approval on May 3.

ARJEL welcomes the adoption by the Senate of the sharing of poker liquidities with European countries presenting a high level of regulation  arjel (@arjel)

French-licensed online poker operators can currently offer services to players outside of France, however, players residing in France are restricted to playing on these networks. This, along with high tax-rates applied to online gaming operators in the country, are believed to be the main reasons for the consistent decline in the country's online poker market since its peak in 2011, and why almost half of the of the country's players are active on unlicensed sites.

ARJEL and other vested groups pushed for years to amend gaming laws to allow for shared player liquidity. Hopes began to rise that this could become a reality a little more than a year ago when Poker Industry Pro reported that French President Charles Coppolani proposed international shared liquidity in a meeting with French Budget Minister Christian Eckert. Eckert later confirmed that text regarding shared liquidity would be included in the then pending Digital Bill, whose main mission is to establish the principle of internet neutrality.

Hopes were temporarily dashed in January when the Digital Bill was passed with shared liquidity text omitted. However, just a couple of weeks later new optimism grew with ARJEL stating that an amendment was planned to be presented in April to allow shared player liquidity for French-regulated online gaming networks.

Now that shared liquidity is permitted under French gaming law, the next step for the country's gaming regulators is to negotiate partnerships to make this become a reality. Prime candidates include Spain and Italy with both ring-fenced markets struggling. Additionally, both countries would not require an amendment to their gaming laws in order to share liquidity with dot-fr poker rooms.

If a shared liquidity deal was struck between either or both countries, it appears PokerStars is in the best position to capitalize on this due to operating the biggest online poker rooms in Spain and Italy and the second biggest in France behind Winamax according to the PokerScout Online Poker Traffic Report.

While Winamax operates the biggest regulated online poker room in France, taking advantage of shared liquidity may prove to be more difficult as they do not currently have a foothold in either Spain or Italy. Other candidates for shared liquidity if France reaches a deal with Spain or Italy could be partypoker who operates the third largest regulated online poker room in France, fourth in Spain, and sixth in Italy, and iPoker who operates the fourth largest in France, third in Spain, and third in Italy.

Another potential country speculated for potential shared liquidity is Portugal, whose regulated online gaming market is expected to launch in June. The country's gaming regulator Regulacao Inspecao de Jogos announced last month during an online meeting organized by the Portuguese players association ANAon that shared liquidity would be allowed under certain conditions.

Stay tuned at PokerNews for more developments in the French gaming marketplace.

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Following Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney's refusal to reverse the city's sanctuary city policy, Senator Pat Toomey has re-introduced the "Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act" with a host of co-sponsors including Senator Charles Grassley, Senator Ron Johnson, and many others.

In response, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) National President Nathan Catura issued the following statement:

"Once again, we would like to thank Senator Toomey and the co-sponsors of this legislation for re-introducing their bill to stop the dangerous practice of sanctuary cities.

"It is disturbing that cities such as Philadelphia, and almost 300 other municipalities, do not heed DHS Secretary Johnson's request to halt this practice. Mayor Kenney and the other elected officials that endorse sanctuary city policies are only making their streets more dangerous as many of these cities, including Philadelphia, are experiencing a rise in violent crime. Their refusal to rid themselves of criminal illegal aliens is only contributing to this escalation.

"In most cases, these policies ban police from notifying federal agents of the impending release of a violent offender. This includes gang members, terrorists, drug traffickers and others whose offenses endanger the community every moment they are on the street.

"Even President Obama's Administration has made clear that reporting and deporting criminal illegal aliens is a priority, yet Congress has failed to act to remedy this perilous sanctuary policy.

"We applaud Senator Toomey's leadership with this bill, and implore Congress to act so that all law enforcement can effectively do their job and protect the American people from these violent offenders."

About FLEOA

The Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (www.fleoa.org) is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan professional association that exclusively represents over 26,000 active and retired federal law enforcement officers from over 65 agencies.
Photo: Facebook

A man suspected of shooting and killing a Kansas City, KS, police detective was seriously wounded in a shootout with police in south Kansas City, MO, police said.

Police said they chased Curtis Ayers, 26, until he crashed into a concrete pillar at the intersection of Bannister Road and U.S. Highway 71. He ran up a hill and tried to carjack someone else and then exchanged gunfire with officers. He was struck, taken to a hospital, and was listed in stable condition, reports KMBC.

A manhunt for Ayers had been underway in the shooting of a Kansas City, KS, police detective near the Kansas Speedway. The detective was shot multiple times and critically injured. He later died at the hospital, reports the Kansas City Star.

Police said Ayers ran down a hill near the Hollywood Casino and exchanged gunfire with the unidentified detective. Ayers then fled in the detective's vehicle to 110th Street and State Avenue, where police said he carjacked another vehicle with children inside.

That carjacked vehicle and the children were recovered at a house in Basehor.

The slain detective, 39-year-old Brad Lancaster, was a U.S. Air Force veteran who had formerly worked for the Platte County sheriffs office, reports the Kansas City Star.

"Our detective fought a good fight, but unfortunately he died from his injuries at approximately 3:30 p.m.," Kansas City, Kan., Police Chief Terry Zeigler said in a tweet. Thanks for the support & prayers.

Lancaster graduated in 1994 from West Platte High School. He immediately joined the military and served two tours of duty overseas, including one in Kuwait. Afterward, he studied to become a law enforcement officer.

He was married with two daughters.



Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article76538197.html#storylink=cpy
Authorities are searching for the man who shot a Mahomet, IL, police officer during a traffic stop Saturday night. The shooting happened in the 600-block of South Vine Street around 11 pm.

The suspect is 34-year-old Dracy "Clint" Pendleton. Police say he was stopped for a minor traffic violation and was released.

Pendleton then came across another officer in the 600-block of South Vine Street, and became agitated and physical. Police say that's when he pulled a handgun and shot Officer Jeremy Sharlow in the arm, reports WCIA.

The officer returned fire while Pendleton ran into a house and started shooting more rounds with a rifle. He then took off in a pickup truck.

Authorities found the truck near the River Bend Forest Preserve, but they haven't found Pendleton. They believe he's injured and "heavily armed and dangerous."

Police Chief Mike Metzler says the officer went to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Pendleton will be charged with aggravated battery with a firearm to a police officer; a class X felony punishable by from 6 to 45 years in prison, reports WCIA.

Additional charges may be filed as the investigation proceeds. Bond on the warrant was set at $5 million.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

Due to Americas justice system, it often appears that there is no justice because it is not nearly as swift as most people think it should be. That is particularly true of highly-placed politicians, wealthy business executives, and even the people running the judicial system who seldom face justice. As is often the case, when justice seems to be either slow or non-existent, the kind of people inclined to violate the law believe they can continue unabated and are legally above the law.

Although the wheels of justice turn slowly, they do turn and for the second time in a little over a decade they stopped squarely on the Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moores job. As was the case with Moores previous legal troubles, his evangelical extremism has garnered him exactly what he deserves; a suspension from the states supreme court. And, the good news for Alabama citizens weary of a Supreme Court justice devoted to the bible instead of the Constitution, that suspension may be the prelude to his removal from the bench for the second time.

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission (JIC) filed six charges against Roy Moore for not only disregarding the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage, but for abusing his authority by ordering other judges to disobey federal law. The Commission noted that Judge Moore had flagrantly disregarded and abused his authority by ordering Alabamas probate judges to reject applications for marriage licenses by same-sex couples.

The JIC charges stated that Judge Moore knowingly ordered the states probate judges to commit violations of the Canons of Judicial Ethics and abandoned his role as a neutral and detached chief administrator of the judicial system. In a typical move by an evangelical extremist that cannot accept he is not a law unto himself, Moore issued a statement in response to his suspension saying that the states Judicial Inquiry Commission has no authority over him. Moore also claimed the JIC has no authority over his illegal administrative orders related to probate judges. Then he blamed the LGBT community for his being suspended and pledged to fight the JICs suspension. Moore said,

The JIC has chosen to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite, and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organizations which support their agenda. We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail.

Moore is, of course, wrong. The JIC did not have to listen to anyone, no matter their gender or sexual preference or advocacy for the LGBT community and adherence to the U.S. Constitution. The JIC listened to no better witness of Moores disregard for the law than Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and any one of the several times he publicly thumbed his nose at the Constitution and boasted that he ordered the states probate judges to stop adhering to the Constitutional authority of the U.S. Supreme Court.

According to the Human Rights Campaigns Alabama State Manager Eva Walton Kendrick,

Roy Moore is an embarrassment to the state of Alabama. He has repeatedly used his authority to discriminate against LGBT people and their families, and to defy federal marriage equality rulings. Moores suspension is welcome news, and we expect the Ethics Commission will permanently throw him out of office after reviewing his pattern of intentionally flouting the laws he vowed to uphold.

Ms. Kendrick may get her wish because Moores legal troubles with Alabamas judiciary is far from over. Next up for the evangelical extremist is a hearing in front of the Alabama State Court of the Judiciary where Moore faces the very real possibility of being removed from office for the second time in a dozen years.

Like any common criminal, Roy Moore has a history of breaking the law and unilaterally ruling that his religion is the law of the land and the Constitution is null and void. The last time Moore was Chief Justice of the states highest court he was excised from the bench for satisfying his radical Christian extremism and refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument.

Despite being ordered by a federal judge to remove the unconstitutional monument from the Alabama Judicial Building, Moore refused and the Court of the Judiciary summarily removed him from his position as Chief Justice on a unanimous vote. That action is precisely what should have happened to an avowed theocrat whose extremism has earned what Moore believes is an admirable reputation.

Indeed, Moore has a reputation as a Christian extremist with no respect for the federal judiciary or the U.S. Constitution. He is quoted as saying on at least one occasion: The United States Supreme Court cannot supersede God, simply because the United States is a Christian nation.

That statement alone should disqualify Moore from ever serving in any judicial capacity, but it is not necessarily the only one that reveals he is unqualified to be a judge. Last year Moore demonstrated his appalling display of constitutional ignorance and extremist religious bigotry when he declared that the Constitutions First Amendment only applies to Christians.

As the Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen said, Moore has disgraced his office for far too long. Hes such a religious zealot, such an egomaniac that he thinks he doesnt have to follow federal court rulings he disagrees with. For the good of the state, he should be kicked out of office.

It is true that Roy Moore has no place on the bench, because besides refusing to respect the law of the land, he has no respect for the United States Constitution he has sworn, on at least two occasions, to uphold. Moore should be kicked off the high court, but if the past is any indication, he will likely be back within a couple of years. Despite being removed from office for failing to uphold the U.S. Constitution and follow a federal courts orders, Moore easily won election to the chief justices position just three years ago and a few years after being removed for rejecting the Constitution for the bible.

The good religious folk of Alabama put the religious extremist back on the bench after flouting the law and Constitution because like Moore, they probably believe that America is a Christian nation and that the Constitution is subservient to the Christian bible, god almighty, and Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Hopefully, the Alabama State Court of Judiciary will impress upon Roy Moore and Alabama theocrats that Moore, like his bible and extremist religion, have no place in any judiciary setting in a secular nation.
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While offering to step down as co-chairman of the Republican convention, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) admitted that the Republican Party is disunified.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:

Hes the nominee. Ill do whatever he wants with respect to the convention, Ryan said when asked about that scenario in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I just want to get to know the guy  we just dont know each other, said Ryan, who delivered a political bombshell last Thursday when he said he wasnt ready yet to support his partys presumptive nominee. I never said never. I just said (not) at this point. I wish I had more time to get to know him before this happened. We just didnt, he said. We have right now a disunified Republican Party. We shouldnt sweep it under the rug without addressing it. That would be to our detriment in the fall, said Ryan, speaking in an interview that had been scheduled before Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee.

The Republican Party is not going to unify around Donald Trump, and even Paul Ryan cant massage the truth enough to sell Trump as a good thing for the GOP. If Trump puts Ryan in a support me or else situation, Speaker Ryan will probably walk away from his co-chair position at the Republican convention.

In many ways, it looks like Ryan is searching for a way out of this mess. It is doubtful that anything is going to come out of the Trump/Ryan meeting. Trump will oversell the meeting as the greatest gathering since the Malta Conference, and Ryan will say some nice sounding things that mean nothings.

Paul Ryan and the truth are not close friends, but in this case, even Speaker Ryan cant avoid the conclusion that the Republican Party is falling apart and heading for defeat.
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Sean Hannity wanted Paul Ryan replaced as Speaker of the House for his failure to endorse Donald Trump. While he is unlikely to see that wish fulfilled, he is likely thrilled at the news that Trump, while not exactly calling on Ryan to step down as chairman of the Republican Convention, said there could be consequences.

Right now, as the smack talk flies fast and furious, the two men sound more like wrestling superstars sparring verbally before the big match than they do the leaders of their party. In a WWE ring, personalities are always bigger than issues, and these men just dont like each other.

As Speaker of the House, Ryan is tasked with serving as Chairman of the 2016 Republican Convention, something he says he didnt know when he took the job as Speaker. It has been a rude awakening, as reality tends to be for Republicans these days.

Trump has already threatened, I think youd have riots, if anyone contests his nomination, which is his way of telling his supporters to riot if the establishment contests his nomination.

Ryans answer was that, Nobody should say such things. To even address or hint (about) violence is unacceptable.

Appearing on NBCs Meet the Press, Trump addressed the chairman issue by saying,



I will give you a very solid answer, if that happens, about one minute after that happens, O.K.? Theres no reason to give it right now, but Ill be very quick with the answer.

It is not like Trump to be coy; it is very much like Trump to threaten. Sarah Palin issued a threat of her own, alluding to Eric Cantors defeat (Cantor, you will remember, was supposed to be Boehners successor) by saying on CNNs State of the Union that as a result of opposing Trump, Ryan could be Cantored and his political career over.

Having Sarah Palins attention sounds almost as unpleasant as being drawn and quartered, and they dont come much shmarmier than Eric Cantor. It is doubtful Ryan is worried much by Palins threat to back Ryans primary challenger, but her threat is symptomatic of a larger problem.

This was Ryan back in March talking about his role as chairman:

My goal is to be dispassionate and to be Switzerland. To be neutral and dispassionate. Make sure that the rule of law prevails and to make sure that the delegates make their decision however the rules require them to do that. I will acquaint myself with these things at the right time.

That doesnt sound like a goal Ryan can realistically hope to fulfill today. You can be sure Trump isnt buying it, especially in the wake of Ryan being touted as a possible candidate himself to oppose Trump (McCains fantasies about Ryan being a possible VP choice notwithstanding).

A bigger question might be how Ryan can be dispassionate as Switzerland when, as ABC News put it Friday, he is battling Trump for the soul of the Republican Party.

You might wonder why anyone as all-powerful as Donald J. Trump would need anybodys support when their opposition so neatly serves their martyrdom myth, and Trump may be wondering that too, since he said Sunday that Ryans support was no big deal:

Id like to have his support. But if he doesnt want to support me, thats fine, and we have to go about it.

Which means hes reached the acceptance stage and moved onto the revenge stage of grief. Trump threw down the gauntlet Thursday on Twitter:

Paul Ryan said that I inherited something very special, the Republican Party. Wrong, I didnt inherit it, I won it with millions of voters!

Ryan picked the gauntlet up by telling Jake Tapper later that day,

This is the party of Lincoln, of Reagan, of Jack Kemp. What a lot of Republicans want to see is that we have a standard bearer that bears our standards.

It is also the party of Sarah Palin. Yes, GOP. You built that. And you built Trump. Its a little late for buyers remorse.

Trump is seemingly fed up with the Republican Party not rallying around his rebranding of the Republican Party as the Party of Trump, telling ABCs This Week,

Im going to do what I have to do  I have millions of people that voted for me. So I have to stay true to my principles also. And Im a conservative, but dont forget, this is called the Republican Party. Its not called the Conservative Party.

The Convention thing isnt going well for the GOP, which is hardly any surprise since nothing else is going well for the GOP. Corporations sponsor the Convention but The New York Times is reporting that Cleveland is about $7 million short of its $64 million fund-raising goal just 10 weeks before the festivities begin.

No large corporation wants to sponsor riots. Trump blames everybody else, but in large part, Trump has done this to himself. And now he expects all the people he spent the past months belittling to unite behind him. What is remarkable is that at the same time Trump can talk about sticking to his principles, he doesnt think his Republican critics should have the luxury of theirs.

We can argue about whether we can put the word principles in the same sentence as the word Republican, but remember they do not, of their own choice, inhabit our shared reality. Everything taking place is taking place inside a carefully constructed bubble which is now threatening to burst.

With the result that, like me, you probably know a Republican or two who has nobody to vote for in November. Fox News has destroyed Hillary Clinton as an option for many Republicans, and Trump has destroyed Trump for many Republicans. Fox News Chad Pergram quipped the wand chooses the wizard, but the wand is broken.

If the two men cant get on the same page when they meet Thursday morning, nothing that happens at the Republican National Conventions title bout in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 18 to 21, 2016, is likely to change that.
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WASHINGTON  Charter Communications on Friday received federal regulatory approval for its acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.

The Federal Communications Commission said it had approved the $71 billion deal, as expected, with conditions designed to spur competition among Internet service providers and increase the number of homes with broadband Internet connections.

The acquisitions would give Charter more than 23 million customers in 41 states.

The deal still needs the approval of the California Public Utilities Commission, which has scheduled a vote for Thursday.

A judge in San Francisco reviewing the deal for the commission recommended approval last month, but he added conditions aimed at expanding the number of families who receive high-speed Internet service in their homes.

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The Justice Department, which conducted an antitrust review, said last week it would allow Charter to complete the acquisitions.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced last week that he would support the deal after Charter agreed to several conditions.

Among them were a requirement that Charter expand broadband service in areas with spotty coverage and provide low-cost Internet access to at least 525,000 low-income homes.

Charter also would have to provide 1 million new Internet connections in areas where other high-speed operators deliver service, in order to encourage more competition.

Other conditions focused on eliminating barriers to video streaming, including a prohibition on charging usage-based prices or imposing data caps on its customers.

Charter also would not be allowed to charge interconnection fees, including to online video providers such as Netflix that deliver large amounts of data to broadband customers.

Charter Chief Executive Tom Rutledge said Friday that the conditions were "largely extensions of the longstanding consumer-friendly values and practices of our company."

He said the deal would have "significant benefits," including greater competition, broader access to affordable broadband service and more U.S. jobs.

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But Craig Aaron, chief executive of consumer group Free Press, said the deal would undermine competition in the pay-TV and Internet markets, despite the conditions.

"It hands far too much control over the Internet's future to a cable giant with the incentive and capability to gouge its customers with higher and higher prices," he said.
NEW YORK  In an attempt to fend off a takeover by USA Today owner Gannett, Tribune Publishing says it adopted a one-year shareholder rights plan.

Known as a "poison pill," these types of plans are used to fight off hostile takeovers.

Gannett Co. offered to buy Tribune Publishing last month for more than $388 million. Chicago-based Tribune Publishing Co. rejected the deal last week, saying that Gannett's offer was not enough for the company, which owns the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune

Tribune Publishing's plan, announced Monday, allows existing shareholders to buy preferred stock if a person or group acquires at least 20 percent of its stock.

A representative for McLean, Virgina-based Gannett Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday morning.
Business events and economic reports scheduled for the coming week:

Today:

BERLIN  Germany releases factory orders data for March, a key indicator for Europe's biggest economy.

Tuesday:

WASHINGTON  Commerce Department releases wholesale trade inventories for March, 10 a.m.; Labor Department releases job openings and labor turnover survey for March, 10 a.m.

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BERLIN  Germany releases industrial production, export and import figures for March.

HELSINKI  Nokia presents its first-quarter earnings report.

TOKYO  Japanese mobile carrier and solar power company Softbank reports earnings.

The Walt Disney Co. reports quarterly financial results after the market closes.

Wednesday:

WASHINGTON Treasury releases federal budget for April, 2 p.m.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark  Danish brewer Carlsberg releases its first-quarter earnings report.

TOKYO  Toyota reports earnings.

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TOKYO  Takata, the air bag maker embroiled in a massive recall, releases earnings.

Macy's Inc. reports quarterly financial results before the market opens.

Thursday:

WASHINGTON  Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.

TOKYO  Nissan reports earnings.

Friday:

WASHINGTON  Commerce Department releases retail sales data for April, 8:30 a.m.; Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for April, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases business inventories for March, 10 a.m.

BERLIN  Germany's Federal Statistical Office issues first-quarter growth figure for the economy, Europe's biggest.

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TOKYO  Japanese automaker Honda reports earnings.

SEOULV  Bank of Korea sets its monthly policy rate.

JC Penney Co. reports quarterly financial results before the market opens.
The recovery of a vehicle stolen in Chicago has led to four separate criminal cases against a Rochester resident.

The latest case began about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, when an officer on routine patrol got a hit on the squad car's automated license plate reader. The car, which was parked in the 500 block of Eighth Street Southeast, had been reported stolen in Chicago.

Earlier in the day, police had made contact with the driver, Leonard Demetrius Moss, but the vehicle hadn't been reported stolen yet, said Capt. John Sherwin.

After the ALPR hit, officers conducted surveillance to wait for Moss to get behind the wheel. They followed him to the Holiday Stationstore at 400 Fourth St. SE; when officers confronted Moss outside the car, he ran south, then east toward Riverside Elementary School.

As law enforcement approached, an officer saw Moss put something from a clear plastic bag into his mouth, the report says. He was ordered to the ground and arrested; Sherwin said police recovered a plastic bag with a white powdery residue.

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Moss made his first appearance Monday afternoon in Olmsted County District Court, where he was charged in Saturday's case with felony possession of stolen property and one count each of fleeing a peace officer by means other than a motor vehicle and driving after cancellation, both misdemeanors.

He was also charged Monday with first-degree burglary, a felony; two counts of misdemeanor domestic assault and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct stemming from a Feb. 27 incident.

In addition, a Jan. 5 incident led to one count of felony domestic assault by strangulation, two misdemeanor counts of domestic assault and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct; and a fourth case has resulted in third-degree drug sale and fifth-degree drug possession, both felonies. Those stem from a July 18 incident. He also made his first appearance on those six charges.

Moss remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 conditional bond, and is due back in court on all four cases May 23.
AUSTIN  An Austin man convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct-victim under 13 has been sentenced to a stayed prison term and probation.

Robert Michael O'Hara, 40, entered an Alford plea of guilty in February; in exchange, a second count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct was dismissed at Thursday's sentencing in Mower County District Court.

With an Alford plea, the defendant maintains his innocence but acknowledges that the evidence would be sufficient to convict him.

Judge Kevin Siefken sentenced O'Hara to 36 months in prison, stayed for 25 years. He was also ordered to register as a predatory offender and complete any sex offender programming deemed appropriate by his probation agent.

In addition, he was fined $2,585.

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The alleged abuse came to light in March 2015, when the victim told her mother she'd been assaulted in the fall of 2012.

According to the criminal complaint, the girl said she woke in the middle of the night on multiple occasions to find O'Hara touching her genitals and breasts.

A woman in the home cited two occasions when O'Hara exhibited "poor boundaries," the report says, including finding him "spooning" the victim on a couch and finding him "kneeling in front of the victim, who appeared to be asleep on the couch."

The woman said she told O'Hara to leave the girl alone and go to bed.

O'Hara told a detective the victim is "a good girl" and denied touching her in a sexual way, the complaint says. He also denied being attracted to the victim or other young girls but confirmed that his girlfriend at the time was 17 years old.
EYOTA  Two area men were injured when the motorcycles they were riding collided late Friday night.

Olmsted County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched at 11:21 p.m. to Olmsted County Road 142 Southeast, near the elementary school in Eyota.

The men were riding in a group of four motorcycles when one of the drivers lost control, possibly on a curve in the road in that area, said Capt. Scott Behrns.

Nathan Gallup, 35, of St. Charles, and Jose Ruiz, 44, of Eyota, were taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus with "suspected serious injuries," the reports say.

Gallup was discharged; Ruiz was listed in good condition Monday evening, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

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Alcohol was detected in at least one of the drivers, Behrns said, prompting a blood draw at the hospital.
Zahra Zamiri worked for five years to earn her U.S. citizenship, so a few weeks ago, she asked if she could wait a little longer.

She wanted to look nice, Zamiri told officials.

When a woman who survives being shot twice in the chest at point-blank range asks for a little time, she gets it.

Zamiri, a native of Iran and resident of Rochester, is now the newest U.S. citizen. She was sworn in this morning by U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank, just two months after her ex-husband tried to kill her.

The special one-person ceremony was attended by Zamiri's daughter, multiple members of the Rochester Police Department and fire department who responded to the scene of the March 7 shooting, medical professionals who treated her and several of Zamiri's neighbors, whom she now calls family.

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"I believe in the end, communities are judged by the help they offer in times of need," Frank said. "How we treat those in difficult situations like yours, that's how we'll be judged. That's how communities are supposed to behave."

He spoke, too, of Zamiri's courage, telling her, "This is going to help other victims and people when they see this. You've set a good example, so we should be thanking you."

Mayor Ardell Brede said in his 14 years as mayor, "I've welcomed a lot of very important people to Rochester: former presidents, people who want to be president.  But I've not been involved in anything that's more important in Rochester. We're so honored to have this new citizen."

Rochester Police Capt. John Sherwin echoed the sentiments.

"How fortunate we are to be here today," he said before the swearing in. "March 7 should have been a tragedy. I can't think of a better word to describe it than 'miracle.' This is a story of survival, a story of citizenship and a story of the best of what our community has to offer.

"This horrific incident exemplifies what makes Rochester such a great city," Sherwin continued. "All those folks who noticed something wrong, who stopped to render aid. In my 18 years in law enforcement, I've never experienced a more important event."

Zamiri, who was hospitalized for several weeks then continued her recovery in a nursing home, was able to return to her own home two weeks ago.

She sat in a wheelchair Monday morning, standing only for her swearing in, then the Pledge of Allegiance. Frank told her she could remain seated, but Zamiri refused.

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The paperwork was signed even before Frank administered the oath.

"The minute she's done, at that second, she's a U.S. citizen," he said. "In just a few minutes, we are going to be a better country, with you."

Zamiri wept during the final moments.

When she came to the United States about five years ago, she didn't know any English, Zamiri said.

"My teachers helped me every day," she said as a new citizen. "I worked hard. ...

"You all know what happened. My husband shot me."

The room instantly stilled, and Zamiri paused to compose herself.

"Everybody helped me," she said. "I was in a coma."

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Zamiri was home that morning when Fereydoun Behnam, 71, appeared on her doorstep with flowers. He shot Zamiri inside the home; she escaped outside, where a neighbor and passersby saw her collapse. They called police, then rendered aid until she was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys Campus.

Zamiri lost a lung as a result of her injuries.

Her daughter, Asma Tahery, arrived from Iran about two weeks ago. She'll be able to stay with Zamiri for about five months, until her visa expires.

Tahery repeated what her mother emphasized: Zamiri had no family here when she was shot; the neighbors have become her family.

Still, Frank said, it's important that she carry in her heart and in her mind the traditions she grew up with.

"Please, not only keep them, but share them," he told her. "The true strength of this country is the diversity of the people who live here. Our wish for you is that you develop that same pride and love for this country, and you live the way you want to live."
An Olmsted County District Court jury on Thursday convicted a Rochester man of sexually assaulting a woman he hardly knew after entering her home in the middle of the night.

Michael Paul Kahn, 50, was found guilty of one count each of third-degree criminal sexual conduct-helpless and first-degree burglary, both felonies. The trial lasted three days.

Sentencing has been set for July 6  nearly a year from the day the assault occurred. Kahn is being held without bond.

Kahn was accused of assaulting a women early on July 5 last year. The woman had been sleeping in her home and was awakened by the assault. She told the suspect  later identified as Kahn  to stop. When she awoke later on the floor of her bedroom, Kahn was sleeping in her bed, naked. The woman "got out of the house as fast as she could," the complaint says.

Though the victim didn't know his name, she recognized him from a party the night before. The woman told authorities at no time during the party did she and Kahn have any physical contact, nor was there any hint of a sexual interest between them, court documents say. She and Kahn had met briefly in the past, but he'd never been in  or invited to  her home, the woman said.

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When investigators believed they had identified Kahn, they asked the woman to look at a photo lineup. She "immediately identified Kahn and began to sob," the complaint says. Detectives then asked the woman to place a recorded call to Kahn, during which he acknowledged she'd left the party alone and he'd gone to her home uninvited. He said he woke her up to talk and "whatever happened, happened," the report says.

Kahn was arrested early July 9 at his home. Though he repeated many of the things he'd told the woman in the covert phone call, he denied they had sex. When confronted with possible evidence and victim statements, Kahn said the woman had been flirting with him at the party, and if he had sex with her, he didn't remember.

On July 8, 2002, Kahn was sentenced to 21 months in prison, stayed for 10 years, for a conviction of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. He was ordered to complete sex offender evaluation/treatment and register as a predatory offender. Kahn was discharged from probation on July 6, 2006.
Prosecutor in police shooting to enter alcohol program

MINNEAPOLIS  The prosecutor whose office won a recent conviction in the high-profile case of a Minneapolis police officer who killed an unarmed woman says he will be entering a treatment program for alcohol issues.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman issued a statement Friday saying he was evaluated for alcohol issues and agrees he needs treatment. Hell be entering a program Monday.

Freeman announced last week that he was taking a medical leave, but didnt say why.

His Friday statement says he has also worked to stabilize his "unacceptably high blood pressure." He says hes determined to reclaim his health and hopes to be back to work in mid-June.

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Last month, a jury convicted Mohamed Noor of murder in the 2017 fatal shooting of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia who called 911 to report a possible crime.

Minnesota seeks to add Purdue Pharma owners to opioid suit

ST. PAUL  Minnesotas attorney general is asking a state court for permission to add the owners of drugmaker Purdue Pharma to a lawsuit that seeks to hold the company responsible for the opioid addiction crisis.

Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma makes OxyContin and has been the subject of legal action in nearly every state.

Attorney General Keith Ellison wants to add eight members of the Sackler family to Minnesotas lawsuit. He says the Sacklers, who own and operate Purdue, were involved in deceptive marketing tactics and strategies to sell more opioids, despite knowing the risks.

If a judge approves, Minnesota would become at least the 11th state to take legal action against one or more members of the Sackler family.

A family spokeswoman issued a statement denying the allegations, calling the lawsuit a misguided attempt to place blame where it doesnt belong.

Man holed up in hotel surrenders to police

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BROOKLYN PARK  Authorities say a standoff at a Brooklyn Park hotel ended after more than six hours when a man suspected of assaulting his girlfriend surrendered to police.

SWAT officers and crisis negotiators were called to the La Quinta Inn early Friday after a woman reported she was being assaulted by her boyfriend and threatened with a gun. Police say the standoff began at 3:30 a.m. and ended when the man was arrested at about 9:50 a.m.

Authorities say the woman was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Police say the 31-year-old suspect was not carry9ing a gun but it was unclear if there were any weapons in the room.

The suspect, who has not been formally charged, has previous convictions for drug possession, motor vehicle theft, aggravated robbery, making terroristic threats, drunken driving and burglary.

Jail inmate accused of running prostitution ring

MORA  An inmate at the Kanabec County Jail is charged with running a prostitution ring from his cell.

Thirty-eight-year-old Daniel Ellington is charged in Washington County District Court with two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of promotion of prostitution.

Prosecutors say Ellington communicated with a prostitute by text and "promoted and profited" from her activities in Woodbury last month.

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East Metro Sex Trafficking Task Force director Imran Ali says Ellington was 100 miles away and incarcerated, yet was promoting prostitution and profiting from it. The task force began investigating after a Woodbury detective found an online ad entitled "Blonde Bombshell."

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports Kanabec County Sheriff Brian Smith says Ellington used a jail-issued iPod to text and paid a certain price for each message.

 Associated Press
The Goodhue County Historical Society will host a Coffee Walk & Talk at Hok-Si-La as part of its Walk into Local History series on Wednesday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The program will explore the "hidden history" of the area, including the Silvernale Phase, when Lake Pepin was a cultural center for Native Americans long before white settlement, and Rest Island, the spiritual retreat in the 19th century that was open for two years to help "drunkards and inebriates."

Attendees can then explore Lake Pepin during a scenic walk led by guides from the Hok-Si-La Campground and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Coffee and water will be provided on a trek that includes a visit to an eagle's nest.

Tickets are $3 for Historical Society members and $5 for nonmenbers. Register online at goodhuecountyhistory.org or by contacting the history center at 651-388-6024.
ST. PAUL  With just two weeks remaining to sort out broad deals on tax relief, transportation funding and other spending plans, Minnesota's Legislature is locked in a stare down.

Legislative leaders will begin their private discussions to work out a roadmap to bring the session to a tidy end this week. But the major partisan gaps between proposals, combined with one major bill's surprise failure on the Senate floor, have left many top lawmakers with dire hopes.

Here's a look at what's left to tackle before lawmakers adjourn May 23:

Taxes & transportation

Holdovers from last session's uncompleted work, a tax bill and a repair package for roads and bridges, are the big-ticket items, but little has changed. The Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican majority House are still pushing wildly different versions.

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The Democratic-controlled Senate has put forward a $300 million package of tax cuts. GOP lawmakers have vowed split up the state's $900 million, but just how that sum will be divided is still unclear.

On transportation, top negotiators started trading offers Friday to narrow down the gap between the Senate's tax hike-backed plan to drum up $6 billion for fixes and the House's approach, which relies on existing taxes and some surplus dollars. Democratic Sen. Scott Dibble offered to drop their push for a 16 cent gas tax hike levied at the wholesale level in favor of phasing in a 12 cent bump over the next three years, starting with a 5 cent increase this summer.

But House Speaker Kurt Daudt made it clear there won't be a quick resolution.

"In order for us to see it as a realistic offer, there needs to be no gas tax," he said Thursday.

Bonding

The narrow failure of Senate Democrats' plan this week to borrow $1.5 billion for public works projects was a rarity.

It's just another sign of broad divides between Democrats and Republicans, who complained the package was far too large. And it further dimmed hopes that the two parties will come together on other outstanding issues, leading some lawmakers to declare the session an early failure.

"I'm not there yet," Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said Thursday. "But after today, it's looking like those Republicans that want a do-nothing session, they're closer to getting their way."

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On the House side, there's still a round figure: A $600 million so-called bonding bill, with no list of specific projects.

Education

One of Gov. Mark Dayton's priorities is no easy sell. Heading into negotiations with Republicans, Dayton and Senate Democrats will fight for an expanded voluntary preschool program that GOP lawmakers left unfunded in their own surplus spending plans.

Other school initiatives aren't so contentious. Both sides agree on the need to boost the diversity of the state's teachers with $10 million or more.

Drug sentencing

The last-minute bid to reverse a set of looming reductions to prison sentences for many drug offenders could face its final test  if lawmakers decide to take a vote.

A coalition of county attorneys and law enforcement officials' put forth an alternative to trump the changes by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, slashing sentences for some first- and second-degree drug charges while reserving harsher treatment for violent offenders and big-time dealers.

Real ID

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Two months into session, lawmakers still haven't authorized driver's license upgrades to satisfy the federal government mandate and ensure residents can board domestic flights.

There's still plenty of time until the 2018 deadline, but the bills to make the necessary changes haven't reached final votes on the House and Senate floors. House Republicans' are proposing to put the changes in place by this fall, while Senate Democrats have suggested a slower rollout.
Rochester Community and Technical College launched the Student Emergency Grant program in March and has awarded $10,000 to low-income students to help with financial emergencies.

Students can apply for small grants to help cover expenses that are beyond their means  with the goal of allowing them to stay focused on academic pursuits, despite any personal financial emergencies. So far, RCTC has given 22 awards and met with more than 60 individuals about the grants.

"The student request for emergency assistance has been extremely high, and the type of emergency situations and unforeseen expenses has varied considerably, said RCTC Counselor Becky Smith. "This puts emphasis on the fact that many of our students confront unique barriers that have the potential to impede academic progress and success either through loss of momentum toward completion and/or full departure from college."

The program, in its pilot year, is funded through a Dash emergency grant from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. The program will start again in the fall semester, and will be offered in the spring and fall semesters only  not in the summer  from 2016 through 2018.

Qualified expenses are paid within 48 hours of an approved application and are available in amounts up to $500.

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Rochester Community and Technical College is one of 31 community and technical colleges in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin that received a combined $1.5 million in Great Lakes grants to build emergency grant programs that help low-income students overcome financial obstacles that might otherwise cause them to drop out, according to a press release from RCTC.

To serve greater numbers of students throughout the Great Lakes grant period and beyond, Rochester Community and Technical College will contribute matching funds during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 academic years, according to the news release.
Republicans in both the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts endorsed congressional candidates on Saturday.

In the 1st District, southern Minnesota Republicans endorsed Jim Hagedorn, the lone Republican running in the race.

The endorsement sets up a rematch in November between Hagedorn and 1st District DFL Rep. Tim Walz. Walz defeated Hagedorn in 2014, winning 54 percent of the vote. The 1st District DFL Convention will be May 14, where Walz is expected to be endorsed.

In the 2nd Congressional District, former radio talk show host Jason Lewis won the GOP's backing on the seventh ballot after defeating the lone remaining challenger  South St. Paul activist David Gerson.

Lewis is expected to face a primary challenge in August from Burnsville businesswoman Darlene Miller. Former Red Wing Sen. John Howe is also mulling a primary run. Democrats previously endorsed former St. Jude's Medical executive Angie Craig for the seat. The 2nd District seat is considered a political tossup in the wake of GOP 2nd District Rep. John Kline announcing he would not seek re-election.

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Local lobbying

Local governments spent $8.9 million in 2015 to lobby lawmakers, according to a report issued by the Office of the State Auditor.

That spending represented an 8 percent increase over the previous year, according to the report. The city of Rochester spent nearly $100,000 on lobbying in 2015. Of that money, $15,000 was spent on an administrative/overhead costs and to hire a lobbying firm directly. Another $84,894 was spent on lobbying via dues paid to local government organizations that lobby. Rochester is a member of six organizations, including the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, League of Minnesota Cities and the Highway 14 Partnership.

Olmsted County spent nearly $92,000 on lobbying. Of that money, $70,164 was spent on two lobbyists representing the county's interest. The county spent nearly $22,000 on lobbying via association dues.

Here's a look at how much money other local governments spent on lobbying in 2015:

 Red Wing $48,399.

 Winona $47,152.

 Austin $42,113.

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 Rochester Public Schools $33,400.

 Goodhue County $22,546.

 Chatfield $10,327.

 Oronoco $10,162.

Vying to be a delegate

There was plenty of competition at the 1st District Republican convention for the chance to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. Each congressional district gets three delegates who are bound to candidates based on the February caucus results. In the 1st District, one candidate is bound to vote for Marco Rubio on the first ballot, a second is bound to vote for Ted Cruz and a third is bound to vote for Donald Trump. After the first ballot, the delegates can vote for whomever they want. But with only Trump left in the race, he is considered the presumptive Republican nominee.

A total of 23 people ran for the chance to be a delegate, according to Republican Party of Olmsted County Chairman Aaron Miller. Joel Hanson of Winona was elected as the Cruz delegate, Brian Davis of Rochester was elected as the Rubio delegate and Miller was elected as the Trump delegate.